#HE'S A MAN!!!! HES A (CANONICALLY) STRAIGHT MAN!!!

[nanamiskentos]

➤ 𝐉𝐉𝐊﹙ 脹相 : CHOSO KAMO ﹚ ─ the death painting cw ─ MDNI. canon!choso, óràl (m. receiving)

"and don't get me wrong," choso huffs, his breath puffing out like steam escaping a kettle. pale pink lips pouting, "i know yuuji's got a heavy burden on his shoulders, but he could really stand to try and take my advice a bit more, don't you think?"

huh. no response. choso's scowling now. cinnamon-hued eyes thinning into slivers, searching for where on earth you disappeared to.

thin brows furrowing, "my love?" the end curling into a question as uncertainty colours his tone. choso's had a long day training thus far, and it didn't help that upstart who shoulda' stayed in that damned box — gojo satoru, seemed to occupy most of his younger brother's attention. diverting his attention away from the important lessons that his petulant older brother was trying to teach him. eso and kechizu were never so stubborn.

with a sharp exhale, choso pushes himself up from the seat, smacking his thighs in frustration, but not before —

"sit back down, cho."

choso's mouth goes bone-dry, nerves going into some twisted form of sensory overload as he tries to calm the blood rushing through his pounding heart before the muscle explodes. but it's too late for the blood rushing down south, already pooling in a satisfied coil over his groin.

he hasn't the faintest clue on where you managed to swipe away his robes, but he thinks he may yet be the luckiest man (no, wait, let's not unpack that yet) alive. amber eyes raking over how the cream linen drapes your form so perfectly, clinging to every curve that he loves to worship.

but choso is sharp, he doesn't miss the mischievous glint in your eyes nor the way that your teeth sink into the flesh of your lower lip. teasing, watchful. he should have known better than to be caught off guard like this, but choso truly cannot even bring himself to care about how much of an effect you have on him. how you unravel him to the core.

"you're lookin' pretty frustrated, baby," you're purring, already stalking closer so choso has to tear his eyes away from the swell of your chest and back to somewhere more polite and acceptable. think, choso, think of something smart to say. something that isn't sleazy, and something that hasn't been concocted by the heat throbbing and pumping straight outta' his cock.

but there's some awful lag between his brain and his tongue, and choso can only let the crimson flush build up, painting the back of his neck awash. watching as you snicker, knowing that the half-curse is practically one touch away from trembling in your hold. well, you can truly give him something to quiver about now.

"had a rough day, is all," choso rasps, and he doesn't even seem to be aware of how his vocal cords have turned to a husky granite. loose strands of chestnut-dark hair falling over his eyes as his pink tongue comes out to moisten his lips, mind whirring on how to turn this loss of composure into a win, "uh, it really sucked, you could say. mhm, i guess that's how i'd describe it."

you're already seated between his knees, head gently leaning against the broad muscles of his thighs. hands already pawing at the loose waistband of his ivory martial pants. unimpressed eyes blinking up at him, "what did i say about bad puns, cho?"

"that they're no good," choso murmurs, doing his best not to shudder as your nails lightly skim over the thatch of dark curls past his hips. but because he truly can't help himself, he has to add on, "that they blow."

he's really a natural born comedian, choso thinks to himself, it's just a shame that no-one else can really see past the gloom and doom to appreciate his natural wit.

you're pressing a gentle kiss to the base of thick shaft, and choso has to muffle a loud groan to prevent himself from coming undone already. fuck, he was far more sensitive than he anticipated but how could he not be? when you're proving personal love and care to each thick, throbbing vein that spirals up his cock?

choso shuffles in his seat, muscles already twinging as he parts his thighs. giving you more room to giggle and slot yourself into that gap, allowing you to firmly reach for his shaft and giving it a firm one, two! pump. already managing to pull out slick beads of translucent precum from the pink slit.

"sooo, how's that feel, baby?" your tongue barely brushing against the tip of his cock, applying the most gentle and teasing pressure that makes choso press his lips together firmly. your mouth parting to try and take as much of him as possible past your lips.

"g-good, real good," choso breathes out, tawny eyes already reaching skywards to thank the heavens for bestowing this upon him. he's panting, hands flailing in the air to clutch at the air, then at the thin material of the seat before settling at your scalp.

but he's gentle with it, determined to not apply too much pressure, to not delivery any sharp stings of pain. not when you've lavishing him with such attention, your fingertips now resting on his bare thighs as your mouth steadily bobs and releases with a sticky pop! each time you pull back.

and god, choso's entirely obsessed with how you press against the underside of his cock with a lil' more firm pressure. laving right up against the girthy veins in a way that makes his muscled abdomen tense and flex with each new wave of pleasure.

"m-my love?" choso's eyes are shut now, dark lashes fluttering against splotched skin as he feels something creeping up on him. he's sensitive, so sensitive now and each caress of your loving mouth has his thighs shaking, "i think 'm gonna, hah, i'm 'bout to — what the fuck?"

choso does pride himself on being an exemplary role model and a high standing member of whichever society will have him, so he doesn't actually curse quite often. but this situation entirely calls for it, and he can only swing his hazy eyes open to blink down at you. dumbfounded as you're already smiling like a minx. pulling yourself up, and up and —

oh. well, choso's never been one to complain. not when you're gently positioning his large hands against the ties of the robes, nudging him to pull the linen off so your bare skin can be lavished by him. a gentle kiss being pressed to his bite-stung lips, "wanted you to cum in me, silly."

[aringofsalt]

another day yet another post calling buck a fucking dog on tumblr dot com

genuine question: do you actually like him as a character because barely any of you talk about him like you actually like him as a character

please explain to me why the mere thought of a canonically gay man mentioning a kink (which he didn't. he literally did not) is sooooo gross and disturbing while the thought of a canonically straight man treating his queer best friend like a literal dog is fine and good actually

(i know why)

[wing-ed-thing]

… And the Beast (Yonji Vinsmoke x Reader) Chapter VIII

Synopsis: You thought your little crush on Prince Yonji was a well-kept secret. Yonji is mean enough to exploit your eagerness to please in the face of his unrelenting cruelty; the thought of actually developing a soft spot for you never even crossed his mind.

Word Count: 5.3k

Tags/Warnings: No Reader Pronouns, Fluff, Angst, Slow Burn, Naive!Servant!Reader, Name-Calling, Language, Reader Falls First, Yonji Falls Harder, Canon-Typical Violence, Side/Plot Device Original Character, Angst

Notes: As much as I wanted to make a mega chapter (I have too much plannneeddd), I needed to lock in to release this on Yonji's birthday how could I not?

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII

Princess Ursula of the North Blue was a petite young woman with pretty, dainty features and a severe expression that appeared to always be on her face. She wore a periwinkle dresscoat held together by a large white ribbon, which enveloped the elegant blue and purple dress she wore underneath. The top of the dress appeared to be layers of purple ruffles, leading into a soft blue hoop skirt. Two ribbons of the same color tied her curly hair into two pigtails.

Adorned in light, royal colors, by all means, she was beautiful.

“Presenting King Neptune of the North Blue!” 

King Neptune was a tall man by average human standards; however, he had no advantage over Judge’s 272 centimeters. His hair was a passive orange, and his mustache and beard were meticulously styled. Neptune wore his golden crown proudly despite its relatively plain decor.

The king appeared at the top of the ramp, but Princess Ursula didn’t wait for him as she walked with purpose across the dock. Her little heels clicked against the wood, and her posse of attendants appeared used to keeping up with her. They, too, were adorned in a soft, periwinkle purple. King Neptune hardly reached the end of the ramp before Ursula was at the end of the dock. 

Judge greeted her, but Ursula marched right past him and directly up to the Vinsmoke siblings. Specifically, she made straight for Yonji, stilling her little kitten heels in front of him and clicking them together as she came to a stop.

“This one,” she proclaimed, ignoring any greetings directed at her. Her voice was as clean and elegant as her dress. She clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward to inspect the front of Yonji’s ruffled shirt. Seeming satisfied, she stood up straight. “I want this one.” 

Your breath hitched as a shocked pang shot through your chest. You tried subtly glancing around toward the other servants to gauge anyone else’s expression, but your situation made it impossible to seek out another face. 

Ursula stared directly into Yonji’s dark irises. You could hardly see his expression from where you stood behind him. You could only imagine it was one of shock.

Judge and Neptune were too caught up in their greetings with one another to hear her. Instead, they lingered behind, greeting each other like old friends. The two of them were already joking around with one another, filling the port with jolly laughs. 

Ursula frowned, pivoting on her heel. 

“Father!” she called with a hum, nose upturned. 

“Coming, love,” the king called back. He and Judge slowly made their way over. 

