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demoneyesanddamagedsouls · 4 years

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Sparring Partners

Chapter Two: Preparation

A/N: Thank you guys so much for the love on the first Chapter of this fic, I hope you enjoy this one just as much. I’m aiming to post a new chapter each week, not sure yet how many chapters this’ll have yet. Feedback and comments as always are so welcome, I’d love to hear your thoughts, and if you’d like to be tagged for the upcoming chapters just let me know! xxx

Pairing: Agent Whiskey x F! Reader

I have also just created a playlist for ya’ll to listen to while reading. I hope it gets you even more invested! ✨COCKY COWBOY PLAYLIST✨

Summary: You and Agent Whiskey are long time rivals. As Statesman agents you both have been put up for the same promotion and this mission is your final chance to prove yourself. Have you got what it takes?

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Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Slight Language, mentions of food and canon-typical violence

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CHAPTER TWO: Preparation

You both leave the conference room minds reeling from all the information that was just given to you.

As one of the younger agents at Statesman, being chosen as a potential candidate for Champ’s position was a real honour. It showed that Champ really thought highly of you and your skills. After 8 years of working as an agent, going on your fair share of dangerous and difficult missions, taking a bullet more than once, and now training the new recruits with Tequila, you knew you had worked your ass off to get where you were. However, even with all this experience it paled in comparison to some of the more senior agents, some with 10 or more years under their belt. Hell, the person you were up against had been on the job for about 15 years, making a name for himself as one of the most fearsome agents that Statesman had to offer. You knew for a fact that Whiskey had been hoping for this position eventually, it had been something he mentioned to other agents that you heard in passing. At the top of his game and at the height of his career you realised, this cowboy was going to be one hell of a challenge to go up against.

Whiskey mulled over this new mission and Champ’s offer over and over in his mind. He wasn’t particularly surprised that Champ had propositioned him as a potential candidate for this position, he was one of the most senior agents at Statesman. Probably the closest in age to Champ and with the extensive experience he had it seemed rather obvious, but Vodka? You were still so young, in your mid 20’s the world was yet to break your spirit. Mind you, you had that bossy tone down packed. He chuckled to himself. He was hesitant to admit but you had a certain leadership quality that you didn’t see in most of the agents here. Most were contented to follow orders and carry out missions as asked, but you always had your own way of doing things, always taking the initiative. He supposed you had a fresh and young perspective that Champ must see as endearing. He however, found your constant need to take charge rather infuriating. You always seemed to think you knew best and even if you were correct, more often than not he was resigned to admit, it was still frustrating as you always seemed determined to show him up. He knew you were going to be a challenge, so determined to prove yourself, and a damned good agent to boot. Fuck this is going to be harder than he thought.

Both of you walking in the same direction out of the room, neither of you realising the other is turning to walk in the opposite direction. Both too caught up in your own thoughts you collide into each other your head smacking into Whiskeys chest. Quickly recoiling from the unintentional contact your rub your forehead with the palm of your hand. “Dammit Whiskey, watch where you’re going for Christ’s sake.”

“Well jeez Vodka how am I supposed to avoid you and that ego inflated head of yours?” He scoffed, eyeing you up and down.

You scowled at him, “You think I have a big ego? Have you looked in the mirror lately Whiskey? You and that cocky ass grin of yours have got a lot of nerve talking about my ego.” Rolling your eyes, you swiftly turn and storm away from the narcissistic cowboy.

“If you liked my smile so much you should have just said so… sunshine.” He calls back to you as you walk away. You could practically hear the smirk in that smooth as silk southern accent.

What an absolute dick. He knew exactly what he was doing when he spoke to you like that. It infuriated you. The way his southern drawl echoed in your ears, his words dripping like honey, they way he called you those stupid little pet names. Everything about Whiskey drove you up the wall, he always knew just how to get under your skin. “Fuckkkk…” You growled to yourself as you stormed into your office your heeled boots clicking angrily through the hall. Why does he always have to be so intensely irritating? You needed to get that stupid fucking smirk out of your head and get prepared for your new op. Slamming the door shut and sitting down, you start reclining in your office chair taking a deep breath and relaxing. Whiskey’s scent had lingered on your clothes creating a cloud around you after you had slammed into his chest. Inhaling the smell of cinnamon and sandalwood, a soft oaky smell, your breathing began to slow and calm. You would never tell him but that was one thing you did unfortunately enjoy about Whiskey. He always smelt good. Why did he always have to smell so damn good? Shaking your head to clear your mind of any remaining thoughts of Whiskey you leaned towards your desk and opened your laptop. This was going to be a long night…

***

Pushing the door closed with your heeled foot, you stepped into your apartment and sighed. You were exhausted. Checking your watch, you realised it was now 10 minutes past midnight. Swiftly moving to the bedroom, you flopped onto your bed groaning as you flipped yourself over and pulled off your boots, quickly changing into your pyjamas. Finally laying back down in bed you stared up at the ceiling running over the research you’d done over the course of the afternoon and evening, and the plan you had organised for tomorrow. You had spent the afternoon working, collecting copious amounts of information on CleanPlanet and the history of their company. It seemed that they were attempting to pass as an almost ‘mom and pop’ style family-owned business “Dedicated to the bettering of the planet and all the people who inhabited it.” What a load of rubbish. You had uncovered multiple articles from smaller news publications questioning the companies credibility, some families of recently passed away individuals even coming forward and accusing the company of foul play in the deaths of their relatives. CleanPlanet was owned and run by Howard Jacoby and his wife Constance, two very well-off socialites and academics who were every bit as snobby as they appeared in pictures. At least you wouldn’t be dealing with them directly thank goodness you hated dealing with high society types, that would be Whiskey’s issue.

There was a particular video that had caught your eye whilst combing through their internet presence, a TedTalk style video starring the one and only Howard Jacoby. He was speaking about how the planet was struggling with things like overpopulation and pollution, a speech which sounded eerily similar to Professor Arnold’s work, the man who had assisted Richmond Valentine and encouraged his plot to wipe out most of the planet. You shuddered at the thought. Either way you and Whiskey would get to the bottom of this. If the company and its owners were planning on anything like what Valentine had tried to execute then you needed to figure it out quickly. Deciding you’d brief Whiskey in the morning about your hunch, you set your alarm and curled up in your soft cotton sheets. Looking out your bedroom window at the twinkling of the city lights, your head sinking slowly into your pillow. You drift off into a restless sleep, anxious of what tomorrow would bring.

***

You arrived at Statesman the next morning rubbing your eyes. Your sleep had been restless, anxiety of the coming days keeping you from a comfortable evening. Pushing the door to your office open you hear a chipper voice behind you. “Well mornin’ Vodka. You ready for the op today?” You turned to see Whiskey standing in your office door frame, leaning his broad shoulder against it with a large smile plastered across his face.

Rolling your eyes at his unnecessarily wide grin, “And what’s gotten you in such a fabulous mood this morning?” You say with an exasperated sigh as you drop into your office chair with a small thud. As soon as the words fall out of your mouth his smile somehow grows larger as he pulls out the arm that was behind his back forward as he saunters into the room. Holding a large paper bag, which as soon as you spot the smell hits your nostrils. Fresh pancakes. You look at him with sudden excitement and surprise, your mood instantly lifted and the last feeling of tiredness leaving your body as you inhale deeply.

“I thought I’d bring us some breakfast to get us in the right headspace for today. I also thought we should probably trade what we found out yesterday during our research to make sure we’re both on the same page…”

“Oh, so this is a bribery breakfast huh?” You questioned as you drag your eyes away from the mouth-watering food on the desk in front of you, finally taking a proper look at Whiskey for the first time this morning. The first thing you notice is that he is not currently donning his regular black Stetson, a rather big change from his usual cowboy appearance. Instead, he was showing off his thick, brushed back hair, his wireframe Statesman issued glasses resting on his strong nose, obscuring his dark brown eyes. He was wearing a gorgeous grey checkered suit with a white dress shirt underneath, a casual yet striking look on his glowing tan complexion. It was a very nice change for the cowboy. He cleans up well, you thought. Your gaze flicks up and you notice Whiskey’s cocky grin once again. He must have thought you were eyeing him up, not that you weren’t but you weren’t about to let him know that. You roll your eyes at him trying to keep his knowing smile at bay. “So, what are you after then Whiskey?”

“Well sunshine, since you always seem to know everything, I thought I’d get your run down on things this morning before we both head out to our separate ops today.”

“Ahhhh there it is, the usual candour I’m used to from you cowboy. I was worried when you showed up this morning with a kind gesture that I wouldn’t be enjoying any of that snarky wit I have become so accustomed to.” You look down at your computer and notepad, focusing on the research notes you had made last night in somewhat of a delirious, fever dream state. “Alright let me have a look…” you trailed off.

Whiskey sits down across from you at your desk pulling the steaming pancakes out of the paper parcel you had brought this morning. Setting up the two meals Whiskey observes you, wearing a pair of simple black high waisted work pants tapering at your waist, a simple white blouse tucked into them, the buttons undone just low enough to show off your neck and the top of your chest. He darts his eyes back up to your face, so you don’t catch him staring, nose scrunched up in concentration under your matching Statesman glasses as you palm through your somewhat excessive amount of research notes. He lets out a light breath of amusement seeing you like this, confused but copiously prepared, it was a nice change of pace from your usual so certain self.

Looking back up from your notes as you find what you were looking for you see the small meal containers opened on the desk, filled with pancakes with a small pot of maple syrup on the side. Turning your focus back to Whiskey you begin to go through what information you’d gathered that you thought was pertinent to the both of you. You ran through the notes you had made, both of you working your way through breakfast, Whiskey chiming in occasionally with a mhmm and a nod here and there. “One thing that kept bugging me last night was that Ted Talk type video of Howard Jacoby… talking about the human race being a plague on the planet that needed to be cured so the earth could thrive again…” you trial off as a look of concern crosses your face, “It was really eerie and reminded me a lot of that professor that assisted Richmond Valentine in his attempt to have the world turn on each other.”

“Well, it seems I missed that video, that sounds mighty concerning…” Whiskey trails off, leaning his elbow on the side of your desk slowly pushing his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose. “Wonder what their testing at those new hospital facilities of theirs then…” He turns to look at you, the same worry sparkling in his eyes.

“My hunch is that they must be testing something similar to what Valentine did, something that can affect extensive groups of people on a large scale. Something that would be easy to distribute and spread, but obviously more related to the medical profession because of the labs…”

“Maybe some sort of virus or infection?” He chimes in.

“Seems more than likely… I guess we’ll find out more today. Speaking of…” You glance down at your watch realising it was almost 8:30am. Still so early for your tired demeanour, but almost time for you to both be heading off. Ginger had organised a cover story for you last night and sent in for a ‘staff transfer’ so that you could get into the CleanPlanet facilities and gain access to the hospital quickly. You needed to get to the bottom of this puzzling situation fast, especially as it seemed to be becoming more concerning by the minute. “I think its time for us to head off.”

“Seems it is.” Whiskey nods and swiftly packs the remnants of breakfast back into the paper bag, throwing it into the bin beside your desk.

“So, you know what my, rather detailed I might add, plan is but you have yet to share how you plan on approaching this op.” A slight leer in your voice, aiming to provoke him. “Care to share… cowboy?”

“If you must know, Vodka,” he drawls, the civilised tone from earlier gone in a heartbeat as the two of you pick up your bags and make your way down the hallway to the elevator. “I will be posing as a one of multiple wealthy investors eager to take a tour of CleanPlanet’s new business acquisitions. A high society gentleman looking to expand my portfolio into areas I have true passion for you could say. As it so happens, it seems that Howard Jacoby is searching for some people who share his vision and have a healthy wallet.” His voice dripping in sarcasm, for this type of persona was so unlike himself. A charmer by nature his honeyed voice had made many a lady fall victim to a one-night stand, but a high society man he was not. Whiskey cleaned up well, but he was certainly a working-class gentleman with a love for simple living.

“Well, your certainly dressed the part.” You say as you eye up Whiskey admitting to yourself that he was pulling of the sleek look. You shake your head clearing your mind of the potential minute attraction forming, focusing once more on where you were going. Stepping into the elevator and tapping the basement level button, you continued. “You definitely look like a pretentious asshole.” You say, chuckling to yourself as the elevator started to move.

Suddenly Whiskey was directly in front of you looking you up and down. “Don’t pretend you haven’t been eyein’ me up little lady.” He says, voice velvety smooth. Pinned down by his gaze you suddenly feel cornered, claustrophobic in the small metal space. You feel your face begin to heat up with an incriminating red tint, uncertain whether it was from anger or something more primal, you quickly sidestep his imposing figure. The elevator dings and you swiftly exit the elevator, “You wish cowboy.” You respond, a quick exhale escaping your mouth as you calm your racing heartrate. Why was he trying to rile you up before such an important op? Why does he have to be such a cocky arse? Eyeing him up? He’s got to be kidding. He’s the absolute last person on the planet that you could ever be attracted to. He does nothing but irritate you. He may be attractive, you begrudgingly admit, but you certainly were NOT attracted to him.

You hear him chuckle behind you, “Did I touch a nerve there sunshine?” he drawls behind you as you both head towards the garage where Ginger would be waiting. Rolling your eyes in anger to yourself, you choose to ignore him. Responding would only make him continue.

Pushing the doors open to the garage you see Ginger talking to one of the mechanics. As she hears the doors swinging, she turns to you quirking her eyebrow, seeing you seething with annoyance. “Everything alright here agents?” She says, confusion evident in her tone.

“Fine Ginger,” your voice comes out strained attempting to mask your irritation, “So what have you got set up for us for the next few days?”

“For you Vodka I’ve organised this ID card so you will have access to the basic areas of the hospitals but there are higher clearance areas which I wasn’t able to duplicate. You��ll have to figure that out when it comes to it.” She hands you a small ID badge attached to a clip which you then hook onto the belt loop on your pants. “I’ve also got small earpieces for the two of you to keep in communication while inside the facilities. They’re undetectable but very effective so try not to scream while wearing them if you can.” She passes you both the tiny in ear tech piece.

“Thanks Ging.”

“Now for you Whiskey,” She pulls out a small wallet and a set of car keys, “Here’s a new wallet with your cover identity and some cash to show off of course.”

He chuckles to himself pulling out his new drivers’ licence, “Introducing Duke Silver!” He smiles and bows towards you and Ginger. You roll your eyes again, scoffing at his ridiculousness.

“And… If I can finish, Duke.” Ginger continues giving Whiskey an exaggerated frustrated look, “Here is your new automobile.” Handing him the keys she gestures to a car sitting behind her. A brilliant turquoise blue Shelby Cobra 427 with white racing stripes down the middle.

“Alright… Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Whiskey dashes over like an excited child to admire his new personas gorgeous ride.

As Whiskey admires his new toy you turn to Ginger, “What do I have the luxury of driving to ‘work’ then Ginger?”

Passing you the keys she gestures to the car behind Whiskey’s, a slightly beat-up silver Toyota Corolla. “Sorry hon, you unfortunately need to blend in as a semi-broke medical student.”

You sigh, clutching the keys in your hand. “Thanks Ging.” Walking over you pass Whiskey, still ogling his own ride, making your way to the new car you’d be enjoying for the next few days. A far cry from your own beautiful red Mustang you sighed once more. The two of you hop into your cars and adjust the inside to what you need, throwing your bags into the back seat. You look over at Whiskey and slump into your seat, incredibly jealous. “That looks like one fun car to drive…” you mutter to yourself, green with envy. “Lucky bastard.”

Whiskey revs his engine excitedly, “Thanks darlin!” He shouts to Ginger over the loud purr. Turning to you he winks, bringing your irritation back with full force. “Have fun at ‘work’ then sunshine. Talk to you later!” His voice ringing out across the concrete as he drives off, the garage doors opening as he takes off out of the facility.

“I guess I’m off too then, see you later Ginger!” You smile at her as you close your door, taking off after Whiskey ready to face whatever the day would bring.

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@hrk-fic-recs @misslexilouwho

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bellatrixxue · 4 years

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Xue’s Supernatural Dare: Wendigo (S1 EP2)

Hello, everyone? How did everyone feel about the finale? Yes? Yes? Oh. Oh. Oh my. Oh, dear.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell that half-assed homophobic chicken-shit fuckbucket’s not gonna stop me, since I strapped myself onto this roller coaster already and I promised I’m not getting out until the ride’s over, so here we go, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Also, those who are in this roller coaster with me, ready? Tag list is: @fangirlxwritesx67 @amazingiam00 @kalliravenne @indecisive20something @2musiclover2 @impossibletosleepthrough @there-must-be-a-lock @wingedcatninja @arvit

Oh my gods this recap is so cheesy I actually can make a fondue out of it. 2000s, everybody!

A WHOLE MINUTE AND A HALF FOR THAT FONDUE

FUCKJUMPSCARETITLEFUCKYOU

So we’re starting the episode with the murder scene first, eh? Is that gonna be a trend?

Oh come on, Chads, you’re out in nature and you’re playing video games? Absorb the nature...before it absorbs you!

Waitwait. Holy shit is that...is that Cory Monteith? Oh, bless his soul...

If the wendigo eats his dick as he’s peeing I’m immediately giving Jensen Ackles $100. For no real reason, I just feel like giving him money for already carrying the show on his back.

I can’t tell if it did or not, so I’m not paying yet.

Aw, Sammy...

"I should have told you the truth.” *Vine voice* BUT YOU DIDN’T

FUCKYOUINTHEASSHOhnightmare. Nightmare. So did he visit her at her grave or not? I need answers.

A week? Goddamn. Poor thing. That man-eating tree’s fucking good at his job, man.

“There’s nothing there, it’s just...woods,” Sam, I don’t know if Jess’s death hit you hard or if you got into law school by eating some ancient dick and/or pussy instead of earning that high score fair and square, but the woods “in the middle of nowhere” (your words) are known to be one of the top places full of weird-ass creatures. Even kindergartners know that.

Ehehehehehehehehe he’s so smol next to his lil bro my lil shit

At least you’re coming up with decent covers this time. No Agent Mulder and Scully ruining things for you this time around.

“Bull” oop-

Oh Dean’s a smoooooooooth operator. Good going, buddy.

AND HE GOT A COPY OF THAT DOCUMENT TEAM DEAN TEAM DEAN

Oh that death really got to Sam. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be a trigger-happy psycho. Or eat the man-eating tree and become one himself.

Oh, Haley’s a cutie! Which one’s her brother? Cory? Discount Enrique Iglesias?

Do you have a card for EVERY profession, Dean? And how do I get them too?

That is a very pretty car. I bet they wasted half the budget on that thing.

Okay, sonny boy, little bro, Broseidon, calm down.

Ah, fuck, Haley and Broseidon is gonna go into the woods, that’s more heads to worry about.

How the fuck does Sam find information this fast? I’m impressed, I take five hours to get to one article for my research paper. Or maybe I’m just lazy. So he really earned his law school interview without having to eat dick and pussy, huh.

Every 23 years? What is this, Pennywise? Are we going to see the wendigo do his best Tim Curry do his best scary clown impression? Honk honk?

“Whatever that thing is, it can move.” And the sun rises on the East, Sammy. Why are you so smart and dumb at the same time? Is this his character trait? It might grow on me.

Ahhh, so Sam’s go-to move at interrogation is doing puppy dog eyes and sympathize with the person. He’d make a good lawyer, shame that man-eating tree.

Go Grandpa Exposition, go!

Go Grandpa Exposition, go, give us information and none at all!

OH GEEZ THAT SCAR. PENNYWISE WENDIGO IS VICIOUS.

Skinwalker, Back Dog...Ooh, those all sound cool! I hope we get to see them soon!

‘Corporeal’ doesn’t sound like a real word, but then again, English doesn’t sound like a real language. Sorry. Moving on.

Sam’s gonna eat the wendigo with that attitude, Jesus Christ.

AND HIS BROTHER, AT THIS RATE. If the real villain turns out to be inside Sam all along I’m gonna flip. Is that why women keep dying and burning on ceilings where he sleeps? Is he secretly Lucifer’s spawn or something?

“Oh sweetheart I don’t wear shorts”. They queer-coded him from the start and they tried to make you believe he was straight for fifteen seasons straight? And some people bought that?

Oh, crap, another crappy death treatment for Cory before he got into Glee...No, I wasn’t into Glee, I just watched a few episodes and I might hate Rachel Berry...And Lea Michele...ahem...

Dean is totally flirting with Roy shut upppppppp

OOP AND THERE ROY GOES OH THE SEXUAL TENSION IS HIGH IN THESE WOODS TODAY

“It’s probably the most honest I’ve been with a woman. Ever.” See. Bi. Bi bi bi.

So...why the coordinates, Daddy Negan? Is this a portal to Hell? A place where man-eating trees grow?

*carefully places death flag on Roy*

Ooooh the campsite is very...haunted house-y. You know what I’m saying?

That’s not Discount Enrique Iglesias, but Pennywise wendigo, yes? Those things can mimic human voices, right?

*Google searches*...There are so many versions of this tale I can’t even confirm or deny it. Dammit.

Maybe Pennywise wendigo just wants some snacks and a nice phone and GPS? Maybe he misses his family in uh, Canada or something?

Daddy Negan’s journal is a e s t h e t i q u e .

I’m so sorry, but the way Sammy smirks as he speaks with those dark, dark voids for eyes? My boy’s a demon. He’s a demon, I’m telling you.

At least Haley has some sense to her. *puts another death flag on Roy*

*PUTS YET ANOTHER DEATH FLAG ON ROY*

True, that. What the heck is Daddy Negan up to with all of this?

“Saving people, hunting things, the family business!” Okay, the way Dean said it gave me chills.

I can actually empathize with Sam here...As whiny and bitchy as he is, he has his reasons to be this way. I guess if I were in his shoes, I’d be less of a Dean and more of a Sam, too. We deal with our losses quite similarly.

Ah, the brotherly bonding moments like these little talks make the show worth it. It’s so heartwarming.

Pennywise wendigo! I didn’t miss you, why’re you here to burst my happy bubble?

I’m starting to see a slight parallel between Haley and Broseidon and Dean and Sammy. Hmm.

Nice meeting you, Roy. Zoop you go.

Haley and Broseidon are taking this rather well, I’m glad they do.

Okay, actual exposition time, thank you.

Whoa, Broseidon speaks! Donner Party! Please don’t remind me of that! Those poor people!

Hibernation and food storage. Delightful, just delightful.

TORCHING? *CALLS RAMMSTEIN*

Somehow, not being able to see the wendigo is scarier to me than what I will probably see itself. Limited budget horror can actually work well.

Oh, dear, Roy literally did a death drop. Badum tissssssssss.

FUCK IT TOOK DEAN THE ONLY CHARACTER I CARE ABOUImean I love you too, Sam! Come on, let’s find him before it’s too late!

A trail of M&Ms! Yes, Broseidon! And Hansel and Gretel refercalled it. Sammy, you and I share the same wavelength?

