#I absolutely never feel like we're ok the same team. It always feels like it's her team or death

[dontmeanyoudontmissit]

So anyways my plan for the next two months is to kickass at work while I get another job and then leave their asses.

[lowkeyerror]

Teamwork

Kate Bishop x Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Notes: Honestly its been so long I dont even know what goes here... probably violence

Summary: The leader of the Avengers thinks that Kate and Y/n need to work on their teamwork so he sends them on a mission together.

An: I won't say that I'm back prematurely (like I did my last post like 4 months ago) but I will say I feel the need to post so perhaps I will

Masterlist

Kate was sweet like gumdrops. She was the kindest soul you had ever crossed paths with. Her doe eyes were always filled to the brim with emotion. Her skin was soft like clouds in the sky.

These were indisputable facts in your eyes, yet no one would know that by the way you treated her.

You and Kate were colleagues. Both young and upcoming heroes with a lot to prove. Technically you were on the same team, but you treated Kate as your rival.

You and Kate were not cute friendly rivals, but bitter ones. Mostly due to your nasty attitude towards her.

Though you actually quite admired how good Kate was at her job, you acted as though it irked you. Every time she was in the field, she came back a better hero.

She was good at adapting to others' mistakes. She might panic under pressure, but she never failed a mission. The most irritating thing is that she did it all with that award-winning smile plastered on her face.

You were also very good at your job, just a lot less enthusiastic than Kate. If Kate was a gumdrop, you were black licorice.

You worked endlessly on becoming a better hero. Your precision was perfect, it was your gift. There wasn't any chance you'd miss a target. Whether you were throwing a knife, shooting a gun, or trying to make a paper ball in the trash can.

As the youngest members of your team, the two of you often found yourself paired together.

Being paired with Kate was such a double-edged sword for you. On one hand, you got to be extremely close with the most beautiful woman you'd ever seen. On the other hand, you always acted as though you hated her.

" Earth to Y/n, are you listening to me?"

You slowly nod at your captain's words, not at all hearing what he said.

He tilts his head to the side," Ok then what did I say?"

You remain silent, not having the slightest clue of what he said. Kate couldn't hold in her laughter about your blunder. You glare at the brunette.

" I said the main point of focus in this team is our teamwork. If we're going to be working together, we have to respect each other at least. You are lacking in that department."

Kate laughs even louder, causing you to speak up.

" Why is she here for this?"

Sam speaks up," Because she's also lacking in that department."

Kate's laughter stops abruptly," What do you mean, I'm great at working with others?"

Sam looks between the two of and shakes his head," Every time you two are sent on a mission together, you bicker at each other the entire time. You lose focus, and you almost cost us the mission."

" Key word, almost. We've never failed a mission as partners. Our success rate is 100%"

" I don't like having to agree with Y/n, but she's right. Even without being buddy-buddy, we always find a way to complete the job."

Sam sighs," I've seen the tapes, I know the missions get completed, but there's a lack of teamwork. For example, you're hardly watching each other's backs."

" Kate's a big girl, she doesn't need me to look over her shoulder," you argued with him.

" This is what I'm talking about. Everyone on this team is capable of getting the job done on their own. Which means if we send more than 1 person, it is absolutely necessary for you to be looking out for your partner. If I don't see some proper teamwork on your next assignment, you both will be suspended from field work until you can sort it out."

" Are you serious?"

" You can't do that."

Sam slides a folder over to the both of you before standing up," Figure it out, because I'm not playing."

You were fuming when he left. This wasn't fair to either of you. Why were you being punished for being successful on your partnered missions? Just because you weren’t besties doesn't mean you deserve this treatment.

" If you scowl any harder, your face will be like that permanently," Kate spoke to you.

You glare at her again, and she puts her hands up in surrender," That's not very teamwork of you, Y/n."

You sigh and put your head in your hands," This is fucking stupid."

Kate rubs a hand through her hair," I agree. So let's get it over with."

After briefly scanning through the files, you both got prepared for the mission. You were going to check out a minor anomaly in some small country you'd never heard of. The locals had been recently reporting the same suspicious figure, seemingly scoping out the place and buying normal household things that could be used to enhance chemical weapons.

" So, how exactly are we going to demonstrate teamwork?" Kate interrupted the silence on your ride.

You shrug," Fuck if I know."

Kate rolls her eyes," Guess I'll be doing all the heavy lifting as always."

" What did you just say?"

She crosses her arms," You heard me."

You get up from your seat and walk over to her. You squat down so that your face is level with hers. From there you can smell that intoxicating perfume she wears. Her doe eyes are sharp as they look into yours. You almost compliment her, but then reality kicks in.

" Listen here, princess, there was some truth to what Sam said back there. We don't have to like each other, but respect is necessary. And I don't appreciate the disrespect from you."

Kate scoffs," You disrespect me all the time."

" Name one time."

Kate begins to open her mouth, then promptly shuts it.

" I make snide remarks, sure, but I've never said anything negative about your skill level or ability to get the job done because you've given me no reason to."

Kate tilts her head," Was that a- did you just compliment me?"

You break eye contact as you feel the tip of your ears heat up," Look, all I'm saying is don't act like I'm not good at my job."

Kate keeps a small smile on her face," I never said you weren't good, I just think I'm better."

" I'm not having this argument with you."

The rest of the ride was fairly silent after that. The silence was different from the usual bickering, but maybe the captain would see that as a step in the right direction.

When you arrived in the country, you could already sense that something was off. It was a mixture of a gut feeling and observation. It seemed like most of the townspeople had barricaded themselves inside.

" Something isn't right with this place," Kate speaks softly as you both walk further into town.

When comparing what you saw in front of you to what was in the file, it was easy to see large differences in the town. Though the town was small, it wasn't supposed to be vacant by any means. The robust amount of locals was the ones who reported an issue in the first place.

" I don't like it at all. Keep your guard up, Bishop."

The few people you saw wouldn't make any eye contact with you. They were quick to identify you both as outsiders. It was inevitable, as you couldn't blend in to a crowd if the crowd was non-existent in the first place.

The next local that past you was an elderly man, he stopped at the sight of you and spoke," You lot aren't from around here, are you."

" No sir, just visiting. Actually, we're looking for a certain hotel in town," you show him a picture of the place on your phone and his eyes go wide.

" You're looking for trouble."

There's a small pocket of silence which Kate fills," Why would you say that?"

" Cause you're looking for him. He's the only one that stays at that inn. And we all know to steer clear of it."

The man tries to leave, but you stop him," What happened to this place?"

" He happened… started getting rid of people he had problems with. People who gave him trouble."

" What did he do to them?" Kate presses further.

The man looks between the two of you," He blew them up. One minute they were standing on their feet, the next their head would pop like a zit."

The imagery he created freaked you out more than you'd like to admit, "Thank you for letting us know."

He shook his head," If I were you ladies, I wouldn't go looking for trouble. Too pretty to be headless."

Those were his last words as he continued walking after that. Neither of you moved from that spot. Trying to process what he had told you.

Things had gotten extremely serious in your head. You had considered going back to the quinjet and telling Sam that you'd need back up for this mission.

However, you needed this mission to go better than any of the other missions you had been on with Kate. That was literally the reason why you were both here.

" Put these on," you passed Kate 2 ear plugs.

" Why?"

You sigh," If this guy doesn't have powers, then it's likely that he's using nanotech to get into people's heads. So we need to cover possible points of entry."

When you finally get to the building, it's a little ways from the actual town. You're on edge. Kate walks a little bit in front of you while you watch her back.

By the time you see the trip wire, it's too late. It's not the entire building that explodes, just a corner of it. A corner that was going to fall on Kate if you did not take action.

It felt like slow motion to you. You saw the building about to crumble on top of her, and you were quick to lock your arms around her and force her out of the way along with yourself.

Your breathing was heavy as you realized the girl in your arms could've died. Your front was pressed against her back, and you could feel her ragged breathing as well.

You didn't let go of her until a voice interrupted the tense moment.

" Hasn't anyone ever told you that trespassing is illegal," a man emerged from the intact part of the building, smiling sadistically at you two.

" Who are you and what do you want with this town?"

The man cackles," This town is insignificant to me. It's simply my playground where I can test my masterpieces."

" Then what is it that you want?"

" I'm going to blow up the world, literally. It almost feels trivial to call it a bomb, but my masterpiece will destroy everything. There will be nothing left of this world when I'm done with it."

You're scared, but you can't let him know that," What makes you think we'll let you do that?"

" You two? You won't be around to stop me."

You realize it a half a second too late as another explosion happens under your feet. You brace yourself as best you can to prepare for impact, but you feel a hand latch on to your arm.

With the strength you have left, you help her carry your weight and stop you from falling to your death.

" I just need 1 shot," you growl as you stand up.

Kate sees the look in your eyes. She has seen it before, and it never leads any more good for the person you're looking at.

" He has explosives, it could be dangerous," Kate stood with you.

" Kate, go call for backup and a bomb squad."

" I'm not le-"

" KATE GO," You yell at her with your eyes focused on the enemy.

Kate wanted to fight more, to argue with you again, to postpone this situation. Yet she knew you were making the right call, she had to trust you at this moment and she did.

She took off running. You saw the man reach for what you assumed to be an explosive detonator. It took less than a second for you to whip out your gun and shoot the device in his hand.

He screamed as the bullet grazed his hand, the debris from the device burning into the skin of his palm.

" The next shot will be through your head, if you don't call it quits now."

" I didn't want to get my hands dirty, but if I must," he approached you at his own speed.

It took everything in you not to charge at him. You knew he was baiting you. So you took a shot at the ground right by his feet.

" Well, you're smarter than you look, but not smart enough."

You felt yourself being restrained and forced to the ground. Whatever held you down had a tight grip on your skull. Its cold metal prongs were cold and sharp against your skull.

" Don't bother struggling against my invention. You'll never get up. I'll blow your mind, and then the brunette's."

The mention of Kate made you fight against the bot. It also made the mad scientist laugh.

" Aw, how pathetic. I'll tell her about this after you're gone. Now open" he violently grabbed your chin and shoved something in your mouth.

He slapped you across the face one last time before walking away from you," Any last words?"

You were shaking, sweating, and scared. For the first time in this interaction, you let your eyes water. This felt like the end.

You'd failed and it had cost you. The part that made the tears stream freely was the thought that you wouldn't be able to save Kate. She didn't deserve to die like this. You'd hope she stayed by the jet and waited for backup.

" Oh right, there's a bomb in your mouth. Silly me," you watched as he reached for the detonator. Time seemed like it had slowed down.

He flipped a few switches on the remote before getting ready to hit the button. You closed your eyes, waiting for it to be over. Yet your eyes shot open when you heard the man scream in agony.

There was an arrow through his hand. Then another came down and through his foot.

" I will shoot this shit through your head if you even think about grabbing that remote."

Your face was still against the gravel, but you knew who had just saved your life.

She walked toward him with her bow at the ready. She picked up the remote, and before she did anything else, she shot the robot that was pinning you to the ground.

The tight grip on your head was now loose and limp. You slowly began getting to your feet.

Kate handed you the detonator. You did the opposite of what you saw the man do and saw the green light on the device turn red. There was still some fear in your heart about removing the explosive from your mouth.

The man had a smug look on his face when he saw you struggle," Well I suppose if it's disarmed its harmless right? Maybe it's heat sensitive, maybe it's touch sensitive, who knows. The only way to find out is by removing it from your mouth."

" Shut the fuck up," Kate shot an arrow directly past his head, grazing his ear slightly.

" You're going to be ok. Just take it out and throw it as far as you can."

You looked at her and for the first time ever she saw genuine fear in your eyes.

" You have to trust me," the look in her eyes was something you could not debate.

You didn't hesitate, you dug into your mouth, removed the device and chucked it as far as you could. It didn't land anywhere, instead it exploded in the air. It wasn't significantly sized on the outside. However, you knew if had gone off in your mouth you would've died.

You walked up to the man and pressed the butt of the gun into his temple. There was nothing more you wanted to do than blow his head off. Your chest heaved up and down.

The man laughed," Kill me then. I dare you."

You cocked the gun and your finger rested on the trigger.

" Y/n don't," Kate tried to reason with you.

You couldn't look at her, you'd fold if you did," He deserves it, Kate. You should've heard the shit he was saying."

" That's not for us to decide, Y/n."

You began to shake," Why not?"

Then the scientist laughed again, and that sent you over the edge. You took a small step back and fired the gun.

The scream you let out was primal. It ripped through your throat. It hurt more than you could ever imagine.

The bullet had taken the man's ear. His screams were nothing compared to yours.

Kate hugged you from behind as your legs began to fail you. With her arms around you, she kept her bow and arrow raised at the man.

Sam was confused at the sight when the backup finally arrived. The scientist was cuffed and taken in as other special forces handled the damaged building.

When the scientist was gone, Kate dropped her bow, but her arms stayed around you. Sam began to approach the two of you, but Kate signaled him to stay back.

" Y/n, talk to me," her breath was a whisper against your ear.

" I'm sorry," you said, trying hurriedly to get to your feet.

You didn't get too far before Kate yanked you back into her embrace.

" You saved my life, there's nothing to be sorry about," she gave you a small smile.

" But I-"

Kate shook you a bit," You didn't kill him so, it doesn't matter. He was trying to blow your head off."

" You saved my life too."

Kate nodded slowly," I did, you saved me first though."

" I was terrified, Kate. When he said he was going to kill you, I- I never felt that helpless," you were causing yourself anxiety just speaking about the moment.

Kate didn't hesitate to rest her hand on the side of your face, forcing you to look at her," I'm right here, Y/n. A few scratches and a few bruises, but I'm ok. Without your reflexes or your decision-making skills, I don't know if I would be standing here right now."

" Kate," your eyes accidentally drop to her lips.

" Fuck it," Kate muttered before surging forward and placing her lips on yours.

You kissed her back and it felt right. It felt like Kate was your other half. There was no competition anymore; just you and Kate.

" Well, I see you got the teamwork all handled," Sam spoke, causing the two of you to separate.

" We almost died on this mission. Our teamwork was fine before. The trauma we have is-"

Kate had more to say, but Y/n grabbed her hand," We're good."

" But-"

" Everyone is safe, the bad guy is behind bars, and now we get to go home; together."

Kate huffed and dropped her shoulders," Fine, but we're dealing with this together then."

" There's no one I'd rather tackle my demons with," you couldn't help but sound cheesy.

" Good, because you're stuck with me now in more ways than just coworkers."

You smirked," I'd gladly be stuck with you any way you'd have me."

Sam cleared his throat with a smile on his face," Ok, you guys are free to go. I'll wrap it up here."

Your hand never left Kate's as you walked back to the jet. Nor did it leave when you both strapped in for the ride. It was at that moment that you decided that you'd do whatever was necessary to hold on to Kate.

[madlori]

The Claw is our master.

I've had a few folks in DMs ask me how/why/when my shipping did such a completey 180. It's a fair question. I am, after all, someone who spent the last 2 years fervently Buddie shipping, writing fic for them, doing the same hoping/analyzing/searching etc that everyone else (well...not exactly the same, I've always been skeptical of most of the theories and such because I don't believe in a production's ability to be that sneaky, covert or mischievous).

