#also sorry op for rambling on your post
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lostrealities0 · 7 months ago
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I honestly have never understood why this line is so hated. I have seen people use it to villainize Ford. I would like to say that I agree with all of your points. It was completely wrong for him to project his relationship with his brother onto Dipper. He definitely has convinced himself that his and Stan's relationship has always been bad.
We don't know much about how it was in the past. However, it seems that they were always grouped together as a pair. It was always Stan and Ford. Additionally, Stan gives off codependency vibes during the incident, while at the same time, Ford seems very independent. He has zero issues with the prospect of going to a university across the country.
I believe that this dynamic probably caused some issues. While I doubt teenage Ford thought of their relationship as suffocating, I'm sure he got annoyed and/or frustrated at times. He was never seen as his own person; he was just part of a pair. Stan probably loved it, maybe even encouraged it. Remember, it is not wrong to want to be your own person!
Again, I'm not saying that it was right in any way for Ford to say this. At least not to Dipper. This is very much a conversation he needs to have with Stan. What I'm trying to say is that I believe that there is a valid basis and some truth behind that statement and shouldn't be judged point blank.
I think so much about Ford's line "And isn't it suffocating?" when Dipper says he's never been away from Mabel. Side barring how insane it is to project onto a twelve yr old boy, I think it really shows how Ford's perception of his and Stan's relationship has perverted over the forty years they were apart. We know they were close at Mabel and Dipper's age. But Ford's convinced himself that it was always bad, that his brother always had poor intent for him, always held him back, because if that's wrong, if his brother really did make a mistake, then it means he doubted the brother that loved him and he loved in turn.
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timeisacephalopod · 2 years ago
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If I see the fucking phrase "your experience isn't universal" on this fucking site one more time when the ONLY one who said anything about an experience being universal is the asshole who leveled that accusation to begin with I'll fucking scream.
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teobug · 8 months ago
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I have chronic "guy who cant shut up" disease and have been known to randomly waltz into peoples DMs/comments/etc to reply. Like I am now, actually!
The trick (that you really didn't ask for. Sorry) is to let yourself be cringe.
Like. Literally.
Let yourself look awkward and dumb and cringe because every single person on this planet worth knowing has, at some point, felt embarrassed or cringe about reaching out. We are All Nervous, we are All trying to look Cool and Fit In.
It makes you immediately less intimidating if you are just...honest! And confident but polite in how you approach making connections with people!
"Hi! Sorry to DM you out of nowhere, but I really enjoy seeing you on my TL and thought it might be fun to connect or talk. I saw you were getting into (X Thing) recently and was wondering how you'd been enjoying it so far!"
Be ready to be ignored or met with hesitation bc again, it doesnt always work. Not everyone is open to connecting that way. It may go nowhere, but at least you know you tried! And often that opens the way for future interactions, anyways!
Something small like that gets you a hell of a lot further than autism staring at your beloved mutuals with your big beautiful brown eyes and desperately telepathically begging for them to make the first move 😭🥺
Many, many, many of us want friends, there are SOOOOO many posts about people loving their mutuals but being unable to reach out!!
Give yourself permission to be vulnerable and cringe for like. 5 minutes. If you think that person is cool, if you think you can be brave for just a moment, it could make a huuuuge difference. For both of you!!
Messaging people for the first time is so hard. What am I supposed to say? Like, "You seem really odd and your blog intrigues me. Do you want to have philosophical conversations or perhaps talk about fictional characters?" What! Whatever. I will just follow you back and stare at your blog with my big beautiful brown eyes.
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traveler-at-heart · 1 month ago
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Doctor's In - Part 13
Summary: Your life in Boston after Wanda.
The air is cold, and just your luck, today you left the car outside of the building’s parking lot.
Maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all, as a cute woman is inspecting the black Corvette, in awe of the elegant and expensive car.
“Want a ride?”
“This yours?” she says, genuinenly fascinated.
“Yeap” you nod. “She’s a beauty, 490-hp 6.2-liter V-8 engine”
Do you know what those words mean? Not at all.
“My father and I used to fix cars. I need to send him a picture. Can I?”
“Sure, go ahead” you smile. “I’ll even take one of you standing next to it”
You pull out your phone.
“Oh, wait, I should have given you mine” the woman says, and you smile.
“Or you could give me your number and I’ll send the pics” you smile at her, offering your phone.
“Very smooth” she blushes, taking it.
“If you wanna talk about smooth, the leather seats are just…”
“Ugh, it’s too cold to take my motorcycle, can you give me a ride to the hospital?” Yelena interrupts, coming out of nowhere as usual.
“Shh, go away” you push her behind you.
“God, we’re gonna be late. Just skip to the part where you lie about texting the girl and get on with it” she mumbles, and luckily only you can hear her.
“Sorry, she’s being annoying” you elbow Yelena’s side. “I’ll send you the pictures, and my offer for a ride still stands”
“Well, alright then. Have fun babysitting” the woman comments, which earns her a glare from the blonde.
“Get in the fucking car” you mutter. “Why can’t you ask your mother for a damn car? She has lots of them”
“Like the one you borrow and use to get phone numbers? I don’t understand why you do it, you never call them”
“It’s not about having a date. It’s just fun to talk to girls. I never really did it outside of college” you shrug your shoulders.
You never call them because the thought of being with someone who isn’t Wanda is simply absurd.
But you don’t expect Yelena to understand it.
“I never ask for a car because then she’d be like See, I was right, a motorcycle was a bad idea”
“Get both, like your sister”
“No, because then she’ll say I’m copying her, like when she went to school with a green backpack and I got one that was similar the next day. But green has always been my favorite color” she rambles.
“Are all the Romanoffs this complicated?”
"Is your music taste always this random?" Yelena points at the screen. "Yesterday it was ABBA and now it's Metallica"
"Don't even think about changing it" you say, slapping her hand away.
You finally get to the hospital, parking in your spot, which is one of the best ones in the entire facility.
Melina is trying to convince you to stay beyond your three month contract, and she’s not shying away from providing a life of luxury, with a penthouse and a fancy car included.
If it wasn’t because you’re busting your ass in the ER, you’d feel like a sugar baby.
“Go and check on the people waiting, I have to sign discharges and look at some post ops” you tell Yelena as soon as you walk in, and she nods.
“Morning, everyone” you greet the front desk. “Is Patrick ready for his recital today?”
“Yes, he’s very excited” Nurse Roman says.
“Well, as a doctor I don’t feel comfortable saying break a leg, so let’s just leave it at good luck”
“That sounds perfect to me, Doctor Y/L/N, thank you” the woman says. You’re smiling until you notice the frown on Peña’s face.
“Don’t look at me like that. Not my fault you keep betting on Shelton when he’s literally playing against Alcaraz”
“Shelton is the future of American tennis”
“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over the resounding noise of your debt” you say, going back to the charts but keeping your palm open. You don’t look up until he gives up, putting a 20 in your hand. “Pleasure doing business with you, Peña. I’m so looking forward to Indian Wells and Miami back to back”
You don’t realise that Natasha is also at the front desk, signing a couple of discharge forms.
It’s been a month and you’re already friends with half the people who work here. Natasha’s glad, because it can be miserable to be isolated while you’re away from home.
The other side of her can’t help but feel really stupid too, because all this time she thought you were flirting and in reality, this is who you are with most people.
Now that’s a fast way to humble someone.
“Hi, Doctor Romanoff” you say, finally noticing her. “Ending your shift?”
“Yeah. How about you?”
“Starting a 48”
“Didn’t you just do one 12 hours ago?” she says.
“Yeah, but my brother and sister are coming over so I need the weekend off” you smile, actually excited. Natasha is probably one of the only people who could understand how good it is to reconnect with your siblings, but she’s been distant with you ever since you came to Boston.
So, you wish her a good day, and walk to the madness of the ER.
“Fuck my life, fuck it hard” you mutter when you notice who’s there. Ed Lorne, aka clown nurse. He’s a young one, practically fresh out of college and with an unhealthy obsession to behave like Patch Adams in that movie that always puts you to sleep (No disrespect to Robin Williams).
“Please tell me his shift is almost over” you plead to Yelena.
“Don’t be mean. He’s trying to make an impression”
“He already did and it’s a fucking awful one”
The fact that there’s no swear jar around has turned you into a sailor on leave. Not that you keep track, but if the twins could hear you, they’d be set for an Ivy League education.
Stop thinking about this, you mentally scold yourself, trying to breathe to settle that uncomfortable feeling at the pit of your stomach.
Yelena mistakes your frustrated sigh with a protest as Ed approaches you. Truthfully, it’s a bit of both.
“Top of the morning to you, Doctor Y/L/N” he says, removing an imaginary hat.
God, you’re gonna strangle him with a stethoscope.
“Guy in bed six has problems with urinating and I’m like well, more like ur-out of my bladder!”
“Boy, you’re really bringing the theater kid energy today, aren’t ya” you complain, ignoring Yelena’s smack on your arm.
“Why, thank you for noticing”
“No, that wasn’t a compliment. Check all of my post ops and medication, then fill out the medical records in the computer”
That should keep him busy for the next two hours and away from you.
“Evil” Yelena mumbles, but she’s laughing along.
You take care of a few people, ordering lab tests and other stuff that is quickly taken care of by the staff. It’s nice to have an ER that is never short on medical personnel.
You finish your exam on a patient just in time to get your daily call.
“Hello, Judas”
“Darcy!” you say, always with the same enthusiasm.
“I hate you” she repeats, every day since you left. Well, minus the first week. You didn’t have a phone at all. “Carol hates you too and you’re no longer invited to her wedding”
You can faintly hear Carol’s voice in the background, shouting that what Darcy’s saying is not true.
“I’m trying to get her to come back” Darcy explains. “Look pal, it’s either the good way or the bad way aka getting you in the Psych ward until you go back to your senses”
“I don’t suppose you could get my stuff and send it over?”
“No, for two reasons. One, if I see Wanda I’m going to kill her and dos, you belong here. So it would be stupid to send stuff that you’ll need when you’re back. Besides, how do you know Wanda didn’t throw them away?”
“I just do. Ok, it was nice being emotionally manipulated by you, but I gotta scrub in. Same time on Monday? Remember I’m seeing Zach and Jenny this weekend”
“Yes, get me all the deets on the gossip and yes, same time”
“Love you, pal”
“Screw you”
Darcy hangs up, but stares at her phone for a moment longer. She does miss you and even if she’s giving you shit for it, she understands where you’re coming from.
“Are these the CVs for Chief Fury?”
“Yes” his secretary says, carrying a couple of files. “He doesn’t like to read on the computer”
“Oh, here, I’ll take those”
And Darcy does take them. Straight to the trash can.
Gotta make sure the job’s open when you come back.
You’re out of shape. It’s been 27 hours and the work keeps on coming. It doesn’t help that Boston is so much bigger than Westview.
As you sit in one of the front desks, looking over paperwork and lab results, Ed comes in, holding a deck of cards.
“Pick a card”
“Did you get the lab results for Mrs. Pattmore?” you say, resisting the urge to slap the deck to the floor.
“No, they said it would take another hour…”
“Can you check again? Thank you”
Fortunately, he leaves and you sigh.
“He’s quite the character” a man shows up next to you, and you nod.
“He is very useful when I need urgent results from the lab. The technicians can’t stand him so they rather not see him around” you laugh.
 “I haven’t seen you before. I’m doctor Stephen Strange. Yes, that is my last name” he adds when you frown.
“Oh, nice to meet you. Yeah, I’m the interim Head of Trauma. Just until they find someone new”
“Huh. Not what I heard”
Well, there’s no way Melina will convince you to stay. But then again… you never thought you’d take the job in Boston.
“That’s definitely my plan” you assure him. “Were you on break?”
“Honeymoon. We just got back” he nods towards another woman who joins you, her smile wide. “Doctor Christine Palmer, meet… sorry, I didn’t get your name”
“Y/L Y/L/N. Congratulations to the both of you” you shake her hand.
“Thank you, how are you liking it here so far?”
“Everyone’s great” you say, but Christine catches your exhaustion.
“Lorne was just here asking to do a magic trick”
“Ah. That” she nods.
“Yeah” you get paged, and then wave at them. “See you around, and welcome back”
There’s a man coming in with a stab wound. Another shift from your work in Stark Hospital; the frequency of people who come in as a result of fights is a lot higher.
It was very rare to treat these kind of things in Westview.
“BP 130/70, no external bleeding or fractures” Yelena says and you nod, encouraging her to continue. “I want a chest X-Ray, transthoracic echocardiogram and blood work”
“The patient’s yours, Doctor Belova”
You’re honestly impressed. Yelena has been putting the work, and she’s very talented, especially while working under pressure.
“She has a good teacher” Melina speaks. The woman has a talent for knowing what people are thinking.
“Well, it’s in her blood, isn’t it? The whole Romanoff dinasty”
“Yes. By the way, this is your last patient. You’re not to be on call for so many hours in a week. The workload is very different here. And we will talk about a bonus so you can buy something to that girlfriend of yours to thank her for letting you be here”
About that.
Nobody knows Wanda kicked you out.
Except Yelena, but that’s because she kept asking about what Wanda said when you decided to come to Boston. The only way to shut her up was by telling her the truth.
It’s impressive that she’s kept the secret for so long.
“No need for a bonus, I’m doing my job as usual”
While you wait for the results of Yelena’s patient, the man begins to complain about pain between the shoulder blades.
“Lorne, book an OR and page Yelena” you say, knowing that’s a bad sign.
The blonde scrubs in as you begin the laparoscopy.
“What’s wrong? I’m still waiting on the results” she says, standing next to you.
