#people making this mistake? what are we doing??????

[mesetacadre]

One mistake that is very common for communists to make (both online and offline, though it's more annoying online) when talking about and participating in trade unions is forgetting both your and the union's place in class struggle.

A trade union is by its very nature a reformist entity that fights partial struggles at best and reinforces the state's management of capitalism at worst. The purpose of any trade union is to represent a group of workers at the a company or sector at the same level of the capitalists who run it to achieve better conditions for the workforce. Two crucial aspects of this are (1) that it simply puts the workers at the same level of capitalists to negotiate, it does not question the very role of the capitalist in the wider economy, and (2) its ultimate goal is always to reform the contract that defines the relationship between the worker and the capitalist, not to remove it altogether. It does not matter the amount or length of strikes the union might organize, or how much they embolden workers to act in their (supposed) interest. Every fight organized by a union is, by definition, reformist. The only situations in which unions seize to have this character are in either a dictatorship of the proletariat, and like any other element of the superstructure it's put to work in the interests of the working class, or a situation with a strong communist party pre-revolution that has been able to influence the union in such a way that it becomes internally aligned with the interests of the vanguard.

Does this mean that unions are worthless and that we should ignore them because they don't immediately acquire rifles and take over human resources? No. What we should do is avoid creating false illusions or misplacing importance on these fights

An organized (that is, in a communist party) communist's role is to elevate the working masses to a revolutionary conscience, so that the party can have the sufficient amount of people, and organizational capability, to exploit the crises of capitalism to their favor. And this never changes, no matter the context of your intervention. When you go to a protest, you are a communist in that protest, not just another protestor. When you do work in a union, you are a communist in a union, not a unionist. This means that your work and your interactions with other workers should always be done as a communist. You may be an active member of a union, in fact that's the main way for organized communists to act in a workplace, if their party does not have the sufficient strength to act on its own. But you're a communist first, a communist who understands the utility of unions to create the seed of revolutionary-political conscience in workers.

And a misunderstanding of any of these two concepts usually manifests in what I see some communists do, which is taking the reformist slogans of trade unions ("fight for a just wage", "united we bargain", or just an oversimplified "join a union!", for example) and parroting them without much apparent thought. Trade unionism and socialdemocracy go hand in hand, these two currents hinge on the idea of promising workers a bigger slice of the national wealth. But the difference between these two, and part of the reason why many more communists are less critical towards unions I think, is that unions take the position of workers, the "underdog", while socialdemocracy deals directly with putting reforms in place. But ultimately they both misdirect the spontaneous conscience workers acquire by the everyday class antagonism towards policies that reinforce capitalism and the system of wage labor through which workers are exploited in the first place.

[sluggzillaa]

You Smoke?

Word Count: 3.6k

✧ Pairing: Joost Klein x GN!Reader

✧ Summary: You and Joost have been apart of the same friend group for a while now but haven't had the chance to get to know each other. Thats till they both go on a smoke break.

��� Warnings and tags: pet/nicknames(Sweetheart and star) , smoking(cigarettes), just some fluff, acquaintances to lovers, cursing, alcohol consumption, implied smut ,  panic attack, fainting, claustrophobia, no pronouns, angst if you squint

✧ Authors note: I've recently gotten into Joost and his music. I'm usually not into blonde men but he flipped a switch for me. Enjoy this thing my brain came up with, i'm very proud of it. If I made any mistakes or missed a warning PLEASE LET ME KNOW. ps, MINORS SHOO!

⋆.ೃ࿔*

“Say it!”

“Okay, okay I will”

It's a Tuesday night and everyone is tipsy. You and your friend group had spent the majority of the day helping your friend Joost with a video shoot. You then all came back to Apson’s apartment to relax and had a couple drinks. A couple drinks then turned into a bunch of shots. Now you're all sharing stories, obviously extremely dramatized due to the liquor in your system.

“So I bring this girl home after a gig at Bolwerk” Joost starts

When Joost talks, everyone in the room listens. He is constantly the center of attention. He commands a room.

“We get to my place; getting in the mood.. I leave her on the couch so I can get a rubber, but when I get back this girl is passed out!”

“What did you do after?” Apson questioned 

“Opzouten! I went to bed and put her in a cab in the morning”

The group laughed and went into separate conversations. Joost stood up from his seat and grabbed his bag. 

“Alright, i’m gonna go have a smoke” 

“Mind if I come too?” You speak up

He nods towards the balcony and steps out. You follow and close the sliding door behind you. You admire the city as you learn over the railing. Joost looked through his small bag. He let out a sigh and cursed to himself.

“You got a lighter?” he questioned

You nodded and passed him the lighter that was in your pocket. He pulled out two cigarettes , placing one between his lips and handing you the other. He lit his, taking a drag to ensure an even burn. He inhaled then blew out the remaining smoke. He held the cigarette in between his lips and leaned over towards you. You placed the cigarette between your lips and looked up at him. He cupped one of his hands to the side of the cig and turned the lighter on. You scanned his focused face but your attention was stolen by him eyeing you. You took a pull and watched as Joost moved away, still never peeling his eyes from you. You leaned over the railing and watched cars pass below you.

“I had no idea you smoked” Joost broke the silence

“Well we don’t speak much to know anything about each other”

“Which is odd since we hang out so often”

“You hangout with the group often, we don’t hangout at all” You corrected

He chuckled at your snarkiness and finally looked away from you. He admired the skyline and took a drag from his cig. He turned back to you again.

“I know everyone in the group pretty well, besides you”

“What are you getting at?”

“Maybe, we could get some drinks or go out to eat or something”

“You’re making it sound like a date, Klein”

“You’re the one whos thinking of it like that”

⋆.ೃ࿔*

You agreed to hangout with Joost but tried to find something that didn’t seem so ‘datey’. You decided on going to a local venue where a few underground hardstyle artists were playing. You knew you both had a love for music so you made your plans based on that.

You stood in front of the barricade as you watched people trickle in. You quickly took notice of a familiar blonde haired man walking in, dawning a pair of shades and an ushanka. He searched the crowd till his eyes finally landed on you. A smile pasted itself on to his face and he sped to you.

“Hallo!” He greeted

“Hey.. what's with the shades?”

“I didn’t want anyone to notice me”

“Yea, because no one is going to recognize that bright mullet and your very.. Distinctive style”

He gave you a sarcastic laugh before taking his spot at the barricade. He looked around and took in the venue.

“So do you know anyone in the line up?”

“Nee, but it's always good to support new artist”

You nodded in agreement

“I remember when I was in their position, it always feels good to know that people who are bigger in the scene are interested in your art” He continued

“Enough about me, tell me why you chose this spot”

“Well, I always come to shows like these. It's such a fun atmosphere.. Plus I know how passionate you are about music so I figured it was the perfect way to bring both of our likes together”

“You're very smart”

The comment slightly threw you off but you ignored it and tried to get back into small talk. Before you could even get a word in, the show started. The speakers immediately started blasting music and the room was now lit up by the stage lights above. Joost noticed the crowd begin to get rowdy so he quickly stood behind you and placed his arms on either side of you, hands gripping the barricade. You looked up at him and gave him a thankful smile. You turned back to the front of the stage and moved your body to the beat of the music. Joost looked down at you, ensuring you were comfortable and safe. He eventually let loose and enjoyed the music along with you. The bass and the volume of the music made it extremely difficult to communicate but you did what you could.

“Joost!.. JOOST!” You attempted to grab his attention

“Yea! What do you need?”

“Can you get me a drink?”

“You’ll be good on your own?” He questioned, you gave him a sly look and rolled your eyes

“I am a grown woman, I can handle myself”

He nodded and pushed through the crowd so he could get to the bar in the back. Once he left, you attempted to assimilate yourself with the crowd. Unfortunately, The crowd was getting even more hyped and seemed to lose any sense of awareness for others. Before you knew it, you were pushed into the center of the pit. You were being heavily shoved around and elbowed painfully. You tried to push your way out but the more you struggled, the more it became harder to get out. You’ve been in pits before but only when you intend to; you had never been forced into one. The large amounts of people and the pushing began to make you hyperventilate. Your chest was heaving and your heart was racing. There was a sudden ringing in your ear and before you knew it, black.

You weren’t sure how long you were out but you woke up to a bright light in your face and feeling insanely sweaty. You sat up and the light was moved from your face. The first person you saw was Joost, looking insanely worried. This was the first time you’ve seen him with any other reaction but happy. Once he realized you were awake, he quickly rushed to check on  you, looking all around for any marks on you or any signs you needed to be rushed to a hospital. The medics urged him to give you some space but he ignored them.

“Holy shit, are you okay?”

“Like I would fucking know.. What happened?”

“You passed out in the pit, Why the fuck would you do that after I left?”

