#So good. So well written. I don't think I can ever read either again because they drained me emotionally but they were very good

[kingdom-falls]

Just read an ISAT fic and it's non-official sequel that have carved out my chest and I'm trying not to sob at work

[traincat]

I know there's like 0 possibly of marvel ever letting Peter Parker officially be queer, but what about Johnny? Do you think it's possible that he could be confirmed as bi/pan at some point?

Johnny Storm exists in the weirdest canon sexuality grey area known to mankind. Is he constantly referred to as gay? Yeah. Is there evidence that several high profile Marvel creators think he's queer? Yes. Marjorie Liu confirmed that the intent in her run in Dark Wolverine was that there was a sexual relationship between him and Akihiro. Kurt Busiek retweeted an article I wrote that explicitly discussed the homosexual subtext of Johnny's character. Dan Slott reportedly wanted to write Johnny and Wyatt in a romantic relationship, which is believable if you look at the beginning of his run, but was told no. (Slott's written gay relationships before in Amazing Spider-Man, so I wouldn't find this so surprising.) And John Byrne wrote this:

(FF #251) John Byrne I desperately want to study you in a lab.

But is Johnny canonically anything but 100% straight? No, not officially. Marvel, the conglomerate, officially views Johnny as heterosexual, and if the Dan Slott thing is true even recently blocked an attempt at having Johnny come out. If this is true, it's most likely because of the new movie, because let's be honest, corporate Marvel does not care about Johnny Storm on the same level it cares about Spider-Man or the Punisher or Iron Man.

Because let's be honest. This goes deep. And it's been going on a long time. The above John Byrne panel is not the only example. There is a long-running thread of homophobic comments targeting Johnny running through 616 canon.

(Hulk vs Thing: Hard Knocks #3) "Light in the loafers" is slang for a gay man, for anyone who doesn't know.

(Dark Reign: Zodiac #2. I don't recommend reading this, by the way, not even if you're going deep down the Johnny Sexuality Well, but for the record Johnny, despite not being canonically gay, literally gets gaybashed in this comic.)

(FF #151) Does it get more blatant than a character named "Mahkizmo" referring to Johnny as "an effeminate"? Someone get me Gerry Conway on the phone, I need to know what he was thinking when he wrote this. (I know what Gerry Conway was thinking because Gerry Conway is a very good and very intentional writer.)

Then there's Ben's repeated teasing about Johnny's "crush" on Spider-Man, referring to them as "love boids" and so on. This is friendlier than the above comments, but then, if we assume Johnny is queer, Ben would know about it. He certainly knew what was going on with Johnny and Akihiro.

(Daken: Dark Wolverine #4) "Got what he came for, right?" Real double entendre here, since "what he came for" is both a weapon from Reed and, clearly, sex with Johnny.

The posing here is not subtle, even before you factor in that Marjorie Liu, who co-wrote this series along with Daniel Way, confirmed on social media that the relationship was meant to be read as sexual. (So you can probably add Way to the list of writers who think Johnny is queer, too.)

In fact, I'd say that Liu and Way depict the whole family as knowing about Johnny's sexuality and about the relationship.

(Daken: Dark Wolverine #4)

So if Johnny is in the closet, the way this issue frames it, he's only in the closet to the public. He's not in the closet to his family.

(Deadline #1) "All right, Storm, who were you with last night: Britney? Christina? Eminem?" in reference to Johnny getting caught "with a bottle in one hand and a blonde in another." So he's not doing a great job on that front, either.

Then there's Johnny's tendency, despite the perception of him as a womanizer, to look incredibly uncomfortable when he's kissed by a woman -- even a woman he purportedly has romantic interests in. Take, for example, the following panels:

(FF #562) He certainly is just standing there while Psionics, his one-time bad girl fling, kisses him and invites him to come see her again. Which he doesn't do, by the way. The next time he sees Psionics, she'll kill his close family friend Alyssa Moy right in front of him. Great!

(FF #259) Literally running away from Sharon Selleck. Now, we can say that he just wasn't attracted to her, which is true -- he was very ardently pursuing her roommate, Julie DeAngelo. Except.

(FF #263) That's certainly some kind of posture when she kisses him, and of course as soon as she kisses him, he's "over her."

There's more examples of this, too, where Johnny has a pre-existing connection with a woman only for him to completely freeze up or lean away from her when he's kissed, with no follow through on his part. (This is part of the reason I personally headcanon him as gay and not bi, but that's besides the point.) And it's a totally separate issue from the other longrunning thread of him being kissed as a form of assault. Which also happens. Like a lot. "Johnny Storm" and "consent issues" are basically synonymous at this point, which again is really interesting if we're looking at this from the perspective of Johnny and sexuality, since most of these incidents involve women as the perpetrators.

(Most. Not all. Dark Reign: Zodiac definitely implies some things, and I think it's interesting that Akihiro initiates his connection to the Fantastic Four by shooting Johnny through the thigh with an arrow.)

I've mentioned this before, but again, for a character who has the reputation that Johnny has developed, both in and out of universe, it is deeply bizarre that he does not have sex scenes. He doesn't have them. Peter Parker has sex scenes. Kinky sex scenes! There is zero doubt in my mind that that Peter Parker is attracted to women. I can't even show you Johnny Storm having vanilla missionary honeymoon lovemaking that fades to black. Whenever they want to show you he's had sex, it is always in the aftermath, and he is rarely having a great time about it. What's up with that, Marvel! I know, but do you!

Then there's Unstable Molecules: Fantastic Four, which exists in a metatextual area -- it's a fictionalized account of the "real people" who inspired the Fantastic Four, the story of four people rapidly barreling towards a disastrous dinner party that would be witnessed by two comic book creators. And it's Johnny is definitely queer.

(Unstable Molecules #3) "Johnny, it is the fiery night, and you are a holy flaming flower." The extras for Unstable Molecules even include a love poem written by the beatnik who calls him "a holy flaming flower" that is definitely supposed to be about Johnny.

So that's the grey area. You have all of this content that either implies or occasionally outright states that Johnny is not straight. But according to Marvel, the actual publisher and company, Johnny is straight. Personally, I don't like saying things are canon if they aren't explicitly 100% confirmed canon, but the wealth of evidence here is so substantial that I make an exception. It's just a matter of when Marvel the actual company is going to admit it.

(Fantastic Four: Marvel Snapshots #1)

[grimalkinmessor]

The parallels between Tsubomi and Reigen drive me so fucking insane you have no idea like—that shit had to be at least SOMEWHAT intentional even if not in a specifically romantic way.

For one, Tsubomi and Reigen are two of the only few people that call Shigeo "Mob" consistently. (Yes Tome also calls him Mob eventually but she starts out calling him Kageyama-kun and likely picks up "Mob-kun" from Inukawa or Reigen later on). We don't know how Reigen started calling Shigeo "Mob", though we can assume that Tsubomi was likely part of the group of kids that originally misread Shigeo's name as Mobbu to begin with so she's less of a mystery on that front. Maybe Reigen saw it written on his backpack or his shirt tag and started calling him that too, or maybe Mob even just told him that that's what everyone else called him and was what he prefered to be called at the time. Either way, it's a little odd that Reigen's one of the only people who use that nickname when we don't really get a reason why beyond "it can also be read like this", especially since Reigen is a grown man with (presumably) full literacy of kanji and would know how to read it.

Then there's the other obvious parallel that's made in the show; how Tsubomi and Reigen treat Mob. How they see his powers. They're not special, they're just a part of him. Nothing to be scared of—even though they kind of,,,,are lmao. The fact that Tsubomi continues to sit in the park even though a literal hurricane is approaching because she thought Mob sounded upset on the phone happens at the same time Reigen goes sprinting full-tilt into said hurricane because Mob is in trouble always stands out to me. It's less obvious than Mob's own words: "She never treated me any differently because of my powers" "Master never treated me any differently..."—but it's still a pretty blatant parallel to me.

Not to mention that both Reigen and Tsubomi's personalities are actually very similar as well! They're both described as people that hide behind a mask, a facade, while still being brutally stubborn. If Tsubomi doesn't want to do something, she's not gonna do it. While Reigen is more laid back because he's used to getting his hands dirty for work (money), he's still very stubborn himself when he doesn't wanna do something. He'll find a way to wriggle out of it and talk circles around you if you let him. Dimple even says that Tsubomi is the type of person who can't be swayed by words or peer pressure. She and Reigen were actually, again, two of the only people brainwashed through airborne Vibes™ instead of through food like everyone else. The biggest difference between them on this is that while Reigen lies fairly blatantly, Tsubomi seems to only lie through omission. Tsubomi is more of an introvert too, compared to Reigen's extrovert (though you could argue that both of them are good with people, with the only difference being that Reigen enjoys being the center of attention while Tsubomi presumably does not).

