#also tbh my memory of the plot Is shaky

[callixton]

passion could be good if it was gay and i don’t really remember my reasoning anymore but i do stand by it

[saitolover]

🐱 jumin’s route thoughts!

note that it’s been a few days since ive completed these endings / dlc so my memory might be a bit shaky of the entirety of them. i have some screenshots to go off of but that’s it lol. these are just some of my random thoughts and such that i have about jumin’s route when coming back after many years into the game again.

the reason i originally chose specifically to do jumin’s was because 1. i only have time for one route due to college, & 2. i remembered that he and zen were my favs back then. originally i was going to also write about the bad ending 2 & dlc but i lazy! lmao.

tldr; this is just my personal thoughts as i went through jumin’s route, feel free to add / comment anything. ^_^ i talk a lot about his character/past/actions, kinda like an analysis but not really since i am a dumbass & might be incorrect about some things. but in conclusion, jumin is very Complex character and can have some 🚩 tbh but he is very much still my little scrumgus i love jumin So Much. <3 he needs some tlc, a big hug, and also therapy. past me had great taste.

long thoughts under the cut! spoilers ahead for jumin’s route & slight spoilers for his bad ending/dlc.

📱COMMON ROUTE

just wanted to say, it was extremely nostalgic to open up the game again after many years! i first started playing in 2016 (!!) but probably played again during quarantine in 2020ish (cannot remember). i came back in honestly not knowing ANYTHING about what would happen in jumin’s route. my memories are extremely shaky abt the game other than the main plot points involving v, rika, seven, & saeran. but my knowledge still was kinda low lol.

v’s birthday art is super pretty btw!! loved the homescreen image of it. the max speed feature is very nice, i probably should buy it since it’s only $3 but oh well. maybe if im really into the game? anyways, chatting in the messenger again is so weird lol it’s such a throwback and i definitely missed these guys’ shenanigans. literally zen complimenting himself so much was hilarious for some reason?? 😭 yoosung being a relatable college student, me feeling so bad for jaehee <3 girl does not deserve to be overworked like this all the time ?!?! and jaehee also complimenting zen’s looks as well as being his biggest fan LMAO. seven doing seven things (do not need to explain further). and jumin being the more serious and cold guy who also loves his cat and doing whatever he wanted sometimes. and saying random shit HAHA. which is sometimes a personality i would like in otome games (See: Saito). so im here like hm, i think i see why past me liked jumin! he probably warmed up to the mc and got really cute and romantic or something? and not at the way everyone kept on saying jumin might be “androgynous” LIKE you guys. do you mean aromantic or ???

📱 JUMIN’S MAIN ROUTE

okay first of all: sorry in advance if theres some random gaps between what im writing/events im talking about. idk i only have some screenshots to work off of and what i remember with my bad memory? but moving on, here’s my thoughts as i went on with jumin’s route.

okay, so glam choi and sarah are a thing in the story now. jumin is just annoyed - seems like he’s only encountered women who try to take advantage of him / only try to speak with him as if theyre wanting to get something in return, like money, as i believe the story framed? and how he was genuinely sad about his father trying to make him get into a marriage, especially because he was one of the only ones who had treated him with “love” in a way where he wasnt having a relationship where an exchange or reward would always be expected. his past with his mother (which i will might talk about more eventually) also shows how jumin has been raised to be more methodical and just. like a robot honestly, raised with no love and any time to express his emotions after being so… emotionless? he was never really taught that feeling, and ig it could be difficult to “teach” if he’s never really experienced much love or time to find times where he could be happy, sad, etc. etc. when he’s at home all the time surrounded with expectations and studies to prepare to become a ceo. okay kinda went off and mentioned the dlc anyways, but whatever. there’s a lot more to jumin’s character, which makes him complex imo and although i dont think i’ll be able to cover everything, just wanted to say that there’s been a lot going on for him, but it still cant completely excuse his actions at times!

and please note this is just my opinion on a fictional character, i would be glad to hear any thoughts anyone reading this has <3 this is a little personal analysis/thought post and there could (and could be a high chance) that i am wrong about some things! :] so take what i say with a grain of salt bc tbh im writing this all in one try and probably wont reread what i have, mainly a big fat ramble / word dump here!

i remember lowkey being confused about how fast mc & jumin’s relationship escalated at first bc it went from yeah just casually chatting in the casual route to everyone saying that mc has been the one causing jumin to smile more, to speak out more openly about his actual emotions for once, etc. but im not complaining, i still loved how jumin would say he would call mc just to hear their voice, saying it would calm him down and feel better. and other stuff along those lines. also why is his deep voice so hot.

biggest and greatest shoutout to jaehee being the best employee ever??? like, she’s been working overtime ALL THE TIME, doing extra work for jumin like researching about the scandals, having to reschedule things after jumin acts unreasonable 💀 while trying to keep everything in order. she deserves a raise, a promotion, a break, a vacation. like, i am picking every option that is defending her or telling her to take a break or that she’s doing great!!! i love jaehee and i hate to see how she never gets rest or food :[ not healthy, i was SO GLAD that she was able to finally get a vacay at the end of jumin’s route, but now im like, girl deserves to quit honestly if she was constantly treated like that at work 😭 which im glad it what happened in her route, which also makes me want to play her route next but i have no time. and now i will shut up and continue writing.

okay, so i remember i was kinda loving jumin again at this point lol. i remember just liking how he became more romantic & the times where he would be jealous. a lot of the phone calls he had were also great, and it was cute that he made pancakes for breakfast, & how he read a bedtime story like. pretty cute stuff!

LMAO and then i was like hm the red flags are kinda showing! but i am a bull and i love chasing red flags! jumin wanting mc to only look at him - you got it sir. possessive jumin! the kiss scene was surprising - honestly very unexpected bc he just kissed mc so randomly ??? at least he said that he was originally thinking of asking mc for permission or something like that? but yeah soap opera scene that i was like hm. then he was like “you can suck in all my emotions. you can be mine.” and i was like. oh. elizabeth’s disappearance is REALLY gonna make a difference here, huh. for the first time, jumin realized that he never really had someone like mc before? jk, he had rika and v with him back then where he was also open to them, but i feel like the biggest thing was how vulnerable jumin was atm? like, he’s in this fight with his father, who he had always been close to. rika and v are both not around to consult with. elizabeth had gone missing. he was beginning to refuse to listen to rta members and instead begin to protect who he had left, similar to the way he had described how he felt better after seeing elizabeth in a cage as opposed to when she was walking freely. he definitely needs to speak to a therapist himself. but without support from others, it probably was what he saw as one of the only solutions he can turn to? this was the first time he’s started to really open up and speak about his feelings bc he’s always just. never had a chance to be able to express them or be able to explain them ?! never really was taught these things, though it seems like he was also aware that it wasn’t right. lots of things going on showing that yeah, he definitely was not doing okay emotionally in the first place, pretty much!

this is kinda getting long now?? and im a bit lazy to continue writing so much more, so ill stop rambling too much and cover more. the way jumin was getting extremely possessive too was worrying like 🫢🚩 he really said we have everything in this penthouse! stay here forever and ill protect you from the outside world and its dangers! let me own you! and i was like sure, take me away when i did the bad ending. sorry for indulging ? BUT DAMN it was very unsettling to see him say that he would OWN mc like ??? ayo what!

and then all the rfa members were like ah. hopefully jumin is having a Very Healthy And Normal relationship as they speak in the chat room. while jumin and mc enjoy a nice dinner with jumin speaking about how great it would be for mc to stay home and try on all the things he had for her while never returning to the apartment! day 2 with jumin on his home - any way out? who knows! zen rlly was like. GET MC OUT OF THERE.

everything that happened in jumin’s route was just ESCALATING 📈📈📈 okok but from my screenshots, it begins to show how jumin is like. Yeah. i am pretty Bad and Dark for doing this and having all these thoughts that he doesn’t really know how to address ? emotions that he’s never had before coming out like hello! and he’s like, wtf do i do with you guys? he’s having a hard time out here. very open to mc who is, atm, the only one who could help him sort out his emotions & depending on the choices you choose, could really determine what jumin ends up doing with his emotions and how much he can control them? and like, mc can either feed into a more healthy relationship where jumin begins to feel like he does deserve love and that these feelings might stem from how little he felt in the past. or mc could feed into a much harmful/toxic relationship as seen in the bad ending. !!! very interesting huh. also shows how much jumin has begun to depend on mc after everything that happened in these last like. two days.

now im like 💀 this is the most ive ever written for a review so far yet, i literally just dumped out some random thoughts i had on 4 hours of sleep, and i should def be sleeping rn!! but it’s okay!! sorry if i wrote anything that doesn’t make sense in these last paragraphs ??? i wont cover the seven and yoosung at mint eye hq to save time/space.

