#bc i only draw the same handful of guys repeatedly

[elbowreveal]

u already know what im here for . cphilza for the ask game babeyyy

this was very interesting to draw Another Philza

[lucidtobio]

drawing on their hands !

w. ushijima , semi , goshiki

[ fluff , gn!reader ]

ushijima wakatoshi

you guys sit next to each other in your japanese history class

aka the most boring class of them all -_-

usually when you lose focus, you take out whatever colored pen you can find and start doodling on yourself

but with wakatoshi next to you,,,

a brand new canvas !!

scooting your desk over slightly, you nudge ushijima with your pen

"hey. hey, wakatoshi!"

he just like, looked over at you and blinked

you made grabby hands and flicked your eyes down to his hand, which was resting on his desk

ushijima's eyebrows furrowed bc he's a little dense

"give me your hand, dummy" you harshly whispered

despite not quite understanding your motive, he gave you his hand anyways

uncapping the pink pen, you pressed the tip against his flesh

one hand laying lightly over his fingers, the other gripping a pen, you started drawing a small cat

wakatoshi's curious gaze was fixed on your movements on his hand

the two of you spared occasional glances towards the teacher at the front of the classroom, but that was all

other classmates had been dozing off or talking in hushed whispers

"(y/n),," "yeah?"

you looked up at him, faces only a few inches apart

the olive haired boy sucked in a small breath while you appeared unphased

"can you draw a volleyball?"

giggling quietly, you nodded and made a circle right next to a patch of stars

a few minutes later, his whole hand (including his fingers) was covered in pink ink and your art

"do you like it?" "of course"

semi eita

sitting next to semi at lunch was,, interesting?

the third years from the team sat there, as well as a few other mutual friends

usually you were pretty spacey, not paying attention to the conversation

tendou (and occasionally semi) liked to tease you about your dreamy gaze

though you always had your special blue pen with you at all times

you and semi had been shopping together when you saw it in a stationary store, and he bought the cute tool for you

at the moment, you were sitting at the table, fiddling the pen between your nimble fingers

clicking the coil repeatedly sparked an idea

you quickly snatched eita's hand, eliciting a small "hey-" from him

running the ink over his skin, you started to draw a flower curling around the curve of his palm

semi's cheeks tinged pink at the feeling of your smaller hand gripping his wrist to keep him still

tendou's attentive eyes were drawn to you two

he didn't hesitate to silently grab the attention of the other table members and motion to where you and semi were seated

at this point, you were just absentmindedly doodling nonsense on his skin

forgetting who it was, you lazily scribbled out his name in a pretty font

"ah, (y/n)-" "hmm?"

you were yanked out of your thoughts before locking eyes with eita

a small smirk played on his lips as your face conveyed confusion

"my name, huh? do you have some secret feelings for me, (y/n)?" the ash-haired boy teased

a harsh blush colored your cheeks as you detached your fingers from him

"shut up, baka."

needless to say, semi was stabbed by the same pen that decorated his hand a few moments later

goshiki tsutomu

okay, let's start by saying that if you got within two miles of him, he would be so flustered

you are doing partner work in your biology class and sitting at the two people tables (idk if that makes sense but hopefully yk what i mean t-t)

the tables themselves weren't that large in the first place

so your thighs were already touching underneath the tabletop

goshiki's heart raced as soon as you sat down, bare thigh brushing against his clothed one

"hi tsutomu~" you greeted, placing your notebooks and stationary on the table

"h-hey"

poor boy can't think straight around you

the period was spent completing a lab with your tablemate; if you finished early you could just hangout

with your smarts and his motivation it wasn't surprising you guys finished first

a slightly awkward silence hung over you two as you both waited for the other to speak up

"so-" "do you-"

opening and closing your mouths at the same time, goshiki quickly attempted to hide his blush by looking away

you snickered at his cute behavior before grabbing his hand

"woah there (y/n). you can't do that,, people might think we're..." goshiki mumbled as you started to draw lines down his fingers

he trailed off, entranced by the way your marker moved against his tanned flesh

finally the lines started to come together to form bones

your face leaned close to where you were working, nose almost bumping against the back of goshiki's hand

when you finally finished your artwork you sat back and sent the bowlcut boy a beaming smile

"done! do you like it? is it too much?"

tsutomu aggressively shook his head, blabbing something along the lines of "i love it as long as you did it"

a soft smile graced your lips as you ruffled his hair slightly

"ahh (y/n) why :(" pls he's too cute skldjfkl

"promise me you'll hit your best spikes with this hand, okay?" you said sternly, holding out your pinky to him

goshiki quickly linked his little finger with yours and nodded

"of course! i have to be the best ace there is!"

coach washijo is gonna beat his ass when he sees what's on tsutomu's hand-

anything for you tho <3

a/n: this was way too fun to write, even if it didn't turn out good kekek

⤿ written 3.25.2021

⤿ masterlist

[mariproducer]

Talking abt mp100 in relation to mlb

(Spoilers for the first 2 seasons of mp100 under the cut)

Oooookay so last night I finished mp100 and wow was I blown away by how much of a feel-good show it is. It's emphasis on choice, on enjoying life, on being a kid, on having a support system. I cried a few times bc it made me that emotional seeing Mob's journey and how he interacts with the world.

While I really hate having to draw comparisons btwn things (says the guy whos constantly drawing comparisons btwn things), since mlb was the last "new" thing I watched prior to mp100, obviously I had mlb's presentation and execution in mind. And man... watching mp100 really drove home how bad mlb is with representing and showing its ideas.

I already talked abt how the lessons in s4 started caving in on each other bc mlb has no sense of consistency. Contrast that to mp100 where Mob repeatedly tells himself things, like to not harm someone with his powers or that he's just like any other person, doesn't matter if he has psychic powers or not. Ideas that were internalized into him by Reigen, who saw a kid lost in the world and didn't want to see him get eaten alive by its harshness. Mob learns things that stick, that help him thru situations, that he can teach to the ppl he meets. And mlb's lessons? They're usually for Marinette. No other character gets to grow or have their views challenged or get a new perspective; when other characters are given the chance to change, the writing immediately backtracks and keeps them on the same path they were on before. And even Marinette herself isn't immune to having her lessons walked back on.

And then there's that huge emphasis on choice. A lot of things that happen in mp100 are through someone's conscious choice. Whether it's adult espers misusing their powers or Mob using his own powers to protect those he cares for, every single character has the ability to choose for themselves, whether right or wrong. And it really shines thru when former adversaries in mp100 come back to help. Theyre shown that there's another way to live, but they chose for themselves to become better people, to use their powers for good instead of bad. It's not just for fighting either: Reigen tells Mob that it's ok to run away, to give up, he says that it's not Mob's duty to save the day with his powers. Mob still proceeds to do that anyway, but being offered that choice to begin with, to know it's an option... its really powerful. On the other hand, Marinette ... doesn't really have a choice: she's forced to attempt confessions when she's not ready or comfortable or the role of the guardian is forced onto her. The only time Marinette really got to choose was when she decided to become Ladybug once more to save Alya. We don't get to see Marinette feel like she's growing into her role or embracing it or making it her own or just getting the option to choose. The show goes out of its way to push and pull her around, to take away any semblance of choice or agency from her.

Like ugh I'm still just baffled at how ppl say mlb is good or smth or that it's well written because I can't see it at all. Watching mp100, looking back on medias I consumed in the past like haikyuu, it's like. I've seen good shows I've seen well-written shows. They may not be for everyone (e.g. I know haikyuu can be a snooze fest if u can't sit thru sports anime or ur like me and play volleyball lol) but like. There's good media out there that can get ur brain pumping tryna interpret and understand but mlb is just. Not one of those types of medias. It just isn't.

[quinnthemushroom]

Dancing With Shigaraki

Warning: Men, mild sexual content, mild swearing, brief mentions of death (no one relevant to the story/no spoilers for anything), probably out-of-character Shigaraki, bitch boy's emotions are everywhere bc I'm inconsistent lmao. Enjoy

"Go ask her to dance."

"No."

"C'mon, boss man, you need the action."

"Is being a villain not enough action for you?"

"Not like you'll accidentally disintegrate her this time, you brought your gloves."

"Dabi-"

"Hopefully not the only kind of glove you brought."

"Fuck off."

Dabi brought Shigaraki to a club, despite Shigaraki having "better things to do" than coming to a club with horny and drunk people.

The worse part is he wasn't having a horrible time, albeit, there was one reason he hadn't gone home already.

You.

He hated everything about you already and only knew you existed for an hour. He watched the way you swung your hips to the music, he noticed how you annoyingly pick at your fingers when you get nervous, he noticed how you looked seductive when you knew someone was looking or trying to pursue you and how that smirk turned into an innocent smile when you thought no one was looking, like a 2-faced snake.

He also noticed how your innocent smile lit up the room, he noticed how you had the most fun when you danced with your feet instead of your hips, and how you talked with your hands when you got comfortable with whoever you were talking to.

Some guy, clearly drunk off his ass, walked up to you.

"How many more guys are gonna dance with her before you take your shot?"

"I could if I wanted to, but I don't."

But I do.

"I dare you then."

"What are we? 12?"

Shigaraki doesn't hear whatever Dabi says next as he watches you push the guy away repeatedly. Stupid bastard couldn't even take the hint, could he?

Without thinking, Shigaraki is out of his seat and speed-walking up to you. He grabs the first thing in his reach, your hand. He pulls you into him and glares at the bastard.

He leaves and poor Shigaraki doesn’t even notice how close and personal the two of you are until he finally looks down at your face and your wide eyes that can’t look into his for more than a second at a time, dancing around to look at anything but his red eyes. Your hands are on his chest and because he's trapping you in with his arms your breasts are pressed together.

You didn't look uncomfortable but you didn't give him the same look you gave everyone else all night. Were you disgusted with him? Were you in shock? Did you not like him?

After a second of shock, the innocence in your face washes away and is replaced with a more seductive and confident look.

You wrap your arms around his shoulders, hands playing with the hair, giving a quick tug and not oblivious to the small gasp Shigaraki lets out.

Your hips are smoothly swaying to the music, mesmerizing the poor boy in your arms. The sudden change catches Shigaraki off guard as tries to speak, sounding out of breath.

"Hey, I'm uh-" has his throat always felt this dry? "Shigaraki."

Your eyes still can’t stay on his for long, you’re still nervous. You think he can’t feel you picking at your fingers with one hand while you twirl a bit of his hair in your other hand

but he can.

Knowing that you’re as much of a nervous mess as he is, he gains a sense of confidence he couldn’t find earlier that night. As smoothly as he can, he runs his hands over your hips and waist, around to your back to go up to your shoulder and down your arms to grab your hands.

He raises your hands above your head for your to turn around and hopes you’ll get the hint. And, thankfully, you do.

Your arms cross comfortably in front of you as he lowers his hands, still holding yours, to lay on your waist. Your ass is pressed up against his crotch, your back flush against his chest. He pretends not to notice all the little things that make him want to kiss you until you forget your name and only remember his.

He pretends not to notice how you subconsciously rub your fingers together, trying to pick at your fingers without letting him notice. You’re nervous. He pretends not to notice how your hips are swaying less now that your ass is pressed against him. He can’t decide if he thinks it’s because you’re nervous or because you’re trying to tease him. He pretends not to notice the goosebumps he can feel on your arms after he leans his head on your shoulder and starts breathing softly on your neck. He pretends not to notice how you lean into his touch slowly, clearly enjoying the warmth and comfort of being held.

It only takes a minute before you’re fully leaning against him with your head thrown back onto his chest/shoulder with your eyes shut, letting him keep you from falling.

He wonders why you trust him in such a vulnerable position and how you can just be enjoying the moment when he could take advantage of you, not that he particularly wants to. He gets lost in thought and stops swaying with you, which you notice very quickly.

And how do you get his attention back to dancing with you?

Instead of continuing to sway your hips side to side, you grind back onto him for a second, enjoying the quiet breathy groan you get from him

“Fuck,” he whispers. “Don’t do that.”

“Or what?” you say, shaking your ass a little and testing the waters.

He feels around your hips and finds the waistband of your panties, and tugs on it so it snaps against your hips. You yelp and playfully elbow him and the two of you laugh.

He doesn't know who you are. Hell, he doesn't even know your name.

But he wants to stay like this forever. He doesn't force himself to stop laughing or force his smile into a frown

You slip your hands out of his and you turn around to face him

As he’s about to pull away from you completely and walk away without another word, embarrassed you got his guard down, you grab his shirt. You look up at him with a kind gaze as you stare into his eyes and don’t dare look away.

Dabi, the bastard who tried to dance with you earlier, the other people dancing near you guys were the last thing on his mind. The way you smelled when you two were swaying and he could smell your hair, the way you felt when you jumped in his arms as he snapped your waistband against your skin, the way you sounded, the way you looked...

He couldn’t get enough of it.

Fuck he has to know how you taste.

Before you can say anything or move, his hands are back on your waist and pulling you in. His lips smash into yours, hurting the both of you a bit. The kiss is awkward at first but it doesn't take you guys too long before you find a beautiful and intense rhythm in the kiss and become involved in a short makeout.

You slowly pull away and speak up.

"Come back with me."

"Where?"

"My place, you idiot." You say as if you weren't asking a literal stranger to go to the place you lived.

"I could kill you in your sleep."

"You won't." You're confident for someone who doesn't know half of what he can do.

He doesn't know what about you draws him in so much but one thing he knows is he's never going to be able to stop thinking about you.

[red-becca]

The History Of Wrong Guys

If you wanna know where I got inspiration for this, either listen to the song with the same title or watch a Creek animatic with the same title, as well. I actually did write a Creek one before. Back when Red was just a background character and a Craig punching bag. But now, Red is her own character for me. I actually wish I could draw/ animate bc I want an animatic of this. But writing about it is good too.

Second, I see Tweek and Red as besties... Just cause. For funsies. I did it back when Red and Craig were cousins and I still do it now because I see it as an interesting dynamic.

And last thing, before you go at me, the list of wrong guys at the near end is just crackships I may have shipped at some point and just put there for fun, hehe. So, yeah. Please, don't come at me.

---

"Thanks again for managing to get me a job here, Tweek! Now, we get to hang out twice as much now without me feeling like I disrupt your work!" Red laughed as she waited for Tweek to finish tying her apron from behind.

"Pft..." Tweek jokingly tied her apron really tight on her waist, making her let out a small noise of pain. "Yeah, well... You can thank me for getting you this job by working hard, alright? Not by ogling at boys. Which I know is the real reason you got this job..." He playfully rolled his eyes before giving her a wink. "Also, you never disrupted me at work, girlfriend. In fact, I'm glad to have a girl best friend like you who takes the time to visit me during work."

Red let out a long breath as she untied the tight knot he made, tying it up herself properly. "So much for helping me with this apron..." She pouted then snickered, giving him an eye- roll back. "And please... That is the last thing I'll be doing. I am so done with guys now after what happened with my last boyfriend. I've had too many boyfriends at this point that I could write a whole book about them." She rolled her eyes again, putting her hands on her hips.

Tweek just gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Red, don't you worry. You'll find that right guy who'll sweep you off your feet, I just know it. I mean, just look at me. I'm not exactly the typical uber masculine male nor am I... Okay, you get the point. I don't want you berating me about bringing myself down and all. Ironic, really, since you do it a lot to yourself." He rolled his eyes afterwards.

"Mmm, no, not really..." Red laughs softly at him, making the blonde sigh heavily. "What? You didn't really make a clear point, okay?"

"Fine. My point is that... We all get a chance at finding the right person for us, no matter who we are." Tweek smiled before snickering. "Like take Craig as an example... For being such an asshole, he got a long- time boyfriend. Then again, I'm not that purely nice, either. But you get my point now, right?"

The redhead just rolls her eyes at the mention of the raven's name, making her exit the employee's room before him. "Ugh, please... Asshole is an understatement to what Craig is. Fucking asks me to be his girlfriend and yet he never treated me like I was... Why I stupidly said yes back then, I have no idea..." She sighed as she sat behind the counter, resting her head on the palm of her hands. "And how you get him to treat you so nicely, I don't know either."

Tweek just chuckled at her actions. "Well, that's how true love works. This might sound really corny but we end up acting differently around the person we love."

"So, what you're saying is that Craig never loved me when he asked me out back then?" She playfully pouted at him as he nodded at her. "Okay, ouch. Brutal honesty that I already knew. But still, ouch." She pretended to look hurt, putting a hand on her chest.

"Mmm, yes. No point in sugar coating things for you, Red." Tweek pinches one of her cheeks hard. "You're a big girl now, after all."

