#Emma caring too much about people and friendships

[surftrips]

Maybe you could do single dad jj maybank he’s in college and has to do a project with the reader and has to bring the baby with them and they bond and start to hang out a lot then they start to date also maybe she’s a single mom I feel like that would be like a unique thing

thank you so much for this request! i hope you don't mind that i switched it up a bit (and got carried away lol) but reader is the single mom here and her and jj have known each other their whole lives :)

when you know, you know

pairing: jj maybank x reader

summary: y/n needs a babysitter and jj is the only person available.

word count: 3.5k

"Okay, I understand. Thanks, anyway," you sighed, running your hands through your hair and hanging up the phone. Your babysitter had just canceled on you, and the timing could not have been worse. 

You had been planning this night for months. Between your classes, a part-time job, and taking care of your 2-year-old Margo, it was nearly impossible to schedule anything. But you desperately needed a night out and your friend Emma had so kindly offered to set you up on a blind date. 

You scrolled through your contacts list, looking for anyone that was sober on a Friday night, a seemingly impossible task. Glancing at the time, you realized that you only had an hour left to find a babysitter and get ready. 

As panic set in, you received a text from the P4L groupchat. 

JJ: Wtw tonight?

Not now JJ, you thought. 

Y/N: Trying to find a babysitter, mine just canceled :/

Kie: Oh no, Y/N!! I'm so sorry :(

Cleo: Sorry babes, I totally wouldd but I already lost count of how many drnks I've had 2nite xxx

JJ: Wait, you guys went out already?

Sarah: JJ, we told you it's a girls night.

JJ: In that case, Y/N, I'll watch Margo! 

Absolutely not, was your first thought. JJ Maybank was probably the last person you wanted to take care of your child, he was practically one himself. 

Besides, since you had Margo, he was always acting weird around you. Before, you two would hang out all the time, but now he only saw you if there was another person there as a buffer. He hardly visited or called, but you were so preoccupied with raising a baby on your own that you hadn't had a chance to talk to him about it. 

In the beginning, people assumed it was his baby you were pregnant with, but you never crossed that line because your friendship meant the world to each other. He was the first person you told when you found out you were going to be a mother, and you remember how excited he was for you. It was hard to believe how distant he had become, and you wondered why he had volunteered himself tonight. 

You assessed the situation: you hadn't gone out in nearly two years, and who knew when the next opportunity would be? You sighed, hardly believing the words you were about to type on your phone. 

Y/N: Ok. How soon can you be here? 

Y/N: You better be sober, JJ. 

You turned your phone off before the others could protest, knowing that half of them were drunk anyway. 

"Uncle JJ is going to come over and watch you tonight, okay? Mommy is going to be gone for just a few hours," you said to your daughter, picking her up and placing her in your eye line so you could do your makeup.

"Jay Jay?" she repeated. 

"Yes, honey," you smiled, trying to reassure her, or yourself. Out of all the pogues, Kiara and Sarah babysat Margo the most. She had probably only met JJ a handful of times and you worried about how well she would do with him alone. 

As if he could read your mind, your phone began ringing and you looked over to see his face on your screen.

"JJ, please don't tell me you're canceling too."

"What? Oh, no, it's not that. I was just wondering if you needed me to bring anything for Margo?" 

"Oh," you relaxed. "Hmmm, I think we have everything we need here. But thank you for asking, JJ."

"Of course," you could hear him smiling on the other line. "You know, thanks for letting me watch Margo. I've been meaning to visit her more." 

"JJ, you know you're weren't my first choice," you teased. "But yeah, of course. Thanks, I owe you." 

You hung up the phone, thoughts from earlier creeping back into your mind. You always assumed that the baby scared JJ away, but sometimes you couldn't help but wonder if there was something more going on. 

However, now was not the time for you to be thinking about this, considering that you now had 30 minutes left until your date showed up and you had yet to pick out a dress.

"Hmmmm, let's see. Any suggestions, Margo?" you asked your daughter, combing through your closet for something appropriate. You settled on a short black dress with a boat neck, and black knee high boots to go along with it. 

"What do we think, sweetie?" you smiled at Margo.

"Pretty!" she clapped her small hands together. 

"Why, thank you, baby. Come on, let's go see if Uncle JJ is here yet," you picked her up and checked your phone for any notifications. 

Blind Date: Be there in 5! :)

Crap, you thought. Where is JJ? 

You shot back a confirmation for your date and looked out the window for any sign of JJ. You weren't sure if he was biking over or he had borrowed the Twinkie, but there was no sign of anyone outside. 

Growing anxious, you gathered Margo's favorite toys and books into the living room and tidied up your apartment to pass the time. 

Exactly 5 minutes later, the doorbell rang. You smoothed down your dress and checked your hair in the mirror one last time. Putting on your best smile, you went to open the door. 

"Hi–" you started. "Oh, it's you." 

"Come on, that's what I get for dropping everything and saving your ass?" JJ responded. 

"Sorry, weren't you the one with no plans on a Friday?" 

"You know, I can just turn around right now-" 

"Stop!" you pleaded. "Okay, sorry, I've been anxious about this all day and I just want to get back to Margo as fast as I can." 

"Relax, Y/N. I'm here now," he took in your appearance. "You look great, by the way." 

The last time he saw you remotely dressed up like this was prom night. 

You couldn't help but blush, looking around for Margo to hide your face. "Margo, look who it is!" 

"Jay Jay!" she babbled. 

"Oh my god, she knows my name!" JJ replied, looking a little perplexed. 

"You know what, I'm surprised too considering she's only met you, like, four times," you said. 

"Alright, you're no fun," he looked at you as you traded your daughter over to his arms. "Miss Margo and I here are going to have the time of our lives. Aren't we?" 

He tickled her, causing her to giggle. She seemed so comfortable in his arms, you wondered why you were ever worried in the first place. 

"Thanks again for doing this, I know we haven't talked in a while-" you started. 

"So, where's the lucky guy?" he interrupted you. 

"Uhh," you looked over at the clock. "He said he would be here by now." 

"Late to the first date? That's a red flag, Y/N." 

"As if you're not a walking red flag, JJ. What did you get here on? Your bike?"

"Hey! I refurbished that bike all on my own! It takes a lot of skill to do that."

Just then, the doorbell rang. You rushed to open the door, a smile plastered on your face again. 

"Hey! You must be Emma's friend! I'm Tom." he greeted you with a hug and a bouquet of flowers. "I'm sorry for being late, I went to get these flowers for you and was distracted by the girl scouts selling cookies outside. I had to support them, you know?" 

"Oh, no worries! Yes, how can you say no to them?" you laughed softly. You took the flowers from him and went to place them on the table closest to you, beckoning him to come in.

"Tom, this is one of my friends, JJ. He's babysitting my daughter, Margo, while we're gone," you said.

"Ah! What a pleasure," Tom went over to shake JJ's hand and politely wave at your daughter. "I promise not to keep your mom out too late tonight." 

"That's right, need her back before midnight," JJ remarked.

You playfully pushed him in response, grabbing your keys. "Alright, you have my number so please call me if you need anything. Bye Margo, mommy loves you!" 

With that, you and Tom headed outside and into his car. 

On the drive over to the restaurant, you learned that Tom was a psychologist, he liked to cook, and reality TV shows were his guilty pleasure. At the restaurant, which was a higher-end place near the water, he pulled out your chair for you. 

"I hope this place is okay, I wasn't sure what kind of food you liked so I thought somewhere nicer would be safe," he said. 

"Oh, this is perfect. Don't even worry about it," you smiled. "I haven't had a proper night out in so long, I wouldn't have minded if you took me to a burger joint." 

He laughed, "Margo is adorable, by the way. How old is she?"

"She's 2," you said. Then, feeling the need to clarify, "I had her when I was 20, at the beginning of my junior year in college."

"I see, how was that? How did you manage classes?" You were surprised at his demeanor, half-expecting him to judge you or run in the opposite direction any second now, but his inquisition was genuine.

"Well, I could still go to classes during the first trimester, but it got more difficult after that so I took a leave of absence. I'm taking night classes now because I work in the mornings." 

"Oh nice, what degree are you going for?"

"English, I want to be a teacher," you explained.

"My mom was a teacher," he smiled. "What age do you want to teach?"

"Oh no way! I want to teach elementary school kids. Everyone always tells me how hard it will be, but raising Margo... I don't love anything more than that." 

"That's really sweet, are you close with your family?"

You paused, trying to figure out how to answer the question. "Depends on who you consider my family, I guess," you laughed awkwardly. "I'm not close with my parents, but my friends? Those are the most important people in my life." 

He smiled, "I understand. I'm glad you have a support system, being a single mother can be hard." 

"Yeah, I'm super grateful. Actually, my babysitter for tonight canceled last-minute and JJ came to the rescue. I don't know what I would've done without him." 

Tom's smile faltered for an unnoticeable second. "How long have you known him for?"

"JJ? My whole life, probably. I can't imagine a time when he wasn't by my side. He was there for me throughout my entire pregnancy, but after..." you trailed off.

"After...?"

"Afterwards," you hesitated, not wanting to bad-mouth your friend. "I guess he started to distance himself more, I think Margo scared him away honestly."

"You think it was Margo and nothing else?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just mean," he sighed. "Do you think there could be any other reason why he would be so supportive of you before and not after you had Margo?" 

"I-I'm not sure. I haven't had much time to think about it, I guess."

"You want my opinion?" Tom asked. You searched his face for any sign of spitefulness, but came up empty. 

"I saw the way he looked at you and Margo, earlier. That boy is not scared of either of you. In fact, all I saw was love. Did you ever think he’s grappling with those feelings?” 

"His feelings? For me?" It was not the first time you thought about it, but it was the first time you heard it verbalized. 

"Yes, I know I sound crazy, but seriously, Y/N, what other reason could there be to explain his behavior?"

You racked your brain for all the possible explanations. Tom had a point, if JJ had feelings for you at some point in your friendship, or still does, he might feel the need to distance himself to protect you. 

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"I told you, I'm a psychologist. I notice these things," he smiled.

"Is this how all of your first dates go?" you laughed.

"Not all of them, but I’ll admit, a few are like this. But tell me, am I wrong to assume there was something more going on between you two before you got pregnant?"

You sighed, "No, you're not wrong. Our feelings for each other were a truth that neither of us wanted to confront. We were young, we didn't want to be tied down, it was college. But he was always there, by my side, through everything. Of course, I loved him." 

"Well, there you go. There's your answer." 

Tom dropped you off around midnight. You assured him that there was no need to walk you to your door, you both knew that you needed to have a conversation with JJ.

"Thank you again for tonight, we seriously need to meet up again," you said, before shutting your door.

"Absolutely, I'll give you the address to my office," he joked.

You turned the key into your door as quietly as possible, in case JJ was also asleep with Margo. Inside, the lights were off and you pulled out your phone flashlight to search for him. 

You went into Margo's room first, seeing that she was fast asleep in her crib. "Hi baby," you whispered. "Where's Uncle JJ?" 

After making sure she was tucked in properly, you turned to go into your bedroom. Sure enough, there was JJ, fast asleep in your bed. 

You couldn't help but smile, recalling memories from high school when you two would have sleepovers. Being sure to keep quiet, you changed into your pajamas and got ready for bed.

Trying your best to not wake up JJ, you pulled open the blanket on your side of the bed and slipped in next to him. 

"Goodnight, JJ," you whispered. 

—

In the morning, you woke up to the smell of pancakes in the kitchen. For a second, you weren't sure you were even in your apartment, remembering that you live alone with Margo and surely, you weren't asleep long enough for her to know her way around the kitchen.

But then you remembered that JJ was babysitting last night and had fallen asleep in your bed before you got home. 

After a long stretch, you got up and went into the kitchen.

"There she is, good morning pretty," JJ smiled at you. 

"Morning... When did you learn how to cook?" you questioned.

"What do you mean? I've always known how to make pancakes."

"Okay, that is just a straight up lie. In high school you would have chips for breakfast."

JJ put his hand to his chest, taking mock offense. "If you must know, I started teaching myself how to cook last year when I moved off-campus." 

"Wow, I must say, I am impressed, Mr. Maybank."

"Please, that's my father. You can call me JJ," he said, causing you both to laugh. 

Were his eyes always this blue? You thought, as you admired his features in the morning light. 

After a moment, you broke the silence. "Uh- I better go check on Margo. How was she last night, by the way?"

"Oh, amazing. Best kid ever." 

"Really? She didn't give you a hard time at all?"

"Nope, must have remembered me from when she was in the womb."

You smiled, turning around to your daughter's room.

Sure enough, Margo was sleeping like the baby she was. You checked the clock, she wouldn't be up for at least another hour.

"Margo's still in one piece?" JJ asked when you reentered the kitchen.

"Yes, somehow,” you mused. 

"Good, want to try these pancakes now?"

"Yes, please, I'm starving," you sat down across from JJ.

"Starving? Your date didn't feed you last night?"

"Very funny, if you want to know about my date, you can just ask." 

"Okay, how was your date?" he relented. 

"He's a psychologist." 

"Cool, anything else?" JJ looked slightly confused. 

"He was very normal and nice," you added.

“I would hope so.”

“Yes, and he likes to cook too.”

“That’s great, how was the date itself?”

“Oh the date itself…” you trailed off. 

"Y/N, why are you acting weird?"

"Weird? Me? I'm just telling you about my date." 

"You're talking about him like he's your therapist."

"Well, in a way, it was like a therapy session."

"So the date went bad?"

"No, it was really nice." 

JJ looked around the kitchen, "Did I accidentally put something in the pancake batter to make you act like this or...?" 

"These are great, by the way," you said, pointing to the pancakes with your fork.

"Thanks, but can we get back to the date?" 

"Oh, yeah, well, basically," you started. 

"Y/N." JJ was rarely ever serious, but he was starting to look concerned with you. 

"Okay, fine. It started off really well, we got to know each other. Then, he was asking about Margo and my family, and I told him about my parents, you know. Then he asked about you, and I told him I've known you forever, but after Margo, you started distancing yourself and we haven't seen or talked to each other in a while, and then-" you rambled. 

"Then what?"

"And then, he told me, or rather he made me realize, that maybe we need to address the feelings we may or may not have had for each other before I got pregnant," you finished in a rush.

JJ was silent, you weren't sure if the expression on his face was scared or bemused. 

"JJ, please say something." 

"Was that all?"

"More or less."

He sighed, "Y/N, I think one of the reasons why our friendship worked so well was because we both knew that at any moment, we could pursue something more, but we didn't. We both knew that doing that would ruin our friendship, something we've had for nearly twenty years. I thought college was going to be four years of partying and distractions, but instead, I had to face reality”

“Distractions?”

“Everyone that wasn’t you was a distraction, in case that wasn’t clear.”

“Uh, no. It wasn't, actually. JJ, you kept telling me you were trying to meet ‘the one!’” 

“Well, I was lying! Okay? You were always the one for me. I just didn’t feel like I was the one for you. So I was stupid and I decided we would be better off as friends, but when you got pregnant…” 

“When I got pregnant…?”

“When you told me about Margo, I panicked. I knew you were strong enough to do this on your own, but you shouldn’t have had to. I told myself that I was going to be there for you every step of the way, and I was, until you gave birth. I saw Margo for the first time, and I-I’m sorry. I just couldn’t do it.”

“Do what, JJ? You know I never needed you to be her father.” 

