#Yeah it's sort of... love-hate (non-couple) relationship

[maddaddist]

No time to die - Billie Eilish

Lost Paradise (Creature (my OC) × Nine)

Psst.. if you wanna know the lore...

Here it is... (use a translator bc I wrote in Korean)

[scarlet-empresss]

Simon Riley x reader relationship headcanons Sooo after nearly seven years of being a mostly inactive member of the fandom, writing countless fics that nobody ever got to see - I can say I’ve developed a fairly clear picture of how I envision some of these characters. Therefore, here are some of the things I think would characterize Simon as a partner (and a few of just him as a person). English is not my first language so please bear with me :)

Friends first. I feel like he's not one to rush into a serious relationship without having strong foundations laid out first. You're a trustworthy, longtime teammate he's been working with for years, who has seen his darkest side and inner demons resurface, and still be accepting of him as a person? Or perhaps you're a civilian working at the coffee shop he frequents; the same civilian who spilled his usual at him one time, leading to an unexpected, but most certainly intruguing friendship? Let's fucking roll with either.

Following the first point—he's not a 'love at first glance' type of guy. He needs a connection, a spark; that spark that comes from knowledge and insight, both gained through meaningful interactions and a genuine bond. This is what Simon seeks. (Bonus points if you're a medic/nurse, because, you know, I fucking love medic x soldier trope)

Now let's get to the love language—definitely acts of service. You're tired after a long day at work? Boom, you've got a nice and hot bath waiting for you, together with your favorite snacks and a glass of wine/book to read (could be both). Running low on essentials, be it your favorite type of coffee, a preferred perfume, tampons, the likes? Well, expect it to be restocked as soon as possible. He'll change the oil in your car, scrape the frost from the windows, anything you as much as mention. If you're sick, he'll do whatever makes you feel better, whether that's a warm compress or something as simple as a bowl of soup and a couple of ice packs. He wants to take care of you. He might not be an expert at expressin his feelings through words, but he'll damn sure cook you a three-course meal and a dessert to show you how much he appreciates you.

That being said, he's an exceptional cook. He doesn't have many opportunities to experiment in the kitchen during deployments or safe houses, but you can be sure that Simon is behind the pots and pans preparing mouthwatering meals whenever he's back home. It's relaxing, and he simply enjoys spending time cooking for you and himself.

Not into excessive PDA - hand holding is okay, but when you two are in a crowd (which he hates), there's a hand on the small of your back or lingering on the back of your neck. Behind closed doors, he's more openly affectionate. Whether you're simply making a sandwich in the kitchen or he breezes past you, he's likely to stand behind you and simply rest his chin on the top of your head, rough hands on your hips, or when you two are sitting on the couch, his arm is either around you or resting on your thigh.

Non sexual intimacy is a big yes; head scratches, hand holding, shoulder rubs, baths together, or anything of the sort. But there's one thing that melts him completely and that's when you kiss his eyelids. If you're his teammate and you're in a relationship, he will appreciate you helping him out of his gear, washing the dirt and grime off his hands or helping him apply the camouflage paint on his face.

He may call you "love" or "sweetheart," but he attempts to restrict these terms of endearment primarily behind closed doors. He's not exactly fond of overtly cutesy pet names either, so he appreciates the occasional "Love" or "Si," but he draws the line at anything more ostentatiously affectionate. "Don't ya ever call me pookie again, got it, sweetheart?"

Wanna wake up before that man? Yeah, good luck with that. He's a proper, bona fide early riser, an early bird, prepared for the day well before the rays reach the horizon. It's like clockwork, a routine that's been ingrained into his circadian rhythm, something that governs his inner system. If he's not out on a morning jog, he'll lie on his side of the bed, staring at you, silently admiring. Oh, and he'll know if you wake up and pretend to be still asleep.

Simon values the power of silence. Quiet as he may be at certain times, this man is not indifferent; he's an observer. He considers observation as a means of learning and appreciates the sheer volume of knowledge that can be gleaned from the study of behaviors, facial expressions, and other body language cues. Furthermore, a comfortable silence may be the strongest indicator of the powerful connection between two people. That's how he knew there was truly something special between you and him.

HOWEVER. The previous point doesn't right away mean that he despises talking. Sure, he's not one for an idle chit-chat, but I feel like it’s a very frequent idea that he’s the brooding and sullen type who prefers grunting over speaking, kinda like Daryl Dixon (that's a huge compliment to Simon). I’d say, Simon is somewhere in between—more of a ‘I speak only when I want to/have something really meaningful to say’. If he's got something on his mind, he'll let you know. And, surprisingly, he has a way with words like the smoothest motherfucker ever.

Not surprisingly, he's a bit of a softie when it comes to animals, especially dogs. Not one to baby-talk when he sees a dog, he merely offers gentle pats on its head or side (if he's more familiar with the dog, I see him petting it like dads do lol). He’s also very careful about the animals and makes sure not to touch one without asking the owner first. As for service dogs, he's especially careful, keeping a safe distance and showing due respect for their role.

You know you're gonna have a K9 at your home when you get with this man.

He's not a fan of surprises or gifts, because he wasn't raised in a family full of hugs and "I love you's" or selfless acts of affection. He struggles to convey his gratitude in the conventional manner, so it's often expressed, albeit indirectly, through acts of service. No matter what it is that you've gifted him, he's grateful for the thought and consideration all the same.

But you better believe he will surprise you in turn. He goes out of his way to procure anything and everything you so much as mention wanting, be it a trivial trinket or something more significant. He's always listening, always paying attention.

Not very into verbal compliments, but his eyes speak an entire novel about how he feels about you. Gentle glances, lingering stares, and silent admiration. He might not be overtly forthcoming with his praise, but one look is worth more than a thousand words.

Big spoon. He's a tad bit paranoid about having his back vulnerable—much like a cat and its exposed belly. It has nothing to do with trust—as he does trust you. It's merely a product of his inner paranoia, though there's a touch of protectiveness in there, too. Beacuse he'd much rather have you enveloped in his arms, ensuring him the sensation of protecting you with his whole body. Perhaps with time he would let you spoon him, but I wouldn't count on it early on in the relationship.

He's territorial, not in a jealous, envious, or controlling sense but rather in a protective and defensive manner. He doesn't like men or women making advances on you, especially unsolicited physical contact or overt flirting. While he won't try to be overbearing or overly assertive, he will make it abundantly clear that such behavior is uncalled for and unacceptable.

civilian!reader - get ready for some self-defense lessons. He'll ensure that you know basic moves that can give you the time to escape a dangerous situation. Simon is well-versed in the brutality of the world, and he won't sugarcoat anything. If you're in danger, you run; if you feel something's wrong, you run. He can't always be there to protect you. So he's drilled this mantra into your brain: no matter how strong, tough, skilled you think you are, you simply can't trust that your enemy won't wield a knife or gun.

But one of the very first things he's given you even before you two became a couple was a can of pepper spray.

He's a direct, straight to the point man, which is why he has no time for beating around the bush. There's no awkward tip-toeing with hints that may go unexplored, no subtle suggestions that may fall flat—he's all in. Whether it's on a mission, in bed, or an argument, Simon lays it all on the line because you're worth it. He will commit to you wholeheartedly, leaving nothing on the table, giving you everything he has to offer because you deserve nothing less.

You fell first, but he fell harder—this man adores you. Although he's not mushy, he won't shower you with affection and cute nicknames all the time, he loves you. And when Simon Riley loves someone, you can be damn sure he means it. His loyalty knows no limits and once he's attached to you, he'll never let go. He'll go through and beyond any lengths to make sure you're happy and safe.

Though he might not openly admit it, he likes it when you take the initiative, whether it's in bed, in your relationship, or just life in general. He values your opinions and respects and acknowledges your boundaries, and makes sure to let his own boundaries and needs be known as well. So, step up and make yourself heard, cause he will listen.

He values honesty highly and has a razor-sharp bullshit detector. Can smell bullshit from miles away, actually. Therefore, never, ever lie to him. Because he will uncover the truth, one way or another. Lies are the one thing that can shatter his trust beyond repair, making it a cardinal sin in his eyes. So, don't shy away from telling him the truth—no matter how difficult or inconvenient or painful it may be.