"Gah! Hey!" Red groaned, slapping his hand away. "So, are we working or what?! Seems like I'm just even more of a distraction now that I'm working with you!"

He snickered. "Well, yes. Go on and do the honors of opening up, then. Since you're so excited to get to work and stuff..." Tweek stood behind the counter, right next to where she was standing.

"Tch, well... I don't just want to paid for not doing anything, you get me?" She raised a brow at him, turning the sign at the door as she did so. And she was gonna say more to him until she heard a thud from the door, making her jump. "Jesus Christ!"

A tall looking male wearing glasses was the person who bumped into the shop's doors, giving the girl who was looking at him from inside a small wave before going inside himself. "Heh, sorry about that, Red... Still getting used to these glasses of mine..." He said as he adjusted them. "Ironic how I need them to see yet ever since I started wearing them, I bump into stuff more..."

Red blinked rapidly, giving the stranger in front of her a confused look. "I, uh... It's okay, I guess?" She let out nervous laughter. "I'm sorry, but who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"Red, are you serious? I get glasses and suddenly you don't recognize me? Wow, Superman's disguise actually works, then." He snickered, taking off his glasses for her to recognize him. "It's me! Kevin!"

The female went red soon after she realized who it was, giving him a quick onceover. "Kevin?! As in... Kevin Stoley?! No way! When did you get so much more taller?! And hotter too?! I mean-!" She immediately covered her mouth after she said that.

Kevin started blushing with her, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he puts his glasses back on. "Heh, yeah... That's me. Kevin Stoley, the name my parents gave me. And wow... You really think I'm all that? Thanks, I guess... We've only not seen each other for like a month... I couldn't have changed that much, have I?" He looks back at her with a shy smile.

His smile got her heart racing, opening her mouth as she tried to say something but nothing came out. "I... Uh... Yes?" She managed to squeak out, giving him a few shy giggles as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Well... As long as it's a good change, I guess it's fine..." He replied, chuckling once before everything between them suddenly became awkwardly quiet.

That was until Kevin's friends came into the store after him, Bradley smacking him behind his back as he passed him. "We're gonna be sitting over there if you need us, alright?" He said, pointing to the table where two other people have just sat in. "Though we don't mind if you take a while... What with you being distracted and all that~" He teased which immediately got him a punch on the shoulder from Kevin.

Kevin gave out nervous laughter, dismissing what Bradley said with a frantic waving of his hand. "Ignore what my friend just said there, Red. I'll be back with all my friends' orders, okay?" He gave her the same smile from earlier before running off back to his friends.

Red sighed happily as she watched him walk away, a hand on her chest as her heart started to race again and a small smile formed on her face.

"Well, well, well~ Guess who's ogling a guy at work after she said she wouldn't?" Tweek teased as he stood behind her. "Also, told ya that you would find the guy that would sweep you off your feet, Red~ Just didn't think it would happen right after I said it." He chuckled, patting her shoulder.

Red scoffed out loud as her hair matched her face, brushing his hand away from her shoulder. "Tch! No, I'm not! What are you even talking about? Nuh-uh! No way! I'm just surprised to see him again! That is all and it! End of story!" She huffed, grabbing a broom and started to angrily sweep the floor.

Tweek sighed at this, playfully shaking his head. "Alright, you fucking tsundere. Whatever you say there..." He gave a playful eyeroll before walking back to the counter.

"I am not a tsundere!" Red yelled on the top of her lungs, making Kevin and his friends look her way. "Oops, sorry about that, you guys!" She nervously laughed at them.

Tweek chuckled softly at this, trying not to burst into laughter at her actions. "Pft, sure, you aren't a tsundere... But you definitely are an idiot with how you're holding that broom in your hands..."

"Huh?" She looked at the broom in her hands and went bright red when she saw that she was holding it upside down. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" She mumbled to herself as she cleaned the floor while holding the broom properly this time.

"Okay, girl... Time to focus on doing a good job at this job of yours... No distractions..." She said inside her head, only to immediately get distracted to wave at Kevin. The redhead shook her head and slapped her face repeatedly in hopes of getting her to focus. "Oh, no! No! Girl, don't you dare! I swear to God, I am warning you!"

She groaned at her thoughts, making her look back at Kevin again. "Fuck... No... You are definitely crushing on him, girl! But you can't! You shouldn't! And yet... Here you are falling for him..." Red bites her bottom lip as she looks and stares at Kevin before shaking her head again, a small smile on her face. "I mean... Why not, right? This shouldn't hurt..."

Red continued thinking to herself as she went back to sweeping the floor, her thoughts being on how women have been making bad choices since the beginning. And she wondered if Kevin was going to be another one of hers, making her sigh and get lost in her thoughts.

So lost in her thoughts, she was unable to notice Kevin walking over to her again which makes her bump into him accidentally. "Oh my God! I am so sorry!" She shouted, panicking as she got back into reality and also, continuously apologized to him.

Instead of being weirded by this though, Kevin just chuckled. "Red, Red... It's okay, calm down. I did just randomly sneak up on you and all that..." He reassured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She let out a small squeak at what he did, making her blush heavily and shyly look away from him.

"Anyway... I was going to tell you my friends' orders and mine but seeing as you seem to be not feeling well, I might just tell them to Twe-" Kevin was about to walk towards the counter but Red was quick to stop him by grabbing him by his arm.

Red immediately cuts him off, grabbing a notepad from her pockets and then the pencil from her ear. "Oh, no! There will be no need for that, Kevin! I'm fine, really! So, please... Tell me what your order will be." She gave him a small smile.

He gave her a smile back along with a nod before telling her what him and his friends have ordered. "You got everything?" He asked as he finished with telling his order, raising a brow when he saw Red just staring at him. "Umm, Red? Everything okay? Is there... something on my face? In my teeth, maybe?" Kevin wiped his face to see if there was anything on his face.

"Hmm?" Red snaps out of her dazed state, shaking her head to get herself feeling normal. "Oh, no! You have nothing in your face, Kevin! You're fine! So fine even!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, blushing madly in realization at what she yelled. "Anyway! Yes! I got everything you told me written down! I'll be the one who personally delivers your order to you once it's ready!" She nervously laughed and gave him a quick wave before walking back towards the counter.

As Kevin watched her walk away, an idea suddenly came to his head. "Hey, wait! Red! Can I ask you for one more thing?"

"Kev!" She suddenly yelled in shock, making her cover her mouth again then turning to face him again. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry about that... Yes? What is it, Kevin?"

"Well, uh..." He suddenly got tongue tied, laughing nervously while rubbing his neck. "I was hoping that maybe... I don't know... Hang out during a break or... You know, after your shift is done with..." He nervously swung one of his legs back and forth. "That is if you want to, obviously..."

"Oh, wow... Really?" She got flustered at his request, a small nod coming from him at her question. "Why, yes! I would love to! Sure thing! You got it!" She gave him a few awkward finger guns while walking backwards.

"Alright! Sounds great!" He gave her a small smile along with a thumbs up before heading back towards his table. "See you later, Red!"

Red gave the Kevin's order to Tweek before looking back at Kevin with a loving stare. "Kev..." She took in a deep breath as she sat behind the counter, thinking about nothing but Kevin.

"You know, I used to think you were quite the nerdy, dorky geek... That was a month ago... Look at you now, though! Who exactly is brand new handsome guy I am looking at?" She giggles at her thoughts. "You're actually kinda cute when you're not so shy, Kev..." She sighed happily before turning to Tweek, who had yet another teasing look in face which made Red frown then start helping him with making Kevin's order.

"Are you literally forgetting what you were just lamenting about earlier today, girl? You've literally just been here before! Have you really come back for more?" She looked over at Kevin while still working on the order. "He might just end up being another chapter in your book about the history of wrong guys..."

"Well, then again... He used to be not that much of a catch, right? Not your type whatsoever... But look at him now! He's changed into something I just can't ignore so easily!" She groaned to herself at her dilemma. "Oh, Kevin! Honestly! If only you knew how much I've been hurt like this before! Is there something more to you than what I've always thought?" She huffed before turning her back to Kevin and started helping Tweek with the order. "Oh, whatever... I'll just see if you can surprise me any more than you already have..."

"Hey, Red?" Kevin suddenly approached the counter again, making Red gasp in shock and quickly fix herself before facing him. "Hope I'm not being too much of a bother for telling you this..."

"Oh, no! Are you kidding me? You could never be a bother! So, what is it that you need? If it's about your order, well..." Red grabbed the order that she and Tweek just finished. "Why, we just finished it, actually. Here you go." She smiled as she gave him a tray of his order.

"Oh, why thank you! I'm impressed you two got this to us so quick! What with it being just the two of you..." Kevin laughs a bit while one of his friends grab the tray and bring it to their table. "But, no... You see, in all this excitement, I had completely forgotten to order for Esther. She wants a tall skinny mocha..." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "So, yeah... I hope it doesn't bother you and Tweek much if I gave you another order to do..."

"Esther? Who is that? Most likely his girlfriend, right?" Red looked over to Tweek, who just shook his head and had an annoyed look on his face. Then she looked back at Kevin with a smile. "Like I said earlier, you could never be a bother! I will personally do Esther's order myself!" A faint groan from Tweek could be heard. "Esther's mocha... A mocha for Esther... Alright then, no more surprise orders, right?"

He shook his head. "Nope! No more surprises here! And oh, be sure to get it out as soon as you can, if you don't mind? The last thing I want is for Esther to be really mad at me..." Kevin finishes with a hearty laugh.

"Yep, definitely his girlfriend..." She thought to herself, a fake smile hiding the pain she felt. "Oh, don't you worry! I promise you we will get Esther's order ready quickly!" She does the same laugh he did.

Kevin didn't say anything more, just gave her a small nod in response before going back to his table.

Tweek slowly scooched right next to her, leaning close to whisper into her ear. "Yo, Red... I don't mind getting an extra order all of a sudden but... Did you have to reassure Kevin that we could get it out so quickly?" He raised a brow when he noticed that Red wasn't moving. "Uh, Red? Everything okay?" He yelped when the girl suddenly puts her hands on his shoulders.

"He has a girlfriend, Tweek! Waa!" She shook the male around as she freaked out about the revelation. "Why do they have to be so nice when they're..." Red lets him go then looks back to Kevin with a frown. "Unavailable?"

"Kevin? Unavailable? What? Pretty sure he is available because-" Tweek tried to explain to her what Kevin and Esther's relationship but gets cut off by Red.

"Oh, Tweek! Don't get my hopes up like that! I couldn't possibly steal another girl's man! Not again! I am a changed woman, after all! The last thing I wanna be with Kevin is star- crossed lovers! Because well... We all know how that ends..." She made a slicing motion across her neck.

The blond took in deep breaths as he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Red... Listen to me, Esther is-"

"His girlfriend! I know, I know! No need to rub more salt in my wounds!" She whined while Tweek groaned, completely giving up on trying to explain that Esther and Kevin were actually siblings. "But you know what? I'm not gonna let this bother me! In fact, I'm better off without him! We're better off as friends!" She beamed before immediately hugging Tweek and turning into a sobbing mess.

"Shh, shh... It's okay, Red..." He sarcastically cheered her up as he slowly pats her back, hoping she would figure out the truth later seeing as he couldn't be the one to tell her.

Red sniffed as she pulled away, wiping away her tears. Meanwhile, Tweek went back to work in order to get to work on getting Esther's mocha to her. "Damnit, Tweek! I've been hurt like this before! Why does it hurt so much more when it came to Kevin?!" She groaned loudly again before grabbing a photo album from under the counter. "When I said that I have had so many boyfriends that I could make a book about them, I meant it. I really have a book about the guys I have dated who were just the wrong guy..." She sighed as she flipped through the pages of the book where there were old pictures of Red with her exes who were Kenny, Pete, Jimmy, Stan, Craig, Token, Bridon, Kyle, Clyde and Butters. To name a few examples...

"And now, a new addition to the book... Kevin Stoley... Who has a girlfriend named Esther..." Red grumbled underneath her breath, tearing a piece of paper from the book she held in her hands. "Damnit, why am I so damn stupid and easily fall for guys like this?!" She huffed before finding herself angrily eating the paper she tore up.

"Uh, Red?" Kevin suddenly spoke up once he noticed what Red was doing while he picked up Esther's mocha, very confused at what he had just seen and wondering if he had seen something he wasn't supposed to see.

She froze at the sound of his voice, turning to face him then spitting out the paper in her mouth. "Hey, Kevin... How's it hanging?"

"Pretty good, really. Hope you found that paper delicious..." He laughed which makes her blush in embarrassment. "Anyway, I came here because well... My sister would like her receipt, please..."

The word "sister" started echoing in her mind, a smile slowly forming on her face in excitement. The exciting thought in her head caused her to completely space out.

"Umm, Red?" Kevin waved his hand in front of her face, even more confused at what was going on. "Can I get my sister's receipt, please?"

Red simply put a finger up. "Excuse me for one moment, please..." She turned to Tweek with an annoyed expression. "Hey! Did you know that Esther is Kevin's sister?! If you did, why didn't you tell me?!"

Tweek sighed and shook his head. "Look, I tried to tell you earlier about it. But no, you were just too caught up on being heartbroken and stuff..."

"Hmph..." Red huffed, giving Kevin the receipt he wanted. "Here you go, Kevin..."

"Thanks, Red." He smiled at her. "So, uh... Me and my friends are gonna head out now... See you later, I guess?" The male waved before starting to head out.

Red gasped at what she heard, turning to Tweek with a cheesy grin. "Tweek, you know I love you, right?"

He sighed at her words. "Just go on your damn break already, Red... Don't let me stop you..." Tweek chuckled as he shook his head, giving the girl a few pats on her shoulder. "Also, have fun..." He smiled at her.

"Thanks, Tweek! Like I said, I love you!" Red happily beamed, quickly taking off her apron and running off to Kevin. "Hey, Kev!"

"Yeah, Red-?" Kevin yelped when Red suddenly tackled him to the ground with a hug.

[dannyboyzone]

samuel one shot?🥺

Note; This is angst with a happy end, it doesn't have a name, so if you would like to name it, you are free to do so. Since the topic is not specified, I wrote whatever I felt like writing. Y/n will have they/them pronouns so everyone feels comfortable. If you don't, just change it in your head.

TW - Depression, mentions of suicide.

Today has more than 7 billion stories. So many people are experiencing it differently, yet so similarly.

Someone died today, and another person was born. Maybe they will change the world, or destroy it.

A student is celebrating passing his exams, while an adult across the world is crying in their dark room thinking about that they never had the chance to tell their parents that 'hey, I am trans, please accept me.'

Everyone has their own struggles, so why?

Why is Y/n pitying themselves so much? They keep asking themselves that.

They are so stuck up on their own self, just hurting about minor things. Like small sentences, that their old neighbour probably already forgot about. Things their family already forgot about.

Yet they keep asking themselves; Why do they care so much?

Even now, when they are crying their eyes out. Their knees are pulled up to their chest, sitting on the edge of the rooftop. They can't bring themselves to jump off, even though they crave death so much.

Who are they to be in pain so much when others have to go through war, confrontation, missing someone they can never get back?

" AAAAAAAAAA "

Y/n yelled out to the thin air, even though they were sure even people from a few miles away could hear. It didn't really matter though, holding it back was harder than caring for other's around right now.

That what caused them to be a mess anyway, caring for others that much. Running a hand through their hair, they started to rip it and shake their head while continuing to cry.

How pathetic, Y/N thought to themselves, leaving no other option than to repeatedly slap their own cheek.

When no one in this world cares for you, it's hard to care for yourself.

" Hey, are you done putting on a show there? " they were interrupted by a deep, husky voice.

Y/n sniffed and turned around a bit. Hanging one of their legs freely off the rooftop, while resting the other on their lap.

They raised their brow at the sight of the unknown man coming closer to them.

Man.. ? The closer he got, the more obvious it was that he must be a teenager, just really buff.

He still had a bit of baby fat on his cheeks, which was quite cute, as Y/n would think.

It's quite funny though.

The neighbourhood they are in is pretty old, out dated and full of graffiti everywhere. Yet this stranger is wearing such an expensive suit, that doesn't even have a single spot of dust on it.

So, what is he doing here?

Y/n sniffed, while rubbing the tears with their palm away.

" Who are you? "

The boy leaned on the barrier of the rooftop which Y/n was sitting on top of. There were only a few inches between them.

The boy took a glance at the other's eyes, swollen and red from crying. Their eyelashes were stuck together at some parts at the end, it's such a pity.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't check the person's body language out, he didn't care much, but he noticed that they were holding onto the barrier tightly.

He then took out a cigarette from his pocket, placing it in his between his lips.

