#so we can complain and criticise all we want

[the-boy-branithar]

kinda hate that we all stuck around on this shitty site all these years BECAUSE it wasnt like any other site and now that new people are apparently coming here its like “time to make it like tiktok and twitter!!!!!!”

[lcriedlastnight]

Enemies to lovers with Lando. Someone says something bad / criticises Lando in front of reader and she immediately defends him without knowing he’s behind her and can hear everything. And maybe as she’s defending him she’s also unknowingly/ without realizing / accidentally admitting her feelings for him

i love this idea! thank you so much anon, love!

tw: fem!reader, swears, logan hate (do not support!), little lando hate, not spellchecked or proof read, lmk if you want me to add anything else.

w/c: 2k

you and lando had never gotten along. you’d never gotten along and you’d never tried to. it was just one of those things, you supposed. you didn’t make a big deal out of it as the two of you shared a friend group and didn’t want to cause any issues between the group. lando however, well it seemed like he had a serious issue with you.

at first you did try to get along with him, his ego was massive and that really did put you off wanting to be friends with him but you could be fake a friendship with him. a friendship out of convenience was perfectly fine with you. lando was just having none of it. he’d ignore any conversation you would try to have with him - even in a group setting. you had tried just not talking to him but even that left you on the receiving end of dirty looks and mean comments. you’d had enough with it so you stopped caring about him entirely.

well that’s what you told your friends. in reality; you cared what he thought, you looked for his reaction to any story that was told in the room and you looked to see if he laughed at your jokes. every single time you were left with blank stares and bored expressions.

your friends noticed this and tried their best to ease the tension between the two of you but because of lando’s stubbornness, there was nothing they could really do. he really did make things difficult sometimes.

you had all gathered around the drivers house to celebrate a mutual close friend’s birthday. you and you close girl friends had gotten ready for the get together at your house and headed to the party together.

“so is the vibe for tonight party or chilled?” your friend asks as you jump out of the taxi outside lando’s apartment complex. your other friend snorts in amusement before she replies.

“girl, we’re at lando’s what do you think the vibe is?”. you frown. the party vibe wasn’t really what the birthday boy enjoyed so you hoped for his sake it was more a chilled, hanging with friends vibe. you also didn’t really dress for a party, your favourite pair of jeans on as well as one of those cute baby tee’s you found on tiktok.

“i hope not. fin doesn’t really like parties.” you remind them as you press the buzzer for lando’s. it rings for a second then you hear his crackly voice through the speaker. “hello?”. he sounded sober. good start.

“can you let us in please?” you ask into the intercom. there is a pause before lando replies.

“no. we’re full.”

your friend rolls her eyes at his words, knowing all this is was because he was talking to you. if he would just stop acting like a dickhead for more than two seconds people could maybe get things done. meanwhile, you huff at lando’s words opening your mouth to complain to him but your friend cuts in. “just let us in, norris.”.

she sounds fed up enough already that lando immediately tells them to “head on up, then.” she storms ahead of you and your other friend. you look at each other with annoyed looks.

“to be fair it’s a good thing she did that because you haven’t fell into his traps in months.” she reminds you as you reach his door which was open waiting on you and your friend. you nod. it was true, ignoring lando was really going well for you… from your friends point of view anyways. your mind was still plagued with thoughts of him.

your friend walks in before you so make sure to close the door behind you.

“so i guess we were wrong. looks like it is a chill night.” you friend says as she sees your friends dotted around the place, conversing. it looked very adult. weird for something lando was in charge of planning. you didn’t know he was capable of being anything except snide and rude. maybe he could be thoughtful and caring to the people he loved. the thought makes you frown but before you can linger on it for too long your friend grabs you both a drink and you take seats on his couch.

you notice you’re the last ones to arrive and try to find your friend that stormed off earlier. your eyes rake around the room until they land on her sitting with fin, the birthday boy. they looked cosy. ‘good for them’ you think as you take a sip of your drink. you notice lando sitting with his friend, max, on the couch next to you. you glance in his direction then redirect your eyes.

after maybe half an hour of socialising and drinking, fin announces (with your other friend hanging off his arm) that he wants to play a game of truth or dare. you thought it was a bit childish but everyone agreed so you did too. you all sit in a circle and decide to place a bottle in the middle.

“this is so high school.” you say to your friend, who just laughs in agreement. you had ended up sitting next to max on one side and your friend on the other. you quite liked max, he was nothing like lando, which helped you like him a lot more.

“since it’s my birthday, i’ll go first!” fin says as he spins the bottle. it lands on max. fin grins before asking the question you know you’re going to be tired of hearing after tonight.

after a couple of rounds a few of you disperse to get drinks and use the toilet. you were pretty sure some went for a smoke break. you didn’t even know anyone where smoked. lando was one of the people that had left, he went to the kitchen to get a drink for him and max. the good thing about not being able to let anyone know you were staring at lando was that you got good at lip reading and hearing things from a distance. you also got good at seeing things out of the corner of your eye. it was during your turn when lando asked max if he wanted another drink. you felt like you were keeping tabs on the boy, you were starting to feel a bit creepy as you answered your question.

the game continues as people (lando) leave. it was your friend turn but she was a bit more than drunk and would only accept a question from fin, the man she was clinging to all night.

you can all see the wheels turning in fin’s mind as he thinks up a question. “how good of a driver do you think lando actually is?” he finally asks.

everyone perks up at the question, wanting to see if your friend had any unpopular opinions on lando’s driving skills.

“he’s shit. like- that’s him just won his first race? after racing for like five years? that doesn’t really scream future world champion does it?” she criticised, words slurred. your face is screwed up in disagreement. you bite your tongue though, knowing she was drunk and probably just wanted to start something. you’re sure you heard someone gasp.

“you don’t really mean that?” another one of your friends asks in shock. your drunk friend only nods.

“i do. he’s bad. like he’s not logan sargent bad but he’s mid at best and i don’t understand the hype. i never have and i don’t think i ever will.” she smiles a little and that’s what gets you.

“i’m sorry are you being serious right now? firstly the audacity you have to sit there, shitfaced, bashing on the person who’s house you’re inside and who bought you the drinks in the first place is absurd,” you start, bring her down a peg. you hear footsteps behind you but you’re too pent up to acknowledge them right now.

“secondly, have you even watched a race? ever? or even recently? because if you had then you would know just how good he actually is. you’re sitting there talking about him like you know exactly how hard he worked to get to where he is and to achieve that win. millions of people - who actually watch the races, by the way - have said how difficult it is to end verstappen’s win streak and lando was the first person to do so this season.” you rant, enraged that she spoke about lando like that.

her mouth opens and closes a few times before she says, almost cockily. “carlos sainz won before lando did, in australia. you act like i don’t know shit about f1.”

“lando’s win means way more than carlos’ because max was still in the race in miami. he had the chance to actually win it, whereas in australia he dnf’d. so do you actually know what you’re talking about? i, along with like a million other people like lando and think he’s going to go very far the rest of the season.” you educate her. she should really know all of this seeing as you always told her every detail about the races on the mondays following.

“bitch.” she has nothing to retaliate with so she chooses to resort to name calling. you don’t even give her a reply and stand up to go outside to get some air. you stand up so quickly you don’t see the feet standing directly behind you or the hard chest you smash into. you could tell it was lando from the scent. was it weird? maybe but you didn’t care much. you’re embarrassed that he probably heard your rant defending him and that you just smashed right into his chest so you step backwards and head to lando’s balcony to sit outside with the smokers.

you rush outside and sit down in the far corner next to the railing. you watch the streets below for a few minutes, trying to forget what you had just done and who you had done it in front of. you feel lando looming over you a few minutes later.

“y’alright?” he asks as he takes a seat next to you. you feel uncomfortable a little, you’ve never been this close to him, even though that’s the only thing you’ve ever wanted for the past three years. and he’s being nice to you. lando have never been nice to you. ever. you’d seen him be nice to others, hundreds of times before so you knew what it was like, but you could only have dreamed of being on the receiving end of it.

“yeah.” you reply. you move your head from watching the cars pass on the road to rest your forehead on your tucked up knees.

“thank you for what you did… well said i guess. it was really nice of you.” lando starts, his hand sits awfully close to the edge of your shoe. it’s not touching but if you shuffled your foot a few times towards him, it would be.

“i know i don’t really deserve it. not from you anyways. you’ve always been so sweet to me and i’ve kinda been- well a dick.” you let out a breathy giggle at his choice of words.

“yeah. you have been a dick.” lando grins as you agree with him.

“what if i said i didn’t wanna be a dick to you anymore?” he said, you’re sure you heard a hint of shyness in his voice.

you move you’re head from it’s resting place to look at him in confusion. “you don’t? how do you want to treat me then?” you ask.

lando smiles. “like i should’ve been for the past god knows how long.” you give him your own smile back.

“for the record i like you too.” lando teases, his hand coming to clutch at your thigh. you groan.

“i hate you.” he laughs that laugh.

“no you don’t.” you rest your head on your shoulder and listen to the traffic. lando’s thumb rubs across your skin. his touch is soothing. this is the first nice memory you have with lando.

[didalexiabreakupwitholgayet]

How could Rebecca Welsh let us down like that? 😂

But honestly, Priscila should have gotten a yellow when she yelled in Cata’s face after Irene’s own goal.

i know right?! it's because alexia didn't get into the match until she was subbed on too late. and the rizz didn't have enough time to set in. 😂

but what i find really annoying are the brasilian fans who are quick to criticise jenni for bad sportsmanship but are happy to praise priscila for doing this bullshit to cata. it goes both ways, so don't complain about jenni's raw emotions after a match in losing her one and only shot at winning a gold medal but then turn around and say that priscila can celebrate a goal however she wants. 🙄

well, thanks for diminishing the actual sexual assault that jenni experienced at the world cup. 🙄 it's sick that brasilian fans are using that sexual assault to come after jenni now.

and jesus christ, jenni just lost her chance at gold in what is her last olympics games ever. she was interviewed in the immediate aftermath of the match. she's allowed to be upset and express her feelings, and i will give her grace for that. but to see people write her off forever is insane behaviour. not to mention that most of the interview was her pointing out the mistakes that the spanish team made!

i don't know what you want me to say that i haven't said already on this. you have every right to be disappointed, and the players have every right to be annoyed at brasil's antics like the above with priscila.

this is football. it's emotional. jenni has always been like that. sorry but she is not a perfect person who gives perfect answers all the time.

oh the duality of the inbox! jenni should have been more diplomatic with her words. but i also agree with the sentiment behind the constant time wasting. call me a purist but it's seriously my least favourite part of football. 🤷‍♀️

and a lot of people are forgetting that this boils down to cultural differences in the ways different countries play football. this same thing came up when some of those chelsea fans came after aitana complaining about them for time wasting. this is against the spanish way of playing. it's as simple as that. aitana criticised chelsea, colombia, and now brasil for the same reason. we beat colombia and aitana still called them out, so it's not her being a sore loser. and ultimately, that's what makes football so interesting. we all have different ideas about the norms surrounding it. and we don't all play the same way.

and one more point that i've seen on social media: just because something happens in men's football all the time doesn't mean we need to do it in women's football. 🙄

[btsmosphere]

Supercharged | JJK

Chapter 7: Spark to Life

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🗲summary: It starts with a blow to the chest that changes your life. When your city’s most celebrated hero pays a visit, it turns out the noble Bolt has no trouble tossing lives aside. Lives that won't be missed. Lives like yours. Seven mysterious and powerful men give you another chance – one that starts to feel more like a curse the moment you meet golden boy Jungkook. The boy who wants you as far from his brothers as he can get you. Is it you he hates, or the blue lightning that now runs through your veins? And could it be his golden light that illuminates your heart when darkness threatens? 🗲this chapter: “We don't have time to argue” “No, we don't”

🗲pairing: jungkook x female reader 🗲word count: 5.3k 🗲genre: angst, action, eventual fluff, enemies to lovers, slow burn, superheroes/villains au, found family 🗲rating: pg15 🗲warnings: violence with superpowers, swearing, weapons, dangerous driving

a/n: exciting notice! (maybe lol) the next chapter is pretty short, but it really was the best place to break up my chapters - so, as a result I will be posting it in the middle of this week! that's right, this coming week will bring two whole supercharged updates! first on Wednesday, and again on the regular Sunday😊see you then!!

