#i toed some weird line between

[lychniis]

⚘ — WHY DO I LOVE YOU AGAIN?

i. SYNOPSIS : you love your significant other ; really, you do. sometimes you just want to squish their face and kiss them silly because they're just that awesome. on others? well, given the fact that they're either lowkey or highkey weird...you find yourself questioning your taste in lovers... ( alhaitham / childe x gn ! reader )

ii. WARNING(S) : crack, pure crack, childe doing illegal shit and the chad of manipulate mansplain manwhore, al haitham. NOT PROOFREAD

# masterlist

&& . al haitham · ( a guide to tearing your food apart ; horrifically )

AL HAITHAM WAS USUALLY…quiet. And you’d like to say he was graceful too, with a decent posture and a reading ethic that made you swoon ( and the glasses he wore???? U G H ). Kaveh would protest, would call him a baseless pig, and would beg you to reconsider even dating this man. But you were in love, and four years later, post the nerves of graduation and finding jobs and kisses snuck between routines, you were still in love.

There was always a ‘but’, though.

Always.

You watch Al Haitham pick up his knife. Immaculate. Amazing. What a god of a man.

You watch him hold it like a dagger. Concerning, sure but still hot. Your hot ass boyfriend using his table knife like a murder weapon. The crowd was going wild, you were screeching like a feral beast on the inside.

You watch him tear the poor chicken apart, with the brutality of a bear, his expression impassive, almost terrifyingly stoic in the face of it all.

Then his shoulders relax. He looks at you. You look at him. Something passes over his face, a ghost of an emotion, of amusement. Then he smirks. “Would you like some of mine?” he asks, and he seems to be teasing you. Just a bit, just enough so that he toed the line between his usual meanness. “You were staring.” 

Maybe what made it worse was that he knew about your occasional ire, and he gave zero shits about it. But as quick as the feeling came, it was gone and you shrug. You weren’t one to pass over free food.

“Sure.” you smile, taking a spoonful of his shredded chicken. Al Haitham nods, seemingly satisfied before he returns to demolishing his dinner once more.

&& . childe | tartaglia · ( surprise surprise ; your boyfriend partakes in larceny )

YOU JUST WANTED some chocolate —

( — Famous last words, really. )

But the sight of Childe bent over your padlock, with your super hidden, ultra secret stash of very limited edition candies tucked between his legs seemed to have fused every logical thought in your brain. You could only stare. Then stare some more. Then blink and hope to the gods above that he hasn’t eaten any of them…

…it was half empty.

The innocent, near cherubic smile that played on his lips was twisted in a way. Your boyfriend, a criminal in the making, a psychopathic chocolate stealer. You wanted to cy. You wanted to scream. You wanted to demand when, where and why he learned how to pick locks with such precision and what unfathomable shenanigans and trouble had he caused with this horrific power.

“Oh, I just…looked it up.” he replied brightly, popping another sweet into his mouth. “These are delicious, by the way.”

“You looked it up…” you repeat.

Childe shrugs, looking a bit bored now. “Yeah, I found a lock pick….just lying on the floor one day and I learned how to use it. The internet’s got some pretty cool videos…” he chews thoughtfully for a moment, then hands his hal eaten chocolate to you. “Want some?”

You take the chocolate. “This was supposed to be mine…” you mumble miserably. “My mother sent it to me…”

Childe chuckles and pulls you in for a kiss. You taste some of the chocolate he had and when the two of you separated, he was grinning, a bit like a fox who flashed it’s fangs in a cheeky smile before it stole your food.

“You're sleeping on the couch.” you state. His face falls immediately.

❪⠀🎬⠀❫ AINE SPEAKS ;;

JBGVCVBN and here i return from the dead-

but seriously HEY BEEN A WHILE. i can;t guarentee updates and new posts will be frequent given the influx of school work but still, thank you for stopping by.

anyway, to commemorate the occasion, LOOK IT'S FUNNY STUFF AND NOT PAIN HOORAY-

if you’d like to be added to the taglist, fill this form up!

taglist —@x-zho, @dustofthedailylife, @deus-lapidis, @silentmoths,@nebulaera, @aestellia, @ofoceansandtombsanew, @meimeimeirin, @bohbahead

AINE | 2022. do no plagiarize, repost or rework this piece.

#&&. my writing !! #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #al haitham x reader #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #genshin al haitham #genshin childe #ah yes #finally a post

[radicalbears]

Fun fact: I've started reading Star Trek TOS books this year, and they are a TRIP.

I've read six of them so far: The Vulcan Science Academy Murders by Jean Lorrah, Doctor's Orders by Diane Duane, Strangers from the Sky by Margaret Wander Bonanno, Spock's World by Diane Duane, Sarek by A.C. Crispin, and The Motion Picture novelization by Gene Roddenberry (and also Harold Livingston and Alan Dean Foster since they wrote the screenplay)

I have some Thoughts but this may be long so opinions below the cut!

I can't pick an absolute favorite, they're all so much fun for their own reasons. Objectively, Spock's World and Sarek are the two best, with Spock's World being my favorite of the two. I love any story that takes a long look at the Vulcans- either individual characters or them as a group- and these two do a fantastic job.

The Vulcan Science Academy Murders is not objectively good- the mystery is so easily figured out, some of the book is just a little bit insane, and there's way too many exclamation points- but it is a LOT of fun. Also has a very sweet perspective of Vulcans and the way they care for eachother.

Doctor's Orders is literally just this: Kirk, thinking he'd only be gone an hour, makes McCoy acting captain. Kirk proceeds to go missing. Due to Starfleet regulations, McCoy is stuck as acting captain until Kirk or Starfleet relieves him. (It's very funny watching both McCoy and literally every bridge officer be stressed about this)

My least favorite is probably Strangers from the Sky. It's extremely convoluted- there's a plot where Kirk is having nightmares about a suppressed past memory (a memory that, is being remembered because the events of this memory were recently published as a book), and half of this book is us just. Real-time reading this past memory? Either way, the memory is of the Actual first human-Vulcan meeting- when a Vulcan ship crash landed on Earth before the official first contact. The surviving Vulcans were rescued by a couple kelp farmers, and the story surrounding them is actually really sweet. The Enterprise crew has almost nothing to do with this story, they're only there because of a time travel incident. It really just feels more like the author wanted to tell this story, but because it didn't have any known characters in it, they were forced to involve the TOS cast. Still a decent read, just Very convoluted.

Finally, the Motion Picture novelization. Boy, this really reminded me that there really is not much that happens in this movie, though somehow it's more interesting than the movie. This is not to completely dump on said movie- I don't hate it, but it certainly is my least favorite. The novelization is really cool though because it adds a LOT of context for what Spock is dealing with. We get more of his inner monologue- something I actually wish we could witness better in the movie. V'ger is a really good character foil for Spock- the way V'ger is was Spock's end goal, yet Spock realizes that V'ger nothing like how he actually wants to be.

The word T'hyla is also just. Casually invented in this novelization, with the explicit purpose of describing the relationship between Kirk and Spock. This book ALSO acknowledges rumors of Kirk and Spock dating in a footnote, and has Kirk "address" these rumors (aka make some weird statement that doesn't actually clarify anything). Beginning of this book is a Wild time for Spirk fans.

Anyway I'm waiting on my library to get in the novelization for Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock. I also just picked up the first two volumes of the Year Five comics. Idk how deep I'm gonna get into Star Trek novels, but I'm at the very least still going strong.

Oh yeah I also tend to take photos of passages/lines I enjoyed from these books, lmk if any of y'all want a deeper look into any of these books- I can post the photos of my favorite bits!

#anyway more people should read star trek books they're fun #even if they're completely not canon #if you're out here reading fanfic you can deal with that #star trek #star trek tos #star trek books #diane duane

[leeknowlover99]

singles inferno with enhypen hyung line

episode 2.5 behind the camera

previous part masterlist next part

warnings: fluff, sexual tension

pairing: Heesung x reader

prepare for the next part cause it’s going to wild 🫣

that was probably the most comfortable bed you’ve ever laid in. after such a busy day you should be sleeping like a child. but here you were tossing and turning. you looked up at the clock. it was 4 am, 2 hours of you unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep. but you could not stop your thoughts from running, emotions flooding you, keeping you restless. you did not expect to feel like that after just one day in the program. Heesung wasn’t your first choice in inferno. but now after the evening you have spent with him in paradise you felt the unbearable chemistry between you two. but not only that. he really seemed like an awesome person, so passionate about his career and interests, funny and kind in such a charming way. he definitely tickled your heart. you were wondering about many things now. you were an over thinker since forever. you were thinking about him, his cute smile and shiny eyes. you were wondering if he feels the same, how things are going to be in inferno. or maybe all of that will disappear when you come back to other contestants. you were curious about so many things. but how will you enjoy the day when you can’t get any sleep. all these thoughts were making you crazy. the fact that Heesung was just in the next room when you were laying alone in the huge bed was driving you even more mad. you stood up and looked through the window. watching stars shining on the clear sky, and city lights underneath imitating stars. you took few deep breaths to calm yourself. let’s get a glass of water and try to fall asleep for real. you told yourself. you really needed few hours of sleep to function well tomorrow.

you hoped you won’t disturb Heesung’s sleep as you tip toed to kitchen, however as you quickly realized his spot on the coach was empty. white sheets shining in the dark room. you frowned wondering where he could disappear. as you turned around the corner you saw him. he was leaning against the kitchen counter, fingers tapping lightly against the glass he was holding. his face focused, like he was in deep thoughts. he jerked his head up when he noticed you.

“hi, i see i’m not the only one who can’t sleep” you smiled softly.

he run his hand through his hair leaving them messy, strands sticking out in different directions. he looked adorable.

“yeah i thought water might help, but not really.” he handed you a new glass. “here, have some.”

“thanks” you took a sip. “today was indeed intense. what’s keeping you up? is the coach uncomfortable?” you asked.

“nah it’s not that. i usually have no trouble falling asleep anywhere. it’s just all the emotions and stuff” he smiled shyly. yet another side of this boy.

“i feel you, same for me” you hopped on the counter in front of him. “are we allowed to talk off the cameras?” you wondered out loud.

“i don’t know. but i don’t really care.” he sent you a daring look. “it’s not like they can control us anyway.”

“true. i feel like i’m going to be alike a zombie today if i don’t get any sleep.”

Heesung laughed loudly. “we’ll be a pair of zombies i guess. so tell me what are you thinking about.”

“if i tell you will you share as well?” you asked playfully squinting your eyes at him.

“deal princess.”

you could not help but smile at the nickname. but you carefully chose your words answering “i was thinking how easy and fun our date was today, i did not expect that honestly.”

“why?”

“i don’t know. i usually don’t have time to go on dates but when i go it always feels weird and stiff. i thought that here with the presence of cameras and everything it might be ever worse. but actually it has been the opposite” you elaborated swinging your legs to let some of the tension out.

“oh okay. you must’ve went out with some boring guys” he teased. “but seriously i’m happy that it was different with me.”

“now your turn” you urged him.

“i found you attractive from the beginning but after being with you here i’m even more hooked.” he licked his lips. “it was easy talking to you, and yours even prettier without makeup, i feel the spark you know?” he slowly took a step towards you. “do you feel it?” another step. when you did not answer he took third step and stood in front of you. your faces on the same level. eyes locked, shining with something dark and serious. “do you?”

