#i think my mom was more fucked up by that prediction than i was though to be fair i think

[sayri]

tumblr keeps giving me ads for what seems to be….palm reading? which normally i wouldnt give a fuck about but it always reminds me of the fact that once when i was like 8 i got my palm read so accurately that it actually made me more religious

[piratefishmama]

Fake it 'till you make it | Part 5

Eddie was almost half certain that he was either hallucinating, or still asleep and dreaming the whole thing. But Steve Harrington was in his living room, perusing the mug collection as if it were fine art or some shit, and he wasn’t there to buy drugs. The van had gotten uncomfortable pretty quickly after Eddie’s tragic realisation, and while his Uncle was definitely there, and giving Eddie a very obvious what the fuck Ed’s ‘look’ while he made them both coffee, Steve seemed pretty at ease in the place.

He didn’t look like he belonged in any way shape or form, with his mega-bucks hairstyle, the polo that probably cost more than Eddie was making per day on those dates, and the jeans that probably—okay he needed to stop pricing up what Steve was wearing.

Needed to stop making assumptions about him.

“You take sugar, kid?”

“Uh—yes! Yeah, uh, cream two sugars, please. Thank you.” If Steve noticed the surprise on Wayne’s face at the presence of manners well… he didn’t seem offended by it. in fact he was still pretty amazed by the mug collection. “Where’d you get all these?”

“Spent a few years’a my life as a long haul trucker before Ed’s landed on my doorstep back in the day, the road ain’t no place for a kid so I packed it in, but there’s always lil knick knacks in pit stops along the way, had people say they’d probably be worth somethin someday, bit‘a history an all that, but… that ain’t why I have em. Each one has a memory attached to it, makes somethin as mundane as a mug, precious.” Memories, the walls were littered with memories.

Such a small space packed with so much. So many little bits and bobs, clutter that told stories, personalities told by clutter.

Steve loved it. He found it… comforting.

Eddie couldn’t stop the foot he so ungracefully stuck into his mouth however with the quip “must seem messy to you, huh?” That wiped the smile right from Steve’s perfect face. Replaced it with a little frown of confusion.

“Hm? No… no, not at all, what? What makes you think that?”

“Well, I’ve seen your house dude, it’s looks straight out of a showroom or somethin.” Couldn’t take the foot out of the mouth now, best just chew on it until his uncle whacked him round the back of the head with a newspaper, hissing,

“Manners don’t cost nothin boy, I raised you better than to be a little shit to guests. The hell’s your problem?”

“I honestly have no idea.” Eddie didn’t even complain about the whack, it didn’t hurt, but it did dislodge the foot from his mouth, allowing him to level Steve and his confused face an apology “sorry man, I’m just…”

“Defensive?”

“Mmhm”

“S’fine, I get it.” And wasn’t that just fucking heartbreaking. Especially since he smiled so sweetly when Wayne gave him his own little steaming mug, it had mickey mouse on it. “For the record though, I like it. The collection I mean… I think I’d like something like this in my own house someday, just… memories everywhere… neither of my parents are big on collections, I think the only ones they have are my mom’s vinyl’s and my dad’s wine.”

“Your mom has vinyl’s?” The wine collection was predictable but vinyl’s?

“Mm, up in the attic, I’ll show you sometime.” He had a player in the sun room, could probably bring a few boxes down and let Eddie rifle through them someday, maybe even convince his mom to bring some of them with them to the chalet, Eddie might get a kick out of at least a few of the records in there. “If you still wanna be seen with me after all this” an if she wouldn’t take them, best get the idea that they could still be friends after it all out in the open!

Eddie wasn’t bad, and Dustin adored him, constantly trying to get him to give Eddie a chance, sneaky little shit setting this up, probably had ulterior motives, so… why not?

Eddie didn’t get a chance to answer though, although his mouth was open ready to speak, Wayne beat him to it. “Now, it’s none’a my business but… what do you mean by all this?” Leaving Steve awkwardly sipping his coffee, looking at Eddie over the rim of his cup in question. Was it okay? Would it be okay to talk about it?

“As much as I’d love to say, ‘Steve’s invited me somewhere for a week!’ and have that be totally believable and not cause you a stress aneurysm… Wayne’s cool, Steve, you good with me talking about it?” There was obvious hesitation, more strangers who knew the riskier it could be for him, but— he nodded. He’d trust Wayne, as insane as that was, he didn’t even know Wayne, but… the man gave off a weird kind of trustworthy energy. And Eddie vouched for him so, “You know how I do that whole… date thing to freak parents out for girls? Stevie here needs my services.”

“You aint plannin on doin what I think you’re doin, are you boy? Are you out of your damn mind? Do you know how danger—”

“It’s okay!” Steve blurted cutting off the expected worry rant “it’s safe, I promise, my parents are… well… they might seem really detached from reality but—you don’t know them. I recently realised that neither do I… he’s not… gonna be freaking them out either, he’s just… playing a part to get them off my back for a while… I’m uh… I’m—” he looked at Eddie, briefly but long enough to catch the little nod of encouragement. It was okay. It was safe. So far things had been fine for him coming out, so far he’d been okay, there’d been no danger, and maybe doing it so many times had made it easier or something because it just… came out “I’m bisexual, they know, and have been throwing both women, and men at me trying to get me to finally settle down with someone and… while I agree, that’d be nice… I would love to do that, i’m not jazzed about the quality of the people they’re throwing at me.”

“…Your parents. The Harringtons, rich folk. Those folks… they’re safe?”

“Apparently, my dad’s even restructuring his company values to include people like me, trying to make it a safer place for us, and this was before I told them.” Something he’d had no idea about, something that he couldn’t believe, hence why he kept bringing it up, it was insane to him, how little he actually knew his parents, how wrong he’d been about them.

How wrong everyone had been about them.

“His parents are takin him to this chalet in Canada next week, Steve thinks they’re gonna ambush him with some random person that he’ll have to spend a whole week avoiding, so… he’s hiring me to act as his boyfriend. That cool with you, Wayne?” He didn’t have to ask. Eddie was a grown adult, he could do whatever he wanted, go wherever he wanted, but… Wayne deserved to know.

“… Can I meet em before you go?”

“Of course!”

“Not a chance.”

The worst part was, they both spoke at once. And Steve’s very positive answer, happened to be louder.

Part 7

[weebsinstash]

Ok so tmi (on the tmi blog lol) but the first day of my Cycle I had a dream that I had just given birth and I was holding my baby and I was goddamn euphoric even though the logical part of me was like “???? I am 22 and broke i CANNOT have a baby rn” and I woke up crying and called my friends like I WANNA HAVE A BAAAAAABYYYYY I WANT A BAAAAAAABYYYYYYYY so basically. Imagine. Miguel catches you in a moment of weakness. And he NEVER. FUCKING. FORGETS IT.

Oh wow girlie those period hormones grabbed you by the uterus and absolutely REFUSED to let go

NO BUT FOR REAL don't look at me but I've been thinking of a concerning number of ideas where it's like, "Reader suddenly realizes they may want a baby and is actually putting serious thought into it and Miguel finds out (bet your ass Peter B tells him, i can see him as a "well intentioned" platonic guardian/mentor figure who sells you out to Miguel the second he thinks you're doing something risky or he thinks it's for your own good) and Miguel starts making all these plans and preparations behind your back to have a baby with you" and obviously I like the extra juicy option of "he found out you got extremely depressed and tied your tubes or something because you either see no point in you having a kid/think it's too late, OR, Miguel was the only person you were looking at as a potential father and you either decide it wouldn't work out or he does something to hurt you and you lose trust in him" so like, the double whammy combo of him being hit with the news you basically walled off your fertility that he's kinda fantasizing about AND you blame him for it

You see him chokeslam Miles on the train and having all these serious anger and stress issues and you're like "hmmmm don't like that" and basically make the tubal ligation appointment that week (but, you know, he'll either interfere before you can actually get it or even reverse it later on)

Like. Ugh I'm not sure if I should go super into detail bc I feel like I want to put this scene in the YouTwo fic or in a different idea i have thats more centered around motherhood, but, picture he catches you in his monitor room one day after you've lost your home dimension, you're having a little more than just a small identity crisis, and he catches you having Lyla show you the model for your life, or what the algorithm had predicted your life was supposed to be like before your universe just magically poofed away. You're just staring at these holograms with tears running down your face and he occasionally catches you starting to reach out like you want to touch what you see. He comes to stop you because he already knows all too well where this could lead, you can't become tempted to break canon and go somewhere else, but you beg him to let you watch just a little longer

"I was supposed to get MARRIED! I was supposed to have a BABY! I was supposed to have a family!! It's not fair!!"

And he's in total agreement with you because, who even fucking knows why your universe suddenly destabilized and vanished. He sees you as this person who has so much promise and potential who had their destiny and future literally snatched away from them and now you're lost and confused on what you're supposed to do, like really he totally understands why you feel so aimless. But watching these holograms is like torturing yourself, and he goes to stop you when you just keep crying because this is basically sending you into a critical mental health episode

"Someone was supposed to fall in love with me... we were supposed to have a baby... would I have been a good mom? Would I have had a boy or a girl? Cant you at least let me find out what my daughter's name would have been?"

And it's like NOOOO you can't hit him with the daughter card, don't you see what you've DONE!!! Gets him right in the heart. Now he's got this massive soft spot for you, bigger than it already was anyways, and he can tell over time you're just really starting to, grieve the future you were supposed to have, falling into a depression. Peter B is hanging around with Mayday like he usually does as both men can tell you're really staring at his baby today and he offers to teach you how to hold her. you're standing there misty eyed twirling one of her little curls around your finger as her dad starts volunteering information to you, "you know she's about XYZ months old now, they aren't really talking yet at this age but they're really curious about their surroundings and--"

Miguel watches as you start talking about children and suddenly get this really really tortured expression and just say "it's not meant to happen" and or some combination of "it's too late for me" and gives him his baby back a little too quickly in typical "I am clearly leaving the room to go cry" fashion. Meanwhile Peter B is like 38 wondering why you think you're out of time or it's not supposed to happen

Miguel's working one day and Peter is trying to shove his phone in his face, "you know I think this is one of the BEST photos of Mayday I've ever taken, she's looking so cute here, you just GOTTA see it" and Pete just won't let up and Miguel finally looks just to humor him because the man is being unusually annoying and, it's a photo of Mayday, duh, but being held by you, and you're clearly looking down at her with watering eyes and the smallest little smile that says "I'll die for you" and Peter is just all 😏 as Miguel is 'suddenly' interested in the photo. "That's a really good photo of MAYDAY, right? 😏 I figured you would like it, that photo of MAYDAY 😏" and Miguel is just grumbling and grouchy bc he sees what this guy is tryna do, but he's still like ".... send it to me later, I'm trying to work right now"

It's even worse if you're a member of his strike force because you're constantly around him, Peter B, and Jess. Miguel just, idly wondering where you are and deciding to walk around a little bit and eventually finds that you're having some sort of conversation with Peter B and Jess and he can tell you look really weepy as the other woman invites you to feel her baby kicking, like, you could not more obviously be developing baby fever, and you ARE around that age, and ESPECIALLY if you live in Nueva York because it's like, YEAH you're still a Spider and YEAH you help the Society with stuff but. Your home universe is gone, your canon is gone, you're kind of. Free as a bird really? But you're also scared because, if someone was destined to love you, does that mean it technically isn't meant to be to fall for anyone else? You can't exactly hook up with people at the Spider Society because of canon or them already having relationships, and you don't exactly have identifying documents if you wanted to try and adopt

I think it'd really reach a stressful breaking point if you and the strike force go to another universe to fight an anomaly and Miguel catches you staring out into the crowd of people you just saved and he sees what youre looking at instantly and his heart sinks. Another you, another normal you, never bitten by a Spider, is standing there with her husband and her little sputtering baby, and he has to all but drag you away as you cry "it's not fair, it's not fair, why does SHE get a normal life!!"