SHITSHITTHEYTRIPPEDANDFELLINTHEFUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Thank the gods the Pennywise wendigo kept them right there. Chances.

DISCOUNT ENRIQUE IGLESIAS IS STILL ALIVE GEEZ BUT ALSO PHEW

Ah, Dean Winchester, I love you so much that I can’t even begin to describe it.

Also how convenient that the flare guns are there. Deus ex machina!

Haley would bode well as a hunter, look at her courage, her will. There are more hunters around than Daddy Negan and the brothers, right?

Yeah, seeing the actual wendigo makes me less scared of it now. It’s unnerving, but still.

TEAM DEAN YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW

Graphics are...alright, but it’s the thought that counts!

Running with the grizzly bear story. Smart Broseidon. Ben. Sorry, you deserve to be called by your real name. I think with practice they could become good hunters, along with their Discount Enrique Iglesias brother! Is there a fanfiction for that? Can I write it now?

...

I AM WILLING TO DIE TO PROTECT DEAN WINCHESTER I

Haley’s a lesbian, that’s why she kissed him on the cheek only. Headcanoned. Also I have a crush on her, she’s really pretty? Like? Heart eyes???

Ah, the siblings parallels again. Let’s hope neither of the two brothers end up in the bed like that.

“Man, I hate camping.” Really. Really really. Really.

“I’m driving”

...

SAM WINCHESTER I’M SORRY I EVER SPOKE ILL OF YOU I WILL PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE TOO I PROMISE YOU I WILL

It’s just a sassy bisexual brother and his little snide bisexual brother on the road to kill evil creatures and find their father and I love this show? Help? Help???

I really, really see the charm of Supernatural now! I’m fully invested in both brothers and their story, and I’m cheering them both on! Let’s get Daddy Negan back and get rid of that man-eating tree once and for all!

Six stars out of five!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This dare is introducing me to a whole new world, and I really, really am glad I took that jump a few days ago, man!

Thank you everyone for reading my ramblings, and I’ll see you in the day after with the next review! Thank you for sticking with me! Buh-bye!

- Xue

#xue's supernatural dare #spn #supernatural #dean winchester #jensen ackles #sam winchester #jared paladecki #text #i had a really bad day today with my constant pain and aching from the chemo #but this really brought genuine smiles to my face!#what a good show #what a wonderful show #how the FUCK did they fuck it up later #well #i guess i'll find out when i get there lmao

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baka-no-kacchan · 4 years

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Bakugou x Gamer S/O

I would like you all to know that I am not that good at second person and for some reason third person doesn’t come to me as easily as it should I also hate writing in first person for fics, it feels awkward

BUT IT’S FINALLY HERE I’M SORRY FOR MAKING YOU GUYS WAIT MONTHS I wonder if this is gonna get cut, this was three pages in docs- Enjoy though! I will get better I promise...

It was a regular Saturday afternoon in the Bakugou household. Katsuki was laying on his back with his phone in one hand and his arm propped behind his head while you were laying on your stomach with your 3ds. The sounds and music from the system emanated through the room at half volume, your occasional humming and small noises of surprise or anger at the events taking place within the fantasy world adding to the noises.

Katsuki wasn’t exactly paying attention to his phone, rather he was watching you play the game out the corner of his eye while scrolling aimlessly so you wouldn’t question him. He would rather die than admit that he found it absolutely adorable that you were so invested in the game, but he was still annoyed at the fact that you were so flawless when it came to the controls while he was a complete dunce. Why can’t he get the hang of it?

“Noooo, don’t do thaaat, it’s T O T A L L Y gonna take down my level eighty-seven Blaziken…” Your drawled in a bored tone, fingers tapping away against the buttons lazily as a small chuckle left your lips at the antics taking place. “Sometimes, I feel bad for fighting against kid trainers. They’re just out here trying to act like us adults. Oh, hey look, I won.” The familiar noise of the battle congratulatory music seeped into the room, causing a small hum of happiness to leave your throat.

Katsuki grunted in response before looking over at you. That shitty game had all of your attention, and it was wearing his already thin patience down to a fine thread that would snap at any minute. Not that he didn’t want you to play games at all, you two had already gone through that little patch and he’s learning to deal with it more; but he still wanted some fucking attention. Even half assed cuddles sounded like an appealing option right now.

A small giggle leaving your lips made the internally pouting blonde snap back to reality, his eyes flicking to the screen. A tall, tanned guy with white hair was now in front of your character and the dialogue that popped up beneath him made you giggle more. “Guzma please stop this, you’re literally a soft giant. You can’t keep this up any longer, you’re just a baby. Let me h e l p.” Bakugou’s eye twitched at your words as he exhaled through his nose. Were you really fawning over a fake character? Seriously? Right next to him, too? “I don’t wanna fight him yet, lemme just save and go get my Alpha Team.” You mumbled to yourself. Perfect, the opening he was looking for.

Once he heard the telltale noise of the game saving, Katsuki rolled over on your back and placed his chin in your hair, grabbing your 3ds and tossing it to the side of the bed he was previously occupying. A wheeze leaving your lips along with a confused and raspy grunt of his name caused a smug smirk to grace his features. “You’ve been playing for half an hour. It’s time to take a fucking break, Pokénerd.” He muttered, closing his eyes in content. Babes is seriously touched starved, please maintain bodily contact whenever you’re around him

“Okay but Katsuki, you don’t have to put your whole weight on my back. You’re going to flatten me with your boobs.” You groaned, planting your face into the mattress for a few moments. Ignoring that comment, he stopped you from blindly reaching towards your 3ds by grabbing your hands and interlacing his fingers with yours, now moving to bury his face in the crook of your neck.

Not wanting to make this easy for him, you squirmed in his stupidly iron grip, hoping to free at least one arm to reach for your precious system. “I said it’s time for a fucking break. Leave the game alone before I hide it for a month.” Bakugou warned, his breath tickling and warming your skin considerably. A defeated whine left your lips as you continued to squirm underneath him, a small huff of laughter leaving his lips. “Alright, fine! I’ll leave it alone but p l e a s e get off! I don’t wanna die yet!”

The blonde went silent for a few moments, causing an obnoxiously drawn out whine to leave your lips while once again trying to get him off your back unsuccessfully. Soon enough, Bakugou did roll off your back… And onto your 3ds making you cry out in horror as he merely grinned up at you like the little shit he was.

“Katsukiiiiii, whyyyy are you like thiiiisss????” You bemoaned, throwing yourself on top of him. A small ‘oof’ left Katsuki’s lips but his grin never left, his arms wrapping around your frame and his face finding itself in the crook of your neck once more. “Is it bad that I want your attention, Shithead? You’re my partner after all, I deserve as much attention as that shitty Pokémon character.” Your face burned slightly out of embarrassment before it cleared up when your mind registered Katsuki’s full statement.

“Are you…. Are you jealous of Guzma? Really?”

“Tch, I’m not fuckin jealous of a fake character.”

“You ARE jealous! Oh my god, Babe!~” You cackled, watching Bakugou’s visage turn a bright shade of red as his signature frown made itself apparent. “Oi, listen here Shitnerd. I’m not fucking jealous of a goddamn Pokémon character. Now shut the fuck up and cuddle me.” He grunted, turning his head to the side, his frown still apparent. Your peals of laughter ceased with his last sentence and your face contorted to one of pure shock. Since when does THE Katsuki Bakugou demand cuddles?

“Katsu…” Oh god, here’s the concerned nickname. He turned his head back to see you looking down at him with your face cutely pinched up in slight worry. Dammit, he fucked up.

‘Now they’re gonna go back to not playing around me again.’

“Are you actually upset over not being able to play the game as well as I do? Because, if you want, I can still go back to trying to teach you with the ones that I completed…?”

O k a y maybe he didn’t fuck up the way he thought. But he still blushed from embarrassment at being found out. A few beats of silence passed before Bakugou mumbled a small ‘whatever, sure’ and wrapped his arm around your waist.

A gentle smile came to your face as you moved forward and pressed a small kiss to his nose, laughing as he playfully wriggled it in disgust. “I deserve a better fucking kiss for dealing with you just now, c’mere.” You gasped in mock offense and started poking his chest.

“OH SO MY KISSES AREN’T GOOD ANYMORE H U H-”

“I DIDN’T SAY ALL THAT, COME HERE!” Bakugou barked, though his actions didn’t match his rough tone as he brought his hands to your cheeks and laid a gentle kiss on your lips. Small giggles continued to leave your lips but you reciprocated the kiss in turn, your arms wrapped around his neck in a loving manner.

When you both pulled away, Bakugou was giving you one of his rare smiles that showed how content he was to have you around. It sent surges of warmth through your body, once again sending you into a fit of giggles, making him roll his eyes and huff out a small laugh. “You’re so fucking weird, you know that?” Bakugou murmured, affectionately rubbing his thumbs against your cheeks.

“Hey, you love me for it! Besides, it should be a given that you make me happy. A little insane when it comes to your attitude-”

“HEY!”

“-but overall I’m happy.” You grinned, gently scratching the back of his neck while he mumbled empty threats of him going to ‘kick your ass into the sun’ and whatnot. “Whatever you say, Pokénerd.” He huffed, turning his head away as a small blush lit up his face. “....You make me happy too. I hate it. You’re going to have the Idiots on my case if they catch me smiling at you.”

You laughed and he grunted out a small “shut up” before rolling over and fixing you so he was spooning you from behind. “S’not funny, they’re annoying.” “They’re doing what friends should do, Katsuki. I like it, because it goes against what everyone else thinks. You’re capable of having friends despite how you act. Everyone deserves friends.” “Yeah, yeah shut up with the sappy shit and let me cuddle you in peace.” He huffed, kissing the back of your neck and grinning when you laughed once again at the ticklish sensation.

“Alright fine, I’ll stop. Maybe later I can teach you how to play Pokémon properly. I hate to say it but you were-”

“I will tickle the fuck out of you if you don’t stop yourself right there.”

“OKAY NEVERMIND I WON’T SAY IT!”

“Good.”

“.....There’s h e l l a room for improvement though-”

“ALRIGHT THAT’S FUCKING IT!”

��WAIT NO I’M SORRY!!!”

Absolute trash, I know hskfsdgdajnksa ANYWAY Thanks for reading, i will gladly pay for medical bills-

Tag list @weeblyheaux

@mizukuni

@kageyeaman

#bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #i'm terrible at second person pov #i tried #i will get better #i apologize #bnha x reader #this took me forever #again #bakugou fluff #bakubabe #mha bakugou #bakugou x you #bakugou x gender neutral reader #gn!reader #bakugo x reader #bnha x gender neutral reader

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evanoracronwell · 3 years

Text

Life as he knew it

Chapter 2 - What’s next?!

Buddie♥

“I’m your father. And I already love you so much, little girl. You’ll see, we’ll be fine. I promise I will be the best father in the world for you."

Also on ao3 (2/?)

Driving through the streets of Los Angeles took more than an eternity and Buck is sure that he exceeded the permitted speed limit several times. His heart was beating so fast that felt as if it would come out through his mouth any second. A reception desk in green tones appeared in front of his eyes as soon as the elevator doors opened on the 3rd floor of the north tower, and he breathed slowly and deeply, trying to calm himself down as much as possible in the face of this situation. This bizarre and completely surreal situation. All of this had to be a huge, ridiculous, joke; and one in bad taste, at that there was no chance that the information he’d been given on the phone was true. "Excuse me,” he went to the reception desk and a nurse smiled at him. "I'm looking for Taylor Kelly's room" "Oh dear ...” she replied, her smile immediately fading and the sad look that appeared on her face causing Buck to swallow. "Room 312, in the corridor on the right" He thanked her and turned down the hall looking for the room. Buck tried to ignore the sadness he’d seen in the receptionist's gaze when he had said who he was here to see and walked at a quick pace until he found the room number. Taking a deep breath once more, he knocked lightly at the door and waited for an answer before opening it. Upon entering the room, he saw a woman dressed elegantly in a black suit, sitting on a sofa just below a large window and in the center of the room a bed where Taylor Kelly was sitting with her back against the headboard and an extremely bored and impatient expression on her face. "Well ... finally, Buckley." "Is it true? Did you really give birth to a girl? My daughter?" "Obviously not, Buckley. I needed a break and I thought a room in the maternity ward was an excellent idea. What do you think, genius?

"So why didn't you come to me before? Damn, Taylor, you should have told me you were pregnant! I would have helped you and stayed with you all of these months." "Please, the last thing I would do was look for you, and I definitely wouldn't want you around for months. If I had suspected for a second that this pregnancy was your fault, believe me, I wouldn't have allowed it to get this far. "I ... shit, Taylor ... what the fuck is all this?!" "Shit is a good way to describe the fucked mess up that my life has become because of you." "Because of me? I don't even know what's going on here, Taylor; a woman called me ... your attorney, which I believe is you, right?”He looked quickly at the woman on the couch who just nodded without saying a word. "And she told me that you just gave birth to a girl and now you blame me, as if I did it on purpose?" "Damn it, I had everything very well planned, Buckley, everything was perfect and then you came and fucked it up ..." "I don't understand. What do you mean that you had it all planned out, Taylor? Tell me what's going on here." "I was dating the owner of the station I work for. I spent three months Buckley, three damn months fucking that unbearable and pathetic old man, acting like I was in love, all so I would get pregnant and guarantee a good future for myself at the station. When that asshole went on vacation with his wife, I wanted to enjoy it; a weekend to go out and have some good sex. Then I see you, and I think "great, I won't even have to bother to seduce anyone” One fucking night, Buckley, that honestly wasn't even as good as I remembered, and you ruined the perfect life that I had planned. " "Wait a minute, you were having an affair and trying to get pregnant, probably without this guy knowing, just for what? Blackmailing him into a promotion at the station?" "Obviously, Buck. Or did you think I would want him to marry me? Of course not, what I wanted was to be the anchor of a news program on TV. Something much more important than that shit they gave me after I got out of the traffic news. " "You are unbelievable... I really can't believe I'm hearing this." "Oh, I'm so sorry, did you wish I was crying with happiness with the little bundle of joy in my arms? Spare me, Buckley, the last thing I wanted in my life was to have a kid ruin it. That baby was an investment that, thanks to you, didn't work out. " "But ... we used a condom. Dammit, Taylor, we only had sex once and we used the damn condom. They’re 98% effective!” "Well ... that 2% came back to bite me in the ass." "You just said you spent months with that guy, Taylor, how can you be so sure it's mine? It doesn't make any sense." "Well, to start with, he's black and the baby was born as pale as a ghost, with blue eyes and, I mean, if that wasn't enough, she also inherited that ridiculous birthmark from you. He may be stupid, but not so much that he would believe that the kid was his " "I can't believe this ... I ... fuck, I have no idea what to do." "You better figure it out quickly, Buckley, because I don't have much time to lose. Tomorrow, I have a flight to catch and I'd rather die before missing it." "What do you mean, a flight? Taylor, you can't tell me that you just gave birth to my daughter and then say that you're leaving. I'm not going to let you take my daughter away from me." "Oh dear, this would be lovely if I wasn't so angry right now. What makes you think I'm going to be taking the girl with me?" "Wait, what?" "Listen here, Buckley; it's very simple, so pay attention. This whole baby story may have gone wrong for me, but I wouldn't play all my cards in just one hand. I documented all possible evidence of Scott's affair with me, and thanks to that, I got him to hook me up with a great job in Washington; a direct correspondent at the White House, with a chair and everything. So, I'm leaving tomorrow for my bright future, and this kid definitely has no place in it. " "You can't be serious, Taylor; this is your daughter." "Oh no, right now she is just your daughter, and depending on your decision, she might not be that, either." "What do you mean, my decision ?!" "Mr. Buckley, if I can?”The woman, who Buck sincerely forgot had been there, got up from the couch and walked to the center of the room with a folder in her hands. “Ms. Taylor contacted me yesterday as soon as the child was born and informed me of what happened. Following her orders, I have in hand a document stating that you and only you are the child's guardian exempting my client from any responsibility or bond to the child and to you. " "What?" "If you do not agree to raise the child, we already have contact with two families who would love to adopt her." "One of them is even in Italy; the farther the better.” Taylor replied, still extremely annoyed and impatient. "Are you fucking kidding me now? How the hell did you get these documents and two families in less than 24 hours?" "Money makes everything move faster Buckley, and a friend of mine works with an agency that specializes in adoption. Now, just make up your mind because, as I said, the last thing I have is time and patience." "Of course, I am going to raise my daughter! Not even for a second would the possibility of not raising her cross my mind." "Well then, sign the papers and go be a daddy !!" "Taylor listen to me, you should just calm down and think about this l. I know that now you don't want to be a mother, but in a while, you might regret it and ..." "My only regret, Buckley, was going to that bar and having sex with you. Although, honestly, when I think about it, maybe I should thank you. After all, being a direct correspondent in the White House is definitely better than being a TV news anchor here in Los Angeles. But don't even think for a second that it means I want to be part of this child's life; any purpose that she could have for me has already been fulfilled, Buckley, and let's leave it at that " "But, what if you want to be a mother someday ... Taylor, you can change your mind..." "If I ever decide to become a mother, you can believe me it will be a much better reason than the cliché of maternal instinct, Buckley. Now, please. You made your decision and I’ve made mine. Sign the papers and we will end this conversation." "You know what, fine, but I want a guarantee that you won't show up sometime in the future and take my daughter away from me. If you want to go that way, then it's forever, without regrets." "Please, that would never happen." "So what? Should I just take your word for it?" "I can draft a document ensuring that it doesn't happen, Mr. Buckley, and I will personally hand it over to you, signed, tomorrow, before Ms. Kelly leaves for DC." "Great ... everything’s settled and everyone’s happy; now get out of my room, Buckley. I already left all the papers signed regardless of knowing what your choice would be. Although, honestly, I should have imagined it would be this one; you always were extremely needy." "And you've always been a heartless, unscrupulous bitch. I hope you have a terrible time in DC." Without saying another word, and not wanting to allow her to respond, Buck strode out of the room and closed the door with a little more force than he should have, then leaned against the wall. His knees felt so weak and shaky that he was afraid of falling to the floor. He closed his eyes and threw his head back against the wall, pulling the air into his lungs as he tried to calm the agitated beating of his heart and the anger that ran through his body while trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. Fuck ... he had a daughter. "Mr. Buckley ?" A soft, low voice came from his side and Buck opened his eyes to see the attorney, who had just closed the door, standing right next to him. "Olivia Mason, right?" "Yes, sir" "Buck ... just ... Buck." "Okay, Buck. First of all, I would like to say how sorry I am about the whole situation. Despite being Ms. Kelly's attorney, I admit I don't agree with everything that is going on. Having said that, we should be concerned about having you sign all necessary documents to take custody of your daughter. " "What exactly is in these documents?" "It says here that Ms. Kelly gave up the child's shared custody, thereby making you solely responsible for any family decisions. A unilateral custody, Buck, with some additions specifying that Ms. Kelly does not wish to be sought out, either by the child or by you, whatever the situation may be. Think of it this way, Buck; Taylor Kelly was just the surrogate for your daughter, and now any decision regarding the child's life must be and will be made only by you. " "And with the document I asked for, will she also be unable to contact my daughter?" "Yes; as I said, for all intents and purposes, she was just a surrogate." "I can't believe that she really said all that." "I imagine that all of this must come as quite a shock to you ." "Yeah ... you could say that. Look, I appreciate, what you did and also that you’re going to help keep her out of my life, and if what she’s paying you doesn't cover it, then I’ll guarantee your payment myself and ... " "Don't worry; I have to confess that when she came to me and specified what she wanted, I made sure that I was charging twice as much as I normally do." "Well ... she deserves it." "Why don't you keep these papers and think about everything that happened today, and tomorrow I’ll bring you the other document and have you sign it. Inside the folder is my contact information; send me your address and any questions you may have, and I will be happy to answer them. " "Thank you .... seriously, just ... thank you." "You should go and meet your daughter, Mr. Buckley,”she replied, and with a gentle smile walked away down the hall. She was right. He had a baby to meet. His daughter was ... beautiful; just the most beautiful thing Buck had seen in his entire life. Taylor was right, apart from a slight red tone in the blond curls, she was all Buck. The nurse who had walked him down the hall to the nursery smiled through the glass as she lifted the baby high enough that he could see her even at this distance, and then she nodded and disappeared through a door, with Buck following until he reached a reserved room with a few armchairs. The nurse instructed him to wash his hands and Buck did so immediately. “This is a breastfeeding room, but it’s rarely used, since we prefer to leave the babies with their parents as long as possible. You can stay here with her for a while; we just fed her with the bottle so it won't take long for her to fall asleep. She placed the baby in Buck's arms, who took her with the greatest care in the world, arranging the child affectionately and snuggling her against his chest. "What do you mean a bottle? Taylor didn't have any milk?" "From what I understand, Mr. Buckley, Ms. Kelly simply decided not to breastfeed her daughter. I'm very sorry; I heard about what happened. I was in the room trying to convince her to breastfeed when she talked to the attorney about the child. " "I can't believe she didn't even want to breastfeed her daughter. But she's fine, right? Is my daughter healthy?" "Yes, sir. She's a full 7.5 lb and 18 inches of cuteness. Perfectly healthy and beautiful." "Yes, she is." Buck looked at the baby, who opened her eyes to look directly at him with a huge pair of curious blue eyes, which made him immediately fall in love with the girl. He would do anything, would give the world for her without the slightest hesitation. "I'm going to leave you to sit alone with your daughter. The chairs all have a call button on the side; if you need anything, just press it, and a nurse will come over to help you." "Thank you." "There’s no reason to thank me l, Mr. Buckley, I ..." "Just Buck,” he interrupted her with a smile. "Buck, right. I'm Emily; it's a pleasure to meet you. I must inform you, though, that the child hasn't been named yet; we haven't even managed to put the mother's last name on the nursery ID. Just the room number." "Taylor didn't even name the baby? Guess I shouldn't be surprised." "I am very sorry. Anyway, the baby will be discharged from the nursery tomorrow, and we will need to print the birth certificate. We’ll need a name, and also your personal data, Buck." "Yes, of course, I ... I don't have a name planned; I didn't even know I needed one until a few minutes ago. Can I take the day to think about it?" "Of course; as I said, I know the situation and I understand how confusing everything must be at this point. But if you would allow me to be nosy, you seem to have made an extremely important decision that will change your life in a way that you can’t even imagine ... and yet, I didn’t see any fear in your eyes. " "Well ... I can guarantee that I'm terrified of being a father." "Oh, I know, all parents always are. This is normal, Buck, but you have the look of someone who is afraid of not being a good father. That’s the first step in becoming an excellent one" She smiled again and then walked out of the room, leaving Buck alone with the child in his arms. He walked comically slowly for fear of hurting the child until he sat down in one of the armchairs and then settled her more comfortably in one arm while gently touching her cheek with his finger. "She was wrong, you know? Your birthmark is beautiful, just like the rest of you. Jesus, girl, you’re going to give me a lot of trouble when you grow up, aren't you? Look at you! You're so beautiful" He smiled when she grunted, making a face - which Buck definitely thought was a toothless smile - and then she grabbed Buck's finger, making the fireman blink as the tears fell from his eyes and his voice failed him. “I’m your father. And I already love you so much, little girl. You’ll see, we’ll be fine. I promise I will be the best father in the world for you."