“I would like this one.” She turned back to face Yonji. “The green one.” She nodded as if picking out a new set of china from a selection or a pastry from a case. Ursula extended a gloved hand toward Yonji’s face. 

“Now, my love,” Neptune started, standing just behind his daughter. He gingerly touched her shoulder. “That is yet to be discussed—”

Yonji let out an obnoxiously boisterous laugh.

“That’s sure alright with me!” Yonji exclaimed, immediately dropping to one knee with Ursula’s hand in his. He brought her knuckles up to his lips, likely lingering an inappropriate amount of time. “I’ll be yours any day of the week.”

Ursula’s rigid face cracked a wide grin. Her tight posture straightened out even more as she regarded her father triumphantly and wordlessly. Yonji, meanwhile, couldn’t be more pleased, not bothering to hide how he shamelessly glanced her up and down. 

You saw Niji’s politely tense posture deflate by the slightest millimeter as he turned to Ichiji. 

“Well, that’s a first,” he muttered. “He’s not even the eldest.”

You couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or relieved, but you supposed that you couldn’t read all the Vinsmoke siblings as well as you could Yonji. But he settled back into his usual stoicism as he greeted King Neptune.

The king greeted each Vinsmoke with a firm handshake, rattling some eloquent formalities about their military prowess. He complimented tales he had heard of their achievements, and you supposed there was no higher compliment he could have given to the sons and daughter of Germa. 

Reiju and Ichiji quickly engaged with him, offering compliments and welcomes in a song and dance that impressed you to spectate. For their rigid exteriors, they had an engaging way of speaking. Their language was clean and political yet charming and engaging despite a lack of warmth.  

“Well, I suppose that makes our plans that much easier,” Neptune laughed, turning to Ichiji. “It is almost a shame. I’ve been very interested in your achievements, Prince Ichiji, and I thought Ursula would have been the most taken with you. Although, my daughter has always been sure of what she wants, just like her mother,” he said with a sentimental shake of his head. 

“I heard of Salacia’s passing. Know that the Kingdom of Germa grieved alongside you,” Ichiji offered his condolences curtly. “In any case, I am hardly offended. I had a feeling they would get along rather swimmingly, and there is much time to talk about other things.”

“Indeed, indeed, much to discuss indeed,” Neptune nodded. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?” Neptune insisted, his eagerness radiating off him in waves so intense, even you could sense them. 

“It would be poor manners to rush you, King Neptune,” Reiju said, “While your things are being brought in, please allow us to show you around our kingdom. We have prepared some demonstrations, and our chef is making a banquet to celebrate your arrival as we speak.” 

You kept your eyes on Yonji, who hadn’t taken his gaze off Ursula once. She had a hand on his bicep, giggling cutely at something he said just a short distance away. The crowd shifted as Judge and Neptune began to walk in the opposite direction. Ichiji and Niji trailed along, and they would pass you in a few strides. 

“Do you really have to go?” you heard Niji ask. “What the hell is the point now?”

“You shouldn’t make it a habit to sit out political negotiations,” Ichiji muttered in reprimand. 

Reiju was already keeping up with their father, politely chatting with Neptune as a posse of servants of mixed allegiances followed suit. 

“Are you coming?” Yonji asked. You glanced at your prince, almost having lost him in the shifting crowd. He stood with his body half turned toward Ursula, one hand extended for her to take. 

She let out a rich laugh.

“Why would I?” she laughed, “Aren’t you going to show me around personally?” Ursula took his outstretched hand, her fingers on top of his, and began to tug him in a different direction. 

“What, we’re just gonna ditch?” Yonji asked eagerly, already following her. Yonji was never one to be interested in political discussion, let alone when there was a pretty woman to woo. 

“It’s just marriage,” Ursula scoffed, already marching off with certainty. “What could they possibly need us for?” 

Yonji met your eye from a short distance away. He shouted your name over the moving current of people, whistling for you to come over like a dog. And Ursula indeed treated you as such.

“Oh my goodness,” she mused as you obeyed, stopping in the middle of the pavement to regard you. Ursula pulled out a fan, unfurling it in front of her mouth. “What an adorable little thing,” she hummed before glancing up at Yonji. “What is it?”

“This is my personal attendant,” Yonji explained with pompous pride.

“My goodness, Yonji,” Ursula stressed, already calling him by his first name (not that Yonji minded in the slightest). She latched onto his arm. “You only have one?” she tsked, shaking her head. “Yonji, dear, we must change this.”

“As long as you keep talkin’ sweet to me like that, you can do anything you want,” Yonji nearly swooned, drool almost dribbling from his lip. 

“I know already that I’ve made the right choice,” Ursula said, sparing one last pointed look at you before turning to continue tugging Yonji away. “Weren’t you in the middle of giving me a tour?”

Yonji turned to glance over his shoulder, waving you along. You scurried forward despite your apprehension. You couldn’t imagine that Princess Ursula would enjoy your presence, but you served Yonji, and he was the one who ordered you to join them. 

A handful of Ursula’s own attendants wordlessly followed suit, keeping their distance as they went. You also remained a bit farther than you usually would, hesitant to put yourself in the trajectory of Ursula’s scathing gaze. 

***

Yonji and Ursula’s tour was nowhere near as impressive or in-depth as the one that King Neptune journeyed on. While Neptune got to spectate some impressive training drills, tour the above-ground labs, and an extensive walk of the castle and its mechanical intricacies, Ursula and Yonji wandered haphazardly according to their whims.

And aside from watching Yonji pick up a ridiculously colossal weight in one of Germa’s many gyms, Ursula wasn’t interested in any of the sights or locations they visited. She couldn’t have made her disinterest clearer. If her eyes weren’t on Yonji, they were on her carefully manicured nails. Germa’s soldiers were always a marvel to behold, but Princess Ursula dismissed them as simply boorish before wandering off in search of something else to indulge in. That was how she regarded most of the kingdom, save for one item.

“I want to see the suit,” she had suddenly demanded, stopping in the middle of a random path on a random lawn somewhere in the kingdom. Ursula turned to Yonji, shoulders as erect as ever and nose upturned as she regarded him. 

Yonji wasted no time producing it, seeming to pull it out of thin air as he spun it in his hand. Ursula made a swipe for it, but it evaded her grasp. She scowled. Even with her heels, Yonji was significantly taller than her, and it didn’t even require him to extend his whole arm to keep it from her grasp.

“Now, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jumping right for the trade secrets,” Yonji snickered, his gaze becoming just a shade darker, “Be careful before you ruin a good thing. We’ve done this before, and Germa doesn’t take too kindly to that kinda stuff.”

“Oh, please,” Ursula pouted, gritting her teeth behind pursed lips. “I couldn’t care less about boring data and research or whatever it is you do. Aren’t you some kind of real-life hero?” 

“Hero is a bit misleading.”

Yonji’s arm lowered, and Ursula wasted no time snatching his suit from him. 

You almost gaped at the sight, your breath hitching in a moment of acute worry. 

“How do I put it on?” Ursula pouted again, beginning to smack the bottom of the raid suit canister with her palm. 

And to your surprise, Yonji laughed.

“You can’t,” he said, tucking a stray piece of curly hair behind her ear. “It’s a biometric, hot stuff.” 

Ursula scowled, nose crinkling. 

“Don’t call me that. It’s unbecoming,” she huffed, her hand quick to swat Yonji’s hand away. She delivered a swift kick to his shin for good measure as she studied the canister. “You’re a prince. I hope that, at the very least, you know how to treat a princess.”

“Wow, you’re a fiery one.” 

And for whatever reason, when her words left her lips, they sailed through the hair to shoot right through your chest. The ripples shot from your chest down to the tips of your fingers and toes, and they were only made more intense at the sound of Yonji’s boisterous laugh. 

Right.

“I can put it on,” Yonji offered, his voice muffled in your ears. “Letting you know beforehand it’s a bit of a show.”

You could barely hear him as reality hit you at once. Yes, you had to remind yourself. Yonji was a prince; as much as you were his, he was— and had never been— yours. 

You knew that, or at least you thought you did. You told yourself. You’d had this realization before, hadn’t you? You had told Reiju with such certainty that not only did you understand the situation, but you consented to the arrangement with grace. And yet, there you stood, tears nearly welling in your eyes at the sight of her in his arms. 

You had no right to cry, didn’t you? If so, then why did it bite so goddamn hard?

***

It seemed like an eternity before dinner came. You couldn’t imagine the amount of work Cosette had sprung on her. From the little you gathered, it appeared as if none of the castle staff knew that Germa would be having visitors today, let alone so many of them and of such high prestige. Apparently, it was a decision made overnight. 

Yonji and Ursula went on their way, with Ursula’s attendants following. Yonji barely paid mind to you, half turning to glance at you as he walked in the opposite direction with Ursula. 

