#this was one of my favourite tidbits of the movie

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

THIS GOT CUT

THIS BIT, SHOWING GWEN SCREAMING MILES NAME BEGGING HE ISN'T DEAD, IS BASICALLY ALL SILENT IN THE OFFICIAL DIGITAL VERSION.

And this my guys, is exactly why I kept this video handy. You can never guess what media could get lost.

Certainly not different versions of the movie.

[sun-snatcher]

Hey!! Just wondering if you do headcanons? If so can we get some hcs from We Lucky Few about Deadpool and the Gang™ being a domestic happy family 🥲🥲

#WELUCKYFEW | Headcanons galore !

i. —— THE FIRST DAY IN A NEW UNIVERSE means Wade has to break it to Blind Al that there’s gonna be 3 more strays that’ll be staying over at the apartment for a while (in tragic addition to Mary Puppin’s and Logan).

The old lady agrees (very vehemently disagreed, actually, but she knows Wade already made up his mind) only because she’d hoped he meant stray cats this time, to which she’d been disappointed with: “Say hello to Logan’s hispanic feral cat-daughter, your local homeless war veteran with a PhD and a dash of PTSD, and Amateur David Blaine—! But if he was born in the South.”

Regardless. It’s only, like, for 2 weeks! As long as they don’t touch her cocaine. Anywho, Vanessa’s already pulling strings to get you and Remy an apartment; Laura’s first instinct was to seek out the Professor and Logan’s… a drifter. Vagrancy is nothing new to him. He’ll figure his things out one way or another.

ii. —— GROCERIES COST TENFOLD during the time everyone was still crammed in that little house. Dogpool is in the trolley seat having a good time. Wade and Laura stock up on junk food and Logan’s dumped an armful of canned goods that “will actually last for the fuckin’ week.”; Meanwhile Gambit’s been banished to trolley-pushing ever since he’d admitted to stealing Skittles, M&M’s and small tidbits from the candy aisle without anyone noticing.

And you— well, you were on breakfast duty, which means bread, jams, cereals; but it’s all just a tad bit overwhelming. I mean, why is there a need for this many flavours? You can’t remember the last time you had much of a choice when it came to food since the war.

(It’s Wade who finds you. He gets it; 10 years serving Canadian military/the JTF2 means he’s seen just about every other middle-eastern country that’s a battleground— And then suddenly he’s discharged and thrown into civilian life with zero assimilation and the expectation of exercising autonomy after living his whole life under orders and the threat of damn a bullet in his head. So. Yeah, he gets why you kinda just… Blank out.)

“You can roulette it,” Wade advices. “Or pick one with your favourite colour. That’s how I did it my first few years out. Just don’t even fucking think of picking Special K or I’ll prune your ass back to the Void mys—”

iii. —— MOVIE NIGHTS ARE ON FRIDAYS. That means Gambit’s on permanent popcorn duty ever since Laura accidentally destroyed the microwave (she insists it’s Logan but the 2 holes say otherwise). And by popcorn duty I mean: having Remy shake the bag and generate enough kinetic energy to heat and pop the kernels. “Mais, if it works, it works, mes amis.”

iv. —— EVERYONE ROTATES TAKING Dogpool out on a walk. Remy uses the opportunity to have you tag along and tell him about New York when really he just likes spending time with you.

Logan has to be convinced to walk her; though he usually relents because it puts his mind to work and it helps that he can map out the city again. Sometimes Laura joins him, too. If she’s lucky, she’ll hear an X-Men story or two when Logan’s feeling particularly nostalgic. (Half of them are him shitting on Scott, but hey, she’ll take what she can get.)

v. —— LOGAN DOESN’T SLEEP. Can’t is a better way to put it, and neither can you and Remy at times; you figure maybe it’s because everything feels a little too.. fine.

Almost perfect. Too good to be true. Logan always loses all that’s close to him and as much as he hates to admit it: all of you are beginning to matter. Family, dare he even think. And it terrifies the absolute shit out of him.

Meanwhile, you get night terrors, and you’ve already alarmed everybody approximately five times now (Closing your eyes now means facing an apocalyptic warzone and the weight of life and death. You don’t talk about it. Everybody knows not to ask) so sleep is just an option to you if you could help it.

Remy stays up just out of pure habit. They used to alternate shifts back in the Void (which was why he sometimes caught Laura wide awake in the kitchen at weird hours of the night, too) because the Hideout became too vulnerable with their dwindling numbers. Losing Daredevil had been the catalyst.

Fortunately, sleep still does happen: You’re curled in the loveseat with Gambit’s coat over you as a makeshift blanket— you must’ve lighted out first. Remy and Logan are dead asleep on the ratty, squeaky couch; Laura half-melted beside them, legs hanging off the pleated sofa arms with Dogpool asleep in her arms. Love Island drones from the outdated home TV.

vi. —— WADE TAKES A SELFIE when he catches the scene.

He’s used it as the icon of the groupchat he created (lovingly titled: LIMBO LOSERS CLUB!) once he made sure everyone got some means of communication for when they moved out.

Not that Logan will ever use it.

Or Blind Al— “I mean, she doesn’t even text Wade, why is she in the chat?”

[greenfiend]

The Significance of Lover’s Lake and Byler (Theory) Part 2

Sequel to this post

(Warning: mentions of sex and drugs)

Okay so first of all, if you haven’t seen my previous post on my theory involving Lovers Lake and Byler, please read it first. I go over my theory and predictions for Byler and the heart shaped lake. This is a secondary post to it, outlining some VERY interesting details involving the owner of the lakeside house, the lakeside house itself, and all the romantic and sexual elements present. I’m saving the best for last here.

Let’s start with the owner of the lakeside house.

Reefer Rick

So I recently made a silly post arguing that the most queer coded character in Stranger Things is not Mike nor Will (nor Robin, Henry, Eddie etc), and I stand by this statement. The most queer coded character is: Reefer Rick. Now, I know we never see the guy, but literally all the information we have on him is either queer coding or drug references.

Synonyms of his name are literally f*g Dick, with a shared last name with the famous tea company founder who so happens to have been a homosexual: Lipton.

We know he doesn’t have a family, thus he’s a single man who occasionally has his buddy/fellow dealer Eddie stay over. Hm, not very heterosexual of him.

Then we have his movie list.

Now, as many of us know, the movie “Fast Times” is used within Stranger Things as a way to gage if someone is attracted to women or not. We have Steve, Dustin, Lucas, and Vickie all confirmed to have enjoyed this movie… specifically for that shot at 53 minutes and 5 seconds. Sure, Reefer Rick rented the film, but why is it the only movie he rented that was returned on time? For context, he’s the only character who had films listed as “late” returns. So, he obviously enjoyed Cheech & Chong a lot more. Two guys doing drugs is more interesting to him than a sexy lady. Okay, noted.

Now, how is he perceived by the people of Hawkins?

Oooof. Okay. He’s not well liked it seems. He apparently is causing some fear and anger amongst the Hawkins residents. Kind of similar of a reaction these people would have towards an openly gay man during the 1980s.

Also I have to include @/conflictofthemind ‘s excellent point that injectable drug use and unprotected sex (specifically between two men) were both commonly associated with HIV/AIDS… a major epidemic during the 80s and a major subtextual theme within the show.

Now, where’s this guy live while outside of jail?

I don’t blame the guy for “hiding” when the town is not too fond of him. Of course he is a drug dealer so there’s that as well. But interesting they used the word “hide”, which has been associated with queerness within the show already (plus this line was said by Robin (featured in the middle of the shot!!!) who is queer herself).

(Both of these screenshots are from 1x02 interestingly enough.)

Wouldn’t it make sense for these two “hiders” to hide out in “a perfect place to hide” together? Seeking refuge in a fellow gay man’s secluded house?

I will say it’s also worth noting that he does not have any women featured on the walls within his house. Also, he has a phallic shaped bong (we’ll get back to that soon).

Phew okay so that’s Reefer Rick. Are you still with me? Hopefully I didn’t bore any of you with this. I promise you this all leads back to Byler.

So, moving on to his house.

So as @/therainscene kindly pointed out, this poster with the smiley face can be related to rave culture and ecstasy in the 1980s. So a drug reference, in a drug dealer’s house… shocker I know. But I gotta say, ecstasy is also a term often related to sex. I also have to add this little tidbit from one of our favourite directors of Stranger Things, Shawn Levy. Keep in mind, he knows what’ll happen in the next season… and he’s directing episodes after 3 and 4…

Interesting word choice, no?

So, back to the symbolism within (and near) the house.

Let’s talk about the phallic symbolism that appears in pairs in these shots. It’s a choice, isn’t it? With two males in each shot. We know the Duffers love details and foreshadowing… I doubt it’s a coincidence. Also, anyone else notice that phone in the background? Just had to mention it, since our boys are frequently associated with phones and calls.

Then, of course, I gotta bring back this shot.

The bed. Blue meets yellow. You know it! We all heard it a thousand times by now. Let’s look at what else is in the shot. A closed closet. Another reference to our boys. To the right, you’ll see a toilet paper roll. Now, if you have a brother, you might see the same thing in his room. Sure it can be used as a tissue for your nose but let’s just say there’s usually another use for it. I’ll call it “self love”. So, basically, another sexual reference.

To sum up this house: lake/water, drugs, and ecstasy/smiley face. Now, let’s go back to a scene featuring our boys with all these elements in the background.

Makes you wonder doesn’t it?

I must also point out the “Paris” poster in the background. City of love, anyone? Plus the fireworks. They’re really trying to tell us something here.

Also, @/foodiewithdahoodie pointed out how Paris specifically was one of the first places to decriminalize sodomy.

You know, I also wouldn’t rule out every aspect of Murray’s prediction here.

Shout out to the Hylers out there!

Perhaps after a lot of stressful days of fighting interdimentional demons, these boys want to wind down and de-stress in their hiding spot. I can see Reefer Rick as a fellow Nintendo player, leaving his console behind, as well as his weed, for our boys to use. I also wouldn't be surprised if Eddie left a few of his beers behind. I mean… Murray has a pretty good track record for predictions. This would also really double down on the message that Mike and Will “aren’t kids anymore.”

Also, wouldn’t it be fun to look back at Murray’s predictions and realize that they’ve all come to be?

Okay, now let’s finally get to the romance elements!

First thing I want to start with is this shot:

So… they had to show us a mailbox, didn’t they? With that name “Lipton” which as I mentioned in my previous post… is associated with Thomas Lipton who had a lover named William Love.

1 point for #lettergate

And…

“Hope Our Love Lives/Lasts And Never Dies”

WWII solders used the acronym H.O.L.L.A.N.D. to convey a love message in a letter. The whole love letters association with Mike and Will never end, do they?

2 points for #lettergate!

As for the “2121”, I think it’s possible that it’s referencing multiple things… number references are tricky like that in my opinion. But I will say that @/thestrangestthing89 brought up the fact that “2121” could be a reference to “Twin Flames” which is yet another reference to romance.

Continuing on with the romance…

Let’s return back to the scene where Reefer Rick is first mentioned. After Max mentioned him, we are cut to Steve talking about a movie.

A movie filled with action and romance, you say?

So… Doctor Zhivago.

Basically a tale of two people in love during a difficult time (Russian Revolution) being separated, with other people, then finally reunited. Not completely unlike our boys. Notice how the “adult” sign is noticeable in the background. Not kids anymore.

He mentions action, which I’m sure there will be some of as well at the famous lake.

Okay enough with the silly details, let’s stop and look at the bigger picture.

Our beloved lake. Look how gorgeous it truly is. Plus the fact that it’s a literal heart? You can’t get more “on the nose” than that.

Now, who else is known as a heart? (Tough question I know…)

This boy is, without a doubt, narratively tied to the lake. He is “the heart”… he is THE LAKE (symbolically).

Thank you to @/everaster for bringing attention to the fact that after Mike was pushed to deliver that monologue to El by Will, Max “died”, then the gates opened WIDE. One of those gates, as we know, is located within Lover’s Lake… known was “watergate” (term coined by Dustin).

So, as of now in this story… Lover’s Lake is literally broken in two. A broken heart in need of mending.

Who better to accomplish that task than the boy who has known him for a decade and loves him completely and selflessly?

💌📬❤️‍🩹

Hope you enjoyed these posts as much as I enjoyed making them! It’s honestly so much fun looking for evidence and finding such interesting stuff. Some of it may be reaching, and that’s okay because it’s all in good fun! That’s what fandoms are all about.

The level of attention to detail in this show never ceases to amaze me! There’s so much depth and clues to look for and play around with. I hope to have sparked some inspiration and creativity for some people! 💛💙💚

As always, would love to know your thoughts!

[ninjacat-uchihaparrish]

Ik it’s very on the nose and obvious but Aurora Lynch’s favourite movie being an adaptation of the Pygmalion and Galatea myth will always be one of my fav little tidbits of the raven cycle when im rereading. Like I wonder if ronan ever connected the dots of how ironic it was that she loved the story about the man falling in love w this statue of a lady that he sculpted

[littlemisssquiggles]

Oscar's Undisclosed Birthday

So…m’good friend @jealouscartoonist just shared with me this new cameo from Miles talking about Oscar’s birthday and this squiggly Pinehead is just all smiles now.

Listening to Miles describe with such pure joy an ideal birthday for Oscar was the big kick of serotonin that I didn’t know I needed until I listened to the whole thing. Shoutout to whoever this Sarah person who sent in this cameo is. Thank you for doing the Pinehead community another solid.

This just makes me more salty that Oscar was NEVER EVER added to RWBY Chibi since Miles’ description of “Oscar’s Undisclosed Birthday” is just perfect for as a concept for another wholesome episode of the series that’s Oscar-worthy. Even calling the episode “Oscar’s Undisclosed Birthday” seems perfect as an appropriate title.

Miles made my night with this cameo. It’s everything I wanted for how Oscar would spent his special day (minus actually GIVING US HIS CANON birthday) and I love how Miles dropped more cute tidbits about Oscar as a character too.

Oscar’s favourite breakfast is waffles (and how his big sis Nora would actually make a big pile for him).