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When Buck parked his Jeep at his building, he was exhausted. He looked like he had just worked a long shift filled with difficult calls. Getting out of the hospital and leaving his daughter behind was the hardest thing he had had to do in his entire life, but he knew it was necessary. In less than 24 hours, he would have a baby to raise in an apartment that wasn’t prepared in the slightest to receive her. He needed to buy clothes, a crib, and countless other things that a baby needed, Buck, honestly, had no idea what most of those things were. Which was exactly why he sent a message to the 118 group before having even left the hospital asking everyone to go to his house. He sent separate message to Eddie asking him not to just open his house for everyone but also, for him to text Carla asking her to go too, Because God knows he was going to need all the help he could get. And with the speed at which everything had to be arranged for the arrival of his daughter, the last thing he needed now was to waste time telling people separately, so the best idea was to bring them all together and tell them all at once. When he opened the door to the loft he was immediately greeted with various exclamations of concern from all his friends, and then a small - yet incredibly strong - Maddie Buckley throwing herself into his arms, hugging him tight enough that he could hardly breathe. "Evan, thank God! We are all worried after your message. You asked us to come here without explaining anything else!" "I'm sorry, I should have said something more. I'm fine, Maddie, I swear." "So ... what happened, Buckaroo,” Athena asked, equally concerned. "Well ... I have a daughter" "I'm sorry. You have what now ?!"

#buddie #buddie fanfic #buddie fic #evan buckley #evan buck buckley #Eddie Diaz #edmundo diaz #christopher diaz #buckley diaz family #lifeasheknewitfic #911 fox #911 on fox #911fic #firefam #English is not my native language #so please be kind with my mistakes

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ice-cream-nekogirl · 5 years

Text

i needed to lose you to love me (Bakugou Katsuki X Reader)

Summary: Bakugo sucks at apologizing, but knows that he owes you one. Big Time.

WARNING: THERE IS SOME MAAAAJOR AAAAANGST AND STRANGER THINGS 3 SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER. LIKE… MAJOR... I might have to actually make an alternate ending... sure I personally think this one has a happy ending too but... have ya’ll HEARD Selena Gomez’s new music video and song? It’s heartbreakingly beautiful but important about self-love so... here ya’ll go! Warning it’s also pretty lengthy... I also alluded to American Horror Story in here too.

Taglist: @i-love-bakugou, @soseoky, @random-username-101

The Long Awaited Part 2 of ‘Dump His Ass’ here: https://ice-cream-kitsunegirl.tumblr.com/post/186316524474/dump-his-ass-bakugou-katsuki-x-reader

And Thank You All Might: https://ice-cream-kitsunegirl.tumblr.com/post/186833600249/thank-you-all-might

If you haven’t seen Stranger Things 3 year and don’t want any spoilers… this one has HUGE spoilers so… read at your own risk…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlJDTxahav0

You promised the world and I fell for it... I put you first and you adored it

It’s been at least a couple of months and yet you found yourself still upset over the newfound sadness that plagued you as you put away an empty glass of water in the sink, sniffling a little bit. Unable to help but let some tears stream down your face as you could only think about what you had lost.

Why did it have to be him?

Yes, he was a huge jerk but he had a good side after all.

It wasn’t just you, many others had to see his nastier sides and witnessed him beat up some innocent people. And many, including yourself had thought there was no way such a jerk could ever have any sort of redeeming qualities, and the only good trait about him was that he was good-looking and badass.

He acted like he was so big and tough and bullied others just to show off his power, but even he had a soft spot that he buried deep down inside.

And you lost him.

Now all you could do was cry as you grabbed a tissue to wipe your face, not wanting to go to school upset over such a silly thing. Plus, you already embarrassed yourself in class not long ago by crying in front of everyone, so it was time to just get over it…

But you missed him…

“(Y/N)?” You nearly perked up as soon as you heard a familiar voice that belonged to the person you had been avoiding for the past months. Your ex-boyfriend…

Bakugou wasn’t a patient guy, and had been trying to bug you for the past couple of months but you stopped letting him and he had reluctantly put up with your silent treatment and cold shoulders. However, he couldn’t ignore your tears, he fucking HATED seeing you cry and he fucking HATED knowing that he was responsible for them…

Set fires to my forest And you let it burn...

He tried to get close to you, but you never let him, except this time he wasn’t going to let you just push him away. “Oy. What the fuck’s the matter…?” Despite his coarse language there was gentleness as he closed in towards you and looked you in the eyes.

“H-He’s gone…” You didn’t want to really see him, but you decided to just answer his question and his eyes slightly widened, “Who’s gone?” His concern grew when he thought that someone important to you might have died or disappeared.

“B-Billy… Billy’s gone… Hopper’s gone too… a-and so is Alexei…” You wiped your tears away with a napkin and swallowed hard to try and not get so emotional over the beloved characters you grew attached to.

But Bakugou could only blink in befuddlement, only for that to turn into pure and simmering annoyance, “Seriously?! Are you talking about the characters from that show?! I thought someone actually died!” He quickly shouted as you put your hand over your mouth to quell a snicker, as sad as you were over losing Billy, Hopper and Alexei, Bakugou’s anger was so amusing.

Yes you had been rewatching Stranger Things 3 ever since it came out because it was THAT good, you finally watched all of it with your friends and it was the BEST season thus far. Yet, it still didn’t cease to break your heart with the way it concluded this year.

“Yes… I am… oh yeah… Billy’s dead… and Alexei’s a new character that everyone fell in love with, Hopper’s also PROBABLY dead and Eleven… moved away from Hawkins can you believe it…?” With a small smirk you told him everything that you were sad about and you were actually really shocked to see his eyes go wide in the slightest bit of outrage as he yelled.

“DON’T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED IN THE THIRD SEASON! I haven’t seen it yet!”

“Well I wouldn’t have to tell you what happened if you had just sat your ASS DOWN that night and watched it with me.” It was your turn to be harsh as you used a sharper tone that almost scared your ex as he looked at you in shock. He was not used to this side of you at all because you were usually his cheerful if weird and kooky girlfriend.

Bakugou knew you could be tough, but being on the end of it was… scary to witness.

“Now you care about the show?” You chuckled and shook your head when you recalled all of the times when he mocked your taste in shows and repeatedly said that Stranger Things was unoriginal and stupid. Well, actually at first you were okay with it because that was okay and it wasn’t anything personal, but then he started mocking other things that you liked knowing that you liked them and then mocked you for liking them. Why did you put up with all of that?

Sang off-key in my chorus 'Cause it wasn't yours...

“Because you made me watch it! You’re the idiot that got me invested in that dumb show in the first place!”

“Okay, maybe I was a LITTLE bit pushy but… did it kill you to watch something with me every now and then you jerk?” You had calmed down a little bit, and instead put your hands up just to stop this pointless argument, much to Bakugou’s slight surprise as his scowl had lessened.

“You know what? Nevermind… I’m not going to argue about a freaking show… and I’m not gonna waste yours or my time… I forgot how much you value your time.” Shaking your head, you grabbed your bags to get ready to leave soon. Maybe you were giving Bakugou the guilt trip, but in your defense he called you fat and accused you of being lazy, and you were starting to realize that he didn’t give you a whole ton of respect during your relationship as he insulted things you liked, didn’t spend a lot of time with you, brushed you off when you tried to help him, blew you off at times and again, he called you fat. Something he swore that he would NEVER call you, and he broke that swear.

He treated you like garbage so now, like Max had said, it was time to treat HIM like garbage.

And so far the guilt-trip was working and Bakugou hated that it was. Every time you reminded him of the things he said, this knot in his chest would build and it would make him SO angry and yet so fucking guilty.

“Dammit (Y/N)… will you just listen? I know I said some stupid-shit but-“

Uh-uh, you didn’t want to hear it and you quickly put your fingers in your ears and started to sing, “Lalalalala~! I can’t hear you~! I respond to nothing Katsuki~!” You sang outloud and that just made the already frustrated Bakugou even madder, “CUT THAT OUT! (Y/N) YOU MORON STOP ACTING LIKE A FUCKING KID!!”

“I’m sorry? But I can’t understand you Katsuki… cuz you’re a human… and I’m a pig, remember? Pigs can’t understand humans… there’s a language barrier. Oink, oink.” Your eyes were wide in fake surprise which REALLY shocked but also REALLY infuriated your ex.

“Do NOT call yourself that! You’re not a pig! Come on I didn’t MEAN what I said all right?!” You couldn’t be serious; you couldn’t have taken his words to heart THAT much could you? He really hoped not, because it just made him regret what he said even more.

However, you weren’t listening to him and just continued to ignore him as you tried to walk away, but Bakugou wasn’t going to let you. He didn’t like this feeling, he didn’t like it at all…

I saw the signs and I ignored it Rose-colored glasses all distorted

“Hey! Goddamn it (Y/N) stop ignoring me!” Bakugou wasn’t used to you ignoring him at all, because you always, always gave him your attention, sometimes a little too much but he got used to it. And he liked that...

“Katsuki, you SERIOUSLY hurt me… I’ve told you this… the damage is done… you know I had a hard time growing up because of that… and you and Izuku were the only ones who never called me things like that when everyone else did…” Your voice cracked yet again as you quickly turned away and walked away as fast as you could, not giving Bakugou the chance to try and reach out for you the second he thought you were going to cry again.

Set fire to my purpose And I let it burn

“Argh! (Y/N)!” Bakugou called your name, but his guilt kept him rooted to where he stood as he let you walk off. But his eyes slightly widened when Mina and Yaoyorozu had been around and came just in time to walk with you and give warning glances to Bakugou so he didn’t try to come over to you. Mina even made sure to glare at him as the girls put their hands on your shoulders as the three of you walked away and left your ex alone.

Again…

“Dammit…!” He exclaimed to himself with his fists clenched. God he really fucked up; his classmates were giving him the stink-eye and you probably hated him. He couldn’t have that.

Well, Bakugou still really didn’t give a shit about what the others thought about him, but maybe, just maybe he didn’t want you to hate him. Even if it was his own fault. The more he reflected on what he said to you, the worse he felt…

You got off on the hurtin' When it wasn't yours, yeah...

8 HOURS LATER

You held back a yawn at the last class of the day, resisting the urge to go to sleep when Aizawa droned on and on about something you didn’t really care about. Well, it wasn’t that you were sad or anything, you were totally over everything that went down the last couple of days. Frankly, you had better things to think about and deal with than your dumb ex-boyfriend.

Like the new Zombieland! Now that you watched Stranger Things 3, it was time to get into something new. And you finished Big Mouth season 3 too so… you needed something else to focus on that wasn’t related to your ex or school. You giggled a little bit at the thought, maybe you should have been focused on studying for upcoming tests but at the same time it felt like everyone had been working too hard.

So the minute it was time to go you quickly went over to Izuku to see if you could drag him to the next showing.

“Hey ‘Zuku c’mere I got a plan…” You kinda grabbed his arm, making him jump a bit in surprise as he yelped a little bit. “A-Ah! Oh! H-Hey (Y/N)-chan… s-sure…” You thought he was so cute even though you two had been friends forever and he STILL got nervous whenever you touched him.

However, Bakugo didn’t find it cute AT ALL. Why the hell were you touching Deku?! What the hell were you doing with Deku?!

You didn’t notice this though as you just lulled him away to whisper, “Hey I’m like super hyped for the new Zombieland cuz it’s been getting some pretty good reviews despite the fact that it’s been like 10 years since the last one so… wanna go see it with me? I’m gonna invite some other fun people with me~.” It was a bit of a sudden, spontaneous idea but you thought ‘fuck it’ you wanted to go watch an awesome zombie movie with your friends and get school off your mind for a little bit.

Wasn’t that one of Columbus’s rules after all? Rule 32: Enjoy the little things. Yes you memorized some of the rules, some of them were good rules!

“Zombieland? Oh, that’s right! They made a sequel… sure…! I think that would be kind of nice…” Izuku wasn’t exactly a movie buff like you were but he liked spending time with you and watching movies or TV with you, and he liked the first Zombieland too.

“Great! Give ourselves a goddamn break ya know? I think we’re all kinda stressing out so yeah! Let’s go for it dude!” You gave him a big grin as he couldn’t help but blush quite madly, but he was happy that you seemed a bit happier as of late. Given the drama that occurred after you and Bakugou broke up and the mini depression you went through afterwards that lessened somewhat with the help of him, Shinsou and All-Might.

Did you still get sad? Of course. Depression and a low self-esteem don’t just go away, but your friends had been helping you through that, and you even still talked to All-Might whenever he and Izuku were training together or discussing something together.

“Actually that’s… not a bad idea at all. I suppose we have been a little busy lately...” He took note of what you were planning, and thought that a break could be good for him and his friends. “YEAH! Totally! I’m gonna invite Hitoshi! And Mina, and Tooru, and Denki, Fumikage, Yuga, Tsu, Momo, Eijirou, Hanta…” You listed off a few people you planned to invite since those were the ones you felt oddly closest to. It was a pretty big group but hey they could pay for their own tickets right? Besides the more the merrier!

“I think they’ll really like that (Y/N)-chan.” He thought outloud as the two of you walked out of the place together and headed towards the dorms, unaware that a furious Bakugou overheard EVERYTHING.

You were inviting THOSE losers to see a fucking movie but not him?! What the hell?! Now you were full-on ghosting him?!

That’s what it certainly felt like as he discreetly followed you and the damn nerd back to the dorms and you cheerfully skipped over to your room to get some good clothes on and get your things altogether so you could prepare for the upcoming time-slot at 6. You still had 2 hours but you liked to be ready before then.

And you quickly started to text to your friends.

‘Hey Toshi, let’s go see Zombieland 2! I hear it’s really good so lets go C it bro!’

You texted Shinsou first though since he was the other friend you considered your closest.

‘Sure. Liked the first one, looking forward to this one.’

He quickly texted you back and was certainly up for it as you grinned and decided to tease him just a little bit. ‘HOORAY! And it’s a movie made just for you!’

‘HAHAHA YOU’RE SO FUNNY’

His text was very sarcastic but just as playful as yours as you snickered a little bit before you started sending the other texts to your friends.

‘LET’S GO SEE ZOMBIELAND 2 YA’LL. We need break, let’s go laugh it up at the movies!’

Was the text you sent via group messaging to Mina, Hagakure, Kaminari, Tokoyami, Aoyama, Tsuyu, Yaoyorozu, Kirishima and Sero. And you were met with numerous replies.

‘YEAH! I LOVED THE FIRST ONE!!’

‘Oooh I’m so excited for the sequel!’

‘Oh yeah! Now that’s an idea (Y/N)! Let’s nut up or shut up!’

‘I will never turn down an offer to see a zombie movie.’

‘Yes~. The first one was amazing, the second will be just as good~.’

‘I did like the first one, I’d like to see the second one too so that sounds like it would be fun (Y/N)-chan.’

‘Oh that comedy horror movie? Sure! The first one you showed me was good!’

‘OH HELL YES! I love that movie! It’s a yes (Y/N)! Thank you! I’m so up for that!’

‘Sure! I freaking loved the first one, dunno how this one’ll do without Bill Murray tho.’

You snickered at someone of their replies, finding many of them cute and funny at the same time. Looks like you had a party to go see this movie with, and you couldn’t be happier. You really needed this, since the past months hadn’t been easy since you were admittedly still getting over Bakugou. And you thought about what All-Might said, how you had to believe that you were beautiful and that you deserved love.

Of course, you still had a hard time believing that because it wasn’t just something you could drill into yourself and expect it to stay there, but at the same time you made sure to keep reminding yourself that and set your inner saboteur at bay. While at the same time, trying to not let what Bakugou told you dictate how you saw yourself.

You loved Bakugou, you really did, but he was mean to you, even though you knew what you were getting into, it ended up hurting you more than you ever thought it would when he just kept saying things that hurt and got into arguments with you whenever you wanted him to just spend a little time with him. He hurt you, and it was something you couldn’t quite just let go of, even though you weren’t exactly upset at him anymore, part of you still was.

And the love you still had for him didn’t leave you, but you kind of hated him too for being such a jerk to you, to Izuku and to Shinsou too for that matter. You hated him and you hated all the terrible things he said to you, because his remarks made you realize that no, you didn’t deserve any of that. Sure, you knew that maybe he really did love you at one point, because he kept trying to apologize so that meant he had to have still loved you right?

Or was it just his pride trying to win you back so he didn’t feel like a loser? You weren’t so sure, but deep down you knew that he did love you and did it because maybe he did feel really bad for what he said.

Dammit you wanted to hate him, but dammit you fucking loved him too. And damn, dammit it wasn’t good for you. You couldn’t just take him back after all of that, but you would at least know that he wasn’t a bad guy, he did have a heart, and that he did love you, and you loved him too…

But you didn’t deserve to have him treat you the way you did either. You loved him, but you were learning how to love yourself too.

You sighed as you got in your clothes and got everything you’d need from your wallet to your purse as you left your room. Making your way to the common room to hang about until it was a good time to leave.

“So Zombieland 2 huh?” Shinsou surprised you by suddenly speaking and popping up right behind you as you let out a shriek and jumped. Dammit he really was like a cat after he started training more. Hell he was so good you didn’t even detect that he was there since he was like a ninja learning how to subdue any obvious aura that you could sense.

“Good God man you’re going to need to start wearing a bell or something!” You whined a little bit as he couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at your expense and the light flush on your cheeks.

“But yes… Zombieland 2… Double Tap. What the fuck am I right? I looooves me some zombie movies! Add a little comedy to it and you get one hell of a flick!” However, you went from surprised to cheerful as you happily shook your firsts in giddy anticipation.

“Heh… yeah you got a point. The first one set the bar… might as well see if these guys still got it after 10 years…” He thought outloud as you gave him a nod and a thumbs up. “It was actually my first rated R movie.” Shinsou then decided to share as you perked up a bit with a gasp. “For reals?”

He smiled and nodded as a grin came to your lips, “Nice… that’s a good start to the world of R rated movies. I’ve been watching so many R rated movies at a young age I forgot my first one…” You KINDA bragged but you weren’t lying, you’d gotten into R rated movies at a pretty early age, but Shinsou was actually somewhat impressed as he gave you a smirk.

“Oh yeah? You’re not the only one… I just have a better memory.” And he kinda poked fun at you as you laughed and playfully smacked his shoulder. “I’ll give you that…” Still you decided to own up to that because yes, you didn’t have the best memory unless it came to movie lines, character quirks or memes.

“Well… it’s a good idea, and I’m into it so… I’ll just go put on something that’s… not my uniform.” Shinsou’s smile looked almost coy as he scratched the back of his neck as you smiled back at him, “Take your time, movie don’t start for another hour and a half.” You said as he gave you a polite wave that you happily returned.

Yeah, you couldn’t wait to see the movie now. Especially with Shinsou, Izuku and all the others, they were so great. Shinsou and Izuku were so great… Shinsou was great…

You couldn’t help but think as you made sure you had everything, and some candy you stored away and would sneak into the theaters as you put the treats into the secret pockets of your purse. However, you paused momentarily when you definitely felt someone else’s aura in the room, no one other than Bakugou’s. You knew what his aura felt like, it was always so vibrant, bright and almost hot whenever you came so close as you could always see it flickering and blazing. Only this time, it was subdued, akin to a small candle.

“So you’re going to see that movie huh?” There it was, his low, raspy voice that you had fallen in love as you turned to see him looking so oddly calm. Bakugou wasn’t known for being calm at all, and yet he was here looking strangely cool.

You had to admit, although you kinda wanted to still treat him like garbage you were starting to feel kind of guilty about it too. So you decided to be more civil this time as you smiled, “Let me guess… Denki and Eijirou told you?” You asked politely as he scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Duh. Those two don’t know how to keep their traps shut when they’re excited…”

Maybe you could invite him? You thought, sure he was probably going to turn it down but… no, it probably wasn’t a good idea.

“In their defense, it’s been 10 years since the last one showed. The actors are all kinda old now, and we’re interested to see if they still got that thing ya know? If they can hold a candle to the first one, not sure you remember it but it was hella funny.” You said with a smile, and Bakugou couldn’t help but feel somewhat at ease.

The smile was real and it’s been a LONG time since he’s gotten a smile from you, it almost hurt seeing you smile because he remembered the times when you and him were together, you were always smiling. But this time, you and him weren’t together, and yet you were smiling now. Of course, Bakugou wanted you to be happy, but were you happy without him…? He almost didn’t want that… he wanted to be the one to make you smile because he was never, EVER going to say the stupid shit he said ever again.

“I remember.” He said gently and you were KINDA freaking out, was this even the real Bakugou? You were a little concerned, but you knew you shouldn’t have been since the calm aura was still as orange and red as ever, the red drowning away the orange as you saw a flicker of pink in there. Was that love? Or was that guilt? It had to be guilt. You knew Bakugou at his most vulnerable, and you adored that side of him too, but things have been so awkward between you and him that you didn’t know what to do…

You sighed a little bit and nodded as you moved from the refrigerator to go and sit at the couch, “I always thought you were prettiest like this.” But you stopped before you could sit as you perked up at his sudden comment though, and you looked over at him in shock. Did he just say you were pretty?

We'd always go into it blindly I needed to lose you to find me

A chuckle left you, turning into a snicker as you shook your head and you saw more of your Bakugou when he narrowed his eyes at you in annoyance, “How so…? I’m… not really dressed up.”

“Well that’s why!” He raised his voice a bit, and you honestly smiled because now he was kinda back to being himself and being honest. However, he didn’t want to yell at you anymore or make you feel worse so he calmed himself down, “Just regular clothes, no make-up, messy hair… no fake, colorful shit, just your style.” Okay, now you couldn’t be so sure, but dammit he wasn’t lying, it was all in his aura, his tone, and the way he was moving closer to you.

He really was trying, wasn’t he? You wanted to forgive him, you really did, and you were still trying to but… you weren’t ready for that.

“Heh… you’ve got weird taste in girls Katsuki.” You were still self-deprecating, just like you had been in your relationship, but Bakugou always made you feel better about it, and told you that you WERE beautiful and how you never ceased to turn him on.

Only this time, the words he said to you came back, and the things you told yourself came back and reminded you that no, you couldn’t fall back into his arms. No matter how close he got as he slowly came behind you. “Stop saying shit about yourself like that… you’re beautiful…”

God you loved the warmth that radiated from his powerful physique as his arms came around you, a shudder going down your spine at the familiar feeling. No, no, no you weren’t going to fall back into his arms, dammit… you couldn’t…

It was a pleasurable torture when he put his arms around your plump waist as he caressed your sides, and gave you a gentle kiss to the side of your head. Hoping that you could forgive him as you didn’t resist his advances until you decided…

“No.”