For some days, the occasional crackling voices from that speaker accompanied your life when the boys were away.

Of course, you relished the time they did spend at home. Even though they were busy training in most of their free time, and out late on missions, they would come and chat with you while they made breakfast, or came to rest and watch some tv.

To them, it probably appeared that nothing was different between you and Jungkook. Whenever they were home, he took the chance to train with them. You knew he missed them now they were out so much without him. Anyone would have noticed as much, given the way he hovered around the receiver, always staying up after you slipped quietly to bed.

But once the house emptied, the smiling Jimin, raucous laughter of Hope or the fond smiles of Yoongi would be replaced by the stony silence of Jungkook.

Somehow, you were growing used to it.

Either that, or you would be firing comments between each other, no longer sure if it counted as fighting or having a conversation. Anything to fill up the silence.

You trained more too, your powers’ strength returning slowly even in the course of a week. And since that night, a sort of ritual had begun at dinner. Of course, you would have chosen anyone else’s company over Jungkook’s, but you had to make do. You would cook something simple, ordering him to chop up ingredients at the very least while he complained (“if you’re just going to criticise me, do it yourself!”). To this, you would remind him that he wanted to eat the food, did he not?

If anything, it was a cathartic vengeance for the power he held in the training rooms.

But anytime the receiver blared into life, the two of you would fall quickly into silence, drinking in every word, even the shortest exchange, of the boys which were out who-knows-where.

Tonight was one of those times. The two of you were sitting across from each other as always, beginning to eat.

The radio sparking to life cut off your conversation. Jungkook put his chopsticks down completely, turning his attention towards it. It was Jimin’s voice.

“Did anyone else see that?”

“I did. Hold on, I’ll go check it out,” Hobi replied.

Then an order from Namjoon.

“Yoongi, go with him.”

You continued staring at the small device even while no more exchanges could be heard. That wasn’t the usual stuff they talked about. Normally, it was just routine things, checking up on each other and confirming what they had planned.

But it was probably nothing. It was presumably quite a feat that they hadn’t come across any sort of difficulty in all the missions so far, and this would prove to be a false alarm or easily dealt with. You had seen what the boys were capable of, after all – just Hobi and Yoongi by themselves could be lethal.

That didn’t stop you from hanging on expectantly, though.

At last, the silence was broken. But not by what you had hoped.

“Guys? What can you see?”

Namjoon’s question was met with no reply. You couldn’t tear your eyes from the small radio, breath captive in your lungs.

Then, a jarring noise leapt like lightning from the speaker, making both you and Jungkook flinch. High-pitched, grating feedback, it faded almost instantly, but the scar it had torn in the previously peaceful kitchen remained.

Frozen to your seat, your food was well and truly forgotten as you heard Jin chime in next.

“Guys, get out of there.”

Namjoon’s trust in his right-hand man was evident, no hint of question in his voice as he reverted orders.

“Code two, hide the target and evacuate-”

“Yeah, we might have a problem with that,” Jimin cut him off.

A loud boom was audible, despite the limits of the small receiver that reduced it to white noise. Once again, it cut off.

It was then you realised Jungkook was on his feet. He snatched the radio from its spot on the counter.

“Stay here,” he said, back already retreating.

A second later, you were dashing after him. Reaching his side, you both shoved shoes on.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Jungkook glared at you with absolute incredulity, frown etched in his face. He didn’t even leave time to stare you down, however, already pushing past you and all but running down the front stairs.

You followed just as fast.

“I’m coming with you. They’re in trouble.”

“Which is exactly why I’m telling you to stay here,” he spat over his shoulder.

His foot tapped restlessly as the large front door slid open. The moment he had enough space to pass through, he was marching into the expansive garage, with you hot on his heels.

“I can help,” you argued.

Jungkook wove between the cars and stopped by a motorcycle. Turning to you, his face was set, frame livid and glare fierce while he dug harshly in his pocket for the keys.

“We don’t have time to argue.”

His tone was firm, clearly infuriated.

Just then, another concerning explosion crackled through the radio, standing your hair on end.

Stepping forwards, you swung your leg over the back of the motorbike and stared challengingly up at him.

“No. We don’t.”

The sound he let out bordered on a growl, but the next moment he had situated himself on the front of the bike, and a roaring filled the air as it shuddered into life beneath you. Left with virtually no time to react as he pulled away, you were forced to cling to the man in front of you.

With your arms thrown around him, you felt him stiffen under your touch. But then he was urging the bike forwards, and not a second later wind collided with your face as you shot from the base and into the night. The rapidly increasing speed left you to shelter your face in the back of his neck.

The cacophony in your ears and the rush of air that tugged your hair behind you should have alerted you that Jungkook was disregarding basically all existing traffic laws.

But you couldn’t care less.

With the blur of city lights whizzing past you, all you could think of was the speed with which you could reach the boys. The streets were fairly empty, but cars were dotted here and there. Probably cut some up, judging by the blaring horns at one intersection.

Thundering onto a wider street streaked with neon, your eyes fell on a billboard. As you sped towards it, the picture cut to purple fire and rubble, a live news banner scrolling along the bottom.

Then it was gone again, Jungkook guiding the bike around the corner and through more city streets.

The images set your head spinning, all the more restless on the back of the bike the longer you were helpless to do anything but wait for Jungkook to get you there. How was he going to find them? You hadn’t even been told where they were going. They hadn’t bothered you with mission details ever since you and Jungkook had been stood down-

“Almost there!” Jungkook’s yell was barely audible over the wind.

“Wait, how can you-”

“They’re protecting something called the Razer. Their plan B was to stash this weapon in some underground parking lot. You head down there, I’ll help fight them off. Looks like they were ambushed.”

“How do you know all this?” you finally made yourself heard.

“I snuck into Namjoon’s office, okay? I saw the plans,” he called back. “When we get there… you might have to fry this thing. It can’t fall into their hands, better that we destroy it altogether.”

You had no time to muster a reply before the bike was swinging around a corner and skidding to a halt.

At the end of this street, the sky was lit up. Purple fire blazed, just like on the billboard, but this time it was real, licking into the sky from the wreckage of a building on the corner. Other beams of light flashed, shocks of red and luminous white smattering the fronts of the buildings.

You got no more than a glimpse of a few figures silhouetted against this backdrop before Jungkook pulled you down to shelter behind the bike.

A hand on your shoulder keeping you in place, he peered over the top of the bike before returning his gaze to you.

“The building that’s been destroyed, the Razer should be in there. You should be able to make a way through the rubble. You’ll know when you see it. Do you remember training the other day?”

Trying to take in his instructions, you nodded.

“Use as much force as you can to overload it, like we practised. Should fry the weapon’s circuits.”

“Okay,” you muttered, taking a glance over the bike again. The street was littered with people, but no one seemed to have noticed your arrival.

“Y/N, they don’t know about you,” Jungkook’s voice recaptured your attention. “I’ll join the fight. It’ll distract them and buy you some time, hopefully give the others a chance to turn the tide as well. Don’t use your powers until you have to.”

He stood then, preparing to move around the bike and head into the fray.

His step faltered before he could go further.

When he turned back, a ray of gold flickered in his eyes.

“And Y/N… be careful. This weapon… if it strikes you, it can strip you of your power.”

Your eyes were locked for a long moment, his words sending a bolt of cold fear straight to your heart.

He took a breath, but said nothing more. An instant later, he was gone, the intensity of his eyes now no more than a mirage, quickly vanishing in your memory.

There was no time to agonise over it. Nor was there time to reconcile the implications of this fight, your first mission – your priorities turned to the weapon that was now in the open far from safe hands.

A flash of gold split through the night, sparks reflected in the bike’s mirrors.

Sucking in a lungful of air, you shuffled around the front wheel, slowly leaning out. Another blinding burst of gold showed you the outline of Jungkook, golden light firing him into the air. Sparks flew as he collided, wrestling, with someone halfway up a building.

The next moment, their figures plummeted to the ground.

Jungkook was the one who stood up again, the other staying motionless.

However, you weren’t here to watch. There was no time to stick around here. By now, others had noticed the newcomer to the fight; figures advancing your way down the street prompted you to get moving.

Ducking slightly, you picked your moment and sprinted the short distance from the bike to the edge of the street, flattening yourself against brick before checking no one had seen you.

All that greeted you were warring lights and the blur of fighting, backlit by the ever-raging fire.

Confident in being unnoticed, you sparked to life again, taking off on light feet in the opposite direction to the fighting. You raced around the corner to the neighbouring road, which was totally devoid of Bolt’s minions.

Judging by the short glimpses you had garnered so far, you guessed the group that had ambushed your friends were decked out with Bolt’s stolen goods – and were out for more. But you had no real idea how many of them had powers or not.

Or, come to think of it, how many of them there were at all.

All that mattered, though, was that there weren’t enough to have found you yet. You had run the length of the street, slowing as you reached the corner where the ruined parking lot stood.

Pressing your back against the wall, you edged around to peer at the damage. The fire was brighter here, making you squint. A few shapes darted in and out of view on the other side of the flames, but this side was still deserted.

This had to be it. Somewhere among this destruction was the weapon which had caused so much trouble.

Sheltered from view by V’s vibrant flames, you approached as close as you dared until you stood right in front of the rubble. You clambered over a few smaller chunks of concrete before you decided to begin.

With one more look around for security, you breathed deeply and raised your hands, palms only a hair away from a large block that used to form part of a wall, but now lay at your feet.

Biting your tongue, you finally let your powers out.

Remembering Jungkook’s words, you focussed on broadening the scope of your power, letting as much flow from your fingertips as possible. Blue bloomed in front of your eyes. A second later, the boulder began to glow the same hue.

Gritting your teeth, you propelled even more of your power downwards. For a moment, the rock resisted, only growing brighter blue. Then all at once, it gave way with a splintering sound that was swallowed up by the roaring of the fire.

With the sudden caving, you stumbled forwards, supressing your powers hurriedly to hide any light that would give you away. Just before you could trip into the gap revealed by the destruction of the rubble, you caught yourself with a hand on the ruptured concrete edge.

The fire did little to light up the dark space that now gaped below you.

Crouching, you peered carefully around. After a moment, your eyes had adjusted enough to reveal a concrete staircase, shrouded in the debris from the collapsed wall.

You shifted closer until you could lower yourself over the edge. Holding onto the remains of the wall, you dropped down onto the stairway.

