#sadly I’m not really as into pop punk as I was a few years ago but I will always have a place in my heart for this music lol

[m-a-d-e-l-e-i-n-e]

I think as a society we need to forget that the past eight years or so ever happened and just go back to this

#the tumblr pop punk aesthetic (?) #no thoughts - just 'defend pop punk' #if I was in my teens or early 20s when Knuckle Puck + Neck Deep + State Champs + TSSF + TWY all released albums in the same year… #…I would be unwell #it does kinda suck how the ‘scene’ at the time only focused on like the same 10 bands over and over though #sadly I’m not really as into pop punk as I was a few years ago but I will always have a place in my heart for this music lol #pop punk #pop punk memes #pop punk aesthetic #tumblr aesthetic #music memes #defend pop punk #I cannot even remember what we were supposed to be defending pop punk from to be honest #mentally i'm here

[thisaintascenereviews]

Senses Fail - Hell Is In Your Head I’m a couple of months late when it comes to the new Senses Fail album, Hell Is In Your Head, but there’s kind of a reason for that -- I’ve been apprehensive to check it out. I’ve been listening to a lot of newer albums from some older post-hardcore / pop-punk bands, and some of them have been very good, such as the new Alexisonfire album that I reviewed a few days ago, but there are others that I just didn’t get anything out of, such as the newest Hawthorne Heights or Bayside albums. I listened to those a couple of days ago, hoping for the very best and that they could be hidden gems that people need to hear, but I was sadly let down. Bayside’s newest LP, 2019′s Interrobang, was pretty good, but I’ve also fallen out of favor with Bayside over the years. All of their albums sound the same, and this newest one was catchy and tight, but also nothing special, unfortunately, so I didn’t find any reason to go back to it. Hawthorne Heights is even worse, not because their newest album, The Rain Just Follows Me, is bad or anything like that, but it was just so boring. It was really short, thankfully, but it, too, sounds like everything else they’ve done, just not as interesting or as good. Their vocalist is pretty good, but I haven’t gotten into their new harsh vocalist, and I had the same issue on their last LP, where the clean vocals were great, and the instrumentation was great, but the harsh vocals weren’t very good. This new one follows the same formula, just not as interesting, so I had no reason to go back to it. A lot of these new albums from these established bands have been spotty at best, unfortunately. As for the New Jersey post-hardcore band Senses Fail, I’ve had a very complicated relationship with, but it hasn’t been as black and white as those other bands I mentioned. I really enjoy the first few Senses Fail albums from the early to mid-00s, although some of their lyrics haven’t aged the best. Some of their lyrics from those albums have very misogynistic lyrics that the band members themselves denounce today, but they’ve had an interesting career for the last fifteen years. I started listening to them in 2013 when they dropped Renacer, a very heavy album that was unlike anything they had done before that, and I thought that’s what their sound was, so I was disappointed when their follow-up, 2015′s Pull The Thorns From Your Heart, wasn’t very heavy, and instead meandering and boring. 2018′s If There Is Light, It Will Find You ended up being a lot better, having a cool mix of post-hardcore and pop-punk, but it still wasn’t anything special. Vocalist Buddy Nielsen has a great voice and his lyrics are extremely well-written and poignant these days (even on their early albums, despite the problematic lyrics, they have some good nuggets here and there), so if there’s one thing that you can expect from a late-career from this band, it’s the lyrics being top notch. I’ll admit that I wasn’t super excited for their newest album, Hell Is In Your Head, but I really like the cover and the idea of the album is what was the most interesting part. It’s about Nielsen being a father and traveling through the world during the midst of far-right extremism, climate change, a global pandemic, and a mental health crisis, among many other ills of the world, and how he’s dealing with all of those things. I decided to buckle down and check it out, thanks to the new Alexisonfire album being on my radar, along with deciding to listen to the new Emery album (review of that coming as well), and a couple of other post-hardcore albums from older statesmen of the scene, so I thought I’d finally hear it. I have to say that Hell is In Your Head is a pretty good album, although I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect album, and definitely not their best. The things I like about this record are simple -- Nielsen’s vocals and lyrics. Those are the main two things I like, and those are the main things that stick out as I listen to this album every time. The album definitely is about the shitty things happening in the world, and a lot of the songs deal with very dark, depressing, and dour topics that aren’t extremely uplifting, especially in a world that’s tearing people down left and right, but sometimes you just need to hear the truth and hear how things are, versus how they should be, or how you want them to be. One of the first few tracks talks about one of his family members hanging themselves on a tree, and then on another, Nielsen blatantly says that his father wished he never had kids and that his mother is a narcissist. It’s hard-hitting and emotional stuff, and Nielsen just lays it all in the open, which I can respect and admire quite highly. This is a very honest album, and even the closing track talks about him going to therapy and trying to cope with all of these things. This is a tough listen, mainly because of its lyrics and subject matter, but it’s a necessary listen. This seems very cathartic for Nielsen, because a lot of things are said and expressed on this 42-minute album, so the focus really is on his very emotive and powerful vocals, as well as the lyrics that just bare his soul. The problem with the focus being on one thing in particular is that nothing else gets to shine, and I have to say that the overall sound and execution of this album just isn’t anything special whatsoever. This is a super generic post-hardcore / emo album, more akin to their early work. There aren’t really a lot of energetic and fast-moving tracks in a pop-punk-ish vein like on the last album, and most of this record is mid-tempo, which isn’t horrible, but it does feel a bit monotonous after awhile. A couple of songs are more energetic and have more of a hardcore feel, but a lot of this album is sort of boring. It’s not bad, but it’s not that interesting, and I have no desire to go back to this album for its sound. The lyrics are a huge gut punch, but the music itself just feels uninspired, since they’re trying to go back to that early sound. In a way, I get it, because it’s like, why fix what isn’t broken, but they’ve been around for more than 20 years at this point, so you’d think they’d try to switch things up? They did before, and their heavier sound on Renacer is awesome, but I don’t know they’re wanting to stay rooted in that generic post-hardcore / emo sound. Either way, I’m sort of mixed on this, because the lyrics and vocals are great, but the music itself isn’t, so if you want an album with great lyrics and subpar music, check it out, but if you are a fan of this band, or you want straightforward post-hardcore / emo, you won’t have a bad time, at least I don’t think. I have a good time every time I play it, but I’m not really getting into the instrumentation, hooks, or anything close to that.

#senses fail #hell is in your head #post-hardcore #emo #buddy nielsen #pure noise records

[ghostiiiee]

Just Like Me

To read at my Ao3 CLICK HERE This is the first chapter. sorry is its a little rough. :sweatdrop:

Almost forgot! Tw: i will be going heavy on quirkless discrimination and mental health issues. Theres not much in the first chapter but i do want to touch on it at some point.

School was never something he looked forward to. After all, what was there to look forward to? He was used to getting bullied, made fun of for being different, called names, shoved around. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Many years ago, maybe he would have been the normal one? 

Then again, what even was normal?

It used to be normal to go to school- learn history, math, science and whatever language the school taught. 

It used to be normal to not have any powers, after all -  superheroes were a dream. Stories people made up to tell themselves. Heroes existed, yes, but they never had powers. Heroes were just people, average people. 

Again, there's another word that's changed. Average. 

Normal. Average. 

Two hundred years ago, it was normal for the average person to look human.

Two hundred years ago, it was normal  for the average person to have no powers.

Two hundred years ago, it was normal for superheroes to only be a thing of stories.

That was two hundred years ago. Not now.

Now it's weird to not have powers.

Now you get bullied for being regular. Quirkless.

One of 20%. 

Mathematically, he thought it was stupid that so many people get treated so differently. He did remember Mr. Lancer telling him of people getting treated for less. Mr. Lancer told him two hundred years ago, 10% of the population was seen as satanic because of what hand they used to write with. A similar estimated percent was discriminated against because of who they loved, or what they identified as. 

“Sadly, Mr. Fenton, the human race has a history of not tolerating those who they see as a minority.”

“I remember that from history Mr. Lancer.” Danny sighed, leaning his head on his hand. His eyes stared out the window, looking at the stormy weather. “I remember you talking about how things used to be.”

The teacher pursed his lips, staying quiet and looking at him with concern.

Lancer had asked Danny to stay after class to speak to him. He never did like how Daniel’s peers would gang up on him after school ended. The best he could usually do was this. Casper’s principal was... far too likely to be accepting of anything the more wealthy students’ parents had to say.

“Is that why you’ve been spacing out all day then, Danny?” 

It was asked gently. Danny’s eyes glanced over to the balding teacher before darting back to the window. He hummed for a moment. “...Kinda. I got a lot on my mind.”

“Penny for your thoughts then?” Lancer pulled his chair next to his desk.

It was quiet for a few minutes, the sound of rain gently pattering against the classroom windows filled the room while Danny collected his thoughts. Blue eyes watched raindrops roll down the glass.

“I don’t get it, Mr. Lancer.” His voice was quiet as the floodgates opened. “Everyone in my family has quirks. Dad is strong. My mom can copy anyone’s fighting styles just by watching. Jazz can look at someone and-.... well you know.” He sank down into his chair. “Aunty A, even has a quirk. I've never seen her miss a shot. And then there's me. Daniel James Fenton. The first quirkless person in our family in a long time. Don’t get me wrong either, it doesn’t bother me too much.” Liar. “It’s just... it feels like the cherry on top of everything else.

“My parents got an invitation to teach some classes at UA in Japan. In Japan, I've never lived anywhere but here. Amity Park. It’s not like they can leave me here. PLUS, Jazz has always wanted to go there for the General studies.”

“I understand your concern, Danny. But I’ve seen your work,” There was slight amusement in Mr. Lancers voice. “Aren’t you good at building things? I know I’ve caught you tinkering with something more than once in class.”

Danny’s face flushed red. “...My parent’s usually make those. They��re old models of support gear they have made. I was seeing if I could get a glitch out.”

“And?”

“...I keep shocking myself.” He mumbled. “It hurts like hell.”

“While I can’t say I’m happy that you are getting injured. As long as you are safe, I'm glad.” Mr. Lancer offered a smile to the teen. “As for the other predicament, you are always open to contact me if you need me after you move.”