" Don't you have better problems than that? " , said he, as the cigarette got put on fire.

Y/n ran a tongue through the inside of their cheek, wanting to move closer. They didn't though, as they decided that's not worth it.

They were quite raged, yet calm at the same time.

For the best guess, they wanted to be though. It was quite embarrassing to let a stranger watch your very own melt down, let alone not even be aware of it.

" Well, I have the right to know! After all, you saw more of me than what I am comfortable with! "

" .. It's Samuel. "

" Well Samuel, will you leave? I am trying to do something here! "

Samuel couldn't help but... laugh.

Do something my ass, he thought.

He took a smoke from his cigarette, and looked up at the sky. It was a really sunny sunday, perfect to just sit back and enjoy life. Sadly, not everyone could.

" Go ahead then, jump. "

Y/n blinked, what the fuck?

" Excuse me, how fucking insensitive are you? "

Samuel just shrugged a shoulder, in a nonchalant way. " So what? "

He put his cigarette out, turning his head towards Y/n.

That moment, their face was met with smoke. They couldn't help but cough, it felt so terrible.

This guy, is a complete fucking asshole. How can a person be so.. heartless? It's like there is no soul in their eyes. Truly, no one cares.

Y/n wanted to slap him, but as soon as they raised their hand, their wrist was squeezed. Samuel held their hand in the air, making it feel stuck. Their eyes met, and Y/n got shivers down their spine.

He has to let go, now.

" Someone who wants to die doesn't mind smoke in their face. They will be dead anyway, won't they? "

Y/n was in disbelief, but they could barely hear.

They were so afraid of falling off, they couldn't help but shake.

The ground was so far away, it could kill anyone. If anything were to fall, it would end the lives of the people walking by.

Samuel walked a few steps closer, watching as Y/n's eyes got filled with tears and fear yet again.

" ... You are scared of falling of, now that you don't have anything to hold onto. "

Y/n's head was filled with different kind of thoughts, but what scared them above above anything else, that this guy is right.

There is something in him, that Y/n isn't quite aware of, but finds comfort in. Admitting it is not an option, for now, they kept moving, as much as they could.

" Let go of me! "

With that, their wrist was free again. It had quite a big red mark over it, which didn't matter all that much. It would fade by night anyway.

Y/n immediately faced the door to the stairs, which was quite far away. They backed up, their breath becoming quicker and quicker. Staring down at the people underneath them.

They couldn't move backwards for long, because Samuel stood their, pressing the front of their body to Y/n's back. At least they didn't fall backwards to the cement floor of the rooftop.

" Jump, if you wish so that bad. Don't let me stop you. "

He rested their chin on the top of their head, and slid his hands in the pockets of his pants.

" I don't get you, how am I different? The elderly couple you would fall on, the flower shop owner, the boy drawing graffiti on the walls and that little girl in the cherry socks who had met her dad for the first time today.. they would all see you fall. So why does it matter if I see you?... Actually, don't answer me. It's because you wouldn't have to face them, but would have to remember me. They would all remember you for a life though. "

Y/n shut their eyes tight.

Who the fuck does he think he is?

They were filled with hatred and frustration, moving their fingers on the barrier that they held so tightly onto. Y/n wanted to escape, but quite frankly, they didn't know how to react.

Because the shittiest part of it all? No matter how rough it sounds, he is right. No one likes confrontation, but it doesn't mean it's always a lie.

Jumping off would be no use to anyone here. Maybe sometimes, all of us just want someone to hear the desperate yell of our actions. To pull us back in. The universe may not always serve it as you would expect it though.

Y/n let out a sigh, more so to even their breath, and carry their thoughts in another direction.

" So, what do you want from me? "

" I don't know if you know, but you talk while thinking. Why do you care so much about others? They don't want to be pitied, and some people that are better off from you, have these exact same thoughts and might think of you. But they don't help, like you don't help their situation either. So why not help yourself? "

Huh.. He must break hearts often.

The voice belonging to the cold hard truth was like a river.

It was ice cold, causing either tragedies or beautiful memories.

He stepped back, fixing his messy hair. That was the first time Y/n noticed that his knuckles had bruises on them.

That left a lot of questions, is he a gangster? But he is too clean for that. Maybe a CEO? But what would he do there then?

Y/n could have paced out for a bit, because the next thing they have noticed is Samuel walking down the stairs, back facing them, holding his hand up as a sorry excuse of a wave.

" When you are able to admit that you want a new life instead of death, you can come and I will show you a whole new world. "

Y/n looked down on their hand, taking a glance at a tiny old toy. It was simply a tiny plastic chicken, from a happy meal. It sounds ridiculous, but it was from their father, who seems to spend less and less time with them until the point they became strangers.

They always carried it around, even if it only had a meaning to them and no one else in the world.

Y/n wiped their tear, pulling their leg to the other side of the rooftop, jumping onto it.

" You sure do talk a lot compared to other assholes. " they laughed.

Unknown to what would happen next, they followed Samuel. What's the worst that could happen? At least someone wanted them by his side.

They held onto his suit, just like a lost child would.

" So, are you a gangster Mr Know It All? "

" You will find out. "

END

Outro;

Yeah, this is like.. shitty and makes zero sense our of context. But how would you react to that level of confrontation? I sure as hell don't know.

Also, Sammy went there bc was stressed bc he HAS to find new members for his part of workers.. well guess what happened next 👀

Sorry anon, I feel like this wasn't quite what you wanted, if you want to look at it as romance, if not then do not. I just couldn't imagine Samuel being madly in love, so the machine threw out this I guess. Next time please specify if there is anything you want!

[finalfrontierpioneer]

2020 Fic Recs

Okay, I did a fic rec list last year for 2019, and nobody asked for this, but you know what, I��m gonna do another one. Really the only thing I wanna look back on about 2020 is the fic- bc damn there were some good ones!

Same as last year, these are fics that were completed in 2020. (So no in-progress fics here)

So here goes, 20 fic recs for 2020, in no particular order! And full disclosure, these are all totally different ratings/pairings/whatever.

I tried to tag all the authors who had tumblrs, but i probably missed some, and some of them aren’t actually working but hey! the username is there!

Some stucky bc of course

Sharpened Claws by tragicama (Explicit)

Steve Rogers has a unique talent of getting himself into danger. As one of New York City’s best homicide detectives, it isn’t easy to ignore the constant call of trouble and gore. At least, that’s what he tries to tell his overprotective and brooding boyfriend, Bucky Barnes, even if he knows it might be a lie.

Bucky is dangerous, gorgeous. . .and a werewolf. As the Alpha of New York City, he is easily considered the most powerful being in the world. But when Bucky begins to lose his control over his shift, he slowly becomes aware of a bond that sends him reeling, and one he’d never thought possible.

But everything is not as it seems. After a homicide case unleashes a sequence of events that neither Steve nor Bucky are prepared for, they soon find themselves entangled with a danger that threatens to rip them apart. With the help of Steve’s partner and best friend, Sam, Bucky and Steve navigate a dark web of pack politics, masquerade balls, and a crash course in what it means to be a pack, even as a greater danger looms. And one that might succeed in ripping them apart.

These Happy Gilded Years by crinklefries @spacerenegades, nalonzoo (Teen)

Steve Rogers, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and mostly happy disposition, had lived twenty-three years in the world with very little to distress or vex him.

( Steve is wealthy and and charming, with good humor and good temper, doted upon by his mother and the highest of New York Society, with no one to ever criticize or say the word no to him. Well, other than Bucky. But he doesn't count.

He is also warm and friendly and has a talent for matchmaking. Or so he thinks. Actually, he's kind of terrible at it.

Importantly, Steve will definitely never fall in love or marry, himself. He tells everyone this, repeatedly. Well anyway, we'll see about that. )

Jane Austen's Emma, but a little gayer, set in 1890s Gilded Era New York City

Demon Seed by SucculentHyena (Mature)

[Transcript 00:11:48]

MS: You were with him the most throughout the course of events, both before and after. Your account could shed light on something we may have missed.

JB: What difference will that make?

MS: It could make all the difference. Captain Rogers’ case is unprecedented, he’s the most intact victim we’ve ever recovered-

JB: [laughing] You call that intact?

A Noble Steed by alby_mangroves @albymangroves or @artgroves, leveragehunters (Teen)

"You say the Warhorse showed up last night," Sam said in tones of profound doubt.

"Yeah," Steve replied.

"The Warhorse. The Warhorse of legend. Daelland's Warhorse."

"The same as the one on the back of the transit card, yes."

"And he appeared in your living room?"

Steve eyed the Warhorse, very large and very black and giving him a dubious look out of his strange grey eyes. "He's standing in it right now."

"Uh huh," Sam said.

"Hey, I'm not any happier about it than you are."

* * *

Steve's mom had left Daelland long before he was born, following her heart to New York, but she'd raised him on stories of its famous Warhorse. Before she died, he'd promised he'd go back and learn the country she'd come from.

That was why he was in Daelland. Not so Daelland's legendary Warhorse could appear in his living room. But planned or not that's what had happened—now Steve had to figure out what to do about it.

a hat, a horse (a Hyundai), and the will to ride by elkane @elkane, synonym4life @synonym-for-life (Explicit)

After Steve and Bucky rescue their pals from the Raft prison, they decide to dig deeper into Zemo’s involvement in the UN headquarters’ bombing which sends them on a backpacking trip across select European countries. Steve and Bucky believe this is a story about their mission. Scott Lang and Sam Wilson, who join them halfway through, believe it’s a story about their Eurotrip (and they’re probably right). This writer, however, has been waiting to tell you that the fic’s true mission is Steve and Bucky missioning towards missionary.

Follow them on their journey across Europe in tiny cars, packed subway trains and even on skis as they tumble down the Swiss Alps (in a fun way this time!), all the while reigniting untold feelings of the past through inappropriate sexual encounters and terrible communication skills.

someday at christmas (there’ll be no wars) by stevebuckiest @stevebuckyinc (not rated)

A mission on Christmas. Not even on Christmas, technically. A mission after Christmas which means he and Steve and the Howlies will be trekking through the tundra towards possible death on what used to be Bucky’s favorite day of the year. Jesus Christ.

(alternatively: bucky and steve try to make the best of a shitty situation)

the cabin by natalie_nebula (Explicit)

It felt like he… It felt like they were always so close. Everything seemed like it was under control. He remembers hearing Wanda’s voice, seeing a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He remembers yelling something back at her, telling her to stop, to not come any closer. He remembers a bright flash, then a boom, and ringing in his ears. He remembers a black blur, and hands on his back, around his waist, then—darkness…

After the explosion in Lagos, Steve wakes up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and all he knows is that Bucky's the one who brought him there. While Sam, Nat, and the other Avengers try to figure out what happened to their friend, Steve takes the time away to heal—both his relationship with Bucky, and with himself. My cozy, romantic, and introspective Civil War rewrite.

Every Feeling by Nestri (Explicit)

Steve completely surprises Bucky with a visit, scent thick with heat. The Alpha keeps his hands to himself until Steve makes it clear he doesn't want him to.

Halbarry!

A Speedster and a Space Cop get into a Car by ChocolateTeapots @chocolateteapotsvis (Teen)

Hal and Barry embark on their most perilous mission yet: picking Wally up from the airport.

For Halbarry Week, Day 3: First Times “And you just called me Barry, genius”

Crosswind by Cinderstrato (Explicit)

Hal had collected plenty of regrets over the years. What was the weight of one more?

Just A Mark by the_butler @the-butler-fanstuff (Mature)

“What a nerd.”

Barry had been haunted by these words all his life, seeing as they were his soulmate’s mark. It came out during puberty, just like everyone else’s, but by then he was already well on the way to being a ‘nerd’ so to speak. He wasn’t just some guy claiming to be nerd because he was into Dungeons and Dragons or anime, oh no. He was a bona fide science nerd- went to interstate science fairs and competitions even.

—————(Originally a one-shot, now continued)——————

Barry Allen was working at the forensics lab of Central City PD when it waltzes the new transfer from Coast City, Detective Hal Jordan, not just into the lab but also into his life. There’s the matter of them being soulmates- but Barry is unconvinced. Science tells him there’s a likely chance that they’re just platonic soulmates, so Hal suggests an experiment of sorts: they go on three dates, and then decide whether or not they’re just platonic, or something more.

Tired by ceelolights @ceeloilights (Gen)

Hal comes home to Barry still working late into the night.

Last but most certainly not least, Jeronica:

The long way round to heaven by Bearfacedcheek (Mature)

“This could screw everything up. Jesus why couldn’t you just, fucking not?”

“I did just fucking not Jughead,” she retorts hotly. “I’ve been not for months. No one was ever supposed to know, least of all you. So, don’t blame me for what you saw when you invaded a private moment.”

“Oh, my bad Veronica,” sarcasm, his most comfortable armour, wraps itself around his words. “Did my near-death experience compromised your privacy? I’m sorry that my spirit took an astral fucking walk out of my almost corpse and y-”

“Don’t,” she gasps. Her hand flies to her mouth and it trembles visibly as she draws it away. “Don’t say that. Jesus Jughead we almost lost you.”

sadder, badder, cooler by thefudge @thefudge (Teen)

AU. Just who is Veronica's mysterious new husband? (based on season 5 spoilers)

all i’ll ever need is you by whatacoolkid @whatacoolkid (Teen)

jughead and veronica but make it ✨christmas✨

destined to be forgotten by bothromeoandjuliet @kindnessinpain2000 (Teen)

There are plenty of broken things in Riverdale - broken families, broken trust, broken hearts - but in the middle stands the two most broken things of all, Veronica Lodge and Forsythe 'Jughead' Jones.

(Jughead and Veronica learn about the Barchie kiss - this is the aftermath)

I Really (Don’t) Know What I Want by Bella_Dahlia @bella-dahlia (Mature)

There were many potential disasters to befall an average weirdo high school student; when one had an active imagination and a love for John Hughes films, as Jughead Jones did, you sort of assumed you had foresaw the possibilities. Plus, after solving a sordid murder and joining a gang, he really thought he gone through his fair share of teenaged trauma.

Having to fake a relationship to save his best friend from dedicating his life to a mafia and getting punched repeatedly in the process definitely had not crossed his mind before now.

——————————————

Or, Jughead and Veronica don’t really know what they’ve gotten themselves into.

all the lovers with no time for me by Krewlak (Mature)

jeroncia goes to stonewall. that's it. that's the fic.

call it what you want to by an_expensive_imagination (Teen)

“First things first,” Veronica says, reaching up to slide the ever-present gray beanie off his head, “no beanies in college.”

And here’s a one off random spideypool:

Shooting For Your Heart by X_Gon_Give_It (Teen)

“In my defense, I didn’t expect you to get hurt.”

“And I didn’t expect to be run out of town, yet here we are.”

He went suddenly stiff, “Wait...you were run out of town?”

“As if you didn’t know,” Peter grumbled, but when he looked up he did a double-take at Wade's confused expression. “Almighty, you really don’t know, do you?” he snapped the drawer shut, “Well, after that little fiasco by Two-Stone Canyon, a little rumor spread that me and you were in cahoots. The rumor got some ground and it turned the whole town against me. I was run out before I could defend my case. Why'dya think I was out there the other night to begin with?”

<><><><><><>

When Peter Parker, a deputy known as Webslinger, gets accused of working with the West's deadliest outlaw he finds himself on the run from the people he once trusted. In an effort to prove his innocence, he finds himself captured by the very outlaw tarnishing his name.

[beggingwolf]

omg I would love for you to break down that scene from TKK where sid goes into heat unexpectedly and geno rescues him from the Czech alphas!! (yes I have read and reread it a million times bc it is absolutely delicious.) (also this is jes @ticklefighthockey - can’t send from my hockey sideblog!)

hi jes!! thank you so much for asking!! I love that scene too

this is, uh, a behemoth. be warned: 

He’s being led on a tour of the rink, after the Russians have embarrassingly lost to Finland and before the Canadians are set to battle with the Czechs, when Zhenya stumbles upon him. 

I enjoy, in retrospect, how Zhenya and Sid’s emotional states are so different coming into this interaction. Even going back further than this specific day, Zhenya-in-Helsinki is bored and understimulated and out of his area of expertise and his alphaness is chafing at him. Meanwhile, Sid is overstimulated and anxious and fearful and in denial about/trying to hide his omeganess. Their designations are really on display here: Zhenya is brashly an alpha, Sid is shamefully an omega, and I Just Think That’s Delicious. 

It’s a flash, something deep and slumbering in his brain that alights like gas touched by a flame. One moment he’s listening to a very calm scout for the Superleague talk to him about Ovechkin and the potential a future Team Russia has, and the next there are yells echoing off the hallway’s walls and a figure racing towards them. A hook nestles into Zhenya’s intestines and his long leg moves, jerked along with the rest of him as he trips the running blur. 