Apparently Oscar has trouble sleeping sometimes because of Oz being in his head so Ren gifting him a pair of headphones to drown out the voice of the old headmaster would be useful. Miles basically admitted that Oz is a chatterbox. Makes me think of that “Brain Before Sleep” meme only replace the brain with Oz XD  That’s the first thing that popped into my head. Thanks for that imagery Miles.

Oscar loves going to the movies especially Spruce Lee (LOL) films which he shares in common with Jaune and that’s how they bond.

Yang would take Oscar on a fun day at the amusement park where they’d ride all the rides that he’s now tall enough to ride (another LOL from me because they always gotta poke fun that my little prince is a short king)---that would be a thing Yang would do and I cannot picture Oscar turning that down since, in the words of Ruby, Oscar is braver than he thinks and we have seen moments of Oscar being more daring than he looks so he totally would not pass up an opportunity to ride all the rides especially if Yang is the one pushing him to do it.

So the “Girl Who Fell Through the World” is confirmed to be Oscar’s favourite childhood fairytale---and Blake getting him a second edition of it is cute being the book-worm that she is.

I also love the bit with Weiss panicking about not knowing what to get Oscar so she just gives him a lumpsome of money and Oscar being floored by it since he’s never had that amount of money in his life---that fits beautifully.

And of course, gotta love how Miles saved the best gift for last. Ruby gifting Oscar a new co-op videogame that they both end up spending the rest of his birthday playing til they both crash the morning after (Oscar first) is more than a perfect way to conclude Oscar’s birthday in my Rosegarden-shipping books.

*chef’s kiss*

Didn’t even realize that Oscar liked playing videogames. Didn’t know he had them back on the farm. This just makes me think back to his reaction to Ruby’s videogame comment back in V6. Puts the whole moment in a new context for me XD

All in all, Miles made me a happy Pinehead tonight.

~LMS (2023)

[frostironfudge]

Silhouettes In The Spotlight - Bucky Barnes - Epilogue

Summary: Bucky Barnes has worked immensely hard to have a filmography expanding across genres and garnering accolades from critics, peers and fans. Y/N Y/L/N, with her debut novel (fan-fiction turned New York Times Bestseller) has two other best sellers under her belt. Next is her highly anticipated fourth book lined up for release. SHEILD Productions has acquired the film rights to her debut novel and they want Bucky Barnes to play the lead (aka himself) by any means necessary. This story is about angst, lust, heartbreak, and love. After all fairytales only exist in books and movies right?

Warnings: fluff, feels, sm/ut, dirt y-talk

Pairing: Actor!Bucky Barnes x Plus Size!Fem!Reader

Word Count: 6.2k || Dividers: @firefly-graphics

Main Masterlist || Fic Masterlist || AO3 || Fic Playlist

Chapter Sixteen

HEADLINES:

Oh, Oh, Looks Like Sharon Carter and Brock Rumlow Are Building HYDRA For Themselves. All Eyes Are On Them. 

EXCLUSIVE! Pictures From The ITIMYIMDO Filming Wrap Up After Party. You Will Not Believe Who This Actor Was Found Kissing!

Author Y/N Shares Pictures From Vacation. Ma’am Where Are The Shirtless Beach Pictures Of Bucky Barnes? Can We Peek Inside Your Phone? Pretty Please? 

Steve Rogers Shares Pictures With His Dog And We Cannot Help But Melt. Eight Times Our Favourite Blonde Man Gave Us Puppy Vibes. (Yes Even All Sweatered Up As Ransom Drysdale) 

Loki Laufeyson Spotted Returning To The Stage For Shakespeare. Shows Sell Out For First Month. 

Natasha Romanoff Shares Trailer For ITIMYIMDO Release Date Announced! 

Top Ten Moments From The Book We Wish Are In The Movie

Six Months Later

“Everybody please put your hands together for the Dark Prince of Hollywood,” Erik introduces to an elated crowd, “Bucky Barnes!” 

The band plays a beat as the curtains part revealing a grinning Bucky. He waves at the crowd making his way to the familiar couch. Erik and he shake hands and share a hug. The crowd still cheers and they watch as Bucky smiles, cheeks flushed at their admiration. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He says to the crowd sending them flying kisses. 

Erik gestures for him to sit and the crowd to calm down. Once things settle down the two men grin at each other. 

“So good to have you back on the show. How have you been my friend?” Erik smiles.

“Always happy to see you man, I’ve been good, getting by.” Bucky shifts a little in his seat, unbuttoning his jacket. 

“We recently saw you were on vacation,” Erik gestures to the screen displaying the picture of Bucky at the beach and shirtless. 

The crowd hoots and hollers, the crimson on his cheeks deepens. 

“He’s a taken man you people!” Erik feigns chastising the audience. 

Bucky chuckles, “My girl actually took most of the pictures.” 

“Tell us about her, we want to know how it feels for an avid reader as you to date an author?”  

Bucky takes a deep breath considering his words, his nervous gestures of fiddling his glove clad fingertips manifests. 

“She is listening, you know,” Erik teases to ease some of the nervousness. 

“I know, but the thing is I don’t know what to tell you because there is so much I adore about Y/N. Not just her skill as a writer.” Bucky explains, “We’re quite private and what we share online is just a little glimpse. A glimpse we control to protect ourselves and close friends.” 

“I see, how was the experience filming with Steve Rogers again? I know you did a cameo in his movie. So is it all water under the bridge?” Erik raises his eyebrows and the crowd ‘oohs’. 

“We’ve worked to revive our friendship, it’s good to have each other back. I Think I Met You In My Dreams Once; was one of the best experiences filming for me. I got to work with incredible people and amazing friends.” Bucky smiles in fond memory. 

“That is sweet, how was it working with Y/N? How did you go about it, an experienced actor like yourself and her debut?” Erik watches Bucky carefully for any tidbit of information. 

“It goes as any film goes with experienced actors and ones who have a debut. I was once a newbie surrounded by seasoned and far skilled actors. I’m immensely proud of how hard she worked to hone her skills. She wasn’t willing to take the role, but the team behind the movie and the test audience couldn’t see anyone else play the lead.” Bucky explains, he licks his lips before continuing, 

“She almost gave up, doubting herself, hell even I doubted myself when I took on this role and so many others. She rose to the challenge as she always does. I have yet to see the final cut of the movie but when I watched her scenes with others and even scenes with myself? She took my breath away.” He smiles. 

“On that note, you take a deep breath, Bucky. Everyone put your hands together, may I call upon Y/N Y/L/N, author, executive producer and now actor.” Erik stands gesturing with his hands to the parting curtains as you stand there smiling. 

Waving at the crowd you make your way to the centre stage. Bucky steps down reaching to you after Erik greets you with a handshake. 

You take Bucky’s hand as he helps you up the step, his hand on your lower back, a grounding gesture. You smile up at him, squeezing his hand. 

When you both sit down on the couch your hands are intertwined, he brushes his thumb over your quill tattoo. The two of you part hands. 

“Oh no you lovebirds keep holding hands we don’t mind.” Erik grins, you smile at him. The nerves that are eating away at you on the inside stay at bay. 

“My first question to you, Y/N. How much media training did you get?” 

You chuckle out of nervousness, “Um, quite a bit but it was mostly to speak more rather than keep quiet.” 

“It's funny. I got the same lesson.” Bucky adds with a laugh. 

“Well you both are damn reclusive and secretive.” Erik declares and the crowd agrees. 

“I mean we value our privacy, after the very public ordeal anyone would want that for themselves.” You defend politely. 

“True, true. Now what was it like being in front of the camera rather than your favourite device for writing?” 

“For one, I couldn’t wear my most comfy hoodie and curl up with my laptop. It was different, difficult but overall a memorable experience. I have newfound respect for actors and the crew that backs them.” You look down at your palms, “I remember one night all of us were hanging out at the hotel, playing UNO. Kate and I were still playing and the guys were off to one corner with Nat. The next day we went in and they did the sweetest thing for the crew, food trucks and other things. It was so very sweet. Our crew is one of the best. I knew them from when I was just an iexecutive producer. So it was nice seeing them rewarded.” 

Bucky is about to add onto the topic when Erik cuts him off,

“What about minimum wage and the horrible working conditions? Given the regulations and now with the writer’s strike?” 

“The crew working on our movie is paid more than the minimum, a good enough sum and timely payments. It’s contractural. The terms stated before signing on. Former SHIELD had the stipulation clause that the crew is paid first then the actors. The new house formed has the same rules applying.” Bucky recounts to Erik, “About the writer’s strike, indie production houses are agreeing to the terms and conditions from the writers, meeting them with everything required by them. It's the big corps searching for loopholes. As actors we support the writers.” 

“The production houses that won bids for my book adaptations have new contracts given to them which stipulate they can only use the filming rights if the writers have their demands fulfilled. I’ve returned advances and dissolved the film rights with two houses that rejected my demands to help respect the writers. Other houses who do agree will get the filming rights.” You explain, Bucky nods. He was proud of you. 

“What are you doing for your show writers Erik?” you ask the host. 

“I’ve agreed to their terms.” He says, “Of course I’m on their side, you think my jokes would land without them?” 

“That is good.” Bucky commends. 

“How was it working with Bucky?” Erik smoothens over the little rudeness in his tone.

“Oh god,” You look towards your partner, “Nerve wracking. He is immensely talented. I think Nat has a whole roll of tape that is me just so blown away by James’ talent that I stare at him forgetting my lines.” You smile sheepish, Bucky laughs. 

“Oh Nat doesn’t have it, I do.” He tells you. 

“Yes and we got a little bit of the tape.” Erik grins. 

You cover your face, “This is why I will not be acting ever again.”

“Aw, Feather.” Bucky pulls your hands away from your face just as the clips play. 

The dialogues are the ones from the trailer so no spoilers are there. You’re just staring at him, obviously overcome with emotion. You want to look away but every time you’re lost in his talent. Bucky brings you out of it with tenderness. 

“Oh and Bucky,” Erik grins mischievously, “Here you are getting absolutely floored by Y/N. Natasha gave us this one.” 

Now you watch on with delight as a camera is trained on Bucky watching you act and him completely taken by you and your craft. 

“It's the same look I have when I read her books.” He comments. 

“It’s true I’ve seen it.” You agree. 

The topic shifts back towards the movie and the story. A few more questions about what is next. The interview ends after reading a few thirst tweets for both of you. 

Bucky and you both are left red faced. 

“I can’t believe there are thirsty tweets about me.” You shake your head, getting out of your very expensive designer jacket and placing it on the hanger. 

The bed calls you both, tiredness of the interviews back to back seeping into your bones. 

Bucky pauses while taking off his shirt, “Feather, I’d write thirst sonnets about you.” He pulls you close, the dress underneath was with thin straps with sequins upon them. His lips trail along the strap and then the neckline over your breasts. 

You feel your nipples pebble in response to his teasing. 

“Bucky,” You breathe, your fingers carding through his now shorter hair, “I’m still mad at you for cutting them.”  

Bucky nips at your collarbone, leaving his mark upon you. He trails his lips up your neck. 

Shivers run down your spine, he hums appreciatively, when you tug on his hair for more of him, “It's long enough for you to hold onto, while my mouth devours my delicious pussy.”

You pull him closer, your lips brush against his, for a breath your lips stay apart and then his tongue peeks out, tracing your bottom lip. 

Bucky presses his lips to yours the need to taste every bit of you overriding every rational thought. 

Your curves decadent in his large hands, roaming over you. 

“You feel perfect in my arms, fuck you’re beautiful Feather.” He praises and you keen as his hands make you sit on the table. Your legs spread apart to accommodate him. 

In the haze of the kiss you tug at his hands, he gives them to you. Foreheads touching. You gently take his left palm between yours, slowly taking the glove off. Your lips press to his bionic palm.

Bucky closes his eyes focusing upon the feeling of your lips. No one ever showed his arm so much affection. Treating it as if it was normal. No difference between the flesh and metal. 

You repeat the same with his flesh hand. 

Then look up at him, “You’re perfect, James.” 

He presses his lips to yours once again, hands moving to the straps tugging them downward. 

The dress pools at your waist, pushed up as well to expose your thighs for him. Bucky bites his lip, hungry eyes raking over you. 

“Fuck I’m the luckiest man alive.” He says sinking to his knees. 

Nose brushing along your inner thighs. The scruff of his beard leaves a pleasing sting. 

Bucky groans against your cunt as you tug him closer by pulling on his hair. He loved it, loved when you allowed him to please you. 

His aching length calls for attention but the scent of you has his mouth water. 

“Feather, I’m a starving man.” He warns, your panties pulled down your legs by his teeth. You take him in, eyes dark pools of lust. Shirt half off his shoulders, the scars he carries beautifully on display. Thin blue rims eager for a taste of you. Lips kiss bitten and shining because of your arousal upon them. 

You moan, “You’re a fucking divine sight.”  

Bucky wastes no time, lips latched around your clit sucking upon it. Your moans and pleas are music to his ears. The taste of you floods his tongue. He groans, tongue greedily demanding more from your sweet walls. 

Two fingers curve inside you, while his tongue spells his name on your clit. Your lips part in a prayer of his name. Every fibre in your being tightening and then breaking, then being put back together for Bucky. At his mercy. 

He smirks as your arousal floods his mouth, he laps at your folds, your thighs shake and attempt to close. He growls, throwing your right leg over his shoulder and pushing the left to keep his access to his pussy uninterrupted. 

His scruff over your folds, his tongue teasing your entrance and his nose rubbing at your clit— you preen, words failing you, pleasure seizing you again. 

Bucky pulls away in the slightest, cheeks flushed and chin glistening. None of your erotic fantasies come close to this sight. Not one word you could ever write would do justice to the way this man, you man worships you. 

“Bed?” He questions, you nod. Your brain has yet not connected to your mouth, making him laugh. 

You hit his chest with a breathless huff. You push at his shirt. He discards his pants somewhere across the floor.  

Bucky carries you to the bed, settling between your legs, “I told you I’m starving and my cunt is fucking delicious.” He presses a kiss to your clit, just when you finally find a word to say to him. 

It dies on your tongue, a mewl leaving from your throat instead. 

Bucky moves his tongue against you in a way that has your hips lifting up from the bed, almost grinding over his mouth for more. 

“My dirty little greedy girl.”  He nibbles on your clit, your thighs shake, he only continues till you fall apart over and over satiating his hunger when he watches the mix of you and him, coating your inner thighs. 

