#you need to guess the missing word in a quote from this guy

[mushroomgothic]

today i am determined to win this silly radio contest, wish me luck

[goldenroutledge]

one in a million

pairing: lando norris x fem!reader

word count: 1.5k

summary: fluff. lando’s comfort show is revealed to the world and you only love him more for it.

warning(s): swearing, hannah montana (? lol), max f makes an appearance

a/n: i saw the interview of lando saying to oscar “you’ve never seen hannah montana?” and took that personally. hope you like it <3

lando norris masterlist

“Tell us your comfort show, Lando! What are you binge watching these days?” Max exclaims through the mic, voicing a comment from a fan in the livestream chat.

“Yeah and who has time for that?” Lando retorts, ever sarcastic in his banter with his best friend.

Max chuckles. “Man’s won two races and wants you to believe he’s working around the clock.”

“They keep us very busy, you know! In the simulator, doing media…”

“Mhm. He’s just deflecting from answering, guys. Because if he reveals the true answer Y/n’s probably gonna leave him.”

“Keep her out of this alright? I’m not deflecting from anything.”

“Sure you’re not.” Max muses. It’s apparent that Lando’s secret, a potentially embarrassing one at that, is on the tip of his tongue. He can only assume that the reactions in the chat would be good, but the way he’s toying with Lando right now is great. One of his favorite pastimes by far. “Don’t worry guys, you’re not missing much. His comfort show is not even that good anyway.”

“Stop spreading lies on stream, mate. We’re losing all credibility.”

“Did we ever have any?”

A moment of silence falls over the stream, before both men fall into a fit of suppressed laughter almost in unison, obviously failing at keeping their composure when the jokes are low-hanging fruit.

“But seriously, Max has no idea what he’s talking about. I’m not telling you guys the name of the show, all you need to know is that it has plot, humor, character development… and it’s not even a cartoon!”

“Yet you’re a little too old to be watching it, don’t you think?”

“You’re not being a very true friend, Max. Who said I’m too old to watch it?”

“Not a true friend? Is that what we’re doing?” Max catches on almost immediately to Lando’s quoting of certain song titles in his sentences, giving small hints to the viewers without completely giving it away. “I know you don’t mean that so I’ll forgive you. After all, nobody's perfect.”

“I hope you’re including yourself in that, mate.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m just like you.” Max sings his last three words, imitating the original songstress as best as he could.

“There we go, that’s more like it.” Lando smiles, amused with himself and with the way the chat is speculating who they’re referring to.

“I’m not changing my mind, it’s time for you to move on from that show. Just kiss it goodbye, Lando.”

“Are you the superfan here or am I? Because you’re quoting an awful lot of songs there.”

Max sighs, clearly taking more humor in this than he probably should. But would it be a Max Fewtrell x Lando Norris stream without a good inside joke? “Life’s what you make it, man.”

“It is what you make it. Some may say truer words have never been spoken.” Lando responds thoughtfully, clearly pondering his words. Or he’s at least pretending to.

“The fact that you get your life lessons from that show is concerning. Has anyone guessed it yet?” Max questions, carefully scanning the chat to see if there’s any mention of a certain blonde pop star.

“Well I don’t need them to guess it! If it’s my comfort show then how comforting would it be for everyone to know it?”

“They already know, mate! We’re not exactly subtle!”

“Fine, then we’ll say it on three. Ready?” Lando suggests, before counting down in unison with Max. “1…2…3…Go-fuck-yourself.”

“Hannah Montana!” Max shouts quickly, leaving an eerie silence over the stream as he bursts into laughter once again, nothing short of hysterical. “It’s Hannah Montana!”

Lando blushes slightly, his stoic expression slowly breaking before he begins laughing himself. If anyone watching didn’t know any better, they’d think he’s crying by the way he cups his face in his hands. It only provokes Max’s reaction further. Out of all of their stream moments, it goes without saying that they know there’s no way this isn’t getting clipped.

–

You’re lounging in bed when Lando returns to you from the ensuite bathroom, fresh out of the shower and ready to cuddle up to you after a long day. His heartbeat usually quickens at the sight of you anyway, but especially now as he sees you there in your shared bed. Visibly calm, cozy in one of his t-shirts, and ready to forget about the outside world with him for the night.

You can hardly peel your eyes away from the video playing on your phone, but it’s not hard once his eyes meet yours. You smile at him which is never out of the ordinary, only this time you know something he doesn’t. There’s mischief in your smirk and he immediately catches onto it.

“Congrats babe, you’re viral.” You face your phone towards him so he can see the video of himself from just hours earlier.

He throws his head back in exasperation and sighs dramatically, knowing that his suspicions have been proved correct. The little Hannah Montana moment between him & Max today was definitely clipped and had made its way into your algorithm. Lando throws the covers back and crawls in bed next to you, feeling at least a little bit soothed at the warmth of your body heat compared to the chill down his spine. He watches the video from over your shoulder, fitting in comfortably right beside you.

“I can’t believe he really went there!” You exclaim, with no urge to scroll past the video and see something else. You’d hate to make Lando feel bad, but it does get a little funnier every time.

“I can.” Lando states matter-of-factly. “He’s been holding it over my head ever since my sister let it slip that we watched it all the time growing up.” You giggle, which prompts Lando to defend himself further. “But it’s a good show! If I put on a wig and took on a new persona, my DJ career would’ve taken off by now. She’s a genius if you think about it. I mean I can’t be the only one who understands, right?”

“You’re not.” You murmur comfortingly, chastely kissing his jaw. “That show is a classic. Don’t let Max bully you into not liking it anymore. I love that you can appreciate good television when you see it, even if it’s Hannah Montana.”

“So you’re not leaving me?” Lando echoes Max’s words from earlier and beams with joy, putting an end to the pout he was putting on for dramatic effect.

“And let him win? Never.” You tease. “And you know why else I’m not?”

He breaks your gaze momentarily, feeling like his heart will turn to mush after you say what’s on your mind. If he’s honest with himself, it always does. “Why else are you not, Y/n?”

“Because you, Lando Norris, are one in a million. Hannah’s words.”

He sighs and smiles wide before giving you a proper kiss. It’s full of gratitude that you always play along, that you always flatter him until he’s blushing but most of all, for just being you. For never being embarrassed by him or hesitating to love him back the way he loves you, cheesy song lyrics be damned.

“Should we watch an episode?”

Lando rests his chin in the nape of your neck and caresses you gently. Moments like these are what makes the distance so agonizing, because you crave nothing more than to be with each other like this again. It’s what brings you back home to each other always, no matter what the coordinates say.

“Sure, baby.” He presses a kiss to your shoulder, trusting your judgment as you scroll through the episodes. Maybe you hadn’t seen them as often as Lando had, but they were fond childhood memories you held also. “Just not the Blue Jeans one!”

You give him a puzzled look, silently asking him to refresh your memory and explain himself.

“You know, Blue Jeans. Her horse? He gets bitten by a snake and almost dies. It’s too sad, we can’t watch that one unless I’m prepared for it, which I am not.”

“But he was okay in the end right?”

“Yeah, but he didn’t deserve what happened to him!” Lando emphasizes and you can hear the stress in his voice as he recalls the memory. “I didn’t think he was gonna recover, it’s a miracle that he did.”

You hum in agreement, amused by his passion. “Don’t worry my love, there are plenty of other episodes to choose from. I know that one is sensitive for you.”

“Promise you won’t make fun of me for it?” Lando teases, lightening the mood from his depressing story about an injured horse on TV.

You pause for a few moments, pretending to weigh your options. “Build me a closet like Hannah’s and you have a deal.” Lando smirks, picturing the image instantly. It was nothing short of a fashion lover’s dream, with shoes along the walls from top to bottom and clothes displayed in a colorful carousel.

He places a kiss on your temple, and then several behind your ears and down your neck to your shoulder, drawing your attention away from the television screen and back to him. He doesn’t really have to pause and think about it. Maybe he’s not always poetic with his words, but he knows in his heart that no gesture is too grand for you. “Consider it done.”

a/n 💌: reblogs, comments & feedback is greatly appreciated! thanks for reading <3

[vagabond-umlaut]

summer collapsed into fall

summary: gojo satoru has no favourite colour. he feels no need nor interest to have one, either. pairing: gojo satoru x reader [unspecified gender] tags: slight undertones of teacher-student relationship BUT there is NO ACTUAL romance between them; can this be called pining? idk; character study like fic of our sweetest satoru *cries* he deserves sm better; fluff but with a mild serving of angst; wc 0.8k notes: fic title inspired by a quote by oscar wilde; fic inspired by this lovely post i saw on pinterest; jjk isn't mine; loosely related to 'you make my heart flutter and fibrillate'; tumblr hates me using dividers hence the new fic format ^_^

satoru doesn't really have a favourite colour.

it's never quite crossed his mind. and even if it has, he has never seen it to be important enough to allow it be anything more than a passing thought, a meaningless thought---it is not like his life will be impeded should he not have a favourite colour, nor is anyone ever going to ask him what it is, so why bother?

but now, as you peer up at him expectantly, having already listed your top five favourite colours and why you love them so, satoru wishes he did bother back then.

he decides to feign confusion.

"what?"

"what what?" you shoot back, eager gaze not wavering one bit, "i just told you my favourite colours; aren't you gonna tell me yours? it's fine even if you have just one, sensei."

but is it fine if he has none?

throwing his watch a quick glance, he turns back to you. then exhales a quiet sigh, tired but the farthest from annoyed, when he sees you're still waiting for his reply... shutting the bus window beside, he turns to lean against it, shifting to face you properly.

and sighs, decidedly noisier this time, "this isn't the type of questions one asks their teacher, y'know? they are too casual, meant more for a friend than for a teacher."

"you got to be the last guy to lecture me about etiquette, sensei," you retort without missing a beat, huffing a quiet, amused laugh.

"and after the time i had to bring you to ieiri-san after you passed out from drinking a bit too much: i guess we're a bit more than a teacher and a student, aren't we, sensei?"

not really... no.

while satoru believes your first point to be a debatable topic, he does not think the two of you are anything but a teacher and a student, no matter how much help you extended to him or will in the future---it's not like he isn't grateful, though. he is; he really, really is---it's just his belief that few acts of kindness do not necessarily cause a friendship between people, and he intends to tell you this very clearly---

but finds he cannot. he simply cannot.

not when you say, still so eager but with an undercurrent so achingly soft that even the strongest wonders if he can handle its weight: "i'm not that bad a friend, y'know---you can ask others if you want; they'll tell you i'm a good friend, not the best but a decent one---"

"why don't you guess what's my favourite colour?"

rude, yes, horribly so. satoru knows, he knows this very, very well. but what can a man do but divert when he's being unsettled by words like the ones you addressed to him, by the tenor you employed for him---

although now that he observes you consider his suggestion, the man wonders if diversion was the right tactic or not.

he could have just lied and told you any random color. he could have chosen to be honest and told you he has no favourite colour like you and probably the rest of the world have.

but no, he doesn't.

satoru does not opt either of the above two painfully simple, painfully easy options. choosing instead to ask you to guess what his favourite colour is... satoru never really anticipates he'll end up being this much more unsettled, thanks to his decision of diversion:

if there was a subtext of a haunting softness in your manners before, the sorcerer reckons it is the text now, typed out in bold letters then underlined and highlighted in neon---you too shift to face him, even moving the bag kept in between to your lap and shifting a bit closer, but still a respectable distance away---only to punctuate your effort with a keen stare, much too gentle, at him.

it's scary, he thinks. yeah, undoubtedly scary. but somewhere in the back of his mind, something says it's also comforting.

many eyes look at satoru throughout the day. they gape, they gawk, they study the man and every small aspect of his person with many different kinds of reasons behind them. but before today, there has never been anyone who has regarded him with this much care, that too for a nonsensical cause like yours...

he wonders, just what are you seeing in him?

just who are you seeing in him?

"it's orange, isn't it?" you exclaim abruptly, leaning a touch forwards with a snap of your pointer and thumb. voice too loud. smile too big. eyes too bright, way too bright---

satoru takes not even one whole second to decide:

he now has one favourite colour.

[athenamikaelson]

Written in the Stars Ch. 13

Klaus Mikaelson x Soulmate!Reader x Elijah Mikaelson

Word Count- 2.6k

Warnings- Swearing, Karen’s

A/N- This is just a TINY chapter to get something out to you guys. Being in college SUCKS but we must prevail or whatever I guess. Anyway, I’ll get working on an actual canon chapter as soon as I can.

“If I have to bring this plate back to the cooks one more time because it is, quote on quote, “Too cold,” I’m actually going to quit,” I gesture to the plated steak in my hands as I put it on the metal counter for one of the cooks to take. Adrian our resident chef gives me an, “Are you serious” look and I shrug my shoulders at him.

“Hasn’t that been the 2nd time she’s sent it back,” Alastair questions me as he looks over to the blonde Karen across The Grill.

I rub a hand over my face in exhaustion, “Fourth, actually. Twenty bucks say she’s going to ask for the steak on the house,” I raise an eyebrow at my friend who smirks.

“I’ll take that action,” He reaches his hand out and we shake on it. 

I hear the ding of a bell behind me and turn to see the chef with the heated-up steak and if I weren’t pissed off as well I’d laugh at the annoyed look on his face. With a thank you, I grab the plate and walk it over to the blonde woman. I place the plate on her table and without a thank you or even an acknowledgement she pokes the steak and then huffs as she throws it back on the plate.

“It’s still cold. I want this taken off my bill,” I fight back an eye roll at her words.

“You didn’t even take a bite, Miss,” I try to reason with her and she dares to roll her eyes at me.

“I didn’t need to, to know that it’s cold. Either refund me or get the manager,” She turns around in her seat and crosses her arms like an actual child.

“Listen lady you can’t just-”

“Good evening,” Matt cuts me off from the start of my rant, “What seems to be the issue here?”

I whip around to look at Matt who shoots me a look and leans down to me, “I got this, don’t need you fighting the customers,” He jokes and I shoot him back a look as I huff and walk back to Alastair who was watching the whole interaction with a smirk.

“You owe me $20,” I hold out my hand and he huffs and pulls out a $20 bill from his black slacks. Even though he’s a bartender, he chooses to wear Versace and other designer brands to work. 

“Thank you,” I smile as I pocket the bill and shoot my friend a smile. 

We stand together and watch the dumpster fire, that is Matt trying to reason with the Karen. 

“So… what are your plans for after work,” Alastair asks me as he looks at his nails. 

“Why? Want to hang out,” I question.

“Uh…ya! But first I have to make a quick stop,” He says absentmindedly.

“That’s no problem.”

—

“Why are we at Elena’s house? You guys aren’t friends,” I question Alastair as he gets out of the driver’s side of his Porsche and comes over to open my door. 

“We could be…”

I look at my friend suspiciously and then back to the quiet house in front of us and I feel my shoulders instantly tense up.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Alastair stops moving and looks down at me wearily and shyly smiles.

“I’m going to kill you if this is a surprise party,” I threaten him and he grabs me by my shoulders and drags me up to the front door.

“Smile wide, babe.”

—

“Happy Birthday!”

I try to push a smile onto my face as I stare at my friends as they jump out from random corners of the Gilbert living room as I enter. 

Caroline, Elena, and Jenna all wear birthday hats and big smiles as they look at me. Ric stands behind Jenna with a small smile on his face and Tyler stands behind Caroline. Damon is currently scowling in the corner and surprisingly my little brother, who got back from camp 2 days ago, and Jeremy are standing next to each other looking like they just got done wrestling. 

“Are you surprised,” Caroline exclaims as she runs over to me and pulls me into her embrace. I shoot a look over to Alastair who smirks.

“Sooooo surprised.”

Caroline seems to believe me as her smile gets bigger and Elena moves around her to hug me too.

“Happy late birthday, Y/N.”

“Thank you, Lena.”

Both Jenna and Ric come over to wish me a late happy birthday, and then they lead me to sit down in the living room that is fully decorated with every kind of birthday decoration ever. From streamers, balloons, banners, and anything else sparkly Caroline could get her hands on. I find myself smiling at the fact that this must have taken some time to set up, even though I dislike my birthday and celebrating it, it’s nice to know that I have friends who would do this for me. 

“Happy birthday Y/n,” Jeremy says to me as he and my brother start arm wrestling. 

“I called her on her actual birthday and said happy birthday to her so,” Theo said absentmindedly as he focused on beating his friend. 

“Thank you, Jeremy,” I shoot a glare at my little brother who smirks back. 

“Damon aren’t you going to say something,” Elena questions the brooding vampire who raises an eyebrow as he downs the rest of his wine. 

“You’re forgetting up until yesterday she lived with me. I already celebrated her birthday before you children,” I tense up slightly as I shoot a look over to Theo who looks confused at the mention of me living with Damon.

“Ya! He did! Since I spent the summer at the Salvatore house for my tiny vacation and all,” I try to cover it up and Theo has an unsure look on his face but Jeremy starts tugging back on his arm and they go back to arm wrestling one another. Since Theo doesn’t know about anything that has happened this summer I don’t really want to drop that bomb now or anytime soon, to be honest.

—

For the next hour, we all eat snacks prepared by Jenna and Elena, and then watch Theo and Jeremy challenge each other in anything they could possibly challenge one another with and I had to stand awkwardly as everyone sang happy birthday to me. Now I’m seated in a rocking chair in the living room with everyone watching me as I open up presents. I can practically feel my hands shaking as I feel everyone’s attention on me.

The first thing I open is a small card with a cute cat on the front, inside is a slip of paper that reads, “One free assignment,” I frown in confusion but when I look up Ric is shyly smiling at me.

“I didn’t really know what to give you, I’m kind of horrible with gift giving but I thought with how hectic everything is, and with Senior year coming up, you could use that to skip out on any assignment this year I give you.”

I nod and smile at him gratefully, “Thank you, Ric, that is really nice. I’ll definitely be using that,” I whisper out the last part.

“Open mine next,” Caroline exclaims as she hands me a big garment box with a big pink bow on it. I shoot her a raised eyebrow and she just rolls her eyes, “Open it hoe!’’

I sigh and undo the pretty bow, pick up the top of the white box, and look inside to find a beautiful silk blue dress. I grab the dress and hold it up, the light satiny fabric feels like heaven in my fingers. What has me blushing though, is the rather deep neckline.

“Caroline…”

“What! You’ll look beautiful in it! It goes with your complexion!”

I look back at the dress and as much as I want to give her back, the clearly expensive dress, a bigger part of me doesn’t want to part with it. 

“Thank you Care, it’s beautiful.”