The omega falls; Zhenya reaches for them, and before Zhenya can stop himself, his big hand grabs the omega by the back of their neck. The omega seizes up, and Zhenya can’t breathe as his grip tightens and then shakes. 

This is the, like, one part of the fic where Zhenya’s alphaness overwhelms him in the same way Sid’s omeganess overwhelms him. Sid is repeatedly at the mercy of his biology in the fic, and though he works to overcome it (and eventually settle into it), Zhenya doesn’t share that struggle—except for in this moment. I like how it equalizes them for a fraction of a second. Immediately after, the power imbalance flares to life and they’re on unequal ground, but for this moment, they’re both at the mercy of their bodies. It’s a huge aspect of what I enjoy about a/b/o.

Sid likes Helsinki. 

I love this jump cut, personally. I think it’s cheeky of me and fun and, after hooking the reader with Zhenya’s side of things, allows me to do what I enjoy most: babble on about juniors!Sid. Let’s fast forward to where the narrative catches up with Zhenya’s POV:

Sid is last out of the showers after practice. He doesn’t normally linger, but he had spent so long staring at how Carter’s traps and deltoids flexed as he washed his hair that he stalled and told everyone he’d catch up.

Sid’s discomfort with his designation almost takes precedence over his relationship with his sexuality in TKK. They’re inextricably intertwined, but Sid really spends more time thinking about being an omega than he does fantasizing about alphas—perhaps largely in part due to his first ~meaningful~ physical interaction with alphas ends up being a near-assault followed by a formative, if unhealthy, scruffing at the hands of Zhenya. I hope I put in enough to show that Sid is eyeing the alphas around him with intent and that it’s disrupting his routines. Builds the tension. Primes us for what’s about to happen. 

“Get out of there soon, Crosby, the Czechs are going to need the locker room in ten!” Durocher had called out to him, and Sid had made a sound of acknowledgement.

He’s not proud to jerk off in the empty communal showers. Once he’s come, he desperately tries to forget the fantasy of being shoved up against the cold tile, the slickness between his thighs being put to good use. His cheeks are flaming red and he’s mortified at himself as he washes the evidence off of his hands. In a rush he towels himself off and gets dressed in his team sweats, grabbing his bag of gear and jogging for the doors. 

Yeah I’d be mortified too, Sid.

He opens the door and runs face-first into a chest.

He chokes on his own spit as he smells it, the sharp, overwhelming scent of alphas, plural, and looks up at the huge Czech defensemen that he’s spent two afternoons watching tape on. 

The big one he ran into looks at Sid with vibrant blue eyes, and Sid stills as he watches the guy’s nostrils flare with a big intake of breath.

Sid forgot the cologne. 

“Crosby,” the alpha says, his accent strangely shaping Sid’s name. Sid heard plenty of Czech at the U18 tourney, when Canada had gone down against the Czech team and the players and their fans had drunkenly gathered outside of the Canadian locker room to howl shit at them until the Canadians muscled their way out.

He’s never heard anything like the way this enormous alpha drawls his name, and his eyes go wide. 

The alpha next to the blue-eyed one, a beefy blond guy that has a huge nose, takes a step towards Sid and says something. Sid can’t understand the words, but the message behind them is clearer than fresh ice in the winter, and all Sid can think is that he’s never been in this much danger. 

Some disgusting, traitorous part of him whispers in his ear that maybe he’d like it if he stayed and listened to what they had to say.

Sid runs. 

Sid’s sexual immaturity is really on display here. I don’t say anything about what the alphas smell like, and though Sid catalogues what the alphas look like (this was mostly so I could make them distinct in their actions), none of it is appreciative.

He’s a prey animal realizing he’s in danger, and regardless of his fantasies and recent jerk-off session, he has almost no desire to “be an omega” in this moment… except for the part of himself he hates, the part of himself he isn’t at ease with yet. EVEN THEN, he’s not interested in, like, being thrown to the ground and Taken in the biblical sense, but he’s interested in “if he stayed and listened to what they had to say.”

It’s that teasing at wanting something, that teenage impulse to want to explore what you’re feeling but not willing to go all the way because you’re afraid and unsure and still young! But his prey instinct wins out (smartly).

He hates himself for it; he’s a fighter, and he doesn’t run from boys who are bigger than him, but he knows as deeply and intrinsically as he knows his own name that the instant one of the Czech alphas gets their hands around his neck, he’s done for.

That first line could be interpreted 2 ways before you get past the semi-colon: does he hate himself for running because he wants the Czechs? No; it’s because he wants to fight. Sid’s incorrectly performing being an omega here in multiple senses: he’s running from alphas and wanting to avoid his heat, and he’s also wanting to fight them.

He drops low, bending his legs so he can ram his shoulder into the blue-eyed one’s stomach, shoving him back just enough so Sid can elbow past the blond alpha and push through. He feels the blond reach for him, and a shout builds in his throat as the boy’s big hand grazes Sid’s wrist, nearly gripping him before Sid can twist out of the way. 

He takes a step before the strap across his body gets yanked back, and Sid chokes as it digs into his Adam’s apple. The Czechs are gripping onto his hockey bag, and Sid only hesitates long enough for a hand to snake up and reach for his damp hair before he grits his teeth and slips out from under the strap of his bag and leaves it behind him, running in his untied sneakers down the hall.

The mention of his Adam’s apple draws attention to Sid’s age, I feel. It shows he’s physically mature but BARELY, because pointing it out draws attention to it in a conspicuous way. Then Sid being willing to ditch his hockey gear as he sprints—well, it shows (for once) he has his priorities straight. He tried to keep his omeganess hidden for the sake of hockey. Now he has to abandon hockey to keep himself safe. 

The Czechs yell, their voices loud and reverberating off of the walls in a way that feels like it can physically pummel Sid. He still has the scent of them in his nose, and he can feel his untrustworthy body responding. He runs blindly, as fast as he can.

HERE we get some sense that the alphas are having a physical impact on Sid. And yet it’s not eroticized at all. It’s made violent and scary and he’s stripped of his own senses. 

He rounds a corner and sprints, not remembering which way is which in the Helsinki rink. Sid barrels towards two figures in the hall, and his overwhelmed senses can tell that one of them is an alpha, the tall one, the dark one, and he sucks in one last desperate breath to hold so he can sprint past, so he can just get away from the heady scent and go somewhere safe.

Tall and dark, eh, Sidney? Our first hint of romantic descriptors. 

The tall alpha moves faster than lightning, faster than a goalie adjusting to block a shot, and Sid feels an ankle connect with his shin and he panics. 

Sid makes it about hockey. Ok bud sure you do you. (But like for real this represents a connection back to something Sid knows, something that is safe[...ish] for Sid, something that he loves).

He tripped him. The alpha tripped him, and maybe he’s in on it, and maybe Sid’s mom was right to be paranoid for all these years, and Sid’s hands come up to brace for the impact of the carpet when a hand as big as the span of his entire neck comes down on the back of it. 

Everything stops. 

Anxious stream-of-consciousness interrupted by an abrupt two-word sentence? Slap me silly with cliches, eh? But, hey, if it works...

The hand is enormous, the long, powerful fingers digging into the sides of Sid’s throat, and Sid’s jaw opens in something he hopes is a scream but by the way heat curls in his gut, he knows it’s something much, much worse.

Okay so HEREEEE we get yanked closer, again, to the erotic. The focus on hands (#TheFemaleGaze) as something salacious, enormous and long and powerful [hm. Freud is calling]... and even though Sid is terrified and refusing to put a specific name to what other emotion he’s feeling, his body betrays him yet again and we then fully slip into The Erotic with a heat—a heat—curling in his gut. 

The hand yanks him up, pulling him away from the floor, and Sid fights against the instinct to go limp with everything he has; his trained muscles seize up instead, and Sid has never been so grateful to be an athlete. He balls his fists, sliding his foot on the ground to try and right himself, and then his world ends when the alpha scruffs him.

Sid resorts to athleticism (his only other use for his body before Being An Omega fucked it up, according to him) in order to fight back. And then the line “and then his world ends” hits. Melodramatic, sure, but he’s 16.

And moreover, objectively, the world Sid knew before this interaction is indeed over for him. Zhenya later thinks in the fic that alphas and omegas feel fated, like something out of a fairytale, and that line of fate—that this was inevitable, that once Sid and Zhenya met, Sid would be lost to “normalcy,” does ring true by the time the fic ends.  

The alpha gives Sid a firm shake, just from the hand gripping his neck. Sid feels it down to his bones, reverberating through him harder than any check or hit he’s ever taken. Sid feels like he did when he was in 7th grade and one of his buddies tripped him while playing street hockey. This feels like when Sid’s head hit the blacktop; he’s not sure where all his limbs are anymore, and when he collapses, the alpha catches him.

This whole first chapter is just a major tease in regards to maturity, puberty, sexual awakenings, etc.

Sid acknowledged his physical response to alphas a few paragraphs ago, but now we’re back to Sid: The Child, to his middle-school self who is hurt and injured and vulnerable. By scruffing him, Zhenya ironically reverts him back to his child self; had Zhenya not scruffed him, who knows what Sid might have done or said to an alpha he was attracted to while he slips into heat?

By scruffing Sid—by making him no longer a viable partner [according to Zhenya’s instincts/hindbrain]—Zhenya actually keeps Sid safe here without even realizing it. 

Sid lets out a sigh that sounds pleased, and he wants to heave instead. 

And oop, we’re back! Tug and pull, back and forth. Will-they-won’t-they. Fun tension. The confusion of sexuality. Now that Sid is safe (even if he doesn’t know it), he can slip back into that pleasure state, even as he’s repulsed by it. 

The alpha says something. His voice is deep and rich. Sid’s head lolls back so he can catch a glimpse. 

He was right about the alpha being tall. His eyes go up and up to see the guy’s face. He’s older than Sid, but maybe he’s a player here. He could be 19, Sid hazily reasons to himself. His wide mouth is open in a concerned, surprised expression, and Sid’s eyes catch on how pink his lips are. He wonders how those lips would feel on his skin, but then his gaze is tugged upwards as the alpha’s eyebrows furrow over deep-set, dark eyes.

He’s handsome, and Sid is in his arms, utterly limp.

This part makes me smile even now while reading it :) Sid’s hazily like “Uhhh he could be my age right? Yeah it can definitely be acceptable to want this guy. Totally. Also he can totally play hockey. A dreamboat… Just For Me. Look at those lips. Also I’m totally helpless right now and for the FIRST time instead of terrified I am the human embodiment of the 👀 emoji.”

The alpha asks something of Sid, and Sid just stares up at him, dazed. He doesn’t know the language; it isn’t Czech. Maybe… Russian?

The hand still around his neck flexes, and Sid’s lips part. The alpha’s dark gaze drops to them, and Sid’s frightened by the emotion that blooms in his chest, a pride that’s twined with the adrenaline of his run. He can taste the alpha’s scent on his tongue, and it’s woodsy and deep and it makes Sid think of sex. He can feel his tongue poke at his lower lip, and the fingers around his neck tighten. 

Then the noises from down the hall get louder, and Sid can’t move to look, but the alpha’s head jerks up. Sid watches as the alpha’s lips curl back and he snarls loudly at the Czechs.

Sid can smell them, the way their scents slide from hunter to hunted. There are rude, ineffective words spat at Sid before they retreat. He doesn’t understand a whiff of it, though, and all he can do is watch the alpha clinging to him. The alpha bares his teeth at the Czechs even as they scamper away. Sid can see the alpha’s teeth aren’t fully straight, but they’re sharp and a swooping sensation bottoms out in Sid’s gut.

It’s nothing like Parise’s hit, nothing like Tambellini’s command to leave the ball alone. Sid stares up at his alpha and he knows that if this guy took him to the ground, Sid would roll over without a second thought. 

Fear rages through him again, even as his body hangs still from the scruffing.

Now we’re just really in the sauce, eh? We’ve fully entered into The Erotic and though Sid has that taste of fear in his chest, it’s not fear of alphas. It’s not fear of Zhenya.

It’s fear of himself. He isn’t scared at all of what Zhenya could do to him; he’s scared of what he wants (or what his body wants? He isn’t sure where that distinction is, because he’s been trying to divorce himself from his omega body since it started Making Problems).

Spicy! Delicious! I do, in fact, love it! His body is acting without his control (his tongue) but Sid is naming what he’s thinking of: sex. He hates himself over it. I am thoroughly enjoying myself!

The alpha looks back down at Sid, his lips coming together to cover his sharp teeth. He says something softly, glancing over Sid with obvious concern in his eyes. His grip loosens and his hand slides up into Sid’s wet hair to cradle his head instead. 

“Crosby,” Sid can hear the other man, the beta next to his alpha— the alpha say in surprise, and Sid’s chest tightens. 

“Crosby?” the alpha murmurs, squinting at Sid. He asks something else, and Sid still can’t get his throat to work, the scruffing clinging onto his voice box like a crushing fist. 

The beta says something and the alpha grimaces, but he gently starts lowering Sid to the floor. Sid gasps in a breath, because no, not in the middle of a hallway, but the alpha just lays Sid down, bracing a careful hand on Sid’s shoulder, still cupping the back of his skull as he crouches down next to him. 

“Crosby? Omega?” He hears the beta say in a thick Russian accent, and Sid’s eyes swivel to look at him. 

“Help,” Sid finally begs, feeling weak and shameful.

Here we actually lose some of the erotic tension because

1. Zhenya looks at Sid with concern, not lust

2. His grip loosens on Sid, and

3. Zhenya puts Sid down not to have his way with him, but to make sure he’s okay.

The power dynamic is starting to shift; it isn’t so much about a/b/o as it is age right here. Zhenya is taking care of this kid, as he notes in the next section, and since Sid’s hangups over his immaturity will haunt him in the fic, his perspective sort of neuters Zhenya here because he thinks their ages will be a barrier to Sid getting Zhenya.  

Also, another line I love: “no, not in the middle of a hallway,” because it’s SUCH a major slip on Sid’s part. His problem isn’t that he thinks Zhenya is about to go to town on him; it’s that they’re in a hallway and he has standards. (Or, rather, reasonable concerns over privacy, safety, and general comfort). 

“Who is Crosby?” Zhenya asks as he stares down at the omega he’s cradling. 

He’s about to be a very big thorn in your side for the next forever, Zhenya.

The omega is so young. He looks half-baked, especially with his head held at such an angle, making his chin disappear into his neck. His face is still round, and he has curly hair that hangs boyishly into his eyes. Those huge eyes are stunned and Zhenya can see the panic in them.

We’re still in that de-sexed space; readers can think “Hmm okay so maybe Sid was right, that Zhenya doesn’t really want-”

Zhenya closes his mouth and tries to take in less of the omega’s scent. It’s hot and jabs at Zhenya’s brain like a spice; Zhenya can smell the slick on him and swallows down the saliva flooding his mouth. 

“Oh.” 

Yep. Still wants ‘im. Has a moral compass to stop himself about it. Barely.

Also, Zhenya eats a fair amount of food in this fic—shitty food, like his McDonalds meal and bad American coffee, and good food, like the ribs and coco lardo in Moscow and the pelmeni and soup with his mother. Sid’s scent is like a spice to him—this appeals to his emotional senses, not just his physical ones. 

“This is Crosby,” the Superleague scout says, dumbfounded. “He plays for Canada, he’s an omega—”

“No shit,” Zhenya grunts, and he can’t stop his thumb from stroking across the kid’s shoulder where Zhenya is pinning him down, the thin Team Canada shirt shifting under his touch. “Crosby, who’s here with you?”

Oops, crack in the facade there, Zhenya. Watch your hands. Still, it’s not made clear if this is a gesture meant to be comforting (to Sid) or selfish (for Zhenya). Ambiguity!

The omega, Crosby, gapes up at Zhenya, and Zhenya curses himself for scruffing him. 

He hadn’t meant to; he’s only scruffed an omega once, and it was in a very different context, where a buxom omega named Svetlana had wanted Zhenya to lay her out and make her limp with it in bed. Crosby certainly hadn’t asked, but Zhenya had felt the panic in Crosby like a guillotine rising over his head and had needed to stop it. 

More cracks. Relating it to sex with Svetlana and then pulling himself back by a VERY sharp image of a guillotine. Feeling like you need to cut something off, there, Zhenya? 

His hindbrain had made the decision for him.

Zhenya thinks about alphaness in terms of his hindbrain—a hidden prey drive he’s got in his head, an old evolutionary instinct. Part of him, but... not all of him.