Plus they're both pretty goofy too once you think about it lmao. They're both prideful and hate to be humiliated, but they also care a lot about their public image and how people perceive them. Every time the scene with Tsubomi and her friends outside cleaning up leaves comes up, her expressions and panic always remind me of Reigen. And then there's Mob, calm and unjudgemental, willing to help her with no questions asked. Mitigating her humiliation, just like he does for Reigen :)

Another thing that always strikes me is how Mezato says, "If you can accept her for who she really is..." followed by Reigen's echo during his confession: "This is who I really am". Mezato essentially tells Mob that Tsubomi isn't who she seems on the outside and that if he wants to be accepted by her, he needs to also be ready to accept her as well. Which, we don't get to see much of Tsubomi's life outside of Mob—wow just like Reigen—so we don't ever really know who she is beyond that outer mask, but we see her slowly opening up to Mob later, as a friend. But the fact that Reigen's own confession mirrors Mezato's words to Mob about him accepting Tsubomi always makes me vibrate in place a little like,,,Confession Arc my beloved 🙏

I don't know man, there's just so much there, it makes my head spin. I could go on and on about it but I better cut myself off because if I don't I'll start crawling on the walls going feral about it because what, what was the point of this if not to make it clear that the relationship between Mob and Reigen is supposed to parallel his relationship with Tsubomi like what do you MEAN—

[sleepynoons]

dr. ratio x gn!reader, sfw, not beta read

cw: explicit language

notes: college!au ratio is scrumptious + i love trying new characterizations of such a well-written character. some emotional angst regarding insecurities + never feeling good enough. platonic btw, though feelings spark at the end. also, requests are now open – please read all of my acc + request rules, which are linked in my nav. finally, repeat after me: YOUR HOBBIES DON'T HAVE TO BE YOUR JOBS.

YOU HAVE got to be shitting me.

you gawk as you stare at the student across from you. piercing eyes, gold laurel accessory adorning indigo hair, apron crisp and clean – why the hell is the veritas ratio here?

you’re a simple student. day and night, you’re studying to pass your classes and working a part-time shift as a barista at a local café to scrape in a little bit of extra cash. the difference between you and ratio is more than the distance between heaven and earth. the only time you ever interacted with your college’s “legendary genius” was at a study review session for one of your classes that he happened to be a teaching assistant for.

the first ten minutes of the session were wasted because ratio was criticizing the hell out of another student. to be fair, the latter was acting like an asshole. you had overheard some of the snarky comments they made about ratio as you all were waiting outside the classroom. but ratio was equally, if not more, biting and ruthless as he made comeback after comeback after comeback. you didn’t have a good opinion of him either. and so, you snuck out of the review session and never attended one led by ratio again.

you try to shift your expression into a more amicable one as you sit down next to him. out of all the places to meet him again, you would have never predicted it to be at your favorite pottery studio.

it’s fine, you think, it’s not like he knows who i am.

you’re not good at pottery – mediocre at it, at best. but the feeling of the wet clay against your hands, how pliable and cool and malleable it is, is soothing. even the sheer act of throwing a ball of it onto the wheel is stress-relieving. you frequent this studio once every few weeks or so, and it’s become something of a third home to you, a place that you can run away to really at any time.

ratio has accolades in the arts as well, especially renowned for his sculptures, so pottery doesn’t seem too farfetched. yet you’ve never seen him here before.

you’re deep in thought, until a steady voice interrupts with a call of your name.

you perk up, looking around. another call of your name. there’s no one else in the vicinity besides you and ratio.

you squeak in surprise. “oh! yes, um, hi, ratio! what’s up?”

ratio’s response shocks you. he asks, “i am having trouble with pulling the sides of my bowl up. would you mind showing me how to do it?”

what. ratio needs help – and your help at that? you quickly pull yourself together, though, because you’d rather not get berated by him.

“y-yeah, sure,” you acquiesce. “what are you trying to make?”

for the next hour or so, you guide ratio through the very few basics of pottery that you’ve become acquainted with. of course, ratio catches on very speedily, but contrary to your initial impression of him, he listens with rapt attentiveness and asks questions only when necessary. the final result is a round bowl with scalloped edges.

during your next visit to the studio, which is a week later, you run into ratio at the entrance. you both nod politely in recognition, remaining in silence as the studio manager helps the two of you set up. this time, ratio does not reach out to you. you notice that ratio creates another of the bowl he made (and you helped with) last week.

you don’t visit the studio again until a month later. midterms season plus additional shifts at the café because a coworker had quit without a two-week notice took up all of your time. yet, here ratio was again, already throwing as you settle at your station.

it’s weird, really. when and why did ratio pick up pottery? no one else on campus seemed to know – indicative by the lack of gossip regarding the genius –, and after a brief exchange with the studio staff that you’ve become familiar with, they thought he was simply a new frequenter.

you’re suddenly feeling courageous. maybe it’s because of the accumulated stress from the past month or the lack of caffeine, but regardless, you’re feeling bold enough to initiate conversation with ratio.

so you start easy, to seem casual. “hi, ratio,” you chirp, even adding in a small wave to appear extra friendly.

he glances up and nods before concentrating back on his work. you take that as your cue to get started as well. 

after half an hour, from the corner of your eye, you see ratio pause his wheel and stretch, judging and evaluating the progress he’s made. you notice that he’s making something new, a wide plate with a shallow rim.

“nice work,” you offer.

“thank you,” he states.

you sigh. now, you’re just getting irritated. going about this in a roundabout way is clearly not working.

you set down your tools and stare right at ratio. “i’m curious,” you ask, “why pottery? i’ve never seen you here.”

“you’re not here often either.”

you groan internally. of course he’s focused on the trees instead of the forest. “i come often enough to know the other regulars, and you were definitely not one of them up until a month ago.”

ratio breaks away from his work and looks back at you. even though you’ve seen him in person a few times now, his eyes always manage to glimmer so beautifully that they steal your breath away. “is one not allowed to pick up a new hobby? or are your conceptions of a so-called ‘genius’ limited to that of a naturally gifted workaholic?”

you have to think for a moment before responding. ratio seems rather uncomfortable with the term “genius.”

you muse, “maybe. you’re the closest thing to being a genius that i know, and you seem to be winning awards all the time. that can’t be possible if you’re not working hard all the time. but… it’s good to know that pottery’s just a fun activity for you.”

he asks, “is it for you?”

“yeah, i think it is.” you smile, though it’s more for yourself. “look, i’m not particularly gifted at anything, not even at pottery. but that’s fine because you don’t have to turn your hobbies into work.”

“i don’t agree with you.” you tilt your head in confusion, slightly wary because you don’t want to debate or argue. ratio continues, “the notion of separating work from hobbies is clear, but claiming that you are not particularly gifted is unnecessary self-deprivation, no? i’ve seen your work from class, and it’s very obvious you have certain strengths.”

you roll your eyes and scoff. “that doesn’t mean i’m talented at anything. everyone has strengths, that’s true, but it’s not like i’m doing anything impressive enough to get on the front page of our university newspaper.”

ratio states your name, but it sounds more like a stern rebuke. “i don’t take pride in being called a genius.”

“why? because you didn’t get nominated last year?”

he corrects, “for the past few years.”

the genius society, the most prestigious nonprofit in the world, offers a scholarship program that selects and nurtures the brightest college students globally. despite all of the research and leadership ratio has contributed, he has never once been accepted, let alone waitlisted, for the program.

you think you have a better idea of the kind of person ratio is. maybe he’s more like the sun to your earth, more tender-hearted and relatable than you had assumed.

“make sure the clay is evenly distributed in the center of the plate,” you note. you know he doesn’t need empty words of sympathy or comfort.

“i will.”

the two of you work until you’re both done; he finishes his plate and you a medium-sized soup bowl because you had accidentally shattered the only one you had.

before you leave, though, ratio calls out to you. (you notice you like the way he says your name.)

he says, “please, call me veritas.”

you chuckle and nod. (he notices he likes the sound of your laugh.) 

“i’ll see you soon, veritas.”

