#sorry i know i have some mutuals who have a stake in this but

[pinbitch]

sorry hornet’s nest i know you guys have beef or whatever but in all honesty black sails and our flag means death you are the same to me

#the fact that the gay pirate shows are feuding is unfortunately hilarious to me #sorry i know i have some mutuals who have a stake in this but #they are indistinguishable

[kamaluhkhan]

you are so gorgeous (it makes me so mad)

pairing: young!coryo snow x fem!reader

summary: clemensia dovecote has a theory that you and snow are destined for an enemies to lovers arc. you're sure it's completely, absolutely not true...right?

warnings: 18 + smut; biting + mention of blood ; both reader and snow are not the best ppl and have some very classist/elitist opinions

a/n: finally!! i wrote one of the ideas that has been haunting me ever since i've been back in my hunger games obsession + watched tbosbas...needless to say this will likely be a series inspired by taylor swift's reputation album. also i am so sorry this is unedited bc ofc it's 3am when i had the motivation to write this but i hope y'all enjoy ♡

i've had enemies so intense it felt like love, so mutual it felt romantic (chelsea hodson)

"what in the name of all the gods is he doing here?"

you're practically seething when coriolanus snow walks into your foyer. he's wearing an ensemble made with crisp white silk and intricately embroidered with gold thread - elegant, eventhough its silhouette would have been fashionable last year. a single white rose sits in the pocket of his jacket. he surveys the crowd, like he's calculating who's most worthy of his attention, platnium blond hair perfectly curled and practically glowing under the light of the chandelier. he looks beautiful, almost angelic.

you absolutely hate it.

"oh, i invited him," clemensia dovecote informs non-chalantly.

coriolanus makes eye contact with you from across the room, and you turn your head sharply to your best friend.

"why would you think it was okay to invite him?"

clemensia smiles mischeviously, grabbing two champagne flutes from a passing silver tray. she hands one to you.

"i know the two of you have your petty squabbles — "

"they are not petty, nor are they squabbles," you grumble, taking a sip of your drink.

your contempt towards coriolanus was perfectly reasonable and absolutely mutual. he had some ridiculous notion that snow had to land on top, that it was his right to be there instead of yours. your relationship, if you could call it that, was limited to nothing more than snide remarks, sarcastic comments, and scornful stares. you both hyperaware of the importance of keeping up appearances, but the older you got - the closer to life outside of the academy and the higher the stakes - the more any sense of civility between you two faded. just earlier this week, you'd gotten into such a heated debate about the best way to increase viewership for the upcoming 10th annual hunger games, that your professor excused you both from the class early due to the disruption. it seemed that no one knew how to make you burn with anger quite like coriolanus snow.

clemensia rolls her eyes. "whatever you want to call it, i actually think the two of you would get along if you really tried."

one of the things you admired - and, frankly, loathed - about clemensia was her determination to always prove herself right. she had this theory - one you would call ludicrous - that the tension between you and coriolanus had nothing to do with academics or status and everything to do with wanting to rip each other's clothes off.

your eyes catch coriolanus' icy blue ones again and you down the rest of your drink. obviously, clemensia was wrong about this. so, very wrong.

"well," you huff, setting your empty glass down on another silver tray that passes by. you brush invisible dust off your dress - a deep red lace, short and form fitting with exaggerated long sleeves - and add: "you'll be lucky if i invite you to my next party."

clemensia might have had the sense to apologize then, but you walked away before she had a chance.

you allow yourself to weave through the crowd, greeting every guest with an equal facade of enthusiasm and grace. you smile as brightly at one person as you do the next, showing off your newly bleached teeth and making sure that everyone feels special. silver trays of food and drinks appear and reappear throughout the crowd, being carried by nameless waiters. there's a table overflowing with gifts concealed by crisply folded wrapping paper - you expect at least half of them will be worthless.

you put up a good front, but soon enough your lipstick needs reapplying and your hair readjusting, so you briefly excuse yourself lest anyone notice a crack in your perfectly constructed image. the door to your room is slightly ajar, and you open it to reveal none other than the person you'd deliberately, but not so successfully, tried to ignore all night, his white silk shirt stained a dark crimson that happened to match your dress.

coriolanus was furious when he found out you'd invited the entire graduating class, except him, to your birthday party. you'd even invited sejanus. it wasn't that he particularly wanted to celebrate you, of all people. you were the most brilliant, biting, enfuriating person he knew, but to be excluded in such a way was insulting. when clemensia extended him the invite, he jumped at the chance to prove to everyone, to you, that he belonged here. tigris curated his outfit, and it would have been perfect had arachne crane, vapid creature she was and ever the lightweight, spilled an entire glass of red wine on him. he hurried away before anyone could see him in such a humiliating state. coriolanus is in the middle of calculating his options when you walk into what he now realizes is your bedroom.

you don't say a word at first. you haven't said one to him all night. instead, you close the door behind you and your eyes graze his figure.

"you show up to my party, late no less, and now you're parading around in what looks like a bloodstained shirt that is far too outmoded to be appropriate attire for this occasion," you remark, displaying that signature fierceness. "are you trying to ruin my birthday, snow?"

"don't blame me," coriolanus scoffs. his shoulders tense and he makes a point to stand up a bit straighter. "blame arachne for not being able to hold her alcohol while she's complaining about the food."

"oh?" you raise an eyebrow. "what did she say?"

"something about people in the districts having better options."

"vapid bitch," you mutter under your breath. you walk over to your closet, disappearing for a few seconds before bringing out a fresh shirt. you extend it to him, but he doesn't take it.

"i can't very well have a good time when one of my guests looks like he just got killed in the hunger games," you huff. "so either you put this on or your leave my party. now."

coriolanus holds your gaze, his jaw clenched, before giving in and taking the shirt from you. he goes to undo the buttons of his shirt, but stops when he notices that your eyes never leave him.

"some privacy would be nice," he says sharply.

you roll your eyes, muttering something about it being your house and your room, before sitting across the room at your vanity. as he undresses and throws his soiled shirt on the floor, coriolanus watches you closely. you meticulously apply lipstick, the shade of red almost as dark as your black nails.

you were attractive, there was no denying that, but ultimately dangerous. because you weren't carelessly cruel like arachne, nor did you wear your heart on your sleeve like sejanus. you didn't use your family's status as an excuse to avoid hard work like felix, nor were you a spineless know-it-all like clemensia. no, you were different from the rest. you had a fiery ambition and a sharp tongue, a wicked streak with just enough charisma to lure people in. sometimes when he thinks of you, coriolanus recalls stories his grandma'am once told him and tigress, about sea monsters who would tempt sailors with their bewitching voices and enchanting beauty, enticing them to risk everything - to jump into the ocean and never be relevant as anything more than a midnight snack. you were a constant, suffocating reminder of how quickly he could lose everything if he lost control, if he gave in.

coriolanus watches you set down the tube of lipstick before picking up a compact. you lightly brush the shimmery powder inside over your face to accentuate some of your gorgeous features.

the desire that burns throughout his body now has to be a side effect of the few glasses of liquor he managed to drink, allowing himself the appearance of having a good time alongside everyone else without losing control.

your eyes leave your reflection momentarily, and you finally catch coriolanus staring at you. you wink at him from across the room just as he's finished with the last button. the way you look at him makes the collar of his shirt feel tighter.

he can not give in....but what's the harm in admitting, just for one night, that he would let you drown him? devour him? beg on his knees to give you pleasure, and then thank you after the fact?

coriolanus clears his throat. "this feels wrong. i should be the one gifting you with a new shirt. it's your birthday, after all."

you let out a breathy laugh, setting down your makeup. you walk over to him, until there are only a few inches between you despite the vastness of your bedroom.

even you had to concede that coriolanus snow had such a gorgeous face for such a vicious person. you're infuriated by how elegant he looks now, in your shirt. your hands busy themselves in smoothing down his already perfect collar and you take note of the intensity of his heartbeat. you notice the way his jaw remains clenched, his posture stiff, his skin flushed. you realize that he must be trying so hard right now to retain his composure around you and you feel something that can only be described as triumph.

you smile at him, sickly sweet, and remove your hands from his body. "the best birthday present i could get is winning the plinth prize over you, snow. we both know you're not good enough, let alone better than me."

he hesitates slightly before responding.

"sorry, valerius. that's the one thing i can't give you. is there anything else you'd want from me?" he whispers, words dripping like honey.

"that depends, is there anything you want from me?"

he hums, moving his hand to cup your cheek. he begins to trace your lips with his thumb, ruining the look you had so meticulously crafted.

if only you knew.

"you're the birthday girl, sweetheart," he chides. "i'm supposed to be the one giving the gift. you do know how birthdays work, don't you?"

he's mocking you, you know that. he's trying to make you feel weak and small. you had the power a second ago, his heartbeat in the palm of your hand, and normally you wouldn't stand for him turning the tables. you'd push him away, storm out the door. but right now all you want is to tug on his perfect blond curls, to bite the smirk off his lips. maybe it's the way he's so close and can't seem to take his eyes off your lips or the calculated amount of wine you drank that's made your head a bit foggy, made you put your guard down. made you start to entertain the idea that maybe possibly clemensia's theory had some truth to it.

"why don't you surprise me?" you suggest.

coriolanus surges forward and kisses you with such ferocity, he might as well be a man starving. teeth on teeth on tongue. you instantly tangle your hands into his hair, pull on some curls just to see what he'd do. he retaliates by biting down on your bottom lip, hard enough that you taste the metallic tang of blood mixed with the remnants of honeyed wine on his lips. you whimper and pull away slightly. he holds your face firmly between his two hands, so you cannot go too far.

