#hmmm................ things to think about

[rawme-price]

Hmmm thinking abt food aggressive simon and reader who likes to feed him.

He always grew up food insecure, not for lack of resources but because his old man deliberately withheld food. He learned to eat fast, became protective and aggressive over whatever food he was alotted before it could be taken away. Simon tries to hide it, and usually I works bc he is careful to eat alone.

But suddenly he has you, and you like to feed him constantly. You used to just share lunch spaces together bc u were insecure about eating around alot of people, but started to take note over how he would hunch over his plate, an arm slung in front as a barrier. Ur no stranger to eating habits caused by trauma, but you want him to feel comfortable.

So the next time you and simon eat together, you pack an extra bento box. Its rice, ham, and various veggies, same as yours. You silently slide it over when hes done eating his own meal, carefully casual about the whole thing.

It becomes a thing for u two. You begin to put some real effort into meal prep, researching how to properly balance macros and nutrients and everything else instead of just tossing together what u like. You also start carrying around granola bars and fruit strips, tossing them to the lieutenant whenever you happen to pass in the halls.

You wouldnt say he starts to fill out, but he definitely starts looking better, a bit plusher, more hydrated. His skin doesnt cling to his muscles anymore. Its nice. Feeding him, caring for him. It makes you feel warm that the guy you've grown so close to is doing better because of you.

He still clings a bit too tight to his plate, still hunches a bit, but hes slowed down to at least savor the food. Its fine, you still dont like eating in groups, but now you both can eat together.

Uhh...idk man I just wanna give him all the love he never had

(Pssstt I wrote a pt 2)

[directdogman]

We asked some of the DT cast for stories from earlier in their lives!

Gingi: "Hmmm... That's a tricky one. Well, there was... Uhhh... Okay, no. Not that. Uhhh... Pass."

Randy: "From MY life? Uhhh... Like, from when I was a kid or something? Uhhh... I, uhhh- Oh! Okay, s-so... I think I was about fourteen, right? Uhhh, my father was kinda... Y'see, he'd yell at me sometimes, like, "Randy, why aren't you GOOD at anything! I didn't raise a lazy QUITTER. You're going to find something that you're GOOD at if you're gonna continue living under this roof!" So, uhhh, I had to learn to play an i-instrument, y'know?

Uhhh, I-I think he picked the clarinet for me 'cause my brothers already played guitar and piano, y'know? Uhhh... Then I was trying to practice it at home... a LOT, and he stormed into the room, SNATCHED it from my hands and snapped it. He went off about how I couldn't do anything right, I was a failure of a son, I didn't live up... [Randy clears his throat] Heh... Anyway, I was relieved! I HATED playing that thing! I could never get my fingers in the right places fast enough, y-y'know?"

Karen: "Hmmm... I don't have many stories from when I was in school. I kinda kept to myself. I wasn't noticed a lot. I liked it better that way. But, when I was seventeen, our class was entered into a regional math competition. Basically, we had to solve equations in our spare time, and whoever got the most right answers got a prize. I did a LOT of them. Fifteen hours worth, one week. I was mostly curious to see how I'd place if I really tried for a short burst of time, see how I ranked. But, I kept going... and I ended up ranking in the top 5. Nationally. 

The organizers invited all of us to a ceremony where they handed out prizes. Our parents too. I watched other people from my class get smaller prizes one by one, for participating and when I didn't get one, I figured they'd just forgotten about me. It happens, I wasn't surprised. But, then out of nowhere, they started handing out scholarships to the top 5 entrants. I was one of the five. 

I can't tell you how it felt to be one of them, to be seen. To be recognized for giving it my all. Anyway. My parents weren't there, they arrived an hour after the whole thing ended, after everyone left. I told them about my win. My mother pointed out that the scholarship would've only covered a portion of my full tuition. I asked why they weren't there. She got angry and said I'd texted her the wrong time. I didn't. We went out for dinner after that. My sister seemed proud." 

Oliver: "Oh, man! Uhhh... Where to begin! Y'know, I was a real menace when I was in school! I wanted the world and I wanted it now! Oh! Oh! Okay, so back when I was in high school, we got all this HAM and then... Oh. Actually, y'know what, that story has a crime in it- Not, like, a BAD one, but...

Okay. Uhhh. Something, uhhh- Oh! I've got it. So, I was six years old, right? My mom came to pick me up from school that day, as per usual! The thing is, it was actually my BIRTHDAY! She didn't give me my present that morning, said she'd show me what she had for me as soon as I got home. I was stoked! I knew it had to be something REALLY gnarly or really pathetic for her NOT to want to show it to me right away and there's no way she would've short-changed me! 

So, we got home and there it was. She'd gotten me a SNAKE. I'd been reading books, talking about 'em CONSTANTLY... I didn't think she'd- Uhhh- It's not- Well, it wasn't a typical gift to give a kid like me, y'know? But, she noticed how much I loved them and wanted me to have one. 

Aw, he was the cutest little guy too! A corn snake! So, y'know, I got to hold him all the time and... Aw, I miss that little guy! I called him Mr Slithers when I first got him, but then we started calling him Schlep! Y'know, like Asclepius? The Greek God with the snakes! Aw, I miss that little guy… We didn't always have much, with my dad gone, but she always made sure I knew how much I meant to her."

Norm: "You want a story from MY life? Pardner, I've been around the world, OFF the world, in one end o' a wormhole and out th' the other SIDE. Where would I begin? Well... I worked at NASA for a spell, but I... Ah, t' hell with all that. I was with the Air Force, back in Korea. I 'member... Back when I was still a Corporal, actin'-Sergeant, th' job wasn't JUS' about shootin' down other planes. Sometimes we also handled folks who surrendered on th' ground, y'know? Admittin' POWS, which we traded back fer our own. 

Anyway, we had this one fella, Choe somethin'... You'll have t' forgive me, it's all a lil fuzzy now. He was a conscript, o' course. He jus' wanted to see th' end of the war. 'Cause o' my rank, it was my job t' oversee th' cataloguin' what he had when we caught him and get him t' sign the completed inventory. The fella had a PPSh-41. Full drum. Doubt he'd ever even fired th' thing... It was MY firs' time holdin' one. Always wondered how they handled. 

I looked at Choe, I looked at my buddy Reggie... Oh. I knew Reggie from all th' way back in Phoenix... He picked up the language better than me. They used t' give us candy in our rations. Hershey's Tropical. Haven't seen any on the shelves since the warp, but… Well, a half-decent candy bar's pretty fillin', good source o' calories, stops yer men from losin' their goddamned minds. Even perfected the recipe fer the climate. Didn't melt like the bars here. Sorry, I'm ramblin' again. 

So, I made Choe an offer, with Reggie's help. We leave the gun offa the form, he gets the candy bar. The, uhhh, gist of what he said t' Reggie was that the gun was o' no use to him now that he'd been captured, but he'd very much like the candy bar. So, we left it off the form and o' course, he signed it. That night, me and Reggie went out, drank a whole bunch o' somaek and fired that thing off 'til we didn't have a single bullet left fer that drum. That night was really somethin'."

God: "Oh, man, have I seen some shit... I mean, hell, I've lived a lot of lives… I know I mightn't look it now, but hey, I had my fair share of jobs, little things for myself to do, friends... But, not anymore. Y'see... Ah. I just had this feelin' set in over time. A realization, I guess you could call it. There was this rot inside me. Every go around, there were these similarities. I'd notice more of 'em each time. I'd know stuff before it happened. I'd know people's thoughts before they'd think 'em... and. It was revolting, what I was doing. Keeping people around me that I knew would outlive me, taking up valuable time, making their lives worse for… Ah, you wouldn't get it.

