#i suppose the best time to do so would be. during my fourth rewatch of it LOL

[todayisafridaynight]

if i doodle during unlucky monkey stream later would we be mad at me

[yr-obedt-cicero]

hiii!! I'm asking a bunch of amrev tumblers this- but do you have any favorite or recommendations of American revolution themed movies or series or anything?

oh my god yes, I milk whatever American Revolution media I can find so just allow me to-

1. Washington Spies - Turn AMC

Washington spies (Turn) is a live action series about the infamous Culper ring, which was a spy ring composed by childhood friends, that helped massively in the revolution.

it has great characterization in my opinion, I ended up loving and getting attached to almost every character on screen (especially Caleb Brewster, he's my favorite). Though it has it's inaccuracies, but that's conmon pratice for historical media; as they either have to fill in gaps or add some drama so it's not just a documentary. If you don't mind the pointless love drama that never happened, then it shouldn't be all that unbearable. It's definitely a 10/10 on the acting and a lot of the actors nail their parts. be aware of some pretty graphic shit though :[

2. 1776 - The musical

the musical 1776 is a old timey musical movie about the writing of the declaration of independence. and how the declaration committee made it through with Congress.

this musical stole my heart since I first discovered the ost a year back. and that's saying much considering I can't stand musicals. It's fun, some what historically accurate, and a bop to listen to if you prefer the "classics" I suppose. as old as it is, the music is just the same. it's probably the funniest historical movie I've ever come across, it's hilarious if you're a history buff like myself. It definitely isn't the most accurate, and that's it's biggest flaw. wether it's the drama, the humor, or the rough topics of slavery, it has it's moments of not following any accuracy. It isn't a bad film, I still listen to the songs today and rewatch it every now and then. recommend it when the fourth of july comes around :0

3. John Adams mini series - HBO

the HBO miniseries, John Adams, is a live action film series that tells the story of the founding father, John Adams.

I never got to watch the few remaining episodes as my Amazon prime trail had run out (sad), but through what I've watched, it's a pretty good show especially if you're a Johnny Ads fan. emotions and characters are acted out greatly, especially Jefferson (probably the best portrayal I've seen of the man), can't say the same about Hamilton as he's kinda made out to be a douche (which he was but I suppose it's more dramatic because it's from Adam's story). some scenes are pretty graphic or weird, though there isn't much to expect as almost any movie about that time would be, but I would check the rating to see if you're comfortable. granted it only really haunted me with like three scenes, so I could be a baby ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

4. The Crossing - 2000

The Crossing is a short live action movie about the crossing of the Delaware in the winter of 1776.

while not a very long movie, I've always loved it. it is old, but still entertaining for the most part and I've watched it a couple of times. I don't really like Jeff Daniels as G.W but everyone else is protrayed pretty nicely (aside from a few questionable generals like Sterling). it's majorly accurate aside from one little detail of them claiming no one died during the battle of Trenton, which isn't true as a few had froze to death. other then that, it stays greatly accurate. Probably the most accurate depiction I've ever seen of Hamilton, and Glover is hilarious throughout it. since the holidays are rolling around it's a neat film to watch to remember the event ;)

5. Drunk History

Drunk history is a series consisting of "Historians" getting inebriated and then explaining the story of a historical tale/figure in their intoxicated state.

This isn't really the best series to watch unless you want a good laugh. If you're a Amrev fan, chances are, you'll laugh your ass off. I wouldn't take most of it to heart either, it's mainly for comedical purposes. And considering the people are drunk, a lot of their information shouldn't be taken as fact. It's not completely American Revolution based, but if you pay for subscriptions you can watch the whole epsiodes that are about it, or watch the free ones on YouTube. It never failed to make me laugh so perhaps you'll enjoy it too

---

I've watched more but here are my top 5 I'd recommend. and hey you could always watch the star show, Hamilton - the American musical. though I personally hate/heavily dislike it, but whatever works for you is best. hope this helped :D

[hannibals-hoe]

Hannibal Commentary

This is a episode by episode rating and discussion of the best show I’ve ever seen.

⚠️Spoilers Ahead⚠️

Season 1

Episode 1, “Apéritif”

Alrighty let’s get into this.

Opening scene- we are confronted with a typical true crime tv series type of landscape- police sirens, officers, dead bodies. The show starts off with a weird sense of familiarity. Then, we are focused on Will. He is immediately thrust in as the main character, despite the show’s title. If you look closely at his expression, you notice how uncomfortable and disturbed he is to be at that crime scene. And as his eyes close, the color gradient shifts as he does- from a casual investigator, into the mind of a killer. As he traces his steps backwards and finally stops outside the home, you can see the look in eyes change. This is vital to the rest of the show so I’m going to call this the “Will Graham Murder Eyes.” He closes his eyes for a moment- but when he opens them again- you can see the lifelessness of a killer’s eyes. The very first words we hear of the show are Will describing the crime itself- a relatively non violent and casual one considering the rest of series. This is why when I recommend Hannibal to someone I always say to get past the first episode because it’s way to basic for the show as a whole.

Anyways, once Will concludes his findings, we cut to his classroom. When Will converses with Jack, we notice his tendency to not make eye contact, as described later on. This is such masterful acting on Hugh Dancy’s part. When Jack asks Will for help, we can see Will’s reluctance. It’s clear he’s uncomfortable with his inner and outer thoughts even so early in the show.

The second time we see Will go into his “this is my design” phase, he is clearly more violent as we see him strangle Elise Nichols. The viewer is almost left with a feeling that Will is actually the one responsible, which is what will happen with those around Will later in the season. At least, that’s what I first interpreted during my first watch. You’re like, “wait, Will didn’t actually kill these people right?” But as the show goes on everything makes more sense about Will’s little mind trick.

Next, we see the sweetest part of Will’s character- his love for strays. One cannot help but smile watching Will care for Winston and his other dogs. It is such a stark contrast to what we have seen so far of Will’s character. And then, we watch him struggle to sleep with his nightmares. When he uses a towel as a blanket, we know that this is not new for him- that he has nightmares regularly. The first episode expertly characterizes Will in a way no other show I’ve seen has done before.

Then, in the bathroom scene with Jack, Will is describing the way this killer (Garret Jacob Hobbs) kills- he says, “he kills these girls quickly and-“ he pauses. This pause, I believe, is him stopping himself from straight up saying “with mercy” instead, he adds, “to his thinking, with mercy.” Will, once again, is fearful of his own dark thoughts and how those thoughts will be viewed by others, specifically Jack.

Then, we see Will at the autopsy table, and a beautiful yet disturbing image of Elise being impaled on antlers is seen. The antlers will become a running symbol in the show, later an elk, then the Wendigo. At this point, I do believe the symbol was not planned, but, I could give the creators the credit of intending for them the sign for evil- in this case, the evil of Garret Jacob Hobbs. When Will concludes that this killer is eating his victims, we cut to our first shot of Hannibal.

We don’t need to see explicit human organs being cooked yet- we know it’s cannibalism. The shot of Hannibal himself is quite stunning- barely any light surrounding his features, he appears almost like a skull in the darkness. We visually know he is supposed to be the villain. But as the episode goes on, it’s quite easy to forget that Hannibal really is a serial killer and cannibal.

Next, we are put in Hannibal’s office with Franklyn. When he places his dirty tissue on Hannibal’s table, we can see Hannibal’s visible resentment. He is once again characterized as the villain. Jack then enters the equation, asking about Hannibal’s secretary, who we never see, though I believe it is quite likely Hannibal killed her, as he only describes her having “romantic whims” and “followed her heart to the United Kingdom.” As Jack walks around Hannibal’s office, he looks through some of his drawings. If you look closely, beneath the art Jack is viewing, there is a distinctly visible drawing of “the wound man” I only noticed this after my fourth or fifth rewatch. It made me so angry because if Jack had seen that, we know Hannibal would have killed him right then and there. While Jack is looking, Hannibal does seem to wonder if Jack will notice the sketch. Hannibal picks up the scalpel, ready to defend himself, but when he is confident Jack is not investigating him, he places it on his desk, arranging it “just so.” Mads doing that was such great acting because we immediately know the Hannibal is a perfectionist, which works out to his advantage during his many murders, as he leaves no usable evidence.

And now, we go to Hannibal and Will’s first meeting. Instantly, Hannibal is able to notice Will’s lack of eye contact. As Will describes why he does this, Hannibal’s expression changes, he looks Will up and down, and gives a small smile. Right here- I believe with all of my being that Hannibal started to fall for Will right there. Will’s kind of sad, dark humor instantly is able to draw Hannibal in. However Will is not able to reciprocate these feelings just yet- he feels attacked by Hannibal’s accurate analysis.

Our next crime scene is more graphic than the first two by a good margin. This is the first of Hannibal’s murder scenes. As we cut between the crime scene and Hannibal’s cooking, we are confronted with the very obvious disgust of Hannibal being a cannibal.

One of my favorite shots is the next, with Will in the shower, (hehehe duh) then the stag. This symbol could be interpreted as either Will’s evil growing within him, or Hannibal- lurking in the shadows. In this case, I lean towards the latter, as the next shot is of Hannibal himself, bringing breakfast for Will. (As the show goes on this symbol will vary in meanings but don’t worry I’ll explain it as best I can.) Already, Hannibal has a want to help Will, by making sure he has a good meal. He could have very easily just traveled with Will to the construction site without food, but in a way, he could have wanted to self-congratulate himself by obviously providing Will with the evidence that could convict him. To me- Hannibal’s motive for bringing Will breakfast is a mix of him showing his nature of self-congratulation (described by Bedelia later in season 2) and wanted to provide for Will’s well-being in the only way he knows how. The next few lines are some fabulous foreshadowing. Will’s initial wish is for their relationship to be strictly professional- however we very well know this is going to change. Already, Hannibal objects to this statement, he is hoping they will become at the very least “friendly.” Next, Hannibal establishes the symbolism of the teacup, saying that is how Jack sees him. Will laughs out loud at that, and that is one of the only times we see Will have a strong expression of happiness. Yes, later on Hannibal becomes an object of resentment for Will, but I think this interaction is a strong indication of what life would be like for Will and Hannibal post-fall.

Now we head to the construction site and the discovery of Garret Jacob Hobbs. Hannibal is visibly impressed by Will’s ability to find Hobbs, and his admiration grows.

Hannibal then calls the Hobbs’ residence, warning that “they know.” It’s such a subtle yet powerful move in Hannibal’s part. I think the real reason Hannibal makes that call is to test Will. Hannibal knew Hobbs would react violently, and he wondered if Will would use violence back. He wanted to test Will’s potential and what he perceived Will to be- a troubled FBI teacher who has dark impulses he is deathly afraid of. Arguably, everything Hannibal does for Will from this point forward is to take away his fears. Will fears his own darkness and Hannibal wants him to finally find peace and beauty in that darkness.

Anyways, back to the show. There is a brief shot of Will, covered in blood, with the pendulum of his mind swinging back and forth. This tiny time jump serves the purpose of both suspense shock. We are left to wonder what Will has done- we can assume it was brutal, but was it evil? I’ll get into that later. So, Hannibal and Will arrive at the Hobbs’ home, and Will is confronted with a nightmare. Contradictory is Hannibal’s reaction to the scene. Even when Hobbs’ wife is bleeding out on the front porch, Hannibal is shown with a non caring and relaxed demeanor. Will makes his way inside and begins his journey to a troubling self-discovery. He shoots Hobbs 10 times, his fear for Abigail evident but more powerful is his hatred for Hobbs. When Hobbs’ falls, he utters that famous line, “see?” I think the completion of that sentence would be, “see, it feels good to kill.” Will is going to struggle with this the entire series and only with Hannibal’s help Will he be able to agree with it.

Will struggles to save Abigail, and Hannibal appears, less focused on Abigail and more on Will. Nonetheless, he uses his big, strong hands (sorry) to save Abigail’s life. As he does so he looks up at Will, perhaps thinking, “Ok, he does have that darkness inside him.” Once the scene clears, Will is back outside covered in blood. I will again bring attention to his expression. His “Murder Eyes” are back. He is reveling in the power that killing Hobbs made him feel. I would not say this is dissimilar to how he feels after killing Randal Tier in season 2 and Dolarhyde in season 3. He’s like an addict from then on- he would deny it, but killing Hobbs was a high he would chase for the length of the series.

The last scene of the episode is in Abigail’s hospital room. Will goes in to see Hannibal, sitting next to her bed and gently holding her hand, sleeping. It’s easily the most humanizing shot of Hannibal. Will takes a seat himself, watching Hannibal with what could almost be described as a loving gaze. In that moment, he completely trusts Hannibal with her well being, as Hannibal’s hands saved her life. In a very subtle movement, Will looks down at his own hands, sitting half open in his lap. It’s quite possible he is thinking that his hands had done something quite opposite to what Hannibal’s have- they have killed.

Wow that was a ride if you read all of that thank you so much. I’ll check for typos one of these days. Stay tuned for next episode ok I’m outttt.

[pissfizz]

MY LOVE MY DARLING MY DEAR MY SWEETHEART MY EVERYTHING HI HI HI

let me know how your day went!! i hope it was good. tell me about it :3

i am So tempted to rewatch re main to decide once and for all whether amiami deserves all this attention im giving him fjdkdjdhsh

HI MY LOVE!!!

So my day certainly was….something. My first period Spanish teacher didn’t show up and so while we were waiting outside the principal came and made us sit in the cafeteria until second period because we didn’t have a sub (the other classes did tho). Suddenly I get a notification that our teacher posted an announcement to our google classroom and I open it and he PUT A FUCKING TIKTOK LINK. so I open it and he has three videos, the first one was telling us how he needs to get tested for covid and the others were about assignments to do today. Alas not everyone knew about it, we didn’t have the sub like he thought, we were not in his classroom like he thought, and we did not have any materials jshdhdhdjd

My second period is across the entire campus and I have to sit in between two of the most talkative best friends ever. The whole class is crowded and all the loud bad kids. This holds true for almost every single one of my classes.

Third period is English and my sister warned me about how strict the teacher was but she was actually oddly chill about stuff?? Idk it was weird. There’s a girl with the same haircut as me and super cute clothes in that class, she’s new. Unfortunately my assigned seat is away from the only tolerable person in the class :((

I have first lunch which is pretty early, at like 10:40 or smth? I sat outside cuz the lunch room was crowded with a guy I borderline hate and his super nice girlfriend. I don’t know anyone else with my lunch period shdhdhdnd the lunch line was so long that my brother during his lunch period, when he got to the front of the line, lunch was already over. I didn’t eat cuz my family doesn’t have any food and I didn’t wanna spend all my time in line.

Now fourth period. Fourth fucking period. I have art class. And my teacher dear LORD he doesn’t stop talking. He told us four super long roundabout stories that didn’t relate to anything whatsoever. He did a “telepathic communication” thing with one of his students that actually worked and I don’t know how. We took attendance and sat there and listened to him talk for 65 minutes straight. We were supposed to do a drawing submission but we never got around to it cuz he. didn’t. Stop. Talking.

Fifth period was math and. Wow. I fucking HATE math but my teacher seems super nice. She’s got pride flags hanging all over her room, paintings she did herself, has blue and purple hair, would probably get along with my mom, and is oddly objectively attractive in a weird way. My class is SO LOUD I don’t think I’ll be able to focus and it’s got 31 kids in one of the smallest classrooms in the school. Also my teacher is half deaf.

Sixth period I was assigned a certain teacher only to discover he retired spontaneously and I have a different teacher now, whos not even here cuz she’s in Texas with her family. She lives in the same city as my dads aunt and father and shit. She’ll be coming here soon I think though. Nobody knew if we were in the right classroom or not. She’s one of the most proudly southern people I’ve seen besides my grandma. Also I don’t think she realizes she’s teaching a biology class, and not just elective agriculture. This class is also huge, with loud bad kids, in a small classroom.

Three people didn’t recognize me that I have known for years. One girl reintroduced herself to me and asked if I was new. Two dudes I’ve known for forever both didn’t realize it was me until attendance. I thought it was kinda funny.

Soooo yeah. Same kind of school as always, except extra overcrowded. I cant wait until next summer.

[arcticwaters]

So I was thinking about Yasha’s secret crush and I wondered if it was possible to narrow down and determine the moment where she fell for someone. Because I live for being able to see The Moment™ of a starting crush in romances. So I rewatched episodes 9, 10, 14 – 46 (I believe that’s when her first playlist dropped, after 46? I’m new.) And I paid close attention to Ashley when she was actually there, particularly when she was talking with someone to try and gauge her thoughts and read her expressions.

…Unsurprisingly given the improv nature of the show, as well as Yasha’s character in general, this is extremely hard to do, and we’ll never be able to know for sure until Ashley confirms it. So I don’t have the answer, but I do have some theories. Here’s my list of the most likely moments where Yasha first got a crush (and why I think it’s on Beau.) I’m gonna focus on these 34 episodes, but will use more recent ones as emphasis.

(Also I started this in June; this had nothing to do with the recent discussion of Beau maybe-catching-feelings for Yasha, tho yes, that is some immaculate shit.)

To start I’ll do some housekeeping and explain why I don’t think it’s any of the guys. (Aside from the fact that signs point to Yasha being gay, but I won’t at all count out the possibility of her being bi/pan. We won’t know until Ashley says.) Her playlist says “sometimes it’s hard to hold a stare. Even a conversation. It’s best to keep them at a distant though, she decides.” So these were the body languages I was looking for – which actually was kinda hard to narrow down because Yasha is already awkward and distant naturally, so there was a lot of “is this a crush, or her 7 charisma?” But in general Yasha isn’t that bad around the boys.

It’s not Molly. We know it wasn’t Molly. Ashley wouldn’t have phrased it like “Yasha’s gonna stick with Molly for now, but whoops, someone new is making her feel things” if it was.

She has no problem talking to Fjord or looking him in the eye. Their relationship is pretty surface level in those early arcs. There’s also a moment in a more recent episode where Yasha uses healing hands on him, and when Jester makes a - pretty icky - joke that she might grope him, Yasha gives a look and goes “not my thing.” If she did have a crush on Fjord this whole time she probably would have been more flustered. She seems to have no problem with Fjord/Jester as well.

Caleb…… She is actually really awkward and stilted around Caleb, but I feel this is likely more a result of their mutual “I don’t know how to people.” If we measure her crush by oh-man-this-is-awkward then Caleb is probably the most likely male, BUT, I’m going to stop thinking about this because if it ends up being true I would stop watching the show. I have to tell myself that it can’t possibly be Caleb to stop myself from becoming viscerally upset. (Iiiiiiii don’t like Caleb much. I don’t ship my faves with my leasts.) Plus,,, I dunno, I don’t think she would have encouraged him to act on his own mystery feelings if she liked him. That conversation probably would’ve just ended.

Not only had Yasha not known Caduceus long enough during these episodes for a crush to be likely (Ashley’s only there for like three episodes, one of which being their first meeting, and Yasha was pretty frosty to him) but the placement of the song in the list implies that the crush formed before Molly died. I probably could have stopped watching at ep26 for this but, eh, I like the pirate arc.

So that leaves Jester and Beau because let’s be real, it’s probably not Nott. (Aside from there being no romantic chemistry between them, we know that Yasha still has that crush and I find it unlikely that she, as a widow, would hold on to feelings to someone who is married with a child. Besides, pretty sure they all thought she was a kid herself in the early arcs.) I do not think it’s Jester, because honestly Yasha seems to like Fjord and Jester together, with moments like “Jester will probably hold your hand ;3” and Ashley being very concerned for Jester when his Avantika ship tease started. (And I could be biased because if they reveal that a FOURTH person has a crush on her I’m gonna revolt, they can’t all like her jesus fUCK two is one thing but FOUR?? it’s too much) BUT in the interest of fairness, cuz it is still very much possible, and I’m an “anything’s possible” kinda gal, I will list three moments that stuck out to me.

3) Episode 34: “We’re like a strong….. couple of women.” It’s the amazed tone she uses.

2) Episode 46: The talk about her past and the Zuala reveal. Both this, and the above, happened after Molly’s death which make them unlikely, but this one was the most significant character moment Yasha had had at this point, and she had it while talking primarily to Jester and that’s certainly nothing to sneeze at! But that’s also a point against it too, because not only does she have very little problem looking Jester in the eye and having a very long talk with her – and this goes for Caduceus too, tho he stayed mostly quiet – something that’s supposed to be hard for her to do when early feelings were evolving, but I kind of don’t think Yasha would form a crush on someone while in the same breath saying her lost love will always be hers. Before or after, sure, but not during. Frankly I don’t think this talk would have happened at all if feelings for either of them were involved. But I’m also not going to discount the importance of the moment.

1) I don’t remember the exact episode – it was during the harvest fest, so 17 or 18 – but at one point Jester says something nice to Yasha and Ashley specifically points out that Yasha starts blushing. Now given we know that Ashley was not looking for romance with Yasha early on, I feel like if this really was romantic, she would not have pointed it out, she more likely would’ve have Yasha quietly think about it. But,,, a blush is a blush, a pretty significant “oh” indicator, and I think it was the first time anyone had gotten a reaction like that out of Yasha. The timing works out too, that’s why I put it at one, over the Zuala talk.

(Sidebar, I didn’t watch episode 1 for this because I felt there’s no way Yasha got a crush on anyone that early, but wouldn’t it have been fucking hilarious if Ashley was like “my character is a widow and is not looking at all………… Failed step one.” Edit from a week after posting this: I also didn’t watch episode 4, because I honestly completely forgot Yasha was even in that. So there could be some character things I missed, but like with ep1, I find it unlikely feelings happened so early on. Ep4 was only Yasha’s second encounter with them.)

Ok so with that out of the way, I really do think its Beau. I could go more into why exactly, and how differently Yasha talks to Beau, but this isn’t a relationship analysis post, this is a Moment of Realization™ analysis post. All of that above was just to be fair to the others. (Plus I’m trying my best to stick to the 34 episodes I watched; the really good Yasha-likes-Beau stuff happens later.) Now I’ll start the top 5 most likely moments Yasha went “o-oh” for Beau:

5) Episode 34: During their talk in the tavern, Beau asks Yasha if she’s doing okay twice. It’s one of the first things she asks, and notably she��s the only one to ask how Yasha’s handling her best friend’s death in that whole conversation. Not even Jester does; just “I don’t comfort people” Beauregard. (Unfortunately, no real mention is made of the fact that she was kidnapped and beaten, and unlike Fjord and Jester, didn’t have a friend group to help, but, I think Beau asking how she’s doing is the closest we get to that.) She doesn’t say much, but both times asked Yasha seems affected by it. Beau also says she’d be willing to buy Yasha expensive wine, and excitedly tries to include her in their puppy training, and ass kicking. This is good shit and honestly the only reason it’s #5 is because the timing doesn’t really work well; I think Yasha already liked her at this point. Kinda surprised I don’t see more people talking about this moment.

(Also the episode after this is the start of “Travis makes Yasha clearly in love with Beau” and wouldn’t it be so funny if Ashley was like “no, he’s right. Yasha really would slice a man in half after seeing Beau in danger.”)

4) Episodes 15&16: I’m including both of these together because they happened in the same place on the same day, but the fights with the cube and Siff. Bit of a weaker example, but these fights stuck out to me compared to others Yasha had been in, because she sticks to Beau a little more and they seem much more excited to fight together (I believe the cube was their first time using Sentinel together?) realizing that they work extremely well together when they flank. Beau also does that thing where she parkours off of Yasha’s shoulder and I don’t believe for a second Yasha didn’t feel at least a little something. I think it’s very likely that a crush on Beau could’ve started during a battle, and something’s telling me it’s probably one of these two. I also can’t help but feel like Yasha started becoming more socially awkward right around this time. Compare how she acts in episode 9 vs 18. Could be just a character thing, Ashley finding her groove, but I still “hmmm” a little.