"sorry." but he smirks, and you know he doesn't really mean it.

eventually, you've both stumbled onto the bed half-naked. coriolanus positions himself above you, effectively caging you in with his arms and legs. you take note of his lean thighs, his bare torso with skin taut around his bones. you're almost taken aback by how frail he looks - like a malnourished teenager from one of the districts. you reach out to trace the outline of his ribs, your nails scraping against his skin, and he shudders. your hand moves lower, teasing the waistband of his underwear. he stops you before it slips underneath the material.

instead, coriolanus begins to indulge in his deepest fantasy. he kisses and sucks and bites down your body, his tongue trailing down your chest, over your breasts and around your nipples, across your stomach. he laps up your soft whines, the curses that tumble from your lips for him to do something more. you sink further into the silk sheets when he arrives between your thighs. you raise your hips, desperate to find any sort of relief, and you feel his nails dig into your hips.

"patience," he teases, his breath fanning over where you needed him most. "so needy." you could practically feel coriolanus roll his eyes.

"i swear to god snow, if you don't do something soon. i-i'll go find someone else to fuck me. felix, or maybe sejanus --"

you yelp when his teeth sink into your inner thigh. he looks up at you, eyes the darkest blue you've ever seen them.

"don't," coriolanus warns, and he gets back to work, lips actually arriving at where you needed them most.

after you've reached your high, he comes back up to kiss you, allowing you to taste yourself. when he pulls away, you take note of how his lips and nose shine with remnants of you. the way he looks at you while he licks his lips shows you that he wants more. you move your hand down, and you're deeply satisfied when you feel him half hard, already sticky with his release.

"oh." you smirk. "you already finished."

his eyes widen, skin flushing pink. you could feel his heartbeat grow faster above you. you could imagine he was debating the best way to restore his dominance from before. yet, here he was, nothing but a horny teenage boy who came untouched as he was eating out his worst enemy. you find it in you to not call him pathetic, but instead decide, in your post-orgasm haze, you find it endearing.

"i-i didn't mean to, but --"

"i'm just that sexy when i cum," you suggest, running your hands through his curls to calm him down. "how about we try again, pretty boy?"

soon enough, he's sitting up with his back against your headboard and your legs wrapped around his waist, his length fully nestled into your warm cunt. coriolanus' blunt nails graze your hips, moving lower to your ass to guide you with each thrust. you love seeing him underneath you, seeming completely mesmerized by how your breasts bounce up and down in front of him. he leans forward to wrap his lips around your nipple, but you beat him to it. you bend forward and suck bruises onto his skin, everywhere and anywhere: underneath his chin, across his collarbone, where his neck meets his shoulder.

his moans are so loud, and you're sure he's not going to last much longer. you're also worried that some of the other party guests might catch you, so you pull his head away from your shoulder and crash your lips back onto to his. you swallow his moans as best you can, tongues fight for dominance, but he lets out a deep groan, and lets you win. you bite down on his bottom lip just as you reach your climax, causing him to let out a deep groan once more.

you gasp when he suddenly flips you over, pulls out of you and stokes himself a few times before painting your body with his release. coriolanus all but collapses on the bed beside you. you're both breathing heavily for a few moments, on your backs looking up at the ceiling, before he turns on his side towards you. coriolanus trails hs fingers down to your abdomen, sticky with his cum.

"i told you: snow lands on top."

"was that a joke, coryo?" you guffaw, genuinely surprised at the mischievous but playful glint in his eye. a bit surprised at yourself, too, for using his nickname that you'd so carefully avoided. you had to remind yourself that he was still the same coriolanus snow you'd grown to hate.

the boy tangled in the sheets beside you, his messy curls translucent under the light of your chandelier, his skin glowing with sweat and decorated with lipstick and rose-petal bruises. the boy who now smiles at you with dazzling blue eyes, leans closer and whispers:

"don't get used to it. it's a special occasion." coriolanus kisses you sweetly, and you shiver before he adds: "happy birthday."

this boy in bed with you now is the same manipulative, power hungry snake who would stab you in the back if need be. and, the truth of the matter is: you aren't much different, either.

you get up to grab his wine-stained shirt, use it to wipe off his release and toss it back down to the floor.

his eyes follow you the entire time, even as you come back to straddle him again. almost instantly, you feel him harden underneath you. you hold his head in your hands, kiss him deeply, tease his bottom lip between your teeth as you pull away.

"snow lands on top, huh? not for long, if i can help it."

#posting this again bc tags are being weird... #but please enjoy!! #coryo snow #young coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow smut #coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus x you #coriolanus snow #coriolanus x reader #coryo snow x reader #coryo x reader #tbosbas #the hunger games fanfiction #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #thg #saf writes #inspo: these violent delights have violent ends #Spotify #snow x reader #snow x you

[leclerc-hs]

me or him? - cl x hs

Pairing: charles leclerc x fem!reader, ex!harry styles x fem!reader Summary: a request from anon, in which your ex (harry styles) shows up to the paddock and brings jealousy to Charles Warnings: some smut, language, bad writing?? Word Count: 1098 Author's Note: You ask and I shall deliver!! Sorry I didn't make Harry as toxic in it, it was hard for me to make him too much of an asshole because he's such a cutie patootie LOL. I really did want to make him more of an asshole. Maybe I'll make another. I hope it's up to your standards for now! I tried my best ❤️ French edits made by @shewantsvengeance!!!

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

YOU COULDN'T HELP but feel like the universe was playing a twisted joke on you. In what world would Harry Styles be attending a Grand Prix, let alone the Monaco Grand Prix, and to make things even more surreal, he’s in the Ferrari garage. Where you presently stood beside Charles.

To the casual observer, it might not have seemed like anything out of the ordinary. Just another celebrity making a visit to the paddock. But there was a significant detail that set this celebrity apart from the rest: he happened to be your ex-boyfriend.

It was a detail of your past you didn’t get to mention. To be fair, you and Charles were still a relatively new couple, and you hadn’t found the right moment to discuss past relationships with one another just yet. 

“You look so beautiful, ma chérie.” My darling. You both were hidden in the corner as he pecked a gentle kiss onto your lips. Your hands slowly wrap around the back of his neck, a knot formed in your stomach. You needed to give him some warning.

“Cha, I need to tell you this fast. My ex-boyfriend is here.” You whispered it so fast and so low you don’t even know if he heard you correctly.

You and Harry hadn’t parted on bad terms; in fact, your breakup had been quite mutual. However, it was also fair to admit that it was messy in terms of ending up in each other’s bed every so often. But that was before. Before Charles.

“Y/N?” A voice interrupts, and you both quickly separate from each other. You felt like a deer in headlights.

“Harry! How are you doing?” You gave Harry a small, polite hug, still avoiding eye contact with Charles. The thought of his reaction made you nervous, and you couldn’t get yourself to meet his gaze. 

Charles had never exhibited a penchant for possessiveness, or at least, you had not perceived him as such. Nevertheless, in this instant, the proximity of your ex-boyfriend, who gazed at you as if you were the sole focus of this entire room, ignited an uncontrollable urge to clench his fists and drag you someplace else. Somewhere far away from here.

“Doing well,” Harry began, his gaze unwavering on your face. “I thought I’d run into you at the annual Christmas soiree,” he mused with a chuckle, following it with, “I’ve missed you.”

You almost choked on your response.

Charles could sense his frustration intensifying at the undivided attention of Harry seemed to be giving you. Although you continued to avert your gaze from Charles, the vice-like grip of his hand on your hip conveyed an unmistakable message of his discontent.

Harry’s gaze traveled, from your face down your body, following the path of Charles’s hand that had claimed its place. A slight frown forming on his lips.

“Harry, meet Charles, my boyfriend.” You said with a soft smile. Harry extended a hand towards Charles, who, though still visibly tense, accepted the handshake.

Silence filled the space between them, unspoken words hanging in the air. You found yourself ensnared amid an unvoiced rivalry. Harry who struggled to divert his attention from your face for more than a fleeting moment. Charles who wanted to stake claim.

Charles felt increasingly invisible as you and Harry further engaged in conversation. He couldn’t even decipher what you were discussing at this point. His focus had shifted entirely to observing the way Harry was looking at you. Like he wanted you. Like he had no shame.

It made Charles livid.

“Ma chérie, we need to go grab my helmet. I left it in my driver’s room.” Charles cut off the conversation by pulling you away. Not even sparing another glance to Harry. 

You didn’t get to see the expression on Charles’ face as he hurriedly led you into his driver’s room. You didn’t even have a chance to take a single step, as the moment the door was shut, you found yourself pushed up against it and your dress was bunched at your waist.

"You're helmet was literally in the garage Cha," you squealed out.

“Are you trying to drive me insane?” His breath was hot against your ear. You felt goosebumps arise almost instantly at the sound of him shoving his race suit down his legs to free himself. 

“Thinks he can have you back.” He scoffed. “Thinks he can stare at what’s mine.”

He spit directly onto his hand, mimicking the gesture of spitting on the sidewalk. An act of frustration. Almost instantly, he brought his fingers between your fold. “Ma chérie, you’re already so wet.” He hissed as he rubbed his cock through your slick folds.

“Always,” you breathed out heavily as he pushed himself all the way in. “Always for you.” 

His hands were fervent, rubbing and pinching all the right areas to send you quickly towards the edge. 

“Yeah?” He emitted a deep, guttural moan, quickening his rhythm as his hand descended to the spot that you yearned for most. You began nodding your head fervently in response.

Yes. Yes, you’re the only one. You’re the only one I ever want.

“You all wet for him? Hm?” He sneered. “Talking to him got you all hot and bothered?” He was playing with fire.

“No, never,” you were shouting. Needing more. More of him. 

“You’re my little slut, ma chérie?” He groaned in your ear. His hips rapidly picking up the pace. You found yourself utterly incapable of forming a coherent response; the strokes of his cock so deep you were in bliss. Instead, all that escaped your lips were unintelligible groans, a testament to the overwhelming sensations coursing through your body. “Look at you, so cock dumb. Can’t even speak properly.”

