#but apparently he is the writers punching bag

[xxc0reyxx]

cas died because he told dean he loved him but no one ever told cas that they loved him

[jupiter-soups]

a sheep in wolf's clothing

pairing + tag: joel miller x f!reader, established relationship, fluff

summary: joel miller is not quite as scary as the people of jackson believe him to be. at least, not around you.

word count: 1.9k

a/n: kinda been dealing with some writers block and i thought i'd write a cute fluffy one shot to deal with it. please let me know what you think! also, thank you to the incredible @papipascalispunk for beta-ing!

The swing of Joel’s sledgehammer squarely met the metal pole, pushing it down further into the hard earth with a raw strength that made the pair of teens watching grimace.

“God, he’s scary today. Why’s he hulking out so much? Who pissed him off?” The taller of the teens, Nathan, whispers to his friend, whilst leaning against his shovel for support. 

“I don’t know, but whoever it is better get their shit together, because he’s gonna end up snapping. We do not want to be here for that,” Callum responds with a conspiratorial tone, gesturing for Nathan to come closer so he could divulge some gossip.

“Apparently, before he got to Jackson, he was this total killing machine, just ruthless, relentless and bloodthirsty,” Callum stagewhispers, peeking out of the corner of his eye to where Joel was clearly funneling pure rage in each swing of his hammer.

“Why would they even let some mad man in here with us?” Nathan responds nervously, with much less subtlety in how he was eyeing Joel’s movements and his apparent familiarity with swinging a blunt object.

“I guess he adopted Ellie, or something. Maybe that mellowed him out a bit?” Callum winces at a particularly hard swing of the hammer, one that made Joel grunt out in effort, wiping the back of his hand against his forehead as he stepped back, seemingly satisfied with his work.

“Clearly not enough. Ellie’s dad, huh?” Nathan lets out a huff of an exhale, reminiscing on a particularly painful evening where his romantic advances on Ellie were met with a swift and brutally painful punch in the gut. “Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Their gossiping fades away into a terrified silence, as Joel stalks up to where they’re standing, walking slowly and with eyes slightly narrowed. The two practically shrink under his gaze as he approaches.

“You two just gonna stand around all day or get to fuckin’ work like the rest of us,” Joel grits out, the furrow of his brow informing the two that they were nowhere near quiet enough when gossiping.

“Uh, I–”

“We were j–”

“Stop fuckin’ around and dig.” Before Joel even finished his sentence, the pair scrambles back over to the patch of soil they were assigned to clear, working with a vigor that they didn’t even know they were capable of. 

—-----------

Joel had sort of assumed that the rumors about him had died down. No one crossed the street when they saw him anymore. No one even begged to get swapped to a different patrol route when grouped with him, terrified of what he might do outside of the safety of laws and watchful eyes in Jackson. 

He shifts his head from side to side as he walks home on the barely illuminated streets, stretching out the strain from working all day. He holds a paper bag close to his body, trying to keep it dry from the light rainfall that had begun at some point between him leaving the building site and stopping at the bakery. 

A smile breaks through his cold exterior as he finally approaches his house and sees the living room light still on, a beacon welcoming him home.

To you.

In his eagerness to see you, he forgot to take off his dirty work boots, a fact you quickly remind him of with a croaky call of “Shoes!”, the second he turned the corner into the living room. 

“Sorry, baby,” He laughs quietly, tossing the paper bag he was carrying onto your lap where you were sprawled out on the couch, before heading back into the hall to kick off his boots.

You gasp in excitement as you open the paper bag and see three of your favorite caramel cookies from the bakery, immediately regretting it as your throat stung from the act.

The cold that currently had you couchridden under the warm embrace of a thick woolen blanket had also meant that you weren’t able to pick up the rare treats. The bakery only made them once a month, and typically ran out by noon. Your heart swelled as you realized Joel must have gone out of his way on an already busy day, just to get them for you.

“How did you manage to get three of them?” You ask in awe as he reenters the room and moves to join you where you were sitting, lifting your extended legs to rest his back against the back of the couch and placing them over his lap. His hands settled on your legs, rubbing them gently through your thick winter pajama pants. 

“Guess there’s some good in being scary, ol’ Joel Miller,” He chuckles, taking a cookie from your extended hand and taking a bite.

You begin to sit up slightly to take a bite too, but visibly wince when your head begins to spin from the movement. Joel stops you instantly, dropping his cookie back into the bag on your lap to rearrange your pillows behind you into a slightly more seated position.

“You’re still not doing well,” He tuts, disapproval radiating off of him in a way that made you want to roll your eyes. “Shouldn’ta made me go to work today, darlin’, I should’a been here for you.”

“Joel,” you reassure, “I’m completely fine, barely got the sniffles at this point.” He raises an eyebrow at your blatant lie, taking in the sweaty sheen on your forehead and nasally voice before sighing and settling back into his seat. You weren’t in a state to argue.

“So, big, bad Joel Miller scares the town folk into giving him extra cookies?” You tease, drawing a laugh out of the guilty man sitting next to you. His grip on your shins loosens slightly as he begins to actually relax again, much to your satisfaction. He was already stressed enough in the morning when he had to leave you to go fill in for someone at the construction site, almost canceling after you spent most of the night awake, shivering and sniffling. You didn’t want him to feel even more guilty, regardless of the fact that you had been the one who insisted that he goes. 

“You should’a heard some of the stuff they were sayin’ about me today,” He shook his head in feigned disbelief, well aware of his reputation. “Somethin’ about being ruthless and relentless,”

You laugh through a bite of the cookie, “I could see that.”

He raises an eyebrow at you, “Oh, really?”

“At least the relentless part. There’s been more than a few times I’ve had to tap out,” you wiggle your eyebrows suggestively at him, causing him to shake his head at you, trying to fight back the way his lips were turning up at the corners in amusement. 

He watches you finish off the second cookie in a comfortable silence, a faint smile on his face as he observes the absolute glee in your eyes with each bite. His fingers begin to play with the hem of your pajama pants the more he watches you, and you can sense the slight anxiety in his movements.

“Stop worrying, Joel, I was fine. I promise. You know the building team needed you today.”

He grumbles a quiet response that you don’t quite make out, something about ‘incompetent,’ and ‘ill-equipped,’ before turning his annoyance to you, “I already know you didn’t drink enough water.”

You nudge him gently in the stomach with your knee, prompting him to drop it, which he does with a moody sigh.

“How was Ellie today?” He opts to change the subject.

“Not been around too much. She’s still running around after Dina, thinking she's so slick. I know we need to wait for her to come to us about it, but I wish she would just tell us already.” His soft brown eyes betray the unease he felt at the issue.

“I hope…” He trails off in a worried tone that’s familiar to you; the, I think I’m fucking up tone. “I hope she doesn’t think she can’t talk to me about it.” You reach your hand out and grab his, big and warm and immediately squeezing and rubbing your hand within his to warm up your freezing fingers. ”I suppose I can be a little scary sometimes. Those kids down at the site sure thought so,” He chuckles once, humorlessly and self-deprecatingly, reaching over to grab your other hand to warm up that one too.

“There’s no fucking way, Joel. Maybe those kids who’ve never been outside of the walls for a day in their lives were scared of you, but we know you’re a big ol’ softie. Besides, there’s not much that scares Ellie. Definitely not an old man that she could easily beat in a fight,” You tease, relieved when his shoulders seem to relax a little. 

Joel leans forward, cupping your chin in his hand to pull you in for a kiss. You don’t let him indulge, perhaps for the first time in your relationship. “Joel, I’ll just get you sick too. You gotta be back at work tomorrow, remember?” Your heart squeezes at the almost pout on his face, but he doesn’t push the matter, instead starting to get up with a grunt, gently placing your legs back down on the couch where he had been sat. He turns to you with an expectant look and reaches out a hand.

“Let’s head up to bed, darlin’,”

You blink. “Joel, I just said I can’t get you sick. I’ll just sleep down here for the night, the couch is comfy enough.”

His hand stays extended for a moment, before letting it drop. “Fine,” he states resolutely, “I suppose I’ll see you in the mornin’, then?” His voice seems almost too innocent, and your suspicions are confirmed when he drags the warm blanket from your body in one swift motion and starts walking towards the stairs. 

“Joel!” You exclaim, “What the fuck?” 

He pauses part way up the stairs to your bedroom and gives you a nonchalant shrug. “This is my blanket. Can’t go to sleep without it.” He turns back and continues to head up the stairs. You grumble at the real satisfied little smirk on his face as he does so.

“But…” You groan and roll off the warm couch, and begin to plod up the stairs to your shared bed. 

Fine, if he wants to get sick so badly, I’ll let him. 

—-------------

“Shouldn’ Miller be here by now?” Nathan says as he eyes the entrance to the build site nervously, doing his best to appear busy.

“I guess he’s sick today, heard he got a fever or something.” Callum’s words instantly ease Nathan’s rigid posture.

“Thank God for that,” He mutters, letting the shovel in his hands drop to the ground with a relieved sigh. 

“Or maybe,” Callum smiled sinisterly, “He’s out plotting his next kil–” He’s cut off when a hand is smacked down onto the nape of his neck, turning into a painful grip that swivels his head in the direction of his assailant and the project’s latest stand-in worker, Ellie Williams.

“Why don’t you fucks get back to work, hmm?” Her grip tightens on the back of Callum’s neck, and he visibly flinches under her exacting gaze. Nathan gulps and reaches to pick up his shovel as quickly as possible. Joel Miller was definitely not the scariest person in Jackson

tags: @gasolinerainbowpuddles @beardedjoel @huffle-punk

thank you for reading <3 please let me know your thoughts :)

[flower-boi16]

the thing is with viv's fat "rep" she could've actually done something good with it if she put THOUGHT behind as to WHY these characters act that way. she has such a large audience she could've impacted them in a meaningful way but as we all always say, it's viv. so that dream goes down the drain.

as someone who is overweight *because* of eating disorder issues, someone who fits the stereotype of "eating too much" and thus being heavier, i am the punching bag for people and "jokes" and harassment because of that. i remember watching the beezlebub episode, being excited for the design, and maybe just a LITTLE representation - and then boom! It's just furry bait 2.0 with lava lamp hair and the same build like every female character in the hellaverse. you can make asmodeus horny, you can make mammon greedy, but you can't make beezlebub a glutton? she literally summons FOOD. if you're gonna represent nothing but stereotypes, why not stick to it?? same went for mimzy. only character i was excited for and she's just another asshole and hated for it, even though the main cast isn't better in any way, but that's H*H and H*B for you, hypocrisy.

maybe adam got severely depressed when lilith left, and thus, he started stress eating, or that mammon does it because he feels like he never has enough (greed). just a half-assed explanation would've sufficed.

anyways, much much love to the beezlebub redesigns out there.

All of what you said would require Viv to actually put effort into her fat rep, which she clearly doesn't care about. She'd rather make all of her fat characters one-dimensional stereotypes than have actual depth, while she tries to put effort into her skinny-ass characters and give them depth, the fat ones are all just one-dimensional assholes with little depth.

I don't hate Beezlebulb's design as much as others do but the fact that Viv made a GLUTTON look skinny af is very weird, but then again, that's probably because then Viv would be forced to make a fat character that's more than just a one-dimensional asshole, so she made her skinny instead.

Also, the fact that Adam is apparently supposed to be fat despite STILL LOOKING SKINNY AF. Like, if you want to make a character fat, do the bare fucking minimum and ACTUALLY MAKE HIM LOOK FAT!!!!! But that would take effort, now would it? And that's the thing, Viv doesn't put effort into her fat characters; she always makes them one-dimensional assholes with no depth, none of them are actual characters, they all have the same fucking personality.

