#anyway! i have pretty extensive notes on them and their histories but little on the rest of boatem so far

[quaranmine]

Alpenglow is really not a sad fic, it just has its moments. But it's so much better than the main fic overall so don't get too scared. Now I get to write the other side of Scar meeting Grian next :) the only reason I didn't jump right into that on the plane was that I needed to reference the main fic first, and it's a pain to open that document on my phone

Also HGTTG is becoming more of a thing slowly. I still only have a partial outline to chapter 4, but I have a lot more worldbuilding done. It's kind of a weird fic because it feels more like it's HGTTG flavored instead of an actual AU? Like it's drifted very far from the original inspiration source but has retained some tell-tale elements. I also still plan for it to be a comedy. It's like a funny time travel space travel story that randomly occasionally intersects with HGTTG things.

My current biggest issue with the HGTTG au is that by far the most fleshed out characters are Grian and Pearl, but they're not the main protagonists? This is supposed to be a Mumbo pov fic. Meanwhile I have a few hundred notes on Grian and Pearl and like 3 bullet points total on Mumbo...oops

on my flight yesterday i managed to a) write several hundred words more of prep on the hgttg au b) write about 300 words of another letters from the lookout oneshot i've had in the pipeline and c) write about 1000 words and finish the first scene of Alpenglow. which made me sad because it was a sad scene, but fortunately i get to immediately follow it up with a much better one lol

[alwaysonthemend]

Author's Note: Hello my loves! This is my most favorite thing that I've ever written so I really hope you all enjoy. Please ignore any typos lol 💞

Content Warnings: Fem!reader, cussing, arguing, mentions of unrequited love, heartbreak, mentions of drinking, frat parties, angry sex, rough sex, unprotected sex, choking, praise kink, squirting, oral (m and f receiving) bruises from sex. I think that's all but please let me know if I missed anything! 18+ ONLY. MINORS DNI

Word Count: 7946 (oops)

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Frat parties can be hit or miss you’ve come to discover. The music tends to be just okay (though they often play the better music towards the end) and they’re always hot and cramped and leave you feeling completely wiped out and gross by the end. For a long time, you avoided them all together – choosing instead to spend your Friday nights indoors reading or listening to music. But then you’d met Josh (and by extension the rest of the Kiszka-Wagner friend group) and they’d shown you that with the right people, parties could be a hell of a good time. Having a group to go with – ones who’ll dance with you and laugh and have fun with you, makes parties a nice break to the monotony every now and again.  

This one will no doubt be like all the others – packed and hot and the music blaring so loudly that you can feel it reverberate through your chest. The lights will be flashing between blues, greens, and reds and the room will smell strongly of alcohol. But you'll be surrounded by your little group of friends who will be laughing and dancing with you, distracting you from anything other than having fun. 

You’d met Josh during your first semester at University of Michigan and the two of you had quickly become good friends. You’d been partnered up in your film class and the rest, as they say, was history. He’d been the one to drag you out tonight – despite your protests of being tired. 

“Please?” He’d asked, giving you his very best puppy dog eyes. “It’s not fun if I have to go by myself.” 

“Josh,” You’d sighed, tucking your book into your backpack as you spoke, “I’m tired. Get Jake to go with you or something.” 

“He is going with me! But he hates frats and all he does is stand there and sulk the whole time.” 

You’d halted for a brief moment, your brain conjuring up images of Jake at a frat party that had butterflies erupting in your tummy before you’d quickly shaken your head, but Josh had caught you anyway. 

A smug smile had spread across his face, making him look like the damn Cheshire Cat. 

“Is seeing Jake not reason enough to show up? You know you wanna see him…” 

You rolled your eyes, huffing a breath and trying to ignore the heat spreading across your cheeks. Evidently, he’d yet to catch on to the tension that had taken up residence between you and his twin in the last few months – a far cry from what you two used to be. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Joshua Michael. No idea at all.” 

“Sure you don’t, babe.” He’d said with a grin, knowing that he’d successfully convinced you. 

Your relationship with Jake is odd to say the least. You’d met him pretty quickly after meeting Josh – given the fact that they’re practically attached at the hip, and you’d hit it off with him just as you had with his twin. In fact, there was a time when you’d thought that maybe there was something more there with him… subtle glances and private smiles that took place between the two of you had sure made you think so. 

Though you and Jake had never hung out one on one (Josh was always there with you), the two of you would usually manage to find an excuse to sneak off together and you’d quickly found that the two of you have a lot in common – a love for music and Tolkein most notably. You and him could spend hours talking about the nuances of the Silmarillion and about whether or not Hozier should be considered a pop artist. 

Your favorite times though were when you all would be hanging out at Josh’s house for movie nights – you, Jake, Sam, Danny, and Josh, and you and Jake would sneak off alone to do whatever you pleased. Most of the time, you and him would end up on the roof to stargaze. Sometimes you talked – you’d talk for so long that both of your voices would grow hoarse from use. Other times, the two of you would just sit in silence, enjoying the other’s company. In those moments, it was like you and Jake were the only two people in the universe, completely content to let everything and everyone else melt away. 

Your friendship with Josh had been easy but the one you had with Jake had been effortless. Jake made you feel seen – like you could truly be yourself without him judging you for it. Though he could come across as broody and sullen at times, there’s a light inside Jake that only few people are lucky enough to see… and he had trusted you enough to be one of those people. At least, until about four weeks ago when suddenly it seemed like he didn’t want to even be near you anymore. 

Where used to the two of you would hang off to the sides at parties and gatherings (often standing a lot closer than you needed to be), now it was like he made sure to be wherever you weren’t. And God, did it hurt your feelings. You’d allowed yourself to become vulnerable with him – let him see parts of yourself that you’d hardly shared with anyone, not even Josh. And he’d tossed you to the side seemingly overnight… like all those deep conversations you’d had with him meant nothing at all. You desperately wanted to understand what had changed but refused to be the person to reach out. He was the one that stopped texting back. He was the one that started acting like you were merely acquaintances. He was the one who made you think that you were both in love one minute only to completely ignore you the next. He owed it to you to be the one to talk first. 

So silence had fallen completely between the two of you and  evidently, Josh wasn’t aware of it yet. But still, you were determined to not let Jake ruin a good time for you. You hadn’t been out with Josh in ages and you were confident that it would be easy enough to ignore Jake’s existence, especially given that he seemed intent to ignore yours too. 

– 

As expected, you're  immediately assaulted with humidity and the smell of alcohol as you step through the doors. Josh stands at your side as you both scan the crowd for familiar faces. Sure enough, tucked into a far corner is Sam and Danny – both of them already seeming to be a little tipsy. Josh grips your hand and the two of you wade through the sea of bodies, doing your best to avoid stray elbows and drunken party-goers. 

“You actually came!” Danny shouts at you over the din, a rosy hue on his cheeks from the alcohol he’s no doubt already indulged in. He and Sam called it “pre-gaming.” 

“Josh convinced me!” You shout back, nudging his shoulder playfully. 

“It’s my irresistible charm!” Josh answers, grabbing your hands in his and playfully beginning to sway you both back and forth. 

“Charm my ass.” Sam mutters, just barely audible over the music. Josh just shoots him a glare before returning his attention back to you. 

“Where’s Jake?” You ask, allowing Josh to lead you both a little bit more towards the center of the packed room. It's slow going – everyone else is hardly paying attention to anyone trying to get through, but you manage to get halfway there before you both become trapped from moving any further. 

“Sulking over there. Just like I said he would be.” Josh jerka his head in the direction to his left and you follow the movement, finding Jake leaning up against a wall with a red solo cup in his hand. 

Your eyes meet his and he immediately drops your gaze, the corners of his mouth dropping into a frown. You want desperately to march over there and demand he tell you what had changed but you refuse to back down first. This wasn’t the place for that anyway.

“Aren’t you gonna go sulk with him?” Josh asks, smiling down at you. The blue strobe lights make his teeth almost glow and it reflects off his sharp cheekbones. 

You shake your head. 

“I feel like dancing tonight.” 

He only grins before pulling you in closer to him, letting go of your hands to place his palms on your hips. You bring your own hands up and lace your fingers together behind his neck and allow him to guide your hips to the beat of the music. You close your eyes and lean into him, allowing the music to drown out everything else. If you keep your eyes closed, you can almost imagine that it's his twin out here dancing with you instead. 

Josh is attractive – that had been obvious from the moment that you first saw him. And maybe in another lifetime you and him might have been more than friends. But you and Josh both knew that in this one, best friends were all you would ever be. You’d kissed once at a party… You’d both been drunk and high off your asses and afterwards you had both agreed that there wasn’t anything there. But in this moment, you almost wish that you’d fallen for him instead of Jake. Falling for Jake had clearly been foolish given how he dropped you so quickly. Making you feel like he wanted you one moment only to then act like he hated you the next. You know Jake was angry though – especially if the glare that he's giving you and Josh from his place against the wall is anything to go by. 

As you and Josh sway and rock to the pounding music, Jake’s dark gaze stays locked on yours. There's anger in his eyes that makes you want to pull away from Josh but you refuse. Instead, you only pin him with one challenging glare of your own before turning your attention back to Josh. 

“What’s got him so pissy?” Josh asks you, leaning his head down to press his lips against your ear so that you can actually hear him. 

“Hell if I know.” 

Josh hums and you can feel the sound reverberate through his chest thanks to the close proximity. 

“If I didn’t know any better…” he starts with a sly look on his face, “I’d say he looked jealous.” 

“He’s just a dick.” You say, venom lacing your words – the hurt that you’d been keeping to yourself these past few weeks finally beginning to spill over. Josh looks taken aback for a moment before smoothing over his expression. 

“Sorry.” he says, though you can tell that he doesn't really know what he was saying sorry for. “He doesn’t know what he’s missing.” He knows that your relationship with Jake is… different. And it pains him to see you both angry at each other but he has no idea how to fix it. Instead, he seems intent on making it worse. 

“Wanna give him a show then? Show him what he could have had?” Josh whispers, a wicked smile on his face. 

You smile back at him and nod. He uses his grip on your waist to pull you into him even more so that your hips are flush against each other. The lights have morphed from greens and blues to a deep red and the base is pounding in your chest. You move your hips from side to side, pressing your face into Josh’s neck as he moves with you to the beat. It isn't even dancing anymore – just mindless grinding against each other. You deliberately keep your gaze pointed away from Jake but you know he's still watching. You can feel his piercing gaze even from across the room. 

Just as you begin to lose yourself fully to the moment, a strong hand wraps around your bicep and yanks you harshly from Josh’s grip. 

“The fuck?” You spit, spinning around to be met with none other than Jake, his chest heaving and his brows pinched together in anger. 

“Jake, what the fuck is your problem?” Josh yells, regarding his twin with a frown. 

The two seemed to be sizing each other up, though you knew that Josh is just enjoying getting a rise out of his brother and feeling protective over you. But Jake… you can practically see the rage oozing from him. The red lighting makes his smooth skin almost glow and his dark hair falls on either side of his face, framing his sharp features. If you weren’t so pissed at him you might be tempted to kiss him. 

“This doesn’t involve you.” Jake finally says, a dangerous edge to his voice. 

“The hell it doesn’t!” Josh snaps back, eyes blazing in defiance. 

“Josh…” you hedge, placing a calming hand on his forearm. His eyes sweep to yours, immediately softening. “I’ve got it. Thank you.” 

Josh stares at you for a moment, debating whether to step away or not. You hold his gaze, silently trying to let him know that you could handle this on your own. Finally, he dips his head and steps back. 

“I’ll be with Sam and Danny if you need me.” He tells you, before retreating back to the corner. 

You watch him go before spinning on your heel to glare back at Jake. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you!?” You rip your arm from Jake’s grip as you speak. 

“What’s wrong with you?” He shouts back angrily. “Grinding on my twin brother like that!”

This time, you're the one to reach out and harshly grip his arm. You tug him backwards, leading him towards a side door that you know leads to a bathroom downstairs. You don’t turn back to look at him as you lead the two of you down, instead focusing on trying to steady your breathing and bring down your blood pressure. You're so angry you could scream. 

As soon as the bathroom door is shut and locked behind the two of you, Jake has you pressed back against the wall, nostrils flared and eyes blown wide as he regards you. 

“What in the world is wrong with you, Jake? You’re acting like an asshole.” You seeth, hating the tremble in your voice. Despite your anger, his closeness is still affecting you.

Jake doesn’t answer. He just stares down at you, chewing on his plump bottom lip. 

“No. I’m not doing this with you.” You shove him away from you, the sudden movement causing him to stumble back slightly. “You don’t get to ignore my existence and then get pissed just because I danced with Josh.” 

“If you wanted to fuck him so badly you could at least have the decency to do it in private. Instead of throwing yourself at him like a whore in the middle of a dance floor.” 

You balk, taken aback by his harshness. Never in all the time you’d known him has he ever spoken to you like that – to anyone for that matter. 

“Fuck you.” You spit, clenching your fists at your sides to stop yourself from punching his stupid, perfect face. “You have no fucking right to be pissed at me, dickhead. I’m the one who should be pissed at you!”

“The fuck did I do?” 

You roll your eyes. 

“If you don’t know what you did then I’m not going to tell you.” You turn your back to him, intent on going back upstairs. “Figure it out yourself.”

“Go right ahead, then. Go fuck my twin like I know you want to!” He snaps and the sheer aggression in his tone makes your whole body freeze. Icy hot anger washes over you and you feel like you could explode from anger. 

“What” You seeth, turning back around to face him, “did you just say to me?”

He meets your gaze, defiance coating his expression. 

“You heard me.” 

“Is that what you want me to do? You want me to fuck Josh?” 

“I don’t care what you do. Just don’t do it where I have to fucking watch.”

His eye twitches, betraying him. You take a step closer and he steps back away from you, caging himself in against the wall. Acting on sheer impulse, you press in close to him – so close that your lips are almost touching. His chest heaves with each breath he takes and a sheen of sweat makes his skin glisten in the low light of the bathroom. 

“I think you care.” You say, voice so low it's almost a whisper. 

“I don’t.” He growls, eyes narrowing dangerously. 

“I call bullshit.” This time, you let your lips just barely ghost over his as you speak. “You’re just pissed that he’s not too much of a pussy to make a move like you are.”

In a flash your back is slammed against the bathroom wall, knocking the air from your lungs. You gasp but the sound is swallowed by Jake crashing his lips into yours. You can’t help but to kiss back and he groans into your mouth. You hook your fingers into the belt loops of his black jeans, pulling him in closer to you. The kiss is rough – teeth clacking together as you practically devour each other. 

Your chest begins to burn and finally you pull back for air. Jake looks completely ravished, cheeks flushed and lips slick with spit. 

“Fuck me.” You demand into the silence, your voice coming out embarrassingly high pitched. 

“Sure you don’t want Josh to do it instead?” His voice cracks on the last word, ruining his facade but you aren’t ready to give up the fight yet. 

“Okay.” You tell him, shrugging your shoulders as you make to step away from him. 

Before you can even begin to detangle yourself from him, he’s spun you around and slammed your face into the cold tile wall. 

“Don’t you fucking dare.” He mutters, smothering your body with his own. You can feel his hard cock pressing into your ass and you can’t help the whimper that falls from your lips. “Tell me to stop and I will.” He whispers, a tad softer than before. 

You open your mouth to snark back, to tell him that he’s an asshole or a dick or something, but all that comes out is a breathless, needy moan. 

“Words, Y/n.” He insists, digging his fingers into the meat of your hips. 