Anyway, I tried to shove the feelings down for a long time, but sooner or later, I couldn't sleep at night, ignoring what I knew. I was a piece of filth, plain and simple. I made the world worse for being in it, and I couldn't make up for all that time, bein' around people for so long. The only thing I could do to make it up to everyone was to disappear. But, if I just went, people would've missed me. That wasn't right either. They had to know why. So, I went to everyone I knew. Well, anyone who'd care if I left. And I told 'em everything about me. Every bad thing I'd said, done, the things I should've done... What I was, deep down. If I thought of anything I didn't want to say, I said it. With as much detail as I could think up. 

Then, I started walking. I doubt anyone came to look for me. Doesn't really matter now, does it? Heh. I've been wanderin' ever since. You gotta keep your distance from people, y'know? A quick bite and a how-do-ya-do's dandy and all, but any more than that, and you risk getting attached. Or havin' other people get attached to you. Nothin' lasts forever."

Bigfoot: [wistful ape noises]

(It was dark at the foot of the Appalachian mountains. Far above the tapestry of leaves and pine needles, the sky was alight with stars. Distant, yet the dim specks staining the dark expanse above the trees were the only light reaching this place now. A shaggy behemoth sprinted through the foliage at a breakneck pace, knocking any tree unlucky enough to be in its path back with its hefty arms. Never slowing down, never stopping.

Suddenly, a powerful beam shone down from above. Brighter than the moon, glaring like the sun. The giant halted suddenly, locking up as the light hit its lens. It looked up slowly, his gaze trying to meet the light. Barely perceptible amidst the haze, a figure loomed on a branch, its silhouette visible against the sky as the absence of starlight. Its spotlight head flickered as if it was scanning, now the brightest thing against the sky. After a pause, the figure unfurled its wings and gracefully glided to the ground, where it landed. Even against the windless tranquility of the woods, its landing made little sound. The hulking beast didn't stir. He had seen this figure before, always at a distance. Closer each time. Mistakable for the moon against the night sky.

The furred brute thought to flee, but it had seen this figure in flight. He was swift, but it was much swifter. The figure inched gradually closer, its steps slow, deliberate and silent. Slower than it'd had ever moved before. As it stopped right in front of him, its head dimmed, allowing him to see it better. As he studied its slender figure, its head cocked in place, as if scanning him. A dim whir now audible from the bulb. At that moment, the monster felt as if the being was looking into his soul. Its movements were sorrowful and graceful, each movement angled like a bow. It could truly see him.

Slowly, a feathered wing extended towards him, gracefully connecting with the side of his head. The first time he'd felt the contact of another in a quarter of a century. The monster barely shirked, causing her to retract her wing momentarily. As he gazed back towards her, his lens now locked onto the bulb sitting atop the slender body before him, the figure's wing slowly caressed his face. No noises were exchanged, but the beast knew what this touch meant. "You could be happy."

Momentarily remembering who he was, the behemoth retracted. He sighed, his gaze now meeting only the dimly lit leaves at their feet. She too knew what this meant. "There is another." The figure looked down as well, visibly dejected. Not at his rejection, but for fate's cruel acumen. After a silent moment, its wings unfurled and it took flight, disappearing into the branches above them. Unsure of itself, the monster stepped forward, the moon's light glinting between the branches. Regaining its composure, the titan began its sprint again. Never ceasing, never yielding. It would find its family. Even if it had to search every inch of this land.)

Little Billy: "get fucked, narc."

Stabby and Shooty: "Oh, man! Have WE got some stories!" "Lotsa stories! Heh heh heh!" "Y'know, we're kinda bad boys… Hard eggs!" "The hardest! HEH HEH HEH!" "Y'know, we-" "Oh! Oh! Slick! Tell 'em about the time you i-" "…No. Not that one, bro." "What?! It's the most GANGSTER shit either of us h-" "I said DROP IT! OKAY?!" "…" "…" "…" "…" "Sorry, bro…"

Mayor Mingus: "What is this, for a MAGAZINE?! I don't have time for any of this. In case you haven't noticed, I have a CITY to run, and anything I don't do myself WON'T be done correctly. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

("When I was a kid, I used to bring Maw Maw to church. Someone had to. When she got older, she lost much of her sight. Her optical sensors deteriorated and she wouldn't let anyone open up her head to replace them. She never explained why. I was happy to spend time with her, though. Especially since my father never joined us. Like HE'D ever step foot in a church. 

I never believed in any of that malarkey either, to be clear. I don't even think she did, until her later years. Perhaps it comforted her? I guess that's beside the point. After every sermon, we'd go out and get a burger at the Burger Hovel in the mall across the street. Then, we'd go upstairs and she'd try on clothes at the department store. Because of her sight, she couldn't read the tags on her own. She needed me there for that, to know if something would fit. She rarely bought anything. I think she just liked trying them on, being someone else for a little while... It was nice, though. Being useful, helping her do something she couldn't do on her own.")

[yamysunmoon]

My treasure

Pairing: jenna x fem!reader

Words: 1.6k (it was supposed to be a drabble bruh)

Summary: Jenna has an event and her look doesn't disappoint. On the way there, you get... Handsy.

a/n: couldn't think of a specific fit of hers so choose your fighter.

MASTERLIST

Your phone buzzes with a new message from Jenna's agent.

"where is she? We're waiting at the entrance! She has to leave the building now!"

You look up at the bathroom door closed in front of you.

"Jenna, your agent is going insane. You're gonna be late yet for another event and—"

The door opens, revealing Jenna clad in a breathtakingly beautiful dress. It's highlighting evert perfect curve, hugging her body the exact right way.

Your jaw drops just a bit, mouth ajar, lips parted. Your gaze drifts across her body. She lifts her arms, smirking in that particular way of hers. "You like it?"

You look up at her. Her hairstylist gets out of the bathroom behind her, carrying her things. "I like you" you correct her, ignoring the fact that you two are not alone.

She comes closer to you, with that playful glint in her eyes. The hairstylist exists the room, leaving you alone.

Your hands find her waist authomatically, the gesture already memorized, treasured in a special spot in your brain.

"You look incredible" you say softer, almost a murmur. She looks up at you, and her playful stare turns tender.

You lean in but she stops you, her hands on your chest. "The lipstick." She whispers, and she giggles a bit when you give her a grumpy glance.

"Hmmm..." You groan, your previous devotion shifting to soft annoyance.

Your phone buzzes again in your pocket. "We gotta go anyways" you murmur.

You lean back, but one of your hands remain on her waist as you lead her out of the hotel room.

She follows your guidance, as she usually does. You check her out bluntly when she passes by you, which doesn't go unnoticed for her.

Admiring her perfect ass, your eyes find hers when you look up, briefly glancing at you over her shoulder. You both chuckle softly, one of her hands finds yours and leads you to the elevator.

She turns around slowly once there, and now you cup her neck with both hands, almost capable of feeling the particles of warm air fillling the distance between you. Neither of you say a thing, but the tension becomes dense in that reduced space.

She parts her crimson lips, tilts her head just enough for the tendons of her neck to tense seductively, and her collarbone is prominent when she inhales deeply, then lets the air go out a profound sigh.

You scan every one of this details as in trying to know everything about her by heart. Every single touch. Her gleaming skin, and that soft, elegant perfume.

"You can't look at me like that and expect me not to kiss you" you whisper in a husky voice.

It's not intentional, but as you say those words, you take some steps forward, causing her to press her back against the wall behind her ever so softly.

"Like what?" She coos, looking up at you with that innocent sparkle, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Exactly like that" you murmur, more to yourself.

She lets out a breathy chuckle. You can feel her dimples under your thumbs.

Your eyes meet again, and the teasing glint in her eyes subsides. Pure adoration and smoldering passion replace it.

You could get lost in that stare. You have, indeed, done that already. Purposefully. Inevitably.

You feel her hands hold onto your shirt, exactly above the waistband of your pants. You feel her nails gently scratching your waist through the fabric.

You know what that grip means. That quiet, raw passion she always has inside of her, burning. That untamed desire she usually keeps on point, but occasionally invades her.

You know what she needs.

"I swear, the moment we get back here..."

The elevator makes a sound, indicating you've reached the main hall. The doors opens, and her grip looses until her hands fall languidly to her sides.

