#remember when I said I wanted to get this done before the new episodes? yeah clearly that didn’t happen

[murkystarlight]

It's time I finally say it- *sigh*

I don't think. The Ocelots were friends.

Yeah- wow. What?! How could you say that?? Where did you even get that idea from? Huh? It makes no sense!!?!

I know. I know. But I have my own thoughts. My brain- doesn't like how they are friends. Because they don't seem like friends. Like for starters, Aiden, Maya and Gill were literal bullies. Lukas, didn't give a crap when he saw them bullying us. If you are a friend, and your friends are bullying someone, you tell them not to do that. Not just stand there and go "well, that's none of my business".

And even if he was just too scared to confront them, he's the leader apperantly? Also, if he's getting manipulated... Lukas probably would've said or done something about it(or left them even. Though this one probably ain't the case). We know Lukas is a coward at the beginning. But he isn't that much of a coward. And he is not someone who wouldn't not stand up to himself. He stood up to Axel. Why not Aiden??

He couldn't stop them, because they aren't his friends.

But- Lukas literally calls them his friends? You're just saying stuff

Yes. He does call the Ocelots his friends. And yes, I agree. They are a team. How could they not be friends?? What I mean to say is... they aren't really close friends. They weren't childhood friends or.. something like that. That's what I'm trying to say. (And that probably crosses out the- Aiden and Lukas ex-boyfriends thing too-)

They met, for the purpose of winning the building completion. Nothing more. Nothing less. That's my theory. My headcanon. That's just what I think.

Now if you think about it, no one. And I mean no one, other than the Ocelots, have 'matching jackets' or 'a secret handshake'. Because they don't need that to prove they're a team. But the Ocelots- they do. They need something to remind themselves that- 'we are a team. We're in this... together.'

Maybe Aiden, Maya and Gill was a team. But they needed more people, new ideas. And Lukas joined in after? Got... recruited? But I don't think Lukas could have been friends with the Ocelots to the point they were "close"

But they won the building compation like... 9 years in a row. So they must've known eachother for some time. Right? But. In that part where you make a slime block? Lukas mentions something about "you guys seem like close friends" and Axel replies with "what. You jealous?" He is jealous. Of course he is. He also wants to have teammates that care for each other and are close friends. Sure the other Ocelots are friends with him, but not to the point where they go visit each others houses and eat a meal together. The only time they meet is during Endercon. And they decided what to build, and how to get rescoreses and getting the resources. So they never really were that close.

During the Wither storm, we know how the group kept talking about Petra. Hoping she's alive and finding her way here. Lukas mentions it too. Quite a lot actually. But does he ever mention the Ocelots? Nope! Only on the fourth episode when Petra or Gabriel says "I recognize that jacket! When I was getting thrown from that monster" only then does he think about them and remember them. I'm not really overstepping here. He kept mentioning Petra previously, and not only when the others talk about it. He brings it up first in conversations a few times too. Like when he decides to stay behind at the temple and rebuild while waiting for Petra. Hoping she'd come. And in the later sixth episode with the White Pumpkin. Before they find the 'invitation' Lukas mentions Axel amd Olivia. Being worried about them. And- I'll be honest here. I didn't even think about how they could follow us and get stuck in Sky city that is currently in shambles! He cares a lot! But he only remembered the Ocelots after Petra/Gabriel mentions it?? And you could say

The others hate Lukas. And the rest of the Ocelots. Wouldn't it be weird if he talks about them?

Maybe. But no. There are.. a lot of random dialogues in this game as you all know. And Lukas mentioning his teammates/friends? In a subtle way during a conversation? Or maybe just slip it in while talking about finding Petra? It wouldn't be that weird at all! Just a simple "I know you aren't fond of them.. but I hope the other Ocelots are okay.." would have worked perfectly! It isn't weird! He could have easily mentioned his dear dear friends, but no. Not once. Because he isn't that close with them. He just thinks "they're probably doing fine-" and is okay with that.

Now- if we talk about Sky city...

Aiden doesn't seem too unhappy or sad that Lukas isn't on the team. In fact, he ditched Lukas himself!

And Lukas, also doesn't seem so sad about being kicked out. He seems more upset that there's no longer 'the Ocelots'. The team itself. Not the members of it.

In fact- it's almost hilarious, cause Petra seems more pissed off than Lukas is! All Lukas says about Aiden is "he's gotten meaner." Or "Something is happening. He's planning something" nothing about how he got ditched. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it. But it never comes up??! Not even after a while!

And in later scenes, Aiden doesn't care if Lukas dies or not. Just push him off a cliff and oops- is all.

And near the ending of it. If Aiden decides to redeem himself, he says sorry to Jesse. Not a word to Lukas? Not a word with Lukas? LUKAS DIDN'T REALLY GIVE CRAP ABOUT IT EITHER?? ....are you really friends? I mean' just the fact that Aiden ditched Lukas because he seemed to be sniffing around Jesse's gang is weird. If you're such good friends, why don't you try talk it through? It's not even that bad- I know there's a rivalry, but still! Maybe a bit over reacting??

But apparently, Lukas never mentions how he feels about the situation. Like- not once? C'mon. You can't say they were close friends without- Lukas doesn't saying a thing about Aiden or the other Blazerods. Although we do know Lukas is mad at them. But for what? He seemed fine before, or was he just hiding all his anger? It just- it just doesn't sit right with me. I'm sorry- but that's what I think

I'm not saying they weren't friends at all. I'm saying they weren't close friends. Or childhood friends.

I mean I'm just rambling so... just ignore it if you don't like it. And I would gladly ramble more about this if anyone wants me to-.

If you ask me questions about the stuff I said, I will happily (try my best to) answer! And maybe share stuff about why you think the Ocelots were close friends to make me open up more to it.

I mean... I am open to it. But i just like this opinion too much-

[zibiscusloon]

We Need to Talk (Pt. 1)

-In which the dorks finally get around to discussing Newsie being the Devil’s child

[spencersssockss]

Library

Summary: You meet Spencer at the library when going to check out The Fisher King…

Warnings: none!!!

Word count: 700

Ally: This is based loosely off the fisher king episode kinda but not really, sorry about the length!! I plan on having a second part to this one soon!!! Enjoy lovelies!

You loved reading, any free time you had was spent reading, and it served as a distraction.

Your friend had been telling you about a book she had recently heard of, it was called The Fisher King, you did a tremendous amount of research on it only to find out the only possible way to read it would be to get it from your local library as it was no longer being sold due to its old age and rarity.

You decided to visit the library after work to pick it up, luckily someone had just returned it, and just as you were checking out a nerdy, tall, and lanky man walked towards the front desk next to you.

“Do you mind if I read that book in your hand before you leave?” It’ll only take like ten minutes,” he quickly said eyes bright as he bounced his foot nervously.

“Ten minutes?” you questioned cocking an eyebrow.

Spencer bit his cheek for a second before replying, “I have an eidetic memory, and can read 20,000 words per minute, I know it sounds crazy but just trust me, it's really important,” he mumbled quickly.

“I-uh okay,” you stuttered handing him the book.

Taking the book in his hands, Spencer carefully flipped through it, fingers running over every page as he read, his eyes glancing over the words quickly, taking in every detail. After what seemed like only a few seconds, he closed the book and handed it back to you with a small smile.

“There's no way you read that all,” you blurted eyes widening.

“I promise, I did. My name's Spencer Reid by the way,” he said extending his hand for you to shake.

you shook it hesitantly still in disbelief.

With a smile, Spencer continued, “I'm a psychologist and criminal profiler for the FBI, always on the lookout for new books to read, this time it was actually for a case.”

You gasped in realization, you remembered before you graduated he had done a lecture at your college. “I've seen you before, you do lectures right?” you asked.

Spencer's cheeks reddened slightly, and he nodded. "Yeah, I've given several lectures on various topics, mostly about the human mind and behavior."

“You're one of the reasons I became a counselor,” you smiled.

Spencer smiled warmly, "That's amazing. I'm glad to have played a small part in your journey." He glanced around the library, trying to think of something else to say. "Would you like to get coffee or something sometime?”

“Absolutely, do you want my number?” you asked breaking into a smile.

"I'd love your number," Spencer replied, pulling out his phone. He tapped on the screen a few times before handing it over to you. "Here, add your number, sorry for not asking your name earlier, if you don't mind me asking now what is it?” he blushed slightly.

“it's y/n,” you smiled putting in your number and handing his phone back to him.

"Thank you, Y/N," Spencer said, pocketing his phone. He couldn't help but feel a bit flustered at the interaction. It was rare for him to meet someone who understood and appreciated his work so deeply. "Well, I should probably get back to my research now.”

“Yeah, sorry for keeping you so long,” you blushed holding the book against your chest.

"It's quite alright," Spencer reassured you with a gentle smile. "I hope we can catch up again soon, maybe over that coffee or even another book." He waved goodbye before disappearing into the stacks of the library.

You stood there for a moment still in disbelief at what had just happened, the librarian laughed before saying, “he's a cutie isn't he?”

You blushed deeply turning to face her to answer, “Just a little,” you mumbled making her laugh again.

“He works for the FBI actually,” she added laughing again as your eyes widened.

“Good to know,” you smiled waving at her as you left the library and headed home to read the book. Which would probably take YOU a lot longer than ten minutes.

[t0ast-ghost]

Season four of the boys is hitting my brain like a crowbar so I’ve got a couple more thoughts about the new episode

There’s gonna be spoilers for the episode, a bit of talk about the comics, and some only slightly bloody images, so be wary, be warned!

These are my thoughts during the first watch:

- When Butcher hit his head I actively gasped. My poor babygirl.

- I do like how they’ve made Becca meaner but essentially still her

- Frenchie. Break up with him.

- I’m glad Annie has more plot and scenes this season. I’m also glad that Firecracker is actually fucking with her. Their foundation is messy but the actual rivalry is coming together quite nicely

- “I had nightmares about that exact moment, and you can’t even remember it. It’s funny, isn’t it, how people can have such different memory of the exact same thing.” Oh my god this is such a good line. Like obviously not to the extremes of Homelander but kids can and will retain things that their parents won’t even remember. They make some parts of his character easy to understand because you can see that his actions are always impulsive and unhealthy and created by the ways he was raised and the environment he’s been surrounded by

- Okay that death was so so well done. It’s so emotional for Homelander because he’s seeing how people aren’t honest or caring until he’s threatening them. I can’t even try and decipher the “I forgive you” line because it’s so full of apathy

- Hughie and Kimiko teaming up is so special to me. I need more of them.

- HUGHIE GETTING V FOR HIS DAD??? CONFRONTING A TRAIN??? Discuss??? (There’s more thoughts later)

- Hughie saying that him and A-Train would be “good” if A-Train got the v for him is so heavy. It felt like Hughie trading Robin’s life for his dads. Or for his future? Like in order to move on he has to let go of Robin and that feels so awful

- I wanna state how easily and quickly they made me uncomfortable with Firecracker and The Deep singing. How is that so unreasonably uncomfortable?

- So uh. Yeah I’m not sure I wanna touch that scene…

- THEY PUT HUGHIE IN A SCREAM CHASE SCENE

- I literally screamed when Hughie killed him omg. This is what I’m here for omg omg my babygirl

(Here’s a behind the scenes stunt video on insta)

- Tala is so fair for that but when is she gonna become apart of the boys family?

- I think Annie is going to blow up. Like I think she will do something really bad.

- YEA BEAT HER UP ANNIE… okay maybe not the best decision but…

- WHAT THE FUCK

- Fun fact Homelander’s birth that Barbara describes is how Becca dies in the comics

- UM UM UM UM UM so uhhhhhh I suspected that Sage needed to give herself lobotomies for that reason (wish I said smt goddamnit) but I was not ready for a scene depicting a lobotomy that also implied it was like sex to her?

- Kimiko and Annie hug <333

- Hughie forgave him… now kiss

- “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hating anybody” YESS that’s what this is about!!! How fucking contrasting Hughie and Butchers views are on the subject of revenge and superheroes. Their situations are so very different from the comics and I like that both of them are (somewhat) healing. Hughie’s forgiven A-Train and Butcher is just trying to get Ryan safe. It’s less about killing for both of them in the show which I love

- I paused to write that before the “there’s enough here to save you too” OH MY GOD NO. No no. Nonononono. No.

- Hughie’s face when getting coffee? Mwah! Give him little kiss

- HIS MOM. KNOWS. ABOUT. V!!?? I mean. They couldn’t kill off Simon Pegg. He’s Simon Pegg! Just kidding I totally thought he was going to die. I wonder if they’ll give him the same kind of quandary Hughie originally got in the comics when Butcher forcefully injected him with V

- Perfect ending for Homelander’s visit home.