It didn’t take much time at all. Your intense desire for him, your deep connection, it all culminated in a swift and intense climax. Him, lost in the same ecstasy as he quickly finishes all over your backside. Dragging his heavy cock over your ass to smear his cum into you.

After a few moments of heavy panting and the gradual return of normal breathing, you finally turned to meet Charles’ gaze. His countenance bore a mix of elation and something more complex, not quite sadness, but perhaps a touch of insecurity.

“Cha, you’re the only one I want.” You confirmed the phrase with a firm kiss to his lips. You felt him smile into it. His hands squeezing any area of your body he grabs onto. As if you would wither into thin air if he didn’t. 

“You’re stuck with me, ma chérie.” He pulled away. “I’m never letting you go.”

#charles leclerc fanfic #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagine #f1 imagines #charles leclerc angst #charles leclerc fic #charles leclerc smut #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #charles leclerc #harry styles imagine #harry styles x reader #harry styles

[smile-files]

object show dashboard simulator

2 notes

🛒shop-png Follow

i swear to cart if one more object tries to use me to buy their groceries i will explode

✂️ i-beat-paper Follow

um well maybe if you stop hanging out in the grocery store 24/7 folks won't use you like you're a regular shopping cart???

🛒shop-png Follow

dude i work at the grocery store. go outside and cut some grass

46 notes

🧩 fuzzypuzzle Follow

this week was soooo fun!!!

sunday: sat in a field

monday: sat in a field

tuesday: smiled at a bug

wednesday: sat in a field

thursday: sat in a field

friday: died :P

saturday: sat in a field

i hope all of you had a good week too <33

🪀 yay-for-yo-yo Follow

OMY same!!!! but i smiled at 2 bugs, not 1.

soooo happy to see you happy, puzzle piece!!!!!! :D

🪵 logrot23 Follow

hey sorry is this a mutuals only thing? or can i also talk about my week

🧩 fuzzypuzzle Follow

oh no worries, go ahead!!! :)

🪵 logrot23 Follow

i killed 17 people

21 notes

🍰 cake-at-stake Follow

lol you bfdi lovers WISH you had my url

🔥 fireyfan1 Follow

UGH

137 notes

❄️ fragile-snowflake Follow

what the flake is wrong with you people making thirst posts about fan. you know he's on here right?? he can see that

🥨 pretzelboy2008 Follow

who said i don't want him to see it? ;)

❄️ fragile-snowflake Follow

i will eat you

2,395 notes

🧍‍♂️theguy9348 Follow

Hey guys, I hope you're ready for my face reveal...

What do you think? I hope I don't look too ugly...

⚙️ machines-in-love Follow

EWWWW what's this thing doing on the object website???? for cog's sake, sending this guy to the TLC right now

💀 flamingskull Follow

haha op isn't it so funny that i'm a sentient version of your bones

202 notes

☢️ rad-positivity Follow

friends, remember that it's always okay to ask for a hug when you need one. you are valid and you are seen <3

🪥 toothteller Follow

okay maybe for me but if anyone gave you a hug they'd die. you're literally a biohazard

☢️ rad-positivity Follow

there's always recovery centers :) i'm just prioritizing my mental health <3

🪥 toothteller Follow

what is wrong with you? can we make out?

97 notes

🪭 inanimateinsanityfan Follow

now i know what it feels like to have... obsessive fans...

for totally unrelated reasons i won't be active on this blog for an unspecified amount of time :D

🌡fantubeshipper4life Follow

omga i bet it's cuz he's getting married!!!!!

🪭 inanimateinsanityfan Follow

kill yourself

5,873 notes

🧲 pozitive Follow

is it just me, or am i always drawn to pessimists?

[other positive charges DNI. i will block you]

13 notes

🍀 ii3clover Follow

tee hee :)

9,865 notes

🙂 smile-files Follow

💧bfb-teardrop Follow

:) ?

🙂 smile-files Follow

oh my goodness

#melonposting #spoof #osc #no clue what else to tag this as. anyway i need to be applying to colleges right now #goo bye #sui mention tw #tw sui mention

[loaksky]

— 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴

the lowdown —the one where you can’t help but want lo’ak even though he’s in love with someone else.

the who — lo’ak x fem omatikaya!reader

the word count — 735

the tags & warnings — unrequited love (oh boy we’re doing this) ,, one-sided pining ,, lo’ak is oblivious & reader is a slave to her feelings for him :(

the notes — based on this request ! strayed a little from the prompt, but i think some of the lyrics still apply ! 

masterlist

For some time, you’d always thought that your feelings for Lo’ak had to be the most diminutive seedling planted in the drought of your adolescence, but it grew, bloomed, and flourished. And under even the most stressful of circumstances, the only thing you could ever be certain of was that every pump of your heart was for him. 

You tried to prune the ebbing fondness at the start, didn’t want a single soul to know that the troubled son of the clan’s leader had staked a claim on your affections, but like growing pains, you evolved with the feelings.

As you grew into yourself, grew from being fond to being in love, you started to read between every line, began to analyze every lingering gaze, every friendly smile. You white-knuckled hope so tightly, at times you felt you couldn’t breathe. Not when the idea of you and Lo’ak was fragile and a single gust could shatter what you spent years shielding. 

And for a while you thought that the feelings could be mutual, thought that the fine line you two danced over was just the start of something more, but you couldn’t bring yourself to bite the bullet. You’d just always assumed that neither could he. 

Lo’ak was carrying a burden on his shoulders, one that was meticulously crafted over years of being compared to the eldest Sully. It was only natural that you’d assume the role of softening him, words gentle, heart on your sleeve as you’d whisper your sound declarations laced as sweet affirmations. 

You smoothed over every bruise inflicted on both skin and soul, built him up in times when his foundation was crumbling. And god, did you wish he’d see you. Wish he’d see that you were trying, hoped so hard that he’d kiss your wounds away, too. But you’re too used to giving and he’s too used to taking. 

But truthfully, you’d take Lo’ak any way you could have him, no matter how much you pined, no matter how much you wanted, needed him to be yours, you mustered the courage and the contentment to accept as much of him as he’d be willing to give you. 

However this? This was the final straw. The one that fractures your already delicate heart. 

Lo’ak’s preoccupied, the same girl who’d begun to show interest all those weeks ago tasting his lips the same way you’d yearned to for years. And you don’t mean to stare, dread pooling and coiling in your gut, but he’s touching her like you’d always wished he’d touch you and it makes you sick. 

And you figure this is what breaking feels like, when you hear those three burning words whispered in the dead of the glowing forest, not swallowed fast enough as Lo’ak leans in to kiss her again. 

“I love you.” 

Lo’ak is in love.

It’s the kind of love that’s consuming. The kind that cripples in the silence of night, makes him absolutely flushed with the desire to spend every waking moment intertwined. It’s the kind that teeters over a very dangerous line, one that can send Lo’ak into the throes of the most passionate and fulfilling love, or send him barreling headfirst into the thorns. 

It’s the latter, he realizes, after weeks of the honeymoon phase, of talking about the future, of parading around the village boasting such a shiny lover. 

“My parents have arranged a marriage.” 

Lo’ak’s smile drops, eyes unblinking as he stares at the girl before him in utter disbelief. 

His thoughts come out in a disarray, unable to formulate a solid sentence to convey the way fissures are forming in his chest. 

“We can’t continue this,” she tells him tearfully. “I’m sorry.” 

It’s the first time he begs, clinging to her tightly, like pleading will rewrite their stars. 

You find him in the same spot after eclipse, eyes glued to the twinkling skies through the opening in the canopy of trees. 

The severance of his union is a hushed hum among the villagers and you are a creature of ruinous habits, always set to self-destruct. 

You swallow as you approach him, fingertips brushing his shoulders as a silent announcement that you’re there. 

He can’t help the shiver that runs down his spine, something like distant comfort niggling in his stomach. Because if there’s one thing he can count on, it’s you picking up his broken pieces. 

And you do. You always do. 

neng © 2023

taglist; @nao-cchi , @jkiminpark , @philiasoul @amart-e , @s-u-t , @netesbby , @tayswiftlovebot , @dumb-fawkin-bitch , @fanboyluvr , @neteyamoa , @itssiaaax , @girlpostingsposts , @athenachu , @neteyamo

#lo'ak imagine #lo'ak x reader #lo'ak drabble #lo'ak avatar #lo'ak fanfiction #lo'ak fic #avatar #avatar the movie #avatar way of water #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #atwow

[phantomrose96]

So I'm one of those people who had to take a break reading ABoT. Part way through reading I thought of that writing advice that goes something like "look at the current scenario and figure out how things can get worse" and decided ABoT was applying that advice with both fervor and finesse. It had me hooked through multiple all nighters and it wasn't until, ironically, the ending of chapter 37 where Reigen is standing in the remains of the Mogami house that I stared at the next chapter button and realized I would absolutely not be able to handle more, mentally or emotionally, if this fic kept following the previous advice. So I set it aside for a month to recover, tentatively poked into the next chapter tense and ready for things to continue spiraling, and gradually started to relax and unravel until...well, you know. I remember having to put my phone down and take a walk with the reveal of everything that Ritsu had incidentally caused (even if the blame can be pinned on basically everyone in some measure, but that's a whole other essay in my notes).

When I reached the current cliffhanger, I waited a scant day before starting all over, this time slower, more careful, and with a more analytical eye. Not for critique, but because I was confused. That writing advice from before, I'd seen it implemented both poorly and skillfully, and ABoT used it with a finesse I've yet to see anywhere else, and I had to figure out how. What made what can be boiled down to a high stakes wild goose chase so compelling? Why couldn't I put this story down until my emotional limit couldn't handle any more? How could I learn from this and make my own writing better? What did this have that I clearly lacked?

I don't think it was until after Teru's and Ritsu's first fight that it clicked for me. I stared at that scene, then my own characters, and realized I'd written two of my own meeting in a similar fight and had neglected any form of consequences. My characters became friends because of a mutual friend. Because that was the end goal I wanted. I had that omniscient knowledge; I knew I wanted them to end up as friends, so I wrote the most objectively logical decision to make.