You wanted to, but knew that you couldn’t right now as you grabbed his hands to pry them off of you, “No Katsuki, no, no…” Shaking your head, you were surprised that you managed to get his hands off you as you heard a low growl resonate in his throat as he gave you a soft glare, but he knew that… he couldn’t do anything because you said ‘no’. And Bakugou was taught very early on by his bitch mom that no meant no…

“Sorry I just… I don’t… I’m not... I can’t do that…” You shook your hand and raised a hand as you averted his gaze and instead you went back to go and maybe get other things from your room, but the truth was you just wanted to escape this awkwardness, it was too much for you. And frankly you were terrified of falling back into his arms again…

This dancing was killing me softly I needed to hate you to love me, yeah...

Bakugou accepted that you said no but he was pissed off as he clenched his fists and trembled with hurt and rage. For a moment he almost thought you were doing this on purpose, and pushing him away for good. Why didn’t you forgive him? He apologized (a lot), he’d been trying so hard to apologize and take back everything he said to you.

Grinding his teeth, and barely holding it in, he angrily marched over to take out a minuscule of this fury on the nearby dishes on the table and shoved them off as they loudly shattered and cracked upon making impact with the floor.

“DAMMIT!!”

He finally shouted with all the pent-up frustration, his booming voice drowning out the shattering glass as you gasped and backed away in slight shock and fear at his sudden outburst.

"How fucking long are you going to punish me (Y/N)?! HOW FUCKING LONG?! ARE YOU REALLY STILL PISSED OFF OVER SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED MONTHS AGO?!”

This reminded you of something you saw in a movie, he was so pissed and even yelling at you and honestly it did scare you, but Bakugou wouldn’t hurt you. Physically at least, you knew that much, but you weren’t going to back down

“Of COURSE, I’m still kind of pissed off! And for the record I am NOT punishing you, you narcissistic asshole, I’m TRYING to think about how I should forgive you for the things you swore to NEVER call me! Or if I even should forgive you! W-What? You want me to j-ju-ju-just… make out with you like its old times?!” You exclaimed with the same vexation that you had been keeping at bay ever since the two of you broke up, not seeing Bakugou’s narrowing eyes and shaking figure as he seethed when you once again, reminded him of the big mistake he made with you.

“I... I mean I... I can’t even look at your face Katsuki! Without… thinking about and hearing the words you said to me and the expression of anger and disgust on your face when you said that I was just some fat pig who was wasting your time!” Emotion nearly choked you up as you wiped your eyes when tears started to cloud them and you couldn’t see just how aggravated and distressed Bakugo was as he clutched his hair out of frustration.

“I FUCKED UP!! How many times do I have to say that I fucked up?! How many times do I have to say I’m sorry?!”

Throwing his hands up, he shouted that he had indeed screwed up, louder than before, frustrated with everything, with you, with himself, with the fucking guilt that just started eating away at him again.

To love, love, yeah To love, love, yeah To love, yeah I needed to lose you to love me, yeah...

“You can say you’re sorry all you want! I just… I can’t ignore the fact that you would stoop so low to say the same things the people YOU protected me from would say to me. Why did you do that?” You had to ask, even though you were still mad as hell.

“ARGH! Dammit! I don’t fucking know! I was pissed off! I had shit I was dealing with and I took it out on you but I shouldn’t have! I admit it!” Bakugou wasn’t denying it anymore, he knew he royally screwed up and that he couldn’t use his anger as an excuse for it, but you still weren’t having it.

“Oh. Oh so that’s what I am huh? Something for you take it all out on? Well your bad temper is not an excuse Katsuki and I’m done listening to you use that as your excuse for almost everything… you can’t even put it aside to think about me or how that must have seriously hurt me. Did you ever even think about how I felt during those times? Did you ever stop to put yourself in my shoes? Did you ever feel awful and useless when you couldn’t make your partner happy? Or... d-did, did you ever dread going to school because people were going to comment about the way you look? Did you go home feeling horrible about yourself because people called you ugly and fat? Did you spend nights crying all by yourself, bored and alone and feeling like you were going to be alone for the rest of your life because everyone else made you feel so worthless? Did you ever feel like maybe it was your own fault? Did you ever think that you had to have been the worst partner ever because it seemed that no matter what you did, you couldn’t get your partner to spend time with you? Did you ever feel like maybe you really were worthless because you felt like you just couldn’t do anything right and then spend every day hating yourself?!”

You barraged him with all of these questions that broke his heart as he hated the emotions swimming in his furious crimson eyes but that’s not what you were talking about as you glared at him with hurt, darkening red aura barely visibly radiating from you. He couldn’t even say anything because deep down, he knew that he was probably one of those people now after you broke up with him because of what he said…

“I just… god… here’s my real question… why are you such a fucking asshole to me?” That’s the real question you wanted to ask him, and Bakugou couldn’t help but look shocked, confused but even more pissed off than before. He was an asshole to everyone, but you were hellbent on this little spat because of what he said, that was it wasn’t it? You were still mad because of something he said…

“For God’s sake I said I was sorry for what I said all right?! I’ve said it a million goddamn times! I’m SORRY (Y/N)! I didn’t mean what I said to you! I want to take it all back because it was the worst fucking thing I could have ever said to anyone! Especially you!” He shouted his apology, the angry tears threatening to spill but you shook your head at this.

“I’m not talking about what you said, I’m talking about everything! Ever since we got together you’ve still managed to treat me like shit! Even before we got together you still treated me like shit, and yet it got worse when we became a thing! You hardly spent anytime with me, pushed me away when I tried to help you, made fun of what I liked, insulted me and called me other names for what? Cuz I’m a geek like Izuku, cuz I like geeky things and like to watch TV and eat sweets and say dumb puns and hang out with Izuku and Hitoshi, well I’m sick of it Katsuki! I’m fucking sick of it!”

To love, love, yeah To love, love, yeah To love, yeah I needed to lose you to love me…

You didn’t realize the tears dripping down your chin, or the sudden wave of blue aura that your sadness triggered and emitted from your form and rushed towards anyone in the vicinity as Bakugou cringed as the tears automatically streamed down his face in response to your quirk. Damn your quirk… but he’d be lying if he said that it wasn’t just your quirk making him cry…

Neither of you noticed that some of your classmates Izuku, Shinsou, Kirishima and Hagakure instantly backed away from being seen by you or Bakugou. They heard the screaming, and they were hella uncomfortable as they gasped quietly when your quirk hit them and immediately brought tears to their eyes as Izuku and Kirishima covered their mouths as huge tears well and dripped down their faces and made them quietly cry. Shinsou shut his eyes tightly when he felt your quirk make unwanted tears pool in his eyes as he tried so hard to blink them away but couldn’t stop some from falling. Hagakure on the other hand whimpered and had to keep her mouth shut though the boys couldn’t see anything other than moisture streaming down her invisible face.

She didn’t focus on them though, instead she was just thanking the gods for making her invisible because hearing two people scream at each other was scary…

However, the screaming died down once Bakugou heard you out, and apparently everything else that became clearer to him the more you said it. He knew he wasn’t hardly a good boyfriend, aside from the more intimate times you and he shared but it couldn’t make up the bad times either. Hell, even he knew he was a pretty shitty boyfriend, but now he felt like he’d been a really shitty boyfriend after you finally said all of it. All the shitty things he’d done before and after your relationship…

You sighed, closing your eyes as you looked away from him and didn’t see the look on his face. Remorse, shame and subdued fury all etched throughout his features as he furiously wiped his face to get rid of the tears he couldn’t stop. He wanted to comfort you, but he was the one who hurt you, and now he was hurting too, all of the hurt that he caused you to feel.

You promised the world and I fell for it I put you first and you adored it...

“I’m just… I’m going to go now… sorry I just… I have to go…” But you didn’t want to be around him right now, you had a movie to go see with your friends. And the worst part is he was letting you, he wanted to follow you and just keep saying that yes, he was an asshole to you and that he just wants to take it all back so you could forgive him.

Dammit why the fuck wasn’t he moving?! Why the fuck wasn’t he saying anything?!

All Bakugou could do was stand there, stunned in silence and growling quietly, rubbing at his tearful eyes more harshly as he watched you go. No, he couldn’t just leave it like this, it couldn’t end like this right?

No it wasn’t, he couldn’t just let it end like this, but he couldn’t bother you right now, he knew that much at least no matter how much he just wanted to go with you so he could at least be close to you after spending these past few months alone.

Yet he’d be kind enough to let you go with your friends as you spent the next hour just preparing yourself and drying your tears so you could go to everyone and say that you were okay. But of course, you weren’t okay, they knew that all too well.

Even Shinsou and Izuku held their tongues when they were all leaving with the motley crew of classmates that often didn’t hang together but were nonetheless friendly with each other.

“Ya all right there girl?”

“Is there anything you need (Y/N)?”

“I’m okay… honestly guys.” Kaminari and Kirishima were the first to ask if you were okay. “He didn’t say anything mean again did he?” Kirishima made sure to ask about Bakugou though, sure he was practically his best friend but even he wasn’t standing by him after the things he said to you. What he said was NOT cool, did he give him emotional support? Definitely, he’s the one who even told him that he should apologize to you, but he was sad that it didn’t seem to work.

However, he knew you weren’t obligated to forgive Bakugou, no matter how much everyone wanted to see a happy ending for you both.

“No one would blame you if you didn’t forgive him (Y/N). What he said was pretty cruel given you guys’ history together.” Tsuyu spoke what she thought, but she at least hoped nobody would. Some might have thought you were being unreasonable and unforgiving but Tsuyu wasn’t going to blame you if you didn’t take him back.

“She’s right. Or at least… they shouldn’t blame you. Although… I at least hope the two of you can reach better terms…” Yaoyorozu had a BIT more compassion though and sincerely hoped the best for you both and you couldn’t help but smile because that’s exactly what you wanted to.

While you and Bakugou didn’t have a pleasant conversation, you did want to at least go back to him later and say that it’d be great if you and he could at least be friends.

“I do too Momo… thanks Tsu. Thanks you guys… I’m still working on the forgiveness part but for now… I do want to get on better terms with him at least.” You smiled sadly at your sympathetic friends who all gave their nods and smiles of agreement as they seemed to approve.

“The decision is yours (L/N). There’s no obligation for you to return.”

“Yeah like, if it wasn’t healthy then you shouldn’t go back to it… sure sometimes toxic relationships can be cleansed but… Bakugou’s got his own stuff to work on too.”

Despite their less than stellar grades in school, Tokoyami and Sero were wise in their own ways, as what they said made you feel better and it made a lot of sense. And you appreciated the hell out of them for that.

“That’s right!”

“Uh huh! We’re with you with whatever choice you make too!”

“Of course my friend~.”

And it helped when Mina, Hagakure and Aoyama backed you up by giving the same endless support they had been giving you for months as you couldn’t help but tear up and laugh. “Dammit you guys… thanks… but please… enough with the mushy stuff I don’t wanna get all emotional again…” Your amused tone earned smiles and small laughs from your dear friends as Shinsou and Izuku stood by you.

“Sure… you’ve probably had enough of that huh?” Shinsou knew it’s been an emotional roller coaster for you, and he was certain that you could only handle so much mushy gushiness. “Y-Yeah… but I appreciate it… shows how much ya’ll care about me.” You had to admit that though, you loved how much all of your friends had done so much to help you.

“Anything for you (Y/N)-chan.” Izuku gave you one of his sweet smiles that you found irresistible as you smiled back at him. Something about him always made you feel so cared for; he was a good guy. He and Shinsou were such good guys.

They made you remember to actually love yourself too. They certainly loved you, and the rest of your friends loved you too. And you were starting to love yourself a little bit more too.

“Wait! There’s like 10 of us! How are… are you paying for all of us…?”

You snickered and couldn’t be happier to hear Kaminari’s comical but logical question as it broke the ice and lightened the mood. “Oh actually I also invited Shouto!” And you suddenly announced that, grinning as soon as you saw the dual-haired boy coming your way with a small smile as he watched you wave.

“Hey Shouto~!” You greeted him cheerfully as he joined in with your group.

“Hello (L/N). Hello Midoriya.” He returned the greeting politely, still giving you one of those rare little smiles that you were happy to see.

“Todoroki! (Y/N)-chan invited you too?” Izuku was especially elated to see his friend there, albeit he was surprised since you waited til the last minute to invite the fire and ice user. “Yes. She showed me the first one last week, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I’m interested to see how this second one will go.” Todoroki’s been slowly converted to your way of pop culture as you introduced him to several films like Disney and Marvel, but especially classic old movies like The Breakfast Club, Jennifer’s Body and Zombieland of course.

“Yeah you go bro! That’s my dude!” You were ecstatic that he was willing to come along though, and it showed. “Besides… I was able to take 10000 yen from my old man’s wallet so everything is on me.” His smile turned into a small smirk as you gasped and laughed, clapping your hands happily.

“YES! That’s my Shouto! Rebelling against daddy~!!”

Okay, maybe you kinda gave him that idea since you didn’t have a lot of money yourself, but Todoroki did, and he was more than happy to pay for you and his friends especially since it was so accessible thanks to his bitch father.

“All right~! Let’s go~!!” You exclaimed cheerfully, throwing a fist in the air as you lit up a bright, cheerful pink aura that radiated throughout your friends which made them all perk up a bit as they felt your happiness and were just as excited as you were now.

“YEAH!”

“ZOMBIELAND~!!”

“WHOO-HOO! DOUBLE TAP!!”

“CARDIO~!”

Kirishima, Mina, Sero and Kaminari were especially excited as they were your more extroverted friends, but everyone was smiling along with you as they gladly followed you to the movie theater to see this long-awaited sequel of the first beloved movie.

Everyone was happy. You were happy too, you were especially happy now despite what happened with you and Bakugou.

The same unfortunately could not be said for Bakugou, who was far from happy, but he was glad that you were at least happy. He just wishes that he could have been happy with you, and that he could make you happy.

But he didn’t make you happy anymore.

2 HOURS LATER

“That was fucking INCREDIBLE!!” You exited the theater EXTREMELY happy and almost wishing the movie didn’t end because Zombieland 2 was THAT good a movie and you were SO happy that you got to see it with all your friends. You SWORE you heard Todoroki laugh too, so that was something you were never forgetting.

“I KNOW! HA! Not bad for 10 years later!”

“I freaking loved Madison!”

“I did too! She was the funniest one!”

“Oh yeah, she was pretty much the best part of the movie.”

“Hell yeah! She was really sweet too, I liked her! She was tons of fun!”

Naturally, the Bakusquad (plus Hagakure) was as cheerful as ever as they all loved the movie they just saw, and were extremely happy that they took up your offer today, because it was money well spent. Well, Todoroki’s money but still!

He thought so too, he rather liked the sequel and found it amusing, he actually smiled and tried to not laugh at some of the dumber things that Madison girl said during the movie. “I agree, it was… amusing. I see why you go here often (Y/N).” Todoroki made sure to compliment you though, he wasn’t the best with emotions but he knew you had been kinda unhappy lately so he tried to be kinder to you.

“Thanks Shouto! I know right?! It was AWESOME! I’m SO glad I decided to just come over here~. It gets an A+ from me~.”

“One of the rare moments where the sequel is just as good as the first movie, if not better.” Tokoyami even pointed out something you highly agreed with because it was THAT good. “Exactly! You don’t get that with every movie… sequels tend to suck…”

“The new additions were good ones too, sometimes adding new characters is actually what kills the movie. Not for this one.” And Tsuyu gave her input that almost everyone here agreed with, but couldn’t choose a new favorite.

“My favorite is that Madison girl~. She knew how to dress and be the cute one~.” Aoyama had his favorite, but everyone near unanimously agreed that she was the funniest one. “But she knew how to survive too for all those years.” But Yaoyorozu pointed out that despite Madison being a cliché dumb blonde character that she STILL survived the zombie apocalypse by herself.

“An excellent point Momo! She ain’t that stupid…” You giggled a little bit alongside your best guyfriends Shinsou and Izuku. “No she was actually… oddly smart… kinda like you.” But Shinsou poked a bit of fun at you as you laughed and slapped him on his shoulder playfully. “SHUT UP TOSHI! NO… I’m not that thick I’m smart too!” You exclaimed but cheerfully as he tried his hardest to not snicker or grin at you.

“You are smart (Y/N)-chan… coming here to see this movie was smart, I liked it, I liked it a lot! It was actually better than the first one.” Izuku was the sweetheart though as he gave you a bit of a sweeter compliment, much to Shinsou’s slight annoyance.

“Thank you Izuku~.” You sang-songed cheerfully as you beamed at the blushing boy who instantly turned bashful at your smile, much to MORE of Shinsou’s annoyance. Always trying to be the ball of sunshine that guy…

However, all that mattered is that you were ecstatic and everyone else clearly had a good time and loved the hell out of the movie. And you were smiling again, Shinsou hadn’t seen you smile as much as normal so seeing you smile the way you were was very nice.

You were smiling the entire time you went back to the dorms, just laughing with your friends and re-quoting the funnier lines from the movie and discussing some of the funniest parts until all of you had to go your separate ways and return to your rooms. Especially when other classmates came into view, you didn’t wanna spoil it for anyone after all.

“Hehe… well guys I think I’m just gonna stay up a couple of more hours and go to sleep or at least try to.” You said to your friends as they each smiled and nodded before they all said ‘okay!’ ‘sure’ and ‘that’s a good idea, good night to you (Y/N)’ and you made sure to happily return the polite ‘good night’ back to them.

Now it was just you and Izuku and Shinsou, you were still just happily chatting to them, but that’s when Bakugou decided enough was enough. He heard all of the other idiots just laughing and talking about a movie he hadn’t seen it yet and now some of it was fucking spoiled for him but that’s not what mattered right now. What mattered is that he didn’t like the way he left things with you a couple of hours ago, and now he had to talk to you again.

“I’m telling you, I could totally make Zombie kill of the week if we were in the Zombie apocalypse.” You were trying to brag to Izuku and Shinsou who were just chuckling at your enthusiasm.

“That would require some elaborate way of killing them, some people get really creative with that…”

“Oh yeah? You don’t even know how to use some weapons (Y/N)…”

Izuku had more hope in you, Shinsou was just playing with you though and God Bakugou fucking hated it, especially when you laughed with them.

“Oi. Deku, Eyebags, get the fuck out of here.” Before you could reply Bakugou suddenly made his appearance and immediately told the two guys to get out, “Ah! K-Kacchan I uh…” Izuku knew how jealous Bakugou could get though and his first instinct was to try and reassure him that he wasn’t trying anything with you or anything.

“Beat it you damn nerd!” But Bakugou didn’t wanna hear him and a very scared Izuku quickly rushed out with a very frightened ‘Okay!’ as your smile instantly turned into a frown as he forced your friend out, but Shinsou wasn’t budging at least.

“Get lost Eye-bags, I need to talk to (Y/N). ALONE.” He roughly demanded the brainwasher to leave, but Shinsou had his arms crossed and stood where he was.

“I’ll go when I want to.” He shook his head and refused to leave even though Bakugou was only getting madder when Shinsou dared to tell him ‘no’, but you didn’t want there to be a fight so you raised your hand.

Set fires to my forest And you let it burn Sang off-key in my chorus...

“It’s okay Hitoshi… you don’t wanna be here… me and Katsuki DO have to talk and I’d rather you not be around to see it so… it’s okay…” You gently convinced him to leave you and your ex be for the time being and although reluctant, Shinsou sighed and complied. He knew you knew what you were doing so he got up to go, not before whispering a ‘see ya later’ as he left and he and Bakugou exchanged glares as he walked away.

You didn’t approve of how he just broke you and your friends up from a fun conversation, but you supposed that this had to be done since you and he didn’t really leave on a good note earlier today, or this morning.

No more fighting. You were done with it, you just wanted to stop fighting with him.

Except… it was easier said than done. The two of you stood in the living room for what felt like forever because none of you could find the words to say and it was beyond uncomfortable. “So… did… Kirishima and Kaminari already spoil the movie for you?” You decided to ask a lighthearted question and Bakugou ALMOST snickered.

“Yes… I’m going to kill those morons…” He didn’t really mean it but he knew how much you enjoyed those two movies and he really, just really wanted to see it with you since he loved seeing the first one with you even though back then he pretended like he thought it was stupid. But no, he liked it, and now some of it was spoiled for him. Maybe he’d go see it with you again since he knew you never minded seeing another movie twice.

“Hehe… well… it was good so… if you ever feel like seeing it, I recommend it.” You said gently with a little smile as Bakugou leered at you.

“What I want… is to just say I’m sorry for… being such a fucking asshole to you, for being the worst fucking boyfriend and… everything… I’m... I’m sorry (Y/N)... I’m so fucking sorry everything, I can’t say how sorry I am...” Bakugou shamefully blushed as he apologized to you because he was never good at doing that. Hell, he very rarely said the word ‘sorry’ at all, but lately he’d been using that more and more when it came to you after he realized just how terrible a boyfriend and friend he had been to you.

To love, love, yeah To love, love, yeah To love, yeah I needed to hate you to love me, yeah

You were shocked but also touched that he was doing this for you, you knew how hard it was for him to apologize so you were touched and kind of happy. “Thanks Katsuki… it’s… okay… I think I’ve been mad at you long enough so… it’s okay… we’re okay.” You gave him a smile that actually gave him hope as his eyes slowly widened.

“We are…?” Bakugou asked you somewhat nervously, because he started to see some doubt in your eyes as you sighed, “Yes… we are okay but… not… in the way you think…” His heart was racing, but it wasn’t from excitement because you didn’t look like you were happy.

“Look… Katsuki… I mean you no ill will. I still care about you, and I still love you but… I really, really don’t think you’re a good boyfriend…” You said a little bluntly but made your voice soften as he gasped quietly.

“You’re not a bad person… but you’re not a good boyfriend either… and I don’t really think that I can really return to a relationship like that… sorry…” Sighing heavily you finally did it, you told him that you didn’t want to go back to the relationship but seeing his expression broke your heart.

“I know I wasn’t! But… look just… dammit (Y/N) I’m not going to say any of that shit to you ever again! I won’t fuck up like I did last time I swear!” He sounded desperate, as if he was pleading to you as he moved closer and you fought the tears starting to build in your eyes when he grabbed your hands. He would beg if he had to, he just couldn’t lose you.

“I love you.”

He said calmly and yet sincerely, out of pure impulse but that’s what he truly meant. He loved you and he just wanted to hear you say the words back to him. He knew you did…

To love, love, yeah To love, love, yeah To love, yeah I needed to lose you to love me...