Sidebar for a moment, I think that's probably also one thing that would be so INFURIATING about the doppelganger stealing your life story because THEY have a home universe and YOU don't. They take your life, they take literally everything you have left, your friends, your sense of community, your literal purpose. I've already decided on YTs motivations but could you imagine you finding out YouTwo actually has a decent life and maybe even a husband and kid of their own and you're just furious because they're basically abandoning their duties back home not only as a Spider but as a parent/spouse to steal what YOU have? You can't kill them because it would break their canon and kill like countless people but Miguel and the others would def let you beat the shit out of your evil double and get some of your anger out. Like. Jesus could you imagine Miguel kicks you out thinking you're the fake and after you're gone, YouTwo breaks canon and that's what exposes them, or theyre exposed when they eventually take a trip back home and get caught. The Society's regret, the guilt, the anger, just marinate me with the drama

But anyways back to Being Sad and Babycrazy, you go missing one day and Miguel has to decide what to do when he finally tracks your bracelet and you're back in THAT dimension again. He has to physically track you down using your bracelet's signal because you refuse to answer his messages and you're, in the home of the other you while she takes a brief nap, in the nursery, holding her baby. Miguel quietly climbs through the window and you're in a rocking chair and you've got her hugged to your chest and your eyes are closed and you sense him and, obviously cry because you know you have to leave. Unlike with the holograms he doesn't give you any leeway on this, putting his foot down that this has to end here, this cant go on, this is already so dangerous. And, you're good for him and understand, leaving the baby back in its crib as you and Miguel warp away. You're heartbroken but ultimately understanding when he has to disable your watch's ability to visit that specific dimension again, and you're obviously extremely depressed for a while, having multiple Spiders coming to check in on you as word spreads around that you aren't doing well

I can just see Reader becoming kind of desperate because the only options for a baby you really have left is to either 1. get a serious relationship, which you're scared of because you have to trust that person and who can you even pick, you're nervous about breaking canon or something, or 2. Get some random person to impregnate you so you can run off with the baby

Miguel gets a call from Peter B that you went to a bar and you're EXTREMELY wasted as you try to pick someone, ANYONE up and like, you have admirers for sure but there's enough decent people around to keep the creeps in line, clearly you are in a vulnerable state of mind right now, and Miguel gets to tote your drunken ass back home as you drunkenly word vomit all your feelings to him because, unfortunately for you, he has your trust, and you need comfort right now, and you even ask him about what being a parent was like for him. You encouragingly tell him he shouldn't give up if he still wants kids, you trying to be genuinely nice and not trying to imply anything, blubbering about how he deserves to still be happy and he's still got time, and here's Miguel who's practically tracking your cycles at this point, TOTALLY not going to use anything you say to him while you're piss-drunk against you

Especially if you add ABO into the mix and you have a Miguel who's either Alpha/Omega and is already babycrazy af and he sees you literally fucking YEARNING for it, like. You've got a 6'9" Alpha basically looking at you, his poor lil Omega crush, with the big yandere goo goo eyes and how you need all this love and support and stability and how you're in need of a proper husband and of course he's all too willing to volunteer himself for the job. Even if he's too awkward to come right out to you and say it, he'll be thinking in his head and planning behind your back ways to take care of you, keep you away from any drugs/alcohol (no more smoking weed with metro boomin Spiderman, you've gotta detox your body to have a baby! Also, different concept but, Miguel basically keeping you in a bubble to control all your meals and recreational activities and all of that so he can make sure you're perfectly healthy for a baby)

Don't let this man catch you slipping up! Throw you to the Spider Society and you'll come back pregnant 😭 he sees you so depressed and wanting a baby and it's like well, if your life needs new meaning, he can help literally make one for you 😏 he's been feeling protective and nurturing of you anyways, so, it's an extra benefit for him to think of getting to have both you AND a little baby of your very own ❤️

[angelisgonnastartchangingurls]

tom

for the next few weeks, annie's life was very steady and predictable. she saw tom often. they went on dates, and they went back to his apartment and had lots and lots of sex. this was done with very little regard for the fact that alicia was still there -- no longer in the wheelchair, but still so unsteady on her feet that, for instance, tom had to help her in and out of the bath. annie was sure he didn't mind.

annie was loud in bed with tom, and tom was a talker. he loved telling annie what a good girl she was as he jerked off against her tongue.

tom could really fuck. annie could tell he was always paying attention to what she liked and leaning harder into it. every time they fucked she came harder or came more often, except sometimes, when tom sensed her desire to be used, and fucked her with no regard for her pleasure, leaving her to masturbate when he was done. she loved that.

alicia saw annie naked all the time -- annie had kept up with shaving her pussy, just because. but she also saw tom -- tom was not disciplined at all about closing his bedroom door, and so alicia frequently passed by as annie was blowing him or he was railing her hard from behind on the bed.

annie never saw alicia in less than her underwear, but tom told her when she wasn't around, alicia was "almost always" either bottomless or topless.

annie thought about them when, late at night she'd go home to robbie, and if casey hadn't been over to drain his balls, annie would do it on her behalf. what would tom and alicia think of this, she thought to herself as she guided robbie's cock into her pussy. it was becoming a rare thing, though, she and robbie. they both had someone they were getting serious about.

one evening, at tom's, annie and alicia got stoned while tom was out picking up dinner, and alicia asked annie if she'd help her with something delicate. "sure," annie said. "what do you need?"

"my hands are too shaky to shave my pussy properly," alicia said.

"say no more," annie said, taking her to the bathroom.

annie helped alicia shave everything, and she was dressed by the time tom got back.

"what did you two get up to?" he asked as they sat down to dinner.

"annie helped me shave my pussy," alicia said cheerily.

"really?" tom laughed.

alicia stood up and pulled down her jeans and shorts.

"nice handiwork," tom told annie.

"don't put them back on," annie told her. alicia let her shorts and panties drop.

"are we doing bottomless dinner?" tom asked.

annie stood up and pulled down her jeans and panties. "yeah." she said.

"okay," tom said. he stood up and pulled down his pants and boxers.

they laughed, sitting at the table, all bottomless.

"do you and your brother do this at home?" alicia teased.

"not specifically," annie said. "but we see each other naked constantly."

"was it always like that?" alicia asked.

"no," annie said. "i really feel like as a big sister i failed at that when we were teens. like, he should have been spying on my friends and me having lesbian encounters in the shower, right? what good is a sister for otherwise?"

"that was our aunt ellen," alicia said.

"she was the best," tom said.

they told her about ellen, her mom's younger sister, a wild, gay hippie who was in her early 20s when alicia and tom were teens. she'd given alicia weed, and had emailed tom a link to her friend's blog -- the friend was a photographer who took nude photos of ellen and her friends. tom told annie he would visit his aunt's apartment after school, and she would do things like take off her skirt and walk him through her anatomy. "she was never wearing underwear," tom said.

annie asked if she had a nice hippie bush, and tom said "no, no, she was always waxed."

"that's a very specific era of hippie," annie observed. she clocked that everyone was speaking of ellen in the past tense. she'd killed herself before her 30th birthday, alicia explained.

they walked around bottomless after dinner, enjoying the silliness and the sexiness of it. annie and tom made out on the couch and tom got hard in full view of alicia. when annie went to sit on tom's cock, he moved her to the bedroom, though.

that night, after two hard fucks, tom told annie something alicia didn't know about their aunt ellen. a few months before she died, tom said, ellen had invited him to an orgy at her apartment. tom had been 21 at the time, and had gone. "obviously," he laughed.

tom being a man of notable cock size, he'd quickly attracted attention at the orgy, which, he'd told annie -- he'd walked into in full swing already, everyone fully naked. he said there had been about 15 people there -- 6 men, 9 women. ellen had come right up to him at the door and undressed him, and then, as one of ellen's friend's sucked his cock, he'd watched his aunt fuck a man on an ottoman across from him. he said that as luck would have it, most of the men came within a few minutes of his arrival, and so for a brief time he was the only hard cock in the room, and the women had lined up to try his big shaft. he said it was obviously a record he'd never broken -- penetrating nine women in something like 10 minutes.

"wait," annie said, grinning. "all nine?"

tom smiled. "yes, all nine women in the apartment."

he said ellen hadn't even gone last -- she'd ridden him right in the middle of the group. the evening had gone on with lots more fucking and sucking, but tom had primarily spent it with two other women. but, he explained, everyone filtered out at the end of the night, and he'd stuck around. he'd taken a shower with ellen -- both of them were covered in cum. and ellen had asked him if he had ever fucked a girl in the ass, and he said no, and she'd said, "want to try?"

"she was your first?" annie said.

"yeah," he said. "and i lasted like 40 minutes because i'd already cum three times."

"that's so hot," annie said.

"i knew you'd think so," he said.

[comrade-ellis]

fantasy high junior year predictions/hopes

trackerbees breakup and kristen moves in with gilear

kristen discovers a disowned gay uncle and deals with the emotional fallout of having been kicked out of her family at 14 (can we please talk about THAT instead of more religion???)

her parents fucking die and through the power of friendship her gay uncle gets custody of her and her brothers

seriously can we please explore kristen's material familial relationships i think shes cool with god for now

gilear gets neutered

*gilear voice* i thought i was going to the doctor but it was the veterinarian fig. they took my balls.

ragh and aelwyn are friends and carpool to community college

aelwyn gets so much therapy and she gets super into zen and has a sand garden and picks up a multiclass in artificing

aelwyn and fabian retcon. they never banged and they actually do group therapy together. for some reason gilear is the receptionist at the therapists office he gets fired for breaking hippa

fabian is also in therapy. they all are

aelwyn gets super into welding. shes blue collar now baby

adaine starts sewing her own pants. i won't elaborate

fathrethriel comes back. don't know why this is in the adaine section. it is though.

adaine and ayda are friends more

adaine and ayda volunteer at the animal shelter together doing therapeutic readings to dogs

zane darkshadow is present :)

tracker transes their gender and kills a man any man is good maybe that like bird guy in the av club skrank

skrank

fig, fabian, gilear, and hallariel go to family counseling

sandra lynn goes on a scam therapy retreat but she gets really into the scam therapy. she doesn't get real therapy even though she should

jawbone + thistlesprings polycule. i dont want it and you dont want it but it could happen

gilear gets neutered

gilear successful yogurt enterprise foiled by sandra lynn's scam therapy

fig and ayda queerplatonic relationship

fig quits music. she starts doing slam poetry. it is unsuccessful and she experiences professional and creative disappointment

fabian engineered the gilear neutering

hallariel gets pregnant after gilear gets neutered and fabian obsesses over proving gilear is not the father. chungledown bim is the father. fabian obsesses over proving gilear is the father. fabian struggles with brotherhood. parallels to kristen's relationship with her brothers

cathilda gets a 2 bedroom and fabian moves in with her. new mom now. at strongtower luxury

fabian joins a competitive dance team à la dance moms

the night yorb is taken care of first combat

fabian is in a ballet class but because he started so much later than the other kids it's just a bunch of 6 year olds. there's a recital. this is related to the hallariel pregnancy story line

zelda and gorgug break up zelda is probably gay and gorgug is super supportive about it they're still friends they just weren't meant to be

gorgug and biological parents can we revisit this he met them last episode freshman year and didn't mention it sophomore year

gorgug decides to become a jazz musician and leaves fig and the sig figs

gorgug interns at tech start up. also elon musk is heavily implied to be the Big Bad. no one knows what gorgug does there

gorgug starts working at the ice cream place

gorgug fucking dies

gorgug and ragh accidentally get legally married and spend the season undoing that as a B plot

riz gukgak my beloved

riz and penny are penpals

riz and ayda are friends

riz considers getting his GED and leaving the group but is paralyzed by the notion of choice

riz laser tattoo removal arc

sklonda gets fired cuz her kid is a criminal and its a bad look for the PD

riz, sklonda, and gilear blow up elmville PD headquarters and seize control of dispatch to send every single cop to one address that's just a field so there's no cops in the city and the Bad Kids can break into gorgug's tech internship

arthur augefort dies of a congenital heart defect in the first seven minutes. garthy obrien new headmaster/principal

they build a new apartment building across the street from strongtower luxury called strongtower plaza. it's not relevant but it happens

torek railgrinder owns a sexy rat who is at the vet when gilear gets neutered

[probablyintensemuses]

INCOMING: A DESPERATE COLLEGE STUDENTS OATHBOUND PREDICTIONS!!!!

CC @mageofspace__ on IG

TRACY!! I JUST FELL TO MY KNEES IN THE MIDDLE OF WALMART! THE WHOLE GANG!! I’m so happy to see Valec, Alice, Will, & Mariah in the flesh like wtf! But while we are here, I want to talk about some of my Oathbound predictions…because I can. ❤️⚔️💙

P.S. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ LB OR BM I SUGGEST YOU DO NOT CONTINUE! Spoilers ahead!

• Okay first, I truly believe that Bree has had her squire and kingsmage all along, Nick and Sel. I mean just with the relationships between those three, there is no way it goes any other way.

also, Alice will wake from her coma and have somehow inherited powers from Will as she was LITERALLY breathing his aether signature in. Like I’m not 100% sure how that would work, but we’ve seen it in media before, take Monica Rambeau and Wanda’s hex for an example! Maybe that interaction with magic will awaken Alice's own unique magic too, or maybe it's closely related to Bree again how the Mesmer did too in LB.

Regardless, when she awakens I think bby girl will be given an even more important role in the finale of this series. Maybe like being Will's squire...

• it’s going to come out that not only is shadow daddy, IYKYK not spoiling for potential new readers who have no sense of self-preservation and are reading this anyways, is not only Sel's father but VALECHEZ’s! Like not only would that be pure comedy considering how they were at each other's NECKS in BM, but it makes sense as to why Sel was succumbing to his demonia so fast, faster than others, maybe because a little more demon than others…

•I think this new magic system that Tracy is cooking up is going to tap into Natasia and Faye’s relationship a bit more and even Sel and Bree’s.

