#I guess? I’m fully supportive of what everyone did but I feel like some people are gonna be mad

[immeasurable-depths]

Oh boy this is gonna be the bowlgate of C3 isn’t it

[gaybananabread]

For the TT prompts, how about Lee!Miguel and any ler for day 5 or Ler!Peter B. with any lee for day 24?

TickleTober Day 5 - Boo!

~I can’t believe I haven’t written anything for Lyla yet! Really wanted to do the “lee mood spook” trope with Miggy; our AI gal was the perfect candidate! Got back into writing after a particularly bad slump with this one, so hopefully it’s okay. Thank you for requesting; have a happy spooky season!~

Lee: Miguel O’Hara

Ler: Lyla

Summary: Miguel is having one of his famous “I’m not in a lee mood” lee moods. After spooking him and catching on, Lyla decides to give her boss/bestie a hand…or eight.

Warnings: none! This is a tickle fic, so if you don’t like that, scroll away!!

Miguel was a closed-off man, to say the least. Few ever knew what was going on in his head, and those who did only knew what he wanted to reveal, which was never much.

Most of the time, that was how Miguel liked it; in a place where everyone had the same base traumas and sad backstories, it was nice to keep some air of mysterious individuality. Other times, he wished people could tell when he needed things… Not that he’d ever tell them, of course. He could handle himself, with or without support.

It was when a very specific problem arose that he started to second-guess himself.

The irritable Spider-Man had woken up feeling oddly giddy, a fluttery feeling in his chest. He craved a certain, very embarrassing touch. While he wished one of the other spiders would help him, there was no way in hell he was gonna tell anyone about his predicament.

That’s how he ended up in his office, door locked, scrolling through the fluffier side of the internet to try and deal with his mood in the most indirect way possible. The teasing audios, blurbs, and sketches were sort-of helping, allowing him to let out a giggle or two and relieve a bit of the giddy pressure in his chest.

He was fully absorbed into a short tease, squirming a bit as he read each word. The man imagined everything mentioned happening to him: the squeezes, the nibbles, the stupid teases, the affection in it all… He didn’t even think to check and see what Lyla was up to.

Turns out, she was up to terrorizing him.

“BOO!”

Letting out a sound he wasn’t proud of, Miguel jumped, immediately closing his floating screens. He did his best to glare at the holographic woman, but the blush on his cheeks dampened the effect. Lyla noticed almost immediately.

“Wait, are you blushing? Aww, Miggs, no need to be embarrassed! Everyone gets spooked sometimes.” She teased him, zipping over to float above his shoulder.

Thanks to Miguel’s need to overachieve with tech, Lyla had the capability to “touch” things when she wanted to; he’d spent months developing that part of her base code. So, when she playfully poked his ear, he felt every bit of the slightly sparky contact.

“Grk- LYLA! W-what have I told you about disturbing me when the door is locked?!” Miguel tried to scold her, sounding like a disgruntled father. She just rolled her eyes, a small scoff leaving her tiny mouth.

“Oh, c’mon. I made sure you weren’t doing anything important! The website you were on wasn’t naughty or marked as admin, just-” Lyla paused, her digital brows furrowing at the URL specifics. “Tumblr? Why were you on Tumblr?”

“I was…checking some potential members’ digital footprints,” he lied, struggling to stay still and stoic. Her attention made him squirmy, but he couldn’t busy his hands with the screens; if he tried, the very teasy post he was viewing would be on full display for the digital menace.

“Since when are we stalking new members?” She rolled her eyes, obviously not believing the man. Floating up high above his head, she checked his screen specifics.

“It can't be that- oh.” Lyla paused when she read the post, her digital eyes widening for a moment. It was…very specific, to say the least.

Miguel pinched his temples and groaned at her realization. How could he have been so careless as to forget Lyla could just check his browser whenever she felt like it?

“Are you in a…lee mood?” Lyla tried the words out, trying to understand what was going on with her boss. It wasn't the first time someone in the Society had the liking for those things, but it was the first she'd heard of it from him.

“Cállate, Lyla.” He was being a bit nasty, but Miguel was embarrassed, ashamed, and flustered all at once. How could she just ask that so casually?! It felt like an attack, though he knew it wasn't.

The sentient AI was at a crossroads then. She could have backed off, surrendered, and left Miguel to be a moody little shit-fuck. Or. She could deal with his mood head-on and get him to quit being such a jerk. It was an obvious choice.

“Shut up? Really, Miguel? To think I was trying to be nice to you.” Rolling her eyes in mock anger, she jabbed his side. Sure enough, he growled, swiping a claw at her; it went right through her, of course.

“Lyla, I swear, if you even-”

Before he could finish his empty threat, Lyla attacked. The three-inch tangible hologram zapped behind his head, fluttering all ten of her fingers against the back of his neck.

Miguel squeaked, jerking his shoulders upwards to try and protect his neck. Lyla pursued the sound, using her digital body to her advantage to avoid his claws while still tickling him.

“L-Lyla! Gehet away from me, now!” He tried to growl at his assistant, but the underlying giggles took away the venom in the sound. The giddy feeling in his chest swelled, a blush settling on his cheeks.

“You don’t really want that, do you, Migs?” Lyla teased, moving to scribble along the backs of Miguel’s ribs. Arching his back, he swiped at her, a strangled laugh catching in his throat. It was taking everything he had not to laugh or giggle, but her insistent, unstoppable scribbling was driving him crazy.

“Yes I dohoho!” He cursed the giggles that slipped out, hugging his ribs in an attempt to hide from her evil fingers. While he did want to be tickled, he preferred not to give her any more teasing ammo against him; Lyla was evil enough as it was.

While she was enjoying his attempts at stoicism, Lyla was after a more audible response. She could only reach so far with her small hands… Unless she got more, that is.

Backing off for just a second, the AI made a few copies of herself. She hadn’t used the feature since Miles’s grand escape, since it took quite a bit of focus to maintain. That just seemed like the perfect time to abuse her power.

The man’s eyes widened, filling with subtle excitement before narrowing dangerously. “Lyla, I swear, if you so much as think about touching me-”

Forty little wiggling fingers cut off Miguel's empty threat, a strangled squeal warbling in his throat. Staggering, he gripped the edge of his desk console hard enough to leave claw marks, unable to repress his reactions any longer.

“L-LYHYLAHAHAHA!”

There were ten fingers on the backs of his ribs, ten on his neck, ten on each hip, and ten alternating between his two ears. He did his best to try and grab her little projections, but she was purposefully sticking to his blind spots.

Miguel was in contradictory hell. On one hand, the fluttery feeling was being acknowledged, swelling in his chest quite pleasantly as she tickled him.

On the other hand, it was so fucking embarrassing; he was at his weakest when he was being tickled, much less in the workplace. Where anyone could walk in on them. It made him nervous in the most giddy way.

“What’s wrong, boss? Ticklish?” Okay, maybe she was pushing her luck, but c’mon! Miguel was such a hardass; it was nice to see him laugh so freely, especially when he was enjoying himself.

“SHUHUHAHAT UHUHAHAP!” Miguel pretty much lost it, stumbling back to lean against his desk as he laughed. It was hard to focus on anything but the tickles; he wasn’t sure he wanted to try anyway.

While Lyla would’ve been willing to carry on the silly moment, a motion sensor alerted her of an incoming spider: Hobie Brown. He probably would’ve just found the scene amusing, but she didn’t want to push Miguel’s boundaries.

At a moment’s notice, two of the copies glitched out of the air. Her main form went to greet the punk while the other hung back to rub each side of Miguel’s neck soothingly; it was the closest she could give to a calming back rub.

Miguel clamped a hand over his mouth, muffling the leftover giggles that streamed out of his mouth. He was about to ask why she stopped when he heard the door to his office slide open. A warm glow of appreciation swelled in his chest when he heard Lyla help and politely redirect the teen elsewhere. Lyla truly was a good friend, if a touch evil.

Once Hobie was gone, Lyla focused her efforts fully back on Miguel. “You okay, boss? Need me to request anything from the cafeteria?”

“I’m fine…” He grumbled the words into his palm, trying to hide his affection for her. The lack of annoyance in his tone told her everything she needed to know. The tickles helped, whether he would tell her that or not.

“Good. And hey, if you ever need a good giggle again, I’ll always be here~” She teased him, dragging one digitally manicured nail up the back of his neck. The squeak her action received was worth his glare.

“If you don’t stop talking, you’re gonna be filing new medical records all weekend.” Miguel’s growl was hardly up to par with its usual menace, giving him away. He couldn’t help it; having that lee mood dealt with, while quick and embarrassing, put him in a good mood.

“Sure, sure. I’m gonna go scan in the latest mission reports; see ya later, Miggs!” With a knowing smirk, she blipped from the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

That was…fuck. He felt lighter, a small smile tugging at his lips; in the privacy of his office, he let it come. While there was no way in hell he’d ever live it down, he was glad to have someone to help. Even if that someone was an evil little sass queen.

He closed the inciting Tumblr page and got back to work. The thought of later giggles and teasing conversations kept a small, manageably happy grin on his face for the rest of the day. Maybe some secrets were worth sharing.

[whirluvr3]

Sentinel Prime’s design & Character parallels

—————————————

Okay, so you all know how everyone’s talking about Sentinel having different alt mode wings? When I first saw the film I kind of caught onto the vibe that it foreshadowed his betrayal symbolically, because, yknow, throughout history there have always been examples like that. Guess what though? He isn’t the only one with cool wings like that

(Yes, IK, common knowledge, but hear me out on these next points.)

(DISCLAIMER: I am fully aware Sentinel in the comics has BY FAR the most similar comic design appearance to his movie counterpart, but I just think maybe a few parallels would be interesting to explore. Let’s see!)