“i feel it too” you whispered eyes flicking to his plump lips. you wanted to taste them.

Heesung seemed to have the same desire. his large hands gently kneaded your bare thighs and pushed them open. you gasped and he slowly, too slowly closed the gap between you two. your chests touching lightly, you felt his breath on your lips, gaze clouded behind his long lashes. you grazed his arms with your fingertips, barely touching him. tension was intense. you got goosebumps. and when he gently caressed your side your pussy clenched. fuck, you needed him. his breath quickened with yours.

“can we?” you asked unsure.

“i don’t give a fuck.”

his lips met yourself in a soft careful kiss. moving against yours gently but passionately. you kissed him back softly, wrapping your arms around him and running your hand through his hair. pulling him closer gently. he licked your bottom lip asking for permission to deepen the kiss. you invited him, your tongue softly caressing his. his hands gently caressing down from your waist to your thighs, closing any distance left between you bodies. your boobs squeezed against his hard chest, your nipples hard and sensitive, bringing fire to your core every time they moved against him. you continued kissing, slowly and passionately, tongues dancing together, Heesung gently biting your bottom lip making you whimper quietly. his hard on lightly grinding against your core.

“fuck” he muttered after your lips disconnected with a loud pop, lips swollen and wet from the kiss.

“fuck indeed” you whispered burying your face in the crook of his neck. he gently kissed the top of your head.

“as much as i want to do other things we should probably go to sleep” he whispered, disappointment clear in his voice. did he want you too disagree? you really wanted to. but you had to be reasonable.

“we should.” you said letting him go and hopping of the counter.

“see you in the morning then.” he smiled devilishly looking sexy as fuck, hair even more muffled after kissing, lips swollen, eyes dark, outline of his dick evident in his shorts.

you didn’t know if sleeping will be any easier now but you headed your bed anyway.

taglist: @caravm @semisemirin1i82 @yourbobaeyestell @deobitifull

#enhypen #enhypen drabbles #enhypen fanfic #enhypen headcanons #heesung drabble #lee heesung x reader #enhypen jake #enhypen smut #enhypen suggestive #enhypen fluff #enhypen singles inferno #enhypen x reader

[daughter-of-sapph0]

quick question, what's an era 2 tumblr user? we have eras??

it's sorta something I made up myself. tumblr has gone through various shifts in presentation and tone that dramatically affected how people use the website. honestly idk if anyone besides me actually uses this system, but I'm gonna use it anyway because it's funny

so Era 1 is from the start of tumblr until dashcon. this is where the dashboard had those weird lines on the side of reblogs, was the hight of superwholock, allows editing other people's posts, and was filled the overwhelming prevalence of fandom. back then, tumblr wasn't very mainstream and most people who used it were big nerds (affectionate). so there was a strong sense of community between people who had shared interests.

Era 2 starts after dashcon in summer of 2014. this was a disaster of an event that sorta boosted tumblr's popularity for better or for worse. this is also when I first joined in late 2015 as an undertale blogger originally (my first blog has since been deleted though). this is what I'd call the meme era of tumblr. it's when most of the most popular jokes are from. it's when massive inside jokes and tumblr references started. and it's the time where the most people were active. and it lasted until about late 2018 with the porn ban

Era 3 was kicked off with many users deciding to leave tumblr near the end of 2018 beginning of 2019. tumblr's policy on porn up until then had been "go nuts. show nuts" until it was bought by virison who tried their best to make it "family friendly". the whole thing was handled very poorly ("female presenting nipples") and didn't even get rid of all porn, just porn from sex workers and artists who sold nsfw content to make a living. most of those people left for sites like twitter, and many other sfw artists (and also people who just used tumblr for free porn) left with them. for a while, tumblr was pretty empty. but not entirely. there were still very close knit communities, arguably even closer than Era 1 even. and honestly, this is when tumblr was at its most usable. it was quiet. the only thing that you had to worry about was the occasional porn bot (and staff's growing authoritarianism, but we'll get to that). it's hard to argue when exactly Era 3 ends. I like to say it's when elon musk bought twitter, but I also think it might have started a bit before then. it's more of a slow transition that happened sometime between early and late 2022

Era 4 is the return era. when everyone who went to twitter came crawling back. this was sorta kicked off with staff starting to be more lax with their porn restrictions. but don't think that staff was having a change of heart and suddenly nice. for the longest time, they had been overstepping boundaries and abusing their authority, such as banning mainly Black and leftist users calling them "Russian psyops". it was also around this time that people discovered that there were several terfs on the development team, and that was likely the reason they didn't ban nazis and terfs despite both being in clear violation of the tos. tumblr staff tried to distract from this controversy by adding a bunch of gimmicks. the crabs for April fools, blazing posts, checkmarks, tumblr live. this for some reason actually worked, and a lot of people just forgot or didn't care about staff any more, and it actually brought in a lot of new users. I have no idea how long Era 4 will last. all the Eras have been kicked off with a massive change in how social media operates that becomes more dramic and impactful each time. so short of the us government completely banning tiktok for good, I doubt Era 4 will end any time soon.

sorry this turned mostly into a rant against staff near the end. as you can obviously tell, I'm sorta biased towards Era 2 and 3, as that's when I had the best experiences with tumblr. and a lot of the problems I have with the site today can be traced back to staffs stupid decisions and abuse of power and authority.

but yeah. I hope that makes sense.

#dostxt #asks #tumblr eras #tumblr era

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

I understand that the evidence to support Paul being not-completely-straight is less robust than the evidence that suggests John was likely bisexual, but his heterosexuality shouldn’t be a foregone conclusion, imo. Obviously I’m in the land of speculation here, but I find it hard to believe that Paul’s feelings toward John were 100% platonic, 100% of the time. The visible, fizzy chemistry between them often strikes me as flirtatious, and the idea of Paul as a passive receiver (lol) of unrequited adoration doesn’t align with anything I’ve observed. I also find Paul’s seeming preoccupation with the physical closeness he often enjoyed with John — the intimate way in which he describes sharing beds, songwriting (eyeball to eyeball), tripping, etc. — to be a telling indicator of feelings he may not have fully understood while John was alive. He seems to put a lot more emphasis on physical proximity when describing their relationship than is typically seen in platonic relationships (between men in particular). However! I have an obvious bias as a shipper that might be clouding my judgment. What do you think?

What a delicious ask!

I hear you, in general. I don't think it's weird to wonder, really. Like, I see how Paul's behaviour falls within the range of what someone who was full-on in love with John would do.

Though sometimes I feel I get a bit lost in the weeds of terminology. When you say Paul didn't always feel 100% platonic towards John, what specifically do you mean? That he actively fantasized about kissing/having sex with John? And let's say he did, I think there is actually a legitimate grey area of curiosity there. I'm actually of the belief that probably the concept of engaging in some type of non-platonic behaviour with John occurred to Paul at some point. (or, you could even say it unequivocally has, judging by his "if I had been a girl, I could have–" comment). Does the idea crossing Paul's mind constitute him having certified non-platonic feelings? I'm asking honestly, because I feel like sometimes people are talking past each other due to these terms not being clarified enough. What if it was even a semi-regular thought of his, that sort of toed the line between fixation and fantasy?

I think flirting is something people engage in without necessarily desiring anything, especially someone like Paul who seems to do it almost accidentally sometimes. I'm not sure what you mean by Paul being a receiver of unrequited adoration not aligning with anything you've observed? Because I think this is a point I've tried to make that often feels sort of misunderstood. I do think Paul was very attached to John and consistently sought out his approval as well as to connect with him, regardless of the nature of his attraction to him. I also wonder if Paul, as you suggested, maybe only considered his feelings might have been non-platonic after John had died, then… could it not be something Paul legitimately never figured out about himself? This is another completely serious question. Is it not possible that Paul has wondered but now no longer has a way to find out?

(I also genuinely think John dying and Paul having to constantly reaffirm to the world they were friends has made him grow gradually more over the top in professing his love for John. Part of what bothers me about some of the way shippers engage with what he says is that it basically feels like it's unself-awarely playing into all of this. Like, "Why does he always bring up John?" For you, partially. Also, that whole murder thing like actually happened, y'know?)

I also take your point re: Paul emphasizing his physical relationship with John a lot. I don't actually know how uncommon it is for men to talk about physical closeness. I've mentioned this before, but groups of men sharing small spaces aren't uncommon in society really (sports teams, the army, etc.). I actually feel like it would be a lot more outside gender norms if Paul emphasized how often he and John talked about their feelings to each other. Also, my far more grim reading of Paul's emphasis is that he, being insanely insecure about his relationship with John, clings to material proof of John liking him, and John being physically close to him is the most irrefutable argument he can think of. I also think he regrets having not been openly affectionate with John ("I should have hugged John all the time", he's said, I think) and thus really treasures those moments of closeness. It also seems like he's often emphasizing the smallness of these moments. John's tiny bedroom, the cramped spaces they were forced to share, Mimi's porch… I think Paul has also attached pre-fame nostalgia in general to John, because he seems to so often be recalling John before the Beatles became successful (I actually think this might be a key factor in his love of mentioning the Paris trip).

I don't know, I see how it's romantic, but I also have similar memories with my best friend that are really important to me, if I'm honest.

In the end, I hear you, it is possible, I just don't find it conclusive enough to feel overly comfortable going against Paul's own word, if that makes sense. If you have more thoughts I'd like to hear them though.

#ask #anon #paul #jp speculation #my analysis

[amanitaphalloides]

can't do emojis on desktop but tea about fandom bleeding into published fiction

LOL. I don’t feel like I know enough about fiction publishing to have an opinion on how this affects trends or the industry in general, so simply as a woman who likes to read and write: extremely mixed feelings. sometimes it is really funny or even charming to me (when a mostly non-fandomy feeling book drops “he toed off his shoes” i can laugh and move on). however. i feel like many people who write fan fiction see it as fringe in such a way that they don't want to look frankly at how it influences writing style, and that can result in some very bad books. i think the "writing is writing is writing is writing!" school of thought does way more harm than good stylistically and we'd all be doing ourselves a favor to think of fic as a specific genre with specific genre conventions. and consciously or not, a lot of us practice those genre conventions for years, and i do think hopping between fic and original fiction poses some unique challenges. and sometimes this transition is executed poorly in a really obvious way. not just in the language either but also in terms of structure and idea. i think fic is so trope-forward partially because it is typically driven by pleasure-seeking, and partially because it's inherently about riffing. and this practice of RIFFING in particular stands out to me in certain contemporary novels, where it can feel like the author is trying to leapfrog over building an emotional core and instead shape it in reverse, by setting up tropes or dynamics that signify this core exists somewhere, just not on the page. and this can happen in really clear ways (trope-forward romance novels that everyone knows started as fic that include one line like "we've hated each other since we competed in our boarding school spelling bee") and more subtle ways (not to claim random authors i know nothing about are suffering from fan fiction habits but something like mrs s springs to mind. and i didn't even hate that book it just had that weird no-backstory feeling). and the fact that this so often coincides with queer lit and the perception that there's still a lack of stories just makes the whole thing feel sort of tragic.

the flip side of this is that i love fic writers, i love talking to people who find writing so fun they just do it regardless of gain, and i have found a lot of the habits and friendships i've formed through fic extremely helpful to my original fiction. i really love and support fic writers who write and publish original fiction. in a way i think fandom has a fantastic influence on publishing because it's where so many great writers practice and play. but again, ideally that involves being very mindful of the divisions instead of trying to ignore them.

overall if a fandom influence is coming through to me as the reader i'm probably not loving it. i will generally be more forgiving with romance and ya because i think they are fan fiction's closest genre cousins and have a lot of overlapping readership. lit fic i find it more annoying. little rabbit by alyssa songsiridej is another good example. also on a totally different note i think the funniest/weirdest bleed area is rpf and i am genuinely kind of pissed about the graham gore romance novel because i wanted to write that lol. anyway great question.

