#and im so excited to try it out bc its supposed to be cooling

[unsquished-apricot]

I can't wait till my new mattress cover gets here

[faaun]

i feel rly sad and conflicted abt one of my best friends on earth but idk who to ask for advice bc i usually would have consulted her in this situation lmao

[depresseddepot]

okay. can someone reassure me that I will have other chances to see the northern lights because I am feeling very end of the world-y right now

[latibulater]

Dean is a big beverage enjoyer. Im projecting my reality rn, but I can so see him with a hot cup of chai latte watching the rain. Or when he was younger making the "perfect hot cocoa" recipe while Hank enjoyed throwing four different Swiss Miss packets into one cup (also perfectly enjoyable but not as disciplined as Dean would like). Idk how common apple cider is outside of my area which is near apple country, but I just know Dean would love apple cider. Especially warmed up with a bit of honey and hit of cinnamon it is truly like drinking the Lords work. Dean drags Hank to go apple picking once they move to NY and the twins buy out the stores supply of cider donuts.

Back to Dean and beverages: he always enjoyed watching his dad mix drinks when he was younger, the way the different bottles are tipped and flipped around, and for one year got really into making mocktails, until Doc got irritated when Dean kept suggesting real drinks for him to make for himself instead of his doctails

In the summer Dean loves lemonade, but prefers it with ice tea as an Arnold Palmer and feels fancy. Brock, Doc, and HELPeR don't really buy a lot of soda, but i think once Brock took the twins with him to 711 to get more cigs and they each got a drink as a treat. Dean really enjoyed Sobe (Lizard Milk) while Hank was enchanted by the slushies. I also think that Dean would like Squirt, Sprite, 7-Up, more citrus sodas, while Hank will drink any soda but dr. pepper

I think the boys would each have different relationships with alcohol given their dads, but for this post I'm saying they both enjoy mixed drinks the most, Hank can't stand wine, and they both pass on beer for the most part. Hank would love to have like a classic cool guy drink and try an old fashioned and hate it and eventually settles on chocolate martinis (shaken). Dean sticks to a very classic G&T* for a while bc its the only one he feels confident ordering, but once he goes somewhere with a cocktail menu he gets excited

I don't think Dean would really like coffee unless it's with a lot of flavored cream to basically be a coffee-flavored drink. I think the caffeine would make him feel either focused or sick depending on if he ate something before drinking the coffee (bc sometimes needs must). During his senior year of college (5y program dual bachelors masters) he gets scarily into energy drinks and the venture crew stages an intervention.

Idk if Dean would like kombucha personally I hate it so maybe he would WANT to like it bc its supposed to be very healthy for you but he gags with every sip

Dean discovers a boba tea place eventually and becomes obsessed for a little while until he gets a job there by accident and gets bored of all the same drinks all the time, but after he quits and recovers he enjoys it in more healthy amounts. Hank always suffixes his orders with "and hold the balls, please" instead of just saying no topping like a normal person

[fatuismooches]

My previous asks about biting is just because i have cute aggression and your works are so cute (usually, one time i wanted to test out how dramatic my mascara was so i read some of your angst, cried) but now that i really think about it? my number one competitor is Il Dottore himself

It's my personal headcanon dottore has really bad cute aggression, sure it's mainly under control now because he's been alive for fuckinf Centuries (for all childhood friends works where the reader is male would it count as old man yaoi- *gets shot*) but with his lover? absolutely out of control

Maybe they're cuddling and his lover's hand gets close to his mouth? eated, chomped

childhood friends reader who has scars on their arms because of how hard dottore has bitten them

it gets so bad that the reader has to give him a taste of his own medicine, he bit them a few minutes ago and now he has his hand by their mouth? EATED (he gets so confused and then Realizes, unbeknownst to you, you started an all out war.)

Make sure to wear turtlenecks during the chomping war because if you walk past him wearing like, a tee-shirt he'll just move the collar of the shirt (or even stretch it, bastard) just to bite your shoulder and then act like nothing happened

after about the first week, you both look like you were mauled by a small cat.

Eventually, a truce is made, so it's not as bad, but you two still bite each other like feral cats.. It's just more provoked rather than "i have to get them back IMMEDIATELY"

So there's not as many bite marks everywhere, mainly on each other's arm and hands now because, what else are you supposed to do if your lover's hand is by your mouth? kiss it? fucking casual. Bite his cheek and watch him go absolutely insane though

some other harbingers who i think have cute aggression but not as bad

The second place is pantalone, he isnt bitey, but he will grab, squish, and tug at your cheeks aggressively if you say or do something cute whole cooing about the cuteness of what you just did

columbina will just, hug and squeeze you really REALLY tight if you do something cute, its hard to breathe but thats ok

the last and (funnily enough) least aggressive when it comes it cuteness, is childe, he'll hug you tightly (not as tight as columbina) and squish your cheeks, but only for a few seconds (unlike pantalone, who will literally make your face numb) he is lime a healthy mix of both of those two, he will get bitey however. - 🎈 pspsp smooches cmere i promise i wont bite you (lying)

🎈 ANON?? HELP IM SORRY FOR MESSING UP YOUR MASCARA I DIDNT MEAN TO 😭 (or did I?) But omg, I honestly didn't know what cute aggression was until now, thank you for informing me of this AND I'M GONNA BE STEALING YOUR HCS BC THATS TOO CUTE 🤲❤️❤️😭

I'm just. EXPLODING 💥 Bro doesn't know how to control his biting strength too so he ends up drawing blood sometimes 😔 (But it's okay since it's Dottore) I bet people assume the scars you have are from something cool like battles but nope... you got BIT by a human, multiple times at that. The first time it happened you probably let out a little scream because he's literally nomming on you unprompted and... you've never met anyone who does that 😨 I wonder if he even has an explanation for it or he just... does it? He just wants to bite you and he will, you can't stop him😭🙏

I mean, you get used to the random bitings, but if there's one thing about you, is that you will put him in his place if need be! If Dottore thinks he can just go on ranting about his research after fatally biting you, he's wrong 😒 He starts waving his hands around in excitement and you know what. Bitten. Nom-nom. Congrats. This is one of the very few times Dottore's rendered speechless. (Worst mistake of your life.) You know how regular couples give each other good morning/night kisses? Well Zandik does something like that... he just bites you unprovoked instead. It's the absolute worst during the Akademiya because you're sweating so hard trying to cover all of your skin but also trying to avoid getting nipped on the neck by that irritating deadly scholar 🫠 He is so nonchalant about it too 😒 But you're not. As soon as you land a bite you're grinning so hard and he's just like 😐 Ehehe... pretending to kiss his cheek and then nibbling on it and giving it a lil bite... I'm evaporating... i love the little love bites <3

THE PANTALONE ONE IS SOOO TRUEEE AWWW 😭🥺🥺🥺 I see him as very touchy so omggg him squishing your cheeks is so cute 😭 You would just be talking and saying something unintentionally adorable to him and all of a sudden he's cupping and then squishing your cheeks all while going on about how cute his darling is, and your words are now getting all garbled up 😔 it's A NEED. (Then he'll kiss your cheeks so gently if you get pouty cuz he pulled too hard :(( <3)

100% agreed on Bina she is. A MONSTER. when it comes to those hugs, you may faint if you don't build up some resistance to it. You can try to do it back to her but for some reason, she isn't really affected by it even if you muster up all your strength, but she still adores the notion! And Childe... RAHHH THESE ARE SO GOOD!! It's funny for him to be the least aggressive but his co-workers are something else I guess 😭 We love a king who's so affectionate but also won't kill you with it 🤭 I imagine if you return it he would be so flattered...especially if you're strong enough to actually keep him from leaving your hug. Now that's the good stuff.

🎈 anon 😳 you can bite me if you want, I don't mind 😌🫶

[boy-gender]

Hi! You can answer this publicly or privately, but I figured maybe someone else might have a similar question? I just wanted to ask about your personal reasons for using it/its pronouns.

I ask bc I've come across two different characters, now, in media I enjoy, that use it/its pronouns. And I've enjoyed seeing it! They're both two of my favorite characters in their respective media. And i think im kinda questioning whether or not my excitement for these characters (particularly when pronouns are discussed bc they're both great characters outside of that fact) is just bc it's nice to see representation, even beyond they/them pronouns, or if maybe I should consider it/its for myself? I'm not sure, I just thought hearing other people's experiences could potentially help me figure that out. Thank you for your time!

Happy to answer!

First of all, whatever pronouns you want to use is entirely up to you! Nobody gets to tell you what to use and what not to use, or what to try out and change later if you don't like it. If you feel like you want to try a set of pronouns, try it! If it doesn't jive, just change it again. There is no limit to how many pronouns or labels you can use, try, drop, pick up again, or how many times you change it. If it sounds like it/its makes you happy, go for it, even if it just "just" because of characters you like. There's nothing wrong with being influenced by the stories that are important to you.