But for a good example, take a look at Tyrest from MTMTE:

There are wings on his back like Sentinel’s, and he also (spoilers) did some pretty important yet shady and morally incorrect things having to do with a large amount of the population of Cybertron just like Sentinel prime. Another example of a similar character in the comics is Proteus:

He has a very similar color palette, just adding red. Obviously, Sentinel’s design was heavily based off of his Animated appearance, but I wonder if the nods to similar design choices were on purpose. What makes proteus an interesting case is that he had a very similarly deceiving moral standpoint to Sentinel. Take a look at what the surprisingly accurate WIKI page cited:

“Proteus is a member of the corrupt Senate on pre-war Cybertron and a heavy supporter of the Functionist system segregating Cybertronian society. While many Senators are rich jerks, he is one step above the rest, being known to manipulate events behind the scenes to benefit the Senate rather than the people and sway the influence of the other Senators to his cause. He may break a ton of laws in the process, but what does he care? Head of security Sentinel is on his payroll after all.”

Does that not scream the shadiness of Sentinel Prime in Transformers one? I just think the fact that Proteus is also not really THE command, but working under it to use the perks to his advantage is very hinting. Also Proteus’ promise being a thing? Very Sentinel TFOne coded stuff right here.

I’m just saying, other than the obvious inspirations for Sentinel prime, I wonder if they were at all inspired by Proteus’ design and demeanor, or if they just came up with it separately.

This isn’t proofread or anything, but please feel free to comment. I want to know what others think on this topic because I am very curious if anyone else agrees.

[courtney-deserved-better]

seeing as it’s now been one year since the last chapter of slippery slopes was posted, i decided to make a big sappy post talking about what this fic has meant to me over the last two and a half years

i started writing slippery slopes after a bolt of inspiration struck me on this post. i’d tried writing my fair share of long fics prior, most of them remaining unpublished and all of them unfinished. i’m not quite sure what made me think i could write slippery slopes other than a strong desire to write the alenoah fic i wanted to read but that didn’t exist at the time. slippery slopes was the 30th fic posted in the alenoah tag, which didn’t have any finished long fics at the time. i think if you told 2021 pj that in two years there would be over 600 alenoah fics, many of them tdwt rewrites, their head would explode.

i honestly had no idea what i was jumping into when i started writing slippery slopes. looking back, i was very insecure about my writing. i’d actually forgotten about that until i was reading some posts i’d made while i was still writing it, where i wondered if i was going to be able to pull off the miscommunication plotline and the unplanned alecourtney friendship. almost every announcement of a chapter draft being completed included me saying i felt weird about it, or thought it was bad. i felt incredibly uncomfortable writing serious angst and when that started playing an important role in the fic at around chapter seven i feared that my writing was awful and other people would dislike it the way i had. i genuinely don’t think it hit me that slippery slopes was a popular fic until a few months before it became the most kudosed fic on ao3.

back then, i was able to understand why other people liked slippery slopes, but i couldn’t read it without cringing. i’m not sure when exactly the switch flipped—probably after i finally finished it and was able to distance myself from the writing process—but it became a fic that i’m incredibly proud of. i can reread it now and enjoy it without cringing in the slightest. i was able to see my writing as good, and well-crafted. i will always appreciate slippery slopes as a fic where i grew incredibly as a writer. i understand how to plan out long fics while still allowing for spontaneity. i can comfortably write angst. i feel strong in my choices for characterization and friendship even if it may seem unconventional. i have so much more confidence in my writing now, and a lot of that is thanks to you all.

other than desperately wanting an alenoah tdwt rewrite fic, a huge part of why i wrote slippery slopes was because i felt lonely in the td fandom and was hoping that this fic could connect me with more people out there. and boy oh boy it sure has. and not just the plethora of alenoah shippers—way more than i expected—but there were also people who didn’t ship alenoah, but still stayed for the story, and people who had never considered alenoah but gave my fic a chance and ended up shipping it anyway. when i didn’t believe my writing was good, there were many, many kind commenters who showed my fic love and encouraged me to keep going with it. and even now, there are commenters whose fresh excitement make me feel like all the time i spent on this fic was so, so worth it. and they all inspire me to keep writing. 

i may be a good writer, but i don’t think i can ever fully express what everyone’s support has done for me. i still struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that there are dozens of drawings of my fic that you all have made! that’s crazy! i am so, so lucky to have such wonderful readers, and i hope you all know how incredibly grateful i am. slippery slopes would not exist without you. this was a joint effort. it’s amazing to me how a spontaneously started fic for a crackship ended up changing the total drama fandom landscape the way it did. who would’ve guessed that a simple whim to write an alenoah fic could become quite the slippery slope.

[magician-kitty]

Red Son x MK x Nezha x Macaque x GN!Reader

Context: They make you mad and they suffer for what’s coming. 😌

(P.S. you might hear some ghetto talking)

Macaque🌙

You couldn’t see what the problem was, you couldn’t see why he was upset. Recently you met Sun, The Monkey King himself and surprisingly he’s a swell guy; a little too flamboyant but a swell guy.

Too bad a certain boyfriend was too less than thrilled about his girl getting “buddy-buddy” with that guy.

“I don’t see what the big deal is, I mean Sun didn’t seem all that bad.” You watched as Macaque paced back in forth in anger.

“It does matter, you’re my girl and i want it to stay that way. Wukong is the type of guy who does whatever he wants with no regard for others!”

You sigh and rubbed a migraine that was coming. You were fully awake of their history together and while you completely sympathized with him, don’t you think it’s time he’d let that (Beep) go.

“Baby, don’t you think….That it’s time to let it go? It’s been, I dunno centuries? Surely-“ you were cut off by Macaque.

“Oh, I see. Of course you’d take his side. Everyone always takes his side. Monkey King this, Monkey King that, I thought my girlfriend all of people would support me but Nooo; you just have to be-“

Uh oh, he just set a bomb off. In 3….2….1…💥

(SLAP!)

You’re hand was stinging from the bitch slap you just gave to the shadow simian. No this bitch, did not just implied you were cheating!? Nuh-uh, you weren’t having it.

“Okay Macaroni, I’m gonna ignore all of that all because you’re angry and clearly not thinking straight. So I’m gonna bounce, and when you’ve calm down, give me a call. Bye baby” And just like that, you were gone.

Later on you were welcomed by a mount of flowers and small trinkets, his way of saying he’s sorry I guess.

“Sugarplum, I’m really sorry. I just- I mean- you’re my everything and I don’t want to-“ you hushed him and pulled him into your arms, gently combing your fingers through his silky fur.

“It’s okay baby, all is good. Just remember that I’m always gonna be here for you, always. But don’t you ever accuse me of something like that again, or else I’ll (Beep) your (Beep) straight up ‘til Sunday.

Oh damn, to him you’re so damn sexy when you’re mad! 🥰

Nezha🪷

You knew the consequences of dating royalty, and said royalty just happened to the Lotus Prince himself.

You loved Nezha, you really do. But sometimes….Ugh!😤 You couldn’t take it with his possessiveness, not to mention his overprotective nature. You can’t seem to go anywhere without tight supervision and you were starting to get sick and tired of it.

“Nezha, my love. You know I’ve never questioned you before but…This is ridiculous man! I can’t go anywhere without you scrutinizing me. I-I feel smothered. I am fully capable of looking after myself!”

“No, I insist on this. You have no idea of the constant dangers of the celestial world. Countless demons will try to find you because of your, purity and they will-“

You couldn’t take it anymore, you grabbed him by the shirt(or whatever he’s wearing) and looked him dead in his face. “You listen to me and listen good: I will not be treated as some mere fragile object and be cooped up in here forever. If you refuse to listen to me, then I shall take my leave.”

You turned to leave his castle, despite his pleas, you just needed some space right now, that’s all. You went to favorite hiding place and decided to mess around on your favorite instrument(flute for right now)

As you were too caught up in the melody, you failed to notice that Nezha had found you and was listening to your song.

“You always did had the most amazing music in the world, my love. (Sigh) I…I wish to apologize, I never mean’t for you to feel as if you were nothing but a fragile thing. I care deeply about you and-and the thought of loosing you just-“

Aww, now he’s crying 😢

Damn it, you couldn’t stay mad at him, you offered your hand gesturing him to come sit with you, you lay him down as his head rested on your lap. “It’s fine, my sweet prince. All is forgiven, just remember I want to be there by your side by any means necessary, even if that means I have to fight every demon in my way.

He sighed as he relaxed in your lap. “Your words are so precious to me. Could you carry on with your music, please?”

Red Son🔥🌶️

What is this guy’s problem, seriously it’s not like this ain’t happened before?

Your sweetheart, Red Son has suffered another humiliating defeat from “Noodle Boy” as he called him and he’s fuming in anger, literally.

“Sweetie calm down before you set something on fire-“

“I can’t! I need to be able to defeat him. He’s my enemy and that way I can finally show my father I can be of use to him. I figured you of all people would appreciate it if you’d at l least li-

Nope, no way in hell he’s gonna finish that sentence. You warned him what would happen if he called you a “Peasant” again.

So you’d grabbed him by the family jewels 💎

“Baby, I know you’re upset and you have my undying support, but don’t ever call me “Peasant” again, okay?”

(Whimpering) “Y-yes my dear, whatever you wish.”

You giggled and gives him a big smooch on the cheek. You can’t stay mad at your little firecracker.

MK🍜

It’s another day of The Great Wall Race, and you were aiming to win. And you were hoping to get some support from your baby Sokk- (Ahem, wrong fandom) MK! Your baby, MK.

But instead, he decided to race against you. Ain’t that a (Beep)

“Hey sweetie, hope you don’t mind if I race with you, is that okay!?” 😄

Okay, now he’s gonna get it. First, he’s got no clue what he’s doing and frankly, he’s going to get himself killed.

Makes things even worse since that whiny (Bleep) Red Son and his family are too!

In the end MK and Mei won the race and won the trophy. You laughed your ass off when MK thought he won the actual peach of immortality.

“Haha-haha! Looks like things didn’t go your way Huh, MK”

“Yeah, look babe I’m, I’m sorry about the whole thing. You’re the racer and I’m not. That’s why I love you too much.”

You whimpered and pulled him into a bone crushing hug, you love this boy too damn much.

(Well that’s it, I was gonna add Sun to this but didn’t really felt like it.)

[pancake404]

Speed/Lazuli/Silvia: a Romantic Relationship that's not great...(1)

Alright, I said I might do this so here we go.