[quirrrky]

THE BOY NEXT DOOR 「07. CONFUSION」

『MASTERLIST』  « PREV • NXT » 

𐑂 2.7k+ words     𐑂 Your new neighbor, Miya Atsumu, is everything you’ll never ask for. With his annoying good looks and equally irritating charm, how can you not resist the boy next door?     𐑂 neighbors, humor, enemies to lovers, fake dating, friends to lovers

It was another Friday afternoon after his usual training for the upcoming league and it was another Friday when his mom sent another chic his way for a marriage meeting like the usual.

Tsumu ran a hand through his hair while he pranced around his room. "I can't believe it! Mom said me another one today!" He hissed. 

"Just get it over with. Ya've been there before, ain't ya?"

Yes, what's so different now? Before he could even fathom deeper, someone sought his attention. "Um...Atsumu-san? Are you okay?"

"Fuck! She's here." He murmured over the phone.

"Enjoy."

"Samu! Sam-" The other line was already cut before he could even protest and all he could do was left out a sign of relief. 

The moment he opened the washroom door, the girl tip toed to check up on him. "Are you fine?"

His head spiraled, giving in to his inescapable reality. 

Their names weren't really important at all. Initially, he was just in for the fun and to past some time, utterly bored of his downtime in between trainings. Though as days and months passed by, he started to feel number and more apathetic about the concept of relationships. He had met a lot of girls yet none of them ever made such an impact on him. 

"I ain't feelin' well. I gotta go home." Atsumu excused himself, taking a stance that he could no longer bear faking it. 

In no time, he ended the marriage meeting. His energy was almost entirely drained from the date. It's not that it was really awful. She was nice, but that was it. 

The elevator doors opened and he walked out of it and onto his apartment, lifelessly. Finally inside, his body slumped down on the couch as his head rested backwards. When did he become exactly like this? He used to enjoy these things but now...

His doorbell rang and he immediately got up.

"Y/N!" He happily greeted upon opening the door looking like a dog wagging his tail. "Wait, what's that?" He asked curiously, noticing that you had more than your usual tote bag with you.

"Here," you pressed to his chest and went inside his room after signaling you to do so. "A hamper so you can keep your laundry in order." 

His eyes widened and cheeks reddened, touched and warmed because of your thoughtfulness. "Thanks..." he managed to murmur.

"I'll be using the bathroom now." You said and closed the door, while he remained standing by it. Remembering that you forgot to tell him that you forgot the hamper's handle in your home, you opened the door again and saw him still standing right there. "Hey...why're you?" You wondered.

"I'm guardin' ya...?" He stated, sounding almost like a question.

"From what?" You asked a little weird out.

"You might not know...a cockroach might appear again somewhere out there."

You cringed at the thought of the thing. "God, I hope not. By the way, I left the hamper's handle at home."

"Got it," he affirmed as you headed back in again. 

With so much excitement, he opened up the packaging of the hamper you gave like a kid or a puppy receiving his most anticipated toy. 

He grinned with fondness at the small fox prints design on the material. He liked the idea that it matched his high school team's totem animal. His smile got gentler. He couldn't recall the last time he felt this uplifted and airy, like something in his chest felt so light. 

You opened the door, finally done with your bath. You were wearing this oversized sweatshirt and pajama, looking like you're ready to hit the sack once you get home. 

His eyes stayed on you for a short while and you started to notice it. 

"What?" You asked.

"Ya look like a pillow." He stated, musing on how cuddly you looked like in that kind of get up.

You blushed a little, but then tried calming yourself down. You didn't exactly know if he meant that as a compliment or as a joke. 

"Anyways, thanks for the bath." You told whims you headed outside of his apartment. "Night."

"Yeah, have a good night yerself too." He said as he watched you open your room. "No more goin' out okay?"

You finally opened the door and teased back, "You're not my dad."

Dramatically, he sighed. "You really do have a lot to say, ain't ya?"

You chuckled to yourself as you closed the door behind you. With a smile on your face, you took out your things from your tote bag. Instantly, that happy gleam turned into anxiety. 

Shit, shit, shit! You checked your things out again. It's not here! You covered your face with your hands. This couldn't be happening. You left your panties inside Atsumu's bathroom! You panicked. Should you run now and tell him you forgot something? Or! Or! He had already seen it!?

Just as you worried on the best thing to do, it's already very late now. Tsumu had now discovered the article you left inside his bathroom. 

Did you left it on purpose?

What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

He panicked, staring at your panties on his hands. He was about to take a bath and had his shirt off already, but he was welcomed by your pink, sheep-printed panties. 

Were you...were you inviting him in your room? He blushed. His heart beat so heavily with so much panic and thrill. What the hell is this? But a night spent with you won't be that...bad? He thought. 

Finally making a decision, he opened the door to his apartment, but was surprised to find you right on his doorstep.

"Y-Y/N," he said in disbelief, not thinking you could be this forward. You were just staring at him like you were waiting for to make a move or...you're about to jump on him any minute now. He had never been too conscious of his body. He knew he was in perfect shape and he knew how gorgeous he looked, but right now with your eyes on him like this it felt more than just being objectified. 

Was this all the build-up going to? Did you plan this all along? His cheeks now furiously red at the thought of your surprising aggressiveness. 

You just stared at him in plain nervousness. Out of all the things you'd forget it had to be that. Now, how could you face him without thinking that he had seen your underwear and probably had held it too? But! You had to tell him something!

"I-I think I left something inside..." You almost tripped over your words, speeding inside his apartment.

"S-Sure..." Atsumu's breath hitched. You made your way inside his room? Did she want to do it here?

"I-I think I left it here..." You said, with worry.

He raised his hand and displayed your panties hooked on his finger. "You mean this?"

You were complete flushed and hurriedly snatched your underwear from him. "W-why did you not give me that at the very instant?"

Atsumu placed his hands on his waist. "Why the heck did you leave it?"

"I left it accidentally!" You fought back.

"Oh, really?"

You took a step back and looked around you. You were both alone inside his apartment. A bed was just a few steps away. He was shirtless and looking good and you were...there barging right in the middle of the night. 

It finally dawned you. 

"I...I'm not one of your girls, Atsumu." You said, with a hint of seriousness.

"Excuse me?" Atsumu retaliated not knowing how to feel about it. 

Your mind was still confused. Since when did you forget that Atsumu was still a man so capable to sweep you off your feet? "It's late now. I must go back home."

You walked away and he felt all the urge to grab you by the elbow and stop you, but...The last time he felt this surge of emotions, he kissed you in the elevator. Right now, if he did the same, he wouldn't guarantee it'd be just a kiss or he could keep himself from maintaining it up to that level. 

I'm not one of your girls, Atsumu.

So he let you go.

"Thanks for the shower and everything." You abde and went out.

He was again...rejected.

Or, at least, it felt that way.

All those girls he went out with were head over heels for him. It would be a lie if he'd say he didn't like it. Then, here you were taking him for granted and acting like he's someone you could just push away, yet each time you crushed his ego, the more he wanted to run towards you so badly. 

I'm not one of your girls, Atsumu.

Your words echoed in his ear. Somehow, they were very shallow yet it pierced right through his chest so deep. 

He slept the night with that knot inside himself. The next morning came with him not getting enough sleep an prime athlete like him should be getting. Now, he's a little pissed and it's because of you. If space that you want, fine! He'd give you exactly that. Gone was the nice and friendly Tsumu and he'd be like the thin air you wished he was from the beginning. 

He went out of his apartment for his training, when the very moment he went inside the elevator and hit the ground floor button, you came out of your own room. You rushed inside as he pushed the open-doors button until you managed to get in. 

"Thanks," you greeted with a smile and he closed his eyes firmly, reprimanding himself. Why did he wait for you to enter the elevator. He could just leave you waiting. Fine, fine. He'd just won't talk to you. At all. 

"By the way," You reached something out from your bag and handed it to him. "I made an extra. You can have it for breakfast." Atsumu accepted it, bewildered and surprised from your unexpected kind gesture. "Bye!" You bade as you ran to your office's direction.

What...What is this? He stared at the sandwich you gave him on his way to the locker room of the training gym.

"Hello Atsumu-san! Woah...what's that?" Hinata asked, lacing an arm around him. 

Atsumu puffed his chest. "I got this from, Y/N."

"Y/N?" Bokuto started, amazed. "She prepares breakfast for you?"

"Ah...How nice is that to have a girl prepare breakfast for you."

Atsumu proudly and cheekily beamed. "It's not like it's such a big deal y'know."

Their coach called them for a huddle about their upcoming schedule given that they'd be having an overseas game in the coming week. 

"Aren't you excited? We're flying next week again!" Hinata asked him. He smiled but he couldn't give a definite answer to the question.

Come to think of it, the game would give him the much needed distance from you that he couldn't get himself so used to. 

The sound of whistle echoed in the gymnasium and Atsumu shook his head to get his mind back into the game. 

Immediately after the training ended, Atsumu rushed to his clothes, remembering that he hadn't done his laundry for long. His face fell, finding out that he must do the laundry today. There's a big tendency that he might not have something to bring to the game. 

He'd be flying this time around for his game. How would you be able to take a bath now? Should he duplicate his keys? Wait! Why was even thinking of you now? Erase! Erase! Erase! He shook his head. 

He pulled the basket out of his apartment just in time you had your laundry basket with you.

"Oh..." You said, noticing that he had all colors of clothes mixed-up in his basket. "Laundry?"

"Yeah..." He tried not to chat so much.

"Do you..." You hesitated. "Do you know how to?"

Atsumu scowled and he almost spit out a huge chunk of his ego, when he remembered that it was his mom who usually picked up the laundry for him before. He sighed, defeated. "Not really."

"Okay, I guess. I can teach you." You said.

"Fine..." With slump shoulders, he went towards you and grabbed your basket. "Lemme help ya out with this."

After getting off from the elevator, you both headed to the laundry shop which was just located at the ground floor of  your apartment building. It was just the two of you there as you entered.

"Here, have you separated your whites and colored?" You asked and he shook his head away. "You should then afterwards you place them in different machines."

"Got it!" He said and you tended with your own clothes, placing them inside the machine. "Then, after this...I'll just put soap into the slot here?" 

"Yes," you nodded your head as you did the same with your own.

"Then we wait."

"Yup."

You sat beside each other at the bench in front of your machines, watching your clothes go round and round inside as the water poured in. 

You smiled to yourself out of the blue and he found it odd. "Hey! What're ya...Are ya plannin' somethin' evil?"

You shook your head. "No, I just realized that I'd never help you out if this happened a month ago."

"Yeah, yeah! You even thought I was the killer!"

"Well, aren't you really?" You teased.

"Hey!" He protested.

You chuckled and so did he. 