“First of all, I got pushed into the pit.. Second of all, I don’t need your constant protection”

He donned an amused smile and looked up at the medics, ushering them away. He tucked his arm under your armpit and slowly helped you get up.

“Still just as independent as you were before you went out.. Come on i’m taking you home”

“No it’s fine, I’ll get a cab”

“I brought my car. Turn off your ego for a second and let me do something for you”

⋆.ೃ࿔*

Joost pulled up to the front of your apartment building and put his car in park.

“Do you need me to take you upstairs or?”

‘I’ll be fine but thank you”

He nodded and stepped out of the car. Right as you were about to open your own door, he quickly swung it open.

“As the gentleman I am, I should be opening doors for you”

“Joost stop making it weird”

You stepped out of the car and shut the door, snatching it from him. He rolls his eyes and walks you to the door. 

“Let's do that again”

“Maybe not THAT.. I think we should just get coffee next time” He joked

You nodded and stopped at your building's front door. Before you opened it, you turned back to Joost and placed a quick peck on his cheek. You gave him a soft smile and opened the door.

“Thank you.. Text me so we can figure out the next time we can hang out”

Joost just stood there, frozen in place. No matter what you said he would just nod in agreement. 

⋆.ೃ࿔*

You had spent the last week texting back and forth with Joost. It first started off with him checking in on you after what happened at the concert. It then turned into him just talking to you randomly. Now you two can’t go a few hours without talking. After being in the same group for so long, you finally feel like you’re actually getting close to him.

Star: I just finished all my paperwork

Moon: You’ve been working on that stuff for 2 days straight

Star: Yea but its finally over

Moon: Good good

Star: I am really bored right now though

Moon: I’m at the studio right now finishing a project

          All the guys just left so it's just me right now

Star: Are you asking me to pull up to the studio?

Moon: Maybe

Star: I’ll see you in 15

⋆.ೃ࿔*

You knocked on the door of the studio and waited for Joost to open. He wasted no time; he practically swung the door off its hinges. He greeted you with a wide smile and ushered you inside. You greeted him with a nod and walked in. You spun around, giving yourself a mini tour of the studio. It was decorated with LED lights and had few plants in the corners. You looked at one of the walls which had a comfy looking brown couch against it. Joost sat down in his chair in front of the control panel. He patted the chair next to him, signaling you to sit. You plopped down in the chair and watched him as he quickly opened his music program on his laptop.

“Listen to this and tell me what you think”

You nodded and followed his every move. He placed the laptop on the desk in front of him and quickly pressed the spacebar, causing the music to play. The song was slower than what you were used to with his music. His voice was very soft, following the beat. The lyrics were extremely heartfelt. Full of love and passion. It was very enjoyable, arguably one of his best songs. He leaned forward in his chair and watched your facial expressions. The song came to a stop and he immediately bombarded you with questions about your opinion.

“It's a very beautiful song.. I love it”

“You don’t think it's missing something, though?”

You shook your head and leaned back in your chair. Joost rubbed the back off his head, thinking. Suddenly something clicked in him. He grabbed your hand and forced you out of your seat. He opened the door to the booth.

“I need you to go into the booth and record something for me, please”

“Fine but you owe me”

He gave you an excited nod and rushed back to his seat. You walked into the booth and shut the door behind you. You looked out the window and spotted Joost ushering you to put on the headphones. Once you did, he spoke through the intercom.

“Okay, so what I want you to do is say ‘Joost, take me to the moon’ but in a soft voice.. Not a whisper though”

You giggled at his specific instructions and gave him an understanding nod. You got up to the mic and gave Joost a thumbs up, signaling that you were ready. A red light turned on above the mic, showing that it was on and recording. You gave yourself an assuring breathe before continuing with the phrase.

“Joost, take me to the moon” You attempted to put on your most calming yet slightly sensual voice

You looked over at him through the window, He just sat there staring at his laptop with an earbud in. He nodded to himself and waved for you to come back out. You hung the headphones back up and walked out of the booth.

“How was it?” You asked

“Fucking perfect.. It was exactly what the song needed”

You smiled to yourself, excited by the praise. He packed up his stuff and grabbed yours as well. He shut off the lights in the studio, The only light in the room being an LED lamp he has on the desk next to all the tech. He stood for a second just admiring the silhouette of your features. Weirdly enough, you did the same. You took notice of the way his nose buttons out and how he constantly had a dimple peeking. Though you couldn’t really see them, you felt his eyes meet yours. The two of you moved together ever so slightly. You two were already so close, if you kept going at this pace you would be directly on top of each other. He placed his hand on your hip and the other on the small of your back. You turned your head to the side and dared to lean your face closer. Right when your lips were going to slightly touch, his ringtone loudly filled the room. He let you go and rushed to grab his phone from his pocket, it was Aspon.

“Shit.. Hallo?” He answered the phone and walked to the other side of the room

You huffed and turned away from him, attempting to snap yourself out of this flustered state. He said goodbye to Aspon and turned back to you. 

“Let’s get going”

You nodded in agreement and opened the door. You made your way downstairs and waited for Joost to lead you to the car. The car ride was pretty quiet besides you helping him with directions. You didn’t once acknowledge what happened upstairs. He pulled up in front of your apartment building and put the car in parked. He got out of the car and walked over to the other side, opening the door for you. You stepped out and walked with him to the front door.

“See you soon?”

“Yea, i’ll text you when i’m home.. Okay star?”

You nodded and headed back inside.

⋆.ೃ࿔*

He didn’t

He hasn’t spoken to you in a week. He hasn’t even made any plans to meet with the friend group. You haven’t heard a single thing about Joost. You knew it was kinda awkward after what happened but you didn’t think it was that bad. You spent day and night last week waiting for any sign of him. The more time that went by with no contact, the more time you began to gave up. That was till you actually gave up. You no longer spent your mornings trying to get pretty in case he wanted to hang out. You no longer tried looking for new ideas of things you could do together. You just stopped trying all together. You had no interest in putting so much effort into someone who obviously didn't care much for you.

You laid in your bed on your laptop, doom scrolling. You hadn’t found a way to stop until your phone chimed. You turned your head to the device and saw a text from someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.

Moon: You busy?

You stared at the text and contemplated whether you should answer or not. It was like his words were a spell, pushing you to respond. You picked up your phone and quickly got to typing.

Star: No

           Why?

Moon: I’m having a get together for the release of my new song

Star: Okay

Moon: And I was wondering if you’d like to come

Star: Where is it and when?

Moon: At my place

           Tonight at 8

Star: I’ll see

He sent you one last text but you didn’t bother to check. You wondered how he had the balls to contact you after leaving you in the dark for so long. You also wondered how he had so much control over you to make you give in so easily.

⋆.ೃ࿔*

You knocked on Joost's apartment door. You had only been here once before for a get together that Ski had invited your group to. You don’t really remember it much because you started drinking as soon as you got there.

Joost opened the door. A slight smile creeped onto his face. It immediately dropped when he realized you weren’t as happy to see him as he was you. You walked straight inside and looked around to see if you recognized anyone. To your surprise, no one was even there. You turned to him with a confused yet slightly confused face. 

“Where did everyone go?” you questioned

“You’re the first one to arrive”

You scoff and walk further into the apartment. You spot the bottles of alcohol and mixers on his dining room table. You grab a cup and begin to fill your cup with a mix of vodka and cranberry juice. You took a sip, making a face at the taste of liquor. You turned back around and trailed to the couch. You plopped down and leaned against the arm of the seat. Joost walked towards you and gently sat down onto the cushion next to you. There was a moment of awkward silence before he finally decided to break it.

“I’m sorry”

“About?”

“The other night..”

“Are you really sorry about the other night or are you sorry about going ghost?”

“Both?”

“What exactly are you sorry for?”

“Um..”

There was a moment of silence again. You watched him as he fidgeted and bit the inside of his cheek. He finally turned to you. His cheeks were a light shade of pink and his eyes were slightly wider. You sat on your legs and leaned closer to him.

“Are you sorry or do you just regret something”

“Maybe I do have some regrets”

“Was it not kissing me?” You said boldly

He kept quiet but his eyes kept flickering to your lips. You leaned closer, practically being pulled towards him. He let out a desperate sigh and leaned into you. Your lips brushed against each other. You closed your eyes, preparing yourself to finally get to kiss him. Then the bell rang. You pulled away and threw your hands up in defeat. Joost got up to answer the door. You grabbed your cup and walked out to the balcony. After that, there wasn’t a moment where the door was closed. The apartment was now full. Everyone was packed in like sardines yet everyone was still having a great time. Joost pushed through the crowd and rushed to you.

“I’m about to release the song, come!”

