#if they're just like ''hey I am getting zero money for this and doing it entirely on my own in my free time and before I do like 50+ hours

[icewindandboringhorror]

Hrmm... Revising my game and I feel like there's still sooo much writing left to do, for something that probably won't even amount to much, so.. I do want to narrow my focus more (especially given my health problems seeming to get worse/less energy the past few years), but I'm not sure how would be best to...

I currently have 5 characters as the Main ones with full planned questlines and such, with each character having 6 quests you can do for them. But I haven't really started the writing for the 5th main character. So then I was thinking, if I were going to write 6 full quests worth of content anyway... is it better to allocate that time on just doing a Complete 6 Quests for ONE single character, OR would it be better to do something like.. choose THREE side characters and do 2 quests for each of them? So that people have a wider variety to interact with and sort of sample around (of course with the idea that, once the first version of the game is released, IF people actually care about it enough to make it worth the effort, I would then add additional content to complete those 3 characters stories as well)

-

SO... If you were playing an interactive fiction sort of game centered around talking to & doing quests for a cast of characters (like there's no larger plot, more it's just about interacting with people, every character kind of has a self contained story, the focus is just learning about them and the world and exploring the area) --- Which would you rather have?

(and of course it would be stated up front which characters have only partial questlines, so people don't expect them to have full quests like the others and then get disappointed, or etc. etc.)

Basically, is it better to just focus in specifically on having one fully complete questline? Or for there to be a few stories that are not complete yet, but have more initial options available?

[moonfruito]

Hey! I want to start jrwi, but idk where to begin. Any advice?

:D !!! oh the IMMENSE joy i felt receiving this ask !! i am about to ramble a little a lot - if anything does not make sense then feel free to ask more questions :))

the main campaign of just roll with it is riptide, a pirate campaign dmed by grizzly set in the world of mana, where the planet is nearly all water save for some scattered islands. the characters are gillion tidestrider, a triton paladin/sorcerer played by charlie slimecicle, chip, a human rogue played by bizly and jay ferin, a human ranger played by condifiction. there's a playlist with all the episodes on so it's pretty simple :)

i have found that my irl friends who have never watched dnd podcasts before have struggled to get past the first arc, around the ep11-14 mark, but i see from a peek at your bio that you're a critical role fan so you'll probably have no issue :) the earlier episodes are slower to start but they're still great! the quality does improve a lot as time goes, naturally.

there's also two prequel episodes for riptide which you don't need to watch, but they're worth noting if you want to go back to them after you catch up like i did, or you could watch them before if you want a bit of extra lore context.

that's probably all the information you need to get started, but i am going to give you some more information about the patreon campaigns as well - you don't have to pay attention to all this if you want to just keep it simple! i just feel like giving a full beginner's guide for no reason lmao

for all three of the campaigns i'm about to talk about, it is $5 a month - obviously not asking you to just jump right in and give them money but i do very highly recommend it if you find you enjoy this podcast!! it's a fairly low cost for a lot of great quality content.

prime defenders is the main patreon campaign, and it's a mutants and masterminds superhero campaign dmed by bizly. the characters are teenaged boys with superpowers, enlisted to help defend the world of prime. charlie plays william wisp, who has ghost powers, grizzly plays dakota cole, who has super strength and does martial arts, and condi plays vyncent sol, who's from another world and has people living inside his brain? i don't really know how to explain that one uhhh the first five episodes are available for free - won't link each because it'll clog up the post but here's the first one. decent place to start if you're considering getting the patreon, although similarly to riptide the beginning episodes are a little slower as they start around the same time.

this one i'd personally recommend watching after you finish the other campaigns, simply because it's the longest of the patreon campaigns, but it is very great! <33 it also has two prequel episodes which are for free - similarly not required watching but good fun nonetheless!

apotheosis is a fifteen episode-long mini-campaign where the players go around and kill all the gods, dmed by condi. peter sqloint is a human possessed by an archangel played by charlie, rumi is a changeling bard/warlock who is chasing visions played by grizzly and thanatos is a very intense and murderous war forged played by bizly. first episode is available for free, and it is essentially the compiled session zeroes of their individual characters.

this campaign is, in my personal opinion, the best place to start for patreon because of the shorter length and how easy and quick it is to get into. if this was not a patreon campaign i would recommend this as the best place to start jrwi, honestly, because the shorter length means everything's more packed in and faster-paced and it helps you get into the swing of things and get the satisfaction of watching through all of it, while also showcasing the potential of the episodes to come later in the longer campaigns.

blood in the bayou is a four episode-long call of cthulhu campaign set in galloway, louisiana in the 1980s, dmed by charlie, where three old friends reunite and discover their hometown's local horrors. kian stone, a big city rockstar, is played grizzly, timothy rand, a stoner still living with his parents, is played by bizly, and rolan deep, a lawyer, is played by condi. it is audio-only and has higher quality sound design and an original soundtrack. pretty different for the other campaigns but so well-made. good place to start with patreon as well! the first episode is available for free too <3

and that's all for the recent stuff! there were a couple other campaigns from years back that never got finished and never will get finished and some scattered oneshots but i hope that was all helpful in some way!! i hope you have a great time watching jrwi and that you'll fall in love with this podcast like i and many other people have! <33 really happy to see you interested - lot of love has been put into this show and each of the campaigns really are so good :) again, if you have any more questions then go ahead and ask!! i'm always happy to help :D

also if anyone wants to rb this for other potential jrwi watchers then feel free to ?? idk if anyone was considering that but y'know the recent influx of qsmp charlie fans might have some takers and the jrwi propaganda machine never stops

[witnesstheabsurd]

hey i own some of your older designs on shirts and some of the older designs are only available on printalloverme i was wondering if its still okay to order your stuff from there?

The real answer is - I really don't care. PAOM started out as a great third-party site offering one of the best profit shares, more options on their shirt design and higher quality than anyone else. Myself and a lot of other folks immediately opened stores there and I was excited to phase away from the restrictions in shirt design on sites like Society6 - it's no secret that i'm an enormous fan of all-over graphic tees, but also that none of the standard 3rd party sites offer 'em, so between that and the chance to make $500 a month instead of $80, it was a no-brainer.

I have nothing to support this but anecdotal experience, but my theory was always that PAOM started running itself at a loss with that margin and that quality in order to build a base/label as quickly as possible. They never intended to continue being a thirdparty site primarily - they wanted eyes on them so they could do collabs with major name designers and eventually transition to a label in their own right. The front page was always four or five diff collabs they had with big name designers who I don't think were even using their tools. This went hand-in-hand with the much more serious issue, which was that first their design tool widget broke and became unusable, and then I started being short-changed on my payments.

I had to email them multiple times to get them to release my share of sales every month - never came on time. Eventually I got tired of fighting them and after a certain point I just quietly disengaged from the site and let my sales drop to near zero. I haven't kept tabs on them since but in the intervening period at some point they stopped offering actual sales cuts for designers full stop - now selling shirts on their site gives you a "gift-card" allowance to... buy shirts on their site?? And these gift-cards expire to boot, so it's not like I came back to a stack of those either.

This all sounds pretty grim and it's multiple reasons why I don't use them, but the reality is - most of those shirt designs aren't coming back if/when I get a way to do graphic tees again (Which I *am* working on currently, ideally via a manufacturer rather than a thirdparty) because they're old, and I think some of the original files for them are lost even, so like their only record survives in PAOM's engine. I don't get anything from those sales - even if I was pushing them the most I could hope for would be like 15% off some other PAOM merch. But if you want the shirt, please just go ahead and get it. I really don't mind.

That said - if you'd take a look at my current thirdparty store at Teepublic where I actually get paid in real money and see if you like any of the designs there, i'd be very grateful! And if you're only looking for graphic tees, like I said, please watch this space~!

[moonlightsmasquerade]

Sorry I’m instantly sniping your posts I have ur notifs on and I’m too lazy to look through other tumblrs

That being said uhhh jonah am I right. Obsessing over MIM Jonah at this very second so please tell me more infourmationeh *looks at you with my big ole eyes* angst… fluff… the random shit in the corner of your closet… any of it

I'm so glad you love mim jonah... the silly ghoul

Before the story Jonah was estranged from their parents and was feeling pressure to "do something" with their life, but the idea of going into similar work to their dad or working a dead end job sounded like literal hell, so they immediately jumped at Adam's craiglist ad, after all, there was free housing and the potential to make money with a job that sounded like it could be a lot more fun than sitting at a desk all day was appealing to Jonah.

To recap what happened to Jonah, he n Adam went to the abandoned St Gabriel's church for an investigation, which ended up with Adam's shoggoth form manifesting, causing Jonah to die of fright and Adam to ressurect them, but Jonah's come back wrong

I actually haven't mentioned this yet, but like with vampires the "becoming a ghoul" part kinda takes a bit of time before it kicks in. After Jonah woke up with zero memory of what happened they thought they were okay... until he sees the strange discoloration on his eyes, nothing too dramatic yet, the whites are just a lot greyer than before. So weird but it hey! could be nothing. But then thats when the discomfort comes in, with sharp pains that feel like needles in their skin. Next thing he knows he's got sharp claws, sharp teeth, spines sticking from their arms, and the whites of his eyes are now black.

Jonah is not at all happy with the development that they really are undead, and now they're some kind of freaky creature that eats raw meat (gross) and they're really REALLY angry with Adam. Like cool you're resurrected but he still died and lost his humanity its hard to be forgiving of that!!! and he technically can never live a normal life ever again. Their friendship is on thiiiiin ice. A lot of Jonah's angst in this au dealing with this whole mess.

At least its ALL not terrible! They end up getting closer to Sarah, actually befriending Evelin, AND gets to be pals with Ruth n Thatcher! Some good from all these problems.

[fablepaint]

Hey there! I’m a massive fan of your work and I’ve been following for a while, only just recently found your tumblr. I was wondering if your still working on Umbagog and when/if it will come back? I hope it’s not a rude question I’m not very good with words

It's never far from my mind, but it was a labor of love that had to be put aside so I could literally earn money to eat. I've been financially struggling for years (consequence of the recession hamstringing my career just as I emerged from college in 2010) and if I wasn't breaking my body constantly to get jobs, finish jobs, and look for jobs (all at the same time), survival wasn't possible. No lucky breaks I found could solve the constant poverty cycle either. Most jobs I took, most the money went to paying off debt during the period I was scrambling to find work.

End of 2016, I finally had a nervous breakdown and had to pause the comic. It took about a year to recover any mental stability, all while still struggling to stay solvent. I finally got some medical treatment for my depression, but it took years to convince anybody to take my physical and mental issues seriously enough to do anything about them when I sought professionals.

Within that space I had time for only tiny art pieces for myself. Usually offhand doodles to express a thought. But it's still been mostly trying to finish commissions taken during emergencies and getting studio work where I can. Whatever impression folks have of me from the outside, I'm not a person who has ever commanded high enough prices on my commissions to justify the amount of time I actually spend on them (never enough money to cover monthly expenses). Any side work I did for myself felt like a betrayal of the clients who I still owed work to, like it was evidence I was "slacking off" or just stealing money. An accusation I've seen levied at many a struggling artist in the same situation as myself.

Often times there's a refrain you hear about working artists, especially independent ones. "There's someone in the background helping them out financially until they make it big". I won't say I have received NO assistance. I have friends and family that have, on occasion, helped me during especially dire times. But it's not something I am able to lean on consistently. They're struggling too. And between me and my partner, we've switched places as "breadwinner" very frequently. We're both serial job-hunters. Nobody keeps us for long. Job over, you're gone. Quality of work be damned.

Applying for non-art jobs didn't work either. Zero coffee shop jobs or retail work wanted me. Delivery and taxi gigs paid less than what I was making doing furry commissions, while costing me more in gas and car repair.

Passive income sources like print-on-demand services netted me maybe 20 or 30 USD annually, at best.

Merch I invested money into or made myself simply didn't sell. Nobody comes to me looking for charms, sculptures, or anything else I could premake and sell at volume.

So I had zero alternatives.

