#ALSO I COMPLETELY MISSED THE SECURITY GUARD THING THE FIRST TIME????

[ghostofcrow]

Management: Roll out the new protocols! Go! Go! Go!

#I've been rereading SL and noticing some things I didn't previously #like management's initial shock and the small implication that they may have tried they're version of exposure therapy before #they really said damn this bitch fixing our robots for free #solar lunacy #ALSO I COMPLETELY MISSED THE SECURITY GUARD THING THE FIRST TIME???? #like???? I knew the break in was probably most definitely Nessa #but ig I somehow skipped over the fact her application was denied #this is why we reread

[empressgeekt]

Trolls - Accidental Knight Goes on a World Tour (Field of Forget-me-nots Part 2)

Okay so I didn't think I was going to make a part two (or three depending on how you count the posts, as The Keith and Branch Brothers AU now happens in the same AU), but here we are.

Part one of this au, is that Branch has taken Keith in as a younger brother, and for Keith's birthday, he dresses up as a character, The Forest Guardian, from one of the trolling's story. While in costume Branch saves the village from a wolf and becomes a knight with out anyone know who he was. Then the events of the first movie.

Link to that first post if interested - https://empressgeekt.tumblr.com/post/745937705603661824/trolls-vigilante-branch-au

Now on to this part's summery.

We pick up three months after the first movie. Branch is fully healed from his wounds from the Chef, but he isn't unmarked from it. Sure, he has his colors back, but they fluctuate. And he has a scar from her knife. It runs up his leg, torso and across his face. Thankfully the blade missed his neck otherwise he'd be dead, but it's a hard thing to hide. Especially since he's been blinded in one eye, because of it. Keith thinks it looks cool though, and writes the events of his scaring into his Guardian book.

The defense force that Poppy and Peppy had placed him in charge of is developing well enough. Branch has put together a training course for new recruits and per his recommendation a main station, outer-security wall with lookouts, and outposts further from the village were built. Once that was complete volunteers were being taken. Smidge volunteered for it right away, and excelled during her training. Branch makes her his second in command.

Over all Life hasn't changed that much ins Pop Village, the only differences being that they were at peace with the bergens and some trolls have new jobs. When Branch and Smidge aren't working, they're hanging out with the SnackPack (or taking care of Keith in Branch's case). Even before Poppy was crowned queen, she and Branch work more closely, Branch is in charge of village safety and many of his decisions need to have approval of royalty. Poppy also asks Branch to train her, during which Branch's crush develops beyond a fancy as watching Poppy shoot a bow and arrow like robinhood is very hot to him. Keith teases him everytime he blushes around the Queen.

Life continues on. Guy Diamond has Tiny, which I'm not sure if I should make Branch the midwife for or not (because Branch is trained in this canonically if this deleted clip is anything to go by Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0ioxfzsKv4&list=LL&index=2). Then Debbie shows up. Branch is kind of upset that Peppy never told Poppy, and by extension him, about the other tribes. If they were a threat they were something he needed to know about. Poppy still believes that Barb wants to reunite the trolls and Branch still chooses to go with her to keep her safe. Once more clad in his Forest Guardian attire. He leaves Smidge in charge of the guard and Peppy in charge of Keith.

Poppy doesn't kick all the weapons off the Balloon this time, because Branch packed her bow with the other spears and getting rid of it would be mean throwing away her newly prized weapon. Half way through their flight to symphonyville (I can not spell), they hear a very small sneeze. Keith has snuck aboard, not biggie. Branch is very frustrated with this, after all his kid is currently on a mission that he feels could be extremely dangerous.

Keith's reasons for sneaking aboard, he wants to start his guard training early and that Branch needs a wingman, because watching him crush over the queen is starting to get embarrassing. Branch can feel his hair turning white through out this interaction.

At symphonyville, Keith is clinging to Branch's leg the whole time. The destuction is like that of Pop village after Chef attacked. They get the whole story from Pennywhisle, and need to decide what to do next. Branch immediately wants to go home and fortify defenses. Poppy agrees, but wants to reach out to the other tribes to warn them at the very least and maybe form alliances in case of attack. Branch think that their military is till too fresh for that, and way to small. Poppy continues to argue her side and eventually Branch is forced to agree.

Country territory is closest, so they head there. Branch talks Poppy out of doing the pop medley because it would probably offend the country trolls. Keith's on his side too, as they both know what it's like to have things they don't like shoved in their face. This is how the country trolls are and they like it. Poppy reluctantly agrees but she still thinks that the country trolls need cheering up. They meet with Delta Dawn and begin to share information they have regarding Barb. Keith's role in this is to distract Clampers. The Children get along like water and rain (honestly these two would be great friends they could totally bond over biting people). Delta mis-takes Keith for Poppy and Branch's son, which they quickly correct with an awkward laugh. Delta still doesn't want to involved, so Branch and Poppy leave. but not before meeting up with a "Country" trolls named Hickory, who offeres to boat them to Funk territory.

This tips off Branch and Keith as suspicious, after all since when did Hickory know about where they were going and what they were doing, but Poppy doesn't notice and quickly agrees. Keith still enjoys the boat ride, so Branch is watching the trolling with one eye, and Hickory with the other. When Chaz shows up, Branch manages to pull out his bow and shoot the bounty hunter's instrument away, due to his suit covering his ears. After checking Keith over, he hears Hickory mention bounty hunters and pulls Poppy aside. they Have an argument with Branch pointing out everything he's be noticing and how Poppy can't just keep dismissing him. It's his job to keep her safe and the rest of the Pop trolls they need to work together. Then he asks if something else it going on, because once she knew he wasn't just spouting paranoid rants, she didn't have a problem listening to his suggestions. Poppy cracks and breaks that she's worried about being a good leader after all the good her father did, how could she ever measure up to that. Branch says that he's not sure what will make her great, but that a good leader should listen, and that maybe she's putting her father on a pedestal, he isn't the perfect king she thinks he is. Poppy starts seriously crushing on Branch after that.

The ride continues. Hickory and Branch talk about the knight's feelings for Poppy, and Branch just says it isn't the right time she's dealing with too much right now. On the flip side, Keith talks to Poppy about her new found crush on Branch. The future couple might be blind but Keith sure ain't and he's willing to do anything to make his brother happy.

They get sucked up into vibe city, with Branch nearly shooting Hickory with an arrow after he got in his the face with a guitar. Poppy and Keith end up sharing a bubble, as they were taken up to the city. Keith quickly charms Essence and Q, and they complement, Branch on his child rearing. Keith Also crawls into Branch's hair after hearing Cooper's story with his twin, knowing that it could hurt the knight on an emotional level.

One history lesson later...

"Wait if we split everyone apart, are we bad guys?" Keith said.

"Not us, bud, but some people who were like us did. We need to do better then them okay?" Branch would say.

Poppy Branch and Keith get caught in the same bubble during the escape, with Hickory separated form them. Poppy says she doesn't know what to do. Branch tells her they need to go home to protect every one. They need to be there for the last stand against Barb. Poppy finally listening, agrees only for them to be attacked by the Reggaetón trolls and K-pop gang before they can leave. Branch tells Poppy to take Keith and run. Branch pulls out his spear ready to fight when K-pop grabs him, que dance battle...

Poppy runs with Keith, the trolling upset in her arms. They run into Hickory, where Poppy rants about everything and losing Branch pulling the pop string form her hair, que hickory and dickory reveal. Keith says he called it.

Barb comes in and takes Poppy. She tries to mockingly dote on Keith only for him to bite her. She's impressed, and says she didn't think a popsqueak like Poppy could have such vicious offspring, and that the kid must take after his dad. Poppy's too mad to correct Barb, just fighting against the guards to get Keith back. Branch told her to protect the trolling, and she will do so. She never lets go of Keith when their in the cell.

Both Poppy and Keith are horrified when Branch Jumps in front of them. Keith even starts crying, thinking he'd lost his brother for good. The sound of Keith's wails make Branch hesitate and starts to fight back against the power-cord's power. He'd too busy to fighting himself to obey Barb's orders. Still Poppy stuffs gumdrops into her and Keith's ears, and then runs escapes from the cell listening to Keith's insturctions to pick the lock. Poppy Jumps down, and charges at Barb stealing the guitar. Keith Bites the rock queen again. The guitar is destoryed and branch is freed from the mind control. To Branch's horror he wakes to his little brother and the woman his loves already fully grey.

Just sing happens and poppy, gives Branch a kiss on the cheek, finally confessing. All the leaders get together, to plan for repairs of their homes, and how prevent this situation from happening again. Trollstopia is born, and suddenly Branch needs to figure out how to train other types of trolls for the guard.

#fanfic #canon divergent au #trolls branch #branch x poppy #dreamworks trolls #fic planning #trolls #trolls movie #trolls world tour au #trolls keith #Keith and Branch Brothers Au #Field of forgetmenots au #trolls world tour #trolls poppy #humor

[saltygilmores]

Dance Marathon Episode (Aka Murder On the Dancefloor)-Part 8. (Still Not Done)

So noble of you to defend her honor moments before you eviscerate her internal organs and splatter them on the football field.

Look, we don't need you speaking on behalf of Womankind, Miss Salty. Shane has done absolutely nothing to hurt Rory. You know what will hurt, though? That axe that's about to slice through Shane's torso.

WE KNOW. We know how much his sitting down has been concerning you. Your anti-sitting-down-position has been well established. A vote for Rory GIlmore means a vote for chair-destroyal. You are the opposite of that Seinfeld episode where George Costanza felt sorry for a security guard who wasn't allowed to sit down on the job and tried to sneak him a chair.

Be more like George, Rory.

Oh Shane. You just made a very fateful decision. Never go with the killer to a second location.

Damn. It turns me on when he talks like that.

Quoth The Butthead, Anymore.

Well well well, if it isn't the consequences of my actions, coming back to...Consequent me.

To her credit, she's tried to break free and impart on her mother and anyone who will listen through a series of coded blinks that she's being held hostage but you and Lorelai keep throwing her back in the ring and thwarting her escape. I love the word thwarting. Thwarting, thwarting, thwarting. Dean: You've been into him since he got into town. I've spent weeks, months actually, trying to convince myself it wasn't true (it's been a year, actually) that everything was fine between us. You're into him and he's into Shane. Who should be listening to this because it's so damn obvious.

Shane: I have no fucking idea who you or that girl in the polka dot dress are.

I love moments of self awareness on Gilmore GIrls. Embrace your idiotness, Dean.

Just thinking about how Dean is this pissed about Rory's behavior but he's still completely unaware (and will never be aware) that she also kissed Jess and cheated on him 😽 But then he cheats on his own wife and then Rory cheats on Logan with Jess and then Rory has an affair with Logan so in the end they all cancel each other out I guess. The only one of our fickle quadrant of bed hoppers who never knowingly cheated on anyone and the only boy Rory never cheated on was Jess. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

*Rubs temples* look...ugh. I don't really condone Dean yelling at Rory in public. Maybe they should have "Gotten a room", as Rory is fond of saying after learning that term for the first time 2 weeks ago. But in light of Rory's shenanigans, I kind of understand. Not only that, but taking into the account that this scene signals his merciful and long anticipated stepping down as Rory's Primary Male Life Ruiner and handing that crown to Jess, I am waving my Dean Card. I'll give him this one. Let her have it. Get it out of your system. Things with Jess are going to be so much simpler! Yes indeedy, Rory Gilmore. You are going to be riding the train to Easy Street now! Every day with Jess Mariano promises nothing but rainbows, sunshine, and puppydogs made of cupcakes. Let the shit show commence. But first, a little light homocide.

By the way, I've blanked on Lorelai's whereabouts while all of this is going down. Lorelai when she returns and finds out Dean will no be longer coming around to "Change her water bottle"

One more post coming up for the bloody finale.

#gilmore girls #denise rewatches gilmore girls #gilmore girls season 3 #they shoot gilmores dont they #tsgdt #literati #jess mariano #rory gilmore #shane campbell #shane is swan food #its imminent now #Lorelai is like one of those cartoony villains #I can imagine her going YOU FOOL YOU LET HIM ESCAPE!

[tripleaxeldiaz]

when the dance it’s through, it’s me and you

read on ao3

He knew this was coming, is the thing. He had time to prepare, to steel himself, to come to terms with the fact that while Buck didn’t want to be with Taylor specifically, he does, eventually, want to be with someone. And finding someone to be with involves dinners and drinks and generally less free time to hang out with your best friend and his son, no matter how much your best friend selfishly enjoys having you all to himself.

So Eddie knew this was coming — he really, painfully did — and he thought he would be able to handle it.

But then he walks into the locker room at the end of shift on a random Thursday and is overcome with want so suddenly that he can’t feel his legs for a minute, because Buck looks good. He always does, to be fair, but this is borderline sinful — his jeans are perfectly tight, his shirt makes his biceps look like they’re about to pop the seams, and his hair is slicked enough to stay down but not enough to get rid of the curls completely.

He recovers as quickly as he can, shaking himself as he crosses the rest of the distance to his locker. “Hot date tonight?” he asks, partially joking, partially curious, partially desperately hoping those jeans will be sitting on his couch instead of on a cracked leather stool in a dimly lit bar. 

Buck smiles, soft and a little shy. “Yeah, actually, I’m meeting her for drinks in 20 minutes.”

Eddie had definitely not prepared himself enough at all, actually, if the way his heart uncomfortably skips in his chest is anything to go by.

He shakes himself again, aims for something encouraging and normal. “That’s great, man, I hope it goes well.” 

It’s a lie, a big, fat lie, but Buck’s smile turns up to 1000 watts and he’s wiggling with excitement. Eddie can’t help but absorb a little bit of that happiness and smile right back.

“Thanks,” Buck says, slamming his locker closed. “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. We still on for the zoo?”

“Of course, Chris would never miss a chance to see the new brown bear cubs.”

“Me neither,” Buck says, his smile somehow getting even brighter. “Give him a hug for me when you get home, yeah?”

“I will. See you tomorrow.”

Buck waves as he jogs out the bay doors towards his Jeep. It takes an impressive amount of will power for Eddie not to gawk at his ass as he goes. He stays in the locker room long enough to watch the Jeep pull out of the parking lot, and then he does the only thing anyone can do when the man you’re stupidly in love with is dating people other than you.

He drives his ass home and sulks.

Just for the evening, he tells himself. Honestly, Frank should be proud of him for feeling his feelings like this.

Of course, Frank would also remind him that if he had been honest with Buck about the whole stupidly in love thing, he maybe wouldn’t have to be feeling any of these feelings at all. But he wasn’t — he put it off and put it off instead, at first because of proximity to the break up, and then because they had fallen back into a rhythm — field trip chaperoning and beach days and more nights with Buck crashing on his couch than without —  that he was reluctant to break. And yes, Frank, he knows they could’ve kept that rhythm, and he knows he shouldn’t assume Buck’s feelings for him, he gets it, okay, but honestly? 

He’s scared. 

Terrified to his bones, actually, and he’s secure enough in his emotions to admit that to himself. The idea of summiting the mountain of his feelings for Buck with no idea what will be on the other side ranks right up there on his list of greatest fears with tight spaces and getting shot in broad daylight, and he’s not sure any amount of therapy would make him okay with living a life that Buck wasn’t a part of. And he knows, he knows, as deeply in his bones as that terror is, that Buck would never, ever leave him and Chris completely, but there’s still a smidge of ever-present fear keeping guard at the top of the mountain and not letting him pass.