Last night, you wondered how you came to forget that Atsumu was a man you used to avoid back then and now you even casually used his bathroom. You were baffled that even when he already stole a kiss from you and held your underwear, though you found it awkward and embarrassing at the same time, there's still a touch of comfort and familiarity being around Atsumu. 

Maybe...he's a friend now?

You were in the middle of your thoughts when his machine started spilling bubbles all over. 

Just as you thought...However, instead of getting mad or annoyed at him, you found yourself laughing so heartily at what happened. Such clumsiness was a total Atsumu thing and you found it very hilarious!

"Hey! Hey what do we do with this- What do we-" Atsumu was interrupted by the sight of your light-hearted laughter. A smile naturally slipped across his face. It was interesting to see you vexed but there's something more amazing at witnessing how carefree you could be. Just like now. 

The store assistant cut through and helped the both of you, volunteering to finish Atsumu's clothes so he could just come back to pick it up tomorrow. 

"I'll just do your laundry next time so it won't happen again."

He sighed. "Right...right..I guess I hafta sort it so it won't be too much of a hassle next time too."

"Yeah..."

You headed back to your floor with Tsumu carrying your finished laundry. He caught himself smiling through his reflection inside the elevator and remembered the oath he swore this early morning. Distancing himself from you. 

What the hell? He was stupefied. Why the hell did this happen? He promised himself to avoid you but he ended up spending more time with you instead!

The elevator opened and you both saw Otose standing in front of your door. 

"Oh, Y/N. You're here already." She greeted and you returned the greeting. "The water piping's already fixed

"Really?" You said in delight.

"Yes, yes, the plumber said it's finally replaced. You two take care I'mma head back down now." She bade and entered the elevator. 

Atsumu placed your laundry basket down and slid both of his hands inside his pockets. "It's good now then, ya don't hafta bother me anymore."

It was as if his plan this morning backfired to him when he swore to himself not to talk to you again, but being given an opportunity exactly that bothered him a lot.

You rolled your eyes at him. "Can't you have a day when you don't annoy me?" You shot back, but he didn't budge like his usual self. You found it puzzling but you just shrugged it off as he entered his apartment, not uttering a single word to you anymore.

Atsumu didn't know why but he felt a little off. He should celebrate for he could go back to his old ways. He could finally not wait for anyone to shower around his home and he shouldn't be bothered not cleaning his room since you're not gonna be here anymore. 

Add to that, he didn't have to worry about your bath time when he'd be away for the overseas games. He didn't have to duplicate his keys and entrust 'em to you. He didn't have to talk to you anymore and you'd both be back to just seeing each other in the hallway and that's it.

That's it...

That's it?

𐑂 AN : AAAHHHH IK GUYS IK! next chapter’s on monday! given that these are establishing chapters! hopefully, next week I finally bridged what I have to so we can finally start with the exciting parts. for now, enjoy being neighbors with atsumu with him feeling so confused and bothered everytime you interact together xD

𐑂 TAGLIST : drop the ff emoji on my ask box to be added 🔔

REBLOGS ARE DEEPLY APPRECIATED ♡       Please help me reach other viewers. Thank you so so much!

© quirrrky 2022 - All rights reserved. No work shall be reproduced, reposted, modified, translated in any form or by any means.

✧ DAYDREAM MUSEUM ✧

#⼾ the boy next door #atsumu x reader #atsumu fic #atsumu fluff #atsumu imagines #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #haikyuu fic #atsumu scenarios

[fruitcoops]

hii eve i’ve been loving all the fics lately! I was wondering if you could write something ab remus teaching regulus some financial literacy? like reg is in college and is trying to budget and remus helps him

This is SUCH an important step for so many college students and I'm really glad you asked this! Regulus and Remus bonding is something I'm really excited to see in the future. Character credit goes to @lumosinlove <3

TW taxes

“Hello?”

“Bon—uh, hi, Remus?”

It wasn’t like Remus hadn’t been expecting a call from Regulus when he went to college. In truth, he had been quite excited to see Sirius and Regulus navigate their weird pseudo-estranged, sibling-parent-child relationship and come out of it stronger and more secure. That growth and intentional distance would be good for them. He just wasn’t expecting Regulus to call him.

Oh, he thought, still holding the phone to his ear. Alright, then. “Uh, yeah, I’m here. Did you—are you okay?”

“Ouais, I’m good. College is—it’s good.”

Remus nodded slowly before remembering Regulus couldn’t see him. “Good. Good, I’m glad to hear it. Classes are going well?”

“Yeah, no, they’re…great.”

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck—“Sirius is in the shower right now, sorry. I can let him know you called?”

“Ah.” A beat of uncomfortable silence crackled between them; it seemed even a couple hundred miles couldn’t stop Remus from making a fool of himself around Regulus Black. Somehow, he always managed to stick his foot in his mouth when they spoke for more than ten minutes at a time. Regulus cleared his throat. “Uh, well, I wanted to talk to you, actually.”

Remus went cold. “Oh my god, are you okay?”

“Should I buy a car?”

The adrenaline kicking in his stomach quieted. He could hear the faint sound of shuffling feet, like Regulus was pacing around his dorm. Remus paused, then shook himself from his stupor and leaned against the kitchen counter. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“So…no?”

“In Manhattan?” A laugh escaped before he could bring it back down to the line of distant friendliness he and Regulus toed on a regular basis, and he shook his head. “Yeah, that wouldn’t be a great investment. They’re expensive, they take up space, and you’d never use it.”

“D’accord.” Relief clung to every syllable and Remus heard him exhale softly. He could picture Regulus running a hand through his hair clear as day. “Great, merci.”

“Why were you going to buy a car?”

“It—honestly, I don’t know,” Regulus half-laughed. There was a creak, as if he had settled down at his desk or on his bed. “It seemed like the right thing to do, I guess.”

 Remus blinked. “Reg, you live in New York.”

“People have cars here. I see them every day.”

“I—” He tilted the phone away so Regulus wouldn’t hear his sigh. “Okay, college students in New York don’t have cars unless they drive home, like, every weekend. What would you use it for, anyway?”

A long stretch of quiet followed and Remus bit the inside of his cheek. “…going…places?”

“I can guarantee you’ll get there faster on the subway.” And it’ll be cheaper, he added silently. Not that money was an issue for Regulus, though that brought a new question to mind. “Hey, by the way, and you can totally tell me to fuck off here: how’s your budget look this year? Sirius mentioned something about your contract getting cut. You don’t have to tell me, but I know he was worried.”

“My budget?” More silence followed. “Yeah, I’m all set.”

Remus knew he should let it lie. He knew he should say a cordial goodbye and leave the real conversations to someone Regulus trusted further than he could chuck him. But the voice at the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like his mother couldn’t let curiosity go unanswered, and he blurted, “you do have a budget, don’t you?” before he could stop himself.

“Yes,” Regulus scoffed, as good of a liar as his brother.

Oh my god, you’ve never had to do that in your entire life. Sudden visions of Sirius’ general obliviousness to the cost of groceries, bedsheets, and everything that cost less than four digits rose to his mind and he covered his mouth for a moment, letting the initial shock run its course. It wasn’t Regulus’ fault in the same way Sirius couldn’t be blamed too much for simply not understanding the value of a dollar. Living on a budget was, quite literally, not even in their universe for the first 18 years of their lives.

“Okay,” Remus said after a few charged seconds, making his way to the kitchen table where his laptop was still open. Not how I planned on spending my Saturday, but someone’s got to do it.  “Alright. You got half an hour to spare?”

The mattress creaked. Regulus sighed. “Yeah.”

“You got a computer?”

“In my lap.”

“Great. First step: open up Excel.”

--

The last thing Sirius expected when he came downstairs was to find his boyfriend at the table with a spreadsheet open and his attention fully tuned to the phone. “Hey, no, you’re doing awesome,” Remus soothed. “This is tough the first time.”

He frowned. That was a tone generally reserved for Jules or, on rare occasions, a panicking teammate. He padded down the hall and draped his arms over Remus’ shoulders with a kiss to the top of his head; Remus leaned back into him with a long exhale, then tilted the phone up until the screen brightened.

Caller: Regulus Black

Duration: 45:23

Alarm jolted in Sirius’ stomach and must have shown on his face, because Remus reached up to cup in his cheek in one palm with an encouraging smile. It’s okay, he mouthed, then leaned up for a chaste, upside-down kiss. “Yeah, Reg, I’m still here,” he said as he settled back into the chair, hand coming down to rest on Sirius’ wrist. “Your brother says hi. No, we’re not making out while you’re working on this, I promise.”

Sirius rolled the soft fabric of Remus’ sweater between his fingertips while he scanned the spreadsheet. Regulus Monthly had been typed neatly at the top, followed by several categories of varying mundanity. There was a Total section at the bottom corner, and dollar amounts in each corresponding cell… “Are you budgeting?”

Remus made a shushing motion, but nodded.

“Why are you budgeting with my baby brother?” That got him an eye roll and Sirius huffed, reaching to unplug Remus’ earbuds from his phone.

“—and because of that I’m not super worried about—”

“Why are you making Remus do a budget for you?” he interrupted.

“Sirius!”

“I’m not!” Regulus protested at the same time. “He offered!”

He was well aware that Regulus couldn’t see him through the phone, but that didn’t stop him from gaping. “You haven’t had a budget this whole time?”

“I didn’t think I needed one!”

“Your contract got cut in half, idiot!” And mom and dad aren’t going to pay your bills after everything we’ve done.

Remus was still glowering at him a little. “Cut it out, he’s doing really well,” he repeated before facing the phone again. “Anyway, Reg, that sounds like a good plan for now. Though I still think reaching out to Logan would be smart.”

“Why Logan?” Sirius was sure he had never been more thoroughly baffled in his entire life.

He could feel Remus’ physical exasperation under his hands. “Who else do you know that has lived in Canada and the U.S., done taxes for both, and has a Harvard business degree, baby?”

Fair point. Sirius bit back the admission and rested his chin on top of Remus’ head instead. “You’re making Reg do most of the work, right?”

“He’s done it all himself so far.” Remus sounded so proud; it was funny to hear that after the months of tentative friendship they had managed before Regulus moved out. Then again, Sirius figured he had been a bit too preoccupied with scraping together the remnants of their childhood bond to notice any excess awkwardness between his boyfriend and his brother. It certainly couldn’t have been easy for them. He had years of knowing Regulus at his truest self, but Remus only knew the worst.

“This looks fantastic,” he said. “Nice job, Reg.”

The hand on his wrist gave a light squeeze. “Merci,” Regulus answered. His voice was tinny over the phone, but Sirius could still hear the spark of excitement. “I’m lucky to have Remus helping me.”

“Aren’t we all.” He buried his nose in caramel curls and closed his eyes, lacing their fingers together. Thank you, he thought fervently. Thank you, thank you, I love you.

Remus tilted his head enough to rest it against Sirius’ shoulder. “We’re just wrapping up here,” he said. “We can go for a walk if you want to grab Hattie’s harness?”

“Comme tu veux, mon loup.” He bumped his nose against Remus’ temple once before turning to the phone. “Have fun, Reg. À plus tard, call if you need anything.”

“Your boyfriend knows more than you do,” Regulus snorted. “I’ll be calling him.”

“Steal him away from me and I’ll flay you!” Sirius called over his shoulder as he headed out of the kitchen. A walk sounded nice; it was overcast, not too snowy and not too bright. Maybe they could coax Hattie into wearing her booties for the ice.