Except. These characters aren't objectively logical. They make the decisions that look the best to them in the moment, even if those decisions are bad, or horrible. A character who's been soundly beaten into the ground by another won't so easily become their friend, even if their opponent is the nicest person ever. There's distrust and fear. They're going to make bad decisions. Things weren't getting worse for the sake of getting worse. They got worse because of the direct (bad) decisions of the characters.

Once I realized that, I was struck with such violent inspiration I wrote something like 11k words worth of scenes and revitalized my own love of writing in a day. I was so stuck on the end goals I forgot about the struggles in between. I had gotten so focused on grand, overarching conflict, I forgot how compelling it can be to just have two characters punch each other in the face. Too much of my writing had stuff happening around the characters instead of happening TO or BECAUSE of them. I had forgotten character conflict, and when I started writing those flaws, I couldn't stop. I was having too much fun!

Sorry for rambling about my own stuff, I just wanted to convey how much impact you and ABoT have had on my own creative endeavors. I've been inundated with too many stories, fics, movies that occur on such big planet-wide scales with dire, multiverse threatening levels of conflict, that when presented with a long form tale of a kid desperate for his missing brother, told from the perspectives of a small, well developed and spectacularly characterized cast, in a single city, told with stakes that made me care more than any threat to the world, it was like a breath of fresh air. So I guess this is a thank you for ABoT as a whole and a thank you for writing Ritsu the way you do.

Unfortunately for him, he's an inspiration.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YES YOU GET IT YOU GET IT YOU GET IT

ABoT, if nothing else, is a story about its characters. Everything that happens with consequence to the plot can be traced back to a character's own decisions. The characters' wants and needs and actions and faults all come first, and the plot follows accordingly.

(And maybe that sounds obvious.) Aren't stories about characters? But there are so many stories where the characters are just kinda... there. They're blank slates to receive the plot happening around them. Many things they try to do have no consequence. They'll try to take action and the plot will carry on exactly the same as though they'd never even tried, because the writer doesn't want to figure out how that character action might matter. Or a character will do something awful and the plot will just brush past and forget, no consequences or continuity, because the writer had their fun in the moments but now they care about getting the plot back on track, and that would be annoying to work around. They create stories where you can't put your excitement and investment in the characters cuz you just... can't trust they'll matter.

The most important thing about ABoT, to me, is that the characters are making it happen. The good, the bad, can all be traced back to decisions characters had the active choice in making.

I have plenty of fun joking that ABoT is one of those "oh my god it keeps getting worse!!!" stories, but I never ever do that by just dropping random terrible things from the sky. It's always the characters. It's them and it's their consequences of everything they've set in motion, or fought against, or allowed to happen. It's always a thread, thoroughly traceable, spawning from character actions which drives everything both good and terrible (and SUPREMELY terrible) that happens. It will always be the characters.

And I really, truly believe this is what I'm doing to make what is ultimately a wild goose chase featuring less than a dozen people worth reading. When Ritsu fucks up, it's worth caring about because you know this will impact the course of the story. When Reigen succeeds, it matters because he does have a grip on the reigns of the plot and has the chance to better this for everyone. When a character does anything, it matters because is about them, and what they're desperately trying to achieve.

And when a scene isn't about "an action with a consequence", it's still a scene with a point. For any scene I write I always make sure I can answer "what's the point of this scene?" Mob and Reigen reopening Spirits and Such isn't about to barrel the plot forward, but it's hearty and important character development for them. It's the "why should I care about this future being snatched from their grip" when everything goes wrong.

When everything went bad bad around chapter 32, and tumbled worse for many chapters to come, it was me finally tipping over the first domino in a chain of dominoes the characters themselves have been setting up since the start. It went bad not because I arbitrarily decided to fuck with them, but because everyone's actions carried consequences.

Even with ABoT's WORST possible outcome, where Mogami comes out the victor with everything he wants, all others crushed beneath him, this will mean the ruination or death of about... 10 people. A blip on the news. An "oh isn't that sad?" when a second kidnapped son never makes it home, when a conman goes missing (not noticed until a month later when the rent comes due), when a police officer kills his wife and himself, when an orphan kid vanishes off the map from Black Vinegar mid. And life would carry on. And the sun would still rise every day. And no part of this would end the world.

But if I'm doing this right, I want that outcome to feel like the end of the world. I want it to feel worse than that, given what a quiet and unsung tragedy it would be for all these personal efforts and struggles and desperate reaches for betterment are snuffed where they stand. Because they tried and it mattered and they failed anyway.

It IS just a wild goose chase centering around a kid who wants to have his kidnapped brother back, and it's 350k+ words to me.

dfjkdfnkjdf so anyway, I am very clearly super thrilled you were able to see this! It all ties back to character weaknesses and strengths, consequences of actions, irrational responses to situations fueled by character, and not by logic, and the audience knowing that what these characters do will matter. I love stories where humans are messy. I love stories where the tragedy happened because of them, where you can trace the thread back and find exactly how it all went wrong. I love clashing personalities. I love character spirals you can see a mile away and yet you know exactly why the character did that. I love yelling at the pages while knowing that realistically, this character wasn't going to do any better than that. I love knowing exactly how things could have been avoided, and knowing exactly why they happened anyway. I love seeing consequences stick. I love seeing characters matter. And I'm goddamn thrilled you feel that way too and that ABoT could make you find the way to do that in your own characters!!!

#abot #a breach of trust #sorry this took so long to answer i kept writing responses that got way off track #and then I'd have to come back like #'no you cannot write a 20000 word explanation of every single pivotal character action and consequence in abot' #'i know you (me) worked hard to plan those out but you (me) cannot write all that'

[gingerylangylang1979]

The representation debate.. yes, this is all over the place.

I don't even know if I'm the most intelligent person to start this discussion nor do I have answers. What I do know is there is a debate brewing surrounding Bottoms and queer representation that got me thinking about representation in entertainment in general. I'm not queer but I am a black woman, so that is my frame of reference. I will also preface by saying I haven't seen the film.

Apparently some people are mad that Rachel isn't a lesbian or Jewish but has played multiple characters with those identities. In a plot twist, Emma, a Jewish lesbian cast Rachel in Jewish lesbian roles twice, so she's unbothered. Ayo has played a few queer roles and has been consistently vague about her identity but one could assume from her interviews that she is possibly bi or pansexual. Anyways, it came out that Rachel has/had? a boyfriend and Ayo has/had (maybe they broke up?) a boyfriend and people have been up and arms. Like Ayo's dude/ex-dude? was getting harassed to the point a mutual friend stepped in. I think part of this is people just mad because these women maybe are taken and they can't date them but also mad because they feel the roles should have gone to women who are 100% lesbians. I've read some people mad that they think it's a cop out for the actresses to not be transparent because they are in possibly the biggest lesbian movie for this generation. So I guess the question is what do they owe that community, if anything? Not my community, so I dunno but fascinating to think about what this means culturally.

I get that a community can feel that actors who get roles representing them should be cast with people from that marginalized group being prioritized. It took years for things like black, brown, and yellow face to become taboo, for queer characters to even be a thing, and actors allowed to be out. So it does seem like that work should be graciously granted to people who fit those demographics. Like, all of this is still new and messy in Hollywood so I do feel like some reparations as far as opportunity are due. And Hollywood has failed hard even recently. We've just a few years ago had cases of white actors being greenlit to play Asian characters. And I don't care if the characters were bi-racial, most mixed race Asian people look identifiable as being of Asian ancestry and are viewed as non-white. Like, I don't want to see a white person play a bi-racial black woman. Nope. And don't even get me started on how colorist the industry still is. In 2023 black entertainers still feel the need to bleach their skin, only wear European looking hair, and get nose jobs to get ahead. And the sad thing is, it often works. Even Erykah Badu gave in. So we need more black women who look straight up black to not be sidelined... STILL.

So my next thought is people who would say, but, but POC are playing traditionally white characters. To me it doesn't make a difference if the OG character is white if their specific heritage had nothing to do with the character. And even then, exceptions can be made. British, doesn't have to mean white, for instance, etc., etc. And Hamilton subversively cast POC as American founding fathers.

But anyways, back to Bottoms. Again, I don't have a true dog in this fight except to say I'll just focus on Ayo, because she's a black woman. Honestly, I'm just happy to see her get good roles. I don't care if she is personally queer, if she personally isn't queer as long as she is representing an interesting black woman. I do have stakes in her being into men on The Bear because that's the romance I see brewing regardless of what people think representation wise. Her character could be bi or pan and I would be fine with that but sorry, I can't dismiss what I see as her into Carmy. Not to derail this with my shipper goggles but there is a strong contingent of people deeply invested in seeing Syd be a lesbian and I get it but I think if that's not what is written, it isn't what's written regardless of what representation people want to see.

I dunno, my opinions aren't coherent nor do I think I've figured anything out and am not trying to speak for other communities. I'm just sharing passing thoughts and wanted to get other people's opinions in hopefully a civil discussion.

#ayo edebiri #rachel sennott #emma seligman #bottoms movie 2023 #the bear #sydney adamu #carmy x sydney

[batrogers]

Not My Problem

[Linked Universe, Time's POV, very early in their meetings. Rated G, funny misunderstanding.]

[Reminder: Time doesn't know what genre he's in and, here, doesn't know the other Link's all that well yet~!]

III

"No, no, I promise I'm not upset you just surprised me--"

Link paused on his way back from the stream. His hands were full with a water bucket for cooking later, but the words and the tone from one of his companions -- Wild, he thought, their voices still a little unfamiliar this soon after coming together -- was possible trouble.

"Yeah, of course. Honestly, I expect that to be a problem with most of them at some point, that's why I came out here."

