#i really don't have anything of note to say other than this lives rent free in mind

[askkirito]

sinon’s description of kirito in the lns is messing me up again

“The skin of his chest and stomach was white and scrawny, as if someone had carved it down from its proper size.” 

“Now that she got a better look at him in the light of day, the real Kirito had a slightly transparent, out-of-place air about him. His longish black hair, extremely pale skin, and surprisingly scrawny body contained a whiff of all of those girlish features that she remembered from his virtual self. That fragile atmosphere he carried around - if she was being uncharitable, she might describe it as “sickly” - put Shino in mind of those two years of imprisonment he suffered.” 

#ooc #i really don't have anything of note to say other than this lives rent free in mind #kawahara and the translator's word choices here are interesting in a good way #'as if someone had carved it down from its proper size' in particular #whoa #we dont get a lot of physical descriptions of him since we're in his head most of the time #i havent started unital ring yet but i wonder if he's gotten healthier... now that he isn't trapped in some virtual world again

[zegrasdrysdale]

under the mistletoe [ n. hischier ]

day one of malia’s christmas fic marathon

pairing : Nico Hischier x fem!reader

summary : Nico needs a date for the Devils Christmas party so he turns to his best friend and asks if she doesn't mind being his fake date to the party

warning(s) : none. just enjoy the fluff :)

author’s note : day one is here. 11 more days to go. y’all are gonna be experiencing all kinds of up and downs during this fic marathon, but i hope y’all have a lot of fun

༺═──────────────═༻

The texts come through while she's already getting dressed for one of her other friend's party.

neeks 𓆩♡𓆪 - 6:01 pm i need to ask you for a huge favor. can you be my date for the devs christmas party tn ?

it starts at 7:30 and pally is hosting this year

i'll pick you up in like 45 mins and drive us both over. there will be lots of free food and drinks. can you please come with me ?

The only reason she agrees to go is because she's getting ready for a Christmas party. She has her makeup done and she can definitely get her hair done in less than forty-five minutes. Nico is always early for things so she expects him to show up a few minutes early to pick her up.

She has on a short dark red dress with spaghetti strap sleeves. It falls just past her ass and hugs her body. It has a dark sparkle to it when it hits the light. She pairs the dress with matching heels.

A loud knock rings through her small apartment as she's tying her slicked back hair into a tight ponytail. As soon as she's done, she runs to the front door in her heels.

On the other side stands Nico in one of his game day suits. He has on a red tie instead of a black one. His hair is gelled back and he's clean shaven. His big brown eyes take her in as soon as the door opens.

"Wow, look at you, Hischier," she teases as she leans against the doorway. She also just really needed to say something because she could feel her cheeks getting hot the longer Nico stared at her. "You clean up nicely."

Nico lets out a light laugh. "This is nothing," he replies. "I wear a suit like this pretty much every day."

She grabs her dark red jacket from the hook by the door. "I was talking about this," she comments as she pats Nico's smooth cheek. "Anyway, is the party at Pally's place or did he rent something out like Jack did last year?"

"In Jack's defense, he had a pretty small apartment," Nico tells her as they take the elevator down to the first floor. "He didn't have Luke living with him yet so he had to rent something out. But yes, it is in Pally's house this year. I heard he went all out with decorations and catering."

He holds the door to the building open so (Y/N) can click through it in her heels. Nico is right behind her. "Cool," she replies. "I've never been to Ondrej's house. His wife and little girl are so sweet though."

They're settled in Nico's car when he looks over. "Um, so I just wanted you to know that I may have told the team in a heat-of-the-moment thing that I was going to be bringing my girlfriend to the party," he admits to her.

(Y/N)'s eyes widen when she realizes what it means. "Are you telling me that you need me to fake being your girlfriend tonight?" she asks.

"I told you it was a huge favor," Nico reminds her. "Please say that you will do it. I don't want to be seen by my team as a liar so I need you to be my girlfriend for tonight only. If it's a lot then you don't have to but I would really-"

"Okay," she interrupts. "Tonight only. I want the full girlfriend experience though. No half-assing it, got it? I want hand holding and arms around my shoulders while we're sitting together."

If she is going to be Nico's pretend girlfriend for the night, she wants to go all out. Not to mention that if this is going to be the only time she will be Nico's girlfriend then she wants the whole thing.

The whole damn thing.

"Got it," he replies. "Anything else?"

"Not unless you think something is right to do at that moment."

༺═──────────────═༻

The Palat house is stunning. The snow that has fallen over the last few days makes it even more gorgeous. The outdoor decorations brighten up the building.

Cars are already parked up and down the street even though it’s still a little early. Nico helps (Y/N) out of his car when they park so she doesn’t slip on the ice that’s on the sidewalk. He offers her his arm and she happily hooks hers with his.

“I’m happy you agreed to come with me,” Nico says to her as they walk up the shoveled pavement to the front door. “I know I kind of tricked you into coming with me as my girlfriend but I get to hang out with my best friend all night so it’s a win-win for both of us.”

Best friend. The ultimate friendzone.

It’s a win-win for Nico. All she gets out of it is free food and a glimpse at what it would be like to be in an actual relationship with Nico.

“Yeah.” She puts a smile on her face despite how she feels and Nico rings the doorbell. (Y/N) lets out a quiet sigh as the door swings open.

Ondrej stands on the other side when the door swings open. “Welcome, guys,” he says. “Everyone is getting a drink and talking in the living room until dinner is ready. Come on in.”

Nico greets his teammate with a clap on the back and (Y/N) gives him a hug and a “it’s nice to see you again” before the two of them head into the living room. Palat takes her jacket before they go see the rest of the boys in the living room. Nico has his hand in hers as they turn the corner into the room.

Every single pair of eyes in that room is on (Y/N) and Nico. The guys that brought someone with them sit or stand with them at their side. Nearly everyone has a drink in their hand.

“When were you going to tell us that (Y/N) was your girlfriend, Nico?” Jack asks from the couch. “When we make playoffs and she got a jacket?”

Nico smiles and shakes his head. “I was going to tell you all eventually,” he tells his team. “We’ve just been enjoying the new change in our relationship. Right, liebling?”

In the years that she’s known him, she hears some of the names he’s called his girlfriends. She’s even looked some of them up because she didnt know what they meant.

The fact that Nico just called her one of his German nicknames sends a chill up her spine.

She shivers a bit and takes a step closer to Nico. “Yes,” she eventually agrees when she recovers enough to form words. “We’ve been enjoying our little bubble. We weren’t ready for it to burst but when Nico said that his teammates wanted to be introduced, I couldn’t say no.”

(Y/N) looks up at him with a smile on her face and wraps her arm around his. Nico looks down at her and mirrors her smile.

“I think it’s about time,” Jesper says from the other side of the room. “I mean, the way he talks about you in the locker room sometimes, (Y/N). I was hoping the two of you were together.”

That’s news to her. “Oh, what do you say about me in the locker room?” she asks sweetly to Nico. “I hope it is all appropriate.”

Some of the guys snicker, which results in their own date swatting them on the shoulder.

Nico’s face turns light red. “Just about how much I like being with you,” a flustered Nico replies. “I say that I can’t wait to see you when I know that we have plans. I tell them how happy I am when I know you’re up in the suite at home games. The usual stuff, you know?”

His words surprise her, especially because they aren’t actually together. He’s been making it sound like they are together.

It throws her off a little but she decides to play along.

“I say the same thing to my friends,” she lies. “About how excited I am to watch him play or when I know we are going out after. I especially tell them about how hot I think he is with that ‘C’ on his chest. I mean I have to cool off a little when I think about it sometimes.”

There are a few whistles around the room and (Y/N) stares up at Nico with a sly smile on her face.

It isn’t a lie. Nico might be her best friend but she has wished for years that he would see her as more than his best friend. She talks about how hot he is to her other friends all the time. Especially when he’s on the ice.

“You’re both so disgustingly in love,” Jack comments. “The way you look at each other makes me sick.”

They must be better actors than they thought.

Well, at least Nico must be because (Y/N) doesn’t know how much acting she’s actually doing right now.”

Dinner is ready shortly after. Everyone gathers around the table as best they can with the room they have. She is sitting so close to Nico that she’s basically on his lap. Not that she would mind that but Nico would.

Chicken is served as the main course. Rolls, salad, and pasta are served on the side. (Y/N) devours all of it because it’s so good.

Haula’s wife, Kristen, sits next to (Y/N). She asks, “So how long have you and Nico been together?”

“Just a few weeks,” she replies as soon as she swallows her bite of salad. “It hasn’t been too long.”

“The honeymoon phase is the best part,” Kristen tells her. “Sometimes I think Erik and I are still in ours. It truly is the best time in any relationship. Enjoy it.”

She looks over at Nico, who is laughing at something Jonas said next to him. “I’m trying,” she replies.

After dinner and dessert, a couple of the guys leave. They thank Palat for hosting before heading out the door.

(Y/N) finds herself on the couch beside Nico with a glass of red wine in her hand. Nico has had a few beers tonight so either she’s driving home since she’s only had one glass of wine or they’re calling an Uber. She can tell that Nico isn’t all here right now.

He has an arm draped around her shoulders while he talks to Akira, Timo, Tyler, and Jack above something hockey related. It’s always hockey related with this group.

She quietly sips her wine while the five of them talk about their next game against Detroit.

It’s weird but when she looks around the room, she doesn’t feel out of place. She’s already friends with a bunch of the guys’ wives and girlfriends. She’s babysat some of their kids during or after games. She knows all the guys on the team.

The only thing that’s weird is that she isn’t actually his girlfriend. It sucks because she’s been in love with him for well over a year and he has no idea or hasn’t shown any interest in being with her.

“Uh oh,” Jack suddenly says. “Look up Nico.”

When Nico looks up, so does (Y/N). Jesper and Palat stand behind them. Jesper is holding a piece of fake mistletoe.

“Oh shit,” Dawson laughs. “Get it, cap.”

A few of the remaining guys laugh.

Nico looks over at (Y/N) and raises his eyebrows in question. “Should we give it to them?” he asks while chants of “kiss her” break out around the room.

Not unless you think something is right to do at that moment. That’s what she said when she agreed to come as Nico’s fake girlfriend.

This is that moment.

Without even answering the question, (Y/N) leans over into Nico and presses a chaste kiss to his lips. She can taste the beer he’s been drinking throughout the night from that quick kiss.

His eyes are wide when she sits back a little bit, but he it doesn’t look like he hated it.

Actually, Nico leans into her and presses a longer kiss to her lips. Her hand flies to the back of his neck and one of his hands falls to her thigh right under where her dress ends.

Without realizing she’s doing it, (Y/N)’s fingers are playing with the ends of his hair. She thought he needed a haircut recently but now she doesn’t mind his longer hair.

Nico is the first one to break the kiss. He pulls back slowly and meets her eyes. His lips are red and slightly kiss-bruised. Her heart races in her chest.

She’s afraid that something has truly shifted between them, then Nico whispers, “Wow.” All her fears melt away and she smiles at him.

“We didn’t need all that,” Timo teases.

“I feel like I’m intruding on something,” Erik says.

Suddenly, Nico stands up and pulls (Y/N) up with him. “I think we’re going to head out,” he tells everyone. “I will see you all at practice tomorrow morning. Have a good night.”

Before she can protest, (Y/N) is being herded toward the Nico. Nico quickly helps her put her jacket on before they walk out into the cold air. It’s started to snow again as they leave the house.

The door shuts behind them and (Y/N) finally asks, “Why are we leaving?”

“Because,” Nico stammers. “Because-” He’s cut off when she slips on some ice. He quickly grabs her at the waist and holds her up so she doesn’t fall. Her entire body is pressed against him. “Because I was a little mad that our first kiss happened under some mistletoe.”

She raises her eyebrows. “Our first kiss?” she asks. “I don’t understand. I thought that was going to be our only kiss.”

Nico’s hands slide under her jacket and grip her waist. His nose grazes hers as he asks, “What if I don’t want to only have one kiss with you?”

Her heart jumps in her chest and she prays that Nico didn’t feel it. “I don’t want that to be our only kiss,” she softly tells him. “I’ve been waiting forever to kiss you, Nico. I don’t want that to be the only time I kiss you.”

He takes her chin between his thumb and pointer finger. “Then kiss me like you mean it this time, liebling.” Nico’s voice is a whisper when he talks.

(Y/N) doesn’t hesitate. She gets higher on her toes and presses a hard and deep kiss to his lips.

It might be freezing and snowing, but all she can feel is the warmth against her lips and her body. She never wants to let go now that she’s had a taste.

༺═──────────────═༻

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taglist : @dancerbailey3 @dasiysthings

#nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #nhl oneshot #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction #hockey fic #hockey oneshot #nico hischier #nico hischer x reader #nico hischier fluff #malia’s christmas marathon

[frankiebirds]

I love this scene a lot and it lives in my head rent-free. I can't really think of another way to interpret it other than that this is elle telling reid that the reason he can't get a date isn't because of something wrong with him that he needs to change but simply because he doesn't ask people out (or, more broadly, lacks confidence).

I have seen some spencelle shippers read this as elle saying "hey. ask me out" but i disagree, not because i don't ship spencelle (i sort of do, elaboration in the notes) but for the following reasons:

I think elle would have realised very early on that if she was going to wait for reid to ask her out, she would be waiting years

i don't think she gives enough of a fuck about gender roles to wait for The Man to ask her out

she generally seems confident

i lean more towards her being very new to the BAU in the early episodes. I don't recall right now if there's an official anti-fraternization policy or if that's a fanfiction trope, but even if there isn't, entering a relationship with a coworker that early on is an easy way to mess up her career.

i think she was waiting until she was more established to start anything, but then, well, everything happened, and she left before becoming established enough to feel comfortable taking a risk like that

#anyway: i do ship spencelle #but not as a relationship exactly #if that makes sense #i think there were mutual feelings and i think something may have happened in that hotel room #i like to think that they remained friends after elle left and i flipflop on whether that friendship has any “benefits” #as for something possibly happening in that hotel room: reid thinks it's the start of something #but elle is only doing it because she knows deep down she's leaving soon and so it doesn't matter if she jeopardizes her career #reid only realises what really happened when elle quits and feels guilty he didn't realise something was wrong for a long time #*punches spencelle shippers in the gut* you're welcome! <3 #spencelle #spencer reid #elle greenaway #character analysis #scene analysis #sort of? #criminal minds #not fic #criminal minds rewatch #criminal minds s01e04 #plain sight

[fatuismooches]

IT IS ME, the muzzle anon, hello again

after almost 1 year in hospital, im starting uni this year finally :]

being sick really reminds you how nice it is to be healthy, so while I was thinking about dottore and fragile reader I just had thought that reader probably had days where they felt like they were dying as they were laying on their bed. They already have an unknown disease that makes them weak and then a sudden fatigue hits them one morning and they can't even open their eyes, can barely move their hands, their whole body trembling and such- I would be very dramatic when I am sick, literally crying and thinking, "Yep, this is the end."

so imagine going, "I think this is the day I die..." to Il Dottore, tHE DOCTOR.

Dottore just goes, "No. 🤨"

To be honest it probably isn't the end it just their body trying to fight the sickness but reader just immediately starts writing their last will and testament.