It was seriously dark down here. To continue, you had to summon a small ball of light. Blue hovered above your palm, helping you pick through the dust and bricks that littered the ground from the building’s collapse.

On the plus side, it was utterly empty. You were clearly the first one to break through to this part, so you pushed ahead, following the stairs down as per Jungkook’s instructions. The plan had been to hide it underground.

Further on, you found the base of the staircase drowned in another pile of rubble. A larger slab encroached, looming from where it had been dislodged from the ceiling, lowering the height of the space. You didn’t dare try to move that one, however, almost certain that it was keeping a larger amount of debris from filling this corridor entirely.

Ducking quickly under that, you shot through a couple of smaller pieces before you could see a way through.

Not wanting to shift more stone than you had to, you wriggled through the gap you had created. The other side was lit with a wavering yellow light, making the stairs’ shadow flicker. A few more steps led down before you finally found the end to the enclosed space.

A blank corridor led to a door which hung off its hinges. Pausing when you reached it, a bigger, equally blank space opened out in front of you.

Though a small part of the ceiling had caved in the opposite corner, a pile of rubble collected there, the intact state of the walls told you that you were finally below ground level. The space was wide, but heavy with the oppressive air of industrial parking towers, walls strewn with graffiti. Artificial lights flickered in the corner of your vision.

The lights quivered even more as a loud boom ricocheted through the space.

That confirmed you were heading in the right direction, at least. Taking off running, you skidded through the next doorway and were instantly greeted with chaos.

Purple flickered and danced along the opposite wall – although you weren’t sure there was a real wall there at all. In front of this barrier of his own making, V was silhouetted.

Before submerging yourself in the waves of heat the large fire was throwing off, you took a breath. You couldn’t make out any enemies in the gaps between the flames, the light too dim and distorted by the blaze, but V shot another burst of flame as you watched. Your eyes were too dazzled to see if it had hit someone.

“V!” you called, hurrying to his side.

He turned with a jolt, arms still raised. Stopping in your tracks at his abrupt movement, you watched his eyes cloud with recognition.

Slowly, he lowered his palms.

“…How?”

You filled in the blanks of his low, startled question easily. How did you get here?

“No one followed me, I promise,” you stepped closer, “we heard you on the radio. We need to destroy that weapon.”

Nodding, V shifted his eyes furtively around before they landed on the only intact door in the place.

“There- mmph!”

V raised an arm to point, but was suddenly thrown in that direction himself.

“V!” you cried, crouching to his side, but your eyes were scanning the flame.

Hissing, V rolled over, clutching at his side which had been struck with… something. It wasn’t the same thing that had hurt him last time, but you knew the weapons Bolt was using were anything but friendly.

“Go… destroy...” he urged you, though the following groan of pain made you hesitate.

Gulping, you looked helplessly between V, who was struggling back to his feet, and the doorway he had shown you. Just as he stumbled upright, both of your attention was snatched by a figure breaking through the flames.

They had an arm over their face, grimacing at the heat, but they lifted their weapon blindly anyway.

You dived to the floor, scurrying away from the round of bullets strewn about the space.

Before either of you could retaliate, a shot of gold pierced the purple veil, sending the attacker flying. As the shots ceased, you caught sight of a silhouette you recognised darting behind the column of fire.

“Go!” V shouted again.

Meeting his eyes, you steeled yourself with a breath. While you wanted to stay and help against those enemies trying to break through the fire to get to V, with Jungkook to contend with on the other side as well, they were surrounded.

Now it was up to you.

You had found yourself with your back against the very door you needed to go through. Spinning, you wrenched it open to be met with another descending staircase. The lights had gone out totally here, but there was no time to waste.

Plunging into the darkness with nothing but your own light to guide you, you felt the temperature drop. Your skin was clammy, sweat from the heat above now clinging icily to your face, but you weren’t hanging about.

Feet finally finding flat ground, you looked around urgently until you caught sight of a shape ahead.

It was a large box, black so it nearly blended in with the darkness. Scrabbling to get to the weapon within, you easily blasted aside the simple metal fastenings.

On opening it, bright light startled your eyes once more. A clear sphere filled with what looked like bolts of lightning formed the centre of the device. The surrounding parts containing it were white, clearly a prototype, and resembled a gun.

Already feeling your powers bubbling up, you didn’t hesitate to place your hands on the spherical centre. A tingle flew up your spine.

Refusing to let fear get to you now, even with the knowledge of what this thing could do, you continued to push until your powers spilled from your fingertips. Blue lightning skittered over the glass surface, caging the still writhing light within.

Glowing brighter and brighter as you expelled more power, you began to feel something. Like the time in training when Jungkook had connected your powers and you had felt his golden electricity – except this, this was cold.

The glass shattered between your hands, noise and light smothering your senses as you were thrown backwards.

Your back met concrete, your own gasps heavy in your ears.

The cold was still there.

Blinking rapidly, you grappled to hold onto your powers, keep them flowing. Squinting into the brightness surrounding you, you found a brilliant white light had sprung from the weapon’s casing, seemingly latched onto your own powers.

Fear jolted through you. The light, whatever its power, was pushing back, trying to devour your own.

You had been trained for this. But – and you would never repeat this – you longed for Jungkook in that moment. The safety of the training room, and the usual guarantee of coming out alive, had all fallen away.

It was just you. Alone.

But there was a fight raging above you, all for this thing. You had to do this: for Yoongi and Hobi who could be anywhere right now. Hurt, bleeding? For Jin and Namjoon, wanting to come out on top. Jimin, fighting for V who was penned into the parking lot defending you.

And for Jungkook.

You had been trained for this.

Adrenaline buzzing in your veins, you pushed yourself up from the floor, power swelling in your chest. Letting it out completely, it charged through your veins until it was spitting sparks in the air, jaws gnashing against the blazing white that threatened to devour it.

One foot forwards.

The white lightning squirmed, as if trying to shake you off. You never relented. Blue advanced steadily from your hands until it was all that could be seen.

Breaking point. You kept up the pressure, feeling the last bit of resistance from the weapon-

Crack.

Upstairs, the fire V had lit was buffeted as if hit by a powerful gust of wind. Disturbed anew, blocks shifted in the rubble, pebbles raining to earth. The opponent Jungkook had been fighting was swept clean from their feet, his golden light harmlessly striking the wall behind the spot where they had just stood.

But as the enemy was forced to the floor, Jungkook’s attention was already elsewhere. Struggling to stay standing through the shockwave, he staggered back a few paces before he could turn towards the fire. The way you had gone.

The ground seemed to settle again, the blast leaving silence in its wake.

The first sound was his feet pounding on the floor. Striding right over the fighters lying on the ground, uncaring whether they were dead or alive, skirting around the fire they had been attempting to cross seconds ago.

None of Bolt’s pathetic followers attempted to stop Jungkook. They couldn’t deny the meaning of that explosion – the thing they were after was destroyed.

Normally, he might stay, try to stop them fleeing. As it was, he didn’t stand between them and their retreat, instead sprinting towards the source of the commotion.

V had kept his guard up, still eyeing the fire for movement with dark eyes. He caught Jungkook’s eyes as the younger stopped in front of him, eyes wide and panicked.

V turned.

Following his gaze, Jungkook found a doorway. Behind the open door was consuming darkness, still and silent.

You were in there.

His feet were moving again, steps turning to strides as he picked up speed, only to nearly trip over himself as he got closer.

You rushed up the stairway, catching yourself on the doorframe. Leaning against it, you panted for breath, but an exhilarated smile never left your features.

As your breathing calmed, you looked around into the car park. Eyes meeting Jungkook’s, you straightened up a little.

His mouth hung slightly agape. He had expected you to crawl from there bleeding, if the shockwave had been anything to go by. And for him to be the one that sent you down there-

“I did it!” you exclaimed.

Blinking rapidly, he clocked how long he must have been staring in shock.

Nodding, he hurriedly shuffled around in pretence of checking the area like V.

“Good. I almost didn’t think you were going to be any help.”

You had no time to decipher his comment before V cast a sharp gaze over the two of you. His usual silence had taken hold again, but Jungkook seemed to understand him.

“We need to move.”

Striding away purposefully, V left you two to scramble after him. Jungkook threw one more skittish glance at you, but quickly turned his eyes away to march after V.

The fire’s heat grew in intensity as you neared, smothering. V waved a hand and a gap opened up, the glaring purple giving way to pure darkness beyond. Hurrying through, you panted gratefully in the cool night air. Even among the rush of your battle downstairs, you felt a bit wobbly from the strain.

Leaving the fire blazing behind you without a care, your trio scaled the wreckage, this side of the building being the main victim of the destruction. The landslide of rubble sloped upwards, your path weaving between motionless figures, slumped in gaps between the debris.

V bent down to scoop up a gun, lifting it easily from a fallen opponent. Their hand fell uselessly back onto the rock.

Jungkook did the same, only he flung the weapons he collected back into the fire behind you. It spat as it guzzled them, but the sound grew fainter as you finally reached the street and hurried away over flat ground.

As the three of you sprinted through the night, the full extent of the battle was spread before you. Scattered around the burning building were pieces of wreckage, but you were sure they couldn’t have been flung that far if it wasn’t for human intervention in the destruction.

You were forced to leap over a large channel where the road had cracked, somehow.

Eerily still after the furore that had been raging only moments ago, your group’s footsteps rang loudly in your ears. Which is why the crunch that echoed through the wasteland stopped you in your tracks.

Whizzing around, you were instantly alert, feeling your powers stir.

But the air left your lungs, relieved by the blur of pink that was coming towards you.

Jimin tossed a mangled car to one side like it was nothing, only focussed on V. They collided, Jimin burying his head in V’s shoulder and desperately clutching him close.

It was only after pulling away that he registered your presence. His eyes flicked between you and Jungkook, a million questions forming in his eyes.

But he left them unsaid.

He started running again, hand clutched in V’s and leading him around the corner. Following, you drew further from the fiery glare in your wake. The shadows grew thicker, your path taking you off that road and further into the city maze.

Wailing met your ears, sirens announcing the likely arrival of authorities at the site of the fight – all too late to stop anything.

Though you were out of sight, you were only a few streets away. Enough to make you feel terribly exposed to the building clamour of sirens. A glance over your shoulder showed the distinct red and blue of emergency vehicles painting the dark sky.

Then you caught sight of something – someone – stepping forwards from the shadows.

Someone with silvery hair and eyes that glowed bright white.

You hadn’t really seen Yoongi use his powers. His eyes were truly striking, but he did little more than breathe and suddenly the world was plunged back into darkness. The colours disappeared from the sky, even the streetlights dying.

“Yoongi!” Jimin exclaimed, changing course to rush towards him, “you’re okay! What happened-?”

“We’re fine,” Yoongi spoke calmly, dazzling eyes scanning the road behind you, “just couldn’t get back- speaking of, where are we getting to now?”

As if summoned, a figure dropped from the now dark streetlamp. No one else could make a landing like that look so easy.

Yellow faded from Hope’s eyes as he faced you, grin splitting his face.

“Namjoon got to Jin alright, they’re on their way. Just saw them.”

Only the crunch of tyres gave away the car that swung around the corner. The headlights had been cut, whether by Yoongi or by Jin, driving, as a precaution. It blended with the shadows, sliding through them to stop smoothly in front of your group, assembled on the pavement.