Bucky keeps thrusting into you, gathering his cum and rubbing it on your clit you shudder, sobbing in the overstimulated pleasure. Your nails leave crescents upon his shoulders down to his bicep. 

“One more, I know you have one more in you my good fucking—,” he hisses as your walls clench around him, “Greedy girl doesn’t want to let me go is it?”

You feel the pleasure begin to spark across your body. 

“It’s your cock baby, take all that you need, milk me all you want. I’m all yours,” Bucky’s mouth descends upon your pebbled nipple, your back arches and his cock meets the spot that has you cum undone for him. 

Bucky watches as you still float in the pleasure, his soft kisses over your face, neck and chest ground you to him. You whine when he pulls out, he presses a kiss to your forehead. 

“Just two minutes Feather, need to clean you up.” He promises, covering you with the blanket. 

The little sleepy haze is broken when you feel the warm cloth cleaning your thighs. 

Your eyes move over his naked form, god he’s perfect, and so damn handsome. 

“Why, thank you.” He chuckles, eyes crinkling. 

Prettiest smile, you never want it to fade. 

“Never will fade as long as I have you in my life.” Bucky kisses your nose, “Yes you’re talking out loud and yes, you’re possibly fucked out. I’m proud.” He helps you sit up and drink some water before he pulls you close to snuggle.  

Am I speaking out loud? 

You hear his beautiful laugh, reaching up to trace his beautiful face with your palms.

“I love you.” You whisper to him, voice slightly hoarse. 

“I love you.” He replies, drawing you closer to his warmth. 

“I can't believe you’re the blanket thief.” You comment after a moment. 

Bucky loved to cuddle, so much so he hogged the blankets most of the time. 

“It’s a trick to have you not move away from me in the middle of the night.” He grins, tapping his temple. 

“Smart man, though your grip on me is enough. Plus you’re warm so I wouldn’t move away.” You let him know. 

“Absolutely not true this one time you did move away from me.” He recounts the first week. 

“I was sweaty!” You defend. 

“So was I.” 

“Bucky—,” 

“Feather—,” 

“Well I don’t move away now do I?” You raise a brow and he nods. 

“Water under the bridge.” He nods, “Now go to bed or Yelena will kill me for keeping you up.” 

“She’s going to kill you anyways for the lovebites and then our make-up artist will.” You giggle. 

“You will be on trial for the same thing.” Bucky shrugs, “I mean people wanna talk they will talk. Unless we give them something to talk about and do not speak about it at all.” 

“What is on your mind?” You ask as he reaches for his phone.

Bucky grabs his phone and sets the camera to the square orientation. Making sure only the two of both your lips, your love bite clad neck and his love bite clad chest are seen he takes the picture and throws a black and white filter upon it. 

And shares it on his stories. You look at him in disbelief. It hardly takes ten minutes before you see the silent notifications roll in and Bucky deletes the story. 

“Well we’re getting murdered.” You giggle as Sam’s face takes up Bucky’s screen. He silences the call and puts the phone aside.  

“Sleepy time now.” He declares, kissing you deeply. 

“I just pack a lot of colour correctors for them.” The make up artist, May sighs at the magazine interviewer covering the backstage process for the premiere. 

“Why?” The interviewer questions. 

May tilts your head so the gift Bucky left is visible. You blush deeply at the sharp intake of breath. 

“This is after three rounds of icing.” She sighs, slathering more colour correctors to cancel the red tones. 

“It isn’t that bad.” Bucky comments from his chair. May affixes him with a glare. 

“At least she kept her bites in non visible areas.” May still glares at you too. 

“You love us.” You pout at her batting your lashes. 

“Don’t test that theory too much.” She begins blending. 

—————-

You watch the live red carpet on the tv screen. Celebrities who were invited to walk the carpet of your movie. Your movie in so many ways than just one. 

The dress for the night is a play on Doll’s blue dress, the one you own. Now reimagined into a gown with a split. That reached your thigh. 

The neckline was off shoulder. The sleeves were full and it showed off your curves. 

You stare at yourself in the mirror one more time. Nervousness pooling in your stomach. You didn’t want to make a fool of yourself. Nor of Bucky or Natasha, Loki, Steve, Kate or anyone who worked upon the movie.  

There is a knock on the door, it opens with Loki peeking inside. He was wearing his signature colours, a deep green suit with a yellow pocket square to represent his mother. You smile seeing the gesture. 

“Hi.” He says, “Is it okay if I come in?” 

You nod, not trusting your voice. 

“You’re visibly nervous and that is completely okay. I’d be worried if you weren’t nervous. I threw up on my first co-star's shoes right before we walked the carpet.” Loki recounts with a laugh. 

“Oh god,” Your hand goes to your queasy stomach. 

“No, you won’t throw up on Bucky, or any of us for that matter. Y/N, tonight is the culmination of all of your hard work for getting your book out into the world. Tonight please try and enjoy yourself. Don’t worry about the reviews, the comments or anything. Focus on your family alright? We’re all focused upon you.” 

You pull Loki into a hug. He returns it with equal happiness. The two of you had become the best of friends as filming went on. Often pulling pranks on set which only Loki was famous for on any movie he did. 

“You’re going to do wonderful.” He murmurs before pulling away from the hug, “I’ll see you inside okay?” 

You nod, feeling much better. Another knock follows and it's Yelena telling you to head down to the entrance so the car can take Bucky and you to the premiere. 

Steve helps your mom into the car she was going to walk the carpet with him. The two of them had bonded over the course of time as well. Her healing something within Steve and him absolutely adoring her and even calling her Ma on several occasions. She loved having a whole roster of kids she had adopted. 

Her treatment was going well, the response was good. You all were hopeful of good news once the course of treatment would be up. The doctors themselves were confident at each check up. 

Steve turns to you, running over and giving you a hug. Before running back to your mom and their vehicle heading out. 

Hayden opens the door for you, you smile at him. Extremely happy that he would drive you to your biggest moment as well. 

Bucky stands beside you, he had a meeting right before the premiere. Needing to be in the UK in the next two days to begin his next project. 

“How was the meeting?” You ask once the two of you settle into the car. 

“It was good, they have accommodated my request to travel back and forth. I know you can’t travel because your book is getting read and your mom’s treatments are on. I’m okay with travelling.” He shrugs, stroking your tattoo with his thumb. 

“How did I get so lucky to find you?” You ask him with a smile. 

“You were a silhouette in the spotlight and I saw you. And only you saw me. That is all it took.” He smiles, kissing your cheek, “I don’t like how May covered up my marks.” He pouts cutely. 

“I don’t either.” You press your lips to his quickly kissing his pout away. 

The car stops, Bucky exits first, rounding the car to help you out. He fixes your dress, you fix the skewed lapel. 

“Remember what I said to you?” He says over the crowd and the noise that awaits.

“That, I need to focus on you?” You ask, he nods. 

“And also to be proud of yourself. This all is what you began all those years ago. Embrace the moment, don't let your nerves get to you. I’m right here but this is your night.” He kisses your forehead. 

“Ready?” He offers his hand to you, you take it. 

“Ready.” 

Flashes so many flashes, you pose with everyone involved. Loki, Steve, Nat, Kate and you absolutely love this one picture of you all with your mom, enveloping her in a hug. Her at the centre feeling all of the love. 

There is one picture of her patting your head. Another of her cupping Bucky’s cheeks. Another of her hugging Steve and patting his head. 

You take pictures with so many fans, signing books and posters. The entire experience was so surreal. Taking it all in you feel your heart burst with love. 

On carpet interviews questions, about the outfits, expectations for the movie. Any small bit of gossip, a whirlwind of faces, smiles and laughs. 

Once you cross the threshold to the theatre you sigh. Bucky presses his lips to your temple. 

“Do you want to drink something?” He murmurs, you nod. 

You smile at him, he always knew to watch out for you. He kisses your temple again before he heads to the table lined with food and beverages. 

A tap on your shoulder has you turn. A red haired woman stands there with a smile on her face. 

“Um, hello…” you greet, not liking her proximity. 

“Hi, I’m from TMZ. I wanted to ask you a few questions.” She explains.

“Oh, um the press docket isn’t until we get inside, you can ask—,”

“How does it feel to finally get what you want? I mean you did use your body for gaining all of this…” she gestures with her hand towards the event. 

“Excuse me?” Your brows raised and baffled at the notion. 

“Why are you surprised? First you’re associated with Steve Rogers then you conveniently get with Alexander Pierce and suddenly you have Bucky Barnes? Amidst that you falsify your clear consent as an assault by Alexander Pierce? Jeez, where is feminism with you?” She lists off and you can’t find the words to say anything to her. 

“I didn’t know we got together?” Steve tilts his head walking towards you, “Also Alexander Pierce did assault her and take advantage of her. It has been proven in court. You can look up the trial to update yourself.” 

“Also, Buck, remind me isn’t this MJ? The disgraced reporter? The one who was fired? What was it for?” Steve pretends to think. 

“For invasion of privacy, the only reporter with the most restraining orders. Currently breaking the one she has placed upon her by Natasha and myself.” Bucky adds. 

Steve nods towards someone on the side, two security personnel come in, grabbing her recording devices and making sure everything is deleted before escorting her out. 

“This is always going to follow isn’t it?” You ask both of them. 

Bucky bites the inside of his cheek, Steve doesn’t know how to tell you. 

“It will, but at one point your achievements will outweigh it all. He will be a part of your history, that history in which you helped bring to light his crimes and helped victims fight him.” Natasha says, “I’ll make sure she doesn’t publish anything. She’s been a thorn in our side for years.” 

“Thank you.” You hug her, “That helps not dwell on it too much.” 

“Yeah I couldn’t have said it that way.” Steve agrees. 

“Yes because you have all the stupid with you, punk.” Bucky teases him. 

Steve rolls his eyes, “Jerk.” 

“Last question to our author and lead,” All eyes turn to you. 

You nod, grabbing the mic, “Sure.” 

“There is a countdown on your author website, as of today it has changed to hours and right now it says two minutes. You haven’t explained anything.” He leaves it open ended. 

You waste a few seconds contemplating the answer, “Oh that countdown was two fold actually, it is for the premiere and well, my next book. A steamy age gap romance with mafia vibes…” You grin as the fans sitting in the audience cheer. 

“Do we have a name yet?” The reporter questions. 

“We do but that will be announced in a month with the cover.” You grin as everyone groans. 

“How spicy is the spice?” Another reporter questions, “I mean I was floored by the third book.” 

“There might be a bit more than that one.” You tease, “You should ask James though, he’s read a snippet of the spice.” 

Bucky visibly blushes, shifting in his seat. 

“Lucky ass.” Steve whispers into the very functional mic. 

Bucky runs a palm over his jaw, fixing you with a feigned glare, “I read the snippet and your favourite author and I didn’t leave her little study for a few hours.” 

A chorus of ‘oohs’ rang out. 

“What? We were editing!” He looks at the audience in feigned scandal, he turns to you, “You have spawned dirty minded people my little—,”

“James!” You cut him off. 

“I wasn’t going to say that!” He defends. 

“Don’t lie.” You narrow your eyes. He just grins sweetly. 

“Well, avoiding the truth isn’t lying…” He chuckles. 

“Alright that's enough, your moms are here.” Natasha says in her director voice. 

“Sorry mom.” All the cast sing songs to annoy her. 

“With that we close the press meet and the movie will begin in five minutes.” Maria announces. 

Loki, Bucky and Steve line up at the edge of the staircase, helping everyone get down the steps. 

“Men written by women!” A voice declares. 

The three of them chuckle but you wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment.  

Soon enough the lights are dimmed, and you all wait with bated breath to know what the thoughts are, you couldn’t stomach watching the final cut. 

Natasha, Maria and Nick are the ones inside. Joined by Sam, Kate and Yelena. The rest of you head to the hotel to hang out in the room back at the hotel. 

More than an hour after the premiere you all venture online. The hashtag is typed across several platforms. 

‘When you watch ITIMYIMDO you realise that the book was given absolute justice. It is one of those adaptations that you cannot complain about. The raw performance was delivered by Barnes, with Laufeyson being the understanding best friend. This duo is wonderful across all roles they play. I do not think any awards committee will ignore these two and if they do they would have to have some serious explanation to offer.’ – The TIMES

‘Debut Novel turned Debut Movie— Author to Actor and you can see the work put in by Y/N. Though some scenes where light hearted tones felt put up, her emotional delivery and comedic timing is stellar and worth exploring should she choose to shut down her laptop and cast aside the pen.’ — Vanity Fair 

‘Their chemistry in real life, though limited to the public, explodes on screen. Rhys and Doll make a pair that puts your favourite romance couples to shame. This is the modern romance we were waiting for and we got it.’ — Rolling Stone

@.imetbuckyonce: okaY LISTEN I LOVED THE MOVIE I WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY SLANDER TOWARDS MY QUEEN Y/N. SHE IS PERFECT. BUCKY IS PERFECT. KATE IS PERFECT. LOKI IS PERFECT AND OH MY GOD WHY DID STEVE ROGERS PLAYING A BAD DUDE FEEL SO SHIVER INDUCING YUMMY?????? WHEN HE SAID THAT LINE???????

@.booksandbarneslover: @.imetbuckyonce I ABDOSLYELT AGREE IM FERAL FOR VILLAIN STEVE *LOGS ONTO AO3 FOR BADBOY!STEVE X READER* 

‘In Steve Rogers’ history of playing the good guy we have him play yet another villain and something about Hollywood’s notorious good guy being oh so bad it is a wonder to watch. There is no redemption for his character but we love him the way he is and the portrayal will be a feather in his cap.’ — Buzzfeed UK

@.stevierogers: IWUEEHNADJDOEOEJ STEVE

@.upallnighttogetloki: LOKI LAUFEYSON YOU ARE A DREAMBOAT. SUPPORTIVE BESTIE CHECK LOOKS AMAZING SHIRTLESS CHECK A MAN WRITTEN BY A WOMAN CHECK. FUCK I DONT HAVE A SONGLE BAD THING TO SAY

‘A good attempt at a book adaptation, however if a seasoned plus size actress was taken instead of the author in a pseudo-nepotistic manner this movie could be worthy of more praise. While the seasoned actors and actresses are brilliant to watch the movie falls flat when the debutant is on screen. Meh, Dolores would have been better.’ — Sharon Carter, HYDRA. 