Interlude:

So I haven’t started the rewatch yet but two things about some characters of the last three episodes that actually didn’t make an appearance in this one.

First off I don’t think I mentioned this in my last post but I really like what they’ve done with Noir. It’s an interesting and corporate way to bring back the character that makes a lot of sense in universe

Secondly there’s a theory I wanted to bring to people’s attention. This video on instagram has the theory that Kessler is like Becca and isn’t actually real. Which I think is really neat. I’ll take it either way but it would make a lot of sense if he wasn’t since he seems to hold a lot of negative traits that Butcher used to have and is trying to grow from

Okay I lied, third thing cause it just got brought to my attention again; everyone who is making fun of Laz Alonso shut the fuck up. Thank you. I won’t be taking criticism on this.

Onto the rewatch:

- The first shot is of different variations of Homelander’s costume. Pretty cool!

- Second shot has two pictures of Frank and Martin working in the lab with Frank’s picture framed by a newspaper thats article makes no sense but has a lot of key words and phrases (could just be gibberish idk) the title on a separate article from the same newspaper can be read as “Drama class wins award” other than that there’s also some kind of document that’s the same kind of gibberish but it caught my eye cause it says “-orthward gay” … not sure what this means…

Camera then pans down to reveal a memo and news clipping. The memo is from Barbara to the staff and talks about how anyone who breaks the confidentiality of Project Odessa will be terminated and prosecuted. The news clipping is more gibberish with the heading “Nervous system mystery revealed” by Greg Gilmore (by gibberish I mean the first couple sentences are “Had men rose from down lady able. Its son him ferrars proceed six parlors.” And then continues on like that)

- I actually love the horror movie situation they find themselves in. It’s a creepy basement lab. The security cams go out. Communication to the outside world has been cut off. Then the devil arrives in the elevator. It’s done so well, things are set up perfectly. There’s even a sign that says “All activities monitored by video camera” and a box with the words “fire safety plan” (could be foreshadowing or I’m just connecting non existent dots)

- The picture of young Homelander with the scientists. It’s so horribly terrible and amazing

- Fudgie the whale is their last meal :(

- titties ahem I didn’t really pay any attention to the shower scene last time. That’s a terrible shower head in my opinion, I don’t like the way it sprays water- OH WAIT THE WIRM IS IN HIS SPINE????? He’s also got a bullet wound in his back. He’s also got a lot of nice freckles on his back. Oh the way Becca sits on the edge and offers her hand and he reaches to take it but grasps the edge of the bathtub instead

- Hughie’s mom seems so fucking casual in the scene where they’re deciding whether to pull his dad’s feeding tubes. She’s too relaxed and almost smiling? At least with her eyes. A lot.

- OH YEAH Gen V mentioned!

- ANNIE I LOVE YOU!!! Look at her face after she burned the president!

- Seriously though such a good Annie moment. She’s so confident with this and marches into the presidents’ office with a plan but by the end of this it’s all backfired and taken away from her. It shows just how fucking much Firecracker ends up affecting her

- I’m not going to be nit picky and go on about how Colin should’ve noticed Frenchie’s ankle because obviously he’d be checking and Frenchie wouldn’t’ve known to hide it before. But I am going to say that’s a Count Olaf ass ankle shot.

- Oh I love how it seems like almost a sweet moment between Sage and Firecracker when she says “we gotta look out for each other” but now you know Sage fully intends for Firecracker to get beat up by Starlight

- I was trying to figure out why Sage got the Deep to do her lobotomy. It’s not that Sage trusts the Deep or even likes him but I think it really is just kind of transactional for her. Like she knows what he wants and what will keep him happy, he’s the only one she’s really made a connection with other than Homelander and Firecracker, and he is not likely to want anything else from her or blab about it. Somehow he is logically the best one to do it?

- It’s great how much Annie really really doesn’t want Butcher there. And neither does Frenchie. Or M. M. Damn, my babygirl has pissed off a lot of people

- Homelander’s theme is so so good. The lone violin does something to my brain. It highlights his isolation and intimidation and fear so nicely.

- I do not know how some people didn’t know Frenchie was queer? I thought it was actually very obvious that in cannon he is bi/pan and polyamorous. Maybe that was just me…

- Just realized how this episode we have both Hughie and Homelander forgiving people. Dots connected! 😃👍 (I’m not dissecting this right now, what do you think I’m an English major?)

- I love all the Hughie and A-Train moments. There’s so much history between them and it’s so present in those moments so it’s interesting to see them have to let it go to help each other because I think they both realize that they’re both fucked up people who are trying to be good and they ultimately relate to each other in a way I don’t think either of them realizes

- Kimiko telling Hughie to let his dad die, to not use the V, is so so strangely powerful coming from her. She understands what it’s like to have V forced upon you, and to be saved by it time and time again. And although she’s now choosing it, she sees how Hughie’s dad probably won’t end up like her and will find it to be a curse

- Hughie tripping is such a loser move (lovingly) like I thought he got shot in the leg or smt but no he just trips. Like the little fail boy he is.

- I love Kimiko showing Hughie how to fight someone and protect himself and then later helping him walk away (it’s a little funny just because Jack Quaid is really fucking tall). She also gives him the motivation of ‘it’s not just about your survival, it’s about your dads as well’ she wants him getting through this and I cannot handle when the boys show care to each other especially when it’s Hughie and Kimiko

- Homelander’s need to be loved is really really really well set up in previous seasons. It’s the only thing that could control him and he doesn’t know it’s even happening for most of his life because he doesn’t know how to ask for it. The environment he grew up in wouldn’t teach him that and the environment he’s put in pushes away and punishes emotion and care. He started off wanting a family from work because it’s similar enough to the lab but no one there has hurt him yet or appears afraid of him. But as he realizes he can’t gain their care, that he can’t make a family, he leans on the fact he can take most of what he wants. But not love. Not true care.

I think eventually he begins to think there’s something wrong with him, but rather than facing that idea (the idea that he’s unlovable) he pushes harder on the idea he is perfect. He is better. Furthering his decent and pushing everyone even further away.

- Butcher and M.M’s ‘time to fill the audience in’ lines caused me to look up what an enema is. And then left the rest to my imagination. First, fuck you! Second that’s a very good device to use because sometimes not showing and leaving it to the audiences imaginations is the most horrifying (it’s their own private horror show)

- I’m looking at the scene where A-Train and Ashley catch each other and I have a feeling it’s going to play out as either Ashley betrays A-Train to win Homelander’s favour, A-Train betrays Ashley, or they betray each other. I’m fairly certain Sage knows A-Train is switching sides so I wonder if she’ll have a plan for when he gets caught.

I also have a feeling that by the end of this season A-Train is either going to die in some horrible way (maybe by Hughie, maybe Homelander, maybe Butcher even) or he’s going to betray the Boys.

If A-Train does die (pls please do not kill him please) I’m wondering how they’ll do it because his death in the comics wouldn’t make sense here and I feel like SuperSonic’s death was already an homage to that

- I wonder if Ashley’s floater will have any consequences. Like they took the time to set it up. Will Homelander comment on it later?

- The way he says “you called me squirt silly” is so so aughhh. This is probably another moment that Homelander remembers that seems so inconsequential to Marty. He was watched and humiliated all of his childhood and then he gets this one thing to himself and when someone discovers it they laugh, adding so much more humiliation. Anyway I’m um skipping the rest of this scene until Barbara shows up.

- Can we take a second to appreciate how fucking well Nancy Lenehan plays the character of Barbara. There is still so much fear to her character but there is no bullshit, there’s a lot of control in a situation where so little is available. She’s cold while still giving a kind of stern mothering vibe. She explains the situation, all the gory details as facts. Starting with “put him out of his misery” to “they were scared”, you could have left, and you were killing from the moment you were born. She knows begging will get her nowhere but she’s still very very afraid.

- Babygirl moment I will never get over. He fought for his life, he kicked and shoved and he won. How this man is alive is a mystery to me but I’m so glad :)

- Tala finally got to say what she wanted to Kimiko but the look on her face as Kimiko leaves is so.. unsatisfied. It’s not over between them, and maybe it hurts that Tala now sees her being kind and caring because that’s not what she got when she first met Kimiko. Maybe she still wants to get that ice cream. Probably not. Just theorizing about her character. Lemme know what you think

- The worm looks like it’s struggling. Maybe Butcher’s life is connected to its life?

- This episode is kind of like one gory scene to the next. You get Hughie and Kimiko killing, then Annie beating the shit out of Firecracker, then Butcher blowing up Ezekiel, and then you’re back to Homelander’s whole fucking slaughter, then it’s Colin beating up Frenchie, THEN it’s a LOBOTOMY, then it’s a nice little hug awwwe

- Barbara’s monologue. I can’t even touch on that. It’s too much for my brain but I’ve been seeing a lot of good posts about it.

- My heart is full after the Hughie and Annie scene. It is so full of love. Fuck OFF Dakota Bob.

- Hughie and A-Train sittin’ in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-

- “You fucking dog wanker” actually Butcher its dog welder and I wouldn’t compare anyone, let alone Hughie, to him

- Hughie getting told by Butcher not to cure his dad is also really fucking sad. Karl Urban don’t kill Simon Pegg! Instead join the USS Enterprise-

- Daphne tries to get close to Hughie and he rejects her cause he doesn’t feel comfortable crying in front of his mom. Hughie stop being relatable.

- He’s really cute when he smiles. I get it. But he’s also committed atrocities. You cannot fix him. (Which man am I talking about? You’ll never know…)

Here’s a link to the first one because if you got this far I guess you enjoy me talking about this

I’ll probably continue talking about this so if there’s more you will find a link to the post here

[dmercer91]

ebug's sister, dm91

found the first two stills from @heavenlyhischier (thank you for inspiring this post) the rest i keep in my camera roll for lols and i forget where they're from, probably twitter 😀

last season! (2022-23) part one / part two / part three / part four / part five / part six / part seven / part eight / part nine / part ten / part eleven / part twelve

(2023-24)! part one / part two

blakefriarr_

liked by nicohischier, jackhughes and 7,221 others

blakefriarr_: welcome back all, i hope you've missed me (i know you have, the hoping is just a formality)

this is definitely an episode of the thing. i both seem to have forgotten what i call it and how many times i've done it. uni brain fry, or something.

however, i remember that it's my civic duty to provide a rundown.

the first two photos are of my boy and my son being all smiley and giggly. they're the cutest

the third slide is me finding out that one day i'm going to be married to someone with the middle name jpg. i don't really know how to feel abt that one since i'm definitely more of a pdf file girlie.

it is also me finding out that i was wrong all along, and luke is the one who wears 86 and plays forward... i'm gonna have to delve into that a little more cause i've been calling them the wrong names and nobody even said anything ://

and in the last slide, we have.... that. despite the fact that i was indeed the one to take this incredible photo of captain eyebrows, i cannot say for certain what is actually happening. a sneeze? a kick? an accidental kick, mid sneeze? more to come.

view 688 comments..

holtz_10: son??

holtz_10: i did not agree to this

→ lhughes_06: just let it happen man there's no way out of it

dawson1417: hold that thought, actually, does this make me a dad????????

→ holtz_10: no.

→ blakefriarr_: alex be nice to your father

→ dawson1417: i'm not ready to be a dad

→ holtz_10: yeah man no shit you're like three months older than me?

→ blakefriarr_: will you be my son if i demote dawson

→ holtz_10: . fine

blakefriarr_: @/lhughes_06 you have a new brother !!

→ jackhughes: does that make me and quinn also your sons...?

→ blakefriarr_: you were put up for adoption and quinn filed for emancipation

→ _quinnhughes: i fend for myself cause i figured i was better off being cared for by an actual adult

→ blakefriarr_: is the adult in the room with us????

→ _quinnhughes: at least i know which one of your sons is actually luke??

→ blakefriarr_: omg did i accidentally send moose off instead of jachary ?!?!?!

dawson1417: jack i want you to know that i was only partially on board with giving you up

→ jackhughes: how much is partially?!?!?!?!?!

→ dawson1417: idk like 90%

→ dawson1417: 97 when you make charlie mad

→ jackhughes: feeling the love merc

nicohischier: can you call me literally anything that doesn't involve my eyebrows

→ blakefriarr_: captain slut was a good one

→ nicohischier: eyebrows it is

→ blakefriarr_: pleasure doing business with ya, captain slut

→ nicohischier: i give up

→ blakefriarr_: you lorb me

→ nicohischier: yeah yeah whatever. get away from me

tannercharlotte: no baby, his first name is jpg, he just goes by his middle name

→ blakefriarr_: 😟

→ dawson1417: pls don't divorce me before i can marry you

→ adamfantilli: what he said i can't miss being rookie of honour

→ blakefriarr_: is now a bad time to tell you jj is gonna be my dude of honour

→ jj.friar31: ..wait fr?