Maybe one day that fear will finally melt away and let him through. Until then, the only thing melting is the ice cream in his bowl, so he shovels another spoonful into his mouth and tries to focus on the movie Chris picked out instead of the flurry of nonsense happening in his head.

He gets about 10 minutes of peace, just long enough for Chris to finish his own ice cream, place the bowl on the coffee table, and turn to face him head on, eyebrows furrowed in a surprisingly Buckley manner.

Eddie pauses the movie. “You okay bud?”

Chris nods. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”

He has no idea how he sees through him so easily, but he always does. And he never wants to lie to Chris, but he also doesn’t think talking to your eleven year old about your love life is very healthy, no matter how close the two of you may be.

“I’m…a little blah today, I guess,” he says, shrugging. A very broad truth, but the truth nonetheless.

Chris nods sagely. He reaches behind them, tugging the blanket off the back of the couch and tucking it securely around the two of them. He picks up the remote and snuggles deeper into Eddie’s side, and Eddie wraps his arm around his shoulders and gives him a squeeze, thankful that Chris doesn’t think he’s too big for this kind of affection just yet.

Chris presses play, monstrous roars and metallic shrieks filling the living room again. “I bet the giant robot fights will help you feel better.”

Eddie snorts through his nose, leaning down to rest his cheek on top of Chris’ head. “I bet you’re right. I’ll be better in no time now.”

I’ll be better in no time I’ll be better in no time I’ll be better in no time

If he repeats it enough, maybe it’ll stick. Someday. Eventually.

~~~~~~~~~~

They meet at the zoo bright and early next morning, Buck full of big smiles and bear hugs as usual. Chris has the day planned to the letter, so they don’t take a break until well into the afternoon, Eddie and Buck collapsing onto a shaded bench while Chris is distracted by one of the zookeepers talking about brown bear hibernation. 

Buck hasn’t said a word about the date all day, so Eddie could keep avoiding it too. But he should be supportive, he supposes, even if it has the potential to ruin their otherwise perfect day.

“So,” he says as neutrally as possible. “How was last night?”

Buck shrugs and smiles, but it’s tight, not as bright as Eddie’s been seeing all day. “Her name’s Jessica, she works in PR, has a chocolate lab named Goose. We split a giant pretzel at the bar and she laughed at all of my jokes.”

“Wow, she must really like you, most of your jokes are terrible.”

Buck throws his head back and laughs loudly, shoving Eddie’s shoulder with his own. “They are not, asshole, I’m a comedic genius.”

“I think everyone on our team would beg to differ,” Eddie says, chuckling, trying not to chase after Buck’s warmth as he sits back upright. “So it went well?”

Buck shrugs again. “For the most part.”

“But?”

He sighs harshly through his nose. “She talked about her ex, like, the entire night. Every time she asked me a question, I’d answer, it would somehow connect back to him, and she’d go on a 10 minute tangent. I think I knew more about him than her by the end of the night.”

Eddie winces, “Yikes, that sucks.”

“And then,” Buck continues, “she still asked me if I wanted to go back to her place!”

Eddie’s stomach flips uncomfortably, because it was hard enough keeping his cool hearing about an innocent date, he’s not sure he’d be able to handle hearing about anything beyond that. “Did you? Go with her?”

Buck shakes his head hard. “No way, I told her I was too tired and bailed. I honestly wish I could’ve bailed sooner, but I didn’t know how to without looking like a douche.”

The words tumble out of him before he can stop them. “You could’ve called me.” Buck cocks his head towards him, confused, and Eddie is just as confused himself, but it seems his subconscious has already worked this out. “Adriana does it with her friends. If a date starts going south, she’ll text them so they call with a fake emergency and she can leave. Apparently it works every time.”

It’s quiet for a bit as Buck mulls the idea over, absentmindedly picking at his nails. “You don’t think I should just stick it out?” he asks quietly, like he’s afraid to voice the thought too loudly. “Maybe I’m just rusty at the whole dating thing.”

Eddie scoots down the bench until they’re pressed together from hip to ankle. “You just got out of a relationship where you thought sticking it out would work,” he says as kindly as he can. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with knowing when you don’t want something, and it’s not fair to anyone to keep forcing it, especially to yourself.” It’s pretty good advice, if he does say so himself, even if it’s partially motivated by the green-eyed part of him that doesn’t want any of Buck’s dates to work out.

But he wants Buck to be happy, more than anything else. And that trumps useless jealousy every time. 

Buck ducks his head and smiles that soft, sweet smile that Eddie loves best. “You’d really come up with a fake emergency for me?”

Eddie knocks their shoulders together again. “Of course.” I’d do anything for you goes left unsaid.

Before he can say anything else that tells on himself too much, Chris makes his way back over to them, his smile so big it practically splits his face in half. “Dad! The zookeeper said they’re gonna feed the bears at 4! Can we get ice cream and come back so we can watch?”

“Sure we can,” Eddie says. “I think I just need to get some—”

“I got it, Eds,” Buck says, patting his knee as he stands. “Chris, did the zookeeper tell you anything you didn’t already know?”

That launches Chris into fact after fact, the two of them chattering as they walk to the ice cream stand. Eddie lags behind a bit, watching them laugh, and tries not to think too hard about how wants this — ice cream and bear facts and Buck being theirs — forever.

~~~~~~~~~~

Buck goes on more dates — six more, to be precise — and he doesn’t call for a bailout during any of them. It’s a good sign — no call means the date is going well which means Buck is happy and having a good time — and Eddie knows he should be happy for him, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t the teeniest, tiniest bit disappointed when he doesn’t see Buck’s contact flash across his phone.

He does not sulk about it, though.

At least not obviously enough for Chris to notice.

He does stop buying ice cream. Just in case.

And he does ask Buck about the dates, every time, because he’s a good friend, damn it, and he wants to support Buck in everything he ever does, including getting his groove back. He’ll push any and all of his own feelings aside if it means Buck knows that he’s in his corner no matter what.

He’s doing exactly that the night of date number seven, trying instead to focus on watching the Rangers game and not on the fact that Buck is currently at a Mexican restaurant not half a mile away from his house, or how easy it would be to put in an order for pick up so he can casually scope the place out and see how Buck is doing.

He will not be doing that, though, because that crosses far too many lines for his liking. He also doesn’t want to have to explain that one to Frank.

Jonah Heim hits a triple, and Eddie’s phone starts to buzz. And buzz. And buzz. And buzz. 

[from: Buck] eddie sos pls help

[from: Buck] this man has been so rude to our waiter i’m about to lose it

[from: Buck] and i love this place i don’t want them to think i approve of this horrible behavior

[from: Buck] i’m hiding in the bathroom i’m so embarrassed

[from: Buck] i can’t be here anymore pls save me

[from: Buck] eddie

[from: Buck] eDDIE PLEASE

A thrill goes through him, quickly squashed by guilt, because he really should not be so pleased about this. That doesn’t keep a small smile from spreading as he types back, fully prepared for this situation like he promised he would be.

[to: Buck] I’m on it. Go back to the table, I’ll call you in 5. Just play along. 

He gets about 25 heart emojis in response, which sets off another thrill, which brings more guilt. He waits a bit, long enough for a home run from the Guardians to put the Rangers behind, before he clicks Buck’s number. 

Buck answers on the second ring. “Hey Eds, everything okay?”

Eddie hopes the one fluke drama class he took in high school will serve him well now. “Hey man, sorry to interrupt your date, but Chris and I are headed back from the beach and our tire just blew out.” 

“Oh no, are you guys okay?” His concern is so genuine it makes Eddie’s heart beat a little faster before he remembers it's all an act.

“We’re fine,” he says, “but the closest mechanic is like a 5 mile walk from here. I really hate to ask, but—“

“No, it’s okay, I’m on my way. Maybe now you’ll finally listen to me and get Triple A, huh?”

That’s not a lie, he’s been bugging Eddie about it for years now. “You can lecture me all about it later.”

“Oh I will,” he says, and Eddie can hear his smile. “Sit tight, I’ll be there soon.”

They hang up, and it strikes Eddie that if this were real, if he had actually called Buck while he was busy and needed his help, he doesn’t think the conversation would have gone any differently. Buck has always been willing to drop everything for him and Chris, and six months ago that would’ve made him feel awful, like he was taking advantage, but now he just feels…protective. Even in a fake scenario like this. He knows how big and golden Buck’s heart is, but his date clearly doesn’t, and something about that makes Eddie want to shout about it from the top of the Hollywood sign so everyone knows, keep watch over it like a bouncer at a club, only letting the worthy few in.

They weren’t kidding when they said love makes you stupid, even the unrequited kind.

His phone buzzing again breaks him out of his spiral.

[from: Buck] you are my hero 

[from: Buck] he barely even looked at me when i left he was too busy berating the staff

[from: Buck] thank you so much i owe you so big

Eddie doesn’t think before he texts back, just acting on instinct and what he wants.

[to: Buck] You can start your payback by bringing dinner over.

Which he immediately regrets, because maybe Buck doesn’t want to come over. Maybe he’s so affected by the date that he wants to be alone, or maybe he’s on the way to meet up with someone else, and Eddie has served his purpose and been a good friend so why would he—

Another succession of buzzes. 

[from: Buck] done

[from: Buck] me and general tso are on our way

[from: Buck] hope you have beer because i need about 5

And there goes Eddie’s heart singing again. He really needs to get that under control.

20 minutes later, the Rangers are still losing, and the front door swings open revealing Buck, backlit like some kind of angel, holding way too many bags of Chinese takeout. 

“Hope you’re hungry,” he says, dropping the food in the kitchen before flopping next to Eddie on the couch. “I didn’t get to eat dinner and I also had a coupon.”

Eddie snorts. “Of course you did.” They sit in silence for a minute while Eddie debates bringing the date up at all. But, again, he’s a good friend, so he does. “So it was that bad, huh?”

Buck closes his eyes and sighs loudly through his nose. “Imagine the worst person you’ve ever met, multiply their bad attitude by 100, put them in a Patagonia quarter zip and All Birds shoes, and that’s what I got tonight.”

Eddie winces. “So a huge douchebag.”

“He made two waiters cry,” Buck says, “and that was before we even got our appetizers.” He sighs again and looks over at Eddie, eyes and smile both soft and unguarded. “Thank you for saving me.”

Again, Eddie doesn’t think before he answers. “I’ll always save you.” 

Maybe it’s too revealing, maybe he’s showing too many of his cards, but it makes Buck’s smile widen and his eyes get even softer, so Eddie can’t really find it in himself to take his words back. 

“I know you will,” Buck says quietly, reverently, and with a baseball game as background noise and the smell of takeout wafting through the air, Eddie lets himself forget about dates and douchebags and pretend that this is the way things will always be.

~~~~~~~~~~

It happens again. And again. And again and again and again. Every other night for two weeks straight.

Eddie should feel bad, probably, but Buck always looks so relieved when he enters the Diaz house after another disaster, and Eddie can’t help but preen just a little bit at the fact that he is the reason for that relief, for the light in Buck’s eyes, if only for the night.

He’s being a good friend. And maybe a little selfish. But Buck is happy and not dating assholes, so it’s fine.

It’s almost enough.

It’s all Eddie’s got.

“90 minutes of true crime facts?” Chim asks when Buck recounts his latest aborted date in the loft between calls. “That’s annoying and slightly terrifying.”

“I know,” Buck says. “That’s why I left before dessert.”

“I don’t get it,” Hen chimes in from her perch at the kitchen counter. “You used to sleep with anything that moved, and now you can’t even make it through dinner?”

Buck clutches his chest in mock offense. “It’s called having standards, Henrietta. I’m older and wiser now, and I know what I want, and it is not hearing about other people’s murders every day for the rest of my life.”

He says it with such confidence, such surety, and Eddie’s proud, so proud, that Buck knows himself and his worth, but it also kind of stings. He knows what he wants too — who he wants — but he’s pretty sure he’ll never get to have it. He’ll get scraps, the aftermath of bad dates, until there are no more bad dates to speak of, and then everything will be different, and Buck will be gone. And Eddie will somehow have to figure out how to keep going with shrapnel for a heart.

If you talk to him…Frank’s voice echoes in his head, and it’s right, it’s been right, it’s always right, but it’s too late. Eddie missed that boat, and now all he can do is wave from the docks.

Buck’s arm coming to rest across his shoulders brings him back to Earth. “Luckily, I’ve got my knight in shining armor to bail me out and save me.”

“Oh?” Hen asks, eyebrows high. 

Buck nods. “Fake emergency call. Works like a charm.”

“For every bad date?”

“Every one.” 

“Every one?” Chimney repeats.

“Come on, like you two wouldn’t do that for each other.” The matching wide-eyed, jaw-dropped looks of surprise say otherwise. Eddie wants to sink into the couch and disappear forever.

Luckily, Bobby saves him from becoming part of the furniture. “Buck!” he calls from the truck bay. “Come help Ravi clean out the storage closet.”

“On it!” Buck shouts back. He pats Eddie’s chest before bounding down the stairs, and Eddie hates how quickly he misses the warmth, the grounding presence of Buck’s hands on him. Thoughts like that don’t make the “getting over being in love with your best friend” thing very easy.

He doesn’t realize he’s still staring after Buck until a throat clears from the kitchen. Eddie snaps his eyes over, and Hen and Chim are still staring at him, the shock on their face morphing into realization, because of course they figured everything out almost immediately. 

“I know,” he says, scrubbing his hands over his face, half exhausted, half hiding. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Maybe you should,” Chimney says. Eddie peaks through his fingers to look at him, and he looks more sympathetic than anything else now. “With Buck, at least.”

And there’s so many things he could say to that — He’s just getting used to dating again, He doesn’t want me like that, I’ll get over it soon, maybe, hopefully — but one statement, probably the most truthful statement, stands out above the rest.

“If I keep bailing him out like this, I get to keep him a little longer. He’ll find someone eventually who’s everything he wants, but until then, he’s got me.” It’s pathetic, and unbelievably selfish, but Eddie’s too tired to really care. 

Hen moves then, joining him on the couch, resting a gentle, comforting hand on the back of his neck. “You don’t think you’re everything he wants?” she asks.

He doesn’t have an answer that won’t involve a long, painful session with Frank after he admits it out loud, so he stays quiet, and she lets him. Her nails scratch through his hair, lulling him into the closest he’s gotten to peace in months, and for a few minutes, he can pretend this stupid plan of his isn’t breaking is own heart.

~~~~~~~~~~

It’s almost 10pm on a date night, and Eddie hasn’t heard from Buck. They were meeting at 6, so he figured by 8:30, Buck would be on his couch eating lo mein and venting. But 8:30 came and went, and so did 9, and so did 9:30, and Eddie’s heart sank lower and lower until it felt like it was crushing his intestines, because he knows exactly why Buck hasn’t called. He still doesn’t believe in jinxes, but it is some kind of sick, universal irony that he put words to feelings he had vowed would never see the light of day, and not a week later, they were coming back around to bite him in the ass.

