#top gun vertigo

[1doesnotsimplyhavejust1fandam]

So what I’m getting from Tim posting a 9-1-1!Vertigo movie poster and including Buck, not Marisol, in what is presumably Midge’s role, is that there didn’t necessarily need to be cheating for this arc to work. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

I love a good dramatic arc and Vertigo is a banger choice for Eddie’s Catholic guilt and Shannon grief arc, but as far as I know (yes, in my hour of Wikipedia and Twitter deep-diving), that movie doesn’t actually contain cheating, so I’m curious if there’s a reason for it other than drama or not making a carbon copy 9-1-1 version of Vertigo. Is it to make the audience start to dislike Eddie like the Vertigo audience is meant to slowly dislike Scottie, as he continues to make bad choices? Is it to encourage the GA to see Buddie with Buck as the pining Midge? Desperately want reassurance that Tim realizes by making Buck a part of this storyline (especially as Midge), there is no feasible way to dismiss that. Even if Buck’s feelings aren’t explicitly addressed, that poster and any potential on-screen pining aren’t going to be swept away. Season 7 paralleling season 4 regarding Buddie and it’s because The Will and the Vertigo Arc won’t be ignored by the fandom. We’re all gonna go a little crazy methinks, and I can’t wait.

[polar-equinoxx]

My Updated Masterlist!!✨

My ao3 account: polar_equinoxx

Take your pick, all of these are sfw, full of fluff or angst and definitely hurt/comfort.

All are rated either gen or teen!!

The number in brackets are the words for the multi-chapter fics!!

Series’

☁️ The Heavens Told Me That Clouds Have Been Grey

All of my icemav fics

☁️ There’s A Silver Lining On Every Cloud

Icemav kiss prompts from this post here , feel free to send me prompts to write!

🌟 Canons Shoot Ships But Not This One

Fics that slot neatly into the canon timeline, contains feels (and icemav kisses)

❤️‍🩹 Goose Lives AU

Nobody dies AU, Goose and Slider get icemav together in hilarious ways (I need to write more for this series tbh)

🪽 Angelus AU

The icemav boys are angels, and that isn’t normal… (wing fic/s)

🌠 Shooting Stars

A three part icemav get together, and they discover they have more connections with each other than ever

Multi-Chapter Fics

🍁 Hot Summer Nights To Cold Winter Days (18,018)

A retelling of tg86, but icemav get together sooner

❄️ Returning To You (25,400)

Ice gets amnesia, very angsty, also (not) -one-sided pining (with a 1.5k epilogue)

🌙 When The Human Strokes Your Skin That Is When You Let Them In (29,042)

Another retelling of tg86, Mav closes off from everyone post Goose’s death

🌷 Galloping Into The Cold (5,777 - unfinished)

Alternate Universe, the boys ride horses, also a huge class divide between Ice and Mav

🐎 Heaven In Your Eyes (8,160 - unfinished)

Alternate Universe - cowboys, circa 1886

🧊 Not Enough (11,433)

A backstory for Ice, if you will

🌹 Roses (5,303)

Ice POV pining for Mav with intense flower symbolism and multiple valentines days

🌪️ Vertigo (22,867)

Alternate first meet, circa 1984, (they are young babies) Ice finds Mav drunk in the bathrooms and takes care of him. (With a 1.4k extra)

💫You Can Be My Light (wip)

An Ice-POV retelling of tg86, featuring a lot of pining, feelings and emotions

[atinylittlepain]

We'll Be Expecting You - A Joel Miller Story

Joel Miller x pregnant!reader/pregnant!oc

Joel Miller masterlist

Baby Miller is on the way. Are they ready?

warnings | 18+ SMUT, angst, descriptions of pregnancy, descriptions of giving birth (non graphic lol)

a/n | it's here! this can be read as a standalone fic but it is really a continuation of Unexpected Expectings, it's pretty fun either way I think :) also, um, it's long, so go get a snack and sit down, yeah?

.......................

“That’s it, honey. Feels good, huh?” His lips are a smear against her temple, bare chest curled over her back as he keeps her steady with firm but gentle palms smoothing up her hips. She clenches her hands against the bathroom counter, weakly pressing back into him with each thrust.

“Joel– feel s’good, fuck– don’t stop, please–” He shushes her, bringing one of his hands down below the swell of her belly, fingers finding her clit and rubbing tight circles that have her whining and throwing her head back against his shoulder. This has become how most mornings start since she had entered her third trimester, the morning sickness that had been rocking her all but gone and a new wave of hormones that had made her impossibly needy for him. And sensitive. 

“C’mon, mama. I know you can give me one more. Please– need to feel you.” The low thrum of his words is all it takes to snap the banded pleasure pulled taut at her spine as her cunt spasms around him. He’s not far behind, rutting into her one more time before his warmth is spreading through her core, his damp forehead pressing between her shoulder blades. He lays a kiss to the nape of her neck, a comfort as he pulls out and she whimpers. Turning in his hold, they meet in a sloppy kiss as she runs her fingers through his hair, brushing back his sleep-mussed waves. His palms splay over the wide arc of her belly, and he pulls away with a chuckle, looking down at his hands and shaking his head in awe.

“I think our boy’s awake, darlin.” She grins, laying her hands over the tops of his.

“You’re still gunning for a boy, huh?” His eyes dart up to hers, a crooked smile on his face. She shakes her head, but doesn’t say anything, smacking one more kiss to his lips before getting the water running for their shower.

It’s a bit of a struggle getting dressed these days. There aren’t exactly any maternity stores to go shopping at in Jackson. She’s been making do with an elastic looped through the button of her jeans and Joel’s flannels, but even those are starting to stretch at the swell of her stomach. It’s hard to believe that they’ve made it to December, that in a little under a month it’s going to be time for this baby to come, one way or another. 

She’s trying to stay calm, Joel already a nervous wreck the closer they inch to her projected due date, but the truth is, she’s just as scared as he is, if not more. There were no two ways about it, it hadn’t been an easy pregnancy. Much to her initial protest, Joel had gotten her off patrol shifts early on, but she wasn’t so upset about that when the vertigo episodes started coming on daily. There had been many a time when she just had to lay down where she stood and close her eyes until the room stopped spinning, something the town doctor had assured her wasn’t uncommon in pregnancy. 

It certainly freaked Joel out though. He wouldn’t move from her side if he was with her when it happened, keeping a warm palm rubbing up and down her back. What had scared him more was when she actually started to lose weight during the second trimester, her nausea getting so bad she was lucky to keep sips of water down. He had taken time off of patrol then, staying by her side and trying to coax any food into her system that she could tolerate. They learned then that baby Miller had a particular affection for mashed potatoes. But it seemed like she was out of the woods once she hit the seven month mark, at least until the delivery. 

“You know, I can still tell Tommy to go with someone else.” She huffs at his words, finishing up the buttons of her (his) shirt before waddling over to him. That’s the other thing, she waddles now. She’s never waddled in her entire life. She can see the entirely amused look on his face as he watches her from where he’s standing in their bedroom. When she reaches him she smacks his chest lightly before rubbing her palms up to clasp behind his neck and tug on his hair.

“I’m glad my gimpy walk is entertaining to you, Miller. But you wouldn’t be looking so smug if you had an entire human pressing down on your pelvis with each step.” He breathes a laugh, dipping down to press a kiss to her scrunched nose. 

“I know, darlin. That’s why I think I need to stay close. I just– I don’t wanna–” She leans up to cut him off with a kiss.

“You’re not gonna miss anything. We’ve got nearly a whole month before doctor Graham thinks it’ll be time. And I’m feeling the best I have in the last eight months.” He huffs, shaking his head at that as he brushes his knuckles under her jaw.

“You’re tougher than most, that’s for sure.” She snorts at his words.

“Damn right I am. Go. Do your watch with Tommy. And come back on Wednesday in one piece.” She rests a palm over the curve of her stomach. It’s obvious Joel’s fighting a smile under his furrowed expression, but he finally gives in.

“Alright, mama. I’ll be back before you know it, yeah?” He brings his much larger hand to rest over hers on her belly. She grins.

“We’ll be expecting you, Joel.”

…

Joel heads out soon after a quick breakfast. He and Tommy do this every season, camping out at the dam for a few days to make sure everything’s in order. Nothing was ever really wrong, a few swaths of infected, maybe a stray raider or two. It’s a routine check-up, and she isn’t worried in the slightest. It’s Monday, and he should be back Wednesday morning, nothing to worry about at all.

As she’s washing up after breakfast, Ellie comes bounding into the kitchen, holding something behind her back. She turns from the sink, resting her hand on her hip and taking in Ellie’s wide-eyed expression.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I swear you get rounder everyday. Seriously, that kid is gonna bust out of you all Alien style. Like ahhhhh.” Ellie makes more groaning noises, miming an explosion around her own abdomen before dissolving into laughter. She however, is less than amused.

“I take it that’s what was playing at movie night yesterday?” The girl hums, seeming to remember what she actually came in to tell her. She holds out what she had been hiding behind her back.

“Traded for this last night. Thought it’d be nice for the baby since she’s coming in the winter and everything.” She takes the bundle of fabric from Ellie, holding it out and seeing that it’s a sweet little quilt embroidered with pink and purple flowers. The other thing about being pregnant is how emotional she’s gotten, and before she even knows it, she’s starting to sniffle as she grasps the plush blanket. Ellie’s brow furrows, coming alongside her and awkwardly patting her back.

“Shit, don’t cry. It’s nice right?” She chuckles wetly, pulling Ellie into a tight hug that elicits a small “oof” from the girl before pulling away and holding her by her arms.

“It’s so nice, Ellie bean. I love it. Baby’s gonna love it too. I’ll tuck it in the crib for when they get here.” Ellie grins.

“You know, you can just say she. Everyone except for Joel thinks it’s gonna be a girl anyways.” She laughs, shaking her head at Ellie’s smug expression.

“I know. But he wants a boy so bad, the damn fool. I’ve been waiting to finish putting together the nursery because everything people have given me is pink.” Ellie laughs at that, sidling past her to get a glass of water from the kitchen.

“Might be a good time to get that done. Just rip the band-aid off before he gets back, you know?” She hums, folding the blanket back up in her hands.

