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staticscreenwriting · 11 months

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A BEAUTIFUL SOMEWHERE II CHAPTER TWO

Series Masterlist x OBX Masterlist x Full Masterlist x Series Summary

Chapter Two — Our Song

Chapter Summary: JJ and John B. have a talk about those dreaded papers. Stevie runs into an unexpected acquaintance and finds an outlet for her anger. The Pogues get together for the first time in years and decide what to do with the time they're given together.

The air smells like sawdust and summer heat and JJ’s skin is slick with sweat as the humming of the jigsaw ceases and makes room for the gentle lap of the waves mingling with the low music coming from the radio.

He can feel a sense of pride pushing against his skin, trying so desperately to find room inside of him, expanding in a way that makes it unable for him to not let himself feel it. It’s something he’s trying to get used to step by step. JJ never really had anyone be proud of anything he did so all of this is unfamiliar, it’s foreign. But he is trying. And looking at the cedarwood door frame before him, he tries to cherish the feeling of pride instead of covering it up with poisonous thoughts of self-depreciation.

“Looks good, man.”

John B’s voice cuts through the early afternoon quiet and catches JJ off guard like a cold splash of water on sun-burned skin.

“Thanks. What are you doing here?”

He doesn’t mean to sound rude, he really doesn’t, but it’s a fact that none of his friends ever show up here. Their friend group lives and breathes like some kind of natural organism that comes and goes as it does without much talking or planning. They all just gravitate toward each other in their own designated spaces like the chateau or the wreck or the beach. But this place? This is his little getaway, his shelter and his prison. Both a place to rest and to get absolutely obliterated by his own thoughts.

“Uh, good to see you too.” John B. scoffs though he grants JJ a look of mock offense void of any and all seriousness.

“You know what I mean.”

“I wanted to hang out and you weren’t at your place or the shack. And I know you stress-build so this was the only place you could be.”

“I don’t stress-build.”

He does. In fact, it’s one of the few healthy coping mechanisms he’s developed since leaving high school and forcing himself to grow up, at least a little bit. There’s a certain adult quality in building something when things get tough instead of breaking something down. You can choose to mess up when life treats you unfairly or you can choose to create something.

He’s been destructive for so long that he feels like he owes the world some creations. Or maybe he owes himself, JJ is not entirely sure.

“… and anyway, why would I be stressed? Life is fucking peachy.”

John B. lifts his eyebrow in that annoyingly smug way that is so quintessentially him it makes JJ feel both nostalgic and aggravated at the same time.

“Are you really asking me that? Like is that a legit question? Because that’s a dumb question.”

“Yeah, I’m asking.”

“Well uh let me think. Maybe you’re stressed because Stevie is back home for the first time in years after the both of you had an atomic bomb-sized blowup, that you both still refuse to talk about. “

Many nights have gone by since then, many nights when JJ was so close to opening up. To telling John B. every excruciating detail, every heartbreaking word that had been spoken. He never did though. There is always something holding him back. Some invisible vine wrapping around his heart, then his throat and pulling close, cutting off all blood, all oxygen until the thought of spilling the truth evaporates from his mind as if they never existed in the first place.

“Not stressed about that. It’s been years, we’re good.”

“That why you can’t sign the divorce papers? Because you’re good?”

JJ doesn’t have a lot of good memories of hanging out with his dad but he does remember one memory that at least started good. He was maybe 9 and Luke had allowed him to skip school and accompany him on a trip to Raleigh. He doesn’t remember why they went there in the first place but he does remember eating greasy burgers at some dingy diner and drinking lukewarm Dr Pepper in the car while his dad was singing along to Lynyrd Skynyrd. At least JJ was drinking Dr. Pepper. The good memories stop there. On the way back Luke was grumpy and mean and aggravated and JJ remembers clutching the door handle with his tiny hands and hoping that Luke would slow down, just slow down.

He didn’t slow down, not until he ran a red light and someone stepped out into the street and Luke had to step on the brake with all his might, trying to get the car to a standstill before hitting the person.

Fortunately, they didn’t hit anyone, but little JJ was flung against the seatbelt with such force that to this day he still remembers the way all the air was knocked out of him, the way he couldn’t breathe. It just wouldn’t come and his lungs felt empty. All void of oxygen.

He feels that exact same way as those words tumble from John B.’s lips. Like the air has been sucked out of his lungs and switched out with gravel, stones, rocks. Heavy and rough.

The manila envelope is stuffed into the glove compartment of his car, stashed somewhere between parking tickets that still need to be paid, pens that don’t work anymore, and napkins from various fast food places around the island.

“I — look I don’t know why I can’t do it. It’s not like I believe we’ll get back together or anything like that. We haven’t spoken to each other in 4 years, I might as well sign them. It’s not like this marriage was a good idea to begin with. It just — “

“Just what?”

JJ has thought about this so many times, so many nights have been spent tossing and turning in bed with no thoughts but those dreaded documents. Her name in blue ink on white paper all swirly and graceful. She sent them before, the only form of communication they had in 4 whole years. Just a year after she left the island they landed unceremoniously in his mailbox. Back then he just ignored them. Pretended like he never received them. Maybe part of him wished that it would get her to call, to come visit even. He never heard back though and so for the time being it was easy to play along with this version of the truth he tried so hard to hold onto. But the thoughts never really left. He always knew they were there buried in his closet like metaphorical skeletons.

This time he can’t pretend. Can’t lie to himself or to her. She handed them to him personally. Blue ink on white paper. Manila envelope on sun-kissed skin.

And he still can’t bring himself to put his name on the dotted line. It’s supposed to be so easy. It’s the hardest fucking thing.

“If I put my name on those papers It feels like admitting this was a mistake. I don’t want this to be a mistake. I made a lot of shitty calls in my life but marrying her was not one of them. I know it doesn’t mean anything right now, this stupid piece of paper but I just can’t bring myself to sign it,” JJ explains then lets out a long sigh of frustration. “I know it’s fucking dumb.”

“Do you still love her?”

JJ Maybank doesn’t remember a time in his life when he didn’t love Stephanie Collins. Loving her is part of him like the scar on his wrist from falling off of his surfboard and being smacked against a sharp rock. Like the dimple that’s only on one side of his face. Like that chip in his tooth from when he hit the ground jumping from a swing set.

“JB, I don’t think it matters.”

“You married her because you love her. If you still do, and I know you do, maybe you shouldn’t sign those papers.”

“Dude I — “

“Look, just maybe you two need to stop looking at the past and start seeing if there’s a chance for a future for the two of you.”

“What the fuck are you on about?”

“JJ, you bought a house for this girl. You’re building door-frames. Everything you do is for her. Would be a shame if she never got to see it.”

JJ’s eyes wander across the room. To the drywall that’s not fully painted yet. The fireplace he fixed up. The cedarwood door-frames and to the corner of the porch there are two bright orange ceramic tiles. One with a J, one with an S in sloppy blue handwriting. They were 10 maybe 11 when they painted them in her backyard while her mom was reading a book on the porch. He remembers the soft voice of Billy Joel coming from the radio and the smell of coral honeysuckle in the air and the taste of peach iced tea on his lips.

Most of all he remembers her smile, all gap-toothed and gorgeous. Even then he thought she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen.

Maybe John B. has a point.

“I — uh I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

John B. shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly before giving him a tiny smile. “Not sure but I heard sorry is a pretty good opener.”

The chainlink fence rattles as Stevie leans her bike against it, the hot summer sun beating down on her already, even this early in the morning, leaving her skin tingling.

In all the world there is no better remedy for the summer heat than a cherry popsicle from the gas station by her old house. It’s quite a ride now all the way from Figure 8 but some things are worth taking long bike rides for. Like cherry popsicles and the sweet taste of childhood nostalgia.

Stepping into the building is like stepping back into her childhood, her teenage years. The linoleum floor is still perpetually sticky and the air still smells stale and sharp like out-of-date candy and cleaning chemicals mixed with the smell of gasoline.

The icy AC air sends a shiver through Stevie and makes a layer of goosebumps appear across her skin. Back when they were kids, JJ would wrap his arms around her and rub her arms until she would assure him that he had warmed her up sufficiently for her to make a conscious decision on what candy to get. “You can’t think right if you’re cold. Your brain won’t work. Trust me, it’s science.” Even back then she severely doubted that statement but she never said anything to disprove his claims. It might not have been based on actual scientific research, but it was true to JJ and anyway, Stevie liked having his arms around her. So who was she to tell him wrong?

“Everybody wants to rule the world” echoes through the room reverberating between the coolers on one side and the metal rags filled with chips and condoms and beef jerky and canisters of 10W40.

Stevie pushes open the lid of the ice box, letting the stale static air escape before grabbing the object of her desire, the cherry red popsicle. Generic brand and probably a blend of every chemical one should not put in their body. But there is just something so addicting about the artificial cherry flavor that makes cutting her life short by a year or two just worth it.

As she puts the ice on the counter the song playing from the overhead speakers ends and Chicago’s “You're the Inspiration” starts playing, making it impossible for Stevie to suppress a smile. Talk about the universe sending a sign. A strange feeling settles in her stomach, a mix of happiness and nostalgia and longing and loss. A memory of what once was and what will never be.

“You found everything alright?” The cashier asks, turning around to face Stevie.

So many people pass in and out of your life leaving no lasting traces, nothing to remember them by, neither good nor bad. A fleeting moment in time spent together only to be but a distant shadow in a memory.

And then there are people like Luke Maybank. Reckless and cruel, leaving destruction and pain wherever they step. Bruises and scars on good people with good hearts.

She remembers the first time she met him, he smiled at her but it was all teeth and absolutely no kindness. He called her little miss and she hated the way those words sounded coming from his lips. Acidic and evil. Like a Disney villain only in real life leaving real bruises on real skin.

He looks older now, worn out by life and circumstance. His skin is leathery and grayish dull, suntanned, and dry from spending too much time in the sun without giving a single thought to wearing sunscreen. His eyes still hold the same icy glint though. Grey and sharp and slicing right through her cutting straight to the bone.

“Hey, do I know you?”

She almost wants to laugh at that, at his absolute incapability to take any interest in JJ’s life, so much so as to forget her of all people.

A little voice in her head is whispering mischievous thoughts into her ear. “Tell him, go ahead. Tell him you’re his daughter-in-law. See what he says!”

She doesn’t listen to the voice though, she used to when she was younger but part of growing up is learning when to shut them up and when to follow them. This is a shut-up moment.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“You sure?” he musters her up and down trying desperately to find a place in his head to file her away.

“Pretty sure.”

“Well alright then. Could’ve sworn I’ve seen your pretty face before.”

And when he smiles at her then it’s no teeth or danger it’s that one dimple on his cheek dipping into his skin the same way JJ’s does. She thinks she hates this even more. Seeing a resemblance of the man she loves most in this world in this vile person before her. “That’ll be 86 cents please.”

She hands him a dollar bill and mumbles out a rushed “keep the change” before all but running out of the store.

Hatred feels red, it feels like burning you from the inside out. Bones and muscle and flesh and skin. Stevie has never felt hatred for anyone the way she feels for Luke Maybank.

He might not remember her but she remembers him alright. She remembers all the bruises and black eyes and scars littering JJ’s body. She remembers the fear in JJ’s voice and the tears running down his cheeks and all the pain and suffering he had to go through because Luke couldn’t be bothered to be a father and a decent human being.

Part of growing up is learning when to shut up the voices telling you to do irresponsible, dumb things. Stevie never claimed to be all that grown up. So when she catches sight of the ugly beige chevy suburban with the dent in the side and the crack in the windshield it feels like some higher power takes over. Her feet move as if on autopilot and bring her closer and closer to the car. Her hand reaches into the pocket of her denim shorts and grabs a hold of her key. The one with the pink plastic surfboard keychain and the small switchblade knife. Dad probably had other things in mind when he gave it to her. Protection, safety. But then again he said to use it in emergency situations and this emergency has been a long time coming.

She doesn’t even realize it’s happening until the satisfying hiss of a deflating tire pulls her back into the reality of the situation.

It’s morally wrong, she knows this as well as anyone. But every time she thinks about Luke Maybank all she can see is JJ bruised and battered and asking to be loved only for his father to leave him bloody and broken. Slashing the tire might be morally wrong but as she walks away from the scene of the crime, rides down the familiar streets of Kildare on her bike one hand on the handle one hand holding the popsicle, lips colored cherry red, there’s not a hint of regret inside of her. Sometimes things aren’t morally right but maybe that doesn’t mean they’re all wrong.

“Pogue meetup. 8 on the dot @ the chateau. Mandatory!”

John B. isn’t a texter. Never has been. He gets right to the point and if his point takes more than 3 sentences to explain he will call you. So when the text comes through Stevie doesn’t even have to question who it is summoning her to the old stomping grounds. Immediately the new number is saved in her phone as John B. He’s the only John she knows but it feels entirely wrong not to put the B where it has always been and always will belong.

The Chateau looks familiar and yet different. The big tree behind the house still stands grand and proud, the string lights still attached. She wonders if they still work. If they can still turn a backyard into a fairytale. The house looks different though, newer. It’s sporting a fresh coat of paint, light olive green, and the porch seems to have been built completely new from the ground up.

Music sounds from the backyard and laughter rings through the early afternoon daze. Her heart aches with a sense of longing, a remembrance of different times with the same people.

Their laughter still is her favorite sound in the world.

“Look who it is! Princess Pogue herself!” John B. calls out across the yard as she rounds the corner, smiling faces greeting her.

“Yo, I don’t know if that title still applies. Miss Collins is living on figure 8 now.” Pope inquiries, though Stevie can tell there’s no malicious intent in any of his words. It’s pointless teasing between friends forever entangled in each other's lives.

“Uh, objection your honor. May I remind you of one simple fact please?”

“Granted, what is that fact, Mr. Maybank?”

“Once a Pogue, always a fucking Pogue.”