“Do it, Jake. Fuck me.” You demand, pressing your ass back into his hard length and drawing a breathy little groan from him. “Please.”

The “please” is all it takes. Jake hooks his fingers into your waistband and roughly yanks your jeans and panties down. You hear him unzip his pants and the clink of his belt buckle as he pulls his own jeans down just enough for his length to spring free. He swipes a calloused fingertip through your folds, brushing against your swollen clit and causing you to gasp. 

“Fuck.” The word falls from your lips like a prayer, though to whom you have no idea. God surely wants no part in what Jake is about to do to you. 

“You’re dripping, angel.” Jake murmurs, swiping through your pussy lips again to gather as much of your wetness as he can. You can’t see him but you can hear the wet sounds of his hand pumping his cock, your slick making it easy. “Fuck, you look incredible like this.” 

You whine, shoving your hips backward to let him know that you’re more than ready for him. Jake takes the hint, spearing you with his cock and burying himself inside you all the way to the hilt. The stretch is painful and wonderful all at the same time and you both cry out at the feeling of your walls clenching around him. You want desperately to hear that noise from him again so you bear down on him as much as you can, contracting your muscles to squeeze him. 

“Shit.” He grits out through clenched teeth, wrapping one arm around your lower belly to keep you in place. “You keep doing that and this isn’t gonna last very long.”

“Move, Jakey.” The nickname escapes you unbidden but he doesn’t seem to mind, instead finally starting to rut his hips against you, his cock dragging along your walls deliciously.

You bring both hands up to brace your palms against the wall and let your head fall back onto Jake’s shoulder. Immediately, his lips attach to the sensitive skin as his thrusts pick up in speed. It’s brutal – no finesse as he pounds into you so hard that you see stars. You know that you’re being too loud but you can’t seem to stop yourself. Curses and please and his name spew from your lips with reckless abandon but he’s too far gone himself to silence you. He detaches his lips from your throat and tosses his own head back, little grunts and moans escaping him with each thrust of his hips into yours. He draws you in closer to him with his forearm and his free hand reaches up to wrap around your throat. He squeezes just enough to restrict a little bit of the blood flow, causing your head to swim with pleasure. 

“Who gets to see you like this?” He demands as he drops his forehead to rest against your shoulder, his thrusts somehow picking up even more speed. Your knees slam into the wall each time he pistons in and out of you and you know that you’ll have bruises there tomorrow – battle scars to remind you of this glorious moment. 

“You, Jake. Only you.” You manage to say through a wheeze, his fingers still wrapped around your throat. 

“That’s fucking right.” He confirms, pace beginning to falter. “Touch your clit, angel. Touch her for me.” 

You comply, sliding one hand down to circle feverishly against your swollen bundle of nerves. Your body is trembling, Jake’s grip on you the only reason that you’re still upright. The coil in your belly tightens dangerously, a feeling like none other beginning to claw its way up your body – completely engulfing you in the feeling of Jake, Jake, Jake. 

“M’ gonna cum.” You warn him, speech coming out slurred and barely comprehensible. 

“Fuck, me too. Give it to me. Now!” He demands and the band inside you snaps. 

You cry out loudly, your whole body trembling as the pleasure inside you hits its peak. Jake lets go of your throat and the rush of blood to your head coupled with the way he keeps pounding into you sends you tailspinning into another orgasm. Your pussy feels like it's on fire –  the pleasure and overstimulation of two orgasms so close together sending you into a state of fucked out bliss. It seems to go on forever, your whole body going slack against him. 

Finally, Jake pulls from you and immediately ropes of his own release paint your ass and lower back. The moan that escapes him sounds angelic and you wish that you could have recorded it somehow. 

You both just stand there for a long moment, the silence only broken by yours and his panting as you both recover from the mind-blowing orgasms that you just experienced. 

“Y/n.” His voice cuts through to you, sounding breathy and tired but so much softer than it had before. 

Just as you open your mouth to reply, a frenzied rattle of the door handle causes you both to jump. 

“Open the fucking door!” A drunken voice that you don’t recognize calls out. “I’ve gotta take a piss!” 

Jake lets go of you and you both quickly yank your jeans back up, doing your best to straighten your clothes and hair. Without saying a word, Jake strides over to the door and unlocks it, pushing a frazzled and drunk looking young guy out of the way and exiting the bathroom. 

“Watch it, buddy.” The guy pouts, rubbing his shoulder where Jake had run into him. 

“Move.” You demand, pushing him out of the way again to catch up to Jake as he angrily stomps up the stairs. “Jake!” You call, leaving the poor guy to stare after the two of you confusedly. 

“Jake, wait!’ You yell, ascending the stairs and stepping back out into the cramped dance floor. You’re disoriented, the loud music and flashing lights suddenly causing you to feel dizzy. You just barely see Jake disappear out the front door before you push and shove your way through the throng of people to follow him. 

Stepping out into the cool night air, you see Jake fumbling in his pocket for his car keys. 

“You can’t just leave, Jake!” You call, tears beginning to brim in your eyes. 

He must hear the tremble in your voice because he finally stops, turning back to look at you. He looks distraught. 

“We shouldn’t have done that.” He tells you, eyes dropping to stare at your shoes. “I’m sorry. It was a mistake.” 

“W-what?” It feels like you’re spinning – like someone put your brain in the dryer. You can feel the blood drain from your face. “Why would you-” You stop yourself, unsure of how to even continue. 

“I’m sorry.” He says again, before rounding the corner out of sight, leaving you to stand there alone on the sidewalk. 

–

Two weeks pass. You and him don’t speak. Hell, you barely even speak to Josh – his presence serving as too much of a reminder of what had happened. It felt like a fever dream… almost like it wasn’t even real. It’s like your own worst nightmare has come true. And not only that, you’re being forced to deal with it completely alone. 

You’d let passion and desperation dictate you towards the decisions that you’d made that night. Had you wanted it in the moment? Yes, you had. But now that it was all over and Jake clearly regretted it, you’re sure that the friendship you’d had with him is shattered beyond repair. Before, there’d been hope of fixing things – of talking things out and going back to how you once were. But now… There’s no reason to hope. You fucked the guy who used to be your closest friend in a frat house bathroom and there’s just no going back from that. 

Josh has been calling and texting you incessantly, begging you to tell him what happened that night. But you refuse. And after he wouldn’t give up asking after the second day, you’d resorted to just ignoring him completely. The fact that Jake hadn’t told him anything – despite having always told him everything, speaks a thousand words about how Jake feels about it. 

–

A knock echoes through your apartment, just barely audible over the Hozier album you have playing in the background. Thunder rumbles softly in the distance and sheets of rain pelt your windows. It’s a perfect night for a book and some wine – a way to detach yourself from the drama of the past few weeks. 

You sigh audibly, closing your book and placing it on the coffee table next to your wine glass. You figured it wouldn’t take long of ignoring Josh’s messages for him to come and find you. You rise from your seat and make your way to the front door, shoulders taut with the anxiety of having to tell Josh what happened. There’s no way he’s leaving you alone without the full story. 

You open the door, expecting to see a mop of curly hair waiting for you but instead you’re met with the soulful brown eyes of his twin. 

“Jake?” You ask incredulously, instinctively taking a step back from him. “You look…” You trail off. He looks awful. Dark bruises mar the smooth skin beneath his eyes and his long hair lies limp across his shoulders. He’s soaking wet from the rain. 

“Can I come in?” He asks and you nod at him, stepping aside from the doorway to make space for him to step inside. 

He stands completely still after closing the door behind him – awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“Let me get you a towel.” 

You don’t give him time to reply, instead hastily retreating to your bathroom to grab him a clean towel to dry off. Perhaps it’s cowardly to run but you truly hadn’t been expecting to ever see him at your door again. 

When you return he’s still in the same place, dark eyes watching you warily as you hand the towel to him. 

“Thank you.” He says quietly, drying himself off the best he can. 

You just incline your head at him before retreating back to your living room, jerking your head in the direction letting him know that you want him to follow you. 

Your record had gone silent so you go over to your record player and flip it over before pressing play again. 

“Why are you here, Jake?” You ask him, turning back to face him with your arms crossed tightly across your chest. 

“To say that I’m sorry.”  He gingerly places the towel down on the coffee table, his whole body looking tense and uncomfortable. You’ve only ever seen him look like that around strangers. Somehow, you suppose that that’s what the two of you have become to one another. 

“Sorry for what?” You bite out, your hurt spilling over into your words like poison. “For leading me on for months on end or for fucking me in a bathroom and then calling it a mistake?” You don’t want to fight with him. Not anymore. But you can’t seem to stop the harsh words as they spew from your mouth – lashing out like an injured animal that’s been shoved into a corner. You suppose he has done that in a way, showing up at your own home unannounced in the middle of the night like this. 

Jake flinches back slightly at your words, shrinking in on himself like he’s been struck. 

“For… all of it, I guess.”  He shrugs, eyes staying locked onto the floor at your feet. “I don’t know.” 

“You don’t know?” That makes you angry. So angry you could cry. He came all this way – did all those things to you… and yet he doesn’t know. “I think you and I both know that you owe me more than that.” 

He nods once, eyes finally sweeping to meet yours. His gaze almost makes you soften. Almost.

“I assumed a lot of things, Y/n. And made an ass of myself because of it. But I don’t know how to fix it.” 

You collapse onto your sofa, suddenly feeling like you’ve run a marathon. Jake eyes the spot next to you but makes no move to join you. 

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to that.” You tell him honestly. 

“I- I thought you and Josh were together.” He admits quietly, shoulders sinking in defeat. 

Somehow, you don’t doubt his words – nor do they shock you. You’ve known the twins long enough to see little hints here and there of the insecurity that lies buried within Jake. The way he’s quieter in large groups, like he feels like his words aren’t welcome. The way he shrinks back sometimes, afraid to voice his thoughts for fear of being judged or mocked. You've seen the way that he always looks to Josh in moments of doubt, like he can’t fathom ever going against what his twin might want of him. 

Josh had even hinted about it once, a long long time ago. He’d told you that he worries about Jake sometimes when he thinks about when they’re older and he won’t be around to look after him. You hadn’t quite understood the meaning behind his words or the depth of their bond back then. But now you do. They’re connected in a way that you can never understand. Their very souls are intertwined – wrapped around each other lovingly just as they had been since the womb. It’s a beautiful thing that you even find yourself envious of from time to time. Bonds like theirs… It's something that doesn’t happen often. 

But that bond seems to come with a caveat for Jake – burdened with thinking of himself as the lesser twin. He’d always been the quiet one, happy to let Josh be in the spotlight and content to bask in the residual warmness of him. You doubt either of them are really even aware of the way Josh always seems to be the leader. It’s natural to them – something that Jake has never seemed to have a problem with before. Until you came along. 

“We aren’t. Nor do we plan on it. He’s my best friend, that’s all.” You tell him honestly.

“I know that now. Josh told me I was an idiot.”

You huff softly. He smiles tentatively in return. 

“He also told me to stop feeling sorry for myself and to listen to what you’ve been telling me this whole time.” 

You cock your head to the side, imagining the way Josh probably said the words. You can picture it – the little glimmer that undoubtedly took up residence in his eyes. He loves to play the wise sage. 

“And did you?” 

He nods his head. 

“I think so. That’s why I came tonight. To apologize. And to beg you to let me try again.”  

You sigh heavily, closing your eyes for a moment to listen to the rain tap against the glass. 

“Please.” 

You open your eyes to see that he’s come closer, those brown eyes of his boring into yours in a way that makes your knees weak. You’re fairly certain that those eyes will be the death of you some day. 

“You really hurt me, Jake. All those times that we spent time together… the things that I told you – things I’ve never told anyone before. And then you just-” You throw your hands up in defeat, words failing you. 

“I know what I did. And I am so so sorry, angel. I’m sorry for making you think that I could ever not want everything with you.” He sinks to his knees on the floor in front of the sofa, pleading eyes turned up to you.  

“Then tell me.” You demand. 

“I can’t.” 

“Jake…” You sigh, feeling your walls beginning to stand themselves up again. You’re so tired of waiting on him. 

“Wait!” He calls out sharply, the loudness of the word shocking the both of you. “Just…” He starts again, voice quiet again. “I need you to ask me first.” 

You want to deny him. To tell him to man up and just say it. But the way he’s looking at you, the way his shoulders have drooped in utter defeat… You can’t find it within your heart to deny him. 

“Are you in love with me?” The question escapes your lips soft and quiet – like a secret passed between friends. 

“Yes.” His answer is a prayer and you his savior – this room his confessional and you his altar. 

The air punches its way out of your lungs as his words register in your brain. Those words that you’d so desperately been wanting to hear. 

“I love you too.” The way your own confession slips past your lips without any thought makes his eyes light up – as if he couldn’t believe it until he heard the words from your own mouth. 

“Let me love you right.” He pleads, bringing his palms up to slide over your cloth-covered thighs. “Let me do this the way I should have the first time.” 

“Okay.” You whisper, reaching out for him like a small child. You want to feel him – all of him, for the first time. 

“Not here.” He says, rising from his knees and lacing his fingers with yours. “Your bedroom. Let me do it right, angel. Please.” 

Once again, you’re powerless to deny him so you rise to your feet and lead him into your bedroom. He presses your shoulders lightly, signaling for you to lay down. You relent, falling softly into the mattress. He climbs in after you, eyes glowing in the dim lamplight. The light spills from over the lampshade in the corner, bathing you both in warmth. It makes his hair reflect almost auburn as he hovers above you. The room is silent save for the distant rumble of thunder and the soft sound of your record player wafting in from the other room. Your heart pounds so loudly you’re sure he can hear it. 

Keeping his eyes trained on yours, Jake hooks his fingers in the waistband of your sweatpants, pausing momentarily as he waits for you to give him permission. You nod and he slides the fabric down your legs so that you can kick them off. His eyes sweep down your bare legs, lingering on your cotton panties and the ever-growing dark spot over your clothed pussy. His eyes stop at your knees, eyeing the bruises there. 

“Did I do this?” He asks forlornly, delicately tracing his thumb over the marks. 

You nod. 

“I wanted it, though. It’s okay.” 

He just shakes his head, pressing a featherlight kiss to each knee before sweeping his chocolate eyes back to yours. 

“It’s not.” 

There’s finality in his words. You don’t argue. Instead, you reach out for him, pulling him up towards you so that his weight settles on top of you, his knees pressed into the mattress between your legs. You unbutton his shirt slowly, reveling in each bit of tan skin it reveals. His necklace sways as he reaches back to toss his shirt to the floor. Your own shirt is next, leaving you in nothing but your panties and revealing your breasts to him and the cold air of the room. You’d opted to go braless since you got home and Jake seems more than appreciative. He stares at the hardened buds, licking his lips.  

“You’re so beautiful.” He whispers, palming your left breast in his calloused hand. It feels so good to have his touch on you and a whine spills out of you at the simple action. 

“So are you.” You tell him, reaching out once more to unbutton his pants. He slides the denim off himself, revealing his cock straining through the fabric of his boxers. You extend your hand to palm him through the material but he stops you. You flick your eyes up to him in question. 

“Not yet. I want to worship you first. The way you deserve.” 

He pulls your panties down your legs and a groan slips out of him at the sight of your glistening center. He’s looking at you like you’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. You guess you are. 

Without warning, he dips his tongue through your folds, drawing a whiny cry from you. He dives into your aching pussy with what you can only describe as reverence, alternating between dipping the tip of his tongue into your slit and circling your swollen clit. The pace is maddening as he goes from fast to soft again, making you writhe on the bed with each pass of his talented tongue. 

