#internally routed

[infamous-if]

O kay okay okayaoakayasysayas Since Rowan isn't going to be a LI can we please get his POV reaction (deep crush stage) of MC going over to him to tell him that MC is in love with one of the other ROs? Pleasee I need the angst and I love Rowan and am sad we won't be able to romance him!!

I was listening to favorite crime and kind of went a bit overboard. Please excuse this lengthy and angsty-ish drabble. Aha.... 🤒 ill keep it short next time

The soft notes of Rowan's guitar--affectionally dubbed 'Betty'--rises above his head, filling the silence of his hotel room. He strums aimlessly, absently, his fingers having a mind of their own as they move, creating a random melody that's oddly soothing. Or maybe it's the very essence of his guitar--he always feels more grounded, centered, with Betty in his hands.

Rowan's gaze remains unfocused as he plays, his head tilted, legs crossed on the balcony that overlooks the sleepy streets of their latest tour stop. A soft, pleasantly warm wind curls around the messy strands of his hair, locks sweeping across his forehead like a caressing hand. As the melody takes hold, going from mindless practice to something that sounds like it can be the bones of a real song, he closes his eyes.

Rowan has never been a good singer, but you don't need to be a good singer to make people feel something. He's learned that from the best of them.

I wonder if MC would like this.

The thought of his best friend makes a low groan sound in his throat, and with a huff he pauses the recording of his phone. Suddenly Betty's romantic notes feel like a taunt, a blade to his heart with every reminder of what he and MC are not. They're not together. They're not anything more than friends.

They're not what he wants them to be.

He knows he shouldn't feel this way about them. They're friends. They've been friends since he still thought fart jokes were funny and he had no bass in his voice. That's all they've always been and all they will be: friends.

The word has never sounded so terrible.

Still. If only...

His phone buzzes with a text and he sets Betty down. That blade in his heart only twists when he sees who it's from.

Of course. Did my thinking manifest them? The thought induces both a laugh and a sharp hint of misery from him.

He reads the text: Open your door.

He turns his upper-body to face his door, bursting up once the realization flows through him. He glances at himself in the mirror on his way there, making sure his pajamas are at least semi-presentable. It's MC; they've seen him in worst states, but level of comfortability changes when you want someone to see you in ways they've never seen you before.

In other words, he needs to look good.

Rowan heaves a breath before swinging open the door, remembering to keep the easy smile on his face. MC still looks good even at twelve a.m. after an entire day on the road. It's almost unfair.

"Heyyyy." He grins, trying to appear light. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

MC rolls their eyes. "You're not busy, are you?" They lean over to peek behind Rowan's shoulder, their eyes settling on an abandoned Betty. "Working on something?"

"Nah." He scratches his neck, self-concious. "Just fooling around. What, you need to talk about something?"

MC pushes past Rowan's shoulder to breeze inside, throwing themselves on the bed with a huff. "Iris and Devyn are out and I need to talk to someone."

Rowan takes a seat next to them, snorting. "So I'm the third choice?Wow."

They prop themselves up on their elbows, strands of hair falling in front of their face. Rowan has the terrible urge to lean over and push them away. "You're not exactly the 'serious talk' kind of person."

"Serious talk?" He gapes. "Yes, I am! I'm capable of being serious, you know. I'm not an asshole."

With a laugh, MC rolls over on their stomach and groans into Rowan's pillow. Now his curiosity is officially piqued. What could have MC so...like this?

"What's up?" Rowan's following laugh is both nervous and amused. "Did something happen with Seven?" Seven and MC have been a bit...all over the place since the beginning of the tour. He hardly knows what to call it. "Or did Orion lecture you again?" Orion is another one. That man has been relentless since tour started.

MC shoots him a look before sitting up, copying Rowan's position. His eyes flicker down to where their knees touch, to the proximity that's gone from the size of the bed to none at all.

They've been close like this before. No, scratch that. They've been closer, but this is different. This is different because everything is different.

"You know you're my best friend, right?" MC says, putting their hands on Rowan's.