He makes it until 10:30 before he breaks out the Ben and Jerry’s from the freezer. At least Chris is asleep and can’t judge him.

This is his own fault. Just like when Buck first got back into dating, Eddie had been so desperate to cling to him, to their family, in any way he could, that he completely disregarded preparing to live life any differently. And part of him quietly hoped that it wouldn’t come to this — that somehow, Buck would figure out all the things that Eddie couldn’t express, that he doesn’t belong in a hazy bar or candlelit restaurant with some stranger he met on an app. He belongs somewhere with people who know him, who see him, who will fight against hell and high water and everything in between to be in his corner.

But Buck doesn’t know any of that, because he’s not a mind reader, as Frank constantly reminds him, and Eddie was too much of a coward to tell him the truth.

Not even the ice cream takes the sting out of that.

When he’s laying in bed an hour later, trying in vain to fall asleep, he remembers that he should probably text Buck and check in. That’s what you do when your best friend has a seemingly successful date — you debrief and congratulate him and tell him you hope it keeps going well. 

But he’s just…can’t.

So he doesn’t.

He puts his phone down and rolls over and adds guilt to the pile of emotions threatening to collapse in his chest.

~~~~~~~~~~

The first thing he hears when he walks into the locker room the next day is Chimney asking, “So, Buckaroo, what did your date do wrong this time?”

Which is followed by Buck laughing and saying, “It actually went really well. We already have date number two planned for next week.”

Which is followed by Eddie seriously considering leaving and calling in sick. He doesn’t even care if that’s dramatic — his stomach is churning, so it’s not really a lie.

Hen spots him before he can bolt, though, and she gives him a look like she can hear his heart crumbling from across the room. 

Busted. 

He tries his best to pull it together, because if Hen already noticed something was wrong, Buck will definitely notice, and Eddie will be damned if he’s the one to wipe Buck’s smile off his face. He squashes everything down — including Frank’s voice echoing that he can’t keep ignoring how he’s feeling — and walks to his locker to get changed.

“Good night last night?” he asks as enthusiastically as he can.

Buck nods. “Yeah, Alex is great. He’s a nurse, he volunteers at an animal shelter on the weekends, supposedly makes a mean chili.”

“Sounds like he’s the whole package,” Eddie says. 

Buck’s face does something complicated for a minute, like a dark cloud passes over it, and his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes afterwards. Eddie’s stomach twists up even worse. He slams his locker closed and faces Buck where he’s bent over tying up his boots. 

“Hey,” he says quietly, waits for Buck to meet his eye. “I’m happy for you, you know that right? You deserve someone good who’s gonna give you the world.” 

The cloud passes again, but Buck’s smile looks more real afterwards, so Eddie takes it as a win. He claps Buck’s shoulder before leaving the locker room, silently promising to do better, to be there for Buck like he should. He’ll listen to him talk about this Alex guy, he'll be friendly whenever he meets him, he’ll be right by his side at the altar at their wedding if it comes to that, anything that’ll prove that he isn’t going anywhere.

If it means living with more heartache and wrestling with more longing, then fine, he will — it’s a small price to pay for Buck’s happiness.

~~~~~~~~~~

There’s a knock at the door as Eddie clears the last of the dinner plates. He catches Chris’ eye across the counter, who looks just as confused as he is — anyone they’d normally expect either has a key or would have texted first.

“It’s probably some salesman,” Eddie says.

“Or a Girl Scout selling cookies,” Chris says brightly. “If it is, can we get Thin Mints?”

Another knock.

Eddie nods towards the door. “See who it is first, then we’ll negotiate.”

Chris heads off, and hears the familiar sounds of the deadbolt unlocking and the door swinging open before—

“Oh! Hi Buck!”

Eddie pauses where he’s loading the dishwasher. That’s weird — he knows for sure he and Alex had another date tonight (number five to be exact, but he kind of hates that he knows that).

Sure enough, the voice he’d recognize anywhere echoes back to him. “Hey buddy. Am I interrupting dinner?”

“No, we just finished. Come in! Dad’s cleaning up the kitchen.”

Jackets are rustled into place and shoes are kicked off before Buck and Chris round the corner back into the kitchen. Buck’s definitely dressed for a date — deep red button down and those perfect jeans again — but his hair is loose from its gel and falling over his forehead, like he’s been running his fingers through it, which he only does when he’s stressed.

“Hey,” he says. He’s smiling, soft and easy like he usually does in this kitchen, but it’s strained, just a touch, and there’s a slight tremor in his voice.

Hmm.

“Hey,” Eddie says back. “Everything alright? How was the date?”

“It was fine. Short. Sorry I didn’t call first, I was—” he’s fidgeting now, his fingers drumming against his pant leg like he doesn’t know what to do with his hands, and it clicks for Eddie then that Buck’s not so much stressed as he is nervous. And he’s not sure if it’s from the date or from coming here or what, but he knows he can’t — won’t — let it stand.

“Buck,” he says quietly, stepping forward to place a hand on his shoulder. He can feel his pulse beating like hummingbird wings through his shirt. “It’s okay. You’re always welcome here, day or night, call or no call, no matter what.”

He feels Buck relax underneath his touch. There’s still an energy simmering under his skin that Eddie can practically see, but for now, he thinks this is enough. As long as Buck knows he doesn’t have to be anxious about being here, with his family.

“Well,” Buck says, voice steadier now, “let me be useful, at least. Can I help clean?”

“Nah, I’m almost done.”

“You can help me with my science homework,” Chris says from the kitchen table, pulling out his folders from his backpack. “As long as you read the instructions first.”

Buck laughs and Eddie swears the whole room gets brighter. “Deal. Show me what we’re learning now.”

The rest of the evening is so…normal. Buck and Chris finish homework while Eddie puts the house back together. They pile on the couch and play Mario Kart until they’re eyes go crossed and Chris is falling asleep at the wheel. They get him in bed, together, before flopping back on the couch, slightly tangled up in each other, and it feels so domestic, so good, that Eddie is almost worried he’s dreaming. But underneath the peace, he can tell the gears in Buck’s head are still churning about something, so he mutes the TV and turns his whole body to face Buck.

“Okay. What’s up? You’ve been practically vibrating since you got here.”

Buck doesn’t look at him, instead moving to stand and pace across the living room, still caught up in his thoughts. Eddie wants to help, but he doesn’t want to push too far, so he waits.

“I was really trying with Alex,” Buck says finally, and Eddie wills himself to stay calm, neutral, supportive. If Buck and Alex have called it quits, he is not going to be happy about it. 

At least not when Buck’s in the same room.

He keeps going. “He was cute and sweet and funny and he's a nurse, for God’s sake, he’s basically a saint. But something was— he just wasn’t—”

“He wasn’t what?”

Buck sighs, hands moving up to run through his hair again. “He wasn’t enough. And it wasn’t even because of something he did this time!”

Even though the words aren’t directed at him, they still sting, and he almost feels bad for Alex. Almost. It’s overshadowed by the pride Eddie always feels when Buck puts himself first. “Why wasn’t he enough?” he asks.

Buck comes to a stop right in front of Eddie and looks at him, really looks at him, long enough for Eddie to start feeling buzzy himself. And for the first time since he arrived, Buck is still and steady and sure.

“He wasn’t enough because he wasn’t you.”

Eddie’s pretty sure the Earth stops spinning. 

“What?” he asks quietly, so he doesn’t break whatever spell he’s fallen under because there’s no way — no way — that Buck meant that the way Eddie wants him to mean it. 

“He wasn’t you, Eds,” Buck says like it’s the simplest, most obvious thing anyone has ever said. “I’ve been going on dates for months now, and I keep trying to find someone who makes me feel as safe and cared for and fucking content as I feel when I’m with you and Chris, and no one’s even come close.” He shrugs. “I think you’ve ruined me.” He winces at his word choice. “In a good way. In the best way.”

Eddie’s brain is completely scrambled, held together only by something that feels a lot like hope. “But—the girl who talked about her ex? And the guy that was mean to the waiters?”

“I mean, yeah, there were some bad ones at first. They got better and more normal eventually, but still. No matter how nice they were or how much fun we seemed to be having, all I could think about was how I was one text message away from being where I actually wanted to be.” 

So many things are flying through his head — shock, a little fear, that hope that’s still growing brighter and brighter. They’re all going so fast that he can’t make any of them stick long enough to form words, to do something, anything, to show Buck that he feels the same, so he says nothing. Which is the absolute wrong thing to do, because he watches Buck retreat back into his head, curling in on himself like he’s trying to protect all his softest parts.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, looking anywhere but Eddie, fingers twitching at his sides again. “This is a lot to dump on you like this. I should’ve waited or something, I don’t know—”

That gets Eddie’s ass in gear. He doesn’t think, he just moves, standing and meeting Buck in the middle of the living room and hauling him in by his fancy shirt collar. Eddie crashes their lips together, and Buck freezes for half a second before melting into it, arms coming around Eddie and pulling them together as close as possible. He feels hands roam up his back and soft moans vibrate against his lips, and he’s pretty sure there’s nowhere else he’s ever going to want to be in his life. Buck bites his bottom lip gently and gets a gasp out of him, and he knows for sure that if he were to die here, in Buck’s arms, with the taste of him still lingering on his tongue, he’d die happy.

He hopes he doesn’t, though. They finally found their way here. They’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.

“You’ve ruined me too,” he whispers, pulling far enough away to speak but still close enough to feel every inch of Buck, grabbing hold of this miracle chance to tell him everything he’s been feeling for far too long. “You’re all I want, Buck. All I ever want. And I thought I missed my chance when you started dating again, so I just held on to those little post date moments with you, but—” he brings his hands up to cup Buck’s face, marveling at how perfectly they fit together. “You belong here. With us. Chris and I want you, we need you.”

He barely finishes his sentence before Buck is kissing him again, sweet and syrupy slow but still all consuming, pulling Eddie under and making his heart race. Kissing Buck is everything — fireworks and butterflies and the comfort of being exactly where you’re meant to be. It’s more exhilarating than a rope rescue, easier than breathing. It feels like new beginnings and happy endings and home. 

It feels like forever. 

They break apart for air, and Eddie realizes he confessed everything except the most important part. “I love you. So much. In case that wasn’t clear.”

Buck’s smile puts any sunny day to shame, and he leans in to trail kisses down Eddie’s jaw, over his chin, and back to his lips, where Eddie wants them to stay forever.

“I love you too,” he says, punctuated with another kiss. “And Chris.” Another. “Like a huge, stupid amount.”

“Not stupid,” Eddie says, resting their foreheads together. “Perfect.”