"For Boattore, I left my drawings, for Zandy, the plushies I have, for Clowntore, I-"

Then the next day reader is okay, and like, "😐"

(As okay as they can be at least)

So Dottore and the other segments are repeating everything reader said to tease them now.

(Yeah they love reader, yes they were worried, but now that they are okay they are allowed to make fun of them)

swoosh

have a nice day <3

MUZZLE ANON... i just want you to know the muzzling Dottore brain rot still lives in my head rent-free. And congratulations on starting uni! That's such a huge step and I wish you the best, I'm very proud of you and hope you'll do amazing ❤️

Mhm, fragile reader definitely had bad days like that. The pain can be so bad and all you can do is lay helpless, unable to do anything besides wait for it to pass. Even when it's not physical pain, sometimes you simply don't even have the motivation to get up. It's just... really bad sometimes and you can't even predict when it comes, so it just hits you out of nowhere. And every time, you can't help but stress out and worry about what will happen next. Will the pain pass over? How long will it stay? These relentless headaches, aches, and sores? When can you finally get back to normal and go about your life? It seems like an eternity from now, and you can't help but wonder what will happen until then...

The first time you say that he nearly drops the vial he's holding. Did he miscalculate your pain? Is it more grave than he thought? He's going through all his notes again and asking you a bunch of questions rapidly. Until he realizes you're just (mostly) joking and being extra paranoid. His response is always to not be so nonsensical as he sighs every time. You're not going to die while he's around, he says matter of factly. Writing your will is... sort of a morbid kind of amusement for you. Yeah, ignoring the fact that you're planning for your own death, it's kind of fun to decide which segment will receive a little piece of you. There's a section for each of them with a mini-essay. Ahem, just don't let little Zandy know about this because you don't want to deal with a crying child blubbering about how you're going to leave him. And YEAH i imagine fragile reader says some pretty funny and weird things when they're sleeping or half-conscious. Segments are definitely listening in and write down everything you say to bring up later 😭

#smooches talks #muzzle anon #fragile reader <3 #dottore love notes <3 #😭😭 reader leaving something for all the segments tho has serious angst potential that i'm NOT going to get into #anyway love love love this anon! 🫶🫶 i love the idea of joking with them as a way to cope

[greetingfromthedead]

Little Feet (Dad!Vash x F!Reader)

Plot: After you save humanity, you start living your happily ever after and a year after your wedding, a whole new chapter begins in your life as you and Vash navigate through the trials and tribulations of having children of your own.

Series: Loose continuation of Wedding Bells

Pairing: Vash x F!Reader

Raiting: Everyone

Tags: post-Trimax (no major spoiler), domestic fluff, happy ending, pregnancy, birth, children, play pretend, family fluff

Word count: 2.1k

Author's Note: I've seen so much wonderful Dad!Vash fanart lately, I fell in love so hard and Dad!Vash just lived in my head rent free for like 4 days.

Not even a year after your beautiful wedding, you pulled aside your handsome husband and told him the news—he would become a father. It struck him like lightning from the clear blue sky. For a moment, he just stood there with his eyes wide open, and it made you feel nervous, but soon the surprise got replaced with a wide smile and tears welling up in his eyes. He felt a rush of overwhelming joy and excitement.

"Are you sure?" he asked nearly breathlessly, and you nodded with a smile.

You guided the hand you held in yours to your belly, not yet showing any obvious signs of a baby bump. His fingers sprawled ever so gently over your skin, giving it a gentle stroke.

"Oh, honey," he said quietly, not even able to hold back the tears anymore as his other hand cupped your cheek and he leaned in closer. His lips tenderly brushed yours, and you felt the wetness of his cheeks. The man, usually so well versed in words and comebacks, was suddenly all out. Like the language itself failed to provide him with the correct words that would come even close to expressing the enormous feelings swelling in his chest. He knelt before you, looking up into your smiling face before directing his attention to near your belly button.

"Hello, little one!" He said softly, and the tone of his voice brought prickling tears to your eyes too. "I hope you can hear me. I'm your dad!"

The next few days, he was almost like in a trance; often, you found him looking at your belly, either sneaking little glances or staring from across the room. Every chance he got, either when cuddling you or holding you near, his long fingers would reach for your stomach, even just a little bit, creeping over from your waist, unlike they did before. You started to think he might be under the impression that he had dreamed it all up.

"I think they liked it when you spoke to them," you said casually, not really basing your words off of anything other than you definitely enjoying his voice. It's like a light bulb went off in his head, the wondrous glimmer appearing in his eyes when he looked up into yours. After this, he started spending a lot of time blabbering all sorts of nonsense to your unborn child, talking about the day and the world outside, some of the adventures you went on together, and even fairy tales Rem had told him. He often pressed his ear to your belly and kept talking. You loved listening to him, even when you pretended to read a book. You would gladly let him curl up next to you and rest his head against your skin. His soothing voice spun stories as you ran your fingers through his black hair.

As time kept going and your belly grew, you couldn't help but notice a new kind of fear appearing in his eyes. He tried to hide it, but you have been his unwavering partner for years. You were by his side when he had to face down his own brother and all his goons. Yet you had never seen this kind of terrified expression on his face before. After some gentle prying, he opened up about all his fears and worries. You talked for a long time that night.

"I know you, I dare say, better than anyone else. I know you have nothing to worry about; you will do your best like you always do. You will try, and even when you fail, you will try again. You don't ever give up, and you have so much love for everything and everyone in your heart. Any child would be happy to have you as their dad! I don't know what I'm doing either; there's a first time for everything, but what is one more adventure for the two of us?"

"You have always had so much faith in me. I don't know how I have ever earned it, my sweet blossom," he sighed deeply as his fingers gently squeezed yours.

"I'm not the only one." You pulled his hand closer and placed it over a spot on your lower belly, and Vash's eyes widened as the worry in them melted away. The baby, apparently just as leggy as their daddy, decided it was the perfect time to start dancing the jig. They kicked out hard enough that it would be the first time your beloved husband got to feel them too.

"Hey, darling!" Vash called out to the child with glee, and his other arm wrapped around you to pull you into a hug, the human hand still resting on your bump. In just a moment, the child filled him with unimaginable joy again, and the world fell away. It was just him and his little family.

As your due date approached, Vash started to dote even more. He did all the chores and fluffed your pillows; he became your butler and your nurse. Whatever you needed, he did it and more. All his fussing started to get on your nerves when he nearly always hovered somewhere nearby. It felt like a bruise on your ego, like he didn't believe you could manage on your own. You chased around bandits for years before even meeting him, not to mention the journey you embarked on together, and you took on the greatest threat humanity has ever faced with him. You handled yourself then, and suddenly he makes you feel like a bedridden weakling. But every time you voiced your displeasure, he looked like a wet puppy, and you realized he does it just as much for himself as for you. He has more confidence in you than himself and feels like making your life as easy as possible is the least he can do for the mother of his child.

The birth of his first child meant everything to Vash. For his whole life, blood and pain have chased him like a shadow. For so long, it meant little more than death and suffering, but then his daughter was born. After seeing you go through long hours of painful contractions where he could do little more than rub your back and let you squeeze his hands so hard, he couldn't feel either of them in the end, it changed. Accompanied by your pain and blood, she arrived, and as her cry filled the room, the whole world shifted for him. With a sigh of relief, you fell backwards against him. Moments later, the tiny, naked bundle was laid against your bare chest. You felt tears falling onto your shoulder as Vash looked to see the little baby in your embrace. His long arms wrapped around you more tightly, and he rested his head against yours, his eyes so filled with love for his two favorite girls.

He turned out to be exactly the kind of loving dad you knew he would be. He didn't shy away from any cry or need. Dirty diapers didn't scare him, and sleepless nights were also no obstacle. He did as much as he could to give you time to recover. You felt constantly exhausted and took the opportunity to nap a lot. The little fussing sounds stirred you from your slumber, but as you cracked open your eyes, waiting for a louder cry to echo through the whole house, you saw Vash getting up from the armchair by the window and going over to the crib. You hadn't even realized he was in the room with the two of you, so you quietly watched him as he reached down to pick up the infant. The baby scrunched up in her little onesie as she was lifted to be against your husband's chest. One arm cradling the baby, he gently strokes over her belly with the fingers of the other hand. He gently bounced the child and hushed her, soothing the fussiness. His eyes were so tender as he watched her closely, the tip of his nose nearly touching the child's. You tried to be as still as you could, quietly watching the two of them. The baby's eyes are bright blue, but they could still change. You are sure she inherited his sharp nose, but the lips look more like yours. You compared the dark tones of their hair as Vash noticed your gaze and gave you a blinding smile before coming closer. He sat next to you on the bed and leaned closer as you reached out your hand to gently stroke the baby's cheek.

"No! That's not how you have a tea party! Princesses sit at the table! They don't run around!" You hear the complaints of your eldest daughter coming from the next room over. They are quickly followed by tiny running footsteps and giggling.

"Oh! Thank you! I had just run out of tea!" Vash speaks gently before making slurping sounds. "It is very tasty! Is it jasmine? More tea? You have my thanks!"

"Dad! You're encouraging it." the older daughter sighs, accompanied by the giggling of her younger sister.

You zip up the onesie of your youngest sprout before picking him up and heading out of the bedroom. You see Vash and your older daughter sitting at a kid sized table on little chairs, meaning your husband has pulled up his legs tight against his chest in a manner that does not look comfortable, but he doesn't let it show in the least. They sit next to each other with their toy cups in hand, pretty pink tiaras on their heads, and pearls around their necks. The two dark haired beauties look prim and proper while your toddler runs around the table with the teapot, filling the cups of each and every stuffed animal with pretend tea.

"Might there be room for another princess and a well-behaved prince?" You ask gently and draw the attention of the rest of your family.

"Mommy!" the toddler drops the teapot and runs over to hug your leg tightly. You gently pat her head, and she looks up again before grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the table.

"Sir Whiskers, may I sit here?" You ask the large stuffy before settling next to it beside Vash, who leans closer to sneak a glance at your tiny son. You're sure the baby will drift off soon; he has inherited his ability to snooze in any position and environment from his dad.

"May I offer you some tea, my lady? Perhaps some pastries too?" Vash asks with a flourish as he presents the teapot he picked up from the ground.

"If you would be so kind!" you say seriously as you pick up a little teacup from the table.

"Finally! A proper lady!" Your oldest seems to be cheering up.

"My honored princess, you look as radiant as ever! You must introduce me to your seamstress!" You bow your head to the kid. "And the rambunctious madame seems to be in a hurry to try all the different teas and cakes presented by our kind hostess!"

The toddler has resumed running around the table, this time with a pink plate in her hand. The seemingly endless energy and happiness also remind you of someone very dear to you.

"What an honor it is to be among such prominent and beautiful guests!" Vash says while holding the teacup, the pinky finger straight in the air as he bows his head to everyone around the table, including your middle child.

"Yes, princess dad, it is a beautiful day to spend with other princesses drinking tea!" Your eldest announces, seemingly in her groove again, "I am glad princess mom could make it too!"

You played for a while, the tea party became a doctor's office, there were bandits at some point, and aliens weren't left out either. Vash picked up the slack where you weren't able to keep up because of your son still snoozing in your arms. He played the roles of patient, goon, and sheriff and improvised some spoons as antennae when he embodied an alien. He put his whole heart and soul into playing with his daughters, making sure they both got to shine and be happy. The play was only interrupted by the little prince waking up and demanding something more nutritious than pretend pastries. Vash helped you on your feet again and gave you a kiss before ushering the girls into the kitchen to get started on dinner while you headed back to nurse your son.

Author's Note: I didn't even really get to write all the ideas I had so part 2?

Did you like this? Go check out my MASTERLIST and drop a follow for any and all future projects!

#trigun #trigun maximum #fanfiction #fanfic #vash the stampede #x reader #humanoid typhoon #plant boi

[nothing0fnothing]

NEWSFLASH for abusive parents: NO Pussy is that good.

Exactly no one in the history of ever has had a happy, healthy, loving relationship with their mum and gone no contact with them for seven years, just because their partner asked them to.

OP knows this better than anyone, because she knew to tell her son not to get involved when she found out the girlfriend was no contact with her own toxic parents. She gives no other reason why she didn't want her "genius" son to meet the "very smart and nice" Law undergrad girl he was in love with, because that was the only one. She didn't want her son to connect with other adults who are healthily and happily no contact from their own abusive family members, because she didn't want him to see it was possible.

She really wants us to beleive that she is such a victim, because her son picked an "outsider to the family" over her. Her sons girlfriend is the person she's decided is going to take the blame, and hell will freeze over before she considers blamimg the relationship breakdown on literally anyone else. Note how she breezes past telling us about her sons "accusations" of her. She's stressing that he'd never brought the issues up before he met the girl when he was in college, but never actually denies them. Considering her son and his girlfriend described her as a "criminal", I'm gonna just assume that if it was trivial, she'd have told us what she's been accused of. He didn't choose his girlfriend over his mum at all. With all the pot stirring and projecting she's admitted to doing in this post alone, it seems to me he chose himself over her. With the way she's deflecting like it's her job and rents due, I don't blame him.

Here's a take that might be controversial: stalking... is bad. Even.. if you get someone else to do it for you.

"I had to use one of those search services" (What these psycho parents call private investigators, because it sounds more like they were searching for someone missing than that they paid someone to stalk their target.) as if her being out of pocket, paying for someone to seek out a person who clearly does not wish to be found, was super fucking inconvenient for her. I just want to scream "No babe, you didn't "have to" do anything. You chose to do that because you can't comprehend the fact that your now 30 year old son isn't your property." This dude is just young, free and living his best no contact life with his super cool, lawyer girlfriend. Literally nobody reasonable was concerned for his safety.

This is a woman who doesn't know how to apologise because she genuinely can't conceive of a scenario where she could be at fault. That snide comment "lord forbid I care about him" actually infuriates me. This woman has admitted to running her own son out of his hometown after attempting to ruin his relationship, using his father and sister as informants against him till he had to cut them off too, and paying a stranger to stalk him. This poor guy has had his life absolutely torn apart by this bitter hag of a mother. He had to orphan himself from his entire family when he was barely 20 years old to protect himself from this utter nutcase, and she has the fucking audacity to say "God forbid I..." as if she has experienced any consequences for any of her own truly unhinged behaviour.

I don't care if she's old, if I see this twat, it's on sight.

The "Poor me" angle she's trying to run at this with is pretty pathetic and really transparent. I'm not sure who beleives she's an innocent victim, but this "I text him every day and they bounce because I've been blocked for seven years" shtick is boring and over dramatic. Especially when even the fact that the girl has a law degree is enough to provoke some weird, barely related attempt at a smug remark. She's clearly not too sad to be salty. When she's not coming off whiney and sad she's just coming across as bitter and jealous. It's not a good look and it's clearly not worked for her up till now, but she's committed to the bit and she's not gonna turn it around.

Her son is happy and she's just so mad about it.

Womp womp.