I also think it’s going to be the solution to not only Sel’s demonia, but Bree’s bloodmark, and even abatement and all these fucking legendborn oaths. I mean think about the word OATH, practically meaning something one HAS to abide by. Vera took an oath of sorts with the blood mark “one daughter at a time for all time.” The legend born and their oath of service and all this, as I call it, greedy magic which shortens their life spans, the Merlins too! What if, just what if, Faye and Natasia found a way to combine both their forms of magic (root + aether + blood craft) and created something entirely new? Something so potent and powerful, defying these “oaths” or what you could call them, curses, to cure all these things…and what if since Bree is from Faye’s lineage, sel from Natasia, what if they can do it together too.

• I think we will learn more about the Morgaine. More on Nick….hmm. A lot of LB fans keep calling him boring, but with his mom's disappearance, and the fact that Tracy is too good of an author to simply leave his arc hanging, I don't trust it. Maybe he will even go rogue, I'm not too sure ATP, but don't sleep on Nick!

• Lastly for my final predictions…more like a pipe dream. I really, for the life of me, need Bree to pull a Wanda from episodes 8-9 of WandaVision with Shadow Daddy.

We know Bree is smart and clever, this ain’t new! So, I need her to take what she has learned from shadow daddy, and then pull a clean uno reverse, and get out of there! EXPEDITIOUSLY!

Then from there, I need her to find Sel and Nastia (preferably in some cute cabin in the woods, and Natasia needs to be a MILF) this revelation of Bree's survival prompts Natasia to discuss the above ^^^ She and Bree get to work! Sel is now cured and they can get these oaths removed!!! Once these oaths are removed, the REGENTS ARE TOAST, TOR TOO! Then we get to work on Camlann in book 4! Cuz that’s how tf Tracy does it! Period!!

THESE ARE JUST MY PREDICTIONS, NONE OF THESE ARE CANON!! All I have to say is I'm fucking so excited about this book and even though it's still two years out I'm trusting Tracy's expertise to bring us something DE-LI-CIOUS! Also is it too much to ask that if this is adapted for television to have it animated, we know how much Tracy loves and takes influence from anime... it's only fair, and I feel can make for a more accurate and dynamic visual medium.

That's all for now. PEACE.

[229zmi]

UNO!

PAIRING: Tsukishima Kei/Reader

CONTENT: reader is Annoying, hinata makes a Ur Mom joke, reader calls tsukishima an egghead, dialogue-heavy, tsukishima and reader are rivals kinda

WORD COUNT: 1.5k

“Plus twenty? Twenty?” you bellow angrily. “You guys are conspiring against me, I just know it!”

Yachi offers what appears to be an apologetic look. “Sorry, [Y/N], you were about to win. What else were we supposed to do?”

“Let me win, obviously? The fuck is wrong with you.”

A tsk escapes you as you reach over the table and start pulling twenty cards from the deck in the middle in a particularly strained manner, like the action causes you immense physical and emotional pain. The group can only watch you with poorly concealed smiles behind their cards.

“It’s just a game, you weirdo,” Kageyama states as a matter of fact, as if he wasn’t prepared to flip over the table some rounds ago when the same thing happened to him. You pause in your movements just to sneer at him and his hypocrisy, your upper lip curling hideously.

However, before things start to turn violent, Yamaguchi, with some impressive prediction skills and reflexes, places a hand on your shoulder to stop you. Though you think the action wouldn’t have done much to stop you physically if you were seriously considering bopping Kageyama in the face, it’s the thought that counts anyway.

“[Y/N], just take the cards.”

“Yeah, [Y/N],” Hinata chimes in. You’re not sure why he bothered because what he said serves no actual purpose whatsoever besides further igniting your inner demons.

“Literally who asked you?”

“Your mother,” he responds intelligently. He even sticks his nose up like one of those high school bullies in the movies, all dignified and everything as if his baddie comeback is something to be proud of. It grates on your nerves more than anything.

“You can’t say that. My mommykins is, like, a super important government official.”

Hinata’s jaw slacks and his eyes widen to the size of very large ping pong balls, and like the gullible motherfucker he is — “Oh my god, really?!”

“Yeah, and she’ll have you, uhm, banished if I tell her you said that, doncha know.”

“Please don’t snitch on me, I won’t say it ever again. Promise!”

You smile passively. “Sure thing... for a price.”

“How m—“

“Put your fucking wallet away, you idiot,” Tsukishima interrupts, having already had enough of your bullshit since long ago. Hinata’s dumbassery was just the cherry on top. “[Y/N], you’re not funny.”

In response, you proceed to further prove his point by producing a noise that resembles that of a red buzzer from one of those Got Talent shows and then don’t say anything else. Unamused by your outwardly offensive action, he narrows his eyes at you, glaring at you as if your behaviour is something detrimental to his health — a disease that can be spread if he so much as accidentally brushes against your shoulder.

“…What was that?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the smart one?” you accuse.

“That doesn’t really answer my question.”

“I don’t care. What do you know about funny anyway? Egghead,” you add, for emphasis. All Tsukishima does is continue to creepily stare at you, almost scandalised like you’ve just annihilated his entire bloodline.

“Oookay. Let’s just move on!” Yamaguchi splutters with a singular glob of spit flying in the air from how fast he’s speaking. It’s gross, though he does sound a bit anxious, and that makes you feel kind of bad so you ignore it for his sake.

With an overdramatic sigh, you slump against the back of your chair in defeat as you glare at the numerous colourful cards in your hands. “Fine.”

The round continues without any other objections.

You’re about to win. And this time, you’re certain what happened a few rounds ago won’t happen to you again; all of you had just spent your plus two’s and four’s on Kageyama anyway (who did in fact end up flipping the table, although it didn’t really accomplish anything as much as it made a mess all across your living room floor).

“Uno!” you declare, gleefully placing your second to last card down with a dazzling smile.

“I wouldn’t sound so happy this early if I were you,” Tsukishima remarks. You shoot him a glare.

“You will let me win,” you say manipulatively, wiggling your fingers in front of him for the effect of what you believe is hypnotisation.

Unfortunately, he does not fall for your sneaky tactics, and it’s clear by his dry and disappointing answer: “No.”

Yamaguchi places a wild card in the middle and then looks toward everyone for some form of validation. “What colour?”

“Red,” you answer as if the question is for you.

Kageyama narrows his eyes at you. “Are you reverse psychology-ing us right now?”

“Whaaat, no! I don’t even know what that means!”

“That’s because it’s not a real word,” Tsukishima states in a haughty tone.

“Reverse psychology?” you ask. “That’s two words.”

“No, I mean—“

“Tsukishima! Tell us what [Y/N]’s last card is,” Hinata says in a not-so-discreet stage whisper. It doesn’t help either that the two of them are on opposite sides of the table, so everyone in between hears it. Including you.

“Literally what the eff, man, that’s literally cheating,” you protest in a nasally voice, but you’re completely ignored as everyone else seems to be more focused on Hinata’s unethical proposal.

“Why would I do that?” Tsukishima drawls.

“You’re sitting the closest to [Y/N]. C’mon, just take a little, teeny-tiny, itty-bitty peek!”

“If [Y/N] wins, we’ll never hear the end of it,” Yamaguchi comments. It’s meant as an astute observation rather than fuel to add to the fire, but letting you win would mean giving you the dangerous privilege that is bragging rights.

Kageyama nods in agreement. “Do it for the betterment of society.”

“For all of us,” Hinata adds. They’re all being a bit dramatic, you think.

Yachi stays silent, for the fear of potentially provoking a certain someone again.

Tsukishima rolls his eyes, his shoulders slumping with the weight of peer pressure. However, before you can process the situation or have time to defend the anonymity of your last card, you sense an arm snake around to rest upon the back of your chair. You whip your head to the side to see Tsukishima, who’s in closer proximity than you expected. Close enough that you can breathe in the scent of his cologne and note that it’s a little too strong to the point where it’s almost migraine-inducing.

Tsukishima only bothers to take a half-hearted glance at your card before fixating his gaze on you. His eyes, unblinking, noticeably skim your face without even trying to hide it, and you’re tempted to bark out an indignant “What?,” if only it wasn’t for the unusual expression he’s sporting. Unusual, as in his eyebrows aren’t furrowed together like they usually are whenever he’s in your vicinity, and his mouth is looser around the corners instead of downturned.

He appears as if he’s about to say something but then decides against it as he swiftly pushes himself away. Seeing how quick he was to get away from you, you wonder for a moment if your breath stunk or something.

“Green,” he then announces in a disinterested tone.

After you do a quick breath check and conclude that your breath does not in fact stink, you look down at your last card. It’s not green.

But the others have no way of proving that, so Yamaguchi takes the piece of knowledge, blindly accepts it as the truth, and chooses the colour red, believing that’ll stall your victory at least a little longer. However, much to your luck—

“I win!” you exclaim, slamming down your last card, and chaos ensues.

“NO!”

“Stinkyshima, you traitor!”

You hear the sound of a table flipping and another angry shout. In the midst of it all, your eyes meet Tsukishima’s once more. For a couple seconds, there’s a standstill that settles between the two of you as you wait for the other to speak up first.

“You’re welcome,” he says finally, making sure to really emphasise the words.

You scoff at him. “I totally could’ve won this on my own. I had a back-up plan. You just made it a tiny bit easier.”

With an eyeroll, his response is short and simple and strangely compliant, “Okay.” With how often he glares and rolls his eyes and whatnot, you’d think that’s all he does in his free time. Probably practices it in the mirror, too, to make sure he’s expressing the right amount of annoyance.

“But… thanks anyway,” you reluctantly add. You decide to be gracious and omit the you egghead part out of your sentence.

“You’re welcome,” he says again before visibly flushing at the realisation he’d just said the same thing twice. Awk-ward.

Nonetheless, instead of relishing in his moment of embarrassment like he thought you would, you grin and bump shoulders with him, as if the two of you are best buddies now or something. And quite frankly, after seeing you smile like that at him rather than your usual sneer or sleazy smirk, Tsukishima isn’t entirely against the notion.

[karizard-ao3]

My reactions to Evangelion episode 21: He was aware that he was still a child

If I must be completely candid, I've been putting off watching these last few episodes because I'm very frightened that something really awful will happen to my beloved Shinji and I really don't know how I'm going to bear it. I think I would be okay if he just turned out to be evil, but if he turns out to be good and sweet and dead, I don't know what I'm going to do.

Anyway, my stomach is churning and I'm about to start the episode.

Super solenoid (?) theory.

The spear!

I had to go back and watch it with subtitles. So the Longinus Spear just came from the dead sea and there's talk about a donor. A personality donor, maybe?

They put DNA into Adam. Is that why he's so fucked up looking?

Gates of Guf.

"It's wings are spreading. It's going towards the surface." This makes me feel like they did create the Angel that caused the Second Impact but that it might have been the first Eva rather than an Angel. They were talking about an anti-AT field.

Am I imagining things or is there new stuff in the video during the opening song? I just saw an Eva with biblically accurate golden wings.

"One last job". He's fucked.

"We have no intention of creating a new God". Hmm. That's even more sacriligeous than I expected. Gendo is certainly Tower of Babeling hard right now.

So is Seele a super computer like the Magi? I assumed it was an organization.

I was expecting Gendo but it was Yui.

If her last name is already Ikari, then... Are she and Gendo actually siblings? Or did he take her last name...?

Unit 1 is a god now.

Okay, Gendo did change his name. Because he's a criminal.

Okay, no. It looks like I was right and Seele is an organization. They're just talking through giant speakers, I guess?

God, Gendo is just the worst.

A child to care for at home. But if I'm mathing right it can't be Shinji who would be no more than a twinkle in his father's eye at this point. So Rei? Please consider I am not very good at math.

Oh, wait, actually, if it's after the second impact Shinji could be a baby.

More Misato back story. Mute for two years.

Rei does look similar to Yui, doesn't she?

Mysterious, spherical underground caverns created by someone else. One in the Antarctic and one here. If I understanding right.

Ritsuko's Mom. And Ritsuko!

Adam and Eva. How glaringly obvious it's been all along.

Ritsuko dyes her hair.

So ostensibly Seele is trying to prevent the third impact.

Baby Shinji. I'm a puddle on the floor. He's patting his mom's face.

Oh, it's Shinji as a little guy!

Shinji was there on the day Yui died. Or, rather, disappeared and was presumed dead, it sounds like.

Gendo the godmaker. So is he trying to make humans gods?

Gendo and Ritsuko's mom, huh? Were they having an affair?

So Gendo shows up with Rei, claims she's a friend's daughter, but she reminds Mom Ritsuko of Yui, so... Clone Rei or kidnapped child given Yui's personality?

Rei lol.

Did she kill the (first?) Rei??

Did Dr Akagi kill herself?

Did Misato kill Kaji?

I can't tell. I just know she got her gun back and then he seems to have been shot. Maybe it was Ritsuko, though.

Shinji running away again.

"I was just a child."

In Conclusion

Yeah, idk. Just waiting for everything to come together.

Seeing Gendo's past was interesting. He's such a garbage bag.

Thinking about Yui and what happened to her. It was on the day of her big experiment and she believed it was going to show Shinji hope for a better future. I also believe that's what he was wearing when we saw the quick flashback of him when he realized that he had seen an Eva before and knew what they were. Maybe his mom developed Unit 1 and was dissolved inside it like he had been? Could explain its ability to act without the battery pack, perhaps?

