#juicy thoughts! oh the drama

[sunflowercider]

What if Lloyd gets to stay in the Frontera fiefdom and a few years passed already until suddenly a new wave of monsters or war are happening at the far side of the kingdom and Alicia is calling all knights and soldiers would you think Javier would participate here and leave?

OHHH so many juicy thought experiments today!!

Now keep in mind that I havent gotten to the end of the novel (just read ch 370/408 today in fact), so there may be future events that may change my mind BUT WITH THAT CAVEAT OUT OF THE WAY-

Honestly? If Queen Alicia is at the point of calling up Javier for reinforcement, it must be pretty damn bad. Strategically, Javier is the equivalent of a nuclear fucking bomb.

Swordmasters were so important that the mere presence of one deterred invasions from other nations, and the presence of several even outshines the strength of a regional military.

Javier isn't a swordmaster. He's a grandmaster. If you want to use your nuke, you need to take it away from elsewhere. So the border of the Sultan kingdom would be potentially open to attacks with the biggest threat moved away. It may behoove the Queen to leave Javier behind as a giant defensive wall to cover her back as she attacks the front lines with literally everything else.

Buuuuuuut. If she thought she needed Javier... he does have a fast ride to finish things quickly - Draggy. A grandmaster and a bone dragon arriving at bullet speed would be quite the blow to any amount of monsters. And goodness, Lloyd can't just let Javier take Draggy out without him, he'd better join on the strategy side too (lol).

If the question was about Javier's loyalty, we already know that Javier will disobey the Queen to stay with the Frontera's. The struggle of the people on the other side of the kingdom may pain him, but... Javier may be an excellent and noble knight, but he's loyal to one family only, and that family is not where the peril is.

(Maybe he'd try to convince Lloyd to have the Frontera's join the cause? But he wouldn't leave without either Arcos or Lloyd telling him to, no matter what the Queen demands.)

If you're looking for juicy drama due to Javier being called away, you may want to set your scene before he becomes a grandmaster and Draggy joining. For that delicious angst about power level differences ;3c Javier has already rebuffed the Queen nearly the moment we meet her, but if the County doesn't have enough of a reputation in the story yet, the Frontera's might not have a choice but give up Javier in an emergency.

#juicy thoughts! oh the drama #ohhhhhh the POLITICS of a monster domino happening OPPOSITE of the Sultan kingdom #the sultan kingdom were the cause of the last one - it makes sense another kingdom may have followed their example! #and the sultan kingdom COULD take advantage and attack BUT. Sheherazade is now married into the family across the way :) #so its less ideal #instead they could bolster their reputation by acting as defenders while the Magentano kingdom is busy #show off you kept the treaty and make the magentano kingdom thankful for the help #om nom nom mmmmmm politics #tged

[magicalbats]

no fics to recc on the subject but lord I would also love some toxic yuri of those two… if no one else will do it I might have to. While I don’t think any of the genshin girls can truly be butch (nobody here is on haruka’s level), I do know arleccino’s JP va is a takarazuka alumna who played masc roles soooooooooooo. as close as they might let us get

I finally got to see the stream footage and furina is sooooo cute in motion, I LOVE HER SITTING BUBBLE… Her wheel of cakes…. she charms me utterly. rattling the bars of my cage until Tuesday

— dinner guest

Omggg there are so many things I love about her 🥹 her idle with the seahorse is right at the top of my list, personally. I don’t have a screenshot on hand but look at this cute art someone drew of them

I also really love how she twirls her sword at the end of her normal attacks, and ofc I’m obsessed with her changing outfit and hair! And yes, her bubble!! She really is just so cute, I’m super happy that they gave us such an adorable girl failure. And omg, dinner guest anon 👀 I’m sure you also peeped Neuvillette’s sad little face and how worried he seemed to be about her. PLUS where she said he’d served his role well these last 500 years cmdmxkdkd look … I’m telling you, Mihoyo is doing all the heavy lifting here haha

Also regarding toxic yuri fics … reading this message of yours, I had the thought of Arlecchino bullying Furina and her cute little handmaid at the same time. Are we yay or nay? Can Father handle two brats at once? 👀

#but also take out Arle and let Neuvillette tap in MFMEKCMDMESLSK #now I know HE could handle two brats he handled childe just fine and he’s way more troublesome than us and lady Furina tag teaming him #✋😩 #but wait wait also just the concept of Neuvillette sampling Furina hand maiden behind her back oh I’m smelling juicy drama dndkdkdkd #ok I’m gonna stop but just know that Fontaine is pushing all my historical romance buttons cmdmdmdmd #also had the thought earlier today of Neuvi having a Frollo like obsession with a poor reader far below his own station … alas #too many ideas and not enough time lmao

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

Everyone's opinion on Ghostflower

Peter B: Loves them, they are almost like his kids; especially fond of Miles, and wants to see them happy since the first day they met.

Pavitr: Absolutely enthralled by this love story, he knew something juicy was happening since he met Miles and wants to see how it ends.

Hobie: Has been curious about Miles since Gwen mentions him a lot, and as soon as he realizes he is cool he has been on board 100%.

Margo: "Oh they are a cute couple, I was just surprised Gwen was so jealous- Wait what do you mean they aren't dating already???" <- She thought they were a thing because Gwen wasn't subtle when Miles met Margo.

Rio and Jeff: Not a fan (for now at least,) RIP

Miguel: (Looks at you as if you haven't asked what he thinks of the anomaly who almost destroyed the universe and the girl who helped to blow another hole in the multiverse for spending too much time with the said anomaly.) <- The bane of his existence basically.

Jess: Very much telling Gwen to get over her crush without using those exact words because she wants to know none of this drama.

#ghostflower #gwiles #peter b parker #pavitr prabhakar #hobie brown #margo kess #rio morales #jeff morales #miguel o'hara #jessica drew #miles morales #gwen stacy #atsv #shitpost #across the spiderverse

[apocalypse-shuffle]

PETER PARKER | SPIDER-MAN (tasm)

────────────────────

────────────────────

“Break” (Peter Parker x Fem!Reader)

| You visit Pete to let off some stress and to get out of your own head. He’s more than happy for the distraction.

| NSFW, 18+, minors dni, cockwarming, oral (male receiving), spacing out, in a zoom meeting

| Picture source: Spider-Man: No Way Home (left) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (right)

| 1k+ words

You close your laptop only a little harshly, finally done with your work for the day. Now, you could read or do something else to decompress and rest your eyes from the strain of your computer screen, but something is pushing you towards your boyfriend in specific.

You know that - in a shocking twist of events - he’s working on a group project for one of his classes before the deadline and whilst not under threat of death, so you haven’t seen him in a few hours. He’s never rejected your presence as long as you weren’t disruptive though, so? You shrug and walk off towards his room. No harm in testing it out. You feel the tiniest bit deprived of your Peter and you want to give your mind a break anyway.

When you poke your head around the bedroom door he turns to you languidly, no startling and no obvious irritation on his face. Considering he likely heard you traveling towards him you’d take all that as a good sign. You nod to yourself and walk in, carefully clicking the door shut.

He taps his pen absentmindedly against the scarcely filled notebook by his hands.

“What’s up?” his voice is soft and he gives you his usual bright utterly smitten smile that makes you want to die (in a good way). “Class go well?”

You smile just as sappily back at him and revel in the way it makes him soften even more.

“It was alright.” You incline your head as he chuckles. “I could use some of your company though. You know, if it’s not too much to ask?”

“Ooof - I don’t know? My schedule’s pretty packed. I’ll have to check with my assistant to see if there’s any way I can move some things around.” He takes a second to unmute to declare he’s still present, apparently on hold because of complications on somebody else’s end. He beckons you over right afterwards though, grinning. “Well lucky you, Pretty Girl, it seems like I can squeeze you in. You have something to do?”

You shrug, leaning against the door.

“I have four hours to waste, which means I have four hours to relax. If you wanna fuck around some?”

His eyes widen briefly before he starts hurriedly moving things around.

“Oh,” he breathes. He knows exactly how you like to fuck around when your stressed. “Like right now, you mean? Cause I uhh-”

The moment you slip off your shorts Peter’s tongue catches. All he can do after that is look at you wide eyed for the entire time it takes you to cross the room to his desk. He only snaps out of it when you’re kneeling in front of him and running your hands up his thighs.

He makes a choked noise, hand jerking up to cover his mike and pull it away from his mouth even with it already being off. He scrambles to click his camera off a second later too.

“Are you sure?”

He whispers it like a kid with an especially juicy secret about stuff that was only really drama to people below the age of twelve, and you laugh, shrugging.

“I mean if you’re sure then yeah. You’re the one who’s on call right now.” Your lips purse after that as a thought strikes you and you shake your head.

Honestly, that was pretty sound reasoning to not keep going so you switch gears, standing and starting to move for the living room again.

“Or maybe we shouldn’t. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve seen you sit down to work with those people since the semester started,” you throw over your shoulder.

Peter’s chair squeaks as he pushes it back.

“No no no, get your pretty self back here.”

The telltale thwip of his web-shooters sounds a moment before webbing hits your side and you’re being spun around. The yelp you let out turns quickly into laughter as Peter comes back into view while reeling you in.

“That’s not a very responsible use of your powers, Spider.”

Peter grins, arms circling your lower half, and you wrap your hands around his forearms to stabilize yourself.

“Oh really? You know what I think is irresponsible?”

“What?” you mock softly.

Peter chuckles and the hands on your hips squeeze, pulling you even closer. Pressed flush together he places a short kiss to your lips and you can’t not let out a tiny sigh at that.

“You being a tease when you know I can’t get enough of you.” Peter leans in and kisses you a little longer this time. When he pulls back away his eyes are twinkling and his pupils are a little blown, “Please can you get back on your knees for me? I mean you’ve got your pants off and everything, it'd be a real shame to waste that.”

“A shame. Really?”

Peter nods fully serious at your dubious tone.

“Yeah, worth shedding a few tears over. You want me to cry in front of all these people, Pretty Girl? Cause I will.”

That, that overdramatic lilt to his voice, has you rolling your eyes and sucking your teeth. “Just hurry up and sit down - but know I'm not taking any crap for how low your group participation rating is gonna be.”

Peter’s smile is blinding, “Totally fair,” he nods. A second later he swoops in to kiss you some more, leading you back to his desk without coming up for air and then darting around to move all his stuff around to make room for you.

“Give me a second to finish this module then I’m all yours, K?”

His voice is rushed as he’s looking at you with obvious interest and you nod, you could wait a few extra minutes. Especially considering that you could act annoyed with him all you wanted, but at the end of the day this had been your idea first; he was accommodating you.

You kneel on the carpeted floor, hidden under the desk you’d gifted him after riding the subway with it balanced on your head.

