#this will be at best bittersweet

[audreys-hepburn]

20 YEARS OF MEAN GIRLS Released on April 30th, 2004

[flovoid]

♬ You won't forget me, hopefully

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Assisting Acquaintance Acquired.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[bakersdaughter21]

Anthony Birch choking up as he narrates the end of his second campaign that spanned over 2 years, with 50+ episodes, carrying a story through 3+ generations, cultivating a following and a community of love and support and silliness, with his four friends and phenomenal players that helped elevate an already amazing story and concept…

just… that last episode. Those tears in his voice. It was like his child grew up before his eyes and is now going off into the world…

[mochipatch]

At that moment, Carlos stayed still, his hands holding onto the signboard, which says his name with P2 beside it. Charles ran off the moment Fred appeared with the champagne. He avoided it by turning his cheek away from the sprays but stayed still. He looked at the team's delighted faces, which he called calls his family. It may be his expression (but how did they know he is still known as that guy who is lightly brushed by melancholy) because everyone was patting him and praising him for doing a stellar job throughout the weekend. He nodded and smiled in response, saying a small thanks to everyone who made eye contact with him, but as this happened, he still stayed. Soaking in the pats on the back, the greetings, the champagne settling, which started to stick to his skin. He looked around, memorizing every detail that his eyes could reach and see. He wanted this moment to last. It may be his last for a while, so he stayed still.

[atomi-cat]

Here’s to hoping you all had a nice Christmas, be it with friends, family, or just giving yourself something nice.

[the-blue-wraith]

[pleasedontcareaboutme]

[johnwickb1tsch]

bittersweet ~ a yandere!John Wick x fem!reader sunshine/grump coffee shop AU... Part 15 all chapters

AUTHOR'S WARNINGS: N$FW, SEXUAL CONTENT, COPIOUS SWEARING

-You wake with a pounding head, and total uncertainty if your adventure the night before had all been a dream.

Did John actually tie you up with his belt? And did you beg like a hungry little kitten for his cock?

And he didn’t give it to you?

Jesus fucking Christ.

You know you’d sensed all along that there was something dark swimming beneath the surface in Mr. Wick, but you’re not quite sure this was what you expected.

You look down at the little purple bruise on the inside of your thigh, and you know it had all been real.

A hot flood of embarrassment fills you as you remember more from the night before. You are mortified, and frankly, a little scared. You’re not sure you can actually handle a man with tastes like Mr. Wick’s, and you also know that once you’re in his company again you won’t be able to think anything through, or frankly, deny him anything he wants.

He has this drug-like effect on you. You would like to blame the wine for the night before, but deep down, you know that mostly it was just hunger.

You could easily forget who you really are, caught up in the web of a man like John.

The first hint of morning light is peeking over the rooftops. You know that if you are going to make your escape, this is undoubtedly your best opportunity. You tie back on your shoes, preparing yourself for the worst walk of shame you’ve ever endured. Even with your new found flexibility, you are only able to get the zipper of your dress half up your back.

Motherfucker.

The morning concierge gives you a knowing look as you walk through the lobby, and you narrowly resist the urge to flip him off.

How ironic, that the day that you want to flee this beautiful city with your tail tucked between your legs, is the day you finally seem to get your bearings. You make your way back to your hostel, taking off your platforms and carrying them half way. When an early morning wanderer tries to hit on you, you finally snap, yelling at him in a mixture of English, Spanish, and broken Italian, so furious that he’s actually the one who flees. You catch the word pazza, which you think means crazy.

He has no idea.

When you get back to the hostel, hallelujah if the fucking door isn’t unlocked this fine morning. How novel.

Your beautiful dress is wrinkled from sleeping in it. You hang it up anyway, and hope no one steals it. You pound two Aleve from your toiletry bag with some stale water, and think a hot shower might fix some of your ills.

Too bad the water heater is only set to tepid. You wash away the grime, but not your anxieties.

You go to breakfast, completely stuck in your own head, when you hear, “Y/n?”

You look up to see Javi sitting at one of the tables with a cornetto and a cup of the weak coffee the hostel provides for free.

You offer him a tired smile and sit down across from him.

“Are you alright?” he asks, and it’s a little touching that he knows you so well after only a short time in his company.

“I’m fine,” you lie. “I had a…weird night.”

That’s when Kelsey, the Australian girl who helped you with your zipper the night before, saunters up with a shit eating grin. “There she is. Noticed you didn’t come home last night. How was your date?”

