#I thought I would strike while the iron is hot

[cordiallyfuturedwight]

the leather agenda for @cosmicdreamgrl

[edgelite]

seth and shinsuke having a trilogy that ends with a no dq / weapons match i fink i deserve it

[ventique18]

Malletsum and Malleus being a wingman for each other.

🐉 brings Tsumnotarou over at Ramshackle to play with Tsyuum. When the two creatures happily greet each other, he invites Yuu to come with him to give the two little ones some space.

🐉: "Don't we have... laundry, to do today? I heard the school laundromat has the latest technology to... remove stains and optimize clothes' scents. It would be apt of us to make use of such convenience."

🐉, crouching to Tsumnotarou to whisper: "You've got this, alright? I believe in you. You know what trait you have that others do not? Your adorable horns. Utilize that to your advantage and have a good, fruitful talk with the tsum of your affection."

🐉: "But you've no mouth, do you? Then a fruitful... handshake. Or whatever your kind does to express endearment."

~~~

🐉 is alone with Yuu and his head blanks out. He has no idea what to do. Ah, that's right; the manga he finished reading yesterday had guidelines on what to do during this kind of moment. The kabedon! But wait, what does that mean again? Was that the cornering against a wall or the head on lap one? Which comes first--

And then at the corner of his peripheral, he sees a familiar small creature waving at him. It's with another tsum-- the one Yuu's taking care of, and is motioning at him as if to tell him what to do.

Tsumnotarou flaps its limbs with Tsyuum.

That's right! A handshake first.

🌸: "A, a handshake? Well. It's nice to see you again today. Like last night. And the day before that."

And then Tsumnotarou bumps its head against Tsyuum,

🌸: "Ouch..."

And rubs against Tsyuum affectionately.

🌸: "Oh! Oh, uhm..."

When Yuu starts blushing and returning the affection shyly, Malleus understands that Tsumnotarou knows what it's doing. This is going well...

Until Tsumnotarou starts climbing on Tsyuum's back.

🐉: "Isn't that highly inappropriate?! As much as I would like to do that, we are not at that stage yet-- but if you're saying to strike while the iron's hot..."

The tsums were, in fact, not being inappropriate and are just stacking like what they usually do. Malleus was just letting his primal thoughts cloud his judgement.

[barleyo]

Mama-in-Training.

Enji Todoroki X F! Reader (smut)

A/N: life has been whooping my ass, sorry for my inactivity!! i'm trying to post more often, so i might start queuing up some fics to keep posts kinda consistent :3 anyways, for today, i offer you a humble enji fic

Tags: age gap (early 20s — 50s), breeding, creampie, unprotected sex, use of "mommy" and "daddy", size kink/difference

Wordcount: 2.4k

After his divorce, it took Enji a few years to get back into dating. By the time he found you, all of his kids were well into adulthood and moved out. That was fine with you, it would have probably been awkward to play step-mom to his kids who were the same age as you. 

However, that didn't mean that you didn't want children of your own. You never really brought it up with your now husband, seeing as he already had a bunch of them. You assumed he didn't want any more, that he was tired. That's the thing about age gaps— you're always in a different stage in life from your partner. It's hard to keep up. 

You sat with him in the dining room, quietly eating breakfast together. He was shuffling through a newspaper, his stoic face in tact. 

Well, no time like the present. You decided to bring it up.

You took a sip from your tea cup before placing it down gently on the table. You folded your hands on your lap and leaned forward a bit, trying to get his attention. 

"Enji."

"Hm?" Enji hummed absentmindedly in response, not taking his eyes off the newspaper for a few more seconds. He reached over and grabbed his own cup to take a sip, his eyes skimming across something in the paper before finally putting it down and looking at you. 

"What is it?" he asked, voice gruff and tired. 

"I want a child." You kept your eyes trained on his face, watching as his expression changed. 

His face slowly shifted from confusion to slight distaste. He wasn't expecting that, not exactly. 

He sat up a little straighter and looked at you intently. He wanted to make sure he heard you correctly. "A child? Really?"

"Yes, and I want one soon," you said, picking your teacup up again. You pressed it to your lips, speaking quickly again before drinking. "I'd like more than one, you know."

That last part was news to him. He was already surprised to hear that you wanted one, but two? More? 

He let out a deep sigh and leaned back in his chair, crossing one of his legs over the other. 

"Why?" He asked bluntly. 

Enji didn't want to say no right away, but his children were already adults. He didn't realize you wanted kids of your own. He always assumed you wanted a simple, quiet life with no little brats to deal with.

"You're getting older, you know," you said, voice teetering on teasing. "Don't you think we should strike while the iron is hot? Before you're too old?"

"Who are you calling old, woman?" He rolled his paper and shook it at you, pointing it at you with a small scowl. "I'm in better shape than most men decades younger than me, don't act like I'm on the verge of death."

"I don't know," you said with a shrug, leaning back in your chair with a smug, little grin.

You were trying to rile him up, and it was working. Enji was not a man who held up well to your incessant teasing. It was rather easy to get a rise out of him— a fact that you often exploited. 

"You aren't exactly in your prime anymore, are you?"

Damn you, he thought. He stood up, hands splayed on the table, eyes narrowed. 

"Who's not in their prime? I'm doing just fine. I'm not even that old, you know that," Enji said in an overly defensive way. It was adorable, watching him get so worked up over a little prodding. 

"Then chasing around some kids should be a breeze for you," you retorted sharply, raising an eyebrow in a challenging way. "C'mon, don't you miss having kids in the house? It'll be fun!"

He let out another, more exasperated sigh. Your persistence was a trait he had become accustomed to. Whenever you wanted something from him, you didn't stop until you got it. It was cute, but god, he hated how weak he was for you.

Enji was quiet for a few moments, staring at you as he considered it. He knew that if he kept arguing, this conversation would go on forever. "Fine," he finally relented. "We can start trying."

You clapped a few times in celebration, childishly whooping and cheering over your little victory. 

"I knew you'd agree!" You paused and looked over him, a mischievous smile forming. "So, theoretically, we could start right now?"

Enji raised an eyebrow at you as that little grin appeared. He knew that look. "Now?" he repeated, an almost imperceptible smirk of his own began to form. "Right this second?"

You nodded and he scoffed, patting his thigh, thick with muscle and strength. 

"Come here, you eager thing."

You did so gleefully, footsteps speedy as you went to sit on his lap, legs hanging over his thighs as you face him head on. You wrapped your arms around his neck. 

He watched as you practically rushed over to him, settling comfortably in his lap. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around your waist, holding you close to him. He leaned forward, lips ghosting against yours before he spoke.

"You really do want a kid, huh?" he asked, smirk fading ever so slightly as reality sunk in.

Enji was battling with himself mentally. He wanted to make you happy. His personal motto had become "anything for you, dear," but did he really want to start over with another plight of snot-nosed kids? He hated to face his own age, but he was getting up there. Could he—?

He thoughts were interrupted by you answering his question, a soft, needy look on your face. 

"I do. I really do, Enji. Don't you think I'll make a good mommy?" You braced your hands against his chest, eyes wide with excitement. "I think I'd look good pregnant too, with a cute lil' bump, eh?"

Fuck. Fuck, he really liked that image. Any doubt that was lingering was replaced with you. Full and pregnant. Tits swollen and heavy, face glowing. 

A shudder rolled down his body and a low rumble escaped his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he was this turned on. He wrapped his arms tighter around you, nearly pulling you against him completely. He began placing slow, purposeful kisses all over your neck and jawline.

"Yeah?"

He couldn't form any words outside of that, his head foggy with only his desire to fill you up present. The grip he had on you was a little harsher than usual, fingers digging into the fat of your ass through your pants. 

You pressed your lips against his roughly, hands carding through his hair. 

"I want you to fuck..."

You spoke only when you pulled away for gasps of air, sentences coming out breathless and choppy. 

"...all of your cum into me. Want it all, gotta make sure it takes."

He shivered again, your dirty talk getting to him more than he'd like to admit. He let out a low growl as your hands moved through his hair, his grip on you only getting tighter. 

He bit down on your lip, pulling you back into another rough kiss. His hands continued to move over your thighs, slowly going further and further up until he was palming your cunt through the layers of fabric covering you. 

"Such a dirty mouth," he muttered against your lips. "You really want it, huh? I'll give it to you. I'll fill you up, baby. Whatever you want."

His hands began to slide over your body, caressing your skin gently. His touch continued to linger over you, slowly making its way down lower to where you wanted it most. His fingers began to rub and tease at your core through your underwear, his hand messily shoved down your pants. His tongue licked roughly at the sensitive flesh of your neck. He made a point to leave marks, wanting others to be able to see that you belonged to him. 

Soon enough, your full belly would be a mark of his upon you. Hickies would suffice for now, though.

"You're all mine," he said gruffly, his tone possessive as ever. "I'm gonna give you everything you want, baby. Give you everything you need."

Normally, you enjoyed the chase, the teasing. Making out and heavy petting was all a part of the fun, on most days. But not now. Not when you knew exactly what you wanted— and what did you want now? 

Non-stop loads. 

You shimmied on his lap, kicking your pants off impatiently and staring up at him. 

"I want you, and I want you now," you said, trying to sound authoritative only to come off as needy and whiny. "Stop playing around, Enji

He chuckled at your attempt to sound like you were in charge, his lips curling up into that smug, confident smirk. 

"Bossy today, aren't we?" His other hand coming up to rest on your waist. His grip was still as harsh as before. "So eager to be knocked up, you've forgotten how to ask nicely."

You groan exasperatedly, resting your head against his chest. "Daddy, please. Don't tease."

"Oh, fuck." He inhaled sharply, fingers rubbing small circles on your hipbones. "You know I love when you talk like that."

That one word was all it took. 

You were always able to push the right buttons, to get him to do what you wanted. He pushed your head back, hand cupping your cheek, wanting to see your face.

"That's better," he said, his voice low and rough, almost a whisper. "Begging like that, baby." 

Before you could respond, Enji had slung you over his shoulder, dragging you off to the bedroom. 

He slowly repositioned himself until he was settled between your legs, his broad chest pressed to yours. He looked down at you, taking in just how needy you were. He knew you wanted this just as much as he did, if not more, and he was going to make sure he gave you what you needed. 

His mouth was back on your neck, more marks being left on your skin. He spoke between sucks and bites, the words muffled.  "You're still so eager, baby. All for me."

What round was it now? Three? Four? You couldn't tell. Your legs were cramping from being pushed to your chest for so long. Your greedy little hole was full of cum, dripping onto the silky sheets beneath you. Your mind— a mushy mess. 

You felt Enji push his cock back into you, rubbing the head over the leaking mixture of slick and seed that was drooling out of your slit. 

You winced a bit at the stretch. No amount of prep could ease the burning stretch of his girth. Your walls were snuggly closed around him. 

It was always like this, he was huge, after all. A brief look at his sturdily built, tall figure would give anyone ideas. Obviously, a giant man like him had the cock to match. Every time felt like the first time with him, with the sharp pinch of him sliding in, but God, it was worth it. 

He always felt a sense of pride when he took you like this. He was the only one who could make you feel like this, and he knew it. The only one who was allowed to satisfy the need inside you. His ego only grew the further he sunk in, watching your body swallow all of him yet again. 

"Jus' one more, baby. Okay? Think you can take one more?"

His large body caged you under him, trapping you completely, strong hands keeping your legs firmly folded. 

When you didn't answer, he huffed and brought his calloused thumb over your clit. He rubbed rough circles over the nub. 

"You're such a sensitive thing," he mumbled, collecting some of the slick that dripped down the seam of your thighs, right next to your cunt. He smeared the wetness over your clit, smoothing his movements. "So little, too."

"S—shut up," you managed to spit, mouth hanging open as you felt him ram sharply against your cervix, kissing the tip of it with his cock head. 

"But it's true."

Meaner than a snake, Enji was. The way he pushed one of his hands down on your lower stomach made you see stars. Every stroke felt deeper than the last— harder. More targeted. He was focused on hitting your deep, spongy weak spot with each of his thrusts. 

"How are you going to handle carrying my child, huh? Tiny thing like you. My cock already spilts you in half, the hell are you gonna do with a child of mine?" He was looking down at you, stoic expression tinged with a hint of amusement. "You'll break right in half, baby. Y'aren't strong enough for it."

You huffed, a soft moan slipping through your mouth as he continued to fuck into your tight chasm like a crazed man, little regard for how rough he was being with you.

"I dunno," you mumbled, bottom lip bit tight enough to almost draw blood, "but I know I can handle it. Was made to be yours, daddy. I can take it. I gotta."

His grip on your thighs grew more intense, his hands digging into the soft, pillowy skin. He liked when you said that. He liked that you needed him, that you needed to mother his children.

