#We're not friends or anything by any chance (at least I don't think we are?? I'm down though) but ya know

[rainbowangel110]

Hey uh real quick, has anyone seen @b3achysurfur around? It's been more than a week since I've seen them, kinda worried if they're okay

[maxwellatoms]

In one of your last answers, you said “series reboots are usually pretty gross and sad”, and I was wondering if you could expand on that? Assuming “reboot” covers any kind of continuation of a currently cancelled or finished show (and maybe that’s the wrong assumption!), from the outside looking in it feels like a pretty mixed bag. On one hand, if I love XYZ Show, it’s cool that I get more stories with these characters and another chance to support XYZ Show and its creators. On the other, it definitely feels like a lot of ideas can only get funding if they’re tied to something already, meaning creatives are having to now tie whatever cool idea they have to some reboot/relaunch/retread, which can feel pretty disheartening if you don’t want to do a reboot/relaunch/retread. Is that a similar feeling from your side of the industry?

Thank you so much for all your answers and insight!

Usually reboots and spin-offs are just cash grabs. It happens a lot in animation. In fact, I would argue that the entire industry is just one big cash grab now. In the 80s, everyone complained that cartoons were just half-hour commercials for toys. And they were right. And we're right back there, but now that you can't legally push toys all day, it's just general "IP". Mugs, posters, more spinoffs, whatever.

I was offered three show running gigs over the pandemic. All reboots that I would consider unwise to pursue because they were "of a different time" and didn't (in my opinion) have anything more to say. Two of them were properties created by notorious sex pests, so there's also that. The animation industry loves to prop up its sex pests.

I turned all of them down, partially because I didn't respect the original creators but also because none of them had anything going for them except just being "more of the same".

I don't think any of those projects survived the intervening years, so in retrospect I maybe should've taken the job. I'd probably feel a bit gross, but at least I'd have floors in my house.

The entertainment industry is in a bad spot. The whole thing. I've had I don't know how many pitch meetings in the last few years, and they all start the same way:

"Hey! Before we start, we just want to let you know that we're not actively producing anything right now. We think maybe soon, but we won't be picking anything up today..."

And then later:

"The little we are doing is IP, so if you have a new take on our IP or a new IP you're connected to that you can bring in, that'd be great."

I always wanted to make original stuff. There came a time when I'd had my fill of Billy & Mandy and wanted to do something else new and original. That never manifested, and I was constantly being offered IP to produce. I turned too many of those down, maybe, before deciding that it was probably better that I run the IPs that mean something to me rather than having some hack do it.

But now those jobs have all gone to celebrities and fallen live-action writers, who are also slowly being eaten by the system. WB was hot for Scooby stuff a few years back, so I pitched some ideas. A few of them were turned down for being "off-brand" in a variety of ways. WB has now made (I think) all of those off-brand shows (or something close) with celebrity show runners.

I was going through a whole Midlife Impostor Syndrome thing recently where I was wondering if maybe I don't just suck. Like, it's weird that for a couple of decades I'd have people calling me trying to get me to run shows, and now nobody will call me back about the possibility of a design job.

Talking to some friends and realizing that they were in a similar situation helped me feel like I wasn't alone. That was nice. Talking to some of the most talented colleagues in my industry made me made me realize that those people weren't getting jobs either. That was unnerving. Talking to complete strangers in other parts of the entertainment industry now has me thinking that the whole house of cards is coming down. That's real concerning, yo.

It's hard not to think it's purposeful, when deranged billionaires own the entirety of our media and want to shape a society where they can't be criticized. We're letting wealthy tech bros firebomb the very heart of our culture, and it's weird that no one is talking about it. Because (for now) we still have that capability.

[justmyguiltyggpleasure]

2nd Chance at Love (pt.1)

Summary: You and Karina used to date during trainee days until she decided to break up with you right before debuting. Nowadays, you're a member of Le Sserafim and have quite a player reputation. What happens when you cross each other's life again but this time, one of her members is interested in you

Warnings: none for this one, just an intro.

PT.2

(2020)

- May I at least know why? - you ask her after what felt like an eternity in silence. The cold night feeling even colder now in this almost desert park.

- I made the cut. I'm going to debut and I just can't have anything jeopardizing that. - Jimin, your now ex-girlfriend, said. Face stoic and voice devoid of any emotion like you've never heard before.

You've been dating for two years now and until a minute ago you'd swear you could get through anything together. Having been by each other's side in the worst moments. You were there for her whenever she would second guess herself, whenever she would call crying after being scolded a bit too harshly, taking her on dates on your days off just to get her mind away from everything, and she would do the same for you too.

You thought it was forever. Well... what do you know?

- Why would I ever do anything to jeopardize your career, Jimin? - you ask feeling a bit offended.

- I can't be caught in a dating scandal, much less a gay one. - she answered simply, using the same tone as before, not sparing you a glance.

- Jimin, we're not gonna be caught in a dating scandal, we could easily pass up by being friends. It's not like we were ever out in the oper, kissing in public or anything like that. - you try to reason with her. You knew that once this conversation was settled, it'd be definite.

- I'm not willing to take the risk. I don't think it's worth it. - your eyes welled up at that moment. "It's not worth it? We're not worth it? These past two eyes weren't worth it?"

- Yoo Jimin, is this a joke? Look me in the eyes and say it again. - she turned to you with those empty eyes

- It is not worth it. - it felt like a punch in your guts. You wanted to cry. You wanted her to at least show a little emotion, just so you felt like you mattered. You wanted to yell at her but instead, you just sighed

- Okay. If that's what you want. - with that you stood up and left. Letting the tears fall as soon as you crossed the street.

That's was the last time you let someone get so close to your heart romantically.

(2023)

It's been a year since you debuted with Le Sserafim. Honestly, being gay in the industry wasn't that bad, specially when you're the girl crush of the group, with a tomboy style and confident aura, you managed to attract plenty of girls. You usually slept with staff members or backup dancers, unless a female idol approached you first, you would stay clear from them. But from idols to staff, you would make sure that everyone you slept with knew your one rule

'I don't get with a girl more than once', you'd make that clear to every woman that came to you and luckily they all understood that pretty well and were only looking for some fun or a taste of the rainbow.

Le Sserafim's promotions overlapped with Aespa's and Eunchae took the chance to interview their leader and maknae for Star Diary. You stayed with you members back in your dressing room. Close as you were with your members, none of the them new of you past with Jimin.

- Y/N, can you go get Eunchae? She must be done by now and you're done changing. - Sakura asked and you blinked twice before answering. You knew who your maknae was interviewing.

- Of course, unnie. I'll be right back. - exiting the room you take a deep breath before proceeding.

Bowing for sunbaes and greeting some acquaintances on your way you get to the room the use for the recordings.

The door slightly ajar let you know the staff was already packing, maybe you're safe after all. You knock and let yourself in.

- Unnie! - Eunchae comes crashing into you for a hug

- Manchae! - you answer with the same enthusiasm and return the hug like you don't spend almost the entire day together and don't live in the same dorm. - Sakura-unnie sent me to get you. Are you ready to go? - you ask looking in her eyes failing to notice two pairs of eyes watching your interactions.

- Almost done. Let me just say goodbye to my guests. Come with me. - she pulls you before you could say anything and that's how you find yourself face to face with your ex after 3 years.

She almost looks surprised when you approach.

- Hello, Karina-sunbaenim, Ningning-sunbaenim. Nice to meet you! - you say bowing to them thanking anything sacred for your voice not wavering.

- Hello, y/n! - Ningning says waving

- Hello! - is the only thing Jimin day and she still looks kind of shocked.

I mean, she knew she would have to meet you eventually with promotions and all and she knew you were Eunchae's member. Having agreed to go out together with their respective members, she was bound to see you again. This industry was only so big. Still, she wasn't counting on seeing you today. She's caught off guard.

- Let's go, manchae. We're wrapping promotions today and I promised dinner's on me. I'll let you pick the restaurant. - looking at your member again, you say smiling softly

- Yay! - Eunchae smiles brightly. - Unnies, I loved having you as guests. Let's meet up again soon. - turning back to you - Y/n-unnie, I worked until now, give me a piggyback ride.

Sighing you crouch down and she jumps on your back laughing when you pretend to drop her.

Turning again you nod your head to the girls and politely say goodbye to everyone in the room, turning around and leaving with your maknae.

Jimin following with her eyes unaware of the other pair of eyes also following you with amusement and interest.

- I'll ask for her number next time. Maybe I can be an exception to that rule - Ningning says more to herself than anyone proceeding to exit the room leaving a stunned Jimin behind, feeling something she wasn't supposed to feel

___________________>_<_________________

Want to be tagged?

[often-daydreaming]

Kind of a joke prompt.

I've read countless prompts and fics talking about how the Anti-Ecto Acts affect Danny, Dani, Dan, the heroes, etc, but what if it was just a random bunch of people coming up with a work around in order to finally get rid of a lot the supervillains that were protected by the law.

Like Ben (I don't know why I came up with Ben for this) and a couple of his friends start talking about how certain supervillains can get away with just about anything only to get a few months in prison when one of them brings up the Fentons who are one step away from being mad scientists. Anybody who ever went to school with them is bound to bring them up at least once but they get brought up and eventually everyone ends up joking about how many heroes have 'come back from the dead' since the everyday civilian would probably think they were on a vacation or doing some sort of undercover work whenever they aren't seen out in public for a while. Ben adds on to the idea by bringing up how many supervillains have come back from the dead and it kind of snowballs from there until it finally gets to the dumbest idea any of them have ever had.

How would you kill a ghost, zombie, whatever?

What would someone like the Joker even be considered since he's apparently died on a number of different occasions and is somehow so insane nobody can give him the death penalty. Wait... What was that about the Fentons... Their research... Huh??? Let me see that for a second... That could work... It could actually work. We just have to word it the right way, maybe make up a couple of things to make it sound scary but it could work.

It doesn't even have to be about the Joker. With the number of enemies Luthor has you can't tell me there isn't at least one rich person willing to jump on the chance of legally having a way to get rid of him for good. Cause he's faked his death before, been dying only to transfer his consciousness into a clone body and probably pulled off even more crazy things I don't know about and this insane idea might be just the thing they'd need to finally get rid of him since he'd no longer have any rights if the Anti-Ecto Acts pass.

But then they start hearing about a supposed ghost kid and what's this about a hunter in a mech suit and a biker with a sentient shadow. Obviously he's just a meta. The mech suit guy simply had way too much time on his hands and the biker has to be magic. Just look at the baby hero and his rogue gallery roughing each other up but the Fentons are screaming about ghosts again, they're even on the local news now so we have to double down on everything if we want this to work. Quick, grab a couple of guys and go act like Team Rocket until we've handled things over here. You're O, that's Q. He can be Z if he wants. I don't really care who does what just shove the alien squid whatever back into the portal before a Green Lantern shows up complaining about some sort of space law we've probably broke then go around telling everyone you destroyed it or something. They can't prove we didn't.

Remember, we're supposed to be the 'bad guys' people.

[thehorrorgirlstyles]

Best kept Secret

Part 2

Billy Hargrove x Harrington!reader

Find P1 here!

Summary: Billy is a dick to everyone and your brother is his number one hater, however, he's so hard to resist.