on a more light hearted note: yay!!! jaehee finally gets her vacation!!! jaehee gets justice!!! also watching zen and jumin bicker in the chat room is honestly one of the most hilarious things in this game. jumin in the chat room with mc plus another member usually ends up with the member becoming a third wheel and also very annoyed when jumin and mc are like i miss you <3 you’re so cute <3 ily <3 and every single rfa member is absolutely begging them to just privately message each other at this point lmao. AND NOT @ JUMIN HAVING THE WHOLE MARRIAGE THEME GOING ON HIS RFA ACCOUNT???! 😭😭😭 but i would happily marry jumin. so yeah at this point it was pretty much guaranteed i was getting the good ending, didnt get the bad ending during the route so we are here with jumin being very romantic in the chat room! 🫢

💙 JUMIN’S GOOD ENDING

homestretch! we made it to day 11 of the party!! the new home screen again is sooo cute. i didn't know they changed it up when it's party day! also looking at everyone, realized that jumin is So Cute. i love his looks. just a very handsome guy. love him for that. i am going to make this extremely short because i am now tired of doing all of this analysis and deep thinking. i want to make funnies of jumin and my headcannons of him now. scrumgus. i don't even know if that's the right word i'm thinking of but the energy scrumgus gives describes my love for jumin yay! it was nice seeing the rfa meet mc for the first time in person, and it was also great that the entire party was voiced! it felt weird hearing them talk tbh its like. i only know their voices from their little emojis. and the occasional phone calls. okay but that is getting off track. loved how dramatic jumin was for this party. he invited glam choi and sarah, and had this Great Big Speech that sarah was totally in love with, and instead it ended up being about mc. lmaooo. i cannot remember but was jumin the one who chose mc's dress? or am i just remembering wrong? idk. i also need to read the after ending (after forgetting that it existed for a second!)

🐱 FINAL CONCLUSION

wow. jumin's route was definitely a very big and twisty roller coaster. i wish i had completed the common routes before replaying jumin's route again just to be able to see and compare how emotionally open jumin was in his route compared to in other routes? like, we get a glimpse of just your everyday business jumin in the common route, but idk. i just wish i got screentime(?) of everyone in general too!

i love jumin a lot. after living his life filled with these expectations of being a ceo. being the perfect employee (which i also found interesting to hear about how everyone had admired/looked up to him at work. he's definitely skilled at what he does, and he barely mentions anything about that himself!) and then the way he began to actually open up? love that for him.

i love jumin a lot actually. and it was pretty nice for me to look over and think about everything after completing his route in general. even though my memory is garbage (tbh had to heavily rely on the screenshots i took), i liked being able to take the time to kinda add in my thoughts on everything while i typed this all out. literally did not do any thinking at all. i have no brain or patience for that and i rarely write this big ass essays or whatever this ended up becoming??? nice change. idk if i'll ever do this again, not my style and i had to force myself to finish this. also am Nervous of posting this T_T. but yeah! i love jumin. i am a jumin stan. and again, if anyone would like to correct me or add on to anything that i have written here, that would be very cool with me! review that got pretty rushed in the end is finally done hooray!

[snarkwrites]

03 | upside down ; steve harrington

NOTES:

So, uh.. did I mention this is not even remotely close to a slow burn? Because surprise it's not. I wanted it to be one so so so bad too. But it'll be okay, I'll live. Maybe next time, lmaooo. Anyway, as I said in the notes on chapter 2, parts one, two, this one and maaaybe four, I haven't written it just yet so Idk how it'll go tbh, are potentially set BEFORE the series starts.

Summary:

She moves back to Hawkins and manages to turn his life completely upside down. In the best of ways.

But how will everything play out between them? Also, can they handle all the weirdness ahead? We shall see.

Warnings:

LOOSE CANON COMPLIANCE AT BEST, TOTAL DEVIATION AT WORST - this is just an up front catch all because sometimes, things happen that I don’t particularly care for (the senseless death of Barb, anybody?) and if you’re one of those canon only people, this is here to warn you that this is not the fic for you. LANGUAGE, OCCASIONAL GORE, MONSTERS / FANTASY ELEMENTS, TEENAGE DRAMA AND SHENANIGANS - Obviously, teenagers are going to do stuff. They’re at that point in their life where not every decision they make is the best one. So if you’d rather skip over this kind of thing (teen drinking, fighting, etc) then yeah.. you’ve been warned. THIS IS NOT A SLOW BURN, I REPEAT NOT SLOW AT ALL / EVENTUAL FILTHY GOOD NESS - because lets be real.. we’re all wondering when we’re gonna drop the plot and get to the good stuff. When this chapter occurs, I will flair it with an M. In the meantime, if you’re not into slow burn or mutual pining, then you’re probably not going to care about this.

Other Parts

[ SOUNDTRACK | PART ONE | PART TWO]

Other Stuff

[ FAQ - TAG LIST DOC ]

Tagging:

There’s nobody on my list yet but… If you wanna be tagged for this, tell me pls. It will make me overjoyed.

Throwing out a no pressure tag to @RAMPAGEWRITING​ and @TWISTNET​ as well as @CHASINGEVERYBREAKINGWAVE​ just because. No pressure though bbies!

THREE.

“You can’t be serious. Her mother was the town tramp. And from what I’ve seen of her and the way she dresses, she’s on the fast track to follow in those footsteps.” Carol’s statement and her voice annoyed Steve.

He rolled his eyes. Shrugging.

“I’m serious. Did you think I was asking your permission?” Steve raised a brow at Carol and laughed. “Because if you did, you were wrong. I do what I want.”

Carol grimaced and grumbled that she was absolutely not going to be nice to Jennifer Brown just because Steve wanted to put his dick inside her.

Tommy smirked, leaning in while Carol was on her little tangent to mutter into his ear, “Lucky bastard.”

Steve chuckled, nodding in agreement with Tommy.

Brown eyes scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of Jennie. He spotted her wandering the midway, one of those giant cotton candy sticks in her hand, sandwiched between Barb and Nancy, the three of them laughing. All he could do was stare at her. Smile to himself at the way she threw her head back to laugh. Follow the sway of her hips like his eyes had magnets attached.

Carol spotted her too and pretended to gag. “Does she not have a grasp of the concept of clothing, Steve?”

“Carol, do you ever stop and think that maybe everyone doesn’t want your crappy opinion?” Steve quipped, rolling his eyes at her. Tommy mouthed an apology.

Steve shrugged it off, telling them he’d meet up with them later if he felt like it and didn’t forget. Then he wandered over, falling into line behind Jennie. Wrapping his arms around her waist and snickering when she whirled around, eyes full of fire and ready to explode because she thought it was some random playing grab ass.

Steve raised his hands, chuckling. Biting his lip as he gazed down at her and the way she lazily swatted at his chest. “Easy, Jennie. It’s just me.”

“You can’t just do that! I thought you were that asshole who wouldn’t leave us alone over by the spinning tea cups.” Jennie took a sip of her drink, blowing bubbles into the straw. She held it up to Steve and he took it, taking a sip or two. “Are we still on for tonight?”

She nodded, smiling up at him. “Nancy, Barb and I just wanted to come together early. A girl thing.” she explained.

Steve wanted to swear to himself when he heard Tommy clear his throat from nearby. With Carol in tow, of course. Tommy nodded to Jennie and smirked at Steve as he gave Jennie a playful wink. “Aren’t you gonna introduce your girl to your best friend, man? He has no manners. My name is Tommy.”

Carol rolled her eyes and grumbled about Tommy being a flirt right in front of her and as per usual, her complaints went in one ear and right out the other.

Jennie eyed Tommy with a raised brow, shaking her head. Glancing at Steve who chuckled. “She knows who you are, dumbass. She lived here for a while, remember?”

Carol was giving Jennie a frosty glare. From beside Jennie, Nancy and Barb nudged each other, whispering, watching the two.

“I know I haven’t forgotten her.” Carol spoke up.

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten you either.” Jennie responded, tensing up. Folding her arms over her chest as she glanced at Carol with thinly veiled disinterest.

“Okay, no fights. Carol, come on.” Tommy spoke up, letting his gaze linger on Jennie just long enough that Steve tensed a little, gave him an annoyed look and shoved tightly clenched fists into the pockets of his jeans.

Tommy and Carol wandered off and Steve chuckled. Pulling his hand out of his pocket, dragging it through his hair. “I’ll come pick you up at 8.”

He stepped closer, curious as to whether she’d be open to him kissing her in front of her friends. Because things were kind of shaky. They really hadn’t gotten to talk about last night quite yet.

Jennie surprised him because she stepped closer too. Hooking her fingers in the belt loops of his jeans. Closing the distance between them when she did so. He chuckled. Leaning down a little, his arms slipping around her as his crashed his mouth against her mouth. Grinning into the kiss as the taste of her watermelon shaved ice filled his mouth. He deepened the kiss and as it pulled away so they could both catch their breath, he joked with Nancy and Barb, “Don’t let her get into too much trouble, yeah?”

“Oh haha sir. If memory serves, you got involved in just as much as me when we were kids.” Jennie teased, raising up on her feet to fluff his hair and turn up the collar of his polo shirt. She pouted as she stepped away and as she walked off with Nancy and Barbara, Steve leaned against the wooden post nearby and watched her walking. Fanning himself and smiling like an idiot.

Once he knew no one was watching, he jumped up and down, pumping his fist in the air in victory.