“Of course she’d criticise you.” Yelena clicks her tongue. 

@.dolores: just saw ITIMYIMDO and honestly? Y/N fucking killed it. Jealous fuckers shut up. 

“And Dolores just defended me.” You look up from your phone. The opinions were across all spectrums. You just hoped it would be a success for the sake of the friends you made. 

Maybe even line up prestigious awards for Kate, Bucky, Loki and Steve. They deserved it. The recognition, the opportunity for more roles that made them happy. 

Bucky wraps his arms around your waist. Chin resting on your shoulder, watching you read praises specific to himself. 

“I think you should stop reading about me and read the praise about you.” He grabs your phone typing in your name and watches as you read the praise. Each word makes your chest feel tighter with emotion. 

“You did more than good, Feather. You are phenomenal.” Bucky praises. 

“Couldn’t have done it without you all backing me and being by my side.” You kiss his cheek. 

“Are we getting kisses for being supportive?” Steve grins, Bucky glares at him. 

“On the cheek, yes.” You giggle as Steve leans towards you. Bucky pushes Steve away. The blonde only laughs at his friend. 

Your man leads you to the small balcony overlooking the city. 

“You’re cute.” You kiss his jaw again. Bucky grumbles, protectively pulling you closer. 

“I’ll show you cute.” He warns hand moving the slit of the dress. 

“James.” You warn, but don’t say anything to stop him. 

“I’ll just taste you, I know you’re still sore.” He kisses the spot on your neck, “You remember that bookmark you got me?” 

You nod, breath hitching as he continues to kiss and nip at your neck. 

“I got you one too. I saw your tagged posts. You know I adore the edits your readers make for your books. I came across these bookmarks that double up as handcuffs.” He smirks as your hips seek him. 

“I’m going to cuff your hands, my dirty little writer. You’re going to look so pretty, dripping for me. Then,” He cups your breast with his right hand and  his left cupping your cunt, 

“I’ll fill you up with my cum. Keep you still cuffed and make you warm my cock.” He tugs on your earlobe.  

You moan softly, hips moving against his palm for friction. His words make you needy. 

“You want to know why, Feather?” He questions, hands moving away from where you need him, instead turning you around. 

His index finger tucked under your chin, making you look up into the most tempting storm of darkened blue, “Because while I’m gone, I want you to feel me.” He presses his lips to yours in a searing kiss. 

You set the pen down. Moving your wrists for a much needed break. The signing was successful. The display of your latest book is done wonderfully by the independent bookstore. Three months passed by in a blur, a beautiful, happy blur. 

Your phone was silent, save for the occasional texts from your mom. You frown, Bucky was supposed to text you. He had a day off from filming, you were worried he had fallen ill working himself too hard. 

Sam had told you to make sure most of the video-calls happened along with dinner or lunch. Bucky tended to skip eating out of his nervousness and body dysmorphia when scenes that required him to show his body were scheduled. You were proud of him for trying to push through the negative self talk and getting the help he needed. 

Some days all he wanted was you curled up by his side. Other days he craved for you to show him how you saw him. Your touch, your words, you being there for him. 

The line outside is welcomed in, doors opening after a brief recess. You pick up the pen again. Book after book and conversation after conversation. 

“Just give me a second please,” you request the oncoming person. You quickly shoot a worried text to Bucky as they place a familiar book on the table. 

You stare at the self-published version of I Think I Met You In My Dreams Once. Your eyes get misty at it, the book has sticky tabs and other type of annotations all across itself. 

You look up at familiar blue eyes. Bucky sheepishly smiles at you. 

“Remember when I said I haven’t read your book? I hadn’t read the publisher’s version. I have read yours and I want you to sign it.” He smiles. 

“What should I write?” You open the book. 

“I’ve written a question, just answer it.” He shrugs. 

You look down at his writing and back up at him. 

A watery grin on both your faces. You hide what you write, closing the book and handing it back to him. 

You watch him as he reads it. His eyes finding yours and your favourite crinkles by his eyes smile gracing his features. 

@.winnies: Hello Everyone! Winnie’s will remain closed for the next two nights in view of private events. We are open for brunch till 3 PM on these two days. Please make sure you have made your reservations and confirmed them. 

We look forward to serving you regularly following these two special nights. 

HEADLINES:

All The Stars Descend Upon The Trail To Winnie’s For Celebrating The Continued Success Of ITIMYIMDO! The Entire Crew Was Invited!

Awards Season Is Here! And The Nomination Committee Did Not Disappoint In This Year’s Nominees. Check This List Out!

Bucky Barnes, Loki Laufeyson, Steve Rogers All Nominated At This Year’s People’s Choice and Emmy Awards. We Cannot Wait To See These Men In Suits and Swoon! Here Are Their Best Looks Ranked!

The Women On Board ITIMYIMDO All Secure Nominations As Well. 

Clean Sweep At Securing Nominations In All Award Shows. The ITIMYIMDO Cast And Crew Overjoyed. 

Extended Scenes and Director’s Cut Of ITIMYIMDO Releasing Soon. 

Bucky Barnes and Y/N Y/L/N Share The Sweetest Picture Of Their Silhouettes At Sunset At Winnie’s. 

Insiders Say Night Two At Winnie’s Was A Private “Close Friends And Family Only” Event But We Have The Scoop!  

A.N.: thank you for waiting for this one, I'm sorry it took so long. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for all your love on my story.

Taglist: @stevesmewmew @elle14-blog1 @crazyunsexycool @sebsgirl71479 @pandaxnienke @slutforsexyseabass @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer @pandaxnienke @vampire7595 @buckyinluv @almostcontentcreator @calwitch

[red-hot-moon]

@ my fellow Vicies, this documentary is pretty interesting and talks about the impact the show had on... everything, really!

Some of my favourite tidbits under the cut (known to some of you I'm sure but new to me):

It started out as a competitor show to the new and hip MTV and was originally called MTV Cops

Michael Mann originally pitched it as a buddy cop show pilot that he compared to Casablanca… Crockett/Tubbs was there from the very start wasn't it (and now I want a Crockett and Tubbs Casablanca AU!)

Tubbs' character was inspired by Sidney Potier's character Virgil Tibbs in the movie In the Heat of the Night (1967)!

"Johnson's portrayal of Sonny Crockett opened up viewers' and suspects' minds and hearts with a smile, a wink and a look" 👀 Yeah I bet DJ's performance made a lot of people real open-minded real fast…

There was an organized 'rain of panties' from fans dropped from a New York building during a shoot

Edward James Olmos talking about a squabble between him and DJ during their first scene in Castillo's office adding to the tension between the characters aaahh

Michael Mann set strict colour guidelines for the show based on swatches he collected on South Beach, with mandatory exclusion of red and earth tones in the wardrobe and prop department. This started to slip with Dick Wolf though obviously

They couldn't afford to put a real Ferrari Daytona in the show so they just built a fake one?? Putting a fiberglass chassis on a Corvette??? And when Ferrari got mad they made an agreement to replace the fake Ferrari with the Testarossa. And that's why they blew up the Daytona in the show. RIP to real (fake?) one

DJ was dressed by Gianni Versace himself. Also DJ came up with Sonny's look: the blazer to cover the gun and holster, the sockless shoes bc of the heat, and the stubble bc he had to look like he'd been up all night partying and slept in his clothes

Five series of MV remodeled Miami, as the production team created custom neon signs, painted walls and gave many shooting locations a pastel make-over to match the series' design, and so the fake Miami became the real Miami which then started attracting tourists again (tourism was in the toilet when the show first aired)

There is a Miami Vice board game???

"Philip Michael Thomas's performance in Vice City contained plenty of nods to Tubbs" aaaand cut to the scene where Lance Vance says "You're probably gonna wanna kiss me". That's Tubbs alright

Phil Collins played himself in a GTA Vice City prequel game. GREAT

[sp00kycrumpet]

When Our Paths Cross Again. (Part One)

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Rating: E

Tags: Soft!Joel; pre-outbeak up till end of Season 1; no use of y/n; sometimes Ellie is the adult in the situation

Warnings: swearing; character death; spoilers (if you haven't watched the series/played the game)

Word count; 7,259 out of 22,020

Will also be posted on my AO3

Notes: This is the first TLOU fic I've finished (I've got a bunch half written) so I hope you enjoy it ㅠ.ㅠ imsonervousomg

"You should ask her out." Joel almost choked on his burger, eyes wide as he stared at his too confident daughter. He swallowed his food and watched her.

"Excuse me?" Sarah just grinned, leaning forward with her elbows on the table like they were sharing a secret.

"The waitress. You keep watchin' her and she does it to you. I've seen enough mushy romance movies to know how this goes. You just gotta make that move!" Joel hushed Sarah as you came over to their table with refills of their drinks. Sarah and Joel were practically regulars at the restaurant; sometimes accompanied by Tommy and you always convinced others to let you wait their table. You insisted it was because Sarah reminded you of your little sister, but in reality it was mainly because of her father. Joel Miller was a handsome man, broad shouldered and warm; and that southern accent melted your heart.

At first Sarah had been shy but the more they came, the more she opened up. She made you Christmas cards and birthday cards once she learned when your birthday was - she even made you a friendship bracelet one year with hers and your initials in beads on it. She presented it with a big grin and showed you hers that matched. She always greeted you with a big smile and a hug. Joel would smile warmly, amused Sarah's best friend was a woman old enough to be her mother. It amused you too but after you learnt Joel was solo parenting, you could sort of understand why Sarah had gotten so attached to you in a sisterly way. He sometimes came alone to get take out for him and Sarah, making small talk with you while waiting for his food. You learnt his favourite movies were the cheesy Curtis and Viper ones, he played guitar and worked as a contractor with Tommy. He played it carefully with you but would sneak little tidbits of information out now and then. You would always greet him with a smile that made his chest feel funny and would sneak your staff discount onto his order. You definitely heard Sarah trying to convince her father to ask you out but pretended not to as you chatted with her about an album she'd recommended to you the week before. You could feel Joel's eyes on you and you eventually turned to him and gave him one of those heartstopping smiles that made his brain turn to mush. Once you left them, Sarah turned to Joel again with a pointed look.

"See!! You get that gross look on your face whenever she smiles at you. C'mon dad, how am I supposed to start datin' if you don't date!" She whined, Joel frowning a little.

"You wanna start datin'?" Now it was Sarah's turn to blush and change the topic quickly. Joel laughed, a rich sound that you heard from your place cleaning a table nearby.

An hour before the end of your early shift a week later, Sarah came in with a look of determination on her face. You put the cloth down you'd been using and headed over.

"Hey Sarah, you okay?" She blinked up at you and a grin pulled instantly over her lips.

"Yes! I was lookin' for you!! You said before that you bake, right?" You laughed a little, surprised by the sudden question.

"Sometimes, yeah. Not to brag but my friends say my raspberry filled cupcakes are the best." Sarah clapped her hands together.

"It's my dad's birthday next week, do…you think you could make him a cupcake? Since I know he'll forget to get a cake." You tilted your head slightly, watching the young girl before you nodded.

"I don't see why not. I'll make one for each of you." Sarah nodded, rummaging in her backpack for her schoolbook. She scribbled down the date and her phone number in case you needed her.

"I'll come by after school on his birthday and pick them up if that's okay? I'll pay you with my allowance." You waved one hand.

"Oh come on, I'm not going to charge you! I enjoy baking and why not for my best friend!" You grinned at her, Sarah gasped and thanked you repeatedly before wrapping you in a tight hug. She darted out of the restaurant when Tommy pulled up outside to pick her up, apparently in on the plan. You just shook your head and got back to work, planning out how you'd make them the best damn cupcakes you'd ever made in your life.

—

Letting himself in the house a little after eight, Joel felt exhaustion pulling at his bones. He could smell the pizza Sarah had ordered for them as he kicked his boots off and padded through to the living room where his daughter sat. Two large pizzas on the coffee table and a giant bottle of cola.

"You're gonna make me fat kiddo." He teased as he eased himself down to sit beside her, leaning to kiss the top of her head. Sarah just waved one hand.

"Sometimes we just gotta indulge in the nice stuff!" She grinned, picking up a slice of pizza and taking a bite as she sank comfortably beside him, watching the tv as they ate. She eyed her dad quietly for a moment between slices of pizza before making a comment.

"I mean… if you're worried about your weight then you won't want the super special dessert I got for you." Joel perked one eyebrow.

"Now where'd you get money for all this?" Sarah just grinned, rolling a shoulder. Tommy had funded this little experiment; wanting to help encourage his brother to grow a pair and ask out the waitress he constantly swooned over.

"I got myself a high payin' fancy job. But it's super top secret so I can't tell you what it is." She glanced at Joel and grinned, Joel just nodding.

"Oh good. The mortgage can go in your name now then."

"Nah they'd know I told you and I can't risk that." She nodded solemnly, pausing for dramatic effect before sighing and eating some more pizza. Joel laughed, he loved his daughters insane imagination and made a mental note to thank Tommy for giving her pizza money.

Once the pizza was done, Joel gathered up any leftovers and took them through to the kitchen. Joel placed the slices into a container then turned to open the fridge. There on the shelf at eye level sat a little white box. Curious, he opened it and inside sat two cupcakes with a decent amount of frosting, and a small card. He opened the envelope and couldn't help the little smile that worked over his lips.

Happy birthday Joel! I hope you like raspberry cupcakes~

Beneath that was a phone number written neatly beside your name along with the line "You miss 100% of the shots you don't have take." Joel read it over a few times before he headed back to the living room; cakes in one hand and card in the other.

"Somethin' tells me you had a lot to do with this. My birthday ain't till for another three weeks." Sarah just gave a pretend snore in answer, Joel snorting softly as he moved in to sit down. "Well damn, I guess I better eat both of these then." Immediately Sarah sprung back to life, holding out her hand for the cake. "Explain yourself missy." Sarah huffed a little, watching her dad.

"I just… want you to be happy, dad. I see how you two are around each other, it's like a romance movie. I ain't ever seen you smile the way you do at her. So I accidentally gave her the wrong date for your birthday so that maybe, just maybe, you'd take initiative and just go for it."