How does this all end, though? Like, we're building up to answers but I'm having a hard time predicting what the climax will be. I assume Misato will discover something awful about the Angels, maybe Rei will try to protect Gendo and get hurt? Shinji is going to probably go through some horrific metaphysical experience. I don't know!

I'm going to watch one more episode and then it's bedtime.

[llynwen]

Hiii love ur rustposting one thing that has recently made me crazy are how in the interrogation scenes there are these moments where rust drops some comment toward each person where the subtext is like, are I can read this off you because I’m the same/felt the same as you/done the same as you and how often it reveals this little devastating nugget of information about him……like the first b&e kid where he says “you were drug down by that same weight that wouldn’t let you have a mom” (oh. oh.) to the pharmacy shooter “how you gonna say a guy that’s on nothing is crazy but a guy that took something that made him crazy isn’t” (OH.) to the Charmaine character, “some people mistake a child for an answer to something, a way to change their own story” (Oh. OH. AAAAH). What the fuck. How dare they do this

hello noonie! i've been thinking about this quite a lot, actually, so thank you for bringing it up!

i've talked about this before, but i think rusty is extremely sensitive and hopeful, and the way he is is a direct result of him trying to squash those aspects of himself. ironically, i think his sensitivity is what makes him such a good detective.

he greatly downplays his interrogation skills in the 2012 interviews, saying that he can just see it in their eyes (if i recall correctly), but i think his real talent lies in being able to Connect to people. now, we all know how awkward he is in interpersonal relationships, but what i mean by connect here is Sympathize. even though the wast majority of the people he interrogates are bad people, they are still People. so be it on the basis of a shared experience/perspective, as you've mentioned, or just being able to put himself in their shoes, so to speak, he is able to make accurate predictions. he Empathizes with the suspects and murderers, and by doing so can understand them better, understand their motives and mindsets.the most interesting case of him doing this is, to me, the munchausen lady (who i am not sure actually even has munchausen. i've had a looksie at this medical journal (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17970367/), and it doesn't really fit. we don't hear about her taking her kids to the doctor's or the hospital, or them presenting with suspicious tummy aches/suspicious symptoms before their deaths. but i have no medical training, so what do i know). even though killing children is The Worst Possible Crime to him for obvious reasons, he is still able to sympathize with her. he expresses compassion, comforts her as she writes her confession down, and even though he is visibly disgusted by it (which results in him telling her to kill herself), he is able to, on some level, connect to her. he brings up munchausen to, in a way, excuse her actions, which makes her more willing to confess (since it's not really her fault.)(you know what i mean).

this behavior does reveal a lot about rust as a person. it drives home the point of just how Vulnerable he is, how Sensitive. he is painfully human, has a fluffy soft underbelly, and all of his crass behaviors and personal philosophies are just an attempt at concealing it, not allowing himself to be hurt again. this is why the ending is so Positive to me. him finally opening up and Showing himself to another person. now That's growth. this is just my take on the situation, and i'd love to hear what you think about this. i'm sorry for dropping another essay in an ask reply, i guess my academic conditioning is stronger than me. thank you again for letting me talk about this, love you mwah

[hopeswriting]

part 1, part 2

CW: Swearing

Xanxus would wonder if he went insane, but one thing his years in the slums didn’t fuck up is his perfect eyesight.

The shrimp and his mom have apparently finally realized they’ve been mafia all along all these years, and how the hell he’s the only one to realize it’s all bullshit?

“Timoteo-san, Darling,” Nana started pleasantly out of the blue at dinner. “Would it be okay of me to accompany Iemitsu at work when possible? I’ve been a little ashamed lately to not know much about it even after all these years, and frankly, I’d love it too if it could be a way for us to spend more time together. You see, I miss my husband on the daily quite a lot.” She laughed bashfully, looking at Iemitsu with loving eyes.

It came out so out of left field, Xanxus almost snapped at her right there and then.

The fuck did she say?

It shouldn’t have felt like it came out of left field. How could he have possibly missed that kind of development? It’s not as if he ever stopped watching, nor did his brothers, yet the surprise was genuine from all of them.

Iemitsu, lovesick fool as he’s ever been, predictably beamed, tears welling up in his eyes, and started singing praises at his beloved wife. The old man warmly welcomed the new too, brightening and giving his accord right away. His brothers considered the new a moment before dismissing it in the next instant.

Xanxus felt a chill run down his spine looking at the shrimp smiling and laughing at his parents’ antics, not sparing the rest of them a glance, the very image of someone who learned the new at the same time as them. As if—as if there could be any other explanation to Nana’s behavior but him.

So the shrimp can act now, can he?

News fucking flash.

But there was no fool at the table that day like every other.

The first actual reaction to Nana’s words was the old man glancing at the shrimp, with that look he gives him sometimes. Iemitsu managed not to, but Xanxus caught the aborted movement anyway. Rico and himself looked at the shrimp too before catching each other’s eye.

CEDEF and Vongola at large welcomed the new change warmly too, making it the new gossip going through the rumor mill.

Is Nana Sawada finally shedding her old civilian life to give herself fully to the family? Could they expect Iemitsu to eventually choose an official right-hand man or add his wife to his team of his most trusted subordinates? Does that mean…

They trail off at this part, giving each other eloquent looks, letting the unsaid speak for them.

The fools. Just as there’s a rule against a Vongola Boss being of the CEDEF’s boss’ lineage, the CEDEF’s boss can’t pass down his position to any of his relatives, let alone his fucking son. Or do they really think they’d rather break the latter rule instead of the former?

That Iemitsu’s allowed to bring his wife at work is already cutting it close, and adding to it they were allowed to live in the Vongola mansion, the old man better have a plan for when someone will inevitably confront him on the matter.

There were the ones who weren’t so happy at the news too, because there’s always those trashes finding reasons to bitch about this and that, though in this case Xanxus leans more on their side, but generally speaking, Nana Sawada involving herself more in the family has been considered a joyful turn of event.

Ha! “Joyful” his ass. If it was only Nana Sawada, he could pretend to not be as smart as he is and believe it, but the shrimp?

Three years old, and he was already giving them that annoying look of his whenever anyone tried to make him swallow the pill of being mafia through the childish framing of good guys versus bad guys. But now six years old, and he suddenly agrees Vongola are the good guys and he wants to become one of them too?

Give Xanxus a fucking break.

Soon, the sight of Nana anywhere else than at functions and events the wife of the CEDEF’s boss couldn’t be absent from lost its novelty, people moving on and minding their own businesses again, but the fuck if Xanxus will.

He’s been watching them more carefully than before, the shrimp more so than his mom, and turns out he should have seen it coming. The shrimp’s changed, and look at him fucking go, walking the fine line of making it just noticeable enough for the people he wants them to notice to pick up on it, while keeping it subtle enough for the people who know him to not be tipped off by it.

Truthfully, they’ve yet to do anything really noteworthy, let alone anything truly suspicious. They willingly show up at more functions than before, when before they went only to the ones they couldn’t be absent from. They greet the people that ought to be greeted, Nana at Iemitsu’s arm and the shrimp’s hand securely in hers, but instead of waiting in a corner after until the soonest it was polite of them to leave, they keep mingling with the guests. Talking to them, making conversations. Laughing together. Being looked down upon and trying their luck elsewhere. Not finding them good enough and trying their luck elsewhere. Nana along with Iemitsu, but sometimes alone too, often alone, and the shrimp at the kiddies’ corner.

The kiddies’ corner, but by no means the least important corner of these functions, nowhere even close. Not when they’re the future of the mafia, and any older and more experienced mafioso worth his salt, let alone a mafia boss, makes it a point to watch over them, to raise and teach them, to gain their favors and loyalty.

Not when they’re the ones who’ll grow up to inherit the many positions that keep the mafia and Vongola turning, prospering and powerful.

After Nana made it known to the old man she planned to become more involved in the family business, she changed the shrimp’s bodyguards. Not all of them, but she handpicked the new ones who are to be the closest to him and stay with him at all times.

Their backgrounds were thoroughly checked, and all information about them shared among them as it’s customary after the old man gave his approval, but she handpicked them. Or more like gave her approval after the shrimp did.

Xanxus would be overstepping if he looked into what Nana does at CEDEF, so who the fuck knows what does she do there, but Iemitsu is no fool, no matter how much he likes to play the part of it. He must only allow her around the lower ranks and their works, but then again, what the fuck does it matter when she’s the CEDEF’s boss’s wife?

Iemitsu’s no fool, but who else is he supposed to unwind to at night and trust the most in this world?

It doesn’t sit right with him either that Nana looks perfectly fine with that. There’s no reason she shouldn’t be, but she looks like this is where she wanted to be all along.

It’s the same with they way they’re acting with the staff at the mansion. It’s the same way they’ve always been acting with them, saying “Please”, “Thank you”, “Sorry”, “Good morning”, “Would you…?” and “How are you?” like they’re trying to win some fucking most annoyingly polite and considerate people in the world contest, as if they still don’t realize why not anyone else does the same.

Some because they’re assholes, and Xanxus would count himself among them and doesn’t give a shit about it, but mostly they can’t afford their staff to ever forget their place even when off work. Not when they’re the ones who literally watch over their sleep. Now when they’re the ones patching them up at their weakest. Now when they’re the ones entrusted with their kids.

Not when they could be their downfall, should they have the balls, skills and luck for it, working at the heart of the Vongola as they are.

Of course they’re perfectly aware of it too, have to be if they want to keep their jobs, and so far none of them has ever shown the shrimp and his mom anything but strict professionalism in return, but it doesn’t mean they might not be thinking any less. That they don’t care about hierarchy because they’re seemingly unaware of the basic fact the mafia will collapse in and of itself without it no doubt made some of them lose all respect for them, but it leaves everyone else, and they’re all only humans at the end of the day. Especially now there’s intent behind the kindness the shrimp and his mom indiscriminately show them.

Xanxus would know. The first person to become one of his people is Alberta, his former nanny. The second’s one’s Sarah, his former home tutor who caught him up on his education so he wouldn’t be humiliated and looked down upon when they sent him to private school along with the other mafia kids his age.

Xanxus would be overstepping too if he looked into what the shrimp’s been up to at school lately, but he heard his teachers find him more hard-working than before. By which they mean and fail to realize it’s that he’s actually less reluctant than before to learn, because the shrimp’s always been trying his best all along even if it’s never been enough for anyone.

None of these facts have to necessarily be concerning.

Except there’s only a few reasons he can think of as to why they’d be acting like that, only the one reason, and it’s driving him crazy that still, not anyone’s doing anything about it.

Whether Iemitsu is in on it too or not, of course he wouldn’t, but it still sure as hell could be considered insubordination at best, rebellion at worse, and Xanxus won’t care to confront him with that if it comes to that.

The old man’s silence on the matter is obvious too. He’d need much more than that to take action that’d be seen as reasonable considering the extent of the repercussions of even the littlest and most insignificant of his actions.

Richie can’t bother taking care of something that isn’t undeniably his and only his to take care of to save his life. Max’s too self-assured to deem a six years old’s actions concerning, no matter what his actions are. Rico…

The fuck if Xanxus knows, but he has yet to deem it worth acknowledging the matter. That works for Xanxus, as the longer this new status quo lasts, the more he can prepare himself for when it breaks, but he isn’t happy about it.

The shrimp and his mom are obviously trying to build themselves a network, to build connections, to gather allies, if not support too. They seem to have decided to go about it starting from the bottom of the ladder.

And trying to make the shrimp the face of the people with that face and that personality he has?

Fucking hell.

*

“Master Xanxus,” Anil says after knocking at his door. “Nana Sawada is here.”

“Let her in.”

She walks in, in his sitting room instead of his office, and she better fucking be grateful for it.

“Hello, Xanxus-kun. You asked to see me?”

“I wasn’t asking.”

The smile on her lips doesn’t falter. “I’m sad to hear it. Here I was hoping we could enjoy some time together having a friendly conversation. I don’t suppose you’ll agree to let us speak Japanese then? You know how homesick I can be at times.”

“Then you should have had Iemitsu move to Japan instead,” he says in Italian.

Nana sits on the couch, her smile still not faltering. “Then at least allow me to speak Japanese,” she says, switching to Japanese without waiting for his permission.

“I didn’t allow you to sit.”

She huffs a laugh before finally dropping the meaningless pleasantries, turning her cheerful smile into the slightest turn of her lips upwards. “You get to demand to see me whenever you want, but I don’t need your permission for something as small as when I can sit. Not when it’s only the two of us.”

Xanxus sits on the armchair next to the couch, forcing her to turn her neck to look him in the eye, the low table in front of them bare of any food or drinks. It’s petty power and mind play unbefitting of both their ranks, but anything more would give more weight to this meeting than they’d both want to deal with.

“This is a friendly conversation,” he decides to say first.

“Oh?”

“You heard me. So do friendly tell me just what you think the shrimp and you have been doing lately?”

