#but I’m not gonna make any progress on that if I keep trying to prove to myself that Charlie would love me

[mrs-kelly]

Still breaking down Charlie’s character in a way that justifies my worthiness of his love even tho the crux of our relationship is the realization that you can’t earn love, it’s just given

[hazbinfallinginaspiral]

Just gonna throw this at you! Hope you laugh! Kinda inspired by Retro Reader.

Valentino: Your Little Feral 'Wife' just killed one of my performers!

Vox: I'm sure Retro had a very good reason for that.

Velvette: It was that one who kept bragging they planned to sleep with you to get to the top. I'm shocked it took them a week to notice the fool.

Vox: They spent the past week thinking I didn't notice them killing my former assistants.

Valentino: You mean the ones you fired for trying to bankrupt you? Why didn't you kill them yourself?

Vox: Retro would pout and its much more enjoyable to see them prove their loyalty. I should buy Retro some flowers, maybe that outfit they were looking at.

Velvette: Hon I think the thing they would want most is you taking a day off.

Enjoy the weird thoughts from my brain after reading your amazing stuff! If you wanna do something with this be my guest!

I’m sorry, I just imagine Retro popping up out of nowhere and being like “I would like that!”

And Valentino is just. Terrified screaming.

Anyway.

Vox is thinks that actually a good point, so he leaves work early and shows up at the house without warning. Retro has a mild heart attack because they weren’t expecting him and the house might not be clean enough. But Vox brought flowers and the outfit they liked, so it works out nicely. Vox pretends not to notice the drops of blood on the kitchen counter.

Retro is also in a much better mood than usual with all the killing. They really like being uninterrupted in their work, able to take care of it as they see fit. I imagine it’s part of the reason Vox fired his assistants instead of killing them, too. It lets Retro blow off some steam.

I also think that Retro would become progressively protective of Valentino and Velvette as well. Not to the same extent as Vox, of course, but they wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who’s giving them a hard time.

As we all know, Valentino is the problem in most relationships, so Retro wouldn’t need to protect him much. If anything, I think they’d serve as a good way for Val to vent some frustration. They get together on the back porch, Retro knitting a sweater or blanket or something while Valentino decorates a new gun he got. Retro has tea or something and Val is trying not to smoke (and failing) because he knows Retro doesn’t particularly like it.

He also knows Retro won’t deal with any of his violent bullshit like the other Vs do. We see Vox let him break things, but Retro? They won’t allow it. They think letting of steam is healthy, though, so they’ll arrange for target practice while Val is there. They also start doing research on guns (they weren’t interested before since they are very loud weapons) first Val so they can recommend some new ones, how to decorate them, etc. Valentino is an artist and I feel like Retro would love indulging that side of him. If they become genuine friends (or partners, if they end up in a poly relationship with Vox) I imagine this would be a big part of it.

He’d complain about some performers he’s had trouble with, which ones are good, which ones aren’t. Retro would learn a bit about Angel Dust (but not much, considering Val knows better than to disclose how he treats his employees to someone like Retro). Retro would keep this information in mind for future killings, giving the better performers more leniency and keeping a watchful eye on all of them in general. Vox would invite them to a club or studio before this, and they’d usually reject the request since it’s not their thing (also not very housewife-type thing to do, and because a club meant flirting and we all know how they deal with that). After getting close with Val, though? They’d be more up for it.

Retro would end up refining their killing, having actual rules for what’s acceptable and what’s not when it comes to people talking to or making a move on Vox. They decide that if it’s someone’s job, like the performers, they get a pass. Random club goer? Thin ice, but they’ll have some patience. Both Vox and Retro make it a point to remind people that Vox isn’t interested in anyone else, so if someone knows that and keeps making a move? Well, Retro can’t kill the, right then and there, but they’ll go on the list of people to kill. I also imagine the list has different sections that people get sorted into depending on their threat level, both in terms of power and how likely they are to cause problems in their relationship with Vox.

Anyway, I’ve been neglecting the Velvette and Retro interactions so here we go!

I think it’d be a bit of a rough start between them, probably due to the fact that Vel already knows about Retros murders, but they’d get along pretty well. When Valentino described them to Vel, she got the impression they’d be more crazed and all over the place, an absolute mess. So imagine her surprise when she met Retro, someone who’s so polite and calm and well mannered. She’d understand immediately. Instant besties, especially with Retros fashion sense.

Now, Retro and Val have an odd sort of relationship but Vel and Retro have something more genuine and wholesome, I think. Vel would go to Retro for some advice, ask about ideas, and the like. She appreciates their unique tastes and preferences, as well as the out of the box ideas they can come up with. If Velvette is ever afraid something she’s making may not be functional as an outfit? She gives it to Retro, asks their opinion.

I also imagine Retro would have a good understanding of what fabrics feel nice together and which ones don’t, something Velvette may struggle with. She doesn’t have a problem with fabric textures, so she doesn’t realize how it may impact the buyers opinion on the outfit. Retro offers that new perspective, too, since I imagine they’re quite picky on that sort of thing. They care a lot about fabric texture, flow, and feel (something I can personally relate to) not only because it impacts its mobility and functionality, how hard it is to clean after killing, but also general comfort. Retro would be more than happy to help with whatever Velvette needs, but modeling is strictly off the table. They’ll do private photo shoots for fun, sure, but Retro is determined to keep up the housewife routine.

Valentinos visits probably tend to be more infrequent and out of the blue, but Velvette has a tight schedule and specific dates with Retro, something they greatly appreciate. The gossip they discuss? Top tier. Val and Retro usually discuss dancing skills, choreography, people’s tastes in partners and their horrible life decisions, which is fun but not exciting. Velvette always has some dramatic tea to spill and I imagine she’s great at explaining it in an immersive way that captures Retros attention. Retro would probably be able to offer up good theories and thoughts on how the situation would go, too. I think they’d really enjoy Velvette’s company and listening to her talk.

I also think Velvette would be mostly supportive (at the very least, completely okay) with Retros habits. She thinks their dedication is adorable. I think they talking about Vox’s work habits, too. Probably complain that he needs to take a break. Velvette offers valuable insight into what the workplace is like, so Retro has a better idea of the dynamics Vox holds with people, his habits, what he likes and what he doesn’t. They use this information to make him extra comfortable and relaxed after an especially long or tiring day of work. I don’t think Vox would really notice at first.

Retro berates Vox about his bad habits, how he needs to take care of himself, and I think he’ll start to listen. He’ll take a few more days off than usual, come home with flowers, and maybe go out for a nice dinner.

[monsterrae1]

Seven Sentences Sunday

Thanks for the tag loves! @giddyupbuck @disasterbuckdiaz @wildlife4life @spaceprincessem

I haven't written much in two days but here's to me making progress today, have some more Lumberjack Buck:

Since Eddie had cooked breakfast, Buck and Chris took over cleaning up, and after Chris put away his homework from the day before and excused himself to his room.

“Any plans for today?” Eddie asked Buck, trying to find an excuse to keep him around longer, even if going home just meant going next door. 

“Thomas and Mitchell are low on wood, I’m probably gonna spend some time chopping some for them, are you guys good? Maybe I can chop some for you too”

Eddie rolled his eyes, “You keep us well stocked, I think we’re good”

Buck nodded, “Well, I better get to that, see you later?” 

“Yeah, be careful”

This time Buck rolled his eyes, but promised him to be careful. If Eddie found an excuse to tend to his dying herb garden that day, while he watched Buck swing his ax, and grunt at every hit on the logs, well, no one could prove anything. 

Tagging if they have anything they wanna share today @brokenribsdiaz @loserdiaz @cowboy-buddie @buddierights @prettyboybuckley @rogerzsteven @alyxmastershipper @heartshapedvows @honestlydarkprincess @bigfootsmom @elvensorceress @shortsighted-owl @hippolotamus @mysteriouslyyounggalaxy @911onabc @the-likesofus @jesuisici33 @folk-fae @satashiiwrites @exhuastedpigeon @spotsandsocks @leewithme and whoever wants to share anything!

[vro0m]

Seeing how confident McLaren is about their car and their drivers makes me nervous. I saw that Toto extended his contract at Merc through 2026 and it just feels like same sh*t, different toilet. I think Toto should just be satisfied as the owner of the team and step aside and let another TP come in and change the culture at Merc. I think that could potentially attract new engineers that could help with the development of the car.

Lewis is struggling with his qualifying times and George is overconfident. At this point, it's starting to feel like Merc is just not that girl. Why are they starting all over again with their car? I'm fairly new to f1, but I thought it takes years to develop a championship-winning car, yet they're developing a brand new one over the winter? That doesn't feel right to me.

Also, I didn't understand TeamLH bragging about Lewis retaining Monster as his sponsor, when Monster jumped ship from Merc to McLaren. Isn't losing sponsorships a bad thing, since the team is losing money that it would likely use to develop the car that would help Lewis win his 8th WDC? A loss for the team is a loss for Lewis..unless I'm wrong.

I truly hope Merc proves me wrong, but something's gotta give. I just don't have confidence in them.

Do you think that Merc needs a major overhaul or do you think they're going to make progress continuing on the path that they're on?

Okay i was gonna answer this in the morning but i can’t sleep so here we go, sorry if it’s a bit unhinged.

Here’s the thing. In my book, the second rule of F1 is never ever listen to a team principal. (The first rule being, of course, you always, always have to do better than your teammate.) So I’ll believe McLaren’s confidence is warranted when I’ll see it. Hell, I’ll believe they really are confident and it’s not basic 101 PR when I’ll see it. And mind you, Toto seems pretty confident too. (The only thing I’m happy about here is that he also said they’ve been working on their pitstops but due to Rule 2, I’ll also only believe it when I’ll see it.)

They’re starting over with their car because, as you noticed, the past two cars were Not Working. So no real choice here but to get back to square 1 rather than spend a third year trying to make a car that doesn’t work, work. Building a championship-winning car is less a matter of time (I mean especially nowadays with the costcap and windtunnel allocation etc. it’s getting irrelevant), and more a matter of getting it right. RedBull got it right and they won. The problem is : the others need to develop to catch up to them because they didn’t get it as right as RB, and that takes time and resources and is very complicated. And if you have a bad starting point, it’s that much more difficult. Basically there were too many things that needed changing with this car concept anyway. So they’re starting over. But it's also not like they don't have data and experiments from the past two years. They know more about these regs and cars than in 2021. Are they gonna win the ‘24 championship with the W15? No. But they weren’t gonna win by keeping the last, dysfunctional car concept either anyway. At least now they have a chance to develop in the right direction.

I did not read anything about the Monster sponsorship because i really, really don’t care. I didn’t even know that was a thing. I don’t think Monster leaving Mercedes is gonna make a dent in their budget. First of all, there’s a costcap now, so they can’t throw money at a bad car to make it good anyway. Second of all, they have a lot of other sponsors. Third, they’re the second most expensive team in the paddock. And fourth, their parent company is worth 85 billions of dollars. Lewis’ 8th has pretty much nothing to do with Monster or any sponsorship.

To answer your main question : no, I don’t think Merc needs a major overhaul. Given that you’re fairly new to F1 I concede it might not look like it in the current context but changing TPs is actually Not All That. And it generally doesn’t really solve anything. If anything I’m against major overhauls. Imho a stable ground is the best ground to build up on. Toto is... Toto. But he’s not the reason why the car is bad. It’s a whole team. 2’000+ employees. You can’t pinpoint any of the problems they have on one singular person. I mean Ferrari has had 5 different TPs in the last 10 years and that has solved exactly zero of their problems, and they still haven’t won a championship since 2007.