“See that’s just it… I know you love me… I love you too… but… I thought you loving me was enough, at least… until… you said the things you did… now I know you’re sorry... and I don’t doubt that you do love me but… I started hating myself again when you said those things and it made me realize that... I need to love me too, I need to start loving myself… and I didn’t love myself when I was with you. I let you do that for me, and… I can’t do that anymore. It’s not fair to you, and not good for me.” You loved him, you truly did love him but at the same time you needed to give yourself time before you could go back into a relationship, especially with him.

Bakugou was an extremely flawed person and although he was honest and you believed every word he said, you didn’t think it was a good time to go back to him.

And he knew it, but it didn’t stop the tears from coming but he stubbornly willed them back as he swallowed hard. He tried so hard and he wasn’t giving up yet, but he knew that you didn’t want to get back together with him. Worse, he made you hate yourself for a moment because of what he said and what he had done to you too, so… maybe you were better off without him. He’d rather you love yourself first because you were the best thing he’d ever had.

To love, love, yeah To love, love, yeah To love, yeah

“Fine then…” He tried to sound bitter, but he was just miserable and he did understand even if he was really hurt right now and knew that this was nobody’s fault but his. “I don’t fucking deserve you anyway… you’re… too good for me…” Bakugou muttered as he forced back all the emotion until he felt you kiss him suddenly on the cheek, making him gasp a bit.

“It’s okay… we all make mistakes. We’re human, that’s what we do. So… don’t beat yourself up.” You said to reassure him although it didn’t make him feel any better as he pulled you into a sudden, tight hug as you closed your tearful eyes and hugged him back, feeling his tears on your shoulder as your arms tightened around him so you and he could savor each other’s warmth just one more time

Neither of you truly wanted to pull away, it was almost too painful but you knew that it was for the best. You had started learning how to love yourself more, and you had to put yourself first more, and he knew that. And Bakugou also knew that he needed to work on himself too, and maybe he’d be a better boyfriend to you someday.

And now the chapter is closed and done To love, love, yeah To love, love, yeah To love, yeah..

“Good night Katsuki.” You said quietly to him as you pulled away with misty (E/C) eyes as he glumly looked at you, cupping his cheeks to wipe the tears away from his red eyes.

“Good night (Y/N).” He said as calmly as possible, and refused to cry in front of you (again) as he watched you slowly walk away. The two of you shared a small wave before you turned away, inhaling and exhaling deeply as you walked away for good.

You and Bakugou would at least be friends, and that was good enough for both you and him, even if he did rush over to his room to sob into his bed afterwards now that he had officially lost you.

He loved you, he still loved you...

You loved him too, you still loved him, but you needed to love yourself too. Even if it meant losing him.

And now it's goodbye, it's goodbye for us...

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azroazizah · 4 years

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send u series- soul eater, gintama, mha, iasip if uve watched that

whooooooo thank you for the ask! 💜💜💜 I haven’t watched iasip tho so I’ll just answer the other three, here we go:

BNHA:

Favorite character : Bakugou Katsuki, hands down. I love his complex inner struggle and amazing character development.

Second favorite character : Maybe Izuku? idk, they’re all great, but am not really invested on other character besides Katsuki.

Least favorite character : Mineta, no argument.

The character I’m most like : uhhhh, I guess my inner struggle is a bit like Katsuki wwww

Favorite pairing : Katsudeku, both romantic or brotp is okay. I also like Kacchako or Dekuraraka a bit, but to be frank I don’t give much thought about shipping in MHA. I’m okay if any ship becomes canon or even if there’s no canon ship in the end.

Least favorite pairing : anything with Mineta in it

Favorite moment : the moment when Katsuki brokenly shouted why he was the reason of All Might’s demise. Man, that’s peak turning point in character development right there.

Rating out of 10 : 7.5/10. It’s surprisingly good for a shounen with general premise like school and heroes. Also, the characters are beautifully fleshed out. Though I’m feeling anxious lately bc of Shigaraki’s sudden OP power-burst. Would be 8/10 if there’s no Mineta.

Gintama:

Favorite character : Sakata Gintoki, hands down. He’s my all time fave character.

Second favorite character : tied between Hijikata Toushirou or Shimura Shinpachi. Man, I want my boy Shinpachi to get the love he deserves.

Least favorite character : Tokugawa Sadasada. He’s just... gross. No redeeming qualities whatsoever.

The characteyr I’m most like : a bit like Gintoki and a bit like Sougo.

Favorite pairing : GINHIJI FTW, AND YES, GIN TOPS!!!! OkiKagu is a close second.

Least favorite pairing : anything involving the Yorozuya members together, like GinKagu, GinShin or ShinKagu. Just.... no. THEY’RE CANONICALLY LIVING AS FATHER/CHILDREN OR SIBLINGS GODDAMMIT!!!

Favorite moment : are you seriously asking me this? can I even make a list of it hgdjhfkkh. I CAN’T CHOOSE DAMMIT. Basically everything involving the (extended) Yorozuya’s family bond. But jhsgkdfgsjkghfashf my heart would always bleed for that scene where Gin left his kids to go back to the past in the second movie, also when I hear them shouting that it wasn’t what they wanted. MAN MY HEART IS STILL BLEEDING.

Rating out of 10 : 9/10. Damn it’s near perfect.

also, for @walktooblivion who asked for Soul Eater:

Favorite character : Soul Evans, hands down. as if it isn’t obvious lol

Second favorite character : Wes Evans wwwwww. But he’s tied with Maka Albarn.

Least favorite character : Flying Dutchman. I find him more annoying than Excalibur, gosh.

The character I’m most like : many people had accused me of being similar to Soul.

Favorite pairing : SoMa, duh, wwwww

Least favorite pairing : I’m sorry but... I just can’t with CroMa or SteinMedusa. Like... I know why they’re shipped and I understand their dynamics but... just no.

Favorite moment : all the soma moments lol but anyway, the Clown Arc ✨

Rating out of 10 : 4.5/10. Bit surprising isn’t it, esp for ppl who haven’t followed me for long, considering over half of my blog’s content is about this show. But overall I don’t think it’s that great of a series to be honest, BUT BUT BUT BUT it’s such a great playground full of amazing characters AND glorious concepts so I have a very complicated relationship with this series gkdhgjgjkgdh. The anime has 5.5/10 tho ✨

okayy that’s it, and again thank youu ^^

#bnha #gintama #soul eater #anemone-anatomy #zi answers

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statusquoergo · 4 years

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'tis the season ... for prompts:) May I ask for Marvey with 13? I think we are all in need of a bit of cheering:} And thank you for doing this, and all of the fics you've written so far, your words always manage to brighten my days! <3

Absolutely you may, and thank you for the prompt! And for saying such kind things about my fics, I really appreciate that a lot. Indeed we could all do with a bit of cheering, it’s been one hell of a year... Well! I hope this helps a little!

Things you said at the kitchen table

[Read on AO3]

They don’t always have time for breakfast. Well, that’s not strictly true; they run the firm, they can show up whenever they feel like it and no one would say a damn thing. Breakfast could take three hours, if they wanted it to, they could waltz in the doors at half past eleven without anything that even sounded like an apology. Not that they would; not that Harvey would be so irresponsible, not that Mike would leave their employees hanging like that, but if they wanted to, theoretically. The option is there.

Sundays, though. Sundays are for them.

What that usually means is that Sundays are for sleeping in, but every once in a while, every now and then, the day hits a little different, the sun shines a little brighter, and the rich aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee tempts Mike out of bed toward the sizzle of frying bacon or a slab of french toast or whatever Harvey’s in the mood to whip up that day. Those mornings are the his favorites. Not that Sundays aren’t always great, but those Sundays are the best.

Usually.

This Sunday morning in particular, Mike is lured into the kitchen by the percolating coffeemaker to find Harvey at the stove, flipping blueberry pancakes and tending to a small saucepan of maple syrup warming over a low flame with a very private smile on his face that vanishes the instant he notices Mike settling in at the island. And Mike appreciates the indulgence of it all, and the effort Harvey is putting in and everything, but that smile thing, that’s a little…odd. Is Harvey going to tell him something he doesn’t want to hear? Ask him to do something he doesn’t want to do? There’s not much in the world Mike would deny him, he should know that much, so what…

Wait. Wait, shit, wait, this is about the Andretti case. This is about Yorker and Harrison suddenly threatening to pull out of the merger agreement Harvey’s favorite associate has been working on for the past six months if Andretti doesn’t double his capital investments by like…Friday, or something. Harvey is going to ask him to storm the barricades and pull a solution out of thin air to save the day. This isn’t breakfast, this is a bribe.

God dammit, Harvey. He’s not falling for that one, not again.

He can’t come right out and refuse it point blank, though. For one thing, Harvey might suddenly stop cooking like the petulant little shit he is, and Mike really doesn’t want to waste all that food when he could eat it instead. For another, it’s not as though Harvey would give up trying to get him to sign on to the project after one measly rejection, and Mike doesn’t particularly want to spend the entirety of the next week on pins and needles, sunk into a paranoid haze where every nice thing his boyfriend says to him is a just another stepping stone toward begging him to pull out his white cape and play Avenging Attorney.

Fine. He can play the long game, too. Putting a big old smile on his face, Mike leans across the counter and takes a pointed sniff of the oncoming feast that makes Harvey turn around with an answering grin, the spatula nearly slipping from his hand before he tightens his grip.

“Morning,” he says, turning back to the stove.

“Morning,” Mike echoes, settling back into his chair. “Blueberry?”

“Sorry, we were out of chocolate chips.”

“We definitely aren’t, but I might be able to forgive you if the orange juice is fresh squeezed.”

Harvey snorts an undignified little laugh; he must know Mike is going to turn him down. “Have you always been this needy?” he asks lightly.

“The word you’re looking for is ‘driven.’”

“The word I’m looking for is ‘demanding.’”

Mike shrugs. “At least I know what I want.”

Or don’t want. Go on, just try passing this one off. See how far you get.

Harvey plates a couple of pancakes and shakes his head. “The crap I put up with from you…”

Kind of a weird segue into asking such a big favor, but Mike won’t be fooled into dropping his guard just yet. He’s no rookie.

“I’d say we’re on pretty equal ground there.”

“Yeah.” Harvey turns off the burners and reaches into the cabinet for a carafe for the syrup. “You might be right.”

Mike frowns. Harvey isn’t even going to make a token argument against that? No fight at all? Huh. It’s not the worst tactic he could’ve chosen; too bad for him, Mike came prepared.

“I know I am.”

Harvey just smiles as he sets a plate down in front of Mike, and this is starting to get a little creepy. Might as well start the ball rolling, then; better to get it over with.

“So,” Mike says, pulling the carafe toward himself, “anything special you wanted to do today?”

Harvey shakes his head and picks up his fork.

“I didn’t have anything in mind.”

Mike nods slowly. “Right,” he says. “So… Okay then.”

They eat in silence until Mike’s stack of pancakes is reduced by half, and Harvey seems to have finished about…one.

Mike drops his fork down on the counter. “Alright what—”

“Actually there—”

They both cut themselves off, and Mike narrows his eyes as Harvey widens his.

“What?”

“No,” Mike says. “No, what were you going to say?”

There are only so many hours in the day, and the sooner this is over and done with, the sooner he can relax and enjoy them. He grits his teeth as Harvey takes a breath and drops his hands down to his lap.

“Actually,” Harvey repeats, “there was something I wanted to do today.”

“Oh yeah?” Mike smiles tightly. “What’s that?”

Harvey casts his eyes down for a minute, not completely closed but definitely turned away. Wait, so, wait, actually, maybe this isn’t about the Andretti case. Maybe this isn’t about work at all. Or— Is it? Anything with as much buildup as this has to be big. Maybe—maybe Harvey is sick of the firm. Maybe he’s finally gotten sick of the grind, sick of the hours and hours of his life he’s given over to the law, everything he’s lost, all the sacrifices he’s made. Maybe he needs a change, maybe he wants to start over in some little town in Iowa where nobody knows his name, to throw away the life he’s built for himself, the life they’ve built for themselves, maybe— Maybe he wants Mike to throw his life away too, to go somewhere else and find something new, to start from scratch and build themselves from the ground back up.

And maybe he’s afraid to ask Mike to make that kind of sacrifice, maybe he’s afraid he’ll say no, because he would, wouldn’t he? Would he? Would it be so bad, really, to start over together? To make a life together, something just for them where they could be whoever, whatever they wanted? Could they do it? Would they make it? Would Mike be willing to try? Would Harvey go without him if he wasn’t? Would Mike let himself be trapped into a relationship so lopsided, so dismissive of his wants and needs, so shaped around Harvey’s sudden wanderlust? Would Harvey be able to stand it, doing that to him? Knowing he was doing it to himself? Is that what this is all about, is that what all of this is hurtling toward? Is it?

Rationally, probably not. In all likelihood.

But what if it is?

Mike blinks a couple of times, coming out of his own head to find Harvey looking at him with the most intensely calm expression Mike has ever seen on anybody, anywhere, ever.

“Mike,” Harvey says. “You— Do you like your life? Our life together?”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. All these goddamn questions and no fucking answers, how dare Harvey spring this on him without any warning? That bastard, what’s he trying to pull?

“Yes,” Mike says slowly. “Are we breaking up?”

Harvey’s lips twist into a smirk, his shoulders twitching back. “Not on my account. Do you want to?”

Mike frowns. “No?”

“Well that’s good.” Harvey’s arm moves like he’s put his hand on his hip, or into his pocket, and he leans forward as Mike’s eyes dart toward the motion and then back up to Harvey’s face. “Because I was thinking about making my mistake official.”

Making— What? He isn’t— This isn’t— This couldn’t—

What?

Harvey grins in that way he has where his eyes sparkle and crinkle up at the corners, his mouth wide like he’s trying not to show his teeth because it’s the only way to keep himself from laughing, and he pushes a little black velvet box forward that can’t possibly mean anything other than exactly what it means, that can’t possibly hold anything other than what Mike knows it must, and this is— He can’t— This doesn’t—

What?

“Mike.”

With enormous effort, Mike wrenches his eyes away from the box and fixes them on Harvey’s.

“So will you marry me or what?”

“I.”

A second ticks by, and then another, and two more. Maybe three. Harvey reaches out to open the box, the heavy platinum band glinting as he nudges it closer.

“What do you say?”

What—

“I say— I say yes.” Mike stares down at the ring. “I mean. Obviously. Yes.”

Being that Mike seems to have more or less frozen in his seat, Harvey slips the ring from its velvet pillow and motions for him to lift his hand.

“You seem surprised,” Harvey teases, sliding the ring onto Mike’s finger. A perfect fit, naturally; Mike doesn’t even know his own ring size, how the hell did Harvey figure it out?

“A little bit, yeah,” Mike says, tilting his hand to catch the light. “I thought you were going to ask me to take over the Andretti case.”

Harvey tilts his head. “Well, now that you mention it…”

“No.”

“Yeah, fine, so are you gonna kiss me or what?”

“God, Harvey, have you always been this needy?”

(But Mike kisses him anyway.)

#marvey #ficlet #fluff #things you said #Anonymous

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gallavictorious · 4 years

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11x01 Reaction Post

Random thoughts on and reactions to 11x01; no careful analysis or anything, just the bits and pieces that's not likely to make it into meta proper but which I still want to make note of so I can go back later and remember what my initial reaction to the episode was (since my impressions are likely to change as the season unfolds). Mostly Gallavich related, because duh, but there's disordered rambling on a bit of everything. Under a cut (God I miss LJ sometimes) because this got long.

Ian looks damned good as the homocidal muscle. I don't do AU:s, but if I did... On the other hand, Frank as a member of the Chicago “Eight” looks like a werewolf. Less interested in that AU. And listen, I get that they couldn't get Emmy Rossum for this, but I really miss Fiona showing up in a few random olden day pictures. She's gone, but she's still a Gallagher dammit! Carl at the slaughter house looked weird – and part of me thought that was appropriate because slightly off editing would be a sweet way of communicating that it's all bollocks, but the rest of shots looked okay (Debbie as a milk maid and Frank as the aforementioned werewolf) or good (everything else) so no.

The sound of a baby crying is a horror matched only by persistent lack of sleep so I feel for Lip and Tami so much. Here's to all parents who managed to get through the first year without murdering anybody! I think that maybe you don't get enough credit... I, for instance, want to kill someone just hearing Freddie cry in the background for half a minute. Not sure it bodes too well for their relationship for them to be so ready to spend every night apart like Lip suggests, but a, what wouldn't you do for a good night's sleep, and b, love the thought of Lip spending more time at the old house. Could see them breaking up during the course of the season, though. Not sure how I feel about that – Tami's my favourite out of Lip's love interests, but having too many of the couples staying together all through the finale wouldn't feel quite right (for Shameless) and I don't see them breaking up Ian and Mickey or Kev and V. Don't really expect Sandy or Debbie to last either, but since it's more of a casual thing it might have more of a casual end.

Do you remember when the promo dropped and there was Concern about That Look on Ian's face after he kisses Mickey, and I tag theorized about it being because Mickey stole his coffee? Turns out there wasn't really A Look in the actual episode, but I sure as hell was right about the coffee, and I want noted somewhere. Maybe there should also be a small diploma? A golden statue seems a little over the top, but I mean, if you insist...

I appreciate that Ian is very adament about it being their money but when Mickey thinks it's their breakfast it's suddenly every man for himself. Do you share or not, Ian? Hmm? (Let the record show that I'm joking, please. Ian is damned right to take his toast back, and I say this as a “person most likely to steal their partner's toast right out of their hand”. I also love that Mickey completely gives up on breakfast when he can't have Ian's toast and just grabs a beer instead.) The kitchen scene is glorious and I just really like their dynamic here; the casual kiss, “I only make breakfast for husbands who have jobs”, how relaxed it is even when Ian's a bit annoyed, Mickey being so... Mickey. I do wonder what went through his head when Ian started talking about their wedding present money, though – he seems worried for a moment, but then shrugs it off, and that could be either bravado or just actual lack of concern. I tend mostly towards the latter, since Mickey quite genuinely figures this isn't a big deal (even though he still recognizes that Ian will probably think it one). Please note that he immediately offers to get money when Ian mentions that they need more of it coming in. Not his fault Ian vetoes his methods, right? (Also love that Ian's objection is due to him not wanting to be separated from Mickey, rather than any moral qualms about robbing stores.)

Okay, the gag ball. Would they really keep it like that if they were actually using it? Maybe either of them just tossed it there after taking it off, I suppose... Yeah, I don't know. Not what I'd imagined them being into, but that might be my own extreme lack of enthusiasm for gag balls and harnesses talking. Either they're into it and if so, you do you, boys, or it was a gift and they're keeping it around and semi-prominently on display for shits and giggles. (But if it was a gift, they did try it at least once, right?)

Mickey in the bath remains stupidly and surprisingly gorgerous. Incidentally, I really don't think his question about the meds is any indication of him not thinking them important, but there's little wonder that Ian bristles at the mention of them. Maybe not be an ass just to prove a point, eh, Mick?

I've already talked about how hard Ian is trying here but let's just take another moment to congratulate our boy on his persistent attempts at mature communication. Though he might have given some actual consideration to Mickey not wanting to save the money if he's really serious about them making decisions together... But he gets there! I think this whole situation – which would royally piss most people, including me, off – is actually particularly difficult for Ian, because he might well see Mickey's behavior as uncomfortably reminiscent of Frank and Monica's destructive habits and yeah, that would fuck him up. And still! He forces himself to calm down! He takes Mickey's hand! He refuses to let himself be distracted by Mickey looking SO INSANELY PRETTY I CANNOT EVEN UNDERSTAND IT! Ian, I salute you!

[starwars_eu_nerd_mode]KORRIBAN! YES! HA! TAKE THAT DISNEY! You take your new so-called “canon” and your “Moraband” and you fuck right off. I salute you, Bitcoin Boy![/starwars_eu_nerd_mode]

Ah, the porch scene... This one I do have a bunch of thoughs on that will probably make it into meta proper one day, so I'll leave it for now. It was the one that took the most thinking about for me to square (still not a lot, it should be noted), but now I'm actually very happy about it. (Full disclosure: none of their scenes feel quite right the first time I see them these days, because I'm just so very on edge about what's to come that I kind of miss the forest for all the trees you know? It's not a Shameless thing – it's always like this when I'm extremely invested in something and have waited for it for some time. Will it fit with how I see the characters? Will it be cringey? Will Mickey suddenly profess a love for hideous Hawaii shirts? Also, what are they saying because English is hard... But then I watch them a couple of times and they sink in and I start to get giddy over them. I guess watching actual canon unfold always requires a little bit of re-calibration if you've been busy fanoning while waiting for it to arrive, and while I love that sort of interpretative work, there’s also the fear that the show will veer off into a direction I cannot easily follow.)

Mickey's insistence that he spelled monogamy wrong does genuinely amuse me. Not to mention the whole “No more parking tickets for me!” - “You don't have a car, dumbass.” Also, Mickey being friendly with Carl kills me, in a good way. Family FTW!

Frank's storyline fails to stir even the vaguest hint of interest in me, as per usual. For all his talk of family in this episode, the lack of interaction with any of his kids is striking. If he's to have any value at all this season I'll need him to get involved in the rest of the Gallagher's storylines (which seems like it might be happening at least for a bit later on, so I'm vaguely hopeful?). I find but faint intrigue in Carl's and Debbie's stuff, but it doesn’t annoy me either so I'll call it a win. Kev and V are (almost) always a delight, but do anyone else feel like their kids are only props, even to them? I don't know... I just don't think there's a connection or sense of realness to their relationship, you know? Maybe it's just me... Anyway, here's to hoping V turning pageant mom changes all that! Oh, and I'll need Liam to have some more screentime and stuff to do.

The Tommy and Kermit thing was weird. Eh. Whatever.

Sandy is so gorgerous. I can't. The Milkoviches really be bringing it this episode.

This is only the second season I've watched episode by episode as it airs (other one was S6) and it's a curiuos experience. I think that by and large, and particularly in later seasons, Shameless works better when you binge it, but I love the delightful anticipation of waiting for a new episode and the feverent discussion that follows. Sometimes I also despair over the ferverent discussion that follows, but... you know. It is what it is. Admittedly, any attempts at meta this early in the season is a precarious venture at best, since we don't have the whole story, and it might be wiser to abstain but it's just so much fun, so I'm not very likely to stop.

All in all, I love the Gallavich stuff, am intrigued by Lip & Tami and Kev & V's lives, okay with whatever Debbie and Carl's got going on, hot for Sandy, bored by Frank, and missing Liam. It sets up a lot of promising things, but as an episode all unto itself it felt a bit empty – probably because there were no real plots and the storylines didn't intersect as much as I would have liked them to. Shameless is best when it's about family, which both the show and Frank seems to recognize, but there's little narrative follow-through on that realization in this episode; everyone is pretty much doing their own thing. Adored the Lip and Ian convo, and that house party scene was wonderful, but so short. Think we'll get more of all of them together going forward, though, and more actual plots too, so I'm very excited about it all. Can't wait for Sunday!