Warnings: mentions of violence, fighting, sexual comments, blood, swearing, derogatory words, public sex, mentions of kinks

______________________________________________________________

It's been 2 days since you seen or heard anything from Billy. Usually he sneaks into your room at night and you lay together until you fall asleep. You've been having the hardest time going to bed since he hasn't been there and on top of that you feel like shit since you basically said you didn't want to been seen with him. Billy is a straight up asshole, but he has always been good to you. You know that deep down he has a good heart and now you feel like you just destroyed the chances of him ever being nice.

You know he's avoiding you. It's obviously by the way he picks up speed when you try to get close to him.

"This shit is so stupid!"

You've been working on a project, but all you can think about is Billy.

"We just have to write one more paragraph then we're done" Nancy says while grabbing the closest pen.

"I'm not talking about this..I mean this is stupid to, but I'm talking about Billy".

You trust Nancy more than anyone, her being the only one that you told your relationship about. She has been your best friend before she started dating your brother and even after they broke up.

"Oh...well just talk to him" she says giving you a look like its the most obviously answer to your solution.

"I would but he won't even look at me...I saw him today for the first time since our fight and he practically ran the other way like he couldn't get out the hall any quicker".

"Why don't you try calling him or showing up to his house...that way he won't have anywhere to run to?"

You ponder her words, that actually isn't a bad idea you think.

"Whatever you do..I think it might be time to tell Steve..you know you can't keep lying to him, he is your brother after all and you shouldn't keep things from him especially if you plan on being with Billy for a while".

You groan, knowing that she is right, but you don't have it in you to tell him..at least not yet.

______________________________________________________________

You hear the phone ring as you put it to your ear, praying for him to answer.

"Hello?"

It's a girl's voice.

"Um hello?" This is stupid you think, he has a girl over?

"Yeah, who is this?"

"Who are you?!" You grow angry, its only been 2 days there's no way Billy would have moved on that quickly..I mean he couldn't?!

"You're the one calling me?" she replies her voice sounding annoyed. "This is Max" she continues.

Max?! You think to yourself, trying to picture a Max at your school.

"Hello! Are you going to tell me what you want?" Max grows impatience, on the verge of hanging up the phone.

"I was hoping to speak with Billy".

"Billy!" You hear Max yell over the phone and some other movements follow.

"What do you want, who is this?" You hear his voice and you realize just how must you have missed him.

"Billy? I ju-just wanna talk to you..in person" You forgot what you were even going to say.

"Y/n?" he asks. "Look you already had plenty to say, I don't think we need to talk anymore".

Your heart drops, "Wait, Please! Don't hang up!"

You hear him sigh, "What is it?"

"Please, just come to my house tonight..I need to see you, if you still hate me afterwards I'll never bother you again..I promise". Even though it breaks your heart at the thought of losing him, you understand if he wouldn't want anything to do with you.

"Fine" You hear the phone go silent as he hangs up.

______________________________________________________________

You look at the clock, it's almsot midnight and still no signs of Billy coming. You sigh thinking that maybe you should just go to bed, but then you hear a sound. A tap coming from your window. You look over and see Billy waiting for you to let him in. You rush over, opening the window. He comes in and takes a sit on your bed.

"Hi". You look at him, not knowing where to begin. He doesn't say anything and just stares at your floor, picking at his jeans.

"Billy, please just look at me at least". Still nothing.

"Look, I'm sorry, I was so out of line on what I said" You take a breath. "I know what I said was wrong and as your girlfriend I should've known how my words could have affected you". He finally looks at you, giving a look that tells you to keep on going.

"I fucked up..bad and I want to fix it, I want to be with you Billy" You know your apology is half-assed, but you don't really know what else to say, you suck at this.

He stands up, walking over to you. When he's close, he takes your hand. "I want to be with you too princess" He takes a minute and looks at you, "I know what you said was true, I am an asshole" he smirks. You laugh and grip his hand back. "It just was different hearing it come from your mouth, but you can make it up to me somehow" he winks at you.

You slap his arm and he chuckles. "You don't know what you do to me Y/n, how badly its been for me and so hard its been having to not look at you and walk the other way..I don't want to go another day without touching you and hearing your beautiful laugh" he looks at you seriously.

What the hell since when did Billy become a softie? You like it, but then you remember something.

"Who is Max?!" You pull away from him. "The girl that you had at your house".

"Max?" he looks at you and starts to laugh. "My sister Maxine" He laughs even harder. You blush in response, ohh that's right he did say he had a step-sister you remember know, they don't get along really well.

"Where you jealous?" he asks as he grabs you by the hips, pulling you in closer. You swat at his arm, "No..." You trail off. He smiles and leans in. You close the gap, his mouth starting to move against yours.

He guides you back to your bed without breaking the kiss. When you feel the bed hit the bottom of your legs you pull away and lay down on the bed slowly, your back hitting the bed. He follows and gets on top of you, reaching for your lips again. You meet him, grabbing his neck, drawing him in closer. He groans into the kiss and you whimper. You move your hips up to meet his as he grinds into you. The friction of his jeans has you moaning out as you wrap your legs around him.

"Fuck y/n" he groans, trailing a hand down your body. He moves his kisses to your neck, sucking, as he starts to leave marks. You're so lost in pleasure that you both don't hear the front door slamming shut.

"Arghhh~ Billy!" You moan his name, too busy to hear the footsteps nearing the stairs.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" You both jump, halting your movements as you look towards your bedroom door.

"GET THE FUCK OFF MY SISTER HARGROVE!"

You see your brother standing there, rage bubbling up in him. Shit, how were you going to explain this?!

[mcflymemes]

AS SAID BY GARRUS VAKARIAN, updated version  *  assorted dialogue from the mass effect trilogy, adjust as necessary

i can't find any hard evidence.

good luck, [name]. maybe they'll listen to you.

i'm coming with you.

sometimes it feels like the rules are only there to stop me from doing my work.

i just couldn't take it anymore.

maybe i can get the job done my way for a change.

if you're wrong, we'll pay for it. but if you're right, and we did nothing, i think we'd regret it a whole lot more.

i thought you were dead.

it sure is good to see a friendly face.

at least it's not hard to find criminals here. all i have to do is point my gun and shoot.

my feelings got in the way of my better judgement.

i'll make you a deal. you get me out of here alive, and i'll tell you the whole damn thing.

nobody would give me a mirror. how bad is it?

don't make me laugh, damn it.

some women find facial scars attractive.

i'm fit for duty whenever you need me.

when i got to the meeting point, no one was there.

kill you? no. but i don't mind slowing you down a little.

what do you want from me, [name]?

i know you want to talk about this... but i don't. not yet.

it's so much easier to see the world in black and white. gray... i don't know what to do with gray.

my instincts are what got me into this mess.

never knew you had a weakness for men with scars.

well, why the hell not? there's nobody in this galaxy i respect more than you.

if we can figure out a way to make it work, then... yeah. definitely.

you're about the only friend i've got left in this screwed-up galaxy.

you don't ever have to worry about making me uncomfortable. nervous, yes... but never uncomfortable.

i brought wine.

your hair looks... good. and your waist is... very supportive.

hopefully that's not offensive in human culture.

i want something to go right. just once.

think you can win this thing, [name]?

i'm pretty sure we'll still need giant guns... and lots of them.

so... is this the part where we shake hands?

the scars are starting to fade. i remember they drove you wild.

i've been doing some more research on human customs.

glad to know my romantic skills made an impression.

let's not go there.

i can afford the good stuff.

what about you? i'm starting to see some wear and tear.

don't forget to come up for air. and not just because all these people need you. because i need you.

if you're suggesting i'm scared... game on.

still trying to make me blush, huh?

i'd be lying if i said i didn't hope it would inspire a certain... mood.

it seemed like you needed time to... figure us out.

the worst part about the galaxy going to hell would've been never getting to see you again.

not saying you don't know how to handle a gun. just saying some of us know how to make it dance.

i've actually seen you dance. no comment.

i know there are other things you're good at.

probably not a lot of air in here. an hour if we're lucky.

so tell me. think a girl would fall for that?

it gets even better when you try it in bed.

you don't lack for places to get lost.

did we break anything last night?

you'll find a way to win. and when this is over, i'll be waiting for you.

if this thing goes sideways and we both end up there... meet me at the bar. i'm buying.

forgive the insubordination, but your boyfriend has an order for you.

come back alive. it'd be an awfully empty galaxy without you.

we're in this 'til the end.

we didn’t kill these people. and we’re going to shut down the bastards who did.

looks like we’ve got a siege on our hand.

if anyone needs fresh clips or a bathroom break, now’s the time.

oh crap!

guess he didn’t like the food.

looks like we got the jump.

pretty extreme, but those were desperate times.

we won’t get a second chance.

that was me, sorry.

nothing like being stranded.

we’ll do more than that.

just the usual minor flesh wound.

what would these people have done if we hadn’t shown up?

i was there when you two had your thing, remember? just get a room and work it out.

stay angry. we’ll need it to get through this.

drinks will be on me.

one of my favorite places to fight!

i’m hard to kill. you should know that.

it’s gonna be bad all over.

for whatever it’s worth, i’m with you.

you’ve waited long enough for this day.

just wait ‘til this war is over.

you came along and warmed my heart with your winning personality.

maybe you’d like to go work for them instead?

how do i not have one of those?

surprise on our side for once. i like it.

brutal, but it makes a certain kind of sense.

[mlmxreader]

What Remains | Cooper Howard x gn!reader

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ '' How I end up here''

And

"I wanna know who I'm looking at"

With ghoul please

( I didn’t watch the show but this character I.... What I'm thinking is bad...) ❞

: ̗̀➛ Cooper Howard is long dead, but maybe a part of him still lives in The Ghoul. Even if it's only a little bit.

trigger warnings : ̗̀➛ swearing, mentions of violence, jealousy, sex references, violence references

╰┈➤ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

Cooper was too busy with searching the chem box to even think about looking up; with you standing guard so diligently and with great loyalty, he didn't know of any reason why he should have.

After all, you had been travelling together since you saved him from a group of super mutants, and although it was not easy, you had gained each other's trust, confidence and now it felt odd if you weren't together - you were a team, now, after spending so long together.

Of course, you still had disagreements, though, like when you wanted to help your old friend Valentine and Cooper it a bullshit distraction.

"Thou shalt not get side tracked by bullshit every time," he had grumbled, even whilst aiding you in helping Valentine.

It still made you laugh when you thought about it. He never wanted to play the good guy and was really only ever out for himself unless there were enough caps in the question; but you could see it, the layer of decency hidden under all that lone wanderer bullshit.

The humanity that he so desperately tried to snuff out. Trying to run so far from what he used to be but still clinging onto gope that somewhere in all the shit, there was something - someone - to bring him back. To pull Cooper Howard back into the light at last.

You cleared your throat, drawing his attention at last.

"It's gettin' dark, Coop," you told him. "We ought to find shelter for the night, then keep going."

Cooper grumbled even though he knew that you were right; being so close to the edge of the Glowing Sea was more dangerous at night than any other time.

Ravenous deathclaws stalked the land searching for anything they could devour. Glowing ghouls with rotted brains and empty dyes were just waiting at the chance to consume any sort of meat. There was always something in the shadows.

But Cooper still slammed the chem box shut and he still stood up and gestured for you to follow him back to the ruined house not far down the road.

It had only one bed, but it still had a roof, and that was better than nothing.

At least you weren't on that fucking foggy island again with all those gulpers and anglers and crabs. so there was that.

"You take the bed," Cooper told you with a huff. "I'll just sleep on the chair."

You shook your head. "Why don't we just share? It's plenty big enough and it wouldn't be the first time."