He clears his throat, the skin under theirs burning with their touch. "Yeah...?"

"And we can tell each other everything?"

"Yeah." He quirks a brow at them, trying to stifle their humor. "Are you dying? Please don't tell me you're dying. You haven't even gotten rich yet to leave me anything in your will."

MC laughs but it comes out a bit uncertain. High-pitched. Rowan knows them. The same way he knows Iris and Devyn. He knows all of them like the back of his hand. So it only takes him another second to realize it.

MC is nervous.

His heart does a weird somersault in his gut.

"I have a secrettttt," MC sing-songs. Even as a joke they still manage to sing with perfect pitch.

The four words are enough to shake his very world, but he manages an eye roll. "Fucking hell, we're not twelve. Just spit it out."

"Sorry." MC palms their face, a nervous laugh escaping them. God. This must be serious for MC to be nervous in front of him? Rowan has never really gave anyone the impression of a harsh judge. Hell, he's always been an open book. "I just...I'm in love with [RO]."

He wished he didn't rush them. He wished he didn't hear those words at all. He's half tempted to grab it from the air and shove it back into MC's mouth so they can pretend it never happened.

"What?" is all the fuzz in his brain can spit out.

MC throws their self back, a wildly breathless laugh escaping them. The sound is even better than Betty's notes. "WHEW. That felt good to say it. Is anyone hot in here? I know I am."

MC keeps babbling but all Rowan could hear is a white noise in his head. MC is in love with RO. MC is in love with them.

MC is in love with someone that's not him.

"I just needed to let that out." MC huffs, gazing around the room. "You should invite me next time you play. You know I like seeing you finger Betty."

Rowan can't even laugh at the dirty inside joke they've had between them since he bought Betty years ago. It suddenly makes him feel wholly small and largely ridiculous: Rowan will never be the person for MC. He will always be the goofy best friend that makes stupid, childish jokes about fingering his dumbass guitar and the one MC goes to when Devyn and Iris aren't available.

He's not even the second choice. He's the fucking fourth.

As if noticing the change in atmosphere, MC awkwardly purses their lips and says, "I should probably get back to my room and get some sleep. We have an early start tomorrow."

He blinks, managing a small nod. "Uh-huh." He runs a hand through his hair, feeling naked without his hat. "Right."

They stand and shoot Rowan a final look. "Thank you," they say after. a moment, "for being my friend."

He's really starting to hate that word.

But he smiles anyway. "Yeah. Ditto."

MC grins, spinning on the heel of their foot to leave the room. Rowan follows, waving lamely at them and watching as they disappear down the hall, whistling a merry tune. It's true; it does feel like a weight was lifted of their shoulders. They walk with a hop in their step. Rowan hates knowing it was RO that is responsible for that.

With a sigh he closes the door, leaning his forward against it. Spinning on his shoulder, he looks up at the ceiling.

"I need to get laid," he mumbles.

Though he has a feeling that won't do much to solve the problem in his heart.

[read-write-thrive]

I wanted to get a head start on palasaki week and now I’m building out a reverse AU. why do I keep doing this to myself I can’t keep starting new stuff without finishing the old stuff 😭

[sapphyreblayze]

The gay as hell way Kevin Maguire posed J'onn and Max on the cover for DC Retroactive: Justice League America is crazy.

[faketrex]

Hello hello, it's my @aroyallybigbangrwrb story, featuring illustrations from the incredible keririke!

...

"All Routes Lead to Love"

Red, White, & Royal Blue. Alex / Henry.

19K words. Rated Mature.

Alex and Henry are strangers brought together by public transit - in three different cities. If one meet-cute is happenstance and the second is a coincidence, what do you call the third? More importantly… is it enough to fall in love?

“When we had the stupid missed connection thing earlier this month, I told Henry that life’s not a romcom. You’re a scientist, I didn’t think I would have to tell you that, too.” Alex eats another fry. Henry’s a romantic, it’s disgusting. It’s adorable. Alex can’t stop thinking about him.