"I am happy baby, I have you." Sarah groaned and pushed at his knee with her foot.

"Gross. But, you need more. I know being a single dad is kinda your jam but, think how nice it would be for you to be able to date and be happy and be loved how you deserve." Joel tilted his head a little, watching Sarah.

"Now when did you learn to talk so much like an adult?" He offered over her cupcake, quietly taking a bite of his own as Sarah watched him.

"I really like her dad. I think she would make you happy." Sarah pressed again, Joel glancing at her before he nodded a little.

"I'll call her tomorrow." Sarah grinned excitedly, putting her cupcake aside in favour of wrapping her arms around Joel's neck in a tight hug.

"I was almost about to Parent Trap you, but Uncle Tommy insisted this was better."

—

You never used to keep your phone close by but after your little card to Joel, you couldn't help but keep checking it in case he called. Maybe Sarah was wrong and he wasn't wanting to ask you out despite her insistence when they thought you couldn't hear. Maybe you'd ruined your relationship with one of the best customers by taking such a blind leap. You chewed your lower lip as you peeked into your apron pocket for the millionth time to see if there was anything on your little phone. A few days passed and you figured maybe he wasn't going to call, you felt a little disheartened but decided to not let it ruin your week. You said goodbye to your collegues and headed out after your shift had finished, nuzzling your face into your hoodie with a muffled yawn. You were just turning to head towards the bus stop when you heard your name called, you looked up - expecting to see a coworker holding something you'd forgotten - but there in his usual khaki tshirt and dark jeans stood Joel. A hand raised in a wave and you had to stop yourself swoon as your eyes watched the muscles in his arm shift. You smiled, suddenly nervous as you turned to head back to him.

"Hey stranger, did you have a good birthday?" Joel presses his lips together before he gave a little smile.

"While your cupcakes were incredible, I gotta come clean. Sarah gave you the wrong date on purpose. My birthday is in a couple of weeks. But she has some romance movie script in her head for us." You felt your cheeks flush, Sarah wasn't the only one. You'd wondered many what if scenarios before, how it would feel to have those dark eyes looking at you so fondly, or what his hugs were like, or if his stubble would tickle when he kissed you. You nodded a little, shifting your weight awkwardly on your feet.

"She's so funny." You said softly, fiddling with your backpack strap. Two thirty-something year olds acting like thirteen as neither dared speak up first.

"Her next plan was somethin' to do with Parent Trap." Joel smiled, a sight you'd commit to memory forever. You chuckled, nodding a little.

"Well, I'm glad you liked the cupcakes Joel." You replied, feeling a little silly for your sudden moment of bravery when writing his card. You smiled and turned to head and see if you could still make the bus when his voice reached your ears again.

"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." It seemed strange to hear his voice repeat your words as you froze midstep and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry?" Joel rubbed a hand awkwardly over the back of his neck.

"That's what you said in that card. And the more I thought about it, the more it just made solid sense. I was gonna call but I couldn't risk chickenin' out once you answer." He glanced up at you from under his lashes, a soft look that made you weak at the knees. "So I figured I'd offer a ride home and maybe suggest a walk or somethin'." You smiled, your heart skipping in your chest as you nodded.

"I'd like that." Joel exhaled when you agreed, just as nervous as you felt. He offered his arm and you looped yours through his with a shy smile on your face. He was so warm and smelt good. The walk to his truck was relatively quiet other than some small talk. He even held the door open like a gentleman, making you smile and curtsey before getting into the vehicle.

"So I thought maybe we could head to Lake Travis? Sarah's at school till four then she's going to see our neighbours for a few hours… unless you just wanna go home?" You glanced up at him, was this the first date? Unplanned and a surprise after an early shift. He still wanted to go even if you looked tired, luckily you always got changed at work so you weren't in uniform at least. You eyed him for a moment before you smiled warmly.

"I'd like that. Maybe we can stop by Starbucks and have a coffee and cake?" Joel smiled back at you, butterflies stirring up a storm in your stomach at how it lit up his face. He agreed and headed off in the direction of the lake.

It was a quiet drive, only forty minutes or so, made longer by the Starbucks break and playful argument over Joel paying for both of you. You eventually gave in and vowed to hide $10 somewhere in his truck. You parked up in a spot with a good view of the lake and the two of you climbed into the back of the truck where Joel laid out a blanket to sit on. You smiled softly, it was so simple but so wonderful. You sat there for a good few hours just talking. Learning more about each other and it just made your crush on this gorgeous man all the more stronger.

"Sarah's great, a little too grown up for her age but she's got a good head on her shoulders." Joel smiled softly as he finished his drink then paused, glancing at you. "I've done nothin' but talk about Sarah haven't I?" You chuckled, placing a hand lightly on his arm.

"It's lovely, it shows how much you adore your daughter. She is pretty incredible." You nodded, Joel smiling warmly.

"I know but… you shouldn't really spend hours talkin' about your kid on a date." He wrinkled his nose a little and you paused at the word, a smile slowly spreading over your lips as you glanced down at your cup.

"This is a date?" Joel paused, realising finally what word he'd used before he glanced at you.

"Ah… it was bold of me to assume… I never even asked. I ain't dated since Sarah's mom. Fuck I'm sorry." You chuckled and looked up at him, leaning to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

"No, I like it. Assume away. This is definitely the best kind of first date, relaxed and fun." You nodded, Joel's cheeks flushing slightly at the kiss as you settled beside him again.

"I figure a traditional dinner date might not be your thing since that's what you work around all day, every day. And I had no idea what movies you like so… I figure a drive out to the lake wasn't too far and it's a nice view." You nodded in agreement, looking up at him with a playful grin.

"Yeah, it is." He glanced at you, a little confused before he realised you were openly flirting and he suddenly felt shy. But bold enough to eventually slide an arm around your shoulders and cuddle you against his side when it dropped a little cooler. You could hear his heart beneath your ear as you settled comfortably, it just felt right. That this was exactly where you were supposed to be. The conversation flowed a little more naturally after that, the two of you talking about anything and everything for hours until Joel's phone buzzed and Sarah was calling to make sure he was actually coming home. He apologised and helped you out of the truck bed, riding home you couldn't help the smile on your face. Stealing glances over at Joel, the way the lights bounced off his features and highlighted his skin. You couldn't believe out of everyone, you were the lucky one spending time with this man. He dropped you at home, the truck idling as you gathered your things.

"I had a lot of fun tonight Joel." You said softly as you watched him. Joel smiled, taking your hand in his own and lifting it to gently brush a kiss to your knuckles.

"If you're interested, I'd like to pick you up next week and take you out again? I'll text you what days I'm free." You blushed and nodded.

"I'd love that." Joel smiled, squeezing your hand gently before letting you go. You climbed out of the truck and watched him drive away until the taillights disappeared. You let out an excited squeal and finally headed inside, your head full of Joel and what possibilities the future held.

—

Unfortunately your shifts didn't align with his the following week, but you managed to squeeze in a couple of quick coffee dates together. Sitting in overcrowded cafes for an hour or less, just talking and eventually his fingers would find yours across the table. He was everything you dreamed of, he was caring but cautious. He explained what had happened with Sarah's mother and how that had put him off of dating until you. You shared your own tales of unrequited love and failed dating attempts. His thumb gently ran along yours as you exchanged stories, lamenting at how people were stupid.

"Yeah but… for their stupidness, I got you to myself." You said softly, your bravery getting the better of you. Joel watched you and smiled tenderly, lifting your hands to kiss your knuckles as he did every time you met up. Always the gentlemen, patient and content to take it slow. As you walked out of the cafe with him, Joel checked his phone for a moment.

"It's my birthday on Friday. If you want, you're welcome to come over and join Sarah and me for cake?" You blinked, watching him. If he was inviting you over for his birthday then he must be serious about you. You nodded and smiled.

"I'd like that. I'll bring more cupcakes." Joel smiled fondly at you as he ran his thumb along your knuckles.

"Perfect. I'll see you Friday then." You nodded, your gazes lingering on each other before you let his hand slip from yours. He smiled, then surprised you with a soft kiss to your cheek before he turned to climb into his truck.

Sadly he had to raincheck when there were issues on the job and he wouldn't be home till much later than planned. You text him back a sad emoji but said you understood; maybe you could take him for a belated birthday breakfast on Saturday instead. He agreed to that and said he couldn't wait to see you again. You smiled softly and headed off to your bedroom to put his gift back in the closet until tomorrow.

—

Of course tomorrow never came. You barely remember much of that night anymore, Austin in flames and people panicking. Those things attacking at random and spread more panic. You tried calling Joel a few times, terrified to be alone but the phone lines were down almost instantly. You packed as much as you could carry into an old boyfriends camping backpack and headed out of your apartment. No idea where to go but you couldn't stay here anymore. You thought you caught sight of Joel running past you with Sarah in his arms, but as you turned to call out to him, he was gone. Scared and alone, you decided you'd try to head out of town and try to make it as far away as possible.

That was twenty years ago now, those little dates with Joel were a thing of the past. Austin was a no-go and you found yourself in Kansas City after crossing paths with a man named Henry and his brother, Sam. They were scared and alone, Sam barely five. As you settled into life in Kansas, Sam taught you sign language while you taught him the joy of comics and enjoying the little things. Henry only trusted you to babysit Sam if he had to go out for work. Kathleen never gave a damn about anyone except her own mission in life.

Henry woke you up in the middle of the night, climbing in through your bedroom window. You sat up, staring at him.

"Jesus Christ Henry, you can't do that! I have a gun on the nightstand." The boy stood there, fear his eyes and blood on his shirt. "Henry…what happened?" Henry swallowed and looked down at his hands.

"I had to… Fedra had the chemo drug to save Sam but they needed something from me. Brian." He muttered, his eyes wild as he watched you. You took him gently by the hands and lead him into the bathroom to help clean him up.

"I would have done the same thing if it were my sister." You said softly, making sure he was clean and uninjured before you took him through to your spare room where Sam's hospital bed was set up. Henry quickly snapped into big brother mode and gave Sam the drugs, reading the poorly printed instructions and hoping it'll help. You helped them as best you could while Kathleen prowled the streets like a bloodthirsty demon, demanding anyone give up Henry and Sam. You found a doctor who could help Sam while hiding them, considering Kathleen was starting to eye you as well. You packed them both a bunch of food and promised to keep Kathleen off their tracks as long as possible.

You didn't know how much time had passed, but somehow Kathleen still trusted and never suspected you. You were careful and never told anyone a thing. You felt your blood run cold when your radio crackled to life and she said Henry had killed again and was on the move. You sighed heavily and followed her to the attic you knew they were hiding in, silently relieved when they were gone. Kathleen was angry, she almost sent you flying down the stairs as she barged past to continue looking for them. People were dying and suddenly everyone realised someone else was here too, and they didn't know a thing that was going on. Kathleen heard whispers through the radios about sightings of Henry and Sam. She gathered everyone together and headed towards the suburbs on the edge of town, the only way out. You headed out early, wanting to catch a headstart and warn Henry. You were quick and light on your feet as you moved through the streets, scanning for any sign of them - or Kathleen. You caught a glint from a window and knew it was one of Kathleen's snipers camping out, an older man named George. You let yourself into the house, walking up the stairs and placing a hand on the old mans shoulder.

"Jesus I coulda shot you. What you doing here?" You sighed, pretending to be as wound up as everyone else.

"I heard Henry and Sam were headed this way with two others. I'm gonna set up my rifle next door but I wanted to see how you're doing after that scuffle the other day." The old man shrugged, tapping his bad leg with the butt of his gun.

"It's just a bruise, looked worse than it is. You're a good woman, thank you for checking in." You nodded and smiled, squeezing his shoulder again as you shouldered your rifle to head out. You heard the man mutter under his breath about a damn distraction before firing. You spun around and heard voices from outside. Two male and one young female. You knew Henrys voice like the back of your hand but before you could react, the radio had been called. You cursed under your breath and moved into the next bedroom, hoping you could get their attention or try to help them get away. Using the sight on the gun, you searched for Henry on the street, catching a blur of a man heading towards the house you're in; you moved back to where he'd come from and finally saw them. Henry and Sam, plus a girl. They looked pretty much unharmed from what you could see, you were trying to figure out how to warn them when you heard the stairs creaking behind you as George shot again. You held your breath and slid down into the shadows as the figure of a man appeared and headed into the room next to yours. He spoke softly with George, you strained to hear what was said but a gunshot made you jump. You fell backwards and smacked your head against the windowsill; you cursed under your breath then slapped a hand over your mouth as the footsteps suddenly turned to you. The muzzle of a gun entered the room first, followed by it's owner. Dark eyes scanned the room before landing on you, you squinted a little in the dim light and raised your gun; aimed perfectly at his throat. His gun slowly lowered as you finally see each other.

"No fucking way." You breathe, Joel Miller stared at you in bewilderment before a noise from the other room pulled his attention away. It was George's radio, Kathleen was asking for information and Joel ran back through. You pushed yourself up, rubbing a hand over the back of your head as you turned to look out of the window as you see Kathleen and her brainwashed army tracking down Henry and the kids. You couldn't hear them properly but before you could even try to figure anything out, the ground behind them collapsed and opened up, hundreds of infected clambouring out and making quick work of everyone on the floor. You cursed under your breath and steadied yourself before starting to pick some of them off; doing your best to keep Henry and Sam safe between shooting any that may stray towards the house. Pops from the next room told you Joel was doing the same. You held your breath as you watched Henry and Sam clambour underneath a car for safety, you shot a few infected that approached them before turning your attention to the main horde. Fear ran up your spine at the sight of the huge bloated mass literally ripping people apart like paper. You'd heard rumours of such a monster but just assumed it was urban legend. You fired at it a few times before figuring it was a waste of ammo and turned your attention back to Henry and Sam, watching as the young girl made a bee-line for them and dragged them out from their spot before all three bolted for the house. You heard Joel approach your room again, lingering in the doorway for a split second before nodding his head towards the stairs in a silent request to come with him. You dropped the rifle and pulled the glock from your hip holster before following him closely.

