#they would be the best of friends or the worst of enemies

[crustyfloor]

I really like December's fansign event for these shikishis (1st one, I assume, was drawn in the same time frame as the second) but I didn’t see Till’s version it’s so kyute

What held their relationship back the most really was ignorance and misunderstanding… every time there is a little more of Till’s initial perspective of Ivan, it shows in his emotional response to Ivan and his thoughts. Ivan’s an oddity to Till, but it seems that Till had already automatically given him the benefit of the doubt <turns out, Till’s attachment to Ivan was founded in a mutual desire for connection, from the start, pure intentions and all, Till considered Ivan a friend, a weirdo, but not the enemy>

(and that’s something I’m particularly fixated on, since Till’s thoughts aren’t clear, but reading between the lines of his expressions/words makes for a fascinating tell of his feelings)

Naturally, because of Till’s nature, I don’t think he would have assumed the worst of Ivan in the beginning; that’s why he doesn’t and didn’t hate him. INFPS in general tend to be more empathetic and compassionate, he’s an intuitive feeler type, with that in mind, TIll is naturally compassionate and considerate even for Ivan’s sake. But if Ivan had chosen his words better, Till would’ve liked and understood him better/sooner— it’s about moments like these where Till perceived Ivan’s behavior despite Ivan’s best intentions, thus, he internalized his irritation with Ivan’s bullying <And grew to ignore what he couldn’t understand for the simplicity, since they couldn’t reconcile with being honest> . His guilt over not having known to see Ivan’s intentions sooner before he died so that he wouldn’t have lost him in such a way resurfaced with similar sentiment

“He’s a jerk…but he probably has his reasons” —> “He was so confusing, but even he was trying to reach out too”

also a good time to say estjs and infps are compatible, hard to adapt because of their fundamental differences, but they can help eachother… reading articles on that dynamic feels like reading fanfic because it’s for ivantill ngl

[dearmisselizabeth]

the pr nightmare

bucky x thunderbolts!reader

You and Bucky Barnes are sworn frenemies, constantly butting heads on and off the field. But when Valentina decides to fix the team's PR image with a fake romance between the two of you, you're forced to turn your mutual loathing into something the cameras can love. What could possibly go wrong?

Tags: eventual 18+ content, fem reader, angst, mentions of past trauma/death, no use of y/n, forced/pr relationship, enemies to lovers

A/N: This is the first thing I've written and posted in a hot minute! But I swear, Thunderbolts* singlehandedly got me locked back in on the MCU. My brain as of late has only been Lewis Pullman and Sebastian Stan, so here we are! Hoping this turns into a small series, but we'll see if this is the fic that finally cures my writer's block.

Valentina Allegra de Fotaine loved you.

Well, as capable of that as she was. Love, to her, was transactional. She loved you because you were useful. Powerful, yes. But more importantly, adored by the media.

Your backstory was relatable. Born in Chicago to middle-class parents. Trained to be a paramedic. Saved lives. Two emergency calls and one government van exploding later, and you were genetically altered down to your molecules.

Valentina found you, of course. As she did. Rescued you from whatever top-secret laboratory they were keeping you in. Moved you to New York. Gave you a whole new image, new suit, new codename. Pulse. You hated the whole superhero thing, but at least you were saving lives again.

When The Void took over Manhattan, you were there. Saved as many people as you could before you got catapulted into your own depression room, reliving your worst memories: your sister dying at the hospital from cancer. Your partner John – your best friend– getting caught in the explosion that night you answered the 911 call. The night that changed the rest of your life.

And when the proverbial and literal dust settled, you unwillingly found yourself a part of a team. The Thunderbolts New Avengers, as Val was calling you.

It was a challenge, to say the least.

Not working with others. You were used to that. Taking orders, too. But this group?

You had your work cut out for you.

Which was exactly why Valentina loved you, in her own twisted way. Where Yelena or Ava were hesitant to do any kind of press and Alexei was a borderline liability, you were easy. Did interviews, showed up to volunteer events, used your privileged position to bring light to underfunded city programs. And even though Valentina only saw these things as the perfect chance for a publicity stunt, you took every single opportunity to give to others, because if you didn’t… if you didn’t keep moving forward, didn’t keep helping someone, it felt like that lab would pull you back in. That the grief, the guilt, the sense of helplessness would rise up and drown you completely.

And maybe that did connect you to the others.

Each of you had been broken by something – government experiments, stolen childhoods, propaganda, loss – and then haphazardly stitched back up by people who didn’t care what you became, so long as you could be weaponized.

