#and...everyone else basically. eventually.

[senilthesynth]

*sigh* he did not strike down the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. The Equal Employee Opportunity Act was signed in 1972. What he *did* do was strike down an executive order that Lyndon B. Johnson signed in 1965 requiring federal contractors to basically implement aspects of what would eventually become the EEOA. He striked down an executive order requiring federal contractors to have non-discriminatory hiring practices & work on affirmative action to create a more diverse workforce - this doesn't mean that contractors *can't* do those things (well, if they're fine losing federal contracts), just that they're not *forced* to (which let's be real, a lot of them are definitely going to stop because it means federal contracts).

He chose that wording so people would conflate the two, and it worked to his benefit, as his administration wants and expects - I don't blame you or anyone else for falling for that, he did it for a reason. Mind you, a ton of businesses ARE federal contractors, so this is still pretty wide reaching, but it *still only applies to federal contractors*. If your employer has zero federal contracts, there is legally nothing forcing them to change course, nor is there anything enabling them to do so just yet.

Will they try to strike the EEOA proper down? Absolutely yes. The only thing he has been able to do is strike down executive orders that predate the laws that ensured the principle of the order stayed between presidencies - that, and make the institutions that exist because of those laws nonexistent or unable to do their essential job function (which like, we've seen that play out plenty in the last month). Unless you work for a federal contractor (or are looking at companies that take federal contracts), nothing changed for you legally as of Jan. 23rd.

Panic about *what's to come* because this is a massive red flag with neon lights that is 100% signalling that they want to do this. Do not get me wrong, they *want* that outcome. They want the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 to disappear, and we SHOULD be freaking out and figuring out how the fuck to prepare for that possibility - both in terms of how to prevent it from disappearing, how to pressure states to create their own version (if they haven't already), and how to best support everyone that will be impacted. They want to tear back every right that anybody that isn't a cishet white male has achieved since the 60s. *Please still freak out and prepare for that as their end goal*.

But for now, for a little while longer until it inevitably gets challenged in court, the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972 still exists. You are still (technically) protected under it, as well as any potential equivalents that exist at your state's level.

(The EOs he's repealed almost certainly require various institutions - private and public - to operate against established law that technically supercedes EOs, which will inevitably drag both his orders and the laws that are in direct conflict with them into courts and the odds that things go in his favor are VERY high, and since we know that they're doing all of this on purpose, we DO need to plan for when these laws end up being challenged and potentially crumble as a result)

Trump basically declared disabled people ‘unfit to work’ as he put it by revoking the Equal Employment Opportunity Law of 1965. It means employers no longer have to legally give accommodations to disabled employees. This will render so many Americans jobless and barely anyone is talking about it because disabled people like me are treated as expendable.

[leeknowsnot]

SKZ when you suddenly call them with their full name

I am posting every entry I have written in my notes app to make it up to you guys. 😭😭😭 Anyway, happy hearts day to everyone!!

CHAN

— his eyebrows are immediately raised and he's looking at you like "Did you just call me with my full name?" with eyes wide enough for you to poke them

— you pretend you don't hear him and just continue on with talking to him and calling him Christopher

— he's immediately on your tail like a kid, asking the same question all over again you can't help but pinch yourself to stop yourself from giggling at how cute he is

— he calls you all sorts of cute nicknames to make you surrender to his cuteness

— eventually you do give up and when you start calling him back with your nickname for him, oh my God he smiles at you so cutely you could just dive into his dimples

— you are spoiled

MINHO

— definitely the type to call you back with your full name

— you challenged the wrong person, now he's gonna be the one who'll call your full name with EVERY sentence he'd say until you admit defeat iT BACKFIRED SO BAD

— evERY CHANCE HE GETS HE'S GONNA DO IT

— especially when you guys are out with friends, he's gonna call your full name WITH YOUR MIDDLE NAME people are gonna start staring

— you start ignoring him whenever he calls you your full name on purpose and oh does that annoy him eventually

— the audacity to ignore him and be annoyed with him when you were the one who started this little game, right?

— "kitten got a taste of her own medicine?"

— he's gonna punish you for being such a bad kitty wink w0nk

CHANGBIN

— his pouts are aLL OVER THE PLACE

— whoever sees him gets a free show over a man with biceps pouting like the big baby he is

— he'd feel a bit off at first but eventually gets used to it eventually cause he dares not to pick on how you want to call him

— even if it's a bit weird, he'll tolerate and learn to accept it if that's what you want

— tELL HIM IT'S JUST A PRANK HE'S TOO WHOLESOME FOR THIS WORLD 😠

— would be weirded out again trying to adjust to being called with his nickname again when you finally stop with your prank

HYUNJIN

— will give you an offended stare as if you just committed a sin

— no cuddles for u because he said you're not his gf and says he doesn't know u

— he's gonna make such a big deal abt it to the point Chan would be calling you in the middle of the night asking you if you guys fought cause Hyunjin's acting so weird, like he's so pouty and edgy

— so when you said it's only because you called him by his government name for a prank, Chan L O S E S it

— you'd find a pouty Hyunjin in the morning, complaining cause Chan gave him an earful for maging a big deal out of your prank

— he basically forgot you were the one who started it . at least he's pouty over Chan instead of you anymore

HAN

— waterworks EVERYWHERE

— how dare you make him cry

— the moment you call him Han Jisung it's over for him

— the London Bridge is falling, Eiffel Tower is collapsing, the icebergs are melting

— "Is he better than me? Is he treating you better at least?"

— sTARTS ASKING QUESTIONS THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOU LOVE SOMEONE ELSE NOW BC HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH AND HE THINKS YOU DESERVE BETTER

— expect him pulling all-nighters writing a sad love song

— when you explain to him that it was just a prank, he immediately bursts into tears, either in relief that you still love him or bc you messed with his feelings 💀

— how dare you make him cry pt.2

— turns the sad love song that he wrote into a body roll song

FELIX

— he immediately catches on and knows it's a popular prank trend amongst couples so he plays along

— but ofc he's still making sure it really is a prank and you're not actually mad at him

— your friends would be looking at you both weirdly and think you guys have broken up but maintained good friendship

— his friends only know you by nickname so when they saw your caller id on Felix's phone and it was your actual full name, they were having multiple question marks as to why Felix was being all so chummy and sweet with this (Y/N) on the phone

— the next time you meet them they'd be shaking while trying to tell you that Felix has been cheating on you with someone named (Y/N)

— oh my God you and Felix die from laughter

SEUNGMIN

— tbh he doesn't care

— he'd been trying to get you to stop calling him smookie poo, pookie, moochie bear, and all sorts of nicknames the past weeks so this was actually a win situation for him

— he enjoys it too much he starts frowning at you when you go back to calling him the nicknames

— "Where'd the 'Yah, Kim Seungmin' go?"