XXX

“Shit, shit.” I stomped my foot, blowing at a curl that refused to go where I wanted it to go. Frowning at the offending strands of hair, I swatted them out of my eyes. From my closet, Nancy called out, “Hey? Think I can borrow this white sundress?”

“Yeah! Go for it.” I called out to her as I tried to get into a steady position to apply my mascara. Nancy stepped out of my closet, holding the dress up to her in the mirror. I smiled and spoke up, “Carol’s still the uptight killjoy, I see.”

“Carol Perkins is a bitch.”

I pretended to be shocked when Nancy said it and Nancy shrugged, blushing a little as she laughed. “It’s the truth though!”

“I think her entire reason for walking over earlier today was just to be rude.”

“Or to be weird and creepy about Steve. She had this huge crush on him last year, I think? Anyway, Steve turned her down from what I heard and that’s why she went for Tommy instead.” Nancy picked up a lipstick from her makeup bag, lightly bumping against me and laughing when I did it back.

“Barb’s meeting us after the movie, right?”

“Mhm. She said Logan was taking her to one of those fancy restaurants over in Rollins before though. Their anniversary.” Nancy smiled and laughed softly. “They’re so cute, I swear.”

“I know. It’s so sweet it kinda makes my teeth hurt.”

“Excuse me? Who was practically draped all over Steve earlier today when we ran into him?”

“I was not draped all over him.” I corrected, blushing a little as I said it because I knew for a fact that yes, I was lying through my teeth. I shrugged.

“Was he kissing you like that last night? Because if so… Wow.” Nancy teased, fanning herself with the issue of Seventeen that sat next to my hairbrush on my vanity.

I blushed even more, biting my lip as I nodded.

“I’ve never seen him get that handsy before.” Nancy mused, stirring the pot a little. I took a deep breath and sat down my lipstick, turning to look at her. Raising my pinkie. “What I’m about to confess to you does NOT leave this room.”

“What?” Nancy’s brow raised as she linked pinkies with me and laughed softly.

“I’m a virgin.” I admitted, shrugging. It wasn’t a big deal either way, I just hadn’t met anyone that particularly sparked my interest in that way for more than a day or two at a time. And I was nothing if not picky. ,, Just admit you never got over your stupid crush and go, sheesh.” the thought came, making me smile. Because it was true. I really hadn’t gotten over my crush.

I think that’s what kind of freaked me out so much about me and Steve if I’m being honest. Knowing that I hadn’t ever gotten over a crush I had on him when we were way too young to really know or understand anything.

“That’s really not a big deal. I mean I am too. So is Barb. Or she was, the last time either of us mentioned anything.” Nancy smiled at me. “It just means we’re selective. Stronger. I don’t know, but I do know it’s not a bad thing at all.”

“Now if a certain short order cook at my nana’s diner were to take you out for a long moonlit drive…” I teased gently, just to watch Nancy blush. She shrugged, but she nodded at the same time. Shushing me as she giggled. “Yeah. But I mean, I am not about to act on that right now…”

“But you’ve thought about it.” I asked.

“And you haven’t?”

“Maaybe?” I answered, laughing a little. “I came close to just getting it over with last year but I came to my senses. I mean, I knew the guy wasn’t the guy if you get my drift. Besides, if he kissed like a Hoover vacuum, I really wasn’t keen on finding out about… Other things. Especially not when I bought myself a buddy.”

Nancy’s brow quirked. I held my fingers to my lips and tiptoed over to my top drawer, pulling it open. Showing her the vibrator I’d gotten myself last year. I mean, she's my friend, I know she's not going to go tell everybody. I'm also not the least bit ashamed of literally anything about myself. Private matters included.

“So you’re not really a virgin?” she asked. I shrugged. “I am as far as doing it with a guy. As far as other things? Nah. So yes and no.”

“I bet your mom flipped out.” Nancy raised her hand, covering her mouth.

“Actually, she took me to buy it. Something about she was too damn young to have me coming home knocked up with not one clue what guy was the lucky donor.”

“Ugh, my mom cringes if I even hint at anything involving a guy. And don’t even get me started about the ongoing battle with my dad about my makeup.”

“Oh, Hank is an actual child when I’m putting on makeup and getting ready to go out. He’ll insist that I wait in the living room and make the guy walk up to the front door. So he can see them.” I smiled to myself. “At least he cares. If it weren’t for him or my Nana, not sure how my life would be and I mean that.”

“Yeah, your mom was something else.”

“Remember that time she came to pick me up in that stupid jumper and the gogo boots? With a flask? On the back of some guy’s motorcycle? Just to walk me home? Then she told our teacher “It’s vodka.”” I cringed at the memory, sighing quietly.

“I hate that it took us so long to even get a little close like we were before the accident.” I muttered after a few seconds and Nancy nodded solemnly.

She happened to see the time on my alarm clock on the nightstand and she swore, hurrying into my bathroom to change clothes. “Crap! Jonathan said he’d be here at 7.”

“Nancy, it’s only 6:30.” I laughed at her rushing around trying to find her shoe as she stepped out of my bathroom and into my room. I spotted her shoe and tossed it to her.

“ Deep breaths. It’s just two people going to a carnival together, woman. Pull yourself together.” I teased gently, placing my hands on her upper arms. She nodded, taking several long and deep breaths. I don’t think they really helped, but.. I tried.

Feel Like Makin Love came on the radio and the both of us devolved into a fit of loud laughter that ended in us collapsed on my daybed.

My nana called up the stairs. “Girls, I think one of your fellas is outside.”

Nancy shot up in the bed, flinging herself off of it, and racing to my window. Jonathan was parked behind my grandma’s Chevelle, pacing beside his Mustang. Almost as if he was psyching himself up too.

I laughed softly, catching Nancy’s gaze. “Aww, he’s as nervous as you are right now.” I peeked out the window again just as he reached into his car, pulling out flowers that he had to have picked himself. When I caught him looking up at the window I stood in, I closed the curtain quickly and giggled.

“Guess who picked you flowers?” I said in a playful tone as I looked at her.

“Oh my god. No shit? He… That means this is a date and I am.. Severely under dressed.” Nancy was starting to worry. Pacing a hole through my carpet.

I shook my head, placing my hands on her upper arms again. Making her look at me. “It’s going to be okay. Relax. You look hot. Now go down there. Don’t make that poor guy suffer the Inquisition, because you know that’s what Hank’s going to put him through.” I held my bedroom door open, giving her a gentle but firm nudge when she froze in the doorway. Throwing the door shut behind her so she couldn’t chicken out and come back into my room.

After a few seconds of jamming out to Madonna, I peeked out of my door to make sure she wasn’t upstairs still, pacing the landing. She wasn’t, so I smiled to myself and shut the door again.

Flopping across my bed and grabbing for the issue of Seventeen that Nancy brought over for all of us to look through when we got back after the carnival tonight.

And almost ten minutes later, my nana was calling up the stairs for me to come down. I sprang off my daybed, pulling on my new red boots. Giving myself one last look in the mirror. Smoothing my hands over the red sundress I’d chosen to wear with the denim jacket my mom wore all the time.

“I’ll be right down.” I called out. Taking a few seconds to calm myself down, because surprisingly enough, I found myself almost as jittery as Nancy had been when Jonathan came to collect her earlier.

I made my way down the stairs just in time. Able to avert a potential crisis in the making as Hank eyed Steve. “What are you doing here, hair?”

“I’m here to pick up Jennie, sir.”

Hank eyed him and then he eyed me. “You hit your head or somethin, Jaybird?”

I bit my lip. Trying not to burst out laughing as I shook my head, I answered, “No, I didn’t. He’s taking me to the carnival tonight if that’s okay? Nana already said I could go…”

Hank eyed Steve warily. Tattooed forearms folded over his chest. Trying to look as threatening as possible. “Remember, hair… You hurt her, there’s nowhere safe for you.”

“Hank, let those two get goin! Get in here and help me eat these brownies.”

Thank God for my nana.

Steve and I hurried outside and he opened the passenger door to his BMW, letting me get in. I sank down into the seat, cringing a little, groaning because I was a little embarrassed. I knew Hank was only doing it with good intent, but still, it was just a little embarrassing sometimes.

Steve burst out laughing when he got into the car. “So that was intense, huh?”

“Just a little. I’m sorry. You know how he is.”

Steve leaned across the console, pulling me in for a kiss. Muttering softly as it broke, “I don’t blame him. I mean earlier today, Tommy just looked at you the wrong way and I wanted to punch him.”

“Yeah, no. Tommy Hagan is not my type. And he never will be.” I shook my head, pretending to be offended that Steve even put both of us in the same sentence. Steve chuckled, winking at me as he started the car and started to back out of the driveway.

“Just out of curiosity, who is your type, Jennie?”

“Ask me again at the end of the night.” I teased, glancing at him as I shrugged.

He laughed and reached out, turning the dial on the radio. We found a station to listen to and Steve reached out for my hand, lacing his fingers with mine. Raising my hand to brush his lips against my knuckles.

I squirmed in my seat a little, muttering quietly to myself as he did it. Making him chuckle again as we pulled into a parking space near Tommy’s car. I scowled as soon as I set sights on Carol and she pretended to gag when she saw me sitting in Steve’s passenger seat.