His exclamation is met with a roar of applause and cheers and for a moment Stevie feels 18 and invincible again. 4 years feel like a lifetime sometimes and in moments like this one 4 years feel like they’re but a blink of an eye.

JJ’s arm falls around her shoulders as she plops down on the tree stump next to him. He smells like salty air and cheap mint body wash and fire. A can of beer is pushed into her hand, condensation cold and wet against her skin. It’s the same brand they’ve always had, the cheapest they sell at any of the stores around the island. It’s nice to know fundamental things haven’t changed.

The fire casts the group in a reddish golden glow, like oil paintings, like movie scenes too beautiful to be real life.

“You all wanna know something crazy?” she says, a smirk spreading on her lips.

Curious eyes regard her awaiting her next words.

“Richard has bidets installed in every bathroom. Remember when we didn’t have running water after one of the storms? Francine or Fiona or something? And we had to flush using collected rainwater.”

“When we sneaked into the country club to shit?” JJ asks with that cute little innocent smirk on his face that is all but innocent but works so well with his big blue eyes and the shaggy blond hair.

“Yeah JJ, that time. Well while we had to do that, figure 8 has fucking bidets.”

“Typical,” Kiara says and rolls her eyes in a way that Stevie missed so dearly. If only she could bottle up this moment, with all her friends smiling and happy and talking nonsense the way they always did.

“Does it like … tickle? Does it feel nice? Like nice nice, if you know what I mean.”

“Okay, woah JJ. No. No, come on. “ John B. speaks up accompanied by a harmony of groans following JJ’s question, earning him a confused “what?” from JJ himself.

“No more talk about — butt stuff. We’re here to celebrate the first time all of us Pogue are back on the island at the same time in years. So I would like to propose something.”

“He said butt stuff.”

“JJ!” Stevie scolds, slightly shoving her elbow into his ribs. Just enough to startle but not enough to hurt. Never.

“Sorry.”

“I propose the idea of making this the best summer ever. No drama. No problems. Just pure old Pogue shenanigans. That means fun, drinks, music, and maybe a blunt or two. What do you guys say?”

Sarah chimes up with an enthusiastic “Sounds good to me” and a grandiose bright smile. It doesn't take more than a second for the rest of the group to join in, a joy radiating from all of them that is simply contagious.

“Well, let's drink to that!”

“To the best summer of all time.” John B. says.

“To good friends.”

“To best friends.” Kie corrects Pope earning herself an agreeable nod of his head from the boy. The man.

“To spending time with the people you love most.”

As those words fall from Sarah’s lips, Stevie can’t help but glance at JJ through the corner of her eyes. It would be the world's most egregious lie if she were to deny that part of her still loves JJ. That part of her will always love him, no matter how much time or distance is put between them. Being here again just makes that so abundantly clear to her. Just because she knows though, doesn’t mean anyone else has to. So when his eyes catch hers she looks back towards the fire, acting as if nothing happened in the first place.

“To letting go of the past and building new futures.”

JJ’s words sound so honest and meaningful and back 4 years ago she immediately would’ve known what they meant. Would’ve been able to read him like an open book.

Not anymore though. And maybe those are the consequences of her own actions that she now has to live with. You are not the girl you were when you left, her mind tells her, and he is not the boy you left behind.

“To old memories. And to making new ones.”

Beers raised in the air, they all let out a whooping “Pogues for life” before taking sips from their drinks. Turning to JJ, Stevie is met with him already looking at her. God, he really does have the most beautiful blue eyes she’s ever seen. There have been so many times she’s gotten lost in them and she can almost feel herself slipping back into them. Letting the blue waves pull her in and pull her under. She wouldn’t even mind. There has never been a death as sweet as drowning in JJ’s eyes.

“Cheers, sunshine.”

“Cheers, JJ”

What a traitorous heart she has, one that won't stop fluttering just because her husband looked at her and granted her a smile. Oh, what a traitorous heart.

The moon sits high in the sky like a spotlight shining down upon the backyard of the Chateau. John B. and Sarah have turned in a while ago and both Kiara and Pope are softly snoring away on the cough inside the house, leaving only Stevie and JJ out by the dying fire.

Just them and the moon and the stars, the soft humming of the radio, and the melodic chirping of the katydids.

“Why are you smiling like that?” JJ asks, now sitting on the floor, back resting against the stump and hands locked behind his head.

“Just — you’re not gonna believe what I did today.”

“What did you do? You’re going all red, what did you do Collins?”

His eyes are wide with mischief and adoration and he’s got a red glow dusting his face. She’s not sure if it’s sunburn or the result of one too many beers. Either way, she thinks it makes him look so fucking adorable.

“I ran into your dad today.”

There’s a flicker of hurt in his eyes, one that’s always been there but one she hopes will go away one day. She doubts it ever will but there’s no harm in hoping.

“Yeah, I heard he’s back in Kildare.”

“He works at the gas station by Willow Drive. Didn’t even recognize me.”

“Of course, he didn’t. Never took an interest in any of the things that mattered to me.”

“Mmmh. Well, I was — god I was so mad, JJ. When he looked at me all friendly I just thought of all the things he did to you and how he never got his comeuppance and I just — freaked. It doesn't even absolve half of what he did to you but I just couldn't help myself.”

“What did you doooo?”

He’s giggling. A grown man giggling like he’s been told the funniest story in all of time’s existence. She loves the sound. Wants to hear it over and over and over again.

“ I slashed his tire.”

“You did not.”

“Uh—huh. I did. With a tiny keychain switchblade too.”

“Stephanie Collins, you’re a full-on criminal. I’m so proud of you.”

“I learned from the best.”

The two of them descend into a fit of laughter, half drunk on beer and high on weed but mostly intoxicated by the magic of being around each other again as if the last 4 years never happened and those kids who were dumb and in love are still there inside of them just under the surface waiting to break free.

“Hey, Stevie?”

The sincerity in his voice sends a funny sensation through her heart.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He shrugs his shoulders and averts his eyes, training them on the dying embers of the fire. It’s funny how something can burn so brightly, so viciously and suddenly it’s but a dim light, barely a spark. There’s a metaphor there for their relationships, she’s a writer, she finds metaphors in everything. But being drunk on nostalgia and residual love, she can’t quite seem to uncover it.

“For everything. Just — I should’ve said it a while ago and I never did so I just wanted to say it now.”

Vulnerable JJ is still something that is quite unfamiliar to her. He is so full of laughter and smiles and overcompensating for how he really feels, he doesn’t show this side of him often. Never did. So when he does it’s special and it means more than he probably even realizes himself.

“Well, thank you. I appreciate it. I’m sorry too.”

He places a kiss on the top of her head, so soft and gentle that she wonders for a second if she imagined it.

“You know, earlier before I noticed your dad I felt like the universe was welcoming me back to the island in the weirdest way possible.”

“Huh? How’s that?”

“They played “You’re the Inspiration” over the gas station radio. Our wedding song.”

JJ turns to her, eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched. She’ll never get tired of looking at his face, Stevie decides at that moment.

“That’s not our wedding song.”

“Uh, yes it is! We had our first dance here in this very backyard while that song was playing. We all sang along. Don’t you remember?”

“I remember every single second of that day. But that was not our first dance.”

He shakes his head, shaggy blond hair swaying messily with the movement, before dusting himself off and standing up. Fumbling his phone from the pockets of his cargo shorts, he furiously starts typing before the Bluetooth speaker lets out a thumping sound and then reconnects to JJ’s phone.

“Our first dance,” JJ says and holds out his hand to her, pulling her to her feet and closer to his body, snaking one hand around her waist. “wasn’t even here. The first time I danced with my wife was on the back patio of the Wreck while we were waiting for the food that Kie couldn’t bring because she was at the Chateau getting the decorations ready for the reception.”

He’s right. Of course, he is. JJ never forgets the little things that turn out not to be so little after all. Back when they were still together he would remember the most inconsequential details. Her favorite flowers, food, songs. The way she liked her coffee and that waking her up with kisses was entirely more successful than a damn alarm clock.

“And this song was playing.”

When he presses play on his phone, a loud voice advertises a Spotify original podcast to them, yet another true crime one, because there aren’t entirely too many of those.

“Sorry, I don’t pay for premium. I think it’s a scam.”

Stevie doesn’t ask him to elaborate, sure there is a completely rational explanation to JJ as to why the premium service is a scam. It probably even makes a little sense if you let him explain it thoroughly.

She doesn’t ask him to elaborate, just wraps her arms around his neck like she’s done so many times before in a lifetime that feels like it wasn’t even her own but also like it happened just hours ago. Time is a funny thing.

A guitar chord fills the air followed by the hauntingly beautiful voice of Eva Cassidy.

“You'll remember me when the west wind moves Among the fields of barley You can tell the sun in his jealous sky When we walked in fields of gold”

Suddenly she’s back on the patio of the Wreck, 18 and in love, and freshly married to the boy that has always had her heart. Life was so complicated and yet so simple. Nothing has changed, everything is different.

“You looked so beautiful in that white dress. And I — “

“JJ, I loved your outfit. Those damned cuffed jeans and that crisp white shirt? That was my husband right there.”

“I liked being called your husband.” He admits with a bashful smile that evokes the dimple on his cheek. On him, nothing is menacing or uneasy. There’s not a hint of his father in him, this is all JJ.

“Yeah?”

They’re softly swaying through the night, stars illuminating the dark around them.

“Oh yeah. Made me feel like a real adult. Like I had done something right in my life. If someone as amazing as you thought I was worth marrying then how fucked up could I really be?”

Stevie never liked hearing him talk about himself like that. Granted, that version of him was usually overshadowed by the fake confident, big-mouthed, larger-than-life persona he put on, but whenever this version did show up, it almost broke Stevie’s heart.

“Is that why you didn’t sign the papers the first time I sent them?”

“You sent them before?”

“Can’t bullshit a bullshitter, JJ. I know you got them. It’s okay though. I get it. It’s hard for me too.”

He bites his lip in consideration as if for the first time in his life weighing his words, deciding what to say next.

“I just — I can’t do it. I’m sorry. Every time I try I just can’t bring myself to sign them. Like I forgot how to spell my own name or something. It’s kinda really fucked up.”

“JJ, it’s okay. You don’t have to do it right now, I’m here all summer. Just give them to me before I leave.”

The thought of her leaving is sending a pang of hurt through her heart. There’s still so much summer left, she tells herself, no need to think about the end yet.

Resting her head against his chest, Stevie closes her eyes, squeezes them shut so tightly it makes her see phosphenes for a second, shutting out the reality of what is happening. If she closes her eyes tight enough she doesn’t have to face the fact that with the end of the summer comes the actual proper end of her marriage. But this is what she wants right? Closure?

“JJ?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you come to my mom’s wedding?”

"Obviously. I’m her favorite.”

She chuckles against his chest, the fabric of his shirt swallowing most of the sound.

“Only if you promise me something though.”

Stevie pulls away and looks up at him and just for a small moment she allows herself to get lost in the blue. Just this once.

“You’ll save a dance for me.”

All her dances are his. Forever. It’s something she promised herself in silence when they danced in the back garden of the country club that one night when they were 16 and meant to work at the midsummer event but snuck away to slow dance as the band played a soft song. Just because things changed between them doesn’t mean that promise will be broken.

The fire is out, just a burned-down log and a pile of ash as Eva Cassidy lulls JJ and Stevie into a soft haze. The song is about to end but neither of them is ready to let go. Not yet. Maybe when the summer ends and things go back to normal. But not right now with the night all inky black. Not right now when it’s just them and the moon and the stars and the melodic chirping of the katydids and Eva Cassidy singing their song.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll save a dance for you.”

“I never made promises lightly And there have been some that I've broken But I swear in the days still left We'll walk in fields of gold We'll walk in fields of gold

Ooh Many years have passed since those summer days Among the fields of barley See the children run as the sun goes down As you lie in fields of gold.”

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stackslip · 2 months

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it's almost 2am and I'm trying to think about how i would have fixed the buu saga. i rest my case on it being a fantastic arc and unfairly maligned by a lot of people but there's a grain of truth in people's criticisms, and i think it's where the seams in toriyama's storytelling show more evidently, even more than the cell arc with the sudden android to cell pivot. i think part of its problem is that it starts with a strong focus on gohan, and occasionally goes back to seeming like gohan is the focus, but then due to goku's inevitable popularity in japan editors have gohan shelved so that goku can triumph. the problem is—while i agree that gohan's shelving is too awkward and obvious and it shafts gohan himself immensely, i love the actual result of that arc way too much to want it fixed. i love goku and vegeta fusing, i love their final battle with buu, i love the spirit bomb and the dragon balls being what saves the day. that entire thing is legit the perfect ending to dragon ball to me. the problem is that the arc's focus is so obviously and severely shifted, and people who were invested in gohan over any other character were obviously enraged by this! and it's fair from them.

#eli talks #dragon ball

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theomnicode · 2 years

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Too good to be true?

Yanno new chapter is so frikken wholesome it's like I'm eating sugar in raw form. Very cute, very wholesome, just idyllic in it's pure form.

Almost...too idyllic because stuff doesn't add up. And other signs. I'll go over some symbolism stuff later.

I love eating sugar, but it's also bad for me. Too much indulgement leads into bad things.

Spoilers below.

Seems correct. He doesn't even remember the guy who decked him. And anything past the monsterization after Saitama decked him. He even forgot his own martial arts skillset, which is something you'd think would be impossible because it's muscle memory too. Something he got before he was beefed by God.

But how...the biggest red flag.

How do you remember fighting Blast then? And how good he was at fighting?

You NEVER fought Blast in this timeline. It was reversed. IT DID NOT HAPPEN.

(He consciously BARELY even recalls Saitama's name like, when he ACTUALLY FOUGHT HIM in all timelines before God's interference...the cognitive dissonance here is something else)

You didn't even remember fighting Bomb and Bang! You were unconscious and legit just dreaming!

