#and while I think they aren't hateful at me it's still... awkward

[lonely-moons]

⁀✶comfort of you | bucky barnes x reader

title: comfort of you

pairing: bucky barnes x reader (can be whatever era you want if you take it as an au where the avengers compound is still thriving. rip.)

warnings: mentions of a nightmare

summary: when you wake up to find your friend bucky sleeping on the floor of your bedroom, it's safe to say you're confused. but, hey, the guy doesn't have an abundance of comfort, so you're more than okay with being it for him.

wc: 1,380

notes: haven't posted in ages but i am down so bad for this man goodbye (or ig hi? lmao). thank you thunderbolts for taking me back to 2021 as i read bucky fics daily 🙏

masterlist

you wake with a sharp inhale that borders on a gasp. it takes a moment for the images of your recent failed mission to disintegrate. you're plagued by a screaming woman - a roaring fire - and then the darkness of your room.

but something isn't quite right. after so long in this job, your senses stay awake even when you aren't. they ring now, heighten even more when you hear a movement on the ground beside your bed.

you switch your bedside lamp on in record speed, prepared to pounce or kick or whatever it is you have to do to eliminate the threat. but your poised stance falters when you see what's on the ground. or rather, who.

bucky barnes is laying there, propped up on his elbow as he looks up at you. his expression is sheepish but tinged with concern, like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't be and now he isn't quite sure how to react.

you blink once, twice, trying to come to terms with the image in front of you. the guy is your best friend, sure, but you don't quite know what to make of this. he's wearing what he typically sleeps in: a simple t-shirt and sweats, his eyes a little bleary like they'd been closed for a while.

had he been sleeping on your floor?

"um..." you say ungracefully, the only thought that's bouncing around in your head right now.

the sound of your voice seems to snap him to action. he sits up further, the chain of his dog tags shifting along with him. "sorry, i -" his arm comes up to rub his neck as he cuts himself off.

"impromptu sleepover?" you ask.

it's light but unsure. you want to know what the hell is going on, but the way his face scrunches, as though guilty, makes something in your chest ache. if this had been anyone else, you would have long since thrown a pillow at them, let your voice raise in exasperation. but this is bucky. while you don't tread around him on broken glass, knowing he hates it and deserves more, you also vividly remember how long it had taken for him to open up to you in the first place. you never want to ruin that.

he stares down at his hands, unable to look at you any longer. which means he must be really flustered, because one thing about bucky barnes - he has a staring problem.

"you okay, buck?"

he huffs out a laugh, but it's weak, like it gets caught in his doubt on the way out. "i should be the one asking you that. nightmare?"

your confusion had almost made you forget about why you were awake in the first place. now you smile, slightly rueful. "guess so. you, uh... got precognition or something?"

he copies your expression. "guess so."

a silence lands between you, not quite comfortable but not yet in the territory of awkwardness. you both have things to say, but they're evading you. unspoken words seem to fly between you as you watch each other, waiting to see who will break first. but this is your room, your space, which provides you with a home advantage.

"i wasn't sleeping well either," he finally admits. "came to see if you were awake and when you weren't... well, i doubt i wouldn't have been able to get through to you with all the snoring anyway."

"i don't snore!"

his shoulders shake with the small laugh he releases, and it's as though the movement throws some of the tension right off. you think you'd let him throw out jabs like that forever if it meant he'd relax even a little further.

"sure," he says. "you don't talk in your sleep either."

"you," you point a finger at him, "are a horrible person."

"i know." a small smile appears, but neither it nor his words are self-deprecating. they never are anymore, at least not with you. "it keeps me awake at night.

an exasperated huff escapes you. "whatever. i can't believe you coming in here didn't wake me. i'm usually a pretty light sleeper."

"never has before."

"wait - what?"

"uh - shit."

the lightness of the previous few minutes evaporates in an instant. bucky runs a hand down his face, muttering under his breath. you, on the other hand, do not feel bad enough to spare him from a grilling.

"you've come in here before? when?"

"no, it's not like that, i don't..."

"don't what?"

he opens his mouth to answer, but instead of speaking he rises to his feet. "look, i'm sorry, this was... i'm just gonna -" he points to the door, then immediately begins to bolt for it.

"wait!"

your voice stops him, which you're vaguely surprised about. in his current state, you thought he's been in a full-fledged flee mode. tunnel vision, feet on a set path, hearing only tuned into his self-derogatory thoughts. but it seems the sound of you has managed to break through.

he doesn't turn around, though. you think you've managed to figure out what's been going on now, even if you don't quite understand it. bucky tends to prefer harder surfaces to anything cushy. you've seen it before, when you've gone to his room to ask to borrow something and he was sitting on a blanket on the floor beside the bed. after you'd finally taught him how to play mario kart on one of tony's huge tvs, and he'd chosen to sit on the ground by your legs as you sunk into the dreamy sofa. he'd said he was able to concentrate better down there, that the plush comfort would just send him to sleep.

you'd called him an old man but silently wondered if it was something else. eventually the pieces had seemed to align and you realised the truth: whether he really didn't like it or didn't think he deserved it, bucky did not like the comfort of those soft things. that explains why he's on the floor, but as for why he's on your floor...

you speak quietly but firmly, watching his back and trying to picture his face.

"you can lay back down if you want."

he hesitates. not even a full second, but you know him well enough to just catch it. "no, that's okay. i'll let you get back to sleep."

"seriously," you press, before he can reach the door handle. "i don't mind. honestly, i... i wouldn't mind the company."

he looks back over his shoulder, guarded like he's waiting for the other shoe to drop. even though he's known you for years now, knows your kindness, bucky isn't used to such a carefree affection that you give him. "really?"

you nod. "besides, i'm gonna need someone to listen to my sleep talk and report back to me. could be some really important stuff going on there."

his lips twitch slightly and you mentally cheer. he's giving in. he doesn't allow himself that luxury much, but it seems you have a certain knack for getting it to happen.

he falters as he heads back to his position on the floor, looking between the blanket - that he'd brought with him and planned on abandoning in his haste to leave - and you, on the bed. his eyes study you, a question in them that only takes a moment for you to decipher. you think he's wondering about your offer, about whether lay back down means the bed or the floor, about which he wants, about which might seem rude. but you say nothing as he thinks, only sending him a brief, reassuring smile, then avert your eyes to let him decide as you turn off the light.

he chooses the floor. you certainly wouldn't have minded him in your bed, but all you want is for him to be comfortable.

"night, buck."

"night, doll."

as the sound of your breathing syncs up, you shift to the very edge of the bed. your hand blindly reaches down, feeling around. he jolts slightly when you make impact with his flesh hand, but then he intertwines your fingers without a word.

bucky may not be ready for the comfort of a mattress or pillows, but he's certainly learning to love the comfort of you.

[writingwisterias]

how would eras of leon respond to jealousy/yearning with sex?

Hi Anon!

Thanks for the request...I had a lot of fun thinking about this one 👀

Ok ok I'm cracking down on requests! I promise I needed a day to recover from work 💗

Warnings: NSFW, Yearning, Jealousy, Sexual Tension, MNDI

GN!Reader

RE2:

Just for something different, I'm doing a no Apocalypse AU for this one

You sit opposite him, your desks are connected. You were always so kind to him compared to the other officers

Both of you always get along well when you are paired for patrol etc

But he's not the only one that has eyes on you, every other officer seems to as well

He hates feeling jealous that the other officers are talking to you, touching you as they past and you are entertaining them?

There's a staff party and everyone is buying you drinks and chatting, he barely has a chance to speak to you. After all you are his only friend

What he didn't know is you are frustrated from all the attention and you are just trying to get to Leon

When you finally reach him, he's in a mood and it doesn't take long for you to realize hes jealous.

Maybes it's the drinks in your system or the small crush you have on him bubbling in your chest. But you kiss him

He's shocked at first, but recovers fast. His lips are desperate

Spots all the officers back off when he kisses you, so then his touch becomes possessive claiming you as his.

He'll make sure he's the only one you think about when you both leave and he takes you home. 👀

RE4R:

He's touched starved so anyone even approaches you with the intention of sex he's immediately jealous

He's confident enough that you won't go for someone else, even if you aren't exclusive but he'll be pissed off for a while

His jealous would come out in the form of silence,

like he's giving you the silence treatment until you figure out what's wrong and fix it

I think he would probably insert himself into the situation but more of him being a presence there than actually joining in...again silent treatment.

If you don't give him attention he's very heavy with eye contact, constantly trying to get you in his eyeline so he can watch you

Infinite darkness:

The most verbal about being jealous,

like he will pull you away and probably whisper to you how you are making him jealous

Longer touches as well, on your hip or lower back..he's making sure you notice it's there

I think he'll just constantly remind you of his presence until you eventually cave

To make him jealous it would be entertaining other people in an awkward conversation, like if someones asking you to dinner or whatever and your reply is "I'll have a look at my schedule" or "let me get back to you"

You probably aren't going to do either of those things but Leon doesn't like it, he'll make sure your schedule is full of him

Damnation:

I like the idea that he doesn't care enough to get jealous, like if you don't want him he will accept defeat and it will add to the list of other things wrong with his life

But he won't hide the fact he wants you

I imagine it's a situation where he's rough with everyone but you

The rest of his department constantly digs at him for this, it makes you blush when you finally notice it

Heavy eye contact on you, like constantly watching what you are doing around the office etc

It's when you are on a mission together that you finally cave and give him what he wants, and you definitely don't regret it

RE6:

I think he would be in the same boat as damnation where he doesn't really get jealous but he does show that he wants you

With his intense scenes with Ada as well he would make it even more prominent that he wants you

Whenever it's to show Ada that he's moved on or it's to show you that he still wants you

That's up to you

But he's going to make it known that there's nothing to worry about, he's smart enough to understand how him caring for Ada might seem he's still hung up on her

Vendetta:

I like the idea of you being a bartender at the bar he constantly visits

He enjoys your attention and sympathy, often having long chats about anything but his work

As soon as someone needs you though or you turn to serve another customer he's instantly jealous

You want him too, it's obvious. But not drunk and in the state of mind he's in

You understand that he would be good with that commitment and probably a loving partner but he needs to heal first

You put up with his drunken exclamations how he loves you and wants you, his constant staring and snarling at other customers

It's cute that he wants you that badly but until he sobers up and shows some signs of self improvement you won't do it

It does increase the heat from him, but he'll be thankful when he does eventually get sober

Death Island:

Super super jealous

Like you are an angel in his eyes why are you hanging out with someone else?