“What are you under the impression we’ve been doing? For you to summon me like this.”

Xanxus scoffs. “Fucking spare me any of us playing dumb, will you?”

Nana looks at him for a beat of silence, unblinking. “Tsuna wants friends, that’s all. He’s just trying to break out of his shell more to make it happen, and I’m helping him with it.” Xanxus just barely restrains himself from rolling his eyes. He bores his eyes into her instead, and she gives in, though it might have been her plan all along. “He wants a family.”

“Ha!” Xanxus leans forwards, digging his fingers in the armrest. A grin pulls at his lips he can’t be sure isn’t a snarl, and so he smooths his face in a composed mask again. “Then let me ask you again just what do you think you’ve been doing?”

“Would you or any of your brothers keep Iemitsu at his job when you become Vongola Decimo?”

Xanxus misses a beat, the question unexpected. “Of course not.”

It’d even be one of the first positions they’d replace. Iemitsu isn’t lacking at being the CEDEF’s boss, but he’s entirely too much an embodiment of the ninth’s generation, and it’s no secret for anyone he’s the man the old man trusts the most after his Guardians.

“That’s right. And the CEDEF isn’t the CEDEF’s boss’ in a way they can pass it down to anyone but their successor. But you’d have me wait and do nothing?”

“You’re only drawing attention to himself that will bite him in the ass when it doesn’t have to happen at all.”

“Come now, Xanxus-kun,” she says, tilting her head. “Now you’re just calling me stupid to my face. Of course this is attention that is bound to be turned to him sooner than later. We’re just taking control of it.” Xanxus huffs, leaning back against the armchair. It was worth a shot. “Actually, it’s even one of the first things that’ll happen once one of you becomes Vongola Decimo, isn’t it? You’ll decide what to do about the remaining heirs.”

“So fucking what? If you have something to say about our characters, then just spit it out.”

“I’m willing to trust you.” Xanxus raises his eyebrow. ‘Willing to’, is she? “But I won’t trust anyone else on the matter. Can’t.”

“Do you even hear yourself? Your best shot is to keep waiting quietly until one of us becomes Vongola Decimo. What exactly do you think we’re going to do to him then? We’ll be all but too happy to give him the peaceful life in the furthest corner of the mafia he wants.”

“But Tsuna doesn’t just want a peaceful life. He wants to be happy too.”

That makes Xanxus a little speechless despite himself, a little disbelieving. “And that can’t happen as long as we’re part of the picture, is that what you’re fucking saying to me right now?” Nana says nothing, and he barks out a harsh laugh. “Some fucking gall you have. Not finding us good enough, but still wanting to build that happiness using us.”

“He’d just be taking what he’s due.”

Xanxus sobers up in a second, going still and unblinking, and she can’t stop herself from flinching, wincing. Good. “And what the fuck is that? He’s due something from us? I thought you were supposed to give something for that to happen first, instead of going against what you want to make use of.”

“I’d agree if you were only talking about me, but Tsuna’s as much Vongola as the rest of you. He’s as much an heir as the rest of you too, however much I wish he wasn’t.”

“Mafiosi children making it to six years old is a fucking lifetime worth being grateful for in most places in the mafia.”

Nana’s face crumbles at the mere thought of it. She intertwines her hands tight, tight enough to mark her skin with her nails, but she still can’t stop them from shaking.

She only half puts herself back together, her voice strangled. “And how far in adulthood I can expect him to make it?” Xanxus doesn’t trust his anger to speak again just yet, though he wishes she’d hear the scathing mockery in his voice. The old man made it all the way to his sixties fine enough, didn’t he? “I am grateful. But I’m also terrified. That’s exactly why—”

Xanxus kicks the low table, making her startle and tense. He clenches his jaw, gritting his teeth hard, but then forcefully makes himself relax.

He won’t get through her, that much is clear.

“And what is it that’s so much better than this he wants so fucking badly?”

It seems the answer’s obvious to her, yet she holds back her words after opening her mouth. When she opens it again, Xanxus knows it’s not the words she first planned to say that come out of her mouth. “You should come visit us at Namimori sometimes, Xanxus-kun. You could play with Tsuna, go out with him. You could help me cook all your favorites. We’d show you the neighborhood, the town and its people. I think you’d like it.”

Her smile is genuine and warm, and Xanxus dismisses her offer before even truly considering it first.

What a fucking joke. Don’t all roofs above your head and three meals a day look the same everywhere? And Vongola is the least likely roof to ever collapse on him.

“What else would you have him do?” she asks softly. “What else would you have me do? I’m his mother. Timoteo-san should officially name his successor any day now, right? So we’re already running out of time, and he only has Iemitsu’s reputation to his name. But you’d still have me wait?”

Xanxus snorts. “Now you’re the one calling me fucking stupid to my face.”

The shrimp is no such harmless and powerless figure within Vongola, has never been so, and not just because of the inherent influence, status and authority given to him through his lineage. His flames alone would be more than enough for people to rally behind him.

They still could find him incompetent at everything else, but there’s always ways around an incompetent boss.

A weak boss, on the other hand, is a lot harder to deal with without taking extreme measures.

“Fine,” she says, smiling. “Tsuna can stand on his own just fine, of course, and I know that better than anyone else. But that’d just make them find him worth using, and I won’t stand for that.”

Xanxus frowns. So this is it, is it? They’re having the same conversation, but only Xanxus understands all the nuances of it.

Better they find him worth using than them actually becoming interested and invested in him.

“Should I give you a friendly bit of advice seeing as we’re having a friendly conversation?” Something chiding and fond flickers across Nana’s face, so motherly, it makes him uneasy. “You have this under control only until they take it away from you. Only until you’ll have to give it away to them.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

“That’s nice and all, but do you get what it’d mean if you were to succeed?”

Nana keeps holding his gaze, unwavering, because of fucking course she does.

Xanxus stands, uncaring of the sneer that slips past him. What a waste of time this was, but at least now he knows exactly where he needs to stand.

“Xanxus-kun.” She holds her hand out to him, and Xanxus can’t help but let his eyes linger on the gesture.

She’s the only mother he’s ever known in the mansion, and though she’s never tried to become their mom too, Xanxus’ never let her be motherly towards him either.

He doesn’t take her hand.

Nana takes it gracefully like she always does, smiling as she takes her hand back. “I know you’re scared.” Xanxus glares at her. “Worried, then. Angry. But I promise he has no intention to take anything that belongs to you and your brothers away from you. He won’t ever do that, you know him. So let us please not be enemies of each other.”

Ha. “Let us not be enemies of each other”, and not “Let us stand together”, huh?

Xanxus feels incredibly stupid to have ever thought her clueless in and unaware of matters of politics.

*

Xanxus silently sneaks up behind the shrimp, but doesn’t try to conceal his presence from him. His bodyguard lets him, not alerting the shrimp, and so he startles when Xanxus picks him off his feet by the collar of his shirt.

“Let go of me, let go of me!” he screams in fear and panic, kicking his feet and flailing his arms wildly. “Billy-san!” He flares his flames, wrapping his hands around his wrist, and Xanxus feels the heat increasing against his skin.

It’s much too slow a reaction, but at least it’s the correct one.

“How many times must we tell you to always remain aware of your surroundings even at home?”

The shrimp lets go of his wrist, whipping his head to look at him, all tension leaving his body near instantly. “Xan-nii! You scared me!”

He pouts, and Xanxus puts him back down on his feet, rolling his eyes.

“I apologize, master Tsunayoshi,” his bodyguard says.

“Ah, no, it’s okay.” Xanxus glances at him at the same time the shrimp gives him an eloquent look, smiling, and he steps back to give them privacy. “I was paying attention,” he says, looking back at him.

“Shrimp,” Xanxus cuts him off before he can tell him it’s just that he doesn’t see him as a threat to him. He doesn’t want to hear it today. “Whatever you’re planning to do, stop it while you still can.”

Xanxus failed to knock some sense in the mother, but maybe the son will fucking listen.

Or maybe not, a serious and determined look taking over the shrimp’s face.

“I just—”

“Want friends, yes, yes,” he parrots mockingly. “But you want a family too, don’t you?”

The shrimp frowns, before some sort of realization dawns on him. He shakes his head. “No, not like that.” Xanxus’ brow twitches. What does that mean? Maybe he also was missing some nuance when talking to Nana. “Xan-nii—” He steps forwards, but stops himself from reaching out to him. “Home doesn’t have to only be Vongola, does it?” he says softly, carefully, watching out for his reaction. “And family either.”

Right. Xanxus wasn’t missing anything, but he sure as fuck still doesn’t get it.

Vongola is the first home he’s ever had. Maybe not family too, but sure as hell family in the way everyone else means it.

Rico’s the one who constantly stayed by his side for days on end after his first kill, even sleeping with him, and refusing to leave no matter how many times or how violently Xanxus snapped at him until he could finally eat with his hands without throwing up the food right after.

Max’s the one who taught him he didn’t have to get rid of his temper, only had to learn to control it to help him get the things he wants faster and easier, and he never let it make him cower from him all the while.

Richie’s the one who taught him about pride, who looked at a pathetic boy from the slums with only a delusional mother for family and told him he was allowed pride too, especially considering how hard he was working for it.

The old man is the one who took him in and out of the slums.

Vongola is the only home Xanxus wants and gives a shit about.

“You think you’re so much fucking better than us.”

The shrimp steps back, frowning, confused. “That’s not true. I like you, Xan-nii. You always look at me even if I don’t make you. You always look at people, and I like that.” Xanxus would feel guilty if he was a better person. That’s just survival, something he picked up from the slums and proved useful in the Vongola mansion too, so of course he kept it and sharpened it. “I like Rico-nii, Max-nii and Richi-nii too. Grandpa too. I just…”

Xanxus bristles at the worried look he gives him, tensing. He never could get used to the perceptiveness that apparently runs through their blood. Some dumb fuck called it hyper intuition, as if there’s something mystical or supernatural to it when it’s just a matter of knowing people and paying attention to them, but it does always put him the most on edge when coming from the shrimp.

Nana said the old man should officially announce his successor any day now.

He should, but he has yet to do it even if Xanxus is the only and obvious choice to make.

He’s been the most favorite Vongola Decimo candidate for a year now, give or take, which is no fucking easy feat when his brothers have been fighting him tooth and nails all along to replace him in that position. But he’s been holding on strong, yet the old man is still clearly hesitating.

Xanxus still has to find any of his Guardians compared to his brothers. Though as far as Vongola and the mafia at large know, he already has the six of them and it’s just a matter of him making it official, if for no other reason than because he got sick of all those trashes throwing themselves at him in the hope of becoming his Guardian. Obviously the old man wouldn’t be fooled by it, but it still doesn’t explain it. It’s not like they’d do the passing of the rings right after announcing the official successor, and it’s not as if Xanxus hasn’t been searching for his Guardians.

The fuck else can Xanxus do to finally be enough in the old man’s eyes too? To receive the same look he sometimes gives the shrimp, and the same look of approval and pride he gives to his brothers?

He wishes he knew.

He already tried everything and succeed at them.

He wishes the old man would just tell him what it is, but the longer he doesn’t, even now, the more resolved Xanxus becomes to find out himself.

The shrimp grabs his hand, obviously growing uneasy at his silence. “Xan-nii. I don’t care about Vongola, I swear. You can have it.”

He doesn’t fucking say.

Xanxus wishes he’d care.

You’re careful about the things you do to something you care about, careful not to end up breaking them.

“So you’re saying you could take it from us if you wanted to?”

The shrimp falters, loosening his hold on his hand. “No, that’s not…”

Xanxus frees his hand fully, crouching in front of him. “Listen, Shrimp. Why do you think we try so hard to have people on our side and keep them on our side? The people’s will is power in and of itself. Keep acting like that, and they’ll make you want Vongola too.”

“But I have my will too,” he says, frowning. “I won’t let them.”

“Yeah, great fucking idea. And what do you think will happen to Vongola when you’ll fight about who gets to do what they want?”

The shrimp stops frowning, clearly not confused by his words, clearly getting the meaning of them perfectly.

He still only gives him a shrug, keeping holding his gaze, unwavering.

Because of fucking course he does.

This is now or never to nip this in the bud, Xanxus feels it deep in his guts. To nip him in the bud.

Federico be damned, because there’ll be no turning back if they let this grow any further. If they let him grow any further.

But Xanxus’ the one the shrimp first came to, bruised from the beating he got at school, and the one in front of whom he burst out crying. Xanxus had gone to his school the very same day, and it didn’t help him make friends, but no one ever put a hand on him ever again, that’s for fucking sure.

Xanxus’ the one he first called by his nickname even if he never made any effort to scare him less, what with his temper, cursing and rough appearance.

Xanxus’ the one he confesses to about how much he doesn’t like all his mafia training, education and upbringing, and how he often wonders what it’d be like if he was just normal. Xanxus mocks him and makes fun of him for it too, but apparently not in a way that hurts him when other people do the same.

There’s only ever been family to Xanxus ever since the old man took him in, but there’s always been family and family to the shrimp, and he’s the one who should know they were never meant to be made to choose between the two.