And yet, here I am. I can't really even pretend I'm still a Buddie shipper anymore. Initially I said sure, I still hope for it. I...can't in all honesty say that now. I've firmly decamped for BuckTommy Land. Is this a recipe for heartbreak if they eventually breakup? Sure, but that's always a risk. No more than shipping a non-canon pairing, anyway.

And there's nothing wrong with shipping a non-canon pairing. People do it every day. Hell, it's practically the backbone of fandom. Obsessing about ships being canon is a one-way ticket to dissatisfaction and sometimes total unraveling. I've seen it happen more times than I can count over 30 years in online fandoms.

But if that's the case, why didn't I stay on Team Buddie? Why did I defect so thoroughly that I'm at the point now where not only do I not think Buddie will ever happen, I don't want it to, because I now want to see something different from those two characters, something I believe we will actually get from the writers.

The answer to that question is: I have no idea.

People ask this like I'm somehow in control of it. I'm not. The Fandom Brain is like The Claw in Toy Story. The Claw is our Master. The Claw decided who will go and who will stay.

Fandom Brain is my master. It decides what I'm going to ship, what I'm going to be fannish about and what I'm not, and when I'm going to stop feeling fannish about something. I have zero say in the matter, I'm just along for the ride. At some point in every fandom I have ever been in, my Fandom Brain has, usually with no provocation, decided "Ok we're done with this fandom now." And nothing I can do will make that not true. I can't force it. I can't cajole it. It just is.

Similarly, Fandom Brain has decided "Welp, we're done with this pairing now. We like THIS pairing now. Proceed." Are there reasons? I'm sure there are.

Is it just that it's a canon pairing? Possibly. There is something very seductive about a canon pairing after so long of looking for crumbs and tiny hints where there (mostly) none to find. But I've shipped plenty of non-canon pairings before.

Is it that I prefer Tommy/Lou to Eddie/Ryan? Absolutely not. I love Eddie, always have. I admit to being slightly more of a Buck girlie, but that doesn't mean Eddie means nothing to me.

Is it the immediate gratification? Maybe. Is it just how the relationship's being written? Possibly. Is it just a mental adjustment for my belief that Buddie will never happen, and Eddie will always be straight? Likely. But that doesn't change the outcome.

So here I sit, just...yep. Sometimes it just be like that. I didn't choose this, it's just what my brain decided was going to work for me going forward. If this goes up in smoke, my brain will choose something else, whether it's to run back to Buddie, or be done with 9-1-1 entirely, or who knows what else?

The good news for any of you who follow my writing is that I'm still working on the next Husbros installment. That universe is removed enough from the canon that it almost feels separate to me now, and I'm still feeling connected to it. Yes, I've written a few short BT fics, but so far I've not had any lengthy or involved plot bunnies for it.

So there you have it. I didn't choose the thug life, the thug life chose me. I don't know if I'd have chosen this if I could, but tbh I'm having a pretty good time with it so far, so. That's probably a big part of the reason.

[cromulentbookreview]

Fun with Fungi!

Huh, what's this? *cleans away dust* oh, yeah, this blog is still a thing. I probably should've written more reviews, but...

I mean, I could come up with an excuse, but I'm too lazy. Just as I am too lazy to continually update this book review blog that nobody reads. I mean, I just wrote a review *consults calendar* uh. In 2022. Dang, I have been lazy. Oh well.

I'm like a rug on valium, I'm talking lazy.

And by that, I mean: let's have a dual review of the Sworn Soldier series: What Moves the Dead and its sequel, What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher!

Those covers, man. They're awesome, but at the same time: poor bun bun. Poor horsie.

So technically, what I'm doing here is not one but two reviews. So I'm actually being really, really productive right now and not lazy in the slightest.

This is a legitimately true story, I swear. Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...by which I mean, four or five years back or so, I'd never heard of T. Kingfisher / Ursula Vernon in my life until I got into a fight with her on Twitter* on whether or not the fruit of the hazel tree should be referred to as Filberts or Hazelnuts.

For the record, I am firmly team hazelnut. I mean, they're nuts from a hazel tree. Hazel+nuts = hazelnuts. Who in their right mind wants to eat something called a filbert? But, terminology varies as T. Kingfisher is firmly on team filbert. My parents also call them filberts on occasion which is weird to me as we live in an area lousy with hazelnut farms.

Mmmm, Hazelnuts...

Anyway! I had no idea who this person was but I got into a tongue-in-cheek gif fight on Twitter with them regarding hazelnut v. filbert. Feeling bad that I got into a fight with a random person online on their hazel tree fruit name preferences, I went to their profile, saw they were an author, looked up their books and bought the two books of the Clocktaur Wars series. I tore through them, and continued on, reading all of the World of the White Rat series (I just saw that we're getting a new one in January and I might have let out a bit of a fangirl screech), and the absolutely delightful A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking and Minor Mage. So far, every single one of T. Kingfisher's books that I've read has been awesome. Nettle & Bone? Amazing. Thornhedge? I'm a very slow reader, but I devoured it in an afternoon.

T. Kingfisher writes amazing fantasy novels and I absolutely love them. She also writes horror. Which is where I hit a brick wall because I'm a baby who doesn't handle horror well. I don't like horror movies. I don't often read horror books. Because the world is scary enough without ghosts and poltergeists and demons and jump scares. Also I watched The Ring when I was 12 and it scared the shit out of me. Anyway! Oddly enough, I've always found myself drawn to horror-type stories. I mean, horror fits so well in fantasy and sci-fi (looking at you, Doctor Who episodes that gave me nightmares). As an adult, I've found myself more and more willing to dip my toe into horror fiction. Season 1 of The Terror, one of my favorite-ever TV series is considered horror (maybe because it's not jump-scare scary, it's existentially scary. Also it's set in the past. Also it's got dudes-on-boats, my favorite genre). Part of me really, really likes horror stories set in the past - no horror like 18th/19th/Early 20th century horror, amirite?

Right?

Well, whatever, I just like horror to be ye olde timey horror, OK? Like Crimson Peak, The Witch, The Death of Jane Lawrence, Mexican Gothic, The Woman in Black, The Hacienda, Vampires of El Norte, The Hunger ... spooky-scary Gothic-y-Romantic-y-type stories that have a historical element to them. Those are awesome. I'm slowly - very slowly! - getting myself to read more contemporary horror stories. I understand that The Twisted Ones and A House With Good Bones are really, really good, but....what can I say, I'm a wuss. And contemporary stories aren't really my jam. I read to get away from the contemporary world, damn it!

(Me, too scared to read contemporary horror but not too scared to listen to 900,000 true crime podcasts).

Right, where were we?

Oh, yeah. The review(s). I'm starting to understand why no one ever read this blog and why I let myself be lazy.

-

In What Moves The Dead we meet Alex Easton, a Gallacian ex-soldier on their way to visit their old friends, the Ushers, at their delipidated estate in the rural countryside of Ruravia. Alex had word that Madeline Usher was dying, and they wanted to be there for Madeline and her brother, Roderick. Roderick had been a fellow soldier with Alex back in the day and -

Wait a minute, Roderick and Madeline Usher? Delipidated mansion? Unspecified 19th century middle of nowhere...

Yep, this story is, indeed, a retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, and it does a much better job than certain series you might find on Netflix.

Moving on:

Alex, Roderick and Madeline were childhood friends, and Roderick and Alex even fought together back in the day. Alex is a "sworn soldier" - something unique to their home country of Gallacia, a small, backwater country located somewhere between Bulgaria, Hungaria and that other -Garia, a vaguely Central/Eastern European nation with a language somehow structurally worse than Finnish, Hungarian and Icelandic combined. The Gallacian language has seven sets of pronouns: there's one set used only when referring to God, a set used to refer to children before puberty, one set specifically for inanimate objects...and, as the Gallacians are a fierce warrior people (though they're not exactly great at it), there's a special pronoun set just for soldiers.

So, in Gallacia, anyone, regardless of gender, can waltz up to the nearest military recruitment post, declare themselves a soldier, and be given a sword and a new set of pronouns within the hour. Hence the term "sworn soldier."

Anyway!

Prior to arriving at the House of Usher, Alex encounters an Englishwoman, Miss Eugenia Potter, a mycologist studying the local mushrooms, and there are some gnarly-looking (and smelling!) mushrooms. In fact, the whole landscape around Usher House seems...off. Everything seems dead or dying. Random hares will stand up and just stare right at you.

And not in a cute way, either.

As if the landscape weren't bad enough, once Alex gets to the Usher House, Roderick himself barely resembles the soldier Alex once knew. His skin has gone bone-white and he's as thin as a skeleton. He seems terrified by something but can't quite articulate what. Madeline is still alive, but in bad shape. Not even Roderick's friend Denton, an American doctor, can say what is wrong with her and Roderick (Catalepsy? Anemia? Hysteria? Roomis Igloomis? Who knows?). Denton and Alex immediately figure it's something to do with their environment - the house is both rotting and falling apart around them - but Roderick insists that Madeline can't leave, and if she can't leave, he won't leave.

Determined to find out what's happening to their friends, Alex resolves to stay. But things in the House of Usher are starting to get weird. For one thing, Madeline sleepwalks far more than a dying woman should, speaking in a strange, child-like voice, there's a lake outside that seems to pulse and shine with odd lights, there's a legion of undead hares wandering around and, seriously, what is up with those mushrooms??? With the help of Denton, Miss Potter, and their trusty batman, Angus, Alex must figure out what the hell is going on with the House of Usher...before whatever it is starts to spread.

What Moves The Dead is short and sweet and the perfect book to read when it's cold and dreary outside - and definitely not one you want to read before eating a giant bowl of mushroom risotto. If you're looking for a fantastic, spooky-type read that reads like if Edgar Allan Poe and The Last of Us joined forces with an army of undead bunnies.

But!

Luckily for all of us, Alex Easton's adventures don't stop with the events at the House of Usher.

It's late in the autumn and poor Alex would much rather be in Paris. Unfortunately, Angus has successfully guilt-tripped them into a trip to Alex's family's old hunting lodge back in the Old Country, aka Gallacia. Nothing like good old Gallacia in the winter where everything is damp, cold, cold, and, you guessed it! Damp.

But the redoubtable British mycologist Miss Eugenia Potter wishes to study some Gallacian mushrooms, and Angus, who is absolutely sweet on her, pretty much voluntold Alex to come along to act as Miss Potter's translator and use their hunting lodge as a home base.

So instead of a beautiful late Autumn/Winter in Paris, Alex is stuck back home.

*Sigh* looks nice, doesn't it?

As much as Alex sulks at the thought of spending several weeks back home, it's not like they're going to say no to Angus and Miss Potter. Not after everything they went through with the Usher House *shudder*.

Unfortunately, when Angus and Alex arrive at the lodge to help get it ready for Miss Potter's arrival, the caretaker, Codrin, is nowhere to be found. A quick trip to the nearby village reveals that Codrin has been dead for the past two months. But the locals are being very cagey about what killed him - Codrin's daughter is very insistent that it was just a lung infection, nothing else, no further questions, goodbye.

Finding a replacement for Codrin proves difficult, as it seems none of the villagers want to go near the lodge because there's a rumor that Codrin wasn't killed by inflammation of the lungs, but by a creature called a Moroi - a woman who sits on your chest and quite literally steals your breath. And the rumor is, a Moroi has taken up residence at the Hunting Lodge.

Yikes.

After some effort, Alex manages to hire a new housekeeper: the ill-tempered Widow Botezatu, who brings her grandson Bors along with her. The Widow immediately hates Alex, thinking them a wastrel, but Bors is nice enough. Miss Potter arrives, complete with terrible Gallacian phrasebook, but it soon becomes clear things aren't quite right at the Lodge. Alex begins to experience strange dreams - dreams in which a woman is kneeling on their chest because, yep, the Moroi is very real, and it can get to you in your dreams, just like Groundskeeper Willie in Treehouse of Horror VI.

Which is to say like Freddie Kruger, but still.

When it becomes clear that the Moroi is after the residents of the lodge, it's up to Alex, Angus and Miss Potter to figure out how to defeat a creature that can infiltrate your dreams.

What Feasts at Night is just as creepy, eerie and atmospheric as What Moves the Dead - there is plenty of non-fungal body horror and, mercifully, no zombie bun buns. Kingfisher is fantastic at capturing the terror of having your ability to breathe taken from you, and of the dread of having to fight something you can't grasp while awake. How she manages to pack so much into two short novels, I have no idea.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone in the mood for some short, sweet spooky horror.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who gets easily queasy, someone in the middle of eating a nice mushroom risotto, someone who really, really, really loves bunnies being alive and living their best lives, anyone who might wake up in the middle of the night with their cat on their chest staring directly into their eyes...

RELEASE DATE FOR WHAT FEASTS AT NIGHT: February 13, 2024

RATING FOR BOTH: 5/5

ANTICIPATION LEVEL FOR SWORN SOLDIER BOOKS: Chigori

*

[quietbluejay]

Angel Exterminatus 12

Spoilers for Fate Stay Night Heaven's Feel route in this one. Though if you know the basic plot you're not getting spoiled on anything.

Ouch.

tfw you spit back a retort and it's way more honest than you meant

I honestly think this conversation feel worse for Perturabo than the entire life stealing thing. This is in front of EVERYONE

but also "no one ever cared to find out" one you never even TOLD anyone everyone is always shooketh to find out basic stuff about you! and people who do, do they not count?? and when they ask you to build stuff you always go "no it won't be perfect" and then don't do it

HOW DOES IT KEEP GETTING WORSE

and also just keeps. going. on.

Ah he sees the world he genocided

Perturabo summarized in one sentence:

oh and now Fulgrim shows up in the hallucination

why not??? it's your dream even in your dream you can't do something that'll give you at least a moment of satisfaction?

no. it's not that.

I think it's not necessarily this that is why he doesn't snap Fulgrim's neck but because what he actually wants is Fulgrim and him to have an actual positive relationship. there's a similarity to Sakura Matou here. The circumstances are completely different and Sakura >>> Perturabo but what she ultimately wants is for them (the Matous) to act like a normal family and treat her like that like she lashes out because she's completely hit her limit but her ideal end state was not them being dead her killing Shinji isn't actually a triumph of revenge for her even if it's very satisfying to see as a viewer/reader, it's what pushes her over the edge. And she mourns them at the end because with them dead, sure they aren't hurting her any more, but any chance for them to become better people and for reconciliation is gone. I'm not saying Sakura's situation is really comparable to this one, lol, but it's the same thing as a driver, i.e. that underneath the desire for revenge is one for reconciliation.