Cooper huffed as he took his hat and coat off, putting them on the chair before sitting at the edge of the bed; he watched you with great curiosity, taking notes of every movement as if he was studying you and trying to learn your behaviour.

You didn't think much of it - he had been doing it for a while now.

Well, ever since you met up with that Ghoul Mayor who had endlessly flirted with you; you knew Cooper didn't like the fact that you flirted back, but you assumed it was only because he didn't want you to be distracted by the oh so handsome ghoul.

"Hey," you cleared your throat as you looked at him, the buttons of your shirt undone to expose only the slightest glimpse of your chest. "We're okay, right?"

Cooper glared up at you, then nodded slowly. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"You've been different since Goodneighbor," you said with a shrug. "Ever since that Mayor invited me to stay the night, you've been weird."

"Thou shalt not-"

"Get side tracked by bullshit every time, I know, I know, but it ain't that and you know it," you told him, folding your arms across your chest. "It's like you had an issue with him wanting to get in my trousers."

He glared at you for a moment, then shook his head with a scowl. "How'd I end up here? Bein' fuckin' questioned about why I cockblocked that Mayor you fuckin' couldn't wait to jump on."

"Hust tell me why, Coop," you sighed.

"He weren't right for you," he told you with a sneer. "He didn't know what it's like out there for people like us. He spent all his fuckin' time in an office doin' chems - he don't know. Someone like that can't be right for someone like you."

"And you think you would be?" You asked with a raised brow. "Then why the fuck didn't you just tell me? Why the fuck did you have to go all stupid and weird?"

Cooper grumbled. "Shut up about it, would ya? It don't matter - I ain't... I ain't who I was and I ain't never gonna go back to it. So shut up, lie down and fuckin' sleep. We'll head out first thing. Second dawn comes up."

"Or what?" You challenged.

"Or I'll take you back to Goodneighbor," he all but growled out. "And you can stay there with your pretty boy Mayor."

"You wouldn't," you shook your head, narrowing your gaze at him. "I'm not an asset to you, Coop, and you care about me - whether you admit it or not. You care, you just won't let me in... but you want to... so tell me, because I wanna know who I'm looking at: The Ghoul, or Cooper?"

His expression softened as he looked down at the ground to hide his weakness, groaning and sighing heavily. "My name was- is Cooper Howard. I'm a bounty hunter, and I hated the way that Mayor looked at you, spoke to you... but I can't be what you want, and we both know that."

You came to sit beside him, your hand landing on his thigh. "So you can't be yourself? Because that's what I'd want. I'd want the snarky, violent, asshole who shoots first and asks questions later."

Cooper didn't say anything, just put his hand on yours and nodded slowly; he couldn't bring himself to say it, in all honesty. He tried to long to snuff out his humanity that it felt wrong to even try to engage with it again; Cooper Howard was dead, and he knew that.

if you made it to the end of this fic and you enjoyed it, then please, if you have any cash to spare, please consider donating to help Mahmoud rebuild his life.

[kissofthemis]

Hello, may I request headcanons for the NXX boys when they hear reader (who isn't mc) that usually only addresses them by their last name calls them by their first name for the first time, while giving a heartfelt compliment with the softest and sweetest expression?

Bonus if they're normally shy yet silly in general. Another bonus is if they did it without realizing it and immediately fluster when they realise what they did, and puff their cheeks when in denial when called out upon.

Thank you!

"Thank you so much! Luke, you're a lifesaver!"

A wave of relief washed over you as Luke repaired the final piece on your drawer. You still weren't sure how you'd ripped the cabinets clean off their hinges, but all that mattered was that your friend Mr. Pearce, antique repairer extraordinaire, had come to your rescue.

Mr. Pearce.

Luke Pearce.

You hadn't realized how casually his name had slipped out of your mouth until it was too late. "I... Um... Mr. Pearce! Thank you!"

Humbly you bowed your head. You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks, and you could only imagine how much you resembled a boiling lobster right about now. Cautiously, you tilted your chin up just enough to get a peek at the brunet's face, only to find...

That he looked just as flustered as you.

His gaze darted to the floor. "L-Luke..." He stumbled over his own name, and you could have sworn you saw him bite his tongue in his own embarrassed frustration. "Luke is fine. Great, actually." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Because... we're friends, aren't we?"

His eyes flickered back to you, aglow with the warmth of a fireplace but the intensity of a bonfire.

"At least, I've been trying to put down clues that show you I consider you a dear friend."

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

"You tend to these all by yourself? I can tell how much love you pour into your garden, Vyn!"

Awestruck by the vast array of flora and foliage before you, the words fluttered from your lips before you had a chance to truly think about them.

Of course, you meant what you said! When Dr. Richter had invited you to see a garden, you were excited at the prospect of going to fancy botanical gardens. When he mentioned it was his own personal garden, a healthy dose of curiosity sprouted alongside your eagerness to see his home. Now, upon seeing how beautiful his "humble" garden was, you were impressed and delighted.

But as a moment passed without any response from the gardener himself, you began to worry that you'd said something inappropriate. "Don't tell me, is Dr. Richter bad with prai--"

You clapped your hands over your mouth and began bowing rapidly, bobbing up and down and up and down.

"Dr. Vyn! I mean, Dr. Richter! I'm so sorry! That was super informal and super rude of me! Oh, Dr. Richter, I can't apologize enough!"

A gentle hand came to rest upon the top of your head, stopping you in your tracks.

"Now, while I'm qualified to treat them, I'd appreciate if you didn't give yourself a concussion from whipping your head up and down so many times." He chuckled softly as you rose to a full standing position again, then gave you a gentle pat.

"Raised them with love, you say?" he murmured. "I don't know if I'd put it that way. I'm simply following standard guidance and instructions for each and every species of flower." He pursed his lips for a second, then continued. "But if tending to flowers is anything like tending to people in need of tender love and care..." He turned to look at you, and his golden eyes glinted in the sunlight.

"Then I'm sure you have quite the green thumb yourself."

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

"This is the best grilling I've ever tasted in my life, Artem!"

You had barely spared a second to sing the attorney's praises before digging back into your meal.

When you'd fallen ill with the latest seasonal flu, you had messaged him as a courtesy to let him know you wouldn't be able to meet him this weekend as planned. You certainly hadn't expected the star of Themis Law Firm to offer to bring you some food. You were less prepared when he said he was going to cook it himself, asking for your favorite foods and flavors.

Least of all did you expect his food to be so delicious!

'Never judge a book by its cover,' you thought as you devoured another spoonful. 'I just didn't expect Mr. Wing of all people to have the time to learn to cook so well!'

You peeked up at him, concerned that he hadn't responded yet. He probably wasn't the type who received compliments often; he seemed like the type who intimidated others. Respected, but never appreciated in this way.

"Your cheeks are really red. Are you catching a fever from me?"

Wildfire had spread across his face, from the tips of his ears to the tip of his nose. If he got sick because he was taking care of you, you'd never forgive yourself!

"You... perhaps need more rest," is all that he said in response. "But..." He smiled gently at you.

"If a flu is what it takes for you to loosen up around me, I can't truthfully say that I'm upset about it."

~♡~♡~♡~♡~

"You designed this? Marius, you're a creative genius!"

Your jaw dropped as you absorbed the details in the painting before you. The effect was almost reminiscent of a stained glass window, with the way the colors and strokes created a mosaic image. You could easily see this hanging up in a museum or even a church.

But like a dog who received one treat and was desperate for more, the painter turned to you with big, pleading eyes and whimpered, "I couldn't hear that. Could you repeat it, please? For me?"

He wasn't usually this pathetic. "I said you're a creative genius!" You folded your arms over your chest. "Don't make me take back the genius part."

"No, no~ Before that."

Before that? What exactly had you said that brought this CEO to wag his tail so desperately?

Realization struck you like lightning and you spun away from him instantly. "Mr. von Hagen, it's very unprofessional to tease me like this!"

You could almost feel the mood shift as Marius deflated behind you. "Aww, you were being so friendly a minute ago," he whined. "Even calling me Marius~ Marmar~ Mariri~"

"I didn't use any stupid nicknames!" you protested, whirling to face him with flustered tears stinging your eyes. "You're such a pain in the neck, Marius!"

He perked up immediately. "Oh! There it is again! We are close, aren't we?" He leaned forward, the corners of his mouth turned up into a cheeky grin as he batted his eyelashes at you.

With a huff, you shifted your attention back to the painting. "On second thought, I think this is too abstract for the exhibition. I guess Pax can't host it after all."

"Whaaaat? Now that's just too cold!"

[cursedkeyboard]

Funnily enough, I've never been too big of a Jason Todd fan. Not because I don't like him, he's a great character, but because DC fails over and over again to give him justice and treat him right.

The number of times alone this boy has been beaten by his adoptive father, betrayed, and forgotten are far too many, far too much.

And the constant portrayal of Jason as this volatile, violent, mindless man is tiresome, lazy in all senses of the word and overdone. I understand that Jason was unstable after he left the pit, I mean, who wouldn't? The trauma of his death alone could've sent anyone crazy, but then to experience everything else afterwards, including having to come to terms that Bruce not only did not kill his murder but also replaced him, leaving Jason to grieve what was once his and what he should've gotten, of course he'd be less than okay.

Again, I'm not the biggest Jason Todd fan but I do wish more people would see just how much good Jason has in his heart, how kind and gentle he can be once his walls are down, when he's no longer constantly analyzing your actions and wondering why would you bother talking to him, getting closer to him.

In my opinion, a man who is so gentle with children, who constantly gives second, third, and fourth chances to people who don't deserve it, who despite it all still wants to make a change and protect the city that failed him, couldn't possibly be anything but the most caring partner. Not just partner, no, also brother and friend.

We all know what he did to Tim and Damian, there are reasons, such as his mental instability at the time and rage, and though those are not excuses, I believe Jason would still drop everything to go save his family. He might complain, he might brood, but family is something important to him even when just looking at them hurts him. He lost his loving mother, stepmother, far too early and it's not hard to imagine that even with all the pain and grief inside his torn heart, the little boy inside Jason still craves the warmth of a family.

Just look at the way he treats his friends, at the way he helps them through situations no one else would, how caring and attentive he is. Jason is gentle, sure, he is rough and mean and he's got blood on his hands, but Jason is made of love.

Jason was made to be loved.

So I think, whether platonic or romantically, Jason would treat you so well. He'd scold you for not wearing warm clothes during winter, "We're in Gotham, you fucking moron, you wanna freeze to death?", all while wrapping you with his jacket or scarf. He'd make sure you're eating at least something every day, and if not, he would immediately put you under his arm, maybe over his shoulder, and take you to the nearest food chain he could find, "I don't want to hear you complaining about headaches when all you had today was a cup of coffee and gum.".

Lord, he'd be torn between freaking out and being extremely annoyed that you got hurt, be it at work, a fight, or just out of clumsiness. But no matter what, his hands would always be so, so gentle when touching you. The tip of his fingers brushing under the injury, as light as a breeze, his other hand holding the back of your neck, or your bicep, perhaps even your hand just to make sure you're there, with him.

Jason would both hush you gently, "I know, sweetheart, we're almost done.", and also tease because he's a little shit at heart, "If you had a little more awareness than a ten year old this wouldn't have happened, idiot."

And physical touches? Oh, love, Jason is a sucker for intimacy.