The only ones who remember, according to the objective truth narration of Genos, are him and Saitama.

Because Saitama got fused to his younger self, but Garou's soul did not. Garou's soul, with all the memories it retained, disappeared into the aether and only ever influenced the past Garou's actions.

So how? How do you supposedly CONSCIOUSLY REMEMBER fighting Blast and how good he was?

Lord knows Saitama doesn't remember a single thing. Garou shouldn't either.

Garou... are you just dreaming again or something?

Is this some hypothetical dream scenario we're seeing? Where everything turns out perfect for him?

All the desires and wish-fulfillment scenarios he could ever hope for coming true?

Where he can spout his message about absolute evil making the world a better place, Bang acting as an actual guardian and listening to him and his interests, not getting any kind of punishment for his actions (like ripping a guy's arm off), introducing a complete out of the blue love interest into the mix and Bang suddenly being healthy and his back no longer paining him??? From magic massage or something when everyone would have previously died to radiation in mere moments? And Metal knight no less? Did the guy get his hands on de-aging procedures or something? I want some of that too.

Tareo getting friends (waganma of all people?) and being able to stand up to himself in a week too... and finally walking into the pictoresque, dreamlike scenario with Bang, where other people don't really exist nor matter. Just more faceless people when he can just chat with Bang who finally listens to his hobbies.

(Also can we talk about how Bang somehow knows a sentai show actress aimed for kids/teens when he doesn't even have a tv?)

Nothing bad happened? After he gave everyone a healthy amount of cosmic radiation, entire Z-city got pulverized, heroes got maimed and time was reversed so there would not be a complete apocalypse.

No consequences whatsoever?

Just a tiny bit sus here.

I don't buy this. And not just because there's a completely random reverse pentagram when Bang hits him, which is not a sound vfx. It's just there.

We very much know real world does not work that way and is not painted that way by ONE.

"What was gained" chapter title is phrased like a question, rather than the definite answer.

What did we even gain? Nothing. Future and character development was erased when Saitama came back in time. It was a "what if" scenario.

Just like Genos summer body and his red shirt, this chapter feels like a red herring to me.

#opm #one punch man #opm spoilers #opm chapter 170 #garou #opm manga panels #wish fulfillment

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incarnateirony · 1 year

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how did a post about misha and gk end up being about will and the winchesters? will seems pretty keen for misha to succeed, he even said he’s going to support gk.

Sit down you 2po dicksucker. I don't care. He's a fucking delusional piece of shit. He is, in fact, part of the narrative of lies in discussion. He IS part of those groups and IS one of their loudest ones, convincing people as dumb as you that he's legit instead of the wincel j2 hat motherfucker taking sources from hateful antis lmfao.

Sorry bro. He dug his grave, and y'all wanna lay in it with him to justify random sobbing of He Swears He X Thing. He's part of the psycho mfers sourcing lies used to attack creatives, and is still doing it, and has used his literal delusions to bash on other people and call them delusional for years, just like all his fucking friends do.

Why would he get brought up? Bc people like you are still dumb enough to refuse to connect the dots and I'ma repeat it until you all realize how badly you've been suckered by a man blowing denialist smoke for years he's done nothing but fail through.every time he fails he makes up a story of Someone Else Failed, Too, So Everyone Sucks As Bad As Him. then like. I have receipts I said the opposite.

And you guys never learn and run his NEXT bullshit lie narrative he spins up 4 hours later. Literally fucking hopeless, brainless. The world doesn't care whether you like me or not or like what I'm saying or not, the real world is going to keep real worlding, where I never said the shit 2po claims I say and have disproven it every time with receipts, where he's just a delusional piece of shit crying in denial trying to drag everyone down to his own abysmal failure rate by weaving up fantasies everyone is as SHITTY at this as him, like he has been for years every time he wiped out, and where his fanfiction about me need not apply.

youtube

This is your friendly reminder that the following things 2po assigned delusional/schizophrenia/grifter/whatever claims to: Market testing, Berens intent, there being a confession S15, a roadhouse ending, omissions, CW being sold, the relevance of old syndication both to production and plot, the script being real, the morals of the season's episodes, whatever else. alchemy, tarot and spiral narratives, he screamed that shit about that too before we magically hired those exact folks tweeting out those exact things. Extra weird he's so clueless he thinks my song posts are "random junk", not ironic DJ booth tweeting out the plot that's already dickslapped his dumb ass repeatedly without him even realizing it.

*whispers* notice... these are all things that were real that he simply wasn't privy to for years while I was. Even when he confidently misinterpreted M&Gs as sources and reasoning back then, too. So that just means... he and everyone that listened to him were delusional those 3 years, and the 2 years after, and they haven't changed now.

Just like you guys never learned "I don't like it/don't want it/don't believe you" doesn't impact reality no matter how many diapers you fill about it. Refuse to update your bad methodology and sources all you want but don't cry to me when the nasty people you work with send you a pipe bomb or some shit for the amount of smoke you've blown up their ass when the truth hits again at The End Of The Road.

#not kidding about that last paragraph tho #the people 2po works with are so vile and vicious #i would not be surprised if that dude got like rotten fish or a pipe bomb mailed to him by his own current allies #because they're gonna realize how bad he played them #they coulda got out long ago #they could have listened long ago #but they're gonna ride this convenient denial train to the end #then they're gonna run 2po over with it #and back it up #several times #just to make sure.#im genuinely not kidding #do he and wiki and all them truly not get why they've had rings run around them for years #are they truly praying the alchemical spiral of reflection and the trap of the grudge in a 13 song remixed swing track is like #coincidence #what do they think is happening #did they all have strokes and forget their past fails #why can they not course correct with new information #is this some learning disability #i'm baffled #as an adult he'd need to be aware of it #to manage it #and he shows no awareness #so

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papirouge · 2 years

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Plenty of fundamental evangelicals and new age modern Christians in the US I've noticed will cherry pick the bible and then go on rants against the secular world. Like sir, your entire arm is tattooed and your wife praises guns, the death penalty, and paid politicians and terminally online edgy personalities for their 'hot takes' like they're idols on her twitter feed. Pls stop. Many of women and men too do hate muslims because they were fed the diet of how islam is a terrorist religion so even if a woman is following the guide of modesty by covering her hair and her body whole, plenty of these Christians have voiced how they'd want to tear it off of her in some perverted sense of patriotism. Like I remember the Boston bombing (that tbh felt fake but that's my conspiracy for another day..) and when pics of the wife of one of the bombers were public with her wearing her hijab, one of those commenters mentioned that she didnt care about her husbands actions, she just thinks the wife should be arrested for wearing a scarf that covered her hair. You are to be modest, but not too modest if that's possible. To be Christian after 9/11 was a trip.. God became guns in one hand and the bible in the other, unread of of course. Does Frances secular approach to life feel the same way for you as a Christian? Like sure, you can be modest but too much modesty is too much. But you can be naked too. But only if you have a perfect body that's perfect in today's standards too

"Like sir, your entire arm is tattooed and your wife praises guns, the death penalty, and paid politicians and terminally online edgy personalities for their 'hot takes' like they're idols on her twitter feed. Pls stop."

"God became guns in one hand and the bible in the other, unread of of course."

Queen, you didn't miss a beat. I wish I was as eloquent as you because you told not a single lie. I legit was vibing like Michelle when reading your post lmao

These Evangelicals feeling threatened by women with modesty clothing are sooo weird!! Why would you care about whether a woman covers "too much" skin?? They will justify assaulting Muslims based on their outfits, but in the breath will whine about how "savage" and intolerant brown people are, I-. They will use Islamist terrorism to argue how violent Islam is compared to Christianism, and in the same time use the "sell your cloak and buy a sword" verse to justify violence against non Christians... How any of that makes these zealot Christians different from salafists???

In France the approach to secular life is very different bc unlike the US, since the revolution of 1789, there is a strict separation of the state and the church. It would be UNTHINKABLE to have the President or politics swear on the Bible or say "God" lol (even in court we don't swear over the Bible or anything)

Catholicism is the dominant Christian sect here. But the Catholic demographic is getting super old, and while morally conservative, they are very kin to charity and social welfare (unlike USAmericans who will call communism anything involving social welfare).

French Christians are generally very humble and sweet because unlike USAmericans, they are now a minority (there are stats showing that around 45% of French people don't believe in God, and only 10% of the population is actually Catholic) so you won't see them being entitled for political or cultural power. They humbly live their truth, as God intended for every Christian ; no big pricey "Catholic" convention, no "Catholic" university campus, no political mingling... They will stand their ground (being against gay marriage or surrogacy for example) but you'll never see them saying or doing the crazy things like American evangelicals do on the regular.

NOW, you have this (kinda new) scene of crazy nu crusaders type of Catholic, pleading for new crusades against Muslim invaders in Europe, but they're nothing but boastful brats on the internet. All bark and no bite. There are plentiful of Muslim district in France and they never did nothing ; they'll just rage post about it on the internets lmao

Maybe before threatening to kill the "Saracens", they should be concerned about the rampant de-Christianization of their country. IDK Maybe the reason God is letting Europe being invaded by foreigners is because the Western has become an abomination in the eyes of God and refuses to protect the continent any more? and that He would rather use foreigners to carry His message like He did with the Jews/Gentiles? see how Christianism is booming in Asia, Middle East and Africa? it's all linked. But racist nu Catholics are just too bewildered to realize that. Getting to such conclusion would ask actual spiritual self awareness and they don't have none. They're just zealots with no Spirit.

It's also funny to see White "TradCath" being so petty at Africans invading Europe when you see how many Africans there are in 'their' churchs lmao They loathe Africans, but Black Africans are huge chunk of worldwide Christiandom (there are 650 millions of Christians in Africa). Maybe if they actually went to church and left their online echo chambers of rightoid nu crusaders they'd realize that 💀

#answered #Christian

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thequietmanno1 · 2 years

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Thelreads, Vigilantes 70, Replies Part 1

1) “Anyway, let`s see if he reveals his true form, on Chapter 70: Nomura.

…this fucking name, I swear to god if he`s not actually a Nomu…”- Well, in fairness, Furuhashi didn’t try to keep the pretense up too long, sicne it’s only been a couple of chapters sicne Nomura appeared, but due to the monthly timescale it felt like much longer whilst waiting for this reveal the first-time round. Good thing you didn’t have to wait as lon…actually, thinking about it, it’s probably been a month since you last blogged the previous chapter anyway, hasn’t it?

2) “And hey look, it`s our favorite tsundere cutie. I do wonder if she managed to make it big in the music industry, going by how long it was since we last saw her in this blog she probably must be a goddamn rockstar by now.”- Pop’s look is symbolic of how she feels at the chapter’s end, wrapped up in the childhood hoodie/fantastical perception of Koichi as her Hero who rescued her from drowning as a child and seeing how far he’s come since then in being, essentially taking comfort in her self-perception of Koichi as a heroic figure who’s there for her when she’s feeling down, but the glasses coming off symbolise how she’s steadily lost the rose-tinted viewpoint that enabled her to ignore the harsher truths about him, that he’s far from infallible, that he’s not thought of her in a romantic way like she has him even once, that he’s steadily drifting away from her without realising it and it may be too late for her to truly fix things between them like she wants to. It’s sorta like if Izuku found out about Thin Might without Yagi’s knowledge and made up his own understanding of his oblivious hero based on that inside context without actually letting him explain the truth. Koichi can’t stop messing up and making mistakes with Pop in total ignorance until someone walks up to him, slaps him across the face and writes the message in 20ft flaming letters in front of him ‘She’s in love with you, you idiot!’. Once he twigs on that point, he’ll be able to start acting like the knight in shining armour Pop wants/ unknowingly needs him to be for her right now. 3) “must… suppress… urge to start complaining… about how this completely carpet-bombs the entire world building of the goddamn manga and the main series at the same time- oh god I know that I said that he probably just got a fake license, because holy fuck if that is an actual legit license then Furuhashi managed to create a plot hole the size of Bakugo`s fucking Ego. That is to say, pretty fucking big.”- Good thing it was as fake as everything else about No: Nomura in the end, isn’t it? Or at least, good enough to fool the average Joe on the street taking a casual glance at it. A top-end inspector like Phelps would probably be able to sus out the discrepancies in the licence if he was shown one, but again, Nomura is currently operating at below ground level to Phelps, more or less right under his nose as a random manager who’s hand indirect dealings with his sister through Pop, and Phelps would never suspect his top-end criminal suspect ‘wasting time’ as an Idol manager when the VF have been working towards much larger and grander goals so far. 4) “Furuhashi, I didn`t came here to beat you up, I`m just here to see my kids and make sure they are still being stupid, don`t you dare pulling funny shit that for real invalidates a lot of world building of the series. don`t.

I`m warning you.

I have my shovel ready to start digging a grave.”- To be fair, since Koichi lost his chance to get his own license when he was saving Pop as a kid, and she’s not interested in becoming a hero, neither of them actually know the details and intricacies of getting a bona fide licence, or how difficult that would be for somebody as young-looking as Nomura, to then throw away the chance to pursue being a hero full-time and treating it as a side venture. And without Knuckles to correct them on that, they’ve got no frame of reference as to what’s involved in becoming a licenced hero –even through Nomura was only able to proceed with this plan because he’s already ensured Knuckleduster won’t be able to interfere with his goals for the duo and warn them in advance of his duplicity/prepare to counter him. In fact, the only other partial licence holder we’ve seen in the original MHA universe was the geriatric Gran Torino, who pretty much stated he was operating as a vigilante hero for years before he got the licence as an afterthought when he needed to achieve some goal, so the kids have no way of knowing Nomura’s cover story is full of holes precisely because they’re not official heroes. 5) “YEAH, YOU KNOW KOICHI, WHY WOULDN`T YOU DO THAT? LIKE, WHY WOULDN`T GENTLE DO THAT AS WELL? OR ANY OTHER PERSON WITH A SENSE OF JUSTICE THAT WISHES TO HELP PROTECT CIVILIANS BUT COULDN`T BECOME A PRO HERO?