You give her chin a shallow caress with your thumbs before finally letting go.

"When we get back here...?" she asks suggestively, glancing briefly at your lips before gently pushing you away and walking out of the elevator.

You follow her. She chats briefly with her agent before the main doors, then the agent gets out before her, a horde of paparazzis are waiting outside.

You lean closer to her, your lips graze her ear as you whisper "When we get back here... I'll show you just how easily I can take off all of this," you gesture at her clothes, "those that took that long to put on".

She glances at you almost imperceptibly, raising one of her eyebrows ever so slightly. Her lips curl up into a sideways smile.

But she doesn't say anything. You know you make her speechless when you say things like that.

Instead, she lifts her chin, defiant, already getting into character, into her celebrity persona. "We'll see" she says playfully, looking outside.

You shake your head and chuckle. "Sure... We'll see" You step outside, before her.

The cameras ignore you, but just as you reach the car, you hear the frantic clicking behind you, letting you know Jenna is following you.

"Jenna! Jenna, over here please! Beautiful!"

You open the door for her and wait patiently. You smile softly, admiring her pose. She has her hands on her waist, one foot before the other, and she tilts her head here and there, taking a moment to pose for them all.

Just as she's turning her head, she notices you and her gaze softens, and she truly smiles. To you.

She walks towards you, "thank you, pretty girl" she flirts as she steps into the car.

"Oh, she treats her so well" a fan comments, referring to you just as you get inside and close the door. You can't help but to smile slyly.

As you go through the city, you look through the window with Jenna resting against your shoulder, both of her hands possessively cupping one of yours.

"Hey" you comment, turning to look down at her. "You don't usually pose that much for paparazzis, right? Especially in a day like this, where we're in a hurry".

You notice the dimple forming in her cheek, even if you can't fully see her face.

"I don't" she says plainly, in a soft voice. "But you were watching."

Your breath hitches for a moment, and you squeeze her hand. She looks up, with that stare again.

You can't resist.

You gently push her against the seat, one of your hands wandering along her thighs, fingers splayed out, pressing teasingly.

She looks surprised, but she lets you continue, her hands gently grabbing your sides.

You lean forward, giving her a lustful, passionate stare before you tilt your head, going for her neck.

Your gestures are paused, calm, slow. Tracing her neck with gentle peck kisses, brushing your nose against her pulse point.

She's stiff, tense. Incapable of giving in to her desires, being fully aware of where she's heading. Of who she is, who she has to be.

But you make her mind go blurry sometimes. She closes her eyes, lost in sensations, and for a moment she forgets who she has to be for everybody, instead she can only think of you, of who she is with you.

Your kisses grow, pressing your lips against her perfumed skin for long seconds now.

You feel her arms around your shoulders. She whimpers your name, in a weak warning. "Baby..." She whines against your ear, her voice husky and high.

Your hand continues roaming over her skin, making the silky fabric slip up. Your knuckles graze her panties covering her mound, and she jolts. "Babe...!" She scolds, but her hug tightens around your neck.

"Trust me, I'm trying..." You murmur before tracing her jawline with your nose.

"No, not there" she murmurs, leaning back, shivering a little. "You're gonna ruin my makeup, dork" she says beaming.

You take a moment to admire her relaxed expression, with hooded eyes and a lazy smile. Her breathing is a little labored, soft puffs leave her full, crimson lips.

Still looking at her, you move your fingers a bit, this time grazing her panties with full intention.

She jolts again and pulls her hips back. "Stop..." She scolds again, her voice now low. But her smirk remains. You spread your fingers a bit, and trace her slit.

Her expressions melts into a beautiful mix of pleasure and delight. Her smile curling into a silent moan, she throws her head back slowly, and looks at you through hooded eyes. She drives you nuts.

You groan. "Hmm, you're such a tease..."

And even if you two are still looking deeply into eachother's eyes, you can hear the racket outside.

After a final trace, you withdraw your hand, not before leaving gentle caresses all over her thigh.

You break eye contact only to look down and help her fix the dress, pulling it down back to place. You don't notice her loving, heart eyes on you as you do so.

She fixes her hair as well, even if there's nothing to fix. "Hey, it's okay. I was good, alright?" you joke, giving her a teasing smile.

She glares at you playfully. "Mhm..."

Even if she's comfortable with you, you can tell she's now getting nervous.

You're now in the car queue, getting closer and closer to the event.

She looks outside, sitting straight, hands on her lap, waiting. Tense.

You give her a soothing touch on her arm. "Hey" you call her softly.

Slowly, she turns her head. She tilts it, listening. You smile sweetly.

"You're looking stunning. Nobody here is taking away from your beauty, your talent or your kindness."

The car continues moving, now it's almost time. Her expression relaxes the moment she looks at you and hears your words.

"So, don't worry, my love. You've got it."

She smiles, completely in love.

"Damn you, you earned a kiss" she murmurs leaning forward.

You have the right time to chuckle smugly, but before you can use that sharp mouth of yours, she silences you with a soft, intentional kiss on the lips.

She leans back seconds after. "And your makeup?" You tease, raising an eyebrow.

She rolls her eyes and leans back. "I'm sure Melanie can fix it" she comments, turning around to open her car door.

People outside immediately call her name. Excited shouts reach your ears. And you know, they might love the idea of her, but you love her. And that, is yours to treasure.

a/n: Maybe you're gonna beg for a part 2. Well, beg harder.

Taglist: @ijustlovemaths @babyhumanoidpsychicnerd @ortegalvr @2thamax @oxt3n @paulvalmont @lightningirlz @bellward3456 @lailathegayqueeeen @avaseye @dequiem @bbygrl008 @red1culous @bella423 @jennassamoanwife @ttoxicbumper012

[specialagentartemis]

from a discussion in the comments of this post:

Learning about things is always valuable; learning how to assess what things are reliable is always valuable; not everything needs academic rigor to be valuable! That's part of what's getting lost here.

It's always good to read critically and ask questions, to think about the logical arguments being made and assess whether they are actually answering the question they set out to answer, or if they provide strong enough evidence for their claim. You certainly don't have to be an expert to do that. And it's a great way to learn.

The idea of academic rigor primarily comes into play if you want to 1) do original research, 2) challenge a scientist or expert and say they're wrong, or 3) give advice in a formal capacity or practice the topic in a formal capacity.

Learning a lot of facts about, say, Ancient Rome, is great for writing a fictional story set in Ancient Rome; academic rigor is necessary if you want to write a nonfiction history of Ancient Rome. Collecting lots of information about local ecosystems is awesome for starting your own native pollinator garden or giving plant cuttings to your neighbors; academic rigor is necessary if you want to start a consulting business giving recommendations to local institutions about rewilding their properties.

I, personally, really love learning about dinosaurs and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about them, but I'm nowhere near an expert, and that's fine: it mostly means I won't be writing any science books or leading any paleontology research projects or being a Jurassic World science consultant. I can still enjoy it, and get a lot of value in learning about it and understanding it, and know enough to go "hmmm there's probably more to the story" when news articles report that some biotech firm has de-enxtinct-ified some prehistoric animal. Those are all valuable things, even if they don't make me an expert!

And then there are topics like woodworking or sewing or rock climbing where "academic rigor" is not a useful framework for expertise at all, because it operates in a completely different space in which expertise comes in a very different way.

Anti-vaxxers are very enthusiastic about "doing their own research" and still very wrong. This is a huge problem because they are also saying the medical experts are liars and making decisions about other people's health because of it. Graham Hancock is very enthusiastic about archaeology, and very wrong. This leads to him getting a Netflix deal to make a popular tv show where he tells you that the academic archaeologists are lying to you to cover up the fact that Atlantis is real.

Conversely, here's a story about an amateur archaeologist who spent a lot of time studying Ice Age cave paintings... and then brought his observations and theories to academic archaeologists, who worked together with him to test those theories!