They are making progress. All of them are. It’s just, it’s F1. We’re talking about such tiny tiny differences in performance now, millimeters off of a piece of carbon fiber, milliseconds off of a time sheet. The time the pecking order could be turned upside down from one race to the next has been gone for decades. It’s all about the long game when the differences are so subtle. Even more now that they, again, can’t just throw money and wind tunnels at issues. It’s frustrating when it’s not your driver/team on top but success is mostly cyclical in this sport. Right now it’s RedBull. Next who knows. Merc is just not that girl, at the moment. It is what it is.

ETA : btw I think firing Toto would really throw Lewis off so. Another reason not to imo.

[ouatsqincorrect]

What does the family think of the differences between EF and the land without magic? About the religion and culture? About capitalism? About electricity and clean water and the accommodations and all the modern commodities? About the laws, rights, freedom? All the thing you can find in one place but not the other? About the nostalgia of their childhood realm? About what they think was better in the EF and was lost in our world?

Which world is favored by each member of the family? What would they want changed in it? If they end up there, what do they want to keep with them from the other world or to find a way to make it exist in their chosen world?

(Also, remember I haven't watched all the show yet)

Do you think that people from Storybrook having ended back in the EF used their knowledge of the other world to make progress in their realm? Like scientific et technical improvements and inventions. Did they advocated for changing the old laws to more progressive rights. Do you think the people could make a revolution to start a Republic? (à la française)

What kind of idea could people having lived in such different places could have had from this experience?

(Sorry that was a very long and poorly worded question. List of questions. Anyway. Sorry for this.)

woah. ok, im gonna try my best to answer this but no promises that’ll it actually be coherent lol

let’s just go down the list. (oh and if you haven’t watched the entire show yet, there’s a spoiler for s3 in the first point)

1. i think by season four, we see that everyone is pretty much totally ok with living in storybrooke instead of the enchanted forest, and honestly, i think it was that missing year when they had to go back that ultimately proved how much they really like our world. there’s plumbing, electricity, a life expectancy that’s longer than 40 years—honestly, i don’t think casting the curse in maine, in our world, was the worst place regina could’ve sent them, and i think they’re all pretty much aware of this fact by the end of s3.

2. i’m gonna preface this by saying i am extremely non-religious (thank you four years of religious trauma) so my answer might reflect that, but i don’t think anyone of them really care too much about religion. i think some of them (regina, belle, rumple) have probably studied it a bit, but that’s just for the knowledge and understanding. they believe in zeus and hades and all that—our world’s religions don’t really mean much to them, at least personally. as far as culture goes, i think most of them really like learning about the culture of this world (again, especially regina and belle, maybe rumple too—oh, and zelena). they want to know more about the place they live. it’s not like they’re going back to the enchanted forest, so they might as well learn about this world some more.

3. i don’t think capitalism really matters to them all that much because storybrooke doesn’t seem to really…fall under it in the same way? at least, not for this family. regina’s been saving money as mayor for the last 30 or so years, the curse made rumple rich. we don’t see any of them really have any issues with money. so, as far as this family goes, i don’t think they think about capitalism as much as we do. (everyone else in storybrooke might be a different story, but idk)

4. i think i answered the other ones already so i’m skipping to the nostalgia of their childhood realm. this really depends on who you’re talking about. regina had such a rough go of it in the enchanted forest, there probably isn’t much nostalgia for her. she’d probably like to not think about it much at all. david, on the other hand, had a lot of happy memories, so it probably means more to him to reminisce.

5. the only thing i can think of that might’ve been better in the enchanted forest was the hope. our world can be so much crueler, even with better living conditions. there was some idealized type of happiness in the enchanted forest that they don’t get here (i’m not saying there wasn’t heartbreak—there definitely was, it’s just the way some of them dealt with it—the way the realm as a whole dealt with it—was a little different), and that might be what they miss about it, but honestly, i think they all realize that those feelings the enchanted forest brought were sort of false and misleading. remember in s1 when grumpy said he needs his pain because it makes him who he is? i think, for some, that’s what our world does. it allows them to deal with their pain without feeling like it’s wrong, or like they should just be hopeful all the time. it’s more realistic. so, actually, the hope in the enchanted forest wasn’t better at all, but maybe it’s the thing some of them miss from time to time.

6. everyone in this family is happy and content with living in our world. living in storybrooke can occasionally be a different story, but they all like living in this realm better than the enchanted forest. this is home to them. i think, as time goes on, bits and pieces of life in the enchanted forest makes its way into storybrooke. little things, like sometimes granny will make a soup that was popular back in the enchanted forest, or the way you’ll look up into the sky and sometimes see a dragon. but overall, they like living here. the enchanted forest was home to them once, but now it’s more of a reminder as to why they continue to fight for their home in storybrooke, and why they actually really do love this town and this realm, even if they have to spend their entire lives protecting it.

7. i’ve never really thought much about what the people who have gone back gone back to the enchanted forest are doing there, but yeah, i would think they’d advocate for better rights and better conditions. i think the queen, for one, would definitely try to advance women’s rights after learning how truly messed up the way women in the enchanted forest are treated is at times.

[astrronomemes]

CAMP CAMP : SEASON ONE STARTERS (PART I)

a collection of quotes, phrases, and sayings from the debut season of the Camp Camp webseries by Rooster Teeth.

“I refuse to believe someone as happy as you can possibly exist.”

“I’m just a kid trying to survive out here, [name].”

“See, that’s the sad thing... he still actually thinks that I love it.”

“Astronauts? The wannabe jocks of the scientific community? Please!”

“Well, I’m certainly not hiding from any authorities, if that’s what you’re thinking!”

“Now you can’t sue us!”

“I mean, in hindsight... none of us really know how to drive.”

“Aw, man... that was supposed to kill you.”

“This isn’t what the buddy system is for!”

“This looks like the place where teenagers go to get stabbed.”

“Enjoy wearing my skin!”

“This was a really bad idea in hindsight!”

“I want a Viking funeral! Light me up!”

“Why do you always have to make things weird and complicated?!”

“Well... I mean... I think this is all pretty normal.”

“That guy literally stabbed me in the back!”

“Y’all are some ignorant fucking cunts!”

“Paradise isn’t paradise without your friends.”

“What good is rolling around on the floor if it’s clean?”

“Progressive buzzwords can’t save you now!”

“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this. It’s only been a few hours, and we’ve already gone shirtless!”

“This is decidedly uncool.”

“Oh, you kids and your dreams! So full of hope and ignorance!”

“Someday you’ll learn that no matter how righteous you think your cause is, there’s always someone bigger to keep you down... and that day is today, and that someone is me.”

“What’s scary is how much I want to kill myself right now.”

“Here’s a horror story: go look at the job market you’ll be dealing with after this [workplace] shuts down.”

“Anuses. I was gonna say ‘anuses’.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. And I’ll prove it.”

“This is the last place you want to be on a night like this.”

“Calm down. The storm just tripped the power.”

“We shall not waver on our quest for the undead!”

“I am not about this shit, [name]! Science has its limits!”

“I am not scared! I feel like we’ve established this by now!”

“You know what? On second thought, maybe the evil is unstoppable! We should all go home!”

“The only thing scarier than monsters and ghosts is real life.”

“This is probably fine.”

“Want to go see how many pudding cups we can fit in our pockets?”

“So, [name], you like science and shit, right?”

[bitter-sweet-coffee]

day 2 of trying to piss off the sonic fandom so i either get blacklisted or blocked by as many people as possible:

the people who turn rouge into “the bestist lesbian big sister to shadow for ever and ever” are not as progressive as they’d like to think they are.

congratulations, you are reducing a female character to the bettering of a more popular male character, focusing exclusively on one dimension of her personality and rejecting the rest to make it wholesome and cute.

doesn’t seem so different from the people who would only focus on her sexuality in the 2000’s, does it?

listen. you can have your lesbian big sister rouge just like people can have their sex symbol rouge. they can also coexist. HOWEVER. do not pretend like this fanon interpretation does any justice to the nuanced layers of her character.

what about her selfishness? her commitment issues? her self preservation disguised as brashness? her lack of moral stability since she always puts herself first? ignoring the total disregard for her femme fatale disposition, the people who reduce her to a sibling dynamic are completely disregarding how canonically horrible at this she would be. her and shadow are coworkers, yes, and it’s evident she cares about him (in whichever way you choose to interpret that) but she is far from responsible for him. even if she wanted to be, episode shadow proves he completely disobeys orders and doesn’t regard her as a support system lol.

in case anyone is questioning why i keep including lesbian in my description, it’s because of the shipping can of worms. self admittedly, my rouge is bisexual, but that’s besides the point. the reason why the whole “lesbian rouge, gay shadow” makes me raise an eyebrow is because it is almost ALWAYS to eliminate any possibility of them having romantic feelings for each other, and additionally, so shadow’s big sister is also in a gay relationship because clearly he is gay and only gay and therefore rouge is a lesbian. since we need her to be in a gay relationship too we’re gonna ship her with wave, who is a lesbian as well because she wears pants and is mean, and that means we have a scapegoat wlw ship for the REAL focus— shadow and his boyfriend.

do you see what i’m insinuating here? do you see the fanon trend (which is not exclusive to sonic) and are you getting the bigger picture here? i’ll elaborate more on this when i dedicate a day to dissecting amy rose as a character but for now, let’s brush past this sexuality business and onto one more teeny tiny point

hey. so. a lot of people consider rouge to be racially coded as black. now, does anyone see a potential problem of having a black coded female character be this strong, independent, tough, maternal/sisterly caretaker for people? no? nothing historically bad about the caricature of older black women being “no nonsense” babysitters for people? or black women being strong and independent who don’t cry or have softer vulnerable sides? hm? any pancake products coming to mind? and before someone says i’m reading too much into this, i’m not calling anyone outwardly racist. i just think that it is unfair to women but especially black women to not only reduce a coded female character to a caretaker for the male main characters, but especially in the ways which people go about this. ANYWAYS

yeah. do whatever you want with rouge, but don’t think i haven’t had my eye on the ways in which she’s mischaracterized almost exclusively for shadow’s own character development. stop using female characters as tools or resources for male characters. i don’t care if it’s through gender or race or sexuality, there is some serious bastardization going on here and i am appalled when people who scoff at sexy rouge go on to do shit like this thinking they’re “saving” her character from everyone else. no. i actually think you’re just as bad as them, fight me i guess

note: i’m not attacking anyone as a person, i’m attacking the general fanon phenomenon. this isn’t about a particular creator or their work, this is about the way rouge is treated by the fandom as a whole. people can make whatever they want, and in the same vein, i can call it fucking stupid. if you’re offended or think i’m an asshole though, even if it’s just for doing this and you’re not involved with fanon rouge, block me. please. i’m actively trying to get rid of people and this helps.

[dreamiesformula]

Dilemma pt. 1 - Charles Leclerc

{Slow burn & series}

Warnings: mentions of cheating, harassment, sexism, swearing and for those of you who don’t like imagines that involve non F1 related themes there is some K-pop written into this. (Y/n is adoptive sister to a K-pop idol nothing romantic related).

Disclaimer: I am hoping people like this enough to turn it into a progressive series, so please if you liked the content, writing or anything like that let me know. Sorry if it’s shit I’m still getting back into writing after 2 years away from actual stories.

Love always ❤️

———————————————————

Y/n spent a long time working for this pulled from the W series after just her first season, to be a driver for Haas who were down one driver before testing rounds for the new 22’ car they needed someone and Gunther was please with the pick his very own “breath of fresh air” as he put it. She worked so hard to prove him right and going into the first race all looked promising, she was determined to prove not just for Gunther but all fans that she could race just as well as any man on the grid it was now the day of the Bahrain Grand Prix and to say you were anxious was an understatement. You had grown close with a few drivers on the grid them wanting to protect you your big brother squad if you will which consisted of Daniel Riccardo, Sebastian Vettel, Valtteri bottas and George Russel. They never gave you any advantages on track as they knew you wanted to race fair plus they wanted their jobs, but they did all grow to love you like family, Daniel in particular he could tell when you were anxious, hyper, depressed, drained or on verge of breaking down. Unbeknownst to you so could a driver you barely interacted with Charles Leclerc, he had taken interest to you while an eligible bachelor it was funny how he wasn’t interested in anyone else until you came onto the grid he knew he wasn’t the only one but he was here to race and that’s what he’d do! Apparently so were you, P5 in your debut F1 race the garage erupted you swear you could hear them even as you crossed the chequered flag.