“Pain between the shoulder blades is not a good sign for this type of injury. I’m seeing blood cloths in the anterior surface of the stomach and the liver. We’re switching to a laparotomy”
You find three lacerations in the liver and one in the stomach. Well, Melina’s plan didn’t work; you’re staying here for a bit longer.
As you move to inspect the pericardium, you look at Yelena, asking if she sees anything.
“No, it’s fine. Aside from the diaphragmatic perforation”
“And how are we closing that?”
“Ethibond suture with pledget” she answers after a slight hesitation.
“You’ll do it and I’ll be watching” you nod, moving aside. Truth is, your shoulder is hurting. It’s the old injury combined with the extra workload.
“Need any help?” Natasha walks in, and you shake your head no.
“I thought your shift ended”
“Came to do some post ops, and Doctor Romanoff asked me to help so you could go home”
“I’m fine” you lie. But Natasha stays in the OR, looking over Yelena’s shoulder.
“You’re making me nervous”
“Good. You could use some pressure. Y/N’s going soft on you” the redhead teases.
“I’m not!” you say, laughing. “I’ve been told I’m a great teacher”
“I’ve heard” Natasha nods.
Though Yelena takes a little bit longer than you would have, her work is excellent. Once you check everything’s done, you give the team instructions and scrub out.
“What are you doing with your siblings?” Natasha asks, joining you.
“Well, Jenny’s looking at NYU to apply. So I’ll meet them in New York, take them to a Broadway show. I was hoping they’d wanna go to the Met but not holding my breath for two teenagers to choose a museum”
“That’s fair. Have fun with your family” she smiles.
It’s weird to think about them as your family. They are, of course.
But to you, family is an entirely different group of people. One that you’ll never see again.
“Thanks. See you around” you nod, hoping to get some rest.
You never thought you’d be eager to see your family, but here you are, waiting in the airport, looking for Jenny.
As soon as she spots you, she runs towards you.
“Hey, kiddo”
“Make room for me” Zach says, jumping right in and making sure his sister has no room to breathe.
“You’re so annoying!” Jenny complains. Even if she’s three years older, Zach is a lot taller, being in that awkward teenage phase. “This trip was supposed to be just me”
“Y/N invited me” he says.
Well, kinda. He inserted himself in your conversations with Jenny, and as soon as he heard the words weekend in New York, he was ready to go.
“Well, I didn’t alter my girls weekend schedule for you, Zach. So just so you know, you’re getting a manicure and we’re plucking your eyebrows” you tease, walking them to where you parked. Of course they argue over who gets to ride in the front. “Alright, this is a rental. So, rule number one, no eating in the car. No throwing stuff at each other. No feet on the dashboard. And no one changes the music”
“Fine” they agree.
“First stop, the penthouse, then NYU”
Melina had heard about your trip and went out of her way to offer you everything at her disposal. Exclusive tickets, the Romanoff penthouse (apparently they have one in every major city), a reservation in a very nice restaurant.
You took most things happily. In a way, this is your compensation for emotional damages.
“So, what happened between you and Wanda?” Jenny says.
“Wow, can we at least have lunch first?” you accidentally hit the brake, making Zach hit his head against the headrest of your seat.
“I’m blind!”
“You’re fine” Jenny shushes him, turning to you. “I’ll tell you about our parent’s divorce”
“Ugh, deal. But you go first”
So, as you get food, Jenny tells you everything, with the occasional intervention from Zach. It’s nothing exciting, not technically. Their father finally realising your mother is an evil witch and taking their children away from her. It would have been ideal to do it when they were younger, but whatever.
“And you guys are doing good?” you ask, making sure things are better.
“Yeah… I just feel bad for her sometimes” Jenny admits. “Like what if she’s lonely or sad, you know?”
“That’s because you’re a good kid” you smile at her. “Let’s go get changed, we have to be ready for your college tour soon”
“What about your part of the deal?”
“Later” you say, trying to avoid talking about it.
By the time you reach the penthouse, you can’t help but admire the view to Central Park. It’s even bigger than the one they gave to you back in Boston.
“I want the biggest room” Zach says as soon as they drop their bags.
Of course, they’re engaging in a fight that involves some name calling and a lot of finger flicks on the forehead.
“You guys are worse than…”
They turn to look at you and you smile, trying to keep it together.
“Worse than…” Zach says but you shake your head.
“Nothing. Come on, better change fast”
Worse than Wanda and Pietro.
Will you ever stop thinking about her?
Earning the title of cool sister only takes a borrowed penthouse, Broadway tickets and exclusive seats at Yankees Stadium.
It’s day two and though you haven’t been able to convince them to go to the Met, you’re still enjoying yourself.
Kind of.
“So how long do these last?” you ask again, even if Zach explained the rules a dozen times already. “Ok, next time we’re going to the US Open because at least I’ll understand the game”
“So, you’re planning on staying here?” Jenny asks and you shrug your shoulders.
“There’s no plan for anything, really. I have two months left on my contract”
Zach goes to get more food and you keep watching the game in silence.
“Are you ok?” Jenny asks. Truthfully, though you’ve enjoyed spending time with them, Wanda’s been in the back of your mind more frequently than when you’re busy with work.
You can’t help but think about all the trips you never took with her, or wonder what she’d think about the city.
“Want the grown up answer or the big sister being brave answer?”
“I’d like the truth”
“Well…” you take a deep breath. “I’m not ok. I fucked up big time. I had everything I wanted within reach and just… I don’t know. Maybe it was never meant for me. It was too good”
“You are good enough for it, come on. Don’t say that”
“It’s hard to believe it when I hurt her so much. And the kids. But, it is what it is I guess”
“I’m sorry. If you wanna talk…”
“I know, sis. Thanks” you smile at her. All of the sudden you hear the crowd roaring and look up to see a ball that’s coming straight your way. You catch it, thinking nothing of it, while some people around you begin to speak to you. “What? Do I have to throw it back?”
“Are you insane?” Zach comes out of nowhere, taking it from you. “This is the coolest thing!”
“It’s a ball” you say, looking at the field.
“Nu-uh. It’s Camarena’s 50th home run. You know, the most promising baseball player of the season”
“Ok, if you say so”
Turns out it is a very big deal, as the player wants the ball back and is offering to meet you in exchange for it. You let Zach decide for the two of you, and his answer is an excited yes.
So, you take a couple of pictures and thank him when he hands you a signed baseball bat.
“Thanks, Carme…”
“Camarena” Zach elbows you. “I’m your biggest fan”
Yeah, you definitely earned the award to coolest sister, and it had nothing to do with all the money you spent. It came down to your ability to catch a freakin ball, like a competition with a golden retriever.
“We still have some time before we have to take the plane. What do you wanna do? You’ve been doing everything we want to” Jenny says, and you think about it.
“Let’s have a picnic in Central Park”
“Sounds fun” she agrees, while Zach keeps taking a million pictures of the bat.
As you walk around the park, you find something that unlocks a memory that was totally lost on you.
“Balto!” you point at a statue of the sleigh dog. They both look at you with blank expressions. “You’ve never seen Balto? Seriously?”
“I don’t know. Mom wouldn’t let us watch some stuff. She said it was silly to have a movie with speaking animals”
“That and Ghostbusters. But we never learned why”
“Oh, that’s because she and dad watched that movie on the day I was born” you explain while you pull out your phone to take a picture of the statue.
“Mom is such a bitch” Zach mutters and it makes you laugh.
“Come on, kid. Screw the picnic, I’m buying you the biggest burger we can find”
“See? I’m her favorite already” he teases Jenny and they begin to argue again. You hug them, staying in the middle to prevent a fight.
“Love ya both, kiddos”
Coming back to an empty house stings a bit more when you spent the weekend surrounded by playful banter and pleasant company.
The silence is unbearable and you know that at moments like this there’s only one thing that can make you forget.
So, even if you have to go to work tomorrow, you get changed and head for the usual club.
“Thought you found a better spot” Laura greets you as you approach the bar.
“Work was crazy” is all you say. No one knows your name, or what you do for a living. You just get drinks and dance to loud music.
“The usual?” you nod, accepting the glass of scotch. You enjoy it slowly for a bit, watching as some people dance and party. The outfits and the music are different from your time in college; plus Darcy and you used to go to shitty bars.
Either way, what hasn’t changed is how drunk people act; messy, unaware. You love it. No one’s asking if you’re ok, or why you're there.
“I was gonna buy you a drink, but you’re not done with that one yet” a woman offers with a flirty smile.
You finish what’s left of the scotch in one swift motion, and wink at her.
“There”
“Are you that thirsty, huh?” she teases, and you laugh, sipping from the new glass. “I’m Eve. You?”
“I’m… really thankful for my drink, Eve” you say, because you’re never gonna share your name with anyone else. “Wanna dance?”
The woman rolls her eyes, but follows you to the dance floor. It’s the perfect place to get lost, and avoid any conversation. The music’s loud, there’s people everywhere and you can simply disappear when you’re done.
It’s what you do best, isn’t it?
As you go out for another drink, there’s an impulse to talk to Laura.
“That was the name of a friend”
“What?”
“Laura. Well, not my friend. My ex girlfriend’s friend”
That’s about everything they have in common. This woman is covered in tattoos and has dark hair, styled in a mullet. Very Joan Jett, which is every girl’s type.
But my type is Wanda.
“Is that why you drink until I have to call you a cab?” Laura says, and you nod, taking a shot of tequila and asking for another one.
“Yeah. Come on, just one more” you plea when she’s doubting about giving you a third one. You pout and Laura rolls her eyes. “Thank you. Ah, I love this song!”
You blow her a kiss, running back to the dance floor. Wait, no, you don’t even know this song but it’s cool anyway.
And then the next one is good enough, until you’re a bit too drunk and have no idea what’s playing.
“Can I buy you a drink?”
To your disappointment, it’s a man.
“I’m fine!”
“Yes, you are” he says, putting his arm around your waist.
“I’m gay, dude. Stop it!” you push him away.
“Come on, you just need a good di…”
He doesn’t get to finish his sentence, not when your fist crashes against his nose.
Stupid move, as he’s tumbling to the floor, creating a commotion. You can tell he’s pissed when he stands up, but he never even gets to yell at you, because someone is pulling you back until you’re out of sight.
“You really are trouble” Laura tsks and you try not to laugh.
“He was an asshole”
“Yeah, he is. If it were up to me he wouldn’t go in at all. I have to get back to the bar. Stay here, drink some water. Then I’ll call you a cab”
“I’m sorry” you say, reaching for her when she walks past you.
“That girl did a number on you, huh?”
“I only have myself to blame” you smile sadly. “Thanks for the help”
Following the woman’s advice, you walk around the room, drinking some water and breathing to gather yourself. You’re vaguely aware of the pain in your hand, and remember that it was stupid to risk yourself that way.
If you can’t operate, Melina’s kicking your ass.
After a while, Laura comes back.
“Car’s waiting”
“Thanks… I owe you...”
“A cup of coffee”
You’re about to protest when she rolls her eyes.
“Not as a date. You have too many issues for me to handle. But I’d rather we stop meeting like this, with you starting a bar fight”
“Yeah, that’s fair” you smile, looking back before leaving the room. “My name’s Y/N, by the way”
“Nice to meet you, Y/N”
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
That’s all you can think about as you get ready for a 24 hour shift, sporting a massive headache and hangover.
You’re leaning against the elevator when the doors open, and you speak without opening your eyes, handing the keys of the car to Yelena.
“You’re gonna have to drive me today”
“Yelena already left”
You look up a little too fast, eyes meeting Natasha’s.
“Ah, jeez” you complain, feeling your head pound with the sudden movement.
“Rough night?” she says with a mocking tone, but then pays attention to your bruised knuckles, taking your hand. “What the hell? Are you ok?”
“Dude thought he could touch me and get away with it. It’s fine” you promise, though she doesn’t let go of your hand.
“You know mom’s gonna freak out when she sees this?”
“Don’t be a snitch, Romanoff” you say, stepping out of the elevator. “What are you doing?”
“Get in my car” she says, rolling her eyes. “You’re in no condition to drive”
“This is nice” you look around the Mercedes-Benz, reaching to touch the controls in the dashboard. Natasha slaps your hand away.
“Nicer than the Corvette?”
“Nah, let’s not get crazy”
“Did you have a nice weekend with the family?” she asks, rolling into conversation naturally.
“Yeah, we went to see Wicked because Jenny wanted to, then to a Yankees game where I caught the ball, which is apparently a big deal”
“It is, congrats”
“They made me buy some clothes that are not scrubs or…”
“Mini skirts? Like the one you wore last night”
“How did you…”
“My penthouse is in the same building, remember? Same as Yelena’s. Mom was smart enough to get a house away from everyone”
“Right”
“Doesn’t Wanda mind?”
That shuts you up real fast. And honestly? You don’t feel like lying. But as you’re about to answer her, she stops in the parking lot.
“Sorry, it’s none of my business” she mistakes your silence with annoyance.
“No, that’s not it” you explain, but then your phone pings. It’s a message from Jenny, sending you the Instagram post she made for the weekend in New York.
J: You made it to the gram!
Youths. You don’t even have instagram but click the link nonetheless. Yeah, those are nice pictures.
“Oh, you two came together?” Melina greets when she meets you in the hallway.
“Y/N can explain why” Natasha smirks and you glare at her.
“I was just feeling tired after the family trip”
“Natalia, who will be your plus one to the gala?” Melina changes the subject abruptly.
“I’m not taking anyone”
You direct your attention back to your phone, knowing they’re about to argue.
As you swipe through the pictures, a name catches your eye.
w.maximoff
What?
Does Wanda follow your sister?
She saw the pictures and liked them? Even if you were in them?