It’s very distinct from Sid, who refuses to even consider his omeganess as something other than, like, a personal failure and/or a physical impediment that’s fucking with him. When his omeganess comes for him, it takes him over.

Zhenya THINKS about his alphaness as divorced from himself to justify his actions; Sid ACTUALLY divorces his omeganess from himself as a survival instinct (until it stops working, and then until he figures out it’s more advantageous to work with it).

Crosby’s pulse still rabbits away. Zhenya swears he can feel it through Crosby’s scalp, and he says softly, “It’s okay, Crosby, I’m here to help you. I’ll help you.”

Rabbit :) Prey animal. Zhenya touching him carefully, not like a wolf chewing on its prey, but like a human soothing a scared animal.

He hears the Superleague scout say something in ugly English, and Zhenya frowns, wishing he had spent any time at all working on English like Viktor had asked him to. He only knows scraps he’d picked up from the ridiculous Americans the Magnitogorskaya bratva worked with. 

“He’s almost in heat,” he snaps at the scout. “Ask him about suppressants, does he have any?”

“His team should, they…” the scout starts, and he moves like he’s going to leave in search of the Canadians, but he hesitates. 

Zhenya watches the scout’s eyes rove over Zhenya’s long, powerful frame bent over the crumpled omega beneath him.

“He’s a child,” Zhenya bites out, even as his body tells him he’s an omega. “I won’t do anything. Get help. Now.”

:) Spicy!

He puts real force behind the words, and even though Crosby doesn’t appear to know Russian, he shakes under Zhenya’s hold. 

“Shh,” Zhenya murmurs, looking down at him. Those big amber eyes focus on Zhenya’s, and Zhenya’s hand on Crosby’s shoulder slides up to cup the side of his face.

“It’s okay,” Zhenya tells him, and he knows at least that in English. “Okay.”

Zhenya immediately comforting Sid even though he’s addressing the scout! We have not seen much of Zhenya being caring before this point; is this who Zhenya is? Is this what alphas do for omegas?

Truthfully it doesn’t matter because there’s no discord between Zhenya and his designation. He’s comfortable as an alpha. He is what he is, and no matter where it comes from, he comforts Sid in this moment.

Fuck the blonde women of Finland; Zhenya doesn’t want anything except the chubby-faced Canadian teenager he has laid out on the floor of a hockey rink, and since he can’t do anything about that, he needs to keep Crosby calm. 

“You’re going into heat,” Zhenya tells him, knowing Crosby can’t understand. “You’ve done this before, yes? You’re old enough to know. It’ll be okay, we’ll get you suppressants, you’ll make it through. It’ll be just fine.”

Zhenya: “I will rationalize this. Yes. I can do that. Sure. Great. I cannot let myself YEARN. But I’m definitely going to give him command-sounding reassurances that definitely aren’t any alpha impulses leaking out of me.” 

Zhenya’s eyebrows shoot up when Crosby moves a hand; it’s weak, but he manages to lift his arm enough to grip onto where Zhenya’s holding his face. It had taken Svetlana the better part of ten minutes to lift a finger, and he can see that Crosby, while young, is strong.

And, by the heat in his eyes, angry.

Zhenya grins at him, and he can feel Crosby’s pulse jump under his hands. 

“Don’t be angry, kitten,” Zhenya croons at him, unable to help himself. “I kept you safe, didn’t I? I’ll get you back to wherever you belong, yes?”

Zhenya, you flirt. Also he’s like “Cool I’ll call him Crosby I’ll be professional and—oh wait he’s pissed off and cute about it haha hi Kitten :) hi :) I’ll take care of youuu :)” 

Crosby recognizes the tone in his voice, if the way his eyes tighten is any indication. He opens his mouth to make a discontented sound that sends Zhenya into laughter. 

“Come,” Zhenya tells him between giggles. “You’re fine, let’s go find your team.”

When he scoops Crosby up off of the ground and into his arms, Crosby makes a sound so undignified it makes Zhenya lean against the wall to catch his breath.

Honestly I’m not happy with the emotional tone here and had I not been writing 50k words in a fugue state and needing to publish them by fest time I think I would’ve changed this. But alas! Its imperfections make it unique… or whatever. Hopefully someone likes it. 

Crosby is heavier than Zhenya expected; he’s dense, and Zhenya can glimpse how much of that density is dedicated to his ass. While Zhenya doesn’t lift weights with Metallurg anymore, he brawls enough to have very functional muscles. He can handle Crosby. He would like to handle him very, very much.

Yeah you do, Zhenya.

[samwrights]

Oikawa, Kuroo, and Daichi fingering their s/o under the table or blanket

When you lose all your progress typing this one out bc a phone call came 💀💀💀 thanks tumblr editor.

N e waaaaaaayz.

Warning: fingering, semi(?)-public sex, implied fisting, dirty talk, implied vouyerism?, and poor Iwa (or not so poor Iwa 😏)

Oikawa;

Oikawa Tōru is not subtle. You know it, he knows it, everybody in the goddamn country knows it.

Apparently, everybody knew it except for poor Iwaizumi Hajime who’s sitting not even ten feet from the two of you while Oikawa is three fingers deep in your gushing cunt.

To be fair, you had a blanket over most of your body while you laid between your boyfriend’s legs.

But how, how, could he not hear the way the setter’s fingers squelched with your juices every time he pushed back in?

Or the soft, breathless, not entirely silent pants leaving your lips.

On the outside, it seemed Oikawa was completely enthralled with the film playing on your guys’ living room television.

But underneath, you could feel his rock hard cock straining against his shorts along your back

It almost made you paranoid because the way Tōru is spreading his fingers to stretch out your walls makes you want to scream, even more so when you swear the sound is louder than the tv volume.

Ever so carefully, Oikawa presses the pads of his fingers along your g-spot, rubbing along the tissues until the pressure forced convulsions and tremors from your orgasm.

With his fingers still bent and angled, he cautiously pulls them out before resting the three wet digits on your swollen clit, rubbing viciously to coax just one more orgasm from you before he called it quits.

“You know, if you guys are gonna fuck, you could at least wait until I leave.” Iwaizumi bites out and, though his face is locked with the flashing pictures on the screen, you swore you could see a faint blush creeping up his neck.

“I mean, you could join us.” You retort without skipping a beat.

Kuroo;

Only this blundering dolt that was your boyfriend would even dare to do this to you right now.

Currently, you and Kuroo were having dinner with Akaashi and Bokuto, catching up with the two of them for the first time in years.

And yet, Kuroo felt the overwhelming need to tease your clit over your underwear while nonchalantly having dinner with his free hand.

The dampened state of your panties proved to him you didn’t mind this as much as your scowl said you did.

While the two of you are sharing old university stories, you’re grateful for the table cloth that rested over your lap, hiding the fact that Kuroo Tetsurou’s hand was under your skirt and moving side underwear to have bare contact with your clit.

“You okay?” Akaashi asks as you let out a small help.

“Yeah, sorry. Tetsu just pinched me.” That wasn’t a lie, and Kuroo knew it, causing him to snicker as he dipped one finger into your now sopping pussy.

One finger becomes two as he experimentally stretches your walls over his thick fingers, pulling them apart and together repeatedly as if to warn you what was in store for you later.

You bite down on your dry lips, teeth tugging at the skin as Kuroo drags his fingers out of you before returning them to your clit and rubbing as furiously as he can without drawing attention.

He knows how to get you off and he knows that if he keeps this up you’re gonna cum all over his goddamn hand.

Maybe that’s what he was hoping for.

Daichi;

Daichi is far from innocent.

Even if the two of you were in the comfort of your shared apartment, it didn’t change the way it embarrassed you that Daichi was finger fucking you in the middle of the day

Even if you were under a blanket.

The unsavory, salacious words that fell from his lips while he was ramming three fingers in you was far from the wholesome appearance that your boyfriend posed.

“You’re so fucking wet for me babe,” his dirty talk never failed to turn you on, no matter how much it simultaneously flustered you.

Daichi was knuckle deep inside your warmth, making sure to press along your g-spot when he was the absolute furthest in before dragging out his pull.

He could feel the way your muscles begin to tense and tighten and the way your face comforts between pain and pleasure as your impending third orgasm approaches.

“Gonna cum for me, sweetheart?” You say nothing, the only words you know are unknown syllables as he slams a fourth finger in you.

Your abdominal muscles begin twitching violently as your orgasm crashes over you, soaking the blanket that’s covering both of your lower halves.

“Daichi, fuck me, please.” You’re nearly in tears, begging for him to just tear you apart with his cock. Even after three orgasms, it wasn’t the same as cock filling you. He knew that.

“I think you need to cum one more time. Let’s try the whole thing this time.”

[trensu]

Episode 27: The One where I Want to Punch Basically Every Sect Leader in the Face. Repeatedly. With a Chair.

And we start off back in the rain, AKA OUR ENDLESS TEARS

Wwx is like, do you remember our promise?

And lwj flashbacks TO THEIR LANTERN SCENE FROM THE ONE WHERE LWJ FINALLY SEES THE LIGHT

WE GET TO SEE LWJ’S PRECIOUS BABY FACE AS HE FALLS HEAD OVER HEELS IN THAT FLASHBACK

IT HURTS SO GOOD

Wwx: i wished to stand with justice and live without regrets. But tell me now, who’s strong, who’s weaker? Who’s right and who’s wrong?

Lwj: wei ying! 

Oh god, his voice! HE’S DISTRESSED

Wwx: is this the promise we pledged our lives to keep?

THEY BOTH LOOK SO HEARTBROKEN RN

Oh, look, lwj is doing the deathgrip of gay yearning on bichen again. We haven’t seen that in awhile AND I WISH WE WEREN’T SEEING IT NOW

Okay, but for real, how can lwj look so hurt here when the actor is literally doing nothing with his face??

I know i’ve mentioned that before, BUT C’MON, HOW?? HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK??

Wwx: my only regret is that i didn’t stop the jin clan who took living people as bait

I REGRET YOU NOT TAKING DOWN THE JIN CLAN TOO

WE COULD’VE AVOIDED SO MANY PROBLEMS IF WE’D JUST KILL OFF 90% OF THAT CLAN, OMG

And now wwx is all, i missed my chance to protect wen ning before so now i MUST leave to save him

BC WWX IS THE BEST MOST HONORABLE PERSON IN THE WORLD

Oh no

Oh noooo

He’s pulling out his demon flute. We’re gonna get THAT SCENE

Wwx: lan zhan, if i finally have to fight them, i’d prefer to fight with you

Wwx: if i am doomed to die, at least i can be killed by you. That would be worth it.

HE SAYS THAT BC HE TRUSTS VIRTUOUS LWJ TO STOP HIM IF HE REALLY IS IN THE WRONG

AND I AM SCREAMING IN PAIN RN

BC LOOK AT LWJ’S FACE

HE’S LISTENING TO HIS SOULMATE TELL HIM THAT HE WANTS HIS DEATH TO BE AT HIS HAND

Oh god, he’s doing the bichen deathgrip again

He tears his gaze away from wwx and turns to the side TO LET THEM ALL GO PAST

EYES LOWERED AS HIS HEART BREAKS INTO A MILLION PIECES

HE’S CRYING OH GOD HE’S CRYING

THERE ARE TEARS GOING DOWN HIS FACE, OH GOD WHY IS THIS HAPPENING

HE DIDN’T EVEN CRY WHEN HIS HOME GOT BURNED AND HIS FAMILY WAS MISSING AND/OR DYING

And now he drops his umbrella to the ground AS HE TRIES TO DROWN HIMSELF IN THE RAIN

*HYSTERICAL SOBBING*

THEY PACKED ALL THAT HEARTBREAK INTO THE FIRST 6MIN OF THE EPISODE, WTF, SOMEBODY STAB ME

And after all that emotional torture we get Plot Stuff happening

Blah blah wwx at the burial mounds blah blah sect leader banquet blah blah

Ugh, gross, they’re letting the idiot sect leaders talk again

They’re all blah blah wwx is evil blah blah he murders ppl blah blah we hate him blah blah

SHUT UP YOU BUNCH OF WALKING HUMAN-RIGHTS-VIOLATIONS

This whole part here is so difficult to watch. They’re literally just trash-talking my PRECIOUS SUNSHINE BOY

Jc, lwj, and lxc look visibly uncomfortable with what’s going down and they kind of sort of tried to defend wwx but they didn’t present a united front or hold their ground

Instead they let yao and ouyang run their stupid mouths

Anyway

Here’s little itty bitty bits of almost wangxiantics in the middle of this mess

Jgs: yeah, jc, i know wwx is your trusted bro and all but idk if wwx actually respects your authority. Do something about it, maybe

Lwj: *subtly glares at jgs*

And then everyone joins in on dragging wwx’s name through the mud bc apparently that’s the hot new thing in the cultivator world

If you look closely while this is happening, you can see that lwj legit GRINDS HIS TEETH with how much he’s holding back. MY POOR BB HAVING TO SIT THERE AND LISTEN TO EVERYONE DISPARAGE HIS SOULMATE

Jgs: wwx totally doesn’t respect you, jc, my bro. Everyone here heard him say how much he thinks you suck or whatever

Lwj: No I didn’t.

OOOOH, LWJ IS ANGRY AS HELL

HE’S OUTRIGHT GLARING AT JGS 

Jgs: what??

Lwj: i never heard wei ying say that, nor did i see him disrespect clan leader jiang

HANGUANG-JUN I LOVE YOU, LOOK AT YOU DEFENDING THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE, I’M SO PROUD OF YOU 

And ugh, disgusting, jgy steps in to be all “oh, well, wwx said so many awful things that day, who can possibly remember the specifics?”

Lwj visibly swallows here, as if he’s choking back a response, and his lips are all pursed. 

HE’S FURIOUS. HE’S ROILING WITH IMPOTENT ANGER, WHICH IS THE WORST KIND OF ANGER, TBH

That’s all the wangxiantics we get from that terrible awful sect leader banquet

THOSE SECT LEADERS NEED TO GET PUNCHED IN THE FACE

LIKE, A LOT

WITH A CHAIR

OR A TABLE

YOU KNOW WHAT, LET ME JUST TAKE BICHEN AND BEAT THEM ALL WITH IT

OR BETTER, YET, I’LL USE BAXIA. I WON’T EVEN CUT THEM UP. I’LL JUST BEAT THEM WITH THE BROAD PART

*ANGRY YELLING*

Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute! 

This isn’t a wangxiantic

But it is an EPIC MOMENT that should be commemorated.

Because here we get…

*drum roll*

MIANMIAN BEING A BOSS

Jz: blah blah wwx kills our people indiscriminately blah blah

Mm: not indiscriminately

Mm: indiscriminate is not accurate

And everyone around her is like, confused and offended because they’re assholes

Mm: in this specific case, if the overseers did abuse the Wen prisoners and kill wen ning, then what wwx did was not “killing indiscriminately”

Ouyang: nah, the overseers said they never abused/killed anyone

Mm: OF COURSE THEY’D FUCKING SAY THAT. THEY DON’T WANT TO FACE PUNISHMENT, YOU IDIOT

(okay, she didn’t call him an idiot outright or swear, but it was totally there in her tone of voice and also ouyang is an idiot so there)

Mm: you all think you’re so smart and voice your opinions so loudly

Mm: I SECEDE FROM THIS BULLSHIT. FUCK THE JIN CLAN AND YOUR STUPID CLAN POLITICS

And she throws down her jin robes and mARCHES RIGHT OUT OF THAT SHITHOLE WITH HER HEAD HELD HIGH

MIANMIAN PLEASE MARRY ME

Lwj watches her do that and two seconds later follows her out bC HE RECOGNIZES BADASSERY WHEN HE SEES IT (and also she defended the love of his life)

And that badass moment ends

But the banquet of idiots keeps going

The jin clan needs to learn how to shut the fuck up

God, they just go on and on and on

Why are they torturing me like this

OH WAIT, WE’RE OUTSIDE THE BANQUET HALL NOW

We see lwj and mm standing together on a terrace, talking to each other

BUT WE DON’T GET TO HEAR WHAT THEY SAY TO EACH OTHER AND THAT HAUNTS ME TO THIS DAY

WHAT DID THEY SAY

TELL MEEEEEEE

Oh, side note to let you all know this direct quote from nmj - “that girl really has a backbone.”

Okay nmj, i’m slightly less angry at you now. I won’t try to beat you with bichen or a table or a chair.

(but now i kinda wish mm would join the nie clan. I think she’d do well there and also i want to see her carry a gigantic saber)

We get some chitchat with the Official Bros™ but idc let’s move on 

(tho i do appreciate the look nmj gives jgy, like, HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME lolol)

Ooooh, now we’re getting lan fam time

ANGRY lan fam time, uh oh.

