#& then was like. no maybe thats to be expected

[so-otterly-jaded]

Queer spaces aren't safe or inclusive as long as there's a purity test. If you have to be "queer enough" or a "certain type" of queer, then it's a space catering to something specific, probably more specific than people in that space are comfortable admitting to. Go ahead and have your groups and stuff, but recognize that shit, because unless you do you're not going to be making any spaces genuinely inclusive. So yeah, if your allyship ends somewhere before sex/romance end, you're not really getting it.

When it comes to asexual allyship a lot of people wanna have their cake and eat it too (pun unintended). People like a lil 'aces are valid' moment but don't actually unpack compulsory sexuality. People see sexless queer representation and always clock puritanism before they ever clock asexuality. No one's actually reading the ace theory and texts coming out. Everyone keeps doing surprised Pikachu faces whenever a conservative or TERF says they're against asexuality despite the fact ace activists have been saying since day conservatives are not anti sex but anti sexual autonomy. 'Aces are queer' until we actually are. Even ace support posts keep ending with some expectation or condition that asexuality is #valid as long as asexuals still perform a small quota of sex/sexual activity. I'm so over 'Aces still have sex!' 'Aces are hot' Aces are sexy' 'Aces aren't virgin vanilla prude sexless puritans!' disguised as support.

Like no. Sorry. Until you accept that some asexual people's no is permanent, that some asexual's singleness is permanent, that some asexual's childless-ness is permanent, that some asexuals are the 'no' in little to no sexual attraction and i'd say most importantly, that queer sexlessness isn't a biological, social or moral failing, I don't believe you'll ever genuinely support asexuality. (In reverse, I also feel similar about aromanticism and romance).

Like a lot of u haven't gone beyond 'the a isn't for ally' and it shows. I don't want people to support asexuals just because we're soooo hot or because we write the best smut apparently or because we could have hypothetical sex or because we could do hypothetical kink or because our minds are soooo dirty actually or because we'd do romance reallllyyyy well or because we can still have kids or because asexuals hand out water bottles at the orgy or some shit. I want people to support asexuality because no sexuality is deviant and it's basic human decency.

EDIT: U lot really like this post huh. Well it's blown up again and the point's been lost so let's wrap that up:

'But op, some asexuals DO have sex/I'm an acespec that has sex/I'm a non asexual person what about meeee :(' pt 2, pt 3

'There's asexual studies OP??/Where's the asexual studies OP?'

[thepitlanepress]

I DON'T LIKE IT –

↳ lando norris + bestfriend!reader

⌗ :: masterlist

⌗ :: a/n: im actually in a lando phase (maybe its bc i f1 is gone for months) but its effecting me so much so im blessing you all with JEALOUS/POSSESSIVE LANDOOOO AHHEHE. merry christmas my lovelies <33 (also if this is bad im sorry i was extremely tired when i wrote this lol)

usually you don't like going out with lando. the clubs, partying, drinking it wasn't exactly your scene.

so when he insists you come out with him to celebrate the constructors championship, you can't exactly say no. hence, the short fitting black dress, and nicely done, hair and makeup that you've put on. when you go out, you go out, it just doesn't happen very often.

"are you nearly done?" lando's voice calls out from the living room as he waits for you.

"yeah, i'm coming now," you call back, walking down the stairs and mentally preparing yourself to talk and interact with people.

you grab the car keys off the small table in the hallway and make your way into the living room your footsteps announcing your presence to lando, he turns around and slightly falters in his movements when he sees you.

"uh, wow, okay," he says looking you up and down slowly, his eyes raking over your body.

"what?" your brows bunch and you look down at your outfit. "i thought it looked good, is there something wrong?"

"uh... no, no, you look amazing, i just wasn't expecting you to look so nic-"

"you weren't expecting me to look nice?" you raise your voice playfully.

"no, no, no i- uh- no- look... shit," lando mutters looking down and shaking his head. "you look amazing, seriously. i just forgot how well you can pull off a black dress."

you smile, and chuck the keys towards him, "i can pull off anything lando norris, even you. and that's not something everybody can do." you wink and walk back out through the hallway to the car.

"you can pull off me?"

"yeah, not every girl can have lando norris on her arm and still be the centre of attention. there are perks to being your best friend you know."

"and there are perks to being yours," lando says unlocking the car and sliding into the drivers seat. you feel the safest when he's driving, always trusting him when he's behind the wheel.

"oh really?" you ask looking over at him. "like what?"

"you," he murmurs backing out of the driveway. you don't hear him though, too distracted by a text you received from your sister.

–––

he didn't like it, you could tell. was it the murderous looks he was sending in the direction of the guy's - who's name you've already forgotten - or was it the looks he was sending you, heated and something else? both probably.

he wasn't even focused on the crowd around him dancing and drinking their nights away.

when the guy started getting too handsy that is when you felt lando's hand wrap around your waist and causing butterflies to erupt in your stomach - which you promptly ignored.

"leave her alone, mate. she's mine," lando's voice comes out harsh his anger directed towards the man who steps back apologising - typical of him to only step back when another man steps in.

"oh sorry, i didn't know," he slurs and walks off, most likely to go puke in some poor person's handbag.

you're about to spin around in lando's arms and thank him for rescuing you but you stop short at the expression on his face. "what?" you look down at your outfit. "is it the same thing from earlier? what's wrong?"

"i don't like it."

"don't like what?" you ask furrowing your brows.

"when other people touch you," he responds quietly his voice low and tempting. thats new.

"oh," you reply slightly dumbfounded. in all your years of knowing lando norris you've always had hidden feelings for him, sure there were points when said feelings were buried deep deep down, but they were always there.

and you always thought they were never reciprocated but they way lando is looking at you right now is... something new. something you like... a lot.

"i don't like people thinking they can just touch you. they can't. because you're mine not theirs. you're my best friend. you're my person. you're not theirs to touch or hold or flirt with, because you're mine."

his arms tighten around your waist as if he's expecting you to run away at any moment.

"oh my," you breathe. "i don't know what to say."

"tell me you feel the same way, tell me that i can be yours, because you're mine, and i'm not letting you go anytime soon."

"possessive are we?" you chuckle trying to diffuse the tension because he's probably drunk, he's going to wake up in the morning and apologise about this insisting he doesn't know what he was talking about and how sorry he was.

its happened so many times before.

your heart gets crushed every time. so you don't go out with him to avoid it.

but tonight this feels different.

"i haven't had a sip of alcohol tonight, this is the most clearheaded i've ever been in a long time... please talk to me."

"lando," you whisper. your heart is teetering on the edge of being shattered to pieces and finally telling the truth. you're walking a thin line between the two hoping to fall on the right side. "i don't want this to be like those other times when you wake up in the morning apologising for what you say."

"i never meant those apologies. i remember all those nights, i lied," he breathes swaying with you to the music. "i freaked out in the morning because you would always want to talk about what happened, and your face was always so distrusting so i shut it down pretending i didn't know what happened."

"really?" you're tilting on the line, swaying from side to side waiting for the words that are going to make or break you.

"really. i've been in love with you ever since the day you stopped to pick a flower that reminded you of me."

"lando," you give him a look. "that was like the second time we met."

"and i've been yours ever since." he smiles at you, his eyes filled with clear adoration, which quickly turns to a pissed off look when someone steps up behind you and asks for a dance. "piss off mate, we're clearly talking."

you smile and don't even bother to look back at the man, everything you've ever wanted is standing in front of you and offering himself on a platter for you. and you're tired, so tired of staying on the ledge between friends and more,

so you take the leap.

pulling him imperceptibly closer you wrap your arms around his neck and hug him tightly whispering in his ear, "i'm yours too."

you can physically feel his body relax and mold around yours - a perfect fit of course.

if you fall, it will hurt for sure, but this moment, right now; flying with him, together, will be worth it if you do.