Getting an academic degree is not the only path to truth and knowledge. But one of the big values of academia is that it teaches you how to research, how to design experiments, how to read critically and assess information, and how to robustly test your ideas. It also has peer review by other experts who are there to assess your work from an outside perspective and give critiques of it, and it teaches you how to accept critique with an open mind. Those are absolutely skills you CAN learn outside academia! For sure! But you have to honestly assess: are you? before you can make a claim to the same standards of original research, challenging other experts, or giving advice from a place of expertise.

If that's not what you're interested in doing with your knowledge, then learning facts is awesome. Learning about the world to broaden your worldview and understand more about the world around you is always good. And I don't know an academic who will ever claim otherwise.

[until-another-one-comes]

Hope you don’t mind me sending in KPDH questions but do you have any headcanons for Huntr/x and the Saja Boys?

Yeee no I don't mind at all!!

Hmmm I don't really have a lot of headcanons for them, especially since we only got one movie to work with (so far... 👀) but here are a few hcs and opinions I have:

- Romance and Abby were genuinely flirting with Mira and thinks she's hot. They wouldn't betray their cause for her or anything but hey its fun riling up the hot scary lady before they take everyone's soul.

- Baby hates the weirdass 'baby' persona he had to work with. He's a centuries old demon dammit why the FUCK does he have to act like an infant for this stupid plan??? If the Saja Boys were allowed to pick their own personas Baby would prefer to be seen as the untouchable, distant bad boy type.

- To add to that he's def the type to mess with his fans feelings but never returning it cuz he couldn't give a fuck about relationships or find anyone else hot.

- Mira's cut off her parents completely but still keep in touch with her younger brother, who listens to her music secretly from their parents.

- Zoey never had any close friends growing up in America. After the KPOP industry blew up and became popular a lot of her old classmates regret not befriending her just to ride off her insane fame. Some even tried reaching out but she def didn't accept it.

- Most of the Saja Boys genuinely enjoyed being in the boyband, it was the most fun they had in centuries.

- When they first met, Mira and Zoey were kind of jealous at Rumi because unlike them, she didn't seem to have any baggage with her, being pop star royalty and all that since she was a child. But surprisingly enough Rumi was very empathetic and attentive of both of their issues and always made them feel seen and appreciated despite their insecurities. It's almost like she understands (wow I wonder why...)

- If the boyband plan went on for longer, Jinu and Abby would develop a rivalry cuz Abby liked the attention.

- One of the first thing Huntrix did that brought them closer was introducing Zoey to authentic Korean food, something she never got to enjoy back in America. Relaxing and munching on Korean food and snacks is genuinely a bonding moment for them.

[askthehedgehogs]

🔑 anon here and may I say I love the challenges people have set thus far!

Sonic and Shadow your next challenge is…desert island! If your husband were stranded on a desert island (let’s pretend you can’t run/skate across the water and you have to wait for rescue) what would they bring for the following categories whilst they wait for rescue; album/single (please assume he has the means to play it), book, food, drink, and one thing that will be useful.

[mod I was thinking maybe 10-12 challenges in total if people want to send them in if that’s ok with you?]

🔑

Hmmm. That’s a toughie. I’m gonna saaaaaay…

Evanescence - Fallen, so he can be all emo while he’s stranded. He doesn’t really reread books, so it’d be whatever he’s reading at the time. He doesn’t care about health and nutrition, so probably coffee beans for food. I’m gonna say water for drinking, though, ‘cause he doesn’t wanna die. Aaaand… a Chaos Emerald, ‘cause he’s so not waiting around to be rescued. Heh.

Sonic is in love with himself, so he would bring Passion & Pride: Anthems with Attitude from the Sonic Adventure Era. One of his comics, maybe an old issue of Beano? Chilli dogs, obviously. Chaos Cola. And, hm… the most useful thing to bring would be me, but assuming he can’t… he’s not exactly practical. I think he’d bring his guitar.

[cardiohiphopgroovesitisthen]

Never drink alone.

Eddie x human fic

Angst, slow burn 🔥

Part 2

Your back is turned to the bar as Eddie clinks and pours and scrapes and…lights something on fire? He told you that he’d have a surprise after work, and that it would take a few minutes to prepare, but your excitement is slowly turning to worry as the sounds behind you get more difficult to discern.

“Is that squelching? What is squelching? Why are things squelching back there?”

“Hey, mind your business.”, Eddie says in mock admonishment. “And eyes forward.”

“You are not the boss of me.”

“Yeah? Then why the hell do you listen so well?”

This was the last straw. You whip around to scold him but then you see a tray with sparklers and 5 little glasses all filled with different color liquids and fruits. Some have granules on the rim, one has a small stock of celery and, yup, one is on fire. Eddie is standing behind the bar beaming at you, his arms outstretched. “Surprise.” His voice is still that monotonous drone, but there is energy radiating off of him. As he wrings his hands waiting for your response, you can tell he is just as excited as you are.

“What…” You laugh in excitement and hurry over to the bar to take your seat and admire his work. “What is this? Why did you do this?” Your voice is all awe and giddy.

“You told me yesterday that you don’t know what liqueur you like. And I thought it was a nice thing you did, for Bev. Making her think you like everything. But I thought it would be good to actually try some of the classics.”

You stare in amazement at the whole scene. “Are you going to drink with me?”

“Oh I already know what these taste like.”

“Yeah, but it's a bad habit to drink alone.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Mhm, don’t drink when you’re alone and don’t drink when you’re sad.”

“Hmmm. Is that why you've never used your bar?”

You look at him, at first genuinely affected by his jab. But he laughs before you can get mad at him. “Why do you make these jokes? Who keeps telling you that you’re funny? They’re lying, you know.”

“Oh no. Are you sad? Man, that means you can’t drink any of these drinks I made. Because, you know, that would be against the rules.” He says, literally tongue in cheek.

“Pleased with yourself?”

“Yup. So, where do you want to start?” He eagerly postures behind the tray of drinks.

“I mean, that one is on fire, so probably get that out of the way before we make more work for ourselves.” You point at the glass with a brown/orange liquid and you can see now that the thing on fire is a lime shell floating on top of the drink, itself filled with alcohol and lit aflame.

“Excellent choice! But first, watch this.” He sprinkles cinnamon over the drink and the flames spark and dance. He lets you take a moment to appreciate it. “Well, go on!” You lean your face in, ready to sip the drink. “Whoa! Are you nuts?”

“What?”

“It is on fire. Blow it out, you maniac.”

“Well you didn’t tell me!”

“Yeah, I thought you were smarter than that! Won’t be making that mistake twice."

You scrunch your nose at him and look at the flame. “So do I have to make a wish or something?”

“It’s not customary, but it never hurts to try.” You look at him for a couple of moments. “Well are you gonna blow it out or what?”

“Shush, I’m making a wish.”, you say, eyes still studying him.

“You’re being weird.”

“I’m gonna have to start over if you keep talking.” He folds his arms and tries his best not to look uncomfortable. His best was, alas, not effective. You give him one last smile, blow the flame out and take your first sip. It’s not what you’re expecting at first. It’s smokey, more savory than a drink this pretty should be. But then the sour sinks in. And it’s quickly quelled by the smooth almond liqueur and bubbly soda. Your eyes go wide. “Oh my gosh. This is so good!”

He just smiles. “Okay, how about this one?” You do this for the next four drinks, sipping one while he watches and waits to hand you the next. He studies your face while you sniff and swish. He asks you if you’re familiar with any of the drinks before you try them, asks what you liked most, what was too strong and what flavors stood out in good ways and bad ways. Once you’ve sipped all of them, he starts to clean up behind the bar.

“Nope! Mm-mmm. Get over here.” You tap the stool next to you.

“I have to clean.”

“I’ll help you clean after. Come on.”

“I can’t relax with a dirty bar.”

“Then let’s finish these drinks so we can add these to the dishes!” He hesitates for a moment. “I don’t want to force you to get tipsy if you don’t want to. But, if you wouldn’t mind it, I would like to avoid drinking alone. Because that would make me sad. And then I’d be breaking two rules.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I don’t make the rules.” He scoffs out a laugh and walks over. When he sits beside you, you turn to him.“This was extremely kind of you.”