Speed the Jolteon and Lazuli the Glaceon, as probably everyone who has read the comic would know, are the main romantic pairing in Eeeveelution Squad. It’s a pretty big part of the reason why Eeveelution Squad got popular; due to this, people began wanting the relationship to happen eventually, and then came the shipping wars and all that with people arguing on who Speed in particular should be with as well as other characters but the focus is particularly on him. Then came Silvia which made things worse.

I’m not going to fully explain who these characters are because most likely, if you’re reading this then that means you're probably already aware of the characters so let’s just continue to this romantic relationship which I tend to describe as, “way too liked to the point it’s kind of concerning" as well as, "Speed's Bad Ending"

Now as the...two people who saw my drawings and opinions of the characters of Eeveelution Squad might guess, I’m not exactly in favor of Lazuli and Speed's relationship happening at all or the fact that it did happen in its weird way. To be blunt, I don’t like it whatsoever and I have several reasons why and a decent ton of examples proving them(this not only goes for Lazuli and Speed but also Silvia and Speed at the same time but the ladder might come a little later).

So before anyone that does ship these two or three assassinates me for whatever reason you feel like taking it this far because I say your ship is not good, do me at least the small favor and read through this before the assassination attempt…or just, scroll past this.

Also, I'm not holding it against EV for the writing and having to be forced to set them up together but I don't think enough people realize just how bad the relationship is written to be which I'll be showing a lot of examples for this.

This is will be the first post/part of my rant and it'll mainly focus on Lazuli's treatment of Speed from the start and onward. There are more I want to get to which I can't in this post because there are a few limitations like the amount of images but I'll get to them later.

Now, without further to do, let’s begin.

Starting with Speed/Lazuli:

Let’s start with the basic reason why I don’t like it which is shown in the comics pretty frequently and it’s the constant physical violence that Lazuli commits against Speed. For me, it’s problematic when the first thing that pops up in my mind when thinking about this relationship is just Lazuli hitting Speed and beating him up throughout the whole comic. I understand she has this tsundere trope but here’s the issue, or rather the issue I have with it, it doesn’t make sense nor do I support hurting others, especially those that you supposedly love which is where the trope is often found. But it goes a little further for Lazuli’s case where it’s confirmed that for the first few months(or at least a decently long time), Lazuli did hate Speed which also means that those punches were genuine either from embarrassment, pettiness, or just an argument that Lazuli 99% of the time turns physical.

Speaking of examples, here's a list of them:

I'm willing to give her an "out" for this one as it could be chalked up as accidental as Lazuli quickly apologizes for running over Speed, thinking he's just some random Pokémon in the way.

Lazuli insults him the first time they truly meet, keep this in mind.

Personally, Speed is in the right here, given what we see, Lazuli bumps into Speed, quickly says "sorry" and runs off. Then once Speed comments on it being "a bit late" and that he almost fainted, Lazuli insults him by calling him weak(she has no idea how wrong she is).

Afterward, her way of an apology to this new individual(Speed) is just demanding forgiveness and when Speed shoots back, Lazuli escalates it to a punch already starting their streak of Speed beatdowns which is going to be consistently happening throughout the comic to some degree.

Previous to this exact moment(Chapter 1), Speed calls her nasty but this time is more of muttering to himself as he doesn't yell it out, Leaf doesn't notice this leading me to assume that Speed didn't intend for it to be heard. Again, Lazuli escalated this to physical violence.

Despite it, this is the moment where the ship began in most heads I believe. However, if you look at it from the context and see what's being displayed here, Lazuli is embarrassed and Speed looks disgusted, and even if you count Lazuli's blush as flustered or a hint that she may have liked it, Speed's reaction does not at all show that at all.

Speaking of that moment previously, we see the aftermath and there are bandages wrapped around his ears, head, and sides of his head, and on other panels, we see his chest and possibly stomach. Keep these moments in mind.

Surprisingly, Lazuli makes an effort to apologize but then she demands an apology from Speed which he rightfully questions as it isn't his fault for anything that happened and he was also the one getting beaten up for it. Then Lazuli straight up threatens to take that apology back which hints that she might not be truly sorry or she's pretty good at giving a reason for Speed to not like her.

Not only that, a small thing to notice is that in the previous page, Lazuli gets up and close to Speed, Speed is on the ground and the ball hits Lazuli on the back of the head causing the damage Speed took. Although I would agree it's accidental, Lazuli is more or less the one that set them up like that.

Now imagine yourself in his position, someone that had beaten the crap out of you for them getting knocked into you, which led to you both kissing on accident(somehow), finally apologizing later that night. But then imagine they demand an apology from you even if you did nothing wrong and if you refuse, they raise an arm to beat you up again. Sounds like they're not truly sorry and just want forgiveness because, in reality, they don't truly care as much. Of course, some may make the argument that they don't know each other but that's the issue, this is how they started off and it'll continue on for longer which makes the ship problematic but let's continue.

I'll be also doing these examples to try to put it in the perspective of Speed because this is what he would be thinking and experiencing if this was real life.

Special Chapter 8, before Lazuli had any feelings(doesn't change much regardless).

Kris straight up jumps on Speed to wake him up, however, the difference between instances with Lazuli and instances with Kris is that while Lazuli gives Speed injuries bad enough to give limbs wrapped with bandages, Kris at her worst seems to just give Speed a mean awakening but otherwise, he's completely fine.

Meanwhile Lazuli:

Another punch to the face hard enough to give Speed a nosebleed, all in front of Sunshine by the way.

She also quickly assumed that Speed was being a creep even though all he did(and he explained) was he was just waking her up. Also, Lazuli clearly did not notice Sunshine standing there as it would quickly disprove the likelihood of Speed planning something since his adopted daughter is standing right there.

That would be correct.

Alright then, some may argue that Lazuli didn't have a crush on Speed back then and that's why she was most aggressive with him/those moments don't count. Now, it's established she does now like him romantically or at least interested. You would think she would begin to change her ways as so far, she's been doing nothing but hurting him physically, right?

Let's see how she's doing after this reveal:

You are right about that alright.

If you look closely, Speed is tearing up, that is how hard he got hit in the head for just simply forgetting that he promised Lazuli to take her to the bookstore (which he does later that day with Silvia).

Because Speed is not aware that Lazuli has a crush on him(which is fair, why would he assume that when so far she continued to hurt him), in his perspective, Lazuli is going from hurting him throughout the months to now attacking others. This is also one of the only times Lazuli aims at someone else besides Speed...which I'll get to later.

Speed then apologizes for rightfully snapping at her and Lazuli turns down the flowers, which in his perspective, is just a decline of a apology gift which is way more effort than Lazuli had ever shown so far.

With more Speed abuse, he is getting cornered and integrated by Lazuli who is assuming too quickly, Silvia is messing with Speed with the "big brother thing", and now others are judging him for it because of these two.

Speed truly is just getting screwed over half the time and a lot of the times is from Lazuli or others which eventually lead to another beatdown.

Flashback to their earlier times, keep in mind, this is what Speed sees and remembers. One of them is a reference to chapter one and it's just showing Lazuli beating the crap out of him by...banging his head or more punches, either way, it's something that Speed will certainly remember.

Lazuli...complains that Speed didn't take the punch.

Also, it has apparently become so common for Speed to get hurt by Lazuli that everyone else including Speed's siblings is not even slightly bothered by it.

Besides one time with Silvia, so far in the comic, Lazuli had not attacked anyone else besides Speed. She feels bad because everyone else is being nice to her which could mean that nobody(but Leaf sort of) has directly called her out on it in these past months which also means Speed had been getting punched, beamed, etc. without anyone stepping in truly besides a few rare times.

Anyway, this is another thing that happened in Special Chapter 8, this is how they started off and continued to be after the first day. Also, once again, Lazuli escalates an argument to physical violence.

This is so far one of the more truly friendly interactions between the two and this is also around the moment where Lazuli develops feelings for him. A bit too bad that she didn't change her treatment afterward as much.

But I will give this moment some props as it shows that they don't have to be hate each other and that they can in fact get along if both sides want to. This also shows Speed's character as being this older brother/parent figure to most which I'll get to later.

One last punch...should've been done a while ago.

Now of course, others could argue that all of these times where Speed gets hit is because it's just a "funny gag", or since Speed is level 98, he'll be fine so it doesn't matter, or the fact that's it's not just straight up physical abuse(which it is).

But I disagree on all three of these reasonings, this "funny gag" that is presented happens so often where it doesn't become funny if it ever was and it just becomes uncomfortable to watch or read. Also, the fact that Lazuli later in the comic feels guilt and Speed in this exact panel yells about the abuse seems to already show that all of those punches were not forgotten about and it shouldn't be forgotten about. Not only that, for other shows or pieces of fiction that presents abusing the main character or...any character, a decent ton of them doesn't include injuries bad enough where bandages are needed and don't happen as often as it does in Eeveelution Squad. Seriously, until like the last four chapters, the only chapter that Lazuli does not hurt Speed in was like Chapter 3(Speed did expect a punch to come showing how that's his first response).

Secondly, the fact that he's level 98 or "should be fine" doesn't excuse on what Lazuli did throughout the whole comic. She still clearly was hurting him and he reacted to all of it negatively.

Even EV themself agreed and talked about how this sort of relationship would not ever work in real life and should not have worked even in the comic, that the only reason why Lazuli got her wish come true is that because the fans wanted it so badly.

Speaking about the fans, all I hope is that throughout the years that Eeveelution Squad was cut short and cancelled the reboot, there was time to think and mature(or maybe you just don't care anymore which is fair). Even if you support it the relationship or not, all I hope is that this gave you some other perspective to consider.

Although I have more to say like Speed's feelings later on, I'll say it in a different post but I will end this portion off like this(I still have Silvia and other examples in Eeveelution Squad to cook up as well as other thoughts), in the comic from Speed's perspective. They first meet on a bad start and they quickly despise each other, throughout the months in Speed's perspective, Lazuli mainly targets and physically hurts him for a variety of small reasons and assumptions. Nearly every interaction involves a punch to the face. This goes on for months straight and Speed of course would not think that Lazuli might have romantic feelings for him later on, because why would he? If she did, why does she keep trying to hurt him? If this was real life, if someone keeps hitting you for small reasons, the last thing you would think is that they have a crush on you.

