#it's only not perfect because the last four episodes are not up to what you'd expect for the rest but they are still really good

[chlorinecake]

What are your thoughts on gang bang?

My sincere thoughts on it? Honestly can’t say that I’m a fan. However, I’ll take this ask as an opportunity to write something ~different~ for my community of horny engenes !!

cw swearing, unprotected sex, m. & f. oral (both giving and receiving), slight exhibitionism, boob play, reader gets fucked by the hyung line, not proofread wc 1.3k

So by now we’re all pretty familiar with enhypen’s infamous resort episode, right?

Imagine Lee Heeseung, one of the richest, most attractive guys at your university inviting you to a pool party held at his condo over the weekend.

You wore an ordinary emerald green two piece bikini with a thin shawl tied around your waist, sitting at the poolside while your eyes merely glazed the book you brought with you. It was supposed to act as headphones to an introverted gym bro, but God knows you weren’t AT ALL interested in reading anymore.

Too distracted by the bulge fest Heeseung and his three equally hot friends were granting you with, the only thing on your mind was how you were gonna fuck at least one of them before the night was out.

Luckily, the pool had already started to clear out within an hour, so you had the perfect chance to make your move with Heeseung's groupies out of the way.

Abandoning your now damp book and shawl, you joined the four boys in the pool, the view of your perky tits and ass against the underwater lights thoroughly enthralling their attention.

“Hey, stranger. It's about time you got your nose out of that book," Jake chuckled, making a spot for you to squeeze in between him and Heeseung in the water, "I’m surprised a girl like you even swung by tonight."

“Don’t be," you said, looking him dead in the eye, "I’m not all books and brains like you might think I am.”

“Great, so why don’t you enlighten us?" Heeseung offered, trying to out-intimidate you, "I’ve invited you to my parties in the past, but you never showed. Why change that tonight?”

You opted for a more humorous response to his cheeky question.

“Because, you’ve obviously been keeping track of my attendance records… I wouldn’t want to risk my midterm grade like that,” you pouted playfully, kicking your feet in the water which only drew their attention back to your body.

Dogs, you thought to yourself. They weren’t even trying to hide how thirsty they were.

“No worries… Heeseung lost the backbone to give cute girl's honest ratings a while ago,” Sunghoon poked, earning a circle of laughter from the inside joke he'd just told.

“Yeah, buddy. You’ve seriously lowered your standards over the years,” Jake pitched in, “prudes like her don’t know how to have a good time, so just quit with your efforts.”

You scoffed at his sly remark, Heeseung splashing water at Jake’s face in both your defense.

"Hmm," you began, speaking more boldly, "last time I checked, prudes are easy targets... I figured guys like you couldn't handle when girls play hard to get anyways."

“That’s sweet and everything, but I'm afraid you've misjudged us," Jay interjected, "guys like ourselves actually enjoy a challenge once in a while... even when the prize is amateur at best.”

“Pfft,” you amused, humored by how much they underestimated the lengths you'd go to for a good fuck, even if you made a fool of yourself while doing so. You played along, planning to make use of your dirty mouth to rile them up even more.

"Look, now you've made her mad," Heeseung sighed at Jay who only shook his head in response.

"Not mad, but extremely horny, yes… and when I'm in the mood, I prefer to skip the mind games and just use my words," you said with a seductive voice, looking them all dangerously in the eyes, "If any of you perverts wanna put your boner's to good use before the night is out, you know where to find me."

The look on their faces was a mix of shock, offense, and desire, their eyes following the trail of water your feet left behind as you made your way outside of Heeseung's pool and into his condo.

“What the fuck is her deal,” Sunghoon asked rhetorically, being the first of the bunch to make his way out of the pool, following behind you.

Jake contemplated with himself before calling out to Sunghoon, "Aye, wait up," nearly slipping on his ass as he got out of the pool.

"Yeahhh, I'm not sure if she wants all of us to join her," Jay pitched in, watching as Heeseung slowly made his way to the pool staircase.

"How dense can you be, bro? The girl's obviously a raging slut. She's practically begging to have all her hole's filled tonight," Heeseung huffed, shaking the water from his hair before dumbly following your water trail as if hypnotized.

Jay was putting up a front, but he was equally, if not even more eager to get off one way or another.

Introducing your fivesome location of choice: Heeseung's indoor sauna.

Some debating time took place before you guys actually started anything, discussing how they planned to take turns fucking you before finally agreeing on going at it in groups of two.

As expected, each of the four boys had their own way of toying with you.

Heeseung took the lead, fucking up into you as you bounced on his cock, your hands desperately clinging onto his shoulders as if fearful that the force of his thrusts would make you fall.

“Fuck,” he hissed, relishing in the sensation of your slimy walls clenching around him.

The surrounding boys palmed themselves while they awaited their turn, some of them even pulling out their phones to record the filthy scene.

Jay, being one of the more impatient ones, took it upon himself to wrap your hand around his dick, guiding your movements with one hand while he massaged your tits with the other. “Since Heeseung here forgot we’re supposed to be sharing,” he groaned, melting into the warmth of your grip.

After the two eldest boys had their fun, Jake and Sunghoon helped themselves to you next.

It caught you off guard when Jake kissed you, his tongue entering your mouth as he explored your folds with his free hand, testing just how eager you were for more.

You were eventually put on all fours, Sunghoon forcing your wobbly legs open as he chuckled in your ear, “don’t tell me you’re already getting tired,” he smirked, landing a harsh smack against your pulsing heat.

Jake gripped your hips, the hot pressure of his cock swirling at your entrance before he finally rammed himself all the way in, delighting you with a feeling of fullness. “So tight,” he whinced, slowly grinding into your hole before picking up the pace.

Sunghoon only gave Jake so much fun time before tapping in, telling Jake to pull out and just hold himself so he could finally have a go.

Although you were still on all fours, Sunghoon was much rougher with you than Jake was, leaning down to graze your shoulder with his fangs while his free hand gripped at your throat.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as he rutted into you from behind, smacking your ass just to hear you whine before you both finally climaxed.

"Alright, show off," Jay teased, guiding your tired body into the missionary position, propping you up on your elbows so Heeseung could have full access to mouth.

You’re sure Jay's goal was to make you squirt just from how aggressively he fingered your cunt, diving down to leave rough kitten licks against your puffy clit as he whispered against your heat, “So fucking pretty for us.”

Meanwhile, you watched Heeseung’s eyes flutter as you slowly inched your lips down his length, delicate hands caressing your cheeks as if petting you before forcing your head down a little further. He trembled at the feeling of your throat tightening around him, “Fuck, you feel so good," he nearly whimpered, chest heaving in harmony with each bob of your head.

Despite your mouth being stuffed, broken moans escaped your lips as Jay eased you toward your third orgasm of the night, your body squirming beneath him as your shiny release coated his lips and chin, adding to the foul sounds echoing within the sauna space.

And with that, your steamy night went on for what felt like hours, the four horny boys chasing their highs and passing you around like the main course at a holiday dinner party.

All of this action was definitely not on par with how you initially planned to spend your weekend night, but it wasn't something you had a problem with, either.

a/n: I felt tempted to include the entire enha legal line in this drabble… I’m sorry, but there ain’t no way you’d be able to process all that dick at once, BYE-

No tags bc this one sucks . I literally might randomly delete this one day… — feel free to check out more fun reads like this on my enhypen bookshelf !!

#enhypen #enha imagines #enhypen headcanons #enhypen ff #enha scenarios #enha x reader #enha ff #kpop ff #enhypen smut #enhypen hard thoughts #enhypen hard hours #heeseung smut #jay smut #jake smut #sunghoon smut #enhypen boyfriend #enhypen heeseung #enhypen jake #enhypen jay #enha smut #heeseung #requested #enhypen scenarios #18+ content #lee heeseung #park sunghoon #park jongseong #enha fanfiction #kpop smut

[celestivlgvlvxy]

Four Pearls

This is a sort of continuation of this post where I talked about the changes regarding the solstice deadline, but this time I want to speculate a bit about the pearls and how I feel it will effect the larger storyline.

If you have read the original book, you would know that Percy originally only received three pearls from the nereid and Poseidon. The show gives him four. Let's talk about it.

So spoilers for PJO TV and the original PJO books! It's a long one.

There's a lot of speculation about what this means for Sally and "You will fail to save what matters most in the end." I still think they're going to fail to save Sally.

The prophecy: I have a hard time seeing the thing that matters most is not Sally. I have doubts that Percy's going to save her.

The preview: The preview for episode 7 shows Percy and Grover arguing:

Percy: "After we get the bolt, you guys are leaving…with my mom." Grover: "What about you? What about you?" … Percy: "Hold fast, Mom."

Based on how this line is delivered, I think this might be Percy telling Grover and Annabeth to leave thee Underworld with Sally. He pauses before he says "with my mom", which makes me feel like that hesitation means that Percy is relunctantly doing something once again. The way Grover reacts makes it seem like Percy is staying behind and he doesn't have a plan to get out.

He tells Sally to "hold fast" which we know is something that she tells Percy. The last time we hear this quote is when Sally leaves to distract the Minotaur and they're separated. I think Percy is telling Sally to hold on just a little longer because he can't save her.

The nereid: If you pay attention to what the nereid is telling Percy, you'd notice something a little odd.

Percy: "There's four of them." Nereid: "Save the world. And then go save your mother."

I don't think it's a mistake that she tells Percy to save the world first. She doesn't even tell Percy what the pearls are for, that's how the episode ends. If the intention of giving him the pearls was really about saving Sally, the emphasis would have gone on "save your mother."

So if the pearls aren't for Sally, what are they for?

I think they're testing Percy.

In my previous post, I talked a lot about how many, if not all, of the trio's major failures during their quest was because of the gods' interference. We are not meant to like the gods—they're setting it up so that down the line, we are more sympathetic to Luke's cause.

More importantly, it sets up Percy to be moree sympathetic to Luke's cause.

But Poseidon gives Percy four pearls. Poseidon actually waited for Percy to show up himself. With each episode, we are given little details to make us think that Poseidon is the god to be rooting for.

However, if you look a little deeper into his actions, Poseidon is not the perfect parent. Percy said it himself, Poseidon didn't acknowledge him until he needed something from Percy.

I believe Poseidon / the gods are testing Percy. The gifts from the gods don't come free.

Asking for Athena's assistance came at the cost of the Chimera.

Getting (relunctant) help from Ares nearly killed Percy if Annabeth didn't change Hephaestus' mind.

Seeking out Hermes for transportation caused them to miss the deadline.

What will these pearls cost?

Don't forget this quote from the book either:

When I reached the beach, my clothes dried instantly. I told Grover and Annabeth what had happened, and showed them the pearls.  Annabeth grimaced. “No gift comes without a price.”  “They were free.”  “No.” She shook her head. “‘There is no such thing as a free lunch.’ That’s an ancient Greek saying that translated pretty well into American. There will be a price. You wait.” (The Lightning Thief, "We Shop for Waterbeds")

I think Poseidon knows he will fail and he's not telling Percy. It's a test of his fatal flaw: personal loyalty.

Who will Percy choose? Annabeth and Grover or his mom? The world?

The entire quest, Percy had little to no agency in the big decisions. He does not want to go on this quest. Annabeth is in charge, Athena, Ares, Hades, Zeus, and Hephaestus all nearly killed him. Hermes stalls them.

The deadline has passed and they failed. But Percy chooses to move forward. He chooses his mom, he chooses to continue. Percy is taking matters into his own hands.

The price is Sally Jackson and Percy is not going to be happy about it.

In the long run, I think Percy is going to be facing a lot of difficult choices. Choices that will justify him being bitter towards the gods. Choices that will justify him becoming like Luke, the same way Annabeth could've been Medusa in another life.

And isn't that kind of the point?

Percy is not Luke. He's not like them. He has every single reason to turn his back on the gods. He has every single reason to overthrow them. But he doesn't. Every single day, every single decision, Percy chooses to not be like Luke. But he gets it. He understands why Luke did what he did.

The writers are writing the show with the knowledge of what is to come. Percy's bitter, but he's not Luke.

He's going to be given reasons to be bitter and it starts with the pearls. But what will make Percy different? What will make him better?

#percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo tv show #percy series #annabeth chase #grover underwood #sally jackson #luke castellan #pjo spoilers #poseidon #pjo poseidon #media analysis

[ncroissant]

aquamarine hoshino x jealous! bimbo! reader

summary: after aqua's passionate kiss with akane on the final episode of 'love for real', aqua comes to home to your jealousy.

content warnings: spoilers to oshi no ko, suggestive, mentions of cock/crotch, toxic relationship, controlling behaviour, dacryphilia, manipulation, use of petnames: angel, sweetheart, good girl like once, no use of yn

wc: 1.2k

author's note: aqua is 16 in the anime and manga, mentally 40, but i'd like to age him up to 18!! this is not proofread, so there are probably a lot of mistakes, lmk if i need any more warnings!! minors please DNI !!

you spent most of your days encased in aqua's basement. he made the entire place feel like home; decorating it in pretty pink wallpaper and making sure you had anything in reach. whenever you asked for something, he would provide. he was fully set on servicing you as long as you obliged to his one and only rule:

'stay in this room, don't leave without my permission'

he would drill it into your brain like clockwork, never letting you forget, especially since you were likely to forget within a few seconds. you'd look up at him doe-eyed, hanging off his every word. you loved when he would tell you what to do and you could just blindly follow along. he was your best friend after all.

he spent a lot of his time with you: he'd check on you before and after school, he'd listen to you talk about the animes you watched and the mangas you read, or do his work assigned by the director while you sat in his lap, questioning every little detail.

but as of late, he came around to visit less and less, to the point where you would hear him come into the basement late at night, slipping under the covers to cuddle with you.

he convinced himself that you were the one insistent on being touchy-feely, but he was self-indulgent in the way you'd bury yourself in his arms, snuggling deep into his chest.

"aqua?" you'd mumble, feeling him wrap his arms around your waist.

"sorry angel, did i wake you?" he slid an arm on your back, rubbing it soothingly to lull you to sleep.

"no, s' okay, i missed you aqua," you flipped over, wrapping your arms around his neck, inserting yourself into his neck.

he reeked of women's perfume. you wanted to convince yourself he was going around stores finding you your perfect scent. but a pit in your stomach grew and you didn't understand why.

aqua would never tell you he was on a dating show. for one, he only needed to go on it to find clues on ai, but he also didn't want you to worry your pretty head over it. as much as he loved to see the frustration on your face when you were thinking, he knew he'd have to lighten the load for you.

it was tv day, aka saturday, because he was very insistent that TV was very, very bad for you and could only be watched for an hour a week. and miraculously, that hour was filled with content from the last episode of 'love for real'.

you sat there anticipatingly, already shocked from aqua's appearance in the intro, but the final moments had caught you off guard. although the two other guys had gotten rejected, aqua had marched over to the blue-haired girl, akane as you remembered, and placed a long, passionate kiss on her lips.

your eyes widened. he might have done a lot of things for you, but he's never kissed you before. he's never looked at you like that (at least not when you were looking). the tv automatically closed (as aqua had programmed it) and left you with a reflection of your teary-eyed expression.

your knees were pressed against your chest, your arms tightly holding them in place. you wanted to throw a tantrum, a fit, anything that would get rid of this stupid anger inside of you.

as if on queue, the lock on the door unlocked and in walked aqua. "hi angel, how was you day?" he slipped off his shoes, placing his bag down before looking over at you.

"aqua, why didn't you tell me you were on a dating show?" you pushed yourself onto all fours, kneeling in front of him with your stupidly big, round eyes, clinging to his tapered pants.

his eyes widened. he didn't know if it was a treat or a curse to see you in such a state. but, hearing that you saw the show snapped him out of his trance.

"how did you...?" shit. they changed the airing for this episode for saturday instead on sunday, he mentally cursed himself, remembering the fuss the crew made about it earlier.

his thoughts were cut by your sudden display of waterworks, burying your face into his thigh, hugging it like a babbling baby. "are you getting tired with me already?" you sobbed, pulling and pushing at the fabric of his pants.

he felt bad, he really did. but the way you were looking up at him so sweetly and clinging onto him like a little girl made his cock strain in his pants. he was biting back a smile before kneeling down to you level.

"so you saw it, huh?" he frowned slightly, holding the hand that gripped his thigh in his own.

"mhm," you nodded, crying incessantly, trying to wipe away your tears with a free hand.