Don’t be an idiot, don’t think this means anything, she hates you, she’s better off without you.
The sudden urge to throw up has nothing to do with your hangover. You look around the hallway, and feel the desire to turn around and beg her to take you back.
You miss her too much, you can’t do this without Wanda.
Who are you kidding?
“Take Y/N” you hear all of the sudden.
“What?”
“Take Y/N to the gala with you” Melina decides, making Natasha roll her eyes.
“She doesn’t want to…”
“Yes. I’ll go” you interrupt Natasha.
Anything, anything at all to stop thinking about the one person who made your life worth living.
“Then it’s settled” your boss nods, pleased.
“Excuse me” you walk away, hoping there’s a ton of work that can keep your mind off everything else.
There is, and you’re grateful for the distraction it provides.
“I’m exhausted. How are you managing with a hangover?” Yelena complains after a few hours.
“Get some rest,” you mutter, looking at the lab results. “The OR won’t be ready for another hour anyway”
Unfortunately, it gets very slow as the day progresses. Everyone in the hospital is focused on a kidney transplant that is happening next week.
You see a woman walk in with her son to the ER and approach them.
“Hello, I’m Doctor Y/L/N. How can I help you?”
“Hi, yes. My son fell and I’m not sure, I think he might have hurt his wrist”
You turn to look at the kid, who is probably ten or eleven, and he looks back at you scared.
“I understand. What’s your name?”
“Kyle”
“Hi, Kyle. I’m Y/L. Can I take a look at your wrist?”
It takes him a moment to nod, but once he does you take him to one of the hospital beds where he sits. As you put on a pair of gloves, he looks around, clearly nervous.
“Cool shirt” you make conversation, noticing his Yoshi shirt. “My favorite is Rainbow Road, but the best time I ever did was on Vanilla Lake”
“Really? My favorite is Koopa Troopa Beach”
“That’s a good one” you agree, applying pressure on his wrist. “Ok, I don’t think anything’s broken but we need an X-ray to confirm. I’ll walk you there, it will take a minute”
Thankfully, it’s just a sprain.
“You’ll just wear a brace for a week, I’m also sending some medication for pain. Now, you’re gonna have to hold up on playing Mario Kart for a bit, as the movement isn’t good for your hand. Take it easy and if there’s any more discomfort or pain, come back to the hospital”
“Thank you” the woman nods, relieved that it’s nothing major. You’re about to say goodbye when her son hugs you.
“Take care, kid”
As you watch them walk away, your mind goes back to Billy and Tommy.
You miss them so much.
“Everything ok?” Yelena asks when you leave in a rush, walking towards the stairs.
Instead of answering her, you go down the steps, until you push the emergency exit, breathing heavily.
Don’t cry at work, don’t cry at work.
It’s not working. You squeeze your eyes shot, pinching the bridge of your nose.
A sob leaves your lips the minute Yelena catches up with you.
“It’s ok. I’m here” she says, hugging you.
“I miss them”
“I know. I’m sorry” is all she says, allowing you to cry as you lean your head on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be…” you finally gather yourself, wiping away the tears. Your face is hot with the embarrassment of being so emotional in front of Yelena.
“I understand. There’s nothing to be sorry about. Come on, you should get some sleep. I’ll cover the ER for a bit”
“Ok” you nod. But she still follows you to the break room, and as you lay in bed, Yelena makes small talk, asking about your trip and telling you some funny things that used to happen to her and Natasha when their mother would leave them to roam the city while she had board meetings.
As she tells you about her favorite things from the Met, your eyes feel heavy and you fall asleep, exhausted.
The younger woman looks at you, feeling a bit guilty. She understands that everyone in this situation is an adult, and sometimes relationships don’t work.
But it’s still hard to see you so heartbroken and lonely.
“Hey” Natasha walks in the room, and Yelena shushes her, leaning her head towards you. “Is she ok?”
“I don’t know” the blonde admits, closing the door behind her.  “What’s up?”
“Mom told me you’re bringing a plus one to the gala! I thought we agreed no dates for this one”
“Oh, yeah…” Yelena blushes, and Natasha tilts her head.
“Who is it?”
“So, what are you doing? Should we find you a date?” Yelena rushes to change the subject, walking with her sister to the cafeteria.
“No, Y/N volunteered. Or, my mother kinda forced her to”
“Maybe it will be good to have a distraction. She’s having a rough time”
Natasha stays silent as they get some food. To be honest, she has been distant with you. It was hard to get close again after all the hard words you exchanged.
Natasha was just trying to protect herself.
“So you’re not gonna tell me who it is?” Natasha insists after a moment of silence. Yelena laughs, shaking her head.
“You’ll find out soon enough”
You open your eyes to the sound of your pager. The OR was busy for longer than anticipated and you’re about to go and check if everyone’s ready.
While you yawn, you dial Yelena’s number.
“Hello?” you hear Natasha’s voice.
“Why are you answering Yelena’s phone?” you say, doble checking that you indeed called her sister.
“Oh, crap. I took her phone by accident”
“Hey” you step out of the room, and find none other than Natasha, ready to leave for the day. “Guess your mother bought these phones in bulk”
You show her the mobile Melina gave you, though you insisted in keeping your number. It’s identical to Yelena’s and Natasha’s and every head of department has one as well.
“Heads up, she might be tracking your location”
“What? Can she do that?” you say, shaking the phone. Natasha smiles at that.
She forgets not everyone is expecting the worst from Melina.
“I better go and exchange phones with Yelena” the redhead says.
“Sure, can you tell her that the OR’s ready? Thanks”
You leave, but then Natasha’s voice stops you.
“Do you wanna do something tomorrow?”
There’s a hint of shock in your face, but you nod and smile.
“Yeah, sure. Wanna come over to watch a movie?”
“Sounds good” she agrees.
“Alright. See ya then” you wave goodbye.
Between this and the gala, Natasha doesn’t know if it’s a good idea to spend so much time together.
She’s about to find out.
Natasha is questioning her choices as she knocks on your door, thinking it might be unwise to spend alone time with you.
She had felt like you both got some closure after the emergency surgery on that woman. And then, one week later you had shown up at her hospital, as if you hadn’t refused the offer a number of times.
As if the thought of leaving your precious girlfriend behind wasn’t the craziest thing in the world.
“Hey, come on in” you greet, opening for her.
“Love what you’ve done with the place” she teases, watching as the only real decoration is a Polaroid picture of you and Yelena that is taped to the fridge.
“I’m happy this thing came with furniture or we’d be having dinner on the floor”
“Martha Stewart would be proud” she says and you roll your eyes.
“Come on, food will be ready in a bit” you say, asking her to open the bottle of wine.
“Where’d you get it from?”  she asks as she hands you a glass.
“Uh, the grocery store?” you look back from the stove.
“Wait, you’re making it? From scratch?” she puts her glass down, looking over your shoulder.
“Well, not from scratch, it’s not like I made the pasta”
“I thought you didn’t cook”
“I didn’t” you smile, offering her a taste of the sauce. “But I got used to the finer things in life, like a good old homemade meal, and had to figure out how to get something done”
“This is actually really good” she says, surprised.
“I will give you a pass because I am also surprised that my cooking’s not so bad”
It must have been because you used to watch Wanda cooking all the time.
Ah, shit.
Maybe eventually you’ll go a day without thinking about her. Or not, and that’s your karma for being an idiot.
Once everything’s ready, you pull out two plates, and serve the food.
“What do you wanna watch?”
“Not sure, could we eat first?”
“Why, want to check that I won’t give you food poisoning?” you joke, but Natasha doesn’t laugh. “Oh, come on! I’ve never gotten sick and it’s been a month!”
“Let’s just eat”
“Fine, are you sure you’re gonna be ok talking to me? You’ve been avoiding me since I arrived in Boston” you comment, though you can’t be mad at her.
It was easier to blame her for your screw up that own up to it. You’re not particularly proud of it.
“I wasn’t sure if your girlfriend would give you shit for talking to me”
“We’re not together anymore” you blurt out, making Natasha stop chewing.
“You’re shitting me”
“She broke up with me” you shrug your shoulders. “So I quit my job and ran away like the asshole I am”
There’s a beat of silence, and you keep eating. You’re not expecting anything from Natasha, like pity or words of comfort. It’s just the way things are.
“I had no idea… I’m sorry. I feel responsible”
“Nat, don’t. Honestly, you weren’t wrong. I am attracted to you, and I didn’t set boundaries. If anything, I’m sorry for being a jerk and ruining our friendship”
She keeps eating quietly, and you know that she accepted the apology without making a fuss about it.
“Crazy, stupid love” you mumble after a couple of minutes.
“Yeah, I guess it can be”
“No” you snort out a laugh. “I mean that’s the movie I wanna watch!”
“Oh, I don’t know it” Natasha rolls her eyes.
“Of course not, it’s not a Bond movie. Come on, now that you’ve seen my food won’t take you to the ER, let’s get everything ready” you say, picking up the dishes. Maybe you’ll make popcorn, even though you are full.
“Wait a minute” Natasha says, and when you turn around, she’s got you cornered against the kitchen counter.
“Huh?”
“You said you are attracted to me. Not were. So you still are” she smirks, eyeing you up and down.
“Well, yeah. Have you seen yourself?” you stutter. It’s not helping that you’ve gotten used to physical intimacy and you’ve been craving it for the past weeks.
But that makes you think of Wanda again.
“I just… you deserve more than being a rebound, Natasha. And I am serious when I say I’m not staying beyond my contract”
You know you can’t be someone who isn’t heartbroken and in love with Wanda. But you can at least be honest about it.
“I know. It’s just fun to watch you get all flustered” she says with a sultry voice.
“Not funny” you say, pushing her away.
“Let’s watch that silly, corny movie now” Natasha rolls her eyes.
“You’re gonna love it”
“Doubt it”
As you suspect, she’s critizing Cal at every possible turn, calling him a loser. She’s also constantly texting about the hospital in between complaints.
“Hey!” she protests when you snatch her phone.
“I know we’re both workaholics, but you’re missing the parts with Emma Stone which are arguably the best ones. And this big reveal will blow your mind”
So, you put both of your phones down in the coffee table and take it as a win when she’s laughing at some of the moments in the film.
“Hannah is Cal’s daughter?” Natasha screams when you get to that scene.
“See?”
“Damn!”
“Bathroom break” you announce a while later, leaving the movie playing as you know the dialogues.
Natasha is actually interested in the movie when her phone rings and she picks up without looking away from the screen.
“Hello?”
She’s met with silence, which makes her actually pay attention to whoever called her.
Shit.
Wanda.
She took your phone.
But before she can explain or tell the other woman to wait, the call disconnects.
“What’s wrong?” you say when you return, sitting next to Natasha. “I know it’s sad, but I promise it has a happy ending”
“Y/N, I’m so sorry”
“Nat, you’re scaring me”
“I thought it was my phone, I picked it up. Wanda called you” Natasha says, handing over the phone to you.
“Oh” you tilt your head, shocked. “What did she say?”
“Nothing. She hung up. I’m so sorry”
“Well, maybe she just wanted me to get my stuff. That’s the only reason she’d call me, honestly” you say, returning to the movie.
“Why aren’t you freaking out?” Natasha insists.
“I don’t know” you confess. Maybe you’re in shock. It feels surreal to have Wanda call you, after everything she said to you.
You left your old phone at Darcy’s house before jumping on a plane. You only got your old number back after Melina gave you one of those fancy phones.
Now you wonder if she ever tried to call you.
“I should go”
“And leave me to drown in obsessive thoughts?” you say dramatically. “Look, what’s the harm here? That she’ll think the worst of me, and then what? We broke up. She kicked me out, I’m gone like Wanda asked me to. I’ll just text Pietro and ask if the kids are ok”
That was your real concern. You had a feeling that it could be a mistake or something very serious. And you’d always put your pride aside for the sake of the kids.
“We’re watching a horror movie now” Natasha snatches the remote as soon as the credits roll, looking for Insidious. “That will distract you for sure”
“You’re evil” you say when Natasha walks out, laughing.
“And you’re a baby”
“There was a demon! Sewing while that creepy song played. You’re sick, Romanoff”
“Sweet dreams, Y/N” she says, whistling the song as she closes the door.
Now you won’t be able to sleep.
But there’s also another thing in the back of your mind.
Pietro hasn’t answered which can mean that it Wanda's call was a mistake and he’s choosing to ignore you.
Or something so monumentally horrible happened that he doesn’t even have his phone on him.
“Fuck it” you say, trying to control your breathing as you dial back.
You begin to feel like an idiot, especially when it’s pretty obvious Wanda won’t pick up the phone.
Hands squeeze the device as you deal with the disappointment. You are about to hang up when you hear it.
Wanda, saying your name.
And for a moment, you feel like everything’s ok again.
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cmdrfupa · 2 months ago
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Masamichi Yaga ~~~~~~~~~~~~ New to this online dating so please, bare with me.Single. Divorced once. One grown son. Educator. I love knitting and crocheting. Looking for a needle to thread (I am sorry, this is cheesy but it's true.)
6.7k words (jjk au, fluff, smut, Yaga is a green flag)
a/n: Yaga, Yaga, Yaga. What a man. I wanted to give him love during the season of love. Enjoy and thank you for reading!
“Hello. My name is Masamichi Yaga and this is my twentieth years coming at the International Knitters and Stitchers Expo.” He spoke into the small vlogging microphone and watched as the interviewer rambled.
This was actually it. Year twenty. Year 10 of no longer being married and coming to these things. He wasn’t sure if it was the big banner showing his knitting clubs faces or seeing some of his long time friends bring their little ones to it this time around. But the feeling of being single and walking around wasn’t a pleasant one.
