#and obvi I have other favorite series that aren’t by those two but they understand me…. esp akiko 🩷🩷🩷🩷

[tittiez]

my two fave mangakas are suu morishita (a sign of affection, shortcake cake, like a butterfly) and akiko higashimura (Tokyo tarareba girls, princess jellyfish)

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaoldretired]

some p!g-drv3 theories (spoilers obvi)

First of all I think people demonize the pg versions wayyy too much because its a good way to be le sexy in like fanfictions. And i get it, villains are hot or whatever. and also hs is a horny age to be. But even the edgiest and horniest of teens aren’t like. that sexual/monstrous. its kind of insane the portrayals people are placing

maybe this could also be like me being older bc when i was early hs i was like yea its fair to place these super mature portrayals on a 18-22 year old they are like adults but young and now im that age and im like woah there pardner. might be an age/maturity thing. 

also like its normal for people to relate to and portray characters their same age in a similar fashion, but when adults write more sexual content about the dg kids i get hella fucking sus

idk where i was going with that first comment i guess its like a preface and in the end i think its important when characters especially teenage characters are morally grey not because they’re mature and dark/brooding but because they are still young and learning. fuck im older than like most of them, but im still young and learning. its good to be in turmoil and confused, especially the drv3 cast. they are more confused than anything.

which i think is a reason why people would join dr because if you are completely loss and in turmoil, it is appealing to be given a purpose in life and amazing talents/abilities. despite the morals of danganronpa, it is a simple reality to be told who you are and what to do

OK ONTO HEADCANONS (not doing all bc i dont have thoughts about all)

first of all i understand changing stories but i think, deep down, you can’t change fundamental personalities/values. so while the backstories might be different i think, in the end, a baseline is always the same

SHUICHI being a Bad Boy is like canon obviously but i dont think he’s as manipulative as people make him out to be. i think he falls in the more the bully role that like. mae borowski or tf2′s scout filled before they grew up. rough background, bad anger issues, lots of emotional turmoil, and the only way he knows how to deal with shit is by committing crimes and beating the shit out of people. and, similar to those characters, drv3 represents an older, more emotionally sober yet equally confused version of himself. the urges are still there as foreshadowed in the dialogue. i think he struggles with guilt, mostly survivors, but there is still a lasting impact of guilt of what he did in his past, even if he can’t remember.

KOKICHI is a child. a piece of shit motherfucker child but a child. I really do think he’s like one of the youngest people in the cast. he reminds me a lot of when my brother doesn’t take his adhd medicine and takes jokes way too far and does mean and cruel things because he thinks its funny and that its just a fun joke, but is hurting people. he desperately wants approval, which is why his leader role is so interesting because in the dr narrative he has the approval he craves and so he is satisfied. still, he does try to impress characters like rantaro and values his opinions a lot, even developing a brotherly relationship in the time they knew each other. this being said, its established kokichi was bullied before, but i dont think he’s like. the wimp people make him out to be. i think he’s more of like the class clown who desperately uses humor to make people like him, and ends up resorting to be the butt of most of his jokes. you don’t just develop a good sense of humor out of a brainwash, and that’s not something you can program in. i think that was a remnant of before, and he’s so good at bullying people and coming up with roasts - i just think that in p!g the roasts were about him.

KAEDE is baby but her p!g personality seriously reminds me of any ~quirky/edgy~ girl in a teen coming of age story who tries to be edgy and cool and act like she doesn’t care but deep down, she really does. if she didn’t have an empathetic personality, she wouldn’t want to end the game. i also think she has that self-identifying QuIrKy personality because its like she lives in her own narrative, practically announcing this story is about her and she is the protagonist. i know i used to self narrate like that and distinguish how i was different when i was like. 15-16. she has a tumblr. 