You stood up from your chair and followed after him. The two of you stood with your group of friends. He grabbed his laptop and pressed the upload button. Once it was up, he pressed play and allowed his song to fill the room. It was a slow and sweet melody. Everything you said in the studio stood to be true. It was a perfectly beautiful song. It was full of love and passion. The song was coming to an end, a part you had never heard.

jij bent het mooiste waar ik mijn ogen op heb gericht, mijn ster

(you're the most beautiful thing I have laid my eyes on, My star)

Your mind went cloudy. The name took you by surprise. To anyone else it would seem like a random nickname, but to you it meant so much more. In the background you heard your voice closing out the song.

Joost, Take me to the moon

Everyone clapped and cheered for Joost. You turned to him with a dreamy expression on your face. He was just smiling down at you, tuning out the entire room. He made your blank expression turn into a wide smile.

⋆.ೃ࿔*

Joost said goodbye to the last few guests and turned to you. You stood directly behind him with a huge smile on your face that hasn’t gone away since he revealed the song. You threw your arms around his neck and pulled him into a long awaited kiss. His eyes fluttered shut as he melted into the kiss. He placed one of his hands onto the small of your back and the other on the back of your head. You reached your hand up and combed through the blonde’s mullet. He took a sharp breath in through his nose whilst pulling away. He gave you a goofy love struck smile. You panted as you attempted to catch your breath. You giggled at the sight of the very red Joost.

“So is that why you didn’t speak to me all week?”

“Yea.. I just got so caught up in making it perfect for you, Schat”

You pulled him back into the kiss, this time it was even more heated and passionate. He trailed his hands down and placed them on the back of your thighs. He tapped on your skin, signaling you to jump up. You did as you were instructed and wrapped your legs around his waist. He held onto you and walked you over to his room, never once breaking the kiss.

⋆.ೃ࿔*

joostklein

The Netherlands

♡ ❍ ➣

205,750 likes

joostklein “Love letter to a star” Out Now! ✨

View all 1,200 comments

June 15

bbnomula: I LOVE JOOST KLEIN

nelib0st: who’s the song about

yungpepsi: Omg is joost dating some1

missharli: Beautiful

ticetip: JOOST LET ME BE YOUR STAR

[pseudophan]

i feel like phil likes us more than dan does (which i am not offended about) bc dan is more of a “wont forget your past mistakes no matter what” kinda person while phil is more on the forgiving side

i think dan just has zero object permanence. or rather emotional permanence, i suppose. he loves us but he tends to forget that if we're not actively interacting lmao. i mean yeah he bullies us which is fair, but dan also gets so visibly emotional on stage and at m&gs as if he remembers oh shit i forgot i actually like these people. and the further we get into this renaissance the more obviously fond of us he is which is so cute to me lmao. especially after both charity streams! he's clearly very proud of what this community can achieve

i was thinking earlier actually about how he said basically i'm gay would've been a very different video if he'd made it before doing ii. we know meeting us and realising everyone is queer really changed his perspective, but i'm wondering if also (and i am just making shit up here don't take this as fact at all please) the vibe might have been a little more .. hostile is the wrong word, stern? perhaps? about all the shipping and boundary breaking that went on? because quite frankly we got off so lightly in that video lol he kind of went out of his way to make sure we didn't feel too bad about it and idk.. i'm wondering if perhaps he'd be just the tiiiiniest bit more Hey Fuck You For That By The Way if he hadn't just been on tour and been reminded that oh right these are my people

that got off track but i forgot what my initial point was so i'm just gonna post it

[laguezze]

PAC: A letter you're meant to receive

I'm baaaaack~ (kinda) (pretty casually, life's been tough)

As always here are the rules:

Minors DNI

Don't take everything to heart, this is a general reading! Take what resonates!

It's honest, I don't sugarcoat. If you're not liking what you read, keep scrolling! It may not be for you or you may not be ready for that message yet!

Let's take a look at the piles!!!

Pile 1

Pile 2

Pile 3

Let's go!

Pile 1

Signs this may be for you: unicorn, South Korea , the letter S, Squirrels, Love, Skydiving, birthday, anniversary, 12, 6, 16, 2006, 2001, 2026, 1970s, Billie Eilish, John Lennon, glasses.

Dear ____,

How could you think I'm not proud of you? How could you think that minor thing you did would erase all the love I feel for you? It doesn't. I don't think anything can at this point. You're human, you're allowed to make mistakes. And while I do still think you need help, you're still doing your best, even though you don't feel like it. You're trying and I see that. You're wonderful and magical and although your light is dimmed at the moment, I know there's a bright sun under that blanket of darkness you're currently holding over your head. Everything will be ok. Have you ever not gotten a resolution to your conflict? Trust me. You're going to be fine. Let yourself be, enjoy the people around you, breathe. Treat your life like you treat your dreams. Be as excited as you can. You're alive! And while you are not responsible for this darkness that has been placed upon you, you are the only one that can take it off. I understand it's difficult, but you can do it. You're tired of fighting, but you're not just anyone. You're a legend. Legends don't have it easy. Go get them.

Pile 2

Signs this may be for you: Harry Styles, Fashion school, blood drives, nurse, 😜, smoke, laughter, blonde, blue eyes, "that boy is mine", 0%, Rihanna, water, rain, Hawaii, Jumping, Rave, Cindy, the letter C, N, and A. Numbers 5, 8, and 30, AMANDA.

Hello, it's been a while.

How are you?

This is awkward, you probably didn't expect to hear from me. I have been okay, I honestly can't stop thinking about us and how it ended. It pains me to think that you left with the impression that I didn't care. I do. I did. I just want to let you know that in another life, maybe we should try again. I don't have much to say, I'm not sure why I feel so compelled to tell you this. It's so basic. I'm being channeled right now (ok aware) and it's weird because it shouldn't be this deep but I really wanted to come through and say sorry. And say that I know you miss me and I do too. And one day we will reunite and we might be able to show our love then. Sorry it ended that way. Sorry that was the last you knew of me. I think of you each day, I dream of you each night.

Pile 3

Signs this may be for you: YES GIRL, happy, cheerful, spaghetti, squash, "I'm allergic", ibuprofen, love is in the air, matchmaker, fruits, VSCO, musically, Harmony, dating apps, Jenna, Lisa, "I stan", Twitter account, laughs, pigs, 25, 23, 2022, 2001, 2000, Beyonce.

Wow, am I impressed with you,

Not only are you grown and beautiful, you're also such a good person. I'm immensely proud of you. You're doing exactly what you need to, you're living life to the fullest and I am here for it. Remember our trips to the beach? I miss you. You should call more often. I love that you're meeting new people and having fun but sometimes I need to see you and hear from you. Please call me from time to time. I know I may seem clingy, but I just miss your presence. I also don't know when I'll actually see you next, you've become so unexpected and exciting. I love you, that's why I need to hear from you. Tell me everything, I'll listen. I'm here for you and I want what's best. Come back from time to time. Please. That's the only thing I ask of you at this time. I can't say this to you normally, you'd get uncomfortable. But please listen and take this opportunity. Let's talk more often! I wanna be part of your life again! 🥰

Hope it resonates! 💕

[igotanidea]

Smooth criminal: AK!Jason x reader

part 1 : Somebody's watching me

part 2: Run baby, run

Yeah... I know it's been a while. Sorry guys. But here we are :)

***

They say that history repeats itself. That’s its merely a one big circle in which people get lost endlessly, not learning from the past mistakes, instead doing them all over again.

Like an Uroboros, forevermore biting his tail.

And that was how Y/N felt at the moment, shaking over the cup of tea Dick so generously offered her alongside with his hoodie. And even more kindly – not asking any questions of why she showed up at his apartment (or rather under it) in the middle of the night looking crazy.

She was back at the beginning. Back over Jason’s grave, sobbing and shaking while the memories of the news of him being gone forever haunted her mind.

Felt like all her efforts to forget and move on have come to nothing.

“Y/N…”

“No. No please I don’t want to talk Dick-“

“I was just gonna say you can stay here for as long as you like. I don’t know what got you so freaked out, but the Y/N I know – knew­ – was not the one to get scared over a spider or a mouse. So it must have been serious. Stay.” He grabbed and squeezed her hands reassuringly. “I’m serious.”

“No, no it’s too much to ask for—”

“Good thing you did not ask then.” Dick grinned “Cause I believe I offered It myself.”

“You really didn’t change a bit, Grayson. Same golden, sunshine boy.”

“And you’re still the same, not holding back girl. Woman. How long has it been exactly?”

“Two years.” She sighed

“Two years.” Dick sighed too, his eyes becoming a little blurry from the memories. “I missed you, you know. And not only me. So did Tim and Alfred and Damian and I’m sure even Bruce became a little more grumpy without your presence to challenge him.”

“He’s got enough criminals to keep him entertained I believe?”

“Oh, Y/N, criminals he can handle easily, they are no fun. But having a woman with a sharp mind? That’s something Bruce still needs a lot of training in.”