Caroline smiles to herself proudly and saunters back to stand next to Tyler who makes me frown as I watch him reach into his pocket pull out a 100-dollar bill and hand it to me.

“Tyler I’m not accepting that,” I scowl at him and he places it on the table in front of me.

“Either you take it right now or I’ll just come to your work tomorrow and tip you it,” He smirks and taps the bill, “Happy Birthday!”

I groan as Jenna rushes over to me and hands me a little gift box, I smile up at her as she looks like a child on Christmas, “You didn’t have to Jenna.”

“You shush you! Open it,” She excitedly says as she gestures to the box in my hands.

I smile and shake my head as I open the box to find a small silver bracelet with a Y/B/S gem in the center. My mouth goes slack as I look at the beautiful piece of jewelry.

“Jenna, it’s beautiful,” I say and she quickly takes it from me and unclasps the latch so she can put it on me. 

“I saw it and thought of you,” At the older woman’s words I have to swallow the lump in my throat and fight back the tears in my eyes. Choosing to focus on the cold metal that is now gracing my left wrist. 

“Thank you. I love it.”

“I guess that leaves me.”

I look up to see my best friend pull a big dark blue birthday bag out from behind the couch she was sitting on. The size of it takes me by surprise. 

“Elena…”

“Shush,” She says as she places the huge bag in my lap. I have to reach my hand in without looking to grab whatever is in it. My fingers instantly touch what I believe to be leather. I pull the thing out, push the blue bag away, and place it on the floor. When I look back at the leather thing in my lap I realize it’s a messenger bag. A rather expensive messenger bag by the look of the dark brown leather and the silver clasps.

“It even has your initials,” Elena says shyly as she points to the engraving on the corner of the bag. My smile slightly drops when I see, Y/f/n Y/m/n Y/l/n. Mostly because of the last name part. 

“You don’t like it… I knew it was too much. I should’ve gotten you the books I picked out,” Elena mumbles to herself and I’m quick to stop her.

“No! No, I love it. Truly Elena, thank you so much. I’m going to use it for school,” I smile up to her and I’m happy to see the dimples making their way back onto my friend's face as she smiles back at me. 

“Thank you all so much. This is really too much and I can’t thank you enough.”

They all say things like how I deserve it or don’t worry about it and such. Except Damon who hasn’t moved from his spot. 

“Wait,” Caroline whips around to Alastair, “What did you get her?”

Alastair smirks and then glances at the clothes I’m wearing, “Theo let me into her room earlier. I dropped my presents off there.”

I scowl at my little brother who is fighting back a laugh.

“The bag is also from me,” Jeremy says and Elena shoves him and tells him to shut it. 

— 

The night goes on with playing games and talking until one by one everyone files out of the Gilbert house. I make sure to thank Elena, Jenna, and Ric for everything as Alastair leads me outside to his car. Theo opted out of the ride home and decided to spend the night and play video games with Jeremy since they hadn’t gotten to all summer. 

After waving goodbye, Alastair pulls out of the driveway and starts driving me home.

“So what is it,” I ask him as I play with the bracelet on my wrist.

“What is what,” He asks but from his tone I know he’s messing with me.

“Don’t be a dick. You know what. My present from you. What is it?”

Alastair smirks to himself and just shrugs as he continues winding down the dark streets. It’s not long before we’re pulling up to my dark unlit house. Making me assume my mother’s not home. Thankfully. She hasn’t been around at all these past two days since I moved back. I didn’t even want to but with Theo moving back I didn’t want him asking too many questions on why I wasn’t living at home anymore.

Alastair gets out of the car walks over to my side opens my door and helps me out. We grab all the bags with my presents and then we walk to the front door.

“Thanks for tonight…I guess. It wasn’t that horrible.”

Alastair smirks at my comment and squeezes my upper arm, “Happy late birthday babe. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I open my front door and hear Alastair walk to his car. I haven’t even fully shut my door before I hear him peeling out of my driveway.

I sigh to myself as I turn on my hallway light and try to carry my bags to my room. I kick open my door and stop when I see the horde of shopping bags that are sitting on my bed. Various designer brands sit on my bed and I can’t fight the way my jaw completely drops as I rummage through just a fraction of some of them. There has to be at least 10,000 dollars worth of designer purses, shoes, and clothes here. 

If Alastair can afford this then why the actual fuck is he working a entry-level bartending job?!?!?

I’m about to pull out my phone and bitch my friend out when I hear my doorbell ring. 

“Alastair if that’s you, you have a lot of explaining to do,” I yell as I walk down the hall and fling open the front door and yet I’m met with nothing. 

I’m about to close my door because this reminds me of every horror movie ever but when I look down a small box catches my eye. I peek out my door careful not the pass the threshold but there doesn’t seem to be anyone around. I cautiously lean down pick up the small black box and look at the tiny tag on the top. The only thing written on it is my name which pulls a frown on my lips. 

I quickly grab the box, shut the door, lock it, and slightly run to my room. As soon as I get to my room I eye the box in my hands momentarily before slowly opening it as if inside there was a bomb or some shit. I freeze when I see what’s inside though. A wolf. 

A small wolf pendant on a silver chain sits in the box. As creepy as this whole thing is I have to admit, the necklace is beautiful. The little wolf appears to be mid-howl and at closer inspection the eye of the wolf I think is some kind of gem. My fingers caress the wolf debating on what to do and after a moment I throw it onto my desk. 

I turn around to go organize the mess that is all these bags, but I feel an itch in my spine and I groan as I turn back to the necklace and roughly pick it up unclasp the chain, and put it on around my neck. As soon as I do a sense of familiarity and comfort almost seems to wash over me. I walk over to my bathroom mirror and look at the wolf in the mirror. And for a split second, I could’ve sworn its gemmed eye glowed.

[thewulf]

My Treasure || Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Summary: Request - I need a Bradley x reader or Jake x reader based on the quote, “I can’t keep being your second choice, not when you’re my first.” Some angst to fluff goodness maybe

A/N: Ahh thank you for the request! You guys always have the best. Hope you enjoy some good old angst/fluff! Hope you guys enjoy :)

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Y/N

Word Count: 1.7k +

Your eyes glistened with unshed tears as you watched the small tea candle burn out without a trace of Bradley. It was the sixth time in as many nights that he had let you down. He’d promised you he would be home tonight in time for dinner. You’d gotten ready, decided to look cute for him and cooked his favorite meal. You were excited at the thought of reconnecting with your long-time boyfriend. It had gotten hard before, sure, but this distance was like nothing you’d felt before in the years you had been together. It felt like your worst fears were coming true, he was pulling away from you. Planning to leave you.

With a huff you left the uneaten food on the table for him to see when he got home. You weren’t planning to be there. You called your mom with tears flowing letting her know you were planning to stay with her for the next few nights. She didn’t question a thing and told you your room would be ready. She’d have time to pester later, you needed her not to right now.

In a rush you through your clothes haphazardly into an overnight bag. You’d have to figure out your living situation later. In your haste you hadn’t heard the front door open and close. Or his curse downstairs. Nor his heavy footsteps on the stairs as he walked up to your shared bedroom. You’d only noticed him when he placed a hand on your shoulder sending you into a slight panic as he startled you.

His head cocked to the side in confusion seeing you bag, “Hon, what’re you doing?” He squatted so he was eye level with you.

“To my mom’s.” You turned back to your packing doing your best to ignore the confused man who really shouldn’t be giving you the look he was, or you were going to snap. How could he not have a clue?

He knew he had messed up when you shrugged off his touch, “Why would you do that? We have to eat the dinner you made.”

You shook your head, “It’s cold Bradley.”

He scrunched his nose looking over at you, “I can warm it up hon.” He tried to offer a simple solution to the scowl you were giving off to him.

“That’s not the point.” You were biting your tongue and even he knew that. He wasn’t that clueless, and you knew that.

“I’m sorry I was late… time just got away from us…” He paused seeing you weren’t listening to him. You were going to snap, and you knew it. Why was he out if he knew he was supposed to be home tonight? Why didn’t he seem to care about you?

You looked at him with a sadness he had missed so many times before, “I asked you for one thing Bradley. I’ve asked you for one thing for weeks. I just wanted a night with you.”

He frowned immediately, “I’m so sorry honey. This mission has just been hell. I didn’t want to take it out on you…”

“Then why wouldn’t you just tell me that?” You turned to him, standing now. You were irritated. Tired of second guessing yourself, “I’ve been seemingly by myself for the last four weeks Bradley! Do you know how fucking lonely that is? Do you know how I’ve been rattling my damn brain to try and figure out what the hell was going on with you? Did I do something? I’m tired. I’m going to my mom’s. Now move.” He had stood as you ranted at his inaction. He’d never seen you so agitated and heated. You were his calm and collected girl. He really must’ve done a number on you without even realizing it.

“Baby I’m…” You were in no state to hear him out. You’d made up your mind and that was that.

“I followed you across the country.” You let a tear roll down your cheek, “I thought we’d be happy here. My mom lives here. It’s been nothing short of miserable.” You tried moving around him, but he kept stepping in front of you.

“Move Bradley.” You felt that similar irritation bubble up once more.

He shook his head, “Afraid I can’t honey.”

Letting out a breath of frustration you felt the tears welling up once more, “Move!” You yelled at him when he blocked you once more.

“I’m not letting you drive like this Y/N.” He spoke calm and steady now trying his best to reach you in your distressed state.

“Then leave me alone.” You huffed pushing on his chest trying your best to push him out of the room.

“No, let’s talk about this.”

You let out the sob you’d been holding back before exploding on him. You’d really tried your hardest, but you were tired, and it was hurting you to look at him, “I can’t keep being your second choice, not when you’re my first!” You knew it’d hurt him and that’s exactly what you were aiming for, as much pain as you could inflict. Sure, it was childish. But you finally got your point across.

“Baby no.” He shook his head, “That’s not true. Please don’t say that. Please.” He took a step towards you. But you took a step back. He got the hint and let you be.

“You keep saying things but it’s like you can’t stand me anymore Bradley! I don’t know what I’ve done.” You backed up and sat down on your shared mattress. Leaning down you let your head fall into your hands as you finally let yourself cry it out. You finally let all the emotions you’d been holding back come out fully. You’d been making yourself feel crazy and he hadn’t even had a clue anything was wrong.

You felt his hand on your back as he sat down next to you. The felt the dip of the mattress as he did so. This time you didn’t shrug him off or run away. He wasn’t going to let you. He knew your automatic reaction was to run and hide and deal with it on your own. He promised you he wouldn’t let that happen anymore. He was going to be there for you. In whatever capacity you needed. And now you needed to talk for you’d been keeping it in. Bradley wasn’t clueless but he also wasn’t a mind reader. He never ever dreamed of hurting you. His favorite girl. His favorite human. His very best friend. His heart ached as your body wracked and sobbed. He never wanted to see you cry let alone be the reason for the salty tears.

“I’m so sorry Y/N. I’m so sorry I haven’t been around to even notice this. Work has been… tough. I’m not supposed to tell you this but we’re being tasked with a pretty dangerous mission. One that somebody may not come back from. I don’t want to tell you this to freak you out but I’ve been worried. I have to come home to you. I am making sure of that. And I’ve done that by neglecting you. Please, you have to believe me. We’re not out drinking. We’re prepping, strategizing. Trying to figure how in the hell we’re all coming home.” His voice trailed off as your red eyes and cheeks turned up to him in disbelief.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” Your voice was horse from the crying you’d allowed of yourself.

“It’s classified.” He answered quickly, “I can’t risk getting you in trouble honey. But I should’ve warned you. I’m so sorry.”

You nodded contemplating his words. You knew he was being nothing but sincere and it was you who was overreacting. A flush of embarrassment rose from your chest as you realized it was a big miscommunication between the two of you. It was odd because you were usually so in sync, but you brushed it off.

“I am too. I’m sorry I overreacted.”

He took your chin in his hands, “You didn’t. You’re just reacting because you care. I’m sorry I pushed you away. You have to know you’re never my second choice. Everything I do is for you. Sometimes I lose sight of it thought.” He smiled sheepishly as he pressed a gentle kiss to your cheek. You shuddered over his gentle touch.

“I don’t deserve you.” You mumbled letting your eyes close under his gentle gaze.

He hummed brushing his hands along your lips, “I disagree.”

Your eyes opened to look right into his once more. Even after all this time your heart still hammered in your chest when he looked at you like that, “I love you.”

That smile was one you always adored seeing on him, “And I love you my favorite girl.” He kissed your other cheek this time, “I’m sorry I ignored your asks. It won’t happen again.” He smirked right on over at you. Gosh, he really couldn’t believe he was about to let you slip away without even realizing it. He really needed to pull back at work every now and then. He should’ve known you were too kind to complain about him always being gone. He’d ignored your requests for time alone taking you for granted. You’d used your words like he’d asked, and he still managed to mess it up.

“It’s okay.” You nuzzled your head into his hand enjoying his comfort after being apart for so long. Sure he had been here, but he wasn’t really present.

He shook his head, “It’s really not. I’m lucky to have you honey.” He kissed your forehead slowly. Letting his lips linger as he pulled you into his lap, “I’m so sorry.”

“I forgive you.” You let your hands trace along his face smiling brightly as he looked down at you.

He let out a long sigh letting himself just hold you in his arms, “My treasure.” He whispered before finally meeting

You giggled more to yourself when your lips parted, “You’re so cheesy Bradley Bradshaw.”

He nodded giving your side a squeeze, “And you love it.”

You let yourself melt into him feeling all the tension release from your body, “That I do.”

Jake Seresin/Top Gun: Permanent Taglist (Message me or comment below if you want to be added!): @loving-and-dreaming @kmc1989 @memeorydotcom @matisse556 @buckylov3r @taygrls @ah-blossom @hardballoonlove @rosiahills22 @djs8891 @mamachasesmayhem

[papaya-twinks]

the girl who told me i never could - l.n

Warnings: Angst, Smut, 18+, kinda hate sex tbh, lando calls y/n a whore :(

Pairing: Lando Norris x childhood!crush!reader

Summary: Lando likes Y/N when they were kids, but she never felt the same, now that she knows who he is, she’s changed, and it’s not coz of the money…

You’d rejected Lando when you were 14. You hadn’t meant for it to come out as mean as it had to him, you just didn’t feel the same about him. He was sour about it but oh well. After a few years, you didn’t speak again, you moved on, and lost track of him. What you didn’t expect was to see him on TV a decade later. Driving formula one cars. As a multi-millionaire. Fuck the money, though, god. He was fucking hot. Nothing like the Bristol lad who’d asked you out. It couldn’t be the same person.

So you made the very well thought decision to go to a Grand Prix. You weren’t NOT successful, you had your links, one of them, thankfully, being Oscar’s girlfriend. “You guys would be so cute,” Lily gushed, sitting beside her boyfriend as he drove the pair of you to the track. “I’m not going to date him, Lily,” you repeated, rolling your eyes at her as she giggled,

“Well, he does need some distracting, a bit of fun,” Oscar said as Lily shrieked with laughter. “I rejected him when we were kids,” you raised an eyebrow, “and he has girls fawning over him anyways,”. Lily sighed, “he doesn’t want any of them,”. You ended the conversation by ignoring her last sentence, following them into the garage and to Oscar’s room. “Hey mate, who’s this?” a voice said behind you, making you gulp. Lando.

“This is Lily’s friend, Y/N,” Oscar said cautiously, watching your face. The whole room seemed to drop a few degrees by the coldness of Lando’s gaze at the side of your face. You were still turned away from him, thankfully, his gaze would kill if it could. “Oh, sweet,” he said, jaw set as his eyes never looked away from you. “Hi,” you said awkwardly, eyes firmly on Oscar as he cringed.

Not good. “Guess you were wrong, then, Y/L/N,” Lando said as Oscar stepped away, mumbling something about media. “About?” you asked, crossing your arms. “Let me quote you,” he smirked, “‘you’re never gonna get anywhere in life, Lando, id never wanna get with a loser like you,’” he imitated your voice spitefully. You remembered the words. “We were kids, Lando,” you started hopelessly. “Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt,”.

“Lets not forget; ‘The day you get into formula one is the day I’d let you get anywhere near me,’”. Fuck. “Look how close we are now, then,” he said, his chest brushing against your back. “You’ve always been a pretty little thing, haven’t you?” he cooed, pushing your shoulder back so he could see your face. You didn’t respond. “Not gonna make a mess of you on Oscar’s sheets,” he smirked, his hand clasping around your forearm, cold rings against your skin.

You didn’t push him back. You didn’t even know why’d you come to the race. “You’re pretty, you know?” he said, sliding his joggers down as he placed you onto his massage bed. “So pretty. Never good enough f’me, though,” he continued, throwing your legs carelessly over his shoulder. “You was too good for me, weren’t you? Is that what you said?” he asked, your ass pressed against his thigh. “Is it?” he asked again, tapping your cheek.

“Yeah,” you panted, his dick against your entrance. “You missed out, Y/L/N,” he pushed into your roughly, his hands gripping your thigh as your eyes widened. “Lando, fuck,” you groaned, his hips slamming into yours. “Yeah? You like that?” he asked, finger grazing your cheek. “Yes, yes, please Lando, please,” you gasped, the knot building up in your stomach. “Fuck you, Y/L/N,” he spat, your eyes rolling as he held you firmly, “you fucking whore,”.

So you came. On his cock. And then he left without a care. You fucking did miss out.

[watarfallar]

Does anyone here like this weird thing called "Desert Duo Incorrect Quotes?" No? Oh well. I'm running out so I'm giving as many as I can to you all. Enjoy it!

Scar: My hands are cold. Grian: Here, let me hold them. Scar: My lips are cold too. Grian: *covers Scar's mouth with their hand*

Grian: I want to kiss you. Scar, not paying attention: What? Grian: I said if you die, I wont miss you.

Grian: Being gay is a constant battle between "I wish to sit on a window bench with my lover, our legs tangling as we listen to the birds" and "Hey, let's go throw rocks at fascists" and I think that's very sexy of us. Scar: If the window's open and you time it right, you can do both.

Scar, to Grian: We had a date! Scar: *aggressively points to Hello Kitty Coloring Book*

Scar: I warned you. Scar: I'm perfect.

Grian: Please, Scar, after everything we’ve been through together. You can’t do this. Grian: I’m sorry Scar. Grian: I’m begging you. Don’t do it. Scar: It has to be done. Grian: Scar: Grian: Scar: *Places +4* Uno.

Scar: Are you packed for the trip? Grian: Yup. Scar: Then where are your bags? Grian: All I’m bringing is a good attitude and a sense of adventure. Scar: A change of underwear might be nice.