FUCKING. WHY?”- In Gentle’s case at least, he was destitute, jobless and practically penniless, not to mention had a massive black spot on his record because of his accidental interference with a heroic rescue, so he likely couldn’t get an opportunity to even take the exam in the first place by successfully paying to join a hero course after he dropped out of school and learn the necessary tools and techniques to not be such a screw-up on the field. Not to mention he was a fairly late bloomer, so his likelihood of being successfully validated in such an environment with a mark like that on his record were not high. A ton of effort with pretty much no likelihood of it ever amounting to anything, and you can see why he’d basically accepted his dreams were toast from any ‘legal’ avenues. 6) “But alright, let`s ignore the elephant in the room and focus on the other elephant in the room. Koichi, now that she is showing such an interest in what you`re doing and is sitting down, why don`t you take this as a chance to talk about you two and the fact you aren`t dating yet?”- Pop needed a little more time to get herself ‘in the zone’ for Koichi, but sadly, like myself, Koichi has horrible timing and no ability to read the room, torpedoing our hopes. 7) “AND MORE THAN THAT, POP IS ACTUALLY TRYING TO MEET YOU HALFWAY THROUGH? SHE`S TRYING TO TAKE THAT STEP?

holy shit I even forgot about the worldbuilding being dragged to the back of the shed and getting shot in the head, damn you Furuhashi, stop dangling this carrot in front of my face!”- Furuhashi dangled that tasty carrot in front of your eyes to make you drop your guard enough for the stick to smack you across the jaw come chapter’s end. 8) “THERE ARE MY OTHER KIDS! All of them so excited and completely unaware they are in the same room as an absolute monster… and also the manager that might be a Nomu, who knows. I do. I know everything. Like I said, I`m pretty AND sure that this is the way we`re walking, and I`m never wrong. Ever.”- Whilst Horikoshi bamboozled you with a cross-series character reveal, Furuhashi instead gave you a much simpler ‘disguise’ to see through this time. 9) “FOR FUCK`S SAKE POP YOU JUST RUN AWAY FROM KOICHI AND NOW YOU`RE RUNNING AWAY FROM THE MANAGER? DIDN`T YOU LEARNED ANYTHING FROM SHINJI IKARI? YOUY MUSTN’T RUN AWAY GIRL!”- Well, they’re running away ‘together’ in this case, but Pop would actually have been served better listening to her usual instincts and running away from him instead of into his waiting arms…not that she could outrun a speedy guy like him for long anyway though. 10) “You know guys, y`all ain`t being subtle that you two are going to the same place. Sure, we know he`s helping you become famous because he wants to get access to Koichi, but the way you`re acting somebody is going to think you two are dating in secret.”- Honestly, it doesn’t really feel like that by the mid-point of the chapter. It might have started as an easy way for him to infiltrate and get closer to Knuckle’s apprentice through his social circle, but with all the time and effort he’s putting in to help lift Pop’s career without going out of his way to meet Koichi in the process seems like he’s become invested in the lie, the fake ‘normal’ identify he crafted for a cover purpose, taking some time whilst he’s ‘laying the groundwork’ to honestly enjoy himself and starting to like being Nomura as more than a disposable mask. Him ‘drunkenly’ asking Pop out seemed actually sincere as he could be in the circumstances, and with how dismissive he’s been of Koichi as Knuckleduster’s choice of successor, it seems like he took the opportunity to try and compare how they both faire in ‘competing’ for the same girl’s heart, like he fashioned his whole identity as ‘Nomura’ to appeal to pop as an idealised version of Koichi and see if that’s capable of charming her, or if not, where exactly he himself falls short in trying to achieve the same thing.

11) “I hope he`s dressed like a loser, but since we`re probably setting up a bait-and-switch love triangle before the reveal he`s a villain, he`s probably just dressed pretty sharp.”- He’s dressed sharp enough to cut himself…or Pop, if he decides to, now that he’s verified that her heart is set on Koichi no matter how appealing he makes himself look.

12) “Huh. Interesting. The resemblance to Number 6 is certainly there to some extent, that hair lock in the place where the scar was supposed to be was a heavy-handed clue there- We get it Furuhashi, he`s a Nomu just like McBee, get going with the program already.

And yeah pop, he looks like a fucking clown.”- Clowns can appear to be goofy and bumbling when acting a performance, but it actually takes a lot of skills and control to make such silly pratfalls seem natural, and if a clown decides to stop being funny, then we get Pennywise…

Good catch with the visual foreshadowing of his hidden scar though.

13) “Yeah, doubt that. At the very least you`re trying to appear cool in front of her so she trusts and falls for you so you can approach Koichi, but boy oh boy is that not going according to keikaku.”- Mayhaps it’s the him he wishes he could be? For all his talk of being superior to Koichi as Knuckle’s successor, it seems his ‘Master’s’ words during their confrontation really stuck with him, and he’s rankled by the idea that Koichi isjsut somehow better than him, given he’s going out of his way to stalk him and integrate himself closer into Koichi’s life even after Knuckle’s vanished and Koichi lacks any dorect connection to the trigger experiments without him. Nomura seems to have actually gotten genuinely invested in being ‘Nomura’ for Pop, even slightly outwith his desire to one-up Koichi, and it sorta felt like he might have been acting, but part of him wishes this was how it honestly was for him without making a conscious effort to do so? 14) “Huh, can`t tell for sure if she really did liked it or if she`s just going with the flow, but even so I do believe she`s going to try what her producer is suggesting. Huh… Are we going to go a “this sounds good but it`s not what I truly want to be like” kind of conflict?”- The irony present in the additions of a ‘fake’ humanoid being with a falsified persona and identity to Pop’s music probably being the most genuine creation they’ve made, and Pop’s not happy with it, but too polite to say, would cut deeply. Nomura does seem to have a personal stake in events with Koichi and Pop, and actually seems to be flirting with the pretence of being a ‘normal’ person liked for whom they are, but everything they try to make that’s ‘theirs’ just doesn’t fit right. There’s a bit of tragedy present in his wistfulness at the chapter’s end and No:6’s obviously-crushed expression when Knuckle passes him over in favour of Koichi. At the end of the day, he just wants to be, but as an artificial creation, he doesn’t really know how to do what everybody else does naturally, and his attempts to mimic them just feel ‘off’ or forced on some level. With Pop, he seems to have found something he actually liked doing after a while, but It just wasn’t enough to overcome Koichi in her heart, which again drives into him how he’s ‘false’ and lacking compared to him, leading to him explosively venting with those fantasy boys. 15) “HIT IT POP! SCREAM YOUR SOUL OUT, LET EVEN THE DEAD HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY! SING THIS TRUTH THAT FINALLY YOU`RE NOT AFRAID TO FACE”- She can sing her heart out loud on a street corner, but can’t protect it from being crushed in a quiet conversation with Koichi thanks to his total obliviousness. 16) “Oh my kid is having so much fun I`m so glad- She probably never had this much fun singing when she was in her old persona. Sure, it was something that she enjoyed, it was freeing to her artistic soul, but even so, it didn`t got close to what she felt right now, that`s for damn sure.”- The greatest Highs in life come before the deepest lows, through both men she’s interacting with… 17) “Wait, are you two at a bar right now? Pop, you`re still too young for it, not to say that they are probably going to be closing for the night soon, that last couple did a mess, but the guy got kicked at least a good three meters in the air.”- I’m legit interested how many of these classy wine joints are around in Japan, complete with a fully-stocked wine bar, given the strict regulations against underage drinking there. Heck, It even looks like it could be the same bar where Kurogiri took up his side-hobby for the league. 18) “FOR FUCK`S SAKE POP- I WAS GETTING READY TO CRUCIFY THE NOMU BUT IT WAS YOU THAT ORDERED IT. I`M REALLY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU YOUNG LADY, YOU`RE TOO YOUNG TO BE DRINKING THIS STUFF.”- He might be a monstrous biological abomination turned terrorist, but he’s not sleazy enough to stoop to getting an underage girl drunk. Besides, what he wanted out of Pop here was an honest reaction to his own ‘confession’, and for that he needed her to be clear-headed and not having her mind muddied by alcohol.

19) “What, now that you know she`s going to be a big hit you`re trying to be friendly in hope she hires your asses like security? Tough luck, she already has Koichi, she doesn`t need anyone else to take care of her.”- Nomura would like to disagree on that point… 20) “Oh, are you now? What a coincidence. Yeah, I`m sure they are not bad guys aaaaat all, just like Soga wasn`t. Hell, I bet they are also friends, that is if you didn`t hired them to antagonize Pop so you could jump in like a knight in shinning armor or some shit like that.”- Not the case this time, but it does seem like as part of his goal to appeal to Pop as an ‘idealised Koichi’, and to avoid unwanted attention for ‘Nomura’, he adopted his Unaware rival’s tendency to befriend the foes he encounters, though Nomura has the advantage of being strong/violence-prone enough to intimidate them into not continuing to harass him and instead get along with him for the sake of their own wellbeing. Of course, once Pop rejected him regardless, he had no reason to keep the pretence up…

21) “oh-

oh no

oh no no no no no

OH NO”- aaaaand the penny drops. Funny how changing your mannerisms can make you seem like a completely different person, even with a similar build and hair colour. But in yous defence, No:6 has proven that he’s adept at hiding beneath notice right under everybody’s noses. 22) “What, you also are responsible for that McNomu? Or should I say… McBee?

Jesus Fucking Christ on a rollerscooter what the fuck no I can`t fucking believbe it it can`t be him I refuse to believe no”- ‘Wouldn’t it be great if all the assholes you met out in the world all turned out to be the same guy with different names?’ – A phrase I’ve heard about that seemed appropriate for this situation. Granted, Strendal/Stain breaks the pattern, but he was more of an opponent for Knuckleduster to handle, whereas ‘Nomura’ is somebody only Koichi’s around to deal with. 23) “What the fuck if it is him then he managed to escape Knuckleduster, and not only that but hang around for god knows how long around HIS KIDS without him knowing. Sure, it wasn`t two year,s more like a few months at most, but even so, it`s like a serial killer hiding next door to a police station.

ALSO WHERE THE FUCK IS KNUCKLEDUSTER IN THIS SCENARIO?

ARE YOU REALLY TRYING TO PULL THE OL` “HE`S DEAD” ONCE AGAIN FURUHASHI?”- Dead or perhaps… unavailable? Knuckle did prove he’s got a pretty robust body from all his workouts, and the VF don’t seem like the kind of guys who’d be willing to let quality material like that go to waste, especially with the guy giving them so much headaches in their experiments…

(Vigilantes ch 56)

24) “[McBEE DISLIKED THAT]

Oh this is gonna turn ugly… And you Knuckles, don’t give that smile, we still have a lot to talk about your trip to the convenience store, Koichi is waiting, you know? It would be nice if he knew what the hell was going on, you know? For God’s sake, at least if you left a gun for him to use I’d be okay!”- He left him his Knuckles, and Koichi better pray that they’re enough combined with his quirk’s improvements….

(Vigilantes ch 56)

25) “He took that one surprisingly well- You know what, it feels so weird that we’re finally seeing McBee’s personality besides that hot-shit cool and collected image that Furuhashi desperately wanted to paint, and in reality he’s an unhinged psychotic fanboy like what was shown back when the Octo-nomu threw a stone on his face but that is way more endearing because it doesn’t feel like we’re being forced to think that he’s like that, he simply is like that.

Goddammit Furuhashi, giving the villain personality right before you kill him…”- Not this time. Knuckle may have been able to side-step Koichi meeting Kuin because of his own personal connection to her host, but there’s no way Furuhashi would miss out on having Koichi face his own evil counterpart- and no better way to show he’s surpassed his teacher, taking on the being that took him out in a straight fight and handling him with his improved skills as a fighter, especially since No:6 is a corrupted copy of Knuckle’s former hero identity.

(Vigilantes ch 56)

26) “Crap, I was waiting for the fight at first, but honestly now I want to hear more about the past, there’s too many questions whose answers will be withheld until its convenient, and I really liked the story treating McBee for the loser he actually is.”- Even a loser gets a victory now and again. Better hope for Koichi’s sake that he’s the loser when he and No:6 inevitably throw down, because otherwise…

(Vigilantes ch 57)

27) “Knuckles, I appreciate the trash-talk, I really do, but honestly the table just flipped around and I feel like now its time to get serious™ you know?

Goddammit Knuckles, you were supposed to be able to capture him rather than be part of the failed attempts.”-Unfortunately, even getting serious isn’t enough to stop No:6 this time. Knuckle’s saved Koichi from one showdown with the VF’s lackeys, but this time, it’s time for the protégé to inherit the master’s torch for real, and beat the villain that not even he could in the end…

(Vigilantes ch 57)

28) “OH THERE’S SHAGGY, THAT’S GOOD, NOW BACK TO THE FIGHT WE GO PLEASE KNUCKLES WAS ABOUT TO SHOW THE BADASS FISTER-STYLE THAT WE HAVEN’T SEEN SINCE THE FIRST FEW ARCS”- Alas, the heavyweight champ has left the ring, now it’s time for Koichi to take up his master’s knuckles for the revenge match he doesn’t know he’s destined for yet… @thelreads

#bnha vigilantes #bnha #my hero academia #thelreads #chapter replies #vigilantes 70

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smokeybrandcompositions · 1 year

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Kiss the Ring

The Brooklyn Nets have suspended Kyrie Irving for posting that link to the Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America! documentary on Amazon and it’s patently absurd. Look, i get that cats feel some kind of way about what is and what isn’t anti-Semitic but if you can point to certain things in reality that support these positions, how is it bigoted to call them out?I’m not saying everything in the doc is legit but there is enough content there for you, as an individual, devoid of prejudice and bias, to look into it for your own edification. Like, saying Semitic Jews were black is not a stretch, bro. It’s not a “conspiracy” that there are Black Hebrew Israelites. Jesus was a Jew and how was he described in the Good Book? “Feet of bronze and hair like wool.” That sh*t don’t sound like a white hippie to me. More than that, where the f*ck is Israel even located? In the Middle East, right? Guess what the was part of in antiquity? F*cking Africa! I mean, you can trace the line of those descended from Shem, son of Noah, the root of the term Semitic, to Africa! and not even “Northern” Africa but what is known colloquially as “Dark Africa!” If you are white Jew, you cannot be Semitic. You are not derived from the line of Shem. These are things that are truths, quantifiable and researchable, but for some reason they’re conspiracy? But Ashkenazi are the ones screaming about antisemitism the loudest. I wonder why?

