#also truly shocked by the READING amount tbh

[botanyshitposts]

Have you ever seen (symplocarpus foetidus) skunk’s cabbage? I know it’s not your usual deal but it’s a real funky flower that’s blooming this time of year that I thought you might like (: it can bring it’s temperature to 15–35 °C (59–95 °F) above air temperature to melt ice and snow so it can get to doing it’s thing. Also it stinks when it gets bruised or broken! (Hence the name.)

this was actually my gateway drug to botany! i got interested in them in high school, then wanted to find out what exactly made them heat up and why because the popsci articles i read didn't actually give an answer, and that led me into a bunch of scientific papers i didnt have the education to understand and needed to learn a lot to slowly go through, etc. they were my first academic spiral into madness lmao. VERY cool little guys doing VERY clever things in the disgusting cold mud, let me tell you.

(side note: i think what i find shocking about these dudes now, years later, isn't the fact that they do thermogenesis, but how WELL they do thermogenesis. like i need to go do another research deep dive now that i have like... a bio degree instead of being in high school tbh, but basically they're able to detect the outside temperature to a very specific amount and adjust their heat production to match, and they do this for like, WEEKS at a time. it's shocking, legitimately, like to my knowledge it's the only plant that does this to this degree. most other thermogenic plants seem to use the strategy of just heating up as hot as possible for a really short amount of time just to Have Sex and then bail-- there's no real effort in maintaining it for more than a few hours or days and it's a VERY expensive process in terms of energy, so why bother doing tons of really specific constant tiny checks and adjustments for weeks on end? there must be a huge benefit to the time these plants put into it, conserving that energy and carefully partitioning heating out in spurts instead of dumping it all at once... man, its really interesting. but anyway i love them so much like, truly i do, there is a skunk cabbage shaped place in my heart for them lmao)

[voltronisanobsession]

This is more of an idea for you to do or not but

Imagine being the spider that belongs to the universe that Miguel destroyed

I don't know, I just thought " damn that's sad"(if the spider still alive)

Being the Spider from the Universe Miguel Destroyed

Oooo I’ve never really thought about this before😳😳 I’ll answer this because I’m genuinely interested OOOOO!!!!

This spider would quite literally have nothing left to lose

Bitterness and resentment are the first words that came to mind when I first read this LMAO💀

Reader being the spider who survived the destruction of their universe will never recover tbh

I can’t imagine being the spider person from the universe Miguel destroyed because the amount of RESENTMENT they would have against Miguel😦

Bitterness because you know you’ll never be able to go back to your old life, you’ll never be able to reverse time to save your people, your friends, your family

And absolute resentment towards Miguel for destroying everything you loved and cared for

You had no idea that Miguel was in your universe until everything started going wrong, until he finally revealed himself as the virus in your universe

By then it was too late

You had to watch civilians you passed everyday disappear and vanish right before your eyes

You had to watch as the buildings around you glitched and faded to nothing

Had to watch in shock as the Spiderman (you found out was Miguel) stood still as a young girl vanished from his arms

You had to feel the way your body felt like it was almost tearing itself apart, watching in horror as your hands glitched in front of you

Everything in that moment was futile and helpless for you

You were in pain, only for another Spiderman to slap a mechanical bracelet on your wrist and shove you into a strange portal

The last thing you remember from your universe was the darkness that began spreading throughout your city

Once in the safety of a beautiful, futuristic world did you find out why everything you’ve ever known was gone forever

You broke down in grief, fear, and anger, immediately attacking the man that destroyed your entire world

And the surprising thing is that Miguel took all your hits

He did not once fight back, allowing you to take out all your tears and rage on him until there was nothing

Earth 928 (Miggy’s universe) was a place you were forced to call home from now on

But knowing that you would never be able to go back to the one world where you truly belonged in broke you

Broke you down from a confident and strong person to a shell of who you once were

From then on, you were known as the lone survivor of a collapsed universe

A surviving reminder of what the spider society stood to protect

I think Miguel wouldn’t move on from that event because not only did he fail to protect his daughter twice, but because you were a constant reminder of what breaking the canon could lead to

You were a constant reminder of his greatest failure, one that would never go away as long as the memories and you existed

I also think this would mean that spider reader would be a strong advocate for keeping the multiverse safe

You know what destruction breaking the canon will bring, so it’s obvious that you were never going to be a fan of Miles Morales, unfortunately 💔

If and when reader meets Miles, they will be very aggressive with him since they believe he is on a road to multiverse destruction, being an anomaly

As much as the Spider Society welcomed you, you never truly felt like you belonged

Which was true since now you literally belonged nowhere (sorry I had to💀💀)

Having no one to go back home to made you one of the more reckless and aggressive spider people since you having nothing left to lose

The only spider people you really hung around with was Peter B. And Jess while actively avoiding Miguel

You appear very cold towards the younger spiders, Gwen and Pavitr somewhat scared of your constant seriousness in the society

Hobie would still pick fun at you during meetings but would lay off on any comments regarding the multiverse around you

You have an unknown soft spot of Mayday💔

She just manages to break you away from the constant doom and gloom you experience on a daily basis

Her innocent smile might give you another reason to continue protecting the multiverse

To protect the innocent lives that deserve to live

Ending this, reader wouldn’t forgive Miguel for destroying their universe but will help the cause of the spider society in protecting the multiverse

Still traumatized from the event, they will do anything to ensure that no other universe succumbs to helpless destruction (cue the batman stance)

[victimsofyaoipoll]

Round 1

Propaganda Under Cut

Ginny Weasley

Okay hold on I know Harry Potter is bad its awful I KNOW BUT LISTEN- the way drarries have BUTCHERED and KILLED her character is something that truly needs to be studied because its one thing to make her and harry not date but oh my god they treat her like she is the DEVIL for EXISTING.

Tbh only remember the epilogue where they do a time skip and Harry and Ginny are married then they have a Bunch of kids boarding the train. In fics I see a lot of her either becoming psychotic trying to marry Harry and become lady potter or molly Weasley getting a contract to force a marriage. There’s a lot of m/m ships in the fandom but I think Harry and Draco are the most popular? Just wanted to throw someone different in here

The thing is, the deeper I got into the fics, the worse Ginny got? Like I read plenty of good fics where she was cool, but there was the same amount where for some reason she was controlling, or abusive, or dead. Like for Drarry? Come on! If you think Ginny sucks, I have some *shocking* news about Draco

Alyx Vance

She genuinely gets so much hate from fans who like to ship Gordon and Barney because she's Gordon's canon love interest and it's tragic because she's such an interesting character.

I LOVE HER SM but she's so often mistreated and shoved under the rug by not only ppl mischaracterizing her due to being a woman of color but also to shove her to the side for freehoun (gordon freeman/barney calhoun) bc she "gets in the way" of freehoun by being canonically into gordon ........ i need her to stay safe in my arms

Literally gordon freemans canon love interest, and she loves gordon so much. I love her and i love their relationship even if gordon is a bit of a blank slate character. Anyway Freemance (Alyx/Gordon) is way less popular than Freehoun (Gordon/Barney). Barney is some guy who appeared in half life 1 but didnt even have a name. He appears at like the beginning and end of hl2. He is a side character. And yet for some fucking reason people always push alyx out of the way to ship gordon with this random white guy (Should mention at this point that alyx is a black woman). Alyx and her relationship with Gordon have WAY more development than anything about Barney (did BARNEY get a whole game dedicated to him?). And yet. I literally saw a freehoun shipper try to say that freemance is pedophilia and freehoun should be alyx's "dads." The reasoning for this being that hl2 takes place 20 years after hl1, and gordon, at 27, was put into stasis for those 20 years. When he comes out Alyx is 24 and Barney is in his 40s. The argument is that gordon actually did age those 20 years even though he was fucking suspended in time. They even claimed that "gordon probably babysitted alyx at some point" which there is absolutely no evidence for - meeting Alyx in hl2 is pretty heavily implied to be Gordon's first time meeting her. But like functionally Gordon is 3 years older than Alyx and 20 years younger than barney!!! He did not have any fucking life experience while he was in time prison!!! It's an absolutely insane reach to try and justify why you are sidelining a black woman!!!!!! Basically I love alyx I love freemance and I do not trust freehoun shippers because there is some kind of racism and misogyny happening there to make them sideline Alyx for a random white guy

[blondiest]

🥺🛒✨⛔️💖👀?

omg okay I don't know how to do submissions so Hopefully I'm doing this right @lunasink

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

Idk if this counts as a moment or interaction type, but a dynamic I deeply deeply love is exes. Writing don't say yes, run away now was so, so fun because there's that built in history that kind of creates a sense of yearning without having to really build up a previous relationship explicitly in the text.

this is another one that is probably inspired from real life too bc i've gotten back together with literally every ex i've ever had, at least briefly 🫣

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

This is a tough one bc I know there are some very common ones but I'm struggling to pin them at the moment... I really like intense emotions— guilt, love, regret, fear, affection, etc. I don't actually know if I go heavy on imagery to be honest— maybe sky descriptions? I tend to keep a lot of environmental descriptions pretty brief tbh. I also really like the mundane moments in life— laundry, food, studying, driving, etc. Also, for kissing scenes, talking against each other's skin and light biting are favorite descriptions lol

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

Whew take 3 now I think, uh— I've gotten pretty good at laying out what I want a plot to look like! Genuinely I'm actually shocked that I have a 50k word fic bc that genuinely, truly felt impossible to me before I started writing for hellcheer.

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

Oh God, so many. I keep a collection of fic ideas, some of which are pretty fleshed out and some of which are very, very short notes, and the vast majority of them never see the light of day. Actually, voted most likely is a repurposing of a fic idea I had in 2021 for a different ship, one that never got finished. One really early fic I thought of— I think even before I started putting out call it what you want— was a concept in which fem!eddie and chrissy meet in mandatory school group counseling bc both their mothers have recently passed away.

💖 What made you start writing?

Answered this one here 🥰 but tldr: couldn't find what I was looking to read ❣️

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

Okay, so— wlw hellcheer is the main thing on my mind at the moment for whatever reason (aside from voted most likely, which I'm steadily working on still!!). In particular, the one I posted a little of earlier is compelling me— I'm picturing Chrissy coming back from her first year of college, having dumped Jason months ago and trying to spend as much time outside of her house as possible to avoid her mother. She's working as a lifeguard at the local pool and spending time with her closest friend Naomi from high school, but when Naomi goes out of town for several weeks to visit family, Chrissy one night resorts to just spending the entirety of her evening after work in the library. She doesn't have a car, and doesn't want to call her mom, so she just starts walking home, but then runs into none other than Eddie Munson, the girl she tutored in senior year. Obviously they hit it off and start spending a frankly ridiculous amount of time together; then, one day, while they're smoking, Chrissy kisses Eddie. What follows is a whirlwind summer romance with an expiration date of the end of August, when Chrissy is due to move back to college. Or IS there an expiration date... 🤔

Thank you for the ask!! 🥰❣️

[pacificwaternymph]

What’s your favorite book (series)?

Have any hobbies you want to talk about?

What quote/piece of writing has really stuck with you?

Personally my favorite book series is the Shattered Realms series. I started reading it in middle school and it's honestly stuck with me so much. It's a fairly generic fantasy story but it has good worldbuilding, and a shocking amount of diversity among the cast, considering it's YA fantasy. Truly it was the cast that made me fall in love with it. All the characters feel like real people, and the female characters are handled very well.

Hobbies... lmao tbh writing is like my only hobby that I partake in semi-regularly. I also sketch from time to time, but mostly character design. And I play the violin :) most recently I've been learning Leia's theme from Star Wars.

Ooh that's a good one... hm, I'll be honest, I'm completely drawing a blank. I guess I'll just say the shattered realms series again? I've reread it so many times it's just ingrained in my brain at this point.