Grian: Just be careful, Scar! Scar: *heading out the door* I'm always careful, Grian! Scar: It's everything around me that's careless.

Grian: *Gives a bouquet to Scar* Scar: You know I'm allergic. Grian: That's the point.

Scar: Your future self is talking shit about you right now. Grian: Jokes on them. I'll ruin their fucking life.

Scar: Who the fuck- Grian: Language! Scar: Whom the fuck- Grian: No.

Scar: Ha! What are you gonna do? Stab me? *Five minutes later* Scar, calling 911: HELP, IVE BEEN STABBED.

Grian, looking at the squad: Okay, so I need to become a therapist faster.

Scar, handing a balloon to Grian: I have no soul. Have a good day! Grian, walking off: I don't have one either.

Scar: I’ve only ever said ‘I love you’ to two people in my entire life: Grian and a guy in a dark club who I mistook for Grian.

Grian: I found a note in one of my old word .docs that said Note to self: Get revenge on Scar. Grian: Except I couldn't remember what I was supposed to get revenge for. Grian: But I trusted my own judgment, so I went with it. Scar: Hmm... I don't know what you were supposed to get revenge for, either. Grian: I can only assume you got what was coming to you. Not 100 percent sure, though. Scar: Well, whatever I did, I guess I deserved it. Grian: Let that possibly be a lesson to you.

Grian: Oh, fiddlesticks. Scar: Look, I understand this is a tense situation, but let's watch the fucking language.

Grian: Heh, Scar sneezes like a girl. Scar: How about I pound you like boy? Scar: That didn’t come out right.

Grian: Consider the fundraising over! Your hero has arrived! Scar: Uhh… where did you get so much money from, Grian? Grian: Well, you know, I’m pretty good at numbers. I just crunched them, I stretched them, I analyzed my accounts, I timed the market- *police sirens start to wail in the background* Scar: DID YOU ROB A BANK?! Grian: Oh, come on, Scar, do you really think so little of me? *opens the bag as purple dye explodes on their face* Scar: Grian: …it was a credit union.

Scar, turning to Grian: Stop calling yourself hot, the only thing you can turn on is the microwave.

Grian: *trying to get five seconds of sleep* Scar, poking Grian’s arm: Grian Grian. Grian. Grian. Grian: WHAT? Scar: …We’re out of Capri Suns—

Grian: I’m not being weird. Am I being weird? Scar: Yes, and that’s coming from me.

Scar: And have you learnt anything this Christmas, Grian? Grian: …Not really. Scar: Nothing? Grian: Tell you one thing I have learnt—Christmas; ultimately, commercial holiday. Who's the real winner at Christmas? Amazon. they have drones now! Tiny little dystopian slaves delivering iPads and headphones. I ordered a toaster; It was on the doorstep five hours later! Do we need that? It was 4.99! For a toaster! I mean, someone's being exploited there.

Scar: Bottling up negative emotions is bad for your health, so you shouldn't do it. Grian: I know, that's why I bottle up all my emotions, both positive and negative, so it cancels out. Scar: Th-that's not how that works-

Scar: Priest kink is definitely a thing and I am afflicted by it. Grian: Go to church. Grian: WAIT—

Scar: Is it just me or is instant ramen even better uncooked? Grian: It’s just you.

[imtryingbuck]

Come back

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Summary: The team lose their friend (I’m bad at summaries sorry)

Word count: 3,919

Warnings: Angst. Sad times. Swearing. A grave gets dug up. Brock Rumlow. 

Masterlist   Series Masterlist

  In Loving Memory Of Y/n L/n

    Killed In Action Saving 5 Innocent Children

    Dedicated Agent

    Friend To Everyone

 10/05/1990 - 10/05/2017

“Pass me a donut will ya”

Everyday since the plaque went up 5 years ago, Bucky always reads it. Everyday a small chuckle will leave his lips when reading the quote Tony made sure was engraved in the marble. ‘She always said it and she did tell me once that when she died to have it on the plaque they HAD to give her’ Tony repeated that conversation when they deciding what would be put on the plaque. It was true, did she always say it. He can hear her voice saying the words he reads every day. 

Putting his two fingers to his lips he lightly kisses them, the gently places his fingers on her photo. Her ID photo took 8 tries to take because she wouldn’t sit still or she wouldn’t keep a straight face. In the end they settled on the final one, her with a huge smile on her face. She told Bucky once when he had asked-

‘why are you smiling in your photo?’

‘Because a smile a day keeps the dentist at bay’ 

‘That’s not an expression’

‘Well it should be’

He missed her more and more every day. Today however left a bitter taste in his mouth, today was the anniversary of her death. 

Every year since they watched their friend die, the team makes sure they don’t have missions just so they can celebrated her death as well as her birthday.

Every year on that painful day they gather in the common room and watch all of her favourite films and play all the board games she went crazy over, they would order and/or cook her favourite food. Then they would each blow out a candle on the large donut Tony had specially made for her birthday. 

He remembers that day when Tony surprised her with it a few years before her death. Her squeals made everyone laugh, she made everyone blow out one candle ‘it’s my birthday and I want everyone to get a wish’ and as the years passed they still did it.

They were halfway through the third film when director Fury walked in.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but you guys need to hear this”

“What is it?” Tony asks sitting up from where he was slouching.

“Earlier today there was an attack at SHIELD headquarters”

“How many are dead?” Steve asks. 

“The real question you need to ask is how many are alive Rogers”

“Well?” Natasha speaks up from where she sits next to Wanda.

“None. 28 people are in critical condition” each member of the team murmur their different abbreviations of ‘oh god’.

“Who was it do you know?” Steve questions. 

Walking around the sofa and sitting down on the lone chair Fury sighs “There’s was only one person. With a symbol on their back, take a wild guess which one”

“Hydra” They all speak at the same time.

“Yep. Now heres the reason why I’m here. The computers were tampered with, the IT department has managed to find out what was deleted”

“Go on” Tony says when Fury trails off.

“The file.. the only file to be downloaded and deleted was Y/n’s.”

The teams reaction was different from one another’s however Bucky, Bucky’s heart stopped, he’d gone cold and clammy at the same time, so many questions circled his mind. Why hers? Why now? Why couldn’t they just leave her alone? Why her of all agents?

It was as if Steve could read his mind because it was him that asked “Why hers? She’s been dead for 6 years now. Why would Hydra want her file?”

“We-I don’t know. Now here’s the part you guys are not going to like. Ross wants Y/n’s body to be dug up”

Before anyone get say anything “Absolutely fucking not! You touch her grave I’ll kill you myself!” Bucky shouts.

“Then I’ll bring you back to life just to kill you again” booms Thor.

“Listen to me, I don’t want to do this! Ro-“

“I don’t care what Ross wants. It’s bad enough her headstone needs to be replaced every two months because of arseholes keep wanting a piece of it, now you want to dig her up? It nearly killed all of us watching her coffin go into that hole now you want us to watch it come back up?” Bucky’s left hand is balled tight in a fist as he paces back and forth.

“You don’t have to watch and you need to watch your tone” Fury shot back.

“What are you going to do with her?” Wanda asks before Bucky can say anything.

“We’ll put her somewhere different- safer. It’s just a precaution and we have no idea what they want with her file. We don’t know why they picked her out of all active agents and Barnes I don’t like this anymore than you do, Y/n was” taking in a deep breath “I miss her too. I’m sorry but I’m going to give Ross the go ahead on this. You guys don’t have to to be there when it happens and when we find out what’s going on we’ll bury her again. I promise”

For a full 20 minutes after Fury left they were sitting in complete silence each trying to wrap their heads around the information they were just given. SHIELD headquarters had been attacked by Hydra - using just one person to assassinate so many agents. Out of all the Agents of SHIELD alive or dead they pick their friends file, their friend who they loved and adored the same friend who always had a smile on her face no matter what, the one person who could light up a room just by walking inside of it. A person who was so full of happiness and sunshine yet deadly and damn right terrifying when she needed to be. 

Now said friend who they have grieved for, for the past 6 years was about to have her resting place disturbed. Like Bucky had said to Fury, it nearly killed each and everyone of the Avengers and the Guardians - who came to Earth just to attend her funeral - they knew that the probability of dying on the job was high, of course they did, they just never expected it to happen to her, they had to watch as their friend, confidant, colleague, the better half to all of them lay in a box surrounded with 4 camera crews broadcasting their every move just so the whole world could watch them in their most vulnerable moment. They watched as her coffin was gently placed into the ground, knowing that it was going to be the last time they would ever see her after the soil would cover her.

They broke. Plain and simple, they broke. Worst part of it was is that the world lapped it up, the images of Natasha more famously known as the Black Widow standing at the grave of her best friend in bright colour clothing crying, was every where - people joked about how the deadly assassin was crying, saying she wasn’t as strong as everyone made her out to be because she cried. Y/n was undoubtedly the only person Nat felt comfortable with, the one person who saw Natasha as Natasha, not the Black Widow but her friend Natty. She was actually the first person in a very long time to see Nat cry, it was when the goldfish - that Y/n had brought her after she found out that Nat had always wanted one - had died, she felt so unbelievably stupid for crying over it but all Y/n did was hold her, told her to stop being silly for calling herself stupid. They buried it near the lake, just the two of them. Y/n even had bagpipes playing on her phone which made the redhead chuckle.

Wanda was called a crybaby because guess what? She was crying, she was crying because she was burying her best friend! The first person other than Steve to treat her like a human being. The first person to show her that not all people were bad, the one person who wasn’t scared of her that time when Wanda had lost control of her powers making people run in fear, not Y/n though nope she was the one who managed to help Wanda ground herself.

Steve was also mocked for crying for the loss of his friend, ‘Captain America weeps at funeral’, ‘Captain America is weak’, ‘Steve Rogers needs to give up the shield’. Y/n was the one who taught him how to use technology, showed him how the modern world worked and operated. She was the first person on his side when he wanted to track Bucky down. He loved her, not romantically, but he loved her so much. She made him feel normal, she never treat him like he was nearing a 100 years old who was missing 70 years of his life, like he actually was.

Sam just like the rest was called weak for crying at his friends funeral. The two of them drove the whole team insane when they were together (which was pretty much all the time) Like Steve he loved Y/n, she was his sister, his angel as he always called her. She was his best friend, favourite person in the world. The photo of Sam falling to his knees at the side of his angels grave was blasted all over the internet.

The photos of Tony clinging on to his now wife Pepper made front pages as well. ‘Billionaire Tony Stark cries at funeral of dead agent’. ‘Billionaire Tony Stark has to be held up by woman at funeral’. He saw Y/n as his daughter - shit she called him dad and he introduced her to anyone as his daughter. She didn’t see him as a bank, nope she hated it when he would give her money, one time she had to ask him if she could borrow money from him doing it with tears in her eyes because she felt ashamed of herself for asking. A few weeks later she gave him the money back with interest, when he told her to stop being silly and for her to keep it they argued for nearly 3 hours. She managed to slip the money into his pocket without him even realising it. Tony loved her so deeply, when he and Pepper found out they was having a baby girl they already had her name picked out - Morgan, Y/n’s middle name.

‘God of Thunder Thor spotted crying at funeral’ Like everyone else of course he was crying he lost his friend, she made him laugh, she made confused - once she convinced him that she was invisible and that he was the only person who could see or hear her, for 3 weeks he was absolutely convinced he was the only person on planet Earth who could see her. It wasn’t until Sam got back from a mission that the whole jig was up. He was truly captivated by her but even more so especially after she was able to lift Mjölnir higher up than Steve was able to, waved his hammer around like it weighed nothing. He, like Bucky, blamed himself for her death, he thought no believed it was his fault she was no longer with them. So yes of course he cried.

Bruce wasn’t allowed to attend his friends funeral because when she died he couldn’t control the big green beefy fella - as Y/n called him - from coming out. Fury and Ross said it would be bad and take the attention away from Y/n if the Hulk was there. He agreed. Y/n loved Hulk like she loved Bruce, she wasn’t afraid of the Hulk - Christ she once tried to have an arm wrestle with him! She didn’t once make Bruce feel like he was a freak or a dangerous monster as small minded people called him. No she treat him with respect and kindness. It took 2 months for him to go from being Hulk to being Bruce again.

Clint turned his hearing aids off for months after her death, he remembered her asking him to teach her how to sign language just so he didn’t have to always wear them. That was an interesting experience to say the very least. Clint adored her, adored the spark she carried around, adored the warmth and tranquillity she oozed. Her strength, willpower and willingness that no one could dream of having been one of the many things he loved about her, and what he misses. The day after she died he went home, home to his wife and children where he collapsed in Laura’s arms and cried himself to sleep that night. He too was mocked for being weak.

Then there was the photos of Bucky who was struggling to stand strong. ‘The world’s deadliest assassin cries’ was the headline on magazine’s for weeks or his personal favourite one ‘Winter Soldier more like Weak Soldier’ Like Nat he too was mocked because he wasn’t wearing all black but bright colours - hell they all were, it was what she wanted and whatever Y/n wanted, she got. Her death hit him the hardest. He loved her. He still loves her after 6 years of her being gone. ‘True love is what them two idiots have’ Tony would say. He blamed himself for what had happened to her, he had just turned his back for a second to hand a child to an agent when the whole building came down trapping her inside, he should of done more he always tells himself. Other than Steve she was his best friend, the one person who wasn’t afraid off his arm, the only person who could calm him down after a nightmare. She was the first person he opened up to and not once did she judge him or called him names, after he finished telling her all the things he remembered she got up and walked over to him and pulled him in for a hug, crying her heart out and apologising over and over again. The worst part for Bucky other than losing her was that he never got to tell her how madly in love he was with her. 

“It doesn’t make sense” Steve was the one who broke the silence.

“Which part?” Tony asks.

“Everything. The attack, Y/n’s file, Ross wanting her to be dug up. Nothing makes sense”

“We need to figure this out. We can’t let them do this to her” Sam shakes his head, whilst trying to keep the tears he was fighting back at bay.

“Fury let me into his thoughts. They think they’re trying to find out how to recreate her genes.” Wanda finally speaks.

Once again the room went quiet. Y/n back story was still a bit of a mystery to the team. It was just something she never spoke about, they knew of the scars that covered the majority of her body and they did know of her mutant gene and that was it. 

Y/n was exactly like Logan, better known as Wolverine. Though Logan’s a Beta level mutant whereas Y/n was an Alpha level, the only one of her kind. She had complete control over her abilities, her fighting skills were untouchable and unmatched. She was a part of the Weapon X program, when she was a young child she was taken from the orphanage she was placed at as a baby - and unknown to the team she was subjected to the worst abuse imaginable at the hands of The Facility. Unlike Logan though her Adamantium claws weren’t poisonous.

And what made Y/n even stronger was just like Wanda she had telekinesis abilities, though Y/n was a bit stronger than the other woman.

They didn’t know that Logan had found her when she was 16, with a chain wrapped around her neck that was connected to the wall, in a dark room that only had a toilet - nothing else. Logan had managed to get her out, which wasn’t easy considering she didn’t trust him and he wasn’t her handler. Logan kept her with him for roughly three years, moving around place to place, keeping each other safe. He was growing weak and unable to keep his promise to her, promise being he’d keep her safe. With a heavy heart he took her to Fury, begging the other man to take care of her. And since then she was a highly respected SHIELD agent and member of the Avengers.

They knew if Hydra were trying to recreate her genes they would have an army that would be unstoppable.

“But why dig her up? Hydra has her file so therefore they… they…”

“Tony? You okay?”

“Other than finding out my daughters grave will be disturbed, I’m fine”. He gets up and walks away.

One by one they follow his lead, leaving Bucky and Thor to blow out the candles - making the same wish as the previous years.

For her to come back.

The very next day they all gather at the cemetery and watched with a heavy heart as her grave gets dug up.

Three days later Fury gets a phone call “Fury you need to come to the Pentagon as soon as you can and don’t tell anyone”

“On my way”.

As soon as he got there he meets with Ross. “What’s all this about?”

“It’s not her”

“What are you talking about Ross?”

“Y/n… it’s not her in the coffin.”

“Hold on, you fucking lied to me you told me you wasn’t going to touch her!”

“Fury we brought a dead agent to the Pentagon for a reason”.

“A dead agent? Remember that dead agent saved you life how many times? Oh yeah six. Six fucking times she saved your arse Ross.” The anger coming off Fury made everyone in the room shift foot to foot.

“Sorry, we brought Y/n to the Pentagon for a reason”

“Why?”

“Simple. We wanted to make sure that they hadn’t gotten to her so we checked, and it’s not her. If-if you just look to your left Nick you’ll see the body that was in her coffin”

Fury stood there for a few minutes just staring at Ross before he looked over to where he had pointed. 

There laid the decaying body of a woman, that was most definitely not Y/n.

“H-how is this possible?”

“We don’t know. It’s a possibility that Hydra got her body first, but it doesn’t explain why they would put this person in her place”

“Or she could be alive?” Fury asked hopefully.

“She’s not” Ross puts a hand to Fury’s shoulder “I checked the footage of the attack and it’s not her, I asked some of the agents that could talk if the person had claws and they all said no” Ross hated himself for calling her ‘a dead agent’ even if she was just that, but like Fury had said, she saved his life more times than one. When Y/n was introduced to him, he had to admit he was intimidated by her. But as time went on they gained each others trust and respect.

“Fury you can’t tell the Winter Soldier about this”

“James. His name is James and you honestly expect me not to say anything to the team?”

“We have no idea how any of them will react, especially him and Thor”

He hated to admit that Ross did have a point, there was no idea how the two men who blamed themselves for her death, would react.

Sighing “What are we going to do?”

“I’m not sure. Let’s just hope and pray that they don’t have her I guess”.

The screams of pure terror coming from civilians were muffled by the gunfire and explosions, the bodies of civilians and SHIELD agents scattered amongst the wreckage. Hydra made another attack on the Capital.

The Avengers were able to stop Hydra agents from pushing further forwards. But when the ground started to shake they all looked at each other.

Both Steve and Bucky gulped at the sight of the Uber Tank, memories of seeing it during the war flashed through their minds.

“What the fuck is that!” Tony questioned.

“T-that’s Hydras Tank - I thought I destroyed it” Steve answers.

The rain pour of gunfire came to a stop on both sides, agents of Hydra smirked, agents of SHIELD looked terrified. The rumbling stopped, the only sound that could be heard was rubble still falling in the background.

When the hatch came open they waited with bated breath. Rumlow.

Brock Rumlow climbed up and out of the tank, standing on top with a megaphone.