“You’re probably right, kid. I’ll work on it today. The pinkening.” Ellie snorts around a swig of water before glancing at the clock hanging over the stove.

“Shit, I gotta go. My shift started five minutes ago.” She squeezes the girl’s shoulder as she brushes past.

“Be safe, alright? You better be home for dinner.” Ellie smiles, nodding over her shoulder as she’s already halfway out the door.

…

She’s been keeping all the baby odds and ends she’s been given in old boxes in a closet upstairs. Most of it really is pink, and she didn’t want to dash Joel’s hopes just yet. She picks up one of the boxes with a groan, shuffling down the hall to the nursery they’ve been working on. It had been Ellie’s room when they first got here. It was obviously a teen girl’s room before, bright colors and patterns on the curtains and the rug. But Ellie was more than happy to trade the room for her own little apartment in the garage that Joel had helped her build out. She could play her music as loud as she wanted to, a point that had really sold her on the idea. The twin bed remains in the room, but now pressed against the wall across from it is a crib. Joel had worked on it all summer, collecting scrap wood, sanding it down to perfection, carefully laying the pieces together, and carving swirling patterns into the rails. She had spent many a hazy afternoon sitting in his workshop with him, ogling the push and pull of his muscles under his thin t-shirts as he worked on it.

She shakes her head of her quickly simmering thoughts, starting to pull out impossibly tiny pieces of clothing to fold in the dresser. It feels odd, this quasi-nesting she’s doing. She certainly never thought she’d get to do anything like this after, well, after. In her old life, she did want kids someday, but she had only just started college when the world fell to pieces, and suddenly that desire turned into a pipe dream that she resolved herself to let go of. How things have changed.

She spends the rest of the morning organizing the baby’s room, laying the blanket Ellie had given her in the crib as a final touch. 

Pregnancies were sort of a big deal in town, and for good reason, so when folks found out that baby Miller was on the way, they started dropping off old toys and books, cloth diapers and bottles, anything that might be helpful. It was nice, if not a little stifling. She knew there was a weariness to their excitement for her, an unspoken acknowledgement of how quickly it could all go south. The further along she got, the less she liked being out around town as people seemed to get more handsy, asking more questions about how she was doing that only made her nerves worse. The only person who disliked it more than her was Joel, keeping a protective hand over her belly whenever they were out in town together, a deep scowl on his face if someone started getting too nosy. But at this late stage of pregnancy, her doctor had all but commanded her off any work detail, a free pass to stay in and away from prying eyes, though she did still like to help out at the stables most days. 

Glancing at her watch she sees it’s about time for her to head over to the stables. She sighs, standing in the doorframe to take one more look at the nursery.

“Ready when you are, baby girl.”

…

“You must be distracted because I’m whooping your ass harder than usual, man.” Joel huffs at Tommy’s words, throwing his cards down on the table and sitting back in his chair. Night is quickly closing in on the plains, and the brothers have set up their usual camp in the dam control room, a small lantern lighting their games of gin. Tommy smirks at his brother.

“Joel, she’s fine. She’s got Maria and Ellie looking out for her, and doctor Graham told you herself that everything’s looking good. There’s nothing to be worried about.” Joel scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Don’t remember you being so relaxed when Maria was this close to her due date.” He’s got him there, a beat of silence passing before Tommy shrugs.

“Okay, maybe that’s true. But looking back, there was no point to that, getting so freaked out. Because I knew that Maria was strong, that she’d get through it. And hell, that woman of yours is one of the strongest people I ever met.”

“It’s not just about strength, Tommy, not in this world. You know that. One little thing gone wrong, that’s all it’d take.” Tommy lays his cards down, leaning over the table to look Joel straight in the eye.

“Well, that’s why we’re not gonna let anything go wrong, huh? All of us, Joel. We’ve got her. We’re gonna finish this watch and then we’re gonna go home and she’s gonna be fine because we’ve got her.” Joel swallows thickly, not wanting to press the issue any further, though his mind is still swirling in worry. He nods at Tommy.

“Get some sleep. I’ll take first shift. We’ll sweep the south side tomorrow morning.” Tommy nods, getting up and squeezing Joel’s shoulder before laying out his sleeping bag and settling in. 

As the quiet of the night deepens, Joel finds his mind wandering. He can’t help thinking about how different the circumstances with Sarah had been. And not just for the obvious reasons. Joel had been so young, so reckless, and when Sarah’s mom came to tell him they hadn’t been as careful as they thought they had, it turned his world upside down. What had started as a hazy one-night stand turned into a shotgun wedding, an attempt to do what his father told him was the right thing. But the only thing that brought them together was Sarah, and even that hadn’t been enough. Before his baby girl could even walk, Sarah’s mom had flown the coop, divorce papers in the mail a few months after she left. Joel didn’t even care, not when he suddenly could hold his whole life in his arms. Sarah was his whole life, from the moment she was born until the moment he lost her.

But this was different. Joel still has a hard time telling her he loves her, mostly because it feels like love isn’t a big enough word for what they have, what they’ve been through together. But, he does love her, so much it terrifies him. He’s been struggling to even wrap his mind around what he feels about this baby, their baby. Part of him fears forgetting Sarah, though he knows that’s impossible. The other part of him fears just how far he already knows he’d go for this person who isn’t even here yet. 

He sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. It’s going to be a long night.

…

It had been a long night. She had already been having trouble sleeping, but laying down in an empty bed made it all but impossible to get any rest. It had also been a particularly uncomfortable night. Wicked cramps had kept her restless through most of the night. She wakes up the next morning to a clenching pain in her low back. She assumes it’s just because of the weird position she had ended up sleeping in, curled on her side in a jumble of pillows, and hobbles out of bed with a groan. Glancing at her watch, she’s shocked to see how late she slept, quickly cleaning herself up and padding downstairs, wincing at how the pain doesn’t seem to be dissipating. 

She finds Maria and Ellie in the kitchen, both of them brightening when she walks in.

“Well, good morning. Was starting to get a little worried that the alien finally busted out of your guts.” Ellie laughs at her own joke, but Maria shoots the girl a look before smiling back at her.

“You feeling alright?” She huffs, rubbing her low back.

“Yeah, just a little tired I guess. But my back is killing me. It’s like someone is wringing my spine.” Maria hums, passing her a glass of water.

“Sounds about right. I remember I could barely walk that last month, my back had seized up so much. Are you hungry? I made oatmeal.” She scrunches her nose, shuffling over to the kitchen table.

“I’m really not, but thanks. Think I just need to sit down for a moment.” Ellie takes the seat beside her, concern splashed over her face.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” She tries to offer her a smile, but it comes out more as a grimace.

“I’m alright, Ellie bean. I just–” She cuts herself off with a gasp when a sharp pain slices hot through her pelvis. It’s only afterwards that she realizes she had dropped the glass she was holding, shards all over the floor. Maria is cleaning the mess up in a flash with a dishrag.

“I’m so sorry, Maria– I don’t know what that was, I–” “Oh, shit.” Her eyes dart back to Ellie who’s staring at her pants. She glances down, having to look twice when she sees the liquid darkening the insides of her pant legs. She feels a cool panic settling in her spine.

“No no no no no–”

“Ellie, go tell doctor Graham she needs to get here, immediately. You’re gonna have to ride out to the dam after and get Joel.” Ellie nods at Maria’s words, her mouth agape, as she jerkily stands, but stays still, staring at her. Maria brings a hand to her shoulder.

“Go, Ellie. I’ve got her.” Ellie finally looks away, dashing out the front door. She meanwhile feels like her head is full of static, the only salient thought she’s having coming out of her mouth like a prayer.

“It’s not time yet, it’s not time yet.” Maria kneels down in front of her, taking her hands and squeezing hard.

“It looks like it’s time, alright? A little early, but nothing we can’t handle. C’mon, we need to get you cleaned up and comfortable.” Maria goes to help her out of her chair but just then another shooting pain jolts through her that leaves her gasping for breath. Her voice is a cracked whine when she speaks again.

“I need him here, please, Maria. I can’t do this without him.” Maria nods, eyes wide.

“Listen, Ellie’s gonna get him back here as quick as she can. But we gotta worry about you right now, ok? Can I help you stand up?” She’s already helping her up, tucking under her arm to help her walk.

She can’t believe this is happening.

…

She can’t believe this is happening.

Ellie mounts Shimmer in a panicked haze, and when she gets out of the walls of Jackson, she rides harder than she ever has before.

She had been excited about this new addition to what she had only just started to call her family, but now, there’s only pure fear running like ice in her veins. This wasn’t supposed to happen like this, and it has become incredibly clear that she could lose her today. The biting cold wind is freezing her tears on her face, but all she can think about is the gasp the woman she had started to think of as her mom had let out, and the crumpled look of pain that dashed across her face. If she hustles, it’ll be a three-hour ride out and back home. A lot can happen in six hours.

…

“Can we open the windows? I feel like I’m sweating buckets.” Even though it’s the middle of winter in Wyoming, Maria nods, creaking both windows open to let the frigid air in. She won’t let it show, but she’s nervous. It’s early, and unexpected. Unexpected is never good. 

Kevin had come early, back before. They had to keep him in an incubator for two weeks. She remembers only being able to touch him through plastic gloves, how it had sent her reeling, not being able to hold him close to her right away. What she would have given to have him laid on her chest the instant he was born instead of being whisked away by nurses. She just hopes that it’s not too early for her, this woman she’s come to think of as a sister.

She had certainly been wary of her, and of Joel, when they first came, grizzled partners of obvious violence that they were. But seeing the way they took care of Ellie, and of each other, it became clear to her that their violence was never purposeless, rather an unavoidable cost to their quiet love for one another. They were family now.

“Let’s get you into some fresh clothes, alright?” She nods to Maria, biting down on her clear expression of turmoil as Maria takes her into the bathroom.

“Do you think you can stand for a bit? Would a shower help?” She gets no response, a vacant stare has settled over her face. Maria kneels down to get on her level where she’s sitting on the closed toilet seat.

“Hey. I need you to stay right here with me, alright? Ellie’s gonna get Joel back here as quick as she can. But you have to focus on this right now. I’ve got you, you’re not gonna do this alone.” She brings her focus back on Maria, tears threatening to spill over. A twinge runs through Maria’s chest at the sight of this normally tough woman on the brink of dissolving. She takes both her hands in hers.