→ dawson1417: can i propose before you guys plan my wedding pls

→ tannercharlotte: speed it tf up then buddy

seamuscasey26: blako’s couch cushions

→ blakefriarr_: sheamo’s throw blankets ‼️

→ seamuscasey26: unreal combo

→ luca.fantilli: have i touched on how much i deeply loathe this duo

→ blakefriarr_: you’re salty cause fants’ ottomans was a flop

→ luca.fantilli: lan did say i should've gone with side tables :/

→ blakefriarr_: and you didn't listen?!?!? liked by landen.clark

ryangraves27: hi

→ blakefriarr_: hi gravy, you miss me?

→ ryangraves27: i wouldn't word it like that

jj.friar31: mom wants to know if you're coming for dinner tonight

→ blakefriarr_: what's she making

→ jj.friar31: lasagna

→ blakefriarr_: lasagna fucks tell her im omw

→ dawson1417: she made me let her drive but she would also like you to know that i'm coming and that she brought cookies

→ dougieham: bring some to picture day i want a cookie

load more comments..

[usedtobethelegendcreator]

Okay, Pinterest has irritated me, so here I go.

I keep seeing posts of people saying Alastor and Valentino are equally bad, and I’m here to say: yes, but actually no.

See, here’s the thing.

Valentino abuses his workers. He physically abuses Angel and acts like a pervert. He throws huge, violent tantrums when things don’t go his way—remember his hissy fit in “Radio Killed The Video Star”? Also…he licks up Charlie’s arm. Ew.

Valentino is a creep. So is Alastor. But Alastor is not the same kind of creep.

Here’s the thing with Alastor—we only see two of his underlings, Husk and Niffty. The other beings he summons seem to be his puppets. So, what did he force these two to do?

Husk is a bartender in a hotel now. Niffty didn’t even wait for orders, she just started cleaning everything.

Neither are being forced to have their bodies violated.

Hell, even in the pilot, people keep forgetting what Husk said. “You think you can buy me with a wink and some cheap booze? Well, you can!”

From what Husk says in the first episode, the worst parts of his new job are listening to the others “bitch and moan”. And, well, it’s working at a hotel with, at most, six other people in it. It’s not the end of the world.

And, if everyone stopped looking for ways to make the show even more traumatic…you’d see that, at least on-screen, the most Alastor did to Husk was threaten him.

That whole scene was strange in its own way. Husk warns Alastor that Mimzy means trouble. Alastor tells him to calm tf down, he’s got it handled. Husk brings up his absence. Alastor tells him, again, not to worry. Husk gets pissed off because Alastor rubbed his head like you would a cat, and says he isn’t a pet. Alastor says “But you are, haha!” Then Husk brings up the leash Alastor is on.

If Husk has been working for Alastor as long as people think he has, then he should probably know that disrespect is a big no-no. Like, he could have chosen to not bring that specific thing up. Alastor wasn’t pissed until Husk said that. And even then…what did he do, really?

Sure, he had that villain speech. He threatened to tear Husk’s soul apart if he ever said that again. He brought out Husk’s chain and pulled him to the floor. He went mid-demon for a split second. He pointed his microphone at Husk.

But, other than the chain, Husk wasn’t physically hurt.

Angel’s breakdown took a whole episode and two musical numbers. Husk was perfectly fine and eating popcorn in, at most, ten minutes.

Because, as Alastor said in the pilot, “If I wanted to hurt anyone here, I would have done so already.” Husk knows it’s an empty threat because he isn’t currently dead. His soul isn’t currently being torn apart. Yeah, he was shaking on the floor—but who wouldn’t when faced with that, no matter how safe you may or may not be?

So, yes. Alastor and Valentino are both horrible people. They’re both creeps. But, taking what we see on-screen…Alastor is a better Overlord, at least. Come on. Do you think Valentino would let his underlings put a crown of twigs and dead roaches on him?

And, as you all know, Alastor does have morals. No one knows what they are, but they’re there.

Side note: I feel like everyone’s forgetting what usually happens in a serial killer’s process. Yeah, Alastor did kill people, but he didn’t rape them before or after. So, he’s at least got the ‘not as much of a horrible person as you could have been’ award. And as for Hell…people are killing each other in Hell all the time. Duh. It’s Hell. Alastor is remarkable because he killed Overlords, not because he killed.

[albertasunrise]

Oops Baby - Mary Mary...

Masterlist

Summary: Being best friends with Frankie meant movie nights, drinks with the guys and a shoulder to cry on when you got your hear broken. He is head over heels for you but you don’t feel the same… yet a drunken mistake will tie your lives together forever!

Relationships: Frankie Morales x Reader

Warnings: Like AO3 I choose to give none. Read at own risk. 18+ (So I had like half of this chapter written and after the outcry I got from the last chapter... I couldn't leave y'all hanging! Enjoy!!)

Series Masterlist - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

“Easy Fish.” Urged Ben as Frankie returned to consciousness with a start “Take it, easy man… you had a cardiac episode.” Ben stated as he watched Frankie blink a few times.

“What happened!” Frank groaned, scrunching his eyes tightly in the hope they’d be clearer when he opened them again.

“You collapsed.” Ben started, his hand giving Frank’s a friendly squeeze “Your heart rate when berserk. They had to shock you to get it back to a regular rhythm.”

“He awake?” Came a new voice and Ben glanced over his shoulder to see Mary walk in with two take-out cups of coffee.

“Yeah,” Ben replied plainly, nodding his thanks when Mary handed him one of the cups.

“Hey, baby.” She cooed as she leaned over to kiss his brow “How ya feeling?”

Frankie’s head turned to look at Mary, his brow furrowing at the realisation that it wasn’t her he’d wanted to see when he woke up.

Where’s Titch?

Then he remembered what happened. His daughter's birth. He Titch had started bleeding and how he’s been dragged from the room and forced into the waiting room where he’d collapsed after telling the boys what had happened.

“Titch.” He choked out and Mary’s expression dropped.

“Really? You wake up to your girlfriend and the first person you ask about of your friend?” She scoffed as she folded her arms over her chest like a grumpy toddler.

“She had the baby. she was bleeding. Please… Ben, how's Titch?!” He managed to choke out as he turned his head and pleaded with Ben.

The younger Miller’s expression was easily read. He looked a mixture of worried and devastated and Frank’s stomach dropped.

“She’s holding on Fish.” Was all he could tell him right now “She’s holding on.”

“I wanna see her!” Franky sobbed and Ben nodded.

“Franky, you should really be resting.”

“Take me to her or I’ll take myself.” He snapped with finality. Leaving no room to argue.

…

You were smothered in wires and tubes. Frank couldn’t be sure what all of them did but the thick one down your throat was an obvious one.

“What’s the doctor saying?” He asked Will, who had been watching over you whilst Ben had done the same for Frankie.

“She lost a lot of blood but they were able to repair the damage without having to resort to a hysterectomy.” He stated as he scrapped a hand over his tired face “The blood loss led to the coma though. It’s touch and go, Fish, I’m gonna be honest with you.”

Frankie nodded numbly, his eyes never leaving you as he clutched to your hand like a lifeline.

“She’s gonna make it.” He stated surely after a few minutes “She just needs to get her strength up for Esme is all.”

Ben gave his friend a sympathetic look. He knew Frankie was experiencing a myriad of emotions right now and he needed some semblance of hope to hold onto. Something to keep him from falling to pieces completely.

"This is, Dad, I presume?" An older nurse with a kind smile asked as she entered the room "You gave us all quite a scare."

Frankie could only give her a sheepish look before returning his attention to you. All he cared about right now was how you were and whether you were going to get better. He knew the boys were holding back the whole story from him and he understood why. He was a literal ticking time bomb.

"How's the baby?" Asked Ben, his question grabbing the pilot's attention.

"Oh, she's just perfect!" The older woman gushed "My colleagues up in NICU are smoothing her with cuddles and attention."

"Thank you." Frank said softly as he smiled up at her.

"Oh, that's quite alright sweetie." She said kindly as she grabbed his shoulder and gave it a squeeze "She'll be ready to go home with you when they discharge you tomorrow."

"She what?" Fish asked, shocked that he wouldn't be leaving the hospital alone tomorrow.

He had assumed that Esme would stay with you but in hindsight, he knew really that that wouldn't make sense. You were in a coma and they weren't sure when you would wake up. Esme couldn't wait forever.

"Oh, sweetie." The nurse cooed as she cupped his cheek affectionately "I know this is a scary situation but you are going to be just fine."

"What if I can't… What if I can't do this without her?" He choked and Ben felt his heart, break for the man.

"You won't be alone Fish!" Will stated, "You got all of us here to help in whatever way we can!"

"Emse is gonna be so fucking loved man." Ben exclaimed, "She's gonna have a literal army behind her and when Titch is better, she'll have the best mum to look up to!"

Frankie nodded, giving his friends a small smile before looking back at you again. You had to get better. You needed to, because the truth is…

He didn't want to do this without you.

"Why won't she stop crying." Frankie sighed as he bounced Emserelda in his arms "What's the matter querido?"

"Here, give her to me!" Mary stated as she held her arms open, ready to receive the screaming infant.

Frankie hesitated for a moment before handing Esme over to her, eyes widening when she started to settle. His heart broke that he couldn't settle her the way Mary had. What was he doing wrong?

"See… She just needed some step mummy time." She gushed as she kissed the tip of Esme's nose.

Frank's stomach turned at her statement. The truth was that he had been meaning to break up with Mary before this had all happened. He liked her. He liked her a lot but he didn't love her. He didn't feel for her the way he did for Titch.

"You know, I think we could do this." Mary piped up, grabbing Frank's attention.

"Do what?"

"This!" She stated, motioning her head at the baby in her arms "Raise her together. I'm sure Titch would want Esme to have a mother figure in her life."

"She will." Frankie growled "She'll have Titch… Her mother."

"Well hopefully but if Titch doesn't pull through. I'm sure she'll be able to rest knowing that this little princess is loved."

Frankie stared at her with his mouth practically hanging open. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mary practically called dibs on the baby that he shared with you. Not her.

"Mary-"

"Where's my favourite goddaughter!" Benny entering the kitchen stopped Frank in his tracks "There she is!" He cooed as he scooped Esme from Mary's arms and gave her a big soppy kiss on her little cheek.

"You ready to go?" He asked as he looked up from the baby in his arms to Frank who was watching his friend fondly from where he was standing.

"Ready to go where?" Mary asked, her brows pulling together as she looked between Frank and Ben expectantly.

"We're gonna take lil' Esme here to see mummy," Ben stated as he pulled silly faces at the baby in his arms.

"Why? Not like she knows that she's there." Mary seemed perplexed by why either of them thought this was necessary.

"We're hoping that taking to her and having Esme there will help Titch come out of this. Doc said that coma patients can hear things going on around them so hopefully, she'll know we're there for her and will wake up."

"Seems ambitious," Mary mumbled under her breath but Frankie still caught it.

"Well, we need to do something." He growled at her "I'm not just writing her off. She's the mother of my child and the lo-" He stopped himself before he could say the next statement but judging by Mary's expression, she knew what he was about to say "I need to do something, Mary." He said softly as he let out a long sigh "I can't just give up on her."

Mary didn't answer. She simply nodded before pulling out Esme's bottles and formula and throwing it into her bag before roughly shoving it into Frank's arms.

"I'll see you later." He said as he kissed her cheek and she simply hummed and nodded, not returning the gesture.

Frankie sighed, shrugging the back onto his shoulder and following Ben as he headed to the door, grabbing her carrier on his way out. Ben drove to the hospital whilst Frank sat in the back with his daughter, chatting away to his friend whilst he doted on Esme's every movement.

"So how are things with you and Mary?" Ben asked as he carried Esme through the clinical hallways towards your room.

"They're okay." Frankie replied "She's been really great with the baby. Taken it head-on and hasn't complained once about the fact that she's losing sleep.

"That's good." Ben gave his friend a small smile as they rounded the corner and were greeted by the large ICU sign "Do you think… Do you want…" Ben didn't know how to work his next question but Frankie knew what he was getting at.

He stopped just shy of the swinging doors and let out a sigh as he scraped a hand over his tired face.

"I don't know Ben." He replied honestly "I really care for Mary. She's done a lot for me. Put up with a lot and she's really taken care of me since my health has gotten worse. I owe her a lot and she deserves better than what she's got at the moment but I just don't know if I see us being forever."

"Because you love Titch?" Ben asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Because I love Titch!" Frank confirmed, lifting his hat to scrape his hair back before replacing it again.