***

 It was shockingly easy to reconnect with Dick.

Or maybe not, given the fact he was always awfully friendly, keeping in touch even with his exes and even having considerably good relations with some villains.

Long story short, in a months’ time she was regularly back in his life and he was back in hers. And much to her surprise, this time it was not a constant reminder of the person she lost, neither filling the void, but rather a soft recollection that she was not the only one who felt the repercussions of Jason being gone.

If anything, after that time apart, it felt like Y/N and Dick’s relationship could finally move past the tragic events and bloom. Not in a romantic sense, because he had Barbara and was making plans in that area, but like a true, deep friendship, cemented with similar feelings.

And she even got the guts to meet with the rest of the batfamily, ditching those girls who left her alone at the party. Slowly, but steadily, she was getting back to her old, familiar self, dropping the act of a girl who wanted to be anything but the version she was when Jason was alive and with her.  She was not running from the past anymore, but rather embracing and accepting it. And that was the real healing.

Only that Jason was not gone.

Observing her carefully from the shadows, watching almost every step, be it himself or using his militia. With explicit orders given to not let her know they were there. He had bigger plans coming, and making the same mistake as before, by coming as close as to touch her, could never happen again. Even if somewhere deep inside, the very subdued part of him screamed for that. For the warmth he remembered and knew would come with tenderness and not pain.

She never gave him anything less but love and devotion.

If anything Jason was only cursing himself that he let her step into the Batman world again. That is was his reckless behavior that drove her back into the arms of people, who were nothing but bad news. Who would eventually end up hurting her too.

And he was going to protect his little, innocent princess from that.

So yes, he was watching.

Sending his goons when he knew she was walking back home from work late, to ensure no one would lay a finger on her.

Causing a commotion in the area that happened to be dangerous only so she would choose another way.

Sending her colleagues threat letters so they would drop the chase for the same promotion at work as her.

Beating up a guy who was trying to flirt with her when she was buying coffee-to-go at her favorite place.

Doing it all smoothly, like a professional he was.

Building up a way to execute his master plan that would keep her safe from any danger, real or hypothetical. Forever.

***

“She got home, boss. Safe and sound, not one hair out of place.” One of his militia officers reported to him

“Good.” Jason only grunted in response. One whole month and he was so close to the finale. The end was right in front of him and he had to hold himself back to not make a single rookie mistake that would derail his efforts.

“If I may, sir, why exactly are we wasting resources on some woman? She’s no one important, just a regular—”

“What did you say?”

If the sinister voice wasn’t enough to make the man stop his sentence, the iron grip on his throat did.

“I- I-“

“No one important? Huh? Was that what you said?” Jason mocked tightening fingers on the man's jugular. “Answer me!”

“I- I-“ he was struggling for air.

“Pathetic!” Jason threw him on the ground, retrieving the gun from his holster, pointing it at the man’s head.

“Please, don’t—”

“I should put a bullet in your head for talking about her like that and second one for questioning my plans.” The gun outlet was now pressing into the man’s temple. “You are doing what I tell you, you hear me? No questions. No doubts. You are here to serve me, unless-“ Jason put a little bit of pressure on the trigger.

“No! No please!”

“You’re a piece of shit.” Arkham Knight muttered, taking the gun away. “But I am feeling merciful today. We can’t have blood on the floor when Y/N arrives. Now go! Get out of my face before I change my mind! And you make sure everything is perfect because if not—” he  caressed the arms with a cruel glint in his eyes, enjoying the way his officer rushed out of the room, throwing commands left and right, halfway out the door.

“Soon, baby… Soon we’ll be back together…” Jason muttered to himself once he was finally alone.

He was so close to having everything he needed.

@vaniasagitaa @gone-batty-fics @astrelz @not-herexo @deans-spinster-witch @calicocat45 @princessbl0ss0m @rosieandthethorns @beingaturtlespiritually @grierpilots @killerwendigo @teenytinytunes

[holylulusworld]

Every breath you take (6)

Summary: There is a shadow following you. He doesn’t know what he got himself into.

Pairing: Stalker!Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader

Warnings: stalking, being stalked, loneliness, a man out of time, secret admirer trope, longing, drugging, kinda home invasion

A/N: You all made me do it! Here’s the series to this random idea: Stalker Bucky & Crazy Reader

A/N2: This is a Bucky centered chapter.

Catch up here: Every Breath You Take (5)

Every Breath You Take Masterlist

“How was your week, Mr. Barnes? Did you leave your apartment to meet people?” His therapist watches Bucky closely. “Last time you talked about Sam Wilson, and that you helped him with a boat.”

“Sam came around and we ate together,” Bucky chooses his words wisely. He keeps out, that he was busy watching you change your curtains before Sam dragged him out of his apartment. “It was nice…I think.”

“Good, that’s good,” she clicks her pen and glances at the clock. Twenty minutes gone and Bucky barely said anything. “What else can you tell me about your week?”

“I bought a new bed for Alpine,” he explains for a few minutes Alpine ignored the bed until Bucky put it next to his mattress. Again, he leaves out that he still has no bed, and that he sleeps on a mattress on the ground. “Oh, and the vet said the little punk is healthy. A good week.”

“What else?” She presses on. There is a change in Bucky’s behavior, and she wants to know what caused the change. He’s less tense and doesn’t avoid answering questions.

“I—” he drops his eyes to his hands. Bucky wrinkles his forehead, asking himself if he can tell her about you.

“What is it, Mr. Barnes?” She leans forward to look at his hands. “You are safe here. Nothing you’ll tell me will leave these walls. I’d never break your trust.”

He inhales deeply to prepare himself to tell her about you. Of course, he cannot tell her that you’re his obsession and that he’s watching you from afar.

“I met a nice woman,” he splutters before he chickens out. “It’s…uh…we didn’t have a date yet, but I bought her flowers. She’s really nice…”

“Oh,” that picked her interest. She leans back in her chair to take more notes. “What else can you tell me about her?”

“She likes fluffy things,” he smiles softly, remembering how you cuddled the plushie he bought for you. “Flowers too. She has a lot of orchids and just got new curtains.”

“That’s…” she considers her next words. Bucky finally opens up some more, and she doesn’t want to ruin his trust. “She sounds nice, you’re right.”

He nods eagerly while wringing his hands. “I want to take things slow,” Bucky immediately points out. “I still need to get used to my new life. Being a burden to my doll is the last thing I want to do. She deserves the world, a stable man, and a nice home.”

“You already thought about this a lot,” she concludes. “Does she want to take things slow too? Did you talk about it?”

“I,” he exhales sharply. “I told her a few things, and she agreed that we can take things slow.” Bucky lies. He cannot reveal that you don’t even know who he is. “She’s an angel, doc. I’m sure about it.”

She nods and takes another note. “You shouldn’t put her on a pedestal. If she fails to fulfill your standards or fantasy you’ll disappointed.”

“She could never disappoint me,” Bucky frowns deeply. “Why are you saying things like that? She’s a beautiful person. Inside and outside. Why would I ever be disappointed in her? If someone will disappoint, it’s gonna be me!”

“I believe you, Mr. Barnes. I only wanted to tell you that people often make the mistake of thinking too highly of a new partner,” she tries to calm Bucky. He’s worked up and she changes her tactic. “Do you have an idea for your first date?”

His eyes light up. “Yes. I’m going to invite her for dinner. My dating skills are a bit rusty, but I think I still know about the basics.” He grins. “Pull a chair, compliment her outfit, not staring at anything but her pretty face.”

“I know a nice little restaurant if you need a perfect place for a date,” she doesn’t give away that she believes it’s too soon for Bucky to date.

“Uh—if the time has come, I’ll ask you about the restaurant. We agreed on exchanging letters and chatting. As I said, we want to take things slow. She doesn’t need a mess in her life.”

“You’re not a mess, Mr. Barnes. Given the circumstances, you are holding up just great. There’s a lot in this new life for you to discover, but I have faith in you.”

He nods and puts a fake smile on his face. Bucky could hear his therapist’s heart beat faster when he first mentioned you. He knows she’s not happy with his choice to bring you into his life.

“I bought a table and two chairs,” he tries to change the topic. “My walls are still almost naked, but I’ll take care of that problem too.”

“Very good!” She encourages Bucky to turn his apartment into a home. Her eyes drift toward the clock and she sighs. “Oh my, look at the time!” She taps her watch. “This was fruitful, Mr. Barnes. You are making great progress.”

“Thank you, doc,” Bucky hastily gets up. He’s got plans for today. Plans involving you…

“The white one, please,” you say, and point at the white orchid at the flower shop. “One of my orchids died. The white one.” You sniffle. “I don’t know why.”

“Sometimes plants just give up in the wrong environment,” the owner of the flower shop carelessly says. She doesn’t know that her words feel like a stab to your heart.