“C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up.”

…

Tommy hasn’t seen his brother like this in a long time. As he patrols the perimeter of the dam, he thinks to himself that Joel probably hasn’t acted like this since before the world ended, since before he lost Sarah. While it’s clear he’s worried, it’s also clear he cares. And while he’d never admit it to him, Tommy can see that he’s excited. For the first time in a long time, Tommy thinks that Joel looks wide awake.

But, damn, had he been so close to fucking it all up. Tommy had been so upset that day, when she knocked on his door and dissolved into tears, telling him what his brother had said. She’s tough as nails, and so is Joel, but it’s clear they’re each other’s weak spot. He’s just happy Joel didn’t fuck it up any worse afterward. There was no question he knew how to do it right. It was something Tommy always admired, and aspired to, how good he was with Sarah. When he found out Maria was pregnant, his mind often wandered to those first years that Joel had Sarah, and how amazed Tommy had been at how quickly he filled his new role. A natural father. Joel had told him he was hoping for a boy, but Tommy couldn’t see his brother not raising a girl.

He keeps walking through the snow, eyes shifting, looking for anything out of place. Like usual, it’s quiet, and he reckons Joel is finding the same thing from where he’s surveying a little further south. 

It’s not quiet for long, however, his ears pricking to the sound of what he thinks are galloping hooves. He stills, cocking his gun, eyes darting around him, settling on the lone rider bounding toward him. He fixes his sight in the scope of his rifle, letting out a low curse when he can see that it’s Ellie.

This can’t be good.

…

“You’re about six centimeters dilated. We’re getting there, my dear.” She lets out a low groan as the next contraction washes over her.

“Jesus, fuck.” Doctor Graham checks her watch.

“Five minutes apart. And it ain’t jesus, honey. That’s all you.” Maria snorts at that, helping her get up from her bed so she can start pacing again. It’s the only thing that’s been taking her mind off the contractions. She glances at doctor Graham who has sat down in the armchair to take more notes.

“Doctor? How much longer do you think until it’s time to– it’s time–” She sets down her notepad, smiling softly at her.

“Well, I’d say anywhere from two to four hours until you’re ready to push. But then that’s gonna be a whole new rodeo. And I’ve told you a hundred times already to just call me Suze.” She nods, trying to muster a smile as she continues to pace the rug, Maria hovering alongside her. She glances at her, a hopeful lift to her brow.

“Joel will be back by then, right? He’ll be back in time?” Maria sighs, squeezing her arm.

“I just don’t know. But I hope so.” She doesn’t have time to frown at her words, not when a new contraction is making her keel over where she stands. 

“Three minutes apart that time. Certainly getting closer. Baby’s gonna be here soon.”

…

Joel feels like he’s drowning as they hurry to mount up and get home. When Tommy and Ellie had come bounding towards him, he didn’t believe it at first, had shouted at Ellie that it was impossible, it was too early.

“Well you’re not the one who saw her fucking water break, old man!” That had shut him up quick. As they strap their packs to their horses, it feels like tiny fissures are splitting through his heart, and each breath is threatening to send him crumbling to pieces. He can’t think about it, if he does he’ll get paralyzed by terror, but all he wants is to scream because she needs him and he isn’t there. 

He’s broken out of his haze by the stark sound of guns cocking. 

They jerk around in a flash, he and Tommy holding up their rifles, Ellie whipping out a knife. Four men come prowling out of the treeline, the mouths of their guns facing them down. Raiders no doubt. Joel is just about ready to destroy them with his bare hands if he has to, but he takes a beat, trying to gather his fracturing thoughts.  One of the men finally speaks.

“You folks better drop your weapons if you know what’s good for you.” No one moves, Joel quickly glancing at Tommy.

“I said drop your fucking weapons!” Here’s what Joel knows in that moment. He knows that Ellie still carries a gun tucked in the back of her belt, even though he keeps telling her not to. He knows Tommy’s got a side piece tucked under his jacket, as well as a hunting knife strapped to his leg. And he knows that he himself has enough unadulterated rage in his body right now to rip this man’s head clean off his shoulders. 

He glances at Tommy and Ellie again, the slightest nod, and they all drop their weapons, palms up. The men step closer, eyeing the horses.

“Where are you folks from?” It’s Tommy who responds.

“Nowhere, we’re just passing through.” The man sneers at him.

“Oh yeah? Those horses look pretty good for you to be just passing through.”  Ellie butts in.

“We–we stole them! From an old couple a few miles north.” The men keep inching up on them. Joel just needs them to get a little closer. The man who seems to be the leader sizes Joel up.

“Well, then I guess it’s no hard feelings if we take them off your hands, huh?” It’s almost imperceptible, the look he shoots at Tommy and Ellie, a silent understanding that’s arisen after enough standoffs together. Joel’s on the man before he can even get his finger on the trigger.

He can hear gunshots ringing out, catching the sight of two of the men falling in his periphery, but he’s too zeroed in on the man he’s throttling into the ground to check if it had been Tommy or Ellie who got them. He keeps his hand pinning the gasping man down by his throat, reaching back to draw his knife out.

“Real sorry about this, but the missus is expecting me.”

…

She thinks briefly of the time she got shot in the thigh. Back when it was her, Joel, and Tess, and their smuggling business in the Boston QZ. Tess had to pluck the bullet out of where it had lodged in the muscle of her thigh, digging a pair of tweezers into the wound. She thinks that this hurts way more than that. 

Her voice doesn’t sound like her own, doesn’t even sound human,  when she lets out a low, guttural scream, pressing her head back into the pillows, her chest heaving under her sweat-soaked tank top. Doctor Graham - Suze - is kneeling on the end of the bed between her spread legs. Maria is holding her hand tight alongside the bed.

“Nine centimeters. We’re gonna have you pushing in the next hour, my dear.” She sobs, shaking her head.

“No, we can’t– we can’t yet– please– we have to wait–” Maria shushes her, bringing a damp cloth to her forehead.

“Listen, Joel’s gonna get here when he gets here– if we try to wait it could hurt you or baby. You have to do this, Joel or no Joel.”  Maria squeezes her hand, offering her sips of water that she refuses. She lets out a humorless laugh, bracing for another contraction.

“I swear to god if he doesn’t get here in time, I’m gonna fucking kill him.”

…

Ellie’s never seen Joel move so fast, and the second he’s mounted, he’s gone, damn near impossible to catch up with in the whipping snow. She and Tommy do their best to stay on his tail, but he quickly becomes a speck in the distance as they all ride home.

…

She’s not sure how long she’s been pushing now, but it feels like an eternity. The only thing keeping her a sliver sane is Maria guiding her through each push, breathing with her.

“We’re crowning, my dear. You’re doing so great, honey. Let’s get ready for another strong push.” Her eyes dart between Suze who’s kneeling between her legs and Maria, wild panic creeping up her throat. Maria takes both her hands, holding her gaze firm and steady.

“I’m here with you. We’re gonna do it together, alright?” Suze squeezes her knee.

“I’m gonna count you down, my dear, and then I want another beautiful push just like you’ve been doing. Three– two–”

She lets out a blood-curdling scream on one.

…

“Open the fucking gates!” Joel glances over his shoulder, barely making out Tommy waving his red bandana in the air and hollering into the wind. He turns back, hearing the harsh groan of the wall opening. He’s coming in hot, hotter than he should. Normally people have to dismount before they pass through. But nothing about this is normal. 

He whips through the narrow opening, galloping right down the main drag of town, people scrambling in shock to get out of his way. 

When he reaches their home, he sees a whole cluster of people hanging on the railings of the porch, heads craned up towards the open windows on the second floor. He brings his horse to a hard, skittering stop, the crowd whipping around to look at him with agape expressions. He dismounts, but is stuck where he stands when a preening scream comes resounding from the windows. His heart finally shatters. He rushes up to the front door before thinking twice and shouting over his shoulder at the bystanders.

“Don’t you people have anything better to do? Get!” He barely hears their shocked gasps as he slips inside and slams the door behind him.

He’s still got his rifle strapped around him as he bounds up the stairs two at a time. He shoulders into the bedroom right as she’s letting out another ragged scream. The sight of her takes his breath away, her crumpled expression as she finishes pushing, her sweat-damp hair stuck to her face. Suze is quick to fix him with a hard look before he gets any closer.

“Oh, absolutely not, mister. You’re not getting anywhere near her until you lose the gun and clean off whoever’s blood that is.”

…

Her eyes crack open after her last push and she’s shocked to see him standing there.

“Joel?” He yanks his rifle off his shoulder, dropping it outside the bedroom door. She can see blood spattered across his jacket and face. 

“I’m right here, baby.” He quickly shucks off his jacket and boots, hustling over to the bathroom. She cranes her neck and can just see him harshly scrubbing at his arms and face before he hurries back into the bedroom, Maria moving out of the way to let him kneel down alongside the bed. She narrows her eyes at him as he takes her hand.

“F-f-fuck you. I’ve been trying– trying to wait for you all day. Do you know how fucking hard that’s been?” His face goes slack at her harsh words, but before he can respond a contraction hits and she has to push, curling up over her stomach and bearing down hard as Suze counts her through it. She squeezes his hand tight, slumping back in a mess of heaving breath when she’s done. He takes her face in his hands, holding her gaze steady.

“Are you seriously mad at me right now? I’ve been trying to get back to you all goddamn day! You were the one that told me to go, you mad woman!” She huffs, getting ready to reply but Suze cuts her off.

“Hey! You two! Cut the bullshit so we can get this baby out, huh? A few more strong pushes is all it’s gonna take.” Her focus immediately falls back to the pain she’s in, and she grips onto both of Joel’s wrists, whimpering his name.

“I’ve got you, mama. Tell me what you need. What can I do, baby?”  

“Want you closer, please– n-n-need you with me, closer.” He shushes her, letting go of her face and coaxing her to sit up a bit as he gracelessly crawls onto the bed to slide behind her. His legs splay out, framing her bent knees, and she rests back into his chest, her head laying back on his shoulder. For a moment, relief floods through her body as he brings a forearm to wrap over her sternum, hand squeezing her opposite shoulder as he presses kisses into her damp hair.