#estranged parents #estrangement #no contact #toxic parents #toxic mom #dysfunctional family #dysfunctional household #narcissistic abuse

[khaleesiofalicante]

I really don't know what to say that I haven't said before, but it's worth repeating once more: This story is so wonderful and deep and so lovely and I don't think any words can really cover to how much I adore it, how much it has meant to me these past few months, and how bittersweet the fact that it's done feels🥺. The epilogue really did justice to the whole story, and I couldn't have thought of a better way of saying goodbye to it.

Max said here that to write someone's story you had to be careful, responsible but most of all gentle. And I think it's something you have shown through and through, the way you respect and love this characters and their journey just makes you love them even more.

I could go on a rant about the whole thing but I will refrain from doing so because it will probably be 10 pages long (trust me, I have ranted to 3 people and myself for hours, I have a lot of thoughts about it😭)

I can't even point out my favorite bits about this, because I loved every single thing!! The good and the bad days, the way they never gave up on each other, all the little steps and the love they radiated! Max writing emails!! If that doesn't shows us how much he loves David, idk what does... Lance and Arthur's own journey and how much they have grown up😭 I saw them being months old I am getting emotional don't @ me!! Chopin!! Rip to Lance but I love him with my whole heart💙. THE MF KISS ON THE WRIST🥺 I will forever be wondering about the white cover, but yes let that man keep some things to himself!! Also, Jackson>>>>

I maay have teared up s little bit on some parts and I think that's valid of me!

Just... Their love. Their whole life. A life with so much joy and so much pain and grief too, but a life they created together and are slowly but surely getting back. The way they never give up because the other one existing is reason enough to try with everything in them🥺. Thank you for sharing this story. It has become one of my favorites to go back to, and I pity the person that asks anything about a good book I've read recently because they are not going to hear the end of it...

I have no words to add, I just want you to know you are such an awesome and talented writer and you never stop amazing me with the beauty you create with words. Never forget you are amazing, please 💙

I'm just gonna add some of my favorites lines because damn they are going to live rent free on my mind for a few weeks at least:

I will do anything, however long it takes us, if I get to wake up to your smile again.

Half a life with you is worth more to me than forever with anyone else.

///

"But all the days I have left, all of it, it's yours."

///

Remember the bad times. Remember the tough shit. Remember you made it through. Remember you can do it again.

///

"You look really pretty when you smile."

///

"Because this life, however broken, is perfect because we built it together." (This lone will haunt me forever btw)

///

He wanted a love that lasted forever.

He wanted Max Lightwood-Bane.

///

All the time

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.💙

I have no words for all the love and support you show me. Also, not me trying to hack into your notes app so i can have a look at all the quotes because I'm always too tired to read the fics again (i wish i could read as much as i wrote, fam, oof i really do).

Anyway, I'm cleaning my IALS notes, and found this tiny lil thing that didn't make it to the fic so you can keep it.

"Nothing above the neck," David told him seriously as Max kissed his chest.

"Why not?" Max frowned as he pulled back from the other man, momentarily pausing his attempts to give his husband a hickey. "Your neck is pretty and long and there is a lot of space for me to cover."

"My students saw the last one you left on my neck and made fun of me," David mumbled.

"What are their names?" Max asked.

"Max," David chuckled.

"Seriously," Max said. "What are their names?"

"You can give me hickeys," David said with a soft smile. "Just nothing over the neck, please."

"Can't believe my sex life is being dictated by a bunch of middle schoolers," Max grumbled. "I'm gonna have a talk with the Dean."

"About hickeys?" David giggled.

"Don't underestimate me, sweetheart, I can talk about anything if I find the motivation."

#idk what they are doing but they are baby :) #IALS

[nulltune]

random question: do you think there could ever be an instance of moon girl being 'corrupted'? in a small, tiny dimension far away, could evil hakunon ever exist?

good question nonnie! an evil hakunon... what a concept 👀✨️ it's interesting because i think hakuno definitely fits the definition of a "good person". she has a very clear sense of right and wrong, strong morals, she greatly values the lives and wishes of others (no matter how "small" or "insignificant") and treasures the very important things like bonds and connections. i'd say it's almost like the natural course of her character development! in extra and ccc and even extella 🤢 even when starting out from zero as a nobody with nothing, we see that hakuno always finds these core values and humanity even in the worst circumstances.

that saiddd, did you know that hakuno herself admits to having pretty "twisted ideals" in the confrontation with extra's endgame antagonist? and she's always been the one to outright call herself evil too! for a good reason too actually 😳

here's a quick disclaimer though! i personally think hakuno's a very complex character that can be interpreted in many ways though i do know a big reason for that is also bc there are cowards who intend for that to be for self insert purposes rather than anything more nuanced 🗿, so this here's just my personal interpretation of her <3 this also got pretty long so i'll be putting the rest under the cut!

[side note, but i think it's Really Interesting to me how the fate/extra antagonists really parallel hakuno..... there was a scrapped extra ending of hakuno basically taking over as the second twice (though i will say i'm glad that idea was scrapped; cuz hakuno's already too far into her development for that to be a possibility but it's interesting to think about). as for bb-- oh man i can scream about the Potential these two have sm THEY'RE JUST SO GOOD UGH 😭😭 summing it up real quick, they're both just someone willing to give their all and become a hero/villain if that meant protecting the one they love. the former for hakuno and the latter for bb ! even kiara has similarities to hakuno, i don't know how much (due to lack of ccc translations </3) but i do know that they were simply living to their truest selves which had varying results]

i think these lines sum up her stance of things pretty nicely (they also reside in my head rent free 24/7 🛐) and really give you a good Insight(TM) on hakuno kishinami:

"If I could protect that which I hold most dear, then that should dictate the path I choose to walk."

"Hakuno Kishinami was someone who treasured herself, and the things she loved. The things I insist I want to protect are only those I see before me. …that’s the sort of shallow, greedy person Hakuno Kishinami was."

"I was just empty in the beginning, so if you say you're bad— then I will just dye myself in your colors."

it's safe to say that at her core, the most unbendable thing is that hakuno cares most about the people she loves, that's the key takeaway here thougg we also have other important hakuno traits like her lack of identity and her extreme devotion. i talked about this character trait of hers a widdle bit in this post, but yeah- for all her heroic qualities, traditionally heroic things like saving the world doesn't take priority for her.

hakuno's very direct when she says it in canon too. the state of the world has nothing to do with her (which is the cold rational truth considering her unique existence, to be fair), but she still wants to protect it because it's the world where the people she cares about live in; and that's the primary motivation for her. though i do think we have to take things with a grain of salt, because as harsh as her blunt words can sound, we can see from her reactions and inner monologue that just the thought of people dying is painful to her. so i think it's important to know that even if hakuno's first priority is the people close to her, she does think about others as well, i'd say that hakuno cares for just about anyone and everyone in some capacity. it's just that much stronger with someone she's emotionally bonded with.

now, hakuno genuinely is someone so kindhearted with only good intentions... which is a very important point 2 me!! she's not the type to damn the world for no reason and naturally dislikes the idea of anyone suffering. however, she can be scary determined to do what she must to accomplish her goal. it's only when push comes to shove and she's forced to make a choice where we'd really see this come into play methinks! we're entertaining what-ifs here and personally, i can really see hakuno take on a more,, morally questionable role ngl. hakuno's always acted in the way you'd expect a model person to be, but i think it's important to note that that comes out of her own personal values rather than a sense of justice or any chivalrous reasoning.

hakuno does want and try to operate within the scope of what is "good", but she wouldn't limit herself to it, if that makes sense. i'm not sure how to describe her morals, exactly, but hohhh boy it's super interesting to me! she's good at heart, but is willing to do something she views as evil if it meant the best for -insert name here- so when hakuno calls herself evil, it's because she has very clear and strong morals and a strong sense of good or evil, but at the end of the day, she's willing to discard anything and devote her everything to the things she loves.

that willingness to cross any line and discard her own morals, by definition, is immoral though. hakuno never does things without full awareness of her actions and the consequences that come with it, so she'd definitely be more than aware of that too. i think foxtail, which has that third line there "[...] so if you say you're bad— then I will just dye myself in your colors.", illustrates it so well..... it literally has hakuno staining herself with blood as she says that which- what more can i say!! it's just that undying devotion above all else <3 i have no doubt that she would be having a lot of complex feelings about it :uglycry:

i mentioned before that hakuno calls herself evil already, but it's best not to take her words at face value. she's a lot more complex than that!! she's a lot more complex than what even she gives herself credit for honestly!!!!! you gotta remember that even if hakuno seems cold/distant and claims to be a terrible person, she's repeatedly shown that she still cares about others no matter what and wants them to be happy. it's just that, again, she's willing to do a lot of things for that which is most important to her 💃🏻 tis just a matter of circumstance and priorities.... but yeah ! no matter the tiny universe, at her core she's still the same hakuno doing what she sincerely believes in and for what's most important to her.

it's very in line with hakuno actually! provided the proper circumstances, i can really see it happening 😳 we've seen hakuno in canon call herself "a failure as a master" because she cares more for her servant than the holy grail, so i can see her similarly condemn herself for prioritizing the well-being of an individual over,, literally everything else. i imagine it playing out like her choice to do what was necessary to survive in the holy grail war. she's absolutely firm in chasing after her goal, it's a decision she won't back out on, but she has a lot of difficult feelings about it too. it's not at all easy for her, and it would just add onto her already horrendous view of herself and her self-loathing :,)

I FEEL LIKE I DIDN'T REALLY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION .... 😳 but i think there's no easy answer to it tbh! hakuno has a tendency of simplifying things (for better or worse) but i think things are much more complex than that. so whether she's evil or good, that really depends on what we choose to think,,, if that makes sense,,, 🫠

as for a "corrupted" hakuno-- i'm not really sure what you mean by that?? if you're still out there nonnie 🥺 pls feel free to clarify! <3 i'm a fake fate writer lol so if it's corruption from the holy grail or something, then i have no idea how to answer because nasu lore eludes me 🗿 but i don't think that would be the case! hakuno's character is definitely influenced by others around her, but she's always the one actively trying to find and better understand herself and a reason to fight for. part of what makes her compelling is her immense resolve to do what she fully believes in — which is why all i've rambled about above there. knowing the full weight of her actions and her feelings about it is what makes hakuno so compelling imo!!

OUGHHH BUT (me, coming back after googling up the exact definition of corruption: 🤯) if we look at this in the scope of canon, this is a form of corruption actually ?? !!! remember: love was never intended and is actually mistaken for artificial intelligence made by the moon cell like bb and hakuno (: to go against their intended purpose of serving humanity as a whole in favor of an individual they've come to love is peak "corruption" for them, but we've seen how they both rather go against anything and everything rather than lose that precious feeling. I WISH THEY FOCUSED ON THAT CONCEPT IN CANON TBH 😭😭 JUST IMAGINE!!!! i wish they focused more on hakuno in general tbh </3

#THIS IS RLLY LATE NONNIE BUT TYSM FOR THE ASK 🥺💖 !!! #as u can see; i can never shut up abt this girl SHE IS SO INTERESTING 2 MEEEEE *BITES A CHAIR* #Insane how she's such a perfect 'hero' but can be such an interesting 'villain' too....... egad #she's just a very complex character methinks!!! there is A Lot to unpack especially bc u gotta know that #&&. hcs #shoves this here bc 🫡 this do be how i write my very dear moon lady ! #I HOPE I EXPLAINED THIS PROPERLY THO SBFKSGFJSHD anon's always on if any clarification is needed !! #it is very important 2 me that i portray h.akuno nicely ... 🧎‍♂️ sfsdvxjfl #anonymous

[checkoutmybookshelf]

These Books Live Rent-Free In My Head, So Y'all Get to Hear About How Amazing They Are

*So head's up: This is a sequel, so there will be spoilers and I will assume you have read it if you're checking out this post, so be warned!*

It's pretty unusual for me to post about a single book that isn't also the first in a series. That seems to just be bad form on the internet. Tracy Deonn's Bloodmarked is an exception because of just how spectacularly she handles Bree, and what she is able to say and show with a Black female protagonist in a very, very white and bepenised organization. (Can I say bepenised on Tumblr? Whatever, we're rolling with it.) I want to get up here and SAY how amazing this book is. Let's talk Bloodmarked.

Ok, so what sparked this post is that the first chunk of this book pulls exactly zero punches about what primarily white, patriarchal societies are willing to do to Black bodies and minds.

The sheer balls it takes to *checks notes* kidnap the scion of Arthur as she comes into her power, pulls Excalibur from the stone, revealed a demon masquerading as one of your pages, pulled Lacelot's scion back into the fold, and single-handedly stubborned her way through a very rigged system and then keep her mesmered, brainwash her, and pump her full of what our equally kidnapped healer has zero qualms about calling poisonous and experimental are astoundingly large and astoundingly white. Literally nothing about reading this section of the book is comfortable or anything less than infuriating, and it lands hard.

This whole sequence recalls the history of violence enacted on Black bodyminds in America, and strongly reiterates the fact that that violence is STILL enacted on them. It also really highlights how systemic and individual racism work together to the point that the Order of the Round Table literally *delegitimized the authority of the scion of King Frickin' Arthur* because of that scion's skin color. If the Order of the Round Table can do that, then I don't think it's unfair to accuse the governing council of white supremacy.

What is the absolute kicker about the whole thing is that Bree still has to function in this system, and she literally has racist asshole King Frickin' Arthur in her head screwing with her ability to use both root and aether to manipulate her into basically signing over her body for his use. Seriously, not a fan of King. Frickin'. Arthur. in this book.

And yet despite all of this, Bree gets to be a whole human and a whole teenage girl. She gets to be a badass. She gets to be and feel beautiful. She gets to be brilliant, both academically and with people. She gets to have drama-filled crushes on boys (albeit with higher stakes than your average drama-filled teenage crush). I love how complex, nuanced, and throughly steeped in both history and contemporary culture this whole story is, and how Bree carries all of that throughout the story.

There's not a whole lot of actual analysis in this post; plenty of other scholars and readers with actual lived experience who are more qualified to analyze this have, and you should go read them. My goal with this post is to offer love and attention to a book that is still living rent-free in my head. If for some reason you haven't read these books (and well done for still being here at this point if that's the case!), then you absolutely should. I inhaled them in a weekend, and they left handprints on my heart, they way the best books do.

#tracy deonn #legendborn #bloodmarked #bree matthews #ya fantasy #ya books #books #books and novels #books and reading #books & libraries #book recommendations

[mrcowboysmovieroom]

Vampires (1988)

Directed by: John Carpenter Genre: Horror, action

CW: Gore, but not any that I find too hard to stomach. It's like 80s blood splatter, heads get cut off type deal. Originally written 07/02/2023

Vampires from 1988, is a movie. It's the most movie actually. It's soooo movie core. I'm being a little mean when I say that, but it's absolutely true. This movie is very 80s and very vampire.

It commits so strongly to the image- its over the top sense of angst and melodrama are really its selling points. It's got that classic angry lead who's got a heart of gold, but a bad attitude and a dark past. It's got sweat and grime and quick quips. It's quintessential in every way. I don't think it does anything unique, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A lot of the movies I adore are very much exactly what they seem to be and nothing more. There is an appeal for me in its lack of remark, though also a permeating sense that it's lacking something. You'll notice I said I have adored movies that are similarly in genre, but this isn't one of them. I don't hate it mind you, but nor do I feel a keen affection. In being exceptionally unexceptional, you are often just that. Just unexceptional and this movie borders on being that.