It really, really is.

~~~~~~~~~~

[from: Buck] eds

[from: Buck] i’m on a date right now

[from: Buck] with the hottest, smartest, kindest, most incredible guy i’ve ever met in my whole life

[from: Buck] so if i don’t text you later

[from: Buck] it’s probably because i’m getting lucky

Eddie rolls his eyes as his phone keeps buzzing, but he can’t help the fond, likely lovestruck smile that creeps across his face. He looks across the table at Buck, who looks damn near angelic in the low light of the Mexican restaurant where everything kind of started, and sees the same smile mirrored back at him. He nudges Buck’s foot under the table with his own and picks up his phone.

[to: Buck] I have it on good authority that you definitely will get lucky if you put your phone down.

There’s a clatter across the table, and Eddie laughs, freer and happier than he can ever remember being.

[from: Buck] done

[from: Buck] no more games

[from: Buck] i’m all yours

#evan buckley #eddie diaz #buddie #911 fox #buddie fic #911 fic #9-1-1 #they're just so dumb #so in love but so dumb #i love them sm #ficcery

[good-beanswrites]

🎬: About Es being a past prisoner and the secret 11th prisoner in your AU. But advance apologies if I'm overstepping into your AU!

I had this idea from a story that pretty much did the same thing. Going off there are novels/manga on Milgram and there being another Es and their own prisoners running another Milgram (but differently) I imagine this Milgram projects has been going on for a while, and our Es was from a previous project who might have gotten the worst verdict (or the most spared out of everyone), and was given this final task as a warden for the next group of prisoners. This is why they so readily agreed and had their memories wiped for this Milgram project instead of being weary on a shady project on judging an almost crime, they've already been through this.

(BTW is it bad and worrying for one of our ten fav prisoners to be the next Es if this is legit...)

Anyway, that's why Es is in Milgram in your AU, I guess? And the lore drop that Kotoko picks up on them being the 11th prisoner, I can imagine her also talking to Kazui since he's a policeman to see if she could cross out any theories on who Es is (Did they look familiar. Possible missing child. Any cases to do with an almost crime by a child other than the 10 of them here). Kazui knows Kotoko wants to investigate, but reminds her that, like in their prison while the trial is on, the facilities they're in have high security too. They do have the freedom to move about, but still limited.

If they're trying to investigate Es, maybe Fuuta, Kotoko and Mikoto can try to do the hacking on the comp Mikoto's allowed to use to Photoshop some shots for the MVs and photos (Fuuta and Kotoko seem to be able to search up info they need I think...). Yuno, Mahiru and Muu can work on charming the staff to see if they can spill more deets on Milgram. Not sure how much the group can gather, but oh boy fun times in Milgram can turn into another sort of stress in this AU...

No worries!! Like I said before, this whole au has been a fun collaborative project, so there's no overstepping :) I am sorry I won't be writing a lot on the ending until we get more info, but that's just the perfectionist in me who doesn't want to be proven wrong 😅 Still, I love tossing around and digging into ending scenarios, I really love this!

Because that would make a lot of sense why they're so willing to subject themself to the whole experiment! They remember how tough their experience was, and are confident they can care for the new set of prisoners while doing their job. I'm imagining they get the opportunity to return as guard, and get to have a nice talk with their own guard first. Once they fully understand what it's like, they're know they can handle it and sign up. It adds a bit of drama, too, since they must have been really young committing their crime in order to complete a years-long experiment prior to this one. They would have been like 10? Oof. (Now I wanna see their three trial songs 👀)

And like you said, that also brings up the question of the new warden. Though I think it's based on verdict results, I can just picture Jackalope keeping an eye on everyone during filming. He studyies their interactions and personalities, keeping his own set of notes on who would make a good successor. (I'm not going to go through every character but there are pros to any choice, it's very fun picturing them all taking the job.) Haha, on the other hand, maybe the reason Kotoko keeps bringing up her role as Es' partner/bringer of justice is because she did discover the truth. She drops as many hints as possible so she can be chosen next 😅

Ooh, I love her working with Kazui on an investigation! The fact that eh may know details on recent crimes (and almost-crimes) is super fun to work with. He's the last person who's going to spill a secret, so the group could go several trials without realizing Kazui had actually heard all about their situation this whole time.

(Getting sidetrack for a sec, I'm suddenly realizing that he and Kotoko may have heard things about the crimes in canon, too. They're a bit unclear about how much time passed between the murders and arriving to Milgram, so maybe he heard some things. I don't know how well-connected Tokyo police departments are, but Yuno, Fuuta, Muu, and Shidou are all nearby. There's definitely a chance he caught word of the vigilante nearby, and she heard about the odd policeman's suicide. Both of them could have heard about the tragic housefire, the disgraced doctor, or horrible schoolgirl murder nearby.)

Anyway, I like that idea of Kazui wracking his brain for any similar cases. Though, if he had, Milgram may have had the foresight to wipe parts of his memory, too. Maybe he does end up using his call to reach out to Hinako and have her look into it from the outside. Sadly, Kotoko seems the type to sacrifice her personal call to reach out to a connection who can help as well. I'll have to think about how closely Jackalope monitors those calls, hm.

I'm going crazy over prisoner investigation team !! Kotoko and Fuuta had the online knowledge to find some good info, and Mikoto and Kazui seem like they'd have a huge network of people they can ask for info and favors from. Haha, I'm torn whether Mahiru would have flirting down to a science or if she'd refuse to do it since it wasn't real love 😂 Still, she's very good at reading people and could definitely help the others charm and bribe their way into some restricted areas. Amane and Haruka can also charm with their innocence/cuteness (though I'm not sure Amane would). Shidou seems very organized, he'd have a plan and backup plan and backup-backup plan ready, no matter what happens. I think it's even funnier, then if Milgram had run several experiments prior. Jackalope would think this was just another runthrough, and for the first time the ten subjects decided to organize together and Cause Problems.

I think there's a beautiful irony in a story featuring ten prisoners planning a jailbreak to save the prison guard...

#milgram #as always thank you for sending 🎬!! these are so fun and big brained ough #lol yeah a fun fact about me is im Such a stickler for canon even in aus like this #the pain of writing a mahiru x boyfriend fic and doing the whole thing without ever saying his name 💀 #so i wrote the last chapter of the au as vague as possible so that it had a nice ending but i may go back to make things more accurate when #t3 ends and we (hopefully) find out who es is #i love that this eases some of the pain knowing that es knew exactly what they were getting into :') #and wont be too fucked up upon getting their memories back since they knew it was faked #while also adding extra angst that theyve been there for so long -- theyve spent so much of their childhood within milgram #i was just recently looking at that post about their character locations and had it all marked out on a map #i swear i dont just know that off the top of my head asdfsd #i never realized kazui and kotoko would have outside knowledge >:0 #i really love that concept #between the ten of them they hit so many skill sets -- theyve got the brain and the brawn and the people skills #theyve got intimidation and innocence #theyve got the experience of 40yos and up-to-date kids #theyd be unstoppable -- rip jackalope 😂😂😂 #lights camera sing your sins #ask

[shakingparadigm]

WOW. I JUST. I JUST REALLY LOVE YOUR ANALYSIS AND THEORIES DON'T EVER STOP PLEASE. I LOVE THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR EXPLANATIONS.

In the chaos of the wait,there is someone to accompany me through a journey of madness with Alien Stage. Haha.

*insert meme of cat with wine*

I wonder what does Till think about Ivan.Now that Mizi is missing,and he seems to have completely lost himself and a reason to pursue forward,I couldn't help but ask myself: "Does he feel like he's condemned to die because of his guilt towards Ivan too? Does he feel like this or l'm just overthinking?" What if there's a retrospective we don't know about in which Till thinks Ivan didn't escape because of HIM and,now that Mizi isn't there,he's not torn about lvan anymore and what to do if he ever had to compete against him? Was he going to be conflicted in the first place? Like: "I have nothing,l lost my last hope. I may just die now rather than make my friend being killed. Is this the right thing? Why it had to be this way from the beginning,suffering because of the aliens? What am I? Why do I have to remember those things? What am I doing this for? I just wanted to survive and love Mizi"

Like we all know,thanks to the community posts,we see him have a certain dynamic with Ivan,in which they interact joking or bickering,and this strengthens a type of attachment he cannot deny. So,in the ROUND CURE we'll see Till (or Ivan) remember their past and we'll get to know more about their story with the progression of the actual one. (Ivan indeed didn't escape to stay with him,but Till doesn't know about lvan feelings,he may have been supposing all this time that he didn't made it or he just followed him back for some strange reason) I'm uncertain if they remember about seeing each other in the laboratories,through all the trauma...

l just hope that Till and Ivan don't succumb. What if lvan encourages Till to fight again unlike Luka with Mizi. What will Ivan do to try to protect Till?

Sometimes I suspect Vivinos like to play with us. Not just our feelings. WE ARE HERE JUST TO SUFFER.

THE HEARTBEATS IN THE TEASER MAKE ME FEEL SO NERVOUS HELP.

I just know that Till looks so broken and... he may have had a breakdown at this point. He has dark circles under his eyes and it's clear he has not been sleeping. I wonder if the aliens drugged him or something. For the lenght of the hair: how much time has passed?! At least a month?

One more thing I noticed,is that Till doesn't seem to have that sort of IV tube they used to sedate him like on stage in ROUND 2.

And in Hyuna's song,around the end,a security guard writes something in the sand. I don't think they'll be discovered for this but I'm really nervous.

Anyway,l really enjoy my time on your beautiful page! 🫂 Oh,please! Don't think you write stupid things,because your ideas and perspective are interesting and well put. I really like how you express yourself!

Have a nice day!! (and sorry for any mistake)

AH?!!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! tears in my eyes...

Yes!!! I shall accompany you through the madness. In fact I carry the madness in myself as well. If my yelling and flood of posts are anything to go by.

ALSO. WOW. That's genuinely so heartbreaking. Till having guilt isn't talked about often but it's very plausible that he'll be feeling it tenfold during this round. It's his fault, after all, that they're still here. Now that Mizi, the whole reason he stayed, is gone too, what was all of it for? He doomed himself and Ivan for nothing. You're right. He seems hopeless. I can definitely feel Till in those words, and it's so sad to think about how his thoughts could devolve to that point. He seemed so determined, so bright and dynamic at the beginning during ROUND 2. Now he seems so empty. Ivan and Till are definitely much closer than the both of them let on, there's no way they were just "fine". I think Till does hold fondness for Ivan, maybe even a little aware of his feelings (I don't think he knows what extent though, not sure he knows that Ivan's world literally revolves around him). What I'm sure of is that Till isn't as indifferent to Ivan as he might seem. Ivan is incredibly important to him too, and he has to come to terms with all of the guilt and feelings that were previously buried under his love and fixation for Mizi.

Oh... If Ivan spent most of ROUND 6 encouraging Till to fight I would be HEARTBROKEN. I remember one of the most common theories in the beginning was that Ivan would refuse to fight so that Till could win, and maybe Till would try and convince Ivan to fight. It's really interesting to see that the opposite might be true instead! And yes, VIVINOS LOVES to play with our feelings! It's their specialty.

Haha, Till's always had horrible eyebags! He apparently only gets less than 5 hours of sleep per day, and he's an incredibly light sleeper. Despite his eyebags though, Till always possessed such a large amount of energy. He had a lot of fight in him. You're right though, now he just seems exhausted. He's definitely been spiralling down into some very dooming thoughts. I wonder how much time has passed too...

An IV tube? I believe that's just his leash (just to make sure he's constantly restrained), but wow, thinking of it as an IV tube has some very horrifying implications. If they tried to sedate him, it definitely didn't work well HAHAH (RIP Freddie).

I thought the security guard writing in the sand was just a fun little visual gag, but if it's actually used to track down Mizi and Hyuna, oh shit. Improved security, after all. This isn't gonna be easy for them.

Thank you so much for enjoying my blog!! It means a lot to me, seriously. I might cry receiving all these nice notes and messages. Don't worry about any mistakes, by the way! You're quite a well-put writer yourself! :) Thank you for expressing yourself to me as well! I appreciate sharing all these ideas and hearing about new ones! I hope you have a great day too! ^^

#alnst #alien stage #alien stage round 6 #asks

[iwaoiness]

Where he belongs

One of the things Iwaizumi loves most is hugging Oikawa. He likes how Tooru's body fits so well in his arms, how their hands find their place, how their hearts beat over each other, how his bangs tickle him, how Tooru's voice sounds softer and shy and sweet near his ear. And he also likes the way Oikawa hugs him back, how he wraps his arms around him and pulls him close against his body and snuggles in like a kitten.

Hugging Oikawa is synonymous for home and security and love. It's something that brings Iwaizumi calm when his nerves are eating him up inside, that relieves his stress when the day has been a real shit, that fills him with tenderness when he wants cuddles, that recharges him completely when he come home exhausted, like now.

"I'm home" He mutters as he walks through the door, locking it with the heel of his foot as he drops the keys on the front cabinet.

"Welcome home, Iwa-chan!" He hears his reply from the living room and smiles despite the tiredness building up in his eyelids.

He changes his shoes at the genkan, leaves his backpack on the step and walks into their home. He finds Oikawa stretched out on the couch's chaise lounge, with his Mac balanced on his thighs, wearing his ridiculous neon yellow socks with UFO prints and a frog headband tucking his bangs back. His big round eyes sparkle behind the crystals of his glasses when sees Iwaizumi and he gives him a wide, toothy smile, closing the laptop before leaving it on the decorative little table next to the sofa.

"Your dark circles under your eyes are worse, Iwa-chan. You really don't want to try the caffeinated eye contour I bought? This is the last chance the great Oikawa-san gives you." He says with amusement, opening his arms to invite Iwa-chan into a recharging hug.

"I’m honoured by the privilege you grant me, great Oikawa-san" Hajime plays along, shuffling his feet to the couch, "but no thanks, I have my own method" and with a final smile, he plops down on Oikawa unceremoniously, delighting when the other squeals and protests with a you're so brute, Hajime!

But Tooru's arms soon wrap around him in a hug that smells like grapefruit. Hajime wraps his arms around his torso in return, and he feels himself breathing for the first time since he began his 48-hour ward at the hospital, his body immediately melting and cuddling into the warm, old sweatshirt Oikawa is wearing (which was actually Iwaizumi’s and miraculously retains the Godzilla silhouette print in the top corner).

"How was your shift? Did you get any sleep this time?" Tooru's voice sounds soft and delicate, one of his hands settles on Iwaizumi’s hair and begins to stroke it tenderly.

"Mmh" He hums in response, closing his eyes.

"Is that a yes or no, Hajime?" his laughter reverberates against his ear and he smiles lazily.

"Mmh" He repeats, just to tease. "I missed you" He adds, low, just because he wants to.

"If hospital shifts make you more affectionate, you can work every night" Tooru jokes, a shy tinge coating his voice, and Iwaizumi snorts with fun, enjoying Oikawa's fast heartbeat.

"Are you sure? Because I remember on my first guard you missed me so much too that you came with the excuse of giving me dinner."

"How ungrateful, Iwa-chan, I really did bring you dinner!"

"It was five o'clock in the morning."

"I brought you breakfast!" He corrects with a pout in his voice and Iwaizumi continues to tease him just a little bit more, with Oikawa's hand still stroking his hair with parsimony and affection and their legs entangled on the couch.

Here, Hajime thinks, levitating between sleep and consciousness, warm against the body of the person he loves most in the world, here is where I want to be.

...

u can find this and other fics on my ao3 🌻

#haikyuu!! #iwaoi #oikawa tooru #iwaizumi hajime #oikawa x iwaizumi #haikyuu #hajime iwaizumi #hq fluff #iwaizumi fluff #drabble #hq drabble #oikawa fluff #iwa loves to hug oikawa #oikawa has a frog headband #iwaizumi doctor #soft and fluffy #ao3 fanfic

[bcolfanfic]

all the #young vet au world building and background posts are sooo good <3

would love love love to know more about how the boys were able to 'date' when they first got together - the stuff you're already explored (like the first kiss) makes my heart ache with the cuteness

(i'm sorry if i missed it but are they the same age as the #mota boys here?)

good luck with your busy week :)

yeahh the ages are more or less the same!!! i have it in my head (and in the planning doc for the during-war fic that may or may not be written...eventually) that gale enlists when he's 21/bucky is 3 years older than him. i ended up bumping curt's age up by a year bc i wanted him to have an extra year on bucky lol, and ken is still the wittle baby of the gang! everyone else i could not tell you their birthdays off the top of my head anyways lmfao so you can just assume theyre the same age as they are in the show/historically. putting a chunk of my during-war planning doc below for ref but it is very word salady so sorry about that!