Suze settles back into position between her legs, Maria now standing alongside the bed with towels and scissors ready. Suze gives her a firm nod.

“Alright, my dear. I’m gonna count you down and you give me another strong push.” She brings her hands to curl over Joel’s forearm bracing, herself for another lick of pain, while he lowly murmurs in her ear.

“I’m here with you, baby. You’ve got this. I’m right here.”

…

“Three– two– one.” The scream she lets out sends a jagged shiver down Joel’s spine and he finds himself grinding his teeth as she bears down, her nails digging hard into his arm. He hadn’t been there for Sarah’s birth, not really, she was a c-section. This is certainly different.

She slumps back in his hold, her head lolling on his chest as she looks up at him through teary eyes.

“I can’t– I can’t do anymore, Joel– please.” He squeezes her shoulder, bringing his other hand to tangle with one of hers.

“You can, baby– I know you can– strongest person I know, huh? You’re so close, baby, just a little bit more.” She lets out a broken sob and Joel hates that he can’t do more for her, helplessly pressing a kiss to her forehead and continuing to murmur to her. Suze clears her throat.

“I think this next one is gonna do it. But you gotta make it a good one, my dear. Can you do that for me?” She huffs in his hold, shuddering around another sob before sitting up a little more against his chest.  When she looks up at him, there’s steel in her eyes and Joel realizes that those weren’t just comforting words he told her, she really is the strongest person he’s ever met. She looks back at Suze and gives her a quick nod.

“Count me down. I’m ready.”

…

It’s a searing pain and then the sweetest relief she’s ever felt. The room is awash with the sound of cries and it makes her head go dizzy that it’s coming from her baby. Suze snips the umbilical cord, and Maria wraps the squirming thing up in towels before giving her a bright smile.

“It’s a girl.” What she wasn’t expecting was the breathy laugh Joel lets out over her shoulder at that, his words dripping in awe.

“It’s a girl. Our girl.”

Maria carefully walks to the side of the bed and lays her on her chest. It’s the most natural feeling thing in the world as she cups her impossibly small head, a tiny palm splaying like a star over her sternum. Joel brings a tentative palm over their girl’s little back. She glances back at him, tears settling in the creases of his smile. 

“You did it, darlin. Did so good for her– you’re amazing.” She breathes out a wet laugh.

“I had help.” Joel grins, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Just a little. But that was all you.” She snorts, looking back down on her girl whose cries have settled into low coos before glancing back at Joel.

“You helped.” That makes him laugh, gaze focusing back on their girl.

“Just a little. Christ– know I wouldn’t shut up about wanting a boy– but she’s perfect.” She smiles, settling back against his chest and watching as her eyes open for the first time, wide and wild as she seems to take in her and Joel. He lets out a low sigh.

“Hey, baby girl. M’sorry I almost missed you. Never gonna happen again, huh? Think your mama would kill me first.” She scoffs, jostling back against him as he chuckles. He rests his chin on her shoulder, fully enrapt with their girl as she starts to look around, tiny fingers flexing against her chest.

“What’s her name, darlin?” She bites her lip, craning her neck to look back at him.

“I was thinking Olivia Sarah Miller. What do you think?” She sees his features soften even more, a sweet sadness threading into his joy. He nods.

“I think that sounds perfect for our girl. I love you, darlin. Love you both so much.” His voice is warbly, but she’s still never heard him sound so sure of something. She offers him the same certainty in her own voice.

“I love you too, Joel. And our little family.”

The sound of stomping boots sounds through the house, and Ellie comes blustering into the room, cheeks red and puffing hard breaths.

“Oh thank fuck. Is it– are you– are you ok?” Maria and Suze both chuckle from where they’re cleaning up Suze’s supplies. She smiles at Ellie, lightly nodding, but it’s Joel who speaks.

“They’re both alright, kid. Your sister’s a fighter, just like her mama.” As if on cue, Olivia lets out a small cry, her tiny fist pressing into her chest. Ellie laughs in disbelief.

A little family indeed.

…

Joel’s back is killing him. The first few weeks have been a bit touch and go with Libby coming so early, and they’ve been sleeping in a crunched tangle on the twin bed in the nursery, hardly leaving the room, making sure she’s warm and fed at all times. So Joel’s back is killing him, but he doesn’t care at all, not when every time he leans over the crib he’s met with the sweet sight of their girl, their little amalgamation of all their best parts. 

“Well, she’s looking good, very healthy, nice strong lungs, putting on weight just like we want her to. I’d say you’ve got a tough one on your hands.” His shoulders slacken in relief at Suze’s words as she starts packing up her bag of medical tools. Libby begins to fuss in her crib and her mama is quick to pick her up, murmuring to her and bouncing her lightly before turning her attention back to the doctor. 

“So would you say we’re in the clear?” He can see the worry creased across her face as she asks the question to Suze. He brings his arm around her shoulders, squeezing lightly as he gazes down at their girl. Suze grins.

“While anything’s possible, my professional opinion is that Miss Olivia here is going to do just fine. Although right now I’d say she’s looking a little hungry, so I’ll get out of your hair.” Suze slings her bag over her shoulder, nodding to them both before letting herself out.

She’s already moving to sit in the rocking chair that had been a gift from Tommy and Maria. Joel would never admit it, but he’s been getting worked up every time he gets to see her feed their girl. A softness takes over her that’s rare in this world, all hushed murmurings as Libby’s hand splays over the swell of her breast, content gasps coming from their girl as she starts to suckle. Joel can’t help but hover whenever he gets the chance, leaning against the back of the chair and dropping a kiss to her temple every now and again, sharing little smiles between watching their girl.

“Ellie told me she thinks you’re getting soft, Miller. Said she can’t believe you’ve opted out of patrol shifts to work the stables.” Joel huffs, standing up straight to stretch his aching back.

“Just got more important things closer to home I guess. But I ain’t getting soft, no ma’am.” She hums at that, craning her neck to peer at him.

“Oh really? It wasn’t you I heard up here yesterday afternoon singing some sweet little song to Libby?” He balks at that, trying to stifle a grin as he shakes his head. He had spent some time with their girl yesterday afternoon while she caught up on sleep on the couch downstairs, and maybe he had started humming tunes to her, watching her eyes widen with the sound of his voice like magic.

“Nah, couldn’t have been me. Think you’re hearing things, darlin. All them hormones are messing with you.” She rolls her eyes at that, righting her shirt before standing with Libby in her arms. She sways slightly side to side, looking at him over the top of Libby’s head.

“I like you soft, Joel. It’s a good look on you. At least when you want to be.” There’s such adoration in her eyes as she looks at him that he can’t help the blush creeping up his neck. 

“Only for my girls. Everyone else can fuck off.” She laughs hard at that, shushing Libby when she starts to fuss at the sound. He shuffles over to her, coaxing their girl out of her arms and into his. He had thought it’d feel awkward, holding her for the first time, but it all came back to him in a flash, and now nothing felt quite as right as when he had her little body resting in his arms. She steps back, taking in the sight of him and humming.

“Don’t let Ellie see you like this, she’s gonna think you’ve gone full teddy bear.” He only grumbles a little, too focused on watching their girl’s wide eyes peering around. If being soft means he gets moments like this, he’ll take all of Ellie’s heckling, no complaints at all.

…

“So what’d the doctor say? Everything looking good?” “Kid, if you don’t chew first you’re gonna choke with the way you’re talking. Just slow down a little, huh?” Ellie huffs at Joel, swallowing around her bite of dinner before looking at her expectantly. She chuckles lightly at the girl’s eager expression.

“She said Libby’s doing great, told us that she’s a tough one.” Ellie grins, startling Joel when she slaps him on the back.

“Well seeing as she came from you two hardasses I’d sure hope she’s tough– I say that with love, of course.” Joel grumbles, side-eyeing her and muttering “of course.” She lays her hand over Ellie’s from across the table.

“Ellie, I never really thanked you for what you did that day, riding out like that. You don’t know how much that meant to me.” Suddenly shy, Ellie offers her a soft smile, shrugging.

“Couldn’t let the old man miss all the fun, right? I’d do it again in an instant, just so you know. Seeing as I– like– love you guys– I guess.” She glances at Joel who’s obviously trying to hold back a grin. She squeezes Ellie’s hand.

“We love you too, Ellie bean. Me, the old man, and your little sister.” Ellie’s smile brightens into a grin at that. Joel grumbles again.

“Can y’all stop calling me that? Not even that old, goddamn.” They share a laugh at his furrowed look. As they finish dinner, she can’t help but sit back and take in the sight of this strange family they’ve created. Joel and Ellie bickering about training the new horses for the spring, Libby dozing in her bassinet alongside the table. It’s something she could have never imagined, but she knows it’s perfect. It’s family.

…

“Suze said we really don’t need to be sleeping in there with her now. It’ll be ok, we’re like ten feet further away and a whole lot less cramped.” Joel seems unsure about what she says, glancing back at the crib where they just laid their sleepy girl down. She huffs, tugging on his shirt collar to pull him along across the hall to their bedroom. 

“Joel, it’s fine. She’s gonna be crying in a few hours and we’ll both end up back in there anyways. Why don’t we try to get some sleep not as a human pretzel beforehand, huh?” He sighs, but acquiesces to her coaxing, following her into the bathroom as they both start getting ready for bed.

It’s silly, but she can’t stop watching the muscles in his forearm jumping as he brushes his teeth, her thoughts going a bit fuzzy and warm. Sex has been the last thing on her mind these last few weeks, and Suze had told her that was normal with all the hormonal shifts. But with six weeks in the rearview mirror of absolutely nothing, she’s getting hot under the collar just looking at his goddamn arms. She clears her throat, gripping the edge of the sink as she looks at him through the mirror.

“You know, Suze told me something else during my check-up today.” Joel hums, wiping toothpaste off his mouth as he turns to look at her. 

“Yeah, she, uh, gave me the go ahead for the other kind of human pretzels.” She’s mortified at her horrible joke the moment it leaves her mouth, but Joel lets out a laugh, throwing his head back and crinkling his eyes shut. She huffs, the floor suddenly becoming very interesting as he tries to recompose himself. When he sees her crestfallen expression, he immediately dips down, trying to catch her gaze while stifling his laughter.