— 10 out of 10 he loves the prank, would definitely avail for more 💀

— Now he won't stop demanding you to do it again

I.N

— immediately thinks he did something wrong but he just sITS THERE PROCESSING AND STARING AT YOU WITH HIS FAKE EYES OPEN

— he'd malfunction so bad how can you do this to him

— he's already clumsy as is but bc you're making him overthink, he's unintentionally breaking and dropping stuff all over the place

— in the "is-she breaking-up-with-me/did-she-find-someone-better" lineup

— he doesn't show it tho

— he tries not to at least

— would send you all sorts of gifts; flowers, chocolates, champagne, stuffed toys, you name it—it's his love language

— he'd actually try to win you back from this "new guy"

— when you tell him it's just a prank, he doesn't talk to u for a few days and gives you the silent treatment

— i mean, you obviously had it coming

[always1star]

valentines day with jjk men

Gojo who goes all out: taking the day off, spending thousands of dollars, making sure the day is absolutely perfect for his darling. He takes Valentine’s day very seriously. He wakes you up with your favorite breakfast in bed, one that he spent way too long making in the very early hours in the morning. He finishes off breakfast by gifting you a considerably large bouquet of red roses and a teddy bear the size of an actual bear. He beckons you to eat and get ready so you two can spend the rest of your day together. You go shopping (and come home with armfuls of designer shopping bags), go to a restaurant (that costs basically your entire paycheck for the appetizer alone), and drive around the city in one of his all-too-nice cars. You both fall asleep the second you come home, exhausted from all the love shared throughout the day. 

Geto who likes to treat Valentine’s day as if it were any other date. Don’t get me wrong though, because every date with him is special and unforgettable. He picks you up from your workplace with an assortment of purple, pink, white, and red flowers. He plants a kiss on your lips as you get into his car, and the two of you head to the restaurant that you seem to always come back to. Dinner is eaten, conversations are spoken, and the two of you head back home to watch a movie. Whether it be The Notebook or The Conjuring, movies are always enjoyable with him. The two of you bundle up under one blanket on the couch and share a couple snacks, very much enjoying your Valentine’s this year.

Nanami who prefers to do Valentine’s at home. Although going out and spoiling you is nice too, he would much rather stay at home with you. A mundane day is his favorite, considering his incredibly demanding life. So, for Valentine’s day, he skips out on whatever overtime he may be forced into, and comes home to you with some white tulips. You two make and have a candlelit dinner, bake a cake, watch a shitty romcom, have a warm bath while talking about your days, and sleep entangled with each other. It’s nothing special, but it’s something the both of you couldn’t keep yourselves from looking forward to. 

Toji who truly is trying his best. It almost makes you hysterical, seeing him be so stupified by a holiday for love, but you know he just wants to try for you. He comes home with totally irrelevant gifts: lilies (which is normal), a whisk, red towels, and play-doh. You’re dying laughing, clenching onto your core and holding onto the counter for support as you fall over from laughing. He’s just utterly mortified. So, in an attempt to make it up, Toji invites you out to dinner. Toji loves to see you all dressed up, so this is great for him too. He treats you to dinner, but the wait for a table during Valentine’s is absurdly long at every restaurant. Toji ends up taking you to get some random ramen place he knows, and after treating you to ice cream. The two of you come home and fall asleep. Some people may not have considered your day favorable, but you think it’s absolutely perfect and wouldn’t trade it for anything else. 

Sukuna who doesnt give a single flying fuck about Valentine’s day. But, he is willing to give it a chance this time around, just for you. He grumbles as he walks through the store staring at all the people deciding what to buy for their loved ones. He eventually picked up a box of chocolates, a bouquet of pink carnations, and a white stuffed bear because those just happened to be the things that were popular amongst other shoppers. He looks online for date ideas, and figures tickets to a museum wouldn’t be so bad. He surprises you with the gifts when you come home, and you are so excited. He thinks that maybe this whole “Valentine’s” ordeal isn’t so bad after all. He’s trying, and maybe soon he will see improvement, and that’s wonderful to you. 

lowkey a filler post bc my real valentines special is not done... enjoy this instead. happy valentines, everyone!

[kitsunexgari]

Summary: You have been dating In-ho for quite awhile, and though things are amazing, there’s one fantasy you’ve always wanted to try. Something a bit darker than usual. One night he surprises you with your darkest desires. Tags: Edge Play, Torture, Fear play, Dom/Sub, Restraints, Consensual but pretty insane. Knife play, spanking, fingering, face fucking, orgasm denial, forced orgasms, humiliation, degradation, dirty talk, Read with Caution. Notes: This story is definitely not for everyone and may contain elements that people aren’t entirely happy with. Please read with caution. This story is for adult entertainment only. 

You have been dating In-ho for quite a long time now and both of you get along amazingly. Luckily when it all started you were both into the same things, wanted to explore the same concepts and eventually went from normal BDSM into edge play. Your sex life was anything but boring or vanilla but there was something in the back of your mind you always wanted to try. 

He always seemed kind of hesitant telling you that you wouldn't like it, that the fantasy was better than the reality. Not that he was really being dismissive or rude, just concerned that it could be too intense and scare you a bit too much. You reminded him that you had a safe word so if it got that way then it wouldn't matter but he didn't seem too keen on it. You figured that maybe he was right and you could live without that fantasy at least for now.

Still every time you entered the house alone it was on your mind. The thought of some intruder grabbing you, taking you somewhere “against your will” and forcing you into submission. Of course, the fantasy was for In-ho to do this while pretending to be someone else, and also, you knew he could because of who he was. You could see how it may not interest him, basically asking for him to “work” and also have sex with you but it never left the back of your mind.

In-ho had been out of town for a bit for work and you were returning from your own job. As you head into the kitchen to heat up some leftover food from the night before you are grabbed from behind. A knife presses into your throat as a hand covers your mouth. You scream and struggle until you realize you recognize this hold, you recognize this scent, you know exactly what and who this is even if you never expected it in a million years. Your heart is still pounding because he doesn't seem very keen on breaking the immersion of this fantasy despite your reaction.

"All alone?" He growls in your ear. 

"Yes I-" 

"SHUT UP!" he snarls, the knife pressing into your skin sharply cutting it just a bit. You hiss with pain but your body shivers with pleasure, completely stunned he's using a real knife but you have no complaints. He's done things like this before and you've always loved the little marks he's left to signify how much he owns you. "I know exactly what I'm going to do with you, little girl." 

You can feel him as he rubs against you a bit, how aroused he is already. You are a bit stunned as he always made it seem as if this scenario didn't interest him in the slightest but it is now clear that he'd been lying to you about it. He leans in and bites at your neck roughly, on the other side, as he keeps the knife pressed where it's already being held before he reaches up and grabs you by the hair yanking your head back so you are forced to look up at him at a nearly impossible angle.

"We are going to have a lot of fun," He grins. The switchblade he's holding is pocketed and you are pulled by your hair into the next room where he quickly pins you face first into a wall. "Such a pretty little cocktease you know I've been watching you for awhile." He grabs your ass, squeezing it painfully hard before yanking your arms behind your back and tying them at the wrists with some annoyingly rough and irritating rope but that just adds to the rest of the sensations that he is providing you. 

