#because like. if the release date they were going for got pushed back they would've announced it by now

[reluctanttrabbit]

...so no help wanted 2 trailer

[soleminisanction]

I think my least favorite internet criticism of Meghan Fitzmartin is the idea that she "just wanted to push her ship," meaning Tim/Bernard. Because honestly? I think that's straight-up bullshit.

Having read the Urban Legends stories, the Pride Special reprint, Tim Drake: Robin and Young Justice Dark Crisis, plus what interviews and social media she's been doing as these comics came out, there is zero evidence to me to back that statement up. If that were true, the Urban Legends stories probably would've been more about bringing Bernard back and re-establishing him as a character. Y'know, building up their relationship.

But it wasn't about their relationship. It was about Tim and his feelings, his internal conflict, what he needed. That's what Fitzmartin even said in the interviews after, that she, "felt like this was something Tim needed." And that's true going into TD:R too -- yeah, Bernard is there and their relationship is a prominent subplot, but he gets about as much page time as Darcy and Detective Williams, and the focus is always on Tim's ongoing story and his developing relationships with all the people around him.

That's why I like that they went with Bernard as his "closet key." Not because I'm super devoted to the pairing or anything -- I truly could take or leave the arrangement -- but because they're tolerably cute together and, more importantly, dating a civilian supporting character comes with far less baggage than establishing a relationship with a fellow hero. By their very nature, superhero stories are more heavily weighted towards the hero characters than their civilian support, that's just a fact, and, with rare exception, civilian love interests tend to act more as sounding boards to develop and reflect the leads. Making Tim's first boyfriend an old civilian friend means the story could be about Tim's personal character growth, internal conflict, and explorations of his sexuality.

I genuinely think that's the only reason Fitzmartin went with Bernard. She only had around 30 pages to tell that Urban Legends story (and I guarantee you, she was assigned that page count before writing), so bringing back a previous civilian friend meant she didn't have to try to establish a whole new relationship on top of introducing a villain faction and telling a superhero-based investigation story. And for whatever reason, Bernard was the most popular of Tim's civilian buddies to rare-pair him with before this all happened. (Just check AO3: Prior to the release of the Urban Legends stories, Tim/Bernard had ~42 fics, Sebastian Ives got 4, and Danny Temple had 1.)

When Meghan Fitzmartin says that she went back, read Tim's old stories, and felt he needed to come out of the closet, I believe her. And I'm happy she felt that way and was allowed to act on those feelings because it's something I felt too, reading those stories. Those feelings that had nothing to do with "ships" or even with characters like Kon or Dick and everything to do with Tim and who he is as a person.

To sweep all that away as "she just wants to push her preferred ship" just feels so... dismissive and rude.

[gloryundimmed]

dsfgsfkgskjdhg from here because I'm obsessed.

Intoxication often gave Kai way more guts than he'd have sober, but this time, after the words left his lips, he thought he'd gone too far. Right now, what he had with Loux was easy and fun. They could hang out and fuck and commit crimes and push each other to do worse and worse things, but there were no strings attached. A past version of himself would've said this was the perfect relationship— no risk, all reward.

Part of him hated that he felt different now, different enough to speak up about being Loux's boyfriend. He was, admittedly, high as a fucking kite, but he knew exactly what he was saying. It was something he should never say in a friends with benefits deal like this one. He really fucked up this time. If he acted fast, he could pass it off as a slip of the tongue or maybe even laugh and say it was a quote from some TV show.

God, why did he have to be the biggest fucking dumbass in the world? He already knew there wasn't a person alive who would want to date him. Even if there was, he couldn't even imagine how bad it would be to be in a relationship with someone like him. His body and soul were like a black hole, slowly sucking, dragging people down into a pitch-black abyss. That's who he was. A cataclysm in someone's life, a natural disaster that could only destroy. He had no business talking like this.

All he knew was he wanted nothing but to stay with Loux like this forever. If he lost this, there would be nothing left of him, but somehow he still had the nerve to say something so fucking stupid? He really was a fool. Fuck. He took another drag of the blunt they had been sharing and let it out slow, watching it join the haze covering the room. "Fuck," he muttered to himself, flicking off the embers of the joint and placing it on an ashtray to the side. Now, he had to take it back in some embarrassing attempt to save face.

But before he could say anything else, Loux went and did the impossible. The blond said he actually thought about him being his boyfriend. A dark pit formed in his stomach, twisting and knotting it around itself. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.

With trembling hands, he grabbed the blunt again and took a long hit, keeping it down for a good while before releasing the smoke into the air. He couldn't even remember the last time he felt so nervous. It was like walking on a tightrope hanging above a pool of rabid sharks and a promise of an agonizing death should he fall. No, this was much worse.

No no no no no, fuck, you idiot, you're supposed to say no!

He had never been happier that he couldn't see Loux's face. That meant that Loux couldn't see his own, right? Hopefully, those bewitching grey eyes that he loved to gaze at while they fucked each other silly couldn't see how nervous he was all of a sudden. That was wishful thinking, though. Kai's whole body felt stiff and tense.

Then came the real coup de grâce. Loux asked if he wanted to try it.

He didn't even know how to react. Invisible bonds constricted around his chest, a feeling of rising panic threatening to suffocate him as he found it harder and harder to breathe. "I..." he choked out.

"No." Kai winced, closing his eyes. He had to say no. He had to. If Loux got any closer to him, he'd only drag him down like everyone else. He'd fuck it up. That was the only thing he was capable of doing.

...But it seemed he wasn't physically capable of leaving it like that. He wanted to try being Loux's loser boyfriend. He wanted to try it so fucking bad, more than he had ever wanted anything.

"....Yes. Yes. Yes."

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, his heart felt like it was going to explode into a million pieces. He glanced down and brushed Loux's messy blond hair from his eyes. For a moment, he hesitated, but quickly gave up, his high making him extra sensitive to the other's warmth on his shoulder. His whole body buzzed from being higher than he really should be. He needed so much more of Loux assaulting his senses. Fucking hell, he really needed it now.

Kai leaned down and licked his bottom lip before wrapping his arm around the back of his head and pulling him in for a deep kiss. When his buzzing lips met the blond's, he felt a wave of endorphins flood through his body, and he moaned into Loux's mouth, tongue dipping inside to taste him. As wrong as it might be, this felt so fucking right.

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

7 to 7: The Scrapped Pixar Originals of the '10s

The other day, I was revisiting the concept art of the cancelled Pixar picture NEWT.

NEWT, as many would know, was going to be an adventure story about newts. Little amphibians that kinda look like lizards. Two blue-footed newts, the last of their endangered species, a guy and a gal. They have to mate to save their species. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The Blue Sky film RIO did this story, but with blue macaws.

NEWT was announced by Disney Pictures and Pixar in April 2008, then penciled in for a summer 2011 debut. This would've been the feature to succeed TOY STORY 3 on the release schedule, and coincidentally, this was the year RIO opened. It was pushed back months after its unveiling, as it played musical chairs with CARS 2, formerly a summer 2012 release. And then as time passed, NEWT was without a release date...

If you frequented the corners I did in the early 2010s, you would've known NEWT was dead before Pixar said so. Floyd Norman, who needs no introduction, casually let it slip in a reply section in early 2010... And then a few months later, Pixar officially announced that NEWT was cancelled... Unprecedented, in a way... An original movie, previously announced, was no longer moving forward. They then proceeded to dump a ton of concept art for the movie... The other remnants of the movie are merely small Easter eggs seen in TOY STORY 3 and BRAVE.

Many seem to believe that NEWT was scrapped by Pixar brass because of its similarities to RIO, and that they wanted to avoid another ANTZ vs. A BUG'S LIFE situation... But given how many other similar animated movies have opened near each other, I never bought that. ANTZ vs. A BUG'S LIFE was its own unique case, while almost every other similar-movie situation was really just coincidence. NEWT and RIO were no different. (This of course applies to big studio movies, *not* cash-in mockbuster shovelware like those Video Brinquedo movies.)

The real reason is more fascinating. Former Pixar president Ed Catmull stated in 2014 that they had first removed director Gary Rydstrom from NEWT, and then gave it to Pete Docter (current CCO), fresh off of directing Oscar winner UP. Docter showed them an idea he had been working on the previous summer, and they decided to go with that movie instead, leaving NEWT to collect dust. What was that idea? INSIDE OUT...

A rare instance where an animated movie outright replaced another one in development, because most of the time in these big studios... That never actually happens. For example: Sony Animation did not jettison Genndy Tartakovsky's POPEYE movie in favor of THE EMOJI MOVIE. Tartakovsky's take on the classic sailor was openly disliked by top Sony brass at the time, such as Amy Pascal, and he was off the movie by the end of 2014. The studio wanted to make a POPEYE movie, but under another director, as Genndy went and focused on HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 2. THE EMOJI MOVIE was thought up by animation vet Tony Leondis on his own, and three studios got in a bidding war over his concept, Sony being the winner... And that was some time in mid-2015. So, no correlation. I think a lot of animation fans were simply upset that they cancelled Genndy's POPEYE, but saw EMOJI MOVIE through to completion. That's not the same as putting two separate movies on a table, and voting on which one to go through with.

Anyways, back on track. NEWT. Not cancelled because of similarities to RIO, cancelled because it seemed like no one wanted to make this picture. I found it kind of bizarre that Pixar, which was being run by John Lasseter at the time, didn't hand it to someone else after Docter pitched INSIDE OUT. I get the sense that he hated it, and just wanted it off the runway. Either that, or it was perceived as a standard talking animals adventure and not the usual "what-if" stuff that Lasseter's Pixar tended to favor. For whatever reason, it's a shame, because this is a movie I'd like to see happen. Who knows, maybe Docter - given that he doesn't run Pixar like Lasseter - could let either Rydstrom return or give someone else a fair shot with the concept. Maybe it can be turned into a short film or a Disney+ special/featurette... Who the heck knows!

Pixar released only four original features in the 2010s, which were BRAVE, INSIDE OUT, THE GOOD DINOSAUR, and COCO. Four original movies, against seven sequels. NEWT being made would've definitely brought things a little closer... But that wasn't the only picture that got put on ice during this tumultuous decade under a Lasseter who was letting all that leadership (not just Pixar, but also Disney Animation, Disneytoon, and various parks positions) get to his head...

Around 2010, Henry Selick and his CinderBiter Studio struck an ambitious collaboration with Pixar to bring out the studio's first stop-motion film, and their first feature co-production at that. First known as SHADEMAKER, THE SHADOW KING got very far in production. Lasseter, however, aggressively micromanaged the picture and imposed all of these changes on Selick, ballooning the budget. The picture was aiming for an October 2013 release, but after a change in leadership for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (this is when we went from the inexperienced Rich Ross to former Warner exec Alan Horn), and no faith in Tim Burton's then-upcoming stop-motion pic FRANKENWEENIE, THE SHADOW KING was cancelled and all the props and hard work done on the film were destroyed. Workprint footage still exists, and Selick was allowed to shop the concept/script to other studios.

So that would've been 6 original films. Heck, Selick could've even adapted Neil Gaiman's THE GRAVEYARD BOOK for Pixar, so we could've had 7 non-sequel movies *and* Pixar's first feature film to be an adaptation of pre-existing source material. (Prior to this, two stories by William Joyce - THE LEAF MEN AND THE BRAVE GOOD BUGS, and DINOSAUR BOB - were in consideration for the Pixar feature treatment. The former was eventually made at Blue Sky and titled EPIC.)