Y/n’s perspective

It was a high like no other while P1,2&3 were a dream coming P5 cemented what my point was, I was here to race and race my little heart out I would. The whole garage including my teammate group hugging revealing is what we both achieved P5 and P11 in a Haas, fucking mental. Mick came over and hugged me while I knew there was pictures I didn’t care “you killed it” I hear him whisper I shove him back pointing towards both of our bodies “no we killed it” laughing pulling him in for another victory hug.

It was a nice sight to see drivers happy however I noticed some weren’t so happy, I know how much racing means to them all so I make my rounds congratulating and trying to cheer up where possible. They seemed more astounded by me coming to hype or cheer them up than I expected it was just what I was used to doing, after all we are all humans and feeling down on yourself was the worst. I go back to the team shortly after for briefing and team meetings, then to media for interviews nothing but supportive questions so far which made me calm a lot and then finally a shower and change into my clothes I wore a baggy graffiti style tee that had the tag ICON and black ripped jeans with white airforces. On my way out I see the gang aka the brother squad talking in the paddock I go up to them putting my bravest face on “I can’t believe him of all people” I hear Daniel scoff “hiii” I surprise them all “oh shit” seb let’s out before they burst into laughter “whatca talking about” I ask only to be shut down but bottas “nothing important” he shrugs nice I’m being left out of gossip how rude “we were gonna go for a few drinks and dinner want to come?” Danny asks wide eyed and hopeful “yeah sure why not, I’ll go get changed” I smile and they scoff in sync “nothing fancy please keep as you are, we’re starving we want fast not fancy” George pats your back and you nod “we’ll hurry I’m hungry” I stomp my foot tryna fake anger only for them to laugh at me. Unbeknownst to y/n boys were all sharing a knowing look being that close with the girl that quickly they knew she was having a hard time, her boyfriend cheated on her, she moved to F1 and she was falling hopelessly in love with a driver who had some seriously pressing love life issues. They vowed to protect her from any hurt from anyone outside F1 or inside it, she was quite literally their happy virus she was too fragile and precious to them to be ruined, she was the type to fall hard a quick they learnt that quickly.

We arrived at a restaurant and I felt really under dressed so much for nothing fancy “bro I look homeless compared to these other girls” I look around at ball gown, formal and sequence dresses “you look fine, you just finished a race I bet half the girls here couldn’t do what you did today” Daniel pats my back my phone buzzed and I see the contact name ‘do NOT answer’ my best friend back home Chris did that so I wouldn’t pick up my exs calls real easy to remember when drinking “whose that” Daniel whispers “cheating ex” I choke out why wouldn’t he leave me alone I broke it off 2 months ago “block him?” He suggests “calls me off other phones and numbers” I sigh “dude that’s harassment” I laugh dryly “oh trust me I know” I roll my eyes my ex was back in South Korea now, it was confusing for many reasons one being I was adopted, my adoptive brother was a K-pop star in a popular group and I don’t know my real parents, I never wish to either. He got me into karting when I was 6 and from there I fell in love with speed and racing, he was my guardian angel he saved me, gave me a second chance at life. The boys were yet to know this yet, my first language was Korean, then English which I learnt with help from my friend Chris who was Australian and now here I am Daniel Ricardo’s mini me according to most the McLaren team already, same vibe different body I guess. Dinner was accompanied by drinks and quite a few of them more than needed considering we would be having to be up the next morning at 8 am for a flight at 10 am to Saudi Arabia I was on the same plane and Daniel, Seb and George to my knowledge, I was happy hanging out with my friends feeling like I fit in until I heard a certain shocked monegasque enter the establishment “oh hello” he stands in front of our table some Ferrari higher ups and Carlos with him great now I wanna die in a hole, “hello winners” I smile my phone rings again and Daniel checks it “Christoper🐺” is calling I answer quickly excusing myself “Channie!” I smile through the phone “you killed it out there, we had a schedule but I just watched your race, I am so proud of you” I was gonna cry “thank you Chan I love you” I missed home “when do we see our little star again?” He asks his accent seeping deep telling me he was tired “probably not for another 3 weeks” I sigh they were so busy preparing for their comebacks “we will be here okay” I smile at his reassuring words “I better go back before the guys think I’ve been kidnapped, I love you Channie. Take care of yourself please” I hear him sigh slightly “love you too y/n/n” and with that he hung up. I walk back inside “superstar there you are” bottas smiles laughing along side the boys.

Charles perspective

I shouldn’t be so hung up over another driver let alone one looking this strong early on sure she wasn’t gonna be in the championship running in a Haas but any driver is competition, Carlos must have noticed my far away gazes “you’re gonna make it obvious if you stare any longer” he whispers as he nudged me. “What do you mean?” I laugh away the burning as I watch her get closer to Daniel and whisper something in his ear “you’re little fascination with the Haas girl” Carlos was being dead serious he wasn’t letting this one go. “Dude it’s nothing don’t worry” he chuckles painfully it wasn’t nothing right now she was his everything in way he wanted to win to show off, partially for her partially for him. “Just talk to her, the sex eyes aren’t going to work on this one” he pats my back and I knew he was right she wasn’t gonna be easy to make mine but I was determined, I should maybe actually talk to her before falling stupidly in love. However he knew it was a bit too late for that you had him aware of it or not. After seeing you make friends, smile, laugh act silly and carefree during testing he was sold. Oh boy did you have him. They enjoyed dinner with the team mangers but Charles was in another world for half of it “thank you for meeting us again, congratulations let’s continue to do Ferrari proud” they shake us drivers hands and leave Carlos grabbing me by the shirt over to where the gang of drivers still sit chatting “mind if we join?” Carlos smirks at the group “come on sit down boys” Daniel laughs shoving over as we squish in I am somehow sat next to y/n thighs touching arms almost interlocked, fucking Carlos. “How’re you feeling after your win?” I hear the angelic like voice to my side ask while the table is entertained in their own conversations “pretty good, weirdly lonely but it feels good to be up their” I smile being uncharacteristically open with her, “well trust me I’ll always be here if you need” she smiles and I feel comfortable but she’s simply being friendly “what about you P5 is amazing” looking for excuses to hear her talk “honestly I can’t believe it still, I just wanna make everyone proud. I gotta fight extra hard to prove myself” she looks down to her chest and I think I know what she means, it must be tough “you’re setting an amazing example for race fans and future racers around the world” I put my hand in hers “thank you that means more than I can explain” I felt like the world stopped when I spoke to her gosh I was 24 acting like a kid in love.

The night ended shortly after a few more drinks, some laughs and we all headed back to the hotel. When I let go of her hand I realised I missed the close feeling of her skin on mine, as weird as that sounded. She wasn’t the most of that made sense, I’d dated models, famous content creators the lot but she was just so real for a racing driver she wasn’t the slimmest, not that had much to effect on how I felt but I could already imagine the articles. I went on my own tangent in my mind to didn’t realise I was sitting beside her in the car back to the hotel until I felt a head on my shoulder, upon looking down I noticed the girl asleep on my shoulder smiling to myself. “Don’t get too comfortable, you’ll be lucky if we let you near her again” seb warns a serious tone telling me he’s not joking “what?” I question confused “you’re not using the new driver and our friend as a rebound” Daniel quickly interjects it became clear what they meant after his break up he stupidly admitted to some the the driver he was looking for someone to fill the time until his ex realised he was the one and come running back. But he knew that not to be the case now, “I promise it’s more than that” but they just scoff are me clearly I had to work to gain the trust of her gate keepers.

Y/n’s perspective

I wake up in my hotel room alone and confused as my alarm sounds I don’t remember coming back, maybe I had one too many. My phone was on charge there was water and pain killers on my table, who put me to bed? Anyways I check the time and it’s 7:00 am I had to leave in less than an hour I showered and got changed into some green joggers, my white airforces, white oversized shirt and matching green bomber jacket. When I go to do my hair however there’s a knock on the door and I see Charles standing there “good morning” he smiles how is he so put together at this god forsaken time “hiya” I mumble letting him in “you look nice” he smiles and I feel my insides flip “thanks not too bad yourself, lord knows how you’re awake right now” I chuckle to myself “I brought you a toasted sandwich ham, cheese and tomato Daniel said it was your favourite and a iced mocha” he had the purest of looks on his face “you’re an angel Leclerc” this wasn’t helping how I felt though the act of friendship getting twisted in my stupid little head. “Only for you mon chéri” boom there goes my sanity “I appreciate it a lot, I know we aren’t close but it’s sweet of you to do this for me” I smile looking him in the eyes as my heart beat picks up what was he doing to me “ayo kiddo you awake” I freeze for a second as Daniel’s voice booms “ayo old fart what’s up” I chuckle opening the door to him near hugging me “we gotta head soon you have 20 minutes let’s move it, move it” he swats me away with his hands to tell me to pack my shit. Forgetting about the Ferrari driver currently in my bathroom I start cleaning like crazy “oh hey Daniel” I hear Charles awkwardly cough “h-hi” he stuttered like we was afraid “Charles is too sweet danny he brought my brekkie and checked up on me” blushing clifhtly as you say it out loud “how friendly of him” Daniel says as a pang hits your heart but your phone interrupts it ringing loudly with the cursed “do NOT answer” appearing on screen “not this prick again” Daniel groans “just another day in my life danny it’s fine” I dry chuckle he couldn’t just fuck off he was the one who cheated. “He’s getting out of hand” Daniel puts his hand on my shoulder to comfort me “you can only tell someone to stop so many times I can’t force him to do anything, just like he can’t force me to pick up. It’s been almost 3 months he’s seeing me thriving he wants money that’s all” I smile bitterly.

Charles felt out of place listening in on this, but he gained an amazing insight into who you were. You were clearly in a position of moving on you didn’t seem sad or hurt more angered and distressed, you confirmed to him you were single and that was a positive he took with great care.

You had forgot he was there again for a minute “Mon Ange, I’m gonna go I’ll see you later” he came closer to me and hugged me good “have a safe flight Charles I’ll see you later” the heat rising to my cheeks “okay what the fuck was that” Daniel says a little too loudly I just continue packing up “dude don’t ignore me” he whines “you and charles?” He questions “did nothing, I don’t think he’d take advantage of a drunk girl, plus he just came to check on me” I smile blissfully unaware of the nicknames he’d called me but thinking they sounded so cute coming from him his accent gosh I could listen forever. “Be careful of him kiddo. He’s not all he seems” with that he grabbed your full suitcase and put it with his in the hallway you have your wallet, passport, phone, keys and AirPods with you in you’re jacket pockets and grabbed the duffle bag having everything packed drinking the last of the mocha you’d sipped throughout the ordeal and devouring the sandwich both of which were surprisingly tasty. “Let’s hit the road riccy” you stroll past him collecting your suitcase from the hallways and striding toward the elevator, “do you like him” Daniel gave you once chance to be honest he knew the answer but wanted to confirm it “more than I should” I sigh hoping it’d go unnoticed.