When you’re settled down there you wait maybe five minutes for him to say a portion of his piece before deciding it’d be way more fun to fuck with him a little. You smile up at him, making sure to catch the panic that flashes across his face, before leaning in and ghosting the tip of your nose over where you know his cock is hiding in his shorts.

You make eye contact, “Can I?”

Peter’s leg jumps and the rest of his sentence comes out in a rushed choked up jumble.

That soft needy question you pose is apparently all the incentive he needed to let you start before he’s finished presenting though because in a second he’s reaching his hand back for one of his pillows and dropping it down for you to kneel on. You do so with a small chuckle and a “thank you.”

He’s trembling and giving you the most eager looks in between participating, voice mainly only keeping steady because you’ve stopped trying to distract him. Now you just want him in your mouth, no mischief needed. Though he is still fidgeting; partially because he knows if the inclination struck you you could easily embarrass the hell out of him. All that vigilante shit be damned Spider-man may be ingurigable but Peter’s greatest weakness was you.

You laugh and move to pull his pants down his thighs with his assistance. Once he’s free to your satisfaction you brush the lightest kiss to his happy trail. He sighs, meeting your gaze intermittently as he talks through his turns. In response you trail featherlight kisses down to his cock, which is steadily hardening for your consideration, kiss at his base and then travel down to lick over his balls.

His voice stutters harshly over his next sentence and you smile before pulling away. He gives you this aggrieved desperate look, making as if he’s about to start complaining you, but you wave him off.

“Easy baby,” you mouth right before making him gasp by kissing his tip and then wrapping your lips around his head.

You keep your pace easygoing as Peter stutters and stops over his words; as he trembles against you, dick twitching while you slowly engulf him.

You wring your first moan out of him when you’ve gotten him all the way down your throat, mind steadily blanking on anything other than the weight of him on your tongue and the slight twinge in your jaw, when the back of your throat swallows over his head and you hum happily.

His head drops down and his hand clumsily snaps out to mute his microphone.

“O-oh, oh my god. It’s like you’re trying to kill me -fuck,” he groans.

You barely hear him, have no clue that when he moaned that he nearly did it for everyone to hear. You're just losing yourself in the sensations. The way he pulses in your mouth, the occasional twitch as he struggles not to fuck into your throat, how your jaw feels, the stretch of your lips, and then the drool running clear like polished glass down your chin and dripping onto Peter’s balls.

You sigh, going limp against him when his hand moves to your head. He burrows his fingers into your thick curls to get a firm grip but doesn’t do anything else. You swallow around his cock again in thanks, only in tune with the way it makes him shift against you. In the strangled noise he makes. The fact he’s on call isn’t even a factor any more; just his pleasure and how he feels in your mouth.

Your eyes flutter shut happily as he scratches blunt nails against your scalp.

“God baby,” he gasps and you whine just the tiniest bit, pussy twinging between your legs. Your hands don’t move from their position in your lap though.

Peter’s got you. The thought echoes in your mind nicely as you hand over control. You don’t have to worry about anything else but him.

- - -

Peter curses above your head, completely unregistered by you, and then rushes to get himself excused. You’re making him feel very good and for that you deserve all his attention - and boy does he want to give it. Plus, you dropped so fast that he’s a bit worried about you; it typically took way more coaxing from him to get you so completely out of your own head like this.

He’s extra careful with his movements as he logs off and shuts down his setup, but eyes draw fully to you once he’s done and don’t leave. You were too pretty like this, face relaxed like it only ever was in sleep with your lips stretched to accommodate his girth.

He brushes his free hand over your face when he shifts too much for your liking and you let out an utterly disparaging whine.

“Shh, Pretty Girl, it’s alright. You’re doing so good for me, you know that? I’ve got you I promise,” he grinds forward the smallest bit, moaning when you squeeze down. “So so good.”

NOTES: Hope you enjoyed!

I plan on posting spider-verse fics soon but since I’ve been working on this TASM!Spidey one I decided to go ahead and post it first.

Mind any inconsistencies/typos pls! I’ll get to them eventually.

btw: if you’d like to leave a comment I’d very much appreciate it. this is a sideblog tho so I won’t respond.

#peter parker #tasm peter parker #spider man #black!reader #black y/n #peter parker x black!reader #spider man x black!reader #tasm!peter parker x black!reader #peter parker x reader #spider man x reader #tasm fanfiction #tasm!peter x y/n #tasm!spiderman x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker smut #tasm!peter x reader #tasm spiderman #tasm!peter imagine #tasm!peter smut #tasm andrew garfield #tasm!peter x you #tasm!peter fanfiction #tasm!spiderman x you #tasm!peter parker smut #18+

[laalaaliaa]

Hey!!

I know I just requested something similar to this but can u pls do a batfam x batsis were she gets her phone taken away after school so she uses the house phone to talk to her friends

Little did she know that everybody wad listening in on her conversation from the batcaves phone.

And they were all talking abt some juicy drama.

Long story short, one of her friends accidentally admits to fucking her other friends ex.

Uh Oh!

in which the batfamily is nosy

batfam x fem!reader

proofread? no

thanks for the request, hope you enjoy, it’s pretty short <3

When you came home from school, you expected to spend the rest of you day lounging around the house, scrolling through your phone, or talking to friends. However you were shocked when You entered the house, phone in clutch as you giggled at something your friend sent in the group chat. When you strolled past the living room you heard a loud cough, making you lift your head as you caught sight of Bruce sitting in his pre-reserved recliner. He had a magazine in his hands as he laid back, making you raise a brow questionably.

“Bruce?” He lowered it, a smile gracing his face as he beckoned you into the living room. “Y/N, we have much to discuss.” Now you were suspicious, creeping into the living room slowly, before settling down on the couch, opposite Bruce. “School called today.” You sunk into the couch, muttering to yourself as you nodded, urging him to continue. “You’re failing math?” You groaned loudly, digging the palms of your hands into your eyes. When you pulled them away, you noticed how much closer Bruce was, as he leant forward—waiting silently.

You thought of ways you could get yourself out of this current predicament, but there was none. “I can’t help it.” You squeaked out, your arms raised as you stared at Bruce. He seemed unfazed, silently leaning on his knees with his elbows as he gazed off silently. “Try harder—don’t look at me like that, until you improve, or until I see progress, I’m taking your phone away.” You felt like you were dying, you gasped loudly, shaking your head as you cradled your phone to your chest.

“Bruce this isn’t fair, it’s not me, it’s the classes.” You insisted, but he only shook his head, holding his hand out as you grumbled loudly. You stared at him for a few seconds before groaning and placing your phone into his hand. “This isn’t fair.” You mumbled as you walked away, glancing back to see him pocket your phone. Stupid math, stupid teacher, and stupid Bruce.

Eventually you got over your dilemma, you passed out once you made it to your room and you woke up right before dinner. With nothing to do, you made your way to the kitchen, glancing at the unoccupied house phone before you took it from the stand, settling on a stool in the empty kitchen. You didn’t know who to dial first, so you stuck with your first option. Alyssa. The phone rang for a bit, until you heard her voice.

“Hello?”

“Alyssa, it’s me, Y/N.”

“Weird, I don’t got your number saved.”

“I’m grounded, but anyways.”

The conversation flowed effortlessly. Occasionally you’d mute yourself, or pull the phone away as members of you family would walk past the kitchen with a curious glance, or blatantly stand in the kitchen and stare at you—Damian—but eventually the kitchen was empty, just in time for the gossip to begin.

“I forgot to mention, you know Caylee?”

“Mhmm.”

“I can’t stand that bitch.”

“Oh.”

You had to pull the phone away a bit, a smile gracing your face as you put it back up to your ear.

“She’s been nagging me all week, I really can’t stand her ass anymore, and you know what else I found out?”

“What?”

“She fucked Kennedy’s ex. What a fucking bitch.”

You heard a familiar gasp on the line, making your brows furrow as you pulled the phone away, only to pull it back to your ear. “Alyssa, I’m gonna let you go.” You hung up before she could respond, slamming the phone back onto the stand. You stood from you spot, wincing as you felt a slight ache in your back. You made your way down to the cave, your arms crossed as you saw the family acting ‘normal’ if you could even consider, Tim and Damian talking ‘normal’.

“Were you guys listening to my phone call?” They each mumbled no’s and answers similar, before you glanced at Dick, who looked guilty. “You guys are pricks.” You groaned out, making your way closer to Dick who held his hands up in surrender. “We couldn’t help it, besides who does that? Shame on Caylee.” You smiled at him, before punching him in the shoulder, glaring at each of the other members. “Stop being nosy jerks.”

Stephanie came up, throwing her arm around your shoulder. “The gossip was juicer this time.” You furrowed your brows, before a gasp fell from your lips. “You people need help, you mean to tell me you listen to my conversations.” Stephanie shook her head, “Not all the time, just once before.” You shook your head with a grimace, glaring once more at everyone. “You guys are sick, I can’t believe we’re related.”

“We can’t help it.”

“Tim I’ll kill you.”

#dc imagine #dc comics #dick grayson x reader #jason todd x reader #damian wayne x reader #bruce wayne x reader #tim drake x reader

[smoooothoperator]

untouchable

05: Late Night Talking

Lando Norris x OC (Violet Sinclair)

same group friend, unrequited love, acquittances to lovers, ski trip, love triangle

Words: 2.1k

Warnings: drama, fluff, acotar references (if you know which one, say it!!!)

a/n: it finally hapenned!! juicy things are coming!!!!!

Masterlist

Official Playlist

previous chapter | next chapter

If you want to be tagged don't forget to message me!

Every way of feedback is very welcomed

The shower was something I definitely needed. I couldn't feel my fingers the moment I got undressed, leaving the clothes on top of the toilet and standing under the warm water, not caring if it was burning. I needed it.

I heard the door opening again and two knocks on the bathroom door, a sign of Lando letting me know that he came back.

“You can stay in the shower as long as you need” he said through the other side of the door.“I brought some warm clothes, where do you want me to put them?”

“Eh… open the door and leave them on the toilet. But close our eyes” I asked him.

I still have to talk to him, I still need to know if what Harry said was true, if he has feelings for me. I never imagined that. Or maybe it was right in front of my eyes and I didn't see the signals, I didn't see his feelings towards me because I was too blinded by my own feelings for Harry.

I don't know how long I stayed under the water, but the moment I got out of it I missed the feeling of its warmth in my skin, calming my shivers and thoughts. I took a look at the clothes he brought and I recognized them: they were from the market, a pair of pajamas I saw hours ago and pointed at them to Pietra and a hoodie from a ski store near the market.