Now it gets a bit complicated here, because while he expects honesty from his s/o, Simon himself holds back some things. These are largely related to his past or the missions he has been on, the things he has seen. He doesn't want to lie to you, but he does it to protect himself and you. You just have to accept the fact that there are certain things he won't ever tell you.

Is capable of being absolutely terrifying without even trying, let alone when he wants to be. His height, muscles, and scars are a force to be reckoned with. So you don't have to be worried about going on a walk with him in the middle of the night or wearing something a bit more revealing, cause he will beat the living shit out of anyone who dares to touch you.

Absolutely no one can defeat him in arm wrestling or even come close to his grip strength.

Very awkward around babies, and I mean extremely awkward. Like Jane Smith holding a baby in Mr&Mrs Smith. He doesn't know a flying shit about caring for children, especially since he didn't have a positive parental influence growing up or any good role models. The subject of starting a family is still a bit sore; though he would likely grow more open to discussing it as time goes on. Still, a major aspect of his psyche seems terrified of becoming like his father.

Would die a thousand deaths for you.

[smahell]

leviathan heacanons which, if they did become canon, would deliver us the most amazing obey me nightbringer lesson 61 ever.

ground rules, literally the basis of everything i stand for:

yes he is queer, yes he is plus size, yes he is trans (in what way is up to you, transfem, transmasc, non-binary, agender. phuck he probably uses those cool xenogenders and collects pronouns like pokemon cards /pos)

• i think he'd have autism and BPD. makes sense w/ how sporadic his emotions can be and how they can be either on the extremes or nothing at all (projecting)

• he has facial hair, but it's more gentle stubble on his upper lip and dotted around his jawline because he just forgets to shave, and he just doesn't like the texture and feel of his skin afterwards anyways.

• he likes the IDEA of beaches and beach episodes. he just doesn't like sand, it's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.

• i like to think of his skin as a very slight jaundice yellow??? or just a sort of sandy shade (#d4d18c) for camouflage purposes!!! like camouflaging on stream beds and stuff since he's like a sea monster...

• vitamin d, magnesium AND iron deficiency. triple homicide.

• has multiple phones: "one's for specifically grinding, the other ones for texting everyone, this phone's for texting mc..."

• i think leviathan is the type to simultaneously believe in soulmates, but also regard to any couple he sees with vehement disgust. if he's not in a relationship he'll hate every couple he sees.. maybe he's jealous. or maybe he's being based.

• he SWEARS he's tall, it's just that his posture makes him slouch so bad that he's more mammon's height most of the time

• irrationally scared of back massages.

• probably a babiniku, which is how he gets like half of his income.

• vegetarian!! and doesn't like the taste of humans either. every time he thinks of eating one he think about "well what if i was eating *insert anime character?? they're a human right??"

• still thinks humans are kinda useless in real life but still mentally sensationalizes them as these "cool" beings that always go on adventures.

• his most finely trained sense: touch and smell. it's why he can't go into most malls and some shops; sometimes the smells of perfumes are so overwhelming that he'd rather wait outside.

• his sleep schedule is either a good 11pm to 8am or a horrible 6am to 9am. it'll waiver around depending on what's going on, whether he has cookie duty, if there's a concert of his favorite underground band coming up, whether he has to finish homework, or just general RAD events.

• piercings!! at first he just wanted more ear piercings but then it moved to nose piercings and face ones. his latest one is a dolphin bite piercing which he kinda got impulsively but he doesn't regret it at all (he likes the taste of metal in his mouth!)

• voice claim: kaido shun's voice from "the disastrous life of saiki k" (voiced by Micah Solusod)

• in a fic i read it mentioned levi liking seaweed brownies (made my mammon)??? yeah its a personal headcanon now, it floats in my head like a boat at sea..

• loves LOVES heated blankets, since he''s naturally coldblooded he'll snuggle up to anything he can get

anyways that's it :D @memeowmoth wanted me to share some of mine, and I can definitely come up with more!!!! (edit: spelling mistakes.. i didn't finish one of my sentences for some reason..)

[lizzieicecreamqueen]

Ugh I hate the way the fnaf thriology/novels fandom is almost non-existent 😭 Please if you're a fan let's be mutuals!

Recently on my sleepless nights I've been thinking a lot about the fact that John had a girlfriend in between the first two novels, like, I can't picture him with anyone else but Charlie🥲 But I would also love to see a little more about it, I'm all in for the gossip ;> But yeah, it kind of breaks my heart just a little bit,, I wonder how Charlie felt, the relationship between both has always been hard to describe cause they weren't official, they never even kissed formally yet they acted more like a couple than a lot of real stablished couples lol. I want to know much more about itttttttt,about everything😭😭 I would love to get another book/comic explaining more things and explaining the end a lil better, cause I'm NOT satisfied with the one we got, I mean, yes, but I want to know what exactly happened, is a pretty open ending. Is Charlie alive? Is John going crazy or something? Was it like some sort of dream? And mainly, how did the others react??!?!??!!? And did their friendship keep on going? I hope so☹️ I also hope that Charlie is alive. In my head Charlie survived, they continued to be friends and Char and John officially started dating. The happy ending they deserve. But yeah, I really hope that someday we get a book or something with more details about the story. And If you have any headcanon or theory about anything related I would love to hear them! (I'm so thirsty for content I'm going to die)

[jusst-you-race]

you make me feel comfortable here i swear, esp recently since seeing

oscar between haasbands (obsessed with the snippet)

rarepairs supporter (GAX and 2019 rookies- YES but may i offer you galex+lily or whatever their ship name is)

topgun????

strollonso / non lance hater (a big, warm and extra tight hug for that btw)

on this blog

~29

nonnie 29 I am kissing you so gently on the forehead mwah

I am a massive rare pair supporter you have no idea I can and will ship Anything as demonstrated by seeing oscar in between the haasbands on track and going yeah I can rpf that… exploring new and interesting dynamics is SO fun to me fr

Gax my beloved… always thinking about Gax tbh… and Galex + Lily! I believe I have read at least one fic for this and yeah…. Yeah…. Cool fun couple and their awkward bestie turned shared boyfriend? I’m compelled! they have a lot of fun potential especially with the whole galex being sort of exes then alex dating lily and George being weird about it …. yeah … Lily rolling her eyes and slamming their heads together to make them sort their shit out… it’s very challengers if challengers was slightly less toxic (because they’re all sweet goofballs at heart)

oh my god so I’m Very into top gun fun fact hangster and icemav will always have my whole damn heart like I am actively repressing the urge to come up with some kind of f1 top gun au (or top gun f1 au…….. fuck……..) because I have Other things to write but maybe one day…. if anyone dms me about it though I may be unable to resist

strollonso! Lance! most in love couple on the grid (Haasbands are coming for their title tho) <3 I care them deeply there is something so special about war criminal Fernando going to Aston Martin and becoming the softest sap ever… “I will always support him” like… look rpf is all fun and games and Im not trying to claim any of these men are Actually in a relationship but if I was… well I know where I’d start… Lancey is very special to me I will always be pro Lance he is a princess and has never done anything wrong in his life! yeah idk the unreasonable amounts of hate he gets just makes me really upset so you will not find any of that here ever!

on the matter of you being comfortable in my little corner of the internet, that seriously means the world to hear! I do try to be a positive space so I’m very glad I have succeeded in that with you! sorry I’m really just yapping away here BUT this kind of feels like a time to maybe put an idea I’ve been mulling over into the world… maybe this already exists or whatever but I’ve been thinking about the idea of a discord server specifically for the people who love most if not all of the drivers… or for people who love the less popular drivers even? but mostly a place free from haterism because why I respect the haterism and I think everyone is entitled to it… I just kind of don’t have that in me? And I feel like I can’t be alone in that… anyway putting out feelers for if this would be something people would be interested in… for the saps with too big a heart shall we say (for the rare pair shippers even? I dunno)

sorry for hijacking your ask and for my inability to shut up love you nonnie 29 <3

[dearweirdme]

I saw something interesting on twitter.

So a TKKR made a compilation of taekook hanging out secretly together and as usual, it made some people go mad. I was surprised at how many people were furious and calling us delusional over a simple post that could have been made by anyone.

But anyway.

So I was looking at the quotes with one eye open bc the hate was too much. Calling tkkrs all sort of names bc of a harmless post...hm.

And a comment caught my attention. I'm still thinking about it to this day.