#11x01 #shameless spoilers #episode reaction post #random ramblings #my stuff

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alltingfinns · 4 years

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The Hounds of the Baskerville

Holding a phallic object, splattered with a body fluid and breathing heavily.

“Well that was tedious!”

And as if that was too subtle, he keeps playing with the harpoon even after it and him has been cleaned off and he’s switched to one of his robes.

John taking just two seconds to pretend considering to give in, just to be a little shit.

Also I am pretty sure that John has a secret scrapbook just for pictures of Sherlock in the hat.

Oh look, begging for mercy. Twice.

I just really love this scene, the manic energy of Sherlock and the calm sass of John gives us some of the funniest moments of the entire show. Also Ben needs to do more physical comedy.

Here he mentions a blog entry on perfume identification which plays out in HLV, so I’m a bit disappointed that the blogging on textile tensile strength in TEH didn’t feature in s4. Maybe some shirts get ripped in s5?

It’s so mean, but my favorite bit really is the mocking of the little girl asking for help finding her rabbit.

The wagging from side to side “please please please can you help?”

“Like a fairy!” with accompanying high pitch and hand motions.

Followed by a look from John that suggests he doesn’t think a lack of substance is Sherlock’s present issue.

And then suddenly he’s like “wait this actually does sound better than nothing”

And Cluedo. “It was the only possible solution”

Trivia note: the Swedish name for the game is also Cluedo, except we pronounce each vowel seperately. Clu-e-do.

It’s so domestic how they say “client” together. Apparently there’s a certain way frequent callers would ring the doorbell that differentiates clients.

Sherlock’s mainly looking at Henry looking at the video, don’t think I’ve noticed that before.

John’s irritated already when Sherlock begins listing things he noticed. Maybe he feels it is a bit too similar to when they first met, meaning he might be jealous that Sherlock does it with others or irritated at his past self for being as mesmerized as Henry is.

Sherlock inventing aggressive passive smoking.

Sherlock is so annoyed that Henry keeps thinking he’s in a horror story rather than a detective story.

I wonder what kind of poetry John wrote. He probably tried to use his feelings for Sherlock to simulate the romance his girlfriends wanted, which is why it is extra exasperating that Sherlock found it “funny”. Although that might be because he’d find the poetry mismatched to the girlfriends and/or the emotional investment John showed them.

“Childhood trauma masked by an invented memory. Boring!”

The parallel has been pointed out before but it bears repeating. Even if they hadn’t planned ahead by the time this episode was written, why go ahead and use an already discarded plot device they themselves called boring?

Interestingly the plot of the episode does more or less lead to this being the solution but not quite. The memory was invented and masking the real events, but it wasn’t Henry’s childhood brain doing it (at least not without aid). Might be worth comparing these plots. If only for the meta moment of it wasn’t you who imagined what you saw, someone made you see it. And then they tried to drive you into fear and doubt to keep secrets hidden.

“The vanishing glow-in-the-dark rabbit! NATO is in an uproar.”

That :( face is so funny every time.

Hound is a bit tricky in Swedish as the Swedish word for dog is hund. So the subtitles just go with spökhund. (Ghost dog)

“It’s cold.” John doesn’t even say anything but he still makes Sherlock self conscious.

Wonder why they showed us the therapy session?

John standing by the counter looking at Sherlock just looking very soft.

Doesn’t even complete his denial. And was that a single key, or were two keys just so closely held together? I’ve never been fully sure if they shared a single room or had one each. John’s incomplete denial would suggest separate rooms (it’s okay because they’re not actually a couple).

John showing his detective skills. And for once it won’t play out like the cats in TGG. It’s an important reminder that John is a smart man overshadowed by a genius, instead of the common enough Everyman and/or bumbling oaf that some believe of Watson.

“And the ruddy prisoner” probably the full extent of the subplot from the novel.

“Is yours a snorer?” “Got any crisps?” Pretty high pitch there, John.

There is sort of a running theme of characters waxing poetically in vague spookiness and Sherlock just scoffing at it. Reminder that the novel is a horror story starring a detective outside of his normal trappings.

“We’ll get caught.” “No, we won’t. Well not right away.”

More exact words from John as he pulls rank and activates Sherlock’s military kink.

The timer doesn’t start ticking at the gate but at the building itself, wonder why. Or maybe it has been ticking, but now there’s atten paid to it?

“Enjoy it?” Just something to file away in the John wing of his mind palace.

I halfway expected one of the elevator buttons to be key activated for the really tippy top secret secrets.

I see one monkey has seen Raiders of the Lost Arc. That or it’s still upset that it didn’t get the part.

“Stapleton?” He may have mocked little Kirsty, but he still remembered her name.

“People say there’s no such thing as coincidences. What dull lives they must lead.” But the universe is rarely so lazy? Of course rarely does not mean never, and looking at the forebears website Stapleton is a 1 in 3600 name in Devon. So the only question is if Kirsty listed her whereabouts on the forum. Not in her message but maybe in the profile she made.

The dramatic reveal of BLUEBELL.

Sherlock deducing the inside job while John just repeats “the rabbit?” is as good a summary of the show as anything, honestly.

Mycroft’s exasperated “goodammit, Sherlock!” look is almost too loud for the Diogenes club.

I think I read on tvtropes that the Major’s beard isn’t regulatory. Acceptable breaks of reality for the sake of original reference.

“It wasn’t my hat.” I love how the hat is used as a summary of the artifacts attached to the character. The trappings that come from adaptations and parodies and whatnot. Like Igor, who apparently wasn’t even in the original Universal Horror film but its sequel.

Exactly how does John expect Sherlock to turn off his cheekbones? Also the idea that Sherlock is turning up his collar to “play cool” as they’re leaving Baskerville kind of shows that it’s mainly for John’s benefit. Like his later choices to wear the hat. Sherlock starts off wanting to impress John, and by s3 it is about playing a specific Sherlock Holmes role. And again, John betrays his real thought by mentioning the cheekbones. “Stop being so attractive, dammit!”

“Has she been working on something deadlier than a rabbit?” “To be fair, that is quite a wide field.” Cue the killer rabbit jokes.

John’s awkward “are you... rich?”

In the original story the wealth was far more plot relevant, here it’s just a bit of dialogue fodder.

Not spelling out “in” this time?

Pretty sure those are IKEA mugs.

The plan sounds bad, but it is perfectly sound. They have done as much preliminary research as they can at the moment, and by going all three of them they do stand a decent chance should the beast be real. Of course Sherlock still doubts it’s real, which is the main plot for his character.

With the exception of this episode and episodes of Midsumer Murders I hadn’t really heard fox screams before. Imagine not knowing that’s what it is and just hearing this almost ghostly screech specifically when watching English mystery shows.

John just wandering away from the others without alerting them, and then he’s surprised that Sherlock and Henry has continued on without him. If he has a survival instinct it is in a coma.

Umqra. John knows Morse, which I honestly have found tricky trying to learn.

Taking a break here.

#rebecka’s sherlock rewatch #sherlock #johnlock #tjlc #sherlock meta #john watson is a disaster

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danwhobrowses · 4 years

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WWE Royal Rumble 2021 - Initial Thoughts

I know I’m late, but employment is still a thing, and I had to prioritize that over an all-nighter, but it’s time for the Royal Rumble, one of the more exciting shows of WWE’s schedule, so let’s get on with it!

Spoilers for Royal Rumble, you have been Warned

I might not invest too much in kickoff matches but the Women’s Tag Match was not a good time

It was fine before the end, but who the hell decided that Charlotte should control 90% of the champions’ offense and have the hot tag!? Asuka is the RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPION, not Charlotte. After the tag Asuka literally had one spot and she was dead, completely taken out of the match for *checks notes* being thrown over the Announcer’s Table...you know that thing several wrestlers come back from easily.

The finish was just too much too, Ric distraction didn’t work, Lacey distraction didn’t work, Kirufuda Clutch didn’t work but then the brass knuckles did. Too much.

And why TF are we putting titles back on Nia!? We should’ve just given the titles to the Riotts, or the winner of the Women’s Dusty Classic. It also cuts me deep that Asuka and Shayna are treated this way, even as champion Asuka is a side character to Charlotte T_T

Main show though and I don’t like the package and interviews between entrances

Drew vs Goldberg was just...meaningless.

It was cringy enough that Cole had to spout drivel to make 60 year old Goldberg seem strong but to have Drew be ‘injured’ by a barricade spear - something much more tired wrestlers have and will get back up from in less time and continue a longer match - was daft. Also saying that Goldberg’s spear or jackhammer is the best move of all WWE is stupid, it was a WCW thing

Thank God Drew Won, but the post-match does remind you of the meaningless circumstances this feud came about. Suddenly Goldberg is okay with Drew’s same manners of respect

I mean, Carmella’s entrance and gear is cool, but do you think it eats at Corey a little that Carmella’s ‘behind the curtain’ bit is a tad...red light district?

Sasha’s promo didn’t hit for me unfortunately

Reginald didn’t deserve to be ejected for that! He caught Sasha and get beaten up for it

Jesus Carmella! Sasha got barely any of that dive

Screeching and faffing aside, Carmella got a good showing...I do hate quick tap outs in title matches though

Sami cuts a good promo, but his content wasn’t exactly the best. New Day are hardly the management’s faves, it’s taken this long for E to get a singles run, Fans literally had to Yes Movement their way into giving Kofi the world title.

New Day’s Brodie gear was good though

Bad Bunny as the ‘Biggest Latin Artist’? Is Cole for real? I didn’t even know who he was before today

If the song is about Booker T then why is he dancing around GI Bro?

Come on Book, you hang on the Sucka! That’d be like if the Rock just went ‘If ya smell what the Rock is cooking’ without the drags or pauses

Ric’s ‘with a tear in my eye’ promo was after the Rumble though...

It’s actually a sad stat that just over half of the Rumble winners win titles

No Morrison segment for the escape spot!? He did it as much as Kofi dammit!

Sorry Greatest Royal Rumble is not canon for me

This Stat Attack has taken far too long

I’m okay with Mike Rome but couldn’t a woman have announced the Women’s Rumble? Where’s Lillian at!?

NAOOOOOOOMIIIIIIIIIIIIII GIRL WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?

That hair is amazing as well

I know you can’t say it, but we all remember that Benoit won the rumble in the first two as well

Was...Bianca wearing earrings on her entrance, she looked like she was taking them off

Billie actually had the right idea, can’t be in the match until you enter the ring, it’s clever stuff

That tank did not look like it was meant to turn that direction XD

It actually surprises me every time how tall Shotzi is, I always imagine her short

Billie no...not with Shayna

The piped boos are highly unrealistic to boo even a heel Toni Storm

Shotzi eliminated and then horrible singer Jillian comes in? Urrrrgh, Bad Singer Jillian was terrible

Wrestling wise she hasn’t missed a beat though

Billie’s surprisingly being a highlight here with actual narra-OHMYSHITITSVICTORIA

Gear was a bit meh but Victoria definitely can still go

Oh Peyton the purple looks good on you, and her Widow’s Peak was not bad at all

Ah, good for Santana, for a moment I thought it said Santina and got a very bad chill

Damn Liv, Speed Machine!

Ooof, the betrayal is real Billie

THIS IS MY BRUTALITY!

Somehow I’m genuinely upset by every elimination so far, good job!

Aaaaaand then they got rid of Victoria and brought on Charlotte to immediately take out Rhea -_-

That was a clever move from Bayley but damn Ruby landed hard

Are we seeing a Bayley/Peyton team? Or is she just eliminating the Riotts for revenge for Billie, but also Liv Nooooo!

Torrie now, eh okay

Ouch for Dana

Lacey...no, this ain’t working

Poor Peyton, her elimination was a side chapter

And we missed Bayley’s elimination!? For Shame

Mickie! Good to see ya! Aaaaand being beaten by Charlotte...

Nikki Cross is back too! Hopefully they find a good story for her

Alicia Fox? I guess she sobered back into the good gra...R-Truth? No

Oh yeah, Humberto is a thing

Jerry shut the fuck up!

The 24/7 stuff was super unnecessary, we did not need to take focus off this match

Lacey eliminating Mickie, rude.

Dakota should’ve gotten more time, she barely lasted a minute

Reginald again deserves better

See Tamina vs Rhea would be exciting...if Tamina was booked better

Naomi’s chemistry with Bianca is really insane right now

Lana *reminded of her feud with Shayna and Nia* Also Lana *goes for Rhea*

That was a hard tackle on Alexa by Rhea...aaaaand she’s eliminated mid ‘transformation’ a bit worthless for me

Road Warrior Ember Moon! And right into the Eclipse that’s the good shit

Baszler probably shouldn’t have eliminated Lacey story-wise

The Betrayal is real for Tamina as well

What’s with the crazy camera cuts!?

Nia eliminating Baszler? Nah...

Hold on Cole, baiting Nia over the ropes isn’t a ‘tremendous elimination’

The betrayal is real for Lana too, Nattie sure shrugged off that double assault

I get that the narrative is that Charlotte has beaten both Bianca and Rhea before, but to hang against both of them after already being in a match and hanging on from two apron attacks was daft. Stop making her super strong, she’s mega talented yes but giving her the Brock Lesnar energy does her no favours

That close call though with Rhea and Bianca was great, need more spots of two wrestlers about to be eliminated at the same time

The final bit of chain wrestling too was great, that’s what you need at the final part of a rumble, the mini-match

I had Rhea as my win prediction but am more than happy for Bianca, who was my second choice. Winning at No. 3 is great and her emotional promo just gets her more over. Bianca vs Sasha’s gonna be wild too

Overall the Women’s Rumble was good, most of the women got shine and there were a few mini stories too, do wish that more time was given to some women and that Sonya was in the rumble but the returns were good and most of the eliminations got me good

Miz talking about guaranteeing a championship run like he didn’t lose the last cash-in and didn’t have a chance to cash in previously this night when Drew was ‘reeling’ from the barricade spear.

I reiterate that I wish Sonya was in the rumble, but do like her endorsement of Bianca

Again, this 24/7 stuff is wrong place and time right now

Last Man StANDing Match for the UniVERSal Championship

Cole, there is Champion’s Advantage. Triple H vs Michaels Last Man Standing, neither men made the 10 so Trips kept the title, 17 years ago. Royal Rumble 2004.

See, this is where a Finisher Spotfest works, because it’s not about pinfalls it’s about keeping people down

The camera switches are not doing good on this portion of the side of the thunderdome

Yes, attacking the knees, this is the Cerebral ‘rope breaks with his pinkie finger’ Owens I like to see

Ooof the Golf Cart, a la Kane and Stadium Stampede

Why is this training area just like a second arena

Lil’ running ref in the background

Right into that conveniently placed mini-ladder

Not the forklift! Think of Judy Bagwell!

Oh that curtain is the thing Becky took a photo of! I mean she was always gonna be backstage

Corey before the match ‘there must be a winner’, Corey after Owens went through the stage LED ‘The ref should consider stopping the match’

Did the Ciampa move there to stand up

I don’t think you’re allowed to use a Ref Bump that way

Then the Second Ref restarts the count and stops at 5!? If this doesn’t come back next SD it’ll be a misstep

It was a physical match, not the best I think the finish brought it down. The problem is that KO has lost 3 times now and the last time is a botch finish, and we can’t have him lose again - the poor guy needs a win

ON THIS DAY, I SEE CLEARLY!

I will say this immediately, revealing Edge and Orton as 1 and 2 beforehand was a terrible idea, just because you don’t have a live crowd doesn’t mean the people watching from home can’t be surprised

‘Number 3 is the worst number to draw on average’ - Belair just won at No. 3

Ali at 4? Then went after Edge and not Orton?

Sami, just don’t get in Orton’s face

Refs what are you doing? No rules in Rumble, where were you with Nia and Shayna with that logic

‘What does Shin need to do to be more successful?’ - for one not face AJ Styles, he is still a tag, US and IC champ as well as a RR winner, that’s quite successful

Carlito finally shows after the Legends Night tease and yes those are some abs

So...Randy’s just sleeping with this knee injury

Big E enters with some snappy camera angles again

I was hoping for more Ali - especially since Ricochet came immediately after - buy angry E was nice to see

Wait is that Elias’ entrance? Where’s the guitar strum?

Priesty, wonder if this is his main roster call

What DJ leaves his equipment on stage anyway?

‘The biggest star in the world in the music business’ - for real?

‘I’ve heard of flying squirrels but flying bunnies!?’ - Corey you need to watch Tokyo Joshi Pro, they got a flying sugar rabbit

To quote Ross Tweddell, MMMmmm Riddle...does not do it for me

Stop with the camera cuts I beg of you!

Mayor of Knox County!?

Ricochet eliminated by Kane, le sigh

The betrayal is real for DBry

Big Elim for Priesty though

‘Now it’s a Royal Rumble’ - reminder that Edge is a KOTR winner too, and that Nakamura is the King of Strong Sty-oh and Corbin eliminated him :/ what was the gauntlet about if you’re gonna Corbin him?

Otis’ new gear is slick

aaaaand Corbin’d again

Big Dom Fuck im Uhhhhhh Spinebuster’d

Damn he got him though

Dang that bounce sound from DBry

Bobby no why you gotta do Dom like that!?

Hurricane back from his Gangrel crossing and disposing Sammy Guevara’s broken body in Elite Deletion to do another rumble

One of these days, he’ll hit that Chokeslam and shit will go wild

Christian! This time getting the more emphatic reaction

Oh that smile, that hits you in the chest cavity...then Riddle ruins it

Rey comes in and WWE made him an advertisement ¬_¬

Edward James Omos what are you doing? well...I know what he’s doing, IC feud between AJ and E

Edward James Omos fuck you for eliminating Rey

The betrayal is real for Shamu

Cole how did you know it was Seth before his entrance hit?

I don’t think we were supposed to pick up Shamu welcoming Christian back but that was sweet

Then finally BWOAR

And Bwoar eliminates Cesaro, what was the point of his push? (it’s because his contract’s nearly up isn’t it?)

Again with the camera switching

Seth No! And where’s the boos pipe music!? DBry was a heavy favourite, that would’ve caused heat

Can’t believe Mmm Riddle lasted ahead of DBry

I didn’t forget about Orton, but the finish was good, that Orton tease got us good

It was a decent rumble, in hindsight you could tell Edge was winning given how they put express focus on Michaels winning at number on in the stat attack, Edge being face in peril for the first 10 entrants and Cole reminding us how long Edge has been in there

I don’t at all hate the end result, though I do question whether it was the best choice in the long run. Edge had his rumble win returning from injury already and throwing more legends at Drew does imply a heavy lack of depth in the current roster. Edge didn’t really need the win, but I’m not disappointed in him winning

The Men’s Rumble itself wasn’t as good as the women’s I don’t think, a lot of favourites of mine were unceremoniously dumped out quickly, any layered storytelling didn’t get enough time and it did feel a little by the numbers, almost a microcosm of modern WWE booking

Overall it was still a decent PPV, happy with the winners of the rumbles and that’s mostly all we need from a Royal Rumble. The Road to Wrestlemania starts here

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curious-minx · 4 years

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Denis Leary is making an animated vignette series based on Dogs Playing Poker and 10 Other Pieces of Kitsch Art That Should Be Turned Into TV

KITSCH auction house tremors and stampedes.

Dennis Leary basically discovered sex, drugs and rock n’ roll with his 2015 two season FX series Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll. Leary’s always been one of those guys that can’t be beaten down in spite of how dopey and cynical his edgy working class personal brand is. He’s got an entire deal set up with Fox, the flailing broadcasting company has placed all of their chips on a Denis with only one lousy “N” in his name. I can’t even with this fake Irish Bostonian droid. Relish in the delicate thought process of Leary and leftover former Daily Show producer, Jim Margolis, bringing up a Pinterest screen grab of the Dogs Playing Poker by Grand Master of Kitsch Cassius Marcellus Coolidge and money signs popping out of both of their heads. Here is a dramatic retelling of this thought process:

“Yo, get this Big D,” salivates the recently fired from Netflix Jim Margolis to Leary over a Zoom, “Fox got this Bento Box Animation Studio sitting around doing nothing but churning out animated interstitials for the Masked Singer, Paradise PD, The Prince, The Blues Brothers animated series, animated Harold And Kumar, Housebroken, The Great North, and ugh..um..Hoops..”

“I fuckin love Hoops, Jimmy! Why aren’t we pitching this on Netflix again?”

“Because Dogs Playing Poker is going to work so much better as pregame filler for live Sporting Events...on Fox.”

“Oh yeah. All of those rotten good for nothing grease monkey and lunch pail people will probably be giving each other Budweiser flavored Covid at the local saloon with these damn dog pictures hanging up. It’s like when old drunks would stay out late and watch the Flinstones at the bar, did you know that actual human male adults would sit in a town like Boston and waste away in a bar watching Flintsones. Can you believe that Johny?”

“My name is Jimmy, err Jim, but yeah Denis we’ll send you the scripts over. Any idea who we should cast?”

“Get me the hot blonde from Inspector Gadget 2, God dammit I miss Louie..are we sure we can’t get Louie back on air?”

“Afraid after Patton Oswalt dognapped his role from him in Secret Life of Pets, Louie CK has been banned from ever appearing as a talking dog again.”

“So bogus. Bobby Kelly will have to do.” Denis gets a text. “Dammit, Adam is getting all thirsty for this juicy delicious bone. Gotta throw a big bone to my dog Ferrera. Who else?”

“Ok. I’ll get one of those sad Daily Show losers. Um picking one at random, Roy Wood Jr. They’ll pretty much jump into anything, because John Oliver was in Love Guru they start thinking they can fail their way up.”

“I said no politics at the table! Paws off the table! This is going to be so fucking lit!”

////

Kitsch Art deserves so much more. George Lucas, retired American filmmaker, robber baron of childhoods and all around mensch has been heavily invested in the kitsch art of Norman Rockwell. There are a bounty of stories to tell. Too many of them are far too white and basic, but there are rich narratives to be found in his out of date even for his own time romanticism of The Old Masters. Hopelessly out of date could have been a failing of Rockwell, but his politics grew progressive as his career went on and fought against the system. Cassius Marcellus Coolidge is the man that operated the first bank in Antwerp, New York had the astronaut-like grace to wonder, “what if dogs played poker like people played poker?” A painting that dates back to 1894 used as means to sell cigars. What strikes me most about this painting is that they aren’t wearing clothes, but I bet when you try to imagine the painting you imagine these dogs fully decked out in some sort of work coat. There is a further anthropromized version of the ad called “His Station and Four Aces” that depicts a glimpse at a look at an entire canine furry society. His ideas of putting an animal in clothes remains to this day one of the most novel and surefire commercially friendly means of artistic expression. The original cynical man laughing all the way to the bank, his own bank that he founded to boot.

Seen above: An example of a Comic Foreground that also demonstrates the failings of having too few people in your party to properly partake in the comic foreground experience.