"Speaking of." Ben pipped up a little more enthusiastically "Let's go see mummy hmmm?" He said as he looked down at Emse who was gazing up at him with her big eyes.

The two of them then made their way to your cubical. Greeting the medical staff that they had come to know on a personal basis in the two weeks since Esme had been born. You were the same as every other day. Laying there deathly still as the ventilator pumped air in and out of you and the heart monitor played its usual tune.

"We brought someone to see you today Titch!" Stated Ben as he cupped the back of Esme's head and held her securely so he could bend down and kiss your brow "Lil' Titch is here."

He said as he turned the baby around in his arms so she could see her mum.

"Say, hi mummy."

Frankie grinned at Ben's antics before shuffling past him so he could say his own hellos, kissing you on the cheek rather than the forehead before whispering in your ear.

"Hey, Hermosa." He muttered affectionately as he pulled back to look at you "Think you might wake up for me today?"

You didn't respond. You never did.

Frankie sighed before kissing the corner of your mouth and then standing straight, glancing at Ben who was grinning at him.

"What?" He asked, rolling his eyes at the younger man.

"Oh, nothing…" Benny chuckled to himself as he bounced on his toes.

"Shut up."

Later that Day Frankie found himself watching his daughter fondly as she slept in his arms, Mary's head resting on his shoulder. The room was deathly silent except for Esme's soft snores and the faint tick of the clock on the mantle.

"I got to give it to you Frank." Mary piped up after a while "You make cute babies."

Frankie turned his head to look at her, grinning like a loon before returning his attention to his daughter. She was perfect. Cute chubby cheeks with soft brown locks. Her little legs reminded him of little croissants, something he had mentioned to the guys every time he'd changed her when they were around.

"I've been thinking." Mary said again after a short pause, turning her head so that her chin now rested on Fish's shoulder.

"Don't strain yourself." Frankie joked and Mary scoffed at him, leaning back to playfully swat him on the arm.

"I'm being serious Franky." She whined and he grinned at her muttering his apologies.

"What have you been thinking about?"

"Maybe if… If Titch doesn't… you know." She started and already Frankie didn't like the direction this conversation was going "Maybe I could adopt her."

"What?"

"I mean… We're together and it's looking like we're going to be raising her together." She stated, shrugging her shoulders slightly as she leaned back and picked at the hem of her shirt.

"Does it?"

"I mean, it's been what two, almost three weeks and Titch hasn't gotten any better." She fumbled out "If she dies, then it would make sense for me to adopt her."

Frankie stood abruptly, taking Mary by surprise.

"Where are you going?"

"To put Esme down." He growled.

She nodded nervously then watched as he disappeared upstairs, returning a few minutes later with a baby monitor in hand and an expression on his face that made her shiver.

He sat down on the chair across from the couch, his elbows resting on his knees as he stared at the monitor that he'd placed on the coffee table a few moments ago.

"Frankie I know this is a lot to take in but we're really good together and I think that we'll be really great parents-"

"I cheated on you." He stopped Mary dead in her tracks.

"What?"

"The night Titch went into labour." He started, his eyes still firmly glued to the baby monitor "We kissed."

"Well, if you only kissed then that's okay." Mary all but squeaked out "Emotions were high with the baby and all."

"We didn't just kiss." He continued, his eyes finally drifting to her "I got her off and then we were headed to the bedroom when her waters broke."

"So you were planning on having sex with her?" Mary asked and Frankie nodded "Do you feel guilting?" She asked, her eyes brimming with tears.

Frankie shook his head in reply.

"Why?"

"Because I am in love with her!" He exclaimed, closing his eyes and sighing when Mary flinched at his tone "I am in love with her and I think she feels the same way for me."

"Frankie she doesn't." Mary sighed "She used you remember? She humped you then dumped you."

"It was different." Frankie argued, feeling his blood boil when Mary rolled her eyes at him.

"Different how?"

"She kissed me."

"So?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you." Frank snapped, his eyes burning into the coffee table as he glared at it.

"Well, actually you do!" She snapped "Because you cheated on me and I deserve an explanation. I think we can work past this but-"

"I don't want to."

"Frankie don't be ridiculous ."

"I'm not being ridiculous Mary!" He shouted "I don't love you. I loved the idea of you but the truth is that I need to be with Titch. Whether that's romantically or not." Frankie started to pant and he knew he needed to calm down. He was treading on dangerous ground here.

"Frankie please!"

"I think it's best you leave Mary."

"You don't mean that." She pleaded, clawing at his arm as she dropped to her knees and sobbed into his denim-clad thigh.

"I do." He stated simply "I'm sorry but it's over."

…

Frankie was woken by his phone shrilling loudly by his ear. He quickly glanced at the baby and was relieved to see she was still asleep, quickly answering it with a croaking hello.

"Hi, this is Doctor Martins." The voice down the other end stated "Am I speaking with Francisco Morales?"

"This is he." He replied, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Mr Morales I'm sorry to be calling so late but I'm afraid I have some…" He trailed off, a soft sigh floating down the phone before your name fell from his lips "I'm afraid she passed away around 10 minutes ago."

"No."

"We did everything we could but unfortunately we were unable to revive her." The doctor continued.

"No this… this can't be happening." Frankie sobbed, a shaky hand slapping over his lips as he cried.

"I'm so sorry for your loss Mr Morales." The doctor sighed down the phone "Someone will be in contact with you to arrange what you want to do with her body, or rather where it needs to be sent."

Frankie hung up. His hand fell limply to his side as he sobbed silently in the bed. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't real. Surely?

You were gone… and he was now truly alone.

Next

For updates follow @albertasunrise-ficsblog

[steamberrystudio]

26/08/2024 Devlog

Hallo everyone!  Tumblr devlog time. Sorry I missed the last one. Sometimes I just miss the notification when it pops up. Sometimes I remember on the off week but don't want to throw off the schedule and end up just waiting for the next one to roll around.

Summary:

Finished Yren's Play test

Finished Raif's Play test

Finished Noel's Play test

Started Kav's Play test

Finally got the colour slider in the game with help from Windchimes

New music room (slightly redesigned)

New gallery screen

Bonus scene page

Wrote the rest of the ch1 bonus scenes

Got the affinity indicators coded

Multiple new BGs

Finished Yren's Ch 2 CG

Started Noel's Ch 2 CG

Worked on coding sprite expressions

Set affinity scoring up through Ch 5

Worked on the premium and public game guides

Writing/Playtesting:

I have been working on my own play test of the game which is essentially another round of reading and editing. Last time I said the script was 616,000 words. Well it's now 621,000 words. 

I'm not just cramming in filler. A lot of that is additional choice options. Sometimes I would find places where you went a really long time without choices. Others I would encounter a choice menu that had 3 options when it needed 5 or 6 options (one for each LI).

Adding menus and choice options can increase your word count pretty rapidly so that is where most of the increase has happened.

I'm also fixing a lot of small continuity issues. This usually results in a small variation or callback being added into the script for clarity or to correct a seeming contradiction. For instance, at one point I realised that I  needed an additional variation in Ch 5 to account for a game state that wasn't accounted for in the existing options. And I had to do it for all 6 LIs. Which meant that a 200 word variation became a 1200 word addition to the word count.

So yeah, those things add up fast when you have 6 LIs.

I am continuing to work on this. And I will do one full play test of everyone's "best" ending before beta testers touch it.

I also have decided to add in "bonus scenes" these will basically unlock at the end of some chapters. Some of these will be POV scenes and some will be other scenes and content told from the MC's point of view. These are just extra scenes that I think help flesh out the characters and relationships but really didn't fit into the main story because you just...can't fit everything in the main story. I will be writing any bonus content as I work on the episodes and as I get ideas for them.

I don't have any specific rules I'm going to hold myself to for bonus content. They're just fun extras. They may be quite short in some cases. The ones for Chapter 1 are 1400 or so words.

Art:

Art wise, I've received new BGs - they're about 90% done at this point.

I also completed Yren's CG and started on Noel's. Raif's is already done, Kav doesn't get one for Ch 2.

So yeah. Getting those completed bit by bit.

Other Stuff:

Lots of other stuff. 

We managed to get the colour slider set up for Wil's sprite (we being me and my friend from Windchimes games). This required re-colouring the original sprite and original CG for Wil in greyscale and then coding in everything necessary to have Wil colourised by Ren'py rather than by  me.

As you can see from this Wil's hair and eyes are not colourised. Wil's eyes being silver/grey are just kind of a plot element and is related to their species. And while I contemplated having Wil's hair be on a slider too the reality is that the hair styles were not designed to be colourised in this way and some of them don't look as good. Particularly the curly hair which doesn't have strong outlines or, really the same type of shading to give it depth. Some colours looked quite good on it and others looked quite bad.

I tried redrawing that hair half a dozen times to see if I could make it look better while retaining the same overall look and feel and it just was not possible. I could have redone the hair but frankly. I didn't want to. And some of the other styles didn't look *amazing* recoloured. They were just okay.

I think if I want to revisit the slider in the future then I just need to approach the art with that in mind versus trying to add it to art not designed for it.

But in any case, Wil having only black/silver options was also originally with intent so I don't mind keeping with that set up.

In terms of other features that are finally in game we have affinity indicators, a newly designed music room, the bonus scene page, the gallery screen and things like that.

I did the affinity scoring up through Chapter 5 which is when the route gets locked in. That was primarily so I could test that section properly. But yeah. That's done.

And I've been working on coding sprite expressions. If you have been following me for a while you know that sprite expressions are an *ordeal* for me.

I have a lot of expressions coded in which means I tend to change the expression every 1-4 lines - especially for the main character. Gilded Shadows had about 6500 expression changes per route. Including the common route, that's about 60,000 expression changes coded manually. Which is a lot.

About half of those probably...were Morgan. She is on screen more than anyone else, of course. All the narration is her internal dialogue. She is on screen for it and her expressions are changing based on what she's thinking.

WSC is very much the same.

So the expressions are a lot.

I got Wil's expressions completed through Chapter 2. This chapter is about 50,000 words and of course I've been working on a ton of other things so I've only dedicated an hour or two a day to work on expressions. It's very tedious. It's also impossible to not edit as you go because you have to read the script line by line to decide what expressions people are using. Inevitably you see typos and stuff that you fix as you do expressions.

So it's just kind of a time sink that isn't *difficult* but does tend to take some time.

Upcoming Weeks:

My huge checklist has become smaller and smaller over the last few weeks.

The main things now are...CG creation, flowchart set up, coding expressions and getting my play test done. 

Those are kind of the things that have to get done before Episode 1 can go to beta testers on Patreon.

There are always features and elements I consider big milestones when they get ticked off the main list. The colourised sprite was one of the remaining "big ones" - the flowcharts are another.

Anyway, that is all for this update. I will hopefully see you all again in *two weeks* this time.

(I swear I need a less easy-to-miss reminder). LoL

[lualuabestningdungie]

Stay | C. Soobin

Pairing: Spider-Man! Soobin x gn! Reader

Genre: fluff, Spider-Man au, non idol au, coffee shop au

Spider-Man series!

Lua’s note: hello everyone! Welcome to a new episode of my Spider-Man series! For now I’m only doing txt, but eventually I’ll do enhypen too!

Warnings: mentions of fights, slight injuries, weapons, might contain grammar mistakes. English is not my first language.

The Night Shift was never your favorite. You were working on Nap of a Star Café, you needed money to pay for your tutoring sessions. While you were working you used your free time to study, you needed to pass your final exams.

It was 9 p.m. and the coffee shop was empty. Since no one was there you decided to open your books and study for a while. A few minutes passed and you heard someone enter the shop. It was Soobin, your friend from chemistry class.

“Hey yn, are you almost done for today?.” He walked towards the counter.

“Hey Soob, yeah I’m almost done, we close at ten. I’m just studying right now, and waiting for any customers.”

Soobin nodded. “You’re studying for chemistry?” He said as he glanced at your opened books.

“Yeah, I need to study for my tutoring session tomorrow, I’m having a review exam tomorrow before the actual exam.”

“I can help you study! I’m good at chemistry, or at least that’s what they’ve told me.” He chuckled.

“Really? I’d be very grateful for that Soobin, I really need help with this.”

“It’s no problem.”

“Oh I’m sorry, did you want to order anything?” You forgot you were the barista of the coffee shop.

Soobin chuckled. “Umm a regular coffee would be okay, please.” You nodded and started preparing his coffee.

“Here.” You handed it to him.

“How much is it?” He said reaching for his wallet.

“It’s on the house, don’t worry.” You smiled to him and he looked at you surprised but he eventually smiled.

“Thank you.”