"aw, c'mere sweetheart. let's get your tears out," he pulled you into his lap, allowing you to bury yourself into his shoulder as he patted your back soothingly.

you cried, rambling about how he didn't tell you and how he's never kissed you before. before you knew it, your hands had boldly gripped his shirt collar.

"why can't you kiss me like you kissed her, aqua? do you like her better?" you puffed your bottom lip out, tears still filling your waterline, leaning too close for aqua's comfort. you so badly wanted to be kissed by him too.

"angel, you know i can't kiss you, it's..." he trailed off, pursing his lips in thought.

it's not that he didn't want to kiss you. he felt like he was too tainted to even think about pressing his lips against yours. you were too pure and innocent. not a single thought inside your pretty little brain.

little did he know, all you could think about was him.

"aqua, please i wanna kiss." you pushed your lips out like a fish, clearly unfamiliar with kissing. he sighed in relief, but also somehow felt nervous to lean in.

he had countless fantasies about kissing you. more dreams beyond just kissing, but dreams of being intimate with you. if you hadn't shifted yourself right on top of his cock, he wouldn't have hastily pushed you down with his lips pressed against yours.

you squealed in surprise from the sudden movement, but he protected your head when you two had tumbled to the floor. he pulled away to look at you, both of you out of breath from the intensity of the kiss.

you looked so pretty just waiting for him to continue and let him do whatever he wanted to. he knew you'd agree with whatever he told you to do. but he wanted to relish in the fact that you were lying there so perfectly, patiently waiting his next command like such a good girl.

"you still want another one?" he teased, inspecting the redness on your face that trailed down the entirety of your body.

"mhm, wanna get her taste off your lips." his cock pulsed at your sudden possessiveness. you didn't even know how to kiss 10 seconds ago, but he wanted to see how much he could teach you in one night.

"yeah, you'll help me like a good, little girl, right?" he dragged you closer by the thigh before pressing his lips on yours once more.

#oshi no ko #aquamarine hoshino #aquamarine hoshino x reader #ncrescent

[starseneyes]

Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 4 Ep 21 & 22

Here's another pair of episodes that have been requested together a few times, now, so I'd love to answer the call!

SPOILER ALERT: If you hate spoilers, you'll hate this. Run away. Turn around. Scroll on by. If you do choose to enter in, I'm going to write this as though I were seeing the episodes for the first time, but I will be spoiling both these episodes and reference episodes leading up to it.

If you're ready to read, I'm ready to share. Let's dive in!

Mother's Day

"Mm, yeah, that's a hard pass. Look, I'm boycotting Mother's Day, but even if I wasn't, I really don't think this is the right time to meet your parents."

Lucy Chen putting up her walls and keeping the men she dates at arms' length is completely on-brand. We haven't even heard her call a guy she was seeing "boyfriend" to date on this show.

And with everything going on with her mother and her utter lack of support for her daughter, I don't blame her for not making a big deal out of Mother's Day.

Also, Chris, honey. It will never be the right time for Lucy to meet your parents because y'all ain't gonna last. Lucy is meant to be with Tim. You saw it, once, at the world's worst double date, but you've chosen to ignore it. So, you're a moron.

"I figured you'd say that. But they've been hounding me about meeting you for weeks."

Run, Lucy. Run. Because his parents sound as clingy as he is, and you do not need that drama in your life.

Your instinct is right not to want to meet his parents... maybe you don't need to continue knowing Chris, either. Just sayin'.

"Are you really freezing your mom out?" "I mean, I bought her flowers. I'm not an anarchist." "I'm thinking we just lock in the Hyatt. They have a lazy river, what else do you need?"

Oh, look. Tim and his Blonde Bitch and Lucy and her Dead Weight Puffin have run into each other in the station.

Last time the four of them were together, it looked like Chris and Ashley were mighty jealous of Tim and Lucy's connection. I mean, if I were sitting at a semi-romantic dinner next to the love of my life, I'd be distracted, too!

"You think I'd be sick of beaches, at this point, but it's gonna be awesome."

Watch how Lucy looks at her man (and I don't have to clarify which man in the scene, because y'all know how this goes).

She's looking at Tim like he's got a second head. Because there's no way this man is going to be happy going to the beach. He doesn't. like. SAND!!

"I gotta get to work." "Me, too. I'll walk out with you."

Good. You two can take a long walk together, realize you're perfect for one another, and leave Tim and Lucy the hell alone. Everybody wins! (especially us)

"Call me if you change your mind." "I'm not going to."

Love how he touches Lucy and she physically pushes him away. Like, back off, dude. When Lucy's mind is made up, it's made up.

"Change your mind about what?" "He wants me to meet his parents. So, uh, whose idea was Hawaii?" "Mine, I guess, why?" "

Nyla's arrival interrupts the thoughts, but we all know why. Tim Bradford is Tim Bradford-ing, again, and giving too much in a relationship. He hates sand! And he's suggesting they vacation... on an island.

But there's something else needling at her about this vacation...

"Are you proposing to Ashley?"

Look. At. Her. Face. Her face right before she asks. She's building up the courage to ask him this, because big Hawaii vacation is more than he ever did with Rachel, and it screams romance, right?

"What!?"

Cackling laughing at this. This is the furthest thing from his mind, right now. Yes, he's dating this... person... and they're doing dating people things. But, he's not even thinking about marrying her.

"Of course not. We've only been dating a few months."

This suggests that Tim Bradford likes to take things slow, and isn't in a rush when dating someone. But, the "of course not" shows that he thinks it should be obvious to Lucy.

"You might not be aware of some of the signals that you're sending." "What kind of signals?" "The kind that makes her get a manicure because she's assuming she'll be sending pictures of her hand to all her friends."

Tim looks terrified. Look, we all know Ashley is a placeholder girlfriend until Tim and Lucy get their act together. But he doesn't know that.

Tim is visibly shaken. His hand is unsteady on the wheel, he's looking back at Lucy repeatedly while stumbling through answering the call. Because he really never contemplating marrying this woman. Something in him knows she isn't the one.

*hint* The gorgeous, badass gal beside you with the sunshine-y personality and compassionate heart is right there. Might wanna ask her something sometime, eh?

"My abuela taught me the perfect curse to put on him."

I have to put this line in here for context. Yes, Angela is talking about Nyla's ex. But we now know that if you need a curse, Angela's your gal.

"When did hotels get this expensive?" "Oh, that's pretty good." "Seriously?" "Yeah, I mean, it's a nice hotel."

First off, Lucy is doing all the planning for any trips they take once they get their act together. Second, this kinda hurts. It drives home how long it's been since Tim's taken a romantic vacation.

We know that Tim remained faithful to Isabelle while she was missing. We know that they were together for a long time. But when did they stop going on vacation together? How long has it been?

Tim, you deserve to go on more romantic vacations... but not with Baywatch Reject, okay?

"Oh, you're going to Hawaii. Congratulations on your engagement." "Ah, told you." "I'm not getting engaged!" "Does your girlfriend know that?" "Yes. It's not an issue."

Annnnddd... another voice echoing the romantic vibe of Hawaii that lends to the expectation of engagement. I was rolling!

"Looks like you won't be the only one getting married." "What?" "Nothing. Ignore her."

I love the look that Angela and Lucy exchange, here. Much as there have to be bets rolling around about Chenford, I'm sure there are other bets, gossip, and secrets in that station.

Angela knows Tim better than most, but even she knows that Lucy could be onto something she's not. When this all started, Tim and Lucy had to hear about each other through the rest of the Station.

Now, they've got one another on speed dial and are the first to know what's going on with the other. So... maybe Tim is proposing.

"Ashley can't possibly think I'm proposing." "Why not? I mean, you're of a certain age-"

Tim's face on that had me rolling. We can estimate he's about 10-12 years older than Lucy. And that reaction was priceless.

"She is in her prime. I mean, on paper, it's, it's like a no-brainer. Okay, be honest. Can you see yourself married to her?"

He can't. We can see in his face right there that he really can't. And as the wheels are turning, something pops into his mind that sets him on edge. He glances over at Lucy and he nearly gulps.

Now, I can't tell you what he saw. I'm a Meta writer, not the show Writer or the actor. I can postulate all I like, but I don't know the answer here. But my guess? If he thinks of the future and being married again... he sees Lucy.

Because the person for him isn't the person he's dating. I truly believe he started this relationship with Ashley as a way to distance himself from his growing feelings for Lucy. He's burying them deep down, the same way he did his trauma with his father. And like his father, it's going to take an external force to bring it all to a head.

Lucy is trying to get Tim to talk this out, the way that she talks things out. But we can feel the edge to everything, here. She's not yet fully aware of what she feels, but it's there.

It's dripping in her hesitancy at first asking him if he's proposing, in her nervousness at his response to this question. Because if he's that serious about Ashley, there will never be room for them.

And as Lucy waits for her answer, Tim realizes he can't say the truth. So, he lies.

"Yeah. I can."

The cameras purposefully focus on Lucy, here. On her disappointment. On her sadness. Because, she's not ready to admit it, but she's falling for Tim.

Yes, she is with Chris for the same reason Tim is with Ashley. They both think the other isn’t an option (though for different reasons, at this point). They're both deflecting because they can't get hung up on something that'll never happen.

It's admirable, in a way. They're trying to be happy for the other person while hoping they'll pretend themselves into believing they're happy, too.

"I'm not expecting a proposal. I would say no if you asked."

Proving that everyone got into Tim's head, he addresses the issue with Ashley directly. But I don't think he expected this. Tim isn't ready to face his feelings for Lucy, but having this door shut is unexpected.

"I have no interest in every being married or having kids. I'm just not wired that way."

First of all, there is nothing wrong with being this way. Nothing at all. Some of my closest friends never wanted to be married or have kids, and as we near 40, they've stuck to that and are quite happy.

But there is something wrong with Tim being with someone like that. Because he wants the wife and kids.

Tim didn't have the stability of a safe and loving home, and he wants so badly to break the cycle and pass on a different legacy to his own kids.

Tim spots Lucy watching from the window, and he decides to turn the situation on his head. He's been stressed the eff out all day worrying about this. Now that he knows Ashley has zero interest in marriage, he has to have some fun.

Lucy's Heart Breaks

I don't think she knows until this moment just how deep it is, how she feels about Tim. She's known for a while that something was there—something that could never be.

But watching through the glass as he gets engaged to someone else... it hits so hard she can't ignore it. She can't pretend it away. She can't bounce back.

I've seen people say this is the moment for her—the moment she realizes she's falling for Tim. I go back and forth on it. Because she's known for a long time that she has a thing for Tim.

We saw back in 4x01 that she was totally ready to sleep with him. And while Lucy's confident in her sexuality, she doesn't sleep with just anyone. We know she doesn't do one night stands. She has her standards and sticks to them.

Even earlier in this episode, she can't be completely oblivious to how she feels when he says he can see himself marrying Ashley. No, I'd argue that Lucy has known since 4x01 that there was something there.

Is this a point of no return for her in terms of pretending? Yeah, I can go with that. Because in this moment, she can't shake it loose, and she can't move on. Tim is engaged and she's heartbroken, and they were never even really a thing, right?

So, is this the moment she realizes she has feelings for him? No. I think 4x01 sealed that up because she knew she was willing to sleep with him that night. But, is this the point of no return in terms of pretending not to have said feelings? Yeah, I can roll with that.

Chris approaches, and she keeps looking back at the parking lot, because that's where her mind is stuck.

"It's a good thing you didn't come because my mom, she drove me crazy."

Lucy offers a half-laugh. But she's visibly upset. She's so distracted that even Chris, Mr-Hums-THE-Song-And-Can't-Read-A-Room picks up on it.

"What's wrong?" "Nothing. I-"

Her phone goes off to the "GOT YOU!" message and now she's pissed. Because she's now had to deal with a slew of emotions striking her all at once, only to find out it was a joke.

"Could you just wait here. I need to go find Lopez and figure out how to put a curse on someone." "Yeah, right. Oh, you're serious."

"Serious as a heart attack", as they say. Tim screwed with her emotions, and she's pissed.

Day in the Hole

AKA "Finding Your New Favorite Flavor"

"Come on. We gotta get to work." "She'll be here." "Seriously, we gotta go." "She'll be here."

Mom and Dad waiting for their daughter to show up. Come on, you see it, too! Tim's back from his vacation with the Land of Sand, and we've thankfully left Lucy's jump-scare behind us.

Hopefully the curse doesn't work too well because Lucy might want things to not fall off in the future, if you know what I mean.

Lucy is applauding like a proud mother as Tamara nearly kills a couple people. Tim's glaring like a slightly-annoyed father. I love this family.

"My car was your first car." "I mean, if we're including cars I've stolen, this is probably like my fifth." "What?" "Joke!"

Yeah, you can't joke like that around your step-dad. Tim's a bit of a hard-ass, if you hadn't noticed.

"You are gonna take it to the mechanic though, right? You never know what these cars have been through." "Yeah, Tim set me up with his guy." "What, you did?" "Yeah." "Oh, you have a heart after all."

Mom and Dad... you're flirting in front of the kid. Like, Tamara's not the kind to go "ew", but, still. You might want to chill out considering you're still dating other people.

"Relax, ok? It was purely self-interest. You would be a total drag to ride with if she died in a fireball of mangled metal on the 405."

Did you hear how Lucy gave him that motherly "tsk" in the middle of this!? I've heard it a few times since in Season 5, but this is the first time I can remember it really standing out to me in previous seasons.

"Joke!"

Not your best first attempt at a dad joke, Timothy, but since it's you, we'll let it stand.

"Previous owner of your car is Jake Butler."

Can I say I love how Tamara kept picking things up off the desk (like a kid) and Lucy played the mother role by wordlessly taking each thing away all while continuing her work? Lucy is such a natural mom!

"Let's take a look at his mugshot... But." "What? What the what?!"

This next shot is GENIUS. I have no idea who came up with this (writer/director, etc), but it's genius. We go from the two shot of them looking at the monitor to a shot of Tim approaching.

He sees something that stops him in his tracks... and then we get to see it, too.

Half the station's gathered around Lucy's monitor. And each actor is giving an amazing performance, here. I've paused and played a million times to appreciate each one. Do it. You won't be sorry.

"What's going on?"

Cue everyone looking at Tim. Except Lucy. She's about a beat behind everyone else, which draws my eye to her, every time. And the music bumps up to give us an auditory transition.

"It's even more uncanny in real life."

Through a combination of swift transitions, body doubles, and Eric Winter being in two different positions, we get the treat of meeting... Jake Butler. Tim's doppleganger.

Come on, how much fun must this have been for Eric Winter to get to play this kind of character after playing Tim for so long? And my husband especially appreciated Jake's pot belly.

Yes, while he hasn't seen this show, Matthew is fairly well-versed in Chenford and my appreciation for Melissa O'Neil and Eric Winter as performers.

We get a bit of split screen at the end (throwing me back to my Parent Trap obsession as a kid... yes the one with Haley Mills. I'm old). And I'm frankly excited at all the different techniques in use for this episode when one actor has to be two characters simultaneously.

"He really doesn't look that much like me." "The hell he doesn't." "Not the brightest bulb, though." "Oh. Oh my god. It's Tim and Dim."

The ladies get a chuckle out of that, but Tim's nonplussed.

"Yo. This is blowing my mind. It's like we're looking in a fun-house mirror of handsome." "Sit down Dim... Jake."

I died laughing the first time I saw this. Lucy really got into his head on that one. But, knowing how easily Lucy can get into his head these days, it's no surprise.

"Have we met before?" "No. That I'd remember." "Oh, you would."

Even Tim's doppleganger is flirting with his girl! Yes, I've seen the episode and know that Dim should know why Lucy looks familiar. But it's funnier this way and just plays into what a dumbass Dim is.

"You just wanna see me pretend to be Dim." "Duh." "Fine. I'll do it." "Yes! Okay, okay."

Lucy is so excited she puts both hands on Tim to stop him in his tracks as he's walking.

"So, uh, we gotta dirty you up. And then we have to slick back your hair, because, you know, that guy was, like, kinda greasy." "You are enjoying this way too much." "Oh, and tattoos! We gotta get tattoos."

Lucy, Tim Bradford isn't your Ken doll. As much as we all know you'd like to practice dressing (okay... undressing) him.

"Rescue 1 status?" "Rescue 1. We're ready in 60 seconds."

How much do I love that Lucy is heading the team to protect her man? There's no way she's going to let anyone hurt Tim, but it also gives us the chance to see some worried Lucy.

