#im waxing poetics forgive me

[wolfywolfy]

One of the things I really love about Astarion are his eyes. Like I know they're supposed to be red, but sometimes in certain lighting they look like a sunset and they're just so damn beautiful ;-; he's so pretty it hurts my heart

Me too anon, me too 🫶 I think he'd like to hear that too!! You can only hear the same compliment of "red like blood" before it begins to feel derivative. But looking like the sunset? An asset of one of the things he appreciates more than anything else? I think that would make his undead heart flutter 😩

[dirt-str1der]

I keep thinking about the mechanics for how to make kazumaji happen outside of adrenaline fuelled lovemaking , like obviously majima isnt going to solicit him for an actual relationship because whatever they have going on is already more than he expected to get because majima isnt a wanting man he gets dealt his hand then he plays (plus hes waiting for someone else , he cant leave and have his story end with kiryu , they both know this) , kiryu isnt a wanting man either i mean not for his love life but you know this guy fights like hell to get what he wants. He doesn’t exactly have a problem pulling girls but its the commitment after thats the issue , he always has someplace to be thats not here no matter how suave and charming he is youre gonna be wondering why he ghosted you for three years then find out he just got released from prison the point is that he doesnt follow through. Once youre done with him then youre done and very rarely is he gonna come back (unless he wasnt actually done with you). Majima offers to help him out in osaka and kiryu says no no no see ive left you behind i have to live this next chapter of my life properly now , without you. He has this inability to understand that people want to spend time with him thats not him helping them / repaying him a favour / working together to achieve a common goal. You literally cant assume he’ll be around you really have to cling tight or he’ll find some reason to fuck off and by then you cant even ask him to stay because Shit is it a good reason. Y0 nishiki got so so fucking close to showing kiryu he didnt need to have any redeeming qualities for people to like hanging out with him. He didnt need to be fun or like to party or entertaining at all , just him sitting quietly on a nearby barstool and maybe clapping along is enough to make his night fun as hell. Im sure kiryu realises that he can be distant and lack initiative , im sure this self awareness has convinced him that hes an undesirable long term romantic partner , and majima fucking up big time with mirei also forces him to internalise the fact that hes not a good partner either. So the two of them have to really really Really want something to start it because otherwise theyd be gracefully and expertly sidestepping any mention of commitment , pirouetting around the word “partner”, assuming they’ve made things clear when no discussion had taken place. They dont figure it out because its obvious to everybody thats not them, all the thinly veiled offers to be useful to each other, the leaning forward when they speak to each other , the open mouthed kisses with tongue , they want each other. More than one time , more than This... but how does one communicate something they havent realised yet ...

[atlabeth]

🧸 - i hope this piques your interest LOL but i'm deep in a benedict bridgerton mood waiting for s3 to air

could you do a fluffy slow burn blurb for him where reader completely takes him by surprise? up to your interpretation men are just always sexier when caught off guard and proven wrong 😁☝🏼

happy 3k again my love!!

twin flames

pairing: benedict bridgerton x fem!reader

summary: you and benedict bond at an art exhibition. he only seems to be oblivious when it can embarrass him most.

a/n: thank you so much for the request!! it was literally the first one and it's taken me almost a month. lol. im so sorry. but i hope you enjoy!!!

wc: 1.1k

warning(s): all fluff

“This is beautiful,” Benedict murmured, and he glanced at the man beside him. “Is this not one of the best pieces you’ve seen?” 

“I suppose it’s alright,” the man shrugged. 

“Just alright?” He frowned. “Are you feeling well, sir?” 

The man frowned as well as he moved onto the next painting, fully ignoring Benedict. He just shook his head and focused back on the painting, thinking aloud. 

“The use of color is just—” he shook his head again. “It’s incredible. The way the brushstrokes are used for depth and the unique way of shading… It all melds together so well, and yet I never would have thought to use any of it in that way.” 

“Is that true?” 

Benedict’s eyes flickered down to see you by his side, a pretty woman in a rather unassuming dress. He’d never seen you before at one of these exhibits, so you must have been new. He would have remembered a face such as yours. 

“Certainly,” he said, nodding with exuberance. “Art is meant to make you imagine, feel— when I look at this piece, I feel some sort of amazement. It captures the beauty of a starry night impeccably, but the technique gives it a completely fresh feel. It is as if I am looking up at the horizon on my own for the very first time again, amazed by the vastness of the world.” 

You smiled. “That is very kind of you to say, sir. You’ve quite an eye, sir—and certainly a way with words.” 

Benedict shrugged. “It is very simple with a piece such as this. I could wax poetic all day, Miss…” He trailed off, and his gaze fell back to you. “I apologize, my lady. You have me at a disadvantage.” 

That coy smile remained on your lips. “Miss Tilbury. And you are Benedict Bridgerton, yes?” 

He nodded, and he couldn’t help the slightly nervous laugh that came along with being in your presence. “I am embarrassed. You knew my name, but I didn’t know yours. You must forgive me.” 

“Oh, it is of no matter,” you said, brushing your hand through the air. “You already know more about me than most.” 

His eyebrows rose, and when his mouth opened, he found himself at a loss for words. It took a moment to compose himself—it was awfully difficult to think with those pretty eyes focusing so intently on him. 

“Pardon me for asking, but are you new to these exhibits?” 

Your eyebrows rose. “What makes you think that?” 

“I’ve not yet seen you around here,” he said. “And I am sure I would remember a face such as yours.”

“No,” you said, and your smile widened. “No, I frequent these sorts of exhibits. I’ve seen you before—I just must not have caught your eye.” 

“Oh, I think that impossible,” Benedict insisted. “Not only are you quite beautiful, my lady, you’ve also a sharp mind and a quick wit. Those are three things I can never ignore.” 

At that, you fully grinned, and he felt a smile of his own form. He’d only just met you and yet he felt this innate need to bring you joy. Perhaps it was a good thing you’d only just now met, for he could easily imagine thoughts of you consuming his every waking hour. 

“And you are quite the charmer, Mister Bridgerton,” you said. “Are you always this forward with women you just met?” 

“Only ones such as yourself,” he assured. “It is a delight to be able to discuss art with a twin flame.” 

“A twin flame?” 

“Someone who sees things the way I do,” Benedict said. “I tried to have a conversation about this piece with a man just before you, but he did not seem to understand it the way I did. You are refreshing, Miss Tilbury.” 

“Ah,” you said, and you nodded sagely. “Well, I may have just a bit more insight into this piece than that man did. I am the one who painted it, after all.” 

Benedict blinked. The words didn’t fully register in his mind. “What?” 

“I am the artist of this piece,” you said, gesturing at the painting they stood in front of. “I’m certainly flattered to know you enjoy it.” 

Benedict blinked again, and he felt heat spread across his whole face. He could not find any words in him for a strikingly long moment. 

“You can see my signature in the bottom right corner,” you continued. “My initials, of course. I paint under a pseudonym, for though those who run these exhibitions are more progressive than most, it can still be difficult as a woman to get our art displayed.” 

“I— I apologize, my lady,” Benedict finally managed to stammer. 

You tilted your head to the side as you looked back at him. “For what?” 

“For not knowing your name,” he rushed, “and insinuating that you were a newcomer, and acting as if I know more about your own art than you do.” 

You laughed, and Benedict once again found himself smiling at it. It felt like fresh snowfall—you were indeed refreshing. 

“You need not apologize, Mister Bridgerton,” you assured. “I do not lie—it is indeed flattering to know you see my art in such a light. I have seen some of your own pieces, and you are talented.” 

“I do not always feel it,” he mumbled. “More often than not, I can only see the flaws in my work. You have a rare quality indeed, my lady—you are able to compliment yourself.” 

“I do not believe in the need for self-deprecation in the artistic world,” you mused. “I am proud of this piece, so why would I not compliment it? I already have enough men trying to scorn me each day—I see no reason to contribute to the fire with my own words.”  

“And there is no reason for you to!” Benedict exclaimed. “Miss Tilbury, you’ve a way with a brush that very few do—at least with what I’ve seen. I— I consider it an honor to even be standing in your presence, if I am honest. Have you any other works I can see?” 

You smiled. “I do, but none of them are available in a manner such as this. I hope to display more soon.” 

“As do I,” Benedict said, nodding rapidly. “Mayfair should consider itself lucky to be graced by such fine artistry.” 

“And I consider myself lucky to get compliments from a man such as yourself.” Your smile turned slightly coy. “I could offer you some tips, of course. Since you were such a fan of my artwork.” 