[deathandthemaiden23]

Bro idk who's around me rn idk who's really still here in this fandom idk who will even see this or read it and i dont wanna get into it (proceeds to get into it) but ive been on a grand fucking expedition to confront past trauma and shit lately which whoopeee what else is new for what basically amounts to a dreamworks adult obsessed with the grim reaper from shrek specifically i think there's probably an actual good reason this is my biggest blorbo yet (which by the way, my good bitches, is truly saying something) beyond "big scary wolf sexy" but like anyways its been a hot fuckin second of me just sort of existing in purgatory with basically only this character to keep me real company the whole time chipping away at fanfic and makin doodles here and there while trying to solve the great big fuckin mystery of hey pal is there any particular reason you spend most of your free time fantasizing at length about being loved and cared for by literal fuckin death but um i kinda sorta had been making peace lately with the very real possibility that probably the only reappearances from Death we'd see going forward in this franchise would kinda just be relegated to stuff like being a playable character in that dumbass mario kart game they made recently that they had the audacity to charge $50 for the version with him in it and I was immediately prepared to shell out the fuckin money regardless anyways tldr this is my longwinded way of saying bless harvey fuckin guillen for supposedly saying he wants to reprise his role as perrito in shrek 5 and specifically mentioning he wanted to know more about his backstory including the near death experience he had in the sock that he still wears like ok let me be clear im not getting my hopes up for shit im super excited about the idea of harvey and everybody reprising their roles for future shrek installments but i know shit be disappointing sometimes and it just be like that sometimes blablabla alright nothing is set in stone in this cursed ass timeline we're in bbbbbbut

✨️H O W E V E R✨️

I cannot help but think in some kind of weirdly jaded optimism that surely dreamworks would not fucking let the absolute furry cashcow that Death is go to fucking waste if they're bringing shrek back to the big screen it just seems incredibly fuckin stupid this big fuckin bastard gave everyone a boner when last wish dropped to the extent that i actually didnt know anything about last wish going in to see it in theaters the first time knew nothing of the plot who was in it whatever right THE ONLY FUCKIN KNOWLEDGE I HAD OF LAST WISH PRIOR TO SITTING DOWN AND WATCHING IT WAS "OH I GUESS THERE'S A WOLF CHARACTER AND EVERYONE WANTS TO FUCK HIM" LMFAO UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE FUCKIN YEAR RIGHT LOL anyways if dreamworks doesnt seize the opportunity to give him at least one more like visible cameo appearance anywhere in whatever they can squeeze out of the shrek franchise after it was dead (lmfao) for like years (the puss in boots show is little known to anyone sadly and also it seems vaguely noncanonical if that makes sense stuff gets said on the regular in that show that just seems too batshit even for shrek standards) I'll genuinely like die of shock the entertainment industry is chock full of companies just like dreamworks always achin to get their hands on another iconic character they can squeeze money out of ad infinitum and like i dont want that to happen with Death I dont but also... please just let him show up at least one more time dreamworks throw this bitch a bone im begging you you will make so much money i promise u the thirsty tumblr fans are no joke we'll bankroll your ass to the moon and back

I feel it would be remiss of me not to offer some form of content after all this impassioned war and peace length solilioquy about the scu (shrek cinematic universe) so here's an old WIP from forever ago im like 90% i havent posted here (if i have oh fuckin well tbh ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) its a lil scene from chapter 2 of my death fic where he gets caught redhanded picking flowers for his crush because he's a dork ass loser and wants to impress her without coming on too strong lmao like bro she's so into you just go for it

[calli0p3]

Calli, I finished the book!!!

You were so right when you said I would enjoy it. and when you said that stuff about therapy as well.

The first part was so fun, slowly puzzling together who everyone was and what was going on and the superpower stuff. The deaths? I loved seeing Viktor‘s and Eli‘s friendship deteriorate so drastically in such a short amount of time. The rest of the book just being a very complex game of cat and mouse is very fun indeed.

Viktor‘s blackoutpoetry and all. I thought that the problems he had with his parents were a little random. Like it was established and all but never came up again, there was no payoff for that situation (maybe in book 2? idk yet). But the fact that he still did blackout poetry after ten years in prison is nice for him. I wonder wether he somehow managed to black-out the prison library books like he used to do with his uni books.

I was shocked when they killed Serena. Not because they did it, but because the scene was so unbelievably casual. They just did it and nothing. great. In general, the book‘s extreme casual approach to murder and killing people is quite enjoyable. (Sure you have Eli‘s entire christian drama but the actual killing is still very casual)

Serena‘s last interaction with Sydney was really interesting. Because, in the chapters prior she constantly reminds herself that Sydney is nothing but a „copy“ or a „distorted version“ of her sister, but when it actually comes hard on hard she fails to convince herself that that‘s the truth and lets her go. Her entire power is convincing people but when it‘s about her little sister she can‘t convince herself.

I love Sydney. She has my entire heart and if anything happens to her in the sequel I will bawl my eyes out. But also, that girl builds attachments a little too quickly for her own good (at least she picked the right people to get attached to, but that was luck). I am so happy that her dog is alright.

Everyone in this book has such absurd boundaries. They are willing to do so much stuff and thats nice for me as a reader.

When I tell you I did a little cheer when the last chapter was a parallel to the first chapter. Love that stuff.

These are just my unorderly „I just finished the book ten minutes ago and its almost 2am“ thoughts but I think they are an ok update <3 I am excited to read the second book (or rather listen to it)

yes yes!! i’m SO glad you enjoyed it omg!

I do have to agree about the things with victors parents. i hope it’s expanded upon in the second book since the idea of of victor opposing everything his parents preached was rlly interesting to me and i think a lot of people could empathize with that aspect of his character.

god serena and sydney’s final interaction was heart wrenching. i think i saw her death as somewhat of a sacrifice for her sister, i think she knew that either way one of them wasn’t making it out and she took a final leap to trust the humanity she saw in her sister after YEARS of believing EOs couldn’t be truly alive GOD that moment was so good.

awh sydney my beloved <3 i would literally move mountains for her tbh. i also loved all the little soft moment with her, victor, and mitch! there weren’t very many but oh man i love that little trio in all their anti hero glory lmao

i totally agree with all ur thoughts im so glad you enjoyed it! i haven’t gotten around to reading the second book yet but once im back from vacation i know i’m picking it up asap!

[ryoceann]

Hi. Itk here. Believe me, don't, doesn't matter. Thought I'd drop (after you summoned ha) by given the chaos and try to enlighten the ones who choose to believe me, as much as I'm capable of.

The first thing I wanna say is: stop trying to figure out their relationship. You most likely never will. Fans are stuck on both extremes, when the actuality of it is far more in the middle (perhaps even up or down and all around ha). It's complex and strange and not at all "normal" (as normal as they could be, anyways).

It's not as simple as "oh they're just a closeted couple who engage in bearding and have kids and behind closed doors they're just a regular, old married couple and a big, happy rainbow family".

Doesn't sound like itk info, believe me, I get that but observing the fandom I'd say it almost is because most fans simply hang on extreme simplistic ideas of what their relationship is.

Second thing I'd like to say and unfortunately seems like it's not at all obvious but: do not believe anything they share publicly. Not saying they're lying compulsively, but they are public figures and they have a lot at stake to just casually drop the actual truth of any given situation.

Just don't. The same salt you have regarding itks, have towards them. It'd do you some good...Believe me. Unless you are involved in the entertainment or political life, you cannot even begin to fathom what it's really like, the level of manipulation, falsehood and well, overall deviation of it. It's quite disturbing tbh. So just always take whatever's said and shown with a good amount of salt. With public people hardly anything is accidental or casual.

I think the most prominent question now is...Why? Why would they do something like that? Regardless if you have the ingenuity to believe the little scene they made or not...Still, the question lingers.

With my level of "in the knowness" I cannot for sure say the real reason, yet from the pieces I've collected so far, seems to be a multiple gain scheme. It was a high risk, they were well aware, and it paid out in the way they were expecting, minus small bumps here and there. But overall it seemed to have worked in their favor. How in the hell, one would ask?

Believe me, I used my best sneaky capabilities to find out exactly why but they were smart enough to keep this one locked tight, minus a few loose lips. And from those all I've heard was that "whatever the purpose was, it worked out".

As weird as it may sound to the innocent mind, it's actually not at all, given that even leaked nudes are not at all leaked or accidental, and those tend to (at least in the past) get immense amount of backlash. It's not the first time famous folks fake a fight, surely won't be the last.

A lot goes into public image, it's not black and white as "well but it looked bad on Jensen", "it looked bad on the prequel", etc. You'd be surprised as how little this truly matters given the level of manipulation they are able to pull on the public. And well, even with them...It happens all the time. Both made mistakes far worse than just "not telling my bestie about my new project" and fans would eventually let that go and put them back on the pedestal.

So just remember, always: not in the industry? then don't judge anything because you simply do not understand how it works.

Another piece of itk information I can give besides "this was planned and it worked" is: they are fine. From what I've heard they are not fighting over it or going through anything more dramatic than what they usually have been going through ever since they met haha.

So just sit back and chill out. Breathe, read fanfiction and remember that we will never truly get answers, because even what comes out of their mouths are most of the time carefully thought out and directed to have a specific meaning and effect (why do you think Jared mumbles and rambles so much?).

Another interesting piece of itk: you know how they always say they never fight? Even though that sounds insanely hard to believe even if they were just friends because who knows someone for that long and is constantly together and never fights? Unlikely, right? Yes, as obvious as that was. But unfortunately a lot of you seem to believe that, given the level of shock you had for this little twitter feud (as fake as it was). Yeah. They fight. A lot.

They fight as much as individuals in their situation would. Like I said, not at all what most people absentmindedly seem to think it is. They go through a lot. Way more than anyone who isn't in a similar situation would understand. It's messy, although they try their best to make it simpler in the ways they can.

On top of being in a very complex situation, they both have strong personalities and one of them is quite hard to "pin down". So altercations happen a lot, but they know how to deal, and they are exceptionally good at making sure that doesn't interfere in their work (oh well, at least not any work that doesn't benefit from intense emotional exchanges, anyways 😉...chemistry isn't something random, you know? haha).

I find it quite...interesting (to put it nicely) that a lot of hats easily believe they are a couple that lies constantly about almost every aspect of their lives, yet, they cannot believe they would fake a social media narrative. It makes no sense whatsoever.

It'd do you all good to be a little less tendentious and look at them as, you know...Humans? They are not what they seem to be, just as you guys also take in different versions of yourselves in different situations, they do too. And don't be so hopelessly naive to actually believe they see fans as "hashtag family". This is their work. And as grateful as they are for supporters, they certainly do not consider them family. To the point of never lying and trusting you with their life.

I'm sure they love their fans, but come on, saying they would never lie because that's mean to fans is just beyond naive. They've been doing it all along and oh, another interesting info? They don't think they're doing anything wrong.

Yeah, sounds weird, you'd think they'd feel guilty. But again, unless you were media trained, you'd never get it.

From years now if there's one consistent info I've gotten was this: they don't feel obligated to tell you anything. They believe they are doing "what they are supposed to do, the right thing for everyone involved".

So. Yeah. And hell, they are right about not being obligated to say anything about anything, I guess.

Well, I hope that was helpful or at least entertaining. It's hard to share info without accidentally making it obvious who I am for the lurkers (sure you guys were well aware that they lurk around the fandom). But it's safe because as long as I don't provide evidence, I'm fine. Just walking a thin line between sharing and not sharing something too specific that would be easy fir them to know who has that info and although they can't do anything against itks, they can manage to cut us off somehow and I enjoy having access lol, so that'd be a bummer.