Tim's been worried about Lucy going undercover so many times, but we've not really seen her worried before. The hit man UC before was fairly safe. He wasn't in any real danger.

This is different. This is a criminal on his turf with a long drop and plenty of armed guns standing by. Lucy's worried for her man.

"Get ready to breach." "If anyone lays a hand on our UC, you put them down."

Let's be real. Lucy and Angela are two of the most important people in Tim's life at work and outside of it. And here they are getting to be his guardian angels—his wife and his best friend. I love it.

"So, I had Dim's girlfriend picked up." "Okay. Why are you being weird?" "It's easier to show you."

We need Sava to know who is going to go undercover with Tim, right? As if things weren't weird enough with Tim's doppleganger, now we've got Lucy's.

Tim is inside and already waiting for her reaction. Now he gets some payback for how much she was ragging on him and his doppleganger. Tim's smiling like an idiot.

"Guess we know who's going undercover with Dim." "Yeah, Juicy." "No." "That's Juicy." "I don't like that."

Our babies get to go undercover as a couple! They spend so much bloody time trying to run from how they feel, and now they've gotta cozy up to one another and play boyfriend/girlfriend? Sign me up! I'm so ready to see this.

We know both of them are capable in the field, though Lucy's a little more natural on the fly. But getting to see them together's gonna be fire, right?

"If we're gonna make this work, our backstory's gotta be airtight."

Oh, Lucy, honey. I didn't mean actual fire. You've lit enough candles to send a beacon to all of LA more powerful than the Bat Signal.

Lucy brings Tim a beer. And while they've shared drinks before and he's been in her apartment before, I find this particular combination so very domestic. They're brainstorming on the couch instead of at the counter, and I think all of this ambiance shows how relaxed they are around one another.

But also that Lucy's a tiny bit horny. Look, we know she's in a committed relationship with Curried Goat Boy, but subconsciously Lucy has lit a hundred candles because she wants Tim Bradford.

Now, Lucy's not a cheating person. We know this (and I go into more depth in 5x01 Meta and beyond). But, some part of her is subconsciously excited to have Tim in her home and wants the ambiance to be just right.

"Agreed. So, um, how did Dim and Juicy meet." "At a barbecue." "That's lame."

Also, are there barbecues out in LA? Like, real barbecues where you smoke meat for hours at a time? Or is Tim talking about a cook out? They really are two different things... I'm from the South, so we're kinda weird about that.

Plus, when Tim first said it, I said, "Lame." So, I take a small bit of pride in being on the same page with Lucy on this one!

"Really? You think you can do better." "Watch me! Okay, so, um, you were on the run from the cops. A bank robbery gone wrong. You ended up in my building, frantic, looking for a place to hide. And I opened the door for you. I lied to the cops for you. And, ooh, and it got me so hot that we hooked up while they were still searching the building."

Tim's mouth has fallen so far open that we're halfway to his O face.

He's imagining every bit of that. Because, after all, he remembers better when he listens, right? And Lucy just took him through one heck of a journey that will be burned into his brain for a long time.

He's imagining every bit of it... especially that last part.

It takes a second for him to recover.

"Okay. That's, that's, that's pretty good, actually." "Thank you." "Mmhmm." *giggle*

His brain's moving, now, and he's overthinking. Because, what bad guy will ever say, "Kiss your girlfriend or I'll pop a cap in your ass!"?

Also, I love Lucy's giggle. There's an episode in Season 5 where I discuss it extensively, but I love how it makes an appearance, here, considering where this scene is headed.

"So, look, we, we should, we should probably, you know, talk about the elephant in the room." "Hmm?" "You know, if we're gonna sell that we are, you know, actually boyfriend and girlfriend, then we might have to, uh, you know?"

And Lucy does know. But she's having a lot of fun fucking around with Tim. Come on, the girl is so repressed in her feelings for him that she's never gotten to really poke at him this way. And she is loving it.

"Have to, have to what?" "We might have to, to." "Okay, okay. We might have to PDA?" "You know what, forget it." "No, no! Okay, you're right."

Lucy nearly touches Tim's hand before he moves it. They're still very careful about being physical with one another, partly because of the boundaries of their job, but also the personal boundaries they've set with one another.

Remember what I said in 4x01 about proximity making it harder to deny what they feel. They're sitting as far away from each other on the couch as they can, as it is.

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, if we're gonna, if we're gonna have to kiss it probably shouldn't be for the first time." "That's what I'm saying." "Right, yeah."

Because the baddies need to see you kissing, right? Like, isn't that what everyone does when they're engaged in criminal activity? Stop to make out?

Maybe James Bond does, sure, but actual baddies?

Whatever. I wanna see them kiss as much as the rest of you. So, let's see if they can get through the initial awkwardness to get the job done.

"Should we maybe, uh, should we stand?"

It cracks me up that this is so awkward for them. Just a few months earlier (show time) these two were considering the horizontal mambo in his bed, and now they can't even figure out how to get through one kiss.

When Tim makes the kissy face and she runs away, it cracks me up so much. I mean, nobody really kisses like that, first of all, and I'd probably die laughing, too.

Fishy face Tim is not his best look.

"We're professionals. Let's just get this done with." "Woah. Well that's romantic." "I'm not trying to be romantic." "Well, you're succeeding."

Tim and Lucy. Never change. Y'all are making me die laughing when normally I can't stand awkward scenes. But Tim and Lucy can be this frank with one another because neither thinks the other is an option.

Truly, that's what gives them all this freedom. They think the other person has zero interest. They each think it's all in their head. So, they can treat this little moment as something totally bizarre that they have to do for work.

Tim gives Lucy the most chaste-wouldn't-offend-my-Spanish-Catholic-grandmother kiss in the world. And he looks so damn proud of that tiny peck, too!

Lucy echoes all of our thoughts.

"I'm sorry. Is that it?" "You know what, if you're gonna criticize-"

Tired of talking, Lucy pulls him in with both her hands on his face. Their lips meet, and as soon as they do, Tim's hands instinctively go to her arms.

The kiss deepens as the camera shift around them, both of them leaning into one another as Lucy's right hand falls from Tim's face.

Their lips part briefly, the hint of a smile on Tim's lips as his hand settles on her shoulder. Lucy's left hand falls from his face.

This pause could have been the end of it. The second their lips parted, they had done the assignment. Case closed. Kiss achieved. Move on to the next thing.

But Tim and Lucy don't want to stop. Now that they're finally here, both of them want to keep going. Tim has her in his arms. She has her hands on his chest.

In this moment, they've forgotten the assignment. They've forgotten Chris and Ashley. This is the definition of "getting lost in the moment". Tim and Lucy are the moment.

Tim is a touching-foreheads kisser and a top-lip-lover. He goes for hers just as the door behind them opens.

You've. Been. Caught.

Lucy distances herself from Tim by pushing off of him with her hands. His left hand drops from her am as he literally runs to the wall to put distance between them.

"I should probably go."

I love Tamara. Like, she's not judging them in this moment, and she has absolutely no idea what is happening. But, she has to know that there's something between them just waiting to be unlocked.

"No. This is work. This is work."

Lucy spat it out the first time, but she says it again because, well, it's true. And she needs a way to explain this away. Not just to Tamara, but to herself.

"Yeah, yeah, we're, we're going undercover." "Hey, it's cool. I mean, you don't have to explain yourself. I should probably go." "No!" "No, I, I was just about to leave. You know what? No, I don't have anything."

Cackling. Dying. ROLLING the first time I heard that. Tim Bradford is so flustered he can't even remember if he brought anything in with him. And what would he be looking for, exactly? A file? Paperwork?

"I'll see you tomorrow." "Good work tonight. Ay."

Lucy. Chen. Did you really just say that? Even she can't believe she said that. But Tim is too flustered to call her out on it.

"Great work, as well. Bye."

Tim high-tails it out of there so fast. And Lucy lets him go. But why?

Because they both know what just happened wasn't some fluke. They both wanted it. They both felt it. And neither knows what would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted, but both knows that because they were... it's awkward.

Like, they could barely talk about having to kiss. How are they going to talk about the fact that it felt... real?

"I'm gonna go to my room." "Yeah, me, too."

Lucy can't talk about this. Tamara just walked in on her kissing a man who isn't the man she's dating. Not just thin-lipped kissing. We're talking mouths open, bodies touching, hunger growing kind of kissing. And it was with her boss.

And who is outside reeling? Tim Bradford. I love that the writers/director gave us this space to see how Tim feels. Because it would be so easy to dismiss this as a one-sided thing where the subordinate falls for her boss.

But Tim Bradford's been on his way down for a long time. He's been able to push it down, repeatedly. Even last episode when picturing his wife, he had to push Lucy down. I firmly believe it.

But tonight he kissed Lucy Chen. And she kissed back.

I used to think this was his moment of realization, but the more I've rewatched the episodes, I still think 4x01 was a huge revelatory moment for both of them that they've been pushing down and ignoring ever since. They never discussed it and they're both running from it.

This is the episode that makes it so much harder for Tim to run. He's been completely convinced his feelings were one-sided. But this is a hint to him that, maybe, he's wrong. Maybe, just maybe, she feels it, too.

Because she wasn't kissing him like a platonic coworker. She was breathing into him as much as he was breathing into her.

She didn't want to stop anymore than he did, and when Tamara walked in, they were both flustered. She felt it, too.

Yes, Tim's reeling from how he feels because he was smacked in the face with feels tonight. But he's also reeling from the fact that freaking Lucy Chen kissed him back.

"Hey." "Hey."

He was waiting for her. He's been thinking about this since last night, as has she. And he wants to talk to her before they head in.

"Listen, about-" "We should probably-" "Go ahead." "No, you go first." "You sure?" "Mmhmm." "Uh, okay. I just wanted to say..."

His eyes are so soft, here. Look at him. He's more of a show guy, but he's trying to find his words. And Lucy Chen's looking at him so expectantly.

And he chickens out.

"We need more work on our backstory. Give it more depth. Key moments. You know?" "Yeah, we, uh, we could take the morning, you know, while we're waiting for Hajick to call." "Great." "Great."

Look, obviously it's the Season 4 finale and they needed to drag this out more. But there are also a host of obstacles between Tim and Lucy, and he's not entirely sure of how he feels.

Having the night to think has also lead to time for him to doubt. He's doubting his own memories. Maybe it was the beer. Maybe the adrenaline. Maybe it meant something to him and nothing to her.

So, he chickens out. But Lucy doesn't know that. All she knows is that Tim wanted to talk to her, but it wasn't what she'd hoped to hear... so she shoves her feeling back down.

They're both in a point of mad denial. But, I think this episode was a turning point for them because it marks the end of them being able to pretend with themselves.

Yes, they'll still pretend with one another because they care so much about each other that they want the other to be happy, no matter what.

But, within their hearts both Tim and Lucy know there's something there that cannot be ignored any longer. Tim longs for Lucy. Lucy yearns for Tim. And until they start actually talking about all this, that's where they'll stay.

As always, thank you for reading! Please keep the requests coming! It rained all day, the kids had a rainy-weather fun day indoors, Matt has a cold, and I'm still nursing the back thing. So, writing this was a great distraction.

I really appreciate y'all reading and going on this journey with me. Next one'll likely be for Tuesday night's fresh airing of 5x13. But I'll try to get to more requests on the flipside! Stay safe out there.

#Chenford #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #The Rookie #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy #Meta

[cf56]

My thoughts on episode 4

SPOILERS for season 3, episode 4 of the Animaniacs reboot

This review will have less substance than the last one because I just don't have as much to say. You can skip the next paragraph if you just want to hear my thoughts on the episode.

It's only been four days, and I've already gone insane. It's killing me to be separated from the fandom. I see the snippets of discussions and the filtered posts I can't view and I just desperately want to be a part of it all. Participate in the discussion, share in the same emotions. If that wasn't a factor, I'd have absolutely no regrets about watching one episode a day. Especially after typing up my reviews, I find that one day is the perfect amount of time to thoroughly digest each episode and prepare myself to watch the next one. I don't feel myself chomping at the bit to watch two or three episodes a day. I don't even think I have the time to do that and also keep doing these reviews. The only reason I want to go faster is so that I can return to the fandom sooner. There's six more days and six more episodes. The emotions are super mixed, though, because while I desperately want to exit my self-imposed prison, every day that passes is also another day closer to the end of Animaniacs for me. Do I go faster and get back to the fandom, but risk less thoroughly enjoying the last season of Animaniacs? Or do I keep watching slowly but risk missing the most active period this fandom will likely ever have again? THIS is why shows need to be released weekly. It's a dilemma I can't solve, and it leaves me feeling anxious and detached all day, thinking about absolutely nothing else than all of this.

What? The episode? Oh, it was decent.

Here's a closer look at the three abominations:

Could these be the animals the Warners are based on? I think a gold earring suits Yakko well.

"Do they watch us when we go to the bathroom?"

Only once, Wakko.

I loved Yakko's expressions and animation here.

I found it cute to see Dot looking at her spider with such love. An underrated, consistent part of her character through the original and the reboot is her fascination with keeping creepy little horrors as pets.

POOR BABY! Can't you see he needs his chicken tendies?!

I just got this joke. There were actually three spiders, Dot already lost one, and Andrew Garfield was forgotten.

Sad to see how far seniority gets you in this field, because lord knows Dr. Scratchansniff has never helped a single patient.

Like I said about the previews, Yakko is super cute in this segment!

The ambulance driver said they were going to make another stop, and Wakko's daily activity was never followed up with like Yakko's and Dot's. Is this implying Wakko ate so much at the hot dog eating contest that he had to get an ambulance?

It was a pretty funny segment that felt like the classic Scratchansniff-Warner cartoons you'd see in the first half of the original series.

It still confuses me, though, how they said they were listening to fan feedback for season 3, but they still didn't bother to make Scratchy more fatherly like literally every single fan wanted. We went from Scratchansniff willingly taking the Warners in his car on trips to being upset that they happened to join him in an Uber because he chose the wrong option in the app. At least give us a few moments that show he has some care for the Warners- like when Wakko starts to cry, have him feel bad and willingly give in to going back to the restaurant instead of the Uber driver doing it. During the best parts of their relationships in the original series, he was considerate towards the Warners' feelings and asked about their hobbies. Have him show some interest in Dot's pets or Yakko's passion for yodeling. The segment doesn't have to go any differently overall. Just a few caring moments would make all the difference. The decision to revert Scratchansniff to being a typical cartoon antagonist for the Warners was universally panned in the original and it baffles me that they still carry it forward to this day. No one wants to see that.

The Pinky and the Brain segment was good but nothing special. I'm getting a little sick of the same old formula for the reboot. Why not start a couple episodes off with Pinky and the Brain and end with the Warners? Or any other combination of segment order you could do. The formula in the reboot has always been either Warners-PATB-Warners or Warners-(sometimes some other segment)-PATB.

I find it interesting that this is their normal cruising attire:

I thought this part was an interesting symbolism for the two conflicting human ideas on climate change. Do we stick around and try to salvage what's left of our original home, or do we just try to bail Earth and start over in the stars?

My favorite part of this segment was how it all instantly devolved into total nonsensical chaos in about one second.

Poor guy will never get his revenge :(

It was a decently funny segment. Not much more to say about it.

The episode was good. It didn't stand up to the last one, but I didn't have any major complaints that ruined the whole thing for me. There wasn't really a major musical number in the entire episode. I think they've been too light on the music so far this season. The Warners have only had two songs in six segments, and only one of them was super great in my opinion. Take advantage of these characters and legendary voices while you have them.

This episode was definitely worse than episode 3, but it's hard for me to decide between this one and episode 2. Episode 2 had a better PATB segment but a Warner segment that didn't do much for me like this one did. By virtue of me being a Warner fan first and this episode having some very cute moments with them, I think I have to put episode 4 above episode 2. Despite the lack at even an attempt at a song.

My current ranking of season 3 episodes:

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 2

Episode 1

I encourage you to participate in the discussion on this post if you have anything to say about episode 4 or those that came before it, but don't say anything about the episodes that come after. Pretend like you haven't even seen them. I have to thank my friends in the replies who humor me every day and discuss each episode without spoilers. You two are the only reason I'm still semi-sane. Without you, I'd feel completely isolated.

I don't know if I'll cave and start doing multiple episodes per day. This takes a lot of willpower, but for now I'm still tentatively planning to tough it out.