My reason for using it is mostly trauma-based. All my life I've felt a significant disconnect from my own body, but I didn't realize I had a dissociative disorder until I was like 24. A combination of child abuse causing the disorder, where I never felt like my body was/is me, just that I'm a thing inhabiting the body, possessing it like a spirit- and also lifelong bullying and ostracizing by my peers both contributed to it. There are many times I don't feel like a man or a woman, or a nonbinary person, or any type of person at all. I was dehumanized; I had my humanity stripped from me, including my gender. Fat autistic weird 'girls' aren't treated like girls, intersex tomboys aren't treated like boys, we're treated like monsters. Like kicked dogs. I existed only to be abused by the people around me- my parents and teachers who were supposed to protect me, and the peers who should have been my friends and community. Freaks don't have genders, those are for people. And I was constantly reminded that I did not count as a person.

I very much associate the bullying I endured with my gender nonconformity. I was an afab intersex person- I was a girl of age like 13 with a moustache and beard growing in. I was fat, and my fat never distributed to the 'desired' places for a girl (also, this was like 2008. There was no 'desired place' for fat on girls). Other kids knew or sensed things were different about me- that I was queer in multiple ways, that I had several mental illnesses, that I was fat and ugly and was friends only with other rejects, meaning nobody gave a shit what happened to us. There would be no one to come to our defense no matter how severely we were harmed. We didn't matter.

When I found out I was a system, it put a lot into perspective. The disconnect from the body, from my identity, from my own memories (which are all in third person) made more sense. My other is not human. At first I assumed the "it-ness" was because of this, but actually he doesn't like to be called it at all. It hurts him. It doesn't fit. The it-ness is from me. It's an expression of the gender experience I was denied, a reclamation of the othering I suffered. I don't count as human. I will never be worth being human, or having typical human experiences. I will never be allowed into the club. But it turns out there are other clubs out here- humanity and the cisgender binary are not the only options. I no longer see my othering as "be human or just die," but as "not human? Cool, come try one of these other myriad things." There are so many more things you can be besides human.

This makes a lot of people uncomfortable. Firstly, good. People should be uncomfortable with the cruelty I endured and the marks it left. People should be uncomfortable that they probably participated in othering people as children, and maybe even still do it as adults, and they should be uncomfortable that society is raising their children to continue to do this. It is, in a way, a little bit like my pronouns being fuck/you, or examine/yourselves. Some of it's shock value, and I like that.

Secondly, the shit I get the most is from other trans people, saying I'm somehow harming the trans community because other people call us "its" as an insult. If someone were to call me a she, that is incorrect, and could be used as an insult- they're misgendering me, they're trying to hurt me. This is not the fault of the word "she" and I'm not going to go up to a trans woman and say "this word hurts me, so you cant use it. No more she/her pronouns for you." We are not all going to have the same comfort level with words. I don't like being called a dyke, but dykes do. Some people don't like being called queer, but lots of us do. Some people don't like being called it, but I do. Either way, I get to decide what I am called, and other people get to decide what they are called, and nobody else gets to veto someone's identity. If someone doesn't like calling me it? Then they don't have to talk to me. If they won't respect my pronouns, they're not any better than people who would call me she or her. I don't need their input or validation.

If you do decide to try out it pronouns, I would say be prepared for backlash, but also don't let it effect you. Block people liberally, joyously even. Don't argue. Don't bother. You do not have to justify who you are. And, consider "soft launching" your pronouns! Maybe tell a couple close friends, or just the internet, and if it goes well, expand to other people, and then other people. Roll it out in stages while you get comfortable and try things and assess. You don't owe anyone a coming out; you can decide if, when, how, and to whom you explain yourself, if you ever do it at all.

As an aside, I want to make a distinction here- I'm not otherkin. I don't say I don't count as human because I am some other type of creature just in a human body this reincarnation. This is not a spiritual belief, or even a psych-kin thing. This is purely a product of trauma, something that was foisted upon me that I am now reclaiming, not something innate to my identity. I don't want people to conflate my experience with that of otherkin and be like "see? you're not really [whatever], you're just traumatized!" I hope people will not use my experience to police other people's identities. I am speaking only for myself.

Hope this helps. If you have any more specific questions, feel free to reach out!

[ectopuppy]

which ben 10 series do u like best??!! im a sucker for the original series bc of nostalgia personally, but they are all good in their own ways

this is an impossible question to answer so im just gonna talk about why i love each series im sorry and thank you anon for gifting me this opportunity to ramble about The Hyperfixation (tm) o7

This is going under a cut btw. It's a little under 3000 words of unedited thoughts so like, just a heads up lmao

Why is the Original Series Good?

So first! Before I get into it! I overall just fucking love Ben 10 conceptually in general! I've always loved aliens and sci-fi and superheroes so you can imagine how excited I was to stumble onto this show airing on teletoon when I was just a tiny Kiki.

The OS has a lot going for it, but the big one is, of course, the nostalgia factor. Iconic as fuck! Fun theme song! Max is there! Yay!!

The BEST character in the OS is Max and I WILL die on that hill. Even as a kid I fucking loved him. Ben and Gwen are fun characters, but Max is the much needed reprieve from them constantly bickering. (Which is one thing I'm glad there's a lot less of in later series.)

Ben is a compelling hero, and the OS is an amazing START POINT for him. While he does have character growth in the OS, I would not be THIS obsessed with him if the OS was the only Ben 10 media that existed. He's a kid. A bit of a brat, but always TRYING to do the right thing. Which he's not always great at considering he's, you know, 10, but he really does try.

Something a lot of people seem to brush past when talking about Ben is that at the beginning of the series he was actively friendless and being bullied at school. I feel like that's a huge factor in why the Omnitrix is so important to his identity in later series. (or even in the Xylene episode when he finds out the Omnitrix was supposed to be for Max) He really didn't have much going for him before that. Being a hero is very likely one of the first times he's felt like he belongs somewhere, you know? Anyway..

Gwen is also very fun in the OS. UAF filed down her teeth just a little too much in my opinion. A lot of her personality in the OS is her THINKING she's sooo much more mature than Ben despite also being a fucking grade schooler. (They are literally the EXACT same age, right down to sharing a birthday.) She's is just as immature as Ben, no matter how much she thinks she isn't. It's just that her smug "I know better." attitude doesn't cause outfacing issues as often as Ben being impulsive and a little self centred.

The OS also benefits from being the "spaghetti on the wall" series. Things just kinda worked however the writers wanted at the moment. Big point here: Magic got to just be magic. (I have made a whole ass post RE: Anodite Gwen so I wont get into it here, but I like the retcon. That statement does not conflict with the above.) Gwen getting fed up being sidelined and going "Fuck it I'm learning magic." is so good and I love it.

I feel like it is impossible to not like the OS in some form, because it's the Original Series. Everything that happens later can only have happened BECAUSE of the OS. Is it my favourite series? No. But it's charming and silly and fun and I love it. c:

Why is Alien Force Good?

Alien Force is a tonal downshift for the series. The era it was made in was the era of Gritty Cartoons for Cool Boys, and it shows. Now, this is not a bad thing to ME, but I know a lot of people don't like the heavier atmosphere of Alien Force, especially in its opening arc. Like... episode 1 (or 2 not sure, but it's in the premiere) of AF has a dude straight up just fucking die, which is kinda. A lot. I can see where people are coming from.

HOWEVER.

Personally, I love the entire DNAlien arc, and it's use as a coming of age story for Ben. A big part of AF is Ben realizing that he needs to grow up. In the OS he was a kid. Max was the leader and the beacon of morality. In AF Max is MIA from episode 1. Gwen is more mature, and has mellowed out a lot, but she just isn't a leader. Kevin should never be put in charge of other people, so he's out. So it's Ben. He has to step up and lead, because there IS nobody else.

But, also the show is not gloomy! It has it's moments, and I get why people might watch the premiere and think "Hmm, too dark.", but AF is silly as hell. I will point to the Alien X episode as my basis here. It's smack in the middle of the DNAlien arc, and it's dumb as hell. Again, I have made a whole ass post about this, but the gist is: I love Alien X being a god being with the ability to do LITERALLY anything, but Ben gets so frustrated that he refuses to use it unless the universe is actively collapsing. (Also, the incurseans are there, and they are never not silly lmao)

But to me, the best thing AF did for the series was give it structure. The OS was extremely episodic, but the front half of AF is held together with a tight plot line. The back half not so much, but it does have a lot going for it character wise. Case in point:

Let's talk about Kevin. c:

Kevin was always a fun villain in the OS. Any time he showed up I knew we were in for a fun time, so him becoming part of the main cast (As a hero and friend no less!) in AF was a major selling point to me personally. Unlike with Gwen, I feel like they sanded him down just enough. He's still kinda sleazy and a bit of a shithead, but now he's trying to do better.

I'm aware the explanation for this behaviour is that the Omnitrix energy he absorbed in the OS drove him crazy or whatever, but that's not something we get up front if memory serves. He really does seem like he naturally just grew up and realized acting how he did when he was 11 wasn't exactly getting him anywhere good.

Kevin's arc in the back half of AF plays really well with Ben's arc. Ben is at an all time high after saving the universe, while Kevin gets mutated again and has a really shitty time. Ben getting humbled while Kevin gains confidence just works really well in tandem, I think, and they end AF on somewhat equal footing.