Lastly, to my knowledge, there's an eighth film... A film we know little about, that was to be directed by Pixar long-timer and Brad Bird collaborator Teddy Newton and written by Derek Connelly (a regular collaborator w/ Colin Trevorrow), a film some news sites talked about in late 2012... But not Pixar themselves. Something that was said to be a little edgier than the usual Pixar fare. Someone I know, who attended an event where Newton was present, learned that this was the case... And that it ultimately didn't make it because of how edgy it was. With the way they made it sound, that could've possibly been Pixar's first PG-13 film.

Speaking of PG-13, one of BRAVE's directors wanted to be the one to make Pixar's first "adult" movie. That was Mark Andrews, the person who essentially "finished" the movie that originator Brenda Chapman had started and had been kicked off of. Andrews had an original sci-fi film lined up at Pixar as far back as early 2012, when BRAVE was in the final lap of production... But eventually, it fell to the wayside and Andrews apparently left Pixar. That film likely would've been an early 2020s release, I reckon.

With all that, there is an alternate history where Pixar balanced out the flood of sequels that dominated their 2010s. Of course, those particular sequels existing is rooted in some *very* convoluted and sometimes legal stuff, which explains why we got at least three of those movies. That's another story for another day, and I've talked about that extensively in the past... But, it's interesting to note that a lot of originals were in some form of development during that decade, but sadly didn't make the cut... This all coincided in a decade where the sequels all flooded out, leading some people to think "Has Pixar sold out? Are they just a sequel factory now? Did Disney gut them of their soul?"

The reality of the situation is usually boring-er than that. Lasseter didn't greenlight some originals and outright pulled the plug on other ones, and Pixar's original contract with Disney didn't allow for sequels...

However, under its current leadership, Pixar could very well dust off an idea that may not have made it in the past, and could try again with it... That's not the first time that's happened. WALL-E is a great example of this, it was born out of an unmade movie called TRASH PLANET that was in development during the mid-to-late 1990s. It even went back and forth between Pete Docter and its eventual director, Andrew Stanton. By 2000, Stanton ended up pitching another idea he had been kicking around for some time, FINDING NEMO... but by the time NEMO was nearing completion in early 2003, Stanton revisited the robot... And WALL-E was his next picture...

Sometimes these things can be saved...

Wouldn't it be kinda mindblowing if we had heard that NEWT was back and was going to be one of the studio's 2025-2026 releases? I'd be delightfully surprised.

Anyways, that's some fun facts stuff I wanted to share.

Here's a list of a Pixar 2010s that could've been:

TOY STORY 3

NEWT

BRAVE

CARS 2

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

THE SHADOW KING

THE GOOD DINOSAUR

INSIDE OUT

FINDING DORY

UNTITLED TEDDY NEWTON FILM

UNTITLED MARK ANDREWS FILM

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK

CARS 3

INCREDIBLES 2

TOY STORY 4

..

[plantcrazy]

Update - THSC & FNAF - 11/01/23

'Ello guys, just a small update to keep everyone up to date on how stuff's going.

THSC - Lost Children

I've been feeling a little burnt out since my last chapter upload (I think I went a bit too hard on getting so many chapters out in such little time, lol), so I haven't been pushing myself. I've found for me, the best way to recover from burn out is to not force myself to do something, & let my mind wander back to it when it's ready.

I've been feeling better the last couple of days, and I've found myself daydreaming some cool alt versions of some upcoming chapters, so I've started work on refining the order & pacing of chapters for part 2.

Progress is looking like this (+ some on the side for part 3's start):

Part 2 is currently 22 chapters without Reginald's storyline, so likely high 20's to low 30's once I work his in. Pacing is feeling good, and I've got a few fun twists worked in >:)

For those who want to know when part 1 will be done, it's once I finish this for part 2, as this is the stage where I make sure foreshadowing is in & make any needed last minute adjustments. E.g. the ending chapter of part 1 is now moving to the start of part two, & I'm removing the character's knowledge of X happening, so instead, X happing will be the inciting incident for part 2.

Again, still feeling a little burnt out, so I'm working on it as I feel like it/ ideas come to me.

FNAF - Glitched Arcade

This is what I've mostly been working on while resting my burnt out thsc brain :P

Lots & lots of research (I've got like... 30 Reddit tabs open & my laptop ain't particularly please, lol). I've also been bushing up on the games. Yesterday I dived into FNAF AR, & learned the game none ever remembers has important lore to FNAF SB. Who would've guessed?

I also discovered I lost my original notes from 2021 for my version of Security Breach T T

I remember a little, enough to know what direction I wanted to take it & some of the MAJOR things I wanted to work in, like making it so non-book readers (, like myself), don't have to read X books & novels to understand the plot. (I'm looking at you, Ruin. I was so confused when that DLC came out, I had to watch like... 4 explanation/theory videos on the Mimic before it clicked).

I also want to bring back the classic '5 nights', give ALL the animatronics that happy save-everyone-ending we were all robbed of, use Vanny like the trailer said she was going to be & address 'The Arcade Conspiracy'. I know the arcade thing was big 'cause the story name I have down is 'Glitched Arcade', and I have some rough memories of it playing a major role.

Also do want to stress this, because I've been in this fandom 7 YEARS. I'm one of the OLD fans. I joined right after the release of FNAF 4, and with this said, I KNOW what some of you guys are like, & I don't want none of that arguing nor toxicity here.

Glitched Arcade is MY STORY, and I will NOT BE MAKING IT CANON TO THE GAMES OR BOOKS, NOR ATTEMPTING TO.

This is MY take on the story, basing it on my theories and those I love, correct or not. I'm here to tell my story & have fun, to write something which makes sense in its own continuity.

Glitched Arcade is MY re-write of FNAF Security Breach. It's my AU.

So, I'm sorry if I don't agree with your theories, timelines or what not, but this is my story & if it's not for you, that's fine. Please leave quietly & I hope you find something which is for you.

With that out the way, storywise, I've been working on the Daycare Attendants storyline. I have some pretty neat ideas for them, especially answering that big old question of: Why? Why are they- particularly Moon -so important? Also, I love this idea I have for HOW the virus works in them, & the mysteries behind them. Just all those question we want answered: Why is Sun scared of Moon? Is Moon evil? Is he doing this voluntarily, or just another virus victim? How did they go from theatre robots to daycare ones?

All that good stuff >:)

I don't have any finalised art YET, but I do have this cool concept I'll share as an early teaser.

Aside for Sun & Moon's designs (who I'm changing for a story reason), I am generally happy with the other animatronic designs. So, I might stylise the proportions a little & simplify their designs for easy comic-making, but otherwise I think I'll leave them alone (or maybe I'll make some small changes to show a visual 'this ain't fnaf sb' thing). *Shrugs* I'll think on it more :P

[midnightdevotion]

Catch Me

Part 3 of The one (Final part)

@redpandabel

Pairing: Iceman x reader

Warnings: Swearing if that's even a warning?

a/n: I went out of town so sorry this is delayed :') but anyways it's here now and I hope you guys all love it!

Waking up is simultaneously your favorite and least favorite thing. You love it on mornings like to today because the sun comes sweeping in waking you gently to the sounds of birds singing. However, you hate it because after a good 22 seconds you realize the events of last night are in fact a reality.

Sighing you try to brush the stinging in your heart away. Angry at yourself from being this hurt about a guy you met one time. So unlike the you that lived on the east coast less than 72 hours ago.

Deciding you weren't going to let this ruin another day for you, you push yourself up and out of bed. You were going to go for a quick jog, even though you loathed jogging. At this point anything was better than sitting in the house dwelling on the gorgeous eyed aviator who didn't show.

You didn't expect slider to be awake when you stepped downstairs. Feeling the tension between your brows tighten with curiosity you decide your impending doom of a jog could wait.

Slider is sitting next to a gorgeous display of flowers. The beauty of yellow roses almost out of place in what could be described as nothing short of a hungover mans bubble.

"Someone get you flowers Slide?" You ask cheekily, and he's quick to shoot you a glare, but groaning that he shouldn't have moved so fast immediately after doing so.

"I definitely deserve some god damn flowers" You can't help the laugh that escapes you as your best friend clutches the cup of coffee in his hands like his life depends on it.

"anyways no, they were on the doorstep when I got home so I brought them in. I don't think I own a vase" he was looking at the flowers perplexed. Shaking your head with a laugh, and grabbing a cup to put them in.

"a cup will work just fine then, wonder who left them" It didn't cross your mind that a sorry blond haired pilot would be the reason for the flowers. You see Slider raise a brow from the corner of your eye but you leave it.

"I'm going to go for a jog and hopefully not die" You state giving him a cheeky grin. He knows you hate jogging, but you don't give him the chance to question you.

It's hell. Now you remember why you don't do this. There's sweat dripping down your face, and you're sure your face is a blotchy mess of red. The humid air of the ocean does not make it easier to breathe either. You could lay down right here and die. The fact you only made it half a mile away from the house before dying might be embarrassing but hell you'll be dead so who cares.

If you weren't so angry about last night still you would've already turned around and made for a shameful walk back into the house where slider would make fun of you. Here you were though, plugging along in hopes that this stupid exercise would release some endorphins and make you happier.

You give up after another half mile. Clearly this wasn't working and if anything it was only making you angrier. All you kept thinking about was his stupid god damn smile, and the way his stupid eyes sparkled, or the way his laugh made you want to laugh. Stupid fucking aviators.

Why did he even make the bet with you, having you agree to a date, and then just not show up. He could've just flirted and at the end of the night let you down easy. There was no harsher reality then being stood up.

It was embarrassing. You were so smitten with the man and here you are drowning in the embarrassment and suffering the heartache after just one day. It scared you, how much pain you were feeling from this.

You had been no stranger to how shitty men could be, so why does it hurt so badly this time around. Why did your heart still sting, and why did you want to curl up with ice cream and a romance movie driving you further into sadness until you swore off men entirely.

Okay, even you could admit that maybe that's a bit dramatic. However, you felt that you had the right to be dramatic when the wound is still so fresh.

You didn't expect to see someone sitting on your doorstep when you finally made your way back, walking most of the mile home. As you got closer the sight made you wanna turn and run another five miles away from here. You were never good with confronting emotions. Sarcastic and witty and able to stand up to yourself when necessary sure, but confronting hurt emotions with the blond aviator who just looked up to see your sweaty exhausted self was not something you were prepared for.

"You know slider is on the inside right" you decided the best route was to pretend it never happened, hoping to spare yourself at least some semblance of dignity.

"I'm not here for slider" you could almost hear the apologetic tone in his voice.

"Don't let him hear that, it'd breath his heart" you felt like you couldn't breathe all over again, Tom having more of an effect on you than the goddamn run.

You move to walk past him, wanting to just get away from him. First he stood you up and now he gets to see you looking like a sweaty rat. Whatever you did to piss off karma you didn't know but you'd get on your knee's and beg the universe for forgiveness at this point.

He catches your wrist before you can brush past him on the steps. Holding you firmly in front of him. He's so close you can smell his aftershave, a deep teakwood scent mixed with what you could place as the ocean, fresh and warming.

"can I please talk to you" you raise your eyebrow at his request.

"Sure" you didn't give him much to work with, but in all fairness you didn't have much you could give him, not when you're trying to protect yourself.

"I am so sorry for missing last night, god I wanted nothing more than to be here, I don't want to just give you excuses I got here as soon as I could but the lights were out. I'm assuming you got my flowers because they weren't on the door and next time I'm telling all my commanding officers to fuck off and coming to our date" he grabs your hand half way through his reasoning, and he's terrified because your face gives nothing away.

What you don't know is that he came over not five minutes after you left for your run, ready to apologize and beg on his knee's for forgiveness. Something that scared the hell out of him because his call sign wasn't iceman for nothing.