Enji's teeth tugged at your neck rougher than before, his tongue licking the assaulted skin soothingly. It was a dance of sorts— sharp teeth marking you, marking you bruise and bleed, with a gentle tongue to clean you up right after. 

"You really do want it, huh? You need it so bad," he said between rough kisses. "Well then, let's hope it takes."

With that, he braced one hand beside your head, tightly gripping a pillow, and the other leaving bruises on your thigh. He came for the final time, adding to the sopping, sloppy mess that previous rounds left in your hole. 

"Ah, fuck. There you go, mama," he groaned, voice tight with satisfaction as he spoke the nickname. "Now, all there is to do is wait."

He kept his cock sheathed inside of you, plugging his cum up in your walls.

"...Unless you think another turn is needed. Fifth time's a charm, isn't it?"

[seat-safety-switch]

Are you now, or have you ever, been a member of the American Horticultural Society? If you answered in the affirmative to this question, there are several detectives down at the station who would like to talk with you about your activities over the last few weeks. Don't worry, I'm no snitch: I just want my shitboxes back.

Gardeners are nothing if not resourceful. If you go into a good-sized suburban backyard garden, you'll see trash cans getting used to protect plants. Old lawnmower-struck hose irrigating tender veggies. And CD-ROMs dangling everywhere, to alternatingly antagonize and beguile the crows into not eating all the cucumbers this year. I admire this kind of waste-not-have-not mentality, but sometimes it goes a little bit too far.

A couple months ago, there were some rumblings about "guerrilla gardeners." These rogue seedsfolx would roam the countryside, eyes peeled for opportunity to plant a garden on land they don't own. Upon finding old abandoned lots, sun-bleached traffic islands, and unattended flower beds, they would strike, stuffing innocent lands with their ovules. Soon, a gorgeous garden of hardy plants would be in that place. Pissed off the bylaw officers, who now had to deal with the beauteous, chaotic bounty of nature, rather than dead, brown grass when it came time to mow. I thought this was pretty funny, until it happened to me.

Do you know why they tell you not to leave your dog inside a car? Because it gets really hot inside a car. Sun goes into the windows, but the heat can't escape. We call this a "greenhouse effect." Do you know what else has a greenhouse effect? Fucking greenhouses do. One morning, I came out to my yard full of several dozen non-operable, shit-box automobiles to find that someone had jimmied the locks on each and every one of them. On the seats? Plants. Some were exotic hothouse varieties. Some were simply pretty flowers. And they were all growing strong, fed by the sunlight through the greasy windows, the controlled drip of rainwater through the rust holes in the roof, the iron-rich powder on the seats, and the humid rainforest atmosphere of my cars' interior. What was this town coming to?

I cleared this out, of course, placing the plants gently outside, where they belonged. Soon, even more exotic varietals of botanist-lust found their way into the cars to replace them. If I turned my back for a weekend, I'd be chopping a strange kind of vine that even Wikipedia says "I dunno" about. The local bylaw officer noticed, too, while trying to do one of her routine sweeps to see if she could get me on a technicality. Seeing the work of the guerrilla gardeners enraged her so much that I don't think she even noticed I started parking the Viscount in the neighbour's swimming pool to keep the interior safe from all but water lilies.

[isabeauwolf]

Dabi x reader: As you Wish (Period Comfort)

It was back.

Mother nature's curse, Aunt Flo, Jason, whatever the hell you wanna call it.

Your period had come.

Dammit.

You'd think I'd learn by now, but noooo. You sighed, covering your eyes with the back of your hand.

All of the signs were there: you was overly horny all week, then you wanted to cry out of nowhere and over the must dumbest shit, or was extremely moody and pissed off. You were so sleepy yesterday, even after oversleeping past your usual nap time and your breasts ached and were sensitive. Seriously, your nipples just barely grazing against your shirt made them tender and stiffen up, cut fucking diamonds.

All of this drama, only for your body to punish you for not being pregnant.

For the next seven days.

Seven days of hell.

To make things worse, Dabi was dropping by tonight.

Not that you weren't happy for your boyfriend to be coming over.

You loved seeing him. The thrill of a villain sneaking into your house without any of your neighbors noticing, or they didn't care as long as the couple wasn't too loud or disturbing the peace. It was great, one of the many perks to living in this neighborhood that was under the protection of the Shie Hassaikai, the yakuza. You paid your rent on time and were never late. Never asked questions and kept your head down whenever Mimic or one of Overhaul's eight bullets collected the months payment.

Of course, your period had to strike as you were about to take your early morning nap, as you rose to your feet you felt it.

The pool of blood staining your underwear and favorite pajama pants, dripping down your thighs, the uncomfortable dampness and stickiness.

The painful cramps in your abdomen hit, making you close your eyes harder, and focus on your breathing, simple breathing exorcises, deep inhale and exhale. In and out.

Who would have thought working as a nurses aid in training in a nursing home worked. All of the older woman teaching you tricks of the trade from their time as midwives or nurses at the local hospitals in their youth.

"Fuck," you cursed underneath your breath, making your way awkwardly towards your bathroom, waddling and shuffling without straining the floor. You felt gross already, yuck. Striping from your dirty and soiled, blood covered underwear and pants, throwing them into the hamper with a heated glare.

Opening your period drawer and checking on your supplies. Lips thinned into a firm line, clicking your tongue, and grumbling bitterly, "Of fucking course."

Your period supplies and stash was running low.

Damn near out of almost everything.

Groaning in frustration, you opened the drawer wider. Pulling out your period panties, placing a pad into it on top of the rest of your stack of clean clothes, you placed on the counter earlier after getting home. Bulky hoodie, check. Navy colored sweatpants, check. Pad and period underwear, check. Tank top and socks, check. Lazy girl outfit all here.

Turning on the shower head as hot as you could stand it, then removing the rest of your clothes as you waited, Need to wash these before they stain. thinking to yourself, inwardly sighing.

Hoping onto the shower, frowning as the water, blood and blood clots went down the drain. The heavy smell of blood and iron hit your nose making you wrinkle your nose in disgust. Closing your eyes once more, letting the warm water hit your now aching lower back as a thought came to mind. I need to tell him.

It's not the first time he's come over while you were on your period, and hopefully not the last. It's funny. You'd think that having a villain for a boyfriend, he would be a major asshole most of the time. He kept surprising you, awkwardly being kind and sweet. He grew up with a mother who birthed his dickhead of a father four kids and he had a younger sister, of course, he knows about women having their periods.

Chuckling, washing all of the iciness away with your favorite shampoo and body wash, rinsing and turning the water off.

Stepping out of the shower. Feeling like a drowned rat, slowly and still soaking wet, hesitantly and quickly, stepping down on the green furry rug, shoving your new underwear with a pad over your hips, then grabbed a blue towel, drying the rest of your body while checking to make sure bloody drops weren't running down your legs.

Sniffing and frowning, you finished getting dressed, grabbing the bottle of midol and shoved it into the front pocket of your hoodie, opening the bathroom door wearing a separate towel on your head, and walking back towards the living room. Retracing yours steps, eyes glued to the floor, thank god, there was no mess.

Standing in front of your favorite chair, opening the matching ottoman beside it, placed down a hidden pillow and red towel down as you sat back down, reaching for your favorite large fluffy blanket and phone.

Swiping your thumb over the screen, finger hovering over the message button, pushing it and waiting for it to load, then pressed Dabi's name, "alleycat" - he still snickered at the fucked up nickname you picked for him in case any dumbass tried to steal your smartphone.

"What?" You replied, giggling. "I can't put your villain name, or blue flame. That's amateur bullshit, 101." Rolling your eyes and snickered, adding, "Besides it's true, isn't it?" You teased lightly, "You are my chill and lazy alleycat." You reached over and lightly caressed and pet the top of his soft raven locks through yours fingers.

Dabi rolled his eyes, a light grin on his scarred lips. "Whatever works for you, princess."

A small smile graced your lips.

You: I'm on my cycle again, yay..... not. -_- If it's not too much trouble do you mind picking up some supplies for me?

He replied immediately.

Alleycat: Yeah, whatcha need? Send pics, I'm already at the store getting snacks anyways.

Your smile widened, you were lucky to have such an understanding boyfriend.

You: Thanks, babe~ U R the best! ;) See you soon and be safe.

Scrolling through your camera roll at the last time you forgot to write down your period shopping list, you sent them to him: pads, midol and chocolate.

Your good mood soured as another wave of cramps hit, forcing you to suck in a hissed breath. Closing yours eyes once more, trying to blink away tears spilling from the corner of your eyes, rubbing them away, burying yourself deeper into the chair, turning and laying your head against your arms, phone in your lap and spacing out.

You passed out in a matter on seconds it.

Or at least, that's what it felt like.

Your door bell ranged twice, letting you know that he was here.

Blinking and rubbing your eyes, groaning and yawning.

I don't wanna get up. You thought, blinking as a wave of tiredness and an incoming headache coming on. "I'm coming," you raised your voice slightly, licking your dry lips and rubbing the ball of your hand across your temple. The bell rang again, he must not have heard you, trying again, "hang on, hold your horses," rising once more from your comfy nest, "impatient, kitty, I swear," dragging the blanket along, unlocking it and opening the door.

As soon as you saw your villainous boyfriend, his sexy deep, heavily lidded ocean blues. Something in your overly hormonal brain flipped, like a switch: to overly painful cramps to overly horny, your drowsy eyes widened and your breath hitched. This isn't fucking fair! Down in between your legs, your traitorous clit ached, throbbed hard and painful.

Why the fuck can't your body make up its damned mind?!

Dabi leaned against the threshold of your doorjam. He titled his head, a playful smirk on his scarred face. "Special delivery." Hold two large grocery bags in his hand. "Your butt napkins and sugary snacks, my lady."

You should be pissed off, but instead a giggle slips past your lips. "My dark knight to the rescue." Rolling your eyes, opening the door wider and letting him in. "Take-out's on the way. I hope you don't mind Chinese." You mentally recomposed yourself as your cheeks heated and body grew more flushed and overly excited, "I don't feel like cooking tonight."

He walked in and waved, slipping off his boots, "Yeah, that's fine."

You watched him as you closed the door.

Dabi placed the snacks down on the coffee table. "Might have went overboard. Whatever we don't eat tonight, you can eat whenever." He shoved his hands into his pockets, watching and observing, then slowly, shrugging off his coat and lazily laying it on the side of the armrest of the couch, and beside his spot for easy access whenever he wanted his smokes.

"You didn't have to, you know." You smiled sheepishly, pulling the bottle of midol out from the pocket of your hoodie, opening it and popping two of the white and blue pills into your mouth as he opened a bottle of your favorite soda, sipping it and swallowing it down. "Thanks."

"Hush and let me spoil you a bit, yeah?" He replies, lightly pulling you into his warm chest, knowing you would enjoy the comfort of his body heat against your body. He loved whenever you were super clingy, it didn't bother him. Must be the touched-starved part of him that craved affection and attention he was denied growing up, he never said it, but somehow you knew, and you couldn't say no to him.

Closing your eyes and smiling, nuzzling into his chest and sighing in content, hugging him. "I've missed this, I've missed you," you admitted, enjoying and indulging both him and yourself.

This was nice. You needed this, your sweet and caring boyfriend.

Dabi smirking, lightly rubbing your back, and lazily trailing his hands down to your hips, and cooed gently into her neck. "Ah, my poor little ketchup packet."

And there was the asshole part of him, you didn't like that.

Mother always said every man is an asshole. Your boyfriend was no different.

Leaning away from him and gawking. "You are supposed to comfort your girlfriend, not be an asshole, jackass." Smacking his arm with tears prickling the corner of your eyes. It's stupid. You knew he was joking to try and make you laugh, but instead he had done the opposite.

Dabi's eyes widened. "Shit, sorry, m'sorry," he pulled you into a hug, holding you against him again. Resting his head against the top of your head as you buried your face into the his chest. "Please, don't cry." His voice was soft and genuine. "You know, if I didn't tease ya a little bit, then you'd think I was mad at ya."

You sniffed and muttered a soft and quiet, "I know, baby, I know." Nuzzling more into his chest, inhaling his cologne and the smell of smoke from both his flames and nicotine.

"What crappy, cheesy, romance movie do you wanna watch tonight?" He asks, picking you up, making you squeal cutely and giggle, swinging you around like a princess before plopping down on the couch and laying you sideways in his lap. He tilts your chin up, meeting his gaze as his thumb wipes your tears away. "What does my princess want?"

You hummed in though, smiling as the perfect movie came to mind. "How about The Princess Bride?"

Rising an eyebrow in amusement, "Again?"

You laughed, "C'mon you know you love it whenever Wesley beats Prince Humperdick and steals Buttercup away on their wedding night."

"Yeah, that spoiled dickhead deserved it." he agreed, smirking and nodding. "Alright, alright," He winked and kissing the top of your head. "As you wish."