“Thank you Mr. Lancer.”

~~~~~~~

Danny was thankful that they moved over the summer and not in the middle of the year. School was already hectic enough as was. Moving in the middle of the year was not something he ever wanted to do, let alone moving across the globe in the middle of the year.

He kept to himself for the first few weeks. He liked to walk around, exploring the new area. It felt different than Amity park. More crowded. He noted early on there was definitely more hero around too. It didn’t bother him too much.

That's a lie.

More heroes means more villains.

He didn’t like villains.

He also didn’t like being a hostage.

Lucky him!

He was held hostage by a villain not even before the end of the second week. Not that this was a first time experience for him, having been a favorite target back in Amity Park. He knew all the heroes back home personally because of it. People just loved to take quirkless people hostage. One would think, with the target that seems to hang over his head, that Daniel James Fenton wouldn’t take such risks as walking around alone at night. One would think that if he did, it would be out of necessity, and he would at least have something on him to defend himself.

...yeah no that's not the case. Why in the world would that be the case?

Danny was shoved onto the ground, air leaving his lungs as he hit. He gasped for air, trying to look at who was targeting him now. He couldn’t really tell much about the person, ratty clothes and a hoodie pulled up to cover their face. Nothing could be seen under the hood, it was just shadow, pure, black shadow.

“What’s a runt like you doing out right now?” The villain crouched next to Danny. Chuckling when he tried to scoot away. They put a foot on one of Danny’s wrists, “Ah-ah. Now that’s rude. I’m talking to you punk.”

Danny didn’t respond, wincing at the pressure on his arm. 

“It’s rather rude to ignore your elders.” The villain put more pressure, adjusting so they were crouched like a vulture next to prey.

“F-fuck you. I’ve seen worse.” He growled

The regret in saying that was nearly instant. In the blink of an eye, the ground next to his head - that was solid concrete what the hell- was shattered. The villain was making an inhuman noise, a low gutteral sound coming from them. “You haven’t seen my worst. I wasn’t gonna do much to ya, but I’m starting to change my mind kid.”

He knew he should do anything else - he was already on a thin line - but fuck it. He had a free hand anyways. He grabbed something from his pocket and slammed it against the villain. “As I said before. Fuck. You.” He pressed the button on the side.

The machine sparked to life. Quite literally. Danny still didn’t know what it was supposed to do, but he could make it shock things. Like a weird taser. Unlucky for Danny he was literally pinned to the ground beneath the villain getting tased. And as everyone knows. Humans are conductive. Very conductive. 

Strangely the villain didn't even flinch. The growl getting louder as they grabbed the device from their shoulder and crushed it with their hand. Danny started shaking. Okay so that was a horrible idea. 

The shadows of the alley gathered around the villain. Climbing up their clothing and slowly slithering along their arm. They held Danny down, forming chains around him. In the villain’s hand, a knife, absorbing all light, The villian made the move to attack, and Danny closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to come.

It never did.

It lessened. 

Weight lifted from him, a weight he hadn’t realized was there besides his arm. Tentatively he opened his eyes. 

The villain was on the ground a few meters away from him, knocked out and tied up to a fire exit- similar to how Batman would leave criminals for the cops. Danny blinked. He hadn’t heard anything. So what in the world happened? And how could that have happened so fast? 

Standing up, he looked around for a sign of anyone being there to help him.

Oddly enough. It seemed no one had caused the villain to go down, at least not that Danny could see. Blue eyes scanned the area for a moment, looking for anything that wasn’t there before. Nothing popped out. Nothing was out of place. It looked like no one had been there.

He let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. The air condensed, forming mist as it left his mouth and floated away. It was like when he first stepped outside in the winter. Which was strange- it was the middle of summer. A small frown formed on his face. The nights here weren’t that cold normally. 

He brushed it off, ignoring the goosebumps running along his skin as the air chilled. Perhaps whoever knocked the villain out had a rather cold quirk, he mused to himself. Heroes normally make themselves known at this point, checking to see if he was okay. 

He had an inkling it wasn’t a hero. At least not a licensed one. Not that he minded. He didn’t care who it was really. They saved his life… he was grateful for that.

Danny looked up to the clear sky, moonlight peaking over the buildings enough to illuminate the alley where the street lights glowed. He smiled up to the stars. “Thank you.” He said softly. “I wasn’t paying attention tonight.”

He left the alley, starting his way back home. He never caught sight of the figure watching him.

#Danny Phantom #danny fenton #mha x dp #bnha #mha

[janeykath318]

Prison Proposal 17

Natasha circled around Darcy, scrutinizing every inch of her bridal array with expertly honed observational skills.

“Perfect,” she finally declared proudly. “Absolutely stunning, Mrs. Rogers.”

Darcy flushed at the smirk Nat shot her, but couldn’t help but preen.

“I do look like a bombshell, don’t I?” She asked Wanda.

“Oh, very much,” Wanda told her. “I can feel your happiness from over here.”

“I’m oozing with it,” Darcy laughed, accepting her bridal bouquet from Natasha. Wanda and Natasha were her bridesmaids and were looking stunning in deep burgundy gowns. Jane would have rocked it, too, she thought wistfully, wishing she hadn’t lost touch with her friend. But all her attempts to contact her had led to dead ends, so she’d sadly concluded that Jane didn’t want to be found. She still worried about her, though, and hoped she was living her best science life.

Contrary to popular opinion, the wedding colors were NOT red, white and blue, and Darcy proclaimed vehemently that the only blue she wanted to see at the ceremony was Steve’s eyes.

“Not that I don’t love your patriotic garb, honey, but it gets to be a bit much sometimes,” she’d told Steve, who’d chuckled good naturedly and wholeheartedly agreed with her.

They’d waited until late fall to have the ceremony and the long planning time was paying off with a carefully planned celebration.

Darcy didn’t like to think about what it was all costing, but Tony was paying for most of it as his gift to her.

“I want you to make it your own special day, kid,” he’d told her. “You can go as small or as big as you’d like.”

They’d chosen the gorgeous New York Public Library for a venue and Steve had put his artist’s eye to good use as they’d looked over the rooms and decided where the best place to have the ceremony would be. He’d shared with Darcy his memories of the place as they’d worked to set up yesterday and she realized she’d only just scratched the surface on the deep well that was Steve Rogers. It had tickled her to find out he’d been an insatiable reader and a total nerd as well.

“I’m still a nerd, Darcy,” he’d laughed when she’d called him out. “I’m just sneakier about it now.”

“Don’t think I didn’t hear you binging Dr. Who the other day,” she shot back. “What’s next, Star Trek?”

“Actually….”

They’d ended up in a spirited discussion over Picard vs. Kirk while laying out place cards and Darcy thought she was even more in love with him.

“Earth to Darcy?” Nat nudged, breaking her out of her reverie. “It’s time to go. You ready?”

“Always,” she replied confidently.

Meanwhile, Steve, Bucky and Sam were lounging around in various stages of restlessness: Steve pacing and checking his tie every five seconds, Sam nearby alternately teasing him and reassuring him that yes, he looked fine. No, there was nothing on his face or his beard and yes, Bucky had the ring. A relaxed looking Bucky sat reading in the corner, a blissed out look on his face, which made Steve smile. He hadn’t seen that look in seventy years and his own happiness was doubled by seeing his friend getting his life back. Bucky and Natasha were still together, despite some rough patches, and Steve had hopes that he’d get to return the best man favor for him someday.

“She’ll show up. Relax, Stevie.” Bucky said, not looking up from his book.

“Easy for you to say, Buck,” Steve returned. “I can’t wait until the shoe is on the other foot.”

“Don’t hold your breath. We’re in no hurry to rush to the altar, unlike you two punks.”

Bucky waved his hand at Sam and Steve, neither of whom looked the slightest bit regretful.

“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” Sam put in with a grin. He and Sharon were not a couple Steve had ever seen coming, but they worked really well and were quite happy. They’d returned from a mission a few days ago where their teamwork had saved over a hundred lives in almost miraculous fashion and Steve was extremely proud of them.

Tony had popped in a few minutes ago to call them fossilized penguins and warn them that they’d better be on time or else.

There was a buzz and Steve checked his watch to see a text from Darcy.

Here we go! See you soon, hot stuff.

Steve grinned.

‘“Get off your ass, Bucky. It’s time to go,” he declared.

“But I was getting to the good part,” Bucky grumbled half-heartedly as he stood up.

Steve laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

“This IS the good part, jerk.”

Tony gaped like a fish when he met Darcy to walk her down the aisle. She was beyond beautiful in her white dress and veil, practically glowing as she whispered with Pepper, Sharon and the bridesmaids.

“Record this in the archives! She’s rendered Tony Stark speechless!” Sharon observed with great amusement, winking at Tony.

“Laugh it up, Carter,” he sighed, even as he blinked back some tears.

“You look beautiful, Darcy,” he told her through the lump in his throat.

“Aw, thanks, pops,” she sighed, giving him the best hug she could manage under the circumstances. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

She took his arm and watched the bridesmaids begin their processional: first Wanda, then Natasha.

Hearing the opening notes of her processional, her feet moved forward and she finally got a glimpse of Steve in all his black tuxedo-clad glory waiting for her.

“Damn.” She whispered. She’d seen him dressed up before, but not to this kind of level and not for her. It was a far cry from their hasty wedding in the little prison chapel where she’d had to smuggle in clothes for him.

Tony huffed beside her.

“He’s got NO RIGHT to look that good,” He whispered indignantly. “NO right, I say.”

“Exactly what I thought when I first met him,” Darcy replied, before giving Steve a big grin, which he returned in a slightly dazed manner.

#shieldshock #darcy lewis #steve rogers #prison proposal

[bbykpoper]

𝓢𝓾𝓰𝓪𝓻𝓫𝓮𝓻𝓻𝔂 🍰

Inspired by this post 🌼

Pairing: patissier!mingi x waitress!reader

Index: Jongho // Hongjoong // Seonghwa // San // Yunho // Wooyoung // Yeosang

･*:༅

“Hey y/n.” Your co-worker and friend, Sorn, called out to you as you two cleaned down tables after closing. “Why are you working here?”

“What do you mean?” You asked, your apron coming undone as you finished your half of the bakery. 

“Well, you’re quite an intelligent person and I know you are smart in many fields of life, so how come you ended up working at a bakery?” Her glittering eyes looked over at you, curiosity gleaming along.

You’ve been working at Sugarberry’s for a few months now, applying for the job at a whim one summer night. It’s been a tough life for you who had to provide for herself most of your life, loosing the chance to get a college education because you couldn’t financially support yourself, not having much of any job options to choose from and simply having been surrounded by the wrong people. That one summer night, when you just couldn’t come to terms that your life was falling appart a young man noticed your heavy expression and approached you with a smile. 

A smile which had changed your life for better.

“I don’t really know.” You shrugged your shoulders at her. “I guess I just found something which made me stay.”

“Was it the boss?” A sly voice sounded from the back where the kitchen was located. 

“For your information Wooseok!” You threw your apron at his face. “No. It was not.” With a roll to your eyes you waited for Sorn to finish up cleaning and him to drag his ass out to the front. “Where the hell did you even get that idea?”

“Oh come on y/n, we all see the way you two look at each other.” He laughed. “It’s just a matter of time.” He sang along as you locked up the place.

“It’s just a matter of time for what?” 

“Eek!” Sorn and Wooseok screamed at the top of their lungs, both clinging to you for dear life.

“Mingi.” You calmly said, even though your heart was in your throat at the startle he caused you. “You came back early.”

“Yeah, our trip was cut short due to some business.” He smiled down at you, his eyes turning into half moons. “You guys finished for today?”

“You are a mean human being Song Mingi!” Wooseok exclaimed pointing his finger at the tall man, his arm still wrapped tightly around yours. “Why would you scare us?”

“I didn’t mean to guys, I’m sorry.” He chuckled, his eyes never leaving you. “How about I buy you lot dinner as an apology.”

“I’m not saying no to dinner.” Sorn giggled and pulled herself off you, going to stand next to Mingi and now latching on to him.

“Sorn?” Wooseok asked confused.

“Let’s go.”

You and Wooseok exchanged confused glances as she dragged Mingi by her side, ignoring his protests and weight in trying to stop. You decided to keep your mouth shut and just follow after them, sticking your cold hands into your pockets, ignoring Wooseok’s constant commenting on the situation.

･*:༅

“Something weird is going on.” Seonghwa sat down next to you on your break the next day, Hongjoong joining in shortly as he got his drink from Sorn who worked the counter.

“I’m on my break and have no intentions on using it up on your relationship problems.” You said, not even raising your eyes from the page you were currently reading.

“It’s weird that Sorn is hanging around Mingi so much.” He emphasized, making you stop your eyes for a second, but quickly going back to reading. “Ever since we came back from that trip she’s been clinging to him too much.”

“Well it could have two reasons.” Your eye twitched at Wooseok who decided to join in on the gossiping. “First is, she’s finally working up the crush she has for him and is shooting her shot. Or-” He looked at you who was two seconds away from smacking him atop the head. “-she’s trying to make y/n jealous and finally admit her undying love for him.”

It was the last straw which made you ubruptly stand and spill Hongjoong’s poor coffee on the floor. You picked your book up and walked away, going back on the clock and evading both Sorn and Mingi. 

“I think you just made it worse.” Hongjoong said, glancing at the boy who shamefully walked into the kitchen. “Wanna stay here and wait for the boys?” 

“Sure, we can arrange an outing with everyone.” Seonghwa said, his hands skillfully texting away. 

The day passed with you being in a bad mood. Most of the regular customers weren’t used to you being so distant and quiet, while the rest of the boys kept glancing between you and Mingi. Mingi on the other hand was pouting in the kitchen, decorating his 15th cake of the day with broken hearts and dark colours. Wooseok didn’t have the guts to tell him that it was kind of unappealing so they just said today is a gloomy day for Sugarberry’s.

“Hey y/n!” Yunho enthusiastically walked in, a girl in tow behind. “How have you been?”

“Hey Yunho...” You were taken by surprise at the sudden smiley faced pair and you just had to soften up your expression for him. He was too baby-faced to look at him mad. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Huckleberry. My girlfriend.” The blush on his face was so cute, you just had to smile at him wholeheartedly. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m y/n.” The girl also smiled back. “What can I get you guys?”

“I’d like some tea and a piece of chocolate cake.” She said softly.

“Wow, even your order is the same!” You laughed, the sound echoing through the bakery and lifting everybody’s dark clouds. The sound managed to even bring Mingi out to the front, but his cloud only darkened when he saw you laughing along with Yunho. The bag with pink sprinkles popped open at how strongly he was holding it, the floor turning into a punk fuzzy surface. “I’ll get your order in a minute, you guys take a seat. The boys and their girls are outside in the usual booth.” 

“What are you laughing at?” Mingi asked you as you went behind the counter to prepare the order for the two.

“I’m sorry?”

“He has a girlfriend, so why are you laughing with him?” He gritted through his teeth.

“Oh, so only because he has a girlfriend I should ignore his existence and not be polite to him?” You raised an eyebrow at him. “Well that’s a load of bull coming from a man who let’s a taken girl cling to his arm like her life depends on it.”

“What?”

“Sorn has a girlfriend you idiot.” You deadpanned making Wooseok drop his croissant. “Grow the fuck up Song and say what’s been pissing you off these past few days instead of throwing childish tantrums all around.”

“You know-” He came real close to your face, the anger evident in both of your eyes. “-no man wants a woman that goes after taken man.”

“Well Song, no woman wants to date a child.” You gritted out, taking the order outside and declining nicely the invite to go clubbing with the gang later.

You both evaded each other until the end of the day and when it was closing time, you finished cleaning and left, saying good bye to your co-workers and the gang, walking past Mingi as if he wasn’t even there.

“Did they fight?” Hongjoong asked Wooseok through a whisper.

“Uh-huh.” He nodded, both of them watching Mingi’s clenched jaw tightening.

･*:༅

The small house you lived in was inherited by you from the old lady that let you live with her when you were still a teen. She had taken care of you as much as she could and in return you did the same to her. You cooked, cleaned, even sometimes gave baths to the 80 year old woman out of gratitude and in return, she left her quiant little home to you. Unfortunately she had passed away a few years ago, but you still honoured her life by planting sugarberries in the garden; her favourite flower. 

“Fuckin’ asshole.” You mumbled as you relaxed in the bathtub after a long and stressful day at work.

Candles littered the bathroom as faint piano music played in the background. You looked into the full body mirror with golden rimmed leaves which faced the bathtub. Your long light coloured locks stuck to your face, as your eyes sadly observed your soft and round features.

“What does she have that I don’t?” You whispered out, touching your cheek. “Stupid Mingi!”

You stayed in the water for another hour and finally decided to get out and dry yourself, putting on one of the many night gowns you’d gotten. The giggle that left your mouth had you remembering some better and happier times. 

Times when you weren’t in love with a childish Mingi.

You sat down on the sofa and began reading the book you had today, slowly loosing all thoughts of today’s argument, and focusing on that fictional world in your hands. 

The loud thud and banging on the front door woke you up from your book-induced-nap. Blinking a few times you shook your head and went over to the door, glancing through the peep-hole and wincing when you saw an eye looking back at you.

“Y/N!~”

“What the hell are you doing at my house at 2 a.m.?!” You flung the door open as the man in front of you straightened up and looked at you in the eyes. He kept looking at your appearance and something stired deep within him at your half asleep eyes, messy locks and long beige night gown. “Well Mingi?”

“Oh fuck it.” He grabbed your cheeks and kissed your lips, your poor knees shaking and loosing balance. You both fell on the ground, him holding you up as best as he could so as not to hurt yourself. Your lungs were screaming for air and he felt it too, pulling away with a low whine. His hair was messy, his cheeks were rosy, eyes glossy and breath stinking of alcohol. And you; your hair was sprawled out around you like a halo, cheeks and neck red from the lack of oxygen and onslought of embarrassement, the skirt of your night gown ridding up all the way to your thighs. You looked like a fucking angel to him underneath him. “God you are so gorgeous.”

“Mingi you’re drunk.” You tried to push him off and get up, but you stopped abruptly when you felt little wet droplets on your exposed chest. “Mingi? What’s wrong?”

“Why am I not good enough for you?” He asked in a low whisper. “Why do you laugh so much with Yunho and Wooseok, and the others, but not with me? Why do you only smile at me and evade me the whole day?”

“Mingi-”

“I’ve been trying so hard for you to notice me! I made new recipes from fruits you like, I baked the bread you said you liked every day, and I decorated every cake with the flowers you like.” He came closer to you and you could see the haze in his eyes which showed he was only slightly drunk but mostly sober. “Why do you keep giving out advice to my friends on how to get the girl but never to me on how to get you?”

“God you are so dumb!” You groaned out and looked at him unamused. “Everytime I gave advice to your friends I was giving it to you too. I wasn’t sure if you like me because I wasn’t exactly paying attention to the details you were setting out. I’ve never had someone go out of their way so much.” You pulled him into a hug and he relaxed in your arms. “You are good enough for me! You are more than that!”

“So you like me back?” 

“I love you.” You whispered out.

“I want to make love to you.” He whispered back. “For the rest of my life.”

“Are you asking me to marry you?” You laughed at that thought.

“I am.” He looked at you seriously. “I wanted to marry you that first day I met you.”

“You barely know me.” You sat up along with him. “Shouldn’t we get to know each other first?”

“But I already know everything about you.” He blushed. “Granny Kim talked about you a lot.”

You looked over at the picture frame on the wall where you and old lady Kim sat in the garden, enjoying the sunshine, laughter and sugarberries around you. You had to smile to yourself at this situation. That woman thought of everything it seems.

“It seems this house will become more lively then.” You giggled at him.

“Is that a yes?” Mingi grabbed you by the arms in excitement.

“Yes!” You were lifted off the ground in a hype as the front door closed and Mingi twirled you around.

“God, I need to call Wooseok and tell him to open shop tomorrow!” You blinked in surprise. “You and I have so much to catch up on and work is the least of our problems.”

The choking noise you made in surprise had him smirking as he carried you off further inside the house, his eyebrows wiggling with delight.

･*:༅

“I hope you’re not mad at me y/n.” Sorn spoke as you both sat on the side for a while, seeing as it wasn’t so busy. “I never had a thing for Mingi, I was just fed up with his constant love-sick sighs and I had to get everything in motion.” She sighed. “Sorry.”

“Nah, it’s all good.” You smiled at her. “Thank you.”

The two of you exchanged a glance and laughed at how the situation turned out. Wooseok grumbled from the kitchen something but you paid him no mind. You kept on observing Mingi who was outside with a few of his friends, talking about the big plans. It made you happy and smiley and the bakery was thriving with this low feeling of love.

The sugarberries in your garden seemed to grow brighter since Mingi moved in and you guys decided to make a sweet with them, naming it  계속 미소 지으며.

Keep smiling.

#ateez imagines #song mingi #ateez #ateez reaction #sugarberry

[rogueobservation]

STARLET

Pairing: president!Steve Rogers x actress!OFC

Summary: Twenty years after the events of 1963, Tony Stark gives an interview for the first time about his incredibly famous wife and her affair with President Rogers. 