Oh, and I'll also never forget the fact that Viv had a fat character, Mammon, fat shame fucking FIZZAROLLI OF ALL CHARACTERS. Fizz looks skinny as hell! Yes, fat people can be fatphobic but like wouldn't it make more sense for Mammon to fat shame an actual FAT CHARACTER? But again, doing that would take effort, and Viv clearly doesn't want to do that.

I used to think that Viv can't be fatphobic because she herself is fat - until someone in my replies pointed out that fat people can still be fatphobic so...

...ya, judging by Viv's writing, she's very fatphobic. Until Viv actually makes a fat character with actual effort put into them, my mind is not going to change. Honestly, when I become a writer when I grow older I'll look at Hellaverse as a clear lesson of what NOT TO DO when making a fat character.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Adoration

You know, between Sabrina and Zoe, it's hard to tell who gets screwed over more in this episode.

Let's get into the seventeenth episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fifth season: Adoration

We start off with Zoe talking with Andre about a movie he made when he was younger. Apparently, he made it to declare his love for Audrey. The fact that he thought making a movie to please someone as abusive as her either means Andre is a real idiot, or Audrey is an absolute goddess in bed.

We then cut to school the next day, where Marinette and Zoe are put in charge of organizing it. The two met up at Marinette's room, where Zoe comments on how beautiful it looks... even though she was already there at the end of “Gabriel Agreste”.

Okay, in all seriousness, this is a minor error compared to the other retcons this show has made, and I can see the writers forgetting that scene since Zoe didn't say anything in it anyway, but this does have a purpose. While thinking about where to hold the dance, Marinette settles on the Eiffel Tower, and asks Zoe if she can talk to Andre about it.

The two go to Zoe's place, and surprise, surprise, Chloe throws a hissy fit about Marinette stepping on one of “her” stairs. Okay, writers, just admit you're running out of ideas for Chloe to antagonize Marinette. Zoe stands up to Chloe, who then goes to Audrey, but she's so apathetic, she doesn't even intervene, so Zoe calls it a win.

Marinette: What happened to the scared Zoe who moved here from New York a few months ago?

Zoe: It's all thanks to you, Marinette. You're the one who helped me change!

Uh... how? Outside of “Sole Crusher” and “Queen Banana”, the two have never really had any meaningful interactions. It's almost like Zoe has had absolutely no development since her introduction last season, and the writers are trying to convince us that they actually gave her character development.

Andre decides to approve holding the school dance under the Eiffel Tower, he tells Marinette and Zoe not to tell Chloe. Chloe overhears this, and gets angry for... some reason. Seriously, what did they even do? All Marinette and Zoe did was ask to hold a dance, Chloe overheard it, and the very next scene, she's talking with Lila and Sabrina about how to get revenge. She doesn't even make it about the dance, she just gets angry Zoe is talking with her father. Again, after five seasons, it really seems like the writers are running out of ways for Chloe to incite conflict, because this is just lazy.

At the Agreste Mansion, Adrien talks to Gabriel about asking Marinette to the dance, but Gabriel forbids him from doing so. Nathalie convinces him to concede, but then he calls Lila. The next scene has Chloe talking with Sabrina about a plan she has.

Chloe: Do you want to be demoted from underling to punching bag? You want to join the baker girl and the half-of-a-sister?

Sabrina: (gasps) No! I'm your friend!

Chloe: (shakes her head) My underling. You are my underling. If you're not willing to do anything for me, then get lost!

This can't seriously be the script the writers stuck with, right? Now Chloe's just saying things you'd hear from a dark lord from an RPG. Granted, it's hard to tell how honest Chloe is since her chewing out Sabrina is revealed to be a plan by Lila, but given how Chloe has been this episode, it's hard to really believe she was exaggerating anything. Either way, Sabrina is upset enough for Monarch to send an Akuma her way, akumatizing her into Vanisher again through a whistle.

Vanisher's design is pretty lazy, even back when it first appeared in Season 1. It's just Sabrina with a purple filter when she isn't using her powers to turn invisible. I guess it kind of makes sense given she's not meant to be flashy, but this just screams “cutting corners”. The Miraculous power shown this time is the Dog Miraculous' Fetch, allowing Vanisher to steal as many things as she wants.

Vanisher comes back into the room, and we actually get a funny joke where Chloe asks Lila if she's a witch, even if a funny joke in this kind of show only gets a reaction along the lines of...

Anyway, Marinette and Zoe plan out the dance some more, where Marinette talks about how hard it is to tell Adrien she loves him, to which Zoe agrees, revealing she has her own crush on someone. As the two talk, Vanisher sneaks in and we get a montage of her tagging things with her whistle. During the montage, Marinette assumes that Zoe has a crush on Adrien, which will be more important towards the end.

Once things with the dance are set up, Vanisher uses Fetch to teleport all the things she touched into Marinette's bag. Chloe accuses Marinette of being a thief, and even though Lila isn't in the rest of the episode, everyone's about as gullible as they normally are in a Lila episode, so they decide to believe Chloe. Mr. Damocles prepares to expel Marinette, but Zoe takes the blame for it, allowing Marinette transform into Ladybug.

Ladybug figures out that Vanisher is behind this because Chloe threw some paper flowers that accidentally fell onto her, so she summons her Lucky Charm, a pinata. While Ladybug fights Vanisher, Adrien gets to a safe place to transform into Cat Noir. Ladybug hands Cat Noir a bottle of some kind of spray-on glue and just as Ladybug breaks the pinata above Vanisher, Cat Noir sprays her with it, covering her in confetti. Ladybug ties up Vanisher while Cat Noir Cataclysms the whistle, freeing the Akuma.

Ladybug de-evilizes the Akuma, uses Miraculous Ladybug to fix the damage, Chloe yells at Sabrina for failing, and even though this blows her cover, somehow isn't punished for it, Sabrina gets a useless Magical Charm from Ladybug and because I've already seen the rest of the season, I already know that Sabrina is still going to work with Chloe for some reason.

Anyway, Marinette and Zoe talk about the latter supposedly having feelings for Adrien.

Marinette: I know... you're in love with Adrien. Don't sacrifice your feelings for him because of me. He has the right to hear your declaration.

Zoe: Adrien? But you're the one he loves.

Marinette: Even if he loves me, he'd be flattered to know that you love him too. Let him know how you feel about him. Zoe, you're an amazing person. One can only feel honored to be loved by you.

Zoe: Are you sure?

Marinette: Of course! You can't keep it to yourself! Zoe: But... Adrien’s not the one I’m in love with.

Marinette: Oh? Who is it, then? (Zoe simply looks at Marinette and smiles) Oh... Oh! Oh. I am truly, very honored. I mean it, Zoe.

Zoe: Thanks, Marinette.

Oh my God... I can't believe Zoe has feelings for Alya.

Okay, in all seriousness, let's discuss this scene. While I'm glad that we have confirmation that Zoe has feelings for Marinette, which is a big deal after the show danced around the idea with Juleka and Rose, and the reveal itself is done very well with Zoe and Marinette's facial expressions doing all the work, my problems with this scene stem from a different issue, and it ties back to my earlier point about Zoe.

Zoe as a character has always been criminally underdeveloped. Other than the fact that she's nice and is different from Chloe, very little is done to establish who she is as a person. With every focus episode she gets, the writers just slap on some kind of trait or idea to try and get viewers invested in her. In “Sole Crusher”, she had her vague backstory about being bullied, in “Queen Banana”, she became Vesperia, in “The Kwamis' Choice”, she temporarily replaced Cat Noir as Kitty Noire, and in this episode, we have her feelings for Marinette. None of these are really bad things, but the show just expects us to connect with Zoe for all of these things that happen to her with little buildup or character development. Like I said earlier, the show tries to act like there's been character development with Zoe, but it doesn't work because she's barely gotten to do anything that isn't the writers trying to shove her into the main cast.

As for the reveal that Zoe has feelings for Marinette, it sort of falls flat because again, the two have barely spent any time together since “Sole Crusher” and “Queen Banana”. Yeah, Zoe was present in other episodes like “Gabriel Agreste” and “Crocoduel”, but she was only part of the group and didn't really interact with Marinette on her own. It's hard to really see this reveal as impactful because not only did we not get a lot of hints that Zoe was into girls, but we didn't even get a lot of hints that Zoe had developed feelings for Marinette in the first place. That's not to say this couldn't work. In The Owl House, there weren't any hints that either Luz or Amity were into girls, but the difference there was that their growing feelings for each other became an ongoing story. Here, there's nothing that really comes of Zoe having feelings for Marinette other than so the show can say they have an LGBT character. If there was an episode about Zoe struggling to deal with her unrequited feelings for Marinette, or an episode where she tries to ask another girl out, this could have worked, but nothing really comes from this.

And finally, there's the reason behind this reveal. The episode goes out of its way to establish that Zoe has feelings for Marinette not to really expand on Zoe's character, but rather, to expand on Marinette's. Zoe's coming out story is less of a big reveal about her sexual identity, and more of a cautionary tale about not being able to confess your feelings to someone you care about until it's too late. The reveal that Zoe has feelings for Marinette isn't about Zoe taking a risk that could jeopardize her friendship with Marinette, it's about giving Marinette the confidence she needs to tell Adrien she loves him, and even then, that moment is undercut because the very next scene, Gabriel uses his influence to order Adrien to go home when he's about to kiss Marinette. The episode basically ends with Marinette trying to reassure herself that progress was actually made when we know Gabriel screwed that up.

So basically, THIS EPISODE WAS A GIANT WASTE OF TIME! Oh my God, this was bad, and it's hard to really explain. I'm not really as angry as I was towards episodes like “Kuro Neko”, “Penalteam”, or “Illusion”, but this episode just had so many little things that got to me that all piled up by the end. The attempt to give Zoe character development didn't really work, Gabriel and Chloe had no reason to incite the conflict other than because they felt like it, Lila had no real purpose being here (yet she gets to be in the end card instead of Chloe), the Akuma was underwhelming, Sabrina still hasn't gotten any major character development herself, and the ending just felt like a cheap excuse to keep the story going. This is still one of the worst episodes of the season, but I still think “Derision” and “Illusion” are worse.

THE BIGGEST IDIOT OF THE EPISODE IS... ANDRE (THE OTHER ONE)

While Gabriel came close to getting his third Biggest Idiot Award in a row, I ultimately gave it to Andre because the episode tried to make him out to be a good father even though he's scared of his own child. He made an entire movie to show how much he loved someone as terrible as Audrey, wanted to keep organizing a school dance a secret from Chloe, kept enabling her even when she framed a classmate, and didn't even punish her afterwards when it was obvious she framed Marinette with the help of an Akuma.

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

ophiocordyceps unilateralis

summary: on a supply run gone bad, the group split up and you got stuck with Steve.

warnings: Steve Harrington/reader, zombie apocalypse au, smut, hurt/comfort, kinda angst, patching up each other's wounds (in an unsterile, apocalyptic way... don't do this at home kids), tw weapons and violence, unprotected sex, dirty talk, pull out method, squirting, blowjob (kinda, a little), kinda in the realm of perv!Steve (mainly because of the dirty talk), tiny bit of impact play (beloved pussy slaps)

word count: 2637

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“I think that building over there should be safe enough for tonight,” you pointed to the seemingly abandoned structure ways down the road, “what do you think?”

“I think we should keep moving,” Steve kept his gaze fixed forward, not even looking at the house in question for one second, “find the others.”

“We need a break,” you fiddled with the straps of your worn backpack, eyeing his blood-soaked shirt, “you need a break.”