"Please-" 

"Please what? Do you think I fucking care what a little fuck toy like you wants? No...you're mine now and I will do what ever I please and you will do what I fucking say...got it?" He snaps though he doesn't give you any actual time to answer before he lifts you and throws you over his shoulder roughly. You squeal, not expecting that at all but he pays no attention to it. You are far too small and powerless to fight him, even if you actually wanted to, and now your arms are restrained behind your back making any effort futile. You kick your legs a bit which really only earns you a slap to your ass. Then another, then another. He's not being gentle either, in fact, he's using as much force as possible and it's harder than it's ever been. You are sure it will bruise but the idea of that only makes you wet. 

"Please...sir I don't want-" 

"The fuck did I just say about what you want?" He snarls and heads up the stairs with you. "Who's even gonna stop me, that weak little boyfriend of yours? Yes...I know." 

"He's-" 

"Oh no bitch...I'm your Daddy tonight." He cuts you off. You enter the bedroom and he throws you onto the bed with very little regard for your feelings, almost as if you are just a sex doll there for his pleasure. He looks you over with a gleam in his eye. The switchblade is once again removed from his back pocket. You whine and back up on the bed but there isn't much you can do with your hands tied like they are. The blade pops up and he joins you, crawling over you to hold the knife right where you can see it. Your eyes naturally focus on the weapon in his hand. "Going to be a good girl?" 

"Y-Yes..." You breathe but he slaps you roughly and then grabs your chin forcing you to look right back at him. 

"YES. WHAT?" He demands. 

"Y-Yes...Daddy." You whimper. 

"That's a good girl," He replies in a voice that is as sinister as it is soothing. He runs his tongue over the knife lewdly before he moves the blade down to your blouse, using it to slowly and meticulously pop off each button until he has it open. His strange grin gets even bigger when your breasts are partially exposed but he wastes no time cutting the bra open from the front to release them. "Fuck..." He leans in, starting to lick over your chest, seemingly making sure to leave behind as much saliva as he possibly can. 

"Please!" You beg pathetically, though what you really want is his cock you also don't know what kind of punishment you will get for not cooperating or what he'll do to you if you start begging like a pathetic little whore. 

"PLEASE! PLEASE HELP ME!" He taunts in a mocking voice before using the knife to make a cut across the top of your breasts, nothing that will scar or bleed too much but enough to sting. You cry out in pain and look away from him before he grabs your hair and turns your head back to look at him, roughly, and spits in your eyes. "You better start acting like the whore you are for him, you think I don't know huh? Bet you suck his cock real good little girl." 

"I...I don't-" 

"You don't what? I know what girls like you do...what you want...you fucking whore." He accuses moving the blade he's been using to your lips. "Give it a kiss...for Daddy." You whine and try to shy away but he persists until you have no choice but to kiss the blade. He laughs before violently stabbing the knife into the wall right by your head. Not expecting that you scream loudly, that seemed like a close call. 

"FUCK!" You yell then shy away from him as you notice that he didn't like a scream that loud in his face. 

"Fuck? Is that what you want? Thought you did, glad to see you're coming around on this." He grins. He pats your face roughly as if you are some sort of idiot lap dog before running his hand roughly up your thigh and under your skirt to your panties. "Looks like someone's hot and wet for Daddy..." He teases. You thrust up towards his hand and can't help but moan. He growls, shoving your panties aside to get two fingers in there roughly. You moan again and he leans in, capturing your mouth in a sloppy wet kiss. It seems he's intentionally being awful at this which only really makes it better.

"You think I'm really going to let you cum like this huh? Before me? Before DADDY?" He asks. You look at him, dumbfounded, then shake your head no slightly. He laughs, removes the fingers from your cunt and jams them into your mouth roughly, making you choke and gag, his other hand holding the back of your head in place so you can't possibly get away from this. "Think again...Daddy cums first and then maybe if you make it real good he'll let you cum too. Got that?" He pulls his fingers from your mouth and you gasp and cough trying to get your breath back. 

"Y-es Daddy...of course..." You pant. 

"Now...show me how you suck his cock." He tells you. He grabs your ankle and slides you down until you are on your back. Getting over you he unbuttons then unzips his pants, getting them down only far enough to get his cock out. He straddles you so he's right over your face, stroking himself a few times but he's already incredibly hard. Dripping precum. HIs hand moves to your jaw to pry it open before he jams himself in there angling his body in just the right way that he slips into your throat if you like it or not. "Oh yeah...fuck...that's a good little girl bet you don't ever let Daddy do this do you? No, you're too fucking good for that shit...stuck up little spoiled princess..." He's panting and even growling like an animal as he starts to fuck your throat almost as brutally as he'd fuck your cunt. It's restrained, of course, but it's still pretty rough. Not that you care, he hasn't ever done this before and you are in absolute heaven being used in such a fashion. 

"That's right...you're nothing but a dirty little bitch huh? I know you’re nice and fucking ready for me aren't you? But you aren't getting this cock...no you're just getting my cum going to take it like a good girl and like it." He pants and speeds up a bit. You know the best thing to do here is just relax and take it but luckily at this angle it makes it much easier for him to do what he's doing and keeps the gagging and choking to the minimum. You are already an expert at deep throating so that was never a problem but he's never attempted to literally fuck your throat. His groans are loud, coupled with angry almost feral growls as he continues his assault. Every so often he pulls back just enough to make sure you can get in a few gasps of air before going back to it until his hand grips at your hair tightly, yanking it back. 

He lets out an almost glorious roar as he cums but he makes sure to move back to get it in your mouth and then stroke the rest of it over your face and hair. You swallow when you get the chance, gasping loudly as you don't expect the rest of it. He smiles and sits back, admiring his work before he grabs your throat and shoves you until you are sitting up and looking him in the eyes as much as you can through the cum he left on your face.

"You pretend like you don't know what you're doing but you fucking know...I know all about girls like you. Get up." He snaps. All you can do is nod and scramble to your feet the moment he releases you. He gets up as well, tucking his cock away as you feel a sad pang that you won't be getting fucked with that tonight and yet, it'll still all be worth it, you are sure whatever he's about to do will make up for that. Grabbing your hair again he forces you down to bend over the bed. You struggle with your restraints and he shoves your skirt up over your hips to expose you from behind. He pulls the belt from his pants easily enough and lashes you a few times roughly. 

"Such a pretty little cunt...nice ass too...bet he loves that." He snarls and strikes you again causing another scream. "FUCKING THANK YOUR DADDY FOR TEACHING YOU A LESSON BITCH!" 

"T-Thank...Thank you Daddy! I deserve this!" You yell back without thinking. 

"Deserve it...for...what?" He demands punctuating the last two words with the most brutal slaps yet. You are sure he has broken the skin there and you become more positive as the belt drops and he grabs your ass again, squeezing it tightly. You scream.