“Get out of here,” he laughed, waving you off, “You know not to bother me in the evening.”

You didn’t know what was worse: being dismissed or having to stay around to watch him faun over her. You brought your hands to your cheeks, slapping them just hard enough to be able to hear the noise. You scurried on your way back to the library.

You couldn’t think about it. And perhaps that was easier said than done. 

You hardly made it through a chapter of anything that night, and by the time your own supper was made, you hardly had the appetite for it. 

You raided the cabinets in search of a container, gingerly scooping your meal into it in the hopes that you might overcome your emotional rut tomorrow. But the more you tried to consider the library, your chores, or quite literally anything else that wasn’t Prince Yonji, you found yourself standing in front of the open refrigerator door. 

The cool air slowly wafted out, filling the now-empty kitchen where you stood. You held your container in one hand and the door handle in the other, staring down the leftovers you and Yonji had shared the night before. 

***

You didn’t think you had ever been more eager to retreat to your tower. Seeing the many rows of bookshelves and your cushy little cot in the corner felt like seeing an oasis. You kicked your shoes off, slowly crawling to your corner by the window. 

The muscles in your back ached in protest, having waited the entire day to finally relax. You didn’t realize you had so much tension in your shoulders. 

You lay flat on your back, staring at the wooden planks and stone above. Light filtered in from your window, but the beams were only strong enough to illuminate parts of the annex in a dark blue tinge. The more you tried to make out details on the ceiling, the heavier your head felt…

And then you heard steps. They were heavy, making a distinct noise of sole on stone that reverberated through the staircase leading up to your tower. The very sound made you immediately sit up, legs crouched to stand. 

No one came to your tower; not even the servants downstairs ever paid a visit so high in the library. The staircase was so tucked away that you weren’t sure if even the most seasoned servant could find their way up the obscene amount of winding steps. And yet, the footsteps only grew louder. 

You quietly rose from your cot, snatching an encyclopedia from a stack of books you housed nearby. You tiptoed into an adjacent cove made by the bookshelves, crouching as the steps reached the top.

A presence filled your little room. The atmosphere became sobering as your own breathing overtook your ears. An uncomfortable self-awareness sank into the air as your fingers hyperanalyzed the texture of the heavy book in your hands, and your nerves called for every hair on your skin to stand at attention. Someone was moving forward.

Just before they reached you, you immediately shot out of your hiding place. You held your giant book, ready to strike, but it was only a matter of milliseconds before your back slammed against the side of the bookshelf. In the next half-second, the encyclopedia hit the stone floor.

“The fuck?” you heard. “The fuck was that?”

Despite being pinned to a bookshelf, you almost deflated in relief at the sight of Yonji. And despite Yonji’s hands nearly engulfing your shoulders as he continued to hold you down, he appeared to look as confused as you were. But the situation seemed to click for him quickly. 

Yonji released you; the places where his hands were creased the fabric of your shirt. He scowled, gesturing to your encyclopedia, which was now lying open and facedown on the floor. 

“You thought that would do anything?” he scoffed. 

“I didn’t know it was you,” you said sheepishly. Yonji scoffed again, shaking his head as he reached down to retrieve the book from the floor.

“Who else would it be?” he chastised, closing the book cover and shoving the encyclopedia into a random shelf. 

The question ran through your mind for a split second, and you knew he wouldn’t like any of the answers you could possibly have to that question. 

“I apologize,” you conceded, “I should have known.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Yonji muttered, pushing past you into your little corner. You stood between the bookshelves at the entrance of your glorified sleeping area, watching as he unceremoniously plopped himself down on your cot. “Ow,” he groaned. “Fuck, I forgot this thing was as hard as a rock.”

Yonji shifted on your little bed, and you wordlessly came to sit next to him. You sat just under the window, back against the wall, legs stretched out in front of you and your hands on your lap. Yonji turned, sitting cross-legged in front of you like he was ready to share gossip at a sleepover. 

His back hunched as he placed his elbow on his knee, using his open palm to prop up his head. And somehow, you already knew the question he was going to ask.

“So,” he started eagerly, “What do you think of Ursula?”

You glanced away, unsure of how to respond. It was such a general, vague question. 

What did you think? 

What did you think?

“Princess Ursula appears to be from a fine pedigree,” you opted with a few bobs of your head. “And while I don’t know much about her kingdom, I’m sure that with some time, your mutual future can become clearer—”

Yonji let out a loud laugh.

“How much clearer can it get?” he cackled. “I want to marry her!”

You wished he hadn’t said that. The five little words pierced your chest and dove straight into your stomach. A discordant shiver electrified your nervous system as you tried to compose your clearly aghast facial expression. And yet, Yonji’s grin never faltered. 

“Sure,” you agreed, your tone upward, positive, and forcibly optimistic. But the significant effort required a pause. “But you did just meet her…”

It was then that Yonji frowned. It came instantaneously as if a physical switch was flipped inside him. 

“Why should that matter?” He scowled, suddenly rising from his lax posture to cross his arms. Your legs curled toward your body.

“These things take time, don’t they?” you replied, trying not to let a defensive panic shake your voice. “I know that Germa’s had a few discussions about political marriages, and none of them ended up, well, you know, they didn’t work out… I don’t want you to get your hopes up.” 

Yonji rolled his eyes, deciding to lie down on your cot. His long legs stretched up under your bent knees. The whole length of him didn’t even fit across the pathetic mattress, although it didn’t support your whole length on a bad day either. He crossed his wrists behind his head, glancing over your head at the view outside.

“You’re such a downer,” he groaned, “Can’t I talk to you about a hot chick?”

Your breath choked up in apprehension. You poised your tongue to speak, casting your gaze off to the side.

“I suppose you can talk to me about anything you’d like, Prince Yonji. But I can’t say I—” 

“Exactly, I can talk to you about everything, so stop with the ‘prince’ bullshit when it’s just us.” Yonji kicked upward with his right leg, knocking into the back of your knees with the tops of his calves. The force wasn’t enough to hurt, but it was jarring enough to nearly make you jump. “It’s like you never listen.”

He threw his hands up in the air, and they came down on his chest with a dull thud. And for a moment, you chose not to respond. 

You took him in as he stared at various things on the ceiling, just like you were doing not long before he came to your tower. He looked out of place in your little corner of the world, and it wasn’t just his size that appeared to dwarf all your carefully curated amenities. Yonji had an air to him, a presence that wasn’t strictly princely. 

It was just different in neither a good nor bad way. The only thing that was abundantly clear about Yonji’s presence in your little room that night was that he didn’t belong there.

“I suppose you’re very interested in Princess Ursula, then,” you commented, letting your arms wrap around your knees and your upper body to rest against your legs. The things Ursula said to him earlier that day weighed heavier on your mind than you’d like to admit. 

Yonji’s curly brows bounced. 

“Heh, I guess you could say that,” he chuckled at some unspoken joke, “What’s there not to like?” 

You shrugged.

“You tell me.” 

Yonji’s broad chest rose as he heaved in a heavy breath from your peripheral. You could practically see the thoughts churning in his head.

“Well,” he started, “She’s gorgeous.”

“Sure,” you chimed, trying not to sound too disinterested.

“And she’s the feisty type.” Yonji propped himself on his elbows, the expression on his face somewhere between proud and smug. “I’m so into that,” he proclaimed before letting himself fall back onto your sad cot. He grumbled as his back hit the uncomfortable material, seeming to have already forgotten how uncomfortable your sleeping spot was. 

And then there was a pause. 

“What else?”

Despite the interruption, the pause continued a beat longer. 

“What do you mean ‘what else’?” His brows furrowed as he continued to gaze upward. A slight pout pulled down on his lower lip. “What else?” he repeated as if saying it in isolation would allow him to better wrap his mind around the question. 

“Is there anything else that you like about her?” you asked, trying to keep somewhat of a focus on the conversation. But the very thought of Ursula made you queasy, like your guts were churning into a tight pit in your very core. 

“Her country has been making waves in the North recently, and her kingdom was recently invited to the Reverie. I’m sure Dad’s thrilled about that,” Yonji frowned. “Isn’t that enough?”

You weren’t sure if you wanted to frown at such a sad notion or laugh at the lack of nuance his words held. 

“I think you should be with someone who makes you happy.”

“HA! Don’t you go getting all sentimental on me,” Yonji declared, sitting up once again to meet your eye. Your gaze locked with his accidentally. “It doesn’t matter if she does this, that, and whatever else to make me happy,” he scoffed with a roll of his eyes. And when he spoke next, he did so with certainty, as if his words were the most obvious thing ever to be spoken. “You’ll always be here, right?”