Yelena never said it aloud, but you saw it in the way she flinched when someone mentioned family. In the way she lingered too long at kids’ events you volunteered for, hands stuffed in her pockets, sunglasses on even inside. Ava avoided mirrors, avoided cameras, avoided herself. She moved like she was afraid her molecules might come apart if she stayed still too long. Alexei… well, he covered it all in bravado and vodka-scented patriotism, but you could see it in the quiet moments, when the bravado slipped and he stared too long at his helmet, like he was trying to remember what it had ever meant. Walker just closed himself off from any type of criticism, too afraid to confront the darkness he knew was lurking inside.

The world called you heroes. Valentina called you assets. But the truth was you were survivors, trying to make sense of the ruins.

You weren’t friends, exactly. But there were moments. Quiet ones, that kept you from walking away entirely.

Because for all the mess you were, for all the danger and the compromise and the politics of being on a team run by someone like Valentina, you were building something here. Not the team she wanted – a weaponized, sanitized PR dream – but something real. A group of people trying to be better, even if they didn’t know how.

And despite it all, you could not find it in yourself to be cordial with one James Buchanan Barnes.

You didn’t know what it was. From day one, you clashed. Argued about mission briefings, argued about what color to paint the kitchen in the Watchtower. If you said A, he said B. It drove the others insane.

“You know, this little pissing contest between you and Barnes is getting old,” Yelena drawled, head leaned back on the couch in the tower’s main room. Re-runs of Law and Order were playing loudly on the tv, even though Bob was the only one paying any real attention.

You slammed the fridge shut, balancing a carton of eggs and a tub of crumbled feta in one hand before setting it down on the counter. You huffed, hand on one hip. “Tell that to him, not me. I try to be nice,” you shot back, earning a loud groan from Yelena. She stood, cracking her neck as she walked over to meet you in the kitchen.

“Bull. I think you thrive on the constant competition, secretly. In some fucked up, sadistic kind of way.”

You scoffed, but didn’t deny it.

“Don’t flatter him,” you muttered, cracking an egg into the frying pan with more force than necessary. “Barnes grumbles at us and walks around like he’s the only one in the building who’s ever lost anything. Like the rest of us don’t know what it’s like to be used and discarded.”

Yelena raised an eyebrow, hopping up to sit on the counter next to the stove. “Maybe because he was used and discarded for, like, seventy years?” she said, grabbing a piece of feta and popping it into her mouth.

You didn’t respond right away. The sizzling of the eggs filled the silence between you.

“He’s not special,” you said finally, quieter. “He’s not the only one crawling his way back out.”

“No,” Yelena agreed, her Russian lilt unusually gentle. “But he’s the only one that gets under your skin like that.”

You gave her a sharp look, pointing your spatula at her like it was a weapon. “What are you implying?”

“I’m not implying anything,” she said with a smirk. “I’m just saying that if the two of you don’t fuck or fistfight soon, I’m going to throw myself into traffic.”

A spoonful of feta sailed past her head.

She cackled, dodging it with ease, and disappeared back toward the couch.

The truth was, you didn’t know why Barnes got to you. Maybe it was because you saw too much of yourself in him – an unwilling soldier forced into this job, desperate to do some good. Or maybe it was because he never gave you the same leeway the others did. He didn’t care about the good press. Didn’t care about Valentina’s constant praise of you. He only seemed to care about whether you could be trusted when it mattered.

That burned more than you liked to admit.

Because you could be trusted. You'd proven it, again and again. In the field, in the tower, in front of every damn camera that Valentina shoved in your face. But Barnes? He looked at you like he was still waiting for shit to hit the fan. Like beneath the polished image and community outreach, you were still just one tragedy away from snapping.

And the worst part? Maybe you were.

You were halfway through scrambling the eggs when you heard the floorboards creak behind you. You didn’t need to turn to know it was him.

“I didn’t realize you were a breakfast-for-dinner type,” Bucky said dryly.

You didn’t look up. “Well, some of us still have a functioning appetite. Must be nice to survive on protein bars and brooding.”

He walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and leaned against the counter across from you. “Yelena say something again?”

You cracked a smile, despite yourself. “Yelena always says something.”

A beat of silence passed. For once, it wasn’t hostile. Just… silently charged. He lingered, leaning against the counter like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the strength to do it. Finally, he did.

“Got a message from Val.”

