#and i thrive on people telling me i did a good job on something

[radical-rapscallion]

sighhh i'm just glad i don't have to make supper tonight

[kalki-tarot]

Love & Career in 2024 🖤🍷💸

@kalki-tarot

I'll be using tarot cards and my own intuition so it may not resonate with everyone. Keep in mind that this reading is purely for entertainment purposes so be mindful of your own actions and choices. I'm not responsible for any decisions you make on behalf of my readings.

Pick a pile masterlist 🖤

Pile 01

8 wands, 6 wands, page of swords, queen of swords, knight of pentacles

Hello beautiful souls 💓

Let's talk about your career first. I'm seeing you getting praised or popular very fastly. If you're manifesting something career related then it's your sign it's gonna enter your life soon! You'll get a promotion at your workplace and if you're still studying then I'm seeing you're gonna be the top student of your class. Everyone will praise you and you'll be in Everyone's talks and gossips about how did you achieve it.

If some things got stuck or stagnant then a change is coming soon. All this stagnant energy will flow away and new creative and inspiring energy will lead you towards success my dear pile 1. Don't worry just be consistent and your efforts will be recognized and appreciated very soon.

New ideas will be put into action or will be manifested in reality. If you wanna start a new course then it's the right time to do so. I'm seeing communication for you too. You'll get new opportunities and will make new contacts and connections in your work life which will help you alot leveling up more.

Your overall energy is the Queen of swords which tells me that this year, you'll just focus on your goals and won't spend too much time thinking about the bs. Your plans would be clear cut and will be put into action. I'm not seeing you procrastinating or smth like that. It's a very fast, quick and easy going energy, but stable throughout.

New opportunities on the way! I'm seeing you getting a job letter or something like that. If you're struggling with getting a job then an opportunity is out there in 2024! So be ready ♡

2 wands, 8 wands, 9 pentacles, Temperance, 6 swords, 9 swords ( 5 pentacles, the devil, 4 pentacles, the moon, 5 swords)

Woah! You know what pile 1, we need to let go of some things before before it's too late. We need to let go of things even if it hurts only for our own good. The bad or good news is I'm seeing you breaking up or finally letting go of a toxic relationship or love. You've held it in for so long and in 2024, I'm seeing you releasing all of that. It's better to leave than being left out in the cold, right?

2024 is the year of a fresh start and ending the cycles. It's the year to relax and heal. It's great that you're walking away from such people. I know it takes a lot of strength and courage to do that and you have the guts to leave someone so toxic and unhealthy for you. I'm not necessarily seeing someone new entering in your life. I'm seeing YOU, choosing to walk away from this situation.

You'll know that the grass is greener on the other side. You'll explore new things in love. Maybe go on a few dates? By the end of 2024, you'll be balanced spiritually and physically. You'll be properly healed and you'll discover much more about yourself rather than other people. It's necessary to know ourselves before trying to understand some one else. That's it for you, please reblog this post if you liked it. Thanks ♡

Pile 02

3 of swords, page of pentacles, ace of swords, 6 of wands, the devil, 8 of wands

Career wise, Things may get a little rocky for you this year. But don't worry, with extra caution and mindfulness you'll be able to thrive through this. The advice I'm getting for is to not take any shortcuts for success to come fast, as it'll only result in your own downfall.

Be careful of people who look very nice and popular as they're not what they seem from their outer side. Just focus on grabbing opportunities and working truthfully for yourself and your loved ones. Your creative energy would be at peak this year, it's time for you to realize your potential and work with it next year.

Your 2024 is the year to hustle hard so be dedicated to your work/study. Lot's of success will be at your door if you don't fall into any traps.

Knight of cups, wheel of fortune, 9 of pentacles, 4 of pentacles, the hermit, 7 of wands ( 9 swords & 8 pentacles )

Wow babe! You've done lots of healing and lot's of self care in 2023! And now it's the time for love finally coming into your life through divine intervention in 2024. As we have the wheel of fortune here, I'm seeing You've finally let go of the old cycles and karmic patterns.

The old thinking patterns and attachment wounds will be healed. You'll fight your way through this very powerfully. You've done a lot of self introspection and self discovery in 2023.

You are one step ahead of pile 1, you're asked to just go with flow and let the universe guide you through the vast ocean of sadness to the never ending love. A romantic, water sign energy may approach you with love 👀 next year. Abundance and clarity will flow through just don't complex your emotions any more. Trust your intuition and let it guide you.

That's it! Pile 2 ♡ If this helped you a little bit please comment and reblog xoxo

Pile 03

The magician, Temperanc, ace of wands, 8 wands, ace of cups, the fool (king of cups)

The year 2024 will bring you lots of emotional satisfaction in terms of your career. You would be a successful person, but with the right actions and decisions. Create a path for yourself and walk on it. You should have the desire amd commitment if you wanna achieve something in life.

In 2024, there is a need for you to have a clear mindset snd step wise approach. Do everything in a proper balance. Good things take time to manifest. Your dedication and ability to stay composed under pressure will help you stand out.

Whatever you're thinking about, go for it. Just "go for it", don't think too much if that gives you happiness. Whether you've been thinking about launching a project or reaching out to a new networking connection, 2024 is the time.

Next year would be an year of swift progress and rapid growth. Everything will seem so fast and would gain momentum. You may even travel for work.

Something would be headed your way in your professional life, whether that's a new job, a new responsibility within your current role, or even a new business partner or connection, a new and promising path may be opening up.

You'll overall enjoy this year in terms of your professional or career life.

10 swords, 2 of wands, knight of pentacles, 5 of pentacles, queen of swords, 5 of wands, the tower ( 9 swords, 7 cups, magician )

Listen pile 3, to be honest 2024 would be rocky for you, you know. I channeled that you should not go alone in clubs or pubs or take any drinks with strangers. Be careful guys.

For some of you I'm getting that you guys are just staying single this year and focusing more on your self growth and options in love. You may solo travel or go on solo dates. You know loving yourself and all.

You may actually reach out to a therapist if your experiences were not so good in love before. If not, then I'm seeing you reaching out for yourself, my love. You're giving yourself the love and warmth you've never received from anyone else. You're now, not letting bs people get into your life and make a hell out of it. You're tryna stay healthy and happy.

For some of you, there's an advice of manifesting new love in your life. Get into that mindset. List down all the qualities you want in a partner and visualizing would also help you.

I'm seeing a divorce for some of you, or even a legal matter that involves a person you once loved. They probably lied and deceived you. You may fight for yourself in the court this year. Sending Lots of hugs and love to you dear if this is happening to you. Stay strong and you'll be more blessed. 💓✨️

[burntb4bydoll]

I need so bad some Tokio Hotel member with a shy reader frrr, like she being shy and they being sweet, that's some hot shit.

Im actually pretty shy myself irl🤞dont be in my comments calling this cringe either, i think its so annoying when people shit on other people for wanting shy reader fics. it literally makes no sense to me because if you dont like it then dont read it🥰

Tokio Hotel with a shy s/o headcanons (slightly NSFW)

Bill kaulitz

•he can be a little shy himself, but for the most part hes pretty extroverted

•definitely makes sure that the attention is on him instead of you. He’ll make a fool out of himself if he needs to

•thinks its so damn cute when you get all shy and flustered when he compliments you. The shy smile on your face is his favorite thing in the world

•he will totally tease you about it too. The way you hide your face in his shirt makes him smirk so hard

• “aww its okay, sweetheart. No need to get all shy.” And he says that in the most teasing voice ever while stroking your hair

•loves when you can barely look him in the eyes, he thinks the way you get so nervous just because hes looking at you is very endearing

•makes you look into his eyes while he gives you head😇 if you look away, he slaps your thigh lightly and raises his eyebrow at you until you can hold eye contact with him

Tom Kaulitz

•omg hes such a little tease about it

•he always brings up when you get flustered or embarrassed

• “whats wrong, baby? You getting all shy on me?” LIKE STFU YES I AM

•hes a big attention grabber when you go out in public due to being famous and also being a attractive guy with good fashion sense, but he tries to distract you so that you dont get uncomfortable

•points out random things and just talks about random things to make you stop thinking about all the eyes on you

•will fight anyone who makes you feel bad about being shy. It’s completely normal and okay to be shy and he won’t let anyone tell you otherwise

•you get so embarrassed cuz you get all teary and needy when he fucks you. So he makes sure you know how good you’re doing 🤭

“It’s alright, you’re doing such a good job for me baby. My pretty little slut, hm?”

Georg Listing

•lord he is THRIVING

•strong believer that he would love a shy s/o

•he finds your bashfulness extremely refreshing and adorable. I think overly confident people would kinda annoy him so he likes that you’re humble and keep to yourself

•loves to give you random compliments just to see your eyes go wide and your hands come up to cover your face

•he pulls your hands away and tilts his head at you, trying to get you to look at him

“What’s wrong, babydoll? All I did was call you pretty. It that too much for you?”

• if you get too nervous to talk to workers or order your own food, he 100% does it for you

•he will make you use your words if you want something, because he knows how embarrassed you get and he thinks its so hot.

“Come on, you know you gotta use your words if you want something. Just tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you.” So you gotta tell him when you want him to fuck you or else he’ll pretend like he doesn’t know what you want cuz hes an asshole🙄

Gustav Schäfer

•tbh he doesn’t really know how to help you at the beginning of your relationship

•he sees you getting embarrassed and just awkwardly rubs your back😭 HES CONFUSED LEAVE HIM ALONE

•but once he gets more comfortable, he knows what to do to help you feel better

•likes when you hide in his side or hide your face in his arm, it makes him feel important😇

•doesn’t even ask if you want him to order your food for you, he does it on his own. He’ll ask you what you want before its time to order so that he doesn’t have to ask you mid order

•HATES when people laugh at you for being shy. A lot of jealous fans like to make fun of you but he always makes sure to tell them off. No one talks bad about his s/o, he doesn’t care if they’re “fans” or not.

•he’ll always make sure you’re comfortable during sex, he would hate if you felt like you couldn’t tell him what you do and dont want

“Is this okay? I know you get shy, but I need to know what you want, honey. You want my fingers? Thank you for telling me, such a good girl/boy/baby.”

[leah-lover]

Good chaos. Mary earps x pundit reader.

Mary spoils her relationship with reader on air.

Ever since you were a kid you loved talking. You started doing it from a very young age. 

you found your comfort in having conversations. Whether it was about the weather, a movie, gossip, or deep concepts you thrived. When you got older you discovered theater, and fell in love with the stage. Cameras and audiences never frightened you. 

Heading into college you chose media as a degree and you were expelled at it which landed you a job in the best company in British television, the BBC. of course your beauty helped in the process but they assured that they cared more about your thoughts and talent of capturing attention and holding meaningful conversation. You started your career by doing interviews on red carpets, and hosting a few talk shows. Your audience grew quickly and you found yourself a household name for half a year, which was unheard of. 

After a few years you grew tired of the facknes od the Hollywood scene but you still loved your job so you decided to change the scenery and go to sports. The change was radical and brought about many questions from your fans. But they stuck by you. You brought a new following to the sport you chose which was women’s football.

Women’s football was on the rise and you saw an opportunity to change the field. 

The WSL felt like the home you needed. The fans of the sport, the atmosphere and the message it transpired was very much up your alley. The thing that helped you feel more at home was the queerness of the game, and the acceptance of the people,  something you have been longing for.

It has now been 8 years since you joined BBC sports. Like many predicted you had a huge following across all the platfomùs, you have won awards and presented many to other people. 

Everybody loved to be interviewed by you. 

Tonight was a special night, it was the last leg of the Olympic qualifying. You as usual were a part of the team that covered the Lionesses games. 

The game was nothing short of exhilarating, after a tough 120 minutes the Egland girls made it to the olympics. Screams and cheers erupted as wembley. The most notable person people were cheering for was Mary Earps , the exceptional goalkeepers or as you have her in your contacts by, lovely girlfriend. 

Mary was protective, she wanted to keep your relationship a secret to protect your career and you as a person. 