Smiling you put on The Princess Bride, nibbling on some chocolate to hold you until food arrived. It didn't matter, if it was the first time or the thousand time, this movie never got old for you. A true childhood classic.

When Princess Buttercup and Wesley were entering the Fire Swamp, the food arrived as Dabi was reaching for a bag of chips.

"Perfect timing." You muttered, slipping more of your soda and paused the movie, "Gotta go to the bathroom."

"I got it, babe." He gave a small smile.

You stood up and winced, the ache in your lower back and hips were back as you slowly made your way into the bathroom, "I'll be right back, ouch."

Dabi's smile dropped, standing, walking towards the door and opened it, and looked completely bored at the young kid, holding there take-out, grabbing it and muttered, "thanks" as he lightly slammed the door in their shocked and scared face. "Punk ass," he grumbled underneath his breath, peaking into the bags, his scowl curled upward as he saw his favorite meal sitting on top.

Seriously, you spoiled him. How he was lucky enough, a bastard like him got a great girl like you he never knew, and didn't bother asking.

Grabbing some napkins from the kitchen he placed the takeout spread out onto the coffee table: dumplings, fried rice, chicken on a stick, chicken lo mein with extra chicken(his favorite), and donuts.

You came back, watching as he set everything up all nice and neatly. "Think we can eat it all?"

He turned his head, smiling smugly, "Hell yeah, we can. It's gonna get messy cuz I'm hungry."

You blinked and sat down. "Did you not eat again before you came over?"

He shrugged his shoulders, pulling you into his side. "I'm fine. We've got food, you've taken your magic pain away pills. Now, let's eat. I'm starving." Dabi hit play on the tv, then handed you a plate and chopsticks without looking away.

Complain all he wants, but you are certain that he loves this movie just as much. What's there not to like? Revenge, fighting, true love and miracles.

By the time, the movie was almost over most of the food and snacks were eaten, and what was left Dabi was sweet enough to put everything away and wash the dishes.

Of course, you cried when Prince Humperdinck pulled a jealous dick move and had the machine suck 50 years of Wesley's life away, the actors anguish cry of pain had you choked up and in tears. As Dabi pulled you into his side, pouting as he offered you comfort.

When the movie was over, both of you were quiet.

Dabi spoke first. This question had been on his mind, the whole time.

"Why do you love this movie so much?" he asks, watching the credits roll and listening to the song playing at the end, but its was just background noise. "It makes you cry every time and yet, you still watch it over and over again."

"I watched it plenty of times with my mom growing up." You said smiling, pressing into his side with your head underneath his chin. "No matter how many times, we would both laugh and cry together. I miss her and this movie like many of her favorites brings me a strange form of comfort." Blinking back more tears, you straighten and face him. "I know you haven't had the best life at home, but know that no matter... what happens you will always be my home, and I hope that I am yours, Touya."

"Of course, you are, Y/n." He whispered, cupping your face. His touch and eyes were gentle, warm and you trusted him completely. "You are my light in this fucked up world." Dabi swallows the lump in his throat as he tries to calm his breathing, bloody tears prickling his eyes, and falling. "You see the man behind the burns and the scars, a broken and insane bastard who loves you. Would burn the fucking world for you. I love you, my princess." He pulls you into a slow and tender kiss which you kiss back, holding him against you and crawling into his lap, and straddling his waist.

Panting you break the kiss first. A breathless string of giggles slips between your kiss swollen lips. "Come on, let's go to bed, my dark prince."

Dabi sniff and laughed, grinning. His turquoise gaze bright in the dark room and the moonlight. "As you wish, princess buttercup." He picks you up again into his arms, a soft smirk appearing on his red tears streaked, burned, and stapled face.

You laugh, wrapping your arms tighter around his neck. "Whatever am I going to do with you? My dark prince? More like a bratty king."

"Yes, as you are my Queen." He whispers into your ear and gently places you onto the bed with care, stealing your lips again. "Your King of hell will take no refusal, my love." He purrs, lightly nipping into the crook of your neck as you squirm against him and cackle.

"Alright, alright, you win, dammit." You pant in between fits of giggles, lightly trying to shove him away. "You Mister need to wash your face before you stain my sheets." You give a light glare, watching as Dabi pulls back, dramatically grabbing his chest.

"My Queen Buttercup, you wound me so deeply." He gasps, raising an eyebrow and smirking. "Such a heartless woman I have for a lover."

"Oh, go on you big baby, shoo, shoo," You wave him away, getting up and heading towards the bathroom, feeling his gaze on you as he follows close behind. "Besides you need to brush yours teeth."

"I'm going, I'm following." He chuckled, pulling his white shirt over his head and dropping it into the laundry basket beside yours and the rest of his clothes follow. He doesn't care that he's walking around buck naked in your place, he's confident and has no shame. Finding a pair of black sweatpants in your hall closet and puts them on, tying the drawstring around his waist, then heads back into the bathroom, washing his face and brushing his teeth with your toothpaste.

Dabi turns the lights off in the house as he makes his way back into your bedroom, where you are already in bed, and waiting for him. "The castle is safe and your king is tired."

You snicker and pat the space beside you. "Well come on, King Touya. It's rude to keep a maiden waiting."

Without a word, he turns the light off, slowly stalking his way towards the bed and on his side. Dabi's strong hands pulled your body closer, your back against his chest, he rested an hand on your lower abdomen caressing it. "It's getting colder at night, let me help warm you up." He whispers into your ear, purring and his voice growing low and husky, dripping with dark promise. "I'll behave tonight, but no mercy tomorrow, baby."

Your breath hitches and you gasp, when he trails his over hand underneath your shirt, caressing the skin and travels upwards, lightly cupping your swollen and sensitive breast. "Touya, you horn dog. Cheater." You moan and pant as you pull him into a kiss.

He smirks against your lips, chuckling. "I am behaving, honest. I've been a good boy all night," Dabi pulls his hand away as if he did nothing, and placed it behind his head underneath the pillow. "This is my reward for pampering you all day." The heat of his body hitting your lower back, leaving his other hand over your abdomen, heating up and drawing patterns with his fingers.

Calming your breathing, shifting onto your side, you close your eyes, reaching behind you, finding his free hand and squeezed it lightly, whispering. "Thank you. Good night, Touya." Sighing in content and falling asleep.

He hummed, watching as the discomfort disappeared from his girlfriends usually happy and cheerful face. He wished he could do more to help. If he needed to use his quirk to help ease his baby's suffering, then he'd do it.

For once, he was happy to be cursed with his fathers quirk. Only during times like this was he genuinely happy, holding his lover in his arms, all his, no one else's.

He decided that in the morning, he would make a light breakfast knowing that chocolate pancakes and hot chocolate always made you smile.

Scooting closer, tangling their legs together and pulling the blanket over them, he laid back down and closed his eyes. Listening to the steady breathing and light snores below him as a small smile curled against his scarred lips, kissing the top of yours head, and whispered, "Feel better soon, baby."

He fell asleep.

He didn't care, if no one in the else in the world loved him, or hated him. As long as he had you, his baby, his whole world.... his reason for living, he could live with himself, with these scars, burns and broken body.

A little period blood wasn't going to keep him away.

Not now, not ever.

Even while moody, pissy, tired and grumpy, you were still the most beautiful.

You were their for his bad days, so why shouldn't he be there for yours?

💙----------🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥-----💙

I did it! Took a minute, since I'm not used to writing in canon x reader, so please excuse the cringe! ^^

To all my fellow period buddies experiencing there cycles with me or after me! I made this for you! Wanted to spoil my peeps! I hope it showed?

Love ya'll! Plus, I wanted to throw in more Dabi fluff! He would be the sweet, but still teasing boyfriend, well, in my eyes anyways ;)

@fairymama624 @dabislittlemouse @touyas-wife @nightgale @canary58143 @redr0sewrites @doumadono

[zep-zep-blog]

If I had a nickel for each time I made a oneshot based off a prompt from @timeslugarts I would have two nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird it happened twice.🧍🏼‍♂️

Vox x gn!reader

Genre: Fluff, hurt/comfort

Cw: Talk of sex, mentions of feeling not good enough

The last red rose🌹

Reader feels like Vox is ashamed or embarrassed by their relationship and a drunk Valentino only solidifies those thoughts.

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You were Vox's prized diamond, a rose surrounded by thorns, the last unicorn in his eyes. You were kind, thoughtful, funny, tons of stuff the average sinner wasn't. He went to several lengths to make sure your beauty was safe and protected from the several news channels and overlords that were looking in. Unfortunately, his actions came off as him being ashamed of your relationship with you. It made you feel like you would never be enough to be seen with him in public.

Valentino had made another borderline porn film and Vox chose to go to the red carpet premiere with Velvette to support his friend and fellow overlord. You sat in your shared bed, wanting to stay in and not watch the smutty movie Val produced. The silk sheets rubbed comfortably against your skin as you settled into a more comfy position. Watching as the camera panned over other famous demons, hellborn, and overlords. The camera then focuses on Vox, bringing a subconscious smile to your face as you see him answer questions and look into the camera.

"Are you seeing anyone?" The journalist asks, shoving the mic into his face. Before he could answer a drunk Valentino takes it and giggles, "We are like rabbits." This made you sit up, shocked as he went on and on about different bedroom acts. This felt like a red, hot iron strike your heart. How dare he just let him speak like that when he knows you're watching. All for an image to sinners that he said were less important, less worthy of his time, less worthy of him.

His laugh was what broke you, that nonchalant chuckle he made when he tried to escape awkward situations. Warm tears started to roll, muffled sobs escaping your mouth as you covered it with your hand. You were angry. The man you loved, cherished, and planned on marrying one day just betrayed you after his actions made you think you were nothing more than some toy he could play house with.

When he comes home he's shit-faced drunk, removing his jacket and throwing it to the floor, expecting to cuddle with you. Unfortunately, he was only met with a cold bed and messy sheets, a clear sign you were here, but you were nowhere to be seen. This sobered him up a bit, he did everything to protect you, but he failed. That is until he found the note, at first he thought it was a ransom note or something, but it was your handwriting. He read the scribbled ink;

'I went somewhere else. As I know you're probably embarrassed by me, so I hope you're happy with Valentino'

This shook him to his core, he tried everything to keep you out of the public eye for your safety only to be the reason you left. He crumpled the note, cursing under his breath. He did this and now he has to fix it. He collected all the photos he had and wrote a script up for his nightly talk show.

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He addressed the journalist's question and Valentino's response. Stating that his relationship with Val was only friendly and platonic and that he was very much in love with someone else. Pictures of your first date, birthdays, holidays, even one of Vox sleeping faded in and out slowly on the screen as he talked about his genuine feelings and how he felt about your relationship, and his reasons to keep you hidden.

He talked about how your nose scrunched when you giggled and how you held his hand when you felt nervous.

"I fucked up. I tried so hard to keep you out of the camera that I pushed you away. I know words can't fix actions, but please come back to me so I can make things up to you. Please." He said while looking directly into the camera.

This was broadcasted all over hell, even on the radio in hopes you would hear it and hear it you did. You had went to Charlie for advice and help, sobbing on her couch when the broadcast came on. You were touched, hell genuinely thinking about fully forgiving him, but a small part of you was still angry. It took you to leave for him to wake up to address the rumors of his and Val's relationship that spread months ago and finally speak the truth about your role in his life. You ultimately decided to go back, apologizing for leaving. "Darling, don't apologize. If anyone should apologize, it should be me. I made you feel like nothing, but you're everything to me." He stated, hugging you tightly when you walked into his office.

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Cameras clicked as the limo rolled up, shouts of questions and excitement started up as the door opened and Vox got out, giving the cameras his signature smile before turning back and holding out his hand towards you. You grab his hand nervously, stepping out and giving a shy smile to the crowd. Finally, you both felt like you were his only thought.

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Carpal tunnel core <3 /j Hope yall enjoy (^^)

[alexiethymia]

Boiling Hot Iron vs Lukewarm Water

Maomao's Way of Affection Part 2

[LN 12 spoilers]

I AM ACTUALLY FOAMING AT THE MOUTH. I mean I read it somewhere, but apparently yes, Maomao does initiate the kiss in the light novel. Even if she did accept his feelings, I always thought that it might have been too fast the way she was ready for a night visit already, but I always chalked it up to her upbringing in the pleasure district and her being fifty-fifty that Jinshi wouldn't actually try anything. But the fact that she is the one to actually instigate a kiss, and quite a sweet one at that, while Jinshi was sleeping. This scene in LN 12 really is in contrast to the scene in LN 5 where it was Jinshi who forced the kiss, and even to later on when Maomao ends up falling asleep and Jinshi restrains himself to a kiss on the forehead for replenishment.

It's hard to be coherent with my ramblings but one of the reasons why I love this series is the slow burn on Maomao's part which is really fulfilling, and the slight angst we get because of that, and not just on Jinshi's part.