It was a set of five more words that you wish he hadn’t said. You didn’t think he could have spoken anything that would make you feel sicker than his proclamation to marry Ursula. Yet, he found it, and in under ten words, no less. 

“Of course,” you affirmed, and the room finally went silent. 

***

Yonji left sometime in the night when you must’ve fallen asleep. You woke up on your cot, your sheets having been draped over you haphazardly. And when you reported to Yonji’s chambers, he was also sound asleep like any other day. The normality of it all made you wonder if what happened last night actually happened.

As usual, you drew the curtains open, and gentle, early-morning light trickled in to fill the room. 

Yonji laid on his chest, his bare back exposed as his arms sprawled out on their side of him. His head was turned to the right, just barely on the corner of his pillow. 

He had always been a haphazard sleeper. You knew that long before he fell asleep in your tower, just from the state of his messy sheets alone. They would be twisted, nearly tied together, and kicked about if they weren’t on the floor. You always wondered how he managed it, and now you wondered how you could have possibly slept through it. Your heart rate quickened at the thought.

“You’re here,” Yonji’s voice mused from behind you. The sound of him just about startled you. Yonji was, after all, not known to be a morning person.

You turned, and Yonji hadn’t moved much. He still laid with his arm hanging off the side of the bed and his head not faring much better on his pillow. You offered him a polite smile and a nod, not aware of how the morning light hit you in a way that Yonji might dare call angelic. However, Yonji wasn’t one to use such words or indulge in the flattery of others. 

“Of course I am,” you said, his clothes for the day already in your hands. “I am still to report here every morning, yes?” With Princess Ursula now present, you wondered how long that would last. 

To your surprise, Yonji didn’t require any help rising from his messy nest of blankets. He nodded as he yawned. 

“Yeah, yeah. Obviously,” Yonji sneered but quickly quieted. 

He sat in near uncharacteristic silence as you dressed him. Yonji wasn’t one to keep thoughts to himself, and as his one and only aid— as well as the first soul he saw in the morning— he usually had a gracious amount of reserved thoughts for you. 

But this morning, he almost appeared to study you, watching carefully as your fingers fastened the buttons of his shirt. Yonji didn’t think he had ever noticed the way you handled him as you dressed him. Your work was swift, and your touch was firm as you smoothed out the front of his shirt. You were deliberate, and yet there was an undeniable care that radiated from your every action. 

Care. It was something that Yonji could see so clearly but couldn’t quite put his finger on just yet. At that moment, he saw something, and for a man who knew just about everything, Yonji found himself puzzled. 

“You should stay here,” he said out of the blue. And when your eyes met, you could tell that his words shocked him as much as they shocked you.

“Stay��� here?” you asked, glancing off before returning to Yonji’s face. By this time, he was fully dressed. Your touch left him, and you took a step back. Yonji felt a rising annoyance at your absence. 

“In this tower, I mean,” he clarified, clearing his throat as he pivoted one foot away. “It’s not as high as your little crawl space, but it doesn’t have as many stairs. Not as dusty, and, uh, speaking of, I guess you can do your cleaning without having to go all the way back to your ship after.” 

Yonji placed a hand on his chin, bringing his arms together to grip his elbow with his opposite hand. 

“We’ll clear out a room for you— Oh! On this floor!” He stepped a few paces forward, eyes darting to random places in the direction of the bedroom doors as he imagined his plans. Yonji turned on his heel, spreading his arms wide as he regarded you. “We don’t got any other help here, but I can get some, no problem! Or I can even move all the heavy stuff.”

Your polite smile wavered for the most minuscule of seconds, although Yonji didn’t notice. You approached him as he held his massive grin, your hands clasped neatly in front of you. You stopped an appropriate distance away—appropriate for a servant.

“That’s servant’s work, Yonji,” you said, and Yonji couldn’t detect anything apart from your words.

“I like movin’ heavy stuff. You know that,” he hummed with pride. “Pickin’ stuff up, puttin’ it down… pickin’ it up again…” Yonji continued to babble. “We can clear out that room that’s just next door! I dunno what we even use it for anyway, which means it shouldn’t matter too much—”

“Yonji?”

“You won’t have to live in that gross attic anymore, and I’ll get you a real bed this time! It’s a miracle that your back isn’t royally fucked up sleeping on that glorified pile of rags you got—”

“Yonji?” 

“Oh! And we can bring the books I bought you. I know you organized them away real nice, but we can get you a nice bookshelf and everything for them to go on. I’m sure you’d like rearranging them anyway—”

“Master Yonji,” you called him gently, but despite your light tone, your words washed over him like a bucket of cold water.

But the sobering feeling didn’t stop there; for the moment the cold shock set in, a sharp, exploding pain in Yonji’s chest followed. It hurt. Fuck, it hurt. The sensation wracked every fiber of him, spreading across his nerves to slow the function of his lungs. Yonji’s hand flew to the left side of his chest, and in an instant, he had you tackled to the ground. 

“Get down!” he cried, having already stuffed you in a ball beneath his shoulder. Yonji’s arm wrapped around you while his other hand still gripped the left side of his chest. “We’re under attack!”

“Prince Yonji! What—?”

Another sharp, explosive pain sliced through Yonji’s chest. He sat up, his back against the ornate sofa in the middle of the room. His arm had slipped from you to grasp for his raid suit while the other continued to hold just under his left side collarbone. 

“Where the hell are they shooting from?”

“Yonji, you’re scaring me. There’s no one shooting at us!”

Just when Yonji was about to activate his raid suit, the doors to Yonji’s bedroom burst open. 

Ichiji appeared at the ready, his own raid suit in his hand as he charged in. He stopped short just inside the bedroom doors. Ichiji swiveled his head once before his posture deflated into his usual, strong standing. 

Just behind him, Ursula hurried along in her little kitten heels. Her panic was evident, and her severe face contorted with her widened eyes and agape lips. She hid behind Ichiji, standing frozen behind him about a meter or two back. 

Yonji’s eyes immediately found Ichiji’s.

“Ichiji—!”

“Pull yourself together.” Ichiji swiftly marched over, ripping Yonji up by his arm and dragging him to his feet. Yonji looked around frantically, still clutching his raid suit in his hand. Ichiji tugged his younger brother by his shirt, forcing himself to be the center of his gaze. “I can’t allow you to behave like a buffoon in front of your fiancée.”

You were still on the ground, brain whirling from the whiplash. You didn’t know what happened, nor what was currently happening. All you could feel was Ursula’s sea blue gaze staring coldly down at you.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

Notes: Aaaandd there's chapter 8. I hope it doesn't seem as rushed as I feel it does. Pew pew pew!! Your comments give me the will to go on (as in write the story)! Pew pew pew!!

Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI Part VII Part VIII

[sulcldoll]

I was thinking about the way people are treated in society based on their sexuality which made me realize it is truly femininity of gay men that people hate so much, and Bill Williamson is a perfect example.

Bill isn’t even canonically gay, the implications are very much there but it’s never explicitly said, yet so many people seem oddly ok with it. Obviously, that’s how it should be but it isn’t, people usually have a problem with speculating a characters sexuality being something other than straight. (Especially in a game like red dead.) Yet somehow, both sides agree on this with seemingly little argument. At first the side who isn’t in support is confused and doesn’t think that’s true, but being shown the evidence they’re like ‘oh ok yeah he’s gay’. And then the queer/ally folks are like ‘yeah no shit’. And then it’s all quiet (mostly) from the ones not in support. They seem to have no qualms about it (from what I’ve seen) and I fully believe it’s because of how obnoxiously masculine he is. He doesn’t act like how one imagines a typical gay man which is fragile and feminine. I feel like I can guarantee if he was less masculine and more feminine people would have way more of an issue with it. (Like calling rockstar woke or making fun of him more)

Idk maybe I’m talking out of my ass and I haven’t seen a lot of how people talk about him, but that’s just what I’ve seen. Recent events in America just had me thinkin 🥲

[twistedisciple]

2ND ANNIVERSARY HOUSEKEEPING

It doesn't feel like it's been two years since I picked Griss up in TOA. On that note though, I'd like to freshen things up.

CHARACTERIZATION Same old Griss. In revisiting some of his old threads though, I realized that over the past year or so, I'd gotten a little off track from his base. Recalibrating and grounding his character again. I intend to have him act more in line with what would have allowed him to be Zephia's second-in-command, even if it means that he acts out in less extreme ways than some other characters currently in TOA (this is mostly just relevant for events and chatplays).