[girlsdogmotif]

HIII!!! YOUR ONE SHOTS ARE SO COOOOL!! LOVE THEM <3333 are you planning on writing series or books? IM SURE THEY COULD BE STUNNING!! Also I saw your recs and THEY ARE SOMETHING 100% MY TASTE, if you cam give me some recs? Preferably if the main characters are males? I don't mind either way tho!! Thank you very much. <3

AHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! I really need to finish the few one shots I've started and post them because people are actually reading them ! which is crazy ! but makes me very very happy :)

I would definitely be interested in writing some series, once I think of some characters or a rough plot I might try it out, but in the meantime I would also love to continue any one shots I post if people are interested 👀

For my recommendations (which is why this took me a while to get back to apologies):

(also you might have already seen the first few bc I can't stop telling people to read them!!)

@whumblr The "Home is Where the Hurt" series is one of the BEST stories on this app and has the best whump, if you haven't read it yet GO READ, and also "Crossed Out", the main whumpees and whumpers are male in both those series; but I also can't go through a whump rec post without recommending their other series Bookish!

@chaotic-orphan another blog I can't recommend enough, i'm literally part of the #notifcationsquad I'm obsessed with Intoxicating Fear, Vendetta, Defiant Leader x confident villain, Partners in Crime, and everything else as well, Heroic Betrayal is also my ALL TIME fav and features my one of my fav female whumpee Morgan <3 all the stories are somehow both funny and heart wrenching at the same time and I feel like I'm watching a movie every time I read them

@there-will-always-be-blood I talk about The Crow and The Dove so much but I will forever kai and kyriel are so fascinating and the world building is so good in the story and the WHUMP. UGH truly unparalleled. you know it's good characters, world, plot, and writing when I-ME wants a character to have a break and not get tortured more (well okay I also still want him to get tortured more) only thing I will mention is the story does contain nsfw stuff and pretty dark whump but everything is tagged so avoid if it's not your thing but if you're okay with it (and over 18) then I highly recommend!!!!

@defire also has a TON of writing to read, stories, prompts and general whump musings that include some whump tropes that you don't see that often. Back to The Dregs is FANTASTIC angsty and whumpy and it also maybe kinda reminds me of one of the first whump stories I ever read when I was like 11 that was a newsies modern au fan fiction so I think I'm also partial to it

@holidayinhell literally every single piece of writing is so well written and give me whumperflies (do people still say that? I rarely see it anymore, am I old now im 20 I can't be) anyway Role Reversal is so good but THE CLIFFHANGER (nsfw)

@save-the-villainous-cat has such great stuff, really anything you're in the mood for there's a piece for it particularly I love the hero villain stuff

@jumpywhumpywriterlove's Vampire Captures Vampire Hunter to Use as Bloodbag series I def recommend if you like vampires, even if you don't I'd give it a shot, also Drugged Hero Whumpee used as Party Favor at Villain's Party is great. I have to admit I haven't read her whole blog but the few series I've read are amazing and she has SO MUCH WRITING (im not gonna make a Hamilton reference I've already made a newsies reference I've embarrassed my self enough)

and then here's a few other whump blogs that I enjoy and would recommend checking out!!

@whump-queen

@whump-in-the-closet

@shywhumpauthor

@kira-the-whump-enthusiast

okay for now I'll cut myself off but obviously there are so many more amazing whump blogs and stories out there!!! I hope this list can help you find something you like, thank you again for your kind words!

[goquokka00]

Stray Kids on Weed

The Han Strain In which the love of their life smokes the mary jane, and they give it a shot for the first time...

Bangchan | Minho | Changbin | Hyunjin Jisung | Felix | Seungmin | Jeongin

A Few Notes: This is purely just supposed to be funny and a joke. I've also never been high and while I am friends with those who have either tried weed or do weed on the regular, I only know so much. So please just bear with me and have a good laugh, okay? Okay. Love you guys ❤️❤️❤️ (P.S. I should also mention that this one is a little bit suggestive but it's not horrible)

Ah, our sweet baby Jisung. I can see his first ever experience of weed coming through a joint. He always thought you looked badass when you smoked joints, and he always wanted to give it a shot. And while he did end up having a coughing fit the first few puffs (because he really just didn't want to listen to you since "you figured it out for yourself, so I can do the same"), he actually found himself getting really relaxed from smoking said joint.

Little did he know what was in store for him. See, Jisung, when he's high, can blab. And blab. And blab, and blab. And um, well...

Blab.

He completely uses his filter, and just says anything and everything that comes to mind. And I mean anything. Jisung will voice out one thing, and then will switch topics instantly. Something like this: "I'm really excited about my new song, because it's written in the sense that I've now found who I'm supposed to be, and I really think that...you know, you look really hot. We can come back to this topic later, I just...can we just fuck really quick?"

Oh, and it's not just this kind of switch. This man is also a foodie. Yeah, he can be craving you and want to dig in between your legs and stay put for forever, but he'll also want to eat just a shit ton of meat or junk food. No veggies though. Veggies are dumb, and they don't mean anything. But he can talk about work, to you, to sex, to wanting to have sex, to really just wanting a juicy burger from that one fast food place that's nowhere in Korea.

Now, Jisung doesn't have a filter when he talks when he's high. But if you thought that it was just that? You're VERY wrong. Jisung also doesn't have a filter when it comes to when he's actually physically doing things, too. Like, he just acts first, and then thinks later.

He'll be talking, and then go to the kitchen and take a piece of bread before stabbing it a few times. And then he'll eat it. Just...right then and there. And when you ask him why he did that, he'll shrug, saying "I don't know man, isn't it common sense to kill things before you eat them?"

So now comes the question of, "Will he do weed again?" And my answer for you is that yes, he will. He really enjoys how relaxed and carefree he is, and he feels like it's a great way to bond with you, too. Also...he just...he likes feeling like a badass with his tattoos and smoking a joint. Y'know?

Hey! Firstly, thank you so much for reading this post, and I really hope you enjoyed! If you did, please like, reblog, or comment so I can see how I'm doing with writing and getting feedback! I hope you have a lovely day! Sleep well, stay in good health, and eat something if you haven't! ❤️❤️❤️

Taglist: @miss-daisy04 @kayleefriedchicken @wolfs-archive @stayyyyyyyyyyyy21 @wolfs-howling @rose-w-00-d

[i-like-forcefem]

Fuck. I could actually eat you up. I was just going to send you that ask and call it a day. I couldn't resist checking back again, sure, and it was very funny to see how flustered you are - but even then, I wasn't going to interact anymore. I mean, SERIOUSLY love, you sure left enough blood in the water reacting there. I'm sure a sweet girl like you can attract plenty of other well-meaning sharks if you're really thattt intent on flailing.

But then I saw how many times you've posted just thinking about this. I couldn't help reading and rereading you tripping over yourself. I mean, it, is, just, precious, hahaha. I turn your wind-up key once, and this little clockwork doll can't help running round, and round, and round like it's all she's ever been built to do. I don't know which I love more. The carefully spilt nothing-verses of stammering and rambling you had to choose to send (just to make it so clear how much you love playing the role) or some of the genuinely confused typos that show how quickly you really have typed, how head-spun and silly you sincerely have been at points since I said hi. Don't be too enamoured by me, sweetie. It's easy to point out someone's place when you can tell how desperately they want to be there. See how badly you want to play?

And fuck, you're so polite. Shy little thank you ma'ams. All those lovely compliments, peppered with Goshes and Gollies like you were raised puckering up to soap. And doing your best to stress to me, it's okay if I don't dm you, you're just PATHETICALLY grateful, please please please no worries either way but if you want to then it would be REALLY COOL...

How could I not kiss whatever mark I've made better after that???

So hello again, little wound-up doll. Well done on being so sweet - I think you've earned a treat. I'm going to be leaving you again after this, I'm afraid, but don't you worry. You may not know who I am, but I know who YOU are. A very good girl. A girl I could tease by dressing up just how I like her, tracing her collarbone just to hear a sweet little gasp. One I could teach to smile, curtesy, and behave herself as I mould her from silly stuttering mess to my prize possession. One who couldn't ever protest, not about the humiliating things I make her do for my amusement, not of whether her pink face is most perfect thing I've ever had the privilege of prettying, and CERTAINLY not of whether she wants any of it. Because she's been begging for it. And if I have to discipline you over my knee while you read out these transparent confessions you've written here to beg me to perform each and every one, I'll do it until I know you mean it.

But... promise not to tell, but between us, I'd believe you the moment you opened your mouth. Mixed-up things like you are just too concentrated, too serviceable, and too desperate not to be subconsciously squealing the truth. I can always hear it. Look at how you've responded, and tell me that your clockwork wasn't always strung tightly to one place alone. That's not why we play these games.