I can't find it so I can't write word for word what the person said but it was something like :

"You have created a space where you can't see out of the bubble. One day, you're going to be shocked at how crazy you guys sound. One day, reality is going to smack you so hard you'll ask yourself how you got there."

Apart from the fact that it was exaggerated, it's still strikes me. Because how can someone come to that conclusion? Aren't we in the same fandom?? Even if you don't believe in Taekook, you can't be 100% sure that they aren't a thing no??

So I concluded that the person was probably throwing their insecurities on us because there's no way.

Hi anon!

Mmm, fandom is a pretty tough place to be in. I think many outside Tkk fandom don’t actually want to see. I think the mole-anon is a great example actually. They thought we were delusional too, until something Tae and Jk did that caught their eye and they started to actually look further. There is stuff pointing at us being right, Tkkrs (and shippers as a whole) just have such a bad reputation they don’t even want to consider there being any validity to what we think.

There can be plenty reasons for someone not even considering Tae and Jk being a real couple: homophobia, hate of shippers, other existing ships having preference, feeling it is disrespectful to discuss their private lives. But we are not delusional anon. Plenty of the people calling us delusional would have no qualms of speculation on a relationship if either Tae or Jk had been a woman. Plenty of those people have no qualms of speculating about other celebs being in a relationship right now. Plenty of those people have no qualms of having fantasies about themselves being with either Tae or Jk. So yeah, there’s something about the idea of Tae and Jk together that doesn’t sit well with them.

It’s true that some shippers are caught in a bubble. But definitely not all of them, and I feel the people on here are always very much aware of BTS as a whole. It doesn’t really matter what non-tkkrs think. Although it does suck to be fandom’s punchingbag, there’s very little to be done about it (though being normal when the guys go live would probably help… (😭😭😭 I miss them going live)).

When reading comments like that, just tell yourself: if one day Tae and Jk decide to come out, you will have been the one who saw love… and the person leaving that narrow minded comment, will have hate to look back at.

[biwenqing]

My Thoughts on: Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

I picked this up after I finished my reread of Golden Stage/Terrace, looking for a relationship that felt similarly balanced. I think I found it, but the books are also so different it would be a disservice to compare them. Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know is very much a story of the fantastic with lots of playing with tropes (which is a soft spot of mine). You can read the details on the Carrd and you can read the translation here on WordPress.

Things I adored:

The characters: Just about every one of the main characters (except for the ones you were supposed to hate/dislike) are delightful! Moral codes are all over the map, but that's what made it so great. No one was fully good or bad, and the story explores the ways that work in this world. The characterizations were delightful, especially considering that the POV does shift around a lot. There are some characters' POVs that would feel a bit dragged out now and then, but that was so rare and usually ended in advancing the plot so masterfully, I could easily forgive it.  

The premise: The fan-favorite character/secondary male love interest of a terrible hetero romance novel has said novel dropped on his head with a note asking him to fix the reader hated ending. It seems like a simple set up, but it gets so complicated and the ways it dives into some of the existential questions that comes up when you find you are a character in a story is masterful. I don't want to say more because I don't want to spoil it - I went in unspoiled and the twists that came up around the premise delighted me!

The worldbuilding: This had some of the most detailed and specific descriptions of the way cultivation worked (advancing and regressing in levels), as well as details on different cultivation paths to follow. At first, it felt like a lot, until it became clear how important it was to the story as a whole. By the time I was five chapters in, I no longer felt it was clunky and instead leaned into the insight it provided. 

Ties into characters but I feel needs its own shout-out - the female characters: There are three main ones, the "female lead" of the romance novel, and two high-ranking leaders in the demonic sect. They are all so different from each other and the stereotypes I feared would plague them were subverted or played with masterfully. Definitely shipping potential abounds between all three too, if that sweetens the deal. Support women's wrongs!!!

The romance: terrible bastard men miscommunicate at each other. Okay, not really, it's a lot more complicated than that. I will note that this is definitely a plot-heavy story so if you are looking for a more heavily romance focused, it might not be for you. But if you LOVE slow burn, unrequited love that is actually mutual, leveling of power imbalances so the relationship works better, exploring toxic and non-toxic possessiveness, power couples, and in a lot of ways friends to lovers, this story is for you!

Things I didn't like:

I don't think I have any? I couldn't read it fast enough? Like I said, some places would slow down a little, but it usually made sense in the context of a story that spanned so many decades.

Content Warnings:

Do pay attention to what is mentioned on the summaries. I think I'd more strongly warn for rape - the victim is a male character  assaulted by a female character, and it is brushed off in a way that made me uncomfortable, but I think that was also sort of the point? It does happen off screen. The male character ends up marrying the character who assaulted him sooooo... yeah. Be aware of that and take care of yourself! 

[bluecatwriter]

Writer asks

O ho HO heck yeah I love surveys! (Thanks for the tag, @mrpinniped!)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

109 and counting! 

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

356,656

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Dracula, but I have racked up a fair number of Dorian Gray and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fics, plus some Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein, and Moby Dick.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Doors Everywhere

I Too Can Love

In Every Sense

Angels Unawares

For Safety Reasons

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to respond— comments always make my day, so I want to let people know that I appreciate them (plus it's fun to chat about plot points or characterization details with readers!).

6. What's the fic you wrote that has the angstiest ending?

Probably The Breaking Point, where Jonathan dies before he even reaches Dracula's castle.

7. What's the fic you wrote that has the happiest ending?

A lot of my fics have very happy/sappy endings, but probably the most unabashedly happy one is Love Multiplying. 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Fortunately I have gotten only a few snarky comments here and there; the comments are overwhelmingly positive.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Ugh, so much smut. One moment I'm minding my own business, the next moment I'm tearing my hair out trying to write yet another threesome without making it turn out confusing and/or incredibly goofy. My favorite smut is the kind that's the site for dealing with a lot of Big Feelings (even though those are the hardest to write), but I also write fluffy, not-very-serious scenes too.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I've written a few Dracula/Dorian Gray crossovers, which have been a lot of fun!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not for fanfiction, though I've done a fair amount of cowriting in the past on other kinds of writing projects.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I have a lot of favorites, but Jonathan/Mina has got to be the top! I absolutely adore them as a couple, and more than that, their relationship is a non-negotiable backdrop of every Dracula fic I write. I just can't imagine splitting them up!

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but don't think you ever will?

I haven't officially given up hope on any of the many (many) fics sitting in my drafts folder, but time will tell. ;)

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I'm pretty good at characterization, especially expanding on what we can glean from a character in canon.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot! Plot is so hard for me— every time I write an even remotely plotty fic, I drive myself batty doing it.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I'll occasionally put in a word or phrase in a different language, but since I only speak one language, if there's an extended sequence in a different language I'll just italicize the words.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

On Ao3, Dracula, but my very first fic I ever wrote down was a Steven Universe fanfiction (that will never see the light of day). (If you count stories I made up but never wrote down, my first fandom was Disney's 1940 film Pinocchio— when I was a tiny child I remember making up a story about a girl who helped rescue all the boys-turned-donkeys from Pleasure Island. My first fix-it fic!)

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I think my favorite overall is Love Multiplying, just because writing it was such a journey and I poured so much love and care into it.

Tagging @yallemagne, @see-arcane and @0nelittlebirdtoldme in the lowest-possible-pressure sort of way.  (You can also post it as an askbox meme if you don't want to answer all 20 questions.)

[walkawaytall]

Ok, two deep questions and a silly one for your non-creepy ask prompt:

1.) What do you want your life to look like in 5 years?

2.) What do you think your life will look like in 5 years?

3.) Do you ship Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce?

Also, free advice, don’t type “not creepy” into the GIF library! Yikes.

Ooh, nice.

I want to be up in Michigan? I have some friends up there and have wanted to move for awhile. (Not that I don't have friends here in Dallas; I do. It is just also five trillion degrees here and I'm allergic to the state and there's too much traffic and I've never really been a die-hard Texan, so...why not?) And, depending on how a few things go in the next year or two, I may have the opportunity. And, I mean, in an ideal world, I'd be like...paid to write in some capacity, own a couple of horses, and be in love, but, you know, those things all require some things entirely outside of my control to work out, so. Also, if my cat could learn to not hate the kitten I adopted in June, that'd be great. Because she still hates her (the kitten, to be fair, is not helping her own case. She's in the cat's face every moment they're in the same room).