You were beyond proud of her, and she was proud of herself too which you described in the sideline interview you did with her.

“ So Mary, that was a stunning performance by you , player of the match, tell me what you think.?” i asked 

“ I think the girls did a wonderful job, cheering the midfield for distributing good balls, the forwards did a fantastic job finishing, and obviously my defender who battled with me today. '' she replied shouting.

“ Well I am most excited for this years’ Olympic games. The competition is very heated. What are your thoughts about that?” 

“ i am looking forward to playing in the olympics, aiming for gold, and having you there as my good luck omen.” 

“ wheel I will make sure to be there all the way.” 

Before leaving she gave you a kiss on the cheek and her hand lingered a little too long on your ass. 

While Mary left to do press conference duties and leave for your home in Manchester, you stayed in London doing some post production work and you undecided to go party with your team after. 

The night was fun, you took a 4 Am flight after and opened your front door around  9 am. It was Mary and your off day so she decided to sleep in. 

“ Good morning my love.” you said kissing her temple, and passing your fingers along her face softly. Without hesitation she picked you up and threw you in the bed next to her. Giggling you kisses her softly again, and again, and again. 

“ So proud of you baby. I love you so much.” 

“ I missed you. I wanted to celebrate with you yesterday. I miss your beautiful body so much.”

“ and my ass.Speaking of my ass, I need to check mùy phone.” 

You moved from Mary’s group which earned you a groan. you then put your phone in the charger and set it on. 

Your phone almost exploded when you opened it. Your notifications were crazy. You Clicked on the first one which was tweet

“ holy shit Mary is for the girls, holy shit she is an ass girl.” under the tweet was snap pon the moment mary kissed you with her hand on your ass. 

“ holy fuck Mary, i think we have been exposed.” you say to here. 

You both looked at the tweets for a little bit. All of the ones you saw were positive and surprising. 

“ Well you have a very good ass baby.” she said. You smack her hand as a response. 

“It was time for people to know that you and your ass are mine now get back into bed so that you can reward me for yesterday.” she added.

“ I have to tweet This first.” you said

“ proud of my goalkeeper. Proud of my girlfriend.” you wrote. 

“ Now let the chaos begin while I create chaos between your legs,” you say to Mary. 

[bidisasterevankinard]

What is your opinion about the vertigo poster that Tim posted? People are saying that is a confirmation of Buck being in love with Eddie…

Im really tired about all the “will they, won’t they” and I love Lou and Tommy/Buck relationship, do you think Lou will come back for season 8 or are you of the opinion that they’ll break up on the finale?

Idk the meaning of Vertigo(tell me). But the things I know:

People was talking about "this detail"(I can name like 5 right now without thinking much) says what buddie will happen. But it never happened

Ryan literally called Eddie HETEROSEXUAL. which means now no one sees him as queer and nothing like that will happen. Especially while he still deals with Shannon and her ghost, if ever. All the talks "but Tommy/Eddie was in plan means Eddie is queer" miss the point it was on the same stage of planning as Maddie/Eddie before 2x1. They had idea, they looked at their story, talked with actors and said "no, It's not what we will do" and dropped it. So now people need to understand that in canon creators see Eddie as hetero. Ryan sees him as hetero and Tim really respects and listens to opinion of his actors about their characters (I still hc Eddie demi btw, but people need to understand hc and canon is different things and I respect Ryan's opinion)

Ryan also said it was important for him and Oliver to play how queer man comes out to his straight friend and nothing between them change. It was important for him to play it to the situation he had with his close friend to show that men can stay close as before even if one of them comes out

Lou said bucktommy are thriving during what seem like 7x9/10 shooting

Tim called bucktommy rom-com and rom-com couple stays happy together in finale

Oliver is excited about exploring bucktommy's relationship and said it exciting to work with Lou and he hopes to get to know him

Both Ryan and Oliver told that they want to show that men can be close and vulnerable how buddie are without any feelings involved

Oliver said he doesn't want the situation where queer guy comes out and it means he's in love with his best friend

Lou till yesterday was not active in cameo which means he more likely was shooting and they kept it secret bc it can be spoiling. I can't see Buck's good and exciting coming out story, when he's so smitten, end with break up in the finale

Also, bucktommy kissed right after Bobby's wedding speech, right after madney's kiss with the love song which soooooo deep connected to madney's love story still playing. They could drop the music, not show the kiss, but they did. To show the point that Buck and Tommy are falling for each other step by step. And Tommy is the one calling Buck 'Evan' and it was confirmed important(and that Lou was instructed not to call him Buck) in they way that Buck loves how Tommy calls him that and to point out how different Tommy is. Which means that they plan to leave Tommy as long term. At least try to and gather reaction from ALL the fans, not just buddie fans

Also. It's season 7. And all the seasons Buck tries to find stability in love life, settle down. And it starts to get boring and painful to see how 911 use him to bad love stories and arcs. The last season started with him trying to prove he can be good captain eventually and Bobby tells him he needs to gather some more experience and settle down at ease, before he will be ready. And it's actually time for Buck to settle down. And Tommy can be it. Person who likes him, who respects him, who runs to him, who chooses him. Buck can settle down with Tommy and be finally at ease with love and look at what else life has for him. New hobbies, new possibilities in job(not even become a captain, but for example lieutenant as somehow our show doesn't have it, they might think about adding it. Or become mechanic. Or something), new friends even

So, I'm pretty positive this poster means nothing more than Tim appreciated the, as I know fan's work(correct me if I'm wrong), and Bucktommy and Lou are here to stay and people should get use to it

[queerweewoo]

100% in the Buddie Team Switch tent over here btw bc these bastards are honestly just far too complex to ever be anything else imo. like Buck with his praise kink, all somebody please tell me i did good as i wasn't told this growing up by the people who were supposed to say it to me and it changed my brain chemistry by denying me of positive affirmations and molded me into a pliable thing that cannot help but take any shape others want me to so i just need need need you to please please tell me that i did good and that i am good and please will you help me to believe that i am as good as you're telling me i am by holding me down and forcing me to take all of you into all of me until I'm fucking convulsing with just how good it feels and how good i am at it, and bc i now know for sure how much you love it too as you're saying it out loud to me, over and over and over again... and Eddie, with absolutely everything in his life (outside of work) feeling so very out of his control and needing to gain some of it back by crushing Buck with his body weight and telling Buck exactly what it is he should be doing and precisely how to do it and have Buck whining and keening with how desperate he is to comply bc Buck has complete trust in Eddie, in Eddie's ability to make the right decision for whatever it is Buck needs, for what they both need, and having that allows Eddie to have the courage in his convictions that he often struggles to have outside of the(ir) bedroom when it comes to his emotions and that just feels so good to Eddie, to be doing it right, to be the one making Buck feel good, so good, and to actually be taking—for once in his life—what it is that he wants and allowing himself to have the things he desires, to have Buck, all for himself, because that is what feels good to him... but then there are those other times in Eddie's life that he has had to and has to be a sure and steady hand, a reliable go-to, be totally unshakeable and unbreakable and in charge of making decisions that affect countless people's lives—victims of war, those he tries his best to serve and save on calls, colleagues, friends, the people he cares for and those he loves the most in his life—and it's, well. it's A Lot. so much, actually, that Eddie sometimes needs to turn it off and just let it all go and allow somebody else take over and tell him what to do and when to do it bc he just needs to not think about it anymore, to not think at all, needs to just be a vessel for somebody else's decisions and desires and put his trust wholly in somebody else, in Buck, bc he doesn't always trust himself but Buck knows Eddie so well and so completely and understands what Eddie needs to get out of his own head and just have somebody tell him (outside of his job) that he did good for once, that he can get matters of the heart right instead of always wrong wrong wrong and have Buck tell him that yes, of course he's good for something, good for this, good for splaying himself wide open and taking everything he is given by Buck... and then there's the whole Buck (outside of work) having zero fucking clue of what he's doing and even tho he is trying his very best all of the time he's getting it wrong A Lot of the time, bc his best isn't always good enough so he has to try harder but then he's trying too hard, too much, which means he still isn't getting it right. and so to be able to be the one in charge of things and have his will and instruction be absolutely the right thing? the very thing that Eddie needs? that's such a heady experience, such a rush, and when he makes Eddie beg and cry with it and Eddie loves loves loves Buck for it—loves Buck for telling him how it should be and for Buck insisting on what he's giving being what Eddie deserves—that is Buck living and thriving and loving loving loving Eddie right back, with all the plundering depth that he has in him and can give and is... and that, all of that, is just. how it is. every facet of it; every logistic; every angle; every way and any way you look at it; every (s)which way.

[homunculus-argument]

Character-concept: A post-apocalyptic clown.

He was never literally a clown, maybe a comedian of some sort. There wasn not much work for full-time stand-up comedians before The End, so he was scraping by with whatever odd jobs he was able to do. Not skilled in anything survival-related, he scraped by just as poorly as most other survivors would, staying alive by being clever but mostly by sheer dumb luck.

Bumping into a more competent, organised group of survivors, he asks if he can join - he doesn't have any relevant skills but he's got two working hands and he's willing to learn.

"What did you do for a living before all this?" "I was a comedian." "We don't have need for a clown." "Well I'm good at doing that and I'm bad at sucking dick, I'm sure you've got use for one or the other. Come on, I could do laundry or mend clothes or something. You could use that, don't tell me you don't - you guys look worse than you smell and that's saying something."

The group's leader, who fortunately happened to be present, considers this. There is a need for someone who would do the vital tasks that everyone else in the group has deemed "undignified", and there has been tensions in the gang about how to make someone do it. He is allowed in.

And he settles in, doing the odd jobs that he'll do badly, but it's better than nobody doing them at all. But what he's good at doing is keeping an eye on people, reading the room, spotting when things are getting tense. And incapable of resisting the urge to do what he does best - what he was born to do - he'll crack a joke or make a remark about whatever the group is just about to start fighting about. At first, he's just told to shut the fuck up. But someone does admit that it was kind of funny.

They start to pause and listen when he opens his mouth. Not because whatever he has to say would be useful to the situation, but it might still be worth the laugh. As they get to know each other, the others start asking him about his Life Before. People like hearing stories about the Life Before, and he always has some funny one to tell, and a masterful way of delivering it.

He gets better at the odd jobs he's assigned to do, and occasionally the others join him to help, just to be around him and hearing him talk. Their fights over The Work That Nobody Wants To Do have eased, not just because of him doing it all, but because making somebody do them is no longer a matter of honour.

Though he doesn't join them on missions, the gang works better together - sharing a laugh with each other helps them to trust and like each other, instead of simply grimly relying on each other as the only way to survive. On their bonfires at night, they no longer simply sit in silence - if there's nothing important to discuss, someone will say "hey clown, tell us a bit", and he gladly does.

They don't thrive - nobody does in an apocalypse - but they do better than the bands of survivors who have nothing but bleak survival to share. He doesn't bring in the meals he eats, but as much as the gang might be reluctant to admit it, it's vital to their survival to have a clown.

[distracted-and-diffused]

On streaming and cancellation

Wanted to get a bit off my chest about the Dead Boy Detectives cancellation and the state of television today, so this is going to be a bit of a ramble/rant.

I know that Dead Boy Detectives cannot have been the cheapest or least challenging show to film in the Netflix Originals lineup. I am very grateful that Netflix picked it up in the first place, because the alternative seems to have been that it would have quietly moldered after having been dropped by HBO.

And I know that the realities and financials of the business of television are very different now than they have been in the past. I’m pretty sure they’re a black box to most people now, because Netflix sure isn’t sharing the fine details of how they are making those financial decisions, and their only real important metric seems to be “subscription number goes up.”

But I’m so exhausted by this current model, which seems to launch fans into the “bargaining” mode of grieving by default, even before the show gets cancelled.

As a fan, I should not be worried about whether I found and started watching the show quickly enough, or whether I should have watched more of it sooner. (I think my first watch-through ended just within that first month).

As a fan, I should not be worried about whether I posted enough, or did enough to evangelize about the show. (I like talking about stuff that I like, but I am personally uncomfortable with evangelizing about anything.)