Anyways, take itks and J2 themselves with a ton of salt haha! You are lovely, btw, you seem very kind and I enjoy your blog very much! much love!

itk anon everything you said was <333 and i agree with like almost all of it. very nice analysis and ask thank you ! i don't always believe everything j2 put out but the whole stunt being a false narrative just seems wrong so idk what to make of it. regardless i myself can sometimes get carried away in my star-struck love of j2. and i am a tinhat so well :) and now they look to be really good and taking a break from here was well worth it <3

''You are lovely, btw, you seem very kind and I enjoy your blog very much! much love!'' i love u so much hope u have a great day !

[riosnecktattoo]

Just read your latest story and girl, you are the bomb…so, so good. I’m just wondering what do you think their first time would’ve been like in season 5 (since we all know that’s where it was going)? Do you think they would’ve kissed and had sex? Or do you think it would’ve been smaller moments of intimacy until it escalated?

dohhh thank you so much lovely!

and GOD i've only thought about this A NORMAL AMOUNT 🥴

I deffo think it would have started with smaller moments of intimacy creeping back in. Casual touching and maybe the odd unguarded flirty smile during meet-ups that they try to cover (Beth more than Rio I think Rio would be going all in tbh)

I love the idea of him really truly making her smile before she realises she’s not meant to do that but it’s too late cause he saw it and he’s looking at her with the ✨SHINY EYES✨

I 100% think a 2x09 parallel was coming. I like to think that at some point when Rio knocks Beth just has to yell It’s open! cause she knows it’s him and they have a thing now where they link up in her kitchen for chats and maybe at some point they’re both just at her island having a drink and it dawns on them how comfortable they’ve gotten and how maybe they aren’t even talking about work anymore and it’s SUDDENLY TENSE and awkward. Maybe it even starts in the kitchen but slowly until she starts to walk towards her bedroom knowing he will follow.

I like to think Beth’s first to-his-face Rio would be used in this kind of situation. Maybe a what are you doing here, Rio? because HE’S ALWAYS THERE and WHY!?!?! HUH!?!?!?! 🙃

BUT I do also think some angry mid-fight fucking woulda been more fun FIRST. Desk sex in her new office in the middle of the goddamn day. Like my dream is a 2x07 parallel fight that KEPT GOING until they were fucking cause they were so angry and concerned. Maybe a fight when Nick gets out of jail about how to handle it that reveals WAY TOO MUCH and just explodes. UGH

BUT I'm also absolutely rabid over the idea of them kissing without it leading to sex. Like a scenario where it's definitely just about the kiss and what that means. So sorry to invoke the memory but when Dean kisses Beth in 3x04 and it's clearly terrible and she's like 😐 imagine a scene where Rio kisses Beth with everything he has or maybe even better, where Beth abruptly kisses him and shocks him and when they split apart for x reason they're both just completely lost in the sauce!!?!?!!! And then have to immediately separate and stew about it but when they next see eachother alone it's ON without a word.

And about 50000 other scenarios that ping-pong around my rotting brain all day 🥴

[tartagliaxx]

Hi! So I was reading through your blog and I love your works! I was also reading through some other blogs and tbh in my opinion it's getting so annoying that (only sometimes ofc) whenever I read a Kaeya x reader ff the reader is always so weak and soft. Like...I can imagine Kaeya with a relationship partner that can stand up for themselves and challange Kaeya in his behaviour a little bit. They kinda tease him when he tries to flirt and they make him realize that he doesn't have to be worried of them all the time (Like all these dragonspine ff where the reader literally freezes to death because they are a tsundere or can't put on a freaking fire by themselves...come on..) So yeah...do you think you could write something like that?

" FIERY AFTERTASTE "

━━ ☆ PAIRING: kaeya/reader

━━ ☆ GENRE: fluff

━━ ☆ SUMMARY: kaeya was never a simple man but at the face of your unbelievable resilience and wit, he turns into a mere man in awe at your beauty.

━━ ☆ WARNINGS: lightly suggestive; unfathomable amount of shameless flirting

the overpowering scent of wine hung in the buzzing air of mondstadt's beloved tavern. from one of the dimly lit corners, the knights' very own cavalry captain nursed a smooth cup of death after noon, one of his favorite drinks from the menu. tonight's atmosphere was nice, he mused as his eyes fluttered into a close, the conversation he was listening to forgotten when they proved to be no more than meaningless gossip.

kaeya hummed in delight, eyes still pressed closed, as familiar footsteps made their way towards him. wood scratching wood and a gentle thump, he tipped his cup towards you in greeting.

"beautiful evening, isn't it?"

kaeya opened his eyes, allowing them to wander across the curves of your face— and your lips that were pulled in an easy smile— before slipping back into his persona, "never as beautiful as you, sweetheart."

"ever the charmer aren't you, captain?" you muttered in poorly hidden amusement as you took a sip of your drink.

"would you believe me when i say it's only for you?"

"not quite but i'd happily pay some lip service if it means you'll be able to sleep well at night."

kaeya chuckled, letting his free hand roam through his hair. truly, you were a delight to be around. there was never a dull moment with you when you run at his pace with unbelievable ease.

"oh, but i know a better use for your lips that would certainly... help me better."

"my," you drawled out, a twinkle behind your clear eyes, "you got quite the mouth over there. someone ought to teach you what to do with it."

a flicker of a flame awakened inside him when you humored his playful quips though he would never admit to it. never in a million years but even he saw the alluring pull of the mischievous smirk that was certain to be pulled out of you if you did find out.

"will you do that, hm? will you teach me?"

another laugh that vaguely reminded him of the soft cathedral bells before you leaned impossibly close, nose brushing, lips close to contact, "and you think you can handle that? that's cute. i'd have you on your knees in a heartbeat, darling."

he peeked at you through his lashes, eyes half-lidded and his breathing a tad bit heavier than what you would consider composed. such was your effect on the normally composed man and he would be numb if he didn't notice the excited shocks that run across his bloodstream up to his fingers that itched to touch your skin — to inhale the sweet scent of your faded perfume that doubled as an aphrodisiac for someone like him.

"oh yeah? i find that hard to believe. why don't you come up here and prove it?"

your narrowed your eyes, lips parting to respond but a loud thud made you move away. you both turned to see diluc blankly staring at you, a hand firmly pointed to the exit of the tavern. "out."

"now... i hardly doubt that's a proper way to treat your customers, master diluc."

"out. the both of you." you grinned as he ignored your little taunt but you decided that the night was far too fair to go seeking fights. with a little wave, you drifted on to the city with kaeya hot on your heels. for the sake of his pride, you pretended not to notice the heated glare he sent at diluc's way and his tightly clenched teeth.

"shall we take up from where we left off?"

you chuckled while shaking your head in exasperation. "buy me a drink and i just might reconsider."

"ah," kaeya gasped, placing a hand on his heart ever so dramatically, "have i been fooled into thinking that your feelings were genuine and not just some attempt to rid a man of his money?"

"only for men like you who weep at my feet."

kaeya chuckled, dropping his hand to take up yours. tantalizingly slow, he pressed a kiss on your knuckles, eyes unmoving from your very own. "that does not console my poor heart but if it is for you, my fair lover, i shall buy you all the wine in mondstadt."

"you're an idiot." you managed to wheeze in between your laughter that echoed against the stoned walls of the city.

"is this the part where i tell you that i'm your idiot?"

"do it and i'm leaving."

an awkward cough diverted your attention from each other for the second time that night much to kaeya's absolute displeasure and your enjoyment.

"captain kaeya," the knight, too tired to deal with the sharp stare directed his way, started. "master jean requests that you check out an enemy camp reported to be approaching the city immediately."

"surely i'm not the only knight—" "kaeya!"

he rose a brow at your sudden interruption, gleeful laughter slipping past your glossed lips— the same ones he would have tasted if it weren't for a certain unwanted appearance.

"very well. i shall be off soon."

with one final salutation, the knight went on to finish other businesses and you were once again left alone with the sullen captain.

"the night's too young for a frown, darling. should i join you in this unexpected adventure?"

kaeya hummed in reply, enjoying the feel of your hand against his cheek that soon slipped down to find solace in his own. "i'd hate to hinder your beauty sleep."

"you and i both know that's bull."

he couldn't stop the genuine, carefree laugh that bubbled out of him from your unimpressed look. pulling you closer through your interlaced hands, he began his tread out of the walled city.

"would i be allowed entrance into your bed after all has been said and done?"

"oh shut up you big baby. you hog the blankets when we cuddle!"

"maybe but that's so you'll cling onto me."

"i'll set your pants on fire, you liar."

he did not doubt that you would.

the walk to the area of concern was filled with lovestruck giggles and teasing jabs from both sides. to an outsider, the sight shows off two young lovers on a midnight date, perhaps a picnic date under the sea of stars and in a way, it was. kaeya was great company. he was never a bore and he made sure that a smile was always etched on your face even if the situation doesn't actually warrant it. he cared in subtle shoves of concern and neatly presented meals delivered by one of the knights he roped in his share of trouble. and one can never forget that he is perpetually concerned for your wellbeing despite knowing that you were capable of taking care of yourself, perhaps even more than he does to his own.

"stay here. i'll take care of it and come back soon."

you rose an eyebrow, eyeing the enemy camp that can barely be seen by the naked eye. "but why? there's a shortcut right by them."

"and i'd rather walk an extra mile than carry your injured self on my back."

"oh please," a scoff from you. "i can take care of myself. besides, just between the both of us? you're the one who's more likely to end up dying on my doorstep."

"i can't argue with that but i'm not taking any chances."

you huffed, half-irritated at kaeya's nonchalant shrug before stomping on, kaeya's alerted calls not halting you.

"wait! what are you doing—" his words died down as you swiftly summoned your weapon, wrecking rampage over the enemy camp arguably faster than he would have if it was him who was fighting. when the last mitachurl fell, you turned your gaze back on him, a smug smirk lifting your cheeks and kaeya has never been as attracted to you as he was now.

"well, that was quite a show. thank you for the front seat, sweetheart."

you chuckled, blowing a stray strand of your hair away before settling beside him in a makeshift wooden couch courtesy of the hilichurls at your feet. "while i do appreciate your concern, i don't need you hovering around, damn near close to enclosing me in a bubble. i can protect myself so don't worry too much. i'd much prefer if you worry after yourself."

"i know you can and i'm very proud of you." kaeya smiled as he pressed a chaste kiss on top of your head, something you instinctively leaned into.

"great. do you want to eat a stew? a traveling merchant sold me a recipe for this porridge and it sounded good."

"huh..." kaeya eyed your bag curiously, "do you always carry rice everywhere?"

you stared at him blankly. "rice? no. food, ingredients, and medical supplies? always. i'm not sure what to make of your surprise."

"i just didn't expect you to be so... handy?"

"i might be occasionally reckless but i'm not dumb. i know what i need to know to survive."

"that is strangely comforting. i guess it's safe to say that i'm in good hands?"

you muffled a snort. "the best ones."

and with that, kaeya allowed himself to finally release the breath he didn't realize he was holding. while he had no doubt that you could handle yourself well, there was still a nagging voice that screamed of your fragility because ultimately, all humans are plagued with mortality. to wake up with your side of the bed empty, to drink without your charming little smiles, to live missing your presence knowing that he could've done better at protecting you was a nightmare waiting to happen.

still, it was your independence that attracted him in the first place and it was your wit that continues to send his stomach in a full rotation of various somersaults. as you scurried around, carrying a bunch of sticks to light a fire with, he realized that maybe it was alright to worry just a little bit less. you were strong and smart and more than capable of fighting the world beside him.

"i know i'm a wonder to look at but..." you sent a cheeky smile and wink that may or may not have flustered kaeya on the inside. "i'd appreciate it if you move your pretty ass up, darling."

"ever so bossy but i guess that's a nice look on you."

a chameleon soul— a valiant warrior by day, a quick-witted survivalist by noon, and a bold, captivating delicacy by night. for a brief moment, kaeya wondered how many more of your sides he would meet but in the end, it holds very little weight. he was sure that if it was you, he'd ultimately end up falling deeply.

