#like what is that parade movie even i don't get it

[macgregorhoughton]

So now with a new Disney film coming out with a "first gay" character, those lists are doing the rounds again and it makes me so irritated seeing McGregor on there. Like yeah, in Beauty & the Beast or Cruella or Onward they were not fleahed out, throw away gay characters, but MacGregor is a Main Character! Who is fleshed out and fully part of the story and he and his relationship with Lily drives it in many parts, and his being gay is actually part of his character rather than just hinted at and argh! People keep writing him off as "ooh, another 1st gay!" But he actually was! And you bet its mostly people whove never seen the film just reacting to the bad faith takes some people put online

A large reason I ended up making this blog (aside from I was hype for the movie even just based on the trailer) is because I knew this would happen and I wanted to create a space where people who actually saw themselves in the character could express how the character and movie as a whole make them happy and they could find positive posts and not be constantly reminded of all the bad faith takes. I don't talk about these bad faith takes a lot for this reason (I have some posts tagged #representation compilation where I discuss all of this) but I whole-heartedly agree with you anon.

a lot of people, me included, were really touched by MacGregor's coming out, saw themselves in his struggles, appreciated what a well-rounded character he is, and I suspect many more people would feel the same if they gave the movie a chance. But unfortunately "disney's 200th first gay character" jokes get more likes so they overshadowed any good feeling anyone might have been having. and I got messages from people who were absolutely crushed by this too. it feels like people are mocking them for seeing themselves in it, shaming them for liking a gay character that was arbitrarily deemed bad by people who never even saw the movie. (there is also a larger conversation to be had about the sense of moral superiority derived from deeming certain portrayals of a minority "bad" and shaming others for enjoying them in an attempt to appear more enlightened when in reality none of this really matters and personal enjoyment of media is not indicative of someone's morality or ability to treat people well and respectfully irl, whereas publicly shaming and mocking people constantly is kinda indicative of a failure on both accounts)

the opinions "we shouldn't have to beg for representation from huge media companies that only care about us when they can profit off us and instead support struggling queer artists' work more" and "a gay character from a huge media company can be someone queer people see themselves in and like watching" can coexist. feeling the second doesn't automatically make someone a bootlicker and thinking the first doesn't mean enjoying an enjoyable thing once in a while makes you a hypocrite.

#jungle cruise #ask #anonymous #macgregor houghton #representation compilation #there is a lot of hypocrisy I see tho where the ppl who think themselves better activists or whatever the hell for shitting on macgregor #and parade the ''big company inherently evil'' argument #are the same who look at other disney properties and love them for various reasons‚ sometimes even representation that isn't even there #and get pissy when people may point out negative aspects and say ppl should let others enjoy things #but they don't see how the same applies to what they're doing #and I'm not joking or exaggerating. it really is the same ppl who arbitrarily choose a disney property to use to show how woke they are #who also like and adore and defend other disney properties. #idk if their hate is a form of compensation for what they feel is some kind of sin committed by liking a disney thing #but either way they should look within themselves and whether this really is the path to queer liberation or just virtue signalling #also a tiny sidenote: the gay character in strange world is the first gay teenager in an animated disney movie #this is a factual statement #it explains in what way this is a different situation than for example gay characters in live action movies or animated tv shows #but people hate reading so they stop after ''first gay'' and think haha millionth first gay character joke

[ms-demeanor]

Why reblog machine-generated art?

When I was ten years old I took a photography class where we developed black and white photos by projecting light on papers bathed in chemicals. If we wanted to change something in the image, we had to go through a gradual, arduous process called dodging and burning.

When I was fifteen years old I used photoshop for the first time, and I remember clicking on the clone tool or the blur tool and feeling like I was cheating.

When I was twenty eight I got my first smartphone. The phone could edit photos. A few taps with my thumb were enough to apply filters and change contrast and even spot correct. I was holding in my hand something more powerful than the huge light machines I'd first used to edit images.

When I was thirty six, just a few weeks ago, I took a photo class that used Lightroom Classic and again, it felt like cheating. It made me really understand how much the color profiles of popular web images I'd been seeing for years had been pumped and tweaked and layered with local edits to make something that, to my eyes, didn't much resemble photography. To me, photography is light on paper. It's what you capture in the lens. It's not automatic skin smoothing and a local filter to boost the sky. This reminded me a lot more of the photomanipulations my friend used to make on deviantart; layered things with unnatural colors that put wings on buildings or turned an eye into a swimming pool. It didn't remake the images to that extent, obviously, but it tipped into the uncanny valley. More real than real, more saturated more sharp and more present than the actual world my lens saw. And that was before I found the AI assisted filters and the tool that would identify the whole sky for you, picking pieces of it out from between leaves.

You know, it's funny, when people talk about artists who might lose their jobs to AI they don't talk about the people who have already had to move on from their photo editing work because of technology. You used to be able to get paid for basic photo manipulation, you know? If you were quick with a lasso or skilled with masks you could get a pretty decent chunk of change by pulling subjects out of backgrounds for family holiday cards or isolating the pies on the menu for a mom and pop. Not a lot, but enough to help. But, of course, you can just do that on your phone now. There's no need to pay a human for it, even if they might do a better job or be more considerate toward the aesthetic of an image.

And they certainly don't talk about all the development labs that went away, or the way that you could have trained to be a studio photographer if you wanted to take good photos of your family to hang on the walls and that digital photography allowed in a parade of amateurs who can make dozens of iterations of the same bad photo until they hit on a good one by sheer volume and luck; if you want to be a good photographer everyone can do that why didn't you train for it and spend a long time taking photos on film and being okay with bad photography don't you know that digital photography drove thousands of people out of their jobs.

My dad told me that he plays with AI the other day. He hosts a movie podcast and he puts up thumbnails for the downloads. In the past, he'd just take a screengrab from the film. Now he tells the Bing AI to make him little vignettes. A cowboy running away from a rhino, a dragon arm-wrestling a teddy bear. That kind of thing. Usually based on a joke that was made on the show, or about the subject of the film and an interest of the guest.

People talk about "well AI art doesn't allow people to create things, people were already able to create things, if they wanted to create things they should learn to create things." Not everyone wants to make good art that's creative. Even fewer people want to put the effort into making bad art for something that they aren't passionate about. Some people want filler to go on the cover of their youtube video. My dad isn't going to learn to draw, and as the person who he used to ask to photoshop him as Ant-Man because he certainly couldn't pay anyone for that kind of thing, I think this is a great use case for AI art. This senior citizen isn't going to start cartooning and at two recordings a week with a one-day editing turnaround he doesn't even really have the time for something like a Fiverr commission. This is a great use of AI art, actually.

I also know an artist who is going Hog Fucking Wild creating AI art of their blorbos. They're genuinely an incredibly talented artist who happens to want to see their niche interest represented visually without having to draw it all themself. They're posting the funny and good results to a small circle of mutuals on socials with clear information about the source of the images; they aren't trying to sell any of the images, they're basically using them as inserts for custom memes. Who is harmed by this person saying "i would like to see my blorbo lasciviously eating an ice cream cone in the is this a pigeon meme"?

The way I use machine-generated art, as an artist, is to proof things. Can I get an explosion to look like this. What would a wall of dead computer monitors look like. Would a ballerina leaping over the grand canyon look cool? Sometimes I use AI art to generate copyright free objects that I can snip for a collage. A lot of the time I use it to generate ideas. I start naming random things and seeing what it shows me and I start getting inspired. I can ask CrAIon for pose reference, I can ask it to show me the interior of spaces from a specific angle.

I profoundly dislike the antipathy that tumblr has for AI art. I understand if people don't want their art used in training pools. I understand if people don't want AI trained on their art to mimic their style. You should absolutely use those tools that poison datasets if you don't want your art included in AI training. I think that's an incredibly appropriate action to take as an artist who doesn't want AI learning from your work.

However I'm pretty fucking aggressively opposed to copyright and most of the "solid" arguments against AI art come down to "the AIs viewed and learned from people's copyrighted artwork and therefore AI is theft rather than fair use" and that's a losing argument for me. In. Like. A lot of ways. Primarily because it is saying that not only is copying someone's art theft, it is saying that looking at and learning from someone's art can be defined as theft rather than fair use.

Also because it's just patently untrue.

But that doesn't really answer your question. Why reblog machine-generated art? Because I liked that piece of art.

It was made by a machine that had looked at billions of images - some copyrighted, some not, some new, some old, some interesting, many boring - and guided by a human and I liked it. It was pretty. It communicated something to me. I looked at an image a machine made - an artificial picture, a total construct, something with no intrinsic meaning - and I felt a sense of quiet and loss and nostalgia. I looked at a collection of automatically arranged pixels and tasted salt and smelled the humidity in the air.

I liked it.

I don't think that all AI art is ugly. I don't think that AI art is all soulless (i actually think that 'having soul' is a bizarre descriptor for art and that lacking soul is an equally bizarre criticism). I don't think that AI art is bad for artists. I think the problem that people have with AI art is capitalism and I don't think that's a problem that can really be laid at the feet of people curating an aesthetic AI art blog on tumblr.

Machine learning isn't the fucking problem the problem is massive corporations have been trying hard not to pay artists for as long as massive corporations have existed (isn't that a b-plot in the shape of water? the neighbor who draws ads gets pushed out of his job by product photography? did you know that as recently as ten years ago NewEgg had in-house photographers who would take pictures of the products so users wouldn't have to rely on the manufacturer photos? I want you to guess what killed that job and I'll give you a hint: it wasn't AI)

Am I putting a human out of a job because I reblogged an AI-generated "photo" of curtains waving in the pale green waters of an imaginary beach? Who would have taken this photo of a place that doesn't exist? Who would have painted this hypersurrealistic image? What meaning would it have had if they had painted it or would it have just been for the aesthetic? Would someone have paid for it or would it be like so many of the things that artists on this site have spent dozens of hours on only to get no attention or value for their work?

My worst ratio of hours to notes is an 8-page hand-drawn detailed ink comic about getting assaulted at a concert and the complicated feelings that evoked that took me weeks of daily drawing after work with something like 54 notes after 8 years; should I be offended if something generated from a prompt has more notes than me? What does that actually get the blogger? Clout? I believe someone said that popularity on tumblr gets you one thing and that is yelled at.

What do you get out of this? Are you helping artists right now? You're helping me, and I'm an artist. I've wanted to unload this opinion for a while because I'm sick of the argument that all Real Artists think AI is bullshit. I'm a Real Artist. I've been paid for Real Art. I've been commissioned as an artist.

And I find a hell of a lot of AI art a lot more interesting than I find human-generated corporate art or Thomas Kincaid (but then, I repeat myself).

There are plenty of people who don't like AI art and don't want to interact with it. I am not one of those people. I thought the gay sex cats were funny and looked good and that shitposting is the ideal use of a machine image generation: to make uncopyrightable images to laugh at.

I think that tumblr has decided to take a principled stand against something that most people making the argument don't understand. I think tumblr's loathing for AI has, generally speaking, thrown weight behind a bunch of ideas that I think are going to be incredibly harmful *to artists specifically* in the long run.

Anyway. If you hate AI art and you don't want to interact with people who interact with it, block me.

[yanderestarangel]

hello! i just found your blog and i've been obsessed with your writing <33 can i request a smut with a poly relationship with johnny and kenshi. i feel like they'd be so drastically different but work so well together in bed

HEADKANONKS MK1 | KENSHI TAKAHASHI X JOHNNY CAGE X READER

TW: afab anatomy, fluff, soft headcanons, threesome, smut, nsfw, double penetration, blowjob, kenshi and Johnny make out with each other, gay sex, anal sex, vibrators, ice play, switch!reader, sub!johnny, dom!kenshi, daddykink.