2024 © thepitlanepress | please do not steal, use, translate or repost any of my works

[perseephoneee]

sugar & spice [ficmas day 13] [bucky barnes x afab!reader]

↳ masterlist ↳ ship exchange ↳ taglist ↳ ficmas 2024

author's note: this is super late bc i drove home for the holidays today!! also i was watching SNL and got distracted

playlist:

christmas in hollis -- run dmc

thats christmas to me -- pentatonix

if we make it through december -- phoebe bridgers

Living next to the Winter Soldier was usually peaceful but sometimes awful. 

He had moved recently to St. Bernard Parish only a few months ago. You remember seeing all the drama with John Walker on the news, and Sam Wilson, aka “The Falcon,” stepping into the role of Captain America. You knew Sam was from the area, but you never expected his best friend to move in so close by. Let alone next to you. 

Most times, you don’t see him at all. Bucky tends to hide or only go out on errands. You’ll exchange a nod, maybe an awkward smile. You think to yourself that he’s incredibly handsome, even amidst the awkwardness. Maybe you would invite him out if you had more confidence. 

The first time you had a real conversation with him was in the apartment complex’s laundry room. Your cat had knocked over a glass of red wine all over your comforter, and you were sitting down there with spot remover cursing to yourself, trying to remove it. Additionally, the washer and dryer were ancient and didn’t want to accommodate something of your comforter size. You had attempted to smush it down to as small as possible, but the stupid machine wouldn’t turn on, and you were afraid of it exploding if you tried to put more detergent in. 

Bucky had come into the space at that moment. 

You never really knew what to do around him. He was this badass, sexy super soldier, and you were a nursing student who liked $6 wine. You guys did not operate in the same circuit. 

“Everything alright?” he asked. His voice was slightly raspy in a way you liked. 

“Washer,” you pointed to the offending object. He nodded like he understood. He probably did. He lived in the building. Bucky walked over and looked at the machine, shaking it a little like it would dislodge its problems. He tried pushing a bunch of buttons, but all it did was make the machine gurgle. You were too late to tell him to stop pressing things when your fear of bubbles exploding out of the machine was made a reality. 

Soapy water leaked out of the machine, covering you both in bubbles. By the time you found a way to shut off the machine, you were both wet and squeaky. Bucky looked mortified.

“I-I don’t know much about technology,” he apologized, red tinging his cheeks. You couldn’t help but burst out in laughter, which just made him confused. 

“This is ridiculous,” you laughed. Bucky chuckled until both of you stood there, trying to hold in laughter while covered in bubbles. The building manager came in a moment later and yelled at you both. 

Now, you had a tentative friendship with the Winter Soldier. Sometimes, you guys would go on morning runs or grab a coffee. One time, Bucky had you over to watch a sports game. You didn’t care much for sports but recognized it was him trying to be friendly, so you said yes. You guys made nachos for the big event. 

With Christmas around the corner, you were still trying to think of what you could get Bucky. He didn’t share much information about himself. Plus, you had a budget to work with. You were debating knitting him something but worried he would hate it. A knock on the door disturbed your thoughts. 

Bucky greeted you with a card in hand. 

“Hey, Barnes,” you smiled, leaning against the door frame. 

“Sam invited us to Delacroix for a Christmas gathering,” Bucky shrugged, handing you the invitation. You smiled at the family photo. 

“Sounds fun.”

“I’m not good with people.”

“Sure you are, I’ve heard stories of the infamous Uncle Bucky,” you chuckled. Sam had once shown you photos of his nephews hanging off Bucky’s arm. 

“That was a one-time experience,” Bucky said matter-of-factly. He had a hint of a smile on his lips, though. He shifted on his feet. “Are you busy today?”

“Not really.”

“I need to go holiday shopping…. I want to get something for the Wilsons,” Bucky sighed. He sounded stressed, and you got the sense that it had been a while since he’d had to think of gifts. You thought it was cute. 

“I’ll go shopping with you, Buck,” you grinned. “Let me grab a jacket.”

Bucky had seen in the paper an ad for a Christmas market in New Orleans, which is where you guys decided to head. You had a car and were able to drive you both into the city after relentlessly teasing him for still using the paper to find events. 

You didn’t live in the French Quarter for a myriad of reasons, and it being too expensive is one of them. But it was very pretty during this time of year. The market was covered in fake snow and twinkling lights, the smell of evergreen permeating the air. You ordered some mulled wine for the both of you, burning your tongue in your eagerness to sip the drink. You helped Bucky buy some things for Sam and his nephews. At some point, you snapped a picture of him comparing two different stuffed animals; his look of determination was absolutely adorable. You grabbed some things for your family, and while thinking of your Mom, you ended up at one of the jewelry booths. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it? Fresh pearl, right off in Olympia, Washington,” the seller crooned, pointing to a delicate necklace you were looking at. There was a delicate gemstone in the center. It seemed to be twinkling at you. 

It was a pretty penny, but you wanted to do something for your Mom, who singlehandedly helped you through nursing school. You fished out the money from your wallet and opted to get it wrapped, too. 

“That’s pretty,” Bucky said from behind you. He had a bag from the hot sauce stand and was just now seeing what you were getting. 

“It’s for my Mom, as a thank you,” you shrugged. You said thank you as you took the necklace from the seller. You paused, sniffing the air. “Do you smell schnitzel?”

You dragged Bucky to the German food booth and excitedly ordered both pork schnitzel plates with a side of potatoes. You didn’t realize how starving you were. Bucky looked concerned as you inhaled everything. 

“You eat like the men I served with.”

“I eat with an aura of awesomeness?” you retorted, shoveling more potatoes. He laughed. 

“Sure.”

“I feel you don’t have faith in my superior abilities, Barnes.”

“I rarely do.”

You were about to respond, something well thought out and clever like always, when someone jostled you walking by. You turned to call out to them to watch where they were going when you saw a familiar bag in their hands. You stood up immediately, Bucky following your line of sight. 

“They took my bag! That has my Mom’s gift in it!” you cried out. People looked at you in bewilderment, your assailant sprinting in the crowd and knocking people out of the way. 

“Y/N, wait!” Bucky yelled as you took off after him. You weren’t an athlete, but you could pick up speed when necessary. You felt like you were in a game of Temple Run as you dodged people and objects while moving after him. Bucky caught up to you easily, not even breaking a sweat. He surpassed you quickly, grabbing the guy from the back of his jacket and throwing him down. You gasped at how quickly he moved. Bucky held him down while he checked for your bag. He looked up to you in alarm. “He doesn’t have it.”

“I saw him take it,” you gasped. 

“He must’ve passed it off to someone in the crowd,” Bucky cursed. The guy was crying underneath him, and he let him go. He basically kicked him to the side. You scanned the crowd, noticing a similar get-up from a guy to your left. You nudged Bucky’s arms, pointing him out. He nodded at you before stalking his way towards him. Even in his movements, he seemed completely still. You weren’t surprised to know that he was one of the scariest assassins. 

You both followed the guy onto a quieter street from the market. Unfortunately, that’s when the rest of his accomplices came out to greet you. While you were confident that Bucky could get out of this situation, you were unsure about your own abilities. 

You didn’t even have a chance to fight back when someone grabbed you from behind, pressing a sweet-smelling cloth to your nose, lulling you into unconsciousness. 

You were awoken by a bright spotlight. 

Akin to a bad interrogation scene, you sat up and groaned. You were tied to a chair. Bucky was next to you, looking bored. Or at least feigning boredom. The gang of guys were standing around you, looking smug. 