Objectively, Ashkenazi Jewish people dominate leadership roles in media. They literally control the narrative. I’m not here trying to debate this, it’s fact. A third of the worlds top one hundred and forty Billionaires are Jewish. That’s according to Forbes in 2009. That number has only grown in recent years. A third of the Owners in the NBA are Jewish. The vast majority of CEOs at the head of movie studios are Jewish. Same with Music Labels. These aren't conspiracies. It’s not hate speech. It’s fact. Saying these truths out loud shouldn’t garner this much animosity. If you get your news through mainstream media, and that media is effectively owned and guided by a certain people, then you’re only getting the messaging those people want you to have. I don’t understand how that’s a “dangerous” thing to say. It’s fact. It’s common sense. Like, I’m not going to sit here and deny that the Holocaust happened or that millions of the Ashkenazi Jews were killed during Hitlers reign. That sh*t occurred and i understand that generational trauma. I’m black as f*ck and still feel my own hurt through slavery to this day. I’m not trying to deny your pain or even speak against what you perceive to be hurtful to your heritage. What i am saying, however, is that decrying a guy for pointing out sh*t that you may not want attention drawn to, under the guise of overt bigotry, is f*cked up.

It’s like you can’t comment on what is real history or derail that narrative of victimization these Jews who control media, have crafted for themselves. If you have a platform under their media blanket, you’re not allowed to say, “Hey, that’s a f*cked up thing you’re doing to those people” or “Maybe your origins are a bit darker than you want tot admit.” without being branded some sort of hate monger. Even if those thing are true and very much obvious to anyone with an elementary school understanding of history and geography. I get sh*t on for calling the Israeli State a terrorist origination for the way they treat Palestinians, even though literally everyone agrees the way Israel is encroaching upon what’s left of Palestine, is a whole as humanitarian crisis! The cognitive disconnect is real! How the f*ck is it wrong to point out that Israel bombed a school full of brown, Muslim, kids during a ceasefire? How the f*ck can you condone that kind of behavior? It’s f*cking weird to me, man. How can i be an anti-Semite if I'm calling out sh*t that Ashkenazi Jews are doing to the resident Muslim people, people who have lived on that land four times longer than any kind of Jew, when the Jew inflicting the terror aren’t even properly Semitic? It’s nuts!

In order for Kyrie to come back to the team after his weirdly open ended suspension, he’ll have to do six things: Apologize and condemn the film he promoted, make a $500,000 donation to anti-hate causes, complete sensitivity training, complete antisemitism training, meet with the ADL and Jewish leaders, and meet with team owner Joe Tsai to demonstrate an understanding of the situation. Some of this sh*t is reasonable. Meeting with the ADL and making those donations is a solid choice. The rest? Not so much. This is a public flogging of Irving for standing by his word. You wither kiss the ring or you don’t hoop anymore. It’s unfair and wild to think that, at the end of this March of Shame, he’s have to plead his case to Joe Tsai. This is a Chinese national Billionaire who literally funds the genocide of the Uyghur Muslims in his home country! Like, what?! his man Kyrie is getting more coverage, there is more outrage over him posting a link to a controversial film, that f*cking Jefferey Epstein f*cking kids. For decades. I wonder why? Epstein sure has a rather Ashkenazi ring to it, don’t it?

Listen, I'm not here to defend Kyrie for his post. I’m not here to say what other people are allowed to feel. I’m not trying to Jew bash or whatever. All I'm saying is it’s weird that so many of a certain people, have such strong opinions and the platforms to amplify their message, are out here trying to destroy a black man for posting a link to a film that says maybe the real Jews are black people. I definitely believe that Irving could have gone about that sh*t in a much better way, feel the same way about whatever the f*ck Kanye was doing, but that doesn’t mean you assassinate the man’s character from having these views. For speaking a truth that has gone unspoken for centuries. Talk to him. Educate him as to why these thing are hurtful. Listen to his counterargument. Hear what HE has to say and why he thought there was merit to that message. Don’t just crucify the dude because he won’t immediately apologize for something that he has held as truth for some time.

I’m sure I'm going to lose followers over this and I'm sure someone is going to call me a bigot for posting this rant or someone is going to demand sources or whatever but, like, i don’t care. My source is reality. My source is the actual scriptures. My source is historic geography and an understanding of current world events. There is more truth in these “conspiracies” than most people are comfortable accepting and it’s in that crack where the disingenuous cries of bigotry live. I am not antisemitic. I am anti-Israel. I don’t hate the Jewish people but i do believe there is a distinct separation between Semitic and Ashkenazi Jews. I do believe that Semitics were, and are, black. I believe that there is a concerted effort to deny this reality because of course there is. White people hate the fact that everything is traced back to Africa and Ashkenazi Jews are white. These are quantifiable and historic facts. It’s not antisemitic to say them out loud.

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smokeybrand · 1 year

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Kiss the Ring

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bnhaclaimedmysoul · 3 years

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request: i love your writing! could you wirte something about aizawa realising the reader likes shinso and helps them get together with mics help? thank you <3

a/n: thank you for sending a request in!! the semester ended a couple of days but like i needed some time to pump life back into myself haha. also this request is more about aizawa and mic’s. would it be interesting to see it from shinsou’s perspective??? mayhaps......

-when aizawa catches the slightest sniff of romance in the air

-he tries his every best to ignore it

-but like...

-dadzawa’s instincts can’t help but make him curious about budding romance in his class

-i bet that the teacher’s discuss new relationships in the staff room

-and they bet cups of coffee’s over who likes who and who might go out

-aizawa is surprisingly good at this

-and has drunk more cups of coffee than any of his colleagues

-everyone just groans whenever aizawa’s premonitions come true, slamming cents on his table

-and mic is just there, ready with a cup of coffee even before any thrilling events happen

-because he just knows that aizawa is right

-(mic’s totally not the background commentator during a proposal. totally not)

-mic’s more invested into these bets than aizawa

-and hence he always pushes aizawa into trying to help two awkward teens with their feelings

-aizawa brushes him off every single time, saying that it’s too much of a pain

-tsundere dadzawa

-but that isn’t the case when an exception arrives

-a.k.a. his own sleep-deprived son shinsou

-boi, when he starts staring off into space during his training with aizawa

-the dude legit ties him tf up with his scarf and just lets him dangle in the air until he spits the truth out

-and while aizawa knows that shinsou has a teensy crush on you

-he secretly finds it hilarious to see shinsou struggle both physically and psychologically

-mic is in the corner watching this dad-son moment, clicking pictures of this for memories

-when he finally gives in and partially lets the cat out of the bag by confessing that he likes someone

-aizawa simply let’s go of his scarf and nonchalantly says “it’s y/n”

-and while shinsou is hissing in pain from the drop, he realizes that aizawa never asked a question

-instead he nonchalantly said it as if it’s a solid fact

-he breaks into a huge blush and wonders if his infatuation was that obvious

-and before he could ask, aizawa simply groans causing shinsou’s voice to dieback

-mic, unable to stand this atmosphere, emerges and explains aizawa’s wildly successful part time job of predicting romances

-shinsou just chuckles and to test the waters out, he asks aizawa if he thinks you like him

-he brushes his concerns off and instead advices him on trying to hang out with you

-shinsou just places his hand behind his neck and lets out an unconfident laugh

-aizawa notices the shift in the purple head’s tone while trying to constantly avoid the eyes of mic, which practically screamed “HELP OUR SON OUT”

-he gives in with a sigh

-you bet he has a mf comprehensive plan to help his son out

-everything from shinsou’s demeanors to possible dates and situations are planned out

-tho, he will never spill the entire plan out

-instead, he just drops tiny hints, waiting for shinsou to pick up and act on them

-he’ll prompt shinsou to take matters into his own hands, and only slightly intervenes when things look bad

-100/10 will not hesitate to whack shinsou on his head with his register if he sees him behaving like a brat towards you

-this is all so that he can turn shinsou into a gentleman

-and because, in this house, we treat our significant other with RESPEKT

-but the smack on the head is followed up by present mic explaining the teen (who is on the verge of tears) about how he could’ve handled the situation better

-it’s because aizawa says “i’m not cut out for this sappy stuff”

-in reality, he just doesn’t want to see his child break into tears

-sends banana milk bottles flying shinsou’s way if he hears you saying that you wanted to drink some while going to the cafeteria

-will ask mic to go and snoop on the both of you and when he receives the news that you were happy by shinsou’s action and hugged him, dadzawa is happy

-will ping mic to kick shinsou’s ass down the stairs so that he can catch up to you and walk you home

-and dadzawa sure does a damn great job at it

-eventually, aizawa builds enough confidence in shinsou so that he no longer needs to ask for advice from him

-which is what he wanted to do in the first place

-but when shinsou drops the bomb by letting dadzawa know that he wants to do it all by himself, while planning how to ask you out

-dadzawa goes through sad boi hours

-because the whirlwind of emotions is killing him from the inside

-his son no longer needs him.....

-butbutbut he is constantly reminded by mic

-as he screams “ shootAAAA HAVE YOU SEEN HIM? OUR SON WENT FROM NOT KNOWING ANYTHING TO SAYING ‘I CAN DO THIS BY MYSELF’” on an hourly basis

-and yes he is v v v proud how could he not be

-10/10 tires not to snoop on y’all when you become a couple

-he’s just a lonely dad

-so please entertain him and shower his son in your love

-by seeing how much of a successful couple the both of you are

-will reluctantly add “romance wizard: can make your dreams come true” on his resume after being pestered by mic

#shinsou x reader #hitoshi shisnou x reader #bnha x reader #shinsou imagines #hitoshi shinou imagines #bnha imagines #hitoshi shinsou scenarios #shinsou scenarios #bnha scenarios #shinsou fluff #hitoshi shinsou fluff #bnha fluff #eraserhead #aizawa shouta headcanons #present mic headcanons #shinsou headcanons #hitoshi shinsou headcanons #bnha headcanons

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egg-emperor · 2 years

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Casino AU Eggman has a lot to be afraid of with the consequences of his life of crime, the way he's a slimy lying manipulative bastard, and his terrible actions, being unspeakable. He's made a lot of enemies, some much more dangerous than others and he has to always be alert and have a lot of high security. He can't get too close and trusting with people and has to be ready in case they flip on him at any moment but this has become second nature to him.

But by now, he's very good at recognizing when someone is attempting to lie and trick him. He knows all the methods from experience of doing the same to others all the time. Nobody takes him for a fool, even when it seems they've managed to succeed, they soon find out that they're the fool when it turns that he's been playing them right back the entire time, as his true intentions and ulterior motives are usually just as malicious. He presents himself as open and oblivious, reels them in and makes it look legit and promising, and gets dirty work done.

They find out the truth as soon as they're alone and he doesn't need them anymore or finally delivers punishment after he's found them out. They quickly regret their choices when he pins them to the wall and threatens them with his fists or a weapon, or they run into him with his bodyguards, ready to punish and dispose of them accordingly. And in the rare occasions that outsiders that aren't involved in the business learn a little too much about what he gets up to behind the scenes, they have to be harshly dealt with too. He can't risk anything getting out there and ruining it all for him.

He never has no problem with getting the job done, he'll never let them never get away with it or let the chances of people trying to whack him increase if he can do anything about it. He's safer in the day for the most part but even then, he needs people to watch his back and to be cautious because people have tried to plant bombs, snipe him, jump him, you name it- at any time of day/night! He has a bunch of tales to tell about it and does so so casually like it's no big deal. He's safest in his casinos because it's hard for it to get past security but the second he steps outside, he's in possible danger but never acts like it.

People are so mad that they haven't succeeded in killing him and he loves to think of them seething while he continues to thrive with more success than they'll ever have. All the enemies he hasn't had the chance to face and deal with yet that are still roaming are criminals too, so they'd never trust police in order to grass as they don't want to risk being caught too, so they have to try to take it into their own hands but they never succeed. But the police couldn't stop him either, he always gets out of trouble with the law too.

He isn't even careful as he should be about keeping out of trouble, in fact he gets himself into even more too often due to his explosive temper. Also his tendency to make sure he's always ready and gets the first hit, after the time he was hit first unexpectedly and it resulted in him getting his gold tooth. There aren't many that know how to hold him back from lunging into a physical fight, to the point he almost gives away what he's really like in public. Yet he always manages to get away with it!

He should be highly vigilant and it would make sense for him to be very paranoid with the amount of people's hit lists he's on. He might as well be walking around with a big target on his forehead. But he genuinely isn't afraid and doesn't have to fake it, he doesn't worry and still heads out to do risky things that he could just assign to his men because he enjoys being involved and plans to be for as long as physically possible. He's prepared to face danger and it's just another part of the fun to him, it makes him feel alive.

He doesn't have time to worry with how he works and plays hard, he lives a life of luxury and he just wants to have fun as much as he can. He doesn't worry about being killed or caught, he does whatever he wants, living it up and throwing his money around because he loves to flaunt his wealth and make the most of it and he's got more than enough to burn. But he still makes smart business decisions, so he only makes tons more and doesn't have to worry about carefree splurging outside of work having harmful effects.