PFFFFFFF

Fulgrim: ok think about all the people who have scorned you and think badly of you. Of course I don't think of you like that any more incredible

ABSOLUTION and Fulgrim can't give him that

YES FINALLY WE ARE FREE OF IT

Fulgrim: nooooooo

ARE YOU ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME THIS IS GETTING DRAWN OUT AGAIN???

bro WHAT this is why you don't talk to skulls in the warp so Forrix is likely KIA, Kroeger went full Khorne, and Falk is ?????

sure sounds like prayer is doing more against evil here than all those bolters and chainswords Kroeger...managed to take a step back from Full Khorne using the litany

OH COME ON NOT AGAIN

giant game of hot potato

imagine if the climax of return of the king was the ring getting passed back and forth between frodo sam gollum a freaking eagle that was somehow there and also idk shelob

NOOO THEY KILLED THE BIRB

oh wait hwat Nykona killed Lucius in a duel that was sick

so how did lucius survive??? he didn't die even though he was killed and he's not getting super elf stones ground into his bones Shirou is screaming in the background

and now it's time for the Dreadnought mud wrestling

Nykona has the stone now ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME THIS WAS RIDICULOUS LIKE 3 STAGES OF HOT POTATO AGO

Nykona: ew, perturabo

That was narratively unsatisfying but at least ITS FINALLY OVER

How Perturabo got his life back:

This was like okay you know that scene in La Sylphide where the Sylphide is dying and the music repeats over and over according to how the dancer/choreographer do it and sometimes they just drag it out so she's staggering around the stage for like ages it's like that

?????????? how does that make sense???? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME HES GETTING THE POWER TO ASCEND ANYWAYS??? WHAT WAS THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE MAUGETAR

Chapter ends here. Are we FINALLY done???

deep sigh we're not done

AAAAARRRGGHG

and now he has become snake man, destroyer of soulstones

Oh no not the gelatinous writhing flesh again

Perturabo is grieved

HE FREAKING TEAM ROCKET BLASTED OFF AGAIN and now the planet is literally falling apart perturabo looks at the iron hands they look at him he walks away

okay so I FOUND OUT WHAT WAS UP WITH THE ELDAR I WAS RIGHT it was drukhari plot playing both sides so they were gonna use the soul stones as a sacrifice for themselves RIP FORRIX LIVED!!!!! okay they all made it back to the ship but they're gonna get pulled into a black hole and i have ending fatigue

of course they are

annnd the epilogue now lucius died and woke up again somehow

fabius is getting harassed by the imperial fists he experimented on nice, they managed to destroy all the stuff in his lab

are you kidding me McNeill THIS is the note you end on

I hit image limit (for what fourth post running) so I can't post the meme but

MY DISAPPOINTMENT IS IMMEASURABLE AND MY DAY IS RUINED

the problem with the ending was it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a tragedy or a triumph and ended up being both a thematic and a narrative mess and didn't even hit bittersweet as it fell down 16 flights of stairs which was also approximately how long it took to GET TO THE POINT it just kept dragging out the denouement and then ended with a fart noise okay this very final thing just happened! no, wait, something is immediately going to subvert it also the hot potato game took out perturabo's agency sharrowkyn, a guy who is doing his own separate subplot involving lucius, being the one to shoot the maugetar what did that serve??? the entire thing with the bird snatching it and then lucius and then sharrowkyn could have been completely cut like the subplot stuff was happening separately anyways do the sharrowkyn-lucius duel there it kinda reeked of "hey look at my cool oc doing plot-relevant things"

I do have more to say so I'm probably gonna have a couple of wrap up posts, including the very Catholic interpretation of things.

But most of it is done!

Take a shot every time I said some variation on "are you kidding me"

[lilyevanstan1325]

✨ Astral Lovers ✨

Chapter 7

Steve POV

"I'll find you, honey.I'll find you"

I stand still in front of the river for an indefinite time.

I don't know if it's been minutes or hours.

I just know my head is exploding.

Millions of thoughts pass through it at the speed of light, a thousand ideas to put into practice.

But the only thing I can do is stay glued in place, unable to even look up to the sky.

I look incessantly at the body of water in front of me.

Like her eyes.

Dark.

Mysteriou

How the hell did I get into this situation?

The rational part of my brain tells me to let it go.

I've known this woman for how long?

Just a week?

Why should I make my life so complicated?

She's gone, that's okay.

I can find other women.

Hundreds of other women would love me.

I'm Steve Rogers.

I'm Captain America.

I sigh.

But any other woman wouldn't be her...and to speak is my instinct that dominates over my reason.

I can't do without her now.

Absurd?

Very.

But I know I'm willing to turn the world upside down just to find her, if only to hug her again for a minute.

To know that she is fine.

I'm worried about her.

She is alone in a world that she believes is real and I have to understand why.

I need to figure out how to find her.

I need some answers and I know I'll be alone on this journey.

I absolutely cannot involve my teammates in all of this.

Nor Bucky or Natasha.

They are not just my friends and my team, they are my family and I could never expose them to such a great unknown if it were not strictly necessary.

Lily is a necessity only for me.

I can risk for her, and I will.

But I can't ask others to do the same.

I've done this before, to save Bucky, and I nearly destroyed the Avengers.

I put my friends, my family, in a horrible situation, pitting them against each other.

It was worth it?

Absolutely yes.

Would I do it again?

No.Hell no.

The feel of guilty would devour my soul.

I am brought back to the present by the sound of my phone.

I take it out of my leather jacket pocket and read the name on the screen.

She knows that there is something that worries me.

Natasha.

And that's why she is one of my friend.

She's not breathing down my neck, she's not trying to get the news out of my mouth.

She waits patiently in a corner until I am the one ready to open up.

I try to gather all my strength and be calm and carefree.

"Hey Nat, what's up?"

"Hi Steve, we're ordering a pizza.Are you one of us tonight?"

I know I'm acting like a bad friend.

I can perceive the underlying meaning of her question, which is Will you deign to honor us with your presence tonight at least?

"I don't know Nat, I'm already in my apartment"

It's not really the truth but my plans are those.

On the other end of the phone I can hear Bucky exclaim "Look I'm here and I can hear you, Romanoff!"

"C'mon Steve!" I hear her sigh, "We haven't seen each other in days!Please don't leave me another night alone with Barnes!"

A smile touch my lips.

After all, I could go.

"Look, there's nobody in the tower tonight.It's just me and Barnes.Tony is in Miami with Pepper, Bruce is in Washington and Clint is with his family.Come on don't make me get beg you!"

It's true I'm not in the mood to see anyone but Bucky and Nat are my best friends.

"Ok, I'm coming.Give me 30 minutes and I'll be there"

When I'm about to hang up Natasha's voice stops me.

"Steve...I know there is something you're not telling me and that's okay, I swear!"

I hear a smile in her voice.

I close my eyes, God, she knows me very well.

"And whatever it is, I want you to know I'm on your side.No matter what, I will never judge you.Whatever it is we can work it out together.I love you, you know?"

"I know Nat, thanks.I love you too.See you soon"

I feel the tears wet my eyes.

I know I can entrust my life to this woman, she'll always watch my back.

I walk briskly to my apartment.

I need to take a shower.

I have to clear my head.

Once I get home I quickly head to the bathroom, I begin to free myself from my clothes until the reflection of something small sparkles on the floor catching my attention.

I bend over to my knees to be able to observe closely and understand what it is.

I reach out under the sink and there I find a small and delicate earring.

It is shaped like a butterfly and has wings covered with shining marine waters.

My heart begins to beat faster and faster.

This is Lily's and if she wasn't real I never could have had anything of her with me, right?

I remain crouched in this position to observe this little jewel resting on the palm of my hand.

Then I stand up holding it in my fingers.

A little hope brightens my heart.

Maybe there is a chance that I will find her.

I enter the shower with my heart a little lighter.

After all, nothing is lost.

I know she exists, somewhere she is living her life unaware that I am real.

The hot water flows through my hair, wetting my back and running down to the drain.

I can't help but think about her.

I feel obsessed with this woman.

I think to the kisses we exchanged just before she disappears.

A kiss so full of passion that I can't get out of my mind.

I lift my hand to my lips, with my thumb I stroke my lower lip.

The lip that she bit and sucked.

I immediately feel my erection grow.

I can't help it but my hand goes down my abdomen and then wraps around it.

I feel it throbbing, impatient for relief.

I close my eyes and at the thought of her, naked and compliant, I start pumping up and down with my hand.

I imagine my body buried in her warm fold.

I hear her moan my name as I move back and forth inside her, mercilessly.

My face sunk into her neck as I breathe every inch of her skin.

My hand squeezes harder and the pace increases.

I'm close.

I guess I lift my gaze from her body only to meet her beautiful eyes begging me to give her more.

To not stop.

Our hips bang against each other violently making a sinful sound.

And I don't.

I cum wildly into my hand.

I'm out of breath, with my head down and my heart pumping in my ears at a furious pace.

I open my eyes.

I look at my now relaxed and satisfied cock in my hand and a wave of anger takes over.

I rinse nervously and get out of the shower.

I pass a hand on the fogged mirror and see my reflection, shining eyes and parted lips from the still panting breath.

My chest rising and falling trying to regain the normal rhythm.

I should be worried about her, trying to find a solution.

I shouldn't be standing here in the shower jerking myself off like any other teen.

I quickly put on a pair of jeans and a blue shirt, grab my leather jacket and the keys to my motorcycle.

After that I leave the house.

Once on the road I get on the saddle and as soon as I hear the engine roar under me I relax.

Riding my beloved motorcycle relaxes me every time.

And so in the time of the road ahead I mull over my life.

Since I woke up in this new era I believed I had to resign myself to living a life in solitude and instead I found new friends.

A family.

I found again Bucky, my best friend.

I thought I was ok.

That all this was enough for me.

After losing Peggy, I didn't think I'd be able to feel anything for anyone else.

It was my choice to leave her but I would do it again a thousand times.

With my gesture I allowed her to have a better world, a safer place where she could live her life.

And she did.

She found love, she became a mother.

She lived surrounded by people who loved and respected her.

She lived to the full.

Over time, I got used to being self-sufficient.

Until I met her.

From that moment on I realized that maybe I'm not so complete on my own.

That maybe even the great Captain America is nobody without a great woman by his side.

With all these thoughts in mind I arrive at the Avengers tower.

I park my motorcycle and right in front of the entrance I find the delivery boy with the pizza.

I'll take them and hand him the money.

"Do you have a girl, son?" I ask him straight away.

He looks a little surprised by my question but then answers with a huge smile.

"Yes sir.She is at home now.We used to work together but now she is on a forced rest period.She has less than a month to give birth and I try to do a few more shifts to earn some extra"

Although visibly tired I can hear all the pride and joy in his voice.

I smile at him.

"Keep the change"

"Thank you Captain Rogers, I wish you a good evening" he replies back happy to have just earned a $ 20 tip.

Sometimes it doesn't take much to make someone else happy.

I enter and walk towards the elevator.

Once inside I think to that delivery boy.

He sacrifices his every moment for his family.

That boy will soon look his son in his eyes for the first time and he will know it was worth it.

All his hard work will be rewarded.

Love is sacrifice.

And I'm ready to sacrifice all my time and energy if that would mean finding her and being able to hold her close to me.

The elevator bling brings me back to reality.

I enter the large living room only to cross it and head towards the kitchen.

In the meantime, I try to put on a calm and relaxed expression.

Bucky and Natasha are from behind and they are laughing, I lean against the door and watch them.

It's nice to see how much they have bonded over time, they are both very important to me and I'm glad they get along.

"Anyone hungry?Buck you owe me 25 dollars.I'm tired to always paying for you!" I tease him.

"Sure man, thanks!" he replies without turning around.

I roll my eyes knowing it will never happen.

I smile at Nat , she has turned towards me now.

She returns my smile even if the look she gives me is veiled by a certain concern.

"Hey hunk, are you okay?"

Maybe I'm not that good at hiding my thoughts after all.

Now even Bucky has turned in my direction and from his gaze I know that now I can no longer hide my real feelings.

Great.

"Not again, buddy..." my friend sighs in frustration, "Why are you letting her treat you like that?"

Now he's mad at me.

"Woah woah woah!What are you talking about?Who are you talking about?" Nat interjects, placing a hand on Bucky's vibranium arm, just enough to get his attention.

She knows that if she asked me I wouldn't answer her.

Instead my best friend apparently can't wait to share my secrets with the entire world.

I look down at my hands that still hold the pizza.

I hear Bucky sigh.

"Captain Idiot is getting treated like a idiot by a stupid little girl"

I feel the blood rising to my brain.

I take a step in his direction and slam the pizza on the counter.

"Don't you dare.Don't you dare talk about her like that.You don't know anything!"

I turn on my heels and walk out of the room.

Bucky is one of the most important people in my life and I would never want to tell him something that can hurt him, something that I can regret.

I feel suffocated.

Obviously they both follow me.

If Natasha on one hand tries to calm me down and try to understand what is happening on the other hand, Bucky keeps teasing me.

I know he just wants to provoke me to finally let me vent...and he does it very well.

"Ok, Rogers who is this woman?" Nat asks me.

She is now between me and Bucky, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

She seems worried that I might hit my friend at any moment, I mentally roll my eyes.

As if I ever could.

But shouldn't he be the one who should always support me?

"I met her a short time ago" I reply but Bucky doesn't give me time to continue, which he immediately adds "And he fell in love with her like an idiot without even knowing who she is"

"What is your problem?"

"My problem is that I don't want to see you suffer!You really don't get it?Jesus Christ Steve, wake up!"

I am petrified by his words.

But I calm down.

I know he only wants my good.

"I know man.Sorry, sorry if I yelled at you"

"Don't worry.I behaved like a real asshole.Sorry!"

"Okay, lovebirds.Save this for when you are alone.Now would someone explain to me what the hell is going on?"

Now Natasha Romanoff is angry.

I gather all the courage I have and tell her everything.

She listens all the time in absolute silence.

"Okay.And what happened tonight?Did she go away again?"

I don't know where to begin.

I'm afraid of their reaction but I try.

"She told me that she can't stay with me because...because we belong to two different worlds"

God!

Only the thought tears my soul apart.

"What do you mean?" tries to understand the redhead.

"She is convinced that I, this reality, are a dream.In the evening she falls asleep in her bed and wakes up here in New York.She doesn't know how or why"

I see Bucky roll his eyes.

His response was not long in coming.

"Are you serious, man?"

Exactly.

I look away from his eyes.

Mine are full of shame now.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Nat punching him in the center of his chest and my friend immediately after massaging the affected area.

"What makes you believe in her words?" Natasha asks me softly.

That's why we are friends.

She always knows how to get me.

"Because she disappeared into thin air just as I was hugging her.One moment she was in my arms and I was kissing her" I answer embarrassed, "and the next moment there was a glow and she disappeared.Gone"

Both of them are speechless.

Torn between the desire to believe me and the desire to laugh.

But from my expression they understand how serious I am.

Especially how I feel destroyed by it all.

Unexpectedly, the first to speak is Bucky.

"Damn man, I'm sorry.What can we do to track her down?"

I look at him without understanding

"What?" he continues, "I saw her, I talked to her.She is real.I know you are telling the truth and I want to help you.Besides, I don't think you want to give up like that so tell us your plan and we will help you"

I see Natasha nodding.

"I only know her name.And her hometown" I admit disconsolately.

"This is a great starting point.You'll see that we will find her" saying Nat and hugs me.

I feel a little more confident in the future.

Togheter we let's go back to the kitchen.

We sit around the table and start enjoying our pizza.

For a while we remain silent.

"So...Rogers fell in love, huh?" chirps Natasha happy.

"I'm not in love"

"Oh yeah, you should see when he's with her, he looks like a fish!"

