#bro I hit the word limit on this post like 3 times and had to edit but it's finally here sorry for the delay I hope it's good

[yakuzacanons]

Wow you're literally the best thing to happen to this platform 🧎‍♀️

I would like to request an angst with fluff ending for Majima and reader 👀 Maybe something involving Makoto and jealousy? 👀

I'd say that it's not just one thing that instantaneously makes the reader break down. First, she notices the wistful look that Majima had when he first tells her about Makoto. Then it's the song that he sings at Karaoke that she just knows it's dedicated to her. And finally, it's when he comes back from Sotenbori acting distant and she immediately knows that something is up, causing her to just burst into tears, resigned and defeated. "Why am I even here?"

I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE BRAIN TO BRRRR AGAIN

First of all bless u sweet anon, and second of all my brain is going so brrr that if I were to describe it I might explode and we cannot have that. Sorry it took so long to respond to this one, I had to let it simmer in da ol' brain for a bit cuz I have too many ideas for this. Gonna be a long one so sorry in advance but also I am not sorry cuz it's Majima babey! Headcanon below da cut as always. Spoilers for Yakuza 0 and 5.

Majima isn't exactly secretive but he is selective about what he says, especially when embarking into a romantic relationship. The last time he was romantically involved, it ended in a messy divorce. Generally, a lot of things in Majima's life have ended that way so he's delicate whenever he talks about his past.

In doing so, he doesn't realize he's making you feel alienated. Whenever you do ask about his past, it's obvious that he's tense. His answers get shorter, he changes the subject faster. Initially you didn't mind. You knew about his previous marriage, even if only in so few words because he's not one to dwell on that subject. But he never told you about Makoto.

You actually first hear about Makoto via Kiryu, who didn't mean to bring it up. Maybe Majima was just having a particularly bad day and Kiryu says something like "Last time I saw Majima-neesan that upset, it was..." before trailing off. Kiryu can't lie to save his life, and eventually he spills the beans, trying to keep it short by saying "Oh, it's this girl we both knew in the 80's." but it's too late. The secret's out now.

You're not mad that he kept this from you but you're a little surprised. The two of you never had trouble talking about past loves. Even if Majima didn't necessarily enjoy the topic, he was truthful. So why hide this? When you finally confront him with the question, he completely freezes.

He'll immediately deflect with a "How'd ya hear 'bout that?" but when he realizes he can't wiggle his way out of this one, he'll sigh and finally give you the truth. It hurts him that you didn't hear it from him first. Did he plan on telling you eventually? Maybe, probably, he thinks, but secretly he isn't entirely sure. If allowed, would he have left it all buried in the past?

Majima summarizes the events as best as he can without showing any particular feelings towards the matter, but you can see the faintest glimmer in his eyes, a kind you've never seen before. It's a nostalgic ache, both a yearning for what used to be and complete resignation to the fact he could never go back. Eventually you realize that pressing him further is only making him recoil, so you let it slide with a huffy breath. Still, you can't help but wonder what was so special about Makoto that he couldn't even tell YOU of all people that she even existed?

You had nearly forgotten these nagging feelings until you saw the way Majima sang "As Long As You're Happy" at karaoke a few nights later. There was that faint glimmer again. Secretly, Majima's also bugged by his own thoughts and feelings on the matter but neither of you know what to say, if there even IS anything to say, to fix this. He sings to air out these thoughts, not realizing how it looks to you.

You manage to keep it together until Majima leaves to Sotenbori for a work related trip. He'd done this before and it should've been fine but this time it was anything but. You spent nights staring at the ceiling, images of a younger Majima hand in hand with Makoto in the streets of Sotenbori. Him with that long hair you'd only seen in photos and that suit that he doesn't wear anymore. The version of him that Makoto knows and that you could never know.

When Majima finally returns from his trip late one night, you're still lying in bed, wide awake. Normally, he would wake you up immediately and smother you with kisses but instead he walks to the nearby window and lights a cigarette, not realizing you were awake just a few feet away. Majima leans against the windowsill, exhaling heavily, his eyes completely clouded. You'd never seen him like this before.