Below is a translation from the Spanish translation of LN 12:

She just doesn't get it. He wants to step down from his position near the top of the country for a purpose. If that purpose was MaoMao himself, he would definitely have gone mad.

It's as hot as cast iron.

Maomao is not interested in such blazing heat. The only thing she can give back is a warm temperature.

Slowly puts his hand on Mr. Jinshi's cheek and feels his body temperature, which is the same as warm water. Her cheek was slightly colder. His eyelids were completely closed and he rubbed his cheek against my hand like a kitten to be pet. Looks like he sleeps, like he feels safe.

Maomao seems to struggle with the inequality of Jinshi's feelings and hers. She compares Jinshi's feelings to hot cast iron, and hers to warm water. And no wonder, to her, Jinshi willing to give up everything, including his position, for her, seems to be such a passionate love. As much as she snarks and would rather say that she could just do without all of Jinshi's gestures (*cough branding himself for example, this damn masochist cough*), she recognizes how much Jinshi has given up and is willing to give up for her, not to mention all that he has in fact given her.

She even goes to say, "I don't even have anything in return for you." When she says this line, I think that she isn't just referring to being unable to return the depth of Jinshi's feelings, but even their difference in position. As Suiren observes, despite Maomao's forthrightness, perhaps because of the environment they're in, she is very much aware of her station.

It's such a melancholic line coming from her. It seems to me as if she really is afraid of hurting Jinshi. She already doesn't like the thought of Jinshi being hurt like Luomen, but now she also doesn't want to be the one to hurt him. On top of that, for the normally aloof Maomao, it may be that she's starting to feel unconfident precisely because of the difference in position.

Maomao strikes me as a person who wants to be used. Even when she wasn't in love with Jinshi yet, she always seemed to want to be praised for doing a good job. So for her to think that it's just her who keeps receiving and receiving, while not being able to give anything back, the inequality (this time going in the reverse direction) must bother her a lot. She never used to care so for her to feel different from how she usually does because of Jinshi - caring about him, being unsure of herself because of him - oh she must hate how that feels so no wonder she wants to remove herself from the equation. But alas, it's too late.

Unlike Maomao though, I don't think that there's such a disparity between her feelings and Jinshi's despite that she describes his feelings as boiling hot and hers as warm. Yes definitely I feel that Jinshi's feelings may be stronger, but I feel that Maomao's is actually closer to his than she thinks. I think it may be because the nature of their feelings may be strongly influenced by their past.

Jinshi has always had the things he's loved taken from him. He wasn't allowed to prioritize a single thing or a single person because of the responsibilities he's had to assume from such a young age. Sure he's childish now but that may be because he had to grow up fast. Of course he would be desperate and slightly bit manic when it comes finally falling in love. He'll always feel that Maomao will be taken away from him unless he does something about it with his own hands.

Meanwhile, because of Maomao's complicated past with her birth parents, it's no wonder that Jinshi's passion unnerves her. Remember it was that same passion that caused her mother to hurt her. No wonder she doesn't want it. But when it comes to that feeling called love, that's the only version she recognizes because that's what she's been surrounded with in the pleasure district and even in the rear palace - lust imitating love, or even if it was love, a passionate and all-consuming love that destroys everything in its path.

But what does Jinshi make her feel? Trust. Safety. Even if her rational mind tells her that people's feelings change, Jinshi's constant proclamations that he will make everything be ok so that the both of them can be together may in fact actually reassure her. Heck, perhaps that was why Maomao goaded him to make that verbal confession a while back, precisely so she could have that assurance. She doesn't recognize it because she's never seen or had it, but perhaps this stability is something she's wanted her whole life. And I would say her feelings for Jinshi are nearly as strong as his for her, precisely because she feels for him the same way he makes her feel. Nothing passionate but also uncertain. But rather something warm and can be relied on. It's a feeling that pushes her to want to see him safe and healthy. It's a comforting and homey feeling that allows her to relax. And for Maomao who's always considered herself frigid, for her frozen heart to feel that warmth is also a tiny miracle in a way.

Jinshi is childish. Maomao is weird. But apart from their extremes, they're actually a lot alike - engrossed in their work, willful, but ultimately just. Apart from anything else, they're at ease when they can talk to each other. It's actually interesting for me to see how those emotions develop from Maomao's side since Jinshi is giving her space to take things at her own pace, another slow burn in a way. But while Jinshi's love is loud, Maomao's love is quiet. Even before this admission, it was always there, in the soft touches to the hair or cheeks, in being a refuge for rest and sleep, in her worry when he was overworking himself. The moment I would pinpoint that Maomao had actually already fallen in love with Jinshi was when she was contemplating Enen and Yao's relationship. She thinks to herself, "the more you cared for someone, the more you wanted a say in how they behaved - especially if that behavior involved hurting themselves." Now doesn't that sound familiar?

*Note - because I loved it and I'm impatient I'll share the translations for that particular scene in LN 12 in the comments section. One is translated from the Spanish version, while the other is translated from the Korean version. I got all of this from facebook. I'm quite interested to see how it'll come out in the English version.

[loremaster]

i went crazy (as i am known to do) and drew BOTH of each daily prompt for @raincodeshipweek! nothing past PG-13 here. double check the tags for ships below - or if you want to be surprised, jump in and see them all here:

Hurt/Comfort - Clockmare - I remember a while ago @pixelatedraindrops did a poll over which of the two to draw sick in bed… Halara's cat allergies won out, but I thought the opposite scenario of Fubuki needing recovery from overusing her rewind powers was cute too! This is a very cute ship that needs more love!

Healing - Kokolight - This is *THE* ship that's all about healing. (Emotional healing at least.) Yuma learns a lot from Vivia about how to embrace the uncomfortable parts of life… and Vivia learns a lot from Yuma about how not to let that diminish your spark. Plus, by the end, they understand what each other’s been through more than any other characters... almost. Also, dat height difference. Good shit.

Dancing - Aetheria trio - Similar bonding over shared grief here! But this time there's three of them! Big 3 of Cups energy. It's a shame we never really got to see much genuine interaction between Yoshiko, Waruna, and Kurane during the game's story… but sometimes the most fun parts are what we get to imagine for ourselves, hmm? Anyway, yeah. These three are bonded for life. (Too bad it wasn't a very long one...)

Domesticity - Viviakou - There's nothing funnier than two guys with opposite behaviors. Vivia wedges himself into the crack between the bed and the wall as far as he can. Yakou spreads out and takes up more room than the bed even has. Plus, he snores. Disasters, both of them. …I was going to try and come up with another ship for this prompt, since - spoilers - there'll be more Viviakou later on... but I thought of this image and laughed hard enough I couldn't not draw it!

Sun/Rain - Yakou/Amaterasu Researcher. - One of the happiest moments of Yakou's life was when his wife got him a boat for his birthday. A whole boat!!! A portable office! Never had he felt so loved before. …Never has the sun shone that brightly again. He hates the rain.

Stars - Clockbolt - Fubuki is staring out wistfully at the rain clouds, lamenting that she cannot see her star - the one her parents bought for her. But luckily - “Don't worry, Princess, I'll be your star…!” says Desuhiko. Bolder, brighter, and much, much closer than her faraway prize…Yeah, I think Fubuki would eat that up. This is a fun ship. I like that Desuhiko - against all odds - treats Fubuki like a person. And ironically I think that would make her like him more!!

Flowers - Furroughs - What else could I have drawn for 'flowers,' honestly? It's a cheap bouquet of Black-Eyed Susans! I can't see this as a healthy relationship, honestly, but that's what makes it fun! Imagining them as childhood friends who used to be really close but grew apart in adulthood strikes just the right chord of melancholy with me. Even more heartbreaking if you see them both as trans - imagine Yakou's so excited to have a friend like him, and then as soon as Seth transitions he's like "you don't know me. never speak to me again." Mmm, I do so love to put Yakou through the wringer.

Memories - Yumagami - Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I imagine Yuma goes through phantom pains after their pact gets broken, not knowing whose laughter keeps ringing through his ears, what's up with that tingly spot on his cheek, or why he can't look at a barrel without his face feeling hot. (Though, he's probably astute enough to put together the clues...)

First Times - Viviakou - The first time Yakou heard Vivia say that catchphrase, it didn't feel very good.

Final Moments - Viviakou - ...The last time didn't feel very good either.

Swap - Vivia/Amaterasu Researcher - Okay, hear me out. If Yakou had managed to run up that hill, make a deal with Kodaka, and get him to swap their places - that is, he dies while his wife survives and becomes Chief of the Nocturnal Detective Agency - I think Vivia would think the same of Mrs. Furio that he did of Mr. Furio (that is, helplessly smitten). EXTREMELY underrated. Please ship this with me.

Alternate Universe - Zilara - My personal pet rarepair!!! Alas, our two confident creature-lovers have been kept from each other by the cruel hands of fate. So, I cope by drawing them getting fancy little drinks together. This is an homage to Boba AU, of course, but honestly, while drawing this, I was picturing them as students at the local prestigious college campus. Maybe they're members of frat Alpha Beta Omega or something.

Past/Future - Makoyuma - This one's more of a concept/pitch than a fully explored scene, but hear me out: time travel AU. What if Yuma meets a mysterious masked stranger who turns out to be a tech-savvy time traveler from a destroyed future... but then also turns out to be himself, somehow? How is there someone who looks exactly like him, 5000 years from now? What's the connection between Yuma and Makoto? And why are they so drawn to each other?

...The last prompt for the official Ship Week is a free day - so I'm going to take the day off! Though, there are a lot of other ships I lament not shouting out here - Kokobolt, Kokomare, Twimare, Fubugami, just to name a few!!! But I'm gonna give myself a break for now. Don't worry, you'll see more art from me soon - maybe even print versions of this, and some of my other Rain Code fanart. And if there's a specific ship or scenario you really can't wait to see... my commissions are open! ;D

[kaithonks]

So I’ve had some Thoughts about From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives!

Warning: Spoilers 

My mistake with From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives! was thinking that the story would actually be about Robin. That was on me. I should have known better, but I let my excitement of finally getting more Jason Todd, Robin content get away from me. I set up poor expectations, and it’s not the comic’s fault for not meeting those expectations. 

Everything else is, though. 

I know I’m biased, and I am probably writing this too soon after having finished Robin Lives to really give myself time to think critically about the story. But, I also feel rather offended by the end and feel the need to strike while the iron is hot. Recently, I talked about fans and writers needing to have respect for each other, as they can’t exist without each other. I also mentioned having a respect for the history of the comic. On that, I don’t get the feeling that J. M. DeMatteis has much respect for the history that was Jason’s Robin run. Granted, this isn’t mainline canon. It is more of a ��What if?’ So DeMatteis wasn’t “entrusted” the same way but, there was still a line of basic respect that feels very lacking. Now, DeMatteis has been writing since the 80s and has written a lot for both DC and Marvel so he is a part of comic history, but this doesn’t really translate into respect for characters. Or for fans.

Both Jason and Dick’s character have a rough time in this 4 issue series. While the series called “Robin Lives” mostly focuses on Bruce and his regret, by doing that it makes Jason and Dick more like props for Bruce’s guilt than actually characters with their own agency. Bruce outright denies Dick’s choice in becoming a Robin and even later Nightwing. In this guilt, Bruce totally takes away the fact that even as a child, Dick did choose this, and he chose it again when he became Nightwing. So Bruce’s guilt serves no one here. And this problem gets worst with the Robin Lives ending. Dick becoming Batman, is an incredibly weak ending to start. Because most of Dick’s history is him growing out of Robin and then trying to break out of Bruce’s shadow. Yes, Battle for the Cowl happens, but it’s more complex than Dick just becoming Batman. And it’s easy to see how pointless all of Bruce’s guilt was when he decided to leave his role as Batman, only for Dick to take it up again. It really feels like Dick is only a prop for Bruce’s journey. Dick is here for Bruce to feel guilty about, but then to also relieve him of the duty that also makes him feel guilty. 

And it is so much worse with Jason. This does sort of come back to me setting up poor expectations and the fact I thought this would be about Jason’s recover, but it was glossed over. We simply jump to Jason now being okay, which is a choice, if on the unbelievable side. What is worse, though, is how Bruce and the comic, makes Jason’s trauma about Bruce. Because yes, to an extent Bruce holds fault for the events leading up to Death in the Family. But he mainly holds fault in the form of negligence. He didn’t properly check out Sheila Haywood's background before for deciding she was a safe person to leave his son with. I am boiling down the issue of character interaction between Bruce and Jason (and outside influence that puts Jason’s last issues into context), but my point still stands that Bruce and Jason still made choices. For Jason’s part, he chose to trust Shelia to try, and save her. And in reality, Joker and Shelia hold the blame for Jason’s trauma. The fact Shelia was only briefly seen in a hallucination and “saving” Jason, again feels like DeMatteis has a lacking appreciation for the history of Jason’s Robin, and it’s context. Yes, Shelia saving Jason would be something Jason would want, but the event after this takes away everything that would make Jason still want Shelia’s affection in some way. With the ending and Jason becoming the Joker to Dick’s Batman, shows this. It ultimately feels like both Dick and Jason were used as stage props to re-establish some kind of status quo for a series that was only planned for only four issue. The run very well could have ended with the Joker’s death and everyone going to live happy lives but for some reason no. 