♡ A relationship with both of them at the same time would be quite an adventure. Kenshi is the balance between you and Johnny - he knows that if he leaves you two alone, you and Johnny might do crazy things and end up in jail, like the time you two accidentally set one of Johnny's cars on fire on a public street. -Kenshi had to pay the two of you bail, with Johnny's money of course -

♡ The three of you have a group on WhatsApp, everything you need to talk about you will talk about in that chat, be it gossip, news or even asking where each one is, when the other is away, you named your boyfriend's contact as "gay son " and "thot daughter" - I don't even need to say who is who, right? -

♡ Kenshi has the love language serving, showing that he cares about you and Johnny, if you ask to be carried or a glass of water or anything within his reach, he will do it.

Example: You, Kenshi and Johnny watching a movie on Saturday night, on Cage's king size bed, Kenshi on the left side, you in the middle and Johnny lying on your thighs as he took Kenshi's hand too. You felt thirsty but were too lazy to get up and help yourself, soon turning to Takahashi.

"-Can you get me a glass of water, my love?" -You asked calmly, smiling at the man who just waved and stood up.

"-Can you get it for me too baby girl?" -Johnny said laughing to Kenshi who gave the middle finger in response to the actor.

"-What's up Takahashi? I'm your boyfriend too!" -Cage said in response, as he looked at you pouting, you soon asked Kenshi to bring it to Johnny too, and he obeyed - he was already going to do it anyway, but he loved seeing Johnny beg and get angry and you knew it, affectionately in your other partner's hair.

♡ Johnny Cage has a different language, he likes to spend money on you and Kenshi, shopping in luxurious malls, sports cars, branded watches, everything you and Kenshi imagine and want is yours, just ask and Cage will move mountains if it takes to see you two smile.

♡ You live in Johnny's mansion, in the same room, in the same bed. If you're not used to sharing a bed, it's best to get used to it. Johnny will hug you, suffocating you on his chest, it's an uncontrollable and involuntary gesture of his, while placing one of his muscular thighs on top of you. Kenshi sleeps straight, with his stomach up, but sometimes he will also do the same as Johnny with you - you could barely breathe due to the weight of them together -

♡ Kenshi lends you his clothes, but tells you not to pass them on to Johnny, which you disobey and do the opposite, sometimes Johnny himself asks you to take Takahashi's shirts for him to wear, all to tease the poor swordsman.

"-I thought I asked for my shirt for you to wear, not Cage." -Kenshi said, laughing aside, watching Johnny parade around the house in his red satin shirt.

"-This blouse looks better on me than on you Takahashi, that's why our dear (Y/N) lent it to me." -Johnny said, giving you a kiss, and then another one with Kenshi, making him agree and not be angry with you two.

♡ Johnny will always take you two to his awards, he doesn't care about judgement, he has two extremely hot partners by his side, why would he be embarrassed?

♡ Kenshi and Johnny get along well, that is, your relationship has almost no fights, if you are insecure about something, especially with them being together more and leaving you out, they will sit down and talk, it's a little scary because it was The first time you saw Johnny was extremely serious, saying that he loves you equally as he loves Kenshi, and that he would never leave either of you for anything.

♡ They can work very well together in bed to give you pleasure, Kenshi loves being rougher and more dominant, watching you squirm and beg for him, Johnhy makes you excited and satiates you at the same time, he can't contain his dick in his pants. seeing you beg so beautifully for him and Kenshi to fuck you.

♡ Johnny likes to fuck your pussy with his fingers and tongue, while Kenshi loves watching you squirm, Johnny's fingers go on your clit while Takahashi pushes his dick into your pussy, both of them smiling as he sees you moan and turn into a crying mess. Cage would help Kenshi's dick enter you further or even suck Takahashi's dick while lying on your belly, to help lubricate the way.

♡ They both like to give double blowjobs, that is, your poor mouth will have both of their cocks at the same time, while they both smile and moan in unison, kissing each other sometimes while praising you for taking their cock so well.

♡ The three of you like to tease each other outside too, using vibrators. You would use a small internal oval, inside your pussy. Johnny would use it on his dick and inside him, while Kenshi used one only on his dick, the adrenaline was not knowing who would activate the speed or increase it, ending with Kenshi fucking Johnny while Johnny fucked you hard - Kenshi between Johnny's legs and you sitting down with your pussy in the movie star's mouth.

♡ They also like to do double penetration, with Kenshi going in your ass and Cage in your pussy, they accelerate the rhythm together, holding you between the two of them, while Johnny praises you, Kenshi degrades you...

♡ Kenshi will play with ice on your nipples, while Johnny used the cube to rub it on your clit, while you were blindfolded, completely at the mercy of both of them - you would have to guess which dick was entering your pussy at that moment, Kenshi's or Johnny's , both are thick and big, so you would have to use maximum touch to find out -

♡ When one or the other is tired, you can fuck him, you can always turn to your other partner. If Kenshi is too tired Johnny will fuck you on the mattress moaning and whimpering while Takahashi sleeps. If Johnny is too tired, Kenshi will fuck you all over the mansion and record the fuck for Cage to watch later - and obviously tease him -

♡ Johnny will also want to be fucked by you, don't have a dick? just grab a strap on and fuck his ass, he'll whimper at you while calling you "daddy/mommy" muffled by Kenshi's dick in his mouth.

Johnny smirks against your clit, his tongue swirling and flicking expertly, his lips occasionally sucking gently. The sensation sends shivers of pleasure coursing through your body. Meanwhile, Kenshi groans softly as you take him into your mouth, his tip hitting the back of your throat. His hand finds its way to your hair, gripping it gently, guiding your movements. You can feel the intensity building in both of them, their desire for you palpable in every touch and caress.

Johnny, his lips leaving a trail of wet kisses along your inner thigh, slowly moves up your body, his eyes locked with yours. He positions himself between your thighs, his erection pressing against your entrance. Kenshi, still enjoying the lust of your mouth, watches with an intense gaze. Johnny, lost in the waves of pleasure, moans deeply, his grip on your hips tightening. As Kenshi's thrusts grow more intense, he leans over Johnny, his voice dripping with domination.

"-You're such a greedy little slut, Johnny..." Kenshi sneers, his tone laced. "-Taking pleasure from both ends, unable to get enough. Look at you, being fucked like the naughty little whore you are." A mischievous smile tugs at your lips as you witness Kenshi pulling out of Johnny, leaving him panting and needy. You lock eyes with Johnny. Slowly, you lower yourself onto his hard cock, your tightness enveloping him completely.

Johnny's eyes widen with pleasure as he fills you, his grip on your hips tightening in an attempt to control his own urges. You move your body in slow, tantalizing motions, savoring the feeling of him deep inside you.

Meanwhile, Kenshi positions himself behind Johnny once again, his hands firmly gripping his hips. With a single fluid motion, he pushes back into Johnny's willing ass, eliciting a chorus of mixed moans and gasps from all three of you. Johnny's body trembles, his breath coming out in ragged gasps as he nears the edge of pleasure. He looks up at you with a mix of desire and desperation, his voice strained as he fights for control. "-Please...please let me cum. I need to release, to feel the warmth of your pussy and the grip of Kenshi's dick..."

Kenshi, his grip on your breasts tightening, thrusts into Johnny with a renewed vigor, adding to the overwhelming sensations coursing through all of you. Your eyes lock with Johnny's, a knowing smirk on your face as you give him permission to release. "-Cum for us, Johnny. Coat me with your warmth and feel the pleasure surge through you as Kenshi fills your tight ass."

With a final thrust, he pours his lust into your awaiting pussy, moaning out your name in ecstasy.

Simultaneously, Kenshi finds his release inside Johnny's willing ass, his body shuddering with pleasure and fulfillment. The intensity of the moment overwhelms you, the sensation of being filled from both ends heightening your own pleasure.

©YANDERESTARANGEL 2023

#yanderestarangel #afab reader #mortal kombat #tw smut #mortal kombat fandom #mortal kombat fanfiction #mortal kombat smut #mortal kombat x reader #mk1 #mk johnny cage #johnny cage smut #johnny cage imagine #johnny cage x you #johnny cage x reader #johnny cage x kenshi takahashi #kenshi takahashi x reader #kenshi x reader #kenshi mortal kombat #kenshi takahashi #mk kenshi #kenshi takahashi smut #kenshi takahashi x johnny cage x reader #johnny x kenshi #johnny x kenshi x reader #mk1 x reader #mk1 kenshi takahashi x reader #mk1 johnny cage #mk1 headkanons #mortal kombat headcanons #mortal kombat x you

[wileys-russo]

Writing challenge idea 🙂

Georgia Stanway “fake dating” like a holidate idea for a wedding - like the anyone but you movie trope if that makes sense! 🙂🙂🙂

georgia stanway

“and you looked over everything i sent you?” you stressed, clutching tightly onto the girls hand who rolled her eyes. “yes! i do know how to be a girlfriend ya know? ive done it once or twice.” georgia teased which did nothing to ease your nerves.

“i know, but have you ever been a fake girlfriend?” you challenged as she pulled a face unable to argue with you. “why is this so important to ya anyway?” she asked as the uber neared the venue and you sighed.

“its not, its just been years of the teasing and the questions and the jokes about everyone else having a partner but me. really makes these events quite insufferable!” you admitted as georgia smiled sympathetically.

"i'm sorry." the english girl squeezed your knee with her free hand as a beat of silence passed.

“so you remember how we met?” you quizzed her, snapping back out of it as georgia recounted the story like clockwork and you nodded, the uber pulling up outside the venue where your cousins engagement party was being held.

you thanked the driver and jumped out of the car as georgia followed, taking your hand again as the two of you made your way toward the entrance. "if you don't know how to answer a question just pretend you don't speak any german." you paused and warned her.

"i don't speak very much german." georgia reminded with an amused smile, trying to calm your obvious nerves. "oh right. perfect! keep it that way." you squeezed her hand and took a deep breath, entering the venue as within seconds there was family members swarming you.

georgia sent you a pleading look as you smiled apologetically, the poor girl whisked away by a few of your cousins for interrogation no doubt as your grandmother tugged you aside for a talk.

you were on edge and getting more nervous by the second as it seemed you and georgia were destined to be apart, the english girl paraded around meeting all your extended family and friends by your sister who was the only family member you'd keyed into your plan, trusting her with your life.

"well well well, that would not be stanway over there pretending to be your girlfriend now would it?" your blood ran cold at the familiar voice, hands settling on your shoulders as you sighed in defeat. "what are you doing here? i thought you couldn't make it." you groaned as laura took a seat beside you with a smirk.

"hey! is that anyway to greet your favourite cousin now schnecke?" the blonde teased, the childhood nickname falling off her tongue as you shot her a glare. "please don't tell anyone." you pleaded, hating how you needed to stoop to her level.

"what do i get out of this?" the footballer grinned as you shook your head, you should have known better than to assume this would happen without bribery. "what do you want lau?" you asked with an annoyed frown.

"mmm you let me score next time you play us." the girl grinned as you scoffed, not even going to entertain her request as a loyal bayern player. "no you are right. that will happen anyway because i have always been a better striker than you are a defender!" laura waved it off as you rolled your eyes.

"i want three packets of balla stix and you room with me next national camp." laura demanded as you eagerly agreed, shaking her hand as she stood. "pleasure doing business kid." she smacked your cheek three times with her hand doing a terrible mobster accent and sauntered off.

"was that laura?" you jumped as georgia dropped down into the seat she'd previously occupied, eyes wide with nerves you'd both been caught out. "its sorted, don't worry. are you okay? my family can be...a lot." you bit your lip guiltily.