SUPPORT LOG Or my version of one. I've put together an archive of Griss' interactions and summary notes so that I can keep everything straight. This also has a tab with support notes (not necessarily support ranks, more like a place where I can jot down ideas and feelings about other muses). At the moment, this doesn't include anything that wasn't in this blog's archive because hunting down all the asks I've ever sent would be a pain in the ass. I've also left off threads that have been dropped, but going forward, I intend to just strike them out and make any notes about adjusting characterization if the dropped muse had made some sort of impact on Griss' development. Most of the dropped threads are from muses that dropped out of the group so I'm treating them as though they never happened. However, if your muse was part of a dropped thread or some other interaction and references it around Griss, I'll treat the dropped thread as canon as far as I'm able.

THREADS This is by no means a push to make anyone I've pinged hurry up with a reply. I'm just making sure we both know where the thread stands.

Current

Mauvier ( @contempenitent ) - starter [waiting on me] Marni ( @machiot ) - All the Soft Things [waiting on partner] Raven ( @peerlessscowl ) - No, I Don't Want Your Number [waiting on partner] Linus, Ares, & Dimitri ( @justicefanged @lionscion @blaiddllodi ) - Playing in the Mud [waiting on partner] Rafal ( @rafent ) - Man's Best Friend [waiting on partner]

Wrapping up soon

Marni ( @machiot ) - Garreg Mach Prison Experiment [waiting on partner] Rafal ( @rafent ) - Mister Griss's Dragon Maid [waiting on partner] Yunaka ( @dcggersedge ) - Gregory Horror Show [waiting on partner]

Dropping (3 month clause)

Valter ( @knighteclipsed ) - Roommate Roulette [last reply 10/12/24] Randal ( @dyshonor ) - If you're to be convinced [last reply 11/27/24]

[nick-writes-stuff]

Devotion

Thanos/Choi Su-bong x injured!gn!reader

summary: After the glass stepping stones, there's only you, Thanos, and Nam-gyu left in the games. Tensions are high, and you are trying to stay alive with a serious injury. Luckily, Thanos is there to help you. (aka, a rewrite of the ending of the first season but with team thanos) ~ 2.7k words

warnings: canon-typical violence, reader is injured, talk of reader dying, mentions of drug use

a/n: i wanted to make this longer and include more lead up, but i have a different idea brewing that would overlap with it, so i figured it would be its own fic. i love writing with thanos, and i have another idea for him, and that will be the next one. i'm so excited about it. hope you enjoy!

You felt your ears ringing after the explosion of the glass bridges. You couldn't really think straight at the moment. You were still reeling over the fact you just witnessed Nam-gyu shoving Min-su into the last tile and to his subsequent death. He just killed your friend. A man who you thought was also his friend. But lately, you were questioning how much Nam-gyu actually cared about any of you. He did that with no hesitation. You hardly recognized him anymore.

The three of you were escorted through the complex stairwells in silence. Thanos and you were quiet due to shock, but Nam-gyu was silent because he didn't feel the need to defend his actions.

It wasn't until you were halfway to the dorms that you felt the dull ache radiating from your side. It throbbed with every step you took. The adrenaline was leaving your system, and as it did, the pain only grew. You didn't even try to see what was wrong yet. You didn't want to draw attention to it in front of the others.

The dorms were almost entirely empty, save for three beds against each of the walls other than the one with the main door.

“Dude, what the fuck were you thinking?” Thanos yelled, getting into Nam-gyu's face.

Nam-gyu shoved him back. “What? Did you want to die?” He yelled with just as much venom.

“There could have been another way.” Thanos insisted. It was weird to hear Thanos trying to save other people's lives in the games. During the first few games, he had been so willing to throw others into harm's way for his own gain.

But he changed a lot. Maybe it was partially because the lump sum he was going to receive was enough to cover his debt and then some. But he changed a lot because of you too. You made him feel a way he hadn't in a long time. With you, he found a genuine connection. A real friend. Maybe when you get out of here, he could find a chance for something more.

Nam-gyu scoffed at him. “The only other way was joining the rest of them at the bottom. We were going to run out of time.” He said. Thanos started to walk off to the other side of the room. Nam-gyu rolled his eyes. “You're welcome for saving your life, by the way!” He snapped.

Thanos whipped around, readying himself to confront him. “Are you fucking serious?”

You finally spoke up. “Can you two just stop?” You shouted, your voice cracking into a sob. That shut them up for a moment as they turned to you. Thanos's eyes were full of concern and Nam-gyu's hate. You were just overwhelmed. You just watched your friend die, your other two friends were in a screaming match, and you were beginning to feel the effect of your injury.

Before anyone else could speak, someone's voice rang out in the room. “Attention Players.”

You all turned to see a square guard alongside a few circle guards. Three of them were holding out a black box with a red ribbon. They were designed to look just like the coffins that eliminated players were thrown into. You didn't show how disgusted that made you.

“We would like to congratulate you for completing the penultimate game. We have new outfits for you to celebrate the occasion. Please change into them while we prepare for your dinner.” He said.

You exchanged glances with Thanos while Nam-gyu stepped forward to grab his outfit and head toward the bathrooms.

“We should probably take turns changing in the women's bathroom while the other keeps watch.” You suggested. You were nervous about Nam-gyu trying to harm either of you.

Thanos made a face. “You want me to go into the girls bathroom?” He asked, exaggerating his concern at the prospect.

You rolled your eyes. “Oh my god, stop acting like a 12-year-old. It's just a room.” You said. Your tone was joking, but there was a sharpness that he hadn't expected. You made your way into the hall.

Thanos went in to change first. He figured it would be best to go first while Nam-gyu was also changing. That way he would likely take your place by the time Nam-gyu was leaving.

Nothing could have prepared you for seeing what was causing the pain in your stomach. A significant shard of glass was protruding from your abdomen. It wasn't bleeding that badly, but it had started to stain your sweatpants. You gasped at the sight, both out of pain and shock.

You didn't dare to move the glass. You knew it was likely stopping the bleeding somewhat. Luckily, they were having you change into black suits, so any bleeding would likely go unseen by the others. You changed as quickly as you could. You packed your old t-shirt around the glass and tied the drawstring of the sweatpants around your waist. You hoped it would maintain some pressure. You tried hard to muffle any sounds of pain that you made. You couldn't let them know about this. While you trusted Thanos, you were just too scared to let Nam-gyu know about it.

You left the bathroom without drawing attention to your injury. Thanos was waiting for you, and you tried to be discreet as you admired how he looked in a suit. How did you mess up this badly? This was no place to catch feelings.

You didn't know what you expected to walk back into, but an elaborate dinner table wasn't it. It was a luxury like none you all had ever seen before. There were three place settings at three tables arranged in a large triangle.

You'd never had a more tense meal than this. Nam-gyu was silent, but his glare toward you spoke volumes. You weren't even hungry. Your injury was too painful for you to even have an appetite. You ate what you could force down, knowing you hadn't eaten anything substantial in days.

You watched the guards come to clear the tables while you still sat there. Then you realized they left the steak knives sitting in front of each of you. Your blood turned to ice in your veins. Your breathing quickened, trying not to hyperventilate as you realized the amount of danger you were in.

You looked over to Thanos, locking eyes with him. You tried to mask your fear, but any facade you had was shattered when you saw the smirk on Nam-gyu's face as he picked up the knife. You grabbed your own knife with shaking hands and moved back to the bed closest to you.

You didn't want to take your eyes off of him, scared he would take any opportunity to kill you. Because he definitely would. You knew he didn't like you. He hated you. You changed Thanos. You made him soft. You took his eyes off the prize money. You made him think about leaving the drugs and the fame behind, and Nam-gyu despised you for it.

You saw through him. Nam-gyu only saw Thanos as a paycheck and a drug supplier. That's all. So when you got close to Thanos, you were threatening Nam-gyu's future. You were ruining his investment. He needed to get rid of you at all costs.

You don't know how long you sat on the bed in silence. Your back was against the headboard. You pulled your knees toward your chest. The hand opposite to your wound was pushing against your makeshift bandage to keep some pressure on it. Your other hand was gripping the steak knife tight enough that your knuckles were white. You squeezed the knife as a way to make sure you stayed awake. You couldn't risk falling asleep. You stared ahead of you, watching the man across from you intently.

You hadn't noticed that Thanos had made his way toward you since he had been in the bed out of your line of sight. “Hey, Y/N?” He said softly.

You flinched, moving away from him and holding the knife toward him momentarily. His eyes widened, and he put his hands up instinctively. “It's just me. Chill out.” He said, keeping his usual demeanor despite how odd it would seem to others. He knew he probably just startled you, but there was also a deep-seated fear that you actually thought he would hurt you.

You took a deep breath, ignoring the burning pain in your abdomen from the action. “Sorry.” You murmured, letting your grip on the knife relax. As a sign of good faith, he took his knife out of his pocket and dropped it at the foot of the bed. You looked over at him before doing the same.

“Mind if I sit with you?” He asked. You shook your head, moving to the side so he could sit next to you. Luckily he wasn't on the same side as your wound, so you didn't have to worry about him noticing it.