3) Episode 25: The healing hands scene. A classic, you love it, I love it. The healing itself aside, what I personally find most interesting is that Yasha looks a little put-upon, her “okay…” sounding a little like she’s thinking “are we really doing this right now?” but Ashley confirms on Talks that Yasha actually thought it was funny, she got a kick out of it. It’s the first time Beau’s flirting got a genuine reaction out of Yash, in a way that almost almost feels like flirting back. Makes me wonder what would’ve happened if Ashley hadn’t left, what they would’ve been like from episodes 26 – 34 if they’d gotten more time together. (I also wonder,,,, if Yasha thought a lot about this last moment of playful affection while she was captured. The last time someone messed around with her and got her to laugh before things went to shit.)

2) Episode 18: The scene where Beau joins Yasha to talk with Oremid and Trent and puts her hand on her lower back. This almost passed me by at first, because other than being near each other, not a whole lot happens; they just talk to some old guys. But then I thought more about it and wondered “… when do you think someone last did that to Yasha?” In this moment she becomes noticeably more flustered, nervous, and stumbling over her words. Now this is probably just because she was told to lead a conversation with two people she doesn’t know and her 7 charisma was showing, but she honestly was never that bad when talking to people in earlier episodes, she actually had quite a bit of confidence. I find it pretty believable that having an attractive woman putting her hand on a frankly rather intimate place, something that probably hasn’t happened to her a long while, would have an effect on her.

1) Episode 19: The Church Youth Group flirting watch. And I actually don’t mean the “huddle for warmth” part – although Yasha offering her shawl is pretty significant – I mean the little talk they have after that. Even after a bit of very awkward flirting, Yasha decides to reach out, talk about something on her mind. Beau immediately stops trying to make a move, her tone becoming genuine, and just engages with Yasha. She doesn’t pry or push, just asks questions. How long had she been away, what was Xhorhas like, did it still feel like home? And Beau ends it by saying she’d like to see it someday and she seems to mean it. She just learned it was a barren, marshy, unpleasant place, but, it’s where one of her new friends is from, and that’s enough. (In hindsight, it might’ve even struck a chord in her about her own home.) Then it becomes weird again – but in a silly way – and they go to bed. It’s a very quick conversation, like 2 minutes, but it does so much for both of them. Because I could be wrong, but I do believe this was the first time anyone stopped and asked Yasha to talk more about herself and where she came from. Hell, it might be the first time Yasha had a one on one talk of that degree with someone other than Molly. Beau was the first to think to ask “what was your home like for you?” and there’s something kind of intimate and special about discussions of home.

It lines up because, if the beauyasha compilations I’ve found are right, this is their last real moment of significance until healing hands. They still talk, they interact, but not to this level again until episode 34. It would make total sense if, after all those little moments from before - “Will you hold me through the show?” the flirting, the looks, the hand on her back, watching Beau - after this moment of real connection, something clicked for Yasha. And, just like the playlist described, she pulls back, keeps just a little bit of a distance. They’ll take watch, but the conversation’s a little weird. She’ll cast healing hands, but she won’t really look at her as she does. Because it became too real. (And maybe she’ll spend most of an underground fight against merrow following Beau around and trying to heal her, but, she won’t say that’s what she’s doing.)

That, I believe, that genuine “I hope to see it someday” was Yasha’s oh.

[sugaabooga]

Sleep For Smiles

Pairing: Seokjin x nurse!Reader

Genre: Fluff, fluff, fluff, smol f2l!au

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: PG-13, some cursing, Seokjin’s lowkey being neglected

Synopsis: After another tiring night shift, you go back home to find Seokjin doing the most to make you crack a smile. -OR- “Can i request a jin x reader fluff where reader is super grumpy and tired all the time and jin wants her to smile uwu”

“EEUHH.”

“Whoa.”

You pause in your loud stretching and shoot a glare up at the doctor who stands leaning over the counter with an amused grin.

He flips back to the first page of his clipboard and drops his hands down behind his back, continuing to look at you with a playful glint in his eye.

“What are you looking at Min?” you hiss.

Yoongi shrugs. “Your ugly ass face, that’s what.”

You over exaggerate a gasp making the 3rd year resident roll his eyes and let out a snort.

“Have you eaten?” he asks with a disinterested expression.

You sigh, shaking your head and going back to analyze the patient’s orders you received from another resident just a few minutes ago. “One of the professors got some food from the convenience store, but I haven’t had a chance to eat it.”

Yoongi looks at you with an awkward smile. “Well, you should uh. . . eat soon.”

You hold back your laugh at the tsundere doctor that you’ve managed to befriend during your three years of working at Yonsei University Hospital and instead shoot him a grateful look to minimize his discomfort of somewhat outwardly showing his care for you.

“Thanks, Yoongi,” you say, making his face slightly pink in embarrassment. He awkwardly coughs and holds up his clipboard, lightly smacking it against the counter.

“Well, I’ll be in the night room,” he states, an indirect way of telling you to come find him if there was an emergency.

You nod and send him away, going right back to organizing other patient records and making sure nothing was out of the ordinary. You sigh after what feels like a few hours but to your dismay, it’s only been thirty minutes.

Internally cursing the clock that reads 2am, you heave your lethargic body up from the comforts of your swivel chair and head over to the carts so you can replace a couple of patient’s IV drips.

Just a few more hours, you encourage yourself. A few more hours and your night shift for today will be over. It’ll be home at last.

//

“Babe?”

The voice that usually has the power to immediately form a smile on your face fails to do so as you trudge in through your door at 9 in the morning.

You hear feet shuffling as you haphazardly kick away your shoes and enter the living area of your small apartment. You fail to notice the sink empty of dirty dishes, coffee table clear of cups, plates, and wrappers, and your random clothes and objects previously strewn all over the floors, placed into a hamper or their original places.

Your boyfriend appears, head peeking out from behind the wall. 

“Well hello there,” you say in mild surprise, not having expected him to be over at your apartment so early in the morning.

Seokjin’s brows furrow before wrapping you in a brief hug. “Were you at the hospital this whole time?”

“Mmpgh,” you grunt in response, as he pulls away and you stumble past, heading straight to the couch. As you near the living room area, you realize his computer’s out, meaning that he must have been working before you came.

With a heavy sigh, you automatically collapse onto the couch. “Seokjin.”

“Hm?” Seokjin makes his way over to the couch as well, gently sitting on the sofa beside you. He gazes down at you with a soft smile, arm immediately wrapping around your shoulders and pulling you into his side.

“M tired,” you mutter at which Seokjin chuckles, caressing your hair.

“I came early in the morning in hopes to cook us both breakfast,” he says. “I thought your night shift was two days from now.”

You weakly nod as your consciousness goes in and out. Curse Kim Seokjin and his warm, squishy body. You wrap your arms around Seokjin's waist, adjusting yourself into a more comfortable position.

“I had to cover for Mina,” you mumble. “You’re right though. I have another night shift, two days from now.”

Seokjin sighs, gently pushing away your hair from your mouth so you were laying down more comfortably. “Good job for another hard day at work.”

With all the energy left in you, you let out an empty laugh at your boyfriend’s encouraging words.

“Why did I go into nursing?” you sigh, detaching yourself from Seokjin and leaning back into the plush cushions of your sofa to fully lay down.

“Yeah, why did you?” Seokjin jokes, but you feel too tired to give him a solid kick in the shoulder as you normally would and quietly place your feet over his lap.

You groan, reaching over the coffee table to get a hold of the TV remote and turn on Netflix to continue rewatching your favorite medical drama of all time, Hospital Playlist.

You would think after another tiring night shift, you wouldn’t want to watch anything that has to do with your job. But contrary from that common belief, watching Hospital Playlist encouraged you to continue working hard at your job for the sake of humanity.

You silently play the fourth episode and turn up the volume, tossing the remote aside.

Seokjin slightly frowns at your lack of reaction and shuts his computer, wiggling over to you.

“Y/N~” Seokjin whines, form wrapping around your lifeless body.

“Hm?” you hum.

Seokjin sighs in content, your soft, warm body always reminding him of how you were his. His best friend was dating him. How wonderful was that?

“I love you,” he suddenly declares, plopping a kiss onto your cheek.

“I love you too,” you respond, drooping eyes honed onto the TV screen and not sparing him a glance.

Seokjin's nose slightly wrinkles at the lack of attention and chooses to glare at the surgery scene playing out before him.

For a while, Seokjin finds himself immersed in the drama. Then, a joke lights up his face.

“You know people say there’s some kind of foam stuck at hospitals?”

“Unbeliebbuble,” you cut off his joke, making Seokjin’s jaw slightly drop.

“You aren’t supposed to answer the joke!” he exclaims, making you snort at his overreaction.

“I’m sorry Jin,” you sigh with a playful glint in your eye as you reach up to ruffle his hair. “You said that one too many times.”

Seokjin huffs, removing himself from your body and propping up his computer. You seemed way tired than usual and Seokjin tried to think of ways to cheer you up. He hated seeing you so drained of energy.

Seokjin half-heartedly emails back his superiors, mind running a mile a minute in hopes to get an idea of how to cheer you up.

“Hey,” Seokjin starts off, turning to face you with a lunch suggestion on his tongue, then shuts up when your knocked out state is all he sees.

Seokjin suppresses his grin, quickly fiddling around for his phone and snapping a closeup picture of your mouth dangling open.

“Y/N,” he whispers. “Aren’t you going to wash up?”

No response.

Seokjin’s lip quirks up as you don’t even stir and spends a solid minute staring at your face. He sees how you’ve already taken your makeup off. Or how it came off with the long work hours you’ve had to suffer through. Despite your hair being slightly greasy and drool starting to dribble out the corner of your mouth, Seokjin  coos, wondering how he had managed to gain your romantic affection after those long years of a platonic relationship.

When you slightly twitch, Seokjin loudly snorts and carries you up from the couch, walking over to your bedroom. He changes you into your loungewear and throws your clothes into the hamper, tucking you in and closing the door shut.

Seokjin heads over to the kitchen, deciding to cook up lunch so when you wake up you wouldn’t resort to cup noodles.

A few hours later, a brief rustling makes you stir in your sleep as you continue drifting in and out of your dream. The sound of a door slamming shut jolts you out of your imaginary scene between you and your boyfriend out on a date and you groan, wondering when you had snuggled into your bed. Looking down, you tug on your nightshirt in confusion.

You roll your eyes, a small smile lifting on your puffy, chapped lips as you realize Seokjin had taken care of you yet again.

You roll out of bed and into your bathroom to wake yourself up by doing your normal morning routine. After some refreshing skincare, you make your way into the kitchen, already having decided to just clear another two bowls of cup ramen. To your pleasant surprise, a full-on meal was already awaiting you.

You shake your head, obviously Seokjin being the one who had prepared this grand meal. At the sight of the rice and soup neatly placed beside each other, your stomach loudly grumble and you make a quick mental note to call Seokjin later and dig into the rice and the various side dishes.

“Is it good?”

“HMPFGH!” you choke on the kimchi you were scarfing down, a violent series of coughs erupting at the unexpected voice that interrupted your meal.

Seokjin alarmingly pats your back, reaching for the water cup and handing it to you. With tears in your eyes, you take massive gulps of water and gasp out a deep breath.

“I thought you left!” you finally say after the whole ordeal.

Seokjin nods, walking over the chair across from you and gestures to you to keep eating. “I went out so I could restock your snacks. Food must be good, huh? You didn’t even hear me coming in!”

“Well, first of all, thank you, kind sir, for buying snacks,” you say with a playful glare. “But just so you know, the food is alright. Don’t wanna feed into your ever-growing ego.”

Seokjin scoffs, leaning back and arms starting to move animatedly as a small smile naturally comes up onto his lips. “WOWWW. This is what I get for cooking a whole meal for my dear girlfriend who was knocked out from her night shift! WAAH.”

A giggle erupts between your lips as you shove another spoonful of rice into your mouth. You miss the way Seokjin fondly smiles, leaning forward with a shameless stare.

“Finally,” he mumbles.

“Hm?” you look up from your chewing, eyes wide in confusion.

Seokjin nods to himself. “Of course. Sleep is always the answer.”

Your brows furrow at his randomness. “What are you talking about?”

Seokjin’s bottom lip instinctively juts out as he props his chin on his hand. “I tried to cuddle with you, attempted to tell you one of my foolproof jokes-”

You bark out a laugh that Seokjin blatantly ignores.

“Cleaned your whole apartment and cooked you a meal,” Seokjin dramatically sighs.

You gasp, looking up with an apologetic expression. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, Jin.”

Seokjin remains silent, looking down at his cup.

“I was so tired that I didn’t even notice you decluttered everything and. . . washed the dishes?” you gasp once more when spotting an empty sink, pouting at your boyfriend. “I’m so sorry.”

You put down your spoon with a sigh, getting up and smacking your lips onto Seokjin’s for a brief second. Immediately, Seokjin cracks a smile, unable to contain his laughter.

“What the heck,” you scoff. “You were acting!?”

Seokjin laughs, pinching your cheek without care of your protests. “How could I ever be mad at my wonderfully perfectly utterly clueless girlfriend?”

Seokjin giggles at your glare. “I’m just kidding. Of course, I don’t blame you. I never can and never will. You’re working so much these days. It’s obvious for you to not be. . . fully awake?”

“I’m sorry,” you frown, grabbing a piece of fish cake to bring into your bowl.

“Don’t be,” Seokjin grins. “At least you smiled.”

“What?” you say, giving Seokjin a weirded out look.

“I’m telling you!” Seokjin sighs with a shake of his head. “All you women need is sleep. Not a man.”

You chortle out a laugh at his statement and nod. “I one hundred percent agree.”

Seokjin breaks out into laughter mid-scoff, unable to resist your contagious laughter.

“Let’s go outside after you’re done eating,” Seokjin suggests.

“No,” you deadpan, making him flinch. “I wanna finish rewatching Hospital Playlist.”

“You already watched that drama three ti-”

“I’ll give you that cuddle session I wasn’t able to give you earlier,” you interrupt with a wink.

Seokjin breaks out into a grin. “That actually sounds a lot better than a walk in the park.”

You laugh at his eagerness and continue eating with satisfied hums at his cooking. Seokjin wipes the sauce at the corner of your lip and continues to blatantly stare, feeling his heart swell at the sight of your lips stretching into a smile.

//

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed whatever this was LOL. I was slightly debating how to approach this request but i hope it turned out alright!! Seokjin’s cute or whateva.

[atlas-tries]

Shatter Me Chapter 3: Shatter Me

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Summary: Patton finds a painful memory and Janus has a vision. Will it be enough to thwart the outcomes that await?

Notes: Redundant, no? Not gonna lie, fam, it's about to get to the darkest point. Trigger warnings for character death.

“Patton, are you sure you aren’t a hoarder?” Virgil asked, pushing aside a mountain of plushies where he had been unfortunate enough to land. This was the first time the anxious side had been in Patton’s room since he moved to their part of the Mindscape (also the first time he had ever been to Patton’s room) and Patton was beside himself to have him here.

“Absolutely! I just like to keep a few sentimental things around to look at when I’m feeling down,” Patton replied. “But I guess it uh, wouldn’t hurt to clean up a little. Gotta make room for more memories, right? I actually have the energy to do it now!”

Virgil looked at Patton with a lopsided grin. “Wait, what? You, not having the energy to do something? How’d that happen?”

“Ah right, you weren’t here for uh … all of that. Let’s just say I was recovering from an injury I got several months ago,” Patton said, instantly noting the worried change in Virgil’s expression. “Hold on, it’s alright, I’m alright now, see?” He lifted his shirt to showcase the few tiny cracks that remained. “I’m almost completely healed. Logan even gave me his seal of approval!” He pulled out a little medallion with Logan’s bespectacled brain signet on it. “See?”

Virgil breathed out a visible sigh of relief. He shook a finger at Patton. “Awesome,” he said, his voice cracking a little at the end.

“Alright, so you said you were looking for …” Patton started.

“… this one angsty poem Thomas wrote in high school. I thought I’d uh, spice the ruminating up a little when Thomas heads to bed tonight,” Virgil replied. “No better way to fall asleep than thinking about everything that’s gone wrong or that will go wrong, am I right?”

Patton smiled. “Sure, kiddo, as long as they’re balanced with happier thoughts during the daytime! Let’s see, I think what you’re looking for is over here.” He ran toward his version of the staircase that was piled high with boxes and other larger memorabilia that wouldn’t fit on the bookshelf. He glanced through a few of them, perking up a little when he came to the box on the fourth stair. “I think this is it!” He grabbed the box and ran back to Virgil.

“Keep them as long as you need them,” Patton said with a smile. He handed it over to Virgil, who nearly doubled over from the weight of the things inside. Virgil choked out a thanks and quickly sank out.

“Well, that’s one box temporarily dealt with. Now, about the rest of this marvelous mountain of memories …” Patton, though he would never outrightly admit it, didn’t like moving things around very much. It filled him with dread just thinking about moving something somewhere he would inevitably forget about it. Maybe it would be better to start smaller? He looked around for somewhere less cluttered to start. Finally, his eyes landed on the overflowing box labeled New Memories. “That’ll do for now.” He took the box carefully upstairs to his bedroom and got to work sorting its contents.

In around half an hour, everything was categorized into neat little piles that could be easily transferred to other more fitting storage spaces. Patton began collecting everything from the Friends and Coworkers pile and carried them to his dresser. The top drawer was for everything related to Joan. Admittedly, this one was getting a little bloated from all the fun stuff they and Thomas had ever done together. Still, Patton managed to find space for the newer memories in the crevices that remained. The rest made their way into their respective drawers, packed in tightly with all the rest of them.

Patton closed the drawers, smiled, and put his hands on his hips. “Perfect!” he said. Now all that was left was to take the box back to his version of the living room. He picked the box up and startled when it hissed at him. Something was still in there. He peeked into the box at the thing that had just slid toward him, an upside-down picture frame from the looks of it. Steadying the box with one hand, he reached in and flipped it over.

The last memory he had of Thomas’s now ex-boyfriend stared up at him from the bottom of the box.

His hands trembled a little as he stared at this frighteningly still image. “Nope nope nope, not today,” he said, closing the box and walking as quickly as he could to put it back where it belonged. Despite ridding himself of the visual, this memory was still going to make itself heard in the only way it knew how. Patton clutched at his chest hard and the box crashed to the living room floor. “N-not again …”

He sat down on the stairs a moment to regain control of his breathing. Searing lines thrummed in time with his heartbeat, dulled but not forgotten. This was another reason why he never bothered to clean up: too much of a chance to reopen old wounds. Patton rose with a wince to get that recording of the Rainforest Rap. That song always helped cheer him up. He kept the song on repeat until he felt some semblance of normalcy again.

For the rest of the week, Patton lay awake during the nights, praying that the darkness would somehow take away the memories that hurt him so. It, as many spectral entities do, provided no such reprieve. Certainly not enough to quell the ache settling further into his core as the days passed. Taking liberties in his duties here and there made things far more manageable. Just yesterday, Patton suggested Thomas indulge in a half a pack of Oreos and he listened. The day before, he had come thiiiiiis close to getting an actual bouncy castle! And today, Patton had one little plan he thought everyone would jump for (but not in a bouncy castle).

If everything went according to Patton’s plan, they would spend the next 48 hours rewatching The Office in a blanket fort with Thomas’s closest friends. They could all use a break right about now, what with Roman steamrolling through coming up with new concepts, Logan pulling all-nighters researching for new videos, and Virgil making sure everyone was staying on time with Logan’s schedule. He couldn’t wait to see how everyone else liked this idea! He was already out the door and nearly to the stairs when he heard muffled shouting coming from the living room below.

“—not seriously thinking of going along with this latest plan, are you? I have far too much to plan if we’re to keep this project at its utmost quality!”

Patton stopped dead in his tracks at the top of the stairs.

“I know, Roman, I’m concerned about this, too. We’re woefully behind schedule as it is,” Logan added. “If we don’t do something about this, my carefully constructed calendar will collapse under the weight of his impulse decisions.”

“But how are we even supposed to bring that up to him? He’s been acting weird all week, I know,” Virgil bit, “but you know how Pat takes these things, L.” Patton bit his lip to keep from making noise as the cracks grew once more.

“The best way to do that is to do like you said earlier Virgil, rip it off like a metaphorical Bandaid. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to do this.”

So. Patton had gone overboard these past few days with his contributions.

How many other times had he put the other sides in this exact same situation? They were all supposed to be in this together. Weren’t they …?

There was only one way to fix this. Fixing his cardigan and his expression, Patton plodded heavily down the stairs to announce his arrival. “Hey kiddos! Oh, good, you’re all here together, that’ll save me a few trips back upstairs,” he said cheerily.

“Don’t tell us, Padre, you have another idea?” Roman asked. His smile looked so forced.

“Kinda! So I was just thinking that since we are so behind schedule, a 2 day binge-fest might not be the greatest idea I’ve come up with. So instead of that, how about we work on this next concept together tonight?”

Jaws all around the room dropped. “Wait, what? I thought …” said Virgil, looking to the others.

Roman picked up where Virgil left off, “Patton, I believe that’s the best idea you’ve had all week!” He stepped closer. “How shall we go about it? At the dumb boring regular table here, or at the Round Table in the Imagination to help stimulate all the best thoughts?”

“Hmm, that’s intriguing, Roman. It would certainly be easier than trying to keep track of all our thoughts on paper,” Logan added.

“Hey Logan, I guess you say it’s a …” Patton started.

Logan’s eyes widened. “No.”

“Oh, this’ll be good,” Virgil snickered.

“… well-Round-ed idea,” said Patton.

Virgil and Roman couldn’t help smiling watching this play out. Logan groaned. “I will ignore that this one time because you made a worthwhile effort to get us back on schedule, but I do hope that you’ll spend a little more time thinking about what words you want to arrange in a sentence. And make them less … pun-filled.”

“I’ll try not to have too much pun, but I can’t make any promises!” Patton said.

Logan said nothing further, opting instead to vacate the premises as quickly as possible. “I’ll uh, go with him and we’ll get everything set up in the Imagination,” said Roman, running after him.

“Well, I guess that just leaves you and me, kiddo! Whaddaya say we make some snacks for everyone? We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us today!”

Virgil nodded. “As long as I can spit on something meant for Roman,” he said.

“I’ll let you have the cookie batter bowl,” Patton replied.

“Deal.”

Between the two of them, Patton and Virgil were able to make somewhat quick work of a heaping plate of hot cookies and several plates of sandwiches for everyone to enjoy. Sure, they may have gotten more flour and other assorted foodstuffs on them than into the finished products on the counter, but it was the fun they had doing it that mattered. Both of them decided that it would be best to change out of their dirty clothes before carrying everything into the Imagination.

Patton sunk into his version of the kitchen, which was considerably more cluttered than the common area kitchen. He stepped over a few stray memories before making it into the clearer living room. That was when he noticed Deceit sitting on his couch worrying his gloved hands. Softly, Patton called out, “Dee?”

Deceit startled and turned quickly to see Patton. “Um,” he said, clearing his throat and brushing down the front of his cloak, “you certainly didn’t sneak up on me.”

“What brings you back to my neck of the ‘burbs?” asked Patton.

Deceit stood from the couch. “We’re just getting so well acquainted that I thought I’d stop by for tea— and to give a warning. I know they’ve been growing again.”