"i'm a bit worried your aunties going to try and steal my identity. was just waitin for her to ask for me bank details!" georgia shook her head clicking her tongue as you smiled, nerves easing.

finally left alone the two of you fell into conversation, georgias hand resting on your knee as she scooted her chair closer to be able to hear you over the music, the two of you laughing and messing about like normal.

"we've got an audience." the girl whispered in your ear as you turned your head and jumped seeing your grandmother stood right there. she made a comment in german causing your cheeks to heat up as georgia watched on dumbfounded as the older woman pinched your cheek and walked off again.

"what did she say?" georgia asked with a frown. "she said she hopes you are a better footballer than you are a liar." you sighed with a small smile, you should have known that of all people the hardest to fool would have been her.

"hey i thought i was doin well!" georgia protested with a huff as you laughed, catching the watching eyes of a few more of your cousins from another table. "you are, trust me. best fake girlfriend i've ever had!" you teased, kissing her cheek with a grin.

"well in that case. how about you let me take ya on a real date?" you were taken aback by her question, the midfielders cheeks blushed bright red as she bounced her knee nervously.

"really?" "really."

"yeah, i'd like that." you both exchanged a shy smile, laura appearing again and pulling you both up to dance.

#woso x reader #woso #woso fanfics #woso imagine #woso blurbs #woso community #engwnt #georgia stanway x reader #georgia stanway

[lazycats-stuff]

can i request a scenario where the reader, who has been trained as a weapon for most of their life, struggles with expressing their emotions. The reader has been adopted by the Batfamily and is injured during a mission. They try to hide their injuries, but Dick or Jason (or both) find out and scold the reader for keeping it a secret. The reader responds by saying that they didn't think it was a big deal. it was a big deal. So it’s fluff and angst. The scenario can end with the Batfamily having a movie night after patching the reader up to help them feel better. If the scenario crosses any boundaries, please feel free to change anything necessary.

Don't worry, everything is well within my boundaries. And also, thank you for 500 followers! I still don't know how I managed that with what I call writing.

Summary: (Y/N) hides his emotions. After an injury, Jason and Dick can't stand it.

Warnings: medical inaccuracies, mentions of training before the batfam, Dick and Jason being good brothers, (Y/N) being emotionally constipated, Bruce trying to get closer to (Y/N), angst, fluff

Also, this is such a cool gif, (V/N)= Vigilante name

A weapon. That's all that he was taught. That's all he could remember. A weapon has no emotions, he remembers them saying. A weapon needs to fit in wherever they are. He was always told that his emotions don't matter, that the missions matter more. The goal was more important.

For a long time that's what he was told. His chances of fighting against his handlers are non existent. His chances at normal life were non existent.

That was until a mission in Gotham.

Batman and his birds somehow managed to capture him. (Y/N) still doesn't know how they managed to find him in Gotham. He blended with the shadows, just like he was taught. (Y/N) then realized why Batman was called the detective and why he was so respected and feared in their world.

(Y/N) also didn't expect to be adopted by Bruce Wayne, a man who turned out to be Batman. And more so, (Y/N) didn't expect to have choices. What to wear, what to eat, even when to wake up.

(Y/N) was never given a choice.

It felt nice knowing that he had some sort of control over his life. For the first time ever. And everyone introduced him to a lot of his firsts. Disney movies and cartoons, different kinds of candy since he wasn't allow sugar, books that are not literature classics and playing sports like basketball, football, but not American.

And it was great, but one thing that his new found family couldn't do was make him show emotions. (Y/N) still struggled with that. No matter how much he was told that it was fine and that it wasn't a sign of weakness, he couldn't do it.

One more thing they noticed how he was dismissive of certain things. They couldn't get him to rest, not even when he was sick. Not even the flu could keep him resting. Bruce had to put his foot down when (Y/N) said he wanted to go on patrol while he had a flu.

Bruce was going to maim the people who raised him in that way. Jason and Dick are going to help him too.

(Y/N) emotional unavailability hit a breaking point when he was injured. They were out on patrol and all of a sudden, they were ambushed by Deathstroke and some of Ra's assassins. (Y/N) see a fight from a mile away.

He still didn't know how Deathstroke managed to freelance for Ra's al Ghoul. Deathstroke watched him with his good eye, clearly interested in him for being a new member of the Batfamily. But there was also some sort of familiarity.

"Good job detective. You managed to adopt (V/N), a living weapon. " Deathstroke said, parading up on the railing. (Y/N) didn't say anything to that, but he could sense Bruce's anger rolling off him in waves.

Dick gripped his batons tighter and Jason gripped his gun tighter. (Y/N)'s eye were back on Deathstroke's and the two locked eyes once more.

" (V/N) is not a weapon Slade. " Jason jumped to (Y/N)'s defense.

" Well, the rest of the criminal world doesn't think so. (V/N) was known as the boogeyman, the one thing you don't want to find in the dark. " Deathstroke said, taking his blade out of his holster.

" I, up until now, never had a chance to fight against (V/N). But I will have a chance to kill him. " He finished, jumping over it. The other assassins followed his lead and jumped right after him.

(Y/N) had some experience with Ra's al Ghoul's assassins. Thankfully, Ra's had enough respect for (Y/N) and decided to leave him alone and not kill him. But it seems that the tables have turned on that matter.

The family tensed up and Jason pushed (Y/N) behind him a little bit.

" What does Ra's have with (V/N)? Why do you need his help to kill him? " Batman questioned, also moving to the front to cover (Y/N).

" It doesn't matter detective. What matters is that he is dead tonight."

Batman went after Deathstroke, not going to allow him to go after (Y/N). The young vigilante wanted to go after Deathstroke, but the two assassins jumped in front of him and (Y/N) was forced to deal with them. What a nuisance.

He fought alongside Jason, before moving to fight alongside Damian. Bruce and Slade still fought with all of their might. (Y/N) said screw it and jumped into the fight with Deathstroke and Batman.

He wasn't going to allow Deathstroke to win. And if he wants to kill him, why not give him a fair shot. Deathstroke's good eye locked with (Y/N)'s and (Y/N) went at it.

Batman wanted to stop (Y/N), but once (Y/N) got into a fighting mode, it was impossible to stop him. Bruce and (Y/N) worked together, but Deathstroke was just as equally good.

(Y/N) was thrown back with a nasty kick to the stomach, making him cough and spit out blood. He grunted, ready to strike back regardless. He was always taught to suppress the pain and just keep on going.

He dodged a punch before landing a punch on Deathstroke's mask, knocking off of his head. Batman swopped in and finished him off. (Y/N) got back into a fight Ra's assassins, dodging through their blades, helping others finished them off.

After it was all said and done, they called the GCPD to pick them up.

" Good job everyone, lets get home. " Batman said, gathering them all up.

" Thank God. We spent way too much time here anyway. " Jason said, already going out. (Y/N) couldn't agree anymore. He feels like something is off with himself. He could always tell, even before it hit him out of nowhere.

" Come on, (V/N). " Dick said, passing by (Y/N).

(Y/N) managed to sneak up out of the cave. He hoped that he was unnoticed. He knew that something was off. He knew that his ribs were fractured, but not broken.

He didn't want to do this in front of anyone and besides, he knows how to treat them. He has done it time and time again. He went to his bathroom and squatted down to get the tapes. Thankfully, it didn't hurt this really bad.

Then he opened the mirror and took a pill for the pain. He put a shirt on and was ready to go out for ice, but a knock on his door made him freeze.

" (Y/N)? We know you are here, you didn't get checked out by Alfred and you suffered a nasty kick to the stomach. " Jason said, voice muffled by the door.

" I'm fine, suit absorbed the kick. " (Y/N) lied, putting the tape away.

" (Y/N), I have a great bullshit detector and you just activated it. " Jason said, opening the door of his room, Dick following him. Jason and Dick looked at him before Jason pointed at the shirt.

" Come on. Off. "

" Nope. "

" (Y/N). Please don't tell me you are hiding an injury. "Dick said, hoping that it wasn't true.

" It's not a big deal. " (Y/N) mumbled.

" It is! I mean, we can patch you up! Is it a question of vulnerability? " Dick said, moving closer to (Y/N).

" Also, if it's the stomach or the ribs, you need to check it out. " Jason added, trying to deescalate the situation.

" Guys, I'm fi- "

" (Y/N), I swear to God, say that you are fine and I will manhandle you and patch you up roughly. " Jason said, rubbing his forehead.

" (Y/N), injuries here are a big deal. We patch each other up and that way we help each other out. I know it's not easy to forget the habits that were installed in you, Damian is a living proof of that. But you have to let others in. You are our brother and we love you. Some might not show it, but they do. " Dick said, putting his hand on (Y/N) shoulder.

" And when we patch each other up, we strengthen that love and trust. We protect each other and trust each other. And again, I know it's hard to go against everything that was installed in you, but this is a safe place. " Jason added, helping Dick with his point.

" Come on, lets get you checked out. " Jason said, opening the bedroom door.

Dick told everyone about (Y/N) hiding his injuries and suggested a movie night to make (Y/N) feel better. The others didn't like that fact. How come they didn't notice it before? How many times was (Y/N) in pain and they didn't notice?

" How about a movie night? Maybe a Harry Potter marathon? " Jason suggested, already taking the blankets and extending the couch that will make sure to fit them all.

" Okay, bring more pillows Tim. " Jason said to Tim.

" Somebody can bring some snacks. Some chocolate for (Y/N). " Jason said, arranging the blankets. Tim got up and started walking to the kitchen.

" Damian, you are going to give him talk later about hiding injuries. " Jason said, making Damian huff.

" Don't huff at me. " Jason warned. Tim came back with the pillows and put them all around.

Dick, (Y/N) and Alfred came back a few moments later. Dick was all smiles as he led (Y/N) to the couch. " Now (Y/N), lay down. "

" They know, don't they? " (Y/N) said, looking at the all smiling Dick.

" We told them, but they are not judging you. " Dick answered.

(Y/N) didn't say anything, instead he laid down on the couch, taking a blanket, covering himself. Bruce laid down next to him and the other followed quickly. Even Alfred joined.

Bruce laid down next to (Y/N), moving his arm to put it behind (Y/N). Then he put his arm around (Y/N)'s shoulder, bringing him closer to him. (Y/N) was a but startled, but relaxed into the touch. Even more, he leaned his head down on Bruce's shoulder.

Everyone noticed it and everyone was happy. Maybe he will be finally be happy and less emotionally unavailable. Maybe (Y/N) will be able to let go of the demons hunting him.

#batfamily #dc comics #dc x male reader #x male reader #batkids #jason todd x male reader #dick grayson x male reader #batfam #batfamily x male reader

[chronicdisasterwrites]

i’d keep you company in the dark

pairing: gojo satoru x reader

genre + warnings: - ANGST but FLUFFY ending!! jjk movie spoilers!! happens after the ending of jjk-0, death, sad gojo, kisses.

word count: 1,672

authors note: this was a request by my lovely @daisy-the-quake <3 it's a song-fic, inspired by the song "peaches” by grandson x k.flay

enjoy <3

Your eyes shoot open as you lie still and unmoving. The blinking red light of the clock on your bedside table indicates midnight. Yet another nightmare, about the same thing. It starts with you standing face-to-face with Suguru. His face twisted with the sneer he had on when he came to the school to announce his plan; "The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons". You try to move but you can’t. You try to talk to him, try to convince him to listen to reason, but nothing comes out. He laughs, then it shifts and his laughing transitions into an irksome drone coming out of his ajar mouth. It turns into an incessant buzzing growing exponentially until it’s so loud you can’t see, think, or feel anything. And then the noise stops completely and you’re standing in the sky looking down at Satoru standing in an arena, alone, with a horde of shadows surrounding him. They all make their way toward him like ants capturing a crystal of sugar. You don't do anything. You don’t move or scream or fight. You feel like you don't even exist. Just when the shadows are about to swallow him whole does he look up at you, with hollow eyes and no will to survive.