He sat beside you, fidgeting with the button on his suit jacket. After sitting in silence for a moment, you spoke. “I think he's gonna kill me.” You said quietly, keeping your eyes on Nam-gyu from across the room.

Thanos laughed, but you could hear the anger behind it. “I'd like to see him try.” He said. You didn't react positively to his attempt to lighten the mood.

You continued. “Right now we would have a majority to leave. If he gets rid of one of us, the game has to continue. He hates my guts, so it'll probably be me.” You said, voice hardly above a whisper.

He nudged you with his elbow, getting you to look up at him. “I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay? I promise.” He said. The sincerity before his words would normally give you butterflies, but now there was just a bitter irony knowing that you were already badly injured.

He sighed, staring at the man who he once considered a friend. “Honestly, I should just go and kill him now. That fucker deserves it.” He said, lowering his volume as he reached for the knife.

You grabbed his wrist before he could grab it. He looked over to you, trying to ignore the sparks he felt where you touched him. “Don't.” You said with a shake of your head. “Don't stoop to his level. You'll be no worse than him.”

He didn't think he cared about the moral justification, but he couldn't get himself to go against your plea. He leaned back again with a sigh.

You both sat in silence. You were starting to not feel well. You felt a bit queasy and lightheaded. But you just felt this overwhelming sense of dread. How were you going to continue the game? If you had to wait until tomorrow, who knows how much blood you would lose. Would you even be able to play most of the games?

You finally spoke again, keeping your voice low. “If I don't make it out of here-”

“Don't say that.” He interrupted, looking down at you with a stern gaze.

You shook your head. “No, just listen to me. I-”

“We're making it out of here together, okay? There's no need to talk like that.” He said.

You just looked up at him, trying to stop the tears from forming. “You don't understand, I-”

He rolled his eyes. “What else is there to understand? It's not going to happen.” He tried not to be short-tempered with you. He wasn't annoyed or angry with you. He was just scared. So scared at the prospect of losing you that he didn't want to even acknowledge the fact it could happen. You dying was out of the question entirely. Even if he had to die in your place.

You whimpered slightly as you took your hand off the wound on your side, showing him the crimson in the dim light. You couldn't form any words at the moment. What would you even say?

You could see the faintest hint of fear flicker across his face. “How? When, but-” He stammered, voice louder than he intended.

You shushed him harshly, looking back over to Nam-gyu who perked up at the noise. You turned back to Thanos. “He can't know.” You mouthed.

He seemed to disagree with you, but ultimately nodded in defeat. He knew it too. Nam-gyu would definitely take you out if he knew you were weak. “What happened?” He asked, keeping his voice at a whisper.

You placed your hand back into the wound with a grimace before speaking. “It's a shard of glass. From when the tiles exploded.” You whispered.

He looked shocked. “You mean it's still in there?” He asked in disbelief. The idea of it made him so uncomfortable.

You nodded. “It's keeping me alive right now. If I took it out, I would probably bleed out by morning.” Your voice trembled as you started to cry. The idea of talking about your own death was harrowing. You had done everything right here, but you were so close to dying like the rest. This wasn't supposed to happen. You won that game. Winners don't get hurt.

He noticed your anxiety spiking and wrapped his arm around you, hand gripping your forearm gently. “It's gonna be okay. All we have to do is make it through the night. Tomorrow we'll give them hell until they let us vote.” He said.

You shook your head. “I don't think there's gonna be another vote. They don't want this to end peacefully. They want a show.” You said, trying to keep your voice calm but your panic was showing through.

He shushed you softly, his thumb drawing gentle circles into your skin. “We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, okay? For right now, you should get some rest.” He said.

You shook your head. “But what if he-”

“I'll keep watch. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear on my entire rap career.” He said, clearly playing up his bravado to make you laugh. Which you did laugh weakly.

He was entirely serious, though. He didn't think he even wanted to continue playing the part anymore. He was really only doing it for attention. He did have a passion for writing raps, but the whole stage act of Thanos and all the drugs were just to get people to like him. It worked for a time, but it was never fulfilling in the long-term because it wasn't real. They didn't really give a shit about him.

With you, though, it was different. He didn't have to fake anything when he was around you. He could drop the facade and be himself again. He didn't need to be something he wasn't. And the feeling of being accepted for himself was so addictive.

You looked up at him. “Can you talk about something? Anything really. I just need to calm down a bit.” You asked sheepishly, almost embarrassed for asking at all.

That flustered him more than he let on. People usually found him anything but calming, and the fact you felt so comfortable around him made him feel things he hadn't in a long time.

He started telling you about the place where he grew up. He glossed over the bad parts, focusing on telling you the places he would want to take you. He would take you to the diner that was the area's traditional first date location since it was nice but decently priced. There was the bar where he won his first rap battle. You could even go to meet his mother if you wanted. Surely she'd be happy he found someone like you. He finally wouldn't feel ashamed to visit her.

He eventually noticed your breathing had deepened, drifting off into sleep by his side. He watched you for a while, mesmerized by the fact that someone could trust him so much. He wanted to commit this to memory in case something would happen to you. He didn't want to accept that you could die, but he also wanted to make sure he would be able to have something if these godforsaken games took you away from him.

He kept himself awake by thinking up rap lyrics in his mind. About the situation, about his hatred of Nam-gyu, but mostly about you. How hard he fell for you. How beautiful he thought your smile was. How you brought back a piece of him he hadn't noticed was missing. Every rhyme was a display of his devotion to you. He was going to do right by you. He failed so many other people, but he refused to fail you. You both were making it out of here no matter what.

[sal-absinthii]

It is frustrating when people make a show about how open-minded they are but then apply it inconsistently

That being said, I would still have an issue with it even if they weren't also being hypocrites about it, for the same reason the entire ~body positivity~ thing went so off the rails when it started getting flattened into "everyone's beautiful!" (which, I'm sorry, but it's just not true -- beautiful is a relative descriptor indicating that something has more beauty than another and by definition cannot all be equal; what an individual considers beautiful can certainly be very different from another individual's idea of beauty, and it's true that no matter what a person looks like, there is probably someone out there who thinks that is the height of beauty, but that does not mean everyone is obligated to find everything and everyone beautiful) when it was supposed to be "your worth as a person doesn't change based on how many people consider you beautiful."

I know there are people in the fandom who get extremely upset when Snape is called ugly, and insist that he's actually very attractive. Now, that is entirely subjective and they are perfectly free to consider him attractive. However, I have a problem with this weird knee jerk reaction some of them have about it where no one else is allowed to think he's ugly. Whether or not you personally have conventional tastes, he is not described as being conventionally attractive, and I think it's important to be ok with that as well, to accept that how he looks definitely causes people to judge him, but that it doesn't actually say anything about him as a person. And to that end, I don't think there needs to be a reason why his hair is greasy or his teeth are crooked or whatever. It's possible he has some skin condition, it's possible he has sensory issues...but something rubs me wrong about the line of thinking that involves finding some "excuse" (especially when there's absolutely nothing remotely in canon about it) as to why he's "allowed" to look a certain way, because the unspoken implication is still that appearance matters, and he gets a pass because of some special circumstance, and that if he is actually just a regular neurotypical straight white man without any other issues it would not be acceptable, and it's only acceptable as long as we can come up with a reason. You are actually allowed to think that something is unattractive regardless of why (biology, aesthetic or cultural choice, situation, condition, etc) and you are not obligated to defend that, at the same time, you probably shouldn't be going around bullying people for features beyond their control whether you know the reason or not. I dunno, this just gets into a lot of identity politics issues I find very fucked up about Tumblr.

I know the point of this post was about the hypocrisy and not whether Snape's good-looking or not and I fully agree with that. I just additionally think that those people's fundamental premise of "everyone's beautiful! uwu" is itself missing the real point and I am strongly on team Let People Be Ugly.

I love how the Marauders fandom is like everybody is perfect the way they are, they can be black, brown, white, fat, skinny, tall, short, everyone is pretty. Except Snape, no no no, he cannot be pretty, he has greasy hair, you cannot be pretty with greasy hair

[sincerely-sofie]

Outfit swap!