“It was…something,” you answer with what you know isn’t a convincing smile. “I’m tired,” you try to cover.

Javi is still looking at you, like he doesn’t believe any of what you’re saying.

Knowing you will not be able to process any of what just happened to you in the boisterous bustle of the backpacker hostel, you eat a quick bite and rise. “Think I’m going for a walk,” you say.

“I’ll join you,” offers Javi, and you can’t figure out how to say no without hurting his feelings.

You walk out the front door together, chatting about something silly. He manages to make you laugh, until you look across the street. Your mirth dies like a bird struck with a stone.

John is there, leaning against the building like a tall dark omen, and he does not look happy. He stalks over to you, giving Javi a forbidding look before turning to you.

“You shouldn’t have run off like that. I was worried.” There is something chilling in his tone. It reminds you a bit of the way he’d scolded Brian that one day, but times ten. Somehow, his teeth seem sharper in this tense moment in the buttery Venice sunlight. 

 “I’m a big girl, John.”

John glares at Javi again, but the younger man stubbornly stays at your side, not taking the hint. “We need to talk,” says John, taking your elbow.

“You don’t have to go with him,” says Javi with a frown, grasping your other arm. You feel like you’re stuck between two dogs with a bone, and it’s too much.

“Both of you, let go of me,” you snap.

Miraculously, this does the trick, though goddamn if there isn’t something like murder glinting in John’s eyes as he does it.

If you weren’t in public on a crowded street, you have a feeling it wouldn’t have worked at all.

“I am going for a walk. Alone. Thank you, Javi, you’re very sweet. John, should I choose to talk to you, I know where you’re staying.”

You turn on your heel, and flee down the street.  

[dont-offend-the-bees]

Third Contact of a Brief, yet Significant Eclipse by DontOffendTheBees, for dear_monday

Rating: M | Word Count: 4253 | No archive warnings apply

July 21st 1969. Edwin, eyelids fluttering shut, yields to his gravity. Lips sealed over lips, Edwin opens, and Thomas fills him with his air, his smoke, that thick, heady tang, passed from mouth to mouth. Edwin draws it steadily into his lungs, a smile teasing the corners of his mouth at the thought of how he would have coughed it back into Thomas’ face when they first made their acquaintance. He doesn’t partake on his own time, but he has long learned to embrace the little luxuries Thomas brings into his life for what they are to him; gifts from far-off lands. Be it South America, Spain, or simply the streets of Soho; each as distant as the next to Edwin, holed up in his esoteric bunker. “Mm.” Thomas breaks away with a sigh. “Sounds like you're screwed.” Edwin exhales, eyes flickering open to watch the smoke curl from their lips to the ceiling. Mingling amongst the garlanded string-lights Thomas had conjured into being with a snap of his fingers for 'mood lighting', blurring them, swirling them. Their own little galaxy. He plucks the joint from Thomas’ fingertips, neatly, and tucks it between his own lips with a sly smile. “I certainly hope to be.”

This humble prequel offering to the Wunderkammer universe presented, with HIGHEST appreciation and FONDEST birthday wishes, to my dear friend @dear-monday ! Thank youuuu my love for inviting me to play in this beautiful sandbox that you and Lucy have created 💛💛💛

Bonus playlist because I needed MANY sixties bops and bittersweet vibes to get truly immersed in writing this!

[chidoroki]

January 15th - Happy Birthday Ray - ft: his tvtropes

[casscainmainly]

Small question, does it have to be Gotham for Cass? There's charas like Dick that can go establish their identity in a different city. Then there's Bruce, Steph, Jason and Duke who are so intrinsically tied to Gotham that this has to be the city for them. Where does Cass lie on this spectrum? Tq!

EXCELLENT question. I think Cass' situation is somewhat unique because of the way her character was handled post-Batgirl (2000).

In favour of Cass not staying in Gotham, she doesn't have the same emotional connection to Gotham as the four people you listed. She wasn't raised there, and in Batgirl (2000), she has next to no ties to Gotham civilians. In fact, it's when she moves to Bludhaven in Gabrych's run that she gains her first civilian friend and civilian love interest. The iconic volving panel is from Bludhaven, too. It's undeniable that the distance from Gotham, from Bruce (and arguably Babs), helps her grow:

Batgirl (2000) #71

It can't be overstated how important ownership is to Cass. To own something means, necessarily, that you not an object. You are a person who something belongs to, and who belongs to something. By calling Bludhaven the "first place that's ever been... mine," she's explicitly saying that Gotham was not hers. Bludhaven was the first place that made her feel fully human.