At some point I said "fuck it, if I'm working this hard and dying for it, I might as well start pursuing indie as more than a side job and instead as the only reliable thing I have". But investing in yourself when you have so little left means everything takes an excruciatingly long time to compose. And it still meant seeking out commissions, but I had to do a very expensive move (which left me in even more enormous debt) and take on more roomates just to get to a place where that was a remote possibility. And the possibility was simply "a place where my brain will be less on fire".

When will Umbagog come back? It'll come back when I am no longer drowning.

When will that happen? That's for my audience to determine.

[yukipri]

Hey! I'm a patreon subscriber and just saw your merch post. Everything looks AMAZING. I was just wondering if you've ever considered selling any of your potential leftover merch online? Bc I am not in NY rn but I would *kill* for some of your stickers and a few tote bags lmao.

Sorry if you've answered this before! Either way, just wanted to say it all looks great and I hope you have a great time at the con!

Thanks so much for your support on Patreon, and for liking my Patreon sneak peeks at my Anime NYC merch!

As stated on the Patreon post, assuming the stickers turn out well, there's a good chance that they will be included in some future promotions (perhaps not the specific stickers made for the con, but some stickers). However, because production/shipping costs makes them significantly more expensive than my postcards, they will be on the appropriate Tiers to reflect that base cost.

Other merch that cannot be included in standard flat envelopes with stamps postage are a lot more complicated. I currently do not have the bandwidth to manage shipping things, especially not managing an online store and the vast number of tasks that entails. Even attempting to do so would mean I would need to halt all of my digital content so I have the time to handle that.

That would mean zero new art. Zero new fic chapters. Zero nothing.

I would maybe need to take one month, possibly two months off to figure out an online store. I tried once before, and it was incredibly stressful and I never got to opening, and that was before I had my current very demanding job. I would assume many of my patrons would drop during my time away due to lack of content, and in addition to a store costing money to run, and the amount of money i would need to invest in product packaging/label print/everything, it would put me in a bad place financially, physically, and mentally.

In addition to that, taking that much time away from my current projects runs the very real risk of me ditching them. Without an outlet for my stories, my enthusiasm for them will wither rapidly. So there's a decent chance that I will ditch most if not all of my current ongoing AUs. If the experience is miserable enough, I may just drop my current fandom entirely to get away from the association...

Plus like. Making art and fic is what I love. I hate business and figuring out new systems and handling money and shipping and going to the post office. i would be miserable ;_; Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.

All of this to say, again, while I wish I could take your money, snap my fingers, and get any merch I choose to make into your hands, it unfortunately is more complicated than that, and I currently just don't think I have the bandwidth to handle a store. If I could quit my day job, sure! Might be possible. But alas, while I am deeply appreciative for all the support on Patreon and it helps immensely, I do not make enough on it to live by it alone.

I understand that some artists manage to have an online store, and I feel immense respect for their abilities to manage it and gratitude for their effort, which I too have benefited from by being able to purchase from them. But in the end, not all artists are the same. Perhaps they don't produce as much regular digital content as me, or perhaps they don't have a day job, or perhaps they have people who can help them. Perhaps their circumstances are the same as mine or worse, and I just can't manage my time/am an slow creator. All I can say is I'm already working at the maximum capacity of what I personally can handle, and unfortunately there's no wiggle room for a project as vast as an online store.

(this is not me asking for advice on how to start a shop, or looking for people to reassure me it's easy. That's wonderful for you, but again I don't think I can manage it atm)

If it's just leftovers of merch from the con and they're in the single digits, I may be able to reach out to patrons on a case by case basis, and just send Paypal invoices rather than opening a store proper. But I also intentionally chose designs and fandoms that do not age out and merch that stores well, so it may be better for me to keep my extra stock for my next con. We'll see how it looks after I get the merch in hand, and the situation after the con!

I may also feel more optimistic at a later date, but right now I am extremely stressed, frazzled, and tired from combo of Clonetober + preparing for ANYC next month, so just the idea of a store is...Very Bad ^ ^;

I will try to update my inprint next month though, so that all of my prints available at ANYC will be there online too!

Apologies for the long response, but I hope this clarifies my current situation and the possibility of merch online. I really wish I could do more, but I am just a single creator, who is not at all well off, who is juggling a full time job + full time content creation, and whose mental/physical state is always one sneeze away from shattering. I wish my circumstances were good enough that I could accomplish more, but I'm also grateful for what I have now, and hope that what little I can offer is enough.

Thanks for understanding!

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

[masqsims4]

JILTED INFLUENCER TELLS ALL!

"Hey yo yo yo, what iz up, you gui-ez! It's ya boi, Gonzalo, here with a very very VERY hot take on recent events! You're gonna want to watch this video, cause it's got all you need to know! But the stuff you REALLY want to know, is at the end, so be sure to watch all the way through, comment and subscribe for more of this news segment: SECRET NEWS LEAK TIME!

"Okay, okay, so there's tons of juicy gossip over Queen La Croy in Brindleton. I'll get to her backstory in a bit, but it's true that she's fucking PISSED over the lineage situation! Yep, Queen Mum Winter doesn't trust La Croy, and would rather have her artist son be the King. I've got money placed that she's going to have the kid assassinated to keep the throne. It's how these things go, right? It wouldn't be the first time! While we don't have concrete proof of an assassination plot, we do have a grown-ass woman screaming in the royal halls, on security cameras, "I COULD KILL THAT BRAT!" So, who's to say it won't happen? And I hear you now: 'Gonzie, you're making that up!' Nope, here's the clip!"

((video footage from a security camera in the Brindleton Palace shows Queen Nifsara La Croy stomping through the halls, yelling to herself, and throwing an expensive vase full of flowers to the ground, before composing herself and fixing her braids before calming walking into the next room.))

"HA! BOOM, BABY! Guess royalty is just like us, a powder keg about to explode at any second!

"But lets get into the more exciting news! News from Strangerville! Specifically from the Botanical Garden researchers! It's a little known fact that there's a new research facility in Chestnut Ridge, deep in the canyons, where they're doing experiments to find an end to the Mother Plant. And the next rounds of vaccines have a super weird side effect. It looks like it makes some people PART PLANT! So the research facility is making PLANT PEOPLE! Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me! So, get your vaccines folks, but demand where they come from! If they come from the research center in Chestnut Ridge, DO NOT GET IT! IT'LL TURN YOU INTO A PLANT PERSON! And then there's the cow plants! AND WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THE COW PLANTS! I'VE GOT SOMETHING BETTER TO LEAK FROM STRANGERVILLE!

"Okay, so, we don't actually need to find the body of the Fourth Invasion Mother Plant's body to determine who it was. According to the quadrants of the exact spot of ground zero, it was in the residence of Aldo Xesuvixes, the head of the Federal Bureau of Spooky Investigation. Let's do a little more detective work. He lived there with his grown, adult daughter named Diamanda Dreildols at the time it happened. So, it's got to be one of those two, right? But if you ask me, lil miss Dreildols is our INFECTED MOTHER PLANT! Why do we think that? Well, think back to the Third Mother Plant. It was from a lady named Laguna Norwood, the adoptive daughter of Maleko McClure. See a pattern, folks?

"BOTH INFECTED WERE ADOPTED AS CHILDREN!

"What does this mean? What else does it mean? Little infected babies were put through the adoption system to spread out and be Mother Plants all over the world! But do you know what this also means?! It means that ANYONE ADOPTED OVER THE LAST GENERATION IS POSSIBLY AN INFECTED SLEEPER AGENT! And you wanna know who else was adopted? Yep! QUEEN NIFSARA LA CROY! Oh, this does not look good for Her Royal Temper Trantrum-ness, does it?!

"But it doesn't stop with her! There's so many others adopted into the royal family, and most of them came from either the SAME ADOPTION CENTER IN SAN MYSHUNO! OR! From Strangerville! I mean COME ON! Now that I see it, I can't unsee it, and neither should you! But I guess if the royals can't adopt their next generation, we'll just keep inbreeding until we get extremely unhealthy generations, AM I RIGHT? I AIN'T WRONG!

"Aaaaaand, there you go! That's all the news leaks we have for today! I'm sure I'll have more royal dirty secrets to spill until MAKENZIE STRANGREIX pays me child support! So remember, muchachos, no vaccines from Chestnut Ridge, and don't adopt your kids! Hasta~!"

[anexperimentallife]

EDIT: Removed the link because the GoFundMe is defunct. Thanks for helping us meet our goal!

(New post because I put the wrong year on the previous one. It is Sep 11, 2021, and this fundraiser was started near the end of August 2021.)

Short version: We are trying to keep our family together. I'm disabled and autistic. My gf (also American) and I were in the mountains in the Philippines when lockdown hit. Shortly after that, we found out we were having a baby.

Shortly after our daughter was born (still in lockdown), the project I was writing for was canceled with no notice, leaving us with just my disability and a bunch of debt.

Because of a paperwork snafu, it's going to take six months to a year minimum to get our daughter (born in March of 2021) declared a US citizen and get her on my disability, plus we're going to have a lot of extra fees from overstaying our visas (even though it isn't by choice), PLUS a bunch of other unplanned expenses. Even if we could travel right now, our daughter can't, and there's no guarantee we'd be allowed back into the country to reunite with her.

Longer version:

I'm autistic, have two spine injuries, and traumatic brain injury, ADHD, bipolar disorder, and CPTSD. Although I may not LOOK it, I am totally and permanently disabled. Writing fiction is one of the few things I can semi-reliably do with my multiple disabilities, but it's tough finding a paying gig at that, so for most of the past ten years, disability has been my only income. In fact, a big part of why I went into debt to move to the Philippines was that it's possible to live independently here on the pittance that the US pays in disability.

Last year I was offered a deal to adapt one of my old stories (along with a setting I've spent ten years on) for a mobile game. Shortly after that, my girlfriend (also American) and I found out we were having a baby. All good, right? It looked like I might finally be able to get OFF of disability.

Then we had three hospitalizations (pneumonia for me, and two kidney infections for my gf), and when El was born, she required a C Section, which more than tripled our hospital bill (PI has a national health care system, but we are not on it yet.) THEN my computer started dying--and without a computer, I couldn't adapt my stuff. But hey, no problem, because I'd have money coming in from adapting my story, right?

So I went into debt to get a new machine that was suitable for adapting stuff to a video game, literally DAYS before the entire project was canceled with zero notice. And I couldn't take the gear back, because here in the Philippines, if you pay with a card, you can only return items for store credit, not a refund.

Now, the rules for tourist visas in the Philippines (this is relevant): Permanent resident visas are expensive (and they're not processing any right now anyway), so most expats just renew their tourist visa every two months at the local immigration office. You can do this for 36 months, and then you have to leave the country for 24 hours to "reset" everything.

Covid lockdown happened shortly before we were due to reset our visas, and was still in effect when El was born. And speaking of El...

Fathers are not allowed in the delivery room here, and because that's where they ask for the child's name, and because Zoey was all drugged up from the C Section, El ended up with a name too long to fit on official US forms (and yes, we tried). This means we have to amend the birth certificate before we can even APPLY to have El recognized as a US citizen, get her an SSN, a passport, and put her on my disability. We are told that just amending the birth certificate may take up to six months, even after we finish jumping through all the hoops.

That's before we can even START the process of getting El citizenship papers, a passport, and on my social security, which involves a trip to and stay in Manila (where the Lamda variant has been spotted) so that someone at the US embassy can interview us as a family.

Add to all this the ever-changing travel restrictions here--special passes are required off and on to enter and leave the city where we live, with little to no notice of when those restrictions change--and it's a mess.

Back to the visa stuff. Zoey and I could technically leave the country to reset our visas, but would not be able to take El with us, and there is no guarantee we'd be allowed back in to reunite with her. We're NOT going to leave without her.

This means we're on the hook for much higher fees to extend the usual 36-month limit, PLUS once El is declared a US citizen and gets a passport, we'll be on the hook to pay all her visa and extension fees from the date of her birth onward, all at once.