“B-but I did everything for her! All of my other orchids are fine,” you wrinkle your nose to push the tears away. You’re close to your period and your emotions are all over the place. “How can you say something like that?”

You look away, eyes roaming the small flower shop. The only other customer looks at you for a second before he drops his gaze to look at a rubber tree.

He’s hiding behind a ball cap, tugging at it as you watch him. One of his hands is covered by a black glove, and you wonder if he’s hiding a scar, or a missing digit.

“Miss, did you hear me?” You tear your eyes off the man to turn your attention back toward the woman. “Do you want anything else? Fertilizer, maybe.”

She gives you a sugar-sweet smile, but you know, mentioning the fertilizer was another jab. “No,” you square your jaw. “I got more than enough fertilizer for my orchids. I only want the orchid, nothing else.”

You pay for the orchid, take the plant, and leave the flower shop. That woman ruined your mood, and you want to get back home as fast as possible.

“That wasn’t nice,” Bucky angrily glares at the woman as he steps closer to her, the rubber tree tugged under his arm. “She lost a flower she liked, and you blamed her. Sometimes pretty things just die. There is nothing she could’ve done to save the flower.”

She huffs and snatches the rubber tree out of Bucky’s hands. “I guess this one will die soon too. You’re all the same. You want pretty plants only to let them die.”

Bucky inhales sharply. If he could, he’d tell the woman to rethink her attitude, but he’s got better things to do than fight with a random person he’ll never see again.

“Shush, doll,” Bucky gently runs his hand over your hair. He murmurs your name while settling behind you to wrap his arms around your body. He buries his face in your neck, inhaling your scent deeply.

It pains him that he had to spike your water bottles, but he cannot hold you if you are awake. You’d freak out and hate him. Bucky wants to do this right. Even if he actions lately are the opposite.

“I know you needed me today. The pain meds and heating pad will help you relax, and I’m here for you, doll. Soon we’ll never be apart. I just need to prepare our new home first. Everything must be perfect for you, Y/N.”

Tags in reblog.

[sterredem]

Please Please Please

A part 2 to espresso but can be read as a stand alone

Charles leclerc x singer!reader

Kind of a espresso part 2

Face claim Sabrina Carpenter

Warning nothing, not proofread (so there will be spelling mistakes), maybe some hate(?)

Summary Y/n releases a new song.

A/N hi! I’m so sorry that it took this long to post but I had it really busy with life. I hope y’all still like it! I am quite proud of it!

Don’t forget to repost and comments, it helps a lot! And please give feedback!

Instagram

Liked by Charles_Leclerc and 3.736.735 others

Yourusername Tomorrow, 8pm est

View all 5.735 comments

Charles_Leclerc So proud🫶 liked by author

User1 she’s in jail??? The end of espresso??!?

User2 Y/n world domination

User3 who’s that man?!?! Kinda looks like Charles

User4 THIS IS SO RANDOM BUT I LOVE IT!

User5 Pop princess is really feeding us!

User6 Feeding us with the sad songs 🧎‍♀️‍➡️

User7 SO READY!!

User8 she’s feeding her children

User9 who’s this about? This feels like a sad song but she’s happy with Charles…

User10 she has also had relationships before him so it can be about that. And we don’t even know if it will be a sad song sooo……

User11 So exited!!

User12 icon

User13 SO SOON?!

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Instagram

Liked by TaylorSwift and 3.736.835 others

Yourusername Tonight, 8 pm est

View all 3.736 comments

MTV I cancelled my plans for this

Charles_Leclerc I’m ready

User1 the people’s pop princess

User2 everybody stay calm!

User3 so soon after espresso is insane, I love it!

User4 I love the necklace!

User5 can’t wait!

User6 I’m curious to see what colour this is!

User7 what do you mean?

User6 with all of her past songs she had a colour that she associates with that for example; the light blue heart 🩵 with espresso

User7 Ohhhh thank you for explaining!

User8 🎤👑

User9 I’m in love with you

User10 I’m in Europe but I WILL set my clock to listen to this song AS SOON as it is out!!

User11 IM SAT!

User12 the outfit is soooo cool!

User13 So exited!!!!

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Instagram

Liked by Charles_Leclerc and 4.836.735 others

Yourusername all I’m askin baby

Thank you so much to all the people that helped me make this amazing video! I hope you like it!!💛🫶

View all 5.835 comments

Charles_Leclerc So proud of you mon amour🫶❤️ liked by author

OliviaRodrigo I love youuuuu😘

Yourusername I love you tooooo😘

User1 OMG CHARLES?!?!

User2 It’s so cuteee

User3 we really are getreind spoiled!

User4 they are so cute!

User5 I want what they have!

User6 Love the MV!

User7 you’re so pretty!

User8 😍😍

User9 they are couple goals!

User10 not het casting her irl bc in a song where she talks about her bf not embarrassed her😂😂

User11 I would too. Have you seen his pants?🤣

User12 I LOVE THE SONG!!

User13 POP PRINCESS! 👸👑

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Twitter

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Instagram

Liked by Charles_Leclerc and 4.972.725 others

Yourusername Thank you so much Gov ball for having us! It was so much fun playing for all of you! One of the loudest crowds ever!!!💛

View all 5.525 comments

Charles_Leclerc 💛❤️

User1 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SUPERMACY

User2 That Color looks so good on you!

User3 They got a dog?!

User4 yes! Leo was seen at the paddock a few times!

User5 Leo is such a cute name!

User6 yeah! On his paddock pas stood ‘Leo leclerc-Y/l/n!

User7 It was rare I was there!

User8 pretty

User9 I’m a simple women; I see pretty girl, I like.

User10 I wonder who Charles is looking at🤔

User11 I see myself!

User12 they are just adorable!

User13 I love supportive boyfriend!

|———————————<3—————————————|

Instagram

♫ Y/n y/l/n - Please Please Please ♫

Liked by Charles_Leclerc and 5.736.826 others

Yourusername s’il vous plaît

s’il vous plaît

s’il vous plaît

View all 7.836 comments

francisca.cgomes You’re cute

Yourusername Says you

User1 Gorgeous

User2 her speaking her bf’s language 😭🥲😢

User3 not the meme😂

User4 girls don’t want boys, they want Y/n y/l/n and her hair

User5 can Charles fight??

User6 why isn’t Charles commenting????

User7 probably cause they are together rn and he doesn’t have to 🤷‍♀️

User8 She’s kinda……

User9 you think??

User10 I need you in a way that’s concerning to feminism

User11 she always eats with outfits!

User12 Mother!!!(fucker)

User13 I want your dog.

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Instagram

Liked by OliviaRodrigo and 3.836.936 others

Yourusername Summertime ball, it was amazing! Thank you for having me! I’m so thankful for every 80.000 of you! Thank u UK for being so good!

View all 3.735 comments

OliviaRodrigo kiss 💋

Yourusername 💋💋

User1 Why is Lando in the likes???

User2 prolly cause he’s friends with charles?

User1 still weird, he never liked the posts

User2 well I don’t blame him. She’s hot.

User3 Yellow looks good on you

User4 your dog and bf are cute

User5 she knows she a TEN

User6 literal POP PRINCESS 👸👑

User7 I love you

User8 why aren’t any of the wags in the comments or likes??

User9 they don’t have to. This is her job and she also doesn’t like all their posts soooo….…

User10 I LOVE YOUR MUSIC!!

User11 new album when??

User12 💛🩵❤️

User13 gorgeussssa!

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Instagram

Liked by TaylorSwift and 6.837.837 others

Yourusername “short n’ sweet”

MY NEW ALBUM IS COMING OUT AUGUST 23rd!!!💋

This is a very special album to me, I hope you all look out to it!!

View all 30.736 comments

Gracieabrams WOO

OliviaRodrigo SO READY!

Conangray That’s my bff y’all!

Taylorswift So exited!

Charles_Leclerc So proud!!

francisca.cgomes I already heard it!

Lilymhe I love you!

Carmenmmundt Amazing!

User1 All the wags supporting her! We love to see it!!

User2 OMG?!?!

User3 FINALLY!

User4 I just KNOW that this will be a love album with how it’s going with Charles!

User5 HOW ARE YOU SO GORGEOUS?!?!

User6 EVEN TAYLOR COMMENTED?!

User7 album of the summer!

User8 god bless Y/n y/l/n

User9 First Taylor then Billie then Gracie and now this?!?! We are really getting it all in 2024!!

User10 MORE MUSIC!!

User11 I KNEW IT!!

User12 🩵💙

User13 ONG AUGUST 23 IS MY BDAY!!!