(Shortly before the above:)

[rimatsu]

obsessed with baby queer buck and the hang-ups he probably doesn't even realize he has, let alone acknowledge.. newly realized bisexual evan buckley who didn't stop once to consider long-term commitment to a man he dated for 6 months as a viable option until josh spelled it out for him. and we've seen buck navigate romantic relationships before. he didn't do things by half-measure or shy away from grandiose declarations with abby or taylor. he knew he loved them without the need for an outsider's perspective. i don't think the cautiousness displayed in 806 was linked to tommy as an individual/lover so much as it was about building a life with a man — still a foreign concept, still a bit alien. not something buck could really envision for himself and by himself, unprompted (just like he remained unaware of his attraction to men until he was made to confront it with a kiss). that moment of hesitation wasn't because he was unattached to tommy or their relationship, quite the opposite according to the follow-up questions: if buck wasn't in love already, he was at least willing to be. yeah, he needed a little nudge from josh to reassess his feelings, to jump over that last barrier, but the very moment things clicked in his mind, buck was ready to cement their relationship, ready to wholeheartedly pursue a future with tommy, serious enough that he brought up the possibility of marriage someday (another first! not just first potential husband, but first potential spouse ever!!) — because buck doesn't see much value in waiting once he figures out what he wants.

[the-stove-is-divorced]

The descriptions are killing me omg. I know in my soul there is something there, just give it, give it rn, I BEG. PLEASE. PLEASE.

Being a little mad at a piece of media to write fic for it is too real. I feel I usually do it out of some sort of desperation than rage? Too hungry for my own self indulgence, too busy chewing on an idea canon didn't explore to my own standards or wishes until I gotta get the idea out of my skull. Happy you liked SU/SUF, too! (o´▽`o) it feels so weirdly overly hated tbh? Feels like a persistent "I like SU/SUF but..." which, I respect hating (to a degree), but it feels so shockingly consistent I'm just like goddamn! Or maybe I need to branch out further lol. Any favorite arcs/episodes? I'm curious!

Oh he would have to hit a nerve for sure, while it is a victory for her, he would also lash out at her as well, so what's really a win, here anyway? I'd imagine they could finally talk, or as productive of a talk they can possibly have? His patience definitely has a limit, and they'd bond eventually? Or I want them too. They're such a neat dynamic to me, hehe, including Jasper getting on his nerves lol.

I am not familiar enough with the TH-specific spider-man movies, but I can imagine lol! Peter is sweating. And omg, didn't even think about his powers reacting as well, sticking to bowls and trying to make sure no one notices with EXTRA pairs of eyes on him, especially Nolan's, who is casually ominous anyway lol.

Bonus points for Viltrumite anatomy fuckery that just adds to it. Subtle or blatant tbh, like Nolan briefly floating to reach something, not blinking whatsoever, teeth are just odd enough to make you squint. Mark with the playdate comment made me snort, omg, fucking adore the lovingly, low-stakes bonding and the SHEER palpable stress on Peter's heart with his new stalker (and co.) IN HIS HOME. Everyone is vibing but him. He keeps trying to get them to leave. As soon as they're at the door, someone talks about photographers and suddenly Peter is roped into helping Nolan understand how to use a camera, lollll. Blurry pics of him, as Spidey, staring back at him. Mark is like, "Aw, not a spidey fan? My dad's been real into it for some reason, haha!" Peter starts screaming internally.

Cecil added to the mix is incredible, now it's three guys on a boat being monitored by Cecil, who is squinting at all of them. Donald having to report they're just being passive aggressive and blatantly aggressive, sir. And Nolan? Oblivious. Vibing. The layers of secret identity always make me snort, I can imagine Art not giving it away, but making hints or comments which JJ finds suspicious.

Nolan finding out who Peter is and just fucking ignoring it is sending me, omg. He CANNOT let this go and he CANNOT know Peter's identity because otherwise it's Colonization time, and so he just doubles down so hard. The mental image of him straight up, coincidentally, seeing Peter either take off or put on the mask, Peter seeing him see him, mutually freezing, only for Nolan to call him a cosplayer and leave. Nolan is denying it. Outright. Didn't happen. Peter is losing his goddamn mind, and Nolan is clearly buddy buddy with JJ, what if he knows and posts it, meanwhile Nolan is deleting the information from his brain. Peter Parker is either Debbie's Friend's Kid / Mark's Nerd Friend, utterly forgettable, or that Spidey Cosplayer in his mind until the day he dies lol.

Truly! Let characters impact the plot! I want decisions!!!! Driven, motivations and decisions!

Glorious, glorious, nepo baby, rich boy brat!Mark and (evil-ish) Debbie MY BELOVED, HELLO? That would honestly be so awesome to explore like hello??? She truly does not need powers to be useful whatsoever, like you said, real estate capital so so fucking useful. Truly, why bring up what Amber and Eve actively do only to ignore it as well? Have non-heroes be active in the world, show me the intricacies of these systems and the others that make it work! Plus the mental image of Debbie being involved with selling villain lairs makes me snort. Guardians ask why his wife is involved with supervillains they have beef with, and he's like why is that my business? She also tells them to mind their business. Do you want Dr Misery's new lair two blocks away from an orphanage or something? I don't think so. Even besides silly stuff, the work they do, does matter but they never dive into it?

I would love to see Cecil outright refusing Powerplex/groups similar to him attempt to creating more complex laws or an outright outside entity of power/authority to deal with hero punishments and crimes, because it would undermine his control over anything. Or, like you said, he adores it because it's also under his control/influence. Oh, you don't like his decisions? Well, then there's a dismissed lawsuit that could really pick up wind again, how does losing money or risking jail time mean to you? A fascinating Civil War focusing on the power/authority of managing, handling heroes would be epic. And truly, what does Mark think will happen when he has to go to prison?

Gasp, jail!Mark arc...and truly what do you do when the people decide death IS the answer, instead of jail? Or are you not thinking about that? Death penalty still exists on Earth, buddy, and YEAH, how do you justify the costs of maintaining excessively expensive powered people jailed, alive, or even killed? How much research funding would be used to figure out death penalty methods for entities harder to kill? Money and resources that could have been spent anywhere else.

So many interesting questions you brought up, too, could Debbie be charged with assistance or failure to snitch, basically? What are the intricate law battles at stake here? How much as risk if the Grayson can be thrown to the sharks, law wise, what law protect them and won't don't even apply? Invincible (series) doesn't even talk about the press or media whatsoever! THEY HAVE TO AN IMPACT ON THINGS! How many people loathed Invincible just like Powerplex, and how many argued/have footage of him being tossed around like a stuffed animal or a wet rag? Does the GDA leak that kind of footage, with fingers in specific media outlets to ensure the people hear specific narratives, like this can go deep.

Truly bring back Art, for some Art and Debbie dynamics! He is Old Money, and how exciting would it be for a formerly, strictly neutral party, the kind other players, heroes and vigilantes and villains alike, have never had to worry about, started making moves? How many follow him because he makes their suits? How many stay out of it? Are there more neutral spaces, even? Spidey-villains have that bar, right, like villain bar, does Invincible's world have that kind of highly protected restaurant?

AND TRULY, she probably knows SO MUCH INFORMATION, and her ability to instantly spot GDA could be so useful, not mention fun tidbit about her, spies would be so fucking pissed off, but she sees you. Let her play games with them too, leaving "hi :)" + "tell cecil to stfu" or something petty on napkins she leaves, or booths, or cars they pick up and investigate. Debbie can disappear on them whenever she wants and Cecil fucking hates it. She knows too much but he also can't hurt her. Other villains should be foaming at the mouth, when she can sell what she knows! She can be a truly untouchable figure!

Titan vs Debbie arc would be so beautiful oh my goooood. I do not have it in me to write that much I want it so fucking bad omg. I don't even words it's jut me cheering YES YES YES. Also Debbie having met Scott before and the betrayal on both sides would be so delicious, oh my goooood. They actually bond, they know each other's families, and for her to pull out of the court case would be such an extra layer of goodness I'm losing my MIND.

And truly that power/system stuff will never NOT make me tilt my head in confusion, like wydm power to the people, what does that look like, or is everyone just on their own now? What's with the guys have no one to answer to??? Why just ONE type, why not multitudes each with their flaws and issues? Thraxans just making Nolan the ruler and he goes with it never tops making my ass itch, bitch you do not have to do that, though we've repeated as much already. Where's the conflict in ruler's orders at the very least? Heck, where the conflict in the GDA? Any agents thought what Cecil was going too far and putting them all at risk? Where's a dramatically quitting agent, even? Someone for Cecil to answer to? Some competing sector that also deals with non-mundane/super powered threats, and at risk for undercutting Cecil's authority if he doesn't stop playing around? Like, uh, an Amanda Walker type character, which I assume Cecil is fulfilling the role for, anyway, but gimme moreeeeeee.