To be honest, this fundraiser covers MAYBE a third of what we're going to need to take care of all this, but we were uncomfortable asking for more.

There's more detail I could go into, and more expenses that have cropped up, but this is already too long. Suffice to say that if something COULD go wrong, it HAS gone wrong. And we appreciate your support.

[little-fairy-forest]

i’m not sure if this will make sense but,

how would the bakugou, izuku and shouto react to their comfort character appearing in their world and getting to meet them saying how much the reader has helped them etc... but reader gets permanently stuck in their world (also has a quirk and stuff) and they end up together just like the boys have always wanted

if this doesn’t make sense it’s completely fine 💗

(i’m in love with your writing 💗)

🍀 Hello! I love your asks keep bringing them my way ☺

This will be quite long since I have a lot of ideas, I have many comfort characters myself so I hope I don't self project! x honestly this will be very long for each character for sorry in advance ♡

Boys meeting their comfort character

Bakugou, Todoroki, Midoriya

Bakugou

His comfort character deffiently comes from a smaller anime series, one that isn't dubbed in most language or the manga is only sold in a few stores with limited stock since no one buys them, so he's always eager to get his hands on them incase he misses a chapter

He first noticed your character when they appeared from a battle scene, nothing to do much with the main plot until further in the anime when they're more important, e.g. their backstory, why they know the characters etc.

He knows not many people talk about you since your not in every chapter which annoys him so much, "tch why the fuck arn't they in this issue? They clearly could of figured this out by now jez"

He has read small amounts of headcanons and scenarios about you since they isn't much known about you, he did like reading the fanfiction on the down low 👀...smutty or not leave that up to you ;)

So when he was walking down the street after going to the local manga retailer, casually reading something on his phone, and out of the corner of his eye he see's someone? Something? Moving and seemingly struggling after hitting their head

Being the hero he is katsuki makes his way over "you okay dumbass? Why are you in an alleyway?! Do you speak-"

Oh my god...its y/n no no the y/n!!

What are you doing in Japan?! "Hey?! Why are you dressed like y/n? You a nerd or somthin' " katsuki says as he steps back trying to grasp at the situation

"Cosplaying?? I'm am y/n? Where am I? Where are my friends?! What-" y/n stands up confused, where were they, how did they get here, so much going through their head

"Calm down idiot, your in Japan" Katsuki knew from headcanons that you don't like not knowing what's going on, so he is going to try and explain everything calmly...well he'll try is best

He tells you where you are, he has zero clue how you got into his world like what??? Your an anime character???

Either way you follow him around since you know absolutely know one else, have no money or somewhere to stay

Bakugou is freaking tf out on the inside, 'omg what tf do I say?' 'do they want to know who I am?' 'can I ask a out their world?' 'can I see if some conspiracies are true?' Katsuki was knocked out of his train of thought when you piped up

"So, do you guys have magic powers here? Like the ones from (anime)?" y/n says looking around "hmm..yeah there called quirks, mines really fucking cool look" Bakigou proudly shows of his quirk to y/n, y/n is beyond happy to see a new magic quirk, they want to train right away so they can practice with new skills

You and Bakugou go somewhere to train after he tells Kirishima he won't be back for lunch, Bakugou is fan boying so hard right now, honestly if he could just kiss-

Then it hits him..Bakugou is your only friend. Could...could he possibly get you to go to u.a? Like through recommendations? Who knows but he will bring you back to u.a for shelter and since Aizawa has a hard time saying no to kids with no families *ahem* anyway!

#timeskip#

You have been at u.a for a while now after Aizawa seen how truly strong you were. Since not many people knew you were from a small anime, you could just make up a backstory from where you are from and people will believe it!

Since you were stuck to bakugous side for the first little while until you were comfortable with everyone in class 1-a you started to feel something for the blond...and he deffiently did to!

How did you know? Well quite simple really. He never shouts. Has your name on his phone as a nickname, a nice one at that!. He will be your little body guard if your going somewhere new, takes any chance to hold your hand if your in need of help during training...yeah he is really simping....HARD

He asks you out one day after reading numerous scenarios online about how people think you'd like to be asked out. So he does it. He is 100% honest about why he likes you, about how you helped him through the villian attacks.

You were shocked! But clearly his resources were true since you accepted his confession :)

After that you too were little love birds known as U.A strongest couple. Awe~

Midoriya

Midoriya see's you as a side character from a 'slice of life' manga. This boy loves how you interact with the main character

Loves how you have no problem trying something new, like would you try baking a cake with him?

When he realises he is writing his own theories on your character in your own notebook about how you would help him- he realises how much you helped him...only if he could thank you

When he hears of a new student interning under Present Mic, he needs to see who they are, what's their quirk, quirks? Everything. He grabs a new notebook just incase!

So too his surprise he sees you...the y/n standing beside Mirio laughing! This boy couldn't move...All Might steps in to encourage him to speak to you

"H-hey there um, what's y-your name?" Midoriya says as he is sweating like he is speaking to his idol, ok no his love??

"Hello! I'm y/n l/n, nice to meet you Mirio here was just telling me about U.A, congratulations on the sports festival your quirk looks very interesting"

Midorya.exel has stopped working

YOU KNOW WHO HE IS?? LITTLE O'L MIDORIYA?!

Ok this poor boys soul leaves his body...the prettiest, confident, amazing person he has even met knows who he is?? Ok dream complete.. after meeting allmight but still!

"I-I.." midoriya couldn't get a word out, not before Present mic steps in "yo listeners! How about Midoriya gives you a tour? Gets I'm out of trouble for a while" Mic suggests "sure" y/n says grabbing their bag waiting for Midoriya to follow along

#timeskip#

After you two got along from the tour, You stuck around Izuku and his friends. You fit in just right!

Midoriya didn't want anything bad to happen to you since well, unfortunately u.a doesn't have the best streak at the moment for being unproblematic.

He knew you were strong and could hold your own. You proved that at the provisional licence exams.

He just..wanted to spend more alone time with you? So that's when Iida had the smart idea of Midoriya asking you out

"WHAT?! Iida I couldn't, what if they dont like me back?! I cant ruin our friendship! I like them too much, I love them too much-"

Love

Midoriya loves Y/N

This is when he realised he needed to act fast incase someone like Kaminari steps in, so he decided to ask you to hang out in his dorm to watch an all might documentary

As Midoiya was setting up the TV, he asked you to grab the blankets from his draws, but you found something else

"Midoriya, why do you have a notebook with me helping you with your problems? U.a has a therapist, ate they hearts-" "AH DON'T LOOK AT THAT!"

He's doomed...or so he thought

"Wait, Deku, you like me?" Y/n asks with a smirk on their face, midoriya sheepishly nods as he hides his face

The poor boy admits how you helped him through his hard middle school days and his new way of life as a hero student, you were shocked, but you couldn't help but almost feel like his hero

When you two started to date, nonone was surprised, seriously have you seen how Midoriya acts around girls? Yeah he had the same reaction around you but 10x more flustered

Aizawa just Hope's you can teach him how to not break his bones and be less of a problem child :)

Todoroki

Todoroki might either read fantasy manga's or some type of lovers trope, childhood friends, enemies to lovers etc

He see's you as one of the possible love interests in a certain series, he doesn't like how you are treated though

"Seriously? That's what he said to them? No I would of said __" Todoroki deffiently takes criticism to heart about you, no one and I mean no one is aloud to bash you.

Oh people think your overrated online? Well heres a 16 word.doc on why your wrong.

He always wondered how you would deal with him, would you find Todoroki loving? Could he be your prince charming your longing for?

It doesn't take long before Todoroki was sent to recovery girls office after training. Only some light scraps that needed to be cleaned out.

When Shouto opened the door to her office timed stopped for him.

Why on earth was y/n in u.a?!? How did you get here, how long have you been here??

This boy immediately takes out his phone too see if he missed an article where your character was based on someone in real life just incase your parent works at u.a

Todoroki please stop with the love child business....sweetie you have bigger problems ♡

When you were being treated the small amount of supposed amnesia that you had since you don't know how you got here or why you had a quirk

Todoroki cautiously sat down on the bed next to yours waiting for medical assistance while he wraps his head around what was going on

'Why were you here?' 'Are you as kind as your character portrays?' 'Is it true you like warm blankets and morning kisses?' 'Who are you related to? Maybe midnight you both seem-'

Todoroki is taken out of his thought bubble when antiseptic was placed onto his wounds

"Todoroki its unusual to see you here, normally its that Midoriya one who has broken a new bone. Poor boy might think if he breaks enough in a row he wins an all might keychain" recovery girl says as she cleans up Shouto's wounds as she rambles about Izuku

"Excuse me? Tokoroni?" Y/n says as they try and get Todoroki's attention

"Um, its Todoroki, but yes? can I help you?" stay calm, shouto they are right beside you

"Do you know much about U.A itself? I don't know what goes on here since I'm going to be placed in general studies until they see how strong my quirk can be and since I don't know anyone here could you tell me places to stay away from?" Y/n asks worrying about Musutafu since they don't know the area, and since they need to practice their quirk, battling villains will be hard

"Apologies I have class after the bell rings but here, take my number if you need to go anywhere I'll take you my quirks are quite strong. I can help you get stronger to protect yourself"

Shouto knows what he's doing, after you both wander Musutafu and you can get use to your quirk your 'learning Musutafu' adventures became 'best cafe dates'

People realised you were together when the paparazzi caught you two sharing Mochi on a park bench in the park near a koi pond one spring day, your classmates freaked!

Like how did they not know? Who were you? Why are you so good looking??

Also Todoroki made sure to tell you around the time you met Rei just how much you helped him deal with his emotions and how you helped him cope with the stress of changes in his life

"Sho you know I'm always here, I'm getting the hang of not being in my world anymore but I wouldn't want to go back since you wouldn't be there" y/n places a kiss on shouto's neck

"Thank you love, but I still want to test out some things I read about you" "hmm? Like what?" You say curiously "well do you have a mole by your priv-" "SHOUTO!"

Apologies for this taking so long! I had a migraine and I wasn't feeling too well in general :(

I love your requests feel free to leave more!

I have some time after next week to really bulk post so even if it's a small ask still send it my way!

-> masterlist

[theblogtini]

"Did you ever think that their fall from grace would be as fast as this"

So when they first got married, had everything worked out great, they probably would've stopped dominating headlines, being in the news 24/7 like they were, when George went to university because then he would be reported on like crazy, just like with William. So about 12-13 years and it wouldn't have been a "fall from grace," just a "everyone likes them but they just aren't the most reported on now" like Edward and Sophie.

When they stepped back in January, I assumed that this timeline would be pushed forward a few years, so maybe 8 years or so? When they announced Netflix and Spotify, I thought that would be their way of staying relevant because COVID had shown that they weren't able to do so without being royal. And it still wouldn't have been a "fall from grace."

Now though, I would say they would be lucky if this doesn't happen by the end of next year. And that's the latest I would push it, honestly thinking it will be end of this year. The people have gotten all the drama they're going to get. So they don't care.

Looking back, I have no idea why they did the Oprah interview how they did it. Not what they said, (well, telling the truth would've been better bc then the press has less to object to, but then it wouldn't have been a very interesting interview) but why they didn't come out with podcasts and Netflix news. The world has a pretty short attention span and you HAVE to capitalize on it. Had they released content or launched a social media there would have been VERY different results for them and the BRF. But they pretty much just did the interview and disappeared (while the royals kept on carrying on) until Philip died (which made H/M look terrible bc it was obviously not unexpected- and gave the RF a lot of support) and then Harry did Dax and Oprah, which honestly weren't good looks for them. And then they named their kid for the Queen (which left people's heads spinning) and then disappeared again.

And we aren't supposed to get Netflix content anytime soon. They don't even have a set title or content director for the animated program. The recycled Invictus doc is about the May (?) 2022 games so filming for that won't wrap until at least next summer, with post-production the absolute earliest it could be released would be early 2023. This is why they NEED to use Spotify in the meantime. Maybe his book could give them something but it's not going to be released until next fall and I'm not sure how much support they're going to have then. People just kind of think he's spoiled and annoying.