(while i loveee hyperrealism i am fucking a whole lot with how exactly tech school works bc i still wanted the bucks to both be pilots alongside being security forces/EOD and that's...not exactly how the air force works in reality lol. the path to be a pilot is completely diff then basic -> tech school. butttt this is a work of fanfic so in the interest of grinding my teeth and taking some creative liberties flight school is built into tech school and they maybe continue flight training while they're in africa. also random side bar, re: actually fully leaving the air force aftert they leave afghanistan, i currently have croz in my mind as staying in. lives in the uk bc he ended up getting sent to a RAF base that supports the us air force there, maybe RAF mildenhall? rosie also stays in for a lil longer because he almost goes down the JAG path but decides not to. still have to figure out what exactly im doing with the others outside of the core four who do just get straight out (core four as in bucky/gale/curt/ken).)

anyyways....to your actual question LOL. like i've said before i think it gets more practical when they're in afghanistan. obv *war wise* its more chaotic but they have their lil bunk room with curt and dickie and can let their guard down a little more. not just with them but with the other guys that they become closer with. it's still not ideal and they still can't manitain a relationship like they'd be able to in the states but. they find 'their things'. when i was messing with tech school stuff i threw around something that curt kinda ribs at them for being sitting practically in each other's laps on the couch when reading for class. and given how bookish they both are (gale more non-fictiony, bucky fiction) i think that'd be a cute lil something they do overseas too as ~enrichment time~. and if one or both of em has had a really rough day maybe instead of doing their own silent reading one of them reads out loud to the other one. it's just comforting <3 its the little things that are the Big things over there bc it does take an actual effort to make even that time for each other y'know? apparently bagram had a tiny subway that was open 24 hours a day, makes me chuckle thinking about them going there at odd hours, maybe when they can't sleep, just to be together when its mostly quiet.

#young vets au #buck x bucky #clegan

[lewkwoodnco]

Cruel Summer (Part 2) - Lockwood x Reader

A/N: continuation of the cruel summer fic! Also refer to the gif in the first part for the bit where Lockwood looks up at the reader :))

Chronological order: timeless cruel summer (pt 1, pt 2) august (tsitp version) the alcott

After much effort Lockwood had surprisingly managed to secure the agency invitations to the Fittes ball, even after the ruckus they had caused the previous year. He walked in and presented them with a flourish, practically skipping around the room.

“I don’t know how you managed it, but these are very much real,” said George, after examining them carefully. “Pity it was all for naught.”

“All for naught? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I already told you before you left; I’ve looked over our plans and there is simply no way we can sneak past the guards swarming the place after the stunt we pulled last year.”

“Come off it, George, there has to be a way.”

“We can’t, not with them watching.”

Lucy broke in. “What if we don’t go? We can scale the walls, everyone else will be occupied at the ball, no one would even notice.”

“After I sold my soul for these tickets? Fat chance. Besides, Fittes would sniff it out if we don’t turn up.”

“As interesting as all this is,” she yawned, standing up, “I’m going up to get some rest.” She was still injured from her fall a few days back, and she hadn’t stopped wincing enough for Lockwood to let her come on any new missions. Part of her liked to think it was because he worried about her, and another part knew it was probably some sort of punishment for not being completely honest that night.

She was thinking of the puzzle she would break out while the rest went over to Fittes when she caught Lockwood’s eye. His expression was that infuriating mixture of daring and smugness that made her want to plant her face on his. He quirked a smile, and the shadows outlining his face made her breath catch, which she tried to pass off as a cough. For a man who prided himself on saintly values which bigger agencies lacked, it was remarkable how good being devilish looked on him.

“What? What?”

————————————————————————

“We’re going to get caught.”

“No, we won’t, because we all know what to do. So quit it.”

“I’m going to get caught. They’re going to take one look at me and head straight for the library.”

“Which would be fine, since we’re not going there anyway.”

“Then where?”

“Like I’d tell you, Miss Blab-a-mouth.”

“That’s just as well. I’m going to get piss-drunk and make a fool of myself.”

With that, she let out a desperate wail, burying her face in her hands while Lockwood unsympathetically walked around the room, collecting chains.

“No, you won’t, because there’ll be mocktails.”

“Just hurry, please?”

“We’ll be quick.” Lockwood stood up from the dusty corner he was huddled in with a little streak of dirt on his cheek. Without thinking, she reached out to wipe the dirt off, tracing his cheekbone delicately. His lips parted, and the ghost of whatever he was about to say hovered, but then they heard George’s footsteps getting closer, and they shifted away, the tension melting. All summer long, it was just one disappointment after another, she thought bitterly. She knew he felt something, he had to, but he would never admit it. It was irritating.

The plan was that only she would go to the ball, claiming the others had fallen terribly ill with chicken pox, and the only reason she was here was out of gratitude for the invitations. The others would go in, find what they needed, then signal her to leave to ‘check in on the poor things.’

They wanted to arouse as little suspicion as possible, so they rented a car instead of flagging down a cab this time. George was driving, scolding Lockwood for fiddling with the radio, who defensively insisted that he was ‘only playing around,’ which was more than enough entertainment for her and Lucy. But her laughter didn’t last long - Lockwood didn’t seem to know much beyond ‘playing around’ in general.

That must have been where the bitter feelings started. They parted ways at the back of the Fittes building, Lockwood winking at her as they started scaling the wall, but for once she didn’t feel all fluttery on the inside. It felt like a weak surge that fizzled out quicker than it had started, leaving behind the resentment brewing over the past couple of days, ever since that night at the library. Lockwood was so stupid, acting like he actually cared about her bruise, something she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head, something that made her want more with him. More than whatever two-step they engaged in, always dodging any real signs of affection or desire.

She had started with the mocktails, but they were too diluted to have any real sort of flavour. Besides, it just wasn’t doing it for her, not after the past couple of days she had, and so it was time for the cocktails. She had to pause occasionally to remind herself what signal she was supposed to be looking out for. Unfortunately for the poor waiter she had accosted, she began dumping all her emotional agony on him.

“Listen - Jeeves, is it? - imagine this hors d’œuvre is, say, the light in your life, the burning sunset you never want to end…”

As the night wore on, she grew drunker and drunker at such alarming speed that there was simply no room for suspicion towards Lockwood and Co. she had reached a point where her words had started to slur, not that it stopped her from talking the waiter’s ear off.

“His eyes, they shine like summer, or like that glint on the wall…”

The glint shifted back and forth sharply. It was almost too intentional for it to coincidentally look exactly the same as the signal they had agreed on.

“Oh-oh! Jeeves! I have to go! You did distract me with your chatter. Bye now!”

Jeeves glumly waved at her as she rushed down the narrow stairs, as mute as he was when he first sat down. She gripped onto the banister for dear life as the floor shifted below her feet. What felt like just a few seconds to her had apparently been a full half minute.

She didn’t exactly remember how she ended up in the car, just the relief of getting off the stairs and the panic that set in when the floor continued to swim, and suddenly she was in a cushy woollen seat with the blurry image of Lockwood on her left.

————————————————————————

“Wha- where’s everyone?”

“We had to split up in the end; George and Lucy exited on the other end of the building so they’re probably taking a cab from there.”

She nodded, trying to cool her rosy face with her hands, watching Lockwood drive out of the corner of her eye. That feverish feeling was back, and she was beginning to think Lockwood was some flu she could never recover from, a bad habit she didn’t even want to kick. He drove her crazy, and it was all his fault.

That’s all she’d ever to be to him - crazy.

It was like a dam broke, and she started sobbing a bit too noisily, sending Lockwood into a confused panic.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong? Did something happen? Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine.” Her voice cracked even as she bit the lie out, as if Lockwood was forcing her to lie to him. But in a way, wasn’t he? He couldn’t expect her to just come right out and say it, could he? That just stressed her out even more, making her dissolve into more sobs.

The rest of the drive was silent but fraught with tension, interspersed with the occasional hiccup from her. When they finally pulled into the driveway, he switched off the engine and cut the headlights, but made no intimation to exit the car. She could almost see the balmy air outside, hear the cicadas chirping, a world so peaceful and happy - so very different from the world inside this car. She wished it was simple and easy and comfortable, but just looking at Lockwood was a stab in the gut.

“Okay, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve been acting…off, lately.”

She rolled her eyes; it was so like him to be purposefully vague. Lockwood never was a man of details, just vague plans which tore her apart and always kept her waiting for him to cut deeper, say something that actually mattered.

“I don’t know what you mean. Off how? If you have something to say, then say it.”

He bristled. “Fine. I don’t like it when you lie to me.”

That was the last straw. She opened the car door and was through the gate, halfway up the stairs by the time Lockwood caught up to her.

“Y/N- wait! I didn’t mean it like that, you know it.”

“You think I’m just going to sit there and listen to you talk to me about lying?”

“Y/N, you’re being ridiculous.”

“You make my mouth dry and my head spin and you won’t even acknowledge it, but I’m ridiculous?”

Lockwood presses his lips together, but she was too far gone to stop now. Loving him was electrifying, terrifying and so, so cruel.

“I see the way you shrink, the way you return to whatever shell you’ve made for yourself the second things get too real. And I’m tired of it. I don’t want to keep secrets just to keep you. And maybe it’s my fault. Maybe I’m the one who sealed my fate when I started sneaking around with you, dancing around us. Loving from balconies, in the glow of vending machines, in the dark of the night…t’s exhausting and makes me delirious, but I’ll probably keep doing it anyway.”

And then there was nothing left to say, except for probably the worst thing. “There’s no other explanation. I love you, Lockwood.”

#fanfiction #anthony lockwood imagine #anthony lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x you #fanfic #lockwood & co #lockwood and co #lockwood and co netflix #lockwood x y/n #cruel summer #taylor swift #lover

[moomoosomniatales]

Back 2 My Teenage Era

(part 1)

Genre: fluff (may contain suggestive language but other than that is pure fluff)

Author’s note: Wheepup imagine, enjoy!

You had been working with Mamamoo for the past few years and you loved it despite the busy schedule. After all, the girls made your job a lot more fun. Despite the panic they sometimes installed when they’d mess directly with you. Other than that, you enjoyed watching them spread havoc and hearing them laughing at the most unthinkable jokes.

“Yn-siii.” the tiny member whined as she clung onto your arm at the airport. Of course you’d panic, not only was there dispatch but it also refrained you from acting on any movement that could injure the girls.

“Miss Whee In, please.” was all you said in that authoritative tone of yours only to get an upset groan in return as she pouted, rejoining the girls’ side.

You had gotten into the driver’s seat once the girls had all entered the vehicle and took off. While the maknae created havoc with the other two, Whee In was silent. An unlikely situation. You frowned looking through the mirror at the quietly girl. There was this heaviness suddenly taking over your chest. As if somehow it was your fault she was suddenly quiet. But you dared not to speak a word.

That’s until you came to a stop by the dorm’s doorway and all the girls had exited the vehicle. Except for Whee In. Who seemed lost in her thoughts. “Miss Whee In? Yeoboseyo?” your voice was soft, a tenderness taking over it as you looked over your shoulder with concerned eyes.

“Mwo?” was all the petite member let out as she unbuckled the seatbelt, reaching for the door’s handle.

“Go out with me.” you blurted out without thinking. You had been meaning to ask her on a date ever since you became Mamamoo’s manager and security guard. A task not so easy to contain due to the extremely busy schedules of the girls as well as having to organize them yourself. Yet you’d been in that position for nearly a decade now.

“M-Mwo?” she stuttered out, hand frozen in the handle unable to open it as she stared at you through the mirror. And you sighed.

“Miss Whee In… I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while now. I’ve never found the guts to but recently I’ve realized that unspoken feelings will one day become your biggest regrets…” you started, meeting her gaze through the small mirror. Nervously fidgeting to adjust yourself to a more comfortable position in the driver’s seat you took a deep breath. “This is most definitely not how I had planned to do it but I might’ve missed my chance if I didn’t. You were oddly quiet throughout the ride home… That is the complete opposite of your usual self…”

“YN.” her voice was assertive, doing exactly what she intended. It shut you up. You just stared at her through the tiny mirror, afraid to turn around and actually face those beautiful orbs. “Why do you keep pushing me away..?” she finally spoke after a few moments of silence took over, the assertiveness in her voice long gone as her eyes adverted down to the restless hands on her lap. Voice so quiet it almost sounded like a whisper.

With widened eyes, you turned around to finally face her, “I’m not pushing you away!” you nearly yelled, sighing as you face palmed yourself. How could she think that?

“You are… Everytime I get close to you.. you just shove me away like I’m nothing to you…” her words left you speechless, how could she think that was pushing her away?

“It’s nothing like that, Wheeinie… I just don’t want reporters to create unnecessary scandals about you.” it had been the first time in the last decade you’d work for Mamamoo that you had ever addressed Whee In in an informal manner.

“Did you just-” you sighed at her unfinished sentence.

“I didn’t ask you out for no reason, miss Whee In… I care about you. And I care a lot.” you openly admitted, back to your formal speech, leaving her mouth agape staring at you, “The last thing I would want for you is for your image to be wrecked… I’ve known and watched you for nearly a decade, I’ve seen your hard work. You can’t let that all just.. go to waste.”

“That was it..? All this time?” you simply nodded at her question, watching the famous dimple form as her lips spread into a smile. “How long..?”

“A while…” you hesitated, not wanting to admit how truly long it had been.

“Exactly how long is that while..?” she insisted, eyes boring into yours with a glimmer of hope. But when you hesitated, she sighed looking away. “I’ve been into you since a couple years back…”

Her confession left you flabbergasted. The girls were flirty by nature, specially Whee In and Moon Byul-yi. So you never took any of Whee In’s advances to heart, regardless of whether they left your tingling or not. “You do!?” was your immediate response, mouth agape and widened eyes.

Picking her head up, she nodded softly, “Why do you seem so shook..?” she frowned, eyes meeting yours with a loving gaze.

“I never thought you’d actually like me back…” you shamefully admitted your truth. “Had I known.. I would’ve asked you out all those years ago…”

“Years!?” Now it was her who seemed shook at the revelation but you simply nodded. Whee In looked out the car window before sighing. “The girls must be worried by now… Why don’t you come pick me up by midnight?”

With wide yet excited eyes you nodded to her suggestion, “What if they see you leaving at such a late hour..? Won’t that worry them?”

“They’ll be in their rooms by then. They can’t know about us, YN. Not yet…” she affirmed, sighing. “It’ll be harder to leave without Byul-yi noticing but I’ll manage. Please… be here by midnight.”

You nodded, “Just don’t get hurt trying to sneak out.” you stated and she smiled widely, quickly nodding as she hopped off the car running inside.

“Yah! What took you so long? What did our manager have to tell you?” It was Hyejin who grumbled, arms folded perfectly across her chest.

“Hm? Nothing. I just had a few questions, that’s all.” Whee In immediately responded, hoping they’d believe it, “I needed her opinion on my performance. I made a mistake and wanted to know if it was noticeable.”

They gave you a suspicious look but shrugged, “Alright. Let’s watch a movie before bed.” Yongsun suggested in a more affirmative way.

“You guys go ahead, I’m exhausted. I’m just gonna head to bed.” with a fake sleepy smile, Whee In excused herself. Taking advantage of the girls in the living room, Whee In quickly showered and threw on her best outfit before sneaking under the covers before Byul-yo opened the door to their shared quarters.

“Wheeinie?” calling softly, she approached your bed, “Are you sleeping?” she whispered trying to take a look at her face. “I guess you are.” she chuckled before climbing to the top of the bunk bed.

Once you heard her snoring, you sneakily went into the bathroom to get her make up done as well as her hair before quietly exiting the dorm.

In the meantime you had changed out of the usual suit attire into a white dress before doing a light makeup. Soon, you were headed towards Mamamoo’s dorms to pick her up. Patiently waiting for her to appear. Whee In quickly hopped into the passenger seat beside you, giggling. She felt like a total teenager for once in her life. Despite nearing her thirties.

“Hi.” Whee In greeted, a sudden shyness taking over her, making you giggle.