Why are you talking to one of his co workers? You don't need to entertain that asshole you are his

You aren't actually though, not yet

Both of you tip toeing on this line of friends and lovers

A game of seeing who caves first

He does, pressing you into a kiss that you can't forget. It was rushed after he had a close call with the virus.

Yet it leaves you logging for more, he's just waiting until you finally admit it to him

[dixonsdarkelf]

‘Cause They Ain’t You: Daryl Dixon & Fem!Reader

Summary: Upon arriving at Alexandria, your husband becomes the target of a group of rather flirtatious women, and you find the whole thing rather comical. But Daryl has some concerns, and they aren't just about himself.

Main masterlist Daryl x Reader Masterlist AO3 link

Genre: Fluff

Era: Alexandria, pre-Saviors

Word count: 638

Warnings: No use of y/n, some mild swearing, we got wife!reader in this one

A/N: Me? Posting three times in one week? Insane. Unheard of. Will likely never happen again. This is my take on this post/prompt from @darylsdelts (see screenshot below). I don't feel like this is my best work, but it's cute & I had fun writing it.

“‘S’not funny,” Daryl groaned, taking a seat next to you on the front porch. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing some chestnut locks from his eyes as he stared down the path, glaring at a woman who’d just been all over him despite his protests.

“What are you talking about?” you teased. You gently nudged him with your elbow, your gaze shifting from the dissipated group of women down the way. “I think this is hilarious.”

You’d met Daryl years ago, falling in love and getting married long before the downfall of the world. You two were attached at the hip. going on runs together and barely spending a moment apart. It was obvious to everyone that you two were together. However, since arriving within the sanctity of the walls of Alexandria, several of the women had taken quite a liking to your rough-and-tumble redneck, acting on their desires whether they didn’t know you were married or did know and simply didn’t care. They were all over him, incessantly flirting until Daryl was red in the face. Whether that hue was from anger or embarrassment, you couldn’t be sure.

What you were sure of, though, was that he hated it, and he knew you found it hysterical.

“It’s kind of amusing to me,” you laughed, playfully stroking his arm, mimicking the behavior of the women you’d just watched fawn over your husband, “they see us walking around all the time, going home together to the same house every night, matching rings on our fingers, and they still haven’t put two and two together.”

“Need to learn to back off.” He fiddled with the hem of his shirt sleeve, a scowl forming on his lips as he ripped off a loose string.

Your eyes softened as you looked at him, a worry beginning to creep up in your chest. While you found the whole thing humorous, you hated to see him getting so worked up over it. “I mean, if it really bothers you that much, you should say something,” you suggested, but you knew that was easier said than done. Anyone who spent even five minutes around Daryl knew he was socially awkward. Hell, when you first met him, it was like pulling teeth to get him to say a word. Admitting he was uncomfortable to people he barely knew, to put it lightly, would be a struggle.

“‘S’not me m’worried ‘bout,” he clarified.

You cocked an eyebrow. “Then what is it?” Your eyes darted across his face, searching his features for answers. As realization struck you, you tilted your head slightly in his direction, hoping it would coax him into eye contact. “You’re worried about me?”

His nod was small, but it was enough confirmation for you. “Dun’ want ya gettin’ all upset ‘bout it.”

“Aww, Dar.” You rested your hand on his lower back, drawing small circles on the bit of skin that peeked out above his belt. “I’m not upset about anything.”

“Ya ain’t bothered?” he inquired. He finally lifted his head to meet your gaze, a hint of curiosity and doubt in those stunning cerulean pools. Although he knew you’d never lie to him, especially if something was bothering you, he worried you were playing up the hilarity for his sake.

You sighed softly, your award-winning smile on full-display in an attempt to comfort him. “No, of course not. Why would I be? I know I’ve got nothing to be worried about.”

“Certainly don’t,” he reiterated, “‘cause they ain’t you.”

Those four simple words sent your heart into a fit of flutters. “You’re sweet,” you gushed, resting your head on his shoulder and looking up at him, a sparkle of adoration in your eye, “I love you.”

He chuckled softly, the sweet sound like music to your ears. “Love ya too.”

General taglist: @raddydaddydude @lovenormandixon @angeldemoncrowley @negansbestie @holdmytesseract @dixons-sunshine

Hit me up to be added to or removed from the taglist 🖤

GIF, 'continue reading' divider and © message below were created by me. Three-heart divider was created by @/enchanthings.

[marigoldenblooms]

Drunken Confessions - Drabble

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff  x Agent!Reader

Prompt: You never called on her for anything, always staying at a distance from  Natasha. She was starting to think you hated her, that your lingering glances and continual avoidance was because you didn’t want to know her. That changes when you call her drunk off your ass at 1 am. 

MINORS DNI - 18+

Tags: Drunkenness, slight drunken confessions, mentions of harassment, Reader calls Natasha “Natty,” Natasha calls reader “Agent,” Natasha has a motorcycle, fluff, hurt/comfort.

A/N: Had this one in my word counter for a while, and thought I’d finish it up! Quick little doozy, wanted a break from all the smut totally wholesome drafts I have going (although none of my work is not 18+ even without smut content! Once again, Minors DNI!) Biker women own my heart (I’d love to do a proper Biker!AU if anyone’s got any ideas!) Asks/requests are open! Director!N x Actor!R x Actor!W is coming soon... >:))

Word Count: 777 - Read Length: 2 minutes, 50 seconds. Pictures aren't mine, credit to their owners!

~~~ 

It had been a while since you’d been out drinking, and even longer since you asked for Natasha’s help. You were acquaintances, perhaps even coworkers, but she thought it stopped there. You always avoided her- you were a beautiful stranger, lost in the night. And even still, when she heard her phone buzz with your ringtone this late, she picked up without a second thought.

“Agent?” She’d question, brow furrowing as she’d sit up, slinging her arm across her knee. She could hear the sound of cars around you, though from your heavy, stumbling footfalls you weren’t in one. You were drunk. 

“Natty..-“ you’d keen and she’d blush, wiping the sleep from her face as Natasha tried to ignore the sweetness in your tone, and the nickname on your lips- never used for her. She wished it came out of your sober mouth. You’d stop walking and she’d hear you huff, stuck in an alleyway you didn’t recognize. “I think I’m..-lost, I’m lost, fuck-“ 

“And I’m awake,” she’d respond, voice gravelly and thick, but focused as she’d pull on clothes, and you heard the rustle. Your voice would drop into a secretive whisper, still too loud to be actually effective, “Natty, Natty- are you…naked-??” 

“No,” Natasha would be grabbing her motorcycle keys and jacket now, slung loose over one shoulder before you heard the sound of her door, and seconds later the ignition of some vehicle. “I’m coming to get you, Agent. Gimme a landmark-“ 

“There’s a Mc…a Burger King, next to me, mm-“ Your mumble about being hungry was lost on her as Natasha’s tires would squeal across the road, its emptiness allowing her to climb speed quickly. Her voice was closer now, spoken through her helmet’s microphone, “Stay put, I’m on my way.” 

------------------------------------------

“He was… was callin’ me ugly-“ you slur, a blush alighting your cheeks. You’d hiccup, earning a chuckle from Natasha’s focused expression on the road. She’d picked you up minutes ago, careful to drive slower with your arms slung sloppily around her waist. You’d been telling her something about a rude man at the bar, disgruntled by your refusal to ‘go home to his smelly apartment,’ as your mocking voice had put it, “On the inside, and- and the…..outside, mhm!”

Natasha would chuckle again, expecting the insult to roll off your drunken facade, but instead your shoulders shook against her back. Slowing to a crawl on the side of the road, she’d look back to see your face looking crumbled- gleaming with tears. You hiccup again and Natasha turned off the bike, trying to soothe you with an awkward hand around you. She’d pull your side against hers, helmet in the crook of her other elbow as she’d whisper to you, “Hey, hey Agent, it’s alright, shhh..” Natasha’s hand would’ve risen to your cheek, prickling goosebumps down your spine as her thumb would wipe your tears away. Your fingers would’ve risen to hers, taking her palm gently before placing a kiss on it. She’d shift her hand away and you’d meet her gaze- her mouth was open, and your eyes darted down to it. “Natty..” your eyebrows would furrow, pouting as she’d escape your touch, “Why won’t you kiss me, Natty?”

“Because you’re drunk,” She’d roll her shoulders and you’d watch with wonder as her muscles moved beneath thin fabric, Natasha’s coat now on you. You’d have to pick your jaw off the road once you were done. Her words would almost startle you, “And you don’t know what you’re doing, Agent. Why did you call me?” 

“I..” You’d begin, yet your words left you as soon as you started them. You could never think when she was around- distance was necessary for professionalism. You hoped liquid confidence would be enough to bridge the gap, and ask the attractive redhead for coffee tomorrow. You overdid it. You forgot what she even asked, “But I want- want you. Don’t you want me?” 

Your declaration made her smile, and you decided then that you wanted her to do that again. Needed her to. Natasha shook her head, and she thanked your drunken stupor for you not noticing the blush on her face. She’d turn around, donning her helmet again- her voice muffled now, “You’re drunk, Agent. Let’s talk about this tomorrow, alright?”

“Mhmm..” You’d settle, pulling yourself against her back. “So warm..” you’d murmur, crooning into her shoulder. You’d hear the woman snicker, before the bike underneath you thrummed to life. Maybe if that conversation went well, your thoughts sluggishly considered- she’d teach you how to ride it. If Natasha’s playful snicker at your words was any indication, your chance was pretty high.

~~~

[forallthethingsyouvemadeof]

are you jealous or are you jea—

a quick heeseung headcanon (cause he's an ultimate bias wrecker). cw: jealous! heeseung. 2 pm kisses.

you knew heeseung kept his jealousy to himself all the time. the last time he saw you talking with jay, he didn't say anything then left with a goddamn 'enjoy yourself' and an awkward smile. even when you both go home, he casually makes your favorite toast as usual. oh, seungi. you're quite good at hiding things

so you decided to test his patience.

today's a warm sunday, considering the heavy rain every single day for the whole week. but still, the petrichor smell filled every room without exception. including your room. heeseung currently living his dream, his little hands holding the blanket tight. although it's not raining, the weather seems cooler than last week.

"heeseung, wake up love. it's 2 pm, we should get something to eat," you spoke slowly then tapping his broad shoulder lightly.

"mmh ... "

"heeseung, honey." for five minutes, all you got was just: mmh, bit more, and a weak yess hmm. for this reason, you decide to tell him a story.