IMO, New York/TIME was supposed to be their big relaunch, look at how much news we've gotten in the weeks since. But they are too late. And I (meanly) am wondering how they are handling the hard truth that is The Crown Always Wins Against Spoiled Brats.

Every single thing you said! The complete lack of content is mind-boggling. Like... they are being paid to be content creators these days, that's the ONLY thing they're actually being paid for - and none of it is landing anytime soon. You would think since they spent so much time plotting their exit they would have had some shit in the works. And why - WHY - is there nothing on Spotify? We know the two of them adore the sound of their own voices, so why are they having so much trouble with the podcast... I mean FFS I never was a princess who lived in a palace and traveled the world and was a Hollywood actress who is best friends with Oprah, Amal Clooney, and Serena Williams but I could come up with enough interesting shit to say to fill an episode a day if someone was paying me millions of dollars. FFS I could probably find enough interesting stuff to say if someone was paying me attention, nevermind money 🤣

But also I agree. The NY thing was supposed to be a "re-launch" -- a "look hey remember us, we're ROYAL" but as you said, too little too late. No one cares anymore. There was zero context behind the visit and it made no sense - it was just so weird.

[coconutshygame]

you cannot be serious when you say Lewis does all his activism for "show or social media".... even as a Max fan that's a horrible thing to hear. separate the man and the driver. Lewis has done so much to help raise awareness, helped poc in the sport and otherwise, and it's fine if you still don't like that bout him. just don't say untrue stuff like he does it for socials. that's not cool.. it's fine to dislike Lewis the driver but don't undermine the role of Lewis the person. he's impacted a lot of ppl around the world positively and it's very important to have ppl like him and seb in the sport.

Hey fellow max fan. I'm gonna attempt to explain my point of view. Promise me though that you'll read it all before you decide if you can see my point of view. Deal?

I agree with you. He has done sooo much. Just having that black person speak on black lives matters and show the racism black people go through. That is amazing. I will never deny that.

If you had told me 2 weeks ago that someone said what I said about Lewis, I would've yelled at them.

But.....These three weeks in the middle east just showed it differently to me. He first came into the media and said that he did research for 4 months about what he can do for the middle east. What he can do to speak about equality.

He said that he wants to help (look at daniel, he said he doesn't even try. And other drivers don't as well). Lewis said that he's trying.

And then.... after 4 months research, he chooses to wear a rainbow helmet?!!!!! FUCKING SERIOUSLY?!

Here's a list of issues that he could've spoken about. - Yemen and the starvation, Saudi Arabia has killed 130k human beings by starvation. And more than 20 million are dying now cause they can't find a meal - 7-14 year old girls forced to marry men at their 60s and 70s - Modern SLAVERY. Saudi Arabia like Qatar and Kuwait and UAE have slaves. It's of the modern kind. But it's fuckin slavery. - Women(in certain areas) aren't allowed to own certain stuff, they're not allowed to get divorce, they're not allowed to not wear black in the streets, they're not allowed a billion thing. - Zero equality between men and women. - The Prince holds so much power and money, he's harming everyone in the middle east. Including my country and my people. - Being queer is illegal in Saudi Arabia.

See, I'm not saying he has to speak about these issues. Nor am I saying what he did was wrong.

But he searched for 4 months and chose the one thing that the world already knows about Saudi Arabia. Tell me anon, did you learn something this weekend? Did anyone? Did you learn that Saudi Arabia bans being gay? Or did you, like any other person from Europe and USA already know that?

He had a chance to educate, that's what he said that he wants to educate. But he chose the one issue that Europe and USA will understand and already know. The one that will get him more recognition.

Imagine if he went and wore a helmet about Yemen...You wouldn't have known about it. So you'd go and read and maybe donate. 10 kids die every single day. Imagine visiting Nazi Germany and speaking about feminism. Or being around people fighting to end slavery and speak about LGBT back in the days in USA. It doesn't take away from any cause CAUSE ALL OF THEM MATTER. ALL OF THEM. But there's a time and place. And since he did 4 months research, he would've known that

Look..after all this, this might be just my anger talking so I hope I didn't offend you or anyone. But This, what he did, I believe did nothing to benefit anyone except for lewis hamilton himself. And that's coming from a POC middle-eastern woman.

[nashibirne]

Painkiller -4

Here we go again. The date was a disaster and in chapter 4 Henry and Ella deal with their feelings and get some advice, even if they don't want to. I hope you enjoy it - likes, reblogs and comments are much appreciated, so feel free to let me know what you think!

Paring: Henry Cavill x OFC (Ella) Summary: What do you do after a disastrous date? You get unasked advice from your brother and your friends. Warnings: slight angst, that's it Unbeta'ed! English ist not my first language, so sorry in advance for mistakes in grammar or spelling. Credits: The pics for the moodboard are from pintrest, except Jax's pic, that one is from a screenshot from an app (moments - choose your story). If I violate any copyright, please let me know.

Previous parts can be found here: Nashi's Masterlist

Taglist: @hell1129-blog @lunedelorient @inlovewithhisblueeyes @willkatfanfromasia @mis-lil-red @agniavateira @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @summersong69 @taebfada @xxxkatxo (let me know if you want to be added or removed!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4

Later that night when Henry was back in Kensington, sitting on the couch in his living room, having a glass of whiskey, he couldn't stop his thoughts from running through the night's events again and again. He was disappointed, he was angry, he was sad - he simply felt terrible. Kal was lying beside him, his big head resting on Henry's lap, enjoying a bit of tender love and care. 

When his phone beeped, his heart skipped a beat. 

Ella?

He took a look at the screen and closed his eyes with a sigh. Charlie. His brother knew Henry had a date tonight and now he was trying to tease him.

"Hey, supes...how's your date going. Already saved the damsel in distress? Holding her in your arms rn?"

Henry considered ignoring the message but he decided to answer anyway.

"Nope. Back in my fortress of solitude. With empty arms."

His phone started ringing only seconds after he'd sent the message.

"Hi Charlie." Henry greeted his brother not too enthusiastically.

"Hey, Hen. What's up? You're already back from your date?"

"Yeah...."

"You don't sound so good. What happened?"

"I fucked it up, Charlie. That's what happened." Henry pinched the spot at the root of his nose with his thumb and middle finger. He felt a bad headache coming. He was going to need a painkiller.

"She turned you down?"

His little brother sounded much too amused for Henry's taste.

"Well, we had kind of a Daenerys-Ser-Jorah-moment..."

"Ouch...she friendzoned you?"

"Yep." 

Charlie laughed.

"I can hardly believe it. But good to know even you can't have every woman you want. I mean normally they jump you before you can count to three."

"Oh shut up. That's not funny." Henry snapped, his voice loud and sharp.

"Okay, okay...I'm sorry brother. No need to get mad."

"But I am mad. Mad at myself." 

"Why. What did you do?"

"I didn't listen to my intuition." Henry said with a deep sigh of exhaustion and disappointment. "You know when I asked Ella out and she agreed my gut feeling told me to take her to a simple Italian restaurant, nothing trendy, nothing too expensive. Just a normal place for a normal date. She even suggested going out in Uxbridge because she knows some nice restaurants in her neighbourhood. But my ego knew better. It was like...make this date different. Take her to a place ordinary guys don't have access to. Let her see how special you are and what you have to offer...and my intuition was beaten."

"You wanted to show off to her" Charlie stated the problem in one sentence.

"Yeah. I wanted to impress her. Of course I chose the Aston Martin and not the Audi or the Tesla. And I took her to "Gianni's"..."

"Oohh...Fort Knox..." 

"Exactly. The food was great, she loved it, but she was intimidated by the atmosphere and the exclusivity. She was tense and felt uncomfortable and our conversation was dragging and uneasy. It didn't help much that I made a fool of myself, trying to make her loosen up. On set the director would have stopped me for overacting. And I don't know what happened when she went to the toilet but when she came back she was pretty jazzed and somehow distressed. 

And now she thinks our lives are too different, that she doesn't fit into my world and that we're better off as friends. Oh and she mentioned not being completely over her ex but that was probably an excuse to make me feel better. To put it in a nutshell, I was bragging and it totally backfired"

"But why? Bragging is not much like you."

"Honestly? I don't know. There's just something about her that puts me off. And that's crazy because she is really down-to-earth, humble and nice. I'm sure she's not the kind of woman that's impressed by status symbols, money or fame. I knew that the minute I met her. But I have this irrational need to show her what I've got. Maybe it's because I subconsciously think that all that's left when I show her the real Henry, without all the luxurious and impressive extras, is an ordinary, average, nerdy bore." 

"You can hardly call it subconscious when you can name the core problem so accurately." Charlie threw in.

"Shut up, smartass. That's not the point."

"No, it's not. The point is that somewhere underneath all these muscles and this superman aura you're still the insecure teen, who always had the feeling to be not good or cool or attractive enough."

"Oh come on, Doctor Freud. Don't try to analyze me."

"There's not much to analyze, Henry." Charlie sounded serious now. "You have this tendency to feel bad for who you really are. An ordinary guy who likes pc games, books, animals and sports. But that's not nerdy, it's perfectly normal. You're a home loving man in his late thirties who prefers a netflix marathon to a wild night out. That's not boring, it's what millions of people our age do. But it collides with your public image, with your looks and the characters you portray, so you play this role when you date women and they're attracted by the man you pretend to be, by all the glamour, money and VIP stuff and when you can't live up to their expectations when a relationship evolves it doesn't work and they leave or you leave or whatever."

"Are you done with your psychological profile?" Henry was annoyed and Charlie could almost hear him rolling his eyes.

"Not yet. What your little brother is trying to tell you is the following. When you're not showing your true self you attract the kind of women you actually don't really want and who don't really want you. Physically maybe but not for the real thing. So the fact that Ella doesn't want your jet-set self, that she doesn't like all the glitter and gold, shows that she's perfect for you. For the real Henry. Got it?"

"I don't know. Sounds a little complicated to me. But even if you were right. The damage is done. She just wants me as a friend."

"Then be a friend. Spend time with her, talk to her, show her your world outside the biz and when she gets to know you better she'll realize that you're not a poser and maybe there'll be a second chance someday."

"Mmhhh..."

"That's all you have to say?"

"I'll think about it, Charlie."

"Good. Maybe, just for once, you listen to your annoying little brother."

"Yeah...maybe."

*****

Jackson took a big bite of his slice of pizza looking at Ella with a frown. Ella had invited him and Katie for a crisis meeting at her place and they had shown up with lunch exactly after Ella's taste: Pizza and donuts. Ella had put them in the picture about last night and now they were discussing the events.

"But I don't understand why you're not willing to go out with him on another date. Why not give him a second chance?"

"Why would I? This one date was enough to tell that I don't fit into his world."

"You're just scared, he's really 10 inch." Jackson teased with a lewd expression and Katie started to giggle.

Ella made a face at him but she couldn't help but grin. "Why would I be scared? Have you seen your brother naked lately." She asked with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

"Eww...Elsie...gross" Jackson made a puking noise.

"You started it..." She gave him a friendly nudge.

"Guys..." Katie laughed. "Back on topic, okay? I understand Ella, Jax. Maybe his lifestyle really isn't what Ella's looking for in a man."

"You can hardly judge his lifestyle after one date. Maybe he tried to impress her and went a little over the top. And Ella, I'm not saying I know the guy but what I've seen of him on set was all humble, decent and very friendly. No signs of airs and graces, no extravagance.

"Yeah, maybe. But it's not just the car and the restaurant and his VIP friends or his job. I really think it's too early. I'm not ready for something new...after Craig." Ella nibbled a donut, shaking her head before giving Jax a shrug.

"That's bullshit, Elsie, and you know it." Jackson replied, his tone pretty annoyed. "You had zero problems fucking my brother only two months after the break up. And now you're trying to tell me you're not ready to date after one year? He wasn't asking you to marry him. He was asking for a second date. You have to be open minded if you want to move on" 

"Oh, stop lecturing me, Jax. That's not what I need right now." Ella got up from her chair with an angry snort. "I need to pee." She left the room and slammed the door behind her.