AF also gives us some of my favourite side characters so I really love it on those grounds alone tbh. Mostly talking about Paradox here, but also Albedo, and The Plumber's Kids (especially Alan I love him he's so baby <3), and Sandra. God, I love Ben's hippy dippy granola mom so much it fits him so well.

I could make a whole fucking post about Paradox to be honest, and this post is already insanely long so I'll be brief here. He made it a billion times easier for the writers to play with timeline bullshit without having to sneak retcons past the audience every time. He's also just insanely fun. Silly Time Man. I loves him!!

I also really love Julie and Omniverse did her so fucking dirty, but that's a whole thing and I'm sure I'll get into it when I get there in my rewatch so I'll save it.

Again, I don't know that I would say AF is my favourite series, but I will say AF DOES happen to have my favourite EPISODE of the entire continuity though. "Con of Rath" is the best Ben 10 episode and I will fight you on this one.

I'm about to pivot into Ultimate and seeing as I haven't gotten there in my rewatch I am going to have less to say about it (and Omniverse) since they aren't fresh in my mind and I don't want to be spouting half remembered nonsense or go dig through the wiki to fact check (and spoil myself on things I don't remember). I know this post is stupid long, bear with me a bit longer.)

Why is Ultimate Alien Good?

Every new series of Ben 10 does something to change the status quo in some way. In AF it was aging up the characters and relegating Max to side character status. Omniverse does much the same, giving Ben a new partner and pushing Gwen and Kevin aside. Ultimate changes things in a different way, though, and I'm NOT talking about Ultimate forms.

Ultimate's big shake up is actually the name of it's first episode: "Fame".

Now, in this house we love a secret identity, lemme get that out up top. For Ben, though? The fame works. He never really honestly HAD a secret identity the same way most superheroes do. He'd always just kinda done his thing, and had it work out. All of his villains knew who he was. (To the point that "Hit 'Em Where They Live" kinda makes no fucking sense? Zombozo is dumb as shit so like maybe he didn't? But Charmcaster DEFINITELY did, and Ben was famous OFF earth already? It's whatever, but like ',:| ya'know.)

The important thing about making him famous is that it gives him a new avenue for character growth. As in my dude needs to get his fucking act together good god. Like, it's Ben, when it comes down to it he buckles down and does the right thing, but fuck man. This is a character trait that will haunt the rest of the series. There are episodes of OMNI that focus on Ben needing to get his head on straight wrt being famous.

It circles back to my point from earlier, though. Ben was NOT popular before "Fame". His friends included: Kevin, Gwen, and Julie. That's it. He's on a soccer team (At least at the beginning of AF I feel like it never comes up later.), but he never talks about his teammates. That one bully whose name escapes me is on okay terms with him after "The Gauntlet", but I wouldn't call them friends. But after his identity is leaked suddenly everybody likes him. He's gone from absolute nobody to celebrity overnight. Of course he would love this.

This is also an extension of one of Ben's core character traits: He NEEDS to be a hero. Actually he needs to be THE hero, because that is his entire self identity. It comes across (both in universe and from a meta standpoint) as Ben being conceited and selfish, but underneath it is really just a sad little boy who is clinging desperately to the ONE thing he's ever been that people liked. The Hero.

If Ben isn't the hero then who is he? He clearly doesn't know as of the AF finale. He loses the Omnitrix and completely breaks down. Even though he's an expert tactician and a damn good leader, he doesn't even know who he is without the Omnitrix.

Azmuth of all people is the one to tell him to get his head out of his ass. I don't think any other character could have done it, though. Azmuth does not care about Ben's feelings, but he's also someone who (whether he likes it or not) sees ALL of Ben's worth. Max or Gwen would be too soft and Kevin's words wouldn't hold the same weight. Azmuth is someone Ben looks up to while also being someone who won't pull his punches. If he's telling Ben he can do something it has to be true, you know?

That aside, lets talk about the "Ultimate" in "Ultimate Alien".

The Ultimatrix is... weird. It's interesting, don't get me wrong, but it is so completely and clearly just a marketing gimmick. The Ultimatrix can be as cool as it wants, it is not making it out of this series alive. Also, everything I find interesting about the Ultimatrix gets dropped. The first episode has Ben be apprehensive about using the Ultimate forms, but then it's just never brought up ever again for some reason.

Also this shit:

WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN????? WHY IS IT NEVER TALKED ABOUT? 😭

It all just feels so fucking meaningless knowing the Finished Omnitrix is going to replace it. Like, Albedo made this peice of shit. So even if I hadn't watched parts of Omniverse first I would have put together that Azmuth would inevitably replace it, right? But it doesn't really matter I guess. That's my personal gripe with Ultimate forms, though, so I wanted to get it out here. Ultimate's does give us "The Ultimate Sacrifice" which is an episode I remember enjoying though, so its not a complete wash.

The thing with Ultimate as a series it that it's really just Alien force... 2!! to the extent that fans refer to them as a collective. "Ultimate Alien Force" Like, my header up there ^^^ was "Why is Ultimate Alien Force Good?" when I first started writing the AF part, and I only changed it so I had a smooth transition to talk about "Fame". They are so intrinsically linked in my brain that I didn't even blink lumping them into one. It makes it hard to find fault in Ultimate when I love so much of the things introduced in AF that carry over, you know?

Now onto the one I was soooo close to saying was my favourite:

Why is Omniverse good?

Omniverse is very, very special to me. I did not watch UAF as a kid. It started airing just as I was hitting my "I'm too old for cartoons" phase, so I just.. never watched it. I wouldn't have ever really gotten into Ben 10 as much as I have if not for someone talking about how much they liked Omniverse on my timeline when it was airing. I watched a large chunk of Omni before doubling back to watch all of the OS (Which I had only seen bits of growing up.) and then UAF.

I fucking love Omniverse and a big reason is:

Him 👆 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

I would kill and die for Rook Blonko.

He is mine moste beloved boy. My babygirl. My right hand arm etc.

But beyond The Boy 💖 Omniverse has a lot going for it. It's another tonal shift for the series, this time back to the more innocent and silly tone of the OS. Like I said, I like the tone in UAF, but Omniverse is just so bright and charming it's hard not to enjoy it.

The art style is also very fun in Omni and matches that lighter tone really well. (There are some stylistic choices I'm not personally big on, but it's whatever.) Where UAF had scaled back a lot of designs to give off a pretty generically American Comic Book style, Omniverse lets characters look interesting again! I'm thinkng specifically about Animo and Charmcaster here (Charmcaster's UAF design is so boring. Omniverse puts her back in her cool robe/tunic thing from the OS.), but in general the characters in Omni just have more interesting designs than they did in UAF. Like, Paradox isn't just Guy in Labcoat in Omni lol

I also think the ten episode arc structure does Omniverse a lot of favours. It gets to have the fun silly episodic nature of the OS while also holding onto the structure AF gave the series.

Beyond that, based on my memory of the series (which I have not watched since it finished airing so it's not exactly perfect) I don't really have much more I can say about Omni. It's fun, and has good characters and plot lines. It's just a really good entry and was a solid ending to wrap up the whole four series continuity.

And so, finally, I can wrap up this fuck off long post.

Like I said up top, I can't definitively say which series is my favourite. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, and are good in their own ways. If pressed, I would probably say "Um... Omniverse maybe?", but I love the OS and UAF so so much it's not a confident answer. (having not watched Omni in a hot minute also doesn't help lmao)

Thank you for reading my big dumb post. If you got all the way to the end, I love you. I mean, if you stopped reading it I also love you, but if you managed to get through all, uh, 2800ish words of this post without tapping out, you are on the top shelf. <3

I'd love to hear your thoughts, or answer more specific questions if you have them!

[starry-nights12]

happy birthday!! idk how to start this exactly but here goes lmao 💀 your writing is amazing and I love it sm and I was looking back over your posts and you mentioned gift fabrics and I was like omg I wanna do that but I had like. nothing planned ahshdhjdjdh lmfao 😭💀 BUT who cares im gonna come up with smthn anyways and you cant stop me. bc your writing is great and I get so excited every time you post something and so yeah. im doing a thing RN and uh. you cant stop me. take that. 👍💪

anyways lmao this is kinda inspired by that one fic of yours where will has a nightmare bc I think its such a good opportunity for a hurt\comfort fic :P hope you had a great birthday btw ! lights camera action or something idk 💀 oh yeah also this is in the jinx firelight au (that's a pretty vital piece of information that fun fact I didn't think to disclose until after i started writing :D 💀😭)

The cool night breeze danced across Ekko's face as he gripped the railing of the banister, trying in vain to calm his strained, shaky breathing. He had woken up in a cold sweat, sitting bolt upright in his bed, limbs thrashing about as he gasped and tried to suppress a scream. He had stayed sitting there in the darkness, his whole body shaking, as he tried to no avail to regain his composure. It wasn't until a minute or so later that he noticed the hot tears rolling down his face. At that point he realized sitting there and waiting for the pit in his stomach and the ache in his heart to go away wouldn't help anything, so he (by some miracle) had managed to stumble out of his room and out into the night air, shaking. He had been trying hard not to think about his nightmare, but he couldn't quite seem to get his mind under control. He couldn't stop thinking, couldn't stop shaking. It was as if his whole body had turned against him.