“Do you like her? She’s a real beauty isn’t she? Took us longer than I care to admit to rebuild her but here she is!” He laughs “Hey so the attack the other week on your headquarters, sorry about that. We just needed something, take a wild guess what” Not receiving an answer he sighs and tilts his head to the side “It was to get your friends file! Jesus do I have to do all the work around here?”

“I’ve got a clean shot” Voiced Clint from where ever he was at.

“Not yet” Steve says.

“Truth to be told guys we didn’t need her file, we just wanted to give you a heads up to what was going to come” Waving his arms towards to chaos “I knew if we took her file it would get your attention, and it did didn’t it. I also know that her coffin was taken to the Pentagon, and I also know that Fury’s been keeping a secret from the almighty Avengers”

“What are you talking about?” Steve shouted.

Rumlow chuckles “It’s about time you spoke Captain America, the secret is… how about I just show you huh?” Stomping three times on the Uber Tank “Little bird why don’t you come out so you can play”

The hatch comes open again, a figure all in black - very similar outfit that the Winter Soldier use to wear - emerged and moving their way to stand next to Rumlow.

“Our little bird here is even stronger than she once was. We gave her the serum and it just enhanced her strength.” Moving closer to the person he whispers something none of them could hear. “Look I’ve gotta go, don’t worry I’ll be taking this beauty with me so no need to cry. I’ll let little bird have all the fun, she deserves it” Placing a kiss to the side of the woman’s head, he pushes her off. “Good luck everyone, you’re gonna need it” Climbing back into the tank, the tracks started to rumble once again before leaving the same way it came.

Nobody moved even long after Rumlow and the Uber Tank had gone. That was until some Hydra agents started to drop to the floor with foam spilling from their mouths.

Little bird as Rumlow called her took one step in front of the other until she was roughly 100 feet on the Avengers.

Her hand slowly came up to her face, removing the bottom half of her mask then the glasses.

They couldn’t believe it.

They didn’t want to believe it.

“Y/n?”

<Previous   Next>

Tags: @bethexo07 @doublebassallie

~ banner credit goes to @sweetpeapod ~

[gilbirda]

Can't help falling in love (with you) Chp.6

Jazz/Jason (Hardcover). DP x Batman crossover.

Based on this post

When a ghost does shenanigans, Jazz usually stays out of the trouble, since that's her brother's thing. This time? This time trouble found her in the form of a ghost that marries her to the Red Hood against her will.

[Read on AO3][Read on FF.net]

First chapter || << Prev chapter || Next chapter >>

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Chapter 6: Till death do us part

Jazz’s warm hand on his chest felt… right. Her presence, her head on his shoulder, the way her legs were pressed against his.

Now, after the high of the fight together and having a clear head — thank you, brother-in-law that he never knew he needed — he could sort through how she affected him without the pressure of imminent death.

He never felt particularly inclined to have an actual relationship with anybody. He tried, and some of them lasted more than others, but there was always something missing.

For a while he thought maybe he was too broken, too removed from humanity to actually be able to feel real human emotions; that after his resurrection there was only space in his heart for violence and vengeance.

For fucks sake, he had been such a child. Looking back to those years he knew he had been acting up and giving up on something he didn’t actually understand.

He was capable of love — he loved Alfred, and Dick, and Timbit, and Cass and every addition to the family. He loved his Crime Alley and his people, and he would die defending them. He loved his goons and he didn’t set up the goonion just for laughs. If you got him drunk enough, he would admit he maybe loved Bruce too.

But what he felt for Jazz? He hadn’t felt it before. He wasn’t sure it was love, but what he could be positive about is that he felt comfortable around her.

That she picked up what he let down without him needing to say a word was a plus.

Jason chuckled, enjoying Tim’s distraught face as he looked back and forth between them, his mind reeling, looking for an explanation.

“You are not married.” Tim accused. “I’d know.”

“Oh?” He highly doubted it but let it slide. “But it’s the truth. Isn’t it, darling?”

Jazz gave him a look and slapped him on the chest. “We got magically married by a ghost today— I guess yesterday at this point.” She added when she noticed the clock on the other wall marking three in the morning.

“You too?” Conner said, reaching for some cookies and more tea. “B didn't give any explanation— wait, you said a ghost did this?”

Tim looked at Superboy, frowning. “Ghosts can’t magically marry people.” He said.

Jazz breathed in slowly. “This one can. It’s Elvis.” How she said it with a straight face, Jason didn’t know. “Ghosts have obsessions — a purpose, a meaning, a goal. They have to fulfill it or they fade. This particular pain in everyone’s ass is a Vegas Elvis impersonator obsessed with making ‘perfect matches’.” She made the air quotes.

“And you guys are a match?”

Jason watched the trio in front of them carefully. So they were also affected by this ghost? Good thing that blondie had learned about the whole vigilante thing recently, or all of this would be an even worse shitshow than it was already.

Although, given how he was still eyeing Jazz’s weapons on the table, the guy wasn’t that used to their second life yet.

“Why, surprised?” Jason answered Tim, cutting off whatever Jazz was about to say.

“That someone is actually able to put up with you, yeah.” He replied with the same glare.

Jazz cleared her throat, funny enough, reminding them of Alfred.

“As I was saying,“ her glare was very Alfred too, “this ghost’s magic affects people in a way normal magic cannot break. We are looking into it, don’t worry.”

“We?” Bernard finally spoke, averting his eyes from Jazz’s stuff.

“My brother and—”

The woman stood up, glaring at seemingly nothing. Fast as lighting, she picked up a knife from her discarded vest and threw it at the other side of the room.

“Ow!”

Everyone turned to look at where they heard the voice. In front of their eyes, Danny — well, more like Phantom — materialized out of thin air. With a knife right in the middle of his chest.

Danny frowned at his sister. “Rude!”

“You deserve it.” She picked up another one, taking aim.

Two things happened at the same time: the trio on the opposite couch ducked, just in case; and Jason stood up to grab his wife’s hand before she got to throw the blade.

“Easy there.”

She yanked her arm out of his grasp, glaring at him. At least she put the knife down.

“What the hell was that?” Danny approached the group, ghostly tail forming a pair of legs before he completely descended and touched ground. He wasn’t happy when he yanked the knife from his chest. “At least your aim has improved.”

“I was aiming for your head.” She grit through her teeth.

“Are you still mad?”

“What do you think!”

Jason moved away from the enraged woman, just in case a brawl went down between the siblings. Jazz looked seconds away from jumping at her brother’s throat, and he was not idiot enough to risk his life by getting in the way.

“I’m sorry, ok!” Danny lifted his arms, trying to appear less threatening. “I... I know it seems sudden, but I swear there was a lot going on!”

“That’s the thing, Danny. There’s always something going on!” Jazz had many talents. One was, apparently, going from murderous intent to worried sister in a matter of seconds. “That’s how they get you. That’s how he gets you — a talk about responsibility and helping others and how there’s no other way and—”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

His tone was final. His eyes were glowing. Danny — Phantom — wasn’t known for being serious, always striking the bats as some kind of trickster entity; but in that moment Jason could guess at some darkness inside the younger man that wasn’t there before.

He didn’t have all the information, of course, but apparently Jazz didn’t either. Jason watched her face go from confused to horrified to angry and finally, heartbroken.

“What did he do to you?”

Danny didn’t look at her eyes. Instead, he transformed and let his human body take over his ghost.

“Can we— Can we drop this? Please.”

You could hear a pin drop in the room. Dick wasn’t even breathing, hand frozen in the air with his teacup still in it.

Jazz’ body gave up, falling back to the sofa like a dead weight. Her expression was haunted. What did this even mean? What could have happened, that Jazz could guess just by Danny’s avoidance, that made the young man the Ghost King?

The situation wasn’t funny anymore.

Jason cleared his throat. “So…,” he tried, “the ghost?”

Danny looked relieved at his intervention. “Lost him somewhere across the world. I’m sure he’ll go back to the Ghost Zone eventually,” he shrugged, “but until then… back to square one.”

Jason looked back at Jazz, but she was still gone.

“What’s the plan now?”

Danny spared one last worried look at his sister before looking at him. “I think I could get some answers by asking around the Zone. And maybe beg Frostbite to have a go with the Infimap.” Nothing he said meant anything to Jason. Danny realized that and chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. “The yetis we mentioned? Frostbite is their leader. He also guards a relic that can basically take you anywhere and anywhen you want. It’s pretty neat.”

That sounded way too powerful to just drop casually in conversation, or call it “neat” with such nonchalance, but Jason would be the first to admit that you develop a certain kind of tolerance to craziness in their line of work.

“How long?” Tim finally spoke to their guest.

“What?”

“How long until you have answers?”

“Gee, Timmy. Don’t be so hard on the kid.” Dick intervened. “Are you in a rush to get divorced?”

By the way blondie blushed and hid his face in his hands, yes, he was in a rush. Jason half wondered what had happened between the three — he remembered Tim talking about his boyfriend, but he was positive he wasn’t talking about the super. How awkward. He almost jumped in to poke at the others but movement on his side distracted him.

“You okay?” He asked Jazz while the others discussed Tim’s particular conundrum.

“Not really, no.” She said after a moment of hesitation.

Unsure what to answer to that, he circled his arm back around her and squeezed her against his chest. Cass liked when he did that, but she always preferred quiet support to comforting words, and she enjoyed his hugs.

Jazz tensed for a moment before she tried to relax, so maybe she wasn’t so keen on hugs as his sister. She still patted his leg, acknowledging the gesture.

“Awwww.”

Both turned back to the conversation, finding the room fuller than before — Alfred was back with more tea and pastries, and Bruce walked in civies right behind him. The older man froze a little when he noticed the pair, one of his eyebrows twitching in the way Jason knew there would be questions later. He ignored them both.

“Danny.” Jazz cut whatever Dick was going to add. “What was that about a royal bond?”

The other got very quiet, eyes fixed on his sister’s. She got out of the hug and straightened her back, waiting for her answer.

“I don’t know.”

Jason could almost physically feel the young woman’s rage boil under her skin. “Explain.”

“I really don’t. I— They don’t actually teach about marriage in King school, Jazz.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah! Why do you keep asking?”

“Because I highly doubt you actually listened in class.”

Someone coughed a laugh. Danny’s face became red as he crossed his arms. “That was very mean. I don’t like your lack of faith in me.”

“But am I wrong?” She crossed her arms too, mirroring her sibling, and lifting one eyebrow. She knew she was right, but she still had to make him say it.

Jason rolled his eyes at the show, glancing at Dick watching the sibling spat while munching on more cookies.

“You are not wrong.” Danny finally admitted in a quiet voice. “But I’m telling the truth about not covering this!” He quickly added. “I did get some etiquette classes but—”

“Who? The classes, who taught you.” She added when Danny frowned, confused.

“Dora.”

“Then go ask her.”

Danny scoffed. “As if I have the time. Do it yourself.” He rolled his eyes. “I have to look for the Elvis ghost.”

“Whose fault is it that the ghost escaped, Danny?”

“Yours!” He bit back. “If you hadn’t freaked out so much about nothing—”

“Nothing?” Jazz stood up, breathing heavily. “Do you call finding out your baby brother is a King against his better judgment ‘nothing’!?”

“Hey, darling—”

“Don’t—!” Jazz slapped Jason’s hand away from where he tried to place it on her arm. She was tense, so tense he believed anything would make her jump. “Just. Not right now.”

“Jazz, listen—” Danny lifted his hands when her burning glare fell on him “Calm down, okay? We will figure this out. If not us, someone else must know. There are records, and you know how ghosts are sometimes about records.”

“Ghost Writer.”

Jason didn’t know who this ghost was, but Danny nodded, lowering his hands. “You can try his haunt and check that. I could have a look at the Keep too— or if you want you can do it yourself.”

“I can’t just uproot my life here in Gotham for this Danny.” Jazz started pacing, the gears turning in her head. “I have a test next week, and— and I was job hunting and— You understand that research takes time, yes?”

Danny rolled his eyes. “I know. But what else is there, Jazz? If you are so dead set on breaking this royal bond, if it cannot wait, then it is up to you what you are going to miss in the Living World.”

Bruce cleared his throat. “Are you in Gotham University?”

She blinked and looked at the Waynes as if she forgot they were there at all. Jason watched Bruce closely. “Yes. I’m currently getting my degree at Gotham U. Psychiatry.”

Tim and Dick glanced at each other.

“You can ask for accommodations and time off as long as you need,” Bruce tilted his head, “and if that doesn’t work definitely let me know. If they want to keep getting the Wayne Enterprises internships and donations they better let you take time off.”

Jazz made a face, which Jason couldn’t blame her for. So far she had taken very well being in the presence of Bruce Wayne but the reminder that this man alone held so much power over a city can be an uncomfortable stab. Even when such power it’s used for your benefit.

“I can’t… I’ve never… My grades—”

“Will not be affected. I can make sure of that. I don’t know — we can figure out something,” Bruce glanced at Jason, who nodded, “but you won’t have to worry about anything until you and Jason are back safe and sound.”

She blinked slowly. She turned towards Jason, her worried eyes glued to his face. He tried to channel his calm and collected demeanor when he dealt with victims, projecting security so she would stop freaking out like this. He nodded.

Jazz licked her lips and hummed. “Fine.” Nobody missed how Danny’s shoulders dropped at her declaration. “We’ll try Ghost Writer and see from there.”

***

After Jazz said yes, they immediately got to work. Introductions went faster than they should have — both parties knew of each other before this whole event, even Bernard knew who the trickster Phantom was after having listened to Tim ramble about him, or so the blond said.

Jason felt like everything was a blur as he went to the showers by Alfred’s orders, and got ready in civilian clothes to get on the road. He also checked his messages and informed his goons that he would be away on a mission and to hold the fort until he was back.

After spending so much time with Jazz, her absence felt… weird. Like walking with his balance completely off.

It wasn’t the painful sensation that brought him to her apartment in the first place, but more like an uncomfortable pull from inside his chest telling him to go after her. He could ignore it like he could ignore being hungry or thirsty, but he understood it was a part of him until they found answers to… whatever he got involved with.

Marriage.

Huh.

He wasn’t the marrying type. He had never dreamed of a wife and kids and picket fence; it just wasn’t something people like him could dream about — first as a kid from the streets and then as a crime fighter.

After he came back from the dead, he kinda… never considered he could be something else? There was so much to do in Gotham, so much to fix, and it never crossed his mind the possibility of hanging the cape and settling down with someone.

But apparently fate had something else in store for him.

He shook his head, lifting the bag with his discarded suit and adjusting the strap on his shoulder. There was no such thing as fate or destiny, he made his own destiny. He clawed his way out of his own grave, he could do whatever he wanted.

He arrived at the expansive garage and grabbed the Mercedes keys from the key box, walking towards the shiny black car that, while expensive and high tech, would be the best for blending in the small town Jazz was from.

Jason drove towards his apartment first and grabbed a spare suit, some weapons just in case, and the go bag he always had ready for a quick exit. Then it was back to Jazz’s apartment, where she had gone earlier to get ready for their trip.

She waited for him at the door of the building, wearing civilian clothes with her black biker jacket, arms crossed and a duffle bag at her feet. She wasn’t pleased.

“What’s this?” She asked the minute he rolled the window down.

“A car.”

“I can see that.” She didn’t make a move to get in. It started to rain, because of course. “What’s with the rich guy's car?”

“Turns out my daddy is the richest man in town,” he wiggled his eyebrows, “and let me play with his toys.”

She huffed, unbothered by the rain. This was so much fun. He never wanted to stop messing with her. Especially if she was going to act so antagonistic and pout in frustration.

“I thought that making the trip on a bike was a bad idea.” He added. “I love speeding down the road and forget about my problems like everybody else, but fifteen hours on a bike carrying my equipment and bags is not my idea of fun.”

The rain started falling harder, helping with his point.

He watched her eye the passenger seat and the back seat, almost hearing her thoughts considering if she should choose being in close proximity to him for a long car ride, or ignore him in the backseat.

The rain starting to become a downpour pushed her to make her decision.

“Alright, but you are driving the whole way.” She stomped her way to the passenger side and opened the door, threw her bag to the backseat without caring where it fell, and quickly sat and put on the seatbelt. “And I can choose the music.”

“I thought that was the driver’s right?”

“Rights revoked.” She pulled out her phone, opening the music app.

“By who?” He started driving down the street, glancing at how she connected the phone to the car’s bluetooth.

“By me.”

“That doesn’t sound fair.”

“Hm-mm,” she wasn’t listening to him, scrolling through her playlists. “Oh yeah.”

He wanted to ask what she was focusing so hard on, but the speakers started blasting Backstreet Boys’ 1997 hit “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”.

Jason glared at her when he stopped at a red light. “Really?”

Her grin was wide and totally unauthentic. “What, you don’t like one of the best songs of our generation?”

Did he have to bring up that he was dead for six months and catatonic for about two years, and then trained with an assassin cult in the mountains as a valid reason why he didn’t feel connected to the song?

He understood very quickly that Jazz wouldn’t care about anything he had to say. She was smiling, waiting to get a reaction from him.

As the Backstreet Boys continued filling the silence in the car, he started moving the car again as the light turned green.

Did she want some kind of undignified reaction at having to listen to boy bands? Fine. She wouldn’t get one. He wasn’t a fan of boy bands but he wasn’t going to be a little bitch over it.

If Jazz was trying to vent her anger on him and goad him into starting an argument to misplace her frustration, he wasn’t going to enable her. Because yeah, he was very aware she wasn’t mad at him per say, he was just an easy target.

And Red Hood was nobody’s punching bag.

He smiled as wide as her and started humming to the song, fingers tapping on the steering wheel at the rhythm of the song.

It was worth it by the way she finally shut up and leaned back on her seat, huffing and shaking her head, murmuring something about bratty younger brother behavior.

His smile grew. He had won round one.

----

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[ruified]

i just finished osamu dazai’s entrance exam and it was SO GOOD??????? in no way did the anime do it an ounce of justice

anyways, just like last time, here are some quotes and my thoughts

i love love love the way we get to really explore kunikida and dazai’s dynamic as partners in this light novel, it really helps the reader understand how they work together so well

"I'm impressed, Kunikida. Nothing gets by you, does it? Incredible." His smile is cold, inhuman. "I'm so glad you were my partner."

"What do you want?! Why did you threaten the detective agency?! What was the point of killing the missing people and setting the bomb?! You... You were..."

You were so talented.