Once outside, he called to the trio and gestured for them to come this way. Sams eyes went wide as he saw you, a moment of childish joy at a familiar face as he ran past you towards the backyard. Kathleen seemingly appeared from nowhere, yelling at Henry. Everyone saw the infected child creeping up behind her but no one made a move to alert her or stop it. Even as it pounced and dragged her to the floor. Joel glanced at you before turning to follow the others. You stepped closer, aimed then fired two shots. One at the infected and one at Kathleen. She as a nightmare alive, you couldn't stomach facing her as one of those things. You holstered your gun and sprinted after the group.

"This way!" You called out, leading them out through the gate at the back of the garden that would be their final break for freedom.

Once out of the cul-de-sac and into relative safety, Sam wrapped his arms around you and hugged you so tightly you could have sworn he'd leave an imprint of his face on your stomach. You smiled warmly at the boy, signing to him that you told him you'd see him again. He smiled and adjusted his bag before running off to catch up with the girl. You turned to face Henry, trapping him in a hug as well.

"That could have gone so wrong…" He muttered, walking beside you as Joel walked behind as look out. You nodded, pushing your hands into your jacket pockets.

"I know but I knew you'd make it. I stuck close to Kathleen so I always knew any info she did on you. When I heard you were headed this way, I knew I had to do something. There's a motel about two miles down this road, I cleared it last month as a precaution." Henry nodded.

"Thank you." He said softly, glancing over his shoulder at Joel before everyone walked in relative silence, the only words were directions that you gave.

At the motel, you led the way to the one room you knew was still habitable. Digging out a pack you'd stashed behind a broken vending machine that had a little food in it and some bottles of water. In the room, you shared them out.

"It's not much but it'll do till morning." You nodded, handing Joel a bottle. He watched you quietly before taking it, the girl throwing a curious glance at the man given he barely took his eyes off of you. Once everyone had eaten a little, the kids went into the bedroom to read comics while the three of you sat in the living room.

"So how'd you two know each other?" You asked, glancing between Joel and Henry. Joel shrugged a shoulder.

"I woke up yesterday to Sam holding a gun in my face." He muttered, Henry rolling his eyes as you stared at him.

"Unloaded. We just… had to be sure they weren't with Kathleen. Joel really didn't want to go together but Ellie and Sam helped convince him otherwise." Henry smiled softly, his gaze wandering to the two in the bedroom. The three of you talked quietly for a bit, Henry getting up eventually to tell Sam it was time to sleep. Once the bedroom door closed, Henry took his place in one of the chairs. Joel caught your eye and inclined his head towards the front door.

"Hey Henry, we're just going to step out for a moment. You'll be okay?" Henry nodded, sinking comfortably into his seat.

"I'll probably be asleep before you get back anyway." He mumbled, folding his arms over his chest as he gave in to the tiredness. You smiled, squeezing his shoulder as you passed him and moved to the door where Joel waited.

Outside the room, the two of you stood silently for a brief moment before Joel surprised you by wrapping you up in the tightest hug. You held him close, all those old memories and feelings bubbling to the surface.

"I can't believe of all the people I run into, it's you." He said softly as he finally stepped back. He looked older and tired but he still looked as handsome as the last time you'd seen it.

"Me either. I often wondered what happened to you." You replied, your eyes never leaving his face. "The grey suits you." You smiled, lifting a hand to gently brush your fingers through his mess of curls. The two of you fell quiet after a moment, leaning against the railings of the balcony walkway.

"Where's Sarah? And Tommy?" You asked, Joel's jaw tensing slightly as his eyes fell to his hands on the metal.

"Tommy's somewhere in Wyoming. That's where we're headed next." He nodded, taking a steady breath. "I lost Sarah." You felt your heart ache, for both Joel and the loss of Sarah.

"Oh Joel… I'm so sorry." You said, placing a hand against his forearm. He watched your fingers against his skin before his gaze moved to the parking lot below.

"Sometimes I feel selfishly glad she didn't have to see the shitstorm the world turned into. But mostly I just miss her." You nodded a little in understanding.

"When did it happen?" Joel shifted his weight on his feet, moving to stand up properly and stretch his back.

"Outbreak day. We were tryin' to escape Austin. The car flipped and we had to move on foot. I was carryin' her cause she hurt her ankle in the crash and some fuckin' powertrip soldier shot at us. She died in my arms." He muttered, flexing his fingers a little. You nodded a little, you'd seen it before. Fedra were scum and it only took a soldier on a bad day to ruin people's lives.

"I'm so sorry Joel. I can't imagine how that must feel." He exhaled slowly and nodded, folding his arms loosely over his chest.

"I can't believe of all people I find you though." He muttered, glancing at you as you resumed leaning against the railings.

"Me either. I thought I saw you on outbreak day but… everything was so chaotic and loud that I didn't think to call out. I…did what I could to survive. Kept moving then I ended up here. Kathleen took me in, I befriended a few people like Henry and Sam. But over the years… Kathleen changed and she became more of a dictator. When her brother was killed she just lost it… I did what I could to help them without her knowing but it was so risky. But I wasn't about to let them get killed. They're good boys." You nodded, leaning to rest your chin against your forearms as you watched the horizon. Joel hummed quietly, glancing back at the door before facing you again.

"That uh, that girl in there. That's Ellie. She's… she's immune." You blinked, staring at him.

"Joel… what? How?" He shrugged, rubbing his palm against his jaw .

"I don't know how it works. I've seen it with my own eyes. She got bit and nothin', it healed like it was just a papercut. I'm takin' her to Wyoming to try and find Tommy. Then off to the Fireflies hospital cause they say they can make a cure from her." He paused a moment, watching you as you tried to work it all out and if he was just following a lie. "You're welcome to come with us?" You lifted your head to look at him, studying his face before nodding.

"I'd like that. The five of us would make a good team." You smiled a little, muffling a yawn into your shoulder before standing up straight. Joel nodded, glancing around then shifted his gaze back to you. Quiet fell and the two of you just watched each other for a moment.

"I missed you." You said softly, your eyes on the broken watch around Joel's wrist. He was quiet, you worried if it was too bold to say so soon. But instead he just reached out a hand to pull you close, his arms wrapped tightly around your shoulders as he rest his chin against the top of your head. You sighed quietly and nuzzled into him, snaking your arms underneath his jacket to feel his warmth against you. You could hear his heart beating and the way his muscles shifted as he breathed, it instantly took you back to that evening by the lake. He was real and alive. Your eyes closed as you breathed him in, savouring this moment in the back of your mind.

"I missed you too." He eventually replied, his voice soft as you leaned back to look up at him. He looked even more guarded than he had when you first met, you wondered what he'd had to deal with to survive this long.

"C'mon. We got a long way to go tomorrow." You hummed in agreement and followed him back into the room. Henry was already asleep, his chin resting against his chest as he snored softly. Joel handed you Ellie's sleeping bag before getting himself comfortable on the floor with his own bag. You smiled softly and spread it out to sleep on before draping your jacket over yourself as a makeshift blanket. In the darkness of the room, your gaze slowly drifted to Joel and found warm comfort in his relaxed face as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

—

Morning came too quickly and with a loud yell as Ellie came tumbling out of the bedroom with Sam on top of her, snarling and gnashing his teeth. Everyone woke up with a start as Ellie yelled for Joel for help, you sprang to your feet with your eyes wide as Joel went for his gun. Sam had turned. Fear rooted you to the spot as you watched, Henry firing off a shot and yelling at Joel didn't even pull your eyes away from the kids as you quickly grabbed your own pistol from the table behind you. Before you could react, Henry fired. Sam fell off of Ellie and lay still. The silence in the room was thick as Henry stared at the body of his brother, wide scared eyes moved from Sam to everyone else in the room.

"What did I do?" He gasped, breathing heavily as Joel edged closer and gently tried to coax him to hand the gun over. Henry's eyes moved to you, filled with pain and sadness as he lifted the gun to his own head. You jumped and tried to cover Ellie's eyes out of instinct as the shot rang out. Ellie whimpered, fists tight on your shirt as she stared at the chaos in the room as Henry slumped to the floor.

No one said a word as you and Joel set about wrapping them both up in the sheets off the beds, Ellie gathering everyone's belongings together. You took a private moment in the bathroom to sob into a towel, in less than twenty four hours you'd been reunited with Joel but lost two friends. No one commented on the obvious wetness of your cheeks or redness of your eyes as you headed out, carefully taking Henry and Sam to the two graves Joel had dug. Still no one spoke, just worked silently to bury the brothers. You watched as Ellie placed Sam's board on his grave with 'I'm sorry' written on it. She quietly asked which way they were going and Joel nodded with his head, Ellie slowly heading off that way. You stood beside Joel, staring at the two mounds of dirt as you brushed the dirt off your jeans.

"You okay?" Joel asked softly, you glanced at him resisting the urge to bite that it was a stupid question and instead just shrugged. He nodded, not pushing anymore as Ellie called out to you both. You grabbed your bags and headed out after her, everyone lost in their own private thoughts for a while.

It wasn't until you stopped for a break that the silence was broken.

"Did you tell her?" Ellie asked, her eyes flicking from Joel to you then back again. Joel nodded and Ellie sighed softly. "And we can trust her? Just because she got us out of the city?" Joel frowned a little, swallowing his food.

"I knew her back in Texas. I've known her for a while. We can trust her." He mumbled, Ellie eyeing you a little before she leaned back against the tree she sat under.

"I know trust is hard to come by around here, but you have my word that you can trust me. Or at least I hope I can earn your trust." Ellie pursed her lips a little before twisting around and digging in her bag for a moment, you and Joel exchanging curious glances as she eventually turned back around. She was quiet for a brief moment before she fixed you with a serious look.

"I once heard a joke about amnesia... But I forget how it goes." You stared at her for a moment, noticing the muscles in her face twitch as she tried to not smile. Only to lose that battle when you burst out laughing, Ellie grinning as Joel rolled his eyes and shoved his thermos back into his bag.

"I swear, you're just pickin' the worst ones out now."

"She laughed!! Fuck you I'm funny." She puffed her chest up, proud someone finally laughed at the stupid puns she spent hours trying to memorise.

—

Travelling was tiring and slowly getting colder, but Ellie would keep asking random questions or poke at Joel for information. Eventually turning to ask you things when he kept up his apparent normal scowling silence.

"Was he this grumpy when you knew him in Texas?" She whispered to you during a break when Joel wandered off to check the area. You chuckled and shook your head.

"If he was, I never saw it. He was quiet like this but… he smiled a lot and when he did talk, he would get really passionate about certain things." You nodded, glancing at Ellie as she tried to picture it.

"How did you know him?" You debated it for a second before giving a half truth.

"I was a waitress at a restaurant he used to come to a lot. When you have regulars, you tend to get to know them to a degree. Joel and I were… pretty close." You smiled softly, thinking back to your little coffee dates. It seemed like a dream now. Ellie narrowed her eyes for a moment before pulling a face.

"Ew. You like him." You blinked and looked at her, opening your mouth to retaliate when the crunch of snow behind you signalled Joel's return.

"What?" He said, both you and Ellie watching him before Ellie shrugged and carried on along the road.

"Just seeing if she'll answer my questions since you don't like to talk." She commented, you just smiled at Joel and shrugged a little. Joel shook his head and followed the girl. This Joel was quieter, he barely smiled and you never heard him laugh. The new world changed him, losing his daughter no doubt did the most to do that. But behind the walls he'd built up around himself, you knew old Joel was still in there. You could see it in the way he quietly looked after Ellie, the way he would put himself in front of you both, the way you would sometimes catch him watching you. Something in his eyes sometimes would have you wondering if he still had the same feelings towards you but was too scarred from years of loss to pick that thread up again. You promised yourself you wouldn't make things awkward by bringing it up. Ellie slowly warmed up to you, telling her puns when things were quiet for too long or asking you about things she'd never seen or experienced, or her favourite topic was poking fun at Joel and what she dubbed his "asshole voice".

(Part Two)

[markerofthemidnight]

I love your Hatchetfield fics Grayscale and Hidden Depths. Can you tell me a tidbit about both/ether of them?

AHHHHHHH I’d be happy to oblige!!!

As much as I’d like to talk about both at the moment… I hate to admit this, but I’ve really been ignoring the existence of Hidden Depths as of recent. And Greyscale, but Hidden Depths deserves attention too! So, since Chapter 6 has been held back for so long, why not share some more about the Old Lords?

HD: ULTIMATE Recap was, after all, only a very small tidbit of extra info on them. I’m also working on a piece that’ll show you all their designs- except Kindler’s, since we’ve already seen his, but I’m not even halfway through that yet. Starting to get pretty concerned with how little I’ve been doing stuff as of recent…

Well, anyways! Here’s some extra information on the Old Lords and my thought process behind making them.

Kynzol Errakt (aka Kindler)

The God of the Sun and Flames, as you know. Previously known as the God of Drought in Chapter 1, but I felt like it was pretty odd to have a god whose powers can only be defined by what they aren’t associated with.

Obviously very draconic in design, but the dragon actually isn’t his associated animal. That would go to the thorny devil: everybody’s favourite spiky little reptile that I felt best summed up what exactly I was trying to go for with Kindler, and that was before I learned that they can apparently drink water by absorbing it through their feet!

Known as the Everburning Star, Kindler is the de facto leader of the Old Lords. He carries himself with a sophisticated yet very intentionally intimidating disposition, and tends to not really think about the wellbeing of others unless it affects his.

It’s fairly obvious from his behaviour that he has a pretty big god complex (ironic, huh?), and is incredibly stubborn in his beliefs. Not even the Old Lords would ever dare speak out against him: the only reason why they’re so comfortable with his presence is because they’ve spent 5,000 years with him.

You may be wondering why I chose this specific personality when it’s not very different from Wiggly’s. Well… that’s because Kindler was pretty much just based on my perception of what Wiggly’s predecessor probably would’ve acted like, which slowly developed into the dragon we know today.

The main difference between them, I’d say, is that Wiggly is only partly scary (hence why so many people are in love with him), whereas Kindler is actually genuinely scary and villainous. It’s like the difference between any normal Disney villain and Emperor Belos from The Owl House.

Trypnarash (aka Thrasher)

The God of Noise, associated with a bat for fairly obvious reasons. Rather fittingly, also as blind as a bat. For some reason he switches between having an Australian or a Cockney accent depending on whichever one I think would be better suited to what he’s saying.