Warnings: Angst? Vague foreshadowing? 

PROLOGUE TO MY SERIES: MR. PRESIDENT.

1983

Rain-swollen clouds drifted high above the skyscrapers, blowing and shifting, teasing patches of blue sky every once and awhile before hiding it again, with the sun trying futilely to burn it all away. She would have hated today. Well, not hated since she didn't believe in hate, but intensely disliked. She survived in the sun, basked in it. A California girl through and through. Today, she would've been curled up in a chair, a blanket hiding her lower half, reading some book she'd swiped from her section of his library. The weather would have pointed her in the direction of Virginia Woolf or Oscar Wilde. The day was warm but the amp spring wind was chilly. As soft as the outer skin of a peach. At the first break of the rain, she would have gone out to sit on the terrace only to be chased back in moments later– returned sulky as a child, slightly damp. He visualized her in the doorway, pouting. In his mind, she looked like a ghost, cast in a hazy, whitish aura by the light rain that pattered the panes of the library window; a contrast against the lurid orange glow of the fire that burned in front of him; the smell of fall against the damp, cold feel of–

"Mr. Stark?"

Tony tilted his head away from the window, two fingers under his chin, and looked at the woman sitting beside him in an adjoining tall, wing-back oxblood leather chair. A stranger, an outsider. A reporter from The New York Bulletin, Karen Page gazed expectantly at him, looking for answers. Truth be told, he didn't know if he was willing to tell them to her... or the public for that matter.

"I drifted off. What did you ask me, Ms. Page?"

"Just a preliminary question, if you don't mind," she glanced down at her notepad that rested on her thigh. "My editor was wondering if you'd be willing to tell me if your daughter will be taking over for you as CEO of Stark Industries? There's a rumor going around that she will."

"A rumor based on what exactly?"

Karen looked up. "She's your only child."

“That I know of,” he japed.

She smiled at that. “The wires picked it up from a–” checking her notes– “’close source’.”

Tony couldn’t help but smirk, albeit weakly. “A close source is the journalistic way of saying assumption."

“No comment then, I guess?”

Tony sighed. “Off the record,” he shifted in his seat, wincing slightly, “my answer is yes. She will.” Better to give her something now, in case nothing comes later, he thought. The reporter was growing frustrated with him, he knew. Did she expect him to pour out the story without a little bit of a nudge? "Look, I'm used to the press being... not amicable to myself or my wife. To my family."

“You summoned me here, sir.”

“I did,” he replied. “Only because I want to do this on my terms. Not yours." There was a pause. "I'm sure you did your research before coming, but what all do you know?"

“What the public knows about it all which is barely anything. All I've found is fabrications and rumors from close sources, but, as you noted, that's assumptions mostly. The truth is too obscure even to be visible at this point," she clicked her pen. "Why haven't you talked about this before?"

“Didn’t feel the need to.”

“You feel the need to now then?”

Tony laughed. "My sixty-six birthday is coming up, Ms. Page. My time is waning and everyone, at this age, has unfinished business they need to take care of. This is mine–” he gestured between himself and her– “It just so happened that you decided to write about all this, about her. I read a few of your past articles and decided that you're genuine about what you're writing. Plus, if you are going to give her story and about what happened, you might as well get the truth about it all."

"From a close source?"

Another laugh. "If you want to put it that way."

Karen’s gaze drifted to the mantel above the fireplace where an array of awards sat; three Oscar statuettes, golden exterior shining brilliantly, at the foreground. In the background, six Golden Globes, two BAFTAs, a few lesser awards. Above them, a stunning, iconic portrait of his wife done by Andy Warhol.

Stark’s art collection was, without a doubt, impressive, lined the walls of his penthouse in SoHo as a reminder that the modern era hadn't entirely escaped him. The space was a time capsule of the golden years of Hollywood; enormous by New York standards and outdated yet still retained a sense of upper class chic with monochrome interior and splashes of tan and bits of color here and there. Barnett Newman’s Stations of the Cross: Fifth Station and Now II were on display in the entry hall and Jackson Pollock’s No. 5, 1948 in the living room, but his office was different. Darker colors. More austere which was strange considering the Warhol Pop Art silkscreen was on display in here. She’d been shocked to see it. A few years ago Sotheby’s had hosted a highly publicized auction of Warhol’s paintings and among the lot had been the artist’s series on Stark’s wife including the famed Icon Diptych (fifty images of Stark’s wife based on a publicity photo from her Oscar winning film, Marionette) and the less renowned Starlet, her favorite of the lot.

The press, of course, as her husband, published that Stark was to buy the series of his wife but nothing had come from the rumor until Sotheby's released a statement that the whole lot of the artist's work had been purchased by a single anonymous buyer for a historic, record-breaking 700 million. Days later, the MoMA stated Icon Diptych was theirs on permanent loan from the buyer and a new member of their “MODERN FAME” exhibition but the outcome of Starlet along with the other ten works of the series turned into a mystery with no evidence of who had bought them.

Well, until ten minutes ago.

When the Icon Diptych was placed in the MoMA, it had turned into one of the most visited pieces of art in the world and was even dubbed by a reporter as the "western Mona Lisa." Fifty images of the actress split into two– the twenty-five images on the left side vibrantly colored with five layers of underpaint (yellow, pink, white, aqua, and orange), unified by a final layer of black paint. The twenty-five images on the right, however, were done on silver underpaint and as the images moved farther to the right, each row faded more and more. Starlet, on the other hand, was the best of both worlds: nine white, black, and pink silkscreen images. The four pink images were of her smiling while the five other black and white images had her looking less than happy. Sad, tearful, haunting even. Images taken at the worst moments of her life. The nine images were supposed to represent the juxtapose of on and off-screen; the closeted version of stardom.

Karen clicked her pen and looked back at Stark: withered, aged by time, worn by life. Although he didn’t look great, he didn’t look like the hermit the media made him out to be. Not skinny or unkempt; no long fingernails or wiry beard. His dark hair was almost all silver now, and a paper-thin hand was clasped around an elaborate golden cane that rested against the arm of his chair. His plain-gold wedding ring hung loosely on a finger that used to clasp it cozily. Lilac tinted sunglasses hid his eyes as he stared at her. No one (the press and public) had seen him in months, not since he left the White House after consulting President Reagan about the Strategic Defense Initiative; photos from that day showed him getting into a black car, looking gaunt, and when he returned to New York a few hours later, the media was waiting for him at the airport, snapping pictures of him giving his ever-so charming grin, throwing a peace sign before getting into another black car. A week after this, major American news published that Stark died peacefully at his SoHo penthouse. This wasn’t taken seriously albeit since the press had published similar stories so many times the public referred to his penthouse as “The Tomb.”

While this hadn't been true, it sparked something in Karen. An article on the extraordinary lives of Tony Stark and his famed, iconic wife. She was still in the research phase of things when, the other day, she got a call. Tony Stark wanted to be interviewed for the piece. How he heard about it, she didn't know. No one but her and her editor knew about it. Ellison, her editor, told her that it was a prank caller. “He wants to do an interview? The Tony Stark?” was his reaction before he broke out into laughter. “That had to have been some punk-kid pulling a joke. No way, Karen. Everyone’s been trying to get him for an interview since 1963.” It hadn’t been until Stark himself called and spoke to Ellison, with her as his specific choice of interviewer, that he’d taken it all seriously. “Do good and you’ll be the next Theodore H. White, but be fucking careful and do not spook him away.”

That had been two hours ago.

Suddenly, Tony cleared his throat and said: “We have to respect his children.”

“Sir?”

“Ms. Page, in my family, what my wife did is not a secret. My daughter, she knows. His children however... I don't think they really know the whole truth of it. Peggy made me promise that none of this would see the light of day while she was alive but now that...”

His voice trailed off. She understood perfectly what he was trying to say: that he didn’t want to hurt Peggy and the President’s children possibly by divulging the story. Guilt, she thought, was the expression on his face. Peggy Carter had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease five years ago and passed away peacefully in her sleep less than seven months ago. Karen frowned sadly. “I understand,” she said, agreeably enough. “I’ll try my best."

"Not try. Do." His eyes looked fixedly at her. "Are you married?"

"No, sir."

"Any kids?"

“No, sir."

Tony waved a hand at her– the wedding ring on his finger twinkling momentarily in the firelight. "You're young, kid. A long time ago, I didn't think I was the marrying type– and maybe that's not your thing but back when I was your age it was strange if a man didn't have a family. I'm not too big headed to be able to admit that I was a playboy. The wayward son, my father used to call me. Never dreamt of settling down with anyone until her. Cliché, but that's the truth of the matter."

"What was your first impression of her?"

He gave a fond smile. "That she was endlessly fascinating."

"Fascinating how?"

Tony seemed not to have heard that. "Are you planning on writing about President Rogers?"

The question felt like a trap. "He's part of her story."

There was a long period of silence before he said: "My wife loved me, I know that, but even all these years later, he's the man who lives with her constantly. Do you understand? We were married. There were vows. We committed to forever together, but now forever includes him."

It almost seemed as though he was talking to himself. Like a message was hidden for her behind his words. "I'm not following–"

"Would you like the fairy tale or the truth?"

Karen didn't know what to say. "I try to give my readers the truth."

"However that's not what they want," he replied curtly. "The truth isn't as glamorous as the fairy tale they've spun in their minds. For them, my wife is either a princess or a homewrecker, but he's forever the prince that touched divinity for such a brief period yet preferred my wife over it."

"And what do you think she is?"

"I can't see it from their third person perspective, Ms. Page. She's just my wife." He looked over at the Starlet painting above the fireplace. "She's a woman who got entangled in the greatest love story of the modern ages." His voice had lost all it’s emotion; stoic, long-since pained. She saw that he had started twisting his wedding ring with his other hand. She suddenly felt sympathetic.

"How would you like to begin?"

"The only way it can." He looked back over at her, slowly removing his tinted sunglasses, his deep brown eyes blank, exhausted, and deeply sighed. "In this room on May 19th, 1962..."

JOIN THE TAG LIST!

Tagged: @rogrsnbarnes​ @dietcokecherry​ @vennilavee​

#steve rogers #tony stark #steve rogers x reader #tony stark x reader #steve rogers x oc #steve rogers x ofc #karen page #fanfiction #fanfic

[theowhy]

[thiam] charisma check

rated T / ~2k / oneshot

summary: When Theo tries and fails to charm someone at Sinema, Liam steps up to the plate.

notes: honestly it was only a matter of time until i gave in and wrote thiam fic. this is... self-indulgent, in the sense that i wanted something like a honey pot mission, with jealous!theo sneaking his way in there. i hope you enjoy it!

you can read on ao3 here ✨

---

“I got this,” Theo says over the music pumping out of Sinema’s speakers.

Liam fidgets with the coke in his hands—just coke, because the bartender didn’t even humor him by asking for an ID when Liam sidled up to the bar—and tries not to look as stiff and awkward as he feels. Theo, on the other hand, fits right in, leaning casually against the bar, the club’s flashing lights spilling over him in ways that are unfairly flattering. Liam takes another steadying sip of his soda.

“Why can’t we just, y’know—” Liam gives a jerky shrug, tilts his head at their target sitting at the other end of the bar. “Pull him into an alley and threaten him?”

Theo raises an eyebrow. “I know this might be a surprise to you,” he says, “but not everything needs to be solved violently.”

“It’s worked for me so far,” Liam mutters.

“Sure, it works. But situations like this go better with a little more… finesse.” Theo’s smirk is slow and smug. “Just watch and learn something, will you?”

Liam scowls. “Go on, already.”

Theo pushes himself off the bar and grabs Liam’s cup without so much as a may I, and takes a gulp.

“Hey!” Liam flushes and drags his eyes away from watching Theo’s throat work. He snatches his cup back.

Theo grins and swaggers his way to the target. Liam hates him.

He tries to watch it unfold without looking too obvious, angling himself away from the other end of the bar and only glancing over every couple minutes or so. The target’s name is Zeke, and is their only lead on a hunt for, apparently, a group of warlocks disguising themselves as a punk band and using their underground shows to hex people. A few sources have pointed to Zeke as the one selling tickets, and Liam figured it’d be easy enough to just demand a pair and infiltrate the next show. Theo disagreed.

Liam watches Theo lean in and talk closely into Zeke’s ear, to be heard better over the noise, no doubt. It still makes Liam’s stomach twist, and he takes another sip from his cup.

Even without eavesdropping on their conversation, he can tell Theo’s turned up the charm. And he’s good at it, Liam knows from far too much personal experience. But despite Theo’s crooked smile and coy head tilt, Zeke isn’t biting. Liam doesn’t need heightened werewolf senses to see that Zeke is bored, the nods and one word answers he’s giving polite but disinterested. Liam snickers, and from the way Theo’s eyebrow twitches, he can hear it.

Zeke looks about five seconds away from shaking his head and leaving Theo in the dust, and as much as Liam would love to see it, he also knows it would mean losing their only lead. So he downs the rest of his coke and walks over to tap Theo on the shoulder.

Theo turns to look at him with an expression of such fabricated politeness Liam nearly laughs.

He says, “Hey, Mason needs to talk to you outside.”

Theo frowns in confusion, and Liam tries to express to him via eyebrow waggles something along the lines of you’re totally bungling this, please stop and take the out I’m giving you.

It takes Theo a few seconds, but these last months of working together have given them an ability to understand one another without so many words. Mason called it creepy telepathy once, but Liam thinks it’s something closer to trust. Whether Theo agrees with that is yet to be seen.

Whatever it is, Theo seems to understand. He heaves an unnecessarily put-upon sigh, then looks back at Zeke and drawls, “I’ll be right back.”

Zeke flashes a totally false smile that makes Liam want to laugh again. He pats Theo’s shoulder as he passes and disappears into the club crowd.

Which leaves Liam alone with Zeke.

Liam suddenly wishes he hadn’t finished his drink, then at least he’d have something to do with his hands. As it is, he shoves them into his pockets, not bothering with suaveness.

“Friend of yours?” Zeke asks, looking at Liam curiously.

Liam holds a breath in his cheeks, thinking. “In a sense,” he settles on.

Zeke snorts, his shoulders relaxing. Liam grins.

“Liam,” he says and sticks a hand out.

Zeke looks at him funny, a smile playing at his lips. He takes the hand. “Zeke. You’re very polite for a random dude at a bar.”

“Not my usual scene, to be honest.”

“That so?” Zeke props an elbow on the bar, leans a cheek against his hand. “Don’t like crowds?”

“Oh, crowds are fine. It’s just the music.” Liam wrinkles his nose, and this, at least, is truthful. “Not my favorite.”

“Let me guess.” Zeke leans in, biting the corner of his lip as he drifts his gaze over Liam. Liam tries not to blush under the scrutiny. “You’re more of a punk rock guy.”

“Is it that obvious?”

Zeke points to the front of Liam’s shirt. “Noisy Habits. I’ve seen them a couple times.”

“No way.” All pretense gone, Liam leans in eagerly, eyes wide. “They haven’t toured near Beacon Hills since I started listening to them, like, a year ago? That’s awesome.”

“I travel a lot.” Zeke’s smile grows, his eyes brightening just slightly under the club lights. “It’s fun checking out local punk scenes. Beacon Hills isn’t bad, either.”

Liam snorts. “That’s generous.”

Zeke laughs, throwing his head back. The amusement is genuine, Liam can tell, and he blinks in surprise. This is all going so much better than he expected.

“Seriously,” Zeke says after he collects himself. He’s moved minutely closer, enough to touch Liam’s elbow with a hand, bracelets and rings glinting. “I know some guys. They’re great.”

This is it, Liam thinks, he can’t blow it now. He swallows, doesn’t pull away from Zeke’s touch. “Yeah?”

Zeke seems to consider something as he keeps his eyes trained on Liam’s face. His tongue darts out over his lips. “Yeah,” he says finally, and his smile has an edge to it that shocks Liam in its familiarity.

It’s a little like the smirks Theo gives him, the ones after Theo says something toeing the edge of flirting. It makes Liam burn beneath his skin every time, especially when Theo’s smirk falls away into laughter, because that’s always what it is in the end—a joke. Never anything more.

This is not a joke. Liam can smell it, the scent of interest wisping from Zeke’s skin. Liam swallows. He wonders, distantly, if he’s ever checked closely enough to see if Theo was really joking.

Zeke glances at his smart watch when a text pops up on it. Liam is sorely tempted to read it, but he’s treading carefully, now. It won’t do to piss Zeke off.

Zeke’s mouth twists. He turns back to Liam. “Well, it’s been fun, Liam.” He draws out the two syllables of his name. “But sadly, I’ve got to go.”

“Really?” Liam tries to sound extra disappointed.

Zeke looks amused and… something else Liam is too flustered to put a word to. He pulls out his wallet, a worn-out leather thing covered in what Liam recognizes are hexes. This is definitely their warlock, and one paranoid of pickpocketing, at that. He opens it up and digs out two slips of paper. Tickets.

He grabs a pen from the bar and writes a string of numbers on one of them. When he’s done, he looks at Liam, a meandering stare from bottom to top.

He tucks the tickets into the waistband of Liam’s jeans. Liam nearly jumps at the brush of fingers against his hip.

“Next Saturday,” Zeke murmurs, leaning in. “Doors are at seven.”

“Cool,” Liam squeaks, grimaces, then clears his throat. “Uh, I mean—” in a deeper voice, “Cool.”

“Cool.” Zeke grins. “Hope to see you there, Liam.”

He squeezes Liam’s elbow again, then steps away. He disappears so seamlessly into the crowd it can only be warlock magic.

Liam releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, his heart still hammering in his chest. It… worked. He didn’t totally stick his foot into his mouth and end up in a bar fight. Take that, Theo.

… Wait. Theo.

Liam shakes his head to gather himself, then glances around. He doesn’t have to look far—Theo’s standing at the other side of the bar where Liam was earlier.

His elbows are on the counter, one hand curled into a fist in front of him. His knuckles are white. His eyes aren’t on Liam but out towards the crowd, in the direction Zeke just left. Then he turns to look at Liam.

His eyes are dark.

Liam swallows. It feels like anger, but he can tell it’s not directed at him. Still, he approaches with caution. Theo doesn’t get as punchy as Liam when he’s angry, but he does get bitchier.

When he reaches him, he lifts the hem of his shirt to show Theo the tickets tucked into his waistband. “Got ’em,” he says smugly.

Theo’s dark gaze turns even more murderous. He expected Theo to be annoyed about striking out, but this just seems excessive. He got the job done, didn’t he?

“Great,” Theo says through gritted teeth. His fist curls and uncurls restlessly.

Liam frowns. “Are you really that pissed that someone didn’t fall for your charms?” When Theo doesn’t say or do anything, Liam shakes his head and pulls the tickets out of his pants. “Whatever. Here.” He shoves them into Theo’s chest.

Theo grabs his wrist. Liam jumps, but stays thoroughly locked in place by Theo’s grip. His hand is still spread over Theo’s chest, and the tickets beneath his palm do nothing to stifle the heat that radiates from Theo’s skin. Theo slides his hand from Liam’s wrist up to his elbow, thumb dragging over the bare skin there.

Where Zeke had touched, Liam realizes.

Theo lets go of his arm, but Liam doesn’t have the current sense of mind to pull away. Not that Theo would let him, since his hand moves down to Liam’s hip next, fingers brushing against the hem of his shirt.

His thumb presses against Liam’s hip bone. Over the shirt, not touching the skin, but still. Liam almost hisses at the contact. Theo does that slow, hard drag again, like Zeke had left fingerprints on Liam and he’s trying his damnedest to wipe them away.

The slightest, faintest growl rolls in the back of Theo’s throat. Audible only to Liam, and even his supernatural hearing strains to catch it. Theo so rarely slips up at anything. Does he realize what he’s doing right now?

Another hard drag of Theo’s thumb and Liam’s about to ask that aloud, but then Theo blinks, clarity suddenly returning to him.

He snatches his hand away. Liam’s skin tingles where he touched it.

Theo takes the tickets, gives them a cursory glance. He keeps the one with Zeke’s number scrawled on it and holds the other one out. Liam takes it wordlessly, his brain still catching up on what the fuck just happened.

Theo clears his throat and says, “Let’s get out of here.”

Liam nods quickly. “Yeah.”

Theo stalks ahead as they leave, his shoulders stiff, all the ease and confidence he wore earlier lost somewhere in the last few minutes. Liam absently touches where Theo’s fingers just did, his skin feeling hot all over. As it so often does around Theo.

He looks at the boy ahead of him. There’s red in his cheeks, at the tips of his ears. Liam bites against a smile.

At least he’s not the only one.

#thiam #theo raeken #liam dunbar #teen wolf #caiwrites #to you riding shotgun

[kazarinn]

Roundup of all the things I’ve translated within the last month

Those who have been following me for a while might know that the last month saw me be very unusually prolific with translation (especially Digimon-related ones), to unprecedented extents. I'll be very honest about the fact that it's because of the current quarantine, which has left me with not a lot to do and a sense of boredom that translation somehow happens to satiate a bit ^^;; That said, the very large number of translations I'd been posting has caused things to get a bit buried, and has made things easily missable, so I've decided to make a bit of a roundup post summarizing everything I've done in the last month.

Of course, there's probably still more to come in the near future -- I have two books (the Digimon Official Super Encyclopedia and the Gakken Digimon Adventure tri. Memorial Book) hopefully coming in the mail soon, and I still have some stuff lying around I might take up if my mood warms up to it, but since I've finally cleared up a ton of the backlog I felt I should take a breather to summarize stuff. (Although, every time I say I've cleared the backlog, suddenly more interesting things pop up...^^;;)