As a fan, it is not my job to be an influencer, or the unpaid wing of Netflix’s marketing department. (And if I was going to be, oh, I have so many ideas about improvements they could make… but those improvements would probably exceed their modest in-house marketing budget. And again, not my job.)

As a fan, my only job is to love the show, and I do, and I did. So, so much. (I made it through nearly six complete rewatches; I was halfway through episode six again when I heard the news — and that’s not me putting on the show in the background, that’s actively watching each time — and they should know that from the number of times I rewound certain scenes. I had to stop putting it on while I was cooking because I kept missing parts I wanted to see more closely.)

And I know that as much as I loved this show, there are so many other fans out there who loved it that much more.

---

So it’s disheartening to hear that the show supposedly didn’t have the numbers or the engagement, but it’s also disheartening to see fans feel like this is something we could have prevented. Because I’m pretty sure we couldn’t.

Netflix doesn’t want to see that the show is critically acclaimed (it is!), or that people who like it really like it (they do!). The fact that it’s really good is great, but at the end of the day they’re not that interested.

They want to know that it’s something that will gain them subscribers. They want to see that it’s a sure thing that will make them back their money. (And this sentiment is not exclusive to Netflix, of course; any streamer, any studio has the same concerns at this point.)

And Season Two would probably cost more than Season One. Honestly, if we had gotten a Season Two I would have wanted them to give a bit more time and money to Season Two than Season One, because as great as it was, I feel like I could see places where the show was held back from being even better.

---

There’s nothing that I can do, as a fan, to let Netflix know that Dead Boy Detectives Season Two would have been a sure thing that would absolutely make them back their money. All I could have done is to go on loving the show, and telling other people about how much I love the show, and I think in time it absolutely would have found a wider audience of people who loved it.

Netflix used to be one of those companies that thrived (or at least, claimed to thrive) on the long tail, on people discovering the things that they loved and spoke specifically to them (maybe long after they were made), over and over and over again. It’s not that anymore. And I’m not even sure that the execs have ever thought of the Netflix Originals in that context.

And that’s sad for us, but it’s also sad for them, because here’s the thing:

We’re now in a climate where all of the major streamers are raising rates while also trying to maintain their user base. And that makes sense, from a certain point of view — content, licensed or in-house — is ultimately expensive. At the same time, everyone wants subscriber counts to go up, even as they start to reach saturation.

So then we start hearing streamers bemoaning churn — people signing up for a few months and then cancelling, and then coming back months or a year later to sign up for a few months again. That’s not steady or reliable income. And every time you lose someone to a cancellation, there’s a chance that they might find something else to occupy their time (could be another streaming service, could be their DVD collection, or woodworking), and they might take longer the next time to come back. Or they might not come back at all.

---

And to me, if you want a steady user base, then you want people that want to rewatch your content. You want people to find their comfort shows. You want people to find things that they don’t just like, but love, and especially to have confidence that you can offer them those things, and that you will help them find them.

But that’s just me, and I’m feeling old and tired now. I’m one of those people who can’t afford to spend more on streaming and who doesn’t like ads, and is eyeing my subscription change at the end of the month now that Basic is going away.

[lemotmo]

Interesting question and super interesting answer. Spot on regarding lots of people's feelings towards Lou.

Q. I want to first say thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, I know many of them have not been nice. I'm glad you've started answering more nice ones, it's good for everyone to see. You've said you liked Tommy a lot in the beginning, is it possible that your changing opinions about Tommy are actually a result of you not liking Lou? More than the show changing Tommy? Does that make sense? I am genuinely curious, please tell me this is not coming across as rude!

A. Good morning, anon. No, your question did not come across rude at all. In fact it's a good question and one I am happy to answer. Before I get into the answer about Tommy though, I will address the Lou part. I have made no secret about my dislike for LFJ. I personally find him gross. And I will fully own that, as a result, loving Tommy would be rather difficult for me. But in my real life it's my job to sell shit to people and make them think they love or need something they don't (PR) so I could make my brain get there if I really needed it to get there for the sake of the show. But fortunately for me I won't need to do that.

A couple of things happened with regards to Lou that prior to him the show had never had to deal with before. Forgive me, but my public relations nerd brain is about to take over. Lou is the first guest star the show ever had that publicly and rapidly promoted themselves as a characters' love interest. None of the others have ever done that before. But he didn't market himself to the audience at large. He targeted a very specific portion of fandom to promote himself to, engage with, and profit from. I'm going to take this opportunity to point out that the minute Tim/ABC told him he could no longer do the cameo videos, thus removing his profiting capabilities, he ended all forms of engagement completely. That tells you all you need to know. For this next part I'm going to use Megan West (Taylor Kelly) as my counterpoint. Taylor was popular with the general audience. The fandom hated Taylor (and Oliver wasn't a fan either, bless him), but the general audience liked her. It's why the show kept trying to make her work for multiple seasons. The GA liked her dynamic with Buck. The GA didn't 'turn' on Taylor until the show started her exit storyline and they weren't supposed to like her anymore. Same thing with Tommy. I think my opinion of Tommy changed exactly when the show wanted it to change. I followed the canon change. The general audience doesn't care about Tommy. Having a small, yet rabid, fan base is good for minimal short term traction, but the GA is what extends contracts. He didn't promote himself to the GA because he already knew the shelf life of his character. He knew the storyline that his character is a part of wasn't going to change. As a result he promoted himself to a particular sect of fandom to maximize his character's minimal self life. And it worked, for a little bit.

The show was not promoting him. He did a couple of interviews right after episode 4, but any actor playing that character would have been given those interviews. That had zero to do with Lou. And, unfortunately for him, and those of us who had to read them, the man's a terrible interview. He has no filter, no self editing capabilities, and zero PR training. It was a disaster. Even the people responsible for editing them into something resembling coherence struggled to make them work. They sent him on one joint interview with Oliver, an actual PR unicorn (he should teach a class), and the only thing Lou was allowed to say about the show was that Tommy and Buck were 'thriving' (interesting word choice given his one scene in the finale, btw). It also cannot be ignored that Oliver chose not to speak at all about the onscreen duo. The rest of Lou's time was spent talking about his dad, which is what the two people interviewing him clearly wanted to talk more about anyway. Oliver was who the show sent to talk about the show. They weren't promoting the ship. The interviewers would have been given very specific questions to ask if it had been about the duo. ABC didn't want Lou talking about the show. He had already proven he wasn't capable of doing so with any kind of tact. It also became apparent that he and Oliver are not comfortable with one another. Oliver tried very briefly to sell it a bit, but he didn't try very long or very hard. I know Lou's fandom thought it was perfect, but based on everything non Lou biased we saw, they were in the minority. And the show clearly didn't think it worked either because you never saw them again. The show has been doing PR since the finale. If they wanted to drum up Buck/Tommy they would have been using at least part of this time to do so, and they haven't. The release of the deleted clip was the opposite of bigging him up and the reaction from the general audience as well as his own fans proves that. The off-season PR has been entirely Ryan/Eddie centered. Which also was when Ryan's gender neutral musings also began, but I digress. The show had never encountered the game Lou played before and as a result they had no rules and regulations in place regarding guest star behavior. They have clearly established some rules now and Lou has been instructed to follow them. I'm also certain somewhere in there he was informed of his final episode count so he knows exactly when he's leaving. And while the cameo videos were great for him personally, in the short term, that rabid devotion was going to change quickly once it becomes apparent on screen that Tommy's arc is nearing its end. And I don't think he will be around longer than 3 or 4 episodes. I think his arc will conclude around the same time Gerard's arc concludes. I do not think the two will necessarily be connected but I do think they will come to a conclusion around the same time.

I'm so sorry anon but he drives my professional brain insane. And now as a result of his own hubris the show is now trying to clean up a mess he had no right to ever start.

I don't know what to write underneath these glorious posts anymore. Each and every single OP post just slay. This one isn't the exception.

Thank you OP for so eloquently putting into words what all of us have been trying to explain for weeks now.

Remember, no hate in comments or reblogs. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of the anonymous OP’s posts, you can find all of their posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[navybrat817]

It's a Ginger Thing

Pairing: Soft Dark!Nick Fowler x Female Reader Summary: Feeling a bit stir crazy from your daily routine, you share an idea with Nick that may be good for the other wives. Word Count: Over 1.5k Warnings: Implied smut, noncon/dubcon elements (you have been warned), gaps in memory, gaslighting, coercion, creepy vibes, Nick Fowler (yep, he's a warning) A/N: Nick and Ginger's Intro for my Disturbia AU! ❤️ Beta read by the lovely @whisperlullaby, but any and all mistakes are my own. Divider by the talented @firefly-graphics. Please follow @navybrat817-sideblog for new fics and notifications. Comments, reblogs, feedback are loved and appreciated!

Nick took you to the gym at the same time each day before he went to work. Exercising was your favorite part of your daily routine. It gave you a chance to get out of the house, stay in shape, and have some time with your husband before he went on his way and you got to work on your chores. It was also a good way to get some of your frustrations out of your system, which you could only do so much through cleaning.

A good wife keeps a tidy home for her husband.

You pinched the bridge of your nose as you stopped in mid stretch. It was difficult to pinpoint why you weren’t overly fond of cleaning. It wasn’t that you didn’t like a put together home and you would never look down on anyone who thrived on being a stay-at-home spouse. But it wasn’t a way for you to flourish. It was as if one day you just decided to give up on your wants without a second thought.

What did I want to do before we moved to The Haven? I had goals, didn’t I? Ambition?

You sometimes liked to imagine that you wanted something more beyond the duties of a housewife. Something exciting or a job that could help people in some way. It was possible to support Nick in the ways he needed while having something of our own. Was that too much to ask?

Yes. Because Nick helps so many with his job, along with taking care of me. Supporting him should be enough.

“What’s wrong?” Nick asked when you quickly finished stretching.

“Nothing,” you said, putting your hands on your hips as his bright blue eyes focused on you. Seeing him in his workout clothes, the taut muscles defined through the fabric, made it difficult to concentrate. “Just don’t really think I’m up for doing any housework today.”

“Your head bothering you?” he asked, taking a sip of water with an unwavering gaze.

Nick was a little different from some of the men you knew in the neighborhood. From what you observed, Steve ruled his home with an iron fist and he expected Cherry to fall in line. You had to bite back a retort more than once when you saw how he treated her, especially since she was so kind. Scott was one of the nicest guys on the block, but traditional in that he expected Rose to find fulfillment as a homemaker and future mother. Andy and Ruby, you still weren’t quite sure how they fit together, but they at least seemed happy.

But Nick? It didn’t bother him if you skipped cooking one night to order takeout or if you let laundry go for a day. The last time you snapped at him to put his own plate in the dishwasher, he laughed and bent you over the kitchen table until you were a drooling mess. All while telling you he loved the fire inside you. Because at the end of the day, he wanted you by his side and in his bed.

That was the only true rule he enforced: Don’t ever leave him.

And why would I? Nick Fowler is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with.

“I think you went away there for a second,” he said.

“Sorry. Guess my head is bothering me,” you replied, graciously accepting the other bottle as he handed it over.

You never expected to crave fruit infused water, but it soothed the aches in your body. You once asked if he put muscle relaxers or something in your drinks since you always seemed to feel better once you had them. He said “yes” with the most serious expression before he winked. And you promptly dumped your drink out. He had to make them in front of you for a week straight before you took them again without question. It didn’t matter that it was a joke to him because you took it seriously.

Nick wouldn’t hurt me though. He loves me with his entire being.

“So, I was thinking,” you began, pausing to take a large sip.

“That can’t be good,” he joked, chuckling when you grabbed his towel to toss it at him. “Kidding! I was kidding. What’s going on in that beautiful brain of yours?”

I don’t know half the time and that scares me.

“I was thinking that it might be good if I taught the girls a little bit of self-defense. Maybe we can rent out a spot here? Or I can even teach it in our backyard?” You told him, giving him a pleading smile. “What do you think?”