The secret is, even if a wind-up doll does a very pretty dance on her own, sometimes it's even funner to hold her parts and move them around yourself. I know who you are, cutie-pie. So do you. That's why I want to force you to be yourself anyway.

Keep writing, mkay? I'll be reading, I promise. And smiling.

HOLE FUCK THAT JUST- I-

(follow up on this I-)

Just, THANKS MA'M

Gosh just so amazing like- I, gosh

Can't even think after that one just

Wow

Thanks a lot for the attention Miss, know it's incredibly appreciated, you are so so so talented at um- this >< - and I hope you'll have the enjoyment in this space you deserve (whether sub dom or otherwise)

Gosh just- Incredibly amazing (I, wow gosh, just actually stunned me when I've got places to be and just woke and so flustered and just wow)

-I um, hope my little dances will amuse you Miss

And I'm glad you're not feeling the pressure to do more, just showing up, putting me in my place, and ending it when you see fit

I'm glad you can take care of yourself!!!

I wish you a lot of love and support and nice things!!! Thanks so much for everything

And I hope you'll have a nice day just- yeah gosh wow

[glitter-stained]

I'm always thinking about Jason because fixation so my judgement is biaised because every song I listen to makes me think about at least one of my Jasons, but here are some songs though were definitely written for and about canon Jason Todd, and I will take no criticism (but you are definitely welcome to add your own songs):

-Take me To War, by The Crane Wives

>"But I keep snapping at Goliath hands with all of my tiny might"/ "All of the fire I swallowed, all of the sparks that went down in my guts, I am always burning out"/ "I'll be the sweetest thing to ever scare you"

The Robin -> Red Hood transition is so seamless

-Little Soldiers by the Crane Wives

> "On the broken back of all the words we spared, Like little soldiers in the trenches; It was a march we made towards ruin and despair, But we held hands all the while"

I always rant about how how Jason's character and story is centered around love, this is the song that plays in my head while I'm yapping

-Blue Lips by Regina Spektor

> "He took a step but then felt tired, He said I'll rest a little while; but when he tried to walk again, he wasn't a child"

If you ever wanna be sad about Jason's resurrection, catatonia and stolen childhood, this is the song to listen to

-The Horrors and The Wild by The Amazing Devil

"Think of all the horrors that I promised I'd bring, I promise they'll sing of every Time you passed your fingers through my hair and called me child, Witness me old man I am the Wild"

> If Under The Red Hood has one song it's this one

-The Old Witch Sleep and The Good Man Grace by The Amazing Devil

"There's a fire burning/And I'm learning to be/So much more than my tiredness/ So much more than that old witch sleep wishes/ She kisses my eyelids, and I/Breathe"

> If Red Hood: Lost Days (minus the gross bits) has one song it's this one

-Elsa's song by The Amazing Devil

>"And you'll throw some sage and lillies/ And roses where I'll rot/ Of all the flowers you picked/I knew you would forget/ Forget-me-nots"

idk who Elsa is this is about how Jason was grieved but he wasn't remembered

(Yeah I'm pretty convinced that at least either Madeline Hyland or Joey Batey read Under the Red Hood so many of their songs fit so well I restrained myself to three but there are so many)

-A Burning Hill by Mitski

>"I'm tired of wanting more, I think I'm finally worn/ For you have a way of promising things/ And I've been a forest fire"

Jason admitting loss and giving up on begging Bruce is something that can be so personal actually

-Heaven Knows by The Pretty Reckless

>"Now you're on your knees with your head hung low/ Big Man tell you where to go/ Tell them it's good, tell them okay/Don't do a goddamn thing they say"

Crime Alley united!!! Also, "tell the big guy I said hello" :))) (the God/Batman amalgam in Death in the Family is such an incredible one-liner and works so well for Jason omg)

-For the Departed by Shayfer James

>"Now I must finished what I started/I'll write a symphony for the departed/And I have no time for second chances/ So I survive on bourbon blood and backward glances"

The amount of angst, dramatics and intense devotion to his cause at the cost of his life, the literature references, everything about this song? Jason at his angstiest for sure

-Goodbye by Bo Burnham

> "If I wake up in a house that's full of smoke I'll panic/So call me up and tell me a joke/ When I'm fully irrelevant and totally broken dammit/ Call me up and tell me a joke /Oh shit/ You're really joking at a time like this"

exploded warehouse parallel aside, this song feels like not being able to heal because you're not capable of asking for what you really need, wanting to come back but feeling like you aren't allowed to because it would ruin you or the you that was shaped by other's perception of you and most importantly, begging to matter and to have mattered. So. Jason.

[jules-ln]

In Arcane fandom, you can’t call Mel Medarda “manipulative” EVER because you’re “villainizing” her (even though manipulation, despite the negative connotations associated with the word, on its own is not an inherently evil thing and can actually be a crucial survival tactic — for example, look at real life cases of kidnapping victims befriending their kidnappers to gain their trust that later escaped because of it. That’s technically manipulation, but you don’t see anyone calling those people “evil”...and no, piss on the poor website, i’m not villainizing those kids by pointing this out jfc get a grip. Given Mel’s background, it wouldn’t surprise me if she picked up this tactic at a young age to try and appease her mother, which is common in abusive households just as well — and yes, abusive parents can still love and care deeply for their children) and her later having this wild thing happen called character development that wouldn’t work if she was perfect and earnest from the beginning like people insist. I do think Mel gets a lot of unwanted shit from this fandom too, and I don’t agree with interpretations painting her as this wanting jezebel who only exists to get in the way of the gays, but apparently That and “Mel did some sketchy stuff too and was still manipulative towards Jayce and wasn’t a 100% perfect, innocent angel” are two ideas that can’t mutually co-exist.

Analyze and critique all the other characters, their behaviors and how it ties into their backgrounds, but touching Mel condemns you to hell, apparently. “‘we need more complex female characters!’ you can’t even handle [x]” people when you point out said complex female character’s complexities that aren’t wholly positive or shower her with praise as a girlboss supreme:

That's what I've been saying!

Manipulating isn't necessarily bad per se, it can even be done for good, like I put the example of Silco manipulating Jayce for the independence of Zaun, was Silco a good person? No, but he was using manipulation towards a good goal (though, in the end it didn't work)

And I do agree with saying that Mel using manipulation could be a trauma response because of her childhood, like look, Mel can be such an interesting character but her fans keep insisting to flatten her

Like I do genuinely wonder if some of these people actually like her character or just like her because she's pretty. Because at some point the fact that when people are asked about why Mel is so good and they only answer with that she's beautiful starts to feel objectifying tbh

Would those fans still like her if she was "ugly"? Would they like her if she was fat or disabled? Because where is this energy to defend Sevika, another brown woman who gets a lot of shit from the fandom but doesn't fit the conventional beauty standards like Mel does (love Sevika BTW, she doesn't deserves half the shit the fandom gives her)

Also, unpopular opinion, I don't think the Jayvik fandom at large demonizes Mel or portrays her as "getting in the way" of Jayvik. Like I've read a lot of fics and 99% of them Mel either isn't there or she's portrayed in a positive light. The problem; once again, it's that a lot of people on this fandom are very young, and they don't remember how it used to be, but I've been in fandom spaces since 2009 or so, not so much compared to other people. But! When I see Mel fans saying "it's fujoshis demonizing female characters again" I can tell they are just regurgitating talking points they've heard elsewhere, because do not cite the deep magic to me witch. I was there when it was written

Lemme tell you about an old fic I remember reading years ago about another yaoi ship, in that fic a female character forces herself on one of the gays to get pregnant, then she has a child to try to get one of the gays to marry her, but when that doesn't work, she kills the baby lmao. That was what people meant when they say that fujos used to demonize women! Having Jayce and Mel break up in friendly terms isn't "Mel getting in the way" it's simply not centering her character. And I don't understand why people have a problem with that, If I were to go to a MJ fic and ask for Viktor to be centered, people would call me an asshole, and rightly so

But anyway, at this point I'm just rambling lmao

I will die mad about the fact that Mel has been reduced by her fans to this pretty doll for people to project on instead of being a complex woman who isn't 100% good or 100% bad

[pythagoras180]

Why "El Toro de Piedra" fails on all fronts

The Letter

The inciting incident of Marinette's side of this episode is that she finds a letter that Gabriel wrote some time before his death, where he confesses to Adrien that he's Monarch. This causes Marinette to question if lying to Adrien is right. In other words, finding this letter causes her to question the thing she's already questioned multiple times. And at the end of the episode, she decides to keep lying to Adrien. So Marinette's entire story this episode is her making the same decision she already made. They keep rehashing this plotline without changing or progressing everything. This is the definition of running in place.