I think it's fair to say that we should start normalizing being respectful and caring to those we might have romantic feelings for instead of being rude or be physically violent with and that is something EV had expressed when they discussed the issues with Lazuli and Speed.

All of this is not really about hating the writing and wished a different ending and all of that as I'm sure others already expressed that well enough but rather, I think not enough people understand and I also felt like expressing my opinions.

It could have worked sort of if Lazuli was aggressive toward everyone instead of primarily Speed in the comic and she began developing feelings for Speed as she realizes that despite all of her treatment toward him, he still tried to be respectful and caring because that's who he is unlike others who still don't like her. But also in the same time, her treatment of others and especially of Speed shows a lot more in the consequences. Like Speed might be able to forgive Lazuli but decides to not share her feelings because her actions still happened and he isn't going to forget months of that treatment quickly.

If I had to give a quick writing suggestion for anyone(and also myself), try to treat characters like humans, it's okay for it to be fictional but have some relatable real-life aspects that makes the audience be able to understand how or why a character is struggling or what challenges they face. It's okay to mess up in your first attempt in a story, or your second or third, as long as you use what you learned from the last one to improve the current one, then write till your content.

Now anyway, back to working on Silvia later as I said, there is a LOT more I can talk about.

[hazelfoureyes]

To add onto the ace conversation, I wanna add my journey!

TW it gets kinda heavy at the end-

My journey was literally SO messy omg and this is gonna sound so silly but

My mom and I used to watch this show called rupauls drag race when I was little. I used to think the men were pretty and all when they were out of drag but WHEN THEY WERE IN DRAG??? omg I was in love, I thought they were so pretty 😭. NOW YOU CAN SEE WHY THIS IS CONFUSING. Technically, they are men, but they look like women, and you only like them when they look like women. I was scared and confused with this newfound information so I repressed it 💀

During my teen years, ig I was just like everyone else, a lil sex obsessed freak (idk how to put it but YKNO HOW PEOPLE ACTED IN HIGH SCHOOL 😭 ). Watch porn, reading smut, the whole shebang. I eventually found out I like both girls and boys (with a preference for girls). BUT one day I sat down and realized I haven’t had a real crush with a real life person since like elementary school 🧍‍♀️

Everyone was losing their virginity’s and talking about how great sex was and blah blah blah. It’s embarrassing but I thought sex was gonna be AWESOME and I COULD NOT WAIT to just GET RID of mine 💀. Like if I lost my virginity it would put everything in place.

Jump forward to when I’m 19-20 and I get my first “real” boyfriend. I was kinda out? I was telling my friends what I was bisexual. I told my boyfriend when we were in the “talking stage” and he was really supportive, or so I thought, long story short he was just like, THE WORST PERSON EVER. He was sexually/emotionally abusive, 0/10 person.

⚠️TW: S*XUAL ASSAULT, DR*GS, R*PE⚠️

⚠️ I wanna say that I’m only laughing about this because it’s my coping mechanism ig but I just wanna say that there was multiple instances that he used to take advantage of me while I was under the influence and then gaslight me into thinking it was ok the day after.

If they’re is ANYONE reading this that is in a situation like I was in, please for the love of god leave them. NO it’s NOT normal. They don’t love you. The abuse will only get worse the longer you stay. ⚠️

And on top of all that HE OUTED ME 🧍‍♀️ so that was fun. Anyways back to the sex, it was bad. I thought men not knowing where the clit is was a meme but it’s true 😭 mans would rub my left lip for 5 minutes and act if I came. Losing my virginity DID NOT “put everything in place”. Well i guess maybe it did in a sense. I never wanted to do it again.

But on the other hand, I’ve read that sex is a beautiful thing. Deep down, some parts of me yearn to have that special connection with someone. I want to feel what real love is. What it’s really like to make love. And not just have someone tell me they love me while they selfishly use me. Words are just words but I know there has to be more to it.

Anyways that’s where my journey is right now, I’ve been doing some real soul searching these past few months. Tumblr has really helped me in trying to figure this whole thing out. Am I ace? Idk. But it’s what I closely resonate with for the time being.

God labels are confusing as hell 😭 why can’t I just be me

I’m me-sexual 🥳

I was a little worried at first sharing this as it is heavy! But, the fact is, sometimes we are waiting for someone to bring up a heavy topic so we can share/vent our own story. Certain heavy topics just...don't come up often or organically. So I hope if someone needs it they can use this as a reason to start a conversation they've been waiting for a chance to have!

What happened to you was beyond unacceptable treatment and I am so so sorry you had to suffer through that literal abuse. I suffered through quite a bit myself and it really skewed and damaged my relationship to sex for a long time in ways I couldn’t perceive so I absolutely hear you! It sounds like you’re doing the heavy lifting of trying to heal and be a fully formed you and I’m so proud of you! The hardest part is acknowledging that hey, maybe there’s some shit still left to figure out about myself.

As you continue in life you may find your awful experiences had some effect on how you view and enjoy (or not enjoy) sex.

I am a huge advocate for sexual health, in knowing yourself intimately for your own pleasure but also for safety and comfort!

I really hope you’ve taken time to learn about yourself and what things you like and don’t like when it comes to physical pleasure. If that’s something you have an interest in!

Personally I’ve thought I hated things and later realized nooo I just experienced it first with someone terrible at it. 😅 but when I did it I found it kicked ass. (**cough** anal **cough cough*)

There is more to sex, I hear! I’ve never made love and the idea is so unattractive to me, but! Darling, sex does exist thats full of love and connection and meaning that serves so many more purposes than getting off. So I’m adamantly told! If it’s something you want I hope you find someone or someones who can provide it. 🥺

It’s so funny you mention horny teenagers because in middle school and into high school everyone was pairing up. And I thought, “Relationships are what you do when you want sex. And I don’t need sex. I’m still young. So… why would I get a boyfriend? My friends fulfill my needs otherwise.” (Still….so closeted 😂)

Because I was aromantic and the term just like—- didn’t exist in my world so I didn’t know, I didn’t realize people were dating for non-sex reasons 💀 but then I got a boyfriend and had sex in high school and was like “OH SHIT THIS IS THE BEST?? AM I A NYMPHO NOW. MY HAND COULD NEVER?”

The beautiful thing about still being here is that you have the freedom and the time to decide or not decide anything! Research, talk to people and read in forums of people learning to find their place. Question everything— are there parts of people you find sexually attractive? If yes, okay let’s start there! I realized I was pansexual first because of my attraction to androgyny. “I’m not a lesbian—- dick good. But also… pussy good??? Tits good??? That person could have any of those things and.. I don’t care? I still want them carnally?!”

If no sexual attraction to people at all (pretty standard definition Ace in that case!), then okie dokie, totally can still want to enjoy sex! It’s more than about sexual attraction as we are cerebral creatures. That’s still valid! If you did want to be physically intimate are there things you’d be okay with doing and not doing? Or things you’d want to do that maybe you couldn’t with certain people? Is your idea of what sex is being really narrowed down being of the culture you’re in? Just some questions for yourself. So many things to consider if you haven’t already! Not for finding a label but making sure you can express what you want and need when you’re in a situation to receive it. 💝

I didn’t know anything about Asexuality until hazbin and that made me look at my partner and be like “yoooooo I know you’re an older Japanese man but I have a new English word for you to learn.”

Before I knew pansexuality existed I told people who asked my sexuality, “I’ve never been disappointed when someone got naked.” Because I didn’t identify with the “women and men” definition of bisexuality, the gender didn’t matter and the sexual organs were all just bonuses for me. But I didn’t know a word existed for how I felt.

And hey, it got the point across! I lacked a community to feel welcomed in but I was still able to love and be loved how I wanted to be and that’s the most important part of this. As long as you can still articulate what you want and need in this stage of your life then baby cakes you’re doing perfectly fine in your journey! Which it sounds like you already know very well 💖🥹

[velvetwastaken]

Afterdeath - A Ganqing Fanfic

Author’s Debrief

First off, I feel sooooo pretentious writing this, LOL. But I figure people who don’t care won’t read it, and if they do care, I can only hope they’ll find it mildly interesting.

And so, without further ado, let’s take a peak behind the curtain of this fic!

I first started writing this all the way back in May of 2022. And in the beginning it was very much a way for me to express my own feelings of grief. If Ganyu’s pain in the early chapters felt real, it’s because it is. It’s how I felt, how I sometimes still feel, and how I observed others around me feeling and behaving. The difference is that in Afterdeath, Ganyu gets to do what we in reality cannot. She got to right the wrong in a sense, she got to quench the burning feelings of injustice that so often come hand-in-hand with sudden and unexpected loss.

And that’s part of the beauty of fiction, isn’t it? Sometimes it allows for unreality to feel just a tiny bit real, if only for a while.

I’ve gathered that writing like this might be some kind of psychotherapy? Maybe that’s true. I wouldn’t say that writing this fic helped me overcome my grief. I don’t think grief works like that. It’s part of me now. It always will be. But I think it did help me compartmentalize it, to put it in a space and into words that I can more comfortably handle. So that’s something.

But whatever this fic started out as, it quickly grew to be more than that. And part of that is why I made the choice to post as Anon. I think most people know my writing because of Reversal. And Afterdeath is a whole other beast. Reversal is great, I love it to bits, but it got far more attention that I ever dreamed it would, and I ended up putting a lot of pressure on myself not to disappoint people. And if they were to open Afterdeath expecting more Reversal, they would be VERY disappointed, lol.

But I learned something during this whole writing and posting process: I do not care. Or rather, I am learning to not care. I will write the things I enjoy writing and the things I would want to read myself. Others can read it or not, and that’s okay. I am still happy to share my writing, even if I end up the only one entertained by it. It’ll still be enough.

This fic also has a lot of firsts for me. I have never written something this long. Or with this rating, LMAO! And, if I’m honest, as challenging as it was at times, it was fun to push myself and see what’s possible. I will not claim it’s prefect, or even anywhere close, but It has been something of a confidence booster. And as silly as it feels, I am prodigiously proud of myself for writing—and finishing—this fic. And yes, I fully intend to typeset and bind it for myself because I am that just self indulgent LOL!