"Thank you Daddy! I...I deserve this for being such a horrible...cockteasing...slut!" You sob, mostly because you are so desperate to cum it's painful and he's only denying you the pleasure you seek. He chuckles and slaps your cunt with his hand next as it is in the perfect position for that with how you are bent over the bed. For whatever reason, that's enough to send you over the edge to your climax. You squeal and writhe against the bed, pulling at the restraints around your wrists roughly. 

"Oh....no no little girl no one gave you permission to do that, you cum when Daddy tells you to cum," He breathes in a deliciously evil voice. His fingers penetrate you again, roughly but knowing exactly what you like. You squeal, as you are hypersensitive right now but he doesn't show any signs of relenting. He starts to use his thumb to stimulate your clit. You scream in pleasure and in pain almost unable to catch your breath, struggling to get away from him just as much as you struggle for more stimulation your body doesn't really know what it wants. "Aww is the poor little slut tired of cumming already?" 

"DADDY!" You screech but it doesn't matter, a moment later you a climaxing again and again, against your will but fuck...is it amazing. Pain, ecstasy, everything combined into one until you are certain you will pass out. Seemingly only after he's milked your body for every last orgasm it can possibly get he stops and removes his hand. He pats your ass gently and picks you up in his arms kissing your forehead. 

"You okay?" He asks softly. You glance up at him lazily, noticing his playful grin despite all his protests about not wanting to do this before you can see how proud he is of his own performance, and yours as well. 

"Yes," You whisper, "Thank you." 

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." He says, then carries you towards the bathroom. You don't think you've ever experienced anything so intense with him before and you are grateful that this is the type of thing you two can share and enjoy together. 

[spectoo]

tuna mayo ! miya osamu

chapter five – post shower surprise

wc 2203

MDNI.

if you'd like to join the taglist , please fill out this form !

22:46.

You stepped out of your foggy shower, and grabbed your towel. As you began to wipe leftover droplets of water off yourself, you couldn’t help but think about the events that had happened earlier in the day.

School wasn’t terrible today, as you only had two lectures, and–

You began to shake your head ‘no’, while continuing to dry yourself.

Oh, my apologies, not that early.

Right, at about 14:30 today, [L/N] [F/N] ate lunch at Onigiri Miya after Sakusa Kiyoomi had ditched her. The owner, Miya Osamu grabbed her plate from her table, and put it on the counter, while basically telling her to eat while conversing with him, so she wouldn’t be lonely. The best part? He asked her for her phone number before she left for work.

As you finally began to put your undergarments on, a small redness appeared on your face. Just the whole thought of it was making butterflies appear in your stomach. A feeling you haven’t felt since highschool.

Your mind eventually moved on from Osamu, and moved to work. Your eyebrows began to furrow, as it all came back to you.

To put it simply, the PR team for the MSBY Black Jackals decided to make a TikTok, essentially asking each member “Who would be the first to go to jail, and what would they be in for?”. You were a part of this video, due to being chosen to be the interviewer.

Earlier, 15:49.

“Do you all understand how this video is gonna go, or should I go over it once more?”

You were currently in the main gym, standing in front of all members of the team with a small microphone in your hand. You look to see everybody shaking their heads, giving you the ‘go ahead.’

��Great. I’ll give you guys some time to prepare your answers.” You turn to look at Meian, and speak again. “Meian, you’re first, alright?”

He gave you a thumbs up, and with that being said, the older members split into their own group, laughing about who they’re going to choose, Bokuto and Atsumu went to the locker room to quickly fix themselves up, and Hinata and Sakusa walked over to you. It’s safe to say that you were still somewhat upset over Sakusa leaving so abruptly, and as they approached, you crossed your arms. Hinata was the first to talk.

“Hi [L/N]! You excited to be in the video? It’s your first time, right?” 

You nodded your head. “Yeah, I guess I am pretty excited.” You then quickly look at Sakusa, and can see him visibly tense up. “So, how was the early practice? Hmmm?”

He side eyed the ginger for a short period of time, and eventually did a full 90 degree bow. This caught you by surprise, causing you to step back.

“I’m sorry for ditching you, [L/N]. Truth be told, there was no early practice.”

Your eyes widened, and numerous thoughts began running through your head. You were right about him lying to you! You were so right to the point where you didn’t even catch the fact that Hinata had also stiffened, and began to lightly sweat.

Was Sakusa about to rat him out?

“I knew it. So, what were you doing then?” You asked once more as Sakusa began to straighten himself up from his bow.

Before the taller man could speak, Hinata spoke instead. “Ohhh, Sakusa ditched you? Now, why would he do that?” He put his pointer finger on his chin, and began to tap on it lightly, trying to imitate someone who was thinking deeply.

You squinted your eyes, and made a face of disgust. “Why are you acting like that?”

“Acting like what?!” 

The way that Hinata immediately defended himself attracted the attention of everyone else in the gym, due to the loudness of his voice, causing them to stare for a bit, and eventually return back to their conversations.

You sighed dramatically and pinched the bridge of your nose. “Sakusa, it’s fine that you ditched me. I just wish that you actually told me why you wanted to leave. Hinata, I don’t even know why you’re being weird. Is there something you want to tell me?”

You look at him, and cross your arms once more, while he begins to scratch the back of his head with an awkward smile plastering his face. “Nope. Sorry, [L/N]!”

“Okaaay…” You moved your head more to the left, seeing the camera man waving his hand at you. “Well, I gotta go start this video. See y’all soon.” 

With that, you walked past the both of them, and once you were out of earshot, Sakusa nudged Hinata’s side harshly.

“Ow, Sakusa! What was that for?” Hinata whined, rubbing the side of his torso.

“What was that for? You almost exposed us, you idiot.” 

“Almost exposed what?” Sakusa gasped lighty and Hinata screamed while the both of them simultaneously turned around, to be met with Atsumu’s curious face.

“U–uh, well um-mm–”

“HINATA!” 

Before Hinata could mutter out an answer, the three of them turned their heads to look at a raging [Y/N], with her pointer finger covering her mouth, indicating for them to shut up.

Present time, 22:47.

Even though you decided that you would drop the fact that Hinata and Sakusa were acting oddly suspicious, it still kind of stuck with you.

As you finished putting on your sweatpants and hoodie, you couldn’t help but wonder what they were possibly plotting. ‘Could they be trying to surprise me with something? No, maybe not.’

Using your head to think about these things was ultimately frustrating. You did say you would drop it, so eventually, that’s what you did. You took the towel out of your head, and began to put in as many products as needed, resulting in you letting it air dry.

Finally, your nightly routine was finished. The only thing left was to scroll mindlessly for about an hour before falling asleep. After you walked out of your bathroom, you quickly went to your living room to clean any excess things, such as organizing throw pillows, putting any water cups in the sink, etc.

As you were doing that, your phone was lying comfortably on the arm of your couch. You heard a singular ‘buzz’ coming from it, and went to go check on it.