Also, why did reading this letter make Marinette reconsider her decision? Was it because it made her reinterpret what Gabriel's last words meant? Probably not, since it's not like Gabriel wrote this letter immediately before he died, it was clearly written a while before. Honestly, it feels like the only reason the writers added this letter is because they thought Marinette (and the audience) needed to be reminded of the decision she made. Even though she's already talked about it in previous episodes. What a joke.

Villainous Fathers

This episode reveals that Ivan's father is a supervillain who wants Ivan to follow in his footsteps, and Ivan is keeping this a secret because he feels ashamed. This is clearly meant to draw a thematic parallel between Ivan and Adrien. Except, their situations aren't similar at all. Ivan knows what kind of man his father is. It's not like he's in denial about it or anything. Ivan was the one keeping it a secret from others, due to the fact he was ashamed. How is that related to Adrien? Adrien isn't the one keeping a secret, and he isn't ashamed of something. There's also the stuff about Ivan choosing not to be like his father, which is something that could have been relevant to Adrien, but it's not, because Adrien doesn't know who his father really was. So this theme doesn't work at all.

To add insult to injury, this episode once again has a terrible parent be immediately forgiven. Given how often this happens in this show, I'm convinced that if Gabriel hadn't died, the show would have let him get away with everything he did.

The Concert

The whole concert part of the episode felt so disconnected and tacked on to the episode. In fact, the only real connection it has is the fact that Juleka's song mentions her father, connecting to the attempt at a theme. Other than that, this subplot could have been part of any episode.

How come Juleka needed to perform alone? Ivan and Luka may have been absent, but Rose and Adrien were still there (until Adrien had to leave too). Both of them can play the keyboard, why didn't either of them back Juleka up?

Finally, in Juleka's song, she puts more importance in her deadbeat dad, rather than her loving single mother. You might argue, "Well, it's because she's a musician like her father." I'd like to remind anyone who claims this that Juleka's mother is also a musician. Ever since season 4, the show has put more importance on Jagged Stone as parent to Luka and Juleka, rather than their mother. But this is the first time that focusing on the deadbeat has been the character's decision. So, I feel like I can say that Juleka Couffaine has been character assassinated.

The Council

Finally, this episode also sets up the idea that Gabriel and Tomoe's alliance wasn't just the two of them, there are also a bunch of other mysterious figures that knew he was Monarch and are working behind the scenes. And one of these people is Nathalie's father. There's not much to talk about here, it's just something that briefly appears at the end. It's just to tease that something interesting might happen in the future. But considering this show's track record of following through on its setups, I have zero faith that anything good will come from this.

Conclusion

I don't think a single thing that this episode tried to do was well executed, and it showed that not even a minor character like Juleka is safe from being ruined. Still not as bad as "Werepapas" though!

[dystopicjumpsuit]

Smutty dialogue and dirty talk

I was chatting with a good friend about dirty talk (as one does). We were discussing the things we like and dislike, the things we wish our partners would say, and the things that are absolutely not for us. And because of this, I was thinking about how tricky dirty talk is, not just in real life, but also in writing.

On occasion, people have DMed me to ask for advice on writing smutty dialogue. While I'm in no way an expert, I have written a fair amount of smut, and of course, I made my name writing this bit of filth, which is entirely dirty talk. So I do have at least some experience.

When I was a wee little DJ, I used to steal magazines from my older sister and hide with a flashlight to read the sex advice column, as curious little DJs are wont to do. I don't remember any of it EXCEPT for one column that has stuck with me for the last *cough cough* decades.

A reader requested advice, saying that their partner had asked them to talk dirty, and they were struggling with what to say. They said it felt unnatural and awkward, and they could never think of anything to say in the moment. The columnist came through with some truly excellent advice.

They suggested starting out simple: "I love the way your X feels in/on my Y."*

The columnist said that eventually the words would start to flow as they became more comfortable with talking in bed, but that the most important thing was just to be honest about how their partner made them feel. Honesty is the key to making dirty talk feel natural and authentic instead of forced and rehearsed. It's about connecting with your partner(s), not about putting on a performance.

And that's exactly how it works with writing, too. The key to writing great smutty dialogue, in my opinion, isn't to try to force it to be the dirtiest, most explicit thing ever (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's to just let your characters say how they feel in that moment.

It doesn't need to be a flowery, heartfelt declaration of eternal love; it can be as simple as, "Damn, you have an incredible [body part of choice]," or just feedback like, "Don't stop," "God, you feel good," "Harder," "I love the way you taste," "Do that again," or, "Right there, just like that." Don't underestimate the impact of a well-timed curse, either. And if a flowery, heartfelt declaration of eternal love is what feels right in the moment, go for it! It's your story, and you can write it however you want.

*Note that neither X nor Y have to always refer to genitalia or even necessarily to body parts. I'll be reblogging with examples, but I'm keeping this post reasonably SFW.

Sexy, smutty taglist:

@523rdrebel @wings-and-beskar @merkitty49 @arcsimper5 @clio3kantarella

@cloneloverrrrr @goblininawig @ladytano420 @arctrooper69 @sunshinesdaydream

@littlemissmanga @stunkbiggu @marierg @idontgetanysleep @lonewolflupe

@moonlightwarriorqueen @dudewhynotthis @sleepycreativewriter @tcwmatchmakingau @littlemissbshine

@multi-fan-dom-madness @heavenseed76 @wizardofrozz @bobaprint @sweetcream-coldfoam

@skellymom @pickleprickle @trixie2023 @cw80831 @flyiingsly

@lightwise @swcowgal @vrycurious @thora-sniper @returnofthepineapple

@reader6898 @cdblake1565 @epicy0n @starstofillmydream @msmeredithrose

@totallyunidentified @eclec-tech @euphoriacafe @hipwell @kimiheartblade

@dangraccoon @transactivecybermemory @etod @ivyyyyy @somewhere-on-kamino

@burningnerdchild @saneabandoned @heidnspeak @maniacalbooper @rebell-ious

[glorysbox]

Hi! Wanted to start off saying I love your writing so much! I had an idea that I’d love to see written by you, though I’m not sure if you do swf type stuff? (If not please totally ignore me!) And also not sure how detailed you prefer people to get, so this might be way too long for a fic lol. Either way, love your writing and hope you’re doing well!

So essentially Leon has a friend (afab) who has had a boyfriend for a while, and Leon begins to notice that she’s been staying home all the time, showing up less and less to hang out with their friend group, and giving excuses to not show up that’ve begun to repeat. Leon gets suspicious and confronts her when they’re alone for a minute, asking if her boyfriend is preventing her from hanging out with her friends and family. She confirms that’s the case, and explains that her boyfriend gets insanely suspicious about her interacting with anyone outside of him because, “Why would you ever need to talk to or be around anyone else? I should be enough for you. I should be your whole world.” And Leon, who has always had feelings for her but never acted on them is essentially like, “You know there are people who’d treat you better than that, right?”

leon x fem!reader

wc: 1.6k

tags: SFW YAYYYY! implied emotionally abusive relationship, hurt + comfort, leon is a cutie that cares about u a lot, dialogue heavy again

It's been a while since he's seen you.

So long, in fact, that Leon is starting to feel worried.

He never liked your boyfriend—couldn't stand the way the guy constantly talked down to you or the people around you. Leon never said anything, though. The guy made you "happy"—(in your own words)—and he would rather keep his tongue shut than threaten the friendship he has with you over this guy.

He thought he was making the right decision.

And yet, here he is, staring at the multitude of messages that he's been sending you over the past few weeks. Invitations to hang out get ignored. Questions about your well-being get ignored. Conversation starters get ignored. It's frustrating. But above being frustrating: it's nerve-wracking. Leon is worried. And he has been for weeks now... you're pulling away from him. And not just him; you're pulling away from everyone.

bestie: Hey. I'm worried about you, can we please talk? You've been distant for a while now. Did I do something wrong? [7:32]

bestie: Hello? Cmon. Dont ignore me [7:47]

You don't even read it.

It's at this point in time where Leon is starting to feel like he needs to do something. To say something. You were never like this before—and he's upset. Really upset. Which leads him to where he is now—fumbling with his phone as he stands outside of your apartment building. What does he even say? Does he call you—maybe text you? Will you even respond? Probably not. What if your boyfriend—the whole reason he wants to speak with you—is over your place?