I really like the theory where KAITO is a make-a-wish kid who was better when he was younger but relapses later in teens. he never used his wish before, so he decides to use it now to be on danganronpa and become the hero he always wanted to be. i also think he might have joined as a way to raise awareness about adolescent healthcare. definitely the type who puts on a “heroic” character to make everyone else feel better about the fact he is literally dying of a terminal illness, and keeps that act up till the end. 

i think KOREKIYO is still a serial killer. i think honestly a reason why he mightve auditioned for danganronpa is because he is a serial killer. maybe his sister found out and he felt so much shame that’s why he auditioned. he probably mentioned why in his interview because duh, tell them im a serial killer and then only reason im coming clean is my sister found out and im ashamed, that is like a guarantee to get on the show.  i LOVE the theory that his sister is still alive, however, and has to watch her brother go insane because they wrote her into the story as the villain. because technically, she brought on this guilt, and is the reason why he auditioned - as a way to cause despair, twist it around so she’s the one to blame for his insanity. also, because its pretty accepted DR members become celebrities, kork’s sister is totally bombarded with paparazzi and is demonized in the media. she might end up writing a tell-all memoir about kork’s actual childhood and personality. quiet kid, thoughtful, interested in anthropology, she never thought he’d hurt a fly. watching her brother go insane probably destroyed her. 

I also think, timeline wise, kork is probably one of the oldest members along with rantaro. tbh i think kork actually graduated hs and went on a gap year doing the whole “hitchhike around the world to discover myself thing” which is where he began killing people. he was getting ready to go to college when his sister found out about what he did. this is when he decided to go on danganronpa instead of university. this would help explain why he knows so much about other cultures/travel/been so many places with so many memories/killed/is knowledgable on a level most other students are not. this would place him at like, 20-21, where everyone else is like 15-18.

ok so there’s two p!g RANTARO, p!g before 53 and p!p!g before 52. i’d like to establish now i think rantaro is the oldest of the characters, seeing as though he was already pretty old to begin with in 52, it takes time between television seasons, and he was in another game. so im placing him like 21-23, similar to yasuhiro in d1 being so much older than everyone else. i do think, in all iterations, rantaro was pretty much raising his sisters, though i don’t think he had twelve like the story (i think that’s an exaggeration, his sisters mean a lot to him, lets make him have a TON and then lose them all and feel GUILTY) rantaro joined the first game, partially to get money for his family and hopefully establish them as celebrities and let them have a comfy lifestyle, even if he doesn’t live...and also to finally ahve some sort of experience without his siblings tagging along. if he’s been raising his sisters all his life, he’s never had like something that’s JUST his. that’s his adventure. 52 is his ULTIMATE adventure. ahaha. mostly for money, kind of dreading it, still a tiny bit excited

ok p!g rantaro between 52 and 53 probably came back broken. he did the signings and appearances, but mostly wanted to spend time with his family and make sure they were set up. i think he knew the whole like few months between seasons he had to go on another show, but he did’t tell his sisters. his family found out when they saw a billboard with his face plastered on it hyping up the return of a fan favorite. yikes!

ok i get it a lot of people hate HIMIKO but i think she’s not nearly as similar as other “useless” characters in other games. its like, pretty clear she’s depressed, and the only thing she’s holding onto with dear life is magic. lack of hygiene, lack of personal care, constantly tired, social interaction exhausts - she has depression, but she’s not an UWU depressed character. so people find her depressive traits (which are some of the most realistic portrayals of mental health in the series) SUPER annoygin. she joined dr because she was completely lost and needed some sort of direction in her life, even if she’ll die for it. the thing is, even with direction, her mental state didn’t change because she wasn’t getting legitimate help. it’s like that one SNL skit that’s like. same sad you from before but in a new place. i also think she knows the magic is not real, because how could she not. i think she’s so adamant that it IS real, less as a way to convince others, and more of a way to convince herself. it’s like really super cruel that team danganronpa took a girl who is desperate for meaning and gave her literally a meaningless, fake talent.

i also kin himiko and find her a comfort character because i feel seen by her, replacing her useless talent of magic with mine of like shitty film making and comedy. i am seen.

related i don’t think she’s nearly as ugly as everyone says she is, i think she’s probably just depressed and takes absolutely no care of her hygiene and sleep and looks like sick and greasy all the time. same queen.

honest to god i think RYOMA’s backstory, tennis and all, is like 100% real and he’s the only one who keeps all of his memories except for the fact this is a tv show. i think he rolled up, a hot fucking mess, and the danganronpa team were like damn. we cannot improve upon this. 

[spnalliebre]

New Reality Ch.1

Summary: You and your best friend end up waking to a reality you didn’t think existed. What are you going to do to get back or are you both stuck in this new reality forever and have to learn to make it home?

Note: This is based off a conversation @boborocker and I have had many times. We just decided to turn it into a fanfic for the hell of it. If only it were real.....