Usually he would be fine, another girl would come along. He wouldn't worry about her feelings or what she thought of him. God the thought of you hating him made him want to cry. If his team found out about that, the mocking would never stop and yet he found himself not caring. If shouting it to the world is what he needed to to do to gain your forgiveness then he would until his voice was raw.

You were however, still confused.

"Um what." and yeah okay not the most intelligent thing you've ever said, but you didn't sleep so good and now you've just ran/walked to miles so you are giving yourself a break.

Slider opens the door, his eavesdropping obvious to you two now.

"Oh my god you two are stupid. Iceman is basically in love with you but we were forced to stay late because our admiral stopped by, why he didn't call I don't know because he's stupid. You are stupid because you really think I would let him do that to my best friend, like for the love of god I know us men are stupid but please give me some credit at least. I'm leaving so I don't have to watch this anymore but figure your shit out children" he slapped iceman on the back and gave you a wink as he walked to his car and sped off.

"I- was he"

"He's so nosy" you both started talking at the same time, causing you to laugh. Tom looked so utterly confused it was like a lost puppy. He quickly shook himself out of it though.

"look I guess what I'm trying to say, is I'm so so sorry darling, and I'd love to make it up for you and get a second chance at our date"

"Hmmmm I normally don't do second chances... I think i'll make an exception for you though" okay maybe the pause was mean, and you shouldn't have enjoyed the way his face fell when you said second chances weren't normally your thing. When he processed the rest of your sentence though, he looked down at you absolutely beaming.

"Oh thank god" It was nothing short of absolute relief that filled his tone.

"Slider wants you to get him flowers by the way" and he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. Shaking his head he watches as you move to open the door behind you. That's when he finally notices the attire you were wearing for your jog. His hand slips behind your waist as he pulls you closer to him. You won't admit it out loud but the way his hands touch your bare skin has tingles shooting through you.

"I'll get you and my stupid R.I.O. whatever you guys want, especially when you look like this" you raise your eyebrow at him, watching as his eyes scan your body. Feeling smug, wearing your sports bra and running shorts. He moves in to kiss you, but you aren't done having your fun yet so you move your head.

"I'm pretty sure I said I'd kiss you after seeing how our date went and well" you pause watching the restraint flicker behind his eyes, mixed with what your guessing is frustration.

"If I order us in lunch does that count" there's a desperation to his voice and you'd have more fun teasing him if you weren't just as desperate.

"Throw in dinner and you have a deal" and before you can even think about what's happening next he's crashing his lips to your and pushing you agains the door.

His grip on your waist tightens and there is no ignoring the butterflies that are exploding inside your stomach. He lifts you up effortlessly and opens the door to your temporary home. You silently thank god slider left earlier.

"If you're going to make me fall for you, you better catch me" You breathily whisper against his swollen lips.

"Oh Honey, there is nothing I want more" comes his quick reply before guiding your lips right back to his. With that you let yourself fall, effortlessly and quickly.

Taglist:

@alanadetigy 

@luckyladycreator2 

@multiplefandomsmess 

@tkmarvel-divergentbish

@ohh-to-be-a-frog

@roosterschanelslut

@littlebadariell

@nobody7102

[ashiemochi]

hey ashie!!! so I was thinking about what I asked yesterday, so basically - what would dating leon, while also being a field agent at the dso, look like?

making this a bit angsty but with a happy ending>:) ily! before

Romantic relationships aren't encouraged within the division - you'd be even assigned different missions separately to avoid unwanted emotional trauma. It might seem unfair, but the DSO wants their agents at the top of their shape.

Which made dating Leon a bit difficult.

It all started when you two were assigned on a mission to retrieve info about a suspected virus in the making. Being still a rookie, you were a bit reckless but in a good way. Leon was trapped and running out of ammo, which sent your adrenaline shooting sky high and you used the flare stick you had to catch the monsters' attention.

Given they were attracted to light, they rushed at you at once.

If it weren't for Leon shooting at the gas barrel with his last bullet, you would've been a goner.

You had sustained severe injuries that day, nearly giving your life for your trainer; your lover. Through hazy eyes, you caught Leon kneeling next to your body, looking alert but you couldn't hear his urgent voice or feel his desperate touches.

It took you two days to wake up.

And now there you two were. In his bed, despite your orders. Through winces and hisses, you managed to sit up, glancing over at the sleeping agent. With heart wringing into itself, you stood up, feeling the subtle ache in between your legs as you made your way to pick up your underwear.

Once that was on, you slid on your button-up shirt but couldn't button them up. Not because of pain or anything, but Leon wasn't entirely asleep.

"Leaving already?" His voice came out raspy and deep and you smiled softly, a sad one as you let your eyes trail down the red angry lines down his back as he pushed himself to sit. He kept his lower half covered by the blanket and his hand reached out for you.

"You know the rules... We can't be caught." You whispered, setting your hand on his and he tugged gently back down to sit back down on the edge of the bed, "I don't want you to lose your position."

Your hand released his to meet yours on the lap, staring down at them. One of them was bandaged up to your arm, concealing a deep gash you had endured.

Leon frowned silently, his hand sliding up to your other shoulder, tenderly massaging your sore muscles. He knew about the new orders; keep your distance.

For your sake.

"You sure I can't say anything to make you stay longer?" Leon asked, gazing at you lovingly with a subtle tilted head to catch your eyes.

You finally looked at him with glistening eyes, pressing your lips into a thin line to stop them from trembling as you shook your head.

"You got an assignment tomorrow, I need to leave." You brought it up, earning a sigh from him. He looked frustrated.

"Can I kiss you then?" Leon gave you a faint cheeky grin, his hand trailing from your shoulder down to your waist, "A little good luck."

You gave him a look, giggling a bit, "Alright, just one."

"We'll see." Leon chuckled, the distance between you two closing and you huffed.

"Leon -"

You were silenced when his lips met yours, softly. A sound from you went muffled, your hand coming up to hold his cheek, thumb caressing that patch of bandaid he had on his jawline. Leon parted his lips from yours slightly, opening his blueblue eyes a bit to look at you.

Talk about lovestruck.

"Okay, uhm..." Your whisper came out a bit broken and Leon's eyes lit up when you got yourself close to kiss him again, a whimper going silent as Leon smiled faintly against your lips, tugging you close to let you straddle him.

Leon groaned lowly against your lips when your hand trailed to the back of his head, fingers running through the little mullet he had going on. His hand ran under your shirt, gently tracing the bandages along your back from where you were burned by the explosion. His other hand went down to your bare thigh, squeezing your flesh just a little.

His tongue slid in just as you parted your lips, receiving a moan from you. The kiss deepened for only a moment then Leon pulled away, remembering that you had to leave.

"If you keep kissing me like this, I won't be able to keep a level head about this." Leon warned light-heartedly, earning a little giggle from you as you didn't move, wrapping your arms around his neck with a small smile.

"Can you spare me a little more time, Mr. Kennedy?" You asked, staring at him with a glow in your eye.

Leon chuckled, shaking his head as his arms went around your waist to switch your positions, having you beneath him in a blink of an eye.

"For you, baby? Anything."

[moon-lixie]

Help - Seo Changbin

“But what if he tries to kiss me? You know I don't know how to kiss.” And just how he helped you calm your nerves and pick the clothes you would wear, Changbin helped you with this one last detail.

genre: fluff, 80s AU

word count: 2.647k

The music turned slightly louder as a result of Changbin´s nervous fingers toying with the stereo of your room, blasting Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen in a volume where you could appreciate every single word clearly. You didn't pay particular attention to that detail as you kept moving your feet back and forth in the air.

Laying down on your bed, your elbows supported the weight of your head that leaned comfortably against your palm. Under your concentrated gaze was a magazine acquired barely minutes ago as you walked back from school with your friend.

A deep sigh left your friend's lips, almost disrupting the calmness with the blatant distress that it carried. And for the first time in the last fifteen minutes your gaze fluttered over his figure long enough for him to snap his head in your direction.

Once his gaze started softening and his brows abandoned the previously furrowed state they had met your glance with, you moved your orbs back to the pages that lazily turned due to your slightly bored fingers.

Many Friday afternoons had been spent like that, with your friend hanging around your house or vice versa. It wasn´t often that you got bored or impatient for the night to arrive soon —because that meant parting ways with Changbin and that idea always sounded dreadful— but today was one of those days.

Today, when the night arrived, you would be going on a date —your very first one that is— and it stirred inside you an excitement that couldn´t be dampened by nothing in this world. Or so you thought before your friend released another awfully loud sigh.

“Could you quit whatever it is that you're doing? You're ruining the mood,” escaped from your lips with a fake annoyance that prevented him from tensing up any further.

He mumbled a quick and awfully faint apology but you still managed to make it out in between the familiar melody of Died in your arms that began playing as the voice from the man working on the radio station currently playing faded.

It was your turn to sigh as he started pacing restlessly around the carpeted floor of your room. Whatever was the thing that could possibly bother him that much escaped your seemingly limited understanding.

For a split second you considered asking him what was bothering him so greatly, but knowing him you were certain that if it distressed him enough for him not to even bother hiding his restlessness, it wasn't particularly something he would be comfortable to talk about freely.

He seemed to limit himself to look at the floor solely until his eyes travelled to one of the walls without notice. It wasn't the one covered with the posters of your favourite bands —that of course happened to be his favourite ones as well— nor the one where your window stared at the backyard he had sneaked into in the middle of the night more times that you could count with a single hand.

It had been the one where you had tried to do a collage of photos; you had ultimately given up one particularly hot day of the last summer that only added to the uncomfortable sticky feeling of glue drying on your palms and the lack of photos that had prompted you to carry a camera around the last months.

A small smile morphed Changbin´s expression into a less sour one, eliciting a smile of your own. The corners of his eyes began crinkling as he took notice of the fact that most pictures were of him or at least included his presence; for a second you thought you could blush in embarrassment, quickly discarting the thought upon realizing that if someone was aware of your lack of close friends it was Changbin.

Standing up you left the magazine open on one particularly unimportant page and walked to stand beside the person you loved to tease about his height.

Watching as his hand reached out forward, you took in how he ever so gently pressed the tips of his fingers on the white edges of the polaroid that perfectly encapsulated one morning on the nearby park that had risen upon you two not long ago.

A flash of sadness unmistakably passed through his pupils, worry setting itself deep within your chest.

“Hey, is everything okay?” you asked in a hushed tone as if raising your voice in the slightest would result in scaring him away.

Without words he tried to reassure you that everything was fine, softly shaking his head and flashing your way the smallest of smiles. If only you hadn't known him since you were both kids, then maybe you would believe he was really okay.

The exact moment you were about to give up on letting him drown in his own pitifulness and ask him what was going on, he turned around and quickly made his way to plop down on your bed.

Your right eyebrow quirked in amusement as you watched him reach out for the one stuffed animal he had given you for your birthday four springs ago, pressing it tightly against his chest. For a moment you caught yourself feeling slightly annoyed at him not hugging you, if he wanted to hug something so desperately you would've liked to be his first option.

After letting a small huff escape from in between your lips, you walked towards him only to playfully snatch the brown fluffiness away from his arms and ultimately lay down beside him after saying, “you were going to asphyxiate it if you kept going like that.”

“It was either him or you,” he said, this time mirroring your playfulness and seemingly letting his worries aside.

“First of all, who said that it was a he?” you said while shooting a disapproving glare to your friend, “and second, if I needed to sacrifice myself to save this poor soul then I would.”

“Don't say I didn't warn you.” Before you were able to question his words he lunged at you, his fingers tickling just the spots that had you trying to stifle your laugh with all your might.

Seconds later he hugged you close to his chest, laughs filling the whole room and erasing any trace of worry from his face. While you just begged him to let you go as a poor attempt of expressing that you wanted him to do the exact opposite.