Digimon Adventure, Adventure 02, Tamers, Frontier

Digimon Adventure 02 Drama CD "Armor Evolution to the Unknown" I will be honest in that this is actually my favorite thing to have translated in this past month. Actually, fiction translation has a higher level of difficulty for me than things like interviews -- because I want to be careful with what real people have said, I tend to be less stringent about rewording things, whereas with fiction I hold myself to a higher standard to make things flow well. But that's actually what makes it so much fun, because I can challenge myself to play with wording and broaden my horizons, and moreover Adventure 02 has a ton of characters, and it's really fun to try and make unique "voices" for all of them. That said, translating this was a bit of a wake-up call, because the sheer amount of pop culture references (to things made before I was even born, at that) and wordplay everywhere led me to the very harsh realization of why so few people have attempted to translate this drama CD into so few languages over the past two decades ^^;; I give my thanks to the anonymous Japanese commenters on Nico Nico Douga who pointed out many of the really old and obscure pop culture references, and I ended up spending several hours on Japanese Wikipedia looking up things like said old anime and British punk rock artists. I might not have gotten everything, and I'm sure there are people out there who probably would have been able to pull it off better than I did, but it ultimately became a test of my abilities as a translator, and if it's fun and entertaining and enjoyable, then that alone makes me satisfied. But I think this will be the last time (at least for a while) that I try translating something audio-only with no transcript -- my hearing is not that great, not even in English ^^;;

The Mystery of the American Box Bug A story from Adventure and Adventure 02 director Hiroyuki Kakudou that has some very tangential (at best) relation to Digimon, but is amusing nevertheless.

Digimon Adventure Character Complete File -- Future Encyclopedia Little "dialogue" snippets from an Adventure/Adventure 02-related book, checking in on the kids-turned-adults during the time of Adventure 02's epilogue. I actually translated this a long time ago, but I lost the transcript for it and I'm pretty sure (given how long ago it was) it was probably pretty embarrassing by my current standards, so I went ahead and did this over again. There are some other things in this book that are interesting and/or amusing, like further background info on the kids' family lives and room layouts, so if I have some spare time I might do some of those in the future, although naturally doing the entire book would probably be practically impossible.

Digimon Series Memorial Book: Digimon Animation Chronicle — Special interview with Hiromi Seki, Hiroyuki Kakudou, and Yukio Kaizawa An interview with some perennial Digimon staff members about Adventure through Frontier (and a bit of X-Evolution). We've had no shortage of these kinds of interviews over the years, but this one happens to summarize a lot of things that used to be considered "obscure" in the Digimon fanbase outside Japan, even though this book (and thus this interview) is one of the most prominent resources for diehard Digimon fans out there. Also, Frontier-related development info tends to be somewhat rare, so it's nice to hear about it. The Digimon Official Super Encyclopedia that I'm hoping to get my hands on soon allegedly has a similar interview with the same three people. I don't know specifics about it yet, but I'm informed that it mostly covers similar territory to this one, but also allegedly has some very fascinating details that weren't in this, so I'm looking forward to that as well.

Message from Digimon Adventure producer Hiromi Seki, to Toshiko Fujita Posted by Adventure producer Hiromi Seki to the LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna Twitter on February 8, 2019, right before the 49th day (last day of mourning, in Japanese tradition) after Taichi Yagami voice actress Toshiko Fujita's passing.

Mimi Tachikawa and Lilimon Posted by Adventure director Hiroyuki Kakudou on his blog, talking about the intent behind Mimi Tachikawa's character and her corresponding track in the drama CD Digimon Adventure: Two-and-a-Half Year Break.

Digimon Adventure tri.

On Creation and Production for “Super Evolution Stage: Digimon Adventure tri.” A post by Director Kenichi Tani about his work on the Adventure tri. stage play. Despite technically being under Adventure tri. branding, the stage play actually has surprisingly little in common with the Adventure tri. anime in terms of both content and production background, and moreover Digimon hasn't had a lot of contact with the stage medium all that much, so I thought it'd be interesting to translate something about its production, especially since this tends to be a lesser talked-about part of the franchise.

October/November 2018 Gashapon Blog interviews with Kenji Watanabe This is actually two interviews, one where Digimon franchise creator and character designer Kenji Watanabe talks about design for a Digimon gachapon set, and one where he talks about Adventure tri.'s Omegamon Merciful Mode, but I'm categorizing it under the Adventure tri. section because I figure the vast majority of readers will be reading the interview for the latter.

Digimon Adventure tri. voice actor comments (Part 1: Reunion | Part 2: Determination | Part 3: Confession | Part 4: Loss | Part 5: Coexistence | Part 6: Our Future) A series of voice actor comments that were posted to the official website prior to each Adventure tri. movie being released. I'd actually had it on the brain to try my hand at these when they were first posted, but various circumstances happened and I never got around to it, until now. In retrospect, though, I think it turned out for the better that I didn't attempt them on the spot. Adventure tri.-related interviews tend to be much more difficult to translate than most Digimon-related ones, and although there are a few reasons why, the biggest one is that, during its run, it had a very tight spoiler embargo, resulting in a lot of vague language being used, and so when you translate from a language like Japanese -- where having proper context can be life or death -- not knowing the original context behind what was being said can throw the end result into completely incorrect and misleading interpretations. While I was working on these, I did actually end up having to pull up the movies again and reference what scenes were being referred to multiple times just so I could phrase the sentence correctly, so yeah, I think it did ultimately work out. Incidentally, this is also the first direct Adventure tri. production-related thing I've translated since 2016 (mainly due to the expenses incurred by importing magazines and my difficulty with translating print media at the time). Looking back at it, I'm honestly kind of ashamed at my own inexperience from back then, but sadly, I don't have the original magazines anymore, so I can't do much to fix it, and so I'm kind of glad to have these as my sort of attempt at "redeeming myself".

Digimon Adventure tri. — Yoshimasa Hosoya interview on “To Me” Also from the official website, discussing voice actor Yoshimasa Hosoya's involvement with the ending theme song from part 3 (Confession), "To Me".

Digimon Adventure LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna

Anime! Anime! interview series (Director Tomohisa Taguchi interview | Natsuki Hanae and Chika Sakamoto interview | 02 human cast voice actor interview | 02 Digimon cast voice actor interview | Producer Yousuke Kinoshita and supervisor Hiromi Seki interview) I didn't actually know this was a series until very recently, so you'll have to forgive me for translating these out of order. Technically, all of these were posted in February to March 2020, after the movie was released in Japan, but it's pretty much spoiler-free. It's got a huge amount of development and background info behind LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna, so I recommend them as reading for anyone interested in seeing the movie.

"In regards to the new Digimon project" Otherwise known as "what happened when Hiroyuki Kakudou accidentally revealed that they were making another Digimon Adventure-related movie". Since the news that original Adventure director was recusing from LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna due to some kind of creative difference over lore ended up naturally being a hot topic, I felt like having a proper translation of his statement on the matter would be a useful thing to have. Despite technically being LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna-related, it also has a transcription of his tweets regarding Adventure/Adventure 02 background lore along with some surprising production details, so it may interest fans of the original series as well.

Digimon Continues to be Loved Thanks to its Creator’s Commitment — With Digimon Character Designer Kenji Watanabe An Asahi &M article (sort of a half-interview) with Kenji Watanabe over his involvement in LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna, which, unusually for a Digimon anime work, actually had him directly involved in production from beginning to end. I put this on the post already, but this article gets a lot dangerously closer to outright spoilers than you'd expect for this kind of material, so if you're particularly keen on going into the movie "completely clean", best to maybe avoid this one until you've seen the movie.

Digimon Adventure LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna — Website messages from Hiromi Seki and Yousuke Kinoshita It's just a short greeting message on the official website. I wanted to translate it mainly because it's not on the official English site.

Animage Plus interviews with Yousuke Kinoshita Also something I'd wanted to translate for a while but never got around to (until now). A triple set of interviews with LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna producer Yousuke Kinoshita, who also talks about Adventure's 20th anniversary and the "Memorial Story" short story collection crowdfund.

Digimon Adventure:

Interviews with Yabuno Tenya and Atsuhiro Tomioka (Part 1: V-Jump Web | Part 2: Digimon Web) A two-part interview (each part on different websites) with Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01 artist Yabuno Tenya and Digimon Adventure: lead writer Atsuhiro Tomioka, discussing their respective works and Adventure:'s surprising relation to V-Tamer.

Digimon Adventure director Hiroyuki Kakudou’s initial comments on the Digimon Adventure: reboot A triple set of blog posts from original Digimon Adventure director Hiroyuki Kakudou about the Adventure: reboot and what relation it has to him and the original Adventure (along with some fun trivia about the latter). I figured some people out there might be curious about what the original Adventure director thought about Toei rebooting his series.

Digimon games

Explore the Secrets of Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode’s Evolution! Interview with Habu and Tomono Decode is rather inaccessible to the West right now (being unlocalized, and on the region-locked 3DS at that), so the idea of translating too many things relevant to it is pretty low-priority to me at the moment, but it's still a game of significant interest to the Digimon fanbase outside Japan, and is also notable as one of the first major titles spearheaded by Digimon game producer Kazumasa Habu, so I felt that there'd be quite a few people interested in this one.

Interview with Producer Habu of Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory: Highlights and Future Prospects A 4Gamer interview that I'd wanted to translate since I'd first read it, but never got around to. Incidentally, I decided to go back and make some revisions to the wording for the Famitsu interviews I translated for the original game. They were some of the first things I ever translated, and it...kind of shows. ^^;; Normally I don't like to lock myself into a habit of constantly going back and revising old work, as doing so tends to be a bit of a black hole, but since the original Cyber Sleuth is still quite the hot topic among the fanbase right now (and especially with Complete Edition being recently released), I thought it might be worth it this time.

Famitsu.com interview with Kazumasa Habu on Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory Another Hacker's Memory interview, a bit less detailed than the above but still fairly informative.

Other

Iwata Asks #14: Hatsune Miku and Future Stars: Project mirai Somehow this ended up the only non-Digimon thing on the list ^^;; The version of this game that eventually did make it to the West (Project Mirai DX) is so different from the original game that it meant this Iwata Asks was never officially translated, so I thought it'd be worth taking a shot at this one. I don't have any plans to translate any other Iwata Asks at the moment, mainly because it requires me to have more than a passing knowledge of how each game works for proper context, but I hope you can at least enjoy this one.

#Digimon #Digimon Adventure #Digimon Adventure 02 #Digimon Adventure tri #Digimon Adventure LAST EVOLUTION Kizuna #Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth #Hacker's Memory #Digimon Adventure Reboot #Digimon Adventure V Tamer 01 #Digimon World Re:Digitize #Digimon Tamers #Digimon Frontier #Vocaloid #Project Mirai

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #271

“some of those who work forces are the same that burn crosses.”

Do you cook on the stove at all, or just microwave? I just use the microwave. I'm scared of the stove lmao. Do you ever debate religion with your friends? Bruuuh no. I am so disinterested in debating about something that to me ultimately doesn't matter yet humanity has made so serious. Whatever happens after we die, happens, there's that. Just be a decent human being and go out knowing you did your best to make the world better than when you entered it. Do you keep your shampoo in the shower or someplace else? In the shower. Something your mother said or did that shocked you: Like... recently? Or in my entire life? I dunno about recently, but I guess the most shocking to me was when she vehemently called my sister something I won't repeat. Did your mom go to college? She was before the cancer. Ready to graduate, too, but that didn't go as planned thanks to, y'know, cancer. Which food do you think you have the most cans of in your cupboard? Good question, no clue. I don't really pay attention to the canned foods. Maybe fruits? Do you save fortunes from fortune cookies? No. Are you offended when Christmas is spelled Xmas? Nah. Where do you put your keys when you come home? In my purse. Describe your favorite mug or glass to drink from? I don't have one. That I use, anyway. Sara gave me a Markiplier quote one that's a Holy Item on my shelf and instead of holding a beverage holds All My Love. Your bad habit that you love the most: UGH I hate how much I love soda. Invent a pop tart flavor: STORY TIME!!!! As a kid, there was this contest to design a type and you won like... a fucking huge supply of the newest flavor, which was at the time that wild berry whatever thing. My sister and I made one that I think I recall being pink with heart sprinkles and strawberry flavored, and we won. Guess who fucking hates the wild berry flavor now lmao. Okay but anyway if I was to invent one now... is there a BLUE raspberry flavor? Cuz a bitch loves blue raspberry flavored everything. Do you name your pets after tv/movie/book characters: Sometimes. I don't currently have a pet that is, though. Are you proud of yourself for what you've accomplished? The few things I actually have, sure? I'm more ashamed of what I haven't. Do you own any sexy lingerie? Nooooo no one would want to see me in that, least of all myself lmao. Have you ever caught a bouquet of flowers at a wedding before? No. Has a horse ever neighed at you before? Uhhh I don't think so? Do you prefer ice cream or sorbet? Ice cream. Have you gotten your pets spayed? My cat is. That's like... the only pet we ever have fixed, sadly. My parents/Mom (depending on time period) could just never afford it. The only real reason we managed to get Roman neutered was because our sister directed us to a cheap on-the-go business where it was like... only $45, and Roman was marking the house badly so it was pretty urgent. Would you ever take in a stray animal? HA, that is the STORY of my family with cats. At this current time, most likely not. We don't need another pet right now, nevermind one of a mysterious background with my mom being sick. When is payday? N/A Have you ever walked on a runway before? No. How long is your workday? N/A Is there a walkway or a pathway to your front door? No. What is your favorite color? What is your least favorite color? Pink is superior to all colors. I'm really not a puke-green fan, but I mean... is anyone? What color dominates your wardrobe? Everything is B L A C K. What color are your eyes? Grayish blue. Are you colorblind, or do you know anyone who is? I'm not, but Jason's brother is colorblind to I think red and blue? Do you prefer color photos or black-and white? It greatly depends on the composition and subject matter of the photograph. I find great beauty in both. If I had to pick though, color usually appeals to me more. Are you one of those people who can taste, feel, or smell colors? No. Have you ever seen a double rainbow before? Yes. Do you enjoy coloring? It tends to be my least-favorite part of the art process because that's where I always fuck shit up. Do you know anyone who is racist? Oh my, PLENTY. Welcome to the South. Are your nails painted any color(s) right now? They never are. Can you lift more than 100lbs? I probably CAN, but it would be very hard. What's your opinion on incest? It's fucking repulsive. Morally and negative from a scientific standpoint, anyway. Do you have a favorite color for cats? Orange. What video games did you play when you were younger? I was a massive gamer as a kid, teenager too, so I could put a hell of a lot here. But, I'll just imagine you're referring to when I was quite young. The Spyro games (save for Skylanders) were my LIFE, I loved Nintendogs, the Crash Bandicoot trilogy, lots of games that were based on movies (like Madagascar and Finding Nemo are two I really enjoyed), uhhh... OH! And absolutely weird, but I loved hunting games. Like, I had a whooole lot, despite hating real life hunting even as a child. I think it was because I got to see wild animals, plus it could be calming to wander and scary, too, when things like wolves found you. Oh, and then there were fishing games, too. LOOK I just love(d) games. Would you ever get a tramp stamp? I hate that nickname. Having a tattoo literally anywhere does not equate you to a stereotype. Yes, because I want to be heavily tattooed anyway. Did you cry when Michael Jackson died? No. Not that I didn't care at all, I just wasn't a giant fan. What's the ugliest species of animal? Lmao how mean. The blobfish immediately comes to mind, though. Looks like a ball of mucus shaped into an old man's face. Are you embarrassed about any songs on your iPod? I used to be, now it's just like whatever. I like what I like. What do you use to listen to music on the computer? YouTube. Do people know a lot about you? Places on the Internet sure do lmao. I try to be much more private now online to a degree, depending on where. Irl, no. I'm too easily embarrassed/afraid of being judged for what makes me, me. Who was the last person you slept beside? Sara. Do you like Metallica? They're one of my all-time favorites and I trust NOBODY who claims to hate them. What's your favorite kind of soup? I'm not a fan of soup. What’s your best friend's favorite band? Her all-time favorite is Pink Floyd. Who was the last person you took a picture with? Ummm idr. Do you play Guitar Hero? Not really anymore, but I fuckin slayed that shit back in the day. Whose house did you last visit? My older sister's. Who was the last person to come to your house? My younger sister. What time do you usually eat dinner? Anywhere between 5:30 to like... 7:00 or so. Have you ever searched your own house on Google Earth? Not this current one, no. Does it bother you when people have a loose grip on hugs? No? Some people don't like hugs. Are you looking forward to next year? I don't know. Is covid gonna be history by then? It depends on a lot of things. What have you done so far this summer? *blink blink blink* What's your favorite punk band? Honestly, I don't even really separate bands by genres now because I don't know. There's so so many, plenty overlap, etc. etc, and people - especially those who enjoy rock/metal stuff, I've found - get all snobbish and "WELL ACTUALLY" when you "misgenre" or whatever. Which is better: cold or hot weather? COLD. FUCK hot weather. Anything above ~75*F is disgusting. Is photography something you enjoy? I'm an aspiring photographer so like- What’s the best flavor snow cone? I haven't had a legit snow cone in years... but we have a place called Pelican's Snowballs, which is really just like... snow cones in a cup? They are A M A Z I N G and strawberry is to die for. When driving, are you a speed demon or do you drive like your grandmother? I don't drive because I'm terrified to. Have you ever met someone who just had you at hello? No. Bet you were expecting "Jason," but no, I was weirded out that a stranger just comes up to me in the hall on the way to class and starts talking to me. Have you ever written poetry? Yeah. Do you have any addictions? Technology, ugh. And soda, rip. When was the last time you just laid and looked at the stars? Laid, many years ago one summer when Jason and I were just lying on the trampoline while my dad was grilling. What song reminds you of an ex? A lot. What color eyeliner do you prefer? Black. What was the last thing that you made with your own two hands? Like, made from scratch? Hell if I know. What’s the deepest water you will wade into? Like, shoulder-deep in the ocean. How many blades does your razor have? Three, I think? Highest grade of education you’ve completed? Just one semester of college. Lowest grade you’ve received on a test? Yikes, Fs in college math. He taught in such an abstract way that I failed like... every test, or nearly did. I was too afraid to ask questions continuously. Do you enjoy sitting in the sun or the shade more? There is NO situation where I would rather be in the sun. Do you enjoy going to arcades? Hell yeah. What parades do you like to go to? None. When’s the last time you went on a tirade? I ranted to Mom about the fucking ridiculous anti-maskers that are a big reason this motherfucking pandemic is worsening in America. With my mom being immunocompromised, it is something I take VERY goddamn seriously. It's not a difference in opinion - it's a difference in morality. Do you like to play charades? I loved to as a kid. Now it'd feel weird. Would you ever lead a crusade? I wouldn't want to lead anything. Have your parents ever forbade you from doing something? Aha, so as a kid, I had a game demo disc that showed the preview to Parasite Eve, and my sisters and I would secretly watch it despite it scaring us to where Mom did forbid us to click on it. And all these years later, I've played it and love it... ha ha. Otherwise, my parents have always been pretty open to letting us do stuff, save for things the usual parent doesn't like, like swearing. When’s the last time someone said something degrading to you? A few days back when I got into an argument on Facebook about some asshole teasing their newly-hatched cobra to where it kept striking at the tongs, hood flared and all. Apparently I had no idea what I was talking about, pointing out the snake was clearly stressed out. What’s the last homemade dish you’ve made? I legit haven't cooked a thing since Sara was here and I made her eggs for breakfast. Which was like, a year ago. Do you like lemonade? What flavor(s)? Broooo YES. Pink lemonade is better, but I enjoy just the classic kind, too. Has anyone ever serenaded you before? Fuck this question. Would you like to visit the Everglades? Lemme see them motherfuckin GATORS. Have you ever attended a masquerade ball before? No. Would be dope, though. Have you lost anyone to AIDS? No, thank god. Have you ever been paid for sex? Hell no. Have you ever had a maid in your home before? HUNNY we are too poor for that shit. Do you know how to do different types of braids in hair? No. When’s the last time you wore a Band-aid? Where and why? I have no clue. When was the last time you were afraid? Of what? A family friend was over here a couple days ago and she had this weirdest muscle cramp in her leg that brought her to the floor gasping for like over a minute. I was super scared, and Mom was too, as we had no idea what to do. I almost had to call 911. Crazy woman hasn't gone to the doctor about it, to my knowledge. Would you ever consider growing your hair out to your waist, or longer? NOOOO NO NO. I am probably having short hair for the rest of my life. Is there anywhere in your house that you're scared to be alone in? No. What is your favorite shoe brand? I don't have one. What weird things did you do as a small child? I was just a weird kid in general. I did a lotta stuff that would make people raise a brow. Who puts the most pressure on you in your life? My goddamn self. Do you laugh off embarrassing moments? Hell no, I turn red as a cherry and probably cry once I'm in private. Do you have a favourite actor/actress? If so, who? No. Do you like little kids, or do they annoy you? I feel uncomfortable around them. They're too brutally honest, I feel like every move I make is wrong, and I just generally feel incapable of handling them properly. Do you want a small or a large family when you get older? Well, I don't want any kids, so... Are you a good dancer? If not, do you enjoy dancing anyways? No and no. I'd be embarrassed. Have you ever lied to avoid getting into trouble? Yeah. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital for a long period of time? I'd say two weeks is pretty long, and I was supposed to stay an entire month. I only got out of that by going to court. Do you take a lot of pictures of yourself, or are you camera shy? I HATE being in front of the camera. What are your choice of toppings on a hamburger? And do you prefer gas or charcoal grilling? I just like ketchup, mustard, and pickles, really. A bit of diced onion is fine, too. I prefer gas; I hate the charcoal-y taste. You are chosen to have lunch with the president. the condition is you only get to ask one question. What do you ask? Fuck that, I'd decline going to begin with. What is your concession stand must-have at the movies? Popcorn, of course. Which do you dislike most: pop-up ads or spam email? Pop-up ads. How long was it from ‘the first date’ until the proposal of marriage? How long until the wedding? N/A What topic can put you to sleep quicker than any other? Probably like, wrestling. Golf. Sports in general. How many times did it take you to pass your drivers test? I haven't tried it yet. If you had to have the same topping on your vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life, what topping would you choose? I always just use chocolate syrup. Would you rather be trapped in an elevator, or stuck in traffic? CHRIST, TRAFFIC. Elevators kinda scare me and I'm very scared of being stuck in one. What are you sitting on right now? My bed. Are you listening to anything? Halocene's cover of "Killing In The Name." Have you parents ever hated one of your boyfriends/girlfriends? No. Who was the last person to give you money? I have no idea. Have you ever dreamed of someone you barely know? Actually yeah. Weird as hell. When was the most recent time, if ever, that you felt “impostor syndrome,” or that you felt unqualified to be somewhere? Hm. I suppose when I went to the doctor by myself for my foot. I'd never done an appointment without Mom at all, and I was veeery clueless to a lot of steps, questions, etc. What are some ways that pop culture has helped you learn historic or scientific facts? Some TV shows, I guess. Or games, even. Have you ever had a job in which you felt that you had nothing to do? What was the protocol in that situation (e.g., surfing the web, taking on the job of co-workers, or pretending to work)? If you have not, do you think it would be lucky or unlucky to have such a job? No. I was expected to always be doing something. I'd consider that to be pretty unlucky, as it sounds boring and pointless. Have you ever intimidated or made another person feel legitimately threatened? If not, do you think that you could ever be seen as scary? I don't know. Mom has admitted me yelling has scared her before, though. I can yell pretty fucking loudly. But she herself never felt threatened. And do I think I could be seen as scary? Yes. Especially given my chronic fucking nightmares that almost always involve confrontation. In what ways do you or would you need to be validated by a partner? (For example, liking your posts/talking about you on social media, or perhaps by doting on you with gifts.) I am VERY much a "words of affirmation" person. I NEED reassurance that I'm adequate and sincerely loved. When you are having a hard time emotionally, what are some of the telltale ways that you act out or that your personality reflects your struggles? I become very snappy and more reclusive than usual. I cry really easily. Do you tend to succeed by weaning yourself off of something or by quitting cold turkey? It depends on what it is, but I've generally needed to wean myself off of things when necessary. Is there a specific type of pet breed/size/etc. that you don’t want? Why not? I am very turned off by animal breeds/types that are subject to serious health issues, such as pugs, dachsunds, Persians, spider ball pythons... Just don't fucking breed them. Ironically, some of these are the cutest, but I care far more about the health of the animal. Have you ever lived in a notoriously dangerous area? If not, would it bother you to do so? Yes and yes. Has a friend’s significant other ever interfered with or damaged your friendship? What about a significant other of yours damaging a friendship? I don't believe so, no. What, if anything, is something that you put pressure on yourself about? What do you imagine would happen if you did not live up to this expectation? Getting a job, for Heaven's sake, and actually managing to keep it. I've proven inept in this area so far, so, I've already failed that. :^) If you have been in a serious relationship, have you and your partner ever discussed lifetime plans that clashed? Did you reconcile them or did you break up? If you have not been in a relationship, what are some issues that would be deal-breakers? Jason and I kinda casually talked about kids early in our relationship, at which time I didn't see myself wanting them at all and he did at some point. It didn't really bother either of us, though; it was something we'd figure out if we actually got anywhere. Then he became the only person I could ever imagine myself having kids with. Life's funny.

#survey #quiz #questions

[kayteewritessteve]

If Only You Knew - 11/19

Description: You arrive home one day to find a wedding invite for two of your best friends from high school. You knew this day was going to come eventually, but even with that said, you weren’t prepared to return home. At least not after 7 years of avoiding Buckhannon, West Virginia. Or rather, avoiding him; your ex-best friend and the secret love of your life. But maybe it was finally time to face your past, to face him, and everything else that happened on that horrible night. Who would have knew that your prom would end up being a total disaster, and the very last night you’d spend in Buckhannon for the next 7 years? you certainly didn’t. That’s for sure.

Catch up HERE.

Word Count: 6,060 ish. She’s a big one.

Pairing: Modern!Steve Rogers x Reader.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Violence. Drinking. Bad and offensive jokes. Possible triggering thoughts, feelings and emotions. Moments of bullying and harsh name calling. Lots of curse words. And a very sloooow burn.

A/N: I sadly don’t own any of these characters. And no beta reader, so I do proudly own all the errors and this story, so there’s that.

July 2018 - Present.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Nat seethed as she paced an actual line into the soft, tan coloured sand. Her mood matching the bright red two piece she currently had on, “how dare she!”

“I’m going to knock her out,” Hilde said, much too calmly for your liking. She was currently laying on her back, on a giant blanket on the ground, wearing massive dark shades, and a white bikini that accented her skin tone almost too well. Girl was a babe for sure, but right now she looked far too peaceful to be threatening anyone. And yet she was, and that made you inwardly cringe, just a little.

“I think she needs actually mental help,” Wanda said without looking up from the novel open in her hands, as she sat in a fold up chair. “And I’d know. I am a therapist, after all.”

“Ladies,” you sighed, “she isn’t worth it. And she never actually said Steve’s name. I was the idiot who jumped to conclusions,” you said as you shook your head. You had clearly blown that whole interaction way out of proportion. Like always. Fuck.

“That’s no excuse,” Nat abruptly stopped her pacing, to point at you. “She did it on purpose to hurt you. Just like in fucking high school,” her fists balled up at her sides then she huffed and started to pace again.

“Seriously. The next time I see her, it’s game on,” Hilde said, again, far too calmly for your liking.

“I say we just have her committed for a check,” Wanda shrugged nonchalantly.

“Okay, no one is beating anyone up. We aren’t in high school anymore. And no psych evals,” you stated then stomped over to Nat and placed yourself in front of her, on part of the line she was quickly forming. And once she came to a grinding halt you grabbed both her shoulders to force her to look you in the eyes. “Nat, you are literally marrying a cop in 3 days. And gaining another cop as basically a damn brother in law. You can’t go around attacking people, you’ll end up in jail, and Bucky will be pissed at me for that!”

Then you released her shoulders and turned to point at Hilde, “and the same goes for you, your best friends are the same two cops, and you’re a trained MMA fighter for crying out loud. If you attack her you’ll be charged with ‘assault with a deadly weapon’. Because Hilde, you are the deadly weapon,” you stressed the last part.

Then you looked over at Wanda, who had finally looked up from her book, “I don’t actually know anything around the rules for being a therapist, but I am willing to bet that committing someone because they enjoy bullying your friend is against at least one of them. If not all of them,” you sighed and shook your head. “So the three of you just need to drop this. I fell for her bullshit, again, but that’s on me. I’ll own that. But I can’t have any of you taking the fall for it. You got that?” You shook your head again, this time crossing your arms as well, “I won’t allow that,” you said firmly.

“Fine,” Nat and Wanda mumbled, as the latter focused back on her book.

“Yeah. Got it,” Hilde nodded and waved you off.

“Good,” you smiled and dropped your arms, “now let’s enjoy this beautiful day at the lake, and just forget about Madeleine and her bullshit, okay?” You looked between the three. “We all need a nice relaxing day before the craziness of this wedding picks up again.”

“Valid point,” Nat said as she wandered over to the blanket and laid down beside Hilde. “Get your butt over here punk,” she commanded.

“Punk, really?” You laughed. “You spend way to much time with Bucky,” you shook your head then went and joined them on the blanket.

“No such thing as too much time together when you’re marrying the guy,” Nat laughed.

“Oh, no, there is totally a thing as too much time together,” Wanda laughed, “but oddly enough, I think you two are the exception to the norm.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Hilde said with a chuckle and you laughed as well. Then the four of you lounged in the sun, working on your tans and waiting on the boys to show up.

It was about 20 minutes later when a flirty voice came from somewhere near you all. “Ladies,” they cooed and you recognized the voice instantly. Sam. You peeked through your eyelids and turned your head towards the voice, seeing the four guys making their way towards you. “You’re all looking stunning, as always,” he said as they reached the three of you.

“Calm down, Casanova,” Nat said with a smirk as she sat up, and Wanda giggled at the name.

While Hilde just chuckled from her spot, “you’re such a suck up.”

“Hey!” he laughed, “I am not a suck up! I just say it like it is,” he winked, causing you to snort and shake your head, deciding to stay out of this one. Bucky plopped down on the blanket near his fiancee, while the other three popped open their folded up chairs and got all set up.

“You better not be hitting on my soon to be wife, Sammy,” Bucky said flatly then kissed Nat on the cheek.

“Why? Worried she’ll dump your ass and get with a real man?” He shot back.

Without missing a beat, Bucky relied, “Hey Sam, can I talk to you in the water for a second?” He paused as a half smirk appeared on his lips, “I just wanna show you something real quick.”

Clint leaned towards Sam to whisper—though it wasn’t really that quiet, as the whole group clearly heard him, “he means that he’s going to try to drowned you. Just so you know.”

“I know that,” Sam said quickly while he playfully swatted Clint away, “but I’d like to see him try.”

“Oh, I’d do more then try,” Bucky mumbled loudly.

Steve just laughed and shook his head at his friends, then everyone exchanged there hello’s and hi’s before they all started to settle in and chat amongst themselves.

You turned to look just as Steve reached behind himself so he could yank his extremely tight t-shirt off—Yes, in that super sexy way, where the guy grabs the back neck collar of their shirt and pulls it over their head. He was like a damn GQ model, and that frustrated the hell out of you.

You tried with everything in your power to not gawk at him, but the sight of him shirtless still made you extremely dazed and confused, even after all this time. You snuck a quick glance as the shirt covered his face, realizing that he was even more jacked than he was in high school. Which was fucking ridiculous. How he could possibly get any more toned was beyond you. It just wasn’t fair for one man to be this fucking attractive.

Just as he finished pulling his shirt off—the too small article of clothing surprisingly not getting stuck on him—you quickly shook your head then turned to stare off at the water. Hoping your heated cheeks wouldn’t give you away, or rather, that no one would notice them. But just to be safe you stood up, mumbling a ‘be right back’ than walked over to the edge of the water, sitting down to dip your feet in.

As you sat there, looking out at the lake, the calm water and beautiful bright green trees lining the waters edge made your mind start to wander. Remembering the first time you had ever been brought to this very spot. It was the second summer you’d spent in Buckhannon—if we’re counting the summer you’d moved to town as the first—it was also the first day of summer break, and the last day before Steve left for his annual, summer long, family vacation…

July 2010 - 8 years ago.

You stopped dead in your tracks once your eyes caught the view laid out in front of you. Your friends all continuing to walk to their spot, unfazed by the beauty that surrounded you all. Clearly they had been here so many times that they barely noticed anymore. But for you, this was a first.

Now you’d been to a few lakes before, back in Cleveland, or rather, one lake, one very giant lake; Lake Erie. Which was not only huge, but was also encircled by a few major cities and settled smack dab on the border between America and Canada.

So needless to say, the lake in front of you right now was entirely different from what you were used to. And there was just something about a small town watering hole that was both awe inspiring and breathtaking.

“You okay?” You heard Steve’s voice coming from beside you and it snapped you back to reality.

“Huh?” You looked over at him, “Yeah. Yes. Just admiring the view,” you smiled up at him then you looked back towards to lake, both of you standing in silence for a moment.

“You know,” he started, breaking the comfortable silence. “I’d completely forgotten just how beautiful this place is. Guess I just needed a new set of eyes to remind me,” he nodded, thoughtfully.

“I’m nothing if not super helpful,” you said with a quick nod. “You should know that by now, Stevie,” you smirked.

Which caused him to laugh and roll his eyes playfully as he said, “oh, don’t worry, I do.”

“Good,” you laughed then you both headed towards where your friends were setting up their stuff.

Once you had your little spot set up, you pulled off the dress you’d been wearing over your bathing suit, which was just simple, black, and fit you perfectly. You discarded the dress on top of your bag then laid down and chatted with your friends for a little while. It was a gorgeous day out, hot and humid, so you’d go dunk yourself in the beautiful water from time to time. Mostly alone but sometimes a friend or two would tag along for a dip in the water as well.

Now as you laid on your beach towel, working on your tan, your stomach decided it was a good time to speak up. Reminding you that it did, in fact, exist. The loud grumble made you and the others laugh, and you figured now was a good time for some french fries.

As you all had made your way in from the parking lot, you’d noticed a concession stand near the main beach. You’d also taken note of the giant menu on the side of the building—or rather, you’d noticed fries were very much on that menu. You stood up and slipped on your flip flops as you looked around at your lounging friends. “I’m gonna go get some fries from the concession, anyone want anything?”

Everyone responded with the one or two things they wanted or a head shake saying they were good. You made mental notes for the few items that had been requested.

But then your eyes landed on Bucky, noticing his were widened with excitement. “Food sounds like a fantastic plan,” he said as he stood up and walked over to his pile of things. “I can always eat,” he added as he pulled his wallet out and went to grab money to give you but you waved him off.

“It’s okay, Buck, I got it. Just tell me what you want.”

“You may want to give him a limit,” Steve laughed from his fold up chair.

“Yeah, don’t give him free reign or he’ll drain your bank account with that bottomless pit of his,” Sam shook his head and chuckled as he patted Bucky on the stomach. They’d always had a weird love/hate dynamic. They were downright rude to each other sometimes, but yet they both never got truly offended by any of it. And if anyone else messed with either of them, the other was always the first in line to defend them. You were all used to the banter now.

Bucky swatted Sam’s hand away, and playfully said, “get your grubby hands off me, bird boy.”

The nickname causing a few of you to laugh quietly or snort. Sam was in love with planes—or anything aerospace related, for that matter—and would always say, that if he could have any super power, it would be flight. No questions about it.

Most kids at this age have no clue what they want to be when they ‘grow up’. But Sam, oh he knew. He had wanted to be a pilot since he was a kid, and already had his private pilots license. And had flown a handfull of times on his own already. So as soon as high school was done, his plan was to go for his commercial license, then start applying at all the major airlines. He had it all worked out, and you were so happy for him, but also slightly jealous, as you had no clue what you wanted to be when you ‘grew up’. But knew you’d figure it out one day. Hopefully soon. But as for the nickname, Bucky had jokingly called Sam ‘bird boy’ once in passing, and it had just stuck.

A smile broke out on your face just as Bucky began to list off all the things he wanted. Which then caused your smile to drop, as you damn near fell over at just how long that list actually was. Luckily for you, Steve offered to help you carry everything back. And you ended up accepting Bucky’s offer to cover the cost, as Sam was right, he would have drained your whole back account. And then some. Guy was clearly a black hole, where food was concerned. You’d even go so far as to label him ‘The Human Garburator’.

But that’s neither here nor there, as now you and Steve were standing alone by the concession stand, waiting for the massive order, as you looked around at all the happy lake goers. Kids splashing in the water, teens sunbathing and laughing amongst themselves, adults trying to wrangle their little ones and bath them in sunscreen. The whole thing made you extremely aware that it was, in fact, summer. And that you’d have to say goodbye to your best friend for 2 whole months.

You’d been dreading this day for weeks, in these last few months he’d become such a huge part of your life. The biggest part if you were being honest, and the thought of not seeing him, talking to him or just having him hang out and watch a movie with you, was devastating, to say the least.

He was your rock, your therapist, your bodyguard, your best friend and the one person you truly felt you could just be you around. No walls. No effort. No faking—Well minus hiding your insanely huge crush, but that was a different matter entirely—You’d never had anyone like him in your life before, and you vowed months ago that you’d never let him go and you’d always have him. No matter what. He was that one constant that would always be there. And that thought is what would give you the strength to make it through these next two months without him.

You turned to look up at him, you’d both been standing there in silence, clearly he’d been lost in thought as well. The look on his face instantly confirmed your suspicions that he was, in fact, lost in his mind as he stared off blankly at the water, just like you’d been doing.

“I’m going to miss you,” you said softly.

That caught his attention and he turned his head to look down at you, “I’m going to miss you, too,” he nodded.

You could feel the tears stinging the back of your eyes from both your omissions. You hadn’t really allowed yourself to think too much about him leaving, as you knew you’d break down instantly. He must have noticed your internal struggle to hold back your tears as he turned his body towards you and his large arms encircled you, pulling you in close to his chest.

As your cheek met the bare skin of his pectoral muscle, your mind was instantly reminded that he was still very much shirtless, and you were now very much pressed into his skin. You felt the heat begin to raise, starting in your chest and working it’s way up. You chided yourself for having this reaction, but this was also the first time you’d ever hugged him shirtless and the softness of his skin, mixed with the firmness and heat caused the butterflies to take off in your stomach. No matter how hard you tried to not focus on all of that, your mind had other ideas.

Then he sweetly kissed the top of your head and it just made your mind run even more. He left his face pressed into your hair as he spoke quietly, “I’ve been dreading this day for weeks.”

You nodded as you weren’t sure if your voice would work or not. The lump in your throat and the stinging in your eyes both told you it probably wouldn’t. But when a soft sniffle sounded from your nose, Steve stiffened and pulled away from you just enough to look down at your face. You didn’t want him to see you like this, but he gently grabbed your cheek to force you to look up at him, locking your eyes with his beautiful blues.

“Hey, it’s okay, Y/N,” he said and then the eye contact was broken as his drifted over your features slowly while his thumb wiped away the stray tear you hadn’t been able to stop. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he added quietly, guilt clear in his voice.

You shook your head, and went to speak, you weren’t sure how your voice was going to sound, but you couldn’t allow him to feel bad for something he didn’t do. “You didn’t upset me at all. I’ve been dreading this day as well. I just don’t know what I’m going to do without you around all the time,” you replied just as an idea came to mind, and you decided things were just getting far too heavy for your liking and at this rate you’d be a sobbing mess in no time. You placed a pondering finger to your chin, tapping it lightly, “now that I think about it, this may actually be a wonderful break.”