"so..." the glimmer in his eye was no good sign but you allowed him to continue, the quirk of your lips glinting against the moonlight. "can i still partake in the private lesson we were talking about?"

"why don't you try your luck?"

a giddy delight warmed your body against the cold of the world. when all the eyes were turned away and it was no one but the two of you, you allowed your guard to fall apart and relish the delicious taste of his heated gaze and the warmth of his lips against yours.

━━ ☆ NOTES: thank you so much, honey!! i totally understand. i like me some good damsel reader sometimes but at the same time, where’s my badass reader at? i personally picture kaeya preferring someone who doesn’t need to be babied 24/7 because he can’t be bothered too much but that’s just a personal hc. anyways, thanks for requesting and i hope this is to your liking!

[hiruseki]

Do you have some constructive criticism for OPM manga? I think that cathartic wc moment of “You wanted to be a hero..” will probably never be seen in the manga which is a shame. I was slightly disappointed reading chapter 161 because chapter 160 ended with THAT LINE and then the subsequent chapter just…failed to live up to its hype. Saitama has consistently been a good judge of character throughout OPM manga- he sees through pretentious people and calls them out on their crap (eg sour face, fubuki) but approaching Garou with such an erroneous conclusion about him and Tareo was just out of character for him. When he’s trying to understand someone (like Suiryu or King) he always leaves room for further scrutiny and skepticism but this time he just jumped the gun…either that or he’s purposely talking shit just to piss Garou off.

my answer to this was originally much longer, but i’ve tried to really distill what i think would have improved this arc:

pacing/length issues

cut it to, like, 20% of its length. it feels meandering and overstuffed. there is so much bloat--even if it does provide something, it doesn’t provide enough to justify how much it slows down the pace.

related: we did not need practically every hero to have a character arc within the MA arc. besides stretching out the arc to be a whopping 100+ chapters, they don’t feel like they’re allowed to truly have their own spotlight. there are a bunch of people on stage passing around the microphone when i think it would have served the story better to...well, not do that.

bonus problem: the S class characters largely resolving their flaws beore garou comes onto the scene undermines a lot of his character because his critiques no longer apply.

too much god. too much blast. a hint here and there? ok, cool. god popping up this many times just overshadows the current arc and gives us even more stuff to focus on. it makes everything feel so much messier and more convoluted.

i’m actually afraid that there is a plan to involve god in the garou/saitama fight, potentially having garou accept god’s power (manga drop-able offense for me).

not a pacing issue, but i do not like the way god is being framed as just Big Bad #1298450. he’s just a kaiju who preys on humans, going to the lengths to manipulate them instead of simply enabling them to live out the worst versions of themselves. it killed all interest i had in the character, personally.

garou characterization thoughts

tbh i think they’ve just taken the “garou is nice” thing way too far. i get this is a hot take, but i don’t think it was good to virtually eliminate all ambiguity surrounding his character. prior to surfacing, garou was still pretty obviously a good guy, but the amount of handholding is genuinely tedious at this point and removes so much tension.

one of garou’s most interesting traits was the contradiction that his cruelty came from a place of kindness. his desire for peace was so strong that he was willing to put on a visceral, shocking display of violence. that tension was so crucial to his character for me. the fact that the story is intentionally refusing to build any tension feels like it’s just afraid of the audience potentially misinterpreting him. which just feels so...sanitized? and so much less nuanced?

i also think making him unconscious was in service of removing culpability. it’s harder to be upset with him for terrorizing people if he’s not even aware he’s doing it. but as i said then and as i still feel now, it removes so much of his agency that it’s not worth sacrificing just to hammer home the point that he’s not evil.

i know a lot of people like the conflictedness this represents and how his subconscious is fighting off the monsterification, and i really did try to give it a chance, but i just think it was more powerful for garou to deliberately choose every single thing he did. because it made the things he chose not to do more powerful. in the webcomic, he chose not to hurt fubuki. that’s interesting. that says something about what he wants to do. him almost punching fubuki in the manga while unconscious doesn’t.

i think the cadres are too prominent and overstayed their welcome. they've essentially replaced garou's role as the catalyst for the heroes growing in their subsequent arcs. in garou's case, it was ironic because he had inadvertently caused the heroes to improve. whereas, with the cadres, they were just being evil and the heroes morally improved because they had to stand up to actual evil. imo, it heavily reduces garou's narrative importance for no reason other than to prevent him from coming across too morally compromised. the cadres straight up don't matter after this arc, so their contribution to the characters' moral development just doesn't feel as interesting as garou.

misc thoughts

i think the S class and execution scene are gone for good, and i think this is a byproduct of the direction the story has chosen to take. realizing this has made me dislike a lot of these changes in retrospect.

the S class fight scene is literally necessary for the execution scene to work without feeling like a massive character regression for the heroes. not only have the heroes largely resolved their problems, they don’t have any truly compelling reason to want him dead anymore. they already came across villainous in the webcomic, now they’d come across borderline psychopathic.

and i don’t think the S class fight scene really works anymore because they story has done too much work to defang garou already. garou going from chibi tsundere to baby punter would be absurd tonal whiplash.

garou's monsterification design should have followed the webcomic's trajectory imooo. i know i've written about this somewhere, but his monsterification was extremely symbolic in the webcomic and it was for awhile in the manga before it randomly ditched it. it was a literal armor of self destruction. he was wearing his own dysfunction as a symbol of strength, hammering home just how much he’s hiding from himself and trying to turn his insecurity into a shield. additionally, he was still wearing jeans and sneakers, and it felt so earnestly human that it helped dismantle his veneer of Evulz.

saitama’s line to tareo checking that he doesn’t want garou to die was so insane to me. i wrote about it some here on nysh’s post, but it feels like whiplash to go from the guy who was just sharing tender moments with genos to a guy who is casually discussing the potential for him to murder someone he just acknowledged as being human to a small child who clearly idolizes him. like...what on earth?

overall, i think this has been sort of a domino effect. by resolving the heroes’ flaws so early, you sacrifice garou’s credibility and narrative relevance. by doing that, you are forced to temper his performative evil because you can’t have both parties be morally justified in their actions towards one another if they’re both unambiguously good. and by doing that...well, you kind of completely recontextualize garou's arc. and if you’re going to do that, you can’t keep relying on the webcomic’s lines and plot highlights and expecting it to work in a new context. the manga is still trying to capitalize on the “stop pretending to be a monster” conflict while simultaneously refusing to let garou do anything morally reprehensible to convince anyone he’s a monster. the story doesn’t feel like it’s asking the reader to examine what their moral limits are and who they are willing to cheer for anymore. i really hate to say it, but i think these alterations have resulted in a weaker story.

up to now, despite the litany of problems i’ve had with the manga, i’ve still been able to have fun with it, appreciate the things it’s doing well, and let it be what it is. but i would be lying if i said these problems weren’t accumulating and making me very nervous about what’s coming next, and frankly less excited.

TL;DR i would recommend cutting the length and shifting some character revelation stuff.

[meliorist-midoriya]

to you, to the world, to my love (you’re all three)

synopsis: midoriya has always had too much love to give in a world that loved to take. you’re just hoping that he has enough left for you in the end.

pairing: midoriya izuku x reader

genre: fluff with a touch of angst

warnings: some insecurity

word count: 2.5k

notes: happy valentine’s day, everyone! this is my contribution for the pocuties server collab, based off the greek types of love, of which i had the honor of receiving izuku and decided upon agape  please help yourself to the box of chocolates they’re offering for valentine’s, there’s a wide selection of chocolates handmade by talented creators, so i’m sure you’ll find something to your taste! tbh i only managed to finish this fic because i was watching chan’s valentine’s vlive and i was in a super soft mood ;3;

extra: agápe - the ancient greek concept of selfless, universal love.

“Making his debut in the pro hero scene, Pro Hero Deku is blazing a trail straight out of UA—”

“—Pro Hero Deku solved an astounding 30 cases in the past month—”

“Deku’s popularity is skyrocketing, rivaling that of—”

“Hero Deku—”

“Deku—”

“Pro Hero Deku has swept the hero rankings to come out on top as Number 1!”

With a resolute ‘click’ of the remote, the reporters’ overlapping voices cut off as the TV screen faded away, your lonely reflection staring back at you from the blank screen. You, curled up on your empty couch, in your empty apartment with the clock striking what should have been dinner. The TV was only there in an attempt to drown out the crushing silence, the white noise—hellbent on filling the space his presence had left—was deafening.

That attempt failed.

Horribly.

If anything, it just made the sense of wrongness permeating the air even worse. 

(That TV recap of his best moments didn’t help as much as you hoped it would.)

Being alone in this apartment felt… off. As if someone had gouged out what should’ve been there, the ghost of a presence settling a chill into your bones that ran far deeper than just plain loneliness. The foreboding grief of what could be, the fear that you’d resigned yourself to the moment you agreed to follow him on this path, the selfishness gnawing at your conscience every time you saw him run out the door to save the next person, to solve the next case. 

Things like an All Might coffee mug sitting primly next to yours on the drying rack, garishly yellow “tufts” staring back at you with a cracked vengeance. (You’d apologized profusely to him that day, promising to buy him another one. He’d just smiled over his cracked cup of coffee, telling you not to worry about it for the hundredth time.)

Things like his haphazard mess of notes and scrawl spread out on the kitchen counter, the pen sitting next to the half finished page. (You’ve long since learned to leave his notes be, they’ll be tidied up once he’s done… if he’s ever truly done.)

The filled queue of movies and pile of DVDs you’d picked out together, giddy over plans to watch the next time he had a free night. (You remember pretending not to notice him trying to slip another hero documentary near the bottom of the pile, distracting you with talks of popcorn and the night that was supposed to be tonight.)

Deku. The man the world adored, clinging to his promise like a lifeline in times of need. 

Midoriya Izuku. The man you loved, who promised you the world.

“It’ll be okay, I’m here.”

His soft promise echoed both in the battlefield and in your darkest hours, a close mirror to a hero of a generation past, yet it was different. It was his own. Comforting, personal, and wholly him. The public, weak and grasping for new support, latched on to the small sliver of hope his hand offered and he just kept giving, giving, giving. It never seemed to stop, and you were scared. 

He was a man with a bleeding heart with all the love to give and more. To the civilians, to the villains, to anyone in need.

Now, you needed his promise more than ever. A reassurance whispered into reunions and the thousandth hospital visit, over fresh scars and searing kisses. A promise that he would come home. You didn’t want to think of all the times he came so, so close to breaking that promise, even before you two had made it, before you two had even promised yourselves to each other in your UA days.

You pulled the blanket a little tighter around you, staring down at your phone with no real intent in mind as you scrolled. The video playing one of his interview clips (bashfully reciting his “catchphrase,” how cute) cut his voice short as you scrolled past to move on to the next, wincing at the next tweet on your timeline. Him, battered and bloody, as he pulled a child from the aftermath of the battle he’d just won. 

You still need to wrap that new mug you got him as a gift. You still had to listen to him bounce his ideas off of you. You still had to move that hero documentary to the top of the pile. You still—

“Hero Deku saves 30 people, no casualties,” A soft murmuring of the headline shattered the silence, and you smiled to yourself, giggling at all the replies joking of how he threw himself into the fray a little more responsibly and singing their praises.

It’ll be okay.

“Ugh, those reporters are at it again.” 

At your best friend’s exasperated groan, you followed their gaze over to see— ah. 

A small swarm of reporters had worked their way into the fans crowding your boyfriend, their press badges reading every tabloid magazine on this side of the city and prying questions falling off their tongue like poison. From what you could hear over their overlapping clamoring, they were trying to dig into his private life.

Again. 

Deku, the darling of the masses, all sweet smiles and sincere words amidst his strength. Deku, the number one hero with the tightest lock on his private life, which came as a surprise to both everyone and no one.