Benedict could only stare at you for a moment. He did not know whether your words held more or not, but he realized he was alright with either—or both, if he found himself lucky enough. 

“I would love to, Miss Tilbury.” 

“I see no need for formalities.” You said your first name, your eyes sparkling. “We are twin flames, after all. Yes?” 

Benedict’s throat bobbed, but he could not help his grin. “Yes.” 

[liverpool-enjoyer]

Max! Can you please recc some pedrigavi fics? Xx

"max can you recommend some pedrigavi fics" MY BELOVED WUNGI YOU ARE ASKING IF THE POPE IS CATHOLIC!!!

best friend i truly think ive read every completed non smutty pedrigavi fic there is 😭😭 however i have this habit of not bookmarking shit so my memory is all i have to go off of lmao.

starting off strong w something written by MY GOAT is i'm stupid for your love by the bestest, @tl-trashtalk. tell me rn that theres anything more romantic than dedicating a goal to someone. i'll wait. very cute very fluffy. what more could you want.

another one i wanna recommend is 10 Firsts by OsByLynn. i read it almost a year ago so my memorys kinda fuzzy but i remember it being rlly cute!!! its a buncha firsts for the couple, like first kiss, first ily, etc n its SO sweet n fluffy n adorable. plus theres a WEDDING n i am a SUCKER for weddings. i'd argue all fics should have a wedding. every single one.

another fic i wanna mention is i know my pain is such an imposition by aesthetes. it follows gavis recovery, n again i wanna reiterate that i havent read it since it came out in december so my memory is KIIIINA ass but i remember it being SUPER sweet. plus the title is a taylor reference so. immediate brownie points.

oh n i GOTTA MENTION Promise me? by Jellyyfree. it features ace gavi n yall KNOW how much i love ace gavi. the projection goes crazy w this lil guy.

my baby here on earth, showed me what my heart was worth by nehvermind is jus so cute. the boys are so in love n they have the cutest lil first kiss. feels very nervous, all-consuming teenage romance. well not that i would know. but probably.

OHMYGOSH i jus GOTTA mention Days When You and I by @itsjustthatfics. ohmyGOSH i could wax poetic abt this fic all day. EASILY one a my favorite pedrigavi fics. the story is so well written n cute n funny n the format oh the FORMAT. its in a script / screenplay (idk if those are interchangable so film majors pls forgive me) format n i LOVE it since i like,,, visualize things in my head as a movie?? if that makes sense?? anyways yeah mandatory pedrigavi reading.

would you still love me? by arianagrandebrainrot is v funny n v cute. revolves around an important, relationship make-or-breaking question. feels like a conversation these two would have.

oh n as an obligatory plug theres my fic i want to be loved (not to be touched). but if we're being honest w ourselves this is less pedrigavi n more gavi being sad while simultaneously being in love w pedri.

ok i think thats it. its late n im v tired. thank you SOSOSO much for this ask tho wungi cause i can talk abt pedrigavi for BREAKFAST LUNCH N DINNER.

[zhongscara]

spoilers below

sorry to make everything abt scara (i am unfortunately obsessed with him) but its crazy how his interlude quest which is basically a massive traumadump still has him taking accountability for all the shit he did in his own little shit way. nahida says that his actions could very well be seen as evil and taking his memories back would mean gaining all that trauma and all those crimes and he's like. "Well i made those decisions for a reason so i'll stand by them bc thats what makes me Me."

while arles quest felt a lot more like. "Yes im literally still being shown as someone intimidating and aggressive but i have a sad backstory i infodumped on you so you should be able to connect the dots and give me the benefit of the doubt. also other playable characters you probably care about are going to insist that im not that bad after you saw me threaten and berate them."

like SIGH the "she's actually not THAT bad!!!" felt like such a copout. it's not that i think she should've been a manically laughing stereotype like the previous knave in that fucking short but like 😭 at least stay consistent on her questionable actions instead of having people "forgive" her bc she could've done worse???

at the end of the scara interlude we dont get an npc or playable characters waxing poetic about how he's actually doing good in their eyes 🥺 or whatever. with scara we're allowed to still be suspicious of him, we're allowed to question if he really IS serious about helping nahida.

it's just frustrating to see that the writers CAN allow that sort of ambiguity to exist (frex when we first see scara during the parade of providence event, the narrative has us worry if he's going to do something backhanded etc) but w arles quest it felt a lot like the game going Well she's not AS bad as the previous knave so cut her some slack :/ JSJAJZJAJSJAJSKSJ

[precious-little-scoundrel]

my dearest darlingest marina i need you to know you have broken me quite thoroughly and i might never ever forgive you for it as long as we both shall live ! ❣️

to clarify- ive been saving "let's fall out of love" to read later ever since you posted it cuz i didn't feel ready- didn't think i was emotionally stable enough to read it then. well, tonight ive been clearing out my list of unread fics from last year aND GODDAMN WAS I EVER RIGHT ABOUT THAT.!!!

started getting all weepy and shaky before that first courthouse bathroom conversation and i didn't ever stop 😭 sobbed so hard and for so long at the unfairness of it all (for both of them !) i gave myself an asthma attack and had to stop reading.. what really broke me was e's bittersweet and somewhat detached realization on the courthouse steps that all their kids had flocked to laney during the divorce. couldn't stop thinking abt how badly i would've wanted to tell jesse off for being sharp to his daddy, and the knowledge that elaine COULDN'T, that it wasn't quite over yet and she still had to save face for a bit longer despite how much it killed them both, despite being the only person who could truly understand just how deep elvis was hurting right then and having been the one who'd made a whole life out of loving him hard.......... the idea of him resigning himself to having lost that forever (false) and her having to go against everything in her nature to let him ache a while longer,, oh it just shattered my spirit to bits right then and there. oh god im gonna start crying again just thinking about how lonely they both made each other 💔💔💔

im literally inconsolable, even with the reasoning behind it/ knowing how it ends beforehand, and having those future timeline fics to fall back on did nOT SAVE ME like . dear GOD woman how is that even possible?!?? if i had any shred of humanity left in my body id wax poetic for three more paragraphs abt how that speaks to your truly absolutely outstanding talent as an author and worldbuilder, but alas i think i cried out everything that was keeping me sane sometime in the last half hour and now i have to go lie facedown on the floor in my hallway and die abt it all instead 👍 fantastic work as always i love all your work so much forever etc etc 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

ps: it took me the better part of an hour to type all this out since ive lost the water content of approxinately a small ocean w my tears and am doing physically poorly in response 🫠🫠 so thanks for ur patience in this trying time 😔🙏

I spun around in circles upon reading this like my poor coon dog when she had a stroke -jovially of course. Like this is the stuff every writer dreams of getting for feedback but holy smokes, your talent for screaming? Beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve always told you how much I appreciate your time and enthusiasm to tell your thoughts Mary Hope, and now is no exception. My babe and co-author @elvisabutler deserves the pleasure of reading what we’ve wrought, as well. I’ll be halving all your medical and psychiatric expenses with her. 😏

Tbh, despite knowing both imminent and longterm reconciliation was to happen after this segment, we were just as cut up about tearing them apart as you were to read it. In fact, it was worse than all the lead up fics where the passive aggressive accumulation of grievances came across as hurts but ultimately only aggravations. This is just…PAIN. Funny how what was untenable before a tragedy suddenly appears to have been idyllic after it. Anyways.

Thank you for reading, here’s some Kleenex, albuterol and do know the sequel to this divorce is in drafts, so not finished AT ALL but it is in the works.