Part of why he doesn't take most things seriously as he should and is mostly very jolly and playful when he doesn't need to intimidate is that he doesn't really care what happens to him. People are always trying to bring up health and safety concerns but he doesn't let any of that hang over him, for better or for worse. You could say that he takes a gamble with life. XD His carelessness can be both a blessing and a curse but he's clearly gotten very lucky because he's gotten this far and been this successful, so he has no plans to change how he goes about it.

Being confident and carefree takes strength and bravery but it's all genuine. It's not easy to scare and intimidate him after all he's been through and came out of alive when others didn't, when he's had victory or escaped close shaves with death. If someone manages to surprise him, he'll make a game of it and try to flirt. It makes them back off if they're not into it, or change their tune when his charms work. And if it doesn't do either? It was worth the shot but he'll still have them dealt with and get out of it with ease. Just unfortunate if he thought the guy was hot but left him with no choice lol

His life is very eventful with trying to get advance further in his plans, keep his illegal methods and work on the side a secret, and try to stay alive when so many want him dead all at once but he likes it that way. He thinks it's worth it for all the money and success it's helped him get and he loves to be hated and infamous in those underground circles just as much as he's loved and famous on the surface to the general public eye, he loves any and all kinds of attention and it always makes him feel very special! And the more people that know him, the more business opportunities it gives him to further his goals.

His life is a game and he's winning 😎 despite how many people hate his guts and want him dead fjsngksngkdh

#casino au #dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #my post

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danteinthedevildom · 3 years

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Like ok while I'm still vibin on Simeon SSR Devilgram

The whole "Simeon falls because he loves MC" headcanon/theory is just seemin more viable by the day.

Spoilers for the card Purgatory's Pajama Party below-

So ok first of all, he waits till the lights are out to hold your hand. This is done for the sake of a hidden hotpot (y'know, kinda like that event in Stardew Valley except they turn the lights off bc there's four of you in a room so it wouldn't be very hidden otherwise), but Simeon actively took the opportunity to snag that hand the moment everyone else was busy.

And the thing is, he knows he has to be careful with it. MC actively points out (in shock) the fact that he's being bold enough to ask them with Solomon and Luke around. Even tho it's dark and he's whisperin (y'know, like it's a secret), the other Hall inhabitants are nearby. For Simeon, that's a p. bold move.

And if hand-holding is smthn he feels the need to hide..? That suggests even bein open abt his affection with MC at all is damning. Like. He's doin smthn he knows he shouldn't be doin at risk bc bein with MC is that important to him.

On top of that, tho? When it comes to MC stayin the night in someone's room, Simeon lets Luke suggest that everyone draws straws to pick who they bunk with - but then admits that he pre-planned for lots to be drawn. He had the straws on-hand at the ready for that exact decision.

So ofc you're prolly thinkin he rigged it, and ofc he did; he claims one of the straws has a red mark on it, and that whoever gets that'll be the winner, but none of them are marked. He just lets Luke and Solomon check their straws, note that they're both blank, and accepts his win without showing his straw.

He lied. He hid the truth explicitly to sequester MC away all for himself; he legit explains he didn't want MC to go with either of the other two boys. He also says he doesn't care. Gettin time alone with MC is worth lyin to his closest friends.

An angel lyin isn't, like, the worst sin in the world, maybe, but lyin out of greed? Esp. for a human's time and company? That's gotta be at least a lil bad. The fact that he's got no guilt for it, too, is p. damning on its own.

He then goes on to share the bed with MC, and playfully tells 'em to get closer. If MC does, he warns them that continuin on will mean Simeon holds them for the whole night, no take-backs. Which... y'all. I'm soft as fuck. But Simeon sayin, very seriously, that if you don't back down he'll spoon you till morning is cute af.

It's also just even more damnin. He's not just sneakin lil kisses or holdin MC's hand, or enjoyin what lil time he gets with them anymore; he's ensurin they have time together, engineerin a situation that allows them close, physical intimacy. Like. Not just a quick hug. He's cuddlin MC all night. That's more important to him than bein fair and lettin chance decide who MC got to spend time with. That's worth ignorin angelic Virtues.

Ofc if you accept his terms MC kisses him, and then he kisses MC back - and then just fuckin drops the L bomb with a very soft, tender, "I love you".

I'm p. sure he's said it before - maybe durin his Bday event? - but followin two kisses, squirrellin MC away for the night, and a promise to cuddle till dawn, this "I love you" feels a lil more loaded. This really is a whole damn declaration of love in a v. romantic setting, in private.

And there's no "you don't have to feel the same" after, either. It's just outright "I love you", as if he's hopin MC will say it back in the intimacy of the short distance between them. It feels v. much like they're in a secret relationship, which... soft as fuck, but damn that shows how far gone Simeon is for MC.

He wants to spend time together with MC, just the two of them; he says it's why he's often dreamt of MC movin into Purgatory Hall. He's aware of what bein in love with a human means, and he doesn't care. He's playin with fire by takin that risk in the dark, and he stays confident and even a lil teasin throughout.

Simeon's feelins for MC are deep. If he's that willin to risk gettin caught and to rig shit with his friends to ensure MC doesn't end up in their hands - that willin to admit his greed for their time and his envy towards time spent with the brothers - then in my mind? Simeon's already gettin close to fallin. Dangerously close.

Bc like. Idk how much OM is gonna follow actual biblical lore, y'know? But I'm p. sure one of the real big things is that angels ain't meant to fall in love bc their devotion is meant to be entirely to God. They can't choose anyone above Him; they don't have that free will. That's why humans were made and why we're given the choice to follow.

So if an angel starts to love a human more than they love God? If an angel starts to blatantly ignore the rules and sneak around in the dark to find the human they love, knowin it's wrong?

That angel ain't gonna be an angel for much longer.

Proof of the pudding is Lilith. It's arguably worse in Simeon's case, tho, bc he knows what happened with Lilith, knows the reprecussions for fallin in love - and he's decided it doesn't matter. He can't claim ignorance abt his fate if he gets found out (which is ofc why he's bein so careful).

No wonder he's scared of seein God again. He prolly knows that if he's made to choose between his Father and the human he loves, the outcome is already determined. It's not even smthn he's gotta think abt before makin up his mind.

#obey me #obey me simeon

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otp-holic · 3 years

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The one place (where something happened) (A03)

“In your life there are a few places, or maybe only the one place, where something happened, and then there are all the other places.” Alice Munro. (or the one where they receive a letter from a familiar name and we go into 4Ks of fluff around a lost afternoon in France)

4K. Lamely explicit at one point. Fanfic + Pictures Inside. Trigger for FLUFF as the main plot. Part of the Never let us lose what we have gained series (AO3)

This was supposed to be a manip with 200 words of bantering and it's now 4Ks of fluff with a few pictures. I've decided to leave them inside the cut because I feel they work better with its context there. I'm sorry for the hassle, but I really hope you give this a chance... unless you have cavities, only like fics with amazing plots or are allergic to shameless fluff.

Please do not repost the pictures, I know this is futile, but… I try :)

DAGUERROTYPE, France 1944 Private Collection.

Steve is cooling down from his very early run, enjoying the feeling of the pink sunrise looming over the awakening Brooklyn streets as he walks the last couple of blocks on the way home, when his phone beeps.

“Check your actual mailbox, we dropped something for you there. I think you should appreciate us making it old-fashioned just for you, grandpas!”

Steve smiles at Sam’s text and as soon as he arrives at their building he snaps a picture of the very common and flat envelope with “Barnes&Rogers” scribbled on top of a Stark Logo, to send along his response.

“Nice try, but this is inaccurate. A letter would have never made its way to us without an address or stamp. We’ll send you a proper thank you card to show you how it’s done.”

He can’t help but chuckle at his own joke rereading the text while he opens the door, and when he looks up from his phone and into the kitchen, he is received by a sleepy Bucky looking at the coffee machine like he looks at Steve during their most soft and embarrassingly cheesy moments.

“You love that thing more than you love me, confess it.”

“In the mornings? Yes. I don’t even like you in the mornings most of the time,” he answers matter of factly. “Want some?”

Steve playfully wiggles an eyebrow.

“No way. Your sweaty self is tempting, but coffee smells better. I might join you in the shower later.” Bucky offers him one of the two cups he has poured and he notices the envelope Steve is holding. “What is that?”

“We’ve got mail!” He hands it to Bucky. “I have no idea what's on it, but Sam texted me to say they had something delivered to our mailbox and there it was. Open it.”

Bucky leaves the cup on the counter, face sparked with a curiosity that makes him look twenty-one (and Steve weak on the knees), and goes for it.

The content is a bit underwhelming at first glance: Another envelope, white, no Stark logo, but topped with a bright green post-it with a note on Pepper’s script.

“This got to me via PR. We analyzed it and checked with the source (no peeking, I swear) and it seems legit. With that return address, it’s likely to arouse your interest. Love, P.”

Bucky tears off the post-it and the letter is revealed to be addressed to Steve Rogers at the Stark Tower, but it is when they turn it around when everything goes still for a second.

The return address is some street in Marseille, but what has Steve’s mouth dry and Bucky’s hand trembling just a bit is the combination of the place and the name written on top: Emmanuelle Jaques Dernier.

“Boom?”, Bucky says, trying to cut through their heavy hearts and taking Steve’s hand. It’s a terrible terrible joke, but Dernier would have loved it and he grins.

“That’s a terrible terrible joke,” Steve verbalizes, “but I think at least we’ve reached the same conclusion.”

“Elementary, my dear Steve,” Bucky answers as he opens the second envelope, only to reveal a folded letter and yet another envelope. “It’s a fucking vault of paper!”

Steve takes the letter from him, unfolds it, and quickly scans it (normal office paper, printed, hand-signed) before he starts reading it out loud to Bucky’s undivided attention.

“Dear Mr. Rogers,

My name is Emmanuelle Dernier and I am the great-grandson of Jaques Dernier of the Howling Commandos.

First, let me tell you that we all in our family grew up with amazing stories and praise for you, Sergeant Barnes, and the rest of the team. I never got to meet my great-grandfather or any of them (you), but I’ve always felt like I did.

In fact, that’s the ultimate reason behind this letter: I ached to honor him and I’ve been putting in order all his remaining letters, pictures, and memories so they don’t get lost forever, and there are many things I’m discovering through this journey. So many pictures and tiny details… and amongst them, you and the rest of the Commandos appear at the most random and memorable moments. Nothing that’s going to make it into history books, more like the stories my grandpa used to share with us over and over again, those important tidbits that make him more human.

Anyway, I was going through the pictures he kept when I came across some war photos that didn’t seem to match the 40s timeframe. Typical daguerreotypes from the 20s in a very bad state, probably taken with a camera from the era in 1944 and developed on a later date by somebody who clearly didn’t master the technique.

They were in a very bad state and hidden inside an envelope that said “Terribly drunk soldiers in France making idiots of ourselves in unique and creative ways. Fun evening, horrible hangover. About 20 miles west of the Maginot Line. Autumn ‘44”. I’m attaching a photocopy of that, I hope you can understand my decision to keep the original.

After restoring the daguerreotypes with some experts, all I got were five very bad pictures with silhouettes of people apparently having fun…. but there was one that got a lot better in the cleaning process that feels important somehow. I’m sending the original, as well as the restored version I got.

I, of course, don’t have the whole context, but I hope it brings back a good memory. My great-grandpa might be in the picture, but I don’t think this one belongs to my family or to a museum.

Thank you for your service, I really hope this letter finds its way to you.

E.Dernier.”

“I can’t believe… Steve, most days I’m convinced that day and that place are a figment of my imagination,” Bucky smiles, remembering. “When I think of a moment of pure joy during the war, I think about that afternoon in France, and it always feels unreal. A bubble of air and laughter while we were so surrounded by death.”

Steve nods, reminiscing about that warm and humid September morning when they arrived at yet another abandoned and destroyed little village, this one about twenty miles west of the Maginot Line. They had orders to lie low and wait for twenty-four hours before they started the maneuver to wipe another Hydra base off the map, and that little town was perfect for that.

Among bomb debris and fallen walls, they found one small building miraculously standing next to the remains of the church, so they decided to set camp under a roof for a change since the weather was being a little flickery with the rain, and they had the rare luxury of time.

The inside of the tiny house was as unusual as the outside: nothing was destroyed beyond being dusty and worn by time, and everything they found (furniture, kitchenware, and even fabrics) belonged more to Steve and Bucky’s early childhoods than to 1944, a living museum frozen in time.

Only it was not a museum, but the parish house left untouched and non-raided: old-fashioned clothes, outdated church books, yellowing clergy collars, and, of course, the wine cellar. Oh, that wine cellar… the havoc it unleashed.

“I remember the absolute excitement when Falsworth found all those bottles of old unscathed mass wine from the parish,” Steve brings his memory to words, looking at Bucky, “I’m still a little convinced that we are going to hell for drinking them.”

“Not for that, probably, but it was a wonder nobody died on the spot of wine poisoning, it tasted like sweet vinegar, ugh.”

“But it did his part, right? Took our minds off things; got us drunk, bold and silly.” Steve answers.

“Apparently not all of us,” Bucky says very seriously, looking at Steve.

“Technicalities… I got drunk by proxy. Seeing you all so happy made me giddy and tipsy, too.”

“I came and went… I remember being a little surprised at the clarity of my thoughts at some moments there when some of the guys were basically drooling on the floor. Now I understand, of course.”

Steve squeezes his hand, not much to be said there.

They were already way too drunk by the early afternoon, drinking to the sound of a sudden rainstorm pouring outside. All of them scattered across the small dusty living room and its adjoining kitchen while they went through all the bottles of wine they had been able to find. Cheering for the foregone priest every time somebody raised a glass, and laughing as if there were no ruins or war on the other side; just silly men (boys, really) laughing their hearts out.