“Oh, Jake.” You whine, threading your fingers through his hair and tugging. “That feels so good.” 

He moans at your praise and the vibration makes your legs quake and your thighs to clamp down around his head. 

“Please, Jake. More.” He answers your wanton cries immediately, pulling his face away from your dripping cunt and pressing a long, talented finger into you. He curls it upwards, brushing against that special spot inside of you. 

You arch your back, mouth dropping open in pleasure as he keeps his finger pumping in and out of you as he descends back down onto your pussy, wrapping his lips around your clit and suckling. 

“Please. Oh fuck!” You cry, thrashing your head from side to side as the pleasure inside you begins to build. “Please!” 

“Shhh.” He shushes, rising from your heat momentarily. “You don’t have to beg, angel. I’ll get you there.” 

He dives back in and the sound that comes out of you barely sounds human. The band in your belly tightens and tightens as your orgasm draws nearer and nearer. You’re chanting his name between each moan and your whole body begins to quiver. 

“You’re so good, Jake. So good. Oh fuck!” 

At your words, Jake moans loudly into your pussy and curls his finger just right – sending you crashing into your orgasm. You writhe and pant, eyes screwing shut in pleasured agony. 

As your mind comes back to the present, you open your eyes to see Jake breathing heavily with a flush overtaking his bare chest. 

“Can I taste you?” You beg, pressing your thighs together to try and relieve the ache that has already returned despite your climax just moments before. 

“You don’t have to, baby.” He says with a lopsided smile, tracing delicate circles against the inside of your calf. 

“I want to. I want to make you feel good.” 

“You already did.” He says with a bashful smile and you notice now the wet patch darkening his boxers. 

“Oh.” You breathe out, another wave of wetness escaping you and making your thighs slick. 

“Couldn’t help it. You look so pretty like that, moaning my name and telling me how good you feel. You don’t- I wasn’t even expecting to cum tonight. I want this to be about you.” There’s only truth in his eyes. 

“Come here.” You tell him. 

He crawls up towards the head of the bed, settling in next to you as you toss one leg over his thighs to straddle him. 

“Do you trust me?” You whisper, leaning in close to him. 

“Of course.” He ghosts his lips over yours, drawing you downwards to press a sweet kiss to your lips. It’s nothing like the kiss you shared before, desperate and anger-fueled. This one is soft – almost innocent if it weren’t for the lust coursing through the two of you. 

Once you pull away, licking your lips at the taste of him, you slide your body downwards and settle yourself between his legs. You mouth over his cock through the fabric of his boxers, his length already beginning to harden again. He whines softly, hands clenching in the sheets at his sides. 

You use your teeth to pull his boxers down, eyes not leaving his own until his cock reveals itself to you. Everything about Jake is pretty and his cock is no exception. It’s perfect. His head is flushed red and weeping where it rests against his naval and you can’t help but to reach out and wrap your fingers around him. He hisses at the feeling. You stroke him, smearing his precum around to slick the way as you begin to pump him slowly. 

Jake tosses his head back, plush lips falling open and melodic moans spilling from between them. His chest is flushed and sweat beads at his hairline, making his beautiful skin glow in the lamplight. You can’t help but to lean down and press a sweet kiss to his tip, then another down the side of him. Jake huffs a laugh. 

“What?” You ask him with a smile, continuing to stroke him lazily. 

“N-nothing.” He manages to get out, eyes fluttering almost shut. “You’re sweet.” 

“So are you.” You tell him before sinking your mouth down around him. 

He lets out a choked groan as his tip hits the back of your throat and his hips buck up off the bed. 

“Oh fuck!” He cries out as you hollow your cheeks and slide your mouth up his shaft, pressing your tongue into the spot just below the head. 

You bob up and down for a moment before he’s pulling himself from you and grabbing you to pull you up towards him. He crashes his lips against yours again, sliding his tongue into your mouth. You moan but he swallows the sound, delicately bringing his hands up to cup your face as he kisses you. 

“I need you inside me. Like, yesterday.” You tell him, earning yourself a sweet laugh. 

“Whatever you want, baby.”

He flips you over so that your back is pressed back into the mattress and you watch in rapt attention as he grips his hard cock, sliding his tip through your folds to gather your wetness. Finally, he sinks into you slowly, savoring every inch as he goes. 

You moan loudly as he finally bottoms out, halting his movements as you both revel in the feeling of being close again. 

“You feel so good, Y/n. I should have told you the first time how wonderful you are… how beautiful.” 

You wrap your legs around his hips, pulling him in closer to you and you both moan as his cock slips deeper into you. 

“It’s okay.” You tell him as he begins to rock into you – long, deliberate strokes that set your whole body aflame. “Fuck Jake, you feel so fucking good.” 

His hair tickles your face as he fucks into you but you can’t be bothered to move it. You’re consumed by the feeling of him – of his cock hitting you so perfectly, by the noises that fall out of him after each thrust, by the way his face twists in pleasure as your walls clench around him. It’s all too much and not enough and you reach out blindly to grip his shoulders, pulling his torso down so that you can capture his lips again. 

His lips are so soft as they move against yours and you can tell that he’s close already by the way his thrusts are growing sloppy and by the tremble of his shoulders. He’s holding back – waiting for your pleasure before he allows himself his. 

“You feel so good, Jake. So, so good.” 

“Yeah.” He whispers, bringing his hand up to swirl his tongue around the pad of his thumb before pressing it into your clit, rubbing circles in time with his thrusts. “Tell me you’re mine, angel. Please.” 

Your back arches against your will as white hot bliss spreads through you, overtaking your body from the tips of your toes to the top of your head. Your mouth drops open and a loud whine escapes you as you try to form the words. 

“All yours, Jake. All yours.” You chant, digging your fingers into his biceps as your orgasm builds yet again. “Yours, baby.” 

He lets out a sound that almost sounds pained and his eyebrows pinch together as his thrusts grow faster and faster – the sound of his skin hitting yours and the slick squelch from between your legs filling the small bedroom. 

“W- fuck! Where?” He begs you, his whole body trembling.

“Inside! Fuck, Jake. Inside. Wanna feel it. Oh fuck!” 

He moans loudly as he finishes, painting your walls with his release and the sound of him is what drives you over the edge. Your release gushes out of you, drenching him in your pleasure as you both ride out your orgasms together. The world around you melts away to just you and him, blanketed in your pleasure and safe from everything else that threatens to come between you. It’s everything. 

When you both finally come back to yourselves, Jake slowly pulls himself from you before allowing his weight to settle on top of you completely. It’s silent. The rain outside has finally stopped. 

“I love you.” He murmurs into your sweaty skin, lips tickling the sensitive skin of your neck.

“I love you too.” 

-----

If you're reading this, I love you! 💗

Taglist:

@jakeyt

@joshym

@wetkleenex-gvf

@dannys-dream

@jakesguitarsolo

@profitofthedune

@jaketlove

@brujamagik

@ohgodthefeeling-gvf

@gvfpal

@ignite-my-fire

@demolitionndann

@mybussyinchrist

@writingcold

@way-to-go-lad

@sinsofstardust

@jjwasneverhere

@wildbluesorbit

@twistedmelodies

@neverwanttofallasleep

@sunandthemoontwinflames

@mackalah

If you would like to be removed from/added to my taglist just lmk!

[cyberdragoninfinity]

Heyyyyyyyy, what's the story behind Yugo and Dennis in dimswap au???? 😭😭😭

(I don't know if I want to know that, but. My evil boys. I want them.)

SMILES BLISSFULLY... god they are. friends? rivals??? Guys With History That's For Sure LMAO.

i won't get into All of the details (since ideally i rly wanna write a fic with some important vignettes in their shared background!!) but here's the main gist of it 💚🧡 oh god it got long sorry. putting it under the cut <3

They formally met/befriended each other back when yugo was about 7 and dennis about 8ish--yugo was SUPPOSED to stay locked up in his dorm (this being after Leo Akaba tried to drown him/it didnt work/now Leo's a little bit scared of this baby zarc shard so he must be kept under close lock and key) but he's rambunctious and more clever than people give him credit for so he would frequently get out and go wander off into some of the more secluded campus courtyards to play outside. Dennis ALSO had a penchant for curiosity and sneaking around to explore, so of course at some point their paths were going to cross <3

they ended up becoming friends (yugo's first friend that wasnt his duel spirits ;___;) and played a lot of... like. Duel Monsters But Also Just Making Rules Up and Using the Cards As Toys. Playing Pretend. They kept meeting up and playing together off and on for probably around 8 months before some teacher finally caught on and yugo's got Contained once more :(

(faculty did take note of how very good at being stealthy young Dennis was, though, and perhaps fast tracked him a little to becoming a proper Duel Academy spy)

Anyway so the two kind of fell out of contact for like 6ish years. Peak "i met my new best friend at the beach one summer and then never saw them again" but theyre both still just on the same school campus being walled off into their respective education upbringings

Flash forward to when Yugo's like 12-13ish and Dennis is 14-15ish--I ended up cooking this sort of dswap specific Academy Training Drill that involves students having to duel each other in the middle of raging sleet and snowstorms to train for raging war in severe weather (and for the chance at exemplary mark on their records, if they can successfully beat the Wild Yugo Left to Wander the Duel Field.) Dennis and Yugo encounter each other and have a pretty vicious duel that ends in Yugo forcing a tie; technically a tie goes to Yugo and he'd get the card the challenger, but instead he lets Dennis mark it as a win, and i dont think either of them can fully comprehend as to why <3 (haha! they are fundamentally broken and cannot process acts of kindness and generosity anymore! 🥲)

And then they fall out of contact again cuz Dennis is getting swooped up in his mentorship going to shit and then him being assigned to Synchro to go keep an eye on/assassinate the zarc counterpart of that dimension (and then well he did a bunch of other stuff instead. 💜) Meanwhile Yugo's still being kept in his little box and only let out to be a campus hunting game boogeyman and frankly it's making him start to go stir crazy. there is NOT enough enrichment in his enclosure and he is going to act out!!!

ANYWAY. WELL THEN DIMENSIONSWAP ARC-V HAPPENS and yugo and dennis don't cross paths (literally) until the 'Fusion' arc when the Lancers descend upon DA to deal with all of that. So then you got Dennis, in the wake of his Synchro mission ALSO going to shit, now on assignment from the Professor himself to take Yuto out of the picture by any means necessary and getting a Little Fucking Unwell, and then also meanwhile you got Yugo, who is Not staying in his dorm rn... he wants in on the action he wants to see whats going on, and maybe have a little fun too <3 So they cross paths roaming the halls of Duel Academy and the vibe is. Weird. friends who havent seen each other in a while and have both changed a lot. Yugo takes issue with Dennis's assignment to kill Yuto (and the other two yuboys by extension) cuz A.) well those guys are him too right? what the fuck. not cool >:( but also B.) he kind of doubts Dennis can win against someone (presumably) as strong as Yugo himself. Dennis is not happy with either of that conclusion

So the two of them end up dueling in the middle of a DA hallway, in the tried and true arc-v fashion yugo does end up winning pretty Decisively 🥴 he still can't bring himself to card Dennis though, and effectively just ends up warning him "hey if you duel those other mes I dunno if you're gonna get what you want outta it" which just ends up pissing Dennis off more but oh well !!!

(Dennis loses to Yuto) (technically he loses to Yuya dueling through Yuto's body) (he still cards himself because Of Course He Does)

and then after all of that, in the wild wild west of Dimensionswap AU "Post-Canon," Yugo and Dennis reconnect and bond more over really being DA's strongest soldiers and last vestiges of the Fusion dimension's destructive warpath; they don't know how to live and operate with 'normal' people. they arent particularly sorry for what they did. and no one seems to know what to do with them. So they just meet up and play games together like when they were kids except now they also have this sort of transactional element of their friendship where they're beating the crap out of each other Fight Club style (for Yugo it's just roughhousing and having fun!!! and maybe also venting out some frustrations about the world he must live in now!!) (for Dennis it's his fifth dimensional chess 'God won't let me die i need to be punished for existing' self-loathing spiral and also maybe he's have fun too <3) (theyre both Not Doing Great thanks for asking :,) )

also dennis and yuri's relationship is also a bit of a tire fire during this period THERE'S A LOT. GOING ON.

ANYWAY TL;DR fusion!yugo and dennis have known each other since they were small and have a complicated dynamic that masks what may actually be a pretty deep bond that neither of them has the emotional literacy to filly comprehend. i like them SO much 🍌🐩

[ultraviolet-cello]

Yo what's up it's me, ya boi, [horrendous infection that knocked me down for a couple days]

Anyway I'll be catching up episodes 3 4 and 5 tomorrow/day after, but for now I just wanna do my thing with ep 6. 6&7 are possibly some of my favourite episodes in Tristamp, so I'm hyped to show off my theories/details about them.

Once again spoilers for Trimax [HEAVY spoilers in this case, we're talking about Legato and Razlo]

TL;DR there's something fucked up with Tristamp Livio and by extension Razlo, and I need more of them all the time.

@tristampparty I'm back in the game!

So a lot of these theories and details will link to episode 7 :]

So of note in this scene is (obviously) Wolfwood's weird red eyes which. Pretty cool ngl. But I do think there's something to be said about the way he pauses and carries the Punisher in this scene; there's a pretty popular theory that Wolfwood gets extremely overstimulated when he takes a vial and the way he pauses and wobbles with the Punisher here is, for me, more evidence for the list.

Also that they won't give this man a CAR. Give him a Thomas or something??? I think it speaks to the dehumanization of Wolfwood by EOM that he doesn't seem to get to use transport like a normal person - always set to wander the desert, because he can survive that! Not like a normal person, of course. Only the Punisher is inhuman enough to do that.

I'll have what he's having [I love that Nightow's wanted poster gets in the magazine despite being. Yknow, 30 $$]

I'll talk about this more when I actually get round to analyzing episode 5, but Roberto calling out Vash's not-being-human and then immediately going "well I'm not risking my life for that" is interesting because he's, well, a reporter. It speaks to his experience that he's not willing initially to chase down something that could be a big scoop. But also,,,, Vash looks like. 20. Roberto is probably about in his 30s-40s, which means he's probably heard of Vash since childhood [Since Tristamp Vash has a much longer reputation history than Trimax/98]. I really wonder what Roberto thinks of that; did the picture not come as a shock to him, or did he already know? Does part of the reason he keeps letting himself be talked into following Vash stem from a lifelong curiosity? Much to think about.

This plant HAUNTS me. Why does she have such a different tank? Used to power the Ion Cannon, maybe, but there's the possibility people adjusted it so she can better power the sandsteamer and that's,,,, There's a complicated relationship between humans and plants (obviously), but little implications like those adjustments make me go !!!! [My friend @millions-dykes has a Plant Engineer oc, Enigma, who focuses on that concept. She's very cool]

LIVIO SIGHTED. Let me get this out of the way quickly, but y'know that panel that is often cited as inspiration for Tristamp Livio's design? Yeah that's. That's Razlo.

Which is really fucking funny to me because it's foundational to Tristamp Livio - love that for him, but trimax Livio specifically does not wield Punishers, and the page that this appears on is when Razlo is getting Livio to tell him he's the strongest (Which then goes into this training flashback montage page which is Razlo-centric). Which again, extremely funny to me.

Not necessarily analysis, but something all iterations of Trigun do great at is a sense of Scale. The sandsteamer is massive, yes, but so is the desert. There's some great shots with the moons later on, which I love as well.