Not that it’ll hurt much less than this one. 😈

[voiceofsword]

NIKI'S NEW FS IS SO CUTEE!!?!?! not at all what i was expecting it to be, he looks like he's about to go on a little adventure i love it 🥰 what are your thoughts? Any insights 👀👀

YESS oh my god ok. i wrote a little analysis after the fact even tho we cant really see a lot of his outfit properly? so a lot of this might just be straight up Wrong when the card actually drops — i apologize in advance if it just sounds like im waxing poetic!!!!!

putting it here for ease of viewing!!

ok, here’s some of my thoughts on niki fs2 and how up until now, it’s been theorized that fs2 is how the characters perceive themselves, rather than how the audience perceives them.

niki himself seems like he would choose the safe option. he’s someone that wants nothing more than a peaceful life but his development has shown that he’s becoming more welcoming to the idea of getting outside of that comfort zone, of allowing himself more luxuries, of allowing himself to want rather than just what he needs. i think the obvious direct comparison that can be drawn is where he’s standing — in fs1, he’s standing indoors, in a kitchen, which also suits him, obviously, that’s his home. but in fs2 he’s outside, presumably in a greenhouse of sorts?

there’s not really any way of knowing until the full card illust comes out, but i think the point to be made here lies in the freedom this implies: kitchen is comfortable, niki’s safe space, one where he knows he’s good, and doesn’t pose a burden to other people. being outside, in a greenhouse, suggests two things: one being that if he’s breaking out of the one space where he feels most at peace, it’s on his own terms. that he’s more adventurous, that he’s okay with feeling vulnerable, that he’s no longer scared but excited to face the world. 

two is a bit more complicated and takes a bit of looking at his outfit and the props around him.

there’s a bottle of cumin on the right side, and presumably allspice falling in front of him — both native from outside of japan (west asia/middle east and central america/caribbean respectively).

niki’s backstory reveals that his parents left him following a series of scandals (ive talked about this extensively and if you follow me atp im assuming you know), and to this day it’s assumed that they’re still traveling around the world discovering new ingredients. and we also know for a fact that niki himself has taken up that mantle as part of his idol career, traveling around for cooking variety shows — im not going to say this is some grand overarching gesture resembling niki forgiving his parents because i dont think there’s ever been any point where niki has held outstanding contempt for their choices. however i do think it symbolizes something for the idol world and how niki once again manages to be a sort of ‘glue’ that holds these two worlds together, similarly to his role in crazyb: while there was a period where the idol industry and culinary industry crashed in entertainment, niki is responsible for patching those relations up, not through any over-calculating strategy, but rather, through being himself, through his passion for cooking, and newfound love for being an idol — it was never about any grudges with him, only growth!!

he doesnt want to become his parents, but not out of hatred, because he’s someone different! he wants to explore the world and spread his love for food, not out of fear of staying somewhere that might hurt him, but because he has the strength to! because he has people to support him on his journey, not a lack thereof! 

and then moving on to the bulk of his outfit, most of it being revealing with very baggy bits hanging off, i’ve seen some people mention it looks kind of..messy? which isnt entirely incorrect but i think it’s nice, bc it almost feels like the baggier clothes are hanging off of him, being “peeled off” and revealing more of himself. inhibitions are being set aside, he no longer wishes to make himself smaller, no longer wishes to hide who he is in fear of inconveniencing others, and i think the more haphazard state of his outfit represents that awkward stage fairly well — transitioning from that insecure kid left behind by his parents to someone who is full of love for what he does and wants to share it with his newfound friends, family, and fans. also the little bottom part of the waistwrap has yummy written on it. please note his eager, happy expression and raised hand like he’s ready to take on the world !! i already mentioned in another post how i think it looks like an rpg outfit and i really mean it ^_^

AND COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO ANY SYMBOLISM..HIS HAIR'S LONGER? or it looks longer.. maybe he'll get his ponytail pushed back rather than on his shoulder? how could you get more gorgeous.. oh my god. please. save me

 niki shiina i love you

[zee-has-commitment-issues]

OKAY i did tell u i was gonna be screaming into your inbox. and now that i have marinated on screwed for about half a day I AM READY

first. i just want to say that this fic made me cry SO MUCH. which. i know you already know because i mentioned it like 50 times in the ao3 comments. but it's worth saying again. and i mean like Ugly Crying. but anyways.

the most beautiful thing about this story was the characters. every single one of them was so complex, nuanced, wonderfully written, and lovable (minus kristina). the first one that comes to mind is ERIK!!! listen here i love fanon erik. i will wax on poetic about fanon erik. you made me HATE erik. but also love him? and forgive him?!?!? i loved him and i hated him and i hated loving him and i loved hating him and GAHHHH the way i feel about this erik is so complex. same with ebba. you wrote her AMAZINGLY. she definitely had a redemption arc in my eyes. by the time the video came out, i loved her. the fact that she was texting wille throughout the day and doing everything she knew how to help him and not even mentioning it to erik. yeah. im a big fan of hers.

and of course. wille and simon. i literally cannot put into words how much i loved them and adored their relationship. you don't understand. their intimacy. the way they adored each other. their closeness. their ADORATION. the way they always turned to each other. i just.... speechless.

ALSO. the angst. like. between the characters but also the video and the scandals and kristina and wille always taking the blame and just YEAH. i am such a slut for angst and YOU DID IT SO GOOD.

yeah i honestly don't have enough words for how much i loved this story. you and dani did such a beautiful job.💜💜💜

AHHHH omg

Hi. Okay, wow. You could not possibly begin to understand how much this means to me. I'm smiling from ear to ear. I'm so grateful for you and for your love for Screwed. Any and all love for Screwed fills my heart with so much joy. That thing is like my baby at this point.

I apologized for the tears on AO3, but I'll apologize again lol. I am very sorry for the tears, and I hope the happy parts of Screwed made it worth it. I know those moments were few and far between towards the end there.

I'm glad you enjoyed my take on Erik. I love the perfect fanon Erik, but I wanted to give him some edge. And I'm very glad you enjoyed the Ebba plot. It was fun to watch people grow to love her throughout the story, especially because I didn't even know how well her arc was going to turn out lmao. I was fully prepared for people to still dislike her by the end. But I love Ebba, and except for the very beginning, I always have.

I'm glad I could do the characters justice and I'm glad the angst was well written. Dani and I had an ongoing joke before Screwed that angst was the only thing I could write, so I'm glad that skill never went away.

Thank you for the love and support on it. My heart is very happy knowing that it's out in the world and people enjoy it.

I'll probably pass all of this praise on to Dani like I always do, but I'll tag her anyway so that she gets the notification lol. @the-navistar-carol

TLDR: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THANK YOU💜💜💜

[roninkaedehara]

Kazuha Headcanon

Kazuha has albinism, which is the cause of his pale hair, eyes and skin. Because of this, he burns very easily in the sun, and has somewhat translucent irises, causing photosensitivity, slight astigmatism and depth perception issues he was forced to adapt to when training with his blade, forcing him to adjust his reach farther or shorter than he’s actually seeing among other things. Because of the astigmatism, objects are a bit blurry from afar, and he has a difficult time reading small lettering from a distance. Since he’s mostly adapted to this lifestyle, his vision issues are largely unnoticeable beyond a few slip ups and symptoms of eye-strain. Common symptoms of astigmatism and light sensitivity are eye strain, migraines and headaches. If he ever runs into Sucrose, perhaps she helps him out with some eyeglasses he wears for comfort and to lessen the eyestrain, and a pair of sunglasses to protect his eyes. He also probably has a few light freckles dotting his face and neck from sun exposure.

[wickedpact]

You can't just drop that "I read Forces Multiplied" bomb on us and not give a ten page written reaction.

[cracks knuckles] if u insist

nicky cant drive hc: destroyed. rip. also i loved how andy and nile stole those sports cars and were being badass and driving off the bridge & meanwhile joe and nicky were just absolutely vibing in the van

'heres the thing about power: people who have it think they deserve it' [shot of police car] i see u greg

5 whole panels being dedicated to booker not being able to unlock his door. booker not even seeing noriko sitting RIGHT THERE in the window at first. incredible

noriko being 24/7 horny was surprising. like wow all of the stuff i saw she did out of context was 100% equally horny in context as it was out of context. love that for her

i didnt think the 'andy + slavery' thing was handled as badly as everyone made it out to be when telling me about it. tho from the way it was talked about i had kind of figured the conflict between andy and nile re: slavery would be really racially charged (esp considering nile is a black american and would obvs have Thoughts on the subject in that regard) but like,, done in a cringey 'a-white-guy-obviously-wrote-it' kind of way? but it wasnt that. i mean. it makes sense that andy would be implicit in slavery through the years

i mean, like she says, is that not what people just did to each other in the aftermath of battles for thousands of years? and i really like how its pointed out that it was what she was raised with (in the beginning when you see her put shackles on that guy after the battle) but she also accepts responsibility for it and acknowledges that it was wrong and not just 'what people did'.

i like how from her expressions you can kind of tell baby andy knew it was off but she sets those feelings aside bc she felt angry. it explains how she felt but didnt make her out to be blameless in it. plus i mean. i dont know, the fact that andy was involved in a lot of morally shady stuff for 7000 years is not that wild for me. if you live that long youre just Going to be involved in some shit, and she didnt even have other immortals with her as positive community influences, she literally just did whatever the fuck she wanted for thousands of years