It was a given, considering his position at the peak of hero society.

It was also a complete shock, considering his tendency to ramble into tangents that had his PR team withering.

Which seemed to help in times like these, now that you thought about it, laughing to yourself as you watched the reporters’ expressions darken in defeat the longer he continued to talk around their questions. Quite a long stretch from stiffly standing on the practice stage at UA all those years ago, frozen from nerves. You idly mused to this to yourself, taking a sip of your drink as you dragged your gaze back over to your best friend.

“Did you choose this cafe because it’s right along Izuku’s patrol route?” They stiffened, and you couldn’t help but laugh at their obvious intentions.

“Maybe, or it could’ve been just a coincidence.” The next teasing jab was halfway off your tongue when they cut you off before you could give into the urge, the words dying in your throat. “When was the last time you saw him anyway? I know you two live together but Todoroki told me he practically lives at the agency with how swamped they are. Are you okay?”

You purse your lips, staring down at the ice swirling around in your cup as you idly stirred it round. As if the sloshing liquid could whisper the answer you wish you knew.

“...Yeah.” They cocked a brow, and you took another sip to try and delay your time. “It’s not like either of us can help it. Izuku’s number one, so this was bound to happen.”

(The clamoring from the reporters grew ever louder. Persistent, that bunch.)

Their expectant (doubting) gaze was met with your own steady one, and you smiled. Whether it was out of consolation or resignation was anyone’s guess.

“We’re okay, I promise.”

You should really be getting to sleep. 

Really, you should.

At least, that’s what you’ve been telling yourself for the past several hours, tossing and turning in your bed with nothing but winter-cold sheets and a gnawing loneliness to keep you company. You know you should be sleeping when the clock on the bedside table reads an ungodly hour and there was work to be done in the morning. You know you should be sleeping when the moon disappears from the night sky and leaves you with nothing but the city lights to dimly illuminate the dark room.

You really know you should be sleeping when you hear the front door click open, Izuku shuffling around the apartment to get ready for whatever minimal amount of sleep he’d get before he had to be up and running soon after.

Despite this, sleep still refuses to come, and you don’t bother pretending to be asleep when he slides into bed next to you. Instead, you turn over and curl into his chest, stifling the guilt that bubbles up when he jumps in surprise.

“Something keeping you up?” Oh, he sounds so tired, and part of you wishes you could just make it all go away. The weight of the world rests heavy on his shoulders, and deep down, you wonder if you’re part of that burden. You curl a little closer, as if trying to smother the thoughts that crashed upon you, spilling over the crack in the dam that only widened the more you spoke.

“Jus’ a little lonely, is all.” Your voice is too quiet, brittle, and you pray to every deity that would listen that he would drop it. That he wouldn’t take on yet another burden when he was already carrying Altas’s share of the world.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Of course, the gods are hardly ever so merciful—to them you are just another wishful mortal in the realm of the holy and damned—and Izuku’s hand rests on your cheek with a tenderness that makes you want to cry.

“...Why?” 

The confusion that falls over his expression (gaunt, tired, and God, should you even be doing this right now?) is immediate, and he tilts your face up to meet his gaze with yours, like he could find the answer in city lights dancing over your face. His thumb strokes soft patterns over your cheek—as if brushing off the layers you’d built to protect your soul—and you lean into his soft touch with a sigh.

“Why what?”

The words spill from your lips unbidden, your hesitations softened by the comfort of his touch, the sudden drowsiness, and the emotion that near overwhelms you.

“Why do you still try to do everything yourself? When there’s so many people out there, ready to support you?” His breath hitches in shock, but it’s too late to go back now. You reach up to hold the hand cradling your cheek, distantly remembering a time when he was too insecure of his scarred and crooked hands to even hold your hand.

He’s come a long way, indeed.

“I love you, Izuku. I just don’t know if that can hold up against your love for the world.” 

Something in his gaze softens, to your surprise. His smile is even softer.

“What would you do if you’re both?”

“Wh— Izuku—”

He continues, and you listen, raptured by his words spoken into the glow of the blue hour.

“Yes, I know that at the end of the day, peace and safety has to come first, but—” His smile widens into something bashful, a smile that never failed to send butterflies scattering through your heart. “—who says you can’t be right along with them?” 

He bumped his forehead with yours, smiling emerald eyes gazing into your own with such love—dizzying and overpowering and so, so warm. With the steady thrum of your heartbeat matching his, you found yourself falling even deeper once again.

“You know me, I can never compromise when it comes to what’s important to me.”

You laugh, something watery, as he presses a kiss to your forehead, temple, cheek, with a last, smiling kiss on your lips.

“How greedy.” He laughs into your lips, pulling away to hold you closer.

“Just for you.”

There’s so many things you could’ve said, as you watched the rest of the night sky fade into the deep blues of dawn. But, you decide, the comforting silence was best left as is, only broken by one resounding comfort.

It’ll be okay.

“You know, it would’ve been nice to know that you had taken the day off before I had that whole guilt spiral last night.”

“It turned out okay though, didn’t it?” He turned back to flash you that cheeky grin of his, half-hidden by his winter coat and backed by the glow of the setting sun. You just rolled your eyes with a laugh before jogging to catch up to him, slipping you hand out of your pocket to interlace your fingers with his.

“Yeah, it did.” 

The walk was silent as you two strolled down the familiar path, winding down after a whole day spent with each other. It was romantic of him, now that you thought about it, to take the whole Valentine’s Day off just for you. You hummed as you leaned onto him, giddy and content at the thought. 

In love, if you were to be so bold.

(Granted, he had to wear a mask and a cap the entire time to hide from the prying eyes of the public, but you made do.)

The sight of aged, familiar scenery pulled you from your musings, and you tugged at his hand to grab his attention, pointing at the quaint bench surrounded by bare gingko trees.

“Hey, wasn’t this the park where you confessed?” At your words, he froze and glanced over at the familiar scenery, eventually burying his face into his free hand with a groan once the old memories clicked in his head.

“Oh, don’t remind me. It’s still embarrassing to look back on.”

“What? I thought you were cute!” You laughed, nudging him to follow as you led him over to the small park, brushing off the dust to sit on the bench before patting the space next to you. Izuku obliged, and you almost automatically curled into his side, as if by habit.

“Did we really walk all the way here from the station?” His disbelieving tone made you look up at him, his expression one of nostalgic awe, before casting your attention back to the aged scenery, humming in agreement as you idly picked out what’s changed and what’s stayed in the years that have passed.

“I guess we never really forget, huh?”

“I forgot the sunset looked the best from here.”

“I hope you didn’t forget all the memories we made here.” He tore his attention from the sunset to gape down at you, scandalized.

“Of course not!” 

“Really?” He arched a brow at the teasing lilt to your voice and the mischievous grin playing at your lips, “So you didn’t forget accidentally firing an Air Force shot at me when we first met because you were training?”

He buried his face in his hands again with another embarrassed groan.

“I hoped you would forget that, at least!” You just laughed, hugging him closer as if to console him from your teasing. Before long, the atmosphere settled back into a quiet reminiscence, indulging in the nostalgia of memories past in this little park. The silence that was once deafening alone, now softened by the comfort of his presence at your side.

“We’ve made so many memories in this park, huh?” At your soft hum of agreement, he continued. Was his voice shaking? “It wouldn’t hurt to make more, would it?”

“What do you me—”

Your question cut itself short as you saw what he held out to you. 

A little velvet box, sitting open in his hand. You dragged your suddenly watery gaze back up to Izuku, his once bashful smile now wobbly with nerves. 

So familiar in this little park, yet so new.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

It was just a small walk down memory lane, the street lights blinking on one by one in the wake of the fiery sunset as you two walked the familiar path together. Yet there was something buzzing anew in the air, humming through your soul as you held out your hand to the sun, admiring the way the gem on your ring finger sparkled in the fading sunset. In the other, you interlaced your fingers with his.

Yeah… 

You caught Izuku’s soft gaze, smiling and in love.

We’ll be okay.

[variousqueerthings]

Tom Hardy Movies rated least to most queer

I made a list of some Tom Hardy movies and I rated them based on my own, non-specific criteria about what makes a movie queer. Results below the cut.

(Some films not included, because I haven’t watched them yet, because Mr Hardy’s only in them for a few minutes, because the subject matter doesn’t lend itself to this list, or because I just don’t want’em here. TV series also not included. The list is organised into both groups and ratings, because I’m doing The Most.)

Movies are divided into four groups and rated from 0 – 10 on the Queer-Scale, scroll down to the bottom if you want the ratings without the commentary.

Disclaimer: This list is subjective. Don’t come at me because I didn’t rate Inception higher, Nolan himself is as queer as cargo shorts. 

1. This movie would make more sense if it were queer

If this movie were queer it… might not become a perfect film all of a sudden, but it’d make a hell of a lot more sense than what’s actually going on. With an occasional dose of “are the cis-straights okay?”

This Means War (2012): So Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are ostensibly both in love with Reese Witherspoon, but say “I love you” to each other pretty much constantly throughout the movie and their friendship is often presented as a domestic partnership. Cool, cool, cooool.

Queer Rating: 2 out of 10. This movie hate-crimed me by having Tom Hardy literally spell out his relationship with Chris Pine, only for the script to then have him say… “can you imagine all that… but with a woman…” Later on the movie explicitly denies polyamory is possible. Fuck this film.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012): Batman movies should always be queer. Mr. Hardy’s the only one who acceptably camps it up, despite Nolan’s best attempts to make him “acceptably gruff.” No matter what you do, Bane is a massive daddy in a mask and thanks to Mr Hardy’s honestly iconic fucking speech pattern in this film, it goes from pretty atrociously straight to just queer enough to imagine a future where Robert Pattinson plays batman and maybe adopts a bunch of kids.

(the only truly decent mask in this franchise tbh)

Queer Rating: 3 out of 10. Mr Hardy’s back is the one that’s actually broken carrying any semblance of fun in this overly long movie all on his own.

Lawless (2012): Wow, this really was the year of the not-queer-enough, wasn’t it? Look, it’s “based on a real story,” but it’s also a movie and movies don’t need to stick to the truth, and this one certainly doesn’t. Was the guy queer in real life? I don’t know. But that doesn’t matter, what matters is that it’s just kind of an eh movie and maybe being queer would add something to it. One of those “but why make someone queer? because it’s always more interesting to do so,” movies.

Queer Rating: 3 out of 10. It’s just not queer. But Tom Hardy wears cardigans and described his character as a “mother figure,” which adds an interesting dynamic to him.

2. Actually Queer but in a homophobic way

Tom Hardy plays a canonically queer character, yaaay. The whole movie contains a strange sense of the director being too not-queer to actually engage with that and everything around him is almost aggressively straight, noooo.

RocknRolla (2008): Honestly this movie has the funniest coming out scene ever + that familiar undertone of “all these manly men secretly want to fuck each other” is only heightened by one of them actually being gay and in love with his best friend. It’s such a fucking… it’s such a movie. Personally I find Mark Strong, Idris Elba, Thandie Newton, and, of course, Tom Hardy to be really hot in it, so that’s a plus. There’s a scene in which Strong’s character teaches another gangster how to do a proper backhand. It’s really gay of him. Also slow-dancing at a gay club. Butler’s character needs to get himself together, you really don’t think 2008 Tom Hardy is hot? Mate.

(left to right: functional queer, disaster queer, distinguished queer)

Queer Rating: 6 out of 10, for having an actual gay character who is played by Tom Hardy doing a sexy phonecall voice to another guy, but then there’s that feeling you can’t shake that the whole movie is vaguely uncomfortable about it, like a family member awkwardly patting you on the shoulder after they found out you were queer second-hand, but they’ve still got 50 years of bias to unlearn. Also Thandie Newton is killed, fuck that noise. 