It wasn’t until a door swung open and Namjoon stood from it that you remembered the fact you weren’t meant to be there.

This far, the adrenaline of the action had driven it from your mind. But the look Namjoon threw at you and Jungkook made reality come crashing back around you. Would he be angry? He was the one who had stood you down after all.

He breathed in evenly, gaze raking painstakingly over you…

“Get in.”

That was all he said, ducking back inside the car without another word.

As always, nothing could be read through his words. Sobered, you looked at the boys around you, waiting for them to pile into the car before you joined them.

Inside, you kept silent. Jimin and Tae were squished together in the back, Hope apparently cheerful beside them. By contrast, in the middle, Yoongi was staring intently out at the passing streets. His irises still glowed white, reflected in the darkened glass of the window. No trace of emergency lights, searchlights or even regular city lights found its way remotely near you.

This left you shoulder to shoulder with Jungkook, a frosty silence stretching between you.

With Yoongi doing his job so well, Jin guided the car silently back home. Namjoon’s calculating eyes scanned the lot of you through the rear mirror occasionally.

All you could do was try valiantly to ignore the firm press of Jungkook’s arm against yours. But it was impossible to drive him from your mind; in a way, this was familiar. His rigid frame, determinedly staring ahead. Anywhere but you.

Then why did it make you feel so small now?

You were well used to this kind of treatment from him, reciprocating it more often than not. So it was totally unfair how he could occupy your thoughts so relentlessly. All you had done was follow his orders. Rushed into battle together, yes. But you reminded yourself that he never wanted you there anyway. You were still just a hindrance to him.

Setting your jaw, you turned your gaze stoically out the window. A lone streetlight travelled past – you must be almost home if Yoongi felt it safe enough to let the light back in.

You had lost them well enough in the dark maze of the centre, and now you could throw them off your trail.

Through the reflections, you eyed the car packed with all of you. It felt right, with everyone there. Dimmed by the window glass, you saw Jimin’s arm slung around V’s shoulder, small smiles on everyone’s faces as he exchanged low jokes with Hobi.

Jin and Namjoon guided you home at the head of the vehicle. Namjoon’s glances were caring instead of cold, checking up on his fellow fighters.

This could have been different. Nerves remained about his decision, what your actions tonight would make him think. But you could rest knowing you had stepped in to help your new family, part of the reason you were all safely in this car now.

These events only bolstered what had been growing within you. These boys were your team.

Every single one.

Thank you for reading!! Good news for those of you dying to hear what Namjoon will do now, remember the next chapter is going up on Wednesday 29th💜until then, let me know your thoughts down below🥰

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@jk5t4r

[etherealspacejelly]

why is life so unfair. everyone else gets to go through life relatively pain free but ive been gritting my teeth through pain for 21 years just so i dont bring everyone elses vibe down???

i was treated as neurotypical and forced to compensate for my autism and adhd by myself

ive been giving myself shit for not keeping on top of chores and errands as well as everyone else but they weren't fighting against their own brains and bodies every time to do it

fuck that. fuck all of that. ive ordered myself a pop-up stool because i deserve to be able to sit down when i need to even if there's no benches. im considering getting food delivery too so i dont have to walk 20 minutes to aldi and back once a week in agony. if no one else is in pain while getting food why should i have to be.

this sucks ass. chronic pain havers deserve fucking gold medals for not complaining all the time and still getting stuff done AND still somehow being criticised for not doing 'enough'!!! fuck that!!! im on day trips out compensating for sensory overload, joint pain, foot pain, masking all of my symptoms and STILL have a smile on my face so im not too much of a downer for everyone elses benefit. no wonder i cant keep on top of my fucking laundry!!! thats exhausting!!!

i always said i would drag myself over hot coals for the people i care about but it turns out thats a lot more literal than i thought it was!!! oh, you guys want to go for a walk to the park? sounds fun! let me just destroy my feet until im in agony so we can all have a good time!

what the fuck!!!

[mybutcheredtongue]

I'll Love You 'til the Grass Around My Gravestone is Deceased

harry potter timeline sirius black x fem!reader

CHAPTER FOUR (see full series list here)

1992

You awake on a regular Wednesday morning a few days before the return to school, groaning and stretching as you sit up in your queen-sized bed. The sun is streaming in through your windows, and you can hear birds singing their first few melodies of the morning.

You hear a very croaky meow from beside you and you look over to spot Dubh awakening from her slumber, seeming very angry about it being awoken. Dubh's actual bed is resting in the corner of the room, but it has long since been forgotten and she much prefers to sneak up onto your bed covers during the night. This little habit of hers means you've had to deliver a quick cleaning spell to her every night before bed, but you enjoy her company anyways. You reach out and pet her lovingly, scratching under her fluffy chin.

"Yes, yes, good morning, Dubh," you say. You yawn, trying to muster up the will to properly get out of bed, before eventually you manage to swing your legs over the edge of your bed and step onto the soft rug beneath you.

You throw on your favourite pair of jeans and a sweater to accompany it, taking a quick minute to wash your face before heading downstairs and into the kitchen. Dubh follows you the whole time, complaining as she waits for you to get her breakfast.

This is the home you've lived in for the past 13 years. The home yourself and Sirius had bought after you got married. It's small and cosy: exactly how you had wanted. The walls are covered with photo frames and beautiful oil paintings that look straight out of a dream.

The kitchen is charming, especially as it's lit up by the August sun. You push open a window to let some air in, waving your wand to pour out some cat food for Dubh. You click the kettle on and drum your fingers on the countertop as you wait.

At that moment you hear a small hoot and a light thud outside your back door. You leave the kitchen, unlocking the door to open it and spot a small folded package on the front step. It's the newspaper, the Daily Prophet.

You toss the paper on the kitchen table, humming as you prepare breakfast for yourself. Finally, when you've finished, you take your plate in one hand and your ready cup of tea in the other, sitting down at the kitchen table. You pull open the twine wrapped around the paper, unfolding it out.

You nearly spit out your tea when you read the headline of the front page and spot a familiar face.

Sirius.

Sirius Black.

Sirius Black has escaped.

Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban.

What the fuck.

What the actual fuck.

What the fuck?

You swallow hard, looking at the article again. Your heart is thumping. Your hands are trembling. You feel like you're about to be sick.

BLACK STILL AT LARGE

Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today.

'We are doing all we can to recapture Black,' said the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, 'and we beg the magical community to remain calm.'

You scoff. Fat fucking chance!

Fudge has been criticised by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis.

'Well, really, I had to, don't you know,' said an irritable Fudge. 'Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or Muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it — who'd believe him if he did?'

While Muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand which Muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse.

You feel like you're dreaming. How the hell did he break out?

This article makes you feel so sick. The things they're saying — the things they've always said about him — they're not true. They can't possibly be true.

Sirius would never do that.

Your Sirius would never do that.

Your Sirius who kissed you on the Astronomy Tower.

Your Sirius who proposed to you in your first tiny London flat, lit only by candlelight.

Your Sirius who waited patiently for you at the altar.

Your Sirius who spoke in detail of his undying love for you during his vows.

Your Sirius who gave you the most perfect first dance you could ever ask for.

Your Sirius who spent your wedding night reminding you how much he loved you, gazing at you like you were the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, making sure there wasn't a single patch of skin on your body that went unkissed.

Your Sirius who bought you flowers every week, so the ones on your dining table were always fresh.

Your Sirius.

For twelve years you've maintained the belief that Sirius is innocent. There has got to be another explanation because the Sirius you know would never sell out his friends like that. He would never support Voldemort like that. He would never murder thirteen people like that! It's bullshit.

The Sirius you know would sooner die than rat James and Lily out like that.

Sirius isn't mad, like the way they say in that article.

Or maybe he is.

You wouldn't be surprised if 12 whole years in fucking Azkaban turned him loony.

Suddenly, there's a loud knock at your front door and you startle, dropping the paper.

What if that's him?

You slowly, apprehensively get up out of your chair, carefully walking to the door. You take a deep breath, and place your hand on the handle.

You turn it agonisingly slow and open the door a crack, peering out.

It's not him.

You don't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

Well, you're definitely not happy anyway, as you're met with Cornelius Fudge and three other Ministry officials.

You gulp.

"Good morning, ma'am," Fudge says. "Can we come in?"

You sigh, nodding. "Yeah, yeah. Of course."

You open the door wide to let them in, wrapping your arms around your torso nervously. They walk into your kitchen, looking around and you gesture to the kitchen table with a nervous smile. "You can sit down there..."

The four of them sit. You notice how Fudge's eyes immediately land on the paper, and he looks quickly back up at you as you lean against the counter, anxiously fiddling with your fingers. Dubh's head lifts from her food bowl, eyeing the newcomers suspiciously.

"Tea, coffee?" You ask, forcing a smile.

The officials glance at each other, as if deciding whether or not it's safe to accept a drink from you.

"Um...no thanks," one squeaks, looking up at you fearfully.

You sigh.

"Ah, so you've evidently heard the news..." Fudge starts, tapping the paper with one of his large, pudgy fingers.

You nod wordlessly.

"Is it a...surprise?" he asks.

You blink at him. "Yes, Minister, of course it's a surprise. I hardly expected him to break out of bloody Azkaban."

"Yes, yes, it is a shock to all of us," Fudge replies, eyes glancing over at the wedding photo on your countertop. "Have you...heard from him? At all?"

"No."

"It's just that you are his wife, you would be the first person he'd run to."

You raise your eyebrows, folding your arms. "Oh? I would've thought you'd expect him to run to Voldemort?"

They all wince at the name.

Fudge sighs, trying to keep his composure. "Look, regardless of your personal feelings on the matter, Black is a criminal and — "

"You have no proof — "

"He is a convict!" Fudge snaps. "Regardless of whether you believe it to be wrongful or not, he is a convict! If you see him, you must contact the Ministry. The magical community is in shambles with him on the loose. People are afraid."

You scoff. "The magical community has been in shambles for centuries."

Fudge ignores your statement, standing up from his chair unsteadily. "We will have to monitor your home, in case he decides to...visit."

"Shocker."

"We — uh, we'll be going now," Fudge says semi-certainly, motioning for the others to follow. They all stand, narrowly avoiding you as they exit the kitchen. You see one woman flinch when you move. You feel a hand on your shoulder, looking up to see Fudge's red, fudgy face looking at you pitifully. "I am truly sorry, dear. Remember what I said."

You watch as the party leaves and you shut the door behind them. You groan, running your hand through your hair as you slide down the door and sink to the ground.

Dubh appears around the corner, plodding over to you. You smile weakly at her, petting her softly. You feel your eyes starting to water and you sniffle, lip trembling.

You shake your head in disbelief.

"What am I gonna do?"

⁠✧⁠*⁠。✧⁠*⁠。

You wave your wand, levitating your heavy trunk up onto the overhead carriage of your train compartment. Most teachers don't take the Hogwarts Express — they just apparate to Hogsmeade instead — but you find that apparition tends to distress Dubh immensely and don't do it. You don't mind it really, the train ride gives you that little bit of extra time to look over lesson material.

Lucky for you, you have the compartment to yourself and freely let Dubh out of her carrier. She stretches with a long meowl, moving to settle on your lap, and you spend the ride reading a book and looking over lesson material, though your mind keeps drifting from what you're doing, choosing instead to fixate on Sirius.