Lqr: lwj, have you regretted it? I didn’t punish you when you broke into the Forbidden Chamber bc i thought you’d self-reflect 

Lqr: you shouldn’t have gone to qiongqi way and let wwx go. Should you make one mistake after another?

And lwj is kneeling in front of him this whole time with a blank face

Lqr: what’s the use of getting you to memorize the Great Big Book of Lan Fam Rules?? Tell me, what is rule 52?

Lwj: No association with evil

He answers immediately and without any inflection to his voice.

Lqr: did you forget what happened to your father???

AND WE FINALLY GET A REACTION HERE

Lwj practically gasps and lifts his gaze to meet his uncle head-on

Lwj: my mother, she…!

Lqr: hold your tongue!

And just like that, lwj shuts down again; expression flat and gaze lowered

GOD, THIS CLAN HAS HURT HIM SO MUCH THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE

I MEAN, THEY MUST’VE, FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO JUST DISCONNECT LIKE THAT

THAT IS NOT THE BEHAVIOR OF A NORMAL WELL-ADJUSTED PERSON

Basically the entire lan clan needs to go to therapy, like, STAT

Oh, i just noticed, lwj has his fists clenched at his sides. He’s clenching them hard, too. I think they’re trembling a bit, actually…

Lqr: i’ve been taking care of you since you were a kid; you’re like my son.i was strict bc i wanted you to stick to the right path and avoid your father’s tragedy

Lqr: that’s what i wanted to say to you. I hope you choose the right path. You may leave.

Lwj still bows respectfully before taking his leave

And i’m sure y’all are wondering, hey trensu, why did you make us endure that angry lan fam time that hurt us deep in our soul?? That wasn’t wangxiantic at all!

That’s where you're wrong, my friends!

It’s actually SUPER wangxiantic bc lqr kept drawing parallels to lwj’s dad the practically whole time

You know, the dad that married their mother who murdered some guy and had the whole world turn against her. 

(Sound familiar?)

The same mother that dad loved with his entire being and did what he could to keep her safe from the ramifications of her actions? By marrying her? And hiding her in the cloud recesses?

YEAH, HE’S EQUATING WANGXIAN WITH LWJ’S PARENTS’ TRAGIC ROMANCE

Bc, you know, that’s a totally hetero comparison to make lol

Oh, now we get to see our favorite Disaster Het be less of a disaster

We’re not going into detail here bc we’re not here for hetero shenanigans, yuck (actually, i’m apparently weak to Pining Idiots of all kinds bc this whole jzx/jyl scene is giving me tender feelings)

BUT

I do want to add that OMG FOR REAL LWJ AND JZX HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON WHEN IT COMES TO THEIR LOVE LIVES, IT’S FANTASTIC

I NEED 10 MILLION FICS OF THEM COMMISERATING OVER THEIR SHARED DISASTER-NESS

Also, how the HELL did jzx end up being the one who was able to express his intentions clearly? He was all “please don’t go to the burial mounds, stay here with me so i can protect you from all who would want to hurt you”

DAMN IT LWJ, IF YOU’D JUST SAY THAT TO WWX, HE’S UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON. 

YOU CAN’T JUST BE ALL “COME TO GUSU” WITH NO EXPLANATION

Jzx accomplished this before you did, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED.

Huh, okay, i guess i did go into a bit of detail with that hetero nonsense. Oh well.

Now we’re at the burial mounds again with wwx

AND WE SEE A-YUAN PROPERLY FOR THE FIRST TIMEEEEE!!

ANY A-YUAN MOMENT IS BY DEFAULT A WANGXIANTIC, GUYS, TRUST ME.

AAHHHH, WE SEE A-YUAN DO THAT LEG-GRABBY THING HE DOES!!!

HE’S SO CUTE. TOO ADORABLE.

I LOVE YOU A-YUAN

Lol, wwx is all if you don’t let go i’ll plant you like a turnip

And a-yuan plops himself down in the dirt like YOUR THREATS DON’T WORK ON ME, OLD MAN, I LIKE BEING IN THE DIRT

Then he asks wwx for 3 elder brothers and 2 elder sisters, awwww. He thinks wwx can grow them in the garden (like cabbage patch kids!!!)

Plot stuff happens

Blah blah wwx and wq share moment blah blah jc shows up blah blah

Lol

Jc sees that glowing talisman door thing and is like THAT SIGN WON’T STOP ME BC I CAN’T READ

And then whips it down with zidian

Now we get some feelings-laden Yunmeng bros time

A-yuan shows up and leg-grabs jc and it’s ADORABLE

But jc yells at him bc he’s a JERK

Wwx scolds jc and then is a Dad to a-yuan: don’t put your hand in your mouth, you were just touching dirt!

Awww, we get to see jc fight back a smile at this! HE WANTS TO BE AN UNCLE, I JUST KNOW IT.

Plot plot plot stuff happens

More plot stuff happens

And the episode ends with us still in the burial mounds with the yunmeng bros

And you know what, i’m just gonna focus on our BAMF mianmian moment bc quite frankly the rest of the episode either had me in tears of anguish or spitting mad. There was no inbetween. 

I’m gonna end up having blood pressure problems at this rate.

I’m too poor young to have blood pressure problems.

The Jin clan better pay for any medical bills I get because of them, I'm just saying

Return to Masterpost

[bestworstcase]

“The s3 parallels fall flat because Cass is the opposite of Gothel” Please bless us with your analysis.

okayyyy this is about more than one incident but i’ll start with The Big One

“You want me to be the bad guy? Fine, now I’m the bad guy.”

this is THE line. and the manner and visual framing of how cass repeats it are identical to the way gothel delivers it in the movie. and you know what i honestly don’t know what the intention was here in terms of what this repetition says about cass as a character or her relationship with rapunzel but...

when gothel says this line, it is an act of dropping the mask. taking off the kid gloves. ending the charade of what meager affection and kindness she had used to control rapunzel up to this point and revealing her true nature as somebody who would go to any length to keep what she feels belongs to her. it’s gothel announcing her choice to escalate into physical abuse, and blaming rapunzel for it in classic abuser fashion. and it’s provoked by rapunzel asserting her independence. rapunzel can’t be controlled the “nice” (read: emotionally abusive) way anymore, therefore in gothel’s twisted logic it’s rapunzel’s fault that gothel has to get violent. it’s a calculated, cruel, manipulative thing to say.

when cassandra says this line, what she means is: i tried to come back, i tried to fix my mistakes, i believed you when i said it would be okay, and you shot me in the back, so fuck you. from her perspective, it looks like rapunzel’s plea for her to stand down because it isn’t “too late” was simply a ploy to distract her so they could encase her in amber, something that as far as cass knows is intended to be lethal force. (hell, team corona does treat the gun like lethal force.) so cass is looking at this situation, looking at what rapunzel did to her when she attempted to surrender, and saying, fine. you’re right. zhan tiri was right. she tried to do the right thing and everybody, including rapunzel, attacked her for it. so cass accepts that, internalizes it, and lashed out in anger. in once a handmaiden, cass is a villain because the citizens of corona (with a little unseen help from zhan tiri) made her one. every avenue she had to escape from that role like she wanted to was closed to her when that gun fired. cass says “you want me to be the bad guy? fine, now i’m the bad guy” and then destroys corona the way a cornered animal lashes out and mauls somebody. it’s a blend of panic and rage.

also the power dynamics are reversed. gothel delivers the line as an abusive parent-figure, looming over a helpless rapunzel, who is now isolated from all her friends and trapped alone with gothel in the tower. cassandra delivers the line after literally every single person at the gopher grab attacks her. cass is in an extremely vulnerable position at this point and (given what she knew or believed to be true) her options were essentially try to fight her way out, raze the city, or accept being murdered. she has no power over the situation except through violence.

they say the same words, in the same way, but they mean wildly different things. so where is the parallel here? what purpose does this verbal and visual callback serve for the narrative, for cass as a character, for her villain arc, or for her relationship with rapunzel? it doesn’t make any sense to draw a comparison between gothel and cass here.

and the same is true of cass and gothel in general. cass as a character is defined by her ambitions and drive, to be a guard and later to claim her own destiny; gothel spent two thousand years living in a cottage where her only real achievement was vlogging about compliments she received. cass is self-sacrificing to a fault until it becomes to much for her and she cracks, seizing the moonstone in the first truly, purely selfish decision she makes in the entire series; gothel is self-serving to the point of being utterly incapable of caring about anybody else’s needs or wellbeing or feelings. cass wavers and doubts and displays guilt repeatedly over the course of her villain arc; the closest gothel ever gets to remorse is transparently fake performances of it to guilt trip rapunzel for asking anything of her. cass suffers from a crushing inferiority complex and her own self-loathing; gothel is shallowly obsessed with herself and egocentric in the extreme. etc. etc. every time the show draws a parallel between them it just... doesn’t work, because they aren’t alike. up to and including the last one:

“Felled by your own ego, just like your mother.”

except neither of them were felled by their egos and they were defeated by two very different things this quote makes me lose my MIND because it’s the exact moment zhan tiri, the masterful manipulator who knew precisely where cassandra’s strings were, was lobotomized into zhan tiri, the big dumb monster.

in the film gothel’s vanity and ego drive her to hoard the flower and kidnap rapunzel, then go to great lengths to keep her under control, and in that sense ego can be understood as indirectly leading to her death. but it’s not chasing her vanity that kills her; it’s her failure to understand selflessness and genuine love. she lets rapunzel attempt to heal eugene because she can’t fathom that eugene would ever willingly give up the very same magic that gothel has spent centuries clinging to, in order to save the girl gothel just sees as a vessel for that magic. her fatal weakness is that she can’t predict eugene’s compassion. it’s classic Evil Can’t Comprehend Good.

on the other hand cass is defined by her insecurity and feelings of inferiority, which make her miserable. to say that her desire to have her own purpose and her own life separate from rapunzel is egotistical is to fundamentally misunderstand the pain she’s in. bc it’s not about her ego, it’s about her wanting to not hurt anymore. and her fatal weakness is a kind of inverse of gothel’s, in that she underestimates the lengths zhan tiri is able to go to to stab her in the back. i guess one could argue that her assumption that zhan tiri was trapped in that cage comes from arrogance, which is a form of ego, but that feels like a bit of a stretch because that’s not the root of the problem really. the root of the problem for cass is that she’s so caught up in her pain that she can’t see anything else, and zhan tiri steps in and twists her thoughts around so much that even after she gets away her mindset stays the same until she’s shocked out of it. cass isn’t driven by pride, she’s driven by pain. and zhan tiri should know this god damn it

[deep breath]

the point being, cass is nothing like gothel, and every attempt the show makes to draw parallels between them fails because as characters they are perpendicular to each other. rapunzel has much more of gothel in her than cass, and that’s why the single most effective gothel parallel in the entire series is “enough, cassandra!” but that is. a whole other rant.

[minecraftoworymode]

newtons third law says that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and so while doodlingcubes has created an incredibly valid and stannable human reuben i, master of sin and the dark arts, have created the most invalid and questionable human reuben

below the cut is something of an explanation for how this trainwreck happened hghfdlghldkfh

so like romeo creates most if not all of his own problems right? he’s a disaster who sets himself up to have a terrible time constantly and keeps getting nerfed because he blames things not working on others instead of looking at his own behaviour. this is canon piece of evidence 1/2.

reuben can handle himself faced with an armed opponent (to borrow from the tvtropes bc im too lazy to find a clip, “If you choose to say nothing when Reuben has been kidnapped by a butcher, Reuben will give you a brief Disapproving Look before proceeding to beat the crap out of the butcher himself.”). this is canon piece of evidence 2/2.

ok. so.

five seconds into playing saints row IV i started coming up with an mcsm au for it bc the thing practically writes itself, with jesse being the boss and romeo being that zenyatta guy or whatever. and i was having a great time pairing characters until i got to the matter of the boss’ best friend, this guy johnny guitar, who was such an impressive warrior that zumba had to imprison him several years before sr4 started just to make sure that earth’s biggest threat wouldn’t stop him from invading. and like. jesse has a lot of friends, but the one character they actually repeatedly refer to as being their best friend is

this lil guy. and i was like. ok i cant make johnny cash reuben, that’d be weird. but i can’t not make him reuben. 

BUT THEN i had a jimmy neutron-style brainwave that ended up spitting out this (in my au the choice of champions wasnt petra and jack but rather radar and jesse- this is from the jesse line)

THE ADMIN: you know, i couldn't help but notice that- despite the loads of fun we've been having- you've been looking a little glum. so, i decided to find you a little something to cheer you up!!

JESSE (ohhh shit here we go again) (awkwardly and strained): listen, admin, the first fifteen laser swords were really cool but-

THE ADMIN, poofing a stage with curtains covering it into the room: (weird shushing noise a la “abedup”) can i get a drumroll, please! (he rolls the r in drumroll bc hes extra like that) (he gets a drumroll, obviously, though there are no visible drums)

THE ADMIN (announcer voice like in the challenge room): he's pink, he’s big, his lack of co-operation got him turned him into a pig, iiit's your best friend-

(the curtains pull open, revealing a very confused, very pink, and very beefy human facing the wrong way and looking like he just got pulled out of a fight bc he's fuckign ready)

THE ADMIN: reuben!!! :D

JESSE, trying not to cry because now they miss their friends even more: uh... (why does this keep happening) i- thanks, really, i really appreciate it but- reuben was a pig?

THE ADMIN: (melodramatic sigh) do you really think i'd make the same mistake hadrian did? (jesse starts- they hadn’t been expecting him to know so much about the details of that particular adventure. of course he couldve just read lukas’ book (which he did) but it still takes them by surprise) this is the real deal, jesse.

REUBEN, turning around: ... jesse??

(jesse and reuben make eye contact, like in that one trope where they just KNOW it’s the other person- jesses like ‘id recognize those soulful eyes anywhere.’ n- well, jesse’s jesse, but both dont really dare to hope that it’s true. still, the admin is grinning widely, looking super pleased with himself even as reuben stumbles forward and pretty much collapses off the stage)

REUBEN: the- the witherstorm, it- where is it? we have to-

THE ADMIN, waving his hand: hah! don't worry your pretty little head about that, champ- er... champ. (very short awkward pause ok MOVING ON FROM THAT) jesse here managed to slay it aaall by themself! oh, you should've seen it, it was SUPER epic-

JESSE: wait wait wait, you're- you're telling me THIS is reuben?

THE ADMIN: the one and only! (fondly) he was a real hero back in the day- almost as promising as you are, jesse! only... very, hmmm... disobedient.

(shot of the admin and reuben looking at each other. there is A History here.)

THE ADMIN: 'course i couldn't bring myself to just kill him, so i decided i’d turn him into something so cute and harmless no one’d ever want to cause him trouble! (proudly) and more importantly, he wouldn't be able to cause trouble for himself. (laughing, but kind of through gritted teeth) because he was very, very good at that. (pause) and it worked, (off to the side) up until you dragged him into a fight he had no business being in, (back to jesse) but it all worked out in the end, didn’t it! (laugh) maybe i should try this ‘being generous’ thing out more often.

REUBEN: THAT'S what you call-

THE ADMIN: anyhow, i'm sure that's all water under the bridge now, 'ey? it’s not often i respawn people, you know, so if i were you i'd make the most of this second chance and not muck it up. (meaningful, threatening pause) well, i'm sure you two've got a LOT to catch up on, so i’ll leave you to it. toodles! (vwoops away)

n jesse and reuben are both like

anyway im not sure he actually would look just like johnny gat but @simple-mooshroom-herder​ told me to draw it anyway so here we are.. thanks for coming to my tedtalk hgldhflghdlfhg

[jennycalendar]

arch-nemeses

read it on ao3!

“Oi, wanker,” Ripper was shouting after him, “your band can’t play for shit, you know that?”

Spike turned, long coat whirling out in a way that combined grace and manliness, and shot back, “My band plays a damn sight better than your band. What do they call you? Wretched? Sounds about right, doesn’t it?”

for @jackalopingintothevoid!!! i’m pretty sure you’ll know what this is from the summary.

this is a horribly short thing, and i will have to eventually write u one or more very long fics, bc i have a few ideas. left u a longer note on ao3; love u bunches <33

there is no actual resolution or character growth because this is ethan and he learns nothing, ever. i love him.