But there are caveats to this. Cass goes to Bludhaven in the wake of Stephanie's death, a Gothamite through and through. It's probable that Steph's death colours her view of Gotham here, and her willingness to embrace Bludhaven is in response to the pain that Gotham now brings her. (This is also after Babs calls Cass stupid). Feeling like Gotham doesn't belong to her might stem from these specific circumstances, and not be applicable in current canon.

Still, if the story had ended there, I'd say Cass doesn't need to stay in Gotham. Unfortunately, it doesn't.

Red Robin (2009) #17

After Bruce's death, Cass goes to Hong Kong. Well, 'goes' is putting it nicely. She was written off to make Steph Batgirl, which resulted in Cass a) not appearing in most comics, b) being stripped of the bat symbol, and c) being isolated from everyone she cares about, besides Tim. It's a horrific and undeserved fate, reversing everything Cass' story once stood for (narrative agency; becoming a hero; finding a family).

Though Cass regains the symbol and becomes the Bat of Hong Kong, she is no longer part of the narrative; her distance from Gotham became a representation of her distance from narrative importance. That's the real danger of Cass leaving Gotham - unlike Dick, who is a big enough character to be guaranteed solos in Blud, Cass leaving Gotham will forever hold the threat of erasure.

I'm discussing this in a meta-textual sense, but textually Cass knows the danger too.

Gates of Gotham #5

Here, Cass rebuffs Dick's assertion that Gotham will never keep either of them because they don't belong. She says, "It's about how you choose to see the world. Everything else is just an excuse." She's repudiating multiple things: editorial's decision to boot her from Gotham; Bruce's decision to take Batgirl away; even, somewhat, Dick's ascension to the Bat mantle when she wasn't given a chance.

This is ultimately why, though Cass could work elsewhere, I think she should work in Gotham. It's the place she ran to after David Cain, the place she chose to stay in, and the place that gave her Batgirl. Most importantly, it's the place that rejected her. It's not about Gotham itself - It's about how she was ejected from it, and how she fought her way back, over and over again. Cass staying in Gotham ensures history doesn't repeat itself. It rewards Cass fans who survived OYL, Batman Inc, and New 52 with the light at the end of the tunnel.

This is just my opinion! I do love her stint in Bludhaven, so I understand other people preferring her elsewhere. Just for me, she may not belong to Gotham in the way Bruce, Steph, Duke, Jay, or Babs does, but she deserves to be there.

[pasdetrois]

also re: the earlier deleted lines post, i'm also thinking about this more heavily emphasized spiritual thread in the original script..

[brazilian-whalien52]

Nami and her harem is my everything and I love how all the relationship she delivers are so different between each other

[tracklessreason]

Reigen was VERY good at his previous job. Experienced, hard working, under consideration for a promotion. In the eyes of anyone functioning well under capitalism, his biggest failure was going from that to Spirits and Such.

He only reluctantly disagreed at first. Sure it was what he wanted to do, the first big choice he'd made for himself in a while, but at the end of the day he was sitting in a dark rented office alone, paying more for the space than he made in a month.

Things haven't changed much.

Serizawa leaves early for night school, Mob rarely visits and usually takes Dimple with him when he goes. The space feels quieter even because he's gotten used to the chatter during Tome's part time shifts. He asks Serizawa to turn off the lights when he goes for the day, feigning that he's closing up early. Instead, he sits in the dark until closing time, just like when he started out.

He wouldn't change it for the world.

There are photos of Mob graduating on his desk. His ashtray has had nothing but hard candies in it for months. The whole place smells like burnt Oolong because Tome is still learning how not to scald the leaves. When he sits back in his chair it doesn't squeak anymore because Serizawa took an afternoon to learn how to fix it. When the sun sets he can sometimes see the glow of Dimple passing by the window just to check on him.

None of them need Reigen in the way they used to, in the way he needs them. And that's OK. He's fine right where he is, being a stepping stone to push them to better things, better people. From where he sits every day he can see how far they've all come, how far they'll continue to go.

Even if they leave, he'll never shut S&S down. He's accepted this role as it is, and he cherishes it. Every person that walks through that door leaves something behind. He's built his life with those pieces.

[madmadmilk]

izuku midoriya 🤝 sawako kuronuma

becoming teachers to encourage and nurture versions of their younger selves––and through that, realizing their dream has transformed from being a hero who saves [alone] to inspiring others to reach out their hands too 😇✨