Before you know it, hot tears are pouring down your face. Was Makoto that big of a deal that he would be acting this, as if he were an entirely different person? Maybe he was, you feared. Maybe the real Majima was still locked away somewhere in an alley in Sotenbori, grasping Makoto close as they hide from thugs, his ever watchful eye fixated on her. The thought drowned you completely.

You hadn't realized it, but your whimpers had become audible. Majima snaps out of his stupor and turns to glance at you as you lay in bed with the blanket pulled nearly over your entire face and it finally clicks. "Ah, shit, shit..." he mutters to himself as he hastily puts out his cigarette. Sure, having to think about and let alone talk about Makoto was complicated for him but he'd gotten over it before and he could do it again. But you? In his daze, he'd forgotten to think about it might've affected you and that hurt him more than recollecting a dozen memories with Makoto ever would.

He rushes to the bed. "Oi, what gives?" Majima's voice is surprisingly docile. He can tell he's hurt you but how could he even begin to approach the issue? He couldn't lie and say Makoto DIDN'T matter to him at all but what could he actually say that would help?

He prods you again with the question, to which you sit up almost violently in bed, throwing the blanket down to Majima's surprise. Your eyes are red and your face is stained with tears. Even though just before you were trying to avoid his gaze, now you were staring straight into his soul. Majima just sits back nervously, eyes wide, as you let out an exasperated "Why am I even here?!".

Majima is stunned as he lets out a meek "Well, ain't it 'cuz we're a couple 'n all?" and immediately realizing how stupid he sounded. He was deflecting again, as he always did whenever Makoto was brought up. His statement only brings you further to tears as you blurt out the one thing you had been trying so desperately not to say: "Why the fuck am I here, Goro? Just to fill some Makoto shaped void in your life?"

Only now does he finally see the extent to which this has hurt you, to which it has driven between a wedge between the two of you. Immediately, he engulfs you in a hug as you cry. Majima knows he's no saint but damn if he could go back to when you first asked and make it all right, he would.

His gloved hands grip you tightly, his fingers pressing into your skin as you continue to sob, his mind flooded this time with memories of you: when you first met, when he first let his guard down around you, and when you accepted him so immediately and lovingly that he thought he was dreaming. How could he take all of that and turn it against you without a second thought?

When he finally speaks, his voice aches in a way you'd never heard before, his accent slipping slightly. "Hey... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... for hidin' this from you and... for only thinkin' 'bout myself. I thought I'd ruin all o' this by talkin' 'bout it... and turns out I'm ruining this instead by lettin' myself get so stuck in the past that I can't see what's right in goddamn frontta me."

Majima gently pulls you away as you sniffle in front of him. "Oi, look at me" he says as he gently lifts your chin. "My past... hell, all of me. Ya never once thought twice about stickin' by my side and I've been an ungrateful sonnova bitch. I know words can't make up for me bein' an oblivious ass, but I need ya to know this: my past, Makoto, all of it, knowing now it'd lead me here to ya, I wouldn't change a damn thing. And I'd go through it all again if it meant gettin' to be here with ya, here 'n now. None o' that matters to me anymore. You do."

You sniffle a few times before finally cracking a smile. "Ah, there we go. There's that cute lil' smile I love" Majima jokes as he pulls you in for a hug, this time smothering you in cuddles and kisses. "Hey, don't make me laugh, I'm supposed to be mad at you" you can't help but giggle. Majima kisses your forehead before laying down next to him, wiping away a few remnants of tears. "Sorry, can't help it. I just love seein' ya smile. Hell, I just love YOU."

[thesinglesjukebox]

ARTEMAS - "I LIKE THE WAY YOU KISS ME"

Last name Diamandis, but no relation to Marina...