Now, one could see that as DeMatteis having a respect for Batman’s history as a whole and a path for a continuation. I would argue, though, that it shouldn’t come at the cost of other character’s agency. The leap in Jason’s “madness” is awkward, and when I say leap I mean a massive leap. This goes back to my problem with the story not focusing on Jason. We spend so much time in Bruce’s grief that when it is about Jason, everything goes sideways and ends up with being a “What the hell did that happen?” Especially since in the context of the story, Jason should have gotten a lot more support from Bruce, now retired, from Dick, now living back in Gotham, and from Dr. Sarawarti Dev, a psychologist. Having Jason still become the Joker after all this, not only feels like all of those people continued to fail him (especially as Bruce and Dr. Sara get married, which was a strange addition), but that he never really had any choice.  The story didn’t take the time to show us this, to show us how or where Jason became the Joker. He even denied becoming like the Joke in early issue 4. A point might be made that killing the Joker made Jason the new Joker, but a counterpoint Why? Jason already had the choice and decided? Why did he go back on that? Jason was Robin, Robin has the role of bringing hope, and being more compassionate, countering the fear Batman brings. We see Jason’s compassion before he died (or was injured in this case), when he still tried to save Shelia after she betrayed him. We see it in this comic with him still wanting her affection in his hallucination. So where did that compassion and care go?  

The answer? It didn’t go anywhere.  It was forgotten for the sake of a convoluted twist to make a reader gasp. Robin Lives spends its whole four issue run taking away the choice and agency of Robin. Robin does not live here. He becomes a puppet of the plot not to move outside of its designated story, he only can become Batman or the Joker. But never his own being. For anyone who’s ever enjoyed Robin, be it Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Damian Wayne or any other Robin, past or future, Robin Lives is an insult.

[razzdazzledoo]

How do you feel about people roleplaying as MX?

Alright everyone, sit down. I've been waiting for this moment.

Welcome to

RAZZDAZZLEDOO'S QUICK GUIDE TO WRITING MX!!

For those who wanna be in-line with the character while still having the freedom of not being canon.

So first things first, let's get the ground basis with MX.

MX does what he does for the reactions it brings, that kinda stuff is his entertainment. So he plans ahead, hoping to find the best snowball effect for the strongest look of terror on people's faces.

Though he doesn't plan THAT much, he gets a ground base and then improvises the rest of it so it's hard to plan ahead against him.

He's also not meant to be intimidating all the time either, his playmates will get bored if it's the same song and dance so he plays into other personalities to throw them off.

When their guard's down? He strikes while the iron's hot. And that makes them terrified even more.

Second, how he interacts with other people.

It ultimately depends on what the other person's like. Are they exactly like him? Do they have the potential to be? Or are they like Lucas where they clearly fear him?

Those kinda aspects will play into the chemistry MX can have with a person. He's best friends with Executable M and Mr. Virtual for a reason, they're just like him in the sense of 'tormenting for their own entertainment' along with whatever goals they have.

If they show fear, he'll play into it. He'll show them reasons to fear him, and then the next moment deceive them into believing there's some good in his heart. Only to then tear down those chances, and watch them crumble.

"What if I wanna ship my MX roleplay with someone?"

You have the freedom to do that, don't let me restrict you from having fun. I'll provide how he would, in-character, respond to romance. But I wanna get some rules down first.

Do not be sexual with him. That kinda shit makes me incredibly uncomfortable, not to mention I don't see him ever showing interest to the thought.

Do not ship him in problematic scenarios. This can include: People in the victim role, like MX took their soul and put them in a vessel; Characters who are directly stated to be minors; And characters that use Luigi's likeness. I outright forbid this and will not hesitate to block you if I see it.

Build up to it. MX obviously isn't going to know what the hell a "relationship" is, he's never entertained the idea and so it's going to take some time for him to learn. He's gonna have to figure out why he feels the way he does around that specific person, whether with their guidance or not.

He knows that humans can feel love, and how they respond to it, since he's been around since the universe's creation; but he personally doesn't know much on the subject.

When he realizes he's actually capable of love, he's not gonna know how to respond to it. He might even outright avoid the person he feels those emotions to since he has not an iota of knowledge with relationships.

If your interpretation of MX has an actual friendship with other muses, and he gets along greatly, he might go to them about it as a show of trust and they can help him figure it out.

Otherwise, he'd try and leave "gifts" for his special someone. Like a cat bringing you a dead bird, for comparison. Most of his gifts are eldritch abominations though, like a smaller version of one of his clouds in his world as an example.

On the other hand, if his special someone went to him first about pursuing a relationship and he does feel love towards them as well; He'd go along with it, essentially being a big giant teddy bear for them if he thinks it'd be funny enough.

If someone tries to pursue a relationship with him and he feels no attraction, he just kinda messes with them about it. Poking fun that they'd fall in love with a monster like him, who'd never love them back.

There's no canon MX ship, I just personally lean more towards Powerforest since it's a comfort ship of mine.

"What are some other tips?"

If your interpretation of MX can frown, make it have impact. That brute smiles all the time, regardless of the situation; So if he frowns, that's gonna have to mean something.

Canonically if MX frowns, he's locked in. He's not gonna waste time playing around, he wants you DEAD.

Don't be afraid to be silly sometimes.

It'd get awful boring real quick if MX was one-dimensional in a roleplay scenario, having something like that can give him way more depth and I encourage it.

You don't need to follow this guide exactly, but please still be respectful of the boundaries I expressed in here.

This is not meant to be a rulebook on how to write MX, you still have the freedom to write him how you feel most comfortable with writing him. This is just how I go about writing the character in my own spaces.

[froidefille]

Day 5: a romantic fic

📚 Wield Me by @tackytigerfic

Draco/Harry + Teddy (or as the author has smartly labelled it – „a Drarry fic but with some Teddy kissing”), 10k, E

Summary:

Draco Malfoy, blacksmith, is renowned through the magical world for his skill and exquisite creations. He could quite easily spend the rest of his days making pretty trinkets for the fae court, and being handsomely rewarded for the privilege. But why take the easy route when instead he could get involved in a dangerous mission with Unspeakable Harry Potter (who also happens to be Draco's... well, he's something, isn't he? A little story about learning to strike while the iron is hot.

Hiiiiiii, I am a bit behind schedule, but I’m still here!! And it’s all Tacky’s fault to be honest, whole of my fic part of brain was taken hostage by their newest WIP First Watch of Night. Go and check it out so you can understand my poor brain’s state of mind.

Anyway! For today’s (eee 3 days ago's? 😇) prompt I have chosen another one of Tacky’s stories, which I have inhaled some time ago and which hasn’t left my (poor, poor) brain since. I was a bit hesitant about Teddy’s involvement before I started it and after, well... I have been converted to Drarry + Teddy triad forever. It has been my obsession from this very day :D

I love a good competent boys fic and competent craftsman is even better. And here, all three of them tick the box in their own way. I love the striking difference between Harry and Draco who are mature and more down-to-earth while Teddy is boisterous, fearless (in an afraid-but-still-does-it way). With a hint of ignorance even, typical for his age and so like Harry whe he was his age.

Long story short, Draco makes a sword for Teddy, at Harry’s request. The way the creation process is thought of and described is magical all in itself. My favourtie part is, of course, that it demands the magical involvement of all three of them. Not to mention all the flower symbolism for which I have a special soft place in my heart:

„Lupin flowerheads, of course. Yarrow for protection, and courage. Sunflowers—a bit on the nose, Draco thought, but they didn’t have to be subtle about this. Celandine too, for escape, Draco reciting the names and meaning of each blossom as they took it in turns to drop them into the dark water.”

„(...) azaleas for homesickness and the desire to return to a place of safety, yellow roses for family. Not to mention all the runework they had spent hours working on. Draco rolled his eyes at them. Othala. Harry had traced it over and over in the water, and then Draco had hammered the essence of it into the metal with his sweat and his fire. Homecoming.”

Not to mention the sword has the wolf’s head pommel, contains grains of stag horn and Remus’s wedding band. The blade’s name is Lux and it’s a she, PLEASE SOMEONE DRAW IT.

The very idea of why they need the sword is a fandom special, lots of us masterminding about this particular mystery. Reading this text, I thought this mission could actually work. Such a smart idea! I don’t want to spoil the details, so you’ll have to go and read it for yourself to find out :D PLUS, I love the symbollism of Teddy going into this mission with vital artifacts from both Harry and Draco. It gives the protection sentiment - I would personally love to palpably have something from the man (men xd) I love, were I to leave for whatever reason. It would provide reassurance, I think, without them even being one-of-a-kind magical artifacts.

Anyway, if producing and sharing something for protection of your loved ones is not the very definition of romantic, then I really don’t know what is 😅

Spoilers under the cut with some of my favourite quotes, mainly revolving around the H/D+T dynamics. There’s a lot, so think hard about reading on, maybe it’s just better to go ahead and have a quick read, it’s 10k after all, and what’s that for us, professional readers 😂

Thanks a lot for today @hprecfest and @tackytigerfic and see you in the next one!

🌻🌺🌾 ᛟ 🌒⚡🐺

“You can’t tell me that Draco Malfoy—the man who forged Brighthelm from the depths of Fiendfyre, who created unbreakable chain mail while still a seventh year apprentice, the guy being hailed as the new Wayland—can’t make a Sword of Light?”

My inner fantasy-loving fangirl beamed reading about forging „forged Brighthelm from the depths of Fiendfyre” and „new Wayland” (TMI, anyone? Jace Wayland? Parabatai, the like? No, only me? Well, for me it rang the bell and added some feels xd) and SWORD OF LIGHT, my god *sweats*

„Harry was close to Teddy, though; it was obvious from the way he spoke of him, fondly and often. They worked together now, even, Teddy following Harry into first the DMLE and then the Unspeakables. There had even been those rumours a year or two ago—not that they were any of Draco’s business, really, but he could hardly avoid the whispers that went round about the Saviour and his impossibly handsome godson. Draco had resolutely never asked Harry about Teddy though. After all, Harry was a free man, technically; he and Draco had never discussed putting a name on what they were doing. And really, it wasn’t fair to even read the rot the Prophet printed, let alone believe half of it. Certainly Harry seemed… godfatherly, somehow, when he spoke about Teddy, the name easy in his mouth.”

Godfatherly, my ass xd

“Good boy,” Draco said archly, stung into it despite himself, and then there was a hideous moment of awkward silence as Teddy and Harry turned to look at him in surprise, Harry with a sudden high flush on his cheeks. Interesting, Draco thought.

I freaking gulped at this one, Draco has those two figured out!

„Harry grinned at him, that smile of his that made him look about twenty years younger and made Draco want to rip through universes for him. Anything to keep him smiling like that.”

RIP THROUGH UNIVERSES TO KEEP HIM SMILING LIKE THAT 😭

And the below delicious relationship building in all directions *melts*

„Teddy, for his part, stayed close to Harry, attentive to his every movement in a way that Draco soon realised was meant to be subtle.”

„This must be intentional, then, this determined offering of his true face, that had echoes of Draco’s own in the particular grey of the eyes, the clear complexion, the stubborn edge of the jawline.”

Teddy looking similar to Draco and Harry loving them both just gets me

“I’ll see you home, Teds,” Harry said, as though Teddy Lupin, Unspeakable, might need his hand held through his Apparition. Draco kept his face smooth and unbothered. Teddy, damn him, just smiled at Harry, eyes lit up as though sunrise had come early.

“Be careful, Ted,” Harry said, and his voice was steady, the only bright, cheerful thing in the room. “You know the procedure. In and out fast, no unnecessary risks. I’ll see you when you get back.” He reached for Teddy as though to pat him on his half-invisible shoulder, and at the last minute his hand hovered and then settled, lightly, against Teddy’s cheek, just a fleeting touch, so tender that Draco nearly had to close his eyes. “Harry.” For the first time, Teddy’s voice wobbled. He looked up at Harry, the two of them still so close together, Harry’s hand on his cane the only barrier between them. Teddy raised his arms, let his hand rest on Harry’s shoulders, slowly, as though waiting for him to back away. He didn’t. “Can I—” There was silence in the room, and Draco saw that Teddy was looking past Harry at him. He was waiting, watching Draco, and oh, no, it was all there in the proud tilt of his head, the reluctant hopeful look in his eyes. He was asking Draco for permission.

„It was about Harry and Teddy, but now Teddy Lupin had only gone and opened the whole thing up, drawing Draco into whatever this moment was about. And Draco, curse his stupid heart, wanted to be drawn.”