Key:

(Y/N) = your name

(Y/BF/N) = your best friends name

(C/N) = city name

Word count: 3700+

Warnings: swearing, dumbass conversations and actions

Waking up with a groan, you look around the room and notice your best friend laying in a bed on the other side of the room. The room is bear with only your two beds occupying it. “What the hell is going on?” you mumble rubbing your sore head and get up to move to your friend’s side. “(Y/BF/N)!! Wake up! I think we’ve been kidnapped!”

“Five more minutes!” She says, turning away from you.

“No way. We gotta figure out how to get out of here.” you say, starting to get agitated. After waiting for about a minute you decide to resort to drastic measures. Taking one of your slippers off, you chuck it at your friend’s head. “Get up, you dork!!”  

Your friend turns to glare at you. “What do you want?”

With a really condescending voice you say, “Look at your surroundings, what seems out of place to you?”

(Y/BF/N) sarcastically responds, “You’re awake before me for one thing. And for another, this is most decidedly not my bedroom.”

“Thank you, Captain Obvi- …” Suddenly the door to the room slams open and an ominous shadow looms in the doorway.

Taking one step into the light, the figure appears to be a man wearing what looks to be a mercenary uniform. “Hello, ladies. Have a nice nap?”

You glance over to (Y/BF/N) and raise your eyebrow while having a silent conversation before turning to look back at him and remaining quiet. He regards you with a slight smirk on his face and turns around while saying over his shoulder, “Follow me.” You give each other another confused glance before following the stranger into a hallway. He leads us through a series of corridors and then stops at a door where he places his hand onto a scanner. The door slides open with a silent whoosh and he turns to look back at us. “After you.”

When we walk through, we are blinded by a sudden bright light. Squinting through our lashes, we see an outline of a figure and upon closer inspection it appears to be Clark Gregg. You turn to (Y/BF/N) and ask “Is that Clark Gregg?”

 (Y/BF/N) looks at you a question on her face that could only be ‘WTF?’ and shrugs.

You both look towards Clark Gregg as he addresses you. “Ladies, sorry about the rude wake up call. I hope you slept well. We have a few people that would like to meet you.”

The next figure to step up is what seems to be Samuel L. Jackson dressed in his Nick Fury costume with two bodyguards. They each have a clipboard in their hands with highlighted documents and a pen. “If you two ladies wouldn’t mind, I’m gonna need both of you to sign these before we continue.” He motions for the two bodyguards to hand us each a clipboard. “Take your time. We’ll continue as soon as you’re done.”

You look to (Y/BF/N) and you share a concerned look before pouring over the nondisclosure documents in front of you. For what, you aren’t too sure. When the documents don’t seem to contain any soul-binding agreement, you both sign the documents and pass them back to the bodyguards and they leave you with Samuel and Clark. Samuel takes you under his watchful eye and says “Follow me.” You follow quietly behind him, your excitement rising with the possibility that you might be on the Avengers set. Keeping up with Samuel, he stops randomly and turns to look at us. “Behind me your imagination comes to life.”

We look behind him and notice a group of people congregated together that seem somewhat familiar. Realization hits you both and you freeze where you stand. (Y/BF/N) grabs your arm and literally drags you forward. You both stop a small distance away and turn to each other and squeal and the group in front of us turns to stare at you.

You let out a whispered, “Holy crap, its Chris Evans.” Your eyes remain glued to Chris.

At the same time, (Y/BF/N) says, “OMG, Sebastian Stan!” She seems to be staring holes into Sebastian’s face.

Sebastian turns to Chris and says, “Who the hell is Sebastian Stan?”  

Chris just shrugs and turns to the both of you. “I think you have us a bit mixed up. I’m Steve and this is Bucky.”

You chance a glance at each other before turning back to the group. “Ok…… that introduction isn’t weird at all. You guys are the Avengers, aren’t you?”

Jeremy Renner looks at you and says “Yes, we are. Haven’t you seen us on the news? You know, super friends that save the world? Ninety plus year olds that look twenty? Ringin’ any bells?”

You regard him with tension. “This has gotta be some kind of joke. We’ve seen all the movies and nothing meta like this has ever happened in anything we’ve seen. So, who are you?”

Steve says, “You had it right, we are the Avengers.”

(Y/BF/N) just politely smiles, nods her head, and then walks off the edge of the platform. The Avengers pause and try to process what the hell just happened before jumping into action. Steve looks ready to jump off after her but before he can, Bucky grabs his shoulder roughly and says, “Not without your parachute, Stevie.” You look around and notice one of Tony’s Iron Man suits launching down and grabs hold of your friend and sets her back by your side.