“I know, I know. I saw her and I couldn’t imagine hurting her. I didn’t want her to know me, because to know me is to be disappointed by me,” he sighed.

“JJ,” you stood up now to wrap your arms around him. “Are you kidding me? I was never, never disappointed by you. I was just worried, babe, that’s all. You stopped talking to me after that.” 

JJ allowed himself to fall into your arms. “I’m sorry, it just felt like too much at the time. I loved- love you and Margo so much, that I didn’t know what to do with all of it. So I thought it was best to give you some space, until I was better.”

You chuckled, “Is that why you taught yourself how to cook?”

“Stop, I was actually starving and had no choice.”

“And are you better now?”

“When I heard you were going on a date, do you want to know what I thought?”

“What?”

“I thought, I let her go again. I let you go a million times in college, and here I am, letting you go again.” 

When you didn’t say anything, he continued, “You’re the one for me, Y/N. I came over here tonight to show you that. I’m ready for whatever this is going to be, whatever this friendship evolves into. I spent too much time denying the truth, and I think you have too.” 

There were not enough words to describe how you were feeling, so you leaned in to kiss your best friend. JJ held your face with such gentleness, you wondered if this was all in your imagination. 

Eventually, you pulled away. “I’m done lying, to myself and to each other. This is real, yes?” you asked.

“Yes, I love you, really.”

“I love you too, Maybank.” 

You leaned in for a second time, but not before you heard the familiar cries of Margo in the other room. 

“Don’t worry, I got it,” he smiled with that boyish grin of his that you loved so much. That you have always loved. 

[carolmunson]

caught like a fool without a line. (older!modern!eddie)

part five of who knows how many. orange colored sky setlist.

summary: we've been seeing eddie for a month and the fear starts to settle in. with eddie's past and present making things difficult and your own insecurities brewing, things come to a bit of a head one night when you're out at a bar. featuring older!robin and our favorite guy older!steve from @loveshotzz series 'all i really want is you'.

tw: age gappy (reader and eddie are 12 years apart, but reader is late late 20s/early 30s and eddie and late late 30s/early 40s throughout this story so it's not like so bad). drunk!reader, alcohol consumption, discussions of eddie's promiscuous past (i know some people don't like when eddie is a slut), implied that reader wears eddie's clothes to bed but not that reader is small. gifs by: @keerysbrandnewbg and @eddiemunsonsource

songspiration: open | rhye and feelings | lauv

You swirled the big ice cube in the tumbler with an unenthusiastic flair, making the orangey red liquid in the glass nearly spill. “And I don’t get it, we had a really nice first date and then made out again the next week and talked all the time and now he’s barely texting me back,” you complain, the tart grapefruit of your friend’s new take on an Aperol Spritz floods your mouth at your next sip.

“Maybe he’s just busy,” your friend Charlie suggests from behind the bar, “He’s older, you said, right? He might just not be on his phone as much. Do you like the drink? Is it too bitter?” 

“It’s bitter but not in a bad way, in a good citrussy way,” you nod, “And yeah he might not be on his phone as much but then why just sort of suddenly drop off and barely respond? Like, look at this.” You take out your phone, laying it on the bar and scrolling through a plethora of blue texts with some sprinkles of gray in between, “I look so pathetic.” “I think you just really like him,” she shrugs, smirking, “And I think that’s good, you haven’t been this excited about someone for a little bit.” “Yeah, but every time I’m excited about someone it bites me in the ass,” you lean on the palm of your hand, flipping your phone over, “Plus like, I’m not trying to be with anyone like that right now.” 

Your friend gives you a look, “Okay, sure.” 

“What do you mean ‘okay, sure’?” you scoff. 

“You’re not trying to be with anyone like your ex,” Charlie corrects, her dark red lips pulling into a smirk, “You go on and on about how you just want someone to take care of things for you. Maybe he’s that kind of dude.” 

“He has someone come every Sunday to clean his house for him,” you sip the drink again, “I don’t think he can take care of anything for me, considering I can clean my own house.”  The bar slowly starts to fill up with the after work crowd, leaving Charlie to run back and forth between you and pouring beers for incoming patrons.

“He can afford to have someone come and clean his house,” she says with a smirk, holding down the tap while she fills a glass with Lagunitas, "That's kind of hot." You flip your phone back over and sigh, no new messages.

If anything is true in the music and art world Eddie is involved in it's that Eddie Munson is a professional loverboy. Never with someone for too long, never long enough for them to want something more than fun -- never long enough for 'Are you my boyfriend?' never long enough for 'What are we?' It got easier the older he got, the less women and men cared about labels. You were right to make that judgement about his key carabiner hanging on the front of his keys. Eddie Munson is a slut, and everyone knows it but you.

He had two actual girlfriends in his early twenties, but nothing quite like his friendship with Steve. 'Platonic life partner, sometimes,' they'd list it as -- never too afraid to get affectionate. Hugs, kisses on the forehead, Eddie held him so many nights when Emma died he felt like they left an indent in the center of the bed. He touched and loved the people who loved him back, but to anyone else – he never wanted to get too close. He always gave out just enough of him – enough for people to keep wanting more, a satisfaction he basked in now since he was such a loner in high school with no notches to his belt. 

But now he’s blabbering on to Robin over a huge plate of nachos about how you texted him all day. You texted him all day and he had his phone charging in the kitchen while he was upstairs in his office so he didn’t know and now it’s very clear that you’re upset. 

"Okay? How is this different from the girl you were seeing over Christmas?" Robin laughs over a mouthful of loaded nachos, a frosty pink Frosé next to her to beat the heat. Her eyes crinkle closed, a smattering of freckles stretching on the apples of her cheeks when she smiles. The heat of a sunburn runs soft pink over her nose, outside of the gray in her sand blonde hair that she'll never dye, she looks almost the same as she did in high school. “So you didn’t text her back,” she shrugs, “You leave her alone, she fades off into the distance – just like the girl before that, and the guy before that, and the girl before that. Why're you talking about it like it's the end of the world?”  "I care," he groans, turning his phone to show Robin your messages. You'd sent them every few hours, but most of the messages from the morning and afternoon were from when he was working -- phone nestled on the charger down in the kitchen while he clacked away on code upstairs. By the time he saw them he was embarrassed, and you were probably already at your friend's bar. Eddie tries to explain the whole situation while Robin scrolls through with a careful and soft expression, a tiny smile forming on her face. 

“I already fucked it up,” Eddie sighs, pulling his hair up into a ponytail with volume hair stylists would envy. He runs his hand over his jaw, following the edge of it to land behind his neck where he squeeze gently on the muscle.

Robin shrugs again, passing his phone back to him, “Par for the course, kid.” 

His eyes narrow, “I’m older than you.” 

“Whatever,” she rolls her eyes, “You always fuck it up, Ed. That's your thing. You walk into a room and someone leaves crying. You've never done the whole sappy love thing with someone, why do you think you're changing your tune now?”

“I know but – fuck Robin, I didn’t even sleep with her yet,” he says a little louder than he intends. His tattooed hand wraps around the Pilsner glass in front of him, dripping in condensation, bringing it to his lips.

“That’s a new development,” she raises her brows, crossing her legs, "You never wait this long."

“I just…I don’t…I shit – I don’t know.” 

“What did Steve say?” Robin asks, teeth biting down on the straw to her drink, “He always has good girl advice.” 

“I haven’t even told Steve.” 

“At all?!” she nearly spits out the frose all over the nachos.

“Rob we just buried Em,” he explains softly, “Like, she’s not even fuckin’ cold yet. I can’t just come out of the woodwork five months later like ‘Hey man, think I actually met a girl I’d consider a future with. We’ve been seeing each other for a month’. And like – what if I’m just psyching myself out? What if this is just an early midlife crisis?” 

Robin takes a slow sip, nodding while he speaks before taking a pause. “Ed, I think you’ll feel better if you tell Steve,” she offers, “I think he’d get your head straight about it. But in the meantime, you should text her back.”

“What do I even say?” he huffs, shoving a loaded nacho into his mouth.  “Try honesty with a woman for once in your entire life, Rockstar boy,” Robin plasters on a customer service smile that makes him let out a frustrated ‘tsss’, “It won’t kill you.” "Here, I'll text Nance and ask her -- she's our next best bet," Robin takes out her phone and types with the fervor of a teenager with a sugar high. Eddie sips his beer, looking at the screen of his phone while the cursor to type blinks back at him.

You stumble out of the bar, too crowded now to have fun with your friend. Over tired and over served you make your way down the street and around the corner, stopping to lean against the brick wall of a different bar when you feel your phone buzz in your hand. You take a minute, taking in your surroundings. People are so loud down here, and everyone is so pretty. Street lights are there and gone and there and gone as cars whiz passed on Delancey, the bustle of the Friday night life in the LES is a buzz with excitement. You're already a little down for the count. Your phone feels like a paper weight in your hand, sighing with satisfaction at the notificaiton on the screen. But your chest still aches with annoyance, how many times were you gonna get drunk at a bar with a swollen heart over some dumb boy? Man? Guy?

You don't want him to come save you, you know how to get home. You can see the green bulbs of the train entrance and the glow of the McDonalds 'M' on the corner in the distance. Down the stairs, one train into Brooklyn, cross platform transfer -- you've done it drunker than this countless times before. You text Charlie with an air of victory before putting your phone back in your smart black faux leather bag slung over your shoulder. The warm summer air flows over your legs, catching the hem of your a-line skirt -- the light material flowing in the breeze. Time isn't working quite right for you but it feels like it's been five minutes and he hasn't shown up, so you make your way to the edge of the corner to cross.

"Whoa there, Peach," you hear Eddie's gruff voice from the side of you, the pull on your arm the same as when he steadied you at Trader Joe's a month ago, "Careful now."

You pull out of his hold, glassy eyes focused on the black and white stripes on the street ahead of you, "I know what I'm doin'."

“Where are you goin’, huh?” he asks softly. Eddie steps in front of you, guiding you to the light post to get out of the way of other pedestrians.

“Home,” you slur, “M’goin home. Trainssright there.” 

“I don’t think you’re good to take the train,” his voice is gentle, hand coming out to hold you at the waist, “I can get you a car.” 

“I’m fine.” It's the only sentence that comes out lucid, his jaw ticks.

"You don't look fine," he looks down into your glassy eyes, a look he's seen before. The way his mama would drown herself in whiskey and stumble into the kitchen so the bruises would't hurt so bad. The way an old fling would slur to him about how she can't live without him. The way you look so sad and it's his fault.

"I'm. Fine," you reiteratie. The light changes, the bright white of the walk sign flashes across the street. You go to pass him but his hands place themselves on your shoulders. "You really wanna get boiled alive on the train?" he asks with a smile, "You don't wanna take a car?" You sigh, why does he have to be so handsome? The gin from your last two drinks travels from your head to your thighs, pulling them together at the sight of his smile. He has that ratty vest on, a CBGC t-shirt sticking to him under it, the sleeves completely torn off. He smells like cedar and citrus again, a hint of a left over cigarette. His grays catch the light of the over head lamp, bouncing like tinsel in his pony tail sitting on the crown of his head. "Can we go to your house?" you ask, voice raised a higher octave than normal. His face blanches, "Aw honey, that's not a good idea. I don't want you to think that I --" "Please?"

"Thanks, have a good night," Eddie waves off the delivery man with a smile as he rides away on his bike. With plastic in hand he makes his way back up the stairs where you've set up shop on one of the stools in his kitchen, head down on the island counter.

"Food's here," he says quietly. Dealing with drunk you was very much like dealing with drunk Robin in the early 2010s, overgrown toddler in a bad mood. You let out a half hearted 'Yay', head coming up, eyes half closed in the kind of sleepiness a few mixed drinks and some beers can send you into. He goes into the fridge and pulls out two bottles of Poland Spring and a beer for himself. The waters get placed in front of you while he tends to getting the food plated up.

You ignore the water -- Blue Moon bottle staring right at you, and to be honest -- a cold cirtussy beer sounds sooo good right now. You reach forward, the glass ice cold against your palm now that the liquor has fully settled, heating up your skin. The sound of glass on the counter cobbles through the kitchen when you slide it closer to you, alerting Eddie to the noise.

“Excuse me,” he says sharply, snatching the bottle out of your hand, “Can you behave?” 

You pout when his eyes narrow at you, heart thumping guiltily in your chest, shame brewing in your skin. You nod back at him with sad eyes, a twinge plucking in your heart strings.

“Don’t give me that face,” he warns, “Don't act up."

“I don’t like when you’re mean,” you mumble softly, running your fingers in shapes over the butcher's block counter top. He sighs, plating your sandwich and pulling your fries from the bag. He kisses your temple while he slides the plate in front of you. "I'm sorry, honey," he says quietly, but gin always puts you in the mood to argue. "You don't have to talk to me like, like -- you don't have to talk to me -hic!- like I'm a kid," you hurtle out, surprised at your own gumption, "I'm not."

"I know," he says, putting the bags into his recycling bin under the sink, "I'm not talking to you in any kind of way Peach I -- " "You don't even like me," you state. His head cocks to the side, leaning on his hands while they hold on to the edge of the island. "Who said that?" "I was -hic!- I was talking to someone at the bar about --" you start, lump building in your throat, "About you and um -- they said, they said it sounds like --" Your eyes water, "Like I'm just for fun." "Oh," he says, looking down at his hands. The weight of this conversation falling into his stomach from his chest like a deep pit.

"Like I'm just fun for you to play with -- but like, you don't even wanna have -- you don'even wanna h-have-have seggzwithme so like -- you don't even like me." More and more if your insecurities flow out of you like a broken faucet, tears starting to slip down your cheeks.

"And like you probably don't even think I'm pretty."

"Oh, baby, no," he coos, brows tilted in sympathy while you drunkenly let all your sober fears out, "I think you're so pretty."

"So pretty," you repeat, wiping your face with your hands, "But that's it."

Eddie takes a deep breath, coming over to you and pressing his warm soft lips to your cheek, "Let's talk about this in the morning, sweetheart. I'm gonna get upstairs ready for you."

"I should just go home," you sniffle, embarrassment starting to flow through you with your bloodstream, burning all your pores, "I'm sorry." "No, no, don't go home," he assures, nose nuzzling against your cheek, "Stay. Just stay."

He makes sure you eat, watching you come back to yourself the fuller and more hydrated you get. You're easy to lead upstairs, pliant and tired now, needy almost -- not that you'd ever admit to it. You tease him about his 'old man pills' when he takes out his perscription high dose Motrin he got for some old back pain. Great for when you might get a killer hangover these days. You grimace at the Pedialyte mixture he has you drink before you get tucked into his bed -- out before you can even feel him grab the pillows and a throw from the other side of you. He settles in downstairs on the sectional, sighing while he thinks about the way your face scrunches when you're about to cry. He flicks through his Hulu options on the big screen in front of him but nothing really seems to catch his attention. Mind wandering to you asleep upstairs but knowing better than to crawl into bed next to you when you're not yourself enough to say it's okay. The familiar buzz of his phone goes off on the coffee table, when he picks it up his face is on the front screen while someone calls in on FaceTime. "You're callin' late, man," Eddie grins lazily, socked feet sticking out to rest on the worn walnut table in front of him, "You okay?" "Yeah me and Bandit just got in from camping. Got some pics of him to send you, he's such a scamp." "You have fun?" he asks, rubbing his eyes. Eddie's voice is quiet while he speaks making Steve's head cock to the side. The lights changes on his face while he walks from the living room to his bedroom. "Yeah we had a lot of fun," Steve starts, "Why're you whispering?" "What do you mean?" Eddie asks, getting up off the couch to pad back into the kitchen. "You're talkin' all quiet," Steve smirks, "You got a girl over or something?" Ed puts his phone down and huffs while he grabs a bag of chips from the cabinet. Steve giggle, leaning his head in closer to the screen. "You do, don't you?" he guffaws, "Am I interrupting?" "She's sleeping," Eddie says softly, picking up the phone again and leaning against the counter. "Aw, so you ended up texting her back? Good."