I also want to thank everyone who followed along, reading and commenting as I worked on this over the last year. A few people guessed it was me posting very early on, and their support has been instrumental. So THANK YOU! I couldn’t have done it without you.

I am always happy to talk about my fics, or ganqing in general, so if anyone has questions or whatever about anything, my inbox is open.

But now, it’s time to work on some of my other WIPs! Wish me luck lol.

— Velvetwastaken

[pshattuck]

Hello everyone so this is going to be a pretty big blog about the upcoming future of my life as a artist. So to try to shave off some time I will be copying and pasting the Twitter thread I made to here.

Startiiiing now:

“Hey everyone I got another update for you and it’s probably gonna sound like “she’s changing shit again” but I feel like a lot has been going on in my life and a lot of it is changing too and I think I discovered something about me and my artwork that I feel like is important.

The reason I started pumping out content before this new job I got was well after I lost my old caregiving job YouTube and commissions were my only source of income for the last 6 month and I honestly was making enough for bills at that point it was my family keeping me afloat.

So yeah, life was not kind to me and I got.. well extremely depressed. I kept applying and no one was accepted them the one job I wanted I did not get and I was lucky to just get by. My brain all the time for the past few months kept saying I was a failure Until I got lucky.

I just got done with shadowing and orientation and I’m now officially working at a job that yeah can be stressful but I fully enjoy. I’m feeling happy and I’m finally healing from this dark cloud that’s following me. And with this month coming to an end I realized something.

Growing up my art was the one thing that kept me happy it was my happiness from real life issues and it got me to meet the love of my life along with great people in online community’s. However, the more it became a stressor to live off my art… the less it made me happy.

Not to mention the reason I shared my art to begin with because even if it was cringe or my art was not the best in the past … I always loved to see people enjoy it. It killed me to ask people to give me money to draw for them. It’s just not me.

I allowed a online algorithm, and a few words from a small handful of people to make me second guess what I loved to do, I allowed money to make me decide what I should work on…I realized I secretly hated myself for it.

This new opportunity in my life is why I’m writing what I am today and it’s my own choices and it’s one I’m actually happy with.

Everything I draw will be free to view I’m going to build it up on Tapas and Tumblr just for the multiple image support plus they have better age restriction on there platforms because I’m a adult and do want to dabble in NSFW stuff.

The one animation I have on sale in my store I will be making it free to view. For the amazing person who did buy the pack I will be dming them so once my paycheck comes, they will be refunded.

And now for the big thing.

The next few months I will be saving my own money and working on Concept Art for the next few months along with working on comics because by next year I want to work and pay people to help me bring my comics to life as animated projects.

The first project will more then likely be Jackie’s Everyday Adventure because it has the least amount of characters and backgrounds and will dabble in the form of 3D animation. This will be a strictly animated series with some rewrites from the original comic version.

Homebrew… is honestly the biggest project since there is over 30 chapters and I’m not even halfway done writing scripts. I won’t Even considering working on animating that until at least chapter 10 is out.

Everything else will be explained over on Tumblr that will be where I blog about my projects since there’s not as tiny of a character limit on there. Thank you all for reading this and I will link the full update on Tumblr and I will share a link to it on here.”

And now here we are on Tumblr!

The only thing I will be keeping for any financial support will be Ko-fi but that’s only if people want to, I’m not going to have anything locked behind a pay wall.

Commissions will no longer be open because I will just be doing art trades or request. Since my new job is full time I don’t need to worry about the stress of not finishing something quickly.

Physical print books are still gonna be a thing however not for a long while. Since my old client liked my original books ill be printing a small handful of copies of them so I can give them to her to read at the nursing home. And leftover copies will be for contest prizes.

YouTube on the other hand… I’m going to be honest I’m not sure if I truly will bring back Pshattuckproductions. The most fun I have had with YouTube was building up lunar comics. I will honestly be focusing on that channel in terms of any uploads.

So far this is all for now. So see you soon everyone.

[copiouscouples]

Finished Rise of the Pink Ladies...

Random Thoughts in Yays and Boos and Wuts and Mehs

Yay: Hazel’s a Pink Lady. Great way to end the season. Great pay off.

Boo: That whole wedding story line. It was unnecessary and dumb.

Wut?: Jonathan Nieves leaving and being photoshopped into scenes. 

Yay: Setup for a second season with the other schools and Zuko’s big brother (I guess?). But please, please, please stop with Jane and her love life - I cannot find the will to care.

Boo/Yay/I Can’t Decide: Nancy’s treatment of Potato was not cool. Female empowerment isn’t disregarding your partner’s feelings and doing what only you want because I am woman hear me roar. That’s what gets me about some feminist media - the whole my way or the highway of it all. Compromise isn’t a dirty word - it’s called not being a jerkface and being a part of a healthy relationship (as long as it’s not one partner doing all the compromising). I know Nancy marches to the beat of her own drum and Potato clearly appreciates that but she was putting SO many stipulations on their relationship and really being inconsiderate of him a lot. I’m very happy about her owning up to that but I didn’t really like how she was going to end things with him at the carnival without discussing how they might make it work. She came off as very selfish in her behavior and inconsiderate of his feelings. In the end, they’re still my favorite couple and I’m glad they worked things out but I hope we get to see her play a more emotionally supportive role to him in the future like she did with Cynthia.

Yay (Kind Of): When I first saw the play scene from Hazel’s POV with Buddy dipping out, I thought he was jealous of her getting the limelight. But then we got episode 7 from the boys’ POV and you saw that Buddy was just reeling from his daddy drama. I was glad he wasn’t being petty. He was just hurt.

Meh: Wally and Hazel are kind of cute, but I’m a not so secret shipper of her and Buddy. I don’t like love triangles (which this show seems to be a fan of) so I hope if we get a second season that this issue gets resolved fast.

Meh: Gil is a cutie, but I am not feeling any of the girls he’s been paired with thus far. I don’t really like him and Olivia together.

Wut?: Who does Dot like? They teased it but never told us.

Boo: Where’s the sizzle? Please get Shonda Rhimes to this show stat to create some chemistry between these people. For so many romantic relationships, none of them bring the heat. Everyone’s different, but for me, for a show to be fully satisfying, I have to have a couple that I ship. That I can’t wait to see kiss and see those moments of being in love. It’s why I adored Queen Charlotte and Jackson/April on Grey’s or Andy/April on Parks and Rec.

Boo: This show reminds me a little bit of Girls in the fact that the male characters are more intriguing than the women. Ray and Adam were more interesting/likable than the main characters. I feel like it’s similar for this show. Potato and Shy Guy in particular I want to know more about. I love the women as a whole group and their times together, but individually...I’m getting less and less interested especially with Jane and  Olivia who’ve kind of become one note. Nancy (and Cynthia to an extent), I feel like is the only character who’s really grown. I feel like she embodies adolescence the best in regards to not knowing what you want but slowly figuring things out and maturing. I’ve really enjoyed her journey (just be sweeter to Potato, please and thank you).

Wut?: So is this show getting a second season or not? 10/10 would watch.

[ficklecat]

OC Intro: Violet Roberta Hughes

(dialogue responses to the OC interview prompt)

1. Please state your full name and occupation.

“Violet Roberta Hughes. I’m a biology student in undergrad, but I’m about to graduate soon!”

2. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

“Ummmm…let’s see. Well I’m a Scorpio for starters so feel free to make your assumptions on that! I love creepy stuff, big fan of horror and all things spooky. My brain is Halloweentown 365. What else…I love to cook and bake, I’m always trying out new recipes with Manny and Finn as my Guinea pigs. I like video games but I’m no good at them, I love movies, and I’m a closeted nerd. There’s plenty more but I never know what to say with questions like this!”

3. How would you describe your childhood?

“I mean…not terrible. Not the greatest though. My parents hate each other and before they divorced they fought a lot. My dad’s a classic abusive drunk, and my mom is super critical. I think it made her bitter though, she didn’t always used to be. Or maybe she did, I don’t know. My dad always tried to have fun with me and mom was the hardass. It’s easy to see now they were trying to play me against each other. They probably still do, whatever. After they divorced things got a little easier but wasn’t the same. But the fights and stuff stopped, no booze in the house anymore, that kind of thing.”

4. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

“When I was suuuper little I wanted to be what I called a ‘grave guard,’ which I guess was like a security guard for cemeteries? I have no clue where I got that idea, I don’t even think that’s a real thing!”

5. Do you have any role models? Tell us a little bit about them.

“This is gonna sound so shitty of me but I kinda don’t. Most people I know are just like…fully faking it till they make it, and that’s fine, everyone is, but I don’t want to put anyone on a pedestal for faking it slightly better than everyone else.”

6. Are you introverted or extroverted? Why?

“I’m both I think. I like my ‘me time’ but I also love being with my people, or people in general. I think it’s a shame some people ‘hate’ being around others. It’s so lonely sounding. I get it for some but still, I don’t think I’ve ever been that way.”

7. How would you describe yourself in three words?

“Ugh this is hard. I’m so much more than three words!” (laughs) “Hm. Ok. Stubborn probably. Caring, but—more like nurturing I think. And…I don’t know. So many words come to mind! Let’s say thoughtful. Stubborn, nurturing, and thoughtful.”

8. What do you like to do for fun?

“Definitely love to bake or make stuff in general. I like crafts even if I’m not good at them, and I can’t be trusted to go into a Michael’s alone.” (laughs) “But I really like doing movie nights with Finn and Manny. I always pick a scary one usually and Finn gets all flustered and spooked, it’s so cute. We watched Hereditary recently and Manny and I were just obsessing over Toni Collette because how can you not, and meanwhile Finn was literally sitting there watching from between his fingers. So adorable. He puts up with a lot from us.”

9. What's your greatest achievement? Why do you consider this your greatest achievement?

This has been answered in an ask, check the tag to see!

10. What's your biggest goal? How do you hope to achieve this?

“My biggest goal used to be to get married to a good man, but that was really more of my mom’s goal for me. Now, I think it’s just to find myself fully, to fully realise who I am. I know that’s cliche, but I’ve done so much self-discovery just in the past year and it feels so good, to learn and know yourself better each day. It’s like…playing in your childhood bedroom again, you’re finding all your favourite toys and remembering their stories. I don’t know. It’s like that. And I don’t even know how I’m achieving it. I think when I finally let myself just…be who I am, and found people to support that, it was easy. It came naturally. I’m super grateful.”