[5.13]

Taylor Alatorre: By now, every major underground genre from the past 40 years has its own stereotyped and pornified reboot scene fermenting in some corner of the Soundcloudiverse. Yet it's the very ubiquity of this phenomenon that makes this song's hit status even less explicable. True, there's something slightly novel in hearing the words "hit it from the back" chirped out over a spare post-punk rhythm, but is the primary audience even aware that this is novelty when most of them couldn't define what "post-punk" is? What comes across in the production is a sense of blithe, unbothered coolness, eliding such concerns about authenticity by simply not registering them as concerns. It streamlines the ’80s darkwave sound without ever feeling that pesky postmodern urge to comment or build upon it, placing a hard limit on ambition in order to ward off any potentially embarrassing aesthetic clashes. This is the safe choice, entirely appropriate for a tune that ratifies the dominant sexual mores of its time while pretending to chafe against them. [5]

Katherine St. Asaph: Post-punk, machine-translated into electroclash trash, machine-translated into e-boy scumbaggery. Indie sleaze for people whose conception of that term doesn't come from the original 2000s stuff, nor from accurate nostalgia for it (Meet Me in the Bathroom, are.na), but from TikTok or at best the Aesthetics Wiki. This is not good; I am not good for enjoying it. Extra point for the second-best ass-related quip by a person named Artem(i/a)s. [7]

Will Rivitz: The hook shoulders an immense amount of weight here, the only believably nonchalant and dead-eyed bit of an otherwise purely unremarkable Shein-quality aestheticization of post-punk featuring a true nothingburger of a verse more indebted to G-Eazy's vocal stylings than traditional financial literacy typically recommends. I couldn't tell you exactly which bit of this song tends to get clipped on TikTok, but given the 25 seconds of genuinely compelling material provided by the chorus among two more minutes of dreck I can hazard a guess. [6]

Mark Sinker: A 21st-century William Empson devoting a whole book (348 pages) to the present-day implications of the phrase “from the back”. [9]

Iain Mew: "I'll hit it from the back just so you don't get attached" is so miserable that my enjoyment hinges on how knowing much that is the point. Two minutes of frenzied blankness never really deliver an answer. [4]

TA Inskeep: This is why AI must be stopped. [1]

Alfred Soto: In some places music writers will remark on how this or that song sounds "AI-generated" as if it were a bad thing. "I like the way you kiss me" is what might happen if you and I had access to a couple keyboards and a decent engineer and -- presto! Out spills this mild electrothrob. The bloodlessness is the point. [5]

Rachel Saywitz: Sounds like any hedge fund manager’s / self-starter CEO’s / crypto bro’s / man whose Bumble profile says “I am a strong, athletic man looking for a woman who can keep up with me haha ;) NO ONE NIGHT STANDS”’s idea of sex. “I’ll hit it from the back / Just so you don’t get attached”? Man, fuck off!  [3]

Ian Mathers: Every microgeneration gets the vaguely self-loathing/plausibly deniably "sensitive" fuckboy it deserves, I guess. At least there's some pace here and a certain earworm-y quality. [7]

Andrew Karpan: Dark pop seemingly taking after Belarusian TikTokers Covid-hipsters Molchat Doma? I’m seated, but itchy.  [7]

Leah Isobel: Laura Les and Alice Glass are filing a class-action lawsuit as we speak. [2]

Nortey Dowuona: Toby Daintree is such a vapor. The only thing I could at first dig up was an empty SoundCloud page and a 2024 album from Artemas that has him as the only other producer. And his work seemingly alongside Kevin White, producer of five Bazzi hits and this little gem, has made this record an unlikely hit. As for Artemas, he apparently can do a v good mimic of Billie Eilish, but so could Tate McRae. [5]

Isabel Cole: Not a lot happens in this song, but all of it sounds awesome; the track is every bit intoxicating and urgent as the feelings described.  [8]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Back in the depths of the early stages of the pandemic, I was cooped up in a ludicrously priced, despondently boring Bay Area suburb living with three other people. To some purpose -- to kill time? to find some kind of connection with the outside world? to feel joy? -- we would sit around watching music videos on YouTube for hours on end. No matter where we started -- pop punk, Ys-era Joanna Newsom, 90s R&B -- we would somehow end up at MGMT's "Little Dark Age", a seemingly innocuous track that has somehow become, to a certain slice of a generation, a bigger deal than the three MGMT songs that the rest of the world knows. At the time, I took it to be a quirk of the algorithm, that capricious beast that tech writers have spilled gallons upon gallons of ink over the past decade or so. Now, though, we see chickens come home to roost -- a worldwide hit that's essentially just a sped-up, horny edit of "Little Dark Age." Kind of bangs, though. [6]