“Yaga! Its so good to see you again!” The elderly woman who was 2 feet shorter came up and gestured for a hug from the large man. “We would’ve missed your expertise for this years ‘Stitch your hearts or die’ event!
Yaga bent down to accept the warm, motherly hug before she pinched his cheek. “Good to see you also, Tita.” He took the badge with his name from the table:
Yaga M.
2025 K&SE
GOLD PASS
He didn’t hate this hobby of his. It was probably his favorite thing in the world outside of working in education. Student need a button put back on? Principal Yaga’s got it. Need a hem? He’s got his emergency kit on hand. Four newborns in the neonatal unit need some warm foot and hand mitts? Masamichi Yaga is on the scene with ten sets because he knows he will get a call for six more before the end of the month.
But twenty consecutive stitch expos for a man in his 40s is beginning to feel…
“Betsy cross-stitched some of the cutest flags for each of our home countries so we can wave them around during roll call! Gotta rep!”
He gave a half smile. “Yes ma’am..gotta rep.”
His group encircled him, smiling and greeting him as they would while he tried his best to stay in the moment.
He forced a smile. Another year surrounded by over three thousand people and he felt more alone than ever.
__________________
Yaga settled into bed post shower. It felt nice to be back in his own home after 4 days of nonstop conversation and photo ops with the “worlds largest knitting needle” recipient. He fell back into his routine: cleaning up, checking emails despite being off work for another 4 days, and meal prepped for the week before his wind down officially started.
He stared down at the open web-page on his phone, brows furrowed in concentration. "The Foolproof Guide to Dating: Master the First Three Dates and Win Their Heart!" The title alone should have been a red flag, but it had been a long time since he'd gone on a real date—long enough that he figured a little structure wouldn't hurt.
Yaga sat up in bed, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose and began to slowly read.
He tried not to be too hard on himself, it wasn’t as if he had time to fumble his way through modern dating customs. Between his work and his students, romance had taken a backseat for years. Now, thanks to Nanami’s insistence, he had a blind date scheduled with a woman who was supposedly going to be good for him.
He let out a breath and scrolled further.
“Date #1: Set the Perfect Tone!
Choose a location that showcases your best qualities.
Maintain strong eye contact to establish dominance. Let her know you mean business!
Pay a subtle compliment, but don’t overdo it! Keep her on the edge so she chases you!
Keep the conversation lighthearted yet intriguing. Who doesn’t love a man of mystery.”
  Yaga rubbed his temples. This was nonsense, wasn’t it? Showcase his best qualities? What did that even mean? Was he supposed to take her to a classroom and demonstrate his ability to keep a rowdy group of students in check? Pull out a ripped pair of pants and sew a patch on? He laughed silently, his large shoulders shaking as he put a sound to the belly laugh he expelled.
He sighed.”A man of mystery.” he repeated in a huff, setting his alarm and sitting his phone on the nightstand. “There’s no pressure, Yaga,” he talked to himself sternly, almost like a father speaking to his son the night of prom. “Its a date, not a wedding. Just enjoy the experience.” he turned over, closing his eyes to try and imagine what tomorrows date could result in. It was too late to back out now. He had to go in full speed.
The café Nanami suggested was a quiet, bookish kind of place, which Yaga appreciated. The soft hum of conversation, the scent of freshly brewed coffee, and the rows of bookshelves lining the back wall made it feel comfortable. Approachable. He could work with this. He settled into the arm chair, feeling confident in the afternoon.
Then you walked in.
He spotted you almost immediately and smiled, something warm and effortless about you. You stepped in like a dream. You waved at the barista and smiled, dress flowing as if you’d paid the wind to make it move with each step you took. Breathtaking.
“Uhh let’s do a honey latte with coconut milk today. And two lemon cookies, please.” He wondered what made you want a honey latte. Was it the honey? Perhaps you weren’t one for the strength of just straight coffee? His mind filled with scenarios as he watched you wait for your order.
“Yaga?” An unfamiliar voice walked up to him while he sipped his coffee.
“He’s not here.” His eyes stayed on you, not flinching.
“Sorry? Nanami told me you were my date?”
Shit. He turned to her and felt that guilty gut feeling at the confusion that stirred on her face.
“Oh gosh, so sorry. Yes, I-” He stood up and held his hand out and let her shake it. “I thought I saw someone I knew. My apologies. Call me Masamichi.”
“Oh! You’re okay. Happens to the best of us.”
“Would you like a beverage? I’ll get it for you.” he offered the chair right next to his. “Anything you fancy most?”
She pondered for a moment then smiled. “An americano with an extra shot of espresso.”
“Bold. You’ve got it.” He gave a warm smile and went to the front counter, walking past you as you scrolled on your phone waiting for your order.
He’s seen the viral clips of men bothering women and being called out about it. Was it really worth disturbing your peace?
‘Its for the best. And you’re on a date. Just leave it alone-’
“What are you thinking about getting?”
Your voice cut through his own dialogue and he froze from the neck down, turning to see you just a few steps closer to him. Your eyes were gentle, your voice sweet as honey.
“An americano.” he gruff voice lightened with his response. “With an extra shot of espresso.”
You raised your brow almost surprised at his answer. “Very… intense.” You laughed gently. “If you need something to help balance it out, I suggest the chocolate chunk muffin tops they have here. The perfect sweet treat to wash that down.”
“Oh, this isn’t for me. Its for my blind date.”
Amusement flickered across your expression and you looked subtly over your shoulder to see the woman sitting, waiting for you. "Exciting. Or nerve-wracking?"
He exhaled a quiet chuckle. "Both."
“Well, good luck to you! May the odds be in your favor.” Your order was called out and you grabbed your latte first, raising it in mock cheers before grabbing your plate of cookies and walking to a nearby table.
-
He sat across from his blind date, doing his best to focus. She was an amazing person—Nanami had vouched for her, after all. She had an easy smile, a soft voice, and seemed genuinely interested in getting to know him.
And yet, he kept glancing in your direction.
He tried to shake it off, returning his attention to the conversation. The guide had emphasized eye contact, active listening, and finding common ground. So he nodded along, asking genuine questions as he engaged in the conversation, offering polite responses. But every so often, his gaze drifted—just a flicker of a glance, quick enough that he hoped his date wouldn’t notice.
But he noticed. He noticed how you tucked a braid behind your ear, how you smiled at your book and widened your eyes and gasped in hopes of no one hearing you. How you tapped your fingers lightly against your coffee cup. It was distracting, pulling at the edges of his mind even as he tried to stay present.
Halfway through the date, he knew. He knew there wasn’t a connection—not the kind he was wanted to feel. His date was great, but she wasn’t the one keeping his attention without even trying.
By the time an hour had passed, Yaga took a breath and made up his mind.
“This was really nice,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck. "You seem like a wonderful person, but… I don’t think there’s a connection here. I wanted to be honest with you before we parted ways."
His date blinked, then gave a small, understanding nod. "I appreciate that, actually. And I get it. No hard feelings. Good luck to your future dating trials."
They parted on good terms and Yaga walked her outside before he went back in to sit for a moment, tapping his fingers against the table trying to wrap his head around exactly what he was about to do.
He was never one to act on impulse. Impulsively buying a high dollar steak? Sure. But something in him told him he’d regret walking away without trying.
“Full speed ahead,”
So before he could talk himself out of it, he stood, walked over to your table, and cleared his throat.
"Hey. Uh." He shifted his weight slightly, suddenly aware of how ridiculous he must look—this broad-shouldered, serious-faced man struggling to find the right words.
You picked your head up from your book, a little surprised by his approach, “Americano! Hi!”
  "I know this might be a little unexpected, and I apologize. I know I told you I was on a blind date but… it has ended. I wanted to tell you that you are incredibly striking.”
Yous placed your bookmark and slowly closed your book. “Did you scare her off?”
“Oh no no. It’s just that there was no connection,” He tried to clarify his actions not realizing it may be doing more harm than good. “I found myself interested in getting to know you and I wanted to do it the right way.”
You couldn’t tell whether he was joking or just being a nuisance, but you were too intrigued to not find out.
So you sat quietly, smiling.
He cleared his throat. "Your, uh, shoes look sturdy."
A pause. Then, to his immense relief, you laughed.
"Wow. High praise. I was hoping to impress you with my charm after you decided to be so brazen, but if my footwear is winning points, I’ll take it."
Yaga felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders and laughed just loud enough for you to hear.
“To keep my momentum going, I’d love to take you out to lunch sometime to get to know you better.”
“What if I’m not single?” You stood up, letting your eyes trace over his defined shoulders and chest. “This would all be in vain.”
He hadn’t even thought of you being taken. His ears turned a shade of tomato red as he tried to figure out how he could recover from fumbling this badly. “I’ll pay for you next coffee if I’ve disrespected you and your partner. That wasn’t my intention.”
There was something endearing about this big man overthinking every other thought he had. It was obvious to you that he was not one for approaching strangers in public for things as informal as asking someone out. It was.. cute.
“After our first date, we can come here for a coffee then. I won’t say no to coffee with a handsome man with no name.”
“Cheeky.” You both laughed as he pulled out a card from his jacket pocket, passing it onto you gingerly. “Masamichi. And it would be my pleasure.”
=============================================
Six months. You’d been dating Masamichi for six and it was heaven on earth.
You’d come to know a mild giant for a partner. The perfect balance of love, laughter, and understanding. You’d complemented each other in every way imaginable, personalities intertwining like the branches of a sturdy oak tree, unshakable and resilient.
He was considerate, gentle, consistently showing that he would be there for you come hell or highwater. And you showed the same.
Two people swimming in the dating pool meeting by chance in a small pond.
Fate.
And now on your 6 month anniversary, you found yourself lost in thought, your mind wandering to the elephant in the room - or rather, the absence of it in your bedroom.
You sighed, tracing your fingers along the rim of the mug filled with now lukewarm green tea, a gift from Masamichi's grandfather. It was a small gesture, but one that spoke volumes about the sincerity and thoughtfulness that permeated your connection. Yet, despite the depth of your bond, there was one aspect of your relationship that remained unexplored, a chasm that seemed to grow wider with each passing day.
Masamichi was in the kitchen, the sound of pots and pans clattering as he prepared dinner, his humming a soothing melody that normally would have chased away any lingering doubts. But tonight, your mind was consumed by the gnawing uncertainty that had taken root in the pit of my stomach. You couldn't help but wonder if there was something wrong with you, if his hesitation to take your relationship to the next level was a sign of some deep-seated inadequacy.
You watched as he nodded his head along to the light jazz that filled the air. He was everything to you. And you didn't want to ruin the perfection you had cultivated together, the easy camaraderie and the deep respect that underpinned every interaction you’d shared all because it feels like you’re ovulating every other day.
But at the same time, the weight of the unspoken desires was beginning to take its toll, the deafening screams of wanting to be in the throws of passion grew louder with each passing day.
You knew you had to say something, to address the elephant in the room before it consumed you both. you took a deep breath, steeling yourself for the conversation that was to come, and made your way to the kitchen, determined to confront the fears and insecurities that had been plaguing your thoughts for weeks on end.
Masamichi looked up as you entered, a warm smile playing on his lips as he greeted you with a kiss on the cheek. "Almost ready," he murmured.
Your heart pounded in your chest as you tried to find the right words. Masamichi sensing the uneasiness in your demeanor, set down the spoon he was holding and turned to face your fully, his brows furrowed in concern.
"Hey, is everything alright? You look like you've got something on your mind," he asked softly, his hand reaching out to gently squeeze your shoulder.
You nodded, swallowing hard before speaking. "Masamichi, we need to talk. About us, about... our relationship," you spoke with intention, your voice barely above a whisper.
His eyes widened slightly, and you could see a flicker of uncertainty in their depths. He took a step back, running a hand through his hair as he seemed to grapple with his own thoughts.
"I fear I know where this is going," he admitted, his voice tinged with a hint of frustration. “I know you said the crochet thing wasn’t a big deal but it becomes one. Its just part of me..” He untied the apron from around his waist and lifted it over his head. “I know it isn’t for everyone.”
What a man. You smiled, rubbing his bicep before pulling him to the couch. “No no. I like your hobbies. It isn’t that.” You sat him down, his dark eyes brewing a storm as he tried to figure out just what you could be referring to.”
“Chi, do you find me attractive?”
He looked shocked, almost offended at the question. “A goddess among us mere mortals. You are beyond gorgeous. Where is this coming from? Am I not calling you beautiful enough?”
“God, you make it real hard to be assertive when you’re this sappy.” biting your lip and faintly laughing, you cleared your throat to push through the conversation. "I know we haven't... I mean, we haven't taken that step, and I can't help but feel like I'm disappointing you somehow in the attractiveness factor or you may not be ready which is totally okay! I just want to at least talk about it."
He paused, his gaze dropping to the floor as he struggled to find the right words. "The truth is, I want nothing more than to be intimate with you, to express the depth of my love and desire for you. But I'm scared," he confessed, his voice barely audible.
Your heart clenched at the vulnerability in his tone, and you reached out to take his hand in yours, squeezing it gently. "Masamichi, look at me," you followed his eyes, waiting for him to meet your gaze.
He did, and you could see the anguish and self-doubt swirling in his eyes. "You could never disappoint me," you assured him, thumb brushing against his cheek in a tender caress. "What we have is so special, so perfect, and I don't want to ruin it by rushing into something you may not be ready for."
You took a deep breath, choosing your next words carefully. "Masamichi. I love every part of you, including your kindness, your patience, and your unwavering commitment to our relationship. Our intimacy, whenever it happens, will be a natural progression of the love and connection we already share."
Thank you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for saying that, for seeing me the way you do. I was so afraid that you thought there was something wrong with me, that I wasn't enough for you."