Wolfwood really doesn't try and keep it secret, huh? I mean, in every iteration Vash Knows[TM], but tristamp Wolfwood in particular just,,, doesn't keep the secret. I wonder what other conversations they've had, when Wolfwood realized Vash knew.

Being always able to see Wolfwood's eyes gives him a layer of emotion that I really like - Trimax Wolfwood is a little more reserved, because he's more developed, further layered into those coping mechanisms and repressions that make up his character. Tristamp Wolfwood hasn't quite had that yet, and it's reflected in his design. It's sick as hell

Time for me to be so normal about Livio and Razlo ^_^ so I've built up a bit of a study case on the differences in when Livio or Razlo are fronting [Trimax], and once you start looking into paneling and shit it's Very apparent! Which is cool! And I'm starting to build up one for Tristamp Livio, which,,, well, you'll see. Anyway take note of his movements here - slow, even footsteps and steady guns.

The mask here is. Also a red flag for something being Off. The eye moving independently suggests that either they have some Weirder Than Usual Body Stuff going on, that Trimax Livio and Razlo can do that and nobody comments on it because they're being polite or - My theory - the mask having those electrical components are embedded somewhat in Livio's face. I will explain in just a second.

Livio as a kid being so upset about his parents interests me - In Trimax, Razlo kills Livio's parents because Razlo was formed as a protective alter due to heavy childhood abuse, and Livio doesn't seem too upset by that specifically, more just being,,, alone. I wonder what happened with their parents in this specific timeline, or if Razlo just hasn't presented yet.

Now I've uh. Kinda semi-intentionally blocked out some stuff I've read in the Bible, but I do remember someone being crucified upside down. St Peter that was it! I don't remember anything else but I'm sure people more well-versed in the Bible will have some imagery to point out lol

Legato's outfit seems a touch inspired by that one July flashback in Trimax. Which, given that Tristamp is a leadup to July, is a nice touch!

Legato might be a bit protective of his hair. Can't imagine why.

On a more serious note, it makes sense for Legato to have such a protectiveness around his body and physical appearance, especially if Knives had an influence in it.

sands undertal

I really do wonder what Legato's ability is in this. Like unless they retrieved Vash's arm from the. Wherever it got sucked into when it was amuptated they can't go the 98 route. But the wire explanation of Trimax also doesn't quite seem to fit. Something new, maybe. Could be related to Plants!

I wonder if Vash here is thinking about Rollo. That Wolfwood was willing to kill Rollo out of mercy, and he's going to do it again to Livio. Except this time, Wolfwood knows Livio. Vash doesn't know Livio, but Wolfwood does and it's going to hurt Wolfwood if Vash lets him carry on with this. So he goes to save Livio, and save Wolfwood as well. Similar to Trimax, where Vash kills Legato to save Livio as a remnant of Wolfwood's memory, Vash here could be protecting Livio to protect Wolfwood.

Okay here's where my crack theories come in. So I do think that Razlo is elbowing his way into front about here, not even necessarily because Livio is getting his ass handed to him, but because of the mask. He's probably not fully There, because the progressing fighting style continues in Livio's movements, but the eye changes are. Well, it's Livio and Razlo you can never be too careful.

So Livio hits the mask here and is down for the count for. A Bit. What's important here to me is that the mask does of course have an electrical component. Now, what would that be for? Well, gathering that Livio seemingly has a bit of trouble after this (early episode 7, this is a two parter theory), that the mask is used by EOM to force a switch remotely. After the mask seemingly malfunctions, we get a lot more Razlo-esque movements and traits in episode 7 before Livio seems to come back in and have his little meltdown.

It links in with both dehumanization of neurodivergent people (In this case, a system) and the usage of Razlo and Livio by EOM. Razlo's very often portrayed as Big Scary Murder Alter by EOM for scare factor, whereas when we get a bit more into Razlo's head in the Elendira fight we see a bit more what he's actually like - protective alter groomed into assassinhood by Chapel - and lends more understanding to the character. EOM being able to force trigger a switch would be viscerally horrifying for that loss of autonomy theme in a way that speaks to many neurodivergent people. Thanks for coming to my ted talk????

[havendance]

I finished reading Simone's run on Batgirl (2011) today, and it feels a bit like I'm reaching the end of an era for the new 52 between the upcoming change of directions for her and Dick and Birds of Prey coming to an end, so I figured it was time for another check in.

Batman -- I have already written extensively about Zero Year. I probably have another post or two in me about it if I can pull together the brainpower. It looks like there is ANOTHER Joker event coming up in Batman: Endgame soon. Woohoo. Sigh. Scott Snyder I do not actually dislike your writing, but why?

Batman and Robin -- The Two Face arc was fine. The thing that really through me off though was the fact that the description for the trade for this arc was like "what's the connection between Harvey Dent and Carrie Kelly?" and then Carrie Kelly didn't show up at all? Am I missing something? What is the timeline on this story?

Birds of Prey -- I am not particularly sad to see this one go. This whole series was just all pretty eh in my opinion. I didn't really care about most of the plot lines. I did like Strix, but I really don't have much else to say about this. The best Birds of Prey content honestly comes from whenever Simone dragged them into Batgirl which I think is not very surprising.

Batgirl -- Barbara's fighting Vampire's all of a sudden? Around the same time as Kate's Nocturna drama? It's not even October. Anyway, I did still enjoy the Batgirl: Wanted trade more than the Deadline trade, but this was still enjoyable enough. I really liked the second Annual with Poison Ivy (see my note about Simone writing the best new52 Birds of Prey content despite not writing Birds of Prey). I am of mixed opinions of Helena Wayne Huntress getting brought into the Deadline storyline because it's very much a 'we're homaging the Birds of Prey trio' storytelling decision, and like Simone created that trio, it's her final issues on Batgirl, she has the right to do that! But also they have none of the history and it makes me sad because I miss them and Wayne isn't Bertinelli :( The final confrontation with Knightfall also felt a little anticlimactic and I just know that the plot threads with Barbara's old roommate is about to get completely dropped which is a shame. I am also a little sad that it ends with Barbara asking Alysia to come with her when I know she's about to get stuck on a bus. Alas.

Anyway, this also collected the Batgirl: Futures End issue which, uh, was a story.

Batwoman -- There is a clear drop in art quality when J. H. Williams left the title sadly. The Rafael Albuquerque covers are very good though. As I said previously, it's a shame that Andreyko is under marching orders to break of Kate and Maggie because I like the way he writes them together. I'm curious how the title's going to go for the final arc, because the plots that weren't the Kate-Maggie drama were less interesting and now that he doesn't have that. I suppose the title does end in like 6 issues.

Nightwing -- Nightwing's Chicago era was really fun and I am sad to see Kyle Higgins go. I may have had some beef with him over the fact that he burned down Haley's Circus twice in a row, but he wrote a good Nightwing. It's a shame he was stuck in thew new52 because I would've liked to see what he could do with a Dick Grayson who actually had all of his history.

[hawkeyefierce]

Hi! My friend and I are getting into hockey and we’re kind of wondering what the vibe on Max Domi is?? I’m kind of seeing mixed messages about him so we were wondering why you like him so we can figure out what his deal is and if we should try to pay attention to him more on the leafs. Thanks!

hi anon!! just wanna say before i get going that i’m in love with this ask and you by extension for asking, and i’m sorry this took me so long!

now on to the propaganda (this is long i’m not sorry)

i’m obligated to preface this by saying i’m hugely biased as a Leafs fan who grew up in Southern Ontario. my dad has always been a pretty big Tie Domi fan, so liking Max just seemed like a natural continuation of that.

baby Max with Mats Sundin, then-captain of the Leafs. he’s just a little guy,,

born March 2nd, 1995, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, one month before Tie was traded (back) to the Leafs, Max spent his childhood in Mississauga, Ontario, roughly half an hour west of Toronto. at the age of 12, following some health complications at a hockey tournament in Detroit, blood work revealed that Max had type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. 

not the end of the world, clearly, but a pretty significant shock for a kid with aspirations of greatness. of course, he was able to manage it, with time, and when i finally read his book i’ll tell y’all more about it i promise.

these pictures make me emotional,, a couple of Domis, a couple of decades apart,,, except Max looks about 200% cuntier

anyway

scored a hatty in his OHL debut (slay). won consecutive OHL championships with the London Knights in 2012 and 2013 (double slay). selected 12th overall by the Phoenix (now Arizona) Coyotes, and signed a three year ELC (!). won gold with Team Canada at the 2015 WJC, and was named the tournament’s best forward (huge W). traded to the Montréal Canadiens in 2018, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2020, to the Carolina Hurricanes (via the Florida Panthers) at the trade deadline of March 31st 2022, to the Chicago Blackhawks in July of 2022, to the Dallas Stars in March 2023, and finally signed as a free agent to our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs on July 2nd 2023. he’s been on seven different NHL teams since he was drafted. 

sadly, as i’ve only been a hockey fan for one calendar year, i cannot provide much insight into his time with NHL teams other than the Leafs. i have ordered and am waiting for his book to come in so i can better rotate him in my mind, but i encourage anyone who knows more about his other teams’ lore to add to this post or send me what you know, so i can share it with the world. (pls i wanna know everything about him ever)

what i can say is that him and Mitch Marner were teammates on the London Knights for two seasons, (13-14 and 14-15), the second of which saw Max as captain and Mitch as an alternate captain. the season after, Mitch was named captain in Max’s stead. seeing them back together on the Leafs brings joy to my little London Knights heart.

now back to him as a Leaf. 

the current Leafs points leaders, as of December 30th, are as follows:

William Nylander - 48P (17G 31A)

Auston Matthews - 44P (29G 15A)

Mitch Marner - 38P (14G 24A)

John Tavares - 31P (11G 20A)

Morgan Rielly - 27P (4G 23A) 

Max Domi - 21P (3G 18A)

the first five of these are pretty much to be expected, but there’s my close good friend Max Domi right there too :) he’s doing his part, and even if he’s not the biggest scorer, assists are just as important and valuable :) if i have to kill y’all with positivity for this i will :) i love him dearly :)

also, he currently sits at 389 career points, and he’s nowhere near done, while Tie Domi earned 245 points in his entire career of 1020 games. nobody can say shit to me about him not living up to his dad’s legacy (Note: Tie also sits at third in NHL history for penalty minutes with 3515, but that’s a stat nobody will ever surpass. ever. the current PIM leader in the NHL is Corey Perry, and he only has 1392.)

and now i’m not about to sit here and pretend i know how to quantify the skills of an NHL player, let alone describe them in great detail. i do not. however, what i do know is that i love watching him play and make plays. in my eyes, he is a good player, and this is the Max Domi Propaganda Blog so if you want something less biased i can’t help you, sorry :’)

this love began in a preseason game against the Habs, on Oct 2nd. his first game as a Leaf in Toronto, he scores a tip-in against his former team, and he shrugs it off like NBD. for those of you who were following me at the time, you know i was not normal about it then and i am not normal about it now. i think about that celly every goddamn day. 

much to my great sorrow, they Leafed this game up and lost in OT 5-4. but either way, this was the moment that definitively kicked off the Rick eastoncowan Domishka era. 

and the only time Max ever seems to get a scoring chance, it’s either on a breakaway or from a spot that would have been absolutely NASTY if it went in. my mans only wants sexy goals, which is a stance i respect immensely. 

his first regular season goal… didn’t give him any points. it was beautiful, and a game winner, but since it happened in a shootout, it didn’t count towards his points totals. personally, i think this is bullshit, but now is neither the time nor the place for me to get into my issues with some of the NHL’s rules. (Nov 10, 2023, Flames @ Leafs)

Domishka bardownski SO winner,,, you were so beautiful and so unappreciated but i will never forget you </3

now.

Max’s first real goal as a Leaf.

for those of you who followed me at the time, you may recall this post:

a post that the Hockey Gods took to heart

and obviously i followed through. what do you think i am, some kind of quitter?

and, again, unfortunately, we Leafed that one up, too. we lost it in OT again, so still no Domi belt pic for Rick :(

now i’m not going to go back and gif all 18 of his assists, because i don’t think y’all care quite that much about Visual Proof of all of them. for your convenience, though, i did go back and track down whose goals he had assisted on, and the results aren’t super surprising IMO

Calle Järnkrok, Nick Robertson (assisted on 5 each)

Matthew Knies (assisted on 4)

William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Mitch Marner, Timothy Liljegren (assisted on 1 each)

anyway, now for what is quite possibly my favourite game that i didn’t actually get to watch live.

December 16, 2023, Penguins @ Leafs, a decisive 7-0 victory.

it was also a 3 point night for Max, two of which helped to complete Matthew Knies’ Gordie Howe hat trick, the first since Daniel Winnik in 2015. but a goal and an assist are only two parts of it, the third being a fight. a fight which Knies initiated against John Ludvig after he knocked out yet another of Max’s front teeth with his stick. a fight which was Knies’ first ever. i’m still mad i didn’t see this happen live, but i’ve rewatched the game in its entirety twice, and the highlights too many times to count. this game sparked my undying love for the 23-11-16 line, which is a line i still pray keefe will bring back.

and so, we have a goal and a fight, and we have an assist to finish off the hat trick, and none of it would have happened without Max :)

and speaking of fights, Max has had a couple of em himself in his time as a Leaf so far. granted, if you ask hockeyfights dot com, he didn’t win either of them, but that’s not what matters. what matters is that he looked beautiful doing it, whether it was against Ian Cole (VAN) or Sam Bennett (FLA), especially with the fun added bonus of him flexing his full head of hair at Bennett’s bald dome. as an aside, i fucking hate Sam Bennett, so Max trying to fight him was… well it made me feel things. all i’m gonna say.

max’s third goal was also gorgeous. stunning. amazing. another beautiful bardown, the sound of which lives on in my dreams.

this is getting far longer than it really needs to be, so i’ll take a step back and give you my true, honest thoughts.

Max Domi has been a very helpful player for the Leafs since he got here. he obviously has the drive to play here and to play well here, and 21 points is nothing to be ashamed of. you know who else has 21 points as of me writing this? Alex Ovechkin. and now i’m not saying they are players of the same caliber, but Max is 6th on the Leafs in points, and Ovi is tied for first on the Caps. 21 points is still 21 points, no matter where in the standings someone is. Max was born to be a Leaf, and nothing makes me happier than to see him here and thriving on the team he’s loved since he was a kid. he takes shots, blocks shots, defends his boys and is defended right back in turn. 

and i would not be Rick eastoncowan if i didn’t mention that i think he is hot. like stupid hot. especially without his teeth. fuck, the heart wants what the heart wants, and damn if my heart doesn’t want this tiny toothless idiot. 

[xxnashiraxx]

for the fic writer questions: 2, 14, 29, 39, 43, 54, 72! ❤️❤️

Thank you for asking, my love 🖤🖤🖤 You can find the original post here!

2. Do You Plan Each Chapter Ahead or Write as You Go?

Look, I'm not really a "details" person, lol. I have always been shit at planning, which usually turns out to be my Achilles heel. I've gotten really lucky with this story- I've outlined the very basics and noted down key events and plots I'd like to unfold and write during the duration, but mostly I've just started and not stopped writing- thank god this game has quests or I'd be dead in the water. I work around the natural progression of the game, toss in some tropes and silly little things and dialogue, and hope it all works out, and so far it's done just that! I will say this is the most organized I've ever been in writing, and I'm really pleased with what I've done so far- this is the best work I've ever done, and I'm really proud of it. 🖤

14. How Do You Write Emotional Scenes? Do You Ever Feel What the Characters Feel? Do You Draw From Personal Experiences?

I love writing emotional scenes, they can be gut wrenching or joyful and I like to try and emulate what I'd feel when the characters I'm writing about are experiencing those things. I have a lot of angst history, unfortunately, but that's been great in helping me realize what happens to me when I go through those feelings. I like to touch on the senses- smell, sight, sound, touch, all of that. I try to immerse myself in it all like how a panic attack can leave you scattered and how your chest feels tight and that there's not enough breath in your lungs, or how a kiss can make you feel like there are butterflies in your stomach (cliche, but hey it happens) alongside the less glamorous descriptions of sweating profusely and feeling like everything is on fire. Emotional scenes weren't always my strong suit, but I've never looked at them through the lens of how I would feel in that moment, and doing so has really helped me improve.