I've seen this movie a handful of times now and that means I am at least compelled enough to want to revisit it, but every time I do i am reminded of more so what it could of been than what it is and that's not really how you should feel after seeing a movie.

The issue is this movie is not as much fun as I would hope. It's campy and over the top but it could have amped up the intensity more than it does.

The performances themselves are very- ummm what's the word? Fitting? Sometimes its bad. Like when Baldwin yells while burning himself.. that sound lives in my brain rent free only because it sounds so strangely unreal that it reminds me I'm watching actors. It CRACKS me up. Valek (Thomas Ian Griffith) our vampire and Jack Crow (James Woods) give the best performances as just delightfully over the top and living the roles completely. Woods did a lot of roles like this- assholes who somehow endear themselves to you (though Jack Crow is not the best of this type). Griffith, whom to my knowledge I've only seen in this, is just really playing it up. He sneers, growls, crawls, and purrs and if he did any less than that he'd be a very underwhelming vampire. It's his look too- the all black fit and long black hair, claws always out. You need to have at least all that.

In the beginning of the movie Jack and his team successfully empty out a vampire nest in New Mexico. They expect to find a master vampire there (the one who turned all the vampires within), but they don't. This is noted as bizarre and as an audience we know that this means the master will be coming around in no time at all. Still though, the hunt is considered a success and the team decide to celebrate at a local motel. Jack is basically the only one who continues to be made uncomfortable by the lack of the master vampire being present though. It's this gut feeling which keeps him away from the main party for a bit.

Of course, while his back is turned an extra guest arrives.. Wouldn't you know it's that master vampire! It's Valek, though for right now his name goes unknown. We will eventually come to learn that he is the very first vampire. He slaughters the entire team with the exception of Montoya (Daniel Baldwin). Valek basically lets them get away (for attention of course) and greets Jack by his full name (important). The only other survivor is a prostitute hired for the party called Katrina (Sheryl Lee). She's been bitten by Valek though and will turn in a matter of days. As an aside I really like Katrina. She might be my favorite character even though she doesn’t do a lot. I find her to be more grounded, and additionally very sympathetic. She and Montoya have a romance arc of sorts. Which is to say, the movie says they are in love but I don’t really see any chemistry there and I don’t care about their relationship. Katrina is unfortunately a punching bag in this movie.

Jack and Montoya spend a good chunk of the movie pushing, hitting, and yelling at her. There are intense stakes (aha…) at hand, but she’s a victim in this, and that is never appreciated by anyone else in the movie. To them, the fact that she's bitten makes her immediately expendable, especially to Jack. She may as well be just an object. And no one learns from this lesson either. Montoya has a crush on her but that shouldn’t be his motivation for wanting to treat her well. He should just not be an asshole. Somewhere in this it feels like there ought to of been some self aware commentary. It's not like women in real life need to be bitten by a vampire to be treated as objects. The fact that this movie never does anything with this possible critique is something that really disappoints me and serves to push this film toward a lower rating for me. Anyway, back to business.

Jack sends Montoya and Katrina to a hotel while he buries their team and goes to meet up with some of their church contacts. They are employed by the Catholic church and Jack meets up with Cardinal Alba (Maximilian Schell), who has a wicked pair of eyes I must say, and Father Adam (Tim Guinee). There, Jack updates them on the situation and informs them that he is very certain that they have been betrayed and that someone from among the slayer's or church's contacts is somehow involved in the massacre of Jack's team. Adam is assigned to work with Jack to replace the previous priest who was on the team.

Adam is like a big fan of Jack for some reason and gives us a cute little car ride exposition dump on Jack's tragic past… His parents were bitten by vampires and he was raised by the church to be their ultimate hunter. Jack, in one of his perpetually bad moods, stops the car and assaults Adam, basically in an attempt to scare him into admitting he's the traitor if he is. Adam admits to no such thing because he's not, and for now Jack seems to soften to him a bit.

Obviously, Jack is a little upset that his entire team has been killed. As an audience, I don't really care. The team were just props and outside of Montoya we don't really see any interpersonal interactions between any of its members and Jack. Them dying is expected and not sad in the slightest. Jack is clearly motivated by getting revenge for this and uncovering the Judas Iscariot. Still, I don't really know if I can say Jack struggles with their deaths. I suppose that's cause this is the life he lives, but in talking to the Cardinal, Jack expresses how unusual this particular master vampire was. So, it can't be common for so many slayers to be killed like this, and ordinarily they probably have one another to lean on in the face of loss. I think I'm thinking too much about this subpar movie, but I feel like the movie should have thought about these things. Like if more attention was given into the emotional components here, I might have liked this movie more overall. That aside, the movie eventually leads into the third act in which everything is finally revealed! Yes, Jack was set up! And by who you wonder? Well spoiler alert, it was the Cardinal. Usually I'd give more of a warning but there is literally only one person who could be responsible. He's the only person of moderate significance to everyone else but whom the audience could care less about the motivations of. And on to that then. What are the motivations behind his betrayal? He state's it actually very perfectly. "I'm sorry to disillusion you, jack. as one grows old.. as death approaches, we begin to question our faith. And I have found mine lacking. Is there a god? is there heaven? I can no longer answer this for certain. I have witnessed no miracles, had no visions, and the prospect of death terrifies me! I realized I have only one alternative." Sort of on the nose I think. See Valek is trying to make it possible for vampires to walk among the daytime and doing so will make them more competitive with and deadly to humans. Jack is needed in this because for Valek to make this happen, he must presume a ritual akin to his own death where they sacrifice Jack on a burning cross.

Jack dying for our sins... In the meantime, Katrina takes a huge chunk out of Montoya's neck and leaves him for dead having basically all but fully succumb to the bite she received before. Montoya was bit by Katrina earlier in the movie as well but he keeps it hidden from everyone till the very end because, well, now that he's got a huge hole in his neck, ya can't really keep something like that secret. Adam is hiding in a nearby shop but overhearing the whole exchange outside. He and Montoya simultaneously manage to intervene in time to save Jack and get away. Since the ritual needed to take place as dawn rose, now all the vampires are vulnerable and have to retreat into the shelter of the buildings, including Valek. Jack follows him and they have a final confrontation in which Jack finally overpowers Valek. When everyone regroups Montoya announces he's leaving with Katrina because #love or something, and also they're both bitten and basically fucked. Jack allows him a two day head start but promises to hunt him down and kill him. Pretty bad as breakups go I must say... And then the movie ends with Father Adam and Jack talking about Adam having a hard on. This is the second time this happens in the movie. I didn't really know how to talk about it earlier but it happens right after the car scene with Adam. Jack asks if him beating up on him gave him a woody, and at the end of the movie Jack asks Adam if killing vampires gave him one, to which Adam says OH HELL YEAH BROTHER. So, development I suppose.

Overall the movie is worth watching if you like this style of film. I mean clearly I’ve gotten some pleasure out of seeing it, even though I do have my complaints about some occasionally weak performances and some missed opportunities.

Another thing of note is the music which I did enjoy and took notice of on several occasions because I enjoyed it. This is a John Carpenter flick, and in similar practice he has composed the music for it. I really love his scores and this movie is no exception even if it’s not my all time favorite. Still, quite enjoyable and very good for the movie’s tone.

So, not bad but not great either. Certainly a moderate amount of fun to be had.

#vampires #80s #80s movie #horror #john carpenter #james woods #Daniel Baldwin #Thomas Ian Griffith #Vampires 1988 #John Carpenter Vampires #Sheryl Lee #movie #vampire movie

[waterhorseyblues-ao3]

😂, 🗑, ✏️, and 💕 for the fanfic ask game!

i stared at this ask for like 5 minutes because i forgot id reblogged that

😂 What’s the funniest comment someone has left on a fic of yours?

I recieve a lot of very funny comments, because my readers are very funny people, and i also find it very funny when my readers are suffering. any variety of AAAAA/WHAT/NOOOO/WHYYY or anything like that is straight into Top 100 Hilarious Moments for me. i also find it very funny whenever someone calls me 'bestie' or some other endearment. im out here pouring rat poison into your morning coffee and youre all 'thanks bestie'. thats fantastic, hilarious, 100/10 funniest shit. anyway this one lives rent free in my head

🗑 What is one fic idea that you loved at first but then scrapped?

Oh, many a fic has been scrapped. Some things stay exclusively as a big jumbled-up rambling idea I tell my friends and decide that's as much as I want to do with it, others get recycled. Lots of things sit as notes and undeveloped ideas in my fanfic notebook to eventually be reshaped or recycled elsewhere. Mosty recently, "(The Real) Loki and Sylvie's Epic Guide to Being Super Fucking Awesome" was going to be a completely different story about them rennovating the house and their first few weeks of living together. It was going to be more a series of random events about them bonding than a pet-rescue story, but it just didn't inspire me to write it out.

✏️ What is your fave fic from another writer?

How dare you make me choose just one. This is where my current fandom doesnt really overlap with my original, but it's not a secret I was really into RPF for a long time. There's a B.A.P. fic called Two-Headed Boy by Moonyeyedwalrus that I was so incredibly emotionally invested in I've not yet finished it because I kept crying in every chapter. It's incredible work. You don't need to know shit about B.A.P. to read it. It's a fantastic sci-fi AU with amazing world building and I hope I'm able to write fic even half as detailed, complex and creative as that. Unfortunately many others I've adored and looked to for inspiration have long been obliterated off the internet, because fanfic dot net is a hellsite that doesn't protect its writers.

💕 What is the WIP that you are most excited about?

I'm interperating this as my own WIPs? My only two current WIPs? Right? (I only tend to read other people's finished fics because I am binge-reading TRASH) It's Dead Shaft! Listen, don't get me wrong, Good Impressions is very important to me and it is an ongoing labour of love, but the Labour really overrides the Love sometimes. It's an incredibly demanding fic to plot out and write. Dead Shaft pretty much writes itself! I love writing everyone's interactions, the bigger cast gives me so many more opportunities and dynamics, I keep coming up with more ideas. I'm really invested in that AU and there's so much coming up in that story that I can't wait for people to read. It's going to be so much fun, I promise. In terms of not-yet-published, I have several things waiting their turn, and I think the most exciting of those is a The Sandman/Good Omens/Lucifer (Gaimanverse lmfaoo) crossover fic. I will say no more on that ;P

#ask #wolfpup026 #i absolutely adore every time i update a fic with an absolutely devastating chapter and all the comments are people screaming at me #i THRIVE #anyway half the benefit of having me added on discord is me just Telling You Ideas and then Fleshing Them Out for an hour #and then MAYBE... i write it #if it wasnt for Cyn you wouldnt have the priest kink fic i want you to know that #actually if it wasnt for Cyn you wouldnt have Dead Shaft either #im actully not real im actually Cyns second account that they use to write biting kink that blurs the line with cannibalism kink #JOKES JAPES JONKS #i am a real individual person pay no attention to the author behind the curtain

[lunaticsandidiots]

🎃’s 11th street kids + arguments

(can be platonic/romantic!)

z’s note: punkinnnnn i love these i love these i love these i LOVE THESE & that theres like. outcomes for whoever ends up being in the right. they’re so perfect

“Chris

Definitely the type to think he's right (he absolutely is not), yet he'd still profusely say sorry to you because he doesn't like being ignored by you and he knows that you know it. If he's really desperate, he'd do this pouty thing the others either laugh or recoil at, and you'd join in with a laugh and he'd light up.

"Do you forgive me now?"

"No."

"But I pouted for you."

"Keep it up with the pouting and I might forgive you."

If he actually is in the right, it doesn't take him long to forgive you. I mean, come on, it's you. A little snack for Eagly (and another for him), a flask you'd sneak in for him in a mission and a little ego boost would have him forgiving you in no time.

"You snuck in a flask? For me?"

"Chris, are you crying?"

A sniffle that isn't quiet enough for you to miss, "No, why would I cry over that?"

Adrian

He'd have the argument living rent free in his mind until he goes over to your place and apologizes with an early 2000s love song blasting through a speaker he brought and he'd keep it up until you forgive him, or until a neighbor complains.

"You're an idiot."

"I'm sorry. Can you please forgive your idiot?"

"...Wow these past 15 minutes have been nothing but cliches."

So you had an argument. Adrian was, in one of the rare cases, right, and you both knew it. Whenever you'd try talking to him, he'd just cross his arms. Like a child. It would take you everything not to laugh at how silly he looked. Sometimes he'd slip up and accidentally talk to you, but he'd catch himself and purse his mouth shut. Sometimes he'd laugh at a joke you made, realized it was a joke you made, then quickly shut himself up. There could be other times where he'd hold a grudge against your arguments, depending on how silly it could be.

"I'm not talking to you."

"Oh. I was gonna ask if we could do a campaign again later." Chris: "Again?"

"...What, like, D&D?" A nod.

"..Okay, we can play at mine after the mission."

Harcourt

Emilia would probably give you space without having you ask for it. She'd wait for you to be the one to talk to her first, then apologize. While you're not talking to her, she'd be sending glances towards you during meetings/missions, especially when you'd speak up and look at the others for their opinions.

"Why don't you talk to me when we argue?"

"I just…assume that you need the space."

"Emilia, I need the space when I say I need the space."

"Noted."

Harcourt is pretty good at winning arguments. She's also pretty good at being patient and being not so forgiving. And giving the silent treatment. The others didn't like getting on her bad side because they could get ignored for days or weeks even after they apologized. Emilia has a soft spot though, it doesn't actually take that long for her to forgive them, the 11th Street Kids are just a bunch of overreactors.

"Harcourt, I'm sorry, okay? I'm prepared to perform any type of public humiliation if that pleases the court."

"Was that pun intentional?"

"What pun?"

"..."

John

John would profusely apologize. Like, every chance he gets, he takes it. After all, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. It can get so repetitive that the others are begging you to forgive him.

"I'm sorry, alright?"

"L/N, please forgive the poor man already."

Or, like Adrian, he's petty and would interrupt both himself and others in meetings if they ever say anything that correlated to your argument. Other than that, you'd get the silent treatment and little glares every now and then.

"I said I'm sorry!"

"Really? 'Cause this is the first time you've said it."

"...Did you just fucking quote Tick Tick Boom?!"

It could get pretty difficult to make up with him.

Adebayo

She would absolutely give pleading puppy eyes. She doesn't like negative aftermaths of arguments, so she tries her best to apologize without annoying you too much. One time, she brings cookies that she packed only for you despite the others' hungry looks.

"Homemade, I made it with Keeya."

"You're forgiven this time - and any other time we fight again."

"Hopefully never again." Having you mad at her was kind of hell. You felt a little bad.

"Want a cookie?"

I have no idea what you could say or do that would lead to Leota getting mad at you, but if the cookies method doesn't work, getting a new costume for her dog + something with sentimental value could win her over.

"Nice try with the cookies, though. They were good."