He pulled back slightly, his hands coming up to cup your face, his thumbs brushing the soft moon of your cheeks. "I love you so much," he murmured, his forehead pressing against yours once more. "I love your strength, your kindness, your unwavering faith in us. I don't want to mess this up, to do something that might hurt you or push you away."
You turned your head slightly, pressing a soft kiss to his palm before smiling. "You could never push me away, Masamichi. Your love, your respect, and your consideration for me are what make me fall in love with you more each day," You remarked, voice steady and sure. “And you’ll have to try harder if you want to get rid of me.”
Masamichi laughed, his wide shoulders moving as he enveloped you in his embrace. He closed his eyes, exhaling sharply with a shuddering breath. "Well you know I’m an older guy so it takes awhile to make sure my engines stay running for awhile.”
“Is there anything I could do to.. keep them running?” You were sincere in your curiosity.
Grinning and shaking his head, Masamichi squeezed your hand. “You could wink at me and the engine starts. Its just part of me getting a little older. I need time to..” He thought for a moment before continuing, “Time and maybe a boost to make sure the engine can run for as long as it needs to.”
“Oh!” you fanned him off, thinking you clearly understood what he meant until it actually clicked. Your brows raised. “Ohhhh..”
He chuckled, nodding. “Exactly.”
“Do you have that on like, standby? How does one obtain… engine boosting medication?”
“I’ll make an appointment and hopefully be seen next week. Easy as that.”
You hadn’t really thought about the implications of dating a ‘seasoned man’. He’s older, not old so you didn’t really think he’d need help I suppose. But it didn’t deter you by any means.
He was a one in a million kind of man and sex wasn’t everything to you. But he was.
“I want to do this right," he said, his voice filled with determination. "I want our first time to be perfect, to be a celebration of the love and intimacy we've built together. And I want to make sure that you're ready, that we're both ready, before we take that step."
“Respectfully, honey, I was ready the moment you picked up that love seat without breaking a sweat awhile back.”
“You’re an insatiable woman.” He leaned in, kissing you softly before lying you back onto the couch.
You nodded, a smile playing on your lips as you leaned in to press a soft kiss. “I’m sorry you are just too hot. I can’t help but be in awe of you.” you whispered against his lips.
“And just so we’re clear: I’ve thought of the many ways I want to ravish you. When I get my hands on you,” He ran his thumb ever so gently over your bottom lip. “I want you to be the only thing that can satiate my appetite.” His large hand traveled up your thigh, lightly allowing his knuckles to caress your soft skin until he stopped right at your inner thigh.
For the first time ever, you were rendered speechless, only nodding as he placed soft kisses across your collar bone and shoulder before meeting your lips.
His lips moving against yours with a tenderness and love that stole your breath away. "Together," he murmured, his arms wrapping around your waist and pulling you close. "We'll navigate this journey together, one step at a time, and build the perfect intimacy that we both deserve."
===========================================
As the candlelight flickered, creating the perfect cozy table for two, Masamichi couldn't help but steal glances of you from across the way.
The romantic dinner was going perfectly in his eyes. Dinner came out absolutely divine. He opted for the lighter style of Greek food to go along with the light and engaging conversation and playful banter flowing freely between the both of you. He had been looking forward to this moment for what felt like an eternity, his heart fluttering with anticipation and desire.
Reaching across the table, Masamichi gently took your hand, giving it a tender squeeze. "Tonight has been absolutely wonderful," he murmured, his thumb caressing your knuckles. "I'm so glad we could have this time together, just the two of us."
You smiled warmly, squeezing his hand in return. "I've been really looking forward to this," you admitted, a hint of mischief sparkling in your eyes. "And I don't just mean the delicious food and wine."
Masamichi felt a shiver run down his spine at the implication, his pulse quickening. "Is that so?" he asked, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Well, I think we both know where this night is headed, don't we?"
Slowly, deliberately, Masamichi stood up from his chair and walked around to his lover's side of the table. He held out a hand in invitation. "Dance with me?" he purred, wanting to feel your body pressed against his.
Accepting without hesitation, you rose gracefully to your feet. "I thought you'd never ask," you teased, melting into Masamichi's arms as he pulled you close.
He wrapped one arm around your waist, holding you flush against his expansive chest as he began to sway to the soft music playing in the background. His other hand cupped your cheek, tilting your face up to look at him. "You look stunning tonight." he whispered, his breath ghosting over your lips.
“Thank you. My boyfriend bought this for me.” You responded sweetly. “He said the color made me look like an ethereal beauty.”
He smiled down at you and continued to sway, the light air around him made him feel like he was in a romance film as you brought your lips to his, starting with a small peck that slowly moved into something more. He ran his finger tips down the center of your back, deepening the kiss the moment he felt your body shiver against him.
"I don't know how much longer I can control myself around you." He muttered against your lips.
Your eyes fluttered for a moment, a soft gasp escaping your throat. "Then don't," you breathed, leaning in to capture Masamichi's lips in a searing kiss. "I want you. So so badly.” you whispered into his mouth.
Masamichi's hands began to wander, exploring and caressing every curve of your body with a hunger that bordered on desperation. He slid his hands to the cutouts of your dress, relishing the feel of your soft, warm skin beneath his fingertips.
Breaking the kiss, Masamichi trailed his lips down the column of your throat, nibbling and sucking at the sensitive flesh. He could feel your pulse racing beneath his mouth, and it spurred him on, determined to mark you as his own.
Without thinking, he lifted you, an arm at the crease under your knees, carrying you bridal style towards his bedroom.
"Your skin tastes divine," he murmured against your throat, his voice rough with desire. "I want to leave my mark on every part of you, to show the world that you belong to me." He stepped to the edge of the bed and sat you down with the gentleness of a feather before he began to unbutton his shirt, his eyes never leaving you.
You could feel the heat of his gaze as he undressed. Watching the shirt fall to the ground your core tightened. That feeling flooded you.
His pecs were well defined, contoured by his chest hair. His body was hard, chiseled to perfection and for the first time, you were seeing it without any restrictions. He leaned over you, kissing the top of your head as he brought you up to your knees.
“Here. Let me help you.” He walked around to the side of the bed and sat on his knees behind you, running his knuckles along the straps of your dress, dragging slowly across the valley between your shoulders. He unzipped, leaving kisses on your newly exposed skin right until he got to your lower back
  He could feel you arching into his touch, your hands fighting to just reach behind you and pull him in by hair to hold him closer to you. "Yes," you hissed, tilting your head to give him better access. "Please, Masamichi… please..”
Masamichi groaned at the desperate plea, his hands sliding up to cup and squeeze the soft mounds of your breasts. He could feel your nipples hardening beneath the thin fabric of your dress, and he couldn't resist taking one into his mouth, sucking and flicking his tongue over the sensitive peak. He let the dress fall to your thighs and reached around, taking a nipple into his mouth and groaning at the contact.
As he lavished attention on your breasts, his other hand slid down your stomach, slipping beneath the waistband of your panties to cup your mound. He could feel the heat emanating from your core, and he knew you were just as aroused as he was.
"You're so wet for me already," he purred, rubbing his fingers along your clothed slit. "I love how responsive you are to my touch. It drives me wild."
He continued his sensual battle, alternating between kissing, licking, and nipping at every inch of skin he could reach. He wanted to overwrite every thought in your mind with pleasure, to make it so the only thing you could focus on was the feel of his hands and mouth on your body.
Lie back, I’ve got you,” He whispered before stepping off of the bed, cradling you before crawling over you with a wicked grin. "I'm going to worship every part of you tonight," he promised, his eyes dark with lust. "I'm going to worship every inch of your body," he promised. "I'm going to make you scream my name until it's the only thing you remember."
Pinning you with his hips, he attacked your neck with open-mouthed kisses and sharp nips, licking your skin before blowing light breaths on each patch.
Masamichi gazed down at you, The sight of your bare body, the swell of your breasts rising and falling with each anticipatory breath, sent a surge of desire coursing through him. He quickly shed the rest of his own clothing, eager to feel your skin against his own.
He settled himself between your spread thighs, his hands immediately going back to your breasts. He cupped the soft mounds, kneading and squeezing the pliant flesh as he brushed his thumbs over your nipples, feeling them stiffen under his touch.
He took his time lavishing attention on them, rolling and pinching the hardening peaks until you writhed beneath him, your back arching off the bed. His hands then trailed lower, skimming over your plush stomach, feeling your tense muscles flutter under his fingertips.
His thick digits dipped between your thighs, his fingers gliding through the slick heat he found there. He groaned at the evidence of your arousal, his cock throbbing with the need to be inside you. "You're so wet for me already," he murmured, circling your clit with the pad of his thumb. "I've barely touched you and you're dripping."
You whimpered, hips lifting to grind against his hand, seeking more of that delicious friction. "It's because of you," you panted, voice high and needy. "The way you touch me...the things you do to my body...I can't help it."
Masamichi smiled, a wicked glint in his eyes. "And I plan to make you even wetter," he promised, before sliding two fingers deep inside your fluttering pussy.
Just his fingers, stretching you, filling you. He pumped his fingers in and out, curling them to hit that special spot that made you see stars. At the same time, he leaned down to capture one nipple in his mouth, suckling and flicking the sensitive bud with his tongue as he worked you over with his hand.
Your body was tensing and he could feel it. Your inner thigh muscles clenching around his invading fingers as you climbed closer and closer to your peak. He knew you were getting close already, and he wanted to push you over the edge.
Suddenly, he withdrew his fingers, ignoring your protesting whine but kissing between your breast then your lips.
“My beautiful angel,” he whispered against your lips, “Want to taste yourself?” He brought his soaked fingers between you, glistening under the dim light and smiled as you did. Running your tongue between his pointer and middle made his cock jump. “My good girl.” He brushed the back of his hand over your cheek and kissed you, twirling his tongue around yours to savor your taste.
His fingers dipped back between your thighs to rub slow, deliberate circles around your clit and you arched into him. He could feel how swollen and sensitive it was, how it throbbed against his touch like a tiny, aching heart. With that, he slipped one finger inside and continued his barbarous pace. You clenched around his digit before trying to form words, but nothing came out except more teary eyed moans.
He leaned down to capture your lips in a searing kiss, his tongue delving deep to claim every inch of your mouth. He swallowed your moans and whimpers, relishing the way you tasted, the way you felt pressed against him. He captured every whimper and moan as he quickened his pace, the sound of your wetness now being muffled by his hungry grunts and the sensation of that engine revving magic pill suddenly reaching the places it needed.
He continued to grind and rub, bringing you closer and closer to the edge. Just as he felt you start to tense, your body coiling like a spring ready to snap, Masamichi pulled his fingers away, stroking his cock with his now soaked hand while he reached for the pillow next you, then lined himself up with you.
“Are you ready?” He asked softly, eyes looking into yours.
“Are you?”
He looked down to where you two were almost meeting and chuckled at just how red the head of his cock was. “Maybe a little too ready.”
You lifted your hips and he placed the pillow underneath you. “Then please. Have me.”
With one powerful thrust, he sheathed himself fully inside of you, burying his cock to the hilt in your tight, wet heat. You both cried out at the sudden intrusion, body stretching and accommodating his thick length.
“God damn it.” He groaned, his hips pressed flush against the back of your thighs as he cautiously placed one leg over his shoulder.
The feeling of his hard cock buried deep inside you was almost too much to bear. You could feel every throbbing inch of him, stretching you wider than you ever had been before. It was a delicious mix of pleasure and pain, and you never wanted it to end.
Masamichi gave you a moment to adjust, fighting the urge to start moving. He could feel your inner walls fluttering and clenching around him, trying to draw him even deeper. It took every ounce of his self-control not to start pounding into you like a wild animal.
Instead, he leaned down to press hot, open-mouthed kisses along your shoulders and chest, his teeth grazing your skin. His hands slid up your sides to keep you with him, holding and caressing you as your heartbeat filled his ears.
Masamichi started to move, pulling his hips back until just the tip of his cock remained inside, before moving forward and burying himself to the hilt once more. He set a steady, deep rhythm, each thrust pushing the breath from your lungs in a rush.
"You feel incredible," he panted against your skin, his voice rough with pleasure. "So tight and perfect around my cock. I don't ever want to pull out."
The only thing you could muster was a moan in response, your body rocking forward with each of his intense thrusts. You reached a hand down to rub at your clit, desperate for the extra stimulation to push you over the edge.
Masamichi growled, a dark and feral sound, as he watched you lover touch youself. The sight of you lost in pleasure, impaled on his cock and chasing your own release, was almost enough to make him come undone right then and there.
He grabbed your wrist, pulling your hand away and replacing it with his own. He rubbed at your clit with quick, firm circles, feeling it swell and throb under his touch. His other hand gripped your hip hard enough to leave bruises, holding you in place as he began to pound into you with wild abandon.
"That's it, baby," he encouraged, his voice a low rumble in your ear. "Come for me. Let me feel you come all over my cock. I need to feel you squeeze me like a vice as you scream my name.”
Masamichi could feel his lover's body tensing, your muscles pulling taut as you teetered on the brink of climax. He doubled his efforts, pounding into you with short, sharp thrusts that hit that special spot inside you with every drive of his hips.
"Yes, that's it," he urged, his voice a low, seductive growl. "Come on, baby. Let go. I want to feel you come undone, shatter in my arms."
You let out a high, keening cry, your back arching as your orgasm crashed like a tidal wave. Your inner walls clamped down around Masamichi's cock like a silken vice, rippling and fluttering as you came harder than you ever had before.
Masamichi groaned, the sensation of your pussy gripping him so tightly almost enough to make him lose control. But he held on, determined to bring you through your climax and prolong this feeling of pleasure for as long as possible.