“I’m fine,” he clenched his jaw tightly, clearly attempting to swallow the pain that merely walking was causing him to endure. 

“No, you’re not. You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“Those guys back there got a lot of hits in, and you haven’t even stopped to take a breath.”

“What, it’s not like they pulled their punches just because you’re a girl.”

“True, but I look better than you,” you smiled, thankful that you got out of it with more bruises than cuts. Stopping dead in your tracks, you tried once more, “Steve, please. I don’t want one of those things to take a bite out of you just because you’re in too much pain to put up a fight.”

“…fine,” he agreed begrudgingly, “but we leave at first light, alright?”

Just as you were about to yell out the all-clear to Steve, a few guttural growls coming from the room you’d presume he was inspecting found your ears. 

“Steve?” you whirled around the corner just in time to see him hovering over a now motionless rotting corps, yanking back his nail-clad baseball bat that had gotten slightly stuck in its cranium, “you good?”

“Yeah,” he breathed heavy, the swings apparently took more out of him than expected, “all good.”

Fearing that he’d perhaps faint, you rushed towards him and grabbed his elbow. Standing this close to him, you got a better look at just how gruesome the gashes on his abdomen alone were. “Steve,” you sighed quietly, making him turn more towards you, “that does not look all good.”

“It’s better than it looks,” he carefully shrugged off his heavy backpack, “trust me.”

“Really? Because it looks pretty bad to me,” you grabbed his bag before he could place it on the floor, “will you at least just let me help you?”

Letting out a long exhale, he agreed, “sure,” and visibly let his shoulders relax more, dropping his weapon and walking over to the nearby table.

“Take your shirt off,” you rolled your eyes at the smirk those words conjured on his face. When he began to just carelessly tug off his layers, “slowly!” practically exploded out of you and you restrained your palm from slapping him clear across the face, “oh god.” 

It had been too long a day and your patience for Steve had run out. You had nearly been killed by not only the undead but also the group of people that had followed you all from the previous town you stayed in.

Reaching into the side pocket of your bag, you pulled out the small med kit that you’d scavenged a while back. Motioning for Steve to take a seat on the table, you stepped closer and took a good look. 

“Okay,” you breathed out, trying your best not to ogle at his fuzzy bare chest and instead focus on the several injuries that decorated his skin. “Good news, I don’t think you need stitches,” you crouched down, ending up on your knees in order to be at eye level with the worst one. Blinking up at him, it hit you the position you’d put yourself in. The angle… “I, um,” you looked down and fished out a small travel-sized vodka bottle, as well as some bandages, “do you want a warning first or the element of surprise?” you unscrewed the bottle with one hand. 

“Just fucking do it, just-,” you didn’t hesitate, downing the gash on his abdomen with alcohol, effectively punching all of the air out of his lungs at the very first drop, “holy- fuck!” he growled, squeezing his eyes shut and instinctively slammed his fist down to meet the tabletop. Setting the bottle down on the dirty floor, you began to wrap him up, hearing a small muttering of gratitude as you tied it off. 

“Any more bad ones?” you didn’t dare to look up and see the way he was melting against the table, trying to regain the ability to breathe.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so,” he exhaled, “one of them got my leg pretty good, so that hurts like a motherfucker, but I don’t think it’s that bad.”

You craned your neck to search for the aforementioned wound and found it high on the side of his thigh, cargo pants ripped giving you a good view of it, “oof, yeah,” you hissed, pulling back some of the fabric with your fingers, “it’ll be okay, I think. It will properly scar, but you’ll live.”

“That’s fine,” he breathed out a small chuckle, “chicks dig scars.” That they fucking do… okay, okay, just take a breath, think about something else, anything else. Anything that didn’t make you throb… “Thanks, doc,” you blinked up to find him to be already looking down at you, “what about you?”

“I’m okay,” you shifted in your seat, tugging one of your feet under you more and almost letting out a small gasp when it felt like pure electricity brushing against your covered core. “I, um, yeah… ten fingers, ten toes…” your words didn’t work to unfurrow his worried brow, so then you huffed out, “what, do you not believe me? What do you want, strip search me?”

It had been a joke, but judging by Steve’s facial expression, that was not how he took it. 

Quickly you clarified, averting your gaze, “it was a joke…”

Hearing him let out a long, calm exhale, he asked you softly, “was it?”

Shaking your head lightly, “Steve…”

“Yeah?” you felt one of his fingers move some hair out of your face. 

Blinking up at him, you bit your lip and then uttered slowly, “thanks for having my back, back there.”

“You’re welcome,” he kneeled down to be at your level, “thank you for having mine.”

His hands came up to cradle the sides of your face, eyes flickering down towards your bitten lip. 

As he pushed closer, you rested a hand on his wrist, “please tell me that we’re not just doing this because of the kind of day we’ve had.”

“We’re not,” he said simply in a sure tone. 

“We’re not?”

“I’m not,” he averted his gaze briefly, brow furrowing softly. 

“Me neither,” was all you managed to whisper before he kissed you. “Fuck,” you whimpered against his lips, instantly clinging onto him for dear life, “I didn’t think you noticed me.”

That only managed to make him chuckle and therefore halt the long-awaited kiss, “seriously? I can’t take my eyes off of you. I thought it was obvious. Literally everyone knows, they tease me about it and everything.”

“Really?” 

“I think we should find some glasses for you because you are blind.”

“Shut up,” you giggled, shoving his firm chest playfully. 

“Can you even see me right now?” he teased.

“Oh my god,” you shook your head and stood up.

“Hey, you’d look so cute!” he caught your hand, preventing you from straying any further away, “and you would finally be able to notice me.”

“I do notice you,” you exclaimed, “my vision is fine!”

Getting back up onto his feet, he squinted his eyes, “you sure about that?”

“Yes! Now shut up and kiss me again!” a request that he happily obliged to fulfil. 

Draping your arms around his neck, it didn’t take long before he scooped you up and onto the table behind you. 

“Fuck,” he hummed, grabbing your hips, and sliding them forward to meet his own for some form of relief. You weren’t really sure which one of you was the one that took off your clothes since all four hands were ripping at the fabric in order for you to be on the same playing field as Steve was. 

The wiry hairs on his chest pressed up against your now exposed tits, smooching them against him in desperate need of contact. 

“Don’t you fucking dare cum inside me,” you warned as he unzipped your pants, making room for his fingers to slip down them, “I swear I will kill.”

Finding your panties ruined, soaked with anticipation, he groaned against your lips, “I’ll pull out.”

“Good,” you gasped, eyes fluttering as he rubbed your clit through the thin cotton, “this world is hard enough to survive as it is. You are not knocking me up.”

“I know, I know, I won’t do that, I promise,” his words vowed, but his tone sounded more like there was nothing else in this whole world he’d wish for than to fill your aching pussy up to the brim with his cum.

Wrapping your legs up around his hips, you were practically clawing like a kitten for more. Reaching down, between your close bodies, you palmed his painfully obvious bulge through his dark pants. 

Wandering down to kiss his neck, you left little love marks all along his rapid pulse, “Steve…”

“Yeah?” it felt like the barrier underneath his fingers might break from the intoxicating friction he caused.

“Please fuck me before infected break in here and burst our bubble.”

Getting his face right in front of yours, he breathed out slowly, “then lie down.”

Lowering yourself down on the table, feeling the cold surface meet your bare back, Steve used the hand that was already down your pants to yank them down and off your body. 

Quickly pulling your underwear down as well, he took a step back to admire the state you were in. Palming himself for a bit, it didn’t take long before he got equally exposed, keeping his eyes locked on your body as he rid himself of the last bits of clothes that covered him. 

Propping yourself up onto your elbows, half out of impatience and half to get a better view of the show, you lifted your knees up, letting one fall, granting him better access to the embarrassingly wet mess between your thighs. 

Taking a step forward, Steve’s hand started at your knee then slowly slid down, closer and closer to your throbbing cunt. But to your disappointment, you never felt the contact of his hand, instead, he had spread you open and successfully sent a bolt of lightning through your body as his heavy cock fell down upon your swollen clit. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” he slid his shaft along your pussy, parting your plump lips for him and making him shimmer and shine within seconds, “you’re so fucking wet, shit…”

With light fingers around the base, he slapped the angry head against your clit, making your hips buckle. “You sure you want it?”

“Yes, yes, fuck, yes, please,” you cried.

“You want my cock, huh?”

“Please, I need it.”

“Oh really? You need my big dick to stretch you out, is that it?” he stated to linger every time he came down towards your entrance, “need me to ruin this little hole, huh?”

Sinking just the essence of his tip in, he came back up to tease your clit, repeating the motion multiple times till you were scared that you might actually cry. 

“Steve, please.”

Bowing down to place a soft kiss upon your lips, you felt his hips snap and fill you up in one fell swoop. 

Disconnecting from the peck, your arms gave out and sent you tumbling down towards the table. Luckily, Steve’s quick reflexes caught your head before you could get a concussion. 

Chuckling lightly, he mocked just to stroke his own ego, “what’s wrong? Can’t take it? Is it too much?”

You wanted to laugh, but all that could escape your lips were whimpering moans. 

Leaning back, his mouth hung agape as he studied the magic trick of him disappearing inside of you. 

“Jesus christ, baby,” he bucked his hips wildly, “you feel so good.”

“Steve,” you breathed out shakily, as you reached down to circle your clit, already being dangerously close to the edge. 

“What?” his palm found your left boob, playing with it lightly, “what is it, huh?

“I’m-, shit, keep doing that,” you struggled to keep your eyes locked with his, releasing shaky profanities as your walls fluttered around him.

Cursing, he fucked you through your orgasm, only giving you a second or so to recover before he began to move again, fearing that your cunt might choke him to death.

“Who knew you had those pretty sounds in you?” he grinned, bending down to bury his face in your tits.

“Sorry,” the reflex rushed out of you.

“Oh no, don’t you dare,” he blinked up to look at you through his long lashes, “we’re all alone, please be as loud as you can. I swear, from now on, you will have to wrestle me not to take you somewhere far away from the group just so I can hear them again. Or do you think you’d even be able to keep them at bay if I just fucked you while we’re on watch and everyone else is asleep? You think you’d be able to keep quiet for me? Hiding behind a tree or even sneakily take you from behind when everyone else thinks we’re just spooning for warmth? Because I don’t want you to. I want them to know. I want them to hear you fucking scream. To hear how much of a little slut you become when my cock is inside of you.”  

“Fuck, don’t stop,” your thighs shook, “you’re gonna make me cum again!”

“Yeah?” his lips let go of the pebble-like nipple he was successfully turning a deep purple, to lean back, driving into you harder, angling his hips so that he repeatedly hit that spot that almost made you scream out loud. “Be a good girl and cum again,” his hand came down to tap your puffy pussy, repeating it with increased force every time till it stung in the best way possible. 

You didn’t even hear the lewd squelching sounds as you came again, too busy sobbing out desperately, “don’t stop, don't stop, don't stop-,“ trembling as you squirted all over your partner. 

Writhing on the table, you heard Steve laugh, actually laugh, “holy shit,” he played with your cunt, repeatedly plunging his dick in just to rip it out again in order to see how many times he could make it gush like his own little fountain. “Just like that, baby, keep cumming for me, fuck.”

Somewhere in the haze, you felt Steve disappear with a guttural moan, only to quickly reappear right by your face, furiously stroking his cock. Caressing one palm over your cheek, bringing you back to him, you lulled your head to the side and drunkenly opened your mouth, presenting your soft tongue to him.

Jumping at the offer, he only managed to breach the entrance of your lips before he spilt his hot load all over your tongue. A pure moaning mess, he ran his fingers through your hair as you closed your mouth around him, sucking just the tip to get every last drop.