Jackson took a deep breath and rolled his eyes.

Katie turned to him with a soft smile. "We both know you're right about Craig but don't be so hard on her."

"I'm not hard on her, Katie. She's hard on herself. Why does she make such a fuss about a little swagger? He tried to impress her, so what? Isn't that kind of a compliment that he tried so hard? Truth is...she's scared to be not good enough for him...that's all. Elsie thinks she has to be glamorous and  extravagant to fit into his world. She feels not special enough, not beautiful enough, too average or whatever strange fantasies are running around on her mind. She is afraid that he loses interest soon but instead of taking a risk she chickens out and just wants to be friends with him."

"Maybe it's for the best...A bird in the hand...you know. I don't want her to get hurt…"

"No, Katie. You didn't see them at the party. There was this chemistry between them...it was incredible. Like in a movie, you could almost see the sparks and little hearts fly from their eyes. They're meant for each other. As lovers, not as friends." Jackson let out a sigh. He sounded just as frustrated as helpless. 

"Yeah...I thought so, when she told me about it. The way she talked about him, with so much enthusiasm, it was remarkable. But Ella doesn't see it that way. Or she doesn't want to." Katie shrugged. "You know how stubborn she is. And how much a cerebral person. Reason tells her that he's out of her league and that his world is too different from hers, from ours. She won't let us tell her otherwise. So just let them be friends and if you're right, if they're made for each other, destiny will find its way."

Katie patted Jackson's knee giving him a comforting smile.

"Yeah. Or maybe she wastes the chance of finding the love of her life and ends up on her own..."

"That's not our responsibility, Jax."

"What's not your responsibility?" Ella asked, entering the room, obviously in a better mood again. It was typical for her. Close to throwing a tantrum the one minute and back to cool, calm and collected the other. Her temper was unpredictable sometimes.

"Your happiness." Jackson replied, giving her an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to lecture you, Elsie. I'm just trying to help."

"I know, doofus. And I didn't mean to snap. It's just...let me handle this my way, okay?"

"Okay, at your own risk." Jackson got up and hugged her.