He gentled his thrusts, rolling his hips in a slow, sensual circle as he worked you through the aftershocks. His hand never stopped its relentless rubbing at your now sensitive clit, coaxing out every last bit of your release until you were boneless and spent beneath.
Masamichi leaned down to capture your swollen lips in a deep, passionate kiss. He poured all of his love and desire into the kiss, wanting you to feel the depth of his feelings.
“Please.” The faint sound of your voice filled his ears, The shudders and tremors started to subside, and he finally let himself go. “Please cum for me.” You reached up to drag your nails down his torso and he threw his head back, losing every ounce of willpower he tried to hold onto. With a hoarse shout of your name, he buried himself as deep as he could go and pulled out the moment the flood gates opened.
He covered your stomach, spurt after spurt of his hot seed, painting you white as he emptied himself completely. His hips continued to rock and jerk, working himself through the intense pleasure until he had nothing left to give.
Collapsing onto his hands, caging you in, he peppered your neck and shoulders with soft kisses, his hand finding its way to roaming over your curves with a tender, almost reverent touch.
He finally mustered the energy to get up. “One moment, I need to get you a towel to clean you off.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead and smiled before walking into the bathroom.
The grin on your face grew with each moment you lied there waiting for his return. The sound of the running water turning off made you sit up on and elbow.
His large figure walking back in made you feel butterflies.
“Hi.” you spoke softly, clearly giddy.
He grinned, sitting on the side of the bed and wiping your stomach with the warm towel. “Hello, darling.”
You giggled, bubbly and absolutely over the moon.
He finished cleaning you and went to toss the towel in a hamper before returning to your side, lying and immediately taking you in. You sighed contentedly, melting into his strong embrace.
You felt safe, cherished, and utterly fulfilled in his arms. His scent enveloped you, a mix of your own perfume and the musky aroma of sex, and it made you feel deliciously claimed.
His hands continued their gentle explorations, now soothing caresses rather than the heated touches of before. He ran his fingers through your soft coils brushing it back from your face, before trailing down to trace the delicate line of your jaw and the column of your throat.
The rise and fall of your chest pressed against his own, a soothing, hypnotic sensation that made him feel at peace.
Masamichi pressed a tender kiss to your temple, letting his lips linger for just a moment. "Being with you, like this...it's everything I've ever wanted."
You turned your head to meet his gaze, eyes soft and hazy with contentment. You reached up to cup his cheek, thumb brushing over his lower lip in a loving caress. "For me too," you whispered, a small smile playing at the corners of your mouth. "I never want this moment to end."
Masamichi turned his head to press a kiss to your palm, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment as he savored the taste and feel of your skin. "It doesn't have to," he promised, his voice a low rumble in his chest. "We can stay like this for as long as you want. I'll hold you all night long, if that's what you need."
Eyes shining with happiness. You snuggled back, tucking your body even closer to his own. "I want that,” you closed your eyes now, feeling the warmth of your deepened intimacy filling your heart. “I want that with you. Always.”
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megthemariner · 7 months ago
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It’s ableist, classist & very ill-informed. Blindness, dyslexia, ADHD & other conditions may make physically reading hard or impossible. Oral storytelling has been around forever, with many cultures having developed spoken language before written language. Historically many people were not taught to physically read (esp women & BIPOC!) and just didn’t have the option as a result. It also doesn’t take into account people that may not have access to physical books written in their language and have to listen to translated versions, or may only know a second or third language well enough to understand it but not read it. There’s so much nuance & it’s just dumb to say one way of learning and obtaining new information is superior to another.
Also sometimes audiobook versions are just more enjoyable! Hearing characters speak in their accents, hearing emotion, volume, etc. can all make it a very different experience.
ok someone please correct me if i'm wrong but am i weird for thinking those 'audiobooks don't count as reading' posts are ableist as fuck????
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biscuitboba · 9 months ago
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I'm somewhat new to your account, i know that you are obsessed with zolu, but may I ask what are your top 5 ships from op👀?
Hiii! I will gladly answer your question loll🤩
Zolu/luzo 👒⚔
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This one is so obvious, i know, I literally only talk about them here, so- 😭😭
Acedeuce/deuceace🎭🔥
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God i am begging people to read the ace novel pls pls pls, these two are so beautiful they are so devoted (im gonna reblog this post with something them related later.. probably) i luv them so muchh, but they are so underrated:-( i don't really talk about them much here (shame on me)... but i always think about them!!
Saboala 🎩🐨
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I'm literally insane about ASL? luffy, ace, and sabo are among my top favorite op characters, so of course i'm gonna list the asl and their bf/gf first, lollxD Saboala is such a soft and wholesome ship?? it is so obvious that they care so much about each other even with their very limited(?) moments, but i ate those moments up!!
Namivivi🍊👑
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I've talked about them a few times, but the way they are very protective of each other?? They care so muchh about each other! like when nami was sick and vivi putting his head on the ground to beg for nami's sake.. Also thinking about how nami is like a sturdy pillar for vivi at times... so many moments between the two of them tbh, i literally want to puke because i love them so muchh-
Frobin🤖🌸
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Literally the closest thing to canon (among all the other mugiwara ships). They are very close? And naturally comfortable with casual touch between each other. Like frank carrying robin (in various ways) plenty of times throughout the entire series, or robin letting franky to sleep on her lap... and let's not talk about all the op color spreads or op movies with all of the frobin crumbs (franky holding her whole body, robin touching franky's face, et cetera) also god... sometimes i really want to dissect frobin in thriller bark (or frobin throughout the whole op) all the subtle/micro interactions, and like the iconic "it is never a crime to exist!" line?? I have so much to say about them, but the most important thing is they are very dear to me!!
(I'm sorry i think i ended up rambling😭)
EDIT: Yesterday i said "i'm gonna reblog this post with something them related later.. probably", and i've done exactly that... so you can check my reblog for more deuceace/acedeuce:D
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lowkeyrobin · 7 months ago
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James Hook x gn!Bill Cipher!reader :D
I don't know if you understand the character I'm referring to, but it would be a reader with the powers of Bill Cipher and the same sadistic and carefree attitude that caught Hook's attention
xoxo ᰔᩚ
okay I can definitely try, but I can't promise this is good. I haven't watched gravity falls since like elementary school and I wasn't even that much of a fan so I had to use a lot of Google, so sorry if this is ooc ; thanks for requesting, hope you enjoy! ; also I saw that he has immortality so I wanted to play on that a bit bc music influenced me to do it lol ; also this essentially has no plot and is just some dumb rambling
JAMES HOOK ; cipher
summary ; a post-bridget going evil apocalypse au thing where you're super op, somehow died, and are now sifting up a plan with hook
warnings ; language, death, blood, kinda gore (?), stitching together body parts, reader is kind of a sociopath
disclaimers ; set post-bridget turning into QOH, aka the timeline where red and chloe didn't go back (completely just a oneshot this isn't what I think entirely happened)
word count ; 1.1k
masterlist
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You had died at the hands of Bridget, now the Queen of Hearts, a tyrant.
She took control of Wonderland, and nearly all of what what would eventually become Auradon.
Bridget's happy-go-lucky personality and princess pink aesthetic had mutated. She'd turned only into the Queen of Hearts, a woman barely even out of her teenage years, angry and cruel, her signature pink becoming red. Everything red. No more happiness or joy. She wouldn't be the laughing stock now.
She beheaded you just as quickly as she'd gotten her hands on you. Her year-long reign above Wonderland commanding her Queen.
Your friends had gone into hiding, now realizing what they'd created. A tyrant, a murderous monster.
But, she'd forgotten that you were immortal, among many things.
Yes, you were essentially dead for days, your friends having been carrying around your body, waiting and waiting for you to snap back to reality. Maleficent had stitched your head back to your body, knowing your regeneration took a hell of a long time.
Immortality was like Klaus Hargreeves, something you hadn't mastered. You had to walk the terrains of whatever middle world existed between Heaven and Hell, the Devil and God themselves rejecting you for all eternity.
Outside Merlin's Academy rained soldiers from maroon clouds.
They lay dead flowers for the torn apart, you, at your feet, knowing one of these days you'd wake up. One of them you would. They'd just have to hope. You could end this.
Maleficent stands before you, spellbook in hand. Hook, Morgie, Uliana and Hades stand behind her, watching closely.
"Let it rain until it floods, let the sun breathe life once more, reborn. Dead flowers for the torn apart, laid at the grave to heal a broken heart"
The group stands silent, waiting for anything to happen. Then, the stitches melt into your skin, fusing your body together. You gasp, awakening suddenly, choking up blood and air. James rushes to your aid, hand on your shoulder, trying to help you breathe.
Maleficent shuts her book, stuffing it in her bag.
As you regain your voice, thankfully rather quickly, you look up at your friends.
"How long was I dead?"
Hades looks across the other's faces before answering. "Over a month."
Your jaw slacks, looking to the others for confirmation, which you receive. You'd never been dead that long. But then again, you'd never been beheaded. It'd only felt like an hour or two for your soul.
"You know who did this to you, right?" Uliana asks you.
You nod.
"Together, we can force her back down into Wonderland. We can not let her take over everything."
"Give me a few days. That sounded cringe as fuck" You groan, cracking your bones. "Plus, the magic doesn't work if I'm still practically dead"
"I've got frozen waffles-"
"Get a toaster. And a couple more boxes of those"
"On it!"
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"Couldn't you just rewrite the laws of the universe or something?"
You sigh, "It doesn't work like that. If I do that, it'll screw us all over, not just Bridget. If you want me to laser her head off or something, I can, but I'm not gonna get myself killed again or any of you for that matter."
James softly smiles beside you, his eyes locked to the ground. "You can shapeshift, right?"
You nod. "Must I go over everything I can do? I'm not a master at anything, but..."
James nods.
"Uhm..." You count on your fingers as you list your abilities. "Regeneration, takes a long time when it's major. Reality warping, telekinesis, strength, dream manipulation, durability, immortality, time manipulation, range, speed, duplication, invisibility, intelligence, laser eyes, omnipresence, shapeshifting, soul removal, and stamina."
Your friends share awkward stares, slowly looking back at you.
"Look," You continue. "I doubt I'm the first person she wants to see. I tortured her the most out of all of us, I practically killed her over and over again for enjoyment, which is kind of sick, but it's funny"
Hades blinks. "Not very funny now that she's trying to take over the world"
Maleficent slaps his arm, hushing him.
"Anyways," you continue. "This is my battle. I'm not letting you guys die, nor am I sitting back to watch it happen. This is between me and her. I will cut her head off over and over until the end of time if I have to."
James shares a look with you, quickly placing himself on board with whatever your plan would be. Uliana, Morgie, Maleficent, and Hades decide to listen to you, not wanting to die. They retreat to their hideout in the academy, wishing you luck.
You turn back to look at James, silently questioning why he was still here.
"Do you have a plan?" He asks.
You shrug. "Go with the flow, I guess"
He nods slowly. "Where are we going?"
"Closer to Wonderland, I guess. I'd expect her to be locked up in her ugly castle"
"Wait, couldn't you reverse time-"
"I'd reverse it back to the day you were born and kill you before you got to exist if I tried."
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Over the past few days, Hook had one hundred percent grown more infatuated with you. He already had been before, hypnotized by your power and personality. He wished he could have you.
Realistically, it would never happen. You were trillions of years old, stuck inside a teenage body.
You sit beside a fire, warming your hands, the pirate at your side.
"Why did you stay with me?" You ask out of the blue. "You could die"
He shrugs. "I'd willingly die by your side if it meant I'd be helping you. I'd do anything for you"
You furrow your eyebrows. "You sound like your brain became mush under a love spell"
He chuckles. "No. I'm infatuated with you. Really. Might as well know before I probably die"
"Huh?"
"You're actually so smart, and powerful, and sadistic, but it's so likable. Something draws me to you, more than any treasure could. Like, I genuinely see the stars in your eyes like they're every memory you've ever had. You're literally a God and I'm just some pirate"
"You're not just some pirate, you're the captain of the seas. That's a hard accomplishment" You reply. "Give yourself some credit"
He sighs. "I need you. I need you to not die to take Bridget down. So don't. She doesn't even have any serious magic, she has strength and no morality, which... you do too, but my point is, don't let her properly kill you again. Because if this ever ends, I want to spend every moment with you until I die"
You blink, slightly surprised at his ramblings.
"I couldn't live a few decades with you to live trillions more without you, James." You whisper, gaze locked onto the flame in front of you.
"That's fine," he replies.
You look to him, knowing he wasn't finished talking. He always had another word to say.
"Just please don't leave me. If you die again, I can't save you this time."
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lovrboyx · 1 year ago
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a lot of people love acting like they care about marginalized groups until it inconveniences them. I live in a city with an unavoidably large homeless population, and the amount of people who want to show empathy until someone expresses they may not be the most Mentally Well, or until they grow tired of seeing their tents on the sidewalk because they’re “eye sores” for your overpriced coffee shop.
Everyone wants to “solve” the problem until they realize the solution isn’t as simple as cleaning up the tents and locking everyone up. Padded or not, a cell is still a cell
a lot of yall wanna be leftists until you have to treat drug addicts and the homeless like theyre human beings deserving of dignity and respect
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yume-writes · 1 month ago
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Hiiii, first time ask here on Tumblr!
TFP x MCB
I have this stuck in my head after reading some of your posts, and I just wanna share mine, lol ;)
OP sees and figures that Blue Cop is struggling to be a team leader for the cardbots and wants to help him (not that Blue Cop is bad at leading but since OP has been leading the autobots for a long time, he can tell when someone is struggling emotionally and mentally). So OP would try and spend time with Blue cop and have small talk with him, encouraging him that he is a great leader. Give him the needed emotional support.