“Why would you want to do that?” he asked, motioning for you to follow him to one of the sparring mats.

Where Nick goes, I’ll follow him.

“It would be good for me to break up my routine a little bit. I love our time here at the gym and it’s fun hanging out with the girls, but I think it might be good for all of us. I know that we live in a safe neighborhood, but you never know what'll happen.”

“I'm sure Ruby can defend herself just fine,” he joked, running a hand through his short hair. You could tell he was trying to get your attention on him and not the topic at hand.

“And what about Cherry and Rose?” you asked. “And didn’t you say someone is living with Bucky now? What about her?”

“Plum. We haven’t met her yet,” Nick shrugged a little. “I understand that you don’t want to stay home all the time, but I really don't see the need for a self-defense class. The others will probably feel the same way.”

“Of course, you don't see the need for it,” you snapped before you could stop yourself. “You know why? Because you're not here. Day in and day out, you get to leave and go to work. The other husbands get to leave. And the wives? We’re stuck here. It’s enough to drive me crazy.”

Don’t raise your voice at your husband.

A shuddering breath left your lungs when Nick clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes. It reminded you of a nightmare you had before you moved into the neighborhood. Of him chasing you down and catching you with that same terrifying look before he fucked you into submission. There was an ache between your thighs when you woke up, but he assured you it was nothing more than a vivid, terrible dream.

You felt so bad about it that you ended up apologizing to him.

A good wife knows when to concede to her husband and chooses her battles wisely.

“Whatever it is that you're feeling, you don't need to take it out on me. I'm on your side,” he reminded you before he took a deep breath. “Look. I can’t make any promises that anyone will be okay with a self-defense class, but I’ll at least ask.”

“You will?” you asked in a softer voice, bringing your water to your lips and deflating a bit as the cool liquid flowed through your body.

“I will,” he promised, taking the drink away from you when you gave a smile. “May I offer a compromise in case they say no? An aerobics class? This way you can still get quality time with the girls here.”

That didn’t seem like a fair compromise to you. How would aerobics help the girls, besides staying in shape? But the smile Nick gave you was enough to back down the rising words in your throat.

Nick knows the best course of action.

“I’ll consider that,” you said, gasping when he kicked your feet out from under you. Luckily, you didn’t get the wind knocked out of you as you landed on your back. “Nick!”

“Always be aware of your surroundings, Ginger,” he smirked, joining you on the ground. He easily caught your wrists and pinned them above your head. The position left you vulnerable. “If you’re going to help these girls, you need to be able to help yourself.”

“I can,” you said through your teeth.

I’m not weak. I’m stronger than he thinks I am.

“Yeah? Then get out from under me or stay there and let me get you off,” he said, bending down to brush his lips against yours. “Or maybe I should leave you hanging for snapping at me.”

You moaned when he dipped his hips against yours. Was it the control he had that made him hard or the fact that anyone could walk into the gym and catch you? It wouldn’t be the first time. He liked it when others caught him fucking you.

He’s a proud husband and there’s nothing wrong with that.

“Sorry I snapped,” you whispered, arching your back when he tightened his grip on your wrists.

“Why don’t you let your pussy show me how sorry you are? Then I’ll believe you.”

Whatever Nick wants, he gets. And I’ll be happy to give it to him.

Good life with Nick, right? Love and thanks for reading! ❤️

Masterlist ⚓ Nick Fowler Masterlist ⚓ Ko-Fi

[schrijverr]

An Odd Job

5 times Buck drops some random information about his time traveling and the odd jobs he worked + 1 time they realize it’s not that at all.