Bucky teases me while he continues to chew a piece of pizza.

I remain silent, impassive.

I try to focus only on my food.

Nat obviously continues.

"Is she cute at least?"

"Choose your next words carefully, Buck..."

Only when I see two heads turning towards me at the same time I realize that I have spoken aloud.

Damn.

I can't help it and I smile too.

"No, he's not in love" Bucky replies to Natasha and together they burst into laughter.

"Soul mates" the redhead say solemnly.

"I don't know if it's love but I feel connected to her inexplicably.From the first moment I saw her I realized that if I didn't try to know her I would regret it all my life" I admit candidly aloud for the first time.

"Do you really believe in this nonsense?" Bucky teases her.

She looks at him but not worthy him of an answer and turns to me as if Bucky hadn't even spoken.

"Come on, give us all the details" Natasha says as she serves up another slice of pizza.

"Not very much.I know her name and her city, or at least the city where she thinks she lives"

"What makes you say this?Do you think that if we go she wouldn't be there?"

"Exactly" I reply letting me get a bit of discomfort.

"The first time we spoke she told me that she would like to live in New York but she couldn't move"

"So something or someone is stopping her"

Bucky comes to the same conclusion as me.

I nod.

"Plus she seems to have temporal knowledge but she had no idea who I was.Who Captain America was.Or who the Avengers were.I think she lives in a deliberately modified reality"

"Ok, but why?What is the reason?Is she dangerous?She has a powers that need to be kept under control?" she murmurs thoughtfully to herself.

I had never considered this hypothesis.

A shiver runs down my spine.

"Some time ago I heard Strange and Stark talking about the multiverse and astral travel but not understanding very much, I couldn't follow the speech" murmurs Bucky thoughtfully.

We are at a standstill.

We finish eating in silence.

"Tomorrow morning we'll take a jet and head to Brookville.Why are you looking at me like that?" Natasha asks, "Fury owes me a favor, he won't ask questions"

"Listen Steve, Romanoff is right!We have to start somewhere and Brookville could be a good starting point" says Bucky.

"Do you think this is a good idea?"

I desperately need their approval.

I get up to clear the table and my friends help me.

I start to go to my room but I stop at the door.

"Ok, see you tomorrow morning at 6 o'clock".

And so saying I go to my room hoping to be able to sleep at least a few hours.

??? POV

Unknown location

I am sitting at my desk.

Doctor Avery standing in front of me.

"Give me the latest updates"

"Subject 94941 was revived twice in the last 30 minutes.No intubation required.It does not seem life threatening but the subject is weakening much faster than we estimated.The Stone is slowly absorbing all them life energy.If we want them to survive we should wake them up"

"Absolutely not" I reply with all the authority I am capable of.

"Doctor l, remember what happened years ago?Remember why the subject was placed in cryogenesis until we figured out how to sit them down without compromising they vital functions?Remember that they nearly killed you and two of your colleagues?We can't risk them awakening or even run away"

"I know sir but we don't have much time left.It is true that the stone protects the body that hosts it by attacking everything that tries to damage it but in these particular conditions the stone is just limiting itself to feeding on this body.And maybe...maybe the way to have the stone for us involves the participation of the subject actively"

"Explain yourself better Doctor Avery, I'm afraid not to follow you..."

"From our numerous researches it has emerged that the extraction of the stone it takes place through some magical rituals that we are not aware of, let alone know how to implement.But perhaps there is another way.That is...that the subject voluntarily decides to give us the stone" concludes the doctor.

"The subject will never consent" my voice trembling with anger.

"Then we should make sure that them wants it" admits my interlocutor candidly.

"To use something they love to bend them to our will"

Steve POV

I can't believe it.

It's 2:00 AM.

For hours I have been observing the ceiling and the city reflecting on it.

As soon as I got into bed, much to my surprise, I fell asleep right away.

Only to wake up after 45 minutes and not be able to go back to sleep.

I feel nervous about this trip to Brookville.

What if everything ended in nothing?

What if there's no answer for me?

I don't know how to behave.

Steve Rogers, the self-confident one, the man who always has a plan, now...now he doesn't have a plan.

I feel like I'm groping in the dark and about to drag my friends down with me.

Maybe I shouldn't let them, maybe I should get them to stay.

Convince them that the best solution is to go alone.

I can't stay in bed anymore so I decide to get up.

Barefoot, I head to the kitchen to drink some water but as soon as I get down I notice that there is already someone in the kitchen sitting in the dim light.

"Trouble with sleep, pal?"

I recognize his voice immediately.

"Yeah.You?Why are you still awake?"

I see Bucky sighing and looking beyond the large windows where the New York skyline expands as far as the eye can see.

It's no longer the city we two belonged to.

It has changed, it has grown.

A bit like the two of us.

He turns to me, he is trying to analyze my state of mind so I try to shift his attention to something else.

"If I asked you a question would you be honest with me?"

I can see the confusion in his eyes.

"I am always honest with you"

"What did you say to Lily, in front of the door of my house just before I arrived?"

I am genuinely curious.

Bucky, on the other hand, is uncomfortable, I perceive it from small gestures.

He shifts his weight from foot to foot and repeatedly runs his hand through his hair pulling it from the root.

He can't look me in the eye.

"Buck I'm not angry, really!I'm just curious" I smile trying to give him some courage to make him answer.

"I...I told her I didn't believe her.I didn't believe in her real interest in you.And that I would protect you from her at all costs"

His words are full of embarrassment.

I squint my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose with my fingertips.

I love Bucky but he is overly protective sometimes.

I think he still sees me as the skinny guy from Brooklyn.

He unexpectedly keeps talking.

"I really thought so, until I saw how her look at you when she saw you coming with Sharon.Nobody can fake such intense pain"

I feel dizzy.

How could she have thought even for a moment that I wanted someone else when I could have her by my side?

"And then man, when you kissed her she literally went up in flames"

We both laugh.

"So if you want to know if it's worth it to me the answer is yes.You two could be really happy together.And I just want that, you happy.I want you to put yourself ahead of everything else for once in your life.And if you need her for that, so be it!"

"Does that mean you like her now?" I tease him a little bit.

"And you Bucky?When will you think to find someone to love?" I ask him worried.

"Nope" he laughs, "But I'm willing myself to give her a chance"

Bucky is a good and righteous man.

He is just a victim.

Yet he continues to see himself as the villain, as the man to be punished for all the crimes committed by the Winter Soldier.

As if he had a choice.

"Nah...I don't have time for this.I have an idiot friend to help"

We both laugh out loud and head to our rooms.

"Rest Steve, tomorrow you'll need all your strength.And me and Natasha will be there for you"

"Thanks Bucky, thanks for everything.Goodnight, brother"

"Goodnight, bro"

So saying each of us enters our own room.

I lie on the bed closing my eyes and praying that everything will be for the best tomorrow.

Please share, comment and rate ❤️

🔥 Masterlist 🔥

Taglist

@deansapplepie

[takamishinko]

karasuno and nekoma scenario + headcanons for ftm reader

pronouns: he/him

warnings: dead naming, slight harassment and tranphobic comments like using the wrong pronouns.

a/n: this was a request from @mi-ts i hope you enjoy this and this is what you're looking for :) i added in some headcanons of my own as well. pls tell me if i said anything offensive in there by accident, i was also super tired when i wrote this so pls excuse me for any mistakes :'D

karasuno:

i feel like the entire team is pretty supportive and definitely not transphobic

the only person that i could possibly think of that doesn't understand transitioning would be tanaka but even then he'll still support you in whatever decision you make

let's start off with the first years

hinata and kageyama definitely uses correct pronouns though i feel like kageyama might forget sometimes but he'll just use they instead

tsuki doesn't care much and i don't think he cares a lot about anything other than maybe yamaguchi

yamaguchi would be really sweet about it, correct pronouns 100%, no mistakes or mess ups. he'll probably pay more attention to you and help you with whatever you need

kinoshita and narita are both super supportive people so they wouldn't care that much but they would definitely use right pronouns and all that

ennoshita is kind of the leader of the group right? i feel like he would advocate your pronouns only if ur comfortable with it though

alright third years

suga.

supportive supportive supportive super supportive

makes sure your absolutely 120% comfortable with your surroundings and if there are people bothering you he's not scared to get asahi and daichi to square up with them

daichi is pretty lowk about it. respectful of course. always tries to help you with suga but doesn't end up helping a lot but that's ok

lastly asahi would be…

pretty nervous about making sure he doesn't use the wrong pronouns or make you uncomfortable

like overly cautious but you find it funny and adorable

__________

"yo y/n! what took you so long? practice started 10min ago." tanaka shouted from across the gym.

"sorry…i got caught up with something." you replied with a sad tone in your voice.

the team immediately noticed something wrong. you were usually a pretty cheerful person and sulking like that didn't seem right to them. 

"woah woah, you good man?" noya said while tapping you shoulder.

"yah i'm fine guys, thanks." you lied.

"even a dumbass like hinata and king over there would know you're not fine, what's wrong." said tsuki.

"hey we heard that! but seriously y/n-kun, is everything ok?" hinata said while walking over with kageyama. 

"it's nothing much really… some second years called me uhh… "baby girl" today and asked me if i had anything to do after school. they wouldn't let me go either even after i told them i had somewhere else to be…. and the fact that i'm not a girl anymore." 

"they fucking what now?" suga said with an incredibly hostile smile on his face. 

"do you know their names?" daichi asked.

"yah its f/n l/n and f/n and l/n…" 

"those two sons of bitches??" tanaka and noya screamed in unison. 

"yah do you guys know them or something?" 

"they're in the class beside ours, we don't know much about them except that they're annoying as fuck. they've been making girls uncomfortable all year long." noya replied.

"oh… they must've thought i was a girl since i didn't wear a… y'know." 

"that's still no reason to do that to you y/n. first of all you weren't comfortable with them flirting with you, second of all you also told them that you're a guy and they still called you that." asahi said 

"yah that's true." daichi said with the rest of the team nodding their heads in agreement.

"don't worry y/n, we all know it's not your fault the binders don't work. no matter what you wear or how you look, the team will always see you as who you want to be!" suga said with a bright smile on his face this time.

a smile appeared on your face with warm thoughts entering your mind. knowing you have friends that care about you this much is truly a blessing you don't want to lose. 

"on a side note, suga and i know those 2 as well. in fact we know their homeroom teacher too, i'll go report to their teacher tomorrow. he loved suga and i, we were his best students." 

a small giggle came out of you and so did some happy tears. 

"thanks guys! it really means a lot." you said to all of your friends.

the rest of the practice was filled with joy and laughter. a few days later you received a handwritten apology from the two assholes you were talking about.

__________

nekoma:

same as karasuno i'm almost 100% sure none of them are transphobic and they would all be supportive. same case of tanaka with yamamoto though if anything

after you came out kuroo just gave you his signature smirk and a big thumbs up and continued to do his chemistry.

kai.

omg don't even get me started

he is SO supportive and just the nicest person possible

he's not aggressively supportive like suga but he's literally just always there for you. before you even realize you need something he already has it.

water, food, whatever it is.

yaku (personal nekoma fav), super chill about it

"oh cool, just let me go tell lev so he doesn't mess up your pronouns."

"lev for the last fucking time it's y/n and he/him it's not that hard to remember."

bonks lev everytime he messes up but he eventually got it

fukunaga just goes: 

":3 👍" 

so precious, never messes up your pronouns and names

kenma definitely doesn't mess up, remembers it well and i think he would just be like:

"cool, make sure you let the team know. especially lev…"

yamamoto would maybe mess up but he's trying his best

inuoka and shibayama:

i love these 2 so much btw^

inuoka would be excited cuz this is the first time someone ever came out as trans to them.

shibayama is just beside inuoka also being excited and nodding his head agreeing with everything he says

in conclusion these 2 are baby

__________

"hey guys what's up!" 

"ah y/ns here." kai said with s bright smile on his face, greeting you to practice.

"yo! what's up we're just getting started can you help me set up the net?" yaku said while waving over to you.

"yah i'm on my way give me a sec." 

"kenma go help yaku-san get off your game." kuroo said while poking at kenma.

"give me a sec. I'm almost finished." 

inuoka and shibayama were on the side listening to yamamoto talk about something. you and shōhei rushed over to help yaku with the net. 

"there, all done. thanks guys. kuroo let's start practice." yaku yelled

"yah everyone get ready-" 

just as kuroo said that, two boys entered the gym. they didn't look like they were up to anything good so kuroo stepped up and asked them what they're here for. 

"how can i help you two?" 

"we're just here to find d/n, oh there she is. hey~ you haven't answered our question yet, you free this weekend sweetheart?" one of the boys said as he attempted to move closer to you.

kuroo lost his shit immediately and pushed them away from you. 

"first of all his name is y/n, second of all it's he. lastly if you don't have anything else to say, please leave, our practice is about to start." 

"chill captain~ we just wanted to talk to this beautiful lady over here." 

"for the last fucking time you bastards it's-" yaku cut off kuroo before he could finish.

"leave it to me. you, tall one on the left, f/n l/n from c/n right?" yaku asked.

“y-yah why?” 

“your chemistry mark, 53% and you didn’t pass the test you took on thursday.”

“w-what ??! i don’t even know my mark yet how do you-”

“and you, the stick on the right, f/n l/n. you’re even worse, 49% as your total and your test? i’d embarrassed for you.”

“what the fuck?? w-who are you?!”

“yaku morisuke, 3rd year. the assistant for your chemistry teacher. now if you don’t want your marks leaked to the entire school i suggest you leave y/n here alone and get out.”

“tch yeah whatever !” the 2 boys said as they scurried away. 

“yaku-san!! that was so cool!!” everyone said.

“don’t worry about it! it’s what y/n deserves” he said with a huge thumbs up.

[stormyoceansmain]

no literally... s5/5a pining!eddie era just makes sense. "just make sure you're following your heart, not christopher's", the shooting being focused only on eddie and buck, everything cutting out except for the two of them, them keeping their eyes on each other the whole time, framed like they're reaching for each other under the truck up until eddie passes out, the emotional parts of the shooting storyline going to buck instead of his gf, buck being the one to tell chris, ana stepping out of frame, buck staying with chris in the diaz house, all the very blatent bobby and athena parallels in the same damn episode, showing all the firefam's significant others' putting their vests on while buck puts his on alone in eddie's house, the likelihood of eddie literally asking for buck when he woke up in the hospital bc he's the first one ana called and he looks so happy to see him, the entire conversation about the will and buck just being the one to pick him up from the hospital at all... it's all insane. not to mention how it looks like ana is going for a kiss at the welcome home party (which... they've never even kissed on screen lmao) but eddie goes in for a cheek kiss like he does with his family members instead. also buck not chasing after taylor after they kissed and instead running right to eddie, and then having all of his attention on eddie and chris at the party...

and even earlier on in the season, eddie leaves his "nice" date with ana, comes home to buck and chris after having to "take a detour"... chris going to buck when he's upset. eddie getting jealous of buck and taylor teaming up. the fact that eddie only started dating ana bc bobby gave him the speech about moving on, and he thought it might be something good for christopher. she's nice, she's pretty, christopher knows her, she's the safest and easiest option, but is that really what he wants? isn't there someone out there that would be good for both him AND christopher? hm. and then buck only showing interest in dating once eddie and ana start their relationship? ok....

so... next stop eddie!pining. buck being the one who gets to end a relationship + figuring out what it is exactly that he wants OR buck and taylor mutual breakup bc they figure out they're better off as friends (bc... ~bisexual~ besties buck and taylor would be so good for me personally.). second half of the season mutual pining era and then something in the finale maybe? honestly, though, there's no way eddie and ana are going to last, esp after the conversation with carla. some people think they'll probably even start s5 having already broken up off screen. and who knows how long they'll do buck and taylor for tbh, but if the finale is any indication, i'd say we're going to get Something about how they're together but buck still spends the majority of his time with the diaz boys.

sorry this is so long ksdjfjkn. i've typed up like... 5 different versions of this and they're all ridiculous. anyway, i think they've officially started shooting for s5 today. bryan safi (josh) posted pics in costume on instagram. so you caught up literally just in time !!