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#animaniacs #animaniacs reboot #animaniacs 2020 #animaniacs season 3 #animaniacs screenshots #animaniacs analysis #animaniacs spoilers #animaniacs episode 4 #cfposts

[nakunakunomi]

What's up

Hiya all, a little update before I dive into creating a queue again of some sorts, and start planning and posting original stuff. So... I have been incredibly absent, I am fully aware of that, and I have had some time to reflect on the reasons why, in order to maybe be better about writing again.

warning, word vomit incoming, it's just a long text, but it does serve as a decent explanation for my silence and what y'all can expect. I'll put a TL;DR at the bottom.

When this blog started, almost 3 years ago, it was peak pandemic time in my country. I was lonely, bored, and I had just binged all 850+ episodes of One Piece in one go, and needed an outlet. I stumbled up on Tumblr in my fic searching progress and fell deep into the reader insert hole. I used to write fanfic in Dutch, but never got to writing and publishing in English and it seemed like a perfect time to do so, and NakuNakuNoMi the blog was born.

I could write insane amounts within a short amount of time, because I was still studying, and doing so from home allowed me enough time to write up to 3, sometimes even four or five pieces a day and publish them. The next year was similar: still studying, half-distance learning, and bored out of my mind at home.

Last year I got a job as a teacher and I moved out. Having my own space and a roommate that's a friend, as well as not having to deal with my family, allowed me to pick up a lot of my lost hobbies again. I am drawing (although I am not particularly good at it, crocheting, I got a keyboard very recently, most of my writing time is spent writing DnD things, I am reading and gaming a lot more...) I spend a lot of time at my hobbies, and I don't feel the need to be behind my laptop any more every evening.

On top of that, I know I am *only* a high school teacher, but the job does demand a lot from me, time-wise and emotionally, because I also just really want to do the best job I can. Which means that I do spend a lot of time on my laptop just working, leaving very little time for writing.

I was getting a little burnt-out on writing too, putting the bar way too high for myself and sometimes writing things I did not enjoy just because it would give me some more likes and reblogs. That, in combination for not really getting a lot of feedback even for requested things etc, made it very hard to keep motivated, while my other hobbies seemed that much more rewarding.

But I do miss writing, even though I cannot find a lot of time for it anymore. And I miss Tumblr, and the connections I made in these years, even though a lot of them are gone now, mainly due to my own hiatus stacking and anxiety about reaching out, feeling like I am annoying people by messaging them.

So I feel like I will be writing some more. I have one more week off, and I think I want to tackle some of my WIPS.

My system will stay the same: I do no more requests, but people are free to send in suggestions that I may or may not get to. I will not promise anything. Events will work with requests still, but I am not gonna do any events for a while still. The only one I foresee until september or so is an anniversary quickfire event. Other than that I want to finish my summer event next summer, and finish up some other things, finally post some of the multichaptered stories I have been working on in the background. I will probably be setting up a queue again, and if I find the confidence to do so, I will be posting some of my own OC art and fanart here as well? I am not completely out of that one just yet. It's really not that good haha.

Hope to see you all and make some connections again in this year <3 Love, Hazel

TL;DR

life and hobbies made me too busy to write

I still miss it

I will do another attempt at getting this going again, but hopefully with way less pressure and a very slow queue

Maybe post terrible fanart? If you'd be up for that

#update #personal #hazel speaks

[meant-to-be-a-hero]

Season Four, Chapter Eight: Papa

You'd think the penultimate ep would be the calm before the storm, which for most of the plot threads it is, but El's big blow-out battle with the military is pretty season finale-sized.

I forgot that the Rainbow Room gate closed again, that was what confused me about the Season 1/Season 4 timeline when I was rewatching it before.

How dare you insult Eddie's music collection!

Vecna's got that slow villain walk going on, he's not in any rush.

I know it's just me being gay AF, but Nancy's laying there suffering, and all I can see are Steve's arms.

That's two false funerals Joyce has been to.

El misses her dad :(

I can't believe the Jungle Fury Rhino Ranger expected his guards to NOT shoot the Demogorgon, seriously.

Grow Your Own Demogorgon, just add water. 1986's hottest Christmas toy.

Maybe El could have practised her powers on something less expensive than the Nina tank?

Will's fucking speech, man. Every fucking time. This show has managed to make me cry again at every single point I cried the first time around. I know the last episode's going to break me.

Vecna's plan has been in front of us, right from the beginning. It's all very clever.

Ah, the Yellow Pages. Sometimes you can almost forget the 80s setting, and then you get something like that to remind you.

The whole RV heist is just perfect. It's just left enough of farce to be hilarious without being stupid.

"Big boy." Eyebrow waggle.

Brenner likes his dramatic staircase entrances, doesn't he?

Huh, Nina's two hours away from Nellis Air Force Base, which is where Area 51 is.

Real talk, Owens is probably the best non-parental adult figure I've seen in media for a while. He's reasonable, he listens, he does his best, and he's not just telling people what they want to hear so he gets what he wants. He genuinely cares about El.

Steve/Nancy is the only alternative I'll accept since Steve/Eddie isn't going to be an option.

"That's presumptuous of you." is a callback to the first time Lucas and Dustin spoke to Max in Season 2, which I didn't realise when I watched this the first time.

Lucas saying he'll "call in Kate Bush" kind of makes me want to see Kate Bush descend into the Upside Down and kick the shit out of Vecna, ngl.

Ah, The War Zone. Only in America.

I love that they brought Erica inside, because of course they did.

I can't believe they just sell this shit to minors without even blinking.

If that shotgun Nancy's buying is $121, how the hell are they paying for all this? She doesn't get paid by the school newspaper, and I doubt Robin and Steve have that much cash laying around from Blockbusters.

Shut UP Argyle lmao, this dude.

Fucking Brenner. He always has to be right, even when he's wrong.

It's kind of nice that El and Brenner get to hash all this out, now that she's able to communicate properly. It feels more even, as opposed to what we've had before, him talking down to her. It's been a long time coming. I did expect a "My name is Jane!" at some point though.

Lucas and Erica's banter is so authentic, I could see me and my sister having conversations like them.

Robin's basically a precog at this point, predicting that this isn't going to end well (Vecna wins) and they're not all going to make it out alive (Eddie :( )

Because the only thing this season was missing was a military civil war.

I do hope that's not the last we see of Owens, his fate's kind of left up in the air. I'm sure if Sullivan was going to kill him, we'd see it on camera.

Bye bye Papa. At least he does one good thing before he dies.

Jonathan and friends' arrival is very well timed, lmao.

Mike and El reuniting with Will framed in the background is just a MEAN shot, isn't it? There's no reason for that other than to hurt me.

El not giving Brenner what he wants right at the end is pretty poetic, actually.

He's definitely dead this time, right? Although I wouldn't rule out one last Season 5 appearance as like a memory or something Vecna taunts El with.

One left. Kate Bush was wrong - it does hurt me.

#Lem's Stranger Things Rewatch #Stranger Things #Beware The Liveblogging Lem

[reachexceedinggrasp]

So the majority of the shows I’ve seen lately can be charitably described as ‘light entertainment’, including the ones with dark elements or more weighty, ponderous plots. They might be entertaining or interesting, they just... don’t stand up to scrutiny. Turn your brain off because this isn’t that carefully or skilfully made and you’ll only be annoyed if you start thinking about it as a whole. Including the last couple 'tragic’ historical dramas I’ve watched, which were not effective tragedy for that very reason. If you’re going to kill off the main cast, you have to earn it, and overwhelmingly writers don’t. Anyway, I’ve been getting despondent about whether stories which actually hang together and form a coherent narrative unit with consistent themes are the exception rather than the rule.

(And I feel like that should be a pretty low standard to meet, it’s sort of Step 1 of ‘being a story’: be about something! Communicate something, no matter how basic it is. Dead simple stories with rock basic messages can be revelatory! Just do it well!)

I’ve seen very little genuinely focussed or meaningful storytelling in my ventures for what feels like a long time. Basically, I can kind of count on one hand the number of films or dramas or whathaveyou I’ve seen from the last few years where it felt like the filmmakers were in complete control of their story and everything in it was purposeful and intentional. Most things have felt slapdash or shallow or fleeting. Story elements and character choices come out of nowhere just to derail already concluded arcs and fill screen time with empty repetitious drama, not to serve a meaningful narrative purpose. I would be watching with zero confidence anything in particular was going anywhere or that the writers knew where that should be. It’s just throwing shit at the wall, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type writing all the time and it fucking shows.

But then I watched Money Flower.

Money Flower is different. Money Flower is towering head and shoulders above every modern drama I’ve ever seen. Titanically good writing which rises above its genre and makes conventions seem radically new and fresh not by reinventing them or deconstructing them, but by playing them straight, taking them seriously, and committing 1000%. This is all your familiar rich family tropes but with masterpiece execution, infused with consequence and meaning because they’re all driven by the psychology of complex three-dimensional characters. So many moving pieces and none of them are random or unmotivated. Just... GOOD WRITING. And I want to make the point that it is this wherein art lives. The difference between a rank Lifetime movie and Romeo and Juliet is not novelty or tropes or plot twists- it’s execution.

This show is such a perfect example that it is not ‘mere events’ (aka plot) or novelty or shock value or cool ideas which separates something brilliant and timeless from forgettable schlock; it is solely and entirely execution. It’s writing itself, if you know what I mean. You can describe many of Shakespeare’s tragedies and history plays as soap opera plots. What makes Macbeth a deathless masterwork and Death Wish Hollywood wank isn’t a fundamental difference in subject or genre. It’s Shakespeare’s characterisation and purposeful storytelling. It’s the poetry of the dialogue. It’s the craft of writing. Most of Shakespeare’s plots are based on existing stories or on historical events and that has never mattered because novelty is not an inherent good or of any inherent artistic value.

Like, this is the problem with storytelling right now blah blah GOT, shitty endings everywhere etc. because power over the audience (can’t let anyone guess the plot, looking ‘clever’ with meaningless callbacks) and novelty are valued over narrative structure or things making sense or emotional verisimilitude. We have so many writers thinking being ‘shocking’ is all it takes to be a genius. It’s easy to be shocking if your story makes no goddamn sense because things that don’t make sense are literally unpredictable. Not in a good way, though. A great twist or sudden swerve needs to be unexpected but inevitable in hindsight or it does not work. I should be able to rewatch your thing and think ‘oh, of course! you can see it was [x] all along!’

We have so many popular writers now who are so shallow they don’t think anything needs to make sense on a character or emotional level. They don’t think their story has to be about anything. Substance is irrelevant as long as the surface is flashy enough. That has no staying power, you can only watch it once and you will forget about it quickly.

However, if you have ever wanted to experience the constant heightened stakes and High Drama of a soap opera without being annoyed at how ridiculous it all is and while actually giving a shit about the characters because they feel like real human beings, if you’ve wanted to feel repercussions when characters make choices, and get the emotional payoff that is the entire point of drama- now you can. Watch Money Flower. And let me tell you, it is fucking riveting. This show is mostly made up of people sitting in rooms talking and yet it is heart-pounding excitement nearly every episode. It is profoundly traditional and by the book while being totally fresh. It’s the most engrossing and satisfying artistic experience I’ve had in a long time.

Like, THE TENSION, THE DRAMA, THE REVEALS!!! You can, in fact, spend most of 24+ hours on the edge of your seat about family problems and business mergers. It seems unlikely, but that is the power of this series, it creates insanely high stakes and mesmerising suspense out of the most commonplace ingredients. Familiar plot elements become brand new and surprising under the deftness and tightness of this narrative. The plot itself is certainly 100% melodrama but it never feels like a soap opera and is never ever soapy in in a pejorative sense because it handles its classic tropes with such maturity and nuance that it's like you've never seen them before. The writing is incredible.

It is on an entirely different level than the vast majority of dramas, with a total self-assurance that keeps the pacing relentless yet unhurried- taking its time to let the impact of events be felt, the narrative always knowing exactly where it’s going and how to get there. The characters are all multi-faceted and unpredictable without ever being incoherent, their motives and goals always being gradually uncovered in more detail that only makes the storytelling and characterisation even tighter, even richer. The twists and cliffhangers are always mind-blowing but always earned, never cheap or nonsensical, and I can't remember ever thinking that about another show. (There’s literally one exception towards the very end where something a bit random happens for reasons of pure symbolism- it’s a misstep imo but it’s minor in the scheme of things)

Every time I started to doubt the writing, started to think ‘oh no, they’re going off the rails’, they showed me I was wrong and they were in total control. The only 'problem' with the show is that the drama is also profoundly painful to watch unfold, particularly in the beginning, because it's a story where everyone makes terrible life choices and moral corruption is everywhere. It's hypnotic though, like a car crash. If you can handle something dark, insidious, cerebral, and character-driven there is nothing I've seen in the same vein that can approach its brilliance. It’s like The Magnificent Ambersons as a slick modern revenge drama. There is also (PRECIOUSLY!!) a core of stunning romanticism around which all the horrors revolve and that saves it from becoming hideous or cynical. There is a chance for redemption and a new beginning after all, in spite of all appearances.

The ending has apparently been controversial, and it is definitely not quite as climatic as you would have expected given how powerfully climatic almost every regular episode is, but it's a good ending. There isn't full closure, they don't provide final resolution in a bow, but to me it's an ending about hope. It suggests optimism for our characters and I was satisfied with that. It's extremely rare for a 'revenge story’ to allow this kind of room for healing and it can do that because, imo, we discover in the end that it wasn't ultimately vengeance in Pil Joo’s heart. He has not become a tragic hero who will be consumed by the cannibalistic darkness of revenge, his quest was for justice. He teeters on the edge of the abyss but he avoided falling in; he didn't sell his soul, at least not irrevocably.

He is nonetheless a very tragic figure and an anti-hero, but despite having dedicated his life to bringing down the Jang cabal, it’s not that he’ll stop at nothing. He will make any personal sacrifice no matter how desolate, he lives as a mere husk of a man, and he facilitates enormous emotional harm to others in service of his goals, but he has ethical hard lines he never considers crossing. His sense of decency and compassion is never extinguished; he does care about the collateral damage he is causing even when making justifications for it. It’s important to him to give people as much agency as possible in their choices, to mitigate the damage done by his schemes as much as he can. To try to prevent harm coming to undeserving bystanders. Not that this makes it okay that he uses people, which he does, but the point is he never completely surrenders his moral compass to avarice. He’s never okay with burning down the world or ruining innocent lives just to get to his target.

Pil Joo is less a vigilante and more an avenging angel, he wants justice more than retribution. He wants fairness and a better, safer world where what has happened to his family won’t happen again. The reason this story never becomes Sweeney Todd (aka: a full on tragedy where we see the inevitable outcome of lust for revenge) and the reason he can survive twenty years spent pursuing someone’s downfall is exactly that principle. Searching for retribution would have destroyed him, he would have become the very thing he hated, but instead he goes as far as necessary to publicly expose the Jangs for what they are and then willingly submits to penance for his complicity in their crimes and tries to atone with the people he hurt along the way. Purged, he’s symbolically reborn and takes back his real name to maybe finally have a chance at the life he should have had. He moves on, content, a positive force. He’s capable of healing from the ordeal because he realises he doesn’t need retaliation, just seeing them stopped and facing consequences for their actions is enough.

The love story is a superbly poignant part of this. Their love is the ‘victim’ of his revenge and it will forever be impacted by it, but it’s not something that can be killed, so there’s still hope. Mo Hyeon’s bookending rescues of Pil Joo from death mean first that he has a purpose he must fulfil and then the second time that he has freedom to finally live as himself, for himself. There’s a future. And maybe they can be together there. I’m emo about it.

Anyway, if there was the slightest doubt about me becoming a long-term Jang Hyuk fangirl, it’s been put to rest. This performance is easily one of the best I’ve ever seen, period. No contest it’s the best I’ve seen in a tv drama. It’s also the most subtle and masterful turn he's delivered in his whole career. He's so restrained, but he is giving absolutely everything; he has total control over every microexpression, every gesture, every molecule in his body. There is so much simmering under his surface, so much going on in his eyes; the layers and depths are endless. The intensity and sharp intellectual focus he brings to the character is breathtaking. Everyone else is doing amazing work too, but he is almost constantly on screen and has this spectacular command of such a sprawling story, such a complex character, and he makes it look effortless. All artifice has melted away. The fact that being so tightly contained is in stark contrast to the bombastic element in many of his other roles renders its delicate precision even more startlingly impressive. I thought he was a great actor before, but I didn’t fully appreciate what he was capable of until Pil Joo.