Ethan wasn’t threatened by Ripper’s girl. He’d met her a handful of times, showing up to cause a bit of havoc just because he felt like it, and she’d always struck him as a girl with an uninterestingly kind heart, which didn’t really threaten him. He wasn’t bothered by Ripper having some annoyingly pretty little angel of a girlfriend, largely because he knew that he was still Ripper’s unbelievably sexy arch-nemesis, and really, that worked better for him. All the delicious sexual tension, the lingering animosity…it suited him much better than the nauseating domesticity that was Ripper and his girl.

And then came Spike.

“You fucking ponce,” Ripper was shouting as Ethan entered the Bronze, held back by his Slayer, his girl, and that annoying boy who was always wearing heelys. “You dye your hair, you piece of shit, c’mere and tell me to my face that I’m a poser!”

“Seriously?” said Ripper’s girl, who appeared to be trying to hold Ripper back and check her Snapchat at the same time.

Ethan, of course, operated under the reasonable assumption that these threats were directed at him. After all, who else would Ripper be threatening? No one else inspired that level of anger, or that delightfully sexy look of bone-crushing fury in Ripper’s eyes—

“You’re. A. Poser.” A British bloke with bleached hair, unbelievable cheekbones, and a clearly-vintage leather jacket stalked over to Ripper, all but growling. “And don’t get all up in my face with me, Watcher-boy, I could snap you like a twig!”

“You’re not half as able to snap me as you think you are,” Ripper shot back.

“You sure you don’t wanna just compare dicks and be done with it?” snarked Ripper’s girl, adding a determined tug to Ripper’s arm for emphasis. “Rupert, seriously, this is such a waste of time—”

“Fuck off, Janna,” said Ripper.

“What was that?” said Ripper’s girl, raising an eyebrow.

To Ethan’s amusement, Ripper winced, reconsidered, and said solemnly, “I love you, Janna.”

“That’s better,” said Ripper’s girl. “Spike, do you really have to start this bullshit after he’s had a few beers? He always starts getting punchy when he drinks—”

“I have had more than a few beers,” Spike announced, “and I should like to punch something. And I think it should like to be your boy toy’s face.”

“I’m not her boy toy,” Ripper objected. Behind him, the Slayer and the heely-boy exchanged doubtful looks. “And I’m gonna punch your face first. With my face.”

“Does that mean they’re gonna make out?” the Slayer asked Ripper’s girl.

In response, Ripper’s girl smirked, sort of shrugged, and went back to her phone, as though this sort of confrontation between Ripper and Spike was par for the course. And that infuriated Ethan, because how dare Ripper have regular confrontations with someone who wasn’t him? He’d barely been out of Sunnydale for two months this go-round, and this time he had something really terrible up his sleeve, and now he was here only to find Ripper ready to fight and/or drunkenly snog someone who wasn’t him?

It was time for direct action. Ethan strode up to the group. “Hello, Ripper,” he began, flashing his most winning smile.

Ripper, however, didn’t so much as turn around, because Spike was stalking away in the direction of the stage. “Oi, wanker,” Ripper was shouting after him, “your band can’t play for shit, you know that?”

Spike turned, long coat whirling out in a way that combined grace and manliness, and shot back, “My band plays a damn sight better than your band. What do they call you? Wretched? Sounds about right, doesn’t it?”

“IT’S A FUCKING STATEMENT,” shouted Ripper, and took advantage of his friends’ distraction to charge after Spike. Grinning furiously, Spike shoved his way through the crowds, jumping up onto the stage before Ripper could reach him.

“Yeah, I’d give that one up if I were you,” said Ripper’s girl, smirking at him like she knew what he was trying to do.

“Go fuck yourself,” said Ethan.

“Always good to see you, Ethan,” said Ripper’s girl, whose name Ethan was still refusing to remember. “Sucks that Ripper isn’t paying attention to you, huh?”

“He’s not paying attention to you either,” Ethan shot back savagely.

“Of course he isn’t,” said Ripper’s girl, looking at Ethan like he was a complete idiot. “He and Spike have this whole weird thing. He and I have a whole not-weird thing. It’s a thing.”

“Yeah, Ethan, get with the times!” piped up heely-boy. Ethan really, really hated heely-boy.

“I’m his weird thing,” Ethan persisted. “Not this Spike pillock. That accent is rubbish, and that coat is a fake, and, and, cheekbones,” he finished furiously, glaring at the stage. Spike was playing the drums very badly and pretending to ignore Ripper, who was jumping up and down in the crowd just to repeatedly flip him the bird.

“Aww,” said Ripper’s girl. “Are you jealous?”

“Shut up,” said Ethan.

“You so are!” said Ripper’s girl. She was grinning like Christmas had come early. “You think your position as his idiot arch-nemesis is usurped by a guy who looks way cuter than you!”

The Slayer gagged. “Jenny,” she said, “I have said this before, and I will say it again: you have terrible taste in guys.”

“I’m not saying Spike is cute,” said Ripper’s girl. “I’m saying, objectively, as a guy, he looks incredibly attractive.”

The Slayer considered this, then nodded. “Fair enough,” she said.

“He is not attractive,” said Ethan. “You could cut glass with those cheekbones. He looks emaciated.”

“He’s a vampire,” said heely-boy helpfully. “That kinda adds a good twenty points to the hotness factor.”

“Well—that’s—I could be a vampire!” Ethan sputtered.

“Yeah, but you’d actually look emaciated,” said the Slayer. “Spike was probably born with those cheekbones.”

“You’re just talking him up to make me angry,” said Ethan stubbornly. “He’s boring. Anyone can prance about onstage with a guitar—”

“Wait wait wait shut up,” said Ripper’s girl, smacking Ethan’s arm and holding up her phone. Ripper was throwing empty plastic cups at Spike. “I need this on video,” said Ripper’s girl.

Ethan stared, infuriated. “HE’S PROVOKING A VAMPIRE,” he shouted. “AND NONE OF YOU ARE BOTHERED BY IT?”

“Spike and Ripper cut a deal,” said the Slayer. “Kind of. He doesn’t feed on people in the Bronze, and I don’t stake him when he’s onstage playing his loud, annoying band music.”

“Plus he has a pretty serious girlfriend,” added Ripper’s girl. “They’re really cute. You know. For a murdery vampire couple.” She smiled a little. “Dru gave me a dead bird once.”

“I am not threatened,” said Ethan. “I am not threatened by Mr. Cheekbones and his stupid drums.”

“Suuuure,” said Ripper’s girl, drawing the word out into an American drawl and ending it with a lipsticked grin.

Ethan Was Not Threatened By Mr. Cheekbones And His Stupid Drums. Ethan could set a whole bunch of things on fire, more than bloody Spike and his bloody leather jacket and how dare Ripper throw empty plastic cups at Spike? Throwing relatively harmless objects at each other was strictly Ripper-And-Ethan territory, not Ripper-And-Spike territory, and Spike should go step into a well-placed ray of sunlight.

He made himself feel better by turning all the toothbrushes in Sunnydale’s local dollar store into flesh-eating slugs that grew every five minutes.

“Ethan, for the love of fucking god,” said Ripper, rounding the corner with a flesh-eating slug somehow affixed to his jacket, “what is the point of this?”

“Chaos,” said Ethan, tried to whirl in that graceful-yet-manly way Spike had managed, and fell into a lamppost.

“Yeah, I figured that,” said Ripper, waving his arm to try and shake off the slug. It didn’t seem to be working. “But your plans are usually more—”

“Dramatic?”

“I would’ve gone with fucking obnoxious, but fine.” Ripper waved his arm again. The slug came off and hit a wall, growing by a good five feet in diameter and leaving a small crater in the cement. “Dramatic works just as well, I s’pose. Why the fuck—”

“It was the first thing I could think of,” said Ethan. “Not exactly up to par, but then you seem to have lowered your standards, haven’t you?”

“Is this another dig at Jenny?” said Ripper sharply, already raising his fists. “Because if it’s another dig at Jenny—”

“I’m not talking about the boring little American,” said Ethan, rolling his eyes. “I’m talking about your new boyfriend Mr. Cheekbones.”

Ripper dropped his fists. He looked genuinely bemused. “What?”

“The vampire?” persisted Ethan. “Poncy boy? Billy Idol knockoff?”

Ripper rolled his eyes. “You’re not serious,” he said. “Spike is a pain in the arse, is all. I’m with Jen and she’s with me and that’s as far as seeing anyone goes—”

“Nauseating,” said Ethan, who had forgotten how annoyingly much Ripper talked about his girl. “And don’t feed me that garbage. All you did last time I was at the Bronze was shout at Cheekbones and tell him how terrible his hair was.”

Ripper stared at him. Slowly, he said, “Ethan, I don’t know if you know this, but telling someone that their hair is terrible doesn’t automatically mean you want to snog them in an alley.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were aware,” said Ethan, “that you already have an arch-nemesis with intense sexual tension. Do you want to know who it is?”

“No,” said Ripper, and started walking away.

Ethan followed. “It’s me,” he informed him. “Me. I’m your arch-nemesis.”

“It’s not a self-appointed bloody position,” said Ripper. “Stop trying to make yourself my arch-nemesis. It’s annoying.”

“That’s the point,” said Ethan, and picked up the flesh-eating slug, lobbing it at Ripper’s head before it could start eating him. It latched onto his jacket.

“For fuck’s sake,” said Ripper, balled up the jacket, and threw it at Ethan, beginning to walk faster. Ethan dodged the jacket, continuing to follow.

Ripper rounded a corner, then grinned; his girl was straddling a motorbike, giving the both of them an impatient look. “Here’s my ride,” he said. To his girl, he added, “Jenny, you were right. Ethan’s jealous of Spike.”

“I’m right about everything ever,” said Ripper’s girl. “How is this a surprise?” She leaned over, grinning as Ripper kissed her, and moved up on the motorbike so he could get on behind her. “Don’t worry, Ethan,” she said. “We all still think you’re terrible and evil and shit.”

Ethan resented the fact that he liked Ripper’s girl a bit more for saying that, so he just glowered in return. “I could hex your motorbike, you know,” he told her.

“I put wards on it for that exact reason,” said Ripper’s girl, and made a pleased little noise as Ripper wound his arms around her stomach. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” said Ripper. To Ethan, he added, “You are an annoying little shit and you need to get your nose out of my business,” and then buried his face in his girl’s shoulder as the motorbike set off.

“You’re not wearing a helmet,” Ethan shouted after him, which wasn’t particularly witty, but Spike had thrown him off his game a bit.

The next time Ethan showed up at the Bronze, Ripper and Spike were sloppily making out in one of the secluded couches. Delighted at the potential to sow seeds of chaos, he immediately started looking around to see if Ripper’s girl was anywhere near the scene.

She was. She had her phone out and was snapping a picture of them.

“For fuck’s sake, Calendar,” said Ethan, too infuriated to remember that he had been determined not to use Ripper’s girl’s name. “You don’t care that your boy toy’s snogging Billy Idol?”

Pocketing her phone, Calendar gave the pair a fond smile. “They pull this shit all the time when they’re drunk,” she said. “Then they pretend it never happened, so I have to get photo evidence to tease Spike about. If I could, I’d tease Ripper too, but I can’t really tease Ripper about dumb choices he made when he was drunk, ‘cause, uh,” and then she touched her lips and got a strange smile on her face, “I’m definitely a good percentage of those dumb choices. So.”

“Spike is usurping my position,” said Ethan.

Calendar snorted. “Please,” she said. “Spike couldn’t usurp your position if he tried. You’re the actual worst, Ethan, and we all know it, so would it kill you to let Ripper have a generally harmless rivalry that sometimes ends in drunken makeouts?”

Ethan decided to focus on the part of the sentence where Calendar called him the actual worst. “You’re all right, Calendar,” he informed her.

“Wow, and your good opinion means so much to me,” said Calendar, who was already heading in the direction of the dance floor.

Ethan watched her go, nodded to himself, and decided he would come back in a month and try to set her hair on fire.

[parkjmini]

Outlier | 06

poly!au: park jimin x reader x kim jennie while your lovers said they needed you, you wondered if they knew how much you needed them. word count: 1748 genre: angst/fluff warnings: explicit language

[an]: this is just a quick filler chapter and it’s a little rushed :// im sorry for not updating for a while or being less frequent on tumblr. i had been super emo bc of college admissions but guys!! gr8 fucking news!! i got into my dream schools after sooo many rejections from other schools. im also not going to be updating/MIA for the upcoming week bc i have to practice for a 20 min presentation that will determine if i graduate jfc that im doing on friday ugh 

prologue . 01 . 02 .  03 . 04 . 05 . 06 . 07

The hospital wouldn’t let you leave. Your conditions had gotten worse and they needed you to stay in the clinic for the doctors’ to closely monitor your behavior. That meant scheduled meals, frequent chemotherapy treatments, more blood tests. Even though you did nothing at the hospital, everything made you feel extremely exhausted and your arms were bruised from the constant needles being poked into your skin.

Living at the hospital meant no more art classes or school. You couldn’t finish your college classes at your institution because you couldn’t leave. The school suggested to finish the credits through online courses, but it only caused you to lash out more. You hated what the cancer had done to your life. It robbed it. You were just existing now. 

You weren’t sure if you saw Jimin and Jennie less now or before during when you all lived together. They came to see you every day, if it wasn’t the both of them, it was one of them. You also saw Jungkook and Hoseok more often as well. You weren’t alone, because everyone’s visits managed to never cross.

Hoseok came usually around the late mornings to afternoons, mainly every other day or whenever he could. Jungkook came during the evenings, when Hoseok had to leave for his classes. Jimin came around the night, staying way past visiting hours. The nurses looked at him one night crying by your bedside and knew that visiting hours didn’t apply to him. Jennie came in the early mornings until Hoseok arrived and before she left for classes. The only time Jimin and Jennie visited together is when they didn’t have classes — those days were off limits for Hoseok and Jungkook.

The only times you’re alone is between the hours of when Jimin leaves and when Jennie arrives, but Jimin waits until you fall asleep to go home. You would say that your individual relationships grew more intimate, but you were afraid of Jennie and Jimin lacking moments. 

Hoseok and Jimin wouldn’t speak about their friendship to you, so you were unsure if they were even best friends anymore. You couldn’t help but feel like all of this was your fault. 

Hoseok was the one who sat with you during your chemo sessions because he’s the only one who has ever seen you that valuable. You wouldn’t allow anyone else to join you on your treatments and always asked them to wait for you in the room. Those days were the hardest to get through because the nurses did a poor job at distracting you of anything. 

“Hey baby,–” Jimin walked in as a nurse was helping you up from your bed. She paused and smiled at him.

“Hello Jimin.” She gleamed, almost as if she thought he called her his baby. You rolled your eyes and fidgeted to get her attention.

“Hey, I’m going to a chemo session. I’ll be back in a few—”

Jimin set his things down and helped you on your other side, “–I’ll just join you.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “It’s okay, stay here. I tell you this every time.”

“Yeah and I listen to you every time, which I knew after the first time, I shouldn’t because you come in a crying mess after it all. I know you let Hoseok go with you, but he’s not here now. I am, so let me be there for you.” Jimin stared intensely into your glossy eyes and the nurse waited for your consent before moving you.

A switch flipped in your heart. Those annoying heavy thuds of your heart went off. The redness in your cheeks radiating. You nodded and grabbed onto him for more balance. 

He rambled on about how his day went as he walked you down the hall into one of the million rooms in the hospital. The nurse strapped you up to begin your session and Jimin sat on your other side. 

Your mind always whirled before it all started, never really prepared for when the needle pierced through your skin. However, Jimin didn’t let you focus too much on it. He held onto your hand so tight and squeezed it repeatedly to draw your attention back to his presence. He talked continuously, merely rambles about the most random things that he encountered when driving or on campus.  

He made you feel 100 times better, even way better than when Hoseok came with you. Maybe it was the fact that he was your boyfriend, so his touch and his voice calmed your anxiety. 

“You really wouldn’t believe it, but Karen is going to go to her sorority formal with Trevor even though she already promised Garret. The guy was really pissed when he found out and started to rip each other’s throats out right in front of the lecture hall. I had my money on Garret, considering the dude is yolked, and Yoongi couldn’t give two shits about the fight but I made him bet anyways. He thought Garret was going to win too, but that’s not how a bet works, y’know? We can’t bet on the same person because who would owe who the money? But he didn’t care and said that he’d buy me food either way, which is great because that would mean that I win anyways.” Jimin kept his eyes locked on yours, rubbing his knuckles softly against your cheek to soothe you. His eyes never strayed to the massive syringe in your other arm or the nurse injecting it. 

At that moment, he only knew you. 

And you were unsure if the pain you felt was from the chemo or the burning sensation that came from your heart. 

“…so who won?” You barely peeped out and Jimin lit up with excitement, stars in his beautiful, big eyes. 