Patton smiled sadly. “I guess I can’t really hide this from you. But you should know, this time—”

“It’s not their fault, I’m well aware. But doesn’t this make it the best time to tell them? The pressure is off. You don’t even have to tell them in a direct way!” Deceit said, taking Patton’s hands in his own. His eyes were alight with worry. “You just need to tell them.”

“I know I need to, but … it’s so hard to do. I’d be hurting them, I know I would.”

Deceit looked down and sighed. He brought his gaze quickly back up to Patton’s, staring with an intensity that Patton had never seen from him before. “You need to tell them,” he whispered slowly. “I saw something on the horizon. Something bad. As much as it pains me to say it, I don’t want that vision to be about you.”

That was a bit startling. Patton knew it wouldn’t get that far, but … could it? “Okay,” he said. “I’ll tell them.” That earned him a split-second smile from Deceit.

“That’ll do, Patton. That’ll do. What in the world is on my gloves?” Deceit said, sinking out.

“Cookie dough!” Patton called after him. “And probably some mayo. Oh, he probably didn’t hear me. Now what was I doing again? Oh yeah, clothes, brainstorming, Imagination!” He quickly ran upstairs to the bathroom to get changed and emerged from his room less than a minute later and grabbed what food Virgil hadn’t. Maybe if he busied himself enough, he would be able to forget Deceit’s visit. He wouldn’t think about the panic behind his crumbling facade, or the thinly veiled pleas he made.

But that would all be a lie. Something had him deeply troubled, and when Deceit was the one giving out a warning in earnest, it bode better to listen. But how to go about it? Patton sighed. “Alright, Patton, let’s just focus on getting to the others right now,” he said to himself. He closed his eyes and thought about the others, and about castles, knights, and everything that made Roman happy.

When he opened them again, he was in the Imagination.

Or rather, he was in a field in the Imagination, right in front of Roman’s towering castle. It was a perfect amalgamation of Gothic architecture and pure Disney magic that made Patton’s nostalgia meter burst through the roof. He ran through the front gates with appropriate gusto and was thrilled to see the others there around the table already, quietly chatting amongst themselves. “Ah, Patton, we were starting to think you forgot how to get here again. Come, let us formally begin this brainstorming bash!” Roman said cheerily.

“That’s the spirit!” Patton squealed, trying to sound as normal as possible. He set down the cookie platter and took a seat in the high-backed chair with his new symbol on it.

“First things first, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page before we begin,” Logan said, summoning papers for all of them. “In order to maximize our output, Roman, Virgil, and I have decided to remove some of the thought filters from the castle for this session. This means that any particular thought, if it’s focused enough, will manifest in here for all of us to review. According to my own independent research, this should boost our productivity by 42% with a .03% margin of error.”

Patton’s eyes widened a little. He really didn’t want to interrupt their work, but this new system would definitely cause problems if he didn’t come clean now. So, Patton gathered every last bit of gumption that he had and shouted, “I have a confession to make!”

The others backed up a little, startled that Patton could be so loud, but quickly recomposed themselves. “Go ahead, Patton,” said Logan, straightening his tie.

Patton thanked him, doing his best to not squirm in his seat. He knew they wouldn’t react well, but maybe saying it now would keep thoughts about it from popping up later. “I uh, wanted to get this out of the way before we get down to business. But um … I think I might be breaking again.”

“Come again?” Virgil asked.

Patton slid the collar of his shirt down enough to reveal several deep fissures. “These things. They’re growing again,” he said. “Started earlier this week. I just didn’t want that popping up without warning and ruining our work. Anyways, um, what ideas are we working with here, Roman?”

“Wait, breaking? Like, breaking breaking? Oh God, Patton, are you dying? You’re dying, aren’t you? Oh God, no! What stops death?! Logan?!” Virgil cried frantically.

Patton quickly said, “Virgil, Virgil, breathe, I’m not dying. In for four seconds, there you go, hold it for seven seconds. You’re doing great. Just listen to the sound of my voice. Out for eight. Good job, keep it up.”

Logan got out a pen and notepad. “Again? And you say they started earlier this week? Do you remember which day it was?” he asked.

“The day I started cleaning up my room. Uh, what day was that again?” Patton said, still doing his best to softly coach Virgil back down to a calmer state.

“Padre … I thought there weren’t going to be any more secrets about this,” said Roman. The hurt look he gave to Patton about killed him where he sat.

“It wasn’t so much a secret as it was an ‘I-got-a-little-busy-and-kept-forgetting’ kind of thing. I never meant to keep it from you, any of you,” Patton replied. A tiny, glowing orb dripped from Patton’s chest. A thought. He pushed it down between his hand and the seat to trap it, knowing that it would unveil his lie. For good measure, he slung a leg over his hand.

“You were cleaning that day…” Logan mused. “I may have some theories that explain this phenomenon, though it is currently up to speculation. Allow me to elaborate. Patton, it seems that stressing yourself beyond your limits could potentially be the cause of this. You have certainly been going out of your way with your work this week. I believe we all recall the … bouncy castle idea. This could be leading to a lack of self-care needed to perform adequately.”

Patton nodded slowly with as real a smile as he could muster. “Yyyyyeah, that could be it,” he said, shoving down another treacherous thought as it popped out. It brought up memories of all the passing comments Logan made about his character.

“Uh, Pops? Whatcha … doin’ over there?” Virgil asked.

Patton stiffened. “Nothing, just, uh … Practicing a new kind of exercise?” Another one flitted out, pointing to being too overbearing with Virgil. “Hey, is that a dragon coming up to the castle?”

Everyone turned to look while Patton conjured a slingshot, flung that icky thought out the other window. and recaptured the one that had come out from beneath his leg.

“No, that’s a tapestry, Padre. It literally couldn’t hurt you if it wanted to,” Roman said. “Not that I would ever let it!”

Patton smiled. “You’re my hero, Roman,” he said.

Roman blushed a little to that. “Aw, Pat,” he gushed.

Another thought came up, a memory of a time Roman had taken him on one of his adventures. He had wanted to tend to a little wounded animal they came across and nearly got them killed because of it. Patton clapped his hand painfully over his heart to keep that one from surfacing. With a whimper and a slight grimace, he replied, “I mean it, Ro.”

Virgil was getting extremely antsy where he sat. “Okay, um … This is weird, right? Like, this just feels wrong.”

“Virgil has a point, you are behaving rather strangely, Patton,” said Logan. “Do you have something you’d like to add?”

With the focus being on what started this, another memory surfaced. The one that had started it again. Patton tried to bite that one as it meandered past. Curse these full hands! He missed by a mile, leaving it to float effortlessly to the center of the table.

“A thought?” Logan said. “Unconventional, but it’s an intriguing choice.”

It began to play. Patton was in his room, sorting through the new memories box. The last few were being tucked away. It skipped to him looking back in the box to see what was left. It showed him, holding the picture. Him, clutching his chest. Him, stumbling to the floor. As if on cue, the cracks thrummed in recognition. Thank goodness he already had a hand over them because it almost took his breath away. The memory evaporated, leaving the others to simply look with jaws slightly agape.

Patton could only look down at the table. These old wounds were reopening in the worst of ways, and now his closest friends would find out the truth. Logan finally broke the silence. “So, that’s how it happened.”

Patton nodded wordlessly.

“This was months ago,” Logan said.

“It was a busy time for me,” Virgil added. “Switching from everything Thomas did wrong to worrying that Thomas will never find love again got to be so exhausting.”

“I admit even I became a bit disheveled by his absence,” Logan said, looking down.

“I nearly ducked out over this. I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like for you, Patton,” said Roman.

Patton still couldn’t bring himself to look up. He knew there were pent up tears threatening to fall if he did. “It … it was hard … and seeing a reminder of it …” he whispered.

Logan sighed. “I believe your best course of action is clear,” he said. “You simply need to let the past be the past.”

“But … what about all of the good times we had with him? I don’t want to leave them behind,” Patton said softly.

“Patton, these memories are physically hurting you. I can’t understand why you would rather suffer endlessly instead of just letting one person go.”

You’re too sentimental to save yourself from dying.

Patton’s face contorted and a small whine escaped his throat. Those insidious cracks lengthened once more, each one feeling like a knife tracing its way through his skin.

Roman stood abruptly. “Now look what you’ve done, Quantum of Soulless!” Roman cried, motioning to Patton. Logan rose from his seat, trying to get a better look from across the table.

“Roman …” Patton lightly scolded. “Pl-please be nice.”

Roman huffed. “Sorry. What I mean is this situation needs a bit more delicacy than Logan’s robotic demeanor could ever hope to provide.” Roman walked over to Patton and put a hand gently on his arm. Logan was making his way over, too, notepad in hand. “Now Padre, you know how much I came to you when this was all fresh. We did our best to hold each other up, but even now, I still feel lost. I can’t tell you how much I yearn to have our beloved return, or how much I want to call him after all this time.”

Patton sniffled a little, putting his hand over Roman’s and leaning his head against his arm. “I know, I want him back too,” he said.

“I think we all do. But I think it might also be time to start boxing up some of those old memories. We can even help you start!” Roman said. Virgil shook his head. Logan rolled his eyes. “Okay, I can help you start.”

“But I don’t want to forget … I wouldn’t even know where, or how, to start. We had so many good memories together that I don’t want to lose,” Patton blubbered.

“I know it’s difficult, but we aren’t children anymore, Padre. I know the relationship ending was for the best and I’ve been striving every day to remain strong. I also know that you wouldn’t be leaving everything behind if you do the adult thing and let the ghosts of the past go.”

You’re too naive to understand what needs to be done.

Patton doubled over, groaning as the cracks split further down his limbs and up his neck. Bile burned at the back of his throat, and he could taste the coppery twang of essence. He felt another wary hand on him. “P-Pops?” came Virgil’s wavering voice. “I… Thomas was being too overbearing. That wasn’t your fault!”

YOU were being too overbearing. YOU were what drove him away.

Patton cried out in agony as his skin split down to his fingertips and over his face to the top of his head. Small chips of skin were beginning to fall away with tiny tinks as they hit the floor, displaying the bright blue beneath. He could feel the front of his shirt begin to dampen.

“I don’t get it! We’re trying to help, why isn’t this working?” Virgil cried. “Why are they getting worse?!”

Logan came up to Patton, attempting to lean him back with utmost care. “Perhaps just talking about the subject of his pain is what’s causing them to worsen,” he said. As soon as he looked at the frail fatherly side, his demeanor changed. “Virgil, get a first aid kit. Roman, help me lay him on the table. Now!”

The others, at first too stunned to move, burst into action as quickly as they could. Patton screamed as they repositioned him on the table, hyperventilating from the pain. “Hang in there, Padre, please hang in there!” came Roman’s muffled voice. Logan was reaching for the hem of his shirt. He mouthed something to him. Patton felt something glide across his skin from his navel to his neck. Wait, when did Logan get scissors? And where was his shirt? And why did the others look so horrified? Those questions seemed inconsequential to the truth staring down at Patton, demanding he tell it.

“It w-was my fault,” Patton croaked.

Logan started threading a needle. Virgil was carding his fingers through Patton’s hair anxiously. Roman looked at him with incredulous eyes. “What are you talking about?” asked Roman.

“Th-the breakup,” Patton replied. Warmth was trickling down over his ribcage and soaking his back. “A-and everything e-else.” Logan tried his best to stick the needle through solid skin, but it just chipped further. Patton coughed, a bit of blue making its way past his lips.

“Everything else? Patton, you’re not making sense,” Logan said, trying the same thing again with the same result.

Patton whimpered, “I-I know that I’m always … messing th-things up. I forget s-so much … I kn-know that you think I’m t-too sentimental t-to do my job. Th-that I’m too … naive t-to see the truth right in … front of me. That I’m s-so over … o-overbearing that I drove him away. If it w-weren’t for … all of you t-to rein me in … I-I’d make Thomas into a… w-worthless mass of a man.”

You are worthless.

“C-Compression. Let’s try compression,” Logan said.

“Pat … is this … is this what caused all of this?” Roman asked. His eyes shimmered.

“You can’t seriously think that,” Virgil said, his hands becoming shaky.

Patton cried as Logan pressed firmly in the center of his chest. More fragments broke free and with them, Logan’s hands went straight through into Patton’s chest. Patton nearly passed out. Logan quickly withdrew his hands.

“Ohhhh my God, oh my God, Logan, what did you do?!” shouted Virgil. “What do we do now?!”

Patton coughed violently, essence spluttering from his lips in a steady stream.

Logan could only stand there, frozen in horror, staring at his blue hands.

“Logan?!” Roman cried.

“I … I don’t know …” came Logan’s voice, barely above a whisper. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks.

“You can’t die on us, Patton, please, we need you!” Virgil sobbed.

Roman grasped Patton’s hand delicately. It began to shatter like porcelain barely held together. Despite the jagged edges, Roman still lifted it to his cheek, holding on like it was the only anchor in a violent sea. “Y-you’ll … all be … alright … without me … Just … p-promise me … y-you won’t … blame yourselves …” Patton gasped.

He couldn’t hold it together when bigger pieces of him began breaking away from the rest of his body. He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t hear.

He couldn’t see. But still, his mouth made the words.

“I… l-love… you.”

With a final shuddering breath, he was gone.

---

Janus knew that meddling with what his foresight told him never aided the outcome.

He knew this, but he tried anyway.

It wasn’t that he particularly liked Patton. He found him to be overly saccharine and ridiculously optimistic in the face of surefire doom, not to mention he stood by socks and sandals as a fashion choice. However, things always seemed to run smoother in the Mindscape with the fatherly side around. Someone had to be there to tend to the others and moderate their senseless bickering, he supposed. How would anyone get any sleep otherwise? And Patton wasn’t one to pass judgement when he was caught alone. Perhaps his near-blind acceptance was what endeared Janus to him in the first place.

Whatever the case, he didn’t want whatever was going to happen to go through like it wanted to. He could never determine much from these visions. Just … feelings. Notions. The occasional coherent thought. This most recent one should’ve been par for the course. Nothing could’ve prepared him for what came. He couldn’t breathe. He felt like he was being ripped apart. And there was nothing else around but the pain, searing a fiery blue, and those three intrepid words.

I love you.

A swan song if there ever was one. And now, standing here amongst the shadows outside Roman’s castle, he knew the swan had sung.

Taglist: @celeste-tyrrell @taxicabinmemphis @angeldiaries @somehow-i-got-an-account

[habitmorelikefuckyou]

EverymanHYBRID - Pacing, Character-Driven Plots, and Comic Relief

Everyone shut the FUCK up I’m shifting into hyperfocus mode

In all seriousness, EverymanHYBRID is one of my favorite series period, and I have SO much to say about its writing and production. It’s, in my Personal Opinion, probably the best-written of the main Slenderverse ARG (Though I’m willing to admit that this is probably influenced by personal bias and you’re absolutely allowed to disagree). And I just want to go in-depth with some of my favorite elements!

(obvious spoilers for EverymanHYBRID if you haven’t seen it)

I think HABIT, and the way his character is written and used, is probably the best place to start.

HABIT, in my opinion, is an EXTREMELY interesting villain- right down to the concept. HABIT is literally the personification of the darkest, most horrible things people are capable of. He is a literal embodiment of humanity’s sins. That is quite possibly one of the scariest and most cosmically threatening concepts they could have chosen. And what’s even more interesting is the way they then approached that concept-

They made him fun.

That’s something I see everyone who watches EMH hook onto. The villain, the main antagonist, the horrible old-as-time pure evil mastermind, is a fun character! He’s witty, he’s funny, he’s rude in that flippant, crude, lighthearted way we’ve come to associate with characters like Deadpool. He doesn’t act with any sort of discernible logic or pretense. And that’s the point.

Let’s skip ahead to the last stretch of the series for a moment. After “:D”, pretty much the rest of the videos consist entirely of Vinny and Habit alone, with occasional appearances from a very traumatized Evan. That’s 25 videos- about a full fourth of the story. The final 1/4 of EMH is almost entirely Vinny and HABIT. Now, why is this important? Well, look back to the beginning. If you look at this entire series with an analytical perspective, you realize that among some other themes, one aspect of the series never leaves entirely- its humor. 

No matter what arc or event the story touches on, there’s always some form of comic relief. It wasn’t always doom and gloom. One of EMH’s trademarks, in my opinion, is how they constructed the plot to move consistently between those two tones, and even mix them.

How does this relate to HABIT? Think about that thing I said- for the last fourth of EMH, the only characters we get to see for the most part are Vinny and HABIT. Vinny, at this point, is a very changed man. He’s not the same college guy making videos with his friends that he was in video one- he’s worn out, scared, broken. Before this, all of the humor or heart the story had come from the guys’ interactions, but Vinny is alone and empty now- he can’t provide that without breaking character.

And THAT is why HABIT being a fun, flippant character is so important. He not only gets to have that creepy, unhinged vibe- it’s a utility. It’s a way to incorporate that element back into the story in a way that still upholds the plot. They made the villain funny because only a villain could possibly be funny in that kind of situation.

Like I said earlier, the story wasn’t always oppressive and scary and sad. It broke up its tragedy with humor or love. That wasn’t just a style choice; it was necessary to tell the story the EMH crew wanted to tell. That’s the thing that some people don’t seem to get- you can’t have a story be nothing but sad, upsetting things piled on top of each other with nothing in between. It’s not the low point that you feel, but the drop from a high point to get there. You need highs if you want your audience to care about the lows, so you need some element of levity to a dark story if you want people to care when it gets dark again. That’s what makes HABIT so cleverly written. He manages to do that without moving an inch outside of the character we’d expect. 

That point also serves as a good segway to something else I want to talk about- Pacing.

EverymanHYBRID, in comparison to most other ARGs, is a slow-paced story. Yes, the conflict begins about six videos in, but if you think about it, that was barely the start. We don’t even get a direct hint to HABIT’s presence until 20 videos in. There’s also the livestreams they did, and all those normal videos were included for a reason- to let us get attached. The thing about EMH is that it was a HEAVILY character-focused narrative. That means that taking your time to get the audience attached to your characters is crucial.

Because of the long-form medium chosen to tell the story, the guys had to establish a foundation that would last. In a particularly short piece of media, like a small book or a movie, a few (WELL WRITTEN) scenes can give you all the character-building you need, because those scenes will still be fresh in the audience’s mind at the climax. But in a longer story, like EMH, you can’t do that- you need to take a while to establish those characters as people, because the audience needs time to build that association. Your audience isn’t going to be thinking about that one time that character had that one conversation in video ten by the time they’re getting murdered in video sixty. There needs to be a substantial connection between character and audience if that sad stuff is supposed to have any impact.

And EverymanHYBRID does that- and then they do more. They don’t just take it slow in the beginning. They set up that foundation, and then they keep building onto it. 

During my second rewatch when I was paying much more attention to the actual writing of the series, one thing I noticed is that after every arc- every major event or tragedy- the story hits the breaks a little. We get a step back, we get a breather, and once again it’s just us and the characters with the threat pushed to the backburner. We not only got to see the characters as people in the first act; we got to see them at every step of the story. 

We get to watch in detail how Jeff unravels from the sweet, helpful, kinda goofy guy he was in the first episode to the depressed, hopeless shell he’s become by the time he dies. We get to see every stage of Evan’s devolving mental state from the funny, hot-headed sidekick to the suicidal, broken mess HABIT makes him. Vinny’s journey from the soft-spoken, friendly leader he was at the start to the hollow murderer he is by the end is long and arduous, and we get to see every checkpoint of that transformation. They don’t just break these characters. They make sure that we get to watch them break- because that’s the point.

That’s what makes EverymanHYBRID a character-driven story. The essence of the story isn’t the scary supernatural conflict; it’s how that conflict affects and changes and torments these characters, their relationships, their reactions and then the consequences of those reactions. The pacing was designed to make sure that those aspects were always the main focus, whether we realized it or not. At its center, EverymanHYBRID IS a horror story, but it’s absolutely NOT a thriller- EverymanHYBRID is a tragedy.

The story isn’t about Slenderman, or The Rake, or even HABIT. It’s about the Mining Town Four. It’s about The Voyeur, The Guardian, The Firebrand, and The Everyman. It’s about Stephanie, Jeff, Evan, and Vinny. It’s about a group of innocent people cursed to be reincarnated over and over in an infinite cycle, while trapped in a neverending conflict with unimaginable horror that they can’t ever hope to defeat. It’s about the hopeless, destructive, unfair struggle between man and evil. 

And they represented this idea through the most obvious and yet most clever medium possible- through four young, innocent, likable friends, who are tortured, driven apart, and destroyed by a formless source of malice that they don’t understand. EverymanHYBRID, in the end, is a tragic retelling of the oldest moral concept there is, on an impossibly large and yet painfully personal level.

And in my opinion? It’s pretty damn impressive that they managed to do all that with a youtube channel.

[soysaucevictim]

Week 2 & the 2020 DARETREE Event is done and dusted...

-

Dec. 5

I woke up after 1PM.

After some chatting and doing some dishes, I did my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 20 pike push-ups with EC. Tough and a bit sloppy, but good enough for me.

Second, Day 5 of the ‘20ACC. 3x5 tricep extensions, one super-set. Definitely tougher to manage after those push-ups.

Third, Day 7 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. Lotsa kicking. Aerobic and worked up quite a sweat! I enjoyed myself and mixed up letting foot drop and doing balanced variations there of. Lunge+crosses weren’t quite as fun - because lunges. But overall, good experience!

Last, Day 5 of the FCP. Core Control Day. Level 3, no rest. Pretty breezy work, all told.

After updating my fit log and doing some browsing, I made today’s Hello Fresh Meal. Corn & poblano chowder.It was pretty tasty - I mostly like the bulk and thick consistency to it. That part was comforting to eat. Don’t know how I feel about Old Bay seasoning blend, but there’s bits I appreciate from it (might be just the fact I’m not a huge fan of celery, especially if it’s too intense a note in a dish.)

Did some dishes and chatted a bit before writing up a timeline for the iZ!AU.

I went to bed a bit earlier than yesterday.

-

Dec. 6

I woke up before 11AM.

Spent time chatting and  sharing a timeline of iZ!AU with friend.

Got my exercise squared away early too.

First, today’s DD. 50 shoulder taps with EC. Doable.

Second, Day 6 of the ‘20ACC. 3x6 jumping lunges, one super-set. Again, debated on breaking it up, but chose not to. Pretty aerobic and high impact. But I dod my best to be mindful of how I was executing it.

Third, Day 8 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. For exercise transitions - I did plank walk-out/ins instead of jumps. Did maintain the plank for the shoulder taps > push-ups > raised leg push-ups. Push-ups were a bit sloppy and I did feel a bit of built up fatigue, but I’m happy it was just 5 sets of that.

Last, Day 6 of the FCP. 50 squats, done in one go. Pretty manageable work, definitely well within my condition.

Spent some time chatting and watching the third Back Too The Future movie . Then spent rest of night on the usual fair.

I went to bed a bit earlier than yesterday.

-

Dec. 7

I woke up after noon.

Spent a bit of time writing an e-mail about my jury summons and then browsing a bit before today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 2′ tricep dip hold with EC. Watching DWIT was helpful. Did note back pressing against chair increasingly after the first minute. But I did my best to keep the position for the full duration. Intense exercise.

Second, Day 7 of the ‘20ACC. 3x7 push-ups, one super-set. I thought about breaking it up as directed, more just to put more emphasis on my form. But then I just wanted to get it done fairly quickly & knew I could knock out 21 in one pop pretty easily (if somewhat sloppy, but what else is new).