#money flower #kdrama #writing #jang hyuk #long post #I've written a bit before about revenge and how it will inevitably lead to tragedy #so I wouldn't without explanation even call MF a 'revenge drama' because it turns out it's a complicated yet beautiful 'hope' drama lmao #it's actually a 'romance' in the Shakespearean sense #like the Winter's Tale #I guess we just call that 'tragicomedy' now but I don't find that word very helpful or descriptive #I don't think anyone actually know what you mean when you say that #anyway the first writing that is every bit as good as the production/acting side I've seen in what feels like forever #I just feel like everything is great characters in a mess of a story or brilliant performances elevating a bad script or good start-bad end #like no one knows what they're doing any more or why #but this show is incredible #it's only not perfect because the last four episodes are not up to what you'd expect for the rest but they are still really good #just not perfect #the last episode has problems but they're not with the concept of the ending at all- the concept IS perfect #and apparently I'm the only one who thinks that lol #apparently a lot of people did not understand what was happening and some misread it as a dream sequence #(this is an insane take to me- it's really not confusing or ambiguous at all) #(bc God forbid the main character not die and have a chance to heal after his absolutely miserable life?) #but yeah it's the only time anything feels rushed or not quite smooth #and one major character's fate isn't as satisfying as it could be #but I felt like I was never going to see something as engrossing as this again for a while there #anyway anyway NEW OTP #I didn't even get into it because no one cares about my giant rant here but it's SO traditional while being VERY different idk #the romanticism was so unexpected in a show that seems like it's going to be intensely cynical- it's handled with such gravitas #romance with gravitas is PRICELESS to me #the best swerve ever is for a show to NOT be cynical when it seemed so dark- that's a plot twist I can get behind

[preciouspeterbparker]

i wish i were

inspired by conan gray’s “heather”

warnings: stepsibling incest (not yet but that’s the whole premise), underage masturbation, underage sex, angst. peter’s like 16 and a half, Tony’s almost 18

word count: 2.2k

summary: peter’s in love with his big brother. no biggie. (spoiler alert: it’s a big deal)

(A/N: okay this has been living in my head rent free for over a month. i've written more, but it's not fully fleshed out yet. 

i figured i would post this and see if anyone is interested in reading it before i put a bunch more effort in lmao. this is filth. most of the angst comes later lololol (and more filth).

i hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think / if you'd like to read more!

- bloo)

PART ONE

Peter stands at his locker, desperately trying to blend in and remain unseen as he switches out his English textbook for Physics. The school year is basically over, given that it’s the last week of May but he’s still not comfortable in the junior-senior hallway. He’s always been the youngest (and therefore smallest) kid in most of his classes, given that he’s been in the ‘gifted & talented’ track since middle school. (He’s on track to graduate next year, taking his last few mandatory classes and completing an internship for additional credit.) This year, Peter feels even smaller than usual; maybe because most of the seniors are already eighteen, while as a sophomore, he isn’t even seventeen. He doesn’t have many friends this year, because of it. Ned moved away last summer because his dad got a new job, and, well, he’d never really needed more than Ned before. 

“Hey Pete-squeak,” comes a voice from behind, making him jump. Rolling his eyes, Peter pivots slightly to face the newcomer. The infestation of butterflies that he's been harboring for the past few months begins to flutter immediately, tickling the walls of his stomach as his cheeks flush lightly.

The voice belongs to a tall (or, well, taller than Peter, anyway), ridiculously handsome boy with dark hair and dark eyes, walking towards Peter with his hands in his pockets. The cheeky smirk on his face is all but permanent, but the small, genuine smile it slips into is something that Peter holds close to his chest, something that is typically reserved for him.  

Tony, his older brother, is pretty much Peter's favorite person in the world. Technically, he’s Peter’s step brother. Maria, his mom, and Peter’s dad Richard got married when Peter was a year old and Tony was almost three. They’d essentially spent their whole lives together; neither of them could really remember anything before. They’ve always been close, but that’s changed a little bit this year.

“Hey Tony,” Peter chirps, reaching back into his locker to grab his physics binder. He tries to act natural, even though he feels anything but. His heart’s going a mile a minute inside his rib cage. He feels a little ridiculous, he has for the past few months. Swallowing, he manages to sound relatively calm. “You read the last 2 chapters of Beowulf, right? Mrs. Herrera gave us a pop quiz last period.” 

The older teen groans. Closing his eyes, he throws his head back, a metallic thunk sounding as it collides with the locker he’s leaning back on. “Fucking hell. The final paper is due in like four fucking days! Is that not enough?” It’s quiet for a moment as Tony pauses before he opens one eye, cutting it to look at Peter. “What were the answers?” 

Peter snorts in response, shutting his locker. “Not happening, T.”  He pulls his phone out of his pocket to check the time and lets the left side of his body rest against the cool metal. Three minutes til the bell rings, and Mr. Riley’s class is right across the hall. So he’s essentially got three minutes to indulge himself and the fuzzy warmth that’s running through his veins. He loves any time he gets to spend with Tony. “You’re lucky I told you at all, be grateful.” 

Tony wrinkles his nose at him. “Rude,” he scoffs in mock offense. “I know you can remember them,” comes his teasing accusation. (And he’s right. Peter can recall the entirety of the quiz, but he’s still not going to enable Tony.) Then he pauses and raises an eyebrow at his younger brother. “Is that my sweatshirt?” The garment in question is a worn and slightly faded black Led Zeppelin USA 1977 crewneck sweatshirt. Peter’s wearing it over a charcoal and white check button-up. The sweatshirt is one of Tony’s favorite pieces of clothing, he wears it all the time (hence why Peter...borrowed it...without asking).

Having mentally prepared himself to be questioned at some point, Peter’s reply is already on the tip of his tongue. “Yeah, it ended up in my laundry and once I put it on it was too cozy to take off. And it looks good with these jeans and the button-up. And my boots. Trying out a new look,” he finishes, smiling as he pushes his glasses further up his nose. Tony often teased him about the thick, clear-but-slightly-pink frames, but Peter hadn’t wanted glasses at all (he doesn’t need any more reasons to be teased, thank you), but he likes these. They make him look cute, more feminine. More like someone Tony could want. 

“You’re right,” Tony smiles. One of his hands comes up to playfully ruffle at Peter’s russet hair. “Looks great on you, kid.” There’s warm affection in his voice. 

Peter feels his cheeks go hot again, and he wills the flush to go away. He can’t take compliments from Tony, now- they make him ache and preen simultaneously. He knows that Tony doesn’t mean it the way he wants. Peter knows that Tony would never speak to him again if he knew what was really going on inside his little brother’s head. The thought makes him sick to his stomach. 

Speaking of stomachs. “Hey,” he starts as he fingers through the papers in his physics binder, attempting to find the problem set that’s due today. “Did you ever catch up on Hell’s Kitchen? I’ve been rewatching episodes trying to wait for you, but you’re taking too long. You saw the episode where Gordon-” Peter’s heart falls to his stomach and he abruptly stops speaking when he looks up to notice that Tony isn’t looking at him anymore, barely seems to be listening. 

It falls completely out of his ass when he sees just what, just who, has stolen his attention. 

“Sorry, Pete, gotta go,” Tony mutters once he realizes that Peter’s stopped talking, shooting him a hasty smile and shoving off the navy metal. He skirts past Peter, a slight skip in his step as he makes his way down the hallway. 

Peter's swallows and clenches his jaw as he watches his brother walk straight to her, the bane of his existence. The reason he and Tony don’t spend as much time together anymore. The object of Tony’s affections. Pepper. She's...everything Peter wishes he could be, honestly. Tall, somehow a perfect mix of skinny & curvy, bright blue eyes, long strawberry-blonde hair. She's perfect. And not only in looks; she's also ridiculously smart. If Tony wasn’t valedictorian, she surely would be. She even volunteers at the local soup kitchen every weekend, and Peter’s pretty sure she reads to dogs at the animal shelter once a month. He hates that Pepper is so nice; he hates that he can't hate her without hating himself for it. 

As if he didn't have enough self-loathing already.

***

Peter exits the bathroom that connects his bedroom with Tony’s after gently flicking the lock on his brother’s door to disengage it, the soft ‘snick’ ridiculously loud in the quiet of the house. He’s the only one home; Mom and Dad are at some sort of event for Dad’s law firm, and Tony went to a party at Rhodey’s house. (Tony had insisted that Peter was invited, but he had to know that the younger would never go- why would he want to be surrounded by drunk, horny, belligerent teenagers? The last thing he wanted to see was Tony and- )

There’s a dark gray towel loosely wrapped around his waist, so loose he has to clutch it in his hand to keep it from falling. He closes his own bathroom door behind him and drops the towel, digging through his underwear drawer to pull out a random pair of plaid boxers. 

After sliding them on, the brunette takes a deep breath and lays back against the pillows, arms behind his head. He tries to consciously relax his muscles, the tension of the day not having melted away during his shower like he had hoped. Time for Plan B. It’s never let him down before. Peter reaches for his phone and unlocks it before swiping through his apps to open Spotify. The sound of “Dazed and Confused” fills the air through his speakers, and he sets it to repeat on a loop. It’s a little fucked up, the way he’s conditioned himself to respond to this song, but- Peter knows the whole thing is fucked up; he’s fucked up. 

Closing his eyes, he does the only thing he’s been capable of for months: he thinks of his older brother. 

He’s growing fond of the new facial hair Tony’s trying out; he wonders how it would feel against his skin. Which areas would be the most sensitive to its touch? His thighs? His neck? Peter’s head tilts back and to the side as he imagines wet, warm lips and the scratch of stubble. Just the thought, the phantom sensation, makes a soft mewl leave his mouth. It’s a little ridiculous how easy he can get himself going, when he thinks of Tony’s touch, of his body. Of his love. In his boxers, his cock shifts against his thigh as it begins to fill out. 

The sensual, plucky bassline and wailing guitars of the song drag along, and so does Peter’s breathing as he brings a hand up to pinch at one of his nipples. He imagines the way Tony would tease him until he was whining, begging for release. He supposes it wouldn’t be dissimilar to his older brother’s typical manner of playfully taunting him. Maybe Tony would pin him down like he did when they were younger, climb on top of him and hold him there with the muscles he’s gained from boxing in the garage. The opportunities he’s had to see the older teen breathing heavy, shirtless and glistening with sweat, would be forever ingrained in his mind. The mental image sends more blood rushing south and his dick throbs as it quickly reaches full hardness, drawing a gasp from his mouth. 

Peter takes himself in hand, studying the details of his cock. He knows he’s not huge, but he’s at least on the larger side of average. It’s flushed a deep, mauve-y pink, and he traces the line of a vein on the side with the tip of his pinkie. A shiver shoots down his spine. He wonders how similar it is to Tony’s. Is he circumcised like Peter is? Is he bigger? Longer, thicker even? Sure, he’s seen him naked before, when they were younger changing or in the bath, but that stopped around the time Tony was seven or eight. 

(Tony and Peter had come home from school one day, and Peter’s head had been reeling over what he heard some older girls saying on the bus. He’d decided to ask Tony about it. His big brother knew everything. ...Mom & Dad caught them kissing in their bedroom. That was the end of bathing together, and Tony got his own room, too. Peter never forgot about the way his big brother’s lips felt against his own.) 

A bead of precum oozes out of his tip and Peter rubs his thumb over it, smearing the liquid over his cockhead. Robert Plant’s voice moans over the speaker and Peter echoes the sound as he slowly strokes himself with a loose grip, his hole tightening around nothing. Biting his lip, he hesitates before slipping his left pointer finger into his mouth, rolling his tongue around it sloppily. Once it’s wet, he reaches down and gently presses the pad of his finger against the tightly furled muscle between his cheeks. His breath hitches as the sensation; he’s only touched himself down here a couple of times before. 

The tip of his finger begins to breach his opening and a whine leaves Peter’s mouth. It stings a bit so he tries to relax, muscles fluttering, making a mental note to grab some lube next time he goes to the drugstore. He wants to be able to stretch himself out more, to imagine Tony’s fingers, Tony’s cock, splitting him open and stuffing him full. Fuck-

Tightening his grip on the base of his cock, Peter grits his teeth and grunts softly as he pulls his finger from his ass. He can’t cum yet- he’s not done. He reaches under his pillow, pulling out the balled-up t-shirt that’s taken up residence there. The black fabric has faded in some spots, and the Black Sabbath logo is cracked and worn; it’s one of Tony’s favorite shirts. Peter brings the soft cloth up to his nose, fumbling with it to find the area with the strongest smell. There are hints of Tony’s Old Spice deodorant mixed with a scent that’s distinctly Tony, a warm, masculine musk that has saliva pooling in Peter’s mouth. Delirious, fucking his hand to the beat, he wishes he had dug a little further in the hamper, pulled out a pair of Tony’s briefs. 

That’s the thought that does him in. Peter cums into his fist, gasping his brother’s name, the sound getting muddled in the maelstrom of guitar and drums. Thick ropes of jizz splatter on his stomach and chest, entire abdomen heaving with his breaths. 

He wipes the mess up with Tony’s t-shirt before tucking the fabric back under his pillow for safe keeping.

to be continued???

#starker #starkercest #peter parker x tony stark #peter x tony #bloo writes bad things (tm)

[strawberriesndaisies]

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Words Also Fucking Hurt - Sebastian Stan & Anthony Mackie x Teen Reader (Platonic)

Summary: You're an upcoming actress who plays Bucky's long-lost Daughter from Russia on The Falcon And The Winter Soldier. The people at your school are assholes, and one day the bullying causes you to have a mental breakdown on set.

A/N: I haven't watched more than the first episode of tfawts cause I've been so busy, so the character that Y/N plays probably makes no sense lol.

Y/B/F = Your best friend T/M/G = The mean girl M/G/F = Mean girls friend Requested by: Flower Anon REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!!

You sigh as you walk through the hallways of your school, gripping onto your Starbucks latte. You had to do a long fight scene last night, which had to be re-recorded multiple times because you couldn't perfect the move.

The directors had wanted your character, Anastasia, to throw up a knife and then use it to attack Sam, as a cinematic parallel to when Bucky attacked Steve with a knife as the Winter Soldier.

You were extremely happy to be working on such a big project, but it didn't stop you from being tired. So you staggered through the halls, making your way to your social studies classroom.

"All right class, settle down," Your teacher had stated when everyone sat down, "You'll all be working in groups of four for your project on Ionic and Covalent Bonds. Feel free to choose your groups."

You turned around to look for Y/B/F, only to realize she wasn't in the class. Mentally facepalming yourself, you remember the text she had sent you yesterday about her swimming competition.

You half-raise your hand, trying to get the teachers attention. "Y/B/F isn't here today because she has a competition, can I work alone and then work with her tomorrow?"

The teacher winces slightly. "Sorry Y/N. It's 4 people in a group, max. You and Y/B/F can work with T/M/G and M/G/F though!" You groan internally as you move your pencil and your laptop to the other table.

You feel a nail tapping into your shoulder blade repetitively. "Oh my god, Y/N! Can't you do anything without falling asleep? You're so lazy!" You look to the side to see T/M/G poking you with her pink acrylic.

"Sorry," you mumble, "I had to do some filming last night. I'm working on a show you see, and-"

She groans. "I don't care, Y/N! If you're on the show it's probably going to be a bunch of bullshit anyway!"

You stay quiet after that, silently doing the assignment. You're allowed to leave school after your second class thanks to the directors sending a cab. You're lucky that the set is only an hour away from your place, and not halfway across the world.

When you arrive on set, you lock yourself in a trailer for a few minutes, regaining your composure until you feel strong enough to get out and talk to your coworkers. After ten minutes, Emily knocks on your door, letting you know that you're needed in hair and makeup.

That's where you see Anthony and Sebastian. "Hey guys." You greet, leaving the two of them slightly confused.

Normally, you'd say something along the lines of "Hey losers," or "Whats up fam."

"You alright, Y/N/N?"

You hum in response to Sebastians question. "'M fine, Seb."

You register Anthony scoffing. "The hell you are. What's going on?"

Your eyes start tearing up. "I just don't know if I'm doing the right thing with being on the show. Don't get me wrong, I love it and I think it's such an amazing opportunity, but I feel like, being so inexperienced, people are going to think that I'm ruining the show."

"Who the fuck put that idea into your head?" Anthony states, eyebrow turned upward.