'i was worshipped as a god once' i mean, yeah no shit she wouldve been involved in some seriously fucked up stuff, gods were fucking scary back in the day

tldr it could use some polish but it wasnt that bad

tho everything people said about moose being boring was unfortunately a little true. sorry king i tried to be interested in you

joe and nicky writing verbal fanfiction about nile and moose was iconic. 'you seeing that?' 'i am definitely seeing that'

it was also extremely funny bc that was like 60% of their contribution to the whole comic, besides kidnapping copley. they came, they wrote some fanfic, they left. kings. at least in tog1 they had an excuse to be useless bc they got kidnapped

joe just found out his old friend who he thought was dead is alive (and also probably wants to murder them) and instead of investigating with andy he stopped to help nile up. champ.

nicky shooting noriko through andy was cool. rip to the concept since it wont happen in tog2

wanna see mr ejiofor deliver this line

on that note imo copley was. weirdly enough, more interesting in fm than in tog1. to me at least. the fact that andy let him live and he was so haunted by what had happened that he came back and sought them out despite knowing they would likely kill him for it bc he wanted to not only make up for what hed done but also to tell them what theyd done for the world was admittedly more interesting than andy just kind of drafting him to the cause and him going 'okie'

i like how nicky was drawn in this one. in opening fire he looks like a blob man but in fm he looks more like a very nice grampa with a very good dye job

'theres no pain like a broken heart' andy 🥺

noriko implying andy's never drowned. .. .idk about that one, she musta drowned sometime

joe and nicky came, they waxed poetic about nile's love life, they waxed poetic about grog, and then they left.

sports bras being a reason humanity is good. i mean..... okay, yeah.

i mean. wild but you cant exactly tell her shes wrong

i liked how noriko telling andy that their purpose is to make people suffer coincides with joe and nicky finding out that they actually did good all those years

joenicky in opening fire: jail for booker jail for booker for 100 years

joenicky when copley tells them he knows where booker is: WE'LL KILL YOU WHERE IS HE

joenicky when copley comes back: if your vibes come off as even remotely rancid we Will destroy you

joenicky 2 minutes later when copley helped them find booker: he made up some ground :)))) <3 lov you j cops

theyre forgiving af

moose: how old are you?? a hundred??? a thousand???

nile [vine voice]: I M 2 7 ?

alright andy you got me there

joe texts like my aunt

i dont know why noriko drowning andy in that car tickled me. Bad And Naughty Andromaches Get Put In The Pear Wiggler To Atone For Their Crimes.

the drowning sequence was cool

copley trying to talk to andy while she was like o_o at him was great

ive hit the picture limit but id seen that panel where nicky goes 'forgive me' as he kills a guy out of context and it was HILARIOUSLY anticlimactic for me to discover that there was literally no context to it. nicky just apologizes to random people he kills. i thought that guy was someone he knew or something. nope its just Some Guy that nicky didnt know from adam

nile's complaint that andy was especially brutal to the guys on the boat... i mean. . , how exactly does one kill a man with an axe and not be brutal about it?

it was funny how noriko kissed andy and the only people who seemed surprised by that were nile and also andy

nicky and joe's complete non-reaction to finding out noriko is alive And Evil Now is endlesly funny. they just left her on that boat and neither cared. i get book and nile not caring but joe and nicky knew her, and they just have 0 input on the subject of what to do with her

pinstripe suit guy!

joe and nicky and booker packing up and leaving with nile

andy blowing up at nile was A Moment tho

i dont know, i get why people didnt like the ending but its. .. . it makes more sense in the comicverse. bc the squad doesnt really. .. interact outside of jobs? i mean, think of the moon landing story in ttt. that was booker and joe and nicky doing a job and andy only showed up a for a couple minutes after it was done. or the brunch in the first issue of opening fire. the squad arent as tight in the comic, and andy often seems to do her own thing outside of work, so andy saying 'i dont want to do work anymore' and the squad being like 'alright bye then' makes more sense in this universe than the movie one

also i feel like greg was Trying to set up a thing where nile becomes the Leader of The Squad after andy dies but like. its not very well done since. . . i mean, nile hasnt spoken to booker since opening fire, (and she only knew him A Day). and shes known joe and nicky all that time, but there isnt really anything that indicates that they have any relationship at all, much less one that's grown. in all the comicverse the only time nile and nicky speak is in FM, and in that scene nicky tells nile about noriko. nile goes from someone who needs to be set aside to have background knowledge explained to her to being the Leader of the group with nothing in between. it kind of... comes out of nowhere.

on the other hand tho... i felt really bad for andy thru the whole thing. well, i always felt bad for andy, but in this one she seemed so miserable, especially since it really felt like none of the others actually.... cared about her. when noriko came back no one asked andy how she was doing (big question ik, but it wouldve showed they cared at least), nobody ever expressed any concern for her, no one even really seemed to want to be around her. in opening fire everyone was more distant than in the movie of course, but there were little moments where she would joke with joe, or nicky would try and comfort her, or stuff like that, but in FM it really felt like they just didnt really care about her. & in opening fire it felt a lot like andy's relationship with nile breathed some new life into her, but in FM it felt like all they did was argue. i get theyre not *as* close in the comics but it really felt like the only person who cared about andy at all was noriko (which was probably also how andy felt) but it just seemed to come out of nowhere. honestly i was reading and i was honestly agreeing with andy that she might just be better off if she did just die. opening fire, on the other hand, never make me feel that way

tho everyone made it sound like when the squad split up it was one of those cursed 'the found family leaves each other at the end of the journey' tropes. but guys i mean,,, this is the second installment out of three. that isnt the End. theyll come back in the third one and Dramatically Reunite to fight some baddies (probably those 'others' noriko mentioned). im guessing yitzhak fits into that too somehow.

anyways it wasnt That Bad but it made me kind of sad and the only Sweet Found Family vibes in it were when they saved booker. also they shouldve beefed up that nilemoose romance, it underwhelmed me. 6.5/10

i also ABSOLUTELY understand all of greg's comments about how you couldnt make FM directly into a movie, he always said that it had no plot and. i get it now. it really didnt have a plot sdfghjkl

[kiss2012]

LITERALLY you running thru the before trilogy on letterboxd is inspiring meee what are your (no spoiler) thoughts on it ???

i love that so much omg and i’m so glad u asked because at night while i am trying to sleep i’ll just be lying there like oh remember 1:19:04 of before sunset or something and i have Not recovered. this got really long so im putting it under a cut lol

anyways take all my opinions with a grain of salt because i haven’t watched before midnight yet but i love the first two a lot. despite waxing poetic about them in my dreams it’s a lot harder to actually put the feeling in words. before sunrise really just is a dream julie delphy and ethan hawke have so much chemistry it’s absolutely insane. there are so many scenes where i feel like i should watch them again because their body language is so dependent on whichever one of them is talking. ur so crushed when they talk over each other without meaning to and it’s so special in the first movie to see how they balance first-meeting jitters with the connection they feel that lets them have real conversations. like you know how you always want to agree with someone new u just met who u like so that they’ll like you? u can see how they feel like that and how at the same time they end up telling each other the truth (in roundabout ways). they’re just so sweet and nervous and, yes, kind of pretentious. a lot of the conversations are at times a bit embarrassing but i think that’s the point so i’m forgiving of it. i was super attached to before sunrise and i am still it’s definitely my favourite but i’m such an idealist i expected that lol. i was on guard for before sunset and it didn’t win me over until 15 minutes in i think? and then everything just suddenly clicked. the last 20 minutes were incredible. i spent ages trying to write a review for before sunset and then i just discarded it because everything i said didn’t seem to hold up to the feeling i had while watching it. the best most clever part of before sunset in my opinion is the real life 9 year gap (which before midnight has too but it’s more effective the first time around) and the time limit that feels like it’s enforcing itself on the audience as well as the characters which definitely influenced both my anxiety and excitement for the end. i also love how short the first two are like the first one is only 1 hour 40 minutes and the second is 1 hour 20 minutes!! that is so great for my attention span! which is part of the reason i haven’t watched before midnight it’s longer lol. the real reason i haven’t watched it (and probably won’t?) is because i feel like it’ll ruin my experience of the first two. i’ve seen clips and bad reviews and good reviews and so i’m undecided on it, but i just feel like the first two movies exist in their own separate worlds, and the third movie exists in the real world and sort of changes the personalities that won me over in the first place along with playing into a few repetitive stereotypes. which! might have been the point, but the first two are now so special to me i don’t want to risk not liking the third lol. i am so sorry this is so long.