Third, Day 9 of the FhP. Ab Day. Level 3, 1‘ rest. I feel like I could’ve shortened the rest periods a bit more than that - but ah well. It was overall very manageable and fun. I do so love sit-up punches! =w=

Fourth, Day 7 of the FCP. Endurance Day. Managed Level 3 by the skin of my teeth. Had some doubts I could go for whole 12 minutes keeping the arms up and moving. They did droop from fatigue and my pace had to slow to be able to sustain things. Watching DWIT/SaSi is always a great distraction for brutal endurance work. My arms = dead. :,D

Last, I started getting in reps for my ornament on the DARETREE, this year. After some debate, I chose to work toward an emerald one. That involved 1k jumping jacks. In less than an hour, I did half of it in 5 sets of 100. Was pretty blissed afterwards - despite my calves complaining a bit about the load.

Made dinner and spent rest of night on the usual.

I went to bed obscenely late, Didn’t anticipate a mistake I made would mean  i was not going to have much sleep to work with tomorrow.

-

Dec. 8

I woke up a bit after 11AM, to the sound of a car honking outside.

I quickly realized I miss-scheduled a trip reservation this week - it was supposed to be for Wednesday (though I would have to cancel that because I had a jury summons on my lap.) Anyways - decided to just go with the driver’s intended route. Spent some time to go grab some convenience store snacks and waited to get returned home.

Pretty much once I got back home, I did my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 2′ raised leg hold with EC (supine). Deep breathing was helpful. But neck strain happened predictably enough - not so fun.

Second, Day 8 of the ‘20ACC. 3x8 lunges, one super-set. Manageable.

Third, Day 10 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. It was pretty funny rewatching FWSA as background noise - chuckled a bit while I was doing my punches/kicks/strikes. Definitely made that much more fun (and combat work is already fun.)

Fourth, Day 8 of the FCP. Cardio Day. Level 3, no rest. Nice low impact work. Energy levels were also happy with the relative chillness of this workout.

Last, I finished getting in reps for my ornament on the DARETREE, this year. I wound up approaching it the same way/pace as yesterday. Definitely a lot harder, given how exhausted I was getting. (I was watching POF again during this part of things.)

Chatted a bit before doing some dishes, taking a shower, and organizing stuff (bills/etc..I basically had to drag myself to get through all that - I was so exhausted. (Learning that my brother had a person in his circle test positive for COVID was also peachy. Brother scheduled for a test for himself later this week.)

I managed to get to bed in the green zone, tonight. I just hit my wall at that point.

-

Dec. 9

I woke up after 9AM.

I was pretty agitated on Twitter and in my chatting this morning over the Jury summons. Once at the courthouse though, I learned that I was no longer needed to be present. That was a relief.

First, today’s DD. 40 bridge taps with EC. This was pretty manageable, just happy the jury summons issue appears to be resolved. Mostly.

Second, Day 9 of the ‘20ACC. 3x9 calf raises, one super-set. Fairly breezy work. Calves were pretty okay after all those jumping jacks. Achilles and knee needed a bit of TLC, but doable.

Third, Day 11 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. No plank jump-ins/outs. My sore delts made things a bit more challenging to get through. Still doable, might’ve gotten away with shortening the rest periods a bit more, but I just decided to commit to that.

Last, Day 9 of the FCP. 3′ wall-sit, managed it in one go. I decided to rewatch Embarrassing Phases to distract myself from my thighs screaming at me.

After chatting and whatnot, I made today’s Hello Fresh Meal. Tex-Mex beef & poblano enchiladas. I thought it was just okay. Lack of saucy consistency/binding in the filling gave things a dryness (especially on reheat in the cases of dad and brother’s portions - they ate later than me.)

After some more of the usual - I felt inspired again to get more writing done (iZ!Prinxiety stuff, friggin’ dorks.)

Back to getting to bed in the red zone...

-

Dec. 10

I woke up after 10AM.

After a bit of the usual, did today’s exercise.

First, today’s DD. 40 lunge step-ups with EC (20/20). Manageable work.

Second, Day 10 of the ‘20ACC. 3x10 wide legged squats, one super-set. Did contemplate on breaking it up, but eh, this was very

Third, Day 12 of the FhP. Level 3, 1′ rest. Back and core work - bridges were more fun than the planks, but doable. Did think i could’ve extended my counts a bit more. But nevertheless, reasonably challenging!

Last, Day 10 of the FCP. Agility Day. Level 3, no rest. I do so enjoy bouncing/hopping stuff  and it was fun shifting into each exercise with continued momentum. I only stopped in between sets long enough to markdown completed sets.

Spent rest of night chatting, browsing, and making soup for dinner. I did also get some writing done too.

I got to bed around the same time as yesterday.

-

Dec. 11

I woke up after 11AM.

After a bit of browsing, listening to music, dog grooming, and getting dishes taken care of - I did today’‘s exercises.

First, today’s DD. 1′ chest squeeze with EC. Arms definitely got to trembling throughout this hold. Did try to mind how much recruitment was happening so I wouldn’t pull something. Mission successful.

Second, Day 11 of the ‘20ACC. 3x11 up/down dogs, 30″ rest. Finally met a day of this challenge that I couldn’t get through in one superset - this pacing//load was tough enough as it is. Got pretty bushed.

Last, Day 11 of the FCP. Tendon Strengthening Day. No sets. Just about manageable, took a bit of digging though.

I spent rest of night updating my logs, chatting, configuring computer stuff, browsing stuff.... and binge-watching Season 2 of The Umbrella Academy. (I enjoyed it!)

Went to bed obscenely late because of that.

[greasyvan]

Vanilla [A Van McCann Oneshot]

Rating: M. Actually it might be worse than M. I’m pretty sure this has earned me a one way ticket to hell

Word Count: 5k

Request: Not technically but y’all have been asking for this and you deserve it 

Author’s Note: We’re all goin’ to hell for this

When Van came home from tour, it was habitual for the both of you to stay locked in your bedroom for a few days. You wouldn’t leave the comfort of the sheets, save to do the absolute necessities, like retrieve food or make cups of tea, or shower together. You had to get reacquainted with each other’s bodies, learn about all the new marks that had occurred while you were apart. Van would hold your thighs in his wide, calloused palms and brush his nose against the fading bruise on the inside of your knee. You’d press your fingers into the ridges of his spine and reveal in his skin. New bumps, scratches, marks that had been inflicted while he was away. You relearned the texture of skin so when he left again you could remember the feeling of his body.

It was on the fourth naked day when you decided it was time to rejoin the world. You woke Van with your lips around his shaft and your fingers laced in his. An hour had passed, you’d had your morning romp, and now a naked Van was laying between your legs with his head resting on your thigh. He stroked your skin absentmindedly, staring out the window into the outside world. Memorizing.

The light on his eyelashes were casting shadows on his cheek bones in a way that made your stomach hurt. He was too beautiful, you couldn’t help but want to capture the moment. You reached for your phone on the bedside table and opened up the camera.

“Hey,” You called softly. When his eyes flicked up to you you snapped the picture. “You’re so cute.” He laughed slightly and rolled onto his stomach and rested his chin on your lower belly, his arms around your thighs.

“Ain’t that my line?” You took another picture. Even better. He had a slight smirk, his eyes were dreamy. You hummed as he placed kisses on your stomach and across your hips all while you took pictures. Something in the air changed and the feeling went from sleepy and cozy to electric and needy. You whined as he shifted himself down the bed, keeping his arms around your thighs and licked a wet stripe up your center. You opened your legs wider as his tongue delved into you, Van’s mouth making obscene noises against you. An idea popped into your head and you held the phone up, turning on the video function and recording him.

“Say hi,” You whispered, his eyes opening and looking directly into the camera. He grunted and you could feel him smile against you. Van was never someone who was camera shy, in fact knowing that there was a camera on him made him even more eager to please than he already was. He released one of your thighs and pushed two fingers inside of you, tugging them upwards while his tongue circled your clit. You moaned loudly, never one to necessarily be quiet during sex, and wound your fingers into his hair. He relished in the little noises you were making as you squirmed beneath him, his long fingers pistoning inside you so hard and so fast it almost hurt, but in the best way possible.

“Fuck,” You yelped as he tugged upwards against your walls, a new sensation spreading through your stomach. You pulled at his hair and he hissed against your wetness, pulling away from you to catch a breath but keeping his fingers deep inside you. You let out a long, low groan as white spots spread across your vision and you felt your body go rigid. Your legs felt numb as heat exploded through your being and you dropped your phone on your chest. You shook for a couple of seconds and when you came back down to earth you were acutely aware of an unpleasant wetness against your thighs. When you opened your eyes Van’s chest was wet and he was looking at you, face half bewildered half smug.

“Did you just,” He trailed off, not really sure how to finish that sentence. Your eyes were wide like dinner plates and you nodded. “Have you ever done it before?” Quickly you shook your head and Van sat back on his heels, genuinely smiling. He was so fucking cocky. “That was... Yeah that was hot.” You didn’t know if he was referring to the video you both had just made or the fact that he was able to get you to do something you never thought you were capable of doing but you hummed in agreement. Van flopped down next to you after cleaning himself off as you rewatched the video and you could hear Van mutter something against your skin.

“Send that to me,” He requested, and you craned your neck to look at him. “What? Noises you make are somethin’ else. I’ll need it for when I’m gone again.” He took the phone from you, watching the video again and smirking when he made you come.

You rolled your eyes. “Jesus christ do you want a fucking metal.” The video was forgotten temporarily as he dropped your phone and rolled on top of you, pinning your arms to the bed.

“Actually I think I would,” He grinned and placed a kiss on your throat. “‘Van McCann, first lover to make you squi-’” You groaned and shoved him off, sitting up in bed, covers falling to your waist.

“You’re gross, that word is gross.” He reached out for you, pulling you back into his arms, not quite ready to rejoin the world yet.

~

A couple months later you were back on tour with Van and the lads. You and Van were supposed to be meeting Bondy and his new girlfriend, Nina, for dinner but after half an hour of waiting in the lobby they still hadn’t arrived. You suggested going up to their room and checking on them and Van agreed, grumbling about being hungry. Their door was slightly open and before you could tell Van to knock he was barging in, about to call out when he froze on sight. You peeked around his arm to see what was happening, your cheeks immediately heating up. Bondy had his back towards you, muscles taut and jeans around his knees. Nina was bent over the bed, arms pinned behind her back as she moaned in pleasure, back arching as Bondy slammed into her. Before they could notice your presence you wrapped your hand around Van’s bicep and tugged him out of the room, gently shutting the door behind you. You watched Van squirm for a moment, tugging his shirt down over his crotch and clearing his throat.

“Really?” You asked, raising an eyebrow. His cheeks turned pink and he just shrugged. The elevator dinged, the doors opening up and you stepped inside. “Had no idea you were into voyeurism.” He scrubbed his hands over his face, the tips of his ears turning bubble gum pink.

“’m not,” He whined, looking at the buttons as they lit up.

You were having too much fun teasing him though. “All this time I had no idea you were a kinky little shit.”

“I’m not!” He insisted, practically tumbling out of the elevator into the lobby.

“Your crotch begs to differ there mate,” You cackled. “I’d always taken you for this vanilla guy, maybe we should take the time to explore your kinks babe.” You were laughing so hard you hadn’t realized he’d stopped walking and practically ran head first into him. He turned on his heel and smirked down at you.

“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep, love.” Your hands moved to his arms and you squeezed them.

“I have every intention to.” You pecked him on the lips and grinned back. A couple minutes later, after the sexual tension had dissipated a bit, Nina and Bondy emerged from the elevator looking disheveled and a little worse for wear.

“Sorry guys,” Bondy apologized. “This one likes to take her time.” Nina rolled her eyes as you and Van exchanged a knowing look.

“We’ve all been there,” You assured, linking your arm with Nina’s and grinning at Van. “Van and I are just glad you both came.”

Later that night you’d stumbled back to your hotel room a little drunk and immediately began disrobing.

“So what else are you into?” You called from the bathroom as you washed your face. Van’s head peeked around the door frame, eyebrows furrowed.

“Whaddya mean?”

You patted your face dry with a towel and removed your dress, letting it fall to the ground.

“What are your other kinks?” Van sighed and rolled his eyes.

“This again.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and flopped down onto the fluffy bed. “I don’t have any! I’m a regular lad! Your body is more than enough for me.” You leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom in just your underwear and smirked.

“That’s sweet,” You commented. “But you’re full of shit.” He groaned and burrowed himself under the covers, pulling the duvet up over his head. He looked like a child, pouting, face peeking out from the sheets as he frowned at you.

“What about you eh? What do you like?” You waved your hand dismissively at him before hitting the lights and slithering under the sheets next to him.

“Please, I know what I like.” Van raised his eyebrows, urging you to go on. “I’m a verse, which means I like to be the boss and get bossed around, depending on how I’m feeling.” You saw Van take his lip between his crooked teeth.

“Anything else?”

You snorted. “Choking, spanking, bondage, teasing, praise, water sports.” His eyes bulged to the size of saucers at the mention of the last one. You giggled. “That last one was a joke.” Van rolled his eyes and turned away from you.

“G’night Y/N.”

“I’ll figure it out,” You insisted, scooching closer to his and wrapping your arms around his middle. “Gotta keep my freaky man happy.” Another groan caused you to laugh and press a kiss to his shoulder blade. “Love you, you kinky bastard.”

~

The discovery of Van’s first perversion was completely accidental.

He wasn’t one to forget things, which is why it made it oh so much worse on the very few occasions that he did. He promised you. He said he’d be home by seven, seven thirty at the absolute latest, so you two could enjoy a delicious meal that you spent hours making and a night home together, which you’ve had few in the last month. You had confirmed with him in the morning before he left and he swore he wouldn’t miss your homemade pasta for the world. It was the first time you were breaking out the pasta maker since Bondy got it for you for Christmas.

You spent the day kneading dough and rolling it thinner and thinner through the machines until it was nearly paper thin and longer than both of your arms. When you had made enough pasta to feed your entire family as well as Van’s you cleaned up and ventured out into the garden to pick some fresh basil and oregano for the sauce. When that was made you cleaned the entire house top to bottom out of sheer boredom and went to the market to buy a fancy bottle of wine. It was shaping up to be a rather lovely night.

When six o’clock rolled around you texted Van for an ETA. When he didn’t respond after twenty minutes you called him and it went straight to voicemail. You frowned at your phone and decided to give him another twenty minutes. When that rolled around you shrugged and started making the garlic bread and boiling the water for the pasta. You set the table, lit the candles, made the plates, and waited.

By the time eight rolled around you were pissed and had already eaten two plates of pasta, half the loaf of bread and were three glasses of wine deep. Everything was delicious but that was beside the point. You glared at your screen and slammed your palms on the table, sick of watching the candles slowly disintegrate into nothing.

You could’ve easily fixed this situation. It’s not like you were worried about him or what he was doing. You knew Van would never cheat. He was just over at Bondy’s with the band and Larry despite having spent the last four months with them. You had Bondy’s number, Larry’s, hell you even had Bondy’s girlfriend’s number. If you wanted to contact him all you had to do was call one of them and ask to speak to Van. But you were in a new mood. You wanted to wait it out, see just how far he would push it.

You didn’t care that he was out, you didn’t care that he was late. The thing that irked you the most was the fact that he promised you he’d be there, and he wasn’t. If he wanted to stay out all night with his friends, you were more than welcome to the thought. Hell, you’d even join them. His fatal mistake were the words “I promise,” and insisting that he wanted to spend time with you. If he’d told you he’d be coming home at midnight you’d welcome the jingling sound of keys and his drunken stumble over the door frame. You would’ve welcomed him into your shared bed you’d been warming up, and you’d be more than happy to ride him to completion if he asked. But he kissed you when you told him to have fun and promised he wouldn’t be late.

Nine thirty rolled around and you had yourself a slice of cake before going up to the bedroom to exact your revenge. You left the table set, the candles burning, even cut him a slice of chocolate cake and set it next to his made up dinner plate. You took the bottle of wine with you though and sipped from it intermittently as you got undressed and redressed. The simple teal cotton dress and tights you’d been wearing getting swapped out for one of your more adventurous outfits.

Van had spotted it in the lingerie store before you had and held it up, giggling slightly.

You shrugged and said, “Looks like something the fembots from Austin Powers would wear.” His expression went blank and he was dragging you to the cash register so he could buy it for you before you could even think of protesting.

It was baby pink and made of light, gauzy fabric, every hem of the mid thigh length robe covered in a slightly lighter pink shade of faux fur. Van had admitted to you one night when he was drunk in the back seat of Larry’s car that the fembots turned him on. He loved strong women. Bondy and Larry teased him relentlessly about it. You paired it with an almost nonexistent red thong, sat on the loveseat facing the door, turned the lights off, and waited. There was a sheer yellow glow from the fairy lights twisted around your headboard, but other than that the room was mostly dark. You continued to let your rage fill you up, that and red wine.

It was almost eleven when you heard the lock on the front door jingle. You pictured him, unsuspecting as he turned around to lock the door as he called out for you. “Baby?” And then he’d see the made up plate, the dilapidated candles, the slice of cake and you heard him swear under his breath. There were a couple of minutes of silence before you heard clinking and pictured him pouring himself a drink. His boots were heavy as he climbed up the stairs, you could almost envision his pout.

The door cracked open the smallest bit. “Love?” He questioned, having not seen you yet. He fully swung the door open, apologies tumbling from his mouth when he stopped himself, taking the vision of you angry and mostly naked in the loveseat. He dropped his coat on the ground and slowly moved towards you as you watched him through your best seductive put pissed gaze. He fell to his knees in front of you and you uncrossed your legs, letting him get a peek of the fabric- or lack thereof -between your legs.

“Baby,” He practically whined, his palms coming to rest just above your knees. “I’m so sorry I forgot.” You sipped from the bottle, watching him with an almost bored expression. “I lost track of time, John and I were writing and...” He trailed off, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth. “Let me make it up to you, eh?” His hands wrapped around the backs of your calves and he tugged you to the edge of your seat, licking his lips. Before he could descend between your thighs for a proper apology you grabbed a fistful of his hair at the crown of his head, stopping him. His wince made you let go, and you traced your fingers down the side of his skull, across his cheekbone, and along his jaw, tilting his face up so he could look in your eyes.

You leaned forward until your lips were at his ear and spoke, softly. “I don’t need you, Van Mccann.” You could hear him swallow at the brush of your lips. He wanted to look at your face to see if you were being serious or not, the words exceptionally harsh, but you kept your hand wrapped around the back of his neck, locked in place. “I have my own hands.” You let up the pressure just enough so he could see what you were getting up to.

Your hand was slowly rubbing circles on your clit over your underwear, the fabric quickly dampening. He swallowed again, his eyes flitting up to your face though he desperately wanted to watch your ministrations against what he wished he was kissing, what he wished he was buried inside of. Van’s mouth flooded with saliva as you released him and pulled your panties to the side, letting him get a proper view of your increasingly slippery play. You moaned, more for his pain than your pleasure, and slipped a finger inside. It felt nice, but you made sure to be extra vocal just for him.

“Fuck...” He gulped and rolled a fist over the hardness tucked in his jeans. He ran a hand up your freshly moisturized leg but you quickly swatted it away.

“No touching,” You softly commanded. He bit his lower lip so hard he could practically taste the blood and nodded. “You know...” You trailed off, slipping another finger inside with a hitch of your breath. “I was thinking, because you wanted to spend time with me, we could try something new.” Without warning you stood, knocking Van onto his butt before strutting over to your side of the bed and pulling the drawer open.

A few days after your discussion with Van in the hotel room, you were let loose in a big city all by yourself. The boys were doing an interview and acoustic gig, and you decided to do some exploring. In under an hour you found yourself outside of an adult store, smirking at your reflection in the black tinted windows.

After a quick discussion with the very kind woman behind the counter you left the store with a pair of red handcuffs and small pink vibrator. You returned back to your hotel and tucked the items in the bottom of your suitcase and you had all but forgotten about them until that moment.

You hung the handcuffs off your index finger and Van visibly gulped.

“I was gonna let you use these on me but considering your behaviour tonight...” You trailed off. “Take your clothes off and get on the bed.” Your voice was low and firm and Van obeyed almost immediately, hesitating for a split second.

You couldn’t help the butterflies that infiltrated your tummy at the sight of a naked Van resting on top of your clean white sheets. He was breathing heavy and flushed all the way down his chest, his erection standing stiffly upright, prominent and needy. He looked soft, vulnerable, ready. It made your mouth water. A part of you wanted to just get on top of him and ride him until you both came in an explosive crescendo, but a bigger, more sadistic part was going to enjoy what you had planned.

Van’s blue eyes looked practically black as he watched you climb onto the bed and straddle his lower stomach. You shot him a soft, reassuring smile before taking one of his hands and brushing your lips along the inside of his wrist, snapping the cold, red metal around it. His breathing hitched as you lifted both arms over his head and clicked the other cuff around his wrist, effectively restraining him to the metal headboard.

You brushed some hair from his wide blue eyes and ran your fingers over his parted lips. Your forehead pressed against his as you spoke. “If it’s too much, your safeword is grapefruit, okay?” He quickly nodded and you pressed a kiss to his plushy red lips. “Good boy.” He choked on the air in his lungs as you began your descent down his body. It was slow, maddeningly slow, as you stopped at every weak spot you knew Van Mccann possesed. The first spot was the conjunction where his jaw and throat met. You traced your tongue over the spot, reveling in the noises he was making already. You took your time, nipping and suckling and kissing at his soft flesh until he was keening and panting deep in his chest.

“Y/N,” He groaned in a voice you’d never heard from him before. You pulled away from your spot with a satisfied smirk and looked at Van’s face, nearly gasping in surprise. His pupils were blown wide and his forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. His lower lip was chewed raw. He looked absolutely ruined. You placed your palm against his cheek.  

“Oh sweetie, if you’re this wrecked already it’s gonna be a long night for you.” He blanched and swallowed thickly as you moved to your next destination, the slight dip in his chest, right beneath his sternum. You repeated your sloppy, teasing process here, as well as at both of his hip bones. By the time you were sitting between his legs Van was a complete mess. For the most part he let you work in silence, save for the occasional groan when you would sink your teeth into his flesh. You had an idea to get him to be more vocal.

At first you started by just tracing your finger up his inner thigh, under his belly button, and back down his other thigh, skipping over the angry red length that was leaking precum like a broken faucet. As you traced, you drew closer to his shaft, eventually gripping it at the base and giving it a solid tug upward. A struggled cry ripped through Van’s lung and you smiled, satisfied.

“There we go Baby,” You gave him another pull. You could feel the warmth and weight of his erection against your palm. “Let me hear you.” Your stroking became more regular, but still just as slow as Van thrashed against his restraints, the metal cuffs cutting into his wrists. “Do you want my mouth Love?”

“P-Please!” His hips bucked into the air, trying to find something more dense than your hand. He was doing so well and you wanted to reward him, but you thought about why you were in this position in the first place, and changed your mind. You leaned up to whisper in his ear, not stopping your manipulations as you spoke.

“Then you should’ve been home on time.” In a second you released him and completely lifted yourself from the bed, standing at the foot. Van looked like he was about to explode and a long deep moan erupted from his throat.

“Y/N, please, I’m sorry.” You placed your hands on your hips.