“Well, well, well, look at what the cat dragged in,” one of them said, sounding smug. 

“Aren’t you the cat?” you groaned. One of the other guys slapped you, Bucky growling at the motion. 

“Keep your mouth shut, this isn’t about you.”

“Then why kidnap me?”

“Y/N, shut up,” Bucky hissed. 

“I become annoying when I’m nervous,” you shrugged, the sting from your cheek starting to fade. The guy had a fairly weak slap. You spied your bag out of the corner of your eye, in the back near the door. You kissed your teeth. 

“What do you want?” Bucky asked. You wondered why he hadn’t broken out yet. 

“We want your privileged ass off our turf,” one of the guys called out. “Avengers aren’t welcome here. Not after the Blip.”

You thought that was a dumb reason but neglected to comment. 

“We were just about to leave; we were just doing holiday shopping,” Bucky said, tone even. 

“Oh, yes, sugar and spice. I’d love to have some of that sugar if you get my drift,” the main guy said, leering at you. You considered spitting on him, but Bucky’s hard expression was enough to cause a few of them to back off. He glanced at you, nodding at the door. You thought he was talking about your bags, and you nodded back. 

“You guys are barely passable villains, and I have better things to do,” Bucky sighed, snapping out of his restraints immediately and standing up. The other guys jumped into action, and that's how you got to see the Winter Soldier in true form. Even still, you knew he was holding back. He didn’t need full strength for these goons. 

You shuffled in your chair, trying to tip forward slightly. You had seen this once in a movie and thought of trying it now (everything is accurate in movies). You pushed back, landing with a hard crack on the back of the chair. The back part cracked, allowing you to wiggle out of your ties with ease. You got up off the ground, making a sprint towards the exit. Bucky caught up with you a second later. The guns started firing a moment after that. 

“Go!” Bucky yelled, basically dragging you behind him as you guys sprinted out of wherever you were. You followed behind him uselessly until he felt you were far enough away to catch your breath. You sat on the curb of the sidewalk, panting. Bucky put your bags on the ground next to you. 

“You remembered,” you sighed happily. Bucky sat down next to you. 

“Least I could do.”

“I’m sorry I got you caught up in that for a stupid present.”

“Those guys were idiots; it made my week to beat them up,” Bucky smiled. You knew he was trying to make you feel better, but you couldn’t help but think there was a shred of truth. 

“I still feel bad.”

“Don’t,” Bucky leaned against his knee. “Nothing with you is bad.”

You felt your cheeks heat, and you hoped Bucky didn’t notice. Adrenaline still coursed through you, your brain going a hundred directions a minute. You leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, making him go still. 

“Thanks for saving my life.”

Bucky smiled. 

“I think you saved your own.”

You both went home after that, Bucky hesitantly leaving you by yourself. Like he was afraid, something would happen. You didn’t realize until you were behind closed doors how scared you had actually been. You broke down sobbing a second later. You were glad Bucky wasn’t there to see it. 

Sam's party was at the end of the week. You were putting on some simple pearl studs when Bucky knocked on your door. You ran out to greet him, swinging open the door. 

You had never seen Bucky dressed up. He was always dressed in his “civilian attire” and in varying shades of dark. Today, he wore a dark blue button-up with his leather jacket over it. He had put on some nicer boots instead of his worn ones. He looked devilishly handsome and very much like someone who would break your heart. You were pleasantly surprised to find him appreciating your appearance as well. 

“You…,” he trailed off. You had put on a nicer maroon dress for the party but no heels. It wasn’t that fancy. It seemed to be enough for him. 

“I know–”

“You look beautiful,” Bucky coughed out. He was never good at talking or expressing anything, really. You didn’t know how much willpower it took for him to admit this. You beamed. 

“So do you,” you replied, shuffling your feet. Bucky offered you his arm, and you wondered how many girls he would do this to back in the 40s. You took it with glee anyway. 

Neither of you lived far from Delacroix, and didn’t have to wait that long to get to the Wilson’s. You could hear the music from down the block. Bucky parked, running to your door to quickly let you out. He was being a gentleman and it was giving you heartache. 

Sarah Wilson was dressed in a beautiful crushed velvet gown and greeted you with a hug when she saw you. You had met the Wilson sister twice, and both times she greeted you warmly. She quirked a brow when she saw Bucky, and he gave her an awkward salute and shuffled away. 

“You look wonderful,” you said to Sarah. 

“So do you, and he seems to notice,” Sarah nudged you, nodding towards Bucky. He had found Sam and the kids, who were already swarming him. 

“We’re just friends,” you bit your lip. Sarah chuckled. 

“And I’m a virgin. We all have our crosses to bear.”

You didn’t have a good retort to Sarah’s comments and decided to just follow her to the bar instead. You were going to need wine to get through this party if she was going to make suggestive comments. 

Two glasses of wine later, you were starting to feel calmer. The kids practiced patience when opening their presents, and the adults enjoyed the buffet-style food. One of Sam’s family members put on a Marvin Gaye record, and with the liquor free-flowing, dancing was bound to occur. Bucky was hiding on the edge of the dance floor, nibbling on a cookie. You joined him. 

“Did you dance in the 40s?” you asked. Bucky finished his cookie. 

“Yeah, it’s how I got all the girls,” he smiled. The wine flowed through your head, and you offered him your hand. He looked down at your hand and then back at you. 

“C’mon, get the girl Barnes. Take me dancing,” you grinned, even as your heart was thundering. Bucky took your hand, following you onto the ‘dance floor’ (carpet). He gave you a quick spin until you fell into his chest. 

“Falling for me already?” Bucky smirked. You understood why he was a stud back in the day. 

“Shut it,” you smiled. The music was upbeat enough that you weren’t left in the uncomfortable holding pattern of a slow dance. Bucky knew what he was doing, though, even if you didn’t. You let him spin you and pull you close, your breath catching every time. By the end of the third song, you’re out of breath and need another drink. Bucky follows you to the bar, a few steps behind. “You’re a good dancer,” you commented. 

“You’re a good partner,” Bucky offers you a wine glass, topping it off. You smile in thanks, taking a sip. You want to dissolve under his gaze. 

“You’re unbelievable,” you murmured. 

“Why?”

“You know why,” you quirked a brow. Bucky just chuckled, looking down. He was cute when he was bashful, and you hated him for it. When he looked up at you, you were caught by how blue his eyes were. 

Coughing interrupted you. 

Both you and Bucky turned to see Sam. His arms were crossed. 

“I need you two to hook up already,” Sam exclaimed. Bucky rolled his eyes, but you just glared at Sam. Your glare was enough to send him away. You turned back to Bucky with burning cheeks. Bucky rolled his shoulder with the metal arm like he was preparing for something. 

“Buck–”

He cut you off with a kiss. It stole your breath, and if it weren’t for his hand on your waist, you would’ve collapsed to the ground. When he pulled away, you looked at him with shock and adoration.

“I was tired of waiting,” he murmured. “And Sam was right.”

“Does it pain you to admit Sam was right?”

“Every time,” Bucky grinned. 

You kissed Bucky again and again until Sarah’s sons were making fake kissing noises in the living room, Sam was cheering, and you and Bucky were wondering how you ended up spending Christmas at the Wilsons. 