“You didn't have to buy me this” I sighed, walking out of the bathroom. “I could use the bathrobe”

“You need warm clothes, Violet” he sighed. “I don't care spending money if I avoid you suffering hypothermia”

I sigh and nod, sitting on the couch. I hung the clothes on the heater so they could dry and get warm, so I won't have to get cold tomorrow morning.

“I bought dinner” he said, sitting on the couch next to me. “And… well, a little cupcake for you”

“You didn't have to do that…” I said looking at the cupcake inside a little box. 

“I had to” he whispered. “I fucked up your birthday, is the less I can do”

“No, it wasn't you who fucked it” I smiled weakly, opening the box with a warm sandwich inside of it. “You were actually the one that remembered it was today… the first one that congratulated me. Not even my parents did”

“Wait, for real?” he frowned.

“Unfortunately”

I took a bite of the sandwich and sighed, looking at the cupcake, then at my lap.

“You were the first one…” I whisper. “Not even Eloise. I just… God, I have so many questions”

“We have an entire night alone to talk” he smiled weakly. “I think… I think I owe you so many answers”

“Yeah” I nodded.

But we had dinner in silence. Not an uncomfortable one. The silence between Lando and I is never uncomfortable, not even awkward. And I'm so glad about that, I'm glad that he never tries to push a conversation between us even if we don't have anything to say.

“Will it be too much if I say that I bought a candle too?” I heard Lando. “Oh, and gifts”

“Lando, really… you didn't have to” I smiled weakly, watching how he got up and walked towards his backpack.

“But I wanted to” he said, grabbing two packages and a little plastic bag with a candle. 

I sigh, looking at him sitting next to me and grabbing the cupcake. He put the candle on it and lit it, smiling at me.

“Make a wish” he said, holding it in front of me.

I sigh and close my eyes, thinking of something.

I wish I could be loved without being hurt.

Then I blew it, sighing and looking at him afterwards.

“Will you tell me your wish?” he asked.

“If I tell you it won't come true” I said, grabbing the cupcake and parting it, giving him the other half of it. “But if you give me answers, maybe it will”

“Right… answers” he nodded. “But first open your gifts”

I sigh and nod, looking at the packages. A big one and a little one. The big one had the size of a book, the little one a box. I opened the first one and smiled while watching it.

“How?” I smile reading the title of it.

“I pay attention”

He pays attention… No way. No.

“It's you” I whisper looking at him. “All those books… you are the one that sends them?”

“Is it that bad?” he sighed. “Is it bad that it's me?”

“No, not all” I smile weakly. “Now I understand”

“Open the second one” he said.

I smile and open it, sighing. It's from a jewelry store, a necklace of a flower.

“It's a violet” he said. “A blue violet. Do you want me to put it on you?”

“Yeah, sure”

I took a deep breath and turned around, holding my hair up and letting him clip it on my nape. The warmth of his hands made me shiver, just because of the touch of his knuckles against my skin.

Maybe what we're going to talk about might change everything.

“It's so beautiful, thank you” I smile, touching the pendant with my fingers.

And the silence, again. I was trying to firm a question in my mind, trying to ask him what's real and what's not. I need to know what is going on.

“Harry said… that you have feelings for me” I said, looking at my lap. “That you…”

“I do” he nodded. “I won't hide it, not anymore. I do love you”

His answer was quick. Too quick that made me flinch.

“Why?” I whisper.

“Why?” he laughed softly. “Why not? Is it a sin? I have loved you since the first time I saw you, it was like… magical? When I saw you walk in that day, I felt breathless just looking at you”

“Why did you never tell me?” I sighed. “All these years… God, Lando”

“Harry knew some weeks later. I was too stupid to ask things about you, I was too obvious around him. And he immediately knew” he explained, sitting comfortable on the couch looking at me, his knee touching mine. “At first I thought he was being protective, a good friend, saying that I shouldn't be with you because of my… well, fame. He said that you weren't made for my world, that you weren't made for me, and he made me believe that you were untouchable”

Harry never liked when I was close to Lando during the few times I went to his races. Whenever we went to Monaco, he always wanted to stay on a balcony instead of going to the paddock, making me miss the real experience of going to a race.

“He never wanted me in the paddock” I said. “And everytime I went, he was close to me all the time. I guess he was afraid of you talking to me…”

“He was afraid of me confessing my feelings” he said. “I tried to do it a few times, actually. But it always ended with Harry taking you away from me”

I smile weakly and sigh, looking at him. He's opening his heart for me, telling me everything, helping me open my eyes.

“I tried, you know?” he smiled weakly. “I tried to forget you. You were impossible to reach, so I tried everything to get you out of my mind. But you were everywhere. Everytime I went to a race, I saw something that reminded me of you, something that made me keep fighting for you”

“Thank you” I smile. “For not giving up. It means so much…”

It means that I can be lovable.

“I started sending you those books because I love seeing you smile” he said. “Because I know you love books. I even tried to search information about that books you like”

“That's why we came here?” I asked. “Because this village looks exactly like…”

“Velaris. Yeah” he nodded. “Last summer you were reading the books and I heard you talking with Eloise about them, about how much you love the story, about… about how much you wish you were loved like the main character. So I started to search about that, about those two lovers. And God, I see myself in him, even if that sounds stupid. I see the way Harry keeps you away from me, pushing you away and only having you to have fun and use you giving you hopes. And it kills me watching how he does that”

I smile softly at him, watching how every word he says has all the emotions he feels right now. How angry he is with Harry, how mad he is with himself for not fighting for what he wants. How in love he is… with me.

“I wish I noticed everything long time ago…” I sighed, hugging my legs. “You suffered all this years… having me close but not enough”

“But the wait was worth it” he said. “You are worth it. It wasn't the way I wanted you to find out, I was actually going to tell you this week”

“Lando, I…” I sighed, watching how he slowly reached for my hand. “I want to say that I feel something for you, but I just don't know how. I spent the last five years loving a man that doesn't want me…”

“I can wait” he said, finally holding my hand carefully, touching it like it was made of glass. “I don't care how long it takes. I'm tired of being away from you and not being myself with you. God, you know how many times I dreamed of holding you? Of walking next to you and holding your hand, of kissing you? Too many times…”

“Step by step” I whisper, blushing. “You are holding my hand, that's something”

“Yes, it is”

I looked down at our hands, at how perfectly they fit together, like two puzzle pieces. I got closer to him and rest my head on his shoulder, taking a deep breath when he pressed his lips on top of my head, leaving a kiss there before resting his chin on top of it.

“I promise I won't let him hurt you” he whispered. “I won't let him touch you”

As stayed like that for God knows how long, close to the other, him holding my hand and brushing his thumb over my skin. Silence fell again, but I could hear his breathing. I moved closer to him, reaching for his warmth and closing my eyes.

“Are you still cold?” he whispered, his breath hit my skin making me shiver. 

“Just a little” I sighed. “I'm tired”

“Go to bed” he said. “I will stay here in the couch”

“No, come with me” I said quickly, looking up at him. “I'm cold and you are warm…”

“Alright” he nodded, pressing a soft kiss on my forehead. “Let me get changed and I'll join you in the bed”

Little touches, tender kisses. That's him: someone that searches for physical touch, someone that wants to be close and needs to touch to show love. Not the man I thought he was, the one that doesn't look at me, the one that always tries to be as far as possible. That's the man Harry molded so I couldn't see the truth.

Getting under the covers of the bed knowing that I asked him to come with me was harder than I thought. I couldn't stop having an argument inside my mind, calling myself terrible things just because Harry was still in there, moving strings inside my mind and manipulating me, because I was so lost that I didn't know how to be myself anymore without him close to me.

When Lando sat on the other side of the bed I stopped breathing, following every movement he was doing and hearing my on heart inside my head. I was laying on my side, looking at him doing the same, mirroring me.

“If you need it I can put a pillow wall” he said. 

I took a deep breath and shook my head, feeling how my body moved closer to his, searching his warmth. I felt how he stopped breathing the moment my head touched his chest, how I sighed when I felt him. His arm immediately wrapped around me, placing his hand on my back and rubbing it.

“Wait for me” I whisper. “Just… don't give up”

“I won't” he whispered. “I don't care if I have to wait for weeks, months or years. For you I would wait all the time you need”

taglist

@elisysd @racinggirl @ninifee1802 @kakorrhaphiphobia @landoyesrizz @lorarri @bellwhysomean @leptitlu @aphroditeisamilf @brekkers-whore @copper-boom @sideboobrry11 @alltoomaples @f1madison @elijahslover @silkenthusiasts @chonkybonky @summerslike11 @randomgirlnumber-13 @is-just-a

#f1 #f1 fanfic #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 fic #f1 serie #formula 1 #formula 1 imagine #formula 1 drabble #formula 1 x reader #formula 1 fanfic #formula one #formula one imagine #formula one fanfic #formula one x reader #formula one fanfiction #lando norris #lando norris x oc #lando norris blurb #lando norris x reader #lando norris imagine #ln4 #ln4 x reader #ln4 imagine #ln4 fluff #ln4 fic #mclaren

[tryingtofindava]

𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐚 & 𝐂𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫*ೃ༄

a/n: this one’s been dusty in the drafts since November lol

: ̗̀➛Back to source

╰┈➤ 𝐍𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫

OMG.

She literally loves you and your aesthetic sm.

Personally, I can imagine her being Scene x Bimbo if ykwim.

I can imagine you having the JUICIEST drama to share with one and other during your weekly sleepover.

You guys know everything about EVERYONE!

Even letting Jane, Nat, and Toby in on the drama sometimes too, bcs let’s be honest with ourselves. The conversations and tea spilling would be funny af.

Shit talking bout the boys in the manor™ (Jeff being your guys main target.)

Feeding into each other’s delusions.

Late night drives to Starbucks while blasting Ayesha Erotica. (ur guys song is deffo Juicy Couture)

“She has McDonald’s! Y/n where did you get McDonald’s?”

“…McDonald’s?”

“Bitch, give me a fry.”

“Is that how you ask?”

“Bitch PLEASE give me a fry.”

UGH DON’T EVEN, YOU GUYS DO EACH OTHERS MAKE UP RELIGIOUSLY.

Even better.

Y’know that one pic of the couple doing each others make up?

This one?

Literally u guys. (Had to make it pink for the vibe bro)

You guys share clothes, you have a cute mini skirt? She’s wearing it. She had a tank top that went with your outfit? You’re wearing it. (Maybe even sharing thongs..)

All I’m saying, is that you guys are very close!! Ppl in the manor mistake you guys for dating.

And tbh, you guys own it.

╰┈➤ 𝐗-𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐮𝐬

The duo that serves Cunt.

His name for you on his phone is ‘Barbie💖’ (which is fine tbh bcs your name for him is Frankenstein.)