"Thanks. They were store-bought, the ones I - keyword - tried to make got burnt to a crisp."

honestly, i saw greenie's 11th street kids hcs and blacked out and next thing i knew i had this in my notes

-🎃”

#i love theeeese #yall are sending me absolute gems rn #well i mean yall always do #🎃 #emoji babies #peacemaker #peacemaker x reader #peacemaker headcanons #christopher smith #christopher smith x reader #christopher smith headcanons #vigilante #vigilante x reader #vigilante headcanons #adrian chase #adrian chase x reader #adrian chase headcanons #emilia harcourt #emilia harcourt x reader #emilia harcourt headcanons #john economos #john economos x reader #john economos headcanons #leota adebayo #leota adebayo x reader #leota adebayo headcanons #headcanons

[wolken-himmel]

In which (Y/n) has fallen in love with Malleus to the point where she can't think about anything but her crush. Desperately wanting to get Malleus out of her mind, she turns to his guardian for help.

Lilia offers to help gladly — but who says he's not going to make her problem worse?

Idea by @hikaruamo.

[This is Part (1/2); Part (2/2) can be found here.]

"He's living rent-free in your head, isn't he?"

"That's the worst part, Doctor Lilia!" you cried out as you stared at the ceiling of the Diasomnia dorm. "He's not even paying rent!"

You blinked owlishly while keeping your gaze trained at the ceiling of Lilia's bedroom. The chaise lounge Lilia had ordered you to lay down on felt strangely comfortable and soft — so much that you had the sudden urge to spill every little detail of your suffering out to the little bat. Speaking of him, Lilia was seated beside you, dressed in his overly large lab coat with a clipboard in his hands like a true therapist.

Lilia hummed as he diligently jotted down your words — in truth, he was drawing little bats all over the empty paper, but it wasn't like you could ever catch him doing so. "I see..." he mumbled, not looking up as he continued scribbling in a big panic. His uneven hums left you in a state of concern and panic, too. "That's a complicated issue."

"Really?"

Once again, Lilia hummed — and you wanted nothing more than to slap him for just ambiguously humming all the time instead of providing you with a satisfying answer. Before you could voice your disdain, he looked up from his clipboard, a serious and professional smile on his face, as he calmly asked, "Tell me, dear patient, do you daydream a lot about Malleus?"

Frustrated, you exhaled and nodded in shame. Your head hung low at how worked-up you were getting about this matter, and Lilia had to hold back giggles from escaping his lips in order to retain his professional facade. "Yes— to the point where I can't pay attention to anything else anymore." Lilia nodded along to your rambling, listening with a growing grin on his lips. "The other day, Ace slapped me for not listening to his whining."

Lilia sighed once more as he returned to his notes that were more doodles than notes, really. "It's more serious than I thought, dear..." he said in a grave tone, startling you. "What is it that you daydream about him?"

Taking a deep breath, you ventured into the depths of your mind — and you didn't even have to go far until you just lost yourself in thoughts about your crush. His handsome face just appeared in your head whenever you closed your eyes — and you hated it. "His silky hair, his beautiful horns, his glowing eyes —" A dreamy sigh escaped your lips. "Ah, I could go on for days..."

"That sounds like a severe case of Malleus-itis," Lilia mumbled under his breath whilst desperately trying not to break out into laughter.

So busy with your own troubles, you didn't notice Lilia's little slip-up. Turning your head to your therapist, you meekly asked, "Can you cure me, doctor?"

"Yes, of course!" Lilia chirped as he jumped up and threw his hands into the air, causing the long sleeves of his lab coat to hit you in the face. You rubbed your cheek in pain as Lilia bustled around his bedroom. "You'll be better in just a few days."

"Ah... thanks, Lilia..." you muttered as you let out a breath you didn't realise you had been holding. "I don't know what I would do without you." Lilia went on to rummage through his dresser, flinging objects in his way over his back.

Lilia stopped in his tracks and turned around to glare at you. "It's Doctor Lilia!" he chimed angrily, which made you furrow your eyebrows in scepticism — and embarrassment. He had so many years of life under his sleeve that him having been in the medical field wasn't too much of a stretch. Wagging his fingers, Lilia snapped you out of your trance. "I didn't study years of medicine for nothing, dearest."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Doctor—" you said, being half-serious and half-joking.

Lilia soon stuck his tongue out at you, all the anger and frustration gone from his face. "Hah, I'm just messing with you," he cooed as he marched back to you, something rectangular in his hands. "Now, take this."

"Why are you handing me a portrait of Malleus?" you asked with furrowed eyebrows as you rather hesitantly took the picture frame from the fae's slender fingers. Just a little glimpse of Malleus made your mind drift off to daydreaming again, and you found it hard to tear your gaze away from this wonderful portrait Lilia had just handed you.

"It's to cure you," Lilia said with a little grin on his face. His matter-of-fact way of speaking somehow appeared very convincing to you. Patting your head, he pointed at the framed picture. "Now, tell me what you like about him in this painting the most."

You frowned as you tried to hand the item back to Lilia. "This is gonna make it worse—"

Lilia gasped as he pushed the framed picture back into your hands with determination and force unmatched. "Who's the doctor!?" he yelled out as he suddenly appeared much scarier and taller than you had ever witnessed him be; who knew such an adorable little boy could be so frightening if needed?

Gulping, you took the picture back with trembling fingers. "Okay fine..." you stuttered out, causing Lilia to calm down again. A quaint smile appeared on his lips as he hummed and sat down on his chair once again, waiting for you to go on. You returned your attention to the picture, and you opened your mouth to let your thoughts flow freely. "Hm... his horns are really shiny in this picture — I can almost see the chandelier's reflection in them, hehe. Also, his smile— oh, his smile! He looks so handsome..."

"Yes yes—" Lilia tried his best not to break out into laughter. "Go on."

A love-struck smile on your lips, your fingertips traced the outlines of Malleus' face in the picture. Lilia watched you curiously, taking in every single time your eyebrows furrowed and your lips quirked up.

"Our children would have his horns, wouldn't they?" you asked, the words escaping your lips before you could even think about them. Upon looking up to find a smug grin on Lilia's face, you realised what you just said sounded wrong. "Wait— that sounds so creepy! Forget I said that—"

Lilia threw his clipboard away and clasped his hands together in utter joy and affection. "And you two's children would have your hair!" he cooed, his eyes speaking of excitement. "Imagine little carbon-copies of you two running around... ah..."

You had a hard time resisting his rambling. You so desperately wanted to join in and just talk about how great Malleus was — somehow resembling Sebek in his attitude towards his young master — but that's what the devious fae wanted, and you couldn't give in. "Lilia, I'm starting to think you don't want me to get better," you muttered with narrowed eyes. Suspicious of him, it suddenly dawned upon you that something was off. "What doctor enables their patients like that?"

Lilia let out sheepish laughter as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, you caught me red-handed."

You sighed and crossed your arms, a little bit offended and hurt that he didn't see the direness of your situation. "Why are you making it worse instead of helping me?" you whispered out, avoiding his gaze. You were curious — but above all else, you were hurt.

Lilia wrapped his arms around you upon realising he had hurt your feelings. Like a grandfather, he had his chin resting on top head, and his arms circled your shoulders tightly. "Well, I've been having therapy sessions like these with Malleus, too, since he can't stop thinking about you," he admitted, which made your eyes light up in surprise. "I was just waiting for the moment you would have the same struggle, too. And now, all I need to do is fan the flames until one of you confesses—"

You turned your head up so you could look him in the eye. At first, you were suspicious that he was playing another prank or joke — like the mischievous fae he was. Yet, his eyes sparkled with nothing but genuineness. "Woah, really?" you marvelled, your cheeks aflame and your jaw hanging low. "So Malleus feels the same?"

"Hm!" Lilia nodded and let out a few giggles. "You should go confess."

"Thanks, Lilia," you chimed as you swung your legs over the side of the chaise lounge to dash out of his bedroom. You shot him one last wave before throwing the door open and setting out on your mission to find the fae that had stolen your heart and mind-space. "I'll go now!"

"Good luck!" Lilia yelled after you, wiping away an imaginary tear from his left eye. "And don't come back until you bring along my grandchildren!"

TO PART (2/2)

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #twst x you #twisted wonderland x reader #malleus draconia #twst malleus draconia #twst malleus x reader #malleus x reader #twisted wonderland malleus #twst malleus #lilia vanrouge #twst lilia vanrouge #twisted wonderland lilia #twst lilia #disney twisted wonderland #reader insert #y/n #disney twst #malleus draconia x reader #female reader

[1-800-hyunlix]

dance to this — hhj

crush culture ♡ part thirty five

⇢ pairing: non-idol! hyunjin x fem! reader

⇢ word count: 4.4k

⇢ warnings: cussing, some underaged drinking, it’s literally a high school party so, can y/n and hyunjin get their shit together already?

⇢ listen while you read: dance to this - troye sivan

⇢ a/n: happy (kinda late) valentine’s day! i haven’t updated in forever but i’ve spent so much time trying to finish writing the remaining chapters for this series. i hate to say it but this story’s coming to an end and FAST. also i’m so sorry, i meant to post this yesterday but here we are 🙄 anyways, enjoy <3

Thanks to you, the snack table looked great and Jisung was very pleased, to say the least.

Everyone had already shown up to the party. Changbin and Minho stood in the corner talking with Minghao and his friend Seokmin. Yuna, Jeongin, Seungmin and Felix had gone outside after complaining about how hot and crowded the house was. And Jisung. Well Jisung was hungry.

“Hey,” you said over the noise. “Jisung.”

He hummed and looked up, grabbing another chip from the bowl.

“When’s Hyunjin gonna get here?” The party had only started an hour ago but even though almost all of your friends had arrived, he still hadn’t shown. Part of you was wishing it would stay that way. You had been trying your best to avoid him ever since you found out about cupid’s kiss. It would be much easier to do that if he just decided to not come at all.

“Hyunjin offered to pick up Chan and Chaeyeon after their dates,” He answered, plucking his phone from out of his back pocket. “They should be getting here soon.”

well shit.

“Y/n!” A voice yelled from behind you. Spinning on your heels, you were met with Mingyu walking towards you holding a cup in his hand. “Having fun?”

“You could say that.” you shrugged. Parties never really excited you. They always seemed so repetitive. People making out in bedrooms, kids too young to be drinking getting wasted anyway, and lots of unnecessary socializing. But you’d always go anyway. It’d take a couple drinks, but eventually you’d start having fun.

“I thought your boyfriend was coming.”

Your eyes widened and you spun around to make sure Jisung hadn’t heard Mingyu’s bold comment and sighed in relief when you realized he wasn’t standing behind you anymore. Instead he was clinging onto Minho’s side as they grabbed drinks from the kitchen.

“He’s not my boyfriend and I thought we agreed to stop talking about it.”

“He’s not your boyfriend yet.” he smirked, leaning against the table and taking a sip of whatever was in his red solo cup.

“I just told him about Cupid’s Kiss,” you lied again. “not that I liked him.”

Mingyu sighed but nodded his head nonetheless. “Which is a step in the right direction!”

Rolling your eyes, you began walking away from Mingyu and towards the kitchen. “Happy Valentine’s Day by the way!” He yelled from behind you. You shook your head and continued to maneuver through people, muttering small “excuse me’s'' as you passed.

Crowds were another thing you hated about parties. Squeezing through the groups of kids who were either too drunk or obnoxious to move out of the way.

The kitchen counter was covered with a variety of drinks, some of which you weren’t even sure how Mingyu acquired. You grabbed a cup and filled it halfway with the punch you watched Mingyu and Minghao mix earlier. Instantly bringing the cup up to your lips, you winced when the liquid hit the back of your throat.

It wasn’t your favorite taste but if you were planning on having at least some fun at the party, you’d need all the drinks you could get.

Now you stood outside with Ryujin, Seungmin, Jeongin and Yuna listening while they talked about the Valentine’s dance and how mad they were gonna be if it was “as bad as last year’s dance.” You wouldn't know, you didn’t go.

“Look who’s finally here.” Ryujin nudged your shoulder and pointed towards the back door of the house.

Hyunjin and Chan walked out, greeting people as they made their way over towards your group. They were so casual about all the attention they received from everyone else, like they were used to having all the kids at school drool over them.

It’s not like you haven’t noticed it before. Especially when it came to Hyunjin. The minute he moved to your school, he became everyone’s new obsession. It just hadn’t bothered you until now, rolling your eyes as a group of girls standing next to you had completely forgotten about their conversation and instead, were far more interested in staring at Hyunjin.

You found yourself staring at him too. You’d be lying if you said he didn’t instantly catch your eye the moment he walked through the door. He looked good all the time and Valentine’s night was no exception.

“Finally you guys decide to show up!” Jeongin groaned, sarcastically throwing his head back. Chan laughed and patted him on his back.

“Sorry,” he said, “Hyunjin picked us up right after his date. It took longer than expected.”

Hyunjin nodded in agreement and glanced over to you, shooting you a sweet smile. You returned it and quickly averted your eyes.

“Date” you laughed in your head. They lied right in front of your face and had absolutely no idea that you knew.

“Speaking of Hyunjin’s date,” Seungmin spoke, “where’s Yuri? She didn’t wanna come?”

You watched intently as Hyunjin and Chan looked at each other as if they were trying to come up with something to say. You have no idea how you didn’t catch onto their lies sooner. They were being so obvious.

“Yeah, she doesn’t like parties.” Hyunjin answered.

Taking a drink from your cup, you sighed. The rest of the group was engaged in an interesting conversation about who they believed would get drunk first. Chan bet on Felix but the freckled boy protested and said it was definitely going to be Jisung. You hadn’t said anything but giggled as Jisung and Felix playfully bickered back and forth.

Upon hearing your laugh, Hyunjin glanced back at you. His eyes traveled down your body, not so subtly checking you out. He’d never seen you “dressed up” like this before other than the time you tried on that dress at the mall. You looked different but a good different. He noted how you styled your hair differently than you usually would and how the shoes you were wearing made you almost as tall as him.

Feeling eyes on you, you turned towards Hyunjin and caught him red handed. He nervously shifted on his feet and smiled at you. “I like the outfit,” He started, “You look really pretty tonight.”

As if on cue, you felt heat rise up to your cheeks.

You struggled to say something back, afraid that the minute you opened your mouth, you’d turn into a stuttering mess right in front of him. Hurry up, the little voice inside your head demanded. Speak idiot.

“Oh uhm thanks, you too,” you began, instantly regretting it. “I mean not pretty, you don’t look pretty but you look nice and...shit that came out wrong.”

Amused by the embarrassment you were inflicting on yourself, Hyunjin laughed, his tongue pushing on the inside of his cheek; a habit of his that you picked up on. He liked to do it whenever he was about to tease you or say something totally sarcastic. “Sorry, I don't think I heard over the music. Did you say I look pretty?”

You rolled your eyes, letting out a small chuckle. “You know what I meant, Hwang.”

Jeez y/n, you’re pathetic. What happened to avoiding him?

You wanted to stick to your original plan; have fun and make it through the party all while avoiding Hyunjin in the process. But you could tell it wouldn’t be that easy.

Glancing towards Hyunjin again, you watched as he laughed at a video of Jisung doing something dumb that Felix recorded on his phone. His laugh was so contagious and despite how you hadn’t even seen the video, you giggled too.

This is what you meant when you said he made it hard for you. Every little thing he did, you adored. He was practically living rent free in your head and as much as you wanted him out, he refused to leave.