Legend (2015): If I had a nickle for the amount of times Tom Hardy’s played a gay gangster, I’d have two nickles. Which isn’t a lot, but weird that it happened twice (looks at Peaky Blinders and thinks it ought to be three times). I’ve watched Legend three times and every time it just… loses me. And because this is a biased list, I’ll only specifically mention that it fails to make Ron’s queerness anything but a way for him to shock others. Gangsters could be gay? Gasp! On the upside Tom Hardy has so much sexual tension with everyone in this movie, including himself (why would you do that? Asks Ron, bemused. Because I can’t kill you, no matter how much I fucking want to, hisses a blood-soaked Reggie right into his ear. It’s hot).

Queer rating: 5 out of 10 because the film is just not very queer for a movie with several queer men in it.

3. Straight as a forced family dinner

It’s straight.

Locke (2013): He’s a married man who had an affair and trying to deal with the fallout of it. This isn’t a spoiler for most of the movie, it’s a pretty neat movie where we look at Tom Hardy having a bit of a mental breakdown and taking lots of phonecalls (my personal hell). Is it queer? Not in the slightest.

Queer Rating: 2 out of 10 for Hardy’s face being in almost every shot.

The Revenant (2015): Yeah, yeah, DeCaprio’s and Hardy’s characters are obsessed with each other, yeah it’s a man’s world where the only women are dead wife, kidnapped sexually assaulted native princess, or background whore, yeah, they fight each other and there’s a ton of grunting, but also… I just fucking don’t like this movie. The thin line where a storyline like this one becomes queer might be crossed for others, but not for me. Fuck these guys and their stupid  bear fights.

Queer rating: 3 out of 10 for it being about dirty men in the middle of nowhere (but you could just watch Brokeback Mountain or The Lighthouse or God’s Own Country or any Mad Max, or, or, or…)

4. Queer? Queer. Queer? … Queer…

The plots, aesthetics and/or characters played by Tom Hardy lend themselves to a queer reading, even if there is no overt intention towards queerness. Often this is because of a deliberate lack of heterosexual and/or cisgender writing, which in this day and age is still pretty uncommon not to include within a plot.

Inception (2010): Okay, I don’t even need to write about the added “darling,” or the “go to sleep Mr Eames.” I don’t need to go on about the absolutely bonkers amount of fanfiction written for Eames and Arthur, based on a few minutes of film and a boatload of chemistry. It’s queer.

Queer Rating: 7 out of 10, because the actual plot of the film isn’t very queer, but between the Arthur/Eames dynamic and Elliot Page, Nolan was really given a gift he didn’t deserve.

Warrior (2011): Okay, so first off, this might be my favourite Tom Hardy film, at least some part of my brain is fixated on it at almost all times and I’m considering watching it for the third time in two weeks. I don’t only consider it queer based on Mr. Hardy’s character, although he has no romantic or sexual interest and could be read as aroace, but because of the themes, especially those surrounding said character, who is coded as a caregiver to women and through close emotional connections to men. It’s got possibly unintentional deconstructions of masculinity and two men (brothers) who need to forgive each other and can only do so through the catharsis of violence. It speaks to me as a transmasc with several cis brothers, struggling with my own masculinity. It’s not at all written for me, but I find myself all over it. I could talk about this movie forever.

Queer Rating: 8 out of 10. I’m not allowed to say any more or I’ll never stop writing about it. I love you Tommy…

The Drop (2014): Bob’s lack of sexual and/or romantic interest in Naomi is so strange to her that she doesn’t know what he would want from her otherwise. Bob really just wants to raise a dog with her (and also forgiveness for past sins). Bob is such a rare ace and possibly aro coded character, it really throws me every time I watch this film how obvious it is. Bonus points for also being autistic-coded and not in the stereotypical ways.

(Tom Hardy’s most challenging role: pretending he doesn’t know dogs)

Queer Rating: 9 out of 10 because it’s so fucking rare to see ace and aro coded characters that aren’t, you know…. serial killers. Also Tom Hardy adopts a puppy and has a very cute, kinda lispy voice. How often does Tom Hardy play softer men like this?

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Very deliberately no sexual or romantic writing included in Max’s and Furiosa’s relationship. Sure, there’s not a lot of time for that in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, but it was also done with a purpose! “It was always going to be two warriors on par, starting off with very little respect for each other and ending up with a massive respect for each other.” - Charlize Theron. “So of course they meet, of course there’s a relationship, an unspoken understanding. A recognition.” - Tom Hardy.

Queer Rating: 9 out of 10. It’s not just the characters, but the world and it’s apocalyptic BDSM leather scene, the questions it asks about sustainability and about people as tools, and the found family. It’s about overcoming violence through multiple kinds of love. And it’s about watching a guy playing flame-thrower guitar. What could be queerer?

Venom (2018): Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same… No, but Eddie is queer. The only question is whether the sequel will acknowledge that aspect or not, but even if not. Even if it manages to straightly bypass the reality of a symbiotic relationship with a genderless? genderfluid? being from another world that is linked to you down to your very cells and understands you more intimately than any other person possibly could… even if all that: Eddie is queer. Venom and Eddie are in a relationship. Any relationship Eddie ever enters into will automatically become a thrupple. He makes out with Venom in the movie! Eddie is queer.

(aw yeah that tongue is going down his throat)

Queer Rating: 9.5 out of 10, because it’s still coded by the creators in the language of bromance (hey, bro, is it gay if we’re physically and emotionally closer than any other people on earth?), but the movie is so, so camp and Mr Hardy’s acting choices are beautiful – the screaming? The lispy soft voice and lack of taking up space? The lobster tank? The only people who don’t know how queer this is are the people making it apparently. Fingers crossed for that sequel!

Hon. mentions:

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002): Star Trek – even at it’s worst (especially at its worst?) – is camp af + Hardy is a straight-up baby in this film.

Bronson (2008): It’s about a real person who’s still alive, so I won’t comment on the actual man. However the film seems to code the character Bronson along an ace line and also has genderqueering Vaudeville. Someone let Tom Hardy do more of whatever was going on in those stage-bits.

(this right here: this the good shit)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011): Another ensemble piece not massively about Hardy’s character, but it’s a movie that centers around queerness in a strange, depressing way. Tom Hardy’s character isn’t queer. Colin Firth and Mark Strong are though. The book makes me cry.

Peaky Blinders (2013-): Because it’s a TV series I left it out. There’s a lot of straight nonsense going on there, but Alfie Solomens is gay. There’s nothing in the series that disputes that and plenty that lends itself to the reading.

Dunkirk (2017): Tom Hardy plays an RAF pilot in a deep emotional connection with the other main RAF pilot. That’s immediately gay. However he’s not in the movie much because of the way it’s constructed, so I left it off.

Queer Ratings (least to most)

No queer to be found here traveller:

This Means War: 2 out of 10 - illegal movie, Tom Hardy swore he wouldn’t do another rom-com after

Locke: 2 out of 10 - straight Welshman and his straight problems. He pretty though

Lawless: 3 out of 10 - cardigan-Hardy being a mother-hen, but very straight for all that

The Dark Knight Rises: 3 out of 10 - a superhero movie that doesn’t deserve Mr Hardy’s camp talents (unlike Venom)

The Revenant: 3 out of 10 - doesn’t give me what I want out of a movie full of dirty, bearded men

Queer but we deserve more:

Legend: 5 out of 10 - timid homosexuality, considering the source material. 

RocknRolla: 6 out of 10 - hey bro, is it gay if we kill the only female lead in our massive ensemble cast

The queerest of Hardy’s:

Inception: 7 out of 10 - Elliot Page and JGL kissing was an all-around terrible choice that made no sense, we know the truth, Nolan

Warrior: 8 out of 10 - I’m still crying, Edgerton’s crying, Hardy’s crying, we’re all crying, and I think that’s really emotionally healthy and queer of us

Mad Max: Fury Road: 9 out of 10 - non-romantic love in the time of BDSM post-apocalyptic wastelands is something that can actually be so personal

The Drop: 9 out of 10 - “Fucking punk. Go out to dinner dressed like you're still in you living room! You wear those big hippity-hoppity clown shoes! You speak to women terribly! You treat them despicably! You hurt harmless dogs that can't defend themselves! I'm tired of you man. I'm tired of you. You embarrass me!”

Venom: 9.5 out of 10 - Sometimes a relationship is an anxious reporter, the sentient goo inhabiting his body, his kinda-ex-girlfriend and her new doctor boyfriend, and I think that’s beautiful

[ssavanessa22]

Warnings: some swearing and the use of breeding kink I think BUT THIS IS NOT SMUT you just have to read to get why it’s in there 😭😭

An/ this is one of my fave fics I’ve ever written i am so proud of it! Also this was a request I got from a friend with the same name as me and I can’t be asked to changed it back to y/n tbh 😭😭 I also wanna say big shout out to @spookyspence for being an incredible mutual and beta anything you see from now on my my blog has be touched by There terrific writing skills!

Christmas, God I hate Christmas, truly one of the worst holidays that we as a society created. When I say I hate Christmas I don't mean the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas: I mean the commercial holiday that plagues parents and lovers solely for the gain or conglomerate companies to keep us in the shackles of capitalism.

But do you know who loves Christmas? Emily. Sshe loves Christmas for every single insufferable reason I hate this godforsaken holiday. She's my best friend, so if she loves it, I will learn to love it too?

So here I am a week before Rossi's Christmas party at his house trying to decide what to get her.

"I mean come on how have you still not found a present for her yet." Spencer asked me in shock

"Yeah sugar plum! The parties' in few days and you still haven't gotten her anything..."

"Guys I know but it's stressful. She'smy best friend, she knows what to get me and I'm a terrible friend not for not thinking hard enough for a present to get her." putting my head in my hands.

"Yeah right. ‘Friend’ " Spencer muttered

"What do you mean by thatSpence?" i said as I eyed him.

"I mean that you’ve been in love with Emily since I can remember"

"No. Omg, no I do not have a crush, and I am not in love with Emily Prentiss., I mean I love her the same amount I love you guys! you know?."

"Honey I love you with every bone in my wonderful and sexy body, as described by my beautiful chocolate thunder, but you’re in love with Emily, I mean what about the journal...."

"What journal is she talking about?" spencer questioned

"I, uh wrote love poems about Emily ages ago and I still have them in my house in case one day I get the courage to tell her," I said under my breath.

"Huh? Sorry I didn't hear that... say it again, please," spencer said smiling at me

"God spencer! You heard what I said I don't need to repeat it!," I said as I hit his arm

"Oww! Penelope, she hit me!” He whined."

As Spencer and I started to hit and argue with each other whilst Garica was trying to break us up, Emilywalked into the lair.

"Uhh, guys... We have a case so I don't know what you guys are doing but please meet at the round table in 5 minutes."

"Yeah sorry Prentiss we're coming"

As Penelope and Reid walked out of Garcia's office Emily stopped me in the hallway

"Hey, are you excited for Rossi's dinner?"

"Yeah I am! I hope you enjoy my present" I teased.

Emily's smile grew wide "When I tell you I'm so excited for you to see the present I got you... I hope you don't think it'sits too much."

"No, I'm sure whatever you got me is amazing"

"Okay, I'm excited you're excited we are all excited and I can't wait for you to see what I got you, okay I gotta go use the toilet before we start, see you love you!" she said before kissing me on the cheek and rushing to the toilet.

She said everything so fast the only thing I was able to register was the kiss on the cheek, Emily kissed me loads of times on the kiss but something about this one just felt so different but it's probably my mushy love-sick brain convincing me otherwise.

⋆┈┈｡ﾟ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ❁ུ۪ ❃ུ۪ ❀ུ۪ ﾟ｡┈┈⋆

"Hey Luke! I know you're already picking up Spence and Pen, but I was hoping you would be able to stop by mine and come get me as well..." you trailed off hoping he would agree.