"i met jay at the flowershop yesterday, it looks like he has a crush." heeseung hasn't opened up his mouth yet. you continued, "jay has a nice taste of flowers apparently.

i want that in a man," someone interrupts you, bringing you closer to his chest and letting his hands linger on your waist. this isn't enough, you begin to keep up the story. "he wore a black shirt, grey sweatpant with a jacket on. huft, that's quite—"

muah

"hm?" you're pretty sure the man beside you is awake. but he hasn't opened his eyes. "you know men look drop-dead gorgeous when they wear a grey sweatshirt, didn't think jay would be—"

muah

"i would like to see him ag—"

muah

"heeseung, you know quite well that i hate being interrupted while ta—"

muah

the kiss didn't stop. he pushes the back of your head closer, another hand caressing your back. the pecks aren't enough, he needs to devour you. his kisses are getting deeper as he pushes your shirt up high, and his hand brushes your bare back.

"don't talk about jay, please just—" you interrupt, it's a revenge. you kiss his lips, both of his cheeks, eyes, forehead, and his little nose. he's pouting, looking down at the sheets. this man is a whole new experience.

"well, you look hotter when you jealous."

"it's torturing me," heeseung begs. and you've found the counter attack,

"i would like to torture you more though."

[relicsongmel]

On Iris and Miles: the commonalities of Ace Attorney's most underrated duo

Ah, Iris and Miles...by this point it's no secret that the pair has one of my favorite dynamics in all of Ace Attorney. They're just...silly. Delightfully so. Autism-to-autism communication except their autism wavelengths aren't compatible in the slightest. Autism starers who hate being stared at lest the other see the hidden depths of their soul they’ve put so much work into hiding. Spacing out and getting lost in thought and needing to remind the other that they’re still there and the conversation isn’t over. Among many other charming little moments.

Of course, nothing in this series is surface level, and there's a lot more to be said about Iris and Miles aside from the fact they're both socially awkward disaster introverts who at times can barely seem to stumble their way through basic conversation (and believe me, I say that with nothing but love for them). In terms of fandom discussion, one of the most common things you'll see is conversations regarding Iris' canonical romantic feelings for Phoenix Wright versus Miles' subtextual ones (if it can even be called "subtext" at this point), and specifically how a certain bit of easily missable dialogue seems to imply that Iris is aware of Miles' feelings (which I give my thoughts on in this post here). And while analyzing their relationship from that angle can certainly be interesting...

There is so much more to Iris and Miles that I've never seen anyone else talk about.

Don't get me wrong; I don't think anyone's in the wrong for getting lost in Gay Lawyer Excitement. I'm far from innocent of it myself—it's compelling to think about, and the Narumitsu framework serves as a backdrop for much of my analysis on the franchise, BttT and Iris included. I just think it's reductive to focus solely on the possibility of love drama and jealousy between her and Miles, while ignoring everything else that makes that oft-referenced scene actually work—that being, the very way the two work exceptionally well together as characters, through the many, MANY parallels in their upbringing and traits that I can no longer be silent about.

In fact, I'm just gonna come out and say it: Sister Iris Fey-Hawthorne of Hazakura Temple mirrors Miles Edgeworth so goddamn much that she is quite literally the perfect choice for his first client as a defense attorney. And it's through this mirroring that his choice to defend her becomes so much more than a desire to help his childhood friend, or a chance to briefly live the life he once dreamed of at age nine—it's emblematic of his own personal self-acceptance and healing, and culminates his trilogy character arc in a beautifully full-circle, satisfying way. So, let's get into the details, shall we?

The first point I'd like to bring up is that Iris and Miles have a shared disdain of spirit channeling. There's some slight differences in how they express it—Iris' distaste is mostly directed toward the practice of channeling itself, as she states very early on in BttT. That said, she lives at Hazakura Temple even as an adult and continuously dedicates herself to her training, so she still has some level of respect (or at least tolerance) for spirit medium culture. Miles, on the other hand, rejects everything to do with channeling and mediums themselves/their lifestyle, as seen by how he angrily denounces Misty Fey at the mere mention of the Kurain Channeling Technique. The way his and Iris' lingering resentment presents itself is different, but the root of it is the same: The DL-6 Incident, an event that brought both of their families to ruin and left them with a great deal of trauma. They were inextricably linked by it years before they met—and though we never see Miles move beyond his denial of spiritual abilities (there's kinda a whole lotta other shit in BttT that needs to take priority), I like to think that he and Iris could have some very interesting conversations with each other on the subject post-canon.

Next, I'd like to point out that there's a noticeable parallel between Iris hiding herself away at Hazakura after Turnabout Memories and Miles “choosing death” after AA1. I'm of the opinion that neither of them had any intentions of returning to Phoenix, let alone explaining anything, when they set out to do so—Iris resolved to train endlessly as a form of self-flagellation penance, never appearing before Phoenix again so as not to hurt him any more, and Miles left his note at the Prosecutor’s Office with full confidence he would never again return to the courtroom (whether it was truly a suicide note is up for debate, but the game makes it fairly clear that before his offscreen epiphany Miles' initial choice was to leave his prosecutor career for good). They both wholly blamed themselves for being the reason they were even put in such a position, and their absences left Phoenix with unresolved grief as large as a mountain, and deep as an ocean. They both had events that brought them out of hiding—Miles chose to reforge his life and helped Phoenix from the shadows during Turnabout Big Top, and Iris received and accepted Godot’s request for help with his plan (though I’d imagine Phoenix’s presence caught her by complete surprise). They both were put through the wringer and came out of it resolving to reveal the truth. Phoenix, despite being hurt, wanted to believe in them both and ultimately decided to forgive them due to his unwavering faith.

Now, as for the events of BttT themselves, specifically Miles' choice to take up the mantle of a defense attorney and represent Iris in court, it's worth noting that he has multiple reasons for doing so. He just saw his best friend clam up in the hospital when pressed about Iris and wants to do what he can to help him heal, and in Miles' mind, truth in the most healing thing of all, so he becomes her attorney on the condition that she will eventually tell Phoenix what she's been hiding from him. The popular fanon joke about this is that Miles flew halfway across the world in a private jet when he heard his boyfriend was in peril, and took his attorney's badge simply because he couldn't say no to him—and they do have a point that that is an utterly Deranged™ way to express loyalty to someone...but I will argue until my dying breath that it wasn't just about Phoenix or Miles' latent feelings for him (or his latent jealousy prompting him to self-sabotage by pushing Feenris together). It was more than that.

Phoenix may have been the instigating factor, but I believe the reason Miles ultimately decided to defend Iris was because he empathized with her.

Because he saw himself in her.

A young, guarded individual stuck in the detention center for a murder they didn't commit. Going along with the punishment because even if the crime they're on trial for isn't the same as the one they committed, they believe themself guilty regardless. Stuck in a hopeless rut of neverending self-blame, and desperate to keep someone they care about from discovering the truth about them.

Sound familiar?

Miles doesn't make any promises to Iris initially, but after hearing her out...he learns of a tale all too familiar to his own experience in the defendant's seat two years prior, and he empathizes with it. He's far from upfront about his own feelings most of the time, but he demonstrates on multiple occasions that he actually has quite the knack for understanding other people's emotions (such as the end of BttT, when he explains to Phoenix that Maya is very emotionally resilient when there's someone she has to be strong for). Miles may have chosen the path of a prosecutor, but due to his upbringing of having been raised by Gregory, he has the instinct of a defense attorney—he feels strongly compelled to save people, whether they be the falsely accused or the victims of crime. And after finding common ground with Iris, he resolves to do the same thing for her as Phoenix once did for him—save her by proving her not guilty and giving her closure. It's an undeniably selfless act that speaks volumes as to how far he's come since we first met his douche-y AA1 self, and serves as excellent contrast for how we just saw Bratworth act in Turnabout Beginnings.

What really tips the scene over the edge, however...is that because Iris reminds Miles so much of himself, his offer to defend her becomes symbolic of his own self-acceptance.

While it's true he was proven innocent two years ago, and reinvented himself as the kind of prosecutor who can truly bring about justice for those who need it, and shows nothing but confidence in his newfound ideals...we never really see him acknowledge that he was worthy of such redemption. Certainly not with words, at least.

But thanks to Iris, we get to watch him prove it through his actions. Through his unyielding dedication to ensuring that this woman, who's clearly suffering from repressed guilt, knows that she is just as worthy as he was of being freed from her shackles, both real and self-imposed, by the all-encompassing light of truth. And I don't think it's a stretch to say that Iris found that inspiring. So much so that after a single conversation, she decides to finally let go of her need to obfuscate anything and everything about herself/her actions that could interfere with how she feels she has to be perceived in that moment, and begin to own up to the harm she's done by telling Miles what she did (in vague terms, granted, but this is the most progress ANYONE'S made in getting Iris to come forward with what’s on her mind to this point, which is still impressive). And for the first time, someone has helped her realize that maybe, just maybe...she could start on the path toward revealing the truth to the person most in need of the answers she's kept locked away in her heart all this time.

Iris wouldn't have found the courage to seek the truth if not for Miles. And it's because of Iris that Miles gets the chance to prove to himself that he was worthy of salvation all along.

They're perfect, your honor.

[romancerepulsed]

maybe this is a "hot take," but it's something i genuinely believe is true. aphobes can broadly be sorted into 3 categories: the uninformed, the bigot, and the bully. there is overlap between all 3, and i'm sure there are some people out there who are aphobic in a fun new way that i can't possibly conceive of yet, but i think these categories are fairly accurate and helpful for an aspec to recognize.

the uninformed aphobe is what it sounds like– they either don't know anything about the aspectrum or they've been fed false information about it. this is the only type of aphobe that is ever worth engaging with, and only to politely correct them and point them towards resources that would help them broaden their understanding. i'll be completely honest though: you'd be pretty damn lucky if you managed to actually singlehandedly change their mind. if they're not receptive to your corrections, simply move on. it's not worth the headache. you at least gave them something to think about.

the bigot, in contrast, is absolutely never worth engaging with. the bigoted aphobe is aphobic simply because aspec people are queer and they hate queer people. terfs famously used (and still continue to use) aphobic rhetoric as a sort of gateway drug for transphobia. the people who will argue that aspec folks aren't queer are often the same people who despise us because they associate us with queerness.

the third aphobe is actually the most common on this website, i think, and they're the reason i'm making this post. the aphobic bully may know full well the fundamentals of the aspectrum, but they will simplify and misrepresent it on purpose in an attempt to make aspec people look bad. aspec people have long been "acceptable targets" of bullying on this site for a reason that is fairly obvious to me but one i haven't seen anyone else point out: aspec people are largely neurodivergent. it's really no coincidence that ace discourse and cringe culture peaked at around the same time– they were one in the same, and the treatment aspec and autistic people received were (and still are) damn near identical. portraying aspec people as cringey teenagers who watched too many cartoons and are just too socially awkward for anyone to love them or whatever... it's a sentiment thats existed for years and years now. it took me a while to realize it, but this is why so many "tumblr funnymen" and other assorted popular blogs were/are aphobes too– they've got egos the size of china but they know they can't get away with blatantly picking on autistic people. so they'll hide behind a guise of aspec exclusionism, something that's unfortunately viewed as a real and valid ideology for someone to have. even aside from the thinly veiled ableism, bullies are always coming from a place of insecurity and projecting it onto other people. i've found that a lot of the most vicious aphobes are people who are struggling romantically or sexually. you can see them post about it, you can see even in the most recent discourse so many of these people are deeply stressed and hurt from whatever romantic or sexual struggles they're facing. to them, someone being unconcerned with those sorts of things is almost offensive because it means so much to them. they read it as a challenge to their own allo identity. so, why not take out that frustration on the aspecs?

it goes without saying that the bully isn't worth engaging with, either. they want to rile you up because it makes them feel better about themselves. don't give them that satisfaction.