(Y/BF/N) looks at you and says “This is not a dream.” And promptly passes out.

(Y/BF/N) is laid down on the couch by Bucky after Tony had called for medical to take a look at her. You’re quietly observing the group before you, trying to wrap your mind around what is going on. You finally find the courage to say something, “Where the hell am I? There is no way this is all real! You’re all just comic book characters!!”

They all look over at you completely confused. Sam speaks up, “Comic book characters? Sweetheart, this is reality. I’m Sam Wilson, also known as Falcon. That’s Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Natasha Romanoff, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Thor Odinson, and Wanda Maximoff.” He points at each of them as he names them all off for you.

“I’m aware of who you all are. I’ve seen all the movies.” You say, exasperated. “This still doesn’t make sense. How the hell did (Y/BF/N) and I end up here?”

“We are trying to figure that out ourselves.” Tony says, quietly observing you.

“Mr. Stark, I don’t mean to be rude or anything but what I know is that none of this is supposed to be real. Where I come from, all of you are just stories and movies that a large part of the world is obsessed with. None of this is supposed to be real.” You explain.

“What do you mean ‘where you come from’?” Clint asks.

“I’m assuming that we ended up in some alternate universe or something. I’m no scientist or sorcerer. (Y/BF/N) and I are completely normal people with normal lives. Where we’re from, the closest thing we have to superheroes are those ones that actors portray on TV or in movies or can be read about in comic books. So, if someone could please explain how my friend and I ended up in a place where magic is a thing, super soldiers exist, and people can walk on walls, that would be great.” You say sarcastically, trying to keep yourself calm but failing.

Steve moves to crouch in front of you and speaks in a calming voice, “We will do whatever we can to get you and your friend home. Until then, we will try our best to make you feel a bit more comfortable in your new surroundings. What’s your name?”

You take a deep breath to calm yourself down. “I’m (Y/N). I’m sorry for freaking out on you all. I’m just trying to understand what’s happening right now.” You give Steve a small smile. “Thank you. I thought I was about to have a panic attack there for a second.”

Steve returns your smile and pats your hand resting on the armrest. “You’re welcome.” He glances down to what you’re wearing and his smile grows. “You’re a fan, huh?”

You look down at yourself and realize that you’re wearing your Captain America pajamas with the Cap shield dotted all around it and begin to turn a deep scarlet. “Uh, yeah. You’re kinda my favorite superhero in the entire MCU.” You look down at your lap, trying to avoid looking at Steve or the other Avengers after your admission. “And she is wearing Thor pajamas because he’s the one that got her into superheroes in the first place. We really look up to you guys.”

Steve chuckles. “No need to be embarrassed. I think it’s sweet.” He squeezes your shoulder and then stands back up to full height.

You sneak a glance at him before looking over at the other Avengers behind him. “I really don’t want to push any boundaries but my friend and I always joked about what we’d do if we ever managed to meet the Avengers in person. I always said that it would be a dream come true if I could give you all a hug. Would that be acceptable?” After admitting your desire, you manage to turn an even deeper red before a pair of strong arms wrap around you in a comforting hug. After breaking out of your shock you return Steve’s hug before he gently lets you go. Next comes Peter softly pulling you in. Bucky with an awkward one-armed hug. Wanda squeezes you tightly and says “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come to me.”

Tony pulls you in tightly in what you feel would be a very comforting hug when he whispers “Traitor, shoulda been Team Stark” in your ear and lets you go with a smirk on his face. Sam gives you a light hug and repeats the same sentiments as Wanda.

Thor gives you a bone-crushing hug and exclaims “I live for the finer intricacies of Midgardian interaction!”

Clint grips you comfortingly and when he lets you go, you excitedly ask “How are Laura and the kids?” He and Natasha glance at each other before turning back to you and gives you a small smile as his answer before heading towards Fury.

You walk up to Natasha and shyly ask, “Is it alright if I hug you too?” She looks at you with a guarded expression but pulls you into a quick embrace anyway.

You approach Bruce and say “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Banner. Can I give you a hug, too?”

He looks at you with a smile and says, “Let’s just start with a handshake for now,” before putting his hand out for you to shake. You accept his invitation and shake his hand before moving back to flop onto the couch next to (Y/BF/N).