Xanxus laughs.

What a fucking mess.

[biggestthighestgeminiest]

Here are my combined thoughts about Barbie (2023) as I saw it on the 18th and have had more time to think abt it.

Some good, some bad - overall I very much enjoyed it, laughed my ass off, cried quite a bit, was enthralled by the set and costume design, but left feeling like some things were off and perhaps not accomplished in the best way. This will all be delivered in bullet points in a very chaotic and random way and is NOT ordered in importance omg. Anyways i love media analysis and I will probably not explain this in the best way but HERE WE GO

the casting was fantastic, everyone read the assignment and lived their campiest life, margot robbie was phenomenal and ryan gosling absolutely killed me with laughter, glorious glorious

set design, costume, props,, perfection when it comes to bringing the mattel products to life. bangin'

i had that stupid fucking dog that eats and shits. i lost my mind when he came on hsdgkhakh

the message of barbie being representative of all little girls is still very lost on me. the idea brought up when barbie speaks to the teens, where they tell her that she gave them unrealistic body standards- well this never really gets resolved at all. Yes there was a diverse range of Barbies but they were all still beautiful in a conventional way that adheres to western beauty ideals. every barbie has perfect hair and skin and clothes even by the end of the movie. and yes i guess barbie is supposed to be this "above everything else" sort of divine feminine beauty but is still not representative of most young girls. as hilarious as the line narrator's line about margot robbie is, it sort of knows itself, that it is showing us the most perfect looking women, but doesn't address it at all beyond a simple joke. honestly what will mattel do beyond this? i imagine people will be more than happy with this movie so they won't have to make any big changes. i mean their "curvy" fashionista isn't close to being fat, and i don't believe they will ever make a barbie that isn't conventionally beautiful... so this movie just sort of gets to say it's about accepting yourself without actual real-life substance if that makes sense? it reminds me of that cartoon of all those diverse yet conventionally attractive models, with diverse people who don't fit those standards standing outside that box looking angrily. what's the point of the film at the end of the day when not addressing all those people left out of the conversation? also made me annoyed that cellulite was still the big thing that barbie was concerned about, like really?? it's a bad example as people are coming to embrace cellulite and it's also relatively easy to hide, i don't think they would have margot robbie have like, idk, dark under eye circles or a double chin,, idk someone say this better than me but the cellulite thing annoyed me (as someone who has loads of it!!)

the plot was BONKERS and i for one don't really care about plot holes or cartoon logic. there were some things that made me overthink about barbie lore and then i thought to myself that it doesn't really matter. the campiness of it is more important. im sure it will deter some people but again i dont mind it being silly in that way as long as it delivers on its messages and themes, which it does to a certain extent

absolutely lost it at the you are kenough shirt, ljadhkglkhd

as i said in a previous post i predicted that it was going to be the mom who was paired with barbie. i loved the idea sm and it was very heartwarming

i CRIED when barbie first sat down and watched the humans around her living their life, she was so overwhelmed by so many emotions and it was such a simple moment of show-dont-tell and man did i weep :))

i LOVED the ken bits and i did feel as though there was a bit too much ken. especially at the end. but at the same time i loved the dance sequence. its hard loving it so much yet wanting it not to have been to prevalent. i felt like it took away from the barbies a bit which goes against the whole point of the movie????

um the barbie's plans of distracting the kens was... i guess reminiscent of all these spy or superhero movies where women use their beguiling nature against men to get the upper hand? like i am woman so i will flirt with man to distract while my team escapes and hooho it works :)) it was slightly different and not overly sexy or about flirting but it still had the same undertone. like really? the best way to get the other barbies out was to continue to conform to patriarchal standards and pump the ken's egos? surely there's a better way? yes the kens are idiots and turning them against each other works but it still felt a bit icky. i guess i just find this trope annoying being like... ok i am being taken advantage of men so i will USE the thing they oppress me for against them,, idk surely surely there's another way.

also America's character's plan of kidnapping the barbies and ... using very true and very valuable feminist lines to snap them out of it felt... weird? like what she was saying was 100% true but taking them out of context and almost using them as one liners made them feel less serious???? like making women "wake up" by just telling them about how the patriarchy takes advantage of them is just... idk. like in real life women who are indoctrinated and truly believe misogynistic things won't just wake up by being told such a line. and i know the barbies are brainwashed to forget their powerful feminist backgrounds so it's not entirely comparable to the women i just mentioned but... idk it felt disingenuous. i did laugh my ass off at the guitar scene but it still had that ickiness attached like..

i would watch this movie again, no doubt about it and i will definitely pick up on new things and easter eggs etc

mattel's board did make me laugh, perfectly casted and performed but again- mattel has its name on this. they know what they are doing. they know we will love this movie and not demand any change. it will still be full of men controlling the output of production. it will still put out products that don't reflect all young people's desires. it will still make products that uphold current societal norms. so having these buffoons in the board meeting just gets soured a bit when knowing these people will still be in power in real life....

the ruth bit made me cry and no i do not care that her ghost is just around. i loved it

the marketing team knows exactly what they are doing. the huge push of promotion made me gobble up all their interviews and im sure people will be buying all the barbie products. i am yet another victim of capitalism and i will thank them for it when i inevitably buy their you are kenough sweater

again i loved this movie despite all the bad things abt it. i love being critical of the wider impact of this movie while still enoying it as a piece of media and entertainment. i needed this movie and fuck it i want to go to barbieland so bad. i know i shouldnt. i love ken and think about ken more than i do barbie which is fucked up but the movie also played into it in a way,, as described before. i mean even ryan gosling being so iconic in all the interviews is adding into this lol. how many people are posting videos of him vs videos of the actresses i wonder.

also cockring ken. BUT HE WASNT WEARING THE COCKRING SO WHATS THE POINT EVEN???

the narrator was an interesting choice, personally wasn't a huge fan of it but it did somewhat fit with the rest of the cinematic language of the story so i can't say much about it

mattel knows exactly what its doing with putting its name on this movie. i think greta did a great job despite the constraints that mattel probably put on her,, it's hard to tell if the flaws of the movie come from the corporation's infuence or from the writer and director's creative decisions, most likely it's a combo of both. again i believe that the actors and designers and production team did a fantastic job with what they had, they committed to the bit. i would have loved for the movie to have been better, but it is still a great film in my book. as said before i would watch it again and would still enjoy it despite the flaws. the himbo part of my brain can shake hands with the media literacy one and emerge with an overall positive experience, yet PLEASE do not think this is the ultimate feminist movie, it is a step in the right direction, it could have been better, and i understand if you don't like it at all. but also i dont think it would be right to blindingly love it and call it perfect bc it's not.

[kriegertops]

This might be a kinda controversial take and opinion, but I haven’t really seen it addressed yet. And that’s that Sloane and Ocean’s birth parents deserved a lot more effort than what Ashlyn seemed to put forth. Putting your child up for adoption is a monumental, life altering decision. It is done with heartache, doubts, and probably so much pain. A parent does that, so their child can have a better life than what they are able to give them. Both sets of parents agreed to GIVE THEIR CHILD to a married couple, and probably with the assumption it was a happy marriage that would last. For Ashlyn to insist on adopting Ocean, to wanting to leave her partner less than a year later, has just never sat right with me, and speaks volumes to her character and mindset. And yes, children should be in a happy home with single parents versus an unhappy one with both, but to me, AH didn’t try anything to save this marriage or honor those parents who child she agreed to raise with her wife. I want to ask her, was it all performative? Are those kids props to you? Did you actually sit down and think about what it would be like for Ocean to have ZERO memories of his moms together? She was not only selfish, but cruel throughout this whole ordeal. One day those kids will know- wonder how they’ll think abt her then.

Hi Anon thanks for this ask. This topic has actually come up a few times with one of my friends that I talk to and I didn’t really know how to address it on my main page.

Those birth parents chose Ashlyn and Ali to raise their kids and provide a stable loving home. It’s impossible to predict the future but for Ashlyn to move on to a whole new relationship in less than a year is not only disappointing but also disgusting. Based on how fast everything happened I’m under the impression that Ashlyn just gave up and found the easy way out instead of sticking around long enough and put in the work to see if they could fix things. It’s hard to fix things and work on your marriage though when you’re partying and fucking around with your new side piece.

This selfish mindset though is not surprising after what Ashlyn said on the snacks podcast. Ashlyn made oceans adoption about herself. She literally said she didn’t want to see ocean in the hospital until the papers were signed. I’m sorry but if you’re hoping for that baby to be your child you go to the hospital no matter what. Even if it ends up with their bio parents keeping them. The child should always be the centre of focus, it’s not about the feelings of the adoptive parents. I’ve been trying to educate myself more and have been listening to content created by adoptees and one of the major issues is adoptive parents thinking about themselves. So when Ashlyn said that the whole adoption process was emotionally hard and all that and not wanting to see ocean in the hospital I was pretty disappointed to hear that. Those feelings are valid but at the same time they should’ve been at the hospital for ocean.

Additionally, oceans first year of life as you said wasn’t filled with the same loving family memories that Sloane got. Even just looking at the way Ashlyn was probably drunk and maybe high based of who she was hanging with and how she was acting at oceans first birthday

So at the end of the day how this all went down and how Ashlyn always finds a way to post the kids when she’s with them or use the kids as a reason why people should be nice to her and understand her desire to cheat just really rubs me the wrong way. Also Ashlyn’s whole narrative that two happy families is better than one unhappy one is so interesting because she’s acting like she broke up the family for the kids sake and not her own selfish cheating reasons.

Long rant, not sure if all this makes sense but ya

[simpledyiing]

Don't Stand So Close To Me ∥ P. Mitchell - part two

Top Gun: Maverick

Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell x (Kazansky's youngest daughter) Y/N

Word Count: 3.7k

I'm not really happy with this part ngl it feels a little bit pieced together and doesn't flow smoothly but it's here. Hope yall can find some joy in this... anyways happy reading babes and yes I'm fully aware its fucking late at night

Disclaimer: there's a skim of smut, also smoking bc I found out Tom Cruise smokes and now I'm obsessed with the thought of it. Also I harbor no towards Penny's character so please do not come for me

Part 1 Kazansky Family Dynamic Masterlist

–2 new messages - The Cradle Robber – ...

The exhale leaving her lips died in her throat the moment the notification floated across the pitch black phone screen, dread filled her veins as her anxious mind filtered through every possible scenario starting with the worse and working her way down. 

‘Is this a breakup text? No, he wouldn’t do that… would he? Did Penny get her shot at round two with him? Is he just drunk? Is this going to be an apology for ignoring me for days? Maybe he is just checking up on me?’

She feels like crying as the black lock screen mocks her of what was once in its place, the light blue skies littered with clouds surrounding her smiling face as Pete kissed her temple. But instead it was the black lock screen shined back at her, showing her reflection in the dim kitchen lighting. She can’t help but feel out of place considering everything was perfectly placed in the pristine kitchen, except Y/N who is drowning in her anxious thoughts. 

‘Just fucking open it, you are thinking the worse…. But what if I am right? But it’s Pete, he is always so sweet and kind to me’ she gently slides her finger across the illuminating screen 

Hey Princess, I know I haven’t been around much with work and all but I miss you.. Can I make it up to you please?

The exhale didn’t get caught in her throat this time but the anxiety still gnawed at her from the inside, ‘Peace or violence… he did neglect me for two days…’

“Mmm… I’m listening”  it was still peaceful yet a little passive aggressive in her eyes.

I could come pick you up and we could watch the best Christmas movie ever made

The smile spreading across her face was involuntarily but unwavering  “DIE HARD ISN’T A CHRISTMAS MOVIE PETE FFS”

I’m going to take that as a yes… I’ll see you in 30 FFS?

Most Christmas movies are corny, predictable, and boring, well this is exactly how their melodramatic love story started in a way..

~~

Christmas Eve at The Kazansky’s Household

“I’m just saying mom, why couldn’t it have been just family tonight? Half of these guys are from Dad’s work, what happened to just a small family dinner?” the sigh departed Y/N’s lips shortly afterwards, Laurie hummed in agreeance with her younger sister’s despair. 

“Sweetheart the holidays are about caring for others and surrounding yourself with good company, this is more for your Father than me.  Just try and act happy for him at least..” it wasn’t though, this was her mother’s way of showing off the house, her cooking, and her marriage to everyone. The dinging alarm from the oven broke Mrs. Kazansky’s pointed look aimed at her youngest daughter “Okay, fine.. I need to go finish wrapping a few gifts if you got the kitchen covered” the only response was a slight wave of her mother’s wrist. 

The stairwell came closer with each step until she turned left into the hallway leading to the backdoor, Y/N took a quick glance at the party taking place in the living room before slipping out. 