"What the fuck? Who told you that?" Eddie's brows furrow, spitting through a mouthful of chips. "Robin, obviously." The light changes on him again while he makes his way to his own kitchen. Bandit's little pants and huffs echoing into the phone, "You think Nancy came up with the 'Hey pretty girl,' opening? She's never been a flirt."

"Well it worked so, congrats."

"Why didn't you tell me about her?" Steve pulls his own bag of chips out. They crunch together. "It just didn't seem right," he shrugs, "Y'know with Emma it's hard to be like, 'Hey I think I might actually see a future with this girl I've only been seeing for a few weeks.' Like, you just lost the love of your life."

"I'm not gonna be sad to hear that you're into someone, Ed," Steve smiles softly, voice calm, "Tell me about her."

So he does, he tells Steve about how he kept running into you that day at Trader Joe's and how he felt so stupid for not waiting at the doors for you but he was too scared. You were so cute in your bike shorts and sneakers, so careful in how you chose the fruit you were gonna get. When he saw you on the platform he knew it was like he was getting a second chance -- "Maybe Em thought you should stop being such a whore and sent her over," Steve laughs. Ed rolls his eyes but can't hold back his chuckle, watching as Steve rests his chin on the heel of his hand while he listens. Eddie talks about the picnic date, how he immediately felt comfortable telling you about his mom. The rain, the kiss in his apartment -- how he could've fucked you but didn't. How all your little dates had gone since.

"Oh so you like her," Steve nods.

"I'm scared," Eddie says quietly. "Scared?"

"What if it's just a fluke and I hurt her? Or I get hurt?" Eddie asks, "And like -- please don't take this the wrong way but like -- what if I put in all this effort and then lose her?"

"Like how I lost Em?"

Eddie nods slowly, not wanting to say the quiet part out loud. He talks about what you said when you got back to his place, how you think he doesn't really like you, how he doesn't think you're pretty. You're just for fun. "But this doesn't feel like 'just for fun', does it?" Steve challenges gently, "Cause if she was just for fun you would've texted me about if she could deep throat or not."

Eddie chuckles darkly, pink rising on his cheeks -- Steve chuckles too. Still gross boys who are gross.

"You should tell her how you feel," he encourages, "What's the worst that can happen?" "Everything."

"Okay," Steve shrugs, "I lost everything. And what happened?"

"We all came to pick you up." "Exactly. We'll be here to pick you up, too. Don't like..." Steve sighs, "Don't just immediately throw something away just because you're not used to it. The more you stand there and think about what you want, the less she's gonna think you want it."

"I know..." "So let her know you want it."

They talk for an hour, both cozied up on their respective couches -- Bandit immediately getting in the frame and yelping at Eddie's face on the screen. The seize in Eddie's chest loosens because maybe this could be okay. Now he just has to make sure you know it.

You wake up the next morning, groggy and dry -- but thankfully not nearly as hungover as you were expecting. Your joints hurt, your stomach's a little jumbled, but no headache and that's what matters the most. You shift in his crisp sheets, turning around to see that the bed is empty next to you -- pillows and throw blanket gone with him. You slept alone. You look at your phone on the bedside table next to a full bottle of water. You chug it while you check your notifications -- 6:11 AM. If anything was true, you always woke up too early when you drank too much the night before. The water sits heavy in your belly, pressing your bladder which was already screaming for you to go to the bathroom. With a sigh you stand up, and when you do, the embarrassment of the night before settles in. Your emotional hangover.

You pad to the bathroom and pee, seeing your face in the mirror like you did the night you got rained out. Your makeup is smeared, face a little bloated -- you do your best to wash it off. The cool water feels good against your skin, still hot from the liquor and dehydration. You pat your face dry and leave the bathroom, lingering at the top of the stairs where he's laying on the couch, already awake. "G'morning," you rasp out. He perks up, head tilting up to look at you from his place in the living room. "Morning, peach," he smiles, "You feelin' okay?"

You nod, ungracefully stomping down the metal steps of the spiral staircase while you get your footing, "Your old man pills must be magic or something."

Eddie pulls back the blanket, scooching back against the cushions to make room for you to lay down next to him, "C'mere, baby."

C'mere, baby runs down your spine, making your throat catch. You make your way towards the couch, crawling in next to him. The living room is quiet, with just some early morning sun pooling into the windows -- like you two are the only people awake on the street this morning. He covers you up, wasting no time wrapping himself around you and pulling you into him, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah," you nod into his chest, the scent of his skin mixing with the faint smell of cirtus and cedar, "Did you?" "Normally I'm fine on the couch," he says, voice grizzly and sleepy, "But I didn't sleep a wink last night." "Oh, I'm sorry. I could've slept on the couch or I --" "No, it's not that," he shakes his head, catching your gaze, "Probably would've slept better if you were next to me." Your cheeks burn, a smile splittling across your face, "Well I'm here now."

"You are," he nods, leaning up to run his thumb over the apple of your cheek where a stray piece of glitter sits. Remnants of your makeup that you couldn't wash away.

"I'm um...sorry for how I acted last night," you confess, "That's not like -- that's not how I am."

"Don't be sorry," he assures quietly, "I understand." You're both quiet for a moment, the hum of the central air fuzzing the silence between you. "You're not just for fun, peach," he says, a seriousness to his normally playful voice, "I'm sorry I made you feel like that." "I um -- I'm sorry I kind of went a little insane," you shrug, feeling small, "I didn't mean to text all those times and then come here and cry and like --" "Stop apologizing," he says, thumb grazing your lower lip to stop you, "You were just feeling a way, that's okay. I get it." He takes his thumb away, leaning down to give you a kiss that sends you reeling. Warm and soft, delicate. His hands lead his arms around you again, smiling when you reach up to cup his cheek. "I like you," Eddie smirks against your mouth. "I like you, too," you smile when he breaks away. "The deli's open on the corner if you want me to run over and get a bacon, egg, and cheese," he offers quietly. "Why do I feel like you were gonna do that anyway?" you ask in the same tone. "I was," he grins again, "I just wanted to impress you by asking." He sits up, clamboring over you to get some coffee started so it'll be done by the time he gets back. You wait patiently for him, rolling your eyes while he shoves his socked feet in his slides, leaving the house in his pajamas of a t-shirt and black joggers. You prepare the coffees, feeling domestic like you live here -- getting used to where things are already.

He comes back twenty minutes later, sighing when the air conditioning hits him as the door opens, "It's already like, 80 degrees."

"Gross," you reply, face scrunching in the way that he likes, "Coffee is ready." "Oh, thank you." His eyes glitter at the gesture, seeing that you used the same mugs from when he had you over the first time. Those are his favorites, but you'll learn that eventually. The sandwhiches are tossed on the butcher block counter where you cried last night, but your embarrassment melts away when you feel him wrap himself around you again -- like he can't get enough. "I'm playing a show on Thursday at House of Yes," he says, "They're doing a metal theme'd night." "Yeah?" you ask, hands reaching for the plastic baggy and taking out both of your sadwhiches wrapped in foil. His arms still tight around your middle while you maneuver around your kitchen. "You should come," he asks, kissing the top of your head, "I'll get you a ticket."

"I don't know if that's really my scene," you shrug, twisting in his hold to face him, "I'm not like -- I'm not cool and underground like that." "So?" he quirks his brow, "You can be cool and underground for one night to hang out with your hottie rockstar boy-toy."

"That's so gross that you described yourself that way," you laugh, pushing out of his hug and opening your sandwhich, "Like, so cringey, babe." "Babe," he repeats back to you, "I like that. You can call me 'babe' whenever you want." "Duly noted," you agree, teeth sinking into the bread of the roll and breaking into the warm and gooey center. The jumble in your stomach starting to fade away while the grease of the egg soothes it. Eddie takes his sandwhich and coffee to the living room, taking his phone off the coffee table to open up his text conversation with Steve:

she called me babe.

i literally can't even breathe right now.

prev | next

[sonoyoung]

Meadow ❀༉‧

non idol!crush!mingyu x gn!reader | fluff + friends to lovers | 1.0k | slow dancing - pow

a/n. i am back again after impulsively deleting my account for the 3rd time, i truly do believe this time i will stay, i just have to stop being a hater !! also the lets dance part is just me being obsessed with emma stone :)

When the feelings started rushing in, when you realized you were starting to grow feelings for your friend, Mingyu, you figured they would pass just as quickly as they came, that you would have to tell him because feelings could be concealed but now it was unclear. The feelings that you wanted to keep tucked away so badly were slowly dictating your behaviour around him, even he was noticing the change.

It was probably closer to the time you woke up than the time you went to sleep by now, you had been pumping your blood with alcohol of all sorts hoping maybe you could spend one night where the primary thought in your head wasn’t your friend, and perhaps it had worked out for the majority of the night but it wasn’t working it’s effects anymore.

Here you were once again alone with him, somehow through all your avoiding you found him and mentioned the field you had seen earlier on your way there, consequently you were now surrounded by tiny drops of yellow and white in a vast field of green and of course you were with him.

“We could just stay for the sunrise, this is really beautiful” he smiled looking out to the horizon where far at the end of all the daisies you could see the brightness peaking in, you nodded, it felt like a scenery that was begging you to erupt all your dumb emotions, this is where people confessed, in a nice scenery far away from any distractions.

A faint melody brought your attention back to him, he had been watching you stare at the view, towering above him as he sat on the grass, he knew something was on your mind and had been for a while but he also knew you didn’t want to talk about it so he just looked carefully when he knew you wouldn’t see it, trying to reassure himself that you were okay and you just needed some time for the words to freely flow out.

Mingyu didn’t mind waiting for that moment as long as he could be by your side in the process, he would be patient for you, it was the least he could do, he cared so much about you it sometimes hurt. He wasn’t sure if you knew this or if it was something to share with you. He never knew how much was too much with you, and he didn’t want to scare you off, if the way his heart melts at the sight of your smile was too much.

Listening to the quiet music from his phone surrounding the both of you as you soaked in the moment, you finally made up your mind it felt like all the signs were pointing to it, you wanted to make sure you had savoured your friendship even if your words ended it all today. You stood up brushing off every thought, just to enjoy this at least, smiling at him as you shake your shoulders playfully along to the beat of the song playing.

“Oh my God Mingyu, get up here! Let’s dance,” looking up at you from his spot in the grass, smiling so adoringly loving every minute of your little show before taking your hand stretched out for him to join you, “let’s dance”.

As if you had totally gotten rid off the encumbering thoughts that had been plaguing you, you danced to the music carefreely not even minding the distance between you, laughing at the absurdity of the situation, at the stupid moves you’d form trying to freestyle through it. As the tempo changes, slowing down you almost retrieve back to the green, but he takes your wrist gently pulling you closer, placing it on his shoulder, swaying to the jazzy tune. Now your eyes had met and there was no escaping this, his soft smile was enough to put you at ease, you let your arms rest on his shoulders, holding your hands together behind his neck.

You could see the yellow sun splash against the daisy meadow, the light hitting your back sun beams shining through the gaps in your hair, his eyes were glistening almost shining back the light on you, he was so beautiful in this filter, that was all you could think.

“I might be the luckiest man alive” his voice is quiet almost silent mumbling those words, you tilt your head amused by his remark, “this is a such beautiful view” he told you keeping his gaze fixed on yours, you let out a quiet “oh”, the feeling of your cheeks heating up from the sudden realization had your eyes bouncing around unable to maintain the contact, but it felt useless when you were standing so close. You hadn’t realized how close he was, how his hands held onto your waist like you were the most delicate thing in the world.

He studied your face as you stood there your chest heaving against his, trying to keep any absurd thoughts away, but the proximity made it so hard to focus, the music could have stopped but your focus was elsewhere. You wanted so badly for him to do something, say something anything to save you from yourself, you could only hold back for so long, as much as you wanted to escape from the situation you wanted to stay even more, just to see.

The soft gasp escaping your lips from the feeling of his hand against your neck sliding his fingers gently to your nape, letting them into your hair, you could barely hide the anticipation in your face as he leaned in closer, looking at your face, his gaze bouncing from your eyes to your lips for confirmation, a slight part in your lips and it was done. It felt like dancing once again, the way his lips pressed so gently yet passionately against yours. His hand on your waist massaging you softly along with his kisses, exchanging breaths as you pull away.

“Kiss me more?” you plead as you lean in closer so easily drawn to his lips again.

ty for reading feedback is much appreciated

[alfredo0724]

Final Timeline Headcanons pt 2

Here's a continuation of my headcanons for the final timeline 💕

Manga spoilers below -

Part one Part three

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The Haitani brothers and the Kawata twins have a love-hate friendship. Nahoya bickers with them while Souya is more relaxed. They spend time with each other outside of Toman meetings at restaurants. The Haitanis invite them to parties sometimes.

Yumi and Pah have a very wholesome and soft relationship. They didn't put a label on their relationship in the beginning, people already assumed they were a couple. It was like that until Pah was asked about it by his close friends. He formally asked Yumi to be his girlfriend after that.

Yasuda is the one that asks out Peh-Yan. Mitsuya knew they liked each other all along and both of them confided in him before they started a relationship. Yasuda becomes protective of Peh in a 'tsudnere' way. Peh-yan doesn't admit it all the time, but he likes doing cliche relationship things with her.

If Takemichi and Hina were to ever have kids, they would all look exactly like Takemichi. Hina often teases him that he cries more than their kids when they were babies, which is true.

The Sano house became a popular spot for sleepovers when everyone was really young. Shinichiro made sure to have enough sleeping bags for Mikey, Takemichi, Sanzu, Baji, Izana and Kakucho. Senju and Emma would have their own sleepover and often had to kick Mikey out when he came to steal their snacks.

Since Ryusei is canon to the story, I think he would come by Peke J land a lot in the future. Mostly to annoy Chifuyu on purpose.

When Draken and Emma have their kid, all the ex-toman members become very protective of them. Mitsuya personally makes clothes for their child that aren't in his brand. The baby refers to Mitsuya as an uncle sometimes. Hina also becomes very close with their baby too. She volunteers to take care of them when Draken and Emma go on dates. Their baby refers to her as an aunt sometimes too.

I think Emma may have confessed to Draken first. She was getting anxious about how he felt about her, so Takemichi and Hina convinced her it would all work out just fine.

When Draken and Emma started dating, her brothers all reacted differently. Mikey was finally relieved the secret was out, Shinichiro was very happy Emma was with someone he knew would be good for her, and Izana became a bit protective of her and kind of threatened Draken if he were to hurt her, which he obviously never would.

Thousand Winters still forms after Toman disbands. Their reactions are all pretty much the same. They've got a photo album with pictures they all took in the t-shirts. However, it took a lot of convincing for Inui to be in the pictures.

Sanzu and Senju often wear clothing that closely matches with one another. They have their own sense of style, but sometimes it blends together and they wear similar things.