The dream had been about her. The parts he could remember, anyways. Because of course they were. Because of course he couldn't just be happy with her, right? Because he always had to wonder, "What if, what if, what if..." didn't he? First it was "What if I had just gone with them?" or "What if I had tried harder?" or "What if I didn't do enough? What if I could have saved her?" Now that she was here, she was safe, she was his friend again, he thought it would've gotten better. But it hadn't. "What if she hates me? What if things will turn out the same? What if she gets hurt? What if I lose her again?" He supposed he was probably being unreasonable by thinking he would be automatically fine again (or he would have, if he had been thinking clearly). She hadn't been here for that long, only a couple weeks, almost a month. They needed time. They were a lot better and much more comfortable with each other, sure, but it was difficult sometimes. Nothing good ever came easy. But being with her again was worth it.

He had managed to calm the whirlwind of fear and panic that had laid claim to his mind, slowly guiding his senses to his surroundings, drinking in the peaceful night that encompassed him. He should've felt better. It was so relaxing, the silver moonlight dripping from the clouds, the sweet, honey-tinted breeze that stroked his hair, the rustle of the leaves playing overhead. But he still felt empty. Lonely. A couple days ago, he had mentioned to her that he had been having nightmares after she inquired about his tired state. She had told him that if it happened again, he would be welcome to stop by her room for someone to talk to, as she usually stayed up pretty late herself. He had thanked her, but he had also lightly told her off for it, insisting that she needed to get enough sleep. But right now, he really, really hoped she hadn't listened to him.

His breath started to shake a little again as he walked over to her room, trying to ignore the tears welling up in his eyes. He didn't know why he was getting all worked up again.

What if she wasn't awake?

He was just dropping by to see if she was awake. He would be fine on his own, really. He was okay.

What if she was just being polite? What if she won't want to be there to comfort him?

He was okay. It was just a bad dream. He had managed on his own before. It was fine. He was fine.

He had reached her door. He stood in front of it, trying to calm down. Trying to stop fucking shaking so much. He finally raised a fist to the door and knocked on it gently.

"Jinx?" He tried to keep his voice from trembling. Silence. It was only for a few seconds, but it felt like forever.

"Ekko? Is that you?"

"Y-yeah." Relief flooded through his body.

The door creaked open and Jinx appeared, looking puzzled.

"What are you doing up so late? Is it the-" Her face fell, confusing him for a moment until he realized he had started crying again.

"S-sorry, I'm sorry I just-" he felt her cool hands on his face, tenderly wiping away his tears before pulling him into a much welcomed embrace. She pressed up against him, rubbing his back with one hand as her other massaged the back of his head gently. More tears fell from his eyes as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her gently, still shaking. Her skin always seemed to be cold, yet her touch always brought him comfort.

"It's gonna be okay, Little Man. I'm here." Her voice was gentle and quiet, soothing. "Do you want to stay here for a while?"

"Uh-huh." His voice wavered and he nodded, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. She squeezed him close, then gently led him in, not letting go. She wiped off his fresh tears with a sad, gentle, understanding smile as she guided him onto her bed, the mattress creaking a little as they curled up together. Ekko's hugged her tightly, comforted in her presence as she rubbed her hands in small circles on his back, his shoulders, his head; as she hummed a quiet song and lovingly nuzzled into him. It all felt so...right. Like everything was okay again. She was here. She was here. She was here. He was so glad she was here.

"Thank you."

"Always."

yaaaaay you made it to the end! :DDD ik that you will probably not be reading this on your birthday bc I think we're in similar time zones (?) but yea lmao 💀💪

fun facts time I started writing this on your birthday and have not stopped since. it is not your birthday anymore. it is 12:30 at night and I am going feral,,

anyways I hope you enjoyed also I hope you had a lovely birthday! this is actually my first ever proper fanfic and I don't think I've ever published any of my writing online before, but I've come this far already that at this point the wrath of the gods would not be powerful enough to stop me (from posting this and also just in general)

thanks for all your wonderful writing and for inspiring me to make this btw!

I may be sleep deprived,

Sincerely,,

OH MY GOD!!!

YOUR DESCRIPTIONS!!!!!>>>>>>>>

EKKO PRETENDING THAT HE'S KAY WHEN HE ISN'T!!!!

JINX COMFORTING EKKO!!!!

[hampterguts]

sorry to be a hater but im socially obliged to watch all of twin peaks and um. when does it become watcheable.

thought-swarm rant below

i kept being told that theres a moment everything lines up and it all makes sense and the ppl who are going out of their way to let me watch it arent bigoted but the show is. the show is. not even in a conversational way its just unironic straight faced bigotry and the constant graphic depiction of sexual assault to women and teenage girls and the way the majority of adult characters the viewer is Definitely supposed to like are/were/arent upposed to having sex with high schoolers. not only are half the cast 18 theyre still supposed to be in high school.

like how am i supposed to like this show. the only main character thats a woman of color is the most unironic orientalist caricature. shes pure she's evil, shes loving but shes cold and has no feelings, shes innocent shes guilty, shes strong shes helpless, shes a manipulator shes being manipulated, shes the sole owner of a log company shes blackmailed into being a maid, shes a sexual abuse survivor, she loves america and hates her home country, her entire character story revolves around people who "own" her. she gets talked about like shes an item or a pet. she needs white cop man to save her from white people. one of white ppl whom literally spent an ENTIRE season "in disguise" as a vague east asian man. my ears still hurt from the racist accent. also the woman's dead husband who isnt dead bc she warned him hates her btw. the show acts like hes reasonable to. in fact another Good White Boy cop is seen as reasonable for not trusting her and holding her at gunpoint after she shoots ONE of her abusers. and again all of these things are shown BARE HANDEDLY AS IN WE ARE SUPPOSED TO TAKE IT ALL AT FACE VALUE- ok well i still have like 8 episodes left but im not getting utena levels of "isnt this so fucked up to expect from a human being?" im getting "isnt she a fucked up little thing?"

she has short hair too btw. do you understand my devastation. my dyke ass was SO excited to see a Cool Calm short haired business suit wearing woman in charge of a lumber factory all by herself. like "wow this isnt egregiously racist i cant wait to see-" only a few episodes later and its the worst ive seen. i cant stomach this at all.

im going to have an aneurysm. i swear if i have to experience any more of this all of my blood vessels are going to burst and im going to dissipate on the floor. i have at least 8 episodes left. the mystery isnt even interesting to me bc all that keeps happening is racism, ableism, pedophilia, sexual assault, and romantic issues. its all so character-relationship driven and it expects you to be invested in and also LIKE these characters. i cant! i thought the director was famous why does this suck so extremely bad!!!!! when does the reveal happen and when it DOES happen i have a bad feeling it wont be worth the mental emotional pain ive been through. like im sorry famous director i think you'll have to scramble a LOT to make this one mentally ill internet faggot consider watching your other work at all. you cant handle mental illness you cant handle physical disability you cant handle race you cant handle women you cant handle mystery what CAN you write.

like its not even artsy with it. one artsy scene does not count. it also had a teenage girl kissing an unknown-aged adult man who we ARE SUPPOSED TO LIKE!!!! he's consistently "our little sweetheart protag hes so sweet and kind and trying to Do Good!!!!" fuck him to hell. his biggest reason to Not Date an 18 yr old whos still in school was bc hes "still in love with a dead woman". why the fuck is this show popular. what was the norm for the time this came out bc it sounds PRETTY BAD IF THIS IS CONSIDERED GOOD.

[bigmammallama5]

You bake too?! Did you get into baking at the same time as pottery? What similarities/differences do you find in baking and pottery? (I'm just in awe in your skills in both!)

you've caught me right as my adhd meds have worn off so prepare for a ramble

lksjghsf i do bake (as does my mother but she hates working with yeast and does cookies and cakes and pies), though it's hard to muster the energy these days now that things are "back to normal" in my neck of the woods. And... I think I started pottery just a little before seriously baking but i had done some stuff growing up. I can't remember if I've mentioned it on tumblr specifically, but I started pottery the fall after I graduated college bc i'd go to work and go home and have nothing to do. After being in art school full tilt for 4 years that was a big difference, so i started potting in an attempt to fill an evening (and now it's literally what i would rather be doing full time and i've started teaching workshops 10 years later).

i do distinctly remember making my first loaf of bread in my first apartment and it was driven by the memory of some really delicious bread i had eaten in italy on a study abroad my junior year in college. that poor loaf was over kneaded, over proofed, and basically a flat frisbee, but it had a crust that reminded me of it. and since then it's been an on-off journey of trying to recreate that bread i definitely can't remember anymore LOL

i suppose i find more similarities with both skills. both get better the more you do them, both have a sort of technical science AND "the right feel", both evoke this excited feeling of is it gonna turn out or did i just ruin a bunch of materials, both have similar physical motions (wedging up clay/kneading dough-though I tend to let the mixer do the work these days), both have An Actual Science behind them that is both infuriatingly delicate, and like... you can eat bread you made off of a plate you made which is just really cool to me. its sort of... i dont want to get all like Mystical Magic Crystal Lady on you because i'm absolutely not that person, but it just feeds this part of my soul that wants to be connected to other people. there are so many others out there baking and eating bread, so many eating off of dishes that they made. in the grand scheme of things we're all so small and so isolated, but in the end the simple things like baking bread and making crockery are what make us truly human.

and yes i have severely neglected my sourdough starters but they're still alive and im workin on refreshing them.