He playfully glared at you then scoffed, “oh, I see how it is.” He crossed his arms and pouted, “and here I thought we were actually friends,” he turned his head to look away from you.

You forced your features to stay neutral and serious, “well, clearly you thought wrong. I only keep you around for your directional skills.”

His head snapped back to stare at you. And you did everything in your power to hold it together. The look on his face was making that exceptionally difficult though, and you burst out laughing.

The mock hurt look on his face made you put your hands up in surrender, “okay, okay. That’s a total lie. That’s not the only reason.” You stifled your laugh, attempting to be serious again, “you’re also a fucking giant, so you’re super helpful when it comes to reaching things that are too high up for me. But I think those may be the only two reasons,” you pondered that for a moment then shrugged, “yup. Can’t think of any others.”

He narrowed his eyes at you. “Oh, you’ll pay for that one, Y/L/N,” he said as he reached out and you attempted to get away but he was far too fast, he grabbed you then started to tickle you mercilessly. “Take it back,” he scolded as he continued. You squirmed and laughed as you tried desperately to get away but just as he was faster than you, he was also a lot stronger than you. “Had enough yet?”

You managed to get out a stern, “nope,” as you continued to try to get away. Everyone around you both was probably staring at you now, but you didn’t care one bit. You and Steve were always in your own little world and probably always had people giving you odd looks or watching as you both made fools of yourselves. But this was just how it was for the two of you.

“I’m not gonna stop until you take it back!” He threatened.

You couldn’t take it anymore, you squealed and wiggled around as the tickle attack continued. “Okay! Okay. I give. I give! I take it back!” You screamed between laughs, but before he could stop you went to pull away, one last time, with all your might.

However he clued in and pulled you right back towards him with force, causing your world to shift instantly. You screamed as you landed with a thud and it took you a second to realize you’d both fallen over, and you were now laying on top of him, on the ground.

Your eyes locked with his and you both just stayed frozen in place, no longer laughing but your heaving chests remained, as a reminder that you had been meer seconds ago. His arms were enclosed around you tightly as your hands laid firmly pressed to his chest. Neither speaking, both your hearts pounding and breathing heavily from the tickle war.

You felt his arms tighten even more around you, and something in his eyes started to pull you towards him, aggressively. You leaned down slowly, not breaking the eye contact once. Therefore not missing as his eyes widened more and more, with each inch closer that you got to him.

But just as you could feel his breath on your face, finding yourself maybe an inch away from him now, at most, you heard the concession stand worker call out your order number. You froze as the daze of the moment promptly lifted and you pulled away from Steve like he’d been a roaring fire.

“Oh god,” you whispered as you scrambled to climb off him and stand up. “I’m so sorry! I ah, I didn’t mean to,” you trailed off and shook your head as you took a shaky step back, trying to give him room so he could stand up. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

He just looked up at you for a moment then sighed deeply and stood up as well, dusting off his swim trunks once he was up. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “and no, you didn’t hurt me. I don’t think you could, even if you tried.” He attempted to laugh jokingly at that, but it fell short and ended up sounding way more awkward than anything. He shook his head and than his face went instantly serious as he moved towards you, “are you okay though?”

You took another step back, needing to distance yourself from him just a little. You’d almost kissed him in that moment and that would not have been good. At all. You had to get this stupid crush under control, and fucking stat! “Yep,” you said quickly, “I’m good. Let’s go get our food.” You abruptly turned around and headed for the concession to pick up your order. You heard him deeply sigh again from behind you, then he joined you at the counter. You both picked up all the food and started to head back towards your friends.

Neither one of you spoke the whole walk back, and for the first time ever, the silence between you was not comfortable, it was the opposite of that actually. You kicked yourself internally for allowing your stupid crush to cloud your judgement. It had clearly made him uncomfortable, his current silence making that pretty fucking obvious.

You couldn’t let your silly feelings in that moment ruin the last day you had with him. You had to say something. Anything. You had to make this better, “I’m sorry again, I ah, I don’t know what came over me just now.” You stopped walking and looked up at him, causing him to stop as well. “Can we just pretend that never happened?” You asked, hopeful that he’d accept your request and forget that it ever happened. Hopeful that it wouldn’t ruin your friendship. Or his final day.

His brows furrowed together for a moment then he sighed and corrected his face into its normal relaxed look, “yup. Whatever you want, Y/N,” he nodded and smiled, but you could tell it was forced. Though you didn’t push him about it, you just wanted to change the subject and leave this whole awkward moment in the past.

“So,” you started, trying to think of a topic to change the conversation to, as you both began to walk again. “You excited for your trip?”

“Yup,” he replied. And even though he’d agreed to just forget this whole thing, you could tell it was clearly still bothering him. Good job smart one, way to make your best friend fucking uncomfortable. Damnit!

“Ah, that’s good,” you nodded, “I bet Sokovia is lovely this time of year.”

“Yeah, it is,” he nodded as you both reached your friends. Both of you handed out the food and went back to your respective spots. Which luckily weren’t right next to each other, like usual. You sat on your towel, kicking your flip flops off then quietly munched on your fries, and stared off at the water. You had to fix this whole mess. You had to.

But the rest of the day dragged on, and it felt like Steve was actively avoiding you, which was exactly what you didn’t want happening. All because you almost kissed him, clearly he was not okay with that. Not even in the slightest.

It was now night time and you all had gone to the annual year end bonfire. Wanda had told you a few weeks back that it was a tradition at Shield High, all the students would get together for a giant bonfire on the beach. Everyone’s way of ending the school year and starting the summer break off right, as she put it. It was your first time ever going to one, and you knew this was going to be your last chance to fix things with Steve, before he left in the morning.

But then every time you’d try to talk to him, you’d get interrupted by some drunk student calling for him, or walking up and inserting themselves into your conversation. And it was getting fucking frustrating, to say the least. So near the end of the night, when you noticed him wandering off alone into a forested area, you followed him. Yes, this was a creepy thing to do, but you were desperate at this point. And this may be your last chance to talk to him, and there was no way in hell you’d let it slip away.

You figured he was going to find a place to pee so you waited at the tree line for him to be done. The sound of small branches cracking and crunching told you he was coming back towards you now. As he came into view you made yourself known, not wanting to startle him.

“Hey,” you waved awkwardly.

But even though you tried not to startle him, you clearly had. He tensed and jumped slightly then relaxed once he realized it was you, “ah, hey.”

“Can we talk?” You asked quietly.

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded then you took his hand and pulled him away from the fire to find a quiet place to chat. The feeling of his large warm hand in yours brought back the same butterflies it had at his birthday, when you’d taken his hand to lead him outside.

You shook your head slightly, trying to not allow yourself to think about just how amazing his hand always felt in yours. That was the last thing you needed to be thinking about right now. Your stupid crush being the exact reason you were now in this whole fucking situation. You reached a small deserted picnic area and released his hand as you sat at one of the picnic tables, Steve sitting down on the opposite side of it.

You were now just staring down at your hands on the table, not entirely sure what to say or how to even start this conversation. But luckily for you, Steve spoke up first, “so, what did you want to talk about?”

You looked up at him, “you leave tomorrow.”

He smirked and nodded his head, clearly finding the humour in you stating the obvious, “that I do.”

“For 2 months,” you stated the obvious, yet again. But you kind of just needed to build up to this conversation. Needed to state the facts. Maybe so you could come to terms with them a little more.

He sighed deeply, “yup.”

“Are you mad at me?” You blurted out—and so much for building up to it. Shit.

His eyes widened momentarily then his brows furrowed, “what? Why would I be mad at you?”

You sighed, “you’ve been avoiding me all night, Steve.”

“No I haven’t.”

“Yes, you have. So spill it, how do I fix this? You leave tomorrow and I refuse to let you leave with any hostility between us,” you gestured between you both.

“I haven’t,” he shook his head, “and there isn’t any hostility between us.” He paused before firmly adding, “at all.”

“Then why does it feel like there is?”

He shrugged, “I duno, I don’t feel it. But I do know that I’m going to miss you like crazy, and the closer we get to having to say our final goodbyes for the summer is really getting to me. So maybe you’re taking that as hostility?”

“Maybe,” you said more to yourself as you nodded. He did have a valid point, one that would make sense. “So, were good then?” You asked hopefully.

He just chuckled and said, “we were never not good.”

“Oh thank god,” you breathed out then laughed. “I think you’re right though. The closer we get to the end of the night, the more upset I get as well.” You paused to just stare at him for a moment, as a bunch of emotions started to run wild again, but you forced them down. “What am I going to do without you all summer?” You widened your eyes, feigning a realization than you leaned forward to whisper as your eyes darted around anxiously, “and who’s going to break into my room at night, like some creepy stalker?”

He threw his head back and burst out laughing for a few minutes. “You’re so weird,” he joked as he composed himself and focused back on you, wiping the joyful tears from his eyes as he did. You always took it as an accomplishment if you could cause him to laugh so hard that he’d tear up. It being one of your favourite of his tics. “And it’s not breaking in if you leave the window open for me,” he pointed out as he shook his head then turned a little more serious. “But I promise we will talk every day. The time differences may make it difficult, but I’ll always respond whenever I can.”

You nodded and looked back down at your hands, feeling the weight of this moment all over again. “Okay,” you sighed, “that makes me feel a little better.” And that was true, it did. But texting him wouldn’t be the same as having him around. And once again you felt the sting of tears in your eyes, blinking quickly to try to eradicate them.

So when you felt the picnic table wiggle and shift, you quickly looked up to see Steve stand and walk around to you, offering you his hand which you willingly took. He then pulled you up to your feet and into one of those amazing hugs of his. Which was exactly what you’d needed in this moment. And clearly he’d known that.

You both just stood there silently for a while, enjoying each other's embrace. Then you felt him sigh deeply before he finally spoke up, “we should probably get back,” he squeezed you a little tighter. “But please try to not let this upset you to much, okay?” He asked and you just nodded into his chest. “I’m sure these next two months will fly by for both of us. And before we know it, we’ll be back in class,” he joking groaned and it caused you both to laugh. And with that you both reluctantly released from the hug and made your way back to the fire.

The talk had helped you relax, and the rest of the night ended up being a fucking blast. You didn’t feel anymore hostility at all, and at the end of the night he dropped you off at home and you said your final goodbyes. You’d managed to get through them without shedding a single tear, at least not until you watched his jeep drive away down the road. That sight though killed you, and you burst into tears instantly.

You spent the next few days cooped up in your bed, moping and being miserable. Your friends contacted you multiple times but you’d just tell them you were sick, not wanting to leave your cocoon of comfort. However, after a few more days they weren’t buying your shit anymore. They all showed up and dragged your ass outta bed, forcing you to make the most of your summer. Which you did so reluctantly at first, but then you just sort of fell into a rhythm.

Each passing day bringing you one step closer to having him back. But he had lied to you that night, your summer didn’t fly by, like at all. It was actually the longest two months of your whole fucking life. Or at least you swore it was. And that was even with talking to him daily, via both text messages and phone calls. But it still didn’t feel like enough.

It was that 2 months without him that you finally realized it wasn’t just a silly stupid crush anymore. No, you were in love with him, 100 percent. And that was not a good realization to have about your best friend. At least not one who saw you as basically a little sister. Fuck, you were doomed.

July 2018 - Present.

“You’ve been awfully quiet.”

You turned your head to see a still, very much, shirtless Steve plop down at the water's edge beside you. Finding yourself, once again, trying to avoid looking at his ridiculously muscular physique and far too exposed torso. So you forced yourself to hold eye contact with him. Which was a lot more difficult than you’d have liked.

“Yeah, I was just enjoying the view,” you nodded then turned to look back at the water. Using that as your new distraction from the fucking GQ model to your right. “For a while there, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see this place again.”

A silence fell over you both and it was in this exact moment that you realized it was far too quiet, you turned your head around and noticed everyone was missing now. It was just Steve and you. But before you could even ask he piped up, “they all went to get food, Clint is bringing back fries for you.”

You laughed, “that’s really sweet of him.”

Another silence fell over you, this one lasting a few minutes, at most. “Are you happy to be back?”

You kept your eyes on the water but smiled and nodded, “honestly, I am.”

“Can I tell you a secret?” He asked and that got your attention, you turned and made eye contact again and he looked almost vulnerable in this moment, which made your heart start to race.

You nodded, “yeah, of course.”

He sighed then looked out at the water himself, “this place just hasn’t been the same since you left.” Then his hand went up to rub the back of his neck, “I’m ah, I’m really glad you’re back,” he said so quietly that you almost didn’t hear him.

“I am too,” you whispered, a giant smile gracing your lips as you took his hand and intertwined your fingers with his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to come home.”

He nodded but didn’t speak, and at that you leaned your head on his shoulder as you both just enjoyed the quiet, peaceful moment together, staring out at the water.

You’d missed him more than you’d ever thought, and in this exact moment it hit you like a dang freight train. How you’d made it through 7 years without this man by your side was beyond you. And you vowed, for real this time, to always fight like hell to make sure he stayed right there. By your side. You’d never again allow your life to go on without him.

You finally had your best friend back, and that was not going to change ever again.

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@hopefulmoonobject @harlequinash @itsstillnotwhatyouthink @tessvillegas @boxofteenageideas @wangdeasang @giggleberts @casuallydarktiger @theonelittleone @agentbadbitch @ratwrites @starrystellars @bandsandanimefreak @rockyroadthepastryarchy @lovvliies @cuffski @icesoccerer @alwaysright4 @lilsthethrills @imdiegohargreeves @zombiepotterfour @mu-mu-rs @ledandan1244 @straightforwardly @badassbeckettswan @denzmallows @xremember-me-notx @gwynethjodie @lollipopdomination @capstopavenger @jemimah-b99

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[iero]

I was tagged by @ghostomatic (Karen, you’re literally so cool! And, by the way, thanks for tagging me.) 

Rules: Answer 21 questions and tag 21 people you want to get to know better.

Name/Nickname: Kayla! 90% of people I know call me “Kay” for short, but that’s about it. 

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio, sadly. I don’t fit the criteria for one at all and one time a few weeks ago, I told a friend that and they looked at me and were like, “Sounds like something a Scorpio would say.” 

Height: I am 5'5”. I am... short.

Hogwarts House: I haven’t taken the quiz in years, but I remember getting Slytherin. I don’t particularly know what it all means. 

The Last Thing I Googled: “Cadillac CTS” because I don’t know shit about cars or what they look like. 

Favorite Musicians: My Chemical Romance and it’s affiliates, Fall Out Boy... Most emo bands out there mixed with pop punk bands and some hip hop sprinkled in there too. 

Song Stuck In Your Head: Nothing right now which is usually rare. 

Following: 175 which means “Not enough people.” 

Followers: It’s 8,874 and I’m so thankful for every damn one of y’all out there following this lame ass blog.

Do you get asks: I mean, sometimes? When I reblog those ask things, I sometimes get them and if I talk about something personal, I sometimes get advice in my ask from someone. Always thankful for them. 

Amount of Sleep: I literally have no one set amount typically. Like, one day it can 3 hours. The next, it can be, like, 12. And, my body is always like, “Please.... Sleep....” no matter the amount.

Lucky Number: I usually always pick the number 3 whenever I’m asked to pick a number for something. I have no fucking clue why. It’s just kind of stuck with me.

What You’re Wearing: A Green Bay Packers sweatshirt with a pair of Nike sweatpants and a pair of socks that I should thrown out a long time ago because they have holes in them.

Dream Job: Lame to some, I always say, but I would love to be a psychologist/social worker. I love helping people with their problems. It’s just... so... much... schooling...

Dream Trip: Seattle or any major city in Italy. Either will do.

Instruments: I used to be able to play a couple chords on guitar when I was younger, but if I picked up a guitar now, forget it. So, none unfortunately.

Languages: English and I know, like, a couple words in Spanish. That’s it. 

Favorite Songs: Right now? Medicine Square Garden by Frank Iero and the Future Violents, Midsummer Madness by 88rising, Nightmare by Halsey, Ready to Let Go by Cage the Elephant... There’s a few! 

Random Fact: About me? I always say the fact that I have a huge caffeine dependance. If I don’t have caffeine every 12 to 24 hours, I go crazy. No joke.

Aesthetic: I honestly don’t really have one. Some days, I dress like an Ivy League student. Some days, I look like an Ivy League dropout. Other days, I just look like I have done nothing productive all day. 

Tagging absolutely nobody because I’m bad at that! If you would like to do this, please go for it! 

#tag game

[killjoytrait]

🌸   :  meet the simblr

i came across @hurtsim‘s post of this and he indirectly tagged everyone reading, so: here! (i also thought it would make a good first post) rules are to share your simself, traits, aspiration, anything you want to!

i tag everyone reading that wants to do it (+ also @simending because he just followed me and i’m nothing if not excitable)

i also answered the same 125 questions that you can find below the cut

happy simming! i look forward to my new life of attempting to be a simblr