At the sudden motion, (Y/BF/N) jolts awake and looks around with bleary eyes. She turns to you and starts recounting, “(Y/N), I had this really odd dream that we met the Avengers and I walked off a helicarrier to see if it was a dream and one of Tony’s suits plucked me out of the air and when he set me down I passed out and now I think I’m stuck in the dream because I still see them.”

You look at (Y/BF/N) like she’s gone nuts and say, “You are definitely not dreaming.”

(Y/BF/N) says, “Oh yeah?” before getting up and walking towards Thor and starts repeatedly poking his bicep.

Thor grabs her hand to stop her and looks over to the group confused, “What is this Midguardian doing?”

(Y/BF/N) turns to look at you in awe and whispers “It’s real!”

You roll your eyes at you friend’s craziness before stating, “Duh, I literally just told you that!”

(Y/BF/N) plops back down on the couch next to you and stares at the group in front of you. Sam clears his throat before asking, “Would you like a tour of the compound now?” You jump up with an excited ‘yes!’ while (Y/BF/N) just nods.

“Let’s start with where you will be staying.” Steve says before motioning for you both to follow him. He leads the both of you to an apartment with two sparsely decorated rooms with all the essentials needed for living.

After the long tour of the entire helicarrier, you all meet back up in the common room. One wall contains books shelves filled with movies, books, and board games and other miscellaneous things. Another has a large flat screen TV mounted to it with what appears to be movie theater quality surround sound. The couch in front of the TV looks comfy enough to swallow you.

The first person to speak up is Clint. “I actually have a few questions. First, what is the ‘MCU’? And second, how do you know about my family?”

You sigh before beginning your explanation. “Both answers can be found within the comics and movies. The MCU stands for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was created by a man named Stan Lee. His stories consist of the lives of many different people who end up going on enticing adventures like the missions that the Avengers do. I know about your lives because I have read about and seen them through the MCU. Through that universe, I know many intimate things about your lives.”

Natasha speaks up, “What kind of things do you know?”

“I know how you know Bucky. I know Steve’s greatest fear. I know about the real Jarvis. I know about Rebecca. I know about Sam’s parents and I’m sorry for your loss. I know how Wanda feels about Vision. I know exactly what Aunt May said when she found out, Peter. I know how Thor became worthy again. And I know about what happened to Bruce’s mom. The movies are very detailed and the comics even more so.” You say, trying to prove your point.

Everyone shifts around uncomfortably before you look over at (Y/BF/N), who shouts “I need coffee!” which seems to jostles everyone out of their thoughts. Everyone seems to agree that refreshments are a good idea and head to the kitchen together.

After the emotions had settled, we all reconvened back in the common room and decide to watch a movie. Surprisingly enough, everyone decides it’s Disney night.

Not knowing what we are getting into, (Y/BF/N) and I nominate for us to watch Tangled. Bucky seems more excited than expected as he yells out “Hell yeah!!”

Steve looks at Bucky with betrayal before speaking up, “I nominate Mulan.”

Thor boastfully suggests “Princess and the Frog!”

Natasha nominates Sleeping Beauty with a small side glance at Bucky. Bucky groans before getting up to go make popcorn.

Tony nominates Big Hero 6. Sam says Dumbo. Wanda adds in with Winnie the Pooh. Clint states “Anything but Frozen!” Bruce had no preference. Peter suggests Cinderella.

Steve speaks up, “Mulan is the better choice because it shows how women can be independent and not need no man and manage to save all of China!” He turns to Bucky. “Can you believe what would have happened if there were women like that in our era?!”  

Everyone shares a glance, knowing exactly who Steve is talking about before we all agree to watch his movie.

After the movie and an intense popcorn fight, Bruce asks the big question of the night, “Where did you two come from?”

(Y/BF/N) and you share a glance. (Y/BF/N) begins to explain, “We are both from (C/N). We met in grade school and got along from our mutual like for Sci-fi. We live mostly normal lives. There’s no such thing as superheroes, magic, and no evil organizations set on taking over the world using brainwashed super soldiers. The strongest man made force would be a nuclear bomb, but those are under lock and key. We have spies but they aren’t as extreme as you all are.”