“Aw, honey, I’m sorry. Just– please– never use the phrase human pretzel again.” He can barely get the words out as he dissolves into another laugh.  She rolls her eyes, turning to walk away from him but he’s quick to pull her in until her back is snug against his chest, his arms wrapping around her as he dips his chin down onto her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry– I’m done, I swear. So, uh, are you telling me you want to?” She scoffs, trying to get out of his hold but he just squeezes her tighter.

“Well, I did. But then somebody laughed at me.” He shushes her, pressing kisses into the side of her neck that trail up her jaw all the way to her temple.

“C’mon, mama. Don’t be like that, huh? Been missing you so bad.” She’s already melting in his grasp at the way he’s nuzzling the slope of her neck, letting his lips drag over her skin. She lets out a breathy sigh of his name and can feel the way his mouth curls into a grin.

“Now that’s more like it, darlin.” She turns in his hold, meeting him in a hard kiss. They both groan into each other’s mouths, practically devouring each other in a tangle of tongues and bumping teeth. Only coming up for quick gasps of air, they shuffle back into the bedroom, hands roaming and wandering. Joel’s quick to lose his shirt with a harsh tug of it over his head and she immediately dips to smear kisses along his chest, fingernails grazing down his front. He tucks his fingers under her chin to bring her back up for a kiss, licking into her mouth hotly. But she stills in his hold when his fingers start working at the buttons of her flannel.

“Wanna see you– been missing just looking at you.” His words are murmured hotly into her neck, so he doesn’t catch the crumpled look that’s settled over her face. 

She knows it’s stupid, but she’s been hiding from Joel over the last few weeks. It seems like her body looks a little different with each day, and while he had practically worshiped her pregnant body, this wasn’t that, and it certainly wasn’t what she looked like before. She steps back a bit, gripping his wrists to keep him from getting any further with her buttons. He looks at her with total confusion.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” She sighs, tucking her chin into her chest, too embarrassed to meet his questioning gaze.

“I just– it’s different– I’m different– don’t want you to be disappointed.” A heavy silence falls between them. She’s shocked when it’s broken by Joel laughing, quickly whipping her head up to see him looking at her like she’s gone mad. She huffs.

“I swear to god, Joel Miller, if you laugh at me one more time, I’m gonna–” he’s quick to cut her off, grabbing her hands and pulling her back towards him.

“Hey, hey, hey– I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing at that ridiculous shit you said. I don’t wanna hear that kinda talk from you ever again, huh? You– you’re amazing. I could never be disappointed when I look at you, darlin. You wanna know why?” She glances at him, seeing that he’s grinning.

“Because, when I look at you, I see the woman who was batshit crazy enough to love me.” She snorts at that, but he’s not done.

“When I look at you, I see the woman who gave me life back. Who gave me family. You’re everything, darlin. When I look at you, I see everything.” Tears run down her cheeks as she laughs wetly at his words.

“Ellie’s right, you have gone soft.” He huffs around his grin, shaking his head as he dips down to wrap her up in a deep kiss, bringing his palms to cup her jaw as he all but takes her breath away. When he pulls away, it’s only slightly, their lips lightly brushing as he murmurs to her.

“Will you let me see you, darlin? Please?” She holds his gaze, nodding only slightly, but it’s enough to get a broad smile out of him as he lays one more kiss to her lips before letting his hands wander back down to the buttons of her shirt. 

She holds her breath the whole time, only exhaling when he slips the shirt down her shoulders. When she finally glances at his face, all she sees there is awe as he lets his fingers ghost up her hips, her sides, over the tops of her bare breasts.

“So fucking beautiful. Just wanna look at you, huh? Never wanna stop looking at you.” Before the hard blush creeps any further up her neck, she pulls him in for another kiss, her mind swimming in the feeling of bare skin pressed to bare skin. Joel starts to shuffle them back toward the bed until the backs of her knees hit the mattress and she’s splaying back with a soft “oof” as he hovers over her.

Joel’s mouth starts to wander, trailing down her neck, along her collarbone. She can’t help but preen when he laves his tongue over the swell of her breast, letting his teeth graze the sensitive skin there before doing the same to the other side. He keeps meandering lower and lower, leaving open-mouthed kisses and nips in his wake until he’s nudging his nose along the waistband of her pants. She huffs under his teasing ministrations and he looks up at her deep pout with a smug grin.

“Patience, darlin. Just trying to love on you a little, huh? Been a while.” She cards her fingers through his hair, letting out a long sigh.

“It has been a while– so quit fucking teasing already.” He snorts at that, murmuring into her skin how she’s “so bossy, goddamn” but he seems to comply with her plea, fingers working quickly to undo her pants and slide them off her legs along with her panties.

He kneels at the foot of the bed between her legs, eyes roaming over her completely bare figure, lips parted and eyes blown wide. She feels like she could melt he’s looking at her so hard. He brings his palms to her calves, dipping down to nose along the inside of one leg, trailing up and up and up until his breath is just grazing where she needs him most. But he’s gone in an instant, and she actually whines as he starts to mouth down the soft skin of her other thigh. He shushes her, his low murmuring rasp thrumming through her skin.

“So beautiful. My beautiful woman. I’ll give you what you need, darlin.” With that, he skims back to the apex of her thighs, and she shivers as he coaxes her legs over his shoulders, spreading her out for him as he lays between her thighs. No more teasing, he licks a broad stripe through her folds that makes her press her head back hard into the pillows. He works her over like a man starved, fingers flexing into the softness of her thighs as he licks into her, smearing her wetness up to her clit and laving over the nerves there. She lets her fingers drag through his hair, tugging lightly, his low groans sending jolts through her core. A ragged moan draws through her chest when he pulls away just slightly to spit on her cunt, quickly chasing the slick with his tongue and coaxing out more gasps from her.

“Fuck, Joel– feel so good, please– I need– I need–” she can’t even get it out, she’s so far gone, but he knows her well enough to understand what she wants, slipping two of his fingers inside her and finding a steady rhythm as he mouths at her clit. 

“Want you to come for me. Just like this. C’mon, darlin, lemme see you.” The combination of his words and his wide eyes gazing up at her send her falling right over the edge of pleasure. She comes with a harsh gasp of his name, fluttering around his fingers as he works her through it. 

He pulls away, shifting up the bed until he’s caging in her heaving body, stealing messy kisses tinged with the taste of her. She brings her trembling hands to the waistband of his jeans, fumbling with his belt until he gets the hint, sitting back to quickly shuck his pants down his legs. His cock is hot and stiff where it rests against the plush of her thigh, she can practically feel him throbbing. 

“Joel, need you so bad. Want you– wanna feel you–” he quiets her murmurs with another kiss before fisting himself and sliding the head of his cock through her folds, hissing at the contact. She whimpers when he starts to press into her and he immediately stills, worried eyes darting to hers. She cups his face in her palm, stroking his jaw reassuringly.

“It’s ok– just need it gentle, baby.” He hums, turning to press a kiss to the middle of her palm.

“I’ve got you, darlin. Wanna make you feel good.” He’s slow and careful as he rocks into her, laying kisses on her lips with each little gasp she lets out as he shifts deeper inside of her. When their hips finally meet, they both let out ragged sighs, and he presses his forehead to the top of her sternum, panting hard into her skin.

“Fuck, I missed you– I’m not gonna last long, darlin– feels too good– always so good for me.” She grazes her nails down his back, letting out a sigh of his name.

“Need you to move, Joel– please, baby– just wanna feel you–” he presses a kiss to the dip between her collar bones before pulling out, languidly rolling his hips back into hers in a way that has them both gasping. She crooks her leg up along his hip, spreading herself open for him to press deeper as he finds a steady rhythm of push and pull. They move well together, just like they always have, her hips canting up into his with each thrust as they swallow each other’s sighs and moans in a mess of kisses. Joel brings one of his hands down to the softness of her stomach, fingers circling her clit.

“Will you come for me, darlin? Fuck– please, honey– need to feel you.” It doesn’t take much more for her to dissolve around him, digging her nails into the sliding muscles of his back as he fucks her through it. She hisses when he pulls out, watching dazed as he strokes himself over her before painting his spend across her heaving stomach. Joel flops down beside her as they both catch their racing heartbeats. She turns her head to look at him, a grin crooking across her face.

“Still got it, huh, old man?” He huffs out a laugh, turning onto his side to draw her in for a kiss.

“Still got it, mama.”

After getting cleaned up, they may have only gotten an hour of sleep before their girl woke them both up with a cry, but it had certainly been worth it. 

[whathorselegs]

I like to think when Chuuya can't use his ability he gets awful vertigo.

Like say Dazai and Chuuya allow themselves to be captured for a mission and their guards know enough about their abilities to handcuff them together. So Chuuya can't use his ability, but it's fine because Dazai's just waiting for the right moment to pick the lock.

Then they hold them somewhere high up.

Maybe a cliff edge, maybe it's a roof top. Heights hadn't bothered Chuuya for years. They did a little when he was younger and still learning to control his ability. When leaping off something still risked an injury. Except now he has no safety net, if he and Dazai go over the edge the guys with guns keep pushing them closer to, he's actually going to fall.

And it's windy.

He's never really noticed how strong and loud the wind is this high up. It could bowl him over if he's not paying attention. Straight off the edge. It's cold and it whips his hair. It catches in his clothes forces him off balance for just a second.

Then he notices his shoes. Why is he wearing formal shoes? They have next to no grip. He could slip so easily. Dazai's wearing the same type, if Chuuya trips up, he's likely dragging Dazai down with him.

Speaking of Dazai, he is not helping.

He's used to being the distraction, getting captured, playing the princess. None of this is bothering him at all. He's annoying their guard. So the guard keeps threatening them, pushing them closer to that edge.

And every step Chuuya takes feels like the ground is too far away.

And every turn of his head makes the world spin around him.

And his stomach is churning.

And his hair keeps getting in his eyes and mouth.

He can't breathe.

He can't see.

Then Dazai takes his hand.

Its warm and solid and it grounds him. Dazai squeezes his hand and for a second he feels the nails press into his skin.

"Focus, Chuuya." It's all he says before he lets go, but it's enough for Chuuya to realize, he doesn't feel the handcuffs anymore. The loss of the sensation of No Longer Human covering him.