Soobin felt somewhat mesmerized by you. Everyone, except you apparently, knew that Soobin had a really big crush on you. Everyone noticed how we looked at you and how he followed you around most of the time. You just thought he was being friendly and that it was probably something normal.

Suddenly, Soobin started feeling something, as if something bad was going to happen. It was his spider senses. Usually he could tell that something bad was going to happen with his senses and reflexes, it was very useful for him to prevent accidents and other things.

He looked outside the window and saw a group of men getting out of a Van, they were wearing masks and they looked like they were looking towards the shop. Soobin had to do something. He needed to put on his suit. He didn’t want to leave you there alone, but he couldn’t risk to be seen by someone.

“Um Yn, I have to go now, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” He said rapidly and left without hearing your goodbye.

This made you confused but you didn’t paid any mind. “Maybe he remembered he was busy..”

Suddenly there was a loud noise. A group of four men entered the front door. They were wearing masks and had weapons in hand. You froze in your place. “What now?”

“Stay there, honey. We’re not gonna hurt you we just need you to give us all the money.” One the men said as he got closer to you.

You stood still, you were to shocked to do anything. You felt like your feet were stuck to the ground.

“Better be quick, you don’t want one of these hurting you, right?” He signaled the weapon which made you even more scared.

“I don’t think that would be necessary.” Another voice talked in the store. It sounded familiar but you were tu busy being scared to think about who it could be.

One of the men let out a bitter chuckle. “Who even are you?”

“Man, I thought it was obvious. I’m Spider-Man! But there’s no time for introducing each other.” You felt a wave of relief when you saw him. He shoot a web towards the guy’s gun making him drop it.

Spider-Man started fighting with the men and you hid behind the counter and called the police.

The fight kept going for at least 10 minutes until the police arrived and arrested the men.

Spider-Man stood there talking to the police answering some questions until you walked outside of the café.

“Are you okay?” He walked towards you. You couldn’t see his face, because of his mask, but he looked like he was worried.

“I’m alright, they didn’t do anything to me.” You shrugged.

“That’s a relief. Are you going home now?” He asked.

“Yeah. I already closed the café.” You were still a little scared about the whole situation that happened just a few minutes ago.

“You shouldn’t go back alone. I’ll walk you.” He offered and you agreed.

“Alright then.”

The two of you walked in silence. Your apartment wasn’t very far from your workplace so it wasn’t a long walk.

“You know, you should probably start faking your voice. You don’t want anyone knowing you’re Soobin, right?” You said as you walked. He stayed still for a second.

“What?! No, no! I’m not Soobin! Who’s Soobin? I don’t know a Soobin!” He started rambling and making up excuses, which made you chuckle.

“It’s alright Soob, I won’t tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about.”

He sighed and nodded. “How did you figure it out?”

“Your voice. I knew it sounded familiar.” You shrugged and he nodded.

“Well maybe i should fake my voice or something.” He sighed.

“Yeah, you should.”

“You know, I was planning on telling you… but I guess I just didn’t know how. I thought that maybe you would make fun of me…”

“Why would I? You’re literally Spider-Man! That’s so cool.” You said enthusiastically trying to cheer him up.

“You think so?” You nodded and he smiled to himself. “I’m glad you think it’s cool.”

You arrived at your apartment after a few minutes.

“Hey, uh do you want to stay for a bit?” You asked him nervously. You were scared he would found it weird and say no.

“Oh, I’d love too, but isn’t it a little late?” He was right, it was almost 11:30 p.m.

“I…uh, I was saying, you know…umm” You needed to find something to say. “Your arm! I saw one of those guys hit you there, it probably hurts. Let me help you!” You quickly said. You didn’t know why you wanted him to stay, it felt like you didn’t want him to leave.

“Well, it does hurt a little.” He said. Then he agreed and you both entered your apartment. You sat on the sofa and held an ice pack to his arm while he told you stories and things that had happen in his superhero activities.

You forgot about time and everything around you. You didn’t want him to stop talking. You could hear him all day long, and see his pretty smile with dimples on his cheeks. Maybe your heart started to flutter for him that night.

“Thank you for saving me today, Soobin.” You smiled at him.

“It’s no problem. I’ll stay by your side.”

-

[sfwregressionfanfictions]

Growing pain: Johanna Mason x little reader

Summary: Johanna and (Y/N) find ways to live after the pain.

Wc: 4k

Tw: hunger games details, mentions of death and gore. Less that The Hunger Games , but more that the average agree fic.

I feel like I’ve lost control of everything since the games ended and the rebellion succeeded. After years of torture, it was over but I wasn’t over it. Mentally I was never free. I feel it lurking around every corner, in my brain and physically.

I see the faces of the people I killed in the arena and for the rebellion. I see the faces of those I lost: Finnick, bogs and so many others. I see the torture I endured in the capital and in my district. I cannot sleep due to this haunting.

I’m lucky enough not to be alone. After the rebellion won the therapist said both Johanna and I should not live alone. We both quickly decided we tolerate each other well enough, so we would rather live together than have a “babysitter”. We still have mandatory therapy appointments but most are done on the phone.

Johanna was loud and harsh a majority of the time, she seemed to have calmed down slightly since our freedom was established. She was outspoken still but she was honest and genuine. She always tried her best to calm me during my episodes, she has improved her ability to empathize but still struggles.

She says I help ground her too. I never feel like I do, but I suppose I can’t determine how she feels. She sometimes talks about how we met, she talks about how she saw me during my games while she was the mentor, and she discusses the past and who we were. Johanna has grown nostalgic, talking about the innocence in my eyes during my first interview. It’s hard to remember. I’m only 21 now, but it’s hard to remember when I was a child or when I had a childhood.

Even before the games, I fought to survive and help my family survive. I trapped animals by the fences and worked for anyone willing to pay. And not to talk about the horrors from after my first game.

Now we live in a house on the edge of the woods in district 7. Johanna has started building a log cabin farther into the woods, as she has wanted to do for a long time, it’s part of her therapy I think. I meet with my therapist meets with me every Saturday morning, and so far she’s said I’ve made no improvements.

She wants to actually meet in person this weekend so we can try a new method. I agreed, only because I knew Johanna would be in the woods. She would probably stay close enough to hear me if I scream, she’s always nervous to leave me with strangers.

Johanna had left early for the woods, claiming she wanted to get a lot of work done. My therapist showed up with a large bag over her shoulder. She made herself comfortable in Johanna and my living room. She accepts my offer of water, rejecting coffee or tea.

“So how have you been sleeping?” She asks, as soon as I sit across from her.

“Umm… The usual amount… I guess maybe a little more…” I reply shyly. I hated that question.

“That’s good that you are increasing your sleep, even just a little. That’s a huge step for you!” She said, she was sincere, but I always feel like she’s being sarcastic. “What about nightmares?”

“No change,” I said almost too fast. It’s not that there was an increase in number, it was an increase in severity.

“Okay, now I was hoping you would be willing to talk about what you were like before the games?” The therapist asked.

“God it’s been so long, I guess I was a normal child? I mean I had a family, I went to school, worked. I was the average kid in my district.” I reply.

“So what I’m hearing is you never really had time for those key parts of being a kid?” The therapist asked, “Did you feel like your needs were being met in all capacities?”

“Yeah! My family gave me the best life they could!” I yell, I felt like she was spitting on the efforts and the fight they put into providing the life I had.

“I didn’t mean to offend you, I simply meant compared to that of perhaps a capital child!” The therapist explained, “the reason I brought it up is so I could be positive that this therapy had a chance to be helpful.”

“What is this therapy?” I said reserved again.

“So it’s called age regression. It is a coping/therapeutic method that helps you reconnect to your inner child, to a point where you were safe and felt loved.” The therapist explained, “what it is, is you revert to a childlike mental state where you will have a chance to engage with like like you are that age.”

I grumble, almost embarrassed that this is even a suggestion. I think about how Johanna’s therapist told her to build the house she wanted and acknowledge the way she feels. AND I GET TURNED INTO A BABY?

“You don’t seem thrilled by the idea, however, I would really like you to give it a genuine try.” The therapist said, “I won’t ask you to attempt in front of me as I know you aren’t ready for that yet. But I would also like you to reflect if there was any time you might have accidentally or unintentionally regressed okay?”

“Yeah, I guess I can try to do that.” I signed.

“Okay, I will leave you with this bag of different items that might help you regress. And how about we call next week and meet in person the time after that?” She asked.

“Yeah, that will work for me,” I said staring at the bag as if it could come alive at any point.

She was quick to leave after that. Once I was alone, I picked up the bag. However, the door goes flying open, and in comes Johanna. She tried to play it cool, but it was obvious she wanted to make sure I was okay.

“What’s in the bag?” Johanna immediately asked, pointing her ax at it.

“Apparently stuff for a new type of therapy…” I gave up the information.

“Yeah? Morphling? That’s some good stuff to help you forget the pain.” She jabs at herself, she had an intense addiction after she was held in the capital.

“Umm… no… I don’t know exactly what is in it…” I didn’t lie, I technically didn’t know exactly what was in the bag.

“Okay,” She raised her hands as a surrender, “I have to get back to work, but I’ll be back before dinner tonight.”

“Okay, be safe,” I reply.

“Obviously, got a lot to do still!” She replied.

With Johanna gone, I brought the bag to my room. I closed to door and immediately started going through the bag. I was almost embarrassed to say that I was excited, it felt like I was getting lots of gifts.

On the top of the bag, I pulled out fake stuffed animals, a bunny, and a bear. I giggled lightly thinking of how Jo and I presented, the stuffed animals looked like us. I was fast and jumpy during my games, like a bunny. Johanna was strong and sturdy with her axe during her games, like a bear.

I go into the bag again and find a few types of dolls. Then I pull out diapers, I yelp at this. I placed the diapers very far away, I wasn’t willing to try that! I grab another item quickly to avoid lingering on the diapers. The item I pull out is a storybook. It was a picture book, it looked like something I would have enjoyed as a kid.

I dove into the bag again, this time pulling out a coloring book. I could do that and not feel too embarrassed. I continued pulling stuff from the bags, primarily toys, pacifiers, and teethers.

With everything laid out, I decided that I was willing to try the coloring books and teethers/paci tonight. The stuffed animals somehow already made themselves at home on my bed. I guess I should put on something comfortable and try what the therapist said.

Once cozy, I lay on the floor and begin looking through the coloring book. I settle on a picture of a Pegasus with butterflies. I begin coloring the picture, I start on the butterflies, coloring the wings a burnt orange. I was cautious of the edges.

Soon enough, I was done coloring the butterflies and I am feeling slightly fuzzy in the head. It was odd, it felt like when I would go to the parties in the capital and would drink the strange bubbly drinks, that always made me giggly. I was giggly now too. I notice I am not holding the crayon correctly anymore. I am gripping it in my fist, and rubbing it against the page.

I feel light, almost weightless. It is nice to feel so carefree, I am childlike again. I feel like when I was 7. I dive back into coloring, one page turns into two turns into a handful. My drawing begins to ignore the lines and I pick the most fun colors rather than the ones that would work together the best. I start sprawling on the floor, rubbing my eyes with my balled-up fist, and haphazardly swiping my hair out of my face with no grace.

I suppose it must have been a while since I began my session. Because it grew dark in my room, as the light from the window faded out of view. I whimper at the change in light, I feel silly being scared of the dark but I was so small. Smaller than when I was 7, I wanted Johanna. I always felt safe with her. However, I couldn’t let her see me like this. I felt embarrassed that this made me feel better, I should be able to deal with it like every other victor. But here I am sprawled on the ground giggling at the pictures I color, as my thumb migrates toward my mouth. Just as it passes my lips, the slamming of a door startles me. Johanna always was rough on the doors after a long day.

“(Y/N)?” She yelled out from the living room. I freeze, think big thoughts, think big thoughts I repeat to myself.

“Yes?” I yell back, I sounded wrong. I move to get up and go to the door, hoping she wasn’t set on coming into my room as there was no time to get everything hidden before she comes in. I was lucky enough to slip out before she made it to my door. I smile at the sight of her sweaty frame, she had been working hard on the cabin. Seeing her like this was always slightly domestic, she had a slight smile and her axe was left at the door.

“What have you been up to, birdie?” Johanna asked, she called me that as the first time we met, I squawked like a bird. I did not mean to she startled me and now she wouldn’t let me live it down.

“I was doing something that the doc wanted me to do…” I reply shyly, It was scary to talk about treatment. Johanna would want to know, making a comment about ‘supporting’ each other. She acted like it was important to us, but I think she just likes being nosy. “I meant to make dinner, but I go distracted…”

“You sound off, weird almost,” Johanna said bluntly, she didn’t mean it in an offensive way she just spoke like that. “How about we cook up some soup now? We got that rice from district 11 that you liked, we can try to make the rice soup seeder made that one time.”