“Hello there. Where should we head?” You softly asked before turning to face her, jaw dropping at her stunning figure in her chosen attire.

“Mwo? Is it too much?” She insecurely asked, examining her outfit again but you immediately shook your head.

“Aniyo. You look stunning.. as always.” you smiled at her, hand, hesitant at first, reaching to fix a strand of her brunette locks.

“Oh- Gomawo.” her usual smile now overtaken with this shyness at the gesture.

“So.. Where to?” you asked but she shrugged.

“Somewhere with no extra eyes around.” she mumbled, eyes focused on yours as you nodded in agreement. You turned to face the road before stepping on the pedal.

You were glad you had cleaned your apartment the night before as you parked on the first floor of your garage, stepping out to open the door for your date.

“I hope you don’t mind. I couldn’t think of anywhere else that wouldn’t have people around.” you rubbed the back of your neck in shame but she simply giggled, shaking her head.

“Not one bit.” she smiled widely, arm sneakily tangling with yours, awaiting you to lead her. “What are we gonna do?”

“Have you had dinner?” you so bluntly asked and she denied so with her head, “Then I guess we’ll start with that.” you said, exiting the elevator that led you to your apartment floor, leading Whee In all the way down the corridor to the last door. Once the code was set, you opened the door and walked in.

So used to your job caring for the girls, you immediately took a pair of slippers from the shoe rack by the door and helped her step out of her shoes, “You know we’re not working, right?” she giggled and you blushed at the rhetorical question.

“Mianhae.” you apologized straightening yourself, nervously rubbing the back of your neck.

“It’s okay. Just relax.” she chuckled, linking arms back with you. “How is it that it’s your place but you’re the most nervous?” she teased with a giggle as you led her to your kitchen.

“In my defence, I’ve never been the one asking a girl out in the past…” you shamefully admitted, gathering the needed utilities to make Whee In’s favourite dish. You knew all the girls’ favourite dishes, fashion, hobbies, colours, animals. Nearly every single favourite thing about them. But Whee In’s always had a special spot. You knew by far more things about her than you probably should. You’ve always paid extra attention towards her. Whether it was for your unexplainable attraction to her or simply for her tinier stature in the group.

“So, I’m your first, hm?” Whee In nudged you, winking your way. You blushed profusely. Not only it was her the first girl you asked out on a date but hopefully in everything else. There was nothing to be ashamed of and yet you still felt ashamed that, at the age of 27, you still hadn’t had your first kiss despite the multiple first dates you’ve said yes to. But when you didn’t answer, her eyes widened. “Omo, omo! You’ve never been in a relationship before?”

You shook your head with a heavy sigh, “Not really… I’ve gone on first dates when asked out but back then school was my main focus.”

“What about now?” Whee In curiously asked.

“Work. It’s a really tight schedule plus I felt like I shouldn’t have any distractions that could lead to you and the girls’ safety being put at risk.” you shrugged, attempting to focus on the food you were preparing.

“Waa.. Daebak. Jinjja, you’re too professional.” Whee In said with a smile, “But you should never keep yourself from having a personal life because of us or work.”

The silence had taken over the two of you as you finished preparing the meal. The only spoken words were Whee In offering to help from time to time and your constant yet gentle nos. Until the table was set and the two of you sat across from each other.

“You know… I’ve dreamt a lot about this day.” Whee In suddenly blurted, and with disbelief you chocked on the piece of food you had just started chewing. “Omo! Gwenchana?”

You nodded quickly as an answer as you coughed up a bit. Her worried eyes scanning your expressions, “What do you mean?” you shyly asked once you had recover. Utensils set down as you awaited patiently for her answer.

“I tried to ask you out once before… I’ve been dreaming about or first date ever since then.” she admitted with a shrug while your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. You couldn’t remember when she’d have asked you out in the past.

“You did?” you exclaimed out of shock. Had you been too naive towards her advances to miss such a big one?

“About a year ago, yeah. But I don’t think you caught it by the look on your face.” she giggled along with her simple words.

“Waa.. I really must have been too naive towards your advances.” you couldn’t help but to chuckle softly as you shook your head.

A blanket lying over the two of you, unfamiliar voices coming from the tv and your laughters filling the living room. You were unaware of how you ended up on your couch with your crush nuzzled into your side and her smaller arms surrounding your waist on your very first date but you didn’t mind it. Her warmth enveloping you felt strangely familiar, perhaps it was due to the amount of times she attached herself to your arm or the unexpected hugs you’d receive from her after the shows that made it all too familiar. But it felt like something beyond that. As if you’d been in those arms like this for a lifetime.

Distracted with one another, neither of you noticed the hours passing by until Whee In’s phone lit up from a notification. Eyes widening immediately at the immediate thought Byul, her roommate could’ve woken to her missing. Luckily it was just an email but it was time to bid goodbye. After all it was nearing 3 in the morning soon.

“Let me drive you home.” you quickly offered as Whee In threw her shoes on, who quickly denied.

“Ani. I’ll take a cab. It’s late.” she stated with her bright dimple smile.

“Exactly the more reason for me to drive you.” you crossed your arms and she sighed.

“Fine. Okay. But you’ll need to promise me you’ll text me as soon as you get home after.” she affirmed and you immediately nodded, throwing your shoes on before grabbing your keys and walking out with her towards the parking lot.

“Alright, alright. Deal.” you laughed, opening the door for her to hop in before closing the door and hoping in yourself on the other side.

Through the whole drive, you guys chatted and laughed until you were parking in front of her dorm. She took off her seatbelt and pressed a kiss to your cheek, “Thank you.” was all she said before rushing out the car. Her boldness left you paralyzed for a moment. Shaking your head to wake from the trance she left you in, you drove home.

Now in bed, you were ready to sleep when your phone went off. Picking it off the nightstand, you opened the notification.

Blushing at the choice of emoji, you texted back goodnight before setting your phone back down and sleeping away until morning. You had showered and gotten dressed in the usual suit attire before grabbing her phone. That’s when she noticed the text notification, smiling like an idiot as her cheeks reddened.

Whee In’s teasing always made your whole being tingle. You hoped Whee In wouldn’t try anything in public or it’d be your demise. You sighed, walking out of your apartment to go to the RBW building for a meeting. The girls wouldn’t work until later in the morning so you weren’t exactly in a rush despite the concern over Whee In’s early rising. You’d sneak in some texts through the meeting to make sure she was doing okay.

And when time came, you were parking in front of their dorms. Of course that Whee In had been looking out the window like a child waiting for a parent so the second she saw your van pull over, she rushed downstairs and out the house without a word to the girls, hopping into the front passenger’s seat with the widest smile. It was unlike her to take the driver’s seat, “Wheeinie, they’re gonna find it odd.” you softly warned.

“It’s okay! They won’t mind it.” her bright smile and sparkling brown orbs had you immediately caving into her desires.

Sighing, you dialed Solar’s number to let the girls know you were outside. “Ah, so that’s why Wheepup took off like crazy.” Solar chuckled and you nervously chuckled along. Soon the girls were hopping into the seats in the back, Hyejin stuck between the two secret lovebirds, Byul and Solar. Usually it was Byul stuck between the best friends.

“Wheepuuup! Take your seat back, please!” Hwasa whined begging for help.

“Sorry, bestie. I’m afraid I’m not feeling too well to go in the back today.” your eyes widened at Whee In’s response and immediately you felt concerned not realizing she was lying.

“Are you feeling ill? I can call the company, tell them you aren’t doing well.” you offered, hand placed over her forehead having the girls in the back look between each other.

“No need!” she cried out almost immediately, giving you the I’m not really sick look. And you sighed in relief, starting the engine.

Of course the girls found this odd but soon they were distracted creating chaos among them in the back to remember nor notice Whee In’s hand sneakily being placed on your thigh and remaining there for pretty much the whole way until you parked. You wasted no time in walking out and opening the door for Whee In and then for the rest of the girls as the rest of the security guards joined you, walking around the four girls until they were inside.

“Can’t wait for tonight.” The familiar soothing voice whispered into your ear as she held onto your arms.

“Wheein-ah… We’re in public.” your whole body tingled and your cheeks had once again become tinted by a red shade.

“For how long will I have to hide you..?” She whispered and you sighed. You hadn’t even made it official nor told the girls how could she think about exposing your relationship?

“Whee In… We’ve still got a long way to go… I can lose my job…” you spoke in a whisper and she sighed, pulling away and reuniting with the girls. It wasn’t that she got upset with you, rather more that she understood. She didn’t want to be the reason you get fired.

You sighed softly. Hurting her was the last thing you wanted but she had a career where dating was an extremely sensitive subject. Focusing on your job, you tried to get through the whole day without trouble and luckily Whee In allowed you to. Yet for some reason it saddened you that she stayed away.

You had been picking Whee In up at midnight every night for a date at your place. At first she’d go through the trouble of dressing up and putting on makeup until it turned into sweatpants and oversized T-shirts and no makeup. But the more you two hung out the more careless both of you became and Whee In would get home later and later by the night. And tonight seemed to be the night everything went wrong.

You two cuddled on the couch, blanket warming both your bodies as you watched another movie. That’s when the petite female rose her head to look at you, eyes flickering between your eyes and your lips.

“Yes, gorgeous?” you asked with a chuckle as you turned to look at her.

“Can I kiss you?” she bluntly asked and your cheeks heated.

“I-I’ve never kissed anyone before…” you shamefully admitted, eyes now traveling back and forth between her own and her inviting lips.

“It’s okay. M-Me neither.” she stuttered embarrassed. She always had this confident demeanor, plus her beauty, you’d never guess no one had kissed her. But in many ways you felt this prideful feeling. “Can I..?”

You simply nodded and watched her gaze at your lips for a moment before staring at your eyes as she leaned in, eyes closing the closer her lips got to yours. And as you closed your eyes, that’s when her phone went off ruining the intimate moment.

Reaching for her phone, you hand it to her and watch as her eyes go wide.

“Byul-yi-” she wasn’t given any time to explain as the elder cut her off.

“Where are you right now, Whee In? It’s 4 in the morning.” it wasn’t that she controlled Whee In but waking up out of the blue in the middle of the morning for a glass of water and her roommate and best friend being gone. The worst went through her mind.

“I’m on my way home, I woke up and needed some fresh air.” Whee In lied, your eyes meeting hers as you let out a soft sigh.

“Maybe it’s time we tell them…” you whispered loud enough for Whee In to hear it but low enough for the phone not to catch it.

“Are you sure?” she whispered back and Byul found herself the more confused.

“Whee In, who are you whispering to?” she asked concerned and Whee In sighed softly.

“I’m talking to yn…” she admitted in a murmur barely audible.

“Yn? Our manager? Why on earth would she be awake at this hou-” she paused. A long pause that left Whee In mortified awaiting her to finish, “I knew it.” her tone was simple and affirmative.

“I knew you were sneaking out. And I had a feeling it was yn but why didn’t you just tell us..?” Byul sounded somewhat.. hurt.

“We were afraid… I’ll explain everything as I get home, Byul-yi…” Whee In softly spoke with a sigh and Byul just muttered a sure before ending the call.

“I’ll drive you home.” you got up to walk to the door. And although you understood Moon’s side, you were slightly disappointed it had ruined your moment. But maybe it was better this way.

“I can’t do it.” Whee In’s panicked eyes gazed into yours, making your heart drop while your hand raised to meet her cheek in your palm, thumb rhythmically rubbing tender circles on her skin.

“Hey, butterfly.” softly yet in such assertive manner you started to make her focus on you, “They’re your best friends. I’ve seen how much they care for you with my own two eyes. They’re just worried about you.”

“But what if it hurts them..? I don’t wanna hurt them.” her breathing fastened as she only worked herself up more.

“Whee In-ah!” you abruptly called, it wasn’t the first time you had seen her this worked up. Watery-eyes met yours without another word. You allowed her to take her time, breathing in and out as she tried to calm herself. Only when she seemed calmer enough did you speak, “Don’t cry. I’ll go with you if you want but you should be the one telling them.” your voice was back to the usual soft and tender tone whenever you were talking to her as you leaned in to kiss the lonely tear that escaped away.

She nodded with her lower lip stuck out and those big pleading eyes you could not resist. Over the years, you’d learn that Whee In was but a grown up baby. Usually people think being a baby is being immature but that wasn’t the case at all. She was a mature human being who made grown up decisions everyday but there was just something about her. The way she shined in her innocence, how she had managed to keep it so close to her in a world set to rip it away from you. The big reactions you’d get out of her if you’re one of her people. The way she whines like a child and pleas with her so characteristic pout. The way she clung to those close to her, the way she craves their attention. How shy and scared she is to meet new people, to interact with strangers. It all reminded you of a baby. And despite her being a year older than you, you just must protect her at all costs.

You started the engine once again to park the car before hopping down and walking to their dorm with her. Before reaching for the keys she turned to you, “What if only Byul’s awake?”

“Then we’ll tell Byul for the time being and we’ll tell the rest of the girls in the morning.” you said, hands snaking around her from behind to stop at her stomach, fingers laced. “How’s that sound?” you then pressed a tender kiss to the back of her head.

“Sounds good.” eyes closed for a moment enjoying the warmth your embrace provided. Reopening them to unlock and open the door. You had pulled away, following her as quietly as possible as you realised the house was pitch black and completely silent. Kicking your shoes off quietly by the door. you continued to follow her to god knows where.

“Are they all asleep?” you whispered and she confirmed, quietly opening the door to what you assumed was her and Byul’s room.

“Wheein-ah. What the fuck. You had me worried si- oh my. Hello, Miss LN.” she started off until she noticed you standing behind Whee In. A little bow as usual as she greet you.

“Just YN unnie, please. We’re not working. Are the rest of the girls sleeping?” you bowed as well, smiling rather nervous. You tried to appear as less nervous as possible since Whee In already looked worried enough. “Wheeinie?”

“Ah… right.. you see… I… YN… we…” she stummered and Byul sighed.

“Why don’t we all just take a sit? This will take a while.” was all Byul said gesturing to the bed and you had to discreetly tug on Whee In’s shirt as you walked past her to make her join the two of you. “You can just blurt it out, Wheepup. I already know what’s coming.” Byul chuckled, lighting the mood.

“We’ve wanted to tell you but we were afraid… We haven’t made it official yet… And-And-And-” Whee In struggled to explain, still scared of whatever was to come out of this. You sneaked your hand between her joined hands that fidgeted together and it seemed to immediately calm her.

“And YN could lose her job?” Byul finished for her and Whee In merely nodded, “Wheepup, do you really think we want that for her? She’s been with us nearly since our debut. She’s family too.”

You were taken aback but truth is they did treat you like family and you know them well enough. After all, no one who knew them from their music videos and performances would know these four girls were the most awkward around people. Specially Whee In who’s terrified of meeting new people. You still remember when you first introduced yourself to the girls, Whee In immediately hid behind her unnies.

“It just- We just-” Whee In stammered, making Byul chuckle.

“There’s just one question I have tho…” the older female trailed off, making the two of you look at each other before back at her, Whee In’s grip on your hand tightening. “How long?”

You looked at Whee In, despite her facing Byul, “About a month.” you answered with honesty, nerves eating at your stomach.

“So.. have you two kissed?” her curiosity got the best of her. And with eyes wide both you and Whee In shook your heads no. Byul immediately gave the two of you a don’t-lie type of look before her eyes widened instead. “You guys sure are taking it slow. Anyways, stay over. It’s nearly 6 in the morning and I’m guessing neither of you has had any sleep.”

“I mustn’t, Hyejin and Yongsun still don’t know. I don’t want to overstep any boundaries.” you quickly said and the petite girl attached to you by the hand turned quickly with those pleading eyes of hers and her signature pout.

“You already did when you decided to date Yongsun’s baby.” Byul teased and you panicked. She was gonna give you the lecture of a lifetime, wasn’t she?

“She’s gonna end me, isn’t she?” now it was you who tightened the hold on Whee In’s hand and the same gave you a I’m-sorry smile.

“You’ll get threatened at most. She can’t hurt a fly.” Byul chuckled softly, “Please, I insist. Look at her. Can you really say no to that adorable face?” she stated pointing at Whee In’s pleading look. Byul was enjoying teasing you and it was clear to see.

You sighed giving in, there was no way you could say no to that, specially when you knew if you did, she’d get teary-eyed. And that was the last thing you wanted. “What about in the morning?”

“You’ll tell them everything. Now get to sleep.” Byul said raising from the bed to go collect something before throwing one of her oversized shirts throwing it your way. “She’s too tiny to have anything that’ll fit you so use that for tonight.”