Steve grumbled and shook his head, complaining about Tommy and Carol being pains in the ass as he got out of the car. Pointedly pretending he didn’t see Tommy standing nearby or hear him call his name. Making his way around the car to open my door.

“Just ignore them. Maybe if we ignore them, princess, they’ll disappear.”

“One could only hope.” I answered, giving his hand a squeeze as I gazed up at him and smiled.

We walked right past them, but naturally, Tommy caught up to us. Staring a little too long and too hard at me. I rolled my eyes. And I found myself scrunching into Steve’s side.

“Tommy, hey man. We were just gonna go to the midway.”

“Didn’t you hear me trying to call you, Harrington?” Tommy finally tore his gaze off me to glance at Steve.

Carol was glaring daggers at me, I could feel it. I didn’t have to look over at her.

“Tommy, can we like.. Go now? I don’t want to stick around the tramp too long.”

I leaned in, hissing at her a little. Laughing when she shrank away and cringed before making a hasty retreat, practically having to drag Tommy with her when she went.

I called out casually, “It was nice to see you again too, Carol!” and turned to face Steve, finding him nearly doubled over, clutching his sides as he laughed.

“I was about to handle them for you...” he muttered as his laughter died away and he stepped closer to me, a hand lingering at my hip. I scoffed. “Them? Oh trust me. I can handle those two half-wits.”

“And I see that, Jennie. But as your date..” Steve spoke up, chuckling as he smiled at me. I swallowed hard because I wasn’t stupid. I heard him hesitate. I heard him almost refer to himself as my boyfriend. And god help me, despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stop the warm feeling that took over. Or the way my heart lazily skipped a beat or two.

I gave a soft giggle, reaching for his hand. Lacing my fingers between his as I bounced around on my feet, nodding towards the Zipper and giving him a pleading look. He eyed the ride warily but finally shrugged. “Okay, alright. But I’m telling you, it’s gonna scare you.”

“That’s why you’re here though, right?” I cozied up to him when we stopped walking for a minute.

If I sounded any flirtier… The thought came and I tried to just enjoy the moment and not get too wrapped up in my own worries and fears about letting him too close.

I needed to relax. Stop overthinking everything and just live. My mom was always telling me that before I lost her.

Steve slipped an arm around me, pulling me into his side. “You hungry or anything?”

“I’m fine right now.” I answered, gazing up at him. Raising up to brush my lips against his cheek. Making him laugh quietly. Smile at me and pull me closer as he whispered against my ear, “What was that for, hm?”

“Because I’m glad I said yes and came out with you tonight.” I shrugged as I responded. We wound up in line for the Zipper behind Nancy and Jonathan and giggling, I held a finger to my lips as I glanced over at Steve before reaching out to cover Nancy’s eyes.

She squeaked and Jonathan covered his mouth to keep from laughing about it, shaking his head at me. Mouthing a thank you when Nancy wasn’t looking. I shrugged at him and turned my attention to Nancy.

“You realize that ride is up in the air.”

“I’ll be fine.” Nancy swallowed hard.

I nodded. “Yeah, I think you’re in good hands.”

“Hey, you guys get on with us.”

“I think I’m gonna hurl. Are you sure you wanna get on that thing, Jennie?” Steve spoke up, pressing against me from behind. I glanced up over my shoulder at him and raised a brow. “Are you scared? It’s just a ride. It’ll be fine.”

Nancy eyed Steve and I, giggling as she shook her head. The line moved forward and almost as soon as Nancy and I spotted Barb, we started to yell for her. She came jogging over with a giant of a blond guy in tow.

“Logan, you know Nancy. This is my best friend Jennie. She just moved back from Louisiana. Jennie, this is Logan.” Barb was grinning from ear to ear, all doe eyed and soft giggly voice. I smiled because seeing her so happy made me happy for her. I looked up at Logan, sizing him up. “Hurt my friend, I break your knees. That’s all I’m saying.”

He chuckled, slipping his arms around Barb, leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder. “I don’t think you have to worry about that, Jennie.”

“Hey, if you get in between Jennie and I, we can get on the ride at the same time.” Nancy spoke up.

Jonathan and Steve nodded. Steve spoke up, addressing Logan. “Didn’t you play basketball for Varsity last year? You were the senior starter, right?”

I locked eyes with Barb, wiggling my brow as I leaned in and whispered, “Ooh la la.. An older guy, huh?”

Barb blushed, teasing right back, “Mhm. Wanna explain why your lipstick is smeared and there’s just the slightest hint of red on Steve Harrington’s mouth while we’re on this topic?”

I stuck my tongue out at her, snuggling against Steve, laughing. It was our turn to get on the ride and we got into a bucket, strapping ourselves in after we’d emptied out our pockets. Steve took a deep breath. “This might not be so bad.” but then the ride took off, flipping over and he screeched “I was wrong, holy fuck I was wrong.” I grabbed hold of his hand and muttered against his ear, “Deep breaths, Steve. It’s okay. It’s just a ride. You have a harness.”

“Woman, this thing is flipping and rolling!” Steve teased, managing to plant a kiss on my forehead as he met my gaze, laughing. Leaning in to whisper against my ear, “You’re the one death gripping my hand though? Are you maybe a little afraid now that you looked down and saw how high up in the air we are?”

“Oh hush.” I pouted, burying my face in his shoulder, screaming and stomping my feet against the cage while squeezing his hand even more. “I thought it’d be okay. Mistakes were made.”

He laughed and let out several shaky breaths as the ride began to descend, finally coming to a full stop at the bottom.

We stumbled off, finding Barb and Logan and Jonathan, holding Nancy’s hair out of the way as she threw up in a garbage bin while rubbing her back.

Steve spoke up, nodding in the direction of the fun house. Grabbing hold of my hand and starting to pull me towards it, laughing. “C’mon guys!”

Barb and Logan shared a look, shrugging. Jogging to catch up. And Nancy and Jonathan finally caught up, falling in line behind us. Cozied up to each other.

I cozied up to Steve and he leaned his chin on my shoulder. “Having fun, Jennie?”

“I am.” I answered quietly, glancing back at him and flashing a soft smile.

XXX

Steve rubbed his hands together and stepped up, taking the sledgehammer. Swinging it as if it weighed nothing, even though the damn thing was so heavy he honestly thought he pulled his shoulder out of place as the sledgehammer made contact with the base of the Strongman attraction and the needle went soaring upward. The lights lit up and Steve leaned the sledgehammer against the side of the machine, pretending to curl his biceps as he turned to Jennie, laughing. Stealing the cotton candy flavored shaved ice she was sipping and taking a sip for himself as he nodded to the wall of prizes. “So, what’ll it be, huh?” he gazed at the wall of prizes too. His eyes settling on the gigantic pink unicorn and fixing on her.

“The pink unicorn.” they said it at the exact same time, bursting into laughter. The barker turned and grabbed the stuffed animal and Steve took it, holding it out to Jennie. “For you, princess.” he teased as she took it, hugging it against her. Then hugging herself against him and asking in a soft laugh, “That didn’t hurt you, did it?”

“Not even a little, babe.”

And he wasn’t stupid, either. He saw the way her pupils blacked out the rest of her eye for just the ghost of a few seconds after he called her babe. Slipping an arm around her, he pressed his mouth against her forehead and muttered quietly, “Where to next?”

Her eyes settled on a bright yellow tent. The sign outside of it proclaimed “Free readings.” and she gave him those big pleading eyes. Eyes that may or may not have gotten him in right over his head on more than one occasion when they were both kids. Eyes he couldn’t turn down.

“It’s going to be fake as hell, but okay. Alright. If you wanna go over there, we will. At least the lines not as long as the one for the Ferris Wheel is.”

“And it’s close to the field, so when the fireworks and the music start, we can go over... “ Jennie smiled, slipping her hand into his. He gave her hand a squeeze after lacing their fingers together.

“Maybe they’ll tell me I’m going to be a billionaire.” Steve teased, making her shrug. “I just wanna see if there’s any truth to whatever they tell me at all…” she trailed off and Steve eyed her, asking quietly, “And? What else?”

“I don’t know… Maybe I was hoping they’d have a message for me from my mom..” Jennie bit her lip, going quiet. Laughing at herself softly. “It’s dumb. I know it won’t be real.”

“Hey. C’mere.” Steve pulled her into a hug, squeezing her a little. As the hug broke, he nodded towards the tent, smirking. “C’mon. Let’s go see what they have to say about our future, huh?”

“Yeah. Let’s.” Jennie smiled up at him, practically dragging him towards the tent. Given that there wasn’t an actual line, they stepped into the tent. Without even looking up, the woman on the other side of the round table announced calmly, “I’ve been waiting on you two.”

Steve and Jennie shared a look, both of them raising their brows.

Jennie dug around in the pocket of her denim jacket, prepared to pay the fortune teller for the reading, but the woman shook her head, nodding towards the chairs in front of them. They sat down.

For a minute or two, it was quiet. For Steve, it was a little too quiet and he chuckled. This seemed to get the fortune teller looking up at them both from the cards spread out in front of her.