“Yoongi.” Jimin smiled and you gave him a confused expression. “It turns out Yoongi and Karen were already talking and had been secretly dating this entire time. She’d been trying to get him jealous by saying yes to all those guys, so he would step up and ask her to formal. He walked right in the middle of the fight, and I thought he was going to get punched into pulp, but they both calmly stepped away as Yoongi stood in between the two buff men. He told them that neither of them were taking Karen to formal and that he was already going with her because he’s her boyfriend. They all laughed until Karen jumped into his arms and kissed him in front of everyone, yelling ‘that’s my baby!’ and Yoongi threaten to cut them open for a lab, y’know how he’s a biology major, if they didn’t both leave them alone.” 

“What?” You wanted to laugh, but you weren’t suppose to move. However, hearing Jimin’s melodic chuckle made you smile. He leaned in and gave your silly, yet confused face a quick peck. 

“I told you that you weren’t going to believe it.” His toothy grin brighten up the dark, gloomy session room and you didn’t regret having him there with you one bit.

“What’s Jennie doing?” You asked as you fluffed Jimin’s raven hair. He rested on your chest as you both laid in your hospital bed. The only sounds were the monitor running and the light sounds of your breathing.

“Stuck at the internship.” He mumbled into your sheets.

“Why aren’t you there?” Staring at the ceiling, the street lamps cast shadows above you as people passed by on the street.

Jimin turned, his arm placed at either side of your body. His frown caught your attention as his face inched close to yours. “I quit.” 

“You what?” You said rather loudly. He put his hand over your mouth to hush you. You licked him and he giggled at your wet touch. “Jimin, I told you not change anything in your life to accommodate to me.” 

“Oh, but you know I love accommodating to the love of my life. Plus, I didn’t even need it. I have other opportunities waiting for me, babe. You mean a lot more to me than an internship.” He explained.

You rolled your eyes, in a playful manner. “Well don’t go shitting on Jen.” 

“Her values are different. Also, the people there are crazy about her and rave about her existence.” Jimin laughed and you cupped his squishy cheeks.

“Says the one that is also just as crazy about her.” 

“But I don’t rave about her existence, that’s the difference. It’ll make her head too big and then it’ll roll right off her shoulders.” You giggled and kissed him sweetly.

“I love you. I love Jen. I love us.” You marveled and your boyfriend’s glossy eyes stared back at you. His hands held onto yours as he kissed your dainty finger tips.

“I’m sorry for everything I put you through, (Y/N). I’ve been an incredibly horrible boyfriend to you and you deserved so much more attention from me. I love you, I really do. When Jennie suggested the idea to me about bringing you into our relationship, I became hesitant because I knew I wasn’t capable of spreading my love enough for two people.” His tears ran down his round, supple face. 

Jimin wouldn’t let go of your hands, so you leaned in to kiss his forehead instead. “So.. what changed?” 

“You changed me, as cheesy as it sounds, (Y/N), you changed my concept of love. You were always my close friend, who I wanted to protect with my life. After you joined us, I wanted to do more than protect you. I wanted to love you and for fuck sakes, did that hit me like a truck. I was so scared of never showing you enough of how much I loved you and then my worst fears actually came true. I’m sorry, (Y/N).”

Seeing Jimin cry had been a rare sight, and you hoped to never see him cry ever again. It hurt too much to watch the pain and sadness ruin his happiness. You were speechless and felt horrible for blaming the two for your own emotions. “Don’t apologize, Jimin. Just prove it to me.” 

“You fucking bet I will. I’m going to take care of you until you’re sick of me.” Jimin chuckled, his voice turning raspy as it got more into the night. He cuddled back into your side and hugged you tightly. Your eyelids fell over your tired eyes and you silently wished that you had more time to live.

[vocalinez]

eric the high school music kid

“the music teachers love me!” 

in this alternate universe, eric just goes ham over the music department ft. the boyz’ ‘00 line and kevin.

word count: 1.1k

introducing mr. eric son, class of ‘18, king of the music room

literally

he has his own seat in the music room where he’s designated to sit every class, every lunch, every rehearsal 

the music teachers are there to do what he says tbh lmao

his friends are entirely music nerds too

he was actually inspired to do music for all four years of high school and possibly as a career by his ol’ friend kevin

eric heard him playing the pokemon theme song once on the trumpet and from that day on, eric and trumpet #22 were lawfully married

yep he plays trumpet as a primary instrument but he dominates the entire brass section

all the junior french horns players just put down their instruments and gawk after hearing eric play notes on higher ledger lines 

his friend sunwoo is there joking around with them and saying, “appreciating the king of music, i see”

made a video of him playing the band score for the lion king soundtrack once

like, he played each and every part

the clarinet? first, second, and third parts are played by mr. son himself

the tuba? nothing less from the master of the brass section

eric practices his glissandos on the trombone in between classes

IN THE HALLWAYS PAL 

people would stare as he played 

he was so... loud

common belief is that trumpets are loud and obnoxious

eric wasn’t that... he was another LEVEL above that 

he learns all the solos in jazz songs in one try 

he wouldn’t stop blasting it in the music room after that 

the teachers in their office would cry hearing it, even after they repeatedly tell him to shut up lmao

but overall he’s super loved by the music department and his friends

he was really outgoing and had the best taste in music (aka the hoenn route 113 theme)

he was also super super sweet to younger students omg

a younger trumpet player would ask him for help and he’d be like “yes yes yes omg where do you want to start”

lowkey teaches more in 15 minutes than a teacher teaching for a whole year

makes really bad jokes for some reason

vine references for days

tried to recreate the i’m john cena vine and actually succeeded omg

fun fact: he forgot how to play the recorder after he trashed his in 4th grade lmao

but he learned how to play the john cena theme solely because of the vine look at this music legend 

always makes music council meetings hilariously fun

“it’s the spring dance next week u kno what that means”

he draws the lenny face on the board 

gets called out by the secretary of the music council for 1. being weird and 2. using an old meme

“dang it you think beethoven was treated this way? stop it”

you’d hear his playing of shooting stars on the pa system every once in a while instead of william tell as the song to rush you to class

everyone would cry listening to it

once asked his teachers if he could paint his trumpet pink

“i’m willing to buy it from you guys if you let me”

all the music students are honestly in love with him

i mean who wouldn’t be??? he’s like the purest thing in the school

but hey he’s got no time to love anyone since he’s 

MARRIED TO THE MUSIC 

ha eric the biggest shawol

when it comes to concert time he’s so straight on with his performances

“i’m in every ensemble”

literally he’s in every ensemble in the school 

all the ensembles that he can join, anyways

occasionally plays with the juniors in concerts 

but anyways!! he’s so professional when it comes to concerts and performances

he knows when to not overpower the other sections in their repertoire despite possibly being the loudest trumpet player to ever exist

ONCE HE

he was tryna put his mute on the ground buT IT ROLLED AWAY FROM HIM 

so the mute was in the flutes section 

it was kinda awkward because everyone’s heads just flipped around to look at him

but he eventually got it back 

quietly of course since there was a bASSOON SOLO

he had to play with the mute two bars later

professionally played it off even tho he thought he was gonna play a note wrong and that it was gonna be evident

goes to show that even the best of the best can be a bit clumsy at times too :’)

really nice singing in the choir too :’) he held up so well in the men’s section and it complemented the ladies’ voices 

if you listen closely you could hear him aaaaaa

lkdjslkjgslj kevin came to the concert that night and was like “omg eric your voice improved so much when you were in the choir and your toot toot trumpet skills i’m sososososososo proud”

eric was so flattered he was waving his trumpet around shyly 

at the end of the concert that night the music teachers gave all the seniors a huge shout out but gave eric an even bigger shout out

“ladies and gentlemen let’s come and appreciate our most dedicated music student, eric son!”

THE CROWD CHEERS FOR THE LEGEND

ok so here’s one epic eric moment from that night

he whistled over his besties hwall and sunwoo over for some help

“introducing our three man reed trio, the boyz!”

lmAo im so creative

the band was passed down by one of his friends haknyeon bc he’s gotta graduate too lol

it’s kinda like a senior band kid only group

eric played the melody to giddy up on the sax

hwall did the lit harmonization with his lil clarinet bc i feel like he’d be a clarinet player lmAOLJGDLKFGJ

sunwoo would be the bass clarinet player

he did the rap part instrumental as a solo lol

after the last chord no one cheered bc they were so speechless

even the music teachers didn’t know that this happened

then everyone went WILD

the senior ensemble would be so impressed like

“damn i’m like the same age as y’all but i can’t even play happy birthday on my instrument without looking at sheet music for it”

^ mood 

and that night eric handed down the title of “the boyz” to another legendary junior

and the story on why he chose that junior?? mayb that’s for your own imagination

eric got into a nice uni nearby uwu

his musicianship skills were THAT fantastic 

he was able to get in out of 1000 students who applied,, like i can’t even get free waffles out of a line of 1000 imagine me applying for uni

tl;dr, eric son in this au is a lit music kid and we all aspire to be like him uwu

[medievalcat]

ok. I finished Children of God (sequel to The Sparrow), and while I was able to follow it better than when I first read it (I think I was really distracted a few years ago, and had trouble focusing).....I didn’t like it as much as the first one, which I’m aware isn’t an unpopular opinion, even though I didn’t hate all of it. Here are my thoughts on why it didnt work imo and what I did like about it.

The Sparrow would naturally be a hard act to follow, and I get that sometimes sequels do different things than the first installations. book one is about Emilio and book two is about Rakhat. Okay. I think there’s a lot of interesting material that could have been made of Emilio, John, and all the new guys visiting Rakhat years after the first expedition. It’s what the author did- and, really, this was present in the first book as well, and one of the first book’s issues, but here it’s really one of the main points of the story and far more prominent than ever before- that didn’t succeed. It’s the story of Rakhat....but given how Rakhat is written, maybe it shouldnt have been. This book honestly ranged from “enjoyable” to “disappointing” to “implicitly or explicitly expressing horrible views”.

It’s one thing to make an oppression storyline in a fantasy setting- FMA for example does this. But in that, the victims are humans. In this, not only does the story do an oppression narrative about fantasy creatures, which is already a very difficult thing to pull off, she repeatedly draws comparisons between nonhuman aliens and things like the Holocaust and genocide and oppression of Native Americans. She even has her one native character draw this comparison and *stay behind on another planet instead of going to earth* for some “reservation” plotline at the end.  This is a good example of why when we criticize media sometimes we have to focus specifically on the writers who choose to make these events happen, who choose to write certain stories and who choose to frame them in certain ways. I’m kind of glad this book doesn’t have a fandom, really, because tumblr types would focus on which aliens’ side is “right” and not on the fact that the author chose to write some fantasy creature oppression story with incoherent imperialism commentary while trivializing real genocides. I remember a really uncomfortable paragraph in the first one that implied the Ottoman Empire was some kind of safe haven for all ethnic/religious groups as well as a line (keep in mind these were written in the 90s) about how Bosnia is violent because of ............ “blood feuds”. Many people have said this story is weak because it focused on these new alien characters and the Rakhat storyline so much. This, for me, is the main reason why that storyline was so weak.

One thing I liked was some of the new characters. I liked Danny and Joseba and Nico and Sean and Gina and Pope Gelasius. I think this book kind of did a “later season of Vikings” so that there were suddenly all these new people but few of them got good development. So that was a weakness but I didn’t mind many of the characters in and of themselves and enjoyed these new additions. Sure they weren’t like the people in the first book but that’s okay. They added new perspectives. Danny had a lot of interesting stuff about forgiveness that I liked. I also liked initially how Sofia was revealed to be alive but....she was shafted. We barely see her in favor of her badly offensively written written son (I know this was written 20 years ago but. the way he and his disability are portrayed as like...literally “alien” even though ths is supposed to be a “positive”.... is honestly....why  the living fuck did she do this....) and Supaari’s daughter who he CONCEIVED FROM RAPE and we’re just supposed to be ok with that bc the author very conveniently wrote the victim to be as unsympathetic as possible and because “uwu miracle of life!! yay children!” I’m supposed to buy that Sofia, a child trafficking survivor, is allies and friends with a man who not only is a rapist but sold a person she loved into sex slavery.......after the narrative called to attention how similar Sofia and Emilio’s experiences were, and the first book was an imperfect story but a deep introspective exploration of the effects of SA.....lol ok. And then she gets killed off at the end offscreen in a single sentence.

There’s also....I really doubt she intended some of this but it’s clearly in the story .... it really has bad implications, that the only relations between men are abusive in both books. there are literally no other relations between men, even though there is a gay character (who I understand  is a celibate priest, and having a gay priest is cool!) but....it just doesnt have good implications that relations between men are only ever presented as bad. especially because the thing that truly “heals” Emilio is being with a woman and I think in our society (and thus our media) we have a real problem with thinking that “healing” as a sexual abuse victim means having sex with a man if youre a woman and with a woman if you’re a man, and that male sa victims of men are only really victims if they like women (and, of course, women sa victims in general just have to like men). Of course there is nothing wrong with Gina, I loved her, and nothing is wrong with writing an sa survivor who is able to have a relationship after. But MDR killed her off for no good reason. The other crew members dying in the first book, those were well written character deaths. and how many times did she do the “this woman died but thats whatever narratively, because she has a kid uwu miracle of life” thing in this sequel. I think MDR is like GRRM in that she has good intentions clearly, and has such good sff works/characters and takes oh the Human Experience and everything, but doesn’t always know how to handle issues in a responsible way and it’s really glaring even if there are obviously worse people in media. To be honest (and again, here Im glad there’s no fandom, because people are so weird about this stuff) MDR should have just had Emilio and John be together. “Your friendship should have been proof enough of God” ???????? hello??????  Their relationship was one of  the things that actually was well fleshed out in the sequel until John and all the other guys who weren’t in the Camorra  just.....stayed on Rakhat forever.

Part of the handling of Sofia seemed like a broader pattern of the plot being completely forced. Everything happens for some sake of The Plot- this is something later seasons of GOT have been criticized for. This plot in particular, in addition to the alien oppression metaphor, seemed to want to make everything about the story in particular its end be some kind of “bookend” to mirror the first book. Sofia dies (for real this time. honestly....her death in the first one was good writing!), Emilio and his unlikely escorts go home, no one else gets to go home, there’s a huge societal upheaval on Rakhat because of the humans, a huge reveal about Rakhat’s “divine” music. I have nothing against this kind of narrative device but when it’s this forced to the point where the story is blatantly constructed for the sake of this......it didn’t work. The “music” plot twist was like..............really??? All of that? They’re staying on this planet? If they had all gotten more time in the story (because this book is the same length as the first book but has far more different subplots and far longer of a timespan and far more narrators) we might  find that more plausible. I don’t think everything needs to be spelled out for us. In the first book when everyone is stranded, it’s clear that they think this is tragic, but they are trying to make the best of it because they all love each other and are together. In this one they don’t all have that kind of bond and it’s dependent on the long-winded and incoherent Rakhat political storyline. Because a lot of it isn’t even that well developed in addition to the earlier addressed things. We go between random one-off characters. So much is about the war but it’s written so anti-climatically. Sofia broke down in the first book when she learned they were stranded, and now she doesn’t care at all about returning back to Earth because the Runa are “her people” now, but how much of that is really what she tells herself to cope with what she lost- and what she experienced on earth in her youth? we don’t know. The Pope just....sent Emilio who became probably the most infamous person on Earth, back into space, and it wasn’t a big deal for the Church or at all? And all it took for it to happen was a handful of Camorra men with Vatican connections, who were just adapted so well to space travel and extended time on a new planet that initially made the people in the first book sick when transitioning into life there? And let me reiterate we’re supposed to accept that the divinely ordained reason all this happened was because Isaac wrote music inspired by human and alien dna and it sounded wonderful? 

This just felt very forced. “Emilio never wants to go back to Rakhat so obviously this book has to be about how he goes back there and accepts that it actually happened for a Good Reason bc of some music, and music was the way they found it in the first place.” How about how he accepts that it happened and comes to terms with what happened to him without either hating himself for his actions or thinking it was all For The Greater Good Actually, because you cant undo the past, aka what the first book was building up to and culminated in? idk. the first book was all about how bad things happen and that this doesn’t mean we have to give up our faith even if we question our faith. this was more like “every cloud has a silver lining lol”.

There were many nice things- Emilio’s friendship with Nico, many of the moments with Sofia towards the end and her reuniting with Emilio, John getting more to do, the new Pope, Celestina ending up having an important job as a theater and leaving a trail of men in her wake lol. I don’t want to say don’t read this. But if you like the first book you might not like this one, and if you’re considering reading the first book, it.....works best as a standalone.