I couldn't have asked for a better partner.

they drive me crazy i love them so much </3 in this scene kunikida is questioning dazai and threatening his life on the suspicions of dazai being the azure apostle, it’s the way that even though they had only spent so little time working together that they both felt they were good partners

i love how in the ln it’s actively a mystery for those who don’t know what’s going on, even as someone who watched the anime, dazai being setup was pretty convincing

the speech given at the end of it all by dazai to kunikida on the risks of following one’s ideals also carries a bigger impact than what was provided in the anime, it makes more sense

the way that sasaki is also a genuine love interest of kunikida’s is also so heart wrenching, her last words really just hit hard

here’s something i found so sweet

"Hello, little one. Can you hear me?" Dazai takes over the call.

"We here are airplane experts. There's nothing to worry about anymore. We're going to fix the plane. What's your name, little miss?"

"Ch-Chiyo..."

"Chiyo, everything's going to be okay. Got any snacks with you?"

"Mommy gave me this piece of candy..."

"Candy, huh? I love candy, too. It's so sweet, and it really helps you relax, doesn't it?"

"Dazai—"

"I've got this... Chiyo, first, I want you to really take your time enjoying that piece of candy. After that, I'm going to need you to take that device you're talking into and bring it to the captain's room. Do you know where the captain's room is?" Chiyo nods, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Don't worry. There's nobody screaming in there, and I bet your mommy will be feeling better in no time."

"B-but I... I can't go alone. I can't leave Mommy behind..."

"Your mommy's gonna be just fine. The pilot will make things all better. So I'm going to need you to take that device to their room and give it to them, okay?"

"Well, this is just no good. I'm quite weak, you see. A big guy like yourself would snap me right in two... But I promised Chiyo I would save her."

THE WAY HE TALKS TO THE LITTLE GIRL WARMS MY HEART AND MAKES IT ACHE AT THE SAME TIME HE HANDLES IT SO WELL AND THE WAY HE WANTS TO KEEP HIS PROMISE UEUEUE

I tear the stitches off my hip pocket and pull out a sheet of paper.

"...I always have a spare page with me for emergencies."

I unfold the paper and write with my own blood.

"The Matchless Poet: Release Key!"

here’s kunikida just being cool i love him sm i love my wife

here’s some silly ones

"It's this incredibly rare book called The Complete Suicide. I've been searching all over for it, and I just noticed it on display in the used bookstore back there — Ah! I have to go back and buy it before someone else does."

Nobody asked.

"Tsk... Guess I'll just have to come up with another way to use you as bait. I bet the criminal targets tourists. All right, Kunikida, slip on your rubber boots, throw on your backpack, put on your red-and-green-striped shirt, and start walking the town in your knickerbockers. Make sure to bring a giant camera with you to take pictures of everyone who walks by and say 'eh' at the end of every sentence."

"Like hell I will!"

""Like hell I will, eh!'"

"You call that a strategy? That's a terri-"

"A terrible idea, eh?'"

"Stop guessing what I'm going to say!"

"Hmm? In that case, how about you get naked, put on a top

you like?"

hat, and ride around on a unicycle screaming what kind of girls

"We're not even talking about the same thing anymore!"

all in all i highly suggest you read osamu dazai’s entrance exam i promise it is so worth it <3

[ecargmura]

Wind Breaker Episode 10 Review - Yesterday's Enemies Are Today's Friends

Did you know that only three days have passed in-universe? Episode 1 was a whole day. Episodes 2-4 are the second day and Episodes 5-10 are the third day. Crazy, right? It’s also crazy to have a picnic with your enemies, right? Well, that’s what Umemiya decrees, so it must happen. It’s like that quote, “Yesterday’s enemies could be today’s friends.” Come to think of it, that quote is heavily applied here! Bofurin and Shishitoren are now on good terms with each other!

The picnic scene with Bofurin, Togame and Choji was nice. I guess my only little gripe was that only Togame and Choji were present and not Sako, Arima and Kanuma. I guess it’s a bit more meaningful if the two tops were there and not minions. It was still a missed opportunity for the anime to add the other three, honestly. Anyways, I do like Umemiya’s philosophy on what it means to be the top of a gang. He equates it to eating. He loves eating and wants to be with people as he eats. Having people gathering around him while he eats is the same as being the top of the gang. He gets to do something he likes and do it with others. He’s here because he has people he can count on and people who look up to him. Being the top wasn’t a solo effort, but a team one. It’s a good lesson for Choji as he once had people whom he could count on but chose to leave behind. It’s also a good lesson for Sakura who has always been alone and doesn’t understand what it means to not be alone. It’s a good growing experience for him. 

The scene with Bofurin hanging out at Cafe Pothos was also a nice scene too. Umemiya wanted to know if Sakura was able to convey his words to Togame. However, Sakura never heard a voice or anything. It turns out that Sakura took his words literally instead of figuratively. What Umemiya was trying to get at was for Sakura to feel something for his opponents. I believe it worked because Sakura did try to punch Choji when he kicked Togame. I do believe Togame is the first time he connected with someone through his fists, hence why their bond is rather unique. He’s the reason why Togame was able to make amends with Choji and Shishitoren and deal with that comes after together. No matter how much Sakura denies it, he does like Togame which was why he was very fervent on wanting him to become a cool guy.

Other than the good scenes with Bofurin, I also liked the parts with Choji and Togame. The part where they were prostrating and Sakura scolding them was so cute. However, my favorite part was when the two were sharing anpan together. When Choji was laughing and enjoying the taste of squished anpan, the scene moved Togame so much that he lied about the rain when it was bright and sunny. It reminded me a lot of the scene in Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood where Roy cried at Hughes’s funeral and lied to Hawkeye about the rain. Since the anime, Togame has become one of my favorite characters and to see him cry over the fact that his sun has returned got me emotional. I’m so happy for you, Togame.

However, the best part of the episode was Sakura spitting out his coffee at Umemiya and him actually reacting poorly to the coffee in his eyes. That part was the needed comedy in an emotionally heartwarming episode. Then, the part where Sugishita was threatening to throw a chair at Sakura was also hilarious. I’m surprised he hasn’t been banned from Cafe Pothos yet.

Good news for Wind Breaker fans, there are thirteen episodes, which means that there are three episodes left. As a manga reader, I think there’s enough room to have a good conclusion for the first season. Who knows if a second season will be announced? I sure hope it does because next week is definitely the debut of Tsugeura and Kiryu who are also important characters, but it’d suck if they only get minimal screen time despite having high quality voice actors. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[fandoms-writings]

EVENT CLOSED

Those of you wanting to submit a story for the writing challenge at the end of this post, I'm accepting submissions until the end of the year. I'm a slow writer myself and I want y'all to have as much time as you need to join in <3

Welcome to my neon milestone party!

It’s been a few months since I last did a celebration or writing challenge so why not kick off summer with both! I also hit another small milestone, so thank you so so much to all of you for your support 🤍

You must be 18+ to follow me, so you must be 18+ to participate!

We’re gonna have a summer long sleepover, mood boards, a writing challenge, and my requests are officially open for drabbles! 

The cut off is the last day in August!

Under the cut you’ll find all of the ask games and prompt lists and challenge rules! 

Have fun babes  🤍

💎 Rare gems

- Show some love to your fav fics and their authors by sending in some recommendations!

🗒 Ask the Author

- Ask me anything you want about something I’ve written!

📖 Book talk

- Tell me about your favorite book or what you’ve recently read, and why you enjoy it (or why you don’t)

🤫 Secret admirers

- Anonymously (or not) send a love letter to your favorite tumblr person!

🎶 Karaoke

- Send a song recommendation or I’ll put my liked songs on shuffle and send you which one played first!

🫘 Spill the Beans!

- Anonymously (or not) tell me a secret of yours.

🔍 Clue!

- Send me this emoji and I'll post a wip clue (a picture, emoji, a word, etc) and you guys get to guess what it's about. 

🎩 Top 5!

- Another classic. Send me a category, and I'll tell you my top 5 choices within it. 

🙅🏻‍♀️ Never Have I Ever

- This one's pretty self explanatory I think. 

💌 Love letters (mutuals only) 

- I’ll write you a love letter 🥺

🎰 - Spin the Lottery! (mutuals only)

- send me a lil snippet about you (a hobby, your job, your music taste, etc) and a fandom (or not) I’ll pair you with a character from that fandom🤍

Send me a little something - a song, a character, a trope, a quote - anything to give me an idea, and I’ll make a mood board for you 🤍

If you need one for a story even! I’ll gladly help out 🤍

My requests are open for drabbles! Send me a character (it can be from one of my AUs! or not)  and one or two of the prompts from the list below, and I’ll whip up something small for you! As they get requested, they will be crossed off the list 🤍

Angst: 

"Don't go where I can't follow. . . I thought I lost you." (1/2)

"Why didn't you say how bad it was?"  (2/2)

"You shouldn't be out here by yourself."  (1/2)

"You're a mess"/"I'm not a mess."/"I can tell you've been crying."  (1/2)

"You were supposed to be different. They were supposed to be wrong about you, but they were right. They were so fucking right."  (2/2)

"What are we doing?"/"Why are you doing this?"  (1/2)

"I know you, how else do you think I found you so easily?"   (1/2)

"Choose me."  (2/2)

Fluff:

"You know my door is always open for you, right?"  (2/2)

"Will you taste this? Tell me if I'm missing anything?"  (1/2)

"Let me kiss it better."  (2/2)

"You're exhausted honey. Go back to sleep."  (1/2)

"Can I hold your hand?"  (2/2)

“Is that my shirt?” (2/2)

"Come get me? I miss you."  (2/2)

"You're not as bad as everyone says you are."  (2/2)

Smut:

"stop staring." / "i can't, you're so pretty like this" (2/2)

"Keep your pretty eyes on me."  (2/2)

"You're already wet sweetheart."  (2/2)

"What if someone hears us?"  (0/2)

"Let me hear you make that sound again."  (2/2)

"We shouldn't be doing this."  (1/2)

Characters: (spice it up by adding an au in the ask 🤍)

Bucky Barnes 

Marc Spector / Stephen Grant

Miguel O’Hara

If you don’t see who you’d like me to write for, just ask me about them and I’ll let you know if I’m open to writing for them!

Just have fun with this one and follow the rules below! I'm not really making a theme or anything like that, but if you'd like a prompt from me, just ask and specify what kind of prompt! Also feel free to DM me and bounce around some ideas if you need to!

Rules: 

Use the 'read more' option if what you write is over 500 words. 

Properly list your warnings. 

Your story does not have to contain smut if you don't want it to. 

Dark stories are okay, just no non-con, scat, underage characters involved in sexual activity, DD/LG, bestiality, necrophilia, etc. 

Please use characters that I know, from fandoms I'm in. (If you aren't sure what all is on that list, because I don't post about all of them, just ask!)

Tag me! And use the tag #remisneonparty

Make sure it can be read as a stand alone piece. 

The cut off for this will be the last day of August. I sometimes take forever to write something and want to give you all ample time to submit your stories!

Moodboard and all dividers were made by me, but feel free to use them if you’d like 🤍

Tagging some friends (no pressure!)

@sweetdreamsbuck @shamevillain @pocolatte @perdidosbucky-yyo @treatbuckywkisses @foreverindreamlandd @historygeekfics @barnesafterglow @navybrat817​ @jessybarnes​ @buckysdior​ @honeybloomss​ @banana-cheese-cake​ @sparkledfirecracker​ @sidepartskinnyjeans​ @real-jane​ @archive-obsess​ @mutual-monsters​ @bucksangel​ @thepsychewrites​ @starchildbucky​ @nexusnyx​ @lofaewrites​ @thornsnvultures​ @aquariusbarnes​ @captainsimagines​ @writing-for-marvel​ @heavenlybarnes​ @matchamunson​ @buckybleu​ @boxofbonesfic​ @chloelucia13​ @snugglingbucky​

[comfort-writing]

Crayons and Cassettes

Chapter 12: Girls Day

You are a kindergarten teacher. Eddie’s daughter, Sage, is in your class. The rumor mill around Hawkins begins to spiral. Sage goes to the movies.

warnings: this fic is 18+ in previous and future chapters- minors DNI!! no use of y/n. (please let me know if I missed anything)

a/n: sorry for not updating yesterday- I wanted to take a little break. I hope this longer fluffy chapter makes up for it. let me know in the comments or my asks if you want to be added to the tag list! requests are open!

word count: 5.2k

Chapter 1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 12 || 13 || 14 (coming soon!)

When you got a phone call from Robin asking if you wanted to hang out with her, you immediately took her up on her offer.

You were really looking forward to just having some one on time time with a friend. Although you’d definitely been welcomed into the little group, having an invitation to just hang out one on one made you feel like you really belonged.

Robin came over and watched you do your makeup, watching carefully so she could try to replicate parts of it. You taught her how to do the eyeliner look she liked too; there was a small mishap, however, it was nothing a makeup wipe and a little concealer couldn’t fix.

Once you were ready, the two of you piled into her car and she drove you into town. You stopped at some diner, a place called Benny’s, and the two of you squeezed into a booth that had probably seen better days.

“What have you been up to since I saw you at Steve’s?” You asked her, curious to know if anything exciting happened.

She shrugged, “Well, not much. I mainly did laundry and worked. But,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper after scanning the restaurant to see if anyone was listening, “a new girl started at work, and oh my god, she is so pretty.” She smiled.

You raised an eyebrow, “Ooh.. do you think she’s…?” You asked.

“I don’t know- that’s the problem. She just moved here from Chicago. Said she and her” she added air quotes, “‘partner’ broke up and she needed a change of scenery. Why she moved here I literally cannot fathom, but I don’t know.”

“Hey, I moved here for the exact same reason. It’s a good place- not expensive, plenty of jobs.. but that’s beside the point.” You rambled, “Did she like, say partner in a casual way, or like she was trying to not say another word?” You asked, leaning in and keeping your voices quiet.

“I-“ Robin was quickly interrupted by a scrawny high school age kid who wore the Benny’s uniform, asking what you guys wanted to order.

Once he was out of earshot, Robin leaned back in and whispered, “Like I said, I really don’t know. But she totally has a vibe about her.”

“A vibe?” You asked, a little confused.

“Yeah, dude.” She chuckled, “Like, she has a septum piercing and streaks of pink in her hair. I mean, you’ve at least got to break a few social norms to do that.”

You considered it for a moment, “Yeah, I guess so. But listen, I don’t want you to get your hopes up too much.” You said quietly. “I don’t want you to get hurt- emotionally or physically.”

She nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be careful. You forget I’ve been doing this for a while.” She chuckled. Robin had grown out of her awkwardness a bit as she’d aged, though there were definitely still traces of it in the way she would talk to loud when she was excited or would say something a little off topic because her mind ran faster than her mouth. It was endearing, though.

The teenager came back with your drinks; you’d ordered both ordered waters as well as milkshakes. You played it safe and got cookies and cream, while Robin ordered some strawberry-blueberry-chocolate-banana-peanut butter monstrosity. She smiled, “I’ve been coming here since high school, and I have perfected my milkshake order. You’ve got to try it.”

You wrinkled your nose at the thought, “Sorry, Robin, but I would probably die from all the sugar in that thing.” You laughed.

She shrugged and took a sip, smiling at the taste of the weirdly dark green liquid. You had no idea how it ended up that color, but you really didn’t want to know.

“How’s Eddie?” She asked, changing the subject from her love life to yours.

“He’s good. I haven’t been able to see him since you have, which kinda stinks. He’s been working a lot. I was thinking about stopping by the record store tomorrow just to drop in and say hi, but Sage goes there and hangs out while he works, so I don’t know if he’d be okay with it.” You sighed. You missed him.

“Does he not want you around her?” She inquired.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that. But we just kinda want to know where we’re at before bringing her into it. It’s not easy on a little kid to see their parent with someone new, you know?” You informed her, sympathetic to Sage’s feelings.

“Well, how do you feel about it all?” She asked.

You furrowed your brows, a little confused, “What do you mean?”

“Like, you know… how do you feel about keeping the two of you apart from the two of them? If you and Eddie do end up working out… have you thought about what you would be to Sage?” She asked.

You’d been so caught up in being worried about Sage’s feelings that you really hadn’t considered your own at that point. You pondered the possibilities for a moment, sipping on your milkshake. “Well… I mean, I’m okay with keeping it from Sage for a while. I think that’s normal for anyone who has kids, you know? Making sure your relationship is sound before introducing the concept to a child… and I really haven’t thought about what I would be to Sage..”

“Would you ever want to be her step-mom?” She asked, “That’s kind of the end goal there.”

You hummed and focused on the black and white liquid in your glass, “I-I don’t know. I don’t think I’m against it at all, but I don’t know if I’d be a good mom. Like, yeah, I know I’m good with kids, but I’ve always kind of approached them in almost a scientific way, if that makes sense? I know there’s a method to how you should talk and interact with them, at least in a school setting, in order to help them learn and grow. But I am really only trained for kids 6 and below. And I just… worry, I guess, about like.. messing her up or something.” You sighed, your insecurities showing a bit.

Robin reached her hand across the table and patted your arm, “Dude, you are like, the most motherly non-mom I’ve ever met. I’m positive you’d be good at it. Yeah, you’d make some mistakes, but every parent does. And I’m willing to bet that Eddie and Sage would help you through the process of figuring it all out.” She smiled.

“I guess so… but that’s probably years down the line before that would actually happen, so at least I’ve got time to get used to the idea.” You chuckled.

The waiter came back with your food, and you and Robin dug in. As you ate your french fries, a familiar face walked into the door: Mrs. Robinson, the other kindergarten teacher. She spotted you and you waved. She smiled and walked over to your table.

“Hey, Mrs. Robinson.” You greeted, smiling and cordial. “This is my friend, Robin.” You said, chuckling at the similar names.

“Oh, I know Robin.” She hummed, “She was one of my students years ago.” She’d definitely aged from the time Robin had been in her class, but she still looked and dressed the same. “And you can just call me Anne outside of work.”

Robin smiled up at her, “Nice to see you again.”

“Care to join us?” You asked, trying to be polite.

“Oh, thank you, but my husband is on his way here.” She smiled, then you saw it falter for a moment, “But I do have something to ask you.”

You raised an eyebrow, scooting over so she could sit next to you in the booth, “What is it?” You asked, having no clue as to what she could possibly ask you about.

“Well, I heard a rumor.. and I really just wanted to clear the air about it. I have no doubt in my mind that it’s not true, but I just wanted to confirm with you.” She said, waving her hand dismissively at the idea.

“What did you hear?” You asked, having a sinking feeling you knew where this was going.

“Well,” she started, clothing her purse close to her and leaning in, “I heard that you and that Eddie Munson boy were dating.” She chuckled, “Ridiculous, right? You wouldn’t go out with a boy like that- he’s not.. well, he’s from the wrong side of the tracks, literally.”