When you saw the notification you didn’t expect, you immediately this rew it across the room. Thank heavens your floor was carpet.

Your hands covered your mouth as you began to feel a rush going through your head. ‘He texted that fast?! I thought it was going to take him at least a couple of days before actually texting me! What the–’

You sped walked to the spot where you threw your phone, ultimately picking it up and responding.

You quickly sat down on the couch, and put your phone next to you. 

‘Is this actually happening?’

Yes, [Y/N], this is actually happening. You’re about to facetime Miya Osamu. Truth to be told, you didn’t even need five minutes. You live by yourself, meaning your apartment is usually clean most of the time, but there can be small messes here and there.

In the five minutes you had before facetiming him, you turned all your lights off, except your floor lamp to create a chill atmosphere, and got comfy on the couch, making sure you were in a position you were able to actually relax in.

Finally, you feel the vibrations of your phone, and mentally prepare yourself. Words could not even describe the excitement you were feeling right now. Was he feeling the same way?

After a few buzzes went by, you answered.

[bold + italics are osamu, bold is you]

“Hello?”

“Hey, Miya.”

He was sitting at a desk with a couple papers scattered around, most likely to do with his business. From what you could see, he looked pretty normal, not tired at all. He was wearing a white tee that hugged him in all the right places. You couldn’t help but wonder if he wore that for you.

“Yer livin’ room all clean now?”

You smiled, and responded, turning the camera to face towards your ceiling. “All clean. Would’ve been done earlier if you hadn’t distracted me, though.”

He chuckled, and averted his eyes to something that was most likely on his walls. He looked back at the camera, and put arms on his desk.

“Where’s yer face at?”

You smirked, and responded. “Why do you want to see my face?”

“Well first of all, it’s called Facetime for a reason. Second…”

He didn’t speak for a bit, and you stared at your phone, awaiting an answer.

“I miss your face. I uh– I know it’s kinda strange ta’ even say that, but yeah.”

You thought that was a good answer. A really good answer. You grabbed one of your pillows, and laid it flat, balancing your phone with it, basically giving him what he wanted.

“Thereee we go.” You couldn’t even hide the smile present on your face, and due to that, he began to smile as well.

“Happy?”

“Very. Now, how was work today?”

As the both of you began to converse about your shift, you didn’t even think about how nervous you were. Talking with Osamu was like talking to an old friend of yours. He didn’t make you uncomfortable one bit, and you really appreciated that. It just felt all too natural.

“Wait, so Sakusa and Hinata were actin’ weird?”

“Yes! I swear I don’t know what’s up with them, but I kinda just decided to not think too much into it.”

“I see. Did he at least end up apologizin’ for ditch’ ya?”

“He did.”

There was a small gap of silence between the two of you since you knew you had more to say, but didn’t know how to word it.

“Ya’know, Miya…”

He let out a “hm?” while still keeping his eyes on your face.

“I’m kinda glad he left me.”

“Yer glad that yer friend left ya all alone?”

“Well, no. I didn’t like that. But, if he didn’t, then we wouldn’t have talked as much as we did earlier.”

You could visually see him begin to think, and once he started nodding his head slowly, you figured that he understood it.

“Ya gotta point.”

“Right?”

Your many conversations with one another ended up going until 1:22 in the morning, until you decided to end the call. You were getting tired, and he was as well.

1:22.

“Miya.”

“Yeah?”

“I hate to end the call, but I can feel myself dozing off.”

He laughed, and grabbed his phone. “I can tell.”

You began to fiddle with your fingers while smiling, but then, you remembered what’s been on your mind since the first time the two of you met.

“Hey, before we hang up, can I talk to you about something real quick?”

“Go for it, no need ta’ ask.”

“Okay, well I– um…” You avert your eyes to your ceiling for a second, before continuing. “I’d rather not really tell anybody, especially Atsumu, that we’re… in communication. Well, for now, at least.”

He stayed silent for a bit, staring at his phone. You also didn’t speak up, as you didn’t even know what else to say.

You heard a small hum come from the other line. “Yeah, I kinda wanted ta’ mention that to you as well. He’s gonna go nuts if he finds out I’m talkin’ to ya.”

“Oh, why?”

“In all fairness, you were his friend first. Somethin’ I learned growin’ up with him, is that he doesn’t like sharin’ his friends.”

“Well, you know what? Tell him to shut up.”

Osamu laughed, causing you to start giggling. After that little fiasco was over, the both of you just looked at each other's faces. You were analyzing, and he was admiring.

“Goodnight, Miya.”

“Goodnight, [L/N]. Come back to Onigiri Miya, alright?”

“You know it.”

𐙚 Bonus

“Who would be the first to go to jail, and what would they be in for?” You held the microphone up to each individual player, awaiting their answers.

Meian: “Barnes, for sure. He’d be in for probably killing some people. I think he’s secretly in the American mafia.”

Tomas: “Inunaki, because he would be a drug dealer, and when I say drugs, I mean cocaine, ecstasy, etcetera.”

Bokuto: “Uhhhhhhh… Meian! I dunno, he seems like the type who would randomly hit someone with a baseball bat!”

Sakusa: “Bokuto. He’d be in for tax evasion.”

Barnes: “Bokuto, and something to do with not filing his taxes.”

Hinata: “Oh, for sure Bokuto! I don’t think he does his taxes!”

Inunaki: “Meian, but I don’t know what he would be in for. Maybe… maybe breaking traffic laws?”

Atsumu: “Who do I think would be in jail?” He points at you. “You. Knowin’ you, you’d probably commit genocide.”

*everybody silently agrees*

[Y/N]: “It has to be someone on the actual team, asshole.”

Atsumu: “Oh… uh, Bokuto. Tax evasion.”

Bokuto: “Stop choosing me! I do my taxes!”

Atsumu: “Then stop yer complainin’ about it, would ya?!”

author's notes !

𐙚 little bit of a filler episode since i didn't really know what to write , but it's cute , ain't it ?

𐙚 happy valentines day !! love ya , reader-chan ٩(＾◡＾)۶

taglist: @reuka1 @enepsigosthelast @arwawawa2 @miruac @loveelylani

[thedubiousdallon]

Okay here's the basic premise for my Heartbroken! Taylor AU. Danny and Annette visit Toronto on their honeymoon, and Heartbreaker decides he's interested and kidnaps her. 9ish months later, Taylor is born. Taylor has an interesting childhood event by Heartbroken standards, because Annette often has enough lucidity to remember and miss the man she married and the life she would've had, though never enough lucidity to actually want to leave Heartbreaker (and only once enough lucidity to put herself between him and Taylor. That's not the kind of thing Nikos would let slide). As a result, Taylor grows up a bit closer than her mother than most of the Heartbroken are to theirs, and she grows up hearing - occasionally and in secret - about the man who would've been and who might maybe possibly actually be her father, and some snippets of what a normal life could've been.