I know for a fact he wouldn't be comfortable for a long time with anyone in his personal space due to the torture he went through. The trauma would make his skin crawl any time someone got too close or brushed past him, he'd hate it so much because it makes him weak but also because he can't let anyone try to hug him without feeling sick to his stomach.

And with you it's no different. It would take a long time, a lot of trust being built up, conflict and confessions, maybe he'd even open up to you with his head on your lap as you brushed his hair softly, a big, big step for him after years of not letting anyone close. He'd tell you about the Joker, about having hope in Bruce, about his biological mother. And he'd feel vulnerable like a child when you wipe his tears gently without a word.

Once he starts craving your touch, though, regardless if you two have a platonic or romantic relationship, Jason is putty in your hands. Forehead kisses when you part ways, cuddling on the couch while he reads and you're on your phone, thighs touching when sitting close, even a little bit of hand holding when he's stressed and needs to play with your fingers.

He's like a big cat that's constantly making his way onto your chest, stealing your breath and making biscuits on your skin, making sure you're giving him sufficient pats every day.

It's a little part of him that he's barely able to properly allow space for. There's still so much hurt in Jason, so much confusion and desperation, hatred and upset, that he'd probably still close off sometimes, try acting tough so you'd see how fucked up he is, how he's not truly worth of your love.

And yet.

And yet all it'd take for him to go soft and pliant in your hands would be a single touch, cupping his cheeks, brushing his skin softly with your thumbs, right under his pretty emerald eyes, making sure his gaze is on you and only you. Just like that, he'd slump his shoulders and bring you into his arms, breathing a sigh of relief and squeezing you close, your heartbeats synching.

He wouldn't remember when he started feeling safest in your arms but it'd feel like it was since forever. Like there was no one else but you.

Jason was made to be loved, though he is a little broken and a little tainted, lost like a child and hateful like a sinner, your love might just be his salvation, something he's greedy for, selfish for, even when he's so hesitant of somehow hurting you.

[twig-tea]

The Trainee ep2: I am Seated

I am buzzing after The Trainee ep2. I love when a show sets up characters with clear arcs and then delivers on their journeys perfectly, and this show is being so smart about what it's laying down. We got a perfect introduction to Ryan and Jane in ep1 and in ep2 we're already seeing movement in their arcs in the direction the show has flagged. This is smart writing!

Ryan is a frustrating but lovable character; he is smart and competent he just has no drive and is unsure about his place in the world and his role in it. In other words, he's young and inexperienced. And he's in over his head; he signed up for this internship because his friend dragged him to it, and went for it because they hired him and he doesn't know what else to do with his life. He is clearly driven by doing a good job and being appreciated; the client at his parent's print shop liking his work was motivating for him, and the show has shown us that he keeps that place running. He actually has the makings of a great AD--noticing where other people fall short and pre-emptively filling those gaps, prepping so that when other people get to their next task their prep is already done, understanding all of the different pieces and how the need to fall into place; all of that will make him great at the job. But he doesn't know anything about making content and he isn't self-driven or motivated enough to do any reading on his own, at least not yet. I love how honest he is: He did not brook any trash talk of Jane after Jane showed up for him, and he recognizes his own flaws and doesn't want to be a burden. His hesitation is understandable considering his ignorance, and my frustration with him is mostly that he hasn't tried to address that in himself yet, but I also get it because he wasn't sure he wanted this role in the first place. I'm really excited to watch him fall in love with content creation, and with Jane, and to see him hone his skills.

Speaking of Jane, I love this character. He's grumpy, but the show has given us so many reasons why (all of whom are his colleagues, who seem to be unable to do anything without him while constantly talking badly about him behind his back). He's rude because he needs to be in order to get anything done at this place, and frankly, probably because he can be--he's so integral to this workplace that nobody can tell him to tone it down, even when it's not workplace appropriate. Baimon is a classic boss--charismatic but useless, and he clearly looks to Jane to solve any problem that comes up. I've worked with people like Jane before; so competent that they get away with being rude AF. And he's not actually a bad boss, is the thing. He gets annoyed and says so, but he doesn't hold Ryan's ignorance against him. Despite being frustrated that he wasn't given someone with experience to help him, he asked Ryan for his ideas on how to solve a problem, and then trusted him to execute the task. He calls Ryan out for being so slow to speak (this man is on a constant urgent deadline!), but still waits to hear him out. When Ryan admits he made a real mistake, Jane explains what he did wrong and how to avoid it in future. This is something I see people get twisted all the time: someone pointing out a mistake, even getting annoyed by it, and asking for it to be fixed, is not actually the same thing as not letting anyone make mistakes or being someone to whom you can't admit a mistake. Jane gave Ryan a chance to problem-solve, assigned him meaningful work, gave him credit for a good job, explained where he went wrong when Ryan admitted a mistake to him, helped him fix it, and let him make his own choices about staying or going. He said, if you don't like this job, you can quit, but I think you would be good at it. He sees potential in Ryan, and I am so excited to watch Jane turn Ryan into a competent colleague and then something more. In the meantime, please sign my petition to get Jane a minimum 2-week vacation and a skilled assistant.

Beyond these two characters, the humour is hitting for me, the work tension is so real, and the side characters are a lot of fun. Every one of the interns is nuanced and seems to have an arc ready for them, which I absolutely love. Pie is competent but self-interested and not a team player (happy to use Ryan to either help achieve a goal or throw him under the bus). Teh lacks confidence. Pah needs to learn to take things seriously. And this show so far is showing me that it's smart enough to deliver.

TL;DR The Trainee is excellent and I'm having a great time!

[baby-alien11]

Surprise Visit (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

taglist: @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @camiesully @ethanlandryluver @nowitsmissing @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo @itsaaliyah2 @callsignwidow

What started as a nice morning with an early visit to the gym, turned out a bit weird when in the way home, your dad called you to let you know that there were guests waiting for both at your house, which left both of you confused since none of you talked about visiting any of your friends

"Last chance to guess who is inside the house", you sighed once Jack's car stopped in the front yard next to yours

"I still don't have any idea of who could it be", Jack sighed turning off the car, "I mean, we already texted all of our friends and all of them denied to be here"

"I hate that dad didn't tell us anything"

Grabbing Butters who was on your lap, while Jack got the two gym bags, both of you walked towards the front porch to open the door, hearing small sounds in the kitchen, which made the two of you even more curious, and even more when a small girl who both of you knew well ran towards you hugging you both

"Sweetpea", you exclaimed in surprise hugging her with your free arm, "What are you doing here?"

"We came to surprise you", Penelope responded while passing to hug Jack

"Who's we?", Jack frowned

"Hi!"

Hearing that voice, the three of you looked at that direction to see Max standing next to the cat tower where Tatum was watching him with curiosity

"It's not that we aren't happy to see you again, but, what is happening?", you asked

Before Max could answer, there was another voice speaking from the kitchen

"Guys, the pancakes are almost ready"

Intrigued about the situation, all of you walked more into the house to see the entire grid in the kitchen, almost all of them preparing breakfast, while others where cleaning the dishes or others just sitting there

"I think we need context", Jack said which gained the attention of all of them

"We're making breakfast for all", Carlos responded putting the pancakes in a big plate

"Yeah, that's clear", Jack nodded still surprised

"Why don't you guys go change and leave your things while we finish preparing everything?", Fernando suggested

"Wait a second", you spoke before going upstairs, "Did my dad just let you in without arguing?"

"He just asked why we where here, we answered, he let us in and then he left", Alex responded

"He gave me a hug, and said he was proud of me", Logan mentioned with happiness, "And also that it doesn't matter where I go next year he will be supporting me"

"He saw me and laughed at me", Lando added, "And kept laughing until he was out of the house"

"Wonder why", George snorted

Still processing the madness in the kitchen, both of you left Butters in the cat tower with Tatum before going upstairs to your room where you closed the door inmediatly

"What the fuck is going on?", you exclaimed sure that Penelope wasn't going to hear the bad word

"It's summer break, they're supposed to be on vacation, Zandvoort is next week, use your last days free to go to the beach or something", Jack also exclaimed leaving the gym bags in your vanity chair, "What are they doing here?"

Still panicking about what they were doing in Los Angeles, specially in your house, both of you started to pace around your room, until realasation hit both of you

"When they returned us here they were fighting which garage we should stay for Las Vegas", Jack remembered

"Shut the fuck up", you murmured sitting in your bed, "This is going to be madness"

"At least we can laugh at them while they do this... I don't know what to call it"

"And they prepared breakfast", you concided, "I hope those who burn food or doesn't know how to do a thing didn't touched my kitchen tools, or anything"

Changing from the gym clothes to something more comfortable, both of you grabbed the gift for Penelope's fifth birthday to return to the first floor where several plates of international food where waiting on the center counter of the kitchen

"Sweetpea, we have something for you", you smiled at what the small girl did the same, "We know that your birthday was a few weeks ago"

"And since we couldn't be there, we bought you a gift that we were planning on send to you", Jack continued, "But since you are here, we decided to give it to you"

Putting the box in front of her, Penelope smiled hugging both of you before openning the giant box in front of her pulling out plushies of an ikran, an ilu and a giant Cinnamoroll (that left Max wondering who was going to lose the seat in his private plane for the white plushie)

"I love them", Penelope exclaimed trying to hug the three at the same time, "Thank you"

"How I'm going to get that giant thing on the plane?", Max questioned looking at the dads of the grid

"Just put it inside a bag", Checo responded at what Kevin and Nico nodded in agreement, "It will save space"

"And it will be easy to carry around", Kevin added, "Where did you got the giant plushie?"

"Build-A-Bear", Jack responded, "We made a few calls and got it early"

"We need to go there before leaving", Nico said to Kevin at what he agreeded

Aproaching the kitchen, plates and utensils were distributed and everyone grabbed a bit of everything, and even Tatum and Butters got some of what they can eat in their plates

"You guys have an impressive garden in there", Lewis said refering to the cultive garden

"Thanks, we started working on it since we got the house", you responded, "And that is since early two thousands"

"Seb would like it", Lance commented

"That just made my day", you smiled, "By the way, how is going to work this "activity"?"