You guys fit in the trope listener x gossiper and it’s acc so cute.

He’s acc not a big fan of the aesthetic (he’s still salty a girl in high school who was also a bimbo declined to go out w him.) but it’s okay bcs it’s you.

OMFG YOU KNOW WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR FRIENDS WHEN SOMEONE SAYS THE MOST OUT RAGOUS SHIT EVER, YOU TWO ARE KNOWN FOR THAT.

He’s probs chill bout you practicing make up on him too.

Yk that one scene in Brave.

This one.

It’s literally him covering your eyes while he’s letting you chill w him in his lab. Because for some fucking reason you thought it would be a good idea to look at the blinding lights of his viruses?¿?¿

ALR HE’S PROBABLY SMITTEN OVER YOU.

Ask him to do something? Oh he’s doing it alright. But not without bitching and whining the whole time.

“Do you know where I could get one of those cute necklaces with the T on it?”

“That’s a cross.”

“Across from where?”

✯.★*°•.°✯•.★*°°·.•°★•✯.★*°•.°✯•.★*°°·.•°★•

#creepypasta headcanon #creepypasta #creepypasta x reader #creepypasta hcs #creepypasta reader #creepypasta x you #creepypasta x female reader #nina the killer x reader #nina the killer #nina hopkins #x virus #cody creepypasta

[darlingshane]

Salt of the Earth ~ Part 1

Pairing: Michael Berzatto x OFC

Summary: She was Carmy's best friend growing up, and Michael never looked at her as anything other than that until years later when she comes back to Chicago to start over. In the process, she turns his sorry excuse of a life upside down.

Content/Warnings: Friends to lovers, Fluff, Angst, Family Drama, Dysfunctional relationships, Implied/referenced drug addiction, Alcohol mention, Divorce, Pets, Pet names, Dialogue heavy. Undisclosed age gap (in my mind Michael is late 30s and OC is late 20s, but it's really up to your interpretation).

Word Count: 6.8k // 4 chapters // AO3 link.

A/N: This is set in the year of the Fishes episode on season 2. It starts in summer and slowly builds up to that Christmas.

— This was an anon request that I got a few months ago, I hope you're still around. I tried to fit all the ideas you sent as best I could. There's a bit of info dump on the first chapter, but I hope it isn't too off-putting.

Chapter 1: Best thing since sliced bread

Seconds stretch into minutes, minutes elongate into long hours on slow days like this at The Beef. Especially in summer when the air conditioner stops working for the second time in the middle of August. Any living soul that crosses that door must have a dying wish or be the devil themselves to adventure themselves to what has become Michael's personal hell.

It's been a testing year, and there's so much he can do to fix this place right now. While he waits for Fak to come check the damn AC unit, Michael tends the front while Ebra takes his lunch break.

Turning the paper's pages on the counter, he comes across an article about the extensive fires eating different parts of the country. A wretched thought crosses his mind as he reads – maybe it'd be better to burn this place to the ground and start over. He entertains the idea for a second until the door swings open, inviting more heat into the boiling pot.

He lifts his eyes from the words to find a familiar face approaching the counter. It's not Fak, but a much better vision of someone he used to know.

“Mayhem Maya.”

“Magic Mikey.”

That former thought of burning down this place disappears somewhere in the midst of that beautiful aura that saunters with her big brown eyes, long raven hair, nervous smile, and firm steps.

“It's been a while, Maybird.” Almost ten years since she set foot in this establishment. “What brings you to this hole in the wall?”

“Came to collect that meatball sub you promised at uncle Teddy's funeral, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

Ever since she moved to a different state, he only had seen her a handful of times when she came back for the holidays. Last time he saw her was at the beginning of spring, when her uncle, Ted Silva, passed away.

“I also had an interview at the new vet clinic on the next block.” She places her cross-body bag on an empty stool while she perches her ass on the one next to it.

“How's that going? Did you get tired of California already?”

“No, I love California. But I needed a change of scenery. It's been rough after… you know…” the divorce. She wasn't married for long, but she still can't bring herself to say the word.

“I’ve heard some of it.” He’s pretty much aware of how everything went down. Well, he’s got grapevine’s juicy version of the story, but he never heard her side directly.

Though Michael and Maya know each other as if they were related, they were never close confidants. She always thought he was the coolest guy in Chicago. And he always thought fondly of her, given their families association, and Maya’s close friendship with his brother.

Michael places an order for her sandwich and grabs a soda for her, while she explains she has two more job interviews later.

“Does your mother know you're back?” He folds the paper and props his elbows on the counter.

“She probably does.”

“Still not talking, huh?”

“It's not my fault she made me the black sheep of the family. She’s like vitriol on steroids.”

“Yeah? What happened at the wake? You left before I could say goodbye.”

Michael recalls the tension at the funeral, particularly at the wake when Angela Silva grabbed Maya by the elbow and took her youngest daughter outside the house as if she was still a child that needed to be scolded.

“Nothing. I barely said a word that day. Guess everything I do feels like a personal attack to her. I can admit that I'm not perfect, and that sometimes I've acted up just to get a reaction out of her, but that day she just went off again…” She pauses without finishing that thought to take a refreshing sip of her coke. “And that wasn't nearly as bad as the day I told her I was getting…”

“Divorced? Why can't you say the word? It's not Voldemort.”

“What the hell do you know about Voldemort?”

“How do I… Who took you and Carmy to buy those damn books? Have you forgotten?” Maya shakes her head. “You even tried many times invoking his name, so I was haunted by eaters or something like that. You two were real potterheads.”

“And you were just a pothead,” she laughs, stirring the ice cubes in her drink with a straw. “I totally blocked that out. We were just a couple of nerds.”

“I’d say!”

“Meatball sub!” Richie calls from the pass-through window and takes a second look when catching Maya in the joint. “Maya Papaya?!”

“Please, don’t call me that.” She scoffs while Richie promptly abandons the kitchen and goes around the counter to give her a welcoming hug.

“Did you know she was coming?” He asks Michael, as he props his ass on the bar.

“Had no idea. She just showed up.”

“Did you tell her about Carmy?”

“What about him?”

“He’s in Copenhagen.”

“Oh, I knew about that.”

“You two talk often?”

“Sometimes, I guess.” Barely more likely. They don't even text anymore. She's tried but there's been nothing but crickets at his end for months.

While Richie grills her about Carmy and what she’s been up to, Michael can’t help but look around the shop to notice, from every corner and wall, memories bouncing all at once in his direction. It takes him back in time to those days when she and Carmy were as thick as thieves.

Their shared history goes back to that same street their families have lived on for over thirty years… It’s still clear in his mind, like it was yesterday, when he was forced to babysit them when they wanted to go to the movies or trick-or-treating or the bookstore. That was a little annoying back then, now he fondly remembers all those times in summer, when they’d go to the convenience store to get ice pops on their bikes. Then they’d ride back and sit in the middle of the swanky rug in their living room and watch TV for hours. More than once they were yelled at by Mama Berzatto when she would come home to find melted colorful stains in the fabric. She would lose her shit. Carmy was used to it. Maya wasn’t, but the girl never flinched once cause Donna and her own mother were cut from the same unstable piece of cloth.

Maya and Carmy were really close up until they went separate ways for college. Their bond was something to admire. They had something so special that inevitably, Carmy fell in love with her. She was his best friend and confident. They kept each other's secrets, and Carmy thought she'd feel the same in return. It wasn't a crazy notion. They spent so much time together, everyone thought it'd lead to something more, but that never happened.

Mikey and Richie used to tease the youngest cub relentlessly. They tried multiple times to encourage him to ask her out, but he never found the guts to do it. Especially if it could potentially end their friendship. Carmy didn't want to lose that. Though he never confessed his feelings, Maya always knew. Even in her teens, call it a woman’s intuition, part of her already knew. Maya wished she'd felt the same toward him, but the heart wants what it wants, and she couldn't change that.

What was really fucked up was that she had the most ridiculous crush on the older Berzatto when she was a teen. While she knew he'd never look at her as anything other than Carmy's annoying little friend, that didn't stop her from daydreaming about it for years. It was a secret that no one ever knew and that was placed in a drawer at the back of her mind after she left Chicago.

After graduating, Maya and Carmy stayed in touch for a long time, until their calls and texts became less frequent. They followed different dreams that required a lot of attention and sadly their friendship got hurt in the process.

While she attended Vet School on the west coast, he became a chef on the east.

Maya thrived at school and work. She really went out on her own, and became the woman she always wanted to be. Unsheltered, confident, outspoken. She outgrew her shell and opened herself to new experiences and people. She loved it all. It wasn’t smooth sailing, but for the most part she was pretty happy with her choices.

And now she's back in Chicago, set on a new path and awaiting to see where it takes her.

She’s living in a house in Oak Park with her dog, Coco; Richie fishes out of her. Apparently, she got some money from uncle Teddy, and she’s invested it in a home for her and her beloved staffy.

“Does Carmy know you’re here?” Richie circles back.

“No, I haven't talked to him in months.”

“Why? Did you two have a fall-out or something?”

“There's no why. We're just busy.”

“Mike, help me out here. Weren’t these two fools supposed to get married?”

“Yeah, everyone thought you'd ended up together.”

“Man, I don't know what to tell you, we just didn't,” her head sinks between her shoulders.

“Just get over yourself and hit him up. The kid has been hung up on you since forever. It looks like things didn’t go so well with your marriage and all. You should take that as a sign, you’d never find anyone better than Carmy. The boy could really use some excitement in his life. And so could you.”

“C’mon, leave her alone. Go back to work, Cousin.”

Michael throws her a lifeline, noticing how miserable she looks every time Richie opens his unfiltered mouth.

“He’s not wrong, you know? You and Carmy… it looked like you two had something special.” Michael offers once Richie is back in the kitchen.

“It’s called friendship. You should look it up.” She points out.

“I have Richie.”

“Exactly. You have Richie. Why don't you two marry the other and leave me alone? If you think about it, you were as close to Richie as I was with Carmy. Even more. Should everyone assume you are in love with him? Cause that's what you're implying.”

“Touché. I'll drop it.”

“Look, as hard as it is to believe, there was nothing else between us. I was aware he felt something for me, but I didn’t feel the same.”

“You should give him a chance sometime. He might surprise you.”

It’s not the first time these two have been trying to play matchmaker between Maya and Carmy, and it’s bizarre to see they still do at any given opportunity.

“Okay, if I give Carmy a chance, you have to give Richie a chance. Those are the rules, Berzatto.”

“Oh, I've tried. He's not into me,” he remarks, amused, and leans closer to confess something in a lower voice. “Do you wanna know a secret?”

“Uh, sure.”

“He and Tiffany are having a baby. He just told me a few days ago.”