Luna and Mana are still very close with Taiju. He picks them up from school a lot and takes them to amusement parks and stuff. However, he doesn't like to admit he enjoys it even though everyone else knows he does. Yuzuha and Hakkai have dozens of photos where he's dressed in costumes or wearing cosmetics when Luna and Mana ask him too. When they're older, they sometimes still call him 'Tai' (the nickname they used in the birthday illustration).

Taiju is good at cooking, but he sucks at baking like the epilogue mentioned. He does thinks like burn chocolate, doesn't use enough flower or even squeezes piping bags too hard, causing them to explode.

Yuzuha is an older sister figure to Luna and Mana. She takes them shopping for clothes, teaches them how to put on makeup when they're older and watches over them while they grow up.

[rollingsins]

three's a crowd, part seven

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven | part eight | part nine | part ten (epilogue)

summary: you hadn’t expected this. to fall in love. with not one girl, but two. you hadn’t expected to ruin their friendship. love triangle au. 

pairing: emma myers x reader, jenna ortega x reader

warnings: language, angst.

word count: 3k

a/n: couple more chapters to go, and then we're finito. Love hearing your thoughts, as always, don't be afraid to hit that ask box!

The rest of the week passes by in a blur. 

You cry yourself to sleep the first night. 

Lay wide awake for the second. 

Memories flash by like nightmares. Emma and her sweet smile, walking you home that first night. Emma and her blue eyes, sparkling pretty as she’d kissed you. 

Her lips. Soft, so so addictive. 

Her voice, quiet. Shy. 

The feel of her under you, on top of you, near you.  

The look in her eyes when she’d realized you’d betrayed her. 

The sneer in her voice as she all but called you a whore to your face. 

The heavy finality in her voice as she’d told you she was done with you. 

It’s too much. You feel it all too much. 

Anger, at yourself. Hatred, towards yourself. 

Grief, loss, hurt, despair. Everything. 

So you lock yourself away like a hermit. Your apartment is your shell. You don’t have to film, thank god, so you don’t leave. Spend hours toiling in bed, staring at the ceiling. Taking long, hot showers. So hot the water scalds your skin. 

It feels good to hurt. 

It feels cathartic, like the physical pain will take you away from the grief swirling in your chest, if only for a moment. 

Georgie calls but you don’t answer. Joy calls but you hit decline. Hunter calls and you laugh. 

By the third day, people are knocking at your door, shouting at you to come out. 

Not Emma, not Johnna and not Jenna. 

But everyone else. 

You don’t care. Let them stand out in the hall shouting. 

You just want to leave this set and these people. You want to never see any of them again. 

Maybe Georgie. Definitely Georgie. 

But everybody else? You’ll pass. 

Definitely not Emma. Definitely not Johnna. 

It hurts to think about Jenna so you don’t. Let yourself stew in your own self-hatred instead. 

Maybe you’ll become a painter, you muse, laying in your bathtub, fully clothed, the fourth night. Tortured artist sounded like a fun gig, you were already half-way there. You’d buy a house in the middle of nowhere and never look at any girl twice again. It was better that way. 

It would hurt less. 

You let yourself imagine for a moment. And then the buzz of your phone jolts you back to reality. 

You almost hit decline straight away. No doubt it’s Georgie again, despite your explicit message you didn’t want to talk. 

Your fingers hover over the phone as you read the caller name. Your heart seizes. Anxiety washes through your body. 

It’s Jenna. 

She hadn’t called, not yet. Not texts, no voicemails. 

You don’t even know if she knows. But she must, why else would she call you? 

You bite your lip, then accept the call. 

“Hello?”

“YN,” Her voice is low. She sounds a little surprised, like she didn’t expect you to answer. You feel yourself start to sweat, grip the edges of the tub, “I’d ask how you are but-”

“You know then.” You say. 

She pauses. 

“Georgie told me.” 

That two-faced little weasel. 

“-Don’t be mad at him,” She says, hurriedly, as if she can read your mind, “He’s really worried about you, he says you won’t answer your phone. It’s the only reason he told me.” 

You bite your lip, vitriol at him softening. 

“Does everybody know then?” You ask, though you already know the answer. 

The slew of missed calls and cast members trying bang down your door tells you the answer. 

“They’re worried about you,” Jenna says, “We’re all worried about you.” 

“Even her?” You say after a long moment. 

Jenna pauses. 

“Especially her.” 

“She hasn’t even bothered to call,” You bite back. 

Jenna says, “She’s afraid that if she calls you-“

“I’ll what?” you ask, “Throw myself off the balcony or something?” 

Jenna pauses. 

“She just doesn’t want to upset you anymore” 

You pause, mind reeling, for Jenna to know this she’d have to have spoken to Emma. There’s a thought, niggling deep in your stomach. It gnaws, you want answers. 

“What did you say to her?” You ask, brows furrowed, “When we came around on Saturday. She was fine and then you spoke to her.” 

Jenna pauses. 

“I don’t…” She trails off. 

“Did you ask her to break up with me?” You ask, desperately. You want to understand. You need to understand. 

“No,” Is all she says. 

She doesn’t bother to elaborate. It makes you furious. A tired kind of furious. A silent kind of furious. The taste in your mouth is sour and you don’t want to talk to her anymore. 

Not if she won’t be honest with you. 

“Well, this has been fun,” You say, “Good chat. Thanks for checking in or whatever-“ 

“YN-“ Jenna says, voice sharp. She wants to say something, you can tell by her tone. 

You wait a moment. 

But she doesn’t speak. The only sound is the hum of your refrigerator and her sharp intake of breath. 

“Goodbye, Jenna.” You say, and hang up the phone. 

-

On the fifth day, Georgie breaks the door down. 

Literally. 

“Sorry,” He says, a little out of breath as you stare at him from your spot on the sofa, “Just needed to check you were still alive.”

He hugs you. Tight. So tight you find it hard to breathe. 

Then, he settles in beside you. Close, like he’s scared you’ll run away. 

“We’ve missed you on set,” He says. 

You cross your arms, “I wasn’t on the call sheet,” You say, “It’s my week off.”

Georgie hums. 

“You could have answered your phone,” He says, “Everyone’s worried.” 

“So I’ve heard.” You grumble. You sink back into the sofa, “What about Johnna? I bet she’s doing somersaults.”

“Everyone.” He insists. He squeezes your hand, “It’s a shitty, complicated situation, but no one wants you to not be okay. Even Johnna.” 

You hum. 

And don’t believe him. 

You don’t know what Johnna knows about your relationship with Emma, but it isn’t hard to imagine she’s thrilled with the lack of competition. Emma all to herself.

Is Emma with her now? Is Johnna holding her while she cries, soothing her upset with kisses? Kisses that should have been yours. Or maybe Emma’s not upset at all. Maybe she’s perfectly happy, fucking Johnna the way she used to fuck you. 

You imagine them entwined, Emma kissing her so softly. 

You sink back into the sofa, a wave of sickness flooding through you.  

Georgie cuts into your internal crisis with a squeeze of your shoulder. 

“Jenna told me she called you yesterday,” Georgie says, voice quiet, “She said you weren’t doing good.” 

“So you decided to break my door?” You ask, gesturing madly to the wreck on the floor. 

“It’ll teach you to answer your phone,” Georgie says with a shrug, “So how are you doing? Really?”

“Peachy.” You mumble. 

Georgie raises an eyebrow. 

“You know you’re shooting Friday, right?” He asks, “I checked. And we’ll all be there.”

You’d forgotten about that. The thought of walking on set with everybody knowing exactly what’s happened makes you want to sink into the sofa and never come out. 

Georgie rubs your back. 

“Everyone’s worried,” He repeats, “And we’re all here for you. You don’t have anything to be nervous about.” 

But you are nervous. 

You’re nervous when you go to sleep that night. 

You’re nervous the next day, and the day after.  

And when Friday rolls around, you’re so anxious you’re considering quitting the production all together. 

Being sued for breach of contract sounds a lot better than having to look Emma in the eye and pretend to be her love interest for eight hours. 

Emma isn’t there when you finally muster the strength to show up. 

You’re early - it’s all crew members and extras. And Joy - who you forgot has the habit of showing up thirty minutes early for everything. 

She hasn’t really spoken much to you, since the entire blow-out with Jenna and Emma went down. 

It’s understandable - you hate you too, why wouldn’t everyone else? 

But she doesn’t look like she hates you when she approaches. 

Her look is softer. Reserved. Pitying. 

You’d prefer the hatred. 

“Emma told us about everything,” She says. She rubs your arm, “I hope you’re doing okay. Everyone’s been worried about you.” 

“So I keep hearing,” You mumble. 

She pauses. Surveys you. 

“I know you don’t care what I think,” She says, voice a little hesitant, “And you shouldn’t. It’s none of my business. But your heart wasn’t in it. We could all tell.” 

You’re right, it’s not your business, you want to snap back. 

You refrain. This day is going to be hard enough and the last thing you need is more enemies on this set. 

“Sure,” You offer, a little lame. Joy squeezes your arm. 

-

The rest of the cast filter in one by one. 

Hunter hugs you. Georgie brings you a coffee and sits with you while the crew set up. 

He mumbles something, standing up to excuse himself after a while. You’re confused - until you see Jenna approaching. 

Damn you, Georgie, you curse internally. 

He hovers by the craft services table, peering back at you over his shoulder. 

You’d pull the finger at him if Jenna wasn’t staring down at you, body language tight. Hesitant. Like she’s not sure if she should be talking to you. 

You look up at her, watch the way she plays with her fingers. 

“How are you?” She asks.  She’s worried. You can tell by the way her eyes are flitting between yours. 

“Fine.” You say, “Ready to shoot.” 

Jenna stares for a moment. Then lowers her voice. 

“You can talk to me, you know,” Jenna says, voice soft, “I care about you, still. If you’re not doing well-”

“What did you say to Emma?” You ask, unable to keep it in any longer, “On the balcony? I know you said you didn’t ask her to break up with me but you must have said something for her to do it.” 

She blinks. Her shoulders tense. 

“I didn’t say anything bad,” Is all she offers, “I didn’t ask her to break up with you, I already told you-“ 

“But what did you say?” You ask, voice a little desperate. You need to know. It’s eating you alive. Emma had been fine. Happy, even. Soft, almost romantic with you. 

And then one conversation and she’d frozen over. 

“Nothing bad.” She repeats, her voice soft. 

She isn’t going to tell you, that much is clear. It pisses you off in a way that is maybe a little unfair. She doesn’t owe you anything, sure. Their conversation was private. 

But it was clearly about you. 

You look down at your phone, put your headphones back in. 

“I’m fine, you don’t have to keep checking,” You say. There’s a bite in your voice that makes her flinch, “Let’s not make this any more awkward than it already is.” 

-

Emma arrives a little later. 

You’re able to avoid her for most of the morning. Ducking out to the bathroom when it’s not your time to shoot. Clinging to Georgie like a shield whenever she gets a little too close. 

This afternoon, you’ll have to shoot with her. You’ve been dreading it all day. 

Your scenes with her are supposed to be romantic. But you can’t even look at her without your chest seizing and your palms getting sweaty. 

Like the world is playing some sort of sick joke on you. Karma, perhaps.

“Just talk to her and get it over with.” Georgie tells you all day, but you don’t listen.

You let it fester. This awkward, uncomfortable feeling that rots in you. 

In the end, it’s her who approaches first. 

You’re sitting out on the lawn by yourself, earphones in. Trying to drown your sorrows in angsty 80s music with your eyes closed. 

The world shut off. 

And then you feel her squeeze in next to you. 

You open your eyes, heartbeat quickening. She doesn’t say anything for a moment, just watches as you tug out your earphones, mouth dry. 

“Hey,” She says, settling into the spot beside you, “How are you?”

The audacity of the question almost makes you laugh. 

“How do you think I am?” You say. It comes out grouchier than you intended. You curl your arms around your knees, “I’m sad.” 

She hums. 

Leans back into her hands. She looks out into the distance, to where a crew member is wheeling a tub of fake blood onto set. Another person lifts a giant gargoyle onto a crane. An extra with a fake axe through their head passes by. 

Set is bizarre, and somehow it fits your depressive mood.  

“You’re not sad because I broke up with you,” Emma says, peering over at you. She lifts a hand to her eye to block out the sun. 

You stare. 

“Yes, I am.” 

She shakes her head. 

“You’ve been sad for a while. And it doesn’t have much to do with me.” 

It’s coming, you can feel it. The “J” word. You hug your knees, hoping if you look too distraught, she’ll fly past it. 

It doesn’t work. 

“You’re sad because you’re not with Jenna.” 

You let out a sharp intake of breath. You can’t even think about Jenna right now. You don’t want to think about her. About what could have been. 

“We would have been so in love,” She’d murmured, ghost of a smile on her lips. 

It makes you ache. 

You'd given it all away to someone who didn't even want you anymore.

Karma, sings out that little voice in your head, again.

You swallow.

“We don’t have to talk about her.” You say, sitting up properly. You fiddle with the cord of your earphones. You want this conversation to be over. 

“It’s fine, YN.” Emma says, “I’m not mad anymore. Or upset. Or jealous.” 

She nudges your arm, glint of a smile on her lips. 

“Not like before.” 

“Because you don’t want me anymore?” You say, eyebrows furrowed. 

She looks away. 

“I did want you, you know that.” 

“But not anymore?” You press. 

She’s quiet for a moment.  

“I want someone who wants me back,” She says, simply, “Someone who isn’t confused. Someone who doesn’t like someone else.” 

“-Someone like Johnna.” You say, voice flat. 

She shoots you a pained smile. 

“Don’t be jealous.” She says, “You don’t want me, not really. You liked being liked, that’s all.” 

It makes you stare.

“That’s not true,” You say, sitting up, “I did like you, Emma. I do like you. I just-“ 

“Liked her more.” Emma says, after a moment. Her gaze is pensive, “It’s okay, you can say it.” 

You drop down onto your back. Stare up at the sky. 

“You should tell her.” 

“I should tell her?” You ask, a little dubious. 

“How much you like her.” Emma says. 

The words are strange, coming from her lips. You wait a bit for the punchline. But it never comes. She’s calm. At peace. Not a hint of jealousy in her tone.  

“Too much has happened,” Is what you say after a careful moment, “If it was meant to be- it wouldn’t have been so messy.” 

Emma purses her lips. 

“It’s messy because I made it messy,” She says, quietly. 

“I made it messy.” You correct her, “You didn’t do anything wrong.” 

“Except I pursued you knowing Jenna liked you.” Emma says, biting her lip, “Knowing you liked her back. I got involved because - I don’t know. I liked you so much and I thought- I don’t know what I thought.” 

You lean back. Try to gauge her face. She doesn’t look sad, not like you. She’s pensieve. Reflective. 

“Jenna’s useless at this kind of thing. I knew she’d never tell you and I used that to take you for myself.” Emma admits, “I thought she’d get over you. I thought it was a crush. If I had known-“

She trails off. Sits back on her hands.

“If you had known what?”

“You should talk to Jenna,” Emma just says, staring down at her fingers, “You should tell her how you feel about her.” 

“She knows.” Is all you say. 

Emma leans back. 

“Does she?”

Her gaze is so piercing you have to look away. 

“Why are you trying to set us up anyway?” You ask, “Aren’t you supposed to hate us or something?”

Emma hums. 