“Atta girl,” he choked out, pulling you off of him with a small pop, placing his thumb on your chin to part your lips and let him see the mess, “swallow it.” 

Happily doing so, you beamed up at him through your heavy lids. Kneeling down, he grabbed your face softly and gave you a needy kiss, swiping his tongue against yours, moaning as he tasted himself.

“Fuck, you’re amazing,” he swooned, melting his forehead against yours. 

© 2022 thyme-in-a-bubble 

[theferricfox]

Here's a cute little drabble for Momma Kuchel's birthday. I don't even know how I managed to punch this out so fast considering I've had so much writer's block lately that I could build a damned house with it.

“Hey, Ma?”

“Yes, darling?” Kuchel responds from the small bathroom adjoining their room. She brushes out her long, dark hair with an old horse-hair brush – the handle crumbling into splinters.

Levi sits on the edge of the bed, his chubby little legs dangling over the edge. He rocks them back and forth, leaning back to balance himself on the flat of his palms. He looks pensive – so serious for so small a face that it’s laughably adorable – as he watches his mother sort out her tangles. 

“When’s your birthday, Ma?” Levi asks.

Kuchel pauses and sets down her hairbrush. She turns and walks to her son, kneeling on the half-rotten floor so she can be near eye-level with him.

“Why do you ask, angel?” she cups his cheeks and playfully squeezes, making giggles erupt from his lips.

“Well, we celebwate my birfday,” Levi says through the squish she’s made in his face. “But we neveh celebwate yoahs.”

Kuchel smiles softly and stands, picking him up along the way. She sways, humming a song as she thinks. She remembers that she was born in spring, but days bleed together down here. She wouldn’t know when the first of the month was if she didn’t get harassed to pay her room fee.

“Well,” she sings with a smile. “I am pretty sure it’s today.”

“Today?!” Levi nearly jumps from her arms at the news. “We gotta get you a sweet!”

Levi wriggles in her grasp eagerly.

“Down! Down!” he calls out. 

When she sets him down, Levi rushes to the door of their room, standing on the very tips of his toes to pull at the handle.

“Levi, where are you going?” Kuchel chuckles as she pulls open the door and watches him shoot down the hallway, his bare feet slapping against the wood of the hallway.

“I’m gonna get you a sweet!” he calls back, halfway down the hall.

“Not without your shoes, mister man!” she calls back. 

When Levi turns, she bends down to pick his shoes up and dangle them in front of her. He rushes back, twisting his feet into the tattered shoes as she slips her own on and stuffs a small wad of bills into her bra. The pair ready to go, Levi tugs on his mother’s dress.

“C’mon c’mon!”

Kuchel lets Levi lead her out and into the street, and although he clambers clumsily over the deep wheel tracks in the dirt roads, he resists being picked up and carried, wanting instead to guide her to the market. She has to gently remind him of the next turn a time or two, and when they arrive at the market street, he darts forward, his destination apparently firmly in mind. 

She follows him to a small bakery stall where they usually buy their bread. 

“Miss Caroleeeene!” Levi shouts, holding onto the table of the stall. His mop of black hair barely peeks over the edge, despite him standing on the tips of his toes.

“Caroline, darlin’,” Kuchel corrects gently as she approaches.

“Miss Caroleene,” Levi says, ignoring his mother. “I need a sweet please!”

Caroline, with bright golden hair and brilliant green eyes, leans over to smile at Levi.

“Well, hello, Levi dear. You need a sweet you say?”

“Yeah! It’s Ma’s birthday! I need a sweet to surprise her with!” Levi says eagerly, seemingly heedless of the meaning of a surprise.

“Well, that is a cause for celebration!” Caroline says warmly. “I just so happen to have this little cake that I think has your Momma’s name on it!”

Caroline leans over the counter to Kuchel and says, “I couldn’t get any milk, but I did get some eggs. Sugar’s kind of scarce right now too, so it’s not very sweet, hun.”

Kuchel waves her off and smiles.

“It’s no problem.”

“Ma!” Levi shouts. Kuchel sees him holding up one tiny hand, palm up. “Can I borrow some money real quick?”

Kuchel laughs and pulls a few bills out and hands them to Levi. He spins around and hands the bills to Caroline. The baker adds a few rolls of bread to the bag with the cake, takes the money and gives most of it back to Levi.

“That’s your change, darlin,” Caroline says. When Kuchel looks up at her with questioning look, she winks and says, “Happy birthday, Kuchel.”

Kuchel can’t help the small tears that come to the edges of her eyes as Levi spins around, money in hands and says, “That’s your change, Ma!” She whispers a quiet thank you to Caroline as Levi takes the bag and starts back to their room.

“What’s in the bag, honey?” Kuchel asks, playing along with Levi’s game from the stall.

“It’s a secret surprise!” Levi declares, hugging the bag close. 

“Okay, then,” she says with a laugh.

She watches as Levi navigates them most of the way back to their room by himself, needing a gentle push in the right direction only once. Once back indoors, he scuttles down the hallway, calling behind him excitedly.

“Ma! Ma come quick I have a secret surprise for you!”

“I’m coming, angel!” she calls back. She tries to ignore sounds of moans, cries, and creaking beds from the other rooms as she passes by them on the way to her own.

Once back in their room and their shoes off, Levi urges Kuchel to sit on the floor with him, where he has already pulled out the small crate they use as a table, the bag sitting next to it. She does, a smile pasted onto her lips.

“Happy birthday, Ma! Happy happy birthday Ma!” Levi sings. He digs into the bag and places the small cake – the appearance of which resembles a large cracker more than a cake, onto the small cloth that serves as a plate. “Ta-da! Surprise I got you a sweet!”

Kuchel reaches over and pulls Levi into her lap, showering his face in kisses.

“Oh, thank you, my darling. What a wonderful birthday surprise you’ve given me.” She holds him close, tears in her eyes. “I have the very best son in the world.”

Levi squirms in her arms, reaches down and picks a piece off the cake and holds it against her lips.

“You gotta make a wish when you eat it okay?” Levi says, suddenly very serious. “And you gotta wish really hard or it won’t come true.”

Kuchel makes a show of closing her eyes and scrunching her face up, thinking of a wish before she opens her mouth wide and grabs Levi’s whole hand in a big, playful bite. The act makes him squeal in surprise and they fall into a fit of giggles as they finish off the cake together.

“What did you wish for, Ma?” Levi asks as he licks crumbs from his fingers.

“Now, that’s a secret just for me,” Kuchel whispers into another hug.

I wish for my boy to live long and in the light.

[tsams-confessions]

I wonder what the VAs feel when they read comments complaining that Sun hasn't had enough screen time, when until the arrival of Lunar and Earth, he was the main punching bag for all the anguish and misfortunes that occurred on that channel, 80% of it all the bad things were directed at him, being the one who suffered the most for more than a year and a half. Now that the writers have decided to cut him some slack and turn their attention to Moon and other characters to ruin (lol) their lives a little too, apparently it's wrong for self-proclaimed Sun fans that he's not the only one getting all the attention? Really? Learn to share dudes, I am a Sun fan, but I am also a Moon fan, and I would like to enjoy some of his anguish just as Sun's was enjoyed FOR YEARS.

.

[distort-opia]

you know i often see people throwing around the claim "joker r*ped/sa'd barbara in tkj" (mainly to shame people for liking the joker or batjokes) even though alan moore has dedunked it at some point. like the only piece of media i can think of with joker as a rapist is the azzarello graphic novel which is shit and doesn't need to be accepted as canon. i know it's kinda of a touchy subject but i'd be interested to hear your thoughts

Well. You've pretty much said it, to be honest.

Even a cursory Google search will reveal that Azzarello's Joker (2008) is a one-off, non-canon story. The just as much stand-alone sequel, Batman: Damned has a grieving Harley Quinn almost force herself on Bruce, and yet I haven't heard people say Harley is a rapist. Hell, didn't Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) have Harley and Nightwing sleep together... with pretty dubious consent on Dick's side? And yet fans are able to acknowledge that these are not canon storylines and that the writer matters a lot-- in the case of the latter, it's co-written by Bruce Timm, who is infamous for his shitty portrayal of female characters (also see the animation Batman: The Killing Joke, in which Barbara very assertively has sex with Batman, because that's of course the only way a woman can exercise power). Actually, Barbara's character has suffered so much... there's even Batman Beyond 2.0 #28, in which Bruce apparently got Barbara pregnant, Dick's girlfriend at the time.

But we all dismiss these storytelling choices because we know they're idiotic. They go against the core of the characters, simple as that. Why is Joker not allowed the same? While what he canonically did to Barbara in TKJ was horrible, rape did not happen, and that's a fact. Any other implications of sexual assault can only be connected to Frank Miller's writing in the TDKR series (not canon), or that horrible (and again, not canon) book adaptation of TKJ by Christa Faust and Gary Phillips. Unfortunately, there are always some writers who think that it's just darker and grittier and cooler, more shocking to have Joker attempt rape or resort to sexual means of intimidation; though it's funny how it happens that these are also generally controversial writers for their sexist depictions of women.

But we do know why Joker is not afforded the same kind of treatment as other characters who got butchered by out-of-character stories, canon or otherwise. He's become the punching bag of the DC fandom; it's so easy to proclaim loud and proud these days how much you hate the Joker and want him dead. If you're an anti and looking to feel morally righteous and signal to your echo chamber how good and pure you are, it's a low hanging fruit to latch onto Joker and criticize him for all he's done. The problem, of course, is when these people start attacking actual, real-life fans over their fictional preferences, shipping or otherwise.

But to give a more general conclusion, and my actual opinion on the matter: Joker is a master manipulator. His main schtick is literally getting Batman to kill him by orchestrating all manner of situations; he manipulates his doctors, his henchmen, he manipulates Gotham itself through the media on countless occasions. The very reason why he did what he did to Barbara in TKJ was to manipulate her father into having a mental breakdown. Joker picks people to break and then breaks them psychologically, that is his MO. What he wants is to expose the people around him, he wants to show that deep down, everyone is rotten.

It probably becomes obvious why rape is inconsistent with this mindset. Joker isn't the kind of monster to make things happen by brute force, he's the kind of monster to manipulate people into the worst versions of themselves and then laugh at them as they hate themselves for it. He'll murder and torture and imply any manner of atrocity to make that happen, but the source of his glee is seeing people fall into the same dark pit, devoid of humanity, he's chosen to live in. (And don't even get me started on the fact that Joker was canonically shown to have been a victim of sexual assault himself as a child, in Batman: Streets of Gotham. As an adult, he's depicted as gruesomely taking revenge on the man who did it. Something tells me there's more than one reason why Joker would not resort to rape, and it goes beyond MOs or agendas.)

[theerurishipper]

Real question tho. Was there ever an episode where the moment Alya was in anyway involved in the hero plot as hero herself Marinette DIDN'T treat her inherently more like a genuine partner and MUCH better than she treated/ treats Chat Noir?

The only episode i can remember where this doesn't happen is in "Mayura". But every other time?

S4 needs barely any explaining, Alya and Adrien were at the complete opposite extremes of partnership treatment from Marinette. Alya got the partnership deluxe on easy mode basically handed to her and Chat had to tank all the downsides, she got every promotion possible bc she is Marinette's civilian best friend while Chat was most of the time more of a "beloved" pet and scapegoat or punching bag than an actual partner which he had to learn to accept that he doesn't deserve any better under Ladybug's leadership. If Marinette even rememberd thinking about Chat at all.