“I know sweetie. But you look so good like this.” With a swift tug you undid the ribbon holding your robe closed and let it fall off your shoulders, the pink fabric pooling at your feet. You quickly dropped your panties and clambored back onto the bed, sitting yourself right above his member and grabbing the vibrator. Clicking it onto the lowest setting you moved the buzzing head to your clit, a shudder rolling up your spine. Van watched you work with hooded lids as your hips started to jerk around in an attempt to quickly reach your climax. Your other hand, which was previously placed firmly on Van’s chest to balance yourself, moved behind you to grasp his heady length. Van cried out as you slowly jerked him while you ground yourself against his lower abdomen.

You could feel your end approaching quickly and you could tell by the way Van’s back was arching off the sheets that his was too.

“Van,” You breathed, searching for his eyes. When they finally met yours he offered you an exhausted smile. Despite this being a “punishment,” he seemed to be enjoying himself. “You’ve done so well baby.” You removed the vibrator to click it off and shuffled down his body so you were positioned right above his member. “And even though I’m still mad at you, I’m gonna fuck you.” He licked his lip and nodded once.

“Thank you.” With that you sank all the way down onto his cock, both of you hissing as your fingernails dug into the skin of his chest. You could feel his heartbeat through his length, pulsing and warm inside you as you waited for your strength to come back to you. You were both so close to the edge that you were sure it would take only a few minutes to reach the end so you sat, just enjoying him for a moment.

You gave an experimental roll of the hips, preening at the mewl that van emitted, and just like that the flood gates were open. Bracing both of your hands on his chest you ground and rolled and swiveled your hips like there was no tomorrow. Both your bodies were slick with sweat and the sound of your skin meeting and combined moans echoed around the quiet room. You were teetering right there at the abyss, so close your arms gave out and you let yourself drape over Van’s chest, your face buried into the crook of his neck. He took over then, bending himself at the knees to find steady grounding, and thrusted himself up into you until you exploded around him, messy and white hot.

It took a couple seconds for your head to stop throbbing and for you to come back down to earth and when you did you took note of two things: The first being that Van had stopped moving and the second being that your hand was wrapped firmly around his throat. Leaning up a little to see his face you could only describe it as dumbstruck.

“Sorry,” You murmured, pulling your hand away but he quickly began rambling.

“No! No, uhm,” He gulped. “I-I liked it.” You raised an eyebrow at him, a little surprised that he was so open to all the new things you were throwing at him, and then you remembered who you were dealing with. “Can you, uh, can you do it a bit harder?” And if your body hadn’t been completely spent you’d probably come again just from those words. You leaned down and pressed a bruising kiss to his mouth.

“Of course you kinky little freak.”

With both hands wrapped around his throat pressing firmly down you slowly began working your hips over him, his pale face quickly going red from lack of air, making his freckles stand out against the flush. It only took a few solid swivels before his eyes were rolling back into his head, his back was lifting off the bed, and his entire body went rigid as he reached his peak deep, deep inside you. He gulped air in as soon as you released him, panting hard while you cooed at him, kissing his face and chest while you waited for him to calm down. You ran your fingers through his damp hair to get it out of his eyes and when he finally smiled at you sleepily you pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth.

With a silent dismount you went into the ensuite bathroom to clean yourself up, returning with a damp towel for Van. You worked on unhooking the handcuffs and frowned when you saw bruises already forming under his delicate skin.

“Babe you should’ve told me they were too tight.” His head lolled over to look at you and he grunted out a word that sounded almost like ‘Sorry.’ With a shake of your head you wiped his forehead clean of sweat and cleaned up the mess made at his crotch. His entire body jerked when you touched his shaft and you giggled softly. You left the room to get you both some water and some pain killers for Van, pausing to pull his discarded shirt over your head. When you returned you could tell he was just on the edge of passing out.

“Y/N,” He mumbled. “‘M really sorry.” You helped him sit up and handed him the water and painkillers.

“I know.” You kissed him again. “You did very well. And now we know that Van Mccann isn’t just some boring vanilla rockstar.” You both got under the covers, letting Van be the big spoon. You were just about to fall asleep, absolutely spent, when he whispered in your ear.

“Next time you’ll be the one in handcuffs.”

[travllingbunny]

The 100 rewatch: 4x06 We Will Rise

We’re almost at the half point of season 4, and at the point where season 4 starts getting much better. This is not one my top episodes of the season, but it’s pretty solid.

Again, we follow  three plots in three locations: drama in the severely damaged Arkadia, where a lot of angry people want to kill Ilian for destroying their hope of finding shelter from Praimfaya, while Octavia, Kane, Jaha and Monty react to this in different ways; the road trip with Clarke, Bellamy and Roan, who are on the mission to bring incredibly important barrels of hydrazine to Becca’s lab, to make it possible to go to space and synthesize Nightblood; character drama in Becca’s lab, where is Raven struggling with her mental state and trying to make the trip to space possible, with a focus on the development of relationships with Murphy and Luna. We also see how, even in the face of the imminent disaster/end of the world, people still continue with their stupid wars between clans and screw up chances for everyone to get saved.

The episode continues right where the previous one ended, during the night, as Jaha is watching Arkadia burn.  What used to be Ark is severely damaged and, while half of it can still be used as living quarters, it’s useless as a shelter from radiation. Jaha is calm and looking at the Second Dawn logo that they’ve found in the bunker. He obviously believes that there must be another bunker and that he will find it, as aAt the end of the episode, he says the Second Dawn motto “From the ashes, we will rise”,

After waking up in a bed she shared with Niylah that night, Clarke is looking at her drawing of Lexa (the one she drew in 3x06), which she has put on the wall in her room, Niylah seems completely OK with being just a temporary rebound friend with benefit for Clarke. She also starts comforting Clarke by telling her things like, Lexa lives through her, she is doing good things trying to save everyone, and Lexa also wanted unity of all etc. These lines feel really forced and weird: why is Niylah telling Clarke what Lexa would have wanted? How would she even know? She’s talking as if she had been her family member or close friend or associate. Clarke knew Lexa, while Niylah was a trader who lived far from Polis, she probably never even got to see the Commander, let alone ever talk to her. Now, it makes perfect sense to have Clarke think of Lexa, who died less than a month ago, but these references feel really forced – it feels like writers are trying a bit too hard to insert some positive references to Lexa in order to appease her fans, so they have different characters talk to Clarke about how great Lexa was (for the second episode in a row)– even if that doesn’t actually make sense for these characters, and even though it’s at the expense of Clarke’s character: Clarke was a strong leader who was trying to save everyone way before she met Lexa, and the idea of Lexa as Clarke’s moral compass doesn’t match their actual relationship (if anything, it was the opposite – and Lexa’s decision in the days leading up to her death, to stop the cycle of violence which everyone now seems to admire her for, as something she did at Clarke’s suggestion and that everyone around her ascribed to Clarke’s influence). By comparison, I don’t have any problem with the show’s mentions of Lexa post-season 4, which have been much more faithful to what actually happened in season 2b and 3a.

But disregarding the actual lines, what strikes me most about the scene is that Niylah’s general attitude and especially the way she talks to Clarke come off as almost…motherly, which is, obviously, weird. But I guess Clarke, at the moment, just needs someone caring and undemanding to give her comfort, human touch and some casual sex, without asking anything from her. I don’t think she is at the emotional state, at this point, for a real romantic relationship with anyone – and who can blame her, after how tragic her love life has been? Stronger feelings are dangerous and can lead to pain and loss. But she does care about Niylah enough to make sure she has a good chance of surviving, so she tells her to stay in Arkadia so she would be sure to be among the people who got the Nightblood treatment early. Niylah has been surprisingly chill about the way Clarke broke her trust in 3x11, but I guess she’s generally not a person who holds grudges, and her feelings for Clarke were probably more like an infatuation with a celebrity, without any expectations of a real relationship. Oddly enough, this is just the fourth time that Clarke has had sex with anyone, as far as we know (and Niylah is the one person she’s had sex with twice –due to circumstances, she only got to have sex once with each of her romantic partners, Finn and Lexa), and the last time in all 5+ seasons so far (what with the whole, being stuck on a deserted planet with a child and a radio as only companions for 6 years thing).

Before leaving on her mission, Clarke has a nice talk with Kane, her unofficial stepfather, about Abby’s upcoming mission, since Clarke is going to see her mother, while Kane is staying in Arkadia to make sure everything is fine. They even hug, and this is one of the very few times that we see these characters interacting one on one.

Surprise, surprise, there are again hostilities between Azgeda and Trikru have again. Roan’s army is returning from Arkadia, but they found the time to burn Trikru villages on their way which Roan apparently hasn’t done anything to stop. Bellamy brings it up, but Roan just shuts him up with “That’s funny, coming from you”, Because, apparently, “You did bad things in the past you feel sorry for, this justifies the crap I’m doing right now” is such a great argument?

Bellamy goes to check out on Octavia, who’s in the med bay, and tries to have a normal conversation and tell her that he he thought she was dead, but Octavia is still doing her “I hate you and cannot forgive you” thing, now with less physical violence but in an even more dramatic fashion, telling him that “Octavia is dead” and blaming him for it, saying she died “when you killed Lincoln”. Huh, so that’s the story now, she’s somehow decided that he killed Lincoln? And she also tells him that the fact he is her brother is only reason she hasn’t killed him.

Ilian is also in med bay, after being beaten up by an angry mob, which only left after Kane threatened them with a gun and made them leave. (The scene made Niylah exclaim: ‘We’re not so different after all” – probably referring to the fact that Sky people really are just another clan who believe in ‘Blood must have blood’ just like those she knows.) Now he’s surrounded by guards, but the angry mob is assembling and listening to the speech of a man who seems to be their leader. Angry mobs often get to be the antagonist in this show, but it’s nice to see that, for once, we get to see their point of view and humanize them. The man blames Ilian for the fact that his five year old son will not have a shelter from radiation, and he also clearly has a wrong idea about Ilian’s motives, believing that destroying Arkadia was a hate crime targeting Sky people. They aren’t aware that he was in fact on a tech-destroying rampage caused by ALIE-related trauma and clueless about the consequences.

On the other hand, Octavia knows, but doesn’t care. When Ilian says he didn’t mean to hurt anyone, and that he didn’t kill anyone, she points out that he kind of has killed them all, and adds some dramatic dark lines such as “The sword doesn’t care what you meant, it just cuts”. She doesn’t seem really angry over Arkadia or looking for revenge – like in Polis, she is in her dark state of mind and uses violence as a way to unload or numb her pain. Later, when the mob comes to kill Ilian, and his guards conveniently leave, Octavia tells their leader that they can beat him up, but she gets to kill him. The first time I watched season 4, my first thought about her relationship with Ilian in this episode was “oh god, she’s found a new punching bag”. She can beat the crap out of Bellamy, but she won’t kill him because he’s her brother, but she can kill Ilian. It was one of the bigger surprises of this season when this relationship later turned to something more positive.

Earlier, Monty tried to prevent the lynching, by talking to Jaha to convince him to intervene. He mentions the time when they lynched Murphy for supposedly killing Wells - Jaha is clearly upset by another mention of his son’s death – and, as Jaha seems reluctant to intervene, says his son would be ashamed of him, but Jaha is in fact planning to get involved. When the mob goes after Ilian,  Kane again does his best to stop them, pulling a gun again against the mob, but David Miller knocks him out, maybe worried that it could end with Kane dead or injured, or Kane shooting into the crowd. However, Jaha gets the crowd to leave by alarming them falsely about supposed radioactive rain (“black rain”), but Octavia is still there, and about to kill Ilian. Monty tries to talk her down, telling her: “You are not a murderer” – which is a bad tactic that doesn’t succeed, because she is a murderer. I don’t know how much Monty knows about her recent actions. But Kane finds a way to get to her – by pointing the obvious parallel between Lincoln’s death and what she’s about to do with Ilian. The parallel is really obvious, it may a bit too on the nose parallels - Ilian is on his knees and tied up, at the same place Lincoln was when Pike shot him. Octavia finally has a strong emotion about what she has become,  throws away the gun, and runs away crying, leaving Arkadia to go roam around, while Kane is calling after her. He lets Ilian go.

Meanwhile, Clarke, Bellamy and Roan are on their road trip/mission with three of Roan’s men and barrels of hydrazine that need to be delivered in exactly that quantity. Roan gets to show his snarky side in this episode and has something almost like a buddy cop dynamic with both Bellamy and Clarke.

The convoy runs into some Trikru people who had been attacked by Azgeda, and ask Clarke to help an injured old man. She st ops to try to save him, but chaos ensues as a child sees Roan and three other Azgeda warriors in the back of the truck. Trikru and Azgeda have been at war, in spite of officially being a part of the same coalition, pretty much all the time, and Sky people have found themselves awkwardly on various sides of that conflict.

They separate at one point when Roan and Bellamy are in a rover while Clarke is with the three Azgeda guys and the cargo,but they lose radio contact with her and go back, only to find out that someone has disappeared with a cargo. Hydrazine can be used to build bombs, and they think Trikru stole the cargo to build bombs against Azgeda. There is a dead body wrapped in a cloth, and there’s a moment when Bellamy thinks the dead body is Clarke, before seeing it is Roan’s right hand man. It turns out that the two of Roan’s men killed the third one and stole the barrels to use it for weapons. There’s a fight and Roan has a superhero slow-motion shot when he jumps from one car to another and then fights one of the traitors.

They take the cargo back, but then it turns out that one of the barrels got pierced by a Trikru arrow, which means disaster – they won’t have enough hydrazine to go to space.

But before they find that out in a cliffhanger ending, there are some nice character moments. At one point, while it’s just Roan and Bellamy in a rover and Clarke is not there, Roan tells Bellamy that everyone is doing things for their people, except maybe Clarke – she is the only one trying to save everyone. That’s interesting, because he claimed the exact opposite an episode ago when he talked to Clarke, but he was bullshitting that time. Maybe he is sincere this time.

Clarke and Roan also have a friendly moment where Clarke tells Roan he’s a good king, and Roan has a “what is it all for” moment where he wonders if things will always be like that even if they are saved – if everyone will just continue killing each other. Well, that’s one of the big themes of the show.

Just a note: Bellamy has been feeling guilty and trying to redeem himself for 1.5 seasons for participating in the killing of 300 Trikru warriors that was ordered by Pike, and everyone is constantly reminding him of that. But Roan ordered his warriors to kill a bunch of Trikru warriors without warning just one or two days ago, and now hasn’t made any attempts to stop them from attacking Trikru villages. He may be ruminating about the cycle of violence, but he doesn’t seem to feel guilty, Clarke calls him a good king, and no one ever talks about it, not in the show and not in the fandom. This double standard is in line with how the show usually operates. In general, protagonists get the harshest treatment on The 100 and are always feeling guilty and getting called out on anything bad they do, and have to redeem themselves all the time. Clarke is the main character, so she gets that the most, and Bellamy gets that a lot, too, but supporting characters mostly don't. Currently, there is a lot of anger in the fandom because of the way Clarke is being treated at the start of season 6 by the narrative and other characters, but many people think it’s because Jason Rothenberg favors Echo over Clarke – when really, it’s because main characters like Clarke and Bellamy, and now Octavia, are important enough to have a story; the show focuses on them and their arcs, we see them feeling guilty and making efforts to make amends. But supporting characters get far less attention and story/development (e.g. we don't see much of Echo's development because she's mostly been a plot device and hasn't gotten much story of her own).

Bellamy and Clarke get another beach scene with a meaningful moment, before they separate, as they usually do at least once a season (this time, Clarke is going to help Abby and bring the hydrazine, and Bellamy is returning to Arkadia). Similarly to the night beach scene in 3x13, Bellamy confides in Clarke about his problems with Octavia, how she keeps treating him badly but he keeps coming back trying to change her mind. He calls himself pathetic. Clarke again tries to comfort him, telling him Octavia will change her mind. But the way she talks to him makes it seem like she’s talking about something else, not his relationship with Octavia. She tells him “she’ll see how special you are” – which doesn’t even sound like something she’d really say about his sister. I kind of think that characters talking about how “special” someone is, is kind of a trite line, but that line has been used a few times    Lexa said it about Clarke in season 3, and Clarke said it about Lexa in 3x14. Hmm, interesting, people have just used it to talk about those they were in love with. But let’s not assume too much, maybe this scene was meant to be about platonic friendship and nothing more… in which case, it failed really badly at that, since Clarke is very obviously checking out Bellamy while telling him “how special you are”. (Either that or… I don’t know? Did she suddenly decide to carefully inspect the combat gear he’s always wearing, and had to look it up and down just in that moment?) Then there’s a teasing moment where Bellamy starts telling Clarke something important, prefacing it with “If I don’t see you again,,” but Clarke cuts him off, saying he will, because she refuses to even think about the possibility of goodbye. Then they got interrupted by Roan, with the important news, so Bellamy never gets to finish. Fans have naturally speculated a lot as to what he was about to tell her. Contrary to some opinions, I don’t think he meant to say something too obviously romantic – not at that point, because I don’t think he was ready to go into that direction any more than Clarke was, while he was so consumed with the drama with his sister, and just a couple of weeks after he heard Clarke say she loved Lexa. I think he was going to tell her something similar to what Clarke told him in 4x13 – something about how much she meant to him. This scene was paralleled with the one in 4x13, where Clarke started telling Bellamy something important and led with “If something happens to me”, and Bellamy cut her off the same way, because he couldn’t bear the idea that she may die. Only that time, they were not interrupted again and she could finish.

In Becca’s lab, Raven is angry and desperate, because all her attempts at creating conditions for a successful launch into space keep failing, and the simulation shows that everyone would die. Meanwhile, Murphy is making sarcastic comments, as always, but Raven gets furious and starts telling him he is the worst, in a really harsh way.

Luna comforts Raven in what is a strangely intimate scene for two people who have only known each other for a couple of days at most, singing her a song, and then tries to comfort Murphy, explaining that Raven is saying those things just because of her deteriorating mental state, This is Luna at her best – the Luna that is caring, compassionate, and a pacifist. Murphy thinks Raven really hates him, because he crippled her. As usual, he has some fun sarcastic comments, such as “You are the new Raven-sitter” (after Sinclair. I guess). Luna tells him that he can find peace, since even she has managed to find it – in spite of having been raised to be a killed, and having killed her own brother. Sadly, in four episodes, or just a few days in-universe, it will turn out that she hasn’t actually made peace – just tried to convince herself of it. Luna says she wouldn’t like to be the last person on Earth, and Murphy sarcastically replies that it seems like a good prospect. The irony here is off the charts – Murphy is saying those cynical, nihilistic things as a defense mechanisms, but Luna is the one who will eventually try to make it happen.

Murphy trying to learn Grounder speech is the funniest thing: somehow a sentence Luna said (“I give myself to the miracle of the sea”) became something that would mean “I creep on myself for the miracle of horny mistake”.

Raven eventually finds the solution, somewhat helped remark by Luna, but the news about the lost barrel of hydrazine means it’s pointless (or at least it seems that way right now), and she has another seizure.

Timeline: This episode starts shortly after the end of 4x05, during the night, and takes place on the day after. In 4x02, it was 9 days since the beginning of season 4, 4x03 was a day or maybe 2 after, 4x04 not long after (since they decided at the end of 4x03 to go to Becca’s lab – a day after, tops), so this should be taking place about two weeks after the start of season 4.

Body count:

Old Trikru man, who died after being injured by Azgeda during their attack on one of the villages

Azgeda warrior Seiku and two guards from Arkadia, killed by the Azgeda traitors

The two Azgeda traitors, one stabbed by Roan, the other shot by Bellamy

Rating: 8/10

[linzerj]

Golden Gate’s Heroes -c2

Yo so i finally finished part 2! Sorry it took so long but the dialogue really threw me off and i’m still not sure i’m happy with it. also I’m bad at writing and updating consistently so. uh. yeah please don’t get your hopes up for a speedy update i’m sorry. also sorry about the lack of venom i really just gotta rewatch the movies when i get the chance 

So after that first awkward babysitting thing where they discovered ‘oh hey you have a secret identity I have a secret identity too’, Eddie and Scott met up a grand total of three times. Two of those times were just Eddie babysitting Cassie again, because Cassie really liked him and Venom and they weren’t going to say no to that adorable kid. The first of those times was really just Eddie and Cassie hanging out again, this time at Eddie’s much-less-nice apartment. They did arts and crafts while Cassie asked Venom questions about themself, and throughout the evening Venom slowly acquired more and more glittery cut-out crowns and ribbons. They looked absolutely ridiculous, but it made Cassie happy and Eddie thought it was cute, and so they tolerated the decorations.

The second time, Scott actually invited Eddie out to dinner with him and Cassie after babysitting. It was a bit awkward, but as Eddie recalled stories from his time on The Eddie Brock Show and Scott told him stories about life before and after prison, they found more and more common ground. By the end of it, they weren’t best friends per say, but a lot of the awkwardness and tension had definitely faded down.

The third time they met up, Cassie was still there because she was great at keeping them from being too awkward and weird, but Eddie met them at Pier 39. It was just a casual time hanging out, really, but as they talked in hushed tones about Scott’s experiences as Ant-Man and how Eddie and Venom were still learning to be a functional ‘we’, Eddie figured he would definitely call Scott a friend.

Which was definitely a good thing, given his only other friends were Anne and Dan, and while they were great it was still weird to hang out with his ex-fiancée and her super nice doctor boyfriend sometimes.

Eddie figured he should introduce Scott and Cassie to Anne and Dan sometime. They’d be so proud that he had managed to make new friends, even if one of them was still only a kid who liked giving Venom flower crowns.

But first, he apparently had to meet Scott’s new girlfriend and her parents, the people who gave Scott the Ant-Man suit.

“Dude come on,” Scott was saying. This was now the fourth time they were talking face-to-face, once again after Eddie had babysat Cassie. “They’re super nice, I swear.”

“Man, I still…we still don’t know.” Eddie sighed, scrubbing his face.

“Cassie will be there if that helps, my dude.”

“I mean.” Eddie made a vague gesture. “I guess? But still.”

“Is this about not wanting to make a bad first impression, because believe me, they won’t care that much. I mean they still like me, so.”

Eddie just leveled an unimpressed look at Scott, to which Scott shrugged. “Alright so I may have also mentioned you once or twice to Hope and Hank and Jan and now they really want to meet you.”

“Dude you are the worst. Just give it a bit longer, okay?”

And the conversation effectively ended, at least for a while.

---

As much as Eddie was trying to avoid other superheroes or people who might want to tear them apart, neither he nor Venom were going to say no to Cassie’s birthday party.

We’re going to get cornered here you idiot, Venom was hissing into Eddie’s brain.

“Yeah but it’s Cassie you asshole. You really gonna say no to her?”

…no…

“So we’re sucking it up and finally doing this,” Eddie said, knocking on the door to Scott’s place. They were immediately greeted by their grinning friend.

“Hey, you made it! Cool cool, c’mon in!”

And it was normal, for a bit. Scott’s ex and her new boyfriend reminded Eddie of Anne and Dan a bit, but they didn’t pry about anything – either because they didn’t know or didn’t care. Eddie didn’t know which it was but was grateful either way.

He tried to distract himself with cake (lots of cake, chocolate cake, the best kind of cake, especially if you asked Vee), but was more than well aware of a man and two women watching with mixed looks of curiosity and anxiety from another corner of the room. They were distracted enough by Cassie too, but as the party began to wind down, guests left, and Cassie’s mom took her home, Eddie was left with Scott and the staring trio.

“Well,” Eddie said, directed mostly to Scott, “this was great, thanks for the invite, I’ll just get out of your hair now—“

“Actually, we’ve been waiting to talk to you,” the younger of the two women said, and Eddie groaned internally. He could feel Venom stirring beneath his skin, curious but also ready to protect them if needed.