Fast forward to Saudi Arabia pre race

“What’s your home Grand Prix?” The interviewer asked me as I sat in the hot seat for some video they were doing I had been here for a good 10 minutes answering weird questions “ah I don’t have one” I smiled the boys were all watching they’d assumed I was something I wasn’t I guess sure I was born Australian not that I knew until I was 20 but I raced under the South Korean flag cause when you’re adopted you have to become a citizen I had nothing that tied me to my actual life. “I was raised in South Korea, with my adoptive father, adoptive mother and older brother, I don’t race under my birth countries flag cause I’m not a citizen anymore I haven’t been since I was like 2.” I chuckle I look behind the camera to see the reactions of my fellow drivers most just look shocked as for the most part I did not appear Korean but that’s what happens when you’re adopted into a family of a different culture than your birth one, it didn’t hurt anyone and I loved my family. “Okay then moving on, what’s your birthday” what were these questions man “ah it’s y/bd” I was grow more uncomfortable by the second “wait you’re only 21?” The interviewer himself seemed shocked “ah yeah for you all I’m 20 however korean age I am 21, Daniel calls me kiddo for a reason” I laugh “a literal child” he calls from the back of the camera causing everyone to laugh “final question?” Before he can ask “hit me with it interviewer man” I say ready to get this over with “if you could date any driver on the grid who and why?” I looked dumbfounded “excuse me?” I had to clarify I heard what I did he goes to repeat it “I heard your question, I’m not answering it.” I look him dead in the eyes “bipolar much, you’re lucky you have tits or else everyone would be sick of your attitude” he mutters thinking I couldn’t hear and with that I stand up “you wouldn’t ask a male driver who they’d fuck on the grid so why should it be okay to ask me?” I raise my voice to get my point across taking my mic pack off and leaving the studio my press officer hot on my toes “y/n you can’t do that” he said I turned around seeing red “no. No you don’t get to stand there and say it I don’t care how it looked ask them to edit it, make them take it out but I will not be treated different in interviews just because I have tits” I set my ground down “I understand trust me I get it I have a daughter and if this was her I’d be just as upset, but we have to uphold and image of you, I’ll do my best to get it out. But please know I am not going to scold you I just want to protect you okay” he smiles and I feel bad for going off at him “I’m sorry and thank you Tony” I felt awful so I just disappeared for a while crying in my drivers room and listening to sad songs I had in my playlist probably way too loudly, it was bound to come eventually the sexist question just didn’t expect it this soon.

I had to stay at the track for free practice and so exhausted from sobbing for an hour I must’ve passed out, *knock knock* I wake up sometime later to a banging on my door “mon Ange, can you let me in we’re worried about you” I stood shell shocked “please y/n, let us in” I heard a aussie accent call it wasn’t just Charles I open the door to a decent chunk of the drivers on the grid I looked like shit. Tears stained my cheeks, my eyes were red and I looked pale, I could hear Gunther in the hallways yelling “they asked her what?” He was furious but it didn’t sound like he was gonna rip me a new one “come on y/n, let’s go to catering…” Charles lightly grabs my hand and I freeze the boys stare at what’s occurring as they all realise quite quickly this was more mutual than they thought but your phone buzzing interrupting everyone as massive letters “do NOT answer” appear on screen I decline the call quickly and grab my ID pass, secretly placing my hand back into Charles’ and let them lead the way “we are all gonna have lunch with you” George pats my back knowing if I was alone I wouldn’t eat the part at least 12 drivers strong and me pile in I notice Lewis is sitting down already a long empty table accompany him “hello Lewis” I bow out of instinct he was my senior after all everyone was actually he just laughs and pulls me in for a hug. I didn’t realise everyone could be this close without it being competitive, they quite literally were all here to stand by me, with me as a driver and a human being. We all actually had a good time laughing, chatting and just being friends it was a rare and beautiful moment, Yuki and I were talking Japanese for a bit since we hadn’t really ever spoken how ever I only knew a bit of Japanese English was hard enough.

Charles’ perspective

“You’re gonna make everyone suspicious you know” Mick taunts “what?” I snap my head around to face the boy “quit heart eyeing my team mate Ferrari boy” he laughs was it really that obvious “she’s intriguing to you” Lewis adds noting the man’s fascination towards the new driver from just a few seats beside him “I know Lewis I don’t need a lecture on grid etiquette, dating a rival driver isn’t good I know I know” Lewis stops for a second “mate, as long as you’re happy” he shrugs “as long as it doesn’t effect your driving I don’t think anyone can say anything” Mick adds I guess they were right but it’s embarrassing they all could tell. “For what it’s worth I’m sure it’s mutual” Lewis whispers while passing by to get water, “I wish” I mumble in French before I know it we had to go back to our teams.

The car with me in it is dragged into the garage I finish practice “Charles what’s going on out there” my engineer asks there was nothing wrong with the car I think I was just preoccupied in my thoughts, this girl was messing with my driving and I can’t allow it I had to focus “just a bad day won’t happen again” I smile leaving before I can cop an earful. I’ll go have a shower and get changed maybe that’ll clear my head… but all I could think about was her, if this didn’t change it was gonna be awful.

Y/n’s perspective

Daniel hadn’t left my side since he returned from practice “kiddo let’s go eat, you need food” he smiles gently putting his arm around me as we walk to catering “stop calling me kiddo I’ll take your knees” I snap back playfully as he ruffles my hair. We sit down for dinner and I notice two red Ferrari shorts walk to the counter “kiddo I’ve been thinking about what you said at the hotel room” I hush him quickly and the two drivers sit behind us “what about?” I whisper “number 16” I could tell he was scheming “that, was nothing okay” he chuckles I was panicking and he knew it “y/n you can’t hide from me, you like a guy it’s natural” he rubs my shoulder. “He’s my competition if I give into my feelings everything that interviewer and any hater could say comes true. I will have dated someone on the grid purely because I’m a female” I shake my head I simply couldn’t allow to be a cliché “if that’s what you’re worried about kid, you’ve got a lot of growing up to do. You’re feeling typically don’t pass. You’re not gaining anything by being with him, respectfully you compete for survival he competes for glory” he was sincere I could tell and right yeah, he was right. “I’m just scared” but I knew he knew that “if you’re serious about this, who gives a fuck what anyone says… y/n you’re allowed to like a guy” he ruffles my hair ruining the moment in true DR3 style “way to ruin it” and with that we burst into fits of laughter eating our food finally after a heart to heart.

Charles’ perspective

“Can I just say Charles, what’s stopping you?” Carlos breaks me out of a daydream state “reality” yet he just scoffs “if you were any of us 18 other drivers looking over you, you would realise there’s more to this than unrequited love.” But his face brightens up with an idea “what do you like about her?” He asks me typing on his phone to someone.

Charles was didn’t need a minute to make a list but took his time, unaware that his friend and teammate was texting Riccardo just in front of them who Charles hadn’t seen when they walked in.

Y/n’s perspective

“Carlos wants us to be quiet and listen to what they’re saying” Daniel whispers too me so we do Charles was speaking probably louder than he intended to “y/n, mate where do I begin. She’s beautiful but in a real way, she’s not fake, an amazing driver obviously it’s amazing how she’s not scared to push boundaries, she makes me feel like the only man in the world and I barely know her… that’s sounds creepy oh gosh. She has a style like no woman I’ve met before, she doesn’t try make herself like a princess and I find it so attractive, I don’t know Carlos I really just wanna hold her after a win or a loss, I wanna be in her life” I was shocked “you’re shitting me” I whisper to Danny “I told you kid, but if he hurts you I’ll kill him” with a worryingly happy smile “he actually likes me?” Still shell shocked before I can have time to think I’m lifted off my seat and stood in front of both the Ferrari boys “y/n” Carlos grins wider than the Cheshire Cat himself I look at Charles whose yer to break eye contact with the chair in front of him. “I uh, I have to go” and with that Charles pushes past me and out the door “well that didn’t go to plan” Daniel huffs I turn around running after him I see him run to his driver room at the last second follow knocking gently on the now closed door “go away” I hear snapped at the closed wood and a crash I wiggle the handle and it comes loose I pear in to see a huffing Charles Leclerc and a smashed plate laying on the ground. My feet move before I can think and I go to see if he’s alright “are you okay, are you hurt, cut?” I look at his hands no blood or cuts thankfully “this is so embarrassing” he mumbles and I take his hand “there’s nothing to be embarrassed about Charles” I smile trying to bring him out of this space “yes there is you heard all of that, all of it” he sulks preparing himself for rejection “yeah and, what about it?” I shrug “if you came here with reject me just get it over with, I’ve had a shit day already” he groans I laugh a bit to myself grabbing his face with my hands “just kiss me dummy” and he does just that fireworks go off I swear “I like it when you smile you’ve got cute little dimples” I huff placing my forehead on his “in case you didn’t get it from the blushing I like you too stupid” I can’t tell when it happened but it felt right “I’m sorry I’m all over the place” he frowns “hey it’s alright, everyone is a bit. We won’t do anything until you’re ready. Racing comes first okay charles, you’re gonna be a champion” I give him a peck on his cheek turning to clean the smashed plate with just some paper and a broom no dustpan in sight “hey hey careful you’ll hurt yourself” he tried to stop me “it’s okay I’ve done this a lot” I smile “just sit down and chill for a bit you’ve had a big day” and you didn’t know it but in that moment he knew you were it for him, no one had ever tried to take the load off his shoulders. “Mon Ange, what are we?” He asks quietly almost too quietly “whatever you want us to be Charles, you’re the one with the most at stake here. I’m not coming between you a glory” I smile and he doesn’t say anything “can I take you out to dinner after the race?” How could I say no “of course charles, oh and this is all cleaned up I’ll be on my way I’m expecting a call from my brother soon!” I go to leave but he gets up grabs my arms lightly and spins me into his chest for a hug “thank you for not leaving my love” he whispers I look at the closed door “I’ll always support you even from the shadows” I look up at him and he kisses me again it felt too good to be reality. “I’ll make you mine just wait” I nod leaving him alone and me slightly confused what the actual fuck just happened?

TBC…..

[bakersstreetirregulars]

Cookie Court

❓ Good day, Chestnut Cookie.

🌰 Morning, Pomegranate Jam Cookie! How’s your day going?

❓ I’m just taking it a bit slow this morning. Now where is Roguefort Cookie? They’re late again.

🌰 Didn’t you hear? Roguefort Cookie’s been arrested for stealing a statue and is now in court!

❓ Whoa. That’s quite a case. And to think I trusted them to hold a steady case here on the Baker’s Street Newsblog…

🌰 That’s not all! Prosecutor Cappuccino Cookie’s trying to push for a jail sentence of 150,000,000 years!

❓ *Spits out coffee* WHAT. That number is on a cosmic scale for how long they’re trying to get them locked away, almost akin to the lifespan of a star. And all that for countless cases of theft. If I knew where Moonlight Cookie was, I’d ask her about this timeframe. And if Starfruit Cookie wasn’t busy this week, I’d ask her too.

🌰 You should see the judge! The Bear Jelly Judge is known for being VERY tough against criminals. Do you see this picture? Does that look like the face of mercy?

❓ No. Assuming that would leave their space here open, should we do some renovations later?

🌰 Don’t speak too soon! Almost nobody’s daring to defend them. But there IS one Cookie who has taken the job: 📒 Langue de Chat Cookie.

📒 Precisely, Chestnut Cookie. That’s why I requested to make a statement here for any junior assistants in your audience who wish to assist in finding Roguefort Cookie’s innocence, as this is quite a Questionable Arrest.

❓ But how can our viewers help you with this case?

📒 The process is simple. Roguefort Cookie was working with your firm since 2021, correct?

❓ Yes. They’ve been with us since the beginning of this broadcasting newsblog.

📒 Excellent. As we move into the trial, we need evidence. Evidence to prove their innocence. This is where you come in.

Run on premade maps to get a high score with limited combi options.

Runs require Event Tickets. One ticket is used for each run, and 30 can be held at a time. You can buy more tickets with Crystals.

Mission Jellies will be scattered around the map. Collect enough Mission Jellies to get a reward and advance the story.

In Chapter 1, Episode 1 has Evidence Jellies while Episode 2 has File Folder Jellies, so you can’t carry over any accumulated Mission Jellies from one episode to another.

At the end of a run, an additional multiplier is factored into the number of Mission Jellies you collected based on the rank of your best score and for running with specific Cookies and Pets.