“I don’t hate you,” She says, “And I don’t hate her. I was angry at her for so long. But maybe she should be angry with me too. Maybe you both should.”

You don’t know what to say so you don’t say anything. 

It’s too much. You want to go back to your hermit cave-apartment and drink yourself to sleep. These emotions you’re having, you don’t want them anymore. 

Emma curls her fingers around a strand of grass. Plucks it out of the ground, absent-mindedly. She lets out a long sigh. 

“I thought I could get between you,” She says voice heavy, “I thought I could redirect you to me. But that isn’t how it works, I know that now. When two stars collide everything around it turns to dust.”

She has a penchant for the dramatic. But you don’t bother to correct her. There’s something else on your mind. 

“What did Jenna say to you on the balcony?” You ask, eyes flitting between hers. 

She’s being so open. So candid. An Emma you almost forgot existed. If there is ever a time to get it out of her, it’s right now. 

She purses her lips and looks away. 

Your heart sinks as you realize she’s not going to give you the answers you so desperately need.

“You should ask her.”

“I already did.” You say, aggravated, “She won’t tell me.” 

“I’m sure she’ll tell you when she’s ready,” Emma says, simply. She brushes the grass off her jeans as she sits up. She holds out a hand for you. 

“Come on. I think shooting is about to start.”

You stare at her open palm. Look up at her. 

She isn’t angry, not sad or hurt. She’s your Emma again, sweet, kind, loyal. She’s the Emma you could have had, before you ruined it all. 

“I’m really sorry, Emma,” You say, voice quiet, “For everything.”

She smiles at you, curls her hand around yours. 

“Me too.”

Next part

[isadollie]

hi! i saw that your reqs are open and i really wanted to ask if you could write something for manjiro! the reader being adopted by the sanos and you showing their friendship and how mikey acts like a big brother (by 1 year c:) its okay if u dont wanna write it!!

big brother, again

— [manjiro sano]

platonic, mikey as an older brother, gn!reader

When Manjiro first met you, he wasn't sure.

He had a feeling that you appeared almost out of nowhere; he used to run around causing chaos with Baji, exploring the world together. But when he got back home, tired after spending a whole day with his friend, the house suddenly felt smaller.

He became a brother? Again?

Manjiro wasn't the tallest kid in area, yet you seemed so small to him. So little, so... different.

He already got used to Emma, he started to like, even love her and take care of her. But now he has to adapt to a new situation all over again.

When Manjiro first met you, he wasn't sure.

He talked about it to his friends, even introduced you to them, but you seemed so shy it was almost frustrating. His friends just greeted you politely and didn't think much of it. But Manjiro couldn't quite understand it.

He saw how you play with Emma, making cute little bracelets together, for each other, and for different people as well. He saw Shinichiro laughing with joy as you handed him his own little beaded bracelet.

Manjiro couldn't help but scoff. How come everyone accepted you so quickly?

When Manjiro first met you, he wasn't sure.

One time when he was practicing his fighting with Baji, he wanted to shout at you, when you entered and disturbed. He became speechless though, when he saw how you offer another of those little beaded bracelets to Baji. It even had his name on it.

After you quickly ran off, Baji just laughed, throwing the tiny piece of jewelry to the ground. Manjiro's eyes widened.

How dare he treat his little sibling like that? How dare he throw your work, your courage, your feelings to the ground like they mean nothing?

Manjiro didn't feel like explaining his reasons. He simply told his friend to leave. He couldn't understand his own behavior.

When Manjiro first met you, he wasn't sure.

After wandering around the town for a few hours, he came back home. All he wanted was just to shut himself in his room and think about his feelings.

He saw a little bag on his desk; something that wasn't there when he left earlier. His eyes widened dramatically as he opened it.

A bracelet. Just for him.

The small beads were shining in different colors. Some of them had tiny letters on them, spelling the words "big brother".

Inside the bag, there was also a little note, written in an unprecise handwriting.

"I'm sorry you had to wait for so long. I wanted the one for you to be perfect"

Manjiro looked down on his wrist, where he put on the bracelet just a few seconds ago. It's not the prettiest, not his style, not in his favourite color. But he couldn't care less. And he won't ever want to take it off again.

When Manjiro first met you, he wasn't sure.

But now he is.

He knows he has another little sibling, another addition to the list of people he promised himself he'll protect, no matter the cost.

Another person he will fail to protect.

hello anon!! i know this isn't exactly what you wanted but i hope you like it anyway:)

if you want to request something too, check out the pinned post on my blog!!

[taus-inc]

My thoughts and feelings on Uglies the movie

I'm starting to think I understand a bit of how people who read Percy Jackson before watching the movies feel. Uglies was... a movie. I have thoughts that I wanna share with a condensed version of my rant with the notes I took at the very bottom. I know in the end it's just a movie but at the moment it's important to me. Obviously SPOILERS for Uglies, the book (mainly the first one) and the movie.

I want to start with the things I liked since that's a much shorter list.

i LOOVEE the casting for Dr. Cable as Laverne Cox, Keith Powers as David, Brianne Tju as Shay. I also like the casting for David's parents, Croy, Sussy, Dex and An.

Not all the design elements hit for me but the look and sound of the hover cars and boards i really liked. As well as how the interface rings looked and worked, kinda showing how easy it was for things to be "hacked". The look of the operation tank wasn't something I thought too hard about but I like how they brought it to life. And "THE SMOKE LIVES" was beautifully done. While reading the books I imagined something more childish given the sparklers but the movie did them wonderfully.

And something small and rather insignificant, Tally telling Shay that Peris was the one who gave her the necklace makes a little more sense than some random person giving it to her and her caring enough to wear it all the way to the Smoke.

Now... on to the nitty gritty of the things I didn't like as much. Some are kinda nitpicky so take my word with a grain of salt as these are all just my personal opinions. I took notes as I watched so they will kind of be in chronological order.

First is the casting of Tally and Peris. I knew when I saw the trailers I wouldn't like Joey King as Tally Youngblood, I don't think she's that bad of an actress, she just doesn't fit my vision of Tally. I like alternatives of someone like HAVANA ROSE LIU !!!, Sophia Lillis, Emma Myers, Paris Berelc, Chandler Kinney, Inde Navarrette, Talia Ryder, Quintessa Swindell. Basically, anyone other than Joey King. Someone I could see being book 1 Tally but also becoming who she was in later books. And for Peris maybe someone like Archie Renaux, Archie Madekwe, Nico Hiraga, Brodie Townsend, Connor Sherry, maybe a Finn Little or even a Charlie Plummer. Clearly, I don't have a set look for these characters just vibes.

I don't like that Dr. Cable is a public figurehead. Most of the things she does and are capable of are because she's more secretive. She's a manipulator who works behind the scenes. I could've appreciated it if they had done more with it and made it a purposeful change but like many other things I don't see the point in it.

Tally's relationships with anyone are honestly one of the most disappointing things done and my #1 gripe with this movie. It just does not make me care at all. We're missing so many vital scenes that I'm sure they couldn't fit all of them in but because of what they cut out I couldn't buy into them as people. Everything just felt so temporary and non concrete. I know it was probably to save money from actors ( f you btw netflix) but I'm sad the only other scene with Tally's parents, them convincing her to give up Shay and the Smoke, was missing. Her and Peris' relationship falls very one note and her and Shay's just falls flat. No real friendship between the two, bonding over feeling lonely and (at least to Tally) beginning their next step to prettiness together. Shay's constant reassurance that she doesn't think Tally is ugly and how she feels about keeping her original face because she doesn't think of herself as ugly either. Shay's anger is completely missing for me when in the book it was a very big thing considering how much Tally's betrayal cost her. The same anger thing with Maddy happened too but more on that later. Even with Dr. Cable manipulating her I think it was so poorly done. She just straight up lied to her about what was going on in the Smoke instead of using everything Tally had wanted for the last 16 years against her.

Next is what I think to be one another major failing on the movie that I have to force myself to understand that they simply didn't have time for but.. Cutting basically all of Tally's journey to the Smoke really hurt me because I feel like throughout all the books Tally's relationship and outlook on the wild is some of the most important because it shows a lot about who she is as a person when she really has to be alone with herself in such dangerous conditions and situations. The wild is always the start of her radicalization and her free thinking. It helps her be more open about the Smoke and it honestly informs a lot of her decisions later down the line. Her puzzling through Shay's note and learning to survive (with the help of some city things) were very detrimental and sad almost none of it made it into the script. And they didn't even get the note right!!

Short and to the point- replacing the rangers who helped Tally (and gave lowkey clues about what she learns later) with the Smokies.. Again, I understand time and money restraints but still Ugh!

Them making Croy immediately overly aggressive and skeptical of Tally also just takes away from his character. Even in the books we have little to go on, but I think taking away making him slowly put pieces together about Tally's stories and the math of the SpagBols simply not mathing is a small but disappointing takeaway.

The entire time in the Smoke went by wayy too fast, they never let you or Tally just sit and exist with the people living there already so again i just don't care that it was raided! We missed out on Tally discovering the people who lived there along with more of her relationship with Shay being discarded. Taking out the library, Tally discovering all of the people and faces from before through books and magazines and the man who looked over all of that. Which flattens her character more seeing as that was one of the first deaths she experiences that she feels is her fault. Tally meeting David's parents felt rushed and their conversation about the lesions just felt like it was her entire reason for suddenly not wanting to listen to Dr. Cable instead of her forming her own opinions and that being her final straw.

Something the movie loved to do was take away so many crucial parts of the story, a major thing being the raid of The Smoke. In the movie it happens so quickly even though I'm sure they could've included a majority of it. Tally's desperation in fighting for something she had inadvertently helped destroy, her and the Boss fighting to protect the last of the books and her watching him get killed because of it. Because of her. Her getting captured and gaining trust and respect from people (Croy!) who previously doubted her, but at the same time her relationship with Shay hitting the fan because she instantly knew Tally was at fault. Her being smart enough to outwit and out maneuver a Special Circumstance soldier and escape. Her hiding in the cave with David. Her coming back to see Croy had convinced people to leave their shoes because she didn't have any while hoverboarding away. All which fuels her guilt and need to protect and rebuild The Smoke seeing as she felt it her fault. In the movie she hid out in the open.. ran out screaming when Az was killed... outed what she had done in front of everyone. Then she blew up a building and Dr. Cable literally just let her go for no apparent reason. David finding out what she had done and what she caused should've warranted more anger but of course we get none of that. Next we just jump into helping the captured Smokies escape and Tally's crazy ass plan that actually helped show the depth of how smart she is was glazed over. We lose the reveal of Dr. Cable testing on Az causing him to pass away which, on top of being a doctor, fuels Maddy's need to have someone give informed consent before testing the cure for the lesions. The movie also took Maddy rightful anger toward Tally away from her. It might seem small in the grand scheme of things but agreeing to be the test subject for an untested brain alter for a woman who dislikes you for having a part in her husband dying is a step in her trying to earn forgiveness.

Shay's reveal to be turned pretty was completely under done and felt because of the lack of depth they gave to her character along with her relationship with Tally. Shay never wanted to be turned pretty and Tally is a big part of the reason her choice was taken away from her. Her becoming pretty was another thing that made Tally completely regret all that she had done and showed more of the ripple effect of the consequences of her actions. Plus that fuck ass wig and ugly silver dress they had her running around in !!

Overall so many of the choices made by netflix just lets me know they never intended on continuing the series in future movies regardless of the outcome of this one. Like them making Peris special and then killing him off ??!! The Specials having special suits and not special bodies. Changing out the rangers to not expand on the lore. ((Edit: The flowers being made by the cities actually does so much to harm the story which also explains why they removed the rangers because it was cities fighting against yet ANOTHER rusty invention that was destroying the world. The cities (who knows how many) were fighting to preserve nature which lends to them dulling people to slow down their overconsumption and later Tally's mission to make sure the wild was protected when people eventually got their free will back.)) Making the ending open ended because there was no way they could fully close it out because of the nature of the books but every other choice felt so definitive as to an ending and nothing more, like showing Tally pretty at the end when the closing of the book was just her surrendering. The movie itself didn't expand on even just the first books’ lore and it just felt like an extremely lukewarm version of the story that happens over a 30 minute period even though the movie is an hour and a half long. Everything felt rushed and not true to Uglies the book at all and it upsets me to see these books introduced to people in this way.

Ok, rant over. Peace out.

───────────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆───────────

TLDR, my sparknote ver.

Things I liked:

Lavern Cox as Dr. Cable

Keith Powers as David

Brianne Tju as Shay

Design of the hover cars and boards

Design of the operation tanks

Design of the "THE SMOKE LIVES" message

Thing I did Not like:

how this movie is a TERRIBLE introduction into this world

their failed attempts at humor

joey king as tally youngblood

dr. cable being a public figure head

the montage that skips basically all the world building

tally and shays watered down relationship

tally and davids watered down relationship

tally's parents not coming to see her before peris and really showing she was pushed into working with dr. cable

making the crash bracelets work like a bungee jacket and not using the mechanics from the book

dr cable lying abt what david and the smoke were doing to that extent

montage of the tallys journey in the wild

replacing the rangers with smokies

croy being over aggressive abt not trusting tally when he was sly and smart abt figuring out her story doesn't make sense

david just going "these are my parents" and no one clarifying their names

tally not slowly coming to realize that the smoke isn't that bad and her doubts before learning abt the lesions

the talk abt the lesions

peris being special

the attack on the smoke

not meeting the boss who keeps track of the books/magazines

tally and david hiding out in the open during the attack on the smoke

peris killing az bc az dying from medical testing was important !!! + az's "wah are yu doin"

tally outing herself in front of everyone 😒 + her dumbass escape scene bc she literally just got let go

not explaining or using tally's very smart plan to get into special headquarters

no pretty speak

shays ATROCIOUS ASS WIG that thing looks like a lego piece on her head and them contacts and that dumb ass dress

that glass breaking as soon as the fire touches it

the pt 2 of the solution being so easy to find and maddy not stealing dr. cables interface ring

the body suit for the specials bc their body is what made them special not the suits

joey king breaking up peris and david's fights was giving the fighting from the kissing booth

peris dying ??!!(!(!(

maddy not RIGHTFULLY being mad at tally for destroying her home and getting her husband killed

croy all of a sudden being on tallys side 

[bajibitch]

Older siblings and how they treat you. Platonic!

Nahoya, Manjiro, Ken, Rindou

✿ Nahoya

When you guys were younger, he hated you. Not enough to hurt you, but he did start little squabbles. He was envious of the attention you’d received from your parents since you were a couple of years younger. It wasn't until his father explained why it was happening that Nahoya started to accept the change.

Nahoya took his role as a big brother as seriously as a child could. He would teach you all the fun games he and Souya played and refrain from getting too competitive, even if he ended up doing a cool move. Sometimes he’d even get permission to take you to the park so you could enjoy the swings. He filled your childhood with precious memories.

When you guys are older, you don't hang out as often since you have different interests and friend groups, but he still makes time for you.

✿ Manjiro

When you arrived at the Sano residence, it was like transferring to a new high school after freshman year. The other siblings already had a strong connection, and you felt like an outsider. They had great friendships, so a lot of times they were outside playing while you were adjusting to your new home. It felt isolating in the beginning, until Manjiro started talking with you more.

He gave you space when you moved in since he learned with Emma that it can be a bit overwhelming at the start. He didn't want you to feel rushed, but after you’ve had some time alone he wants to know more about you. He doesn't ask questions surrounding your mother, they’re based on your interest and whether or not you were on a sports team.