[lovphobic]

any thoughts abt the new ovw hero?

not many that offer anything substantial! i really like his kit tho :^)

i think my favorite ability is his life grip which i feel like already is such an unpopular opinion?? like i get it can be used for trolling and toxicity but WHYYY is that your first thoughts regarding the ability yk!! it can be such a good ability for teammates who are overextended or in a bad position (rich coming from me LOL but im trying to work on my positioning) so if i ever have to off-main and im playing lifeweaver id love to see my reaction times regarding the life grip ability (which is another thing im trying to work on)

and the primary fire (or secondary? idk. im not playing until i finish the show im watching - talking ab thorn volley) is SAAURRRR good. the rate of fire is so nice and it packs a huge punch if u can land the headshots.. i admit that blizzard making moves for supports to be less healing focused (GOOD! we are supports not healers!) scares me a bit but thats just because ive been playing (on and off, when i could) since release and its changing from what im used to but im sure ill come to embrace it :^)

and ummm the ultimate is cool but its kinda underwhelming ? its a tree beloved was i supposed to go cuckoo bananas over a tree...

i also like how theyre bringing in a bit of old (Old.) overwatch too with the lotus flower drop upon death! it really reminds me of og reaper how when he got a kill their soul would drop and he could pick it up for health :^)

im sure all the good ones that ill adore will be locked in the premium battle pass but i am so excited for the skin potential Already as well

final thoughts bc this answer is getting Long QGKDJAKDJDJ but um. i hate that his feet are out. i like that his tits are out. that's all. thank u.

[1d1195]

SAMMMMMMMMM I CANTTTTTTTT !!!!! i read the protection blurb🥹🥹🥹 i’m literally about to cry they���re ADORABLEEEEE whew😮‍💨😮‍💨 i was cheesing sooooo hard the whole time I CANT BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY WROTE A BLURB YOURE AMAZINGGGG AHHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH

i saw your post apologizing for the next part of Most👀….yea i think ima stay away for a littleeee bit longer HAHAHAHA i hate lauren🙄 (idk her)

IM ACTUALLY GOING ON A TRIP !! in the first week of august im traveling to see my sister and some other family (only excited to see my sister tho lmao) and that’s gonna be fun hopefully. not quite sure how long i’m staying but whtvr (i take back what i said, i wanna binge-read Most on the plane and then stress out abt the posting from a different timezone)

i have a new song! (it’s actually old ((and a cover)) but who cares) “Dance Me to the End of Love” The Civil Wars has been on repeat omg. i actually have this whole montage in my head that plays when i hear it of a tv couple and one of them is dying and this is playing in the background while the scene goes from their happy flashbacks to the present AHHH HANDJEIE THATS SO SPECIFIC IDK BUT DO YOU GET IT ?

“You Are In Love” BY TAYLOR SWIFT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MACY AND ELLIOT CODED IM SCREAMINGGGGGG !!!! that’s always been one of my all time favorite taylor songs bc it’s just so lovey dovey so ofccc but i just heard it again after reading love & other words and holyyyyyy ugh i almost cried😭😭 i meannnn “one night, he wakes, strange look on his face, pauses then says, you’re my best friend, and you knew what it was, he is in love” AFHKJEAGFOUEHJFL AND THE WHOLE BRIDGE ??? ITS SO THEM anyway, im still completely in love with that story n i think of them a lot (im trying to persuade my sister to read it, she’s being difficult)

IT. HAS. BEEN. STORMING. FOREVER. i kid you not we spent WELL over a week where it was raining and gloomy and gray nonstop BUT IT WAS STILL HOT. its sunny again now though and i am living purely off of iced coffee LMAO

LOVE YOU SO MUCH HOWS IT GOING ??? HOPE YOURE DOING AMAZING MWAH <333

~🎶

Of course! your inspo was such a good idea! I love to make Harry sound dramatic about safety and of course there's no better Harry than the one I wrote in Protection. 💕

That's awesome you're going on a trip and you get to see your sister! I'm sure that will be really happy and exciting. A no return date is so cool. I wish I could have that part of your life for sure 💕 My entire life is scheduled to the minute lol. I think by the time you are on the plane and in a different time zone you won't be stressing too much about Most hehehehe. I think most of the frustrating scenes and parts are all done (but we'll see what I come up with for the remaining parts)

What a beautiful song 😭 my favorite lyric is in the first verse "lift me like an olive branch and be my homeward dove" I TOTALLY see what you're saying about the TV montage. That's how I envision songs and see stories as well. Thank you for telling me about it! I have a couple songs I've also been listening to that are older. Go Solo - Tom Rosenthal, Where's My Love - SYML, and Acoustic - Billy Raffoul (the lyrics for this last one are a bit spicy but it sounds so innocent I didn't notice the lyrics when I first heard it on TV)

It's not a book for everyone! My sister didn't like it because she didn't like that she was engaged. Which I think makes me toxic because I didn't even CARE. I love Macy and Elliot. I think about them 20 times a day. Specifically the part where he calls her honey toward the end and consoles her. I'm a sucker for the comfort trope. But you're right, You Are In Love is about them.

It finally cooled down this past week (it's supposed to heat up again though). I'm doing well. This is the last week of summer school. Can't wait to be done with it. I read a trashy book this weekend and I'm hopeful I'll read another one this week. But I wrote Part 4, 5, and I'm working on 6 of Most so I've been doing literature things but I should be reading more. I need less screen time hahaha. I also watched Maxton Hall and I know it's probably a little young for me, but the enemies to lovers is my weakness.

There is nothing wrong with living off iced coffee 😉 Hope you have a good day! Do you have to pack a lot for an undetermined trip length? I think I would explode trying to pack for that 😭 how do you do it?

LOVE YOU! 💕

xoxo

[caestoexist]

ok i'm done with the movie and i have some Thoughts.

this is what i wrote down in real time in my notes app while watching this movie:

im using my airpods as earplugs bc the movie theater is too loud and i didn't plan ahead

so far it just feels like an ad

ok what the fuck is going on

everyone just saying "hi barbie!" over and over again with increasing speed

this movie is weird

there's not enough scissoring or decapitation in this movie

that's how i always played with barbie's

barbie just said "you guys ever think about dying" and everyone stopped dancing and looked at her this is how i feel when i hav e to go to the mall

that's how being at the mall feels

weird barbie is awesome she's like a lesbian

"i don't have a vagina. and he doesn't have a penis! we don't have genitals"

"....that's alright" "yeah that's cool"

ken and horses

ken looking at all the man stuff and slowly getting more and more confident and excited feels trans but i can't place why

barbie looking around the world in awe and beauty and then telling the woman she's beautiful was actually a really nice scene

ADAM GROFF ADAM GROFF ADAM GROFF

i like the absurdity of this movie sometimes, how everything is just weird.

i also like irrepressible thoughts of death barbie

"and when you think of sparkle, what do you think of after that? female agency"

"how much do you weigh? doesn't matter"

ken and patriarchy and horses

"you guys are clearly not doing patriarchy very well"

"I CANT EVEN BEACH HERE"

the middle schooler calling her facist

"this large phallic building"

"some of my best friends are jewish!"

"don't you dare push that button let me push it"

my favorite comedic character in this movie is will farrel

"i am WIDE awake sasha!" *drives directly into like 15 traffic cones*

"a podcast hosted by two wise trees or a choir consisting of thousands of fathers"

"horses are just men extenders"

"ken's mojo dojo casa house"

it still all feels like a giant ad

i am strangely attracted to ken, he's very himbo and i wanna smash his head into a brick wall or maybe be him (he's boy)

wtf did barbie even do to ken, ken is being such a man baby and i refuse to believe that this movie is even surface level feminist

depression barbie is kinda funny but it being all produced by mattel makes it so that none of this hits right. like it's supposed to be some sort of comedically dark commentary on society. but something about it just feels like. stop commodifying our mental illness. this is your fucking fault. you are the problem. stop trying to appeal to our emotions about the dystopian hellscape that the world today is to get us to buy fucking barbie's.

"by giving voice to the cognitive dissonance of being a woman under the patriarchy you take away its power" THIS IS NOT A REAL SOLUTION THIS MOVIE OFFERS NOTHING

am i the only person watching this movie being like... this is made by mattell i cant seperate the art from the artist becauae this is a CORPARATION and they have ulterior motives, to make themselves look good, and to get us to buy barbie's. i cannot take any of the things they say seriously. it's all so surfacelevel... idk it comes across as just like. without substance, at least to me. maybe i don't get it cuz im not a woman.