"Yeah sure! We’ll just be like 15 minutes. Spence and I are stuck outside of Garcia's cause she, and I quote ‘none of her clothes are worthy of her figure ’"

I laughed at Garcia's comment as I thanked Luke for coming to get me and I hung up the phone. I looked in the mirror one more time admiring myself in the black floor-length dress which hugged my figure perfectly. I decided to wear my natural hair out tonight with my gold simple earrings and my gold necklace on

I waited for Luke as his car pulled up into my driveway. I walked out of my complex with my go bag that was filled with everyone's presents seeing Garcia and Spence dressed to the nines.

"Hey guys! You all look so hot tonight!"

"Says you, Vanessa, you got the stunning bod I see you girls are out tonight and the fro I mean you look incredible" Garcia said as we teased each other lightly

"Penelope, you sure know how to make a girl feel special don't you?"

Luke began driving to Rossi's as Spencer was in the front talking to Luke about god knows what. You were in the back with Penelope talking about Emily.

"So what did you get for Emily in the end"

"I got her this bracelet and necklace set she's been wanting for ages"

"Awwww that is so sweet!" she squealed.

"I know right? So what did you get for Luke?" I whispered trying not to be too loud so the boys wouldn't hear."

"It's a big surprise it's something I know he's been wanting for a while and I know he's gonna like it"

After driving for another 10 minutes we made it to Roosi's house, correction, his mansion. I've been here so many times, and yet the sheer size of the house never grows old. Luke knocked on the door whilst we all waited outside until Rossi opened the door.

"Welcome to my humble abode i miei amori, come in come in!" he said as we walked into his place

"humble abode my ass, Rossi you know this place is fucking amazing!" I replied

"You flatter me, dolce del mio cuore, but you look more stunning than all of the paintings in this place. All of you do."

"Thanks, Rossi. I mean being in this house you have to dress for the best”,Luke" laughed.

We walked to where the rest of the team were sitting, we sat down around the table as Garcia and Luke sat together, Spencer sat in between Matt and Tara and me sitting in between Emily and JJ.

"Hey! you both look gorgeous. " that wasn't a lie. They both looked gorgeous but Emily looked incredible. The red dress she was wearing complimented her skin so well... she just looks so beautiful.

"Thanks love... your dress and your hair you look so lovely tonight" JJ replied

"yeah! you look .. beautiful Vanessa" Emily said with a soft smile.

"T-thank you Emily you look lovely as well" Cursing myself internally for stuttering.

Rossi walked into the dining room with all the italian cuisine you could imagine. He served us all and we tucked into our delicious meal. we all finished we walked out to the garden and sat around beginning to give out presents to one another. Everyone had been so thoughtful and given the best presents.

Tara got me a new headscarf as I told the team that lucky my dog ate mine whilst I was asleep ages ago, Garcia promised to stop calling Luke newbie, which I could see he was very thankful for. I got Rossi a kiss the chef apron, and Reid got me and Garcia tickets to watch Beyonce in concert.Emily as part of her present promised us that we would have that time off so we could go and see her. Finally, it was left for the rest of the group to see the presents I got for them.

"Okay, quiet down everyone... Although I hate this holiday and everything to do with it, I do love you all dearly. So here you all go, for Luke I got you and Roxy mommy and pup, well more like daddy and pup lessons just time for you and Roxy to hang out at the dog and human spa place and I thought it would be good for you when you want to relax after cases!"

“Oh my god Vanessa, that's so kind of you thank you, '' hehe said whilst wrapping me in a big hug.

"Okay... up next is Garcia! Sso I know because you were never able to really be an apart of your step dad's culture and community after everything happened....so I have a neighbour in my complex who lost her daughter when she was 18 and we got talking and she has decided that she would love for you to come to her apartment and teach you traditional Hispanic Mexican dishes and culture!"

Tthere was silence from everyone around and I thought I fucked up giving her that present, but then Garcia interrupted my doubtful thoughtsthought by leaping into my arms,e giving me the biggest hug.

"Vanessa, my beautiful, brown, stunning, magical friend! Tthat is the most wonderful and thoughtful gift anyone has ever gotten me! I love you to pieces," she said whilst sniffling into my shoulder.

"Oh Garcia I love you more than words can describe" I smiled.

"Okay okay, enough of the waterworks come on, give out more gifts!!"

"Okay, so Reid you told me not to get you anything this year and obviously, I didn't listen, I know you've been so excited about that reading convention of your favourite authors.... well the ones that are still alive, so I cancelled the tickets"

"You cancelled my tickets? why would you do that?" He asked, with anger rising in his voice.

"I cancelled your tickets,” With an excited edge to my voice, “ and was able to pull a few strings and had to flirt with numerous people for this, but I was able to upgrade your ticket so you can spend 1 whole hourh each with three of your favourite authors and ask them anything you want!

“What?! No way! I can’t belive you did that for me!” Reid exclaimed happily.".

what friends are for, right?"

"okay, Rossi and Tara your guys one is a shared present so you have to do it together, but you guys have been fighting between about the best whiskeys, so you will be spending the day at a brewery here in D.C and get your own personalised bottle"

"Now this is what I call gift-giving!" Ttara exclaimed.

"oh wait I couldn't forget one more thing"

I opened my go-bag looking through it the find the shirt I was looking for

"ah, I found it!"

I began to pull it ou making it face her once she read it she burst into laughter

"you got me a "your mom" t-shirt?"

"yes that's exactly what I got you" i said with a smirk.

"I .fucking .love.it!"

"Why thank you dr. Lewis"

"Matt and JJ I got you a weekend at a choice of hotels or spas in the area for you and boos, but you can't pick the same weekend, because the weekend of your pick I will be babysitting for you."

Matt laughed " well first thank you for this. Kristy will love it but you all by yourself will take care of 4 kids?"

"uhh yes, yes I will. speaking of your basketball team sized family I got you this,"

I gave matt a new wallet. A first everyone was confused as to why, until he opened one of the sections and took out-

"-condoms, you got me condoms"

everyone at this point was pissing themselves laughing at my present

"yes, matt I got you condoms because I just assumed that maybe you and Kristy don't know what they are, well when and man and women love each other-

"yeah yeah I know what condoms are thank you for the gifts" he replied

"Okay last but very much not least Emily I got you this"

I took out of my go bag a teapot

"did you get me a teapot?"

"yes I got you a teapot but inside I the real present but you can't open that yet until we leave. so for now I got you a teapot"

she replied, "uh thank you?"

we spent the rest of the evening dancing and chatting the night away as luke Garcia, Spence and I got into the car we waved to JJ and Emily who were outside of Rossi's house

Emily POV

"So have you checked what's inside it yet," JJ asked me

"no, not yet I'm a bit scared to..."

"I mean come on Emily it's so obvious that she likes you! just opened it"

"uhhh I don't think so"

"come one just open the pot, I bet you will be surprised"

"I opened the teapot and saw lots of small pieces of paper and a necklace inside of it"

the piece of paper read

dear Emily,

I am unable to give this to you face to face honestly it's because I'm scared of what you say, I'm scared of whether to not you feel the same way, and I'm scared i'll ruin the great friendship have with you but now I can't take this anymore, here are some poems I wrote about you and me and about how I feel about you.

I was shocked and stunned at what I was reading she felt this way this whole time and didn't tell me I picked up the first letter and read it

The weather changes

The skies turn a deeper blue

When you walk by

Or I bump into you

A sweet melody

Fills the backdrop

That is when everything

Suddenly comes to a stop

Even just your presence

Seems so magical

My dream of being with you

I want to make real

I like you

I started to tear up just from reading the first one as I kept digging through I found more poems

What I like about you the most

Is the way you walk

The way you smile

When you begin to talk

What I admire about you a lot

Is the way you dress

Seeing the way you tuck your hair

Is a sight of pure happiness

There seems to be nothing

That I don't like about you

Asking you out on a date

Had become long overdue

"JJ I have to go to y/ns i'll see you later

I ran as fast I could jumping into the driver's seat of my car and speeding to her house I got to the complex and ran up all four flights of her stairs and banging on her door

y/n POV

I on the couch watching the real housewives of Orange County when I heard the banging on my door

I walked to my door and opened it. there stood Emily who looked amazing but was also panting heavily as if she had been running.

"Emily what are you do-"

I was interrupted when she grabbed me by my cheeks and kissed me. her I first I was shocked and didn't reciprocate, but then I realised what she was doing and began the kiss her back.

the kiss wasn't aggressive or full of lust, but was sweet and passionate and beautiful, just like Emily Prentiss herself. I pulled her inside my place as she pulled my body flush against hers. I ran my hands through her raven hair as she gasped into my mouth whilst continuing to kiss me. She pushed me onto the couch as she sat down. I straddled her lap as her hands explored every part of my body. I passed her face off mine and rested my forehead on hers

"Did you read the poems?" I asked whilst panting for breath.

"yeah I did"

"so, what do you think?" I asked smugly.

"I really like you y/n I have for a long time and your just so beautiful and amazing and wonderful and-and I wanna make out with you right now"

I giggled into her neck replying

"yeah I would like to make out with you very much too. shall we proceed?" using my silly posh voice.

"god you’re such a nerd" she giggled

"you love me though"

"yeah I do"

Fin~

[cotccotc]

SKZ REACT to...

 ✰ you coming out PART 2 !!

part of my eight as fate event !! ( requested by anon ♡ )

genre/s: ot8 reaction headcanon, gn reader, platonic, fluff & humor

wc: ~1.3k

warning/s: descriptions of coming out as non-binary, brief mentions of gender dysphoria, my dumb commentary once again (hehe), these are just my opinions and ideas !!

a/n: i reference the first version of this reaction a few times and i recommend reading it first !! i got some really sweet responses to the original so i hope y’all like this one too :) OH ALSO i should mention that i decided to make it platonic since i found that easier and more natural to write.

✰ CHAN

i feel like even if he already knows a bunch about gender identity, non-binary and genderqueer people, dysphoria, pronouns, etc. he would definitely enjoy you giving him a full rundown on it !! and specifically what your interpretation is and how you identify

BEST LISTENER EVER !!!

do you remember that vlive where felix is talking and chan’s just sitting back and looking at felix with immense amounts of love in his eyes? yeah…

he’d be so. incredibly. proud. of you.

idk why the chan portions of these reactions have both been super sappy but anyways-

he’d be very dedicated to using your preferred pronouns and finding new ways to compliment you !!!

his google search history would most definitely include “genderless adjectives” and “enby dad jokes” and he’d keep a running list on his phone

chan: “what do you say when your non-binary friend is sad?”

you: [dead silence]

chan: “their, their....” [giggles]

KSDFJ

✰ MINHO

my first thought is that he’d be the type to ask for your new pronouns and immediately use them in a sentence.

for instance, say your new pronouns were xe/xem. he’d immediately say, “well, i’m very proud of my y/n, and i love xem very much.”

so then i’d start crying in the background.. blah blah blah omniscient narrator struggles :’)

i can’t see him being anything but casual and accepting !!

if you want to talk about things, he’ll most definitely let you, but if you don’t want to he won’t push.

but regardless, he just wants you to know he supports you in whatever way he can.

would also politely correct people if they misgender you in public !!! he wants you to feel safe !!!!!

i saw him as a wingman in the other reaction but in this context he’d definitely serve as your personal information pamphlet for people who you might not know too well.

random person: “what exactly does that mean?”

you: “it-”

minho: “WELL ACTUALLY-”

✰ CHANGBIN

just like in the first version, he’d get pretty emotional !!

i think he would really sympathize with you even though he can’t fully understand what you had to deal with externally or emotionally.

honestly that would probably make him even MORE emotional.

the fact that he can’t fully relate to those complex feelings would really tug at his heartstrings as he listens to you speak. he really wishes he could understand your struggles more, and maybe even take on the burden for you.

but let’s get less emo, shall we?

ok picture something with me bestie:

first, he casually refers to you using your new pronouns in a group conversation.

next, after the topic changes in the conversation, you look at him while the others continue talking.

this mf WINKS and flashes you the silliest smirk

you let out a little chuckle and you both continue on in the conversation

[end scene]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH anyways-

✰ HYUNJIN

i feel like he might question his own gender identity a little as well sometimes, especially due to what people say online (like calling him “pretty”, the edits some people make, praising him for breaking stereotypes, etc.)

so, he probably understands a bit deeper than some of the other members might.

in that same vein, i think it might make him a little bit emotional to hear your story !!

over the years, i think it’s plain to see that he’s become more comfortable with expressing his more feminine attributes, which has always comforted you as his friend.

he understands the feeling of being uncomfortable with the gender roles one is expected to follow, so he empathizes with you.

in terms of his actual first reaction, i think it would be pretty similar to what i suggested in the other version of this.