She always seems to remember the small things that I liked. Last week, she decided to visit Finnick (He was alive but had some nasty scars from the muttations.), and came back with a Tupperware of the same dessert Annie made for her baby shower. I mentioned once that I wish I had the recipe so I could remake it, but I knew it was an important family recipe for Annie so I didn't pry.

“I would like that…” I reply, I sounded small and innocent still like a child. Johanna said nothing this time, I suppose she didn’t care enough to point out that fact.

“Start filling that pot up with water, I’m gonna clean up a little,” Johanna says walking to the bathroom, Johanna has gotten better with showers and water in general. She doesn’t freak out about water she knows is going to touch her, but surprise water still gets to her. Puddles, rain, and any splashes.

Once the pot is filled up, Johanna is out of the shower. She is dressed in a tank top and sweatpants. She looks so pretty.

“All filled up, what is the next step chef?” I asked my voice almost back to normal. I still felt slightly fuzzy in my head.

“You are gonna chop up some broccoli, and I am going to make the base and rice.” She said she was always good at delegating work.

With that, she’s pulling goods out of the pantry and fridge, and I am getting the knife and cutting block. By the time I get the large block of wood, I am pretty sure Johanna made it. If I was being honest, using a knife made me nervous still. I would start to shake and think back to my game.

I stood there staring at the board that had broccoli sitting on it, the knife in my hand. I didn’t mean to space out at this scene. I must have stood there too long, not moving. I felt a hand wrap around mine, as I hold the knife. My head whipped around only to see Johanna’s pity-filled smile.

“It’s just broccoli,” Johanna said, it was blunt. It was meant to be soothing though, it worked better on me than it would on others. Johanna did the leg work of cutting up on veggies while I just leaned back into her sturdy frame.

Johanna was always overly gentle with me, even when she was rough on me it did not compare to the roughness she had towards others. When she had flashbacks or breaks, she never hurt me. She would scream and cry, trying to get me away, but would never hurt me. When we first moved back to district 7, she would rarely shower due to her fear of it, however, I slowly got her to shower. I would stand in the way of the water and she would let the mist that bounced off me hit her. It took a while but she eventually got to a point where she was comfortable showering alone.

“You know you can tell me what your head doctor said to you right?” Johanna asked, before following it up, “Or I could call her and have her tell me…”

“I feel like that would be breaking a rule,” I giggled at her. We placed the knife down as we finished cutting the vegetables.

“Then tell me, little bird,” Johanna said, as she poked at my sides. I felt my face go red and my eyes water a bit.

“You will make fun of me, and then leave me here alone,” I reply looking down at my hands.

“Now, does that sound like something I would do?” She asked as she dumped the vegetables into the soup and left it to simmer. “What if I told you something that my head doctor told me to do that I don’t like?”

I stood there, ‘would I trade a secret for a secret?’. I nod as I pull myself onto the counter to sit.

“My doctor says it's important that I start connecting with more people and try to connect on a different level…” Johanna all but groaned out.

“Like date someone?” I squeak back.

“I suppose, something about taking care of someone I connect with and care about… blah blah blah. Like I pay attention to that.” Johanna huffed, her eyes bearing into mine as to say she wanted to say more, to be vulnerable but wasn’t able to form the words.

“Do you not want to ever have that? Someone that loves you as you love them?” I ask quickly, I was never good at hiding my feelings. I always had an affection for her, although I tried to break it. As Johanna would always refuse to love another person after what happened to her.

“I…” She starts and trails off as she stares into my doe eyes. She bit the inside of my cheeks as her eyes flicker to my lips. “Stop trying to stall, tell me what your stupid head doctor said.

I stare at her for a second before reaching my pinky out and asking her if she would still stay with me no matter what. She connected our fingers with a small scuff at my antics. I soon spoke, “So she said before we could deal with the trauma from the games and the umm… you know afterward. I have to address the trauma I have from my childhood…”

“What the f*** does that even mean?” Johanna says, getting angry that the doctor wasn’t just fixing me. I appreciate that she cares this much, but she was being loud and aggressive about it and it startled me.

“She wants me to create a safe childhood for myself…” I am still picking at my nails but I am hyper aware of her shifting next to me.

“What?” She was confused, I could almost hear the cogs turning in her hair.

“She ummm… she wants me to regress…” I finally say, Johanna still didn’t understand but she faked a smile.

“Well, do you think it will fix the screws that are loose?” She asked, it was all she could, she didn’t know anything about it. All I could do was shrug before turning my attention to getting bowls and spoons.

Johanna did not push the topic anymore, at dinner she talked about how the cabin was coming along. She said that I was going to get to decorate it, she would make any furniture I wanted. It was her way of sharing what mattered to her. Her love language

I told her the following day I was going to go into the market to get groceries and asked if there was anything she needed. She said no like always, she always wanted to be the provider. I only smiled and nodded before resuming eating my soup.

The evening was like any other, Johanna and I sat on the couch. She is reading a book about an adventure that takes place far away from here. I sat close to her, writing a grocery list. My head eventually makes its way to her lap. Her hand finds its way to my head, playing with strands, almost petting me. Johanna and I fell asleep like this, I was the first to fall asleep obviously.

This happens a lot, usually when this happens Johanna will either carry me to bed or if she is tired also she will simply wiggle in. She tries to wake up before me so I dont catch her being soft but sometimes I get lucky. I was not lucky that morning, she was gone by the time I woke up. She was most likely in the woods again or perhaps she went to speak with the lady down the street to get a new ax head made.

I did not fret over her whereabouts, she was strong and reliable. I was quick getting ready, I loved days at the market. Now that people are able to enjoy life, the market was light and airy. Kids played and danced, there was always music playing and the shopkeepers were always throwing extra into my bag, as I was a ‘leader’ in the rebellion. I always refused the gifts, I was never a leader, simply a survivor.

Today I stopped by a small flower stand, I always pause to look at them. I could never get myself to buy them, I feel like a capital citizen using money on lavish goods when people could be starving. I am aware the war is over and the likelihood of starvation is low with the new leadership.

I was in the market for about two hours before deciding to walk back to victors village. I took what was considered the long way back, and it only took an additional 5 minutes. However, I enjoyed the extra 5 minutes of birds singing and trees so tall I couldn’t see the top.

When I returned, I opened the door to find Johanna on the couch reading a book. ‘Must have decided to have a short day,’ I think as I drop the groceries in the kitchen before walking over to see how she was. Once I walk back into the living room, I see the title of the book she was reading. I freeze, “Age regression: explanations and tips”. There were other books all similarly themed.

“What are you doing?” I ask nervously. I nibbled on my lip to keep from attempting to remain grounded.

“Reading.” She said dryly, flipping the page. She was obviously enthralled by the book. She had tabs sticking out of it and a pen in her lap.

“You don't have to read that, you can act like nothing is happening!” I meekly reply. I want to cry from embarrassment, how could I be doing this nonchalantly. This is embarrassing.

“Why would I do that? That is stupid.” She didn’t spare a glance away from the book, “Do you need help with the groceries?”

“Umm… No, I can do it. You don’t have to worry about it.” I sputtered out as she finally glanced away from the page she was on, placing a bookmark in it and stood up.

“Too late, you are stuck with my help.” Johanna grunted walking past me to the kitchen.

I follow behind, looking lost. All I could really think of was ‘why?’. Why would Johanna go out of her way to do this for me? Why did it seem she was enjoying my suffering?

“Ohhh, you got the stuff for the meal we had when Katniss visited! It was tasty. When are we making it?” She asked, snapping me out of my mental tirade.

“We can make it whenever, there isn't a specific day I was planning to make it.” I reply, grabbing the bag that held the fruits I bought us.

“Cool, cool. You should read some of the books I got, they are really informative.” She said, watching me like she did during the 75th hunger games. Cautiously, ready to save me from an unseen force.

“Why did you get them?” I ask, staring at the apples I placed in our fridge.

“Well we are gonna be living together for a while so I thought I should at least know a little of what was going on in that head…” Johanna trailed off, an unsureness settling over us.

We let the silence fill the room until she lets out a forced cough. I popped my head up from were I was squatting, still holding the food I meant to put away. She spoke, “So I read that usually regressors have a caregiver, did your doc say anything about getting one?”

I shook my head, not knowing exactly what it was. I did understand she seemed bitter about it. She seemed glad to know I wasn’t planning to get one, she was rather territorial.

“Okay, for now perhaps, I could take on that role? Then my shrink is happy and I know that you are safe.” She suggests.

“Okay, I suppose that’s okay. I don’t know what that means though.” I said.

“I will teach you”

[lol-jackles]

Hi. Your blog is still on alarm on my dash. Really enjoying your opinions.

If your time allows you, I’d like to know your opinion & reviews on SPN 9X13.

"The Purge" has Sam and Dean go undercover in a health spa after finding a link to deaths where the victims have lost their entire fat reserve. They discover the owners are a pair of Peruvian monsters, a sister and brother who parallel Sam and Dean; the sister wants to co-exist with humans and help them by siphoning off surplus unwanted fat for food, the other only want to feed and more he tries his sister's way, the hungrier he got until he succumbs to his nature and kills for food. This foreshadow Dean's struggle to live with the Mark of Cain until he couldn't, increasingly becoming "hungry" as the season went on. Sam have lived and adapted with his freakish, "unclean" nature for so long that he is fully functional even if he never makes peace with it.

One of the strengths of Supernatural is their stand-alone/MotW/filler episodes usually advance the season-long arcs and even get referenced or talked about in later episodes. Despite Sam and Dean’s church codependent commitment ceremony in season 8's finale, they still got baggage and hence Dean lying about the extreme, desperate measures he took to save Sam’s life in season 9's premiere and keeping him in the dark.  Once Sam found out, he is angry and bewildered by Dean’s actions that he sees as betrayal, and draws up boundaries as a way of saving his relationship with Dean. But from Dean’s pov the new boundaries were walls set to destroy what is between him and Sam. So Dean conflated saving Sam from the Peruvian monster in this episode to saving Sam in those 2 previous episodes in attempt to remove the wall between them that Sam set up.

Remember, Dean isn't going to learn the same lesson each season, which is why he made Sam's anger over the Gadreel possession about his (Dean) own issue and left Sam alone (with Cas in the bunker) to hunt down Gadreel... only to run into Cain got the Mark to, huh, kill Abaddon instead for some reason.

Understandably Sam is frustrated as the 3 incidents were not the same: in the church, Dean told Sam the truth that the ritual will cause his death and promised Sam not only will they find another way, that he would never put some one else before Sam. Dean wasn't hiding information from Sam. Dean saving Sam from the Peruvian monster was a straightforward action, no underhanded agenda. So Sam told Dean the unvarnished truth: Dean didn't want to be alone. This gets brought up again by Billie in season 11's "Red Meat", and in season 13','s "Advanced Thanatology" Dean tells Billie that he's dragging down Sam.

Sam's admission that he wouldn't save Dean under "same circumstances" means he wouldn't selfishly save Dean for personal gains, or without vital information. Back in season 3 he first sought Dean’s agreement to use the immortality serum instead of giving it to him without informing him ahead of time. Sam was ready to die in the hospital (season 9 premiere) and Dean essentially violated a do-not-resuscitate order (DNR). Nobody can really blame Dean for wanting to save Sam's life at any cost, but he fails to see things from Sam's pov that led to him needing boundaries in the first place.

I found the scene of Dean immediately recognizing roofies pretty on-the-nose. He said he didn't want to end up missing kidneys while traveling in little known places, which, yeah good idea, so why didn't Sam know what roofies look like? I took it as callback to when Sam didn't know he was being possessed by Gadreel under Dean's watch.

"The Purge" was one of the weaker MotW episodes but it still gets the job done of advancing the main storyline arcs. It started out as a lighter filler episode and ended with a "truth hurts" bite that leaves a deeply wounding mark that set off a fierce fandom debate.

[thatgirl4815]

OF Favorites Rankings

I did this once before the series aired, but I thought it’d be fun to rank the core characters in OF in the middle of the series’ run and once more at the end.

I’m gonna tag some of my active OF moots here (and some new OF friends as well!) if any of you want to play too—no pressure at all! And of course, even if you aren’t tagged, please feel free to play along! I’m super curious to see how opinions have changed from the beginning to the middle to the end. :)

@abstractelysium @nihilisticcondensedmilk @just-gm @firstkanaphans @prapaiwife @dreamedofyou @sandrayy @fanfictionroxs @khaopybara @tiedankelstotheocean @thegalwhorants @autisticbokutoenthusiast @itsmelb @way-too-indecisive @k-white @waitmyturtles

1. Sand

Of course it was going to be Sand in first place (get it…First place?)