“What? You let him reproduce? I'll pray for Tiff.”

Chapter 2: Cool as a cucumber

Everything falls slowly into place as Maya settles back in Chicago. She secures the job at the clinic near The Beef, which is a huge relief after her rushed decision of moving back to her hometown without securing a job first. It was part of the plan all along to practice what she loves but never thought this would be the year. As much as she loved California, once her divorce was finalized she felt like something was trapping her there. And the money she got from her uncle gave her some leeway to improvise, get away from all that, and start over.

Maya is spending her morning going through the stack of unpacked boxes, finding a good place for everything, making it feel more homey. It's not a big house, but spacious enough for the two of them. The big selling point was the backyard for Coco to zoom around and cool down in her wading pool, which she loves. It didn't take long for the five-year-old pup to get used to her new neighborhood. They've even made a couple of friends at the park nearby.

A moment before the doorbell rings, Coco whines from her spot by the window, where she often sits to watch passers in the street.

“Who is it?” Maya playfully asks her dog as she makes her way to the front door.

Through the peephole, she sees Michael's profile as he inspects the porch.

“Hi,” her eyes widen as she opens the door. “Didn't know you were coming.”

“Yeah, I would've called, but I didn't get your number the other day.” But he got her address from Richie's intense questioning when she visited the shop.

“I knocked on two different houses until I got the right one,” he explains as Coco curiously circles around his feet, sniffing his pants, hitting his crotch with her nose in the process.

“No, Coco. Sit. How many times have we talked about no nut-tapping?” Maya glances at her with amusement as the dog sits on her haunches.

“It’s fine,” he snorts. “All dogs do that.”

“Yeah, tell me about it. But she’s not any other dog. I thought I had taught her better. So what brings you here?”

“This.” He offers the paper bag hanging in his hand. “It's just a little house-warming gift.”

“You didn't have to.” As she takes the bag from his hand she ushers him inside before closing the door.

“It's nothing, really.”

He glances around as Maya takes out the box from the bag.

“Wow, a set of knives? That's not nothing.”

“Everyone needs one good set of knives. But you can exchange them for something else if you want.”

“No. I like these. But I gotta warn you that I'm not much of a cook, and I'll probably use the same one for everything.”

“That's fine I can show you sometime though. Is she friendly? ” He points at the dog that keeps staring at him. “Can I pet her?”

“Yeah, she loves everyone. Go ahead.”

Michael cautiously pets the brown coat of her head as her floppy ears lower at the passing of his hand.

“Never pictured you with a pit bull.”

“Me neither. I always thought I'd be a cat lady. But I met her at this adoption drive when she was one, and she stole my heart.”

“I can see why.” Michael crouches down, and pets Coco with both hands. “She's really sweet.”

He lets her lick his chin a couple of times before standing back on his feet. Then they go on a tour around the house.

“It's still a work in progress. I'm thinking of painting a few walls, but we like it so far.”

“Yeah, it has good bones.”

“So you don't have to work today?” Asks Maya.

“No, we've had some trouble with the gas line, and we've been shut down for a couple of days.”

“That sucks. Now where am I going to get my sandwiches and coffee on my way to work?”

“Heard Starbucks is pretty good.”

“Shut up. Don't even joke about that.” She playfully shoves his shoulder as they go back to the living room.

“Are you doing something later?”

She shakes her head. “Why?”

“I don't know, thought you were having a comeback party or something.”

“I don't really have any friends here. And I don't feel like inviting my family yet. As you can see, I still have a lot to unpack.”

“Physically or mentally speaking?”

“Both,” she scoffs.

“Let's do something then? Just you and me. We could grab some pizza, or go out for a drink for old times’ sake?”

“Old times’ sake?” It's amusing, surprising and confusing his sudden interest in her. Maybe he can see how pathetic she thinks she is, and he's taking pity on her. Although, that was never Michael style.

“Yeah, c'mon, Mayhem. You look like you could use some fun.” He picks up a book that's sitting on top from the box opened by the couch that's titled — Dating Again with Courage and Confidence: The Five-Step Plan to Revitalize Your Love Life after Heartbreak, Breakup, or Divorce. “And maybe a rebound or something. You don't need a fucking help book. You only need me to show where to get the best guys, or girls. Whatever you're into.”

“Give me that. I don't need a rebound, a help book, or you for all matter finding me a date.”

“No? Then why do you have that?”

“My friend Paige thought I should give it a try.”

“Maybe she was onto something there.”

“I'm perfectly fine. Just want to finish organizing everything, focus on work and this handful I have right here.” Her hand gestures at Coco. “What are you so interested in my love life anyway? First you try to play matchmaker with Carmy, and now you want me to do what, exactly? Hook up with the first guy I see?”

“No, I'm just asking you to go out and have some fun. I know Carmy was the only friend you had here. And if I was in your shoes, I'd feel pretty lonely.”

“I'm not lonely, Michael. Do I miss my friends in Sacramento? Sure,” she admits. “But I don't wanna force anything. I'm just taking it slow. When the time comes I'll jump right in but for now, this is all I need. Really. Stop pitying me.”

“I'm not pitying you, sweetheart.”

“No? Then what is it? Where is this coming from?”

“I don't know… I've always thought you were the salt of the earth. And though we never really hung out together, I thought you could use… But I can see now that you're different, and that you know what you need right now, so I'll just shut up and back off. Let you do your thing.”

“Thank you. I do know what I'm doing, by the way. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine. But I appreciate you coming here anyway.”

“Yeah, of course. And I can help you unpack if you need.”

“Hm, if you don't have anything better to do, be my guest. We could grab a pizza later, if the offer still stands. Or just order some food.”

“Sure.”

Michael helps Maya unpack all the boxes and put everything in place in half the time it'd have taken her alone. They order some food for lunch and spend half the day talking and laughing until late in the afternoon when they decide to go out for some drinks to keep the good vibes going.

At the end of the night, she offers to drive Michael back to his apartment as a thank you for inviting her.

“Did you have fun?” Michael asks from the passenger seat as she pulls up in front of his building.

“Yeah, I did. I'm glad I changed my mind.”

“Me too. I didn't know you were this fun. You're nothing like I remember.”

“Yeah, I was kind of weird growing up. You guys probably thought there was something wrong with me. ”

“Nah, don't be so hard on yourself. We were all weird in our own way.”

“Uh-uh. No Michael Berzatto. You were the coolest guy back in the day, and you still are.”

“I don’t know about that,” he scoffs. “For the record… I never thought there was anything wrong with you.”

“You were probably the only one… Anyway, thank you for today. I know I said I didn't need this, but I guess I did.”

“You're welcome, Maybird. I'm glad you’re back.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Thanks for bringing me home,” he softly squeezes her arm before reaching for the handle to open the door.

“No problem.”

“You know you can call me if you ever miss your friends, y’know?” he throws casually.

“I uh…sure. I will.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” she echoes back as he pulls the handle and the door opens.

“Have a good night, Michael,” she says as he gets one foot on the pavement.

“You, too, sweetheart.”

He closes the door and vaguely waves as she sets the car in motion and watches her drive away.

Chapter 3: Don't cry over spilled milk

In the few weeks he's been spending time with Maya, Michael has found himself enjoying her company more than he'd like to admit. Being with her grounds him. She makes him forget for a little while all that's wrong in his life. She's like a beacon in that immerse darkness that his sorry existence has become. Despite having her own set of problems, he's watched her rise above all that with poise. He wonders what it's her secret to her steadfast determination, even when her own family has disavowed her.

After closing shop, he dives into his stash to tame that brewing headache before driving to Oak Park to pay her a visit. She told him earlier via text that she was at Home Depot buying some paint to update the color of her bedroom and asked him to come over to hang out after work.

For some reason, he couldn't say no. Not even the storm in his head is strong enough to deny her request. He has a pull on him, tugging him hard like a dog tied to a leash in her hand, he can’t help but follow her lead.

When he arrives at her house, she's halfway done. Two of the walls shine bright new in a lavender tone as she starts working on the next one.

After having beer and playing a tug of war game with his new friend, Coco, Michael offers his help to finish painting the walls. He uses a brush to paint the corners, while she gracefully uses a roller like a pro with her denim overalls over a tank top, and her raven hair pulled up in a ponytail sprinkled with lavender paint beads. When she lifts one of her arms, he catches a glimpse of a tattoo on the side of her rib cage, leveled to the roundness of her chest that looks like the outline of a dog paw.

“What are you looking at?” She asks after catching him staring.

“You have paint on your chin.”

“Oh.” She wipes it with the back of her hand, but she just spreads the stain along her jaw. “I made it worse, didn't I?”

“Yeah.”

She shrugs it off and continues with the task ahead until the whole wall is covered.

“Is everything okay, Bear?” Maya puts down the paint roller. “You're quieter than usual.”

“Yeah, everything's alright.” It sounds so honest, he almost believes it. “It's just been a long day.”

“I'm sorry that I put you to work.”

“Don't be. This is relaxing.”

“Yeah?” She takes a step back and surveys how much brighter her bedroom looks already after covering most of the former downcast grey. “Is the color right? Do you think it's too girlish?”

Giving the room a once over he says, “it's a good shade. I dig it. It doesn't matter what I think or if it's too girlish, as long as you like it. Do you like it?”

“Yeah. I do.”

She dips the roller on the tray to cover another section of the wall.

“You never told me what happened at the funeral with your mom,” Michael leans on the stepladder, taking a short break.

“Do you really wanna know?” She glances over her shoulder.

“Yeah. Everyone does. I’ve heard some crazy stories about it. Thought I should get it straight from the source.”

“I never pegged you for a gossip girl.”

“I’m not. I’m just making conversation.”

She mockingly narrows her eyes, drawing a lopsided smirk, “liar.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna. But yeah, can’t help being a little curious about it.”

“I don’t mind telling you, but it won’t be as entertaining as those crazy stories people have made up.”

“I’m not here for entertainment. I just wanna hear your side of the story, Maybird.”

Maya lets out a heavy sigh and while keeping her focus on the wall she shares with him what really happened. She’s right to say that is not the best story she’s ever told, though when it comes to her mother, all her stories tend to have a surreal element even she can’t fathom sometimes.

That day at the funeral, she was taken outside during the wake by Angela Silva to get scolded about her imminent divorce. It wasn’t finalized by then, and her mom invoked one last Hail Mary to convince her to stay with her husband, who was also currently dating someone else. It was a messy situation that Maya couldn't wait to get out of, and the fact that her mother never offered an ounce of support wasn’t surprising, but still devastating. Somehow, Angela found that the reason for her separation from her husband was that Maya didn’t want to have kids, and that really vexed Angela. All she wanted for her three kids was to follow the same traditional path Angela was forced into, no matter how miserable she was. Her two older sisters followed her mother’s narrowed traditional values. But Maya, ever-the-nonconformist, swore she would never follow anyone’s drum beat but her own. Her husband thought she’d change her mind eventually. He was wrong. She knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, which led her here, to this moment.