WHEN I TELL YOU THIS MESSAGE HIT ME RIGHT IN THE SOLAR PLEXUS AND THEN PROCEEDED TO WIPE THE FLOOR WITH MY BODY.......... JUST HAVING EVERYTHING WRITTEN DOWN LIKE THIS, EVERY SINGLE INSANE DECISION THEY MADE IN SEASON 4 WHEN IT COMES TO BUDDIE..... ABSOLUTELY SHREDDED ME

wish i could write something coherent about this, but it literally MAKES SO MUCH SENSE TO HAVE PINING!EDDIE IN SEASON 5, because LOOK. LISTEN. why having eddie say that being with ana is easy, why having carla tell him to follow his heart, if they're just gonna make him end up with yet another woman??? ALSO the fact that they made sure to point out how buck is the one person who will always be in christopher's life, making him the best choice for eddie AND christopher

and since im a sucker for slow burn i would give ANYTHING for more eddie introspection in 5a, ending with eddie realizing his feelings for buck in the mid season finale, and then actual pining!eddie for all of 5b until SOMETHING happens in the finale (i feel like taylor is gonna be around for quite some time, so buck finding out about eddie's feelings in the finale would be [chef's kiss])

[dragontamer-nia-2]

Olivier [Beyblade theories on crack]

Welcome to my random rants about random beyblade things. I have a lot of things to say about the Euro Team and how tragically underestimated and undervalued they are, as characters, but also as very smart plot devices, so in these posts I'm gonna pick a fight with the writers and yell at clouds while probably drunk. If you want a trip, and you think you don't like the Euro team, then jump on.

This guy. 

I love this guy.

This guy is great and I swear to god they knew what they were doing when they decided when and how to introduce him.

So, from the encounter at the top of the Eiffel Tower in ep 33 we know that this guy is mysterious and that he blades; he randomly starts roasting the Bladebreakers unprovoked, which is always fun, but fucks off before anything interesting can happen. What the writers decided to do in the next episode was split up the team, and have them find out more about Olivier separately: since everywhere they go they meet someone that has at least heard of him, we can't help but feel that this guy is kind of a big deal. From Max we learn that he's bloody rich, from Rei we learn that he's a great cook, from them both (when two guys conveniently share the information right in front of them… anime logic) we learn that he's the best blader in France, and from Takao and Kyouju we learn that he likes art, and… prepare your tinfoil hats, guys, because we're going deep.

The thing is, we know this guy is manipulative, and we know it because he offers Takao lunch in his own super expensive restaurant to distract him from the fact that he just ruined hundreds of people's day. Kyouju even points out that something's wrong when he sees Takao go into the Louvre absolutely furious at Olivier, and then sees them come out like buddies. We also know it because… come on guys, have you seen his face? Have you seen his evil smirk? He's a walking troll face. It's like the animators want us to not trust him. And yet, every background character seemingly adores him, even though we don't really get a specific reason why.

I mean… this is a kids show, I know. And the writing is messy most of the times. But this guy. This guy is shady as fuck. You can take him at face value and assume he's a well-meaning asshole, completely oblivious to normal interpersonal relationships, living in rich people's world where he can just do whatever the fuck he wants. Or. He could be one bad day away from being a chaotic-evil type of supervillain, because it's almost like he's doing everything he possibly can to lure and provoke Takao into battle while holding the façade of smiles and politeness. And the funny thing is that Takao doesn't even notice his intimidation attempts (while Kyouju falls for them at every step)

But, exactly, how manipulative is he? And, more importantly, is he even aware of it? Let's assume the worst about him for a second, that everything he did and said had the purpose to push buttons and provoke a reaction. Then just in episode 34 we have the following:

- He reserves the whole Louvre knowing that the Bladebreakers were going around famous tourists attractions

- He immediately interrupts Takao and makes him waste time on honorifics before letting him speak

- He invites Takao and Kyouju, two guys clearly not dressed for the occasion and who probably don't know proper etiquette, to his high class, really expensive restaurant, serves them delicious food he cooked himself, and even implies that he could kick everyone else out if he wanted to

- He namedrops that one guy from Team Who, in a conversation that really wasn't going in that direction, and then uses the bait to imply that he's much stronger than those guys, knowing fully well that Takao was having a hard time the previous day against them

- He basically corners Takao into battling in the middle of a fucking public park, knowing that there are a lot of people around and everyone wants to see the French champion battle

Now. The thing is, I can't prove he's the Machiavellian mastermind I suspect him to be, and the only way this whole thing works is that, in this episode, Olivier somehow got Takao and Kyouju alone and the rest of the team (Kai in particular) is not there to call Olivier out on his bullshit.

On the Eiffel Tower, at the very end of ep 33, Olivier did mention, among other things, that he has unresolved business with Team Who, and it's Kai that questions him to get more information. And what does Olivier do? He immediately cuts him off with "none of your business" and basically flees. We even get a reaction shot of Kai. Afterwards, Kai goes around trying to find out more information about Olivier on his own, and spies on the battle unseen. What's going on here? Well, Kai is not like his teammates, he's not naive, he knows what manipulation looks like and I think Olivier realizes it. That's why Olivier doesn't even try to play dumb with him like he does with basically everyone else, and that's why Kai circumvents the problem by playing bully with random kids instead of trying to confront him directly.

And I know all of this may be "chemicals are making the frogs gay" level tinfoil, but come on, just look at Olivier's reaction when Takao barges into the Louvre and somehow finds him. What does he looks like he's thinking?

At the end, it doesn't really matter, because Olivier doesn't win like he expects. Granted, at this point he can't lose - because the arc has just begun and Takao needs to work harder, and because Olivier already shit-talked Team Who in two different occasions while the writers want them to be a legit threat for the Bladebreakers. But Olivier can't win either, because we're already at the end of episode 34, we have three teams to juggle, and Takao can't keep losing and having to fight against the same people the whole arc. So they tie… and Olivier is shook. He miscalculated. For some reason this guy, this clueless, impulsive idiot, didn't lose immediately and neatly like he expected. And since Olivier does have honor, and respects people stronger than him, he immediately changes his tone, shuts down the peasants that don't understand these kind of things, and he starts treating Takao like an actual person (kinda).

Option A) Oh, what's this guy doing here while the Louvre should be closed?

Option B) How lucky, I caught him alone

One thing that stands out, though, is that he is the one member of the Euro Team who never loses. They had reasons to make his fight with Takao a tie, but why did they make him tie with Rei? Although I do have my own little theory about this, I noticed that he's the only member of the Euro Team that actually has other things going on in his life other than beyblade. The guy is rich, he is very interested in art, he works as a chef and wins culinary competitions. The fact that he's probably a bored psychopath is balanced by the fact that he seems to have his personal life together, he doesn't put his whole worth into spinning tops clashing against each other, and he has the self-confidence to admit when he was wrong. Which is… more than we say about the other European guys.

So, I'm thinking, because this is called Beyblade theories on crack after all, and there's too much reasonable stuff in this post so far… maybe the writers wanted to use the Euro Team to make a point about not winning, and being ok with it, and they really couldn't make it with the Bladebreakers because they are the protagonists. They can't lose - not permanently. Olivier doesn't win, twice, and… he's shook that he miscalculated, he seems to be honestly confused, his whole drive is not winning, but understand what's going on. That's why he sends the Bladebreakers to Giancarlo, that's why he convinces him to bring them to Ralf, he does want to study Takao, and… is he using the rest of the Euro Team as guinea pigs? Or did he notice something that's missing in them, and subconsciously wants to fix it?

Here's my hot take, and the conclusion to this dumb post. Olivier is not aware of his own machinations. He's a natural manipulator and he has a talent to read people or get info out of them, and he mainly does this by playing dumb and wait until people scream at him who they are and what they want. He reads the Euro Team, he reads the Bladebreakers, and realizes one thing: they could help each other. He baits Takao with the prospect of more beybattles and then follows him to see what happens. If it's chaos, good, if it's some life lesson, better. He manages to get Giancarlo on board and the both of them, combined with Takao, eventually get to Ralf. But what Olivier doesn't realize is that the very thing that he is subconsciously asking Giancarlo, Johnny, and Ralf to fix, is their inability to lean on other people, their skeptical and wary natures, their need to be perfect, without weaknesses, in the eyes of the world; and if Olivier was aware of his own machinations he would have realized sooner that, all this time, all he wanted was to have friends. And if I’m right about anything about this, then the writers will have done a good job with at least one member of the Euro Team, because it’s not only a fucking genius way to introduce the arc, the team, and the theme, but he’s also a damn good character.

I love this guy.

[happygirl2oo2]

Jenny Watches NCIS Hawaii - s1ep3

Jane and her kids scenes, always 👌

Can I just say I absolutely love the fact that they didn't even try to get Jane all 'closed off' boss? Like, the woman doesn't talk her mouth off about everything and anything, ok, she still has that Team Boss energy as she should that I love, yet at the same time she doesn't mind talking ("Red-eye with a Bullet. Figured hand-off day you could use a little something something"×)"You'd think after 3 years of shared-custody hustle I'd be past needing a caffeine fix"×"I think as long as we have kids, we'll never be past needing a caffeine fix" with Jesse as they enter the crime scene before switching to crime talk, which is just,,, as a woman lead I was a little worried what they'd do with her ngl, but so far it's absolutely great

Now Ernie and Jesse (and later some Ernie and Jane), god I love all the little different friendship bits we're getting here

Back to another Lucy and Jess friendship moments, yes, my top friendship here yet

"All of us are hiding something, Luce. Nobody's what they seem"; the look she had here, oh boy, do they not know about you being gay or something?? 😬

"It kind of defeats the solo part"×"but covers the not losing one of my agents to a violent gang part"; Jane never misses istg 😂👌

Jane "let's wait a beat" Tennant, a mf BOSS

Jesse and Jane's little chat about Alex, god I love it when it's a "yes she's my boss but we're also friends you know" relationship

"They teach you to talk like that in the Marines?"×"oh, I'm sorry, I'll use cop words. Guy up there. Gun. Bad"; LMAO

The "You're gonna give me a boost. It's okay, I was a flyer" scene; YES, GO LUCY

Also can we talk for a second how much I love the little "yes she's doing this badass thing rn so easily 'cause she used to be a cheerleader" thing here, like, I missed the Kim Possible era where we gave that more focus instead of putting cheerleaders down

OH SHIT IT'S THE MOM

Jane reassuring her kid that she gets his feelings and it's a new situation for all of them then still continue to level with him as she explain to him why his actions with it were not okay tho, A+ parenting

Brad's getting that ending,,, 😪

[momowoah]

Thoughts abt GG 2.0 ep 8! (might have ep 9 spoilers)

No, Zoya. Never delete, just archive.

Poor Max

Davis Calloway's speech reveals that: 1. He knew what he did was wrong 2. Actually nothing else, fck him

Ok but ngl I get why Davis but like... Why Davis? I liked him

Why did Davis offer the apt.? I swear to God if Nick is his secret lawyer...

Like what happened between Audrey and Monet,,,,,, I'm curious. She seems fine with Luna

"I miss you, bitch"

Again, poor Max

He doesn't even know what to say

I really thought Aki and Audrey were just teasing him at first

The two As are cute together

Eli Brown does look like a teenager sometimes

"We're like, weird right now, mom"

Why did Kate even tell them about the tip?

Not liking Jordan these days

"You're team Z? Twist"

Hate all the other teachers

Specially Scott/PE guy

Kate finally getting over her Julien obsession

I love the color of the bathroom bricks

Obie and Aki fighting are (almost) better than them being friends

"The gay thing" oh fck you

I love seeing Aki speaking up

I feel so bad for Julien

I love how all of them run after her tho

Audrey being ready with the car <3

I genuinely though Davis would be dead in the room

The way she keeps saying "dad" wanting him to say it wasn't true breaks my heart

This second part has a couple continuation issues that I can't believe I noticed

The way Davis got aggressive a couple times actually scared me

Nick, why are you defending him? Are you giving him a chance or are you secret lawyer who mailed him the blackberry?

Audrey calling Obie out lmaooo

I like her even better in 1b

I love the four being friends

Why don't they just bring a second phone to meet Roger? His assistants always ask for only one. Like, put it in your pocket.

I hate or dislike so many people in this show omg

Wait wait wait are Emily and Jordan the same height? I always thought Jordan was taller

Kate desperately trying to stall Zoya and turn off her phone

Why does Z takes gg so seriously

Luna and Max are always funny together

Liking Kate, hmmm unexpected

All things aside the girls looked good

When it comes to Julien they're all friends

Lola is kinda... off sometimes. Like, she's too naive.

I feel like I say this way too much but Whitney really is that pretty (also she's a good actress)

Max and Valeria's date was hilarious

Roger's Picasso story made absolutely no sense

Helena somehow got worse in part 2

Kate is trying to be a teacher while all the others just want revenge

"I would like to culturally appropriate her"

Zión pronouncing something with an accent >>>>

"someones"

Best Obie scene, best non throuple Aki scene

They were having so much fun

"Think I'm gonna try it out"

"Just grow your own"

Aki was a genius, Roger was a fool

I love how Z and Julien just put everything aside because she needs her

"Rafa was wrong" didn't understand about what but yeah he was I agree

Finally someone who didn't like basic Obie

Finally being besties

The moment "Blackberry Narcissus" finally made sense

Max's face I love him

The three look so good

Max trying to sit with them and Aki pushing him away :(

Jordan why did you delete the message?

I really think Nick is acting as Davis's lawyer and I don't like it.

Now, scene that made me cry

Julien trying to get the truth and telling him to shut up while Davis just says anything to save himself

When she kept reading names....

Poor J

[getitinbusan]

My top OT7 Smut Recs!

Fic Recs in a Fic

Much love to @noona-la-la-la @tayegi @softyoongiionly @fortunexkookie @gukslut @honeymoonjin @yminie for being amazing writers!

Jungkook arrived at his wardrobe appointment just past two o'clock. He never minded coming in, truth be told he had developed a bit of a crush on his Clothing Stylist.

Her pretty smile and contagious laugh frequently caught his eye as the fashion team stood together chatting and laughing. He wondered what they were constantly amused by, happy giggles surrounded them even after long days. They were totally off limits but that didn't stop all the boys from thinking about them now and again. 