"i'll play the guitar at you"

this movie makes me wanna be a boy so bad. something about the experience of watching this movie makes me feel very validated in my trans identity.

why is there so much boybandery happening

this shit is so gay

interpretive ken dance for the horse patriarchy

ken being so mad that barbie isn't into boys

"put that manly hand in mine" THIS MOVIE IS SO GAY

this movie is so "wow we did feminism yippee, pats on the back for everyone, we're so feminist look at us and our woman autonomy"

ken is cute when he cries

"tbh when i found out the patriarchy wasn't about horses i lost interest anyways" literal slay

barbie apologizing for literally just not wanting to date ken what is the point of this movie again

ken is so stupid and himbo and cute GAH WHY DO I LOVE THIS CHARACTER HES JUST SOME GUY

"mr mattell-"

"please, call me mother"

"no thank you"

nothing changes by the end of this movie the ceo is still a man and the only thing that changes is woah they have a new barbie who's ordinary or whatever

double mastectomy barbie

this movie feels like it's trying to convince me that it understands the fundamental experience of being a human which kinda makes it seem disingenuous because again it's made by mattell

does barbie get a vagina at the end of this movie

i said this already but this movie feels trans and i think maybe it has something to do with the way they portray gender roles and how the dolls actually don't have genitals, it feels almost like.. validating in the sense that ken is a man and has an identity in being a man that is very distinct despite having no actual sex. idk. i liked that part.

i talked to a random woman in the lobby after the movie and she said something about how the writer and director was a woman (which i knew) but thinking about the people who actually put the work into this movie makes me feel a little bit better about it. at least these are the real thoughts of real women. it still sucks that this whole thing was like... a giant ad, but hey. what else would it even be? it's a movie based on a toy. of course it's an ad.

final rating: it wasn't my favorite and me being very aware that it was all sorta just one big ad made it a little hard to watch, but also the characters were cool and the way the movie was shot, the writing, the casting, and the strange uncanny valley effect that was created by the way people in barbieland behave was well done. there were some scenes that i really liked and some that i sorta just rolled my eyes at. at the same time i understand how some ppl really like this movie i just don't really think it's my thing. i did like how pink it was tho. 6/10

about to see the barbie movie with three middle school boys. will update.

[gargoyleofhumankindness]

packing a suitcase to go stay with family 

more like packing up all the bits of my personality i actually like and leaving them behind

[shipskicksandgiggles]

hiya!! okay so i have this rhodeytony prompt that i think will make a HILARIOUS fic but i know I wouldn’t be able to write it :( so i thought I’d pass it onto you!!! its basically based on this pic

and its rhodey freaking out bc he never thought of himself as homophobic but he HATES seeing tony kissing guys so much so he starts distancing himself from tony bc tony shouldn’t have to deal w his bigoted ass until like (idk how sjsksk) rhodey realizes he isnt homophobic he’s in love w tony and then they get together

thats basically the prompt and obviously like i get if you dont fulfill it but if you do im super excited to read it!!

omg wait okay. yeah I can see where this is going. sorry it took a minute, but I couldn't not write this so here you are!

prompt: above

Read Over Thoughts of a Kiss here on ao3

~~~

Going into his third year of college was going to be a breeze. Will was going to be his roommate again, he was in good standing in all of his classes, and there was no reason for any of his professors to be up his ass about anything. Jim was going to have a great year.

Then Will dropped out.

Jim took a deep breath. It’s not like everyone could take the pressure of MIT. That was completely understandable. Thing is, that meant he would be randomly assigned a new roommate. Everyone he knew already paired off with their friends, leaving him the odd man out, so he had to start from scratch.

An acute sense of dread set in when he emailed in his housing application. He prayed for the best, but his mom told him that college is where you meet your worst roommate, and if he’d gotten along fine with his for the past couple of years, the odds of his next one being the worst were not in his favor.

Whatever. He supposed he’d find out when he got back to campus.

~~~

“Um, hi, are you James?”

He turned. “Yeah. Are you Anthony?”

The kid - he had to be a kid - made a face. “Call me Tony. Everyone but my mother does.”

“Cool. Guess you’re my roommate Tony.”

“Guess so.”

That was the last thing Tony said to him that day. They moved their stuff into their respective sides of the room silently, and once Tony was finished, he disappeared to god knows where. At least he wasn’t too loud.

Jim didn’t even see him again until their first hall meeting. He got up before him, came back after he went to sleep, and somehow never stopped in when he was there.

“Tony, hey.”

The kid startled when he tapped him on the shoulder. “Oh, sorry. Hi James.”

“Jim’s fine. We have to sign roommate agreement forms? We can head back to our dorm and do that now if you have the time.”

“I guess I have some time. We just have to put it in the mail slot of the Hall Director’s office when we’re done, right?”

“Yeah. Shouldn’t be too hard. Just a few questions so no one steps on anyone else’s toes.”

Once they were in the room, Jim shut the door behind him and grabbed a pen out of the mug on his desk. “So. Lights out?”

“I’m a night owl, so that’s on you.”

“I try to have the lights off by midnight, but as long as you’re quiet, I shouldn’t have an issue with you being up.”

“Noise restrictions?”

Jim snorted. “I mean, don’t blare death metal or break the sound barrier or anything, but I don’t care that much during the day. After curfew I’d like it quieter, but I’m not gonna ask you to be a mouse. What’s your stance on cleanliness?”

“Honestly, I’m okay with a reasonable amount of clutter. I’m an engineer, I’m used to it.”

“No shit? I am too. What’s your focus?”

“Mechanical and biochemical, you?”

“Aero and astronautics. We might end up in some of the same physics classes.”

“Hell yeah. Wait, are you okay with swearing?”

“I’m from Philadelphia, asshole,” Jim snarked. He succeeded in getting a grin out of Tony. “Speaking of things that might offend people-” he tapped the sheet of paper.

Tony glanced over his shoulder at it. “‘How to handle one of us bringing someone back to the room for personal activities?’”

“I’m gonna take a guess and say that means sex. Are you even old enough for this question?”

He swatted Jim’s shoulder. “Technically, yes. Shut up.”

“I’m just saying you look like a kid. I know I was a young freshman, but I don’t ever remember looking like an actual baby.”

“Okay, first of all, I’m sixteen, not a baby.”

“And second?”

“I’m not a freshman. I’m a third year.”

“You are not.”

“I know, they roomed the child prodigies together, what a coincidence.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“How did you know I was a child prodigy?”

“I uh, may have asked around a bit,” Tony admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “Admitted at 16, in your third year at 18, probably at the top of your program.”

Jesus, was this kid paranoid? “I see. Back to the question even if you’re barely legal.”

“We could always go with the classic sock on the doorknob. Then the one of us not getting laid knows not to come in and can go hang out somewhere else for a bit.”

“Works for me. Now, boundaries and are we sharing anything?”

“I can stick to my half of the room and keep my stuff within those bounds,” Tony said. “Just ask if you need to borrow things and I’ll probably say yes to anything that isn’t my food. Then it’s a strong maybe.”

“I can work with that. Sign here please.”

Tony jotted his messy signature down at the bottom of the paper, and Jim gave his right under it. “You want me to drop it off?”

Jim shook his head. “We have until tomorrow to turn it in. No sense doing it before one of us goes somewhere.” He eyed Tony up and down. “Unless you’re going somewhere, that is.”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. “Actually, I think I’ll stay in tonight. We haven’t really gotten a chance to get to know each other. Do I really have to call you Jim?”

~~~

The sock wasn’t used much, to Rhodey’s relief. Not like he would judge, but where would he find the time? His schedule was already packed enough without accounting for the time and effort needed to bring someone home.

Oh, and yes, Tony decided to call him Rhodey instead of Jim. What was he going to do with this kid?

On the occasions the sock was used, he would just go to the library. He was on a first name basis with pretty much everyone who worked at the front desk, so he’d just wave to them and head up to a quiet corner to work on his homework.

Still, it was a rare enough occasion that he never hesitated to unlock the door one Friday night. He’d trone of his coworkers so he could work the afternoon shift and get the weekend off for once.

“Hey Tones, what do you say about-” He looked up as he walked in the door.

“Shit!” Tony yelped. “I forgot about the sock! God, Rhodeybear, I am so sorry.”

He didn’t even know how to react. Tony was bright red and clearly in the middle of something, panting like he hadn’t tasted air in weeks. “Oh, my, okay, I’ll just…” he pointed out of the room and moved to grab his wallet and his keys.”

“That’s Rhodey?” A new voice asked. A new, male voice asked. A voice that apparently belonged to the messy blonde head of hair that popped up over Tony’s pillow. He fixed him with a smirk. “Well hiya sailor.”

Rhodey waved awkwardly before he tried to dart out.

“I already told you he’s Air Force, Grant,” he heard Tony say. “Rhodey, wait!”

He paused in the hallway and turned around. “What?”

“Look, I am so, so, sorry you had to see that.”

“I’m still kinda seeing it dude.”

Tony looked down at himself, as if just being made aware of the fact he still wasn’t wearing a shirt. “Again, so, so, so, sorry.”

“Go back inside before an RA sees you and you get a citation. We can talk about this when you’re fully clothed, okay? I’ll just go somewhere else for a while.”

“I promise I won’t forget again. We made a deal, and I broke it.”

“Mistakes happen,” Rhodey assured him. “Let’s just be grateful you didn’t have more than your shirt off when I walked in.”

“Oh god, I’m never gonna live this down am I?”

“Probably not, no,” Rhodey grinned. “I think you have someone waiting.” He gestured back towards their room.

“Christ, Grant, yeah! I’ll catch you later.”

The door only opened one more time, and Rhodey glanced back to see the sock in its proper place on the doorknob.

He needed to go on a long, long walk.