“Is your mom ever happy?” Michael has always wondered.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her happy, except when she’s drunk. That’s why she has to make everyone else miserable.”

“Yeah, but she’s always had a fixation on making you miserable.”

“Like I said, every family needs a black sheep, and I’m it.”

“Is that why you became a vet?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“So, it's true, you don’t wanna have kids? I’m not judging. I’m just curious.”

“I honestly don't know. I just knew that when he told me he wanted to have a baby right away, it didn’t feel right. I said that maybe in six or seven years I’d be okay with it. Told him I wanted to travel and just be us for a while, and he said that was too long to wait. I don’t know… he stopped talking to me, and it was clear that he wasn’t changing his mind, and I wasn’t changing my mind, so. At some point I got tired of trying… He got a girlfriend as soon as I filed for divorce and I got a text from Paige the other day that said he got her already pregnant, like… that was never me. I guess it served me right… I married him on a whim, an impulse without really talking about what we wanted…”

“Hey, don’t feel sorry for yourself. You dodged a bullet there.”

“You really think that?.”

“Yeah, I do. You stood up for yourself and knew when to step back when it didn’t feel right. Not everyone has the balls to do that. Think how miserable you’d be by now if you had tried to please him or your mom. You seem happy now. That's what matters.” He means that with all his heart, and wishes he had the same drive to follow those same steps. As much as he loved the restaurant, he chose to run it to please people within his family. And that love turned into a nightmare he couldn't escape.

“You know… I liked you better when you were quiet,” she quips.

Michael huffs a soft laugh, picking up his brush to resume painting.

When the room is finished, she plugs a couple of fans and closes the door to keep Coco away.

Maya washes her hands and face in the bathroom sink. When she comes out, she catches the motion of Michael's arm as he shoves what looks like a pill into his mouth before taking a gulp of water from one of her glasses.

“What was that? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. It's just a headache,” looking down, he runs a palm over his short growing beard.

“Is it the fumes?”

“No, I had it before coming here.”

“Michael,” she sighs softly at his name. “You should've told me. I wouldn't have let you help if I knew.”

“Would you stop that? I wanted to help.”

“Okay, c'mere. Let's sit down.”

“No, I think I should get going.”

“Nonsense. I'm not going to let you drive until you feel better.”

He yields with a long exhale, and follows Maya into the living room, where her bed is settled askew in the middle of the space.

She takes a seat on the edge of the mattress and waits for him to sit next to her.

“Give me your hand,” she shows her palm up, as his eyes narrow. “C'mon, don't be a baby, give me your hand, Berzatto.”

“When did you become so bossy?” He slowly lifts his hand and as he lays it on top of her palm, his fingers tremble upon contact with her skin. Maya then uses her opposite hand to clip the webbing between his thumb and pointer fingers with her own and begins massaging that spot.

“My friend Sierra is really into acupressure. She says this is a pressure point that helps with headaches.” She explains while slowly increasing the force. “Does it hurt?”

“Not one bit. Is that like acupuncture?” His voice comes as a whisper as he focuses on her diligent fingers.

“Kinda. I think. I’m not really sure.”

“You don't have to fix me, you know?”

“I'm not trying to fix you, Bear. I just wanna make you feel better.”

“Admit it. You just love a good wounded animal.”

She smiles softly, placing his hand down on his knee and picking up the other. “Does it feel any different?”

He’s not really sure, it wasn’t truly a headache that led them to take that pill but the annoying rambling of his thoughts. She shouldn’t have seen that. And he shouldn’t have lied. But having her hands on his like this is straight up lovely. Inside of him, it truly feels like something is broken, wounded, and missing, and this is giving him a sliver of relief as he waits for the pill to kick in. If he was a better man, he’d tell her the truth. But he’s too far gone for saving. All he can do is keep that facade up.

“Does it?” She insists after not getting an answer.

“A little.”

“Do you wanna lay down?”

Swallowing, he responds with a nod, and they both lean back on the mattress at the same time. Looking at the ceiling, she keeps kneading that pressure point, unsure if she’s even doing it right.

They stay in comfortable silence for a good five minutes and when she finally places his hand down, Maya glances to the side and sees that his eyes have closed, and his chest gently rising and falling. She calls his name softly, but she can see that behind the sharp edges of his face and the ever-growing shade of his beard, he’s truly exhausted, so she doesn’t insist. She extends her hand to turn off the lamp, and curls on the other side of the bed without disturbing his sleep.

“Good night,” she says softly and closes her eyes.

From a dusty corner of her mind comes crawling that little forgotten part that used to harbor a lot of feelings for Michael. Though a few weeks ago he seemed practically the same Michael she knew, over the past month she’s keenly noticed little changes here and there. His eyes sometimes cast a dark shade tainted in nothing but sadness, it’s barely noticeable for other people. It comes and goes, but it tells her he’s not truly as happy as he pretends to be.

Michael wakes up disoriented at the crack of dawn.

It takes him a few seconds to remember he’s still in Mayas’ bed in the middle of her living room and that the weight that has his arm pinned is her body pressed against his. She’s warmly snuggled on his side, with her arms tucked between his chest and hers, and a peaceful expression on her beautiful face. She’s so awfully close, he can smell the scent of her hair, and feel the heat of her breath every time she exhales.

It's such an odd moment for him to have her that close. He's unsure of whether it would be better to slip out of bed unnoticed before she wakes up, or just stay there and watch her sleep for a bit longer. Either option would make him look like a creep, he thinks. So he opts to gently wake her up. His free hand reaches to his forehead to move a stand of hair away. Her brow scrunches as his light-feather touch grazes her skin. His lips curve up as he traces the shell of her ear to see her stir awake. She blinks slowly a couple of times until her focus shifts onto him.

“Hey, Maybird.”

“Hey.” Her lips move, it's barely audible.

“Sorry, I fell asleep.” His fingers absentmindedly massage her earlobe.

She's so stunned by waking up to that level of intimacy, she simply nods, as her mouth softly draws a smile.

“It's fine. Does your head feel better?”

“Much better. That pressure thing really worked.”

“I'm glad.”

“Listen, I gotta go open. Maybe we could do something later?”

“Okay,” she swallows nervously, hoping that waking up with him like this isn't just a dream. “Can you do me a favor first?”

“Sure.”

“Can you stay five more minutes?”

“I uh… I think I can,” against his better judgment, he decides he can stay for a few minutes more holding her.

The way her lips pull up timidly at the corners, revealing the dimples framing her mouth, completely disarms him. He’s always felt a certain affinity towards her, but being this close to her awakes a longing within that feels dangerous. He can’t bring someone new into his life. Not while everything around him is falling apart. It’s already hard enough having to pretend around other people.

He couldn’t do that to her. He won’t.

Michael will have to fight harder because when her arm tucks around his waist he can’t help but press his lips against her forehead.

Chapter 4: Hard nut to crack

Four months later…

After that initial moment of weakness when he fell asleep on her bed, he fought hard to elude that odd longing that has only grown into a big mass of love toward Maya. To anyone else in the world, a feeling as big as that would be a blessing, especially when it's reciprocated. To Michael, it's a weakness he can't afford right now.

Spending all that time with Maya has been like discovering a whole new planet Michael never thought existed. She's all vast, uncharted territory that fazes him more than it should. Despite his best efforts, he’s fallen into her alluring orbit and can’t find the way out into his own universe.

Far gone is that moody teenager that would mumble a few words here and there. And now there's this tragically stunning woman that looks you directly in the eye, says anything that crosses her mind, and laughs without a care in the world.

Though falling in love with her wouldn’t be completely wrong, it's not quite right either. It fills him with guilt to think about her in that manner. Moreover, it feels like a betrayal to Carmy, who’s far away in a different continent, prospering in his craft.

Michael tries to fool himself into believing that this is just temporary infatuation. He’s even attempted several times to convince her to get in touch with Carmy but hasn’t succeeded. It’d be easier for him if she were to put her focus on someone else instead of him. He has nothing to offer to her and has deemed himself unworthy of her, or anyone for that matter. If she only knew what’s really going on with him, she wouldn’t want Michael nearly as she believes she does.

Layer by layer, she’s tearing all his walls and defenses down. And after all the back and forth, he's absolutely sure she wants more than he can offer her. She’s been giving him the right signals. She doesn't shy away from it. Maya is direct and impulsive, and everything about her is fascinating and intimidating.

It’s time to either cut her loose, or accept that he’s madly in love with her and do something about it.

Amidst coming to terms with a final decision, he's lured into a surprise party she's organized for his birthday.

Michael is left speechless by her determination. And a little annoyed too for reasons he can't explain. To be honest, he’s never been a fan of surprise parties, but the main problem is that this would make things much harder for him to let her down easily. She’s carved herself into his life and the longer he drags this out, the worse this is going to hurt.

He’s aware that it’s selfish and obtuse of him for being that ungrateful that someone who cares that profoundly about him, that they would go all out to prove that. He feels like an asshole, but the train has already left the station.

Using the same tiring self-defense mechanism, he draws his best smile and brings out the Michael everyone seems to love. Not without help. There's always that crutch tucked in his wallet in the form of a pill. Being high numbs him enough to deal with the situation.

The cherry on top comes at the end of the night, when he walks her up to her car and asks if he's had a good time. He lies through his teeth and for the first time, he can tell Maya is not buying it. Perhaps she never did, but he's well-versed on her tells by now, and he can clearly see she's fed up with all the bullshit that comes out of his mouth.

“Look, it's not that I didn't like the party. It's just that I hate surprises, and I was exhausted today. But it was a nice thought, sweetheart. I just… I wasn't in the right mood.” It's seemingly convincing the second time around, but her face shows nothing but regret. “I love the jacket you bought me, though.”

Michael has never been interested in fashion, but he's always loved vintage jackets, and the one she picked it's a perfect addition to his collection. It's a bomber jacket, aviator style, in brown leather with a couple of patches and fur collar.

As they reach Maya's car, they come to a stop. She turns to him, “I know I can be a little too much sometimes. But I promise no more surprises from now on.”

“You and I both know, you won’t be able to keep that promise even if your life depended on it. That's part of what makes you– you, sweetheart. Don’t let my bad mood ruin that.”

“I’ll try.”

After a beat, without hesitation she leans in to leave a goodnight kiss on his bearded cheek and on a whim, she decides to press a second one on his lips.

It takes him completely aback. He wants to dive so badly into her mouth, but he freezes on the spot. And when Maya attempts to deepen the kiss, he finally reacts by placing a placating hand on her shoulder as he pulls his head back.