“Cash” Cassius wasn’t the first man to imagine a domestic pet in people clothes, but he’s probably one of the few to do so with such commercial finesse. The man also at one point filed the patent on the “Comic Foregrounds,” which is the technical name of one of those carnival boards with holes to stick your head in. In post Covid times how many more heads will be salivating and rushing towards those holes to pop their heads in to create a lasting memory, if only for a second. So when I start learning more about this remarkable weirdo Cassius Coolidge, a man according to his official website dogsplayingpoker.com’s Biography: “Trying to chase mischievous boys from an abandoned house, he fell from a window and hurt his knee, leaving him injured for the rest of his life.”

Flash forward back to 2021 and Denis Leary and his career a man with a wikipedia with fun entries about all the accusations of plagiarism and hate speech against autism I start to worry about the legacy of more Kitsch art falling into the hands of other greedy and desperate TV executives. That being said if you are a greedy TV executive who happens to be a maniac that likes reading rando’s tumblr pages do I have a list for you!

TOP TEN PIECES OF KITSCH ART THAT SHOULD BE TURNED INTO SOME KIND OF SOMETHING

“We Are Having a Heavenly Time” Columbian Bike Monkey and Parakeet by, once again, Cassius Coolidge

Coolidge’s anthropomorphic foresight strikes again! This time he effortlessly establishes a captivating duo that could be easily voiced by an endless combination of celebrity voice actors. PAUL RUDD as “Monkey” and ISSA RAE as “Parakeet” present “We Are Having a Heavenly Time” present a travel show. You could basically use whatever leftover footage you have lying around from the many Conan O’Brien segments and plug Monkey and Parakeet and their trusty bicycle anywhere for an irreverent glimpse into the foreign World around us.

2. “Clown and The Girl” by Haddon Sundblom

Now I know what you’re thinking, that title is miserable! I agree, but with a little reverse engineering you get The Girl and Clown, which could be a whole new addition to the Girl on a Train, Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, Girl with a Dangly Earpiece, the Girl-Verse! The girl appears to be quite fearless of this clown, which is good because we need someone to be brave for when the clown takes off his mask.

Sundblom is also the original artist for the Coke a cola Santa Claus and how is it that we have gone this many rotations around the sun without a single Coke a cola Santa Claus special is the real reason why Christmas will always be the saddest time of year.

3. “Clean Your Fornasetti” based around the artistic Plate collection of Pierro Fornasetti

Muk bangs, videos of people eating are a huge cyber traffic boom. People love watching people eat. Why not add the element of surprise by what kind of playful Fornasetti chanteuse is hiding underneath this plate full of gruel? Fornasetti is an artist with over 11,000 items created in his name and over 500 of them are based around a variety of expressions of a single woman. Clean Your Fornasetti is a deep and poetic rumination of the romance between the act of someone cleaning their plate and the reveal that the plate contained a visual feast all its own.

4. “Mickey’s Kinkade Playhouse” by the one and only Thomas Kinkade

The Kinkade Studios features over 63 “narrative panoramas” featuring Disney characters, but largely Mickey and Minnie, simply vibing. It’s time we stop pretending that small children like Mickey Mouse and market him for wistful older audiences that want to radiate in a nice long warm bath of color and sound. I am not sure I am even pitching an actual series but more of a Narrative Panoply. One thing that is missing from Disney Plus, and streaming services in general, is a severe lack of programming frills and flourishing. The iconic Adult Swim bumps are something completely lost to the dustbins of programming history left to remain in youtube compilations. Thomas Kinkade is a lot like Enya. Art critics treated him like a comedic punching bag for so long, but I doubt there’s an artist that grasps the kind of sterile enchantment people want after a long day of opioid benders. We’re all trapped inside doing puzzles why not do the bare minimum of slightly animating a pleasant scene of Mickey and Minnie roasting marshmallows or enjoying a breath of fresh Alpine air?

5. “Dust Lickers” by Odd Nerdrum

Quick! Get me Trash Humpers’ Harmony Korine on the Line Show him Shit Rock! The world of Odd Nerdrum is a harsh and primeval one that would make for an astonishing animated landscape. Odd Nerdrum himself feels like a worthy subject of some kind of documentary based around his imagery and insistence on making his art in the most arcane and old fashioned methods possible. Once again, maybe the visual world of Odd Nerdrum may not make for a full on narrative series, but once again would make for one hell of an animated segment.

6. “Homemade Pasta” by John Currin

A cozy Queer slice of life cooking drama based around the two charming fellows of John Currin’s Homemade Pasta scene. A series of vignettes based around the completely unfabulous and domestic version of bliss that was denied many people as a result of the AIDS crisis. You can’t tell me you don’t see those two nice guys getting cozy and making pasta together and you aren’t dying to see how they go about rolling out their own focaccia bread.

7. “The Velvet Elvis” by the Collective Conscious

David Lynch at one point in time was trying to crack into making his own Elvis biopic. I think it’s pretty safe to say that the age of a public wanting a David Lynch directed Elvis biopic has probably passed, but that does not stop Velvet art enthusiasts. TheVelvetStore.com is featuring a remarkable promo that could really bump up what a David Lynch Elvis movie could be like and the horror of having one’s soul trapped inside of a Velvet Elvis rendition painting seems like a pretty fertile place to begin a proper story about Elvis in America.

8. “Big Eye Bunch” by Margaret Keane

Yes, it was only a matter of time before Ms. Big Eyes herself, Queen of Kitsch, Margaret Keane would come up on a list like this. Tim Burton tried and sort of kind of captured what it so endearing about Keane’s work, but I think a fully animated dive into an orphanage full of sad Big Eye kids that time travel and meet other Big Eyed children version of historical figures is a Big Idea that could make a whole new generation keen on Keane.

9. “Banality” by Jeff Koons

An animated series based around the artistic sensibilities of Jeff Koons would be a tricky affair, but just the kind of gaudy whimsy that someone like Michel Gondrey could use to proper effect. A series based around someone trying to steal the fifteen million dollar Michael Jackson statue would also be appropriate.

10. “Groovenians reboot” by Kenny Scharf

Scharf is the only artist on this list that actually was a kitsch artist that caught the attention of early aughts adult swim. A tv show that only features the artistic sensibilities of Scharf but also a voice acting cast that consisted of Paul Reubens, Rupaul, Vincent Gallo, and Dennis Hopper. There’s also a theme song performed by the B-52s and musical direction by Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh. One of the only known published reviews of the pilot describe the show as needing mind altering substances to enjoy and that it is essentially like “watching a cartoon reflected off of a funhouse mirror. This is basically a description of the modern tik tok addled twitchy type content that makes a killing on the Internet for millenial and zoomer types. Basically the whole aesthetic of a warped and broken looking cartoon is the exact sort of thing weirdos deep diving at youtube at four in the morning are looking for and seeing that this gets a failed pilot and Denis Leary’s Dog Poker vignettes get greenlit is exactly what’s wrong with the world.

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razberryyum · 5 years

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The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 3 (spoilers for everything)

(covers some of MDZS chap 13 and erm...that’s it. They mostly go rogue for this ep*)

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

(a 🐰 is earned every time there is a WangXian scene or even when they’re just thinking of each other...some scenes deserve more than one 🐰...don’t worry about it, it’s not an exact science 🐰🐰🐰)

Really, bless Team CQL for transforming what was only an anecdote in the novel into one of the most beautiful scenes in the show. The first time Wei Ying and Lan Zhan first crossed swords played out like a moonlite, rooftop ballet and it is completely breath-taking and romantic and perfect. What makes this scene even more meaningful to me now is the added sense of poignancy of knowing that they will never be able to spar like that again due to Wei Wuxian’s diminished abilities in his Mo Xuanyu form. Although, even before his rebirth they wouldn’t have been able to repeat this dance since Wei Ying's extraordinary swordsmanship had already gone away with his golden core. It's yet another reminder of not only how much he’s lost, but also how great a sacrifice he made for Jiang Cheng. Just thinking about that is enough to make my heart ache like crazy all over again over how much Wei Ying loves his bro and how much he went through for him without JC even knowing it for such a long time.

But back to happier thoughts, what I also loved about this scene is just how downright adorable Wei Ying was being. Actually, he really was being a total mischievous cutie during most of his time at Cloud Recesses, which makes sense since this is the Wei Wuxian that was still brimming with boyish charm and innocence as his life still hadn’t been touched by heartbreak and tragedy yet. That reminds me of another reason why I am so impressed with Xiao Zhan as an actor is because he basically had to portray three different roles in The Untamed—as the youthful, wide-eyed Wei Ying, followed by the more bitter and mature Yiling Patriarch, and then finally the carefree yet jaded Mo Xuanyu—and he performed each persona with equal aplomb while injecting noticeable differences in each phase of WWX’s life as exemplified by alterations in his posture, expressions and even the way he says his lines. I'm not familiar with what acting awards are available in China’s entertainment industry, but I hope he receives some sort of award recognition for his work. He definitely deserves some nominations at least.

That is not to say that Wang Yibo was being a slouch either; even though I had my doubts about him initially, I do still recognize that playing a stoic character is not an easy task since he had to find creative ways to avoid falling into dullness. A good deal of microexpressing is involved that can be difficult for an unseasoned and non-professionally trained actor, but WYB definitely lived up to the challenge as the show progressed. But because WWX is the more blatantly dynamic character, one’s attention is naturally drawn to him, even I was more focused on him at first, so I ended up neglecting what was going on with WYB’s Lan Zhan. It was only after revisiting this episode that I was truly able to appreciate the subtlety of performance.

While it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to resist Wei Ying’s charms, I do believe Lan Zhan was indeed mostly irritated by him during their initial interactions. At the same time, however, he also clearly noticed that there was more to WWX than meets the eye since he was definitely intelligent (after all, he correctly deduced, twice, what was going on with the injured cultivator Lan Zhan brought back) and he was also quite skilled since their sword fight ended at a draw. But because Lan Zhan had years of propriety instilled in him by Uncle Lan, his automatic reaction to someone who was as unruly as Wei Ying had to be instant disapproval and annoyance. The irony of that is most likely because Wei Ying was such an annoyance to Lan Zhan that he couldn’t help but constantly notice him as a result, as one would do with an eyesore, so even from the first moment they met, his attention was already captured. It’s not the most positive way to start a relationship to be sure, but obviously it worked out for the best in the long run, especially once Lan Zhan got to know Wei Ying better and that animosity turned into something more affectionate.

Big Brother Appreciation Time

There are many reasons to love big bro Lan Xichen—he is such a sweet, caring, gentle, considerate, and loving soul who is also a skilled and talented cultivator—the least of which is his intent on playing matchmaker between his little brother and WWX right from the start. I loved that he noticed something in Wei Ying immediately and realized he would be a good person for LWJ to have in his life. Bless him for being so observant and intelligent.

Random Bits of Randomness

If Lan Qiren knew that this rude, improper kid would one day be the person to “corrupt” his beloved nephew and steal his pure, innocent heart, he probably would’ve spit up all the blood in his body and dropped dead right then and there. I will always laugh at just how offended he looked when Wei Ying dared to rest Suibian on his desk, as if he had dumped dog shit in front of him instead.

I just wanted to commend Mian Mian’s fellow sect-mate on the left there who, even though she was not complimented on her good looks or even given a second glance by WWX, still generously talked Mian Mian into allowing the Jiangs to stay at the hotel. I thought she deserved some credit for her nice gesture.

Not having read the novel yet when I first watched this episode, I was actually shocked at the reveal that Shijie was engaged to Jin Zixuan because I would never have thought they had that relationship from this scene. I know JZX didn’t really have any intention of honoring that arranged marriage at this point in the story, but the rudeness he allowed his servant to get away with was still unbelievable. I mean, seriously what the hell, she was still his fiancee, he hadn’t broken off the engagement yet, how DARE he allow that nobody back there address Shijie and his potential future in-laws in such a rude way. The fact that he actually kicked them out of the hotel was also shocking because it felt completely unnecessary. I really didn't like JZX because of this moment and that sentiment stayed with me for quite some time. What made the scene sadder is Shijie obviously was crushing on him and for the longest time I couldn’t understand why because I thought she totally could do better AND deserved better. I can’t say that I ever learned to love JZX, but I definitely don’t dislike him anymore.

Though I’ve been pretty critical of the CGI in The Untamed for the first two episodes, I do want to point out that not all of it is horrible: I was actually impressed with how both Cloud Recesses and Nightless City looked, even though I think their design for Nightless City was rather off the mark since it no longer suited its name. Since they were going to go with the dark theme and make the Wen Sect as blatantly villainous as possible, the production team should’ve just changed Nightless City’s name to Forever Night City (“長夜城”). Personally, I would’ve preferred it more if they had just stuck with the design of the Wen sect’s residence and uniforms as they were described in the novel (which was beautifully brought to life in the donghua) since I liked how deceptively righteous the Wens seemed. In CQL, they were so obviously the bad guys that they bordered on being cartoonish, especially Wen Ruohan (portrayed by Xiu Qing). Man, his performance simply was NOT working for me AT ALL. Even his make-up was a mess...looked like it was melting off of him all the time. In contrast, I thought Wen Chao (portrayed by He Peng) was bit much at first too, but then eventually I started to appreciate the actor’s performance, especially during his last scenes where he actually made me feel bad for his character because he was so convincingly pathetic. WRH never won me over and I was really relieved when he finally died. I actually thought they gave the actor too many scenes already leading up to his death. Felt like a lot of unnecessary filler to stretch out the episodes.

Xue Yang is absolutely evil and horrible and psychotic and a total mass murderer and villain, but dammit, as soon as he showed up, I couldn’t help but immediately take a liking to him, and it’s all the actor’s fault. I have never seen Wang Haoxuan in any other show before...then again, I think he’s only been in two other shows prior to The Untamed, both of which I haven’t watched...but much like with Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo, I think the show struck gold by casting him as Xue Yang. In addition to making his character difficult to hate, he has also made him so interesting and magnetic that I couldn’t wait to see him pop up again. I am so glad that Team CQL altered the Yi City arc so that we were introduced to Xue Yang, Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan sooner than in the novel. Not only did it allow us to become acquainted with the characters early on so that by the time Yi City rolled around, everything that happened in that arc would be even more emotionally effective because we were already invested in them, but we also got Xue Yang sooner and more often, and for that I am thankful. I already liked him before I read the novel so by the time I came across his character in the book, all I could imagine was Wang Haoxuan. He completely fit the image of Xue Yang for me. I don’t know if I would feel the same way had I read the novel first before watching the show, but I would probably still like Wang Haoxuan’s portrayal. I know there have been criticisms that he is overacting, but for me, everything he did worked. It worked so much that I wish things had been different with his character, that Xue Yang wasn’t the monster that he is and committed all those atrocities that he did. I mean, he’s literally worse than Charles Manson. And yet, I still like him; I can’t help it, he’s just so much fun to watch. His eyes freaking sparkles. How am I supposed to resist that?? Look, there are times in a person’s life where one must make certain decisions that are undoubtedly not wise ones, but one still must stick with them because that’s the choice that was made. Liking Xue Yang is definitely one of those decisions for me and I’ll just have to live with it.

**I didn’t want to put this right at top since they would be unavoidable spoilers, but Shijie, Wen Qing and Wen Ning never attended the studies at Cloud Recesses. I’m really happy for that change in the drama, especially since we got to know Shijie more. As mentioned above, the early introduction of Xue Yang and the yin metals was also a deviation from the novel.

Questions TBD:

I had questions regarding the whole yin metal drama, but I have a feeling it’s only because I wasn’t paying close enough attention to that part of the story every time I watched these earlier episodes. I tend to zone out when we dropped in on WRH because I just find him so ridiculous and his whole set up in his fortress ridiculous too. Those zombie/ghost puppet dudes are just silly and I think it's kind of hilarious that WRH would just have his precious yin metal floating in the main hall like that for everyone to see. He has a cool throne, I’ll give him that, but otherwise, I really just can’t with him. On this rewatch this time around though, I am going to really force myself to pay closer attention to WRH and yin metal stuff so that I can finally make sense of it all, or at least know for sure that it was never meant to make sense because they actually botched that whole storyline.

Overall Episode Rating: 8 Lil Apples out of 10

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chyrstis · 5 years

Text

Together

Another fic was inevitable for these three, but this time around it’s very much on the soft side of things. Now to figure out a formal series tag...

Follows the other two fics linked here that set the stage for this: [X] [X]

Pairing: Sharky Boshaw/F!Dep/John Seed Rating: T Word Count: 2.2K (much shorter this time!)

Link to AO3!

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She doesn’t think she’ll ever get used to this. Of these nights, and the company she’s able to keep.

______________

“Hey.”

Hana ran her fingers through John’s hair, making him hum against her.

“John.”

“…Yes?” he replied, his voice heavy with sleep.

“Why am I the only one actually watching this right now?”

It wasn’t meant to sound like a protest, but after an hour – and she’d been paying close attention once restarting it from the beginning, dammit – she was the only person left tuning in. Awake and invested, and wondering why the hell the lead hadn’t bothered to say yes yet.

The irony of her thinking that hadn’t been lost on her at all, not with John’s recommendation to boot.

But that didn’t mean she had to admit it to him.

“I’ve seen this plenty of times before.” John’s eyes remained closed as he shifted, rubbing his cheek against her. “You haven’t, and Charlemagne is being Charlemagne.”

She looked to her left, taking in the sight of Sharky face-down in his pillow. Snoring softly, he was out like a light, and had been for who knows how long now. Every now and then he’d try and use the arm slung across her to tug her closer, his hand sliding across her stomach as he flexed his fingers, only for it to return back to where it started.

Hana placed her hand over his, and grinned when Sharky mumbled something under his breath. Nothing she could actually make out, but the low rumble of his voice was always a welcome sound.

“We did wear him out.”

John chuckled. “Fair.”

“Though he’s not the one borrowing me as a pillow right now.”

“Also, fair.”

Earlier John had leaned on his arm while watching the movie with her, answering her questions – even if the more absurd ones only received an unamused look – and eventually took to fielding them all while keeping his head tucked into the crook of her neck. With her arm wrapped around him, he’d relaxed against her, his voice growing raspier with each word all while somehow still answering her coherently.

John moved in her arms, and pressed a kiss to her neck. “But you only have two, and seeing as they’re both spoken for, I decided this was the next best thing.”

“Me, huh?”

“Yes, you.” His mouth went to her collarbone, kissing her before resting his cheek against her chest again. “Is that a problem?”

Touching her softly, the contentment he gave off left her without words for a solid minute. Curled up with them, half-asleep as she felt every deep breath run through him, she didn’t think she’d ever get used to the sight.

And yet, here she was. Laying here, knowing full well that this wasn’t some impossible thing.

Not anymore.

“Shit,” Hana muttered, coming back to herself. “Guess I need to figure out how to requisition a pillow now.”

John glanced up at her, confusion crossing his face, and she tilted her head towards him.

“They’ll let me do that, right? So, we’ll have three on hand no matter what? I mean, this can count as a ‘three-person unit’ to give me some wiggle-room. Even if you don’t stay the night, you’re here enough.”

Saying nothing, he kept his eyes set on her as she started idly twirling her hair around her finger. That helped her nerves a bit, but not enough to keep her from chewing on her lip as she thought it over.

“Or should I go the extra distance and just spit it out? Say it’s for someone near and dear to my heart, but a little rich in their tastes? Someone used to the finer ways of living that would prefer anything to a half-covered slab of a bed and some scratchy sheets-“

He cut her off, cupping her face as he leaned in to kiss her. It was a hard press, one that made her eyes slip shut as she tried to drag him closer, wanting to feel his full weight on top of her.

But John remained by her side, not pushing this to go its usual route as he gently held her there, his hand sliding to her chin as he withdrew.

“See?” he said, his voice rough. “I clearly made the right choice.”

“Seriously? I did say anything.”

“…True.” A small kiss followed, lingering as she tried to chase him. “But I believe you’re selling yourself short. Thinking you’re only a few steps above a ratty sheet.”

“I said scratchy, not ratty.” The comment slipped out before she could stop it. Even in the face of how he was looking at her, she couldn’t resist.

“Which still implies the very same thing.”

Coming in close for another kiss, she tilted her head away just when he reached her. “Neither of which are very nice, darlin’.”

Sharky yawned next to her. “Yeah, what she said.”

Doing a double-take, she fell back against the bed, glad that that little jolt didn’t result in her smacking John in the face. She liked his nose, and accidentally breaking it was not the right way to show her appreciation.

“Jesus, Shark. You doing okay over there? I was hoping we wouldn’t wake you.”

Sharky rubbed his eyes before turning a bleary look onto them. “Eh, it’s alright. Just had to get in some quick shut-eye first, but now I’m missing shit and I don’t like that one bit. …What’s this about rats?”

Hana’s grin fell. “Nothing.”

“Nothing at all,” John replied, his voice tight.

That left Sharky frowning as he looked between them. “Yeah, sounds like nothing. You’re poking at each other over something there.”

She didn’t know which was worse, the rueful look she caught in John’s eyes, or that he was set on staring straight at the wall instead of her. Swallowing against the dryness in her mouth, she ignored the itch of the letters etched across her chest and let it slide.

“It’s just pillow talk, hon. Silly, literal pillow talk, as in we’re short one, so apparently that means I’ll have to do as a substitute.”

Taking in a good long look at them, Sharky idly rubbed at his face for a few seconds until what she said finally clicked. “Shit, why didn’t you say so?” He pulled his pillow out from under him and tossed it at John. “Here.”

It flew over him, plopping onto the bed, and John glanced over his shoulder at it. “And?”

“I don’t need it. This one’s always been a better pick, anyway.”

Hana barely lifted her other arm up in time before Sharky settled in, taking up a spot on her as well. While John was warm, he was a furnace, heating her all over as he wound an arm around her midsection. On a cold night this would’ve been a dream, but ten minutes of this here and she’d need to lose the sheet completely.

“God,” she said, wishing she could tug at the fabric, “you’re way too hot for your own good.”

That got a grin. “Real sweet of you to say that, babe.”

“But there’s also not a lot of space to spare, so…”

Mildly annoyed at the loss as well, John didn’t give a single inch. “Agreed.”

“So scoot over, or don’t. If you think I won’t hug the hell out of you, you’re gonna be disappointed. Cause I’m big on that.” His hand drifted up her side, tickling her as he moved it to slide his palm down John’s arm. “Real good at it too.”

Hana ran her hand down Sharky’s back, lightly tracing her nails over his skin. “I can vouch for that, and then some."

“See? You heard the lady. Top notch shit right here.” Giving him a light squeeze, Sharky followed it up with a wink. “Or I don’t know, your money back. ‘Less you want that in writing or something. Since you’re a lawyer and all that.”

The dirty look John had thrown at him grew sly. “Oh? I believe spoken agreements carry their own weight.”

“But I can’t light that shit on fire, so…you wanna tie me up? In red tape, yellow, whatever, fucking go for it, man. Might even end up liking it.”

“And here you wouldn’t even have to beg him to talk dirty to you. Legal jargon done right’s hot enough on its own, and we both know he's had plenty of practice.” Her grin was wicked now, and John’s glare only fueled it further. “Say, you want to team up on this?”