You felt Robin’s eyes on you, and you could practically feel her anger bubble, but you decided to keep it simple and professional.

“Oh, actually, Anne, I am. Dating Eddie, that is.” You smiled warmly, though you kind of wanted to punch her in the leg for how rude she’d been about it.

She looked utterly scandalized. “What?” She asked, clutching her purse in her lap, “Why- why would you ever do that, dear? Is your head screwed on straight?” She’d dropped her usually pretentious manner at this point, while you remained, outwardly, cool as a cucumber.

“Well, he’s a good man.” You said, slightly emphasizing the last word to correct her use of the word ‘boy’. “He has a good job, he just bought a home, and he is kind to everyone around him. I don’t see how that’s a bad thing.” You stated simply.

She sighed, grabbing your hand and holding it desperately. You wanted to smack it away, but you refrained, “Dear, he’s bad news.. he got a girl pregnant during his third repeat of senior year in high school. He notoriously deals drugs, he listens to that awful devil-worshiper music, he’s got these horrendous tattoos, and I mean, you’ve seen the way he dresses…and I heard that he was the leader of some Satanic-cult when he was younger.” She pleaded. “I don’t know how that precious baby girl hasn’t been taken from his home- it’s not safe.”

The longer the list became, the more agitated you felt, but you couldn’t let it show. If you made a scene, you’d only spur the rumors on. You took a deep breath, “Anne, he is a good man.” You reiterated, “Sure, he may have an eclectic sense of fashion and off-beat music taste, but that’s really all there is to it. He’s not a drug dealer, I like his tattoos, and the so-called ‘cult’ you’re referring to is just a storytelling game. It’s quite dorky, if I’m being honest.” You chuckled. “Plus, he is an amazing dad. He provides everything for Sage- she literally has anything she could ever want. And he’s involved. He came to every parent teacher conference, every recital, and he read to her every night to ensure she was excelling in school. He does a great job with her, and honestly, I think it’s a shame that more people done see that.” You paused for a moment before continuing, “You judge him based on his outward appearance and silly rumors you hear around town. But, if you had an actual conversation with him, you’d know that he is kind and genuine and absolutely hilarious.” You felt Robin smile with pride at your sentiments. “It’s quite foolish to think that anyone is not worth more than what you’ve heard about them, don’t you think?”

Mrs. Robinson shook her head and let your hand go, moving to get up, “I’m only trying to help you out, dear.”

“I appreciate that, but I can take care of myself.” You said coolly. “I’ll see you in our professional development workshop in two weeks.” You said, smiling like none of this phased you.

She left to go sit with her husband, and you looked over at Robin. “Woah, dude.. you’re like, the most level headed person I’ve ever met.” She mused.

Your smile turned strained, “Well I’m not about to be. Let’s go so I can say some choice words about what just occurred.” You said through gritted teeth.

Robin smiled and nodded quickly, digging cash out of her purse and slamming it on the table as the two of you got up from the table.

Once her car was out of the parking lot and onto the main road, your hands were flying around in the air as you yelled, Robin cackling in the drivers seat.

“What the absolute fuck was her problem?! First of all, how is it any of her business who I choose to be with? I don’t give a fuck about her old bag of a husband, so why should she care what I do outside of school? Secondly, how the hell can she just judge someone based off of shifty rumors that were spread about him fucking years ago! Like, how fucking shallow can you be! Lastly, how dare she have the nerve to sit there and call Eddie a bad dad! He’s literally one of the best parents out there, hands down. Ugh, I want to show her Sage’s scores alone compared to her entire class just to shove that shit in her face!”

Robin laughed, “Yeah, literally what was her problem?” She asked, “And oh my god, you should have seen her fucking face when you said you two were going out! She looked like you’d shit in her cereal!” She cackled. “And how were you so calm? Oh my god you should take up acting! You have an amazing talent there- you should really capitalize on it!”

You groaned, “Well if I was even the slightest bit rude to her, she could’ve confirmed that he was like, ‘ruining me’, or whatever else she and her friends talk about when they gawk at the freshly eighteen lifeguards at the pool.” That made Robin laugh so hard to the point where she had to pull over in a random parking lot so she wouldn’t crash her car. “She also could’ve come for my job somehow. So I really wanted to kill her with kindness. Really let her choke on it.”

“Hell yeah, man” Robin said, holding her sides as you joined her laughter. “But seriously, you should’ve seen her face when you didn’t give her any sort of a reaction. She looked like she was going to explode.”

The two of you howled in her car, eventually dying down and wiping stray tears and hiding your sore stomachs. Once the two of you recovered, you guys looked up and saw that you were actually in the parking lot of the record store and that Eddie was in the window, staring at the both of you with the most bewildered look on his face. He looked like a lost puppy, raising an eyebrow and cocking his head to the side. You and Robin made eye contact again, paused for a moment, then bursted out into peals of laughter yet again.

Since he’d already spotted the two of you, you both d decided to head inside the store. You got out of the car, shut the door, and linked your arm with Robin’s as the two of you walked in, still giggling.

“What is going on with you two?” Eddie asked, your laughter infecting him and making him chuckle.

“Sorry- it’s really not funny.” Robin sighed, “It’s actually kinda shitty, but it’s ridiculous, so it’s a little funny.”

You nodded, releasing Robin’s arm so she could go look around the store while you turned to Eddie to explain. “My coworker, Mrs. Robinson, you remember her?” You asked.

Eddie nodded.

“Well, Robin and I went to Benny’s. She walked in and criticized my choice in men, essentially.. Were really laughing at how I basically stone faced my way through it and she looked like she was going to shit her pants.” You sighed, rubbing a hand through your hair.

“Oh..” he whispered, sticking his hands in his pockets, looking a little dejected.

“I defended you, though, I swear.” You assured him, reaching out to grab his forearm gently. “I didn’t just like, let her bad mouth you. I just kind of… told her off with a smile on my face.”

Eddie shook his head quickly, “Oh, I have no doubt that you did that. I just-“ he placed his hand over the one you’d placed on his arm, “I hate that you’re catching flack for this. Hawkins isn’t an easy town for the unconventional.” He whispered, looking a little sad.

You raised an eyebrow, “Eddie, my skin is thicker than you think. I can put up with a lot of shit. And I really don’t care what other people think, as long as we’re good.” Your hand dropped from his arm to his hand, “The literal only reason I waited was because of my job. Hawkins’ opinion of me is irrelevant.”

He sighed and nodded, leaning in and kissing your forehead gently, “You’re kind of a badass.” He mumbled into your hair.

Robin overheard that statement and smiled, “Hell yeah she is, man. You should’ve seen her- so calm and relaxed while also ripping that old fart a new one. It was great.”

You laughed, leaning into Eddie‘s touch for a moment before he had to get back to work. “Hope you don’t mind we stopped in. We weren’t planning on it.”

He waved a hand dismissively as he went back to alphabetizing records, “You guys are always welcome.”

“Is Sage here?” You asked in a whisper.

He nodded, “She’s in the break room in the back. I’m sure she’ll run out here soon- she’s almost finished with her snack. I bet she’ll be happy to see you guys. The poor girl has been so bored all day, I just can’t exactly give her much to do.”

You nodded and started walking around the store, deciding to get some music while you were there. You peeled over to Robin’s stack of cassettes, which consisted of the usual pop stuff you’d hear on the radio.

It didn’t take long for Sage to wander out of the back of the store. She first ran to Eddie, who pointed to you and Robin, whispering something you couldn’t hear. She beamed and ran over to where the two of you stood, yelling your names and pulling Robin’s legs into a bear hug before doing the same to your own.

“Hey, kiddo!” Robin smiled, “How ya doin’?”

“I’m so booorrreeeddd.” Sage groaned, tossing her head back dramatically. She looked just like her dad in that moment and you couldn’t help but giggle.

“I’m sorry, Sage.” You sighed, “But, I might have something you can do.”

She picked her head up and eyed you suspiciously, “What?”

You crouched down to her level, “I need help finding some good music. Can you help me pick some stuff out?” You asked, Robin chiming in a short, “Me too.”

Sage beamed, excited to have a mission to complete. She grabbed one of yours and one of Robin’s hands enthusiastically and led you two through the store, pointing at the sections she liked, which mostly consisted of kids records. You guys played along, picking up records and examining each one and making a show out of either putting them in your pile or wrinkling your nose and putting them back, making her laugh.

You were so focused that you didn’t notice how Eddie had lost his focus. His eyes trained on you as you humored his daughter, helping her combat her boredom. The corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile, his chest swelling with a mixture of pride and joy. He loved that the two of you were friends.

Robin spotted him while you were busy making Sage giggle by holding a record up to the light like you were inspecting a dollar bill. She smirked at him, seeing how he was watching you, causing a blush to bloom across his cheeks and making him whip his head back to his work quickly.

Robin turned back to you and whispered something in your ear, and you smiled and nodded at the idea. She then walked up to Eddie, clapping him on the back, causing him to jump a little.

“Hey buddy old pal.” She chuckled.

Eddie sighed and looked down at the girl, having a feeling she was up to something, “What do you want, Buckley?” He deadpanned.

She laughed loudly, “Oh shut up, I’m trying to help you.” She took a beat before nudging him, “You want us to take Sage off your hands for a couple hours? We were planning on going to see a movie later, so we could take Sage with us so she doesn’t have to sit around here all day. It would be a great way for the two of them to bond too.”

Eddie thought about it for a moment, wishing that he could’ve been the one going with the two of you instead of Robin. “Yeah, sure. Just- we aren’t telling Sage about us yet, so could you please be on your best behavior?” He asked her.

She smiled and nodded before spinning on her heel and going back over to you, nodding her head like a little kid who’d just been told they could have a sleepover. You smiled and continued searching the store with her.

After you’d been convinced to buy a couple random cassettes by Sage, you walked over to Eddie hand in hand with his daughter, “Hey, we’re ready to check out.” You smiled.

Eddie turned and nodded, heading to the register and trying not to get flustered by your smile and how you interacted with his daughter. He’d tried to date in the past, but everyone had quickly bolted when they’d heard about his kid. So seeing you embrace her, while also liking him, felt like some kind of miracle.

You placed your items on the counter and picked up Sage and placed her there as well, “So, dad, can Sage come with us to the movies?” You asked, acting like she was one of the girls. “We’ll only let her have all the popcorn and candy and soda she could ever want.”

Sage’s eyes lit up and she looked at Eddie excitedly, “Please?” She asked, giving him her best puppy-dog eyes. You copied her face, trying not to giggle.

He looked between the two of you, “You guys are going to be the death of me.” He chuckled, “But sure, Sage. You can go. We’ll just have to make sure we brush your teeth extra good before bed, okay?”

She nodded and smiled like it was Christmas morning, squealing and hugging you. You smiled and patted her back, watching Eddie put your items in a paper bag. She released you and you leaned over the counter, resting your elbows on the cool surface, “You want me to drop her off at your house after?” You asked.

He nodded, “Yeah, I get off work at 6, so I should be home by the time the movie gets out.” He handed you your bag and Robin walked up to purchase her items as well.

Once the two of you had everything, Robin picked up the bags and you picked up Sage, holding her on your hip like you’d been doing so for years. Eddie wanted to pull you into a kiss right then, but he knew better. That would’ve really confused Sage.

Robin smiled, “Well, thanks for letting us kidnap your child. We’ll be sure to spoil her so she won’t sleep tonight.” She joked.

The two of you walked back out to her car, and you buckled Sage into the back seat. “Oh, I think I forgot something inside. I’ll be right back.” You smiled before closing her door and walking into the shop. Robin knew exactly what you were doing, but she turned and talked to Sage to keep her occupied until you came back.

You walked back into the empty record shop and Eddie looked at you from the counter, “Hey- everything okay?” He asked. You smiled and walked behind the counter, then grabbed his hand and dragged him to the back room, which made him raise his eyebrows raise in shock, “What are you do-“

Once you were out of the field of view of the parking lot, you pulled Eddie down to kiss you. He was a bit surprised at first, but after a moment, he leaned into it and kissed you back, his arms wrapping around your waist.

Your arms wrapped around his shoulders and he pulled you close, melting into your presence. After a moment, he broke the kiss slowly and looked down at you, a little starstruck, “What was that about?” He asked, smiling against your lips, neither of you having backed away.

“I don’t care what anyone thinks. I like you.” You whispered, making eye contact with him and keeping him close.

He hummed, “I don’t either. And I like you too.” He leaned in once more and kissed you again, humming against your lips before you two separated, stepping back. “By the way, totally unfair that Sage gets a movie date before I do.”

You chuckled, “Our first date was a movie.”

“Yeah, but there wasn’t movie theatre popcorn.”

“Well I’m free this weekend if you want to go.”

He nodded and pecked you one more time before you turned and walked out, Eddie smacking your ass lightly as you walked away, causing you to giggle and roll your eyes as you left the store.

The ride to the theatre was filled with terrible singing, as Robin insisted on cranking up the radio and rolling the windows down. Once you guys pulled into the movie theatre parking lot, you helped Sage get out and the two of you held her hands, lifting her up and swinging her as you walked into the theatre.

You guys picked a child appropriate movie to watch, bought the tickets, then raided the concession stand, buying way more snacks than the three of you could consume within a 2 hour window. You found your seats and got comfy, passing the popcorn bucket between the three of you, Sage in the middle and having to use both hands, as the thing was half her size.

The movie started and Sage was transfixed, giggling at the obvious jokes while you and Robin chuckled at the jokes they included for the adults in the room. When she’d had her fill of the snacks, Sage sighed and leaned against you, resting her little head on your arm. You moved it and allowed her to rest on your side as you wrapped an arm around her.

You looked over at Robin, who’d noticed the sweet scene, and smiled softly. She gave you a subtle thumbs up and turned her attention back to the screen.

Eventually, Sage fell asleep against you, her head having slowly drifted to your lap with tired eyes. You played with her hair as she slept, and you and Robin sat through the rest of the movie, whispering “that’s what she said” every time the joke could’ve been set up.

Once the credits rolled, you slowly moved and picked Sage up, letting her sleep as you walked out to the car. You had to rouse her when you got in, though, as she needed to sit up so you could buckle her in. She whined, but complied, sleepy and rubbing her eyes.

The ride over to Eddie’s was quiet, the radio playing softly as you watched Hawkins pass outside of the window. Robin pulled into Eddie’s driveway and you suddenly realized that you hadn’t been to his house yet.

Sage had fallen asleep again in the backseat, so you slowly got her out, telling Robin that you had it- don’t worry. She stayed in the car as you walked to the front door and knocked, rubbing Sage’s back as you waited for him to answer.

Eddie opened the door and saw his baby girl asleep in your arms. The sight made his knees feel a little weak. “Hey.” He whispered, stepping aside to let you in.

You smiled and walked into his house. It was cozy. There weren’t many decorations, but there was a killer music collection in the living room, bookshelves lined with cassettes and records and CDs, along with a few different ways to play the music. An acoustic guitar sat in the corner, covered in sparkly princess stickers, courtesy of Sage. A bin of toys sat beside the couch, and Sage had apparently set up a stuffed animal tea party at the bar in the kitchen. You really wouldn’t have expected anything else. It was perfect.

“Sorry it’s kind of a mess.” He whispered.

You shook your head, “It’s fine.” You adjusted Sage on your hip, “Where’s her room? I can just go lay her down.”

He led you down a hallway and to a room that looked like a rainbow sparkle unicorn barfed in it. It was so cute. You laid Sage down in her little bed before you and Eddie snuck out. You stretched as the two of you walked back to the living room, “You have a good day at work?” You asked, raising your arms above your head and stretching your back.

“Yeah. The usual, I guess. Seeing you was nice.” He smiled, reaching over and placing a hand on your waist, “Thank you for taking Sage. She was so bored. I feel bad- I really can’t afford a regular babysitter during the summers, so I just take her with me. There’s a tv and stuff in the break room, but having to entertain yourself for that long when you’re five years old is not easy.”

You nodded, “Of course, Eddie. I love hanging out with her.” You hummed, “And if she’s ever bored again, you can always call me and I can take her for the day.”

“You don’t have to do that.” He said softly.

“Yeah, I don’t. But Sage is a fun kid. Plus it’ll get me out of the house. I feel like I’m rotting in there.” You joked.

He chuckled, “Thank you.” He whispered before pulling you in for a hug. You hugged him back, taking in how he smelled: dust from the record store, a stale cigarette, coffee, and cologne mixed into an interesting and intoxicating smell that was distinctly him. You backed out of the hug, then looked down the hallway to ensure Sage wasn’t walking down it before leaning up and kissing him sweetly.

“I’ll see you this weekend?” You asked, looking hopeful.

He nodded, “Of course. I can’t wait.” He smiled.

You nodded and left his house, piling back into Robin’s car and driving off, feeling warm and fuzzy all over. Maybe you could let yourself start to think about the future a little more.

Tag List: @mcueveryday @bebe0701 @emma77645 @edsforehead @manda-panda-monium @nina211544 @wendyfawcett @whisperinthewoods07

[teruthecreator]

TW FOR RACISM, CHILD IMPREGNATION, EUGENICS, & TRANSPHOBIA

okay @silvercistern! thats okay! if you dont wanna be here for this conversation then i'll have a conversation without you! for all those readers out there who might've missed it

FOR EVERYONE'S INFORMATION:

Side Quest is definitely one of the weirdest fics I have ever seen get popular, for several content-related reasons.

Firstly, the racism. She writes her Serizawa to be half-black, half-Japanese, which is a perfectly valid hc if not for how she handles this fact. Ignoring the moments of subtle racism she gives Reigen (having him comment on the apparent "sloppiness" of his afro--which she also refuses to call an afro, by the way--and also having him guess his race via his racial characteristics), she blatantly and openly makes Toichiro racist towards Serizawa in a way that I feel we cannot ignore. For example:

I shouldn't have to say that calling a black man a "slave" in any context is fucked up, but I will for the sake of this post! Since she already think I'm insane :-) Also:

Once again, shouldn't have to say this but I will: Saying a black man has a "brutal masculine appeal" is so obviously and blatantly racist while also being entirely unnecessary for his character! We understand, as both readers and watchers of the base material, that Toichiro is a bad guy. We do not need him to then become racist, borderline-pedophilic, and a supporter of eugenics! And if you need quotes for some of these points, I will include one that has both:

Even if he is saying that he won't facilitate the "impregnation of a child", why the fuck is he laughing about it? Just a reminder: Toichiro in canon is only a terrorist and a child abuser. Yes, he is a bad person. However, I think elevating his evil to this level removes any concept of character depth that you could possibly have, and makes the ending of this fic (where he is seemingly normal and fine, with both his wife and child in his relative good graces) all the weirder. But again, I'm insane, right? Oh yeah, one more point about Toichiro that I found from the comments:

Now this tells me several things. Firstly, it's that she lacks the oversight to recognize when there is blatant racism in her works of fiction. Which is questionable, but I'm willing to let that slide because people should always be given the opportunity to grow. HOWEVER, the second part of this tells me that the first part might be a lie!!! Because hey!! If you are headcanoning a person's parent as being a WHITE SOUTH AFRICAN WITH EUGENICIST BELIEFS, you are basically saying your character was raised by an APARTHEID APOLOGIST. So I really don't know how you can avoid the racism embedded in that statement.