AKA a Navy Seal Buck AU where his years traveling were a cover for missions.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: guns, military, mentions of death and violence

~~~

1. Rappelling Down

The first time it happens is on a call, something the 118 isn’t new to. Buck is still on probation, but has already settled in quite a bit. He’s a friendly guy and having people around him makes him thrive, as does the work. Even if he’s a bit irresponsible now and then.

Right now, they’re answering a call about a kid who climbed out of the apartment building window when playing spy then got stuck on a ledge high up. They can’t reach it with the ladder, so they’re rappelling down from the roof.

As Buck is strapping himself into the harness and getting ready to go over, he grins: “Oh, I missed this.”

“What, the few times in training got you hooked?” Chimney grins, while Hen and Bobby shake their head slightly at their newest recruit.

“Nah, used to rappel down all the time before this,” Buck answers, fasting the last bits.

“What?” Hen asks, checking his lines, just to be sure.

“Oh, I traveled a lot. Did odd jobs. One of them was at a rappelling business. Let me tell you, real handy when training for this,” Buck says, sending her a big beaming smile, before getting on the edge of the roof and expertly jumping down.

The kid has his foot stick in a fence, which isn’t optimal for getting him out, but has luckily prevented him from falling. Buck first secures him in a harness of his own, attaching that to himself, as he radios for Chimney to come join him with a saw.

Once Chimney is down there, he hands the saw to Buck so he can check the injury. Despite being attached to the kid and working in Chimney’s area, Buck stays out of the way the entire time. It’s not often like that, even with seasoned firefighters. Working when dangling form a building is always harder than on the ground.

So, when they’re back up on the roof, Chimney claps Buck on the back and grins: “Nice work out there. That rappelling business must be pretty good.”

“Yeah, one of the best,” Buck returns, his grin slightly knowing in a way Chimney can’t place.

However, before he can ask about it, Bobby cuts in: “You did well, but don’t get overconfident. You are not playing spy out here, you just saw what can happen if you do.”

“Guess I’m not,” Buck nods. “Won’t let it happen, Cap.”

“Good, now lets pack up.”

2. Shrapnel Wounds

Eddie has been confused about Buck all day long. The guy fucking hates him for no reason since the second he arrived, and for what, because he gets along with his team? That’s a good thing. Even if it’s not all the team, apparently.

However, mostly Eddie has been curious about what is up with him while they actually work. This case with the shrapnel has made Buck quite a mystery to Eddie. Because he’s been having a one sided pissing contest all day with Eddie, but he clearly knows something about this sort of thing, but he’s not saying anything.

He first notices that Buck doesn’t want to see the wound. This is not that strange and he brushes it off, but a part of him supposed Buck was the kind of guy who would want to see it, maybe get a kick out of it. But he hadn’t, just got to work with a familiar disinterest, as if this was nothing new.

Then, it’s in the ambulance. Sure, he brings up the rebar as way to be annoying, but when Eddie uncovers the gold cap, Buck’s face gets worried before Eddie can explain the difference between the caps, as if he’d already known.

Buck also offers to go into that ambulance way too easily, strapping on the bullet proof vest as if he’s done it multiple times before. Eddie is pretty sure that is not common, even in LA.

But the final confusing piece of the puzzle is after they get the thing out and wheel their patient over to the hospital. He and Buck have found a camaraderie together and he’s about to let the whole thing go when the bomb in the ambulance explodes.

Bobby flinches immediately, while Eddie doesn’t react at all, used to it. Buck does an interesting mix of both. Eddie watches him not react, then flinch a little too exaggerated with a delay.

Unable to help himself, he asks: “This not your first bomb call?”

“What?”

“I mean, you kinda seemed to know what was happening today,” Eddie explains, gesturing to Buck.

“All the military explosives stuff?” Buck asks and Eddie nods. There’s a flicker of something, but Eddie doesn’t know him well enough to place it, before it’s wiped away as Buck grins and claps him on the back. “Nah, man, you’re the one that can know about all that stuff, I just followed you lead.”

“Seemed mighty comfortable with that explosive,” Eddie pushes, even though he knows he shouldn’t, because they are just getting along and having good team dynamic is so important.

Buck, fortunately doesn’t seem to care, throwing an arm around him as he says: “I traveled a lot, landmines are surprisingly common when you get to the wrong places by accident. First time up close though. What do you say about a drink to celebrate your first explosion with the 118.”

3. Molotov Cocktails

They are on duty, but not on a call when Buck makes another reference to his travels. Though, they have just returned from a call when he does.

He is joining them at the couches, right as Hen says: “I can’t believe those kids thought it was a good idea to try and see if molotov cocktails worked like they did in the movies.”

“And without a plan if the answer was yes too,” Chimney huffs, a little annoyed since he lost an eyebrow due to the incident.

“Not to mention that they made shitty molotov cocktails,” Buck joins in plopping down on the couch. “I mean, if you’re going to do it, at least do it right. Everyone knows benzine or oil is better for it than fricking vodka.”

He gets himself situated and takes a sip of coffee before looking at everyone, who is giving him judgmental and/or confused looks. “What?” he says.

“How do you know that, Buck?” Hen asks, raising a brow at him and titling her head in a very specific and scary way.

“Hey, I didn’t do that,” Buck defends himself.

“Okay, so do tell. How does our little bad boy know the best way to make a molotov cocktail, huh?” Eddie teases.

“I was a bartender for a bit in Peru. One of the older guys there was involved in some of the civil unrest, knew stuff, liked talking about it. Can’t blame me for listening when he was talking big explosions and fires,” Buck grins at them, a little sheepishly.

“You’re a firefighter,” Hen deadpans.

“I had a fascination?” Buck suggests, more than tries to justify himself.

“You sure are something, man,” Eddie laughs, tugging Buck towards him so he can ruffle his hair in a way he knows annoys the shit out of Buck.

“Oh fuck off,” Buck rolls his eyes as he attempts to fight Eddie off, though it’s a weak attempt. He likes the camaraderie they have, the family he’s built. Even if he’s not completely honest with them about everything.

4. The Gun

This situation is bad. Very bad. LAFD rarely has to deal with unsecured scenes and suspects still on the loose, especially when the suspect has a firearm. However, rarely doesn’t mean never and this is pretty bad.

There is a victim bleeding to death and stuck out there, but a gunman still on the lose. The 118 want to move in so they can save this woman’s life, but the LAPD isn’t letting them.

Of course they understand that they have to be safe, however, it hurts to see someone in need of aid and to be there with all their gear, yet be unable to do anything. It’s not in their nature. It’s against their nature in fact.

Bobby is arguing loudly with the police on the scene, until he gets his way. The shooter is apparently far enough away that they deem it safe to move in, albeit with escort. Thankful for that, the 118 get to work.

Sadly, not everything goes to plan, the gunman circles back and their escort partially leaves to be back up. Not moments later the gunman comes running around the corner, an assault rifle in hand and a whole lot of police on his trail.

What is left of their escort tightens rank as shots cease to be fired, since they’re now in the line of fire.

A brave idiot tackles the shooter from the side and the gun slips from the man’s hand as they scramble on the floor. Everyone is advised to stay back, but Buck is already running, snatching the gun up from the ground and disarming it, chucking the ammo as far away as he can before going in the other direction.

The police get the man in cuffs, but Athena is stalking towards him, snatching the gun out of his hand as she snaps: “What in the hell were you thinking? Or were you not thinking?”

“I just wanted to make sure he couldn’t grab it and injure someone else,” Buck says, looking back more defiantly than expected.

“And why on God’s green earth did you think you knew how to do that?” Athena interrogates further.

“I, uh,” Buck rubs the back of his head, his face becoming sheepish as he says: “I worked at a paintball range. Pretty accurate those things.”

“A paintball range?” Athena repeats, her tone implying that there will be a bigger lecture later and Buck won’t be able to escape from her.

5. Parachute Skills

“What an incredibly reckless and unbelievably stupid thing to do, firefighter Buckley,” Bobby berates Buck, who is still unbuckling himself from a parachute.

“It was the best call and you know it, Cap,” Buck argues back, not taking the admonishing when he knows he’s right. “If I hadn’t climbed into that plane, we never would have made it out with the patient alive.”

Behind them they hear a relieved Chimney exclaim: “Patient is stable, ready for transport. Let’s move.”

As if to say, see, point proven, Buck raises his brows at Bobby and opens his arms.

“You got onto an unsecured plane balancing on the edge of a cliff, against my direct orders, then proceeded to jump out of it with a patient, while you have no qualifications to do so,” Bobby reminds him.

“It was the fastest way to get him to medical help, since air evac wasn’t gonna be here on time. I knew what I was doing,” Buck says, obviously hurt that Bobby doesn’t trust him.

“I don’t think you did,” Bobby replies, a hint of desperation and disappointment coating his voice. “You do things without thinking them through, because you assume everything will work out fine, but one of these days, it won’t. You take unnecessary risks and you don’t follow orders.”

“I follow orders just fine, I’m just also capable of making risk assessments by myself,” Buck scowls. “He had a femoral artery bleeding, no spinal injuries. He needed to go to an ambulance and fast, we couldn’t get him out there on time. He had to go down. I found a way down.”

“By parachuting!?” Bobby shouts.

“Yes, by parachuting!”

“Did you ever stop to think how wrong that could go, Buck? For Pete’s sake you’re a firefighter, we see these accidents. You could’ve made the patient’s situation worse and injured yourself.”

“And did you ever stop to think that I knew what I was doing?” Buck yells back, chest heaving in frustration and anger. “You really think that I wasted my early twenties seeing the world without jumping out of a few planes? Do you think I would’ve put that patient’s life at risk like that? Is that really what you think of me?”

Bobby can see in his eyes how much he’s hurting and then realizes how he doesn’t want to have this screaming match. He takes a deep breath, then replies in calmer voice: “No matter how much you know, accidents can still happen and on paper, you don’t have the qualifications to do this. If something had gone wrong, you would’ve been on the hook for it. You still might be.”

Buck looks away, still frowning and his jaw set. He brushes past Bobby, nearly colliding with him as he bites: “Fine, next time I’ll let the patient die, if that’s what you want.”

+1. Sniper Dora

After the parachute incident, which luckily had been cleared up without major consequences for Buck’s job, things had settled within the 118. Buck now had the papers to make such a rescue within their parameters in the future and he and Bobby had worked it out best they could.

However, things are still a bit weird between them. Bobby knows there is something about the whole thing that he doesn’t know, but prodding makes Buck shut down. Meanwhile Buck knows the Captain can’t help it, but he still wishes the other would trust him more, not always immediately think him irresponsible or reckless.

Then the call comes in.

A chopper has hit a high rise and is stuck without a way to get in. It’s a military chopper too and they’re requested to coordinate with the commander on site about how best to deal with the cargo… whatever that cargo may be.

They arrive to the roof, so that they can start securing the chopper before attempting a rescue. There is a man that greets them, wearing combat gear, gun slung over his shoulder. He shakes Bobby’s hand, explaining that he was in the chopper that’s parked on the roof, before something was wrong with the other one and it went down.

“We’ll get it secured and try to get your men out safe and sound,” Bobby assures him.

“Thank you, Captain,” the man nods, before he calls out: “Oi, Dora, that you? Hope you still have that killer aim, I’m gonna a need a favor before you can secure that chopper.”

Everyone is now confused, however, before Bobby can ask for clarification, Buck replies, much to everyone’s surprise. He sighs: “I really hate that call sign, Dig. But I can still aim.”

He walks forward and shakes the man’s – Dig apparently – hand, before pulling him into a bro-hug. As Dig claps him on the back, he says: “Great, because we were transporting an informant in that chopper that I need tranqued, because this has turned into a hostage situation.”

Dig hands Buck some sort of gun that he takes without blinking as the 118 just stares at the duo in confusion. Buck raises an eyebrow at Dig and smirks: “What happened to informant?”

“Hey, I never said willing informant,” Dig holds his hands up in surrender.

“Of course,” Buck says, taking the safety of the gun and peering over the edge.

“Okay, can someone please tell me what’s happening,” Bobby interrupts.

“Yes, who allowed Buck to have a gun,” a concerned Hen adds.

“Buck?” Dig asks Buck.

“Better than Dora, right,” Buck grins back.

Dig turns to the others and says: “Dora, or Buck, here, worked with my team, before he worked with yours. This is need to know only, so let’s keep this part off the records. I’ll say Nugget took the shot.”

“Nugget, really?” Buck asks, nearly offended, looking back to the parked chopper.

One of the guys sitting on the side raises his hand and smiles: “Sup, Dora.”

“Sup, Nugget,” Buck returns, before refocusing on his task.

“And why will Buck take the shot when you have other personnel available?” Bobby demands.

“Cause my usual sniper is down there,” Dig nods down to the chopper.

“Sniper?” Eddie repeats, looking at Buck.

The others follow suit and Buck squirms under the attention. He blushes: “Let’s keep the questions until after we secured the chopper, okay. It can still go down unless we do something. We don’t have time for this.” To Dig he says: “What’s the guy’s name?”

“Tim.”

“Tim?” Buck repeats, surprised.

“I don’t know what to tell you, man, but it’s Tim,” Dig shrugs.

“Alright,” Buck shrugs, leaning over the edge and calling out: “Hey, Tim. I see you have a gun there. You can aim it at my face, but with your vantage point, there’s a higher chance you’ll hit the blades and the bullet will ricochet and maybe hit you, or you break the blades and the chopper goes down. You can surrender now and we’ll come rescue you, no harm, no foul.”

“No, you won’t take me again, I have the power now,” Tim yells back.

“Okay, your call,” Buck replies, getting ready to make the shot.

In the background he can hear Chimney asking: “If, uhm, Tim down there has a bad vantage point to make a shot, how do we know Buck’ll make it?”

“Of course he’ll make the shot,” Dig huffs out in amusement. “There’s no better shot than Dora. Never worked with a better sniper since him. Was sad to see him go.”

Buck blocks it all out, he takes a deep breath, holds it, aims and fires. It’s a fluid motion, one born out of a lot of practice. He keeps holding it, until the tranq makes contact with the target. When he has established he made the shot, he calls out: “Target hit, chopper cleared of hostiles.” He hands Dig the gun back and starts grabbing his usual gear as he says: “Let’s go secure this thing.”