You have a sickening seed of guilt and worry circling your gut ever since you heard of his escape, an overwhelming sense of dread looming over everything you do.

Heavy rain pelts the window harshly, wind battering the sides of the train, rattling it loudly.

You glance out the window pensively, wondering what he must be doing right now. Maybe he's been recaptured and you just haven't found out yet. You hope he's not out in this weather.

If sixteen-year-old Sirius had been caught out in torrential rain, he'd be busy complaining to you about how it completely ruined his hair and you'd just have to listen on and on because truthfully, you liked his hair after the rain.

The train starts to slow and you sigh, starting to pack up your things. Then, your eye catches the window and you squint out into the dark surroundings. You're not in Hogsmeade — you're not even close to it. You've been on this train enough times to know that you have a solid 20 minutes or so left in the journey.

Maybe there's something blocking the track and you'll all just have to continue on foot?

Hardly.

You stand up, gently plucking Dubh from your lap and placing her onto the seat beside you. You slide open the compartment door and stick your head out, looking up and down the hallway. You know well that Professor Flitwick is inside along with some of the Prefects so you step out, closing the door behind you and moving to their compartment.

You open the door and look in at Flitwick and three students, shiny silver badges on their chests. "Hey, Filius. What's going on?"

Flitwick shrugs, straining his neck to see up out the window. "I don't know."

You bite your lip, turning around uncertainly. "I'll ask the driver."

Suddenly, the train stops with a jolt and you stumble into the wall beside you, knocking your head against one of the flickering lanterns. You groan, bringing a hand to rub at the sharp stinging in your temple.

You try to make your way up the carriage but before you can the lights extinguish with a small puff and you're plunged into darkness. Rooting around in your pocket, you fish out your wand and mutter, "Lumos." A small bead of white light appears at the tip, illuminating a short distance in front of you.

To your horror, you look up and are met with a dark cloaked figure that towers to the ceiling. Its face is completely hidden beneath its hood. You feel your breath hitch in your throat as the room grows cold, freezing cold, making the hairs on your arms stand up.

A Dementor.

"He's not here," you choke, but it doesn't seem to matter as the dementor draws a long, slow, rattling breath. "He — he's not — "

You feel an immediate sadness overwhelm you. You feel every stitch of joy being sucked from you, your body desperately trying to cling on to whatever it can. You hear Sirius' voice, screaming raw and pleading, and it feels like the pain in your head is magnified a billion times.

Before your last stretch of consciousness can escape from you, you grip your wand tighter and, summoning all your will and happiest memories, you yell, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A bright, blue light bursts forth from your wand, taking on the form of large, scruffy dog and chasing the Dementor as it glides away from you. You stumble back, chest heaving, placing a hand on the wall for support, before remembering about the rest of the students and you turn, sprinting back down the corridor to the other carriages.

You throw open the door, moving quickly as you throw glances in each compartment window, checking that everyone was alright. Was there only one?

As you continue down the corridor, you look in one compartment and see the back of a tall figure blocking your view. You breathe a sigh of relief when you see it's not a Dementor, and slowly slide open the door to poke your head in, trying to carefully look past the figure in front of you.

"Hey guys, everyone okay? I think — Remus?" You stare in shock at the tired face of Remus Lupin, currently holding a gigantic slab of chocolate in his hands, loudly snapping it into pieces. "What are you doing here?"

Beside him is Harry, Ron, and Hermione, looking between the two of you in surprise. Harry is as pale as a ghost, his hair messy and untidy.

"Guess I took your advice," Remus shrugs, handing everyone pieces of chocolate. He hands one to you and you accept it gratefully, biting off a piece with a loud crack. "Taking up the Defense Against the Dark Arts position."

You grin. "Remus, that's brilliant!" You throw your arms around him and he chuckles, tapping your back softly.

You pull back, noticing Harry's shell-shocked face and turn to him in concern. "Harry, are you alright? You don't look too good."

"Dementor," Remus explains and you nod in understanding.

"There was one in my carriage too!" You say. "Bastards."

"Language."

"What? It's true!" You say in defense, looking back at Remus' unapproving face. You glance at the three thirteen-year-olds also present in the compartment with you. "Er — sorry, guys."

"I'm going to go talk to the driver," Remus announces, tossing a small bite of chocolate into his mouth.

You nod. "Alright, I'll go check on everyone else." Remus moves past you, but before he can go in the opposite direction to you up the train, you grab onto his arm. "Next time, tell me if you're coming. Could've saved me a very boring train ride."

Remus chuckles. "I was asleep the whole time, not sure if I'd be great company."

You just give him a knowing smile, heading down to the carriage to check on the other students.

→ all kinds of interaction appreciated ♡

⁠✧⁠*⁠。✧⁠*⁠。

->-> read chapter five here!

p.s. it's easy to miss grammar/spelling mistakes when im editing it myself, so if you find any please let me know!! 💌

[h-worksrambles]

Ok, so Episode Aigis dropped, they changed some dialogue and now people are pissed and saying P3 Reload ruined The Answer.

If you want my TLDR, Atlus’ changes (both writing and mechanical) for the DLC are overall small, some good some bad, but they’re ultimately band aids that fail to address the much wider flaws of The Answer as a story.

I think there’s a genuine intent to try and better get across the character’s motivations. And for some characters it works well. I think the new dialogue for Mitsuru is a genuine improvement. I’ve seen some criticise it for focusing more on Mituru’s thoughts towards the protagonist then her (rather queer coded) loyalty to Yukari. But as much as I love my SEES lesbians, I genuinely think giving Mitsuru multiple reasons to side with Yukari rather than just blind loyalty, is much more in character for her than FES’ approach (where she comes across uncharacteristically stupid). But I think by only changing minutia like this it just ends up highlighting the bigger problem.

A lot of people hyper focus on Yukari’s role and talk about how irrational she is here. And now you’ve got people complaining that Reload softens and sanitises her character and makes her storyline weaker. But I feel it’s a case of identifying something doesn’t work but being incorrect as to why.

The thing about the SEES group fight is that it’s fundamentally a really poorly done conflict. It sucked in FES and it sucks here too. There’s not enough meaningful disagreement between the group to make it feel earned. The only one acting out and taking the MC’s death badly, is Yukari. When really if this is the climax they wanted to build to, everyone should have been grieving badly and constantly at each other’s throats. It could have been this building frustration and animosity, until they’re all at odds over what to do with the key and a fight breaks out.

What we get is everyone…mostly being pretty chill, aside from Yukari being kind of petty and jealous at Aigis. And I think the reason people react badly to her (misogyny notwithstanding) is that it’s really weird when she’s the only one having this extreme reaction. Instead of everyone dealing with the MCs death in their own distinct way, it’s only explored with Aigis and Yukari and only somewhat. Hell if you didn’t have such a jarring disconnect, and there was a better variety of reactions and thoughts from across the cast, I think more people would praise Yukari’s writing here. As it stands, when everyone else is almost ridiculously reasonable, it looks very jarring.

And then when the group do fight it feels completely out of nowhere precisely because of how agreeable everyone’s been. Everyone willingly jumps into a pointless fight that could get them all killed, one that only one member of the group even wants. All for a very contrived plot point that was set up five minutes ago. It’s executed in such a sloppy way that it makes the genuinely good scene of Yukari’s breakdown ring hollow. You get the sense that the writers weren’t really interested in exploring Yukari’s grief beyond using it as a plot device to make a dumb, unnecessary punch up scene happen.

I can see what they’re trying to do in Reload. They wanted to make Yukari stick out like less of a sore thumb compared to the rest of the group. But if they were gonna do that, they kinda needed to dial everyone else up, not dial her down. Build the tension between the party further rather than decrease it. Because now, if Yukari, and by extension the rest of the party are way more reasonable, it just begs the question even more of ‘they why are you fighting in the first place?’ It’s slapping on a band aid in a way that just exposes the whole scenario’s weaknesses

I genuinely think Episode Aigis needed to either keep the Answer entirely as is, or overhaul it completely. Making little changes like this won’t win over people who hated The Answer the first time, and will just annoy people who liked it as is. As it stands, The Answer is still a mess of good ideas mired by poor execution and Reload’s take only makes a handful of small changes that are ultimately different, not better.

[hjemne]

I think a lot of the debates between fanfic writers / intra-community hostility (particularly around how 'accurately' characters are depicted in fic and how dominant explicit fics are becoming) are because the purpose and function of fanfic are fundamentally different for different people, and so fic authors play by very different rules while still using the same label of 'fanfiction' to describe it.

There's a spectrum to the purpose of writing fanfic that I think goes from 'fanfic as a form of literary character analysis' at one end, 'fanfic as smashing barbies together and putting characters in Situations' in the middle, and 'fanfic as a safe and communal space for exploring sexual fantasies' at the other end, which is an approach best summarised by this:

So fanfic writers and readers from the character analysis group might look at the fics written by that last group and go '??? WHY are they writing Mr Blorbo like this? this is so ooc what are they doing?' and the reason is that the fic has an entirely different purpose and is for an entirely different audience. We see so much in-fighting and morality policing over fanfic because people with VERY different expectations, motivations and priorities all share the same space.

A lot of the time when you come across a fic that makes you go 'what the FUCK is this, this is so ooc/fucked up', it makes a LOT more sense when you realise the author is much further towards the 'fanfic as a medium for pornography' side of the spectrum than you are. And when you see people complaining about the prevalence of x reader or explicit dead dove fics, instead of jumping into a pro vs anti 'fiction isn't reality' debate, consider whether they are a 'fanfic as character analysis' person expressing annoyance that it is (often) increasingly hard to find those types of fic.

Both of these uses of fanfic are valid, understandable and important to protect. It's no secret that the fanfic community is dominated by women and queer people, who haven't traditionally been the target audience of erotica/porn, and who absolutely deserve a space to express and explore sexual desires/fantasies. 'Fanfic as pornography' is not above criticism, but I think it's far more helpful to criticise it as you would more mainstream forms of porn.

'Thing X is getting increasingly common in fic and we as an entire community need to step back and consider the implications of X for how it fetishises Y minority group irl' -> yes

'Character A would NOT do [kink scenario]' -> you are missing the point of that fic, I fear

'I think it's frustrating how hard it can be to find fanfic about [theme in original work], everthing on AO3 is all just self-insert or ['''problematic''' ship no. 12457] fics :(' -> this statement is not a moral condemnation of these types of fic. people are allowed to not want to read 'fanfic as porn' fics. we don't need to start fights over this.

Horny fandom please remember you are in a fandom space where people are allowed to want fandom-centric stuff. Fandom-centric people please remember you are interacting with other people, who are allowed to be horny, and that fiction is absolutely the best and safest place to explore 'extreme' kinks. Yeah, it can be annoying that everyone gets crammed into the same spaces when we all have very different ideas of what we want fanfic to be, but this is the way things are, so we need to learn to understand each others perspectives and stop jumping into fights at the slightest perceived criticism of your personal way of doing things

[billdenbrough]

fem kevaaron studying ^_^

it starts, as many things do, because of neil

specifically bc neil is being really annoying. like. “more than usual,” kevin says, huffing, as she drops her stuff on aaron’s bed

“yes, kevin, go ahead. spread your stuff out. feel welcome,” aaron says dryly, but she’s already tucking her legs in a little, straightening up so she’s sitting with one leg crossed, the other a line of skin against the wall, her papers mixed in with kevin’s books in the middle of her bed. “he’s annoying all the time,” she points out. “you usually cope.”