Twilight, Link thought. He'd already talked to him a little about his adventure. The other man had had questions for him, ones he couldn't really answer. How could he, about his own future? A life he hadn't yet lived?

How many of them knew more than they should about the others, and their mutual past? He didn't know.

Still. He'd commanded enough men he derailed from his walk back to camp to find the clearing the voices were coming from.

"Yeah, I get it. I really didn't expect to see you like that though..." Wild continued, and Link walked into sight just as the young man sat back and brushed his long hair out of his face. He looked flustered -- far more flustered than Link had expected.

Across from him, Twilight was half-sprawled on the ground and staring back with utter fascination. He snapped to attention at the sound of company and looked up at Link with wide-eyes.

"Time!" he stammered. "I -- shit, it's nothing I swear!"

Wild nearly threw himself back in shock, his face scarlet.

Link looked between them once more and rolled his eyes. "I'll leave you to it," he said, and turned quickly away. After a few years working around young men in close quarters, he didn't need to get involved here.

Behind him, he could hear twilight spluttering something, but if he wanted to talk about it he could come find him about it. Link had no stakes here; whatever the others got up to was their problem, not his. He dropped off the water with Sky, and set himself to helping Hyrule finish pitching a tent. They were on their way from one village to the next, in someone's Hyrule -- they weren't sure who's yet, their information about who and what they were looking for unclear but, Link supposed, they didn't need that many of them to have trouble brew.

Now he just had to hope this didn't lead to problems later on.

'Later on' was about twenty minutes later. Wild and Twilight came back into the clearing together, still looking awkward about something and -- as he'd expected, and honestly hoped didn't happen -- Twilight came to his side.

"Hey, can we talk a moment?"

The young man's face was still very red. Link straightened from setting out bedrolls but nodded and jerked his head towards the woods once more. "We can go get more water. The stream seems clean enough."

Twilight grabbed a bucket with relief; Link took a few waterskins and they walked together for a few minutes until they were out of earshot of the others.

"Sorry about earlier--" Twilight began.

"It's none of my business what you two get up to," Link cut him off. "I promise I don't care."

"Gods and spirits, we weren't kissing!" Twilight moaned. "He caught me in wolf form and knew me, that's all!"

Link halted then. "In what form?"

Twilight turned to face him, bewildered. "Wolf. You can do it too, can't you?"

Link blinked slowly, twice, but the words were still the same. "No. No, Rancher, I can't turn into a wolf."

"I thought -- you did when I met you --"

"Well I was dead by then," Link pointed out, in what he hoped was the most reasonable tone he could have about this situation. "So I suppose that happened much later in my life, if it happened before I died at all."

Twilight looked anywhere but at his face, still so clearly mortified Link started walking again, as a kind of pity. After a few more minutes of silence, Link took pity on him and spoke again.

"You said he knew you as your wolf form? He doesn't appear to have recognized you as a person."

"Nah, he said I'd never given any indication I was uh... a person at all. But the -- there's a chain on my wolf form that's distinctive, and my markings..."

Link looked over at him again, suddenly filled with more sympathy than amusement or frustration. He'd been struggling the past few days with the feeling of being a mentor to someone he didn't remember caring for; now, it seemed, it was Twilight's turn.

He didn't envy him the experience.

"I hope he took it well," Link said.

Twilight looked uneasily into the shadows ahead. "I hope so too."

"Well." Link closed his eyes for a moment's prayer to one goddess or another. Whatever one was listening. "Let's hope let's hope the rest of our surprises go as well as this."

#Linked Universe #LU Time #LU Wild #LU Twilight #Twilight & Wild #Time & Twilight #funny misunderstandings #bad jokes #LU fanfic #We all agree no LU linkshipping but Time wasn't informed

[redrobin-detective]

Fionna and Cake ending Tweaked

I finally finished my F&C rewatch and I'm once more baffled by the amount of people saying it was boring or bad or "missed the point". While I do believe some parts could have been better to hammer the point home, I honestly think it ended exactly how it was supposed to with: Simon coming to grips with his past (needing to move on from Betty) and actually work towards his future and Fionna and Cake learning to be real instead of just pieces of fiction in others' minds.

Spoilers for ep 10 under the cut

That said, I would tighten up the ending slightly by removing the last bit with Scarab in Fionnaworld. His rampage should have ended when Fionnaworld was canonized and he's forced to return to HQ to reckon with his punishment. The whole bit of other worlds being dropped in by Prismo to save the day was not necessary but I'll get to that later.

It should have been the battle that ended swiftly and suddenly with the violence stopping but everything now feeling so much more present, the stakes higher and consequences real. They are now part of the multiverse, real beings separate from both Prismo and Simon - who previously controlled/influenced their environments and actions - and it's kind of scary to be suddenly totally responsible for your actions. This would be a metaphor for the series' growing up motiph of escaping the perfect dreamworld where nothing goes wrong and understanding that the real world is more complicated. Not bad, not evil just complicated.

Now we switch to Simon getting home, waking up in the field's of Ooo with a butterfly's kiss. He has a third chance and he is not wasting it. There really should have been some more wrap up with Simon and his found family, even just a montage: Simon holding a furiously crying Marcy's hands as he explains what he almost did, Simon and Finn out on a REGULAR camping trip, looking up at the stars and talking openly about their grief in a healthy way, Simon being in therapy (A+), Simon throwing himself into education and the preservation of the past in order to create a better future. It didn't need to be much, but a little more would have been nice.

Also the phonecall worked from GolBetty/Fionnaworld but texting hasn't worked since. Finally, both Simon and Fionna/Cake are still left feeling a bit unresolved over the whole thing when they are suddenly all blinked into Prismo's time room. Sorry for the delay, Prismo apologies, had to get the new guy oriented. He explains pointing to a pouting 2D Scarab. Simon/Fionna/Cake get the precious goodbye but also hello hug they deserved. Now that Fionnaworld is canonized, they can come and go freely. Simon asks tentatively if Fionna still wanted to come live in Ooo. Fionna and Cake - in mutual agreement! - say no they want to make their own world work. But they will certainly visit and they open Fionnaworld to anyone who needs somewhere new, somewhere where everybody knows your name. And THAT's how baby Finn, pep tank, Farmworld Finn kids, weird squirrel etc end up in Fionnaworld which becomes a blend of new and old, the ordinary and the magical. Its also addressing Fionna's earlier series selfishness and tunnel vision by helping those she hurt.

We end with Simon rushing off to work with textbooks and maps under his arm, coffee in one hand and a phone in another texting Fionna. Fi is working on the rebuild in her town and responding back as we flash to the dandelions then up to the stars where a red comet flashes across the sky. Betty has become something new, having shed her own past and she is happy. The End.

Basically TLDR the finale DID hit what it was supposed to but could've hit more on: Simon finding new purpose and making good with his Ooo friends. Fionna and Cake making up from their prev fight and understanding that they are real now and they should build up their own world instead of continuing to slot into others. As much as I love Betty and her crazy ass story, she had her agency at the end by telling Simon Ily but lets move on as she did the same. A sequel series about her would be interesting but in this series it would have fortified her choices and her actions

#adventure time #fionna and cake #sorry this has been stewing since i finished my rewatch a few days ago #the series hit 96% but could have hit some points better #Ive seen some bad takes and bad faith on the message of the finale and its like yall #anyway i just woke up from a disorienting nap so my inhibitions are low and my grammar is terrible hence this post

[tetradic-echinoidea]

It makes me sad that so much of the creative community on social media has succumbed into this petty squable about what kind of engagement is worthwile and how creators aren't content machines (which is true! but!) and how they're all going to leave if people don't start giving their energy to these creators in a specific way... like, girl. You know that's extremely toxic, right? You know that your followers and their followers aren't engagement machines only there to spread validation and help all artists grow an audience? That it's not ANY individual's job to build an audience for YOU??

If you've looked at social media these days, literally everything and everyone is screaming for our attention all the fucking time! Hey you're not engaging with the news enough, or in the correct way, or hey you didn't give a statement about this or that or you're not supporting artists and creators, because you are only liking things, which doesn't "do anything". By the way buy this product! Help these hundreds of people fundraising for money, why do you not reblog their posts?! Why aren't you caring enough?? Wow, you only liked this post again? Why aren't you helping these people??

Like. I'm sorry to say but as much as social media and the internet connects us, everyone has the right to determine the level of connection they want to have with you. Creators don't owe content to anyone, but no one fundementally owes them their energy and time (or space on their blog!) either.

Staking the existence of your creative pursuits on strangers, without their knowledge, is doomed to fail. A random person seeing your post and liking it has no clue you have set them an expectation of "helping you build your audience". They are primarily engaging with your work in a way that is comfortable and natural for them - whether or not that is through a simple like, reblog or a comment/ask. It might also reflect on how much they liked the thing they saw - or maybe they want to check it out later, who knows. It doesn't really matter. It does everyone a disservice assuming the worst of people who don't engage in the way you decided is correct and worthwile. You can't force people to be moved by your work, or to want to show it to other people. If they don't they don't. They aren't doing anything wrong by engaging with the things they truly love and care about, and not engaging with things that they do not want to engage with.

Sitting there seething that the people walking by aren't stopping to talk to you isn't gonna make those people wanna stop and talk to you. They don't fucking know or care that you want something specific from them in return for putting yourself out there on a website out of your own volition.

The unfortunate thing about creating art is that it is sometimes very lonely, and difficult. But there are things you can do to alleviate that without putting unfair and toxic expectations on total strangers. At some point you have to just realize, that to get the sort of engagement and conversation you want you need to go somewhere and ask for that. Whether it be your friends, mutuals, people you share fandoms with, or asking a more experienced creator for feedback. Finding groups where everyone wants to share and receive feedback.