She put the cards away quickly after shaking her head and mumbling about something she’d interpreted to be worrying. “Sorry about that, I was doing a reading for a young woman who came by earlier. One of your friends, I do believe.” the fortune teller addressed Jennie.

“One of my friends?” Jennie questioned. The fortune teller nodded. And then she got down to business.

“You two always wind up together, don’t you? In every new life. You always manage to find one another.”

Steve’s brow quirked.

Jennie spoke up, laughing softly. “He’s not a believer. What’s it mean… If we’re always in each other’s lives?”

The fortune teller gave a soft laugh. Glancing at Steve for a few seconds, nodding. “I picked up on that when you two were walking over. That’s not all I picked up on…” she teased, letting her words die away.

Jennie took a deep breath. Giving Steve’s hand a squeeze beneath the table. Steve squeezed her hand back and repeated the question that Jennie had just asked. What the woman meant when she told them that they always wound up together, in every life.

“It’s not a bad thing. Well, not in the case of both of you.” the fortune teller explained, smiling at them both. “You’ve had a few not so good ones, but usually, your story has a happy ending.”

Steve let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. And then he immediately reminded himself that this was all just baloney to begin with. A way for the woman to make money.

“Over the next few years… Things around you are going to get downright peculiar.” and after saying this, she gazed at Jennie. “A woman is coming through for you, dear. She has the same hair as you. Wilder and curlier. I think she’s..” but before she could finish, Jennie spoke up, “My mom? Is her name Bonnie?”

The woman closed her eyes, focusing.

Then she nodded. “Tell Jen to stop fighting the natural order of things so hard.”

Steve eyed the woman warily. Giving Jennie’s hand a squeeze. Jennie squeezed his hand back and she seemed to relax even more.

The woman continued, glancing at Steve this time, “A lot of growth and change ahead for you. You are on the right path. Stay on it. No matter what strange things it might bring your way. Always go with your first gut instinct. On everything.”

Steve nodded, chuckling to himself. It was a pretty standard reading. Anyone could’ve given it.

But what the fortune teller told them both about always winding up together in every single version of life they’d lived thus far, that was sticking with him.

No matter how much he tried to tell himself this was pointless and she was doing this as a gimmick to make some cash on the side.

“As far as the immediate future. Stick together. Stick close to your friends, because there are some things up ahead and you’re going to need each other.”

The fortune teller dismissed them and as soon as they were out of the tent, Steve cleared his throat. “That was, uh.. Something.”

“It was.” Jennie was gazing up at him thoughtfully. Almost like she had something on her mind. Just as she was about to say whatever it was, Tommy spoke up from the funnel cake stand across the way.

“Hey man! C’mon. Sit with us.” Tommy called out.

Carol was quick to add, “ Kind of feels like we’re being ditched, Harrington.”

Steve grumbled in frustration and glanced down at Jennie. “It’s up to you.”

“If you want to go over, we can. But I make no promises that Carol won’t be wearing my shaved ice before it’s all said and done.”

“And that goes double for Tommy.” Steve muttered, chuckling quietly. Mulling it over.

“Ah, let’s just ignore ‘em. I don’t feel like dealing with his crap.” he spoke up a second or two later.

“Thank God.” Jennie laughed softly. Steve laughed too, shrugging. Practically dragging her as fast as humanly possible right past the table Carol and Tommy were saving for them to sit at and grab a quick bite.

“I know he’s not ditching us.” Carol mused out loud, annoyed. Tommy chuckled, teasing when he called out, “It’s okay man.. I know you’re whipped right now. I’d be whipped too.”

“Seriously? I’m sitting right here. Right beside you, Tommy.”

“I know, babe. I was just sayin, it’s nice Harrington found someone willing to put up with him.”

Carol’s eyes followed the two and she rolled her eyes, grimacing as she mumbled mostly to herself, “He could’ve done so much better than… her.”

Tommy turned to look at her. “Do you have to be such a bitch?”

“Do you have to be such a manwhore?” Carol asked in response, pouting when he mimicked her instead of apologizing.

XXX

The fireworks were starting. Steve and I hurried over. Tommy and Carol were calling his name, but we spotted Nancy, Barb, Jonathan and Logan around the same time. Steve nodded towards my friends and squeezed my hands. “I really don’t feel like hearing Carol’s mouth tonight.”

“And I really don’t feel like catching Tommy attempting to fuck me with his eyes every few seconds, ew.” I responded, asking a second later, “You’re sure you’re okay with sitting with Barb and Nancy, right?”

“Yeah! It’s actually been a lot more fun tonight?” Steve dragged his fingers through his hair as he gazed down at me. I smiled, nodding because I agreed.

Tommy and Carol were still yelling his name. Steve picked me up over his shoulder, making me laugh and a few seconds later, we were settled in between Barb and Nancy, right as the first big burst of color lit the night sky. Steve moved to sit behind me, letting me sit between his legs and lean back on him as he wrapped his arms around me.

All in all, I have to say… Maybe that fortune teller was making everything up. But maybe there was some logic to her words too. Because if I hadn’t just gotten tired of fighting off the pull I felt to Steve all summer long, I never would have agreed to come out on a date with him tonight.

And that would’ve been a serious bummer.

[sulkybbarnes]

could you recomend some podcasts? because i want to get into them but there are so many i dont even know where to begin... i've already listened to the bright sessions tho and i love it!

Hey anon!! Of course, I’m more than happy to give podcast recommendations so I’ve included my faves here which are from wildly different genres, but all have lgbt+ characters and awesome representation!!

Alice Isn’t Dead: This podcast follows a truck driver on her mission to find her missing wife. I’m not a horror person at all, but this podcast is the exception for me. It has some horror elements as the protag faces different supernatural scenarios and creatures on her road trip through America, but each story somehow ends up reflecting the reality we live in and is far deeper than some scary story. It genuinely has some of the best prose and storytelling I’ve ever heard/read, and slowly starts developing an awesome plot along the way. It also has a kickass wlw couple at the heart of it, is narrated by a woc, and handles the protag’s anxiety beautifully. You can’t get better than this tbh! 

The Bright Sessions: I adore this podcast and I’m adding it for anyone who hasn’t listened to it yet. TBS is presented as a collection of tapes/recordings made by DR Bright, a therapist who exclusively treats patients with super powers known as atypicals. Each tape is a character with different powers, and the story of each individual slowly starts becoming part of a bigger plot. Excellent lgbt+ representation, great character dynamics, and has one of my favourite lgbt couples in fiction. TBS also deals with mental health issues and trauma super well.

Wolf 359: A story following the crew of a space ship sent into deep space. This one starts up all funny and light hearted, with space shenanigans and an annoying af yet somewhat lovable narrator, and slowly gets darker and crazier as you go. Another one that develops a plot along the way and suddenly you’ve gone from “haha this idiot’s best friend is the spaceship’s AL system to ....what the fuck just happened?!”. It has some kickass female characters and the gift that is Isabel Lovelace, but not much of lgbt+ representation (as there’s really no romance in the podcast at all) until the very end and even then it’s only mentioned in passing, although some of the cast are lgbt+ in reality and the dynamics are left up to your own interpretation.  

The Two Princes: A really short, happy, cheesy af podcast following two princes on their quest to defeat an enchanted forest and falling in love in the process. Super predictable but really funny and cute if you’re looking for an easy listen! And extra points for them casting Middle Eastern voice actors to play the Arab characters (one of the princes and both his parents). So full points for lgbt+ and poc representation! 

EOS 10: Another space podcast! This one is set on a space station in the future and follows Dr Ryan Dalias, a tired bisexual who should probably get paid way more to deal with all the shit he has to deal with. A pretty funny, light hearted podcast for the most part with more lgbt characters that show up a bit later on. I haven’t listened to season 4 yet but the first 3 were pretty enjoyable!!

The Strange Case of Starship Iris: Space stories again but this time with lesbians! If you want to see space pirates and a baffled scientist trying to survive them and deny her attraction to one particular kickass female pirate, you’re gonna like this one. I haven’t listened to this one since s1 ended so my memory is shaky on it, but it’s got wlw characters, genderfluid characters, AND space pirates so it had to go on my rec list!

The Orbiting Human Circus (of the air): Don’t know how to describe this to you but it’s a whimsical dream-like story that follows Julian the janitor, who works at the Eiffel tower and spends his days dreaming of joining a fictional radio show. It’s strangely comforting and weird and guaranteed to make you feel emotional. The main character is gay, as confirmed by his (also gay) voice actor, but it only comes up in passing because the story doesn’t have any romance.

The TryPod: This is the only non-fictional podcast on this list, and I included it because I adore its hosts and the podcast makes me laugh a lot. A podcast run by The Try Guys, a youtuber group of four guys, who sit around for one hour and talk about everything under the sun. They’re genuinely funny without being mean to anyone, and Eugene Lee Yang our Asian gay icon always delivers on good opinions while Zach and Keith mess around, Ned tries to keep everyone in check, and Miles (their podcast producer) gives hilarious, weird af yet strangely useful advice!