Manjiro would walk with you as you're going to the store and fill you in on his personal landmarks. He’ll share the crazy stories that took place in the area and let you know the inside jokes that come with it. He doesn't shy away from the more embarrassing or gross moments he’s had. Some people may think it's oversharing but he just doesn't want to feel like a stranger to you for much longer.

✿Ken

Being in an area that’s not so child friendly, you relied on each other for entertainment. Whether it was playing one square or racing down the steps, it was fun as long as you had each other. Your relationship only grew stronger as the two of you grew older.

He doesn’t have an issue inviting you out with his friends. You don’t have to know them to have a nice time. Ken isn’t overprotective or sensitive, but he will let his friends know that he doesn’t want them joking with you. Sometimes they go far with each other, so he’d want them to learn what you’re comfortable with to prevent any problems.

✿Rindou

He isn't the most well-behaved kid, but he's more conscious of his actions when you're around him. He doesn't want you to pick up his bad habits of starting fights and talking trash. The last time you tried to be like him you nearly walked into another kid's fist. You were lucky Rindou was there to take the hit for you.

Rindou loves introducing you to new things! Not only do you gaze at him like he's the coolest person in the world, but it helps you grow closer to him. If you hate the new hobby he's shown you he won't care, experiencing it with you was nice on its own. It's only a matter of time before he finds the one thing you can't get enough of.

[graceblackthron]

What is your unpopular shadowhunter opinions 👁️👁️

okay let’s get to this *cracks knuckles*

i think clary and simon being parabatai kinda ruined for me. one thing i appreciated is that their friendship hadn’t need a magical rune binding them forever to be the kind of codependent best friends they are. their friendship was the core of tmi and it was so beautiful the sacrifices and how far they would go for each other that for me it was like a proof that you do not need to be parabatai to reach that level of love and connection with each other. them not needing a parabatai bond was the point, so when they became parabatais i was like meh. and their friendship lost their uniqueness.

thule. i hate everything related to it! it’s one of the reasons i still hate qoaad so much. it feels so unnecessary and forced. i know other dimensions concept has been introduced since tmi and it fits the whole fantasy stuff so i never minded that but parallel world? now you’re just pushing it. and the whole dystopian world we are shown in thule is so unserious to me. janus plot feels stupid as fuck and also this is one of the reasons i can’t care for ash like seriously the whole thing is just so dumb.

i never liked wessa individually sorry. only scenarios i can like wessa is in herongraystairs. which is not the case with jessa and heronstairs because i love both relationships individually and together as poly. but yeah wessa has never been my cup of tea

but this is not new actually. i’m not a fan of cc’s main couples ever. i have always preferred the side couples (but not always) or queer fanon ones, they always feel more natural whereas with the main couples i can’t help but feel like cc is trying too hard to tell the audience how perfect for each other they are instead of letting us see it for ourselves. i think kitty is the only main couple i’m actually seriously invested and i think it’s because they started as a side couple first.

i know everyone loves novellas about their favorite characters but i wish we had novellas from characters that aren’t already main/secondary characters in the sagas. like i wish we could get a novella about jonathan shadowhunter or just characters that are mentioned but not already shown.

people will call me bias but grace is truly by far one of the best characters in tsc (i would even dare to say her best female character at all) and i think a big part is because she wasn’t tied to a romance

which leads me to this point. i don’t think romance necessarily strips characters of their own individuals arcs (because there’s big exceptions: magnus. jem. jessamine. simon. to name a few) but a lot of the time, especially with main couples, the characters do end up feeling very reduced to romance only and it’s quite annoying.

i really wish julian had became a villain sorry that was such a wasted opportunity.

tessa and her powers feel so underutilized when she’s canonically one of the most powerful characters in the verse.

the parabatai to lovers trope should’ve been given to a mlm or wlw ship. listen the implications it would’ve had!! the metaphors and allegories for homophobia through the whole forbidden love punished by law. how you’re allowed to be the closest and have the deepest bond but also aren’t allowed to be romantic because it would be viewed gross (that talk between emma and sarah) and a perversion of the parabatai bond. THE POTENTIAL WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF CC!!!! i hope one day she tries or makes a novella about queer parabatais because it’s such an opportunity icb she fumbled it. idm if they die either because it would make it more tragic and i love that

i don’t want magnus or tessa to lose their immortality. personally i love the tragedy immortal x mortal romance brings and i think immortality in general is such a sad but at the same time beautiful concept, it brings the questions “is it worthy to love if it brings you pain later?” and for me the answer will always be yes. so i ate it up.

for the sake of my sanity i need that theory of dead shadowhunters coming back to life in twp to be FALSE. i’m sorry i can’t do it it sounds too much like a wattpad fix it fic. i don’t want it!

there’s honestly a lot more these are the ones i could remember as for right now so i apologize but yes, i have a lot

[co-mixed]

X-Men '97: Beyond Expectations

Let’s be honest, who was ready for this? 

Personally, I didn’t have many expectations. I knew it was X-men and I knew I’d love it probably no matter what. I had a fear it might be a little too clean and knowing full well what the comics are, making it child-appropriate wasn’t an ideal option. Should I even say the words “pleasantly surprised” at this point? They don’t cover it. 

X-Men ‘97 did something that’s been missing ever since the MCU started. It built the X-men fan community back up, brought in new fans, encouraged people to take a look at the X-titles again. We finally get to namedrop our favorite mutants, share ridiculous facts from their past, and yes, remember things like X-Men Evolution and Wolverine and the X-men. But then the show also showed us how heavily emotional and deep cartoons can be. 

Okay, enough vague statements, and no more avoiding spoilers.

The show really relies on the previously established lore with Charles being taken off-world to Shi’ar and the X-men left under Scott’s leadership. Or so he thinks. Right off the bat in the first episode, we get an epic X-fight like we’ve never seen and a cliffhanger with Magneto showing up. Not much of a shocker and yet, we’ve never seen the movies dare to do that (or anything that strays too far from Phoenix). Whenever that happens, Magneto trying to abandon his murdery radical ways, it always comes down to his clash with Charles. They really manage to make their decades-long disagreement everybody else’s problem. X-men usually pay the price. 

This time though, you finally see the creators working with the comics. We get so many storylines adapted in the span of 10 episodes, it’s unbelievable. That actually does follow the tradition set up by TAS. Only it’s been years, hence more stories and newer, harsher ones. 

To be honest, I never even imagined Genosha being adapted. Not just because it’s a heavy arc but because it’s just so obvious: when you mention Genosha you state the fact. We know what their goal is. It’s removing any ambiguity and allowing no misinterpretations of what the X-men are really and have always been about. So it’s a statement for sure. And I couldn’t be happier they finally made it. Correction, I could be happier if they hadn’t killed off Gambit. We’ll get back to that. 

So yeah, we got Genosha, OZT, Inferno, and Lifedeath (aside from minor elements and arcs I can’t particularly point out at the moment). So this show went to the depth of what makes X-men X-men, they took the personal arcs like Lifedeath or Inferno, the ones that focused on character journeys, and really showed us who the people are behind these stories. That’s mostly  Claremont’s legacy since both stories were from his era and it was his thing to take mutants through their personal hell. Bot arcs were compressed, of course, but the essence remained the same. Which, again is the only goal of an adaptation anyway. So some metaphors had to be sacrificed but ultimately, they just give you a chance to relive it through comics if you’re into it.

But then they hit us with big events like Genosha and OZT. They absolutely go as epic as any movie, because remember how you felt after ep.5? If you’re anything like me, you were devastated and if you’re a Gambit fan, you were shocked too. And this is one of the things that they didn’t just put aside and ignore, something that movies never focused on: the emotions. Throughout the show, the characters say several times that they’re a family. But we actually see that in the friendship between Storm and Jean (which come on, it’s been a long freaking time coming!), or Morph and Wolverine (that one resembles Wolverine’s friendship with Nightcrawler in the comics). But then in the love and drama between Scott and Jean (and Madelyne! And Logan! And probably Emma one day!), Storm and Forge, or Rogue and Gambit (and Magneto!).

Love and friendship - the genuine connections that make you care about the characters and how someone’s death or disappearance or even inner turmoil affects you. We see these things through their reactions, so for them to feel true, we have to see those connections. And here we finally do. Just like we do in the comics. I hope the eventual movie screenwriters keep that in mind because that’s the only way to build an X-men story, brick by brick. 

Look at the way Roro and Jean are cheering each other on, with mind and weather, and then when Phoenix shows up. 

X-men are a superhero soap opera and we all know that. And ffs let’s never again pretend like it isn’t. 

The politics. Now if you’re one of those “keep the politics away from my comics/movies/cartoons” types, X-men are not for you. X-men ‘97 even more so, because this show is all politics. I mean hello, Genosha? OZT? Bastion, sentinels, hate groups? We are even finally calling out Shi’ar! Which I love. We’ve been looking at them through ally glasses since more often than not they play on the side of the X-men. But really, in terms of intergalactic politics, they are no better than Kree or Skrulls (not the cozy ones from the MCU). They can get pretty mean. In one of his finer moments, mainly because it allowed him to rest comfortably on his high horse, Charles points that out. Even explains the short and easy-to-understand version of what being an empire means. But as he does that, unfortunately, Genosha is under attack. 

We give him shit for ditching his family like that but really, he just relied on his pal Magneto to keep it together. And he would’ve too, had his gloved hand not been forced by the likes of Val, Trask, and the evil droid that is Bastion. 

Here’s where X-men ‘97 do the absolute most – they mix and match stories, piling them on to absolutely overwhelm the heroes. To keep everyone preoccupied and focused on their piece of the drama cake to sneak in a shuttering final forte chord. 

And Genosha ain’t even that. 

Let me be corny for a moment there, but it’s probably one of THE moments for every fan, when after episode 5 we were warned that the best is yet to come. And we kept asking how? How do you top that? And we saw today (5.15.) because holy shit, this show raised the bar. 

We got teamwork. Really, one of the perfect elements of this show is the characters’ powers. The limitless force with which they jump into a battle. We knew it at “Give them the forecast” really. Because we’ve never before seen Storm at the height of her power, with all she can and has done in the comics. Right then and there we knew what we were in for. But then, the rest of that, or any other fight sequence was everything you could hope for. There wasn’t a single one you would wanna miss. Powers depicted as they were always meant to and amazing teamwork. That was one of the best elements borrowed from the recent comics. Recent because while they’ve been working as a team since forever, it was Krakoa that really emphasized how powerful mutant circuits can be.

Thanks to that, we got to see a showcase of creative use of abilities. Beast using his knowledge to his advantage, Morph using their power to turn into everyone who’s anyone - I mean they gave us so many little fun cameos, even though every time you had to take a double look and ask wait, Warren’s here? Psylocke showed up? Or ehhh Hulk? That’s very X-men. The characters have fun with their powers too, with the team landing in the first episode or Ororo flying around when she got her powers back (this ain’t about Forge :D). And then there are devastating displays of power like Gambit charging the Wild Sentinel (still not over it) or Magneto turning off the lights. Of course, in any battle you have to keep things interesting, which is why they don’t just let the heroes use their ultimate ability from the get-go and be done with the whole thing. The baddies also have to surprise you with being harder and harder to defeat.

Speaking of surprises, the fact that all the stories have been stitched together like a quilt makes every turn unexpected. I mean you can predict some things and chances are, the better you remember the comics, the more things you can get right. But what’s the fun in that? They don’t simply adapt arcs, they add and remove crucial elements that make it into something new. And that new is always unpredictable. Like take Genosha - Bastion was behind it instead of Cassandra. While Charles was in space, she wasn’t after him, the Shi’ar politicians, however, were. Or the whole ordeal with Maddie - Scott didn’t stand a chance there. Really, no matter how you spin that story, he can’t get out of it looking good. But they did their best and it worked. 

Then again, these are the things that make adaptations work and this is what the MCU is so good with. Civil War was hella different from the comics and it’s still a fan favorite. 

And as if all that was somehow not enough, the show is so quotable. It has all those little callbacks to previous episodes or TAS or even the movies, clever writing, and beautiful lines that stay with you for weeks and probably even forever. All the things about chosen family – tell me you didn’t tear up or straight up cry because that’s pretty much what I did. And yeah the first time you’re watching to find out what happens. The second — you really live through all the emotions. Along with the characters because they so do live them.  

There is so much X-men lore. You can read them like obsessed (which I often do) and still have so many stories to go through. Anyway, X-Men ‘97 finally flipped the page from the stories we know well and picked a new evil, building a new arc with him at the center. 

And then, the details in general. How well the animation is done and how tiny elements you notice help them build the narrative. I’ve been thinking about it since the first episode when I saw the look between Storm and Rogue before the team landed. In that one look, they agreed on a landing strategy they probably trained time and time again in the Danger Room. Similarly, the sneaky sideyes and looks, just pay attention to them when you rewatch (and I know you will), cause the details just make the whole experience even better. All reactions are awesome in this show like Ororo hearing about Forge’s disastrous neutralizer technology and calling an epic thunder. That’s pretty much how the characters stop being 2d even when all they are meant to be is 2d.

Did I mention the soundtrack? Pretty much a masterpiece, right? It feels epic and grandiose and in many ways, it’s because of the music. It’s obvious things it’s still so easy to simply forget to mention it. You pay attention to the story and the visuals but they are tied together by the sound. And it’s most noticeable in the Wolverine/Nightcrawler fight with Prime Sentinels or when Ororo flies around, or when Cable, Jean, and Scott jump into that epic family fight. Breathtaking. 

A big part of this show is about family. The kind that supports you and stands by you. You know, the opposite of Nina DaCosta! It’s always touching too because no other team is like that. You don’t get this benefit of the doubt with the Avengers and FF are actually related. You only get that with the X-Men if you’re willing to share the dream. 

I’m not going into the dream though, been there, done that. But I do want to talk about the finale. 

As many have predicted, we did get a cliffhanger. As if we wouldn’t have come back, pah-lease! But we’re obviously back to Apocalypse and this time he’s gonna mess up with several timelines at once. Now what exactly are we getting - I wouldn’t dare theorize. All I can think about right now is… okay, we’re probably getting some resurrections, some Stryfe, and once again, I’m hoping for New Mutants (even though the only new face I spotted was Dust and she’s from an entirely different team.)

Also, we see a wider universe: Cap and Iron Man, Black Panther (where again did Storm end up ;)), Cloak and Dagger, Daredevil, Strange, Fantastic Four, Spider-Man. If we ever have crossovers… 

Still, it’s been amazing and it’s now forever with us. 

I might be biased, no, I am most certainly biased but it’s the best animated show I have ever seen and I am ecstatic that it’s about the team I’ve loved my entire life.

[brw]

soooo any in-depth thoughts/analysis on the recent x-force comic?

Ooooh okay, so I've definitely already ranted far too much to @elvain and @positivelybeastly but yes, I have quite a few, on various levels of complexity. The main thing that really stands out me is this; we have followed Hank for 50 issues of this, and a solid chunk of Percy's Wolverine. We have been in his head at different stages, and observed his thought patterns and his reasoning at different intervals, however weak or out of character those are. Not once did he ever mention or even think about Simon. So it really does stand out that without a moment's hesitation or consideration, he gave his life for Simon. No messing around, no second thoughts... because it was Simon, and Simon specifically. He would have never in a million years done that for anyone on Krakoa. He was willing to permanently ruin his relationship with Jean and with Emma and with so many people he cares about, but not Simon. Simon, he will throw himself in front of time and time again. Even if you're not reading these two as romantic, the literal actual text is clearly that Simon is on a higher tier of emotional importance to Hank, even the worst version of Hank, than anyone else. That stands out. Intentional or not, that is what happens! The only person who could get Hank to stop thinking about Krakoa or about mutantkind's survival above all ethics or morals was Simon Williams.