The hammering of raindrops against your windows could’ve also been a factor, but the sweat on your face and the drumming of your heart indicate otherwise. Taking a few deep breaths you try to normalize your heartbeat. It was exhausting, having the same nightmare over and over again. Ever since Suguru died, all your dreams seemed to be about the same thing. Then you imagine, how Satoru must be feeling. You fall back into reality and realize Satoru’s side of the bed was abandoned. It had been a few days since Suguru died, and since then Satoru had been acting strangely. You never asked him straight up if he was okay, because you know he wasn’t. Of course, he wasn’t. So you tried to show him you were there if he wanted to talk, but he always laughed it off and changed the subject without showing a moment’s weakness. He was acting like nothing happened and life was just fine and dandy. The dream you had fills your mind with thoughts of Satoru losing his mind to the grief of losing his best friend and trudging down a path from which he could never return. You couldn't help him in your dream. Instead, you just stood there watching him get consumed by his demons. You bolt out of bed to look for him. He wasn’t in the apartment you both shared, so you made a guess and decided to trust your gut. You take your keys, wear a raincoat, take an umbrella, shove your phone in your pocket, and make your way to Jujutsu Tech.

Parking your motorcycle in front of the steps of the school you see him sitting on the steps, head downturned and raindrops ricocheting off his Infinity. Once you start climbing the steps, does he lift his head to give you a small smile, tired and sullen, not at all like his genuine smile. 

You sigh and sit next to him, shoulders touching and legs brushing. Your face was half-covered by the hood of the raincoat but some raindrops still fell on your nose and exposed hands. Hearing the familiar buzz of Satoru’s Infinity, you look up and watch the raindrops slide down around you, making you feel like you were encased in a snow globe. The pattering of raindrops sounded muted and you felt safe and protected from the terrors of the world. So, this is how Satoru feels? 

“What brings you here?”

You remove your hood and look into his dull eyes. Shrugging, you reply with a tender voice, “I couldn’t find you so I figured you’d be here.” 

Satoru huffs, looking away and linking his hands together over his knees, “I’m fine before you ask.”

Gojo Satoru was a complex human being. Sometimes people tend to forget he is a human being, thanks to his charisma, strength, and holier-than-thou attitude. But that’s all he was; a human being, blessed burdened with the strength of a God. The ever-present smile on his dazzling face makes you forget that he’s not a shiny person. But when his eyes dim and his smile falls in the dark of the night when a million eyes aren’t on him you realize just how bruised and battered he is. 

You release a tired breath. He thinks he’s all alone in this world. He thinks no one can ever help him with anything because no one is as strong as him. The world always revolved around him, his strength, his power, his name. No one could ever equal him, so he believes it’s only fair for him to carry his burdens and sorrows on his own.

“Y’know Satoru…” He glances at you and quirks a thin, silver eyebrow. You stare ahead, picking at the skin around your nails. 

“You’re not alone. As much as you want to believe you are, you aren’t. So, if you aren’t gonna let me in, that’s fine. Just- please let yourself feel without putting on a front.”

You hear him exhale and watch him hang his head down from your peripheral vision. 

“What’s the point?” He mutters under his breath. The only reason you could hear him at all was because his Infinity dulled the noise in the outside world. 

This time you stare at his downturned head and you can’t stop yourself from speaking, “What’s the point? The point is that you don’t have to do this alone. You don’t have to hurt alone. I want you to share your pain with me! Yeah sure, you can get through this alone. You can shove it under the rug, but just this once, don’t be the strongest. Just let me hurt with you, let’s get through this together. Please, Satoru.”

He lifts his head and stares you straight in your eyes. You know how much he’s hurting. His world turned upside down and everything changed. He had to watch his friend plummet into the darkness and he had to be the one to deliver the final blow. His heart is shattered and you’re scared there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. The only thing you can do is be by his side and try to pick up his broken pieces.   

He exhales a shaky breath as his eyes glisten like a dewdrop on a blade of grass, “Can we get through this?” 

You reach out your hand and move a couple of strands of his hair from his vision. You let your hand lie against his warm cheek and he lets his eyes shut, “I know everything went to shit. But it’s not permanent, Satoru. I don’t know if things will get better, but we can only hope, right?”

He takes your hand in his own and runs his thumb over your knuckles.

“Yeah. We can only hope.”

He sighs and stares at your hand, “I miss him.”

“I know…”

You squeeze his hand and he squeezes back. It’s dark, except for a few streetlights. You think he’d enjoy a piece of cake or something sweet right about now. You open your mouth to ask him when he beats you to it, “Things won’t be the same.”

Your mouth hangs open and you wait as he continues speaking, “It might get better, it might get worse. Honestly? It doesn’t matter. We can’t really afford to be optimistic with a life like ours.” He lets out a humorless laugh. Looking at you, he gives you a gentle smile and leans forward to kiss your forehead. He lingers there for a quiet moment as the rain serenades you both.

“We’ll get through this.” 

You love him so much. Looking at his beautiful, weary face, you smile and leave a chaste kiss on his lips. Stealing another kiss, he brushes a few strands of hair away from your face, “I love you, y’know that?” 

Smiling, you stand and give him your hand, “Yeah, I love you too.”

He holds your hand and stops you on your way down the stairs, “Hey…I'm sorry for being selfish. I know you’re hurting too. I don’t want you to think I don't notice that.”

Turning back to look at him, you caress his knuckles with your thumb, “It's okay, Satoru-”

“No, it's not.” He stands on the upper step, looking down at you with tender eyes, "D'you have another nightmare? Is that why you woke up?" He traces the dark circles under your eyes and keeps his thumb on the apple of your cheek.

You sigh and close your eyes momentarily, "Yeah..."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Your free fingers wrap around his slender wrist as you look up at his glittering, blue eyes. "Maybe later." He nods.

You both walk down the steps, your hand warm in his. By now the rain had slowed down to a soft patter. He notices the umbrella tied on the backseat of your motorcycle and quirks an eyebrow, “Why’d you bring this?”

You offer a sheepish smile and take out your keys from your pocket, “I- uh, figured you might need it. I thought you’d deactivate your Infinity and sit in the rain or something… So y’know I didn’t want you to waste all your energy covering us both from the rain but I guess that’s exactly what you did so it was pretty usele-”

Your rambling was immediately shut down by the press of his lips against yours. You feel him smile into the kiss and your heart feels so warm. I love him so much. Hugging you, he rests his chin on your head, “Thank you.” 

You think it’s ironic how you’re shivering from the cold yet feeling so incredibly warm at the same time. He chuckles and unties the umbrella taking a seat on the backseat of your bike, “Let’s go home, yeah?”  

a/n: well, after chapter 236 this sure is a knife to the heart.

taglist: @thepup356, @porridgesblog, @stray-npc, @daisy-the-quake, @reignsaway, @ainetx, @icarusignite, @mariapierce789, @laylasbunbunny, @r0ckst4rjk

#gojo x reader #gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen #gojo satoru x reader #gojo fluff #satoru gojo #gojou satoru x reader #satoru gojo x reader #gojo angst #jjk fluff #gojo x y/n #jjk x y/n #gojo x you #jjk x reader #jjk imagine #jjk oneshot #songfic #jjk angst #i wanna die rn #he deserves a big hug

[smalltownbeautyqueen]

Dancing with the Doctor (Spencer Reid x fem! Reader)

After hearing the BAU's prom stories, Garcia decides to throw her own BAU prom! Much dialogue and fluff.

Warnings: mentions of drinking and feeling tipsy, reader is referred to as girl, reader is described as having hair long enough to brush off her face

Word Count: 1.5k

Unfortunately, this inspired Garcia to ask about everyone else's high school and prom experiences. Derek had been popular in high school, so he had his pick of girls to ask out to prom. Penelope had a steady boyfriend at the time, and Emily had gone with a group of her friends. "So my pretties… that leaves you two to tell your prom stories," Garcia said, gesturing to you and Reid.

After several long weeks of solving heinous crimes and seeing the dark underbelly of society, a few drinks with your work family seemed like a great way to relax. It started innocently enough, with the ordinarily private Hotch sharing how he met his wife while at his high school prom. It was the sort of meet-cute that seemed right out of an 80s teen movie.

"Did you know that proms actually began as formal tea parties for male college students and their families and that it wasn't until the 1950s that proms began to morph into what we think of them today. But to answer your question, Garcia, no. I did not attend my prom. I was too young." Garcia turned towards you, "Now, your turn, my precious." "Oh…uhm…I was busy? So I didn't go," you said, slurping your cocktail to avoid further questioning. You really did not want your coworkers to know that you had been dumped the day before prom. So, instead of going, you stayed at home, cried, and knit while watching Doctor Who re-runs.

As you walked in the next day, Garcia ran up to you excitedly. "Guess what?" Penelope sing-songed, "What?" you smiled back at the bubbly blonde. "I had the most fabulous idea last night! We should have our own BAU prom!"

Luckily for you, Garcia turned her attention to a cute guy who had walked up to the bar. "I'm going to go make a new friend," Garcia said, sliding out of the booth to go see the new object of her affection. "I need to go too," Hotch said, standing up to leave. "Yeah, me too," Morgan agreed. "Then there were three," Emily said. "Well, actually, I'm giving Spencer a ride home. So we should probably go before it gets too late." You responded to Emily while tugging on Spencer's sleeve. "Ugh, fine. Good night." Emily grumped.

"Really?" You asked skeptically. You didn't mean to rain on Penelope's parade, of course. But how would that even work? A bunch of grown people who work for the FBI throwing a prom? "Yes!" Penelope responded, "Don't worry, I will figure out all the logistics. You just have to show up."

"Show up where?" Spencer asked, walking up from behind Penelope. "Garcia's throwing a BAU prom," Morgan answered. "Wow. Really?" Reid responded. "You're into this, Spencer?" Morgan asked from his desk. "Yeah. I remember seeing everybody being so excited for prom, and I always wondered what it was like." Reid admitted, looking down at his fidgeting hands. "See…" Garcia said, "I'll send out the deets later. This is totally happening!"

Two weeks later, you had all but forgotten about the proposed BAU prom until you received a "promposal" email from Garcia. "Uh… Hey, did anyone else get a weird email from Garcia?" Spencer asked. "Yeah, I did," Emily answered. "I got a promposal too. I can't believe she pulled this off." You chime in.

"Possible serial killer in Wyoming." Hotch shouted down from his office, "Wheels up in 30."

You wiped your surprisingly sweaty palms on your clothes before you knocked on Penelope's door. "Hello, Gorgeous!" Penelope greeted you as she swung the door wide. Behind her, you saw Morgan putting gauzy purple and blue fabric over the lamps and furniture. "Wow, Penelope! You went all out!" "Well, you know me."

"That was Reid; he said that he isn't feeling very good, so he won't be able to make it." Upon hearing this, you felt a flood of relief. This wasn't because you didn't like Reid. It was because you did like Reid. You liked him a little too much.

Penelope ushered you through the door with a smile. Just as soon as you stepped inside Penelope's house, Emily knocked on the door. This time, Derek opened the door for the pretty brunette dressed in a simple red dress. "Hi, everybody," Emily greeted. Penelope's phone rang in response.

A few cups of Penelope's spiked punch later, you had forgotten all about your previous nerves. So, when you turned around and bumped into your coworker's tall form, you invited him to dance instead of apologizing like a normal person. "Oh…no… I-I don't really dance," Spencer responded, shaking his head. "Aww, come on, Spency Poo," you pouted up at him. " Spency Poo? How much have you had to drink?" He asked incredulously.