Deciding that you would just drown your problems with the punch in your cup, you held it to your mouth to drink only to groan when it was empty. “Hey Hyunjin,” you tapped him on the shoulder. “I’m gonna get a refill, you wanna come with?”

Seriously Y/n, you suck at this.

He nodded almost eagerly and followed you into the house.

“I promise you it’s not bad! Just try it!”

You were standing in the corner of the kitchen trying to convince Hyunjin to try the punch that you had been indulging yourself in all night. Seeing as he didn’t know the contents of the drink and you were practically already buzzed, he was unsure if drinking the punch would do him any good.

“Fine but only one cup!” He gave in and you threw your arms up in satisfaction. Almost hesitantly, he took a drink and your eyes lingered to his hands. The way the silver rings on his fingers shone under the light and how they gripped the cup. Then down to his striped shirt he left unbuttoned more than likely on purpose. His beauty was effortless and sometimes you got jealous of how he could simply look so good without trying.

Looking up from his cup, his eyes met yours and you quickly turned away. The corner of his lips lifted up in a smirk as you clearly had no idea that he was aware of your staring the whole time. It’s not like you were discreet about it.

“How many of these have you had?”

You glanced at the cup in your hands and shrugged. “Maybe like four?”

Hyunjin raised an eyebrow and nodded his head. How you were drinking this, he had no idea. It wasn’t at all good to him. “How was your date? With Mingyu?”

You didn’t want to talk about Mingyu, nervous that Hyunjin would ask too many questions and you’d accidentally let something slip.

If you were being completely honest, you only showed up early to the party to make it look like you and Mingyu hung out for Valentine’s Day. You wouldn’t really call filling up chip bowls and watching Minghao and Mingyu argue over where to put the sound system a date.

“Oh it was good!” You answered almost too fast. “Yeah it was fun.”

Hyunjin nodded his head and weakly smiled. You almost winced at the awkward tension that sat in the air and you took another drink, humming in satisfaction. It was definitely doing its job.

The next song began and immediately recognizing it, you gasped and removed the cup from your lips. “This song is so good,” without thinking, you grabbed onto Hyunjin’s wrist. “let’s dance.”

He obliged as you dragged him through the crowd and into the living room where teens jumped around with one another.

Smiling as you made it into the middle of the dance pit, you found the beat and slowly began swaying your body to the rythmn. Hyunjin grinned, raising his eyebrow in amusement.

Still having a grip on his wrist, you intertwined your fingers and yelled over the music. “C’mon Hyunjin,” you smirked. “Dance with me.”

He chuckled and shook his head but seconds later found himself matching your movements.

Nodding as he danced along with you, you closed your eyes in bliss. He watched this with admiration. He had never seen you so care free before. You usually always seemed so shy and nervous when you danced in front of him but tonight you were practically all over him.

You enjoyed it; the way your bodies nearly pushed up against each other due to the lack of space in the room and the way the music blared through your ears, blocking out all other noise within distance.

This isn’t part of the plan, Y/n. Quit dancing and get your shit together! spoke the same voice in your head that you’d been unintentionally ignoring all night long. It was like a little angel on your shoulder telling you to let go of Hyunjin’s hand and walk away before you got yourself into another situation that you couldn’t get out of.

But on the opposite shoulder, sat a little devil who disagreed with the angel and insisted that you stayed on the dance floor. Don’t listen to them! You wanted to do this all night! Get over yourself, y/n!

Quite frankly, you didn’t know who to listen to.

You looked back up to meet his eyes and gulped once you found Hyunjin was already staring at you. He searched your face, looking for any sign that you felt the same way he did. He removed his hand from yours and instead placed it on your waist, bringing you closer to him. Your breath hitched as his hand snaked around to the small of your back, his rings cold on your skin.

Growing nervous, you shifted on your feet and gently placed your free hand on his chest. “I’m sorry,” you muttered and he knitted his brows in confusion. “I need some air.” You gently pushed away from him and began walking, his hand loosely trailing across your back as you left.

Hyunjin turned and watched as you quickly maneuvered through people and to the back door. He sighed and took a swig from his drink before leaving the center of the room to stand against a wall, distancing himself from the dancing crowd.

You confused him and how you felt was still a mystery to him. One minute, you were dancing with him and blushing whenever he complimented you. The next, you were ignoring him and getting nervous whenever he showed the slightest bit of affection. Maybe he’d been reading you all wrong. Maybe you hadn’t felt the same way about him and he’d been getting his hopes up just to be disappointed in the end.

He had stood by the wall for a while by himself, taking drinks from his cup every so often. He was too deep in thought to even notice Mingyu approaching.

“Hyunjin!”

Turning his head to the left, he frowned. Him and Mingyu had never really had a serious conversation before. Most of their “talking” was just done in class when they’d give each other the answers. “Hey Mingyu.”

“I’m glad you could make it.” Mingyu smiled, standing beside him with his arms crossed.

Hyunjin smiled back, unsure of how to respond. “Yeah, thanks for inviting us.”

“I saw you and Y/n out there,” Mingyu started, taking a drink from his cup. Hyunjin nervously eyed him. When he was dancing with you, he had totally forgotten about Mingyu and how he might’ve reacted when he saw his date all over someone else. “I’m glad everything got fixed.”

Hyunjin thought for a moment before realizing he had no idea what Mingyu was talking about. “Sorry,” he said. “What?”

“Y’know, everything. Cupid’s Kiss and all.” Mingyu laughed. Confusion was evident on Hyunjin’s face and it quickly became clear to Mingyu what was going on. “Y/n didn’t tell you, did she?”

“No?” Hyunjin said, more like a question rather than an answer.

Mingyu sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course you hadn’t told him. It was you he was talking about, someone who avoided confrontation at all costs. “There was a mix up with the Cupid’s Kiss results. Y/n and I weren’t supposed to get each other after all.”

Hyunjin nodded slowly, looking down at the floor as he listened.

“I was supposed to be with Haseul,” Mingyu swallowed before hesitantly continuing. “Y/n was supposed to be with you.”

Hyunjin’s head whipped up, his eyes widening in shock. He observed Mingyu, trying to figure out whether or not this was just some drunk joke he decided to play just to spite him. But no, Mingyu looked dead serious. “Y/n knew?”

“Yep,” Mingyu hummed, “I found out about it a couple days ago and texted her right away. She said she’d tell you but clearly…” he trailed off and narrowed his eyes at Hyunjin.

A million things were running through Hyunjin’s head but all he wanted to do was find you. “I gotta look for Y/n. Thanks for telling me, Mingyu.”

Mingyu gave him a sympathetic smile and muttered a “No problem” before Hyunjin took off towards the backyard.

It was messed up. This whole time he felt horrible because he had gotten you for Cupid’s Kiss while you had gotten Mingyu when in reality, you were supposed to get each other. It wasn’t fair. He could’ve had you from the beginning.

Why you hadn’t told him about it as soon as you found out also shocked him. What were you gaining from keeping it hidden?

Hyunjin reached the back door and looked around the crowded yard, finally spotting you. You stood off to the side, talking with Chan and Chaeyeon.

As he walked over, he could hear you laughing at something Chan joked about.

“Hyunjin!” you exclaimed, throwing your arms over his shoulder. “Sorry I walked off. It was sooo hot in there.”

yeah, sure it was.

He eyed Chan who gave him a knowing look back. Your slurred words and sudden attitude change were enough evidence to tell him that you were drunk, somehow more than the last time he saw you.

He had originally wanted to walk over and talk to you about Cupid’s Kiss but seeing your state, he knew it wasn’t the time. He’d have to wait.

You chugged the final drops of your drink and closed your eyes, resting your head on Hyunjin’s arm. He shifted, placing his arm around your waist to help keep you upright.

“I’m tired.” you murmured, leaning closer into him.

“You wanna go home?” Hyunjin asked, speaking softly so only you could hear.

“Mhm.”

He nodded and turned back to Chan. “I’m gonna drive her home but if you want I can come back to pick you guys up after.” He didn’t wanna feel like a shitty friend for driving them there and then ditching them.

Chan shook his head and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry about it, Hyunjin. Changbin can give us a ride.”

Hyunjin smiled and said goodbye before Chae and Chan walked off. Then he focused his attention back on you. You stood up straight and rubbed your eyes in discomfort. He grabbed onto your hand and began guiding you inside the house, surprised that you were even able to keep yourself balanced.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m driving you home.” Finally making it outside of the house and to the front yard, he held onto you tightly as he led you to his car that was parked a short distance from the house.

“Oh no, I can’t go home,” you responded. “My parents will be so mad at me for this.”

He hadn’t even thought about that. Surely, your parents wouldn’t be very happy about you coming home late and completely trashed. But where else were you supposed to go when all of your other friends were still at the party.

“You could stay at my place,” he suggested, his voice sounding a lot more quiet than usual. “if you want.”

You may have been drunk but you weren’t dumb and was still well aware of what he was asking you. Your stomach turned at the thought of spending the night with Hyunjin and Hyunjin only. You didn’t really have any other options so it seemed you’d have to get over your emotions for one night.

“Yes please.”

The drive to Hyunjin’s place wasn’t long. Surprisingly, you managed to stay awake for the ride. You had both sat in silence the whole time, except for when Hyunjin had reminded you to text your parents and tell them you were staying at Ryujin’s for the night. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence but more so because you were too caught up in your own thoughts to engage in conversation.

At one point, you had rolled your window down and stuck your head out slightly, taking in the cold air of the night. You closed your eyes when the wind hit your skin and grinned. Hyunjin watched you in admiration.

It was relaxing and almost felt like the wind was blowing all the guilt and nervousness right out of you.

When you got to his house, he had gotten out of the car and rushed over to the passenger side to help you out. You waved him off, insisting that you could walk yourself. Hyunjin shook his head as you began walking to the door, giggling at how you stumbled over your own feet.

Inside, he’d given you some clothes of his to change into, seeing that you probably wouldn’t be too comfortable sleeping in fishnets and a jean jacket. You didn’t even get the chance to protest with him as he shoved you into his bathroom and closed the door behind you.

After throwing his hoodie on, you glanced in the mirror and frowned at the sight of your disheveled hair and semi-smeared makeup. This is what Hyunjin had to look at? Embarrassing. You splashed your face with water and hurried out of the bathroom.

In his room, Hyunjin was making a makeshift bed on the floor with blankets and pillows that he retrieved from another room. Looking up at you, he swallowed. Seeing you wear his clothes brought out a sense of satisfaction in him, like you fit perfectly in them.

“You can take the bed,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

You frowned. “It’s your room, Hyunjin. I’m totally fine with sleeping on the floor.” If you were being honest, you’d be fine sleeping anywhere. You just wanted to sleep.

“Exactly. It’s my room so I have a say in where you get to sleep,” he smiled, ruffling his hair. “and I say you get to sleep on the bed.”

Rolling your eyes, you trudged over to the bed and snuck under the covers. Once you got comfortable, you patted the spot next to you. “I’m not just gonna let you sleep on the floor,” you hummed, your words still coming out messy. “Lay with me.”

Apparently for you, a side effect of drinking was a sudden boost of confidence because sober Y/n would’ve never mustered up enough courage to ask Hyunjin to sleep with her. Sure, you’ve slept together before but it was accidental and at a sleepover with a bunch of your friends. It didn’t count.

“You sure?” He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “Because i’m totally fine with sleeping on the floor. I’ve done it before and like you wouldn't believe how comfortable carpet is when you’re tired.”

Hyunjin’s rambling made you giggle and you sighed, throwing your head back onto the pillow to stare at the ceiling. “Wow. Driving me home, letting me wear your clothes, willing to give up your bed for me,” you spoke quietly, almost to yourself rather than to him. “At this point Hyunjin, it just seems like you’re obsessed with me.”

He let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. He hesitated but much to your surprise, slipped under the covers next to you. Once he got comfortable, he placed his hands under his head and turned to look at you. “I think ‘obsessed’ would be reaching.”

Your heart jumped at the close proximity of you two and you took a deep breath. Silence came once again and maybe it was just you but you could feel the tension in the air. It sat on top of the two of you like a weighted blanket and you didn’t know how to lift it.

You closed your eyes in an attempt to shake away any thoughts and feelings that found their way into your head. Why did he have to be like this?

“What’re you thinking about?” Hyunjin’s voice came out quiet, almost like a whisper.

“You.”

You weren’t sure what came over you. Maybe it was the fact that you were on the verge of sleep or maybe it was the alcohol still very much in your system. Maybe it was both.

Hyunjin’s eyes averted to you. “Me?”

“Yeah, you.”

Whatever it was, you weren’t completely aware of what you were saying and you knew you were probably going to regret it in the morning. That was, if you could remember saying it.

“Hyunjin,” you yawned before speaking again, “Can I tell you something?”

He looked at you and noticed you still stared at the ceiling, your eyes beginning to get heavy due to sleepiness. You could pass out at any moment whereas Hyunjin wasn’t even tired. “Sure.”

“I think you’re perfect.”

Yeah, you were definitely going to regret saying this in the morning.

“Almost too perfect.” you continued as Hyunjin nervously bit his lip.

He moved his arms to rest on his stomach as he fiddled with his thumbs.

“Too perfect for me.” You said in a hushed tone, worried that if you spoke too loud, he’d be able to hear your heartbeat through your voice. “And that makes this whole thing so much harder.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wish I could deserve you as badly as I want you, Hyunjin.”

He didn’t know what to say or even what to do. You shocked him and as he stared up at the ceiling, he felt stuck in place. The room went quiet again.

He hadn’t prepared himself to hear a drunk confession from you, especially when you sat right next to him in his own bed. It was so sudden and based on the way you practically avoided him all night, it was very random.

I wish I could deserve you as badly as I want you. Your words were on replay in his head and he thought about what Mingyu had told him at the party. It was supposed to be you and him all along. Maybe now would be a good time to mention that.

Hyunjin turned towards you to speak but stopped at the sight of you already sleeping. Your head was close to his on the pillow and you had pulled the blanket all the way up to your neck.

He observed your face. Your lips were pouted and your cheeks slightly puffy. You looked so comfortable. This was the most relaxed he’d seen you all night, free from worry and stress and secrets.

Hyunjin sighed. He’d just have to talk to you about it tomorrow.

He reached over to the table beside his bed and turned his lamp off although he was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep at all that night.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Y/n.”

.˚ ✉️ TAGLIST ♡ ⃗

@hanniiesuckle17 @wontawni @1-800-luv-u @youngestdelacour @mochibabycakes @angelichris-b97 @rjsmochii @7829-kamie @daisyhwa @yooniversalstudios @scriptura-delirus @skizcum @inseonqt @lynniac @distrikt9 @cookiemonstermusic258 @treeforlight @chanrachas @koutarouwrld @kpopstanh @cb97culturee @desertofdessert @sugawarasrose @icedtear @mvltimoon @luvhjs @boyzwithfunbts @sugarwebs @sunsungie @karenbcy @fylithia @scarredbytheworld @skz-simp @head-in-theclouds @pastel-babes @mythicalamphitrite @prescription-ten @seokslt @stayinsxturn @xelamerritt @jaehyunicecream @sassystay-bunny @mxchisaurus @softkons @1-31amvibes @putmetogetheragain13 @hanriverjisung @notbeforelong @cryoskz

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#stray kids #hwang hyunjin #bang chan #lee felix #kim seungmin #seo changbin #yang jeongin #lee know #lee minho #han jisung #stray kids imagines #stray kids drabbles #stray kids fics #stray kids social media au #hwang hyunjin fics #hwang hyunjin social media au #hwang hyunjin imagines #hwang hyunjin drabbles #kpop social media au #kpop drabbles #kpop fics #kpop imagines #kpop #crush culture #1 800 hyunlix

[fordarkisthesuede]

May I ask for some batjokes? 😂🥺

You want some batjokes?