29. What's Your Revision or Editing Process Like?

This is also pretty scattered! I was smart enough this time around to plan out my fic before I started writing, and in doing so, I spent April to the end of July of this year writing out nearly all of Act 1 for my fic without posting or uploading anything. Now that we're in October, I'm nearing the end of everything I've written, and up until this point, I've taken the week between chapter postings to polish and tweak the third drafts of all the chapters (that had already gone under extensive editing during those 4 months) and sometimes re-write things entirely. It's taken a lot of my free time, hence my shift to an every-other-week release, and as I finish posting all my pre-done material, I will now be writing a chapter the first week and going through edits the second week before posting. I don't plan on burning out, but there's always the chance the release schedule could shift again to accommodate more for my time and best work. 😊

39. Share a Snipper from a WIP.

Aww, I simply cannot resist 🖤 Have some angsty Chapter 12 from With Stars to Fill My Dream stuff since all the snippets I've been posting this month have been horny, lol.

He holds her until she yawns and he guides her back to her tent, a soft trembling laugh tickling his ear when she stumbles over her bedroll. He sits next to her as she gets tucked in, long hair fanned out around her flushed face, while some savage creature tears and gnashes at his chest from within. “Astarion?” “Hmm?” “Sorry about earlier.” He peers into her eyes, watching them grow foggy. “When, darling?” “In the windmill. I… it was really silly of me. I didn’t know how you felt, and I let that… uhh… word? Get in the way? I guess…” She laughs and there’s amusement in her eyes, the alcohol slurring her words. “Anyway, I usually don’t fall for people this fast, I just didn’t want to mess up what was going on between us with my feelings. You just want sex, though, so I don’t have to worry about those anymore.” Oh. He should leave before she reveals any more secrets she intends to keep. Yet… he can’t help wanting to hear them. Part of him wants them like he wants power, like he wants leverage. The other… lingers on the fall-for-people line, the words stuck behind his eyes as she looks at him and continues on. “But we can't do that. I'm sorry that I can't tell you yes,” She smiles, too far gone to realize she should probably shut her mouth. “I misunderstood big time, but I promise I don’t feel that way anymore. You don't want me that way, so we're just friends. We'll never be anything else...” She closes her eyes, exhale shaking out of her lungs with a weary rattle. He sits until her breathing evens and stares at her, odd warring emotions unfolding beneath his ribs. He's confused- confused at what she said, at what she meant, at why she sounded like she was hiding the truth away from him as she spoke, and perhaps even from herself... The creature savages it all, making him finally tear his eyes away. Before he can stop himself he leans down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, before leaving and disappearing into the night.

43. Do You Take A Sadistic Joy in Whumping Your Characters, or Are You More the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" Kind of Person?

Kind of both, lol. I love making them all stupid and broken and then healing them and taking that all away- it's really very cruel, but I'll be damned if they get too comfortable. I would love to take mercy on them, but I'm not a merciful god. :(

54. What's Your Favorite Part About the Fanfiction Writing Process?

I just love thinking of how I could give more depth to situations that I felt could have used it, or grow bonds between characters where I saw a lack of before. I love the imaging part- I usually do this with a bit of music (which, fun fact, is the only reason I'm writing my long fic, thank you Crazy on You by Heart) and I sit and immerse myself in the sounds and lyrics as I think about how they could apply to the situation I'm thinking about and it all comes together. I've planned many scenes in my writing this way and gotten inspiration from them. 🖤

72. What Order Do You Write In? Front of Book to Back? Chronological Favorite Scenes First? Something Else?

I sit at my desk and just go at it, man. I have that loose plan, those key scenes in mind, and I try to fill the gaps in between! I always try to stick to chronological order and go from there, but there have been a few times I've written out a future scene and I love coming up on them when I hit that point only to take a wrecking ball to them sometimes, but at least I had the bones to start and that really helps. 💗💗💗

Thank you for asking, again! I really love doing things like this 🖤🖤

[iantimony]

twoweeker tuesday: redux

im really making a trend of two-weekin these huh. gonna try to Not do that bc it makes me way less likely to actually do it lol. speed-posting this before bed (and before the melatonin kicks my ass, i'm trying to reset my sleep sched a bit)

listening: hozier unreal unearth. sammy rae & the friends. leaving this pretty sparse because i don't want to dig back through my history for the past two weeks and that's definitely the bulk of it. some notes from the Release Radar(tm) that i like: good luck, babe! - chappell roan bell - rob blivion waiting. - pater ...all (feat jake clemons, live) - grouplove i had not my hat - tom rosenthal april 8, 2024: the great north american eclipse - sleeping at last (!!!) too sweet - hozier flea - st vincent lil' freak - bbno$

reading: finished the main bit of scum villain! i'm reading the extras now. officially read all three mxtx books

watching: FINISHED SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN. i have so many thoughts. i was in delta-orionis' dms about it a bit but my ass has so many Notes. many thoughts. gnosticism mostly but also the obvious tech-as-extension-of-self throughline. idk it was a very weird show and i definitely need to re-watch it to let it sink in a little more.

playing: no games but a lot of horn! i have an audition tomorrow for the fall's campus ensembles, i am...not super confident about it tbh, unsurprisingly i am not back to where i was pre-pandemic so my upper range and endurance is still really crunchy.

making: i keep forgetting to charge my phone before pottery so it keeps. dying. so i made quite a few new things the past few weeks but no photos of those - i did Crack the Code a bit, so now i can more reliably get things shaped in a conscious way. basically i was sitting too far forward so when i was pulling the walls up i was actually doing it at an angle, if i sit with my nose over the center of the pot it's all *chef kiss* beautiful. anyways here's a few glaze related pics. a lot of disappointment unfortunately.

1. my fucked up teacups. god im so mad about these. they were supposed to be a cool grey-green with a white flower, and matte. it is None Of These Things. idk will get redone. big mad.

2. bowl and mug that both got bubbles because i misread the glaze labels - they're both mayco glazes that are optimized for cone 05, not cone 5, so the both the color is not as good as i thought and also the surface variation is. not great. the bowl is acceptable, it's mirror blue, it went through the kiln again and the bubbles evened out (pic is from before), and plus it's on the outside - i just put plain white on the inside - so it's fine. the mug is a little more problematic. it was green slip sgraffito with evergreen fir over top, and i really love the color effect, but there's some small bubbles along the rim...this glaze was marked as food safe in a way that the mirror blue is Not so i thought it would be fine but. well. i'm hoping nuking it in the kiln again will smooth those out.

3. One Good Thing: trying a new glaze technique! someone in my studio does this gorgeous thing where she paints on flowers with underglaze, then covers them with liquid latex to paint on the background, and finally peels off the latex. it always comes out sooo nice, so when i ordered some more underglaze i went ahead and added liquid latex to cart too :3 this is just the flowers, i will be adding the background tomorrow!

eating: uhhh good cauliflower vegetarian shawarma thing that i refused to make unless we added a can of chickpeas because where in the fuck is the protein. tonight was a miso-butter chicken with radishes that we added potatoes and onions to. both sheetpan recipes so im def a fan of those now.

misc: ouuuugh. augh. oughghghg. i need to be done with homework forever please god. i have like...7? 8? total hws left between my two classes. and then i am Done With Classes. mentally gearing up to do my preliminaries at the end of the summer. not to doxx myself but ouch. basketball yesterday. Pain. the eclipse yesterday WAS unreal. oh my god. i drove to [redacted] very small town about 40 minutes from me and it was perfect. so glad i avoided the Big City, although that's where my roommate and her mom went and apparently the traffic was fine, but i'm definitely glad to have been in a less crowded zone. i get it now. i want to take that feeling i had watching totality and eat it and keep it with me forever. i was with friends. the weather was perfect. it was beautiful.

[heademptysystem]

System discovery!

I'd always known something was wrong, even when I was really little. I'd always been prone to 'zoning out' and had some pretty vivid imaginary friends growing up. I'd often felt like I didn't belong in my own body, and it was more of me just looking after it, for someone else.

I was very quiet as a kid, and chalked down most of these things to loneliness and anxiety. As I grew a little older I started to worry I was going mad hearing these 'friends' talk to me, and just like that they pretty much stopped. I learnt later that May and Zeeylans dormancy forced the system to stop contacting me in front, May was worried I would tell someone about these voices.

While alters did continue to assist they did this through masking as me, so at worst I just was having an out of body expeirnce. I've had a history of hallucinations and delusions for a long time as well, getting worse as I entered my teens and subsequently for us more truama. I was about sixteen when alters started using their own names and dropping the mask of who they were again.

Mostly Novum, who stated he was me from a past life meant to help me navigate this one. At the time I was having a spiritual delima anyway, and this didn't seem too far of a stretch, I also didn't want to think of another explanation as I was fearful of what that would be.

My bf started doing some research when I explained this too him and he met Novum, Satan and Eve on several occasions. He's extensive research led DID but he did not say anything to me at the time, gentle encouraging me to seek answers.

Eventually Novum cracked and told me it was a lie, he'd just always been in my head, well he said I've always been in his head as he believes this body is his. This threw me even more, finally I had to turn to get some medical advice.

Looking back now there were lots of signs, notes not in my handwriting, emails under different names. My battle with gender fluctuation. (I am trans but for a long time was confused as to whether I was gender fluid as some days I would feel feminine so deeply and believe I was female again, I was not. It was eve.) other things like emails in different names, being able to eat foods one day and hating them the next, but i was able to explain away most and ignored what I couldn't.

It took me a long time to fully accept what I had, I didn't want to believe what I'd gone through had caused something like this, sometimes I still struggle with it. I'm hopefully as time passes I will come to peace with it.

(Novums story did make sense as we are from the same source where that is what (kinda) had happened, he was also confused as he had rarely fronted in childhood and was doing the best he could with what he had)

- gray (he/it) [overseer]

[left4denver]

hey y'all! this is peyton [sh/th, 21+, cst—also the mun of dylan, selena, mouse & hyeon] and this time i'm bringing you guys hakgojae gallery's foh manager, oh dabin :~) you can view his stats here, his pinterest here & read all about him under the cut! i prefer discord so pleasssee hit me up at #seamonkeydefender

born and raised in seoul, dabin is a city boy to his core. his parents aren't "rich", but they're pretty damn comfortable—as a result, dabin is... a little... spoiled...

picky, difficult kid. not necessarily mean, but does have an attitude that seems to suggest he thinks he's above other people; his parents have him spend a lot of time with his maternal grandparents in jeju-do to kind of combat this problem as they're very hard workers and very humble people. worth noting that his grandmother is a haenyo/female diver, very much the breadwinner of their household and after dabin gets past all the judgment and whiny ass "you smell like seaweed! i hate you!" tantrums, she instills a very strong admiration/respect for women in him

anyway, as if that doesn't put him in his place, his parents having another kid when dabin is already 10 does LMFAOOOO... no longer the baby of the family, has to step up and help his parents out (as much as a 10yr old can) with the baby. it's a bummer. he fuckin' hates that kid for the first two months of her life, and then all of a sudden he loves her more than he's probably ever loved anything

sparknotes: by the time he's reaching his teenager years, dabin is mostly humble but extremely wild / daredevil, likes to do shit just for thrills / gets in a lot of trouble, is arrested a few times in his late teens & early adulthood and ends up being assigned community service hours as part of his sentence / becomes very compassionate in this timeframe as he learns about world issues and what he can do to make a change / ends up enlisting and then going to college a bit late (paid for in full by his parents who just want to see him improve his life), undecided major at first but eventually settles on art history (useless ass degree if you ask his dad LOLLL) / gets his bachelor's degree in 2018 and then his master's in 2021, by the time he finishes his master's he has drastically mellowed out / gets a job at hakgojae gallery as an art handler, eventually works his way up to being the foh manager oh yeahhh...

so here he is now. a 30 year old man who's Been There, Done That and just wants peace now. he's extremely smart, but also is well aware that he doesn't know everything and is always happy to learn something new. passionate about things such as animal rights, climate change, women's rights, etc etc, still volunteers often even though he fulfilled his requirements a while ago. reads a lot of books about self-improvement and various informative topics.

still kinda pretentious ngl... but i'm sure that vibe carries through enough in this intro that i don't even have to say it, LMFAO. that said, he is a very well-meaning dude; his intentions are pure, and he's trying every day to be better than he was yesterday.

other info: type to drink wine at 2pm on a wednesday / passionate about south korea and especially about seoul, has a side hustle/hobby of giving newcomes or vacationers personalized tours / his favorite season is autumn if u even care / really warm guy, strives to be a pillar for others to lean against and a friend for them to confide in / has a russian blue cat named willow, humoring the idea of getting a second cat so willow isn't alone when he leaves for work / king of making lists, very organized man!

plot ideas

y'all already know, but if you don't: i love extensive plotting and building storylines together from scratch, so if you're into this too, hit me up! let's talk about every little detail <3 but i'm also 100% down to jump into a base idea and just see where it goes. that said, here are some ideas:

friends of dabin's younger sister. she's about 20/21, so these friends would probably be in that age range but rly it could be anyone who knows her from uni as well—regardless, dabin will be a surrogate big bro to them :~)

also just random young adults he's taken under his wing... he acts like he's 50yrs old the way he's always like "i was young once. i get it. but because i was young once, i can also tell you you're being dumb as hell and you're gonna be embarrassed when you look back on these years" like dude... chill

aspiring artists who want to get their work showcased at hakgojae gallery and figure the best way (re: shortcut) to do that is to make nice with the manager

someone kind of new to seoul who dabin had a mutual (npc) connection with and as a result, welcomed them very warmly into the city/gave them a tour and helped them get settled in and all that

similar aged friends... people he met in uni, people he went absolutely wild with in his early 20's and now they're (probably?) both kind of settled down - but man, ain't it fun to reminisce?

pretentious art buddies, film buffs, whateverrrr

a budding artist who dabin is actually a big ass fan of

someone who volunteers at the same animal shelter as him

some girl who thinks he's stupid and fake as fuck 'cause he's soooooo loud and proud about "being a feminist" JDJFHBSDJ

etc etc... down for anything!

[scruffyplayssonic]

Are the ArchieSonic comics actually an 80's/90's syndicated cartoon? Episode 47: Evil alien invasion (Part 1: The Xorda)

Welcome back to my look at the ArchieSonic comic series, and how it shared a lot of the same story tropes as a typical ‘80s or ‘90s syndicated cartoon! 

I know it’s been awhile since my last episode, but I’ve had a lot to catch up on at work that’s been keeping me occupied. I was expecting to come back to find some of my assigned work had not been done while I was on leave, but I wasn’t expecting none of it to get done. Hoo boy, what a mess. Anyway, let’s get back into it. Today’s episode is:

Episode 47: Evil alien invasion (Part 1: The Xorda)

So this isn’t my first time mentioning alien races in this series...