"At my own risk." Ella mumbled into his chest.

~~~~~

tbc

[dekuspet]

Oblivion - Part 1

Deku/Izuku Midoriya x Reader x Kacchan/Bakugou Katsuki

Part II here!

Genre: Angst, Fluff

"He told me he'll never leave. He lied."

-

"I love you. You're the most beautiful thing I ever laid my eyes on. I'll never leave you.", he said to you as he speaks between your kisses.

"We will make a family. We will make little Bakugous. How many kids do you think will we have?", he smiled.

You laughed sarcastically as tears started falling down your eyes.

"Why are you laugh-crying?", the man who's eating your pussy was shocked. Who is he? You don't know either. You just fuck around. Fuck with strangers. Then leave. No strings attached.

Afterall, they'll all just leave you. They will, you know that.

You continue laughing sarcastically. The man who's about to fuck you isn't horny anymore.

"Damn, kid. Go see a doctor. You're creeping me out.", he left right away.

Ah, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. You did it again. Is it because of the alcohol and your low tolerance?

Why do you keep remembering that shitty asshole? Earlier, you're horny. And now you're left, horny and sad.

You laughed again. Maybe you're really crazy. It's been five years. Five. Goddamn. Years.

You sighed. You force yourself to get up and move your ass to go home. Or maybe find another fucker to fuck? Afterall, you're still horny.

You have no problem getting fuck again and again. As long as there's condom.

No, it's not because you don't want to be pregnant.

Hell, you would want to be pregnant. Really.

"Little Bakugous"

Ah, again. You're real shit. You keep pitying yourself.

"You're infertile. You can't have babies. I am sorry Mrs. Bakugou."

You covered your ears as tears fell from your eyes.

Make it stop. Please. Make it stop.

"Aah babe, faster.", you stopped crying for a little as you heard your door bang. The two persons look like their about to fuck. You really can't see them clearly. You're to lazy to wear your eyeglasses.

Ow, maybe wrong room? Well, you don't give a fuck. You're leaving anyways.

You're about to leave, muttering sorry but not bothering to look at them. But the guy held your arm.

"Y-y/n wait!", you turned around. Now closer. You saw who is it with your puffy eyes.

Those curly green hair partnered with green caring eyes.

"I-Izuku! H-hi!", you smiled forcefully.

"Hey babe. Who is she? Aren't we going to fuck? Or will this be threesome?", the other gurl said.

"I-I am sorry. I am not in the mood to have sex. I-I can find you another partner.", the girl looked at her with disbelief and she slapped him as she called him asshole. She left right away.

"I didn't know you can be an asshole sometimes, Izuku.", you laughed a little. Izuku scratched his head.

"I-I just want to comfort you. You looked like you just cried.", he said. You smiled. He's still the same caring, innocent boy. You both sat at the corner of the bed in the private room at the bar.

They know what happened five years ago. Well, not really everything. They don't know you're infertile. They just know the decision for your relationship is mutual.

You laughed sarcastically again.

"Hey, are you okay?", You looked at Izuku as he held your shoulder. Am I okay? It's been long since someone asked you that. You got teary eyes. It's like all your emotions are triggered to be released.

"I am not, Izuku.", you cried loudly. He is hesistant at first but he hugged you. You told him the whole story.

"I am sorry Katsu, I can't give you a child", Katsuki is silent. He is confused.

"Give me space.", he said as he left. He didn't return for days. You let him.

Your eyes sparkled as you heard the doorbell. It's probably Katsu.

You opened it and you saw Katsuki holding a paper.

Divorce papers.

"I am sorry. I want to have kids.", he didn't look at you.

Your heart clenched but you didn't cry. You signed it rightaway. When he left, you cried until you had enough.

"I am here. Ssh. I am here.", those comforting words. Damn. You don't know you need those. You acted tough when you and Katsuki separated. So no one will worry about you.

But not until now did you realize that you need someone to lean on.

It's been hours of you crying. And Izuku patting your back. Izuku's clothes are wet with your tears. Then you stopped. You looked at him and you raised your hands so he'll face you. He looked at you with troubled eyes, like he don't know what to say. You kissed him fast.

He's shocked. So he pushed you lightly.

"What are you doing, Y/n?", he asked as he looked at you with different emotions. He is sad, confused. You rubbed him down there as he moaned.

"I know you're horny. You set it aside to comfort me. I am horny too. Let's just follow our bodies. This will just be for one night. We will forget it afterwards. We will remain friends, okay?"

"B-but I don't have condom."

"Ssh, as long as you're not sick.",you didn't let him respond as you pushed him on the bed.

-

"Oh fuck.", you held your head. It hurts so much.

"Good morning, Y/n.", you heard Izuku said as you muttered 'morning'.

Eh?

Eh? Izuku?

"I-Izuku!", you jumped out of bed as you remembered what happened last night. The blanket on your body fell and your body is exposed to Izuku. Izuku's jaw fell and he hurriedly turned around.

"I am sorry, Y/n!", you laughed at him. He is still innocent. He acted like nothing happened to both of you last night.

And you must admit, he isn't innocent in bed.

You quickly picked up your clothes and you moaned as your head hurts again.

"I bought medicines for your hangover. Let's leave afterwards and let's eat breakfast.", he turned at you and he smiled.

Izuku has a simple car. Of course he'll have a simple car. Even though you know Izuku makes lot of money because he is the number 1 hero, you expected this. Afterall, he doesn't like being flashy.

And maybe he bought lots of All Might Action Figures, even he is the current number 1 hero.

You both reached a restaurant. He removed his seatbelt and muttered a wait to you. He'll probably open the door for you. As he run to open your side of the door, a guy wrapped his hands around Deku's shoulder. You look at the smiling blonde with that red eyes. Bakugou Katsuki.

You know Katsuki and Izuku are in good terms now. Katsuki isn't bullying Izuku, and he didn't hold grudge for Izuku being the Number 1 Hero.

"Oi! Who are you with? You got a date?", Katsuki said.

Izuku is hesitating if he should open the door so Katsuki opened it. His grin fell as he saw you.

"Y/n."

You gulped. You feel like your legs are becoming jelly. You can't move. Izuku held his hand for you so he can pull you out.

"Kacchan, we are just go-", you stopped Izuku.

"Why are you explaining Izu, you're so funny.", you playfully hit him and you wrapped your hands around his arm.

"I'm so sorry, Bakugou, but I gotta snatch your friend. We're really hungry.", you smiled at him as you didn't let him say another word. You and Izuku entered the restaurant. You are glad Izuku let you drag him.

Katsuki is staring at you as you walked. You called him Bakugou. And you are with Deku. He is confused.

Why?

He has lot of questions. He felt like he is betrayed, even though you two already separated.

Deku doesn't know the bro rule.

Katsuki sighed as he left confused and angry.

You and Izuku ate and bid farewell after.

Afterall, you agreed that it's just one night stand.

-

Izuku become closer to you. And now you're somehow angry. He pitied you. That's why he's caring. You don't want to be pitied.

"Hey Y/n.", Izuku showed again at your agency with a bento box. You admit, you love his homemade food but you're both getting rumored dating as he always show at your work.

You pulled him and you brought him where no one can see. He is looking at you, confused.

"Look Izuku. Stop this.", you looked at him seriously. He looked hurt. He stare at the floor.

"Okay. Just, take this. I'll not bother you anymore. Call me if you need someone. Bye.", he left looking sad. Then you became guilty. You can't hurt this Cinnamon roll. So you run after him.

"Okay, Izuku. I am sorry. I just, don't want to burden you. You have problems too. And I don't want to trouble you with the rumors.", you told him sincerely. He held your shoulder.

"You will never be a bother to me. I am your friend, Y/n.", you smiled at him. You muttered a thank you. He smiled before he turns to leave the agency you're in.

"Let's meet at friday! Let's drink! Usual place!", you shout and he turned back to nod.

You both part ways. Your friendship with Izuku became stronger.

-

People gasp as Ground Zero attacked Deku. Kirishima and Kaminari stopped Bakugou. They all work at the same agency.

"Man, what is wrong with you.", Kirishima glared at Bakugou.

"That fucking traitor don't know bro rule. Deku, you don't date your friends ex!", Bakugou is loud. Fortunately, they're still at the agency and all heroes here will not betray them, probably.

"I am not doing anything! We are just friends!", Deku whispered.

"Fuck that friendship. What kind of friends meet early at the morning and eat breakfast? Remember Deku, bros before hoes. We are in good terms, man.", Bakugou is still angry.

"Y/n isn't a hoe. Stop being an asshole. She needs a friend. What you did isn't nice, Kacchan. She needs a friend.", Everyone's surprised as the Number 1 Hero glared at Bakugou as he left right away. Bakugou avoid his eyes as his guilt eats him.

-

You wake up feeling nauseous. It's Sunday. You know you didn't drink alcohol last night. You ran to the bathroom and vomit. You breathe heavily. Realization hit you after you vomited.

No this can't be. How?

-

"Congrats, you're 2 months pregnant.", you looked at the doctor, horrified. The doctor sense it.

"Is it an unwanted child?", she asked.

"No. I want to have a baby. But I am diagnosed as infertile.", you said.

"Did you get second opinion? If not, maybe the doctor's wrong. We have checked it Miss Y/n, you're really pregnant.",she sais as she smiled. She left you alone.

Ow what the fuck. You didn't have sex with anyone in the last 3 months.

Just Izuku.

You're confused. You are glad that you are fertile. But, what would Izuku's reaction will be?

You know he'll accept it. He's kind. But what if it'll hinder his work and dreams?

You shrugged the thought off. You walked to your car to visit Izuku.

-

"Deku!", Katsuki is knocking at Izuku's apartment.

"Kacchan!", Deku opened the door and let Katsuki enter.

"I'm sorry. I doubted you. And I understand that I became an asshole with Y/n. I thought I needed kids. But after we broke up, I can't find a wife. They're not y/n. I don't want kids. I want Y/n. But she is distant to me after we broke up. I didn't have time to apologize.", Izuku rolled his eyes internally.

"Kacchan, you should apologize to her.", I'm glad you're a dick so I can have chance with her.

"I-I don't know how." Figure it yourself, dick.

Both Katsuki and Izuku turn around the door as the doorbell rang.

Who could it be?

-

You rang the doorbell. You planned to say it at his face right away. You held your breathe as he opened his door and you pushed him in right away.

"Izuku, I'm pregnant.", Izuku looked shock. You saw blonde hair behind Izuku. Oh fuck.

"B-Bakugou."

-

Bakugou when he found out that you are pregnant with Deku's child even though the reason that you two broke up is you being infertile, add up with the fact that Deku said you two are just "friends":

[dtrhwithalex]

TV | Leverage (Season 2, Rewatch)

Rewatch of the second season of TNT's LEVERAGE (2008-2012), created by John Rogers and Chris Downey together with Dean Devlin and his production company Electric Entertainment.

In anticipation of the show's reboot / revival / sequel LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION coming to IMDbTV on 09 July this year, I am rewatching the original 77 episodes and writing about my favourite moments and things from each episode, season by season.

201: THE BEANTOWN BAILOUT JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 15 July 2009.

We here at the Rabbit Hole adore the Beantown Bailout Job very much (and by we I mean me). It is such a great season-opener and everything about it sets up the season so nicely. Also let me just say, I love the cheesy intro. I like to imagine that this plays on whatever website the clients usually end up finding the team. It would be so confusing. And wonderful.

This episode, of course, also introduces another of my favourite characters: Lt. Patrick Bonanno, State Police. And I am very sad that there is zero chance we'll ever get to see him in the reboot, since the wonderful Robert Blanche has unfortunately passed away last year. Bonanno was such a fantastic addition to this show and I love him very much. He is just brilliant in every episode he is in.

Aside from the introduction of Bonanno, Beantown is a brilliant episode for various reasons, but I wanna talk about this one most of all. John Rogers talked about this on his blog, I think -- not one member of the team can come straight out and admit that they need the others. It is the impromptu meeting at Sophie's performance that brings them together again (very much against Nate's best attempts). Only once they're at McRory's and Parker suggests stealing something to cheer up Sophie is when they all fess up and tell Nate that they want this team back together again. And then, of course, we have one of my favourite sequences in this entire show: Nate forcefully being bullied back into this family. They do exactly what he did to them in The Second David Job -- they get him to contribute knowledge to the case that they, allegedly, lack. And he knows what they're doing, of course, he's not an idiot. Well played, indeed.

I would also like to personally thank one Nadine Haders, this show's most brilliant costume designer, for every single piece of clothing she put on Christian Kane for this episode. That green sweater with the brown jeans jacket? All my love to you, Nadine. All of it. Also, uncharacteristically, Nate has some very good looks in this episode (the man looks healthy for once!) and I am unreasonably mad about it (actually, he has some very good looks this entire season).

One last thing: I would like to have a word with whoever decided to play the Andy Lange song here that Sophie's departure in The Two Live Crew Job is set to. It makes this first half of the season a circle. Who do I need to have words with? Who?

202: THE TAP-OUT JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 22 July 2009.

An absolutely amazing episode for Eliot but also very much for Sophie. They are the Conference Of Mom Friends, and I adore them very much, thank you. It is a fantastic episode for them individually, but especially also for the specific relationship these two people have. There is an amazing post floating around on this website (this one here) talking exactly about this episode and Eliot and Sophie in the role of protectors in their team, their family.

There are a few scenes here that I really like and really, most of them are about or with Eliot. I love in the briefing at the hotel that Eliot does not just dismiss Sophie's misunderstanding of wrestling, but takes the time to explain to her what the sport is about -- and she listens. We also here get a nice glimpse at the fact that Eliot teaches them certain fighting skills and self-defence techniques, which I just love so much. Just as Sophie coaches them all in their grifts, he makes sure that they all have a certain know-how in fighting and protecting themselves. It's so good.

I am also very fond of both the moment where Eliot brings Sophie to the restaurant to meet with Rucker, but also Sophie showing up at the gym at night to talk to Eliot while he's preparing for the fight against Tank. Eliot gives away so much of himself in this episode, and it is very interesting to me that the person he does this with is, continually, Sophie. The others may be on comms, and might be, for all we know, listening in, but it is Sophie he tells these things to. It's like Hardison says later in The Two Live Crew Job: "We trust Nate to make sure the plan works, we trust you (Sophie) to make sure we're all okay." While I would not necessarily call Sophie the heart of the group (that's Hardison), she is very much the emotional centre of it.

This episode is also just very lovely to see how they all take to an environment that is, for once, not big city life. Eliot takes to it immediately, which makes sense, because he probably is from a town not much different from this one. Parker, somehow, fits in immediately as well (I love her I <3 Nebraska shirt). I feel like Nate never has any issues fitting in anywhere, he just takes things as they come. It is Hardison and Sophie who have difficulties -- Sophie because she is, after all, a bit posh and needs certain standards met, and Hardison because his world of technology does not mix well with a small, rural Midwestern town ("Can't hack a hick" anyone?).

203: THE ORDER 23 JOB

D: ROD HARDY. W: CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 29 July 2009.

I occasionally see some posts on here that call what the team does to Charles Dodgson in 512: The White Rabbit Job the worst thing the team does to a mark. I have to say, objectively, I think what they do to Eddie Maranjian in this episode is much worse. Of course, Dodgson is a good person, and Eddie is a crook, but still. Objectively? This episode is more evil.

Anyway, this episode has some fantastic moments that I adore a whole lot. I love Eliot and Hardison as cops, Sophie's act is absolutely amazing, and I have a super soft spot for both Nate teaching Parker what he is doing, and also Eliot and his side quest of helping Randy.