Known as the Beastly Cacophony, Thrasher is… loud. Very loud. Strangely enough, he’s actually surprisingly chill: he’s pretty much fine with anything as long as it’s entertaining.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that this still doesn’t make him a good person. He’s evil just like the rest of them, only in his own ways. (Not Evil from The Lego Movie 2 is a song that I associate with him quite a lot, by the way.)

Inspiring false hope so that the others can crush it, and toying with people in more personal ways, is his MO. He pretty much does whatever’s most entertaining to him at the moment: the only reason why he’s alright with Blinky not being evil is because in a few months, he’s gonna be dead for good. No point in caring about that.

Gazon Q’raktic (aka Gazer)

The Goddess of Space, associated with jellyfish since it was the first animal I thought of that felt alien enough to be associated with space. Also known as the Scholar of the Stars.

My basic concept behind her and her personality was “what if the ancient deity was a girlboss.” A stark contrast to the slowly rotting incel with ADHD that we call Tinky. Some would call her arrogant, though it’s important to keep in mind that arrogance implies misplaced confidence.

And hers is definitely not misplaced.

She is smarter than you. Much, much smarter. Gazer has peered into the distant voids of space, and understands the universe in a way no one else can. She knows how the Big Bang happened, she knows about the existence of extraterrestrial life, and the answers to many more unanswered questions about the universe. How does she know? Simple: she figured it out. HERSELF.

She has an IQ of at least 2,000. And she is cursed with knowledge no one else can ever bear: because no one, not even any of her fellow Old Lords, is intelligent enough to understand it.

Kindler is arrogant to the point of being delusional. Gazer is… probably the only one out of those five who actually has her head on straight.

Honestly, she’s also probably the closest to being a good person, as well? Whenever she plays with mortals, it’s usually some kind of simple challenge with fair enough rules, which only gets violent if those rules are broken.

Retonydunfir (aka Rattler)

The God of Decay, associated with vultures. The name Rattler comes from the bones all over his body. Known as the Harbinger of Decay.

Rattler is… you know how I just said Gazer’s probably the only sane one there? He’s close to being sane. Not quite there yet, though.

His base personality is best described as the archetypical cranky grandfather who says the most appalling and racist things as if he’s just talking about the weather. Except Rattler is more intimidating than that.

He works slightly differently to the other Lords in that his powers are fueled. When something somewhere in the universe dies or decays- no matter how great or small- he gains power.

He is obsessed with what he calls the “art” of decay. Partly because it fuels his powers, but mainly because he’s just, for lack of a better term, a nightmare fetishist.

This stretches not only to physical decay, but mental decay as well. Unlike Nibbly, he’s very patient, and prefers to make people suffer through slow torment that steadily gets worse as it continues, rather than just… eating them.

Definitely not someone you want to have on your bad side… or your good side, as he’s known to subject some of his own followers to similar things once they die. What they endured his room (and, to this day, continue to endure in Nibbly’s room) can only be described as a really big, really long retelling of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.

Stinturmor (aka Stinger)

The Goddess of War and Discord, and probably my favourite out of the old Lords in Black? Her associated animal is an ant, because ants go to war with each other all the time. She’s known as the Gyne General (a gyne being the primary reproductive female in a system of insects, i.e. an ant queen).

She has two forms in total. The first and more commonly seen one is a small cartoony blue ant. The second… I can’t talk about what the second one looks like.

She’s also the first of the Old Lords to have her room fully designed. It’s a medieval castle on a hill (🎶 AS THE STORY GOES 🎶), mainly either royal blue or baby blue in colour.

She likes ponies, drinking tea with honey, and drawing her favourite mortals all being horrifically tortured whilst laying on her little princess bed with her feet kicking in the air like a toddler.

…Yeah.

So the main inspiration for Stinger, as well as my headcanon voice for her, was The Ghost of Christmas Present from Scrooged. If you’ve watched that, I’m sure you’ll know exactly what Stinger’s going to be like in the story, specifically when talking to Pokey.

The reason why that specifically is her personality is because, if Pokey represents peace and harmony, she represents war and discord. Dissonance, conflict, contrasting elements between characters.

So naturally, my only option with her was to play up the general vibe of the canon LiB, giving her two sides: the first being this cutesy little whimsical creature who talks like she’s from Oz, and the second being a horrible nightmare that’ll torture you for days on end, kill you as soon as she gets bored, and then resurrect you as soon as she gets bored of all her other favourite playthings.

She also has the ability to summon any weapon at will. And I do mean any weapon, even ones that she shouldn’t feasibly be able to wield. She prefers ones from the Dark Ages or beforehand, but unfortunately for you, our dearest Stinger doesn’t exactly believe in consistency.

For this very reason, I am very much looking forward to writing a scene in Hidden Depths where she just nonchalantly whips out a grenade launcher.

[marvin-cohen]

Hiya Mr. Marvin! Same anon who asked what Whizzer was like, how are you today?

Also! Saw that talking about the good times made you feel at least some semblance of better, so!! I come with a question :D

Favorite date you two ever went on?

Oh- hi again. I'm tired today, didn't get any sleep. Thanks for asking, though.

I had to think a bit about this question, we didn't go on nearly enough dates during the first time we were together- and the second time we didn't have long enough to go on as many as I would've liked.

One that really stands out to me was like a regular date, but for some reason it's one of my favourite memories.

This was about 3 months into us seeing each other for the second time, I think. I went over to his appartment, and he taught me how to make linguini. We ate, watched a movie, and went to sleep.

It sounds stupid, but it was just... a perfect night. He remembered what my favourite dish was, he was an amazing teacher (even if he did keep hitting my knuckles with a wooden spoon), and when we watched the movie- I couldn't help staring at him instead of whatever was going on.

He talked so animatedly when he was passionate, he got this goofy smile on his face and waved his hands around- throwing in little tidbits and fun facts about the actors.

Thank you for asking this, it made a shitty day kinda better.

[hey-august]

Nine people I'd like to get to know better

Thank you for the tag here, @fanaticsnail!! I love that you added extra tidbits and I'm right there with ya on tteokbokki being a delicious compound of flavors. 🤤

Last song: Odio Tutto, Odio Tutti by Ëgo, Dari

I don't know Italian, but this was on one of my daylists and I like it.

Favourite Colour: Pink!

Hot pink or light pink. (Also black.) Tangentially related, one of my favorite icebreakers is "what color do you feel like right now." atm, I feel like an apricot orange.

Last Movie/TV Show: Love is Blind

I like enjoy watching trash TV and shouting at the screen. It's cathartic.

Sweet/Spicy/Savoury: Spicy, please. 🌶️

I want to have the sniffles. Don't ask me if something is spicy because I can't tell unless it's a big heck yes. My mom used to tell me not to eat spicy food when I was sick, otherwise I would get ulcers. I didn't listen and don't have any issues yet sooo 😋

Relationship Status: Married.

He passively watches trash TV with me and I passively watch him play video games. Currently on rotation is Hell Divers 2.

Last thing I googled: "miim miic 99 hair and body oil"

I bought some from Marshall's and it smells SO GOOD. It looks like they might not make the hair and body oil anymore, though.

Current Obsession: Besides writing about the clown - cooking and baking!

The weather is getting nicer and veggies are getting cheaper. Also, there's supposed to be a bake-off at work that I want(ed) to join, so I've been looking up recipes. Right now, I'm tempted to make a Filipino Sans Rival cake, either for the bake-off or just to try it.

7 no pressure tags because I can't think of 9 people without double tagging: @gabegade, @turtletaubwrites, @galaxycunt, @miss-atomic-blog, @feral-artistry, @venulus, @mscyb0rg

[newtonsheffield]

Mollllyyyyyy omg omg omg did you see the photo of Violet on the floor playing with her TWO grand babies. And there is an E block on the floor in front of them. I don't expect much from the show but if this is baby Kathony I'm literally gonna die (I'm not going to assume their gender the show did change Amelia for Augie afterall but neddyyyyy).

I have put the picture under the cut for anyone trying to avoid spoilers

I…. I’m gonna say I think this may be their baby. I’ve been suspicious since we saw those filming things and it looked like Kate was holding a baby but that being said: I’m not gonna pin my hopes and dreams on it.

Here’s why I’m not surprised that we would be getting this news in Queen Charlotte rather than the show itself: Shondaland love the what I call: MCU horror show. Where basically every movie there’s assumed knowledge that you’ve seen everything that came before that. Right down to the most basic fucking superhero you never thought you’d care about but here I am paying $22.50 to see it just so I can understand the next one I might actually want to see. You literally can hardly go two episodes of Grey’s Anatomy without having to deal with Station 19 (🙄🙄🙄). And it’s kind of smart: they want people to watch the show. And they know people will watch if there’s little between season tidbits on their Favourite characters.

I think it’s likely that this is Anthony and Kate’s child and the explained reason for Daphne absence this season is pregnancy.

[kamesama]

— match-up trade: jjk.

for @jae-pudding › match-up trades › i think it's safe to say i made up my mind fairly quickly, but it was a close call between two characters... i'm not gonna keep rambling; i hope you like it!

your match: gojō satoru.

mischievous pranks. learning new things. the most random trivia casually shared throughout an outing. matching clothes. simple-looking but expensive gifts. taste of mint and ice. grunge. polaroids kept in phone-cases, wallets or nightstand's drawers. sunglasses. takeout. paint splattered across a pure white canvas. selfies portraying bright smiles, taken on a whim. men's labello lip balm. squeezed citrus. being eager to speak even with mouth full. conversing well into the night and realising it's 2am. movie nights; salt on your lips and body under a blanket. video games with vhs filter.

there are plenty of similarities, such as the most obvious affection for the mischief as your lips struggle not to arch into a grin whilst some poor unfortunate soul's tongue stumbles over words — or the lack of thereof. the hunger for mental stimuli is clearly present, and gojō satoru would so very love to satiate it. or at least attempt to, for such starvations are oftentimes a pull of gaping bottomless holes.

a potential for acquaintanceship is clearly present, along with the smallest tidbit for some friendly rivalry, or a partnership in crime. it starts with a knowing glance thrown across the room, followed by the nod utterly drenched in understanding before all chaos breaks loose — your words braid together perfectly, fitting like puzzle pieces to form a proper, believing story. it is very likely that yūji ends up victim to your schemes — megumi had long learned not to trust whatever symbiosis occurs between you and gojō-sensei.

but it wouldn't be gojō satoru if he didn't nick a nerve or two; all your similarities aside, this man makes for a far messier phenomena than you could ever hope to be. watch him arrive late to an appointed date, his posture outlined with leisure and with a shameless smile on his face. he makes up for it, though, confident that he could bribe you with your favourite snack or sweet. or his charm, if need be. perhaps a little exasperating, but it wouldn't be a match if it ticked all the boxes, now would it?

yes, he is skilled in everything he tries, but that brings with it an unshakable confidence. should you wish to explore a new place, visit some exotic spot or try something completely insane, gojō would very well be your partner in crime. true, he may whine and pout here and there, but would he say no to something interesting and exciting? never. in fact, he may just come like a whirlwind and suggest you join him on his newest 'that-came-out-of-nowhere' trip. and trust me, he can be very persuasive himself.

there is a lot of space. akin to a cat, gojō sometimes displays fragments of clingy behaviour, but he is more than content with any distance you may desire. he is not tied down by some conservative view of handling one's emotions or expressing their feelings, so there's a sense of respect and understanding towards the ways you digest yours. gojō can stand his own ground, for independence seeps from his very pores. that being said, satoru does not embody an image of someone that you could dislike, for he is witty, capable, and knowledgeable. he may not look like it, but he is a good listener; as someone without all too many hobbies, gojō would adore to at the very least hear you speak of your own interests. go on, tell him how bothersome and insistent weeds in your garden seem to be.

and speaking of digestion, you better believe that satoru indulges you and your cravings — whether they include that itch for knowledge and something new, or a desire to try out that delectable option on the menu of a new restaurant. if anything, you may find satoru eye you as you erase the attribute of 'famished' off your name. there is something cute about it, he says, don't mind me, keep eating.

other matches: nanami kento.

thank you for reading!

— kamesama.

[rangerzath]

I was tagged by @wondrouswendy ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

My username is what I came up with when I was trying to create a character in SWTOR. I originally wanted a character named Zane after Zane Grey, one of my favorite authors, but it was taken. So I had to get creative and I've kept it ever since. I think the name Zath is pretty cool and feels like it represents me well. Unfortunately it's taken in most places so I added Ranger to the front of it encompassing several types of Rangers. From an FBC ranger, the rangers of the wild west , to rangers in Tolkien's fantasy. A protector. One who makes their own way. The title seems to suit me.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

I can't recall.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Negative.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

Everything. From baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, chess. Name a sport and I've probably played it. Big into sports growing up. I was always playing something no matter the season.

DO YOU USE SARCASM?

Indeed.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

If they like Zachariah Trench or not.

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR?

Green.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Happy Endings. Give me the creepy Cthulhu horrors and uphill battles along the way but let them ride off into the sunset and be happy together.

ANY TALENTS?

I have a very vivid imagination. My friends call it "Zath's endless pool of ideas".

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Earth.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

Daydreaming, gaming, writing, reading, video editing, podficcing. Just recently I started drawing. Sharing the good word about my favorite characters.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

Yes a wonderful [REDACTED] named [REDACTED].

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

Enough.

FAVOURITE SUBJECT?

History. It always fascinated me back when I was in school. Even now when I learn little tidbits here and there.

DREAM JOB?

Honestly, I wish I could be a writer, but I have no talent. I have imagination in spades though. Such is my curse.

I'll tag @thefrostflower and @sparkchemy if you would like to participate.

[darlingdarkly]

🥳🍾 Ok, if you encourage me, then I'll go ahead - though I would hate to distract you from FWTD (Haven't read it yet, I'm still too focussed on 141 and can't cope with splitting my attention too much.) Feel free to ignore this, no pressure.