You decide to interject, “There’s tons of conventions held all over the world for all of our fanatic domains which we call fandoms. You are all part of the Marvel fandom. At these conventions, fans have a tendency to dress up as their favorite character from a TV show or movie to show their love for that character. (Y/BF/N) and I have done it for years, even dressed up as Cap and Black Widow on one occasion. Our world has very little compared to the technology that you have with the help of Tony. The closest we have to your technology is a VR system that can immerse a person into a whole other reality at a whim but it’s not too advanced yet.” You pause to take a breath before continuing. “Marvel is one of the most celebrated fandoms in our world. Superheroes, to us, are the pinnacle of what most people aspire to be. Through all the heartache and strife of your lives, you still manage to get up every day to fight for the little guy. It’s an amazing thing to read and watch and is a very popular plot for nearly all stories and movies out today. Stan Lee’s creation of you all could not have been better. We’ve enjoyed following your journeys for years. Being here, at least for me, has been a dream come true and a total honor that I never want forget. I know the fact that (Y/BF/N) and I knowing nearly everything about you all seems somewhat stalkerish, but before today, it wasn’t that odd because it used to all just be words and pictures on paper or on a movie screen. I never believed that we would end up face to face with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in all my life.” You stop talking to let that sink in for the Avengers.

Wanda is the first person to speak up after your long monologue. “Your world really does seem a little less complicated than ours.” She gives the both of you a soft smile.

(Y/BF/N) smiles back. “Believe me, you have no idea.”

“By the way, we want to apologize for the mix up when we first met. In our world, you are all portrayed by actors, which is why the thought of being in another reality seemed ludicrous and more plausible that we woke up on the set of Avengers. Steve is played by Chris Evans, Bucky by Sebastian Stan, Natasha by Scarlett Johannsson who is about as badass as the woman she portrays, Sam by Anthony Mackie, Bruce by Mark Ruffalo, Thor by Chris Hemsworth, Wanda by Elizabeth Olsen, Clint by Jeremy Renner, Peter by Tom Holland who is actually British believe it or not, and Tony by the ever eccentric and literally born-to-play you, Robert Downey Jr.”

“’Born to play me?’ What the hell does that mean?” Tony asks, completely confused.

You giggle. “When RDJ was cast, he literally took on your persona a bit. He’s about as out there as you are with your attitude and spontaneity. Plus, he literally looked like your comic book character come to life. It was kinda scary how identical he is from what we see in the comics. He even had a rough go of it in the beginning of his life as well and tried living to the extreme. A burger changed his life.”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “Huh.”

“When the Winter Soldier movie came out, everybody was heart-broken to find out about what had been done to Bucky unwillingly. I remember showing it to (Y/BF/N) two years after it came out and she was wailing and tried charging my tv to save him. We even came up with the joke “He don’t know he Bucky” and reference it frequently,” you explain.

Bucky looks at you like you’re both nuts. “That is appalling grammar.”

“That’s an essential part of the joke though,” (Y/BF/N) explains.

Bucky decides to change the subject. “So why did the two of you freak out about Sebastian and Chris when you first showed up?”

(Y/BF/N) looks at him completely straight-faced. “Because you and Sebastian are the purest cinnamon rolls to ever cinnamon roll. But if you wanna get technical, you are a cinnamon roll that could kick everyone’s ass, Sebastian is not.” Bucky seems to have a confused look permanently plastered onto his face. You quietly hear the click of a camera and all look over to see a blank faced Natasha holding her phone out in front of her.

Steve just looks over to you like nothing happened. “And why did you react that way?”    

You slowly start to turn scarlet. “Chris Evans is an amazing actor and director. He played a superhero before he became Cap and did an ok job at it. Actually, he had said no to taking on the Cap mantel for a while out of fear of a nine film contract and then decided to take it on anyway because he wanted to face that fear. He’s just a really amazing person.” You stop for dramatic effect and turn even more red before you state, “And have you seen your muscles?!” After that statement Bucky, Sam and Clint burst out laughing and Steve turns a light pink and starts to stutter.

With a slight smirk, Tony pats Steve on the shoulder, “Well, she’s a keeper. So, what should we do next?”

(Y/BF/N) raises her hand and screams out in a jumbled mess, “Weshouldplayhideandseek!!!”

The entire group looks at her lost. “What?” Peter asks.

“She said that we should play hide and seek,” you explain, looking at (Y/BF/N) with a raised eyebrow.