[skyyguy]

13. "Can I touch you? Please, I want to help you." for the Eighteen Aches ask if it inspires you 🥰?

Prompt This took me a hot second, and you can blame @hogans-heroes for this.

He’d been warned, of course, Benny had told him, but he hadn’t expected it. Not to be so bad, anyways. Gale, drinking? Ya, sure, a bottle of beer, a glass of whiskey, maybe. He hadn’t expected to see the bottles lined up, long empty, the half finished, just opened bottle at the end of the line. John bit his lip, studying the kitchen, trying to keep himself contained. It wouldn’t do any good for him to break down, not when it was clear Gale was already doing that. They could only afford one break at a time.

Gale had run out the back door the moment John had walked in the front, and John had frozen in place when he’d entered the kitchen while trying to chase the blond. Marge had tried to warn him too, told him this was far beyond anything he was imagining, but John hadn’t listened. She hadn’t seen Gale in the Stalag, hadn’t seen him on the March, hadn’t seen the way his cheeks sunk in and his ribs burst out, the way the hope and light drained from him within the first 10 minutes of the day until it was never even there as they woke up.

John thought he’d already seen Gale through the worst days of their lives.

He was wrong.

Taking in a deep breath, John turned away from the whiskey bottles lining the counters, the table, pointedly ignored the empty Lucky Strike boxes crowding a corner around an unemptied trash can, and made his way out the back door, following Gale slowly, making sure his foot steps could be heard.

But Gale wasn’t on the back porch. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen. A spike of panic ran through him— and he knew it wouldn’t be the only one— and he grabbed the handrail in an iron grip. Gale’s house backed up to a huge, wooded area, and he knew just how much of that the blond owned. He didn’t know, however, how much of that the blond knew. And that was more concerning. John had always been good at making do if he needed to, but he wasn’t exactly peak wilderness explorer, and the idea of stomping around the woods after Gale didn’t excite him any. Especially because if Gale didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t be.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, John forced himself to release the tension in his shoulders, letting them sag, as if under a tremendous weight. He would have to wait for Gale to come back on his own, and he could only hope that would be soon. John went back inside, looking more critically around the kitchen, finding it alarmingly bare of actual food. Maybe, in the wait, he would try to get some groceries… But he didn’t want to leave and risk Gale coming home, only for this to happen again. He considered an empty bottle for a long moment, weighing his options.

In the end, John himself was hungry, and he wasn’t sure that Gale would come back anytime soon. A quick run into town, to the supermarket, couldn’t hurt. He’d leave a note and hope that, if Gale was back, he’d be calm by then. Finding paper was another story, but once it was found, a note was hastily scrawled onto it, and the paper was tacked to the cabinets right inside the door, John grabbed his truck keys and shuffled his way out, a small list of essentials tucked into his breast pocket.

Gale wasn’t back when John carried the boxes of groceries in, and he sighed, worry clawing at his belly in painful, insistent strokes. It was nearly getting dark, and John had heard how cold it could get in the Wyoming mountains. While Gale’s house wasn’t quite in the mountains, they were a backdrop, and John figured that still applied. Trying not to worry, John started making something for dinner— though his culinary skills had taken a hit with the coma— humming to himself as he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until finally the front door opened. Shut. The sound of boots, hesitantly, crossing the mudroom, the living room, stopping in the kitchen doorway.

“Hi,” John started softly, blinking at Gale. Gale froze, eyes wide, staring back.

“No. No, no, no, I got rid of you. I stopped… You were gone,” Gale forced out through frozen lips, grabbing the door jamb for support.

“I ‘unno what you’re talking about Buck, but I’ve never been gone,” John replied slowly, getting to his feet. He wanted to close the distance, to wrap Gale in his arms and hold him close, hold him tight, as if by doing so he could fit all of Gale’s broken pieces back together again. The look on Gale’s face gave him a pretty good clue as to how that would be received. He wondered if maybe, this time, Gale was too broken for even him to fix. If maybe, this time, Gale wouldn’t let him try to fit the pieces back together.

“I left you,” Gale whispered, his voice cracking over the words, face falling, as he looked away from John. It felt like all the air was sucked out of the room in a moment. He didn’t need Gale to elaborate, he knew exactly what the other meant.

“You didn’t,” John whispered in reply, taking a half step towards Gale. Gale flinched and John froze.

“I did. I ran. You died,” Gale’s tone was horrified and he wrapped his arms around himself, looking small.

“You ran, because I told you to. I wanted you to, Buck…” John trailed off, watching Gale shake his head.

“I left you. You got shot.”

“You did. I did. But that’s not on you, Buck.”

“Wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t ‘ve left,” Gale argued quietly, looking like he was collapsing in on himself. John bit the inside of his cheek, watching carefully. He wanted to run forward, to support Gale, to keep him from falling to his knees.

“You don’t know that,” John shot back, “goons couldda shot me any time they damn well pleased, with or without you.”

“They shot you because I ran, Bucky,” Gale snapped, though he immediately shrank back in on himself, shoulders raising towards his ears.

“I don’t care,” John replied before sucking in a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose, aware that might not actually be helpful. Gale screwed his eyes shut.

“I stopped drinking, stopped smoking, why are you here?” the blond asked, voice small and scared, and John felt his heart breaking beneath his ribs. Benny had told him Gale had been seeing things, Marge had told him that he was seeing John. He knew, it just didn’t make hearing it any easier.

“Buck…” John started, trying to take a step forward, hands up to try to pacify the other. Instead, Gale jerked back, backpedaling quickly, only to trip over himself after a few steps. John lurched forward, trying to catch Gale, but the blond had gained too much ground and he fell, his head whacking against the edge of a small table.

“Fuck. Buck.” John was by his side in an instant, terror on his face, “hey, Buck, hey, stop, hold on,” he said frantically as Gale tried to get up, “Can I touch you? Please, I want to help you."

“You’re not real,” Gale ground out, trying to shift away from John, grimacing at the pain that sparked through him. He touched the side of his head, his hand coming away bloody, his face paling at the sight.

“Gale,” John said firmly, making the blond flinch, his eyes fixing on John. His gaze was hazy and disoriented, and John was worried he’d hurt himself badly, but he could still see the sharp edge of panic under the haze, and he knew he had to move slow, couldn’t even think to suggest a hospital, would have to make Gale know he was okay before anything.

“John?” and it sounded like a question. John’s expression softened.

“Can I touch you?” he asked again. Gale hesitated but finally nodded— though he winced in pain immediately after. John reached out slowly, wrapping his arm around Gale’s shoulders and helping him sit up, unsure if the way Gale’s face crumpled and tears sprung to his eyes was good or not.

“You’re real,” Gale muttered against John’s shoulder, taking a deep breath in, the warm scent of cigarettes and John’s cologne expanding in his lungs.

“‘Course I am, dove, ‘course I am,” John comforted him, running a hand down his spine. He could feel, even through Gale’s coat and shirt, every vertebrae, every bump, and John grimaced to himself. The others had all told him Gale had never recovered his weight from before the Stalag, but he hadn’t understood just how literally they meant it. When he felt the hot damp of Gale’s tears against his shoulder, John bit his tongue, keeping his surprise to himself. Gale didn’t need that right now.

“I… I left you.”

“You saved yourself,” John argued, not really wanting to rehash it, but willing to if Gale needed it.

“I’m sorry,” Gale gasped out the apology, his voice cracking over a sob, the only indication other than the wetness on John’s shoulder that he was crying.

“Don’t be, dove, I wanted you to.”

“You’re real. You’re alive.”

“Yeah, baby doll. Yeah. I’m real. I’m alive. I’m right here.”

[fukutomichi]

It’s review ramble rant tiiiiime! Decided to go on and post about my thoughts as the iron is still hot and my braincells are still firing. Lots of spoilers are gonna be in there and it’s looong as hell so you’ve been warned! Grab a cup of coffee or tea. Here we go!

Okay, the general feel about Season 2 is that it is slightly better than Season 1 for sure, better at some parts, but has shortcomings on others, BUT STILL, we got what we got and I think it was overall positive.

The first 3 episodes being aired was a direct response from the previous backlash that they had about Season 1 starting slow. And yes, those first 2 episodes were shaaaky as hell, but they found their feet in Episode 4 and then the series picked up with full steam ahead. This time to avoid this, they wanted to get the set up out of the way as soon as possible and then release at a weekly schedule. Was it a smart idea? It would have been. If the series was longer than 8 episodes? 

This latest trend of overblown streaming series with such small number of episodes, between A HUGE waiting period for each season, needs to stop. I get that the RoP crew would need more time, schedules with other actors, filming locations, building locations, writing, filming huge battle sequences, CGI. But I feel everyone is still chasing The Game of Thrones type of hype, and the studios need to realize that it ain’t happening anymore, not for a while. Just focus on making good stories with interesting complex characters and the viewers will come. Stop trying to make series be movies. I caught one of the directors in one of the BTS clips for Episode 7 saying “We’re not making series, we’re making movies” AND THAT’S THE BIGGEST PROBLEM. STOP DOING THAT. 

I would sacrifice all the big budget CGI sequences and wide beautiful shots for just a minute of conversation between Gil-galad and Cirdan. I don’t want “the Balrog shot that was 5 years in the minds of the showrunners”, I wanted people to see why Gil-galad respects Cirdan so much, instead of my non-reading Silmarillion friends asking me what’s his deal with him, and me having to explain that Cirdan is as close to a family member to the high king, that’s his adoptive dad. The series is very non-reading Silm friendly, but they somehow fail to explain some of the crucial relationships between characters. I KNOW there’s next season maybe they’ll expand on it, but some things like that need to be established IMMEDIATELY.

But with 8 episodes, what can you really focus on to adapt and show on the screen? This is why, AGAIN, stop making movies, we want a series. The biggest strength that a series has is CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND PACING. A series will always have the upper hand in that, and they are still trying to make a movie, cut in 8 parts. Please, arrange the pace for 10 episodes, so it doesn’t feel like one episode is laid back, and then the next one is rushing to the finish line. MAKE A SERIES, NOT MOVIES.

The thing that made Game of Thrones great those 4 first seasons was not the big battles or the CGI dragons. It was people talking in rooms. Their history and relationship with each other. Actors giving their A++ game with dialog which was moving the story. THAT made Game of Thrones worth the hype.

Learning about the fact that they have a change in the writers room can either be a good thing, with some storylines now being over and concluded so they might be preparing to change gears for Season 3, or with my mind going always in work corporate mode, writers not being payed as they should for their work so why stay…

The series did get a brush with the writer’s strike, which I will always support. YOU CAN’T HAVE A STORY WITHOUT GOOD WRITING! PAY YOUR WRITERS!! 

I think Episode 8 is where I felt some stuff were cut off and rushed, probably during the strike, that were set up in Episode 7, didn't land well. But I’ll get to that.

I started this in rant mode, but had to get it out of the way cause it bothered me the most. The series has SO much potential and it sometimes pains me to see fail on the most basic stuff. 

Okay, moving on with the juicy stuff now!

This season was The Charlies™ season, hands down. Absolute rollercoaster with Celebrimbor and Annatar/Sauron playing off each other on the screen. From the moment Sauron enters Eregion, to the final shot of him stealing Fëanor’s hammer. The showrunners were fully concentrated to that side of the story and, holy hell did they outdo themselves there. Charles Edwards as Celebrimbor needs to get some push for awards, or somehow ship one to him. I remember being a little a skeptic at first about his portrayal, since we got so little of him is Season 1, but as you rewatch it, you can see the foundations being set for his character. Season 2 is where he’s fully unleashed and, he is truly THE Celebrimbor. A sweet, sensitive soul that just strives to get out of his family’s shadow, by creating something unique that would be his legacy. A perfect victim for Sauron that finds his connection with Celebrimbor through that. I loved the fact that they filmed their scenes in order of the episodes and it shows the slow descent of both of their characters, helplessness and paranoia for Celebrimbor and Sauron barely managing his uncanny elf mask while trying to withhold annoyance and rage. Masterful acting by both. The last scene with them was MUCH more impactful than if we would have gotten the banner scene in the book. They started their pact alone in the forge, and they ended their manipulative partnership, alone in that same forge. With Celebrimbor getting the upper hand in death. Sauron AGAIN getting a knife straight into the heart, but with words instead of a pointy crown. Only this time, he won’t be able to get pay back for the insult. Because Celebrimbor in death, went where Sauron CAN NEVER go. The slow realization that he’s always gonna be a prisoner in his own cycle of violence. He has many names…And the cycle begins again.

Bless you Charles Edwards, thank you for being our Celebrimbor.

Charlie, be seeing ya next season you giggly perfect casting of Sauron’s messy character person you!

I was most excited to see were the elvish side of the story is gonna go after the end of Season 1, with the making of the three rings. And I think they did well! Robert Aramayo, I once again put myself on blast for ever doubting you as Elrond. My hubris must follow me till the end of this series. You have a shitty old phone, don’t know what a Brat Edit is and will never read this, but the universe will know of my foolishness. 