He was part of why you felt nervous about the prom; you had a massive crush on Dr. Spencer Reid since you started at the BAU a few months ago. You usually weren't a particularly giggly person. But, when he was around, you turned into a giggly, mushy mess. Your crush was so obvious! Penelope had caught on to it almost immediately and teased you about it ever since. You were sure that if Penelope, who wasn't even an FBI profiler, had caught on, it must be painfully obvious to everyone else on the team.

Before you could respond, Morgan clapped his hands around Spencer's shoulders. "I thought you weren't going to be able to make it?" Morgan asked. "I guess I started feeling better." The bespeckled man responded. "Yeah…" Morgan said, unconvinced.

"Come on," You said to Spenecr as you tugged on the sleeve of his wool blazer. "Yeah, man, go dance with your girl." Morgan encouraged. Upon hearing Derek refer to you as Reid's girl and seeing the panicked look across Reid's pretty face, you were momentarily stunned out of your tipsy state.

"I'm your girl?" You asked with a coquettish grin. "You know what? I changed my mind. I will dance with you." Spencer responded quickly, tugging you onto the makeshift dancefloor in the center of Garcia's living room. Suddenly, you didn't want to dance; you wanted to know what Morgan meant when he told Spencer to dance with his girl.

"It's hot in here. Will you come outside with me?" You smiled up at Reid. "Of course. Did you know that alcohol disturbs your central nervous system, which can cause your body to less effectively heat and cool your body?" You found it endearing that he could share his fun facts even in uncomfortable situations. "Really? Do you think getting out of here would make me feel better?" You ask sweetly. "Probably." With this, you lead him out onto Penelope's patio.

You decided then and there to do something you wouldn't have thought of doing just a few hours ago. You were going to tell Reid how you really felt

"There, that's better." You sighed once the sliding door had shut, muffling the noises of conversation and music. "It's not much cooler out here than inside," Spencer remarked, bringing attention to the unseasonably warm weather. "Yeah, you're right," With this, you pushed the hair away from your face and stretched tall. When you looked back at Spencer, you saw his eyes quickly avert away from your chest.

"I saw that, Spence." You teased. "Saw what?" He asked, cheeks reddening. "Don't play stupid with me." You admonished. "I have a question for you, Mr. Smarty Pants." Spencer let out a soft snort at the nickname. "Sure, what is it?" He asked, eager to help.

"What did Morgan mean when he called me your girl?" "Oh…nothing. You know how Morgan is." He responded quickly, practically cutting your sentence off. "Yeah, I do know how Morgan is. That's why I asked." Spencer avoided eye contact, more so than usual.

You moved closer to him and whispered conspiratorially. "Can I tell you a secret?" You tried not to giggle at Spencer's wide-eyed look and cute nod. "I like you. I have a big, fat, stupid crush on you, Spencer!" "No, you don't," Spencer said, backing away from you.

"How do you know!?" You asked indignantly. "You're drunk. "You don't know what you're saying." Spencer glumly answered. "Yes. I do." You loosely picked up his hand. Instead of letting go of your hand like you thought he would, he held it tighter and looked into your eyes.

"Do you really?" He asked quietly. "Can I kiss you?" You asked before what little resolve you had was worn away by the warmth of Spencer's gaze and touch. "Yes." He whispered. With this, you smooshed your mouth into his. It was soft and sweet, like Spencer. You kissed for what felt like minutes but was really only seconds.

"I like you too, since your first day at work. Morgan has teased me about it ever since. That's why he called you my girl." Spencer blurted out once your lips had separated. You laughed, happy in this moment. "Would you like me to be your girl?" you asked sweetly. "Yes!" Spencer responded without a second thought.

A/N hi hi! I've been reading fan fiction for a while and finally wrote my own. This story was written for @imagining-in-the-margins CM office party prompt challenge. dividers credit: @saradika-graphics

#winter'swritings #mentioningmargins #spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds fanfiction #mgg

[chadillacboseman]

Pairing: Homelander x F!Reader Warnings: Well, it's Homelander. He's fucked up, he's irredeemable, etc etc. We fuck monsters here. Violence, a little bit of a praise kink and some rough fucking mentioned. Homelander is a bit of a creep.

--

"What's your name?"

You had dropped the documents you were carrying, sending papers and folders flying in the cramped hallway. A towering figure in dark blue had stopped to help you, had knelt down beside you and swept the documents into his hands before straightening.

Homelander.

You told him your name and he repeated it with a shark-like grin. His canines were just a little too sharp, his eyes just a little too blue.

"How have I never seen you before? You should be front and center here."

You worked for Vought, a low-level secretary and a glorified "gopher" as Stillwell had so often called you.

But suddenly, you were front and center. A promotion came the day after he had stopped to help you. A new desk that overlooked the city awaited you on the 18th floor. "Supe Coordinator" they called you- the person who arranged their press appearances and made sure they were prepared for the media.

Deep, you learned, had a fear of public speaking. Black Noir, despite his silence, loved a good joke.

And Homelander, oh, Homelander. He was every bit as charismatic to you as he appeared on TV. He doted on you, always telling you how wonderful you were, how much better you were than the others at Vought.

"I think he likes you."

A coworker gestures to the Supe in blue and giggles behind her hand like a schoolgirl.

"He looks at you- like a lot."

Oh, does he look. His eyes linger on your every move, watching as your hands touch the other Supes. He thinks of breaking Deep's neck when he makes a crude joke about you.

Homelander isn't used to feeling like this- humans are below him. But he aches for you, wants to make you his. He wants to parade you around like a trophy at his side.

He envisions a perfect life with you at his side- a kid, a dog, a fucking picket fence. The whole works.

A stroke of luck for him comes at your expense.

In the parking lot, a madman rants, holding a sign that decries supes, calls them evil. He's waving a knife. He's blocking your car.

Homelander hears your shriek from the top floor.

He bursts through the window, sending a spray of glass to the pavement below. In an instant, he has the man by the throat, shoving him into a nearby car.

Homelander looks like something from a horror movie, shark teeth bared, eyes glowing red. He snaps the man's neck and drops him to the ground without flinching.

You're shaking, trembling like the helpless, powerless human you are. He scoops you into his arms, holds you tightly against his broad chest and takes flight, delivering you home despite your protests at leaving your car behind.

You don't think to ask him how he knows where you live.

After the parking lot incident, Homelander keeps you close.

"Wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"I'll protect you."

An excuse to have you by his side- to fly you home every night and bring you to work in the mornings. He's insidious like that, isolating you from others before they can warn you about him.

One night as he flies you home, you finally ask the question that has been burning in your chest like a coalfire.

"Why do you do this?"

He makes a sound, like a rumble deep in his chest, before glancing down at you. In the darkness, his features are even more striking, his blue eyes boring into yours.

"I like you."

Your stomach does somersaults that have nothing to do with the flight.

After that, you're his before you even realize it.

Headlines abound-

"#1 Supe Settles Down"

"Homelander Finds Love in a Surprising Partner"

He brings you on press tours, keeps a protective gloved hand on your thigh as they ask you questions.

"What's it like being with the most powerful man in the world?"

The hand tightens. He's smiling but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"It's amazing."

The grip loosens once more.

--

"Say it. Say you're mine," Homelander's hips snap against you and you cry out, head lolling back as he fucks you.

"Say it," he commands between thrusts, his hand coming to your throat in a warning.

"I'm yours!" you wheeze as his hand tightens on your windpipe.

"Good girl," he croons, "Such a good, good girl."

He releases your neck from his grasp and focuses instead on your breasts, hands wandering over them like he's committing them to memory.

There's something about your fragility, something about the way he could so easily hurt you if he felt compelled. It drives him, makes him feel like an animal.

He cums inside you over and over until you're so sore you're almost begging for reprieve. He pulls back to examine his handiwork, eyes hungry as he drips from you.

He isn't always this rough.

There are times when he finds you in your apartment, defeated and longing. Times when all he can do is lie back while you ride him, begging for your praise.

And you give it to him.

You use his real name, run your fingers through his hair while you sink onto his cock.

"John," you whisper and he's putty in your hands, whimpering and burying his face in your chest, "My good boy. My Homelander."

And he is yours- so completely and totally that it frightens him.

You're a target now- a target for not just the media, but for his enemies too.

Billy Butcher smells blood in the water the first time he sees you at the Supe's side.

"We could use this. Use her."

Butcher threatens your life and Homelander sees red. He vows to go scorched earth, to kill him and his "Boys" if they ever lay a finger on you. He's ranting, pacing the floor of your apartment, his cape billowing in his wake.

"I'll crush his fucking skull-"

"John, please," you're pleading, wringing your hands in desperation.

"I'll rip his throat out!"

"John!"

He snaps back to reality and clutches your hands in his, kneeling before you in a stunningly human gesture.

"No one will ever hurt you," he promises, steely blue eyes never wavering from yours, "Ever."

You believe him.

#homelander x reader #ns/fw #homelander #the boys fic #this is all over the place sorry lol

[booksinmythorax]

So you're an adult who wants to start reading for fun, but you don't know where to start

I'm a librarian, and I hear at least once a week from people who sheepishly tell me that they'd love to start reading for fun (for the first time or after a long break). Here's my best advice broken down into bullet points, but start here: there is no shame in being a beginner.

-Think about what you do enjoy and start from there. So you're not a book person. Do you like movies? Television? Podcasts? Music? Tabletop games? Video games? What other media do you like and what does it have in common? Make a little list and Venn diagram that shit.

Maybe you're into stories about fucked-up families (Sharp Objects, Succession) or found families (lots of realplay TTRPG podcasts, Leverage, Avatar: The Last Airbender) or fucked-up found families (various Batman media, Steven Universe, The Good Place). Maybe you mainly watch or listen to stuff for the romance (Taylor Swift music, The Best Man, Heartstopper) or the sci-fi horror (The Magnus Archives, M3gan, Nope) or the romantic sci-fi horror (Welcome to Night Vale). And hey, maybe you're not a fictional media person at all. What do you like? What do you want to know about? World history? True crime? Home improvement? Birdwatching? Gardening? Various animals and their behavior? Human psychology? Cooking? If it's a thing, there are books about it. Start there.

Think about why you started to dislike reading. Did an adult snatch a book you thought looked cool out of your hands and say "Don't read that, it's below your reading level/above your reading level/a comic, not a real book"? Did school give you an endless parade of miserable, bleak books and tell you they were universal stories about the human condition? Or did it maybe only give you stories with saccharine, unearned happy endings, or only show you stories about straight cis wealthy abled white kids, or keep you from reading entire books at all in favor of endlessly dissecting tiny passages out of context? (For some vindication, check out "How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading" by John Holt.) Did you have an older sibling or a friend who was better at reading? Did adults put you in competition with that other kid and make you feel like shit about it? Were you in a situation where you were good at reading in one language, or even more than one, but required to read in another that you were still learning? Did this make you feel like you were "behind schedule" or like you shouldn't read at all? Or was reading just harder for you than it seemed for other people? Did reading give you headaches? Did the letters or numbers seem to float around on the page? Was it hard for you to focus for long enough to get through a whole book? Did you need to learn to read differently than the kids around you could? Did adults punish you for this instead of helping you? (Look, I'm not a doctor, but if any of these apply to you, consider going to an optometrist, a psychologist, and/or a psychiatrist to talk about these things if they're persistent and interfere with your life.) Or maybe you're burned out on reading. Maybe you did an advanced degree in literature or writing or history or some other reading-heavy discipline and you're just tired. Maybe your professors or classmates got snobby about what constituted "literary" works and their good opinion didn't line up with what you actually enjoy. You get to be sad and angry about these things, if they happened to you. They're also clues to how to move forward if you'd like to read more, or enjoy reading more.