You nodded and asked where you could change only for Whee In to lead you to the bathroom before proceeding to change herself into her pajamas. It didn’t take you long to join them. Byul laying in her bed facing Whee In’s as they talked while Whee In sat against the headboard waiting for you. And of course, the second you walked out she tapped the bed beside her for you to join her.

You’ve cuddled a million times by now on your couch or even the floor of your living room by the fireplace but you’ve never laid beside her nor cuddled in front of anyone so it was no surprise how shy you felt despite walking towards her anyway. It was as if your legs were on automatic.

“You don’t have to be so shy, yn. It’s nothing out of the ordinary?” Byul reassured only to tease you right after, “It’s not like you’re gonna eat each other out.”

Your cheeks immediately heated and Whee In giggled, she was so used to Byul’s dirty jokes by now that she simply laughed at them. Her hands cupped your flushed cheeks to press her nose to yours before laying down and pulling the covers over the two of you.

“I just have a question.” Whee In blurted as you wrapped your arms around her, spooning her. Her hand rested on yours that rested on her stomach while her other hand was trapped between her cheek and the pillow. “What if Yongsun unnie comes to wake us up like she does sometime?”

“I’ll most likely be awake by then so I’ll keep that from happening, don’t worry.” Byul stated with a shrug, giving the two of you a reassuring smile, “But you’ll have to tell them in the morning about you two.”

You nodded and so did Whee In with a sleepy yawn escaping her. You could tell by how much calmer her breath was that she was already dozing off, so you pulled her closer before falling asleep yourself.

#kpop #kpop idol #imagines #kpop imagines #kpop reactions #mamamoo imagines #mamamoo x reader #wheein #wheein x reader #mamamoo wheein

[nerdywyrds]

Still thinking about Pluto. I'll put my thoughts under a cut for Pluto fans to avoid.

The thing that gets me is it has a really good story in there, the writing is just incomplete/lazy. Here are a few unanswered questions that bugged me as I watched the show:

What happened to the grandson and his mother? We spend like thirty minutes freaking out that they're going to be killed by the Pluto-tornado, and then as soon as Atom is injured we completely forget the grandson and mother exist and they are literally never mentioned again. Even though they are related to a major character!

What happened to Duncan? We spent an hour going through his life story and watching his character development. He finally found true happiness for the first time in his long life and then his friend and caretaker was murdered in front of him. Does he get a new caretaker? Is it another robot? Is his happiness shattered? Is he able to find peace again? Does he keep North No 2's legs as a memento? Does he get a new piano protege? Does he ever play piano again?

What happened to Wassily? This already deeply traumatized child was juuuust starting to heal and then he was sold by his caretakers to a bad man who kidnapped him to a different country, a different bad man physically threatened and hurt him, a monster threatened him, and then his caretaker was brutally murdered while protecting him. Is he like, going to be okay? Eventually? Is he going to go back to the orphanage he was living in with the caretakers who broke his trust? Will he ever recover mentally and emotionally from what happened to him?

Does the bodyguard who protected Wassily stay with the orphanage or does he move on?

How is Brando's family doing? Are they going to be okay financially? I was also unclear on whether they were robots or human-- I might have missed it if it was said-- so if they are robots, do they get to go through the same thing and become extra special like Helena and experience the human emotions of grief and anger?

How did Brau 1589 get to Turkey? Did Atom unpin him from the wall? How did he get past all those security measures keeping him confined? Did they just let him leave? Did Atom clear it with the guards? If not, how did Brau get past them without killing them? Did he crawl from wherever he was (Japan? Germany?) to Turkey? If he was in Japan, how did he get across the ocean? How did he get into the bunker thing the teddy bear was in? Were there any guards he had to get past?

I don't think the teddy bear was adequately foreshadowed or explained. I know he ended up being The Mastermind, but he felt completely disconnected from literally everything else. For the majority of his scenes my general reaction was just "bwuh??" His death completely neutralizing the existential threat was just too tidy for such a complicated story.

What was up with the child robot that killed Gesicht? I'm assuming he got body jacked by Pluto, but like, when did this happen? Who brought him from Turkey to Germany? Who strapped that gun to his arm? Was it cockroach man? Goji? Why did Gesicht get to be killed by a child while everyone else (of the robots) got to be killed by Pluto himself? Why didn't Gesicht get the horns calling card?

Who was cockroach man? Functionally he was just a goon who showed up when we needed a non-Goji non-Pluto villain, but in-universe, who exactly was he? Why were there a lot of him?

What the hell was up with Bora? I know a big mystery of the show was "what is Bora" but "it's a giant evil robot but don't worry Pluto kills it in ten minutes" it a pretty unsatisfying answer.

I think there is a really good story in Pluto, it's just if you think about any non-Atom story bit for longer than a few minutes, or if you care about any of the side characters, it falls apart. I just find it to be very lazy writing because so many characters exist only to further the plot or give the protagonists something to do.

I really wanted to like the show, I just kept thinking about the dropped storylines and characters and getting irritated at the lack of answers.

#pluto #pluto critical #posting into the void

[rueitae]

Season 2, Episode 3 the daisho caper

For @csweekly

*aggressively sings along to Boston*

Shadowsan does the geography brief. We see soon that it’s the past but this is how we know he’s officially part of the team. It’s SO sweet. Shadowsan used to be si soft on Carmen but as she grew he got colder. She looked up to him so much it’s so clear. And he never really stopped being soft he just had to act once she showed an interest in being a thief.

Give me that scene of Maelstrom talking about the Scandinavian countries to a three ( two, four?) year old PLEASE. I’m both horrified and fascinated.

The way Shadowsan speaks so highly of samurai this episode and he’s a ninja. You can see how much he loathes himself, especially after his backstory.

Also it’s Carmen’s dream we are seeing. That makes me even more emotional. She’s so much more at peace knowing Shadowsan is on her side.

The way Hideo talks about the missing sword to Carmen in such a detached and ancient way. Shadowsan didn’t completely learn the set of half truths from VILE or on his own. It hurts ESPECIALLY after we find out the truth

It takes Shadowsan all season to come completely clean. This episode just foreshadows it. Carmen has to literally rip the truth from him. He keeps trying to go on his own to spare her, in the episode right after she told him no secrets. She does it twice in this episode. First with why he’s here and Again with his brother. He continues to try and handle things himself.

I think it’s good character growth and foreshadowing. A person can’t change twenty years of themselves in a day. In the end, he’ll get to see Carmen stronger for knowing and he will be even prouder of her. The true burden will be lifted from his shoulders.

MORE THAN A FEELING!!!!siblings having fun. Dramatic Zack. Please take a moment to appreciate the AMUSED look that Carmen gives him leaning over the table. How much she enjoys their goofs. How much of an enabler she is. And then Shadowsan IMMEDIATELY saying “I too was young and foolish once.” Is peak comedic timing.

Also look behind them the words are in Japanese to sing along. Ivy and Zack have this song *memorized* classic rock fans after my own heart

VILE doesn’t waste time moving against Shadowsan. They know his criminal history. He was a student and Faculty after the others. They’ve always had this over him.

Lady Dokuso!!!!! I adore having a poison master in VILE. She has single handedly given me SO MUCH writing opportunities. Makes her own poisons??? We can make whatever we need to suit the fic. She’s so cool.

I LOVE Shadowsan’s hesitation to steal the sword (and the mask in s3) it’s SUCH good character stuff. The show steadily shows us more and more holes in his guarded personality.

Carmen’s code strength astounds me every time.

Saved the hat this time!!!

“Someone’s taking the security cameras offline. And it’s not me!” OH MY Gosh. Not what you want to hear from your hacker the way Player’s screens go fuzzy and his slightly panicked expression gives me happy goosebumps every time.

Suhara! I legit couldn’t figure out why they’d use a family name as his given name at first but after I rewatched the 90s cartoon I remembered that it’s because that’s what they named Carmen’s literal ACME mentor. It’s a homage on purpose. He’s still her mentor here. He still cares. I greatly appreciate that they did that.

“I can’t keep operating with only half the story” she literally has to pry it all out of him and stil forgives him. They are stronger in s3 because of it.

NO ONE EXPECTS THE BOWL CUT

Team Red’s plan in this is FANTASTIC. Including the plan to trap Paper Star Love how it unfolds. First we have yakuza enjoying a tender karaoke song, then Shadowsan enters the club like a COWBOY gunslinger into a saloon honestly this setting they’ve created is exceptional.

Ivy you are rocking your role.

THE CHOPSTICKS and the fact that Ladt Dokuso KNEW he’d use them.

My gosh Shadowsan’s willpower and resiliency is so impressive here. He’s backing up his words. The way he holds onto the sword with literally every bit of strength he has left. Honestly it’s so moving. And the way he rests easy when the swords are together. His great burden has been lifted.

I don’t even know where to begin with the ending here. Everything about it is so good. Shadowsan gets to return the swords himself. And we think he’s disappeared but instead we see that he reveals himself and gives his brother an apology, nOT running away any longer. It’s so meaningful because we’ve seen his growth through this. And his wORDS “I don’t expect forgiveness. Please allow me to correct this grave dishonor” and Hideo is SHOCKED and in a very mature storyline and very needed to be told, Hideo does not forgive him (at least not yet, I think this storyline would have been fine ending here but s3 gives it an even more meaningful and masterful conclusion). It’s a good lesson to learn, that there are consequences to one’s actions.. And it hurts, Shadowsan clearly wanted to reconcile with his brother here but was very realistic. It makes the ending so bittersweet. He is solidly on team red now after all of that.

Can we talk about Carmen’s line at the end though? “I don’t know what’s worse. Not knowing your own family or not being able to return to the one you have.”Carmen grew up with VILE as her family but she never actually knew them, it’s not just her unknown parents she’s talking about. And not being able to return? Yeah she’s experienced that too. Now that she knows, there’s no turning back for her either, just as Shadowsan told her. She chose a road that she can’t return from.

Shadowsan was talking about himself just as much as her. He regretted his choice. That’s why he knew she would too. He knew he the best out if all of them. The way their conversations come full circle. Masterful.

This episode is SO good

#carmen sandiego #carmen sandiego 2019 #cs weekly #csweekly #carmen sandiego weekly #cs liveblog

[illusivesoul]

Hello, hello! I have a prompt for you! Since I know you like rarepairs, how about Leliana/Wynne and "quiet hallways"?

Hi, friend. Took me a bit but I finally finished it. Thank you for the lovely prompt. Always happy to write about one of my fav rarepairs :)

I went a bit overboard so the whole thing goes pass the word limit tumblr has for asks, so the complete story is here on AO3.

.

It was a busy day at the Grand Cathedral. Truth be told, the days when there weren't crowds coming in and out of the building made by Emperor Drakon upon the founding of the orlesian empire were rare and far between. Some came for bureaucratic manners, some came to pray, some came to curry favours with the Chantry, and others came to find peace. The large building still served its purpose as a center of the faith when it wasn't being a pillar of the orlesian Game. It also meant that Leliana could not let her guard down. She stepped around the room, memorizing the list of those who were scheduled to meet the Divine today. Everyone had been vetted, her agents were being her eyes, ears and hands throughout the building as usual, a couple of nobles with questionable loyalties had already been marked to get a close security escort once they arrived, to dissuade them of any possible bright ideas they might get. “A pleasant visit” Leliana said to herself as her eyes drifted to a particular name on the list, the last ones appointed to see Justinia that day, and by her calculations, they would be arriving shortly. 3 short knocks on the wooden door moments after proved her right. "The mages from Ferelden's Circle are here, sister Leliana" the messenger said, his words still marked by the rush in which he had arrived. "Thank you, Kelaros" Leliana answered "Please inform the Knight Commander that I'll greet him shortly" The elven messenger nodded and quickly stepped back out of the room. Leliana stood from her chair and looked in the mirror, straightening out the folds in her white and red robe, and putting on a small amount of perfume that she applied on the back of her neck, smiling into the mirrour as she did.

"Leliana" "Cassandra" the redhead replied, a hint of a smile set on her face as she saw the Seeker towering over several nobles as she escorted them from the chamber where the Divine was, the nobles hurrying their steps to put as much distance as possible between them and the warriour. Shortly after, a familiar sight from her time in Ferelden greeted Leliana. "Knight Commander Greagoir. It is good to see you once more" "You too, Sister Leliana. I had heard that you had started working directly for the Divine" the man replied. His hair had gotten even grayer, and the dark bags under his eyes made it evident that the lyrium was taking its remorseless toll on him "Glad to see both our fortunes have improved since those dark days at the Circle during the Blight" "Indeed. I hope your travel here was uneventful" "It was, and I certainly hope it's the last time I come here. I'm no longer at an age to spend so much time on the road. And the damn road from Jader seems to get worse every year" "Let's not take more of your time than it's needed then. Please" Leliana answered as she motioned towards the large open door that led to the large chamber where the Sunburst Throne and Divine Justininia awaited. Gregoir nodded and moved forward. "Sister Leliana, it is good to see you" "You too, First Enchanter Irving" Leliana said as they both respectfully made a half bow to each other. As the enchanter passed her by, only years of bard training at finessing and hiding her emotions helped her contain the warmth that bubbled within her as she saw who arrived next. "Enchanter Wynne. A pleasure to see you" Leliana said as she grabbed the mage's hand, placing a soft kiss on top of it. "You too, my dear. It's been some time. I have missed you… your stories, I mean. You were always such a great storyteller" Wynne answered, giving a few quick nervous glances around them. Leliana knew it wasn't out of shame, but out of fear of what insidious eyes or ears in these halls could do if they learned too much. The Game was played in the Grand Cathedral just as much as it was in any noble party. "I have greatly missed you too. I hope your travel here was a pleasant one" "Yes, crossing the Frostbacks and moving on horseback from Jader all the way to Val Royeaux it's always such a pleasant experience. My back is already thanking me for providing it with such a good time" The sarcasm in Wynne's voice drew a giggle from Leliana that made the older mage smiled warmly in return "We'll have to make sure that your time here compensates the difficulties of your travel" "I know, Greagoir. I am coming" the mage said, making the templar's words die in his mouth just as he was about to utter them, making him turn around and walk back into the chamber with a frustrated sigh. Leliana gave Wynne a quick blink that held promises of more as she motioned Wynne to walk ahead, the sister following closely behind. "You smell nice" Wynne said, smiling. "Thank you. A mage acquaintance of mine really likes this parfume" They both smiled as the doors to the chamber closed.

"Thank you for your time, Most Holy" Irving said, his coarse voice struggling to make itself heard "I am sure the Knight Commander will take your recommendations to heart" The mage turned and smiled as he looked at Gregoir, who returned the smile and spoke with all the finesse of someone who has never been trained or had any need to hide precisely what he was feeling "Yes, First Enchanter. The Divine's recommendations are very appreciated" the templar said, his metal gauntlets creaking as he tightened his fists. "I am glad we were able to address your concerns. The delegations from the Circles of Nevarra and Rivain will arrive tomorrow and we can continue addressing the topic in more depth. Leliana, can you please show our Fereldan guests to their accommodations?" "Of course, Most Holy" "Thank you for your time, Most Holy" the templar and the 2 mages said after a respectful bow and began stepping out of the room.  As Leliana was about to follow, Justinia quietly called out to her, making the woman step beside her as Justinia whispered into her ear. "I've closed the third hall of the First Tower for renovations. You told me your friend Wynne may enjoy the view from there, yes?" Justinia gave Leliana a knowing smile, and Leliana returned it "Thank you, Justinia"

#dragon age #leliana #dragon age fanfic #illusivesoulwriting #wynne #leliana x wynne #wynne x leliana #dragon age fanfiction #asks

[rivetgoth]

Today we went to this walk-in art installation presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art made by a DJ meant to capture the experience of clubbing / partying / the nightlife through the lens of high art. It was really interesting for sure. The exhibit was in this MASSIVE warehouse space, full of these lights that slowly changed color and sometimes flashed on and off or went completely dark for periods of time that felt very accurately indicative of club lighting, though the coolest thing about it was the spatiality of the soundscape — there were four speakers, one in each corner of the room, and each one was blaring a different part of the same techno song, and then in the very center of the room beneath a set of off-white lights sort of evocative of a spotlight were four more speakers that played it all together as a single composition. So you could walk around the room and experience this ever-evolving song that changed with each part of the area that you walked to, while all ultimately combining into a single piece of music. It was a cool exploration of sonic landscapes in art and putting audio into a physical sphere but it also just really accurately captured the way different parts of the club can feel like completely different realms while still all being interconnected.