"Each team created slide shows with pretty convincing arguments of why both of you should be in the garage for Las Vegas", George explained, "Which is also Jack's birthday"

"So, like an audition?", Jack questioned

"Exactly like that", Yuki nodded

Sharing a small glance, you and Jack got closer to start whispering about the whole thing for a few minutes before returning to look at the others

"We'll accept this, but we have one condition", you said

"We'll hear all the things you had to say, but all of you have to watch the movies and series we're in", Jack continued, "That includes Avatar: The Way of Water, Retribution, Scream, the last chapter of Riverdale, and even Avengers: Endgame"

"You are there?", Esteban exclaimed with surprise

"He's the kid in the bycicle that looks at Paul Rudd", you informed at what the french started to slap Mick's arm with emotion, "So, we have a deal? We also going to watch our rendition of the Scream'd Musical Parody"

Nodding in agreement, the breakfast continued normally with small talk, and when it ended, the ones who didn't cook washed the dishes used while the rest prepared the slide show in the living room

"I feel like we are going to hear a lot of nonsense", you said to Jack once seated in the couch with Penelope (and her new plushies) in between

"I'm kinda afraid of what are we going to hear", Jack agreeded at the time the cats jumped on the couch to lay on the back of the couch, "This could be absolutely funny or ridiculous, no in between"

"We are ready to start", Mick anounced interrupting the conversation, "Since I'm a reserve driver for Mercedes and driver for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship, I'll be the mediator in this, so, the order on slide shows is based on the championship and we have sheets with all the teams so you can write comments"

Stopping for a little, Mick gave you and Jack clipboards with sheets that at the top had the names of the ten teams, along with pencils

"And there's no limit time for the presentations, and gifts are allowed", Mick said before sitting in the couch, "Red Bull first"

Stepping to the front, Max and Checo put their presentation on the TV

"Our first argument, and advantage, is that both of you stayed in my apartment and in our garage during Monaco, both of you have cats and dogs, I have cats and Checo has dogs", Max started to yap with a slide full of pictures of what he was saying, "This whole thing and friendship started with the nepo babies interview, and what did you say? Both of you are Red Bull fans, and also fans of both of us, and now we are friends, we also have a Spice Girl on the team, who is Geri, also known as Ginger Spice"

"We also know that both of you love kids", Checo continued moving into the next slide that had pictures of both of you with Rogue and Penelope, "And we have the most kids combined in the whole paddock, with five"

Proving that point, the next slide was family pictures of the kids

"Also, my documentary is in Disney Plus", Checo continued, "What is also in Disney Plus? The Avatar movies, and who is in Avatar? Jack"

"Yeah, we can't watch the documentary", you interrupted, "It's not avaliable in the US"

"I'll see what I can do", Checo assured

"And the gifts that we brought for both of you are stroopwafels, mexican candies and snacks, tequila, two boxes of the future merch and more Red Bull which is already in the kitchen", Max followed putting the said things in the center table, "That's all, thank you"

While the change was being made, you and Jack took the oportunity to write the comments about the presentation

"McLaren is next", Mick anounced, "This is going to be fun"

"First of all, we'll have the best arguments that you'll hear in this lovely day", Oscar said, "The purpose of the trip to Las Vegas is for Jack's birthday, who has been saying for a while that he is a McLaren fan, and both of you also spent half an hour in our hospitality during the race in Monaco, and we are seeing right now, Y/N has an orange cat, and also, my second name is Jack"

"Strawberry blonde with a bit of carrot, but okay", you commented

"Now, while we were planning on doing this, we found a very interesting connection, that is very logical", Lando spoke passing to the next slide who had a very confussing diagram, "In her new album 'The Tortured Poets Department', Taylor Swift has a song called 'Florida', and what happenned in Florida? I won my first race, and who has several pictures with the trophy? Y/N and Jack, returning to Florida, the themed park of Avatar is there, franchise of which Jack is a part"

"But we have a strong disavantage", Oscar took the word again moving into the next slide which was the messages occupying the whole screen which made everyone laugh or cringe, "This unfortunate messages sent two years ago by none other than my teammate"

"Mate, I thought you were on my side", Lando whined

"I am, but I can't ignore this thing", Oscar justified, "The gifts that we bring are the LEGO set of our McLaren, clothes from the McLaren and Beiss colaboration along with the regular ones and a box of every flavor of Monster Energy, which are in the kitchen"

"Please chose us, thank you", Lando finalized

"Next", Mick exclaimed

Doing the same routine, you and Jack wrote the comments in the sheets at the same time the next ones prepare everything

"Sweetpea, when you grow up, if you ever recieve a message like the one you saw on the screen, do not answer", you said to Penelope who was playing with her new plushies, "Understood?"

"Yeah", Penelope nodded

"Perfect", you smiled

"Good morning, we are here representing Scuderia Ferrari, the most iconic team in the history of Formula One", Carlos started to speak, "Since the beggining of our history, we had iconic and amazing drivers and moments, but today we are here to convince our dear friends to be in our garage for Las Vegas"

"Our main reason will be the color red, not only because is the characteristic color of Ferrari, red is the name of a Taylor Swift album and song, is the color of Jack's car which you can see outside, is the color of the blood poured in the Scream saga, red is the color both of you had wore multiple times", Charles said

"Also I made the pancakes for breakfast, I've been a friend of yours since april, Ferrari is part of your top three favorite teams, we know both of you went to see the Ferrari movie because you posted about that on your Instagram stories", Carlos continued, "And for the pets we have Piñon and Leo"

"And before we move to the gifts part, Jack, since you are basically Ollie's american twin, I want to adopt you"

As Charles finished saying that, you bursted into a fit of laughs while the rest got confused about what the monegasque said

"First you need to talk with my mom about that", Jack mentioned when your laughs calmed down

"Don't worry, I will", Charles smiled, "Now for the gifts, the freezer is now full of every flavor of Lec ice cream, matching vintage Ferrari jackets and the collection for Monza and Miami, and APM Monaco jewerly"

"Thank you", Carlos finalized

Doing the same as last time, you and Jack wrote your comments, seeing Lewis and George in front with their presentation

"All of the arguments you've heard until now are going to sound lame after you heard what we have", George started putting the first slide, "The others might said about the movies, streaming platforms, horrible messages, fan of teams and more, but we have something more important, as we all know, Avatar: The Way of Water had the premiere at London on december 2022, during which Y/N and Jack hard launched their relationship, but what they don't know is that Carmen and I were there, and we loved the movie, it was amazing, Spider was our favorite character"

"Let's not forget the MET Gala", Lewis continued with the next slide, "The three of us met before walking the steps, we had a nice chat, we became friends and spent some time together at the event, also Y/N has said that I'm one of her fashion icons and she drives a Mercedes"

"That photo was taken today?", you asked seeing the picture of your car

"Yeah, when we arrived", George nodded, "Also, Y/N has mentioned that one of her favorite persons in F1 is Susie, who is sometimes at our garage, and Doriane is also sometimes with us, and let's not forget that in the movie Retribution where Jack, our future Oscar winner is part of the cast, several Mercedes vehicles are part of the movie"

"Lastly, for the gifts, we have Tommy Hilfiger exclusive clothes that aren't out yet with handwritten letters by Tommy, four bottles of Almave for each of you and IWC matching watches", Lewis ended as he and George put the gifts in the table with the previous ones, "Chose wisely"

"So long, London", you said as the change was made and you and Jack wrote the comments

"Is there going to be a small recess?", Jack asked Mick

"Yeah, after Aston Martin", Mick nodded

"It's finally our turn", Lance exclaimed, "Our arguments for both of you to be in our garage are that we are friends since the day of the filming of the interview, we have a nice green for team color, and returning to Taylor Swift, and not going to the rumors, in her new album, 'The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology', has a song named 'imgonnagetyouback', and what does the song says? 'I'm an Aston Martin that you steered straight into the ditch', which is the name of our team"

"And I want to point out that even thought both of you were born in 2004, I won my two world championships in 2005 and 2006, but you were babies when that happenned", Fernando continued, "Now it's time for the gifts"

"That was everything?", Mick frowned

"Yeah, we think that's enough", Lance nodded, "For the gifts we have a free year of all the products you want from Tim Hortons and this"

Handing them small boxes, everyone watched with curiosity as you and Jack opened them to reveal a set of car keys, surprising everyone but mostly both of you

"What's this?", you asked without taking the keys out of the box

"The keys for your new cars", Lance exclaimed, "Aston Martin Valour, they are limited edition, only 110 in the world and now you own two of them, Y/N has it in lightning silver and Jack in ultramarine black"

"Doesn't matter if you don't chose us", Fernando spoke, "You can keep them"

"Was that allowed?", Pierre exclaimed

"We didn't put any rules", Fernando shrugged his shoulders

"Okay, time for a break", Mick anounced, "Fiftheen minutes"

Writting the comments about the presentation both of you considered leaving the clipboards in the highest cabinet but since Esteban who was the tallest of the grid was there, your room was a better option

"I can't believe those twenty are millionares who drive in weird shapes for work", you sighed before returning to the living room, "Those are the shittiest arguments I've ever heard"

"The gifts are also insane", Jack nodded, "The cars are another level of crazy, like, we knew Lance was like a Richie Rich, the cars were unexpected"

"Is going to be fun to explain to our families", you mentioned, "Not only the cars, but all the gifts, and of course your adoption"

"That was your favorite part, right?", Jack smiled with fun

"Yeah", you laughed

Taking advantage of your distraction, Jack took you in his shoulder and start spinning at what you hold thight on his back and shirt even though he was holding your thighs and waist firmly, stopping when you started to tap his back putting you on the floor carefuly and brushing a few strands of your hair in order before holding your cheeks and share a kiss, at what you smiled in the kiss hugging him by the waist

Unfortunately, the kiss was interrupted when a truck was heard close to the house confusing both of you

"Guys, your cars are here", Lance exclaimed from the first floor

"No fucking way", Jack sighed

"It's strange having millionare friends", you commented

Leaving the clipboards in your room, both of you returned to the first floor to see most of the teams in a frenezy talking in their phones, except for the Red Bull boys who were drinking the energy drink along with Penelope who was eating some fruit in the kitchen island, and the Aston Martin guys who were already outside

"What is happenning?", you asked aproaching the Red Bull duo

"They are calling their bosses to try to get cars for the two of you", Checo responded, "They have been like this since you went upstairs"

"By the way, P was a bit hungry so I got a bit of fruit from the fridge", Max mentioned, "I hope that's okay"

"Yeah, it's fine", you nodded

"Where are the cats?", Jack asked not seeing them in the cat tower or the couch"

"Alex is holding one and Zhou the other", Max responded

"The cars are ready", Fernando exclaimed from the front door, "Bring the keys"

Taking the keys from the center table both of you stepped outside to see the two new and exclusive Aston Martin cars in the front yard

"This feels like christmas again", you commented aproaching the silver car, "But in a weird situation"

"My mom is going to freak out when she sees this", Jack mentioned next to the dark car

Unlocking the doors, the two of you got into your respective cars turning on the engine

"I'm definately going to arrive to my tattoo appointment tomorrow in this", you exclaimed with excitement reffering to the small tornado tattoo you were going to get on your right inner arm above your elbow

After admiring the cars a bit more, the break ended, at what all of you returned to the living room to continue with the presentations, but before starting again, you and Jack stood in front of the TV

"Guys, before continue with your interesting slide show, we'd like to say something regarding of the recent gift", you said holding the clipboard, "As we are thankful for the new cars, we don't need another one"

"Yeah, we are perfectly fine with two cars, we don't need more right now", Jack nodded, "But we appreciate that you care about us and want us to have a big car collection"

"It also lifts up our ego", you joked, "Anyways, let's continue"

Sitting again in the couch, this time Penelope decided to lay down in the sofa with her head on your lap, at what you covered her with a light blanket

"We start with Visa CashApp RB", Mick anounced

"Hello everyone", Daniel greeted in front of the TV with the slideshow ready, "We have very good reasons of why both of you should be in our garage, the first one is that when Max came to LA to got you for Monaco, I was in the plane, also in the interview that started everything, Y/N said that Yuki was one of her favorites"

"We also noticed that the two of you have a height difference just like us, and Avatar: The Way of Water in Japan made 29.5% of the total recaudation, so you´re welcome, and also both of you have been spotted in Nobu in several ocasions"

"And the Taylor Swift factor, I'm a swiftie, and let's see this photo that Jack posted from his trip to New Mexico which kinda reminds of how I enter the COTA circuit in a horse", Daniel continued, "And for the gifts we have Enchanté merch, products from Yuki's collection, snacks from both of our countries"

"And when I open my restaurant you'll have your meals for free", Yuki said, "That's it, thank you"

"We should order Nobu for lunch", you commented to Jack while writting the comments, "What do you think?"

"It's a good idea", Jack nodded, "We just need to ask the others"

"Hey everyone", you exclaimed, "Who wants to order Nobu for lunch?"