That made you freeze. You turned to face him finally, plate in one hand and spatula in the other. “And?”

“She wants a meeting. Just us.” He made a face like he’d swallowed something sour. “Said it was urgent. PR thing.”

You groaned, leaning against the counter. “Tell me this isn't about the joint interview. I told her I didn’t want to do that. I do everything she asks and more, and the one time I ask her for something-“

“She canceled it,” he interrupted.

You blinked. That was unexpected. “Wait, really?”

He nodded, swallowing thickly. “Yeah. Said she had a better idea.”

~

“This is your better idea?!”

You and Bucky were standing shoulder to shoulder in Valentina’s office, staring at the mocked-up headline projected from her tablet onto the large screen.

"New Avengers, New Power Couple? Sources Confirm Romance Between Pulse and The Winter Soldier."

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Valentina said smoothly, swirling the drink in her hand like this was just another Thursday. “You two bicker like an old married couple already. We might as well monetize it.”

“You want us to fake date,” Barnes said flatly.

“It’s a PR relationship,” she corrected. “Couple of staged outings, some ‘leaked’ photos, maybe a fundraiser or two. We ride the wave of media buzz, clean up the group’s image, and remind the world that you’re not just walking trauma dumps with punching problems. You’re relatable. Really, it’s not that uncommon. Happens all the time in the biz, kids. Hell, I’m still convinced Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were just for PR!”

You rubbed your temples, brain feeling like it was about to explode all over Valentina’s expensive power suit. “I can’t believe this. This is actually insane.”

“What’s insane is how much the public eats this stuff up,” she said, tapping her screen to bring up trending charts. “Look – when that Daily Bugle article hinted at ‘undeniable chemistry’ between you two, our approval ratings jumped six percent. The media loves you already,” she jabbed a finger at you. “You’re hot. You’re tragic. You’re marketable. So yes, I’m playing the game. And so are you. Especially you, Barnes,” she said, pointing at the man who stood a whole foot above her as if they were the same height. “You could use a good PR win.”

“This is ridiculous,” you snapped. “I do everything you want me to. Go to every gala you beg me to attend, smile at every perverted politician that shakes my hand. Christ, we’re not even friends!”

“Exactly,” she said. “Which means there’s no risk of messy feelings. Just two professionals doing their job.”

Bucky’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. That unsettled you more than if he had. “And if we refuse?” he asked.

Valentina smiled, wolfish. “Then I release the full footage of your last mission in Jakarta. You know, the one with the collateral damage the news didn’t see.”

Silence fell. She didn’t have to spell it out. This wasn’t a request.

You glanced at Bucky. He was already looking at you, his expression unreadable.

Finally, he spoke. “Fine. But we do this our way.” Your eyes widened, jaw slack. He didn’t even put up a fight.

Valentina crossed her arms, clearly pleased with herself. “Of course. Just give me results, pronto.”

She walked out without waiting for either of you to respond, her heels echoing like gunshots down the hall.

You let out the breath you had been holding for the whole meeting and dropped into the nearest chair. “This is a disaster.”

Bucky didn’t argue. He just stood there, staring at the door Valentina had disappeared through like he was seriously considering punching it off its hinges. Then, with a sigh that sounded like he had been holding it in for eighty years, he finally sat in the chair across from you.

“She's going to milk this for everything it's worth,” he muttered. “Press, photo ops, missions with ‘romantic tension’ angles. Hell, she’ll probably try to book us on a morning talk show.”

You groaned, dragging your hands down your face. “I’m not kissing you on Good Morning America.”

He gave you a flat look, arms crossed. “You’d be lucky to.”

You lifted your head just enough to glare at him through your fingers. There was a beat of silence before, against all odds, the corner of his mouth twitched upward. You blinked. “Did you just make a joke?”

“I’ve been known to do that,” he said, the ghost of a smirk still lingering.

You stared at him for another long second, then leaned back with a sigh. “Okay. Fine. We fake it. Smiles, handholding, maybe a staged coffee run or two. But no forced PDA. No dramatic declarations. No actual dates.”

“No problem,” he said, shrugging like this was just another mission – just another mask to wear.

You looked over at him. “And we keep it professional.”

“Agreed,” he nodded, standing up and reaching out his hand for you to shake across the table. “Guess we better give the people what they want.”

You looked at him for a second before reaching out your own hand to meet his.

“God help us both,” you muttered.

And so it began.

A fake relationship built on mutual disdain, forced smiles, and barely contained resentment… what could possibly go wrong?