His loud laugh died down as he let you go and faced the ceiling once again, only sporadically leaving his mouth as a breathy giggle that matched perfectly the ones bubbling up from your throat.

And then, just as silence began to install itself on your bed right between the both of you, he said something that surprised you, “isn't it time for you to get ready for that date? I mean, that's the only reason you brought me here, right?” His tone was teasing and playful, for a second it pulled you away from the daze that the thought of almost forgetting about your date brought.

Right then you had no idea but as you agreed you were also signing for an extremely picky Changbin who kept shaking his head in disapproval over and over again as you chose different clothing pieces from your closet, either because he had turned into a full fashionista on the last hours or just because he wanted to annoy you.

“I swear to god Seo Changbin, if you don't say that this is the one when I come out we´re going to have some trouble.” The comment seemed to amuse him seeing that he had snorted right away.

Taking one last look at the mirror above your sink, you opened the bathroom door and stepped right where he could see you perfectly. “So, how do I look?”

He could´ve laughed at the weird poses you were striking while trying to add to the simple set of denim shorts and the white graphic tee tucked inside them if only he didn't seem so out of breath.

The top you wore was one that you had bought with him one Saturday when you had the great idea of buying some matching outfits and he had refused until you finally convinced him to buy a simple t-shirt, just that.

“God, does it look that bad?” you began saying with a frown painting your features with worry, “I mean, it is a bit casual but you said that it would be better not to overdo it-”

“No, no,” he quickly interrupted what both of you knew would be a string of incoherent and unstoppable talking that erupted as a habit that came from pure nervousness, “you look great, really. This is it.”

One small smile brightened your face but did nothing to ease the nerves that increased as the excitement washed away, because your date was no longer a what if that could take place in the future but a fact that would occur without a doubt.

Your trembling hands reached towards your bed where most of your clothes had been left discarded, along with the magazine that just now you remember existed —without a doubt it would be crinkled.

Starting to pick up some stuff with the intention of cleaning up, Changbin soon joined you and bumped the side of his hips against yours before walking with obvious content towards your closet. It meant a lot to you that, just like always, he was trying to help you ease your nerves without being awfully obvious about it.

Quickly, you rushed towards where he was and pushed him softly to the side before laughing and putting some folded pieces of clothing inside its respectful cabinets. He didn't just brush it off and instead paid you back with the same treatment, beginning like that another fit of laughter that barely allowed you to be quick about sorting out the pile of clothing.

When you both finished the sky had turned into a deep and dark purple that threatened to end your precious time with your friend; you were beginning to judge yourself for being so impatient earlier when all you wanted now was for hours to stretch endlessly if it meant staying in his comforting presence.

His hand held yours and brought you out of your daze; your heart shouldn’t have been beating as hard because it was just Changbin. That’s right, just Changbin, your sweet and incredibly attentive friend, just that…

A comforting smile met your sight after he squeezed your hand gently to catch your attention. It was just friendly Changbin, and they were just nerves for your date, not butterflies.

Without a word he brought you to sit on the floor right in front of him, so you could be facing straight as his slightly furrowed brows and beautifully brown eyes.

“What’s bothering you?” he asked, squeezing your hand one more time in the process. “Tell me so that I can help.”

You wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation, a couple of hours before anyone would’ve thought those words would end up slipping from your lips, not his.

“I don't know,” you murmured quite uncertain of what to say next, so you just said exactly that, “I have no idea what to do.”

“Ask me then, I’ll help you.”

The tone of his voice, so confident and friendly, made you want to laugh out loud. “This isn’t like studying, silly.”

“We can pretend it is. Let’s say it’s a math problem we need to solve, you know I got your back.”

That you did know, he always had your back just like you had his. It had been an unspoken promise of two toddlers that still managed to stay perfectly immaculate.

You began speaking, asking silly questions and eventually moving onto the real ones, the things that worried you and made your stomach churn until you felt nauseous.

“And what if he tries to kiss me? You know I don't know how to kiss.” This particular question left your lips as a mere whisper; it had caused Changbin’s grip on your hand to tighten as he hadn’t let go of your hand since you both had sat down.

“W-Well.” His voice was shaky, it made you wonder if perhaps that was a question too difficult to answer or if you shouldn’t have mentioned it. Immediately your gaze traveled to the ground as you tried to hide your embarrassed expression.

“I guess I can help with that too.” And just how he helped you calm your nerves and pick the clothes you would wear, he helped you with that one last detail.

The fingers of his free hand brushed on your chin as he lifted your face for you to stare at him. He leaned ever so slowly, a small nervous smile coating his rosy lips whose colour matched the blush bringing liveliness to his face.

Time seemed to move terribly slow as his lids fluttered shut, seconds later it was your turn to close your eyes. Before you knew his lips were brushing over yours, his breathing fanning over your cheek in a tickling fashion that made you feel warm inside rather than making you want to laugh.

When he finally pressed his lips fully on yours it felt like you were melting, a tingling sensation travelled through your whole body and you squeezed his hand as tightly as possible.

It felt like years before he moved away from you, though you were aware that it must have been barely a couple of seconds. Just as you were pulling away, eyes still closed, his hand cupping your cheek, he spoke softly, “It would be something like that.”

A shiver ran down your spine when his breath fanned over your lips and before you even knew your lips were pressed against his once again. This time it wasn’t as awkward or stiff; in fact, he let go of your hand and moved his position for him to be kneeling. Getting closer to you seemed like his mission as his other hand gently pressed against your cheek that had begun feeling jealous of the warmth the other was receiving from his touch.

His lips moved against yours slowly and careful not to scare you away, for a second you could swear you tasted a tinge of the vanilla ice cream he had bought on the way home at the tip of your tongue.

This time as he pulled away you weren’t left with confusing interrogations that messed up with your mind but with a hammering heart that seemed to overpower the noise coming from the stereo.

“Or something like that,” Changbin said, chuckling to himself with satisfaction before sitting back where he had been like he had never once moved. But you could see it on the faint smile covering his lips that he was enjoying himself more than his timid hands were trying to show as they were shoved under the thighs of his crossed legs.

“I don’t want to go anywhere now,” you said in between breaths; he laughed right away with a warmness that reached your cheeks as well as your heart.

“I don’t want you to go either.”

The smile on his lips painted itself on your face as well; seeming to get out of a strange daze the music from the radio reached your ears with a newfound intensity that made you scared about possibly disturbing someone. That thought was left aside when you recognised the song playing, it was Friends will be Friends by Queen.

There were butterflies dancing freely on your stomach and a sense of comfort that made your heart sing. Laughing out loud you leaned towards Changbin once again; Freddie Mercury had no idea what he was talking about, because sometimes friends were much more than just that.

[violetarks]

Let Her In

Anime: My Hero Academia

Character: Bakugou Katsuki

Summary: He seems too busy to spend time with, but he assures you he still loves her. One night is all it takes for Y/N to finally realise that maybe she didn't have a space in Bakugou's life.

Song: Naked — James Arthur

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

"I have to stay late at work tomorrow."

Y/N blinked once at the dishes she was putting away before relaxing her shoulders. "You do?" She mumbled, grabbing the next plate from Bakugou's hands to dry it, "Until when?"

"Probably late, 11 at most." He replied, turning off the tap and shaking his wet hands in the sink.

"You've been having late night shifts for the past week, Katsuki." She pointed out, closing the cabinet and staring at her hands. They were so cold. Nothing could warm them up but one thing.

Bakugou turned to her and replied, wiping his hands to dry them, "I know, but those fucking villains won't let up." He rubbed the back of his neck to release the tension in his muscles, "Trust me, when I have time, I'll be here as much as I can."

Y/N lived in her own apartment, thanks to Jirou and Mina who lived together in the apartment across from her. Bakugou lived only 30 minutes away, which made it easy for him to come over for dinner or to sleep over.

It used to be very, very frequent.

At the moment, Bakugou had been held up at his agency. Y/N knew that her boyfriend was one of the top Pro Heroes who scared off the villains, but she missed him. The first few months were amazing, filled with nothing but happiness and laughs. But it was quiet now.

"Right." Y/N said, moving to clean up the rest of the kitchen, avoiding his gaze, "You can head off, I'll clean up the rest of this."

Bakugou glanced at her, watching as she moved around. She was occupying herself so she doesn't have to keep talking about he's going to miss out date night tomorrow. Bakugou knew it was date night. He tried his hardest to decrease the amount of work he had to do for today, he knew that Y/N was getting lonely. But crime never rests.

"I'll sleep over tonight." He said, pushing in the chairs into the table. He saw how she peeked a look up to him. "I'll wake up earlier to leave for work."

Y/N only nodded, finishing up the chore before Bakugou went into her room. He had spares of clothes in her room that he'd change into for times like these. More often than not, he'd come over to hers instead of Y/N going to Bakugou's. She didn't mind since she had everything she ever wanted. Her home, her boyfriend, everything.

She was as close as she could be to Bakugou. As she could be.

They had kissed, hugged, held hands and even made out multiple times. It's been four months. But there was a road block.

Y/N slipped into the bed after seeing Bakugou already beginning to doze off. He came home late because of hero work, and would work late tomorrow because of hero work. He was most definitely tired and Y/N didn't want him to be more of that. So she faced the other way after kissing the top of Bakugou's forehead, wishing him a good sleep.

She stared at the wall for a good majority of the first hour. Until Bakugou shifted and wrapped his arms around her from behind, mumbling something about being warm. Y/N relaxed a little, feeling her eyes drop a few times. She sighed out softly.

"I love you, Katsuki."

Bakugou didn't speak. He was asleep, of course he wouldn't reply. But Y/N felt her heart ache at how easily she could say it and mean it, and how he hadn't yet. Six months, that was long enough, right? He tells her how lovely and beautiful she was. He loved her. Right. Right?

"You don't have to be scared, Katsuki." She told him, drawing lines of his warm skin, "You can say it back."

She was encouraging him. She wanted to hear him say it so badly. For reassurance that he loved her, at all. If he couldn't do that, then she shouldn't care.

She was giving her all to him, doing everything she could to assure Bakugou that she loved him so much. Bakugou would smile with a roll of his eyes before kissing her over and over again. But that was only half of what Y/N would give him.

Y/N sighed again, wiping her eyes before turning around and circling her arms around his waist, digging her face into his chest. It didn't take long for her to go to sleep, her thoughts finally leaving her alone.

Bakugou brushed his fingers through her hair gently, blinking slowly in the dark as she kissed the top of her head.

He can't.

A Few Days Later . . .

"Get out."

Bakugou's glare softened into just a gaze.

"Wh—... What?" He mumbled out, gruff voice smoothing out for a moment.

"Get. Out." Y/N repeats, pointing to the door of her apartment.

Bakugou stood there, stunned by the sight of his amazing girlfriend. Y/N was standing there in her astonishing dress that she had picked out when Bakugou told her to 'doll up' for a date night tonight.

She was waiting for three hours, remembering that Bakugou told her to meet at the restaurant. She got all pretty, excited that he was going out with her for the first time this month. The first hour was fine, maybe there was traffic or he needed to be patched up. The second hour was when she started blowing up his phone. The third hour was when she felt embarrassed from the waitor asking if she wanted the check, which she took and paid for herself. She made it home five hours after she left.

Bakugou was in her apartment, changed into more comfortable clothing than his hero costume. It was obvious that he had gotten into a fight with the scratches on his cheek. But when he looked over to see her walking through the door, he perked up and complimented her.

She cursed at him, taking off her shoes before wiping her face in the mirror.

That lead to this part of the story.

Bakugou was explaining how he just doesn't have enough time and Y/N was saying how he could've at least texted her first. Bakugou rolled his eyes and Y/N rose her voice. Bakugou said that the world didn't revolve around her and Y/N said that he needed to learn how to give people a chance to get closer to him.