[genderkoolaid]

I hate how sometimes as a transmasc guy I feel like I'm betraying the cause kind of. Like I end up feeling awkward about stuff that's supposed to be great for women because it's not for me anymore.

Most recent time came when I stumbled upon some reddit drama over women only parking spaces which are in better lit areas close to the exit. I don't want to side with the "I guess I'll identify as a woman for ten minutes while I park" types but sometimes I feel like I'm forced to shove myself back into the woman box if I want that safety.

Also the many "girls in STEM" opportunities. Like it's good that they're there, but I hate having to either feel really uncomfortable but still get the opportunity or try and navigate that world how a man would while I still look and sound like a cis woman.

Also this one orchestra I'm in, where a while ago we were trying to pick a composer to commission, and the director noted that he decided not to put any white male composers on the recommended shortlist. Again, I get where he's coming from, but then I worry that once I transition I'll be just another white male. Maybe that would net me some opportunities if I pass well, but it hurts a bit knowing that in some people's eyes I'll fade into the boring grey amalgamation of suits and ties oppressing everyone else.

I think this is a pretty common experience.

This is what happens when feminism fails trans men & other gender-oppressed people who are not women. Cisfeminism in general forces trans people to fight over who gets to count as a woman & therefore be deserving of feminist support, because the feminist framework being used was never made for us. The fact that trans people who aren't women- or aren't exclusively women, or are read as cis men- are vulnerable and under-represented goes ignored & we struggle to have our voices heard.

Its also part of the harmful ways trans men are expected to act in order to have our identities respected. We are expected to pass, go stealth (or at least not bring up being trans "too much"), and never talk about how our experiences differ from those of cis men. Nonbinary & genderqueer transmascs are expected to either dissociate themselves from men or never talk about being NB/GQ. We are told we are othering ourselves when we point out that groups in which cis men are heavily represented have never featured trans men to any remotely similar extent. It sucks and its part of "affirming" transmasc erasure: instead of being erased through misgendering, we are erased by having our transness ignored so no one actually has to confront societal & individual bigotry against trans-men.

[sglossmin]

MUSE | MYG pt. 3

Plot: What happens when the man you practically simp over in high school, is right now, sitting across you after almost 10 years of not seeing him? Worse? You’re here for an appointment for therapy and he’s your psychologist.

Pairing: SeniorStudent!Yoongi x JuniorStudent!Reader —> Psychologist! Yoongi x Artist!Reader

Genre: Fluff, slight age gap, slice of life, a bit of angst, schoolmates to lovers(?)

Warnings: talks about mental and death…erm lemme know if you found any disturbing heh Also mentions of earthquake:< (Praying for those who got affected by it)

Word count: How do u guys count here?

A/N: here's the part 3 y'all!! Thank you for the love and support this story is getting so far^^ It makes me want to keep going:) Comment your @ if you guys want to be added on the taglist:) Btw, the earthquake scene (hs days) actually happened (to me), I don't want it to make it seem like I'm making fun of these kind of stuff, so...just letting y'all know. This part was already written before the news, didn't want it to come off as mocking or something:<

part 1 part 2 read here^^

It wasn't my first time to go inside of this house, but it's different—cause it's his house now. The Kim's had looooooooooots of different antique furniture, his—simple, minimalist. Except for the liquor collection he has in his kitchen. The overall house looks pretty much the same except for the furniture. Some frames hanging on the wall, cute small cat decorations, his couch almost looked like a piano—black and white.

I wonder what his room looks like.

A small grin tugged my lips. He's letting me in his home, never thought I'll ever get to this stage.

Not gonna lie, that thought earlier made me feel like a creep.

I insisted that it would be better to eat at his since my house were not that...clean.

"Do you need any help?" I asked as we walked to the kitchen.

"No, I can't let you cook. You're my guest." Yoongi chuckled as he took out some ingredients from the fridge. "What do you want me to cook anyways?"

I couldn't seem to stop smiling. Good thing he's still stuck on the fridge while looking for ingredients. "Uhm...Anything! Surprise me."

He peeked out, slightly frowning at me. "I'll take that challenge..." he mumbled as he took out more ingredients.

I sat on the stool and across me, he started cooking. His back facing me while he chopped some scallion. Seeing his ingredients, I could already tell he's making kimchi-jeon (pancakes). Kids in our neighborhood used to pick on me and jungkook because of our last name. I think he's also making dakgalbi, is he making a breakfast or a whole feast?

I watched him cook for a while but felt too awkward due to the silence. Taking out my phone, I scrolled through my social media.

I sighed, seeing the news about the earthquake that happened to the other countries. Scrolling deeper, seeing the buildings wrecked, made my heart drop. It wasn't just the place and the infrastructures that were destroyed, but could also be the hopes and dreams of the people living in there. Tons of innocent lives seeking if there's any future left.

Yoongi seemed to notice my heavy sigh, I didn't even notice that he was looking at me.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up at him, the same curious and concerned eyes looking back at me. I dropped my phone to the table and smiled slightly at him—saying I was fine. I told him about the current happenings and he also felt the same sting.

Sometimes, I hate my memory. Being with him right now—talking about earthquakes, brought me back to that cursed memory.

Autumn 2010

Sana and Chaeyoung along side with the half of the class went somewhere to take some test. The other half including me and Jiyeon stayed inside the room, some were playing outside.

"Jiyeon, I'm hungry... Let's eat."

"Aren't you going to wait for them?" Jiyeon—who's also a close friend of mine—asked.

"Bet they're going to take long. It's almost lunch break now." I whined and took out my food.

Jiyeon don't really eat lunch so she just watched me as I eat. I keep on offering her to take at least a bite but she always refuse.

A few minutes after I ate, the surrounding seemed to move. I felt the ground shake for a second. It was quick and subtle, but we felt it. One of my classmate screamed and the students from the other room went outside. All of us were still processing what happened and since it stopped right away, we brushed it off. Even laughing when one us screamed.

Moments later, a teacher came in to us. She told us to get our stuffs and get out of the room. Thankfully, our room is in the ground floor—first room too. Jiyeon and I contemplated whether to get our friend's bag. Feeling the rush, we took it and got out.

Halfway through the line, we met them. They thanked us and took their bag. We told them what happened in the room and the way someone screamed.

"We were taking the test then we felt like we were moving and shit." Sana chuckled.

We got out of the line and lost them. Chae and I went to the court. Halfway through, we saw Sojin. She was raising this intermediate pad that has names written on it. We went to her and asked her what is it and what she was doing.

"It's my crush's name list." she said, as if it's the most normal thing to do in the current situation. "I have to at least confess or see them before this thing gets worse," she chuckled.

Hearing that, we left her to do her thing.

"She's my spirit animal" I chuckled and went to the covered court. Everyone was there, and surprisingly, including him.

I tapped Chae's shoulder, "He's here," I whispered. He's talking with some friends.

"Let's call Taehee to confirm if he's the guy she's talking about."

Hours earlier...

"He doesn't really post that much, no?" Chae mumbled as I rested my head on her shoulder as we stalked him.

"He's kinda familiar," our classmate—Taehee—said.

"What? You know him?," I said, almost sounding like a mock.

"What's his account?" she asked. Chae then showed him the profile. "Oh- Oppa?"

"OPPA??" Both of us exclaimed. Our head turned to look at her so fast I think I broke my neck.

Taehee nodded. "We weren't that close but we used to text a lot each other back then."

"Ey... Cut off the bullshit. Do you even have a proof?"

She shook her head and showed us her phone, "I already deleted our messages but look, we're 'friends' "

It did show that they're friends, but still, we refused to believe.

End..*

"So?" we looked at Taehee.

"Yeah, that's him. But I don't think he'll remember me."

Chae and I groaned.

I looked at my surroundings, till I saw some students taking a picture. "An earthquake happened yet they still managed to take pictures? Tsk"

"But...why don't we also?" Chae grinned. I looked at her weirdly, till she whispered, "And put him in the background..."

My eyes widened, amused of her sly idea. Yoongi was just few feet away from us.

HE WAS SO CLOSEEE.

"Come on, take a pic. Make sure I'll look good, okay?" I posed and smiled through the camera.

Then with some of my other classmates, we had a 'group photo'.

But seems like his classmates sensed what we were doing. "10 bucks if you guys wanna take a pic with Min Yoongi~" one of his classmate purposely said for us to hear. It wasn't loud but audible. All of them laughed—us too. Realizing we were caught, we stopped.

Yoongi was silent the whole time. Just quietly laughing with them.

"Neko is so cute" I giggled. "Even cuter when closer."

Chaeyoung giggled with me—too used to my insanity.

Everyone thought that they'll let us go home since we saw some senior students went out. Turns out, the reason that the teaching and non-teaching staffs in the school told us to get out of the building was to check whether a crack formed in the walls. After they checked every building and it is safe enough, we went back and continued the lessons as if nothing happened.

An hour later...

I still doubted that Taehee and Yoongi used to exchange messages back then.

"Let me use your phone then."

Without any hesitation, she gave me her phone. I chuckled and thought about what to message first.

Using Taehee's account, I texted him.

"Hi"

Few minutes later, he replied.

"Hello"

OEMGOSHHH HE REPLIEDDDD

I thought about what to reply but thought of nothing except this,

"So...u like bigbang and girl's generation?"