“Oh god I can drink or I can be sappy, but I cannot be both.”

“Who’s being sappy? You’re the one making a big deal, not me.” You try to nudge him with your shoulder but he slyly dodges in the other direction. You take the hint and keep your extremities to yourself. “I’m just trying to tell you, this was extremely thoughtful and you didn’t have to and I appreciate it.” He just nods, eyes squarely focused on nothing at all.

“We talk, you know? All of us. Johnny, Cam, Rebel, Volt, everyone who’s ever set foot in here. We all see what you’re doing - helping, I mean. It’s just right that we do something for you... And honestly it was weird to know that you didn’t even know what drinks you liked. Like you were putting yourself away…trying to make all of us happy. It…it felt wrong.”

“It doesn’t feel wrong to me. You all have been helping me since I moved here. I don’t think I’ve ever said thank you to any of you…I’ve definitely accidentally started fights with Dorian. And I straight up abandoned Keyes. I feel like I’m just doing the decent thing.”

“Yeah, decent is nice, but you should still care about the things that you want every once in a while. It’s like you said, we’ve been here since you moved in, most of us even before that. You don’t have to change completely just because you can talk to us now. That’s crazy.”

“It’s not crazy. And it’s actually easier to lose myself because there are just so many big personalities in here and all of them demand that I be just the right person and some of them are seriously not open to negotiating that.”

“Fuck them.”

“Dude, no.”

“I don’t mean like-“

“Well that way too. But that’s not what I’m talking about. There’s more at stake now. It’s not just dating. It’s a chance at a good life. A REAL life. And if I give up on them, then that’s it. They get one chance and I’m the only person who can give it to them.”

“You make yourself sound like a god”

“I don’t feel like a god.”

“How would you know?”

“Ooookay, mister, ‘I can drink or be sappy but not both.’”

“You can’t keep letting people pull parts off of you for their comfort. You’ll have nothing left for yourself.”

“Speaking from experience?”

He’s quiet for a moment. “The opposite.” You can see him debating whether or not to say more. “When Volt’s here…MC’ing, greeting, wining, dining, he looks like he never has to worry about who he is. Everyone is always happy to see him, and every second this place is open, he’s…he’s with someone. Even when the doors close, he’ll leave to go to whatever the next cool thing is he’s invited to. The Hanks, Dunk, Rainey, everyone’s got time to spare for him. He never lets anyone tell him who to be, and they…love him for it.”

You try to choose your next words carefully. You don’t know much about Eddie and Volt’s relationship, but you get the feeling that it’s not open for criticism. “You know, Volt is a really nice guy. Super charming, just like you said.”

“Yeah, well-“ He tries to speak but you cut him off.

“I honestly…can’t help but feel bad for him.”

Eddie shows more emotion than you’ve ever seen from him. Your words rattle in his ears and give him whiplash as they settle. “You? Feel bad for Volt? Why the hell would you feel bad for Volt?”

“Because of everything you said. MC of the party. Beloved by all. Never goes where no one knows his name. It sounds exhausting.” Eddie is silent. “He doesn’t even get to enjoy his own party. It makes me wonder who he throws them for.” Eddie is motionless. “It just feels…like Volt’s confident around other people because he might only know who he is when he’s with other people. Maybe me and Volt could learn a lesson from you in self worth, huh?”

The silence is thick between you. You feel heat rising up your back and through your ears with every second. Finally, you can’t take the silence. “You know what, this was none of my business, I’m sorry. You opened up a little and I shoved my entire opinion in there so I’m just gonna… reel it back.” You find you’re unable to look at him. You pick out the drink with the edible glitter and pink sugar on the rim. “This one was my favorite.”, you say before you drink. The glasses are barely larger than shot glasses. It takes you two gulps to finish the whole thing. You fish around for the berries in the crushed ice and sit in silence with Eddie.

“So these rules about drinking when you’re alone…where’d you get them?”

You’re startled to hear him talk, but grateful for the subject change. “Oh, just the classic way - hard earned lessons.”

Eddie nods. He grabs the glass that had the flaming lime and dunks the lime in the drink. He takes a couple of gulps and places the empty glass on the bar. “Good rule.”

You nod, stabbing at blackberries with your cocktail straw. “I can come in…and drink with you. You know, like a weird support group where we watch each other drink instead of discourage it.”

He chuckles and you wonder why it lifts so much weight off of your chest. “That would be okay.” You give a small smile. “You don’t have to drink to come here.” You don’t know why but it means a lot to hear him say it.

“Thank you. You don’t have to do anything either, by the way. I…I’ll always have time to spare for you.”

He doesn’t say anything. He just looks at you. And there it is again, the copper sparking in his eyes, the low buzzing of electricity. Sitting this close to him, you can feel it like static in the air. And just as soon as he looks away, it’s gone. Not totally silent, but quieter.

You take turns baby sitting your mini cocktails for a little while. You hope you haven’t crossed a line with Eddie. You’re almost sure you haven’t because he’s still talking to you. But there’s something heavy in the silence, between every word for the rest of the conversation. It’s not hatred. But whatever it is, it’s strong. And it’s bubbling just below the surface.

Part 1 … Part 3

[missvelvetsstuff]

Misunderstandings & Miscommunications

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Reader works as an administrator for the Thunderbolts* and quickly falls for the White Wolf. The team is hesitant to trust her and drama ensues.

Note: As usual I'm stuck in a story and starting yet another one. This has been rolling around in my head since we went to see Thunderbolts* so hopefully getting this out will help knock some inspiration for The Situation Room and No Benefits.

I've tried to keep the reader neutral but she is a she and as always taller than average. I haven't seen a story like this one but haven't been able to keep up with all the new works so if it seems similar please know that's not my intention.

Warnings: Swearing, cannabis use, Thunderbolts* spoilers, angst

Chapter 5

After Bucky left, Poppy changed into a sleep shirt and shorts and went thru her bedtime routine knowing she would need some rest to deal with what was coming. After eating an edible, she dreamed of bright blue eyes and soft but chapped lips.

It felt like she had just dozed off when someone knocked on her door but when she looked at the clock Poppy could see it was almost 7am. 3 sharp knocks. She groaned and climbed out of bed to answer.

She opened it to see Carli with a smirk on her face. "Come on puppy, the team needs to speak with you. Your jig is up."

Poppy looked at her confused "My jig? What the Hell are you talking about?"

Carli scoffed and grabbed Poppys arm roughly "Right, like you don't know. We knew you were dirty and now the whole team knows, even your precious Bucky."

Poppy pulled away from Carli "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about but keep your damn hands off of me or I'll make you regret it."

Carli laughed "Yes, I'm so scared of the office manager puppy, I'm sure you're lethal."

Poppy pulled on her bathrobe and slid her feet into her slippers, yawning "You're welcome to test that assumption at your earliest convenience." She giggled "But you might wish you hadn't."

Carli scoffed "Whatever just get your ass up and to the main conference room."

Poppy smiled "What ever could you be up to? It's too early for my birthday. Hmmm."

She followed Carli into the conference room but her face fell when she saw the cold glare Bucky gave her.

She walked over to him and touched his shoulder "Buck? You okay?"

Poppy flinched when Bucky jerked his arm away from her and moved to the other side of the room.

Poppy followed him meekly "Bucky? What's wrong?"

He turned and scowled at her "Were you ever going to tell me? Tell us? What's wrong is that I don't know who the Hell you are."

Poppy felt her eyes fill "No, Bucky you know me. You know-"

"I know what "Poppy"? He snapped at her. "I'll ask one time and you better fucking tell me the truth." He paused, breathing heavily before speaking, deathly calm "Are you related to Val? What's the real reason she has you working here?"

Poppy laughed nervously "What are you talking about? I'm not related to Val and she hired me to handle the business part of-"

"Stop with your lies!" Yelena snapped "We know the truth so stop lying and maybe we won't hurt you."