This isn’t an easy or routine job, so most slap on their professionalism as they set to freeing the men trapped in the chopper. However, Buck feels the glances the entire time.

Still, in a way, it’s good to see old friend again. Even if they’re all still dickheads. They secure the chopper to the roof, allowing for the blades to be turned off, then rappel in. As Buck lands, Gus grins: “Hey, it really is you. I thought Dig was pulling our leg.”

“Couldn’t let you sit here, someone had to come save your ass,” Buck says, attaching Gus to his harness so they can be pulled up.

“It’s good to see you, Dora,” Gus says.

“Yeah, yeah, still hate that name,” Buck rolls his eyes, but the tone is fond.

“Oh come on, those ladies were right you know, you truly are adorable. Few years and you’re still baby faced.” Gus’s face is nearly splitting in two with that shit eating grin of his, pinching Buck’s cheek.

Buck hands him over to Chimney for a quick check up, saying: “He might seem like he has a head injury, he doesn’t. Gus over here is just naturally that stupid.”

“You love me,” Gus singsongs.

“I hate you,” Buck singsongs back, jumping back over the edge to get the next guy.

Soon everyone, including the tranqued informant, has been rescued and checked over. There are people on the way to get the chopper down properly, but the others will continue on. They have places to be and manage to fit themselves into the one chopper.

Though not before saying their goodbyes with Buck, making him promise to come hang out with them again. Buck smiles broadly at all of them, returning hugs and claps on the back as he returns to promise to stay in touch.

The second that chopper is off the roof, everyone is on Buck. Chimney slides up next to him first, saying: “So, why Dora?”

“Ugh,” Buck groans. “It’s almost as embarrassing as your Chimney story. Infiltrated the wrong house, bunch of nice ladies though. Helped them with their door and they kept calling me adorable, which…”

“Got shortened to Dora over time,” Eddie fills in, knowing how that works.

“Yup.”

“God, glad I remained Diaz throughout my service,” Eddie grimaces in sympathy, as Buck gives him a pained nod of thanks.

Bobby appears in front of Buck crossing his arms as he gives him this questioning look. “Care to explain exactly what Dig meant with you running with his team before running with ours.”

“I, uh- I was a Navy SEAL, before joining the 118,” Buck explains, rubbing the back of his head.

“I thought you said you dropped out of training to become a Navy Seal, because you couldn’t turn off your emotions, become a robot like they wanted you too,” Bobby says.

“That was only half a lie,” Buck defends himself, though he looks apologetic about it. “That is the reason I quit, I just didn’t quit training, but the force itself. I mean, being a SEAL is pretty good, but at some point, it- it just started to weigh on me.”

“Being a sniper can be rough,” Eddie says. “Some of my buddies from the army were snipers, they always had a look in their eyes.”

“Yeah,” Buck agrees, his own eyes becoming far away. “You- It’s not a firefight wherein everyone is shooting. You line up that shot and watch it through to the end. You know it’s you, you know what you did. I didn’t want take lives. I joined the army to serve, to keep people safe, but that’s not what they do. I couldn’t stay there.”

It’s a lot darker than what they’re used to from their youngest member and all look at him for a moment.

Hen steps forward first, sling an arm around Buck as she gently smiles: “Well, I’m glad you found a place here, with us. Doing what you want to do. What you were made to do.”

Buck smiles back at her, the life thankfully returning to his eyes. He tugs her hug closer and says: “I am also glad I found you guys.”

“So, why did you hide it?” Chimney asks as they make their way back down to the engine. “I mean, being a Navy SEAL is about as cool as it gets. Didn’t think you had it in you to keep that hidden.”

“Well, contrary to popular belief, I am not as irresponsible as I look, and like Dig said, it’s mostly need to know basis,” Buck shrugs.

“The parachute,” Bobby says knowingly.

“The parachute,” Buck agrees. “Told you I knew what I was doing.”

“I couldn’t have known,” Bobby points out rightfully and Buck gives a conceding nod.

“None of us could. Hell, Maddie doesn’t know, she told me about the postcards, those were mostly from US soil. How did you pull that off?” Chimney comments. “And why?”

Buck answers: “I asked the others to ask partners, spouses, parents, siblings to send them empty cards so I could send them to Maddie. Took pictures when I dressed up for undercover work. I lied to Maddie, because I didn’t wanna worry her. She already had enough going on with Doug and our parents. Easier to be careless and free, than in danger.”

“You have to tell her,” Chimney says.

“Yeah, you really do,” Hen agrees. “You know Chimney can’t keep a secret to save his life. She’ll have heard all about it by the time he’s through the door.”

“Can’t you keep this one?” Buck pleads as they drop of their gear.

“Nu-uh, no way,” Chimney says, getting into the engine. “I am gonna drive myself crazy if you make me do that.”

“But now she’s gonna worry all over me, even though I’m fine,” Buck whines, showing them he’s still their Buck.

“She’s an older sibling, it’s what they do,” Eddie says, patting him on the back as he passes.

“You all are the worst,” Buck pouts.

“For wanting you to not lie to your sister about what you’ve been up to for the last few years?” Bobby asks.

“Yeah!” Buck exclaims, throwing up his hands. “She is such a worrywart, you have no idea what our childhood was like. Her worrying is truly something of legends. Back me up here, Chim.”

“Oh no, I’m staying on her good side in case any of this ever comes back to her,” Chimney backs out as fast as he can.

“That is so unfair,” Buck whines some more.

“No, what is unfair is you trying to put me in the middle of the Buckley family drama, Dora,” Chimney argues back.

“We are so not calling me Dora,” Buck warns.

“Then tell your sister,” Eddie says, before driving away.

“Yes, or Dora will definitely stick. We’re persistent,” Hen backs him up.

“Why are you all ganging up on me?”

“Come on, you’re big tough, macho Navy SEAL guy, surely you can take us mere civilians,” Chimney taunts.

“Eddie is an army guy too,” Buck points out.

“Yeah, army not SEALs, you can be the one that knows about all that stuff now,” Eddie says.

“You still remember that?”

“Course, I thought there was something weird about you during that shrapnel call. I mean, I wouldn’t have guessed this, but your excuses got a little weird during that one,” Eddie shrugs.

“Oh my god,” Chimney says, just realizing something. “That rappelling business you worked at, did you mean the US government. You called the Navy SEALs a rappelling business.”

“I mean, they technically are when you think about it,” Buck defends himself. “They sure made me do a lot of rappelling and rappelling training.”

“I can’t believe you,” Hen shrieks, though it’s slightly delighted.

“And I assume the paintball range you worked for according to Athena is also the US government,” Bobby joined in.

“God, you’re excuses were pretty bad in hind sight.”

“Hey, you guys all believed me, so that is mostly on you.”

“Oh you did not just call us stupid!”

“Stop, Hen, your elbow hurts.”

“Ach, stop your whining.”

They continue to bicker as they drive away from the scene and back to the fire house. Buck knows it will take some getting used to, having this part of his life exposed. However, it’s nice to be able to share this with his family.

As much as he likes the people he knows from his time as Navy SEAL, it never felt fully right to bond with them over the things they’ve done. That team was always more like a fostering, the 118 is his forever home.

~~

A/N:

I'm sorry if the layout looks weird, im having issues with my landlord abt wifi, so i had to do this on my phone :D

[crazylittlejester]

DAILY BRAINROT

As it turns out, I needed some sleep and potatoes, so now I'm feeling much more like myself again. 👍

Speaking of potatoes... I love the idea that Twilight is Appalachian (or that Ordon is the Hyrulean equivalent of Appalachia). Which means he probably eats a lot of potatoes at home because potatoes are awesome, and I have yet to meet an Appalachian household that doesn't have potatoes. Sometimes I get homesick for potatoes, and you can't convince me Twilight doesn't feel the same way. Pumpkins are great and all, but they can't replace the ridiculous amount of potato dishes old ladies bring to potlucks. Also, I don't think there are any potatoes in BotW/TotK? So if that's true, then Wild's been tragically potato-less for his entire life.

I've also decided that I desperately need to write something about Warriors being friends with some folks at a nursing home. I think he'd get along with friendly old people. Old people love talking (and gossip) and baked goods and knitting, so I think he'd fit right in. Plus, they'd totally have his back regarding Cia. There's got to be at least one elderly widow who ends up telling him how she got away with murdering her abusive ex-husband and never got caught. It's part of the agenda now.

YAY I’M GLAD YOU FEEL BETTER!!

Twi is SO midwest/Appalachia coded to me. His ass is definitely from like, the Hyrulian equivalent of southern Ohio or some shit. He would fucking love potatoes, you could literally just give him an entire baked potato with a little salt on it and it could be enough to fix him, doesn’t even have to be anything special or fancy. You go in his little tree house, open his pantry, and he’s got like 3 entire fucking boxes of potatoes in there, bless his heart (I’m now picturing him as Wolfie in Wild’s era, absolutely fucking DEVASTATED at the sheer lack of potatoes)

You’ve somehow manage to say shit I’ve been thinkin about for days before I have the opportunity to put it into a post alkjsljklkjslkdj, but as someone who works at a nursing home, I completely fucking agree. They love him because he’s sweet and polite, but also he’s a devious yapper and he lives for drama. You can bet your ass he’s parked right next to Nancy and Susan with his jaw on the floor listening to them talking SHIT about people, occasionally chiming in with a “she did NOT.” He’s getting 60 year old gossip and he’s absolutely loving it. I also know he’d have a favorite resident, and I know it’d be the sweetest little old lady who all the other workers just adore because she’s so nice, and she just tells Wars and only Wars about how she killed her horribly abusive husband (because you’re SO right about that there’s gotta be at LEAST one) and then pats his hand and says some shit like “We can kill your abuser too, dear. A girls trip, if you will” and he’d laugh his ass off. Also he gets to just?? Do arts and crafts?? And knit and gossip?? WHILE watching the golden girls?? AND he gets to help make cookies?? and just HELP people?? AS HIS JOB?? that is like, the IDEAL job for him I fear. That’s like everything he could ever want, he’d thrive in that environment

[smittenroses]

— To hear the sun ♡

Fandom — Blush Blush Featuring — Cole and Scale Request — Hi! I saw you're doing requests for blush blush were open. Can I ask for some headcanons of Cole and Scale with a Reader who has words of affirmation as their love language? Content Warnings — yandere behaviour (as of Cole) Author's note —

— Cole would adore and thrive off of it ♡

This is actually how Cole expresses his love too – when he's not murdering anyone, that is.

He needs to be reminded that you love him, that you adore him that you cannot be with anyone else but him.

You, running around and helping the other manimals make his blood boil in ways that he cannot stand, but yet the moment you stop, look at him and tell him that you prefer his company above all of those other men in your life? All of those feelings fade away.

He would do the same back, making sure that you know how much he loves you, how he adores you, and how he would worship the ground you walk on.

Leave him little notes before you leave for the day and he's stashing them away in his little shrine you don't know about, it's not like he has one where he stores everything he wants to keep about you, no, nope... so what if he did, that wasn't weird, was it?

"Oh darling, I could never think of anyone else I would want to hear those pretty sweet words come out of. Keep talking, say how much you need me."

— Scale would blush every time

You two went from one-sided enemies to lovers and this man still couldn't stop blushing every time he held your hand. Hearing those words from your mouth just reminds him that hey, this is real and he's with a really hot babe.

Scale never really had people telling him that he was doing a good job growing up, so, you saying it? It makes it even more impactful because surprise, he isn't being terrible.

He always perks up whenever he hears something come from your mouth and he frankly hangs off your words like a lovesick puppy (and frankly he is one).

He does try and do it back but he's not that good about it, his love language is more physical touch and gifts so he'll try and hug you or give you something. Maybe it helps just to hide his face because he usually is caught off guard.

He will never get used to it, but he will adore it to the end of his days.

"You... Think I'm doing great? It means so much more when it comes from you, marshmallow."

[lightlycareless]

OMGGGGGG PLEASE WRITE NAOMI MEETING NANAMI!!!!

Heya anon!

No need to tell me twice!! I hope you enjoy this little piece of fluff I wrote about Nanami meeting Naomi :> or his general thoughts about the whole ordeal.

warnings: none. fluff. nanami worries for you, as always.

Happy reading!

Nanami guessed right when saying he wouldn’t be able to keep track of you after the wedding.

As soon as you went onto your honeymoon, you’ve completely disappeared from the world. Asides from the few rumors here and there of the places yournow husband had taken you to celebrate this union… he didn’t hear anything from you.

And that, alongside his new civilian job, Kento didn’t have much time to personally inquiry with your family (or you directly for that matter) about your whereabouts.

But, well, even after all this, he still supposes you’ve been doing well. After all, bad news always spread like wildfire, and if something of that nature happened, he has no doubt he would’ve known by now.

…

Still, would it be too much to ask of the universe to have good news work the same way?

Probably.

For now, he’ll do with what he heard, which unfortunately, didn’t pertain to you in its majority.

Apparently Naoya had been promoted to 1st grade. Good for him and his thriving career, which he assumes just got busier and busier.

What about you, though? What have you been up to these days? Last thing he knew about your career was that you were planning on retiring to focus on your new life as Naoya’s wife—but what exactly did that entail? And did you end up doing so?

He’ll find the answer soon enough, on one of his unwanted visits to his alma mater.

Nanami never thought he’d be back in this place ever again, certainly not with the way he openly denounced his relationship with the community and made a run for it.

But, as much as he would’ve loved to leave everything behind and dive into his new life, his previous one would always find its way back to him one way or the other, today, it was through some unfinished paperwork he urgently needed to deal with if he was to be promoted into a higher position.

As he walked through the once familiar campus grounds, Nanami toyed with the idea that this was perhaps the higher up’s attempt to rope him back into sorcery work.

It has to be—because there’s no way a school that prided themselves to be amongst the best equipped and prepared in the community could’ve messed up something as silly as missing a copy of his birth certificate; rendering him unable to get his diploma, and thus, impeding his growth on the professional field.

Or maybe they were, and at that point, there’s nothing he can do but give them the benefit of the doubt and go fix whatever issues they’ve unwittingly entangled themselves in, all while hoping he wouldn’t bump into any familiar faces, for he didn’t particularly feel in the mood to entertain either his old classmates, or teachers.

And talking about teachers… Nanami still can’t believe Gojo had decided to become one.