I think I'll realistically be working as an analyst like I am now (though, I'll have a bachelor's degree, which means the exact same work will be magically worth more money. I love our weird obsession with college education so much), though I don't necessarily know where. Hopefully somewhere with good insurance. And aside from that, I really don't know. Things are weird right now for reasons I can't get into really, and I'm going to be uncertain about a lot of future life stuff for awhile tbh.

Okay, I'll be honest: I think truly shipping celebrities is...kind of creepy and objectifying. Like, I can't get behind real-person fanfic, and anything beyond, "They always seemed like they had chemistry" or "They're cute together" being said about people who are not actually in a relationship kind of weirds me out. That being said, it appears that Taylor and Travis are in some sort of relationship, so this is really just me commenting on a thing that's happening, and they seem cute together. I mean, if I were her friend, I'd probably be saying, "Girl, you were engaged to a man you were with for six years and just broke that off. Maybe chillax for a few months?" But I'm not her friend, I don't know her life, and taking things at face value, yeah, he seems like a good dude. If it's working for them, good for them!

[youngerfrankenstein]

I was enabled. And somehow this wound up 1700 words long. And it’s still not everything I want to say.

So I have personally been making my way through several Transformers shows over the last few months and sort of doing writeups. Long story short it's a love/hate relationship. But my most recent one was EarthSpark, a show which was a lot weaker than I'd hoped. But in the middle of watching that show I figured "well Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is also on Paramount+. It might be fun to try out the other recent take on an 80's cartoon." And then the show was so much better I almost got angry.

Now, admittedly the shows are not THAT similar, but they are both about groups of non-human characters trying to get by on Earth with the help of human friends, they are both somewhat fresh takes on an 80's classic and they both have family as a central theme. And Rise just works so much better as a show.

Now there are a couple of reasons. For one I think the split-episode structure keeps the Turtles episodes flowing at a really brisk pace, and the far more episodic structure allows for more freedom, while EarthSpark feels more like it's trying to tell one story that keeps getting broken up. Rise also just has stronger writing. But I think the main issue for the difference in quality is just that Rise, unlike EarthSpark, knows what it wants to be.

And what exactly I mean by that is hard to pin down. A lot of it just comes down to how something ~feels~ and that's not very helpful. But I think it mostly comes down to two things. Clarity of Theme and Consistency of Tone.

-

Clarity of Theme

Stories have themes. They just do. Themes are what a story is about.

So what is EarthSpark about. Well. The two main themes I've seen people mentioning are Family and Identity. Which are definitely major themes! Don't get me wrong, the show is pretty blatant with them. But those are far from the only themes. We also have things like second chances, racism/xenophobia (handled really poorly in my opinion), growing up (which I would argue overlaps with identity but is still it's own thing) and the fallout of a war. None of these are bad themes inherently! But trying to tackle all of them in one 26 episode season means you can't go into much depth with any of them, so all the lessons come off as pretty shallow with kids just kind of being told what to think about the situation. There are also a few laboured political points (and before you jump me NO. I am not talking about Nightshade. A nonbinary character existing is not political. I'm talking about shit like the "undocumented cybertronians" line that make me want to drown the writers in a kiddie pool.)

Overall it feels like the MAIN concept behind the show is using Transformers as a second-generation immigrant story allegory. Which I actually think is a neat idea! But so much else is going on the concept has no real space to breathe.

And what is Rise's main theme? Family …and that's about it! Yeah there's the episodic morals and such but the over-arcing theme really is just family. Largely brought about just by how the brothers and Splinter interact. You just buy them as a family because of how they interact. They love each other, they get on each other's nerves, they support each other, they argue. You can see Splinter becoming more involved as an actual father as the show goes on. Everyone gets through the trials because they go through them together.

And of course, how the villains tie into this. Now most of the villains in Rise are just there to be silly obstacles, but one does stand out, and that's Shredder. In this version, Shredder is a demonic set of armour and the corrupted soul of Karai's father. His defeat means the two can finally reunite. And his long reach and the feud between the Hamato and Foot clans all tie into the theme of family well. His defeat ties every character together and emphasizes the theme.

Krang is the movie villain, and they made him terrifying by the way, and he ties more into the movie's theme. It's a more character-centric arc of Leo being humbled. Learning he needs to give his ego a break and help and be helped by his brothers. Since Krang is all about personal strength it sets him as a fitting foil, ready to be brought down by self-sacrifice and further humiliated by people working together.

Heck even Draxum ties into the theme. He is technically one of the Turtle's parents and is the reason they and Splinter ever became a family. It all ties into the theme.

So what about the villains of EarthSpark?

Well you have Croft, who is meant to represent the institutional xenophobia aspect. She does not like the robots even as she works with them and wants to get rid of them. Fine. Though it is frustrating that there's things she's not really wrong about, but she's clearly meant to be entirely evil. But sometimes that just happens. The bigger problem is she has no real impact on anything. There's no showdown with her, she just dies (maybe???) to try and up stakes. Also they called her Karen. You can't tell me it wasn't intentional and I HATE it.

And Mandroid! Who… well he doesn't like the robots because he lost an arm in one of their battles? I think? But he also sort of wants to become one? And that ends up driving him insane as he gets really sick? And he's just kind of a dick. …Look Mandroid is just a garbage villain who doesn't really tie into ANY of the themes and that sucks. You could argue he represents hate. On a deeper level you could argue he represents a perversion of the Transformer/Human cooperation dynamic. Or that his portrayal is just kind of ableist. But he just kind of wants to kill robots because he's angry at them, and is very boring.

-

Consistency of Tone

And here's where it doubles down on how it feels, since tone can be harder to pin down. But I'll try.

Rise is fully committed to being utterly absurd. It embraces the stupidity of its own concept and sets about building a setting nominally our own world but honestly nothing like it. Its action is completely over the top. Its villains are rarely taken seriously and their general mayhem blends with the mayhem of the world. No concept too ridiculous, we are in a world with teenage mutant ninja turtles after all! The final episode of season 1 has a sixteen year old girl whack a baseball at a toy left in the head of an ancient evil that a rat had been using as a teapot. And the rest of the series set up the world so that I was 100% willing to buy that.

It also helps with the more ridiculous plot points. Baron Draxum getting forcibly adopted into the family after his defeat is stupid. But the tone of the show makes it work, he's just another silly character silly things happen to. And again, it ties into the themes of family. The tone helps it flow better than say, Starscream or Shockwave's random changes of heart in EarthSpark which are played more seriously and with characters who have little to no build up.

Really the only times Rise stops being silly are the season 2 finale and the movie. Which are still kind of absurd but much darker in tone. And honestly by that point? The show had earned it. I care about these goofs and their world. Seeing all that in genuine peril felt awful.

EarthSpark's tone is a little harder to pin down. What it seems to be going for is a deeply idyllic feel that gets shattered by the darker things in the world when they show up. Which is fine, it could work really well! But, likely in part because of the way it released in batches, the darker points largely seem to come out of nowhere and then things go back to idyllic until the next batch opener or finale. Now on a more personal note, idyllic crosses over fast into cloying for me and a LOT of the show crossed over and never looked back. The attempt at a somewhat more serious tone also makes the goofier moments feel out of place.

I do think in large part it's the execution. If you want to have a tone that keeps swapping you want to balance it better. If you want a tone to shift once you have to earn it. And I think the balance was off.

-

Nostalgia Factor

One other note is harder for me to write about because Rise is the only TMNT show I have watched. So any appeal to the nostalgia factor here would be lost on me. Aside from maybe noticing that the two main Foot Clan members were voiced by Pinky and The Brain. (Side note: The more I look at the cast the more I hope the casting director got paid well) Which means I am kind of biased here. But I will say I know most of the villains were new characters the creators made to mess around with. And they are very fun.

Because ES really needed to ease up on the nostalgia. I think part of its problem is being unwilling to let go of the past, to focus entirely on the new cast rather than hyping up legacy characters. If you wanted to write a story about them, then do that! Again, I have no doubt this show was written by fans. What I doubt is whether that's a good thing in this case.

-

P.S. Rise also has significantly better animation. One of the things I did quite like about ES is the action sequences, but Rise completely blew it out of the water with theirs. And stylisation helped make even the simple scenes feel more energetic. Am I saying that Transformers should go back to 2D animation? YES.