“usually i can criticise his form in drills,” kevin grumbles. “it’s less effective when we’re studying.”

aaron’s mouth drops open. “you tried to study with him? have you lost your mind?” she shakes her head. “i can barely do it, and i’ve made an art form out of ignoring him.”

“can we just study,” kevin whines. begs, maybe. she’s trying not to think about it. life is a little easier to swallow around when she doesn’t let those sorts of words invade her thoughts when she’s around aaron.

“you’re the one who interrupted my studying,” aaron points out, making a face, but she acquiesces. makes some more room for kevin on her bed, even as she grumbles that she shouldn’t. her socked toes keep bumping against kevin’s bare knee. kevin keeps reciting important dates from her mesoamerican history reading to herself to try ignore it.

so it starts a pattern

it’s usually on aaron’s bed. this is partially because kevin is “too fucking fussy” (aaron’s very gracious and dignified way of putting it) about things on her bed, partially because when they do it in the house in columbia, aaron is the only one with an actual bed (or even, you know, room) and partially because kevin gets distracted sometimes with aaron laying down on her bed, chewing on the end of her pen (which is objectively gross, and kevin should think is gross, but unfortunately kevin often thinks it’s hot, or at least, gets distracted by thinking about other things aaron could put in her mouth), that little furrow in her brow as she scowls at her biology textbook. (okay, so maybe it’s a little more partially. maybe it’s mostly that one. whatever. kevin’s not good at being alone, rarely ever is, but her bed is her domain. if her thoughts tend to stray when she’s on it, well, that’s just how it is)

kevin just drops her stuff everywhere, aaron complains and calls her a presumptuous bitch, kevin rolls her eyes and throws an energy drink at her head, and aaron stretches to catch it, leading to her grinning, smug and satisfied, and the afterimage of her bouncing chest burned into kevin’s eyes as she glances away, checking on her study materials

it’s good

it’s really good

aaron is focused, non-intrusive. kevin gets distracted sometimes watching her, but that’s true of many occasions. when kevin needs to memorise dates, aaron quizzes her on her flash cards, asking her prompting questions when kevin’s getting stuck at the end of the day, but keeping her expression blank when kevin’s trying to remember of her own accord. it’s weird, the way she knows what to do. then kevin thinks about how aaron studies, and she thinks she gets it. it’s mostly similar, but the parts that aren’t, it’s like —

once, when kevin was sick and ignoring it, aaron had checked her so hard on the court that kevin stumbled. which is pretty low effort in the scheme of things, but kevin didn’t often stumble to aaron—she’s an entire foot shorter than her, and kevin’s exy focus has always made her hard for anyone but matt, jean or thea to corner—and she doesn’t think aaron really wanted to knock her flat. (kevin has been knocked flat on her back by aaron before. her first thought, naturally, was about how to make best use of it against beckenridge. her second thought was about how she didn’t mind the view, flat on her back and aaron scowling down at her. she tries not to think about that.) you’re fucking sick, aaron had said, eyeing her even as she’d offered her a hand. get off the court. kevin had been belligerent. you’re not the captain, she’d said, and aaron had rolled her eyes. fine, she’d said, then raised her eyebrows at neil, who had taken the signal for what it was. he’s not the captain either, kevin had hissed, but she’d started stomping off the court anyway. even as vice captain, neil could order her off the court, and probably would. kevin refused to allow that to happen. the indignity would probably choke her.

later, aaron had brought water to her in bed and raised an eyebrow at her. are you still sulking? she’d wanted to know. and kevin was, kind of, and kevin wasn’t, kind of, because kevin was still pissed at having to leave the court but something had burrowed deep in her stomach at the math of it all. kevin off the court = aaron had noticed she was sick. kevin off the court = aaron had watched her + aaron had noticed + aaron had cared enough to intervene. it was maybe a stupid thing to be appeased by, but something in kevin was. (she was still mostly pissed off about having to leave the court, and complained to aaron at length, who rolled her eyes and huffed at kevin and ignored all her complaints but stayed anyway, just doing some crossword as she sat cross-legged on the edge of kevin’s bed while kevin bitched her way into drowsiness.)

so what kevin thinks is that even the parts of their study style that don’t match, aaron knows how to accommodate for kevin, because she notices kevin too. watches her, keeps an eye out, does little things that maybe don’t matter but mean kevin matters, at least a little, and that’s something, isn’t it?

and sometimes, when kevin is wearing her reading glasses (the ones she sorta hates because they’re an odd sensation on her face, something she’s still getting used to, the ones aaron had to drag her to the optometrist for because everyone else was busy that day) and sifting through an especially dense text, and aaron gives a gusty sigh and rubs at her eyes, then uses kevin’s thigh as a pillow as she scowls fiercely up at the ceiling and kevin looks down at her, affectionate and endeared and amused, all this fondness—

and sometimes, in those moments, when aaron meets her eyes and her lips quirk up in a half-smile, higher on the left than right, momentarily appeased from her biochem-induced disgruntlement by kevin’s smile – sometimes kevin thinks that maybe the little things matter to her too

(aaron, months later, when this comes up eventually after they’ve gotten their shit together: what. of course they mattered. c’mon, kev, you can’t have thought that just any smile would have made me smile back? oh my god. this is a terrible conversation. i can’t believe we’re having it. you’re the worst. you thought—imagine! imagine! as if neil’s smile would have ever made a situation better. oh my god. i can’t stand you.)

(it’s ok. kevin kisses the complaints out of her mouth, bc now she knows she can. aaron harrumphs, but she smiles against her lips, kisses her back. yeah, kevin day. the little things matter. you matter.)

[akookminsupporter]

THIS IS FOR THE HATERS, FOR KPOPPIES, FOR THE SOLO STANS AND FOR THE FUCKING OT6.

If you want to leave after this post, be my fucking guest.

FUCK YOU ALL. GO TO THE FUCKING HELL YOU CAME FROM. YOU BUNCH OF ENVIOUS, TALENTLESS ASSHOLES. ROT IN HELL.

I think that pretty much sums up how I feel. I'm sick of it. I'm fucking sick of the treatment Jimin gets online from a bunch of envious, selfish, stupid people who can't stand the fact that Jimin is bigger than all their fucking favs combined. Yes, I said it and I stand by it.

I don't know what the point of this post is, at the moment I just want to vent and try to put into words the frustration, anger and sadness I feel.

When it was announced that Jimin would be releasing his first solo EP many of us braced ourselves for what was to come. What was meant to be a moment of complete happiness also turned into something we dreaded. Many of us knew that it wouldn't be easy, that many would doubt, criticise and attack Jimin even for the way he holds the microphone, but as always, reality overcame fiction.

When the agency announced the schedule of activities on the road to the release of the album, the problems started, but at that time, the problems were purely internal.

Solo stans and OT6 started to complain, to accuse of favouritism and injustice. They complained that the releases of JIB, The Astronaut and Indigo were unfair, conveniently forgetting everything the guys did during their releases, but the fact that Jimin decided to make a more typical BTS schedule, shall we say, didn't sit well with them.

As more information came out about Jimin's solo moves, more complaints were heard from sectors of the fandom or social media, mainly Twitter to no one's surprise. Even though deep down it was all fear, Park Jimin was coming and they knew he would take the industry by storm.

The closer it got to D-Day, the more chaos ensued. There were complaints and accusations about Jimin-centric accounts, there were complaints about donations and much more. The fact that other members put out content during all that time somehow made everything even tenser.

Amidst all the chaos, discussions and so on, millions of us were excited because we knew that what was to come was going to be big.

I think I've said it several times in this blog but I've always believed that Jimin and Jungkook have the potential to have a huge solo careers. They are mainly always breaking records and setting new ones. They have something else, that makes them successful, by this, I don't mean that other members won't be because they have already proven that they are, they have achieved almost everything as BTS and it is obvious they will do the same as solo artists! But Jimin and Jungkook are different. Their popularity in the charts proves it and their popularity with the locals or the general public too and I know that's what scares a lot of people. 

Finally, the wait was over and Set Me Free Pt. 2 came out. That song and that MV wasn't something we expected, but it was something we needed and it was what it took to make the haters, kpoppies, Solo stans and OT6 tremble. If this is what the re-release was like, what would the album be like?

SMFPT2 came in breaking records. Fans and Locals loved the song and the MV. We were all surprised, but at the same time proud that Jimin was showing the world what kind of artist he is and what he can do. For a long time, many talked about his duality, now it was time to talk about his versatility as an artist.

And then the album arrived.

When the album FACE has finally released the fandom responded as it should. Support was seen from day one, or at least support from those who mattered. The OT6 and the Solos Stans kept complaining, but their bullshit was buried by the emotion, love and pride we all felt for Jimin. But after that, a bigger enemy showed its face: The industry.

The problems have been the same ones BTS has always encountered: Hanteo, Spotify, YouTube and bloody kpoppies.

What happened with the 3 companies mentioned above is ridiculous. What's still going on with those companies is stupid and it's all happening in broad daylight without anyone other than the fandom saying anything is insane. BTS is indisputably the biggest music group in the world, but still, the industry feels apathy about them. Still, the industry is afraid to see them succeed. Whether as a group or as solo artists.

Jimin particularly generates fear in all of them because he is extremely popular... with the general public and that is something that many don't dare to acknowledge. Jimin not only has ARMY as fans, he also has the power to attract fans from the general public. Jimin showed that he has the talent to break down barriers and that scares a lot of fans because their favs are not capable of that. And that is precisely the problem.

Jimin is a person who works quietly but shows loud results. And that scares a lot of people. All the hate we are seeing against him on the net is nothing but fear and envy. Park Jimin is here to stay.

The accusations of payola and favouritism came back with a vengeance. Criticisms of his talent and attempts to oti7ify his achievements and his work have come out like hotcakes from all sides. The anger and envy of many have been shamefully evident and the lower they all fall, the higher Jimin goes.

Finally, what has happened in the last few days with kpoppies is despicable but not entirely surprising. Before they had to fight with only one group, now they have to fight with 7 individual artists. They were angrier with Jimin because he is breaking all the records. Because he is everywhere and because the people, the general public, love him. And because Jimin's mere existence annoys them and that goes for OT6 and Solo stans too. Jimin is not perfect, but hell, he has the merits to be.

Jimin will continue to win, he will continue to break records, he will continue to sign lucrative contracts and if we're lucky, he will continue to give us great music and while Jimin does all that, his haters will continue to be a bunch of pathetic, envious people whose only aspiration is for someone to Like and comment on one of their stupid posts.

The chances of breaking more records on Billboard are scary but hopeful. Whatever the outcome Jimin worked very hard for his album. He trusted us with his thoughts and emotions and we will always be grateful for that. The effort that the fandom has made all these days is admirable, the fight that the US and Puerto Rican fans have put up is incredible and we hope to see the reward soon.

I understand that it's frustrating, this post started with me writing my frustration, but I also understand that karma is real and that Jimin's karma, bts karma is powerful. And although it is infuriating and sometimes discouraging, we must always remember that there is a person in Korea, in the city of Seoul who understands us.

[trainsinanime]

It's been a while, let's discuss Deadpool and Wolverine in detail, with some spoilers.

D&W is a very fun movie. I had a blast, I enjoyed myself the entire time I was there, and I wouldn't mind watching it again.