And that sort of makes Blue cop open up to him after a couple of their small talk sessions and reveals his own backatory when he was on Machina with other Star Guardians and his current situation. (This is playing into one of your asks where Blue cop faced many challenges as a star guardian cause of his importance/height thing, and he has guilt as the last star guardian post)
And they create this bond where Blue cop can rely on OP as a confidant or comfort as they are both leaders with like a heavy burden of leading a team and feeling immense guilt for failing them and their whole race.
WHICH leads to OP like somewhat adopting Blue Cop (and Jun by association) and adds Blue into his collections of kids he adopted. Bee and Smoky get a new brother from another world. (I'd assume Blue is in his 20s, and OP looks at him and is like, "Who's child is that? I'm gonna just take him" despite Blue being capable of taking care of himself)
That's all I have for now! So sorry for the rambling, and I hope you can understand all that. This headcanon was made at 4 in the morning.
I love your TFP x MCB posts! Don't stop posting, please!!
MCB x TFP crossover
Thank you so much for the ask!!!!! And don't worry I don't plan on stopping posting!!
Optimus and Blue Cop's dynamic/relationship rotates through my mind regularly. Just Op seeing Blue Cop struggling to fill his leadership position and helping him, giving Blue Cop advice and lessening the burden Blue Cop has
Op being the rock for Blue Cop and making sure he keeps a level head. He does take charge when needed, but mostly let's Blue Cop lead and make his own decisions in order for him to learn and gain some more confidence
When Blue Cop reveals his backstory and insecurities, I can imagine him starting to cry and get sucked into his head, blaming himself for the Machina' destruction and how he shouldn't have been the Star Guardian to survive, it should have been someone else who was better and more important.
Op would shut that down really quick, telling Blue Cop of how it wasn't a mistake for him to survive, how he is important and how he has done much good. He helps the other cardbots, protects humanity, and wants to create a good relationship between the two species so that they can create a peaceful life on Earth. How Deus Machina considered him important because he was given the Metal Breath, he was entrusted with the future of their species. Op could also talk about his own backstory, to try to relate Blue Cop and show how he isn't some higher power who doesn't make any mistakes. He's a person who makes mistakes, but with the support of his team, his family, he can overcome those mistakes and walk towards the future.
This just makes Blue Cop cry even more, hearing something say that he is important, that he isn't a mistake, and that someone understands what he went through. They hug while Blue Cop lets out all the stress he had bottled up since coming to Earth, maybe even before that.
Of course after this Op adopts him, what? Like he wouldn't, the poor boy just cried in his arms and carries a heavy burden for someone of his age, he could not not adopt him. Blue Cop isn't sure how to feel about being adopted, but he isn't complaining. Smokey and Bee are ecstatic about having a new brother, even more so with the knowledge he comes from another world! That's so cool to them! They do their best to make Blue Cop feel welcome and at home in another world, Blue Cop does appreciate it, he does feel very loved, he just wishes they would stop trying to make him do races behind Optimus's back
Also just thank you for the ask again! It really makes me happy to see that people enjoy what I post!!
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junktastic · 1 year ago
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I had a drawing months back that went kinda viral I guess, and it getting out of my normal sphere of followers meant that I got to observe how folks far outside of my twitter sphere interact with twitter and others. For reference, I am talking about this image:
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The context, besides getting to draw my friend Jenny, was that I saw a picture that was of an anime girl that said "lets be in our early 30s together" and I was like "haha, I will make my own version of this." Part of it was also that I think aging is fine, and we need to stop stressing so much over staying young. "Lets be in our mid-thirties together" is not a joke, I sincerely wanted this image to be warm and inviting, to maybe give people hope that there will be friends and people who love you once you get to that age. I never thought I was going to make it to 30, and I just turned 35 this year, and I'm the happiest I've ever been.
Some responses were obviously teens/early 20s people saying they don't want to get that old, which is whatever. When you're that young the dirty thirty sounds so ugly. No one cool is in their 30s! Well, if you ignore the people who make all the things they like. These responses I waved these off.
I saw the typical twitter experience replies of "this doesn't apply to me?" Ok bitch! Go make your own like I did! And show me when you do, I'd love to see it!
There was a handful of people who were saying "retweet to scare a twink" which I felt was kind of rude. Not to me, but to the twinks out there. Aging doesn't make you less of a twink.
Lots of people were sending it to their significant others or saying they hope to find someone to be in their mid-thirties with, which I love. :3 It makes me happy!
The one kind of response which is what I made this post for and I'm so sorry that I've been rambling, that I found weird was the people who will reply to just you. The OP. As if they are replying to everyone in the thread. I'm not talking about in QRTs, just straight in the replies. "Don't forget how tired she looks in this." Brother I drew the picture. I know. And ever since then I feel like, as someone who loves to read the replies on other people's tweets, I notice this a lot more often. Who are they talking to? Is this what people are referring to when they say "Main Character Syndrome?" Or should I be lumping these together with the "why isn't this about my exact personal life situation" people?
My fiancé says I'm thinking about this too hard (I got engaged last month btw), and he's probably right. I can't help but be curious about how other people choose to interact with the internet and images and people on it. And, I guess, am I supposed to reply? How should I feel about these. I guess I have to decide that on my own.
For the record, you are all very normal/understandable when it comes to what you guys tag my stuff with. That you love the girls (same!), that they're very gender (love this), or wow is this [insert fetish](not my intention but that's the internet). I feel like the slime girls get the "gender" comment the most and you are all so right for that. Every time I see people reblog my ocs I think "Thank you for loving [name]."
That's all! This was a pointless post but I'm unemployed right now so I have too much time to overthink things for no reason. How do YOU feel about how people interact with your posts? Are they weird? Or are they normal about it.
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tedkaczynskiofficial · 1 year ago
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I feel like something that should be mentioned here (because I think this is where a lot of people struggle with the idea that exercise ≠ weight loss) is that, of course, calories in calories out is just physics. When people say something like dieting or exercise are not effective weight loss strategies, they don't mean that people's bodies break the laws of physics; they mean those treatment strategies aren't maintainable or have underlying confounding mechanisms, and that's not the fault of the patient. That could mean anything from exercising being unenjoyable and therefore not maintained over time to hormonal changes that make weight loss more difficult with one strategy compared to others. Again, neither of those things are the fault of the patient, and clinicians and researchers should be aiming to create sustainable treatment plans for all conditions.*
I don't know if you've addressed this somewhere in the notes already (apologies if you have! Same for the main point of my reblog. I feel like the idea was lightly conveyed, but I wanted to explicitly lay it out for people not reading close enough), but I do think it's relevant to also point out that the T2 diabetes article says that exercise patients have decreased adipose tissue weight that was offset by muscle gain. Usually, that's what people care about in weight loss, especially visceral adipose tissue from a health standpoint, so I'm not certain that particular article strongly supports your argument. I get that the aesthetic results of deceased visceral fat don't necessarily translate to conventional aesthetic aspirations, but I'm not really certain that that specific article supports the thesis that exercise isn't good for weight loss very well since the goal isn't usually strictly about numbers on the scale- for the patient or the clinician. That said, I do think T2 diabetics are a uniquely motivated group to adhere to exercise regimens (or any regimen) both due to the fact that they have to manage their diet and the awful societal shaming they get for what people view as a self-inflicted condition. TL;DR: I don't think the T2 diabetes article supports your argument well, but I also don't think it's particularly detrimental to it.
*I'm going to add as an addendum that being overweight isn't always an issue; extra weight can cause problems for some people, so we do need safe, effective weight loss strategies, but that's not the case for everyone. Regardless, if a patient doesn't view it as an issue, then the clinician needs to shut up about it unless it's immediately relevant to whatever is currently at hand (e.g. the patient needs surgery and being overweight actually increases their risk of complications), and even then the patient should still be allowed to make their own informed decisions about their health.
Me: Exercise does not cause weight loss. This is a fact that has been demonstrated so robustly in research that even doctors, who hate and fear evidence, are grudgingly starting to admit this.
Someone reading that post: Cool, but have you considered that exercise leads to weight loss?
Me: I am going to eat you
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edenfenixblogs · 7 months ago
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hope you dont mind me sending an ask being a total stranger and all, i just don't wanna bother op of that post
fd does bring up the fact kendrick is a BHI/hotep briefly, specifically that that's great ammo for a beef because to most people the bhi/hoteps are considered weird and embarrassing and would be insanely easy to make fun of in a beef (at least according to most black people I've spoken with & fd himself), but also he believes that drake probably doesn't even really grasp what they are because he's distanced himself in such a specific way from the black community (and arguably jewish community as well, though i think fd only kinda alludes to it) in a really specific way- BUT, that it was an evolution, he started out in a very odd cultural position where he was ostracized for simultaneously recieving antiblackness from white & jewish communities he was a part of but also seen as "not black enough" by many black people (and it's still a bullshit take people will have)
that desire to fit in is what led him down a shitty road, but also drake already clearly had some clearly terrible behaviors already. he talks about how kendrick was being unhinged too and isnt necessarily one to talk
overall the video is more about the music history behind it and the connection between it and the current culture, and just kinda what led to this climate that could want the downfall of drake
i dont know if i agree on drake not knowing about BHIs, though i could believe he doesnt with how he really weirdly constantly codeswitches even wrt jewishness, but imho fd doesnt like to touch on areas where he really cannot speak to the experience, he's said as much in the past, so he only speaks very briefly of the black perspective of how hoteps are goofy as hell
sorry for rambling, im really into music, think fd did the video well although i dont agree with all his opinions, and just wanted to articulate it correctly that it's really more about the musical climate than anything else :)
I don’t mind this message at all!!! In fact, I’m so grateful for it!
This is all really good info. I would believe that Drake didn’t know about BHI, tbh. I didn’t know about it until a couple years ago when Ice Cube (who I grew up loving 😭😭😭) did some heinous shit awhile ago and I was like “Why did my man come for us Jews what the fuck??”
And then a mutual told me about BHI and I looked up. And found a whole new group of people who hate, dehumanize and erase us. 🙃🙃🙃🙃
I mean, theoretically, maybe Drake may have had more exposure to it as a Black and Jewish man. His mere existence makes him more of a target for people invested in that kind of ideology. But also, I do and always have very much gotten the sense that he was ostracized from much of the black community for his Jewishness and mixed race reasons—not due any specific issue in the black community, but just because people are always dicks to people who don’t neatly fit into social categories in expected ways. I can also see how being a Black rapper in white-passing Jewish circles could have been very uncomfortable if those white-passing Jews were inclined to tokenize or exclude him. So it’s possible to me that his bilateral isolation might have insulated him from BHI discourse.
Tbh I don’t think code switching is weird in almost any circumstance. It’s just a development in reaction to your environment. I have a really multiethnic and multicultural family and code switch all the time. I think if it seems weird when Drake does it, it might just be because he has not developed (and tbh should never have had to develop) a strong sense of what “version” of Drake he is supposed to be. So when he tries to read the room and meet expectations, be just does it badly. But it’s not his fault in the long run. It is fault of people who expect him to fit those expectations in the first place.
I respect the hell outta fd for staying in his lane and only speaking on what he understands. And with this context I’m glad he brings up BHI at all. Because it *is* relevant. Being Black and Jewish ANYWHERE are both identities that permeate every single element of someone’s lived experience. When dealing with a beef between people where one is Black and Jewish and the other is Black and attempts to usurp Jewishness by re-categorizing it historically and racially…the cultural friction at play is absolutely relevant.
I’m sure it isn’t the whole story or even likely to be the most important factor in their beef. But it is definitely A factor and it wouldn’t have been right to leave it undressed. Especially when the beef took off as antisemitism more broadly was on the rise due to current events.
I am glad to know that most people still see BHI as a goody ideology. There’s still wayyy too many people who believe it, though. I’ve lived with the consequences of their hatred for white-passing Jews for several months now and it is…unpleasant. But mostly it’s heartbreaking. I grew up listening to Ice Cube. I used to cite James Baldwin. I adored Alice Walker. And finding out that they hate me one by one was devastating. But the worst part has been OTHER BHI folks using their words to justify their own hatred of me and all Jews like me while simultaneously making me feel like I was harming them in some way just by existing.
I want to be clear that I do not and never have believed that most black people believe BHI bullshit. I’m only saying that it was a shock to me the sheer number of people who DO believe it and how vehemently they hold that belief and direct that vehement *emotion* directly at me. It’s really good for me to know that people who aren’t Jewish are publicly speaking out against BHI bullshit. It restores a lot of hope for me.
So ok. I’m back on the “maybe I’ll watch in a little bit when I’m less raw” train. I also love music, even though I’m certainly not up to date on it. So I’m intrigued to know more about the musical landscape of what’s going on.
Thanks again!