I reblog things from my friends, and things that really speak to me or that I have something to say about, because that's what I want to be doing on my little blog. I wanna support the artists I wanna support! It doesn't mean I don't want the art I don't reblog to succeed, but no one can give their time and space to everything and anything they see. Give it to the things you like! Give it to the things you authentically want to give it to! I don't know about you guys but I would rather have 1 reblog by a person who really fucking loved something I did rather than 10 reblogs by people who reblog everything they come across out of some sense of duty.

Also, I am just asking - if the point of reblogs is to spread the work of an artist how the hell is a "dump side blog" with likely no followers going to do anything?? Anyway, sorry to the 5 non-bot and non-dead followers I have, I just needed to have another 0 note rant on the tungle because this shit irritates me to the nth degree. Truly social media's idea about helping and community is so fucked and full of toxic entitlement. Ideally a community is a place where people help each other, but social media is like. million little disjointed islands of semi-communities and constant flow of strangers between them. It really is not the ideal place for that deep sense of belonging.

#art discourse #vrambles

[izziebeex]

My nerd of a neighbour {chapter two} || e.m

summary: Eddie really needs to get his priorities in check if he wants to graduate this year, but he’s in need of someone who is going to keep him accountable. So, he asks the smartest girl he can think of. Although hesitant at first, she soon agrees. But she’s nothing like what Eddie had imagined.                                                                                                                                                        pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!reader                            word count: 2.3k                                                                      genre/tropes: unknown mutual pining, straight A student x freak, shared trauma. warnings: use of y/n, not exactly following plot, discussion of a bad home life/childhood, drinking/alcoholism, mentions of sexual acts (not specific), mentions of death, mentions of cheating. NOT PROOF READ!!                       author’s note: I’m so sorry this part took so long to post! I was expecting to get this out way sooner, but I’m back from vacation now so I’m hoping to post as many parts as possible before school starts again. I’m thinking of making parts a little shorter but posting more often. I don’t know how long this series is going to be, I’m kind of just going with the flow. I hope you don’t mind.

{chapter one} || {chapter three}

Eddie had been out in his van for a good 20 minutes already. Mentally preparing for his first study session with y/n. He was sort of freaking out. Not only was he going to her trailer to study, this was the first time he’ll have ever been alone with a girl.

He had no idea what to expect. Y/n had kept her personal life such a secret, people knew close to nothing about her home life. People, including Eddie, always just assumed that she was ordinary. So, it’s safe to say he was quite surprised when she gave him her address. But there was more to y/n than people at school could see.

Eddie revved the engine of his van and pulled out of his gravel driveway. He kept checking the addresses on the wooden stakes in front of the trailers, not wanting to miss her’s. He still couldn’t quite believe that she had lived this close all this time and he hadn’t even noticed.

11… 12… 13…

There. Trailer 14. Beige, with a red Chevy Cavalier out front. That was where she had told him to be at 5 o’clock.

He checked his watch and realized he was late. Late by 6 minutes. Although, given his reputation, she probably expected him to be late. He reached over to the passenger side to grab his backpack — he had thought to bring a notebook and some pencils with him so he wouldn’t have to use her’s — and climbed out of his van.

He walked up the gravel path that lead to the trailer. He could see weeds growing in the grass and a garden with darkened and wilted flowers. He took the wooden steps up to a porch, railing cracked and broken, floor uneven and creaking under his feet.

To say the very least, he was nervous to knock on her door. Had she given him the wrong address? Was she just messing with him? He had his doubts, sure, but deep down he knew y/n wouldn’t lie like that. So the only question was, why did she keep the personal part of her life so hidden?

Pushing his worries to the back of his mind, he knocked on the trailer door three times. He rocked back and forth on his feet as he waited for her to open the door. He was ready to knock again when y/n opened the door, carrying a baby on her hip. Eddie was in utter shock. Shit, she has a kid!?

“She’s not mine, I’m just watching her,” y/n said, relieving Eddie.

“Shit, did I say that out loud? Shit, can I swear in front of the kid!? Fuck! I mean- umm… sorry?” Eddie rambled, clearly thrown off by the baby.

“It’s fine Eddie. Just come inside,” y/n told him, chuckling. She was amused by his nervous monologue.

Eddie didn’t know what he expected to see when he followed her in, but it definitely wasn’t this. Stained rug, beat up couch, peeling wallpaper, and beer bottles on the coffee table. There were three bowls of Kraft dinner and hotdogs sitting on the kitchen counter, ready to be eaten. Y/n sat the baby down in a highchair next to the couch before it started babbling and making grabby-hands at her. Y/n went back to the kitchen and grabbed the bowls, setting one down in front of the baby and the other two on the coffee table after elbowing the beer bottles out of the way.

“You can come sit down y’know? There’s a bowl here for you too,” y/n called to him over her shoulder. Eddie was still dazed in the unexpected environment.

Eddie shuffled to the couch and sat down next to y/n, scooting over slightly so she wouldn’t be uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry for the mess,” y/n mumbled, embarrassed that she hadn’t had enough time to clean up.

Sensing her shame, Eddie laughed, told her it was fine and that she should go to his place if she wanted to see a real mess.

They shared a quick laugh before things got awkward again.

Y/n picked up the tv remote and turned on cartoons before she started to pick at her food. She glanced at Eddie through her eyelashes and noticed he wasn’t eating, just staring at the bowl like it was full of something he’d never seen before.

“I didn’t know if you had already eaten, or if you even like Kraft dinner and hotdogs. I just thought I should since you’re my guest,” y/n said apologetically.

“No, no! Umm- thank you. I just normally eat late. My uncle works the graveyard shift and I wait to eat until he leaves,” Eddie reassured her.

“You live with your uncle?” y/n asked, a bit surprised.

“Uh… yeah. My mom died giving birth to me, and when my old man finally went to jail, I came here to live with my uncle,” Eddie told her, seeming indifferent.

“I’m so sorry Eddie,” y/n said to him. Maybe we aren’t so different after all, she thought.

“Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault,” he ordered her.

And then they were back to that uncomfortable silence again. And the awkwardness ensued until the baby was done eating and y/n had put her down to bed.

“We should probably get to studying,” y/n suggested and led Eddie to her bedroom.

“Holy fucking shit,” Eddie said, baffled, as he entered y/n’s bedroom.

Now this, this was an even bigger shock than the baby. Eddie never expected for a girl like her to have a bedroom that looked like this. Heavy metal and horror movie posters covered the dark gray painted walls. Dark wooden furniture was placed strategically around the cramped space, a twin bed with a wrought iron bed frame and red comforter sat in the corner.

Knickknacks and other such things were thrown miscellaneously on top of dressers and bedside tables. And there, under her window, sat a desk. By far the most decluttered and organize part of y/n’s room. Across from it stood an empty space where Eddie assumed a closet used to be. And… Holy. Motherfucking. Shit. There, hung inside, was a BC Rich Mockingbird. It was red, just like his Warlock.

“Do you play?”

Y/n turned to see Eddie pointing to her guitar.

“Yea, sometimes. It was my dad’s,” she answered him with a touch of sadness.

Eddie got the feeling she wouldn’t want to talk about anymore than that, so he didn’t ask. He had found out so many things today, but he still had so many questions that were being left unanswered.

Y/n didn’t want Eddie to sympathize with her because of her horrible life. And if she told him the truth, about everything, that’s all they would feel. Pity on his part; shame on her’s. Of course it wasn’t fair, being dealt a shitty hand her whole life, but she wasn’t going to go around complaining about it to anyone who would listen. What kind of person would that make her? Just like her mother. And she promised herself never to become like her mother.

“Should we get started?” Eddie chimed in to break her train of thoughts.

There was so much that y/n wanted to get off her chest. So much weighing on her shoulders that she felt like she could be crushed to death any second. There was much more to her life than she let on to other people. But she didn’t want anyone to know just how sad her life was.

From a young age, y/n thought she had it all. A big house in the suburbs, two parents in a happy marriage, friends that always had her back. One day back in ’79, she came home to her mom cheating with some teenage paperboy from down the street. Y/n convinced herself she shouldn’t tell her dad because everything would just get better – until it happened again, with one of her dad’s colleagues. He was getting ready for a work function when she told him.

“Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?” y/n had asked him.

“Sure, kiddo! Everything alright?” her dad asked, continuing to tie his tie in the mirror.

“Not exactly,” she mumbled. “It pretty serious.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” her dad reassured her, placing his hand on her shoulder. Tears started to burn in the corner of her eyes. “Come sit down. Just take a deep breath and relax.”

“Mom’s been cheating on you,” y/n muttered between cries.

Her voice cracked and she choked on her sobs – but her dad heard her well enough.

There was a pregnant pause. The silence was so loud. No more words were spoken. No more glances were shared. All her dad did was get up, throw on his blazer and leave the house, slamming the door on his way out. Y/n let out more tears as she heard her dad’s car leave the driveway.

Y/n cried herself to sleep that night.

And her dad got into a serious car accident.

He knew it would come to this eventually. When he met his wife, back in highschool, their love had been raging flame – but now the fire was dying. They never told each other about their day, never talked during dinner, and always fell asleep on different sides of the bed. Young love never lasted forever. He drank, and drank, until he stumbled out the door of the venue towards his car. Nearing an intersection, he didn’t even think to slow down. He didn’t see the red light, he didn’t hit the break, and he didn’t see the car heading right in his direction.

They collided in the middle of the intersection. And he died on impact.

That was when y/n’s mother started drinking. Whether it was related to her dad’s passing or not, she didn’t know. Her mother drank, and drank, until she lost her job and lost their house. That was when they moved to Forest Hills. Her mother brought home a new guy almost every night. And every night y/n would fall asleep crying, listening to the groans and cries coming from the next room.

Now her mother was dating an adulterous douchebag who had a kid with his girlfriend. And, of course, y/n’s mother would leave the child in her care when there was no one else to watch her. She was a good enough kid but having to take care of her was only a reminder of her mother’s actions. Of how her dad wasn’t with her anymore.

Y/n could only blame herself for what happened. If she had waited to tell her dad, he wouldn’t have died that night.