[skenekidz]

Hey! Just saw this so sorry for the late response but wanted to respond. I am the “Unpopular Opinions” Person btw

OBVIOUSLY all the respect is meant. You are a genius <3 love your work, this is just some commentary

- Brennan IS a worse person than Killian because Killian really… doesn’t have THAT much agency in his life. Idk maybe I’m being too soft on him but I’ve always emphasized w/ children who make bad/objectively ambiguous decisions as the result of a turbulent life. Therefore, where Killian and Brennan made the SAME level of bad choices, Killian was genuinely a good person who was just trying to be a teenager/live his life in this “Fish out of Water” scenario he was put in. Brennan, meanwhile, came off like he had A LOT more agency and… strength, so to speak, not only in his own life but who he was in general. Therefore it’s a lot harder to excuse him for the stupid shit he puts himself in (like involving himself w/ the Principal’s son AND getting drawn into the bad/rebellious crowd, etc.). Therefore, Brennan is a worse person because generally those people (the reckless people who know they can make different, better choices and CHOOSE NOT TO), don’t tend to make the BEST decisions for their loved ones as well. Like I could see Brennan pulling some real dick behavior and causing shit for the people he cares for. Meanwhile, Killian? I highly doubt it. It’s the difference between “all bark but no bite” (Killian) and vice versa. One is just better.

- I agree on that! I’m just saying that IRL, the friends that stick will stick around. No amount of distance can TRULY crush any friendship. No doubt. Meanwhile… him relying on his friends as his family? Idk. There’s a difference between “My friends are my family” and “my friends can replace my family.” One is a MASSIVE cope and the other is just having close platonic/non-traditional family relationships. I still say Ireland would’ve given him time to grieve, properly, and become a more stable/stronger person. Just because something is harder to do doesn’t mean it’s the wrong choice.

- They are healthier!! You’re so right. And yeah, Staz and Ethan are similar but not the same people BUT… Will ALWAYS gave me the wrong vibes. I don’t vibe w/ hypocrites, and he is a MASSIVE one, considering him and Jude are EXTREMELY alike (Will just have the advantage of not having a horrible relationship w/ his Mother, otherwise I GUARANTEE he would’ve made similar if not the same choices). HOWEVER, the dynamics are EERILY similar. Two soft boys from subtly troubled homes change the perspective of two much more damaged, aggressive boys? Yeah, apologies if this wasn’t the correct read in the slightest, but both couples sort of gave me those vibes tbh. Although not ENTIRELY, clearly, as they are both complex enough to not be carbon copies (I realized this might’ve been insulting and so sorry if it is. I’m not trying to say that at all, they just follow the same TROPES.)

- You were an EXCELLENT writer (I mean your characters than were ten times more complex than mine are NOW), I just think the plot needed the characters to do what it needed them to do and there wasn’t a lot of time for diversions. Also, it really isn’t your fault if they were “a nightmare.” Hollywood/etc. LOVES the dysfunctional friendships. Just look at Riverdale! White Lotus (if you need a more updated example)! Gossip Girl! Literally any superhero movie. It’s just more fun for friends to sort of hate each others guts, unfortunately. ESPECIALLY in Young Adult media. Benji is still a bad friend to Ethan and Gideon tho… I will DIE on this hill (plus Sonnet and Ethan are the platonic soulmates we never got to see).

And that’s it! Thank you so much for your time!! I hope I never veered into disrespectful or rude while writing this. I feel like I did at multiple points so if I have, I am extremely sorry, clearly not my intention. I have a HUGE amount of respect to you and obviously, these are tour books, I just was curious to see if you would hate these tbh. All the love <3 Have a great day/evening!!!!

Cheers :)

This was super respectfully worded and I really appreciate the perspective! As the writer, it's sometimes hard for me to imagine how things can be interpreted differently than I intend, so I appreciate these kinds of honest perspectives. It gives me a lot to consider when writing in the future! Thanks for sharing! :)

[astraeasilvers]

🎱 ⇢

🍓 ⇢ Watched Eyeshield 21, had an idea to look for fics of HiruSena, met @nonbayanary who inspired me to write my own LOL 🌵 ⇢ Can I link my own? 🕯️ ⇢ I don't really edit. I write by the seat of my pants. Meaning no drafts, no beta, we die like I do from my ADHD 🛼 ⇢ 🏫🧛‍♂️🏈💕🔺 🥑 ⇢ @nonbayanary @fandonnavyce 🥤 ⇢ Either @nonbayanary 's fics, or @moxiepoxy 's A Fated Pair Sasaki to Miyano fic 💌 ⇢ Depends... in which email? 🌻 ⇢ @nonbayanary 🐇 ⇢ Either way, as long as the story is good, and the writing has heart, I'm fine either way. 🧃 ⇢ Not exactly lore, but... You know how in each of my fics, Sena's dad is dead? Yeah, no real reason for it, I just can't write happy, whole families and don't want to bother writing two parents LOL 🎲 ⇢ ADHD 🍄 ⇢ HiruSena headcannon: Hiruma is the biggest fucking simp for Sena. He just internalizes it so bad, no one could usually tell. Also, Musashi is 100% taller than Hiruma. At least by a couple centimeters. He just gives tall energy. 🧸 ⇢ Just reach out to me, and be nice! I love to meet new people, and I love to talk to people about mutual interests, or just geek out over many things! 🪐 ⇢ ... Uh... gimme a second, I'll think of something....

I dyed my hair today? Something I've been wanting to do again for so long. 2, I've been writing a lot, and enjoying it. 3... I guess I've been having fun interacting with my online friends. I don't have much going on in my life, honestly LOL 📚 ⇢ Not really a notes app, just a note in my google doc for a WIP. It's really long, to summarize, It's the ATLA HiruSena prompt. 🍬 ⇢ I don't really have any? Like, I don't watch many REALLY popular shows, and the ones I do, I don't have strong opinions on anyone, really. But when I do, they're not 'unpopular.' 🔪 ⇢ ... I'd skip this but then you all might think it's worse than it actually is. I was researching what non-ace/aro people consider a normal pace for a relationship LMAO (my single AF ass wouldn't, and will not know) 🦷 ⇢ If you get stumped while writing, just brainstorm the weirdest fucking shit you can think of. Sooner or later you'll find where you want to go, or what you want to add. The starting off really weird tends to lead to running out of 'weird' and finally coming up with 'somewhat sane' ideas. ❄️ ⇢ I have so many fic/plot ideas, I can't pick one. But, If I had to pick an author outside myself who would know the perfect way to do it, it would be @nonbayanary 🌿 ⇢ One is to just write, like, anything and if it comes out bad, you can always try again, or use it as a base to edit until you get it where you like it. Another is to brainstorm a few basic plot points to hit on as you write, and sort of fill out the in-between parts.

What I typically do is just go one sentence at a time, slowly building up the scene until I get a hit of inspiration on where I want it to go, and then come back and edit the build up, if it took too long and got ramble-y

One thing you can do, if you want to procrastinate while also getting some inspiration, is to build a playlist of music that you think fits your story. That way you can listen to it as you write. It sometimes helps in the long run. 🥐 ⇢ Not really an internet reference, but something my sister and I reference a lot, that makes me laugh.

🏜️ ⇢ One's that say I made their day, or made them happy/excited in general, or that they look forward to my updates. 🍦 ⇢ I don't really hate any characters? 😐 🥝 ⇢ Not really. Only if it's to keep the peace. I'd say what the lie was, but it has pretty... depressing context. 🦋 ⇢ Nothing big, just that I wish my freaking OCD and ADHD would quite raging at me. 🦴 ⇢ Eyeshield 21 is, like, the only thing that's ever inspired me to write LOL 🍅 ⇢ Try to focus less on phrasing, and just getting the point/intent/emotion across 🐚 ⇢ Not a big fan of them. I prefer to know when change (aka a 'surprise') is coming. That's why I love spoilers LOL 🪲 ⇢ Can't really do that without giving a lot away, or just pasting one of my old Passage Quotes. 😅 ☁️ ⇢ No real specific reason. Nullified King is just kind of the alternate to anotherof my usernames. Astraea is the sky maiden of Justice and Purity, and just a name I really love. Silvers represent smy other main username 'Silver Phoenix' which has it's roots in myt OG character (I'll save that story for another day) 🐝 ⇢ @nonbayanary and @fandonnavyce as well as @ayumifantasy91 @livannasalinger and @chaoticasthael You all have been so kind and helpful through it all! You've given me inspiration, support, and kindness, and I'm so happy to have met you guys! 🌸 ⇢ I do! I have two cats, my sister has two cats, and we just inherited my Oma's cat! I don't have pics of them on my laptop tho, so I can't share any right now 😅 🎨 ⇢ This piece was made for me by someone who read my fic Lightspeed Heartbeat and I still get really emotional over it! 🧩 ⇢ No matter how good the story, if the spelling/grammar is bad, I just can't. It's just something with how my brain works, sorry!