[silentstaresfanficandfanart]

*raises hand* if you want that you should check out anime it's specifically doing this! this is exactly why anime is so popular! if you *want* adult cartoons that are about meaningful stories, check out anime! It's not that no one makes cartoons that are actually meaningful and aimed at adults, you just have to look outside of america. hopefully with time we see more things like this crop up but until it does, it cant hurt to explore outside of western media if you want to escape it's normal trappings! Check out the classics of anime, check out new popular things, if you want an anime that will completely reshape how you view food? dungeon meshi, if you want to see a story about superheroes who are girls and don't have to be masculine to be impressive and important, Sailor moon! (plus its funny and cute too but also does get quite dark despite what you'd expect!) If you want to see a masterpiece, Watch spirited away or another studio Ghibli movie, if you want something artistic and fascinating and dark thats going to break your heart, MADOKA MAGICA! If you want slice of life comfort that still focuses on adult experiences, you might want to try the iyasheki genre, and specifically i'd suggest "my new boss is goofy" which is a deeply touching little anime about a man who just left from a deeply abusive job and his experiences healing thanks to having a very kind and sweet silly boss who actually cares about him and his interesting coworkers and yes its serious at times, yes its silly at times, but at its core it has a lovely heart that's very touching.

If you want romance? they've got it, fantasy, comedy, and even genres like iyasheki that don't exactly exist much in western media, cartoons CAN be fun and not childish! and childish isint wrong either, you can enjoy a lot of shows aimed at kids that are actually still really solid when you're an adult like my little pony, or bluey! They really are meaningful shows that can still connect with an adult in a way that's amazing. :) I really hope you'll give it a chance! (and if you still dont like that, you can also check out korean and chinese animation though i dont recall what those are called and i dont know as much about them, but they have a LOT of amazing shows too :) ) I hope maybe this helps some to anyone who's looking for cartoons for adults to enjoy! (also reminder: Anime and manga actually have specific genres aimed at adults as well as younger people, and you can look into those if you want something better aimed at those, also horror IS a thing in anime too, you can find some amazing horror anime! So, give it a try! theres no telling what cool stuff you'll find!)

hey quick question why are all adult cartoons like that 

[zeropro]

sorry to bother u but im really interested.. in a old drawing you mentioned you saw starscream as sunstorms father so to speak , since sun is his clone , and i can see you like him w all the recent fan art you made of him , so could you expand on that? im really interested on your take on them!

Haha, I mean, I think my comment about Starscream being Sunstorm's dad was less about me seeing them as familial and more just that it tickles my fancy thinking about how these two characters are cosmically connected to each other in that way, just like how thundercracker and skywarp are cosmically connected to starscream through the toy lines always casting them alongside starscream. I cant really think about sunstorm without thinking of starscream, and i really like thinking about starscream.

Truth be told the entirety of my fondness for this character is from the "Star Followed Star" fan fiction by Book of the Night Sky and I feel like the Sunstorm in that fic is very much a different character than what the canon version of him is. I'd never even heard of this character before I read this fic. It is peek Sunstorm dealing with the baggage that comes from being Starscream's successor. Love just how different he is to Starscream while being expected to be Starscream. I think the expectation highlights the differences between them, it's really fun.

so yeah, idk! he's kinda like his dad in that you kinda cant help but compare the two, despite them being completely different people.

i cant see starscream as like parenting sunstorm but maybe since I personally dont enjoy reading offspring/sparkling fics (personal preference), the cloning kinda gives starscream a little guy without having to go through all that pfpfpfpf. Maybe it could be fun if starscream got to be a fail dad like bumblebee. Sunstorm being a clone of starscream does means that in most interpretations i see of him he's the youngest or at least one of the younger seekers, and i think thats cute. sunstorm is like a younger, softer, more innocent starscream. starscream should adopt him, just saying. (actually, just kidding, starscream shouldnt be allowed to adopt children, he would be a bad influence) (maybe sunstorm can adopt starscream)

starscream would be more of a weird uncle or big brother.

anyway, thanks for the ask! XD

[m1guelsgf]

Hi I have request for axel. I was wondering what if axel and reader already has a pre-established relationship. The reader is sam sister which she was bitter that she took the spot for female captain for miyagi-do but leading up to the sekai Taikai it revealed that she was the new captain for the iron Dragons also can you make her and axel an unbeatable team. Thank you so so much i appreciate you

jealousy, jealousy

axel kovacevic x larusso!reader

this is such a fun concept, i hope u like it!! kind of rushed it bc i took too long on it and i wanted it finished but if this does well, i'll write a pt.2!

send more reqs! i love working on the ideas you guys have. my other axel req will be out probably after christmas (also working on my short film so i'm very busy lately) but i have an idea for a miguel fic and a kwon fic so lmk what u wanna see!! enjoy the fic!! also no sam hate pls thats my bbg.

being the eldest larusso daughter came with a lot of privilege and a lot of expectations. you and your father were close because you took after his love for martial arts. you had your mothers beauty and sense of humor. you were the envy of encino, riding around in a nice car while spending your daddy's money. you were spoiled, of course, but that didn't mean you hadn't earned everything that came your way. you lived up to the expectations your parents set for you, which is probably why your siblings so often threw your name around in vain. you were at the top of your class. you were a 2 time all valley champ just like your dad, until miguel and cobra kai came back to town. you had even competed internationally, winning silver and gold in different tournaments, which is where you met your boyfriend.

axel kovacevic.

the two of you met in italy, where you competed in the same tournament. your dad was oblivious to the relationship because your mom, amanda, was on the trip as well and the two of them can get distracted with each other. especially in a foreign country.

ever since then, you had a long distance relationship with axel. you spent hours on the phone, running up the bill with international calls until one day your mom asked you about it and you confessed. you were dating the croatian gold medal martial artist, and you maybe even loved him.

your dad freaked out, obviously, taking away your phone for days until finally giving in and letting you be with him (not that it would have stopped you anyways). you two were long distance for a year before both being informed of the opportunity to compete in the sekai tekai. it never bothered you that you were in different dojos, and axel never seemed to mind either. your relationship worked well but you often wished to be closer to him. which is why when the sekai tekai came around, you were giving it your all.

you dominated all the challenges and lessons you were put through and it all came down to the match against either your sister or tory for the captain spot. you were anxious to get it over with. they were skilled, but you knew you were better. you had been at it for longer, you had competed and won against tougher opponents. they didn't want this as bad as you. there was only one thing you really wanted at the end of the day and that was to be able to call axel and tell him you were going to be the captain of your team too.

after robby had won his match against miguel and secured his spot as captain, it was time for tory and sam to fight. the winner would fight you for the captain spot. sam had been on her game recently. she had been training hard and getting prepared for the match. tory, on the other hand, was nearly jumping out of her skin. her eyes were swollen and puffy like she had been crying and she was bouncing on her toes. electric energy sparked when they both got on the sparring deck.

it was intense. tory was fighting ferociously, in a way you hadn't seen since she switched sides. it was almost no surprise to you when your dad stopped the match. the surprise came in it being revealed that tory's mother had just died. both you and johnny rushed to tory's defense.

"well if sam doesn't want to fight her, i will." you weren't afraid of the challenge and you knew what it would mean to tory to be able to finish the fight. you didn't know the type of grief she was going through but you could tell that it wasn't going to be worked through by doing nothing.

"y/n, listen to dad." sam, ever the teacher's pet, shook her head. "it's not right."

"what's not right is us not listening to what she needs." you shot back. "we can hug and kiss later, right now she needs to let it all out."

"i understand sweetheart, but this isn't the right way." your dad shook his head at you.

"you don't understand! none of you understand! you just don't want me to beat your daughters." tory shouted at your dad and sam. "she would have wanted me to fight, i have to do this for her. just let us fight."

"tory..." robby approached her and she immediately softened.

"robby, no..." she tried to pull her hands away from his but he held onto her.

"we'll decide who's captain another way. i can't let this fight continue."

"you want this fight to be over. fine. it's over." tory stormed off.