"I don't eat fish", Lando mentioned while the others agreed to order from the japanesse restaurant

"We know", Jack responded, "Just grab some frozen nuggets from the fridge"

"But we need one of the dads to supervise him while using the air fryer, please", you asked

"It's Haas turn", Mick anounced, "My first team in F1"

"Hello everyone, we are Haas, some people call us the Haasbands", Nico started, "We are the perfect enemies to lovers friends"

"Who taught you that term?", you interrupted

"Egle", Nico responded, "Returning to our presentation, we are the only american team in F1 right now, and even though we don't have many achievements, we have a pole position thanks to Kevin, a win and podium thanks to Chloe in F1 Academy"

"We also had some memorable moments like you can see in episodes of Drive to Survive, and our cars might not be the best, but can survive fire, why are we mentioning fire? Because as we knew a few days ago, the third Avatar movie is called Avatar: Fire and Ash", Kevin continued, "And we are also dads, and that Haas a NASCAR team, and Y/N grandad and uncle were NASCAR drivers, by the way, congratulations on your uncle entering the NASCAR Hall of Fame"

"Thank you", you smiled

"For gifts we brought the latest collection of Palm Angels, cards with discounts for Chipotle with two years of guarantee, traditional candies from Germany and Denmark, and crochet clothes from Egle"

"Remember that our team is american", Kevin finalized

While the change was being, you and Jack wrote your comments, also noticing that Penelope was already asleep

"Alpine's turn", Mick anounced, "I'm also part of them for WEC"

"Hello, we are Alpine, the complete french team, for the rest of the year, of course", Esteban started, "And let me tell you, we have a lot of reasons for you to be with us, the first one is Marvel, I love Marvel, Ryan Reynolds aka Deadpool is one of our investors, and Jack is part of the MCU even if it's for less than a minute, and our cars and suits had an design inspired by Deadpool and Wolverine during the Belgian GP"

"But Ryan isn't our only investor", Pierre continued, "We also have Travis Kelce, tigh end of the Kansas City Chiefs, who is also dating Taylor Swift, and Kika and I went to her concert, which was amazing, and since we are here, we'll anounce that Jack Doohan will be our driver for next year, and you are the first to know, and conditentialy he and the Jack in front of us have the same name"

"And we bring amazing gifts", Esteban exclaimed, "Clothes from our brands, Chiefs shirts with Travis and Patrick numbers, and we are giving you the option to chose whatever you want from our investors"

Looking at each other, you and Jack started speaking in whispers for a few minutes until both of you nodded in agreement before looking at the french drivers

"Tickets for the last date of the Eras Tour, if we meet Taylor even better, also tickets to see a Chiefs game", you said

"Also watching the Deadpool trilogy with Ryan Reynolds, and him doing the Bye Bye Bye dance from Deadpool and Wolverine, even though we know he didn't performed it", Jack continued

"And we also want to see the two of you fighting using baguettes as weapons", you finalized, "That's it, thank you"

Hearing all of the petitions, Pierre and Esteban were shocked for all the things requested, while the rest laughed softly and both of you wrote the comments

"Next is Williams", Mick anounced

"Let's start by saying that even though we only have four points at the moment, we have a huge advantage in this small competition", Alex started with the presentations, "The others mentioned one or two pets, but we have the Albon Zoo, that consist in twelve cats, two horses and a dog, and I think that Tatum and Butters could get along with them"

"Don't forget that I'm the only US citizen in the entire grid, just like both of you are USA citizens", Logan continued, "And that I'm the favorite driver of Skeet Ulrich, Y/N's dad, and also my brother was in NASCAR, and 'Florida' isn't only a Taylor Swift song or where Lando got his first victory, is also my hometown, and of course the Avatar themed park is there"

"The gifts that we brought are the entire collection of Albon Pets including mini helmets, clothes from the Williams store, two of each piece, personalized golf balls from Lily, and autographed mini helmets from both of us"

A/N: I didn't put american because America is a whole continent, not only USA

"We hope that you enjoyed our presentation", Logan finalized

Feeling relieved that the silly slideshows were ending, you and Jack wrote the comments on the clipboard

"And finally, Kick Sauber", Mick sighed, "This thing took longer than I expected"

"We might be last team in the constructors championship without points, or a good car, but we have vibes", Valtteri started, "And a colorful car, and I would like to mention that as someone who has the best mullet on the grid, Jack has the best mullet in the entertainment industry"

"Also, there is a Dior connection between me and both of you, as I am a Dior ambassador and both of you wore Dior for the MET Gala, and in several ocasions", Zhou continued, "And we also got very special pets, for my part I have Sweetcorn"

"And I have a reindeer called Rosa", Valtteri continued, "And remember that this year we are known for our social media content, and Y/N also is a social media content creator"

"For gifts we bring Lululemon clothes and accesories, also some things from Dior, baking books from China and Finland"

"And also brand new calendars for 2025", Valtteri finalized, "We hope that you enjoyed our presentation"

"I'm not going to open that calendar at all", you sighed writting the comments on the last page

"And with that, we end with the presentations", Mick anounced before turning to look at you and Jack, "Guys, you need to chose"

Leaving the giant group in the first floor, both of you along with the cats went upstairs to your room closing the door so they don't listen and sitting on your bed

"I've never heard such idiotic arguments in my entire life, even though I studied with Kira and Bethany", you commented, "Which garage you want to go?"

"I thought we were going to take the decision togheter"

"I mean, that was the idea at first, but since it's for your birthday it's best if you chose it"

"Okay, I think the best will be if we eliminate the ones that are staying the same next year"

"That would be Red Bull, McLaren and Aston Martin"

"And I really like them all, but it would be the best if we reduce it to our favorite teams that we haven't eliminated which are Ferrari and Mercedes"

"Both are historic teams, pretty iconic"

"It's a tough choice"

Thinking how you were going to chose between the two teams, an idea hit Jack who was quick to stand up from your bed to go to your closet (which was now a little disaster of boxes of clothes to organize in your new closet) and grab two hats, one Ferrari and one Mercedes, to leave them in your bed and then grabbin both cats who were cuddling in the fluffy chair next to the window

"Our children will take the final decision", Jack sentenced putting them a bit far from the hats

Giggling of fun because of his idea, you watched as both cats wandered around the bed for a while until Butters walked to the hats and Tatum followed him smelling the two hats until they settled in one of them playing with it

Having the decision, both of you left the clipboards and took the cats in arms to return to the first floor where all the drivers plus Penelope were waiting

"Not going to lie, it was a difficult decision", you said standing in front of them with Tatum in your arms, "Most arguments were pretty pathetic, and we are not afraid to say it, but since my F1 race birthday already passed, Jack took the decision himself"

"Before saying the decision, we would like to say that we apreciate all the gifts that you gave us", Jack continued with Butters in his arms, "And as a four time World Champion once said: everybody is a Ferrari fan, even if they say they're not, they are Ferrari fans"

After hearing the phrase that Sebastian Vettel once said in his Ferrari days, the duo of the red team cheered so loud before running to both of you to hug you and Jack, thankfuly you two put the cats on the ground before the bone crushing group hug

"We have Ollie's american twin and hermanita", Carlos exclaimed without breaking the hug

"We promise to not let you down", Charles smiled, "We are going to have so much fun"

"Does this mean Jack is my brother now?", Oscar asked once the group started to spread around the first floor

"I think so", Logan nodded

Finally after a few minutes, the drivers released the two of you allowing you to breathe

"We are paying for all the food", Carlos anounced with happiness, "Everyone chose what you are going to eat"

"Our presentation was a success", Charles celebrated

"Should we tell them that the cats were the ones chosing?", you asked Jack in low voice

"Nah, they doesn't need to know", Jack laughed

"We're evil", you giggled

"I mean, we are Ghostface", Jack shrugged

The rest of the day was spent eating what was ordered from Nobu (Lando ate chicken nuggets with the help of Checo to use the air fryer), the other part of the deal watching the movies both of you said, during which Penelope took a nap in your room during the horror movies, and finally leaving the house at high hours of the night

[vasito-de-leche]

Do you have any specific queer headcannons of r1999 characters if so which ones and why?

I wrote a bunch of stuff for this post but then tumblr fucked me up and reloaded without saving it so here we are..... rewriting it all over again ... OAUGH. usually I default to seeing everyone as Vaguely Bisexual and Not Cis until stated otherwise, but you asked for specifics so here we go!

6 is aromantic or demiromantic.

On one hand, it's because I love projecting on my faves. On the other hand, it's because he genuinely doesn't feel like the type of person to be interested in relationships. But this isn't something that's tied to any potential disgust, repulsion or even trauma related to his Revelation and struggle against fate -- to me, 6 just doesn't feel romantic attraction. At the very least, nothing strong enough to consider pursuing. It's not in his priorities. I really dislike this specific thing that fandoms do in which every single character who is introverted, or who happens to be alone/isolated (either by chance or by choice) is secretly lonely, touch starved, pining and desperate for attention and romantic love. It feels like such a huge disrespect for their equally important platonic or familial relationships. 6 already holds a lot of love for his own community and his childhood friends, a type of affection that is shown in his subtle and unique ways. I like it when his character focuses on those aspects instead!

Mesmer Jr. is aromantic and asexual.

In her case, she's the opposite of 6. Mesmer Jr.'s trauma and OCD is much too intense for her to even consider the idea of an emotional or physical bond with anyone. She's disgusted at the idea of touching others so casually, and she's afraid at the possibility of allowing a person (someone she logically cannot have any control over) into her life because what if they throw her off her schedule? What if they mess every meticulous thing she's planned for herself and her mental stability? What if she loses her grip? Yes, it's plausible that she may find a partner who works perfectly with the way she needs things to be, and yes, you can headcanon that she heals and her OCD becomes "manageable" enough to have a stable relationship, but personally? I just like it when characters don't get to have stereotypical happy endings in which everything gets better through love and friendship and support -- like, yeah everyone loves to see their faves happy and all but eh... It's a bit of projection on my part! Some people don't get to heal and do all the things their disabilities prevented them from doing, even if we're given all this support and love. Some of us just have to find ways around these things, anything that works for us that makes our lives easier.

Sweetheart is queer but has a complex relationship with love. In a somewhat similar vein, Blonney has gone through every single letter of the LGTBQ+ community.

I tried my best to explain my thoughts on Sweetheart but at this point she deserves her own post because it's honestly a LOT, this single part was just too long so I cut it out entirely. Just trust me when I say she's queer and has a very complex relationship with love. In Blonney's case, we discussed the possibility of her being written as comphet and it got me to think a little about her. I see Blonney as the type of girl who presents as a straight bimbo, following the themes of her character and all, but who has constant crisis after crisis in the privacy of her bedroom, the only place she's allowed to be more than just a blondie. This constant journey questioning her orientations and gender happens entirely in her head and in private. I like to think that she just has these long monologues in her head. Sure, she's identified as straight her whole life, but maybe bisexual works better because there was that one girl she kept meeting under the bleachers. Oh, but maybe she's a lesbian, since all her boyfriends are just huge disappointments and none of them ever make her truly happy. Oh, but maybe that's just because she has bad taste in men, there was that one guy in class who keeps making her laugh after all. Ahh, this would be so much easier if she were a guy, her femininity is mostly performative after all. Ah, but she actually really loves pink and fashion... Nonbinary then? No, she's not the type to pick something so vague, it's one or the other. Oh, how about both? Genderfluid! Etc etc. If you ask her about how she identifies, she'll simply brush you off with a "What's it to you? That's none of your business, creep!" and move on, but this is something very personal to her. So far, she knows she likes being femme presenting and that she likes Jessica!