Sebastian's pulled you into a hug. "You listen, to me, Y/N Y/M/N L/N. You are an amazing actress and overall an amazing person. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Okay?"

"Okay."

#Sebatian Stan #sybil's writing #Anthony Mackie #teen reader #marvel

[gabagaba05]

phew it's good to know i'm boy the only one super behind lmao

alright answering questions and asking some more because i have a funny little group of questions that mean nothing but i like to ask

alright so i do bias soonyoung 🙄🙄 didn't think you'd guess so early. i also like seokmin and minghao 🥴🤤 aLSO, WHY HAS SEUNGCHEOL BEEN LOOKING SO CUTE RECENTLY I CANT HANDLE 😩😩

outside of kpop i may or may not have had an emo phase (read: fall out boy, panic!at the disco, my chemical romance). i may or may not still listen emo music. i also LOVE CONAN GRAYYY. idk if he's still indie but i love indie too! probably one of my favorite genres though is classical (instrumental if you wanna get technical 🙄 been yelled at bc cLaSsiCaL iS a TiMe PeRiOd)

the best of us had emo phases ☝️ mine is a little longer lasting three years in middle school. due to this, fall out boy is one of my favorite artists! i’m also a big tchaikovsky fan, and i like doja cat a lot too!

in response to your question about 1518 strasbourg, this is when and where the dancing plague of 1518 happened dnsbsbshja. it's where the phrase "dance till you die" originated lmao. i think it'd be funny to witness this/take part in it. aside from that, id probably fuck with california in 1849 because the gold rush🧎‍♀️, france in the 1880s, or america in the 1980/1990s! i’m a history nerd courtesy of my father, so i choose all my time periods based off some of my favorite historical events! 1880s for architecture mostly, gold rush because lawlessness and the "wild west", and the 80s for the cold war :)

the night is beautiful if you take the time to live it. for me, my favorite time across the board is lunch time-12:00 ish to 3:00 just because the sun is highest and i feel happiest! i like the night when i go out on bike rides because i feel alive/ like i’m not wasting my teen years

GIRL IM NORTHEAST US TOO DJNSBSBSVABWB #goals lmao

i have 1 sister and she's super annoying🙄 i also have 2 cats and a dog (i consider them my siblings)

the most recent show i binged and finished was criminal minds, and i tried supernatural but it's just so bad i cant get past season 11. i’m working on hannibal right now!

the last book i really enjoyed was the summer i turned pretty! i’m a sucker for romance books 😩

questions i've got:

- do you have any siblings or pets?

- do you play any instruments?

- what's your favorite font?

- how many pillows and stuffed animals do you sleep with? (i have too many to count)

- would you rather live in an urban, suburban, or rural setting?

I FRIKIN KNEW U BIASED SOONYOUNG UR VIBES R SO HORANGHE I COULD JUST TELL and i gotta say ur the second person who’s had both minghao and soonyoung on ur bias list and i just find that so funny cuz they’re polar opposites to me (also u have impeccable taste with minghao that boy is my ult and has my whole heart) AND OMG RIGHT??? seungcheol needs to *CHILL*😤

omg yes conan gray😫 this is gonna sound whiny but heather was one of my favorite songs of his before it became a tiktok trend💅

and yes the best of us *did* have emo phases, mine lasted from late 8th grade into the first half of freshman year, so it was kinda short lived but it still happened lol

also, seeing tchaikovsky and doja cat next to each other in a sentence is so funny (but in a weird way i get it lol) i’m not the *biggest* classical/instrumental fan, but i have def used it as study music when songs with lyrics r just too distracting. back to doja tho!! have u listened to her new album?? do u have a fav song off of it? (i haven’t listened to all of it but i do have a couple that i rlly like)

omg how did i not recognize that u were talking abt the dancing plague!!!!!🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ idk if u watch buzzfeed unsolved or watcher but they have a series called puppet history and the episode on the dancing plague is one of my favorites! also omg yes another history nerd who knows abt history b/c of her dad!!!! i’m prob most knowledgeable abt wwii, the civil rights movement in the us, and the spanish civil war cuz those r my dads main interests and i was sat down in front of documentaries abt those topics at the age of like, 3 lol. and wanting to experience the wild west is such a perfect and iconic era to want to live in, and wanting to experience the cold war is so funny (b/c i’m sure the ppl who were living it without knowing the ending like us felt the exact opposite lol)

and yes the night is so beautiful when u just give it ur attention. like, on my birthday it was raining and i didn’t have school the next day (and my birthdays i’m may so it was pretty warm) so i just went outside at like, midnight ish and listened to the rain and crocheted and it was truly so nice 😫 also omg last year when covid had us all at home i went for a bike ride almost every day after school to just get out of my room and it was so nice!! it was my bike from when i was like, 12 but i’m 4’11 so i was still able to ride it without a problem lsnsksns

and yes pets r absolutely siblings, my cat prob acts more like s typical sibling than my two younger siblings do lsnsksns (srsly tho my cat is an asshole she fucked up my leg the other day cuz i gave her food late smh)

omg hun season 11?? how many seasons of that goddamn show r there??? i couldn’t get past episode 1😭 (i rlly only started watching it b/c of dean from gilmore girls sksnksns) the show i’m currently bingeing rn tho is downton abbey, as i’m sure u can tell from how much downton shit u had to scroll past to find my answer to ur last ask alskkskjsjs (i’m so so sorry 😭)

ooo that sounds like a rlly good book title, what was it abt? i just finished a secret history (which FUCKED ME UP MY GOD THERES A LOT OF MURDER) and i’m currently working on the sequel to my name is asher lev by chaim potok (who is one of my fav jewish/classic literature authors and also just a rlly good author in general)

for ur questions:

-yes i do have siblings! two younger (one four and a half years younger and one a little over nine years younger than me so i’m the oldest by quite a bit lol) and i do have a pet! my cat sweetie who is an asshole who i love very much

-i took piano for like a year in second grade but then third grade happened and i was rlly bad at math so my parents switched from paying for piano lessons to paying for math tutoring lessons and i now remember literally nothing from piano lessons sksnksns

-i,,, dont think i have a favorite font? i do like to write in cursive and have a collection of calligraphy pens that i bust out on special occasions so there’s that i guess lol

-ok i have two normal pillows, one chair/armrest/pillow thing (idk if that makes sense but that’s the only way i know how to describe it sksnksns), a body pillow, and a single stuffed bear that live on my bed

-ooo so this is difficult for me cuz i technically live in a suburb but we’re *right next* to a major city in my state (like i’m a 20ish min car ride from my states baseball stadium and a 20 min walk to the college of the major city) so this has kinda made me rlly like both? like, i like the quiet of the suburbs but i cant handle not being able to walk to the closest boba shop or movie theatre or bookshop but i also don’t rlly love the noise and lights that there are in the city at night. so idk sksnksns

what do u like more tho? the city or the suburbs? also since u asked the question i’m assuming u have a fav form and i’m now rlly interested in finding out what it is lol

goodnight!❤️ (or good morning if ur seeing this in the morning since i’m answering this at midnight lol)

#🐯 anon #caratanonevent3 #asked and answered

[gvf-imagine]

Weekend with Jake

——————————

You and the boys relaxed in Jake and Josh’s basement, it was a calm saturday afternoon and most of your free time was spent with these men in this basement. They were your friends, your best friends even. Sam was the first one you met , he was in your biology class to which you both showed up late and were paired together to dissect a frog. Which you both protested, instead of cutting up a poor frog you and him talked about music the whole class hour. You failed the class but gained a friend, well four friends after he introduced you to his brother’s that lunch period. That was a few years ago now, back in freshman year. Now you're all seniors, who barely attended school. The boys at least had good reason, they were investing their time in their band. You just didn't want to go to school if your friends weren't there, you did what you needed to graduate and coasted through the rest.

“Thirsty?” Jake inquires , noticing you'd been quiet for a while. You didn't realize any of them had spoken; you were adrift in reflections of the past.

“Yeah I could go for some soda” you answer, offering him a kind smile, he grins back and hops off the black suede couch, his imprint still left in the cushion next to you. You hadn't noticed the warm presence of his body heat until it was gone. He moved across the room and jogged up the stairs headed for the kitchen.

“I'm bored” Danny utters, looking at an old magazine. He let it fall out of his grip and settle lightly on his lap.

“Me too” Sam announces, he had been situated in the corner of the room and was fiddling around with his Bass, he often played small compositions to himself. You looked to Josh who you expected would be the next to say something, he was far too enthralled with his phone to even regard that any of you were here.

Jake's footsteps descended the stairs before he hopped over the back of the couch landing perfectly in his fading imprint.

“Here you go!” he voices handing you the cold can. You grab it and inspect the label, your eyebrows peak up towards your forehead in thought.

“You got me diet?” you inquire looking to him. His face goes pale and panic fills his chocolate brown eyes. He shifts his weight on the couch, adjusting his posture. He gulps telling you his throat went dry. You tried your hardest not to laugh, but couldn't help it. It was cute seeing him all flustered at the thought of insulting you.

“Jakey, I'm just kidding, I prefer diet, thank you” the words escape your lips and Jake sighs with relief sneaking in a small chuckle as well.

“Good….because I didn't mean anything by bringing you diet, I mean I know you like it but I dont - I dont think youre ya know, I don't thi- you look really good to me like you don't have to change anything about your- I just-” you put your finger to his mouth, his haphazard words coming to a stop.

“Thank you Jake” you speak softly, you knew what he was trying to say.

“Let's go swimming” Josh proposes, finally lifting his eyes from his phone. You had almost forgotten what you were talking about.

“Swimming? We don't have a pool” Sam replies, setting his base back in its case. Josh shrugs looking at his tall, slim, younger brother.

“no , but the neighbors do and they're out of town” he offers with a sly grimace.

“Problem solved” Danny chimes perking up with a toothy grin.

“I’m in” Jake replies nodding.

“(y/n)?” Josh asks, they all look at you in waiting. Your eyes flicker between the four of them.

“Sure….but I don't have a bathing suit” you realize.

“That's ok you can just wear your birthday suit” Josh winks. Your eyes roll, as they often did in Josh's direction.

“You can borrow Ronnies,here come on I'll take you to her room” Jake offers, touching your shoulder gently indicating it was time to stand. You agree and follow him up the stairs and down the hall to her room. You walked in and it smelled just like her, vanilla and cashmere , her signature perfume scent. Jake looks around the room and silence settles in the air he looks over to you his hand tucked snugly in his back pockets.

“Here it's right here….dont worry its clean '' he says pulling the bikini out of Ronnie's drawer. You look at it as he hands it to you , it was the color of strawberry milk, which you liked, it was also a two piece, which you didn't like.

“Oh it's a bikini” you utter, you didn't mean to say it out loud. You did not usually wear bikinis , you didn't feel very comfortable in them, especially not in front of four boys. You just didn't feel like you had the right body for a bikini. Jake must have noticed your unease

“You can wear one of my shirts if you're not comfortable in just that” he offers gently. You smile and thank him but decline, you didn't want his clothes to get ruined from the chlorine.

“Ill just wear this, its no problem, plus I really wanna go swimming its hot as fuck out” you chuckle. Jake nods in agreement

“Well I'd better go change too” he announces, leaving you alone in the room. You slip your clothes off and shuffle into the bikini. You looked at yourself in the mirror that hung on the back of Ronnie's door. You didn't look as horrible as you thought you would have, but you were still kind of nervous about the guys seeing you like this, they'd never seen you in such a small amount of clothing.

“Most of your body will be underwater, they'll only see you for a moment” you give yourself a small pep talk.

“Come on (y/n) were leaving!” you hear danny call from the living room. With a fortifying breath you give yourself one last look and walk out of the room. You make a pit stop in the bathroom and grab a towel to wrap around your body , you grabbed an extra four for the guys as well. The soft shag carpeting of the bath mat in the bathroom grounded you and calmed you.

“Just getting some towels!” you yell down assuming they heard you. You had the towels and you were ready to go, butterflies slammed incessantly into the sides of your stomach, begging to be released.

You walked down the stairs and found the guys waiting by the front door.

“Alright let's go” Josh says as he turns the bronze door knob, the sun gleamed in the sky, you squinted trying to combat its powerful rays.

“Jesus christ” Sam spat holding his hand up above his eyes.

“Good day for swimming,” Danny adds as you all walked towards the backyard, the neighbor in question was a few houses down. The warm soft grass felt inviting on the bottoms of your feet the sun bathed your skin with warmth like a hug from mother nature herself.

The pool was actually pretty big, you were almost surprised something like this was in someone's backyard and not on an episode of ‘cribs’. The boys begin pulling their shirts off with no thought , you were almost jealous at how little they had to worry about their bodies. You, on the other hand, were a little more reluctant. A few droplets of water hit your face as Jake jumps in the pool, then Danny then sam.

“Come on” Josh nudges you before joining his brothers. You watch them with a smile before dropping your towel , slowly. Jake was watching you intently only with his head visible above water. His lips part and his tongue smooths across them as he takes in the sight of you. His hair was wet and small drops of water cascaded down his face, he didn't seem to notice he was too engaged with you. You didn't see him looking at you at first and the first person to say anything was danny.

“Jesus…” he muttered, in a good way you had hoped.

“I'll take that as a compliment Daniel” you chime walking closer to the pool, using the ladder to slowly dip yourself in the refreshing water. It wasn't too cold or too hot, it was perfect and your body thanked you for it.

The guys swam around for a while, all of you splashing each other, laughing and probably being far too loud to go unnoticed by the other neighbors but none of you cared. It was freeing to be in the water, all your worries fade with every splash , ebb and flow just like the artificial waves Josh and Sammy were causing while wrestling in the water. You felt something grab your leg and pull you under before you could let out a sound. You smile when you see Jake's long hair floating aimlessly in the clear blue water, he waves to you then brings his hand to his lips and blows you a kiss before resurfacing. You stayed under a few seconds longer than followed him up. The noise of the outside world filling your ears once again. Jake flipped his hair out of his face, you watched in slow motion as droplets of water flung of the tips. You couldn’t help but take not of how attractive Jake is, his smooth sun kissed skin covered in droplets of water racing down his body

Stop stop stop.

You pull your eyes away from him , you could swear you saw him smile.

Your heart was fluttering in your chest, you hadn’t felt like this before about Jake, you’ve always seen him as a best friend. The night went on and now you and Jake found yourselves back at his house , upstairs on the balcony that was attached to his second floor bedroom.

“You want a drink?” He questions

“Wine?” You inquire with a smile.

“Yes ma’am, your favorite too, pink moscato” he returns the smile. You were at the kiszkas so often for dinner they’d always kept a bottle of your favorite wine in their liquor cabinet. Jake stepped out of his room and downstairs. You turned your attention to the sky. Pinks and oranges painted across the lazy sky as the sun began to set. You closed your eyes, your body tired from spending the day in the hot sun. The clinking of glasses brings you back to a more present state of mind. Your eyes flicker up to Jake who stood over you, holding a wine glass out to you , once you took it he returned to the wooden patio chair he was sitting on.

He poured your drink first and then his, the wind gently blowing his hair. You took a sip of the sweet and tart liquid, it was ice cold and delicious.

Your eyes find their way back to the sky.

“What a beautiful view” you chime to no one in particular. Jake looks to you, he watches the wind sweep through your hair , his eyes scan your profile lingering on your lips.

“Yeah...you’re gorgeous” he says , his words softly float out of his mouth.

“I means ITS- it’s a gorgeous...view” he corrects himself quickly, he curses himself under his breath. You pretend like you didn’t hear the first part but you did and it made your stomach flip. Did he really think you’re gorgeous?

“Are you sleeping over?” He asks, taking another drink from his glass. You mull the idea over in your head.

“Do you want me to?” You respond , a loaded question.

Jake catches this and smiles at you.

“Of course” he coos. This would not be the first time you slept over so it wasn’t a big deal.

The rest of the guys were downstairs drinking around the fire pit, you could see them from where you were sitting.

“Wanna join them?” Jake asks, noticing you gazing down at them.

“Sure!” You chime. The two of you grab your drinks and make your way to the fire pit.

“We should make s’mores” you propose making a pit stop in the kitchen. You open the cupboards looking for graham crackers and some chocolate bars. Marshmallows were on top of the fridge as always.

“Here I can carry that” Jake offers, taking the food from your hands , such a gentleman. His fingertips gently brush against yours and by the look in his sparkling eyes you couldn’t help but wonder if it was intentional.