Now, Percy doesn't write a particularly strong Simon. While Simon is a pacifist, he also kind of fucking hates Logan, and I really don't think even pacifist Simon wouldn't tell Logan to get the fuck out of his face here.

(also, Simon is like 6'2. What the hell is Logan standing on to make him seem so tall?)

And I know for a fact that Percy hasn't read these issues because it doesn't make any sense to write Hank the way he does if he actually has this much knowledge... BUT. But. It does stand out to me how willing Simon was to put himself in front of that gun/nuke thing, because Simon has done that before, and he has died from it. He dies in issue one of Force Works to protect earth from the Kree Ionic Cannon, which comes across as a reference to the comic event Operation: Galactic Storm, where Simon fails to stop a bomb going off that kills many Kree soldiers and this trauma permanently changes the tone of the 1991 Wonder Man series.

Simon has become someone very willing to sacrifice himself to protect other people, because the fear of being responsible for so many deaths has outweighed his fear of dying himself. Anyway, after Force Works, we see Simon's funeral in Tales of the Marvels: Wonder Years, and Hank is briefly interviewed and shown at that funeral, and he looks absolutely miserable.

And it is just... does Beast Prime remember this? Remember how difficult it was to lose his best friend? Hank becomes increasingly reclusive and focused on curing the legacy virus at the expense of his friendships during the 90s; is this part of this? Does this influence just how quick of a decision it was, to put himself and his life in front of Simon once again sacrificing himself for the benefit of others?

As I said, I do not think Ben has read either Force Works or Wonder Years, because why would you read those for this and not any Hank McCoy comic ever, but it does remind me of those moments and there's just. a lot of parallels there I enjoy.

However, I do feel frustrated slightly by the decision made to literally blow up Hank from the 80s–2020s? That's 40 years, and a lot of people have contributed to Hank in that time. Morrison, Whedon, Lobdell, Gillen, Waid, Ewing, Wells, Claremont, and hell, even people who's Hank's I don't like very much, like Bendis or Fraction, they all still had at least something to contribute to the character and it feels wrong that so much of that history is just. gone. Is Percy's writing worth this loss? Has he made any interesting statements about Hank McCoy as a character to justify steamrolling over 40 years of history and established lore and character development? Abigail Brand, gone from Hank's memory. His time travel shenanigans, gone. Dark Beast, a vague comment. Breaking through the door of Avengers mansion to kiss Simon on the floor and give him red roses, also gone. Becoming feline, to the sands of time. It's just depressing that so much has been cut out because writing an actual redemption arc would require having positive thoughts about Hank and we know Percy doesn't have those. I suppose I'm also just generally against the idea that villains have to die to be redeemed, anyway; is it not more interesting and more complex when someone has done so many horrible things as Hank had done under Percy, and he still is capable of change? Why can he only prove that capability in death? It feels like a very lazy way out and I really hope MacKay or someone gives Hank those memories back because so many wonderful and interesting dynamics have been lost because of it and I don't want them just to roll over it as if it hasn't happened.

But it does still really stand out that. Hank was willing to give everything up for Simon, and Simon specifically. Simon was the first person Defenders era Beast could think of that would make things better, that he felt safe talking to, and Simon is the one and only person Beast Prime was willing to die for, to put all the rest of his motivations and impulses on hold for and give up his life because he couldn't bare to lose his friend again.

And now the new Hank is living in Simon's small, one bed flat in L.A.

He's not helping the X-Men fight Orchis or the sentinels, or help X-Force with the Sabertooth problem... no, he's followed Simon to L.A. despite being covered in fur. That's true love if I've ever seen it.

It is also absolutely hysterical how little X-Force did in their own finale. Because did Hank give up his life because he felt regret over what he did for them? Did they successfully inspire change or successfully stop him in any way other than drag a sentinel to bother Simon and Hank? No! They didn't do anything! Logan stabbed Beast Prime but that didn't stop him, Simon being at risk and being in danger did! The combined forces of X-Force and a giant sentinel are not enough to stop Hank McCoy but the actor from Arkon IV is. Not because Simon even spoke to Beast Prime, or because he's thought about Simon once in the past 5 years, but because it was impulsive. Hank loves Simon so deeply that he will give his life for him even at his very worst, even after 5+ years of no contact and no thoughts about him. That's the actual closing statement of X-Force. How much Hank McCoy would do anything for this d list lame actor/underwear model.

[incorrect-pipravi]

Thinking about when Naomi mentioned Andie's friendgroup she wasn't a part of! It was definitely a popular group, too. So there was Andie, Emma and Chloe. There was also Chris, Max and Jamie. So basically girl trio and guy trio. That is what makes sense to me and I have such a vivid image of each personality! To summarize it

Andie: The Queen Bee. Natural leadership skills, bossy, ruthless, ambitious, gorgeous, materialistic, fun loving but also secretly compassionate, motherly and insecure. Andie would definitely be the protective mom friend. She'd be a control freak, too.

Chloe: I imagine Chloe to be a Nat-like personality! She comes across as tough, ruthless confident and blunt. She is never afraid to be brutally straightforward and tell it like it is but she also has a playful side where she likes to mess with others emotions by makung fun of them. Bit of a bad girl vibe as opposed to Andie's clean girl. But she's also loyal, passionate and supportive. Always having your back if you're on her good side. She comes across as rather aggressive but beneath that is quite an insecure and vulnerable girl who's afraid of showing weaknesses and get hurt again. She stays in the group because she enjoys popularity and good time and she's willing to turn a blind eye to a lot of stuff.

Emma: Emma is a bit of a Naomi personality. She comes across as warm, caring and bubbly, being a bit of a people pleaser. She's also usually smooth and social which mixes well with her warm, motherly nature. Emma is the most naive out of three girls and is mainly in group because she wants to fit in and maintain friendships she believes are genuine. She has a bit of a nerdy side where she's interested in history, especially history of fashion. Emma is also very insecure and those insecurities can make her act out and mess up. That's why she's rather unpredictable and has that air of mystery around true nature of her intentions.

Jamie: Jamie can be a difficult person to predict or put in a box. He's known as a bit of a silent troublemaker who's good at manipulation and is always up to something. He's fun loving, moody,laidback and despite prefering to just goof around, has a serious, calculating side to himself that gives him an air of mystery. Jamie is also caring and protective of those he holds close. Jamie struggles with self esteem issues which make it difficult for him to have hope in himself or some ambitions. That leads him to find an escape within hedonism, partying, alcohol, messing around and sex. Jamie has many intellectual interests and is a bit of a nerd, too.

Max: Max is known as your typical class clown jock. He comes across as chaotic, chirpy, loud and goofy. Always up to something and never having any chill. He's known for his unpredictable mood swings. He can be bouncing off the walls, living it up one mo ent and then sit in the corner sulking the next. Max has this childish edge to him where he can't fully grasp consenquences of things he says/does which leads to trouble. Max is a shameless attention seeker. He can get pretty manipulative, sneaky about it too. Despite how he acts, he's known to be a bit naive and a people pleaser towards the right people. Underneath the manic persona, Max is emotionally wrecked, desperate for attention/affection and struggling with self esteem and deep insecurities. He doesnt have much goals in his life except of living it to the fullest while he can and maybe find someone who will understand him for once.

Chris: Chris is known as the hotest guy in school, sure but he doesnt really care that much. He's the type that comes across laidback, warm and smooth. He's usually rather calm and reserved, being a bit shy. He's the kindest out of the boys, being a bit of a people pleaser. He has a playful, fun loving side and is always up for a good time. Chris is known to be a bit naive, too. Chris is really insecure underneath the surface tho. Those insecurities can make him act out recklessly aswell. Chris is also smart and a good student that has a natural curiosity towards knowledge. He is good in science, history and it became an inside joke that he's a walking google search. Chris is mostly there because he likes validation and benefits that come from being popular aswell as to maintain friendships with his boys. However Chris is also bit of a mysterious person because he has a cunning, sneaky side to him and no one is sure about his true morals and intentions. He turns a blind eye to a lot of things, too.

I’m so invested in this universe!!!

You gave them such an intriguing personalities that makes you naturally want to explore them. I love how you described them perfectly. I can literally see all of them being the way you described, especially Jamie.

I LOVED THIS! Share more?

[aukly]

i normally only post about wenclair on here but i neeeddddd to talk about agggtm!!!!! i’ve read the first book twice once when it was first announced to get a show and another just this week i love love love the book so much there are only small things i could nitpick about the book but overall i give it 5 stars and recommend it to anyone that likes murder mysteries!!!

HOWEVER I DO NOT RECOMMEND THE SHOW 😭😭😭 i just finished the 3rd episode of agggtm the show and i really really wanted to like it i love the book so much and i’m such a big fan of emma meyers but i cannot in good conscience say that i like it or that it’s a good adaptation :(((( it was wayyyy too short and they just changed so much of the story and the evidence and really all of it they changed everything so much it’s just really disappointing i wish the show was longer or that they would at the very least stick to the damn original story

i don’t think i’ll even finish the show like i only have 3 episodes to go but i’m so disappointed and the show is so frustrating to watch i just can’t 💔

i am in no way upset with the actors or even the casting i loved all of the characters so much and think they look exactly how i imagined (especially the singhs!!!) i also liked how they made pip more involved with her friends but maybe that’s bc i’m a sucker for cute friendships in shows but either way i think it was really nice to have more of pip interacting with all of her friends!! i think all of the actors did an amazing job with what they had!

this post is kinda all over the place and probably doesn’t make that much sense if you haven’t read the book and watched at least some of the show but i’m just so tired of people deciding a book needs movie or show adaptation but then not having the budget/time to do it justice like i really don’t care if it isn’t a perfect scene for scene adaptation but changing pretty much the full story and leaving out some of the most important evidence/characters/relationships/scenes/etc is NOT the way to go about it :/

[bestofmultiverse]

Crazy wonders (the before and after of life changing events) prologue

Chapters: 1 , 2

Emma D'arcy x Female!Reader x Olivia Cooke (poly)

Let me know if it sounds interesting enough 🤎

Love can make you do the craziest shit. Yes, Emma was well aware of it.

But Emma isn't crazy, they never were,

they were friendly and nice and easygoing enough, but never crazy.

Their life wasn't very crazy as well,

At least before they met Olivia.

Sometimes they thought that it was a bit funny how Olivia was so carefree, the extrovert and lively person she was, while they were more shy and awkward, even anxious at times, because when the two first met they had to pretend to be the complete opposite of who they are.

So, basically, each other.

They become fest friends,

and when Emma and their partner split, they became roommates as well,

And after a while, them - Emma and Olivia- turned into more,

Not just a friendship, but a partnership,

Crazy yet stable enough.

Emma was happy, and it drove them crazy.

Because Olivia was good and kind and they loved her

but sometimes they wish they never met her,

Because something was missing and they couldn't put their finger on what.

And they wondered if they were this happy and confused before they met Olivia.

Olivia on the other end?

She had always been something of a wonderer. Yes, she loved to experience and live and try.

So no wonder she found herself lying awake next to a sleeping Emma, thinking.

She never really gave her sexuality too much thought, she just loved, and that was enough for her.

Before she met Emma, she wasn't against settling down, of course, but only when she'll know that she found the perfect person for her.

Before she met Emma,

She sometimes wondered who will this person be,

will they be a stranger or a friend,

if they will love to hike or stay in the comfort of bed,

Who their favorite artist will be

If they will like dogs or cats or both or none,

And at some point if they'll care for her status, and even - if they'll even knew who she was in the first place.

but when Emma and olivia met it became less of a wonder and more of a statement.

She knew who this person is,

yet sometimes she felt like something was missing, another piece of a puzzle,

and she found herself wondering all over again. Was this puzzle piece supposed to be missing? She knew that feeling, from before, and it was a bit unsettling to have it now, because last time she wondered about it- it was before she met emma

All her life y/n craved for something

Anything really

She felt trapped

In her hometown, and country, and at some point when she left both, In her own mind.

She knew who she was,

A young woman, who craved to live her life freely and settled down in her own terms and not become someone told her to.

And that's how she found herself in London in the first place, as the none British person she is,

It was challenging enough.

The accent was beautiful but people spoke fast and she could barely keep up with them.

Trying not to stare at their lips and hoping it will help her understand without making them feel uncomfortable.

Some even thought she was aiming to kiss them, god help her, she didn't .

The streets were beautiful- but she got lost more often then not.

The weather was horrible,

She didn't know how they could handle the cold like it was just a chill, while she, who lived in a warm place all her life, felt like she was about to freeze to death.

Her job sucked,

She was an artist and a writer and had no idea how she found herself as a waitress in a nasty pub, full with drunk fools who tend to argue over different sport games that no one actually played.

And her flat sucked even more.

Her roommates were horrible and she hated sharing a living space with them, mostly because they couldn't clean to save their lives, and even when someone did that for them, they couldn't even bring themselves to keep it clean for more then a day.

But she didn't care,

I mean, she did care, but she didn't let it bring her down.

she chose this life,

She chose to chase her dreams, because she preferred to be called crazy for doing that , instead of rotting away and wonder who she was supposed to be in the world.

And that was all she could say about the adult independent life she had before she met Emma and Olivia.

[aakariiiii]

hello!!! i would like to req a mikey x reader, where she is childhood friends with him and baji and also emma's bestfriend. Everyone in Toman knows that mikey and reader love each other but neither of them want to make a move to not ruin their friendship. So, what happens when Emma tells Mikey that reader received a love confession at school? I hope it isn't too confusing 😅 Thank you so much!! 💜

hi love!! of course <3 I like your idea so here it is!! I hope it’s to your liking <3

i really hope this turned out good ushbabs

a/n: oops, I just edited this bc i’ve realised that I messed up somewhere. I think the fact that this wasnt proofread was noticeable snhsjshs

____________________________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

“Baji, Mikey!” a panting nine years-old Emma stopped in front of Mikey and Baji to catch her breath.

The brutal bruise on her arm seemed to catch the attention of both guys.

“What happened to your—“

“For—forget that! Some—some guys from the Dojo were talking badly about you and then y/n confronted them—whi—which caused them to charge at her! Please go and he-help her!” Emma said breathlessly, placing a hand on her chest to try and catch her breath.

“Where is she!” Mikey asked, clearly panicked, then followed the path to where Emma pointed at along with Baji.

The both of them scurried to that direction, but stopped when y/n’s voice was clear to the ear.

“Take that b—back you idiot!” nine-years old y/n yelled as she charged back at the bigger guy in front of her, finally knocking him down after countless tries and jumping over him, sitting atop of him and beating the loving life out of him.

“He’s a better p-person than you both will ever be!” she said in between her soft punches, tears streaming down her vibrantly bruised face.

“Y/n!” Mikey yelled, wanting to grab her attention, which made y/n snap her neck towards his voice, wobbling a “Mikey!” out of her battered lips.

What y/n didn’t realise was that the guy’s friend was about to jump on her, from behind, but fortunately for her, Mikey and Baji kicked the guy’s ass before he can cause any further harm.