Eagle is a trans girl.

Have you guys seen those posts going around tumblr about how important it is that trans women exist because they fight for their own womanhood and girlhood in a world that constantly looks down upon feminine things and all women as a whole? Yeah. Yeah. Eagle being a scout that fights so hard to prove herself, the feelings of not belonging into the Boy Scouts and seeing how the Girl Scouts are created eventually, a space for her. The fact that she visits her father's grave so that he can see her grow up.

Kaalaa Baunaa, Oliver Fog, Medicine Pocket and Melania are probably bisexual, but they're super busy with work so they don't have time to address that.

Self-explanatory <3 I do like to think that Kaalaa and Medpoc are more chill about it, Kaalaa because she's a grown ass woman who is very mature, and Medpoc because they genuinely give no fucking shits about dating in general, so who cares about confirming whether they're bisexual or not. Oliver Fog is a little more flustered at the idea of exploring his orientation and whatnot, but it's tolerable. BUT MELANIA? I LOVE to think that she's FULLY aware that the MOMENT she acknowledges her bisexuality, she will have a crisis and then what will she do? She has 3 papers due next week and a heist this weekend, she can't possibly sit there wondering about liking girls! She's got things to do!

And here's the extra round of HCs that don't require that much text to explain or that lean towards being more silly!

Eternity has literally outlived the concept of gender. She/They royalty.

37 has QRPs instead. It Just Works. No one but herself and her partners understand the dynamics, though. As god intended <3

APPLe is a raging bisexual and has been spotted in many gay bars. Regulus is also bisexual.

The world would've been a better place if Bette was a butch lesbian.

Balloon Party and An-An Lee play with gender like its playdough.

Baby Blue is Not Cis and she's Not Straight either because none of that shit matters to her anymore, since she's been disconnected from reality and society for so long. She also doesn't care about labelling herself.

Diggers is trans, but no one can figure out which way exactly. It doesn't help that he refuses to clarify either. The same thing happens with John Titor, except she's very vocal about being a transwoman.

Bunny Bunny is bisexual but she hasn't realized this yet. In similar fashion, Horropedia is bisexual but he just forgets about it sometimes.

Druvis III as a trans woman goes hand in hand with Forget Me Not as a gay man. This is why they're both super divorced.

Leilani is pansexual because she prefers the colors of that specific flag over the bisexual one. Spathodea is pansexual because the personal distinction between pansexuality and bisexuality matters to her.

Tennant is bisexual because she can scam and seduce more people that way.

The Fool is nonbinary. Mf should've been born in the 2020's, I just KNOW he would've loved mirrorgender.

Zima is in the closet not out of shame but out of safety. Just in case.

Sotheby assumes that every girl in the world likes girls. So far no one has been able to prove her wrong because all she does is interact with other sapphic girls.

Pavia is nonbinary out of spite. But I also love transguy Pavia HCs so so so much, give that guy boobs, he would never get top surgery <3

Vertin is nonbinary too but she doesn't care about people knowing about it. She does, however, make the effort to be a little androgynous, as a treat for herself.

Madam Z and Katz absolutely had a Situationship going on during university. Katz was bicurious and Madam Z helped her experiment. Now the Situationship is between Madam Z and Constantine, the latter using Madam Z as a rebound after fumbling her relationship with Vertin's mother <- the machinations in my brain will astonish you.

TTT is genderfluid by virtue of being a picture on a TV, so I like to think she can just shift her appearance. In similar fashion, gender means nothing to Alien T and Voyager because they're aliens.

I specifically love the idea of all of the 1.2 gang joking about how Tooth Fairy is their token straight adult figure -- she's actually bi and asexual, but likes to keep that to herself so the kids can make their little jokes and have fun.

Enigma is gay and homophobic because his self-loathing is just that strong.

Turns out that the push Click needed to explore his own sexuality was getting killed on the battlefield, so now he's free to be gay. perhaps bicurious.

[thewertsearch]

AG: Tavros, you give confidence a 8ad name. I gave you all the chances in the world to earn it, to earn REAL confidence, and you failed.

Pictured: Vriska giving Tavros 'a chance to earn real confidence'.

AG: You couldn't even do the one little thing I asked you to! The one thing that would have made you man up once and for all.

'Man up' is a funny idiom for a troll to use. We've occasionally seen trolls fall into human gender stereotypes, but it's quite rare, and always sticks out like a sore thumb.

There's an interesting conversation to be had about troll genders. With a reproductive cycle so different to ours, their gender framework will inevitably be different as well. Yes, there are male and female trolls - but what do male and female actually mean to a troll?

On Earth, your assigned gender carries cultural baggage which simply wouldn't exist on Alternia. Assigned gender plays no role in reproduction, nor does it influence household division of labor, since trolls don't have households.

Gender aside, do trolls have a concept of masculine and feminine? Beyond a few stray idioms, the only evidence I can find is their clothing styles. We haven't seen any male trolls rocking a skirt - not yet, at least.

tl;dr: 'Man up' is a cultural can of worms. I think that was probably unintentional, though, and I think we're supposed to interpret that line as if a human spoke it. Vriska's calling Tavros a wimp, which is business as usual.

AG: So instead you flew away and cried, and decided to sleep away your sorrow for the rest of the adventure.

Tavros already alluded to this incident during his conversation with Jade. I guessed that Vriska would be involved, but that was a bit of a no-brainer.

Vriska's trying to frame Tavros as pathetic, but it sounds like he actually put his foot down, flat-out refusing to participate in whatever she had planned. Much like the FLARP incident, this sounds like a victory for Tavros, even if she's convinced him otherwise.

AG: Do you have any idea how sick that made me? Everything a8out you makes me sick.

He rejects your advice. He rejects your advances. His lusus cared for him. He was allowed to be kind, and accepts kindness from others. He doesn't care about winning, but he never lets you win. No matter how much you torment him, he refuses to get any stronger, which means your mindset might be wrong.

'Sick' would be an understatement.

AG: Your plan to control her lusus really wasn't a 8ad idea! AG: And using your a8ility to "save her life" (lol) was a pretty good way to test how effective your powers are across sessions. [...] AG: Practicing your a8ilities is important, so when it comes down to using them for something that really matters, you know you're ready for prime time. AG: I know this first hand. AG: I got lots and lots and LOTS of practice with your little guinea pig friend. ::::D

So that's why Jade was constantly napping? That can't have been good for her brain.

AG: The catch is it's not going to work! [...] AG: You couldn't sic the guardian on Noir even if you were inclined. Not even if I were to MAKE you inclined! :::;)

Like I said before, it's really Vriska who can control First Guardians.

AG: 8ecause you are dealing with a pro here. I already thought of that. AG: I thought of everything! AG: The guardian is not going to attack the agents who engineered him in the first place. AG: Or who I should say were "encouraged" (lol) to engineer him.

Why the fuck would you do this?

When Vriska prototyped Bec, she explained that the event was mandated by the Alpha Timeline, so she didn't make anything worse by causing it. I don't agree with her argument, but I do understand her logic.

This is different. Up until now, there has been no evidence that Bec can't harm Agents. Vriska had no prophecy to fulfil, and no reason to believe that this was required to preserve the timeline. Yes, now we know it's baked into the timeline, but only because Vriska wanted it.

Having Bec help with Jack was a really good idea, and removing the option to do so helps no one. Where's the benefit?

AT: wHY WOULD YOU DO THAT, AG: Tavros, at this point it should 8e o8vious. AG: I am the unseen hand 8ehind every major event in their session, and to some extent, their whole lives. AG: At least those events not happening 8y the volition of their own natural incompetence! AG: Don't you think this is how it should 8e? Shouldn't the greatest player leave her fingerprints on every step of the rise to power of her ultim8 nemesis?

I know Vriska likes to feel in control, but this is ridiculous.

Inserting yourself into Alpha loops is one thing, but nerfing Bec when you don't have to is straight-up sabotage. Couldn't she just stick to micromanaging John's outfits?

AG: I have every angle covered already. The human session is on full Serket lockdown. Any effort you make to disrupt my plans will 8e laugha8le, just like everything you have ever done in your life. AG: The only thing left to do now is prepare to kill Jack myself, and save everyone's ungrateful asses.

Oh my god, I think I've cracked it.

Vriska thinks she's the only one with the right to kill Jack.

She describes him as her ultimate nemesis, which reeks of main character syndrome. Bec isn't important enough to kill Jack, so she eliminated him as an option. It has to be her, the most powerful Player, who's gained all the levels, because that is how these things are done.

It's not just ego, either - there's a deeper motivation at play. If Vriska doesn't beat Jack, she doesn't win - and if she doesn't win, then what was all that abuse were all those challenges for? What was the point?

In Vriska's head, Jack needs to be her nemesis. She needs to be destined to kill him - because if she is, then everything she went through was justified. She'll have secured her position as the most powerful Player of all, and she'll never have to be jealous of anyone again - least of all that wimp with his sweet little fairy lusus. They're all weak, and she's strong.

If she doesn't kill Jack, she's a loser.

And losers may as well be dead.

[chaifootsteps]

while it's nice to see Vivzie finally acknowledge Stella is worthy of pity 'in her own way' (something about the phrasing on that tweet rubs me the wrong way tbh, feels like they're implying her pain is like less important or valid or something? might just be me) it's kind of frustrating to see the end of the tweet say 'that doesn't absolve her of the pain she's caused', because like

I haven't seen many people making that argument, tbh?

like sure there are Stella stans who unironically say she was in the right to order a hit on him and it's fair retribution, but I don't think they're the majority

the majority of fans & former fans I've seen are just frustrated at how much of a caricature Stella is; as a portrait of an abuser she's incredibly poorly done and as an intended Hate Sink with no redeeming qualities she's frustrating because her backstory is just as tragic as Stolas', arguably more so because she has way less power & social mobility than him yet we're supposed to treat her like an irreedemable monster because the writers decided she was evil since birth.

I don't pity her because I like her or because I excuse anything she's said or done to Stolas. I pity her because I look at her backstory and can easily imagine how much of a nightmare her life is & how the fandom only ever seems to consider the 'arranged marriage' part of it and not the laundry list of other things that are awful about Stella's life. And I pity her because she reminds me of people IRL - mostly women - who are stuck in awful circumstances then are victimized twice by people who, if they even recognize the circumstances are bad, don't care about how that influences the person they currently are or why they behave in ways that seem inexplicable to us

for example the whole Stella likes throwing parties thing. we're obviously supposed to take it as a sign she's vapid and shallow, but what else is she supposed to do? at least if she throws parties misery can have company & her friends can visit. We see Stolas make fun of her for not knowing how to spell, but was she ever expected to be literate or allowed to have interests outside of raising a child she didn't want? the show just doesn't care to answer what society looks like for someone in her position. her interests only matter insofar as they provide a vector for the viewer to hate her some more

(going back to the recent discussions around MLP it's so noticeable they went out of their way to avoid 'stereotypical feminine interest = worthy of scorn' by having Rarity & Pinkie's interests be fashion and parties and the rest of the cast being chill about that even if they don't share that enthusiasm)

I know there are some proposed fix it scenarios in your inbox that often throw in 'and then Striker kills Stolas' as a closer but like even those don't sound like they approve of Stella or anything she does. far as I can tell they just hate Stolas and are tired of him because the show keeps insisting he's a perfect angel who never means to hurt anyone so that makes it OK. there's no chance of getting any catharsis seeing Blitzo or anyone else stand up to him, so we have to imagine it. It's even more galling considering Stella keeps most of her ire focused on Stolas whereas Stolas is exploiting and gaslighting a member of the lower classes. I mean at least Stella seems to have no delusions about who or what she is, she knows she's being awful and she revels in it. Stolas meanwhile is in total delusion about who he is and what he's done & the show is running out of chances to fix that

so like yeah, nothing Stella has suffered absolves her of her treatment of Stolas. But that exact logic applies to Stolas, too, yet the show wants us to show him more than pity - it expects us to like and empathize with him while he frees Blitzo from sexual slavery mainly because he feels entitled to love & affection that he's not getting and was never owed

That's what it boils down to, really. Stella's not allowed a free pass, while Stolas is allowed to hurt whoever he wants for any reason.