He might be morally dubious in Ep6, but if anything, that makes him more endearing to me (don't ask me how). If they all play dirty, he can play dirty too. Plus, he's just got the vibe. The t-shirts, the jackets, the boots, the independence. The superior music taste? Mans has it all except for money. Though tbh, the moment that solidified Sand as my favorite was when he ran after Ray at the end of Ep6--he was just dealt a personal attack by Ray in front of everyone, but he doesn't even hesitate to go after him. And that is the marker of a ✨ favorite character ✨

2. Ray

Naturally, both Sand and Ray have taken the top spots (pun intended), and it's because I have a special place in my heart for "woobified" characters (did I use that right @waitmyturtles? 😂)...and Khaotung executes his layers so beautifully. Ray did go in for a nonconsensual kiss (which he later apologized for, but I digress) and he did hash out some pretty brutal insults last episode. Irrespective of his feelings for Sand, it's indisputable that he has used him in some aspect to distract himself from Mew. So for all that, Ray is also morally dubious--but I'll use the term realistic instead.

I just want to give him a hug and tell him that he matters. Because clearly that is something he's heard only a few times in his life. And maybe if he heard it more often, we could avoid situations like the one at the end of Ep6.

3. Nick

I’m having a bit of an inner battle with myself over this one because Nick came out of the gate with some very immoral behavior, and yet I’m still putting him above Mew, because something about him is just so…pitiful. Admittedly, I've been growing more and more frustrated with him as the series goes on and he still fights for Boston's affection when Boston has proven time and time again that he just doesn't care. Boston keeps him on a rope, and in some ways I sympathize with Nick's struggles, because it isn't easy to turn the feelings off once they've already been cemented. But alas. He's digging himself further and further into this hole.

4. Mew

A lot of my gripes with Mew have been in respect to his treatment of Ray, but I go back and forth because I do understand the mental toll it must take on him. Regardless of whether or not he's responsible for helping Ray through his mental issues, as his closest friend, I think it should've been him running after Ray at the end of Ep6. Yeah, Ray said some shitty things about everybody, but Ray has only ever wanted what is best for Mew. And Mew was going to watch him run off and potentially get himself killed, even after Ray admitted what Top had done. Something about that just doesn't sit right with me.

Despite all of this, Mew does appear to be the most level-headed of the group (alongside Sand, though that was put to the test last ep). And the moment he played TopBoston’s sex audio right in Top’s ear? Phenomenal. He nailed that execution. I will laugh when he's on his revenge kick next week.

5. Cheum

Cheum is this low firstly because she doesn't get a lot of screen time, and secondly because she's made some comments that are a little questionable too. I can't remember who said it, but someone pointed out just how often she references how lucky Mew is to be with Top--which is a little strange, looking at him like he's some big prize. Also, not to bring everything back to Ray but...she contributes to the "burden" discussion quite a few times.

I do really enjoy the small snippets we've gotten of her with April. I like that they finally gave their relationship a little bit more context in Ep6. They do seem to have some pretty solid communication (at least compared to the others) so I'm pleased with that.

6. Top

I know a lot of people have felt sorry for Top. And I understand that completely. I struggle to given that he not only cheated but lied about the cheating--and likely would never have admitted to it. For Mew, someone who values communication and honesty so strongly, it's like a punch to the face. I hope Top gets what's coming to him. (Also, stealing Sand's boyfriend? Wtf dude.)

7. Boston

Not much to explain about this one--I can understand why he is some peoples' favorite for the sole reason that he is the one creating all the conflict in the first place. But he's so twisted, manipulative, and careless that I just want Mew to kick him into that pool a hundred times over. I don't expect him to rise from last place by the end, but if he does, it'll be a miracle.

[kichikichiko]

Accepting the loss of your animal companion

A/N: hey everyone! I originally wanted to make this as animal friendly ad possible (meaning u could put in animal you want while u read) but there are so many different types of pets ranging for furry creatures or those who shed skin so it was so hard my bad :((

The Tighnari part of this headcanon is for all but written specifically for @hitomisuzuya , Suzu I hope you know that youre not alone and you should never ever put the blame of loosing Frank on yourself. Was never your fault and never will be. ALSO IDK HOW TO DESCRIBE A HORSE SO PLS EVERYONE EXCUSE ME 😭

Anyways enjoy reading everyone!!

Tighnari, Kazuha and Thoma (seperate) x gen neutral! Reader, loss of a pet, comfort, fluff, headcanon, Cat for Kazuha, Dog for Thoma and horse for Tighnari, Tighnari was mostly targeted at Suzu, sort of proofread

♡♡♡♡

Tighnari ▪︎ verdant strider

Tighnari and you decided to visit mondstadt one day

Mainly because windblume was coming up and Collei wanted to see Amber again

The 3 of you had such a blast! It has been a while since the 2 of you have visited other nations so this was a well deserved break

Drank together, ate different dishes the city of freedom had to offer together, and made new friends

One day you met the calvary captain of the knights of favonuis while Tighnari was talking to Albedo

The conversation between the 2 of you shifted from work to animals to his title as the calvary captain

"Most of our horses have been taken in by Grandmaster Varka for his expedition however we still have around a few left here in the city just in case we need them" the captain started, "would you like to see them?"

You hesitated, a part of you didnt want to at all. You were afraid you'd break down and start remembering the past

But a part of you also wanted to, you longed to see another horse again

You longed to appreciate the way they strut, the way their mane flows when they jump, the way they look at you when you were getting ready for another competition together

Although their expression was overall the same, when you have a bond with a horse especially a strong one, their emotions as well as yours felt like they were connected

But youve avoided them like the plague

Regretfully, you said yes anyways

Your heart has won against your mind this time around

After a while the sun was about to go down and everyone was getting ready to call it a day

Tighnari and you left Collei with Amber so you both made your way to the inn youre staying at

The walk home was silent and you were staring down at your feet, and you seemed to be in a daze,

You gaze was empty, and there wasnt any hint of sparkle in your eyes

Tighnari noticed something was off so he asked

"Hey are you alright?"

"What? Oh. Uh yeah Im fine" you nodded half heartedly after his sudden question taking you off your train of thoughts

The fox stopped on his track and held your hand

"No something is off, you never look up when youre upset. Tell me whats wrong sunflower, Im here for you"

Your back was still facing him, but he could see your shoulders starting to shake, and you trying to muffle up sobs

You hated crying about this especially in public

You didnt want to remember

Never again

His ears perked up and swiftly he pulled you in for a hug

Before he got the chance to say something, you started

"Horses... I miss my horse Nari. I fucking miss him so much" you started, choking up sobs

"I miss him everyday and when I saw the horses before with Kaeya one of them looked like him and..."

You hid your face in his chest as your sobs started getting louder by the minute

"One of them looked exactly like him. I can't I regret that I wasnt able to save him Nari, Im such a bad companion. I could have done more, I could have SAVED him but I-"

"Hey! (Name)! Thats not true" he cutted you off before you finished your sentence, you were having an episode and it broke him to see you like this

Gently, he took your chin and made you face him

"He would never blame you for what happened. It was out of your control, he is your companion. He would have never placed the blame on you sunflower. It all happened too fast, please believe me when I say this, its not your fault"

You couldnt help but let more tears fall out

Yes you were still upset you lost your dearest companion

But you were also happy to hear those words come out of his mouth

You both stood in the middle of the road hugging for a while, waiting until you calmed down.

You knew it wasnt your fault that your beloved horse was gone, but Tighnari was right

He was always right

Your companion would never have blamed you for what happened to him

You wanted to be around horses again

But realise that the first step to finally be around them comfortably was to be able to accept and heal

And Tighnari will be with you every step of the way

KAZUHA ▪︎ Scarlet Leaves Pursue Wild Waves

You were with Kazuha relaxing together outside enjoying the fresh air

The sun was out bright in Liyue so you both decided to take a stroll before setting out to the sea again on the crux

At some point during your stroll a cat came to you and meowed

You stopped on your feet and looked down to see the cat starting to rub on you affectionatley

You of course bent down to give em some pets

Kazuha realised you werent on his side anymore and looked behind to see you gazing sotfly at the cat while playing with it

He cant help but think you looked cute

He walked towards you and bent down to the same level as you and watched you play with the cat

You broke the silence after a while

"I use to have a cat" still not breaking your gaze away from the cat

Kazuha looked up at you "oh really?"

"Mmhm, (gender) was beautiful, had lushious (colour) fur, ears so cute you could bite em off and eyes that when you stare at them for long enough, you could find yourself falling in love with (gender) again" subconsciously smiling when you said that

You missed your cat truly

They were your best friend

The ronin hesitated for a bit, not sure if he should ask the question that came up on his head

Without him asking you knew what was on his mind

"(Name) passed away not long ago. I was very sad. In fact, I would be lying if I said Ive healed completely" you chuckled, finally looking up at Kazuha smiling a bit

You didnt want to think about negative thoughts when talking about your beloved cat

Because you'd just have a breakdown

Besides, you knew (name) was at peace anyways now

Kazuha stared at you for a while before smiling "Im sure (name) is resting well now, and if (name) was still here Im sure (gender)'d would love all the different places youre seeing right now on your journey"

You laughed "oh almost, I dont think (gender)'d like Sumeru's desert, (name) would make it visibly clear how much (gender)'d hate it"

You both played with the stray cat for another 5 minutes while talking about your cat until the stray finally left

Kazuha would like to raise a kitten with you

So you both could make new memories together

And for him to see the bond grow between you and their future kitten

Thoma ▪︎ Protector from afar

Everytime you both went out together there was one time you'd miss playing with the stray dogs and cats out

Especially stray dogs

You have special attention to them

Whenever Thoma was knitting something for the stray cats you'd request he made one for the dogs as well

Whenever he was going out to feed the dogs and cats you'd always remind him to feed the dogs as well

You loved being around them and they seem to as well

He was in awe with how much bond and trust was between you and the dogs

Its almost as if you have one yourself

He had brought up wanting to raise a puppy with ypu, or adopt one of the stray dogs

But everytime he asked youd politely decline saying you werent interested

He was confused and shocked obviously

I mean you clearly loved the stray dogs so why didnt you want to adopt one?

He had to find out

You were getting ready for bed one night looking at the mirror while brushing your hair when he asked you laying on a futon (youre visiting him)

"Hey love, Ive been meaning to ask you something"

He only continued when you hummed, curious to what he wanted to ask

"Oh its just, I wanna know why you keep rejecting the offer of raising a puppy together or adopting one of the stray dogs. I mean you have such a tight bond with the dogs and you seem to favour them.. I must admit I was a little shocked when you rejected. Oh but Im not forcing you to say yes to my suggestion, if you dont wanna then thats fine its just-" he stopped talking when he saw you facing him

Your face was a little hesitant and your brows were furrowed a bit.

He could tell you were debating wheather or not you wanna tell him

"Oh but if you dont wanna tell me thats okay too love" kinda panicked a bit worried if he asked you a personal question 😭

You chuckled reassuring him it was alright

"No no Thoma its not that, its just.." you trailed off again trying to find the right words

"Im sorry for rejecting your suggestion for raising a puppy together, I think its a wonderful idea but im not ready."

He was about to say something before you continued "I had a dog once (gender) was a (breed of dog), and I named em (name)" you smiled at him, but one thing he noticed was that your smile didnt reach your eyes

"I lost (name) a few (weeks/months/years) ago. Ive been wanting to adopt another dog after (name)... but I just cant. I feel like Im replacing (gender)"

Thoma was mentally kicking and punching himself rn

How could he be so stupid

Of course this was obviously the reason why you rejected his suggestion

He wanted to apologise for asking but he knew you'd bash him and tell him not to apologise

Instead, he decided to get up from the futon and place a kiss on your forehead "could you... tell me more about (name)?"

You smiled and nodded

He always knew how to make you smile

Maybe one day when youre ready, you'll both raise a puppy together like a family

♡♡♡♡

[mythserene]

AUDIO: The impact of Tune In on some of the most awesome Beatles podcasters in existence: the peeps from Screw It, We're Just Gonna Talk About the Beatles (followed by two happier—and opposite ones—based on watching "Get Back")

Okay, I'm going to do this. Sloppily. But if anyone is mean to these guys in any way I am going to hunt you down, because they are awesome. Absolutely wonderful. But I remembered listening to this episode where they talked about Tune In back when I was sort of obsessed with the story of the early Beatles and loved/hated Lewisohn's book, and so I went back to see if the effect of Tune In on opinions of Paul McCartney were as marked as I remembered, and yeah. Even more. I could not clip anywhere near all of them, but I took a few.