Now, let's move away from Toichiro because he's not the only character she completely butchers with weird concepts. Shimazaki is a trans chaser in this fic.

That's right. I'm not kidding. He is a chaser.

Once again reminding you that I'm the insane one.

There is literally no reason I can see as to why she would write this, other than that it is supposed to be a joke. Now, as an afab trans butch, there is only so much I can say to this point, but I will still ask: Who is laughing here? Who is this joke funny to? Is it to the trans women, who have to deal with similar kinds of harassment each time they try to go on a date? Or is it the Shimazaki fans, who I guess aren't weirded out by their fav being a chaser? Or is it just you, silvercistern? Is it just funny to you?

That point brings me to one of my last points with context. She seems to enjoy throwing in random "edgy" topics for either shock value or a laugh, neither of which I think her wording lands on. I did collegiate improv comedy for all four years of college (yes that may seem pathetic to you, but it was fun)--if anyone knows how a joke should sound, I think I'm one of the few. And, frankly, none of these land. For instance, the repeated "joke" of calling Reigen a creep or alluding to him being a pedo:

But, again, me? I'm insane, apparently. If you take issue with any of this, like I did, then to her you are insane.

This is not surprising to me, given that she already had a kind of breakdown to my friend regarding when they asked if silvercistern could tag one of her fics with sa.

Here is the link to their post. I ask that you respect their wishes and do not send harassment to silvercistern (as that is my wish as well) and do not be weird to them in their inbox.

But this is why it does not surprise me that she 1. would private her twitter account when faced with even the slightest backlash, 2. would then talk about the situation to her mutuals to garner sympathy, and 3. not even bother to read a single thing I said, given that she replied to my post in less than a minute after I had posted it.

By the way, one of those mutuals? Yeah, they are literally a toichiro/shou shipper. Here's the proof:

Anyway, this is not an excuse to go harass her. I DO NOT CONDONE HARASSMENT OF ANY KIND. ANY OF MY POSTS ABOUT THIS SITUATION WERE MADE TO DIRECTLY ADDRESS HER AND THE ISSUES I HAVE. IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO CHIME IN, DO IT ON YOUR OWN TIME WITH YOUR OWN POST. DO NOT HARASS HER.

So yeah. Guess this would be something an insane person does, right? lol

[serial-serializednovelreader]

Hmm, let's see...

Jonathon Harker, Mina Harker, Kate Wetherall, Mr. Benedict, Doug Eiffel, and/or Renée Minkowski!

Whichever one(s) you want to answer I'd be happy to see! I hope you're having a good day <3

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character

12. Crack headcanon

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them

20. Scars

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic)

29. Eating habits

30. Sleeping habits

42. 3 comfort items

49. Favorite toy as a child

So many great choices, thank you Sophie!!! I'm having a great day, I hope you are too! <33

2. A canon or headcanon hill I will die on:

Jonathan Harker -- He was not properly warned about Dracula before going to the castle. Canonically, he was only warned against going to the castle *that night* because it was the eve of St. George's Day and that's when evil spirits hold sway. He did go, yes, because of his job, not because he wanted to. He was not told what the Count was (he DOES ask, but is met with silence and the innkeeper and his wife crossing themselves, or just pretending not to understand him). The innkeeper's wife does ask "Do you know where you're going and who you're going to" but again, does not elaborate further.

He does later hear the words "vampire"/"werewolf" and other disconcerting words in passing (not told to him) while he's in the carriage, but he doesn't get enough translation to know who they're speaking of, so he assumes they're talking about him (because they were looking at him and I think he needs more self-esteem lol).

Why is this my hill to die on? I'm getting a bit tired of seeing posts that are like "Jonathan: *gets told Dracula is a vampire by the villagers* Jonathan: haha you're wrong! What ridiculous superstitions *goes anyway*" and I want to be like uhhh at what point was he warned by anyone explicitly that Dracula was a vampire???? And he doesn't just brush off their warnings either -- he does get bad vibes and he says "goodbye" to Mina on day two!!! I will allow he does assume the villagers' odd behavior is due to superstition and tradition and that's not great, but due to his upbringing and them not elaborating, what else is he supposed to think? If it was me, I know I would be confused and nervous, but I would probably also go to the castle too, because nothing in those implicit warnings was more important than a job. I would likely also assume they were more worried about what day I was going on, rather than the man I was going to, honestly. If anyone was able to glean "the guy I'm going to is a vampire" from what the villagers did without our knowledge of hindsight on Dracula, well....good for you I guess??? You are truly built different. 😭😭

Quick note: I don't blame the villagers for not warning Jonathan explicitly of Dracula. I imagine he keeps them under a strict "keep my true nature quiet" rule. They did above and beyond their duty by giving him vampire-repellent gifts, trying to implicitly warn him/delay his trip, and trying to deliberately make Jonathan miss Dracula's carriage. My sticking point is more on people trying to say Jonathan was told Dracula was a blood-sucking vampire and he just didn't listen. I'm not for sure if Jonathan would've believed the villagers and turned around and gone home if he had been explicitly warned (after all, his job and boss's reputation is on the line here!), but in the canon, he wasn't. Also, I'm talking about the novel canon only, so if he was warned explicitly in adaptations and did this kind of brush off, that's on the directors, not on the original text.

9. Scene that first made me love (or hate) the character:

Jonathan Harker -- It's difficult for me to say exactly when I fell in love with this guy the first time around. There are so many good scenes with him!! I would say I definitely enjoyed his tenacity throughout his time at castle Dracula, but the first scene where I really really fell in love with him was when he reunites with Mina. He's a mess emotionally and physically (after all, he's just been through castle Dracula), but his love for Mina shows through it all! He immediately marries her!! And though he doesn't want to talk about his trauma, he does hand her his journal from the castle as a sign of trust. He tells her if she wants to open it and read it, she can. That's how I knew his trust and love for her was deep. Plus, being able to communicate his emotions in such a surprisingly healthy way (considering the time period) was all that was really needed to make me love him! I could talk about more but it would be basically the whole novel...

Mina Harker -- Mina, my beloved. A QUEEN. It did not take long for me to warm up to her. She's sweet, funny, and obviously cares about her fiancé and her friend, Lucy. However, the scene that first made me love her was also when she reunites with Jonathan. She is eager to marry him, of course, but beyond that she's sympathetic to his obvious trauma. She doesn't push for information he's not ready to give, and when he gives her his journal, she decides to seal it with wax (using their wedding ring to do so -- I'm so normal about this...not) rather than read it. Why? She can tell it obviously distresses him to think about it at all and it disturbs him to think he could read it without his knowledge, though he's given consent. The wax allows him to know if/when she reads it. This is her sign of love and trust back to him. She also promises him she won't read it "unless it's for his dear sake or some stern duty". Her combination of love, integrity and ingenuity really shows here and I LOVE her for it!!!!

Kate Wetherall -- Ah yes, Kate. Another character I'm totally normal about (if you can tell, I'm normal about none of these characters, lol) :D Let's see, I really loved her from the beginning of the first book (especially "The Great Kate Weather Machine" -- I died laughing at that nickname), but if I had to pick a particular scene...probably when she meets Milligan for the first time and refuses to do anything for the tests until they have proper introductions. Other than being lowkey funny, it introduces two new things about her character we haven't seen yet: 1) her stubborn streak and 2) her refusal to treat people as just random extras in her life not worthy of an introduction. Yes, she wants to know more about Milligan so he can answer her test questions, but she also wants to know so she can get to know him as a person. She's not content to just brush by him and forget he exists; he's just as important to her as anyone else she'll meet in her life. And she has no idea how much Milligan will actually come to mean to her until much later. It's a little thing, but I think it shows her willingness to treat everyone as important very well!

If we're talking show Kate, I already went in with the love for the book, but the VERY first scene where she runs in and introduces herself was like greeting an old friend. Her painful high fives. Asking them to call her the Great Kate Weather Machine. It makes me laugh every single time. Not to mention her saying "started a small fire. Easily containable. No injuries." ????? KATE???? The actor's way of having Kate talk in short bursts like that to show how fast she talks is just....*chef's kiss*. I love it!!!

Mr. Benedict -- Another character I loved from start to finish! Other than laughing at Constance's answers (as a kid, I was a stickler for rules, so I expected someone with so many test rules to be the same way too LOL, so seeing him laugh it off was...kind of nice and freeing), his "white knight" talk with Reynie is what made me love him. I loved how he knew it was Reynie right away -- a clear sign of his intuition. How he fell asleep after he told Reynie he couldn't contact Miss Perumal :( -- a clear sign of his empathy. Then, talking about Reynie's own inner fears through the test questions (aka the white knight and his doubts) was so cool to me: I loved his way of quiet empathy and helping Reynie learn more about himself! As a kid, I wondered if I had doubts like Reynie I needed to examine after reading that. He was like this steady rock for the kids throughout the series, though of course he had moments where he needed help too and I loved him for that!

As for show Benedict, they took an entirely different direction with him and I loved that too!! It took me slightly longer to warm up to him (mainly because the white knight story was a MESS in my eyes, I was like "what was THAT" lol), and because he almost seemed untrustworthy (which is kind of the point -- I would understand that purpose later). The first scene where I grew attached -- and you may have guessed it, I talk about it all the time -- is when he found out the Sender was his twin brother and, in response, goes “excuse me” before walking outside to scream for a bit. So relatable!!! I love him!!! I want the best for him!!! It really showed me that he was a bit of an anxious mess with obvious issues. And that was honestly refreshing to see. Yes, he's the kids' mentor, but he's not infallible. It also makes sense, considering what they add to his backstory.

Doug Eiffel — This is another one of those “I loved him from the first moment I heard him speak” scenarios, but I think what really sealed the deal was his toothpaste revolution speech. It’s so ridiculous and over-dramatic!! And for toothpaste? LOL, he is so funny. If you’ve read The Lunar Chronicles, it reminds me of Thorne and his soap rebellion (another one of my favorite characters, but I’m letting that series rest for now or else I won’t shut up about it). That’s how I knew I was going to love this guy and his ADHD vibes. Not to mention his near-incomprehensible references. I am *exactly* the same way with slang and vine references; sometimes it’s to the point where I have to explain full sentences I make, just like Eiffel. Love that guy <3

Renée Minkowski — As the one who has to reign in Doug’s…doug-ness (read: his ADHD), I definitely had to respect Renée for that alone. But I think I came to love her specifically in Cataracts and Hurricanoes. At the beginning of the episode, when Eiffel is making his “space — the final frontier” speech, Minkowski shuts it down, but I love the way she does it. She reminds him of the “strict no tomfoolery clause” she made which tells me that she knows him so well and is prepared for the silly he brings. Beyond that, it's the first time we see Eiffel put into actual danger and, as a result, see Minkowski go into Captain ModeTM. Her willingness to immediately put her life in danger for Doug, remain calm, and even humor his little quirks along the way ("yes, Eiffel, that's my jetpack thingy") really made me love her and want to see more of her! Plus, her shutting down Hilbert's "greater good" speech (it walked so Kepler's "big picture" speeches could run, change my mind) in a firm but professional way was awesome!! Love her so much!!!!

12. Crack headcanon:

Mr. Benedict -- This isn't my headcanon (I got it from this post), but I accept it as my own now: Mr. Benedict loves metal music. Expanding off of that, he enjoys going to live concerts in his free time (wearing earplugs to keep from getting overstimulated, of course!). He used to watch the mosh pits (namely, the "wall of death") with fascination, but could not participate due to the risk of getting too excited and falling asleep in the middle of one. After TPD, though? He definitely tried it at least once. Whether he did it more than once is up to you!

As for show Benedict, I got this from reading @nobodysdaydreams SOS AU fanfic (this is yet another plug from my to go read it if you haven't already, it's amazing). Remember in season 2 when Number Two and Nicholas are singing off-key at the top of their lungs? Well, Bods wrote it in as Milligan hearing their voices and feeling it "sounded familiar". Now, most people would take that as "he recognized their voices", which was almost certainly the intention. How did I take it? That Milligan has had to hear them sing before and immediately recognized their voices because he was like "ah yes, there's that off-key singing I know and...love?" So my headcanon is that Nicholas Benedict regularly sings in the shower and around the house when he thinks no one can hear him (I think Number Two does as well, just less so). As long as he doesn't get too excited, it doesn't trigger his narcolepsy!

16. Deepest darkest secret they won’t even admit to themselves:

Kate Wetherall -- In the first season and the first book, she can't admit to anyone -- not even herself -- that she needs help. She's been working on her own for so long that admitting this would be almost a weakness on her part. On a deeper level, I think another reason for guarding so hard against relying on anyone (and this is implied, though not really covered) is that she could lose that love and support again. A love and support she can't even really remember, save for one partial memory. To her, having it and losing it is probably more difficult than never having it in the first place and that's how she's determined to keep it, until she's finally forced to admit through drastic circumstances that she DOES need help. And that's when her father finally comes back into her life :''''')

17. Quotes, songs, poems, etc. that I associate with them:

Doug Eiffel -- I usually have trouble associating characters with songs, but once I though about it, this came quite easy to me!! I have a few:

First up, we have Mission Control by Normandie! I feel like this one really goes with Ep. 30 -- Mayday (and, if you go beyond that, literally any time Doug is in danger and his general feeling on the Hephaestus when things go wrong). A few lyrics to highlight:

System failure/ Calling mission control I've got a feeling we are heading/ for a black hole

I'm drifting to the light in the bitter end/ Cause there can be no life without oxygen/ The devil's at my door/ Cause I can hear him calling my name

I can't remember solid ground/ I'm losing my senses/ here in the silence/ Tell me that I'll be safe and sound

Next is Sirens by Imagine Dragons (no I can't make a song association without using Imagine Dragon songs -- sorry not sorry). I feel like this is a good one for describing Doug's anxiety and how he feels about failing Anne and succumbing to addiction when he shouldn't have. A few lyrics to highlight:

My heart bleeds/ I feel everything,/ I Drip, drop,/ drink out of the bottle/ Boy with a heart of gold/ Get run over/ by heaven knows what

Sometimes,/ I get a little bit scared at night/ I get a little preoccupied/ The sirens in my mind/ The sirens in my mind/ I just wanna be good again/ I wanna make it to the end

Last up is one of my all-time favorite songs by TWRP (feat. Dan Avidan): Starlight Brigade! I honestly want to make a separate post about how I see this song and Doug Eiffel (it's a WHOLE thing), but I think this song goes best with the series finale -- Ep. 61, Brave New World. It shows his courage in the face of great danger and his dedication to the friends he's made over the course of the podcast. Plus, it's also a certified bop. A few lyrics to highlight:

Halfway/ between the black and gray/ Is no place/ for a life to waste away/ I'll take/ the road with all the stakes

Arrays of enemies await,/ but fears allay/ We stand as one/ A bond beyond the vast wave,/ until the last grave

We have come so far/ Beyond the most distant star/ Starlight within will guide/ us to the other side

Lift off!/ The firestorm ignites/ Last thoughts of a life by candlelight/ Inside this speeding satellite

This fight is all I know that's right/ (whoa yeah)/ No fate/ but that of which we make/ Noble as the oath we undertake/ We are/ the great Starlight Brigade!

Bonus: can't forget one of his favorites -- the Mind Eraser (that really hits different after the finale, huh?) that is Canon in D Major by Pachelbel! I love that he enjoys this classical song because it's kind of unexpected for him! Since he's so against "nerdy stuff" (while simultaneously being a huge film nerd lolll), you wouldn't think it, but in a weird way I think this kind of balances him out :)

As for quotes, I don't have like, outside quotes I associate with Doug (except for maybe "Use the Force, Luke" lol), but some of my favorite Doug quotes are:

"Are you ready for a whirlwind road trip to Truth Town, USA? Population: Y'all!"

"but...Truth Town! 🥺"

"So the good doctor was all like, 'DIE!' And our heroes were all like, 'NOOO!' And he was all like, "Muahaha!" And they were all like, 'Boo-yah, nerd!'"

(to Lovelace) "thank you for talking to me. For helping me see the stuff I was getting wrong. It's not something you should've had to do, but… thanks for doing it." :)

(Minkowski: "I'm sorry Eiffel. You're going home.") "Not without you!...I'm not leaving you behind!"

(Hera: "You're going to have trust me") "With my life, darling. With my life…"

"I love you, Anne. Always and forever."

20. Scars:

Jonathan Harker -- This isn't so much a "scar", but definitely something I consider one. After Jonathan sees his wife being fed on by Dracula (and the aftermath where she's very obviously upset), his brown hair goes entirely white from the emotional stress it takes on him. If I wasn't already convinced this man loves his wife, this is a very obvious sign he does. (I am definitely normal about this fact. I do not go feral every time I think about it. /j)

Mina Harker -- After the aforementioned incident with Dracula, Van Helsing tries to help guard Mina against any more vampire attacks by touching her forehead with a Sacred Wafer. However, because Dracula has begun the process of turning her into a vampire, it leaves a burned cross mark on her forehead instead, which she wears until they defeat Dracula. This scar is a constant reminder of what she is slowly becoming and -- to her (the others reassure her otherwise) -- signifies she is "unclean" in the eyes of God. I believe it also reminds her of what she's fighting for -- to return to her humanity once more.

Kate Wetherall -- She has no canonical scars that I remember, but my headcanon is that she has some minor scars from her days in the circus, mostly on her legs and arms from some tricks gone wrong. I say minor because she's really agile and likely wouldn't get any major ones. I do think if I had to pick a Main ScarTM, I would say she has one across her left eyebrow that she got during her fight with the Executives in the first book.

As for show Kate, she definitely retained scars on her hands after hanging off a cliff for that many hours! I think she's a bit more careful than book Kate about what kind of scrapes she gets into (this is Disney, after all), but she has a scar or two from her time in the circus as well.