I remembered seeing in his account that he likes them.I gasped—HARD. Would it be so much of a coincidence if we stan the same group?

I gave it back to Taehee since it looks like it'll take him long to reply. While we were doing some project, Taehee lend it back to me, saying that he replied. This time, Chae is with me so I told her I texted him.

1 message

"Yes"

We squealed! We really stan the same groups.

"Who's ur bias? lol"

"Should we also ask him if he's gay?" I jokingly asked Chae.

Ever since we get to see him, we always contemplate whether he's gay or just feminine. There's no way a good looking and hygienic guy in his years are... Don't get me wrong but, he's just so different from the others.

"Yeah!" Chae laughed with me.

"Are you gay or just feminine?"

Hours before he replied again.

replied to : Who's ur bias? lol

"Taeyang and Yoona"

That's weird. Taeyang was my first ever bias in bigbang and Yoona is also my bias.

Chaeyoung and I squealed as we read the text.

"But he didn't replied to the other question," Chaeyoung frowned and snatched the phone.

replied to: Are you gay or just feminine?

"Ahem"

I gaped at Chae. "You did not..."

"I just did." She shrugged and smugly looks at me. "What? To cut off our dying curiosity too."

I rolled my eyes at her, not believing what she just did. I mean, it was kinda... weird way to ask(?)

Hours later again before he replied.

"Fem"

We were about to go home when we got the message. Chae and I gasped as we read it.

Yoongi finished cooking and hummed a song I've never heard before. The food smells so good that it made its way to my stomach. A soft grumble from my stomach made him chuckle. With the foods presented in front of me in a very delightful way, it felt like I'm at a five star restaurant.

"Careful, Mr Min, or else I'm going to think you're trying to impress me," I snickered, not knowing where did I got the confidence.

"Maybe... I do want to impress you." Yoongi's voice dropped an octave. Seeing my reaction, he chuckled and took a bite of his food. Eyes never leaving mine.

My earlier smirk was wiped off.

What the fuck? Did he just casually flirted back or I'm too deep in my delusions?

I blinked. Once. Twice. Till I noticed I literally stopped breathing. I choke out a breath and Yoongi immediately gave me a water. I felt my blood rush to my cheek and even to my ears.

"Are you okay?" He was tilting his head as he asked. Then I noticed it. He was suppressing his smirk.

I nodded and took a bite of the food he made. I sensed the way he quietly observed me. The time the food went to my mouth, I groaned softly how good it tastes. My brows knitted as I chewed it.

Yoongi seemed to be surprised by my reaction, "Do you...not like it?"

I quickly shook my head as I gulped it down. "What do you mean? It's really good."

He chuckled and subtly observed me more. Noticing that what I meant by frowning—is good food.

Moments passed by and we just ate quietly. It wasn't the awkward silence, but more like silence that is comfortable enough.

After a while, Yoongi cleared his throat to break off the silence. "Why did you left?"

Part of me already knew this moment will happen—that some old acquaintance will ask me this once we cross paths. But never have I ever thought that it will be Min Yoongi.

"It's just... I felt suffocated." I took a spoonful of food. Hoping that he won't ask further more.

One thing I'm a hundred percent sure about Yoongi after meeting him again— is that he's really great at this psychologist stuffs.

Personally, if I ever become a psychologist, I might end up manipulating the people around me. Analyze their body language and the way they show off their selves. Play with their heads like this is just all some sort of a game.

To be honest, I have more potential of becoming a patient—which is I literally am right now.

I thought of his question to be too personal. Especially since we're not even at the clinic. I felt awkward. Too exposed. Bare in front of him.

Winter 2010

Expecting no one to be at the library since it's still class hours, I went inside to read the latest volume of the manga I've been reading—Ouran Highschool Host Club. This manga might be the funniest shoujo manga I've read. A few years ago, they released an anime series adaptation. I was so thrilled when I watched it.

I sat at my usual spot. Taking out the manga and was about to read until I looked at my surrounding. I gasped when I saw Yoongi sleeping across me. Just a few tables away. His head was resting over his arms, sleeping so soundlessly.

Why is Neko sleeping at this hour?

The manga was forgotten by the time I saw him. I took out my sketchbook instead.

Observing every features of his face, from his fair skin to his brown hair. With his eyes closed and his lips pouting a bit, he looks so soft. His cute button nose...

I wanna boop his nose.

I made a quick sketch of him before leaving. I took a pic of the drawing for remembrance since I drew him too good for a short amount of time. It was about time for my next subject and I had to go. I signed my drawing with a cat -ㅅ- before slipping it in the book on his table.

I quietly giggle at the thought of becoming an anonymous artist.

I hope he won't think I'm a creep.

After having breakfast at Yoongi's, I tried to help him do the dishes—in which he refused, forcing me to go do my thing instead.

When I went home, I prepared the painting for Mr Jung in my studio. This is the only reason I took this house, with it's large vacant space, I can have a built-in studio.

Analyzing the painting, I made sure there's no dents nor faulty parts. I sighed and took my phone to update Jimin so he can send it to my client. I prefer that my manager have the contacts instead of me so that my phone won't be bombard by my client's demand.

While searching in my contacts, I got a text message from Kook.

"Sorry, noona. I slept too late last night. Promise, I'll make up it to you T^T"

"This kid..." I shook my head as I softly chuckled. I replied to him saying don't worry, just rest before walking towards to my closet.

I looked for a decent outfit for my meeting with Mr Jung. I picked a nice dress and a pair of shoes.

I showered while singing my ass off in the bathroom. Letting the warm water stream down on my body. With my newly bought vanilla scented body wash, I scrubbed my whole body with it. After showering, I felt so refreshed.

I blow dried my hair and put on the clothes. I decided to put on some light makeup. I tried to do it in the way those xiaohongshu girlies do their makeup.

"Why do I feel like I'm going to a blind date instead..." I snickered as I dolled up more.

Usually, it is Jimin who meets up with the clients since he's the communicator. So far, I've never met Mr Jung due to my busy schedule. Based on Jimin, he's a nice young man. That's all I have to know. I trust Jimin's instincts more than mine, so if he says he's nice, he's nice.

I'm going with Jimin today, he's going to pick me up in a few minutes.

I heard a car parking and soon after, my doorbell rang. I was greeted with a smiling Jimin.

"Morning," he smiled as he took the big ass painting in my arms, putting it in the back seat of his car.

Jimin opened the door of the passenger's seat, as I was about to hop in, I caught a glimpse of Yoongi drinking coffee in his terrace. Not even hiding that he was in fact looking at us.

Jimin saw my hesitation and followed my gaze. I heard him softly chuckled. "Come on, Y/n. We'll be late."

The fuck you smirking at, Mr Park?

I glared at him as he grinned back at me.

I went inside of the car and we drove off.

part 4 read here^^

A/N: the convo part where they were asking abt kpop, the real conversation I had with that guy, was me asking if he likes bts and twice (same response) and his bias are tae and nayeon>< Told y'all, this is based irl. And that mf reallllyyy looks good. He gives off some Taehyung and Sunoo (enhypen) vibes ngl. And we did asked him if he's gay or what. This is all real—most of it, yeah. And the drawing part from the earlier parts? That was real too. I wish I could show the pic...but I'm not sure if y'all be interested anyways-_- This is literally a Yoongi ff based on my hs days lmaooo I inspired this ff because I still think up to this day- "why am i running just to see a glimpse of him". The events that happened with this guy is just so funny I had to put it on SOME scenes (not all, cause nothing really happened btwn us-_-) so... other scene are really based on my delusions heh. The scene where Taehee called him "oppa" was used coz Yoongi's older, not "oPpaRR" (flirting). Using oppa feels so cringe since this ff is in english. I thought of using a male charac so it'll be "hyung" instead but the message might come off wrong.(If I use a guy, it'll come off like he has some crush on YN since he literally was willing to let her do anything.) I used it so that you'll see how DRY he texts--not giving a single fck abt Taehee. Do u get the vision?? Im sorry lol T_T T_T

Taglist: @choijay-07 @sanarin @yooforeaa @this-most-assuredly-counts @minniejim

[realcube]

WRATH & LUST . t.kei / y.tadashi

synopsis ✧ you hate tsukishima kei. you do everything in your power to make his life miserable but nothing works. now you have no choice but to fuck his best friend

cws/tags ✧ college au , enemies to enemies who screw, cursing, slut-shaming (both ways)

parts ✧ i. ii. iii. iv.

your friends call it 'inexplicable hatred', 'misdirected anger' and 'envy' but they couldn't be more wrong.

your feelings towards tsukishima kei were completely rational in your mind. he carried himself as though he was better than everyone and treated those around him like filth, yet he's still tolerated and his shitty attitude is even deemed charming by some self-loathing girls at your college.

it irritates you to no end how he behaves. too cocksure and too sassy; no dignified man should never act in such a manner, you believe. you could go on about other reasons you dislike him — his style atrocities and his punchable face, to name a couple — but you shan't.

you intended on going about your life, simply hating him from afar as you didn't see the need to stir up petty drama. but he made it impossible for you to do so.

one day he was sat behind you in a maths lecture. the seats are tiered so he is slightly higher up than you are. while making notes, his pen slips out of his hand and tumbles forward, landing somewhere under your desk.

you do the polite thing by making an attempt to search for it, but it is dark under the table you can't seem to find it.

a couple moments pass, and he remarks lowly, "are you just going to stare it?"

white hot rage courses through you at his comment. what ever happened to 'please'? to 'would you mind'? you were about to do him a favour by fetching his pencil and he still has the audacity to be snarky.

fuck that, he can pick up his own damn pen. you leave it alone and try to focus on the lecture.

you make it through the whole thing without him bothering you again, probably using a spare or borrowed pen. once the class has been dismissed, you gather your things and wait for the people in your row to start filtering out so you can leave, that is when you feel a gentle tap on the shoulder.

you turn around and lock eyes with a tan, freckled boy with mousy brown hair, he wears an awkward smile and point to your desk, "excuse me, my friend dropped his pencil and i think it landed under your desk. could you get it, please?"

his voice is meek and demeanour similar to that of a shy puppy, which is why it almost pained you to scoff at him and say, "tell your friend to stop being such a cunt, then maybe."

you rush out of the door, keen to get as far away from those two boys as you can. yet as you leave you hear the blonde's voice mutter in your wake, "what a moron."

after marinating on the situation during the retelling to your friend group, and a group vote, you came to the conclusion that perhaps your response to yamaguchi — you learned his name from one your friends — might have been a bit severe. but in your defence, you were peeved by the comment tsukishima had made prior.

it's as though manners and etiquette are totally lost on him.