I am so incredibly fond of all these little moments where Parker's eventual role of Mastermind is already being planted. She always asks Nate questions, if she doesn't have a part to play in the con, she is with Nate, learning. She says it in the pilot episode already: "I'm really good at one thing, only one thing, that's it. But you, you know other things, and I can't stop doing my one thing, can't retire." And then she does her best to learn the other things Nate knows. This episode particularly, how Nate explains to her how NLP works, that what he is selling is fear. Nate is so patient with her, too. I love them both so very much.

Eliot's side quest with Randy and his abusive dad is an absolutely excellent addition to this episode. Especially after the previous Eliot-centric episode, this small thing just goes to show that, at their core, these are good people. Yes, they are criminals, the lot of them. But they are not bad people. Things like this just make me think that, it had to have been this exact combination of people Dubenich put together. Any other thief, any other hacker, and Nate would have walked away from this alone. It had to be Parker, Hardison and Eliot for this to work exactly as it did. And Eliot looking out for Randy even though they are in the middle of a con, taking his time to make sure Bob, the U.S. Marshall goes to see Randy, is exactly something that brings this point home.

Lastly, I adore that everyone shows up at the court house when Eddie goes to find his money. He knows they all conned him, but they know no one is ever going to believe him. It's a fantastic gloat scene. And I also really love that Nate explains why this works to the others: "So, here's everything you need to know about criminal law. Every crime has two elements, Actus reus, the act itself, and mens rea, Literally "The Guilty Mind." ... Now, for escape, the prisoner has to both break out of custody and show the intent to escape. ... Which brings us back to our friend Eddie and how the brain reacts to fear. In the heat of the moment Eddie didn't ask himself a simple question, who would doubt his guilty mind?"

204: THE FAIRY GODPARENTS JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 05 August 2009.

This one was Bernie Madoff inspired, if I recall correctly, who was arrested in 2008, around the time Berg, Downey and Rogers were already bouncing ideas back and forth for this season.

There is so much to love in this episode! Where to even begin. Maybe with Parker replacing Sophie at the client meeting? Or Sophie immediately heading for both popcorn and the cookie tin after the breakup? How about Parker perching on Eliot's arm rest with her food? Nate's headmaster act? Eliot as Coach Brewer (red is a fantastic colour on him, thank you Nadine)? Hipster rich newlyweds Parker and Hardison? The return of my beloved FBI fools McSweetheart and Taggert? Taggert being McSweetheart's biggest supporter in his affection for Parker? Sophie and Widmark? The actual science-sical with all these adorable kids singing about science?

So much to love. Chock-full of greatness, this episode. Also Frakes, once again, directed the hell outta this. I love this episode so very much.

One moment that does, however, absolutely win out over everything else, is the scene at Nate's apartment after Hardison and Parker meet McSweeten and Taggert again:

Eliot: One of you two can identify the gunman, right? Hardison: Oh, yeah, sure. He stopped and let me take a picture of him as I was chasing him. Eliot: Hey, you know what, man? I've been around little kids all day. I don't need to come home and do all this crap.

That line, Mr Spencer? "I don't need to come home and do all this crap"? Home? Sir, we are four episodes into the second season, and you are already calling Nate's apartment home. Honestly, that boy has been invested into this group as a family from the moment Hardison hands him a check in the pilot episode, if not earlier. And I am very much here for all of it.

205: THE THREE DAYS OF THE HUNTER JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: MELISSA GLENN & JESSICA RIEDER (GRASL). Original Air Date: 12 August 2009.

This is another one of those episodes which, when I think about it, I am not entirely into, but then when I watch it, I always love it. It's a brilliant episode, but the mark rubs me in all the wrong ways and I think that's why my general reaction to this episode in theory is mostly "ew". Which I think is kind of the point, as well.

There is much to love in this episode, though. Sophie being Nate in this one, Nate being very wary of this concept and also having difficulties letting someone else take control ("If you don't mind, I would still do the 'Hardison, run it' thing" Nathan you precious little man, I love you so much). I think it's so nicely done. I mean Sophie has run cons before -- she was the Mastermind behind the First David Job, and she runs their con in the Second David Job as well -- but then she was confident, now she is going through things, on the brink of rediscovering herself for who she is. And of course, it bites her in the ass a little bit.

I absolutely adore Conspiracy Nut Hardison and his fantastic apartment. Set Design did a magnificent job here. I am so fond of Parker asking Eliot about the different things -- the council, the moon landing, Loch Ness monster -- and also very much the bit at the end where he and Hardison answer Parker's questions while he prepares food. That ending bit overall is just absolutely excellent and I love it with my whole heart. Eliot cooking for all of them in Nate's kitchen, giving Parker stuff to try, while Hardison sits there and sips his orange soda out of a wine glass. Meanwhile Nate pouring wine for Sophie, and then going over to her to make sure she is alright. For his slightly more sadistic streak in this season, Nate is so good with Sophie here. And honestly I think this conversation here is one of the reasons why Sophie feels able to leave them for a while. It is Nate's reassurance of "Whatever you need, I'm here for you" that lets her take this leave of absence.

206: THE TOP HAT JOB

D: PETER O'FALLON. W: M. SCOTT VEACH & CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 19 August 2009.

I adore this episode! The fantastic Veach and Boylan on the keyboard for this one (who, I've had to find out, are both tangentially involved with my latest hyperfixation, SHADOW AND BONE -- Veach having written my favourite episode, and Boylan being married to the showrunner), which is just lovely, because they are both excellent.

First off, I would like to, once again, give all my love to Nadine Haders for that Pizza Guy outfit she put Kane in for the recon sequence. A+ costuming, thank you Nadine.

This episode has so many excellent comedic beats and a wonderful many Hardison/Eliot moments. Sophie trying to set up Nate with their client is absolutely hysterical -- especially considering that she had just been broken up with and had been urging Nate to figure out what it is that is between them since day one. I especially love her attempt at finding things Nate has in common with Jameson: "She's a scientist. And well, you're a bit nerdy, aren't you? ... And food, she works with food. Well, you eat, don't you?" Like, girl, what are you trying to do here, really?

I absolutely adore Hardison and Eliot trying to get into the server room so Hardison can access the data they are trying to get before anyone can get rid of it. Eliot hooking Parker's rope to Hardison's belt, Eliot's complete awe at Hardison's ability to remote access their mark's phone ("You can do that?" Eliot, honey, he can do so much more), the two of them wedged underneath the desk, and then, of course, Eliot's huge smile when Hardison hacks the scanner at the door with the help of his gummy frogs. I love these boys together so much, and this episode has given me so many great moments.

I am also incredibly fond of Nate's magician act. That is a brilliant role and it suits him so well. And I love how genuinely enthusiastic he is about magic.

207: THE TWO LIVE CREW JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS & AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 26 August 2009.

This is an absolutely brilliant episode for so many different reasons. Let me get two things out of the way straight off the bat: 1) Where do I address my "Chaos For Leverage: Redemption" campaign to? and 2) Where do I address my "Apollo Robbins For Leverage: Redemption" campaign to? I want both of them back desperately!

Of course, this episode is important as a major stepping stone in Sophie's character arc. Because of Chaos and his bomb, she has to kill off one of her aliases which is the last thing that then leads to her taking a leave of absence to figure out who she is and who she wants to be. That scene in her apartment with the bomb is also just an excellent moment for the team as a family. The care with which everyone interacts with Sophie, Parker's instant pudding hack, Eliot's instructions on how defuse this situation, Sophie's immediate shift into protector mode once it becomes clear that the only real solution is to run and telling everyone to leave immediately, Nate staying behind and even when Sophie tells him to leave, waiting for her by the apartment door -- they care for each other so much.

I also really love the con-off with Starke's crew. It is so nice to see how similar yet different he and Nate are, and the same goes for the other crew members. I adore their individual confrontations a lot. Eliot's non-fight fight with Mikel Dayan, Parker's thief-off with Apollo, Hardison and Chaos' baby monitor fight. It just really highlights who our beloved characters are and what makes them them, now that we see them, metaphorically, in front of their mirror.

And then, of course, the actual heist is also just amazing. I adore that Starke chooses Nate as his alias to gain access, it is such a great move. Parker and Apollo talking in the ventilation shaft about birds is also just so lovely. And as an admirer of Eliot's arms, I am also very fond of his fight with Mikel. Good choices have been made, I appreciate all of them. The reveal at the end is also absolutely amazing. To beat them they had to save them? Brilliant.

Lastly, of course, Sophie's goodbye at the graveyard with Nate. What a spectacular moment. Also just, the visuals are so beautiful. I love the lighting here. And of course the return of Andy Lange's song, which is just perfect. I am so happy that this is the journey they decided to give Sophie when it became clear that Gina would not be able to be in the full seasons due to her pregnancy. They accommodated her so beautifully and gave Sophie such an amazing moment of character growth. This is why I love this show and the people who made it so much. All my love, to all of them.

208: THE ICE MAN JOB

D: JEREMIAH CHECHIK. W: CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 02 September 2009.

We love The Ice Man Job! Another fantastic episode by one Christine Boylan who we love in this house. Our very first episode without Sophie being there, and it's a great one. I absolutely adore how they worked in moments with our favourite grifter in a way that so wonderfully accommodates Gina's pregnancy.

I absolutely adore the moments where all of them eventually end up calling Sophie. Parker, hiding underneath the bar after Nate tells her she'll be the grifter in this one, calling her mom Sophie in a panic without wanting the others to know, but still needing her advice and missing her so much. Then Eliot, calling to complain to his mom Sophie about Hardison going overboard again with the grift, needing the knowledge that his concerns are being heard and aren't unfounded, needs to hear the other protector of the family acknowledge his rightful fear that things will go sideways. And of course also Hardison, calling mom Sophie so she can pick him up from the party help him out of the mess he's made, hoping against all hope that she'll be able to help without having to involve Nate. The others both had the luxury to ask Sophie not to tell Nate -- Hardison had no other choice but to let her call it in. Lastly, Nate too, at the end, calling his wife Sophie. And honestly, I love that Sophie drops her phone into her drink after the call, because Nate is the only one not giving her what she wants to hear. The kids, all of them, called with an "I need you" and that is the one thing Nate doesn't give her.

There are many other things in this episode that I love very much. The opening briefing, Parker feeling alone on the big empty couch, trying to sit next to Eliot, but he makes her move. Nate's big DadTM moment of "Eliot, can you please sit next to Parker" and Eliot's very long-suffering oldest child answer "No! I'm sitting here now."

Then of course Eliot and Hardison's two moments -- Eliot telling Hardison "I ain't bailing your ass out" and then when he eventually does anyway, Hardison's smug joy, forcing Eliot to sort-of-hug him back at McRory's. Eliot's unsuccessful attempt to make him helping Hardison a decision forced onto him by Parker, and Parker refusing to accept the "blame" immediately. Their whole dynamic this episode is just so good. Neither Eliot nor Parker being happy with Hardison in this role (Parker's refusal to ride with him in the Ferrari), Eliot proudly watching Parker do her thing over the security camera ("Stuck it!").

Lots of love also to Pasha Lychnikoff as our main Russian goon, who is just fantastic here, our much beloved Lt. Patrick Bonanno, and also Nadine Haders for so many amazing looks, especially on Eliot.

209: THE LOST HEIR JOB

D: PETER WINTHER. W: CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 09 September 2009.

Court-room episode, which means we have our friend Chris Downey on the keys here, and he gave us an absolutely excellent introduction for Tara Cole played by the lovely Jeri Ryan. Honestly, the more often I watch this episode, the better it gets. Tara is just so good.

Highlights of this episode include: Sophie's immediate "who died?!" when Nate shows up at her apartment in London, Hardison playing "Where is Waldo Ford," Hardison and Eliot in prison, the first appearance of Nate's lawyer alias Jimmy Papadokalis who wears brilliantly loud and obnoxious suits in outrageous colour-combinations, Hardison stalling Blanchard at court security with his keys, Nate's reveal of Ruth as Kimball's daughter (I am fascinated that he completely drops the character here -- he is just Nate now), and of course, the reveal of Tara at the end.

Honestly, this is such a magnificent episode to introduce Tara's character. We have just watched the team scramble and fuck up without Sophie, and then their next job gets more complicated because of this random lawyer who shows up. And she's so righteous and law-abiding and absolutely not someone they should be taking with them on their job. And Tara plays it perfectly. Her honest try at getting Orson to talk to them, her confusion about her "dogs", her excited smile when she gets to con Blanchard and be a bit dishonest -- it is so good. And then we get that complete 180° when the team finds her in Nate's apartment. Not just visually, but the personality. Her voice drops a bit too. Jeri fucking rocked this introduction. The reveal is so damn good.

210: THE RUNWAY JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 13 January 2010.

I have zero interest in fashion but I honest to God love every single one of these characters at fashion week. Fashion!Eliot is absolutely fantastical and I love him. Julien, my beloved. Fashion!Parker is very cute with her braid and even before she gets the model makeover she outshines every single other person at the event. Fashion!Hardison is surprisingly understated but I dig it. Tara as Caprina is also just excellent. And I absolutely, un-ironically adore Fashion!Nate. Jacques is such a character. Nate exchanged the usual "obnoxious and greasy" with "gay," slapped some would-be-French that sounds like German on top of it, and called it a character. And I love it.

I also very much love the three video calls with Sophie in this episode. The kids calling in the beginning, complaining about Tara. I absolutely adore both the "she's hot" moment and Eliot's "...and all the way to Europe?" when Sophie says Nate lets what is good for him walk out the door. Parker's little "I just miss you" before they hang up has me all the way up in my emotions every damn time. Tara calling Sophie to complain about Nate is also just excellent. The whole bit with Nate's "I'm sexy because I'm broken" thing is just *chef's kiss*. And of course Nate's call at the end. I love that Sophie hangs up on him, it is so fair, it is absolutely justified. And I think he knows that too.

So many great other moments too -- Hardison's Steven Seagal comment about Eliot's clothes, Nate's "Julien, sweetheart" and Eliot's little clap before taking the money, Nate and Parker at the mark's house, Eliot and Tara vs the Triads, Eliot and Parker at fashion week together ("It's a fashion show, not Thieves'R'Us"), and of course Tara's "For what it's worth, Sophie was right. You guys are the best I've ever seen ... But no one in the world, is as good as you think you are."

211: THE BOTTLE JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 20 January 2010.

This episode has got to be one of my favourites, if I were forced to chose some. I love a bottle episode, and this one is just magnificent. Excellent client, great mark, fantastic additional characters, wonderful episode for the team. All around just, so good. Not surprising if Frakes and Boylan are at the wheel together, of course.

The addition of Cora is so lovely. I would have loved to see more of her, to be honest. She is such a great character. I love what her presence does to who we see Nate as. I adore when characters get to show new sides of themselves, it's so nice. Also, Nate's comment to Eliot about him not wanting Eliot to like Cora because she's like his niece? Most excellent.

I adore our three police officers too. Mickey, Danny and Johnny are such great additions. I really liked them. How they just went with whatever Nate was planning and in the end decided to just pretend none of this ever happened, it's just so good.