That was when academics became important to y/n. She wanted to do something with her life. She wanted to graduate and get into a good college. And get away from her mother. Become a better person than her mother could ever be. People thought y/n cared about school because she enjoyed it. That wasn’t the case. Y/n had something to work for. A dream. A goal. Y/n had an out. And academics seemed like the best way.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. World History first?” y/n suggested, distracted by her thoughts.

“Sounds good to me,” Eddie said nonchalantly.

They spent the next hour and a half studying and memorizing the events of the Battle of Plataea. One of the greatest wars of the ancient world. Then y/n heard faint cries coming from the next room. She tried to wait for the fit to stop, but the baby kept shrieking, desperate for some sort of attention.

“Shouldn’t you check on it?” Eddie broke the silence.

“It?” y/n questioned.

“Yeah. The… baby,” Eddie corrected, chuckling.

Y/n stood up from her spot on her bed and walked down the hall towards her mother’s room. On the bed, the kid was wailing and kicking her legs. Y/n picked her up and brought her to the changing table, pull off the baby’s diaper and replacing it with a clean one. The kid’s tears were letting up, but she had yet to calm down. Y/n started talking to her, hoping to stop her tantrum.

“Hi baby. Oh, don’t cry sweetheart. I’m here,” she talked in a soft voice.

Y/n held the baby’s small hand shook them a little, smiling down at her. She bent down the blow raspberries on her belly, making the baby giggle – that made y/n laugh with her. The two continued to fool around, giggling and laughing.

Eddie heard the noises from y/n’s room. He left his pile off books and paper on the floor and moved down the hall towards the laughter. He stopped in the doorway, watching y/n play with the kid. This was probably the happiest he had ever seen her, and soon he found a smile growing on his own face. She seemed good with kids. He didn’t want y/n to catch him staring, so he spoke up.

“I should probably get goin’, huh?” Eddie said.

Y/n turned to look at him, a bit startled.

“Oh. Yeah, okay. If you want,” she told him.

They walked back to y/n’s room, and she helped him pack his stuff. He thanked her for agreeing to help him and she told him it wasn’t a problem. She bid him goodbye at the door and watched him walk back to his van. Eddie revved the engine and waved to her through the windshield. Y/n waved back with a smile, then Eddie was gone.

She closed the door and walked back to her bedroom with a skip in her step. It had been a long time since she felt comfortability like this. She went to sleep thinking about him. and back in his bed, he fell asleep thinking about her too.

#eddie the freak munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x reader #eddie x y/n #eddie munson #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie my beloved #stranger things #st4 vol1

[say-hi-intrepid-heroes]

4, 7, and 20 for the ask game! :)

4 - favourite npc: AYDA I LOVE HER (honorable mentions: ester sinclair, what a badass and trackerrrrrrr, i love her with all my heart)

7 - favourite combat: this is actually so difficult bc there are so many that i love. ship combat is always fun (aso and bloodkeep), and combats where they have to protect a lower level npc is cool strategy-wise (tuc2)

but a this moment my favourite combat that i can think of is the one from the unsleeping city, the final battle. simply because there's so much going on mechanically, and ester has SUCH a badass moment with those steps, and sophia lee has such a good moment where she jumps onto the dream and is epic, and kugrash's thing, and alejandro's moment, and steven sondheim, and RICKY his moment was awesome, it's just such a good all around combat where everyone gets to shine but the stakes are wild and theres so much mechanically happening

20 - recommend some d20 mutuals: oh god i'm not mutuals with enough people yet, i keep figuring out that i've been interacting with people and not following them :( that being said heres some of my favourite peoples:

@chungledown-bimothy @delloso-de-la-rue @squarebasedpyramid @i-want-by-one-direction @adaine-abernantt

i know im forgetting some people (im so sorry if thats you, ily i promise) but also honorable mention to @hi-intrepid-heroes who has a very good blog but has not followed me back

#d20 ask game

[kattahj]

Rules: List 10 of your comfort shows, then tag 10 people

Tagged by @katiekeysburg about a month ago. This took me forever, sorry!

Tagging some mutuals from my notes: @minutia-r @sorry-bonebag @re-bee-key @theendofcake @beccaelizabeth315 @anotherlovr @lotesseflower @morathicain @firlalaith @lena221bee

Interpreting this as shows I watch when I want to feel happy and warm and cared for. I don't often rewatch shows, so some of these are ongoing and others are just ones that made me feel good when I did watch them.

Apologies to all the other feel good shows I've had along the way thst didn'tmake the cut. :-)

What's My Line: A game show from the 50s/60s where the panel guesses people's occupations, and also who the celebrity guest is (they're blindfolded for that one). If you want to watch light banter, low-stakes games (extra points are frequently handed out), and hear about jobs you didn't even know existed, this is perfect. Available on YouTube for free, too!

Taskmaster: Another low-stakes game show, this time with celebrities having to perform absolutely ridiculous tasks. This frequently involves not so much thinking outside of the box as thinking outside of the planet. Also, the two hosts have an amusingly dom/sub thing going on.

Queer Eye: Five gay people come to a person, or sometimes a group of people, to fix up their appearance, home, and personal lives. The results can be quibbled with sometimes, but for the most part, this is like a warm hug.

Ghosts: A young couple move into a house that turns out to be haunted. Since they're now so deep in debt that they can't move, they have to make friends with the ghosts. Exists in two versions, UK and US. The UK fans will swear up and down that theirs is the only good version, but the truth is that both are good, and as a comfort show specifically, the US version may be more effective, since it's softer and cuddlier.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts: In the future, humans live underground, mutated animals ("mutes") roam the earth, and everyone is at each other's throat. Until a girl named Kipo accidentally ends up on the surface and decides to make friends with all the animals, which she turns out to be surprisingly good at. Also, there's lots of singing.

Press Gang: Childhood favourite show that still holds up, about a group of teenagers making a newspaper together. Good drama, good humour, and also, the editor is a smart, ruthless girl named Lynda, who has lots of Belligerent Sexual Tension with Spike, one of the reporters and resident rebel, in a classic 80s/90s romantic trope. In case that's your kind of thing. :-)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Girl who was stolen by the Evil Horde as a child discovers that she's actually the destined hero of the Princess Alliance, their enemies. Sweet story, very queer, and with surprisingly nuanced villains. Doesn't quite measure up to Kipo in my book (I know most people disagree), but almost.

Julie and the Phantoms: Musically gifted teenager discovers that the ghosts of a dead rock band "lives" in her garage. From the creator of High School Musical, but so much better. Sadly cancelled after only one season (very unfortunate timing with covid).

And since I've been watching all these Asian QLs lately, naturally I need to add the softest of those:

She Makes My Heart Flutter: Short and sweet about a lesbian bar owner who gets her routine changed when her niece comes to work for her. Only takes a little bit more than an hour to watch, and it's lovely the whole time.

Old Fashion Cupcake: Office romance about a 39-year-old manager whose midlife crisis is interrupted with the help of the 29-year-old working for him, who dares him to try new things and experience life like a young girl would. Lots of tasty food in addition to the romance.

#what's my line? #taskmaster #queer eye #cbs ghosts #bbc ghosts #kipo and the age of wonderbeasts #press gang #she ra and the princesses of power #julie and the phantoms #she makes my heart flutter #old fashion cupcake

[dnangelic]

She hadn't really seen him for a while. A long while, at least for her. Tatsuki had decided to use her time off to visit Daisuke, with the Time Lock deciding it would just... unceremoniously drop her into the ocean again. That was fun (not).

Well, once she was dry and not all waterlogged, she would stuff the Time Lock in her pocket and head towards where she knew Daisuke lived-- at least, she hoped he still lived there. She didn't know how much time would've passed for him.

Maybe some, maybe none at all.

Maybe they'd just said goodbye and now, to him, she was already back. She wouldn't know until she found him. Which, thankfully, she was able to not too long after she started looking for him.

"DAAAAIIIIIIISUUUUKEEEEEEE!!!!" Tatsuki called, immediately running for him. The moment she was close enough, she would hug him like it'd been ages since she'd seen him. Which, for her, it had been.

"It's me, Tatsuki!" A stark difference from the girl she was before, it seemed. "It's been a long time, I hope you've been doing well! I had some time off from school and work, so I figured I'd drop in, see how you and your family were doing and spend some time here... if that's alright?"

And a pause for a moment before she smiled wider and shook her head some. "And a mutual associate of ours says 'hey'! If you get my meaning, that is. I've got so much to tell you! ...Aaah, this must be confusing, sorry. A lot has happened between when I left to now, I just got a little excited...."

@infatuua

huh ? who ? ' wha --- ?! ' no way , was that really --- ' t-tatsuki ?! ' his eyes go wide and his jaw drops in an instant . was that really her ?! it was , wasn't it ? the tatsuki that he had spent time with had always been a little anxious and unsteady in her actions , but the eager , energetic girl that had suddenly embraced and was now standing in front of him was someone he could hardly recognize at first .

--- still , after all this time , maybe that was a good thing ?

memory was imperfect , nothing more than a snapshot of things as someone either understood or imagined them . when tatsuki had first been sent off and away back to her own life and proper time period , in truth he had been more than just a little worried ... but he had wanted to believe in her . time had slowly passed on for him as usual in the meanwhile , his person finding ways to adjust .

likewise , bitter-sweetly , the space she occupied in his thoughts closed by just a little , until the occasional reminder or reminiscence struck him , and he tried to linger in the warm center of a separated nostalgia rather than any cold , wintry edge . day after day he still went to school . he fret , laughed , and cried . he stole , and kept it a secret . he had all sorts of adventures of his own .

until here she was again , older and wiser like the sort of respectable adult that he was still hoping ; dreaming he could grow up into . ' um , no --- w-well , i mean , i'll admit i'm a little surprised since i didn't expect it , but --- ! ' he nervously smiles and sputters , fumbling for words with his gaze cast towards the ground , the same as ever ...

at least until his stare pulls upwards , and his shoulders ease a little with a small laugh . ' but --- you look well , tatsuki-san . really well . ' his expression lightens . with bliss and with innocence , his gentle , warm welcome no doubt familiar in its own way . ' i was thinking about you all the time , so i'm really relieved ... ! ' it's the truth . his own confession . ' you don't even have to ask , mom and dad and everyone else always really liked you ... ! '

actually , he wouldn't have been surprised if everyone was staking out and eavesdropping on a scene like this at this very moment , if not rushing back to the mansion to prepare party poppers and some kind of celebratory feast . not that daisuke himself would have complained . although the flush on his cheeks remains a deep , loitering red , the bright shimmer in each of his eyes seems to only grow the instant he hears of said 'mutual associate's' hey .