And he grins, because now it's time to pay back a certain guard who likes bullying his captives.

[aenokiawrld]

⋆⭒˚｡⋆✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

𝓶𝓸𝓿𝓲𝓮 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 !!

ft. the strawhats

masterlist

a/n: going to see ayesha erotica tonight, omg what if she signs my right tiddy

what movies do the straw hats like?

─── ⋆⋅ ♰ ⋅⋆ ───

18+ !! MINORS DNI

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cw: my headcanons, if u don’t agree that’s fine just writing them cause it’s silly, grammar lowk rn cause im crazy

tags ✮⋆˙ crack fic, i just randomly thought of this and immediately had to write it on docs lmao, if it’s ooc i lowk don’t care

luffy

not say saying this to infantalize lil bro but i see him unironically into how to train ur dragon and mostly likely watched it over 100x. but tbh, i don’t blame him bc the movies are lowk gas so.

i also see him getting riled up over king kong vs godzilla or just any action movies like marvel. oh and he would definitely headcanon the crew as different marvel characters for funsies.

probably kins brad pitt

zoro

you cannot fucking tell me bro doesn’t watch kill bill or any bruce lee movie.

definitely got scolded by nami when she found him recreating a scene from charlie’s angels.

idk i don’t got a lot to say about him bc i feel like bro’s just interests are self-explanatory. he definitely is against the whole romance sappy shit.

nami

my girl loves some cute ass rom-coms, i can feel it. she definitely eats up 13-going-on-30 or 10 things i hate about you.

oh, she eats up telenovelas…who cares if it’s in another language, if it involves love, angst, and death, she don’t care. on the wings of love~

definitely cried watching marley and me, cannot tell me otherwise

usopp

this man is watching the rom coms with nami. he unironically loves romance movies. sure, he’ll watch a few action movies but come on…bro was prolly watching the new sydney sweeney movie his bestie (nami).

nami will invite him to the library while the whole crew is asleep for silly sleepovers. they’ll put on a random rom com while gossiping and giving eachother spa days.

him and nami were holding eachother while sobbing after watching the ending to marley and me for the 10th time.

sanji

watches any movie that discusses the beauty of culinary art.

he definitely enjoyed watching the menu and became fascinated with the horror elements that complimented a “sophisticated work of art.” oh and prolly watched the american girl movie with olivia rodrigo as grace (cause she’s like a baker in the movie lmao).

*sigh* ok so like he prolly LOVES titanic and imagine rose as nami. prolly tried sneaking into usopp and nami’s sleepover but got his ass beat cause he wasn’t chill enough to come ova.

robin

ik she into them campy movies or horror but mostly psycho horror. in terms of camp, definitely the devil wears prada. for horror, she’d prolly like hereditary(?) (lemme sit on it ill prolly change it later) or she’ll like them classics and im not talking about just 80s classic, no, she prolly watching dracula before it had fucking sound.

franky

fucking top gun maverick. bro is the definition of a gen x mom. or prolly crying to a studio ghibli movie or the notebook(?) OR he can be cunty by watching legally blonde bc elle woods is SUPPERRR tbh i think bro’s taste would lowk be diverse.

chopper

mid joining usopp and nami’s sleep over and crying with them to marley and me. or he prolly watching zootopia and would be so amazed bc it’s an allegory for segregation

jinbe

watching that one lowk boring movie about stocks with christian bale. lowk fucks with that one princess diana movie with kristen stewart. yk what, fuck it, he prolly fucks with the godfather.

brook

some stupid ass movie from the 50s?? full on black and white shit. wait, ok, i did a film class and all i can remember was like vertigo which was lowk good and whats up doc.

[echanique]

100 películas que tienes que ver por lo menos una vez en la vida: 1. El Padrino 2. Pulp Fiction 3. El Club de la Lucha 4. Tiburón 5. Matrix 6. 12 hombres sin piedad 7. Forrest Gump 8. Apocalypse Now 9. 2001: Una odisea del espacio 10. Lawrence de Arabia 11. El silencio de los corderos 12. La Naranja Mecánica 13. Blade Runner 14. La Vida es Bella 15. Seven 16. Salvar al soldado Ryan 17. Cinema Paradiso 18. Ciudad de Dios 19. Amelie 20. Chinatown 21. Rocky 22. Parque Jurásico 23. La ventana indiscreta 24. La Gran Evasión 25. El puente sobre el río Kwai 26. Los intocables de Eliot Ness 27. Atrapado en el tiempo 28. El Gran lebowski 29. Fargo 30. Vertigo 31. Braveheart 32. Requiem por un sueño 33. Barry Lyndon 34. Birdman 35. American Beauty 36. Fargo 37. El nombre de la rosa 38. El graduado 39. La jungla de cristal 40. Memento 41. Magnolia 42. El viaje de Chihiro 43. La la land 44. El Exorcista 45. Regreso al Futuro 46. En busca del Arca perdida 47. E.T. el Extraterrestre 48. Reservoir Dogs 49. El bueno, el feo y el malo 50. El Padrino Parte II 51. Cadena Perpetua 52. Top Gun 53. Dune (2021) 54. Up 55. Joker 56. Call me by your name 57. Star Wars 58. InterStellar 59. Origen 60. El Señor de los Anillos 61. El caballero oscuro 62. JFK 63. The help 64. Casino 65. Uno de los nuestros 66. Shutter Island 67. El infierno 68. El Secreto de sus ojos 69. Old Boy 70. Ratatouille 71. Akira 72. 300 73. Infiltrados 74. Sin City 75. Match Point 76. La mejor juventud 77. Big Fish 78. Eduardo manostijeras 79. Beetlejuice 80. Para todos los gustos 81. Intocable 82. La cena de los idiotas 83. El guateque 84. Salvar al Soldado Ryan 85. Beautiful Girls 86. Trainspotting 87. Agárralo como puedas 88. Aterriza como puedas 89. La lista de Schindler 90. Terminator 2 91. La Chaqueta Metálica 92. Cazafantasmas 93. Koyaanisqatsi 94. El expreso de Medianoche 95. Las aventuras de Jeremiah Johnson 96. Cantando bajo la lluvia 97. Érase una vez en América 98. Amores Perros 99. Psicosis 100. El sexto Sentido

Javi Carnicero 🏴‍☠️ on X: "100 películas que tienes que ver por lo menos una vez en la vida: 1. El Padrino 2. Pulp Fiction 3. El Club de la Lucha 4. Tiburón 5. Matrix 6. 12 hombres sin piedad 7. Forrest Gump 8. Apocalypse Now 9. 2001: Una odisea del espacio 10. Lawrence de Arabia 11. El silencio de los… https://t.co/IUIr5TWWIe" / X

[sadrockandwaltzes]

Film Class Rankings

Finally, after 4.5 months of my film class, it is over and the rankings are out! (Long list ahead)

First, my class's ranking:

Top Gun: Maverick (2022), Joseph Kosinski

Inception (2010), Christopher Nolan

Jurassic Park (1993), Steven Spielberg

Black Panther (2018), Ryan Coogler

Jaws (1975), Steven Spielberg

The Killing (1956), Stanley Kubrick

The Third Man (1949), Carol Reed

Arrival (2016), Denis Villeneuve

Rear Window (1954), Alfred Hitchcock

High Noon (1952), Fred Zinnemann

All The President's Men (1976), Alan J. Pakula

Vertigo (1958), Alfred Hitchcock

Casablanca (1942), Michael Curtiz

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Stanley Kubrick

Maltese Falcon (1941), John Huston

Citizen Kane (1941), Orson Welles

I personally did not care for the majority of their placements... after some deliberation I decided to place the movies based on my own personal enjoyment of them rather than how good of films they were.

I sorted them into 3 categories:

Liked: Black Panther, 3rd Man, Arrival, Rear Window, All the President's Men

Eh: High Noon, Space Odyssey, Maltese Falcon, Citizen Kane, Top Gun, Vertigo, Jaws

No: Jurassic Park, inception, the killing, casablanca

And here was the final ranking:

Arrival (2016), Denis Villeneuve

All The President's Men (1976), Alan J. Pakula

Black Panther (2018), Ryan Coogler

Rear Window (1954), Alfred Hitchcock

The Third Man (1949), Carol Reed

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Stanley Kubrick

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) , Joseph Kosinski

High Noon (1952), Fred Zinnemann

Jaws (1975), Steven Spielberg

Citizen Kane (1941), Orson Welles

Maltese Falcon (1941), John Huston

Vertigo (1958), Alfred Hitchcock

Inception (2010), Christopher Nolan

Casablanca (1942), Michael Curtiz

Jurassic Park (1993), Steven Spielberg

The Killing (1956), Stanley Kubrick

1-2 I was deciding between All the Prez and Arrival for the top spot, but even though I liked Prez's plot better, I think that Arrival was good in pretty much every category and had the best parts of Inception and Jurassic Park, with the cool shots of Vertigo. It's also the only one with a female mc? What's with that

3. Black panther's a good movie and has nice visuals, but I've already seen it before and it's the kind of movie I'd probably only want to watch once.

4. I liked the concept, and it was very colorful. Character wise it's not the greatest, but I still maintain that Rear Window with the characters of Saw would be the greatest thing ever... Also I liked Grace Kelly's outfits. She had some great (and a few less great) styles.

5. 3rd man. I think the score could've been better, but I liked the characters, plot, and setting. Also it's the only one on the list directed by a woman? How'd I not notice that. It's also one of the few with an interesting female main character so.. go figure.

6. Plot and character wise... I didn't really know what was going on at the end, and the other parts weren't super interesting. It was super beautiful though! I felt like I was watching an art piece or one of those no word heavy detailed picture books. Music not bad, and points for managing to look movie poster ready in the majority of scenes

7. Top gun was pretty good. I haven't seen the original, but it kind of made me think of those family spy movies or suicide squad, if they were members of the military and not utterly despised. I was wondering if Iceman had a thing for him, and then found out that people had been thinking similar things in the first movie too. So props for consistency. It's hard to make good sequels.

8. I don't care for Westerns, but I actually liked this alright. Also it's short. Space Odyssey was so long that everyone was snoozing at parts, but this one was just a drama about a guy and his lackluster relationships. Also ngl Gary Cooper in that movie kind of looked like the police chief from the Arcane series, so that made my day.