Poppy glared at Yelena "What is it that you think you know, exactly?"

Carli had been waiting to pounce and took her shot "Val is your aunt. You've been spying on us this whole time."

Poppy rolled her eyes "Val was my aunt. Was. She was with my uncle but isn't anymore. Val asked me to spy on "those losers" her words not mine but I've always been on the team's side. I know exactly who and what Val is."

Yelena frowned "Who's your uncle?"

Poppy laughed "What? Ms big bad black widow couldn't find that information? My uncle isn't relevant, this is about me and you have no evidence that I've done a single thing against any one of you. Everyone here has secrets."

Ava finally spoke up "I've known Poppy for years and she's always been my friend. I have no reason to distrust her."

Carli snapped back at her "Did you know she was related to Val?"

Ava yawned "By marriage, she used to be related but isn't now."

Carli bristled "You knew but didn't tell anyone? Maybe you can't be trusted either,"

Bucky spoke coldly "So you were spying on the team for Val. If you were on our side then why not tell me?"

Poppy looked at her hands "At first I didn't know if I could trust any of you, except for Ava." She looked at Bucky sadly "Then I was scared and the longer I waited the worse I knew it would be but everything I said to you, everything that happened between us, I meant. I've never fallen for someone like I have with you."

She sighed "I didn't tell Val anything important or serious, just like -"

Yelena "How are we supposed to believe you? And who is Hughie? Your boyfriend? You talk to him a couple of times a week, at least."

Poppy replied "You can believe me because Val has very rarely come here to check on us. Remember the paintball fight? And how someone accidentally bought paintballs that weren't water soluble and wouldn't clean up off of the walls? Did Val call any of you about it? Or come here complaining about the cost to repaint? No. You know why? Because I took care of it and never told her. Out of my own money."

John tried to say something but she didn't let him.

Poppy snapped "How about when Alexei and John were sock skating everywhere and slammed into the glass wall, cracking it all to hell? No! Again because I never told her and paid to replace it myself. So maybe I'm not the one you need to be spying on and pointing fingers at!"

Poppy took a breath to calm herself before looking at Yelena "Yes, I knew you bugged my phone. Some great spy you are, Yelena, I knew you were sneaking around, hacking my laptop and phones. You were so obvious, nowhere near as slick as Natty was."

Yelena growled at the mention of her late sister but Poppy interrupted her before she could speak "Hughie is a close relation. In fact, he's the only living family I have left. He'll be back in town in a few weeks and I'll introduce you to him."

Yelena wasn't placated "What's his real name? I couldn't even find a complete birth certificate for you. The one I found had your place of birth and fathers name redacted. I've never seen anything like that before. Who was your father?"

Poppy rolled her eyes "He died a long time ago, when I was young so it's irrelevant. In fact-"

Before she could continue, Poppy was interrupted by the conference room door opening, her eyes grew wide when she saw who it was. "I should have known you were behind all of this, Mel. What's the matter? Still miffed that I'm working here instead of you? Trying to get in good with Bucky?" She scoffed "Yeah, I heard you begging Val for this job but you're just too important to her. Isn't that what she said?"

Mel shook her head "Oh, Y/N. Don't be mad that I told your new friends the truth about you. How you were booted from the CIA for inappropriate relations with more than one of your supervisors and how Val saved you from obsolescence by putting you with Dr Foster. If it weren't for Val you'd be working in some call center."

Poppy laughed "Is that what Val told you? And you believed her? Bless your heart."

Mel's smirk dropped at that "You're right, I shouldn't believe anything Val says but that doesn't change how you lied to this team."

Poppy looked at Bucky who was still staring at her like he was trying to untangle this mess and find the truth. "Bucky, can we talk? Alone? Please."

The team was sitting in silence, waiting to see what else would come out about Poppy and Val. They turned to see Bucky's response.

Bucky sighed "I don't know. I need some time to think." He moved to leave before stopping to turn to Mel "Would you like to go get coffee with me?" He smiled and offered his arm.

Poppy felt like she had been punched in the gut and her eyes started filling up again, barely whispering "Bucky?"

Mel smirked at Poppy before turning to Bucky and smiling "Of course" she took his arm and followed him out of the room.

Yelena sat back, gloating "Looks like we saved Barnes from whatever you were planning on doing to him. It's a start but when I'm done with you, you'll wish you never heard of Thunderbolts."

Poppy shook her head "And when you find out the truth you'll wish I was still home in California." She stood and stretched before looking straight down her nose at the shorter woman "You see, there is more to me and my presence here than my former aunt knows about but you'll have to wait until everything is said and done before finding the truth. I was planning to tell you all sooner but there's no point now."

Poppy sighed "You might want to keep an eye on her with him, she can't be trusted."

Yelena scoffed "Mel? She's the one who helped us figure out what Val was up to. She helped Bucky figure out how to find us and the evidence of Val's plots."

Poppy smirked "Did she now? Are you sure? Or did she help Val wrangle you all into where she wanted you, a presser announcing the "New Avengers"? Just something to think about."

Poppy nodded to each person at the table before leaving the room with Ava trailing behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next couple of weeks at the tower were awkward, at best, but Poppy showed up every day and did her job no matter how much it killed her.

Poppy felt an empty ache in her chest, like she had been hollowed out, every time she saw Bucky and he made it painfully obvious he was intentionally ignoring her, unless it was work related. She had given up on trying to get him to listen to her.

Mel came to the tower almost every night, sometimes she ate with the team and sat in Poppys old spot, next to Bucky, others he took her out.

Poppy ate in her room or Ava's for every meal, she couldn't stand being around Bucky as he ignored her and definitely didn't want to see Mel or hear the teams gossip.

One night when Poppy went to the kitchen to get her dinner she saw Mel, dressed up in a cocktail dress. Bucky walked past her like she wasn't there, in a tuxedo with his hair slicked back and greeted Mel with a kiss on her hand. Poppy felt her knees weaken before rushing back into her room. She never had dinner that night.

She stopped doing all the extras that she had been for the team, like baking fresh treats from scratch, stocking the snacks they liked and making sure their laundry was done properly. All the little things that they took for granted stopped getting done. The teams chore chart was up but without Poppy to remind people about their chores every day, few were done. The common area devolved into a disaster with dishes, food wrappers and laundry everywhere.

Everyone but Bob and Ava refused to speak to Poppy and started sending her texts or leaving post its on her desk when they needed something. She responded by creating a request form and sending an email to advise the team that all requests must be submitted by email or they would be ignored.

The tension was growing to a head and small arguments within the team started spilling over until they were tattling on each other to Poppy like grade schoolers.

Something needed to give but before it did, Poppy finally got a phone call "Hughie?" and left the tower quickly after hanging up.

Yelena went to follow her.

@preeyas-world

[majaloveschris]

Hey Maja,

You’re level headed, I mean that in the most respectful way. 😅

But I had to flip the situation so to speak and really ask myself hmmm what if we’re all wrong about this being PR, like what if to Chris it looks completely different. He is just a guy from Boston who happened to get famous due to talent. He’s done pr in the past yes and seemed to be authentic.

But just like life people change. Chris was never Steve Rogers, Chris is just a guy like many of people’s exes. What if he decided to do things differently and this is who he chose regardless of how it looks. Maybe he wanted to keep his fandom and image and that’s why it’s so PR looking like he’s playing the Hollywood game, but also working to help establish his wife. I just had to the look at another pov and like Lisa may indeed have accidentally liked something, it happens. Celebs are human and you don’t think they get tired of random strangers talking shit to them or stalking friends and family, you don’t think they’d see how invested online strangers are and try to play with people just to stay relevant and also just because.

Chris is simply living his life like the rest of us and Hollywood dressed him up and he’s played along, but now he’s trying to manage that plus his private life to another celebrity that doesn’t align to the image he held for so long and it’s just coming off as so badly business and fandom wise, but to him he just thought he was smarter and thought oh if I share her online people will love her, maybe he didn’t know she trolled or didn’t care if she did. Chris doesn’t know any of us to care. We assume these celebrities actually give a damn about this fandom shit, but they probably don’t.