“Earth to Steve… I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to see what the hell that envelope is hiding. Especially now that we know about its time stamp.”

“I’m sorry, me too! Gabe drunkenly handling that old camera and those glass plaques the way he did? I’m honestly impressed that he was able to take any pictures at all,” he muses. “Shit, is it weird that I’m nervous?”

“I’m gonna save us the bantering because I’m nervous, too,” Bucky answers in all sincerity. “Truth is, Steve, I remember everything about that day.”

It’s a new admission, a newly opened door for them because for some reason, they have never talked about that peaceful surreal afternoon, and Steve nods in recognition as he silently goes for the envelope one-handed, not wanting to let go of Bucky’s hand because his surface is way cooler than his wrenching insides. Maybe the picture is an overexposed french wall but maybe…

The photo he extracts from the envelope is clearly the original and damaged one Emmanuelle specified in his letter. Anybody else looking at it would see nothing beyond Dernier’s blurry profile, but since Steve and Bucky were there when this was taken, they know exactly what moment Steve is holding in his hand.

“Buck,…” is all Steve can say, struck by the blurry keepsake.

Later in the afternoon when they had already consumed most of the wine and there was not a single coherent thought left in the room, one of the guys took the parish books and besottedly announced that there was a wedding set for today… thirty years ago. Alcohol fueled a goofy idea that escalated at the speed of light, with Morita saying they were going to a wedding because they deserved a celebration, Dernier confessing that he had once considered becoming a priest, and Dum-dum bringing out all the old fashioned clothes from the wardrobe and deciding they were getting nice and clean for the festivities.

“That’s clearly Dernier in the picture killing it in his priest role, right?” Bucky says, half smiling and interrupting Steve’s thoughts. “You know, I went all-in with that fake wedding party. I was laughing to tears when I saw you put on that ridiculously long and ill-fitting jacket from the 10s, feeling weightless and silly for the first time since sailing off, and God knows we all deserved that. And it was all safe and light-hearted until fucking Morita decided you had to be the groom, and...”

“Were you jealous because I won the dashing groom competition?”

Steve’s attempt at a joke is weak, but there’s truth behind it: Morita chose Steve as the groom (“Cap, you are the most dashing and the least drunk”) to a chorus of excited voices cheering for him. Somebody else, most likely Dum-Dum, chose the rest of the roles (Sarge, best man duty; Jones, camera; Morita, keep the wine flowing; the rest of you, misbehave!) and in the blink of an eye, they were all going outside laughing under a light rain, and about to celebrate Steve’s fictional wedding to nobody.

“How could I be jealous?” Bucky cuts in. “Do you remember all you said to me that afternoon? During World War II and in front of a battalion of men?”

“I was drunk.”

“Fuck you!” Bucky disentangles his hand from Steve’s to use both of them to hold Steve’s face and kiss him with violence. “Tell me. Do you remember what you said?”

As if he could ever forget. He can recall every step he took from the house to the makeshift wedding spot amidst the trees where his best man (looking dapper even in that ludicrous jacket) was laughing along Dernier. He can still smell the petrichor, can still sense the blush coloring his cheeks while hoping nobody noticed and can still hear the beating of his heart when Bucky handed him a battered umbrella (“You don’t deserve to get rained on your wedding day, punk”) and a fucking ring made out his shoelaces (“You’ll have to buy something a little more permanent.”). And then…

“Dernier started the ceremony and he wanted to know if I had somebody in mind and I said ‘of course’.” He replays, his voice barely a whisper. “I said I’d had my eyes on a brown-haired Brooklynite since before I could remember. I said that I was pretty sure those blue eyes were set on mine too and that hopefully those eyes would be set enough to want to marry me even if I had never dared to ask.”

He’s been holding Bucky’s gaze the whole time, and he’s far from over yet, but he needs to fucking breathe before he goes on. Neither of them has moved a muscle for the past minute.

“Then he asked me to repeat the wedding vows after him and…”

“And you said Buck, right?”, Bucky interrupts, voice winded. “You fucking whispered I take you, Buck, as my lawful wedded husband till the end of the line. I heard, Steve. Even if the rest of the world didn’t, I did. But you never said anything, so I always deemed it impossible, a product of the corniest nook of my mind trying to outweigh all those bad things, because not even you could be as bold, reckless, and mushy as to do that,…it’s my fucking fault, I should have known better!”

“Not completely reckless, pal. I was scared shitless as I said those words, but what else could I do? You were right by my side about to put a ring on my finger as my “best man”, everyone, including you, supposedly drunk past recollection, and everybody else too far away to hear my whispers. It was such an easy choice in the end because truth should always win over fear. And those vows were. The truth.”

“You have always been too honest for your own good, Rogers,” Bucky is breathless and exasperated and goes for his mouth again, bringing in all he (they) couldn’t in 1944. “You destroyed me, Steve. My knees were as weak as a teenager’s in front of his first crush. I wanted to kiss you so badly when I heard you say all that there in the open… and I couldn’t even acknowledge it.”

“I know. And for what it's worth, I really thought you didn’t remember.”

It is too much. Is it normal to feel this much? Steve would blame it on the serum enhancements, but he was already overwhelmed at 16, so that’s clearly not the answer.

He craves, no, he needs touching, grounding, closer. Bucky. There’s too much space between them even if they are back to kissing like they would have that day in 44, and at any other time if their own lives wouldn’t have stolen those moments from them.

“It happened.” Bucky whimpers, biting on Steve’s lip who abandons his own stool to straddle him, both of them gasping in sync at the feeling of their cocks, hard against each other’s through their soft pants.

Bucky soon ups the stakes by carding his metal hand through Steve’s hair pulling his head backwards to help himself into that spot on his neck.

“Same two moles as when you were tiny, as when we were at that war... Your cute vampire bite. Favorite spot.” He licks on them with the tip of his tongue. Steve growls on cue and Bucky giggles. “Favorite chain reaction.”

“Buck, you cheater, you know what that does to me!” Steve cries out followed by Bucky’s evil chuckle.”Bed, couch, countertop,…I don’t care, but naked. Now. Stained pants due to heavy petting are too much of a trip down memory lane for me. Let me keep a bit of my dignity.”

Steve stands up liberating Bucky from his grip but aching at the loss of contact.

They are naked and making out in the middle of the kitchen in no time; Bucky steadily pushing him against the refrigerator while fiercely grinding against his crotch.

“Hey, ‘teve,” Bucky pants. “The way this is going, it’s my dignity now that's at risk. I don’t think I can make it further than the floor before I come.”

Steve groans into his mouth just at the thought and they start sliding to the floor the best they can until he’s a human blanket moving over Bucky. With no lube at hand, and no time, that’s their best option.

They kiss and kiss and kiss, his hands not leaving Bucky’s sweaty hair. Bucky’s hands on his ass, forcing their groins closer with one while he (almost absently) plays around his hole with the other, driving Steve crazy in the process. Dicks left to do their own thing through pressure and friction. Everything is working. And fast.

“Oh, fuck!” Bucky exclaims “Can you promise me all this stuff with the letter was real and not a long-con plan to assure your fragile masculinity that I love you more than I love that espresso machine?”

That. That silly unfunny excuse of a joke that screams Bucky all over is what pushes Steve all the way over the edge. He fucking laughs as he comes making absolutely embarrassing sounds, pressing their foreheads and noses together until it hurts, and shaking from head to toe without stoping his pressure on the stupid and smug man under him. His lover. His partner. His unofficial husband. His best friend.

His Buck.

“There’s still too much blood in your brain if you can play that dirty,” Steve states, placing one hand between them grabbing Bucky’s hard cock. “Let’s see if I can do anything about it.”

“Your hand, usually so helpful, but I was already following you after that sound you make when you come and laugh at the same time, shit, it always goes straight to my dick, I’m,…” he keeps talking with difficulty between breaths and moans until he leaves his speech unfinished coming all over Steve’s fist.

They kiss on the lips breathing into each other before Steve rolls over. They are sticky and panting in silence, spread on their kitchen’s floor, Steve’s shoulders crushed between Bucky’s and the dishwasher. Domestic bliss at its most literal.

One lavish fuck and two showers later they reemerge into the kitchen in search of something to eat: Bucky is in charge of the food today, while Steve cleans the mess they left a couple of hours ago.

He’s decluttering the counter when their damaged picture laying there puts a smile on his face but also reminds him of the restored version presumably still waiting inside the disregarded letter, so he grabs the envelope to retrieve its contents: one photocopy (from Dernier’s original writing), and the promised photo.

And it is restored. Everything is clear where it was blurry before: Dernier (so deep into his priest impersonation that he’s not even looking at them), the trees, the battered umbrella, the ridiculous jackets… and them.

“You had the nerve to call me reckless and mushy, Buck?” Steve laughs as he stares at the picture where a very young Bucky is about to put a ring on his finger with the least subtle lovestruck expression he’s ever seen (“and it’s for you”, his brain proudly reminds him) “Wow, you might as well be kissing me there, anything would be more subtle than this!”

“Don’t shame me, you punk, especially not when you were the one responsible for breaking my brain back then!” Bucky answers coming from behind and stealing the picture from his hands to scrutinize it. Goofy grin and raging blush quickly taking over his face. “But you’re one to talk, Cap. You are gazing at that shoelace’s ring as if I were handing you a diamond tiara!”

Steve laughs softly at that and moves his right hand to his pocket, feeling the weight of the little compass he had retrieved earlier from one of his drawers. He used to carry it with him everywhere for comfort, but he has a better option now.

“Didn't you know that shoelaces are forever?” He asks, taking the compass out of his pocket and holding it in both hands as he opens it, nudging Bucky with his elbow to get his attention.

Bucky is confused for an instant while he looks at his young face staring at them from inside the little box. Of course he knew that (he made fun of Steve for days and days) but Steve detects the change in his expression when he notices the other thing.

“Wow, you gigantic sap,” Bucky says, taking the compass out of his hands to double-check he is seeing what he thinks he’s seeing. “You saved my shoelace.”

He had. While they were all celebrating his wedding under the rain dancing to no music, he quietly slipped the little string off his finger and tied it to the most secure place he had back then.

“It’s not a shoelace, you jerk, it’s a symbol. A declaration.” He laughs, stealing the compass back to safely pocket it again.

“You are delusional,” Bucky snorts, kissing the top of his head. But he’s widely smiling and lost in thought as he goes back to their sandwiches.

Steve stays on the spot enjoying the peace in their silent companionship, his focus on the latest news showing up on his phone, the text he’s writing to Sam and the comforting sounds of Bucky moving around the kitchen.

“You might have married me, but I never actually married you.” Bucky blurts out of the blue a bit later, sitting by his side as he hands him a plate with a sandwich and some grilled greens on it. “Do you want mayo with that?”

“Uh?” Steve forgets all about the news and the text and looks at Bucky in confusion.

“Mayo, do you want some?” Bucky repeats nonchalantly.

“No mayo, thank you; but I was actually more interested in the other part, you know, that thing about marriage?”

Bucky looks him in the eye: earnest, blushing and with the same look of smug adoration he had on the picture.

“Oh, that part.” He jokes. “You apparently married me in 1944, but I never married you back. And I would like to.”

“Marry me?” Steve asks and Bucky visibly nods.

“I’m sorry for throwing the idea at you like this, books tell me I'm supposed to have candles, music, and a ring, but you showed me that restored picture and I couldn't stop thinking about it, about proof,” Bucky speaks uncharacteristically slow and very softly, voice trembling here and there while he claps his hand with Steve’s finger by finger for reassurance and as a distraction. “A single photo had the power to transform a moment that existed just as a made-up happy place inside my mind into something tangible and real. Something that would be tangible and real for anybody getting a hold on it and looking at our stupid faces.”

“So stealthy,” Steve says, and they both laugh together.

“Proof, Steve. I was slicing tomatoes and thinking how there’s so much evidence, thousands of files! out there proving that all the stuff that fuels my nightmares were real, but nothing solid about this. Us.” Bucky stops for a moment collecting his thoughts, still smiling even with the heavy subject he just dropped into the mix. “Sorry, I believe I put more time into these sandwiches than into thinking this all the way through so I’m…”

“Take your time, we’ve gone from mayo to marriage to nightmares in five minutes so don’t worry, you have me hooked here.”

Steve makes Bucky laugh again as he intended, and he feels their calloused laced fingers immediately squeezing closer.

“It’s stupid because it doesn’t change anything for us but,.. I don’t fucking know, Steve, I think that picture has messed up with my mind! I instantly found comfort in the idea of people finding facts beyond the nightmares now or in the future. An easy to understand, universal and oversimplified proof of how much I loved you and how much I was loved in return.” Bucky takes a breath and stares at him sporting a million-watt smile. “Marrying you,… I would really love that. And for real this time.”

“Ok, Buck.” Steve instantly replies, eagerness winning over thoughtful and heartfelt declarations. He tightens the grip on their joined hands to drive them to his lips and seals the easiest answer he’s ever had to give.

And it's done!Sorry for the cavities, for going on with the fic when it should have ended and for ending it where it might have had to keep going. It was painful and fun. I'm free!

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urfutureuwu · 3 years

Text

Ultra Violence —

“[…] I learned the guy I’m after is thorough, methodical, and smart enough to cover his tracks.” “And he probably does all the goofy stuff so nobody takes him seriously as a threat.” “Exactly. He wears a mask to hide his face, but the performance is the real disguise.” Aiden and Jackson Pearce, WD: Legion: Bloodline Campaign

Where do I begin with this rant, let’s start at the beginning, I guess?