Of all the people the faculty could’ve chosen to guide the next generation, they went with the most irresponsible, arrogant, selfish, childish, immature one they could find.

He hates to think that was the best option, before agreeing that if you had continued to pursue your dream of becoming a teacher, you would’ve been an excellent one, far more than Satoru. Maybe.

Either way, Nanami still hoped for a lot of things.

Hoped that he wouldn’t meet familiar faces.

Hoped that he would be able to fix his mundane issue as quickly as possible…

And hoped that he wouldn’t find much traffic on his way back home.

But if there’s one thing he did not expect—nor thought it possible, not even in the most audacious realms of his imagination…

Was to see you again, here, today.

“Y/N?” He breathes. The sight of you might’ve been from a distant perspective, and not exactly from the best angle either, but even then, he was still able to recognize the figure of one of his closest friends during his time as a student.

And after a few more seconds of careful observation, he comes to the accurate conclusion that it was you, right there, before him—as if pulled right out of the confines of his thoughts!

Without time to waste, combined with his excitement of seeing you again after months of absence, Nanami swiftly rushes to your side, stopping just by the entrance of one of the many administrative offices, giving him the impression you were there for the same motive as him (perhaps the faculty was incompetent after all.) if not more.

Although with an additional companion, carefully strapped to your chest…

“Huh? Wha—Kento?!” You gasp, initially distraught by the noise of footsteps rapidly approaching your direction, only to relax when seeing it was your long-lost friend in the flesh! A sight that felt like a breath of fresh air against what was an uneventfully boring day up to that point. “Is that really you, Kento? I can’t—I can’t believe it!”

“I can say the same thing.” He responds, the corners of his lips slightly tugging upwards. “It’s nice to see you again, Y/N.”

“Oh, I missed you so much!” You bubbled, hurrying to hug him—until the reason of your prolonged absence, and now the happiness of your everyday life, stops you from it with a soft coo. As if suddenly remembering she was there, you mouth a small oh before giggling, excitedly looking up to him again. “Well, now you know what kept me so busy this past year!”

The reason why you hadn’t been able to contact him as frequently as you’ve done in the past presented itself as clear as day, dressed up in their cozy pink onesie and a knitted warm hat: a baby.

You and Naoya had become parents.

Consider him surprised.

But not because the two had a family—no, it was well-known that this is what you wanted—but rather… because it happened so soon after the wedding. It suddenly made sense why both were so eager to get married.

“I suppose introductions are overdue.” You say, a smile on your face as you look down to your baby, giving her a kiss on the top of her head before gesturing her to look over to Nanami—her golden eyes quickly following your lead. “Kento, this is my daughter, Naomi. Naomi, this is one of my best friends, Kento.”

He hesitates for a moment when it comes to responding, still taken aback by the presence of this small child… but after a few seconds of coming to terms with his thoughts, he takes a step closer to her, lowering to her level before giving her a soft smile.

“Nice to meet you, Naomi.” He greets, reaching for her small hand and greeting her. “I hope you’ve been good to your mom.”

The baby girl stares at him with such an intense curious look that makes Nanami wonder if perhaps he had something in his face, or if he should’ve been a bit tenderer in his approach… before his thoughts are abruptly interrupted by her suddenly turning her head back to you, resting against your chest and promptly hiding from him.

Almost as if she were… embarrassed.

«Cute» Nanami thinks, and you chuckle, finding her actions equally adorable—as you always did whenever she did as much as breathe— before leaning down to kiss her head once more and place your hand on her back, gently comforting her.

“I’m sorry about that, she’s quite shy with new people” you explain. “But once she’s used to you, she’s nothing but clingy.”

“That’s ok.” Nanami responds, currently far more amused with the fact that everything about her screamed she was Naoya’s daughter—from the small batch of dark hair seen underneath her warm hat, her golden big round eyes, to her name. And yet, even with all those things, he still capable of nothing that… “She has your nose.”

“I knew I she had something of me!” you gasp, ecstatic. “Everyone keeps telling me how she looks so much like Naoya, but she’s my daughter too, you know? I carried her for 9 months! She has to look like me somehow!! But still… I’m very happy she takes after my husband; I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“How old is she?”

“Just a few weeks, 13 to be precise.”

“So around… 3 months.” Meaning Naomi was born around January.

“And I still can’t believe it.” You swoon.

To think that just a few weeks ago she was still in your belly, patiently waiting for the day she’d be able to be in your arms…  and now, she was there, with you, turning your reality into what you always dreamed of: a family conformed by those you loved the most.

You wished to say that overcoming this sentiment was only a matter of time, that it wouldn’t take much before you freed yourself of this nostalgia. But truth to be told, you knew that to be impossible—for as long as Naomi continues to grow, you’d feel as if time was nothing but fleeting.

But while you where basking in the blessings the presence of your daughter brought into your and Naoya’s life… Nanami was drowning in an overwhelming sense of regret for having missed what was an important milestone in your life.

More than would’ve—he should’ve been there with you, celebrating the birth of your daughter, as he suspected everyone important for you had done. How he knows you would’ve loved him to.

Just… what else did he miss?

“Congratulations.” He adds, offering a glimpse into his burdening feelings. “I wish I had told you before, but I didn’t know of your daughter until now.”

And then, the happiness radiating from your actions, if only briefly, disappears. Yet enough for him to notice.

“Oh, well… no one was supposed to.” You explain, he frowns.

“…Why?” Nanami naturally cautioned, for he couldn’t imagine a reason someone like you, whose dream was to start a family, indisputably happy that your wish was granted, would’ve kept this a secret.

You remain quiet, as if debating whether you should dive deeper into the matter or not… before accepting you at least owed Nanami an explanation to your absence.

Thus, you begin.

“There’s a reason why I essentially disappeared for a while. I wanted nothing more than to let you know of my pregnancy, but… let���s say that my role as Naoya’s wife came with some heavy… precautions.” You sigh. “I mean, I still do things as I always do, it’s not like I’m locked at the estate or anything, I just… have to be more careful about how I go on with my day—or who I talk to.

Because Naoya’s the heir of such prestigious family, he naturally becomes a target to anyone that might want to… get a benefit out of him. Obviously, that extends to me, and now…”

“Your daughter.”

You press your lips together, nodding.

“I really, really wanted to let you know, but after that day—I didn’t know if I should.”

“What do you mean?” Nanami frowns, concern in its highest. “Did… something happen?”

“No! I mean—they tried, but nothing came out of it., really. I’m fine now.”

“What do you mean they tried—Y/N, did someone hurt you? Or the baby?”

“No, I’m telling you—we’re fine! It was just a scare, nothing more.”

“That didn’t sound like a scare to me, Y/N. What happened? And more importantly, where was Naoya during all this?!”

“Nanami, it was just an accident— Naoya would’ve never allowed harm to befall me or Nao—”

And as if sensing your and Nanami’s growing distress, or perhaps remembering this experience throughout whatever little conscience she had at that moment, Naomi begins to wail, effectively snapping both out of trance.

“Oh, no, no, baby—did we scare you?” You coo, quick to rock her up and down while wrapping your arms around her, hoping that she’ll find comfort in the motion while you continue to reassure her. “It's ok, it was nothing but a disagreement, pumpkin. My friend is just worried for me—but Papa made sure that nothing ever happens to us again! So don’t worry your pretty little head about anything, ok?”

You lean your face gently against her head and then, start humming a lullaby.

The moment you spend comforting Naomi is brief, for it doesn’t take longer after that for her to begin to calm down, cries slowly quieting down as you continue to hum her what Nanami figured to be her favorite song— but as short as that instance was, it’s all that he needed to understand you genuinely enjoyed being a mother.

From the way you gently coo at her, give her little pats in the back, grow nothing but attentive to any need she may have… your joy was clear.

This is perhaps the happiest he has ever seen you in his whole life—probably even more than when you got married—and while his absence is something he’ll never be able to take back, he was ultimately glad that you were content.

And regretful that he had underestimated your safety, or Naoya’s efforts.

He just couldn’t help it—amongst those he called his friends, you were the only one left to protect. And such, he had to make sure you wouldn’t succumb to a horrible fate.

“Are you hungry, pumpkin? Oh, or maybe it’s time for you to take a nap?” you ask, looking at your bag.

“Is there something I can help you with?” he immediately asks upon seeing your brief struggle.

“Well, I could take you up on that lunch you told me about a while ago.” You tease, Nanami chuckles. “We have lots to catch up to do! Like telling me what you were doing here??”

“I was referring to Naomi, but sure, I’ll take you—if there isn’t any problem with her.”

“I think she’s just hungry and a bit sleepy—nothing a stroller can’t fix.” You say. “Everything’s on the car so I just need to make my way there.”

“Let me help you with the bag, then.” Nanami says, and without resistance, you let him take the bag from you as you sigh in relief.

“Ah, now that’s something I needed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Oh, Nanami… it’s ok.” You add. “I get it—if anything your reaction was lighthearted to what my family did… but I swear, we’re fine now. As safe as ever.”

“That’s good to know.” He smiles, and the two begin to walk towards the parking lot. “Why were you here for anyways? I can’t imagine visiting a place like this could be thrilling, less with a baby—especially if you’ve come all the way from Kyoto.”

“Oh, I just came here to do some registrations for Naomi. You know, with her being part of the Zen’in clan and all that sorcerer stuff, it’s something I needed to do as soon as she was born—but I just kept procrastinating on it.”  You explain. “I could’ve done all that in Kyoto, but since I’m also staying with my dad a bit, I’ve decided to do it here. Ever since Naoya got promoted to grade 1, he’s been nothing but busy, and I didn’t want to be alone while Naomi is still this young…”

“I’ve heard, congratulate him for me.” Nanami says. “I’m glad your family is keeping you company.”

“Maybe you can visit sometime too! I’m sure my dad would love to see you again—or maybe we can even go out more often? I have to make the most out of the fact Naoya doesn’t have me surrounded by bodyguards essentially all the time, or my siblings for that matter…”

He laughs.

“Hey! It’s not funny—I mean, he’s attentive… but do you know how annoying it is to have to tell everyone your every move all the time?” you cry. “Seriously, I sometimes even feel like a celebrity.”

Even if it’s a bit exaggerated, Nanami is glad to confirm he truly never had anything to worry. For Naoya not only remained caring, but very protective of you, and now, your baby daughter.

…

He still can’t believe it.

You and Naoya became parents during this last year.

Parents.

A family, from a relationship he once thought wouldn’t last long thanks to the preconceived notions he had of Naoya.

But he’s changed—stepped up to the role of your partner, and now, father.

It almost felt surreal, like it had been a way for his mind to explain what happened during the time of his absence.

But it wasn’t his imagination, it was there, right before him, in the form of a small, chubby looking baby that was named and looked after her father, as well as your beaming smile.

“—And obviously I want you to carry her!” you said, what little he managed to recover from the ongoing conversation after stepping out of his dwelling thoughts.

“Carry her…? If it’s too much problem, I’d rather not.” Nanami says, remembering her initial disapproval, you shake your head.

“Don’t be silly—it’s no problem. Besides, it is mandatory for me to take a picture of you two to add to the collection!”

“Collection?”

“Yep! I made Naomi an Instagram account where I’ll be posting pictures of her! I want to document everything—from her cute outfits, spending time with her grandpa, to when she’s opening her papa’s gifts, you know? I will not allow my memory to erase these precious moments from my conscience!” you firmly say. “Just send me a request and I’ll add you.”

When you once thought your parent’s photo album to be embarrassing, you are now openly replicating their behavior—although in your own style, of course. But the bottom line remained the same: it really was a parenting thing. At that, Nanami can only chuckle.

“Fine, I’ll make an account.”

“You won’t regret it! Just be sure to block Satoru though—the moment he finds out you have an account he will not leave you alone.”

And you were right, for as soon as he registered, requested to follow Naomi’s pseudo-account and saw you’ve already posted the picture you’ve taken of him and your daughter, the comment section did not waste any time to reflect the opinions Naomi’s admirers had about him: from his sudden reappearance to his “questionable influence” …

It was a circus. All starting from Satoru’s delusions.

hinata_please_unblock_me: You need to get him away from Naomi-chan. He’s going to make her boring and scary like him!!

l/n_hinata: Ha! That’s some bs if I’ve ever read one! He’s a much better influence than you’ll ever be! Also, did you make another account?! What the hell Satoru?? And @zenin_y/n why did you add him again??

zenin_y/n: Language, Hinata… also, wasn’t that Shoko’s account??

zenin_naoya: Get off my daughter’s page before I block both of you.

hinata_please_unblock_me: you wouldn’t dare. And if you do, I’ll just make another account!

l/n_hinata: I’m this close to filing a restraining order if you don’t behave!

hinata_please_unblock_me: @nanami_kento @nanami_kento @nanami_kento look what you’ve done!! Take responsibility of your actions 😡😡

hinata_please_unblock_me: Hey, why isn’t he getting tagged?! I know he has an account!! Wait, did he block me already?!?!  😭😭😭

zenin_naoya: That’s it. You’re getting blocked.

l/n_hinata: NO! @zenin_y/n  please don’t let your husband do this to me!!!

naomis_grandpa: What a lovely picture. Can’t wait to have Naomi over this weekend! 😊

Neither you nor Nanami could’ve foreseen his presence instigating such behavior from your friends and family, but as messy as it was, it was also heartwarming, realizing he missed a bit of the chaos from his life—maybe he’ll try to keep up with everyone a bit more.

Or at least with Naomi, who after warming up to his presence, was completely enthralled by him—specifically his blonde hair, which she tried to touch whenever possible, eyes widening when her small fingers finally graced his strands before giggling at its softness.

Well, it wouldn’t be the first time he intrigued one of the Zen’in with his hair. Now it’s just a matter of time to see if she’ll also follow in her father’s footsteps.

the thing y/n was referring to is this other oneshot. because why not!! let's connect them.

The last part is referencing a hc I posted a while ago: the reason why Naoya dyed his hair is because he heard you complimenting Nanami's a while ago, and wanting to impress you, he did the same thing. Although it stuck with him because he ended up liking it. 🤭