“Okay,” Remus said, dragging the word out. “No flaying until you figure out transportation costs. Where were we?”

#remus lupin #regulus black #sirius black #coops #sweater weather #vaincre #lumosinlove #my fic #fanfic #financial literacy #bonding #college reg #budgeting

[kats-kradle]

Have you watched A Haunting in Venice? If so, what did you think?

hello this seems as good a post as any to ease back onto tumblr with BOY OH BOY I DID SEE IT AND I HAD SOME THOUGHTS

(spoilers under cut)

I apologize in advance for the rambling nature of this response😂😂

I took my sister to see it a few weeks ago and we played a game where we made a tally mark every time we jumped (we both got 7). I was very pleased with the style of it because while it was advertised as kind of a horror movie Kenny boy toed the line between creepy mystery and pure horror and didn’t cross it which I appreciate. Once again the cinematography was STUNNING but the story was… lacking. I thought the characters were very interesting and somewhat underused, and the actress who played Mrs Oliver was somehow incapable of delivering exposition without being super super wooden about it. I did not see the plot twist of it being the mother coming, but the reveal was kind of disappointing to me? Even my sister pointed out that the reveal wasn’t as complex as most of Agatha Christie’s stories, which is probably because they didn’t actually follow one of her stories. I also really liked how it was kept ambiguous as to whether or not supernatural things were real. The scene where the father was taking a nap on the music room just made me start laughing because they made a big show of saying “oh this door is locked this is the only key there’s not other way in and this room is soundproof” like guys. There’s a murderer running around. Clearly this man is about to die😂😂😂😂 I did also really like how the movie delved into Poirot’s PTSD, but I’m disappointed that there was absolutely no mention of Bouc. He was a vital part to the other movies and it’s just sad to see him brushed under the rug like that.

I’ll have to watch it again to fully gather my thoughts on it, but overall it left a kind of “meh” taste to me. It was still enjoyable ofc because it was by Kenneth Branagh and that man is an artist. If I ranked the movies it would definitely be Murder on the Orient Express first for the cinematography, story, and music, A Haunting in Venice second for the better story, and Death on the Nile third for the weird plot choices and annoying music.

What did you think about it??

#poirot #hercule poirot #a haunting in venice

[marzipanandminutiae]

On the pierced ears thing, I wonder if, at least when it started out, it was seen as a "progressive" thing, like, "In these more ~ enlightened times ~ we don't do barbaric things like piercing our ears", in which case, grandma's pierced ears would've just been like "that's just how things were in grandma's time, but we know better today" (and foreigners and non-white people still don't know better)

Oh, it very much was.

You see some early stirrings of the anti-piercing movement starting in the 1890s, with a few suffragists insisting that the practice makes women suffer for beauty. Which is frankly hilarious to anyone who's ever worn screw-backs or clip earrings. 30 seconds or so of pain followed by a lifetime of totally comfortable earring-wearing vs. a constant vise pinching your poor earlobe for years and years? No contest whatsoever. Obviously the Correct answer is “wear whichever you prefer, or neither,” but if one’s going to compare them...

But they did think that way, as you suggest. And the racism/ethnic prejudice was real, too.

Running a Google Books search for "pierced ears" in 19th-century English-language sources turns up mostly jewelers' ads, slice-of-life stories, and patents for devices to make the process easier. Running the same search in a ~1925-1960 window gets you almost exclusively condescending ethnographic studies by white anthropologists. Pierced earrings were still sold, but the ads are few and far between, and the accounts of Barbaric Peoples Far Away piercing their ears are many.

There are occasional mentions of the practice as old-fashioned. No explicit explanations of how the party line was toed when Respected Great-Grandmother might still be sporting little gold hoops, but certainly offhanded mentions that this was a common thing 30-50 years ago. So it may indeed have been presented to children as a "we know better now" thing.

(One article in Life Magazine from 1957 mentions that a trend for "old-fashioned ear piercing" has emerged in Memphis, Tennessee. This is treated as a weird fluke resurgence of something the general public abandoned ages ago. And while it's mentioned that piercing is a way to lessen the risk of earrings falling off, the writer takes pains to assure readers that there's a strong danger of infection.)

(Sitting here, knowing that their mainstream attitudes were in fact the fluke- given that I and the vast majority of women I know have pierced ears -feels very strange indeed.)

#ask #datasoong47 #fashion history #racism #dress history #history

[lonesomedreamer]

SNW Liveblog: “Charades”

In which Ethan Peck gets to have some fun, the writers also prove they know nothing about Vulcans, and the last fifteen minutes redeems the whole episode.

What exactly is “sub-impulse speed”?

God dammit.

The fellowship only lasts for two months? What’s even the point?

I hate to complain about a female character working out on-screen—life in space would definitely necessitate some kind of exercise regime! For everyone!—but at what point in her TOS appearances did Christine Chapel strike these writers as the type of girl who spent a lot of time beating on the Enterprise’s punching bag? Maybe if we hadn’t just seen La’an in this exact same scene two episodes ago…

This…this outfit is almost mod! Earrings and all! I’m shocked. Give it some color and you’d be onto something.

In fact, all three girls (La’an, Christine, and Ortegas) are wearing black here. Why do SNW the costume designers HATE fun?

“Oh, things are kind of weird between them.” I don’t use this word lightly, but between her being mean to Spock for no reason last week and now casually betraying her friend’s confidence like this with a little smirk (while Christine is visibly uncomfortable): Ortegas is just a bitch.

Do Vulcans consider their emotions to be “suppressed”? And would M’Benga, Vulcan expert or not, really be able to teach the native Vulcan how to better control his emotions (when he’s been learning that his whole life)??? Do they ever think before writing, or…?

Or: canon only matters when the SNW writers want it to.

“My mother felt this would be best.” A lot of Vulcans on this show throw that verb around awfully lightly. It’s almost like the writers don’t understand Vulcans.

If T’Pring’s mother doesn’t approve, why were they ever engaged in the first place? (I know that this show’s never going to acknowledge that they were betrothed as kids for an arranged marriage. But that’s the canon.)

Bitch, please.

A sweet reversal of her sneaking a glance at him in the Turbolift earlier.

Them.

Spock, please don’t look at your girlfriend when you’re supposed to be steering the shuttle away from the “rupture in space-time”.

Oh, his hair is so much better this way.

Why is everyone calling Uhura “Nyota” all of a sudden? I get that she’s just an ensign, but it’s weird.

This sounds like a casual phone call rather than the first contact between the Federation and an unknown species. Up the professionalism a few notches, Pike.

He does not.

“Mixed instructions? You don’t mean Spock.” I’m no scientist, but it’s obvious they’re talking about his DNA—keep up, Mr. Starship Captain!

“Uhura, get ‘em back.” Maybe if Pike hadn’t stumbled over his words and had gotten straight to the damn point, this wouldn’t be a problem! Kirk and Picard would both have said, “Excuse me, but the way you ‘fixed’ my science officer was not correct” rather than mumbling and stuttering until the call cut off.

He is adorable. You can pry human!Ethan!Spock out of my cold, dead hands.

“My fiancee’s mother? She hates me.” My fiancee? She hates me. Fixed that for you!

“I’ve already spoken to T’Pring and to your family.” That is really crossing a line! Kirk—Spock’s undisputed best friend of all time/brother/soulmate/true love (however you see them)—didn’t know about T’Pring or even that the Vulcan ambassador and his wife who were coming aboard were Spock’s parents until he met them on the Enterprise. But Pike is just casually contacting Sarek, Amanda, and T’Pring without consulting Spock first?! It’s not like he’s in a coma! He could easily have waited and let Spock tell his family himself. Accidents happen in Starfleet all the time. It’s a dangerous job.

Spock always seems to be played by men with the best smiles. ♥

Not Spock drinking alcohol and eating meat! He’s going to feel awful about that when his genetic code is “fixed”! (His dietary habits are cultural, not biological—why would he want to change them with or without his Vulcan DNA?)

If this was a TOS episode, Bridge crew would still be working on getting back in touch with the aliens who did this to Spock…but we have to show Spock enjoying some crispy bacon instead.

Again, I think control is a better choice of words.

“You just need to work on impulse control.” I don’t think taking his Vulcan DNA away would invalidate/negate his years of intensive mental training. He had to work extra hard as a mixed-race child to be a “real” Vulcan, so in theory he should still have access to about emotional control. If not, he should have been stripped of his memories of childhood and whatnot, too.

Spock’s sass is coming out so strongly in this script, which is great, but he should always be sassy! (“Gentlemen, I am in command of this vessel, and we shall continue on our present course…unless it is your intention to declare a mutiny.”)

I’m sure Christine enjoys seeing a more demonstrative version of the man she loves, BUT I hope they also show that she’s mourning the loss of the true Spock. She’s one of the few who really sees him for what he is—half Vulcan, half human, wholly himself.

To culminate his total lack of respect for Spock’s privacy/boundaries, Pike announces that his mom is on board in the middle of a busy hallway.

This Amanda is a babe (though there’s no way she’s old enough to be Ethan Peck’s mom).

I love this nod to the classic “Spock wearing a funny hat to hide his ears” trope.

Could they not get a costume to fit this actress? Not shaming her at all—I’m intimately familiar with the struggle of finding clothes that look flattering with a larger chest! But this ain’t it.

Why is Pike even still here? At this point, Amanda’s business is with her son. Pike can butt out.

“The engagement dinner has been moved several times due to your Starfleet schedule, a fact which they are not understanding about—” A few issues here: a) It seems, well, illogical that a family of Vulcans refuses to understand why Spock’s professional schedule would postpone personal obligations; b) this is the first time we’ve ever heard about this engagement dinner, 15 episodes into the season. That wouldn’t be an issue if (as in TOS) T’Pring had just been introduced—but she’s now been in numerous episodes including the pilot. Yet somehow this has never come up before?

Also, bold of this show to expect me to care that their engagement might get broken when they’ve already faked the audience out about that once and when I know T’Pring’s ultimately going to dump Spock anyway…

Incompetence.

So T’Pring’s family disapproves of Spock’s career (and we know from previous episodes that T’Pring isn’t thrilled about it, either), but they agree to hold this traditional and (apparently) super-important engagement dinner on the starship where Spock works?

I don’t think “Spock, you’re human” would be a human mother’s natural first reaction here. Idk. I know Amanda’s been on Vulcan a long time, but we know she’s still very warm, very human, and seeing her son so changed would have to be shocking/upsetting/concerning, right?

“I couldn’t even fool you.” That’s kind of funny.

First of all: Spock can lie with the best of them. Secondly, I don’t think you can learn to be a genuinely good liar in a few hours. Finally (and again): his years of Vulcan discipline/training shouldn’t have been erased (he obviously still has all his memories and knowledge), so he shouldn’t have to lie at all.

Seriously, Spock doesn’t have amnesia! He was raised by Vulcans—he knows how they speak!!!

Okay, but…Spock can’t perform the mind meld, and Amanda would know that. I feel like she should be saying, “My son was in a serious accident and is in no state to socialize” but then someone else—maybe even Sarek—overrules her. That would still leaves plenty of room for drama.

Just contact the aliens for help! I’m begging you! This is Star Trek!!!

“We can’t do it, but we already know who can” Thank God someone on this show can keep up.