Harlan Talib Ockey: Molchat Doma cosplayer regurgitates Wattpad dross. [2]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[soft-serve-soymilk]

I posted 1,436 times in 2022

That's 1,436 more posts than 2021! (Well of course, I started again this year 😅)

38 posts created (3%)

1,398 posts reblogged (97%)

When I say I want to be more like V this is what I meant 😅. Only,,, 3% are original :o Blogs I reblogged the most:

@askr

@midnight-rice

@theblackbutterfly02

@tag-that-oc

@lildoodlecat

V is just topping all the charts xD

I tagged 1,418 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#fire emblem - 169 posts (I can think of several reasons)

#tales of zestiria - 107 posts (somehow)

#persona 5 - 99 posts (yeahhh that’ll be all the god tier akeshu art on my dash sorryyyyy)

#tales of xillia - 96 posts (I liked it!)

#fave - 95 posts (I also like a lot of things!!)

#mikleo - 83 posts (He is a good boi. Must protect)

#persona 4 - 82 posts (Probably increased in reblog numbers ever since Dolphin started playing it :>)

#goro akechi - 75 posts (Tumblr is a fascinating ecosystem)

#captive prince - 70 posts (Hi Shadow :3)

#fire emblem three houses - 68 posts (Hi Shadow again :3)

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#dism’s concept in conception—and you wouldn’t be able to tell this now— was that he was ‘what if the sidekick best bro became the protag’?

That is true— it was my launching pad for his personality! I took so many cues from Junpei and Yosuke 🥲

I figured one of these would be about my ocs xD. It was just a lucky dip of which tag bc I knooooow I’ve hit the character limit many times talking about them 😅

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

V’s ask: thank you <3 i'm very happy you returned to this hellsite! our dashes wouldn't be the same without you

And then what I said (Tumblr why did you destroy the formatting): You’re welcome <3. And I’m happy to be back, no matter the form :). I even cameo on Dolphin’s new banner hehe (get on my level /lh). Anyway the whole world can enjoy this meebo doodle, as a treat for your kind words <3333

10 notes - Posted June 19, 2022

Ah yes— my first trial of the New Art StyleTM ✨

#4

OC-Tober Day 1: Childhood (@oc-tober2022) Sweet summer child Dism don't u know that not following the latest artificial children's toy trends doesn't make you any less valid, nor do you need to be exceedingly helpful or skilled.... no don't develop a white-knight complex ahaha you're so cute </3

13 notes - Posted October 3, 2022

MY SON MY BOY *goes on incomprehensible rambles for the next 40 minutes*

#3

Short king 👑

26 notes - Posted September 12, 2022

I am still endeared to Jude 🥺

#2

*Careless Whisper intensifies*

34 notes - Posted November 14, 2022

Of course this ended up here ^^;. I did the right thing by hopping on the peonus hype train :P

My #1 post of 2022

‘The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?’ 

I drew my favourite capri scene (^・ω・^ ). Please click for additional quality!

208 notes - Posted May 15, 2022

I knew this was going to be a winner before I clicked the button xD. Ah yes, my most popular piece of artwork of all time :3

It took so looong to draw tho hehe (like 2 months, even with school holidays)

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

And that was my potluck of a tumblr in a nutshell :D

[echoghost1]

Phic Phight 2022 Master Post

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Welcome to the full list of all the fics I've written for phic phight this year!

I'm on Team Ghost this year and my goal this year is to write one more fic than last year! 👻

Which means if I get anywhere near that this post is going to get real long 😅

Here's last year's list if you're interested

The plan so far is that I'll update this list and keep it pinned on my page throughout the event.

The Phics!

Title: Phantom's First Job

Summary: Tammy couldn’t not call the kid in for an interview. She had to know why Phantom was applying.