Even s5 still keeps it consistent that Alya would be Marinette's actual partner now if only she still had her Miraculous. I don't think there has been a single time where Marinette has not explicitly chosen Alya/ Rena over Chat Noir in terms of actual partnership. "Revelation" even had Ladybug deceive Chat again, sending him out as bait, so she can get Alya involved as Scarabella so Marinette can try to trick Lila into admitting out loud that she's indeed a liar and Alya finally believes her. There was nothing noble about that. She was SURPRISED that Lila immediately deakumatized herself.

Great, and tahts what Marinette abandoned Chat Noir for on the battle field with only a hidden Scarabella who could have NOT helped him in any way if he had DARED to need help against Lila and the whole city after him.

I will never ever get over Marinette in Hack-San just not remembering Chat's existence at all besides telling Alya to try laughing at his jokes. Since day 1 Hawkmoth is after their Miraculous but apparently Marinette couldn't possibly imagine taht Chat suddenly seeing a new Ladybug holder out of nowhere is a bad thing.

But hey, SHE was taken care of, and apparently that's all that matters in her head. How wonderful that the episode basically said that if Adrien had given someone else his Miraculous before this without telling her, Marinette apparently wouldn't have feared for Chat's life at all. No concern spared for Chat Noir's survival, it's a miracle she remembered him at all, I guess?

This is not the Ladynoir I once signed up for.

Seriously, Season 4 was literally about Marinette pretty much replacing Chat Noir with Alya, and the only reason he got to be her special partner again was because Gabe stole all the Miraculous, not because she realized that the partner she wanted and the one whom she wanted by her side was Chat Noir. And apparently she didn't bother to tell him anything in Season 5 either, considering she's still ready to go behind his back (though this isn't as egregious) and lie to him. Like, the Season 5 finale has her tell Alya the secret about Gabe and that he was Monarch, but not Chat Noir (I don't mean Adrien, I mean Chat Noir), her partner who has been by her side the whole time. Like, Alya gets all this special and secretive information, and Chat Noir gets nothing, even the information he is entitled to. She hasn't learnt a damn thing. And I know, it's the fault of the writers, but it's so deeply entrenched into her character at this point that I'm finding it difficult to make that distinction.

Thank you for your ask!

[thetopichot]

•° The Middle Ground °•

☆ Chapter 1 ☆

*Runs on all fours* Hi SHIT I've been still working on this. Writer's block is a bitch. Anyway, *Throws this at you* enjoy. Also sorry if the food is little burnt, I wanted to pushed this out before the end of the month. *Runs away*

Word Count: 2.1k words

After the calamity that happened in the shop, you both went on that fall evening picnic date that you both planned awhile back. Finn absolutely adored fall since it's when he gets more inspired to cook his little pumpkin breads, more tea recipes, & he starts to get into his little hibernation phase which you always find adorable. You guys deserved it after a bit of a long day but with the questions that you still had in mind, might make it get even longer. You both prepared your little fall picnic under the park's willow tree with your checkered picnic blanket & a basket. You both laid back onto the blanket & began to gaze at the stars.

Finn sighed & fidgeted with his fingers as he stared at the stars in the sky. "Today has been a long day, hasn't it?" Finn broke the silence.

"Yeah it has." You answered awkwardly. You still felt bad about the situation that happened earlier today. "Hey, Finn?" Finn hummed in response.

"I'm sorry for what happened during the shop today. The dude...um damn. What was his name again, babe?" 

"Auron, darling."

"Yeah, Auron! That asshole really pissed me off." Well, apparently he pissed you off so much that you legit forgot about his name. "He is such a snobby prick & the way he treated you is just UGH. He treated you like you were just a damn peasant or like-"

"I was just there for one purpose?" Finn sat up on the blanket & curled his legs up. His face was exhausted, but he still had his soft smile. "Yeah, I know." You frowned at his voice. "You eventually get used to it when you work in service jobs. Your whole thing is just being a punching bag for people."

You sat up & leaned closer to Finn. "You have to deal with insults about almost everything. Like no matter what you do, it's always wrong. Then, eventually, you get used to the disrespect that is given, even though you always give them the respect that everyone deserves."

"That's just how service works. You deal with verbal abuse almost every day, but in the end, if you do anything about it, you're always in the wrong." Finn laid his head on top of his knees. "So I don't really care about what he said to me. It was just business." You rubbed his back.

"Finn. No one has the right to treat you like that. I don't care if they're a customer, friend, or family, no one should treat you like that ever. Period." You gently held his face in your palm & turned him to look at you. "Has Auron always treated you like that?"

Finn chuckled softly. "No. Not at all, actually." You were confused by the answer since that didn't really add up. "He actually treats me with the upmost respect. He enjoys hearing my flower facts. I just don't know why he acted out like that today."

"In a mood or not, he's still an asshole for saying that to you." You sighed. "Finn, you have to give yourself more self-respect. You're more than just a worker. You're a person." Then the long silence between you two began.

However, it wasn't really those long awkward silences. It was a silence of both thought & comfort. It was silence that was needed. As the silence went on, he stared at the black card that had been left by Auron earlier. The white font practically glowed in the moonlight. 

Why would he leave his card here? It was pretty obvious that Finn wouldn't be interested in getting a job since he already had one. Maybe you could call this number?

"Finn." He turned to look at you. You showed him the black card that you kept on you. "Let's call this number." He raised a eyebrow.

"Why?" He squinted to read the card. "Don't you already have a job already?" He paused to think. "Unless you're trying to juggle 3 jobs? Which I don't really recommend you doing. I tried to when I was helping my dad when it was his flower shop."

You shaked your head. "No? Maybe this might be his number?" Finn got even more confused.

"I doubt that, darling. That phone number could just lead to some operator at the end of the line & it's like what? 9 pm & it's a Sunday. Almost everything is closed right now!" Finn asserted.

"Hmmmm." You thought naught about the consequences & decided. "Yeah, I'm going to do it." Finn exhaled as there wasn't much he could do. "& maybe.." You added. "You could cuss him out for the way he treated you."

Finn was taken aback. "What? No! Why would I do that? That's just being plain petty."

"Being petty never really hurts, ya know." You said with a devilish grin, but it was soon shot down by Finn's 'Come on, now' look. "Or maybe just a little bit?"

"Darling, no. That conversation that happened earlier is done. We should just forget what happened & just accept the situation like the bending willows." You frowned.

"Well, alright." You put the phone down. "But I'm just saying it would be a good idea to call this number. I don't think he gave it to you for no reason." Finn considered that thought. 

"Hand me the card, please." You did as he asked you. You handed the black card & Finn took a gander at it. Maybe you were right about calling the number. He grabbed his phone from his pocket & you smiled at him.

"So, you're going to call the card?" 

"Yes, but I'm not going to do anything petty." He said sternly, but that sternness soon turned into dread. "But what do I say though? I don't think I've talked to a customer outside of work."

"A-HEM." You coughed loudly.

"I mean besides you, plus when we went somewhere to have a conversation, we never really talked on the phone about it beforehand." That gave you an idea.

"You should invite him for some tea, then."

"What?"

"Yeah, invite him for some tea! Like you did with me." Finn laid back down on the blanket awkwardly as he groaned. "Come on, babe. I doubt it's going to be that bad. Well, if you cut out the tea spilling thing then yeah everything is going to be fine." His phone covered his face as he just felt the weirdness of talking to him.

You laid sideways next to Finn. "But if he treats you like shit again, I will kick his ass for real this time."

"That doesn't really help, dearest." 

"Listen, I'm just saying & to be honest, I might kick his ass anyway because he's a dick."

"You JUST met him today."

"Okay &? I'm about to throw hands the next time I see him." Finn groaned even louder as he turned to the side. You rubbed the side of his waist. "But you should still go talk to him. You have the card in your hands." Finn took one quick look at the black card again.

Finn finally gave in. "Fine, but I will not be a happy camper if it either goes to voicemail or it's just a operator on the line." You smiled. Finn dials the number on his phone, '717-XXX-XXXX'. His phone vibrates for about 3 seconds. Then 4. Now 5.

The phone picks up & Finn puts it on speaker.

"Welcome to the Talent Agency. How may I help you today?"

It wasn't his voice, sadly. It was a feminine voice on the line. It wasn't high-pitched, but it was a rich voice with a hint of gentleness.

Finn could've hung up from there since it wasn't the result that anyone was hoping for, but for some reason, something in him possessed him. A voice told him to continue the call.

"May I speak with Auron?" The lady on the line went silent but you could both hear typing, so there was some hope left.

"Who am I speaking with?" The lady sounded suspicious towards Finn as the sounds of typing stopped, but to be fair, you wouldn't send some randos to your boss. It would be a waste of time & annoying.

"Finn. From Talk Floral...?" Finn's response sounded worried. Like if you were dialing some random code in & praying that it would work. Finn cheesed so awkwardly & squinted his eyes like he was prepared to be slapped in the face with disappointment.

"Oh! Finn? Sorry, dear. I didn't recognize you. It is late after all." Your eyes both widened at the lady's response. Finn recognized the voice better, but you were even more confused than before.

"How many people do you know?" You mouthed quietly.

"A lot. It's been awhile." He mouthed back quietly. "Heyyyyy, Trish! It's been awhile, huh?"

"It sure has been, honey. I'm assuming he gave you the company card?" He both looked at the black card & some things were kinda starting to add up but at the same time, more questions than answers here.

"Yes & I was also wondering if I could go to Auron?" Finn asked.

"I would, but he's out of the office. He doesn't stay for long."

"Then why are you still at the office if he's gone?"

"I don't slack, you know. I'm just finishing up some leftover memos & emails that need to be sent tomorrow. However, it is nice to hear from you, Finn. Always been a joy to talk to!" He smiled at that compliment & looked at you.

"The teaaaaaaaa dateeeeee." You whispered.

"O-Oh! Um, is it possible to set up an appointment with him? Sometimeee?"

"Yeah, I can schedule that, but I have to let him know first. Can't be setting up blind dates as funny as that would be." Finn's face flushed.

"NONONONO IT'S NOT A DATE-" Trish chuckled on the other line.

"Jesus, ya sound like him. 'It's not a date, it's a business trip.'" She mocked Auron's voice. "But yeah, don't worry I'm just messing with you." Finn sighed loudly as he just laid down onto the blanket in exhaustion. "Don't worry, dear. I can try, key word: try honey, to see if he's willing to join you. Can't make any promises to you."

"If he does say yes & that's a big if, when & where will it be?"

"There's a little local tea shop that a good family friend of mine owns. It's called Hattie's & it's just right around the square. Maybe he can come by around like 12? That's when the shop closes for the day, since it's a Sunday." The sound of typing resumes from the other side of the call.

"Well, I'll let him know that you want to see him."

"Thank you so very much, Trish."

"Anytime, dear. Bye-bye." The call hung up. Finn puts his phone down on the blanket & just stares at the stars.

"That went well, didn't it?"

"nO." Finn's voice cracked. 

"Come on, Finn. Are you worried that he might want to see you again?"

"YES."

"Maybe, & hear me out with this one, I come with you." Finn sat back up. Jesus, Finn is doing some goddamn sit-ups in this chapter, goddamn.

"With what happened today, no. I don't want you to cause a scene again & you just said earlier that you wanted to kick his ass."

"Still do."

"See?!" He groaned. "I just want it to go right & just not screw up this time."

"& you won't. I believe it's going to go well but if anything goes wrong, I'm always here for you alright?" Finn just nodded & you put your hand on his shoulder. "How about we enjoy the rest of this night, hmm?" You both layed down on the blanket. Y'all be getting abs after this.