Also, I love how Eiichi is completely oblivious to the argument happening thanks to Nanami's picture with Naomi lol. He would be the epitome of this thing happening in mexico where aunties love sending tweety pictures to whatsapp group chats lol (very niche, I know 😂 that man is getting old I'm telling ya)

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this small interaction :> Nanami is one of the characters I consider to be... quite awkward when it comes to meeting kids, and probably wouldn't be all too affective, but he'll try for yours 🥺 specially for cute Naomi. believe me, he opens up a bit more, but he's overall happy for you 😭❤️

Thank you so much for sending in this ask!! it was a treat to write :3 ❤️

Take care, and hope to see you soon!

[imakemywings]

i hope you don't mind me asking, but i'm genuinely curious about how you perceive curufin and celebrimbor's relationship, like from aman to beleriand. honestly, every iteration of their bond, whether it's generational trauma (tough love) or the loving father-son is wonderful (and painful) because, for me, both fit them so much. sorry, i just love exploring their interactions (especially celebrimbor's relationship with his other uncles as well), they have me in a chokehold.

Don't apologize for giving me an excuse to talk about Elves, this is the Talking About Elves blog! (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ

This is a juicy question! I am obsessed with family dynamics, so I always love considering things like this. First off, I think via canon there are almost infinite ways to interpret this relationship prior to Curufin's exile from Nargothrond. Some are, for me, more believable than others--for instance, I simply struggle to buy Curufin, son of Feanor, as a lovey-dovey father, but there's nothing in the text that strictly refutes it.

I think to start I need to talk briefly about Curufin's relationship with Feanor, because I think he tries (with varying degrees of success) to model much of what he does off of Feanor.

I think Curufin hero-worshipped Feanor growing up, and that didn't really change much into adulthood. He even went into his father's craft, the only one of Feanor's sons noted to do so. He looked a lot like Feanor, he followed his father's footsteps in career, and yet--we never hear of a single noteworthy invention or artistic piece of his. Curufin's name is on nothing. Feanor's inventions require an encyclopedia, and Celebrimbor's work survives well into the Third Age (and arguably into the Fourth), but Curufin? Nada.

And I think Feanor was a very difficult father. I don't want to get in here about whether he was a good father or not because this ask isn't about him, but I do think he was a demanding father. He was brilliant and incredibly driven, and I think he expected a lot from his sons. Add to that that he had seven kids and only so much attention to go around, and the best way to get his attention growing up was to have an achievement. Therefore, I think all seven of them developed some sense of needing to earn dad's attention.

All of this collectively to me ends with Curufin trying very hard to replicate Feanor, but not doing a very good job. Ergo, he was incredibly demanding on Celebrimbor, believing that the best way to handle a child was to raise them to exacting standards, tiger-mom style. But Celebrimbor is a very different person than Curufin, and would have thrived a lot more under a gentler hand. Nevertheless, I think he did try hard to live up to his father's standards--it's just that Curufin could actually end up being harsher than Feanor, which means Celebrimbor actually got less from his father than Curufin got from Feanor. There's also the element of Curufin wanting to use his son to impress his dad, which didn't help (still after daddy's attention after all).

I do think Celebrimbor bought pretty hard into the Feanorian Kool-Aid generally though. He was raised among people who were increasingly fanatical; it makes sense to me that he shared their mindset, because it was the one that surrounded him his whole youth. I think he was all on-board with the revolt of the Noldor, but I think the kinslaying at Alqualonde really gave him second thoughts.

Curufin, I think, has and develops a much more "the ends justify the means" attitude, as well as embracing the Feanorians' descent into darkness a lot quicker than, say, Maglor. But Celebrimbor doesn't quite. I think Alqualonde unsettles him quite a lot, as much as he tells himself it was a mistake, an accident, something that will never happen again.

So he lives with Celegorm and Curufin and busies himself making a life in Middle-earth. By this point in his life, I think Celebrimbor has grown to regret choosing smithing and jewel-craft as a focus, because he can't help but wonder if Curufin would be less strict if he'd gone into some field Curufin didn't really know anything about, which wasn't related at all to late granddad Feanor. (He also wonders if spending less time together wouldn't be better for his and Curufin's relationship.)

And then they go to Nargothrond.

More background: I do not think Celegorm and Curufin, the latter especially, like Finrod. I think generally the Feanorians find the Arafinweans preachy and sanctimonious, and very annoying. So having to go to him to ask for shelter and charity is incredibly grating on Curufin, and liable to make him particularly nasty to Finrod even as he's getting help from him.

However, Celebrimbor thinks Finrod is a delight! Finrod is so much that Curufin is not: cheerful, optimistic, gentle, quick to praise and slow to anger. And he loves playing the uncle, so he's more than happy to take Celebrimbor under his wing a bit and get him settled in Nargothrond. In turn, Celebrimbor warms right up to him and is eager to show Finrod anything he's working on, because Finrod will find something nice to say about even his worst projects. Celebrimbor thrives in an encouraging atmosphere, and he gets from Finrod what he always wanted from Curufin. It has the effect of rousing some old childhood resentment about his dad's seeming inability to be nicer.

Curufin does not approve of Celebrimbor getting "too close" to Finrod. He gets nastier in response.

I think Celebrimbor disapproved of his father and uncle's behavior long before they were officially exiled. I think watching Curufin interact with Finrod revealed to Celebrimbor things about his father he had never wanted to know, like how petty and childish and cruel Curufin can be. And I think Celebrimbor was embarrassed to watch his father behave this way towards someone who had been so generous with them, even in spite of his rocky past relationship with Curufin.

So I think even before Beren showed up, Celebrimbor was reconsidering his relationship with Curufin, and while I think he kept a lot of these thoughts to himself as he was mulling it over, there was chafing in that relationship, but Curufin blamed Finrod and didn't take it seriously.

So when Curufin supports Celegorm in turning Nargothrond against Finrod and sending him out to certain death, after everything Finrod had done for them, I think Celebrimbor was not only horrified, he grieved. He loved Finrod! And I think he was disgusted that Curufin would support Celegorm's plan to force Luthien to marry him, and that they lied to her and imprisoned her.

The events of Nargothrond revealed just how low Curufin could go (and ofc it does get worse later, with the Second Kinslaying and the additional attempts to murder Beren and Luthien) and Celebrimbor realized that far from repenting for the First Kinslaying, Curufin seemed even less moored to any kind of moral code. So I think here he realized he simply could not go along with his father or his uncle anymore. At some point you have to ask yourself about the kind of people you want to surround yourself with, and I think Celebrimbor wanted nothing to do with them anymore. I think it hurt him, to think people he loved were they sorts of people, and I think he was crushingly disappointed in both of them, but particularly after Finrod's grisly death (along with the Elves who had stuck by his side), I think Celebrimbor simply could not justify standing by Curufin's side anymore, and the fact that Curufin never expressed any regret for what he had done contributed to that.

Feanorians barred from rebirth etc. but even if they were not, I do not believe a reborn Celebrimbor has a lot to say to his paternal family. He watched them only get worse from the point where he had disowned them, and I think by the time they're all gone, they disgust and horrify him so much that he really does not want to interact with them at all. I think he would go full no-contact if they were ever around each other again, and at best might accept a profuse apology for all the things they did. Even if they were committed to being better, at that point I'm just not sure there's any relationship there left to rebuild. I think they burned that bridge with him and there's no building it back. Civil distance is as much as they can probably hope for.

So yeah, these are my general baseline thoughts on it!

[lysol1201]

Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving: Holding Out For A Hero

Vendetta!Leon Kennedy x GN!Reader (can be read platonically or romantically)

A second part to Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving, but can be read on its own.

Summary: You see Leon again, but you’re both on the clock.

Word Count: 1201

Genre: erm idk fluff i guess, depending on how you read it

TW: Mentions of drinking, cults, blood, erm fighting, badly written fighting, this is very poorly written imo. i’m tryna get back in the writing groove. anyway, lmk if more, not beta read we die like luis

++++

It had been 6 months since your 30th birthday. You had never heard from Leon since that day. Although a good time, the two of you went your separate ways (play separate ways) without any contact information. There was that mutual understanding that it was the one night you two needed. You didn’t know if you’d ever see Leon again.

Well, until you did.

“Oh, hey!” You greeted the blue eyed man who looked at you in shock and confusion. “Nice to see you again,” You smiled as he ran over to you.

“What the fuck is going on?” Leon shouted. You may have been used to it, but seeing you tied up in a sack with a bloody face and ritual paintings all over, he was very fucking confused.

You chuckled. “How else did you think you found this location?” That’s when it clicked in Leon’s head. Bait. “Oh, they’re coming. You don’t know me,” You spoke with a serious tone, and before he could respond, you began to scream. “Who are you? What are you doing? Get away from me!”

In shock, Leon looked at you as if not sure how to play along. “Fuck,” He muttered under his breath, turning around to find more fucked up people in some sort of cult. He thought he was over it, but turns out the world refused to stop being stupid.

He had his pistol in hand and prepared, raising it up to shoot those who ran at him. While he shot, ducked, and kicked, he realized the amount of those after him just kept growing and growing. He turned around to find you, but to his dismay, you were gone.

Leon wanted to shout for you, but remembered what you had said. “You don’t know me.” He groaned at the words you had told him, but obeyed. He didn’t shout for you. And before he could complain to himself even more, big stomps were heard. He turned to the side, and there he was faced, again, with some giant pain in the ass.

“God, give me a fucking break,” Leon sighed, frustrated, and annoyed by his surroundings. Fear no longer filled him, it was just irritation. “Fuck off, already!” He raised his deep voice, shooting at the large creature headed straight for him, somehow managing to successfully use whoever tried to attack him as some sort of shield for everything thrown at him.

While Leon fought, he looked down quickly at his watch. 11:58 pm. “God fucking damnit Chris, hurry your ass up.” He grumbled, regretting ever choosing to help Chris with this mission. Or, maybe he didn’t.

He saw you again.

Wait a minute. Speaking of you, where the fuck were you?

As soon as that thought popped into his head, a grenade was thrown into the crowd that went after him, blowing up a good chunk of those who were just trying to kill him. Then, right after, something was thrown right at the giant creature. It stuck.

“Leon, run!” He heard the familiar voice. Yours.

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Leon shouted back, immediately turning around and running before the large explosive went off, tearing the creature to bits, throwing Leon across the platform from the force. The world was hazy for a moment as he tried to keep consciousness, but from the amount of times he had been thrown, he was hard headed.

Soon enough, an arm forcefully lifted him up. “No sleeping on the job, Leon.” The gruff man spoke. Leon felt his senses return, as he turned to face Chris.

“Where are they?” Were the first words Leon mumbled.

Chris furrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to respond, before he was interrupted. “Right here,” Your voice boomed through behind him.

His head quickly quipped back to view you as he called out for you, rushing to tackle you in a hug. “Where the fuck did you go?” Leon asked. His tone couldn’t show if he was worried or pissed, but you could tell it was a bit of both.

“I’ve been to this rodeo before, Leon, you just gotta trust me.”

“You know them?” Chris approached the two, confused, and almost concerned by Leon actually hugging someone.

Leon had let go of you to turn to face Chris. “You know them?” He emphasized the question, directing it back to Chris.

“They’re working on this case with us,” Chris explained, the “us” referring to the BSAA. He walked past Leon and went straight to you. “Do you have it?”

You scoffed. “Of course I do,” You proudly assured, taking a small chip out of your pocket and handing it to Chris. “Should have all the information you need on whoever the guy is you’re after, whatshisname. Josh. Let’s call him Josh.”

“No. Not Josh.”

“But-“

“Another name.”

“Fine… um… Paul.”

Chris only groaned, changing the topic. “Since this area is cleared out, let’s get back to safety. Need to get you two patched up before me and Leon enter the main building.” Chris explained.

“Wait,” Leon quickly turned to Chris. “What about them?”

“Their job is done, they can get patched up and go-“

“No,” Leon blurted out. He wasn’t entirely sure why. “I mean, I just... I…” He tried to find the words. To find the words that wouldn’t embarrass him, make him look like a pathetic fool.

I don’t want them to go. He thought.

You just smiled a bit at him, turning around to walk away. Then, he panicked. “Wait- don’t leave!” He walked over, grabbing your arm to keep you from walking away.

“Woah,” You turned to face Leon. “I’m not leaving?”

Ada. He thought to himself. I can’t let them leave… not like Ada. Not again.

“I- um-“ Suddenly, he felt embarrassed. You’re not Ada. “Nothing, I don’t-“

You could tell something was bothering him. That turmoil in his head that you had seen before in the countless random drunk conversations you two had months ago. You knew when it was time to derail the conversation. “I’ll be getting patched up, and I’m going to be looking out. I finished my job, I’m no longer bait. So, now, I’m just a backup distraction, if need be.” You explained. “So, team, are we ready to party?”

++++

Leon didn’t know how to feel after the mission, on the ride back to safety. He didn’t know how to feel about seeing you battered and bruised, talking to a more battered and bruised Chris. It wasn’t jealousy, no. Of course not. Unless?

“Hey, Leon?” Your voice snapped him out of his trance. “When’s your birthday?”

“What?”

“Well, it’s been 6 months since mine. Yours has to be soon, right?”

You were right. His birthday was soon. He’d be 38. “Yeah.” He spoke, letting you know his birthday. Yet, he said it so solemnly.

“Hey, don’t worry. We can go drinking again if you like. And look, you’re still in your 30’s,” You smiled at him, pushing him with a playful punch.

Leon scoffed with amusement. “Yeah.”

“Thirty, flirty, and thriving, right?”

He smiled.

“Thirty, flirty, and thriving.”

Leon chose not to drink that year. That time, he had something worth remembering.

You.