(my bias is showing but oH MY GOSH I STILL THINK THIS WOULD BE SO CUTE-)

“woo~” *insert little jazz hands here*

…

[cries] anyways-

you feel really comfortable coming to him with this, and you’re happy when you do !!

✰ JISUNG

maybe it’s because i’ve seen tweets about it, but i feel like this dude knows everything there is to know about modern gender identity topics and neopronouns and stuff

after the initial awkwardness of the conversation (and a big supportive hug ofc) he’d be stoked to talk about it !!

would ask for your pronouns right away !!! he might also do the thing where he uses them in a sentence.

“y/n !!! ze’s so cool !!!!!!!”

i think if he saw someone misgender you (by accident) he wouldn’t correct them for you out of in-the-moment nerves, but he’d be very proud of you if you do it yourself !!

might buy you a snack afterward tbh

but if HE ever misgenders you OHHHHH goodness gracious

HE WOULD FEEL SOOO BAD AH

EVEN IF IT’S LIKE.. THE NEXT DAY

he’d get so very embarrassed and apologetic SDKFJ you’d have to really assure him that it’s not that big of a deal since he’s still adjusting to things, but he’d still feel like he has to make it up to you in some way

would probably buy you snacks again LMAO

✰ FELIX

i think he would be really excited !!

we know felix really loves and is passionate about androgynous/genderless forms of expression, especially in regard to appearance, so he’d probably really enjoy talking about gender and stereotypes with you !!

(if you’re comfy with it, ofc)

honestly, felix would be really encouraging and would help you gain more confidence !!!!!

if you ever feel like trying out a new look, he’d be like “OK BESTIE LET’S GO SHOPPING”

tbh he’d probably try it out with you !! or if you hang out often, he’d probably subconsciously start finding inspiration in your style and adopt it a bit himself

on days where you feel a bit down for whatever reason, especially in regard to dysphoria, his first instinct would be to cheer you up by reminding you how unique and cool you are.

and it’s not just because you’re nonbinary but also because you’re just a super cool person !!!!!!!!!! and i think so too !!!!!!!!!!!! never forget it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so overall, i feel like felix wouldn’t be very hard to come out to once you get over your initial nerves, and the end result would be super fun :D

✰ SEUNGMIN

i think his initial reaction would be pretty similar to chan’s !!

he also seems like the type to be super, super diligent with adjusting to whatever pronouns you feel comfortable using or words you’re okay with him using to refer to you.

(maybe it’s because we know he was a good student and he’s diligent with practicing his english. training his brain to correct itself would be like studying for him lol)

for example, instead of calling you “pretty” or “handsome,” he might even try simply pointing out a part of your appearance that he thinks looks especially great !! something like your eyes, your hair, your outfit, etc.

your hair looks great today, btw. anyways-

aside from that, i think he would just try to be as courteous as possible without making a big deal out of things.

and if he ever slips up with your pronouns, descriptors, etc, he’d be super quick to apologize and correct himself before keeping the conversation going like normal !!

there’s just generally a lot of mutual respect all around :)

✰ JEONGIN

this is somewhat similar to my other version of this reaction, but i think he’d just be really intrigued and a little shocked

IDK WHY I KEEP THINKING HIS ABILITY TO GAUGE THESE THINGS IS SO BAD DKFJ every time i think about someone coming out to him i just can’t help but picture him being like “reaLLY??? since WHEN”

still, something deep within my soul is telling me that jeongin would truly think you’re the coolest person on the planet.

being as he can’t personally relate to this, jeongin would be pretty psyched to hear about your journey to finding out !! kinda the opposite reaction to changbin lol

honestly he’d be a super good listener !!!!

he’d hear you out for however long you explain things to him, and if you ever get a bit emotional, he might smile at you or reach out to hold your hand :’) or both :’’’’’)

then, when you tell him your preferred pronouns he’s like “oH okay !! coOL !!!” lmao

so, he understands the concept and is super happy for you but he just didn’t really expect it !!

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[shieldofrohan]

I agree with your opinions on pov struggles. Bran and Sansa had least chapters considering the starks are heart to asioaf. Heck Jaime had more chapters than bran. I think Sansa really had to have much more to do in last two books if we think about last 3 seasons so maybe she will got more povs. I don't know how she will deal with her trauma but one thing is certain that she will not end up with her abusers. I'm more curious about how will grrm handle bran arc.

[for previous ask about this: PoV struggle ]

Hello Anon,

Sometimes Martin's "claims" and his writing don't match.

For example; he insists that he tried to create a historically accurate world but fans who know what they are talking about can easily find the historical errors in his world. Sometimes a simple Google search can prove him wrong. His world is ironically filled with historical cliche myths. Or him saying that Arya was the odd bird in the family but the writing tells that Sansa is the different one with no family support. His whole Jaehaerys the Ideal King with Tax Policy failure and etc.

Long story short: He might say that Starks are the heart and centre of the story, and don't get me wrong he totally loves them and sees them as his centre characters, but without his "Starks are the heart" statement or "Bran is the protagonist" explanation these two aspects of the series could have been easily missed.

Some "simple" (!!!) reader would see Tyrion (he is everywhere), Arya (because of her high number of chapters), Dany (has her own arc and story) and Jon (for his parentage secret and Others drama) as THE protagonists. And Arya and Jon alone are not enough to support his "Starks are the heart" claim. Yes we had Ned and Cat too but they died and they were never the protagonist characters in the first place. Starks are definitely in the middle of major plots but tbh Tyrion IS THE ASOIAF. Not Bran. Not the Starks.

Btw when he says Starks are the heroes/centre he only means the "current" Starks. Not House Stark. I would say House Targaryen is his main (?) house. He builds his entire world around them and their history. At this point we should stop kidding ourselves. Martin adores his problematic weirdos. All of his side books are still about Targaryens (TWOAIF -the lack of House Stark content in this book was really insulting... they were kings for 8000 years ffs-, DUNK & EGG, FIRE AND BLOOD).

Well it's his choice ofc, if he wants to build everything around the villain house then he should do it. But a bad choice... Imagine Tolkien focusing on Melkor and his minions instead of the Children of Iluvatar. He could at least give us their Valyrian era but nah... we had to learn about Westeros through them.

You might say: "But he ended that house and look at House Stark ruling the whole Westeros in the end". And I would say: "So what?". We will never learn more about House Stark's history or FUTURE. We don't even know why "exactly" they became legendary kings in the first place. We don't know how their history shaped the current Starks... Cat and Ned (and other influencer characters they meet during their journeys) shaped our current Starklings... NOT House Stark Legacy.

Ned was raised by Jon Arryn and you see Lord Arryn in his honor and everything (Martin literally refused to give info about Ned's mother because she was irrelevant) and Cat is a Tully lady. We see "so little" House Stark influence in our Starklings. Like "our way is the old way" kind of stuff.

And please compare this how Targaryen ideals had a part in Dany's characterization/story and how we can draw parallels between her and her ancestors (thanks to side books). When I say current Starks are the centre characters but House Targaryen is the centre House, I mean this exactly.

I said that we'll probably never know about House Stark's future and I want to explain in further and it will also give my answer about how lack of Bran and Sansa chapters are going to be a problem in the end.

OK. So we don't know much about House Stark but they (some Stark characters) will end up victorious. "END UP" is the key phrase. There is no way that we'll see a lot about Bran and Sansa's reigns. After 300 years Starks are monarchs again but we still won't know more about their ruling. WHY? Because the lack of Bran and Sansa chapters in the books. With Sansa we can at least imagine her queenship thanks to her KL and Vale education. But Bran was a boy lord of WF for like... "one book" (??) and his story became very mystical and paranormal later thanks to Bloodraven (HEY! Another Targaryen... can you believe?)

And we have (?) to assume that they will become King/Queen in the "end" (I have my own theories about this but right now show is my only canon material). I doubt that Martin will give us an "after 50-100 years epilogue" for us to see Bran/Sansa's influence in the Westeros/North.

If Sansa and Bran are his final monarchs they should have been at their last corner of their journeys by now (again compare it with Dany's bad but still narrated queenship). Sansa should have been in the North long ago and Bran's mystical arc should have ended in the beginning of ADWD. Because Martin can't suddenly start focusing on them in the last TWO books without cutting his other 50+ POVs entirely.

People were SHOCKED when Bran became king because right now his story has nothing to do with being a Westeros King. Will only two books be enough to redirect his story? Sounds unlikely. Martin needs at least 3 books to put everything in order to create a well developed story but we'll only have two.

OR he should have focused on them LONG AGO to remedy this. More Sansa and Bran chapters in the previous books would had been helpful but a little too late.

And especially when I look back at Sansa's chapters I see so many unnecessary drama. Like all of her interactions with Sandor. What did they add to Sansa's story? Sandor couldn't break Sansa's spirit but in the end Sansa shamed him so all of their interactions were about Sandor... not Sansa. They shaped Sandor.. not Sansa.

Martin giving too much attention to Sandor in Arya and Sansa chapters is so annoying. I would rather read Sansa being sad and bitter about her father and Robb abandoning her tbh. It would be a better subject for a young lonely little girl instead of her being molested by some old pervert(s). Like I said... even in her limited number chapters she was misused by the author.

And Bran simply doesn't exist when you compare it with other characters. Everything starts with him but Twincest drama handled without him. He has no part in that or anything that is happening in Westeros right now. And this is our future King of Westeros.

Back to your ask... Sansa will deal with her trauma in subtext like she did(n't) with whole Unkiss thing. And hooooop she will go back to North, deal with LF, rebuild WF and her legacy---- BOOOM!!! War and Others etc. Homegirl has a lot to do. And her healing will have a very little part in her future chapters because author didn't deal with them when he should have in previous books. Instead he threw one trauma after another to crash her more. I guess she'll magically be OK and ready to become a Queen. And yes... she won't end up with any of her abusers. Does anyone still believe that sh*t?!!??!

Like I said, lack of Bran and Sansa chapters will be another part of missing House Stark history. If Starks were truly the heart then Bran STARK and Sansa STARK would had more chapters (between 30-50: Dany has 31 and Tyrion has 49).

Just saying they are the heart/centre doesn't do the job alone. If characters who are not the heart have more chapters than them, this will tell me that focus of story is on them and not on so called heart characters. And this brings me back to my first sentence: Sometimes Martin's "claims" and his writing don't match.

I repeat: Starks might be the heart and in the centre BUT the amount of focus that Martin shows for some Stark characters (Bran and Sansa) is not enough to make them surpass the characters who are not the heart.

So we are talking about an imbalance here. And this is creating a problem. Two main characters aren't getting the attention they need and therefore fandom ignores them... and these two are THE characters that will shape future of the Westeros. They are actually the most important characters but author treats them like they don't matter as much as other main characters (And I know that this was not his intention.. just a mistake in his writing plan). Sad.

Anyway, we'll see how he will deal with Sansa and Bran problem in next books. I hope he'll manage it well.

Thanks for the ask.