Ruffling Sharky’s hair, he leaned into every bit of her touch as a sleepy grin slid onto his face. “And hug it out?”

This time she didn’t bother being coy. Not in her tone, or in her gaze. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

"Two to one’s hardly fair, and you both know it," John scoffed, but didn’t make a move to get up or leave. No, there was a challenge to him now, teasing and tempting her in one, much like his deepening voice. “In fact, I’d say you’re counting on it.”

“Guess you’d better prep for it then. Cause you’re getting some of this soon as I can drag my ass over there,” Sharky said, only to have his words end in a yawn. “Yeah, you’re getting a full dose of this shit.”

Hana canted her head towards John. “From both of us, I hope you understand.”

“And would that be a threat, or a promise?”

“Hey,” Hana said, feigning hurt, “you know who you’re talking to, right? An officer of the law for one, and…”

“Former,” John said, interjecting. “With as sterling a reputation as one would expect a person befitting the role to have.”

For a flash, she nearly gave him the finger. Then dropped it, and her faint pout, in favor of holding her head high and proud. Not easy at all from her place on the bed, and the angle, but she tried.

“Damn straight. But I still get in plenty of ‘Deputy-ing’ down here, which I think qualifies.” She punctuated the statement with a small poke to the tip of John’s nose instead, and couldn’t help but giggle at the reaction that earned. “Mr. former lawyer.”

“Very well, officer. And what would we call dear Charlemagne here?”

Dear, huh? That was new, and might've made her smile more at the sound of it.

“Well, he refused to let me deputize him. One, I don’t think I could’ve officially done it, but two, he claimed it’d ruin the whole outlaw thing he had going on. The whole roguish danger aspect.”

“Chicks get real hot over it. You say you’re on the run from the fuzz, looking to hide out anywhere and everywhere, and the clothes fly right off.”

Sharky’s hand moved over her, whisking the imaginary items off towards the back of the room. John’s eyes followed the motion as well, only to settle right back on her with his eyebrow raised.

Hana shrugged. “What? It’s hard to beat that kind of sex appeal. Lord knows I was struggling.”

“And seeing as I was doing the community a service, that netted me some serious local hero points. ...The whole helping bit, not the uh, clothes coming off quick part.”

“Which for some reason 'helping' was fine, while the whole lawman schtick wasn’t-“

“'Cause that kinda shit’s the thing that gets movies made about you. Books too, I guess, but they don’t put together fancy light shows for that, and that still ain’t as good a time as rigging and setting off flashbangs on a movie set. But say they would've called, wanting to get some of this on camera back before,” he said, gesturing between them. “They would've had to hire H and I on to make sure facts were straight, sharing some firsthand accounts of kicking ass and taking names, 'cause that's just how we roll. And it's so badass they'd throw a parade for us too, feeling so grateful they'd have to name three roads after us, or maybe a-

“…And with that,” John began, his tone flat, “I think the conversation’s successfully been derailed.”

Blinking for a few seconds, Hana shut her mouth and thought back through the last five minutes. Swearing under her breath, she winced. He would have a point here, wouldn’t he?

“Damn tangent. Anyway-”

“Was that a threat, or a promise?” John asked, set directly on her.

There it was. The thread she’d lost, or better put, danced around. The corner of her mouth curved up as she met his stare. “Well, by now isn’t it obvious?”

Walking her fingers up his shoulder, she draped her arm around his neck. When she didn’t pull him in closer, John slowly shook his head, even as his eyes told her otherwise.

“No? Still, not convinced?” Hana asked, batting her eyes at him.

“Not at all.”

Sharky slung an arm around John opposite her own, and leaned in close. “Lucky for you amigo, we’ve got that sorted for you.”

Almost nose to cheek with him, all John would’ve had to do to kiss him was turn his head, and Sharky didn’t hold back any of his growing grin. Especially not when John did turn, brushing his lips against his.

"And now?"

It was subtle at first, but the slow smile that curved across his face she wouldn't have missed for the world. “…A promise it is, then.”

#far cry 5 #deputy hana #john seed #sharky boshaw #sharky boshaw/female deputy/john seed #FC5 fanfiction #fanfiction #now to see about tackling work and that outline #fic series: but if we go we go together #ot3: but if we go we go together

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chasingshhadows · 5 years

Text

alex manes y’all

(ep 7-11 meta thread)

I haven’t seen enough meta about Alex Fucking Manes so I’m just about to go off mmk.

I was flailing like, seconds into the scene where Alex confronts Liz and I didn’t really ever stop flailing because holy shit where have they been hiding Alex Manes?

I know, I know, y’all told me that he would done fuck me up but I very much thought he already had. I did not realize there was so much more to this man and that every bit of it would send me screaming in glee.

From that scene with Liz in ep7 through to the end of ep10, Alex Manes came out like a wildfire burning through a field of bullshit - no weed was left unscathed. Like he is hands down the most Actual Badass character on this show, and possibly that I have ever seen. Like, I am reeling.

(note: I kept this focused on Alex and his thoughts and processes, and as such, concluded before Alex goes to see Michael at the end of episode 9).

also anyone that thinks Alex hasn’t been given a storyline yet is just, not watching the same show??

i saw the sign

I’ll start with that scene with Liz because it is the first real glimpse of what is going on with Alex day to day. He comes seeking out Liz on behalf of Maria. These three were best friends in high school and considering the reunion scenes we got in episodes 1 & 2, we have a pretty good idea that none of them have spoken much, if at all, for most of the last 10 years.

But they were best friends who grew up together - there’s a lot that can change in a decade, but it didn’t change them - or at least, Alex has decided that he won’t let it. He starts hanging out at Maria’s bar - making a clear statement that he isn’t going to let things between him and Guerin keep him away, he has a right dammit no matter how many times Guerin has passed out there in the last 10 years - and trying to rebuild that friendship.

And that’s important. That’s Alex trying to take back some of what he’s lost in the last 10 years, take back what his father stole from him. Maria’s friendship was important to him and he wants it back and he makes enough of an effort that Maria, who up to this point we had seen only being very chipper and warm and optimistic even around just Liz/Alex, opened up to him about some really dark shit going on in her life.

And here Alex is, going out and fighting for her. Not playing nice. Cutting through Liz’s excuses and making it clear exactly where she can shove them. Liz was also his best friend and this is him fighting for that, too, though in a way that is entirely unique to Liz and how she needs to be handled.

Gawd his sass. “You know that nobody believes that excuse, right?” WOW he is not taking shit, got damn. The way he moves his eyebrows, tilts his head, the way he blinks his eyes when he makes a point - it’s all those little things that finally, finally give us a glimpse of that fiery little goth boy from high school. And I for one am so glad he’s still here.

And you see Liz is thinking the same thing - he says “Sometimes, Liz, you gotta be a human being, too” and the look she gives is all “Wow I missed you.”

And he spends the rest of the day with his friends, giving Maria the quality time she’s been missing for a decade. He’s putting in the time and the effort to repair their friendship - you see him even putting in special time with Mama DeLuca. At multiple points Alex sits alone with her, chatting away. She was probably the only mother figure he ever knew - both his and Liz’s mom’s were MIA. He laughs through Mimi’s predictions of a puppy (ummmmm, please??) and played cornhole and used his presence as the glue that held them together. He’s trying.

Sidenote: Alex Manes being incapable of sitting in a booth correctly is the queer representation we fucking deserve, y’all.

barely breathing

I have only actually shouted while watching this show a handful of times, and the loudest by far was in episode 8. Holy shit. Alex swings and I squealed. I woke up my cats. They weren’t happy, but I was thrilled.

I have an addiction and it’s the way adult!Alex speaks to his father. The sarcasm. The bite.

And before we actually talk about these scenes with his father, let’s talk about what led to them. Because by this point Alex has been home a few weeks and he’s spent all of them working on his friendships and, now we learn, investigating his father. The amount of information he’s gathered takes time. And he’s invested it, just like he did with Maria.

Alex Manes is a patient man - when he achieves his goals, he wants to have earned them, wants to do them right.

And here, in this scene, this is where we’re seeing 20+ years of patience paying off. This was planned, crafted, and perfectly executed. This is what happens when Alex Manes is in charge.

Alex is smart and he’s spent 20 years learning how to manipulate from his father. And he got better at it than him. He’s lulled Jesse Manes into a false sense of security - played by the rules, followed orders, did his job as a soldier, but still let his father think him weak bc he didn’t want him to know what was coming.

The just, absolute sunshine in his voice when his father wakes up, that smile.

This is a man that knows he holds all the cards. That knows he’s already won. He won the moment he knocked Jesse over the head - this is just the afterglow.

How many times do you think Alex ran this speech over in this head? He goes over every detail - explains clearly and concisely all the ways Jesse Manes fucked up. All the ways he failed.

“You’re the flaw, Dad.”

Okay we need to talk about this line because wow. Just wow. This is a boy who was beaten and mistreated since childhood because his father thought he was defective. Alex was the flaw in the family. Alex paid the price for his father’s hatred, again and again. The boy he loved paid that price.

And Alex was patient. Alex was thorough. He was meticulous in his revenge.

What happens next is both really infuriating and really therapeutic. Because Jesse makes a valiant effort to gaslight Alex, to make him doubt what he knows, to twist reality in his head - I did this to protect you, I had an obligation to keep you safe.

And then we see the first crack in Alex’s perfectly orchestrated coolness. How dare Jesse Manes claim to have ever done anything to protect Alex. He isn’t falling for a single syllable of Jesse’s bullshit, and he throws all those lies right back at him, cuts through the insincerity, and gets to the heart of the matter, the real truth.

That’s Alex’s superpower (one of them, anyway). His ability to just shut out all pretenses and masks and say the things that need to be said. I could say here how appropriate this analogy is because Michael Guerin is definitely his kryptonite, but this isn’t about Guerin (yet).

“I want to destroy the thing that you love. And I wanna make you watch.”

Okay, I lied. This is definitely about Guerin. What Jesse did to Michael was just one of the traumatizing things that boy went through that night, but it was the capstone atop years of trauma for Alex, ending in Jesse not just ripping away, but shattering the only truly good thing Alex ever had that was all his. Liz and Maria were his but they were also each others’ - Guerin was just his and Guerin taught him that touch can be soft and gentle and intimate - and Guerin loved him. And Alex loved him back.

Jesse destroyed that and made Alex watch.

And that’s what makes this moment so utterly satisfying. Seeing Alex finally take the control. Seeing Alex finally turn the tables on his dad after a decade of waiting for the right time and laying the groundwork and now weeks plotting. He’s earned this.

“Why are you trying to frame Michael?”

MICHAEL. HE CALLED HIM MICHAEL. Y’all why the fuck have I not seen more talk of this because it is important.

This is Alex feeling wounded - this was the one thing he didn’t prepare for, to go on the offensive against his father going after Guerin again. He had a battle plan, he had all the cards - and then he saw Michael’s face and for the first time since he confronted his father outside the bunker, he wasn’t the one with all the control.

But he takes it back, quickly. His father tries to gaslight him again, spin lies in his ear, manipulate him and brainwash him, but he made the mistake in his word choice (though, I would argue, that mistake or not, Alex wouldn’t have taken a single drop of his shit).

“Do Not talk to me about unprovoked violence, do you hear me?”

Did you get chills? I got chills. This is one of the most satisfying lines of dialogue I’ve ever seen right up there with That Line from Love, Simon. Alex Manes is absolutely and entirely done with tolerating even another second of his father’s lies and abuse and he for once has the ability to shut him down, and boy, does he use it. The volume in his voice, the power - and I mean, he’s angry, but it’s not even that he’s angry, ya know?

It’s that he is in charge now and he is not putting up with that shit. Not anymore. They’re playing by Alex’s rules now. He knows exactly what his father is really doing and he’s ending it.

The little twist and settle he does when his father stands up is a Challenge. It’s a Dare. It’s a request, even. Alex Manes is a soldier and he has been trained and been to war three times. He knows what he can do. His father, probably, also knows. Alex’s body language says “please, do something stupid so I have an excuse to put you down.”

And Jesse Manes, while absolutely an evil man, is not a stupid one. He knows he’s lost this battle. He takes his gun and leaves.

And that look that Alex gives as he walks away?

That’s him wondering “Why doesn’t this feel better?”

He just accomplished the goal he’s been working toward for 20 years, and actively for at least 10. He finally got the best of Jesse Manes, got to see the look on his face when he ripped away his hateful farce of a legacy, he finally won. All those years, all that effort, all that pain has finally paid off.

But he doesn’t feel better, not really. Not the way he expected to, or the way he wanted to. Not enough. And we could talk about how defeating your enemies is never really as satisfying as you expect, because it doesn’t erase all the pain and trauma they caused, doesn’t take back what they did.

And I think there definitely is some of that - Jesse Manes had been stacking weights inside of Alex for 20 years. Brick by brick, layering on top of one another, until he felt so heavy with hatred that he could barely see past it. And sending Jesse away? That definitely knocked down some walls, but those bricks didn’t disappear; they’re just rubble on the ground. They’re still heavy.

But more than all of that, I want to think, is that even though Alex won this battle, his father still got one good shot in before he fell. This look is Alex bleeding from an open wound. This is Alex knowing he now has to confront the fact that Michael Guerin was on the top of his dad’s alien watch list.

Regardless of his father’s bigotry and hatred, aliens are real. And based on what he saw in those files, there’s some pretty solid evidence that Guerin is one of them.

songs about texas

It’s been six weeks since Alex ran his father out of town. Six weeks of strengthening his relationships with Maria and Liz. Six weeks of poring over all of his father’s research and data, digging into the depths of his work. Six weeks of trying to find some detail which rules out the conclusion “Michael Guerin is an evil alien.”

But he hasn’t. In fact he’s probably only found more and more information that at least puts Michael Guerin firmly in the not of this world category which makes sense when he thinks about it, the sex really was out of this - and he does not know how to handle that fact.

But he’s dealing with all of this quietly. Keeping the focus on Maria and Liz and trying to be there for them - Maria especially.

And then Guerin walks into the bar and Maria gives him exactly the excuse he’d probably been looking for to saunter on over and -

Alex can’t deal with this, not right now. And he’s not really sure if it’s more because of the things that he knows or because of the things that he doesn’t but he does know he can’t be here right now. Not with him, not with all the things he can’t say.

Alex isn’t blind. He knows how Guerin (still) feels about him. He sees exactly what all of us see when Guerin looks at him - and he’s already admitted what those looks do to him. They pierce through years of walls and armor right to the heart of the person he thought he’d lost that night and he aches to let Guerin be right that that Alex is still there.

But Guerin himself isn’t that same brilliant, broken boy Alex fell in love with all those years ago, at least not in the ways Alex has convinced himself matter.

I talked about this a bit here, about the principled, honor-bound man Alex has tried to become, to spite the abomination (yes I was a sterek shipper shut up) of one that his father was. That person doesn’t let emotion (love in his case, hate in his father’s) get in the way of doing what’s right. If he lets himself be with Guerin, alien or not, he’s letting his emotions rule over principles and excusing behavior that he sees as morally wrong.

Alex’s morals and principles are what he believes foundationally set him apart from his father. They’re what make him different than his father, what make him better. He thinks any compromise of those rigid rules will be the first step in becoming his father. (I personally believe - and feel anyone that knows him would agree - that what sets him apart from his father is not his principles, but his compassion, but this isn’t about what I believe.)

And my partner in pain Riley discussed here, too, the reasons Alex believes he shouldn’t get to be with Guerin. He’s spent 10 years refusing to forgive himself for what happened to Guerin that night - he knew it wasn’t really his fault, it was his father’s, but still... Guerin wouldn’t have gotten hurt if not for Alex. He may blame his father for what he did, and blame his father for his own guilt, but he still blames himself for putting Guerin in his father’s warpath.

And considering the timing and the severity of what happened, and the before and after of Michael Guerin that Alex is getting to see, he fully believes that the reason Guerin stayed in Roswell, the reason he turned to drunken bar fights and crime, is because of what happened. This boy who had all the potential in the world spent 10 years wasting it and Alex thinks it’s his fault. He thinks he destroyed Guerin’s life.

So no, Alex doesn’t get to have Michael Guerin, no matter how much Guerin wants him. He doesn’t get to be happy with someone he broke.

But he can’t let Guerin see any of that. Because Guerin is his kryptonite and one whiff of “not your fault” or “I forgive you” and Alex will crack.

If he cracks around Guerin, he will shatter.

So for all those reasons, Alex has to push Guerin away. Has to. Has to make him believe it’s over. It’s what Guerin’s asking for, anyway.

So.... anyway now that i hurt myself with all of that. The next time we see Alex is when Cam pulls him over and I just really want to highlight all of the things Cam tells us because it’s pretty fucking incredible.

“You did serve two tours with the highest regarded air expeditionary group, and you were recommended for the Air Force Medal and the Air Force Cross, and that was before your injury. Something your dad should be proud of, except all three of your brothers have medals, too.”

And we already know a couple of other things: he served one additional tour and he’s an accomplished codebreaker. That’s a lot, for one man, to pull off in 10 years. As far as we saw, he was totally focused on his music at 17, so any computer skills were honed after that fact. Honed, well enough in fact, that he’s hacked Russian and Chinese intelligence, on top of being deployed three times, twice essentially with honors. They are not messing around in making it clear just how much of an absolute bad ass Alex is, just by resume alone.

When Kyle shows up with his little recap, we learn that Alex hasn’t brought him in until now. He knew Kyle was in the know, but everything he’s been doing the last 6 weeks, he’s been doing without Kyle. Which means he’s not sure he can trust Kyle - after all, he knows how manipulative his father is. But he brings him in now bc he needs a doctor and what little he’s seen of Kyle since he got back leads him to believe that Kyle has enough morals to give a shit that people are dying.

And Alex has already decided to disbelieve anything his father has said about these “evil” aliens - because believing that means believing that everything he shared with Guerin 10 years ago (and even two months ago) was a lie. And he refuses to let his dad take that away, too.

And then Kyle says “angry cowboy” and hooooo, boy, if looks could kill. He doesn’t deny it, doesn’t argue, but he does convey in the most visceral sense “Don’t.”

But Kyle does anyway and when he insinuates that Alex’s motives could be anything but pure, anything but principled and right, he shuts that right down.

“I didn’t ask for this legacy. Did you?”

And that’s what it is for Alex, right to the core. The family legacy, the one his father was always shoving down his throat while simultaneously telling him he wasn’t good enough for it, is something he never asked for. He doesn’t want this, but he is a man of responsibility and whatever shit show his father was running is his responsibility to fix. Whether he wants to or not.

People are dying and unlike Guerin, that is not a gray area. His father was an evil bigot who was most certainly using this project for selfish reasons, but that doesn’t change that there have been over a dozen, alien-involved murders.

And Alex is going to do something his father couldn’t do in 10 years - he’s going to solve those murders. He’s in charge now.

*deep breaths*

Because Kyle extends an olive branch - this is a lot, let’s grab a drink. And Alex cuts him off, gets right to the truth. It’s his superpower, remember?

“My father listed Guerin and his friends as threats.”

So before I go on, I want to point out one detail here - Alex is the only person in this entire town for whom the three of them are “Guerin and his friends.” He’s the only one that centers Guerin - Max is the deputy and Isobel is the socialite, but to Alex, Guerin is the one that matters. (this is one of those - we all knew that, but it’s nice to hear it anyway things).

Anyway. “I didn’t want to believe it.” This is significant. Because here is a man who has become a mathematical and computer genius in the last 10 years. He is all strategy and fact. But he’s admitting that this, Guerin’s danger, and involvement in all of this, is something he didn’t want to believe.

But there have been fourteen murders. And then Alex does this:

He looks so lost. We’ve never seen Alex Manes look like that. Not when facing down his father as a teenager, not when trying to explain what he wants to Guerin, not when Mama DeLuca blipped out of touch. We’ve seen him scared, we’ve seen him angry, we’ve seen him vulnerable, but we have never seen him look so utterly disoriented. He is completely without direction - any path he chooses, someone gets hurt, and on all of them, at least one of those people is either him or the man he loves - and on most of them, both.

In his pursuit to “destroy this thing his father loved,” he’s placed himself in a position where he’ll now have to do the same thing to himself. Again.

He thought he destroyed Guerin’s life once before, and he’s lived with that guilt, hoping that if they could just stay away from each other, they could both move on. But now? Now he’s being tasked with not only destroying Guerin’s life again - from which there would be no hope of recovery this time - but also the lives of the only two people Guerin cares about. He’s being asked to do the impossible.

And then Kyle suggests talking to him and somehow? That seems even more impossible.

"I can’t go in there blind.”

Guerin is Alex’s one weakness, his kryptonite. Guerin looks at him with those eyes and says those things and whenever Alex is around him, he’s teetering on the edge of a cliff, never entirely sure he wants to stay on solid ground, no matter how devastating that fall would be.

And for the first time since he handed Michael Guerin his brother’s guitar and Michael spilled out this naked truth that exhibited just how broken he truly was, Alex isn’t sure he can trust Guerin.

Because that’s never been the issue right? Since he came back into town, his reservations are entirely his own - there’s too much history, too much trauma, he can’t respect or support Guerin’s lifestyle. But if he caved, if he let Michael in, there was never any real risk, other than to his own self-perception. He doesn’t have any real defenses against Guerin, but he never truly needed them.

Until this moment, until the reality and weight of 14 murders settled on his lap.

And now the idea of walking in there defenseless? It scares him shitless. And not because he thinks Guerin will hurt him.

He’s worried Guerin will confess and Alex won’t be able to do what needs to be done.

He’s worried Guerin will give him those eyes and say those things and Alex will be rendered just as helplessly in love as he always has been.

So this is the Alex that shows up at the junkyard. This Alex that has finally confronted for himself exactly how incapable of being rational he is when it comes to Michael Guerin.

This Alex has finally realized that all those things he’s feeling for Guerin, all the things he wants - they’re not in the past. They’re not a relic from high school or the ignorant desires of a teenage boy. They are real, and they are profound, and they are now. They are not something he’s going to be able to walk away from, not anymore.

So he shows up at that junkyard ready to face them. He’s not sure if he’s going to have to fight for them or against them, but he’s ready to fight whichever it ends up being.

*breathes in*

In conclusion, Alex Manes is a beautiful cinnamon roll, too good, too pure y’all. Alex Fucking Manes.

#alex manes #roswell new mexico #rnm #malex #michael guerin #i wrote almost every word of this before watching episode 12 #jsyk #also just SO YOU ALL KNOW #I DID THE MATH #AND THIS IS ABOUT A 15 MIN READ #SO #HOPE YOU GOT A SEC #i specifically didn't touch on the malex scenes in 9 & 10 just yet bc there are other things at play there (read: michael)#i just have a lot of feelings #chasing watches roswell #alex manes meta #malex meta #rnm meta #alex manes y'all

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