[lalalascerealbowl]

My Worst Enemy Is You

Suguru Geto x Reader

Enemy! Geto who started as your highschool crush, something innocent, the passive personality to his best friends active tomfoolery. 

Enemy! Geto who didn’t start as your enemy. Rather, you were once friends, not nearly as close as he was to Gojo and Shoko, but friends nonetheless. He would carry your books, spar with you, and even apolgized for Gojo’s antics. 

Enemy! Geto who disappeared off the face of the earth one day after killing hundred of people, including his parents. Something you could barely believe was true, but haunted you even in your deepest dreams. 

Enemy! Geto who you spent years trying to track down, who last you heard had a secret meeting with his best friend in Tokyo. A man you once admired, now a distant fugue state, someone who barely lingers in your mind except for the heinous acts he commits. 

Enemy! Geto who appears out of thin air in front of Jujutsu Highschool, a group of strangers surrounding him as he steps out of a curses mouth, approaching Yuta Okkotsu. Your mouth is agape, shell shocked at the pain of seeing the first man to shatter your heart. 

Enemy! Geto who ushers you to him, saying there is something he’d like to speak to you about.

Enemy! Geto who you know is evil, who you know is hateful now, a man who has fallen so far from the heavens, still, there was always something innocent in the way he looked at you, and you cave. 

Enemy! Geto who asks to meet you in private before he declares war on the world; hesitatnly you obey taking the note with a written address on it. Before leaving he says he will come alone and has no intent on killing you.

Enemy! Geto who keeps good on his promise. Who meets you not very far from Shinjuku, no curses, no tools, just the robed man before you, tired eyes looking upon you in content. 

Enemy! Geto who tells you that back in highschool he was reciprocal of the feelings you had. Not that you ever admitted them, but he knew, somehow, he always knew. 

Enemy! Geto who moves closer to you, his large stature towering over you, your heart pounding against bone, fists tightening into fists as lust, frustration, and despair fill you. He moves his arms cautiously, careful not to set you off further, pulling you into an embrace. It’s warm and yet painful at the same time. 

Enemy! Geto who whispers in your ear, “I plan on leaving this earth soon, but I knew I should seal off some loose ends first.” He pulls away, a slight tremble in his lip as he leans down, fingers encompassing your chin as he pulls you into a kiss. 

Enemy! Geto who doesn’t rush, who takes his time, letting the world crumble around him for a moment, just to share this touch of the world with you. The kiss is desperate and sensual, his lips collide with you like a tear carefully falling down a cheek. His greatest enemy, the one who tracked him all over the earth, who knew his terrible deeds, and still allowed him to hold you, to kiss you and pretend his life meant something. 

A/N: Surprise, one post coming early today (more later promise!).It's missing Suguru Geto hours - had to get a little angsty on y'all my bad!

@ 𝔩𝔞𝔩𝔞𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔠𝔢𝔯𝔢𝔞𝔩𝔟𝔬𝔴𝔩 

✩✩𝓣𝓗𝓘𝓢 𝓘𝓢 𝓜𝓨 𝓞𝓝𝓛𝓨 𝓐𝓒𝓒𝓞𝓤𝓝𝓣 𝓘 𝓦𝓘𝓛𝓛 𝓞𝓝𝓛𝓨 𝓟𝓞𝓢𝓣 𝓞𝓝 𝓣𝓤𝓜𝓑𝓛𝓡!!

-DO NOT FEED MY WORK TO AI

<3 Lala

[zhelin-thames]

Extra 6: Justice League Meeting Gone Wrong

There can only be one brother extras 5 - 25 + bonus parts

Flashpoint: Danny, invited as a “consultant,” dozes off in the Watchtower. Constantine side-eyes him the entire time.

Superman: “So, this ‘Ghost King’ title—” Danny: [snorts awake] “Huh? Oh, yeah. Ruler of the Infinite Realms. No biggie.” Wonder Woman: “And your qualifications?” Danny: [deadpan] “I died. A lot.” Constantine: “Kid’s legit. And way more powerful than he looks.” Green Lantern: “Prove it.” Danny sighs, snaps his fingers. The Watchtower’s lights flicker, shadows stretching unnaturally. A faint wail echoes. Danny: “Happy?” Batman: [grunts] “No.”