“I'm… I'm sorry we can't do this, Maya.”

“Wait, I thought… Did I misread something?”

“No, you didn’t misread anything. I just can’t do this.”

“Why?”

“I can't.”

“You can't or don’t want to?”

“Guess I don’t want to.”

“Can you at least tell me why? Did I do something wrong?”

“You did nothing wrong, sweetheart.” He wants to spill out the old – it's not you, it's me – excuse, but he refrains. Every thought and action go against every good instinct he's ever had. He hates himself for making her feel insecure. And yet, he can't backtrack now.

“Stop calling me sweetheart. You see how misleading that is?”

“Sorry. I think I gave you the wrong impression.”

Her eyes narrow, and he can see the gears turning for a long moment before opening her mouth.

“I don't think you gave me the wrong impression, Michael. I think you're too chickenshit to admit that there's something between us and, for whatever reason, you're just taking the coward's way out. You've been weird the whole night, especially with me. I just threw a party just for you, the least you can do is tell me why.”

“I didn't ask you to do that. And I don't owe telling you shit! I was trying to let you go easy, but nothing is ever easy with you. So I'll just say it. This, you and me, is never going to happen.”

It sounds ridiculous as it comes out of his mouth, but he stands firm on that statement as her heart breaks in front of him.

In the end, it'd be better for her, he believes.

#michael berzatto x ofc #michael berzatto #the bear #the bear fanfiction #jon bernthal fanfiction #jon bernthal #original character #michael berzatto x reader #angst #fluff #darlingwrites #sorry i used the reader tag #it's the only way to get my fic seen #salt of the earth

[ingravinoveritas]

did you see this? https://x.com/achtungchio/status/1768089834222977466?s=20

Oh my God. Yes, yes I have indeed seen that post, but for those who haven't let's get a screenshot up:

This comes from a fan who attended tonight's performance of Nye and was at the stage door afterward and overheard this exchange between Michael and another fan. (A second fan has made another post here on Tumblr also confirming what Michael said.)

So...just to put things in perspective, it has been eight months since GO season 2 first aired, and one month since we've gotten a comment from David about what it was like to kiss Michael. And now we finally have heard from Michael about what it was like to kiss David, and everything about how this came about could not be more perfect.

I love that it was a question from a fan, instead of a print or TV interview. Knowing how Michael has interacted with the fandom for the last five years, I would fully expect him to give the cheekiest (and most honest) answer to a fan instead of an interviewer. It's probably also what he's wanted to scream out on Twitter since last July, but couldn't because of the Writers' Strike and then the subsequent fandom drama that occurred in late October.

His answer absolutely blows me away, for so many reasons. That you can just hear "It's everything you've dreamed of" so distinctly in his voice, for one. But also that it's gorgeous because Michael is giving away so much by saying so little. It's that he was being a complete tease with that soft chuckle (as the second fan mentioned) and by letting us imagine more than he told us--and also seemingly very purposely not stopping us from imagining it.

Also, the use of "you dreamed of" instead of "I dreamed of" almost seems deliberate, as if Michael used to dream about kissing David but hasn't had to for a long time because he's kissed him many times before. (It also made me wonder if that was a sly reference to those of us who have thought about Michael and David kissing, and the fact that Michael knows so many of us have thought about it. I'm probably completely wrong, but I feel oddly and unexpectedly seen at the moment. Haha.)

I am just delighted that someone finally asked him that, though. I think we've been dying for it, but also likely not as much as Michael has been dying for it. And how amazing would it be if this is what leads him back to Twitter to engage with the fandom and share a few more juicy tidbits that he's been keeping under wraps. Fingers crossed...

#unforgivablengk #reply post #michael sheen #welsh seduction machine #david tennant #soft scottish hipster gigolo #good omens 2 #nye the play #national theatre #truth disguised as a joke #michael is about as subtle as a drunken llama on roller skates #there's teasing the fandom and then there's whatever these two are doing #they are perfect together your honor #mutual wanting #in and out of character #ineffable lovers #kissing #discourse

[webslingingslasher]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0rGdd9CrbP/?igshid=ZWI2YzEzYmMxYg==

I'm screaming this is so trouble and peter

oh this is boyfriend peter.

at the beginning, peter didn't want any involvement in drama or gossip. you'd try telling him things, but he's just say 'this isn't my business.' but maybe one day you were talking with a friend on facetime, and he can't help but listen and he can't believe what he's hearing. peter just wanted to hear how it wrapped up that's all, and you haven't brought it up in a week.

'so, um, that thing with brandi? how'd that go?' and you light the fuck up and gladly spill the beans. after that, you'd start to tell him something, then stop. and he'd go, 'no, no. what was that? who are we talking about?'

and how about when peter comes to YOU to gossip. you think the world is ending. he'd try to be so nonchalant, like he wasn't just as bad as you for telling each other about other friends' business.

'hey, you remember how you thought tarrent was into that chick, and i said no way?'

you drop your pencil in a second. 'is peter b parker gossiping with me right now, is that what's happening?' peter, denying til death, 'what? no. i'm just informing you that your opinion wasn't wrong.'

peter's fighting to hold it it, he's sitting on something juicy.

peter explodes, 'okay, fuck it, i'm gossiping and you need to hear this.'

#frat!peter drabbles

[mamapyjama]

I’ve been rereading the current anime arc in the manga, and finally got to The Apology™️, and I wondered what words Katsuki used before translation.

Disclaimer: I’m sure others must have posted about this before but I couldn’t recall reading it myself. I do remember there was a lot of talk about the way he used “gomen” as the Japanese fandom were saying how cute and childlike it sounded, so I thought I’d see if there was anything else interesting there.

Oh, my sweet sweet baby boy…

So, just before he says ‘Sorry for everything’ (ima made gomen), he says:

言ってどうにかなるもんじゃねェけど

本音だ

出久

“Itte dōnika naru mon ja nē kedo… Honne da…Izuku”

Which in the English translation, gave us:

And “speak my truth” is lovely and all, but the word from the original that stuck out for me was ‘honne’.

I’m not sure how familiar most people are with honne–tatemae (I only know about it because I go way way too in-depth when researching for my fics lol), but it’s a concept that every Japanese person is deeply aware of, and underpins much of their society.

Here’s the Wikipedia intro:

Ohhh, that is some extra juicy context for Kacchan’s speech. Essentially, he is saying that everything up until now has been his tatemae, a public façade to protect his own position (strong, powerful hero etc), but that he can’t keep that up and he wants Izuku to see his honne, his true, private self.

Excuse me while I melt from the cuteness.

But WAIT! There’s more!

How much do you know about second-person pronouns in Japanese? (Nope, this isn’t about ‘kare’ again this time hehe).

You’ve probably noticed in the anime that Kacchan says “Temee” a lot, and you may have also noticed that it tends to get translated as cursing. So it actually just means ‘you,’ but like a really rude way of saying it, such that the only way of reflecting that in English is to replace ‘you’ with something like Bastard or Asshole.

Again, have an expert explain:

This and the below are from a very excellent article about second-person pronouns and how they are used for context and drama in anime specifically. I’d recommend reading it as the context is really interesting!

So although pronouns aren’t actually commonly used or necessary in much spoken Japanese, when they are used, it’s a deliberate way to tell you about the relationship dynamic between two characters.

But why, you may ask, am I talking about pronouns again?!

Because, dear friends, throughout the first half of his speech, Kacchan uses ‘temee’ as usual to describe his past with Izuku. I’ve highlighted it below, and pls also note the shaky speech bubble showing his nerves during the ‘honne’ section. 🥺

HOWEVER, straight after he says he wants Izuku to see his Honne, Katsuki switches pronouns from ‘Temee’ (v rude), to ‘Omae’ (very casual/familiar). Below is the page after the apology.

Considering we now know pronouns are not necessary to convey meaning, that’s a hell of a lot of omaes on one page!! Boy cannot get enough of saying it.

If you want more about the different pronouns, see below for a helpful table of common uses for both. And please indulge my shippy heart for highlighting the second usage (but, like ‘kare’, you never know)…

Katsuki is showing Izuku immediately and repeatedly that this is who he wants to be to him and how he wants the world to see them. His honne, his inner desire, is to be close to Izuku, to treat him as an equal.

He’s not just saying sorry, he’s showing that—at least from his perspective—things are going to be different from now on. But, like, also, that this was how he felt about him in private the whole time?! GAHHHH.

So there you go, the apology that was already a massive turning point in their story/relationship was actually even deeper and more beautiful than we all thought. Yet again, Japanese conveys nuance and intention far beyond what can be translated. 😭💕

#mha 322 #bkdk #bakudeku #deku #bakugou #mha #bnha #Japanese wins #kacchan loves deku #the apology #izuku #kacchan #pyj obsesses

[ordinaryschmuck]

Quick Thoughts on "Remember It" from X-Men '97

So I just now realized that Disney+ has rated X-Men '97 as TV-14 and...it really frickin' SHOWS with this episode.

I don't want to spoil things, mainly because I keep "Quick Thoughts" as spoiler free as possible, but like...FUCK dude. Holy hell, things went down hill quick. And you wouldn't think so, at first. Things start off relatively light enough with good fun like the X-Men getting interviewed and Nightcrawler returning to pal around with Rogue and Gambit. But slowly yet surly, the episode turns up the drama with every second.

It starts off with X-Men's usual standard: Relationship drama. Who's in love with who? Can these two still be in a relationship? How badly will Wolverine get rejected by Jean this time (Turns out, not that badly this week)? The meat of the episode is just this and I'd say MOST of it is engaging. Personally, I find the whole thing between Rogue and Magneto to be...icky. The age gap must be large between those two and feels like it was added in to twist the knife into Rogue and Gambit's tragic love story. Granted, the whole "I can't touch you" thing might not be considered a big deal in this day and age because, well, asexuality is a thing and that specific group of people might think "Oh, get over it. Physical contact isn't needed to make a relationship strong." Still, we don't need Rogue sleeping with Magneto to spice up the drama, it's already spicy.

But one thing I AM okay with is the complicated mess between Jean, Scott, and Madelyne Pryor. THIS is juicy because you can just FEEL how things can't be simple between these three, especially through Scott. The man fell in love with a girl and put a baby in her clone, you can't get more complicated. And I like that there's time dedicated to figuring out WHAT happened and WHERE to go from here. I'm so glad the show didn't just sweep the whole thing under the rug and I REALLY hope they still don't now that Madelyne MIGHT be...uh...Well...