"where are you going?" robby called out after her.

"i'm done!" she shouted before leaving.

"what was that?" your dad looked at you, disappointment all over his face. "we don't teach violence as a solution. that's not the miyagi do way."

you sighed, still angry that they wouldn't let tory finish the fight. "how are you going to decide on a captain, dad? if you're not gonna let us fight? are you just going to choose your favorite, because we all know it's going to be sam."

"y/n, that's not fair." daniel shook his head.

"what's not fair is you and sam not letting tory fight." you shook your head and walked off.

"where are you going?" sam called out after you.

"i'm done too. congratulations sam." you got in your car and drove home, sending tory a text that never got a response.

by the time your parents got home, you had finished showering off the day. you were sitting in your room, drying your hair when your dad knocked.

"hey, sweetie." he started.

"is this about the tournament?"

"yes." he was honest. "i think you're making a mistake by dropping out just because you're mad at me. i know tory is your friend and she's grieving right now but you have worked your whole life this. don't throw away your opportunity."

"are you going to give me a fair shot at captain?" you asked.

"it's not that simple. you're one of the best in the class. you're the only one who has fought on the level we are going to. this may be their only and last opportunity to go this far. we need to give them a chance to win."

you laughed bitterly. "so because i'm the best, you're keeping me on the sidelines for the biggest opportunity of my life. how does that make sense?"

"i'm not keeping you on the sidelines, i'm just giving the others a chance to prove themselves."

"well, now theres a spot open so someone else can prove themselves." you and your dad stared at each other for a moment before he left your room. he knew you shared his temper so he understood it would be a while before you forgave him.

"hey- are you crying?" axel's expression quickly changed. he had answered your facetime while on a break from practice.

"no... yeah..." you sighed. "i'm not competing in the sekai tekai."

"what happened?"

"my dad. he said i've already won tournaments, so i need to give others the chance to win." you rolled your eyes, still upset at your dad for not giving you and tory a fair shot at competition.

"that's stupid." he furrowed his brows. "they're going to lose without you."

"i know." you frowned. "and i told him that but he doesn't want to listen and i don't want to compete if i'm not captain."

it was silent for a moment before axel had a realization. "you should be our captain."

you laughed a little, not thinking he was serious until you looked at his face on the screen of your phone. "you don't mean it."

"i do. zara is training with a master in japan so we have the open spot. sensei wolf was just going to borrow from another dojo but i'll tell him about you."

your heart skipped a beat. were you really willing to switch teams and turn your back on not only your friends but your family as well? "i'm in. i can talk to him too if that will help."

"let me talk to him first."

"thank you axel." you smiled at him. "how's training?"

"intense."

"is your sensei being the worst again?" you asked, knowing what sensei wolf could be like based on what axel told you.

"yeah. our team has a new sponsor so we've been learning new techniques. sensei wolf doesn't want us to lose a single point." axel sighed out.

"well if anyone can handle it, it's you." you responded. "plus, i can't wait to say that my boyfriend won the sekai tekai."

"i can't wait to say that my girlfriend won the sekai tekai." axel flashed his million dollar smile at you. "i have to go but i'll call you tomorrow okay?"

"okay. bye axel."

"bye."

you set your phone down and looked in the mirror. you couldn't believe you were ready to betray your friends and family to compete in the world championship of karate. you could feel the guilt creeping up but you pushed it down with your anger, remembering that your dad and sister took away the one thing you cared about. they knew this was your life. they didn't care about trophies or medals but you did.

three days before the competition, your dad was still trying to talk to you. "i understand if you're still mad at me but don't be mad at sam. she needs your support. we all do." daniel spoke from across the kitchen table.

you bit your tongue, still bitter and upset at the both of them for the way things turned out. you needed them to think you weren't still upset. "i'm not mad. anymore, at least."

"so you'll coach us?" sam asked from her spot at the table.

"on one condition." you looked at your dad. "i want to go to barcelona a day early."

"what? why?"

"to see axel. he's competing. this is the first time i get to see him in months." you explained, hoping they would leave it at that.

the second you mentioned your boyfriends name, daniel stiffened up. "i don't know..."

"come on, dad. its not like anything can happen. we're just gonna get dinner together. he has to train all day anyways, i just want a normal date with my boyfriend before all the karate drama." you pleaded and daniel was never able to say no to you, especially when you gave him the puppy dog eyes that he used to use on his mom.

daniel looked between you and sam. you were looking at him expectantly and sam was nodding, encouraging him to give you what you wanted so they could have your support.

"i want you back in your hotel room no later than 11. you stay safe, keep your location on, text me every couple of hours." daniel spoke his list of conditions. "okay?"

"okay." you nodded.

"okay." sam repeated, smile on her face.

"i love you, honey." your dad kissed the side of your head. "the both of you. i'm gonna go make all the arrangements for you to leave tomorrow."

"thanks dad." you smiled at him and you were starting to feel bad for lying to them but you had committed to your decision already and that was final.

"do you... want to spar with me?" sam asked. "so we can work some of this stuff between us out. you're my sister and i hate us being mad at each other."

you took a deep breath. "i'm not mad at you. i have to start packing anyways. maybe later." you said, knowing later would never come.

when you got off the plane, your heart started racing when it finally hit you that you were seeing axel. you were getting to see your boyfriend after months of long distance. you were also joining his dojo. you had always envied sam a little bit for how perfect her social life was. all her friends trained at her dojo and her boyfriend was arguably the top fighter of the dojo. sam's friends automatically became your friends and you didn't mind because of how great they were, but you also felt like you weren't an individual. you were sam's sister and daniel's daughter and all you wanted to be was yourself. the female champion whose boyfriend is the male champion.

catching a glimpse of axel, your mind immediately went blank. you hadn't seen him in person since the tournament last year in new york where the both of you took gold, and now he was right in front of you. you both started walking to close the distance and once he was within arms length of you, he pulled you into a deep kiss.

axel had been waiting for this, just like you. it killed him that he didn't have you within close reach at all times and now he never wanted to let you go. he kissed you like it was his air. his frame completely shadowed yours as he pulled you closer to him.

"axel!"

the both of you turned in the direction of the voice, axel still holding you close to himself protectively. it was sensei wolf, standing a few feet away with his arms crossed and an amused smirk on his face.

"you'll have time for that later." he spoke and waved you two to follow him through the crowd of people in the airport. axel snaked his arm around your waist and led the way as he followed his sensei.

the car ride was silent. you didn't know what to say or if saying nothing would be better so you stayed silent and held onto axel's hand.

"you're not going to be a distraction for my champion, are you?" sensei wolf asked once you were in one of the gym spaces of the hotel.

you shook your head no. "i came to win."

"and what makes you think that you can?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at you. "you may be a champion, but what makes you good enough to be my champion?" you didn't know what to say. of course you had dealt with sensei lawrence's constant questioning and pushing. he always refused to treat you any differently than your teammates just because you're a world champion and a larusso. this was different. it felt like sensei wolf was trying to humble you- no, humiliate you. "i'll tell you what, if you can land a point on me then i won't get in between you and axel. how 'bout that?" he offered, outstretching his hands like he was offering himself up.

you shook your head and turned around like you were about to walk away before doubling back with a hook kick that he narrowly dodged.

"there it is." sensei wolf laughed and took a fighting position. "come on." he beckoned you closer before performing a complex kick that you blocked and countered with your own. he grabbed onto your leg mid air and pushed it away, effectively dropping you to the mat. you grunted, feeling your anger start to rise. he was playing with you.

you stood back up and took your stance again. "hai!" you shouted and began attacking, using a combination of everything you learned from chozen and johnny to attack him tactically but aggressively. you threw multiple combinations of strikes, making wolf keep up his defense. his defense was as good as chozen's and you were struggling to break it.