Bakugou scoffed and said there was no point since he knew nobody would be staying that long.

Y/N went silent for a moment as it processed through her mind.

She knew how he acted in public, like he was a lone wolf. This doesn't mean that he went out to other people and said he was single. No, he would never. He just wanted to show everyone that he was independent and wouldn't let anyone in. Y/N knew first hand by the way he was keeping it from her.

But she would've never thought that he didn't want to depend on her. Or let her in.

So she didn't see a point in him still being here.

"Why?" Bakugou said, gripping his sleeves tightly, "Why do you want me to leave?"

Y/N was tearing up. They weren't falling. The tears were puling up in the corners of her eyes. She was shaking and her legs would give out at any moment.

"Because I've given you everything I can and you..." She sighed, using her palm to wipe an eye, "You've given me nothing, Katsuki. You just... You don't think about me as much as I think about you. We're not as important to each other as we thought. And I don't know if we'll ever be."

Bakugou furrowed his brows. He walked closer to her and reached out to hold onto her shoulders. "That's not true and you fucking know it—" He said, voice hard and solid as his face shook with fear, "You know how much I care about you, Y/N, nobody means as much to me as you do."

"But not enough to tell me you love me." She spoke, tilting her head at him, "Katsuki, you need to leave. I can't... I can't keep doing this with you."

Bakugou was hyperventilating. If it weren't for the circumstances of the situation, Y/N would've taken him into her arms and assure him that she loved him deeply. But Y/N was the one who needed him now.

"Give me one more chance, I promise." Bakugou said, pulling her into a gigantic hug and not letting her slip away, "I won't fuck up this time, I swear. I can't lose you Y/N, please."

Y/N bit her lip. She then clenched her jaw.

"Say you love me, Katsuki." She told him, hands against his arms, "Just do that. Please. That's all I ask."

He opened his mouth to say it. He had the words circling his mouth. It was on the tip of his tongue, he just needed to use his voice to say it out loud. Damn it, if he didn't soon them he would lose her.

"Fuck."

Y/N frowned, pulling away from Bakugou. "You need to learn to let me in, Katsuki. Without that, I don't think we can be together." She states, standing back from Bakugou's figure, "Maybe when that happens, I'll come back to you and I'll tell you that I love you again."

Bakugou held his breath as she stared blankly at him. She stood at the sink, leaning back against it once he stepped back from her.

She wasn't going to run into his arms and say that she loved him anymore.

"So what do I do with all my things?" Bakugou asks, glaring at the floor. Stupid voice. Why couldn't he just say those three words? Why did he have to lose Y/N because of that?

"I'll ask Mina and Jirou to drop it off at yours." She stated, still staring at him. She wanted to see how he'd react. Not because she was excited or looking forward to it. But because Bakugou could be unpredictable and sometimes he'd make an outburst. She was cautious. "I'll give everything back."

"Just the clothes I use." Bakugou says, taking the keys off of the table in front of him, "You can keep everything else."

Y/N thought that he must be saying this to be nice. To make sure they ended this on the best terms. Maybe he didn't want things to be rocky between them so their friends wouldn't have to choose sides. She understood and just nodded her head.

But Bakugou told her to keep it all because he didn't want things to officially end here.

He was determined to come back to her and love her again just like he did, perhaps even more. He wouldn't leave Y/N here without proving how much she meant to him. Bakugou needed her. Bakugou wanted her. Bakugou had her. Right there.

Y/N didn't fit into his life, that's how she felt. Bakugou tried to make it happen and he would still try. He had everything in the palm of his hands and he let it go, slowly.

"I'll come back to you." Bakugou said, placing her apartment key copy he had onto the table. He held her copy of his house key in his own hands. "You have my word. I'm not leaving you here. I'll be back for you."

Y/N could see how ambitious he was. He was truly going to try and break down his walls in order to get her back. Y/N didn't know whether that was a good thing or bad thing. Bakugou had his hero work to focus on as well as keeping himself in fit shape for it. In retrospect, Bakugou wouldn't have much time to spend with her. But he wanted to try harder, even though he did so already.

She tilted her head with a gentle smile on her face. Bakugou widened his eyes at her.

"You're crying." He said. A warning, that she was revealing more of how she felt than he intended. He knew she was strong. "Y/N..."

"I'll be waiting for you."

Bakugou gazed at her expression, still smiling and closed eyes. She didn't seem as hurt as she did before, when they were screaming and arguing like crazy. For sure, Mina and Jirou heard. But it was quiet. A good kind of quiet.

Y/N sighed out, shrugging her shoulders, "I... I really hoped it wouldn't come to this. But maybe if we have some time to focus on different things, we can make it back to each other."

Bakugou nodded his head once before warily taking steps towards her. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his head against hers. He felt her arms go around his waist and clutch onto the back of his hoodie. She leaned into him.

Y/N was warm now.

"I love you." She spoke, tears drenching his clothes as she dug her head into his shoulder, "I'll be here when you're ready, Katsuki. Just... please don't be too long."

Bakugou kissed the side of her head, closing his eyes and biting the inside of his cheek gently. "If you miss me too much, you can just watch the news. Like you always do." He chuckled, trying to cover up the fact that he was crying too now, "I'll be busting those villains' asses, just wait. And... I'll have you back."

She smiled more, pulling away and leaving him to walk towards the exit. He grabbed his keys, wallet and phone before opening the door.

"See you later, Y/N."

"You too, Katsuki."

He stepped through the door and turned around to close it. When he looked up to her for the last time, Bakugou noticed her playing with her fingers. A habit she had picked up when he couldn't hold her hand. He wouldn't be doing that for a while.

A quick glance for satisfaction before he closed the door behind him.

That sign that she hadn't given up on him completely. That little sign was enough to make him believe he still had a chance.

Bakugou was glad she hadn't taken off the engagement ring.

[hot-wiings]

The One Where Someone Ruins Katsuki Bakugo's Bubbly Girlfriend's Snowman, And They Must Pay.

Edited: 12-17-2020

Katsuki Bakugo stared out the foggy window. The snow flew down lightly, much nicer now in comparison to the harsh flurries that had stormed down that morning, creating a free day for the UA staff, faculty, and students. The snow landed on your hair, making it shimmer and shine when the sun's glare hit it just right. It was ethereal. You were beautiful, a perfect distraction.

You had begged him to come out with you, but he refused. Midterms were coming up, Katsuki had to study, not go out and goof off with every extra in his class. Katsuki had a homework book out in front of him, a book he was supposed to be reading, instead, he was studying you. He knew if he went out instead of staying in he would be teased. He would get called soft and whipped. While Katsuki didn't mind that because he knew he could easily yell out a few cursers and threats and shut them up, he didn't feel like dealing with his friend's nosy attitude towards his relationship.

It was between you and him, not them.

Every laugh you let out could be heard, every string of giggles, every time you called someone's name. It infuriated him. Those extras didn't have the right to talk to his girlfriend. You were far too beautiful, far too nice, and good to be conversing with them. Your attention would have been better consumed with him. You should've stayed inside, you should be studying with him–he wouldn't have beat the knowledge inside you like he had done to Eijirou either. You would be been laughing with him, you could be drinking homemade hot chocolate, you could be sitting in his lap as he explained the math problem, semi-polite, and maybe, he might have even let you take a break to watch a Christmas movie.

With another giggle, Katsuki broke away from his math book to turn his gaze out the window. He was really angry now. Dumb Deku got it somewhere in his head he could make a snowman with you. He got it in his dumb little brain that he could try to make you laugh. He was even more infuriated as he saw you take your scarf off to dress the snowman. Your nose soon turned red, you'd get sick soon if you stayed out like that. An intrusive thought entered Katsuki, one worse than the angry and infuriated ones. This was a ploy made by Deku so he could give you his own scarf, that's exactly the kind of thing a shit-munch like Deku would do to try and woo what wasn't his. No way in fucking hell was Katsuki letting that happen.

Like everything Katsuki did, with a scowl on his face, he slammed his book closed and stomped his way over to the closet to grab his snow boots and jacket. Quickly, he zipped up his jacket and tied his boats before grabbing his hat. Now dressed in proper snow attire, he snagged his extra scarf to bring to you. The things he did for his dumbass.

He was fast to exit the building and faster to march up to you. He wrapped the scarf around your neck and double tied it. Practically choking you in the process, he wrapped it up and tucked it in your coat as a mother would.

"Dummy, you're gonna get sick by giving your scarf away. You're lucky you've got a nice boyfriend to bring you one of his own."

"The snowman needed it more than I did, right Deku?"

"Dumb-Deku better shut his fucking mouth before I blow it up!"

"Well, if it isn't my favorite idiot from class 1-A!"

Neito Monomas voice entered your ears and Katsuki could feel his day just getting worse. First, you left him for the extras, then you distracted him, now he had to deal with that Tuxedo Mask wannabe from class 1-B?

"The fuck did you say, kazoo kid?!"

"Nothing, I'm just saying..."

Maybe Neito would have let it go with just a petty comment, but Itsuka Kendo wasn't anywhere insight to hear and scold him, she really did keep him inline. Something about Katsuki just rubbed Neito the wrong way. Then again, everyone in class 1-A seemed to rub him the wrong way.

"I'm just saying, figures class 1-A's weak-link would spend her snow day making a snowman–an ugly one at that–rather than studying."

Katsuki tried to calm himself down as you grabbed onto his hand and shook your head back and forth as if to say he wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth it, he was just a waste of time. Katsuki came out here with a mission, give you his scarf, persuade you to come back inside with the promise of cuddles, and maybe even insult Deku along the way. He had a mission set in his mind, and he wasn't going to let the cosplayer ken doll get in his way.

Neito wasn't happy with that result. He liked getting a rise out of class 1-A. He liked getting them upset and worked up, especially Katsuki, who got worked up the most. What better way to get a rise than through his girlfriend? Neito kicked the snowman down, crumbling the snowman down to a pile of snow with a grin.

"Even her snowman is weak, just like her. Pathetic class 1-A loser."

"You wanna see weak? I'll show you weak!"

Neito simply wanted a reaction, he thought one of Katsuki's friends, like Mina, or the class representative, Tenya, would've stepped. As your eyes glossed over with tears your classmates stood back and let Katsuki go feral. With explosions surrounding him, Katsuki sent himself flying towards Neito with outstretched arms. Sending explosion after explosion, careful not to get touched by Neito. Neito, gave up fruitless, cowering back with each pound after pound, whimper after whimper. With his hand on the cuff of his jacket, Katsuki raised him and dragged him to you.

"Fucking apologize or DIE!."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Talk shit about her or her skills again and I'll make sure you can't speak again!"

He released Neito on the ground and he fell with a thud. The blonde boy scrambled to his feet and took off in the direction of the 1-B dorms. He turned to back at you and screamed.

"I'm only sorry your boyfriends a psychopath!"

"That little shit-"

"Katsuki, no."

You threw yourself on him and wrapped your arms around Katsuki, pulling yourselves together as a few stray tears leaked from your eyes. Katsuki scowled as his classmates watched him, intrigued on how their mean and rough classmate would handle comforting their sweet and soft classmate. Your relationship was such an enigma to them.

"The fuck are all of you staring at!?"

Everyone watching the fight disbursed as you pulled away from your boyfriend, red embarrassment on your cheeks, still you latched yourself onto Katsuki's arm. Tears were in your eyes as your attention went back over to your ruined snowman. You worked hard with Deku to make that, maybe you were the weak link.

"Do you think Monoma's right? Should I have stayed inside and studied?"

"Should you have stayed inside with me and had a study date, like I originally wanted? Yes. Should you have stayed inside because you're weak? Fuck, no. Fuck that class A wannabe."