~

She hastily lit her cigarette as the cold nipped at her delicate fingertips, she inhaled softly as a small sliver of peace washed over her heated body. “Your Father would kill you if he found out” floated through the air around her, ruining her newly founded  peace,  Y/N turned towards the man sitting on the back porch steps “Yeahh and I don’t think my mom would take kindly to you smoking at her house either” a small hum slipped through his fixed smile, Y/N shrugged her shoulders before making her way over to him “hmm.. But how about we make a deal? I won’t tell if you don’t?” silence followed as his outstretched hand came into view, Y/N didn’t hesitate to slip her hand into his much larger one “Deal, I’m Pete by the way” she hummed at the sound of his voice but also the warmth that encompassed her hand “Y/N.. you wouldn’t happen to be the Pete that flew with my dad back in the late 80’s”  a slight nod of confirmation was thrown her way “Yes, I am that Pete but people usually call me Maverick” amusement danced across her face, this man sitting across from her was the beloved Maverick or better known as her ‘Uncle Pete’ even though this is the first time she has ever spoken to the man. “Hmmm I thought you would look older” curiosity plagued his features and laced through his words “why’s that exactly” Y/N’s eyes drifted across his face and made their way down his frame, “My dad said you didn’t age as ‘gracefully’ as he did, which was clearly a lie” there was an unusual wave of comfort that flooded her system, she wanted to blame it on the warmth radiating off of him but the gap between the two crushed that theory.

~

“I don’t know what that is if I’m being honest.. So I don’t know if that’s a compliment  or an insult, sweetheart” if Y/N wasn’t so appalled at the newfound fact, she might have blushed at the pet name “ohh my gOd, How do you not know the tropes for a Christmas movie is?? Heard of Hallmark before?” the only response given was a simple shrug “I’m old”

“First it’s not an insult, you just share a lot of characteristics of the main guy in a Hallmark movie” Y/N puffed out a cloud of smoke before passing the cigarette back to her confused counterpart “the key aspects being a mysterious yet well-known guy, who either lives some outrageous adrenaline filled lifestyle or a rather unnoteable one with some weird past skill that somehow helps at the end of the movie, meets this ‘out of this world’ girl, that either saves him or his business. They sometimes might hate each at the beginning, or just bump into each other at random beginning scenes, until they fall in love… and blah blah.. Y’know?”

“Hmm I think you know a little too much about these movies, though I’m curious what’s your favorite?”

“Yeah maybe so, but when I was little, my dad and I would stay up binge watching shitty Christmas movies… annd Holiday Inn, it tops everything… your’s?”

“Aww who would have thought that Ice would be up all night watching sappy Christmas movies, Slider would get a kick out of this... And no the best Christmas movie of all time is Die Hard”

From an outside perspective, the pair would have seemed crazy as they argued back and forth over such a childish topic until the back door swung open to reveal Ron "Slider" Kerner’s head poking out to burst their bubble “Y/N, your father is looking for you, maybe shorten your ‘puff’ break huh..” 

It was an almost comical ‘360’ Slider took when noticing Maverick sitting across her on the porch steps “Y/N anything he has said about me is a lie” the breath of laughter condensated in the night’s sky “Wow someone is either really full of themselves or paranoid, for your information we were talking about Christmas movies”  the exaggerated eye roll from the older man triggered her own before an outstretched hand appeared once again in her peripheral, as the mere thought of having him touch her again with those rough, callous hands, a wave of heat shot through her body.  She couldn’t help but feel disappointed as his hand dropped from her own, as he helped her upright. Until Pete placed it casually on her lower back as he guided her towards the entranceway that Slider just retreated from. Y/N felt her knees buckle at the sweet, confident smile he sent her way as he held the door open, the huff of breath forced itself into the air filled with the overlapping conversations taking place in the living room. As Y/N willed herself to take the first step into the doorway Pete’s voice stopped her in her tracks “Y’Know we could watch the best Christmas movie after dinner, if you like?” the laughter bubbling through her lips was the only confirmation he needed “Only if you sit by me during dinner”  she felt like she could die just by his smile alone until he winked at her... once again the feeling of overwhelming heat coursed through her system “Deal”

~

“Sweetheart, I’ve been looking for you, where have you been? Your mother is throwing a fit, considering ‘you disappeared on her an hour ago’... I think she’s being dramatic like usual but dinner is about to start, so shall we?” Y/N looked back over at Pete before linking arms with her father as they made their way through the dining room. 

To most people, they saw Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky as a calculated pilot with a cold exterior that was off-putting to what he considered  "sensitive" people but at this very moment, he was a doting father that was putty in his youngest daughter’s hands. As if she was the most important thing in this world, and she was to him. It didn’t help that Y/N was gleaming up at her father as he pushed her chair in, before sitting right beside her at the head of the table. The older Kazansky children couldn't help but roll their eyes in disgust as their father displayed his favoritism towards their sister so publicly, he didn’t even spare them a glance nor the people seated around them. 

~~

Present Day

“For the fifty time just because the movie takes place on December 25th, doesn’t make it a Christmas movie.. Don’t get me wrong Die Hard is a classic but not for that genre, baby” did Y/N end up staying up all night watching Die Hard movies with Pete? Yes, she most certainly did and she didn’t regret it at all even as the bags under her eyes throbbed in the dimly light diner. “Y’Know one of these days, you are going to finally agree with me on this, and when that day comes I’m going to say…I told you so” Pete’s gaze was blocked by the inside of his coffee cup, but he knew she was flipping him off behind the ceramic mug when no verbal response was given. His free hand lifted to entangle their fingers together across the table, a soft smile was sent her way as the worn cup clinked against the table  “I’m kidding it will be a lot more dramatic, I’m thinking an air show that spells out ‘I was right, Die Hard is the best Xmas movie ever” Pete could still understand her clear as day even as “I hate you” was mumbled between bites of pancakes, before he pulled their joined hands closer to place a soft kiss across her knuckles “You looove me” a scoff slipped through Y/N’s lips “whatever you say loverboy..”

~

“Hi, I’m Y/N Kazansky and I was wondering if I could possibly have Maverick’s surprise birthday here on Friday?” Y/N appraised the older woman behind the bar as she waited for her to turn around “Kazansky as in Iceman type of Kazansky? And of course you can, anything for Pete” Y/N didn’t know if the twitch in her right eye was caused by lack of sleep or the possible second meaning to Penny’s words “Yes ma’am, I’m Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky’s youngest daughter.. And thank you!” the giggle bubbling its way through Penny’s lips didn’t help Y/N’s involuntarily twitching “I feel like, Two admirals daughters walk into a bar would be a great navy joke.. Mm do you need help with anything for the party? I can bake Pete’s cake if you want” Y/N simply shook her head “No I’ve got it all covered, plus Pete just loves my cake, but thank you for offering I appreciate it” Penny’s shoulders fell at her words before correcting her posture once again “No problem, hun”

~

Y/N felt eyes on her the second she rounded the hanger, as she glanced through the rooms before moving to the next one filled with Naval pilots. Her eyes shifted between the group until finding a somewhat familiar face in the small group  “Excuse me Bob, I was wondering if you could help me with something?” Bob’s face went flush at the mere presence of Y/N before stuttering out “Y-yes Ma’am, wh-hat can I do for you?” the flash of her smile made his knees weak he felt like he could pass out as he gulped down the air caught in his throat. “Y/N, what are you doing here?” Until Bob’s moment was ruined, he was so close to hearing her soft voice response if it weren’t for Rooster, Y/N’s gaze shifted between the two men before settling once again on Bob “Hi Bradley, umm I was wondering if you could relay a message to Pete.. I mean Maverick’s students for me” her sweet voice floated through his mind, and stored itself directly into his memory “Yes I can-n do that for you, what’s the message?” his palms felt clammy as he pushed the gold rim of his glasses up his nose “okay this is a secret Maverick cannot know but this Friday at 1900,  we are throwing him a surprise birthday at the Hard Deck.. and I wanted y’all to be there” the nod of confirmation came shortly after that before he clear his throat with a “Yes, ma’am” the sweet smile mixed with Y/N’s hand resting lightly on his forearm almost made him hyperventilate “Please call me Y/N, ohh is it possible one of you can take me to my father’s office?” Bradshaw couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Bob’s fidgeting, but also at the fact that Y/N was throwing ‘good ol’ Pete a birthday party. Y/N’s question hung in the air before either could form words,  and just like that Seresin was towering over her, with his signature smirk playing on his lips “I can take you, sweetheart” 

~

The Kazansky’s put Operation: Birthday Boy into full effect, Y/N cringed slightly at the dreadful name her father gave the op but thankfully everything was going as planned when she received a text from her father saying “be there in 10 :)”.

~

Maverick was surprised when Ice asked him if he wanted to grab a few drinks at the Hard Deck, but his surprise soon morphed into suspicion at Tom’s unusual behavior. Pete ran through the possible reasons, ‘did he find out about Y/N and I? Is the Navy finally sick of my reckless behavior? Is he dying?’ but even as the uneasy feeling crept its way through his thoughts, he followed silently as Tom lead the way into the bar. 

The screams of ‘SURPRISE!’ bounced off the hard deck walls as Pete’s eyes shifted through the pile of familiar faces washed in bright lights until landing on Y/N, standing in the middle of the mass holding a large cake with candles scattered across the frosted top spelling out “Happy Birthday to the best pilot EVER.. aka Maverick ♡” He couldn’t help as the grin spread across his face, he honestly thought his heart could stop at just the sight of her in his favorite dress with candle light cascading across her cheekbones. She looked like she was heaven sent, as she sent him a soft smile before mouthing ‘come here’ before flicking her eyes down at the cake. 

As Pete came closer to Y/N he finally shifted his eyes down to study the cake in her delicate hands, the cake was littered with almost 70 candles “why are there so many candles on this? I’m not that old Y/N” his pointed look was cut off when Seresin shouted “Start Blowing Grandpa” Y/N moved the cake closer to him “Please just make a wish, I don’t want to eat candle wax”

~

The cake was cut, thanks were given and people started to disperse into their own little conversations, Tom listened absentmindedly to the conversation Penny was trying to hold with him “I don’t know Tom, don’t you think their relationship is a little bit weird” tilting his head to meet her gaze before drifting across the bar once more “Whose?” her smile twitched slightly at Tom’s inattention “Y/N’s and Maverick’s” hearing his daughter’s name however caught his full attention, raising his brow towards the older brunette as if asking for a continuation before the sound of giggling bounced off the walls. Ice steered his gazes towards the sound until it landed on Y/N,  frosting mixed with bits of cake coating her delicate hands as the rest was plastered against Pete’s face “I don’t know, it’s just something about how they interact and look at each other.. It’s unusual I think something is going on between the two-” before she could even continue Ice was leaning closer to her, with a fixed glare “Shut up Penny, you know nothing about Y/N or Pete. You are delusional and I will not let you slander my daughter like that because you are trying to make her the next Penny Benjamin, the admiral’s slut daughter” if looks could kill Tom would be six feet under, Penny’s jaw was set and eyes blazing with an untamed ire, the overgrowing emotion built at the sight of Maverick’s cradling Y/N’s face in his hands, eyes full of adoration as he smashed frosting across her cheeks and smiling lips.

~

“Peeete you ruined my makeup” was mumbled through the thick frosting and cake crumbs coating her lips, while staring up in shock at the man who is equally caked “I’m sorry but weren’t you the one that caked me first?” even through the layer of frosting he could tell she was pouting up at him “Let’s go, get you cleaned up huh?” as he guided her towards the bathroom, unbeknownst to them a set of eyes belonging to a familiar face followed their retreating figures towards the bathrooms.

~

Water rushing out the faucet filled the empty bathroom lined with shiny white tile  contrasting against dull grey stalls on the right-side wall, Y/N’s eyes floated around until landing on Pete’s side profile, as he wiped remnants of cake off his hands and face before turning to her with a wet towel “Alright, your turn princ-” was muffled against Y/N’s frosted lips before Pete hoisted her up on the bathroom counter, Y/N pulled back with a grimace “You put me in water” his fingertips danced across her upper thighs, until Y/N squeezed them together blocking his path to her lace covered heat “What does it matter, if you are already soaked… well probably soaked” the pointed look would have usually made him stop but the soft smile etched on her lips, pushed him to continue “please it can count as my birthday gift” her thighs relaxed against his hand instantly, the tips of his fingers brushed against the soaked fabric before pushing the ruined material roughly to the side, coating his fingers in her slick. Y/N’s hips involuntarily jerked forward at the action waiting for his fingers to slide into her but instead his hand left her body entirely. 

Y/N held her breath as she waited for his next move until the dazed state was shattered at the sight of Pete licking his fingers clean of her “Sweet as ever” those three words echoing off the bathroom tile, forced her to push her thighs together for some sort of relief…  Until the door swung open, the bar’s overlapping conversation along with a huffing Penny broke the room’s stillness “am I interrupting something?” Y/N fought the urge to roll her eyes at Penny’s faux innocence, the question was asked with such certainty as if she already knew the answer. Her eyes stared blankly at Y/N when “No” filtered around her “Oh good, well I brought you some towels to help with the clean up” Y/N couldn’t tell if the smile gracing the older brunette’s lips was actually genuine, that maybe she felt proud of herself for interrupting the moment or if it was a fake plastered on smile in an attempt to hide her indifference, either way Y/N couldn’t stand the sight of it. Maverick broke the tension by thanking her, before moving toward the towels in her hands. Y/n couldn’t help but laugh as Penny deliberately brushed her hand against Pete’s fingers that were moments ago covered in Y/N’s slick.