“I’m sorry Mikey! They didn’t apologize yet! I told them to do so b-but—“ y/n hurriedly scrubbed at her flushed cheeks, attempting to wipe her racing tears away.

But Mikey gently pulled y/n up from her sitting position into a delicate hug full of gratefulness and gratitude, benignly petting the top of her ruffled her in an attempt calm her down.

“Shhh, it’s alright. What you did was enough, y’know! Be careful next time though, I dont mind people talking badly about me so just dont involve yourself in unnecessary fights okay?”

At that exact same moment, both y/n’s and Mikey’s face was burning. Burning with the new realisation that occurred to the both of them:

The feelings they had for one another.

—————————————————————

For everyone, y/n was a yellow ray of sunshine glowing down at the crestfallen earth, night and day.

Being close friends with Mikey and Baji only blossomed new friendships with the other founders of toman and even other members of toman as she was a person almost everyone could click with.

But being best friends with Emma taught her a thing or two about the Sano household, one of which is that she should never be left alone without Emma there.

Why you might ask?

Its because after that little incident, y/n swears that her heart seems like its about to stop when she’s around Mikey. She can hear it leaving her body and falling 6 feet underground.

And although Emma—and a few other founding members—had pushed her to confess to Mikey about a hundred times in the past six years, she had refused as she thinks that she’ll “ruin” the friendship by confessing her feelings but she’s so oblivious.

So imprudently oblivious to the huge affect she has on Mikey.

She’s so oblivious to how she makes him feel—the throbs of his heart seem to be insidiously fracturing his ribcage the moment she comes into his view, butterflies in his stomach erupt, thundering and swarming around like madmen.

And like wise, Mikey was also helplessly oblivious to what he does to y/n. To how her cheeks burn in pink and red all over, to how she can easily forget everyone else when she’s around him, to how her heart palpitates into her stomach whenever she’s near him.

And it drives everyone crazy, the fact that they both are ignorant about the mutual feelings going on might be the cause of a mass murder one day.

———————————————————————

You mentally cursed Emma as she dragged you in a hurry all the way back to her home, scurrying with the letter you found on your desk in her hand.

“Emma—stop! I need to catch my breath!” you panted.

“No! We’re almost there. I need to tell Mikey about this!”

“B-but I didn’t even read it yet—“

“It’s fine, read it there! Plus…do you really need to know what’s in there? I mean—you’ve had the biggest crush Mikey ever since that incident so if you’re sure about your feelings then why bother?!” she rambled as we finally reached the Sano household.

“That’s rude, I need to read it and properly reject him instead of keeping him hanging. Plus, it might not be a confession—“ you were interrupted mid sentence with Draken’s loud voice.

“Keisuke—come here you little piece of shit“ he yelled as both said figures appeared into your view, Baji holding a cone of ice cream while Draken ran after him but eventually, they both cane to a halt when they noticed the standing figures in front of him.

You turned to Emma who had a smug smirk on her face.

“Here, I’ll put you both at peace and I’ll take that,” she muttered, scooping the ice cream cone from Baji with one hand and dragging you with the other.

“Hey! What the fu—“ Baji was cut off by a slap on the nape of his neck.

“Shut the fuck up Baji I will so fucking kill you, just wait.” murmured draken as he followed you guys into the house.

“Haa? Fucking try me.”—————————————————————

“Guys! Guess who got a love letter!” Emma yelled to the six other guys in the house, making all heads snap to your direction.

“Emma! You didn’t have to yell you idiot!” you attempt to hide your face, embarrassment dancing all over your body.

“Woah y/n-chan! You must be really popular to ge—“

“Did you read it yet? what does it say?” Mikey eagerly interrupted Takemitchy, his heart beating in his ears.

“No…I haven’t read it yet—I was, but—“

“She’ll read it here out loud, now!” Emma interrupted.

“HUH? Says who?!”

“Says me! Or else I’ll read it out instead!”

“Emma bu—“

“Come on y/n, read it out to us,” Mitsuya wriggled his eyebrows at you as the others started agreeing.

“I hate you guys.” you say, snatching the pink little envelope out of Emma’s hand and sticking your tongue at her.

Your hand delicately opened the envelope, breathe hitching as you mentally prepared yourself for the following. And with a gulp, words started spurting out of your mouth.

“Dear y/n, I want to start this letter by thanking you for being who you are. Ever since I have entered this class, my life has been drastically better because of you. I enjoy going to school a whole lot more now that I know that I get to be in the same class as the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. You always make me aim for the best I can, behavior and grade wise and I’m very grateful for that, so here I am, writing a letter that will probably sound so stupid and cheesy in order to tell you that I like you. Please meet me behind the school tomorrow, I’ll be waiting :)”

As the letter came to an end, your face was on fire. The letter was cute, but the guy is just…not your type.

Silence filled the house as all eyes were glued on your burning figure, red from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes. It was so awkward, you wanted to strangle the life out of Emma for making you do this.

However, the silence was interrupted with a couple of guys standing up and leaving the room, well except for Baji, Draken, and Mikey.

You heard Mitsuya and Takemitchy whisper a “good luck, you can do this!” to Mikey as they left the room, followed by Emma grabbing Baji by the hem of his shirt and Draken by his wrist, her face flushing in process, outside the room as well.

“Huh—wait wha—“ you were cut off by Mikey’s footsteps heading towards you.

If you can use a word to describe how his eyes look at this very moment, it would be anguished. Sad, fearful, distraught., you wish you can redraw his face. Replace that frown with an infectious smile, the sadness in his eyes with glittering exuberance.

“M-mikey what’s wrong? You look…disturbed?” You stuttered because he was so close. So so close you thought your body is gonna thunder with butterflies and bumble bees. And he was still getting closer.

“Will you say yes?” he whispered, placing his forehead on your shoulder and Oh Dear God. You can feel that spot flaring with heat.

“I—I—no! Of course not!” you stutter, foot in mouth.

And at that very moment, you decided to let it out.

Fuck it, you thought.

You decided to let out every ounce of feelings you had for him. To finally tell him that you like him—hell—maybe even love him. To finally tell him that he makes you feel on top of the fucking moon yet six feet underground at the same exact time.

“I like you Mikey—“

“Y/n. I really like you—“

You stumbled back as he hastily elevated his head up from your should, eyes wide and big and surrounded by shock and disbelief. But it wasn’t only him who was shocked. Your jaw might’ve already hit the ground as you gaped at him, mouth wide open.

“Hold up—you what? Did I hear that right?”

“I—I like you” you murmur, incredulity forging a chain around your voice.

“Im—let me get this straight wait. So—I like you an—and you like me..Does that mean that we can like…kiss right now?”

But it was too much—the chance that he’d like you back has never crossed your mind. Never. So all that you could do was nod your head, in a dumbfounding manner.

And there it was, the moment you’ve always dreamt about, day and night. You were certain that your heart had left your chest as you couldn’t hear it anymore.

Mikey’s downy lips brushed against yours and at that very second, butterflies detonated out of your own stomach you were almost sure that Mikey has heard the flapping of their wings. His lips were warm and soft against yours, full of love and emotion. You could swear that you were about to pass about because oh god. There is no wa—

“AAAAAH” a squeal that came out of Emma’s mouth interrupted your little dreamy moment.

“What happe—DISGUSTING! You guys moved to the next step way too quickly! I didn’t sign up to see this.” Baji screamed as he turned around, Emma blushing in awe at the scene she just saw and Draken shaking his head in disappointment while Mitsuya chuckled and Takemitchy covered his eyes.

Mikey’s lips stopped embracing yours as your already flushed face burned even redder, attempting to hide behind Mikey’s broad back.

But Mikey pulled you in front of him and put a hand around your shoulder, making every single hair on your body stand up like a saluting soldier.

“You guys better get used to this,” he chuckled, leaning down to kiss your lips and then whispered into your ear:

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for exactly six years, and it was so fucking worth it.”

____________________________________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

[itsprjc]

Well, Season 2 of TDI Reloaded (TDI Rematch) has had its first four episodes out for about a week. I figured I’d share my thoughts about what we’ve gotten so far:

-The challenges are a little more fun than in Season 1. They have a good amount of variety and the often led to really fun moments between the characters. From the Skunks clogging the toilet slide, to basically all the Rat Faces being carried by Caleb, and of course the AB questions challenge. My girlfriend and I straight up paused the episode each question to try and guess the answers. (We got over half of them right.) As for my personal ranks on the challenges:

-Taking it to the Rim Reaper (Ep. 2): Memorable concept, without going too overboard with it. Also, I’m a bit of a simpleton sucker for the pratfalls.

-Choosin’ for a Bruisin’ (Ep. 4): Great challenge for both character insights and just playing along with it during a first-time viewing.

-You Poor Saps (Ep. 3): I technically prefer Ep.1’s challenge, but this one led to so many gold character moments.

-The Pink Painter Strikes Again (Ep.1): Solid start. Simple challenge, nothing too crazy.

-Animation is pretty much on the same level as Season 1. The facial expressions are GOLD! I’d argue some parts feel more dynamic than Season 1, like the slide moments in Episode 2, but overall, no complaints.

-The characters feel like they never left:

-Priya: I kinda get why she’d fall hard for Caleb, as keep in mind, she’s been stuck with this training with hardly any friends. This also explaining why she instantly jumped to befriending Millie when it seemed they got along. It’s clear that she does value the friendship as she was the only one to give Millie a chance after Episode 2. She also did work as an effective leader in the same episode, instantly taking advantage of the challenge’s slide order rule. Overall, I’m okay with Priya.

-Bowie: I dig his plot. Bowie made it clear at the end of Season 1 that he’s willing to bend the rules…and it’s clear that he probably cares about Raj more. Since people are more weary of him after the finale, it makes sense to have his conflict be more about whether he’d play dirty again. Also, this joker in Episode 4! As a captain (assuming those roles are official) I feel Priya’s more effective, though.

Millie: It’s clear she had alot more learning to do about being a good friend. (I still say both her and Damien could have taken the two-point slide together if they were both weary on the third.) Though her elimination was pretty anticlimactic, unfortunately. I do prefer her in Season 1, but I’m not against the plot they gave her.

Julia & MK: I’m putting them both together because they’re basically a package deal this time around. Overall, live their dynamic. It was a sudden jump from animosity to friendship, but that’s just because they know game when they see it. They have so much fun just being underhanded together, and it’s honestly a refreshing take on villain alliances. While I’d say MK is the breakout of the two, since she’s the brains of the whole alliance, Julia’s dialogue is so on point that it hurts. My hopes is that MK does succeed in backstabbing Julia, but she doesn’t even get mad. She just respects a player and roots for her to win…underhandedly, of course.

Emma: Compared to Millie…honestly not that mixed. I’m glad she cut the chord with Chase early and she got him booted in a clever way. The one thing that’s kinda backwards is how she ends up being a poor judge of character in Episode 4 when she basically red Chase like a book in Episode 2. But then again, I guess that’s just chalked down to being used to his sorry butt the most?

Chase: Everybody (including me) called that he’d be an early boot…and he was. I’m perfectly content with that, as it’s clear that character development was never the end-goal with Chase. And the moment he left, the Skunk Butts became the de facto best team. Props on his ballsy attempt to outrun the balloons in challenge 1, though.

Zee: All I wanted from Zee in Season 2 is for him to still be Zee…Good news, Zee is still Zee. I honestly got worried the “soda influencer” plot would be a cheap and easy way to make him an early boot…and they make him Papa Zee instead. I love this lanky boy.

Ripper: My one complaint on Ripper is that he feels like he’s really not there that much. In Episode 2, he disappears for a good while until the mid-end. And he doesn’t really get to interact with his new team that much. The only real time he interacts with the other skunks is when he asks about how to approach Axel. Let’s talk about Ripaxel…I honestly really wanna see what they do with it! It is a little sudden how it starts, but in its defense, so was Rajbow. Their interactions in Episode 3 were fun to watch, and that POEM. Hey, fanfic writers…Raj and Ripper having a poetry battle…think about it. Despite him disappearing sometimes, what we do get from him is enjoyable. Here’s to more!

Wayne and Raj: My boys are untouched! The one blessing is that they NEVER went for some stupid jealousy plot! (Wayne cares too much for Raj for petty stuff like that.) And they are arguably goofier than in Season 1. (Shoutouts to them wanting burgers after seeing the slides and the “Cyclone-Spin Cycle”) It is funny how many people (again, including me) wanted to see their mischievous side more, but instead the boys are even bigger boy scouts with their understandable disgust at cheating. While I still think one leaving earlier is more likely, I really, REALLY hope that they stick for a little. Imagine them against Julia and MK for at least an episode or two! And while I still would love a Damien VS. MK finale, Wayne or Raj VS. MK works great! Fair and honest player against a crafty cheater. It would be gold!

Damien: I’m really holding out for him since he’s pretty much jogging in place a bit. Sure, he wants to take more risks, but it’s not to a great extent. Then again, the season’s only gotten started. I just hope his crafty side comes out more later. He’s not too afraid anymore, so now he needs to push his brains to the forefront.

Scary Girl: I dig the “Lauren” design. Unfortunately, the “normal” bit wasn’t really used all that much, as she barely had a presence in Episode 1. She had some small scenes, but nothing outstanding until she got herself eliminated. Though given how she was enjoyable, but pretty one-note last season, I feel she works well as a first-boot. Will she return to stalk everyone? Who knows. Probably.

Nichelle: I dig her more confident attitude. Part of me wishes we saw her gaining that confidence DURING the season, rather than all that development being off-screen, though. It makes sense for her to train beforehand, but I would have just as easily liked her having a bit of fire in her and then training throughout the season. As she is, I like how she’s so done with her old Hollywood life. Hopefully she does interact with Damien more, as they seem to have a friendship growing.

Axel: Besides MK, Axel was the biggest relief of the S1 pre-mergers. She’s still hostile and hardcore, but I find her showings of care towards the team being well-needed additions. Examples being her helping Damien back to camp after the four-point slide, and her warning her team to be cautious about getting stuck with the sap. I already said my piece on Ripaxel, so my personal hope is that there is a survival or stealth challenge where the two have to work together. (Ala Hide and Be Sneaky, Eat, Puke, and be Wary, or Hurl and Go Seek if you wanna count the “zombie” thing.)

Caleb: Caleb was simple, and he still kinda is. I like how paranoid he was in Episode 1, but overall he’s just a more effective Justin. I do prefer him over Justin, as he can be a massive asset to the team, as shown in Episode 3. Like Zee, I’m fine with him as is, and can only wait and see what he does in later episodes. Will his alliance become genuine romance or just a tool for Caleb to outlast Priya? Probably the ladder, as he doesn’t seem to show any romantic interest in her that feels genuine.

And that’s Total Drama Island Rematch so far. Tomorrow should be the debuts of Episodes 5 and 6, so here’s to a great season. I was honestly shocked at how much I loved this cast, and how refreshing it felt seeing the show after a seven (eight if you ignore Ridonculous) year hiatus. I will be making sure to watch the series again when it comes to MAX in seventy years. As for whether or not I wanna see the Gen 4 cast again…I’ll probably be content with them stopping their run after Season 2. Reloaded and Rematch work as just two halves of a nice little package, and I really don’t want them to risk having this lovable cast go through what Gen 1 did. If we do get a new season, I’d be fine with them having a new cast. Fans will probably like them as much as they do with Gen 4.