9. Not much for sharks or the ocean, but it wasn't bad. They got the obligatory team bonding and tragic backstories, random kids whose purpose is only to be cute/innocent and/or a martyr, the mysterious crazy old guy, and the good old state of Massachusetts. I probably like it more than I would Moby Dick if I ever got around to reading it. Would consider watching again.

10. Citizen Kane wasn't bad to look at, and plot was pretty straightforward. I guess it's sort of funny if not sad to hear all this guy's associates rag on him after death, but I thought it was interesting. The 2nd wife was my favorite character.

11. Best character was the secretary. Kind of sad how a lot of these movies are clearly written by people who don't like/understand women, but they still often end up being the best characters. Anyway the movie was pretty dull, but it really turned around in the last 20 or so minutes. Went from being 30 to 100. It also had one of the greatest movie endings I've seen, even outside of this class, that completely turned around my opinion of it.

12. I really wanted to like this movie. It had nice visuals, I liked his ex, and the plot seemed interesting. And then it turned scifi and weird, and then just went kind of gross and disturbing. And then it had this random goofy bit and the worst transition ever, to finally making sense and being interesting again. And then it had a terrible ending and I was not pleased. I give it points for a lot of things- great visual, interesting story, and it created some interesting special effects. The plot kept me guessing and I seriously had bo idea what was actually going on into the movie slapped me in the face with the answer.

13. I didn't like this movie. I like Elliot Page, but I didn't think the acting was that good (DiCaprio was ok, and Saito was fine). The plot was confusing, keeping track of characters was difficult, and I didn't really care about any of them (with the exception of Saito). I pretty much understood everything by the end (honestly, a lot of the dialogue I just couldn't hear because the teacher wouldn't put on subtitles, so that could be a factor). I also didn't know most of the characters' names throughout the movie so I had to give them nicknames.

14. Visuals were eh, the music was fine when they weren't playing that BLASTED SONG, and I hated the love interest. She has the perfect man who she wants to break the heart of and hurt the war effort, just so she can get with her ex that she didn't even know all that well? More than that, she brought out the worst in him. Love ought to make people better, or happier, or something. Hers just made him act scummy. I also don't know if he really just left his friend/employee? To run off into the sunset with a nazi? Speaking of bad endings, what was that? I'm all for gay subtext but what exactly were they going for. Plus Louis was the most interesting character to watch, and again, he's a nazi. I just found it a little odd. (I also liked Victor but they barely gave him any screentime. Did him super dirty)

15. I don't like dinosaurs. I really don't like people stranded in the jungle and eaten by dinosaurs either. It's a personal taste I guess. Characters were eh.

16. I actually was having trouble watching. I was bored for most of it, the characters didn't really interest me (the wife, Sheryl? Did a little), and it wasn't that interesting visually. I feel like it's a more boring black and white Pulp Fiction, another movie I didn't care for. No likeable characters. Anywhere. But I do have to give it credit for having an outright gay character instead of thinly veiled like some of the others.

At the end we were supposed to give suggestions for other films to watch in the class (I had to come back later and do it cause I misunderstood the directions 😅), so here were these in no particular order.

Missing (2023), Nicholas D. Johnson + Will Merrick

Pleasantville (1998), Gary Ross

Clue (1985), Jonathan Lynn

Kill Bill (either one, I've only seen the 2nd) (2003-2004), Quentin Tarantino

Enchanted (2007), Kevin Lima

I figured it'd be a good addition for a film class since it's mostly shown through screens (camera, phone, etc). It's not the first to do this, but it's probably the best.

Movie's eh, but I like the color and black&white mixing, and its importance to the plot

it has 3 endings, and is based on a board game. It's also a cult classic, which I think makes it historic/relevant enough to discuss

We didn't watch a single martial arts movie, and this one is a mix of a few different genres. It's bright and flashy, it's well loved, and I'm pretty sure we skipped over 2000s movies anyway.

Cartoon and animation. Also it's a good movie.

Good job getting to the end😅 These were just my opinions of the movies, so sorry if any offended you. I like discussions though, so feel free to comment or disagree with any of these.

[go-to-two]

What are some of your favorite movies set in California?

Ohhhh tough, tough question and I just know I'm going to miss a ton of them. I'll list a handful off the top of my head. In no particular order:

1. La La Land

2. Blindspotting

3. Clueless

4. Vertigo

5. Father of the Bride

6. Last Black Man in San Francisco

7. Top Gun: Maverick

8. Is Back to the Future in California? If so... that one too.

9. Sunset Boulevard

[fascinatedmiseducated]

Shuffle your ON REPEAT playlist and list the first 10 songs and tag 10 people.

Thanks for tagging me, @strange-wafflez !!

Top 10 with my favourite lyrics from the song

Bad Omens - 5 Seconds of Summer "I tried to stop the door as it was closing"

Star Maps - Aly & AJ "...like only a wedding band could do"

Something in the orange - Zach Bryan "I don't know much but there's no weight at all"

Can't catch me now - Olivia Rodrigo "I'm comin' like a storm into your town"

More - 5 Seconds of Summer "A house that's full of everything we wanted but it's an empty home"

Starting Line - Luke Hemmings "I think I missed the gun at the starting line"

Vertigo - Griff "You're scared of love, well, aren't we all?"

Houdini - Dua Lipa "Catch me or I go Houdini"

Teeth - 5 Seconds of Summer "Something in the way you're looking through my eyes, don't know if I'm gonna make it out alive"

There it goes (acoustic) - Maisie Peters "the universe is shifting and it's all for me"

not tagging

[brian-in-finance]

Twitter

The Big Screen Awards unveil 2022 nominations

SOURCE: KARLOVY VARY / ‘BOILING POINT’

The shortlist for The Big Screen Awards 2022 has been announced, with Philip Barantini’s Boiling Point leading the way with six nominations.

Two of the new categories, Breakthrough British Filmmaker and Actor, include the likes of Reggie Yates, Bella Ramsey, Honor Swinton Byrne and Jim Archer.

Companies nominated for this years awards include The Walt Disney Company, Picturehouse, Vue, Odeon, Altitude, Curzon, Lionsgate UK, Everyman Group, Cineworld, Sony Pictures, MUBI and BFI Distribution.

The Big Screen Awards were rebranded from the Screen Awards, last held in 2019, and aim to recognise the achievements of marketing, distribution, publicity and exhibition teams and companies for their work releasing films into UK cinemas and connecting them with audiences.

In addition to the breakthrough UK filmmaker and actor awards, there are three other new categories for 2022: Big Screen Event; the Green Screen Award; and the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative.

The shortlist will now be debated by an independent jury of industry experts, who select the final winners. This year’s Big Screen Awards judges are listed here.

The Best British Film category will be decided by a public vote.

The Big Screen Awards ceremony will be held on November 24 at the Brewery, London.

For more information on this year’s nominees, click here.

The Big Screen Awards 2022

Best British Film of the Year

After Love (UK distributor: BFI Film Distribution; producer: Matthieu de Braconier)

Ali & Ava (UK distributor: Altitude Film Distribution; producer: Tracy O’Riordan)

Belfast (UK distributor: Universal; producers: Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, Tamar Thomas)

Boiling Point (UK distributor: Vertigo Releasing; producers: Hester Ruoff, Bart Ruspoli)

The Father (UK distributor: Lionsgate UK; producers: Philippe Carcassonne, Simon Friend, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt, Christopher Spadone)

Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (UK distributor: Lionsgate UK; producers: Debbie Gray, Adrian Politowski)

The Lost Daughter (UK distributor: Netflix; producers: Charles Dorfman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman-Keren, Talia Kleinhendler)

The Power Of The Dog (UK distributor: Netflix; producers: Jane Campion, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman)

The Reason I Jump (UK distributor: Picturehouse Entertainment; producers: Jeremy Dear, Stevie Lee, Al Morrow)

The Souvenir: Part II (UK distributor: Picturehouse Entertainment; producers: Ed Guiney, Joanna Hogg, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton, Luke Schiller)

Big Screen Event of the Year

Baby Lame presents Showgirls Live!, Rio Cinema

Gentleminions Screenings, Vue Entertainment

Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow Film

Irish premiere of Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, Belfast Film Festival

Kino Dreams – A Wim Wenders Retrospective, Curzon Film

Nightmare Alley at Screen on the Green, Pearl & Dean, IM Marketing, Searchlight Pictures & Jaguar

UK Royal Premiere of Top Gun: Maverick, Odeon Luxe Leicester Square

Other nominees listed at ScreenDaily

The Big Screen Awards

Northern Ireland Premiere • Belfast Film Festival • 4 November 2021

Remember… there is something about this place that inbuilt in its character is a very strong sense of identity. Sort of an invitation to claim it, own it, your home, like through a stick of rock, so when you leave that or lose that I think you can have a troubled time. — Sir Kenneth Branagh

[polar-equinoxx]

Vertigo art dump :3

(part 1)

[blazingstar29]

things i've noticed in the origonal top gun script

(this is just for fun and not intended to promote any film or naval inaccuracies)

goose was cougar's RIO and merlin was maverick's

merlin was wizard

originally maveric's first name was evan

instead of having a panic attack, cougar had severe vertigo to the point he thought the jet was upside down

goose has a lot of jokes, they're hilarious

the surgeon thinks goose's jokes are from stress

goose (wobbling off) -- this shoulder have been waddled. missed opportunity.

goose is not that happy about going to top gun with maverick

[davidlynch]

Hi I hope it's okay with me asking but what are your top 5 favorite old hollywood films in color or black and white? I need something new to watch but feel like I've watched just about everything. I hope you're having a great close to the Summer <3

Of course it’s okay, thanks for asking! 🥰 Going to list a bunch that I love/enjoy, bold my faves, and put a ⭐️ next to my top 5-6 

Old Hollywood Color 💖

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Rope (1948)

Singin’ in the Rain (1952) ⭐️

Niagara (1953)

Rear Window (1954) ⭐️

Johnny Guitar (1954) ⭐️

Dial M for Murder (1954)

Rebel Without a Cause (1955)

Vertigo (1958) ⭐️

Charade (1963)

Irma la Douce (1963)

The Birds (1963)

Old Hollywood Black & White 🖤

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Frankenstein (1931)