[eugene-not-flynn]

sunshine

word count: 1092 (I thought it’d be like, 500 im so sorry)

Summary: Eugene calls her Sunshine. Rapunzel wants to know why. soft!New Dream ficlet(?) set somewhere during season 2. 

Warnings: softness, brief discussion of Gothel and therefore vague gestures to the canonical level of emotional abuse Rapunzel experienced at her hands, extremely vague suggestions of insomnia/nightmares, Eugene waxes poetic about Rapunzel because he loves her so much okay

A/N: Me? Writing more New Dream fluff content? Who would’ve guessed. Still writing these two and learning all they have to offer me as a humble writer who likes to play with them. Hope y’all don’t mind! All mistakes are mine. 

Eugene blinks hard and scrubs a hand across his eyes. Late night air brushes through loose strands of his hair and he stifles a wide yawn behind his hand. In front of him, leading the caravan down the forest path with Fidella, Maximus huffs an unasked question. Eugene waves a hand in dismissal.

“I’m fine, Max,” he replies. “I’ll let Lance take over in a few hours.”

Max snorts in acknowledgement, accepting the answer. The corner of Eugene’s mouth quirks up in a faint smile. It had only been a few years ago that Maximus had been bent on getting him arrested. Now, that same horse was concerned with whether he was getting enough sleep. How drastically things had changed in his life since meeting Rapunzel.

Eugene hears the latch on top of the caravan open, interrupting his thoughts.

“Want some company?”

Speak of the devil, Eugene thinks fondly. “Can’t sleep?” he asks over his shoulder.

“Not really.”

There’s a faint twinge of concern in Eugene’s chest, but he tosses a faint smile up to the roof. “I’ll never turn down your company, Sunshine.”

There’s a brief, unexpected pause that makes Eugene frown, but then he hears her pull herself effortlessly on to the roof and close the hatch behind her. She drops herself gracefully onto the seat beside him, but she doesn’t say anything. The silence between them is filled with the creak of the wooden wheels on the dirt road, the clopping of hooves in front of them, and the call of crickets and frogs in the forest around them.

Generally, Eugene doesn’t mind silence; these days, it was hard to come by at all. But there’s something almost weighted about it now, lingering in the air between himself and Rapunzel beside him. Maybe it’s in the odd tension he can see pulling at her shoulders. Maybe it’s the lingering reminder in his brain that she apparently hadn’t been sleeping. Maybe it’s something else entirely, like a sixth sense—not that Eugene believes in such things.

“Rapunzel—”

“Eugene,” she begins at almost the exact same time. Eugene snaps his mouth closed, his brows pulling together in concern as she cuts off with a sigh. Her gaze flickers up to the stars peeking through the tree canopy above them, avoiding his eyes. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

She takes a breath like she’s preparing for something, rubbing the back of her neck. “Why… do you call me that?”

Eugene’s brows pull lower, this time in confusion. “Why do I call you….?”

“Sunshine,” she supplies. “Is it… because I’m the Sundrop?”

Eugene’s lips press together in thought. There’s a weight and hesitation to her voice that twists something in his gut. He doesn’t understand why she’s asking—why she’s asking period, and especially why she’s asking now at almost two in the morning—but he can’t shake the feeling that this, for some reason, is an important conversation for her. So he pauses, and really thinks about it, before he answers honestly.

“No,” Eugene tells her quietly. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees her gaze snap over to him like it wasn’t the answer she was expecting. He meets her eyes briefly before looking back to the road ahead of them. “It… well, actually, it has very little to do with the Sundrop, if I’m being honest.”

“Then… why?”

“Because…well…” Eugene finds himself oddly grateful for the dark because he can feel his face warming slightly. He stops, releases a breath, and smiles as he starts again.

“I call you Sunshine because I have never, in my entire life, met anyone who… who radiates quite like you do. You… breathe life and love and hope everywhere you go, and I don’t even think you realize it. You light up the world around you, no matter how dark it seems, and you’re relentless when others try to diminish your inner light. Not to mention how hard you work to give the people around you the chance for growth. And I should know,” he adds, glancing over at Rapunzel again, “since I was one of the first.”

Rapunzel’s eyes are huge in the dark. Eugene offers her a small shrug and a soft look in return. “That’s what I think about when I call you Sunshine.” There’s a strand of hair falling across her forehead, and Eugene brushes it back, letting his fingers trace down along her jaw for just a moment before he returns them to the reigns. “Can… I ask why you’re asking, sweetheart?”

Rapunzel blinks, then averts her gaze. “I was just… thinking. Mo—um, Gothel used to call me ‘flower’. And… I thought it was an affectionate thing when I was growing up. But… the more I thought about it, the more I realized… it wasn’t. It… was just how she saw me.”

Eugene’s heart gives a sudden clench. “As the flower that would keep her young.” She doesn’t reply, but she doesn’t need to. Eugene’s throat goes a little tight. “Rapunzel, it’s my turn to ask you something but first, I need you to promise me that you’ll answer honestly.”

“I promise,” she says firmly.

“Does… does it bother you when I call you ‘Sunshine’?”

Eugene glances over at her then. He trusts her—Rapunzel never willingly breaks a promise—but she has kept things from him before, and he needs to see her face when she answers. He has to know. Because if it bothered her, if it hurt her even a little, and Eugene kept doing it…. He’d never forgive himself.

“No,” she answers. Even in the dark, Eugene can see the honesty sparkling in her green eyes. “Especially now that I know what you mean when you say it.”

Eugene swallows. “You’re sure? Because if it does, that’s—that’s okay, Blondie. I won’t be mad, and I’ll never call you it again—”

“Eugene,” she interrupts gently, placing a hand on his forearm. “I know. But I’m sure. In fact… knowing what it means to you now? It’s… sweet and romantic and heartfelt.  I… like it.”

Eugene can’t help the swell of relief that warms his chest. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” she affirms with a soft smile, sliding closer to him. Her warmth and weight against his side steadies something inside of him, and Rapunzel leans her head against his shoulder with a soft sigh. Like instinct, Eugene melts into her a little. He tucks his face into the top of her blonde hair and presses a small kiss there.

“Okay, Sunshine.”

[murdershegoat]

in an ideal world how would you want lena and kara to come back from the fallout of lena's confession/betrayal

ok i think i would ignore crisis happening lol but let’s say we pick up after all that shit and lena is still big mad and still plotting the mind control thing

only kara doesnt tell alex bc shes gay bc she doesnt want lena to get in trouble. i know what youre thinking, ‘sho thats dumb stop being so fucking stupid why wouldnt she try and save the world like she normally does she knows lena is doing something bad’ and i wanna say valid i am fucking stupid,,,, but maybe she doesnt think lena’s idea is evil? she doesn’t know what lena’s full plan is, not yet anyway. and she knows that lena will never try to inflict pain the way lex did. lena is angry, lena hates her, lena trapped her in the fortress of solitude.

but lena isn’t evil. 

kara knows that. she knows that on every level, every facet of being. lena is not evil. lena does things for the betterment of society. lena must have a plan for this, somehow. she waits to see what happens. 

jonns brother finally reveals lena’s plans for myriad and why she had kept him captive. the deo gears up immediately, ready to fight there way into l-corp, ready to arrest lena luthor. kara stands in front of them. tells them if they go after lena, then they’ll be facing kara and they all know kara will beat them, every time. alex asks her what the effword she thinks she’s doing. kara says ‘im doing the right thing’.

she flies to lcorp to warn lena and protect her. lena tells her to leave and kara says she wont. she sees the hope/eve hybrid and she just sort of sadly looks at lena. 

‘why did you do this to her?’

‘she betrayed me once. this way it wont happen again. now leave. before i mind control you, too. i wont hesitate.’ her voice shakes, though, giving her away.

‘dont you get it?’ kara says. ‘i’d already do anything for you.’

lena falters, just for a moment.

‘why aren’t you stopping me? this is the type of thing you usually wax poetically about.’

this time kara falters. 

‘maybe.’ she hesitates. ‘maybe i’m tired of expecting the best in people.’

lena laughs, but nothing about the situation is remotely funny. 

‘giving up on humanity already, supergirl?’

kara shakes her head. ‘i think i trust you more than i trust them, that’s all.’

‘that’s ridiculous. i trapped you in the fortress of solitude. i used kryptonite on you, knowing how painful it is. i hurt you.’