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[i-tripped-on-a-rock]

more low effort art of Alejandro and Noah!! I love them sm,,,, (I actually don’t like this drawing as much but it’s not horrible so I thought I would post it)

Some more of the fic out of context:

“The challenge begins in ten minutes! You kids have fun, I’ve got places to be!” Chris says into his large megaphone as the helicopter begins to take off. Noah rolls his eyes and hugs his arms closer to his chest. Cold and angry is never a good combination. Next to him, Alejandro scoffs quietly. Noah glances over at the taller teen, eyes still obscured by his sunglasses. Alejandro’s mask of “calm, kind, and flirtatious” is no where to be seen. The rest of the contestants are further away, and he hasn’t noticed Noah’s eyes on him yet.

“¿Qué ‘lugares’? ¿Una residencia de ancianos?” Alejandro mutters. He clearly didn’t mean for Noah to hear what he said given how quietly he spoke, and it took all of Noah’s self control to not burst out in startled laughter. He bites his bottom lip to suppress a laugh. His Spanish isn’t great-he’s barely conversational- but he understood enough. “What ‘places’? A retirement/nursing home?”

There was something about the way he said it that set Noah off. Alejandro had this air of irritation to him that Noah sees every morning when he looks in the mirror. He’d never seen the teen more unhappy to be here than in this exact moment, and it only made it more funny to him.

Every once in a while, Alejandro’s mask would slip up and Noah would get to see through his facade, even if it was just for a split second. He would make some sarcastic or mean comment, or just glare at a contestant. The mask was never down for more than a moment, but Noah noticed. Alejandro… he wasn’t that bad in those moments, if Noah was being completely honest with himself. The mask would slide right on the moment he remembers there’s people around, or when someone talks to him. It was like whiplash, despite how minor the changes were. It was almost impressive how much of a difference a few relaxed facial muscles and a charming smile could make.

Noah realizes he failed to suppress a snort at Alejandro’s comment when the other teen turns to look at him. Noah freezes like a fever in headlights as Alejandro stares at him. What surprises him the most, however, is that despite Alejandro realizing someone heard him, he hadn’t tried to hide behind his facade again. That irritating smile that Noah hates so much isn’t anywhere to be seen. Alejandro looked like he was silently speedrunning the 5 stages of grief before finally landing on confusion. It wasn’t until Alejandro began to speak that Noah remembers that he’s not supposed to know Spanish.

“Do you-“

“Sorry! I, um-.” Noah blurts out, frantically searching for an excuse and praying to any god that’s listening that his sunglasses are obscuring enough of his face to hide his panic, “I. I sneeze weird. I have mild anemia and get cold easily, and it’s already cold as hell here.”

Not a complete lie- he does mild anemia- but he’s basically rambling. Before Alejandro has the time to doubt or question him, Heather yells out to them.

“You two losers better get your asses over here! I will not have my win be delayed!” She’s stood further away from them with the rest of the contestants a bit away, stood in front of the beginning of the next challenge. Noah gladly latches on to the chance to switch topics

“Careful with all the cursing on camera, Heather! We wouldn’t want Chris to chop off all your hair again!” Noah calls back has he begins his trudge though the snow towards the challenge. He avoids Alejandro’s stare as he walks past and hopes he won’t push the issue. It’s too early into the game to be making mistakes, especially when it involves his biggest threat.

[puppetwoman17]

I wonder what the batfam's reactions would be if the joker escapes wherever they sent him to, finds Tim on patrol and was like "Long time no see JJ," and then going on about how he should come home with him back to arkham and he'll help him "recover" and are trying to get to Tim's location as fast as they can while listening in on comms?

This was actually a scenario I thought of the day I found out about JJ. I feel like after what happened, Tim would do the opposite of what Jason would and has done. Instead of going to find the Joker, he would stay as far away from him or even his goons as possible. It would be like the third Robin and the Joker had no history, nothing to tie them together(which probably made Jason angry at some point).

So when he breaks out of Arkham(AGAIN, jesus), Tim, Babs, and Bruce don’t waste a minute before bringing up that Tim has another case he has to work on that is of the “upmost importance”. It’s actually just a 12 year old homicide cold case that he solved a month ago but no one has to know that. Jim knows to sweep that under the rug when RR comes by with the same exact evidence he came with a month ago.

But Lady Luck has never been on Tim’s side. The rest of the bats quickly lose track of the Joker. Babs manages to find him, but by that point, it’s too late.

Joker finds him. And he recognizes him. Underneath the new name, costume, and styled hair, Joker finds his “son”.

As you can imagine, he’s over the moon. But he’s also just as angry.

“Junior! You don’t call, you don’t text, you don’t send out an email. What’s a pop got to do to get their son to notice them?”

“I’m not your son.”

“Not with that hair you’re not. Your skin’s not how I left it at all! And what happened to that beautiful smile of yours? Did the bat ruin that too?”

Tim doesn’t take jabs about his smile well. This is why. And it gets under his skin that even after using so much foundation and concealer, the Joker can still see the remnants of smile lines along his cheeks.

“You’ve been avoiding me, Junior. You know papa doesn’t like being ignored.“

“You’re not my dad.”

“Ha! Who is then? Certainly not the old bat. Anyhow, this isn’t about him. It’s been so long, kiddo. Why don’t we stop by the old warehouse and have a chat. Maybe even pick up Mama while we’re at it.”

“Harley would rather die than go with you, and I’m not following you anywhere. Batman already has your location.”

That brushes the smile off the freak’s face. The expression he has on now is sickly reminiscent of how he was when he, Tim, and Harley played family years ago. It’s not a look he gives to other people. No one else has seen it, so they might think Tim a liar. But he can’t deny the parental disappointment in the man’s eyes.

“I know they don’t know.”

Now that. That really gets to him.

“None of your business.”

“It it, but you’re welcome to deny it. I believe it’s just the old bat, the beat up cop, and Ms. Gordon, correct? Not even the first Robin! Ha! I wonder what the second bird would think. Not to mention the girls! Oh! And we can’t forget about little old Signal.”

Tim doesn’t need him to tell him. He’s gone over the scenario so many times it drives him mad. What each of them would say. What he could do to make them think differently. What he would have to do if they found out. Where he could run to. It never gets easier.

Joker is trying to scare him. That’s the only conclusion he definitively has. And aside from his general psychotic tendencies, he genuinely believes he and Tim are family.

By the time Batman arrives with the GCPD, the Joker is tied and ready for extraction. But the villain’s smile is no less fear-inducing.

“You know I’m right, my boy,” he says as he’s take into the back of a truck.

“They’ll never look at you the same way again.”

It’s only when everything is over that Tim takes the time to look over his gear that he finds his mistake. One that the Joker knew about. One that he exploited.

When he shut off the comms, he didn’t shut them off. In his delirium over his past, instead of closing them off, he muted them. While he couldn’t hear any of their chatter, they definitely heard his. And he didn’t send Babs his acceptance to shut his comms off, something she couldn’t do without express permission.

So when he unmuted the comms, you can only imagine what he heard.

[gleefullypolin]

Stacy's Tipsy Musing's – Penelope Bridgerton Hot Takes - Part 1

Ok boys and girls, we need to have a little chat about Penelope Bridgerton.

Part 2 has been out now for a couple of days and there have been a lot of hot takes to come out of the season. A LOT of hot takes. I’m going to break this down into 4 parts like I did for Colin ((Part 1, 2, 3, 4, Bonus). 4 questions that I'm seeing really bad hot takes about Penelope.

Not surprising I see lots of hot takes about Pen, because either A) people cannot handle a woman complex emotions and facets, B) hate on a woman who does not fit societal norms and standards or C) are stans who refuse to see that all characters have imperfections which make them even more delicious to watch.

So let’s get to question number one:

Why didn’t Pen leave Colin after the entrapment comment or express more anger toward him, she seemed to give up?

Let’s start with where the idea of entrapment lives within Pen. In Season 1 she worked really hard to stop Marina and her mother’s plan to entrap Colin into marriage by deceiving him into compromising her so that he would marry her quickly while she was pregnant with another man’s child. She used Lady Whistledown to stop this from happening when Colin did not heed her warnings about Marina being in love with another man.

Move on to Season 3 and her mother finds out that she is now engaged to Colin and her very first thought is that Pen must have entrapped Colin herself to get him to marry her. Colin puts a stop to this notion with her mother of course, but the comment was there.

“And now you’ve been out at all hours of the night with no chaperone. And then you traipse in this morning with news of an engagement to the very same Bridgerton Boy! Using Lord knows what wiles to entrap him.” – Portia

Now when Colin finds out about Lady Whistledown, if you read my musing earlier, he reacted angrily and lashes out to hurt Pen with his own entrapment comment. And while it stings, I can tell you Pen does not react the way that so many fics that are being written today have her reacting.

“Perhaps that was another part of your planned entrapment.” - Colin

“I did not mean to entrap you, Colin. I love you.” - Penelope

So let’s discuss.