That said, I had one really big critique of the whole thing, aside from my more ornery “Why do we need to convey the club as a transcendent space to non clubgoers anyway? Do we need to prove the worth of it to those on the outside?”, which is the emptiness of the space. There was no sign of human life save for the museum security guards watching to make sure nobody went out the wrong exit and other museum attendees wandering around to see the exhibit. It made the space feel very lifeless. And it made me realize that I think the idea of trying to capture the transcendence and magic of the club without including the clubgoers is kind of destined to not hit quite as hard. It’s a losing game; the club isn’t anything without the people who make it. A club can be an amazing venue, have a great sound system, great drinks, cheap entry, but if it’s crawling with creeps nobody wants to go. Likewise, some of the clubs I adore the most aren’t necessarily anything special when it comes to the music but the people are the thing that make it worth going as often as you can, because you know you’ll meet cool people, see your friends, and just have a good time. Every club scene IME has local club celebrities—sometimes these are “real world” celebrities, like musicians or actors or artists, but a lot of the time these are people who are literally just famous within the club itself because they have cool style, they’re well connected, they’re friendly, they’re interesting, they just stand out in some way and everybody who’s anybody at least knows of them…

Some of the best or most memorable club nights of my life were at kinda shitty venues but the right people turned out and it was just amazing to be within a group of good people. I can’t really imagine an artistic representation of the experience that is the nightlife without the people… It feels a bit hollow to me. Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance is one of my absolute favorite studies on the art and magic of the club, and it spends so much time on the people, both as individual and as community (hence the very famous use of collective first person throughout the novel, ie. the narrator is often a “we”). I think this art piece captured the spatiality of the club very well but it missed for me the humanity of it, and I struggle to see the former being able to exist without the latter, so the whole exhibit felt less full or complete than it could have been.

The best club nights are the ones where all the right people show up. The DJ could be playing the most uninspired dance set in the world but if you look around and everyone on the dancefloor is a friend, loved one, member of your community, someone you look up to or someone you deeply care about or at the very least dressed to the nines and fun to look at, if you feel at home amongst the crowd, it doesn’t really matter what you’re dancing to… I just wish that a piece of art so invested in the magic of the club gave more of a spotlight to those that make the club magical to begin with.

I dunno, this sounds like a much harsher criticism than it really is, because I did like the exhibit. I think it’s very cool to see the nightlife projected into the high art walk-in installation world. It’s neat to see something I’m so intimately familiar with translated into new mediums. I think one of my favorite things about it was how well it captured the sense of entering a new club; to get into the exhibit you had to walk through a kinda long empty hallway into the back of the warehouse, where you came to these huge semi-transparent doors where you could see the darkness and lights ahead but nothing else and could just hear the booming bass of the sound system inside… there was a little bit of apprehension as you push these heavy glass doors open, like, “What’s it gonna be like in there?”, trying to put a mental image to the noises and configure your expectations. Even though it was just an art installation I think it managed to evoke a very accurate sense of intrigue, wonder, curiosity, and apprehension very much akin to when you’re finally past the security checking IDs and can enter the club after hearing the music blaring from the outside… Really cool!

But I guess I have a lot to say (including my critiques) because it’s something I feel my existence is sort of in direct conversation with. I’m at a club or a concert like twice a week on average so I feel like I am kind of an implicit part of the dialogue of this art and it’s really interesting to me to kinda see something so near and dear to me attempt to be “elevated” into the broader art world like this. So I guess a lot of my criticism is from a place of affection and passion rather than dismissal or dislike. Personally I think TR/ST’s album “Joyland” is the best artistic expression of the nightlife that I’ve seen in a long time and I think it captured the essence that this was attempting to evoke with a bit more heart, but these two things also don’t need to be in competition with each other lol, and I do respect what this artist was doing for sure.

[htfs-ranked-on]

htf ranked on how they felt sleeping in the same bed with their s/o for the first time?

cuddles: he'll remember the first night he shares a bed with his s/o as the best night of sleep he's gotten in years. he feels cozy and so very loved, and he never wants to leave

giggles: she's dated a handful of people in her life, but she never quite gets used to the very first time sharing a bed with a new partner. it leaves her feeling very serene in a way she doesn't ever quite know what to do with

toothy: he stays up for a while just trying to convince himself the whole experience is real. every time he remembers that it is, that he's really sharing a bed with someone he loves, he gets this rush of giddiness and affection.

petunia: she has mixed feelings. on one hand, this is a pretty big disruption to her routine, which she wants to dislike, but on the other hand.. the idea of this specific disruption becoming the norm grows on her pretty quickly.

handy: the best way to describe how he feels is "secure". he definitely feels like everything he's worked for has come together when he rolls over and sees the person he loves sleeping soundly next to him.

nutty: giddy and excited doesn't even begin to describe him. he probably keeps his partner up with him late into the night by accident because he's just so overjoyed that he's sharing a bed with someone he loves, and who loves him too

sniffles: he's quieter about it, but excitement keeps him up half the night too. he keeps rolling over to look at his s/o and going "omg we're sharing a bed... omg they're RIGHT THERE!!"

pop: mixed feelings for him. sharing a bed with a partner brings back a lot of memories of his late wife, which understandably carry grief with them, but he can't deny that he missed sleeping with someone next to him. the experience soothes a part of him that was missing the contact. a net positive, overall.

flaky: there's a baseline nervousness there that just comes with being them, but for the most part, they feel safe, and they feel relaxed. no matter what the next day brings, things are easy for the night.

mole: having someone in his space is an adjustment for him, and he's not sure how to feel about it at first. once he gets used to it, though, he appreciates the warmth and closeness of having someone sleep next to him.

disco bear: as much as he plays the romantic ladykiller flirt role, he's really not used to sleeping with someone in the non-innuendo sense of the phrase. he's uncharacteristically nervous about it, wondering if his partner is comfortable, if it would be too much to wrap his arms around them, all sorts of worries crossing his mind. he enjoys it once he gets out of his own head, but that takes a while

russell: he wouldn't know how to put it in words if anyone asked, but the strongest feeling he gets is a feeling that something is finally right, where it wasn't before.

lifty and shifty: i think these two had to share a bed for a long time (#vanlife) and as such are completely desensitized to bed sharing as a concept. it doesn't even occur to them that most would find it notable.

mime: he can't help but look over and smile every few seconds. he's completely head over heels and so giddy about the fact that someone he loves is here with him!!

flippy: if you asked him, he would swear up and down that he just enjoyed being close with his s/o, cozy and comfortable and warm. but deep down, the real reason he enjoyed it so much was that he felt protected. in his day to day life he's pretty on guard, but when he snuggles up to his love, he feels safe for once, vulnerable in a good way.

lammy: she also feels safe and protected, but obviously for different reasons. she trusts that her partner would react to any threats, and so if there's no reaction, there's no real threat, which puts her mind at ease and let's her rest soundly.

splendid: he feels a deep sense of satisfaction and quite honestly he's so smug about it. to him, his partner is finally right where they were always supposed to be: in his arms. took them long enough!

splendont: he's not used to this kind of closeness. it takes him a while to let his guard down and relax enough to enjoy it, but once he does, he just melts. it's easily the best night's sleep he's ever gotten.

#htf ranks #anonymous #more propaganda for my hc that the twins lived in the van for a while #also breaking out some VERY specific headcanons for flippy and disco bear #ranked by character #romance ranks #mod's favorites

[casualfruit]

The FNAF movie sucks, and not in the fun way

Before I start, I just wanna say that I have been a fan of Five Nights at Freddy's since the game dropped in 2014. I have followed nearly every game, watched all of MatPat's theory videos multiple times, and I still consider the first game to be a legitimately good piece of horror media. That said, I didn't have much in the way of expectations going into this movie. I knew it would be campy trash, and I knew Matthew Lillard was gonna be great, and that was about it.

Spoiler-free review: it focuses way too much on boring character drama, completely upends huge parts of the established lore, and has barely any animatronic violence. The plot is frustrating and confusing, the characters are poorly written, and the story as a whole feels like a first draft (which, considering it's been in production hell since 2015, it very likely was).

SPOILER-FULL REVIEW BELOW

Before I get into things, I'm gonna start with a rundown of the plot:

A guy named Mike Schmidt has been taking care of his younger sister, Abby, since their parents died a few years prior. Their aunt wants to take custody of Abby because she thinks that Mike is not a suitable guardian, even though she sucks and Abby doesn't want to be with her. Having a terrible employment track record and not wanting to lose his sister, Mike takes the only job available to him: working as a night shift security guard at a pizzeria which was abandoned in the 1980s after 5 children went missing there.

He's also really into lucid dreaming because he saw his younger brother get kidnapped when they were camping years ago, and he's obsessed with recreating the scene in his dreams over and over until he can figure out who did it. Also his parents killed themselves some time after the kidnapping, leaving Mike to raise Abby on his own for an indeterminate amount of time.

On his first night at his new job, he meets a sketchy police officer named Vanessa who shows him around the place. The aunt hears about Mike's new job and hires some people to trash the place so Mike will lose his job again and she can take Abby. Predictably, the goons all get killed. Meanwhile, Abby somehow becomes "friends" with the ghosts in the animatronics at the pizzeria, and convinces Mike to take her there, where she and the animatronics play together and have a great time. The ghosts are also talking to Mike in his dreams, and they offer to show him who kidnapped his younger brother if he gives them something in return. He agrees, only to realize that what they want is Abby - but it's too late to take it back. The Freddy animatronic shows up at their house where the mean aunt is babysitting Abby, kills the aunt, and takes Abby to the pizzeria. Mike, with the help of Vanessa, saves Abby and temporarily disable the animatronics, only to be confronted with the Real Villain: William Afton, aka the child killer from the 1980s, aka the guy who hired Mike for this job, aka Vanessa's father, aka the guy who kidnapped Mike's younger brother????

Turns out the animatronics obey Afton because he wiped their memories and uses them to make more of themselves by killing children in old springlock suits. Vanessa has been helping him get security guards so they can be killed for some reason??? but now that Abby is about to die, Vanessa has had a change of heart and defies her father's orders and tries to save Abby. Afton shanks Vanessa for her disloyalty, but while he's doing that, Abby sees a picture of the yellow rabbit (Afton's character) being friends with the kids he killed, so she rips it down and replaces it with a picture of the yellow rabbit killing the kids. This causes the ghost kids to realize that he killed them and they turn on him, causing his springlock suit to crush him inside, and they drag him away screaming into the darkness.

The pizzeria collapses and Mike and Abby take Vanessa to a hospital, where she survives (albeit in a coma). Abby wants to go back and visit the animatronics again, and Mike basically says "sure maybe".

The End

Except of course it isn't, there's a sequel bait ending with Afton being stuck in the suit, grievously injured but still alive, because that's what all the cool kids are doing these days. I fucking hate it here.

First things first: the highlights

The animatronics were made with practical effects, and they look incredible. They're actually like the springlock suits, since they work both as costumes to be worn by humans and as standalone animatronics, (but obvs more stable than in the games)

The pizzeria set is also amazing, and pretty accurately reflects the layout of the original game

Matthew Lillard's performance really leaned into the campiness of it all, and I loved every second of it. In his first scenes he did a great job being kinda weird and off-putting, but not in an obnoxiously obvious way. In the end the writing was just godawful, but his performance elevated it from pure garbage to the campy trash I had hoped for.

Second things second: the meh parts

The movie did a serviceable job establishing why someone would decide to work the night shift as a security guard at an abandoned pizzeria. It was contrived as hell, but it made sense? at least for the first night

Josh Hutcherson's and Elizabeth Lail's performances were fine, but the writing did NOT do them any favors

The child acting was decent for the most part

The special effects varied in quality. The practical effects were mostly good, but the CGI effects were more mixed

MatPat 15 second cameo, he says "that's just a theory" [insert Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme]

And finally: the bad stuff

Oh god. Where do I even begin.

The plot is complete dogshit. It's confusing and overly complicated, and the pacing drags like hell for the middle third of the movie. The movie is like 90% based on the original FNAF, 9% based on FNAF Sister Location, and 1% based on FNAF Security Breach. Except all of that accounts for about 60% of the movie - the rest is boring character drama.

The fan service in this movie is really bad. Mike Schmidt's last name isn't revealed until the very end of the movie, at which point it's treated like some Grand Reveal, but it means nothing. When Afton is being crunched by the springlock suit he yells "I'll always come back!!". You know, like at the end of Sister Location. But it's stupid and was badly shoehorned into the middle-end of the scene when it would have fit better at the very end. There's a few mentions of the ghost kids liking a yellow rabbit, aka Afton, but it's a very poorly executed plot twist.

Perhaps the most egregious failing is that Matthew Lillard was in the movie for maybe 10 minutes out of the TWO HOUR RUN TIME. He showed up twice for a few minutes in the beginning of the movie (when he hired Michael to be the security guard) and once at the very end when he's revealed to be the evil mastermind. If he had been there for longer, he might have made the movie more bearable. What a fucking waste.

As for the character of William Afton - once again, completely wasted potential. For some reason they introduced him under a fake name, but didn't establish the name of the owner of Fazbear's Pizzeria, so the real-name-reveal at the end just fell flat. He could have been an increasingly threatening presence throughout the film a la Phone Guy (which he is a grand total of one time). And also he's Vanessa's father??? WHY.

Oh yeah, and speaking of Vanessa - girl what are you doing in this movie lmao. She both gives big exposition dumps and is annoyingly cryptic and vague. Even after Mike puts together what's happening, she continues to be cryptic and vague for some goddamn reason. I honestly feel kinda bad for Elizabeth Lail - not even the most Oscar-worthy performance could salvage that mess.

This movie also changes a few major things about the lore of FNAF, and all of those changes are for the worse.

I have no idea why they decided that Afton controls the ghosts or how he was able to wipe their memories, nor could I possibly guess why they had his control hinge on a fucking crayon drawing tacked to a wall. This mechanic isn't established until the scene when it gets overturned, at the very end of the movie.

They even changed some little details which, as inconsequential as they were, makes me wonder why they were changed at all. For example, the little da-da-dum-dum-dum tune that Foxy sings to himself is different. Also the animatronics' eyes turn yellow when they're angry/about to attack, and red when they turn on Afton. When I was a kid, one of the scariest parts of FNAF was the human-like eyes staring at you in the dark as you wait for the jumpscare. Having them change color honestly diminished the scariness. Also, Chica's cupcake can teleport/fly through the air and attacks people (that was funny, but it undermines the tension with how ridiculous it is). They also didn't incorporate the Toreador March until the end credits.

One of the worst minor details is that Afton explicitly says that he was the one who kidnapped Mike's younger brother, but for some reason he's not an animatronic? Unless he's the cupcake, in which case I'm gonna put my head through a window.

All in all, that's 1 hour and 50 minutes of my life that I'm not getting back. I'm just glad I watched it at home instead of wasting money on theater tickets.

#FNAF #FNAF movie #Five Nights at Freddy's #movie review #casual convo