Limetown: I debated whether or not I want to include this one because I didn’t like the second season much and therefore haven’t finished it, but the first season deserves the mention. This is presented as tapes recorded by a journalist investigating the disappearance of an entire town’s population, over three hundred people, that happened overnight ten years ago. A bit horror-y and chilling at times, but the first season is so good. There’s science and sci-fi elements involved.

Please let me know what you think if you listen to any of these, and happy listening 💕

[brownjet-archive]

the 100!

ah thanks bb!! I LOVE YOUR URL AND ICON BY THE WAY

again for this one i haven’t caught up it’s a thing that happens when i watch anything other than sitcoms i can’t really watch more than 2.5 seasons at a time

my all-time ultimate fave character: lincoln!! a character I didn’t used to like but now do: bellamy, kane, and murphya character I used to like but now don’t: i used to really like mid season 1 finn, even if his whole thing with clarke and raven was too dicey for me, season 3 bellamy and jasper, and also am iffy about Octavia now  (i liked echo for like a hot second and then the writers did their shit)a character I’m indifferent about: lexa, tbh, she’s pretty but that’s about all that she has going for her i wish they had taken her character in another way, but whatever a character who deserved better: all of them, but top five are lincoln, raven, wells jaha, clarke, and maya vie a ship I’ve never been able to get into: clexa tbh! they’re cute-ish a ship I’ve never been able to get over: kabby!!  a cute, low-key ship: bellarke! i like it, I think I’ll like it more once they’re able to be happy if the trash show ever lets them! And also memori, and maya x jasperan unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it:  gina x bellamy was cute while it was going on a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: becho and linctavia after season 2 (octavia really begins emotionally abusing him and i’m not pleased)my favourite storyline/moment: season 1 was my favorite even if most of my favorite characters were dicks!! but even I loved the plot of season 2 even if the execution of it was shaky at best a storyline that never should have been written: season 3, specifically gina’s death, the deterioration of everyone’s characterization (mostly bellamy and jasper), tbh all the unnecessary deaths in season 1 (wells, charlotte, atom, shall I go on?)  my first thoughts on the show: oh wow, it is trash, but the concept is really cool and all the characters are hot?? Also, why the fuck does everyone like Bellamy Blake?? Is there something I’m missing??my thoughts now: It’s a really complex and morally grey show, and the lazy writing makes it a bit difficult to watch, but the actors are all phenomenal, and I’m too invested in the characters to stop watching permanently (although i may delay it for awhile because apparently lincoln dies within the next two episodes and I’m not prepared)

send me a tv series and I’ll tell you:

[flameintheblacknight]

RvB reactions: S16 Episodes 12 to 14

Because I’ve fallen behind.

Let’s fucking go.

Episode 12:

I see we’re getting the movie version of the beginning of s15′s... episode 9, I want to say?

Wait what

jax what the fuck

OH MY GOD, THEY KNOW ABOUT CARWASH, ABORT, ABORT

what the fuck is with the shaky cam.

Hey, we finally got most of the main cast together again!  Except Doc...

OH MY GOD, THEY’RE MAKING TERRIBLE SWORD PUNS TOGETHER

MY HEART

hey, wait, where’s huggins?

hi donut

oh, so you’re on our side now, okay

oh my god, Sarge and Tucker looking into the camera like they’re on the fucking office with these innuendos.  I love it!!!

“I leave you guys alone for 5 minutes, and you piss off god.”

Wash is too tired for this shit.

Huh, interviews.  I’m seriously getting The Office vibes now.

“Fuck everything about this.  I’m supposed to be on vacation.”  And here we see that Kai was not expecting this level of bullshit.  She is still unused to the rest of the Crew’s total insanity and insane adventures.

omg

“Time for a new tactic: lying”

Wash: *dead inside*  “This is finally making sense.”

Sister:  “Cuz!  We’re all unwilling agents of some awful time god!” Wash:  “Last time I was an agent, at least I got dental.”

I am living for Wash in this episode

Jax wants the cold, hard evidence and I like that about him.  He learned well from Dylan, I think.

I’M UP FOR A TIMELINE

THAT’LL PROBABLY HELP ME GET A FUCKING IDEA OF WHAT THE FUCK’S BEEN HAPPENING IN THIS SEASON, AT LEAST!

jax oh my god

what the fuck has been happening here on this studio, anyways?

Simmons: Assistant (to the) Red Team Manager

THE VIBES I WAS GETTING WERE FUCKING RIGHT OMG

omg

OMG

“Huh.  I actually think the other hand is, well, empty.”

That’s sad.

“I’ve been using Sarge’s time machine for weeks with no negative consequences!”

uh what

jax why

rip timeline

that don’t help at all

o

oh no

not the memory issues

not nowwww

carolina why didn’t you just tell him months ago

Oh, so that’s why you’ve been using the time machine, Jax.

uh, why tho?

omg jax no

not these people

plz

and funding’s been cut

rip movie

ooooooooooo, back to the plot!

JAX NO

JAX JUST GOT FUCKING BODIED

Kalirama:  *glares* Atlus:  “...I’m sorry I smited your mortal idiot friend.”

Carolina does not seem impressed.

oh, so their relationship *is* a zeus/hera deal.  good to know.

tucker, this isn’t that surprising if you know greek mythology

wash, it’s also some greek mythology shit

...did neither of you ever read Percy Jackson growing up?

Genkins, huh... O SHIT, IT’S JENKINS FROM THE CUT CONTENT

“I love posting spoilers on Youtube!  On the end of the next one, the pink guy steals the hammer!”

...wait what

DONUT WHAT THE FUCK

guys please don’t make the jokes

guys

i’m laughing my ass off.

EXPOSITION, FINALLY!

Episode 13:

this is gonna be good.

“I ain’t talking about that!  Why’s Grif got a sword?!”

I think Tucker appreciates where Sarge’s priorities are.  “Upset the balance of the universe”, indeed.

i am not surprised that Sarge wants one too, tbh

EVERYONE WANTS ONE

Well, except Lina and Caboose.

CABOOSE WANTED THE GOLF CLUB

Oh, almighty beings apparently can’t cure a fucking headache.  i’m impressed.

back to the exposition!

wait what

Wait, Simmons, are you saying what I think you’re saying--

THEY’RE AIS!

...they...

that’s what epsilon first had as a body

oh my god

this

this changes everything

so there was enough of a leak in the order of space-time to get Loco to build a time machine, which led to... wow.  Joe really planned all this out, didn’t he.

guys don’t insult donut!  he’s been trying his best!

“Where we just fucked it all up!”

I feel like you could insert that into any description of the plots of the arcs and still be accurate.

I’m dying with these metaphors

“Master builder of the gods--” “Of the AI!” “Of the AI, okay...”

“Few have made the journey, none have survived.”

Sounds right up our alley!

...it’s a hammer.

NOBODY TRUST DONUT WITH IT

...The Hammer.  That’s a... simple name.

all of these names are catchier, tbh.

Even Atlus is in on it!

ohhhhhhhhhhh

“Counter-intuitive, but that’s magic for you”

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

oh, hey!  Grif still has his!

Caboose still has the golf club!!!

well, I think our goal is obvious:  we save the universe and get our energy swords, dammit!

or... how about we punt a hammer into a god’s face?

that sounds great to me

no more time-travel, please.

Wait... Wash, are you going into a speech?

Wash... that was beautiful.

yeah, for once in forever, this is not the fault of pfl/any associated companies

wait carolina no

NO

NOT NOWWWWWWW

YOU COULD’VE JUST TOLD HIM A FEW MONTHS AGO

LINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

full fucking minutes without oxygen

oh... oh my god

...wait

no

i

no

that’s

that’s the meta’s theme

oh god

wash...

wait donut no

donut goddammit

“Y’all need therapy.”  

...I think Kaikaina’s the luckiest one here, for having dodged all the bullets that make them need therapy.

Episode 14:

TUCKER, OH MY GOD

GROWTH!

oh?  character growth for both of yall?!

that’s great!

...Tucker’s gotten to the point where he’s comfy with someone else saying his catchphrase.  mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

fuck... I think I ship them.

Also, Tucker’s clearly got a lot of guilt over... that.

Kai knows him too well at this point.

Also guys no.

Please don’t.

Just a few details...

Tucker

have you never heard of the butterfly effect

you’re gonna fuck this shit up

GUYS NO

Carolina just... used Wash’s real name.

So I assume any revelation about Wash not being named Agent Washington was had before this.  I also assume it was comedic.

STILL, GUYS, NO

I’m like,,, 90% sure Lina’s a red by now

...oh fuck.

HUGGINS, YOU’RE MY LAST HOPE.  KNOCK SOME FUCKING SENSE INTO THEM, PLEASE

...ugh, i don’t want to watch this, i already know what happens, tumblr’s told me.  i’m just gonna skip a little bit.

GENKINS WHAT

HUGGINS

NO

no

genkins i’m going to kill you and make your death painful

where’s my fucking emp

hey, Muggins.  Seems you understand what’s happening too.

she’s really gone.  damn.

i’m... i’m fucking crying again.

this show hasn’t made me do that since epsilon, i think

guess that says something, huh?

...wait.  the fates?

they’re here?!