~~~

“Come on, Rhodey. It’s just one night.”

“I have an advanced chem lab due Tuesday, I should really start on the write up.”

“Rhodey?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s Friday.”

Rhodey rolled his eyes and tipped his head back to look at Tony. Turns out their living situation wasn’t an absolute nightmare, and they stuck together into senior year. They upgraded from a dorm to an apartment, where they mercifully had their own bedrooms, but that didn’t mean they didn’t spend the same amount of time together.

“And since when do you struggle with chem? You’re literally taking this as an elective even though you took it freshman year.”

“It’s a refresher course,” Rhodey said futilely. “I needed the credits.”

“You also need a break. We’re going out.”

“Do I have to?” he groaned.

“Yes,” Tony told him. “Look, if it really is that bad, you can go home after an hour, deal?”

“Deal.” They shook on it, and Rhodey got up and stretched. “When are we leaving?”

“Ten minutes, so you better change into something you can dance in.”

Much to Rhodey’s chagrin, it wasn’t really all that bad. Honestly, the pounding headache he had behind his eyes was starting to fade even with the intense bass of the speakers.

Even when Tony dragged him out onto the dance floor, he realized he was actually having a lot of fun. Damn him for being right.

They got separated at some point, so he had to look for him to make sure he hadn’t left. Rhodey spotted him in the middle of a few people, both male and female.

“Bisexual,” Tony told him last year. “I’m bisexual, so I don’t really have a preference when it comes to sex or dating or any of that.”

Tony was perfectly capable of making his own choices, but that didn’t stop Rhodey’s first instinct to pull him away from them. That was what he wanted, but he guessed he never really let go of the fact that Tony was still basically just a kid.

He checked his watch. It had been an hour. More than, actually. Tony wouldn’t care if he left. He could claim he was tired and needed the extra sleep.

Rhodey wouldn’t even have to mention the funny feeling in his stomach, telling him something was truly and deeply wrong.

~~~

It kept happening over the years. Every time he saw Tony getting a little too close to a man, something felt off.

Not that Rhodey was around much. After graduation, he shipped off to basic training, and then to base, but every leave he made time to go to California to visit Tony.

And every time he was in California, Tony made him go out.

Rhodey was 26 when it happened. His life was finally shaping up the way he wanted it to. He wasn’t overseas as often, landed that liaison position at Stark Industries that Tony swore up and down he hadn’t rigged for him, and was finally to a place where not everything felt like he was sprinting everywhere all the time.

Yeah. It was nice to finally breathe again.

Not rushing to keep up anymore also meant vacation time. Vacation time that was occasionally used to help Tony bear the brown-nosing of his late father’s business partners.

Thankfully Tony didn’t need him that badly, so he sat back and sipped a glass of champagne, chatting only when necessary.

The guy who was really keeping Tony company was new to his staff. A talented engineer, right about their age, who’d met Tony at a coffee shop. Rhodey wasn’t sure how they’d ended up talking about their jobs, but they talked enough that Tony found out he was unhappy with the company he’d been working for and offered him a place at SI.

There was no tension between them. Rhodey’s been wary of Tony’s judgment slipping around men he found attractive in the past, but this didn’t seem like one of those times. Everything was pointing to a solid working relationship with the new guy.

Henry. His name was Henry.

“Colonel Rhodes.”

“How are you, Senator?”

“Very well, thank you. How’s life back in the states?”

“Wouldn’t trade it for the world, sir.”

The senator chuckled. “Working for Stark now, ain’t you?”

“Part time. I still get my fair share of action in the field.”

“Your life won’t ever be boring. Speaking of Stark, have you seen him lately?”

Politics. How charming. “He’s around, I’m sure. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He slipped around the man without much trouble. Rhodey wasn’t his real target.

The room was starting to feel stuffy, so Rhodey scanned the room for an exit. He was fairly certain this venue had a balcony that he would very much like to utilize.

Sure enough, there was a balcony. It was on the floor above where the event was being held. A few other people had also found their way outside, so Rhodey walked until he was out of ear shot of all of them.

Or so he thought.

A few moments later, he heard what sounded like whispering coming from the other side of a potted plant near him. He’d been so lost in thought that he must not have noticed their voices when he first came out.

He’d rather not bother them, so he stepped back to walk away, and accidently caught a glimpse of a couple.

Not a couple. It was Tony and Henry.

Then Tony reached up and kissed him.

The kiss was damn near tender. There was no rush, no urgency of Tony wanting to take him back to his hotel room, just a sweet, sweet kiss.

Every time he saw Tony with a man, his stomach turned. He hadn’t recognized that emotion then, but now?

It washed over him like a bucket of ice cold water.

Disgust.

He was absolutely disgusted that Tony was kissing a man.

As soon as it hit him, he ran. Well, he ran as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself. He needed to get home.

Home.

Philadelphia.

His mom had raised him better than this. She taught him that while other people might think it’s wrong, their two neighbors, the two women, weren’t really sisters, but loved each other too much to live apart. He had no objection to Tony dating guys. As long as two people cared about each other, that was what mattered, right?

Rhodey checked his watch. If he left now, he could be in Pennsylvania by morning. All he needed to do was grab his bag from the hotel and leave Tony a note and-

He laughed bitterly. Even when he was overtaken by waves of nausea, he was thinking of Tony and how he’d react to Rhodey’s sudden disappearance.

The duffel bag he brought from California was still sitting unpacked next to the door. There was a pen and a pad of paper next to the phone that he used to scribble out a note to slip under Tony’s door while he called the front desk to check out.

Hey Tones,

Sorry to leave you high and dry. Vacations don’t last forever, so I’m going home for a couple days. See you when I’m back in San Francisco.

-Rhodes

~~~

Rhodey grew up living in one house. All his life up until he turned sixteen it was his mom, his sister, and him, under the same, unchanging roof.

The doorbell hadn’t worked since his junior year, but the old brass knocker was still intact.

“I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times!” His mother shouted from inside. “If you’re selling something, I ain’t buying-“ The door swung open, and she trailed off “…it. Jamie, honey, what’s a matter?”

“Hi mama,” he choked.

“Oh, dear. Hold on, let me make you some coffee.”

She set the mug down in front of him at the kitchen table. “Is everything okay, Jamie?”

“I’m not in any kind of trouble if that’s what you’re asking.” He let out what equated to maybe half a laugh. “It’s more of a personal thing.”

“Came home to ask me for advice?”

He nodded wearily. “It’s. Well, it’s Tony.”

“What about him? Is he all right?”

“He’s fine,” he assured her. “Honestly, it’s barely even about him.”

“Then who’s it about?”

Who was it about? “Do you remember Ms. Camila who lived up the street with Ms. Haufman?”

“Sure I do. They still live there. Actually, I meant to tell you last time you called, they had a sweet little commitment ceremony. They invited the neighbors they could trust. I met their dog, which is the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen, I swear. What do they have to do with Tony?”

“You raised me to understand and accept everyone for who they are no matter who they love.”

“Which you’ve always done,” she nodded. “Even before I taught you, I know you’d care about people enough to get that.”

“I don’t think I can do it,” he whispered, ashamed. “I can’t do that with Tony for some reason.”

There was a pause. “How long have you known?”

“Since the year I met him, mama, I’ve always supported him, but I’m afraid I can’t. I don’t want to be homophobic. He’s my best friend, I can’t lose him.” The thought was too much to comprehend.

She didn’t respond to that. “When was the last time you slept?” she asked instead.