Writers Truth & Dare Ask Game

🎱 ⇢ post your AO3 total stats  🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?  🌵 ⇢ share the link to a playlist you love 🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that? 🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis 🥑 ⇢ you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help? 🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love 💌 ⇢ how many unread emails do you have right now?  🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis 🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both?  🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before 🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time?  🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings 🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual? 🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now 📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?  🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character 🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project? 🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on ❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best? 🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity 🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh  🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work? 🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate 🥝 ⇢ do you lie a lot? what's the most recent lie you told? 🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately  🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?  �� ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing 🐚 ⇢ do you like or dislike surprises? 🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here ☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username? 🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them 🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them 🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it 🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

[thisiskatsblog]

The hypocrisy of larries reblogging that post when it is larries who disregard their words about their sexuality. Louis said he is in fact straight but you dismiss him, you shut him up every day. Your blatant biphobia is the reason why you claim Harry hates women. How do you know Harry's sexuality when he didn't declare it? What gives you the right to shut Louis up, dismiss his words while forcing a sexuality on Harry who never declared it? You are so biphobic you can't even fathom Harry as a bi

Which post am I not allowed to reblog and for which reason? When did I ever say Harry hates women? He certainly doesn’t as he says himself he has been brought up by women and as far as I can see he does love to have women in his band. Also when the fuck did Harry ever say he was bi? Because by your own standards if he never explicitly said that then you are the one slapping a label on him that he never declared and you are a homophobic ass.

Also when did I say he was anything for certain (besides one hyperbolic post a million years ago)? I’ve only expressed that I think he is was/is in a relationship with Louis that’s all. No one has ever come to tell me not to do that when the speculation is about a different gendered couple so there’s much to say about your attitude in that account too.

As far as what Harry has and hasn’t said - as far as I can recall, he has said he doesn’t think he’s bi (written interview - no live confirmation), that gender isn’t important in a significant other (which could mean bi but he didn’t say that), and that he prefers not to use any labels (so yeah probably not straight but you’re very much not respecting that with your insistence he must be bi).

Harry never labelled himself. I am fine with that. What the hell is your fucking problem with me.

Oh is it my insistence that Louis should not leave the pernicious “I am in fact straight” tweet on his Twitter? Because let me tell you, that tweet makes him look like a homophobic ass and I don’t think it’s a good look on him. Or anyone for that matter. Because there was really no reason for him to insist on that I hope you remember this correctly. It was after Harry “came out” of sorts saying he didn’t think gender was important. And Louis had worn something rainbow coloured the week after. And a journalist had interpreted that as him being supportive of his apparently non-straight band mate. And then he hate tweeted the journalist and felt it necessary to clarify he was in fact straight when the journalist hadn’t even so much as suggested he was not that. So to get you on the message here: someone said “how great of you Louis to act like a true ally and support Harry saying gender doesn’t matter to me” and Louis’ tweet said “Fuck you I wasn’t supporting Harry and I am certainly NOT GAY how could you possibly think that?” (While she didn’t say anything of the sort).

If you don’t wish to be seen as an ally…. That’s homophobic, there is no middle ground there. And if any association with ally ship and rainbows makes you feel the need to assert that you are straight then you’re certainly not comfortable with homosexuality - if not actively homophobic it at least caters to societal homophobia where any association with “gay” is to be avoided. So yeah I fucking hate that tweet and wish for it to disappear into nothingness forever because it hurts me as a queer, bisexual person. It hurts me to think that Louis would not want to be seen as supporting someone like me for whom gender doesn’t factor into the attraction they feel to someone. It really really does.

I really wish he’d shut up about that article in the independent about his support to Harry. That’s not the same as dismissing anything he says about his sexuality. But let’s just say I did see those boners he had for Harry. And from experience, I had my fair share of lady boners for girls before I managed to understand let alone say out loud to anyone that I wasn’t straight. I’m not going to tell Louis what or who he is. That’s up to him and if he considers himself straight and/or wants to be seen as straight even when he doesn’t consider himself so that’s his choice. He just shouldn’t be a homophobic douche about it on Twitter.

[fappellmoan]

ok. we can all agree for various reasons the writing of the steve/nancy/jonathan/murray situation was annoying in s2. and weird, given that they’re teenagers, which we might forget since they all look a bit older. even if you argue it wasn’t a clean and clear breakup between stancy it was done for the narrative. bear with me i know literally everything is for the narrative so that’s redundant. they’d been hinting since s1 that something with steve and nancy wouldn’t click and the Barb of it all just made this worse.

(i also think if my best friend died when i was 15/16 and i felt guilty for that i’d probably be a little weird when it came to the relationship with the guy i was hooking up with when she disappeared, even if i really liked him, because you know, i’d be 15 and my brain is not exactly at its most mature and that’s super traumatic.)

have you people ever watched tv shows where through one couple kind of failing you see how another clicks well? and it sucks that it’s sort of emotional cheating but it just is a way of writing? like. that sort of storytelling is used for grown adults who don’t always handle it well and you want this 16 yr old to be perfect. 16 year olds often have fleeting non-perfect relationships. tell me, quickly, how perfect you wanted this to be given everything else going on in the series? yeah st is a popular show but first thing you learn is you gotta cut shit in a script that isn’t really that integral, so, this was seen as their best way to condense it and get the point across.

anyway, all this to say, i don’t think nancy’s writing is perfect, i don’t like when she’s just a gun girl #feministgirlboss. i don’t like that that’s how they chose to develop her character esp in later seasons. i don’t love anything about the love triangle. but i think if you’re coming up with all these convoluted reasons about how fucked up and manipulative and evil she is and how she just uses and abuses people for her own good and also saying there’s nothing about her family or the barb situation or anything that could be complicating things for her, and you’re saying this without taking even half a second to think through it, and also, you’re like in your 20s talking about this teenage girl, the call is coming from inside the house. sorry. go to therapy? talk about the mean girl bullying you endured in high school and get over yourself…

also. it’s been two seasons. can we shut the fuck up about that. like ever. if people were still talking about all the ways i was annoying in my 16 year old relationship and the times i wasn’t perfect i’d want to kms. it’s time to let it go

AND. one more thing. if it was steve you would. you WOULD be considering all the reasons that he acted the way he did. in fact, you guys love to talk about how steve should be forgiven for calling the byers a bunch of queers and attacking jonathan while his baby brother was missing because he had good development. that’s great. steve and nancy did talk a bit near the end of season2, obviously not for long because will was literally actively possessed and desperately trying to communicate and so their breakup wasn’t the most important thing in the world. she showed she’s not a complete bitch with the sweet snow ball dancing with dustin moment. unrequited love sucks but i’m pretty sure they sorta made up as much as you can in that situation. you literally just hate that she got with steve and u didn’t i’m sorry…

i’m not saying everything you people say is because of misogyny. i’m not saying nancy has never done anything wrong (well sometimes i do 💖). i’m not saying i only like nancy because she is a Woman and she is a Girlboss and she Has Gun and whatever. she is a flawed character but you guys take that to an extreme saying she’s this conniving selfish person. and i think you could do to take a look inward and not constantly point fingers at nancy fans saying we’re superficial idiotic white feminist types who just aren’t smart enough to engage with media the way you do. shut the fuck up <3 for once!

[feministbirdcreature]

I’m quite conflicted on this entire topic. Yes, I do think that a lot of the more popular YA BookTok type books are 1) very poorly written and 2) unoriginal but I’d rather women and girls are reading badly written books than no books at all, because maybe one day they’ll decide to put down Sarah J Mass to get into higher quality literary fiction or even non-fiction genres like feminist history and philosophy etc. Considering the fact the average male’s hobbies consist of porn, video games (and not even creative or more artistic games - it’s usually shit like FIFA and Call of Duty) and watching sports (so not even participating in them lol) then I’d say it’s a win that women are reading more!