“Uh, Eddie, that’s my girlfriend Hope, and her parents Hank and Janet,” Scott interjected, seeming as nervous as Eddie felt. “Guys, this is Eddie.”

“Brock, yeah,” Hank said. “Nice work taking down Drake. I knew there was something fishy going on with him but we were a bit distracted during that whole fiasco of yours.”

“Uh, thanks?” Eddie was fairly certain that was not the correct response, but it got a chuckle out of Janet, so that was fine, he supposed.

“But there is the issue of you having been – fused, or bonded, or whatever, with one of those alien symbiotes Drake was experimenting on,” Hope stated, and next to her Scott bit his lip. “The reports you gave after the incident state that you lost it, or it burned in the explosion, but there have been some reports of a large dark figure throughout the city since then – one that occasionally eats its targets. And then Scott told us about you starting to babysit for Cassie, and at the same time he started showing reluctance over tracking down the giant maneating creature. So, anything to add, Mr. Brock?”

“Hope I told you to go easy on him,” Scott muttered as Eddie blinked, and Janet rolled her eyes.

“She takes after her dad,” she said, and Hank looked affronted. But, still.

They know, Venom was hissing in his head, but their emotions were confused, unsure of if they should trust Scott’s friends, or if they should just eat them all.

Not really, Eddie thought back. From what she said, Scott never said anything specific, they all just put the pieces together on their own, and he’s trying to make everything better for us.

Hm. Cassie may like them, and Scott is okay, but still. Don’t know about what they want.

Yeah, well, let’s see, shall we? Out loud, he asked, “What if what I said isn’t true?”

“Well, legally speaking, you’d fall under the Sokovia Accords, like my daughter and this idiot here,” Hank said. Eddie was a bit offended on Scott’s behalf at the idiot comment. “If that alien is still bonded to you, you’d count as an enhanced individual, and if you were going out fighting crime and whatnot on your own, you’d be in direct violation of the Accords.”

“That’s fair. The Accords were put into place with the intention of protecting the general public, even if the first draft was rushed and had lots of loopholes that could be exploited. The current version is more sound and willing to work with the individuals who work under it. But it also requires that anyone who signs the Accords be drafted as an official Avengers member, which, y’know, some people might want to help, but they might not want to be in the spotlight like that, and just stick to what they’re doing.” This, Eddie could do. He was a reporter, after all; he’d covered the story of the original Accords, and the little ‘civil war’ that had followed it. He’d read the documents when they first came out, even if he’d had to have Anne explain the finer points and legalese to him back then. And then with Venom, he’d read the newest draft.

It wasn’t a bad thing, certainly, but they had agreed that they didn’t want to be part of the Avengers. They weren’t cut out for big-time heroics like that, and such a spotlight would make their occasional diet of humans even harder to hide, or justify.

But. Scott had proven he was willing to overlook that stuff after Eddie and Vee had explained that it was an essential part of their diet, their survival. And these people were still involved with ironing out the Accords, and could probably put in a good word on their behalf if they were nice and cooperated. But that was a risk they weren’t sure they were willing to take, at least not yet.

Janet interrupted their thoughts. “That’s why we’re working with Tony and the Accords Panel to add more amendments for people like that. We are also trying to include people who maybe go a bit too far with their vigilantism, who have killed to protect others. Right now the Accords Panel doesn’t think those types of people should be allowed unless they change completely, stop killing altogether, but even the original Avengers members had killed – look at the Black Widow and Hawkeye, for example. They both had impressive kill counts working for SHIELD, and the Widow, at least, has continued to use lethal force since joining the Avengers.”

“She’s an outlier though, Jan, we talked about that,” Hank cut in. “She’s a Russian assassin-“

“What does her being Russian have to do with anything, Hank, don’t let old grudges cloud your judgment we’ve talked about this-“

“Anyway,” Hope said, rolling her eyes at her parents, “The earlier you join, the more … uh, forgiving the Accords Panel will be about any … less than savory things you may or may not have done while trying to protect the planet, the town, your loved ones, or just yourself.”

“That’s still assuming I have the alien, though,” Eddie pointed out, trying not to laugh. Venom was snickering in the back of his mind, swirling around his body, and very much enjoying this game of cat and mouse.

Scott was looking between everyone with nervous eyes. Hank was just staring at Eddie with a kind of blank expression of disbelief; Janet was smiling conspiratorially; and Hope rolled her eyes with a huff. “Yeah, of course.”

“When you assume you make an ass out of you and me,” Scott blurted, and that, at least, earned a chuckle from Hank.

“Scott,” Hope started, but Eddie cut her off.

“Well, look, I’d love to continue this chat, but I actually have stuff to do for my job, so…”

“Yeah, man, let me show you out,” Scott said, clapping Eddie on the back and steering him toward the door. “Sorry about them,” he said in a lower, quieter tone. “I didn’t say anything but they can put two and two together and they can also be super persistent.”

“It’s fine,” Eddie said, even though it didn’t really feel fine. “It was probably going to happen sooner or later anyway. Talk to you later, man.” And Eddie and Venom made their escape.

--

It was another few weeks until Eddie and Venom saw Hope van Dyne again. They hadn’t forgotten about the conversation with her and her family, per say, just… been sufficiently distracted to let it fall to the wayside.

But having Scott walk in with Hope at the end of a day of babysitting Cassie was, well. Unexpected, to say the least. Venom, who had been providing helpful commentary to Cassie as she colored and was wearing no less than 3 flower crowns, made an attempt to duck back into Eddie before being spotted, but it was too little too late.

Hope, for her part, just leveled an unimpressed and expectant stare at Eddie, who just grinned sheepishly back. Scott, bless his innocent self, took one look at both of them and then ignored them in favor of flopping onto the floor next to Cassie and admiring her drawings. Cassie just tossed one of the dropped flower crowns at Eddie and giggled when it landed on his shoulder.

“We, uh, I… can explain?” Eddie said. Scott just shook his head.

“No you can’t.”

“Yeah no I probably can’t.”

“To be fair, I knew from the minute Scott started slipping up that something was amiss,” Hope said, “but you acting a bit weird at Cassie’s party was what really gave it away.”

“So, uh, are you gonna arrest us or something, then? Cuz like, you probably… don’t wanna do that.”

“No, you’re fine,” Hope said. “Although you probably don’t believe that, and I can understand why. But, look, if Scott trusts you, I’m willing to give you a chance.”

Everyone else blinked. “Really?” Scott asked, lighting up like a Christmas tree. “Aw, Hope! You’re the best!”

“And you’re adorable, Scott. Anyway,” Hope continued, turning back to face Eddie, “you and your alien friend or whatever should very much consider reading and signing these.” And with a flash, a huge stack of papers materialized – no, grew – in front of them.

“The freaking Accords?” Eddie snorted. “Dude, I have read them-“

“I’m aware, it’s a legal thing, your ex is a lawyer so I’m sure you understand.”

Eddie made a disgruntled sound. “We really don’t want to be an Avenger,” he said finally.

“Aw, but you guys are a hero!” Cassie piped up, finally tuning back in to the adult conversation. Eddie flashed her a grateful smile, and because they adore Cassie, Venom poked a small head out from Eddie’s shoulder to give her a toothy grin.

Scott gave them an encouraging thumbs up from next to Cassie, and even Hope looked – bemused, perhaps, at all of this. But, still. “We have, uh. Y’know.”

“Eaten people? Yeah, you’re the new local cryptid,” Hope said. “But as has been said, plenty of the Avengers have killed for one reason or another. Whatever, people will deal with it. Also, if you do sign, it’s not like you’re going to be required to move back to NYC or anything – look at Scott and myself, we’re still here.”

“Yeah but they probably will make him go out for an orientation or initiation or whatever they called it,” Scott piped up.

Eddie, Vee said into Eddie’s brain, we know we are reluctant, but also… we should give it a try. We could be better than ever! And we can meet many other superheroes too, get more friends. Eat them if they try to hurt us.

Eddie sighed. “We’ll think about it and get back to you, okay? That’s all I can promise right now.”

---

It wasn’t even a week before Eddie was giving Hope and Scott their signed copy of the Accords.

[originaljediinjeans]

MCU Rewatch: “Black Panther” (2018)

Summary: *Deep thematic discussion,* “lol that thing is cute,” “I love Shuri”, “wait a minute, I’m white, am I the bad guy?” *Shameless Killmonger shaming* *Bucky angst* “Seriously what is up in Wakanda?” *more deep thematic discussion* “look at this and this random cute stuff” *more Bucky angst* “White Gary Stu is an important character, in this essay I will--” *tries not to get into discussing racial issues that I know nothing about* *fails*

Actually, Okoye and W’kabi already DO have a kid: it’s the rhino!!!!! XD

Young T’challa in the prologue asking his father about the story of how Wakanda came to be and why they hide from the outside world--that is a kid trying to understand why the world is the way it is. And that is something that T’challa is still trying to grasp when we fast forward to present day. Even then, T’challa’s experiences in Civil War have already opened his eyes to the struggles in the outside world and the suffering of innocent people.

King T’chaka is VERY imposing in that flashback scene

The issue of Bucky Barnes is palpable in the subtext of the conversation between Nakia, Okoye, and T’challa when they bring Everett back with them from Korea, if nowhere else in the film. Anyone seeing BP for the first time after CACW would be aware of the context. Obviously Barnes is not a concern to them at the moment because he is on cryo and has one arm. Okoye probably had an easier time swallowing T’challa wanting to help Bucky because he was a fugitive who would not be safer anywhere else and he was framed for a crime he did not commit, aka killing the previous king. She might have thought it was fair, in fact, for T’challa to make reprimands for attempting to murder the poor thing.  Everett Ross is a white man also but in completely different circumstances that Okoye very pointedly outlines: he is a foreign intel operative, and if they let him live and leave Wakanda then he will tell the rest of the world what they saw there (unless the Wakandans have some kind of brainwashing tech of their own--maybe they’re too humane for that but why wouldn’t they? Or just leave Everett unconscious in Shuri’s lab until he recovers and then when he’s ready take him outside the border and leave him there to wake up). Okoye is basically saying, “Look, T’challa, Barnes was one thing, helping this guy is a terrible idea because he is more likely to betray us if we let him live.” But to Nakia and T’challa it makes no difference: Everett is a human being, if they have the means and resources to help Everett recover then they should help. Is a person’s life really worth less than an entire country’s safety? Shuri’s jibe “another broken white boy” serves to burst the bubble of that tension.

No, seriously, T’challa put the kimoyo bead into Everett’s wound and offered to take him to Wakanda and Okoye’s face was like WHAT

I’m just gonna call him Everett to differentiate him from Thunderbolt Ross. Maybe Everett the Leveret.

Okoye doesn’t care who she kills. She serves her country and whoever in her mind is legally the king. Anyone who is a threat to the throne that she is sworn to protect she will kill--”Without question.” It’s not that she doesn’t value life, but she values her oath as a member of the Dora Millaje. Her country, her people, her monarch: those are her priorities. 

But would she have been happy afterward about if if she had been forced to kill her own husband? Clearly she was conflicted about working for Killmonger, and as soon as she found a loophole she broke ranks and took all the Dora Millaje with her. She does not want to support a monarch who will cause Wakanda to commit needless bloodshed in the rest of the world. The other Dora Millaje saw how ruthlessly Killmonger murdered Zuri and then threw T’challa off the waterfall: they are not here for it.

If the new king of Wakanda wants to get into international relief, then Okoye will stand by her king. 

*smh* T’challa and Nakia flirting on the job. I’m not saying they shouldn’t do it. By all means, continue.

Just putting this out there: a film or mini-series about Nakia or Wakanda’s foreign operatives would be pretty sweet

Also, it’s nice to see Lupita N’yongo and Andy Serkis in roles that aren’t motion-captured. They are both incredible actors and having them did so much for this film.

The assault and robbery at the museum in London must have taken at least weeks of planning. 

I like how Queen Ramona wears a full-length gown with a fuller skirt to T’challa’s coronation. It’s still African in decoration but it’s a little more “European” than what everyone else is wearing. I guess in Wakanda the queen has the luxury of wearing a dress with that kind of skirt. 

Dealing with the loss of close family members is a theme throughout the film. The main Wakandan characters put aside their grief for King T’chaka for T’challa’s coronation, and I assume it was healing for T’challa to see his father again on the ancestral plain. But learning about his father’s covered mistakes shakes his perception of what his father was and how he ruled--how all the kings and queens before him ruled. And he has to address his grief again. T’challa decides that the best way forward for himself and his county is to change how Wakanda does things with the outside world. 

I don’t really like Shuri’s upgraded suit for T’challa. The purple nano-energy is kind of unsettling, or maybe I just don’t like how it looks against the black. I also don’t like how it tears up whatever clothes T’challa is wearing. But I understand why she did it.

On that note, Shuri is a princess, and that is WHY she has the time to do whatever she wants, and I just think it’s fun that she used her time to further her education during her teen years and go into technology research. It’s kind of like how modern royalty are advocates for the arts and certain pasttimes, but on the next level.

Apparently, some of Shuri’s technological advances (esp. the trains in the vibranium mine) have been pretty recent.

Also, Shuri is a multi-tasker, and she’s probably always working on six or seven projects at a time. And she’s not afraid to do more. She starts on one, puts it aside to work on another, and while she switches between tasks she thinks about how to do the others. This girl is...way ahead of everyone. Especially me. But I’d love to be friends with her. IDK how to make her not see that I’m just another “colonizer” but I’ll figure it out.

“Shuri calling people “GENIUS!” when they get on her nerves. 

She’s territorial about her lab.

Another point about Shuri: other Wakandans’ kimoyo beads might have a certain set of functions, but Shuri probably programmed hers to sync to everything she touches

My dad commented while watching that the potion that strips away the power of the heart-shaped herb is “nasty stuff.” No shucks, Sherlock. 

Gosh, I hate Killmonger. He is so smug, he is so condescending to everyone he meets. He is so convinced that he’s right that when he first enters the throne room he acts like he’s already won the challenge and become the king. He only wants to build a “Wakandan Empire” to satisfy his own angst--how much does he even care about his “brothers and sisters”? He is convinced that every person in the world is his enemy. EVERY. PERSON. Including me. Including T’challa. Including the aunt and cousin he’s never met. Including the white guy in the fridge he doesn’t know about. Erik is next-level messed up. He’s just the worst.

(I’m white--am I supposed to take the discourse that “white people are evil” personally?) 

“Hey Auntie.” Every time I hear that line I want to break through the fourth wall and slap him.

I mean, only a really heartless person would not feel sorry for the trauma that Erik went through when he lost his dad. And deep down, I sympathize with Killmonger’s anger, and I have such a rigid way of thinking that I admit that I am tempted to wonder about righting the world’s wrongs with violent means. Is he right that white colonizers ruined the world for Africans? Yes. But no, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth leaves the whole world blind and toothless.” Punishing the “class” of people who have “wronged” the “oppressed” only furthers the cycle of pain and suffering. And pain and suffering are not limited by wealth and status and nationality. Solving the world’s problems isn’t about putting others down, it is about pulling people up and letting them heal. That is why T’challa’s strategy of international outreach is the right one. 

Which is why the post-credit scene with Bucky is actually relevant to the film as a whole: he was the first person in need that T’challa and Shuri were able to give to. T’challa choosing to help Bucky paved the way for  deciding to share Wakanda’s resources with the less fortunate in the world. 

(I’m saying that to myself like I’m angry that Bucky is there at all. It’s called having a mental illness that wants to destroy the things I care about the most. Like there’s this demon in my brain that wants to agree with the extremists who think that Bucky and Everett were “valued” more than Killmonger. Killmonger let himself die because he had the same outlook that all white people are scum and refused to open himself to the possibility that he was wrong--unlike T’challa.)  

“This movie vilifies African-Americans and puts native Africans on a pedestal.” SCREW THAT CRAP. Killmonger was as much a victim as he was a villain. And T’challa and his entire country got called out for not helping other people of African descent across the world. Gosh *rrrgh* 

Having the heir to the throne available to be challenged by the heirs of the other tribal leaders was part of the inter-tribal agreement of how to govern Wakanda. It’s supposed to make it “fair” to the different groups, including the Jabari. That probably implies that the tribal council members are interrelated to each other and the royal family since the monarch has been chosen from different ruling families and they would have intermarried to keep their status--the fact that T’challa has an on and off relationship with the daughter of the River Tribe chief kind of validates that theory. Which tribes were Ramona and T’chaka part of? I’m curious.

I’m not sure how much contact the Jabari have with the rest of Wakanda but I’ll bet M’baku enjoys sending the reigning monarch passive-aggressive letters or something like that. 

I am a huge fan of T’challa’s black robe that he wears on his first day as king.

I really hope the heart-shaped herb grows in the wild

(I wonder if average Wakandans have access to the heart-shaped herb, maybe for medicinal uses)

It is interesting how falling asleep into the trance from the heart-shaped herb is depicted as having flashbacks to the death of the new king’s predecessor/father. It’s kind of like falling asleep IRL and your subconscious slowly takes over.

T’challa dragging M’baku to the edge of the waterfall during their fight was a gutsy move. But I still think T’challa is a Hufflepuff.

T’challa does not like to compromise. It’s kind of unsettling to watch him talking to Everett in their first two scenes: it’s like T’challa thinks he is dictating actual reality while Everett still insists on what is real. 

Yeah, Everett, I hate 80s music too. Klaue probably listens to some real garbage.

I hate that they had to kill off such a great villain and he was being so villainous, but I think the screenwriters felt like that was the only way the Wakandans would let Killmonger into their country, War Dog tattoo or not.

I am just...really soft for the border tribe rhinos, okay?

I’m not sure how much Ulysses Klaue is pretending to be crazy and how much he’s been actually off his rocker since Ultron tore off his arm but after this viewing I’m pretty sure it’s mostly pretending. It is convincing, though.

Did W’kabi ever get counseling after his parents’ deaths?

...actually, does Wakanda even HAVE psychotherapy/counseling like the rest of the world does? Or do they count on technology and medicines to fix all our mental health and emotional problems? You’d think they would have counseling. You’d think they have everything we have except better, but what if they don’t? You’d think that could have been an option for Bucky, except he was so afraid of being triggered by his own shadow. 

I have, like, a lot of questions just about how things are done in Wakanda in general

Like they have access to foreign films and the rest of the world’s internet. The world just can’t tap into them. They see us but we can’t see them. Wakandans know what the outside world is like but they don’t bother about getting on the same page.

T’challa and Shuri are a great team, I want to see them in action together more in the future

I like the jacket that Okoye wears in Korea

In all fairness, Everett Ross is used to being the man in charge, and T’challa is a challenge to his authority. From T’challa’s perspective, he is rude and abrasive, but that’s why he does what he does. Even though T’challa is the king of another country, that doesn’t change anything in Everett’s playbook. Everett acts the way he was trained: he tries to speak up because it’s his job to inform people about his interpretation of the situation, he helps out Okoye and Nakia during the car chase but that’s because he’s after Klaue too so he might as well. He volunteers to help overthrow Killmonger--”hey, you’re going to need all the help you can get”--because he knows as well as the others that if Killmonger can carry out his plan then it could create a global catastrophe. His background info on Erik Stevens informs T’challa and company that Killmonger was not a good person, nor did he have good intentions being in Wakanda.

I don’t really like how Shuri kind of puts Everett down: “broken white boy”, “colonizer,” “I know everything about you plus I’m smarter than you so you do as I tell you because you’re a stupid outsider”. I get it, it’s supposed to be justice for hundreds of years of white people treating Africans like this. So me being white, naturally, it makes me uncomfortable. But I don’t see why it’s nice, even if it is cute. It’s like she’s treating him like a pet hamster, or a rabbit or a hare...a baby hare...a leveret.

How am I supposed to know that Shuri doesn’t see Bucky Barnes as just another fun science project? Or just a favor she’s doing for her brother? That’s my jealousy talking, but I think those are questions worth asking.

I’m glad that Shuri recognizes Everett’s skill as a pilot. But she barely explains to him what he’s supposed to do when they arrive in the laboratory--and then she and Nakia hurry off to change into their battle costumes (and Shuri does her hair and makeup, too). Did they not go over the plan in detail and explain things to the noob beforehand?

Zuri had a lot of survivor’s guilt. I don’t blame him but it’s still really sad. You didn’t have to do that, sir.

Even if the Jabari did eat white people, Everett Ross would be just a snack to them.

I kind of like the casual button-up outfit that Everett wears for most of his Wakanda scenes. I think that’s the sort of thing I’d like to see Bucky wearing while he’s in Wakanda

My mom says that in the scene where we see T’challa reenter the throne room she saw M’Baku in there. Really? Was Everett Ross there too? 

M’baku is a much nicer person than we give him credit for being. But he really is kind of a drama queen. An he’s just rude. He’s cool but like, come on, man. 

Seriously, when he teases Everett about eating him, Ramona, Nakia, and Shuri all give M’baku a look like, “Dude, he’s with us, not now. This isn’t helping.” : /

I’m definitely sticking around for the Black Panther sequel to see how M’baku and W’kabi continue to complicate or uncomplicate things for T’challa

I love how T’challa was shown taking the time processing the news that his father had killed his uncle and how Nakia was helping him through it. It’s like Ryan Coogler understood something that the writers and directors of Captain Marvel did not...

The Queen Mother doesn’t do much in the film but she shines in the scene where she administers the herb to her son. She knows the ritual, she knows how to prepare the herb, she knows just what to do.

“We may be creating a bigger monster with M’baku.” I just LOVE that line. When I was in college I went to the English symposium, and I went to a panel on Frankenstein. One of the papers discussed the relationship between the creator and the creation, and one of the examples the author used was Iron Man 2 and the relationship between Tony Stark and the “monster” that his father created. And the theme runs through the entire MCU and here Ramona Says the Thing Out Loud and it’s amazing.

Golly, that must’ve been a fun hike, up steep trails and slippery ice to Jabariland with a white guy who has no idea what’s going on and thinks he needs to be in charge. While you’re suffering from the fact that your son/brother/ex is most likely dead. Were any of the ladies tempted to just push him off a cliff? Well, I’m glad they didn’t because that wouldn’t have helped their cause.

OR MAYBE: Everett, because he is a nice person, helps the ladies climb up the steep, secret mountain trails safely, he lets them lead the way because clearly he doesn’t know his way around; he and Shuri help Ramona out because she is older, even with Wakandan treatments for aging joints and arthritis she’s still a little stiff, and Ramona tells him “Thank you” and looks him in the eyes when she does so. He catches Nakia when she slips on ice, “Thank you, but I am sure I can take care of myself.” “I know you can, ma’am. Just watch your step.” Everett wishes he and the others had better hiking gear and warm coats instead of just blankets. Shuri and Nakia catch Everett when he falls at least twice: he’s still recovering from his gunshot wound, and the altitude is getting to him. Everett and the three women don’t talk that much while they are hiking, they hold hands and pull each other up while going up the steeper trails. Getting up the mountain takes a team effort and Everett is a part of it.

Nakia; “You know, Okoye wanted to just leave you to die.”    Everett: “That’s comforting.”

Of course I get the symbolism of Killmonger and T’challa fighting in the vibranium mine--that mine is literally everything that Wakanda is built on. 

“Please stay--I know a way you can still fulfill your calling.” Nakia is like, okay, I’m not sure I believe you, lemme just kiss you.” T’challa is so soft I can’t even.

It is so cool that there are so many female lead characters that are powerful and influential. AND they’re warriors, how cool is that? I respect Nakia, Shuri, and Okoye so much. I might have more in common with them than I realize. More likely, they’re the ideal I should work for. Goes to show how badly I need a sequel.