City Lights (1931)

Baby Face (1933)

It Happened One Night (1934) 

After the Thin Man (1936)

Born to Dance (1936)

My Man Godfrey (1936)

The Awful Truth (1937)

Easy Living (1937)

The Bride Wore Red (1937)

You Can’t Take It with You (1938)

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

Vivacious Lady (1938)

The Women (1939)

The Philadelphia Story (1940) ⭐️

The Letter (1940)

Rebecca (1940) ⭐️

His Girl Friday (1940)

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Remember the Night (1940)

The Wolf Man (1941)

Ball of Fire (1941)

A Woman’s Face (1941)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)

The Lady Eve (1941)

Now, Voyager (1942)

To Be or Not to Be (1942)

Casablanca (1942)

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)

Stormy Weather (1943)

Laura (1944) 

Double Indemnity (1944)

Gaslight (1944)

Leave Her to Heaven (1945)

The Lost Weekend (1945)

Mildred Pierce (1945) 

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) ⭐️

The Big Sleep (1946) 

Notorious (1946)

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

Gilda (1946)

Out of the Past (1947) 

Red River (1948)

They Live by Night (1948)

Holiday Affair (1949)

The Heiress (1949)

The Third Man (1949) ⭐️

Criss Cross (1949)

Born Yesterday (1950)

Harvey (1950)

All About Eve (1950) 

Sunset Boulevard (1950) ⭐️

Night and the City (1950)

In a Lonely Place (1950) 

Gun Crazy (1950)

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Strangers on a Train (1951)

The Prowler (1951)

The Lusty Men (1952)

Roman Holiday (1953) ⭐️

Pickup on South Street (1953)

Sabrina (1954) 

On the Waterfront (1954)

The Night of the Hunter (1955) 

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

12 Angry Men (1957) 

Funny Face (1957)

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) 

North by Northwest (1959)

Some Like It Hot (1959) 

The Apartment (1960) ⭐️

Psycho (1960) 

The Children’s Hour (1961)

The Hustler (1961)

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

Days of Wine and Roses (1962)

Fail Safe (1964)

making the cut off 1964

[odinsson2021]

Here again the Playlist of my Show!

Thank you for listening!!

Stormwitch-Rondo ala Turca-Eye of the Storm-1989-(Hot Blood Records)

AC/DC-That’s the way I wanna Rock n’ Roll-Blow up your Video-1988-(Atlantic Records)

Def Leppard-Rock! Rock! (Till you Drop)-Pyromania-1983-(Phonogram Ltd.)

Journey-Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)-Frontiers-1983-(CBS Records)

Aerosmith-Rag Doll-Permanent Vacation-1987-(Geffen Records)

ZZ Top-Gimme all your Lovin’-Eliminator-1983-(Warner Bros.)

Dogpound-Glass Jar-III-2007-(Lion Music)

Lansdowne-Burn Brighter-Medicine-03.02.2023-(AFM Records)

Dreams of Avalon-Under the Gun-Beyond the Dream-2020-(Rough Trade Records)

The Dudes of Wrath-Shocker-Shocker/The Music-1989-(SBK Records)

Bai Bang-I wanna Rock n‘ Roll-Sha Na Na Na-24.03.2023-(Pride&Joy Music)

Poison-Come Hell or High Water-Flesh&Blood-1990-(EMI Records)

Pretty Maids-Jump the Gun-Jump the Gun-1990-(CBS Records)

Slash-Beautiful Dangerous-Slash-2010-(Roadrunner Records)

Xandria-Two Worlds-The Wonders still awaiting-03.02.2023-(Napalm Records)

Kamelot-Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem)-The Awakening-17.03.2023-(Napalm Records)

Tragedian-Into the Light-Master of Illusions-24.03.2023-(Pride&Joy Music)

Dio-Sacred Heart-Sacred Heart-1985-(Vertigo Records)

Ozzy Osbourne-Shot in the Dark-The Ultimate Sin-1986-(CBS Records)

Delain-Queen of Shadows-Dark Waters-10.02.2023-(Napalm Records)

Treasure Hunt-The Good,The Bad and The Innocent- The Good,The Bad and The Innocent-01.03-2023-(Nova MD)

Accept-Balls to the Wall-Balls to the Wall-1983-(RCA Records)

Metallica-Seek&Destroy-Kill ‘em all-1983-(Music for Nations)

Testament-Burnt Offerings-The Legacy-1987-(Megaforce Records)

Judas Priest-Take on the World-Killing Machine-1978-(CBS Records)

Blind Guardian-Mr. Sandman (Single)-1996-(Virgin Records)

[clinquaant]

DEVIL ALL THE TIME:

Prayers for the Wicked, Arvin Russell / Adaline Berkeley

DUNE:

Chamber of Wishes, Paul Atreides / Lovisa Koskinen

GREY’S ANATOMY:

Crash, Derek Shepherd / Caroline Falley

HARRY POTTER:

A Thousand Stories Long, Newt Scamander / Liu Meihu

Black Cat Winter, George Weasley / October Layne

Deep End, Harry Potter / Iris Astoria

Inferno, Remus Lupin / Laurentia “Laura” Dracul

Off the Record, Oliver Wood / Avalon Montgomery

Rebel With a Cause, Sirius Black / Eudora Monet

Sycamore Tree, Leta Lestrange / Leona Villin

The Continuing Story of…, Marauders Era / Malorie Leptirbidge, Joseph Astoria

Vertigo, Nymphadora Tonks / Iolanthe Volkov

HUNGER GAMES:

A World Alone, Haymitch Abernathy / Rhiannon Si

Dandelion in the Spring, Katniss Everdeen / Madge Undersee

Living Ghosts, Gale Hawthorne / Artemis Snow

Swan Song, Finnick Odair / Mira Bielatir

MARVEL:

Angels Like You, Pepper Potts / Felicia Hardy

Dazzler, Peter Parker / Alison “Ali” Blaire

Getaway Car, Tony Stark / Angelica “Angie” Williams

Magnum Opus, Steve Rogers / Darby MacQuoid

Pluto Projector, Scott Lang / Gwendolyn “Wendy” Draper

Red, Quentin Beck / Lauren Hardy

Silver Springs, Wanda Maximoff / Lois “Lou” Blaire

TEEN WOLF:

Built and Broken, Stiles Stilinski / Pandora Moeite

TOP GUN:

Slow Ride, Bradley Bradshaw / Cassandra “Cassie” Mitchell

TWILIGHT:

Ungodly Hour, Edward Cullen / Morrigan “Morri” Harding

UNCHARTED:

Intimations of the Beautiful, Nathan Drake / Agnes “Aggie” Chen

[shadethechangingman]

[ID: Eight comic book covers from titles published by DC and Vertigo.

1. The cast of Hero Hotline running at the viewer, an image of the Trinity floats above them. The comic title and DC logo at the top of the image, and Villains line the borders.

2. Text at the top right reads The Psycho. A man in a cap and skull-like mask stands holding a smoking gun. He is faced to the right but looking at the viewer. Psychedelic images float around him, including a skull, some fish, flowers, and the devil.

3. Text at the top reads Giantkiller. A Kaiju/human hybrid with black and red skin standing against a red sky over a dead Kaiju, holding his blade downwards and looking at the viewer.

4. Text at the top says Major Bummer, the first Inaction Hero. An impossibly muscular man looks bored, sitting slumped in an armchair watching TV, surrounded by junk food and comics. Behind him, aliens and supervillains are fighting and civilians are huddled in fear.

5. Text at the top says Chain Gang War. Three armed and masked men are standing huddled together, the two closest to t he front shooting their guns forward, while the third is holding his upright. Bullets are striking the wall behind them. A black chain goes down the left side of the cover, connecting to the title text.

6. Text at the top reads Menz Insana, in a triangle border. In the lower part of the triangle is a painted bust of a cartoon man with a balloon shaped head winking at the viewer, next to a detached image of a floating pair of gloves snapping on where his arms would be. A pale woman in a red dress, hat, and shoes with red hair is standing to the right of the triangle.

7. Text at the bottom reads Mighty Love. Navy blue lineart of a man and a woman in a superhero suit gripping eachothers hands and jumping into eachother. Behind their heads is a orange rectangle, and behind their torsos is a red splatter.

8. Text over the entire cover reads Beware the Creeper. There is a woman with wild red hair jumping through the middle, over a cityscape of 1920s Paris at the bottom. The sky is bright green.

End ID]

been reading a lot this week!

1. Hero Hotline by Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano - It’s... fine......... DC’s comedy titles are something i read against my better judgement. i actually thought i would like this one more but it had a much more serious tone than i expected, which I guess i should be less surprised about since I’m pretty sure I learned about it while reading Wild Dog in the same Action Comics. Really enjoyed the character designs on this one though.

2. The Psycho by James Hudnall and Dan Brereton - great character designs esp the protag, probably wont revisit unless to look at pictures caus the plot was actually pretty whatever.

3. Giantkiller by Dan Brereton - I loved this! Beautiful art, Yochu and Jill were both great. devastated to realize i missed out on a hardcover copy and now i have to wait for a collector to part with theirs OTL i did pick up a copy of the monster field guide

4. Major Bummer by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke - Ya another one I dont think i’ll revisit... I love how Mahnke draws really grotesque muscle man but there wasnt really anything like. enjoyable about it actuallyyy actually wait the blonde guy was funny.

5. Chain Gang War by John Wagner and David Johnson - I actually thought this was an original/out-of-continuity so (spoilers?) Slade showing up and getting locked in a basement prison for the entire run and the random Azbat appearance was kind of like huh ok... Interesting ig, to have it set in-universe and people go after revenge in a totally non superhero way.

6. Menz Insana by Christopher Fowler and John Bolton - Beautiful art but. hm. im not sure how to describe the experience on this one... frankly it could be 

7. Mighty Love by Howard Chaykin - So so so bad. I forgot why everyone told me he sucked so i read it anyway and was like Oh. Ohhh

8. Beware The Creeper by Jason Hall and Cliff Chiang - Somewhat interesting overall? I actually waited a bit before writing this so I think i forgot a bit already. Usage of shitty topes but ive seen other comics do it much worse, Cliff Chiang’s art helps with it imo

(Queued post from November 2022)