"Hey JK," she smiled sweetly, "I know we were just going to do casual wear today but your new suits just arrived. Do you want to get them all done now or do you have to be somewhere?"

Suit fitting day meant extra touching, she'd be running her hands over his chest and up his inseam. "Yeah we can get it done today, I don't mind spending some extra time with you." 

"Great! I'm just going to run downstairs and grab them from receiving, I'll be back up in a few minutes." Grabbing the rolling rack she pushed her way out the door. 

Casually looking around as he waited, he picked up the steamer and playfully shot it a few times. 

Just about to see how hot it would be on his face, he heard the distinct sound of Jimin's "Excuse me!" Puzzled, he looked around, he was still alone. Convinced he was hearing things he went back to the steamer, "Excuse me!" It was coming from a phone...her phone...sitting there unlocked. 

He knew he shouldn't look, he knew it was wrong, but when he heard "Excuse me!" again he had to look. 

✂️ Noona: I just finished with Yoongi.

✂️ Noona: Made him a blonde and fuck he looks good.

✂️ Noona: I wore a low cut blouse, caught the dirty boy looking 🤭

Jungkook's eyes got bigger in disbelief, the Noonas talked like this...about them? He couldn't resist, he figured he had about 5 mins before she'd be back. Quickly choosing select all text, he copied, plugged in his own number, pasted, sent and deleted his message once he'd heard his own notification go off. Setting her phone back down, the anticipation of reading the messages had him both nervous and excited. 

The door pushed open as she walked through it backwards tugging the rack inside of the room. "Your phone went off a few times while you were gone Noona," he said with big eyes. "Your notification threw me off a little, is Jimin your Bias?"

Her face went pale, that was the notification sound for her smutty Noona Group Chat, come to think of it he never really used the term Noona with her, what had he seen? 

"No Kookie, I'm definitely 0T7," she dismissively laughed.

He held his phone in his hand looking at the text that was begging to be read. "I uh, just got a message from Joon, emergency group meeting, I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule."

Taking his leave he headed straight back to his apartment, he couldn't wait to read these messages. 

___________________________________

Laying back on his couch he opened the message. The group chat was called BTS Noonas and it seemed it was between the 3 stylists heading each department.

👔 Clothes Noona ✂️ Hair Noona and 💄Makeup Noona

Licking his lips he was eager to read on. 

___________________________________

💄Noona: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I just found this online, I told you that outfit was an abomination! Even the fans are writing about it. 

J Hope Flight 18 @noona-la-la-la

✂️ Noona: Just happened to find that online huh? You were looking up Hobi smut, admit it. 

👔 Noona: Yes, I told him to wear it. No, I didn't tell him to wear it 2 days in a row without a shirt. 

👔 Noona: This story fits...I asked him why he wore it again and he couldn't give me an answer. He's such a player.

💄Noona: I'd join the mile high club with him. I've had way too many dirty thoughts on those long flights. 

✂️ Noona:  So since we're sitting here waiting for them to finish shooting what else can we find….?

💄 Noona: Alright, I'll admit it...I've got a few saved. You know what Jimin does to me…

Jimin Fuck, Marry or Kill @tayegi

👔  Noona: Ahhh, poor little Jimin ssi, always so insecure 💔

✂️ Noona: No way, he is always the one who hits on me the most. I bet he fucks like there's no tomorrow. 

💄Noona: Agree, when he wants something he gets super aggressive. But really FMK..answers please!

👔 Noona: Fuck Kookie, Marry Jin, Kill Jhope

✂️ Noona: Fuck Taehyung, Marry Yoongi, Kill Jin

💄Noona: Fuck Jimin, Marry Joon, Kill Jungkook

👔 Noona: So if Jimin is a switch let's talk about our little subs! I think we all agree on Yoongi and Jin?

Yoongi Sugar Plum Fairy Lights  @softyoongiionly

Jin A Bonding Experience @fortunexkookie

✂️ Noona: And Dom's, we don't all share the same preferences. What I wouldn't let Taehyung do to me….💦 That boy is a freak in the sheets GUARANTEED

Tae Fun And Games @gukslut

💄Noona: But we all know Joon would be a first class lover. 

RM Sexual Healing @honeymoonjin

👔 Noona: Is he though? He probably gets lucky by tripping and falling into some vagina. Not exactly as smooth in real life as in fiction.

✂️ Noona: OR are you just completely Jungkook biased? We all know what you're thinking when you're on your knees tailoring his pants. 

👔 Noona: I'm not going to deny it! I may have gasped out loud the first time I "accidently" grazed it. This one seems accurate...

Kookie Vaunt @yminie

👔 Noona: Jungkook keeps watching us, maybe we're having too much fun.

💄 Noona: How exactly are we supposed to keep working now? 

✂️ Noona: Break time is over ☹️ back to business. If you find any other good ones post later!

___________________________________

👔 Noona: Fitting with my baby 🐰 today!

✂️ Noona: I've got Yoongles for hair and my best lacy bra on. 

💄Noona: Fuck I've got nothing, have fun and report back. 

___________________________________

✂️ Noona: I just finished with Yoongi.

✂️ Noona: Made him a blonde and fuck he looks good.

✂️ Noona: I wore a low cut blouse, caught the dirty boy looking 🤭

___________________________________

Jungkook couldn't believe what he'd just read. It was hard to imagine that these dirty things were running through her head. He thought only guys said, and fantasized about things like this but he couldn't deny he was turned on. 

Clicking her contact name he sent a message.

JK:  I'm sorry for having to leave earlier, can we try again tomorrow?

👔 Noona: Absolutely, I hope everything is ok?

JK: Never better, see you soon.

Jungkook came in smiling, knowing how she felt, he could flirt without repercussions. Passing him his first outfit he let his hand intentionally linger against her arm while taking the hanger. 

"I'm worried they may be too tight," he let his hand fall over his crotch and he adjusted himself, 'Yeah, it might not fit."

He could see the thoughts running through her head as he used the same words from the story she had shared. A small grin formed on her lips and a blush creeped over her cheeks. 

Getting on her knees to check the hem she worked her hand up his thigh, "Do you have enough room?" She looked up at him directly from her spot between his legs. 

He grabbed her hand, "Don't you want to feel how big it is Noona?" 

As she nodded he placed her hand over his bulge, "All you had to do was ask."

Virgin Jungkook Recs - My Laptop Died So I Used Yours

Taehyung Smut Recs - I Found Your Tumblr

[r3b3lgrrrrrrrl]

A LunaTic and her Gunn (Part 55 Xs1)

"Helluva Night"

@creatureofthen1ght-v3

@mythsloveworld

@kellyimagines

@queenieofthesouth

@crystalbaby12

After Luna changes, Ashley and her head over to The Amory to rehearse.

It's an open square stage. Like a four way runway. They do a run through, each positioned at an opposite corner. Starting by walking away from each other so that by time they meet, perfectly timed, they can toss their mic to the other as they walk by. It takes a couple runs to nail it. Not the toss but musical timing. They don't stop until it's perfect. Both girls maniacs when it comes to detail. Feeling confident in their flow and timing together, they cut out just after midnight.

Luna, Ashley and her band head to this neat little place called Up-Down to unwind with drinks and bar food. They hang out for a bit. Going over the show, bullshitting and playing pinball. Luna Snaps Colson while at the bar. Laughing, buzzed and full they wrap it up. Luna and Ashley have an interview in the morning.

Before going to sleep the two girls go over any last minute details of their performance. They're sitting on Luna's bed, sharing a joint also.

"Dude." A giggly Luna grabs Ashley's knee. "We're gonna do a fucking show together."

Of all their years, besides karaoke, they've never been on stage together.

"I know!!!" Ashley excitedly shakes her whole crossed legged body on the bed. "We're gonna fucking kill it!!" She exclaims to Luna's laughter.

--------------------------------------------------

Once Colson and Casie are home, he checks flight schedules real quick.

She's watching TV while he makes them dinner and a few phone calls. One to Emma, that goes according to plan. Then another.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" He asks.

After dinner, Colson gets Casie ready for bed. She has school tomorrow. They read 3 of her favorite books and he sings What I Got. It's their goodnight song. Tucking her in, he tells her that Mommy will pick her up from school but he'll see her the next day. Asking why, she's satisfied with his explanation. He tucks in with a tight squeeze, an I love you and a kiss.

Going into his room to collect himself, he lights a joint and checks his phone. Finding a Snap from Luna.

Opening it, he's pleased with his earlier decision. Snapping her back, he finishes the joint before climbing into bed. Trying not to miss her.

--------------------------------------------------

Ashley wakes up before Luna. As always. Learning over the years, she enjoys the half hour to herself that it usually takes to get her friend out of bed. She finally rises Luna with coffee, who immediately rolls a joint. They have a system.

Ashley showers first, while Luna sits with her, the joint and coffee. Holding it for Ashley to hit when she pops out her wet head.

Luna rolls another. Finishing in the shower, Ashley does the same for her.

Out of the shower, looking for clothes, Luna finally checks her phone. There's a Snap from Colson, amongst other things. But first, Colson.

"Oh my Fuck. He's fucking handsome." Even looking tired, he makes her body flush and pussy swell. Her heart misses him."

"Hey! You wearing this?" Ashley asks, pulling Luna out of her phone. Distracted she sets it down.

"Uhhhh... Nah. Go ahead." Luna says. She pulls on ripped black skinies, a sequin black tank and a long sleeve sheer white shirt. She puts on a deep purple lip before slipping on her white Chucks.

Luna stands up, just as Ashley asks "Ready?"

"Yup." Luna nods, grabbing her bag.

And awaaaaay they go......

--------------------------------------------

Luna and Ashley arrive at the station on time, which is amazing for them. Ashley's team is close behind. Luna likes them individually but finds an entourage annoying. Plus, she's not used to Ashley being as famous as she is now. To Luna, they're still just two kids running around, hanging out.

Luna and Ashley sit bullshitting in the back room. There's really no way to prepare for an interview, there's always room to go off track. They both know this and each other well enough to let it organically flow.

They look up as the door opens. Expecting to go on. They're not.

It's Dom and Colson.

Dom grabs Ashley, splattering her surprised, happy face with kisses.

Luna exclaims "Holy FUCK!!" Tears welling in her eyes as she jumps onto Colson.

Kissing him like he's her dying breath.

"What the fuck are you doing here!?" She asks in awe while still kissing him all over.

"We've come to watch the Nightmare!" Dom exclaims, pulling his mouth off of Ashley's. She pulls him back in.

Still in his arms, Luna looks at Colson smiling. "Really?" She asks. "What about Case?"

"Yeah, Em's gonna grab her from school and I'll pick her up tomorrow." He reassures her to another passionate kiss. They missed each other.

An intern walks into the two couples making out. "Oh!" She says before turning around.

Breaking away from Colson she calls "No, no, no..." Before kissing him once more and sliding off his body. "We're ready." She says.

The boys kiss the girls good luck before they head into the studio.

--------------------------------------------

"So we've got Halsey here. She's doing a free concert tonight at The Armory. We've also got That Brooklyn... Uh, I don't know if I can say this on air... Can I just call you That Brooklyn Babe?" Steve, one of the radio hosts asks.

"Absolutely Not." Luna answers quickly without hesitation. "Stick to simply Brooklyn if you're worried." She tells him.

"Ok... Ok.." Steve agrees.

"You can tell she's from NY!!" The co-host Dave chimes in. Luna gives him a side eye with raised eyebrows.

"Where the FUCK does Ash have me??" She thinks.

Steve starts up again "So you guys are here because you have a record together, Nightmare. It's #1 on The Pop charts. I think it's even #12 on The Alternative..." He looks around checking his notes. "Yep. Yep. #12.... You ladies must be incredibly proud. In all my years, I don't think I've ever heard a song as cutting or direct. I have to tell you. As a man, the song is a bundle of emotions. I literally go from fearing you, to wanting to change the world for you to feeling stupid for feeling like I have to save you."

Ashley and Luna speak at the same time.

Luna stating a solid "Good."

While Ashley offers up at sweet "Awww... Thank you."

Both girls give each other a cocked smile and amused side eye. Ashley plays the game. Luna not so much.

Laughing, Ashley leans in. "That's the idea. For you to see us as equals. Not ones who need to be saved and definitely not feared, although a little fear is good." She cocks her lip and winks at Steve.

"One's who deserve choices and options." Luna chimes in. "This isn't about us playing on the same baseball field. We're equal as human beings but in two different leagues because we are different. Men require different things than women and vice versa. This is about RESPECTING each other and what the other needs and is entitled to. Constitutionally. At least up until less then a month ago."

Luna's not afraid to drop political bombs. It's a lot of the reason why she doesn't do promos. There's no bullshitting with her when a real conversation is at hand.

"You have that song Bad Things with MGK right, Brook.. Brooklyn, is it?" Dave cuts in, stumbling over her name.

Luna knows his tactic but the thought of Colson softens her.

"Yes... I think we're at #5. He's actually about to drop an album on July 5th, Hotel Diablo. It's sick." She squeezes in the plug. "He's actually on the Nightmare record. Him and his band are who recorded with us. We'll be on SNL with them next Saturday." Luna lets out to Ashley's shock. You can't deny, Luna gives a good plug.

"Really?" Asks Steve. He goes on. "So you have this" He uses finger quotes. "'Girl Power' song with this 'Girl Power' video backed by an all male band?" He tilts his head as he asks.

"Yup." Luna's lips pop. "Strong women back men everyday. Why the fuck can't strong men back women?"

"Ohhhhh!!!" There's a howl to the F word. Her important point being lost.

"He's here, isn't he?" Dan asks. "With your boyfriend, Yung Blud?" He turns to Ashley.

"Yeah." She states not thinking anything of it.

"Can we bring 'em in?" Steve looks around, more asking the studio then the women.

"Uhhhh... Yeah... I guess..." Ashley says, unsure looking at Luna's 'What The Fuck???'

A few moments later a giddy Dom and unsure Colson head into the studio. Sitting next to each other, between their girlfriends, they slide their headphones on.

"Hey guys!!" Dan shouts.

"What's up!" Dom shouts back to Colson's "Sup."

Colson and Luna exchange an easy look of understanding. Neither of them is about this life.

"So, we've got 4 of the biggest pop stars right now, in our studio. We have Halsey and her boyfriend Yung Blud. And Machine Gun Kelly and his girlfriend.... We're gonna try it, we'll see if we get bleeped... That Brooklyn Bitch. Now you all are DOMINATING the charts right now. We've got at least 5 Top 40 hits between you guys and most are collaborations."

He's met to their "Yeahs."

He continues "So, tell me. You're all obviously friends and... partners. Is there any competition? Like, Halsey and Brooklyn, are you afraid your boyfriends will knock you out of #1?"

Luna and Ashley look at each other. Ashley speaks first.

"Nooooo.... Like you said, we're all friends. If I Think I'm Okay knocks us out, that's fine. What's most important to Lu.." She corrects herself. "Brooklyn and I is the message. Speaking out for those who can't. Bringing a voice to those who don't in Alabama and across the world. As much as you want to deny it, they're taking our rights away."