~

Y/N sat patiently on the bathroom counter as Pete gently cleaned the remnant of cake off her face, oblivious to the fact that Y/N was struggling with recurring thoughts, Penny’s conceited smile, the way Pete looked at Penny last week oblivious to Y/N across the bar, and then the worst one of them all… Rooster’s words on loop “everyone gets burned by him no matter what, he doesn’t change” She thought about bringing it up to Pete, but it never seemed like the right time, even during the movie marathon, during breakfast, or during the week leading up to his birthday.  She stopped herself each time with the same recurring thought “don’t be selfish, you are probably making something out of nothing.” the gentle tap on her cheek pulled her back to reality, her gaze refocusing on Pete’s soft smile “You okay?” She processed his words for a few moments, conflicted with telling him the truth along with all her concerns, or lie through a fake smile and a ‘yeah I’m good… she chose the latter option, nodding eagerly with a quick “Yeah, I’m good” it seemed convincing enough considering Pete left it at that, as he helped her down from the counter.

“Thanks again for the party, I’ve been so stressed out over this mission…that its just nice to feel some normalcy and spend time with my girl” the soft kiss pressed to her temple would usually be comforting, but she couldn’t brush off the uneasy feeling building in her chest.

--

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[angelisgonnastartchangingurls]

sean

sean was 24. his older sister was 26, and it was clear he looked up to her a lot. in his sessions in annie's office he spoke of her a lot, of following her example in career and in romance -- sean had experienced a few really toxic girlfriends and sought to follow the way his sister steph maintained a "low maintenance, low drama relationship" with a man she'd met in college. annie didn't think he really wanted that. he liked crazy, slutty women.

one day, sean came in fairly distraught and told annie that steph and her longterm boyfriend had broken up because steph had cheated on him. he had a hard time reconciling this with his image of his sister, and so he and annie talked about it a lot. at one point, annie asked him if it was simply the idea of his sister having sex that bothered him, and he said of course not.

"we grew up in a pretty sex positive house," he said. "my mother was always very openly flirty with my dad in front of us. and she told me more than once that they made love every night."

"why is steph your role model then?" annie asked. "like, if your parents have this ideal relationship."

"well, i didn't say that," he said. "my mother has always had a terrible temper. i would say that her behavior toward my dad is sometimes outright cruel."

"but then she fucks him every night," annie observed. "does the dynamic sound familiar?"

"i get it," he said. "my relationships are more like my parents' but i want them to be more like steph's."

"yeah, and steph's relationships are an illusion," annie said. "or rather, they create for you the illusion of something different. but she cheated on her boyfriend. it's all the same dynamic."

"we're all crazy," he said.

"i am too," annie said.

the next week, sean came in agitated again, this time because he believed his sister was engaging in "attention seeking behavior" online. he explained that he'd seen several photos she'd posted to her instagram story of herself in her underwear.

"have you never seen her underwear before?" annie asked.

"i have," he said. "but you know the entire WORLD hasn't."

"it's just underwear," annie said. she was already kneeling in her chair, and so it was easy to slightly pull up her sundress and flash her white, floral panties at sean for a moment.

"her underwear was less modest," he said. he explained that one pic had been a blue thong and matching bra, and the other had been a tank top and sheer panties -- sheer enough that he could see her triangular bush.

"was it a nice bush?" annie asked. sean laughed. "honestly it looked like the same as my mom's."

"so you haven't seen steph naked but you have seen your mom?" she asked.

sean looked bewildered by the question. "yeah." he said. "my mom is pretty casual. steph never has been."

"but she is now. i mean, she knows you'd see the photo she posted."

"i doubt it," he said.

the next week though, he came in and told annie his sister had posted a photo with her arm over her bare breasts to her "close friends" story.

"and so she selected you to see that one," annie pointed out right away.

"i don't know about that," he said.

"it feels like your sister is seeking a little more emotional intimacy with you," annie said. "she's probably very lonely lately. you should hang out more. do you ever hang out with her?"

"just as a whole family," he said. "i guess i could do that."

the following week, tom dropped by to visit annie in her office an hour before sean's next session, and fucked her over her desk. they'd been doing that a lot lately, fitting a lunch hour fuck into their already packed sexual schedule. this time, annie still had tom's dried cum on her inner thighs from the morning as he pushed inside her, groaning at how warm and wet she was for him, as always.

now, annie sat uncomfortably in her chair as tom's cum filled her stretched out panties. sean was telling her about meeting steph at her apartment for a drink before she had a date that evening. she'd answered the door in a towel. predictably, sean was scandalized by this. he said that steph went into her bedroom and emerged a few moments later in a bra and panties, which she stayed in as she opened a beer and chatted with him in her kitchen for several minutes.

maybe because she was horny, annie told sean he should encourage more of that kind of intimacy and connection. she told him to ask steph how her date went and if it went well to encourage more pre-date get-togethers. he did as he was told.

the next time sean was in annie's office, he told her that over the weekend they'd repeated the pre-date drink hang session, and that once again she'd been in a towel when he got there and was in a bra and panties for most of their visit -- this time a thong.

he'd texted her in the morning to ask how her date went, and she'd sent him a selfie from someone's bed and said, "it went very well; i slept over."

sean had done well in his response -- he showed annie the texts, and she noted that a tiny hint of the top of steph's nipple was present in the photo. she was very cute -- a skinny, bright-eyed girl with punk rocker pink hair, which was only just down past her ears. he'd replied, "hell yeah" and she'd replied, "that was the first time i had sex in three months" -- since her breakup.

"worth the wait?" he asked.

"i came twice!" she'd responded.

"hell yeah," he'd said again.

"sorry if that's TMI" she replied.

"it's not," he'd said. "i'm glad you are willing to talk about this stuff with me."

"when did you last cum?" she'd asked with a smiley face emoji.

"by myself last night" he'd responded.

"nothing wrong with that!" she'd replied "#selflove"

then she'd sent him a picture from the guy's bathroom, which was mostly stainless steel and kind of intense.

"this bathroom is like a butcher shop" she'd captioned it. in the photo, a counter top and sink was visible, but no mirror, and so sean had asked. "does he not have a mirror?"

she'd sent a picture of herself in the reflection of the mirror, which was weirdly off to the side of the sink. in the photo, she was visibly naked - covering her breasts with her arm, but her bush fully showing.

[forcebookish]

i know there's still 1 ep left so maybe i'm saying all this prematurely (i don't think so though bc there are still way too many things we don't know) but i really wish we had more questions answered and more of the loose ends tightened up. like...did mew ever find our about the full extent of what boston did? what video did boston show top or are we seriously supposed to believe it was just of them kissing for .2 secs? did mew ever find out who spread the recording? and what exactly happened between sand/boeing and top that led sand to pass around a sex tape just for some petty revenge? bc they could've done A LOT more with that and instead we just get some "he stole my ex" and nothing more. and now that boeing is in the picture it has completely fallen flat bc the viewers have no reason to care about him or what he did. and top's trauma? mentioned in ep 2 and never again (and maybe we will get it next ep but it is way too late...we should've seen him dealing with it from the beginning). idk i just feel like the show is supposed to be character driven but it kind of doesn't feel like it at times. and they should've spent more time focusing on that especially for the last few eps but instead we get boeing and honestly who the hell cares about his contrived drama that isn't even going anywhere?

agreed, there are a lot of unanswered questions that would be impossible to address in just one episode.

however, i don't totally agree that top's trauma hasn't been mentioned since ep2 - it's come up a couple times with regards to his being unable to sleep alone, but it certainly hasn't been expanded upon. the way it's been referenced feels more like a way to remind the audience of it rather than build off of it. tbh i think this is a pattern with all the characters' backstories. even ray doesn't get much more than "dead mom" lol

it is looking like they're following through a little bit, since i'm pretty sure that this

is a ptsd flashback. they're in bed, top looks disoriented, there's no smoke or fire alarm, and mew is confused/didn't notice anything.

(obv my predictions aren't always right! i was wrong about the nickboston teaser last week, but they're kind of a blindspot for me. i never know what the fuck those chuckleheads are going to do lmao)

look, it's a drama. i get that we should have expected that there would be at least some contrivances. clearly, they are inescapable. but it's still frustrating since they obviously had so much material that they could have explored but it has still felt like they've run out of ideas and added a bunch of padding near the end🤷‍♂️

let's hope some of these questions end up answered and we can gain more insight into these characters and what went down, because right now it's looking like they didn't bother to think through what actually happened with sand, boeing, and top :/

thanks for stopping by, anon! 💗💗

[juniperhillpatient]

ok, guess who has more to say about why I liked Stancy so much this season & where I think the show is going with it? this bitch. I'm late to the party so y'all got my liveblogs but now I'm like, thinking about & processing the season. & yes, I do have thoughts on characters other than Steve & Nancy too it's just that Steve & Nancy are more important. anyway. I feel like as much as it sucked that we didn't really see them interact post-breakup until now, it was almost necessary. They both had to grow & change apart to develop into people who could have a lasting relationship. As much as the love & chemistry were there from the start, they also had to grow as people before they could give each other their all. Also, they couldn't have shared too much screen time before it was their time again narratively because they're incapable of existing in the same vicinity without wanting to jump each other's bones. More below the cut because this got long :)

Steve's development & growth this season was a big theme. He himself outlined it specifically in his speech to Nancy about "crawling forward." Which is huge! In season 1 Steve NEVER would've been so self-aware or introspective. Last season we saw Steve & Nancy on separate adventures, both learning about themselves & growing. Steve specifically, had a lot of growing up to do. And looking out for the kids & becoming best friends with Robin (& accepting her rejection!) was huge for him. He grew into himself in terms of handling his platonic relationships & taking on a leadership role.

Nancy's grown a lot too, she's just not as talkative about it as Steve. Nancy is someone who's very reserved about her emotions. She's not afraid to take risks when it comes to fighting monsters, but when it comes to being vulnerable with another person, I think that she is. I do think that Nancy's romance with Jonathan, & his willingness to talk to her about how she's afraid of becoming her mom - of becoming complacent in life - as well as their adventures in high-stakes investigative journalism together - were important to Nancy's development.

I had honestly come to assume that Stancy was never going to be an endgame ship & that we'd be lucky to see them interact much in the future of the show. But as soon as they saw each other again this season the sparks were flying. Nancy is still not being honest with herself about her feelings or her relationship with Jonathan at this point but right away we see how she's curt with Robin thinking that Steve & Robin are a thing. Then when we really get to see them interact it's clear that all that chemistry is still there & that's why they couldn't interact much during the time she was having her romance with Jonatha. They're each other's first love, & that hasn't gone away.

But the thing is - yeah, they were each other's first love but also - they were never going to work out back then. They were both too immature & unsure about what they wanted or how to go about a mature relationship. This season though, we saw Steve take on a leadership role - something he never could've done in earlier seasons. We saw Nancy dive without HESITATION into the Upside Down to save Steve. We saw how desperate he was to help her when Vecna had her in a trance. We saw how well they worked together in The Upside Down. We saw them LITERALLY go back in time to when they were dating as they fought monsters together in another world.

Then, in the end...Nancy's still with Jonathan (even after admitting her concerns about the relationship to Robin) but the one focused conversation we get between them has him still lying to her, & her defending Steve to him. Not exactly promising for the future of their relationship.

So, here's my prediction for the final season: I think that we'll see Nancy really & truly overcome her emotional hangups when it comes to being honest about how she's feeling & what she wants. Again, Nancy is brave as fuck. The girl investigates murders & fights monsters & dives into hell dimensions without flinching. Something worth noting about Steve & Nancy's visions for their futures - Steve sees himself as a father, & that seems more important to him than any particular career. Nancy wants to go to a good school & have a career, & she does not want to become like her mother, stuck in a mediocre marriage or a life that doesn't fulfill her. Self-fulfillment as well as her education & career are the most important things to Nancy. I've seen some anti-Stancy people say that Nancy doesn't want kids, but she actually never says that so I'm ignoring it.

I think that we'll see more of Steve & Nancy working together & both taking on that leadership role they shared this season & kicking ass next season. Obviously, there'll be some focus on the love triangle. I know some of y'all hate that but I'm not opposed, I love love- triangles & I love drama & the Jancy vs. Stancy love triangle is fun to me. I think that what we'll find is that Jonathan (who I've talked about minimally in this post since it is a Stancy post) doesn't actually want the same things in life as Nancy, & isn't sure about their relationship. This season we saw how the relationship didn't seem to bring him anything but stress. Nancy will have sparks with Steve, OBVIOUSLY, this season has made it incredibly clear that these two are incapable of sharing a vicinity without sparks flying. And, well, I foresee more unambiguous signs of true love (as well as a confession from Nancy) next season! I wouldn't be surprised if Steve almost dies & Nancy gives an emotional confession at that point, which I personally would love :) (as long as it's just almost of course)