"He was right, and he blew my snowman right over."

"You're such a crybaby. The only reason it got wrecked is because that dumb-dumb Deku helped you make it. Maybe if I had helped you it would have withstood better."

Katsuki placed a chaste kiss on your forehead before pushing down your hat which had begun to fall off. He pulled it over your ears as he clicked his tongue. You would be sick and lost without him, he did such a good job taking care of you.

"I suppose studying can wait. Besides, if we wait I can make shitty hair and dunce face study with us, I'll beat it in them."

Katsuki grabbed your hand and pulled you down into the snow with him. A rare smile graced his face as you giggled at him.

"I'll help you make another snowman, but you gotta do exactly what I say, and shitty Deku can't help."

"Okay, but you gotta make us hot chocolate after. Your hot chocolate always tastes the best."

"Fine. Someone's gotta make you something warm, and we both know you can't do it yourself."

With another kiss to your face, Katsuki felt content. He supposed he got what he really wanted. Whether it was studying or not, he had your attention. He got to insult Deku and he got his frustrations out. Maybe snow days weren't so bad.

[wastelandcth]

best years - cth

summary: dovey and calum go through a rough patch, leading dovey to believe she gave up her best years. 

author’s notes: hello everyone...this is angst and part one out of two. good luck! inspired by this tik tok. 

warnings: angst and sad overall

masterlist || request || more doves

I’ve got a million reasons to hesitate and baby a million more are added every day.

Dovey had always been there for Calum. She'd been there through the drama that came along with being in a well-known band. She'd been there through the highs and the lows, through the rumors and controversies. Dovey had stuck through everything and every day it seemed like more and more came into light, like the man she had fallen in love with became a stranger. Suddenly, Calum was no longer her best friend who would tell her everything, he was the stranger in her bed who hardly was around. 

The fight hadn't been intentional. Most of the time, the Doves would talk anything out. Whether it be a disagreement over something small like where the pillows on the couch should go or whether it was something big like how their lives would be affected by the latest album release. This time, it was different, stubbornness and yells meant that Dovey found herself in a lonely bed while Calum locked himself away in his office. And with only a few days left before Calum left for tour with no plan on when or if Dovey would join him, the Doves went to sleep in different beds. 

It had started when he'd left for tour. Usually, Dovey would drive him to the airport and stay until the band's flight was called and she had given him one last hug until they were reunited again. This time, Calum had suggested saying their goodbyes at home that it would be the best since there would probably be a lot of fans at the airport. Although she wasn't too please with their break from tradition, Dovey found herself hugging him on their doorstep, whispering a soft I love you before the man she loved stepped into the car that had been waiting. 

The next time Dovey realized something had changed, she had been on facetime with him. He'd seemed distant, his eyes drifting off from the screen and his interest in whatever conversation he and Dovey were having being torn away at some joke Michael had told. Dovey thought he might've noticed something was off when she had hung up on the call, hoping he'd call her back and she could claim it was an accident, but her phone never rang again that night. It felt like the harder Dovey tried to connect with the man who was an ocean away living his dream, the more she realized exactly how disconnected they were becoming. 

I spent so much of me on you I forgot who I became.

The longer that Calum was away on tour, the more Dovey found herself. Days that would've been spent alone in a foreign city while Calum was in a radio gig were now spent with friends in the city she'd learn to call home. Mornings, where she’d usually wake up in a cramped bunk next to a grumpy Calum, were spent taking Duke on a hike and clearing her head. 

One day after she'd gotten home from the grocery store, a pang in her heart threatened to ruin the good mood she'd been in when she saw Luke's partner post a picture of them all in front of some monument miles away. But with a shake of the head and a double-tap on the screen, Dovey put some music on and danced the tears away. It wasn't until later that night when her mind was awake that she clicked on the picture again, finding those brown eyes she'd fallen in love with two years ago staring back at her. She could tell something was different, that the smile he had on didn't reach his eyes and his eyes didn't shine like they normally did when he was having the time of his life. But things were different now, and Dovey wasn't going to let her life revolve around him as she did before. If he wanted to talk to her as much as she wanted to talk to him, he would've called. He had her number and for some unknown reason, had decided to not use it. 

Finally found a reason to walk away. 

The final straw had been a picture. Dovey had been used to seeing fan meetings on her social media, smiling fans grateful to have been able to meet Calum and talk to him for even just a second. But the second a video of him had started circling around the internet and made its way onto her screen, Dovey had just about had enough of the stupid shit Calum had been putting her through the last two months. She understood being too busy for at least a phone call or text. Touring was hard work and Calum was known for pushing himself to the limit. She understood wanting space from one another that maybe this tour was something Calum needed to do on his own in order to clear his mind and think about what their relationship meant to him. But the one thing Dovey wouldn't stand by his side when he was the one that had been telling people she was the one who hadn't wanted to join him. She wasn't going to stand by his side while he told his bandmates and the rest of the world that she hadn't wanted to join him because she was being dramatic. If Calum wanted drama, Dovey could be dramatic. 

The house that I built you made it a mess. 

Dovey had been out of their house, the house that had been filled with memories of them and their love, for about two weeks now. Duke had joined her in the passenger seat of her car that sunny afternoon when she had stuffed all her belongings into the back seat and rode off out of the city. Her parent’s house that brought along the comfort and warmth she had been craving for months was a few hours away and far enough away that any reminders of Calum could be put aside. The small town she had left all those years ago brought her peace and gave her the space she needed from whatever waited for her back in LA, if anything even did wait for her. 

Her mother had met her in the driveway, a tight embrace and promises of better times made Dovey's heavy heart lighten up as she saw her childhood home still pretty much the same as the day she had left it. The living room still had candles everywhere and the tv was playing the same movie channel her mother loved to watch on her days off from work. The kitchen was still stocked with snacks and fruits that seemed too real to be fake. And the backyard was still a playground for any and every dog Dovey had brought home, even Duke who had settled on laying in a sunspot to nap. 

Her bedroom had brought on a new set of challenges, the posters on the walls and the albums on the shelves brought tears to her eyes as she saw those brown eyes looking back at her. He'd be back in their house soon. Dovey wondered how he'd react to find himself in an empty house. What he would think of when he saw the letter she had left him on the kitchen counter since at that point any attempt to call or text him was met with radio silence. He'd probably try to call her at that point, she hoped, but only to see where Duke was or he'd get Ashton to do it for him. Dovey wasn't too sure about anything when it came to Calum anymore. She wasn't sure if he would even care that she had left the gold band on the counter next to the letter or that she had left her keys to the house in the little ceramic tray they had painted on one of their dates so many months ago. 

I’m left with broken pieces can't help how I ran out of tears.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since the tour had ended and Dovey hadn't heard from any of them. She hadn't heard from Calum since before she'd left the house almost a month ago and she hadn't even gotten a text message from Luke, who would update her on what had been going on during the tour. It was been one week since Dovey had run out of tears. One week since she had decided that leaving was the best option and that she had made the right choice. 

It had been a week since she realized just how much of herself she'd given away to Calum only to have nothing left for herself. It took her two weeks to realize that if he had wanted to talk to her, he would. If he had wanted to see her or even Duke for that matter, he would've driven to where she was. So when her tears were dry and the pain in her chest was nothing more than a dull pressure whenever she thought about him, she began to fix whatever broken pieces she could. 

It began when she packed away all the old posters that hung on her wall, the smile on every single one leaving her breathless like it always would when she saw it in person. The sparkle in his eyes bringing fresh tears to hers, tears that she would blink away and continue on with taking him out of her life. By the time her childhood bedroom was nothing more than the furniture and bare walls, Dovey felt lighter than she had in months. It didn't last long. As sleep called her name and her eyes closed, Dovey was brought back from whatever dream she was about to enter when the buzzing noise went off next to her head.

I'm sorry. 

I lost all my best years just missing my best years. past love burned out like a cigarette im free now baby all I regret are my best years. 

Sitting in the living room, watching back old family movies and nursing the drink in her cup, Dovey couldn't help but feel like an idiot. She'd given Calum the best years of her life. Gave him all the good times and shared the most wonderful moments with him all for him to leave her with silence and no explanations. She'd gone through the stages of grief, had tried to make her new life without his work, and then he had shoved his way back in with no warnings in the middle of the night. 

The text message hadn't been the only thing Calum had sent, no matter how hard Dovey had wanted it to be. He'd sent her a voice note, a five-minute ramble where his accent had gotten too thick for Dovey to try and decipher what he was saying through the tears and sniffling. He'd apologized for the silence, apologized for the lies, and even apologized for forcing the silence he'd caused from the rest of the band. But Dovey wasn't going to just let him into her life so easily, she wasn't going to let him in after the months of silence and heartbreak. She'd lost all her best years and she needed to find herself again before she could ever consider letting Calum have more of the best of her. 

taglist:  @hoodhoran​ @finelliine @moonlightcriess​ @dinosaursandsocks @mxgyver​ @calpops​ @karajaynetoday​ @notlukehemmo​ @calumrose​ @devilatmydoor​ @lyss-xo​ @lowkeyflop

[stargaze-issei]

𝟏𝟐; 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞

↳ 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵, 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵. 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴? will you be able to move on with someone else, or will he manage to get you back?

-ˏˋ 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ˊˎ-

𝐟𝐮𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭; y/n was telling akaashi everything that happened, that's why it starts like that.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞; I WANTED TO MAKE THIS SHORT BUT HERE I AM WITH 1.1K AND I DON'T EVEN LIKE IT.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭; @elianetsantana @kuxredere @kiritokunuwu @haikyuu-bitch @kellesvt @virgoamajiki @mirikusashes @dabisdominion @halparkebitch @euphorin @sana-li @just-snog-already @l0veyoubetter @angrylittleriri @rienin

your eyes followed yachi's small figure going through the door at the café, a feeling of uncertainty started to grow in your insides. you pulled your own fingers, an old habit you got whenever you were anxious, while moving uncalmly in your chair. your phone's clock marked exactly half past one, she was right on time, unlike you, who got there way too early out of nervousness. hitoka gave you a nice, familiar, smile as she walked towards you, forgetting her anger for a second. well, anger wasn't exactly the word, she wasn't mad at you. she was hurt, she was hurt badly.

"hi" she muttered while sitting down in front of you. a waitress came to ask both your orders, being regulars in the place, there was no need for a menu. once you did, she left, leaving you alone with your best friend.

an awkward silence formed between the two, something that didn't happen since you met in highschool.

"so... you and tsukki" said yachi first, without looking at you in the eye. you sighed, wondering if you'd be able to tell all you had in mind.

"it's more complicated than you think" you regretted saying that instantly, it wasn't complicated. you lied for years and these were the consequences, that's pretty simple.

"it is?" 

"no, i'm sorry, i'm just talking shit" yachi giggled at your honest comment. looked like you had forgotten how to talk to her in the day and a half you were apart.

"relax, i know you're nervous, i am too, but you can tell me anything" the reassuring smile she gave you, plus her hand reaching to find yours over the table, made your eyes water.

she's so good to me, you thought. since you met, yachi had been nothing but good to you. she was the first one to include you after you moved,  who took the time to tutor you, support you no matter what, even if she didn't always agree. and you repaid her by lying for years, now, you felt so stupid for going along with tsukishima's little charade. you couldn't think of one good reason to excuse your actions, but it seemed so logical back in the day.

"i guess i don't know where to start" you said, although it was more of a whisper than anything else. 

"why don't you start by the beginning? when you caught feelings for him?" to her suggestion, you nodded. you could do that, it was a story you could even tell backwards.