This does not make her well-liked by her siblings, and she gets bullied pretty badly, something that is only somewhat mitigated when she Triggers. She has a lot of antipathy towards her powered siblings of her approximate age for being more socially adept and willing to earn Daddy's favor at her expense. She's got a lot of antipathy for Jean-Paul in particular, because she was part of the group assigned to bring him in, and when she failed, Heartbreaker didn't just punish her, he punished her mother.

Fast forward, and it's only a matter of time before Annette dies of abuse and neglect. With her mother gone, Taylor realizes that there's nothing holding her here anymore, and she makes an alliance with Cherie to escape together. They succeed, but are forced to separate to avoid recapture. They had planned to travel to Brockton Bay, where Taylor has desperate hopes of finding Danny and... well, when she tries to put her hopes for what will happen next into words she feels childish, silly, and depressed, so she's not gonna think about it too hard.

Taylor spends a few days in the city tracking him down, then a few more days trying to convince herself to make contact, only to be nabbed by Coil and pressed into the Undersiders. The story would their escapades as in canon, but with a focus on the difficult interpersonal dynamic between Taylor and Alec, with Cherie being added to the mix once she makes her way to Brockton for a lack of any better ideas (no S9 for her in this timeline!), with them eventually collaborating to get the Undersiders out from under Coil's thumb in something of a "let's do it right this time" reprise of their much more individualistic escapes from Heartbreaker. They would make contact with Danny eventually, but his exact involvement is TBD.

Taylor's power would allow her to detect the presence of everyone within about a block of her, and the ability to choose one person at a time within her range to tap into the senses of, replacing her own perception with theirs. This wouldn't let her read minds or emotions, but would allow her to borrow other parahumans' power enhanced senses. So, like, she wouldn't hear the information that Tattletale's power feeds her, but if Grue was in his darkness when she tapped his senses, she'd be able to see through it because he could see through it. Lastly, while tapping someone's senses, she can put words in their head that they'll hear, but they won't necessarily be able to tell that those words are coming from someone else as opposed to being their own thoughts. Exact responses to this would vary depending on the nature of the target, but one of the most subtle and consistent uses of it would be that, if she suggests specific courses of action while someone is doing something absentmindedly or on autopilot, and it's a suggestion that can be carried out fast enough that someone wouldn't have enough time to think twice, they're likely to do it. Driving a vehicle at high speed? Hard left! Got a gun trained on someone? Safety on!

Her cape name would be Subliminal.

[dandysworldhcs]

ANGSTANGSTANGSTANGSTANGST

who will I be making depressed today? the mains because I kin 3 of them holy shit (in two parts. this is part one YIPPEE) (also these are the 3 I kin)

berry boy:

ahem. after the ichor incident, sprout became really scared for what could happen, but eventually he suppressed it and basically turned it into a kind of need to feel like he's protecting someone. like for example even if everyone is safe he just HAS to check just in case because what if this what if that this could go wrong that could go wrong if this happens that could happen and this has happened before so if I do this I can lessen the chances of thing happeni- and gets burnt out significantly quicker than... literally everyone else in gardenview. he won't admit it though he'll just sit in his room with the door barricaded (the handlers had the keys to the door locks) trying to function properly, and if someone tries to check on him he'll hide under his bed or desk to avoid being seen because UH OH DANGER DANGER WHY AM I BEING SEEN DOING NOTHING UHHHH OH NO !!! irrational panic basically (even though the only entrance is barricaded...). also, when he discovered tapes could be used to heal he immediately began using them on runs because if even a single person is not on full health he cannot feel relaxed in the slightest- but the dumbass doesn't care if he's on one and WILL run away from cosmo at 1 if he doesn't have enough tapes to heal him back (I'm totally not projecting all of this totally). also random but he will definitely cry if you yell at him (he'll go somewhere to hide before crying though). also has a habit of assuming everything that goes wrong has to be his fault because 'he was supposed to make sure everything went fine'

asstroke:

eepy hypersomniac who in a lot of situations wants to just sleep instead. he dozes off a lot because of that. also, it might be a bit subtle, but he can tell when his friends aren't rested, and usually tries to fix it, even if it's the kind of tired sleep can't fix. also, the guilt from knowing too much about the ichor operation and not being able to say anything about it to protect dandy eats at him endlessly. but you know when he's free from all that? in his curated dreams, where nothing can affect him, where he can be happy, free from all the depressing truths gardenview has to offer (think basil from omori but with sunny's headspace). he's starting to see everything as a kind of cycle... and he's kinda losing motivation to do pretty much anything, but he kinda still has to to survive so. also, the insecurity about his extra arms came from when gardenview was still open, a lot of children called him bug-like for it or even just straight-up scary or ugly, so now he just hides 'em by turning himself into a burrito with his blanket. also, not depressing but... he's just always cold, so he wears a shirt, another shirt, then poncho, then blanket

ammonite wannabe:

being constantly ignored by everyone has increasingly proved to her that no one really cares about her, and that has made her more open about her feelings. no one's listening, what's the point in not thinking out loud? she's done the thing where she just doesn't talk and sees if anyone notices... and they do! but they jokingly say 'aren't you gonna start yapping about dinosaurs around about now?' but unfortunately, she didn't realise it was in a joking way and ended up 'realising' everyone thought of her as the dinosaur girl, not anything else. not a person, not someone worth loving, just 'the girl who likes dinosaurs'. she also secretly gets REALLY happy whenever she gets hurt on a run because that means she'll get healed, which is a form of care!!! yay!!! (can you see the dynamic yet. guy who stresses whenever anyone gets slightly hurt and girl who loves getting hurt to feel cared about. and they're totally 100% not both me) sometimes people just don't notice, but usually it's fine. she yaps about dinosaurs because it's something she's interested in and she wants people to know all about them!!! but unfortunately people thought it was annoying that she talked about them so much, so they avoided her. this led to her thinking that people just don't want to be around her, and that they weren't wrong for it

- psstyourbonesarewet anon

wet bone anon. watch out. im coming for you. you arent gonna see it comonv.

[freewilllife]

I think I should’ve been more clear that he does experience bullying and people genuinely looking down on him. But he expects everyone to think that way, so he doesn’t see when people actually care.

Neither does Xie Lian, but strangely people consider this cute.

Look, I wanna say: I am sorry, if this sounds harsh. This is not personal, merely my point of view considering Mu Qing and his role inside of the story:

And when we look at it: Who does care about Mu Qing?

As a servant he was bullied from his fellow students, was superficially appreciated by the queen, had to experience how Feng Xin broke his arm, was hated by his teacher, was abused by Qi Rong...

And that all because of his poverty. Not due to his character. Mu Qing used to be so silent and had to grit his teeth.

That is why, Xie Lian was not able to recognize Mu Qing as a god, because is relatively good at adapting to different situations. From his early childhood, he knew that people, above else, from higher standing would look at him a certain way...that life is harsh and not a circus.

That is why, Xie Lian - apart from him being selfish - did not really know Mu Qing. And he hardly cared about him. Not as a person.