Before a run, you can equip Enhancer Jellies to boost your performance during the run. Enable the lock to keep the Enhancer Jellies preselected for your next run so you don’t have to manually click them every time.

Enhancer Jellies are accumulated by buying them with Crystals (100 Crystals each) or by scoring enough points. The score objective can be achieved multiple times in one run and up to three jellies can be won during any one run, although these jellies are awarded sequentially, starting with the first one.

If the lock is enabled and you run out of Enhancer Jellies, the game will buy more automatically if have enough Crystals.

Unlock the third Enhancer Jelly for each episode by getting 100% progress on the entire chapter.

For Chapter 1, this also awards Roguefort Cookie’s Questionable Arrest: a Rare Costume exclusive to this event as of now.

To finish an episode, you need to achieve a B rank and collect enough Mission Jellies to clear every phase of the episode’s story.

The B rank requirement is the last phase of the story’s progression in each episode, while accumulating Mission Jellies makes up all the other preliminary phases.

Qualify for the leaderboard by posting a score, where you can collect a reward based on your ranking tallied by the total score from each episode’s highest score. Collect this reward from the mailbox within 3 months after the event ends.

🌰 So you’re actually gonna take this case?

📒 Yes I am. I have a hunch that Roguefort Cookie isn’t as guilty as they seem, even if they seem so nonchalant. If all goes well, Roguefort Cookie won’t be in prison for 150 million years.

[outrunningthedark]

Maybe it’s just me but I’ve never really had hope for buddie to be confirmed in the first place. Like I do ship them and if they did I would be happily surprised but really it’s just never something I’ve entertained as a possibility and I don’t know where the people who believe it will happen have been but we just don’t get ships like this imo.Maybe there’s a few exceptions even if I can’t think about this right now but when a character’s introduced as straight or nothing has been said so we assume straight and then fandom ships them with an equally assumed straight person the show and networks and all that don’t want them together because they’re ‘normal straight people’. Like in LS from the beginning TK’s introduced with a bf he wants to propose to, they don’t lose their normal character since that was him from the start. Also if it’s acknowledged that all the buddie moments were building up to a romantic relationship then it sheds light on other similar relationships in other shows or films that we were ridiculed for shipping when really it’s not so different. I really don’t know if I got my point across here and I’m sorry this got so long winded, maybe I’m just a cynic but I think my buddie dreams will have to be contented with fanart and fic.

It's definitely not just you who has felt that way, lol. We hear it all the time, just more aggressively. To expand on what you said, the biggest piece of "evidence" in favor of this argument is that it's been six seasons and neither one's sexuality has been altered or allowed to evolve in the slightest. And it's not the opportunity wasn't there, right? Maddie and her "boy crush on Eddie" remark or saying she wouldn't want Josh to date her little brother. Then TK (falsely) assuming Buck was being flirtatious. Tim (he was the main show runner those years) could have said any of that meant something moving forward (maybe a "Buck is canonically bi, but we haven't explored that part of his story...we're waiting 'til it feels appropriate"), but the only part he addressed was the TK thing, and he connected to Tarlos since Carlos wasn't physically present. Compare that to Nancy becoming the first bi character of the 911verse. She came out while in a relationship with Mateo. She is still in that same relationship now. The show isn't trying to "prove" she's bisexual by having her hook up with or date a woman. It's just a part of who she is. And then there's the fact that all four (technically five, with David) queer men of the 911 verse (Michael, Josh, TK, Carlos) are written as gay, not bi. Tim & co. appear to have some *opinions* (thus far) about bi men, it seems. If they date a woman? Straight. Date a man? Not into women (never were). I will continue to say, though, that people are giving the network too much grief. The canon couples very rarely do anything intimate as the seasons progress, with Henren as the outlier because 6x06 was a flashback, so *if* anyone with influence was concerned about the optics, Tim has an "excuse" not to push things too far - that's not what the focus is anymore. And even *if* someone at the network was all "idk about this :/" that's still on Tim for dodging the discussion six years in. Get out ahead of it and the message would have been received much sooner - if you're against even one of these guys getting with a dude...this ain't the show you should be watching. Move along. (Tim has no problem putting LS fandom down, so I don't see why he'd act different with OG. TBH, it's either his own biases about Buck and Eddie as men that is keeping him from making them canon or it's similar to his reaction when the Tarlos fandom "complains" - he knows what's gonna happen if Buddie goes canon; they will dominate the discussion - he doesn't want the fandom giving their opinions or asking for content more than they do already.)

[sketchy-the-changeling]

Do you enjoy being miserable? I’ve been hearing a lot about how many people apparently find misery to be comfortable lately, but how anybody could come to that conclusion is just completely baffling to me personally. So I just figured that I’d ask around about it, to see if I’m in the minority with how that I find misery VERY uncomfortable to say the least, and certainly don’t take any type of comfort from being miserable at all.

I think you may be thinking of the adage "Misery is comfortable; it's why so many people prefer it. Happiness takes effort."

It's not that these people ENJOY being miserable, per-se. That's why the adage uses the word "prefer". Preference and Enjoyment are two different things. They don't enjoy the misery. They're complacent in it. They know it's going to take effort to be happy, and many people don't want to put in that effort, whether it's because they find said effort to be too much work, or because the brief, fleeting relief they get from venting to/trauma dumping on the people around them (even if they didn't consent) is too intoxicating to let go, or whatever else.

So everything I wrote so far probably answers the question you asked at the very beginning, but to be clear: No, I do not enjoy being miserable, and as I've gotten older, my patience for people that wallow in misery has gotten thinner and thinner. It's why I'm of the opinion that having venting channels in Discord servers is an astronomically god-awful idea.

Obviously, if someone is miserable due to factors beyond their control, like systemic poverty, homelessness, mental illness, etc etc, that's completely different. I'm talking about people for whom there are actionable solutions to their problems, but they refuse to take them.

I'll give a personal example below, but it's rather lengthy, and the original question has already been answered, so I'll just put a break here and HOPE that Tumblr doesn't fuck it up.

Example: I'm in a Discord server run by an artist mutual of mine. Said server happens to have a venting channel, so you already know where this is going. One member of the server was an aspiring writer, and would often go to the venting channel to express frustrations with how he can't make progress on any story he writes.

It didn't matter what ANYONE said. So many of us offered solutions to the various roadblocks he was having, and none of them worked. It wasn't because he attempted our advice and failed, but rather he just preferred to complain about the problem he was having rather than actually doing anything to fix it. It was the equivalent of someone sinking in quicksand, and just folding their arms rather than grabbing the dozen or so ropes that people are offering to them.

Once I recognized this was a pattern, I spoke to the server owner privately and said that this needed to be dealt with, because he was becoming a nuisance to other server members and he was just gonna keep doing it if there were no consequences. She didn't do anything, and the guy kept going, and more and more people just stopped bothering to try helping him, but then this behavior spilled out into other channels, and several of us, myself included, went to the sever owner privately about this. Again. Several Times. After dragging her feet on it for months, she finally started allowing mods to time him out when he acted like this, and when that proved to not be enough for him to stop, the server owner FINALLY made the decision to boot him.

Mind you, my stance on people that act like this was already solidified beforehand. This situation just reinforced that stance.

Protect your peace, y'all.

[storyteller-aprendiz]

Interviews for the Phaetheon Prize. Part #2

VINCENT AURELIUS LIN

MS. REPORTER: I never knew your middle name was Aurelius.

VINCENT: Vincent Aurelius Lin. Quincy helped choose it.

MS. REPORTER. Of course they did. I’ll betaking some notes as you speak, if that’s alright and --

VINCENT: Go for it.

MS. REPORTER: And in a couple of days I’ll send you a draft for the article to take a look at it before it goes to print. Pronouns, major, any potential minors?

VINCENT: Well, stranger, my pronouns are he/they, and my major is Biology.

MS. REPORTER: How’d you choose biology?

VINCENT: I guess I was deciding between Bio and Visual Art, and my parents wanted me to do bio. I think it’s... the dissections in high school.

You know I always found it cool how... neatly packed everything is. Like you cut something open, right, and there’s just this... crazy stack array of things inside. Little shiny, rubbery structures that grow into perfect existence.

Identically in every body. And if you look at the cells and organelles-

MS. REPORTER: Come on Lin, give me something to work with here. I can’t exactly tell all the freshmen to dissect someone if they want to win the Phaeton.

Why do you think you were nominated for the prize?

VINCENT: Probably to fill some quota. Maybe I’m just the funkiest international student they got.

MS. REPORTER: I don’t think that’s how it works.

VINCENT: Alright, fine. I think maybe they think I’m smart because I have Quincy, and Quincy is smart enough for two people.

BEATRIX VALERIA CAMPBELL

MS. REPORTER: Hi, hi. I’m Portia Harper.

BEATRIX: Let’s get on with this! I have places to be lady!

MS. REPORTER: Sorry!

BEATRIX: No, you’re...you’re fine. Just...they’ll be impatient but is your job to keep them on track. Keep going.

MS. REPORTER: Okay. Name, pronouns, major? If you don’t mind sharing.

BEATRIX: Beatrix, she/they, English major with a minor in World Relations.

MS. REPORTER: Okay, and- what do you plan on doing or studying for the Phaeton?

BEATRIX: I guess I’d want to look into writing- journalism- can shape a community’s collective consciousness. Like, if enough people think a thing, does it just... become the truth? Is there any truth out there to become? 

MS. REPORTER: Ooh, that’s...creepy. And cool!

BEATRIX: You can’t say that! Usually they’ll say the most out-there things you ever heard like- “I’m gonna shoot lasers at the moon” or “I’m going to bring people back from the death”.

Just try and keep your face neutral and nod along.

MS. REPORTER: Right, right. That’s very... interesting. Uh, Beatrix Campbell. Uh, what makes you a Phaeton prize winning student?

BEATRIX: I’ve always pushed myself. I mean, I only get the same twenty-four hours in a day as everyone else in this school, but is ten times harder for me to prove my worth.

Apply to scholarships, raise money for college, and even after that... the work’s never done. My abuelita tells me that I’m working when I should be eating or sleeping and that I should just accept that there are people who’ll stop me from progressing as fast as everyone else. But I’m living on my own now. No one to mandate a bed time and tell me to settle.

So I will give my all to this prize.

MS. REPORTER: You know, if the nominees where based on interview-ee-wing, I think you’d have been nominated for sure.

BEATRIX: Thanks. Now try ask a follow-up question.

MS. REPORTER: Okay, uh... Why do you have all those strings tied around your fingers? If you untied them would they fall of Green Ribbon-style?

BEATRIX: Ha, ha. I tie them to remember things that are too important, or too sensitive, to write down. Roswell makes notches under her desk, Harrison has an elaborate pen code in his front pocket. If you stay on the Daily you’ll find something too.

MS. REPORTER: Okay, another question. Uh... are you single?

BEATRIX: Uh, um...How did you came up with that one!

MS. REPORTER: I didn’t realized the questions have to be related; sorry!

BEATRIX: No, no you’re fine-- just. I’ve never had time for a romantic relationship at Ardess.I guess I’m married to my work? God, that’s depressing.

MS. REPORTER: No, no, that’s cool! I wish I could focus on something like that. I always end up... chasing after the first interesting person I see.

BEATRIX: My abuelita would like you. She’d say you have your priorities straight.

MS. REPORTER: Oh, thank you!

[jujumin-translates]

Event | Literary Impasse | Chapter 5

*Contains spoilers for Act 12 - eternal moment*

Citron: Say the password! MAN!

Masumi: KAI!

Citron: That was too enthusiastic! You must be a fake Masumi!

Itaru: I wouldn’t even open the door if he said it normally.

Sakuya: This is serious!

Masumi: …You’re all annoying.

Citron: We cannot open the door until we prove it’s the real Masumi! How many times has the Director touched your hair today!?