[bleepthegrawlix]

never come between a boy and his trivia

based on/edited from this classic:

[loganslowdown4]

Roman: I’m kind of seeing someone, but I’m worried about telling you who because… uh, you aren’t going to like it—

Virgil: It’s uh…It’s fine. Just rip off the bandaid—

Roman: It’s… Janu—

Virgil: *puts head in hands* Put it back on! Put the bandaid back on!!

[slice-0f-anime]

Idk how this just occured to me but Reo from Blue Lock is just Xingqiu from Genshin but with screen time and more character development.

Hear me out:

They're both sons of rich businessmen who want them to take over the business when they're of age, and both of them want to pursue something different (soccer and writing). They both have a really close light haired companion (cough cough boyfriend cough cough) with whom they spend a lot of time with, and they only show their different sides to them. Reo is so much more excited and genuine with Nagi while Xingqiu is more mischievous around Chongyun. With others they're well liked and refined and have a confident-borderline-cocky attitude. And they're good at basically everything they do.

Hell, they even both have the unevenly cut hair, and now Xingqiu's recent skin has a tiny ponytail just like the one Reo usually wears. If Xingqiu was given more quest time or we got a deeper dive into his backstory/personality, maybe they'd even have the same flaws/personality/etc.

[neonshadows9000]

2 people who give me similar vibes? Alligatoah and bbno$

[sugarsnappeases]

thank you for the tag @fxreflyes this is so cute, except the format is trying to hinder my propensity to ramble, so i’ve rectified this in the tags lmao

i’m over 5'5 / i wear glasses or contacts / i have blonde hair / i often wear sweatshirts / i prefer loose clothing over tight clothes / i have one or two piercings / i have at least one tattoo / i have blue eyes / i have dyed or highlighted my hair / i have or have had braces / i have freckles / i paint my nails / i typically wear makeup / i don’t often smile / resting bitch face / i play sports / i play an instrument / i know more than one language / i can cook or bake / i like writing / i like to read / i can multitask / i’ve never dated anyone / i have a best friend i’ve known for over five years / i am an only child

no pressure tags for @static-radio-ao3 @inevitablestars @itsjaywalkers @carniferous @orbitfalls @transsexualpriest @futurequibblerjournalist <333

[diantha]

every time i have a new favorite dysfunctional married couple I'm obsessed with i have to relisten to hadestown. anyway big amartash dynamic

[zhelin-thames]

Alternate POV: Constantine’s Nightmare

There can only be one brother extras 5 - 25 + bonus parts

John knew trouble when he saw it. And the Bat’s new “brother” was trouble wrapped in a college hoodie.

Constantine: “Listen, Bats. Your boy’s got Death on speed dial.” Batman: “Explain.” Constantine: “He is the afterlife, mate. And he’s laughing at your demon brat’s stab attempts.” Batman: [silent] Constantine: “...You’re keeping him, aren’t you?” Batman: [smirks under cowl] “He’s good with Damian.”

[soline70]

Idkkk I'm making a character sheet for my oc Lileon (he/him) and I just wanted to share some of his outfits I drew cus I'm proud :,)

Body horror tw!!

1st outfit is him normally, he prefers to cover up

Second is him at home/alone

Third is school outfit

I'll be honest, I'm not too sure what happened yet. At first it was that he tripped quite badly on his school bus and (yada yada long story so angsty) but I don't think there's any way a school bus could do that unless it was on fire, and idk I don't want it to have been on fire

So yeee I love him sm, and for funsies here are 2 songs that remind me of him/I hc his mom sang them to him/they remind him of his mom

(Can you guys tell I like kimya and ajj?)

[fablesofkitkat]

but the vague translation of the song while they were dancing HAS ENDED ME MY BOI EKKO AAAAAAAAA I'll leave the vague english translation in the tags aaaaAaaaa

Do you think we’re soulmates in another universe?

[mikupolar]

i would be too powerful if i didn't have plantar fasciitis rn 💔

[madamscream]

ouh hastings is such a throwback, we would go to one sometimes and it was SUCH a vibe, it had Epic Cool Stuff like skateboards and stripper poles and books and webkinz and anime dvds, defo one of my fav memory areas in my mind

when i was a little squidling, we had the movie theatre right by our local hastings, so my friends and i would go watch a movie and then just roam around the book store oogling manga and new age occult books like the weebish little gothlings we were. some of my best memories are set in that place, it was really fun! i was wildly jazzed when they started selling nerd merch. i still kinda covet that ridiculously expensive replica portal gun on the topshelf display case but alas

[sorrel-leaf-vespers]

GOING FUCKING INSANE

Rat and kitty