"enough!" he was starting to get annoyed with how long the fight was going on for. before you could throw another punch, he kicked you. you blocked it with your forearms but he then dropped you to the floor with another kick to the face. "okay, i can admit that you're good."

"i'm not done." you blinked away the tears in your eyes from the forceful kick and quickly hopped back to your feet. you held your hands out in front of you and began performing a kata. it caught him off guard but he laughed you off.

"fine. have it your way." he threw a punch which you blocked with the drum technique. he threw another and another and another and then shouted in frustration when none of them landed. you noticed how you were managing to get him off his balance as his breathing was starting to become more erratic and rushed as he tried to break your defense. in a quick movement, you snaked your way around his body, arm wrapped around his torso, and took him to the floor with you. it was a struggle, as he had a tight grip on one of your arms but you managed to roll over him and strike him in the face.

"point." you panted, standing up and walking away as fast as you could. your heart was racing. you were actually doing this. it wasn't anything like you thought it'd be. you were honestly a little scared. "axel and i are going out tonight." you said when you reached the door, turning around to see sensei wolf staring at you with a curious gaze.

"i can't believe you actually got a point on sensei wolf." you and axel were sitting at a bar near the beach. it was a perfect night. you were under axel's arm, head resting on his shoulder.

"yeah, after he got like 3 on me." you muttered, swirling the mai tai around in its glass. you both had already had a pleasant dinner and now were sharing drinks.

"still. i'm sure he's impressed. i'm impressed." he kissed the side of your head. you only smiled and leaned closer into his side. you definitely were enjoying the normal evening you got to spend with your boyfriend. your love life had been intertwined with karate and while it still was, it was like you could forget all of that and you and axel could just be a couple with no other worries. "are you ready for tomorrow?"

"yes." you answered quickly. he looked down at you with a questioning look, already knowing your tendency to talk fast when you're nervous. "i mean, yeah. i'm ready to fight and i'm ready for the challenges that are coming..."

"but...?" axel asked, knowing you were holding something back.

"but i'm nervous to face everyone. you know, my family. i lied to them." you were feeling guilty, which was a big part of why you couldn't completely enjoy yourself with axel. you felt evil, letting them believe that you came to help them.

"they'll understand. eventually." axel took a sip of your shared drink.

"i hope so." you were already imagining the betrayal on everyone's faces when they finally saw you in the iron dragons gi. "i know sam is gonna be pissed. and my dad is gonna have that disappointed look on his face. and sensei lawrence is gonna-"

"hey. i know it's hard, but don't worry about them. it's you and me now." axel had a soft look in his eyes. "just us."

you nodded. "just us." a soft song started playing ans you immediately stood up and held your hand out. "wanna dance?"

"of course." he took it and the two of you walked onto the dance floor. in the middle of all the people, you still only had your focus on axel. it was just the two of you as you swayed to the music.

axels hands were resting on your hips and yours were on his arms. he twirled you around and pulled you close, to where your back was pressed against his chest. "i missed you." he whispered in your ear, pressing an open mouthed kiss against your cheek. your face turned red and you tilted your head to the side to allow him more access.

"i missed you too." you looked at him over your shoulder and he captured your lips in a kiss. it was full of want- the both of you wanting each other so bad for so long and finally being able to have each other. it felt like a dream. the warm, dim bar lights were making everything fuzzy around you and you could only feel the heat of axels palms through your clothes as he all but pried your mouth open with the kiss.

when he pulled away, the both of you had matching glossy lips and dazed expressions. you were both buzzed from the drinks you had and it was making you two all smiley and giggly as you fell into movement with the crowd.

the night ended in a long detour on the way back to the hotel as the both of you wanted to walk on the beach. you both made it back to your rooms with swollen lips, little love bites on your skin, and sand in your shoes.

morning training was no joke. axel had told you about sensei wolfs intense regimen but you didn't expect to have to participate. "if you wanna be an iron dragon, you have to train like an iron dragon." he had told you before the 3 mile run in the morning. you held your tounge when you really wanted to tell him that you didn't want to be an iron dragon at all. you had also heard from axel that his temper was quick and you didn't want to be on the receiving end of that.

'hey sweetheart, we just landed. be at the hotel soon.'

your dad texted you and you typed out a white lie.

'okay, me and axel are getting lunch. will see you in the arena tonight.'

'be safe. tell axel i said hi. love you."

'okay dad, love u 2'

you turned to axel. you were at the end of your training session and it was almost time to head into the arena. "my dad said hi." axel smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. he had only ever met your dad in passing. your dad found out you were dating axel after the last time you had seen him in person. you didn't mind it, considering your dad always got involved in all your relationships. it was nice to know axel recognized you as an individual and not the daughter of daniel larusso. it dawned on you that sensei wolf probably had no idea who you were or anything about miyagi do karate and that made it a little sweeter.

"are you ready?" he stood up and held his hand out to you. you took it and let him pull you up.

"yes." you nodded after taking a deep breath. "are you ready?"

"i can do anything with you by my side." he leaned down and kissed you softly. "let's go."

inside the arena, you felt a strange mix of confidence and anxiety. you were prepared for this tournament. you had earned your right to be there and you were ready to fight until you were the last one standing. you couldn't help feeling anxious over having to see the miyagi do's. it was sinking in that you weren't wearing a bonsai on your back and fighting on the same team as your sister.

then you saw them. they were taking their place at the edge of the mat. miguel was the first to notice you. he didn't look away from your eyes as he tugged on the sleeve of sam's gi to get her attention. he nodded in your direction and it was almost like she was looking through you, the way she didn't immediately spot you. eventually she did though, and her face fell.

it was a chain reaction, miguel told sam, sam told robby, robby told his dad, his dad told your dad, and then your dad was finally looking at you with betrayal and disappointment all over his face.

you could only stand there, one piece of your heart on the other side of the mat. at least you knew axel was on your side, with the other half of your heart.

[lilcowzia]

At what point did this fetish turn from a fantasy to a lifestyle for you? Was there ever a period where you thought "I'll only gain a little weight, but I'll lose it again right away", or did you always know there was no going back?

yh at the beginning i just wanted to gain a lil weight, not that i rlly expected to lose it tbh, that was always near impossible to me, my struggle to maintain a relatively small size is what made loosening the slack a little sound like such an indulgence anyway. i thought maybe i could pretend to be one of those girls in the stories i touched myself to, stuffing, growing, getting fat fat fat. i thought id try it, end up a lil chubbier and move on with my life. happier for having experienced a lil bit of my fantasies. its just that... well a lil taste is all it took rlly lol i didnt know it, but i started ignoring all of the implications to my continued gaining, it felt rlly good, so, i could keep doing it. i guess it progressed to a lifestyle pretty naturally, but i didnt reallyyy realize it was a necessity for me until i was confronted directly about my obsession with getting bigger. so yah thats my life

[fanthirtheen]

Something you don't get from stills of their dance is how ok Stolas is starting to feel as they go, how comfortable he is and how it seems like he was going to be well enough to go back inside maybe.

Then they look into each other's eyes for a moment, at the end. Blitz looks at his lips, obviously, and it /looks/ like Stolas knows what Blitz is about to do and he's alright with it even if he wasn't going to initiate a kiss.

Then when Blitz hugs him, THATS when Stolas breaks. All that cool and calm from their dance disappeared and he doesn't even have the what-for to hug back, he's just getting held by the person he loves so much, it's exactly what he needs, and he let's go. And Blitz doesn't even care he isn't hugging back. They're not comforting each other. The hug isn't about mutual affection or greeting or anything like that. The hug is about Blitz being there for Stolas and giving him what he needs, and not expecting anything back other than being allowed to keep doing it.