Masumi: Six.

Citron: You may enter!

*Door opens*

Director: You’ve been counting!?

Masumi: Obviously.

Itaru: Your Director Abilities are getting more and more inhuman by the day.

Chikage: So, to what do we owe the pleasure?

Masumi: It’s about Tsuzuru.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Chikage: I see…

Director: It’s a new challenge for him, so I knew it wouldn’t be simple… But it sounds like it’s tougher than I thought.

Chikage: Once again, it’s Syu-san who’s blocking the progress.

Itaru: It’s not even a script for MANKAI, so I don’t know how much there is that we can really do.

Citron: Syu being the opponent makes it even more difficult.

Masumi: He told me that the all-nighter ban was also his order.

Director: What you all said is true, and more importantly when it comes to orders, Tsuzuru-kun has to write what he wants, and he has to be selfish…

Chikage: There’s probably not much we can do this time.

Director: The only thing we can do is watch over him, make sure he doesn’t wreck himself, and support him where we can.

Director: Masumi-kun, can you keep an eye on him?

Masumi: Understood.

Sakuya: But it’s still frustrating, isn’t it? Tsuzuru-kun’s always there for us.

Sakuya: We might be able to give him hints, but in the end, Tsuzuru-kun has to overcome the obstacles and write the script on his own.

Sakuya: We can’t stand beside him and support him like we do on stage.

Sakuya: I know it can’t be helped, but…

Itaru: That’s just what the world of creativity is.

Citron: Being a writer is bonely.

Masumi: Lonely?

Citron: Yes, that.

Itaru: All we can do is support him as huge fans of the playwright Tsuzuru Minagi, who are excited for his next work more than anyone else.

Sakuya: Yeah.

Chikage: But what Sakuya said still holds true, we are able to give him hints.

Masumi: Are we going to wear costumes again or something?

Director: Oh, what about something like the manzai performance during Clockwork. He said that was a nice change of pace.

Citron: Well then, let’s hold a full company meeting about the Fourth MANMAN Grand Prix!

Itaru: But we already said there’s not much time before Syu-san’s deadline, so isn’t it kinda impossible to hold a whole company Grand Prix?

Chikage: What if it’s short and sweet, that way it can be written quickly?

Director: But you’d have to be able to get him to write it…

Sakuya: Ah!

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Tsuzuru: Ughh…

Tsuzuru: A theme I want to write…

Tsuzuru: …Huh, a baby red panda was born at the zoo, huh…

Tsuzuru: Nope, looking at online news articles isn’t gonna help…

Tsuzuru: What to use for inspiration…

Tsuzuru: …

Tsuzuru: Damn… Nothing’s coming to mind.

Tsuzuru: (How on earth am I going to make it as a writer if I can’t even come up with a story easily?)

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

???: “It’ll all be okay.”

Rick: “You sent Oz-sama to our world. He’s our patron and a wonderful wizard of storytelling.”

Rick: “So I’m sure you’ll be okay!”

Tsuzuru: Haha, wizard of storytelling, huh. Thanks, Rick…

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Tsuzuru: (…God, this sounds like I’m just comforting myself.)

*Phone buzzes*

Tsuzuru: …Kaoru?

*Phone beeps*

Tsuzuru: Hello?

Kaoru: “Ah, hello, Tsuzuru-nii-san. Tooru wants to talk to you.”

Tsuzuru: Tooru?

Tooru: “Tsuzuru-nii-san…”

Tsuzuru: What’s up?

Tooru: “Nii-san, I don’t think I’m a talented writer…”

Tooru: “I’m trying to write a story, just like the first one, and I’m writing a lot of stuff for the manuscript, but…”

Tooru: “I’ve got a bunch of stories that I’m working on, but I can’t finish any of them.”

Tsuzuru: I see… The first one always seems to feel like it finishes much faster than the others.

Tsuzuru: No wonder you're lost on a road you don’t know the goal of, a road you haven’t ever taken before.

Tsuzuru: To say you have no talent just because you’re struggling with one piece is dramatic.

Tsuzuru: (No, even if it’s not the first one, it can still be painful just the same…)

Tooru: “Hey, Nii-san? Did you write your first script quickly?”

Tsuzuru: “No way. I had a super hard time writing the first one, too.”

Tooru: “The kappa play? How did you come up with it? How did you write it?”

Tsuzuru: I remember how hard it was, but I don’t really remember the details of it…

Tooru: “Oh, okay…”

Tsuzuru: I’ll try to remember some things and get back to you.

Tooru: “Okay. Thanks.”

Tsuzuru: Don’t get too worked up about this, okay? Try a change of scenery.

Tooru: “Okay, I will.”

Tsuzuru: Well then, talk to you later.

*Phone beeps*

Tsuzuru: (Usually when I’m in a slump, everyone encourages me, but it’s the opposite this time.)

Tsuzuru: (But still, back when I wrote my first one, huh…)

Tsuzuru: (Maybe the reason I was able to finish it so quickly was because it was for my brother’s birthday party.)

Tsuzuru: (Maybe, unlike me, Tooru’s purpose for writing this time is so vague that he can’t finish it.)

Tsuzuru: …Even so, I really like writing stories for other people.

Tsuzuru: (Well, it’s not like Tooru and I are necessarily the same type.)

Tsuzuru: (I suppose if I can find some part of a story I wrote for someone else that I wanted to write for myself, then…)

Tsuzuru: (Maybe some advice for Tooru would work as a hint for myself.)

Tsuzuru: (Why’d I even write about a kappa in the first place? Did my brother like them or something?

Tsuzuru: Hmm, I can’t remember…

Tsuzuru: There might be someone else who does though…

*Phone rings*

Tsuzuru: --.

*Crashing sounds*

Mizuno: “Hello-- This is Mizuno.

Tsuzuru: What was that loud sound just before? You okay?

Mizuno: “I-I’m okay.”

Tsuzuru: This actually isn’t anything related to MANKAI. I have something to ask you. As a friend.

Mizuno: “Tsuzuru-kun, I…! I’ll take care of whatever you need!”

Tsuzuru: Maybe next time you’re free--.

Mizuno: “I’m free anytime from now!”

Tsuzuru: You can really do it on that short of notice?

Tsuzuru: Well then, how about tomorrow?

Mizuno: “I’m free 24/7!”

Tsuzuru: Harsh. Well then, how about we meet for lunch? I’ll let you know where.

Mizuno: “…Gh!? I-I’ll accept!”

Tsuzuru: Well, see you tomorrow.

Mizuno: “Likewise!”

*Crashing sounds*

Tsuzuru: There’s that loud noise again, is he really okay…

*Knocking on door*

Sakuya: Tsuzuru-kun, do you have a minute?

Tsuzuru: What’s up, Rick… I mean Sakuya!

Sakuya: We should talk…

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Tsuzuru: …

Sakuya: I’m sorry, I know you’re busy. Is this a bad time…?

Tsuzuru: I know you’d love to help me with the story, but… I actually have a few ideas.

Tsuzuru: Can you just give me a minute?

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[real-life-senshi]

Happy new year, everyone! In trying to think about my 2023 goals for this blog, I had to look back on how I did in 2022, which had me realize 2022 had been a year of progress and brand-new content on this blog! This means I have many things I need to keep track of and work to continue on, and I had to go through my blog to do some record keeping. This led to me writing this 2022 highlight.

1. Continuation and expansion of PGSM Liveblogs!

In addition to completing the liveblog of Act 14 - Act 17, on Feb 26, 2022 I also woke up at 3am to liveblog PGSM's Director Suzumura Live Guest Talk with Komatsu Ayaka! What a blast that was! And I can totally die happy knowing I was able to actually interact with Ayaka (PGSM Minako) through the live chat!

Using the live chat as a catalyst, I fully dove into doing some fan-translation work as well. In addition to completing a translation on the aforementioned guest talk, I also started doing more detailed translations embedded in my analysis and general liveblogging.

Then, out of nowhere in September, Sawai Miyuu started doing a live broadcast of PGSM viewing party, a hilarious and fun time where she rewatches PGSM, and we audience get to see her live reaction and interact with her! (And she actually reads and speak some English too!)

2. More Fanart

I haven't done too much fanart, my long-time followers knows drawing takes much more time for me since I don't do it enough. Still, 2022 featured some of my best pieces so far!

My personal favourite is Reinako in onesies! The Nako Nako took me forever to figure out how to draw! Additionally, I had my first time drawing something a bit smutty. I also discovered transparent art on Tumblr, and it is my new favourite thing to work on! (Though challenging to figure out.)

I can say without a doubt my latest art that celebrates the anniversary of PGSM Final Act has been the best I've done so far, and I am still incredibly proud of it! I experimented with so many things making this piece - format, composition, layering (& the transparency), coloring, etc. It was also my first time drawing Makoto, Ami, Usagi, Princess Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter in such detail!

3. More Reinako

Of course, there can never be too much Reinako! In fact, my love for Reinako colours everything I do - even when liveblogging and making fanart. :D

2022 saw me making NINE Reinako gif set in a year, an all-new high! 6 of them are from the new series(?) I started called PGSM Reinako Things I want to Yell About, which basically is just me talking about all the things PGSM does that make me love Reinako and me analyzing the shit out of the smallest hint I can see, because I have zero self-control.

4. Fanfic Writing

2022 also got me back into writing for 4 months, where I've successfully rewritten 8 chapters of my old unfinished story - Echoes of Times. I hit a slump again in April and only wrote a paragraph here or there since... :( But the fact I've written more than I've ever done is a great sign that I can indeed get back into it!

Hopes for 2023

So it’s been proved that I’m not someone that can stick to a “new year resolution” at all, so instead, I’m gonna share what I HOPE to do and see where that takes me.

I will definitely continue liveblogging. This includes keeping tabs if Director Suzumura might invite any other PGSM cast member to his guest talk, and also joining Miyuu's viewing party where possible! I'd also like to see if I can get my PGSM rewatch liveblog to progress into Darkury Arc within the year! I'd be too ambitious to say finishing the arc, since that's over 10 episodes away, but I def want to get into episodes in the 20s.

Keep writing fanfiction! And actually start publishing the rewritten chapters onto AO3! (I will upload on FF.net as well). Year after year I say this, but I would LOVE to publish a new chapter...

I've not finished any fanvideos since 2020, even though fanvideo is actually the first form of fandom content I've done. Here's hoping I can get something done and posted this year!

I definitely have a bunch of WIP fanart and gifsets waiting to be finished. My hope is to finish and share make more Reinako fanart, and dabble more on the transparent art format!

Continue on the PGSM Reinako Things I want to Yell About gif sets. I've done 6 last year, let's see if I can get another 6 done this year? (That's on average 2 per month, doable, right?)

[shadow-assassin-blix]

A Picture is a Poem Without Words

Chapter 16

A/n: its been a hectic few weeks, I had planned for this to come out sooner but life uhhh got in the way. But here she be.  Warnings: mentions of a panic attack/hyperventilating, minor character(s) death, The subplot thickens Next chapter is going to be the party scene and ooh... it gonna be dramatic.

“Speak” ‘Thoughts’ and “Spanish”

Taglist:  @yungkvte  @mcrmarvelloki  @realm-of-azrael and @shootingthroughthesky0905  @mikeisthricedeceased ​

The next few weeks after Escobar’s demise was a whirlwind. The secret deal between Cali and the American Embassy was solidified. The Cali get six months of uninterrupted production and sale of cocaine, and in return turn themselves in for a small amount of jail time.

Blix was currently going through reports that Cynthia & Robbie had been sending before they strangely loss contact with them five days ago. Blix was trying to find any clues to see if they had discovered something they shouldn’t have or were trying to speak in code. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary and yet the radio silence was so sudden it was causing concerns.

She was finishing up the last report when her phone went off.

“Hello?” She answered with a small sigh.