Now, the main criticism that I think can be levied at this movie is some form of: It was just a fun movie, not more. Deadpool explicitly makes fun of "hey it's that guy, in the right outfit!", but that is a key part of what this movie itself is.

Where Deadpool 1 and 2 had way more depth than you'd think, with loss, grief, found family, foster home abuse and so on, this one was fairly surface-level. There's a very generic "hero getting back up again" story for "the worst Wolverine", but that feels almost perfunctory. Deadpool's arc is likewise way less interesting. And all the side characters we grew to love from the previous movies, Vanessa, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Yukio and so on, are basically shuffled off two to scenes and a polaroid, with nobody from Deadpool 2 even appearing at all.

However, that is not actually my main criticism of the movie. My main criticism is one that it shares with every other Marvel film, whether made by Marvel or Fox or Sony, and that is that it doesn't have enough Dafne Keen as Laura Kinney in it. It still has the second-most Laura of all of them, of course, but there has been no movie that had enough Laura in it yet for me, and yes, that includes Logan.

Interestingly, she is presented as a big important deal here, far more so than any of the other characters. I loved the movie Logan, but nobody loves it as much as Ryan Reynolds. However, in the end, her presence doesn't actually affect the movie much, if at all. This feels more like Ryan Reynolds personally going, "hey, remember her? She was cool! Disney, please bring her back for something bigger!". I fully agree with that statement, by the way.

She is ultimately just one part of the main phenomenon here, though: This movie is just a cameo mill. I'd argue it's a cameo mill done right, but still, a cameo mill. It's characters we actually know, they're presented as cool and fun, and they leave the movie in ways that I would consider satisfying. Marvel has been criticised for its over-reliance on "hey it's that guy!", and this movie does it more than any other. But it does it really well, so I am giving it a pass for that. If someone hates the movie, I imagine the main thing they'll disagree with me on is this point: Whether all the pointless cameos that disrupt the main plot are fun or not.

As for the main part of the movie, the buddy comedy with Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine perfectly once more and the way he plays off of Deadpool, I mean, that part is perfect, so there's really not much to say here. It's exactly what you want it to be. The movie is excellent at that.

I like how they manage to keep Deadpool's annoying-ness under control by making most characters perfectly aware of what he's doing; they're getting the jokes, they just don't think they're funny. That works well.

I want to say something about them bringing up the TVA from Loki, but I can't think of anything, so I'll just say that I still always think of the Tennessee Valley Authority first no matter what, even though I've never been to Tennessee. It felt a bit clunky to have them here, but they made it work.

Overall, a good movie, easily the best Marvel movie since, I dunno, Black Panther? (Definitely the best since Endgame and Infinity War, but I actually didn't like either of them, so the best since whatever really good one came before them) But also in my opinion in some ways the least interesting Deadpool movie, although that is still complaining on a very high level. Logan was still better, though, and I have no doubt Ryan Reynolds agrees.

[lorynna]

white women definitely don't need ass kissing but every negative emotion and criticism coming from a white woman is not "white woman tears" and i'm tired of hearing it. it's the same as the whole "karen" thing, everyone says "karen just describes a racist white woman who weaponizes her whiteness" but it obviously was never just that and we see how it devolved into a misogynistic hateful term for any woman. "white woman tears" is becoming another misogynistic buzz term that gives everyone an excuse to be misogynistic towards a demographic of women. i don't trust anyone who uses that term because it never means what they say it means & it's never without some kind of misogyny behind it, feeds into the whole "women are whiny bitchy weak" shit men say

99% agree, I just didn't quite like the first sentence about "white women definitely don't need ass kissing" and the further implicating of how a lot of the negative emotions white women express or the things they complain about are not that important anyways - compared to women of color.

we are all women and we are all equally worth listening to, and i'm so tired of people having to bring up skin color in every subject - even when it is irrelevant just like the post you are referring to with Imane Khelif who gets depicted as the victim of "white woman tears".

Imane Khelif is not getting this backlash because Khelif is a person of color, but because Khelif's participation isn't fair in sight of the fact that Khelif has been disqualified from partaking in female boxing before and there is a huge unclarity about the sex and the gender test results (which Khelif still chooses to not disclose, which would end all of the discussions) and Angela Carini isn't weaponizing her anger and frustration by openly breaking out in tears and playing "master manipulator" because she knows she has "white power".

Nothing about this whole topic is about race, no matter how many TRAs or other people wanna pretend.

Yes, white privilege exist, I am not saying it doesn't. What I am saying is, can we please stop being negative against a whole group because of skin color and invalidating white women's experiences by going like "white women definitely don't need ass kissing but not everything they say is white woman tears" like... maybe that's just my opinion but I don't think that's much better and I find it distasteful tbh.

You mention it yourself, "white woman tears is becoming another mysogynistic buzz term that gives people an excuse to be mysognistic towards a whole demographic of women" and so it is for every statement anyone makes, where there is generalization of a whole demographic alongside the mention of skin color.

It is not okay to talk down on women because they are women of color, it is also not okay to talk down on women because they are white. We all deserve respect. Am I saying that talking down on white women is equally bad, historically and socially? No, I am not. I am just saying that respect goes both ways, we as women must hold together and no one who criticises racism against people of color but then goes talking "white girl music" has truly understood the principle.

Maybe that's just my thoughts, I didn't want to be disrespectful towards anyone and I had no bad intentions, this is just my thoughts, feel free to add on and tell my what you think and I totally agree with the rest anon.

[libracorpvs]

this whole discourse is ridiculous to me because people keep acting like those of us who are critical of the radblr emphasis on opposing male partnership are only doing this because we care about our jakeys or nigels or whatever, but that's not what is happening at all. (let's put aside the usual points of discussion, like the misogynistic terms often used to refer to OSA women; many of the women critical of this emphasis are not male partnered or are celibate, me included; the circular debate over whether separatism is effective, etc.) i actually agree that partnering with men can be dangerous or detrimental. however, the argument was never over the merits or faults of male partnership, but has rather always been that being staunchly against het partnership is not an inherently feminist praxis or critique, and that radblr often — quite annoyingly — places undue emphasis on this aspect, often to the detriment of other political discourses. radical feminism, by definition, aims to examine and critique patriarchal structures in society. heterosexual partnership as it currently stands is used to promote male domination and so can be used to oppress women. but so does every single other institution. i’ll grant that marriage and partnership are particularly potent methods of subjugating women, but the entire point is to criticise and reform the structures ‘at the root’, not police individual choices. ‘the personal is political’ was intended as a statement to open up the nuclear family and its power structures up to feminist critique. it was not intended to mean that every single part of an individual’s personal life is political praxis. it is not an inherently feminist or anti- feminist action to partner with a man. as things stand now, refusing to partner with men or otherwise can be an effective personal choice (for one’s own safety or autonomy) but it alters nothing structurally. i also think that this emphasis on the OSA discourse is not effective — not that radblr is political praxis, but this discourse doesn’t make for interesting discussions anyhow. you can personally make the decision to never partner with men, but don't pretend that this is a requirement to be a feminist*, radical or otherwise, or that it is the most effective feminist choice a person can make, even if the practice is culturally linked to several branches of feminism. you can hate on men all you want and complain about women liking their nigels too much, but if you prioritise that over criticising power structures and female solidarity and advancing women into positions of power i get the feeling you just want to pat yourself on the back for being a Good Feminist since you don’t Like Men, but don’t actually care about advancing the CauseTM

*unless you’re referring solely to (70s) lesbian feminism which focused its structural criticism primarily on heterosexual partnership. which is why there are many of us who are arguing that much of radblr is polilez in all but name lmao

it's like you took the thoughts rights out of my head - the argument i've been trying to make is indeed that being against women partnering with men doesn't have much to with radical feminism (and that not extending this to other men is inconsistent), and that personal choices don't alter existing institutions that prop up patriarchy. you've articulated it so much better than i've been able to! please imagine me kissing you gently on the forehead 😘

[majaloveschris]

I just want to say: I understand people are upset with him and this situation, and I agree, he went along with this stuff so he's as equally to blame, but can people just stop the pettiness? It's so childish at this point. I get it, you're mad, you're exhausted. Not saying your feelings aren't valid. So save your energy, focus it on other things, and just go. People are being so aggressive, and spending time just posting and laughing at how he's losing followers and whatever else. The reality is, you don't have to be here. You can still watch how it ends from somewhere else. You can watch how it ends without posting or being so passive aggressive.

Also, it's funny how people know he probably had to go along with it because he signed it. How people know he was probably trying to get out of it, and couldn't. How people know there were things he probably had to do because he signed it and couldn't get out of it. Okay. You're team PR, so you know what probably needed to happen that was outside of his control because he signed a contract. But then people will go posting aggressively and act like he's doing these things for fun. We know he's not (those of us who are on the pr side). But people acting all high and mighty like they've never made a mistake in their entire...I don't have a word for it. Like Eva-knits said, some people here only know how to criticise. It's obvious he's trying to move forward. So just let him. It's what we've been waiting for, for things to start moving forward. It's like people complain about the negativity and don't realise they add to it.

What I don't get is why people who say they don't like him anymore care about how this ends? Most of these people even say that they don't care about this being PR or real since he is out there with her by his side and associating with someone who is everything he's ever been against. So for these people, this being PR doesn't make a difference. There are people who would be willing to "support" him again when this ends, and if he shows he doesn't like them. But why stay if you already decided that no matter what happens, you don't like him anymore and you don't want to support him anymore? I'm not saying that's okay; it is. I get why people don't want to do it, and they have valid reasons. I get why people walk away; what I don't get is why people stay if they don't like him and if they are only hating on him.

I don't think most people who post or care about his stats are laughing at him. One of my dearest friends, Anne, is usually the one doing that, and I can assure you she doesn't do it to be petty. It's kind of sad to see how this whole situation gets worse and worse, and those numbers aren't about him having lesser and lesser followers, but more about people turning away from him and how damaging this whole situation is actually for him.

To be honest, it's a tough situation for all of us. And there are a lot of people who switch back and forth between this being PR and not, and we can't blame them for that. I do believe this is PR; I do believe he wants to get out of this; and I also believe he doesn't do this out of fun. You can see on his face that he doesn't want to be there, and I think his body language also says it all. But I also understand those who can't decide. And I think the things you've mentioned are because of that.

As I said before, calling him out is important, but I don't agree with the way some people do it. Body-shaming and bullying him isn't the right way to do so. And it's also getting common that no matter what he does, people always find some problem with it. He should be talking about this and that, but when he does, people call him "performative" and say, "How dare he talk about something like that when he is married to Alba?" But when he says nothing, that's a problem too; that's "performative" too. Some people don't like him anymore, and whatever he does will be bad and not right for them, which is because of Alba. Because he "married" someone like her. And that means, he is like them right? For me not, because I think this is not real, but still..

That's how the fandom is now. Everybody is getting more and more exhausted, but I still think that distancing yourself from this would be the best action if he bothers you this much. It isn't worth it. He doesn't deserve the body-shaming comment, and your support deserves a better candidate.