Doyle and the Liams as our villains of the week are also just fantastic. Also I just love Irish accents, it sounds so good. I love to hear it.

Other highlights of this episode include: Tara's "I'm Trish and I'm lonely", the kids going for their individual emergency funds stashed in Nate's place (they are all so fantastically in character, I love it), Nate using his dad's name as his alias, everyone stopping to see if Nate is going to succumb to the booze again, Hardison's excitement about pulling off the wire in under 2h, Hardison faking the weather, Eliot and Parker on safe duty. Also, rewatching this episode, I am absolutely 100% convinced that what Eliot is doing to distract the Liams from Tara conning Doyle, absolutely categorises as flirting. The way he throws that dart at the board and then buys them beer? Mr Spencer, sir, you are flirting with these guys.

212: THE ZANZIBAR MARKETPLACE JOB

D: JEREMIAH CHECHIK. W: MELISSA GLENN & JESSICA RIEDER (GRASL). Original Air Date: 27 January 2010.

The wonder twins with yet another magnificent episode. No surprises here. We have not just the return of Maggie but also of Sterling! We love this!!! (Seriously, I want both of them back in the reboot. I don't care that they're most closely tied to Nate. Bring them back.)

This episode has so many absolutely excellent moments as well. I love the opening sequence in the bar, with them going over possible next clients together, Nate kicking Eliot for flirting with the bartender, and then of course also Sterling walking in. The interaction Nate and Eliot have here is just fantastic.

Sterling: *walks in* Nate: Eliot, I'm gonna ask you not do do anything violent. Eliot: Wha-what are you talking about? I only use violence as an appropriate response. Sterling: Hello, Nate. Eliot: *responds appropriately*

And to think that Sterling only gets beat up here because Mark Sheppard's son was visiting the set that day and wanted to see his dad get beat up by Eliot. We stan one Sheppard Jr.

I very much love the scene where Nate and Sterling go over what they have on Lundy, and then Parker interrupting them out of nowhere, just sitting there on the counter, like she's been there forever (which she probably has). Also just, fantastic clothes on Parker, thank you Nadine. Maggie showing up here is of course also brilliant and I am very fond of Parker making Maggie a fugitive bag. It is so completely adorable. I love my girl so much.

Another favourite moment is, of course, Tara and Eliot getting Chernov to tell them where the sale of the Fabergé egg will take place. Tara not saying a damn thing, Eliot grumpily doing what Tara tells him to ("Do that thing with your eyes that scares people" / "What -- I don't know what you're talking about"), Chernov's complete unease about this whole entire situation, and then of course Tara and Eliot's other interaction:

Tara: What we imagine is always so much better than reality. Eliot, with the tiniest voice possible: Like love? Tara: *just stares at him, confused*

Just, *chef's kiss* this scene.

The scenes in the embassy are also just excellent. Tara and Nate pretending to be a couple, Nate's inability to deal with the idea of Maggie and Alexander, Maggie and Tara hysterically giggling while talking about Nate, Sterling pretending to be drunk (and incredibly gay) to get Parker access to the egg room -- brilliance, all the way through.

I adore Eliot taking charge of the situation once it becomes clear that Maggie and Nate have been taken hostage. Parker doing her magic and switching the bomb with the empty briefcase in the elevators is beautiful. Maggie kissing Nate instead of Lundy in what could have been their final moment and regretting it instantly the moment Parker shows up is excellent.

And the final scene back at McRory's is also just wonderful. The kids watching the news about Sterling with Tara ("I hate this guy" / "Now, you're part of the team"), and Nate talking with Maggie. I adore Maggie in this scene so much. Her and Nate's relationship is so lovely. We know Sophie understands how Nate ticks, but Maggie knows him so well too, still.

213: THE FUTURE JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: CHRIS DOWNEY & AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 03 February 2010.

This episode is so good for so many reasons. First off, I adore Luke Perry (I'm still sad about him) even if he plays creeps like Rand in most everything I've seen him in. He was just so good. Second, Medium Tara is probably my favourite role of hers. It's a lot softer than many of the other characters she's done, and I love it. Also the costuming is just excellent.

But I want to talk about Parker most of all. The scene where Rand cold reads her is so well done. Riesgraf knocked it out of the park here. Also, I love how Nate, as soon as Rand starts approaching and doing his act, barely ever takes his eyes off her. He occasionally glances at Rand, but his attention is on Parker at all times. And it just makes me feel things.

The team coming back to Nate's to find Parker sitting on the floor in front of the couch, crying also makes me super emo. They are all so very careful with her here. Even Tara, who hasn't been with them for that long. I quite like how Eliot and Hardison choose to sit a bit away, giving her space, and Nate carefully approaches and sits closest to her. They are all so good with her here, I love them all so much. And I absolutely adore this part of the conversation:

Tara: So what do we do now? Parker: Cut off his arms. And his head. Yeah. I wanna kill him. Can we make that happen? Eliot: Yeah, I can...I mean, I could...

Also earlier, after Tara acknowledges that Rand is good at what he does, Hardison says "He should be shot." I adore how both our boys would not hesitate to end this man for hurting Parker like this. That's their girl and he went too damn far. And even though Nate suggests a way of retaliation that is less final, he isn't above hurting the man either. Because that's his girl, too:

Hardison: Nate had me rig the table with a mild electrical current. Eliot: You electrocuted him? Nate, smugly: Yes, I did. It helped sell the bit. Parker: I approve. Nate: Thanks, Parker. Eliot: No, her agreeing with you is not a good thing. Nate, whispering to Parker: Thanks.

And add to that the absolute joy each and every one of them have when fucking with Rand to fulfil Tara's predictions? *Chef's kiss.* Absolutely beautiful.

There is so much more absolutely fantastic content in this episode, but I just wanna point out the ending where they meet with the client again. Nate is so good with them here. The way he talks to Jodie about her baby and how she will see her late husband in the child, makes me cry every damn time. Just like Tara says, "Yeah, now I see why you do it," this is why this show is so damn good. It's because of this exactly. Because for one shining moment within so much suck and tragedy, there is goodness and a wrong that has been made right. They help people and it isn't just fleeting momentary relief. They change people's lives for the better. I love this fucking show so much.

214: THE THREE STRIKES JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 10 February 2010.

First half of the second finale! Patrick Bonanno my beloved! I get so sad every time he gets shot here. My man deserves better than this. I love Bonanno so damn much, man. I absolutely adore that Nate goes to see his family at the hospital. Like, this is a cop. The very opposite side of the law Nate and his people operate on. But he goes to see him anyway, because this is their cop. And I love that Bonanno's wife recognises Nate's name. "He wanted to buy you a drink. And then arrest you." That's just so good.

I also absolutely love Richard Kind as Brad Culpepper, the corrupt mayor. I would love to see him back in the reboot, but I doubt there'd be any reasonable explanation why on earth they'd have to see this particular mayor again. I just think Richard Kind is an absolutely fantastic actor.

Anyway, favourite moments. Hardison and Eliot at Bonanno's house is beautiful. I am so fond of how Hardison deals with law enforcement while impersonating law enforcement. He tears them down and builds them back up again, every single time. And I adore how Eliot just smiles at his antics. He crawls around on that carpet with the young cop and Eliot just stands there and smiles. I love them, guys. I really do. Parker pretending to be Brad's pregnant lover with Tara's help is also just most excellent.

And of course: Roy Chappell. Baseball Eliot, my most beloved. There is so much to love about this whole concept. Eliot's reluctance at first because he doesn't like baseball. The discovery that baseball is actually something cool and something he is good at. His absolute childlike joy at the energy drink commercial Hardison made him. His damn hair during the actual game. The sandwich! The enthusiasm about the sandwich. Hardison admitting that the sandwich thing is cool.

I also absolutely love Hardison and Parker as Beavers Fans. The badly photoshopped picture of Dean Devlin and John Rogers as the radio hosts makes me smile so much. So does hearing their voices on the show. Both Hardison and Parker's phone calls to them are also brilliant. Parker speaking Spanish? Marvelous. The two of them demonstrating the Beavers leaving? *Chef's kiss.*

The final showdown with Brad and then the FBI is also just most excellent. Nate going ballistic on Brad because of Bonanno. Hardison and Lucille. Parker giving Lucille a little kiss before they send her to explode as a distraction. Hardison quoting Spock to say goodbye to Lucille. Hardison being pissed at Nate about Lucille. And of course: Jim Sterling, Interpol. The bastard. I love him.

215: THE MALTESE FALCON JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 17 February 2010.

Second half of second finale! And it's a good one, too. This show has absolutely brilliant finales, lemme tell you.

What do we love about this episode? MUCH. Tara's naked bit is excellent. Eliot and Parker sharing a look after watching Tara's naked bit is even better. Parker turning on the porn channels on the hotel tv is hilarious. Eliot talking to the receptionist about the gym is hysterical ("Ah, the fitness spa. Isn't the Zen Steam Garden divine?" / "Yeah....delicious").

Nate on stairs vs Sterling in elevator is probably the pettiest thing I have ever watched on television and it is absolutely amazing. I don't think anything can ever top this as pettiest moment. It is just so good.

Sterling, of course, is always great fun. I love that he has his own little villain theme that announces him before he even enters the screen. Love a good villain theme. And I adore his moment with FBI Bob outside Brad's hotel room.

Sterling: Name's Bob, right? Bob: Yes, sir. Sterling: You've been here the whole time, Bob? Bob: Yes, sir. Sterling: And nobody's gone in or out, Bob? Bob: No, sir. Sterling: Then would you mind explaining, where the HELL THE MAYOR IS?!

Absolutely perfect.

Nate going back to his place always has me all up in my emotions. Also, I think Sterling here absolutely believes that what he is offering Nate, is good for him. That he can save him from himself or something. They were something like friends at some point, after all. And of course, Nate calling Sophie. She is, of course, unbeknownst to him, already on the way to save his ass. But he calls her and finally tells her exactly what she wanted to hear at the end of The Ice Man Job: "I need you. Not the team, me." Sir. I am emo about you.

And then of course the final con and the reveal of Sophie's return. I absolutely love that Parker's first reaction to Tara possibly betraying them was to try and throw her off the roof. That's my girl (I love Tara, but that was fair). Also just, if you pay attention on the boat scenes, you can see Sophie from as early as Kadjic hearing Nate's offer and then leading Nate and Eliot below deck. If you can pick out her hair and know the colour of her coat from the scene in the helicopter, you know that she is there. And then, below deck, you can see her so many times -- at one point essentially back to back with Nate -- before any of the characters know she's there. And can I just say, I absolutely love Nate's completely shocked face when he hears her voice. Those comedically big eyes are just excellent.

Everyone seeing Sophie again is done so well. Hardison and Eliot's confused "Sophie?" when she walks past. Eliot winking at Sophie after they free Nate. Parker hugging her immediately once her and Tara arrive on the ship. Hardison putting his hand on the small of her back as he passes by her to go down the stairs. I just love them all so much.

And lastly of course, the reveal of the plan, Nate cuffing himself to the railing and making Sterling leave his family alone. What Nate says to them always makes me so emo too: "You guys are the most honourable people I have ever met in my life. You have become my family, my only family. And I will never forget that." John Rogers, sir, we need to have some words once I get this lake out of my eyes. And I obviously can't not mention the kiss. Finally, finally Nate gets his shit together. And she slaps him and it is perfect. And then they leave and he sits down and bleeds and Sterling, for a moment, is genuinely concerned about Nate as a person and not merely about Nate as his only way to nail Kadjic.

Bob: Who the hell is this guy? Sterling: I have no idea. Nate: My name is Nate Ford. And I'm a thief.

Yes. Yes you are, you magnificent bastard.

[image taken from the electricnow website]

[fizzingwizard]

of course I had a two and a half week vacation in march, right when moominvalley season release was allegedly gonna happen... and it never did...

then on the VERY LAST DAY of my break, "hey guys! guess what show releases tomorrow!" like WHAT x'D

it's april 1st and the season's out and it was my first day back at wooooork aaaaaahhh x'D

being an adult sucks hahahahaha

but its not like i can watch it anyway lol im not in the uk. gotta wait till i find it somewhere >_>;

and being back at work was pretty good, random stuff under the cut

got my new class list and i do indeed have the student i was dreading... fingers crossed there but the rest of the group is already so cute and i cant wait to teach them. who knows, maybe the difficult kid will have matured a lot over the last month...

also met new coworker who is cool. and the atmosphere was a lot lighter than it usually is on first term days. we even got new computers which i am suuuuper excited about, the old ones were so. crappy. just the worst computers you can imagine. took ten min just to turn on and another ten to load a single webpage. if you had a fifteen minute break you were screwed. even if you had thirty min you could accomplish next to nothing. it was such a pain because we generally only get breaks (by which I mean prep time) in 15 or 30 min blocks and we have an INORDINATE amount of paperwork. my dude we teach pre-k! why this endless slog through paperwork xD the struggle is real

but now we got shiny new computers and it comes as a total shock! but a pleasant one. less pleasant was the company trying to stick me with our electric piano. we have one but it broke because of being wheeled around to different classrooms, and apparently the only solution anyone can come up with is "keep it in fizz's classroom instead of in the hall." one: how on EARTH does that stop it getting broken since it will still need to be wheeled around from room to room?? and two: where in my teeny tiny classroom do you want me to put a whole ass piano with wires and breakable bits?? first of all every corner of our room is being used, we already do not have enough storage space or enough space for the number of 1-3 year old kids which is upwards of 30. my room stores all the nap cots for two classes. then even if we figure somethign out, there is no way the kids are not going to accidentally break that piano no matter how hard we try to steer them away. i mean even if the kids are good, the pianos gonna get paint on it from crafts. i swear that it will even if we cover it. i am always finding paint and stickers in the most random of places. and last but not least, my classroom is also a nap room (hence the cots). we aren't allowed to even have water bottles on the shelves in case there's an earthquake and the things on shelves fall and hit the sleeping kids. but you want us to put a piano in there? a piano is less dangerous in an earthquake than a water bottle????

lit i told my coteachers "i will fight this." lol i was boiling over. i am not having that piano in my room. if there is no place to put it where it won't break, then either the company needs to pay for repairs when they happen (which so far is not even once a year, yet they actually rejected the maintenance application the first time we sent it -__-), or they need to not have a piano at all. "but the music teacher needs it" yes im sure she does but thats got nothing to do with me! i didnt decide my 2s need to take music lessons! thats the companies choice! that they knowingly made for their busiest school with the largest class size and teeny tiny rooms with absolutely no storage space at all! the company knows all that and yet they're just like "You guys figure it out." Well ok, im figuring it out. the piano can stay where it was last year and get moved around like usual. there is zero benefit to putting it in my room, it only makes HO feel better about spending money on the maintenance (for now - just wait till next time it breaks 9_9). on top of that it would adversely affect my class which is the number one thing i care about here. im fortunate in that our team leader agreed with me and actually went to bat over this even harder than i did. still not sure whats gonna happen but i do intend to block that piano coming in my room unless someone comes up with a reeeeally good idea for how we're gonna fit it in tetris-style without causing problems.

but otherwise a good day, lol