“Hello my love. How are you doing?” Came Pacho’s voice in response.

A smile crept onto her face, before she spoke, “I am well. Tired and concerned, but I am okay. What do you need handsome?”

“Gilberto…has a strange request. Do you happen to know where we could get some subtle recording devices?” Pacho asked.

“I know of such equipment and can very easily grab some. Why do we need them is my current question?” Blix inquired, suspicion lacing her voice.

“There are a couple of our members…who… we suspect will not be okay with our deal and will want to betray us. We want the recordings to prove our suspicions. They are high ranking members, which is why we are trying to do this low key, without alarming them or anyone else. We want the devices planted the night of the party when we announce the deal,” Pacho explained to her.

“Alright. How many do we need? And who’s going to be planting them because it can’t be me. I don’t need anyone suspecting me just because of my occupation,” Blix noted as she closed the file she had been working on.

“Four please. You should know… the Salvador’s are among this group. I want you to be seen front & centered, by my side or near the brothers or Chepe. I don’t think they’ve quite recovered from you putting them in their place and I don’t want you to wind up alone with them nearby,” Pacho explained further. “I know you can take care of yourself and can handle anything thrown your way, but I would like it if you would just keep yourself safe. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks at the party.”

Blix was silent for a moment, considering his words.

“I will try and make sure I am with those we trust, and not be alone too often. I cannot guarantee that honey, you can’t keep me safe from everything,” Blix spoke softly.

“I’ll accept that,” Pacho replied. “So, how goes your search for your two missing underlings? Any progress?”

“No. Nothing so far. I am trying to not worry, but it’s not like them to go silent like this without warning. I don’t really know what to do. I’m not about to send more of my team out to try and find them. I don’t wanna risk their safety. However, I also don’t want to just sit here and twiddle my thumbs. I don’t know…” Blix rambled slightly, running a hand through her hair.

“You sound stressed. Come home, and I’ll help you relax,” Pacho suggested in a low tone.

Blix giggled softly at his tone, before responding, “Okay. I’ll be home in a bit.”

Blix placed her files in her cabinets, before walking toward the elevators. As she passed the DEA offices she overheard an intern say that Javier would be returning in the next week or so. Blix winced slightly at the thought of his return, mostly due to the fact that it meant she had to be extra careful to not get on his radar. Though part of her also knew that he would try to have the conversation they’ve been avoiding about what they are to each other.

Blix sighed, shaking her head, as she stepped out of headquarters. Before she went home, she made a stop at one of her hideouts, where she kept surplus equipment. She grabbed four recorders, and blank tapes moving through the large penthouse with ease. No one knew about this place, not even the Cali.

She looked over at one of the walls by chance and stopped short. There were a couple of framed photos on the wall, but the one that caught her eye was the one in the center. It was a photo of her, Horacio, and Javier. They had done a training exercise that day, and Javier had pushed her into a large pool of mud. While the two of them laughed, she had gotten up and threw mud at them in retaliation.  

The three of them wound up absolutely disgusting and a lieutenant took a photo of the three of them. She smiled softly at the photo, glancing at another photo next to it, that featured her and Javier dancing.

She softly bit her lip at the memories that surrounded this photo and shook her head. ‘We had our chance. No point in dwelling.’

After that thought, Blix simply picked up the equipment she came for and left the apartment before she got lost in memories that would only cause her pain.

She got home about 30 minutes later, laying out the recorders on the table for Salcedo to take. She walked upstairs to find Pacho and Diego in the large jacuzzi tub, bubbles everywhere.

“Is this what you meant by relaxing?” Blix teased him as she took in the sight.

“Partly, yes. Get your cute butt in here and find out what else I have in store,” Pacho tempted her with a smirk.

She shook her head, walking away instead with a smile. She stepped into the bedroom, wanting to take a moment and remove her makeup, and change into comfier clothes. She had changed into a pair of cotton shorts and an Aerosmith t-shirt when one of the guards walked in holding a phone.

He quietly stated it was for Pacho, before handing it to her. Blix nodded in response, before taking it to him.

Pacho answered, chilling in the bubbles with no care in the world. Diego got up out of the tub for a moment, strutting over to a table that had mixed drinks and a glass of bourbon. He handed her the glass, before setting the mixed drinks on the marble counter that surrounded the tub. Blix took a small sip, vaguely listening to Pacho speak.

Blix sets the drink down, to spend a moment idly playing with the bubbles, as she sat on the edge of the tub. It was as she did this that Pacho finished his call and looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes that she did not notice.

She moved to stand back up, but as she did, Pacho made his move. He grabbed her around the waist, dragging her into the tub with a laugh.

Blix screamed slightly, not expecting it. She closed her eyes, wrinkling her nose, as the water soaked through her clothes.

She opened her eyes after a moment, playfully glaring at Pacho, who leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

“So glad you could join us,” Pacho teased her, with a smirk.

“Jerk,” Blix said with a shake of her head, dragging her now wet clothes off of her body.

She wrung the clothes out before tossing them into the laundry basket that was near the door. Pacho pulled her towards him once she was nude, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She rolled her eyes as she noticed Diego was snickering on the opposite side of the tub. She splashed some water his way with her hand in retaliation.

Pacho pressed a couple of kisses to her shoulders and neck, humming softly.

“You are far too tense my shark. You are supposed to be relaxing, remember?” Pacho murmured against her skin after a moment.

Blix sighed heavily, trying to relax, but worries prevented her.

“I can hear you thinking. I know you are concerned about your coworkers, but there is nothing you can do at this point. Stressing out over things that you cannot control is not good for you. They’ll turn up. Besides didn’t you say the other day, that the ambassador would send out a team in Peru to check on them?” At her soft nod, he continued. “Let the ambassador worry about them for now. Focus on your team that is here.”

“…Okay,” Blix said quietly.

Diego looked at her softly, with a head tilt, before biting back a smile as he threw a handful of bubbles at Blix. She blinked rapidly at the tickling situation that was on her, wiping the bubbles away with a look of confusion. As she realized what happened, she gave him an ‘oh really’ look before she scooped up a handful and threw it into his face in retaliation.

“Oh, it’s on sweetness,” Diego declared, preparing to toss some more at her.

“That is my cue to leave, I think,” Pacho said as he tried to escape the tub.

Blix and Diego shared a look, nodding at each other, before they aimed their ammo at Pacho making sure to get bubbles all over his face and hair. The two of them made sure he couldn’t escape by sitting on either side of him.

“You know, I think he would look very attractive with a bubble beard, what do you think Diego?” Blix asked with a chuckle.

“I agree, Blix. Do we want it to be Santa Clause styled or goatee styled?” Diego asked trying not to laugh as Pacho rolled his eyes.

“Children. I’m surrounded by children,” He grumbled softly, shaking his head.

Blix pressed a kiss to his cheek in response. Pacho turned his head to her, wanting to kiss her on the lips; the both of them ignoring the tickling sensation against their faces that was created from the bubbles. He pulled away to give Diego a similar kiss before Diego stepped out saying he needed to get ready for something.

Pacho kissed Blix again, passion growing as he cupped her face with his hands. The kiss lasted several minutes, the two of them getting lost in one another.

When they finally pulled away from one another, Blix smiled softly at him, before resting her head against his shoulder. Pacho gently ran his hand up and down her back, in a soothing manner.

“I heard Javier will be returning soon,” Blix mentioned after a moment of silence.

“Oh? Is that so? Is that why you’re so troubled, sweetheart?” Pacho questioned, looking down at her.

“Partially. I know that when he returns, it means he’ll have his eyes set on you and the others. I don’t know what worries me more… Him wanting to talk about our previous relationship and rekindling it, or him finding out about us. I… I don’t know… I don’t know what to do…” Blix blabbered slightly, biting her lip harshly.

“Well. First question is: do you want to rekindle things with him?” Pacho asked somewhat curtly.

She was silent for a moment before answering, “If you had asked me that when our relationship first began… I probably would’ve said yes. Now… you’re all I want. Complications and all.”

Pacho smirked at that, “Then I hope you know, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you off his radar. I will keep you safe.”

“That’s sweet of you to say. But I chose this, I will accept whatever consequences that will follow. Well…that is if he figures out I’m working with y’all,” Blix stated looking him in the eyes.

Pacho leaned down again to press a firm kiss to her lips, “Let’s move this elsewhere, yeah?”

The two of them got out of the tub, drying off haphazardly, before moving to his bedroom to enjoy some alone time.

Pacho’s POV

Pacho looked down at Blix’s sleeping form, pressing a soft kiss to her exposed back, pulling the sheets up to cover her more.

He stood from the bed, tossing on a pair of boxers, before heading downstairs to see Gilberto waiting.

“Hello Pacho, what’s going on?” Gilberto asked, wondering why Pacho called him a little while ago.

“Well. Our Lady came through with the recording devices. Salcedo has prepped them for our little mission. She also mentioned our old friend from the DEA is returning to Cali,” Pacho informed him.

“Good. And that’s to be expected, we will deal with him as needed. Though you could’ve told me all of this over the phone. Why did you call me here?” Gilberto inquired, looking at him curiously.

“Blix. Though she is prepared for any consequences if he finds out about us, I would rather she not pay the price for being in a relationship with me. We did technically blackmail her into this life. I want to ensure that the DEA never touches her. Or finds out about her,” Pacho explained after a moment.

“Is this because you want to protect her from being arrested or is it to protect her from her ex-lover?” Gilberto chuckled when Pacho rolled his eyes and looked away at his questions. “There’s not many things you fear but losing someone you care about is one of them. Is there a part of you that’s worried she’ll go back to him?”

“No. She has expressed that she doesn’t miss being with him anymore. That she’s moved on. I just.. I want her safe. No matter what,” Pacho said firmly.

“You know she’s not one to be coddled. She’ll catch onto it quickly and will fight back. Her loyalty to you is strong, she will protect you fiercely,” Gilberto reasoned with him.

“No. No she doesn’t. If only she would be like other women and would be okay with sitting back,” Pacho shook his head.

“You wouldn’t love her if she was,” Gilberto countered, slapping his shoulder playfully.

Pacho chuckled at that “Touché.”

Gilberto looked at him, noting he didn’t deny what he said. Gilberto shook his head, smiling.

“Pacho. That woman may have not wanted to be a part of this in the beginning, but that was then. Now, you would have to knock her out, tie her up, or something extreme to stop her from being involved. Especially if it means protecting you. Face it my boy, you’re stuck with her,” Gilberto teased Pacho.

Pacho smirked slightly at that. Gilberto had a point. They passed the point of no return. Whatever happens next, they’ll face it together.

Blix’s POV

Blix had woken up when she felt the bed move. After a moment, she lifted herself up onto her elbow to look around. Pacho was nowhere in sight which she thought was a bit strange.

She quietly stood up, grabbing one of the robes that was left for them after their bath but were never used. Blix crept down the hall, when she heard Gilberto’s voice, trying to figure out why he was here. Blix stood near the end of the hall and listened to the conversation that was occurring.

Blix tiptoed back to the room, pretending she got up to go to the bathroom, and standing in there for a moment. Blix looked at her reflection, scrutinizing herself.

‘I’m not the same person I was a year ago. Javi. He’s still a friend but any feelings I had for him died long ago. Maybe even before he drunkenly called me that night to tell me his regrets. Pacho is it for me. The brothers were right, the further I got into this relationship, the less of a federal agent I became. Something’s gotta change. What? I’m not sure. But I need it.’ She thought to herself.

Blix eventually walked out of the bathroom, tossing the robe into a basket. She crawled back into bed as Pacho returned.

“Did I wake you my love?” Pacho asked as he rejoined her under the covers.

Blix shook her head, even though that wasn’t the truth.

Blix gently wrapped herself around him as he got settled, resting her head on his chest.

“The next 6 months are definitely going to be interesting, but I’m glad to have you by my side through it all,” Pacho whispered to her.