11. What does your dream room/house look like? Would you mind showing some inspiration pictures?

“I’d totally live in a haunted mansion or some shit but Finn would never sleep again, and he’s already an insomniac, so I think I’ll have to pass.” (laughs)

12. How would you describe your style?

“I wanna say subdued goth. I wear mostly black with pops of colour, like pink and red and blue and stuff, and I love to accessorise. In high school I was definitely more into it but doing two hours of makeup and dress in the morning is not it anymore.”

13. What's your favorite song?

“Ugh! I can’t pick, honestly. I listen to music all the time. I guess right now I’ve got Ghosting by Mother Mother on repeat a lot, so that one.”

14. Where are you happiest?

“Wherever Finn and Manny are, truthfully. I’ve never been so happy as when I am with them. They just bring out the best in me and each other. I love being around them.”

15. Who is the most important person in your life? Why?

“Besides my partners, I need to say…probably me. I know that sounds selfish but I’m really trying to focus on what it feels like to show up for myself and I think part of that is learning that at the end of the day, you’ve only got you. Before anyone. Might as well treat her right.”

16. Do you believe in soulmates? Why or why not?

“You know I always go back and forth on this. I did with my ex, then I didn’t when he broke my heart, then I did again, then I didn’t. Now…I don’t know. Maybe. If I do, it’s because of Finn and Manny. But if I don’t it’s only because I believe the heart wants different things at different times, and I think that gives it space to grow. I know, that’s so cheesy, but that’s how I can put it in words.”

17. Have you ever been in love?

“For sure. I’ve thought I’ve been in love way more often though. Now I know what it really feels like, I think.”

18. Have you ever been kissed?

“I was kissed just before I came in here!” (giggles)

19. Describe an average day in your life.

“Warning, it’s boring! Basically I just go to class and hang out with the polycule after. I prefer to have all my classes done by the afternoon which means I force myself to attend 8AM’s, but it’s worth it. I can get home or go to Finn’s and take care of things, do chores or homework or whatever, and just have a nice afternoon to myself. I also try to have lunch with my friend Ash at least once a week, but she works a lot so it’s hard to be consistent.”

20. Describe your nighttime routine.

“It depends on where I’m sleeping honestly. If it’s by myself at my place I’ll usually just watch a show in the background and scroll on my phone or do homework and stuff until I’m tired. Then I’ll remove my makeup and go to bed. I try not to use my phone in bed much but that doesn’t always work. That’s during the week, but most weekends we stay at Finn’s place and if I’m there it’s usually hanging out after dinner, maybe—well, usually—we’ll have sex and then I’ll take a shower because he has one of those really great rainfall shower heads that I love. After that I’ll drink some tea with Finn or cuddle with Manny upstairs until we all fall asleep.”

21. (Make up a question) Tell us a “low-stakes” unpopular opinion you have.

“I LIKE candy corn!! Yeah it’s weird and overly sweet but it’s candy! Of course it is! It’s pure sugar! And YES the different colours totally taste different I will die on this hill!” (laughs) “Manny bought me a bumper sticker for my car that says ‘end the stigma’ and it’s got candy corn all over it I love it! Candy corn is good, it deserves respect. It’s the herald of spooky season, that’s an honour itself!”

[americanphancakes]

I wanna talk about my mind for a little bit

I was gonna save this until after I posted the last Wingless Angel chapter but I can’t post it yet. Pretty sure my mind wants me to get this out of my system first.

So hi everyone, how are you? How have you been? Honestly if you’re still following at all I’m delighted.

I don’t want this to come across as some excuse for all the unfinished fanfic I left behind 3+ years ago, which is why I wanted to publish WA first, so I hope you don’t take it that way. But I ended up stumbling upon an aspect of my mental health that I’m still trying to address and since I never really saw anyone post or talk about my particular issue before very recently, I wanted to share it in case it resonates with anyone.

(Clearly stuff has changed, this is where I'd normally put a "read more" but.... I guess that's not a thing anymore?? Hopefully this isn't a huge annoying wall of text on everyone's dash, oof.)

I’ve posted before about my ADHD. I’ve been getting treatment for it for 10 years now, and for all that time, medication & other coping mechanisms have been helpful to a point, but only to a point. There was still something left that was keeping me from functioning, and I couldn’t tell what it was. All I knew was that I had no will of my own, and I’d spent the last 10 years trying to create situations where the people in charge were asking (or implying that i should do) things I considered good to do. “People in charge” meant anyone besides myself. If someone was not me, they automatically had authority, simply by virtue of being someone external to me.

I did a lot of research trying to find something that matched up with my experiences & feelings, even partially, and I looked into things like PDA autism and even just the people-pleasing habits common with other ADHD folks.

At some point, with therapy, I did learn how to say “no” to other people’s demands of me. I learned to set boundaries. But I was still profoundly uncomfortable with dictating what I was going to do, especially if anyone else was ever going to be aware of it.

When I was a little kid, i was told “no” constantly, and that’s not hyperbole. I’ve cited the story many times of falling in love with the violin when I was 9 but immediately being told “No, you’re going to play the flute.” So I played the flute, but without any passion for it I couldn’t figure it out and I quit, and my mom never stopped making me feel guilty about it. But that wasn’t the only example of that kind of thing. I wanted to play soccer; mom said play basketball, so I played basketball. I wanted to play piano; mom bought me a guitar and my sister got the electronic keyboard. (We eventually switched, but I never felt like I could fully commit to playing the thing). I wanted to learn Spanish or Japanese in high school; mom told me to learn French, so I took four fucking years of French.

My feelings and wishes were effectively not a factor in what I was allowed to do, what goals I was allowed to pursue, unless I was staying in my room and out of everyone’s way (and even then I had to make sure I jumped up to do what was asked of me if I got called from another room). Eventually I learned, as a survival mechanism, to just obey. It wasn’t worth fighting anymore because I was systematically robbed of my individuality at every turn. Something happened when I was 13 that I will never talk about publicly and she played "good parent who has her kid's back" for about 5 minutes before siding with the bad guy. I brought it up years later and she was mad I'd never gotten over it. And all that is on top of being raised to be a "good little capitalist drone" who needs to be perfect and efficient at all times. I was never supported. I was never given grace. So I never gave grace to myself, because if your own parents don't give you grace & time to learn and be flawed, then clearly you don't deserve any, right?

I finally cut my mother out of my life not long after the pandemic began, a few months after having gone no-contact from my father (mostly due to his casual racism & transphobia, which cost me at least one very close friendship when I was a kid, and was unkind to my child in a way I could not abide). My immediate family - spouse and kid - are the only family I have left now. And it sounds tragic on paper, because it is, but until I finally got away from my mother's voice in real life I couldn't filter through the recordings of her voice in my mind so I could finally throw them away. And that knot is still being untied. Honestly this is 10 years into a very long mental health journey, when you think about it, but I wish I'd cut my mom out of my life a very very long time ago. I wasn't angry about lost time when I got my ADHD diagnosis. I was angry about it when I realized that yes, this had been abuse, and I hadn't been courageous enough to get away from it sooner.

Because that dehumanization resulted in me having no will power of my own, and that extended as far as simply not wanting anything anymore. I like things, sure, but anything I WANTED for myself was out of the question, especially if it involved other people in any way, but honestly even solo pursuits became impossible for me to will myself to do. For right now, when I have something I want to do, I'm telling my friends & husband to order me to do it. Because I won't do it otherwise. And it's a potentially dangerous workaround, but it's all I have for now. I and my therapist are hoping that once my brain registers that what other people are telling me to do is aligned with what I want to do, maybe it won't depend on other people's commands anymore and I'll just take control of my own life for once. But that may not work. I'll have to wait and see.

So what does this have to do with my abandoned fics? Well, it had started to become more difficult to write because the adhd "shinyness" was wearing off anyway, but I'd been doing a good job of pushing past it because people liked what I was writing. I could see my skill getting better, and engagement was going up, and that was really motivating. But then... I stopped writing fic all of a sudden because someone made a post about finding it shitty when writers wrote about COVID in their fics, and.... that was sort of a last straw that broke me, because I do exactly that in the last WA chapter. So I just turned tail and ran away. I tried to push through and write & publish the chapter anyway, because it was the LAST chapter and I knew people were waiting on it, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Even having OSBB obligations didn't get me writing again, and given that obligation, the shame I felt about not having finished those stories weighed on me so badly that I couldn't even interact with you guys on Instagram, despite you having been so kind to me in the past. Let's face it, that goes WAY beyond adhd rejection sensitivity, that's a trauma response. I saw one bit of honestly well-reasoned critique of work that wasn't even mine, and I just ran. Immediately I felt like I was no longer allowed to take up space here. I felt unwelcome here in this corner of the internet world, just as I have always felt like I wasn't allowed to take up space in the physical world for almost my ENTIRE life. And the shame I already feel about myself normally was compounded by what I felt was a cowardly thing to do, which prevented me from returning. Now that I've accepted that, yes, I am an abuse victim whose life has been MASSIVELY and MAJORLY affected by that childhood trauma, I'm finally able to address it properly. Over the last few weeks I've been changing the direction of my therapy and my self-talk (reparenting yourself is HARD) and I'm feeling some improvement, but progress isn't linear so my burst of motivation the other night fizzled out, and I'm genuinely sorry for that.

So... yeah, I'm trying to come back and get those fics finished. I'm grateful for any of you willing to be patient with me. Consciously I KNOW I deserve any support willingly given to me by any of you, but I FEEL like I don't. So yeah. Thanks. <3

[big-gay-bird]

The evening before disability day of mourning, I learned something about my deceased estranged uncle. Apparently he struggled so substantially in most social situations that my father, who misses important social cues himself, often needed to physically step in front and help him talk to people because things “only got worse” when he didn’t.