I’ve already gone over Car-Heem of Wheet pretty extensively, and he wasn’t really evil so much as misguided. We also don’t know if the rest of the Wheetens are like him, as we only saw them in a brief cameo when A.D.A.M. summoned the Chaos Emeralds from their planet, so there’s not much point going into them.

There’s also the Bzzzz which I’ve previously mentioned from Sonic’s Tossed in Space arc. The Bzzzz were an evil race raging war on the peaceful Blodex, and were wiped out by Super Sonic, who appeared as a separate and chaotic entity to Sonic himself due to him using red chaos emeralds.

So those guys have been covered too. But there are two other alien races that I’ve mostly skipped over so far, so today I'm going to have a look at the first of those.

The first evil aliens to invade Mobius were the Xorda, who debuted in the Sonic Adventure 2.5 arc in Sonic #124 and 125.

The story was that thousands of years ago these guys sent an emissary to Earth to make peaceful contact and offer an alliance. But the humans who made first contact  (naturally including an ancestor of the Kintobor clan) captured the emissary and dissected them. The Xorda were justifiably upset about this, but they may have overreacted slightly when they decided to commit planetary genocide. Just a little planetary genocide, as a treat. Bombarding the planet with gene bombs, they left after they assumed that they’d wiped out all life on the planet. But they were unaware that there were pockets of survivors, and the gene bomb radiation resulted in most of mankind slowly evolving into anthropomorphic mammals, aka Mobians. 

In Sonic Adventure 2.5, the Xorda returned to Earth (now known as Mobius) thousands of years later and discovered that they hadn’t wiped out all life on the planet after all, so they started the war anew.

This also marked the return of Shadow the Hedgehog to the comic, who had been missing and presumed dead since the events of Sonic Adventure 2 (partially shown in Sonic #98).

It turned out that Shadow had been saved from his fatal fall from the Ark by an alien race called the Bem (more on them later) who nursed him back to health. When the Xorda attacked, the Bem imbued Shadow with enough energy to become Super Shadow again so that he could fight the Xorda off while they escaped.

…yeah, that didn’t exactly work out. But at least the Bem got away safely.

With the planet under attack by the Xorda, who were still yelling about the murder of their emissary thousands of years ago, Sally and Nicole researched what had happened and found out that all signs pointed to them being truthful - Mobius used to be Earth, and the Xorda’s attack on the planet coincided with history’s accounts of the Days of Fury that ravaged the planet.

Sally tried to plead a case with the Xorda for them to spare the planet, pointing out that humans were no longer the dominant lifeforms on the planet and that the Mobosapiens were inadvertently created by the Xorda’s previous bombing. But the Xorda could not be swayed and continued their attack.

It was Dr. Eggman who brought the solution - a giant robot that was totally not a Transformer and was strong enough to fight back, but needed Sonic’s speed as a power source. 

Just an aside note here, but my headcanon for this mech was that Eggman originally intended to power it with his own people. When a colony of Overlanders (aka humans) suddenly returned from space without warning, Eggman temporarily tricked them into taking refuge with him and his robotic forces in Robotropolis. At the time ("the time" being Sonic #95) Snively was curious about why Eggman hadn’t just roboticised them and been done with it, and so Eggman showed him exactly what he had planned for his guests.

We never did find out exactly what Snively was shown, as Sonic and Sally showed up and evacuated the Overlanders to Knothole (then later, Station Square) before Eggman could go through with his plan. But my theory is that Eggman was showing off his Giga-Bot Prime to Snively, and after losing the Overlanders he converted it to run on the power of one speedy blue boi rather than a hundred odd mediocre humans.

Anyway, back to the Xorda. In desperation Eggman called Knothole proposing a truce, asking them to send Sonic so he could save the day. But King Max had a rare W moment here (yes, he was very occasionally awesome, mostly depending on the writer) and demanded that in return for Sonic’s services, Eggman surrender half of his territories to the Acorn Kingdom. With no other choice, Eggman reluctantly agreed.

Sonic and Sally raced off to Eggman’s base to check out his newest toy, and sure enough, with Sonic powering it the Giga-Bot Prime was powerful enough to beat back the Xorda.

Predictably, as soon as the threat seemed to be gone Eggman turned on Sonic, remotely trapping him inside Giga-Bot Prime to be its eternal fuel source as Eggman used it to conquer the planet. But he didn’t get a chance to do so, as the Xorda dropped off their deadliest weapon: the Quantum Dial, which once activated would create a black hole that would engulf the entire planet.

Both heroes and villains alike across the entire planet travelled to the Quantum Dial to try and stop it, but were unable to get past its defenses.

On top of having sentry turrets that shot at anyone that got close, it also emitted a field that caused all technological weapons that came into range to just fall apart before they could do any harm. Giga-Bot Prime was no exception and disintegrated as soon as it was in range, but on the plus side it at least got Sonic and Sally past the outside defenses. The Quantum Dial had one last defense though, a quantum wave designed to incinerate anyone who got too close. But Sonic and Sally were saved by some literal Deus Ex Machina, as Knuckles came back from the dead in a massive wave of power, stopping the quantum wave.

However Knuckles could not help any further, as returning from the Chaos Force had stripped him of his powers. It was left to Sonic to destroy the Quantum Dial by doing a speedy thing and running around it counterclockwise to reverse the dial’s direction and cause it to implode.

Sonic appeared to have been killed in this last sacrificial act of heroism, but he’d actually been transported across the universe and was completely fine. This kicked off the Tossed In Space arc, which I talked about during the “We’re in space now!” episode.

So that’s the Xorda in a nutshell, but there was one other alien race that caused trouble for Sonic (and to a larger extent, Shadow), not just in the comics but also the games. So come back next time, when I’ll be talking about the Black Arms!

[styllwaters]

⚠️ Old designs and lore // Do not reblog ⚠️

Well folks, this is about as sci fi-fantasy as it gets. People have been asking about humans in Vivere 44, and a bunch of quick sketches turned into a full-on infographic, and now I have no choice but to elaborate. So! humans. (The story is set in the year 2155, and considering the lack of physical forms I suppose post-humans would be a more reasonable term...) 

Despite having changed significantly since they left Earth, humans have an established place within the Wider Galactic Community. Most of the essential info is in the image, but I’ll go ahead and slap on extra notes anyways. Long-ish post ahead!

For starters, if you want a more extensive read of humanity’s history in Vivere 44 and how exactly they came to look like that, then head on over to the google doc. Be warned, it gets a little dark at some points.

Although they might look like holograms, the human’s appearance has little to do with light fields. Instead, they are made up of millions of tiny ‘cyber-particles’, which were discovered by the **Angelum **in 2110. Their properties are still being researched, but they are known to be able to host consciousness - which has earned them the nickname ‘mind flecks’. They have been used in computers, AI, and projections, and have only recently been applied to digitized brains. 

Through these mind flecks, a human can shape their appearance however they please, however it relies heavily on individual brainpower and how clearly one can visualize an image. For this reason, young children often have difficulty with clear forms and are more inclined to look like vague shapes (or their default form). They learn by mimicking others. Fun fact, It’s also easy for experienced individuals to lose clarity in their form when experiencing strong emotions. Thus, the word ‘distortion’ has been used as a substitute for losing one’s composure.

Unfortunately in spite of their unique shifting abilities, humans have difficulty interacting with the non-digital world. Luckily, the Angelum are known for their expertise in machinery, so together they developed mech suits that allow people to walk around and pick up stuff and whatnot. Some people like the convenience, but others hate the restrictive feeling of the suits and opt for gloves instead (I’ll draw them one day). This embedding of intelligence systems in machines meant jobs like spacecraft intelligence (as opposed to spacecraft artificial intelligence) became quite prevalent among humans. 

Humanity’s new configurations also mean that they no longer have the need to eat or drink. Yet, unlike an AI they still need to sleep every now and then. And unlike an AI, humans are not immortal. The particles begin to deteriorate after about 160 years, and at 200 years will have completely disappeared. Still a pretty impressive lifespan. I should also note that once a person’s mind is transferred to cyber-particles, they are stuck like that. No changing hosts or returning to a body.

The first generation of post-humans is still around today, but since then two more have arisen. Artificial chromosomes and a form of gene swapping were developed in the early days allowing humanity to continue its legacy. There is a bit of controversy as to whether these new generations count as ‘true’ humans since they never had an organic body to begin with, but they certainly aren’t robots either. The new generations think, act and live just as the originals did, if not more progressively.

That’s about it for now! This concept has been bouncing around in my head for a while now so I’m glad to finally have the chance to put it somewhere. As always, open to questions!

[minty-mumbles]

I am extremely interested in the sheikah!wild bullshit, do you have like a whole au fleshed out?

Hi, hello! Yeah I do! Thank you for giving me an excuse to ramble about it. Some of these headcanons are courtesy of @transzeldas

Buckle up because I have a lot of thoughts about this :) There's also a good heaping of headcanons about Sheikah culture in this as well.

Spark notes version:

Wild is half Sheikah and half Hylian. His mother was a Sheikah warrior, and his father was a Hylian knight.

He was raised in Kakariko by his mother, and his father wasn't really involved. His mom eventually married a Sheikah man and had his little sister

Like most Sheikah children, he was trained in the art of Sheikah fighting when he was young. He was very good at it, and liked fighting, and it was assumed that he would likely follow his mother's path and become a warrior. He earned his mastery in swordsmanship very young, which technically made him an adult in the eyes of his people.

Wild found the Master Sword when he was 12. The Elders of Kakariko decided to keep this hidden. He was considered too young to go serve the royal family. The Sheikah kept a sharp eye out for the return of Ganon, though. They thought he was too young, but they still expected him to do his duty as the hero when it came down to it.

The Sheikah have a tradition that teens go on a journey around the country before they're named full adults. Wild visits Castle town when he's 14 as part of this journey. He saves Zelda from the rouge guardian, which brings him to the attention of the King, who wants him to come serve as a guard at the castle.

After consulting with his mother and the Elders, Wild presents himself to the king as the hero soon after that, wielding the Master Sword. He's appointed Zelda's personal guard, and the rest of the story goes pretty much the same after that.

He forgets his culture when he comes out of the Shrine, and works to reconnect with it.

Dorian is actually his sister’s grandson, so that means he's related to Koko and Cottla.

The Yiga have major beef with Wild, even more than before, since not only is he the hero, but he's also Sheikah, and the Yiga and Sheikah have been at war for generations.

In-depth Version:

Wild's parents met when his mother was stationed as a guard in the Palace. They never married, and Wild's bio father was never super involved in Wild's life. He sent money, and was a little supportive, especially once Wild became a knight, but he was never interested in having children. On top of the fact that his father never wanted children, it was seen as a little shameful for Hylians to be involved with a Sheikah.

I've always really liked the idea that Sheikah were discriminated against by Hylians, based on the time when the monarchy commanded them to get rid of their technology. Some of the Sheikah resisted giving up their technology, and joined Ganon, and some yielded to the monarchy. Seems simple, right?

But history is never as simple as that. Ordering the Sheikah to give up such a huge part of their culture smells a lot like cultural genocide. The prophecy about Ganon's return may not have been the only thing that caused the monarchy to order the Sheikah to abandon their technology.

Anyways, I digress. The rest is under the cut because it's long af:

By the time Wild is born, the Sheikah mostly keep to themself in the secluded Kakariko village, (which used to be much bigger than it is in BotW.) However, many of their warriors go to serve the royal family.

This is nominally because of the Yiga. The Yiga and the Sheikah have been at war with each other for generations. Because the Yiga are technically a branch of the Sheikah, and are so dead set on killing the royal family, the monarchy demanded reparations in the form of protection. Hylian fighters have difficulty countering Sheikah fighting techniques, especially since the Sheikah, and the Yiga by extension, can do shadow magic. (Teleportation, invisibility, glamours, being able to float, etc. In rare cases, some can read minds/communicate telepathically)

Wild's mother was one of the Sheikah that served the monarchy. She moved back to Kakariko after she found out she was pregnant with Wild, and never really left after that. Sheikah are a matriarchal society, and since Wild's mother was Sheikah, both other Sheikah and Wild himself considered him to be fully Sheikah. Hylians, on the other hand, consider him to be both Hylian and Sheikah.

Wild's hair is technically blonde, but it's a far cry from the golden locks of his father, more wheat in color. His eyes are blue, and not the red of a Sheikah. If someone met him, they wouldn't say he has a Sheikah parent, but would probably guess at some Sheikah ancestry. Wild cannot do full shadow magic because of his Hylian blood, but his Sheikah blood does allow him to do some cool stuff. (Slow down time a little bit)

Wild had a pretty average childhood for a Sheikah child. When he was four, his mother married a Sheikah man, and when he was six, his younger sister was born.

The Sheikah are a warrior people. Most Sheikah children are trained in the basics of fighting. After that, at about the age of ten, they can choose to continue to train as a warrior, or become an apprentice in some other specialty. They earn their mastery in their chosen field, which signifies that they’ve mastered their profession and have become an adult.

Wild was no exception to the training. He starts when he’s eight, and it takes very little time for it to become apparent that he’s a prodigy. He’s very good at it, and he likes it. Most people assume that he’s going to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a warrior.

He does choose to continue his training, and earns his mastery at the age of 12, which is incredibly young. Most get their mastery at ages 15-18.

While this technically makes him an adult in the eyes of his people, he’s still mostly treated as a child, only with more freedom and respect. People now address him as “Master Link” (Side note: “Master” is a gender neutral form of respectful address for someone who has their mastery. Women are not called Mistresses, simply because I hate that)

Shortly afterwards, Wild feels a pull in the middle of the night. He leaves, and causes a great deal of panic in his family. His mother even ends up sending a message to Wild’s bio father to see if Wild went to him. A week and a half later, Wild shows back up, pretty beat up, with the master sword concealed on his back.

The Elders of Kakariko Village know that if it comes out that Wild is the hero, he would likely be conscripted into serving the crown, whether he wanted to or not, so they agree that they’ll keep it a secret for a few years. Even though he’s earned his mastery, he’s still considered too young to go to Castle Town and serve in the military. (The Sheikah start paying more attention to the signs of the Calamity resurrecting after that. They may not like the fact that Wild has the master sword, but if the hero is needed, they expect him to do his duty.)

Most Sheikah teenagers go on a trip around the country after they’ve earned their mastery, sort of like taking a gap year between high school and college to go see the world. Wild’s mother doesn’t allow him to go on one for a few years, because he's still too young, but when he’s 14, he finally goes. He stops in Castle Town to see his bio father for a day, and while there, he saves Zelda from the rouge guardian.

This brings him to the attention of the king, who sees potential in him, and wants him to become a knight. Wild is taken aback by this, as he always thought he was going to join the Sheikah section of the military, but even though he considers himself fully Sheikah, his father being Hylian means that Hylains consider him to not be fully Sheikah which allows him to become a knight.

The Elders and his mother agree that now would be the best time to present himself as the hero. He does so, and the king appoints him as Zelda’s personal guard and grants him a knighthood ship that same day.

The story plays out mostly the same as it does in the game from here on out. His heritage is known among the nobles of Hyrule, although not much talked about in “polite” company. Wild is quietly a little annoyed that Zelda doesn’t ask him for help with the Sheikah slate, both because it's meant for the hero in the first place, and because he is Sheikah.

When Wild gets out of the shrine, he remembers nothing of his family or culture, although he still instinctivly remembers some things, like how to meditate. His fighting is still obviously Sheikah in style, although it’s taken on a much more savage edge. Wild doesn’t care about honor or fighting dirty. He’ll do whatever it takes to win.