1. what is your full name? dana marie [redacted]. 2. what are your nicknames? dani, red. just call me dani. 3. birthday? july 22nd. 4. what is your favorite book series? probably the percy jackson series. it was a big part of my younger years. 5. do you believe in aliens or ghosts? both. 6. who is your favorite author? rick riordan i guess? or rainbow rowell. 7. what is your favorite radio station? i don’t really listen to the radio often enough to have one. 8. what is your favorite flavor of anything? in general i like almost chocolate anything. fruit-flavored wise my favorite is blue raspberry or strawberry. 9. what word would you often use to describe something great or wonderful? in a meme context or a more serious one? bc i’ll say that something is ‘lit af’ but i’ll also say it’s fantastic or wonderful, etc. 10. what is your current favorite song? i can’t narrow it down to one, so a few are “play it cool” by monsta x, “the eve” by exo, “killing me” by ikon, “bellyache” by billie eilish, “youngblood” by 5sos, and “high hopes” by p!atd. 11. what is your favorite word? to be honest, probably ‘fuck.’ 12. what was the last song you listened to? "promise” by ateez. 13. what tv show would you recommend for everyone to watch? avatar: the last airbender or steven universe. 14. what is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down? spirited away. or coco. 15. do you play video games? not as often as i would like to, but heck yeah. 16. what is your biggest fear? being alone/forgotten. oh and holes. 17. what is your best quality, in your opinion? i can be funny sometimes. and my eyes are a nice color? 18. what is your worst quality, in your opinion? i can be really moody. also i’m anxious and sad like 25/7 so that’s not fun. 19. do you like cats or dogs better? cats. 20. what’s your favorite season? fall. spring would be alright, but it’s too rainy and also allergies. 21. are you in a relationship? i am, yes. 22. what is something you miss from your childhood? not having responsibilities. 23. who is your best friend? one of my first friends i made in my short college stint. (and also my ex-girlfriend) 24. what is your eye color? green. 25. what is your hair color? strawberry-blonde, ginger, whatever you call it. 26. who is someone you love? i love my handful of close friends. 27. who is someone you trust? my girlfriend. 28. who is someone you think about often? like forty different korean boys, i don’t even know. also my girlfriend. 29. are you currently excited about/for something? a convention i’m going to next month. 30. what is your biggest obsession? i don’t even know. it’s a tie between kpop and sour gummi worms. 31. what was your favorite tv show as a child? arthur! living that pbs kid life. 32. who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone? no one. 33. are you superstitious? i can be, yeah. 34. do you have any unusual phobias? i’m trypophobic which is kind of unusual? i probably have others that i can’t think of though. 35. do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? i take 99% selfies, so both. 36. what is your favorite hobby? spending hours downloading cc and constantly remaking sims instead of actually playing my game. 37. what was the last book you read? i have no idea. i haven’t been able to finish a book since high school. 38. what was the last movie you watched? i really don’t know, yikes. 39. what musical instruments do you play, if any? i can play the opening of ‘welcome to the black parade’ and that’s about it. 40. what is your favorite animal? sloths. i love sloths. 41. what are your top 5 tumblr blogs that you follow? they’re all amazing so i dunno. 42. what superpower do you wish you had? shapeshifting. 43. when and where do you feel most at peace? probably asleep. or just lowkey chilling with my friends. 44. what makes you smile? tons of things; the moon, stuffed animals, my friends, a comfy hoodie. i might be a sad bitch but i’m a smiley sad bitch. 45. what sports do you play, if any? i don’t. 46. what is your favorite drink? i only really drink water, sprite, or lemonade. 47. when was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody? like two years ago? 48. are you afraid of heights? i’m afraid of falling. 49. what is your biggest pet peeve? customers being rude to people in the service industry. 50. have you ever been to a concert? mhm. 51. are you vegan/vegetarian? vegetarian. 52. when you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? an artist, a pop star, or an actress. 53. what fictional world would you like to live in? ugh probably the harry potter universe but only under the conditions that i am magical and get to attend hogwarts. (based on my location i would be at ilvermorny but no thanks) 54. what is something you worry about? everything. 55. are you scared of the dark? absolutely. 56. do you like to sing? constantly. 57. have you ever skipped school? of course. 58. what is your favorite place on the planet? i’d say my room but i currently hate where i’m living so i dunno. 59. where would you like to live? a bigger city. not sure where exactly. 60. do you have any pets? i have three fish. 61. are you more of an early bird or night owl? night owl. 62. do you like sunrises or sunsets better? sunrise, even though I rarely see them. 63. do you know how to drive? not really. 64. do you prefer earbuds or headphones? earbuds. 65. have you ever had braces? no. i need them though. 66. what is your favorite genre of music? kpop isn’t technically a genre, but that. along with pop punk and alternative. 67. who is your hero? i don’t really have one that i can think of. batman? 68. do you read comic books? i used to. 69. what makes you the most angry? injustice? tons of things make me angry and that’s not a list i’m about to get into. but also terfs. 70. do you prefer to read on an electronic device or a real book? it depends on how long the book is or where i’m reading. 71. what is your favorite subject in school? it was history. i’d go become a history teacher if i wasn’t so bad at college. 72. do you have any siblings? yes. 73. what was the last thing you bought? a nasa hoodie. 74. how tall are you? 5′10 or about 177cm. 75. can you cook? vaguely. 76. what are three things that you love? the sound of rain when i don’t have to be outside, being asleep, and lgbtq+ rights. 77. what are three things that you hate? going to sleep, screaming children, and biphobia. 78. do you have more female friends or male friends? female. 79. what is your sexual orientation? bisexual. 80. where do you currently live? the usa. 81. who was the last person you texted? my best fren. 82. when was the last night you cried? last night. 83. who is your favorite youtuber? probably lavendertowne. 84. do you like to take selfies? yeah. 85. what is your favorite app? probably youtube? or spotify. 86. what is your relationship with your parent(s) like? my relationship with my dad is pretty good, and i don’t really have a relationship with my mom, nor do i want one. 87. what is your favorite foreign accent? um, southern brit? i also just enjoy listening to other languages even when i can’t understand them. 88. what is a place that you’ve never been to, but want to visit? literally anywhere outside of the usa. i’ve never left the country. but especially rome. 89. what is your favorite number? 4, 7, and 35. 90. can you juggle? absolutely not. 91. are you religious? not really? 92. do you find outer space or the deep ocean to be more interesting? space. 93. do you consider yourself to be a daredevil? not really, no. 94. are you allergic to anything? i’m lactose intolerant and i get seasonal allergies. 95. can you curl your tongue? nope. 96. can you wiggle your ears? nah. 97. how often do you admit that you were wrong about something? i’ll admit it when it’s a friend or when the person hasn’t made me mad. 98. do you prefer the forest or beach? the forest. i can’t stand sand. 99. what is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you? “just, you do you, and fuck everyone else.” from my dad 100. are you a good liar? yeah. 101. what is your hogwarts house? ravenclaw. 102. do you talk to yourself? constantly. 103. are you an introvert or extrovert? ambivert, but closer to the introverted end. 104. do you keep a journal/diary? no, i’ve tried and i can never keep up with them for more than a week. 105. do you believe in second chances? depends on what they’ve done, but usually no.   106. if you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do? turn it in. keeping it would cause me too much stress. 107. do you believe people are capable of change? once again, it depends on what they’ve done. 108. are you ticklish? sometimes? 109. have you ever been on a plane? not one that was off the ground. 110. do you have any piercings? yes, seven.  111. what fictional character do you wish was real? steve rogers. 112. do you have any tattoos? not yet, sadly. 113. what is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far? staying alive. 114. do you believe in karma? yes. 115. do you wear glasses/contacts? yeah, my eyesight is awful. 116. do you want children? no. 117. who is the smartest person you know? i really don’t know, 118. what is your most embarrassing memory? every moment of middle school. 119. have you ever pulled an all-nighter? so many times. 120. what color are most of your clothes? black. 121. do you like adventures? i love them. 122. have you ever been on tv? i don’t think so? maybe in the background of my local news or something? 123. how old are you? twenty. 124. what is your favorite quote? “sometimes i can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives i am not living.” from extremely loud and incredibly close by jonathan safran foer. 125. do you prefer sweet or savory foods? sweet!

if you actually read this far, thank you for being interested or at least bored enough to read!

TLDR: i’m a disaster bi.

(credit for the lovely traits overlay goes to @/cupidjuicecc)

#meet the simblr #that's not a tag but it is now #about me #depression tw #anxiety mention #only lightly passed by #but i want to be safe #ts4 #simblr #ts4 simblr #*mine

[recentanimenews]

Ranking All 49 One Piece Anime Arcs (Yes, Even The Filler)

  On July 7th, the long-awaited Wano arc of One Piece begins, and because we're about to jump into an arc that's been building up for eleven years, I think it's as good a time as any to rank all 49 of the arcs that we have already. And I'm going to include the filler arcs, too, because even though many of them can't really hold a candle to the main narrative, I think a few of them are quite underrated. 

  49. Buggy's Crew Adventures

    This isn't really an arc so much as a sigh of relief after the runaway train of emotion of the last few episodes of Arlong Park. You can laugh at Buggy for a bit after watching Nami's soul get ripped apart (and then put back together again).

48. Post Alabasta

    You know video game sidequests that are basically around to level up your specific partner characters so that they don't get immediately wiped out in boss fights? This is the anime filler arc version of that. It's fun, though.

47. Foxy's Return

    I loooooove Foxy and I looooove the Davy Back Fight arc. But Foxy's Return doesn't quite hit home. It might be because we last saw Foxy six episodes ago, but it truly speaks to Foxy's character that he'd try to make a grand, dramatic return after he got the crap kicked out of him so recently.  

46. Spa Island

    Foxy returns again in Spa Island, though this filler arc is mostly notable for the fact that Luffy uses Gear Third to split an artificial island in half. That alone wins this arc points.

45. Warship Island

    Warship Island isn't a bad filler arc, just a victim of poor placement. It comes right after Loguetown and right after the Straw Hats have each declared their dreams. So it becomes a pit stop arc, like the Straw Hat crew getting gas and snacks before they head out on the Grand Line.

44. Little East Blue

    I like to think of Little East Blue as a celebration of pre time skip One Piece, where the Straw Hats get (deservedly) celebrated for a bit. It's cute and it's a nice prologue to the Strong World movie. 

43. Z's Ambition

    The filler arcs that precede the movies are an odd bunch, as they tend to end with the main villain of the movie showing up in the last five minutes and declaring their plans. So it's hard to enjoy them on their own. That said, Z's Ambition has enough action that even if you don't watch Film Z (but you should, as it's great), you won't really mind the cliffhanger finale.

42. Straw Hat Separation

    After Kuma wiped out the crew, this batch of episodes shows where they all ended up. And it's mainly a montage of Straw Hats being confused. And don't get me wrong—the Straw Hats do confusion like nobody's business. But you get more out of their separation in the Post War arc when they finally get around to business. 

41. Diary of Koby-Meppo

    Koby is a character that has always deserved more time, so getting a few episodes devoted to him and Helmeppo training to be Marines is welcome. Also, my dude Garp shows up for the first time, which means that I've rewatched these two episodes FAR more than I should. 

40. Goat Island

    Goat Island doesn't feel as "classic" as G-8, nor is it as entertaining as Ocean's Dream. In fact, it's about as fluffy as the goats that appear in it. But a three episode arc where Chopper talks to goats and Luffy doesn't beat up a villain but rather causes him to get shipwrecked? I'm FOR it. 

  39. Chopper Man Special

    Chopper Man has Chopper in a cape. It's worth it for that. Please @ me. Chopper Man, you're my hero, and I hope you one day get a Chopper Man & Sogeking Save The Grand Line special.

  38. Romance Dawn

    Romance Dawn establishes a lot of things that will become classic tropes in One Piece: Going to a new island, meeting new crew members, helping out little kids, taking out a power hungry warlord, etc. It's a blueprint arc, and it works well as that. Sadly, the anime would not continue the "introduce a Straw Hat character with rad guitar" idea like they do with Zoro here. 

37. Orange Town

    The East Blue saga only gets better as it goes along, and Orange Town provides a nice counter to Romance Dawn. For example, if Axe-Hand Morgan represented the seriousness of the Marine threat in the last arc, then Buggy represents the other side of the villains that the Straw Hat Crew will encounter: cartoonish, loud, and beaten in a really fun way. 

36. Ruluka Island

    Ruluka Island feels like condensed One Piece, like you'd just add some water to turn this four episode arc into a twenty episode one. It's a nice arc to stretch your legs in before you go to the big themes of Jaya.

35. Ice Hunter

    Ice Hunter is neat because it gives every member of the Straw Hat crew a little time to shine in a story that is action-packed and intriguing. If you miss pre timeskip One Piece and haven't watched the Ice Hunter arc, give it a shot.

34. Marine Rookie

    I know that we're all eager to see the Straw Hats reunite in Wano, but if you want to see more of Whole Cake's Sanji Retrieval Team, the Marine Rookie arc makes for a solid bonus round. Also, the only reason it starts is because Luffy eats all of the Straw Hats' supplies, which, logically, should be the beginning of waaaaay more One Piece arcs.

33. Silver Mine

    If you didn't get enough Bartolomeo in Dressrosa, then surprise! They made a filler arc just for you. 

  32. Boss Luffy Specials

    You know when you fall asleep watching a show, and then you wake back up and, in your grogginess, suddenly whatever is on TV looks insane? That's what happened to me with Boss Luffy. I had just finished watching Ace's fight with Blackbeard and then, boom. I was out. Then I wake up and see the Straw Hats in 19th century Japan. The Boss Luffy stuff is fun, but I think it's best viewed when you're in a delirious half sleep. That's just my personal preference, though.

31. Caesar Retrieval

    Caesar made for a fine antagonist on Punk Hazard, but he's even better as shreiking deadweight that the Straw Hat Crew and Company have to keep alive. 

30. Little Garden

    Little Garden isn't as cool as Whisky Peak, nor does it provide the emotional gut punch of Drum Island. Instead, it's mainly here to further the theme of what it means to be a true warrior and introduce giants (and dinosaurs!) in the One Piece universe. It gives Usopp some of the character development that he needs and Zoro almost cuts off his own feet in an effort to keep fighting. Any arc that illustrates how hard Zoro goes gets at least one thumb up from me.

29. Loguetown

      Loguetown is a fun arc when you consider just how much it expands the scope of the world. Smoker and Tashigi truly begin the Navy's quest to stop the Straw Hats, Dragon gets introduced in a big, mysterious way, and Luffy takes a massive step in establishing himself in the realm of pirating. However, the Straw Hat side stories in the middle (aside from Zoro's awesome bit in the sword shop) slow it down a little. 

28. Zou

    Zou might be one of the most visually rich arcs in the series. From the massive elephant to the Mink tribe to the terror of Jack to more lessons about the poneglyphs, there's a lot shoved into this short span. And between the intense epics of Dressrosa and Whole Cake Island, it's fits nicely as 10 cc's of wonder and fantasy injected into the New World.  

27. Fishman Island

    Fishman Island occupies a weird spot. It's thematically heavy, but also serves as the action-packed Straw Hat Crew comeback tour. It needs to stand on its own, but it also caps off with a declaration of war against Big Mom, a villain that won't be encountered for years. In all, I feel that the importance of the Fishman Island arc is yet to be truly realized. 

26. Ocean's Dream

    One of the final two filler arcs on this list, Ocean's Dream seems like One Piece fan fiction in the best way. If you were dissatisfied with Luffy's fight with Zoro on Whisky Peak, you get another round of it here while Zoro is being mind controlled. 

25. Syrup Village

    If Romance Dawn and Orange Town were warm up laps, Syrup Village is when One Piece begins to break out in a sprint. The introduction of Usopp and the Going Merry make for some great moments and it's this arc that got me hooked on One Piece when I first started watching it. 

24. Dressrosa

    Dressrosa, for better (and sometimes for worse) is massive. Doflamingo is a threat that had been popping up since the Jaya arc, but because of Dressrosa's scope, his defeat can feel a little lackluster, especially when you consider that he's a pitstop on the road to Kaido. But Dressrosa introduces the endlessly cool Fujitora and the Straw Hats' big pirate alliance, and also gives us the dual backstories to Law and Doflamingo, neither of which disappoint. Also, Doflamingo's abilities lead to some of the coolest action scenes in the series. 

23. Return to Sabaody

    The post-timeskip starts with a bang, as the Return to Sabaody arc is both hilarious and thrilling. The Straw Hats get to show off their newfound strength as they do what they definitely couldn't do in the first Sabaody arc (easily knock out a Pacifista). And we also get to meet the Fake Straw Hat crew, which does a nice job of illuminating just how much the legend of the Straw Hats has grown since they were last together. 

22. Reverse Mountain

    One of the major strengths of One Piece is that it can accomplish three kinds of storytelling at once—giving us a narrative that is immediately satisying, giving us a narrative that will be satisfying in the near future, and giving us a narrative that will be satisfying in the long term. In the Reverse Mountain arc, we not only get a nice story about Laboon, but we also get introduced to Baroque Works (who will be the main antagonists of the saga), and also, we get hints that will only pay off when Brook is introduced years later. Reverse Mountain is short, but it also displays Eiichiro Oda's wonderful talent as a writer. 

21. Long Ring Long Land

    I've seen people on the internet say stuff like "WHEN I REACHED THE DAVY BACK FIGHT ARC, I NEARLY STOPPED READING!" and man, why? Quitting a series that you love because it slightly diverts from the hero fighting god-like enemies in order to participate in some fun games? Everyone has their own opinions, but your opinion of what fiction should be is wrong. That said, this arc is hilarious and great. 

20. Whisky Peak

    Whisky Peak is so cool. It's an anime arc with swagger, the kind that steps into a bar and buys everyone a round. I want to be friends with Whisky Peak but I know, deep down, that Whisky Peak is far too rad to be friends with me.

  19. Reverie

    The best thing about the Reverie arc is that it makes the world of One Piece a little more conveniently manageable (Oh neat. All of the major side characters get to hang out for a while), while also opening a can of worms (What's with the giant straw hat? WHAT'S WITH THE GIANT STRAW HAT?). Because this is the most recent arc, I don't know if we've seen the ripples that it will create across the One Piece world, but I sure am excited to.

  18. Post Enies Lobby

    This isn't the first time the Straw Hats have been forced to flee a place. However, this is the first time that it's felt like they'd be wiped out if they didn't. The return of Garp (and the spectre of the Yonko) throw the Straw Hats into all new territory, one where maybe being the plucky underdog team isn't enough to save them from the threats that come. Also, goofy Franky joins the team, which provides a nice counter-balance to the hints of oblivion. 

17. Punk Hazard

    Punk Hazard is home to one of my top 10 One Piece fights (Vergo vs Law & Smoker), features one of my favorite locations (an island that is half fire/magma and half ice/snow and home to an evil science base), and introduces a character that has only grown on me with time (Here's a hint on who he is: He laughs like "SHERURURURURURU SHERURURURURURU). It's kind of a prequel to Dressrosa, but in that spot, does a great job at furthering the menace of Doflamingo. 

16. Post War

      The introduction of Sabo aka Steampunk Ace aka I'm Just Kidding Sabo Is Kinda Cool and Luffy realizing that he has his crew to keep him going make the Post-War arc into a short but powerful cap to the pre-timeskip era. 

15. Amazon Lily

    Boa Hancock is a supremely underrated One Piece character, with a terribly sad backstory, amazing powers, and a hilarious crush on Luffy. And Amazon Lily helps further the major trend that will reach fever pitch in Dressrosa of Luffy amassing supporters because he's just such a dang ol' nice guy. Hopefully Hancock will one day meet Bartolomeo and together they will start a Luffy fan club and then argue over who gets to be President. 

14. Jaya

    If you were in the dark as to what the themes of One Piece are, here comes Jaya with a flashlight. This is basically a montage of the things that are important to the Straw Hat crew, and it introduces Blackbeard, a guy that will go from "Oh he seems interesting" to "OH I HATE HIM" over the next few hundred chapters. Luffy saying "Do I know how to throw a punch, you ask?" before absolutely walloping Bellamy still gives me goose bumps.

13. Thriller Bark

      There's so much good to Thriller Bark—the spooky atmosphere, the introduction of Brook, the underrated Gekko Moriah, the Binks' Sake song, the Straw Hats teaming up to face a giant zombie, etc. And just when you think it can't get any better, Kuma shows up and rocks the One Piece world. 

12. Impel Down

    Hey! It's Buggy! And Mr. 3! And Mr. 2! And Crocodile! And our new best boy Jinbe! And Ivankov! As both a launching point for new protagonists and a comeback for old foes (along with introducing Magellan, one of the best villains in the series, and Shiryu, one of the scariest villains in the series), Impel Down succeeds. I love it more and more with time.

11. Drum Island

    I've written an entire article about why the arc where we first meet Tony Tony Chopper makes me weep, so I'll try to be brief here. Drum Island is beautiful. It's the story of a little deer guy that couldn't find a place in the world and the loud rubber bro that gave him one. It's an arc about the price of dreams and the power of having someone stand up for you when you need it most. It's about love and respect and kindess. And now I'm about to cry again. THANKS A LOT, ONE PIECE.

10. Baratie

    The Baratie arc is the first hint that we'll get about how hectic the One Piece world is. We meet Sanji, we meet Don Krieg, and we meet Mihawk (and is stronger than the whole cast of the show combined at this point). Syrup Village is about leaving your comfort zones and Baratie is about finding a home in the chaos that follows. 

9. G-8

    The best One Piece filler arc and the One Piece arc that I most revisit (it's only 11 episodes, can you blame me?), G-8 is a One Piece Greatest Hits collection and possibly the first thing you should show someone if they want to get into One Piece but don't have long to do so. 

8. Alabasta

    Are the Straw Hats ready for the Grand Line? Are they ready to topple evil villains and protect those that need help? That's what Alabasta asks and the answer is "Oh yeah." Luffy punching Crocodile up through the center of the city is an iconic moment, showing us that the Straw Hats, whether they mean to be or not, are forces of good in the world. 

7. Marineford

    Marineford is loud and chaotic and powerful, forcing Luffy into a situation where he is simply an especially energetic pawn on the chessboard of battle. It's just as much of a rescue mission as it is a quest for survival for him, but in the midst of Whitebeard and the three admirals and the Shichibukai, Luffy makes his mark. However, he doesn't do it through displays of awe-inspiring force, but through his willpower. Aokiji is right when he says that Luffy isn't "ready for this stage yet," but the thing that scares the Navy most is that one day, he will be. 

6. Sabaody Archipelago

    This is not a happy arc. It's a satisfying one (Luffy punching the Celestial Dragon will never get old), and it's an illuminating one (Silver Rayleigh, y'all!), but it's not one that will end with cheering. Kizaru shows up to put an entire generation of pirates in their place and Kuma wipes out the Straw Hats. That said, even if it concludes with the most uncertain moment in the series, it's still a fun ride. 

5. Arlong Park

      Nami is the soul of the Straw Hat Crew, and learning what she's been through at the hands of the despicable Arlong is heart-breaking. But Luffy doesn't need to know every detail to know that he needs to help and the Straw Hats walking to Arlong Park is another one of those "One Piece is literally the best thing ever" moments. And by the end, every Straw Hat bro gets a victory, Luffy gets a bounty, and Nami gets her freedom. And what does she do with this freedom? She joins a ship full of dummies as their navigator. And I'm so happy about that. 

4. Enies Lobby

    For many, Enies Lobby is THE arc and I'm not disagreeing with them. It's such a display of raw emotion and exciting battles, a nonstop rollercoaster of everything that makes One Piece great. And it ends with a Viking funeral for the Going Merry, a scene that reveals Oda's true power as a writer: He makes you sob about a ship. 

3. Whole Cake Island

    If Enies Lobby is about being a hero, then Whole Cake Island is about letting that idea go. The Straw Hats can't beat Big Mom or her crew and will have to settle with getting Sanji and getting out. And Katakuri, the protective brother of the Charlotte family, learns that he doesn't have to be perfect all the time. It's a beautiful arc that shows that Oda is willing to play around with some of the pre-established ideas of One Piece.

2. Water 7