You really should listen to this podcast in general. It's joyful and lovely. And do not blame them for the impact of the book. But that is the point. People who love The Beatles are completely charmed with Tune In, and because the book is so detailed and well-written, prose-wise, and Lewisohn is so revered, no one thinks to question the slant.

three clips from their Tune In episode:

*with creator Will Hines and panelists Katie Plattner and Jennifer Wang

It's important to note that this episode aired in August of 2018—before "Get Back"—so for the hell of it, I'm going to add a clip or two of their Get Back episode after these just for the contrast. To see the difference in reading "the expert" who got his expertise from working for Paul and who Paul fired and doesn't seem to like much any more, and actually watching these people in real life. (Or as close as we're going to get.)

Clip: Paul was cold and alienating but "John felt warm and friendly” and "he was the leader."

Clip: Paul was such an "asshole" to Brian Epstein. He was "so petty." "I have so much affection for Paul, but reading this there was a bunch of times where I was like, 'What the fuck are you doing, Paul? Like, quit being such a jerk.'" You get a sense of Paul's "iciness." Paul's reaction to him mom dying compared to John's.

Clip: Paul wanted Stu out because he wanted John, possibly unconsciously

Now, from their Get Back episode. (An absolute joy, btw.)

Clip: Paul was "the leader," Paul was "the engine." The way John and Paul locked eyes.

Clip: Conflict resolution, Paul "being humble about a lot of stuff" "in a surprising way," how compatible John and Paul were, "so much more compatible than it's made out to be," they all "had a lot of sympathy for each other," more John and Paul locking eyes

Fwiw, a reminder that Mark Lewisohn said he saw nothing new in "Get Back" and most definitely did not see anything like what he was seeing all over the internet that everyone else saw. (And he seemed very annoyed about all us hicks seeing what wasn't there.) But for these fans with a podcast, it basically flipped their impressions of the band formed from Tune In a full one-hundred eighty degrees.

----

I am so done for today. ✌🏻💜

[bengiyo]

Cooking Crush Ep 11 Stray Thoughts

Last week was one of my favorite episodes of the season, because it focused on the drama between the friend trio. We delved into how important they are to each other, and their boyfriends (or soon to be (hopefully) boyfriends) supported them. I'm still thinking about the narrative of their dish. Ten got clarity from Prem after punching Chang Ma's nasty ass out, and Fire has promised to come out publicly when Dy wins.

Pang is a real one for recognizing a double date and getting out of the way.

"Put some meat in." Fire, he absolutely will.

Hell yeah, Ten! Show off your boyfriend.

Get you a squad that will cheer for your happiness like this.

Dish 11: Or...The Three Must-Eat-eers Will Only Be a Name

I love Dynamite so much. He said, "Girl, dish," and then immediately got jealous of the PDA and ran for his boyfriend. Some people think it's annoying to have a partner tell you exactly how to please them. Could never be me.

Oh no. The Internet is clowning them. Don't read the comments, boys!

Look at Ten. He got worried about a piece of information he found. He asked for clarity immediately. He got it. He moved on. He is the best man we've ever had.

I'm loving Boyfriends Era for them.

Wait why are they in the school kitchen? Didn't we get into trouble for being here before?

Nevermind. There's the security guard. This got so silly.

In the school kitchen??? Boys!

"It has to happen sooner or later," is the exact energy I expected from Dy.

He kicked my boy across the room!! I see the mom will be our final boss for them, because staying in the closet physically injured Dy there.

Now, Ten, don't leave that sticky note at your house like that!

Of course the bullies posted the punch on socials. Hateful.

Terrible, Ten's dad was right that Ten caused problems for Prem.

Dynamite and Fire are so fun to watch at this point. "Fy, I got slammed hard. I need to be hugged."

Oh, I like this A-B framing of the doc separate from the rest of the group.

Gun is beautiful, and we should have him smile with the whole squad backing him more often.

I love Dynamite so much. "Learn from them, Fy." "Of course."

This producer is like Masks Off and called them lame! Hold the fuck up! There are multiple posts picking at the dad scene but we don't want to cut her for this rude behavior? Priorities!

I'm actually enjoying the drama of this for Ten and Prem. Prem needs to be able to stand up to criticism if he's going to be a popular chef, and Ten needs to reckon with his own stubbornness if he's going to be a good doctor and partner. He gets all riled up about his dad, but he thinks he knows best about everything.

Oh no, Gun is crying. My weakness.

I like that Changma and Ten praised Prem for the same things. That's a good use of a second lead.

Hey, I like Changma also publicly owning his complicity in this bullshit.

I love these three so much as a friend group. I'm glad we have a good baseline for the rest of the year.

Goddamn this practice is not going great, guys.

For a second I hoped that Metha would show up to help Samsee.

Look at my boys go!!

The staff at this place is so bad at keeping the audience out of the show. You'd think they'd have done that after Ten interrupted the first time. Still, I love my boy Fire going public on TV like this.

Just gonna point out that the show remembered the dad laid hands on Ten earlier.

I really like the end of this episode. Yes, let's face that problem immediately;

Wow, we didn't have an episode 11 breakup. This was excellent. Ten and Prem tackled multiple crises this episode with open communication and mutual support. Dynamite and Fire are thriving and taking cues from their friends. Both friend groups are starting to blend. Our boys came together in the face of public scrutiny and pushed themselves to a new level. I'm having a great time. I love that we have three clear final hurdles: The Bully Gang Food War, Ten's Dad and the Scamming, Fire's Overbearing Mother. I'm so ready! The squad is together and we can take on anything!

Regarding the discussion around the dad that @lurkingshan has continued, I think we're fixating on a single moment in a single scene way too much. The show is aware of the dad's hypocrisy, and is using it to force Ten to reckon with himself. He does not care about his dad like that. They didn't forget that he struck Ten, because they brought it up as they set him up as one of our final problems to overcome. I won't be moralizing over that anymore. It's good drama inline with what we should be used to.

[honestlydarkprincess]

9 for the bed sharing scenarios? 👉🏻👈🏻

boyfriend duties || read on ao3

“So, how exactly does one break their dresser anyway?” Buck asked as he pulled into the parking lot of IKEA. Eddie let out a long suffering sigh as he tumbled out of Buck’s jeep.

“Listen, I don’t know what happened. One minute I’m grabbing a t-shirt to wear to bed and the next there was a weird sound and then the whole thing just…collapsed,” Eddie explained, looking dumbfounded. “I didn’t even know it was broken.”

Buck shook his head as he chuckled. “Oh well, we’ll get you a new one and it’ll be like it never happened.”

Eddie sighed again but he couldn’t help but smile when Buck look at him like that, a hopeful look like he wanted Eddie to say yes, your plan will fix everything. And it would. Eddie knew he was pouting for no reason. Dressers broke all the time and if he was honest, he’d never much liked the dresser he had had. Sometimes change was good.

They entered the wonderfully bright and endlessly confusing IKEA and headed to the start of the maze.

“They should have more shortcuts. You mean to tell me I have to walk through this entire store to get to the dressers?” Eddie grumbled, looking at the signs above them.

“It’s not so bad, we can look at all the cool things they have,” Buck said, bouncing on his heels as he looked around like a kid in a candy store. “Oh, that reminds me, Chris was complaining that his reading lamp wasn’t working anymore. I thought it might have just been a burnt out lightbulb but it didn’t work when I changed it. We should take a look at the lamps while we’re here.”

“Sounds good,” Eddie said, feeling warm at how thoughtful Buck was. He hadn’t even known that Christopher’s lamp was broken but now that he thought about it, he could remember there being a lightbulb box in the recycling.

They took their time walking through the maze, Eddie indulgently letting Buck look at anything and everything that caught his eye. They had time, Christopher was spending the weekend with Tía Pepa so even if they didn’t get everything done today they still had tomorrow.

Finally though they found the dresser Eddie wanted, got all the information and headed towards the warehouse section. They stopped briefly in lighting and Buck was quite happy with the reading lamp he found as a replacement for Christopher’s broken one.

Once they had everything, they walked back to the parking lot. They struggled a bit to get everything into Buck’s jeep but finally they were able to maneuver the dresser into the back.

“We really should have taken the truck,” Eddie mumbled, looking at the awkward way the dresser was jammed into the jeep.

“It just has to hold until we get home,” Buck said absently, making sure everything was tucked in as much as possible before shutting the door.

Eddie didn’t miss the easy way Buck referred to the Diaz house as home and it made something in his heart swell. Because it was. It was home for the both of them and Christopher.

“You’re quiet,” Buck observed. It was about fifteen minutes into their drive back that he finally spoke up because Eddie hadn’t said a word since they left the parking lot.

“Yeah, shit, sorry. I was just thinking,” Eddie replied, feeling his cheeks heat. Buck was going out of his way to help him today and here he was, getting lost in his thoughts and ignoring him. He shook off the weird mood that had settled over him like a cloud and gave Buck his full attention.

They chatted the rest of the way home and time just seemed to fly by as they set about getting the new dresser into the house and into Eddie’s bedroom.

The next few hours passed in a series of “Buck, it goes here, look at the picture—“ and “I am looking at the picture, Eddie, and it goes over here!”

Finally they had frame of the dresser built and all that was left were the drawers. Since it was nearing dinner time they decided to take a break and finish the rest afterwards. Dinner passed quickly along with a couple episodes of the new show on Netflix they had been watching together.

“C’mon, we should get back to it,” Buck said, clapping Eddie on the knee as he stood up from the couch and stretched, groaning as his joints popped.

Eddie sighed but followed Buck to his bedroom, taking in the mess of furniture pieces and the packaging the dresser had come in. Feeling overwhelmed by the mess, Eddie sat on the edge of the bed and flopped back so he was laying down.

“It’s not too bad, Eds,” Buck said, echoing his earlier words. “We just need to get the drawers finished and the knobs put in. We can move your clothes and things in tomorrow.”

“I should have just used the closet, why did I get another dresser? I don’t even like dressers, I hate folding clothes. God invented hangers for a reason.”

Buck laughed. “Let’s go, c’mon. Just a little bit longer.”

“I’m exhausted, babe. Let’s just do it tomorrow.” Eddie groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. When he was met with silence he groaned again and sat up, expecting to see Buck waiting for him to get up and help. But Buck was staring at him in shock. “What? What’s wrong?”

Buck was still kneeling on the ground, holding the instructions in his hand. “You, uh, you called me babe.”

“Oh,” Eddie blushed. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking—”

Buck cut him off with a kiss. Eddie froze the second Buck’s lips touched his and he stayed frozen, long enough that Buck seemed to wilt against him, pulling away.

“Fuck,” Buck gasped, looking stricken. “I’m sorry— I shouldn’t have done that. I thought— I thought you calling me babe meant— although actually now that I think about it, it really doesn’t mean anything. I mean, for all I know you call all your friends pet names. I’ve literally never heard you use a pet name before but who knows—”

This time it was Eddie who cut Buck off with a kiss. Buck groaned, shuffling closer to where Eddie was sat on the edge of the bed so they could kiss without straining their necks so much. Eddie tugged Buck up off the floor and onto the bed. They broke apart, breathing heavily as Buck sprawled out on the bed underneath Eddie.

Eddie wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, making out like teenagers but eventually the kisses got softer, less hungry and more languid. Eddie pulled back, taking in the flush on Buck’s cheeks and his swollen, spit-slick lips. He took a minute to marvel at the pretty picture Buck made, all kiss drunk.

And then Buck took the opportunity to completely ruin the moment. “We still have to build that fucking dresser.”

Eddie got off him with a groan, slapping Buck’s chest playfully when the other man does nothing but laugh. “Shut up, Buckley.”

“Or what, Diaz?”

“Or you’ll finish building that dresser all by yourself,” Eddie replied, looking smug.

“Isn’t it your dresser? Why should I build it myself?” Buck teased, even though they both knew that if Eddie asked, Buck would built it in a heartbeat without Eddie having to lift a finger.

“Boyfriend duties.”

“Oh?” And Buck looked so happy, smiling as bright as the sun, that Eddie couldn’t help but lean in to kiss the smile from his lips. Eddie found that he liked the taste of joy on Buck. When he pulled back, Buck said, “So, I’m your boyfriend?”

“I was hoping you would be,” Eddie replied softly.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Buck said, trying to joke but sincerity shined through. He really hadn’t thought Eddie would ever ask— that they would ever get to this point.

“Well, I’m asking now.”

“Yeah, Eds. I want to be your boyfriend.”

“Oh good, ‘cause I have your first official boyfriend task right here,” Eddie joked, nodding his head towards the half built dresser.

Buck laughed but went to move off of the bed. He was stopped by a hand on his wrist and then Eddie was tugging him back into bed.

“I changed my mind, the dresser can wait.”

“Good call, Diaz. Good call.”