If he had, he would have tried to see the situation just one time from Mu Qing´s point of view.

Xie Lian just expected him to obey him and forfeit his change of becoming a god. And Mu Qing did not obey.

Has Xie Lian ever tried to see the situation from his eyes? No. Not in the entire series. He even made of fun of Mu Qing´s heritage.

But Mu Qing did. He apologized for hurting Xie LIan. Xie Lian never did and he ows Mu Qing an apology for all the shit he put him through.

So yes, Mu Qing very well knows, when people like him or not, but he is not ready to sacrifice life joices, that are important to him.

How I saw it was Feng Xin tried to be friendly, Mu Qing snapped back because he thought he was mocking him, and Feng Xin thought Mu Qing had it out for him. But I think they care, in their own way. They just have a mutual misunderstanding.

Feng Xin is basically never friendly to Mu Qing and is one of the people who condemn him the most. Honestly, I would have not believed it either from a person like Feng Xin. If he had really truly apologized, then maybe, but he ended up criticizing him at the end.

Basically, Feng Xin had too little interest to mend the relationship and was more comfortable to cultivate his prejudices regarding Mu Qing.

I think there weren’t any good solutions to the post-Xianle situation. Staying with Xie Lian would involve a lot of suffering, and he shouldn’t have had to stay. But, perhaps because we see the book from Xie Lian’s perspective, I really feel bad that he was alone 800 years. Still, I guess Mu Qing leaving was going to happen eventually when Xie Lian sent Feng Xin off.

I do think they were. Xie Lian had to just learn quicker to adapt to situations.

Mu Qing was basically showing him a way to care for his parents, but just out of hurt pride, he forfeited this possibility. People are far to lenient regarding Xie Lian.

And just to be clear: Xie LIan drove both - Feng Xin and Mu Qing away. Neither of them left him, actually.

Thinking about how Xie Lian was like a shadow over Mu Qing’s life even after his ascension. Mu Qing couldn’t change the fact he only ever had a chance of becoming a god because of Xie Lian noticing him. He was so certain that everyone around him hated him for being a servant, hated him for his connection to the Laughingstock of the Three Realms.

He tried to appease everyone. He distanced himself from High Highness, but couldn’t fully stay away. Even when Mu Qing chose to help those 33 officials and chased away Xie Lian, he still tried to go back and help. He was never going to explain himself, but he was going to prove himself through his actions. It… didn’t work out for him.

Something I’ve brought up before and think about a lot is our introduction to Mu Qing, where Xie Lian said they last met 5-6 centuries ago. He’s very consistent otherwise; he ascended around 800 years ago, became ridiculed about 800 years ago, last saw Feng Xin 800 years ago. But he claimed he saw Mu Qing more recently than that.

There were all sorts of other things like his death at Lang Qianqiu’s hands that Xie Lian brought up for a line or two and never elaborated on, and I think this is the same. They’re usually unpleasant moments he’d rather forget. Makes you wonder.

I do think Mu Qing fucked up a lot. The aforementioned moment with the 33 officials, leaving Xie Lian, never giving Feng Xin the benefit of the doubt and assuming the worst of him. Even when Mu Qing had good intentions, I think what ended up happening was bad. But when moments of him being genuine shine through, I can’t help but be enraptured.

Mu Qing didn’t have to return with a bag of rice to help Xie Lian and Feng Xin. No one made him show up to Xie Lian’s palace and offer high quality medicine when the latter was injured. And, of course, my favorite scene of his: opening up about his feelings when he’s prepared to sacrifice himself.

I don’t really have a lot of complex analysis of him yet, I just like taking little looks at his actions. He’s so scared of being hated that he tries to play all sides, and instead of people all living him for it, he just causes them to all get frustrated instead. It’s a loop he’s caught in. But there are moments when he steps aside, shows what he’s really feeling, and I love him so much for it.

[bluerosefox]

Fenton Coded

Tim... Tim just stared.

He...

Huh.

He had once entertained the idea that he wasn't really a Drake, a very long time ago when he overheard his mom and dad arguing and some words were said in the heat of the moment, but to be honest Tim always thought the obvious culprit of anyone being his dad would most likely be Bruce (Bruce even admitted he had a small fling with his mother but that was two years before her marriage)

But before little Tim's curiosity could really take hold on the idea, he had saw on the news Robin performing a Grayson flip and the hint of Tim not being a Drake left his mind. Robin was Dick Grayson! And if he was Robin that had to mean Bruce Wayne was Batman!

Then well... his stalking of the Bats started and the rest became history.

But now, as Tim was staring at his own DNA test, something he never bothered to do until that damned Demon brat wanted to make sure he was ONLY blood son of Bruce (and doing a DNA test something even Bruce never thought of doing due to well… how he was towards Tim during his first months as Robin)

He well…

He kinda needs to find out who this Daniel Jackson Fenton is.

(Tim finds out he isn’t a Drake, but also not a Wayne (because Damian wanted to make sure he was only blood son) but is instead a Fenton)

[nyancrimew]

queer confession: i played 50 hours of deep rock galactic in the past week

queer confession: i did 90% of the german translation when the game first came out and my writing style choices in german probably still somewhat define that language experience

[arolesbianism]

I received a vision and had to doodle it immediately

[fishyartist]

Ui idea tests, thrown together bc im eepy. Was planning on doing more but I spent all my days energy on the second one oops

[lord-squiggletits]

Reread/skimmed my oldest Pharma apologism posts (mainly the ones about Pharma not being a functionist) and it just occurred to me that possibly another reason the fandom saddled Pharma with the "functionist bigot" label is because his introduction by First Aid says that everyone hates Decepticons, but Pharma really really hates Decepticons. Mix that with the portion of the fanbase that lionizes and whitewashes the Decepticons, and I can easily see it entering common fanon that "Pharma hates Decepticons -> the Decepticons are freedom fighters wrongly maligned by the Autobots/the franchise -> Pharma must be a bigoted functionist since he hates Decepticons who represent freedom."

The simpler explanation is just that Pharma is an antagonist and therefore gets the "everything about him must be evil and wrong" black-and-white analysis so common in fandoms in general, but given some of the bizarre Decepticon takes I've seen I can also easily see Pharma's Decepticon hatred being taken as a sign of him being bigoted and evil.

Though AGAIN in this case it would still be singling Pharma out as a bigot for crimes/flaws that multiple other Autobots are guilty of like.

Oh, Pharma hates Decepticons? Well a lot of other Autobots hate Decepticons too, First Aid's narration about Pharma even says "we all hate Decepticons"; for that matter, there are a lot of Decepticons who hate Autobots. It's a massive civil war that's lasted for a lifetime causing two groups of people to be stuck in a near-permanent blood feud, you can't assume that every Autobot who hates Decepticons (and vice versa) hates them because they're a bigot. Maybe there's been a war where both sides have been building an ever-increasing mountain of reasons to hate each other, so hating the opposite faction is a social problem caused by war and politics rather than a sign of individual moral failing.