Elrond's feud with Galadriel HURT to watch. Those are two besties that want their best for each other and will protect each other no matter what. The rift that was going on between them and mending it in the last episode was so sweet, kudos to Morfydd as well for always bringing her A++ acting game. FINALLY we have a bit more of Gil-galad this season and IS STILL not enough. I ranted before about not a single blip of a Gil-Cirdan convo happening, but getting FREAKING BEN DANIELS for just a few scenes IS CRIMINAL!!! Also, still sad about that beard of his, he was already perfect damn iiiit.

I’m glad that we had this push and pull with the elvish rings, are they good are they bad, they are a new invention and the elves have no idea how to deal with them at first. Gil-galad and Galadriel’s visions were a nice representation of that. What are their power levels, what are they truly capable off. What I like to believe though, is that while Sauron had his hands on crafting the seven and the nine…guess who’s hands last touched the mithril that made the three. It was Elrond. With all his hopes and need to help his kind survive when he threw that nugget into the melting pot in the last episode in Season 1. And guess who wears those rings now? His closest family and the people he cares the most. When he finally decides to give Nenya a chance, we get to see the result of all his hopes and desire to protect those he loves the most in the last scene of this season. Rivendell. ELROND’S KINDNESS is the reason the elvish rings remain untouched by Sauron’s evil.

Galadriel vs Sauron. Oh! OH! I can only imagine Lúthien smiling and pointing at Galadriel, Sparta kicking him over the boulder. “That’s my girl! THAT’S MY GIRL! Wipe the floor with that bozo!!” If I’m being honest, spoiling myself with Bear Mccreary’s Season 2 soundtrack, listening to the track “The Last Temptation” gave soooo many vibes that something might happen to Galadriel that will leave me SHOOK, aka taking Sauron’s offer and Elrond being there to witness it, but Bear tricked meeee!!! She just fell through a tree! The clash was *chef’s kiss* though, Sauron constantly shapeshifting trying to mess with Galadriel’s feelings and even pulling the Halbrand puppy eyes card. But she wasn’t having it. Sauron gets denied, AGAIN.

Alexa, play Drive by The Cars for one dark lord. And conjure some of that sad rain again while you go waddle your way home to Mordor, you absolute clown.

HEAL YOURSELF. QUEEN.

We got more of the dwarves as well and the creation of the seven rings. I was a little disappointed that we got robbed of the Narvi and Celebrimbor friendship happening while making the Doors of Durin, but what can you choose to put in just 8 episodes, right? Sophia and Owain truly are such an amazing combo to watch as Disa and Durin, they did amazingly this season. I’m gonna miss Peter Mullan as King Durin, every scene with him and Owain was just beautiful and heart breaking. “Forgive me my son, King Durin”. I was choking in tears not even 5 minutes into the last episode. And will you look at that, forgiveness is the theme that starts off the episode, huh? 

The Uruk storyline…where do I even begin jfc. I went from Season 1 and loving Adar as an interesting unique character, to loving the entire Uruk story with its sad tragic end. Whoever was responsible for that, amazing job. 

I was sad when Jospeh Malwe left and his role was recasted. But HOLY SHIT, enter Sam Hazeldine and he just took that character to a new height. Adding more complexity, adding more black speech to his dialog, and being a representative of my favorite theme that I speculated is central to this season. Forgiveness.

The orcs being humanized was a great move imo. Because how else would we see the tragedy that is their entire kind being slaves to their own violent nature, that Adar sees past it, and Sauron can’t wait to exploit it. When Sauron tells Celebrimbor about the fall of Gondolin and the orcish blood rage I was FEASTING. THIS is how you introduce lore and expand on the history of the characters. They are a tragic invention of Morgoth, and yet are still sentient beings with names and feelings, that have been drilled and brainwashed about the fact that they’ll never be accepted by anyone, ever. Adar doing everything possibly wrong just to protect them, only to serve them right at Sauron’s feet as his new army. 

I’m sad that we couldn’t have had more of Adar’s character and he was absolutely full with potential, but he was doomed by the narrative from Season 1 and his actions had led to have little wiggle room for him to be left alive in the end. His last moments with Galadriel were beautiful. The very opposite of Sauron and Celebrimbor. He breaks from his cycle of violence and chooses forgiveness and peace. What happened after that though, was what we were supposed to be expecting about Adar's fate from the very first episode. Sauron never forgives and never lets a debt of insult go unpaid.

But what I DIDN’T like is the fact we never had a resolution between him and Arondir. Them stabbing each other and both of them still walking it off?? This is where the disconnect between episode 7 and 8 begins. Cause when they face off on the battlefield, you can see Arondir mouthing some words to Adar, but it must have been cut in the editing room. Adar was Arondir’s main reason why he lost everything and we will never have an appropriate closure between them I guess. Adar and Galadriel forgave each other, but he never asked Arondir for forgiveness. And we should have seen that. Instead, as one of my friends put it while we were gossiping about the last episode “And they just left Adar laying on that hill, huh?”

I want to believe he was Maglor, but hey, even with his elvish identity remaining a mystery, he still wanted the name he earned. I think that was nicely done.  They didn’t have the rights to the lore after all lol.

Sam Hazedine, I hope you get a huge bump up in your CV for playing such an amazing character and may you get other amazing acting roles in the future.

For now, what me and my friends group came up as a batshit “How do we still keep him in the series somehow” plan in 1am in the cafe drinking americanos, we figured he should apply to play as Glorfindel, but with a shaggy beard! Glorfindel is already half-maia at that point. He can get the wizard/elf vibes! Go with the grizzled dad look, no one will notice!! SEND YOUR CV, SAM!!

NÚMENOR!!! We’re slowly, but surely getting to the “and the island goes boom” storyline and ooooohhh I can’t wait. We’re getting hints of Isildur being the messy character that he is. As we slowly go through episode 3, we are hit with the biggest foreshadowing shot in the season, him basically seeing his own ending in the water. And what does he do there?? He steals from a dead man. He then meets and falls for a girl that’s already spoken for. What does he do? Tries to steal her too. Still riddled with guilt for the death of his mother, and using that to try to at least make up for it and cover his guilt with it. But this is Isildur we are talking about. Name a better combo than Isildur and bad decisions. But I love the fact that he was paired up this season with Theo. Similar experiences, both connecting through their loss. And I LOVE Theo’s arc so far, probably the character I’m most interested to see how his story will unfold. 

See, a friend of mine had an interesting theory that, while everyone is still going about Theo being either the Witch King or the King of the Dead…he might have another direction. What If Theo is Aragorn’s other side of the bloodline? Okay. Bronwyn falling for Arondir, human in love with an elf. Can you guess who has the same taste as well? Theo’s unknown lineage on his father’s side. It is almost as an open door to introduce the Dúnedain still living in Middle-Earth, and what better way to introduce them, then through Theo. A mainland Númenor vs. Númenor storyline? The paring of Isldir and him this season is also a hint. “The king’s hands are the hands of a healer”. And guess who’s the ONLY healer in Pelargir now? Theo ALWAYS choosing to stay with his people regardless if he’s been given a way out with either Arondir or Isildur…

Are we’re on to the showrunners or are they just throwing hints like this to lead people in one direction while they figure out his story? 

Back on the island, things are heating up for the Faithful vs. The Kings Men, and I’m here for the doomed story that is Miriel and Elendil. I’M HERE FOR IIIT!!! Pharazôn using both Kemen and Eärien as his tools to set himself on the throne was nicely done too. I was a little disappointed to see some Eärien hate going on though? Pharazôn, used her grief and anger for HIS means. After everything that her family goes through, she has the right to be angry and look for someone to blame. Why would she blame her father? He was under the queen’s orders, right? Grief makes you do terrible things and makes you blind, her respect for Pharazôn as the “smart” leader, falls right into Pharazôn’s hands in the right moment. And he uses it. He tries to turn her against her father too. BUT what does she do? SHE TRUSTS her father and goes AGAINST HERSELF to call the queen to help her save her Elendil, SHE KNOWS about their feelings for each other at that point, even if she doesn’t agree with it. Her love and loyalty to her family is stronger then everything Pharazôn threw at her. I never wanna see Eärien hate in the tags, as Galadriel says it best, heal yourself pls.

Kemen’s development on the other hand, I find really interesting. I get that he’s everyone’s favourite to hate right now, and Leon Wadham does an incredible job if people have such strong reactions to his character. Please don't be weird and don't harass him, he seems incredibly sweet compared to his RoP character. But there’s something really sad about him, you have this númenorian nepo baby that has everything on a golden platter, but the only thing he craves for is his father approval. And his father happens to be the worst person ever. He doesn’t want the scepter, he wants his father to have it. The moment he mentions to Pharazôn “us” he IMMEDIATELY cuts him off with a look and starts telling his own son how his dead mother had an ill prophecy about him. Cruel to the bone. And he blackmails him into telling it IF he does his bidding well. Of course, Kemen does a shit job at it, and we lost Valandil in the process, WHICH I DIDN’T EXPECT!!…BUT, I’m gonna take his death into advancing Kemen’s arc into a more villainous path, him arriving at Pelargir and seeing Isildur alive was such a moment, I had to cackle! The SINGLE PERSON RESPONSIBLE for the start of the domino effect of Númenor slowly going towards its downfall, turns up alive and is headed back home. Where Kemen killed his best friend, imprisoned his father, helped banishing his father, helped imprisoning Miriel and his sister is now target number one of Pharazôn. And Isildur saved Kemen’s life. Name a better combo than Isildur and bad decisions. 

Now, mentioning Valandil, I gotta rant about something else. And it’s about character deaths, especially for POC characters. Valandil dying, while not liking it, thinking it would happen much later when Númenor finally goes boom, it makes kinda sense for him to loose his life to Kemen, WHILE IN THE TEMPLE OF NIENNA. Lady of forgiveness, mercy and grief. Kemen even breaks her statue, which we should take as Kemen being beyond forgiveness. Advancing his character into a darker path. And then Nienna would be the first to forgive him lol.

But Rian?? Dying in the battle for Eregion like that? I get that her death represents a visual queue of the sheer evil and misery that is war. But, Vorohil surviving Boromor levels of arrows in his back, but not Rian? They couldn’t have switched their roles for that?? Rian being the messenger and Vorohil dying to protect his commander?? I’m kinda relieved that at least he survived from Elrond’s little party group, and Camnir is godknows where, but come on man. COME ON MAAAAN! Do better next time please, showrunners. If you introduce cool characters, at least don’t take them away like that, especially when they are POC.

And lastly…the Harfoot storyline. Oh boy. I don’t know if I’m in the minority, but for me this is probably this season's weakest point, A STARK difference from the previous season where I was invested the most. AND WE FINALLY GOT THE CONFIRMATION THAT HE’S GANDALF!! And it felt like, eh. We been knew.

This probably was the most cut storyline and felt like so many moments were missing. HAVING CIARÁN HINDS ONLY FOR A FEW SCENES!?! CRIMINAL!!! At least we got to see some Rhún scenery and got to see another clan of halflings. But the transition to the last episode felt like it lasted like 3 minutes, and then compare the previous season finale where everyone was still buttclenching if Halbrand or The Stanger was Sauron, right until the last conflict with the cultists! THAT was a nice ending of a climax. This season felt like they really didn’t want to bother with it anymore and now we have Gandalf going to Tom Bombadil, which is another perfect cast with Rory Kinnear, and Nori and Poppy leading the remaining Stoors, west. The gang is split. And it felt like a blip, compared to the goodbyes from the previous finale where emotions were high and you felt crushed and hopeful at the same time. But this storyline is now over, so that’s that.

I think that’s the overall general feelings for this season! Not going TOO much into detail, cause this will probably be a BEYOND long post lol.

Previous Personal MVP from Season 1 for me was definitively Daniel Weyman as GANDALF, having so little dialog, but using body language and emotions to act his way into the story. Season 2 MVP goes to Sam Hazeldine’s Adar. The dude swooped in and made the character his own and added so much more. To make me ROOT for the orcs? BLACK SPEECH making me emotional?! Unheard of!! Rest easy Uruk goth king, may you live in other people’s fanfics and be an inspiration for other amazing complex characters.

So…what do we expect now from Season 3 coming up?

Rivendell is coming up baybeeeeh!!! The first defensive bastion of the elves before the war with Sauron starts to heat up! Oh, that last shot was just beyond beautiful, BUT LIKE I SAID!! I would have had Ben Daniels just coming over and saying a few words than having that CGI shot. 

SO MORE CIRDAN NEXT SEASON, PLEASE!!!

I honestly have no idea where Galadriel’s arc is gonna be headed, but her connection to Sauron will always be there, now that she’s sort of marked? by his crown and the evil it’s made off, I wonder if it’s gonna come into play like Frodo when being stabbed by the Witch King’s blade. 

We didn’t get Celeborn as a surprise, and looking back, it was just impossible to get that. Season 1 and 2 are almost glued to one another and if you look at it from another side, it’s a full 16 episode season. This was basically Part 1….of The Rings of Power The Movie.