Mr. Benedict -- Mr. Benedict was in the navy and, while he wasn't in the field very much, I headcanon that he certainly was in a scrape or two which resulted in some scars. Before that, though, I think he retained a scars on his hands and possibly knees from when he dissembled and reassembled the drill on Violet's farm (I imagine it was quite uncomfortable). I also think that he has some scars from falling wrong on the ground (e.g. skinning his knees or elbows on a rock) with his narcolepsy when no one was there to prevent him from falling. :( Luckily, he has his family to protect him now!

As for show Benedict, I imagine Nathaniel being around prevented Nicholas from falling as a child (and vice versa, of course!), so I don't think he has any childhood scars. Nathaniel may have even "forbidden" scars because "how are we going to get adopted if we have imperfections like SCARS, Nicky??" If we want to dial up the angst, I headcanon his first scar came from when he came back to get his brother and found him gone. He had a narcoleptic seizure and, for the first time, his brother wasn't there to catch him. Unfortunately, there was some glass on the ground outside of the orphanage and he cut his right elbow on it when he fell. The scar is faint but still there, as a reminder from the day he didn't get his brother back and knew he had failed his promise. Just a thought. :)

Doug Eiffel -- This guy is always getting into trouble. I headcanon he has scars ALL over the place from various scrapes and injuries over the years. If you ask him, he will tell you the story of each individual one (he will not remember to update the star charts, but he will remember the one-inch-long scar on his knee he got falling from the jungle gym while trying to impress Jessica Perry in first grade). The one time he didn't get a scar? His accident with Anne. He searched for hours on his body trying to find a fresh one, hoping upon hope that he could at least have ONE permanent scar for all of the hurt he caused his daughter and the other driver but...no. Not a scratch. The fact he doesn't is almost a scar unto itself, though it's not physical. He used to brag about his scars with gusto. Now? Not so much. He'll talk about them, if you ask, but there's a bitter edge to his voice that doesn't quite match the lighthearted stories he tells.

Renée Minkowski -- Renée, like Eiffel, has numerous scars, though it's more from pushing herself rather than an inclination for trouble. Like Doug (pre-accident), she wears every scar with pride and remembers where she got each one. However, it's a quiet pride and she doesn't give out her "scar stories" easily. You need to be at least level 10 friendship to get that out of her. While Eiffel and scars are a touchy subject, he couldn't resist asking Minkowski about the slash on her cheek or the jagged scar running down her arm. After all, he can still enjoy a good story and they aren't HIS scars. Minkowski refused to tell him because -- well -- the guy can't even say her name right. No way is he at that level of friendship or trust yet. Eiffel, sensing this annoys her, proceeds to ask as often as he remembers (which is more often than you'd think). Then, Eiffel is rocketed into deep space. And somewhere along the line, she looks at the arm scar and remembers one of his annoying questions. It's such a small thing, but she has to run to her room to cry for a bit after that. Needless to say, Eiffel is told that arm scar story when he gets back to the Hephaestus. Minkowski told him more when he started saying her name right.

Quick note: there are 28 days between ep. 52 and 53, so I think that's when this last part would've happened.

21. Drink of choice (not just alcoholic):

Mina Harker -- I honestly don't remember if Mina has a canon drink of choice and I'm trying to keep myself "surprised" on my reread, so I don't want to comb through to check. So, in my headcanon, I believe she always enjoys a good cup of tea! Her favorite is what was most available to her at the time -- what's known as a "black tea", which is stronger and more bitter than the delicate teas of high society (source: this article). IIRC, Mina is an orphan like Jonathan, so she wouldn't always have had the luxury of the delicate, upper class blends which is more what we're used to today. She likely can afford those blends now, but I think she enjoys the stronger taste of the black tea blends.

29. Eating habits:

Renée Minkowski -- Renée was raised by a French diplomat so her eating habits are very precise. She has been trained in the table manners of several different countries. Also, in Poland, it's traditional to eat 5 smaller meals rather than three large meals, so Minkowski often prefers to eat smaller meals across the course of the day. Her exceptions are Thanksgiving and Christmas -- she loves getting together for these big dinners!

30. Sleeping habits:

Mina Harker -- She enjoys reading before bed (usually about train schedules, that Train Fiend lol) to relax her mind. Otherwise, she'll be thinking about everything under the sun and stay up all night! She's naturally inclined towards staying up later, but has restricted herself to going to bed at the same time -- 10:30 p.m. -- every night because she also has work to do as a schoolmistress and she knows Jonathan is a morning person. After their marriage, she is quite surprised to learn he likes staying up later too; she eases up on this rule a tad. She's also a stage five cuddler in her sleep, though she denies this (not because she doesn't like cuddling with her husband, but because it flusters her -- at first -- to think she'd cuddle him in her sleep. After that, it becomes amusing to act as if she's flustered because it makes Jonathan smile). Jonathan loves to tease her about it to no end (he knows very well she's not flustered anymore).

42. 3 comfort items:

Mr. Benedict -- His plaid shirts and blankets (of course!), a teacup with cute messages from his family he got for Christmas (Constance somehow fit a three-verse poem on there), and the picture Violet drew of him -- "The Boy on the Bluff".

As for show Benedict, he has the same comfort items as book Benedict, except for the last one. The last one is, instead, the photo of him and his brother, though it often brings more guilt than comfort. Bonus comfort item: a weighted blanket because he NEEDS one.

49. Favorite toy as a child:

Doug Eiffel -- Little Doug got a plush toy of Chewbacca for his birthday/Christmas one year and he LOVED it. He took that thing everywhere. He would play-pretend as Han Solo and Chewie would be right there as his co-pilot. While Eiffel was pretty destructive with his other toys, he was always careful with Chewie. He was encouraged to share this toy with his friends, but no. He vowed Chewie would be his and his alone. He kept that promise...until the day of Anne's first birthday. She immediately cuddled Chewie and Eiffel's heart melted. Now, he wonders if Chewie is in a trash bin somewhere because Anne doesn't want to be reminded of her dad :(

(spoiler alert: Chewie's fine. Kate wouldn't separate Anne from her favorite toy, especially because she cuddled it more than ever after the accident).

Thank you for the great ask, Sophie! This was so much fun to write. Hope you enjoyed :)

[iggydabirdkid]

Finally finished! Tried something a bit different for this drawing since I found a much easier and quicker way to do this type than the last time I did it a few years ago.

So here you have it!

Title: Dog

Word Count: 2839

-----

“Hey Sidestep! Why don’t you go introduce yourself?”

You turn to look at Julia as she breaks away from a pack of hungry journalists to speak to you. Your raised brow is hidden beneath your mask and so you tug the fabric up from beneath your collar and roll up the bottom till the front of it sits on the bridge of your nose. This way when you stare unblinking at the Marshall you know there’s no way she can miss the displeasure in the downturn of your lips.

“You think just because we’re both vigilantes that we should be ‘buddies’?” You mark the air quotes with the subtle bending on your fingers before placing your hands on your hips.

Julia rolls her eyes almost out of her skull, “No, idiot. I just thought it could be nice for you to get to know more people. Especially another kickass vigilante.” She smirks at you then shrugs, “Besides. You never know. You may need help from her one day.”

You bark out a harsh laugh and see the eyes of a few journalists still lingering turn in your direction. You make sure your back is to them, “Bold of you to assume I’d actually ask anyone for help.” You catch the way Julia’s eyes bore into you and watch her features tighten into a familiar picture of concern. And you certainly catch the way her eyes shine with the all more terrifying curiosity. Shit. You look past Julia to where Owl stands a decent distance away, “I guess I see your point,” you concede. Your voice sounds steady.

“Fantastic.” She claps you on the back you can feel the warmth of her touch through your skinsuit. Her hand lingers longer than necessary before it slides up to squeeze your shoulder, “I don’t think I’ll be too much longer,” she smiles at you again and you feel yourself smile back in response, “A few more questions then we should be good to go.”

“You and Themmy better be buying me lunch after this.”

“Anything you want.” The soft smile she directs your way makes you shiver before she drops her hand, “Now go make friends.” She grins and waggles her eyebrows and a snort of a laugh leaves you as you turn around and head towards the aforementioned vigilante. She’s standing by herself with her back to as she looks out into the street. You don’t quite know why she’s doing as such though you suspect she’s purely keeping watch, and the still waters of her mind confirm it to be so. It’s instinct to her and you gleam no danger from her thoughts as you approach. Just a quiet calm. You watch the feathers of her suit move gently with the wind as you approach and she’s still facing away as you open your mouth to say her name and you step closer-

You don’t expect it.

You’re all supposed to be the good guys here and so the blow takes you by surprise. Wide eyes and a tight fist aimed at the center of your face as the shorter woman spins around. And although you’ve seen her fight, up close she is far quicker than you realize.

There’s a sharp crunch and your head snaps back from the force with which Owl strikes you. The pain that radiates through your face tells you that you think your nose broken before the blood that starts pouring from it like a tap turned all the way confirms it. You are temporarily blinded by a shimmering hazy field of red and white and you stumble backwards, trip over a loose slab of something and land hard on your backside, gloved hands slapping against the concrete to arrest your fall.

The blood runs warm and plenty from beneath your half mask and you bring a hand to your nose, watching the red drip through your fingers as you hear shouting somewhere behind you. The ground beneath you shakes when you stagger to your feet.

“Sidestep!!”

There’s a hand on each one of your shoulders and you jerk away on instinct, half-turning as Julia and Themmy move to stand either side of you.

“She-she broke my nose…” your voice is quiet and muffled, uttered through your lips with the stutter of disbelief as you look between the two Rangers. The faces that stare back are pinched with worry.

“Shit! Owl! What the hell??” Julia steps forward and places herself between you and your attacker. You think she’s trying to act as a shield which would make you laugh if you weren’t so pissed. Themmy remains at your side and you feel her fingers dancing lightly over the back of your free hand, asking a silent question. You pull away, curling your hand into a fist as you glare at Owl over the top of Julia’s head.

“She snuck up on me! What was I-“ you don’t hear the rest of Owl’s protest as a low buzzing invades you senses and you drop your blood-covered hand to your side. You feel a gentle tugging of your opposite sleeve but you quickly grow numb to the sensation as your anger flares.

“She broke my fucking nose!!!” Your voice is loud and definitely not shrill as you cut through whatever argument was going on between the two women before you. You’re glad your mask hides the majority of your face and hides the tears you can feel burning your eyes with frustration. Stupid. Stupid!! You had only been following Julia’s suggestion but you should’ve  trusted your instincts and played to your strengths. You’re not good around people. You’re not- You don’t realize you’ve stepped forwards until a hand clamps itself around your wrist.

“Annie…” The voice is quiet and low, words only meant for you as Julia holds you back, “It’s not worth it.”

“Let go of me!” you spit out as you yank yourself free. You keep your eyes trained on Owl and the smugness just radiates off her body and mind and you don’t think she’s expecting any retaliation. You know she isn’t. You can see it in her mind. She’s only a handful of years older than you (discounting the strangeness of your ‘birth’) but she thinks she’s better and oh boy, are you going to show her. You tweak her perception just enough that she doesn’t see you coming. Your fist flies in an arc towards her face and the crack that sounds when you smash it into her jaw would be sickening if it weren’t so satisfying to your ears.

You are pulled back by your shoulders and hands shoot down your arms before your wrists are seized and your arms restrained behind you. You hear Julia curse at your back as she yanks you away.

“Fuck!” You watch Owl spit blood at her feet – and is that a tooth? You grin showing teeth and as you stare her down her hand goes to her sword.

“Hold up! Before this gets even more out of hand,” Julia shouts and you haven’t blinked since you set your gaze on Owl. You hope she notices if only to unnerve her. She stares back and you see her grip tighten on her sword’s hilt, “I think you both just got off on the wrong foot.”

“Wrong foot!!?” you yell as you finally break eye contact to crane your neck around trying to catch a glimpse of the bronze-skinned woman holding you tight, “Fuck Charge! I tried to introduce myself and she punched me in the face!!” Your nose throbs and your voice sounds off and you spit out the blood that has collected heavy in your mouth. Your anger has a tight grip on your heart and why won’t she stand up for you?? Julia pulls you close to her chest as you strain against her grip.

“You did start it Owl,” Julia says in way of a not quite reply, “And Sidestep just did what she does.” Still, she won’t let you go. She knows you well, “So we’ll take our leave before this gets any more out of hand.” You sneer at Owl before Themmy appears at your side and you feel Julia’s hold on you began to loosen. Owl just stands there and glares at you with hatred in her eyes and venom in her mind and you watch as her lips quirk into a smile full of malice.

“Just keep your fucking dog on a lease Marshall.”

Dog.

Dog. Dog. Dogdogdogdogdog

You hear a sharp intake of breath at your side and the word bounces around the inside of your skull. You feel yourself grow tense, body locking up as your eyes widen and a single tear escapes as you are quickly and swiftly snared in the sharp-barbed embrace of a memory.

A loud voice shouts in your ear. You do your best not to flinch but the words burrow under your skin like needles. Dogs are only good for following orders, and you can’t even do that right.

Hands tightening on your wrists.

Holding you back.

You can’t lash out but-

But you can.

Julia’s weakened hold isn’t enough to stop you and your close proximity is her downfall, pressed to her chest as you are. You throw your head back and feel it collide with something solid. Swears in Spanish and hands pulling away and you are free.

This time she is expecting you and you know your rage blinds you to the consequences this path will cause. A small voice in the back of your head telling you what you are about to do is wrong but it is drowned out by your anger and the half mad roar that flies from your mouth. You see Owl draw her blade and angle it forwards and you don’t care.

You lunge at her.

Two voices howl out behind you.

The blade pierces your suit, punctures through skin and breaks through the other side of your lower abdomen. The white-hot spark of pain is temporary and quickly fades into a numb nothingness as you grip Owl tightly by the shoulders and shove. The combined weight plus your momentum has you both falling and Owl lets go of the sword as her arms fly out and as you slam her to the ground your world becomes singular. Your head is all noise and emotion and the only thing that keeps Owl from cracking her skull into the sidewalk are her arms, poised behind her back and leaving her sword still skewered through your gut.

You’re nothing but rage and fists as you sit atop her and you see her eyes widen as she looks to the sword that shifts with every move you make and the fact that you are still, up.

You only get one. One good and solid punch that you know breaks her jaw before a pair of hands hook under your armpits and drag you off but not before you lash out, lifting a leg and slamming your heel into Owl’s gut. You watch her double forwards with her hands cupping her face and a spurt of blood leaves her mouth, spraying far enough that the tiny droplets of red spatter across your boots. But then you are clear from her body and Themmy steps in front of you and you no longer see the face of your attacker.

You’re breathing so hard that your chest aches with the exertion and the steady stream of blood runs from your nose and into your mouth, coating your tongue with the taste of iron, before collecting at and dripping off your chin. You can see Themmy’s lips moving as her wide eyes scan your face but all you can hear through the cacophony of sound that is your current state of mind is your own heart beating an all too fast rhythm in your chest. Your already staggered breaths stopper in your throat and when the hands keeping a hold release you you slump to the ground, one arm supporting your weight while the other goes to the blade that disappears into your body.

Your arms shake and your vision blurs as your eyes focus on the steadily spreading patch of red before a pair of hands cup your face and lift your head. Your entire field of view is filled by a pale and freckled face and you try to move away but Themmy holds you tightly, her lips constantly moving. And then whatever dam that had you deaf to the world bursts and you flinch with the sudden intrusion of sounds and voices upon your ears, the short sharp movement sending a flash of pain through you. Your eyes dart from side to side before you hear your name spoken with enough authority that it manages to capture your skewed attention.

“Sidestep!?” Your eyes snap to Themmy’s face, “Just breath with me. Okay?” You’re panicking, you realize, short little breaths leaving your mouth and leaving you light-headed. You blink back tears and swallow down a sob, immediately wishing you had not as warm blood slides down your throat. You retch and splutter, Themmy letting go and leaning back as you hack up blood onto your already stained outfit.

“’m not a fuckin dog,” you rasp as another form kneels to your left. Themmy stands before stepping away completely and you turn your head to regard Julia. Her lips tremble and she moves in a panic as you watch her shaking hands struggle to unzip the first aid kit by her side. It’s then that the reality of what’s about to happen strikes you almost as hard as the punch that shattered your nose. You have a fucking sword in you. And you know that if you let Julia, if you let anyone help, she’ll-they’ll see things and you can’t let that happen. You won’t.

For a moment you find yourself paralyzed by fear and indecision until Julia’s hands reach for you and you push yourself away, shifting the sword and sending a new wave of pain that webs out through your mid-section.

“Annie…” Julia’s voice is low once more and still you wish she wouldn’t use your name so freely in public. You have a sword though you and that’s what you’re worried about? A strange smile briefly resides upon your face. Adrenaline is a hell of a thing. Julia stands, not too quick, afraid of spooking you and you mirror the rise to your own unsteady legs. You stare at her with panic widening your eyes and the feeling of dread only worsens when your gaze slips past to the reporters snapping pictures with too bright flashes. You flinch and swallow your fear – more blood sliding down your throat- as you grip the hilt of the sword, “Annie no!”

Not having hit anything vital (you’re fairly certain), the thin blade slides free with ease. A choked gasp escapes your mouth before you throw the sword to the ground. Julia leaps towards you leaving the kit behind her and you look down at yourself. Blood pours freely from the open wound and your suit readily soaks up the red as the stain grows larger with each passing second. And through the blood, you think you spy a hint of orange.

Julia’s stepping closer and Themmy is approaching your side and you see an opening. You crouch low and for a moment your vision floods white as pain shoots through you before it clears just as quickly and you scrabble against the pavement as you duck around Julia’s grasp – and stumble straight into Themmy.

She has a tight hold of your arm and you spin to face her almost slipping and falling as blood makes the ground at your feet slick. Panic has your head pounding and your heart hammering and you stare at her wide eyed and afraid and maybe that’s what does it. Seeing your absolute fear at something she has no idea about – and so she simply lets you go.

You have no time to stop. No time to thank her as Julia reaches for you and misses as you turn and dive for the first aid kit, careful to not slide in a way that’ll embed dirt in your wound. You don’t need an infection of top of everything else. You scoop up the kit in bloodied hands, push yourself to your feet, and then you’re off like a shot.

Even as Julia and Themmy shout behind you, even as you push through the reporters with one hand pressed at your front and sprint down the street.

You’re fast but you know that right now Julia is faster and you dare to glance over your shoulder at your pursuers. Or your would-be pursuers. You watch as the sea of reporters close in, swallowing up the chasm you had created with your frantic passing and sealing both Rangers on the other side.

A tilted laugh leaves your lips.

Good. Good. Just keep running. Just keep running.