I kind of hate her. :) At least she didn’t make a snarky comment, too.

I am weak (even if this is the least-flattering Vulcan look I have ever seen on any version of Spock).

T’Pring has some funny lines re: her difficult relationship with her mother, and I guess it’s a nice parallel to Spock’s difficult relationship with Sarek. I can sympathize with her, but I refuse to like her.

There’s no way a conservative Vulcan couple would be satisfied with a human preparing the traditional food for their daughter’s engagement dinner.

The majority of Vulcans in this show continue to look like a parody.

T’Pring’s dad being a foodie is funny. Him being obviously subservient to his scary bully of a wife is unoriginal and not so funny.

They stole a shuttlecraft and no one even alerts the captain?

Christine being willing to do anything for Spock: canon in every universe. ♥

I get that they’re in “interdimensional space” and in a state of semi-shock as a result (understandably!), but why can no one communicate effectively in this episode, including Uhura of all people???

Christine’s straight-talk with the aliens is just making me angry that Pike didn’t speak up about their mistake when he was communicating with them earlier.

She’s stunning.

Spock being protective of/afraid for Christine is precious.

“During the accident, the other being diverted the shields away from himself to protect you.” Even though I’m unsure how that would work (isn’t the shield around the entire shuttlecraft?)—that is SO Spock and so adorable.

“Are you so obtuse that you don’t even see that [you have feelings for Spock]?” It’s always one step forward, three steps back with Ortegas…

The writers were kind enough to grant my wish: Christine acknowledges that a wholly human Spock isn’t really Spock at all. The writing is less than phenomenal, but Jess Bush really sells it anyway, and it alludes nicely to Christine’s heartfelt confession of love in “The Naked Time” about seeing Spock as being greater than the sum of his genetic parts.

I’m tearing up.

The scene where Spock tells T’Pring’s mother off and praises his own isn’t super believable/in-character, but it’s satisfying!

Once again: the Vulcans on this show use that word way too much…

They really have wanted T’Pring to always be the victim/wronged party in this relationship ever since the first episode. But why?! She’s going to leave him! In canon, she makes him fight his own best friend to the death to have her when she doesn’t even want him! No matter how they resolve the relationship in this show, it’s all drama I don’t care about!!!

T’Pring’s mother was overtly racist towards Amanda and Spock during the entire dinner; she doesn’t approve of him; and she told him that he deserved to be disowned by Sarek/didn’t deserve to marry T’Pring. She would probably continue behaving that way towards him for the rest of her life. But after he endured all of that for her sake and after she repeatedly warned him not to mess the dinner up, T’Pring expresses neither concern for Spock’s ordeal nor relief that he’s been healed/that the dinner was a success nor gratitude for what he put himself through. She expresses only disappointment that he didn’t confide in her.

Crying in the club.

There’s a lovely reciprocity to Spock and Christine’s dynamic so far—he kissed her in Season One; this time, she kisses him. He risked his life to save her earlier; then she goes back and risks hers to make him whole again. I know these writers are going to screw it up eventually, so I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

Overall, this episode was way too long (a full hour!) and was bogged down with a bunch of nonsense in the middle in the name of comedy. Its dialogue in particular was just as poorly-written as most SNW scripts have been (i.e., “you look constipated,” “you messed him up,” numerous crew members mumbling and stuttering in the heat of the moment…these aren’t Starfleet professionals, they’re high schoolers!) BUT there was an extra helping of heart in this episode. Between Amanda Grayson’s tenderness towards her son, Spock’s protectiveness towards Christine, and Christine’s fierce loyalty towards Spock, I almost cried more than once. And since Spock/Christine is THE reason I started watching this show in the first place, it’s nice to finally see some payoff fifteen episodes in!

The Good: Ethan’s face without Vulcan make-up + his gorgeous smile!—a surprise Amanda cameo—Spock and Christine mutually being protective of each other/risking their lives for each other—some funny moments—Jess and Ethan both acting their socks off—really cool visuals during the “interdimensional space” scene—a few excellent costume designs—finally, the big kiss!

The Bad: Childish/unprofessional dialogue throughout—Ortegas being a bitch even to her friends—writing human!Spock like a teenager who forgot everything he knows about being Vulcan (even though his memories are in tact)—Pike’s total incompetence—name-dropping Roger Korby (ugh)

I can’t wait to see how this show is going to disappointment me in the Spockstine department going forward.

#luth liveblogs snw

[dumpsterfireofsubtext]

what kind of science fiction does emo beatrice/1930s au beatrice tend to write? is it “oh no! aliens!/oh no! creatures!” ala war war the of worlds and like, godzilla

dystopias like 1984 & episodes of black mirror, humans doing fucked up stuff that comes to bite them in the ass aka frankenstein and like every 1960s sci fi film about some giant creature that came about because of nuke bombs (which were pratically all the films then it seems), Weird Shit Happens ala the twilight zone, Exploring Them Oceans, Exploring Them Earth, or Exploring the depths of the earth ala journey to the center of the earth

Woag, space, ala more star trek esque stuff (spef tos), boom bam in space ala more star wars esque stuff? Normal people with normal problems but in sci fi settings! Among Us? (Side note that gave me the mental image of jonty in an among us costume thx to ava who convinced beatrice to let her dress him up via them puppy dog eyes and now i’m laughing my ass off.

semi related do you think beatrice would be the type to have a bunch of random & obscure dog merch? feel like she isn’t, that’s more ava’s thing, and ava’s thing is more on weird ass clothes for the dog that she deems cute, but i feel like beatrice probably has the occasional impulse buy or something that in hindsight was either stupid and/or the dog didn’t like collecting dust in her attic or something

((pls tell me beatrice has had the often universal pet owner experience of buying something more expensive than usual only for that money to just go to waste as the pet is near apathetic and likes something cheaper. i’m in hysterics imagining beatrice being Extra MopeyTM because she got some new relatively expensive dog food that was highly recommended by dog owners & vets w a bunch of Nutritional Benefits and she was excited to gift it to jonty, only for jonty to just sniff at the food, not touch a morsel of it and then whine that he didn’t get his usual birthday bone))

but i feel like beatrice might have like, a bunch of pictures of her dog and/or her & the dog, maybe even a whole album for them, and beatrice might have like a bunch of silly and/or matching pictures, like taking a picture in one of these type things, etc etc

Great questions.

I think (unsurprisingly) Beatrice would be suuuuper influenced by H.G. Wells and definitely Shelley. The sci-fi she writes would be along the lines of what if the world was the same as it is now except for this one fucked up thing or like The protagonist meets this one character or thing that changes them and flips their world on its head.

Her novels were probably verging on social satire and were inspired heavily by the war. She retaliated against her upbringing through her books. her father was absolutely Oxbridge educated and had a lot of books/subscribed to literary journals so Beatrice had a lot of material as a kid.

(The more... ahem frowned upon books she had to source herself. she definitely read Flowers of Evil and Carmilla etc and was left feeling very 123?!!13XZSDVFGH4????!!!1f?? by them. Also definitely read The Well of Loneliness and hated it a little bit.)

Short stories like The Croquet Player and A Dream of Armageddon were a reference point for her early writing probably. (she definitely had a wild time reading the time machine, as did I) Themes around Duty vs Love etc are just very very Avatrice so A Dream of Armageddon felt very them. It was sort of like what if Avatrice chose to leave together instead of fight etc and rejected their responsibilities in favour of being together and unbothered and in love and ran away back to Switzerland (but in the story it's Capri) idk it just made me think of that a little bit.

I imagine one of her more popular novels would be something about the intersection between religion and Science and some sort of reconciliation and/or divide between the two. Like maybe a new theory/invention/revelation that seemingly disproves a major theological belief, a la Ted Chiang's 'Omphalos' except in 1930 lol. Idk I'm not about to write an entire novel inside of this fan fic. Or am I... probably not,,, but who knows??? (not me).

I don't think Bea would hem herself in too much though. So there'd totally be weirder more experimental books the older she got (and the more comfortable she got in being a bit weird). Overall she'd lean more towards speculative/dystopian fiction rather than full-blown Star Trek-type sci-fi. Like, imagine how fucked up we can be as opposed to how fucked up things from outer space can be.

In regards to the pet tangent:

Beatrice has a million comfy dog beds for Jonty but (a lot like my own dog) he sleeps on none of them, much preferring cardboard boxes, people's shoes, or the windowsill. The Cardinal (Beatrice's cat) appreciates the beds though.

Jonty is far too wriggly to be still enough to have his picture taken/be put in clothes. The Cardinal on the other hand is perpetually :| and chill with everything so Ava would probably convince Bea to spend money on buying a camera or paying for professional pictures of him like these:

Beatrice would scoff but then, a few days later, would have them framed and put up.

This hc spiralled a bit but god was it fun. Thanks as always for the great question/thoughts.

#the cardinal will be introduced in the next chapter properly #next chapter should be up monday or tuesday depending on life #misiek asks #warrior nun #avatrice #1930s au #idk sometimes I have to emphasise that this is my hc and is probably and extremely cold take #I’m not great at these things #but questions like these help me flesh out the characters outside of the fic #and it helps !!! #cold or at least lukewarm takes

[jungle-angel]

“I’ve Never Seen Them Stand Up That Quick”

Summary: A frigid winter’s night on the Floyd Ranch brings something no one had ever expected

Notes: Bob x Reader pairing, OC introduction. Also I just got into watching “Reservation Dogs” on Hulu and had to throw a line from it in there (lol) AND SCREW IT!!! BOB’S MOM IS GONNA BE ALIVE FROM HERE ON OUT!!! I REPEAT BOB’S MOM IS ALIVE FROM HERE ON OUT!!! (but we won’t see her until the next fic)

God it had been A DAY......

Bob loaded the last giant log into the woodstove in the stables, hoping that what was already in there would last the night. It was absolutely freezing out and the snowfall hadn’t stopped at all. Winters had always hit the Midwest hard and when they hit, it was often with a vengeance. 

A rather loud snort and a whicker from one of the stalls quickly snagged Bob’s attention. Ruby, the deep red chestnut mare, staggered on her skinny little legs, her sides sticking out from being so heavy with her foal. She must’ve started in her sleep. Hawk had always said animals hold as many memories as men did. Perhaps Ruby had been in the throes of a nightmare. 

She had been an absolute wreck when she and her mate had come to the ranch, an emaciated wreck with a mottled, mange infested coat that left her itching with patches of hair missing. Bob, Joe and Hawk always hated it when they had cases like this, always in disbelief that someone could be so cruel to something so magnificent. 

“Shhhhh Ruby......Ruby...... Ahwayela......shhh...ahwayela,” Bob murmured soothingly as he gently ran his hand down her snout, gripping her bridle for dear life.

Ruby seemed to calm down but Bob still felt her trembling little quiver beneath his hand. He hated being this nervous, lying awake most nights in fear that Ruby might hurt her foal or herself. The last time a horse had been this bad, Bob had been met with the hooves right in his face, his glasses shattering into a mess, leaving him at the hospital to have the lens shards removed. 

“You doin ok in here Robert?” 

There was only one person on the face of this earth who ever called him Robert. He turned around to find Hawk entering the barn with a pair of tin mugs and a camp pot in his hands, his deeply lined and tanned face illuminated in the firelight. His long, pitch black hair had been tied around his head in a long braid with just a few lines of grey beginning to show. His dark blue jacket and jeans were worn with use, his steel toed boots spattered with mud and bits of hay. But there was something in Hawk’s eyes that spoke of an ancient sort of spirit that blended humor and a long line of wisdom in its roots. 