‘i hurt you first. you were angry. i betrayed you.’

‘so you’re just doing this to get back on my good side? dont be so transparent, supergirl.’

‘i’m doing this because i love you. and it might not be in the way you love me but--’

‘what do you mean in the way i love you?’ lena’s eyes narrow. her heartbeat speeds up, kara notices.she panics.

‘i. uh. nevermind. you dont love me, anymore. im just being stupid.’

‘what. do you mean.’

‘im doing this because i want humanity to be better--’

‘i dont believe you.’

‘- i need them to be better.’

‘do NOT lie to me, kara.’

kara’s shoulders droop. ‘im doing this because im in love with you.’ she pauses, and then repeats herself, this time just a fraction more confident. ‘im in love with you, lena.’

‘no youre not.’

kara laughs softly. lena isnt laughing. they both feel sick.

‘what youre doing. i know you, lena. if you think this is the right thing to do, i’ll protect you, i’ll support you doing it. but if you’re doing this because i was a fool and i hurt you--’

‘dont think so highly of yourself.’

‘if youre doing this because you think any other person would do what i did if they were in my shoes... they wouldn’t. people are braver than i am - humanity is braver than i am. i pretend to be some superhero and i run around all day in this ridiculous outfit and i think im helping people but what good is that if i hurt the person i care about most in the world? if im just a scared little girl who would rather lie to her best friend than be honest with her? people are better than that. they’re better than we give them credit for. 

‘but if you think - if you think deep down that this is the right thing to be doing, then you have my support, even if you don’t want it.’

silence settles between them.

‘youre right.’ lena finally says. ‘people are better than you. that outfit is stupid. and i dont want your support. but. youre also wrong. we loved each other in the same way. but not anymore.’

tears prick at kara’s eyes. ‘you loved me?’

‘more than anything. and then you broke my heart.’

‘i will never stop being sorry.’

‘i know.’

‘and i will never stop loving you.’

lena squares her shoulders. ‘i know,’ she says, as though she’s been in this exact situation before, as though once you’re in love with a luthor it’s impossible to stop.

they don’t fight the deo that day. lena finally agrees to stop her research and keep it all in the fortress of solitude - neutral ground - out of the hands of the government and out of her hands, as well. there is no dramatic showdown, no huge 'i forgive you’ arc. kara saves lena’s life several times because such is the life of a luthor. slowly, lena realises that granting forgiveness is so much easier than holding onto hate. slowly, it ebbs away and she’s left with her feelings for kara - not exactly as they were before, but pretty damn near. 

and then one day kara arrives home and lena is on her couch. kara sits beside her.

‘that supersuit is ridiculous, but the pants are better than the skirt.’

‘i know,’ kara smiles.

‘and people are good,’ lena says. ‘but so are you.’

‘some days i’m not too sure about that.’

‘well i’ll be sure enough for the both of us,’ lena says with a small smile.

‘and what about the other thing?’ kara asks. ‘how we loved each other in the same way? because i didnt like. i still. have, uh. feelings. for you. big, very important feelings that i dont want to overwhelm you with but that would be pretty great if you felt as well. but i dont want to pressure you or---’

lena cuts her off, not with a kiss, but with a hand. a hand that threads carefully and intertwines their fingers together. she squeezes.

‘let’s talk about it over dinner?’

[lightsonparkave]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LIGHTS ON PARK AVE! WE’RE OFFICIALLY A ONE-YEAR-OLD BABY (our birthday was on the 22nd). Join the celebrations by submitting a work! There’s one week left until Round 12 closes on August 31, and you have 80 prompts to choose from. There are no minimum work requirements or limit to how many works you can submit.

Not sure you can finish your work in time? Little messages are great presents too. What has the past year of Lights on Park Ave been like for you? Do you have a favorite prompt or round? A favorite LoPA work? Want to make a rec list of your favorites or wax poetic and show some love for a specific work and/or creator? Go for it. Let the Steve/Tony community know! The LoPA askbox is open or if you want to make your own Tumblr post or tweet, you can mention @lightsonparkave or tag #lightsonparkave. Whatever method you choose, I’ll make sure to share your message/post on here and Twitter.

Or maybe you’re not up to making anything this time. In that case, let’s take a walk down memory lane. Here are all 46 Lights on Park Ave works for previous rounds.

ART

3490 & 616

A comparison between 616 Civil War and universe 3490 where the war was averted by the marriage of Steve Rogers and Natasha Stark - @jarvisuanddumetoo​

ANY UNIVERSE

A framed portrait of a smiling Tony, drawn and signed by Steve - @hundredthousands

Steve steals his husband’s helmet and gives his king a springtime crown - @starksnack

AU

Tin soldier Steve and ballerina Tony dancing - @jarvisuanddumetoo

BATTLEWORLD

Steve watching Tony flying in on the battlefield - @thingexplainer

MCU

Old Steve holding flowers and seeing a blue butterfly after Tony’s death - @hundredthousands

So much of life feels like drowning... but when I’m with you my troubles recede like waves on the shore - @jarvisuanddumetoo

Stranger Things AU where Steve is the one who was experimented on in a lab and doesn’t understand pop culture and Tony is the guy with no powers who is still doing his best to fight these weird new aliens - @jarvisuanddumetoo

Steve and a dandelion that represents him weathering all his hardships over the years - @jarvisuanddumetoo

Tony on fire and Steve’s reaction - @jarvisuanddumetoo

Steve crying while holding Tony’s helmet after Tony’s funeral - @noririna

I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You’re a hero. - @starksnack

ULTIMATES

Steve and Tony leaving marks on each other’s bodies that are only visible in the dark - @sirsapling Ults Steve and Tony are tragically bound to one another. They can always feel the trace of each others hands, it leaves an invisible mark they will cary with them till there is nothing left. Only a ghost of something lost in the chaos of the past.

FIC

1872

Say My Name - @citsiurtlanu Steve reminds Tony that there's more to him than the war his weapons were used in.

616

Snow Day - @captainneverever The Avengers think that Steve and Tony got engaged at the annual holiday party. It’s news to Steve and Tony.

Kiss me rough before you go - erde Tony is dying. His life is slipping away and Steve wants to be better than this, but he can't quite manage the feat. Tony's war has made a bitter man out of him, a lesser man.

Boys, boys, boys - Missy_dee811 (@viudanegraaa) (AU) Steve keeps putting off his oil change. Finally deciding to see the mechanic in town.

Without the rusty music of my machine - Missy_dee811 (@viudanegraaa)  Tony was lying on the hood of his car. He had taken off his leather jacket, gently folded it in half, and draped it across the windshield so he could rest his arms on the supple leather.

Muddy Waters - RossKL (@but-damn-is-he-lovable) (also on Tumblr) Tony bleeds. It's not real.

ANY

(A Dream is) A Wish Your Heart Makes - @helovedyou Cool evenings together and laughing free and all the nice things Tony never thought he’d get

Afternoon Off - Neverever (@captainneverever) Freedom is just another word for getting with your boyfriend on the downlow during a mission.

BULLET POINTS

Those We Were (For A While) - sadisticsparkle The blueprints hadn’t prepared Tony for the light bouncing off the battered metal, for the empty stare of its empty eye sockets or the dim circle in the middle of the chest. He traced its lines with his gaze, remembering every day he had spent hunched over the schematics picking its inner workings and every night he had spent sprawled under its pilot letting him take Tony apart.

MCU

border state - @areiton (also on Tumblr) They exist in the in between.

star crossed - @areiton (also on Tumblr) "The gods made the stars,” you whisper, a lifetime ago, a heartbeat ago, now, “and they were so bright, so beautiful and strong, that they ripped them in two. And half of ‘em fell to earth, and woke from the dust and walked as men.”

this is how - @areiton (also on Tumblr) This is how the world ends: Gaps in the code.

kiss me hard before you go - duckmoles​ & starxreactor (AU) “I love you, you know that?” Tony says just after popping another grape into Steve’s mouth. He watches as Steve’s jaw works, chewing and then swallowing. Steve smiles up at Tony with a bright, toothy grin. “I love you, too.” “I’m going to miss you,” Tony continues. “I’m going to call you everyday, okay? And—and, during the holidays I’ll show up at your house and we can—we can—sit together on the balcony, and—” The last day of summer, and it's time to hold on to what you might lose.