“A couple days ago? I’ve been a bit busy-“

“Being a grown man and having a personal crisis, I know. You want me to tell you what I think? I don’t think you’re being homophobic. You’re self aware enough to know that would be a problem, not to mention guilty and also definitely overthinking things. Do me a favor and take a nap. I’ll wake you for dinner, and then you’re staying the night. I’m not letting you drive back to California like this.”

~~~

With one last kiss on the cheek, she sent him on his way with leftovers from last night’s dinner.

“For the couple of days you’re spending on the road,” she said. “And a little extra for Tony when you see him.”

The containers were in the back seat in a small cooler she had to spare. He’d see how far he could get before he absolutely had to stop and sleep, but at the very least, he was confident that he’d be back in his own apartment with enough time to wallow in his thoughts for a couple days before clocking in on Monday.

Three days later, he pulled into the parking garage of his apartment building, and made the Herculean effort to drag everything out of his car so he didn’t have to make multiple trips. That didn’t stop him from not putting away more than the bare minimum before collapsing into his own bed for the first time in almost a week.

Rhodey woke up to someone banging on his door. He rolled over and looked at the clock.

It was 9am. Who the fuck?

“Rhodey? I know you’re home, I saw your car in the garage. I called your mom, she said you’d already left her house. We need to talk.”

Tony. It was Tony.

He grumbled as he pulled an old sweatshirt over his head. “What?” Rhodey demanded.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry, it’s kind of urgent.”

“It’s fine. Come on in, I’ll make breakfast. What do you want to talk about?”

“It’s Henry. We uh, we were dating.”

“Were?”

“I kind of broke up with him? He just wanted to use me for press, and maybe company secrets. You don’t seem surprised that we were dating.”

“Parts of your story weren’t adding up, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out,” Rhodey shrugged.

“And you were okay with that? With me dating a guy?”

The 38 hour drive from Philadelphia solved that for him. “Of course. I’ve never had an issue with that.”

“You always seem tense when I bring guys around,” Tony prodded.

“Not because I’m not okay with you dating men.”

“Then why?”

He studied Tony for a moment, and snorted. It wasn’t homophobia. Mama was right, he was overthinking this. “I’m uncomfortable with you kissing guys,” he said matter of factly.

“You’re… okay. Why?”

“Because I only want you kissing one guy.”

“That’s helpful. So this will all stop when I settle down and get married?”

“No,” Rhodey told him, removing Tony’s coffee cup from his hand and twisting him around in his seat, hovering mere centimeters from his face. “This will all stop when you kiss me.”

[shotorozu]

hellooo,, i saw another tiktok video(and since ur like the elite on writing this type of reqs im requesting to you aha) https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSJYsk4CY/ for shoto, kaminari and monoma (if u write for him) ty 💕

‘bae lol’

(the greenscreen heart, then kiss tiktok trend)

character(s) : todoroki shouto, kaminari denki, monoma neito (bnha)

legend : [Y/N = your name] for monoma reader’s a part of class 1-A, they/them pronouns used, quirk’s not specific

headcanon type : fluff (x reader)

note(s) : oh, i absolutely love AND hate this trend, it’s mostly bc im single though :,) not like i can get a partner in the pandemic. anyways! i love your thinking, anon <3 also no proofread bc its like,, 2am here </3 will edit later!

»»————-　♡　————-««

todoroki shouto

he’s very aware of your tiktok antics, but out of all of the ones you’ve pulled on him, and asked him to do

he loves this one the most.

because shouto doesn’t have to get the lights scared out of him, and it doesn’t have a chance in ending terribly.

you brisk towards your room, knowing that shouto rests inside— “shou!” you call out to him, and he tilts his head up

“Y/N, tell me it’s not—”

“no, i swear!” you drop next to him on the bed, and you play the video. “this would be fun to do, right?”

he doesn’t say anything at first, but he definitely wants to do it, judging by the fact that he’s replaying the tiktok over and over again.

abruptly standing up, he tugs at your wrist “let’s do it.” he says with determination hinted in his voice

you’d think that he’d get the hang of doing tiktoks because of you but LMAO NO— the greenscreen failed you both multiple times in a span of 40 minutes.

the first take, the heart was blurry, the second take, the kiss was captured seconds before the kiss, and the third take— your phone fell 💀

plus, his movements were a little stiff the first few times, but after the third try— he definitely got the hang of it.

and,, he doesn’t understand tiktok effects, not even the slightest.

on the brighter note, he has more excuses to kiss you so,, it’s a win for him! he won’t get sick of doing any retakes :))

you knew the moment he focused on making the perfect heart, as he firmly pulled you close to kiss you

that, would be the perfect shot there. he almost forgot that there was a camera recording

shouto is seen replaying the filmed tiktok over and over again— and it might’ve looked odd to anyone else

but not to you, definitely. for you, it’s the norm to see him like that.

“do more trends where i could kiss you more.” he pecks you on the lips, before he leaves you be temporarily only to edit the tiktok, ofc

the tiktok itself blows up by a ton, gathering 2M likes, and 5M views, in a surprising amount of time, and you didn’t even notice how he placed his hand on your hip

until the comments pointed it out to him. which shouto replies with “i always do that. you just didn’t seem to notice.” it’s fine bc you do now

the comments consisted of “where can i find a guy like this 💔” “haha that’s so cool *blocks*” “okay but we sEE THOSE HANDS 👀”

nonetheless— please do more trends like that with him. don’t be afraid!

shouto rates the entire ordeal a ♾/10. can and will do it again. oh— and he saves his home and lockscreen as the final outcome from the tiktok. he did a screenshot it, and decides to keep it like that for a very long time

kaminari denki

again— this man is ALWAYS on tiktok, so he’s aware of most of the trends there. but that doesn’t make them any less scarier

but oh wow, he loves this trend. denki was just praying that you’d see it— and ask him to do it with you.

he was grateful that luck was on his side, since he was ecstatic when you skipped over to him— asking him to do a tiktok trend

“oh, what tiktok trend? wait— please tell me it doesn’t involve me breaking up with you for a week so you could listen to drivers licenses—”

“what? no— let me show you” and when you showed him the tiktok, he showed you this cheeky little smirk

“let’s do it! the sooner the better!” he says, and he seems more excited that you 💀

denki’s so enthusiastic, to the point that the first few takes are a total fail— as he makes you fall over your feet, as the result of quickly pulling you onto him for a kiss.

“denki— one of these days, you’re going to shatter my face”

“sorry, sorry!” he grins sheepishly. and it’s a miracle that he didn’t accidentally short circuit!

you guys try again, still persistent in getting at least a decent video, and this time— when he yanked you, causing you almost slip

he tightened his hold on you, a hand pressed against the small of your back and another hand dangerously close to your bank

the kiss is eager, passionate— and he holds you like you’re on the verge of death

and this flusters you because MAMDKWDK what happened to the goofiness 💀 i suppose that’s what happens when you have an eager denki kaminari.

you upload the video, thinking it would only get 5 likes at the very most— but it exceeds your expectations

though most people couldn’t get a clear view of your relationship dynamic with him, denki’s enthusiasm did attract the attention of 2.8M people

and in a good way, because the video did get 800k likes

the comments consisted of “when he caught you when you almost fell :,)” “damn he was EXCITED” “hey, have you told us where you got your boyfriend? i need the link to find someone like him NOW‼️‼️”

the bakusquad fawned over the video weirdly, but it quickly gets overplayed by denki— since that’s all he watched for a week or so 💀

monoma neito

bruh </3 as much as he loves you, you’re going to kill him with pranks one of these days.

he’s totally in on it if HE’S not the one being targeted, but most of the time,, neito’s the subject of your pranks

so he thinks it’s another silly prank, where you make him pick a number between 1-5 and ghost him for that many hours.

but when you show him the video one day, when you guys were chilling in your room— as per usual, he declined :,)

“sorry dear Y/N! but no. that’s my answer”

“but whyyy?? it’s so harmless!”

“the class is going to tease me for being a part with a silly tiktok like that.” and besides,, he’d be a hypocrite for participating in that kind of tiktok with someone from class 1-A.

in reality, he did want to do it. he wasn’t so sure on why he said no— but he does want to show that something so easy isn’t really a bother to him.

“oh- don’t be so sad about it! you know what?” he gently pulls you up, “let’s do it. i don’t care what those silly class 1-A kids will say anymore.”

“what? i thought you said you didn’t want to.”

“have you ever heard of a lie?” he clicks his tongue, but he’s glad that you’re feeling much better than you did 10 seconds ago.

when it comes to it, he’s actually really shy about it. not like a ‘i don’t want to be seen with you!’ more like ‘gosh, how many takes is this going to take? will i be able to kiss them properly?’

“what if i end up accidentally copying their quirk? neito— focus, damnit.” he thinks to himself, brushing the anxious feeling away.

he’s determined enough to stay focused— but man struggled a bit with cooperating with the heart shape.

“neito— not that heart!” “well, you said to make a heart, so i did!”

it takes a few tries for the greenscreen to cooperate, and for you guys to get in sync

and when he finally has to kiss you, he grins at you— a very obvious blush adorning his cheeks, as he smashes his lips with yours

then he remembers that he actually has to break free from you— and forces you guys apart, still trying to play it cool

“wow! i look awesome. only i could kiss you like that, right? i don’t need an answer, because i know it’s true!” he says with that proud laugh of his, but it immediately dissipates after the second replay

neito leaves you be, not only for you to upload the tiktok— but also because he needs to THINK WHAT JUST HAPPENED he’s running laps in his mind rn

you upload the tiktok, not worrying too much about it— as you wanted to let it sit for a while, before checking up on it

however— when you open your phone again, you get bombarded with multiple text messages from kendou, and the other class 1-b students.

“you and monoma went viral!” is what you can sum up about most of the messages, and you have to see for youself— wanting to know if the tiktok really did get 800k likes and 1.9M views in a short amount of time.

spoilers ‼️ — it did

the comments were mostly like “why can i smell the dynamic from a mile away 💔 i want that.” “he’s definitely annoying to everyone but you” “sHEESH the way he smirked before he kissed you 😩✋‼️‼️😔”

monoma flexes on a daily that he did that to your class— but he HATES how class 1-b wrecks havoc on him, by teasing him

in short— he does prefer this more than being scared. and! he didn’t have to verbally ask you for kisses 💀

»»————-　♡　————-««

likes and reblogs are appreciated, thanks for reading!

i do not own bnha/mha and it’s characters. boku no hero academia/my hero academia belongs to horikoshi kohei, i only own the writing and i do not profit off of my hobby

do not plagiarize, reupload, translate, or use my works for audio readings without permission