You know how I said things went downhill quick? Well, a certain...event happens in all of this. An event with casualties, lots of blood, and bold sacrifices that left me STUNNED. It was at this specific event did I realize, "Oh, yeah, this probably SHOULD be meant for older audiences." Because, yeah, things get DARK in this event. I wouldn't say it ever gets to Invincible levels, the show NEVER goes that far. But I will say that it DOES go farther than what the original series does as well as anything Marvel has put out in recent years. Again, I won't spoil anything, but trust me when I say things are going to CHANGE with this series. I doubt the emotions would be as strong if you just watched the revival before the original series, but it is still some well-done action and drama that's perfectly executed--Oh, that was a poor choice of words...

In short, "Remember It" is DEFINITELY going to be a memorable episode...

#x men 97 #rogue #magneto #scott summers #jean grey #madelyne pryor #gambit #quick thoughts #what i thought about

[linskywords]

Hockey RPF Recs from 2023

I realized recently that I haven't done a great job keeping up with hockey fic beyond the authors I was already subscribed to, so I did some reading in the tag for the past year (and of course fell in a hole and neglected other parts of my life, you know the drill). Mattdrai is even bigger than I thought?? (She said, having been living under a rock.) Also, wow, *amazing* writers out there I had no idea about! Here are my favorites of the stories I've read so far:

so is the longing by dogjuice (mattdrai): This one might win as my favorite fic of the year. You know how sometimes you read something that's not quite as well written as you want it to be but it's doing the thing you want so you read it anyway? This is NOT that fic. It hits such good juicy trope buttons and also is clever and hilariously written. Top marks.

i'll tell you when to stop by dogjuice (mcmattdrai): Sadly this is the only other fic dogjuice has posted, but it is also excellent. The premise could be ridiculous in someone else's hands but rings so true. I was on tenterhooks for it all to work out.

In From the Cold by makeit_takeit (TK/Patty): FERAL. OVER. THIS. All three stories in this (loosely related) series are impeccable, but this one gave me the most feels. I am weak for a repressed closeted character gradually discovering happiness, and the depth of characterization is breathtaking.

Baby, I'm a Wildcard by wearemany (mattdrai): The writing!! This fic is mostly developing/established relationship, which is not usually my fave, but somehow I loved the entire thing?? Just really compelling character-focused writing that had me completely absorbed without needing to rely on angst or drama (much as I love those in other stories).

Edmonton 10 by Helenish (mattdrai): Helenish is incomparable. I cannot express how happy I am that they've (she's?) gotten into hockey lately. Read everything; I don't even know if this is the best one because I *am* subscribed to them so I read the stories as they came out and didn't rank them or anything, but this one is excellent and also you can't go wrong.

this must be the place by rafting (Jamie/Trevor): Love me some sexuality exploration. The USNTDP ensemble was so vividly and delightfully present in this one. Also, Trevor is so dumb. How can you not love it.

let me look at you by isozyme (mattdrai, mcmattdrai): This one is emotionally ROUGH but so well done. Heed the warnings, but there's plenty of emotional satisfaction as well. I read it several weeks ago and it's still living in my head.

roughed up in the afterglow by notthequiettype (mattdrai): This one is pretty short but gets a lot done in not too many words. Really excellent character interactions and dialogue.

linger by bropunzeling (mattdrai): Top-notch A/B/O content. Sometimes you just want Matthew to have heat sex with Leon and pretend not to have feelings until he can't anymore.

in the honey by donderwalk (Jamie/Trevor): Okay it's been a while since I read this one but I remember it as the highlight of my Jamie/Trevor tag search at the time, so I'm gonna say it's probably great. 😄

Serenity in Those Deep Waters by angry_geno_is_score (larsdunn): This mashes the D/s buttons sooooo good. Has it inspired me to write more D/s? Oh yes. Check it out; You Will Have Feels.

how lovely are thy branches by quadratics (mattdrai, Brady/Tim): Hilarious premise, charming execution. This isn't even about characters getting together and yet I loved it.

Hourglass Theory by puckedup (mattdrai): So short, and totally managed to punch me in the chest (in the best way).

#i'm sure there are more great ones but i am but one reader #also i've gotten sidetracked by the necessity of reading everything makeit_takeit's ever written #which is a delightfully large amount #fic recs #hockey rpf #2023 in review

[alpaca-clouds]

Some thoughts on the Stray God worldbuilding

Okay, I really, really need to talk about this. Because... look, folks, I usually do have a ton of problems with the entire "Let's make a Greek Mythology fantasy". Mostly because a lot of it downplays the shittyness of the Greek pantheon - and this entire iffy thing of folks giving all this gravitas to Greek and Roman culture... There is a reason we usually know stuff about that and not less about the Egyptian and Mesopotamian mythology. Doesn't mean I loathe all the stuff that includes the mythology (still absolutely adore Hades), but... my first reaction to some western media property including the Greek gods is usually to roll my eyes.

But let me talk about why I actually really liked Stray Gods in this regards.

Spoilers for the game!

The first thing that really stands out to me is, that they actually gave the gods a reason to be in America! In basically any Urban Fantasy setting I have seen so far that includes the Greek pantheon in America (and there are a few of those) there either is no explanation for those very European Gods hanging around in the US - or the explanation is along the same lines of Percy Jackson with "Oh, yeah, center of western culture has wandered to the US, so we are hanging around here now." The first - no explanation - one is fucking lazy. The second is just so... American self-importance.

So it was so nice to see that a) we got a reason in this game and b) the reason was not American exceptionalism. Like, the entire story with the gods being refugees from WWII? Fuck yeah, that is what I am talking about. That is the kinda storytelling I am here for. Not only does it give it a proper reason, but it also just gives the entire thing some juicy drama and... tragedy. Like, OMG, the entire Aphrodite story had me in tears.

But there is also the fact that this story does not idealize the gods at all. They are broken people. All of them. Trying to live out a glorious past that was not so glorious to begin with. The game tots got bonus points from me for making it clear, that Zeus was a fucking asshole all along. And also making Persephone the victim of Hades instead of making their story all cutsy like almost all interpretation these days do.

I also just generally appreciated the choice of the gods in this. Rather than going with either of the big three around, they really played up the female gods in this and that... I appreciate a lot. :D

So, yeah. The game really did good in this regard. I love it. Now... let me go back to fawning over Persephone. xD

#stray gods #indie game #greek mythology

[crimswnred]

LITG TEMPTING FATE: thoughts and concerns

not that you care but i was working and only now I have the time <3

as always i wish the narrator would just shut up

"me and jack are so honest with each other except for, you know, the times we weren't" isn't she embarrassed?

you and theo are OVER claudia, bffr

Emel is always praising me, like. "mc is so right, mc is always on the right, if mc said so then i guess it's fine". i guess I'm MOTHERING

why's sophie going through my wardrobe, we are enemies

Theo is so damn cocky I can't with him

Claudia... babe... JACK? REALLY? JACK?

not Claudia slutshaming Theo

MC CALLING JIN MY MAN I DON'T EVEN CARE IF I'M RIGHT

but ofc I was

these secrets are boring

OHHHHH FINALLY A JUICY ONE. like, breaking up with a fling through voice noteto be on love island oh boy

lmao Claudia saying "oh, it's Theo" at least she knows the boy's trash

oh noooo sophie's a cheater? who would've thought??

Uh, Homeland mentioned 🇧🇷

boring secret for us again

"Stop being so enamoured with her baggage" looool

OAKLEY IS SO UNSERIOUS.

sorry Jin this is for science, look away

JIN??????? YOU DON'T EVEN EXERCISE HOW WOULD YOU RUN A MARATHON?

Oh, that's how. Ok, then, next!

and you're telling me Oakley is supposed to be the serious guy when he keeps CRACKING ME UP

THE BOYS ARE FIGHT AYOOOOOO

Jack why don't you just fucking k- [REDACTED]

Jin is so so so sweet I love every little interaction I love every joke I love every single word I read with his name on top of it. I just love how he always say the right things I might be in love yall

ANOTHER CHALLENGE? SOMEONE PLEASE END THIS NIGHTMARE

We get it sophie you and jack had sex jesus fucking christ

oh my god, they keep coming up with drama that happened before us being there and it's always something i really couldn't care less about

"NOT CHEESE... MY NEMESIS"

Sophie has done every single mistake possible, in another life she'd be my best friend

Theo I won't drop Jin for you sorry

this challenge has been more enjoyable than the last one, I'll give them that

Jin makes me a better person because why am I now helping Jack and Sophie when I hate both of them

I can't blame them for voting me and Jin for the cringiest couple, I cringe at the dialogue all the time too

WHAT THE FUCK

EVERYTHING WAS GOING FINE THE EVIL (JACK AND SOPHIE) WAS DEFEATED AND THEN YOU DUMP MY MAN????

YOU DUMP JIN??

SHUT UP! SHUT UP! NOO

LET ME WALK OUT I WANNA WALK OUT

fusebox you're the devil but I'll give you some credit this week, you kept this season interesting for me and also put me in a tough spot since I flirted with literally 3/4 of the remaining islanders. it better not go south after this

#litg #litg s8 #litg tempting fate #bia plays season 8 #love island the game #give me jin back thank you

[schrodinger-swriter]

Platonic fizz(maybe some Ozzie if you want) x clown reader?

Platonic Fizz x Clown!Reader

Another Fizz request, hooray! I think him and Ozzie are probably my favorite characters from Helluva Boss.. I love their relationship, I love how they are on their own. House of Asmodeus is such a good song... their designs itch my brain in a good way. Chefs kiss.

I hope you enjoy, Anon!

You guys get to... some shenanigans that is for sure! He it because you think to do something funny while you two are out and about, or because Fizz was being harassed by a fan which led to you.. getting rather defensive...

There's never a dull moment when you two are together, is what I mean!

As stated in a similar post you and Fizz tend to gossip about things. He talks about some of the juicy drama he's heard of the other Sins through Ozzie, or some bullshit that went down at the club... Oh you know a few regulars by name, particularly the ones that cause issues after a few drinks..

You guys make bets. Who can juggle the most objects? Who can tell the best jokes? Who makes the best balloon animals? Things like that! Sometimes it might lead to you guys getting a little wild, but ultimately someone brings you two back down. That person usually being Ozzie.

You sometimes run into Fizz when he's out and about, inviting yourself to join him if he's not doing any work related thing. Sometimes you two can go for a long period of time without talking, juggling between Mammon's demands and spending his time with his partner, Fizz's time is crunched. It does get better after he quits, though.

You... don't act surprised when he tells you he and Ozzie are a couple. He really thought they were being stealthy...! Was it really that obvious?

#hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin hotel x you #hazbin imagine #hazbin hotel imagine #hazbin x reader #hazbin x you #fizzaroli x reader #fizzaroli x you #fizzaroli imagine #fizz x reader #fizz x you #fizz imagine