Wrench is weird, we all know that by now, if you’ve somehow missed this, I’m sorry dude. He’s weird. He memes during serious situations. His favorite show is a goat version of My Little Pony. (When asked about this, he says that goats have ‘horns’ and he’s ‘horny. get it?’) He has a weird relationship with technology, to the point where he anthropomorphizes it. He masturbates in front of his laptop camera, daring someone to hack it. He’s zoophobic and will cry about dolphins being rapists. He tries to learn how to hack colonoscopy cameras just because. His robot designs are excessive to say the least, with too many spikes, faces, and an aesthetic that’s purely him, a mismash of punk rock and cyberpunk.

But he’s also incredibly dangerous, and always has been. Take this scene from the beginning of WD2 for example:

“He’s got a gun. Is that a problem?” “Problems are why you keep me around, right?” Josh Sauchak & Wrench, WD 2

He’s not only the inventor of a lot of the mechanisms DedSec uses, but he’s their problem solver, their very own soft version of a Fixer. He’s not out there killing people (not directly, but I refuse to believe he hasn’t indirectly.), but he is out there solving some of their more unique and violence-themed problems. More evidence of this is in one of Horatio’s files in the Hacker Space.

“The Wrench... Man... What to say about this guy? Some freaky shit going on right there. I'd like to say he's actually a sensitive, charming guy beneath the harsh exterior, but I'm pretty sure he's a "fucked up motherfucker" all the way through. I don't even know who first recruited him, he just started showing up at local hackerspaces and building his "tools of destruction". At first, I thought he was trying too hard... Like he was an FBI plant or something... But no agent's going to pull the kind of suicidal stunts this guy does. I think the truth is... Wrench doesn't care if he dies, but he's not going quietly. Even so... I'm glad we've got the Wrench on our side. One of the group's biggest problems is a lack of GSD... Gettin' Shit Done. The Wrench is pure GSD and he brings his own sledgehammer. He's not some dumb thug, either... I've seen some of his code - he's legit. Probably why he's interested in DedSec and not some street gang. You know what, I take that back. He might actually belong to a street gang. Who knows. One thing I do know about Wrench... The man hates Blume. I mean HATES them. I can't get the "why" from him. It's obvious he wears the mask to avoid the facial recognition, but what's he hiding FROM? He's not saying.”

Horatio doesn’t know where he came from, what his name is, or what his deal is, just that he’s useful. He’s aggressive and believes in their cause. As the Ubisoft description of him says:

Dedsec follows a charge, and this guy charges full-steam ahead. They jokingly call him “The Wrench” because he’s the wrench you throw into somebody’s gears to grind them to a halt. It’s easy to get swept up with him in an operation that’s out of control and while you’re scrambling to make things work, he’s having the time of his life. He shows up for the tough operations and is willing to go the extra mile where the others might hesitate. He’s on the front lines kicking police. He might actually be the arsonist on the news that the cops haven’t caught yet. If the media wanted to sell a reason to fear DedSec, he’d be a great reason.

He’s fucking violent as shit. He’s an arsonist. He is a very good reason not to like DedSec, or any cause he believes in. He’s a self-proclaimed anarchist. He excels at breaking anything in his way. Code, the law, the system, assholes, anything and everything, he’s willing to break down if it gets between him and his goal, usually with a fucking sledgehammer.

Furthermore, the FBI has extensive files on him. He’s been on their radar for apparently a while, so much so that they’ve dedicated time and resources to find out even where in the States he’s from.

“The subject is remarkable in that he wears a mask at all times. The mask prevents our facial recognition software from determining his identity. We have also run several vocal passes, the results are indeterminate to his region and upbringing.” FBI File Audio Log 1, Watch_Dogs 2

They’ve been aware of this little shit since before he joined DedSec and now that he has a cause and focus? They’re more afraid of him than they had been before.

“Previous to his DedSec involvement, the subject known as Wrench mostly pursued cyber-attacks of dubious humanistic value. Changing website text to verbiage, often using bathroom humor. This sort of adolescent acting-out has transformed as he has become more deeply involved in DedSec. He now operates within a team, generally pursuing either corporate or political targets. The subject is considered dangerous.“ FBI File Audio Log 2, Watch_Dogs 2

Wrench is easily one of the most volatile characters in the game. He’s no Aiden Pearce or Jordi Chin, but that’s only because he hasn’t been directed into the Fixer lifestyle yet, and even without that, he’s still a fucking terror. He takes a grenade launchers to missions, he swings his sledgehammer around like it’s nothing, he can make explosives out or scraps he finds in a garage. He’s knowledgeable about robotics, hacking, explosives and god knows what other kinds of bullshit.

And this isn’t even touching what he does in his later years, after he ‘un-retires.’ He bombs a fucking private military installation. People fucking die. And you know why he does it? To get back at a business partner that crossed him. He claims to save people from the dude’s greed, but it’s revenge when you get down to it, and the only fucking reason he doesn’t kill the guy is because Jackson and Aiden remind him that he’s better than that. (Hint: He’s not. But he’ll pretend if it makes them feel better.)

Wrench plays a lot of games. He’s jovial and friendly. He makes jokes and looks pathetic at times, but he’s still a dangerous man, as evidenced by the fact that he lies to & double crosses Aiden fucking Pearce (someone you do not want to piss off) and does it so eloquently and smoothly that you don’t even realize what he’s done until it’s too late.

I guess what I’m getting at is this: Wrench baby talks machines, he has a pinup of a goat-girl in his safehouse, he betrays and lies to the face of the famous hacker/fixer/murderer Aiden Pearce, he hits on Jordi Chin despite the fact that Jordi threatens to have him murdered (& Jordi can) and yeah, he’s a bit pathetic looking, but he’s dangerous and fearless. He knows how to use his weaknesses against people. He knows how to make people uncomfortable enough to be off guard with a few comments. He’s manipulative and hot headed and really not the kind of person you want to cross.

Oh, and he beat the shit out of Aiden Pearce in a fight and nearly (accidentally) killed him with a fucking stun grenade.

He’s not someone you want to fuck with.

#PERSONAL BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS POST #wrench ━ headcanons #oooh a rant :3 now for bed #word count without quotes: 758

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kanmom51 · 3 years

Note

Ok, this might be a bit controversial but even though I side eye many "jeonlous" moments on yt or other media because they literally just zoom in on jk's impassive face, I have seen some that seem legit. I think there is some truth behind it all, meaning that it is possible that jk is a bit possessive, especially when it comes to minimoni or even Taemin for some reason. I mean, he has said he had trouble sharing and it is not difficult to imagine this would also apply to his relationships.

This is not to say that he thinks Namjoon or any of the other members are a threat to his relationship with Jimin because that would be ridiculous. It's just that maybe sometimes he doesn't like some of their skinship (for whatever reasons we don't know) and the rest of bts is probably aware of it. I mean, that clip you reblogged where Jimin sneakily looks at jk and then proceeds to touch namjoon's thigh doesn't have many other explanations. He probably knew what he was doing 😂 There is also that part of their live post billboard 2017 where something was going on with jikook and namjoon.

Actually, I think this is true for both jk and jm, even if it is less obvious/frequent. Maybe I'm crazy but I got the same kind of vibe from Jimin in the black swan mv behind when jk was hanging off of tae.

I don't mean to imply they are toxic or anything but they are young adults and while some telenovela like narratives going around are just insane, i don't think it is fair to assume that their relationship is perfect and that they don't do things that annoy each other or that they don't have behaviors that aren't exactly ideal or 100% healthy. Especially because problems are bound to rise if they are a couple but constantly have to act as if they weren't because their relationship is not public.

I know you are really open minded so I would love to read your thoughts on this 💜

Where do I start here?

Controversial is good. I like me a good controversy once in a while, as long a it’s not offensive. It makes for good discussion.

No, I do not believe and definitely don’t like the Jeonolous narrative out there. It makes for fun YT content, but it’s toxic and paints JK as this possessive ass, which I don’t think he is.

I have addressed this in the past, and said that I don’t believe in this narrative, but on the other hand I do see JK and JM as human beings, and as such, not perfect and prone to natural human behaviour and reactions.

Even those who are not prone to jealousy, that are in the best of relationships, can get jealous once in a while.

Another thing we need to remember is that what we spot as jealous can be something other than the obvious possessive jealousy we automatically tend to associate that word with. It could be something like annoyance or discomfort in a situation.

The dictionary definition of ‘jealous’ is:

feeling or showing an envious resentment of someone or their achievements, possessions, or perceived advantages.

feeling or showing a resentful suspicion that one's partner is attracted to or involved with someone else.

fiercely protective of one's rights or possessions.

As you can see, what we call as jealousy can contain within it several meanings. There is possessive jealousy. There is jealous of one other’s advantage, such as their connection with someone else. There is jealous not of the connection with the other, but the ability to showcase that connection (being able to be free with the other, while you have to hide your own connection), and there is what I call the classic jealousy, when there is a suspicion your partner is attracted to someone else.

With all those there is also a spectrum of levels of jealousy, from low level jealousy to toxic jealousy.

JM & JK’s relationship doesn’t live in a vacuum. If we believe they are in a loving gay relationship, well they are living that relationship while being K-pop idols in SK, a highly traditional society. They are in an environment you are not supposed to have a romantic relationship, let alone an unthinkable ‘gay’ relationship. So, showcasing such a relationship, for them, is problematic, and could be dangerous, to their careers and even their own personal safety. It can be detrimental not only to themselves, but to the band and all the members. So, as a whole, they have to hide it. And that in itself can also be a point of friction.

Another thing to point out is that jealousy can also be a facet of insecurity, in yourself and/or in your relationship. The stronger the relationship, the more secure you are in your connection, the less jealous you will be. I think that this is something to take into consideration when we look at JM & JK, especially in the early years.

Also, not every time that JK pokes his cheeks with his tongue does it mean he’s jealous or angry. Not every behaviour should be interpreted as jealously.

Saying all that, I have seen several occasions that stood out to me, and I find hard to explain.

The 4th July 2015 fan meeting incident is one of them. The way JK reacted to RM taking a hold of JM was not only jealous behaviour but it was such an extreme reaction and effected JK’s behaviour with the fans as well, which was really unprofessional, and uncharacteristic.

Same vibe but not as extreme was JK during BTS Bomb after KBS music bank 1st place 9 May 2015. moody JK when he’s eyeing Jimin interacting with Hobi and Jin, also the way JK averts his eyes when Jimin looks his way. He’s not happy. Mood changes when Jimin pays him attention pulling him by his shirt.

Both of these were, at least as far as I am concerned, before JM & JK’s relationship progressed into something ‘more’. This could be a kind of ‘I want that’ or ‘why are you giving him attention and not me’ jealousy. Whatever it was, it was a clear reaction to JM’s interactions with another member of the band.

Another one I think about was 3rd April 2017 – BTS Front row live entertainment interview.

This one intrigues me. I watched and re-watched the full interview several times, and for the life of me I can’t see what happened there between JM and Hobi that triggered JK’s reaction? JM’s placating look at JK, like telling him nothing happened… this one is used a lot to create the JK jealous narrative, and to be honest, I really don’t know what happened there. When JK turns back, JM looks into the camera with an uneasy gaze. Something was going on there, no idea what it was. Was it jealousy? Was it something else between them? Idk, but it was a curious moment.

The issues JK has with Taemin. We do know that something happened between JK & JM the night JM performed with Taemin (if it had to do with Taemin we don’t know).

We have also seen JK’s reactions to Taemin & Jimin together. I do think there is a dislike there, it can stem from jealousy, but it can also stem from simple dislike of the man. We have no way of knowing. It’s kind of who came first, the chicken or the egg.

The clip I reblogged, and that you mentioned anon, is something else to me. Yes, JK’s reaction is of uneasiness, even anger, but the feel I get here is that this is a JM kind of teaching moment, and JK reacting to that. It feels like JM wants to teach him a lesson for some reason, and JK crossing his arms and look at JM kind of radiates anger more than jealousy to me. The way JM stretches out his hands, the look on his face before he puts his hands on RM’s thigh, the way he looks back before and after to make sure JK is looking. He was there to teach him a lesson. That was my impression. We have no idea what happened before or after. We have no idea why JM decided to do this, but JK’s reaction to me was more pissed off than jealous. That’s the vibe I got.

I have seen JM reacting in a manor that looks like jealousy on occasions. The one I can think about is the Vlive where JK is sitting in front of Tae, JM on the other side of the table, and Tae is using JK as his play thing. The way JM looks at them, the way he storms out the second the live ends, the way Tae pipes up immediately, looking like he’s off to follow JM. They all paint a jealous or angry reaction.

JM was clearly bothered but I don’t think of this as JM being jealous of Tae & JK. I think the bond between those three is strong enough. Again, this was one of those questionable moments.

Bottom line –

JK & JM are human beings, and as such exhibit normal human behaviour.

Jealousy can be considered as a normal human behaviour, and can also be seen in healthy relationships, as long as it doesn’t become toxic, obsessive, overbearing or controlling. I will even go so far as to say that there are those who thrive on jealousy. Jealousy is a way for them to feel their partner loves them, a way to get reinforcement that they are wanted/loved. Again, this is something that can turn toxic, but not always.

Jealousy has different facets. You can be jealous of someone, jealous for someone.

Do JK or JM sometimes show jealous behaviour. Seemingly they do once in a while.

Does that make one or either of them jealous monsters? Does that make their relationship possessive or toxic?

By no means what so ever!!!!!

It’s natural, it’s human, they are human. Their relationship has ups and downs. It holds a beautiful bond filled with love and care, but also may hold insecurities and arguments and everything a normal relationship between two human beings will hold.

We just need to give them a break.

It’s ok to ‘analyze’ behaviours, but it’s not ok to demonize either one of them. See the behaviour, talk about it, but also remember we only see part of the picture, the edited version of what is going on between the two.

And first and utmost remember they are human beings, just like the rest of us. Don’t hold them up to ridiculous standards because they are ‘idols’.

#ask #anon #Jungkook #Jimin #JM #JK #Jikook #stop the Jeonolous narrative #Don't hold JK & JM up to ridiculous standards #JK & JM are only human #Stop demonizing JM & JK

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