You're asking me, fordarkisthesuede, who practically lives in Telltale BatJokes Land, who has completed not one, but two book-length fanfics, with a secret alternate one-shot alongside a real one-shot, and who has another new work being updated monthly on Ao3...for some batjokes???

Now, I don't want to send you away with nothin' new, baby-cakes, but I have a bit of a problem.

Y'see, I'd love to say 'yeah, okay', but I'm sitting here in the middle of constructing a new ride here at Telltale BatJokes Land. I've been working on it for a bit. Strivin' to hit that Valentine's Day deadline, when a bunch of people will be wandering into Telltale BatJokes Land for a romantic batjokes experience or two. And I'm trying very hard to put all these pieces together and get my vision in place. So you'll forgive me, I hope, if I can't come up with anything on the fly for you. Because I have construction equipment in my hands.

But I can, instead...offer you some things to think about. Because I, too, am thinking about them.

Some have pointed out how much Batman, like, stares at Joker. Not that Jokers can really see the exact spots Batmen are looking, but they know he does that. Jokers have even joked about it. "Tell me how pretty my eyes are!" Watching people must come second nature to Batmen, but how much does he really take notice of when he realizes someone isn't a threat? He'll know their face if it comes up again later, but does he always note the way their eyes squint and expand and flash? How their lips twitch? How they move their hands when they talk?

Nah. Nah, right? Not unless he has those things memorized from being around them for so long. He's a detective, he must be good at reading body language. But maaan. Joker's a special case in every sense, all across the spectrum of Jokers. Always unpredictable. Always secretive. Can't trust half of what he says, when he actually says something worth listening to. Batmen who have interacted with their Jokers for years know the danger those hands can bring. Know the amount of blood that's been on them. It's natural to watch for them. Strange to hold them. Yet Batmen can be seen holding onto them, at one time or another, in canon.

So when you consider the Telltale Joker, John Doe, and his corresponding Batman, there is only one canon case where they held hands, or touched hands at all. That scene in the alley of the Vigilante!Joker Route, where John hands over the LOTUS virus but takes Batman's hands in his and hiss-whispers that he's trusting him about this, by which we know to be everything. And when you watch that scene you can see, and hear, very clearly that Bruce is not paying the foggiest attention to anything else but Joker. All other sound disappears. He's staring at him, watching his face, enthralled with rapt attention and interest, with everything in the background faded away. It takes a moment for him to drop his outstretched hand with the virus vial in it, after John lets him go.

And I know, because that scene has lived rent-free in my mind since 2018, honey-buns. So consider - how much attention does Bruce pay to his hands after that, when everything in the story is said and done, and we're in a timeline like that of my various rides where Bruce has admitted, at least to himself, that he has romantic feelings for John?

He's seen them in blood before. And after. He knows how it holds a knife. How it pulls a trigger. How they clap together when John is excited for something. How they briefly comb through his hair when he's a bit puzzled or anxious. He knows how John's hands feel on his. They're smaller than his, but they're still a man's, so they're heavy, and likely a bit dry on a usual day.

Does he think of them in blood, at any point? Does he watch them for any sign of danger, like a punch or a flash of a blade or a sneak of something, because he remembers very clearly the Joker he'd fought? Or does he just watch his hands, and note they way they move, like the way he notes how his eyes shift and brighten and darken, and how his lips curl and tighten and pout with his myriad of expressions. Does Bruce consciously think about his hands when they do, eventually, touch him in a new way? Or does he just enjoy the moment, the feeling that accompanies it, the simple fact that John is touching him with all the warmth and weight and reality that he has in his loving hands?

I bring this all up because this darn ride I'm constructing has an awful lot of hand movements I need to describe, and I'm teetering on exactly what to focus on sometimes.

Send me your energy, so I may finish piecing this darn thing together by Love Day. And know that I love you. 😘

#ask #anon #anonymous #i hope you don't mind my pet-names #because i mean them genuinely out of affection #i just can't say no to the 🥺 face #batjokes #telltale batjokes #reblogs are a-okay #atbom #ttoj #twny #i do also want to say...i am using honey-buns as a ref to the sweet pastry and not another word for your bum #(at least here)

[dtrhwithalex]

TV | Leverage (Season 1, Rewatch)

Rewatch of the first season of TNT's LEVERAGE (2008-2012), created by John Rogers and Chris Downey together with Dean Devlin and his production company Electric Entertainment.

In anticipation of the show's reboot / revival / sequel LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION coming to IMDbTV on 09 July this year, I am rewatching the original 77 episodes and writing about my favourite moments and things from each episode, season by season.

(Just a note, this first season was aired out of order, so the dates won't actually form a chronology, since I'm going with the intended order rather than the one they were aired in.)

101: THE NIGERIAN JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS & CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 07 December 2008.

I have lost count of how many times I have seen this episode (or any episodes of this show to be completely honest), but it holds up every single time. It is one of my favourite, if not the favourite TV pilot episode I have ever seen.

The way this pilot sets up who the main characters are and what the core of this show is, is simply perfect. The introduction of Nate at the bar being approached by Dubenich, then the intercut between him convincing Nate to do the job and the actual job happening -- just wonderful. The same goes for the individual introductions of the other players. Nate's comment about Parker ("no, but Parker is insane") which plants a thread for the rest of the show already, the flashbacks of each character to exemplify who they and what their talents are, combined with the episode then showing you those talents and what Nate can do with them -- which is, of course, his talent -- sets up this whole show so well.

So many seeds that come to fruition throughout the show are already planted right here. Nate's mentoring of Parker to become his eventual successor as Mastermind ("Haircuts, Parker, count the haircuts" -- "I would've missed that"), Eliot's role as protector, the iconic overhead shots and the gloating, the alternate revenue streams, "Hardison dies in Plan M" -- it's all already right here in this episode. A brilliant piece of writing. Hats off to Rogers and Downey, no questions asked.

Rewatching this episode made me think of what this show is about, in its essence. Yes, it is about standing up for those who can't do so themselves, taking on the bigger bad, showing how corrupt and terrible the world can be, but also how much good there is to still find in the world. But also, this show is about a lonely man being actively bullied into the family he didn't know he needed or wanted, but will eventually come to realise is the one thing, the only thing that is keeping him alive. LEVERAGE is the story of a man and his crusade to avenge the death of his child, but is is very much also the story of a man who finds a reason to keep getting up every morning in the four people who are on this crusade with him. And this pilot episode already holds the seed and the potential of all of that. And that is why this show is to this day still my favourite show of all time, because it is utterly perfect in every way.

102: THE HOMECOMING JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 09 December 2008.

I absolutely love how John Rogers was like okay first episode, some greedy asshole who does whatever he wants for his own gain, we'll take him down a notch. Episode two? Hmm, oh yeah, the government is completely corrupt, filled with rich greedy assholes who do whatever they want for their own gain and always get away with it. Not on my watch (I love him very much, thank you).

This episode, once again, so good. The re-introduction of every character in this new reality of Nate's crusade is just as brilliantly done as the original introduction of them all. Sophie at an audition (love the John Rogers cameo here) completely butchering it once again, Eliot beating up some thug, Parker stealing valuable art, and Hardison doing what he does best: creating a beautiful office-slash-home space for the team, putting his all into their backstories, the equipment, the behind-the-scenes workings of what they need to get the job done. My man.

The message of this particular episode is also just something I am very fond of. The rehab facility doctor's words in the beginning, and then in the end again -- "people don't just show up to help. that's not the way the world works" -- as well as Nate's ultimate answer to her, "so change the world." That right here is the message of this show. It's already right here, all up in your face, episode two.

I completely adore what this episode does for the character dynamics already. The detail Hardison puts into the other's backstories, the interactions around the conference table, Eliot sharing his knowledge, Nate explaining the money laundering scam, the whole thing about laws being in a wooden box, Sophie elaborating why she knew Congressman Jenkins was lying to her -- they don't just work together, they already start giving the others insight into their talents and their knowledge and share that. It's beautiful. I especially adore the shot of them at the end, everyone leaning against the car while watching Corporal Perry and the other veterans debating what to do with the money. They are already so comfortable and at ease with each other, leaning into each other's spaces. They're family. You can see it here already.

Absolutely fantastic episode. For a long time, whenever I thought about The Homecoming Job, I somehow associated a more negative emotion with it than with other episodes, but I don't quite know why, because this is a brilliant episode and I love watching it.

103: THE WEDDING JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 13 January 2009.

We love Jonathan Frakes in this house and every single time his name shows up with the director tag on this show, I know that I will enjoy every last second of the episode I am about to watch. Frakes directed the hell outta this thing. The Wedding Job is an absolutely excellent episode. Dan Lauria as our main baddie Nicky Moscone is perfect casting and there are so many great comedic beats in the scenes with him and Nate. Everyone, generally, is so weirded out by Priest!Nate, but Moscone just takes the weirdness in stride. This episode holds a very special place in my heart because it contains the introduction of my favourite FBI duo -- McSweeten (McSweetheart, as we call him) and Taggert. I adore these two bumbling fools so much, and I am so glad they kept being brought back, because they are both just so lovely. McSweetheart especially is very dear to me because of the D.B. Cooper Job from the last season (where, I ask, do I start my McSweetheart for Leverage: Redemption campaign?). Overall just such an excellent episode, really. So many great moments between our main characters--Sophie and Nate and their little "relationship" problem, Hardison and Eliot talking about marriage, Parker pretending she was waiting in the screening room to have sex with Hardison, Hardison appreciating Eliot's cooking. I also absolutely adore the beginning, the four of them convincing Nate that Teresa is definitely the type of client they take on. And Nate's resigned "Yeah, okay, yeah. Let's go rob Nicky Moscone. A guy who kills people and lives in our city. Yeah, let's go do that" as if they weren't going to go above and beyond any of that in the five years they will spend together on this crusade of his. You're so precious, Nathan. Of course, the ending of this episode is beyond brilliant, and lives both in my heart and my head rent free. It is such a magnificent found family moment. Getting Teresa the restaurant back, the news footage regarding Ray's appeal, and of course, Eliot cooking for them all, and them celebrating together, all of them. It is such a beautiful moment.

104: THE SNOW JOB

D: TONY BILL. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 27 January 2009.

I adore what the client says to Nate in the beginning of the episode: "You work hard, you play by the rules, but when you need help, you really need help? They let you hang. They let you hang and it's your kid who pays the price." This show hammers home its message so many times in such great character moments and it makes watching these brilliant people take on these greedy bastards and robbing them for all they've got that much sweeter. It is such a satisfying thing to watch. Especially because they're all so damn good at this.

This is a great episode but it is infinitely funnier if you know and speak German, because it makes the scenes between Sophie and Eliot absolutely hysterical. And the delivery of the line that Ute Ausgartner says when she discovers they replaced her with Sophie is just wrong enough to crack you up.

Again some wonderfully brilliant comedic beats -- the Frakes cameo in the hospital waiting room, Parker casually hanging off the ski lift, Hardison and Eliot arguing over who puts dye in the dead body, Eliot carrying off a pissed of Parker, and so many more.

This episode also, for the first time, really gives insight into Nate's drinking problem. We had the one moment in The Homecoming Job, but this episode starts to explore it more in depths. And something that I've always appreciated about this show is that it never glorifies the drinking, but Nate is also never vilified for it. It is a fact of Nate's life and they explore different aspects of it, and everything is done with such care (which does not surprise me one bit since this is John Rogers' show).

The ending of this episode is also, once again, so beautiful and nicely done. It is just so incredibly satisfying to watch these greedy bastards get what's coming to them, and to see the clients be compensated beyond anything they'd ask for.

105: THE MILE HIGH JOB

D: ROB MINKOFF. W: AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 20 January 2009.

Another fantastic episode (you will realise that I will say this about every single of the 77 episodes this show has)! Amy Berg wrote some excellent stuff for this show, and this episode is one of them. Always a lot of great character relationship moments, and absolutely brilliant comedic beats.

I am very fond of the fact that here, in the early days, we have the whole team present around the table during the client meeting. We see all their reactions and inputs here already, and not later when Nate or Hardison (usually) relays the information of their next job to the rest of the gang. It's a very lovely moment.

I am also very fond of the entire recon bit at the GenoGrow office. Sophie's French rave-girl act, the others having to climb stairs, Hardison's absence, the cut from Parker's bomb to the microwave at the HQ, Nate, Eliot and Parker yelling "Oh it's right behind us, it's chasing us!" and grabbing Sophie on the way out, meanwhile the security guys completely buying it. Absolutely brilliant, all the way through.

Both Hardison's adventure at GenoGrow as well as the others on the plane contain so many great comedic moments. Hardison's Spanish maintenance guy act, his interactions with both Cheryl and Steve (talking into the cupboard? His fake meeting and getting Steve to take a dive? The whole birthday thing? A+ all around. Amy Berg, everyone) and of course the reaction he has to the plane safely landing on the highway ("lord I was so scared, I wanna cry and call my momma" I love him so much, y'all). I also have big feelings about Nate's pep talk to Hardison, "you can do this, I trust you ... the only guy I can count on in a situation like this." Sir, I am experiencing an emotion alright.

The sequences on the plane are of course also absolutely fantastic. Nate and Sophie's domestic, Parker's day job and her interactions with Marissa, Eliot being a big softie who holds Marissa's hand all the way up to the in-flight bar and hugs the woman he sat down next to when they safely land (womaniser, big softie. tomayto, tomahto). Also big shoutout to the fake names Nate and Sophie have. We love our DOCTOR WHO references in this show. I love these nerds very much, thank you.

106: THE TWO HORSE JOB

D: CRAIG R. BAXLEY. W: MELISSA GLENN & JESSICA RIEDER (GRASL). Original Air Date: 16 December 2008.

This episode also holds a very special place in my heart because it contains the introduction of our dearly beloved antagonist, Mr Jim Sterling, the absolutely amazing Mark Sheppard. We love Sterling in this house, yessir (again, where do I have to address my Jim Sterling For Leverage: Redemption campaign to?). Every moment he is in is fantastic, but I especially adore the conversation he has with Nate at the race track (especially the "Nathan Ford is a common criminal" -- "Common. That's just hurtful" bit of it).

This, of course, is an episode by our wonder twins, Glenn and Rieder (now Grasl), which they ended up naming the in-universe safe company after. Always fantastic work when the two of them are involved. Some amazing character moments again here.