My dad understands now that his brother was likely autistic, which was something he still struggles to acknowledge in himself and his kids (though we all are.) But dad and his brother grew up in the 70s, when there were very few options for autistic kids that weren’t related to institutionalization. So they just managed the situations together as a family and my uncle went off on his own when he was an adult as people are expected to do. He followed his work, which he was good at and passionate about. I know there were many failed friendships and relationships he talked to my dad about along the way that just didn’t work out.

My uncle shut everyone out after my first birthday and no one fully understood why. There was no massive fallout, he just stopped answering everyone’s calls and attempts to reach out.

As someone who did not even consider a diagnosis until I was an adult, I empathize with some of what my uncle might have been going through. I understand the self loathing and urge to isolate from a world that seems to think you’re doing everything wrong, yet no can even fully explain how or why. You want desperately to do things correctly but there is no one willing to explain how, so you guess and fail over and over and over again. It wears you down, and it can make you feel so impossibly hopeless. I can easily see how it might have felt like our family were just more people that didn’t really understand him, even if he didn’t fully understand himself at the time.

So 2015 he died by suicide but it’s never that simple. He died because of ableism and the systems that fail autistic people, he died because the allistic world refused to try and understand him.

So uncle Brad, it’s a day late, but I was thinking about you this disability day of mourning. You deserved better, and I’m so sorry the world made you feel like that was your only option. You’re part of the community we’ve lost far too soon. I wish I could have gotten to know you, I hope you know you were loved even if my dad and his parents didn’t know how to support you the way you needed.

[kfanopinions]

omg i just saw your review on baggy jeans and wanna say that i feel like the WHOL album feels very rushed, like it sounds like they got them all together last minute and told them “alright just record a song real quick” it’s so disappointing because this album was rlly not needed if they were gonna rush it like this (AND mahae deserved some rest so) the only song that genuinely made me think “what they put effort in this” was pado but the rest was pretty mid ☹️

sorry for this random rant i just wanted to share my thoughts hope you’re doing great!

hi there 🩵 i’m doing good hope you are too 🥰

oh no!!! i haven’t listened to the full album yet now i’m scared 😱 i just don’t know how to feel with this album. i’m happy the gangs back but it feels like even the neo’s weren’t too thrilled about this one. like are any of them REALLY promoting it that much?

i was just overall disappointed with baggy jeans. i thought when we heard we’d get the 7th sense group again we’d get something that was on par with that song but baggy jeans…nope the lyrics are bad. compare the 7th sense lyrics to baggy jeans and you’ll see the difference. though the actual music of the song is good and i’ll give them a small point for the repetitive baggy jeans part but it’s still bad lol

i know a lot of fans were like “it’s so neo!” but i’m still trying to figure out what they mean by it’s “neo.” if we’re talking about experimental i don’t think baggy jeans is experimental. it’s just lazy. i wanted to love it, i did but i feel like it’s going to be one of those songs i’ll listen to it but feel nothing for which sucks.

i also heard people say it’s a “campy” song but even then i’ve heard campy songs that have substance to them but this just falls so flat 🤷🏽‍♀️ to each their own i guess. but i’m not one of those fans who blindly loves everything cuz i love the group lol i call it like it is XP

i wonder if it’s just my music taste is evolving lately. i’ve been listening to ren, yungblud, and aurora a lot and their songs have more substance then most of nct’s music lately. still love nct and will always support them but yeah…not happy with baggy jeans and don’t get me started on golden age 🙄 someone on NCT twitter said they should have all gotten at least 11 seconds each but nope sm can’t even divide up the parts equally.

but i will say this chenle during the kangroo dance was just adorable! he looked like he was having fun and taeil looked miserable 😂😅 i would too if i had to do that dance. cutesy dancing isn’t for everyone haha

but pado i’m excited to fully listen too because of haechan’s fan cams. i’m not going to say how many times i’ve watched them but yeah… it’s A LOT 😅 (front view, side view, back view, ALL THE VIEWS 😍🥰😘)

but thanks for sharing your thoughts and please no apologizing at all 🫂🩵🩷 you as well as everyone else can feel free to share your opinions/rant anytime you want. okay?

[scratchybeardsweetmouth]

#ted lasso#the guy we meet in season one is so so so much sadder and is suffering so much more#than the guy we say goodbye to in season three#but the guy in season three doesn't crack as many jokes and doesn't grin and laugh at every opportunity#I really didn't expect the fandom to interpret that as 'he's even worse off than before!'#when the fact is that when you're able to have an inherent sense of self-worth rather than relying on Doing Everything Right#that you become less manic about making sure everyone likes you all the time#which is what ted did for the first two seasons#I dunno I just wish there was more room for this kind of character#and... for this kind of person#believe mothereffers#theodore lasso (from op’s tags)

it’s really good to read other people’s perspective and this is very interesting. i still don’t fully see this the way the show portrayed it but understand its importance. maybe when i’m braver to do a full rewatch someday, i’ll keep this in mind.

‘he was visibly less happy and that’s okay. he was still loved’

that is true. it’s just that we also saw a ted begin to slowly express what he could not initially - his vulnerabilities, his anger, his pain. and i thought that was equally significant. s1 ted was indeed so much sadder than the guy in s3, and he doesn’t have to joke or charm his way to hide the pains he feels inside for what he really misses and longs for anymore. he began to speak his mind and heart to his family. and i was really cheering for him keeping up with that. because that shit is hard to do. the show not allowing us to hear ted express himself about his choice to go back home was a bit of a let down i.e. cutting off the truth bomb conversation with rebecca. i suppose it is symbolic - it matters to him now, no longer to the audience or anyone else in richmond, that the audience and richmond should trust ted on his uneasy but solid decision. (like fleabag’s i guess). it’s just difficult not to see that he doesn’t talk about it at all throughout the finale, when expressing himself fully has been a journey we’ve been seeing him struggle with since the beginning. 

and this is the belief i want to have for him with his choice to go back to Kansas: he’ll take all he learned and apply it home, for himself, and for his son. but i cannot easily let go that the environment that allowed him to face himself and ‘able to have the inherent sense of self-worth’ was the external love and support he had in Richmond. and now i am the mothereffer who really wants to believe he’ll keep that up or build that for himself in Kansas to continue managing or getting better with his mental health issues.

i admit i can be biased as i’m a shipper, that i longed to hear more from him when he faced rebecca every time - in the stands, in the airport - because the latter in her own journey was also allowing herself to be her most vulnerable and try and ask someone she knows is family to stay when she’s very aware how much she’s pushed people away in the past. she’s sure she wants this person to remain in her life, and she reads in his eyes of his choice not to and the silence just hurts. as much as i value the way they converse with just looks, the understanding of both on the choices they made, and the impact they know they made together for the team and on each other, i just would’ve really liked that expressed verbally as well, more so from ted. probably contradicting myself at this point. maybe i’m just sad that one of the persons that cares and loves him after seeing him for all that he is and allows him to emote all sides of him outside of therapy and of her own volition, is someone he may never see again.

#when the fact is that when you're able to have an inherent sense of self-worth rather than relying on Doing Everything Right#that you become less manic about making sure everyone likes you all the time#which is what ted did for the first two seasons

i want to think about this some more because i don’t think i absorbed this lesson yet. I find that Ted was never manic about making sure Richmond liked him all the time - didn’t care about Wanker, or if the players initially disliked him, or if locals were disappointed in him as a coach, or if a journalist thought he was not good enough. But he did want to do everything right by his family - to give Michelle space to save their marriage, or to make sure his mom is being taken care of while staying with him - without addressing his own issues. Looking through these lenses, going back to Kansas and seeing his self-worth grow, facing Michelle and his mom just might not be as difficult as he might have envisioned it to be, including facing that spending time with henry to be a good father only for him to grow up and leave one day isn’t going to be as scary anymore. If Richmond’s influence helped him take their love with him, then his love for family and especially Henry can never be taken away from him too.

Ted Lasso, the character, is one of the only representations of 'sometimes getting better with your mental health issues means that you are less visibly happy, and that is okay, because you are not required to be happy in order to be loved' out there and I am really discouraged that so much of the audience is angry at that.

[redvdress]

ELLIE THAT WAS JUST SO GOOD OMG YOUR WRITING IS EVERYTHINGGGG NEVER ACTUALLY LIKED AN ANGST BEFORE

so, so!! any thoughts on bakugo x a reader that's so gentle it's sickening? how he feels bothered over how sweet you are, but still blushes when you compliment him? how his gaze softens up when you step into the room with that peaceful energy of yours? how he breaks the nose of some stupid guy for making you cry ?! (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

again, thanks for writing down my requests (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) i'm glad you like 'em! and don't worry, i'll send you every thought i have!

- blue 🫐

SOFT SPARKS

A/N: blueee i couldn’t wait for one of your requests, i guess bakugo is y’all favorite and i’m so glad of that. i’m so glad you liked my work btw, that’s all that matters to me!!! and this bakugo x kind reader was such a good idea, it’s so fun picturing them because they’re so different soo i tried my best picturing him, i hope y’all like it!! please send as many requests you want, love your prompts and ideas!!

Bakugo was marching down the hall, his scowl more prominent than ever. Class had been intense today, and everything from his quirk training to his usual sparring had him in a bad mood. His hands twitched with restrained explosions, and the glare in his eyes warned anyone nearby to steer clear. But then again, most people already knew better than to mess with him when he was like this.

Except for you.

You, with your unfailing kindness and gentle spirit. Everyone knew you as the soft-spoken, supportive student.

No matter how tough things got, you always found something positive to say to everyone, no matter how small the moment.

Even Bakugo, the walking embodiment of fury and chaos, couldn’t escape your warm compliments and bright smiles.

“Hey, Bakugo!” you called out from behind him.

He flinched. Great, just what he needed. Someone trying to talk to him.

He turned his head slightly, just enough to shoot you a death glare over his shoulder.

“What do you want?” he snapped, not even bothering to stop.

You hurried to catch up with him, walking by his side as if the seething aura of rage wasn’t even there.

“You did amazing today in the combat drills! Your explosions were so precise”

Bakugo stopped in his tracks, slowly turning to face you fully now.

His red eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, brows furrowing in disbelief. Was he hearing this right?

“What did you just say?” he growled, leaning in slightly. “Are you messing with me?”