The reason I like Black Panther so much is because I am white and this film gave me a way to empathize with the black experience. One of the superpowers of fiction is to be a medium to help us discover empathy for others.

It’s like what T’challa says to Steve Rogers in the Civil War mid-credit scene: his dad and the man framed for murdering his dad were both victims of a greater evil. Skin color, wealth, political status--there is nothing that makes that commonality invalid. And T’challa knew that he and his long-lost cousin Erik had a lot in common in spite of a lifetime of not knowing about his existence.

Every character in this film has a story that is beautifully told and I am here for every single one. (Maybe not so much Killmonger and Klaue)

If it’s not too much to ask, though, please be kind to Everett Ross, he is doing his best. He didn’t have to help T’challa take back his country, but it was his job anyway and he knew what T’challa and Nakia and Shuri were up against. (Plus they needed a gosh-darn pilot). T’challa, Nakia, and Shuri refusing his assistance because he was an ignorant outsider would have defeated the entire point of the the story. He is a better person for his experience in Wakanda, and the world is a better place for T’challa having saved his life at all. Everett is, at the very least, a role model for stepping up.

Everett also reminds me of a smol and determined epaulette shark--but then again, he’s played by the same actor who played Bilbo Baggins. 

I GUESS some feedback on this post would be helpful. There are some parts where I need to be more blunt about my perspective in order to express my thoughts. Also my feelings about Bucky are kind of not in a good place right now.

[its-love-u-asshole]

Franchises, Feuds, and Too Much Tension [fic]

Pairing: Tsukishima Kei/Kuroo Tetsurou 

Summary: Sometimes, Tsukishima wonders if his relationship is too good to be true. Kuroo is everything he's ever wanted and more, pardon his cheesiness, and there's never a doubt in his mind that he loves him. Of course, he should've expected a fight like this at some point or another, though he can't say he'd been prepared.The only thing Tsukishima knows for sure is that one way or another, this is all Terushima's fault. 

Rating: E

Tags: fluff, fluff and smut, established relationship, kurotsuki argue about dumb things like horror movies and then bang p much 

Note: Yooo I managed to actually get something done for @heartykurotsukiweek​! I've had this wip sitting in my docs for a while now and then the prompt list came out and day 2 gave me the perfect excuse to finish it ;) and it's smut too which is odd for me these days pft it's torture to write but hey, kurotsuki deserves to get laid always. Big thanks to @emeraldwaves​ for reading this over! 

AO3

Tsukishima was a good, reasonable person.

For the most part.

Therefore, it was important to note how much he did not and would not ever deserve this level of disrespect, from someone he loved no less.

Tsukishima took exactly ten steps into their apartment, not bothering to look at Kuroo until their privacy had been secured. He stopped at the couch, glaring at the few DVDs which were strewn about the rumpled cushions. All good picks, quality thriller movies which he and Kuroo had decided to rewatch the previous night.

He had been a young, naive fool then. Completely unaware of the secrets boiling beneath the surface.

It was like those movies were laughing at him now. Bitches.

How could he have missed it? It was the most obvious horror/gore franchise and yet it had never come up...

Here he was, thinking he and Kuroo were movie buffs when they had never even had the real nitty gritty conversations.

They were frauds.

The front door shut, and the muffled chatter of their neighbors in the hallway was cut off in a split second. Tsukishima could feel Kuroo standing there at the door, staring at his back, but he felt too stubborn to turn around and make the first move.

Man, things could get ugly here. Tsukishima hadn't fully realized it until just now. The silence around them was suffocating, thick with the strain of their thoughts.

Eventually, one of them would have to begin this bloodbath, and once more, Tsukishima was left to marvel at how stupid they both were. Why can't we have normal fights...

They'd never know, but oh how Tsukishima wished they'd never crossed the line into such dangerous territory.

How had this happened again?

It had been a normal night, and honestly, maybe that should've been the first thing to tip Tsukishima off. Things had been too peaceful, too calm, and without a trace of tension in the air when those cursed words had left his mouth, condemning him to a sleepless night.

Perhaps the worst part was the subject matter, but he stood by his opinion, and overall he blamed Terushima for the entire incident.

Some things to take into account before he continued:

1) Tsukishima was right. No matter what anyone said, he'd rather get smashed by a glass pane (ha), than give in to his boyfriend.

2) Final Destination was a terrible series. It had some arguable gems, and it was enjoyable to watch some of the grisly deaths and laugh at the dumbass characters. He'd never try and deny that if he saw it on the T.V. guide, he would click in an instant. Still, most of the films were awful, with less than acceptable effects. Moving on...

3) Kuroo Tetsurou was supposed to be the love of his life, but goddamn if Tsukishima wasn't considering poisoning his water.

4) Addendum. Kuroo Tetsurou was fucking wrong, and Tsukishima hoped he was ready to face the wrath that had been building in his debate club brain for the past hour and thirteen minutes.

Now that the basics are cleared, back to what happened....

They had been at Terushima's house late in the evening, drinking and yelling at each other after a few failed games of Monopoly. Everyone refused to read the instructions no matter how lost they were, but that was irrelevant at this moment in time.

Eventually, they all calmed down as the sun dipped below the horizon and Terushima supplied them with more beer. He and Kuroo had hardly drank, more content with watching their friends make fools of themselves for future blackmailing purposes.

The conversations ranged from embarrassing high school memories, to the famous mint chocolate ice cream debate, most of which Tsukishima gladly tuned out in favor of focusing on Kuroo's hands. Tsukishima had managed to practically seat himself in his boyfriend's lap without calling too much attention to them, the perfect vantage point. Especially when Kuroo's nimble fingers began to massage his exposed hip bones, kneading the soft skin and curves while Tsukishima greedily moved closer.

The touch was familiar, welcome, with something burning and desirous just below the surface. But given their public situation, the fire dwindled, and Tsukishima let himself relax as the ministrations continued. There was no rush, no urgency. They had all the time in the world that Friday night, and they basked in the jovial atmosphere.

That is, until the subject of the newest horror movie came about.

It was silly probably, how fast he and Kuroo's heads shot up, like dogs hearing their kibble pour into bowls, but they couldn't help it. They loved anything to do with horror and suspense; haunted houses, slasher films, whatever.

(Minus the time they'd gotten so scared from one particular movie they couldn't sleep, but no one had to know about that. They'd both agreed long ago on taking that one to the grave.)

But otherwise, it was their calling. They already had their tickets pre-bought for the movie everyone was currently discussing, and they jumped in, scattering their own predictions and opinions without care.

Naturally, one thing led to another, and the conversation turned into a full-blown comparison of different horror franchises, either in support or contempt of the new upcoming film. Whatever. Kuroo and Tsukishima had this shit. They’d made their predictions already, knew the director, had bets placed. So truthfully, this was more of a trip down memory lane of all the shitty and spectacular films they’d watched ever since they’d become brave enough to sneak into R rated movies.

Not to mention all the films they’d seen together, an excuse to hold each other close and makeout during all the boring scenes with dull characters. It made Tsukishima somewhat excited for either outcome. If the movie was good, then he’d enjoy himself and would also have a new movie to rewatch on chilly nights. If it sucked, then he could make Kuroo fall apart, movie forgotten. Wins all around.

So yeah, bringing up both the duds and hits of the horror world made him satisfied all around.

But then, Terushima went and did it, that bastard. He said the measly string of words which would later cause Tsukishima's mind-numbing headache.

"I don't know, it looks like a Final Destination rip-off to me."

And oh, what an insult.

Both he and Kuroo recoiled just a bit, not knowing where to start. What exactly did he mean anyways? They were two completely different plots, new actors, there was no supernatural element at all…

“I mean it looks too over the top,” Terushima continued, smirking slightly at the glares he received from the couple.

“Funny coming from someone as dramatic as you,” Tsukishima shot back, and in true Terushima fashion, the drunkard sloshed his drink in Tsukishima’s direction, eager for a fearful flinch.

Tsukishima didn’t move. A chorus of childish ‘oos’ echoed around them. The stare down between them didn’t last long though, in part because of Terushima’s one too many beers and Tsukishima’s good mood. They both maintained the scowling eye contact for a few seconds before they burst out into a fit of laughter.

Kuroo’s hands tightened on him at the sound.

Horror fan reputation be damned, Tsukishima was ready to ditch the party in favor of seeing exactly what those hands had in mind for him.

But of course, the universe, and Terushima had other plans.

"Those movies were a trip though," Terushima went on as his laughter died, his words slightly slurred from the amount of alcohol he'd inhaled throughout the night. The hiccups made everyone around him giggle. "My far...my fav was the--the one with the cars? The race track! That was epic."

And as predicted, he and Kuroo exchanged amused glances, their thoughts completely in sync. And how could they not be?

‘Pft, the fourth FD is a joke.’

‘I know right? Worst film, best title.’

“Oh Yuuji, how the hell did you get to be so uncultured?” Kuroo sighed dramatically, shaking his head. Tsukishima had to give it to his boyfriend, there was real pity in those eyes. “That’s probably the worst film of them all.”

“Ah fuck off,” Futakuchi’s voice drifted from where he sat, face buried into the couch cushions. Damn, Tsukishima thought he’d died thirty minutes ago.

“Yeah, you’re the ones who’ve seen every damn movie,” someone on the staircase said, and from the tone, Tsukishima could tell it was probably one of the Atsumu twins. Oh, so now everyone had their two cents… “Probably more than once…”

“For research purposes,” Kuroo called back, his grin staying firmly in place. Tsukishima wanted to kiss him for it.

“Oh yeah, well what do you assholes think is the best one then?” Terushima said, swirling around his drink with an air of confidence he did not deserve. It was like he was some rich business investor with expensive wine in his glass and not a broke college student drinking cider out of a Naruto mug.

But Tsukishima didn’t need to point that out, his answer would speak for itself. And it was a no brainer for him. He didn't even have to think as he said, "Oh, the fifth for sure."

At the exact same fucking time, Kuroo went: "The second one."

And that’s when the night fell right down the shit hole.

What.

The observing crowd must’ve realized what an affront this was, what a rare occurrence it was to see them disagree on something so close to their hearts. Oh, the silence which followed could’ve been akin to a cemetery even, but with twice as much dread and foreboding.

Kuroo and Tsukishima looked at each other in an instant, eyes stupidly wide and any other shit-eating words dying on the tips of their tongues.

Tsukishima didn’t have anything to say, could barely process his feelings on the subject. Deep down, he knew this day probably should’ve been expected at some point, but wow, what a fucking inconvenience.

Tsukishima’s mouth opened once, then twice, before he eventually surrendered to the fact they were screwed.

Lastly, the only person who could seem to formulate a response in that moment happened to be Terushima, who simply wheezed in laughter, throwing back the rest of his drink before he spoke in sports bar level excitement. “Oh. Shit.”

Aaaand now they were here. A car ride of silence and two ice cream sundaes (both for Tsukishima) later.

Kuroo clicked the lock on the door, sealing them in for battle, and Tsukishima took one slow, deep breath.

Yeah. He was ready.

The stupidest part was probably how they met each other halfway in no more than five steps. At the time, it felt serious, but Tsukishima knew later he’d want to jump off a cliff.

Kuroo nodded to him, eyes brimming with something so ridiculously nerdy one would think they were in high school mock trial. Basically, it was a look that said, ‘Yeah that’s right. Go first. Bring it.’

‘I fucking will.’

Tsukishima raised his hands, the only thing keeping him from just hitting Kuroo with the nearest pillow. Or…any object really. “Tetsu.”

“Yes, my love?” Kuroo smiled sweetly, and yeah, Tsukishima was so ready. No amount of sappy endearments would change that.

“How the hell can you say the second Final Destination is the best? Did you watch the same movie I did? Surely you could’ve have, dear.”

Tsukishima saw the brief hesitation, the way Kuroo had to smother the immediate instinct to just tackle Tsukishima and kiss the daylights out of him for the petname, but man, Kuroo must’ve been as serious as Tsukishima right then. He powered through it. Damn.

“Oh I’m sorry for liking believable suspense,” Kuroo said, motioning to nothing in particular, as if the gestures somehow made his points more legitimate. “That movie had deaths better if not equal to the first.”

Pure blasphemy.

Tsukishima blinked, shaking his head as he tried to make sense of the words. “B-Believable...wha—Tetsu, a girl has a vision on a freeway.”

Why was the freeway aspect more startling than the vision part? Who knew.

“A believable vision, you can’t trust those fucking log trucks!”

That…was correct, but not the point.

Tsukishima clapped, actually clapped in triumph. “Ha! See! You just like the disaster scene, you’re letting that get in the way of the fact the rest is shit!”

Besides, even if Tsukishima could admit the disaster scene was wonderful, the rest fell flatter than three day old soda.

“Oh, because you totally don’t like the fifth one just for the disaster scene,” Kuroo scoffed, rolling his eyes. “A bridge collapse? Seriously?”

“More original than some glorified car accident,” Tsukishima shot back, crossing his arms in hopes of looking more menacing. Too bad that strategy no longer worked on Kuroo.

“The logs Kei, the logs.”

“If that’s all you have to offer, then you’re not as good at arguing as I thought,” Tsukishima sighed in pity, a tone normally used for provoking Kuroo into…different situations. He’d happily employ it for this fight, no doubt.

The last Final Destination may have had subpar effects, but the ending and the deaths were so well crafted, he refused to let them be overlooked.

“Oh really now? What are your points then? I’m sure someone as devoted as you has more to dish out than insults…”

Tsukishima nearly winced. Kuroo, regardless of his sweetness and the fondness he held for him, had a sharp tongue on him all the same. Tsukishima loved him, but this was not helping.

Not that he was at a disadvantage. Oh no. He would gladly pick apart all the excellent points of the fifth Final Destination if Kuroo wanted him to, but really, his biggest point said it all.

Tsukishima sniffed, aura haughty and just the right amount of bratty to drive Kuroo up the wall. “Why should I? It’s obviously the superior film.”

“So help me, if you say it’s because it connects to the first—”

“It connects to the first film—”

“Kei.”

“—and it does so flawlessly! Admit it!”

“Never!”

Tsukishima turned on his heel, holding his breath as he walked to the end of the living room and back to face Kuroo. It needed to be done. He was about to lose it.

Kuroo either didn’t sense that or wasn’t scared to test it.

“You’re the one letting personal preference get in the way of which one had a better plot Kei, the second one has better acting and—”

“How is tying back to the first one not a better plot? It’s a prequel, a surprise prequel! Also what the hell, they all have the same plot!”

“That’s crap, I know you don’t believe that!”

(Tsukishima did not but okay, technically it was the truth. A director could only take a concept so far.)

Kuroo laughed, somewhat crazed, as he finished his spiel. “Final Destination 2 is better in every way, I liked the characters more, the deaths were better, and it stood on its own. It didn’t have to rely on the first film—”

“It…it completely relies on the first film!”

“—in order to be successful. You probably just don’t remember because you were too busy watching the cash grab that was the fifth movie.”

Tsukishima, had he been more on Kuroo’s level of drama, might’ve gasped, hand on his chest and everything. But no, he steeled himself, squinting because like hell would he blink. Blinking meant defeat.

“The critics hated it,” Tsukishima seethed, as if that meant anything at all. A low, pathetic blow even for him. Was he losing?

“The people loved it,” Kuroo said back, his grin wide and so telling. He thinks I’m losing. Me.

Unacceptable.

The problem there? When Tsukishima got competitive, part of his rationale flew out the window. Therefore, stupid, impulsive decisions could slip through.

Kuroo’s next words were all it took.

“A true horror fan would know, amidst all the movies in the franchise, number two is the shining star,” Kuroo sighed, placing a hand on Tsukishima’s trembling shoulder with confidence all too grand. “It’s okay babe, I still love you, flaws and all.”

Fuck. You.

“Well, we—we’re just gonna have to watch all of them then!” Tsukishima yelled, the fierceness of competition flaring up without control. “We’ll see what the shining star is!”

“Fine!”

“Great!”

Oof.

Or, not great. Not one of his best ideas in hindsight, considering it was already close to midnight. But he was committed.

This, this would surely show Kuroo how wrong he was. The middle movies were a fucking slog and they both knew it. Kuroo would crack in no time, begging Tsukishima to just skip right to the last film.

Fuck yeah.

Unfortunately, he overestimated several things. One, his own patience, and two, his ability to stomach more than two of these shitty ass movies in a row.

Hint: he could not.

It was halfway through Final Destination 3 that Tsukishima had enough, mostly because both he and Kuroo didn't care for this particular installment to the mediocre franchise and also because…as sad as it sounded, he sort of no longer knew why they were fighting.

Glancing over at Kuroo from the corner of his eye, Tsukishima could make out the bored stare mixed with stubbornness and just a tad bit of disgust (the tanning salon death always did sort of freak Kuroo out). Tsukishima couldn't help but grin at the small bit of knowledge, and he cursed himself. Why was being mad at Kuroo so hard?

Maybe it's because you're arguing about Final Destination, Tsukishima's brain supplied, quite unhelpfully.

Kuroo's hands were clenched, gaze flickering towards the remote as if he was contemplating giving in and turning the cursed thing off.

He wouldn't though. They were both far too prideful for that.

No, if Kuroo was going to concede, Tsukishima would have to employ other tactics, and he momentarily let himself cast away any remaining dignity. He couldn't half-ass this, and once his plan was put into action, he wouldn't be able to turn back.

I can't believe it's come to this.

More unbelievable still was the way a rush of anticipation ran up his body, the beginnings of a desirous heat coiling in his abdomen. Like a reflex, a preview of what was to come.

He wondered if his heart had started to race yet, his pulse picking up...

He'd been complaining earlier, but it truly was hard to stay mad at Kuroo. He was....well, he was Kuroo.

Just the name made him relax, and Tsukishima didn't bother scolding himself. What was the use? This would be over soon, given how grossly affectionate he was feeling.

At the thought, Tsukishima looked back at his boyfriend, noting the way the shadows and flashes from the T.V. danced across the curves of his face. The light flecked in his golden eyes, subtle and far too mesmerizing considering the movie playing. Those eyes, framed by long eyelashes and the occasional sand had held Tsukishima's gaze so many times. In fact, Tsukishima had stared at Kuroo's entire face more times than he could count, but he always found himself observing the same things over and over. The light crease on the bridge of his nose during allergy season, the discoloration on the tops of his cheeks due to too many beach trips.

Tsukishima could almost feel the textures from memory alone, each bump, every contour.

Seeing him sitting there, so content and at home regardless of their stupidity, made Tsukishima's heart squeeze, and an easy admission floated into his brain.

Kuroo, with all his dumb reasonings and silly jokes, was handsome. Tsukishima knew that, but it had been a while since he'd reminded himself. Maybe he was setting himself up for disaster, but whatever. He always did like sticking to facts.

Tsukishima didn't feel the need to add more to the observation, and if he had to write a book, he doubted Kuroo's description would be more than a few lines long. Kuroo's smooth edges and searing gazes were too much to describe, but to Tsukishima, they felt so simple. So right. He didn't have to make a case for Kuroo's looks, they stared him in the face everyday, woke up with him, laughed with him.

Not bothering with subtlety anymore, Tsukishima moved his body away from the television until he was facing Kuroo, hugging his knees up to his chest as he continued his musings. Plus, he'd seen this movie enough times (more than enough, fucking hell) to recognize the events. Some guy in the drive-thru was about to get bladed through the head, truly, Final Destination 3 deserved to be in a national archive of some sort. Best film ever.

As if sharing the sentiment, Kuroo chuckled, rolling his eyes at the display of gore.

Yeah, that's my guy, Tsukishima thought, without much resistance. Kuroo never disappointed him, Final Destination 2 be damned.

Tsukishima bit his lip, noting the softness as he stared at his boyfriend's creased brow. He never realized how soft his lips were until he started dating Kuroo. The raven liked to bite on them, pull and suck...

A second tremor came then, and now Tsukishima knew it was over.

Fuck this.

"Like what you see?" Kuroo's soft, amused tone floated in his ears, and he didn't flinch. Tsukishima knew Kuroo had noticed the staring from the beginning, but he was patient with Tsukishima, letting him collect his thoughts for a bit.

God, you're the worst.

And just like that, the last of Tsukishima's willpower was gone.

"Mm," he hummed, moving slowly until he was comfortably seated in Kuroo's lap. "I don't know. The gym death is kind of lame."

One of Kuroo's hands automatically came up to grab Tsukishima's hip, while the other laced their fingers together. Such a sweet, intimate gesture, all to the sound of Lewis Romero's delusional theories.

"The lamest," Kuroo replied, eyes never leaving Tsukishima's lips. The blond briefly wondered how he did that, how he could read the atmosphere so well nowadays. Kuroo was so terrible at that in high school, accidentally offending people, including Tsukishima on a few occasions. The doofus apologized genuinely each time, but still, it was impressive to see how far he'd come.

Now he could read the room like a telepath might, feeling the shifts in mood and atmosphere, knowing exactly what people wanted.

And right then, he could probably tell just how much Tsukishima wanted to be fucked against the nearest available surface.

Side note: Yes, he knew how weird it was to become unbearably horny during a rewatch of a horror franchise, he couldn't explain it and didn't really want to. End of story. Besides, he was allowed, especially after the time Kuroo wanted to get dicked after watching A Christmas Carol, there were some things they just refused to acknowledge.

“Final Destination 2 is pretty lame too you know,” Tsukishima jabbed, but the animosity from before wasn’t there anymore, replaced now with a soft whisper as he tapped his fingers against the back of Kuroo’s hand.

“Mmhm, and so is Final Destination 5,” Kuroo nudged, moving his hips to let Tsukishima slide closer. He happily did so.

“The whole franchise is.”

“Oh, absolutely.”

“Without a doubt.”

“The worst.”

Each exchange only made their stupid smiles grow, and Kuroo nuzzled Tsukishima’s neck to hide his face before it made them both blush.

“Hey…you know what’s not lame?” Kuroo asked, and Tsukishima rolled his eyes before the words fully left his mouth. Oh no…

Of course, there was no real dread to be found as Tsukishima touched their foreheads together. “Stop.”

“The most beautiful person in the world—”

“No.”

“Light of my life!”

“Tetsu.”

“The future Kuroo Kei, beloved husband.”

The words made Tsukishima halt, especially with how Kuroo’s tone trembled on the last syllables, as if he hadn’t meant to say such a serious thing. He didn’t have to worry, because the words only made Tsukishima wonder how he’d ever been mad at this fool in the first place.

He didn’t let the silence sit between them long, not when Kuroo sat so tense beneath him. Dummy, as if I’d be mad at that.

“Tsukishima Tetsurou,” he whispered into the small space between them, their breath mingling. The admission the reinforcement brought with it, the fact he’d revealed he actually pictured them married, made Tsukishima’s cheeks heat up.

“Huh?” Kuroo choked out, as if he totally hadn’t heard the words loud and clear. Tsukishima laughed lightly, shaking his head.

“It sounds better…that way…you know?” The explanation was poor, but Tsukishima couldn’t sound smart right then, not with the butterflies in his stomach, or the constant heat beneath his skin. To think, they could’ve been this close, touching, this whole time.

Slowly, Kuroo touched their lips together, a peck far too innocent for how in the mood Tsukishima was. Damn Kuroo and his ability to turn every moment sappy. Did Tsukishima understand it? No. Would he change it? Never.

“Yeah, guess it does,” Kuroo said, smiling in a way which would surely kill Tsukishima if he continued.