[blueaetherr]

thank you for letting me know can you do the gender neutral one with trent then thank you! <3

to love and to be loved

pairing: trent alexander arnold x gn!reader [they/them]

warning(s): slight angst

summary: the one where they want to be loved (by trent) and he wants to love (the reader)

author's note: hi anon, sorry this took so long (again). currently working through writer's block so hopefully i might be able to write more in the coming days.

now playing: this is what falling in love feels like by jvke

After hours, Y/N and Trent were sitting together in his back garden. And on this particular night the two decided that there was some silence to share and so they peacefully indulged in it together; appreciating the sounds of nature at night for the first time in forever, taking notice of one's breathing to keep it at bay, and unknowingly, enjoying the time the two were able to spend together, no rush or anything to it.

The thing is, there was purpose behind their silence, the pair's lack of talk and simple discussion. There was nothing to speak about, nothing to bring up to conversation. Or, at least, that was what Y/N wanted and Trent couldn't help but accept their wants. Following a break up not too long ago, there wasn't much for Y/N to talk about with Trent, silence itself was enough noise and chaos for Y/N's mind to handle.

Soon after some time, Trent let the silence subside. He turned to his friend, offering a sincere look. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with you and your ex."

Y/N took in a long breath, leaning further back in their place. "Eh, it's all cool. We ended on good terms so I can't really complain," they leaned over and patted Trent's leg, "I gotta move on, right?"

When it came to Y/N and their previous relationships—from the first partner to the last—they really couldn't complain. Never were their partners malicious or mean and simply unkind; honestly, all of their exes had been great partners and Y/N never had real problems with them. All the break-ups, unfortunately, only happened as a result of innocent fallouts like logistics issues or differences in wants in life.

Their facial expression dulled, their lips forming a straight line as they looked towards the sky. "Though I do wish it could've worked itself out, you know?" Their problems never lied with their ex-partners but rather with the relationships themselves. Y/N has been in a few relationships—not too many yet also just enough but it always felt like something was lacking in all of them.

Finally, they set their eyes on Trent. "Do you think we were good together," they asked, referring to themself and their ex, "or was I at least good with any of my exes?" They didn't want to seem insecure or full of doubt, but Y/N wanted some outer perspective on their previous relationships.

"Um," Trent scratched the nape of his neck. He let out a small huff, tilting his head in simple thought. "I think... I think there's always hope for everything. There always was hope for all your relationships, every single one... so I don't think I can say no."

Being there from the beginning, Trent got to witness his best friend in all of their relationships. He watched Y/N's relationships form and unravel, watched them shift from immature to sensible, judged all their partners for their content and personality and... he never found anything flawed to say about anything or anyone.

That was the problem with all of Y/N's relationships; they all always seemed so perfect, too perfect to even criticise. Their ex-partners were perfect, judging by their appearances, intentions and personalities. Y/N's relationships held some flaws here and there, but they weren't enough to ruin something great for a couple. In his eyes, Y/N was too perfect in every aspect and that fact alone let Trent believe that there had been hope for Y/N to settle in whatever relationship they found themself in.

Y/N hummed, running their hand through the grass. "I find that hard to believe when I can never seem to stay in a relationship."

In their eyes, their partners were always perfect but perhaps the relationships weren't. The start and end of their relationships remained the best stages; there was that deep understanding and wanting the best for each other. The middle was the stage of every relationship for Y/N where things would happen quicker than they could realise, leaving the lines and everything else to become far too murky to the point where it was quite hopeless to maintain what barely remained of a relationship.

And seeing their ex-partners over the years moving onto different relationships, some in the early stages of marriage and others starting families– and because everyone viewed all their ex-partners as the perfect partners– even though no one said it, Y/N did feel like all their relationships failing, one after the other, was entirely their fault, that they were the burden every time they chose to be with someone.

"Everyone for me kinda just comes and goes, and I'm used to it at this point... but a bit of lovin' never hurt anyone," Y/N said, a sad smile appearing on their face. 'Cause that's all they could do—smile in hopes of retrieving some happiness in all the internal sadness they were experiencing. "Just seems like something really nice to have."

Witnessing all of their previous relationships fade away really did raise some questions for Y/N: were they really unlovable? If so, what was it about them that was apparently so unadorable and unpleasant to be shared and admired by someone else? What was it that deemed them only worthy of temporary love, that till death do us part kinda love was out of their reach?

It was unfair, and Y/N found it unfair. That they wanted something so small and inexpensive, something everyone around them had rightful access to but them. The thought itself felt like heartbreak.

Oh to be loved must be amazing.

"It doesn't hurt anyone, no. But," Trent offered his hand to Y/N, knowing his friend needed some comfort which he could present through trustful physical touch. In time, Y/N looped their fingers with his own. Trent patted the pair's intertwined hands with his free hand. "You'll get there in time, Y/N. I guess it just takes some time to find someone. You gotta be patient with this one."

Y/N thought for a moment before nodding, voicing a small okay. Trent didn't speak many words yet they were meaningful and kinda heartfelt; there was ease and trust in his words and voice, and that was enough for Y/N to listen to him and maybe indulge in his advice. "If that's the case," they sighed, "you have anyone in mind for me?"

Despite in fact having someone in mind for his best friend, despite the ease he had when thinking about the answer (he didn't have to think), Trent remained hesitant when it came to answering their question. Just let it be me— "Yeah, but I'm not telling you," he said, shrugging and laughing a bit. There was slight confidence despite his shyness towards the approaching conversation.

"You're not telling me?" Y/N's face fell further, encouraging Trent's laughter.

"I don't think you realise this is you basically trying to force fate."

"Okay, okay, I forgot: I'll get there in time," Y/N chuckled as they laid back on the grass, probably one of their first moments of euphoria that night. And Y/N accepted it; it was a start for tomorrow and the later days that would follow. "But c'mon. At least tell me what this person's like. Maybe I can guess. I gotta know something."

And so Trent went to describe this person he had in mind for Y/N— himself. He made sure he was vague yet precise with his descriptions, talking about himself in a way that others would describe him as such too but also speaking loosely so that any other guy could fit the descriptions too. There he was, putting himself forward without exposing himself, without putting pressure on a friend who had just left a relationship.

Trent was someone who was caring and sensitive and accommodating to others, especially others like Y/N. He had always seen them receive and receive from previous partners, but never did Trent think it was enough for their value. He thought they deserved so much more than temporary love, deserved more than feeling unwanted after every relationship ended; they were undervalued even if it was unintentional.

That observation came with the thriving feeling that Trent could, potentially, be the better partner to Y/N over the others. He didn't know it, or he wasn't ready to openly admit it, but Trent wanted to be the one to love Y/N (if they would accept it).

And as he spoke, their face was full of smiles and laughter and real positivity, their enjoyment stretching beyond the conversation itself. Even though he was describing someone for their benefit, even though they were the one who requested Trent to talk in detail about their dream person or soulmate, Y/N wasn't really listening to whatever he was saying. Honestly, they were thinking about Trent.

Y/N had been in a few relationships—not too many yet not too few—and through all of them, Trent always remained. Whenever they entered a relationship, Trent was there to encourage and hype them up; whenever they left a relationship, Trent was there to comfort and assure them that there would always be someone else out there as long as they kept the hope alive.

He was their first call after every breakup, the pair's time together was almost synced. Their parents loved all of Y/N's previous partners but evidently, their parents loved Trent a bit more in a more personal way. Everything he did for them (willingly and unwillingly) were simply acts of love and they wanted all of that for themself: to be adored and admired and loved and beyond by Trent.

Sitting under the night sky with silence now discarded, Trent and Y/N continued to share hushed discussions with timid laughter to ease away the misery of a breakup. And even though no one brought them to conversation, it remained a wonder and a wish if one could love or be loved by the person beside them in future days.

part 2

[zahri-melitor]

I don't know if it's just me but it feels like alot of the points people use to criticise Tim are things that can actually be seen with early Damian writing. The too smart, dangerous, over-competent and slightly murderous character doesn't really fit Tim as a character even though he's ascribed to that and criticised for it but it can easily be seen with Damian.

I don't hate Damian as a character, but I get what you mean about it being tiring that DC keeps pushing him to the top of the totem pole especially since the way the do that is by making other characters seem incompetent and by ignoring other characters. Also correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Cass, Barbara or Tim have been on the Justice League but Damian as a teen younger than them technically is/was?

Oh boy. Late response on this, but I've been playing with it for a while.

Starting with the last point first: Tim’s actually the only one of those three who hasn’t been on a main universe Justice League at any point.

Barbara was a member of the JLA after the Morrison reboot for quite a while between 1998-2000. She’s also got the tendency to pop up in JL stories and events as one of the computer folk helping maintain their systems. She’s certainly more focused on her OWN team and I don’t think she’s ever been a member as Batgirl, but as Oracle? As Lian Harper says in Titans #1 (1999), she’s secretly running the League.

Cass was a member of Justice League Elite, a morally ambiguous Justice League spinoff coming out of one of the more confusing JLA arcs. She was placed on the team undercover as ‘Kasumi’ by Bruce essentially as a spy. In tone it feels like DC trying their hand at a The Authority ripoff before they gobbled Wildstorm up. Is it a good series? No, but it does mean Cass has been on a Justice League team with Wally, Ollie, and a bunch of Z-listers you’ve never heard of. (Someone is now going to defend oh Manitou Dawn to me and while I DO like her, she's a Z-lister, sorry)

Digression aside!

I think a lot of the time when people are arguing against a character, they are frequently complaining about the flanderised, fanonised version of that character that they trip over in fic all the time more than the character on page in comics. Not always! But those do tend to irritate people more.

In terms of "what people want to argue fanon Tim to be, Damian already is" sort of? I mean there are multiple fanon versions of Tim, but yes, "too smart, dangerous, over-competent and slightly murderous" is a common one among people who want to really insist Tim killed lots and lots and lots of people in Red Robin #8 (a reading I do not subscribe to). It is equally an okay but not great description of Damian, in that I would mostly place even early Damian as 'dangerously violent' not 'murderous' by BFTC.

I don't think it's great in terms of complete accuracy for either of them, but yeah, if you boil things down, it's closer to Damian's actual character than Tim's.

In terms of DC pushing them: yeah, Damian by being THE Robin between 2009 and 2019 or so got a solid editorial pitch as a central character, because 'Robin' as a title has that extra cachet outside of intense comics nerd circles. There were events and storylines that centred his position as The Robin, but equally it comes out in basic things like...which characters are prioritised to appear in anthologies! If we are writing a Batman Christmas story, let's have it feature Bruce and Damian, or Bruce, Dick, Damian and Barbara. And so on.

Now whether Damian's getting prioritised over every other 'kid' of the family is a murky discussion - there's a place for the conversation that certain writers in particular had a tendency to focus on Damian being Bruce's biological kid, over and above the adopted children - but generally it comes and goes in waves and with what stories are pitched. It's very clear when you read comics that some writers just like using particular characters more than others. There's often stories written where to make the story work, someone has to be left holding the idiot ball or being needlessly aggressive, to provide conflict, and writers who do this obviously have to choose someone to do it for them. If a story is centring Damian, generally he isn't going to be the one who finds out he's wrong after providing the conflict. If it's centring say Tim, then Damian might be used to push the narrative forward. And when a writer does like one character more than another, they might choose the one they don't intend to write often as the one who gets stuck being idiot ball.

TL;DR: on some occasions Damian might be being prioritised. On others he isn't. He got a lot of spotlight to himself during the 2010s; that's been more balanced since then (honestly Dick has been the one hogging spotlight for the last few years, if anyone).