“We should wait until we’re on solid ground, just in case someone decides to run off the hellicarrier again trying to find someone.” Natasha says, looking pointedly at (Y/BF/N). (Y/BF/N) walks off grumbling under her breath about no trust and the past staying in the past.

When we finally land on the ground, we are greeted by a familiar figure at the entrance into the compound. “Did you miss me?”

[wickedwitch-of-the-left]

ok so

ok

if your partner likes to play video games, but you don’t or you like to play different games and you’re not sure how to share that time together... i have two suggestions for tackling this “problem” and some personal commentary on the matter.

1. Doing activities in the same room at the same time, while you might not be interacting directly, IS spending time together. This includes, for instance, reading while your partner plays the game. [I highly recommend, if you have a couch, sliding your legs onto their lap so they can rest their wrists on your ankles/shins— that way, you’re physically touching and it’s more of a shared moment.]

2. Sometimes couples do need alone time, especially if they live together or work together, and games (like any other hobby) are a great way to decompress. When your partner is elbow deep in a video game, allow yourself to do something that you also find relaxing.

IF your partner is constantly ignoring you in order to play, or maybe they’re avoiding their responsibilities around the house, in your relationship, or in their everyday life in order to play then yes that’s a problem. Toxicity can come in many forms, but that’s not the fault of the games themselves—aka video games aren’t the problem in this instance, your partner’s behavior is. If you sit your partner down to have an honest discussion and they refuse to play ball, then I fear that your relationship is probably a) already on unequal footing and b) it would be better for you, in the long run, to get out.

I think that men in particular are taught from a young age that video games are an acceptable form of escape because that’s what’s expected of them, and there’s nothing wrong with them diving into Doom the way many of us would dive into a fandom hole on Tumblr or an art project at our kitchen table.

From what I’ve observed, it’s often far less acceptable for men to tackle stress by making art (coloring books, water color painting, embroidery) or baking or even reading a favorite book series that isn’t directly related to like high fantasy or some kind of “MasculineTM” behavior. Yes, this is a question of how we socialize children based on binary gender roles! While video games are obviously for everyone and plenty of non-men enjoy them in droves, they’re clearly marketed toward men as a valid hobby and many games do pander to men’s esperiences and expected interests.

That being said, this can apply to any partner who dedicates an exorbitant amount of time playing a video game, to the point where it interferes with their everyday life. I would approach that situation the way I approach any other that indicates a severe dependency or depression response: ask if there’s anything I can do to help. Sometimes, the answer is just to sit with them and offer support, and eventually help them make the transition out of that depressed period. I’m speaking as someone with diagnosed severe chronic depression, who also has many close friends who suffer similarly. Not all of us are capable of “valid” coping mechanisms all the time, nor has everyone been introduced to “valid” coping mechanisms, though I (obvi) have an issue with the use of the word “valid” in this context.

I also want to note that it’s important to express interest in your partner’s hobbies. I’m not currently dating anyone, but there’s someone in my life who means a great deal to me romantically (a “will they won’t they” kind of thing) and he’s a really close friend of mine. He LOVES video games, specifically the Elder Scrolls series, Doom, Gears of War, and The Witcher. I didn’t really know anything about those franchises prior to acknowledging my growing interest in HIM, so I decided that the best way to learn would be to ask him what he loves about the games, about the lore, etc. I even bought Skyrim and The Witcher: Wild Hunt on my Switch so that I could share that experience with him— and at one point he gladly hopped on Discord to explain a part of a game that I was having inexplicable trouble with.

People like it when you care about their interests. It’s so easy to make a loved one feel special and seen just by asking about some of their favorite things.

That’s part of the reason why I’ve never understood the “break his games” mentality. I understand that maybe their are extenuating circumstances, but for the most part it’s clear that one person in the relationship isn’t interested in accepting the other person’s hobbies. When you enter a relationship, their life does NOT suddenly revolve around you— just like how yours shouldn’t suddenly revolve around them. To expect otherwise is a fairly toxic trait and needs to be addressed in our society at large— people in committed relationships can have friends, hobbies, and work lives that take time away from their partners (barring examples that do demonstrate abuse, obviously).

All I’m saying is we should have more respect for people’s interests, even if they’re time-consuming or they differ from our own, and I wish this was something that I could easily explain to every violently frustrated partner who destroys someone’s personal property over a misunderstanding of shared time & space. How often do you think they’re effectively communicating their frustration and distress prior to resorting to violence? I’d wager: not often.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED Talk.