"well, we didn't talk much at first. he was cute, i told you that, but he was also so distant i never thought he thought the same about me. one day i stayed late after practice because kiyoko asked me to clean the gym for her, and tsukishima helped me. actually, he just sat there while i cleaned and teased me, but it was nice to have company. after that, it became a habit. i'd wait for him, he'd wait for me, and then we'd walk home together. we did that for a week or so? maybe a little more, the thing is we ended up making out one day. i swear my memories are blurry, i just remember him kissing me" your cheeks turned hot at the memory, something yachi noted instantly. a small laugh came from her, making you smile too.

"who would've thought tsukki had such a game..." yachi got interrupted by the waitress coming back, this time with your orders. she took a sip of her soda in front of her before talking "so you started dating in second year? but this happened in first, right?" you nodded to her questions, taking a sip of your own drink "what happened then?"

"we decided to keep it a secret at first, for the sake of everyone's friendship. i mean, maybe we broke up two weeks after and made things uncomfortable for everyone, or maybe one of us fucked up and the rest pushed them aside. i don't know, that was pretty logical to our sixteen year old selves' minds. then it was just routine, kei didn't like to show that side of him in public, though i did think he was ashamed of me at some point. whatever, we were good for a year and a half, you'd be surprised by how good boyfriend he is. i met his family, he met mine, we had date nights, everything was really normal, except for the part of lying to you guys. oh! i forgot, uh, kenma caught us... making out in the first training camp, so kuroo, akaashi, bokkun and kenma knew all this time." yachi's eyes opened wide at the comment before bursting in laugh, making you a little embarrased.

"that's so embarrasing, tsukki must've been so red" in fact, tsukki turned all shades of red and couldn't look at kenma for days after that. you laughed at the memory of him, having meltdowns everytime kenma looked at him in disgust. "i'm just going to ask this, okay?" you hummed in agreement "why did you break up? i asked yamaguchi, but i'd like to hear your version"

"yeah, that, i- it was silly, he didn't cheat or anything, he just... left me? we barely saw each other outside school, he never answered my calls or texts, he was always too busy for me. i know it's normal to have a life outside your relationship, but i felt like i was the last thing he cared about. it's so silly, i kno–"

"it's not silly, idiot, it's valid. he was committed to you and your relationship, he can't just stop showing his love because you've been together for a while. i... i just wished you had talked to me" for the first time, you looked into each other's eyes. you could see her being honest, and for some reason, it made tears emerge from your eyes "you must've been so sad, and you went through it all by  yourself... i'm sorry i couldn't be there for you" it was enough for both of you to shed a few tears, not of sadness, nor even happiness, just releasing some of your acumulated anxiety.

"i'm sorry i lied, it's my fault" you said, biting your inner cheek to hold back your cry.

"promise me you won't do something like this again" despite the feeling inside yachi telling her she was overstepping, that promise was something she needed to hear from you.

"of course i won't, i promise" you took her hand in yours, giving her a light squeeze.

"okay! i can't go back to work crying!" both laughed, a bit forcedly, trying to scare away the tears "now, what's going on with kuroo?"

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

I had a thought.

It's been almost a year. Looking back on it, it seems to me that Universal and DreamWorks were so gosh-dang quiet about RUBY GILLMAN (comma) TEENAGE KRAKEN simply because it opened a month after the release of Disney's live-action LITTLE MERMAID remake. "Ya think??" Yeah, it's probably obvious, but I'll go into detail anyways.

Now, I'm not gonna dredge up the unnecessary and needless noise that briefly surrounded these two movies... But I do think the similarities, namely a redheaded mermaid, did play a part in everyone's hesitance to let the world know: This movie actually exists!

Not until 3 1/2 months before its release date, anyways. Again, such an unusual rollout for a high-end animated movie that cost roughly $70m to make.

TEENAGE KRAKEN apparently was in development in some form at DreamWorks since the mid-2010s, which seems feasible, given how long these things take from conception to completion. Very rarely are they fast-tracked, like say, THE EMOJI MOVIE was. Tony Leondis created the pitch for that in early 2015, and three studios got in a bidding war over it. Sony was the winner (Paramount and WB were the other candidates), picked it up ASAP, greenlit it right away, and within two years the movie was in multiplexes... That was... Quick!

But usually, it's a lengthy development-to-production cycle. No one outside the walls of DreamWorks knew what this sea monster movie was until scooper sites started "reporting" it in mid-2021. The LITTLE MERMAID remake already was known to the public well before that. It had gotten its late spring 2023 release date a few months after these scoops about GILLMAN got out. MEET THE GILLMANS, it was known as, for a long time.

By this point in time, DreamWorks' schedule was pretty clear-cut. BOSS BABY 2 was pretty much out, or coming out. BAD GUYS was spring 2022, PUSS IN BOOTS 2 was penciled in for fall 2022. Both announced a while before that. Universal had Illumination's SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE pegged for Christmas 2022, and then an untitled DreamWorks movie set for April 2023 would follow that. That was going to be RUBY GILLMAN, TEENAGE KRAKEN... Which would've placed it a little over a month before Disney's Memorial Day release of THE LITTLE MERMAID.

However, RUBY GILLMAN could've been a fall 2022 release...

At one point in time, DreamWorks had THE BAD GUYS scheduled for September 2021. That would be followed by PUSS IN BOOTS 2 in April 2022, probably followed by RUBY GILLMAN in the fall... TROLLS 3 already had the fall 2023 slot by this point, one could guess that the spring 2023 movie could've been... I dunno, THE WILD ROBOT? ORION AND THE DARK, even? Possibly KUNG FU PANDA 4.

Often times, movie slates get domino'd in animation-land. Usually, DreamWorks' slate changes didn't really effect Illumination's. They typically lock the 4th of July frame and the Christmas frame.

COVID-19 certainly played a part in things getting pushed back, for DreamWorks. If you remember, BOSS BABY 2 was initially thought to be a late March 2021 release. That date was inked shortly after the first movie arrived and surprisingly broke out in the spring of 2017. It moved to September 2021, pushing BAD GUYS to April 2022... Then it moved up a bit, as an experimental day-and-date release in July 2021. Occupying the slot MINIONS 2 was originally looking at. It didn't make back its money theatrically, but a third BOSS BABY is coming, so DreamWorks essentially must've said "mulligan". (It also helps that the first movie and the TV series do consistently well on streaming.)

So by the end of 2021, we were looking at BAD GUYS as an April 2022 release, PUSS 2 as a September 2022 release, and something yet to be titled after that in April 2023 in addition to TROLLS 3 in November of that year. Illumination's MINIONS sequel, after two major COVID-19-related delays, was set for July 2022, and SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE would follow Christmas week... All seemed to lock together, even though DreamWorks was still being mum about what Untitled April 2023 Movie was...

But then... Illumination delayed MARIO. To April 2023, the slot that RUBY GILLMAN was looking at. This was done to coincide with the Super Nintendo World theme park opening... So, DreamWorks moved right into the ripe Christmas frame with PUSS IN BOOTS 2.

Feasibly, they could've moved RUBY GILLMAN up to January or something, and kept PUSS 2 in September... But they opted to give PUSS 2 the Christmas frame, thus a long, record-breaking leggy run. Worked out perfectly for the kitty, but it ultimately sunk the sea monsters.

MARIO taking April meant that RUBY GILLMAN had to move, so Universal chose late June 2023. 4th of July frame... That Illumination's MIGRATION originally occupied... MIGRATION took this past Christmas slot. All feel into place after that, but poor RUBY GILLMAN now was opening after LITTLE MERMAID... And I think Universal/DreamWorks just kinda tossed it off. Didn't announce its existence at all until about 3 1/2 months before release, as if they could wipe their hands of it and move onto the next few movies. THE WILD ROBOT and DOG MAN have been announced and have concrete release dates, well ahead of schedule. The latter was known to be in development for a long while, too. WILD ROBOT is a fairly recently announcement. ORION AND THE DARK was known about at least half a year before its Netflix debut. And that's a streaming movie, not like a big theatrical performance was expected of it.

I bring this up now because I keep thinking of the untitled Thanksgiving 2024 WDAS movie, and how the Disney Co. still hasn't officially revealed what it is... And there are nine months to go. Again, usually these things are announced a year or so in advance. If they aren't ready after being unveiled to the world, then they simply get delayed... But, Disney's curiously cutting this one pretty close. Heck, ENCANTO, STRANGE WORLD, and WISH were cut pretty close as well. Relatively speaking. Usually a WDAS is known about 2-3 years in advance. I'm sure we'll learn about what it is soon, but that they're still being this quiet about it makes me wonder. And given other things going on with WDAS itself, I get a little concerned, ya know?

Or everything's ginger-peachy, and they have a strategy for it, the movie itself is fine, and it speedily introduces itself via a teaser trailer sometime soon and then sticks the landing. Maybe it's ahead of schedule and it will be done before mid-2024, in anticipation of the possible animation/VFX strike. We shall see.

[morkhan]

Will Byers is Gay: The Evidence So Far

With the release of Stranger Things 3, there has been a lot of discussion kicked up about the character of Will Byers and his sexuality (or lack thereof). I've seen a lot of takes about what "it's not my fault you don't like girls" was intended to mean, many of which seem to take it in isolation, so I wanted to make a post putting it into what I think is its proper context; not an isolated incident, but the latest carriage in veritable train of queer themed language and imagery that has followed Will Byers since episode one of season one, and before that. You ready? Alright, let's go.

Season Zero: the Montauk Files

Before Stranger Things became Stranger Things, it was called Montauk. Like many would-be show makers, the Duffer Bros put together a "show bible" describing the premise, setting, tone, and characters of the show they intended to make. Like many shows, a lot of these ideas changed or were lost on their way to the screen, but it's always worth looking into their original concepts. Here is their description of Will Byers in the Montauk show bible:

Obviously, the major whammy there is in the first line "sexual identity issues." But there are some other interesting notes, like his "colorful clothes" that you might want to keep a lookout for on your next rewatch. Now, onto...

Season 1

The thing to pay attention to regarding Will in season 1 is in the language used to refer to him when he is not present (which he isn't for most of the season).

Episode 1: the subject of bullying comes up right away in the conversation between Joyce and Hopper. "The kids, they're mean. They laugh at him, laugh at his clothes, call him names." "What's wrong with his clothes?" "I don't know!" This harkens back to the Montauk show bible, but it's arguable, since it's never made clear what about his clothes draws ire.

She also mentions that he is "sensitive," "not like most," and that his dad said he was "queer" and called him a "fag." Hopper asks "is he?" to which she replies "He's missing is what he is!"

Episode 3: Troy says he's not missing, he's dead. "Probably killed by some other queer."

Episode 4: Troy, again "Will's in fairyland, flying around with all the other little fairies, all happy and gay."

Sensitive, queer, fag, fairy, and gay are all used to describe Will in season 1, but perhaps more notable is the fact that they aren't used to describe anyone else. If the show were truly period accurate, let's be real; the whole party would've been called queers on a pretty regular basis, because "queer" doubled as a generic insult back then. But in season 1, these words are only ever used in relation to Will, with one exception; in episode 6, Steve says to Will's brother, "I used to think you were queer." So it's not even an active accusation in that moment; it's used in the negative.

Hell, Troy walked up to Lucas mockingly proposing to Mike and proclaiming his love for him, and he still didn't call them queers. That language is reserved for Will.

Now granted, most of these are used as insults by characters who don't like Will, but still; as a writer, if you want your audience to remember something, repetition is an excellent way to embed it in their minds. There's a reason for the specificity of language surrounding Will, and a reason that language keeps coming up over and over and over again.

Season 2

Season 2 retires much of the homophobic language used to insult Will, replacing it with "Zombie Boy." The only homophobic language used in season 2 is the word "faggot," used by Billy's father to refer to Billy, who expresses a clear interest in women (and an arguable interest in one particular man, but that's the subject of another post).