ೃ⁀➷

two weeks passed since your last little altercation with tsukishima, and you were proud to say you haven't been involved in any conflict with him since then. mostly making snide remarks in passing or exchanging dirty looks in the hall.

however, that all changed when your professor was late to one of your classes. they expressed in the past that they prefer students to wait outside the lecture theatre when they aren't present, so naturally this caused many people to be clogging the hallways.

there was a long queue of people waiting to enter, you stood far away from the door, while tsukishima and yamaguchi happened to be standing opposite. you couldn't help but notice the outfit tsukishima had on: skinny light brown trousers with a black belt, and a pressed short-sleeve white shirt, that was a bit see-through.

you didn't know much about this guy but from his slightly toned figure, which was made apparent by his choice in clothes, you could tell he does some sort of sport. probably basketball, considering how tall he is, but maybe golf. he acts like a golf player.

lost in thought for too long, your finally yanked out of your own internal monologue by a familiar voice snapping, "what are you staring at?"

you blink, and before you even have time to process what he just accused you of, you blurt out, "has anyone told you that you're dressed like a slut today?"

yamaguchi must slap a hand over his mouth to suppress his burgeoning laughter. tsukishima's eyes narrow at his friend's offensive display, before they snap back to you and he argues, "really? me? i'm dressed appropriately. take a look at what you're wearing."

he motions to your outfit: jorts and a tank top. maybe not the most stylish choice but definitely not as whorish as his attire. "it might be more revealing but still not as slutty as you."

he rolls his eyes like what you said was contradictory, wearing smug smile. he wants you to believe what you said is nonsensical and 'proved his point' but all it does it anger you to no end.

not fond of his facial expressions, you retort, "don't pull stupid faces and play dumb. you're already dumb enough as is, so it isn't a very becoming look on you."

with furrowed brows, he opens his mouth to say something, but you cut him off, "and i can see your chest through your shirt. no one wants to see that!"

"you say that while your tits are out, have some self-respect."

"at least i have tits. you're wearing a short sleeve to show off the muscles you don't even have!"

yamaguchi is thoroughly entertained by this squabble, which is why it pains him to chime in, "uh, tsukki. the lecturer is here, let's go."

as much as he wanted to get the last word in, tsukishima glances between tadashi and the empty halls before he decides his education is actually kinda important and begins to make his way inside the theatre. it was good timing because he didn't have a witty response anyway.

your heart is beating rapidly, though you're unsure why. you gaze at the empty walls for a minute to collect yourself before heading into class as well. you totally won that fight, is what you tell yourself.

ೃ⁀➷

ever since the disagreement you had with tsukishima in hallways of the maths building, what was once comments and glares has escalated to threats and insults being made boldly in each other's face.

despite the fact you ate him up the first time, you've been on a losing streak since then. you feel as though nothing you say gets under his skin anymore.

you've tried belittling his face, his smarts, his personality, his mother but nothing seems to work. you even tried to ridicule his glasses but that didn't work either!

"hey, four eyes!"

"hey, five guys."

what the fuck? you weren't sure if that was a dig at your diet, your weight or your quantity of sexual partners but regardless, you could not let that slide.

verbal abuse wasn't working so naturally the next option was physical. you attempted to trip him in the halls but his legs were so long he stepped over you without even noticing. you attempted to pour milk over him but tadashi noticed and pulled him out of the way. you considered pushing his knees while he was standing in front of you but you realised that if he fell backwards his weight would crush you and you'd probably die.

all of that was so elementary and childish though; high school bullying at best. you need college level bullying. you thought about planting weed in his bag and calling the campus police on him but your friends said that was 'too far'. you thought about leaking his nudes but firstly you don't have them and secondly, he's already walking around college half naked anyway so he likely wouldn't be phased by it.

the hard thing about trying to torture a boy like tsukishima is you don't know enough about him to know what will truly drive him insane. you know he cares about his grades but sabotaging his test scores is beyond your means. he doesn't have any dignity so you can't humiliate him. even if you tried, his little gremlin of a best friend would probably catch onto you anyway.

that green haired boy was just as bad as his handler. always gawking at you to make sure you don't try anything; literally glued to tsukishima's ass at all times — it's so gross. and it gave you the most disgustingly perfect idea.

[motherraid]

ABSOLUTELY NOT DONE WITH MY SEBEK THIRST AND I TRULY NEED TO SPEAK ON THIS.

Sebek x AFAB!reader nsfw below the cut:

((Tw: somno(?) Dubcon(?) A bit of bullying and mean names/big boy words/pervy Sebek/dumbification? Maybe? I think?/and ooc sebek maybe im not sure))

We see so much Sebek as either the completely subby pillow prince or a sebek that's SO dominant he's like some mafia boss in a wattpad fanfic? It's all wonderful, don't get me wrong. But is that ALL we wanna reduce sebek to? D:

I absolutely CAN see and DO see most times where he's just subby and whimpering and crying, and it IS accurate, but it's not ALL that could happen! We need to start changing! it! up!! He's still Sebek for crying out loud! He'll end up having you crying and spaced out on his cock regardless of how bad you wanna ruin him.

Hear me out, pervy Sebek.

Okay, maybe when you aren't together yet he's mean and snarky, referring to you as "human" and pretending to hate your guts like always, but he'll still try to find excuses to perv on you!!!!! He's so enraptured that he can't help it.

Sebek's so needy that accidentally grazing your hand too high up his arm is a sin you need to repent for it with your pussy. You'd find yourself stuffed in an old broom closet or empty classroom in a heartbeat. He just can't take it anymore. He's already spreading your lips with two fingers and using his other hand to hold your hip in place, your ass squished firmly against the cold wall behind you and your skirt in a heap at your ankles. Who else have you been seducing while he wasn't around? He will not stand for your lecherous ways! He must protect his fellow classmates! The only way to do that is to make you cream on his tongue so many times that you can't think straight. Then, you'll be too tired to prey on any more poor, defenseless students at Night Raven College. Yank his hair, and that's another five minutes of him playing with your pretty cunt. Don't test him, harlot.

Your panties he'll be taking. Probably some lame excuse about your "punishment" for coming onto him like a shameless whore. But... We all know that by the time he gets back to his room in Diasomnia, he's soo horny from the anticipation. He wants to savor the moment, but before he can even pull his pants down he gets a whiff of you once he takes your panties out of his pocket. Now people can hear him mewling while he creams his pants through the walls.

"AND WHAT IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SEBEK THAT'S IN A RELATIONSHIP??!!! D:" I hear you ask (no one asked me anything. I'm delusional).

He still will not take no for an answer. He's not going easy on you just because you've won his heart. He is more gentle when initiating, but he still won't drop the "you need to be punished" bit. You've riled him up (you blinked in his general direction), and you have to take responsibility for your actions. He thinks, anyway... Everything is kinda fuzzy, so he can't really process the words coming out of his mouth right now. Sebek doesn't know whether he just cried that you're a horrible temptress or begged you to sit on his face.

Oh, and dont get me STARTED on the crocodile tears. Where's the Sebek that snivels with tears in his eyes while he's ramming his cock into you? Where's the Sebek that's so lost he disjointedly drawls into your shoulder about how you're so pretty and warm?? About how he can't stop himself? How you feel too good for him to stop??? Just one more round? Please?? Where's the Sebek that squeals and sobs when he's stuffed you with his cum for the umpteenth time?? Orgasm so intense his eyes cross and toes curl??? Nose buried in your hair and inhaling hard cause he can't get enough of your smell????? YOU'RE the one getting stuffed with his cock, bent and twisted every which way over any furniture or solid surface he can find at the time, so why is HE the one whining and moaning like a whore?

YES!! He is awkward and has no idea what he's doing, but after a while, he's so desperate he just.. Doesn't care. He's gets so erratic and clingy, and it's such whiplash from how proper and uptight he normally acts in public it's insane.

I need to see this boy's fae genes take over. I need to see this boy instinctively feel the need to have you bouncing on his dick all throughout your fertile window. His big dumb crocodile brain can't understand anything other than stuffing you full of his little hatchling(s).

And he would never curse at you once you two are together!! He'll only praise you. He'll tell you how much he loves you, how amazing you are, and how good you feel. He's got too much love to give, and he wants you to give him your love, too. So please sweet talk and praise him. He'll nut instantly. Even if it doesn't mean he'll stop slipping back into you after cumming all over the backs of your thighs. Praise him. Please?

He can't help it. He HAS to have you. It gets so bad he wants to start fucking you almost anywhere. Like a disgusting wild animal. Even if you WANT to take charge or ride him? He gets so carries away he just grabs your hips and snaps up into you over and over. Sorry babe, you can't tame the croc right now. Do you want to be in control? It's such a shame. Really is. Once you've riled him up enough, he goes into big dumb crocodile mode. And in big dumb crocodile mode he'll forget everything and fuck you like a fleshlight. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

But don't think YOU'RE the one being fucked stupid. This boy is a pile of mush on top of you!! He's mid hiccup, muttering how much he loves you into your ear, sobbing and slobbering onto the back of your neck. His jabbering is oddly sweet for someone bent over your ass, hips slamming yours so forcefully you're jerked forward with every thrust (or you WOULD be if his big ass wasn't smushing you into the mattress with his weight because he just DOESN'T have the strength to hold himself up with his arms or grab your hips right now. The most he can do is prop himself up on one elbow).

You're trapped underneath a giant who loves you so much he's unconsciously using you like a sex doll. After a certain point in time this boy's mind is so cloudy he's not even fucking you for your pleasure. He just can't stop. It feels too good and his hips are moving on their own and he's too far gone to consciously still them. He's so pathetic he can't even find your clit. His hand is just rubbing at the bottom of your tummy in circles on instinct, and he does NOT care to correct himself. You'll have to do that for him, sorry.

You can definitely tell that boy is half fae. His stamina is WELL beyond normal humans. Even now that you've blacked out, he still has yet to stop. In fact, he doesn't realize you're asleep. He's still crying about "one more round," "Just a bit more.. Please??" And, "A few more minutes." And best believe you're gonna help the damn boy. I mean, how are you REALLY going to refuse him now that you're asleep anyway??

Huh... Actually... Maybe he DOES know that you're asleep.. I don't think he'd be guiltily snapping pictures of your unaware face to jerk to later otherwise.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

If you could cut out specific episodes/scenes to make our canon square healthier, which would you cut our? Like, if you wanted to convince someone that the canon love square was OK at least, which episodes would you avoid them watching?