I have emotions about the hug.

Here's the Stolitz dance for anyone who needs it

(YouTube link)

[official-wales]

hi! i am unfortunately an American (booooo) and am very interested in wales and welsh culture (autism sees welsh shit and says !!!!!!!!) is there any books or anything you recommend to learn abt wales?

is there anything i should be worried about doing thats bad? the last thing i wanna do is upset real people or like fetishize welsh culture and shit. i just wanna learn abt yall

( and also maybe live there one day because i am not staying in this hellhole)

also i saw Nye in theatres and it ruled it was so good

SHWMAE! YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE :D

Honestly, the main things to remember if you're worried about offending people is 1) we're not England, and 2) we don't all watch Gavin and Stacey, please if another person asks me about Barry Island, I'm going to commit violence

I don't have any specific book recommendations, but I'd definitely recommend looking into the Welsh language if you haven't already. With any celtic language, it's important to respect it as a language in its own right, especially since they're quite different to what English-speakers 'expect' (i.e. different pronunciations, structure and spellings, almost as if it's not English!)

As it's almost Christmas, you could have a look into Mari Lwyd as well - a Welsh Victorian wassailing tradition where a horse skull on a stick demands entry into your home to drink your alcohol (not a mythical cryptid, sorry). Very fun.

Two films which are really good and focus on Welsh life are Twin Town and Pride. Twin Town's set in Swansea (South Wales) about two brothers who terrorise the city. The only reason I mention it is because my old science teacher played any extra in one of the scenes. Pride is based on a true story about the lesbian and gay supporters of the Welsh miners' strike in 1984. Very emotional.

If anyone could comment below with book or documentary recommendations, that would be great!

And, because I'm Stereotypical Wales Incarnate, here's some YouTube videos! As a treat.

[belphegored]

hii !! i hope its not too late to request for the 3 character kink prompt 👀 but was wondering ,, what about impact play / or pain play with gamigin ,, glasyalobolas and leraye if thats alright ? :>

Hiii hello, definitely not too late, thank you for sending one & happy holidays!

°•♡Minors dni; most to least likely to be into pain & impact play- Glasyalabolas, Leraye, Gamigin

°•♡ Glasyalabolas is the freakiest and so also the one who I think would enjoy being whacked around, hit and overall tormented the most. You could be cruel to him and he'd always say thank you.

• See him always taking things a bit too far >_> and so being into the most extreme kinds of masochism (especially but like, he can fall into sadism too. Can fall into anything to be fair...)

As long as it's by your hand he'd take anything, from affectionate, heavy handed face slaps, to cock slapping, to cbt, flogging, paddling, spanking overall...

• The image of this giant demon bent over, ass up, begging for a flogging, for you to leave his ass raw and bruised black though.....

If you have him like that, Glasyalabolas will last little to nothing, rocking forward and humping his fat cock against the mattress, spilling himself without second thoughts. Each whipping making him moan loud- he's not above it, starts with small grunts and becomes a literal whiny mess in no time.

• Extremely partial to hard face slapping for some reason; you hit him as hard as you can either prompted by him or during a fight and he can't help it, he's rock hard in seconds.

°•♡ Leraye is such a cutiepie but also obviously a masochist, being under Satan's command must do that to you...

Anyhow, maybe because he's been so nice and overall cute to us and he collects teddy bears I'm inclined to say he doesn't enjoy it as roughly as Glasyalabolas? But I mean...looks can be so deceiving.

• I said once Leraye probably is into caregiver doms and such and think a good caregiver also has to know how to deal a good spanking when their sub is being a brat, which he lovessss.

Probably has a preference for hands instead of props like whips and stuff, he wants you to rough him up on your own! Seldom anything feels better than you pulling him over your knee and messing him up until he's sobbing, especially if you're willing to baby him with aftercare right afterward.

•Give him a reason though: you've been a brat, you've messed this or that thing up. Leraye likes it best if you're punishing him instead of just beating him up without a purpose. It just makes it feel better, to know that he's made take it.

•Has a weakness for nipple clamps with a little weight too, likes to have them on until he's numb.

°•♡ Lastly I don't know Gamigin as much so that's the only reason that left him as the "least likely" but I still think he would enjoy having you roughhousing with him.

• He's a dragon technically so I see him being into the more primal side of pain and masochism? And comparatively to the two above, lightly. Though you never know...

He's probably into biting hard (both giving and especially receiving, until he's all marked up like a dog toy), scratching, and hair yanking and pulling :3. Gamigin probably does all these things to you unconsciously if he sees you as a mate and don't think he's even aware that there are some people that are not into it? It's just how he works naturally.

• But also likely expects you to do the same things to him unthinkingly, if you're not sinking your teeth into his shoulders until he winces and his hips buck forward are you really that into him? <- his train of thought.

• Really into you just piling scar and scratch and mark upon mark on his body, thinks it's really sensual to be a walking testament of the things you do to him ;_;

[tullecake]

the finished version of my wip from the other day! :D

the lil guy...

plus an alt version with original colors --

I like how both of them turned out! ^^

[pansy-picnics]

Not to derail the convo too much but i want to add my own input onto this….it sucks bc there are multiple VERY clear reasons why yong and nuru are both pushed aside, but i feel like everyone is afraid to say the quiet part out loud.

- Nuru is a black girl

- Yong is an asian kid

- nuru and yong werent really pitched as main characters to begin with. Maybe they wouldve been, had the pitch been fully realized, but we can only really make educated guesses based on the little information we have. The entire story was really built around varian and hugo, fundamentally- and yeah, obviously we only have the brief outline, but said outline doesn’t really mention nuru and yong like, at all. Doesnt mention any character arcs for them, any prominent relationships, any development theyd have over the series- not even their reactions to hugos betrayal or their involvement in the final fight. its all just about varian and hugo. We can only ever assume, at any given moment, that theyre just….There. And so thats how everyone writes them- as background characters to varigo.

i dont think its wrong to build a story around one character, i mean kay and anna really just did it for fun and i dont see any problem with that- but when people try to make it into a fully realized story, it doesnt really work because there are basically only two main characters and two guys who are just There. so instead of the VAT7K Fandom we just end up getting The Varigo Fandom. i honestly do think its why so many people come and get hyperfixated on it for a few months and then leave. There just isnt really any content to work with, because there are only 4 characters and people are only fully utilizing two of them.

-Did i mention theyre a black girl and an asian kid next to a yaoi couple featuring White Boy #3567488 and Kind-Of-Racially-Ambiguous-Probably-White Onceler Jr because the implications there are Not Great.

I joke, i love them all, i promise, but it is really something that bothers me a lot, especially since ive been here for so long and i dont really consider myself “in” the fandom enough to like, get super obsessed with any of the characters and make 1000 fics and drawings of them. If anything vat7k is kind of like the tts dlc to me. Im mentally ill about varigo and i love nuru and yong to bits and have SO MANY thoughts about them but they just usually stay in my head because i dont have the energy to expel them in any efficient way LOLOLOL. At the end of the day i consider myself more of a tts fan than anything else.

bc nuru and yong never really had any substance to begin with, people cant usually get super attached to them past a surface level, and it gets REALLY frustrating.