“All is lost.  Tonight the sun sets.  There will be no dawn.”

Well... fuck.

[team-adults-blog]

5.04 Pandora’s Box

Appropriately titled seeing as the bunker is opened and all hell breaks loose! Broken into sections based on characters. Mainly Kabby tbh. At least two song references. Possibly other pop-culture references... I guess you’ll have to read to find out...

Kabby

Omg Dad!Kane what is happening??? Octavia I know you care what are you doing. OFC he grabs a shield. Abby is locked up? That’s where she is! AHHH! I was right of course he’s taking the fall for Abby. NATE. JACKSON. What is the plan??? INDRA? Save my guy! I mean I know he will live but the suspense and HEY HE IS GETTING HURT while I wait for you to rescue him. OH SHIT. He did not need saving mamaaaaa I just killed a maaaannnn He clearly didn’t want to do that. More shaky hands and “what have I done face” it’s ok bby I know you feel remorse and you will be forgiven.

What the hell Octavia? He fights again??? Get out. Uggghhhhhh this is torture let him live! Ok. If I take a step back, he’s fighting again because he hesitated and showed weakness. The crowd wants a strong winner. Got it. Doesn’t make me like it, but that’s how this system is running now. Mob mentality. Human beings in a mob… What’s a mob to a (red queen) what’s a (queen) to a god? What’s a god to a nonbeliever? Who don’t believe in anything? We make it out alive. Alright, alright, no church in the wild. You know I went a little further with that song than I intended, but it works because the era of commanders and the flame is over, Gaia didn’t like that, but she understands symbols and Octavia covered in blood is a strong symbol, I’ll give her that. She knows he didn’t do it. But it’s about appeasing the mob. Kane’s reply “we’re all guilty” FUCK ‘EM UP BRO! WE SO ARE. We so are. And then Octavia’s all eyeroll-y and not here for a philosophy lesson. I loved that exchange. Dad!Kane gets super philosophical with it and she doesn’t want to hear it so often. Is Indra going to help him? KINDRA FOREVER. No, she’s going to go talk to Abby. She is so smart. Indra is the best. Make her main. Jaha is dead. Isaiah is gone. You can pay Ms. Porter more okayyyyyyy. She’s been crushing her scenes. I’ve been saying this for years.

Back to Abby. How did no one catch the addiction six years ago? It was clearly an issue at day 46, so I’m surprised Jackson didn’t intervene sooner? Or maybe he did. But addiction is not easy and can drive people to do desperate things, like stealing medicine. Thank the lord Kabby gets another pre-death hug. Why is this a reoccurring thing? He’s going to live. I am not worried. Maybe if this was the end of the season or if Jaha hadn’t just died I’d be a little more worried.

Oh man. I said I wasn’t worried, but I’m a little scared. My boy is taking some serious injuries as he plays the Jesus card yet again. Octavia no! don’t hurt him! Of COURSE I was right. Just when he’s about to die the bunker opens and our man Bellamy comes in all spy-kids/ navy seals- pick the reference you prefer (also whats-her-face-main-woman was a SEAL soooo this is a reference AND the truth). Oh and here’s Clarke too. Bellarke is like. Shit. What blood pit did we drop into?

AND THEN KINDRA BFFS! I feel like Indra is always saving Kane? Kane has defended her, but she’s straight up saved his life at least twice in my immediate memory: When he was chipped in polis and she tackled him (and his poofy hair was wiiiillllldddddd) and here again when she gets him out of the bunker while Octavia isn’t looking. And then Clarke gets to hug mom and Kane again and I love it. Literally Clarke and Abby can’t be together for more than a few hours on this show. They were separated for SIX years. Then they get, what, two conversations, the second is her telling them to run! And then Abby comes back and makes sure Kane goes back to space with her (nice) but has to leave Clarke again. Jason, if this is the most important relationship on the show, please let them have a day or a week together.

Raven and Shaw I ship ittttttttttttt. Shaw’s already developing a crush and he hasn’t seen the beauty that is Raven Reyes. Good luck bro. OH! But he fell in love with her mind first. Aw this is great I like this. Please don’t ruin this for me. Murphy and Raven scenes were nice. Love Raven talking to Clarke on the radio. And then Murphy asks why Raven always has to be the one to sacrifice? Love him. What a hero move. I’m glad he gets to play the hero again for his sake, even if he should learn over this season that he has value in just being him. He got Raven to have some fun and kick around a soccer ball. He has value just for doing that.

Bellarke

Bellamy learning diplomacy. He’s come so far. And then we get a great Bellarke hug. It really was a sweet and pure moment and I don’t even care that Clarke didn’t get all the details she would normally want. Happy happy.

Major take-aways:

-Marcus Kane is a sacrificial angel, but he also has military training and can defend himself and kill a dude if he has to. But he doesn’t like it. Especially when it’s personal aka hand-to-hand combat and not with the distance of guns. He does it for Abby. And that’s why I love him. Also he is beautiful, inside and out. He has been blessed.

-Octavia has changed. That’s going to take some getting used to for Bellamy and the viewers.

-Shaw is the only “nice” guy, but is he really nice? He’s still following orders and appears to have betrayed the crew to help the prisoners take over the ship. But he’s got a moral compass, he’s just not living to it the way he wants to. That may change- he’s in survival mode right now with guns pointed at his head anytime he objects. I’m curious as to what made him rebel to get to where he is now. I’m also excited for Shaw to meet Raven. She doesn’t need a love interest, but *I* am a little interested in what that would look like. She could pull an Abby and help bring out the better man inside that’s hiding behind rules and following orders.

-Bellarke is hiz hop happening.

-Uh so everyone else from space squad is hiding in the woods with Maddi?  I’d like to know what they’re talking about there- catching each other up and sharing stories. What stories did Clarke tell and leave out? Is Maddi going to ask Marper about how long Bell and Clarke have had heart eyes for each other? I wouldn’t mind seeing that. At the same time, I do understand that it is not exactly crucial to the plot; the idea is that they are safe. Not sure I need to see that, but it’d be cool.

-SO FAR THIS SEASON IS GREAT AND I LOVE THAT I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS THAT I CAN’T QUITE FIGURE OUT YET- like what is the sickness Abby needs to cure? Is it some toxicity from the minerals they were mining? That’s the only guess I’ve got and I am A-OK not having it figured out yet.

-I am worried Marcus going to space is a bad idea because he will be used as leverage to get Abby to do things she doesn’t want to do. No doubt there.  But I’m ok with that because everything is ethically grey andddddd it means Kabby will have scenes together. AND they’ll be flipped from last season where Abby was just hanging out in Polis for a bit to be Ambassador Kane’s partner. Now Kane gets to be the Doc’s partner. He’ll probably still get a role because he’s a good diplomat and all that. But I like the idea of Abby having the major role to play and Kane hanging out as a love interest. Because GENDER NORMS. And Kabby talks and cuddles.

-When will Monty and Miller be reunited? And Miller and Harper were buds all the way back when they were locked up on the ark. I love reunionssssssss

[suzue0shayana]

Voltron: Legendary Defender, ep. 1 - Sha's thoughts, part 2

21. They are still listening to the strange alien device. Shiro, at least you shouldn't be so trustful, given your experiences. 22. Lance estabilishing his position as the team womanizer. Luckily, Allura is not buying this bullshit. (Hope she doesn't hate human ears as much, though). 23. Allura is given no time to mourn the death of her people. This is tragic. 24. Zarkon looks like an alien rhino, and Sendak is a space bat. 25. "We are the last ones". I know I should be sad about their loss, but the truth is, it was not what concerned me the most. Alteans seem to reproduce the way human do; so if Allura once wants to rebuild her nation, she and Coran will have to... you know. It is an awful thought, given their parent-daughter relationship. 26. Due to Lance bragging, we don't get the official description of Blue Lion's personality, which is interesting and supports my theory of the next Voltron leader. 27. Tbh, I would rather pilot Yellow than Red, given the traits the yellow one values, so stop putting Keith on the pedestal the whole time. 28. How did Allura know which lions will suit which human adventurer? She doesn't know them AT ALL. I would rather believe the team effort in finding out which one of them is going to be chosen by which lion... 29.  Shiro is pretty light-hearted about following an alien, which does not suit his backstory. The comment he makes himself doesn't justify it as well. 30. What is the whole "Altean" if both Allura and Coran speak British English?... 31. Ah, the convenient timing of holding the wormhole - long enough for them not to be stuck there. However, Allura could warn them long before... 32. Lance is being a typical player. Shiro knows how NOT to speak to a lady.   33. Shiro recognizes Allura's leading potential. She's genuinely sad she cannot meet the expectations, but tries to do her best. 34. Pidge's "cute" bayard! 35. Sendak is no fool. They've just recovered the lions; why would they surrender just now?! This plan was bullshit. 36. I know they want to establish Shiro as the Space Dad who keeps every child happy and safe, but the eagerness he shows while going into the ship might arise some suspicions in the rest of the team. How can they know he's not leading them into a trap? He lets Keith go for the lion on his own; while it is obvios that it will be densely surrounded by the Sentries. He accompanies Pidge, which feels like a nice motion of heart from a guy who was close with the Holts, but it would also be very easy for him to throw them to the cage with the other prisoners. It is only natural to think he could have been broken, or that he is collaborating with the Galra Empire; they could have promised him freedem, return to his family, whatever he longs for. I mean, WE know that Shiro is on the good side; but why would the others trust him so easily? Pidge is no fool; she knows Shiro was a family friend (sort of), but she also knows that something happened to her father and brother. They are gone while Shiro is not; the natural question for her would be: why? And why is he using his memory loss as an excuse every time she needs information? She's also heard him make light-hearted jokes about his imprisonment. The team also knows he possesses a Galra arm and he seems proficient at using it. Lance seemed suspicious about it; he thought twice before shaking his arm. And yet they follow him blindly... (This motive will be expanded later on.) 37. Ah, convenient alien castle-ship is convenient. 38. "Geez, no pressure". Everybody should want to be Hunk... 39. Voltron would be super awesome if it didn't look like a walking rainbow. 40. Did they seriously think they will be able to go back after just one battle? Even the brightest ones (I'm talking Pidge and Hunk) or the Team Dad seem shocked... Guys, I had faith in you...