Jesus, Leon. He thinks, stuffing his phone along with his hands into his jacket pockets. Come on. She needs you. Whatever happens happens.

Three knocks on your apartment break you out of your boyfriend-argument induced stupor. Your mind is foggy as you stumble from your bed—wiping your tears—to head to the door. This time, you don't even know what you've done wrong. You listen to your boyfriend faithfully. You've stopped talking to Leon, stopped hanging out with your friends, stopped messaging your family everyday—what else is there to do? You just want him to be happy.

boyfie: Do you even care about me? [7:26]

boyfie: i ask you to do the bare minimum shit and you never listen [7:26]

boyfie: Maybe we should just break up. i treat you like you're the only girl for me and all you do is whore yourself around [7:27]

He's told you so many times that he's the only one that'll ever love you the way he does. Explained that he is and should be your endgame—tells you that every good relationship needs it's compromise. He tells you that he's compromised so much to get nothing in return. And you believe it.

You'll have to figure out how to make this right—after you see who's at the door. With one final wipe of your tears with the back of your hand, you open your front door—maybe hoping to see your boyfriend, but...

"Hey, I... are you crying?" Leon's face is scrunched together, eyebrows drawn in and eyes squinting at the sight of your (admittedly pathetic, but adorable) display of sadness.

"No—I'm not. I was just..." You trail off, voice low and sad and whiny enough to make Leon's heart break into a million pieces. Guilt rushes over him in waves. He should've come sooner. You feel a firm hand squeezing the meat of your shoulder.

"Don't even lie... can I come in? We really, really need to talk. I—"

"No! No—you can't come in. Look, I'm sorry Leon, but..." You put your hands up defensively, creating distance between the both of you. Leon's heart breaks into a million more pieces. "That's not a good idea. You need to leave."

"Need to?" He sounds offended. "I'm not going anywhere. What I need to do is talk to you. About a bunch of things. It's just a talk!"

He pauses for a few moments.

"He won't get mad at us for just talking," Leon adds, in attempt to quell your obvious anxiety at just conversing with him. It's pretty much just as he thought; you never would avoid or ignore him on purpose. Your boyfriend told you to. You're just too sweet to realize that he's treating you like shit.

"Even if he doesn't... I don't want to risk it. I really don't want to upset him..." You avoid Leon's gaze. "Can you just... go away? I don't want to ruin my relationship anymore than I already have."

Leon's heart breaks into a trillion pieces.

"I'm... not going anywhere." Leon says slowly, taking a step closer to you. "Come on. He doesn't have to know. I'm worried about you. Everyone is."

"I don't want to lie about having you over. That would just be wrong." You pause. "And worried about what? I'm fine. Really."

Leon sighs. You watch as he pinches the bridge of his nose—watch as he looks around your apartment building. And then, you watch as he ducks under your arm to enter your apartment. He's already got the door shut behind himself before you can protest or say anything.

You open your mouth to speak, but—

"Just hear me out! Please. Come on. We've been best friends for years. Don't you care to hear about what I have to say?" He pauses, a pout forming on his face. You start to feel guilty for ghosting him. "Please. I'll be quick."

And you sigh in defeat, saying nothing. Which to him, is an invitation to speak.

"I... uh, okay, I know I said I wanted to speak. But I actually want you to talk to me instead. Talk to me about what's going on—" He reaches for you, putting a hand on your cheek. His thumb swipes away your tears. You don't pull away this time. "I need to know. I've been dying not knowing what's going on with you. At least give me the reason you ditched me."

"I... I'm sorry..." You mutter, eyes downcast as you avoid your best friend's intense gaze. "I should've talked to you about it, I'm sorry. It's just—he didn't want me talking to you, because..."

"Because?"

"Well—he said that you... uh, had a crush on me. And he didn't want me hanging out with you anymore because it's... cheating."

"What?! I don't—I..." He trails off, voice pitched a tad too high considering the fact that he's lying his ass off. Deflect, Leon. "Okay, whatever. What about our other friends? Your family? What's your reason for that?"

"H... he just said that you and—well, everyone doesn't understand our relationship. And that you guys just want to break us apart."

Damn right Leon doesn't understand your relationship with that douchebag. And damn right he wants you to break up with him. He doesn't verbalize any of this—not now, at least. He keeps a hand on your cheek, reveling in the feeling of your warm skin on his hand.

"And... why are you crying right now?" Leon's voice is soft as he speaks to you. He's trying his hardest to coax the truth out of you.

"Because..." You bite your lip, still looking away from Leon. The look on your face has his heart breaking into a quadrillion pieces. He could treat you so much better. "I made a mistake. And he won't tell me what I did... but I want to fix it. I really don't want to lose him..."

"You know... if he was a good boyfriend, he wouldn't not tell you what you did wrong." Leon's brows furrow together once more, replacing his softer expression. "He shouldn't want you to be upset. He should want you to be... happy. That's what couples should do."

Leon's doing a lot of talking for a guy who's never had a relationship before. He'd never admit that the reason is mostly because he only wants you.

"I know, but—"

"There's no buts. Come on. Don't you see? He's treating you like shit. I don't want to see you like..." He gestures to all of you. "This. Sad and lonely and desperate for this guy to treat you well. He's never going to treat you well."

He pauses.

"There's so many people out here. People that can treat you better. That care about you... like me, for example." Very subtle, Leon. He thinks, but thankfully... you don't seem to catch on. Or you don't comment on it if you do. He takes the opportunity, pulling you closer into him.

You don't pull away.

Making progress.

"We're best friends... I only want the best for you." You wrap your arms around his torso. Making more progress, he thinks. "I care about you more than you know. And I've been lonely without you."

You bury your face in his chest. It's comforting. It always has been. More progress.

"Everyone is worried about you. You need to... stop letting him string you along like this. He's taking advantage of you." You sniffle in his chest.

Maybe he's right, you think.

"Let's go back to the way things were before. Me. And you. And, uh... everyone else, yeah. And you being happy and smiling and having fun. I haven't seen you smile once since you started dating this guy." An exaggeration, but not all a lie. Now that you think about it, you aren't exactly happy. At all, really.

You're cracking.

"But..." You want to protest, to say anything, but the words die in your throat. You miss Leon. You miss your friends. You miss your family.

"No buts. Let's watch a movie. We can order pizza and stuff our faces. And you'll block that bastard and hang out with me every day again." You try to hold back the smile that threatens it's way on your face.

You hate to admit that this sounds like a good idea.

[vio-lets]

Me evilly convincing people to like various ships through fun fic recs <3 pt 1- tdbk

Okay uhh most of these are going to be for MHA because when the MHA hyperfixation hits, it hits HARD-- but I'm going to rec a handful of fics from HP and Haikyuu, too.

Todobaku - I actually got into this pairing pretty recently! I think mid to late November of last year? So I'm definitely late to the party, but that's okay. It's hard to put into words exactly what I love about this ship, but it really comes down to how well they work together, and how fun their dynamic is!

This may sound crazy, especially if you've read this fic, but the first fic I'm putting in this section is Bakugou and Todoroki's Foolproof 5-Step Plan to Fuck with Mineta Minoru by anubisisms (Teen, Completed, 37k words). To make this clear-- it's not a Todobaku fic, at least not in any romantic capacity. It is, however, the fic that first made me want to look more into the pairing. It's overall a hilarious fic, which you can probably gauge from the title, and has a lot of focus on the companionship between Bakugou and Todoroki. If you don't understand the ship, as I once didn't, and want to start with a platonic fic-- this would be great for you! In general it's just a great fic. I blanket rec most things by this author, though I haven't read everything of theirs. Also,, in this both Todoroki and Bakugou are with different people, but it's not a major part of the story imo. Still resulted in me shipping them lol.

This next one is a bit different from the first, and it's ALSO amazing. The fic I'm talking about is @DynamightsShortcake made a new post by haoboutno89 (Explicit, Completed, 16k words). Premise is basically Pro-Hero Shouto secretly runs a Dynamight fan account on Twitter and things get better from there. I definitely have a thing for Crack Treated Seriously and Social Media fics, and this fic perfectly hits both of those marks! When I first read this I was laughing my ass off. I absolutely adore how this fic is written and it definitely helped solidify my love for these two.

To keep my fics diverse, this next one is a bit more angsty-- but it's sweet, I promise. You and Me (Is All I Need) by lurethegalaxy (Teen, Completed, 8k words), is an Established Todobaku future fic that is Shouto-centric, and it's about Shouto not wanting children. This is a heavily introspective fic and explores Shouto's character really well. The relationship between him and Katsuki in this is amazing, too, so I had to include it here.