People lie, he speaks in interviews that goes to BILLIONS of people so I don’t expect him to tell personal stuff too much more either especially these days, people are crazy. But to the fandoms limited view they see every video dissect every move to mean more that what it actually is.

I just wonder if this has spiraled and eventually we do unfortunately learn that Chris was an image while the real Chris Evans is simply human and this is real and the life he chose to live, just him and not to uphold some fake image, but he’s forced to keep playing that role as well.

If this doesn’t end by Summer or before their next anniversary, I do hope many people start really questioning reality. It’s easy to get caught up in parisocial relationships with celebs and not even know it.

Hi, thank you so much! I think it’s already crossed everyone’s mind at least once that what if this whole thing is real? And I don’t think this thought is bad; I think narrow-mindedly thinking this can’t be anything but fake is much worse, because then you will start misunderstanding everything that comes out and think everything proves something, or your point, which is not true.

Chris has never been and never will be Steve Rogers, and I don’t remember him ever stating the opposite. I never really understood why people thought in the first place that he is like him or can ever be. He is a fictional character after all, and as you said, he is just a guy, filled with flaws like all of us.

But let’s talk a bit about the theory you wrote down: what if this is real, but he is, on purpose, trying to make it look like it was PR? First of all, that would be extremely disrespectful towards his wife. If he decided to marry her, then go ahead and show her off. If he’s actually been doing that, he just made everything worse, because after a while people will realize that he was lying and playing them, and oh, that’s gonna be another shitshow. Because him playing people to make them think it’s not real and doing this just to save himself because he chose a not-so-good person as his wife is even worse than this being real. And while I don’t like Alba at all, that would be really humiliating for her as well. However, I find it highly impossible that this would be the case. I don’t think he is that bad of a human being, and you can clearly see in his body language that their relationship isn’t any more caring and loving behind closed doors as well. I mean, for example, when the NYC pap walk came out, and that random girl uploaded that video where they were seen as well, you could’ve seen how they act when they think they aren’t being recorded.

Lisa’s like, It could’ve been an accident, but considering that she didn’t really interact with her or anything like that, maybe only after this whole thing came out, says a lot, especially when you can see that she is still supportive of Minka, for example.I think these people care about what people say more than you would imagine. Half of the things that are being said and done wouldn’t have been if they didn’t care. Because of this whole whatever-ship, his career took a hit, not even a small one. People unfollowing, fans leaving after decades. His team noticed that; he noticed that. Celebs love saying that they don’t care, but they do, more than you would imagine.

Fans obviously care more than any random person who comes across an interview of his. While I agree that some things are being blown out of proportion, I do think that we can’t deny the inconsistency of their relationship. Even if it’s real, it’s clear they want to sell a love story that most likely never existed.

I do agree that after a while we need to let this story go, even if it turns out to be not real in the end. It’s funny because will we ever actually get to know what this was? Probably not. Even if this ends one day, we will never actually know the truth. But after a while everyone will get tired of this and move on with their life. They either will „accept” her presence in his life, try to forget that she exists, or leave the fandom. Either way, I hope everyone will do what’s best for their mental health because this isn’t worth yours, that’s for sure.

[freddyyeti]

Hmmm. Suddenly got hit with a sack of Gender Second Thoughts bricks

I’ve been identifying as genderfluid for about three years or so, with some change? Mostly because around 2021-2022 I had a pretty bad identity crisis and kept flip-flopping with my gender presentation. First I identified as nonbinary, then I tried identifying as a trans guy, and then I went back to nonbinary, before settling for genderfluid.

It’s sort of weird. I dunno how to describe my relationship with my gender. Would I describe myself as a girl? Yeah, sure. But a cis girl? Ehhh… I wouldn’t count on it. I like the idea of being a girl and presenting femininely rather than actually fulfilling societal gender norms. The idea of identifying as some elusive third thing sounds fun on paper, but it doesn’t sound all like “me” anyways. It’s sort of weird to explain. I think I just get “presentation” mixed up with “identity” pretty often.

While I’m fine with being referred to with masculine terms and pronouns, rarely does anyone actually do it. I’m not mad about it, so to speak. But that, along with some other thoughts has made me reconsider my thoughts on identifying as masculine. I dunno, I guess I’m not as guy-ish as I thought I am.

I think the more I think about it, I’m probably some flavor of a demigirl as opposed to broadly genderfluid. I think presenting masculinely just ain’t in the cards for me, but hey, maybe I’ll change my tune sooner or later. I’m just having some thoughts 🧐💭

[aro-culture-is]

Aro culture is coming here and asking if calling myself caedromantic is right if I was aro before. Like I know I was aro, but then The Big Bad Very Awful Romantic Experience™ happened. Like I struggle saying no to friends even if they know I'm aro, so that happened.

another question is that I once heard people say caed-spec people aren't valid because trauma shouldn't decide your identity? The tumblr user arguing said something like "you can't traumatize someone into turning gay so you can't be traumatized into becoming aspec" and I'm really just a bystander in that comment section but back then that sort of made me doubt my identity too, even if I do think that I'm caedromantic.

I don't know. I think looking at disk horse doesn't help with figuring things about my aroness actually but now I am constantly hmmm-ing at this new label that I want to use.

listen. you can do whatever you want forever. if caedromantic is a term that helps you connect to yourself, your experiences, a community... go for it. be free.

the trauma thing is... very classic therapy speak used to harm others tbh. trauma shouldn't decide your identity, because you are the person deciding what labels describe your experience; not the trauma, and not other fucking people. that doesn't mean that trauma can't be part of your experience, or that people can't be part of helping you decide. just that you are the only person who knows what it is like to be you, and if you later decide you were wrong or things changed or whatever, that's just life.

i'm also gonna be totally real: this may or may not be the case, but I wonder if you might be one of the MANY people who have moral OCD and are not aware. you sound like you care a great deal about the "correctness", morally speaking, of labeling yourself. I don't find this to be common beyond "But what if I'm wrong and spoke like I was [a socially defined identity whose definition is decided by the people who identify that way, not some moral arbiter or coining post]". Here's two resources on what moral OCD is like:

In addition, folks with one presentation of OCD often have multiple obsessions and/or compulsions in different subjects, and this page goes into brief details about common subtypes:

[darkfictionjude]

Will Crowny get yellow glowing eyes too? What would the ros react if the mcs eyes glowed yellow when they are having sex, like it's too good at it happens?

Hmmm I don’t know yet what physical differences will come to crowny when shit hits the fan… perhaps an eye colour change solely when they are in extreme moods

You mean like starlight from the boys? 😭

Imre: thinks it’s beautiful

Nia: it does initially freak her out but after a while it’s another strange thing about crowny that she accepts

Lorcan: likes it and tries make it happen

[emilys-bangs]

Real talk tho: if Emily had a kid, do we think she’d tell Elizabeth?

I think not

Hmmm I think she almost wouldn’t—like they’re halfway through the pregnancy before she tells her—but ultimately she caves. She's really cautious with her mother around her kid and there's this tiny, shameful part of her that hopes that maybe, somehow, allowing her contact with her kid will fix their relationship. (But alas). Kids (and marriage) were what her mother used to nag her about the most—and still even after Emily gets both, there's no shortage of criticism and scorn.

But I could also very easily see her planning to and it just slipping from her mind. Her mom's always traveling and busy with work and Emily’s busy with the baby and each time she wants to tell her about it she’s just never there and one day after the baby's born they’re all out for a family outing, they run into Elizabeth who’s just like :00 (Emily Gilmore's voice: "I can't believe you never told your mother about her own grandchild") and Emily who’s like :|||.