[atimeofyourlife]

Meeting the parents (and forgetting about it)

@bucktommypositivityweek day 3: meeting the friends and family | wc: 738 | ao3 Tommy meets Buck's parents at Maddie and Chimney's wedding. It goes better than expected, but his tired brain forgets it.

There'd been a lot going on in Buck's mind in the run up to Maddie and Chimney's wedding, even before adding in his new relationship with Tommy. But he did at least have the forethought to warn Tommy that his relationship with his parents was complicated, to say the least. He didn't think they would be outwardly homophobic, or hostile in any way, at least not in public, but he never knew how they would react to anything he did.

Of course, nothing did go to plan. Tommy getting called out to the wildfire, Chimney not showing up to the bachelor party or the wedding, because of amnesia as a result of viral encephalitis. The wedding being called off, then being back on, just in a hospital room. The icing on the cake for Buck was Tommy showing up for him, sooty turnouts and all.

The makeshift reception didn't last long before the nurses started dropping subtle, then not so subtle, hints that it needed to wind down. That all the excess excitement needed to end so Chimney could get some rest. Buck had a bag with Tommy's turnouts over one shoulder, and the other hand on Tommy's lower back, supporting the man who seemed seconds away from falling asleep standing up.

"E-Buck. Could we have a word before you head out?" His mother said just as they left the room, nodding towards where his father was standing a little way down the hall.

"Uh, sure." Buck said, a little unsure.

There was a moment of silence, and Buck realized they were waiting for him to lead the conversation. "Mom, dad. This my boyfriend, Tommy Kinard, he's a firefighter pilot with the 217, based out of harbor station. Tommy, my parents."

"It's nice to-" Tommy cut himself off with a wide yawn. "Sorry. It's been quite a day. I was called out to a wildfire at Angeles Crest last night. But it's nice to meet you, Mr and Mrs Buckley."

They both shook his offered hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Tommy. Buck's not introduced us to any partners before." Buck's dad replied.

"You must be exhausted after a fire like that. I'm sure Maddie and Howard would have understood if you had just gone home to sleep." His mom added.

"I promised Evan that I would do my best to make it." Tommy tried- and failed- to stifle another yawn.

Buck noticed how both his parents raised their eyebrows when Tommy called him Evan, but thankfully neither of them commented on it.

"Buck- we don't want you to think. It's not-" His mom stumbled over her words, before his dad took over.

"What your mother is trying to say, we're happy for you. We were surprised when you walked in with him, and we didn't know if this was something you'd talked about before." His dad said.

"It's new." Buck confirmed. "I didn't even realize I was interested in men until I met Tommy. Now, I really should get him home before he falls asleep standing up."

"Of course, we didn't mean to keep you. We're going to be in LA for a bit longer, to help Maddie out with everything. Maybe one day we could take you both out for brunch, so we can meet and get to know Tommy properly?" His mom offered.

"Yeah. That sounds okay. We'll look at our schedules tomorrow to see what will work." Buck wasn't expecting the olive branch, but he wasn't going to turn down the chance they were offering him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Buck. Drive safe." His dad replied.

Buck kept playing it over in his mind as he helped Tommy down to the parking lot. It had gone better than he'd expected, better than he'd even hoped. He knew it wasn't magically going to fix everything between him and his parents, but it felt so good to know they were willing to try.

"Evan?" Tommy mumbled sleepily as Buck manhandled him into the passenger seat, frowning a little. "Did I just meet your parents?"

"Yeah, you did. You probably won't remember this in the morning, but they want to take us out to brunch one day while they're still in LA." Buck replied, buckling the seat belt and pressed a soft kiss to Tommy's forehead.

"Oh. Kay." Tommy mumbled, leaning back in the seat with his eyes closed. He was asleep and snoring softly before Buck started driving.

[sofiareidings]

I'm Not Yours

Summary: You're getting over a breakup and meet a cute guy on a case, what you didn't realise was that your best friend has been waiting for years. Warning: Swearing

A/N: I'm sorry my post is so late!! I had it queued up to post at 9am like normal and then it didn't?? And then I had a math test so I couldn't go on my phone or anything, AND THEN HALF THE STORY JUST DISSAPPEARED SO I HAD TO REWRITE IT?!?!? It has been quite the hassle. Also this was a prompt from @andiebeaword's 3000 follower celebration! The first sentence of the story was the prompt. Also, I meant for this to be gn!reader so if anyone sees any she/he pronouns for reader please tell me! Love you all <333

Word Count: 1.5k

Song Suggestions: Yours - Conan Gray

"I can't stand you choosing another person over me, again."

***

His bright blue eyes shined in the sun, a ray hitting across his face perfectly. Pushing his short brown hair out of his face while smiling at you made your insides flutter, completely forgetting about your ex now.

"So as I was saying, it would be best for you and your team to set up here. There's lots of room and we haven't used it in years." His voice came out in this long, deep tone. JJ walked into the room raising an eyebrow at you before taking over the conversation with the officer.

"What was that look?" Jumping slightly, you turned around and saw Penelope. It was that once a year situation where she actually had to join the rest of the team for a case. "Someone likes the officer."

The girls took any chance they could to get you to talk to the guy. They weren't wrong, you did think he was insanely cute but, you just weren't quite sure if you had the guts to really talk to him.

"I do not!" You laughed, "And even if I did…it's not like anything could happen." Penelope continued pestering and Emily joined the conversation and made sure to give her opinion as well.

***

"You better at least get his number, we're only gonna be here for a few more days." Penelope had been bugging you the most out of anyone, "Well, I let you sit on that thought. I need to go work my wonderful magics so I will talk to you about this later." She smiled and strutted away back to her laptop setup down the hall.

"What was Garcia talking about?" Turning back to the task at hand, Spencer was standing at a board. Working on the case. "Is this about that officer?" His voice was very flat, little emotion which was unusual for him. Especially around you, the two of you had been best friends since you transferred to the BAU.

"Yeah it was, she's trying to get me to get his number." Not turning from his work you started to flip through some files and continue to talk. "I do think he's pretty hot, but I also think it's way too early to start putting myself out there you know?"

"Yeah, yeah I guess I can understand that." Peeking over his shoulder briefly to look at you. Hearing the way you were talking about this guy was leaving him conflicted. The first day he had met you he'd already fallen in love. No statistic or math problem could explain how that happened. He's been sitting on the sideline for the past three years, watching you go from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting him be your shoulder to cry on when it was heartbreak after heartbreak. But honestly, he didn't know how long he could keep going like this.

"...But it could also be some type of fate thing. Like, I break up with a toxic asshole and then meet a dreamy police officer? I don't know, what do you think Spencer?" Walking over to him to put up some photos and thoughts on the board you look up at him, waiting for his response.

"Whatever you think is best I suppose," It took him a long time to respond, the way you were speaking of this guy was just breaking his heart more and more. It was taking all his power to not just scream 'I LOVE YOU!!' and see your reaction. "Do you want to ask him out."

"I think so, I guess he is really nice, and really good looking…" Going on about him a bit more, you paused then changed your thought process. "I mean everything and everyone is telling me to go for it but some small part of me is saying no."

"I think I'm just being paranoid, why shouldn't I put myself out there? It has been like three months. And if it doesn't work out, so what? At least I tried. I think I'll do it." Just like that, the hope died. Should he just say it? Get it out there and hope for the best? This was impossible.

"What does that mean? Are you just not ready to put yourself out there again or is it because there's someone else?" A small glimmer of hope ignited in him, maybe he still had a chance after all.

***

"I'm going to do it. So you can stop annoying me about it, Pen." She smiled and started to ramble about how it will be so good for you. The case had been solved and you were all packing up. Everyone with the exception of Hotch and Rossi were in the room given to the team.

"I'm so glad you're going to do this! You two would be such a sexy pair I just know it." You and Penelope continued to talk, but Spencer was just heartbroken. Standing on the opposite side of the room he could still hear you. He was packing up his things slowly, hoping to get a chance to talk to you alone.

"You should just go for it kid, don't let them get with another guy without you atleast saying it." Derek, giving his opinion to Spencer while leaning against the wall. Tossing a ball now that he was all packed up.

"What if you say something and they like you back?" Derek counter protested. Spencer thought about it for a minute, he had a point. But on the other hand he couldn't tell what would be worse; watching you ask someone else out again or telling you and losing such an important person in his life.

"I know, I just don't want to ruin three years of friendship. What if I say something and they never talk to me again?" He questioned, still listening in on your conversation.

***

"I'll be done in a minute!" You called out to Penelope and Emily. Still packing up your things it was only you and Spencer left in the room.

Finally throwing your bag over your shoulder you started to catch up to the rest of the team you heard Spencer call out to you. "Wait! Can I talk to you for a minute, please?"

"Yeah, of course." A little confused on why he sounded so nervous you stood infront of him, waiting for him to continue. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing it's just," He cleared his throat, no or never. "I was just wondering if you gave that officer your number yet."

"Oh, not yet. I was actually about to do that. Why do you ask?" Titling your head, curious. He started to fidget with his hands, not sure what to say.

"Oh, so you are going out with him." His voice barely above a whisper. "That's nice I suppose."

"Okay…" You smiled and started to head to the door. "I'm going to go now, see on the jet Spencer?"

"I- please, I need to say something." He tripped over his words, come on Spencer, just say it!!!

"Are you okay? You seem nervous." Why was he acting like this? It was so confusing to you.

"Okay, I'm just going to say it." He sighed, "I don't want you to go out with that officer. I mean if you really want to you should do it of course but I don't want you to because I want you to go out with me. If you don't feel the same way tell me but it's just, I can't stand you choosing another person over me, again." Biting the inside of his cheek, waiting for your response.

"Oh," Was all you could say at first. You didn't really know what else to say. "You, you like me?"

"Yeah, I do. And if you don't feel the same way I get it and pretend I never said anything because I don't want to lose you. But if you go out and date this guy I'm going to have to put up a boundary, I'm sorry."

"Spencer, I don't know what to say," You laughed lightly, not sure how to say what you were thinking. "I feel the same way, I just assumed you never would like me back so I have been trying to get over it."

"Really?" He smiled and gave that puppy-dog face he always made. "Are you serious?"

"Why would I lie?" Throwing your bag over your shoulder you hugged him then stepped back giving a small smile. "We should go though, the jet is supposed to leave like now. But can we talk about this later?"

"I would like that." The two of you started to head out, and you completely forgot about the officer. Spencer just walked out with a huge smile on his face. Why didn't he say this sooner???