Hopefully more of the golden boi Gil-galad, give the man more twirling Aeglos moments, come on!! AND MORE GOLDEN FAM MOMENTS TOGETHER!! PLEASE. Some people still don’t know that Galadriel is Gil-galad’s auntie!! 

Sauron snatching Fëanor’s Hammer from Celebrimbor was VILE. And I loved it. He killed the only person talented enough to use it, and now he is left on his own to craft the final ring, by probably a) melting the hammer b) using it half-assedly and in the process messing up the One Ring so that’s why he ends up binding his entire life force to the Ring. BUT before he does that, he has the Nine Rings and he needs Nine Kings. So we’re on our way to seeing more Kingdoms of Men and that means we’re getting more casting announcements as the months go by. 

Pelargir!!! Theo being stuck with Kemen? Recipe for trouble. Hopefully Estrid gets some character development there, cause what we got so far from her was not enough imo. We’re already on our way to seeing the Ent’s promise getting broken. UGHH!! I don’t wanna see that, not when Episode 4 made me so emotional and is probably one of my favourites so far. We’re gonna get a clash with the Low Men vs Númenor for sure and this is where it starts.

We’re getting Khazad-Dum’s Game of Thrones!! NOOOOOO!! I don’t want them clashing with each other uughhh, especially family, but their fate is already written and it’s not gonna be a happy one. We will see if Durin will be tempted to use his father's ring as well. He did leave it to his son. So hoping they go for the emotions in that storyline. And in the mix there’s also the rift being open again between Durin and Elrond. And is it gonna get wider, or are we gonna see it mended next season? QUEEN DISA PLEASE PULL THROUGH!!

NÚMENOOOOR AGAAAAIN!! GOD there’s gonna be a lot of pain in there. And I was off with my prediction, we’re not getting Anárion this season, but we’re DEFINITIVELY getting Anárion next season!! Isildur coming home is gonna cause some chaos I’m sure, finding out pretty much like the pizza burning meme gif that A LOT of shit has happened during his absence. Are we gonna see a rift between Eärien and Isildur though? Her actions pretty much stem from his “death”, so it will be interning to see if the siblings clash or try to settle things first and find their dad and other brother. Pharazôn slowly setting himself up for the arrival of someone special AKA Sauron. We’re maybe still too far off from that plot, but as much as I enjoyed The Charlies™ and their scenes together, I CAN’T WAIT to see Charlie and Trystan being a combo act on screen. I LOVE Trystan’s portrayal as Pharazôn, he just oozes those charming but menacing vibes when he’s in his act. And to pair that up with Charlie? Which mask will he choose to manipulate him with? OH! CAN’T WAAAAIT!!

And then again lastly, as each season and episode, the Harfoots and Gandalf. It was nice to see that we’re getting the lore about how the halflings find The Shire, so we’ll probably gonna follow them on their travels to the west, and hopefully they meet some of the other key characters from the series. At some point, most of the characters HAVE TO HAVE A BRIDGE to meet up, instead of getting multiple separate stories. Hopefully Season 3 is that. Gandalf being mentored by Tom Bombadil in Rhún while the other wizard is still on the loose. The showrunners did confirm that Cirian is not Saruman, so that makes him one of the blues that failed their mission. They can go aaaanywhere with this storyline, but they better bring it up closer to Sauron and Galadriel. If they wanna show us the connection between Galadriel and Gandalf, and why Gandalf fears Sauron so much, I think Season 3 is the best point to start.

And that's pretty much it I guess.

Now the painful wait of TWO FREAKING YEARS begins for Season 3.

I'm gonna try to stay as active as possible with my gifs and plan out some sets, maybe including some of the other acting gigs of the other RoP actors, like my "Hazeldine cope mechanism for Thursday" sets, if my time allows it. But time is all we have now.

September flew by for me with this series. Like, 28th of August was two weeks ago, right?

So what are we doing next Thursday?

[sitp-recs]

Wield Me by @tackytigerfic (E, 10k)

Drarry, pre-Tedrarry

Draco Malfoy, blacksmith, is renowned through the magical world for his skill and exquisite creations. He could quite easily spend the rest of his days making pretty trinkets for the fae court, and being handsomely rewarded for the privilege. But why take the easy route when instead he could get involved in a dangerous mission with Unspeakable Harry Potter (who also happens to be Draco's... well, he's something, isn't he?). A little story about learning to strike while the iron is hot.

“It’s deep magic, you know. It doesn’t recognize anything quite so specific as a particular location. It’s more conceptual, I suppose. You remember.” He knew they did, the long night of casting, Teddy carelessly throwing azaleas and yellow roses into the quench pool along with all the others; azaleas for homesickness and the desire to return to a place of safety, yellow roses for family. Not to mention all the runework they spent hours working on. Draco rolled his eyes at them. Othala. Harry had traced it over and over in the water, and then Draco had hammered the essence of it into the metal with his sweat and his fire. Homecoming. It would be enough.

Because one birthday rec wasn’t enough I am back, this time reccing the fic Tacky gifted me on my last birthday so we’re coming full circle with the love show :D it’s hard to put into words all the feelings this fic inspired in me. I could not believe my sneaky friend (who’s pretty monogamic about their Drarry btw) had crafted something so special bringing together my two OTPs! I remember reading this in a haze, too eager to unravel that delicious summary and get to the promised Teddy kissing, but also not ready for it to be over after 10k and dreading the emotional devastation that was sure to follow. I realize that Harry/Teddy is not everyone’s jam (yet 😏) and might discourage some people to check this out, so I thought I’d follow my previous rec format and list a few reasons why I loved this so much:

1. The world: I kid you not, 10k feels like 30k once you get introduced to this magical world Tacky so masterfully crafted - vibrant, intriguing, creative, a main character in itself. I was already losing my mind over buff blacksmith Draco in a leather tunic (🥵) but then his stance against weaponry and the magical theory behind his forgery?? What an unexpected (but very much welcome) turn on. I am fascinated by this verse and wanna learn all about Draco’s backstory, about this society, its power structure, about Harry and Teddy’s job and the gritty dangers that Teddy is about to face, and whether or not he’ll find his way back home - back to Harry - safe and sound. So many questions left unanswered and this thrill, an adventurous feeling about their quest that kept me engaged until the end. What a masterclass in world building!

2. The tenderness: as per their trademark, Tacky gives this fic a lot of emotional depth and nuance, showing how easily love can multiply when Harry is the recipient (seeing how wanted he is here makes me feral) while keeping this unmistakably a Drarry romance. 40yo fuck buddies who are so obviously into each other they make me giggle and kick my feet, plus a careful balance between all dynamics in play - Teddy’s crush on Harry and respect for Draco, Draco’s longing for Harry and understanding of Teddy, Harry’s trust in Draco and tenderness for Teddy, the overall affection and sexual tension fueling all those relationships making it impossible not to cheer for them. If you’re a Teddy fan like me you’re in for a treat: I adore his edgy personality, bold, brave, painfully young and so damn lovely, a perfect fit for Harry and Draco’s mellow and steady love.

3. The symbolism: this plays into the exquisite lore created within such elegant and contained writing, I just keep thinking about the possibilities, metaphors, the way recurrent themes like family and homecoming show up in Draco’s forgery work intertwining his, Harry’s and Teddy’s lives in such a definitive way you find yourself thinking “well it must be fate so it can’t be avoided, they gotta bang” 🤷🏻‍♀️ okay so maybe not everyone is horny for this triad as I am, but the implications behind the symbology go beyond lust, diving into something deeper and more meaningful like familial love. And because I’ve read everything else from Tacky’s (“Harry deserves roots” / “I’d be your mate” / “I like my choyse” / “Is tú mo Rogha” / “Queen Anne’s lace, it means sanctuary, home.”) and so on, I can’t help but get emotional here. Harry’s longing for a family is such a quintessential Tacky theme and seeing it expand to include my beloved Teddy in their sacred Drarry kingdom makes my heart sing.

TL;DR: I feel like I could spend days talking about this fic but then nobody would read it and I really, really want more people to fall in love with these clever, competent, brave and lovable characters and with the rich, fascinating world that makes you wish you could live inside it forever and see what happens next. So run don’t walk and go treat yourself today!

[aihoshiino]

Hi hello!! I adore your oshi no ko analyses and chapter reviews/thoughts! I always make it a point to, whenever a new manga chapter releases, always to read your reviews after reading the chapter =3=

I wanted to ask!

What are some of your Hoshino Ai headcanons?

I had a very silly one for quite a while ever since the DVDs were brought into the story and that is when Ai recorded them, there were times she had to stop what she was saying and walk out of frame after hearing baby Ruby crying or something like that. Just having the twins interrupt her and just turning into a wholesome, funny thing for Ai.

GOD I HAVE SO MANY AI HEADCANONS I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START… I'm constantly playing Blobo TV with her in my brain both for RP/fanfic purposes and also just for when I'm bored at work lol so I have so many in my head… So I'll rapidfire a bunch off the top of my head!

Ai can't cook! Most of her meals are premade stuff or like, bentos bought from supermarkets, etc. She was never taught literally Anything about cooking when she was younger so she has zero instinct or starting knowledge or lbr even time to try and learn, but she commits to at least trying once Aqua and Ruby are born. She is absolutely not good at it even when she really gets her nose to the grindstone but eventually becomes passable. Ironically, she's actually better at baking then cooking, because baking recipes are WAY more precise and exact and she has an easier time when she has a set of Very Exact Step By Step Instructions to follow.

On a food note, she has really bad spice tolerance…!!! Anything hotter than like, the medium spicy Golden Curry range is so far out of her strike zone it isn't even funny. Ruby is the same (a hold over from eating mostly bland food as Sarina) but Aqua really likes spicy stuff and his tolerance is really good as a result. Unfortunately, he also doesn't really realize just how high his tolerance is - it was way worse as Gorou so he keeps underestimating how hot things are. So anytime Ai is like "hey Aqua how spicy is this" he's like "oh it's not too bad" and then Ai takes a bite and dies and it takes years before they manage to figure out the differences in their tolerance LOL

She's a little clumsy…! It's a side of her people rarely see because she's so graceful and careful as an idol, but the #1 way to tell she's comfortable with someone is that they're allowed to see her being a bit of a failgirl.

I mentioned this in another ask but I like to think she gets back into video games on her hiatus… not super deep, but she grabs a cheap secondhand GBA SP and one of those carts that's like 20 puzzle games in one or something and keeps playing it even after she goes off hiatus. Since she's so busy, it's easier for her to get into things like Tetris where your play sessions don't have to be that long and there's no story to follow… anything like an RPG would be no good. Eventually one year, Aqua and Ruby pool some money and get her a jailbroken DS or something for her birthday and even though she has a bajillion games on it, she mostly still just plays Tetris………..

She really wants to be a plant mom but her schedule means that she inevitably gets so busy she forgets to water them and they end up dying and she's depresso every time…

Appearance wise, between the twins, Aqua is actually the one who looks most like her - Ruby definitely does too but grows more into her own features as she grows up, whereas Aqua still really strongly resembles Ai even once he's all grown up.

She has a ton of those influencer ass hyperspecific trendy gadgets and appliances around the house, not because she buys them but because companies keep sending them to her in hopes of getting her to promote them and she never does LOL. If she actually gets a sponsorship deal through work then she'll do it, but even then it's mostly her just hyping something up and saying she uses it every single day when 90% of the time they just end up rotting at the bottom of her drawer. Pretty much the only thing she ends up regularly using is like, toiletries and hair care products and that's just because it saves her having to shop for them but she has absolutely zero brand loyalty.

As an adult, she copies a lot of her fashion sense from Miyako! Her style leans more girly and fresh than Miyako's does but Ai doesn't really care about clothes so she never developed a sense of fashion growing up. But she knows Miyako is a pretty stylish person and looks up to her as someone to emulate fashion from. Of course, when she's incognito or chilling at home, she still always prefers her comfy hoodies and sweaters and plain, loose clothes.

Ai likes Kana a lot! This was technically canonized in the Da Vinci interview and I felt so smug when I saw it lol. But I've always thought Ai would like Kana - she sort of vicariously enjoys her cheekiness and confidence and admires her drive and her passion and craft at such a young age. When Kana joins B-Komachi, Ai sort of recognises how much of her fire has gone out and its immediately like free daughter??? Free daughter for Hoshino Ai???? She and Mem also get along really well but because they're closer in age, the dynamic is more friendly coworkers whereas she and Kana have a more senpai/kouhai surrogate mom figure thing going on.

she's our strongest aqukana warrior btw

Aaaand finally… If Ai had ever found out about Aqua and Ruby's past lives, she would have loved and accepted them all the same. If anything, knowing just how terribly alone and starved of care they both were would have encouraged her to make sure they felt loved, safe and accepted as her kids. After all, Ai, too, is a "motherless child" as Tsukuyomi describes the twins - she'd absolutely understand.