“There they are,” Josh exclaims as you and Jake sat down. You sat next to Danny who welcomed you with a side hug and a kind smile. Jake sat across from you with Sammy. Flames of blazing heat separating the two of you, obstructing your view of him.

“We brought snacks” Jake chimes tossing the marshmallows to Sam who tore the bag open happily.

Conversation flowed as easily as the drinks, the sun was gone now, the heat of the alcohol was all you needed to keep you warm. The five of you spent a few hours around that fire landing you all in a drunken stooper.

“Well...I think I’m gonna go to bed ladies” you say, struggling to stand up. Danny holds your arm stabilizing you. You turn and give him a good night hug, his hand brushes up and down your back as he says goodnight. You take a lap hugging each of them , all of them saying goodnight. You stumble again as you walk towards the house.

“I’ll help her” Jake says standing to his feet, you feel his hand lay above your hip bone and his other hand grab your arm as he stands behind you holding you up.

“Went a little heavy on the wine huh girl?” He laughs as he moves you through the house.

“Yeah” you slur.

“Think you can make it up the stairs?” He asks, trying to catch your gaze. You shrug. He chuckles and just picks you up bridal style , carrying you gracefully up the stairs. He sets you down on his bed gently, his mattress shapes to your body , you feel him drape a thick comforter over you , his body weight settling next to you. He brushes your hair out of your face and kisses you softly, reluctantly on the cheek. It felt right, being here with him in this bed , with his arms wrapped around you , your body against his, his face nuzzled into your neck planting kisses on your shoulder. He whispers a soft goodnight.

The next morning you woke up to an empty bed, it took you a moment to realize where you were, your head pounded , the night before still knocking against your brain.

Jake was nowhere to be found , well, at least in the bedroom. You squint your eyes as the sun gleamed through the blinds

“Good morning” Jake voices as he steps into the room carrying a tray with breakfast foods laid out attractively.

“I brought you breakfast, I bet you’re feeling pretty rough” he chuckles as he sets the tray down so it’s stationed across your lap. You smile at the plate of delicious food in front of you and then turn to Jake.

“Oh Jake this is so sweet, thank you so much”

“You’re welcome girl….I made it all myself” he adds.

“Well here we can share” you chime scooting over so he could get closer, he wasted no time doing so.

You rest your head on his chest as he takes a drink of juice.

It all felt right, for the first time in your life everything felt right.

#jake #jake kiszka imagine #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #gvf #danny wagner #josh kiszka #sam kiszka #danny gvf #jake gvf #sam gvf #josh gvf

[crimsonblazw]

Zero-one is the perfect start to a new generation

artist credit:https://twitter.com/r5WitWG0y8Poz0K/status/1300385462972866560?s=20

Introduction

Kamen rider Zero-one concluded last week and I believe it to be a very strong first entry into the Reiwa era of Kamen rider. On the surface it's back to basics with a grasshopper themed main character and simple animal motifs for his forms and the other riders while the major motif of the season centers around Artificial intelligence and the concepts of free will,dreams,and empathy.

At first glance you'd have several preconceived notions about the series,but there is FAR more than meets the eye.

Story and themes

Structurally this season of KR is made up of bigger arcs (four in total) which break down into smaller two episode arcs that make up the week to week episodes which allowed the show to maximize the monster of the week formula while the main story progresses at it's own pace (the best way to do KR in my opinion), this pairs well with one of Zero-one's biggest strengths; world building.

Each two episode arc explores the humagears' place in society and they're overall relationship with humans leading to a diverse range of dynamics that get explored over the course of the show with very few stones left unturned.

In general the thesis of the show is built on the beliefs of the humagears' creator Hiden Korenosuke,that humagears will help humanity achieve the their dreams.

At first you can take this literally given humagears can be thought of as "tools" for day to day life when in reality they where meant to grow along with humans (in other words reach singularity) and use their own passions and dreams to elevate those of humans and vice versa,the significance being that humans by nature are empathetic and social beings who have only made it so far as a species due to our ability to care for one another, humagears are meant to help humanity achieve our full potential faster.

The challenges this idea faces is a society that not only wants humagears and humans alike to become nothing more than "beasts of burden" for the upper class but also it's mirror opposite;the potential malice and selfishness that ultimately destroys lives and dreams,all of this being synonymous with the classic fiction trope or A.I. and robots representing the inhumane treatment of the common person.

Characters

While the overall show and it's smaller stories make up the backbone of the show the main characters are the heart, having arcs that represent the exact message the themes of the show are trying to communicate.

Aruto Hiden/Zero-one- Our main character. He has the staple good heart of a main rider with a strong belief in the power of dreams.

His arc is flat in order to inspire the other characters around him and further their own growth while having his own convictions tested the challenges of the show. He's very endearing and seeing how he overcomes every obstacle (even when it's crushing him) is the mark of a good main rider.

Izu-Aruto's humagear partner. It's easy to dismiss Izu's growth but her change is present but subtle. She goes from following Korenosuke's initial directives to making her own decisions,she starts off confused by Aruto's jokes but begins repeating them,and she goes from being Aruto's secretary to being his family. The evolution of her and Aruto's relationship is heartwarming and gives them on the best male/female lead dynamic in the franchise.

Fuwa/Vulcan-He starts as a staunch humagear hating foil to Aruto and a rather typical secondary rider. But after discovering his entire mindset has been "crafted" by those who want to control him his arc blossoms into a great story of a man taking back control of his life and rejecting the false and toxic ideals forced on to him, resulting in arguably the best arc in the show.

Yua/Valkyrie- While her arc can be easy to miss she represents those who unintentionally surrender their personhood to those above them while believing they retain their independence. Despite some lacking screentime she does recognize her worth and atonomy and reclaims her life (not unlike her partner Fuwa) and I hope future female riders follow her example (but with more screentime).

Horobi and Jin- Our two initial villains and the heads of the humagear terrorist cell Metsubojinrai.net.

Horobi begins as a steadfast believer in his "master" the Ark and shares it's beliefs in the extermination of humanity, beliefs he tries to pass to his "son" Jin who has concerns about their violent and forceful methods before becoming indoctrinated.

As the show goes on Jin begins to develop his own beliefs separate from Horobi while Horobi begins to experience a crisis of faith. They're dynamic is unique in KR and their arc is a perfect representation of the kinds of toxic concepts that can be passed down from parent to child but with time can be unlearned.

Gai/Thouser- One of the two major villains in the show. In many ways he's a more serious version of Dan from Ex-aid, his main position in this story being a stand-in for the greedy ruling class who will destroy as many lives as they want so long as they get what they want.

He's genuinely impressive in terms of how well calculated his plan is and absolutely loathsome for the fact he essentially caused everything wrong in the series. His eventual "redemption" is VERY hard to swallow but for food or ill does fit with the shows themes of overcoming our worst aspects and also doesn't bend over backwards to make him sympathetic.

Naki/Raiden-the other two members of Metsubojinrai.net. Wish they had gotten more screentime, especially since Naki seemed like a character that would have been cool to see more of. I do like them still and think it's cool they got their own happy endings.

The final arc

This deserves it's own section. The final arc is one of the most bold and interesting final arcs in the franchise and in my opinion is the best one since Drive.

The asset that really makes this part of the show work is the "final boss" the Ark. Despite seeming like a generic "evil entity" final boss commonly seen in toku the Ark is a methodical and truly evil being.

The Ark represents the darkest parts of human existence, mainly that our compassion/love can be easily turned into malice when the hardships of the world take it's tole on us.

Going deeper the ark's "philosophy" can also be seen as a parallel to those who think humanity is better off destroyed because of humans alleged inherent cruelty,not realizing that not only are humans not inherently cruel but that mindset is at most a trauma based response to the hardships of the world or a hypocritical mindset that give those who think it a free pass to be malicious and hateful while thinking they're "enlightened" for recognizing the alleged folly of man.

The Ark utilizes these concepts in it's final plan when it manipulates Aruto and Horobi take each other to their lowest points by having them kill each other's most treasured person,the duel between the two fueling human/humagear tension to the point of war,and it did this all without being around for most of it.

Aruto is so besides himself with grief that he essentially abandons his dream,I think what stood out to me was Fuwa attempting to stop Aruto and pointing out that Aruto is where he used to be,full of rage and hatred that can only be overcome with someone else showing you genuine empathy, which is what Fuwa is attempting to give to Aruto as a parallel to when Aruto did it for him.

The final battle is not only between Horobi and Aruto but between Malice and empathy. And in the end the two breaking down and recognizing each other's pain with Aruto winning but sparing Horobi is the final "test" of what fully realized empathy is.

Outro

2020 has been rough. I think more than ever we see what's wrong with the world and what we need to do to fix it. Whether it was intentional or not Zero-one was the rider I think we needed right now.

In a society that doesn't value empathy ,unity,or dreams we have to elevate each other and hold on to our passions and dreams for the future.

Thanks for reading ! Please like and share ! And feel free to share your thoughts. Keep your eyes peeled for future posts! Best wishes friend

#kamen rider #zero one #toku #tokusatsu #hiden aruto #izu #fuwa isamu #yaiba yua #horobi #jin #gai amatsu #the ark #humagears #kamen rider vulcan #kamen rider valkyrie #metsubojinrai #review

[honeypwark]

[ Fan Favorite ]

↳ Sixteen era

↳ Lily becomes a member of Twice. JYP critiques and compliments her. She didn't practice a speech.

m.list

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

(x)

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Lily stands with her hands behind her back. Despite winning the audience votes and being in Major for the final mission, she's still fairly certain she won't debut. With trainees like Nayeon and Dahyun in Minor, she doesn't hold out much hope for maintaining her position in Major.

The eliminated members, Momo, Chaeyeon, Eunsuh, and Jiwon, stand offstage. Standing alongside Lily in Major are Jihyo, Somi, Minyoung, Sana, Chaeyoung, and Mina. In Minor, Jeongyeon, Nayeon, Dahyun, Tzuyu, and Chaeryoung.

JYP announces Nayeon as the first member of Twice. Nayeon walks down the steps and makes her way to the center of the stage, unable to control her smile as she gives a short speech.

"Please open the envelope and announce who will be eliminated."

Nayeon shakily picks the first envelope and opens it slowly. Her expression drops as she reads the name and she closes the envelope. She sets it back on the table and swallows, eyes downtrodden.

She steps to the side but can't look up at the girls standing in Major as she speaks, "Please come out, Lily."

Lily breathes out and nods. That makes sense.

The audience's reaction upon hearing her name surprises her. It seems like the entire audience is shouting in protest as she walks down the steps and over to Nayeon. Nayeon opens her arms to her as she meets her on the center of the stage.

"I'm sorry," she mumbles in Lily's ear.

"It's okay, unnie," the younger girl assures her, "It's not your fault."

They break apart and face the audience.

"JYP, please make your comments," the MC says.

"Lily," JYP says.

Lily nods.

"In the first mission, you thoroughly surprised and impressed me," he says.

Lily smiles softly, remembering watching his reactions to her jokes.

"You proved you have the personality to be a star," he continues, "However, your Korean is what knocked you out of Major until the second to last mission. You have struggled with Korean throughout the show, which is to be expected as you have only lived in Korea for less than four months. You excel in dance and vocals but often fumble over Korean lyrics. Nonetheless, your Korean skills are impressive for someone who has had very limited time speaking it. Thank you for your hard work."

Lily bows and thanks JYP.

He continues on to compliment Nayeon. Nayeon and Lily switch sides of the stage and Lily feels a weight off her shoulders upon taking her place between Jeongyeon and Dahyun. At least she doesn't have to internally stress about being eliminated for too long.

The next switch is between Jeongyeon and Somi. Then, Dahyun and Minyoung. JYP denying any further lineup changes sets the seven members in stone: Jihyo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Dahyun, Sana, Chaeyoung, and Mina.

"But," JYP speaks over the shouts of excitement and protest from the audience, "The seven members will stay, but to complete Twice, I want to add three more members."

Lily furrows her brows at that. Who would he add? The seven confirmed members are a solid team, they're all exceptionally talented.

"One member is chosen purely by the audience and viewer votes," JYP says. "That member is Tzuyu."

After Tzuyu gives a speech, JYP announces the second of the three final members to be Momo, who JYP says the group needs because of her amazing performance and dance skills. Lily smiles and couldn't agree more. Momo has always been kind to Lily and helped her when she was lacking in dancing.

Momo is crying as she makes her way onstage, where she is greeted by the eight other members in a hug. The MC calls a commercial break after Momo speaks and JYP comments but before the announcement of the tenth and final member.

Lily does the math in her head. With the two new additions, Chaeryoung, Chaeyeon, Jiwon, and Eunsuh are the remaining candidates for the tenth member. Lily would have to guess that JYP would pick Chaeryoung.

The break ends and the nine members are lined up, back on the major side.

"The final member of Twice is someone that the team desperately needs," JYP says. "That person is Lily."

Lily looks up in shock.

Surprise paints her face, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. She'd been so positive it wouldn't be her chosen, especially after being switched out of Major. She can't even seem to move her feet she's so in shock.

Somi pushes her forward gently and she slightly stumbles down the steps to walk to the center of the stage. The screams are deafening as she makes her way there. She'd been aware that she was a fan favorite but had figured her lacking in Korean would prohibit her from debuting, regardless.

Yet here she is, standing center stage and the audience screams for her, mind completely blank on what to say. Luckily, she doesn't have to worry about it as the MC speaks.

"The last member of Twice is Lily!" the MC says. "With this, ten members have made Twice. Please give a warm applause."

Without being asked to, the members start walking toward Lily as she stands stunned on center stage. Nayeon runs forward and wraps her arms around Lily.

"I'm so sorry, Lily! I took your place when I didn't even need to!"

"Unnie, it's okay," she says, too shocked to string more than a few Korean words together at a time.

The other eight members join Lily and Nayeon onstage.

"Lily, what are your thoughts on becoming a member of Twice?" the MC prompts.

"Uh," she says, mind drawing a blank on how to say anything in Korean. "I haven't- I didn't practice what to say if I was chosen, sorry."

The audience laughs.

Nayeon holds Lily's hand and squeezes it in support, "Um, okay. Thank you? Because I'm pretty sure the only reason I was chosen is because you guys like me, so thanks. Um, yeah. Thank you."

Lily keeps her reaction to being chosen short so she has less of a chance of messing up her words. The audience still cheers for her just as much.

The MC attempts to speak over the yelling, "This will be the team to debut."

Lily looks around her at the girls that have been chosen, still in shock. Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung, Dahyun, Mina, Sana, Nayeon, Tzuyu, Jihyo, and Momo are all lined up on either side of her.

"Please tell us why you chose Lily," the MC requests.

"Lily, your Korean is one of the only things that keeps you from being an almost perfect idol," JYP says. "Twice needs you. In every group you'd been in during the show, you've kept everyone's mood up. You are an energizer and mood maker and someone the audience has adored since the first episode. Even during the show, your Korean has improved tremendously. During this final mission, you truly sounded like a native Korean speaker."

Lily's face splits into a grin. The crowd cheers and aws.

"It would be a terrible mistake on my part not to let you debut in this group. I believe you will quickly become proficient in Korean with your dedication and work ethic. Congratulations."

Lily bows deeply, "I'll work hard!"

#tenth member of twice #twice tenth member #twice 10th member #10th member of twice #twice #twice kpop #twice fluff #im nayeon #nayeon #jyp #yoo jeongyeon #jeongyeon #myoui mina #mina #twice mina #mina twice #momo #hirai momo #park jihyo #jihyo #sana #minatozaki mina #kim dahyun #dahyun #son chaeyoung #chaeyoung #twice chaeyoung #chaeyoung twice #chou tzuyu #tzuyu

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

Hi hello, new follower here. I've read all your Leverage meta and am in great need of more! But I don't know what to ask for...So, any headcanons floating around that you'd like to share?

First of all hello darling! I love your icon, it’s beautiful, and I hope that you’re having a great day. ❤️

Second of all, I don’t have anything lengthy and specific at the moment, so here is a dump of headcanons that I hold near and dear to my heart. I’m so glad you’ve liked my other meta and if there’s anything here you’d like me to further elaborate on, please let me know!

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1. Hardison definitely has this elaborate proposal planned out, and it’s perfect. It’s going to be subtle, nothing too over the top, because Eliot and Parker hate over the top. It sends them running in the other direction if you’re conventionally romantic in any way. But it is definitely well-thought out, planned down to the smallest detail, and tailored to their interests.