I know Derision is an easy one, but I think s5 has a ton of other crap it tried to pull to give us some "tension" on adrienette getting together. The show already HAD reasons for them to struggle! (Waves at the whole reasons lukanette and adrigami broke up?? They could have had them wondering if those issues would mess with this new relationship??)

I haven't enjoyed the canon square since season three, though I think it still could have been salvaged after season four. I'm not sure if there's a way to make the square healthy while including any of season five. It was such a mess and that mess goes beyond the romance, making it so that I wouldn't want anyone to waste their time with canon. There are just better shows to watch so why bother.

However, I'll look through the episode list and list the ones that strike me as having done the most damage to the square in seasons one to four. I'm only including episodes that need major changes to work. Episodes that need minor tweaks aren't on the list (ex: Oblivio is 95% golden, you just need to remove Chat Noir's flirting getting them hit and replace it with standard bad luck which is a really minor change).

Animan - this is the one with Nino crushing on Marinette which was a terrible idea. It's awkward, undermines Alya and Nino's relationship, and makes it feel like Adrien sees no romantic potential with Marinette which is a questionable move in a romance

Gigantitan - this is the one with Marinette and her friends making that awkward rickshaw date plan (Operation Secret Garden). It makes Marinette look a little too pathetic for my tastes. Her failing to ask Adrien out only "works" when it's not a major focus of the episode. Stick to more minor failures like the gift in The Bubbler

Glaciator - while I like this episode in a vacuum, having Adrien confess was a terrible idea because it makes Chat Noir's flirting come across as pushy in later episodes. She said, "no" dude. Let her go. This episode only works if it's close to the characters getting together.

Syren - Chat Noir comes across as selfish and a poor communicator here, issues that are never addressed thereby undermining the square. Either address the issues or don't introduce them!

Troublemaker - this is a nitpick, but letting Adrien see Marinette's wall of Adrien and having it lead to nothing was disappointing. The wall of Adrien is also just a generally questionable addition as it makes Marinette's crush feel more like a celebrity crush by undermining Adrien and Marinette's friendship. You don't have a wall of Adrien if there's a chance that Adrien will come to your house.

Frozer - Chat Noir is a jerk here showing off why Glaciator was a bad call. Ladybug doesn't owe you a relationship, dude. She said no. Stop pushing.

Animaestro - Marinette is a jerk here. Adrien is allowed to date other girls. He's not even on a romantic date! He's just Kagami's escort for a movie premier. Sabotaging Kagami makes it feel like Marinette isn't ready to be with a celebrity because Adrien will likely be seen with other famous ladies.

Cat Blanc - don't let the male romantic lead knowingly kill the female romantic lead if you want them to feel meant to be

Mr. Pigeon 72 - same issue as Gigantitan. Marinette's crush is just taken a little too far for comfort if this is supposed to be a romance for the ages

Glaciator 2 - while I like the later half of this episode, the opening is painful. Ladybug hating the idea of being with Chat Noir is not a good look this late in the game if this is your end game couple. Chat Noir's pushiness is equally uncomfortable. Ladybug's disinterest needs to be played way softer, especially since this isn't that long before the crushes flip.

Ephemeral - Ladybug's plan is horrible and makes her look terrible. Plus we're rehashing the Cat Blanc issue: don't let the male romantic lead be unable to resist betraying the female romantic lead if you want them to feel meant to be

Kuro Neko - no one looks good here. Terrible addition to the show. Completely unsalvageable. Burn it with fire.

As for season five, I think the only episodes I'd keep are Evolution and maybe Kwami's Choice. That second one is terrible in a lot of ways, but the Adrienette bits are genuinely cute.

Reading through the episode list made me really appreciate something I've said before: for the first four seasons, it really was just a handful of episodes that killed these characters. While there are consistent issues, most of them are minor ones that really only pop because the bad episodes are so bad, making you judge the minor issues harsher than you would if the bad episodes went away. Many of the ones I picked could still work if you let the characters actually learn lessons and improve.

Reminder, this isn't meant to be an ultimate list or anything. It was just me reading through the list and noting any one that made my brain go, "oof, yeah, that one was dumb."

[discordiansamba]

was rotating another thought while making dinner about an idea in which, after being duped by azula at the start of season two, zuko makes a frustrated wish to not be so easily tricked by people's lies... which gets heard by a spirit that's a bit of a trickster.

or: zuko wakes up the next day and realizes he can now hear people's thoughts. this wasn't what he meant, THANKS.

zuko responds to something that iroh didn't say out loud. he just stares at his nephew- and then quietly asks zuko in his mind if he can hear him. zuko stares at his uncle in confusion. of course he can hear him. he isn't completely deaf. what kind of-

uncle why aren't your lips moving.

he cannot for the life of him shut it off. the more crowded an area, the more thoughts he can hear. it's headache inducing.

iroh helps zuko develop a few meditation techniques that help with the constant background noise of other people's thoughts.

he gets a. really rude wake up call when he encounters azula again, and can hear her laughing at him in her head. he knows she didn't even think twice about attacking uncle, because he could hear her think it- and then do it.

but he can also hear the genuine concern and desire to help in katara's thoughts. so when she offers to help heal iroh... he lets her this time.

(also, can they all stop thinking about how he has hair now.)

katara heals iroh. she says he'll probably ideally need at least another session to be certain he's free of any unexpected complications. zuko can hear that she's suspicious of him, but her concern for iroh outweighs it.

zuko tries to avoid them. they try to give zuko space. it's very awkward all around.

toph does not care about any of this. toph cares about the nice old man who gave her tea and good advice. zuko doesn't even need to read her mind to know about her conversation with iroh- she just tells him as much.

...and well. he's been hearing uncle's thoughts for weeks now. he knows beyond a a shadow of a doubt how much he cares about him.

long story short: zuko ends up tentatively joining the gaang here. mostly it's just for his own self-preservation at first. it's obvious azula doesn't care if he dies. he has better odds if he sticks with them. he still tries to keep his distance- but it's hard to do that while on the saddle of a flying bison, while you have mind reading powers.

(he goes with them to wan shi tong's library. he asks one of the knowledge seekers if they have anything about being able to hear people's thoughts. he doesn't really find anything conclusive. great.)

iroh makes the choice to part ways with him at ba sing se. his nephew has a chance to pass through the city unnoticed, but iroh cannot say the same for himself- at least, not if he's in the company of the avatar. zuko can hear for himself just how hard a decision this was to reach.

zuko: also. what's the white lotus.

(iroh sweats)

what's up it's round two of hearing your sister's thoughts. he hates it as much as the first time it happened.

zuko, meet joo dee. there's literally nothing going on in that woman's head. it's freaky.

(BA SING SE IS SO NOISY.)

at least the upper ring is a lot quieter. the gaang just watches zuko constantly get headaches and nod to themselves. yeah, that's zuko. he's just cranky.

how to find the avatar's missing bison: just read long feng's mind.

no need to figure out a way to tell everyone else this. just go get the bison yourself. also uncover a secret brainwashing facility?

toph knows something is up with zuko. she's just not sure what. his heartbeat just randomly went crazy when they were talking to long feng. and then when he comes back with appa and says he overheard the dai li talking? a total lie. spill it sparky. what's UP with you.

zuko: ...I could tell you, but none of you are going to like it.

sokka: try us.

zuko: I can hear everything you're thinking.

sokka: ...okay, yeah. I don't like that actually.

aang: zuko! you should come with me to meet the guru! maybe he can help you with the mind reading thing!

(he cannot, but zuko appreciates the offer.)

time to read your sister's thoughts! part three! she still makes zuko the offer to join her, but this time he can hear all of her underlying thoughts. she needs his help? more like she wants someone she can blame if things go wrong.

(but they don't. things always go right for azula.)

[seiwas]

sniff hiccs i’m back begging for mattsun + friends -> lovers + stomach (ALSO ILY)

thanks for sending saint!! sorry i'm getting to this so late, ily 🥺

mattsun + stomach + friends -> lovers

contains: pining mattsun, christmas fluff!, seijoh 4 dynamics bc ofc they are a scheming conniving bunch, kind of ambiguous?? but there is def something, suggestive innuendos, fluff!!!!!!!!

ugly christmas sweaters aren't issei's thing. not one bit.

they're itchy, first and foremost, and you'd think, with something that horrendous, they might as well have some kind of redeeming quality (like wool-soft thermal lining)—but nope, they're equally as uncomfortable as they are ugly.

the hem of this year's sweater, in particular, rides up his disproportionally long torso, making it impossible for him to reach forward or upward for anything. the cuffs of his sleeves land at that awkward length that just barely covers his wrists, leaving his fingertips cold. for issei, an essential criteria of any good sweater is that the sleeves must be long enough for him to pull over his knuckles—a quality that this one definitely does not have.

plus, it's ugly. (did he already mention that?)

"oh shit," takahiro wheezes, holding in his laughter as he reads the text on issei's sweater. he bites down his side comment and nods his head instead, "i respect it."

issei stares at him, deadpan.

since arriving at hajime's apartment for your group's yearly christmas celebration, issei's kept himself confined to the kitchen. there are many reasons for this: one, the alcohol is much easier to refill back here; two, not everyone's arrived yet; and three—

"'unwrap me, baby?'" hajime steps into the space, eyebrow raised as he tilts his head at the very obvious red bow adorning issei's sweater. the gold text on the fabric is even more evident.

"i swear," takahiro tells hajime as he swings an arm around issei's shoulder, "if this isn't his profession of lo―"

"shut the fuck up," the taller male elbows him as hajime chuckles across the room, "it's the stupid theme."

issei hates christmas sweaters, and yet every year, without fail, you manage to rope him in to wearing one away. regardless of its stupid theme.

"well, they should be around ten minutes out," hajime replies, checking the notifications on his smart watch, "so if you plan to… you know…”

issei shrugs, taking another sip from his glass of gin, "s'just a small crush."

but everyone knows it's much more than that.