    Robin leaves. Usopp defects, Luffy is forced to do things that no captain wants to, and a villainous team shows up that seems unstoppable. Water 7 may be the first half of a story that continues with Enies Lobby, but I find it to be the better one (though not by much). It's an arc that constantly leaves you saying "Well, what else could go wrong?" and then something else does. And it's just so good.

1. Skypiea

    This is it. Everything good about One Piece, from the powerful villain (with a great weakness), to the touching themes, to enchanting locations, to the gripping adventures, is wrapped up in Skypiea. And while I have no problems with arcs being connected, there's just something about the standalone nature of Skypiea that leads me to regularly revisit it. It's an arc that makes me glad that I started this nearly 900 episode adventure in the first place. And that's the highest compliment that I can give.

  Want to make your own ranking? Then watch One Piece on Crunchyroll! It's literally the only way.

  What is your favorite One Piece arc? How do you feel about this ranking? Let us know in the comments!

    ------------------------

  Daniel Dockery is a writer and editor for Crunchyroll. He has a Twitter, where you can disagree with him. 

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

[lycorogue]

Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 4 – Images)

We've made it to the home stretch! This post should be a lot more fun, though, because you get to literally see Willow! I shared some images here and there throughout this mini-series about Willow, but the vast majority of my images of her will be below. 

Before I continue, how about another quick recap of my Meet My OCs series thus far?

I started up this multi-post series almost exactly a month ago. I had wanted to do something like this for MONTHS, and I'm finally getting my lazy butt in gear. This way, you guys get a chance to learn about these vocal people that have been hanging out in my head for years.

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the concept, as well as explained the real-world influences that helped me create my two story worlds of Gyateara and Glitches.

Part 2 of the series talked about the inspiration that birthed each of my four main Gyateara characters.

Part 3a did the same, but for my four main teenage Glitches characters.

Part 3b then talked about the Glitches main supportive cast of six adult characters; each one originating as a canonical X-Men character.

Today is Part 4 Day; the official start of the individualized characters' bio posts. I couldn't think of anyone better to start off the next part of the series than my most present character: Willow Driver.

In Meet Willow: Part 1, I shared Willow's background, gave an overview of her personally, and talked about her powers.

Meet Willow: Part 2 focused on her main relationships.

The epic post that made up Meet Willow: Part 3 told her plot line/story arc main events within the play-by-post game X-Future that Willow originated in. The end of the post also discussed which of those main plot events will find their way to my original story Glitches.

Next up, I’ll have a few writing samples to showcase Willow, and I’ll conclude today’s massive series of posts with two customized wrestler entrances I created on Hubby’s WWE13 game. So.. just two more to look out for! 0_0

All caught up? Great! So let's get to the fun of Willow's Multi-media presence. Starting with some more fun art of her.

I know I already shared this in Meet Willow: Part 1, but I love this image of Willow so much I'm going to show it off whenever possible.

Prior to commissioning @edendaphne to draw me the gorgeous above photo, I had some other hand-drawn artwork of Willow. For two different birthdays, @chibisunnie included the X-Future core group for personalized cards she drew me.

Check out the full-quality image on her DeviantArt

Hubby and I routinely pointed out the almost perfect parallels between the “Girl Meets World” characters Lucas, Maya, and Riley and our X-Future characters Chayse, Willow, and Lia, respectively. So Chibi went ahead and drew Chayse, Willow, and Lia as Lucas, Maya, and Riley all hanging out in Riley's bay window.

Check out the full-quality image on her DeviantArt

Last birthday, I wanted Chibi to have my X-Future characters interacting with her Team Giraffe Guy characters. Willow is dancing with her OC Todd, Trish is giving her OC Zahir a mini-heart attack, and Lia is chilling with her OC Bob the Pumpkin Cat from her other original story The Pumpkin Prince.

I still absolutely love how energetic Willow looks in both of these images, and I think Chibi really captured who she is. <3

Prior to the commissioned piece by Eden, or the two works of fanart as birthday cards drawn for me by Chibi, I used doll makers to help me visualize Willow.

My first incarnation of Willow was thanks to a hodge-podge of items designed by ChaZie for her Dollz over on Dollz Mania. (anyone else remember these being huge in the early 2000s?) You see, ChaZie designed easily a hundred different Dollz creators/designers, each of them with their own themes: Halloween, fantasy, fairies, Scene, Kardashians, Lady Gaga, Valentine's Day, etc. Back in 2012, I had spent WEEKS saving nearly every element of nearly every doll designer ChaZie created. I gathered them all into one MASSIVE Photoshop file with nearly all of ChaZie's doll bases, hair, clothing, accessories, pets, etc. That way I wasn't restricted by the designer theme groupings ChaZie created; I could take hair from Lady Gaga, put it with a Halloween costume, and throw on some fairy wings. Using this method of Frankensteining ChaZie's designs, I created a large portion of the early X-Future cast. One of the firsts was, obviously, Willow, shown here in her first X-Men uniform design.

Sorry for the quality. My computer crashed about 3yrs ago, and I lost that ChaZie dollz design master file, so all of the ChaZie design dolls I showcase will be downloads of my posting the images online.

Anyway, once Sebastian was introduced into the X-Future canon, I decided to re-design Willow to see how she might look in the future. So, here is Mama Willow with newborn baby Sebastian, as well as Adult Willow in a much more traditional X-Men uniform as she took on the mantle of one of the Great Protectors.

Finally, a picture of Willow in street clothes while with her brother Shawn. I had already posted this in Meet Willow: Part 2, when I talked about their relationship. However, why not re-share it, right?

A couple of years into playing X-Future, I was introduced to the Chibi Maker doll generator by gen8. (can also be found here) I couldn't resist coming up with Chibi-fied images for the main X-Future characters. Naturally, I went with Willow's classic Cheshire Cat illusion for her chibi verseion.

After losing my ChaZie master file, I tried to rebuild it, but at that point Dollz Mania had shut down. I'm slowly beginning to find ChaZie's doll makers popping up on other websites, but I needed other alternatives for character designs and re-designs. That was when I was introduced to the X-Girl doll maker by Candy. I've had a lot of fun designing characters in this game, and decided to re-designs Willow to give her a more mature look now that she's not 15 anymore.

Hubby and I also tried to re-create, and then re-design, Willow's X-uniform.

I really like how the uniform re-design turned out.

I was fairly content on my representation of Willow with the wide variety of above images. Then, late last year, I started playing the fashion designer mobile game Love, Nikki.

I was just enjoying the game for what it was; not even thinking about X-Future/Glitches. But then I started finding more and more blue and white clothes that made me think “Willow would like that.” Soon that was my mission. I found a few white/silver hair options that I tried out, and aimed for a make-up set that would give me aquamarine eyes. Since hitting my main Willow make-up and hair goals, I've had loads of fun designing and re-designing Willow in the game.

The blue and white striped socks and those blue eyes were what first made me want to find a way to build Willow. I also tried out just about any silver/white hair and blue eyes combo.

After getting the aquamarine eyes I loved, the next trick was trying out the hair styles. There are soooo many platinum-white, white, gray, or silver hair styles in this game! This isn't even all of them; just the ones that seemed Willow-esque. First up was an an attempt to keep Willow's short hair:

Picture #3 was the only one that really worked, and I ran with that hair for a little bit. I just liked the pseudo-punk look of those sharp edges.

A lot more of these could possibly work, although they aren't the Willow I had in my head. Even so, I could picture Willow with hair styles #2, #3, and #4.

I really can't picture Willow growing her hair out so long. It would bother her to have so much of it. However, out of the above pictures, #2 would be close, if it were the right color. Beyond that, I think #4 feels the most like Willow, with #1 being close behind.

Sadly, the ones that are the closest to Willow's hair style are all the wrong color. #1 is almost exactly Willow's hair style, just parted the wrong way; her longer side is over the right eye. Although it's a bit too short, and clearly the wrong color, #2 is at least parted on the correct side, and it does have some blue tips; probably the second closest to her canonical look. I could picture Willow in all of those hair styles, though.

This hair style isn't all that bad, and it is pale, but it's still platinum-blonde instead of Willow’s silver.

After a LOT of working and re-working, I decided this hair style works best. It's short, but not terribly masculine, choppy, or overly fancy. It's also the right shade of silver, and the low-lights in the hair almost look like they're blue. Once I had it figured out, the next trick was the outfit. I had her in this one for quite some time. Then I was playing Love, Nikki during the winter. I also got some coats that would work really well for her. I went formal and fantastical with the cape, and then more canonical and “real world” with the down vest. For both images I also included some extras that made it look like she was creating illusions.

I then had to switch her up for spring:

And again for summer, so this is what she's currently wearing in my game:

We'll see what other kinds of visuals I can make of Willow over the next few months/years.

------------------------------

Alright, well now that you have a good mental image of what Willow looks like, how about we find out how she talks and acts?

Next up: Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 5 – Stories)

#writing #LycoRogue writing #OCs #Meet My OCs #Meet Willow #long post #pictures #Glitches #Willow Driver #Willow #series post #8 out of ? #updates every other Sunday #LycoRogue original

[nastybuckybarnes]

Let me Explain

Requested by @reallydontknowwhattosay I hope you enjoy!!

Pairing: Bucky x Black!Reader

Summary: All relationships have rough patches. Will you let Bucky explain his side of this one?

Based on 'Let Me Explain' by Bryson Tiller

Warnings: Angst-ish, Fluff, Language

A/n: Sorry if this isn't what you wanted. I tried, I really did. There's a little squabble at the beginning to set the scene but then it's based off of the song!

SORRY FOR CRAPPY EVERYTHING! THIS WAS MADE AND POSTED ON MOBILE!!

"Bucky... I think we need to talk about our relationship," you begin softly, looking at him from across the room. He's standing by the coffee machine, his hands frozen in whatever movement he was doing before you started talking.

"S-sure, Doll. What do you want to talk about?" You huff out a breath of air and bring your hand up to your hair, fiddling with the curls for a moment as you gather your thoughts.

"Have you... have you not noticed that we're drifting? I mean, you don't really talk to me all that much anymore and I get that you were raised in... literally a different time, but you weren't like this six months ago. Hell, you weren't like this when we started dating a year and a half ago!" Bucky slowly turns to you and nods, looking around for something to distract himself.

It's quiet for a few minutes before you scoff. "So is that it? You're just agreeing with me that things aren't the same?" He sighs and rubs his forehead, trying to think of something to say. "(Y/n)... I'm not the best with words. You know that. I don't know what to say." You shake your head in disbelief and walk into the bedroom the two of you have shared for a little over seven months.

"Fine. If you don't know what to say I'll leave. Give you some space. I sure as Hell know I need some," your words aren't shouted or yelled and Bucky almost wishes they were. He knows he hasn't been treating you fairly lately but -in his mind- he's got a valid reason.

He watches silently, tears stinging his eyes as you pack up some of your stuff then head out the door, leaving him alone in his room of the tower.

~*~

"Almost two weeks and he hasn't said anything?" Nat asks with her eyebrows raised, watching as you put your makeup on. "He's whispered good morning and stuff like that but that's it. Am... Am I being unreasonable? I mean I don't really think I'm the one that fucked up but he probably doesn't think he is either." You shrug and continue applying your makeup, focusing on that more than the conversation.

"Dump him. Go find someone who wants to worship your chocolate ass. Get with Sam! Then you two can have adorable little black babies running around!" You snort and look over your shoulder at her.

"Excuse me, but I don't want to have children with someone who I view as family. I ain't about that whack ass white people shit." She throws her head back laughing, her face turning red. "You're too much! God you're so great," she pants the words.

You sigh and turn back to the mirror, applying the finishing touches to your makeup then fluffing up your wash-and-go, smiling at yourself in the mirror.

"Speaking of family members... I hear Steve coming. He probably smelled the distress... or coconut oil." You throw a kleenex box at Nat and she yelps, rolling over on the bed to avoid the flying object just as there's a knock on the door.

"(Y/n)? Nat? Are you ladies in here?" Natasha jumps off the bed and whips the door open. "Why hello there," she greets him, tipping an invisible hat to him. He rolls his eyes and takes a step inside. "Hey (Y/n). How've you been?" You sigh and look over at him.

"I've been better. What brings you to my neck of the woods?" You stand up, stretching and popping your joints, then walk towards your closet, pulling the strings of your robe tighter around your underwear-clad body.

"I just wanted to check up on you. Make sure you're okay. I know Bucky's taking this... pretty hard." Your face falls slightly. "Is he making it out to be my fault? Because that isn't fair. I didn't do anything to deserve that. I've been there for him through so much!" Steve nods and scratches the nape of his neck.

"That's what he told me. He knows he's being an ass but now he's too much of a punk to talk to you." Natasha makes a sound of disgust and you roll your eyes at her. "Well, I'm going out tonight. Maybe I'll have a good time. Maybe not. Maybe when I get back he'll be ready to man up and talk to me." You look through your closet for a confidence boosting outfit, smiling as you find one.

It's a figure-hugging white strapless dress that compliments your curves and your shimmering dark skin.

You glance behind you, pleased to see that Steve has turned his back to you to give you some privacy. "I know... But (Y/n)... he isn't the same," he says sadly.

"Steve, I know. Okay? I know he isn't the same as before HYDRA and before the fall. You've been telling me that every time him and I have gotten into a fight over the past year and a half. But this? This is different." You pull on a pair of knee-high beige boots and a Tommy Hilfiger windbreaker in the same colour.

You strut out of the closet and spray some perfume on. "If he wants this relationship he's gonna have to put in some effort too. I'm done being the only one fighting for us." As soon as th words slide out of your mouth, there's a knock on your opened door.

Bucky stands there, his hands in anxious fists. "Can... can I talk to you?" He asks softly. You glance at the clock on your nightstand then sigh, "sure." He walks in and the other two walk out, Nat sending you pointed looks while Steve smiles gently.

"(Y/n)... where do I even start?" You cross your arms over your chest and wait patiently, not helping him find any words.

"We used to be... You used to always be there. Whenever I'd need you, there you'd be. When I'd wake up from a nightmare... come back from a hard mission. No matter what. You were there."

You used to come keep me company

Tell me you love me and just me

Oh and it took a while to trust me

Girl I had to work for it

"I know it was hard in the beginning because I was so broken and I thought I didn't deserve love. I was confused about... life and everything. But you were still there. For the past two years you've been there for me. Loving me when I wasn't ready to love you. To love myself. But with your help I got there. To that place where I could love myself and give you my trust, earning yours in return."

Still you don't judge me

I love the way you touch me

I'm feeling like I'm 'bout to lose you

With all the shady shit I do to you

"You've never judged me or wronged me. You've been my rock. Every time you'd touch me felt like the first. But now... because of what I've been doing... I feel like I'm gonna lose you, Doll."

No lie girl when I tell you, you a blessing (you a blessing)

Girl just let me make corrections, yeah

Damn, I've been stressing yeah

I've been really tripping babe

I learned my lesson, yeah

I still need you to listen, oh babe

"You, (Y/n), are a blessing. A gift to this Earth. A gift to me. And I'll do anything to make things right. I... I've been doubting myself again. And instead of talking to you about it I've been keeping it to myself. But I want to change. I learned my lesson. During this time apart I've been stressing so much, not having you beside me."

You open your mouth to interject but he holds up a hand, stopping you. "Just give me a minute I'm almost done." You nod and let him continue.

"Just let me explain. I know I don't deserve your attention, but please, just listen to me."

You sit down at your makeup table, hands clutching each other as he clears his throat.

"Don't be afraid to tell me that it's over. I don't deserve you, I kept things from you. There's so much that's wrong with me... so much of it I've taken out on you and knowing that makes it hard to look at you. Knowing that for a year and a half you let me walk all over you, me thinking it was okay...." His voice cracks and he sniffles.

Don't be afraid to tell me that it's over

Tell me that it's over

No, I don't deserve you, the shit I never told you

There's too many things, I can't look you in the face

"Please just bare with me. I'm trying to be honest and tell you what you need to hear but I can't tell you that. Not yet. And if you think that's the end of my apology... no. I'm hardly started. But I don't want to dive into it and scare you away."

Bare with me girl, I'm trying to be honest

Tell you what you need to hear, just not yet

I'm barely getting started, I'm being cautious

"We've been through so much together. All couples go through hard shit. We made it through all the nasty remarks about our relationship. All those horrible people who said such awful things about me for choosing you. For loving you. All those... disgusting comments about you being with me. We made it through that. We can make it through this too."

All we been through, look what we've been through

Look at Jay and Bey, they going through some shit too

We made it through the struggle let's make it through this too

I got a confession, baby will you listen to it?

"Even now, you're listening to me. And I can't thank you enough. You listened and let me explain. You're the most important thing in my life, Doll. Without you I'd be lost. It doesn't matter if the world hates me, as long as you don't. All I need is you. So baby, will you forgive me? Work through this with me?"

He's on his knees in front of you, his hands on the dark skin of your lower thighs. "Bucky, couples fight. Like you said. But we're stronger than this. We'll get over this. I promise."

TAGS: OPEN

FOREVER: OPEN

@i-ship-reddie

@wildefire

@inumorph

@impalatobakerstreet

@nanna022

@mummy-woves-you

@m-a-t-91

#steve rogers #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #steve x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x black!reader #bucky x black reader #bucky barnes x black reader #bucky barnes x black!reader

[dommesticpet]

1) Favorite Christmas Carol? 2) Christmas Carol you would banish for all eternity?

Last year my neighbors rang the doorbell and I started going up the stairs in case it was the mail or something. I heard singing and I turned around to go back to the basement.

I grew up in a house where Christmas was significant.   My mom was/is a believer in Christmas Miracles, loves all Hallmark movies and Christmas specials.   When you start hearing Andy Williams Christmas songs in June, when there are issues with decorations staying up until Easter, Christmas is one of those things that is great for the economy and makes people happy, and I am not one of them.   I do get a kick out of the trappings, and I do pick up a Christmas record here and there.   When I leave the house in December, I don’t go into retail establishments alone without earbuds.  I don’t want to hear “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” but to every rule there is an exception - comedians Mario Cantone and Gilbert Gottfried sang it as Bette Davis and Tony Curtis on a podcast a few years ago when I was on the way to get my wisdom teeth done, and oh it was a treat.  Will it lose me followers by posting the video? Will some of you hate me for sharing it?  Probably! So let’s do that, Tumblr’s having a bad day anyway.

I was gifted the Greatest Christmas Novelty CD of All Time as a kid - which had Doug & Bob MacKenzie’s “Twelve Gifts of Christmas” (“…and a beer”) as well as Cheech & Chong’s “Santa Claus and His Old Lady,” which was funny as a kid and funnier now that I actually get references to pop culture stuff I didn’t know.  I used to hear these on the radio on Christmas Eve and I really do love them both.  One’s more of a comedy sketch, the other is a comedy sketch plus a song parody.  Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas got me through many a Christmas car ride as a kid, so I will never decry three french toasts, two turtlenecks, and a beer.  It’s very punk rock.

Just this year I finally got (and love) The Superions’ “Destination: Christmas” - which is Fred Schneider’s not-B-52′s side project.  Today during lunch I played their song “Fruit Cake” in the car on the way to lunch, where, sadly, my favorite lunch place was unexpectedly closed for maintenance.   The whole album is really fun, and isn’t overwhelmingly Christmassy.  If you’re in an office and someone wants to play holiday music, this is a keeper.  It’s fun.  I try to find Christmas-themed songs I don’t hate because there are so many I can’t stand - like most people, I assume - I like to dig up things and say “Oh, I like this” as a sort of personal challenge.   It also gives me something to talk about at parties.  (I don’t think I’ve been invited to a Christmas party since 2010, so there you go.)   I know some people don’t like jazz/country/hip-hop… but I know there’s good stuff in every genre.  If you have the time to track it down.  I know these things aren’t carols people go around and sing… but maybe they should be.

I read a thing a couple years ago that said you (yes, you) can define “winning Christmas” by making it to December 26 without hearing the David Bowie/Bing Crosby duet of “Little Drummer Boy,” and I don’t disagree with that sentiment.  I believe Echo has said she hates “All I Want for Christmas Is my Two Front Teeth,” which I’m not crazy about but I do find Spike Jones and his City Slickers to be amazing. (Sigourney Weaver’s uncle was in the band!)  I’m circling the drain on worst carol here, but let’s go with the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas. Why not. Some weirdo loves birds and servants as much as they hate brevity.

Thank you for the ask!

#ask meme anything #Christmas #TMI