Pen did not tell Colin about LW herself (we will discuss this in part 2) so he found out on his own. At this point, he is still reconciling with her lie. And at this point it has been a lie. Up until the point she had simply been keeping this a secret, but when he asked her directly about the ink on her fingers when he gave her the engagement ring, she lied. She was writing letters. Again, this post isn’t going to go into that, tune in for part 2 for that piece. But anyway, he’s reeling from the lies he realizes she has now told. And Pen knows she hurt him.

Pen knows she has made mistakes. And at this point, she does not feel that she deserves Colin. She even says so when she speaks to Gen the night before her wedding. So we know that she knows what entrapment means. She knows what her mother accused her of, she knows what Marina did, but she KNOWS she did not entrap Colin.

If anyone entrapped anyone in marriage, Colin entrapped Pen. He ruined her engagement to a Lord in front of the Queen and the ton. He chased her carriage in front of others, he was alone with her, he was inappropriate with her in that carriage. He then proposed, he has taken her alone to their home, compromised her, and if he ended this engagement would ruin her, especially now knowing she was pregnant after their first time. So, let’s get that out of the way.

Pen knows she did not entrap Colin; however, she also does not feel deserving of him. She knows she lied to him. But all she knows she can do in this moment is to remind him that she loves him. That she did this to protect him, because she loves him. Pen does not fight him. She simply wants to know what he intends to do. She cannot bear his silence.

I honestly feel like at this point, it is more torture for her that he is NOT yelling at her, that he has not released his anger at her. I think she wants him to yell at her, she wants him to engage, she wants him to tell her that she is not worthy of him. Because then she would know the truth. It’s his holding to being a good man, to his honor, to marrying her because they were intimate that seems to rattle her more. Because that is NOT love. She wants more than anything for Colin to love her, she does NOT want him to be trapped by the fact he had sex with her.

And that is why she offers him the annulment even after EVERYTHING is said and done. Even after they are married, after he has told her he loves her still, after she has given up her identity, given reprieve from the Queen, laid herself bare to society, even after all of that, her biggest concern is to him. She still does not want him to feel trapped by her. She still offers him grace, and a way to release himself from her if he chooses. She is not angry; she smiles as she says it. Because she loves him.

At the bottom of everything, she wants to do better. She told her mother the same. Their family needed to do better. She would not allow her mother’s schemes; their past ways of entrapping men like they had tried with Marina. So, at the end of it, Pen did not give up when Colin spoke those words to her originally, she did not shrink back in anger or attack, instead she listened, she responded with regret, she reiterated her love and in the end she released him because she loved him. And she was rewarded with unconditional requited love in return.

Stick around for part 2....

Why didn’t Pen tell Colin about Lady Whistledown after X? (Their first time, during the engagement party, when he gave her the engagement ring, after El met with her and she decided to write the column to protect the Bridgerton’s)

[lore-of-the-mushroom-kingdom]

A Problem With Mario Theories and Lore Hunting

So there is a problem many people have when it comes to speculation, lore hunting, and timeline crafting I've come to notice in the Mario community, and it's something I've recently been having to deal with. So something I've noticed is people who have talked about the Donkey Kongs have tried to apply real world Gorilla lifespans and maturity to the Kongs. After doing this they apply it to the lore and or the Mario timeline. They will do things like place all the Party and Kart games at the end of the timeline. Claim Donkey Kong Junior is was retconned out of existence, or Donkey Kong the Third is actual DK Jr and Cranky's son instead of grandson. The application of real world gorilla lifespans and maturity is mostly thanks to certain Mario "timeline"/theory. Why does this not work? First off they are going against the established lore about the 3 DKs, and how Kongs age rapidly. On a side note I've actually made a few posts about the DKs and Kong aging so if you want to know more look for those. Back on track why does this not work? Well before we get to the main point I wanted to mention another previous post of mine to put things into perspective. In this post I talked about a hypothesis I had come up with in the past, which was that Piranha Plants aren't actually plants but reptiles. From there I talked about why my hypothesis was wrong. I used information obtained from manuals, descriptions, and in game dialogue establishing they are indeed plants. So what was my mistake? I tried to apply real world logic to this fictional world. Now while some real world logic is a basis for this world such as needing to eat food and breath air to stay alive. This world also runs by it's own rules. So if in the world plants can have skeletons, tongues, have scales, and can hatch from eggs then they can. The Mario world is basically a high fantasy world, and trying to force real world logic into it does work when it has it's own set of rules the world runs by. Keep in mind this is a world with man eating plants, alongside sentient talking trees and sunflowers, hexapod dragons, still living non-avian dinosaurs, reanimated skeletons, turtles that can remove their shells, straight up magic, clouds you can physically ride on, the ability to enter dreams, zippers on terrain you can unzip, etc. etc. etc. So in the end it doesn't make sense at all to try to force real world gorilla aging to fictional sapient gorillas who have their own language in a high fantasy setting. Keep in mind this post is only addressing a problem. This by no means lore hunting and speculation is wrong. That should be self evident by the existence of this blog.

[typicalopposite]

Ooooooo just thought of some double angst potential

Gerrard is giving Buck a really hard time… like just absolutely not letting up on him. It’s worse on him than everyone else but he does it enough in the shadows to make sure Buck is the only one to realize it. He can read Buck like an open book, he knows he won’t tell… everyone else is having to deal with Gerrard’s bullshit, too. So what if he is getting the blunt end of it. Better him than them.

Buck is left exhausted.

Tommy clocks it immediately.

He begs Buck to go to someone. Go to Frank, surely he can pull some strings. Go to the chief, he didn’t like Gerrard swooping in and stealing Bobby’s job anyway. Go to his team, they will 100% rally together with him.

Buck insists everything is fine. He can handle it; its under control. No one needs to fight his battle for him, and he doesn’t want his problem to become everyone else’s problem…

So Tommy lets it go… kind of.

He goes to Bobby.

He feels grimey going behind Bucks back but he doesn’t know what to do and Bobby is already working with the higher ups—who’s heads were all gone over in the whole scheme to keep Bobby gone—to get his family back. So that’s how Tommy ends up outside the house Bobby and Athena are renting.

“What do you mean Gerrard’s doing something to Buck…” Bobby asks, voice low and threatening in a way Tommy doesn’t think he’s ever heard it before. He’s instantly up and looking for his keys.

“Wait, stop!” Tommy blocks the door and Bobby gives him a warning look, and yeah… Tommy sees that adopted father/son feeling definitely goes both ways. “I don’t even know if I’m right about this… Buck won’t talk to me. He won’t talk to anyone.”

Flash forward and Bobby meets Buck for lunch. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Buck look so empty and distant. He just wants to hug him and tell him it is all going to get fixed—he doesn’t know if it is… he’s trying but this all seems so much bigger than just an alleged discipline deficit…

“Talk to me, kid…” Bobby finally says. “Whatever is going on… we can work through it… you don’t have to deal with it—”

“Alone?” Buck finishes for him. He turns bloodshot tired eyes up to Bobby and lets out a halfhearted laugh. “How can you even sit there and say that to me like it’s not exactly what you did…”

“Hey, that’s…”

“Don’t you dare say it’s different!” And then his eyes are tearing up and he’s shoving back from tables and storming off… but Bobby knows that the only thing he has to show for trying to keep his problems away from the people he cared about… was a slew of new problems that directly affected the very people he was trying to protect.

“Buck stop!” He yells and jumps up from the table to catch him. Buck stops walking; Bobby could swear he looks relieved when he turns back around. “You’re right, kid… I hid a big thing from you—from all of you… and I was wrong. It was stupid, and selfish… and it backfired big time,” he offers a smile… Buck gives one back. “Don’t make the same mistakes I did. If something is bothering you… speak up.”

So it turns out Gerrard singled out the one person who—in his words—had already “turned his back on his team”. He’s been trying to get information of the others, on Bobby… hell even on members from other stations (Harbor specifically included) who have helped them in the past with their brave(read: illegal) escapades. Buck won’t give in; Gerrard won’t give up. He is trying everything to get under Bucks skin from just the horrid homophobic slurs… the blatant racism he has Buck terrified to speak up on… putting far to much of a work load on his shoulders… to getting his hands on Tommy’s schedule just so he can make sure Bucks never lines up.

Bobby is LIVID… he won’t let this man—this monster—get away with this. “We’re gonna get rid of him once and for all…” he vows to Buck.

[moirindeclermont]

Daily thread about BridgertonS3 and today is all about Polin and their relationship (although I'm going to do a couple of posts about other characters as well).

So, the question becomes what makes them such a good couple? I have a theory about this, and that kind of works for many of my ships.

So, my theory is that Polin is such a good couple because they have similar values but different ways of manifesting in their life. What does this mean?