However, for me the main problem with YA is the fact that it seems to exclusively focus on hetero romance. I could write an entire essay on how much I hate romance as a genre because I think that it basically exists as propaganda to convince women and girls to keep dating men. Ok, let’s talk about Disney films for a moment. Can we talk about how messed up it is that for a long time, all Disney films aimed specifically at girls (like the princess films) all ended with the princess getting married, whereas children’s media aimed at boys doesn’t focus on relationships?

A lot of romance media paints males as being loyal, protective and romantic, when in reality a lot of males aren’t interested in romance or relationships with women. What I mean by that is, when men enter relationships into women, it’s usually with the purpose of extracting something from the woman: usually sex, emotional labour and domestic labour/services. The romance genre fails to depict this reality.

I saw a statistic once saying that over 90% of romance genre fans are women, and I’m not surprised at all. A lot of people tend to consume media as a form of escapism, and sometimes, by looking at the type of media someone consumes, you can extrapolate a lot about their personality. Women watch romantic films where the hetero couple is in love and they respect each other and are absolutely crazy about each other. Men watch porn, and 99.9% of the time the porn doesn’t feature any kissing, sensual touching, cunnilingus, fingering, touching of the clit etc. The porn just goes straight to the sex (which is usually violent and degrading). If men were so capable of romance and loving women irl, then why aren’t they consuming the romance genre in equal numbers to women, especially considering the male loneliness epidemic? Oh right, yeah, it’s because they’re just not interested in romance.

Anyway, rant about the romance genre in general over. YA romance also has a tendency to romanticise abusive and misogynistic behaviour, and it’s concerning that these sorts of books are being recommended to 11 year old girls by the TikTok algorithm. I watched a YouTube review about a book where a teen girl moves into a house with a bunch of male relatives and basically has like an incestuous abusive relationship with them all?? And this is considered mainstream popular fiction????? wtf

At the same time though, if women and girls have violent fantasies, I’d rather they fulfil them by reading a fantasy book and not by going on PornHub and supporting sex trafficking, exploitation and paid rape. After all, the characters in the books are fictional and no actual woman was harmed in the making of them. On the other hand, it can’t be denied that a lot of these romantasy/dark fantasy books have extremely problematic relationships and interactions between men and women, and it begs the question of whether these types of books are normalising abuse and rape for a new generation of women and girls.

If you got to the end of my rambling thank you. Like and subscribe

I feel like many adult women are making themselves functionally illiterate by refusing to read anything but YA and very simple, straightforward romance. Basically for books what McDonald's is for food. Already digested and regurgitated to make it as unchallenging as possible. And it IS women, it's almost only women both writing and reading this shit! It's women making a whole social media persona about being a "reader" but skipping whole paragraphs because they don't contain spoken lines and it's too boring and too long. The market is fucking flooded with absolute garbage. To me this looks like female anti-intellectualism.

[sinner-as-saint]

Crawling Back To You.

Bucky Barnes x Reader 

Run-through: Bucky Barnes had a lot on his plate at the moment. Regrets, fears, nightmares and desperately trying to do the right things to make up for his past as the Winter Soldier. Amongst those things, barely anything made him truly happy, or safe or loved. None did actually - except for you. He met you at a bar once and since then, you’ve been his sanctuary. You both knew he wasn’t quite ready to be in a relationship, yet you were always there with open arms whenever he needed a friend, a shoulder to lean on, or someone to help him take his mind off things. Be it a nightmare, or memories from the past coming to haunt him, or any major or minor inconvenience, the super soldier would find himself turning to you for help. 

Themes: angst, fluff, smut

He woke up on the floor, covered in cold sweat. 

The flashbacks of the nightmares kept resurfacing until it finally faded again. Faded, not truly gone because he knew they’d be back tomorrow again - his past coming to haunt him. He sighed and squinted at the screen in front of him. 

The T.V was on, playing reruns of a show he did not care about. He simply needed the noise to help him fall asleep. The quiet and silence was his own personal hell, so he always needed some sort of background noise to help him out. 

Bucky tried getting some sleep again; tossing and turning on the wooden flooring but he couldn’t fall back asleep. His mind was racing, too many thoughts at once. He checked the time, the clock read 1 a.m. He could go on a run, but he didn’t really feel like it. He could go to the gym, but he didn’t feel like working out either. 

He needed something. An escape, a friend. You, he needed you. 

Bucky reached for his phone, and a few taps later he was calling you. He knew it was late but you somehow always picked up his calls no matter what the time was. The rings later, he heard your voice speak up from the other end. 

“Buck?” You sounded sleepy, but not like he had woken you up, you sounded like you were about to fall asleep. 

He closed his eyes and sighed at the sound of your voice. He could picture you, all tucked in your comfy bed, surrounded by pillows and your soft blankets. Perhaps you had lost track of time because of a good book, or perhaps you were up late responding to emails for work. 

“Hey doll. Did I wake you up?” he asked, leaning back against the wall of his living room, his legs sprawled out on the floor in front of him. Only sometimes did he feel like he was taking advantage of your kindness, but then again he could be selfish when it came to you. You were his, and that’s that. 

You let out a little laugh. “Of course not, Bucky. I was just finishing up some work.” He could hear your sheets shuffling, “Are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?” you asked, softly. 

Bucky told you he did. Then he went on to tell you exactly what he had dreamt of. Sometimes he felt like he was opening up more to you than his shrink. But truth is, you made him feel like he was more than just a broken soldier, or a problem who needed to be remedied or fixed. You made him feel like he was human after all. 

“I… I’m trying to fall back asleep but…” his voice trailed off. He didn’t have to say it, you understood perfectly. He knew you did. 

Then he heard his favorite words coming from you, “Come over Buck, I’m waiting.” 

He wasted no time in getting up from the floor and getting dressed. Dark jeans, shirt, jacket and not to forget his gloves. Sometimes he wondered why he felt so giddy when you asked him to come over, which was almost every night. He wondered what it would be like to come home to you every night instead, had it been a perfect world. He always felt like he was clinging to you too much, for everything. But then you always told him that you didn’t mind. You told him you loved his company. 

He grabbed his helmet before stepping out of his apartment. There was a light drizzle outside but he didn’t care, he just needed to be with you. He got down the stairs and then rushed to start his mean bike and then rushed to your apartment building. You lived in a much nicer part of the city than he did, and he often wondered why you were putting up with someone like him when you could have a man who would give you a life you’ve always dreamt of. He often asked you that, but you always just smiled at him, you never answered. 

On his way up to your floor, he couldn’t help but feel all warm in the elevator. He counted down the seconds till he could see you. He often slept over at your place, he loved it. Cuddling, making love, followed by lazy mornings, him trying to get you to not go to work and spend the day with him instead. He loved how you made him feel. 

He knocked on your door, already taking off his gloves because he needed to feel your skin against his. Your body heat made him feel so much better. He heard you unlocking the door from the other side and not even a second later, he saw your pretty face smiling at him. Dressed in silk PJ shorts and a t-shirt, you looked breathtakingly beautiful even at one thirty in the morning. 

“Hello there,” you greeted him, smirking. “That was fast.” You teased, opening the door wider to let him in. 

He smiled and stepped inside, closing the door behind him and pulling you in for a hug immediately. You felt his slightly damp and cold jacket press against you but you hugged him back tightly anyways. 

“I needed to see you.” He mumbled, pressing his face into your neck. 

“I know.” 

-

You and Bucky ended up in your bed, cuddling under the blankets. He loved the dimmed night light you always had on, knowing that he hated being in complete darkness. He loved how cozy your room was, how spacious and airy but also warm and comfortable. 

The large window by your bed showed a lovely view of the city lights, which were right now blurred by the foggy glass, thanks to the light drizzle earlier. He could tell that the air was cold outside, but in here with you everything was just right. 

He had stripped down to just his boxers and he laid his head on your chest, his face facing away from yours, while you played with his hair and occasionally ran your hand down his back, scratching his skin lightly. His cold metal arm lazily ran up and down your thighs and he noticed the goosebumps on your skin that he was causing. 

He could hear your steady heartbeats and that was his favorite sound in the entire world. It calmed him down. 