You blinked up at him innocently, completely unphased by his aggressive stance. “No, of course not! I mean it. Your control has gotten so much better, it’s impressive. You’ve been working really hard, and it’s showing.”

His eye twitched. Compliments? Him? From someone who wasn’t either trying to suck up or being sarcastic? What kind of game were you playing?

“Shut up!” he barked, stepping back as if your kindness was something dangerous.

“I don’t need you pitying me! You think just ‘cause you’re all sweet and nice that I give a damn about what you say?”

Your smile never faltered.

You understood Bakugo better than most people did. Beneath that fiery temper, you knew he was deeply driven, always striving to be the best, and that came with a lot of pressure. It wasn’t that he didn’t care—he cared too much.

“I’m not pitying you, Bakugo. I’m just telling the truth,” you said, your tone as calm as ever. “You’re an amazing hero in the making, and it’s obvious that you’re pushing yourself to get stronger every day. That’s something to be proud of.”

His hands clenched into fists, little sparks of explosion energy crackling between his fingers.

“Tch, whatever,” he muttered, turning on his heel and stomping off again. “I don’t need your compliments, so back off!”

You watched him storm away, his frustration nearly palpable in the air.

But instead of feeling discouraged, you simply chuckled to yourself and continued on your way.

Bakugo didn’t get it.

He didn’t get you.

You weren’t like the others who flinched when he so much as looked in their direction. You never avoided him like he was some damn ticking bomb, like everyone else did. And it pissed him off.

But at the same time… it didn’t.

He was sitting in the common room, arms crossed, glaring at the wall like it personally offended him. The day had been long, the usual grind of training with those idiots in class wearing him thin.

He was tired, but no way in hell was he going to let anyone see that. His mind was already racing, planning out his next moves for tomorrow. He was always thinking, always pushing.

Then the door opened, and without even looking, he knew it was you.

He could feel it—the whole room shifted, like the air was lighter all of a sudden.

Everyone relaxed, even that nervous wreck Deku, who’d been pacing the room. He stopped immediately when you stepped in, like you were some damn calming breeze that just blew in and made everything peaceful.

It was annoying.

Annoying how everyone seemed to instantly chill out around you.

But the thing that really got under his skin? He could feel his own shoulders loosening up too.

What the hell?

He stole a glance at you, and his scowl wavered—just for a second.

Just enough for someone with half a brain to notice.

You weren’t even doing anything special, just your usual thing: smiling, saying hello to everyone like you weren’t stepping into a room full of future pro-heroes who were either anxious wrecks or ticking time bombs. But the way you moved, so calm, so sure of yourself—it was like nothing fazed you.

He hated it. But also… didn’t.

His gaze softened, just for a second, as you crossed the room.

There was something about the way you carried yourself—like you weren’t trying too hard to be kind. It was just you, like breathing. And for some reason, that made everything around you feel less suffocating.

“Tch” Bakugo grunted, trying to shove the stupid feeling down as you approached him. His fists clenched on instinct.

“Hey, Bakugo” you said, your voice soft, not that fake crap others tried with him, but the real deal. Genuine. “You good?”

Why did you always do that? Ask if he was okay like you actually gave a damn?

Most people would rather run for their lives than check in on him.

Yet here you were, every damn time, showing up with that peaceful energy that somehow… didn’t piss him off as much as it should.

“‘Course I’m good!” he snapped, louder than necessary. “Why the hell wouldn’t I be?!”

You didn’t even flinch. Of course, you didn’t. Instead, you just gave him that small smile, the one that made his chest tighten in ways he refused to acknowledge.

“Just checking. You looked a little tense.”

Tch, as if. He was always tense.

He had to be. You didn’t get to be number one by taking it easy, by being all soft and peaceful like you.

But damn, the way your presence changed the whole room—it almost made him feel like he could, just for a second.

He glared at you, eyes narrowing, but it wasn’t the same sharpness he usually threw at everyone else. He couldn’t help it—his gaze softened again. Just for a second.

Not that anyone would notice.

Except maybe you.

You lingered for a moment longer, before heading off to talk to someone else, probably Kirishima or Uraraka, making the rounds with that annoyingly kind vibe of yours. And as you left, Bakugo found himself staring at the space you had just been, the room now feeling… colder, heavier again.

He clicked his tongue in irritation. Stupid. Stupid how your presence could get to him like that. He shook his head, trying to snap himself out of it.

Next day you found yourself and your class training with 1-B, they weren’t that bad, except for Monoma, because Neito Monoma never knew when to shut up.

That was pretty much a universal truth around U.A., especially for Class 1-A.

Every time there was even a hint of interaction between the two classes, Monoma would seize the opportunity to talk down to them, puffing out his chest like he had something to prove. And today? Today was no different.

You had just finished training, the sweat on your forehead barely dry when Monoma strutted over, that infuriating grin plastered on his face. His classmates hung back, probably already knowing he was about to run his mouth again. But this time, you weren’t the only one in his sights.

“Oh, look who it is. Class 1-A’s golden children” Monoma began, his voice dripping with mockery. “Still thinking you’re better than everyone else, huh?”

You sighed internally at what he said to Midoriya, already bracing yourself for whatever nonsense he had lined up. It was exhausting how he always seemed to have something negative to say.

Still, you kept calm, like you always did. After all, it wasn’t in your nature to rise to the bait. But then Monoma’s eyes flicked over to you, and his smirk widened.

“And you—honestly, it’s a wonder you haven’t been chewed up and spat out yet. I mean, someone with a personality as soft and kind as yours? You must really be banking on those amazing friends of yours to keep you from getting crushed.”

You blinked, your heart sinking a little at the jab, but before you could even think of a response, Bakugo’s growl cut through the air like a thunderclap.

“You wanna say that again, you bastard??!!”

Bakugo stormed forward, his hands already sparking with small, threatening explosions. His eyes were practically glowing with fury, and Monoma had the nerve to laugh.

“Oh, Bakugo!” Monoma taunted, not backing down one inch.

“The big bad explosion boy. Tell me, how does it feel to know you’ll always be in second place? Maybe third? Or fourth, depending on how Midoriya, Todoroki, or even Shinsou do in the rankings?”

Bakugo’s eye twitched, his entire body stiff with barely-contained rage. But Monoma wasn’t done.

He had to push further, like he was begging for a one-way ticket to the hospital.

“And the way you fawn over them,” Monoma’s grin grew even wider as he pointed toward you. “It’s cute, actually. Never thought I’d see the day when Bakugo—Mr. ‘I don’t need anyone’—would turn into a guard dog. Or is it a lap dog? Which do you prefer?”

BOOM!

An explosion went off so close to Monoma that it sent him skidding back, dust kicking up around him. Bakugo stepped in front of you, fists clenched so tightly that his palms were practically trembling with sparks.

“The hell did you just say? Say one more thing-one more—and I’ll blow your smug face off your skull!” Bakugo barked, his voice low and dangerous, like he was barely keeping himself from launching Monoma into orbit.

Monoma blinked through the dust, his smug grin faltering for a split second before he chuckled again. “Oh, come on, Bakugo. Really? We’re resorting to violence now because I made a joke? You sure you’re not getting soft?”

Bakugo was inches from him, his face twisted into a furious snarl, teeth bared like he was ready to tear Monoma apart right there and then.

"You got some kinda death wish, huh?!"

But Monoma didn’t back off. “But let’s be honest, Bakugo. All that yelling, all those explosions, and yet, when it comes down to it? You’ll never be number one, no matter how much you huff and puff. That spot’s reserved for people with brains, not just brawn. Maybe try calming down and learning a little humility from your precious little friend here. It might help!”

Bakugo didn’t even think. The next explosion was so fast, so precise, it was like a cannon shot, aimed perfectly to miss Monoma but close enough to make him feel the heat. The ground at Monoma’s feet cracked, dust flying into the air. Bakugo advanced, rage rolling off him in waves, his eyes burning.

“I don’t give a damn about your stupid rankings, and I sure as hell don’t need some washed-up copycat telling me where I stand”

Monoma, now clearly shaken but too proud to back down, tried to recover his smirk. “Oh, did I hit a nerve? Funny how—”

“Shut the hell up!” Bakugo shouted, his voice nearly cracking with intensity. “You don’t get to talk about me, and you sure as hell don’t get to talk about them. You’re nothing! You hear me?!”

Kaminari, who had been watching from a distance, finally decided to step in, looking between Bakugo and Monoma nervously. “Hey, man, maybe we should all just—”

Bakugo cut him off, his focus still locked on Monoma. “You wanna talk about ‘soft’? You’re the one hiding behind your stupid mouth because you know you don’t stand a chance. You wanna make fun of me, fine. I’ll blow you up any day of the week. But you don’t say shit about them, got it?”

The quiet that followed Bakugo’s words was deafening. Even Monoma seemed to realize he’d gone too far, his grin now completely wiped off his face. He didn’t say anything else—maybe because he didn’t want to be the target of Bakugo’s next explosion.

Bakugo took a slow, deliberate step back, the air around him still crackling with leftover energy. His fists unclenched, though the anger in his eyes didn’t fade.

“Next time you wanna talk crap” Bakugo said, his voice low and venomous, “make sure you’re ready to eat it.”

Monoma, for once, had nothing to say.

He just nodded, albeit stiffly, and walked off, probably realizing he was lucky to still be in one piece.

Once Monoma was out of sight, Bakugo turned to you, his expression still tense, but softer than the fury he’d just unleashed.

“Tch. Idiot doesn’t know what he’s talking about” Bakugo muttered. He turned to leave, clearly still fuming, but you could see the way his shoulders stayed tight, like he was still on edge.

You smiled softly at him, stepping forward. “Thank you, Bakugo. You didn’t have to do that.”

Bakugo glanced back at you, his red eyes still intense, but now with a hint of something else—something more protective. “‘Course I did,” he grumbled, his voice quieter than before. “I’m not gonna let some dumbass talk down to me. Or you”

Kirishima clapped Bakugo on the back, grinning. “That was so manly, dude! Seriously, you’ve got their back, huh?”

Bakugo clicked his tongue, his face heating up. “Shut up, shitty hair! I don’t need any of your dumbass comments right now!”