While I'm not too familiar with the DCU- your batfam meta posts are intiguing- so in transfering some of the broader strokes from them- I think you tackling a 'Mark isn't Nolan's biological son' fic would be fascinating. Sort of a step to the side of the 'what if Mark never got his powers' fic that sometimes pop up in the fandom

OOOOOO chewing on this currently, hm, the much a distinct flavor of exactly what you’re talking about, but the potential for more family drama depending on WHO knows. Does Mark know?? Is he waiting every day only to be crushed? Does he confused non-Debbie features with Nolan’s? I suppose I’m not the most enthusiastic about non-power AUs, but I think there’s something very fun to explore about Mark having to settle with, if he knows all his life, he will never have powers? I think the trajectory of his dreams will obviously shift, I can see him still having that distinct fatherly idolization, but perhaps embraces being useful to the GDA? Cecil’s number one intern—only intern—curtesy of nepotism, ha! There is something tickling me about Mark taking the Robin Route/Role for the Teen Team in terms of having no powers, just insane skills, BUT there’s something way more delicious about intern Mark when s1e01 happens and Mark tries snooping around to find out the truth about what happened to his Dad.

I wonder if, with Mark having a whole another father, if they’re more or less distant relationship, depending on WHEN Nolan entered Mark’s life? Like if Debbie met Nolan later for this, or just for fun, they dated once, separated (Mark being born during then), then they happened to stumble into each others lives again and Mark’s already been born, anywhere from tween to teenager so there’s a gap in how close they are. I feel like one important aspect of the whole Family Drama is how close they’re supposed to be, a functional, loving family turned upside down? So I wonder what more distance does. I wonder how Nolan copes when his family is entirely human and he can’t project onto Mark.

I love thinking about these, omg.

[rasb7rry]

"Bakudeku is toxic because Katsuki bullied Izuku in the past!" There's nothing more hateful and toxic than apologizing for your very shitty past actions: catching him in the rain, despite absolutely HATING the rain, ignoring his own health for him, having his last words before he DIES be about Izuku, FIGHT to get to see izuku in the hospital when he's ALSO in a shitty state, thinking about Izuku 99% of the time—like always. It’s always “head empty, only river scene/Izuku,” sobbing because Izuku lost his quirk, which means he can’t be a hero. Wanting to "spend their entire lives competing together", keeping his hero ranks low on purpose just so that when Izuku becomes a hero again, they can compete for the number one spot. Dedicating EIGHT years of his life to earn well and probably live in a pretty crappy state because of that just so he makes SURE he gets the right tech and support course items to create the perfect suit for Izuku. Even if Izuku gave up on his dream, Katsuki didn't. Isn't that absolutely hateful and toxic!!!!!! Bakudeku is only toxic in season ONE AND TWO!!!!! Katsuki HAD character development wheather you like him or not!!!!

[fox-guardian]

read a fic recently that had an interaction like

sasha: tim get like one social media PLEASE I am BEGGING

tim: I have linkedin?

and I cannot describe the Joy I felt reading that. they get it.

[084thoughts]

Not only does Loki send Sif to Earth to protect humans, but both times she works with SHIELD and Coulson.

Sif would’ve returned from capturing Lorelei, mentioned him to “Odin” and Loki would’ve had to keep a straight face while he’s like how the FUCK did that bitch come back to life?? (But honestly, Loki probably is just impressed by Coulson, respects the dying-coming-back-to-life grind.)

The second time Loki’s just enjoying the life updates on his favorite Midgardian. “Son of Coul helped me get un-brainwashed by this Kree and he has a daughter who is an inhuman!!! He is crazy because she is extremely dangerous but family is more important than that, right Odin?” “Of course, family is important, Lady Sif. I didn’t kidnap and lie to my own child for a millennia for nothing!!! If you see Agent Coulson again, send him my love!!”

Lastly, in s5, the destruction of Earth canonically happens on the same day as the Battle of Wakanda.

(Thanos is mentioned, the threat that the Confederacy is against and Talbot plans to fight after he gets more gravitonium. There are new reports of the donut ship destroying NYC and eps earlier “an Asgardian was spotted in the city”, referring to Thor (& Loki) going to Earth to visit Dr. Strange and Thor taking a selfie w those girls.)

The Battle of Wakanda/Infinity War movie directly follows the events of Ragnarok, the Asgardian ship getting taken over by Thanos and everyone dying (Loki, Heimdall). Imagine AOS being canon, and Thor sees the destruction of his homeland, deaths of his people, and then fights a losing battle against Thanos bc on the other side of the globe a gravity man gets earthquake powers and fucking cracks the planet apart.

Makes Endgame look like a pussy... only FIVE YEARS and the world's in ONE PIECE, and HALF of living beings are STILL ALIVE!?!?!? AOS had to suffer through a 70 YEAR TIME FUCK WHERE HUMANS ARE ENSLAVED BY KREE and TWO of their main characters DIED???!?!!

Hey, so just in case the main MCU fandom hasn't gotten it yet, Loki was a good king

I don't mean that ironically, I mean that genuinely, because he actually took proactive steps as Odin to not only protect Asgardians, but to protect people of other realms

"Odin" sends down Sif twice in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and each time it was to help them. First time it was because Lorelei had escaped and he knew she could do massive damage, second was because a Kree landed on Earth and historically, Kree landing on other planets is never a good sign

Loki didn't have to do these types of things. He could've just let them be all alone, like Odin did. By putting on plays about his own noble sacrifice, the people thought he was Odin. But instead he chose to lend a hand, to send Sif down to help S.H.I.E.L.D., and that's something Odin would never do

[cinnamonsikwate]

post-canon laishuro but it's gekkan shoujo nozaki-kun. is this anything???

shuro attempts to confess his new & confusing feelings but laios misunderstands "i want to stay by your side" as shuro volunteering to stay and help in the golden kingdom's restoration efforts. everyone's patience is sorely tested and an ungodly amount of cheesecake is consumed.

[laz-kay]

“And I know that one can’t afford me”

“Gross! I’d never think of it, spider”

[katsdynam1ght]

no harm no foul then! i’m fine with discussions i just need it clear that they are discussions and not arguments lol

if you’re genuinely curious half of my reasoning for this does come from my own family (my parents aren’t queer and aren’t at all like enji and rei but my siblings… we have some issues aka i sort of want two of them dead)

among the four of us kids, only one (the third child) is cishet and even though he claims not to be homophobic… he sort of is regardless. i think this is similar to how it would be with natsuo. when it comes down to it the todoroki family is very traditional in beliefs and mannerisms and i think natsuo succumbs to that more than any of his siblings, as ironic as it is.

note that i haven’t read the manga (please don’t spoil it), but i know enough about characterization to take some guesses about how his arc plays out and i believe he is the most likely to perpetuate the dynamics of his family (i do not think he’s abusive but i do think there’s a more traditional setup in his household… esp considering his wife appears to be some type of rodent heteromorph? i hc her as a mouse and quite timid in personality so he’s a bit more domineering in their relationship anyway)

of course none of that is canon and there’s very little foundation for it. just how it is to me and that’s part of why i don’t really care to argue because no one’s interpretation would be at all canonical anyway, yk?

natsuo does not want to be like his father but he harbors a lot of anger, and anger festers and bleeds and rots. inevitably if one cannot forgive or find a way to move on, one will repeat the cycle. again i don’t think he’s as extreme, but i think he absolutely has issues that he doesn’t resolve properly until much much later in life. again, this is just headcanon and speculation, but is how it is to me.

i’ll allow that natsuo Could be bisexual, but if he is, i don’t think he knows. he was raised in a traditional household with traditional dynamics and i believe he succumbs to some of those beliefs. he is supposed to marry a woman and have kids. that’s how life goes. those are the steps. if he isn’t straight he won’t know until further down the line and by then there’d be no point, so it’s just a repressed thing forever.

(i also am generally not a big fan of labels, especially hyper-specific ones. fandom spaces tend to be super big on labels for all the characters but like… idk man. most people do not think that hard about stuff and especially in a world like mha i don’t think it’s the main concern. there are too many other things to worry about than what gender someone likes. again there are people with windex bottles for heads so ??? worry more about that)

as for enji: idk how to explain this. it’s just how men are. you can be homoerotic without being gay but i think for him there is a level of attraction. i also think he knows nothing about what that means, so it can never and will never go anywhere. another one of those things that just is, you get me? he looks at all might (a man roughly ten years his senior) and wants to Become that. there is a level of attraction there. there has to be

all this to say: sexuality headcanons have zero basis in canon but they Do have basis in My canon. all of this is based on a lot of concepts i have for the todoroki family that i can’t really get into here because it’d take forever but trust me when i say i have reasoning for all of it (natsuo’s is so much more complex than my few-paragraph summary but. that’s the best i got rn)

my point with all the “don’t argue with me” is basically just “there’s no way to really argue this because it’s completely subjective” lol. but here are the summarized thoughts if you’d like to read them

sorry but i’m convinced natsuo is the only straight person in the todoroki family. he’s only homophobic because of touya though. (he would be more homophobic if he knew about his dad but i don’t think enji even processes his own sexuality so none of them know)