“I’m a data scientist, it’s not the same,” Nora objects. “We’re built different. Anyway, who says your life can't be a romcom?”

(Or, three times public transit plays Cupid between Henry and Alex, and one time it’s no help whatsoever.)

...

Click to read it on AO3

[curlzformetal]

okay but D snapping a spear in half and being all like "You should repair that?"

yes PLEASE get that bitch!

[necrotic-nephilim]

https://www.tumblr.com/necrotic-nephilim/760168597014413312/bftc-jaytim-fuck-nasty-in-their-batman-suits?source=share

give a whole new meaning to "at least drake took it like a man"

SCREAMING this is the funniest thing ever oh my god i choked on my dr pepper-

i love that line in general, i think it's such a fun line that says a lot about how Jason feels about Tim. but in the context of Jason saying it after fucking Tim oh my GOD that's just. it's delightful. i'm going to be giggling about this all day oh my god. thank you anon this is delightful-

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

I don’t understand why buggy is so afraid to show his vulnerabilities? He was growing up just like shanks and people around Roger were chill. Do you think he got there later? Like age 10 with already having some backstory or whatever

yeah, i mentioned in reply to an ask last month that i think a lot of buggy's quirks make more sense if he spent his formative years in an unsafe living situation. i specifically suggested a "life on the streets" in that post, but really any living situation where you can't trust the people around you makes sense to me.

the way he calls the roger pirate crew weak and shanks soft, his desperation for financial independence (and with it, complete independence), that all strikes me as behavior that rises from growing up around people who stab first, take everything of value from you second, and ask questions third.

though i don't know if i agree with you that the roger pirates were totally chill, i feel like there's some Ideals of Masculinity that they believed and taught their apprentices that… weren't super healthy? like, not to slap a label of toxic positivity on roger, but a guy who never stops smiling doesn't seem to have much room for vulnerability in his heart.

…or at least, no vulnerability he'd share with the kids. which makes sense—the issues he was dealing with would be a heavy burden to leave on a child—but it could give a kid the impression that roger never felt sad or vulnerable, if they never saw it happen. and, well, if it's beneath the captain to feel such feelings…

[abirddogmoment]

realized today that I'm so done being embarrassed by my puppy's normal harmless age-appropriate behaviours

[blerdyotome]

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! - Pirates of the Disturbance Coming to the West this Winter

Exciting news for western otome fans! During Idea Factory International announced today during their 10th Anniversary celebration at Anime Expo 2023 that they’ll be releasing My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! – Pirates of the Disturbance. Based on the popular light novel, manga, and anime series, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! – Pirates of the…

[zymstarz]

yeah sure that's how i'll [re]come out

[andrewmnyard]

not to be insanely lame and talk about my job online but why are clients so stupid!! if i send something that says “please provide this invoice” and they send back a print out of an email with a dollar amount written on it so i say “returned, please provide the original invoice from the vendor” and then after a WEEK they send back the printed out email!!!!!! like that’s not what i want!!!!!!!!! I literally sent that exact thing back to you!!!!!!! bc it’s not an invoice!!!!!!!!

[happyk44]

Lmao BPD!Percy, where everyone assumes his FP is Annabeth but, no, it's Grover, who, in his opinion, has done nothing wrong ever and is the most perfect person in the world and has no flaws and deserves all the things and if he, Percy's first friend ever, stopped wanting to be Percy's friend, Percy would be throwing himself out the nearest window almost immediately.

[nabesthetics]

not pro-Dorian, not anti-Dorian, but a secret third thing (want to have a good time in the fandom and see people create cool things on the platform(s) of their preference)

[satoshi-mochida]

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! – Pirates of the Disturbance releases today for the Switch.

[socialbunny]

sims 3 is an unplayable ass game the way i have it set up but at least i have them <333333333333 sexy sexy darleen made by @alanna-goth bc i am Not. good at making good looking ts3 sims.... at all.......

[tigerexe]

Not a huge fan of Saavik origins versions where she is raised by Sarek and Amanda. The house of Sarek cant keep producing Strange Children like this