“So…truce?” Tsukishima tried, moving his hips in hopes of getting that dumb look off of Kuroo’s face. “I’d like to pick up from where we left off, if you don’t mind.”

Being sappy was fun and all, but that was their entire life pretty much. Right then, Tsukishima wanted primal, needy, and nothing would get in the way of that.

One more purposeful grind, and Kuroo got the picture.

Grinning in that lovable, aggravating way, Kuroo met Tsukishima’s movements. “About time.”

I’ll say.

A shiver ran down Tsukishima’s spine as any thoughts of movies or terrible gore effects were forgotten, and he succumbed to the atmosphere, wanting more and more of it.

"Hey...what was that thing at the party you were doing?" Tsukishima asked, ready to dissolve the tension around them and take the plunge. He'd been thinking about this throughout the party, and not even the interruption of Final Destination could smother the flame building between them. He was tired of waiting. The moment of confusion on Kuroo's face didn't last long when Tsukishima placed both of Kuroo's hands on his hips, shivering at the touch on the bare skin where his shirt rode up. Why did he have it on still again?

The recognition in Kuroo's eyes made Tsukishima feel so small, something only Kuroo could do from such a vulnerable position. It happened to be the only time Tsukishima allowed it. And yeah, it was a great look on his boyfriend, as if it was taking all of his willpower to not fuck Tsukishima into the couch right then and there. Kuroo was such a pleaser though, wanting to draw out every touch, every position so Tsukishima could feel everything.

Tonight though, Tsukishima wanted to be the pleaser too, and a wicked thought crossed his mind as his mouth salivated.

I want it in my mouth...

It was the least he could do, after destroying his boyfriend so badly in their fight. Or maybe he just wanted to suck his dick until Kuroo begged to come. He didn't care much anymore about pretenses.

Kuroo chuckled darkly, unaware of how in control Tsukishima was (but honestly, when wasn't he?), and dug into his soft skin with poorly masked greed. "Somehow I doubt that's all you want me to do, love."

And this time, the endearment made him want to surrender.

Kuroo bucked his hips up, grinding their growing erections together, and Tsukishima laughed lowly even as a shudder racked his body. Of course not, but it's a good place to start.

Kuroo's hands traveled up his chest, ghosting over his nipples with his palms slowly. It was as if Kuroo was the conductor of Tsukishima's pleasure, the only one who got the notes and cues exactly right. He grinned as Tsukishima's hips dipped lowly towards him, seeking more.

Tsukishima moaned, and he figured it was alright, since soon Kuroo would be as undone as him.

The sensation of Kuroo playfully tugging at his nipples almost made his plan blur in his mind, his back arching into the feeling, but the determination drove him forward. Perhaps too roughly, he undid the buckle on Kuroo's belt, and in record time, he flung the damn thing to the floor.

Much better, but not enough.

Smirking, Tsukishima leaned forward, licking into Kuroo's mouth until their breath grew hot and frantic. It could hardly be called a kiss, the way Tsukishima would tease with his tongue, coaxing Kuroo's to meet him and make those obscene smacking noises they both loved so much. Shamelessly, he tugged on Kuroo's waistband as he moaned into the kiss. If that wasn't enough to get Kuroo moving, his next words certainly were.

He pulled away, letting a string of saliva connect them as he squeezed Kuroo through his underwear. The captivation on his boyfriend's face made his own cock twitch in his pants. "It's not what I want you to do, it's what I wanna do." Another harsh tug. "Off."

He loved when Kuroo moved fast sometimes.

In a matter of seconds, rough hands returned to his hips, seating him on the couch cushion as Kuroo stood up and kicked off his pants and boxers in a few fluid movements.

The pure obedience did something to Tsukishima he couldn't properly explain, but he squirmed where he sat, trying not to moan at the sight of his boyfriend's cock as it hung heavy between his legs.

It probably didn't matter, since the way Tsukishima immediately moved off the couch and onto his knees spoke for itself. His mind was already racing with the desire to make his boyfriend come, to suck on the head until Kuroo begged for more, to choke on his cock...

"Wait!" Kuroo's voice made him freeze though, and he looked up at Kuroo as the raven sat back onto the couch. He probably looked so sex drunk already, from how Kuroo's eyes flashed with something carnivorous. Stroking his cock, Kuroo laughed at the way Tsukishima's eyes followed the movement, and then pat his thigh. "Come up here."

At that, Tsukishima actually snapped out of it for a bit, blinking in confusion. "But I want to--"

"I know you do, and I'm gonna let you," Kuroo said, and his smirk actually made Tsukishima glare. "But you deserve a consolation prize too."

Tsukishima scoffed, standing to shuck off his pants and briefs.

"It's not a consolation prize if you're the winner," he replied, and still unsure of Kuroo's plan, he hopped back up onto the couch until his breath fanned over Kuroo's cock once more.

The tremble in Kuroo's voice made him wiggle his hips, and he made sure Kuroo watched.

"What happened to a truce?" Kuroo's voice shook as Tsukishima gave his cock a few firm strokes, and the blond didn't care what Kuroo was planning, he wanted more of that desperation now.

"I needed to tell you something," he said slyly, and before Kuroo could retort, he took the head of his cock in his mouth, sucking like he yearned for it. Kuroo choked out a moan as the milky precum met Tsukishima's tongue, and he swirled it around lewdly in his mouth.

Kuroo's hips twitched from the pleasure, and Tsukishima keened, the vibrations driving Kuroo mad.

"Fuck baby, that's right," Kuroo groaned, his hand digging into the cushions clumsily until he found their bottle of lube. Tsukishima didn't understand at first, but the realization dawned on him as soon as he felt a large hand kneed his ass.

Oh. Oh okay. Yes please.

Sticking his ass up higher, Tsukishima began to suck Kuroo off in earnest, making the show of it as he went all the way down on his cock. The sloshing and choking noises probably weren't necessary, but he loved the way they made Kuroo grab his blond hair and pull.

"Fuck Kei, you're amazing."

Tsukishima drank in all of Kuroo's babbles, all the praises and embarrassing comments.

"Want me to stretch you open? You're so dirty, bouncing your ass like this..."

"I'm gonna make you come hard with my cock in your mouth, Kei."

Tsukishima whined, trying his best to keep a good rhythm so Kuroo wouldn't come so fast. But god, it was tempting, especially when all he wanted was to pull off and tell Kuroo to come hard down his throat.

All coherent thought left his mind when Kuroo's lubed finger prodded at his entrance, teasing the rim until Tsukishima's whines turned even brattier, just how Kuroo liked. Tsukishima never liked to show that side of himself, no matter how much Kuroo told him it was okay. But when he did, something in Kuroo snapped, and he was no better than an animal.

He worked Tsukishima open, the lust taking over as he spoke mindlessly. "Fuck babe, your mouth is good at everything huh? So smart, but you can't say anything right now can you?"

He pulled Tsukishima off his cock, and the blond gasped.

Kuroo cursed under his breath. "So sexy..."

At the same time, Kuroo pushed in another finger, teasing the bundle of nerves inside Tsukishima with practiced skill.

Tsukishima got the picture as Kuroo kept him off his cock, but he wanted more than anything to keep going. Kuroo was close, but he obviously didn't want the fun to end. Tsukishima licked the head of his boyfriend's cock instead while Kuroo fingered him roughly, eventually scissoring him with three fingers after Tsukishima loosened up for him. And yeah, Tsukishima couldn't say anything at all, could just moan and push back wantonly.

Kuroo must've used more lube on purpose too, because the way his fingers plunged in and out of Tsukishima's ass filled the room with sloppy, indecent sounds which made Tsukishima glad they didn't have close neighbors.

"Tetsu, ah--I'm--fuck," Tsukishima's words quickly turned to mush when Kuroo pressed firmly against his prostate, and Tsukishima spasmed around him, like he wanted to keep his fingers locked there so badly.

But Kuroo really was a genuine bastard.

He pulled his fingers out, his palm connecting with Tsukishima's ass cheek with a resounding slap.

Tsukishima's back arched, and he stroked Kuroo's cock as best he could with trembling hands.

"Don't stop..."

"Hm, tempting," Kuroo sighed, groaning when Tsukishima licked a long stripe up his cock. "M-maybe if you admit I was right."

Seriously.

Tsukishima huffed, but he was too far gone to stop this, he felt so good. He just wanted to come, wanted to make Kuroo come..."I hate you sometimes."

Not that the words landed in the slightest when he was drooling over his boyfriend's dick. Or when Kuroo abruptly thrusted his fingers back inside of him, Tsukishima's moans way too happy to carry anything convincing.

"Aw, you hate me now? Is that it?" Kuroo said, amusement clear as day as he let Tsukishima feel every slow drag of his fingers inside him.

The rough, breathless syllables pouring from his lips made Tsukishima's mind swim, his body twisting at the sex-drunk words. Kuroo's speech abilities varied, and so far tonight, his debate skills hadn't gotten him far. Now, he was giving 110% to cover all that lost ground.

Tsukishima keened, and fuck, he didn't even bother glaring as Kuroo continued. "Hard to believe. You're so tight around me...."

Fuck, fuck, fuck...

“Mm, I wish I could hate you," Tsukishima sighed out, nails digging into Kuroo's thigh as he felt the familiar coiling of heat in his gut.

I'm gonna come, please make me come...

"But?" Kuroo's grin was most likely of the shit-eating kind, but Tsukishima didn't have it in him anymore to mind. He'd take everything Kuroo offered.

Thinking actions would speak louder than words, Tsukishima took Kuroo's cock back into his mouth, his pace merciless.

Come on, fall apart for me.

And Kuroo certainly did, all inclinations to tease or argue out the window. Neither of them cared about words, not with the pleasure building, not with Kuroo whimpering into the air of their apartment as Tsukishima took him deep.

He felt Kuroo's thrusts quicken, knew his fingers must've been cramping by then, but he kept going, eager to make Tsukishima feel as good as possible.

In the last few moments, a surge of affection welled up in Tsukishima's chest, and the noise he made around Kuroo's cock finally sent him over the edge.

Kuroo threw his head back, his hand leaving Tsukishima's hair to grip the armrest. "Oh god, oh shit, baby I'm coming, I'm--"

The feeling of Kuroo's cum shooting down his throat, along with the rough press of his fingers, sent Tsukishima toppling over the edge. He pulled off as he sobbed out in pleasure, some cum dribbling from the corner of his mouth as his body trembled.

He moved his hips shamelessly, riding out every last shock wave as he released into his hand. At least he'd had enough sense to do that right before his vision blanked out, his toes curling.

So good, so good.

Collapsing, he gave one last jolt as Kuroo pulled out his fingers, the sound absolutely filthy. Spent, their labored breathing filled the room, and Tsukishima lazily wiped his hand on his discarded pair of pants.

"Wow," Kuroo sighed above him, and Tsukishima simply hummed in response. His throat was sore, and his body still tingled from his orgasm. He was perfectly content with silence, and Kuroo's comforting touches.

Or, almost.

One last thought did cross his mind, and he turned over onto his back, letting his head rest on Kuroo's thigh. He felt the blush spread across his cheeks, a reaction he found annoying each time. No matter how many times he said it, it never got less embarrassing. "I love you too much to hate you by the way, shitty movie opinions and all."

Kuroo probably knew that already but...he felt he had to say it. The night couldn't get weirder anyways.

Tsukishima saw the exact moment Kuroo's brain and soul combusted from the statement, and before he knew it, he was being tackled onto the floor, his limbs too relaxed to protest as Kuroo smothered him in affection.

Oh well, if terrible movie marathons ended like this each time, Tsukishima couldn't mind it.

Much.

As if remembering the reason for all this mess, Kuroo lifted his head, glancing over to the home screen of the next installment of the franchise. The fourth one. Terushima's favorite.

Looking at each other, the consensus was reached, and the mutual hatred was all they needed as they both uttered the same response.

"No."

And yes, the truce persisted.

[thebigpapilio]

All That Glitters: Chloé Appreciation Week’s “Golden” Prompt!

Hi, everyone! As you’ve most likely picked up, I’m AspergerBloodthirst, and this is my first submission for Chloé Appreciation Week (I call it CAW)! 

The first prompt I needed to do was entitled “Golden.” After some thought, I remembered the lyric “All that glitters is gold, and only shooting stars break the mold.”

The fingers started tapping from there. This fic is Chlonette, and if you don’t like that (or Chloé, or non-hetero ships whatsoever), you don’t have to read it! 

ENJOY!!!

Chloé was 7 and three-fourths years old when she first saw Shrek 1. She had known Adrien for 3-4 years at this point, but the two of them had just been best friends to her at that point. She had been generally uninterested in the movie, to be honest - she was younger and not vain (just spoiled), and these factors led to her not truly understanding why anyone would give up their title and looks for love. But Adrien seemed to love it, and that made her happy. It was that day when she realized she’d fallen for him.

She rewatched Shrek 1 a few days later (she also bought the rest of the movies and was preparing for the soon-to-be-released Shrek 4) so she’d be able to hold conversation with him about it.

She had been planning to surprise him on his next birthday, but it was not to be; Emilie passed away a few days before, so Adrien’s birthday was spent mourning Emilie.

Chloé was 9 and one-half years old when she first met Sabrina. Sabrina and her were only friends then, though Chloé would look back as an adult and occasionally cry about it; Marinette always knew how to comfort her. Things got hairy one time when she heard Sabrina jamming out to All Star and started a fight, but they fixed things quickly. The fact that Sabrina gave up what she liked for Chloé would “earn” her the grand title of Best Friend.

Chloé was 14 and one fourth years old when Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared on the scene. The Bourgeois heiress was in awe of the spotted superheroine, dodging Stoneheart’s attacks like she’d been training exactly for Ivan becoming a weird rock monster her whole life.

Oh, and Chat Noir was good too, she supposed.

She didn’t know it at the time, but she fell in love with Ladybug too. She was in love with Adrien, she thought to herself if her mind ever brought it up.

All that glittered seemed to be gold, and life seemed to be a cool place. Of course, it only got colder.

Chloé was 16 and five-sixths years old, and also in danger of being sent to an orphanage or something like that when she realized her mistakes; at last she figured out that she’d been a massive brat and dangerous to her beloved city. André had finally been busted; he was arrested for robbing folks’ bank accounts blind (among other things), and while Chloé was declared innocent of everything but leading near half of the akumatized victims to the trauma being supervillains gave them, she felt incredibly bad (it wasn’t just because she had nowhere to go). She could have done something if she’d known; the depressive thoughts opened her mind to the truth of her actions. She would have nowhere to go, and so she decided to fix her behavior.

She started with Sabrina, and then the rest of her classmates and teachers followed suit. Not all of them were trusting, but few if any of those people didn’t even give her a chance. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien were the last ones - she’d forgotten about both of them somehow. She and Dupain-Cheng (stop referring to her as that, she noted to herself) had found a very uneasy truce when Adrien started dating them. She got over that very quickly - as it turned out, they decided to call it off rather quickly, yet they stayed great friends. They probably stopped because of Gabriel saying no, she snarked to herself. One sincere apology to both of them later in which she achieved both of their forgiveness (we’ve been waiting to hear it for far too long, the two said), B.C. had finally reached closure (it stood for Bratty Chloé, and it was the nickname for the past version of herself - it was also a clever quip that made Adrien proud of her).

They celebrated by watching the all 4 Shrek movies - something Chloé had wanted to do for a very long time.

Chloé was 21 and one-sixth years old when she started dating Marinette. The formed rivals had bonded over Adrien, fashion, and other things post-graduation; Tom and Sabine had legally adopted Chloé, given the fact she had nowhere else to go but the foster care system; henceforth, the two former contenders for Adrien’s affections seeing each other and eventually falling in love. After their first date of staying home and watching all the Shrek movies without inviting Adrien (they felt bad later and confessed to him. He forgave them, of course), they started saving for university. Chloé got into an impressive business school, while Marinette made the fashion school of her dreams. While they were in a long-distance relationship, the two did their best to make sure they chatted at least once a week. In fact, Chloé was planning to propose to her when they got back to each other.

When the day came, it turned out that Marinette had a giant (albeit superheroine-themed) surprise for her too. Of course, both agreed to keep these new revelations secret for as long as they needed to. Needless to say, everyone had been very pleased.

It was one month after Chloé’s 26th birthday that she married Ladybug. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe Paris’ savior (and former love rival when a civilian) wanted her for a bride. It was a grand affair - Gabriel (who had lightened up after beginning his relationship with Nathalie, who also helped him to see the immense pain he’d left his own son with) had helped a lot, even agreeing to not only make a dress for the both her and Marinette, (who was his new star designer and possible heir), but he’d walk the blonde down the aisle to her raven-haired bride too (did you really think André was able at the moment?). After all, the Bourgeois and Agreste families were close; not to mention that (alongside Ms. Bustier and their entire class), Chloé & Marinette had made sure that Adrien had a lot of people in his corner when his own father had not been. Heck, even Hawkmoth ended up being merciful during the time of the wedding - he hadn’t made akumas since a few days before their announcement, and it was coming close to a year without akumas. Marinette and Adrien, still amazingly close friends (Chloé had figured out Adrien was Chat Noir before the duo’s first anniversary, so she was surprised she hadn’t figured out Marinette sooner) were half-joking and half-seriously worried that Hawkmoth had figured out Marinette’s identity and was going to swarm the place any second, maybe take Chloé hostage. Chloé’s new hair comb, however, would have perplexed the purple perpetrator, most likely allowing the now-quartet of heroes to finally take him down.

But things never end the way we expect them to, do they?

Chloé was 29 years old when Hawkmoth finally yielded. His moth-made head told the crowd of Parisians led by Mayor Raincomprix (Chloé was still incredibly proud of Sabrina for that) he was giving this speech and then handing over his Miraculous to his two enemies. He did not state why he was going to do this, nor did he explain how he could do this, but in the end, he’d profoundly and professionally apologized for the horrors he had unleashed upon Paris, swept up his un-evilized moths and packed up shop. That was the last the public saw of Hawkmoth for a long time.

Chloé, Adrien, and Marinette were incredibly sure knew it was Gabriel after that, so after transforming, they stormed the mansion with Rena, cornered the fashion mogul, got the details. Ultimately, he was forgiven, so long as he didn’t try anything else (then again, he was not able to - he renounced the Peacock and Moth Miraculi). She’d been Queen Bee for less then two years, and now it ended. She was fine about it, though - she and Rena Rouge only showed up sometimes anyway. The reveal between the four was not particularly interesting to Chloé - she knew all of them except for Rena. Marinette had willingly told her on their engagement day, and Adrien was Chloé Bourgeois-Dupain-Cheng’s best friend! It made sense that Alya was Rena Rouge, Chloé would laugh while reflecting upon her time before and with the hair comb. One trip to Master Fu later, and all Miraculi were safe and where they needed to be when unnecessary. Chloé would miss Pollen, that said, but she hadn’t known her for long enough to have the bond with the bee kwami that Marinette and Adrien had with… Tinky and Lagg, was it? It wasn’t important now - that was the last the public would hear of Ladybug, Chat Noir, Queen Bee and Rena Rouge (really, Miraculous things in general) for a long time.

Chloé was a girl who’d had the best and worst the world had to offer. While it was true that the years had not stopped coming, Chloé just had to remember her loved ones, and then she would be a Believer of their opinion: She was an All Star, and this was the way she liked it (and she never got bored).

[evdothansen]

okay but,,, michael and his s/o who loves snow during the winterr

YES. ok this is my first time around hcs so i did my best but i don’t really know if that’s how you’re supposed to do it lol. i tried tho. it’s v fluffy. i could and would 10/10 write a fic on that.

also, under the cut bc it’s sorta long. and thank you, anon!

okay so

michael is not exactly outdoorsy i think we all can agree on that

his thing is really staying in his basement or jeremy’s room, usually on his videogame

or something along those lines

you, on the other hand, are relatively outdoorsy

like not craaazy outdoorsy but yo

fresh air’s cool

anyways you are crazy about snow

and snowy days basically

like those are your favourites

and you and michael have been friends & neighbours for like seven years now

so he and jeremy are used to having their asses dragged out during winter to play with you

but on this certain winter, jeremy goes to wherever his mum lives to spend christmas with her for a change

(you and michael are the ones who actually convinced him he should at least give it a try)

anyways it’s just the two of you

and you spend all your time together ‘cause honestly you live so close and are really close friends it’s ridiculous

there’s another reason but neither wants to admit it

so when you manage to convince michael to go out, both of you go to your backyard

there are like at least five snowmen there at all times, you love building them

michael is surprisingly good at it and he makes the snowmen look like characters from games and movies y’all like

you take pictures of every single one when you’re finished and send them to jeremy

he cackles every single time because you and michael are hilariously in love and only y’all can’t see it

snowball fights are like,,, intense

you make snowballs so fast and toss them so hard

michael’s a little scared honestly

he tries to do the same but because he’s too in love for some reason he can’t understand he rarely gets his aim right

which is weird because y’know videogames end up giving a boy a good coordination

michael tells jeremy this after he lets you win the fourth snowball fight and jeremy legit just cackles he doesn’t even answer for a good while

“wait you’re kidding right” “bro what i’m serious” “oHMY GOD *more cackling* oh wait you are serious”

he’s in total denial and lowkey tries to shut you out

but bitch who does he think he is you are y/n l/n and you live next door to him and his grandma loves you so she always lets you in

these are quieter days where you’ll just chill and drink hot cocoa with marshmallows and rewatch like

all of star wars & back to the future

“i’m spending the night at michael’s, dad” becomes even more frequent than usual

then one day when you’re back outside

y’all look at your leia organa snowwoman and are like ‘wow that’s really good and it’s been there for like two weeks? we take good care of her wow’

‘imagine how lonely she must feel tho’

‘omg y/n we gotta build her a han’

so you both build a han solo snowman right in front of her

it has harrison ford’s hair how does michael even do it??

and when you’re done you both take a step back and look at both of them and wow you’re such nerds

and he looks at you and you’re smiling like a dork and there’s snow all over you hair and coat and your cheeks are red from the cold

and he knows jeremy’s right he’s so fucked

and when you realize he’s staring at you you’re like ‘hey, mikey, all ok dude?’

(btw you’re like the only person outside of his family that calls him mikey?? or any nickname really??? neither of you knows why you just do)

and because he was totally daydreaming he just goes ‘n-no, it’s fine, i just realized that i love you’

he realizes what he just did and you try to diggest it and for like a straight minute you just

stare at eachother

then when it becomes awkward michael starts stuttering and apologizing

that guy’s the chillest guy you know you didn’t even know he could stutter

and this is where it gets cliché haha

he’s v flustered when you kiss him with no warning

like literally no warning

v flustered v happy and v unprepared

so both of you stumble and only don’t fall because you hit the leia snowwoman and destroy her

when you hear the snow falling you both stop and look at her and he’s like

‘are you serious we were just talking about how we take good care of her’

he’s like upset for realz but you just chuckle and kiss him again

‘i love you, michael’

‘do i get to say ‘i know’?’

‘of course not you would still be stuttering if i hadn’t kissed you’

‘but we just took pictures with our han and leia snowmen y/n!!!’

you just kiss him again to make him shut up

the rest of the winter is just fluff and lots of cuddles and snowball cute fights

you’re doing snow angels and he just looks at you and thinks you’re a literal angel to him and he’s so happy

and cuddles

and when snow falls you go outside together and his pitch black hair with little white dots omg he’s so beautiful help

have i mentioned the cUDDLES?

you don’t even mind staying in his basement although it smells a lot like weed all the time

and he doesn’t even mind going out to play anymore even though he’s an indoors person

you’re just so in love