“She’s still skittish,” Bob lamented. “Just loaded a log into the woodstove and she woke up like she heard a gunshot.” 

“She’ll probably be like that for a while,” Hawk told him. “Just keep an eye out for anything else. You want a coffee?” 

Bob shrugged and nodded ‘yes’. It wasn’t like he could go back to bed yet. 

Hawk poured the dark, steaming liquid into one of the tin cups and handed it off to Bob who eagerly drank it, the smell of vanilla and macadamia nut filling his nostrils and tasting like a melted chocolate bar on his tongue. “You snitch this from the kitchen?” Bob asked him. 

“(Y/n) had an extra box on the counter next to the Keurig,” Hawk answered before sticking a cigarette between his lips and lighting it. “She said we could make some if we wanted.” 

Bob gazed thoughtfully at his reflection on the black, liquid surface, still worried about something he knew he couldn’t control. “I don’t know how I ever learned,” Bob sighed wistfully. “It’s just like the Navy sometimes, they throw you in and expect you to know everything.” 

“Oh yes,” Hawk said. “I know your pain. Us Natives have this weird pedagogy, one that says ‘get out and learn fucker’.” 

Bob snorted and choked a little on his coffee. “Goddamnit Hawk!” he laughed. 

“Hey, in all seriousness, you learned from the best,” Hawk informed him. “Me, your dad, your grandparents.....hell your mom too.” 

Bob shook his head and took one more good, long sip of the hot coffee, letting it run down his throat and warming his insides.

“Don’t worry about Ruby,” Hawk told him. “I’ve been working with horses all my life. I’ve seen even the worst, human and animal alike, turn out ok.” 

“You did?” 

“Oh yes,” Hawk said before he took a drag on his cigarette. “I remember when your father told me that (y/n) had delivered Auggie early. He showed me the pictures of him in his little incubator.....told me about how you had nearly lost him......and how he had bounced right back as though he hadn’t had a thing wrong with him.” 

Bob gave his mentor a grateful smile. “You’re right,” he said. “Maybe even the worst will turn out ok.” 

A loud, frightening noise came from Ruby’s stall, the men hastily setting aside their coffee as Ruby lay right down in the hay, her breaths shallow and her snorts coming in short spurts. “Shit,” Hawk hissed. “You’d better go get your dad. We might need him.” 

Bob nodded and raced right back to the house, hurriedly shutting the door behind him without even bothering to stamp off his snowy boots on the doormat. “Dad?!” he called out.

No answer. 

“Dad?!” 

He found Joe in his room, totally absorbed in a Stephen King novel and the faint smell of a freshly smoked joint hanging in the air. “Dad?” 

“Bobby, what’s hangin?” Joe asked cheerily. 

“You’ve gotta come,” Bob told him. “I think Ruby’s about to drop her foal.” 

Joe looked at the digital clock on the sidetable, the red numbers reading 8:45. “Ok,” he said, setting the book next to it. “Gimme a sec to get my boots.”

Joe hurriedly dug out his boots from under the bed and laced them up as quick as he could, throwing his jacket over his shoulders before following his son to the barn. 

“She on her side?” Joe asked. 

“Laid down about five minutes ago,” Bob answered.

“You wanna take this one?” 

Bob froze a little, his eyes widening slightly. “Um.....I.....sure.” 

“Ok now remember, just like your mom and I taught you,” Joe explained, Don’t panic if it gets stuck, just take your time and work with her.” 

Bob sucked in and let out a deep breath before kneeling in the hay beside Ruby while Joe kept Ruby calm. Oh God, I don’t think I can do this.....he groaned.

It felt like hours, long, drawn out and grueling hours before the foal’s front legs and hooves were showing. “C’mon baby, I know you’ve got it in you,” Bob murmured, his shaky hands covered in blood and a clear, sticky liquid. 

Ruby’s heaving breaths and pained cries startled two of the other horses, her mate in the next stall among them. Bob steadied his breath, trying to concentrate on what he was doing. He stripped off his winter vest and rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt as far as they could go. That’s when he noticed it.....the one thing every rancher feared. 

“Oh no, no, no, no,” he stammered, his voice laced with fear. “No don’t go back in.....for the love of shit don’t go back in!” 

Very carefully, Bob reached his hands in, trying to keep steady even as Ruby jerked and rolled until Joe and Hawk calmed her down. Hawk’s voice soon filled the stables, the quiet hush broken by his singing while Ruby suddenly went calm. He could feel the foal trying to make its way out, his hands grasping underneath the shoulders. 

One last push from Ruby and the foal made his way out, a beautiful little chestnut colt like his parents, covered in the slick, clear slime and smatterings of blood. Bob was caught somewhere between laughing and crying as he cleaned off the colt when to his amazement, the little thing stood right up, shooting to his feet like a bullet and neighing as though he had been born wild. 

“Holy shit,” Hawk murmured. 

Bob was in complete awe, never in his whole life had they ever had a horse like this. 

“I’ve never seen them stand up that quick,” Bob said breathlessly.

It wasn’t long at all before the colt soon came to rest in the hay beside Ruby, his little head resting in Bob’s lap. “You did good kid,” Joe told him. “You did good.” 

Bob thought so too as he scratched the colt behind his ears and kissed his head. 

#top gun maverick #robert bob floyd #bob floyd x reader #original characters

[fiadorable]

46 Great Things in Strange New Worlds (S1E01)

I decided to write down all the things I loved from each episode of Strange New World's first season.

Strange New Worlds | Children of the Comet | Ghosts of Illyria Part 1 & Part 2 | Memento Mori | Spock Amok | Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach | Serene Squall | The Elysian Kingdom | All Those Who Wander | A Quality of Mercy

Pilot episode things to love include:

Seeing first contact with the Federation from the POV of an alien species with Una's log overlaying the opening

Star Trek tradition of character being in love with really old American television/movies continues, this time with The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Pike's pancakes look divine - and the gentle way he spatulas them onto the plate! This is a person who is skilled and takes great care with delicate things.

I oddly love Pike referring to Batel as "Captain Batel" during breakfast and have this headcanon that he does so while she's in uniform to kind of draw the line between the personal and professional relationship they have

But also like shame on her for saying the pancakes were good BUT STILL LEAVING MOST OF IT ON HER PLATE

Calling the communicator a phone is weird - but I appreciate the effort they are making to bridge the way life imitated art and gave us cell phones before warp drives

Loving the way they are showing the relationship between Batel and Pike here, the friend/coworkers with benefits, call me when you get back in town but with no expectations thing - it feels realistic given their careers

Good god I love the music in this series please give me a soundtrack

What an absolutely gorgeous theme song and title sequence. It feels very Lower Decks visually, but definitely pays homage to the TOS sequence.

Say what you want, but I love seeing playful Vulcans. Tuvok had some excellent lines on Voyager, but seeing T'Pring and Spock dance around the engagement question is delightful.

"I'm going to have to ask you two to do that somewhere else." 😂😂😂

"Matrimony and duty. The two will complement each other." "I remain skeptical." As you should, girl, as you should

Oo, I do like the communicator plugging into a video display though. Nice blend of the 60s tech with modern tech.

Pike reviewing La'an's file and the Gorn report on the way to the Enterprise. Weird thing to like, I know, but this comes up later in my list.

I love that Enterprise is a learning ship and the cadets rotate through the departments

Pike has a goddamn fireplace in his quarters. He has a kitchen.

I love Pike's conversation with Spock on the way to Kiley 279, questioning how the knowledge of his accident will live in him and direct his actions in the years leading up to it - and the season finale answers that question which makes for a nice narrative circle shaped thing

Bridge troubleshooting sessions are the best

I love Nurse Chapel - she is the manic pixie dream girl of the show while still being extremely competent - and I love her introductory exchange with La'an and how Pike is just sitting back and watching them circle each other

"Well there's surviving and then there's living." I like that he left the decision to take the sedative up to La'an (and now knowing her backstory it makes sense but the first time I saw this episode I was like goddamn girl)

Obligatory "history of the United States" reference

Also loving the rivalry between Spock and La'an down on the planet… new coworkers are hard

Delta Scorpii Seven

"Always when I'm in the captain's chair" - This whole exchange is when I knew Ortegas was gonna be one of my favs

I love that Uhura is the one who is able to settle the rabbit - bonding through sports is the fastest way to get your alien captive to relax

The flirtatious lady in the elevator who sees Spock morphing while Pike pretends he has no idea what she's freaking out about - this man is a complete awkward dork around women how the hell did he get Batel into bed 😂(

"Somehow I figured you might" 😍 I don't ship them I don't ship them

"Can you not jinx it?" More of Una and Spock, please, I beg of you

Also the way Pike is holding her 😍 GODDAMMIT I DO NOT SHIP THEM

Spock screaming as his genome reverted was intense and I like it because it means my girl La'an is a fucking BEAST because she went through all of that without a sound on the ship which is horrifying

Shades of Janeway and the Caretaker's array in Pike's decision to interfere despite General Order 1 because without their original unintended interference there would be no secondary interference necessary - it's a parallel I am comfortable with

La'an calling Spock "the science officer" 😂

What a power move bringing Enterprise into lower orbit and I love the air raid sirens on Kiley that go off as it descends

"The true cost of a civil war is abstract"

"Right up until the very end life is to be worn gloriously"

Ok, ok, we get it, this is the bad place 🙃

The Kiley montage is weird like what is even happening in it are they worshiping the Enterprise at the end there with their paper doll cutout of it?? Aliens.

Renaming General Order One the Prime Directive

I like Admiral April - he is a solid dude

Pike knowing exactly what La'an is about at the end of the episode is the best. He's read her file, he knows all of this already, but he's letting her come to him and tell him in her own words and that's great.

"Other people are challenging for me." me too girl me too

Ugh this musiiiiiic 🥰

I just like watching this crew doing their jobs. The set is pretty, the people are pretty, the dialogue is crisp.

We are all Uhura saying "Cool!" on the bridge

Pike's almost knee-high boots

Ending credit music!

#st:snw #star trek strange new worlds #why is the pilot the name of the series #there's a lot that could have been done better this season #but there were also some really good things too #i want to focus on good things right now #ignore me #snw great things

[dwtsfun]

Dancing with the Stars Season 4 Week 8: Rewatch

Ballroom Round

Ian and Cheryl- Foxtrot (Judges' Score=22, My Score=7)- Is Ian pigeon toed? His legs were really bizarre here. It was a really skippy dance. And I thought his frame was not great. BUT, his performance was pretty good. He's definitely still improving on that front. But yeah, this just wasn't his dance.

Joey and Kym- Waltz (Judges' Score=26, My Score=9)- That was a really beautiful dance. I do have to agree with CAI and Bruno though. While it was beautiful, it was also kinda blah. I think he can find a perfect balance between the razzle dazzle of Joey and the stuffy uptight dancing that Len loves.

Billy Ray and Karina- Foxtrot (Judges' Score=18, My Score=6)- Meh. It wasn't good. I do see all the work that they put into it and Billy Ray has improved tenfold. But it just wasn't good. Bruno did a little much there though. That was kinda super disrespectful.