- When it comes to nuru, im like, the whitest girl imaginable so i dont want to talk out of turn here but i do want to mention it bc nobody else seems to be willing to- the way nuru is made into either the mature “mom friend” of the group or the “sassy best friend” is something that makes my blood BOIL, because they both feel SUPER stereotypical considering that shes a 16 year old black girl!!! i’ve talked to my friend, who is black, about it a lot (Id tag him here but hes Not in the fandom so i dont want to drag him into this LMAOAOAO) but weve discussed how black girls are “adultified” by mainstream society and quite literally robbed of their childhood and innocence. they’re treated as “mature for their age” and are expected to act as such…..It makes the way people portray nuru as the “mature one” rlly gross to me 😭. and luckily i dont see that “mom friend nuru” AS often anymore, but when people dont do that, i feel like they kinda just turn her into the “sassy voice of reason” which just feels like a whole black best friend trope to me…..😭 Guh. I think just the best anyone can do is actually make her a fully realized character!!! She feels so one note so often 😭

- And yong…I feel like he so often just gets made to be the Baby of the group and the comic relief (which is DEFINITELY because hes also a fat kid but thats a Wholeee other can of worms (eye twitching)) And like that can be fun sometimes, but also i feel like the main appeal about team radical, at least to ME, is that theyre all just stupid petty teenagers who are unparented and sent on a little coming of age quest and they all probably immediately start beefing with each other like its fucking lord of the flies. Yong is Twelve Years Old guys. Have you ever met a twelve year old? Theyre at that age where theyre like weirdly edgy and think theyre the Shit and that every adult around them is a fucking idiot. Yong has the potential to be soooo fucking funny past just being the cutesy little baby of the group and i feel like people just arent really willing to explore that. And like he can still be the more emotionally open one too! I feel like he starts out a lot more silly and more of that steven universe type hes usually portrayed as, but the longer he spends with the gang he just quickly becomes equally as deranged as them LOL. Id love to see a much more mischievous yong whos sweet but also a Very insecure 12 year old and kind of a shithead. I think it’s such an untapped market.

Idk i dont think that if you just Can’t get attached to nuru or yong that you’re like…Bad or like. racist or whatever Thats not what im saying at all!!! bc i do think that kay and anna for all their amazing work on the pitch did kind of contribute to the problem bc of the way nuru and yong are shown, or, well. not shown in said pitch lol. And i also think that everyone should consider the implications these characterizations have and like…Try and challenge themselves to branch out a little more!! and i also feel like a lot of people who ARE nuru and yong fans already arent very loud in the fandom, cuz like, with how varigo centric the community is i think its just assumed by default that nobody cares….and if thats you i want to encourage you to please PLEASE speak up and make more content about them bc people DO care!!!! it is a niche that so many people are willing to invest in!!! Especially me!!! Please please please please im on my knees plea

Guys I NEED to rant about my thoughts on Nuru because i love her <3 ramblings ahead

Like I feel like in almost every fic i read, she's just like, a side character that's there to make whitty remarks to Hugo and be the levelheaded one. If she has an insecurity or problem it's usually pretty surface level and solved quickly, or only mentioned once or twice. I think there are SO many aspects of her character that are so cool.

Okay first, I think we sometimes forget that she's a nerd just like the rest of the gang. Yes, on the outside she's definetly the most 'normal' one, but I think we should concider the fact that she's the only girl in the group, and she's literal royalty. She was raised with a completely different set of standards than the other three. I don’t think I've really ever seen anyone cover that. I feel like she would get called "mature for her age" when she's only 15/16, and almost always gets critisism when she talks back with her own ideas (like her concerns about the meteor shows for example). I feel like out on her journey, she would finally get the freedom to just be herself, and be a kid and be able to rant on about her intrests with the rest of the group. It could be a struggle at first, but it would be awesome to see her getting more comfortable with the group the longer they spend together! Nerds encouraging nerdy rants lol

Since she is a kingdom figurehead, you could also argue that she always has a lot on her hands (especially since she's very proactive when it comes to science and solving problems). This could bring up a need to be productive, or always feeling like she needs to make the right decision, even for the littlest things.

I also feel like a lot of the time she's potrayed as the "right" one, who is 100% right when it comes to stuff like arguing with Hugo. Since they're opposites when it comes to class, they often are compared through that lense. I think it's cool just having Nuru tell Hugo off for judging a book by its cover, but I feel like they have a lot more in common than they realize. I think it would be interesting to see Nuru judging a book by its cover too. Maybe not to the degree that Hugo does, but I feel like calling out both their judging would not only call out character flaws, but it also enforces that even though they hate eachother and would never want to be like the other, they have a lot of the same flaws.

Also, being sheltered in a palace her whole life, I think she might think kind of black and white sometimes, and while she knows when people are just being mean as an act, she might struggle when it comes to people like reformed criminals.

Maybe she's able to be meaner to Hugo because she justifies it by telling herself he's criminal, and therefore bad, possibly glossing over the reasons he might be like that (maybe it crosses her mind, but she tells herself it's not a good enough reason, because stealing is still stealing, and he literally steals EVERYTHING. Even little trinkets and stuff he definitely doesn't need!). When they find out about Varian's criminal history, maybe she reexamines her views on morality and how she used to see people, because by her standards, Varian is a 'bad guy' who's caused harm to SO many people, but he's also the kind, caring, helpful friend that she's been traveling with who would never willingly hurt anyone.

Moving on to Amber x Nuru, I honestly never find myself liking the ship because Amber isn't developed enough which is fine. I don't think every character has to be a magnificent work of art. Side characters are side characters, but their romance is usually written like: "wow that girl is cute! I have a crush now!" Which is cool, but then that's about as far as it gets, then timeskip! Or offscreen they're a couple now. I know it's a side couple so it won't have as much devlopment as something like Varigo, but I never really see their dynamic play out in different situations. Like I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like they solely exist to be a couple? Amber sometimes just feels like an extention of Nuru, and their relationship feels surface level a lot of the time.

I feel like too often she's just watered down to the nice, smart, grounded friend, and I don't know I just think there’s so much more to explore with her. She’s not just some side character. She's literally part of the main cast! Even in fanart I feel like she doesn't really get a lot of stuff besides funny art and just like, pictures meant to look pretty. Unlike something you get a lot with characters like Varian or Hugo.

And honestly I get it. Some characters you just don't take an intrest in. I know I find Varian, Hugo, and Nuru more relatable than I find Yong, but I feel like part of that is developing their characters rather than just seeing them on a surface level. Ofc there are exceptions and there are some stories that dive deeper into Nuru's character out there! I just happen to see this A LOT.

Wow i said "surface level" a lot didn't I 😭😭

Anyway thank you for reading my rant i wanna know what you guys think!!

[puppyeared]

littlest furth shop

@laikascomet

[rambles-about-minecraft-ocs]

one of my favorite things about zedaph is that on a server full of people that find strange and oft-overlooked minecraft mechanics or rare events and then see just how far they can push them in the name of spectacle or efficiency or world-breaking, zed is over here finding these mechanics in order to do the weirdest things he can think of in as entertaining a manner as possible

like i 100% have faith in zedaph's theoretical ability to be just as efficient or spectacular or world-breaking. if he wanted to do that stuff, i trust that he absolutely could. but thats so far from being his priority. instead, hes going to spend around a week of irl time focused entirely on eventually having the good luck to spawn in something insanely rare so that he can convert it into something even rarer, the result of which being something that 99% of the server reacts with complete and utter shock that it even exists in the first place, just because its zany and funny and he wanted to. and i love that

[simplydnp]

totally normal about the 'wedding?' response continuing to evolve even though it's only been 5 shows. at this point i'm convinced the grand plan behind tit is to convince dan via exposure therapy that he's allowed to want to get married

[critter-wizard]

ep 43 had me tearing up in a fucking shopping centre ‼️‼️

b+w alt version that I truly couldn't decide if I liked it more . Also I included a lot of thoughts in the tags but they're somewhat incoherent<3