If you look at Colin and Pen, you see they are very similar in what they believe in (it's what makes their friendship work in the first place). They believe in love, in connections, they believe in be kind and supportive.

They both know what's like to live a life when you have to put an armor on. Different reasons for that, but they both know what's like to hide part of themselves to the others. They both have similar insecurities around themselves and struggling to find their identity in the world.

Of course, they manifest this in different ways, both because of the circumstances surrounding them and because of the society norms around their respective gender. Colin puts this fake rakish persona on (and Pen clocks on this in 0,1 seconds). Pen uses LW to shield and empower herself.

But then, both of them have this connection between them that's honest and real. Pen is basically revealing herself in episode 2 (it would be suspicious if she had no reported this). Colin even in episode 1 goes back on his steps and adopt his real self around Pen. They don't have to lie around each other. But they do, because they are still insecure.

Bringing the romantic elements to their relationship means adding a level of complexity, because for both of them it's about discovering what real intimacy feels like. Even if Colin is the "experienced" one they are both virgins in terms of an experience that goes beyond the physical moment.

But then, of course, to realize their full potential, they have to truly abandon their fake personas. The conflict is both internal and external (which makes for a great story) because they have to grow each other, as individuals, and grow together in their relationship.

I would have loved to see more what their intimacy feels like when they have both shed their armors, because if it was explosive before, post healing from their respective scars, it would have been superb.

They are layered and real, they both make mistakes and learn from them. Their friendships adds to their romantic love for each other and it enhance in both the best version of themselves. And in each other they find strength, confidence and support. They are the perfect example of what a real partnership looks like. That's why so many people connected with them. This is what a deep, secure, healthy love story looks like, and in that, allows us to see what we may want in our life too.

[bl00dlight]

So when I said that many green stans lack media literacy, it's crazy how right I was given so many think Aegon is a good father. Again, like? Loving your son because he is an extension of yourself ≠ being a good father. And we see that, as he not only mistakes Jaehaera for being Jaehaerys ( the servants & Helaena react to this ON SCREEN how could you miss it), he doesn't know where Jaehaerys is even educated, Helaena actively tries to keep Aegon AWAY from Jaehaerys, he doesn't spend time with his kids (as shown in S1), he also HAS BASTARD CHILDREN HE WATCHES IN FIGHTING PITS? HUH? Caring only about your heir does not make you a good father. Its almost like 🤔🤔🤔 Viserys did the same thing🤔🤔🤔 he only gave a fuck about his heir 🤔🤔🤔 and everyone thinks he is a bad father because of it 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔. He has only gained interest in Jaehaerys because he is having fun with the novelty of ruling (as Tom said and even the other characters in show acknowledge this). He also let's his child fuck around in council room just to be a menace. Actively teaching the kid that it's all g to do whatever the fuck you want cause you're gonna be King one day? Is that NOT what people critiqued Rhaneyra for when she was younger lmao? It's like... how can you get "awww he is such an attentive father" from mistaking your son for your daughter LMAO. Like the framing of all the scenes are setting us up for Helaena's reaction during B+C. Not only is she disassociating and traumatised, but she is also very much aware of the in coming doom they are all about to meet on behalf of Aegon's choices as King. Does anyone recall the fact Phia and Tom state multiple times Aegon doesn't really give that much of a fuck about Helaena, on top of how uncomfortable she is being Queen? She knows Jaehaerys will be primarily influenced by Aegon? Remember how she says "What if he does not wish to be King?" that's her trying to sway Aegon from influencing his own son cause Helaena knows Aegon is a TERRIBLE example. Expanding on that, I kinda view her saving Jaehaera as her saving herself? It's also very possibly Jaehaera and Jaehaerys would have been betrothed. Imagine Helaena thinking her daughter might one day have the same fate as her, because she could not prevent otherwise???

Mfs just see Aegon = good father for 1 known interaction. Instead of Helaena being a good mother by literally spending most of her life raising her children alone only for Aegon to suddenly swoop Jaehaerys away from her and steer him wrong. Then being forced to let her son be murdered while his FATHER is drunk (and from leaks presumably at a brothel with Aemond) I'm SORRY? She gave up Jaehaerys so easily because she A) already had insight into something bad happening, B) also knew they'd kill both of her children either way? Would she have been a better mother for sacrificing her daughter because males are valued more? Only then to have both children killed regardless? She saved her daughter as SHE SHOULD HAVE. And anyone who speaks against Helaena's mothering but is pro Aegon as a father is just another example of how misogyny shapes our world as well as in Westeros.

Okay just because yall wanna fuck Ageon doesn't mean you can't be critical of him. Lord knows how I am publicly horny for Aemond and I have stated multiple times how that man is like... categorically the worst.

[eponastory]

why is it that kataangers can talk about horrendus Zutara shippers (and make no mistake, some ARE monstrous) but Zutara shippers can't talk about how SOME kataangers have treated them?

In all honesty, I think its a need for attention.

It could be that they are also looking for validation (which they have because KA is canon) or they are insecure.

As far as I know, we (Zutara shippers) just want to be left in peace to sail our ship without rough weather. So if someone on our side does have beef with a KA shipper, its usually because its a direct attack.

I'm like a bee, you leave me alone, its all good. You attack the hive, I'm going to be pissed off. That's just how it goes.

Kat*angers are like wasps and yellowjackets that dont need provocation to be assholes with wings. They just see a Zutara shipper and it's on. There isn't any justification for their attitude, they just do what they want.

And to the multishippers (not the ones who mind their own beeswax, yall are good and I love you) who love to ride in on their high horse like its a hunter equitation class (Only horse people will get this, but it means they are brats who think their shit don't stink), I hope you fall and eat sand.

Stay classy my friend

[floridaboiler]

Open Letter from Dad to Son

Dear Son,

I love you. There are some things my father taught me growing up that I have the honor of now passing down to you. Below is a list of life lessons he taught me mixed with other lessons my path has given me. Read them, think about them and use them to help guide you through your life…

– The golden rule “Treat others how you would want them to treat you” and your loved ones. – Our actions will always speak louder than our words. We must be an example of what we say.

– Give. Give as much as you can. Give from your heart. Give without the need for recognition.

– Be Humble. Let others talk about your success, not you. People appreciate Humble. Being Humble will make it much easier to handle the ups and downs life will give you.

– Girls are special. Treat them with respect at all times. Open doors for them. Pull out the chair for them. Give them flowers just because. NEVER forget special occasions!

– No matter someones ethnicity, athletic abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, where they live, what they wear or what they look like, they are people. Treat them with respect.

– Surround yourself with people of integrity.

– Be a leader. Be an example. Always use your critical thinking skills to come to your own conclusions.

– You will come across many different attitudes in your life. Learn from them about the type of person you want to be and the type you don’t want to be. They all have a purpose.

– Find ways to make a difference in the lives of others. Lift them up. Help them believe in themselves and remember a thousand words of encouragement can be ruined by one belittling comment.

– Beware of your pride and ego. You must control them and not let them control you.

– Take charge, don’t wait for others to do things for you. Success is dependent on YOUR attitude, effort, creativeness, consistency, work ethic, perseverance/grit and trustworthiness.

– When you fail, and you will fail, don’t get bitter, find ways to get better.

– When problems occur, before blaming and making excuses, you must look in the mirror first. Evaluate your actions and choices with sincere honesty. Be accountable for your actions and decisions.

– When everything around you is chaotic, you must be able to keep a clear mind to make the right educated decisions. Practice this often. Breathe.

– Hate will take years off your life. It clouds our judgement and prevents us from seeing the whole picture. Beware of this powerful emotion.

– Protect your family and never be afraid to stick up for others. As much as we don't want to believe it, there IS evil in the world. Always be on your toes.

– Be fearless, be thoughtful, be kind, be passionate and be grateful everyday as tomorrow is NEVER promised.

– When you speak, speak with compassion AND brutal honesty. Sometimes it’s hard to do and difficult for others to hear but necessary for transparency and sincere relationships.

– Stay off your phone while driving. NEVER follow the car in front of you too close and always be aware of what others are doing around you.

– Your mother loves you more than you can imagine. Never fail to realize how much she has done, and does, for you and your brother and sister. When you are out on your own, make sure to be in touch with her often.

– The biggest test for you one day will be when your own child is born. It will test your mental toughness. It will test your relationship. It will force you to really grow up.

– Clean up after yourself, take care of yourself, eat right, make exercise a part of your life, do household chores and push your chair in.

– Never underestimate a firm handshake and eye contact.

– THE most important and toughest job you will have in life will be raising another human being. You will make mistakes but the most important part is learning from them so you can one day teach your own children from those lessons. You are a blessing. I am excited for what lies ahead for you. Life is precious and we never know how long we have. Make the most of what it and enjoy every minute. Son…I Love You. Love, Dad

source - https://x.com/BaseballDudes48