.

you and tooru arrive with arms full of gifts. one by one, you approach them, present in one hand as you go in for a hug with the other. it's a typical, normal thing you do, but his heart instantly hammers the moment you stand in front of him. the soft smile you give him is one he knows well, and if he wants to be a little hopeful, it's one he thinks you give to him, alone, too.

your arm wraps around issei's waist as you lean in for a hug, the blend of your shampoo and perfume hitting him all at once. the alcohol has done much to ease his mind, but little to dull his senses, his arm instinctively bringing you closer. when you linger in his hold for just that bit longer, all his thoughts turn silent.

everyone’s known of this thing between you and issei for a while; it's hard not to notice after all the years of mutual pining and undeniable chemistry. it’s even gotten to the point that tooru’s added the event of you and issei getting together to his christmas wishlist.

but, you always say you don't think issei sees you like that, because if he did, he would have said something by now. which, to issei's defense, the only reason he hasn't said anything is because the last time someone tried to ask you out, you said, "i'm not looking for a relationship right now."

takahiro argues that it's been a few years since then, and that your answer would have been very different should issei have been the one to ask. but still.

"'santa baby, oh baby yes baby,'" hajime squints at your christmas sweater, reading the words slowly.

"dude, you have to stop reading that shit out loud," takahiro groans.

tooru laughs from the couch, "unwrap me, baby’ and that? cute! you’re talking through your sweaters."

issei's expression remains unbothered as he watches you turn shy, meeting his eyes for a brief moment before walking over to join tooru on the couch.

"at least issei's the only one who takes the themes seriously,” you jokingly huff and pout.

.

issei should have known his friends were up to no good tonight, with the outright teasing and the weird way hajime’s been acting this entire time.

the kitchen is surprisingly full right after dinner; cleanup duty is typically left to you and issei because it’s the only other thing the both of you can do—plus, it makes for a perfect combination: your speediness in cleaning the countertops and his ease in handling dinner plates make for an efficient team.

but tonight, everyone’s seemed to fit themselves into the tiny space, pushing you closer and closer to one another.

“mattsun, can you pass that big bowl in the cupboard?” tooru calls out, pointing at the space overhead.

issei’s gaze follows the direction of his finger, his arm reaching up high to get it.

then, it happens too quickly after that.

from an ‘accidental’ bump to a slight shove, hajime backs up into takahiro who manages to push you out of balance, leading you to cling on to the next best thing to keep you standing—

which just so happens to be issei’s stomach, lean muscles and smooth skin on full display from the way his christmas sweater has ridden up while reaching for the bowl that tooru just so happened to coincidentally ask for.

he shivers almost instantly—whether from the coolness of your fingertips or the plain fact that it’s you, he has yet to determine.

you look flustered, apologising profusely as you turn to move away, but as everyone else seems to exit the space, issei puts his hand over yours to keep you in place.

the action makes you still.

“you okay?” he manages, still a little dazed as his eyes look for yours.

the stare you return is a mixed bag of shock, confusion, and uncertainty—as if you’re not sure if you’re reading into this correctly.

so maybe it’s the alcohol, but when he jokingly asks, “taking ‘unwrapping me’ literally, huh?” while motioning to his sweater, he doesn’t think much beyond the intention of trying to lighten up the mood—of trying to make you laugh despite the awkwardness of the situation.

your eyebrows shoot up briefly before you dissolve into stifled laughs. the hand you’d rested on his stomach relaxes and you feel him do the same, his subtle sigh of relief blowing small wisps of hair away from your forehead.

this is enough for him—just the two of you in the kitchen, laughing over another one of these mishaps like it’s happened plenty of times before (because it has; too many times that he wonders if it’s normal for friends to find themselves in these situations).

but you push it just that bit further and tease him back, snorting as you mimic the words on your sweater, “guess i should say ‘santa baby, oh baby yes baby.’”

and if you both notice the evident hardness pressing into your thigh, neither you nor issei says a thing about it.

a/n: this def crosses a boundary in their friendship and they get together after a few days, just in time for new year’s 😌 unmentioned but reader has also had the fattest crush on mattsun since forever, they’re just really good at hiding it. and reader also thinks that mattsun is just naturally flirty with everyone else (he isn’t).

[hellodaekko]

Morgan has had crushes before but those hopes get kinda dashed due to the nature of his powers. He always dreamed of meeting someone and getting to know them organically and it gets ripped from him so early on. He resigns himself into accepting that if he met someone he was interested in, its likely he'll never get to experience that mutual slow burn connection that non-seers get to.

Enter Seer Obscura and oh my god his heart just sings with joy because OH SHIT!! SOMEONE LIKE ME!! SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO IS HOT!!! SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO IS HOT AND A LITTLE UNNERVING AND I GET TO LEARN ABOUT THEM IN A WAY THATS ORGANIC AND THATS HOT!!!!! At first its just a physical, face value attraction because he knows next to nothing about them upon first meeting and they're just like... kinda scary? Intimidating? Most people avert their gaze when meeting his, and as much as he prefers that people treat him like he's a person, he's pretty used to the opposite. That became his normal. But Seer Obscura just. Stares back.

Intensely, and unwavering. At least most people can agree that Morgan is a very kind man--polite and patient--so faltering from his gaze isn't from any sort of fear from them or an intensity that he gives off. That is not the case for Seer Obscura. There is no sweet smile to accompany their line of sight. Just deadpanned and straight-lipped.

When they choose to ignore some of his prodding they just stare at him. There isn't a response that beats around the bush, a response that playfully avoids questions that they aren't comfortable answering yet, just silence. The occasional twitch of their lip indicates that they were going to respond...and then choose not to. They pick a question from the litter another moment later, and answer that one. That's hot. Maybe it's a little rude? No, it would be more rude if they chose to not engage with him at all after requesting to see someone-- the other seers definitely would not have had the patience to be as genuinely understanding as he's trying to be. Ehhh, they have pretty eyes its okay. It helps him feel more at ease. At least they aren't being passive aggressive. They don't have that same sickly saccharine lilt in their voice when they answer that other people do. He hates when people treat him like that. He decides he enjoys this sense of honesty. He tries to very casually invite them into his life via friendship. He understands if they decide to fuck off forever after this initial encounter in the Sodality office but when they agree to stick around, be in his company in the future, to accept his guidance? It takes everything in him not to jump and click his heels together. BECAUSE MORE THAN ANYTHING he's just soooo excited that he isn't alone anymore. Seer Obscura could've came to him as an elderly person with five kids and 8 grandchildren and he still would've tried to befriend them because finally someone gets him. Finally, he meets someone in this world that he can get to know as opposed to knowing them already while he remains a total stranger. When Seer Obscura first calls him in the dead of night, he finds he's more honest in his feelings. Much easier to make laugh than usual, and it's not very hard normally. They're really funny, in all of their awkwardness. Because that's really what that intensity actually is-- just awkward and quiet. Why answer something you're unsure about when you can take your time to be honest and sure in your choice of words. They don't award people a smile when it's unnecessary, if they aren't happy, if something isn't funny, why should they smile? They don't feel any better doing it. It makes other people feel more at ease, but they don't. An interaction doesn't magically become easier for them by adding a bunch of fluff to it. "I like to take my time to think. People say they appreciate others being careful with what they say, but they want it done quickly. I can't do that-- I'm just not wired that way. So I'll stay quiet and think until I'm satisfied with what I'm trying to convey. Maybe I should mention it when I first talk to someone." That's how they think anyway, and Morgan finds it fascinating. He hangs on every word, every breath, because of it. He has to keep himself from giggling like a schoolgirl when his offer of breakfast makes Seer Obscura laugh. He made them laugh. 'I made them laugh' Seer Obscura notices the glimmer in his eye, the bite of his lip as he tries to keep himself from smiling as he guides them into the kitchen. They can barely make out the pink dusting the apples of his cheeks, the tips of his ears. They don't comment on it. They don't have to. It's small, but they smile again.

[bambifornia]

huuUOOoLRgGghh fiinnne I can't stay away from you all

i bring more autobot!swindle. plus my attempt at writing his backstory

disclaimer : most of the stuff below isn't canon i just wrote this for fun. if u guys wanna make ur own swindle backstories i invite yall to do so :D we will make our own swindle content

swindle came online during cybertron's early years of the age of expansion. the autobots (with their goal to expand cybertron's empire) engineered a set of bots who would serve cybertron as its intergalactic merchants, programmed to be ambitious bots who sought profit. they also came with bigger processors (for storing transactions and whatnot) and versatile frames (so they could withstand organic climates)

shortly after coming online, swindle was assigned a teacher (another merchant) who'd pass down the knowledge of the trade. swindle did his best to keep up with his lessons

as a student, swindle was determined and clever. as a bot, though...eughh...

- he had less of a filter, and didn't know how to keep a poker face

- his little new England accent used to be a lot thicker (think earthspark swindle)

- very friendly, had a lot of amicas back in the day (he was definitely the "I know a bot" guy). it was a struggle for him to keep quiet

- loved hands on activities, hated sitting still

- kept a journal detailing his intergalactic trips. tried to doodle any organics he found interesting

- LOVED shiny stuff. he was like a crow lmao

- his sharp glossa would sometimes get his aft beat

- despite being a chatterbox, he wasn't as suave back then. he'd often get himself in awkward situations, which he'd try to talk himself out of the embarrassment but he'd end up digging a deeper hole for himself

- petty king. also kinda nosy and had a thing for gossip

- loved pranking, and teased the bots he liked

once he was ready, swindle was given a ship and assigned a trading post (as a starting point). from that point, swindle was a rootin tootin merchant and nothing bad ever happened to him again :D...

...

until the quintessa skirmishes

the age of expansion ended with border disputes between cybertron and quintessa. multiple skirmishes sproutted along the border, and while swindle didn't fight in them, he was certainly caught in the crossfire. swindle ended up with a broken ship, a looted inventory, and a bungled up frame. he had to return to cybertron for repairs

back on cybertron, swindle finds a planet wildly different from the one he knows. tensions between autobots and decepticons are rising, and the banks aren't holding up that great. swindle finds himself in a tight spot (financially speaking) since he still has to deal with his losses from quintessa. unable to go back to his actual merchant job, swindle resorts to taking odd jobs to keep himself afloat (yes, even stealing)

when the war breaks out, swindle gets drafted into the front lines (a decision that still baffles him to this day). since he's not much of a fighter, the autobots have swindle work as a spy, ordering him to smuggle weapons out of decepticon servos...

in future hindsight, that was a poor decision

---

wrapping it up here because i don't want this post to get too long LMAO but I still have more ideas for him if yall are interested. just know that this is not the end of swindle lore

ALSO I finally came up with autobot!swindle designations :D I've narrowed it down to 3 and I need help deciding. it's either between

quickdime - cuz. you know. he's always looking to make a quick buck

treasury - his subspace acts like a treasury if you kinda think about it

fortune - idk it sounds cute. besides fortune tends to "favor the bold and clever"

if u made it this far then congrats. thank u for listening to me yap. have a bonus doodle