“No place I’d rather be,” Blix whispered back.

She fell asleep to the soothing sound of his heartbeat.

The next morning she woke up still in Pacho’s arms. She checked the clock on the nightstand and saw it was about around the time she usually got up for work. 6:01am.

She kissed his chest, before sliding out of his arms. Or rather she tried to. The moment she started to shift, Pacho’s arms tightened around her, pinning her to him.

Blix snickered a bit, as she looked up at him, noticing he had one eye opened.

“Always sneaking off so early in the morning. One of these days, I would enjoy waking up before you,” Pacho rasped, running his hands up and down her body.

“One day that might actually happen,” Blix murmured back, pressing a kiss to his lips, before standing up from the bed.

Pacho watched her get dressed in silence, admiring her.

“Stop.” Came Blix’s voice as she looked over her shoulder.

He gave her a questioning look.

“I can feel your eyes undressing me, stop it. I can’t be late to work,” Blix scolded him lightly as she finished putting her clothes on.

She stepped into the bathroom and completed her morning routine before moving out of the bedroom, blowing a kiss to Pacho.

Blix made her way into HQ about 30mins later, strolling leisurely. There was only a handful of agents in the building currently. She simply smiled and waved at those she passed by as she made her way to the FBI’s wing.

Blix paused at the entrance to the offices, her nose crinkling in disgust. A foul smell was emanating from the doorway. She slowly opened the door, noting briefly that the lock was busted.

Blix hesitantly turned the light on, hoping it wasn’t what she was thinking.

The light flickers on and she blinks rapidly trying to adjust to the light. She noticed what was wrong immediately. In the middle of the room, were the dead bodies of Cynthia and Robbie, posed in chairs.

It took Blix a moment to process what she was seeing before a scream of horror left her. Several coworkers suddenly appeared around her, one of them pulling her out of the office. She suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe and began hyperventilating.

Blix vaguely noticed Theo appear and was trying to talk to her.

“Blix, Blix. You gotta calm down babe. C’mon, focus on me,” Theo tried to help.

“Move,” came a familiar voice.

Javier took Theo’s place and led her away from the distressing scene.

He sat her in a chair, “Hey, eyes on me beautiful.” He waited for her to look at him before continuing, “Remember what Carrillo taught you? The whole ‘imagine you’re in the ocean’ thing.”

Blix vaguely recalled what he spoke of. Carrillo had told her to hold her breath and pretend you were swimming toward the shore as a way to help her control her breathing. Her breath eventually slowed down, and the world felt more in focused.

Blix wiped at her face, feeling sweat and tears.

Several shaky breaths later she was able to say, “I’m better.”

She glanced at Javier and asked with a sniffle, “When did you get back?”

“This morning. Guess it’s a good thing I did. The ambassador is on his way in, and the crime lab techs are already here. We will get this figured out I promise,” Javier kept his voice even and spoke calmly.

When the ambassador arrived, Javier led her into his office.

Words were being said, and not one of them did she hear. Until finally they were just calling her name.

Blix blinked, looking up at the two of them, “What?”

“You.. didn’t hear any of that did you?” Javier asked looking at her with concern.

She shook her head, “Sorry.”

“We were saying that an investigation is being opened as we speak, but you and your team are not to get involved,” Crosby demanded.

“You won’t have to worry about that sir… I resign,” Blix said suddenly her voice cracking. “I’ll write up an official letter later. However, I am… I am done. I’m going to go… to go home now.”

Blix stood at that moment, taking off her badge and service weapon setting them on the table before she marched to the elevator. The doors were closing when Javier suddenly appeared, making them reopen and then close again.

“What the hell was that?” Javier demanded.

“Exactly what I said it was. I am done with this job. I am done with losing people,” Blix spoke somewhat hoarsely.

“No one said this job was going to be easy. You are a federal agent, and a damn good one. Are you really going to throw this all away!?” Javier’s voice was raised.

“Your opinion was not asked for. This is my decision,” Blix stepped out of the elevator making her way to the exit.

“Blix. Blix! Stop walking away from me. Talk to me, what the hell is happening right now? You love this job,” Javier changed tactics. “What about the rest of your team? They suffered a loss too.”

Blix paused briefly, “They don’t need me. And I did love this job. Not anymore. Now stop following me.”

Blix got into her car and drove off. She drove around a bit making sure she wasn’t being followed before going home.

Blix dragged her feet in… the weight of the morning hitting her hard.

“Blix? My shark why are you back already?” Pacho asked cheerfully at first before he fully took her in. “Blix. What happened?”

Her vision blurred with tears, as Pacho stood before her. Her legs felt shaky, and she fell to her knees. He followed her and gently pulled her into his arms, taking a seat. She shakily explained to him what happened.

Pacho listened to her, running his hand through her hair, soothingly.

“Let it out. Let it out sweetie,” Pacho told her once she finished.

At his words, Blix felt herself sob into his arms, grasping at him tightly. He held her firmly to his chest, allowing her to let out all of her emotions. Once her tears began to decrease, he shifted a bit, so he could stand up with her in his arms.

He carried her upstairs to their bedroom, and gently laid her onto the bed. He stepped back, planning to go get her a cool rag, and some water, but was stopped by Blix grabbing his sleeve.

“Don’t go,” Blix whispered, pain in her voice.

“I’m coming back, okay? I’m just going to get a cool washcloth, I’ll be back before you know it,” Pacho spoke to her softly, taking her hand, pressing a kiss to it.

Blix nodded once, sniffling softly. A moment later Pacho returned, a white cloth in his hand. He took a seat next to her on the bed, and began to gently run the soothing cold, wet cloth over her face.

The coolness of the cloth felt amazing against her heated skin, and he rested the cloth over her eyes. She could feel him unbutton her pants and shirt, helping her undress. She shoved the clothes off, undoing her bra after, simply wearing her underwear and tank top.

Pacho pulled the covers over her and stayed by her side until she eventually fell asleep.

Pacho left her to get a cup of water for her. Gilberto and Miguel arrived for their meeting, smiling brightly.

Their smiles dropped as they took in Pacho’s expression.

“What happened?” Miguel asked looking around seeing everyone looking mildly upset.

Pacho took a deep breath before explaining, “In short? Someone killed Blix’s coworkers that had gone missing and displayed them in her office. She then resigned from the FBI. She’s a wreck right now. Diego, can you please make sure she has a glass of water for her and some Tylenol waiting for her when she wakes?”

Diego nodded his head, immediately turning to the kitchen to do just that.

Gilberto took a seat on the couch, and wondered, “These were the two that went to Peru correct?”

Pacho nodded, “Yes, obviously they got themselves into something they shouldn’t have and paid the price for it. What concerns me is how were they able to get into their HQ, and bust a lock, all while dragging two bodies with no one stopping them? There’s security there. Blix has fallen asleep at her desk many times, and the guards would come check on her. Where were they last night?”

“You are thinking possibly inside job? Or that someone was working with them?” Miguel proposed taking a seat himself.

“Something doesn’t add up is what I am saying,” Pacho clarified rubbing a hand over his face. “I need to go change shirts. Excuse me.”

He went back upstairs, unbuttoning his shirt as he did so. He got to the doorway and paused to look over Blix.

‘No one messes with my queen without consequences. I will find out who did this my shark, I promise you that.’

With that thought he switched shirts, made his way back downstairs and thought up a plan of action to find the culprits putting it into action when the brothers left. No one can hide from the Cali. No one.

[aizen-the-boneless]

Cirucci Sanderwicci x Reader // For The First Time

Author’s Note: A simple AU where an Arrancar falls in love with a human. Gender neutral. Reader uses they/them. [also please don't mind me. I just love arrancars too much.] also i know this is probably super out of character for her, but don't pay it any attention. This is my first time writing for her, but she’s one of my guilty pleasures. She's just so beautiful. I was actually gonna write this for Loly Aivirrne, but I’m going thru a huuuge Cirucci brainrot at the moment 😅

Finally… Finally after months of failed efforts to get your girlfriend to cuddle with you, she gives in.

For the past several months, you’ve heard it all; “No way!” “Not in a thousand years!” “Over my dead body!” You never gave up, which pissed Cirucci off to no end. You were just so damn prevalent. No matter what harmful words she said, or how many times she’d scoff in your face, you’d come crawling back and politely offering the Privaron Espada a loving night in your bed. How insulting! Creatures like her didn’t deserve to be treated so nicely! But that's not what you thought... Unknown to Cirucci, she was all you wanted in a lover. She was drop-dead gorgeous, and the fact that a woman like her would give you a chance is a miracle on its own. Who cared if she was so bold and brash? She was still your girlfriend after all!

Before tonight, you had noticed some progress with Cirucci; for starters, she wasn’t as cold as she was when you first met. In some strange way, she was starting to become fond of you. Little things like sitting down and watching whatever you had on the TV or idly peeking over your shoulder and secretly reading a few pages of the book in your hands. She thought she was being so sneaky, but what she didn’t see was the little rise in your lips when you noticed these things. Nowadays, she didn’t really mind it when your fingers would accidentally make contact or when your shoulders would brushed together. It seemed like everyday she was warming up more than she wanted too. Of course you’d never tell her, knowing she’d berate you for about five minutes before scurrying off, but it was a nice confidence boost that things were getting better. So when she finally agreed to share a bed for the night, you were more than euphoric.

“Don’t get your hopes up, [Y/N]! I’m only doing this because you’re so damn pesky!” On the way to your bedroom, all she’s doing is teasing you as much as possible - itching to get under that thick skin of yours. She’s warning you about the hollow mask… And the hollow hole… Whatever… All you cared about was spending the night with the one woman you loved the most. Not to mention that you found her little jests to be quite appealing.

But Cirucci is all talk; once she has a vision of your bedroom, she’s radio silent. This time, you actually will speak about this.

“Don’t tell me you're scared, Cirucci” You say, reassuring your Arrancar lover with a soft grin.

“Me? Scared? Don’t be so foolish, [Y/N]!” Despite her obvious perplexity to the new situation, Cirucci is still trying to keep up her tough persona that she’s known for. The both of you know it’s no good; it’s all just talk.

“Then join me.” It’s only three simple words, but it shakes your lover to the core. As you collapse onto your bed with a heavy sigh, the Arrancar who was so set on proving you wrong is stuck in her tracks. Violet eyes are focused on you, your movements, your position and your body. Cirucci can forgive herself later. For now, she wants to experience this and she wants to experience this with you.

Silently, with her eyes still focused on you, Cirucci steps closer to the bed. Within a few steps, she’s right by the edge. Now the fun can really begin. There’s a bit of hesitation from Cirucci, so you instinctively grab the Arrancar’s hand. She’s quick to react, flinching as if you raised your hand to strike her, but she doesn’t draw her hand back. Her fingers are trembling, but once Cirucci gets used to the warmth of human flesh, she gently squeezes onto your hand.

“See? Nothing to be scared of” With a smile, you lure the Arrancar even closer until her body is laying next to yours. The bed is so comfortable that your girlfriend almost forgets about the situation she’s in. No way has she ever felt something so relaxing in her life. While you let her adjust to the coziness, your thumb is idly tracing circles unto the back of Cirucci’s hand. It’s so subtle that the Privaron didn’t notice it. You had closed your eyes, assuming this was all the progress that was to be made until… Cirucci positioned her head on your shoulder, even going as far as to adjust her body into a better position. The tiny hairs on the back of your neck stand up like sticks in the mud once you feel your girlfriend’s steady breathing on your neck.

With your free hand, you wrap a blanket around both of your bodies. The blanket is large enough to cover you both perfectly. Oh, how she loved it. Cirucci felt so peaceful in the moment, not caring about how unusual it was for someone like herself to enjoy such an activity. She was sure that none of the other Arrancars would let her live this down, but she didn’t care. If they could feel how great this felt, they’d all want to experience it as well.