No Winter Lasts Forever - Fluffypanda (@ayapandagirl) Steve stopped, white breath clouding the air around him, to look at the little shoots of green and purple peeking out from the scant layer of snow left on the ground.

snippet of a post-apocalyptic A/B/O AU WIP - Fluffypanda (@ayapandagirl) Steve’s fingers traced the bite, a half-moon of red marks, from in front of the largest mirror he’d ever seen.

the first blush of morning - Fluffypanda (@ayapandagirl) (AU) The sun rises on the Atlantic ocean and Steve isn't alone - or is he?

Santa Paws - @heartsandmuses [I]f there were two things the public couldn’t get enough of, it was cute puppies and shirtless Captain America — and Tony, ever the philanthropist, decided to give the people exactly what they wanted, right on Christmas morning.

Philautia - @helovedyou Tony dies and Steve keeps on living. Well. He doesn’t die. Living might be a bit of a generous term

To the Victor - @helovedyou There are rainbows flying and people hugging and others ranting and raving, spittle flying, he thinks this. We have won this, this tiny victory.

Snippet of a WIP set post-IW - @ishipallthings The numbers keep climbing, for hours, in the aftermath.

Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil - jellybeanforest (@jellybeanforest-a-go-go) (also a Cap-IM Bingo 2020 round 1 fic) Tony hadn’t been a cruel man, but he had been a practical one. Or: In his twilight years, concerned about how his slow-aging possibly-immortal husband will adjust to his death, Tony builds an AI version of himself that he updates nightly, intending for it to keep Steve company after he’s gone. When the inevitable comes to pass, Steve doesn’t know what to make of the AI or whether its presence lessens his grief or makes it significantly worse. He’s leaning towards the latter.

Five Bells - @lazywriter7 (also on Tumblr) After returning the Stones, Steve takes a detour through time.

if we’re gonna heal, let it be glorious - @littlemissstark forgiveness. The salty air was intense enough to wake Steve up completely, snapping any left over drowsiness away. He was alert despite the sky still being a shade of navy that tapered into a purple at the sea’s horizon. The world was still dormant, but Steve couldn’t stay asleep – not when he woke to coldness on the right side of the bed and empty arms.

In My Hands and Gone Again - @nostalgicatsea (also on Tumblr) Memories were like fish, Tony had explained, or the tease of one. A flash of silver, and his hands would plunge down. Sometimes he would catch one; other times, it would dart out of reach. He wouldn’t be sure whether it had been real or just a trick of the light, after.

Leaving You Forward - @nostalgicatsea (AU) It would be easy, staying here like this with Tony. But Steve knew he couldn't—because he had never taken the easy way out and because he loved Tony.

i choose: me, you, us - @onlymorelove (also a Cap-IM Remix Madness 2020 fic) “We, uh. We’ve been together five years, and you’ve never— I’ve never let you see it. I told you I’d let you see it on our wedding night.” In which Tony and Steve marry, but Tony hasn't let Steve see the arc reactor—and the scars around it. Yet.

best of summers gone - rosycheeked (@lovelyisthedawn) Tony's favorite month has always been August.

when we all fall asleep - rosycheeked (@lovelyisthedawn) Tony wakes up and questions why Steve loves him. It's a surprisingly complex question for such a simple answer.

you anchor me (back down) - rosycheeked (@lovelyisthedawn) Steve still loves Tony, no matter what mask he’s wearing. He’ll never tell Tony that, though. He’s read enough books and watched enough movies to know that it only ends well when it’s just a story. Or, everyone needs an anchor sometimes, and Steve and Tony just happen to be each others’.

take me to the feeling - smalltonystark (@theotherwasdeath​) Steve looks gorgeous in the lights. He always looks stunning, but here, late at night, in the faint glow from the streetlamps underneath them and underneath the stars, he looks magnificent.

POETRY

A Toast to Cold, Hard Facts - @onlymorelove (also on Tumblr) The world is brutal and coarse, but...

Love was fading stars - @onlymorelove (also on AO3) Blackout poetry based on “Failing and Flying” by Jack Gilbert on top of an original print.

not married - @onlymorelove (also on Tumblr) Grief works in mysterious ways.

[danceintheskies]

every fire emblem boxart, rated

shadow dragon and the blade of light

pantsless marth… phenomenal. cool composition w mars’s lads in the shadow of his cape. vaguely racist hardin makes me feel some kinda way tho. also check out this guy who’s dabbing

5/10: where’s cain bro…

gaiden

celica is pretty. dong armour alm calls out to the poem of my soul. beautifully rendered bg. valbar is there but it’s ok he’s chaperoning their date

4.5/10 duma looks a little like thanos here and it’s setting off alarm bells

mystery of the emblem

YEAHHHHHH the composition’s a little less inspired than the others and the horses look kind of janky but who CARES we have CAEDA and MERRIC and LINDE and BLONDE BASTARD and CAEDA’S HUSBAND and MEDEUS and A MYSTERIOUS DRAGON I WONDER WHO THAT MIGHT BE HUEHUEHUE

YEAAAAHHHH/10: YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

genealogy of the holy war

you will see people take the piss on fe4′s art style. i will be one of them. but i will say this does a good job of representing a story passing from one generation to the next. my boy seliph is front and center and all is right with the world-- wait, what do you mean im playing as his bimbo dad for the first twelve hours of this game

5.5/10 i can respect that sigurd is using his canon weapon, Silver Sword

thracia 776

this is so. chefs kiss. youve got all your major players. my boy leif looks radiant. the sepia tone works well for the serious tone of the game. the only gripe i have is that kempf looks way too serious for someone whose defining character trait is that he has a constant envy boner for reinhar

7/10 wait what do you mean reinhardt isn’t the lord of this game

binding blade

AAAAUUUUHHGH i dont even LIKE binding blade but this artwork is just so sexy . they really nailed the more painterly watercolour style starting with the gba games yall. roy and lilina contrasted with murdock and -mysterious hooded girl huehue- in the shadows is so artfully done i can’t even make jokes about it

10/10 roy’s my boy now

blazing blade

this used to be one of my least favourite fe boxarts UNTIL i learned the english ver dulled down the colours quite a bit. hector looks like he came 10 minutes late to the photoshoot and doesn’t know what’s happening, and i’m into it.

8/10 lyn i love you but please tell me you’re wearing underwear

sacred stones

oh FUck Yes

Fuck Yes/10: thank you for my life sachiko wada

path of radiance

i could literally wax poetic about this picture for years, and not just because this is my favourite fe. you’ve got all your major players. you’ve got cool vfx and generally beautiful painted style courtesy of legend on earth kita senri. you’ve got soren about to beat up his darwinist homophobe of a dad. I’ve got the full res version of this pic saved to my desktop so i can look at ike’s muscly forearms in hd at any time what’s not to love

10000000/10 thank you ike for defeating racism

radiant dawn

fire emblem radiant dawn was an ambitious game, especially with its overarching villain and final boss, Unnamed Wyvern Rider

7/10 did you know they had a whole team of people dedicated to making the characters in these games as pretty as possible. you can put more of them on the boxart guys it’s ok

shadow dragon

Where’s Marth

Where’s Marth/10: where is he

new mystery of the emblem

i can dig it. the filmstrip/hanging scroll style is very reminiscent of the original famicom games with a new spin. daisuke izuka’s marth is center stage, looking handsome :)

8/10 hardin isn’t vaguely racist anymore

awakening

literally iconic. sexy symbolism with everyone’s weapons parallel to each other as they dive into the future while masked marth dives into the past. more clean and bare-bones than a lot of the other covers, but in the best way-- it really feels like a timeless game.

10/10 why’d they have to do my mans kellam like that tho

fates

stunning. what sexy duality. thank you for going this hard kozaki yusuke

9/10 raised the bar way too high for this game

echoes

hidari was such a good choice for this game, his style is always so... wistful? i can forgive only having alm and celica on the cover since it focuses on fewer main characters than, say, radiant dawn. the sorta-parallel lines of troops into the clouds as alm and celica stand back to back really sets the tone for this game. why are there wyverns in the sky when you never see any tho ajhsdjfsa

9.5/10 i kind of miss valbar. i hope he’s okay

three houses

all three of these house leaders are going to collapse on top of each other after the photo is taken.

makes you think/10: claude is the only person in this game who has any braincells and he’s using the tip of his bow as an honest to god weapon . guys .

in conclusion

fire emblem is a game that exists

[icanhearyouglaring]

when im with you, i have fun

summary: there’s something super about him, something that has absolutely nothing to do with superpowers, and she’d tell everyone exactly what it was if she didn’t want all of its wonders to herself [spitfire + cuddles] a/n: if u like, plz reblog with your comments in the tags!!! i would love that!!!!