Pharma worked at the New Institute so that means he must be evil/bigoted? Chromedome and Brainstorm also worked at the New Institute, but there's no widespread fandom shunning of them or headcanoning them as bigots.

Hell, even the very premise of assuming Pharma is a functionist bigot for hating Decepticons is ignoring the very premise of Pharma's motives, which are, uh... being blackmailed by the leader of the Decepticon Justice Division, who represents the ultimate form of Decepticon ideals to the point of literally wearing their symbol as his mask? So how were we jumping straight to "oh Pharma hates Decepticons bc he's a posh bigoted functionist" when there was a far more immediate interpretation/headcanon of "Pharma hates Decepticons because he's being tortured and blackmailed by one."

That's not to say that Pharma couldn't have hated Decepticons before Delphi, and I think you could make interesting headcanons/extrapolations based on either idea. But still. It kinda feels like people saw Pharma and just wanted to make him the Token Evil Autobot who's the opposite of our Good Heroic Autobots regardless of whether evidence from canon supported it or not.

Good riddance to bigoted functionist Pharma fanon, I'm so glad that the majority of Pharma fanon these days actually gives him a chance and puts him on equal footing as other Autobots.

[mx-nada]

BOO... occasional oc post

[heyclickadee]

This was originally going to be part of the second half of this post listing all the things which are both left unresolved by the end of The Bad Batch and conveniently just to happen to be tied directly to Tech. That post was getting unwieldy, though, and I think I’m just going to be breaking up the different sections into their own posts.

So, with the disclaimer that I’m arguing that Tech is alive and still coming back and was always planned to be, just on a longer timeframe than any of us expected: One smaller thing that I think needs resolution is the inherent conflict between Tech’s willingness to put himself in harm’s way at the drop of a hat for the people he loves on the one side, and his intense will to live and ability to pull a win out of an impossible situation on the other.

Because Tech is very often willing to put himself on the line when there’s something threatening the others. We arguably see this as far back as “Aftermath” where his solution to dealing with the new problem of the practice droids having live rounds and the batch’s weapons being useless against them is to reprogram one of the practice droids—good—and then get on its shoulders so he can steer and aim, which is necessary for making the plan work but also makes him a bigger target. Then there’s (arguably) “Cut and Run,” where he decides the best way to get access to the chain codes is to get the ship impounded and risk getting caught (this one goes a little sideways because Echo is involved and Omega unexpectedly tags along; “Spoils of War,” where he runs out into the woods with a broken femur because Echo and Omega might need his help; “Faster,” where he repeatedly risks his life in a race to keep a mafia don from coming after his family (and to save Cid); “The Crossing,” where he jumps down a chasm after Omega; arguably “Metamorphosis,” where he goes to turn the power on alone knowing that there’s something dangerous on the ship; and of course “Plan 99.” And probably a number of other times I’m not remembering off the top of my head.

But, the thing is, we never see Tech just being reckless or giving up in a no win situation. In almost if not all of these cases there’s a calculated risk and a tendency to fight to survive the whole time it’s happening. Yes, he’s visibly spooked during the whole power-up sequence in “Metamophosis” and runs headlong into the zillo beast at one point later, but he’s also ready to fight anything that comes around a corner and is actually the one to everyone out from being cornered by the zillo by simply keeping his head on his shoulders. The riot race is incredibly dangerous, yes, and taking that left tunnel even more so, but he knows what he has to do to win and make it out alive, and does so, confidently, in his way, with aplomb, despite Omega and Wrecker begging him not to the entire time. He gets cornered and just about collapses from the pain in “Spoils of War,” but he powers through, takes the other troopers out, and ends up winning that close fight behind the tree despite being at as severe a disadvantage as he was. He doesn’t let himself pass out until he’s taken care of the immediate danger to himself and the others.

(Slight sidebar here, but I think killing that poor trooper is probably the most harrowing thing we see Tech do, and probably the best indication of how hard he’ll fight to live if he has to. It’s rough and dirty, he’s badly hurt and pinned down, he’s farther away from the blaster, and in all likelihood he probably doesn’t want to kill that guy. But he does, and he fights through that broken leg, because dying is the other option and he’s not about to do that.)

Furthermore, Tech is almost always the one providing solutions to the no-win scenarios in which the batch finds itself. Flanked by droids and trapped by a huge drop? No problem, we’ll jump and let these flying reptiles carry us out. We’re about to be incinerated alive? Nah, we’ll just blow the cone off and roll around away from the blast. Wrecker’s about to be overwhelmed by weird cave bugs? Here’s a flash bomb. Zeffo Giraffe rampage? Well okay, we put the crystal back. Lists of people are going to get killed by a tsunami? Okay, we give them multiple avenues to get to safety. And so on and so forth.

That’s a guy who’s looking for solutions and exit strategies, not someone who’s ready to lay down and accept the inevitable. And the thing is, Tech’s deliberate optimism and one-in-a-million plans? They work. The story pretty firmly establishes that he’s a master at pulling whatever win he can from unwinnable situations. And there’s a natural tension between that—the tendency to fight and find a way to survive even against terrible odds—and being as self-sacrificial as he is.

Now, you could say that this tension was resolved in “Plan 99.” He’s a soldier and he sacrificed himself, therefore the resolution comes out in favor of the self sacrificial side. Except…eh, not quite.

This could have been resolved in “Plan 99.” Easily resolved, in fact. Show Tech accepting that he’s about to die. Have him embrace it, say goodbye, take his helmet off and keep looking at them all as he’s falling (or, hey, change the circumstances so that he actually dies instead of falling into the Ambiguous Mists alive). Have his last line be something about how the others need to keep the mission going or saying goodbye.

Instead, what we get out of Tech’s current last line is a little defiant. “When have we ever followed orders?”* Basically, “You can’t stop me from doing this.” “I know what I am doing. It’s called ‘strategy.’” He closes his eyes for a second as he falls but then he very deliberately flips himself over—which is what you’re supposed to do if you find yourself falling from that high. It gives you a better chance to control your speed and steer. He’s not surrendering, he’s trying to take control of the situation in any way he can.

Which means that inherent tension is still at play. Yes, he’s sacrificing himself and taking a huge risk for the people he loves. Yes. He’s trying to find them all a way out of this impossible situation. And yes, he’s going to fight to live the whole way down, no matter how bad his chances are.

If that’s a tension you don’t resolve in “Plan 99,” then, well—you’ve got to resolve it somewhere. At this point, after he comes back is the only place you could.

*I can’t emphasize how weird it would be to have a character’s actual last line forever for good be a question, especially if it’s one left without an answer. Meanwhile if Tech was CX-2 and lived (and is still alive) you actually end up with a really interesting answer to it.

[my-current-obsession]

every time i see bakudeku compared to k/ance (now specifically in terms of them getting shafted in the ending and/or accused of queerbaiting) i take psychic damage