Still, there is an arguable bit of queer theming in Will's conversation with Jonathan regarding the benefits of being a "freak" and how normal people never accomplish anything. Jonathan even invokes bisexual icon David Bowie to make Will feel better about his "freakishness."

The clearest piece of queer theming for Will in season 2 comes in episode 8, in this beautiful speech from Joyce to Possessed Will:

"When you turned eight, I gave you that huge box of crayons, do you remember that? It was 120 colors. And all your friends got you Star Wars toys, but all you wanted to do was draw with all your new colors. And you drew this big spaceship, but it wasn't from a movie. It was YOUR spaceship; a RAINBOW Ship, that's what you called it. And you, you must have used every color in the box. I took that with me to Melvald's, and I put it up. I told everyone who came in, 'My son drew this.' And you were so embarrassed, but I was so proud. I was so, so proud."

This is one of the most powerful memories of her son that Joyce has, an image so strong and distinct that she uses it to invoke his true identity against the monster that is slowly subsuming him. She notes very specifically that it's not something he copied, but something that came entirely from Will himself, an image that she felt represented him so perfectly that she took it with her to work and proudly touted it as his to everyone she knew. The Rainbow Ship is Joyce's picture of her son's very heart, and surely I don't need to explain to you how powerful a piece of queer imagery the rainbow is.

Some subtextual stuff; in episode 9, when the girl asks Will to dance, he stammers "I... I don't..." and only goes to dance with her when Mike literally pushes him towards her.

During the final montage, the scene cuts to different characters in time with appropriate lines from the song: "every move you make" cuts to Mike and El (as he is teaching her to dance), "every vow you break" cuts to Nancy dancing with Dustin (as she technically cheated on Steve with Jonathan), "I'll be watching you" cuts to Lucas dancing with Max (as she has playfully called him 'stalker' all season). What line cuts to Will? "Every smile you fake," specifically on the word fake, while Will dances with a girl wearing this expression:

That is not a real smile, that is not a comfortable boy, and that is not an accident; Noah Schnapp is one of the best actors in the entire show, and of the young boys, he is the one the Duffers trust most to do dramatic heavy lifting.

Do you want it to be a little more explicit? Okay, here is that scene in the script:

I mean, that pretty much speaks for itself. It's less explicit in the actual show, but it's still there, you know?

Season 3

And now, the biggest and most explicit thing to date; The Scene. I mean, you could discuss the obvious subtext in the simple fact that Will is the only male main character who has yet to find a girlfriend or express any interest in girls whatsoever, but that pales in comparison to The Scene.

The setup for The Scene is pretty simple; after declaring "a day free of girls" in order to get his friends to run the D&D campaign he's probably spent a significant amount of time creating, his friends have blown him off to continue bemoaning their girl troubles, so Will has decided to leave. Mike, realizing too late that he has genuinely upset his friend, chases after him to try and get him to come back.

A back-and-forth argument ensues, where Will accuses Mike of ruining the party and abandoning his friends in favor of girls, and Mike, in the heat of the moment, responds with "It's not my fault you don't like girls!" After which, everything stops. There is a full second of silence, and a close up on Noah Schnapp's face so you can take in his reaction.

There is a lot to unpack here. Now, acting is up to interpretation to a degree, but to me, that expression conveys two primary emotions; shock, and betrayal. That face says "how could you?" Because here's the thing; regardless of what Mike does or doesn't know about Will's sexuality, Mike knows for a fact that Will has been called a queer all his life by everyone from his school bullies to his own fucking dirtbag father. By invoking even the specter of that, Mike has crossed a fucking line, and he knows it. And we know he knows it, because he immediately backtracks and tries to mitigate the damage. But it's too late. The damage has been done.

I also think there is a tinge of fear in that image. Just a moment of soul raking panic that pretty much every closeted queer person knows intimately. It's very brief. But I think it's there, if you look.

This scene sends Will into an emotional tailspin that culminates in him tearing down the literal last bastion of his childhood in a fit of sorrow and rage. His innocence has been destroyed. He cannot regain what he has lost, and he can never go back to the way things were before. This is the emotional climax of his arc for season three. It's a powerful one-- shame it comes in the third of eight episodes, but that's neither here nor there.

And that's pretty much it for now. Any one of these things taken in isolation could be very easily dismissed, but here's the thing; they aren't isolated incidents. They are part of a clear and consistent pattern, one that goes all the way back to the show's inception, before even one minute of footage was filmed. And this pattern points to one very obvious conclusion; the Duffer Brothers have always intended, and continue to intend, for Will Byers to be gay.

Now, for the obvious question; why haven't they made it explicit yet?

The answer is as unfortunate as it is obvious; I don't know.

It's entirely possible that there is some external force that the Duffers have to answer to that is preventing them from actively pursuing this particular storyline. This happens all the time in Hollywood, and it could be anything from Netflix to Noah Schnapp's parents to Noah Schnapp himself just being uncomfortable with it. Many are the creators who dream Big Gay Dreams only to run into the horrors of our Forced Hetero Reality. If the Duffers ultimately submit to these pressures, I hope you won't be too hard on them. This shit is harder than you think to get to the screen sometimes.

But it's also possible that they just aren't ready for it yet. That they have been saving this for a future storyline, that they just want their characters (and the actors) to get a little older before they pursue this particular storyline explicitly, but they've been busily laying groundwork for it so that anyone paying attention will know it's coming.

I don't know. Only time will tell for sure.

For now, I can tell you this; I see a great deal of evidence that the Duffers still intend for Will to be gay, and precisely zero that they have changed their minds.

I hope that holds true.

[lovemecharlie]

Meet My Family

Charlie meets the wives. Part of the origin.

“Come with me to Cali. Visit the mansion one time and if you don’t like it, I’ll bring you right back.” It was the third time Erik had asked and every time, a wave of stress would wash over me. If I was a mistress, then let me be a sinner in peace. Hide me in the shadows, don’t parade me through your wives’ domain.

“Wow, you are really pushing this wife thing. What’s wrong with us dating?” Loading the table with our dinner, I set out crab legs, shrimp, cheddar biscuits, and a small salad. To me, dating is preferable. Fall out of love? Just leave. Partner cheat? Walk away. Something doesn't work out for you? Leave. Why anyone would willingly tie themselves to another person with paperwork was beyond me. “Erik, the concept of marriage is archaic. I mean, why would you even marry six people in the first place when you could've just dated them? I don't get it.” I turn and flinch inwardly because he's directly and unexpectedly in my face. Everything is quiet and it's like the world stops as his burning stare eats through me.

“You wanna know why got married, Charlie? Why I did it six times?” The intensity behind his eyes makes me nervous, like I might have actually offended him. “I married six women who I can't and refuse to live without. I've pledged my life and my muthafuckin soul to these women. I am their provider, protector, and biggest supporter. If I die, everything I have will go to them.”

I gulp and he still doesn't blink. “What do you get, Charlie? You don't get shit but this dick and that's when I have the free time to spare. You don’t get my benefits when we’re just dating and trust me, you want them. Being married can increase your wealth 16% in a year. 500% when you’re married to me.”

“It could also shorten my lifespan and increase my already high stress levels as an American black woman. Do you care?”

“You wanna live forever or you want this money?”

“Think about what you just asked me and tell me if that’s a question worth answering.” He knew that was a dumb question.

“You making this more complicated than it has to be. Just meet my family. You my therapist ain't you? They deserve to meet you.”

“Do they wanna meet me?”

“I talk about you all the time. They know you’re coming eventually. Besides, they know I be confiding in you, they just don't know I tell you everything.. so tread slow with that when you get.”

“Confidentially is key with me.” I take my cloth napkin and shake it out dramatically, folding it in my lap. Ugh. I can feel a headache coming. Rubbing my temples, I close my eyes to think and reflect. This entire relationship is a ‘fuck you’ to the Code of Ethics and I'm still talking about confidentially. He's like an addiction and I can’t decide whether or not it's healthy for me. I look up and I can see him staring, the request still burning. His eyes are pleading.

“FINE! Fine, I'll go.”

“That’s all I wanted,” he grins grabbing the crab legs. It's like his energy has shifted into something lighthearted and joyful. I can't even feel bitter or annoyed because he's smiling and that look that he has is something contagious.

◇

He was proud of his jet. It was a beautiful jet! Luxurious, big, clean.. The perfect place for me to join the mile-high club. I cemented my membership three times before the plane landed. The ride cross country was much shorter than it would've been had we flown commercial. After landing, we took a car and rolled up to a gate which led to a mega-property. A mansion. From the parking garage, there was an elevator and the doors opened into a scene rivaling the most beautiful timeshare. “Whoa,” was all I could muster. There was a large living room.

“HENNESSY! ALY'SHA! RYLEY! ANGEL! HOMIE! KIMORA! GET Y'ALL ASSES IN HERE,” he yells, his bracelet picking up the sound like a transmitter. Within minutes, six women appear, stopping short to stare. The tiny light bright looks like she wants to snap my neck. Angele has an expression that reads standoffish in the most aggressive way. The last one looks me up and down like I’m intruding. I could kill Erik. It looks like they're caught off guard. He grabs my hand tugging me forward and then rests his large arm around my waist causing eyebrows to raise.

“This is Charlie,” he says firmly. Thankfully realization strikes and their faces relax. The third one waved a dismissive hand, releasing a small relieved sigh and the small first spoke up.

“Okay, so you're Charlie. We were expecting you. N'Jadaka doesn't shut up about his beloved therapist. No offense.”

“Be nice, Henny,” Erik raises a brow.

“So you're trying to marry into our family,” Angele stares, holding a hand up to Erik to keep him from interjecting. Her diamond ring is blinding as she angles it forward purposely. “What exactly do you know about us, Miss Jade?”

A lot. I'm starting to piece together who is who based on the personalities. They're just as Erik described.

“Erik's said nothing but good things about you all. I hope he's offered me that same kindness.”

“Mmmm. Well, Erik doesn't have the final say over whether you join this house or otherwise,” Kimora says stepping up and snapping her fingers. She circles me before stopping in front and looking back to the others. “She's cute, I guess.”

“Either way, anyone wanting into Daddy's heart or into this family gotta get through us,” Ryley shrugs. Erik bends down to whisper in my ear and I turn nervously to grab his arm before he can walk away.

“Just be yourself,” he smiles squeezing my chin before eyeing everyone in the room. “Have fun!” With a chuckle, he disappears down a hall and I'm left with six women who surround me.

“So, Charlie..” Hennessy smiles, “You like animals? We got tigers if you wanna see them.”

“As long as you don't sick them on me just to get get rid of me? Hell yeah,” I snort following them outside into the yard where there is an enclosure. “I’ve always loved cats of every size. Two of my best friends are cats. One, a black housecat and two, a gentle tiger. We have an understanding.” Their tigers are beautiful and resting like lazy overgrown kittens. There's a snow white one that steals my heart, but it also has claws that could take my life. “..I'm serious y'all.. Just ask if you want me to leave…,” I smile nervously and Aly'sha chuckles.

“That one's mine. Completely harmless.”

“Oh okay,” I breathe. The group starts to chuckle and soon everyone's laughing.

“You're really nervous,” Angele smiles.

“Tryna make a good impression,” I admit.

“Relax. We already like you,” Homie deadpans. It's the first time she's spoken to me.

@poosypoosy @bastioncarterstevens-udaku @hennessystevens-udaku @itsangeludaku @alyshastevens-udaku @itskimorafireudaku @allhailnjadaka @bidibidibombaclaat @blackpinup22 @destinio1 @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @leahnicole1219 @vikkidc @thehomierobbstark