Laila and Maks- Waltz (Judges' Score=27, My Score=9)- The difference between this dance and Joey's dance is that there was an emotional connection to it that really added another dimension to the dance. I do agree that her posture needs work. But everything else was top notch.

Apolo and Julianne- Tango (Judges' Score=27 (idk honestly), My Score=9)- So I thought almost everything about this dance was perfect. His posture was amazing. The frame was perfect. His footwork was incredible. The choreography was great. But, he almost lost control at various moments throughout the dance. I am surprised that CAI and Bruno missed that.

Latin Round

Ian and Cheryl- Rumba (Judges' Score=25, My Score=8)- Ian's technique was much better this time around. His lines were nice and the hip action was good. I saw he was in his head just a little bit, but not too bad. It was good, but not as good as his two dances last week.

Joey and Kym- Mambo (Judges' Score=29, My Score=9)- It was good. Great even. But it wasn't as good as I think I've come to expect from Joey. It was a great performance though. It was fun for sure.

Billy Ray and Karina- Mambo (Judges' Score=20, My Score=6)- This might've been the most awkward dance that Billy Ray ever did on this show. It was just weird, awkward and kinda clumsy. Entertaining but whew, it was odd.

Laila and Maks- Jive (Judges' Score=26, My Score=9)- It was cute. I liked it. Laila's feet do need some work though. I need more energy through her leg all the way to her foot. That was my big problem. I didn't too much mind the start of the dance.

Apolo and Julianne- Paso Doble (Judges' Score=30, My Score=9)- Awww dangit. I so wanted to give this a dance. But Apolo and Julianne fell over right at the beginning and it looked like there was a missed hand connection halfway through. I am so glad that they redid this dance in the finals because I really want to see it done without the fall and the missed connection.

My Rankings and Score Out of 60:

1 Apolo and Julianne- 56 (28 for both) 2 Joey and Kym- 54 (26 for waltz, 28 for mambo) 3 Laila and Maks- 53 (27 for waltz, 26 for jive) 4 Ian and Cheryl- 46 (21 for foxtrot, 25 for rumba) 5 Billy Ray and Karina- 34 (17 for both)

So the bottom two were Joey and Billy Ray. And of course, Billy Ray was sent home, as he should've been. It was time. Bruno was starting to get mean with the comments. And honestly, he wasn't going to be able to compete at all. Getting to the quarter finals is a feat. This week was a bit of a lull but I am excited to see next week's dances. Let me know your thoughts and I will talk to you all soon!

#dancing with the stars #dwts #ian ziering #joey fatone #billy ray cyrus #laila ali #apolo ohno #julianne hough #maksim chmerkovskiy #karina smirnoff #kym johnson #cheryl burke #paso doble #tango #mambo #waltz #foxtrot #jive #rumba #season 4 #rewatch

[yayneloveart]

Trials and Trimesters, Chapter 12

When they arrived at Baker Street, Susato wasted no time running to the building marked 221 and quickly but politely knocking on the door. The townhouse looked well kept, and whoever lived on the second floor looked to be fond of plants from how many they had sitting in their window boxes. They only had to wait a moment before the door was opened by a kindly looking older lady.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She greeted them.

"Hello, we're here to see Mr. Sholmes, please," Susato tried to hide her excitement, but failed.

"Come to see Mr. Sholmes? I can't promise that he is home, but I can see you in."

The lady led them inside the townhouse’s foyer and Ryunosuke immediately looked down at his feet.

"Kazuma, can you help me with my shoes?" Ryunosuke asked. "I can't take them off without sitting down."

"Westerners don't take off their shoes inside their homes," Kazuma informed him.

"... How strange…" He hadn't thought much about shoes at the boarding house, they didn't wear them in their own room, but inside a nice townhouse like this?

They must spend a lot of time cleaning their floors…

The lady, who Susato whispered was likely the landlady Mrs. Hudson from the short stories, led them up the stairs to the second floor. According to her, she was a woman with all the patience in the world with how long she rented to Mr. Sholmes and dealt with his antics.

"Mr. Sholmes, are you in?" Mrs. Hudson knocked on the second floor flat's door. "You have callers, a few young easterners."

"Hurley isn't home, but I can see them!" The strangely familiar voice of a young girl rang out from inside the flat. "You can let them inside, I'm just finishing a project."

Mrs. Hudson opened the door and let them enter. Susato was the first to enter, excitedly looking at all the odd items and contraptions lining the flat. Ryunosuke remembered Mr. Sholmes’s strange goggles and other devices he had with him on the Burya and it looked like he had a lot more where those came from. The flat toed the line between 'heavily decorated' and 'messy' with all the things sitting around it.

"I can't believe I'm standing in the same place as where the King of Bohemia hired Sholmes to retrieve his photo with Irene Adler…" Susato sighed.

"I hope the young lady here knows where he is," Kazuma said. "We're losing time with all this running around."

"This place smells awful," Ryunosuke complained. "There's a strange chemical smell in the air and it's making me nauseous."

"That would be from Hurley's part of the flat" a young girl with pink hair skipped into the room from what looked like a side room made into a kitchen. "No matter how long he's away or how much I air it out, the smell of his experiments still linger."

"Oh, I didn't mean…!" Ryunosuke suddenly felt very flustered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say your home smells bad. I'm pregnant and it's making my sense of smell weird. I'm sure to normal people it smells very pleasant."

"Well, I'll make us some tea to bring in a good smell, and it should help with nausea." As quickly as she appeared, she disappeared back into her little kitchen.

"... does she look familiar to you?" Ryunosuke asked Kazuma.

"Yes, she was the young girl we briefly met at yesterday's trial," Kazuma confirmed. "I thought the design of her weapons looked familiar."

"Do any of the stories mention Sholmes living with a young girl?" Ryunosuke asked Susato, but she was too absorbed in admiring the items around the flat to hear him.

"The tea is ready!" The girl returned a few minutes later carrying a tray with a tea set and a freshly baked cake. "Come sit down and we can talk about your new case. I’ve never spoken to a Japanese lawyer before.”

The four of them sat around the metal chest that was being used as a table. The tea was poured and cake cut and passed around.

"Wow, this tea is amazing," Susato commented. "It's so fragrant and the taste so mellow."

"Thank you, I blend the leaves myself!" The girl beamed. “I’ve been working on a blend that can help alleviate fatigue. You must be exhausted after your long voyage here.”

"It does make me feel a lot better," Ryunosuke said between sips of tea and bites of cake. “Carrying a baby makes me tired, but I feel so refreshed.”

“Excuse my being forward,” Kazuma said, “But how do you know Mr. Sholmes? We met him on the Burya on our journey here but he never mentioned having a daughter.”

“Oh no!” the girl gasped. “Silly me, I never formally introduced myself. I’m Iris Wilson, and Hurley isn’t my father, we just live together.”

“Well, I am Kazuma Asogi, and I’m a lawyer from Japan here to study law.”

“And I am his judicial assistant, Susato Mikotoba,” Susato introduced herself.

“I’m Kazuma’s wife, Ryunosuke Asogi,” Ryunosuke said with a mouthful of cake.

“So we have Kazu, Susie, and Runo!” the girl clapped happily. “Nice to meet all of you!”

“Wait, did you say your last name is Wilson?” Susato suddenly asked. “I’ve read all of the ‘Adventures of Herlock Sholmes’ stories, but they’ve only mentioned a man named John Wilson.”

“Oh, that’s a bit of an alias,” Iris admitted. “I thought that people wouldn’t find stories about a great detective and a ten year old girl compelling, so I write them as if I’m a grown gentleman.”

“Wait, so you’re the author of the short stories?” Susato gawked. “And you’re only ten years old?”

“When I was ten years old I was still struggling to learn Kanji,” Ryunosuke remarked.

“You still struggle with Kanji,” Kazuma added.

“Let's talk more about your new case with Hurley and the Japanese man,” Iris changed the subject. “The case sounds very exciting, a stabbing where only one man was seen with the victim, but he says he didn't do it? It feels like quite the mystery.”

“How do you know all of that already?” Kazuma asked. “We only just met but you know we just arrived in London from Japan, that we’ve taken a recent case, and that it’s the case Mr. Sholmes is working with the Japanese defendant.”

“Oh, I was able to deduce all of that from just a few observations,” Iris smiled. “I can see that you just arrived in the country as I can see a boat ticket and passport in your jacket pocket,” she pointed at Kazuma’s pocket where the documents were poking out. “And from the type of sword you are carrying and your outfits, my best guess was that you came from Japan.”

“And I knew you’re working a case seeing as you are a lawyer, as I observed from meeting you the other day at the Old Bailey. Also, you each have a stamp on one hand that signifies a visitor to a prison, and it’s the type of stamp used for visiting foreign prisoners. Since you don’t look sad, I would suspect that you weren’t visiting a friend or relative, thus you must have been there to see a client.”

“And seeing as Mrs. Hudson said you were here to see Hurley, I figured that you were here about his current case. He helped arrest a Japanese man yesterday so it is only logical that you had gone to see him and are now here to ask Hurley some questions.”

The three of them sat in total silence as she explained her deductions. Even after she finished her speech, they still sat in awe of her, unsure of what to say.

“That…” Susato broke the silence, “That was amazing! And spot on!”

“I got everything right?” Iris clapped her hands happily.

“Down to the last detail,” Kazuma smiled at her. “I’m very impressed.”

“Thank you! I’ve learned a lot from Hurley.”

“So now that we’re speaking of the case,” Kazuma set his teacup aside, “Can I ask what you know about it?”

“Well, I can repeat what Hurley has told me so far.”

“That's a start.”

“Hurley had only just arrived at Paddington Station when the police arrived and they took him to the crime scene. They gave him the description of the man seen by the witnesses and the evidence left at the scene and he used them to find the man’s lodgings. They were very near the crime scene so they went directly there and they found the man hiding in his flat.”

“They only just arrested the man and the trial is tomorrow…” Kazuma sighed. “There's no time for us to investigate at all.”

“Hurley says there is a lot of crime in London,” Iris sighed with him. “The police have so much on their hands, they usually accuse the most suspicious looking person near the crime. And the courts are seeing so many cases they have to see them start and end quickly to handle them all.”

That sounds far from the ‘best judicial system in the world’.

For just a moment Kazuma looked despondent from hearing this, but quickly changed back to his lighthearted self before he made any comment on it.

“Thank you for talking with us today,” he smiled at Iris. “You’ve been very informative.”

“My pleasure, Kazu!”

“Could you tell us where Mr Sholmes might be? We would like to talk to him directly about the case.”

“I believe he is investigating the case a bit more. You’ll likely find him at the lodging house where your client was arrested.”

“Do you happen to know the address?”

“Well, the police are likely still investigating there. Have you met a detective named Gregson at all?”

“Yes, we are… acquainted with him.”

She stood up from her chair and went over to her desk, scribbling down a note before walking back and handing it to Kazuma. She also handed him a silver coin. “Give these to Gregsy and I’m sure he’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“Thank you,” he said as he pocketed the items. “It makes sense you know him since you write those stories with him in it.”

“Good luck with your investigation!” Iris said as they stood to leave. “Please come back soon so we can have more tea and cake!”

“We’ll be sure to come back,” Susato bowed to her. “We can talk about how you write all those wonderful stories.”

And have more of that cake.

#asoryu #asouryu #asoryuu #asouryuu