But the day of a bunch of shit definitely goes down, it’s related to the job of course, and Eliot and Hardison are getting on each other’s last nerve and Parker is just Not Getting It and in a burst of frustration Hardison goes on one of his little rants that are really to himself that he doesn’t expect anyone to listen to.

“And here I was going to make this all nice for y’all I had a plan and everything and it was going to be amazing I didn’t have balloons because those scare Parker, because I listen, yes I do, unlike some people around here, see if I propose to either of you now, y’all are just gonna have to wait another month, I was gonna have that takeout coming that Eliot likes so goddamn much and I had a bunch of fortune cookies stacked into the shape of a cake for Parker but oh no, noooooo, we just had to do this today...”

And he only realizes towards the end that Eliot and Parker are listening to everything because Eliot says “you were going to propose!? DAMMIT HARDISON!” and Parker’s just sitting there with this Look on her face and says, “wait, but aren’t we already married?” and it just explodes into a loving three-way argument over what exactly is going on how did Parker think they were already married what the actual hell...

It is eventually all sorted out (Hardison possibly goes to sulk in Lucille 6.0 for a bit) and there is much rejoicing.

_______________________________________________________________________

2. I talked about this in private but it’s my headcanon that Nate and Sophie would end up having a child at some point, probably biological because I imagine that it would be an accident that Sophie got pregnant. Having a kid is right up Sophie’s alley, seeing how well she took to mothering the OT3 and how she loves directing and guiding her acting students. And Nate loves kids. He has a hangup about them because of his son and that loss, but he loved being a father and I think he would want to be a father again. But it was a nebulous, “at some point” kind of thing, and they’re talking about adopting versus biological, and then bam, Sophie’s pregnant.

And I think that would be a really beautiful thing to explore because I think it would really affect the OT3 because Nate was a father figure to them in a lot of ways. Eliot would especially hate to admit that, but given that he openly, to Nate’s face compares Nate to Toby, the other father figure we see in Eliot’s life (and who gave Eliot back his sense of self and a passion other than his job as a hitman) and Eliot’s relationship with his father being one of argument and distance (and possibly no reconciliation, although Eliot tries--the episode cuts out before you can see for certain if Eliot’s father eventually answers the door or if Eliot leaves)... yeah, Eliot sees Nate as a father figure. Hardison has a positive mothering figure in his life, Nana, but we don’t hear anything about a father figure, and Parker--we see very clearly how her father figure failed her and it’s all framed to show how Nate is a better father figure to her and how Nate realizes in meeting Archie that he does in fact see Parker as his daughter/protege.

But Nate has a lot of hang-ups from the loss of his son and so that keeps him from showing the OT3 as much affection as he would otherwise. Eliot accepts it but doesn’t like it, Hardison doesn’t like it and doesn’t accept it, and Parker is I think too used to a lack of praise and affection to notice, it’s par for the course for her. But it means that all three have issues with him and have times where they feel used by him, no matter how much they know that Nate does care about them and is loyal to them.

Sophie being pregnant and having a kid would not only force Nate to confront his issues but would force the OT3 to confront their issues about their relationship with him. I think there would be some arguing and tears--hell I think Nate wouldn’t even tell them at first, they’d find out through Sophie--but I like to think that eventually Nate would introduce his kid to their “three big siblings.” And the OT3 and Nate would finally be open and honest about their relationship with one another and what they mean to each other.

_______________________________________________________________________

3. I have zero evidence to back this up but I am 1000% convinced that if the show had kept going Moreau would’ve shown up again at some point. We had that whole season four arc with their very first enemy coming back to get even, and Moreau was repeatedly pointed out in season three to be the biggest fish they’ve ever fried. He’s jailed but in a country that he once ruled, there must be some people there still loyal to him or that he could blackmail. Zero proof, but you can pry this conviction from my cold dead hands, Moreau would’ve come back at some point.

_______________________________________________________________________

4. Sophie and Tara definitely were friends with benefits at some point. The way they talk to each other is, if you ask me, very flirtatious. Tara owes Sophie a massive favor but it’s never specified what the favor is. The entire nature of their relationship is in fact rather ambiguous, and despite both being grifters, it’s not until The Girl’s Night Out Job that they see each other grifting and learn about each other’s methods. And Sophie would never trust anyone with her team, her family, except for the one other person she could trust 100%. Tara makes a big deal about how she’s just here because she owes Sophie and that she’s here to take a personal cut of all their jobs, but she also looks out for the team and keeps tabs on them for Sophie. That shows a lot of trust on Sophie’s part.

Ergo, I think it makes sense that they were ones friends with benefits who actually by some miracle managed to stay friends after the benefits part had ended.

Also I make everything LGBT+ because why not.

_______________________________________________________________________

5. If you ask me, season two was where the OT3 really realized they had deep feelings for one another.

At the end of season one, Hardison asks Parker where she’s going and she says for him to try and find her, and at the beginning of season two he remarks that he tried to find her but failed. I think that that point in their relationship we can safely say we’re at a plateau, a pause. This is the turning point. Hardison can decide that Parker is playing too hard to get and he can walk away. Parker can decide that Hardison isn’t going to be patient and be what she needs and she can walk away.

Instead, we see the both of them develop deeper feelings. We see Parker feel jealousy when Hardison is getting cozy with another woman. We see Hardison reaching out more and more to Parker in a way he seemed scared to in the first season.

Season two is where we see Eliot and Hardison really kick up the banter. It’s where we see Eliot go out of his way to protect Parker and Hardison--and it’s where in The Future Job we see Eliot make his greatest declaration of love: he offers to murder someone for Parker, no question.

We don’t learn that this is precisely a declaration of love until season three, when we learn of Eliot’s past with Moreau. It’s only then that we look back and go, “oh shit.” And Eliot probably knows that Parker and Hardison won’t realize that’s what it is, which is why he feels safe saying it. But in season three, Eliot, who we have learned never kills when he can subdue, never subdues when he can placate and avoid the fight altogether, Eliot who hates guns--Eliot admits that he did a bunch of awful, horrible stuff for Moreau. That the worst thing he ever did, the thing that haunts him, was for Moreau. And Moreau asks Eliot to kill again, confident that Eliot will carry it out.

It becomes clear, then, that if Eliot who hates murdering did all those horrible things for Moreau, and he was willing to do a horrible thing, willing to murder, for Parker when that fake psychic hurt her...

The math is simple.

Season three we see the OT3 as a cohesive unit, one in which relationships are deepening. But season two is where we go from the first blush of “oh I like this person” to “oh shit I’m in love with this person.”

It clearly terrifies Parker. It also terrifies Eliot, although he’s better at hiding it underneath layers of crankiness and bluster. Only Hardison doesn’t shrink from it. And honestly I think Tara’s presence helped them to realize their feelings. Sophie was in a lot of ways a security blanket for the team, and now that she’s gone, the team is forced to rely on each other more than before and that means examine how they feel about each other.

Season one is the crush. Season two is the fall. Season three is the pining. Season four is the test drive. And by season five, they’re all in together, the badass cohesive OT3 that we cheer and love in The Rundown Job.

_______________________________________________________________________

6. Last but not least, I have a lot of feelings about Sophie and her relationship with the OT3.

Sophie mothers the OT3 a bit but it’s very different with each of them and it’s not the same as with Nate. All members of the threesome are lacking a strong healthy father figure and so they end up in this complicated dance with Nate, who has his own hangups about his son’s death and his less-than-ideal father.

But with the mother, it’s different.

Hardison has his Nana, who’s like a mother but not quite, more like a grandmother. Parker’s mother was a nonentity, and it’s implied her mother died in the explosion that Parker set off in her house. Parker probably saw her mother not defending her from her father, and felt her mother was just as guilty as a result. Eliot’s mother is never mentioned but he had a very close relationship with his father until his teenage years when they had a string of rough arguments and disagreements, which implies to me that he never had a mother--she died or left--which compounded his relationship with his father.

Eliot, however, is also the oldest. There isn’t a very large age gap between himself and Sophie. So his relationship with her is rather like that of an older sibling with a parent (a much older sibling). Sophie relies on Eliot to help Hardison and Parker, and she doesn’t hold his hand as much as she does with them. Their conversation in the boxing ring about Eliot’s violence, where Eliot assures Sophie that he has a handle on it and she doesn’t have to worry about him, is I think an excellent model for their entire relationship. Sophie doesn’t have to worry about Eliot, Eliot’s got himself under control, she can therefore spend more time on the other two.

Eliot and Sophie are also often on the same wavelength about things. Eliot’s the second-best grifter in the group, only Sophie is better than he is, and they approach people in a similar manner although Eliot is much more like an encyclopedia about it with rules in his head while Sophie’s more relaxed and instinctive (I know I’ve ranted about this before but Eliot is autistic and nobody can take that headcanon from me). Sophie’s there if Eliot needs her, but he often doesn’t, he’s grown up without a mom and at this point he’s old enough that he’s kind of past the point where he wants one. More often you miss what you had that was bad or abusive (like Eliot’s father or Parker’s father) than you miss what you never had.

Hardison and Sophie, on the other hand, have the biggest age gap, but Hardison also has the positive woman in his life raising him, his Nana. So Sophie is a mother figure to Hardison in the sense that she looks out for him the way Nate tends to forget to. She’s his mother figure because Nate won’t be Hardison’s father figure the way that he could be if Nate would just get over himself. Half the time you can see Hardison looking at Sophie silently going Mom, what the fuck is up with Dad again, and so that’s how Sophie fills that roll for Hardison.

And then finally with Parker, Sophie is the most traditionally maternal. Parker is in between Hardison and Eliot in age, so still an full grown adult, but also a bit young, she’s only thirty when the show starts, and clearly needs a guiding hand most of all. Eliot helps Parker to understand the world around her because he sees the world the same way that she does (“people like us,” he consistently says) and Hardison helps Parker to feel accepted for who she is and Nate helps her to hone her natural skills and become all that she can be in her profession but Sophie helps Parker learn how to handle people. How to present herself. How to pretend, because Parker sorely needs to know how to pretend, because she’s so raw and open and honest and herself and that makes her vulnerable.

Sophie teaches Parker things, especially social and traditionally feminine things, not with the aim of getting Parker to change herself but so that Parker can imitate those behaviors when she needs them, can pick them up and use them to her advantage. As we see by season five, Parker has mastered this. Parker’s honesty makes her a bad grifter but makes her excellent at convincing marks. Look at the episodes where Parker convinces the mark and pulls off the job--it’s when Parker is honest and raw and just tells it like it is.

But she can’t have gotten there without Sophie’s tools. And to survive in a world of invisible rules that Parker doesn’t know or understand, she needs a guide to explain those rules and point them out, and that’s where Sophie comes in. She is the most hands-on with Parker and the most openly encouraging, without ever making Parker feel demeaned or like a child.

I just have a lot of thoughts about Sophie and the OT3 mmmkay!?

So those are my random sporadic headcanons/metas! I hope that you enjoyed them my dear, wow this got long, oh my, um, join your local union, always tip your server, and pay your hitmen in cash!

#mads answers things #leverage #leverage meta #nathan ford #sophie devereaux #alec hardison #parker #eliot spencer #theproxyfront

[selinahasonenicnac]

Daniel Sloss - Jigsaw

But I was seven years old, I didn't know what life was.

I didn't know what existence was, how the fuck would I know? So I thought I'd ask my dad 'cause he can fix a computer, so he must know.

So I was like, "Dad, what do we all do? What's the meaning of life? Why are we all here? What what the fuck?" And my dad loves his kids, so he wants to explain to his son in a way that he'll understand, but unfortunately, his son's a fuckhead.

So he has to explain it in a way that a fuckhead will understand, and he accidentally did it perfectly, and it's stuck with me since then.

This is what he said, right? I'm seven years old.

He goes, "All right, buddy.

Just imagine that your life, my life.

everyone else's individual life.

Imagine all of our lives are like our own individual jigsaw puzzles.

As we're going through life, we're just slowly piecing it together, bit by bit, based on experiences and lessons that we've learned, until we get the best picture, but the thing is everyone has also lost the box for their jigsaw.

So none of us know what the image we're trying to make is, we're just confidently fucking guessing.

So the best way to do a jigsaw, when you don't have the image to work off, is to start from the outside, the sides and the four corners.

Family.

Friends.

Hobbies/interests.

Job.

Now obviously, as you go through life, some of these bits are subject to change.

Sometimes you'll make new friends, and you'll lose contact with old so you gotta move this corner around a bit.

Sometimes you'll get a job.

That means you can't have a certain hobbies.

You gotta decide then, "Do I want more me time or do I want more work time?" You gotta move the stuff around.

Sometimes you'll have a family member that dies, and they'll leave a big hole in your life.

In that moment you'll have to find a way to fill that void, otherwise you'll be incomplete forever.

" Now, that made perfect sense to me, because I was seven years old.

I fucking loved jigsaws.

So I was like, "All right, okay.

So once you've got the stuff on the outside, what's the main bit of the image? What we are all working towards?" And he goes, "Well, that's That's the partner piece.

You and this perfect person who you've never met before to come out of nowhere, fit your life perfectly, complete you and make you whole for the first time in your life, much like your mother did for me.

" Seven.

Seven years old.

I wish you just said, "Ice cream!" And we could have fucked off.

And even though what he said sounds sweet and whatever, what it manifested in my seven-year-old brain was this, "If you are not with someone, you are broken.

If you are not with someone, you are incomplete.

If you are not with someone, you are not whole.

" And that's not just something my dad made me feel, that's something that we as a society have made every single child born in the last 40 years feel.

Every Disney princess has a prince, every prince has a princess, every television show or movie always has a character in it that doesn't want to be in a relationship.

They're happy with who they are.

But then by the end of the series, guess what.

They were wrong! They were wrong for wanting to be alone, what a fucking idiot.

Everyone needs someone, yeah.

They were just a toasty little marshmallow, weren't they? It's all to do with love.

Divorce, an entirely common thing that there is nothing wrong with.

When you're growing up and your friends' parents get divorced, you're told to not talk about it or mention it to them because it's taboo, and it is taboo is because every relationship on the outside is perfect, because none of us are willing to admit that none of us know what the fuck we're doing.

And when you raise children in that world, where everything points towards love and everything's perfect on the outside, when you've raised them for 18 fucking years, when we become an adult for the first time in our late teens and our early 20s, we're so terrified.

We're so trying to be an adult that some of us will take the wrong person, the wrong jigsaw piece and just fucking jam them into our jigsaws anyway, denying that they clearly don't fit.

Oh, we'll move pieces out the way, I don't need this hobby, I don't need this opinion.

Mom who? The bitch with the tits.

What's she done for me recently? I'm gonna force this fucking person into our lives because we'd much rather have something than nothing.

Then five years later, you're stood looking at a jigsaw you don't recognize, being like, "Ah! There's a fucking cunt in the middle of this.

" Maybe you do meet the perfect person.

Maybe you meet them, you go out.

They make you laugh.

You make them laugh.

They've got a stupid laugh, but you fucking love it.

They like what you like.

They like your idiosyncrasies.

It's great.

It's perfect.

Oh, my God, they've completed you.

For three months.

Every relationship is perfect for three months.

And here's why.

'Cause after three months, that's when you realize that nobody else is a jigsaw piece.

Everyone else on this planet is as deep and as complex and individual as you are, which means they too have spent the last 20 or so years of their life working on their own jigsaw puzzle, in the same way that you've been working on yours.

You can't suddenly expect them to give up everything they've come to achieve to suddenly fit into yours in the same way that you'd be pissed off if they asked you to sacrifice everything you've done, suddenly come fit into theirs, but now, because you like each other and because you're interested in each other, now you have to make a jigsaw together.

And we all know how fucking annoying that is.

But you do it 'cause you're in love and you're interested, and maybe for the first couple years, it's great.

It's like, "Oh, my God, you love this bit of me.

I love this bit of you.

Oh, my God, we got the same thing, yeah!" But time does not equal success.

You can spend five or more years with someone, and only then, after all the fun you had, be looking at the jigsaw and realize you're both working towards very different images.

Only then realize that you want different things.

And in that moment, you have a very, very difficult question to ask yourself.

One.

Do I admit the last five years of my life have been a waste? Two.

Do I waste the rest of my life?

#daniel sloss #comedy #comedian #true #show #jigsaw #love #hate #relationships #live show #text #zitat #eigenes