"Hey, Finn. One more question for you. It's about Auron." Finn hummed a 'Yes.' "How long have you known him for?"

"I've known him for a while, but around 2 years sounds to be specific. I would say we've been, um acquainted."

"For two years of knowing each other, it doesn't seem like it." You quirked a eyebrow. "I don't buy that, Finn."

"But it's true!"

"Is it true? Or are you scared to just establish something between you two?" Finn hid his neck. He didn't have to say a thing to answer that question. His body language alone was enough. The rest was just an awkward silence as he was afraid to answer the truth about himself.

Nothing else needed to be said for it just unveiled itself.

He was alright with admitting mistakes, but when it comes to the truth about himself? He's scared of looking towards his own reflection. You both spent the rest of the date within silence but within that silence, you comforted him with your touch.

☆ミ Author's Notes Underneath 👇 ☆ミ

🩷 - Ngl did not know how to end this chapter so I'm sorry if the ending to this kinda sucks. I'll work on how to end chapters better or even how to write chapters better. The other reason is that I keep ignoring the asks in my little mailbox so if you sent me anything, I'm so sorry for not answering sooner. Gots alot on mind but don't worry I'm still chugging.

[skvatnavle]

The Decoy

Robert 'Bob' Floyd x plus size! reader

Warnings: Insecure reader, hurt/comfort, fluff, kissing.

Notes: Always been the insecure, chubby fat girl, I know what is like to get rejected or being the girl where one of the guys had to "take one for the team". So i thought, if I've been there, others have too. It's never fun, but maybe one day, you'll meet a guy like Bob 💕

And thanks again ti @a-reader-and-a-writer for letting me use her awesome dividers 😘❤️

Words: 2.3K

Masterlist

Staring into the mirror one last time, you frown slightly. Maggie had convinced you to put on a sundress and why you had no idea. Never one to wear dresses or anything that showed off your body, really, this was so far out of your comfort zone as it could be. But Maggie had been very persuasive, insisting you looked beautiful and that ‘it hugs your curves perfectly’.

Recently moved to San Diego, Maggie was quick to take you under her wing when she met you that first day at work. And she had quickly become a great friend. Only problem? She was gorgeous, almost too confident for her own good and always so damn positive. Practically perfect. The polar opposite of you. At least you felt so.

You had never really had the biggest confidence. Teased as a kid, rejected as an adult, both because of your size. You’d always had a little too much ‘junk in the trunk’. People had insisted you were still pretty, but several guys had proven you differently, by either rejecting you or by choosing your friends over you.

So when Maggie had suggested squeezing you into a sundress and to go drinking with a friend of hers, you had instantly hated the idea. A night out with not only one, but two beautiful girls? You already knew you’d sit alone while they were swarmed with guys. 

And it didn’t exactly make it better that they wanted to take you to Miramar, to this bar called ‘The Hard Deck’. Apparently full of pilots and various navy personnel from the nearby base.

As soon as you enter the bar, you already regret it. Packed with men and women in uniform or civilians hoping to bag a pilot for the night, you felt like a fish out of water. You smooth down the dress, fidgeting nervously with your hands. Maggie just grabs you by the hand and drags you to a table where her friend is waiting. Giving you both a hug, she then smirks with a raised brow.

“That guy I flirted with last weekend is here and he brought some friends.”

“Uh, that's perfect, where is he?”

She points ahead. Following her finger, you find a group of uniformed people standing around a table. As you spot the very handsome men, you just roll your eyes and sit down. So, they’ve already selected their targets for the night, so now you mentally begin counting down to being left alone at the table.

“Look at those two. They are so sexy!”

“The one with the Freddie Mercury mustache and the Ken doll?”

While Liz looks horrified, Maggie just rolls her eyes, punching you lightly on the arm. “They are gorgeous!”

“Yeah, okay. They are. But that’s the problem. They know how gorgeous they are. They’re probably too cocky for their own good.”

“Just the way we like them.”

All you can do is shake your head at them. Okay, so you had to admit they were hot. Maybe this was just you knowing you’d never even be considered to be in their league, so rather just make it seem like you don’t care. Just to tease Maggie and Liz, you make a sound of disgust. Liz turns to you, smiling softly.

“Fine, who would you pick then?”

“None, cause no one here would pick a girl like me.”

Her smile falters, caught by surprise. Maggie puts a hand on your arm and just as she is about to protest, you stop her. She always does this, bless her heart, but you don’t need it tonight. You wouldn’t call yourself ugly by no means, actually having quite a nice face and a pretty smile, if you had so say so yourself. But the guys here, well guys in general, tend to choose the prettier and slimmer girls. So you were used to getting shot down.

“I know what you’re gonna say. ‘You are beautiful, I wish you could see yourself as I see you’. Well, I don’t and it’s okay.”

None of them answer, they just look sad. Trying to lighten the mood, you push away from the table, giving Maggie’s shoulder a soft squeeze, while shooting Liz a smile.

“I’ll go get something to drink. If I’m gonna watch you two hit on Freddie and Ken, I’m gonna need some liquor.”

They laugh softly as you walk away, more out of pity than because it was funny, you imagine. 

Standing at the bar, you wait patiently for your turn. A huge roar of laughter from the pool table makes you look at them, smiling a little. As you look them all over, you stop when you see a guy sitting on a stool a little to the side. He’s swaying gently to the music, looking at what you think is his teammates playing pool. He pushes his glasses up his nose, before saying something to the others, making them laugh.

“What can I get you?”

You’re met with a bright smile by the woman behind the bar. You give your order and wait patiently. You look back towards the pool table and the guy with glasses is looking at you, a soft smile on his face. By force of habit, never believing anyone would look at you, you look to your side. There’s a pretty blonde with a radiant smile, laughing with her friend. You feel a little sting of pain in your chest, but quickly push it away. You get the drinks and quickly make your way back to your table.

An hour later, Liz is flirting shamelessly with the one of the guys at the pool table. His friend is eyeing Maggie across the room, sending her soft smiles, which leaves her giggling like a schoolgirl. You've only been here an hour and you’re already annoyed. None of them notice you or talk to you, so maybe you should just go home.

“God, can you believe how hot he is?” Maggie bites her lip, squeezing your arm as she is practically squealing. And as if on cue, Liz drags the guys with her to the table. Ken for herself and Freddie for Maggie. But then you notice the guy with the glasses following behind them. He smiles shyly when he sees you sitting at the table.

They all sit down, so they sit together in pairs, leaving you with Glasses. He is even cuter up close, his face really sweet and his blue eyes soft. He pushes his glasses in place, giving you another soft smile, before he nervously dries his hands on his pants. He extends his hand to you.

“Hi. I’m Bob. Well, Robert, but they call me Bob.” 

“Hi Bob.”

You shake his hand while giving him your name, discreetly looking him over. Very handsome and polite. Not bad. 

“So, ehm, are you having a great evening?”

Just as you’re about to answer him, you hear Maggie and Liz laughing behind him. They are all over their guys, looking like they’re 10 minutes away from dragging them home. Huffing in defeat, you realize what is happening. Bob’s buddies wanted to talk to Maggie and Liz, but she had probably insisted that they couldn’t leave you alone, so they had to get someone to distract you. So Bob here was taking one for the team. Of course.

“Look Bob. I know you’re only talking to me because the Abercrombie and Fitch models over there wanted to talk to my friends and had to get rid of me. But I’m letting you off the hook.”

You take a huge sip of your beer, already feeling the heat creep up your cheeks. This was so embarrassing. When you look back at him, Bob’s smile is gone, looking confused. Had it been under other circumstances, you would have loved for someone like him to hit on you. Always had a thing for guys with glasses. He actually seems sweet, but you don’t just wanna be some charity case.

“I can act like I’m going to the bathroom and then slip out. I’m sorry they stuck you with me.”

As you turn to get away, a hand softly grips your wrist, barely holding on as if he’s afraid of hurting you. Turning, you see Bob looking into your eyes.

“They didn’t.”

He gives you a soft smile and you find it hard being mad. He’s good, you’d have to give him that. Crossing your arms, you look him straight in the eyes.

“Oh, so you’re telling me they got the pretty girls, and you don’t mind being stuck with me?”

You don’t exactly gesture towards your body, but your tone is clear. How would a handsome and fit guy like him not want one of the other girls in the bar instead of you?

“I’m sorry, but… I think you’ve misunderstood this whole thing.”

His cheeks are a bright red as he searches for the right words to say, leaning a little closer to you.

“I-I wanted to talk to you. Hangman… or Abercrombie and Fitch 1” he chuckles softly, looking even cuter than ever as his eyes light up, “is, ehm, he’s taking one for the team.”

He laughs softly, looking so nervous it’s a wonder he even managed to say that to you. Searching his face, trying to figure out if he’s lying, you see only sincerity.

“Really?”

He nods softly. You can’t quite believe his words, thinking back to how confident Liz was earlier. But sure enough, you find the guy next to her looking bored. He smiles politely and almost looks interested in what she’s saying, but whenever she looks away, he rolls his eyes. Well, this had to be a first. You’ll never tell her, of course.

“How is he not interested? She’s gorgeous. And didn’t they flirt last weekend?”

“She talks too much.”

He shrugs a little and you can’t help but laugh. When the laughter dies, you look back into his beautiful blue eyes. Maybe he is telling you the truth, maybe he really is interested in you. You find it really hard to believe, but something in the way he looks at you, makes you wanna give him a chance. He really is quite handsome.

“Okay, Bob. Tell me a little about yourself.”

A few hours later, you’re sitting alone on the beach with Bob. Maggie and Rooster took off an hour ago, going to her place. You already knew you’d hear all about it tomorrow. As for Hangman and Liz, that’s a different story. He had actually done the old disappearing act, slipping out of the bar after a trip to the bathroom. 

But Bob was still here, sitting beside you, much to your surprise. The last few hours in his company had been great. He was a little shy, not really talking at times, but when he did, he had been incredibly charming, sweet and had made you laugh. With each little smile, you could feel your heart flutter a little. And each time he would wrinkle his nose as he pushed up his glasses, you couldn’t stop smiling.

An hour ago he had looked at his watch, declaring that the sunrise was an hour away. You’d never seen a sunrise with anyone, so when Bob asked if you wanted to stay for it, you couldn’t say no. So that’s how you found yourself still here, so close to him that you could feel the warmth from his body.

The sun was slowly rising in the horizon, the warm colors breaking the dark sky. You feel a finger softly brush against your hand, before his entire hand comes to rest on top of yours. You swallow hard, afraid to look down as if it would break the spell. He’s barely touched you yet, but your body is on fire. 

This is the single most romantic thing to ever happen to you and you feel like you can barely breathe. You wanna kiss him, but there’s still that little voice in your head telling you this is all a dream. Bob softly speaks your name and when you turn your head, he’s so close you can feel his breath on your skin. Wetting his lips, he looks just as nervous as you.

“Would… Would it be okay if I kissed you?”

Having lost all ability to speak, you just nod. His hand comes up to cup your cheek, gently pulling you closer. You almost moan when you feel his soft lips against yours. The first kiss is short and sweet, but quickly he kisses you again, pulling you a little closer. His other hand finds your hip and as he gives it a little squeeze, making you shiver under his touch.

As the sun slowly paints the sky, the warmth of the rays hit you and Bob. But the sunrise is long forgotten, the only thing existing is his lips against yours. Panting, he breaks away with a huge grin. And as you look at him, all doubts you had before are gone. 