Would you be interested in hearing about my favourite passages of NYNY, like chapterwise, in case you don't find that boring? I enjoy sharing favourite parts because I find fascinating to see what exactly caught other people's attention and what they like best - especially when it comes to the authors themselves. 🤗

Are there passages you love and are specifically proud of? Like for example you had one sentence/passage/setting in mind and felt the need to create a whole chapter, story or even world around it?👁👁🧠💥💋

(Is that too private to ask? In case you wouldn't want to answer (in public), just let me know.🤫)

((It might sometimes take me a bit of time to answer but I would never NOT react at all sooner or later. Hope that's not too frustrating a prospect...👉👈))

Enjoy the day/night 🤘

YESS OMG! Ok so I’d love to answer this with you but it’s gonna be lengthy LMAO so I’m gonna drop it under a read more 😅

Ok so I’ll give you a little secret about where the idea for him came from in the first place. I came up with this idea back in December of last year, a new movie came out on Netflix called “The Killer” it follows this hit man around who botches a kill and then the people he works for try to clean it up by taking out him but they end up really hurting his wife and so he goes rogue and takes out everyone who had anything to do with the job. His final target is this rich guy who put up the money for the job and he finds out he goes to this fitness club and he goes there while he’s working out to get access to his house. The fitness club/ bougie gym in question was called “Baliquinox” and while I was sitting there watching it the idea came to me and I literally stole the name of the gym and reused it as like a little homage to where the idea came from.

And thus personal trainer Johnny was born! When I sat down to actually write it I had three main scenes I wanted to write, their first ever introduction where he picks her out or part 1, the scene in part four where they fuck for the first time (let me tell you that scene lives rent free in my head for months!) and the ending (specifically like the last paragraph) your girl wrote that WHOLE fic with just those three scenes in mind at the start. Everything else, literally all of it was thought up on the spot.

Funny enough the whole FitBit present he gives her was thought up as I wrote that part. I heard a commercial on Spotify for it, did a little more research and saw all the potential it had. And I had no idea when I wrote it in just how big a part it was gonna end up being in parts down the road. It was kinda just improvised haha

Two of my favorite little tidbits!

The first is in the second part when he’s sitting her down and asking her all kinds of questions that get increasingly personal to the point where she thinks he’s fucking with her (because he is) but I wanted to show that he’s intelligent enough to masquerade his gross intrusiveness as part of his job and then when he’s got you suckered he drops the facade completely and reveals his true intentions. It’s the first of Johnny showing you his true colors and I absolutely loved writing it, it was such a blast and I really enjoy writing manipulations like that. And then when reader heads to the locker room to recompose and dress she has her mind set to set him straight and draw some boundaries which when confronted by them Johnny just pliantly agrees and makes her feel kinda small for making such a big deal of it but we all know he’s pulling the wool over readers eyes again.

Secondly! I loved the morning after the club incident when she wakes up and she’s in Johnny’s bed and she can’t remember anything and Johnny writes the narrative for her and plants a seed. It’s really all it takes. He tells her that it’s OBVIOUS she was drugged last night and there’s no way she can go back home because she’s in DANGER!! (A danger he created the whole time) He played her right into his hands, swept her right off her feet without her even protesting because he’s helping her and doing it for her own good.

A man like Johnny is hyper intelligent and hyper dangerous. When he has his sights set on something he wants he will get it every time because he’s not afraid to play outside the lines. There are no boundaries and no limitations, there’s just the object of his desire and the obstacles in between him and it. And when you’ve walked into the trap and he’s got you, it won’t even seem like a trap. You’ve just suddenly gained a boyfriend and he’s moved you into his home and the sex is amazing and you never have to care for anything ever again. He’s just all in one move wrapped you up into his arms and secured you and it’s where you’ll be for the rest of your days if he can just keep manipulating things in his direction, which is much easier now that he’s got you right where he wants you.

This became so lengthy omg haha but I love him so much! He’s obsessive and he wants you all to himself and he’ll do anything to get it! Please, feel free to reblog this and tell me your favorite parts or add onto mine or discuss!! I would love it! 🫶🫶🫶

[muninnhuginn]

here we go. please ignore the quality, but these are a few of the media I highly rate that I've sorted into groups based on shared qualities with other media. the idea is along the lines of "if you like this show because of y theme, then you may also like z show which shares said theme".

a few bonus recs that I couldn't fit on this list (because I either didn't want to give stuff away or because they fit into multiple different groups at once):

Link Click (donghua) (time travel, first season much more about individual stories, second season more plot-based. Two seasons out at present.)

Spy x Family (animanga) (yes, I know everyone knows about this one already, but it's one of those shows that strikes such a good balance between the humour and the drama. and the way that the manga arcs start to increasingly weave in social commentary is so well done. Ongoing series.)

Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju (animanga) (full disclosure, I haven't yet completed this hence not wanting to put it down yet, but so far it's really impressed me. It's a complete series.)

Full list of media (and some more tidbits) below the cut:

Serial Experiments Lain (anime)

Complete

Really fascinating dive into the Internet, identity, and conspiracy theories. Despite being released over two decades ago, it's somehow more relevant nowadays. That said, there is an underlying thread of tension and it's hard to piece together what's happening at times. Very surreal and heavy on the unreality. So, it's probably not for everyone (and it'll be fairly obvious early either way), but if that sounds like your jam, then go for it. (EDIT: Also, I just realised that I entirely forgot that this series also belongs in the ND-coded protag circle because Lain's whole deal has a lot of overlap with schizophrenia/psychosis in general.)

Jibaku Shonen Hanako-kun (animanga)

Ongoing

The anime is an incomplete adaptation for this (though it does have Ogata Megumi) and the manga goes much further. It's a monthly release and the art is gorgeous. It's centred around a school where urban legends come to life as the supernatural. I've seen some people say it's fairly light-hearted a series before, but I can't really say I agree, especially when it comes to the later chapters. It can play into particular anime tropes at times though.

Princess Tutu (anime)

Complete.

There is also a manga, but I've heard it's pretty different and I've not tried it so can't really comment. If you like ballet and European folktales then this is the show for you. It's... probably aimed at the lowest age range of all of my recs and it does show at times, but I'd point to it as an example of how just because a show is aimed at younger ages, that doesn't mean it has to look down on you. Anyway, it's neat seeing the protagonists interact with the concept of the story they themselves are a part of.

Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime)

Complete.

The manga for this is meant to be pretty different so keeping this rec to the anime. Obligatory "look up trigger warnings" if you think you may stumble into something you can't handle, because this show sure covers a lot of fairly dark topics. Still, it's pretty surreal and at times ridiculous so it's not all dark all the time. The premise is around a girl who wants to be a prince, who participates in duels for the hand of the 'rose bride'.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica (animanga)

Complete (og series)

The manga iirc is fairly similar, but the anime is really good in its presentation so would recommend anime over manga for sure. The soundtrack and the way it's directed both elevate the story massively. Anyway, twelve episode season, with a movie afterwards you can decide whether to proceed to or not. It's about what it takes to be a magical girl, and what is taken. I imagine most people nowadays know the big twists already but in case you don't, I'll just say that the foreshadowing in it is one of my favourite things. So much rewatch value.

The Locked Tomb (book series)

Ongoing. Three books out, with fourth expected to be final.

Speaking of foreshadowing, this series has so many levels of foreshadowing going on, I think it would take many rereads to catch it all. The first book in the series is a relatively standard murder mystery, but after that, the author immediately cashes in the good will earnt to become increasingly experimental. Each book therefore is pretty different genre-wise, despite being set in the same universe and progressing the same story. Anyway, I know this one isn't for everyone, but I'd say at the very least give Gideon a shot.

Orphan Black (Canadian drama)

Complete.

This is a co-production between a US and CA company but Wikipedia classes it as Canadian so okay let's do that. Okay. Orphan Black is about discovering you may be a scientific experiment and the questions inherent in that. In this case, it's about clones. The main actor has such range and she plays half the cast and somehow makes it work. I will say it takes her a couple of episodes sometimes to get the accents right (I took psychic damage occasionally), but once she's got it down she keeps it. This one is another genre blender, with different clones progressing different subplots. One of them off doing an investigation whilst another is trying desperately to live in a soap, etc.

Severance (US drama)

Season one complete, season two ambiguously in the works.

More science experimentation. This show is based on a premise wherein people can partition off parts of their brains so that their work selves are entirely independent of their non-work selves. The two selves have no shared memories, but they are in theory the same person. It brings up a lot of questions about nature vs nuture, along with commentary on religious cults and workplace rights.

Oddtaxi (anime)

Complete.

We follow a taxi driver through his daily life, picking up passengers, dropping them off, getting accidentally (or maybe--) involved with the local gang members. It's pretty chill, but as you go on you realise just how thoroughly everyone's lives are intertwined with each other. And there's a mystery or ten to be solved. If our driver guy can be bothered. This and Reset both fit into the incredibly small niche I like to call "character-based mystery show with social commentary set in a vehicle". Very catchy.

Reset (cdrama)

Completed

Time loop scenario where a pair of strangers are caught on a bus that keeps blowing up and have to try and figure out how to escape. I feel like the pace at which the audience figures out stuff is timed really well to whenabouts the characters figure out stuff, but there's a lot of foreshadowing I didn't realise until I rewatched a few episodes. Just, really solid mystery and character drama.

March comes in like a lion (animanga)

Ongoing (manga)

Full disclosure. I have only watched the anime of this and from some of what I've heard about the later parts of the manga it's likely to stay that way, but! The parts covered by the anime are something special. I grouped together this series with Skip and Loafer and Frieren because they're very... they're all about 'moving forwards, despite'. So, at the start of this series, the mc is pretty depressed, but as it goes on you get to see him slowly unfurl out of that. You get to see him make new connections, progress with shogi (aka, what the series is ostensibly about), and just generally let himself live again. It's a very wholesome anime without letting itself forget the darker aspects of life.

Skip and Loafer (animanga)

Ongoing (manga). Season one of anime complete.

This is a definite comfort show and has one of my favourite depictions of developing friendships (I want to say something here about the intersection of platonic and romantic but I'm not sure how to put it). This show/manga follows Mitsumi as she starts at a city school after growing up in a rural village. It has her meet new obstacles and new people and shows how they all influence each other. Overall, it's a fairly gentle story, but I think it pulls off heartwarming so well because it can also do heartwrenching.

Frieren (animanga)

Ongoing.

I may regret putting an ongoing anime here before it's even finished airing (staying anime-only for now personally). So far though, this is a show about grief, and living life beyond that. It's a show that could so easily be a tragedy but chooses to venture beyond instead. It follows Frieren (an elf with a long lifespan) as she realises that she hasn't really allowed herself to know people properly and decides to fix that. It's a fairly standard fantasy setting so it's hard to describe what's so appealing about it, but it's very intentional with its parallels, with putting the words of long dead characters in the mouths of those who never knew them. Very cyclical. The first four episodes released in one go, so if you're thinking of giving it a shot, I'd watch those four before deciding whether to drop.

Stranger (kdrama)

Two seasons out. Can be taken as complete at end of either season though still open for more.

So, it's a drama about prosecutors/corruption, a lot of the standard kdrama jazz. It has one of my favourite pairs of besties though and I love how many threads are woven through all levels. It's a show that's heavily plotty (the number of times you're forced to recalculate as you get more pieces is ridiculous but in a good way), but despite that, doesn't neglect the characters.

Mob Psycho 100 (animanga)

Completed.

An OP protagonist would rather focus on his non-psychic attributes. I tend to struggle with OP protagonists sometimes, but this show/manga deals with it well, because the point isn't actually *about* Mob's powers. It's more about how his powers are linked to his emotions. There are plenty of fights (and they're all incredibly well animated), but the tension isn't usually in "who will win", and I don't mean that in a bad way at all. Anyway, the show is for the most part a comedy (it does have some off-colour jokes at times unfortunately, though they're mostly relegated to specific episodes at least), but my favourite parts are always when you get to see the other side of things. This show also has Reigen, for whatever that's worth. (I hate the fact he's so well-written. Why couldn't he just be the meme and nothing else.)

Arcane (US animated)

Season one complete. Season two in the works.

You don't need League knowledge for this despite it being based off it. This (like a few of the others actually) is a three-act structure following Vi and Jinx as they grow up in the shadows of Piltover. Visually, it's a gorgeous series, and the mix of 3d and 2d works so well. Despite being only nine episodes long, it manages to fully develop scores of characters with their own interweaving subplots, all culminating with the finale. It's another one with social commentary, in this case, it's not particularly subtle, but it doesn't actually need to be. And it does the showing not just the telling so it works in tandem.

Blue Eye Samurai (US animated)

Season one complete.

And now we reach the revenge trio of shows. I will fully admit I started this series because I saw many a pretty gifset across my dash. And the aesthetics absolutely hold up. This is an Edo-era revenge quest by a samurai who has given up on happiness. It starts fairly tropey and by-the-book, but it pulls off the execution solidly and infuses a lot of symbolism into the main trio (especially Mizu, but Akemi gets plenty as Mizu's reflection). There is a decent amount of sex and graphic violence though and, given that the show deliberately conveys various characterisation points through them, they're not really skippable. Try not to wince at the pronunciation of Japanese words either. It's old-style English anime dub level a lot of the time when it comes to names/places, despite a lot of the setting itself being relatively well-researched from what I can tell. I guess it's just a disparity between the voice actors and the writers.

Nirvana in Fire (cdrama)

Complete. There is a season two but it's a next generation deal.

Terminally ill guy returns to the capital to get justice for a betrayal before his time is up. Despite how grim that sounds, the show itself has a much nicer balance between the light-hearted and the serious. It does chuck you right into the depths from the very start (I know a lot of people refer to charts for relationships for the first few episodes until they get the hang of it), but once you start to understand, you can really get the impact. How the previous generation has echoed onto the current generation. Also, the main character is Mei Changsu, one of my favourite schemers. He knows how to troll, even (or maybe especially?) as he's plotting someone's downfall.

The Glory (kdrama)

Complete.

The mc in this show (Moon Dong-eun) was bullied at highschool, to the extent she was suicidal. The show is about her revenge on the bullies, as she sets the pieces for their own flaws to fell them. I will say for this, that the first episode is imo the darkest in tone. The later episodes do still touch on darker topics (sexual assault, suicide again), but for the most part, the first episode is the darkest to help you understand why she's willing to go to the lengths she is. And yet, despite that, a line of hope runs through the show. There's a line early on about the solidarity between victims vs the solidarity between abusers and it's a real thesis statement for the whole show.