Impa’s the one to inform him that he’s Sheikah. He becomes determined to learn as much as he can about the culture. He wants any connection to his family he can get, and wants to feel like he belongs some where.

The Yiga are super invested in killing Wild, not only because he’s the hero, but also because he's Sheikah, and the Yiga and Sheikah are still at war. Yiga mostly leave Hylian travelers alone, but even though Wild is Hylian passing, everyone knows he’s Sheikah.

Dorian is actually the grandson of Wild’s sister. Dorian doesn’t tell Wild this for a while, but everyone else in Kakariko knows. Wild finds out that Dorian is giving information to the Yiga, and the trust between them is broken. Wild agrees not to tell anyone about Dorian’s betrayal, because Wild believes that he really won’t do it again, that he can deal with Dorian if he does do anything, and most importantly because Koko and Cottla need their Father.

Dorian doesn’t want to tell Wild they’re related and make him feel pressured into forgiving him. Impa eventually gets fed up with Dorian stalling and tells Wild herself. Wild, who doesn’t remember much about his family, is ecstatic to have that connection, although still wary of Dorian. Wild dotes on Koko and Cottla so much.

After the fall of the Hyrulian empire, many of the Sheikah traditions were widely adopted by the populace. Because most Sheikah children are trained in fighting, the average Sheikah was better equipped to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. The gossip journals that are in all the stables are actually a Sheikah tradition. (The gossip journal in the general store in Kakariko) Most of the sign posts that you can find in BotW are made by the Sheikah. The signs are written in Sheikah as well, which means most travelers know a little bit of the language nowadays.

Additional thoughts:

I am still on my Paya/Flora bs as well. Wild is a great wingman who tells Flora all about Sheikah courting traditions. (Also Wild/Flora QPR because I love that dynamic)

Wild’s Sheikah training didn’t wear off while he was in the Shrine. He’s the stealthiest one in the chain and the most flexible. He stretches every night and morning if he can

He likes to wear the Sheikah stealth clothing, or at least the mask a lot. Because he looks Hylian, this gets him some weird looks in other eras where people don’t know who he is.

Wild's bio father had a house in Hateno, which Wild visited a few times, although he never stayed long. This is the house that he eventually buys in BotW

Jojo said she considered giving Wild a Sheikah tattoo around his eye but didn't, as that would make his face too busy. I propose he has the tattoo somewhere else. Maybe his upper back? The Sheikah eye tattoo is another signifier that a warrior has earned their mastery and has become an adult. He losses the tattoo when he’s killed. (It’s blown off by Guardian lasers.) He gets another one done after he defeats the Calamity.

Wild knows how to speak, read/write, and sign in Sheikah. He can speak Hylian, but he doesn’t know how to read or sign. The other heroes think Wild is completely illiterate for a while, because of a misunderstanding when he told them he couldn't read Hylian.

Warriors knows a little bit of Sheikah. Not enough to be fluent, but enough to catch scraps of a conversation. He also knows some battle commands in Sheikah sign.

Wild re-learns how to cook traditional Sheikah dishes together with Koko

When Wild sits, he kneels instead of sitting criss-cross-applesauce as kneeling is considered more polite/mature

When you use the “Sit by the fire until…” option in game, Wild isn’t sleeping. He’s meditating with a Sheikah technique that allows him to get a little rest while still being aware. It’s not as good as sleeping, but it’s enough to get you by if you’re in a dangerous environment.

Wild loves to meditate, even when he doesn’t need to. It helps him clear his mind, and organize his thoughts. (Unrelated headcanon: because of his lack of memories, Wild is very susceptible to any kind of mind magic)

Please ask me questions about this AU if you have any, I’ve been thinking about this for ages.

[miekasa]

fluff alphabet: levi ackerman

↯ pairing: levi ackerman x (fem) reader

↯ genres and warnings: modern au, fluff…. obviously, no real warnings i don’t think, oh spoilers for his ova? 

↯ word count: 3k lol don’t ask me how

↯ notes: i was going to take requests for this for valentine’s day, but i figured i’d just do them all in one post lolol. i feel like i haven’t posted for levi in a while, so here we go

Activities — What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

If you ask Levi to do something, there’s a good chance he’ll try it at least once for you. Unless it’s something he’s said he explicitly dislikes or doesn’t want to partake in, he’d gladly try it out with you.

He strikes me as the kind of person to like trying new restaurants. Not necessarily the trendy or popular or exclusive ones; but local places with good recommendations or reviews.

Down for late night drives, but you have to be the one driving. He’ll drive if you become too tired, but he prefers to sit in the passenger seat and just let you take him wherever. He doesn’t mind, and it’s a sign he trusts you.

I also think museum dates would be some thing he enjoys. Not history museums—I feel like the concept of stolen artifacts on display would piss him off more than anything lol—but art museums. That’s not to say he’s extremely into art, but I think something about a museum environment is somewhat calming to him. He doesn’t mind.

One more activity I would say suits him is watching movies or shows together. Levi’s the kind of guy that catches you watching a series and expresses how it looks stupid or boring at first, but still hovers around and backseat watches it anyway. After a while, he just gives up and starts actively watching it with you and becomes invested. He just won’t admit it.

Beauty — What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

In the least cheesy way possible, everything. Levi sees people, and his s/o in particular, as a whole person, rather than the sum of their parts. He understands that everything about you—physical, emotional, or otherwise—contributes to the person he loves. There’s something to appreciate about all of it at different times.

He’d probably admire and/or find little habits you have beautiful in some way or another. Probably things you might not even notice about yourself unless he pointed them out to you.

Personality wise, he’d admire it if his s/o were blunt and/or the kind of person to stick up for themselves or their friends. A little bit assertive; not going out of your way to make other people feel small or be rude, but simply refusing to shrink to make room for others.

Physically, again, I don’t think he has a preference for most anything, but if I had to pick, I’d say he’s a thigh/ass guy.

Comfort — How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack, etc.?

Levi is observant, so he would be able to tell when you’re struggling perhaps before you’re ready to realize it yourself, and long before you’re about to burst.

However, he would ask you how he can help. For as observant as he is, he’s also not a mind reader, and if there’s something specific he can get you, he would want to know, even if it’s seemingly small or superficial.

He would be pretty proactive about it, too. The second he figures out how he can help, he’s on it. You need a new desk to work from home? He’ll have it built by that weekend. You’re feeling overwhelmed and behind on your tasks? He’s already doing the ones he can do without your help.

He does his best to try and help you relax if the issue is a stressor, and if he could, he would eradicate the root of the stress from your life completely. Unfortunately, in the real world, that’s not always possible, but it’s nice to know that he’s willing. 

The other obvious answer is tea, but allow me to expand it more generally to food. Going along with the theme of acts of service being his love language, Levi would try to provide the basic necessities for you in order to allow to focus on solving your problems and/or feeling better. If not worrying about dinner is one thing that can help you, Levi’s happy to cook for you.

Dreams — How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Simple, but fulfilled. Levi just wants to be happy—to have someone to care for, and to have someone who will care for him.

Truthfully, I don’t think he’d mind children later down the road, and I think he would be a good parent. It might not be something he talks about outright at first, but as time progresses, and perhaps the timing becomes right, it’d be something he would want to consider.

Equal — Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

It’s equal. Levi doesn’t want to have more power, nor does he want to be passive. However, there are things he doesn’t mind handing over to you, and conversely, responsibilities he doesn’t mind taking on himself.

Compromise would be a big part in the relationship—not for the sake of compromising on your dreams or ambitions, but rather, to reach a middle ground if there’s any kind of argument.

I think it’s a give and take with him. And I don’t think he would want it to be any other way. He doesn’t strike me as someone who’s on either polar end.

Fight — Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

When you do fight, it’s a lot of pointed frustration. He doesn’t raise his voice, but he can get snippy, and a little closed off—speaking in clipped sentences, using underhanded phrases, focusing on past points. What drives him crazy is the aftermath of the fight, and if you give him the silent treatment, he’s bound to crack much sooner than later.

He’s quite easy to forgive. Canonically, he doesn’t like to fight with his friends or the people he cares about, and he would rather reach a solution as quickly as possible.

We saw that with Isabel and Farlan, despite the way he was firm on his decision for them to stay behind, they were able to break his resolve pretty quickly. He cares a lot about the people in his life, and I don’t think he’d like to go long with a riff between him and you. Especially if he thinks he might regret not talking to you about it sooner.

He’s one to keep a promise, but not to hold a grudge. That is to say, he understands that forgiveness goes both ways, and to work in a healthy relationship, both parties have to forgive themselves and each other at some point.

Gratitude — How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Yes and no. It might take a minute for Levi to understand the depth of your actions—especially the ones that appear more mundane or are not as explicitly romantic.

Once he does, he is very aware of them, and as such, if very grateful. He didn’t every really think he’d be able to create and be apart of the kind of loving relationship the two of you have. He really cherishes it.

Honesty — Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

He has secrets by way of omission. He doesn’t lie to keep things hidden from you, but sometimes he doesn’t tell everything about himself, especially towards the start of your relationship.

It’s not always with malicious or even self-protective intent. He just doesn’t share because he doesn’t think it’s important, or that you might care. If you pry long enough or insist that you want to know just to know and because you care, then he’s happy to share.

As previously mentioned, it might take him a while to realize just how much you care about him, and his past and interests by extension. 

Inspiration — Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

As your relationship progresses Levi comes to learn that you genuinely find him attractive not just physically, but emotionally and psychologically. That you actually want to know him and that he’s worth knowing.

So, his biggest change is in the way he approaches his thoughts about himself and his self worth. But he also begins to pick up on your habits, your interests, and tries to understand your general approach to life, too.

He would probably change you in some ways, too. Most notably in the way you organize and clean your space, probably. He’s not sorry about it.

Jealousy — Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

No, he doesn’t. To him, jealously would imply that someone has something he wants. Firstly, you’re not an object to him, and secondly, he has you. There’s nothing more to it.

He’s not childish, nor is he out of check with his emotions, so he wouldn’t lash out on you, especially if it’s not your fault. In his small momentary slips, you wouldn’t even have noticed he was jealous at all.

He wouldn’t like it if someone was repeatedly making advances on you, especially if you’ve explicitly told them off/they were making you uncomfortable. In situations like that, he would simply try to get the both of you out of there/away from the person as quickly as possible.

There’s also an element of trust to this with Levi. He wouldn’t expect you to try and make him jealous out of spite; and he would trust that you wouldn’t play on the advances of other people if you notice them.

Kiss — Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

He is a good kisser. Mainly because he’s very perceptive to what you want and how to give it you.

The first kiss was sweet. Knowing Levi, there was probably quite the build up to it, so even if it was sweet and innocent, there was a layer of tension and a crash of emotions coming forward in the moment. It was memorable, to say the least.

Love Confession — How would they confess to their s/o?

I have imagined this time and time again… and I think it really depends on the foundation of your relationship/friendship with him before.

In the most generic scenario, it would probably be a little backwards—you would have, intentionally or not, gone on some dates before he realized what his feelings really were, and then take it from there.

If you were friends for a while before hand, it can probably go the implicit dating route—that is you’re both exclusively emotionally invested in each other, and basically involved in most relationship aspects without having realized it or put a label on it. You kind of naturally morph into a relationship, and it probably takes a verbal confession or kiss or two to solidify it.

It can also go the sexual tension route, and one day one of you finally snaps and makes a move. The verbal confession would come in the aftermath, but your actions will have solidified and expressed your feelings long before that.

Marriage — Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Again, yes and no. Without taking into account the legal aspects, the actual concept of marriage is that juxtaposition of sweet and powerful that Levi likes; the idea of devoting yourself to someone and receiving a special kind of love for the rest of your life.

And while all of that is beautiful to him, there are the unfortunate cultural norms or marriage, especially in a modern au. The legality of it all, especially the financial defaults, would be a headache. Not to mention all the fluff and grandeur and gender expectations about it. He thinks all of that fucking sucks.

Above all, he doesn’t get why people expect him to pay for what’s basically an expensive document that tells the federal government he lives with you and loves you. He could do that without them in his business.

If you want to get married, then the proposal is sweet. Intimate, and probably a call back to something in your relationship, or a significant date/event for the both of you. He wouldn’t dare do it in public or even involve anybody else, other than maybe asking a friend or two.

Marriage with Levi is much like being in a long-term relationship with him. The way he acts in marriage isn’t exponentially different than the way he had been acting as your boyfriend. It’s all still very quiet, very sweet, very domestic.

Nicknames — What do they call their s/o?

He calls you by your name, unless you ask him to call you by something else. He might call you by an actual nickname, that is a shortened version of your name, if that’s the name you usually go by.

He’s not big on pet names and they slip out from time to time, but not in place of your actual name on an every day basis. If anything, he calls your name with a very unique tone to his voice. He rarely calls for anybody else with the same tone and/or emotion.

On Cloud Nine — What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

It’s not… not obvious to his friends, but he doesn’t look like he’s been shot by cupids arrow or anything. If you know Levi, you might pick up on the fact that he seems a bit happier, less stressed, has taken up new hobbies/habits, etc. But there’s not he’s not shitting rainbows and sunshine all of a sudden.

Love is very personal and intimate for him. He would do his best to express to you that he loves you and loves the love he receives from you, but he doesn’t feel that everyone else needs to know.

So, it’s somehow simultaneously noticeable and unnoticeable when you’re together in the presence of other people.

PDA — Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss when others are watching?

Levi isn’t big on PDA. He’s not hiding your relationship, but he doesn’t care to boast it to every person he meets, either. If somebody asks him, he’ll happily say that he’s in a relationship, but he doesn’t bring it forward himself.

He’s not hiding it or shy, but he doesn’t feel the need to be all over you in public. He doesn’t anything to prove to anybody. Besides, nobody wants to see that shit. He knows he wouldn’t.

There are some displays of affection, though. Hand holding isn’t abnormal, though likely not in a casual space with your friends or family. He’ll brush is hand along your arm when he’s walking past you, might ruffle your hair if the occasion calls for it, squeeze your thigh under the table.

Quirk — Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

He’s canonically good at math. This comes in handy when you’re at restaurants and trying to calculate a tip quickly. Somehow, he knows how to figure out 18% of your bill in 3 seconds flat.

It also comes in handy when you’re trying to organize things. Along with math comes a pretty good understanding of spatial reasoning. Somehow Levi is always able to put away your left overs using the smallest and least amount of tupperware possible. It’s kind of ridiculous, he might be a wizard.

Romance — How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

In the traditional sense, he might not appear romantic, but he’s the kind of person to say or do or gift little things that would take a much deeper romantic understanding of his partner than some grand, generic act like buying a thousand roses.

His romance is tailored to you and your relationship, not general expectations of what it means to be “romantic.”

Support — Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

Levi is very devoted to you, so if you ask for his help, or he can help without stepping on your toes, he will. He wants you to not only succeed, but feel fulfilled through your achievements, and he’s happy to help you get there.

He believes in you wholeheartedly. If it’s something you really want, Levi wouldn’t dare doubt that you could achieve it.

Thrill — Do they need to try out new things to spice up your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

He doesn’t feel the need to try out new things based on expectations, but if you want to try something, or if he wants to try something, you can have a conversation about it, and eventually try it out.

There’s a sort of established routine in a domestic sense; a sharing of a mutual space and the behaviors associated with that. But there’s not, like, established date nights or “week-a-versaries.”

In that sense, he can be pretty spontaneous; bringing up new places to go or activities to try when the idea strikes him. But I suppose it’s never something… too adventurous? Not dangerous, at least lololol, he’s not going to randomly suggest you go skydiving as a bonding exercise. 