Give yourself permission to read whatever you want, in whatever way you want. Wanna start with young adult books? Middle grade books? Awesome. Many of them have stories that are sophisticated and complex. Starting with re-reading the first books you enjoyed reading could help jog your memory about why you initially found it fun. Hell, even picture books are a good start. Have you read a picture book lately? Those things are getting cooler every day. Comics and graphic novels? Those count as reading. Many of them are published for adults, though again, the ones published for a middle-grade or young adult audience are often complex and moving. If you're an anime fan, give manga a shot. The source material for many anime go deeper into the characters and stories, especially now that anime seasons are often truncated to 12 episodes for entire series. (The right-to-left thing is easier to get used to than you think, too.) Romance novels and mystery thrillers and science fiction and fantasy? Those count as reading. Many of the things you might have liked about the books you read as a child or a teenager are present in adult "genre" fiction, and many of the things you might despise about adult "literary" fiction (god, I hate that word, but that's another post) may be absent from those titles. E-books and audiobooks definitely count as reading, and they're often more accessible than paper books for some people. Anybody who tries to genre- or format-shame you is a dick and not worth talking to.

Go to your local library. All right, shameless self-promotion here, I'll admit it. But I promise you, if you walk into a library and say "I'm an adult, I stopped reading a while ago, and I'd like to start back up again but I need suggestions," you will make someone's day. I get asked for my opinion about books approximately once a month. I get asked how to use the printer approximately eighty-five times a day. I love helping with the printer and I'm saying that unironically, but my colleagues and I absolutely adore "readers' advisory" questions. If you come with the answers to the above questions about your preferred genres, formats, and reasons you'd like to read, it'll help the process, but most of us are trained to ask follow-up questions to get you the best possible book match. Do not apologize. You are not bothering us. It is literally part of our job. We want people to know that reading is fun, and you are a people.

#librarians and booksellers: i would love it if you added more tips to this #librarians #booklr #books and reading #reading #literacy #media #young adult #book recommendations #public libraries #books & libraries #booksellers #books #comic books #adult literacy #media literacy #child literacy

[coolemmasulivan]

With You | 3

Pairing: Rúben Dias x Reader

Summary: You're Bernardo Silva's sister and you and Rúben have a crush on each other. After moving to Manchester, you and him realise that some things in the past were not what it seemed.

Word count: 3117

Author's note: English isn’t my first language. This is not the final.

You can read part 1 here and part 2 here

You kiss me in your car and it feels like the start of a movie I've seen before

You, Ines and your family were in Istanbul to celebrate the win with Bernardo and the team. It had been a while since you last stepped into a stadium, but you couldn't have chosen a better day to support your brother.

You watched the game next to Ines and Rúben's brother, that was also with his parents. You couldn't recall the last time you felt so anxious about a game.

The match was still in the first half when Ivan whispered in your ear. "Are you still ignoring my brother?"

You rolled your eyes. "I don't want to talk to him! Every time I feel like answering his calls, I remember how he hurt me. I know it's stupid. We were together for just one night."

"It's not stupid. You were good friends and it seems like neither of you had a simple and meaningless crush on each other but actually fell in love."

"Then, I think only one of us fell."

"Y/a, believe me, Rúben's been in love with you since the first time he saw you. He should be the one to tell you, and that's what he has been trying to do, but that girl forcefully kissed him. He didn't even realize that you stopped talking to him because of that."

You studied his eyes, searching for any hint of deception. "Don't you lie to me."

"I'm not. I would never lie to you." You knew he was telling the truth. "I know he wants to talk to you face to face, but next time at least answer his call." You didn't say anything and he didn't push you forward.

When the game ended you couldn't be happier for the team. They had won a historic treble. The atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium was filled with pure joy and magic.

Inside the field, you hugged Bernardo. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you."

Bernardo held you tightly in his embrace. "I'm happy you're here."

"I know how much you worked for this. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Not too far away you saw Rúben hugging his mum. He looked so happy, enjoying the company of his family. His eyes sparkled with happiness as he laughed and chatted with his brother and parents.

You also wanted to hug him, congratulate him, and tell him how proud you were.

Ruben wanted the exact same thing. At such an important part of his career, all he wanted was to be able to share this moment with you.

Back in Manchester, and with the excitement of the parade through the streets of Manchester, Rúben finally approached you. He had drunk two shots as he had promised the team that he would do so if they won. However, the warm liquid was not having the desired effect on him.

As you were conversing with Michèle, Bruyne's wife, the defender came up to you.

"Hello, Michèle!" She greeted him with a smile and he gently placed his hand on your lower back as he turned to address you. When you didn't step away from him, he took that as a good sign. "Can we talk?"

"I'll go find Kevin. It was nice meeting you, Y/a."

"You too." You smiled. As you gazed at Rúben standing before you, you couldn't help but notice that he looked pale and sweat was forming on his forehead. "Are you okay?" You asked concerned.

"What? Yeah, yes, I'm fine." He ran his hand through his hair.

"You don't seem fine, Rúben."

"It must be because of all the travelling." His voice sounded deeper than normal and it surprised you that you could smell alcohol on his breath. "Can we talk, please? About us?"

"You really want to do this right now?" He looked up and let out a deep breath. He was getting more pale. He placed his hand on the window, smashing the curtain against it. "Rúben, what's going on? You're pale. And it looks like you've been running the marathon." He didn't say anything.

You felt like he was going to pass out at any moment. You frantically scanned the room, prepared to summon help, but before you could react, Rúben yanked the curtain aside and vomited.

You covered your mouth in shock when you saw that Mrs Grealish's handbag was hidden behind it.

Silent filled the room, but quickly people started laughing. Everyone knew that Rúben didn't drink alchool, so the situation was pretty amusing.

When it seemed like it had stopped, you and Ederson helped Rúben up.

"Você está bem, cara?" He asked him as he kept laughing. (Are you okay, mate?)

You both helped him sit down and Pep gave him a bottle of water. He drank half of it and his colour started to go back to normal.

"Mate, not my mum's bag!" Jack shouted when he realised where he had vomited.

Rúben ignored him and grabbed your hand, afraid you'd run away. "I need to talk to you. I didn't kiss that girl." As soon as he suggested having the conversation in front of everyone, you couldn't help but widen your eyes in surprise. And so did Pep, Jack and Ederson. "I didn't! She came to me. I thought it was you." Your heart stopped when you saw Bernardo approaching all of you, a beer in his hand.

Jack was quick and with a hand around his shoulders, he distracted him and led him back toward the drinks.

"We're not going to have this conversation here, Rúben."

"So when? You never answer my calls."

"Maybe when you feel better." You grabbed your purse from the sofa. "Go celebrate with your teammates. You deserve it!" You said goodbye to Pep and Ederson and left.

Pep looked between Rúben and Ederson, arms crossed in front of his chest. "What happened? Are you two dating?"

Ederson felt like he hadn't stopped laughing. "He wishes."

Rúben stood up, keen to follow you, but Pep made him sit down. "You're not going after her. Not today, Dias. She's right, you need to celebrate with your teammates."

They were getting on the bus for the parade when he received a text from you.

Y/a: As I said, you should be celebrating, not worrying about us. Just give me more time. I promise I'll talk to you when I'm ready. Congratulations on the treble.

Perhaps that was not exactly what he wanted, but it made him smile like an idiot just by having a text from you, congratulating him.

Rúben: I'll wait as long as you need. I'm not going anywhere.

Throughout the entire parade, his smile and happiness couldn't be more obvious. But at night, when his head hit the pillow, he quickly fell asleep dreaming about you.

You didn't text him anymore and Rúben gave you the space you needed.

One week later Rúben and some of the boys were gathered at Jack's house, enjoying a movie together before they all headed out for their respective vacations when his phone rang and Bernardo's name appeared on the screen.

"Sim, Bernardo!" He answered without taking his eyes off the movie. (Yes!)

"Rúben, ajuda-me!" The tone of his voice was serious. "I don't know where she is." (Help me.)

He told Jack to lower the volume as Bernardo spoke too quickly and incoherently, making it difficult for him to be heard. "Wow, calm down. What are you talking about?"

"Y/a! She disappeared." Rúben felt like someone was stepping on his chest.

"What? Disappeared how?" At his words, the rest of the boys turned their heads towards him.

"I haven't heard from her since yesterday morning and I talk to her every day."

He got up from the sofa. "Doesn't she live with you?"

"She moved two weeks ago. I went to her house, she's not there." He let out a sigh. "Fuck, you need to help me. You know how she is. If she can get lost in Lisbon, who knows what can happen in Manchester."

"Bernardo, stop! I'll go look for her and I'll ask the boys to help. We're going to find her. It's going to be fine."

You were soaked from head to toe. It had been sun when you left in the morning, so you didn't feel like you would need an umbrella.

You were tipsy and your phone had no battery. Worse, you couldn't remember the name of the street where you lived or Bernardo's.

"Hello, doll!" A man said when he walked by you with his friends, but thankfully they didn't stop.

It was Friday, you and your colleagues had enjoyed a meal together and after that, you went to a bar recommended by Mike, one of your coworkers. However, the bar didn't live up to its reputation.

As you made your way through the party, your friends began to leave due to the unpleasant atmosphere of the bar. However, Mike was too intoxicated to leave, so you stayed to keep an eye on him. Unfortunately, you got separated when he went to get another drink. You searched for him all over, but with no luck, you eventually left without him.

Not long after you left, it start raining and the truth was that you didn't even know where you were and where to go. The bar seemed to be hidden from the rest of the city, surrounded only by factories and warehouses with no sign of any taxis in sight.

You hadn't paid attention on the way to the bar and you regretted deeply.

Rúben and Jack had been looking around the more sketchy streets. The car remained quiet, with the exception of Jack's occasional instructions to turn left or right.

"We're going to find her!" Jack stated, noticing the anxiety on Rúben's face as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Rúben didn't say anything. "Turn to the left. There used to be-- what is that?"

"What?"

"There!" Jack pointed at the figure kneeling down, beside a factory gate where the rain didn't fall. "Is that a person?"

"It's her!" Rúben abruptly stopped the car and quickly got out, running toward the person. As he drew near, he knelt down and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. The woman's lifted her face, frightened and taken aback by the sight of another person. Ruben's heart sank. "I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else."

Jack approached them with an umbrella. "Oh. Hello there, what are you doing here in the rain?"

She looked high. "I'm waiting for my taxi."

Since she didn't look well and since they didn't really believe her, they waited with her. Not long after the taxi showed up. Jack helped her inside it, telling the driver to make sure she got home.

"Fuck, I really thought it was her." Rúben grumbled.

Jack patted him on the back. "Come on, let's go find your girl. I'll drive."

They started walking toward the car when a voice made them stop.

"Rúben?"

Both of them looked back and there you were. Wet, without an umbrella and a jacket that he was pretty sure it didn't do anything to stop you from freezing.

"Y/a!" He left the safety of Jack's umbrella and ran toward you. He hugged you tightly and you instantly hid your face in his neck, letting the first tears fall.

The rain kept falling more heavily and Jack stood still, questioning himself if he should just approach them with his umbrella or not. He didn't want to interrupt their moment. I mean they're already wet, he thought.

He grabbed your shoulders and pulled you back just enough to see your face. "Where were you? We've been worried sick about you."

"My phone died and I can't remember the name of my street." More tears fell down and you only hoped Rúben would think it was from the rain. You felt so pathetic. "Just take me home, please. I want to go home."