We get to see some of Eliot's backstory with Aimee which in turn gives us two fantastic moments with him and the women of the team. I love his interaction with Sophie at the racetrack: "I like Aimee, I do. I mean it, I like you both, Eliot. I just, I don't know what comes of chasing the past, you know." -- "Well Sophie, sweetie, I don't think you and Nate get to serve me that particular meal." Just fantastic moment between these two, who I like to call The Conference of Mom Friends whenever they are in scenes together. The other interaction is with Parker in the car: "We need you to do this. I need you to do this." I adore Eliot and Parker's relationship and this already is a very early glimpse at the dynamic they develop which will eventually lead to beautiful moments like that in the ice cave in The Long Way Down Job in season four.

I also love how it is Hardison and Parker's discussion about horses that ultimately reminds Nate of the Lost Heir con. Aldis' delivery of "Wilbur loved Mr Ed! He loved him like a second cousin twice removed" is absolutely brilliant. Unsurprisingly, however, my favourite interaction of this episode is the one Eliot has with Aimee at the end: "You're never gonna be the kind to settle down, but I'm glad you found a family." -- "Th-those guys?" Yes, Eliot, those guys. You might not know it just yet, but that is absolutely your family, and the fact that an outsider already comments on it this early is simply perfect. My deepest gratitude to you, wonder twins.

107: THE BANK SHOT JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: AMY BERG. Original Air Date: 30 December 2008.

Amy Berg on the typewriter once again (typewriter? Alex what are you talking about this was 2008...)! I really like this episode a whole lot. An excellent one for Nate/Sophie, as well as Hardison/Parker. I have a huge soft spot for my crime children pretending to be law enforcement. Any combination of them is good, but Parker and Hardison as FBI agents especially is just exquisite.

This episode is also just fantastic for illustrating some of the small town criminal activity that happens from the top down. Judge Roy's entire bit about how "these little people" will do and say whatever he tells them to do and that, because he is the law in the town, he gets to decide what is actually true and what is not. To then have Hardison fake security footage and them turning the story against Judge Roy is of course poetic justice. I adore the moment when the bank manager Frank decides that sticking with the false facts these random people have come up with is the better choice than having the judge remain in charge.

I also really love the interaction Derrick has with Sophie and then later with Parker, as well as the moment of uncertainty in-between. His "I don't know what to do with that" when Sophie tells him she's a thief is so funny and so good. The turn of "but they're criminals....then again" when he looks out of the window on the way to Parker is also just a nice moment to illustrate exactly what Parker then later says, "sometimes bad guys are the only good guys you get." Ethics and justice are such muddy concepts and especially in situations like Derrick is currently in, there is no way of knowing who is actually good, who is bad, and who is just trying their best. It is a lovely moment and once again, one of those great instances of "important message within character moment" that this show does so well.

Of course, I am also very fond of Hardison's mention of DOCTOR WHO, his "Geek power baby, stay strong" line, Eliot's fight scene with the crack dealers ("stay in the car!"), Hardison's bullshitting the demands at the bank (Hall & Oates!) and, of course, last but not least, the return of my favourite FBI fools, McSweetheart and Taggert, getting yet another win laid in their lap by the Leverage crew. This episode is filled to the brim with greatness.

108: THE MIRACLE JOB

D: ARVIN BROWN. W: CHRISTINE BOYLAN. Original Air Date: 23 December 2008.

An absolutely excellent Nate-centric episode! We finally get a bit more of a view into Nate's past, aside from the ever-present flashback to Sam's death at the hospital. I really like the relationship of Nate and Father Paul, which I think is very interesting and so well done. Through Paul we get another side of Nate, which may have stayed hidden otherwise. I am also very fond of how Maggie is introduced here. She doesn't get a voice yet, but we learn about her through Nate, Sophie and also Paul, and I quite like that. It sets up expectations for her appearance in the finale, which is really intriguing.

This episode has so many great comedic beats as well, and I barely even know where to begin. From the team's inability to deal with Sophie's acting talents (or lack thereof) to the whole "It's not Santa" gag, the amazing faces Sophie pulls when the mark tells her about Bibletopia, Hardison's "God will smite us" thing -- there is just too much good stuff in this episode.

One of my favourite interactions in this episode was on the construction site, after Grant takes what he thinks are his meds.

Sophie: What is that you just took? Grant: Xanax. For my nerves. Parker: Actually caffeine. With a dash of dextroamphetamine. Eliot: You have him speed? Hardison, shrugging: He beat up a priest!

The look Eliot gives them then with a half-shrug, an expression which cannot be described as anything but "aight, fair enough" -- just absolutely excellent.

What I also really loved about this episode, is that we get to see more of the HQ than just the conference room. We have the team meeting in Nate's office, we see Sophie picking through her mail, Hardison making space so he can build fake Saint Nick statues. Added to that, the team is setting into such a nice familiarity with each other. Eliot brings Sophie a cup of coffee to the meeting in Nate's office. The fact that they all do get mail at the office. This is their space. I love it so much.

What this episode also gives us, is a first instance of the con possibly going side-ways because of how convincing it is. I adore that their possible downfall will never be incompetence, but rather over-competence. They are so good at what they do that sometimes their talent comes to bite them in the ass. We see this again, a bit different, in The Juror #6 Job.

The ending of this episode is very dear to me. It is a very lovely moment between Nate and Paul, but also Nate and the team. It creates such a beautiful moment of intimacy between these characters, which I think is done with extreme care, and it shows. This episode also very nicely sets up a nice sort of grounded-ness for the next episode, which I think the subject matter really deserves and needs.

109: THE STORK JOB

D: MARC ROSKIN. W: ALBERT KIM. Original Air Date: 06 January 2009.

This one and the next episode are excellent Parker-centric plots and this one in particular also has some wonderful Parker/Hardison content. Nate, also, is just very good in this episode as well. Keeping the tone the last episode established especially toward the end, this episode has such a nice grounded-ness to it. Nate's first meeting with the client is so careful in a way, and we don't always see that. Generally, Nate is careful and considerate in this episode, I think. Even when Parker goes rogue, he is so good with Parker (I attribute the brashness entirely to his director role here). It meant so much that he doesn't shoot down the idea of coming back for the other orphans, he knows how important this is to Parker (and Hardison).

With this episode we learn that both Parker and Hardison have grown up in the foster system. I really adore the conversation they have at the van after they find out about the orphanage -- Hardison telling Parker about his Nana, Parker's fear that foster system will be cruel to those children, Hardison's "I like how you turned out" -- it is such a lovely and meaningful moment. This and the "we're a team" / "a little more than a team" moments are such great instances that highlight the importance of these characters and their relationships in this show. It isn't just some crime procedural where every characters is replaceable at any given moment -- this show is about people, and about these specific people.

On a lighter note, I also really adore Nate and Sophie's dynamic in this. How they coach Parker and Eliot individually but at the same time, while also arguing about Sophie conning Nate back in the day, is just brilliant. Their "delightful banter" as Hardison calls it, is so good, and I absolutely love that Nate figures out the way to con Irina is the same way he would have to con Sophie. It's just too good.

David S. Lee as Nicholas is also incredibly good, although since watching THE LIBRARIANS I always expect him to swoon over a blonde and call her Duchess any minute.

110: THE JUROR #6 JOB

D: JONATHAN FRAKES. W: REBECCA KIRSCH. Original Air Date: 10 February 2009.

The lighter of the two Parker-centric episodes, but a brilliant one nonetheless. This episode also brings us the introduction of Peggy played by the lovely Lisa Schurga. We love Peggy in this house and, once again, I ask: where do I address my Peggy For Leverage: Redemption campaign to?

This episode is great for many different reasons, one of course being that Hardison is so good at what he does, that Parker's alias has to go to jury duty. What a talent, we absolutely have no choice but to stan. I love him so much. Other fantastic things that make this episode absolutely excellent are

- Nate's "there is not some evil conspiracy lurking behind the curtain of every routine civic activity" speech which he then has to retract,

- Sophie teaching Parker about persuasion with the help of Eliot who is absolutely precious in this interaction,

- Eliot's friend Donnie, who poses as another employee from the company Sophie pretends to be from, who then turns out to be Scottish,

- Nate and Sophie sending the kids off to work at the door, with a briefcase and handshake for Hardison and a snack and high-five for Parker,

and Hardison's entire act as a lawyer. He is so good. Of course his stalling is brilliant, but the turn-around once he has to actually try and win the trial? A masterpiece. I love how he tears the doctor apart for his drunken airplane misconducts, but what takes the cake by miles is of course his closing statement. He is just, so good, and such a goodhearted, wonderful person. I love how he directly addressed Parker. Hardison is full of sunshine and I love. him. so. much.

And I would be remiss not to mention how incredibly fond I am of the rest of the team watching the feed of the jury room from the HQ with such proud looks on their faces as Parker leads the other jury members and they vote in favour of the plaintiff. This is their girl and she's done so well. What a brilliant episode. My love to Becky Kirsch, honestly.

111: THE 12-STEP JOB

D: ROD HARDY. W: AMY BERG & CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 03 February 2009.

Another episode, another instance of me asking the question: Where do I address my Hurley for Leverage: Redemption campaign to? We love Hurley! Drew Powell is absolutely fantastic, I adore him. Also huge shoutout to Joseph LoDuca for that absolute banger of a song that plays during the intro and the credits.

This episode has some fantastic Eliot/Hardison moments that are very dear to me. The two of them looking for Hurley and fighting over Hardison's slushy spill is just lovely. The whole car bomb sequence is also just completely brilliant. It's such a step in their relationship and I love it so much. The moment of "D'you want me to kick it?" / "God, I'm gon' die" is a wonderful comedic beat in this tense situation, but it is the bit after that I really adore. Hardison figuring out how to trick the bomb and then,

Eliot: What's our margin of error here? Hardison: 'bout half a second. Eliot: Run the ba-bag of bricks by me again? Hardison: Are you ready? Eliot: No.

I am just, so fond of these two. Also the fact that Eliot's hand shakes when he reaches for the cables and waits for Hardison's signal always puts me all up in my feelings about him. I also of course adore the scene at the rehab facility with Hardison's "I'm with him. No, I am with him. See, he thinks the flirting makes me jealous, but it doesn't. But if you was like Brad Pitt or Denzel or somebody, oh girl it would be on." It love it so much.

Nate, of course, is also just great in this episode. His entire experience in rehab is another wonderful insight into his character, his issues, how he sees himself and so on. The hallucination of Sterling says so much about him. I think this also very nicely sets up how Nate behaves in the finale double episode.

I also really want to mention Parker here, because Parker in rehab is also something I am very fond of. I love the moment where she pickpockets the Koreans searching for Hurley and then so innocently comes to Nate to confess what she's done and tells him in this tiny voice "I didn't meant to, it was just instinct." I love her so much. And her, at the end of the episode, skipping along and then running toward her people, jumping on Eliot while tossing her stuff at Nate, and then going to hug Hardison, is such a lovely moment. I love how the three of them then walk toward the car arm in arm, too. I love these kids.

112: THE FIRST DAVID JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS. Original Air Date: 17 February 2009.

First half of the first finale! I gotta say I really love the David Jobs very much. It is such a fantastic first finale. I really adore how the opening of this episode is mirrored in the opening of the second half.

Given the set-up of the previous episode, I really like how for a first time watcher, this opening sequence very much looks like Nate is completely off the rails doing his own thing getting revenge on the man who, basically, killed his son. It isn't until Blackpoole introduces Nate to 'Portia' and we see Sophie turn around that it becomes clear that we're on the con, which I think is done very nicely. Only then giving the viewer the "how we got here" part is just great.

This episode of course also brings us, finally, Maggie (yes, I'll ask again: where do I address my Maggie For Leverage: Redemption campaign to?). I absolutely love how she is introduced here as Eliot's date. I also love how absolutely terrified Eliot looks once he realises that she isn't just anyone, but Nate's ex-wife. Maggie is such an excellent character, and I adore her. I also am very appreciative that this episode holds the singular moment of jealousy Sophie has toward Maggie. After her momentary outburst as Maggie tells Nate she hasn't stopped caring about him, we never see it again. Even better, once Maggie learns about Nate's crew, Sophie and her even become friends. And it is lovely.

We also have some great Parker/Hardison moments in this episode as well. I adore Parker and her enthusiasm for their "little naked man" and Hardison being weirded out about it (and turning the little David around so Parker can change in private). I, of course, absolutely love the kiss (and Eliot's grinning question at Sophie who of the two of them Parker had kissed) and then the theft of the First David. Hardison is so in awe of Parker and it is a sight to behold.

I also quite enjoy the "downfall" in this episode. Sterling showing up (we love the bastard), the fight between Eliot and Mr Quinn, the conversation about Sophie conning them on the roof, and then of course the final confrontations on that same roof as well as the HQ. This whole thing of "and then I asked myself, what would Parker do?" / "but then I thought, what would Hardison do?" is just brilliant and lovely. It shows how far they have all come throughout this first season and how much they have learned from each other already. I am very fond of it.

I am sad about the offices being blown up, though. As much as I love both McRory's pub and Nate's apartment in Boston, as well as the Brewpub in Portland, I've always really liked the LA offices as well. It was their first home and it was lovely. I am however very happy that Old Nate made it out unscathed.

113: THE SECOND DAVID JOB

D: DEAN DEVLIN. W: JOHN ROGERS & CHRIS DOWNEY. Original Air Date: 24 February 2009.

And the last episode! As I've said above, I adore how this opening sequence mirrors that of The First David Job. Similarly, I also love how until Sophie notices Parker's laser pointer and Eliot sees Hardison, as a viewer you assume they are on the job together, which is again the reversal of the first half of the finale. Just lovely storytelling, I adore it. Speaking of mirrors, the scene in the MC Hammer mansion where Nate inconspicuously manages to get them all thinking about the con together and putting their differences aside once more, also mirrors one of my favourite scenes from the first episode of season two, where the team does the same to Nate.

This episode on the whole I also just marvellous. Eliot's awkward date with Maggie, Nate finally telling Maggie about Blackpoole's involvement (or lack thereof) in Sam's death, the team involving Maggie in the planning of the con and her, precious as she is, questioning Nate's ability to just get people to do what he wants -- it is all just so good. I love Maggie on the con, too. Sophie coaching her, how good Maggie is at it immediately. Just lovely.

Then, of course, the entirety of the con from the moment Nate shows up at the museum. Sterling hurrying all over the place trying to figure out what Nate's plan is, finding out about the mummy, the release of the gas, the evacuation, the David statue replicas, them finally getting in and finding Nate alone in the exhibit room. I adore that shot of him leaning against the display case with the two Davids still inside, only highlighted from the open hatch in the roof. It is such a beautiful shot. I really enjoy Nate and Sterling's dynamic here, too. And I am very happy that Maggie gets to punch Blackpoole just like Nate got to in the episode before. They both deserve to give this man hell.

The ending of this episode and therefore this season always has me in all of my emotions. If I didn't know there would be more after this, I would just go lie down and weep for a while after watching it. The trademark overhead walkaway shot is of course a must, but the fact that they stop, that all of them hesitate, thinking about turning around, thinking about changing their minds. And then it cuts to black, and if this had been it, we would've never known! Ah, what a show, what a first season. I am completely in love with this show, as pretty much everyone knows, but I just -- this show is so damn good. It gets me every single time. Every time.

[image taken from the electricnow website]

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