Understanding — How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Very well. Levi kind of makes you his business—in the most non-intrusive way possible. He’s perceptive and picks up on things about you with relative ease, and genuine interest.

He can predict how you might respond in a situation with pretty good accuracy, can guess what you might pick off the menu at a new restaurant, if given a choice has a good sense of which option you’ll choose. Very much a “I knew you would say that/do that, I don’t know why I even asked,” kind of person once he gets to know you. 

He can be pretty empathetic, and I think he would be in a relationship.

Value — How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

Your relationship is pretty damn important to Levi, and he devotes a significant amount of time and attention to it. Not in the place of giving time for himself, his friends, family or interests; but he is very much devoted to you.

However, he’s not the type to give up solid opportunities (ex: financial, for his family/mom, career-wise) for the sake of a relationship, especially if he’s not in the position to do so; and he wouldn’t want you to give up exceptional opportunities that align with your goals for him either.

Everything is relative in that sense, I suppose. He cares for you, deeply, and knows that you do, too. That, contrary to popular belief, is what enables you both to be strong enough to bend and not break.

Wild Card — A random fluff head canon.

I’ll give you a few :)

If you want him to, Levi will do your hair for you, and he’s pretty fucking good at it, too; hair type or texture be damned, he’ll take his time with it, and do it well for you.

When he’s alone, Levi hums himself to sleep. Usually singing/humming his mother’s favorite songs and/or songs he remembers hearing as a child.

He always gives you the lighter bags when you take your groceries upstairs/into your house. He doesn’t tell you, but he knows you don’t like to ‘make’ him do all the work.

He always makes dinner if he gets home before you.

He’s a pretty good artist, and has even drawn you once. He’s never told you or shown you, but he keeps the picture folded up in his wallet. Or behind his phone case.

XOXO — Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Affectionate in private, yes. He doesn’t mind it if you’re all over him, and truthfully, has his moments where he’s shamelessly all over you, too. Especially in the morning, he’s a cuddle bug.

Kisses are always good, he would never oppose them. He’s quite easy to persuade with kisses, actually. And most physical touches; he doesn’t get them often, so he kind of melts when he does. 

Cuddles, too. Again, all of this is private and in the comfort of your own home. His favorite way to cuddle is to either have you completely on top of him, or to lay his head in your lap. Because he loves the feeling of you playing with his hair.

Yearning — How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Levi will take part in things you like or things you’ve claimed in your shared space.

For example, he might find himself eating your favorite foods more often, sitting on the spot on the couch your sit in most often, rolling over to your side of the bed in his sleep.

He also likes to look back on pictures of the two of you. He doesn’t particularly like to be photographed, but he likes having these physical memories of your relationship, so he’ll indulge you when you want to take a picture together. And they come in real handy during times like this.

Zeal — Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Levi will definitely put up a fight for you, so long as it’s mutual. He wouldn’t pour his effort into someone or a relationship in which he feels like he’s not receiving the same.

I’m not sure what great lengths there would be to go to in a modern au, but he definitely believes that relationships are hard work, and as such, is prepared to put in the work when things get hard. He’s not a quitter, and he knows that love is foundation and requires time and energy.

He cares about you too much to let you go without reason.

[demonslayedher]

Quick question regarding Uzui and his wives. Was Uzui's polygamy really that weird? The manga never really looks at it seriously; it's more just something that annoys Zenitsu, and accentuates Uzui's bombastic nature. In the west at least, polygamy is kind of a no-no, culturally speaking, it's something that would get you weird looks. But in Taisho era Japan, would Uzui have gotten those looks? Is it weird to the Kamaboko squad? Or am I approaching this with too much of a western bias?

'Sup, Anon! Going to try to keep this a short answer, and mostly confined to what is relevant to KnY, especially Uzui's case. There absolutely is some Western bias that I know makes this a little uncomfortable for a lot of readers, but by the 1950's or so a lot of the Japanese public was pretty much over the Meiji era (and by extension, Taisho) marriage mentality and would have found this uncomfortable in real life too. The kicker wasn't exactly a distaste for polygamy (note: not to be equated with a modern Western definition of polyamory), but how women were held significantly lower in status to men, both socially and legally.

To vastly oversimplify centuries of Japanese history and state-building and family inheritance issues, having legitimate children with one's wife, especially a son, was by and large ideal. However, there was also wide-spread practices of adopting heirs who aren't even blood-related, and having lots of extra children with mistresses. Men having extramarital affairs wasn't just forgivable, it was practically expected. Even the forefathers who catapulted Japan from the samurai-class ruled Edo period into the modernization of the Meiji era often had long lists of long-term mistresses. A major event in Meiji era state-building was a reinforcement of Confucian ideas under the Meiji Civil Code of 1898, which made women entirely insubordinate to men, and put a lot of marriage decisions into the power of her parents. This was not repealed until 1947 constitution, which granted women a sweeping new array of rights, especially in regard to marriage, divorce, being heads of households, voting, etc. This was absolutely due to Western influence, as US forces were occupying Japan and rebuilding a lot of it in a post-war society. With 1915 being the most likely year the majority of KnY takes place, that squarely places the lives of most of the characters within the influence of the renewed stress on Confucian values, so Zenitsu would have grown up seeing a lot of the public idealizing women who made good wives and wise mothers (there were of course women who showed preference for going out and enjoying themselves, especially as we get deeper into roaring 20's). Inosuke's mother Kotoha would have had little to no recourse for divorce, especially since custody of Inosuke would had been taken from her. And honestly, what surprises me most about Uzui Tengen is that he calls all three of them wives instead of having a wife and two mistresses. That's oddly egalitarian of him. It's worth noting that Tengen already great up in a very counter-cultural, likely cult-like community. I've analyzed before how his ninja village and his father's values were probably pretty skewed due to how hard it must had been for a ninja clan to had lasted that long, so we're not that limited to standard mainstream Meiji/Taisho culture when analyzing him. It does seem to me that his village took some of those Confucian core ideas about the role of women and pushed them to an extreme, for Tengen's wives are very confused when he tells them to prioritize their own lives, for they have been raised to value their husband's life far above their own (see Makio's flashback in Chapter 80). Their definition of wife or mistress probably didn't even matter much, for women were worth being little more than baby makers, and even then, whose baby was whose didn't matter much if you were going to make all those babies fight each other to the death anyway. It's worth noting that Makio, Hinatsuru, and Suma were all raised with the mindset of absolutely obedience to their husband, following absolute adherence to their fathers. When Tengen left his way of life, he had to take them with him, they likely would have faced ostracization or worse if left behind in their old cult-like community. He probably always saw them as much more important than they saw themselves, and he probably didn't care what any Meiji or Taisho laws or moral customs would have had to say about it. While on this topic, I know people were bothered by Makio being his cousin. This is much less shocking from a Japanese perspective, and even today marriage between cousins is legal (though it would still surprise people). Incest is certainly frowned on throughout Japanese history, but like in the West, what defines being too closely related has changed throughout different eras, and also like in the West, there are historical cases of wanting to keep power within the family. Again, not something that surprises me at all in the case of Tengen's father. If Tengen were alive today, yes, he wouldn't legally be able to get away with three wives, and he'd been frowned upon for having three lovers in the first

place. But it's not really as shocking to Japanese children to think of someone in the past having multiple wives, especially someone who feels even more tied to the past through his ninja ways (and yes, being set in the past tends to make a lot of things in fiction feel more acceptable, whether we read into the context with this much depth or not).

[river-bottom-nightmare]

Nightwing #80 Review

woot woot i’ve kept it up for three issues lets gooo. i liked this issue more than the last one. there’s a lot of fanon dick characterization peppered in, but not so much that it puts me off entirely. also, i’m getting increasingly concerned about bitewing. but i did like tim in this one, very nice

look at all the blue and purple and pink. honestly at this point, i’m a broken record but come on come on come onnnnnnn. the blue and pink is very pretty though. this cover’s a bit offputting at first, and a bit spiraly, which i’m sure was the intended effect.

this is a genuine concern of mine. dick’s a vigilante, and he doesn’t have the same sprawling network and resources that bruce does. (even if he is a billionaire now, he hasn’t amassed the same collection of crime-fighting equipment that bruce has.) 

i’m not sure if he’ll be able to take care of bitewing. damian’s got plenty of pets, but alfred used to take care of them, and now bruce plus the rest of the batfam is taking care of them. as far as we know, babs only drops by occasionally, and the same goes for dick’s family and friends. will dick be able to give bitewing the love and time and affection that a traumatized puppy like her needs? i really hope so.

she does look adorable in this panel tho.

dick. richard. richie. baby. why are you shirtless.

you have scars upon scars. probably chemical burns. bullet wounds. weird fucking squiggly lines from knives that only psychos with blade fetishes use. no normal person has the body that you do. and you don’t think that showing up shirtless in front of the police is going to raise suspicion? you don’t think that the people accusing you of murder are going to look at someone who looks like they’re a fucking mob enforcer and go hmm that’s a bit suspicious?

put on a SHIRT jesus CHRIST it’s like you’re not even trying to hide your identity.

look at this pompous little princess demanding only the highest quality head pets i’d burn down latvia for her. (no offense latvians it was the first country that popped into my head.)

pretty boy pretty boy pretty boy pretty boy-

no seriously kudos to the artist here. his expression is so human i wanna cry. dick, right now, is sheepishly asking a question. he knows he’s not going to get into any real trouble, he knows that he’ll be able to talk his way out of or somehow maneuver his way off this mess. but he’ll play nice for the police, so he’s asking a friend for a favour, part self-condescendingly and part oh-well-what-can-you-do.

and his expression reflects that. rather than a stoic expressionless face most male comic characters have when asking someone for something (or all the time really), rather than the weird desperate supposedly “seductive” face that most female comic characters plus dick grayson have when asking someone for something (or all the time really), he’s making a face that i pulled like yesterday. or the day before that. it’s kind of silly, kind of casual, very much human. i like it.

thank god. proper (in character) acknowledgement for officer grayson. yea, fuck cops in general, but i like that they included this line.

obviously, he’s not talking about the actual criminals, he’s talking about the police force itself. the bpd was too corrupt, and dick realized that he wasn’t helping. not only does one clean cop not make a dent in an overall dirty force, but dick was putting his allies in danger too. not only that, but it wasn’t good for dick’s mental health either. he was spreading himself too thin, and surrounding himself with some of the worst of crime 24/7 did a number on him. dick’s got a history of self-sacrificing tendencies, and i’m just glad he’s not a cop anymore.

dick has a gotham rogues mug. they make gotham rogue mugs, and dick has one.

what kinda city looks at it’s frankly horrible crime history and long list of certifiably insane serial killers who are all still alive and actively committing war crimes and goes “oooooh yea imma put that on a coffee mug!” gotham, that’s who.

this isn’t important i just like how all of bitewing’s barks are blue

back straight, hand on his hip, cheerful smile on his face as he says he’s being accused for murder. love that for him.

they couldn’t have said “yea it’s complicated” in a better way even if they put the words “yea it’s complicated” right there on the page in bold red letters. literally all the love to the artists.

dick please. you’re KILLING ME what the actual fuck IS THAT???? WHY DO YOU HAVE A MUG OF THAT???

anyway nightwing collects novelty mugs confirmed.

this paneling is so beautiful. 

tim’s the focus, but he’s not the first thing you see. he’s placed in a way that forces the reader to drag their eyes all the way up the page in order to reach him. it us know just how high up tim is carelessly crouching, especially close to the ledge of the building too. i cannot think of a single better way to introduce a character, and this character in particular: you instantly know this is a version of tim with plenty of experience and training, is comfortable in his body and knows his limits, but still hangs onto that civilian awe of being in a high place and overlooking a brightly lit city.

absolute classic robin. i love it. 

this isn’t even that important but it made me happy. this is how you train surf.

you don’t crouch or bend over when you get to a tunnel, which is oddly enough what most people think (at least from my experience). you bend backward. that not only 100% ensures that you’ll make sure you’re low enough to make it through the tunnel (because you can see the top of the tunnel, unlike when you crouch or bend), but it also makes it easier to get up: all you have to do is push up with your arms into a bent stance, and you’ll be in a ready, moving position. from a bend or a crouch, getting up is more awkward and more slow.

on a meta level, i like that this creative team knows what they’re doing when it comes to the small, almost unimportant stuff like that, because it makes the action more real. (as real as you can get with a guy running around stealing hearts.)

on a in-universe level, it once again drives home both dick and tim’s experience and professional level skill.

regardless of who you side with in the “should tim drake be robin again?” debate, you gotta admit that tim’s rebirth robin suit is r a d as fuck. if i’m not mistaken, this is the same one he was wearing in 2019 young justice for a little bit? it’s cute and hella cool i like it.

remember what i said about human expressions? doesn’t happen as often to tim bc he’s a Child, but it’s still nice to note when someone humanizes him, too. (that’s why i love the duckboy panel so much lol.)

me, at first: that’s not a “good call” dick that’s just common sense

me, now: sprinkled throughout the entire comic we can see dick bending to tim’s instructions if only briefly, joking with him to keep the mood light while still maintaining a serious mood and retaining control over this particular outing. this implies that dick’s doing it intentionally, purposefully leaving places in his sentences blank and offering affirmations, in order to encourage tim and train him in things bruce might not necessarily touch on, such as social chameleoning and misdirection techniques and love/affirmation from a family member. dick is not only a loving and supportive big brother, but he never stops training his younger brother in better vigilante tecnhiques because he wants tim to be better than him. in this essay i will-

d o g g o

also bitewing is getting so many head pats today i’m living for it

look at him, standing on a telephone wire with ease. nice flex, dick.

also look at how he’s silhouetted. the moon’s full bright, bright enough that the sky around dick is light, too. (at least. i’m like 99% sure that’s the moon.) not like most batman comics, where it’s sometimes hard to distinguish bruce from the background, which is entirely on purpose.

gotham is a dark gritty city, and so is bruce. the two of them are one. bludhaven may be a bit of a mess, but it’s being portrayed in all these different shades of blue and purple and pink, that are all light enough that dick stands out from the background. he hasn’t been swallowed up by the city, and chances are that he won’t ever be. also, the colouring helps establish bludhaven as a city too. there’s still hope for it. the light colouring means that it’s not going to sink into a pit as deep as the one bruce wove gotham into. the whole point of this nightwing arc in particular is to turn bludhaven into a better place, and it’s (most likely) letting us know early on that dick is going to accomplish that. he’ll struggle, but he’ll do it.

so dick??? dick designed his escrima sticks with a situation like this in mind? he created his signature and most iconic weapon (other than his chatty mouth), with a built in feature that turns his escrima sticks into tim’s signature and most iconic weapon???? just so that if he and tim ever got into a situation where tim didn’t have his staff, dick could make sure tim had the thing that would give him an edge over anyone he was fighting??? he’s such a big brother oh my goddd.

also tim’s smirk in this is just *chef kiss.* a staff is something he can work with, a staff is something he wields like an extension of his arm, a staff is means that someone’s about to get their ass kicked because tim’s about to beat the shit outta them.

this is my new phone background.

they really made sure we remembered that hey, those first few months when bruce was grieving too much to be any sort of a mentor to tim and was still unwilling to properly train him to be robin out of fear that he would end up like jason, dick was the one who stepped up (once he got over himself and his own fears and hangups with bruce) and trained tim to be robin, trained him how to fight and flip and fuckin fly out there, all while changing his own style a bit to be the more experienced one in the partnership while still trusting said partner to hold their own, so dick and tim have a very unique and cohesive fighting style that makes it hell for anyone who fights them together, didn’t they?