The keys to the apartment slip out of Artemis’s fingers as soon as she pulls them out of her jacket pocket.

“Perfect,” she mutters to herself, swooping down to pick the keys up off the wet landing.

After one of the longest, most mind-numbing finals of her life, all she wants to do is get out of the freezing, pouring rain and into the leftover stir-fry that awaits her in the refrigerator to celebrate the end of the semester. Artemis unlocks the finicky door on the first try and when it doesn’t creak loudly as she pushes it open, she momentarily wonders if her food-deprived brain brought her to the wrong door.

But, no, it is the right door. Instead of immediately stripping off her soaking jacket and making a beeline for the kitchen, Artemis quietly closes the door, rests her back against it, and lingers, taking in the sight that greets her in the living room.

Wally, lounging across the entirety of the couch wrapped up in the maroon, velvet blanket they just stress-purchased over the weekend, lazily pets a sleeping Brucely with one hand and turns the pages of the notebook in his lap with the other. His head bobs along with the music that blares beyond the confines of the headphones over his ears. He hums along, off-key and ill-timed, but close enough that Artemis can recognize the song and appreciate the attempt.

She stays by the door, dripping water on the once-clean floor, desperately wanting to pull out her phone and record the cozy scene, but unwilling to chance making a sound and ending it. Wally gets more into the song, tapping his hand against his notebook with the beat. When he aims for the high note, Artemis can’t stop the giggle that bubbles up in her throat. Brucely’s head shoots up from the spot on the floor where he’d been drooling, and he bumps Wally’s idle hand away, catching his attention. Wally cranes his neck back to follow his dog’s vision all the way to her.

“Hey, babe,” he says, quickly taking off his headphones and placing them on the side of the couch. The music doesn’t stop.

“Hey,” Artemis replies, finally slipping out of her jacket and hanging it and her bag on a hook near the door.

She kicks off her shoes and walks over to where Brucely patiently waits for her to pet him, because there was no way he was going to come to her, not with his favorite parent still patting his head (Artemis has come to begrudgingly accept her place as second favorite, but this is not to say that she has given up trying to overthrow the existing order). She sits on the floor next to the couch and rubs the top of Brucely’s head. A small sigh slips past her lips as she forces her tense shoulders to relax.

“How long were you standing there?” Wally asks, shutting his notebook and tossing it onto the coffee table.

“Just a few minutes.”

He turns on the couch to face her fully and quips, “And you didn’t say anything? Pervert.”

“You wish,” she laughs, before leaning in to press a quick, light kiss against his forehead. “So, you fixed the door?”

“Oh, yeah, I think so, but I’m not totally sure how,” Wally chuckles, trailing his knuckles over Brucely’s back. The dog revels in all the attention he’s getting. “I came back from that sham of a review session and kinda-sorta fought with it more than usual. Something clicked, and boom, no more squeaks.”

Artemis snorts, impressed and a little suspicious. “You must have a gift. Counting the toaster and the shower, that’s the third thing you’ve accidentally fixed this week.”

“So that’s why you keep me around,” Wally says with an air of indignant realization, before he moves his hand from Brucely’s back to Artemis’s knee and smiles. “Well, that and that other thing.”

“Other thing? Who’s the pervert now?” Artemis teases, placing her hand over his.

Wally laughs. “Still you. I was referring to your infinite store of love for me. You were thinking dirty thoughts. I can see it in your eyes.”

Brucely takes this opportunity to stick his nose between Wally’s hand and Artemis’s jeans. Artemis rolls her eyes.

“Don’t be jealous. There’s plenty of me to go around,” Wally says, scratching behind Brucely’s ears.

Artemis isn’t so sure he’s talking to the dog.

“You spoil him,” she says for the thousandth time.

“Who else is going to?” Wally glances at her expression and shifts gears. “How was your last final?”

The post-test uneasiness she’d left at the door returns.

“Long. Longer than I thought it’d be. I left a piece of me behind in that lecture hall,” she says, half-serious. “It’s still taking the test.”

“Ouch,” Wally winces and takes her hand, much to the annoyance of their dog-child, who sinks against the floor in protest.

Artemis starts to stand up, but Wally tugs her hand and shakes his head.

“Come here. You need a hug.”

I need that stir-fry, Artemis thinks, picturing the bowl waiting for her near the back of the fridge, but she still carefully steps over Brucely to join Wally on the couch. A hug would also be nice. She lays down beside him and he scoots as far back into the couch as he can and they move around until they find a comfortable position, her slightly on top of him and their legs tangled underneath the blanket.

Artemis sighs slowly as Wally wraps one arm around her and starts fiddling with a lock of her loose, still slightly damp hair with his other hand. With all the hustle and bustle of finals and studying and trying to fit sleep somewhere between those two things, it’s been hard to find a moment of peace with each other.

“Just one more test, babe,” Wally says, exhaustion hanging off every word.

“Are you ready for it?”

Wally laughs. “As ready as I’m going to be.”

“That’s the spirit,” Artemis says, only half-kidding because this far in the game, you either know it or you don’t.

“Before I forget, Mom called today,” Wally says slowly, practically begging her to ask–

“Yours or mine?”

“Ours,” Wally says, jokingly scandalized. “Okay, mine. She wanted to know if we’d come over next weekend for dinner and the tree lighting ceremony down at the Flash museum.”

“You told her yes, right? We always go.”

“About that,” Wally drawls, in the way that warns Artemis he’s been up to something. “I was thinking we could drive out there this year, instead of zeta-ing. Take turns driving, see the sights. We didn’t have time to plan a real vacation for this break, so why not work it into the usual schedule?”

Artemis ponders over the idea for a moment before wincing. “Do you remember our last roadtrip?”

“Oh, I can’t forget it,” he says matter-of-factly. “No matter how much I wish I could. But that just means this one can only be better.”

“Hmm, you’re going to have to sell it to me.” Artemis jokes, before seriously asking, “Where would we even go?”

Wally starts waxing poetic about the value of visiting dinosaur museums and Yellowstone and baseball stadiums and Artemis nods in all the right places and pretends to be undecided, even though he had her at ‘about that’. She lets him go on and on and on, because she loves him, and this, and their life together.

There’s something super about him, something that has absolutely nothing to do with superpowers, and she’d tell everyone exactly what it was if she didn’t want all of its wonders to herself (and Brucely, sometimes).

He has the ability to flip her mood like it’s a goddamn lightswitch (in a good way, most of the time). She’ll be feeling ten types of upset over trivial and important things and then he’ll say something like–

“I guess it doesn’t really matter where, as long as I’m with you.”

–and it’s like all those other things cease to exist, for a moment at least. It really is his gift: inadvertently making things better, just by being himself.

“You’re a cornball,” Artemis says, smiling as she moves to straddle him on the couch.

Wally tilts his head and smiles up at her. “You smell like rain.”

“And you smell like dog–” Artemis says truthfully, wrinkling her nose and leaning down to kiss him anyways.

Brucely barks jealously and they break apart to give the dog matching exasperated looks, but before they can resume their activities, Artemis tastes a familiar tang on the corner of her lip and gasps. She sweeps her tongue over it again, just to be sure. Her eyes flit from Wally’s confused face to the empty bowl sitting on the coffee table. How had she missed it?

“Oh my god,” Artemis sits up on his lap. “You ate my stir-fry? I called dibs.”

Wally blanches. “You did? When?”

“When I put it away.”

Wally cringes. “That’s when I was taking B outside. I am so sorry.”

Artemis releases a short breath, resigned, hungry, and in a forgiving mood (because who could stay mad after all that).

“It’s okay. We still have everything, so I can make another batch tonight.”

That’s when the doorbell rings, startling everyone but Brucely, who has a knack for ignoring everyone but Wally whenever he’s in the room. Artemis untangles her foot from the blanket and rises from the couch.

“Surprise,” Wally says, rushing to get up and grab his wallet from under the coffee table. “I ordered Paola’s to celebrate surviving another semester.”

“You didn’t.” Artemis grins, thinking “Fuck the stir-fry”.

“I did,” he nods, and Brucely dutifully pads along behind his favorite parent as he goes to answer the door.

“Hey,” Artemis calls for Wally’s attention just before he can open the door, “you’re the best, in case you didn’t already know.”

“Love you, too.”

As he makes small talk with the obviously uninterested delivery man, Artemis muses that yes, she’ll keep this all to herself (and the dog) for as long as she can.