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remusawoooo · 9 months ago
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anon here, excited to read the essay! i asked you because i really like your takes and i see people in the more canon-adjacent parts of the marauders fanbase to complain about the extremes of the fanon one, though personally ive never really seen anything Too extreme, tho thats probably just tantamount to how well i curate my spaces i suppose (ive seen people say that fanon makes remus really “alpha” or makes sirius “bimbofied” and while ive seen hints of those extremes here and there, mostly it looks like it varies from person to person. ive just seen remus be more assertive than he probably is in canon, or sirius being more dramatic and “fem” than he probably is in canon). from what i know people like exaggerating events (the prank, etc.) or shifting some personality traits, but i dont really think thats a bad thing - i personally enjoy it. as long as they dont completely turn characters into stereotypes (though its a pitfall of every fandom, i fear), then whatever its just camp.
people are allowed to criticize stuff like that though, not taking that away from anyone, i personally just dont really care enough to be totally accurate esp since this hyperfix is kind of the bottom of the barrel for me LMAO. but i ask mostly bc im just curious to see what other peoples opinions are, and bc i think - especially in a fanbase like this - that its incredibly important to be at least a little critical with your media experience and reflect on it. saying “oh fuck canon we’re just having fun” is fine and all, i dont think anyone is stopping you, i think the personalities people have made up for characters that have zero screen time are super fun and the little ships are not everyones tea but like its fine. but even still, people should be way more aware of what characters theyre dealing with and from what franchise, and like reflect on any biases you may have. if youre making shit up for a random DE character, or retconning some sutff, okay, whatever, but be sure to not defend or like suddenly turn to really weird rhetoric. idk i think its the bare minimum in a fanbase like this
i definitely rambled way too much here, super sorry op! i hope this doesnt bother you, feel free to reply or feel free to not. i just really like hearing peoples thoughts on things, and i like your takes and your blog so i hope i didnt catch you by surprise. i really am just an outsider trying to look in LOL
hello anon, I'm sorry I lost your ask. I was writing on my laptop and saved the draft (but apparently had to press on alt, and didn't do it) so I basically lost your question and half of my initial response. Ty for sending in another ask!! Not a bother at all, i find this very lovely :D 
I was mortified to find that someone who isn't really a part of the fandom was perceiving me while I was complaining about fictional characters ahahaha. still, thank you for validating me and asking my thoughts on the mischaracterization of marauders!! I do talk about it daily, unfortunately, and without any prompt too. I'll try to gather all my thoughts here. I don't necessarily come across fanon as much as I did when I reentered the fandom and honestly, I can not be more with you about curating your space !! at the end of the day, I am just here to have fun, and really, pointing out these issues is not a good time at all! But I do post a lot about these, I can't be bothered to bottle up any thoughts lol.
I think the major issue I have with current interpretations is the underlying bigotry that comes along with it. There is a lot of unchecked problematic content that doesn't sit right with me.
Flanderizing characters in fandom interpretations is not limited to marauders fandom obviously. any popular media will face this because so many of us want to interact with one character so their traits are simplified for easier consumption and to find a common ground. this is also not limited to new marauders fandom. even in the older era, leather jacket-wearing, motorbike-driving quintessential bad boy siruis was a thing. so I won't nitpick on silly simplifications.
I just want to say that this isn't about me wanting everyone to have the same interpretations as I do about the canon. I follow so many lovely people and I don't agree with all of their posts. But, we all just simply share the love for these characters in the text and form an imaginary community. So, if we were to remove all the issues I will mention, it is still very well possible to have different personal takes.
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Here are some of my issues:
Queerness, Gender roles, and misogyny:
My biggest problem is the representations of queer relationships. the fandom packages these couples in a strange and obvious heteronormative mold where the individuals fit into male and female gender roles. mlm and wlw are now an “f/m”* stereotype and characterization gets affected by the ships. Heterosexual relationships shouldn't have these limitations either, anyway. There is no one way to be a woman or a man. With queer relationships in particular, we have reclaimed the word queer now but it was used to describe the unconventional weirdness in the relationship. We didn't fit into the normal portrayal of a loving relationship. So, it really bothers me, even in fiction, that queer ships are popularly consumed in a way that represents a traditional template. (*this is not about gender itself but the gender roles! f/m can very well be queer!). 
Let's take the biggest victim in this fandom: sirius.
Sirius’ portrayal concerning his gender and sexuality has heavily changed his characterization in the fanon. We have a character who is popularly headcanonned as trans and is it a coincidence that all their traits have changed from the og material? Sirius is suddenly vain, whiny, and dumb. Canon doesn't suggest this interpretation, it has to have stemmed from somewhere. It's the implicit bias. Sirius becomes a caricature of what a woman “should be”. When we focus on sexuality, there is the suddenly short twink sirius who has the same new traits- proving the point of fulfilling gender roles. These characteristics are a stand-in for the “female” role of the traditional relationship and it becomes more clear in the example of new age wolfstar. Remus is now the big alpha stoic manly man- the obvious stand-in for the “male” role. I could go on, it is apparent in the way you can see remus becomes a caretaker and sirius is taken care of.
The point I am trying to make is not to discourage gender/sexuality hc. I love them, keep them coming. But, why is female sirius not tall suddenly? It is not inherently bad at all to have a feminine and masculine pairing! But why do we need to change the constitutions of these characters to consume their relationship?
I'll keep dropping disclaimers because I hate being misinterpreted: I don't obviously mean every single person is doing this or that doing one of the things means doing the other too. 
Race:
It is related to the point above. I was personally so excited to see the popular desi james hc. Even in fanon, I have never seen such a prevalent and encouraged brown rep, it was quite sweet to come back to that. But the problem is the change of characteristics that comes with race hc. Desi james is also a manly dude who is big and buff as opposed to the white petite and delicate regulus within jegulus ship. The melanin is directly proportional to the manliness here. 
This is a propagation of race stereotypes. Maybe jegulus was a bad example because usually there are seen as blank templates. I will raise the argument that this can't be all we can come up with for blank canvases then. Either way, my point about race still stands when you repeatedly design interracial queer relationships so they fall into heteronormative roles. Anyway, same issue with wolfstar when there is a brown remus.
Canon, JKR, and hypocrisy:
Refusing to engage with source material is funny when we are picking characters out of it. the interpretations of the characters will be from their book. otherwise, they are just original characters with the same name. you can add onto the traits and a lot of the time fandom comes to a consensus regarding a few things! This is common in every fandom but I don't think I have seen such reluctance to not only critically engage with media but also shame others who do. We are surely in special circumstances with this fandom but I really do think jkr and how we navigate the fanon should be two different things.
Most of us don't condone jkr or even remotely agree with any nonsense she spews on the daily. Most of us can see the problematic nature of even consuming this media and staying in this fandom. It is one of the reasons I even left the fandom. Most of us are simply doing our best to engage carefully while distancing ourselves from her. So, it is quite laughable when some love to take the moral high ground for rejecting canon while still engaging with the same characters. (the rejection of canon in question being sirius’ height, lol)
(Sirius' height is quite a polarising fact apparently. Unfortunately, the point about height is also discussed so disingenuously. When I talk about sirius’ height, it is not really about him being 6 or 7 feet. It will not really impact my life. It is about what it represents. He is bimbofied as he becomes short. It's an issue of "WHY" again.)
Of course, this isn't an accusation of intentional bigotry from everyone here. The problem with this fandom is that the people in it tell themselves that it is progressive and to run away from the problematic creator as much as possible. We are not progressive if all we do is co-opt queer and racially diverse identities on such a superficial level. The bias manifests in subtle forms. I just wish we check ourselves from time to time, that's all. 
There is a lot of hostility when we try to discuss issues in the fanon. Things are interpreted in the most misguided way to just win the argument. Like I said in the beginning, we all just want to have a good time. That also means creating a welcoming space for vulnerable groups (especially when the same identities are used to pat yourselves on the backs for inclusivity points). I didn't even cover everything btw, I just wrote about the issues that concern me. queer and poc also partake in biased representations, I also probably have some biases that I didn't identify yet. I just think it would be super neat if everyone tried to make an effort to unlearn and engage with media without hurting anyone. 
I have other issues but they are all just super subjective opinions and smth I can ignore when others do. ex: I really don't like giving tragic backstories to bigots in the story. Not every supremacist loser has a trauma that forced them into oppressing people! There is also "tropeyfication" of all major ships. Just an overall issue in the reading world I think, though.
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Anon, I didn't mean to make it preachy in any way btw. You probably asked for a silly little rant and I went full lecture mode, so I apologize for the tone shift!! I mentioned these because every other issue can be brought down to these imo. Like you said, I also don't have any fixation on everything being canon-compliant. I only complain by asking about the thought process behind certain kinds of changes, if that makes sense! I hope this wasn't a drag really and you can see where I am coming from. If I misspoke anywhere, pls lmk. Thanks for sharing your opinions too!!
This is a long long rant, anyone who read everything, you are wonderful and patient. Thank you for taking the time. This huge post and the content can make you think, “who cares this much?” or “it's not that serious” and yaa it really isn't that serious. The characters aren't real but we all are. the identities projected are real. so, it does matter to talk about this.
Everything said this is a fun place to be once you find your own corner in the playground.
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thekidthesuperkid · 1 year ago
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Yeah he's the kind of person who's so competent and confident in his own capabilities that it freaks people out because most of them will probably never see him in a situation that tests those abilities because those situations are so rare, so to everyone else it just looks like he'll do the most insane stuff completely unphased by the risk of it. And he does it so casually anyone would think he's being impulsive or careless, but because he's so good at thinking quickly and thinking on his feet, he's already carefully calculated all the risks of every action he could take and landed on the action that would get him the exact result he wants with minimal danger to himself or others. (Of course the being careful of danger to himself part doesn't apply during the times he's been suicidal, but that's an obvious exception-that-proves-the-rule situation, where it's made clear to the reader that he's acting without self-preservation because he's not in a healthy or stable frame of mind)
I think we’re not fully utilising Dick’s potential for fuckery. This mean was raised in a circus. Surrounded by trapeze artists. And wild animals. What makes you think he has any regard for safety or self preservation?
So I like to think that sometimes, just sometimes there’s a switch that flips inside him and instead of being mature and practical about the system he lets his intrusive feral child win.
Two-face: Heads or tails little bird. Heads, I kill you. Tails, I surrender.
*flips coin*
Nightwing *throws his escrema stick and it hits the coin which lands in his palm*
Nightwing: Hey Harvey. If I flip it around in my hands I can change the outcome of this
Two-face: .. wait-
Nightwing *flipping his hand around with the coin inside* : Say why don’t we make it more interesting?
*takes out three more coins and puts them all in his palm before switching them around a bit*
Two-face: oh.. no..
*Red Hood and Red Robin watching in horror*
Red robin: .. should we.. should we stop him
Red hood *remembering when a villain knocked away Dick’s weapons and told him if he could draw blood without landing a hit on him he’d tell his army to stop and Dick didn’t wait a second before biting the fucker’s neck and taking a good chunk out of it*
Red hood: he’ll be fine.
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isan0rt · 11 months ago
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@lightandfellowship re: your tags on this post (just to kind of bring this out to a different post).
I was thinking about making a separate post to expand on those tags anyway because they were a little off topic to the op, but I was like, you know, it's that Xehanort was worse to the Dandelions than Luxu was, yes. But Luxu was supposed to be that callous to the Dandelions in the first place. He was supposed to think of them as tools and to just let whatever fucked up thing was supposed to happen to them just happen. And with anyone else he can, but he can't put his personal feelings aside enough to 'do what needs to be done' for this set of people alone.
But Xehanort can.
And I think that's really interesting when looking at Xehanort as the 'replacement Luxu.' Xehanort who, as observed by another post I don't have immediately to hand, speaks with MoM twice. Xehanort who is chosen by MoM and manipulated into doing his bidding the same way Luxu was, given the same coat and made the heir to Luxu's keyblade, Xehanort who actually is allowed to take action to bring the Keyblade War about and revive the Lost Masters while Luxu is only allowed to watch.
Actually I started this post with a different thesis ('Xehanort is able to put his personal feelings aside and be ruthless even where Luxu fails to follow his role') but writing that paragraph I've changed my mind actually. Because Luxu has basically no agency in this situation, whereas Xehanort does.
Like, both of them are assigned roles by their mentors but Xehanort isn't really given a road map about how to fulfill his role. He's being manipulated, sure, but he's also making choices himself all along. They're choices that are fucked up but he understands they're fucked up and is choosing them anyway because he strongly feels it's necessary for the greater good.
Luxu has been told these things are necessary for the greater good. He's been told what to do. He's been told to just watch and that he can never take action. He doesn't even have the illusion of agency that Xehanort, who is actively choosing to lean into his feeling that destiny is inevitable, does. What is that like, to live hundreds of years never having any sense of agency? For Luxu, helping the Dandelions is fucking up. It's doing what he knows he's not supposed to, what he's been told is against the Plan, but he has no agency and this is his little way of rebelling, even if this is, to us, the 'right' thing to do. There's a question of what actually is 'right' and 'wrong' here and whether Xehanort is a 'better Luxu' than Luxu for choosing to simply follow The Plan.
Also I'm rambling here but putting things together as I go, sorry to also expand on other tags on posts I reblogged from you lol, but like. Luxu also very clearly has Lucifer stuff going on, the same way Xehanort does, down to the name. Xehanort takes on the Satan imagery over time - but it was Luxu's first. And Luxu is the one who actually tried to rebel against his Creator by deviating from his role (only to watch) and intervening with the Union leaders.
The thing about angels is they are not, in Catholic traditions (I can't speak to other denominations) is that they are not supposed to have free will. Free will is for humans; angels only follow The Plan, with no agency or say in the matter. They're messengers and avatars created only to execute the will of God. The Foretellers seem to play this role, if you will, in relation to Master of Masters. He hands them roles to execute the plan he's already designed. If we're, in this analogy, considering Master of Masters to be in the role of 'god', both Ava and Luxu are ultimately fallen angels - they both question the will of their creator, both rebel - but Luxu rebelling was built into the plan. He is Lucifer, and Lucifer rebels, and so he was still allowed to come back to the fold at the end of kh3, having fulfilled his duty even considering his rebellion. He still had no agency in the end, even having done what he thought was exercising it by saving the Union leaders.
Anyway I'm just rambling on at this point and don't really have a conclusion to this but the whole interplay between Luxu and Xehanort, agency and servitude, angels and devils, light and dark, feels really compelling to me.
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