( yo --- ! )

' ... ha , yeah . i get it . ' it's only now that he's brave enough to step forward and set his arms around her in his own embrace . he clutches her tightly ; shuts his eyes against the sensation as his heart pounds , but unlike sometimes , worse times , it didn't seem to hurt . it didn't seem to hurt at all , dark practically glowing with both fondness and a deep pride --- but of course . anyone would feel proud knowing their faith wasn't failed in the future .

' thanks for dropping by , tatsuki . if you've got a lot to say , then we'd better hear it , right ? don't worry , we've got all day . more importantly , it's good to see you again , and --- '

' --- you know . '

' welcome back . '

#*･ﾟ⊰ ANSWERED. ⊱ #CANON. #iunctura #posting this on valentines real love hrs

[abnerkrill]

okay i feel like you knew this was coming but. the last kingdom.

omg i am SO SORRY IN ADVANCE, also i have really only started the osmosis process a few months ago because so many of my rop mutuals seem to be into tlk. it's set in ... i wanna say 7th or 8th century England, but please do not burn me at the stake if I'm multiple centuries off. girl help my historical specialty is like, bronze and iron age greece, i'm probably way off here. i think it's based off novels by that Bernard guy??? what else has he written? i think I tried reading one of his books in high school and was bored to tears. oops.

the fandom generally seems to dislike the protagonist uhtred, who might be a fail white man and is also possibly a mary sue, either way he's surrounded by better characters. everyone seems to love aethelflaed, who is very beautiful, maybe i do have an osmosis crush on her. there are a lot of confusing names on this show so i admit i googled her name because i ALMOST called her aethelred but that's a man who is apparently a king (is that her father???) and i blame ur username for throwing me off on that one. idk there are a lot of characters here to deal with!!!!! too many ae- names i think!!!

i am aware of the queen/knight dynamics between aethelflaed and the guy with a terrible haircut. al something. i am so sorry but i will not sully this response with a 2nd google. they have a cool dynamic but never are actually lovers onscreen and i agree with kat that actually consummating the relationship would be worse than the sexy fucked up devotion/loyalty/fealty thing they have going on. anyway the scene i am most aware of (because of kat) is that they're heading into battle and their odds are bleak and she orders him to kill her in case she gets captured but the moment comes and he can't do it!!!! now THAT'S devotion!

uhh there is also apparently a small and niche but very passionate group of ot3 shippers with the two of them and some other guy, possibly a king of some sort? @aadmelioraa and @wildwren have definitely explained it to me before and i gotta admit i'm into the dynamic. there's also a cool looking ... priestess... pagan... lady... named skald? skyld? skuld? sk-something i am SO SORRY FOR BUTCHERING THIS anyway she's been in a lot of gifsets lately but i think she dies?? i think someone said RIP in one of those gifsets?? i Really truly do not know any more about her but imho she's hot

umm okay coming up on the end of my knowledge but Brida is the brunette who's very pretty and might be in a relationship with Uhtred but I think she dies...??? the show ended after season 5 but there's a movie called seven kings must die coming out and i did see the trailer for that but given that i clearly do not know very much about this show i was very confused about what was going on <3

#aethelreds

[quitereal]

thoughts on the Ark season 1, there will be spoilers, it will be long

I’m gonna start by saying I like it. It’s a bit campy, the science is not all there, there’s some stuff that bugs me, but overall, I like the show, I’m gonna watch season 2. 

I do hope they get a writer with a basic understanding of science for season 2 though, because even if the sci fi rule is “it only needs to sound legit” I don’t feel like this passed the bar? I’m sorry, treating an FTL drive like a USB you can just plug and play from ship to ship is just... not it. And they did have the temporal problems but even the solution for that was not great, in my opinion. I need the crew to be more competent too, there’s just too many instances where it feels like they got screwed because they didn’t bother to test something before trying to use it in the field. For instance, the FTL bubble shield. They literally pulled a mutiny on the basis that the shield was going to protect them, and they didn’t even turn it on once before they needed to use it? Like you’d test a used car more than that before you’d buy it, and yet we have a ship full of supposed experts who didn’t think to test it ONCE before counting on it to save their lives.

The biggest thing I want, though, is for them to make the villains LESS INSANELY EVIL for no actual reason. Seriously, the human race is dying out and instead of just threatening the other Arks (which are carrying some of humanity’s best and brightest) to get into line and follow her lead, Maddox just destroys two thirds of humanity on the off-chance she might kill Trust along with them? I need a real explanation for why they hate one another so much, because two people who are supposed to be the smartest humans in existence should be able to get past it in order to save humanity. I know the point is like “people like them are the reason we were wiped out” and they want Garnet and the others to show there’s a better way, but I just need their evil to make some small amount of sense.

As for ships... I’m all in for the slow-burn, enemies to lovers with Garnet & Lane. They have chemistry, the actors are both great, I really like that Garnet has a second in command who doesn’t just agree with her or trust her blindly, I love the mutual respect they seem to have established. Looking forward to seeing some consequences of a Captain/Subordinate relationship, really hoping they don’t do a Janeway and make it so Garnet can’t have a relationship with anyone now that she’s the Captain. 

I really like Brice & Ava as individual characters, and I do ship it, but I wish it had gone a bit more slowly? All for them jumping into bed right away, it’s in character for Brice and I feel like Ava needed it too, but they went straight in for a committed relationship a lot faster than I would’ve liked. Ava’s boyfriend literally just died what, a few months ago? So while I could see her jumping into bed with Brice, her admitting that she’s fallen for Brice so quickly really struck me as forced. Coupled with the fact that she really betrayed Brice in a very bad way --like, she didn’t JUST drug him, she had sex with him THEN drugged him-- I don’t think he should’ve forgiven her so easily? It really strikes me as a violation of trust, if nothing else, and I wanted them to hash it out more, build the trust back before they admitted their feelings. But seeing the ending, I get that they wanted to finish the season with a very much in-love couple so they could tease Ava’s death as a high stakes cliffhanger, but I feel like this diminished the whole ship. That said, they totally give me B’Ellana & Tom vibes (sorry for all the Voyager references, if you haven’t watched it, you SHOULD) and I love them for that, so I really hope that Ava isn’t dead and that in Season 2 we’ll get to see the consequences of them getting together so quickly, maybe have some trust issues from Brice come up, basically, I want some more angst over here.

Alicia and Angus really don’t do a thing for me. It might just be that they seem so young, or that the idea that the nerds have to fall in love is boring to me, but I don’t see the chemistry. I do like the character development we’ve seen so far; Alicia coming from someone who was smart, but obedient, to someone who will disobey orders she doesn’t believe in and can think outside the box to save the day, I hope to see her become a really strong character. As for Angus, I’m glad at the end that they seemed to hint that he has some lasting trauma from his experience with Kelly; if they just write off his being kidnapped and sexually harassed by her I’ll be pretty disappointed. I’m not mad they didn’t get into it more, there wasn’t time for them to do it justice and I really want this to be well-handled, but we need to see Angus getting to process what happened to him.

I love Felix, but honestly, I cannot understand why they gave a white man a samurai sword. Swords in space are cool, but if you want a samurai in space, they should be Japanese. Like this isn’t hard guys, basic diversity 101. That said, I love that Felix is a gay man who isn’t effete or any other stereotypes, I love that he’s the character that has a child he’s been separated from and feels guilt for it, although it does bother me how abruptly they killed off Robert. I’m really hopeful that they have something more interesting in mind with Katherine, since we don’t know what happened to her yet. I’m hoping they do something with time travel here, because I don’t really want them to bring an eight year old onto the ship, but I definitely want more family-angst for Felix.

Kabir is a fantastic character, in my opinion. I love her relationships with literally everybody, how Felix helped her with her addiction --and how the addiction is being shown as an ongoing thing, not just a one and done issue-- and Cat betrayed her trust later on. I like that she’s a mentor-figure for Alicia, and just a confidante for everyone. She’s the character that’s everybody’s best friend, and honestly I can’t even hate her for it. It would be so easy to have had her be the perfect maternal role, but they threw in the addiction and it really fleshed her out, in my opinion.

I really hope they stay completely away from anything further with Cat & Trust, to be honest. I like Cat, I find her really interesting and compelling and I love that she lets people think she’s just a vapid celebrity when in actuality she has depths that she hides under that blonde wig. I don’t like Trust, but I realize we’re not supposed to like him. I do want them to get more into what exactly the “Juno Project” is all about, it honestly sounds pretty eugenics-y so I’m hoping they’re real careful with this.

Honestly, the show’s got a lot of potential from here. The characters all have room for growth, the ships have room to go places, they set up some hooks for future plots and I’m very hopeful. It really reminds me a lot of other sci fi shows, like Star Trek: Voyager (as evidenced by my references) but also Stargate: Universe and I just love the vibe of it. This got real long, I won’t blame anyone if they don’t want to read all my thoughts, but I don’t have anyone to talk to about this show so I just wanted to get them all out while they were fresh. I’m really looking forward to season 2, and so grateful they already announced it’s renewed.

#this is just a lot of thoughts honestly