For this ship specifically, I've been in love with demon/angel dynamics??? Like. I don't often seek out fics like that, but closer to heaven than you'll ever know by kae_karo (Teen, Completed, 15k words) HOOKED me on the concept, and now I can't ever let it go. This one in particular is really unique because it's about Fallen Angel!Shouto and Risen Demon!Katsuki-- which is just, amazing. Shouto has to basically teach Katsuki how to perform miracles. It's sweet and somber and reading it will give you brainworms for at least 3-5 business days, I promise.

I've decided to make the next few fic recs Angel/Demon type-fics and I promise they're amazing and all you've ever wanted just trust me please. take you (for all that you got) by allmus (Mature, Completed, 15k words) is SUCHH an interesting fic omg. I absolutely adore Katsuki in this. They're stuck in purgatory together and have to work as customer service for heaven and hell. kinda. This one's also Demon!Katsuki/Angel!Shouto-- not quite fallen. But they share food!! And if you enjoy Katsuki yelling at Endeavour.. there's a very amusing scene in this fic where that happens. You should read it, trust me it's amazing c:

Ineffable Partners by LostLoveLetters (Explicit, Completed, 30k words) is like Good Omens-esque? I think? I've never watched Good Omens, but that doesn't matter, this fic is amazing either way. Again, Angel!Shouto and Demon!Katsuki, and they work together in this! Y'know that trope where you're so familiar with each other/banter so much like a couple that strangers say you look good together? Yeah. That happens. And trust me when I say that Shouto practicing human negotiation tactics in this will be one of the funniest things you've ever read. The smut veers sliiiiiiightly into monsterfucking, but not really. Either way, if it's not your thing, you can just skip it, since it's towards the end of the fic. All of it's incredibly well written, though, from the humor to the smut. I've read this fic many times. Again, I got into this pairing in November. That's how good it is.

Okay now Counting Stars by Starisia (Mature, Completed, 16k words) is different in that it's Fallen Angel!Shouto and Demon!Katsuki. Well. Katsuki is also a fallen angel, technically, but you'll read about why in the fic. This fic was amazing. The Hurt/Comfort, the Pining, the everythinggg. It is, like, sad. But in a good way I promise. Another one where Katsuki and Endeavour fight, except physically, now. 10/10 fic it's truly lovely.

I'm done with the Angel/Demon fics for nowww... but like, I have read others. If anyone wants a longer list of those. They're sososo good. Anywho. Next fic! bewitched, bothered, bewildered by dinosuns (Teen, Completed, 10k words), who, by the way, has soo many good fics. In this fic, Shouto is a street magician. He doesn't have magic. He's a little pathetic, but like. In a cute way. Katsuki, on the other hand, does have magic. Shenanigans ensue. Ft. supportive friend Izuku. This fic is soo silly and I'm in love with it. It's adorable and fluffy and perfect for when you need a pick-me-up.

This next fic is so warm and there's really no other way to put it. strawberry candies & colorful notes by waywardfacegarden (Teen, Completed, 6k words) (oh wow another great author!!) is just. Lovely. It's filled with pining, nonsense, and it's a secret admirer trope!!! What could be cuter. Truly. The dialogue between the two in this is.. aa!! Shouto is everything to me. Adored this fic <3

My true love gave to me... by alchemicink (Gen, Completed, 5k words) is SUCH a funny fic omg. Picture Christmas time. Shouto's away. He hears the 12 days of Christmas song and deems it peak romance. Katsuki and Ejirou are also roommates in this and it's all so amazing and funny, and we're a bit past the holidays I know, but like. Read it for winter or something idk. Romance exceeds all holidays.

For my last fic on this list-- though I have read many more, believe me when I say that Todobaku has taken over my brain-- I have to put red hearts, red hearts, that's what i'm on by underfallingflowerpetals (Mature, Completed, 1k words), who, by the way, has an INSANE amount of Todobaku fics that are amazing and no I haven't read them all, but I've read a good chunk. So I mentioned I like crack and social media, and this has aspects of both again. It also does have Omegaverse and Age Difference tags mixed in so if that's not your thing that's fair, but I promise this fic is hilarious. The author's summary is better than anything I could ever come up with, so here:

Their number four is in the middle of the street yelling about knotting omega pussy. This, barring the subject matter, is not that unusual on its own, if not for the fact that the number one is about to hurl a ball of scorching fire at him. Or: Dynamight punches Endeavor on live TV. For love.

and, like. If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will. Oh! The news reporter in this is hilarious. by the way. That could sell you on it. I loved her.

I guess that's all for now? Feel free to ask for more, I've been dying to talk about these two. I might make more rec lists in the future for them, but I definitely want to make some for a few other ships first.

[somewhat-insane]

Hello hello!! I hope you’re doing well!

If requests are open, would you be willing to write a blurb of MK getting glimpsed and scolded by his boyfriend after the events of S5? Maybe MK’s never seen him cry before either, so it’s a bit of a shock how he’s clinging to MK and bawling his eyes out and begging him not to do something like that again! I love auger/comfort and this last season hurt me lmao

Thank you so much and I hope you have an awesome day!!

Well, hello hello to you too!! I am doing well but seeing this ask made me do even better! I've never written a blurb before but I'll try my best! I have trouble writing short things because I'm always scared of them being too short, but hopefully, this lives up to your expectations!

~Don't You Dare~

Tags: Male/Masc!Reader x MK, hurt/comfort, blurb, established relationship

!!Warnings!!: Season 5 spoilers, profanity

He's stunned. He didn't know what to expect returning to you after trying to sacrifice himself but he hadn't expected you, his normally stoic and level-headed boyfriend, to be in tears and clinging to him like you never planned to let him go. Once he blinked back to his senses, he immediately tried to console you, but you weren't having any of it.

You pulled back to grab him by the shoulders, the tears still streaming down your face contrasted with the fiery glare you leveled him with as you hissed, "what the hell were you thinking!?"

Truthfully, he expected a scolding. He'd already received one from nearly everyone else and it only made sense to receive one from you, but he hadn't expected...

Your hands move to his face and you lean your forehead against his. He could feel you trembling as you desperately tried to suck in air amidst your sobs.

"Don't- don't ever fucking do anything like that ever again... please..."

"I- I didn't- I thought-" He sighed guiding your hands off of his face so he could look you in the eyes, "I thought it was the best choice. I- I wanted you to be able to live on without-"

"Don't you dare say what I think you're gonna say," you huff, wrapping your arms around him and pulling him close, "I don't think a life without you here is a life worth living at all."

"Hrk-" He sputters, "D-Don't say that! You-"

"I mean it! Now that I've gotten to see your stupid smile," you say, pulling back and squishing his cheeks, "I'm addicted and you're stuck with me."

"But- the fate of the world-!"

"The world can burn, I'm not letting any stupid deity who thinks they know what's right take you away from me, got it?"

He can't help but snort at that, a shocked chuckle bubbling up from his chest, "babe-"

"Ah-bu-bu," you interrupt, squishing his cheeks again, "do you got it?"

He sighs and rolls his eyes fondly, his voice muffled due to his squished cheeks, "yes, I've got it."

"Good," you say fondly, pressing a small kiss to his forehead, "now, call off from work for the next week because you owe me so many cuddles."

"Babe-!"

~

I'm unsure how well this turned out, but thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!

[frick-en]

With a Tender Kiss, I'll Love You Always

Well golly. I haven't written fanfiction in ages. Anyway, I'm obsessed with Justin Herbert and in a soft mood, so I want to write something that'll give you a cavity or two.

It's not that good, but I needed to write this. For some reason.

Enjoy!

P.S. I didn't read over this. It is as I have written it.

The knocking on the door continues as you struggle to lift yourself off your bed with crutches. Grumbling to yourself, you finally find balance. Or at least as much balance as you can for someone with one functioning leg.

You hobble to your front door and check the peep hole. You only see the torso of your vertically gifted friend and the cause of your current misfortune.

Convincing you to go skiing for the first time ever was something no one else could do, but Justin Herbert made a compelling argument. And by that, he really just told you that he really wanted you to go skiing with him. You know you shouldn't turn into such a following, babbling, love-stricken idiot around him, but you couldn't turn that part of your brain off when he was around.

You unlock the door and hobble back as you swing it open. Justin reaches out to catch you as you start to lose balance again. He's very good at doing that.

"You ok?" He asks you. You only nod in response, feeling another shooting pain stream through your leg all the way up to your hip.