"Now nobodies trying to take..." Dave interrupts Ashley but Colson interrupts him.

"But they are, Dude. The fact that a woman who may conceive during a rape can be sentenced longer then the piece of shit who violates her is disgusting." He states firmly.

Luna's heart pounds and swells with pride. "This amazing MOTHERFUCKER."

"It's about lovin each other and lettin each live." Dom steps in. "There's many people's in this world who aren't treated fairly. Nightmare focuses on one specific section. In a smart, blunt way. You can't help but hear it. And if it wasn't true, it wouldn't resonate and it wouldn't be #1." He sits back in his chair.

Luna leans up. "Like Dom was saying, we have a voice. We're going to use it. Anyone out there, please write into AL's local legislature if you want. Support your local ACLU, look into Yellowhammer.com and listen. Always listen. And after you listen, if you have something to say, speak. Please don't be afraid to speak. Silence is any nastiness's dearest ally."

"Are we gonna get ANYTHING juicy from you guys??" Steve asks.

This pisses Luna off.

"What did you expect? You invited two strong women with a politically charged song onto your show?" She asks with her hands up.

"Just.. Just tell me.. Do you all hang out?" Steve asks pathetically, looking for any detail of their lives.

The four of them look at each other and erupt into laugher.

"Yeah, Man." Colson says.

"Of course we hang out, we're best mates!" Dom chimes in.

"Yeah, we all live together too..." Ashley adds.

"Unh-hunh, in beautiful polygamy glory in the Hollywood Hills." Luna finishes.

The four of them erupt into laughter again to the host's dismay.

Luna controls herself. "No, seriously. We all get along really well. Halsey and I have been bestfriends forever. Nightmare is REALLY important. We're debuting it at The Armory tonight. We hope to see you guys there..." She looks at the others. "Hotel Diablo July 5th. Bad Things...."

Ashley pops in "11 minutes, I Think I'm Okay both streaming now. Get some... Tonight's gonna be awesome. We can't wait to see you guys there!!!"

Colson hops on too, laughing. "And Hollywood Whore!" He shouts to the others laughter.

"And don't forget Tales of the Ritalin Club!!" Luna comes back in with a snicker.

"Yes! Yes!" Laughs Dom. "And Eastside.." They continue to shamelessly plug and laugh until Steve talks over them.

"That was Yung Blud and MGK. Halsey with That Brooklyn Bitch. Their debuting their #1 hit Nightmare tonight at The Armory. If it's anything like this interview, I'm sure it will be crazy. We'll be back!"

Nightmare plays them out.

--------------------------------------------------

The four of them tumble laughing into the hallway.

"Come're!!!" Ashley calls. Gathering around a mirror she finds, they pose for cramped selfie. She posts on Instagram immediately.

Fun interview today with these crazy looooverrrrsssss 💘💘💘💘See you all @thearmory l8r. It's gna be a helluva NIGHT!! #nightmare

--------------------------------------------------

Luna, Colson, Dom and Ashley roam DownTown Minneapolis. It's early enough on a Monday for Ashley and Colson to not be recognized.

They have lunch and do some shopping. Luna picking up a beautiful, turquoise cuff. Before long Ashley needs to head to the venue. Luna's not far behind here.

The boys will meet them there later.

--------------------------------------------------

Word Limit (1 of 2)

To be continued......

[sohaveyoubeento-blog]

V is for Vietnamese & Vintage

Us three ladies had always played it pretty safe by way of our lunch dates. Not to say the local deli isn't absolutely kick ass - it's very tasty and very enjoyable every time we go, but in much the same way as I struggle to go to the same country more than once on my holidays (excluding India, you can never have enough India) I couldn't help but think that life's a bit too short to sit in the same eatery every time we meet for lunch, given that the whole day is ours, and within reason, travel is no issue.

The three of us decided that we would try different cuisines every week, and with the girls (Laura and Dani) living in the quieter, leafier suburbs of Otley and Burley in Wharfedale, with me (Alex) living in what I frequently describe as the bronx, 5 minutes from central Leeds but gloriously populated by some of the best food joints in the country (confirmed) they usually end up meeting at mine and then we go into town to try somewhere a bit off the beaten track. Invariably, being three mums of young children, we eat at the speed of rabid dogs and end up having a bit of time to go explore some local weird shop or two, never anything mainstream like a department store. Oh no. We like vintage shops. You know the type, they smell like damp and the inside of your nan's wardrobe, and we prance around pretending to overlook the fact that we are just in a well laid out, slightly more selective charity shop without the undertone of giving. Usually there's some blue haired student with a headscarf and a faint stench of Bobby Orange pawing through piles of shirts and jumpers that are deemed as retro, when they've actually some of them originated in C&A - we remember that place the first time round,depressingly. The whole vintage scene is a bit ironic and try hard and a bit sad at times, but the one thing that it does offer is the piece you are often looking at, generally is one of one only in the store. The same goes for charity shops, generally. We like stuff that can't be bought in bulk.

Dani owns Deluxe Blooms, and is a luxury faux florist, and very good at it too. Laura is a nail technician and spray tanning afficionado, and the owner of Maibella Nails and Tanning. I own a salon called Lexa Hair, and the three of us work together frequently. The ridiculous thing is though, that work is going really well for us, and while in the past we may have dug around in charity shops for a bargain simply to be economical, now it has begun more of a habit. And you know what they say, old habits die hard. We don't have to eat streetfood on picnic tables anymore, and we can shop anywhere we want, but at least just for me, I don't like extravagance and I'm not impressed by labels or price tags. I like pieces that are unique,with a story behind them. My two accomplices sort of get dragged in to it I think, but they seem on board with most of it. I hope.

And street food is the best food on earth, everyone knows that.

We kicked things off with a visit to a fairly new (maybe a year old I think) Vietnamese place on North Lane in Headingley named VietBaker. Inside it's very wooden looking, quite industrial and urban, stained wood everywhere and dark red leather chairs. It smells like the rice cooker that's chugging away in the corner, mixed with plenty of garlic and of course, the fresh baguettes that are stacked up in a glass cabinet above the front desk.

We opted for a sharing platter for £9, and from the menu us Yorkshire ruffians requested spring rolls (the deep fried ones, not the fresh, healthy ones obviously), prawn toast, and 'rustic chips'.

This was skin on chips with salt and pepper (well cooked and so tasty) and the prawn toast was understandably made of baguette slices. It made for a much heavier slab of prawn toast and therefore an even more unhealthy treat but man alive, was it good. The spring rolls were pork, prawn and the usual crispy vegetables inside. Not floppy or soggy, totally crispy and served with a really light and watery sweet chilli dip that's more sweet than chilli. It was all very lovely.

I've personally eaten from here a number of times and I think the Vietnamese have got it absolutely nailed when they make sandwich. Or a Ban Mih. Laura and I opted for one each, chicken for her and pork for me. Dani went for something off the new part of the menu, the fusion section, which even featured a take on beef bourgignon, Vietnamese style. She tried the Shanghai pork belly, served with rice. Her whole bowl was piled high, and we're not talking a polite, peanuts size bowl. More like a ‘free ceramic crunchy nut cereal box’ bowl, with the with tokens on the back of the pack, that you’d send off as a kid. It was huge. The second bowl was just plain rice, which worked really well as the pork alone was…. alot. It was sticky and tangy and rich and all those other wanky words that just mean amazing. I'm trying so hard to limit the wankiness. I like writing and eating, combining the two is hard work though. Bear with me. The slow cooked pork made me feel a bit gutted I went for a sandwich until I got stuck in.

Vietnam was a former French colony, and much like their neighbour Cambodia, found their local best offerings being bastardised to accomodate the 'local palate'. The nice version is that the baguette was the French's gift to the Vietnamese, although I imagine it was more a case of 'put your lovely meal in my baguette for me or you're in deep shit.'

I've never been to Vietnam but having visited Cambodge a few summers back, I remember being astounded at the gorgeous, light, dairy free Asian cuisine that had been shoved in a crusty, warm baguette. Whoever's story was true, it's the absolute bollocks.

They cut this freshly baked baguette open and spread it with patè on one side and on the other mayonnaise (already weird but hang in there) - add a ton of crispy green leaves, cucumber, pickles, coriander and fresh chilies, and add some meat into what little room is left. Enough meat to give you meat sweats. It. Is. Superb.

The pork was very finely sliced, dark and sticky again (here she goes) and you can bang on a fried egg, too, if you're an absolute wrong un. No thanks.

Laura had the chicken which was a milder flavour but none the less tasty and flavoursome. I noticed Laura pulling bits off her sandwich and delicately chewing away at them, while I picked it up and ate it like I'd been sleeping in the dark arches for the last month. I even had to be asked to wipe my face. Sorry, not sorry. No messing with a Ban Mih. Especially not this one.

The bill was a very respectable £11 a head, and they threw in a free set of spring rolls for us, which was a nice unexpected surprise. The place had a steady flow of traffic, and although wasn't packed, I've been on an evening and I think it's safe to assume that's the bulk of their trade. It was fantastic food, very reasonable and highly recommended. Great staff and great location. We'll be back!

Afterwards we drove for about 3 days to find a parking spot anywhere near Hyde Park, so we could check out the newly (ish) renovated (OK sign replaced and possibly ownership changed) Vintage something or other in Hyde Park.

I forget the name, and if I'm brutally honest I can see why. It's alright, but it used to be alot better. The last time I went in there was alot of very old apothecary style wooden drawer units, some weird taxidermy, and unusual pictures in frames that would look incredible in the lounge. This time there was quite a bit of formica, and some hideously orange stained TV units that I guess in some context would be deemed as cool again.

The music collection seemed to be where the most effort had been made. The clothing was actually quite 'quirky' in the sense that you wouldn't actually wear alot of it, there was a whole department that seemed to have been handed over by the owner of the late knob head Jimmy Saville, shell suit after shell suit in every colour of the rainbow, in that non breathable fabric you'd get a two man tent in. Hideous. Still, there are some absolute finds in there. I would encourage people to bear in mind that these shops have a high stock turnaround and in their uniqueness, and ability to replace items based on sales, any vintage shop can be a complete bag of shite one week and a total gold mine the next. Its the luck of the drawer, I love that about them. That and the fact that we call them vintage shops. The three of us refer to them as shit shops, but potato patato.

I find it depressing that as I mentioned before, alot of the 'retro' stuff is just normal stuff we, in our 30s, encountered in our youth. There was a 'vintage phone' that was £15 and I'm pretty sure my gran has it now. It's literally a BT £10 phone still in argos, but clearly it had lived with a heavy smoker, adding to the aged facade.

Some of it was very authentic, some of it was broken crap, but the general feel of the place is a good one. There is more 70s stuff than anything else which is quite cool, but like I say, stock changes very frequently. Dani bought an oversized T shirt with a University football team logo emblazoned across it, and to be honest I would have too. There was a vast array of university related large varsity based sweaters, some unnecessarily cut in half width ways (why?!!!! Serves no purpose now, you fools) and that's the kind of thing I would have liked to look at. But as I was in charge of a one year old who was bombing around the floor, doubling as a human sweeping brush and coming back with more dust on him than the inside of the V6 after the attic stairs have been tackled, I gave it up as a bad job and put my bank card back away. No spending for mum today. Gutted.

The shop is pretty fabulous, on the whole. They do know how to charge when it comes to furniture, but the clothing is far more reasonable. It's not all one off pieces, a couple of items make an appearance a few times and that kind of ruins it for me, I start picturing some huge factory in China making hideously outdated clothing and leaving them in a damp garage for a few years, chucking a bit of tea down them and wearing the cuffs and collars down, before exporting the newly knackered pieces to us dumbasses in our 'quirky vintage shops'. Who knows. It's well laid out, and pretty cool, and although not my favourite, I imagine the next time I go it'll be a whole different experience. Swings and roundabouts with these places. It was an interesting look, and if Parker hadn't been doing his best ferret impression I would have definitely bought a jumper. Well worth a look.

Until next week!

Laura, Dani and Alex X

VietBaker, Headingley

https://www.thevietbaker.co.uk

Vintage Boutique, Hyde Park

https://vintageboutique.com

[hallmark-movie-fanatics]

The Secret Formula Behind Hallmark's Christmas Movie Empire

Hallmark's holiday lineup has gone from guilty pleasure to appointment television. How? Glamour's Jessica Radloff explores.

BY JESSICA RADLOFF NOVEMBER 30, 2018

Decorating for the holidays is serious business for many—but if you're CEO of Crown Media Networks (aka the Hallmark Channel) the bar is on a different level. "Oh, I'm a Christmas nut," William J. Abbott, Crown Media's CEO and president, tells Glamour.com. "We actually built [an addition] in our house so we could accommodate a 12-foot tree in the middle of our den, so, yeah, we just love the holidays." The same goes for Michelle Vicary, the network's executive VP of programming and publicity. "Christmas decorations go up the day after Halloween," she jokes. "I'm a little [like the] Griswolds."

Tinsel and trees aside, Abbott, Vicary, and the entire team at Crown Media actually live the business they're selling. And they're selling it well. Vicary says nearly 85 million people lay eyes on the network between Halloween and New Years. If that sounds more like a Christmas miracle than reality, you haven't been paying attention to the Hallmark Channel—or its sister property, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries—the last few years. When the network says it is "cable's biggest success story," it's true.

This year Hallmark is in the midst of airing 37 original holiday movies for its Countdown to Christmas programming (and planning the 2019 holiday slate). And watching these movies is no longer a guilty pleasure—it's appointment television. From unofficial drinking games to a user-friendly app, it's become cool to stay home and watch two people in sweaters fall in love in a town named like a Bath & Body Works lotion.

(PHOTO: HALLMARK 'Christmas at Pemberley Manor,' starring Jessica Lowndes and Michael Rady.)

Abbott says Netflix is partially to thank for changing viewer habits, particularly among millennials. "They have a formula that certainly has worked for them in terms of driving people toward watching on their smart TVs," he says. "Ultimately the more people that consume entertainment, the better off we all are."

But Netflix is only a small part of Hallmark's success. Vicary cites the constant, and often depressing, 24/7 news cycle as another factor. "I think people can only take so much," she says. "We purposely look to be an escape. We try not to be issues-oriented in terms of creating polarizing conversations, because there are places to get that. We are a place that is a haven from that. We're just a different conversation."

Abbott agrees. "I think it’s not only the political landscape, but the entertainment landscape to a degree too. There are just very few options that are not shocking, looking to shock, or looking to be over-the-top in terms of violence or salacious for salacious sake. I think people tire of that." Abbott admits that's not the only reason people tune into the channel, it is a big one—and something that Hallmark has included in its strategy. "It's tapping into emotion in a positive way and making you feel a little better about relationships and how people interact," he explains. "The Hallmark brand is all about people connecting. The secret, I think, to our success is that we focus on that relentlessly."

This secret to success doesn't come without detractors, though. Abbott and Vicary know there are plenty of people who think the content is cheesy, but to them, that doesn't have to be a negative. "I have to be honest, I don't always think predictable is a bad word," Vicary says. "I think of every Nora Ephron comedy I ever watched—the first time I saw Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan on screen, I knew they were going to end up together. But it was the journey! So I don’t mind when you tune in that you know our characters—who are on two separate journeys—are going to end up together by the end. It's about how they get there."