“Can I maybe, ehm, take you on a date?” he asks softly, almost as if he’s expecting you to say no. Grinning like a fool, you give him a quick peck on his cheek, before saying yes. He puts his arm around you and as you lean into him, finally watching the sunrise, you can’t help but feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

Thank you so much for reading <3

Tagging: @loverhymeswith @jakelcckley @wildbornsiren @edwardbaldwin @chasingdreamer @mmurdock85 @lucy-sky @fictionalnerdery @autumnleaves1991-reads @joalsglasses @srry-itshockeyszn @sparrows-corner @multifandom-fangirl4 @lorecraft @ouroborus-momento-mori @lil-medic @paintballkid711 @weasleywinchester @tipsykeen @lluckpng @blindedbyyourgrace17 @levylovegood @weasleywinchester @andshivroytoo @green-socks @weakling-grace @mayhem24-7forever @bandagesandloveletters @marchingicenotes7

[poughkeepsies]

Even before Buck Begins, Buck was actually in the midst of a breakdown from the moment he said he felt sad and lonely or when he said he went to therapy, he was slowly losing it, from the announcement his parents are gonna come, to the dinner, to the reveal, to when he was punching the bag, he was cracking and then during the fire everything exploded so yeah even before the fire he was already slowly breaking down (maybe even before in earlier seasons too)

yeah I mean while the warehouse scene was a very physical, outwardly apparent breakdown, buck's first trauma happened so early on in his life that he's basically always been a bit splintered. the most annoying take I see about buck's character is when people say that "the writers don't know what to do with him because they keep making his character regress" when that's not the case at all. buck is so realistic because of how persistent his trauma and insecurities are. he gets better, he absolutely gets so much better throughout the show and even before the coma (which has now kickstarted his true healing journey) he was miles away from the wounded, posturing, lonely kid in season 1. but just because he goes to therapy or says he's buck 3.0 or ends a bad relationship that doesn't mean he should now be a paragon of perfect self-worth and decision making and it is so unfair to his character and the real people who have issues similar to him to throw him away as a character who never learns or moves forward because healing is not linear and buck has had so much to heal from and no real opportunity to do so throughout the past 6 seasons.

[geoblitzz]

Mini fic???

So I don’t have the time or energy to draw this idea rn because I’m very busy and already working on my lfls comic, so I thought I’d try to write it. My narrative writing is rusty so don’t flame me lol (update: I edited it a bit, just added some details and flourishes)

I really like the Rise Movie AU where future Leo gets through the time portal as well, and interacts with all his brothers again. (So much good angst opportunities!) In this AU, with the help of future Leo and Casey jr, they get the key back seal the Krang instead of Raph being kidnapped. This angsty scene(s?) idea came to me at 4:30 in the morning and I just had to get it down- this is maybe a few weeks post movie where future Leo has moved in with the Rise boys. (I refer to Future Leo as Leonardo, and young Leo as just Leo! Hope that makes it easier!)

I’m no fic writer 👀 but I hope y’all enjoy!

Leonardo ground his teeth. He usually could handle the jabs and the puns, but apparently not today. Of course, Leonardo couldn’t be happier about having this second chance. Where, in this new reality, if he closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of his alternate brothers run around the lair, it all seemed like a bad dream.

BUT. One thing was getting on his nerves, one thing he hadn’t quite anticipated: himself. Or, his younger self, that is. There was just something about his other self that rubbed him the wrong way.

He wondered if it was because his shorter, louder counterpart was a reminder of everything about himself he had to leave behind. His performative ego, his endless jokes, and the flamboyant flair he used to bring to every conversation- all of it haunting him like the ghost of who he used to be, a reminder that this family wasn’t his family… Or maybe, Leonardo really was more annoying as a kid than he remembered.

But today was already a bad day. He had intended to sleep in, to catch up on a fraction of the years of sleepless nights, but he instead had woken up to angry yelling and shouting. Leonardo nearly had a panic attack. It had all been fine, of course. The Krang were gone, and he knew that, and yet… The reason for the noise had been Mikey arguing with the others over his recent victory in another “all-night-video-game-ultra-mega-championship,” as they called it, and it had apparently been a very close win.

Leonardo had rushed in to see what was going on, weapons drawn, only to be greeted by 3 sleep deprived sore losers, and one very sore winner. “You’re just mad you don’t have my mad skills!” Mikey had taunted gleefully from a pile of cushions, “AND YOU NEVER WILL!!” he giggled, running past Leonardo to run to the kitchen. His other self and the younger Donnie followed swiftly behind, followed by “oh yeah?” and “we’ll see about that, Miguel!”

“You okay there, Leo?” Raph said, snapping him from his thoughts. Leonardo sighed, “Yes, sorry-Raph.” His voice caught on his brother’s name, the syllable catching in his throat. He hadn’t said it in a long time. “You sure? ‘Cause you may be old, but Istill know a sad Leo when I see one. Can’t pull one over on big brother Raph! …Or, I guess… little brother Raph?” He offered, giving a shy smile.” Leonardo let out a small laugh, and his heart twisted. Images of his past flashed through his mind as he remembered his own Raph, and how he too had been focused on others, even while he lay dying. He shook the thought away. “No, buddy. I’m fine, really. Just… getting used to seeing everyone.” The “again” left off of the statement hung heavy in the air, unspoken. “Okay, well, if you need anything, I’m here to talk. We all are.” Raph patted Leonardo’s robotic arm as he, too, moved to the kitchen for breakfast. Leonardo didn’t follow.

With an eventful morning behind him, Leonardo now stood in the training room, blowing off some steam. He had removed his bulky prosthetic, allowing his skin to breath as he went to work on a punching bag. (He also knew that his metallic enhancement packed quite the punch, so to speak, and didn’t want to break their things.) He continued to grind his teeth absent minded, and could hear a quiet purple thought berating him for it, about how there were no dentists, let alone ones mutant dentists, in the wasteland of New York. Other multi-colored jabs and laughs climbed his consciousness like bittersweet cobwebs that couldn’t be cleared. He ignored the thoughts best he could and struck harder. He kicked and punched with his good arm, and finally got a rhythm going when his focus was broken by an all too familiar voice.

“Working on the old 1-2, ey old me?” Leo said, bouncing on his feet and holding up his fists in a faux fight stance.

Leonardo paused. He hadn’t even heard Leo come in the room. Not now, he thought. Please not now.

“or should I say just the 1? Haa! Up top!”

His younger self held up a hand for a high five, but Leonardo just sighed and began to go at the bag again. Leo awkwardly tried to play it off, scooping his hand behind his head. “Sooo,” he began, “what’s been going on in that old nog of ours? Cause I kinda get the feeling somethings up, I mean, you never miss Mikey’s breakfast, but I’m not sure- You’d think I’d be pretty good at reading myself, but I guess I fall a little short,” he said, emphasizing their height difference with another wave of his hand in a mock salute gesture.

Leonardo’s rhythm was fully thrown off now, and sighed as he turned to face himself. “You sure talk with your hands alot,” he said, his one hand on his hip. “Well, sure!” the younger him replied, throwing on his trademark smirk, “guess you kinda don’t though, right?” Leonardo huffed, “look kid, I’m really not in the mood.” He brushed past Leo and stated towards the doorway.

“What, no time for some self love and, one could say, brotherly bonding?” Leo said, his tone full of fake hurt.

“Nope.” Leonardo said, not even turning to face him.

“Uh, aren’t you forgetting something?”

Leo turned and realized he had left his replacement appendage on the floor, though now it was haphazardly draped over his other self’s shoulders.

“Please don’t play with that-“ Leonardo began, but he was quickly cut off by his own voice-

“I have to say it is rather disarming to see you without it.”

Leonardo lunged for the arm, but he wasn’t fully used to swift movements without the extra weight, so the spryer Leo easily dodged.

“I got to hand it to you though, it’s a very cool arm.” Another dodge. “Bet it’s good for fighting, too. D’you get it from an arms dealer?” Leo hefted the arm like a bat, the elbow bending and creaking at a tense angle.

“Leo, careful-“ Leo laughed as he, again, dodged under Leonardo’s reaching hand.

“Can it shoot lasers or anything?” He mused, turning it over at an odd angle, and the joint made a painful sound as it jostled. A chill ran through Leonardo, as a phantom pain shoot through his stump, and the memory of impossibly sharp tentacles flooded his thoughts.

“THAT DOES IT-“ Leonardo roared, tackling his younger self, sending the arm clattering to the floor. He pressed Leo into the mat, able to pin him with just one hand. “I’ve had it up to HERE with your nonsense, Leo,” he spit, “I can take a good joke, believe me! I’m YOU, for crying out loud, but you DO. NOT. mess around with and joke about my arm. About everything I sacrificed, about what WE ALL sacrificed! About the last thing Don made for Raph, and the feeling of taking it back, and what I had to…to…” A droplet of wet fell onto his younger face. He was crying. The last time cried was…

He refocused his blurry eyes beneath him. His younger self lay shocked and speechless. He almost looked afraid. Leonardo pulled his arm away, releasing Leo and drawing into a seat on the floor, holding up his head with his hand. “…I’m sorry,” he managed, letting his eyes dry.

“I… no, don’t worry about it.” Leo said quietly, as he stood and gingerly picked up the large prosthetic. He walked it back to where his older self sat, and placed it by his side. “I didn’t realize it was… so important,” he continued, “I actually do think its really cool- but that seems kinda stupid now, huh.”

Leonardo sighed. “We’re both a little stupid, kid.” He said, jostling Leo’s head with his hand, “That’s something about us that doesn’t go away, trust me.” His younger self grinned, “oh darn, there goes my secret dream of overthrowing Donnie!” He said sarcastically, both of them unable to resist a joke even in the midst of an serious conversation.

“Well, some things never change, Lil Leo,” Leonardo said, as he re-attached his link to the past, readjusting its heavy weight. “Some things never change.” Leonardo stood and offered Leo a non-metal hand up. He took it.

“They sure don’t!” Leo smiled, “You hungry? Cause Mikey made way too much mac and cheese again.” Leonardo chuckled, “Of course he did.” A genuine, relaxed smile spread across Leonardo’s face for the first time in since they closed the portal door.

“Of course he did.”

End

It’s a LOT longer than I meant it to be and idk I think the pacing is a bit off, but I wrote and edited it in 3 hours as the sun rose so I can live with that. Let me know your thoughts!!