With his arm over your shoulder, he brought you to the car and Jack opened the back door for you to enter. Rummaging through the trunk, Rúben pulled out a city coat to wrap around your trembling frame. Your exhaustion weighed heavily on your eyelids, and you felt as though you had just finished a marathon.

"Where does she live?" Jack asked him, when he drove away.

"I don't know. Just drive to my house." He looked back and saw you had fallen asleep. "I'll call Bernardo to let him know we found her."

At his apartment, Jack unlocked the door and let Rúben in with you in his arms.

"Do you need help with anything?" Jack asked as he extended a blanket over the sofa, for Rúben to place you down.

"No, thanks. You can go." He took off his jacket, feeling like it was becoming a second skin against his muscles. "I'll have to wake her up. She needs to take a hot shower or she's going to get sick."

Jack put down the keys to the house on the coffee table and said his goodbye.

You opened your eyes when you felt someone shaking your shoulder and calling your name. You saw Rúben kneel down in front of you, with his hair wet. When you looked around you saw you were lying on a sofa in what you assumed was his house, the photos on the wall giving it away.

"Where are we?"

"In my house. You need to get out of these clothes and take a hot shower, or you're going to be sick."

You were too tired to protest. He helped you up and led you towards the bathroom. You felt like your clothes had been glued to your skin. You had never hated rain so much.

"Wait here! I'll go grab something for you to wear." You sat down on the sit toilet and looked around the room. His bathroom was very clean and very organised. The white towels looked comfy and his products next to the sink were all very well organised. "Here! A t-shirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms."

"Thank you." You murmured. "But what about you? You're going to be sick too."

Rúben looked at your innocent figure. "I have another bathroom in my room, don't worry and take as long as you need." He closed the door behind you and you took off your clothes.

Underneath the hot steaming water, you felt your body relax. You felt like you had been awake for three days straight.

Rúben was in the kitchen, dressed in new and warm clothes, when you stepped out of the bathroom wearing his clothes. The t-shirt was too long for your small figure and sometimes you had to hold the sweatpants because they wouldn't stay on your waist. But you looked good. For Rúben you always looked good.

"I guess the clothes are a little big."

You chuckled. "Yes. A little."

"I can give you a pair of boxers, maybe they'll be more comfortable."

You shook your head. "It's okay." You leaned against the kitchen island.

He placed a mug of hot cocoa in front of you and you thanked him. "I called Bernardo. I told him you're here. He almost cried."

You smiled. You were lucky to have a brother like him. "I'm so stupid."

Rúben took his chances and took a step closer to you. "Don't say that. It could happen to anyone."

You looked at him and furrowed your eyebrows. "Have you ever forgotten where you live?"

Rúben bit his lip and drank a little of his drink. "I mean, no, but it could happen."

You chuckled to yourself and glanced down at the mug. After a minute or so, you broke the silence. "How did you find me?"

Rúben looked at you. "I don't even know. Maybe it was meant to be."

You moved your foot uncomfortably. "I'm tired." It was not a lie, but it had to work as an excuse to not have the conversation he so desperately wanted. "I'll think I'll go to bed." Rúben had shown you the guest room before you took a shower, so the plan was to go to sleep and hide there until Bernardo came to pick you up the next day. "Goodnight, Rúben!"

Rúben gently grabbed your arm and pulled you against his chest. "You scared the shit out of me today." His eyes were mesmerising, but you couldn't help but glance at his lips. "The thought that something could have happened to you made me completely mad."

"Rúben, stop."

"And it made me realise how much I still like you. I never stop liking you." All you wanted was to get lost in him. His arms, his lips, his touch. "That girl, at that party, she kissed me! I was also going back to talk to you and when she grabbed me, I thought it was you. When I realised it wasn't, I pushed her away. When I went outside, I saw the car leaving."

You wanted to trust him, but how could you be sure he wasn't lying? You had been hurt by every man you had ever been with. What made Rúben any different?

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"I had a crush on you since Bernardo introduced us and we had just been together. Why the hell would I kiss someone else? You were the only person I could think about."

"Well, you're a man!" You crossed your arms over our chest. "A very attractive one with a bunch of women following you."

"I don't care about that. The only woman I want is you. It's always been you." You closed your eyes and turned your face, but Rúben cupped your cheeks and made you look at him. "Just give me a chance. Give us a chance. You know we're good together."

You looked at his eyes, searching for any kind of lie, but he appeared completely pure and truthful. Your eyes were watering. "I swear to god, Dias, if you hurt me, I'll kill you." He smiled at you and leaned his forehead against yours. "I'm serious!"

"I know! But you don't need to worry. I'll never hurt you." He caressed your cheek and leaned forward, finally capturing your lips after all this time.

The kiss was sweet and gentle. His lips were soft, just like you remembered. Your hands went up, tangling your fingers in his hair, while his hands encircled your waist, pulling you closer if that was possible.

You stopped kissing and looked into each other eyes. Memorizing the moment. He brushed away a strand of hair from your face and kissed your forehead. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Tags

@kathb59 @lunamelona @alwaysclassyeagle @ithinkimokeei @sunny44

#ruben dias #footballer imagine #footballer imagines #footballer x reader #ruben dias fic #ruben dias fluff #ruben dias x reader #ruben dias x you #rúben dias

[besaya-glantaya]

Thoughts on Alex being wrong and loving it

Red White and Royal Blue (2023 movie)

Remember the little quip Henry makes about admiring Alex's willingness to admit when he's wrong? It's such a great moment of foreshadowing, especially since Henry has no idea just how right he is.

Alex prizes himself on being someone who is skilled at reading people, at seeing the person beneath the surface, but he's never come across anyone quite like Henry before.

Alex must be used to people hiding who they truly are - he's been steeped in American politics for years - but he probably isn't expecting anyone from such a legacy of historic power and entitlement to be, at their core, an actual cinnamon roll.

Their initial meeting also comes at a time in Henry's life when any chink in his armour reveals only pain and anger, leading Alex to assume that what lies behind the carefully controlled façade isn't pleasant.

This assumption is only reinforced by further antagonistic interactions, fuelled by Henry's attempts to balance civility while protecting his heart as Alex consistently pulls Henry's metaphorical pigtails.

The fallout from cakegate forces them into extended periods of proximity and we see Alex start to glimpse pieces of the real Henry beneath his bland public persona. Each further piece that's revealed surprises and delights Alex and it's a joy to watch Taylor Zakhar Perez bring those moments to life.

Allow me to ramble about some of these:

1. Alex's pause of panic followed by surprised relief as Henry suavely responds to the interview question, "How did you end up on the floor of Buckingham Palace, covered in cake?" Alex's relief is two fold: he was floundering with no idea what to say (shouldn't have rebuffed Henry's request to prepare for this interview, Alex...) and Henry's answer is not at all what Alex was expecting. Henry could easily have attributed the event to clumsiness or tomfoolery on Alex's part - even just by subtle implication. That wouldn't have been out of line with some of Alex's answers (e.g., "Three words to describe Henry? Um... White, blond and British.") but Henry chooses a more protective route, deflecting attention from Alex, which comes as a pleasant surprise. [Of course he can't show this, so instead retaliates with something as annoying as possible. Cue side eye from Henry.]

2. Alex's big-eyed expression of sympathy as Henry tells him the Palace insisted on parading him around while he was grieving for his father. It's the key moment Alex realises he's built a lot of assumptions on a misunderstanding and has probably treated Henry rather unfairly.

3. Alex frowning at Henry talking and laughing with the little girl in the hospital bed. He's seeing Henry through a new lens and realises this picture doesn’t fit with a lot of his previous assumptions.

4. Alex shaking his head at Henry's joking attempt to decline an invite to his NYE party that most people would kill to get. "That's perfect, you kill me and then I won't have to go." It's the first time Henry uses his sharp wit to share a joke with Alex, rather than directing it at him in a fit of pique. It's an olive branch and I don't think Alex was expecting such easy forgiveness.

5. The sublime series of text based interactions where Alex is surprised and charmed by Henry flirting (under the guise of gentle ridicule).

6. The iconic "I can't believe how wrong I was about you," while he and Henry are as close as two people can get.

7. My all time favourite: Alex's reaction to Henry pointing out the yellow roses on his tie. Henry employs this in a sweet distraction during a moment of all encompassing anxiety for Alex. It's enough to bring Alex out of his fog, to realise how much strength he draws just from Henry being there to support him. The way Taylor says "Oh my god. I'm so grateful you are here," is perfection.

I'm a gooey mess thinking about all the future moments where Alex is surprised and overwhelmed by Henry's kindess.

[Sobs]

On a related note @mulderscully has a great post titled: Alex's headshake of Love™, which captures several of these moments, and more, in perfect gif form.

#red white and royal blue #rwrb #nicholas galitzine #prince henry rwrb #alex claremont diaz #rwrb film #rwrb thoughts #first prince #henry fox #red white and royal blue movie #taylor zakhar perez

[fallloverfic]

"Nimona" movie artbook thoughts

There's so much neat stuff here. Spoilers for the movie below the cut but just dang I love this

So many neat ideas for long-haired Ambrosius. Ponytail Ambrosius! He looks so cute!

There was going to be a magazine cover with "Goldenloin bares it all" and I like to think part of this is in reference to the two pin-ups Nate drew (Pin-up 1 and Pin-up 2). It's neat to see how much they were building up his celebrity in more ways. In other concept art, he was on more magazine covers, and he shows up as part of a parade. There are lots of concepts of Goldenloin fans.

Also this Ambrosius test is amazing. The weird Todd/Ambrosius fusion in motion lol But you can tell they even modified it later to turn it into Todd. He's a bit softer here in a way and just... fun. Todd cosplaying as Ambrosius/having a nightmare/dream about it aldkjalj

It was also interesting to see more confident Ballister. There's an animation test with him fighting some Institute guards, and it's very clear in early concept art (from that popular viral test back in 2021 as well) that he was more confident in earlier production.

More adorable Ambrosius/Ballister moments, and some cute Ambrosius. They're absolutely sweet.

And unfortunately one of the biggest losses in the movie: the amazing stuff they show for Meredith Blitzmeyer. At one point she was going to be covered in magic tattoos.

"For a long time, the character of Meredith Blitzmeyer was in the film. She served many different functions in many different iterations. At one point, she had a magical van that was bigger on the inside. In another, she was covered from head to toe in magical tattoos. And in another, she was the head of a vast underground society, called the Silver Society, comprised of all the magical creatures forced into hiding by the institute. Ultimately, the story went in a different direction, but her design and model were so beloved that she wasn’t lost but repurposed into The Queen." This all sounds so cool (except the repurposed into a character who dies in the first 10 minutes of the movie part T-T).

She has an entire spread. It's neat that she got to show up in some form (when they recycled her design for Valerin), but I love the idea of the Silver Society and her place in it and also Ballister having more friends and just ugh. These designs and world-building are so cool. I wish we'd seen all of them in the movie.

Also finally an eye dings chart! With everything clearly explained lol Neat to know I wasn't imagining some in-between diamond/square shape when Ballister is changing.

And this pride flags spread! There's a drag queen club! I just love all of this!! Seeing them spread throughout the movie is fun but it's neat to see the collection here!

Also this line: "In actuality, there has not been a monster attack since the first, so the fear and belief of the possibility is the only thing keeping the populace in check." It's neat to get confirmation of that.

Also a very much more violent Nimona was in the early/late-ish production lol.

José Manuel Fernández Oli talked on his Facebook collection of concept art about there at one point being an underground of outcast shapeshifters, and I don't know if that's what we're seeing here, but we were at least maybe also going to get more magical people (which matches the Meredith plans)??