OK, so how did Hallmark get here? How did it go from a brand-new network in the early aughts to a holiday empire? For one, consistency. Hallmark premieres most of its original movies on Saturdays and Sundays, a time when other networks air sports or reruns. "It's the perfect time to unwind and get away from reality," Abbott says. "We appeal to people wanting that escape over the weekend."

Second, it's investment. "Our movies are so much better because our production value, our stars, our music, our scriptwriting, our development, and our production are so much better than they’ve ever been," Abbott says. "Success snowballs. The more you do right, the more people notice; the more people notice, the more you invest; the more you invest, the more you pay attention, and the better it gets."

(PHOTO: HALLMARK CHANNEL LeAnn Rimes in 'It's Christmas, Eve'.)

And finally, as Vicary points out, it's about creating an experience. "We’re an emotionally driven brand. We’re about enhancing relationships and enhancing life." She says in the last decade the network has tapped into viewers' love of celebration. "The Hallmark brand already lives in that space, so it really is about delivering on the experience of the brand."

And then there's the wish-fulfillment aspect, those picturesque, snow-capped towns and leads in color-coordinated holiday attire. "We’re not embarrassed to say, ‘Let’s make it sound even more holiday oriented,'" Vicary says with a laugh. "We are not shy about creating an environment that compliments and enhances that great story."

Still, that "environment" has come under more scrutiny in the past few years for being predominantly white, straight, and without much diversity. The network needs to do more to reflect America today—and Abbott says the Hallmark Channel team is aware and working on it. "Absolutely, no question about it," Abbott says. "We've worked really hard at it. It's the type of thing we should have been doing all along, but we're pleased at where we are."

Where they are is a more diverse slate of programming than years past. It's not perfect yet, but one example of progress is a recent full-page ad Crown Media took out in The Hollywood Reporter to showcase its holiday slate. Of the 14 actors in the ad, nine were women, seven were people of color, and five were women of color.

"Our goal is to do everything we can to represent the public faces on television and represent the United States as it really looks on our air," Vicary says. "I think we have some terrific casting this year with Tatyana Ali, Dondre T. Whitfield, Patti LaBelle, Christina Milian, Jerrika Hinton, Tia Mowry, and more. We have our most diverse slate ever."

In addition to what viewers see on air, Vicary notes that "more than 50 percent of the scripts that were written this year were written by women." She also said they're consciously trying to hire more female directors and behind-the-scenes crew. "I think in the last year we have added three more women to our roster of directors," Vicary says. "We are very conscious of it."

But Abbott or Vicary know that's not enough. The executives are discussing a possible Hanukkah movie to join their holiday lineup ("One of my development execs brought me one this week that they were really excited about," Vicary says. "I said, 'Great, let's meet and talk about it for 2019.'") According to Abbott, he's even open to a Hallmark movie where the main couple doesn't end up together. "As we delve into our content and [look for] a more authentic way, we’ll progress," he says. "Everything is on the table."

(PHOTO: HALLMARK Danielle Panabaker and Matt Long in Christmas Joy.)

That progress is important to Abbott and Vicary, who want Hallmark to stay current and evolving. "It's particularly important that we represent the reality of the 21st century in that everybody is different and unique," Abbott says. "It's a pet peeve of mine when I read a story and kids are portrayed a certain way. The reality is girls can play baseball or be into science or play with dolls."

Abbott even acknowledges that the network's older movies were guilty of playing into stereotypes."You look back at some of old, old movies, and it's kind of the stereotypical situation of the woman at home," he says. "We work very hard to stay out of that stereotypical dialogue and situational behavior because it’s just not reality, and it’s not authentic. We really try to empower women. We really work hard to ensure that our women are strong—while they don’t need a man, they’d love to fall in love. But at the end of the day, that is not what they need to be successful or happy or fulfilled or have a good career. That is something that is very important to all of us to portray."

That awareness is one of the reasons Abbott credits the Hallmark Channel's growth in markets like Chicago, New York, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, and D.C. "I think there’s this feeling that we’re 'flyover country' and that it’s all red-state people," he says. "That’s just completely not true. Everybody likes to feel good. I don’t care what political party you’re part of or where you live, people like to feel positive." Yes, Hallmark's content isn't edgy—"and never will be"—but it's certainly smarter than it's ever been, he says. "And that wins."

It's been a stressful year, but at least you can count on Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix to come through with the holiday cheer. After all, what's more relaxing than watching an overworked woman fall in love with a Christmas tree farmer? So decompress with all of our delightful holiday content right here.

Source: glamour.com

https://www.glamour.com/story/hallmark-christmas-movie-secret-formula

[survivormarmoreal]

Episode #9: "we're here for the messy bitch game play right" - Annabelle

Tribal was f*ckin wild. Like didnt see that coming and Nicole we literally never talked so dont come for me. 👏

So far Nicole’s attempt hasnt affected anything. And plus Sharky took more of the heat and more blood on his hand and I did for coming up with the Nicole vote. Like im scream team to the end but like it works better for me if people dont see me as a huge threat right now unlike Sharky. I think i might be in a good spot and with an advatage with this immunity hopefully i can win.

Well... I refuse to be booboo the fool right now. I have conflicting information currently about who voted me so guess what? I am not gonna trust anyone LMAO. Everyone is denying and pointing the fingers at others and its fucking pissing me off. Like just own up to voting me so i can have a clear target my fucking god. Like goodbye see you soon!

from my confessional cause i just went off in it LOL about the last tribal: i know brian and sharky did not vote me nate and bryce are being fishy maynor seems non exsistant keaton is literally opening his big mouth and getting himself in more trouble i trust anna enough and nick thinks he is "iconic" for an idol play like boi con-fucking-gratulations that you can do something many have done before you

Like, im so done with these people, just let me play my idol in peace smh

So I basically threw this challenge. I just put myself for most of the positives and I put Keaton for most of the negatives. With a few random answers sprinkled in. I get so nervous about really trying on Touchy Subjects because Im worried about revealing my alliances and stuff. This way I just look cocky. And Keaton and I are already on bad terms so me putting him for the negatives might piss him off but probably not anyone else. Ugh

ok so me snapping and voting matt is really annoying KJFHDSAKJFDHS idk why i did that! i was crazy back then... so current thinking is that me/matt/keaton voted matt. and then nicole did keaton and everyone else did nicole. i dont think anyone suspects me but like they woudlnt tell me if they do FJKASDHFKJ apparently matt thinks that nathan did it and anna thinks that it was keaton and maynor and im just like :| FSAJDHFKD. also this comp is about to ruin me like my answers are def gonna make ppl hate me and plus i wrote myself for some good ones which i never do but idk im just really feeling myself so cant wait for the crushing weight of reality to knock me down a peg or two when i get like "next voted out" "doesnt deserve to be here" AFJKSDFHKAJ but maybe not... anyways i recently got obsessed with shakira again like.. im thriving

https://i.imgur.com/5o6sz3j.png when i tell u i screamed JKDFASHKJAD

Okay so Touchy Subjects ALWAYS blows up my game. Like I got all the ones that make people target you. Running the Game. Biggest Snake. Physical Threat. I even somehow managed to get "Trust the Most" and "Best Liar". HOW!? And now I'm super worried because if I wasn't on everybody's radar before I sure am now. And I have no idea who I can trust after those rogue Matt votes. I even feel slightly sketched out by Nick. He's acting...weird. And he keeps telling everyone there is a war between me and Keaton. Which I guess is sort of true because Keaton is throwing my name out there. And obviously I would rather him go. 

everyone is so extra JKDAHSKFJ matt making a post about how the ppl who are lying and saying they didnt vote him are personally effecting him are terrible like.. ok sorry for not exposing myself get over it u got 3 votes one of which were ur own and maybe if u were more active and didnt reply with one word responses no matter how hard i tried to get u to speak i wouldnt have thrown the vote on u. im just like so over his entitledness that ppl confess to him like who do u think u are KJFHADKJFDH. i feel like maybe im being too mean so if matt reads this after the game im sure ur just in ur feelings or w/e and u did say u had personal stuff going on but like thats not an excuse to go on tirades in the tribe chat when no one but u cares.

keaton is the worst person ive ever met (and i know zach :s) weird of him to choose white ppl saying the n word as his hill to die on but um i got the cannon ready to aim and hes going :airplane: to jury.

OK, so basically Annabelle wins immunity!  Good for her, but she's literally not doing enough for me to feel beyond happy for her kjHD... like she's nice and I like her, but at the end of the day, I really don't think she's doing much to propel herself and she's just getting kinda lucky... considering the first and now second immunity have been somewhat luck based... ya....

Keaton's the name being thrown into the mix already (it's only 9:11pm), and I really am fine with that this time around!  I like him, but I think he's just someone who can easily go now and it not be bad for me in the future.  He's already thrown out Sharky's name and basically called out Sharky to his face, so I'm kinda shaking in my booties.  As long as it ain't me, I'm happy enough to listen, but I just don't want any big surprises like the Matt votes, again.

Sharky has been thrown out as the biggest threat in this game right now, and while I think it's very apparent to everyone, I can't have him going anywhere right now.  No fucking way.  I love the shark man.  He's my favorite... he cannot go anywhere... I need him!!  So buh-fucking-bye, Keaton!  I may like you, but it's not enough to keep you.

Keaton is trash.

Let me elaborate on my previous confessional. So first Keaton tries to call me out for mentioning his name which I didn't do (I did admit to it to save the drama so thats partially on me) but he tries to call me out in public after the vote. Gross. Then after the challenge he starts gunning for me hard. He wants to claim I was doing the same but I wasn't gunning for him very hard. Because i didn't care if he went. He wasn't an ally but he wasn't a threat either. until he started trying to tear me down. Also let's be clear this all started because EVERYONE thinks he's rude and annoying. Then he tries to come for me in pms calling me out for spreading lies. Which again I NEVER DID. So I straightened him out on that. Then he tries to do the "If I don’t get you out now I never will and then we all lose." which is BULLSHIT. Don't get mad and angry with me just because I'm playing better than you. CHILDISH. Then in the tribe chat he says "As a player he can burn. As a person he's enjoyable." IS HE TRYING TO MAKE ME HATE HIM!? First of saying I can burn makes me want to really drag him. Also bro you and i don't talk you don't know shit about me as a person. You did that just to feed this "Feud" thats going on. STFU. Bye. Whichever one of us goes I'm glad I won't have to talk to his KIRBY LOOKING ASS anymore. I wish Marie had stayed.

Okay I can't lie I'm super nervous about this vote. I just don't trust anyone. I'm talking to Annabelle now and was like "I'm down to vote for anybody" because I'm not sure where she's at and I want her to know I am a vote for her.

Well. Good thing is that i wasnt dragged with with what Nicole said which is good with me. I didnt get any touchy subject which is also great. My two best allies Sharky and Keaton both did which means they’ll be targeted before I do. Which is awesome. Me and Nathan dont want to see Keaton go so we got Annabell and Bryce to be with us for a 5 person voting block thats going after Matt. Thats right, Matt is going home. Keaton plan was to try and distract Sharky and fight with him and have both of their names on the chopping block. This means that Matt wont see this blindside happening. And if Sharky has an idol, he’ll waste it cuz he won’t be getting any votes. Its gonna sbe wild af. Be ready.

Its been very quiet this morning. The plan has been set so im hoping that nothing else shatters the plan. The idol search doesnt like me as it likes Nick. Only thing i found was an advantage for next immunity which was an extra point butnit was touchy subject so i kinda threw it cuz said my name for the ones i felt where really bad. And i want to give a shout out for host Drew. You are an amazing and cool person.

OK, so Nathan has been going behind me and Sharky's back to target Matt... and I'm just shook to my fucking core.... bless Annabelle's big heart for telling Sharky because it gave us some room to snap hard.  I know Matt has an idol, and I cannot wait for him to pull it out at tribal.  I think that Nathan is thinking very short term and thinking him not telling me and Sharky is just some move he can make on his own, but as the Touchy Subjects' results showed us, Nathan thinks he's running the game but Sharky is actually doing it.  Getting this info... what a fucking legend...

Annabelle doesn't want to be screwed because of this whole situation so Sharky wants to avoid voting Nathan out but I lowkey don't care.  Nathan keeping me out of the conversation makes me lose all trust in him.  I know I'm not the target, but it doesn't change the fact that he's trying to run the game behind my back.  It's not going to work, sir.  It won't.

Ok... I'm angry, but I'm going to have to control that anger and turn it into making the best decision for my game and that will be to work with Matt and Sharky till the end.

Brace yourself this is going to be a LONG ONE. So last night I basically went to Anna and tried to save my ass because I really haven't been sure how genuine our alliance was because of our history together. She basically kept saying she was in a tough spot and this and that and so I outright asked her if she was considering voting for me. And she was like absolutely not. Which is such a relief. HOWEVER! She confesses that Nathan has created a secret plan to vote out Matt. He specifically told everyone not to tell me and Brian about it. EXCUSE ME? Aren't we in an alliance dude? So thats really pisses me off. But supposedly they have the majority for this plan. So that means I don't have to worry about myself as much. But I don't want Matt to go. Especially after this proved that he's one of the only ones I trust. So I'm thinking out of 9 votes we have 3 we can maybe use the steal a vote or something to try and get a majority. CUT TO THIS MORNING. I tell Brian about this secret plan and Brian tells me Matt has a freakin idol!!! So now we can use his idol and even if there are 5 votes left Matt/Brian/Myself control that vote then. Now the tough part...I need the vote to stay on Keaton because if it goes to anybody else Anna is going to think I screwed her over. And I promised her that her telling me wouldn't bite her in the ass. I also need this to stay TOP SECRET because if anyone finds out I leaked the plan they are going to come after me and I love Matt but I don't want to destroy my game to save him. So we need to have Matt use his idol and all 3 of us need to vote for Keaton.

God these people. I am VERY sure I am getting votes tonight and it's ok. Why? Cause I have an idol fuck these cunts. If not the WOOO love a minority!

i'm playing a super dangerous game right now but it's ok hopefully it works out we're here for the messy bitch game play right and i also just like play better in chaos so let's keep it that way once the game gets boring people will think of me.

Y'all I'm feeling real shitty about this week. I still feel super in danger. i feel like everyone is lying to my face. But I'm also worried for Matt. Luckily he has an idol so he'll be safe but the fact that he's catching votes at all is concerning. I hope it's Keaton going out but you just truly never know. This could be my time.

So it seems Matt might be an option for the vote but the questions I have are: Do I trust Matt enough to tell him he’s getting votes? Am I willing to make an early move? How will this will effect me moving forward? And when thinking between Keaton and Matt... I think I know my decision…

The shit hit the fan. Somehow Nick knows the hidden real plan that it was going to be Matt tonight. Keaton keeps lying to Bryce that he’s doing Sharky but Bryce is the number we have to have majority over Matt. Keaton is being sketchy kinda. Hopefully the plan goes according and Matt goes because last time he was doing a witch hunt for those 2 votes. Im going to be drinking at tribal tonight. Shit is too stressful.

Keaton is idoled out in a 6-3 vote.