[bumblingbabooshka]

Thank you to @trillscienceofficer for tagging me, this was fun! 1. The provisions shop was small, dark and clearly constructed centuries ago. (From: Can you Hear the Bumblebees Swarm?) Fic about Stonn loving T’Pring and T’Pring loving Spock and Spock thinking he might love Christine and Christine mostly just wanting to have sex. There’s also stuff about what happens to Vulcans who lose their logic because I love worldbuilding apparently! 2. “I’m going.” Noss said after dropping off the bag of spoils for Tom and the not-there doctor to shell and cook. (From: A Good Meal Away from Home) A fic from Noss' POV for this fic! I liked giving her some semblance of a backstory and might write more for her - I love yearning and requited unrequited love. 3. The home Stonn had bought for them was two stories with a small garden by the water, a gate blocking it from the road. (From: The Wanting comes in Waves) This is a T'Pring/Stonn fic in the TOS universe. I had a great time describing their house (as usual) and it was fun getting into Stonn's POV since he's such a literal side character - pretty much makes him a blank slate beyond his devotion to T’Pring! 4.Tuvok had never understood the phenomena of Vulcans becoming attracted to humans. (From: When you Speak you Speak to my Soul) Chakotay punches a guy for Tuvok and Tuvok forgets how to act. Here I was thinking about 'Learning Curve' and Vulcan challenges/ritual violence as a display of romantic interest. 5. “Tuvok, are you able to come home?” T’Pel asked. (From: To Eat Until Full) I really liked this one even though it's so niche! It's Tuvok taking care of making dinner for his family on a starbase pre-Voyager and trying to deal with being away from home. Should he speak his native language more at home? Why do his kids keep asking for pizza? Is he doing the right thing, raising them off-world? Will his father-in-law give him a break and let him cook Aikum-Shur with store-brought ingredients instead of hand-picked produce? What does it mean to be Vulcan? 6. The nape of T’Vok’s neck was a new sight and the only bit of skin on her that was unblemished by bruises from a fight Suder had heard but hadn’t seen, tucked safely away in her quarters, writing poetry poorly and growing flowers. (From: Like Scissors to the Neck) What if we went to an alien bathhouse and I noticed you cut your hair and I wrote you poetry I'll never let you read and I kind of want to kill you and I kind of want to stay with you forever and we were both women? 7. Tuvok was aware that his fellow crewmen speculated about how he would reunite with his wife. (From: Burned into Memory - Glowing Beneath the Surface) Tuvok worries about the fact that he has issues and baggage related to the delta quadrant and he isn't the same person he was before - will T'Pel still want to be with him? 8. They were in a small room sectioned off from the rest of the temple with a heavy weaving rug. (From: The Gardener Moves Forward Through Weeds) A T'Pel-centric fic set while everyone still assumes Voyager is lost forever and its crew are dead. Thinking about Vulcan love and its dangers. Thinking about Vulcan care, how alien methods of care and emotional maintenance may differ from humans. It was fun to write love as a foreign invader. 9. Amanda’s bathroom was small to give space to the other rooms in her apartment and Sarek’s things stood starkly apart from her own, even when they were mixed together. (From: Strange Thoughts) Literally just Sarek and Amanda, young, pre-kids, fucking around. 10. “Doctor?” Kes asked, stepping into sickbay. (From: Away - to or at a Distance) Wanted to write a Kes-centric fic and for some reason decided to ALSO try out a more action focused fic? I don't know how this turned out, I'm more of a 'slice of life' or 'angst' writer but hey, it's fun to try new things! I tag anyone who wants to do it, honestly. I don't know who follows this blog and also writes so it'd be fun to see!

[evaglass]

Part 3 on Karai's arc

Looking closer at Shredder's and Karai's relationship, I am very curious to know what Karai's childhood was like. Was Shredder ever paranoid Karai would find out the truth?I mean the Shredder thought Splinter was dead along with Tang Shen until he saw in the news the Hamato clan ninja stars.

He must've kept Karai on a tight ship, which is why she probably became a rebellious teen. Shredder didn't even know Shinigami's name, Karai's closest friend since childhood, and for all we know, she could've been Karai's only friend, it could've been a secret friendship too. Was Karai even allowed to have friends?

This was probably what Karai's childhood mostly consisted of, which is not what Tang Shen wanted at all. Of course, the Shredder did not respect her wishes, raised Karai so that one day she could take over the Foot Clan, and got really paranoid when he found out Splinter could possibly be alive but at the same time he saw it as a perfect way of revenge. Raising the child of the man you hate and using her against him is truly messed up.

But of course, he's like "finders keepers" and locks her up once she knows the truth. Keep in mind that this is the same man who was the source of parental love for Karai. I think the only other person Karai could've possibly had was Shinigami.

After spending what could be around a month in a cell, I am not surprised Karai said that to Shredder. She had nothing but time to just think how much the Shredder manipulated her, this the man who would lecture her on honor, and here he was lacking it the most.

She was probably questioning if he ever loved, that all those moments of tough love were just him using her as a punching bag and a pawn. Karai's emotional guards were probably on really high alert, and Shredder expressing his emotional pain to her about how she was acting was probably seen as a way to attempt to manipulate her again.

Like I said in a way, I can understand why Karai would go back to finish off the Shredder on her own. For a few reasons, I can see as an attempt for her to regain her honor, avenge her mother, and finally end this conflict. I can believe that maybe Karai thought it should be her to end things, it was her right, and would give her circumstance to say goodbye.

Of course, it was a bad decision that ended up with Karai being mutated. Yes, I see parallelism, "a blow meant for me striked your mother instead." It's like poetry, it rhymes. This should've been a wake-up call for Karai, but it was also something the writer could've used as a great setup for something. But season three is where things start going downhill.

Just before Karai was mutated, Baxter Stockman dropped his version of retromutageon into the snake. A retromutageon that he expressed would not just turn him back human but turn him into a stronger version of his former self. Karai got mutated with it and was given the ability to shape-shift into her human form.

The writers could've done so much with this. For one thing, Karai could've realized what Splinter meant about how vengeance only brings more pain. We could've also had a cool arc where Karai learned how to control her new abilities while also finally processing all the trauma she had from being lied to, to being mutated; i mean I'm pretty sure someone in her circumstance would've gone through an identity crisis. Apparently, mutation is a painful process, and she was dropped in a vat of it.

You're telling me during the episode Serpent Hunt that we barely got a reaction from the others when they finally saw what Karai could do with her mutation. The only one who expressed any visible shock was Mikey?? I know Xever and Bradford should've been like, "This is bullshit" when they saw that.

You're telling me the Kraang weren't the least bit interested in studying that type of mutation? Not even Donnie would want to understand how that works??

And so what is done instead? She is turned into plot devices and a tragic romance for Leo to go through. Leo, who is Splinter's son, and Karai's brother. The writers were so wrong for this.

1, 2, 4

[lythea-creation]

A True Dauntless - Four x fem reader (platonic)

summary: After switching to Dauntless (f/n) is close to becoming factionless. But that doesn't stop her from putting up a fight.

warnings: violence

word count: 1.377

Author's note: Feel free to check out my Masterlists and make requests. No reposting please! Reblogging, comments and requests are always appreciated <3 If you like the story/my writing, please don't be shy to say it via comments or asks! It takes you a few seconds and might make my day. It's the best appreciation you can show to a writer you like.

Requested? Yes

---------------------------

I had never been physically strong. Back in Erudite I had learned to handle everything with logic and wit. That was what I was great at, my comfort zone.

Switching to Dauntless had not come easily to me. I had always been told that I would turn out to be great someday. They had all meant my future career in Erudite, praised my intelligence. But somehow it just was not enough. It felt like I was trapped.

The decision to switch at all was my confirmation that Dauntless was the right choice for me. I may have a lot of fears, a little comfort zone, a lack of physical strength and endurance. But my mind, my willpower was strong.

Jumping out of a driving train? Insane, obviously! But I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and did it anyway.

Jumping into a dark pit having no clue what was expecting me at the bottom? Scary as hell! But I would not give up that easily.

I had what many Dauntless did not. They had a few fears that were paralyzing them. My fears were paralyzing me as well, but only for a short moment. Because I had so many of them I was used to facing them head on. I wanted to grow. I had switched to leave my comfort zone. Giving up was no option, would not be even if it did not mean to become factionless.

But the physical aspect of the training was not something I could just push through and hope for the best. It was the part where only hard work and perseverance would give me a chance at all.

I was last during every run, my lungs burning from the strain I was forcing upon them.

The punching bag barely moved when I hit and kicked it.

My first fight ended quickly as I did not manage to block a punch that knocked me out immediately.

Everybody was sure that they did not have to worry about me. That I was no competition for them anyway. One less opponent to consider.

I was the only one believing in me.

I was all on my own, my family left behind, apparently too weak to be accepted by my new one.

So I trained. No to get them to accept me, but to show myself that I could. They did not know that I was a fighter in a different way.

Every morning I rose early to go on another run. Every evening when the others were hanging out and enjoying themselves, I had another session with the punching bag. When the others were going to bed, I returned from training after my intense mobility and stretching routine, hoping that it would prevent injuries and the soreness of my muscles that was plaguing me every time I moved my body.

Today I was fighting against Peter. Besides Edward he was the favorite and I could hear the whispers of the other initiates. They were pitying me, even scared for me.

On the one hand I could understand them perfectly well. But on the other hand it was making my blood boil.

“If you stand still I'll have mercy and end it quickly”, Peter offered, an arrogant smirk adorning his face.

“What a gentleman”, I stated sarcastically and scoffed.

His smirk immediately transformed into a glare, showing me that step one of my plan had worked out. Making him angry.

He was the first to attack. I had seen him fight before and analyzed his movements. His first strike was always the same. I would not go down as easily as before anymore.

I quickly dodged his punch and pushed him over my leg, destroying his balance.

Then I hit him against his temple and then his jaw before he started blocking my attacks. He had not expected my strike. I had taken him completely off guard. Step two of my plan.

Now it was time for the third step of my plan.

I knew I could not dodge all of his attacks. My body was too sore and tired after the excessive training and little rest it had endured over the last days. But I could still decide which blows to avoid.

So I let him hit me where I could take it without passing out. My legs and arms, my shoulders, my upper ribs, my cheek. It hurt, but I could push through that. My stubbornness and willpower never letting me consider to give up.

“Suddenly not so strong anymore, huh?”, Peter mocked me after hitting me to the ground.

Step four. Making him feel superior and beat him when he thought he had already won.

I slung my legs around his own and forcefully punches the back of his knee, making him stumble and fall. Then I hurried to hit my elbow against his nose, confident at the crack that followed my attack.

Now that his vision was blurry, thanks to the tears that were inevitable after such a blow, I knocked him out with a strong and well aimed punch against his jaw. Knowing the weak points of the body thanks to studying it back in Erudite was very beneficial now.

The training area was completely silent now, except for my tiny hiss when I was trying to stand up again. A small grin formed on my face as I looked down at unconscious Peter.

Then I spit out some blood that had pooled in my mouth and got off the sparring platform.

“Are you okay?”, Four wondered due to the blood.

“Yeah”, I assured him.

Suddenly I heard a rustle behind me, telling me that Peter had woken up again.

“You little ...”, he cursed and rushed toward me.

I only managed to turn around before he was in front of me, but luckily Four quickly took him on, his arm around Peter's throat.

“You should know when you've lost. Only a coward acts like this”, Four pointed out.

“Not bad”, Eric praised me. “You should all take her as an example. That's how a Dauntless is supposed to fight.”

All of a sudden everyone wanted to talk to me, being flashed by my unexpected win against Peter. To them it was a miracle. To me it was not.

When everyone else made their way over to the cafeteria, Four and I stayed behind. I did not need a whole hour to eat lunch and hence decided to add another stretching session to recover from my fight.

“You've made incredible progress”, Four noted, watching me stretch with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “How is that?”

“I just trained. That's all”, I brushed it off.

I did not need his acknowledgment. After all I had done it all on my own, except for him showing me some basic techniques.

“That doesn't come from basic training. You had a strategy and your fitness improved drastically over the last days. Honestly I wouldn't think that was possible if I hadn't just witnessed it”, he proclaimed.

“I just use all the time I can get, as you can see”, I enlightened him, right now stretching my upper body.

“You're resilient”, he remarked. “Honestly I didn't think you would make it, but right now I think you could easily become one of the top three.”

“So what?”, I questioned.

“How are you feeling?”, he inquired.

“Well, not the best obviously. I got some heavy bruising and my muscles are overstrained. I'll need to take a break from my additional training for today if I don't wanna risk serious injuries”, I resonated.

“Some of your moves are still sloppy. You have a lot of potential though. How about some private training sessions in the evenings, after resting for today of course”, he offered.

“Are you serious?”, I reassured.

“Yes. Your hard work deserves to pay off. I'm gonna meet you here tomorrow, one hour after dinner”, he instructed me.

“Alright! I'll be here”, I agreed.

Despite wanting to pull it off on my own, I could not help but feel excited about this new change. I was a Dauntless after all.