You looked down, smiling softly at the sight of the muscular soldier using you as a human pillow. You could hear him let out quiet moans as you gently scratched his scalp. You still remembered the first time you two met, at a bar. 

-

It was late on a winter night, and the nearby bar was rather empty; just a few people here and there. And a certain muscular man in a dark leather jacket caught your eye. He was sitting at the counter, and you were in one of the booths. Eventually, you got up and decided to go talk to him. 

You recognized him immediately. Ex-Winter Soldier, Captain America’s best friend, James Buchanan Barnes.

Small talks turned into a couple more rounds of beers. He was a little off and awkward at first but he loosened up eventually. He even walked you back to your car, not wanting you to be alone in the dark, foggy and empty parking lot. 

That was the first time he kissed you, right before he opened the door of your car for you. 

“Will I see you again?” He asked, high off the adrenaline which coursed through his veins ever since you kissed him back. 

“Of course you will. Good night, James.” You kissed his cheek before getting into your car and driving off. 

-

A smile formed on your face as you thought of that night. “Do you remember the first time we met?” You asked softly. 

Bucky turned his face to you, placing his head back on your chest. He was so close that all you needed to do was to lean in a little to kiss his soft, pink lips. 

He smiled. “Yeah, why?” 

“No reason, I just wanted you to remember it.” 

Bucky chuckled and pressed a gentle kiss on your skin, right above your breasts. “You’ve been awfully quiet. What is it?” 

You just smiled at him, “Nothing. You’ve been awfully quiet too.” And judging by the look in his eyes, you could already tell there was something else to his silence. “What is it?” 

He was quiet. 

Sighing, you flipped the two of you around; straddling his waist while he laid comfortably against your multiple pillows. 

“Buck, tell me.” You pressed your palms against his chest to hold yourself up. 

“Sam needs my help with something. Another bad guy, another mission, another fight. Same old.” He sounded indifferent. 

You couldn’t blame him. He had been fighting for decades, non-stop. He had lost so much while doing so, but he also didn’t know how to deal with the calm, and silence and the quiet. There was so much he needed to figure out about himself still. 

“Do you not wanna go?” 

He smiled faintly as he lazily rubbed up and down your exposed thighs. “It’s my job, I have to. Innocent people will be hurt if I don’t. I want to help them.” 

“Then what’s the issue?” 

“I’ll have to leave you behind for a little while.” He didn’t want to. He didn’t know how to be away from you anymore because he hadn’t been for months now. The thought of not being able to hold you close at night and having your heartbeats lull him to sleep was scary.

You smiled down at him. “I’ll be here when you come back, Bucky.” 

He reached out and cupped your face with his metal hand. “And what if you find someone better while I’m gone?” 

You frowned down at him. “Where does that come from?” 

He gently stroked your cheek. “I’m just saying. You deserve someone a little more… normal.” 

You rolled your eyes at him. “Normal is boring, you seem perfectly fine to me.” 

He chuckled. “Why do you put up with me, doll?” It was a rhetorical question, he didn’t expect an answer because he had asked you this countless number of times but you never gave him a reply before. 

However, you did this time. “Because I’m in love with you, James Buchanan Barnes.” You had been meaning to tell him this for a while now. “You don’t have to say it back, I just needed you to know that no one’s ever gonna replace you. I love you.” 

He was a little surprised, his heart raced as he processed everything. How could someone as gentle, kind and beautiful like you fall for someone as broken as him? “Doll… I…” 

You leaned down to kiss his forehead. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” You giggled, then pulled away to look at him. “You deserve all the good things in this world, Buck. You deserve to be loved, and cared for. And if you’d let me, I’d love to show you that.” 

You carefully pressed your lips to his, kissing him with all the love you had. His metal hand held you at the back of your neck and the other wrapped around your waist. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss; turning your mind into a foggy mess for a little while before he pulled away and stared deep into your eyes. 

You reached out and gently caressed his face, Bucky leaned into your touch. “I’m gonna miss you.” He mumbled. 

“When do you leave?” You asked. 

“Tomorrow, perhaps.” 

You leaned in for a kiss again, accidentally brushing your crotch against his erection; making him smirk through the kiss as he pulled you even closer. You purposely moved against him while you kissed him again deeply. 

Bucky soon flipped the two of you back around and settled in between your legs, kissing down your neck. “I’m gonna miss making love to you almost every night.” He whispered against your skin. His voice alone sent chills down your back, and made you feel all sorts of warm and tingly feelings inside. 

Bucky movements were gentle and slow as he took your clothes off, making sure you were both under the warm covers still; kissing you occasionally as he undressed you, and caressed your body as you squirmed under him. 

He kissed his way down your body, until his face was right in between your legs. You moaned as he parted your legs and placed a kiss on your inner thigh, pulling your underwear down your legs and kissing his way back to your wet folds. You threw your head back, and bit your lip; whining when you felt his tongue teasing you gently. The warmth of his mouth was driving you insane. 

His tongue gently teased your clit while his fingers slipped inside of you; stroking you gently while you arched your back off the surface of your bed as the pleasure became slightly overwhelming. You whimpered and squirmed under him as his tongue moved perfectly against you.

He had you coming undone all over his tongue and his fingers in no time, and he licked you clean when he was done. Kissing his way up your body again. “I’m gonna miss your taste.” He was shameless enough to whisper it in your ear; making you blush. 

His hands roamed around your body, touching you wherever he could, until he finally cupped your core and rubbed the sensitive skin around your swollen clit – making you shudder under him. You whined as he slipped his metal fingers past your entrance yet again. His head dipped into your neck and he licked and bit around your skin until he found your sweet spot. “And I’m gonna miss your warmth.” 

“Buck…” You moaned quietly as he replaced his fingers with his cock. 

He placed his mouth on top of yours again, to swallow your whimpers and moans as he pushed his cock into you. His breathing got shallow again as he pushed himself fully into you. He lifted his head and watched you grimace in pleasure and pain as his cock stretched you to your maximum. He watched you in awe as your lips parted and you moaned his name once he filled you up nicely. 

You whined as he slowly slipped out of you completely, before slamming back into you with a slightly bigger force. 

He groaned at the feel of your walls wrapped around him, squeezing and clenching around him. You heard him swear and felt him bite down on your lip as he sped up into you. He tugged on your lips and he started moving his hips; rocking into you slowly, then gradually increasing his speed. Your back arched off the surface of the bed again and your chest pressed to his.  

“I’m gonna miss watching you squirm under me…” he whispered, “as I pleasure you like no one ever will.” He moaned into your ear. “You’re mine.” 

You were a moaning mess under him in no time. There was something about the way he kissed you, deeply and passionately; as though he was scared you might just get away from him.

He worshipped your body. He mumbled how good you felt in your ear, groaning as you bucked your hips to meet each one of his thrusts as well. He kissed you roughly as he pounded into you; his metal fingers wrapped around your throat. He fucked you raw and relentlessly, watching how your face morphed into frowns of pleasure. 

He pressed his forehead on yours; looking down to where your bodies connected so intimately. Then he pulled away to look into your eyes with that animalistic, primal and fiery look in his eyes. His lips parted as he panted while he fucked you like he owned you.

“You’re gonna miss me too aren’t you, doll?” 

You nodded, whining in pleasure. He smirked. His hand left your neck and slid in between your connected bodies and furiously rubbed your clit, earning a loud moan out of you. “Say it, baby. Tell me how much you’re gonna miss my cock buried deep inside you…” 

You couldn’t talk as the pressure in between your legs became too much to handle, and you craved for release. He noticed and slipped his tongue back into your mouth one last time and took your bottom lip between his teeth again.

“Come on, cum for me… doll,” he swore as he felt you clench around him perfectly. You came hard around him, moaning and whimpering under him as he finished right after you; kissing your swollen lips deeply as he came.

He pushed his face into the crook of your neck as he caught his breath. And you cradled his head; panting as well. Your fingers gently massaged his scalp as he calmed his racing heart. A few moments later, he shifted all his weight right on top of you making you laugh as you tried to scoot out from under him. 

He groaned and pulled you closer. “Come here.” He pressed you against his body and wrapped his arms around. “I love you too, doll. So much.” 

You buried your face into his chest, inhaling his scent. “I’m gonna miss you. All of you.” You lifted your head up to look at him smiling down at you. “Come back fast.” 

He chuckled. “You know I will. No matter where I go, I’ll always come crawling back to you.”