Weres? People with fire magic? Satyrs? Demons? Elves? Or just a wider range of shapeshifter people. That would have been so cool.

There are environment designs for the Institute, Ballister and Nimona's hide-out, people designs, a few more test animations they haven't put up elsewhere, more Nimona shapeshifts (more dogs and cats, a second kind of gnome, more of her bulkier, muscular design, more types of dragons, a goat, more ancient Nimona concepts, plant monster Nimona, alien(?) Nimona, etc.). We nearly had goblin Director. Older Gloreth concepts... It's all really awesome.

All in all, a lot of really cool stuff.

#Nimona #Nimona movie #Nimona artbook #Ambrosius Goldenloin #Ballister Boldheart #Ballister Blackheart #Meredith Blitzmeyer #Director #Goldenheart #Goldheart #Boldenloin #Boldloin #Blackenloin #Blackloin #ahh #love this #so sad we lost Meredith #this is all so cool #and yes I'm still sad for Ambrosius lost hair #Eugene Ambrosius would have been pretty with long hair #too many fanartists have done pretty versions of him #ND Stevenson #I can finally put to rest that draft I've had for ages saying PEOPLE THIS IS A PENTAGON #SAY IT WITH ME #there it is #in official artwork

[nobrashfestivity]

Personal rambling on Robert Johnson (don't feel you have to read this)

Since last night's song was a Robert Johnson song, I feel like mentioning that I always find it stomach churning how his musical legacy was talked about a large part of the music community.

His name was the subject of two complexly fabricated stories designed to cast him in a musical light that was comfortable to white musicians and writers.

The first one was silliness about him selling his soul to the devil so he could play guitar. It was such an incredibly popular myth (they made movies about it) and when I was a kid it seemed harmless enough until I realized it was to fuel the idea that white culture had about black artists. To whites, black musicians could never be scholarly and learned, doing the difficult task of mastering a musical instrument. Even though so many back musicians were highly educated the trope of the "natural black musician" that didn't have to learn it because they were part of a primitive culture and they were born into music, is a destructive stereotype that lives on today. It's adjacent to the racist "Black people have rhythm" stereotype.

Black people invented so much of American music but it's always been criticized until it is popular enough to be coopted by white artists. I'm not suggesting that white artists refrain from playing and adapting any sort of music, only that there's a lineage from "Jazz is not music" to "Rock and Roll is not music" to "Hip-Hop is not music." I wonder what all these kinds of music have in common!

Fewer people know the more recent Johnson myth that started on the internet, that his recordings were sped up and that's how he sang so high and played difficult things so fast. This had no basis in fact, it was an internet rumor. I felt it was also based on an ingrained racist idea about blues. White musicians had decided it sounded more "Authentic slower despite the fact that Johnson was only 25 years old when he recorded his first records and had ever right to sound like the young man he was. I have been over the "evidence" of this speed changing conspiracy and it was no basis in fact for about 10 reasons I wont bore you with. I just feel it's a lingering and unfortunate cultural picture of the blues that it's a bunch of uneducated black people getting drunk and singing that their baby left them. It can be extremely sophisticated and lyrical music.

I am not accusing everyone of being a racist. Many white musicians genuinely adored, shared the music of and credited Johnson for his genius. Keith Richards famously said when he first heard a record of Johnson paying solo he asked "Who's the guy playing with him?"

The thing I find unfortunate is that endless parade of Blues Hammer bands (Terry Zwigoff KNEW) that have systematically dismantled the elegance of the early rural music. The culture makes it hard for anyone to listen to Johnson and not think of some white hat mustached bar band who thinks they are covering Eric Clapton. And it's just a shame that, in a sense, he will remain this cliche of the guy selling his soul to the devil (so he could play hot licks!) instead of the graceful writer and musician he really was.

And to the poets and writers out there who analyze song lyrics, for me Johnson has some tremendously wry and dense allusions.

I recall reading Stephen Calt (I think) saying that in Johnson's song "Dead Shrimp Blues" "Shrimp" was a 19th century French slang term for a sex worker, long outmoded when he used it. I find these coded aspects to the music really interesting.

In the song last night "Come on in my kitchen" which is all at once mournful and salacious, there's one of Johnson's references to Hoodoo culture:

"Oh, she's gone, I know she won't come back I've taken the last nickel out of her nation sack You better come on in my kitchen It's goin' to be rainin' outdoors"

ethnographer and folklorist Tony Kail writes:

During the 1930’s Anglican minister Harry Middleton Hyatt traveled the United States performing interviews with numerous devotees of Hoodoo and African-American spiritualism. During his stay in Memphis Tennessee Hyatt encountered an informant who shared about a curious artifact known as the ‘nations sack’. Other local terms used for the sack included ‘nations bag’ and probably the most used term the ‘nation sack’.

Hyatt’s informant shared that the sack was worn by females typically around their waist. The sack contained money and objects considered to be ‘lucky’. One practitioner shared with Hyatt that some nation sack owners would place parts of a chicken egg inside the bag while others spoke of adding objects such as roots, snuffboxes and silver dimes. One informant shared that some women utilize materials such as a dollar bill covered in their mate’s urine inside of their nation sacks. Some were used in conjunction with a string that could be tied to ‘tie’ up a man’s ‘nature’ or sexual prowess. The magical principal that appeared frequently was that the ingredients in the nation sack could keep a man faithful and a woman protected. Hyatt’s informant he nicknames the ‘Nation Sack Woman’ advises the minister that the bag is off limits to men and should never be touched by a man.

But a favorite Johnson lyric for me is positively psychedelic for 1937 and is from "Love in vain" which perhaps is popularly known from being covered by The Rolling Stones .

"When the train, it left the station, with two lights on behind the blue light was my blues, and the red light was my mind."

#personal #robert johnson #Okay I didn't intend to go on like that #this is what happened when i can't sleep

[octuscle]

Ok, so, I may have fucked up really bad this time; drunk, horny and a chronivac really don't mix well... I was getting home from the club, i awanted some action and I was very drunk, so I may have asked the chronivac to make my life like a porn movie... Now I just woke up, and when I tried to take my phone to cancel the setting, it was overheating so much it almost burnt me, making it impossible to use it. I feel myself already changing, and I'm a bit afraid (but also curious) about what day will expect me after I get up from bed...

As a rule, alcohol, horniness and the Chronivac are indeed not a good combination. But in your case you were lucky. Do you already notice something about the bed? It's not your bed anymore. That's a hotel room. If you open the curtain, you have a wonderful view of the Rhine. Welcome to Cologne Pride! You have four days of hard work ahead of you: parties, autograph sessions, interviews, participation in the parade, even more parties.

But to cut a good figure, you should work out for an hour before breakfast. Your body has to be flawless in the next few days. For breakfast, I've laid out the leather hot pants and high boots for you. For the grand entrance, I would leave the upper body naked. Just don't forget your sunglasses. Afterwards, the Louis Vuitton store has booked you for a performance in the shop window. Open air lunch with the mayor and other celebrities. In the afternoon you are the guest of honour at the opening of a Tom of Finland exhibition. Then two hours of free time. And in the evening you have to show up at three parties for at least two hours each.

There are plenty of bottles of Evian in your backpack. You don't touch drugs or alcohol anyway. And despite all the stress, the weekend has one decisive advantage for you in contrast to a million visitors to Cologne Pride: definitely no sex! This is pure relaxation.

#male tf #muscle tf #chronivac #reality change #tank top

[fimmiesthinker]

funfair - hong eunchae x fem!reader

sypnosy: hanging out with eunchae on a amusement park will surely bring a wonderful time because everything with her is always amazing.

tags: fluff, non-idol au, inspired in 'amusement park by baekhyun'

"Chocolate or vanilla ice cream?" eunchae gasps, taking a second look at the menu "there is churros too!!" you see her excitedly jumping up and down in her feet and your eyes fill with warmness by seeing eunchae this happy.

you high-five yourself mentally because bringing eunchae on a amusement park was the best ideia you had this morning, seeing her all smiley and bubbly don't fail in making you feel fuzzy inside and hanging out with eunchae is always a fun time.

she looks back at you with a little pout "stop staring at me, you didn't answer, i need help to decide..." euchae complains while poking you in the shoulder, her puppy eyes full of mischief knowing that you hate being poked but she quickly won your attention with it.

joining her game you make a annoyed face and poke her back in return, tickling her side you get a little squeak out of her followed by adorable giggles, eunchae squirm away from your attack and grab your wrists in a signal to make you stop.

laughing at her reaction you let go and turn your attention back to the menu. "whichever you want to eat, i can buy both and even the churros, just get it I'll buy for you" you say smiling and eunchae beams happily after hearing that, intertwining your fingers in hers she orders the treats and soon after, you both are sitting in a bench eating the mixed flavor of ice cream and the churros.

"okay so we already did the rollercoaster, bumper cars the merry-go-round and argh that cinnamonroll plushie prize i really wanted it, im sure that game was rigged" eunchae trails off, counting the rides you both already did on her fingers "what should we do next?"

"how about the haunted house?" you suggest and eunchae shakes her head denying it "come on I'll let you hold my hand if you get scared, don't be sad" you offer teasingly and she looks at you in disbelief and starts chuckling

"please, you are the scared cat here not me. we didn't even finish the monster house movie because you that found terrifying" eunchae remarks clearly teasing back and you roll your eyes playfully shaking your head at her comment

"yeah I'll not have this discussion with you again, that movie just hits different" you defend yourself and ignore her mimicking you in a mocking tone.

after wandering around you both decide to wrap it up by going to the ferris wheel, enjoying the slow ride, eunchae snuggle closer resting her head on your shoulder and you rest your chin on top of her head after giving her forehead a small kiss. as you observe the people come and go from up the ride you notice that they look like a little parade just for you both, and after a day filled with fun adventures through the mysterious world, you consider yourself the luckiest by having eunchae on your side.

note: a short one bc this plot idea wouldn't leave my head yaayy

#le sserafim x reader #lesserafim x reader #le sserafim imagines #hong eunchae x reader #eunchae x reader

[aresianrepose]

So like. Everyone typically agrees that like Michael Myers or Freddy Kruger or Mr. Voorhees dying are like good things to happen in their respective horror films right?

So tell me why Joker is any different? Michael only broke out of prison once (I think, I don't go here) and has only killed 98 people (excluding the Rob Zombie movies)? Those are rookie numbers compared to Joker.

We, the audience, are supposed to feel catharsis and joy when Jaime Lee Curtis like brutally murders him and then parades his body through town (and all of the people in town are like Hell Yeah this is morally correct because our town has been repeatedly victimized by this man) before tossing that crusty man through a human sized paper shredder. Additionally, this killing was necessary for the character to move on and heal from her past.

All I'm saying is that like, the people of that town experienced wayyy less horror than what Gothamites have gone through just from the Joker. And there is no "self-defense" against Joker, these poor people just have to hope a caped guy shows up in time to save their asses. And most of the time, there is already a heavy body count before that caped guy gets there and gives some speech about the sanctity of life or some shit.

This killing would similarly be healing for Jason. I agree with the other post floating around right now about how his healing journey would not be realizing killing is wrong or whatever the fuck.

In this essay, I will explain why Jason would be lauded as a hero and given a parade for killing Joker and the parade ending with Joker's corpse being thrown into a fucking wood chipper. As well as how even within the fictional context, the moral debate surrounding killing Joker is so fucking stupid if you think about it for longer than two seconds.

#listen that last halloween movie sucked complete ass #but it got me thinking about how people view Jason as a victim and how we view these huge horror names vs comic book villains #jason todd #clovis writes #it's 2am so this is not eloquent #thanks for coming to yet another Jason Todd TedTalk