Both ways it's very minimal contact anyway—Emily makes sure it's never long enough to make Elizabeth's constant absences sting—however the surprising thing is how much gentler she is with her grandchild than she ever was with her own child (which opens up another can of worms and fresh mommy issues xx)

[risingsoleil]

linzin and there's only one bed trope 😌

Teen Linzin for some reason traveling the world without Oogi.

They've been on boats crossing the oceans together and have been forced to sleep in one bed the entire time.

But on the boat back to Republic City, now they are given a room with two beds.

Lin and Tenzin stare at the beds and cough lightly, dropping their things down and settling in the room. They shower and are in their pajamas.

They return to the beds.

Neither move.

Lin makes a move to take the bed away from Tenzin.

A hand grabs her wrist and gently pulls her to his bed. Her heart races out of her chest as Tenzin settles on the mattress first and opens the blanket to fold over her.

Lin faces him and they lock eyes.

She's holding her breath, afraid that releasing the breath would cause him to push her out.

His foot brushes against hers and Lin curls her legs closer to him, until their knees touch.

Then Tenzin tangles his legs against hers.

He folds the blanket over her and his hand lands on her waist.

Lin feels her body heat up and she's getting wet and turned on.

"Are you cold?" he whispers, studying the way her hair is falling near her face.

Lin pulled herself up to Tenzin so their bodies pressed together. The way her breasts pushed into him, she could practically feel all of his thoughts through his skin.

She wrapped her arm around his waist.

"I feel warm now."

Tenzin swallows the lump in his throat. "I-if you get uncomfortable, I can always take the other bed, Lin."

Lin doesn't shake him off. She sighs. "I got used to sleeping like this."

"Me too," Tenzin admits quietly. "I can't believe we're going home..."

Lin drew circles on his shoulder. "Yeah...not really looking forward to that..."

"Don't think about it."

"Hmmm."

Tenzin bit his lip. 'Lin."

"What?"

"I...I've been thinking..."

Lin chuckled and poked his forehead. "Really? You've finally started thinking? It's about time."

Tenzin mirrored her and pulled her closer to him. "Yes, I have ha ha ha."

Her finger traced close to his neck. "Whatcha been thinking about?" she whispered.

Before she knew it, Lin was now on her back and pinned beneath Tenzin's weight. All she could see was his brown hair dangling over his forehead and the sweetest grey eyes.

She spread her legs and his body settled comfortably against her.

He cupped her face, eyes flickering between her lips and eyes.

"You."

Tenzin lowered himself and softly met her lips.

[yeah-sure-amanda]

Emmerdale Musings

This “Robert and John fake being nice and family like” screams we had this plan for Robert and Andy but couldn’t fulfill it. Still makes me laugh. It’s gonna get weird.

Good time for Andy to appear just for a short stint. I always had a soft spot for the Robert/Andy relationship. Good time to see the brothers work together for the greater good (*looks down and whispers* the greater good).

There is an Aaron shaped hole in this plot and I’m not sure if it’s on purpose or Robert is a stand in while Danny is in and out with baby stuff. (Official term obvi). Aaron is guarded. Aaron doesn’t want to admit his feelings. Aaron is settling for less so he doesn’t have to feel the pain again. Too bad Aaron. Soap Soulmates(TM) crack but always mend. Robert being back is the start of the mend.

Lots of talk about former land and family names (Sugden). Robert is the longest running character. Legacy character. Born on screen. Grew up on screen. Time for Robert to become the patriarch of the show? Every soap has their main male and female leads that are the show. They make the show recognizable outside its confirmed 30-45 minute world (ex. Victor and Nikki Newman or Luke and Laura). Robert can easily become that character. Always thought they were setting up Cain and maybe Chas or Charity for that but now? Hmmm.

John could be an interesting villain if the show would allow it. Oliver is doing a great job with what he is given. He tends to shine more against Ryan or Isabel but that might be on purpose. Aaron and John don’t fit so they don’t spark or shine. If that is true, great acting on their part.

I’m still thinking Robert now needs to do his own thing. Get back on his feet. Get his own place. Get a job. Do his own thing while watching John from afar. I’d love for him to work on the garage just so we can get a reverse “grease monkey” Robron moment but my gut says Robert might be heading back to the farm world. He is different now. He isn’t wearing the tight suits anymore. He is looser and bit less controlled. The mask he has carefully crafted since jack threw him out of the village is slipping.

I’d like to know where Robert’s old clothes are. Car too. Did Aaron sell them or are they in storage? Sounds like a good fanfiction prompt. Along with the reverse dirty little grease monkey moment. (I’m a hack writer but I know this fandom is full of wonderful writers! Hop to it!).

Oh! I noticed in the cast lists that Aaron is still listed as Aaron Dingle and not Aaron Sugden-Dingle or even Dingle-Sugden. That was just with Robert? ADORABLE! 💕

Sarah and Jacob are too young for this story! Right? Wait, they are in their twenties? Fuck I’m old.

I want Wedding 3.0 to be in Vegas with them eloping but somehow all the Dingles and Sugdens (minus John…he is in prison trying to save people there) keep showing up in random casinos to annoy Robron. They can make a big episode out of it like the old days when they filmed on location.

I’d love to learn the timeline of when Ryan and the producers started their talks for him to come back and how early those talks shaped certain storylines going forward. Also, I’d like to know if any storylines from the past 6 years were set up for a Robert return. There are a few to me that look suspicious now.

Now that Robert’s been on screen for a full week, does that mean he can start mixing with other people? I’ve seen talk on here that is wondering if we have a lack of other characters because the set was limited to main people while they kept Ryan’s comeback a secret. Hmmm.

I’m convinced nothing good happens at The Hop. People are shot, drugged, and killed there on the regular. Just stay away.

I’m one of the few that liked Seb. WAY too early to consider him for a plot on the show right now but when things are settled and maybe a bit dull for Robert and Aaron, this blonde green eyed boy will walk into their lives with an attitude that will throw Aaron, Robert and the village for a loop. (Maybe by then we have another kid Robron adopted in the mix thus a new generation of Sugden-Dingle power struggles is born).

I’m convinced Robert is going to date Steph while Robron are still on the outs. It also brings Ross back into that picture in a weird way. If not Steph, I’m also convinced Robert might get his own Dr. Hair that Aaron will have to contend with. Not because I want Aaron to pay or be hurt. Robert might have to move on for real while keeping a ‘best friend’ eye out for Aaron and his safety. You know, try someone else out for a while just to prove that is still all about Aaron and Aaron finally admits it’s all about Robert. A reverse of 2017 into 2018s plot.

At the end of the day, we want Robert and Aaron to need and want each other and know for sure they are both on the same page.

Anyway, here’s Wonderwall…

[wanderlustknightofmagic]

"Hmmm... Linkle, that's the one that fancies Wicht right? What about your girlfriends? While I certainly understand being concerned or upset, I think that refusing to speak to you is a little harsh. If it was something more vital, like a hand, foot, or an arm, I could see the scoldings being more justified or even warranted, but for a toe? Sounds a little silly to me. Though, I get the feeling if I voiced such in your defense I might have eyes turned on myself and my own research and works. Last thing I need is someone going and telling Mar-Mar and Del-Del about half of what I have done, heh heh."

Rain would begin to take a bite out of his meal while also sipping on his own drink.

Rain swallowed hard as he looked at the gate that lead out of Ray'je's domain. He felt stronger... he was stronger, it had been a while since he left and he had done tests... it... it was gone right? He had to find Noelle and apologize, he had to make it right after what he tried... Maybe that is what made him hesitate so... Still... he recalled the Oni's words and swallowed down hard. He left the gate while closing his eyes and inhaling deep.

When he was out, he would open his eyes and... nothing. No whispers, no violent thoughts, no dark urges, just... silence. He left like he could cry tears of joy as it finally seemed to be over. Calming himself, he opened a portal and went to go see Noelle.

Noelle was approaching the markets for groceries, when she noticed the portal open. Knowing it was Rain, her immediate thought was cheer at the thought of seeing her friend again.

But...her hand still went for her baton.

It was a strange mix of emotion.