Overall, the episode, through being an hour long, feels rushed. There are too many plot holes that are not explained. The idea of everyone getting their lions in one episode feels as if the writers were impatient to start all the Voltron action despite the damage it had done to the whole story. The foundation for the contination seems very shaky, unstable.

[travellingthoughts]

Wednesday 20th of June 2018

The very highly anticipated blog post is here...and it’s brutally honest. This is what happened when I took a chance with a guy on the other side of the world.

Let’s get straight to it. The entire time was filled with spritzer (which is wine with sparkling water and sometimes lemonade), chicken or pork schnitzel with a side of parsley potatoes, and a fuck load of alcohol. Like all day, every day. Add that with really good company and it was a fabulous time. It’s fair to say I left pudgier then I came in which was the only down side but I’ll just get back on my feet when I’m home.

Day 1 consisted of meeting up with Alex and i was so fucking nervous honestly... I rung my best friend and needed her to console me and tell me to calm the fuck down. I don’t know why I was so nervous it’s not like I love the guy. I’m sure he was feeling the same. It had been over a year since we had seen each other and I think I was just nervous that this whole thing was going to be one big regret. I was feeling hungover as fuck because I made the mistake of partying the night before I had to catch a 6am flight (my friends on snapchat are well aware that this is a common occurrence and if you want to be apart of the snapfam add me using elenipilafas) #didjusttakethatopportunity. I had barely any sleep and had a terrible flight. Add that all together and I wasn’t in a great state when I saw him. He took me back to his apartment where I had the chance to freshen myself up and catch some zzz’s all whilst he went back to work. At about 4pm he came home and we waited for his housemate to come home also. I met his friend Berni last year when I met Alex in Madrid. Then we all went for drinks at a shipwreck and went to a fake beach on the Danube to drink some more. Yes... I did just say fake beach and it literally had sand on concrete and, yes this constituted as a “beach” 🤷🏽‍♀️ I guess you do what you have to do when you don’t have a coastline 😂

Day 2 was really chilled. We slept in and rolled around until like 4pm with no regrets. Then we finally got up and went to Stephanplatz and strolled around the city to the Mayors house (which looked like a church tbh however Alex didn’t think so). We went and got schnitzel for dinner #shockhorror1 and then had wine back at the house #shockhorror2. I met his housemates girlfriend and she was lovely but there was a definite language barrier. She barely speaks English and I speak a few basic words of German. She was still gorg though and did make an effort which was lovely of her.

Day 3 was huge and very interesting. We woke up early and strolled around endlessly. 19,500 steps later and my feet were jelly. We went to Shunbrun palace and ate apple strudel and an ice coffee on the hill. It’s a massive palace and with beautiful gardens and a hill with a waterfall. It felt like we walked the entire thing 😂 Then we went out for dinner with some friends of his that I met in Madrid and had lots of laughs. Alex and I continued the night at the Danube river, where there was this massive party with pop-up bars food stalls for kms. We walked all along it, and had cocktails at several bars along the way home. The most interesting part about the whole night was we got into quite possibly the deepest conversation I think we’ve ever had. We spoke about us being together. We discussed every aspect of our love lives but the most intriguing thing he said was that if I was to ever get married he would make sure i would never go through with it. His exact words were “if you ever got married I would run through the back doors and object”. I explained to him that by then, he would had missed his opportunity and that he should have grown some balls way before it got to the actual wedding #savage. It was in this moment that I realised he actually does feel something because he wouldn’t have said anything if this wasn’t the case. I also realised that he isn’t ready to settle anytime soon and neither am I. He’s 26 and I’m 21. Fuck I’ve got so much I want to do in my life, and getting into a relationship anytime soon isn’t on the agenda 😂

The next few days were filled with great memories. We caught a train to Hollern, which is a village where he is from. His entire family is from there and his friends are all there. They are a community of 200 people which was amazing because it’s always refreshing to leave the city and catch some greenery on the countryside. I met his parents and they’re lovely but damn I was nervous. I don’t know why. I guess I just didn’t want them to think that we were together and I didn’t want that kind of pressure on us. I met pretty much his entire village in the two days we stayed there. The minute we arrived we went to the fire station (which honestly should just be called a bar because every time we went there we drank an endless supply of alcohol😂). I was introduced to spritzer and we had a couple of glasses before we jumped in the fire truck for a drive to a field for the boys to practice their drills. The Hollern firefighter department were competing in a competition where they do their drills. Several villages close by participate and it’s this huge opportunity to get drunk. Whilst the firefighter boys were hard at work, I ate fries and schnitzel sandwiches and drank wine all day long in the sun with his friends. I got really burnt whilst doing so and it was great 😂 Then for the sole purpose of getting slaughtered, his entire village/friendship group went to a party in the next village ever called Pachfurth (not pronounced Patch fourth apparently 🤷🏽‍♀️). We laughed all day long and they wouldn’t let me drink water. I literally secretly tried to fill my glass with water and someone caught me and was like “Eleni what’s in your glass?” and I not only was caught red handed, but was made to skull a drink to make up for my sins *secretly loved every minute of it*. It was just a jolly good time tbh and his friends were telling Alex that I fit into the group and village really well and that made me happy that they felt the way I did. They were also calling his father over and telling him that his going to be my father-in-law and honestly all I could do was laugh because by this stage I was at least 6 glasses of wine and an uncountable amount of spritzer in. The gin and tonic right at the end put me in a state far beyond sober. Couldn’t tell you how we got home but I woke up at Alex’s parents house and Alex was feeling as shit as I was. This brings me to day 5. I was certainly hungover but functioning after the previous day of craziness. His mum had made this amazing cherry sponge cake thing and she made me a coffee and we all sat outside in the sun drinking coffee and reminiscing on the day before. Then his mum made us lunch all whilst Alex and I went for a bike ride along Hollern which was beautiful. The bike was too big for me and I swear Alex laughed the entire time at me and my shakiness. That afternoon, we went back to the firefighters department to drink more spritzer (told you...should just be a bar 😷🤷🏽‍♀️) and then made our way to a few villages over called Hainburg or something where we had dessert and went to the top of a mountain where you could see Bratislava in Slovakia. In this village there is a street called “blood street” (not its name in German) where there are slashes of knives on the walls that mark where Turkish soldiers slaughtered civilians trying to escape hundreds of years ago. Then we made our way back to the fire department for Schnapps testing and then to dinner in a village close by. I said goodbye to all of his amazing friends and we caught a train back to his apartment in Vienna.

On day 6 I woke up fresh as a daisy and went to the gym. Alex went to work in the morning but came back from work to take me to the train station and see me off. He told me he hates goodbyes but I said to him that it’s not a goodbye, it’s a “I’ll see you again”.

He looked after me really well, always making sure I was okay and happy. However in terms of emotions, they were non-existent in both ends and I’m happy with that. There weren’t sparks if that’s a good way to put it. To begin with, the whole experience felt confusing because one minute he was being cute and then the next minute wasn’t. By about day 3 I had shut off emotionally because I don’t deal well with not knowing where I stand. The chat on the beach that night also did it for me. I guess that’s why I haven’t written about it yet, because I actually didn’t know what to write. I called my best friend at the airport when I left Vienna and was literally speechless like how the fuck am I meant to feel?! It’s taken some time of reflection and realisation to get some words together to actually put my feelings on paper. I’m sorry to say, but there is no love story or a never-coming-home-from-Europe kind of plot twist. I think this whole experience has made me realise that I don’t want with anyone but myself right now and I’m more then fine with that. It also taught me that you may as well take chances and risks in life because it will always teach you something in the end. And for me personally, it was a really positive experience and outcome. I had an absolute blast and the highlight was definitely his village and all the beautiful people I met there. They loved me and I loved them. I feel very warm towards the entire experience, from meeting him and his friends last year to creating more memories this year. I got the opportunity to get to know him really well and spend quality time together for a solid 6 days. I’m so very lucky to have Alex and his friends as my friends on the other side of the world. And just like that, I’m signing off.

Until the next post,

Len x