You and Justin make your ways to the couch. Justin grabs your hand and helps you sit more comfortably, setting your crutches against the side table. A lot easier to do than throw them in floor, which usually ends up happening when you try to prop them up somewhere.

"I can still get you a scooter, you know." Justin offers.

"I'd rather you get me a surgeon who will fix me up today," You grumble.

Justin sits beside you and smiles at you. That's all he really had to do to get you to smile back at him. But you can see it in his eyes that he's beating himself up. He feels more guilty over this than anything he's done in his life.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to say sorry enough times for this."

"Justin, stop. I'm not mad at you," You reassure him, but you know he won't feel any better about this.

"You still have to wait another week till surgery, right?" He asks.

"Unfortunately."

"What do you need me to do until then?"

There was one thing about this whole ordeal that has made it even more difficult to get over. And it's the fact that you haven't been able to shower. It's too dangerous. You've been told to take sponge baths until after surgery. It's kinda ridiculous sometimes, but that's healthcare for you.

"It's kinda weird," You begin.

"Whatever it is. I'll do it."

"I need help," You struggle to say what you need to say. Justin is a good friend of yours, and while you harbor potentially unrequited feelings for him, you don't want to make him uncomfortable. Justin is such a good friend to you. He's the whole reason why you've been able to come out of your shell and actually enjoy a lot of life's fun little quirks. That was until you trip over a larger than expected rock while skiing down a mountain of hard snow.

Justin was the first person by your side. He carried you out of the line of other skiers and stayed with you at the hospital.

"Are you gonna say it? Or do I need to guess?" Justin asks.

"Sorry. I," You sigh. "Please don't get weird about this."

"Then tell me," He responds, poking your arm playfully. This gesture allows you to realize just how close he is sitting to you.

"I really need to shower. But they told me not to because I could get hurt, and because I don't have a bathtub, I can't sit in a bath either. I can only take sponge baths until after the surgery. I just feel really gross, and I think if I smelled less like vanilla ass, then I'll feel better."

"You want me to give you a sponge bath?" He asks.

"I just need help with one. I'm not gonna make you do everything," You explain.

You tell Justin that you need a bowl of soapy water, preferably warm along with your sponge and a towel or two.

"Is that all?" Justin asks.

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" You asks him noticing the slight pink tinge to his cheeks. Dimples on full display as he shakes his head.

"Thank you, Justin."

"You need me to stay here while you get cleaned up? I mean, in a different room."

"Sure. I might need your help," You respond. Justin nods and starts to walk away before you call him again, "Justin? Would you mind bringing me a clean shirt? I'm ashamed to say how long it's been since I've changed."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be right back," Justin responds. He walks back to your room and doesn't take long to bring back a familiar t-shirt. A green one with a big yellow "O" painted on it.

"I didn't know you had this," He says. "I've been looking for it honestly."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't bring myself to give it back."

Justin tosses you the shirt. He stands there waiting for you to give him your dirty clothes.

"Uhh... Sorry, I- Would you mind? Turning around?" You ask him.

"Oh! Sorry. I wasn't thinking," Justin turns around and holds his hand out for the shirt. You quickly switch t-shirts, deciding to wait until he leaves the room to take the shirt back off.

After taking your time to wash every crevice you could reach, you finally reach the most difficult part of this process. Your feet. You pull the leg of you sweatpants up and try to reach your sponge over to your feet. You feel that stinging, shooting pain again. And you're trying to clean your good foot. The splint on your other leg makes it surprisingly difficult in the position you're in to move your good leg.

You groan in pain and sit back on the couch. Taking a deep breath until the pain subsides. You sit back up and try to reach again with no luck.

You sigh. "Justin! You can come back in here now!"

Justin awkwardly enters the living room and sees you struggle to get your feet.

"You ok?" He asks. "You need help?"

"I'm sorry," You respond.

Justin walks over to the couch and crouches down in front of you. He puts the bowl of lukewarm water in the floor over a towel. He gently grabs your leg and adjusts so that you can be in a more comfortable position.

"That alright?' He asks, looking up at you. Eyes sparkling.

You feel like you swallowed a frog with the way he's looking at you. You nod. Justin holds your foot as he takes your sponge and gently scrubs.

"Is that warm enough?" He asks. So attentive to you.

"Yeah," You say with a raspy breath. Justin uses the towel to dry your foot off. He looks up at you again and smiles.

Not being able to stop yourself from talking, you say, "This is officially the weirdest thing I've ever done with a friend."

"Yeah." Justin says quietly as he moves to the more sensitive leg. He gently pulls the leg of your sweatpants up, gently grabbing your foot and even more gently scrubbing the foot. He notices the deep purples and reds that reach your calf. Those same colors that is causing the delay in your surgery.

"You good?" You ask him, being the worried one for a change.

"I just can't believe this happened to you. It's all my fault," He says.

"Justin."

"No. I'm the one who convinced you to go skiing when you said repeatedly you didn't want to."

"Justin. If I didn't want to go skiing then I wouldn't. I only went because it was you," You explain. Not even thinking. The things that a fresh sponge bath makes a girl do.

"Yeah. Cause I'm your friend," He says, going quiet again.

"Because I like spending time with you. I love spending time with you. And I'll do whatever you want so that I can keep spending time with you."

"What?"

"I'll do whatever you want so that I can keep spending time with you."

Justin looks up at you again. He stands on his knees to get a little closer to you.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're smart enough to figure it out yourself, Herbert."

"Please, tell me."

"Don't make me say it."

Justin moves so that he's a mere centimeter from your face. Your lips just barely touch before you stop and pull him in for a hug. Justin doesn't think. He just hugs you back and savors the moment.

"I would let you kiss me, but I have shit breath right now too. I want my first kiss with you to be perfect."

"I don't care how smelly you think your breath is. But if you want to wait. I'm fine with that. I'm just glad we can finally be subtly honest with each other," Justin admits. You nod along in agreement before Justin touches a tender kiss to your forehead. You close your eyes and breathe him in. Afraid that he'll evaporate into thin air if you don't savor this moment yourself.

"I'll love you always, you know."

_____

That's all folks. I didn't really know how to end the story. But it's been a long time since I've written so please give me you most constructive criticisms please.

[skyfallscotland]

A year ago today, I posted the first chapter on AO3 of a story called Fury.

A few months before that, I'd picked up A Court of Thorns & Roses. It was the first original work I'd read in years and when I finished Silver Flames a week later, I turned back to AO3, desperate to read more about these characters I'd fallen in love with. I couldn't find what I wanted. Feysand fic was all well and good, but there wasn't much of that, and Azriel didn't appeal to me, which ruled out...well, most of the archive.

Original character fic gets a bad rap and that's mostly because OC fic can often be an author's first foray into fandom and writing in general, making the quality hit and miss, but that's what I really wanted in the end—I wanted to read about other characters in this world and I wanted to flesh out the world itself. I had questions about Windhaven, about siphons and magic and all the things that had been mentioned and glossed over. I couldn't find fic that answered those questions. So I wrote one.

I'd written before, basically my whole life, but never finished anything. This time though, it was like something clicked in my brain. I wasn't back on Tumblr yet and I had no one to talk to about it, but I wrote and wrote and wrote. I'd been writing for months, in secret, not telling a single soul. I'd completely written both Fury and Siren, the second in the series, before ever posting a word of it.

I almost didn't write it, really. Almost didn't post it. I figured no one was going to read it with the way people look down on original character fic. But I felt compelled to write their stories, so I did—night after night. I actually think they might be the best stories I've ever written. The statistics don't reflect that, but I didn't have a storyline to follow, a framework to back me up, like I did later with Remi's Version, just a world and some characters and I'm very proud of them.

Remi's Version came after. I'd started writing it by September, but didn't start posting it until late October (that anniversary is next week) and I almost didn't write that either, because I thought maybe it was too much, too self-indulgent, too unbalanced. It's funny to think now, that I almost never wrote her at all.

I don't know why I'm writing this essay. Maybe just because it feels...some kind of way, you know? It's been a year, but that year felt like a decade, and it's been hard. Picking up ACOTAR was an act of self-preservation when I was at my lowest and Fury and Siren and everything that came after pulled me from somewhere I never want to be again.

It's been a year. My word count on AO3 is now 1,088,097. (That's like, twelve novels!). I've published 11 works. I've written a lot, I've laughed and cried and made friends with so many of you. I'm alive.

I guess I just wanted to say thanks, and to mark the milestone somehow because it feels like I've lived ten lives since October 17th, and in all of them, this was the high point. Happy Birthday, Tessa 🖤