Prompt 1: “Danny gets a job. Not as Fenton, but as Phantom. The problem is, his social security number doesn’t exactly cover him when he’s dead… Bonus points for identity shenanigans (PR321)” by

lexiepiper of Team Human

Prompt 2: Danny develops or is made aware that he *has* to eat fear or he’ll slowly starve his core. If he didn’t know maybe his ghost powers start glitching out until he gets some fear. Could be angsty and its the worst thing ever or could be a bit silly maybe he gets enough fear from jump scares and dumb things like that (PR077) by emeraldsandamethyst of Team Ghost

Word count: 1,050

Where to read: AO3 | Tumblr

Title: How are you even lifting that, bro?

Summary: What started off as routine picking on Fenton quickly escalates into Dash and his friends pushing his limits. If he even has any?

Prompt: How strong is Daniel Fenton, really? Dash and co. are determined to find out by any means necessary, and Sam almost doesn't find him until it's too late. (PR217) what-even-is-sleep of Team Human

Word Count: 788

Where to read: AO3 | Tumblr

Title: Sliced To Life

Summary: Danny and Jazz are enjoying time together by cooking a meal. They aren’t going to be the only two in the kitchen by the end of it.

Word Count: 1,654

Prompt 1: danny learns he can starfish his limbs. (PR034) by buff-borf-bork of Team Ghost

Prompt 2: Someone gets a new perspective with blob ghosts (PR387) by datawyrms of Team Human

TW: Blood and Injury, Body Horror, Amputation, Dismemberment

Where to read: AO3 | Tumblr

Title: Fenton Obscura

Summary: A new piece of FentonTech changes Danny in a way that no one saw coming. Now Danny has to hope that the person who promises to help isn't lying to him.

Not that he really has much of a choice in the matter.

Prompt: Danny gets hit with a new weapon/new enemy's power/portal wonkiness/what-have-you, but the end result is the same: he doesn't look like Fenton or Phantom. On the downside? No one can understand him either. He turns to the last person he'd choose to help him right now… Because they're the only ones who can understand him. (PR258)

Word Count: 3,123

Chapters: 3

Where to read: AO3 | Tumblr

Where to read Ch. 2: Tumblr

Where to read Ch. 3: Tumblr

Title: Fancy Meeting Me Here

Summary: The ghost zone is a funny place and sometimes you end up meeting someone who looks just like you. And also is you. But also isn’t.

Word Count: 7,066

Prompt 1: Think of every DP fanfic you’ve ever read and put all of their Dannys in a room. What chaos unfolds? (PR012) by @amabsis of team ghost

Prompt 2: Danny giving or receiving comfort from Clockwork. (PR314) by @kiinotasha of team human

TW: Death mentioned as part of some backstories.

Where to read: AO3 | Tumblr

Bonus treat: Spotify playlist with a song for every fic

[sweet-barnes]

All Bikers are Hells Angels - one

Pairing: biker!Bucky x reader

Word Count: 3014

Summary: When Y/N’s older brother Steve gets into a near fatal accident, she’s the emergency contact. The notorious biker gang she finds littering the hospital is unexpected and so is the news that Steve is the leader’s best friend and right hand man, the infamous James Buchanan Barnes.

Warnings: hospitals and talk of injuries, nothing too graphic though

A/N: I hit 2.5k followers last night so I’m posting this a little earlier to say thank you! I really hope you enjoy this, I’m very excited for this new series, as always feedback is always appreciated!

Series Masterlist

You were definitely driving over the speed limit. At least by 20mph but you didn’t care enough to slow down. You just knew you had to get there quickly or you might regret it.

It was dark and every time you passed a street light on the long stretching road, it lit up your tear stained face. You hadn’t bothered to clean up properly after the phone call, you just jumped straight into your car and rushed off towards the hospital.

You had been out with your friends, having a casual dinner with them like you did every other week when your phone started vibrating against the table. You were about to decline the call and carry on with your conversation - you didn’t usually answer unknown number - but when you saw the location you knew you had to answer. Brooklyn. It was where your older brother had moved to just a year ago.

The news ripped through you. “Your brother has been in a road accident, he’s stable but the damage is severe, is there any way you can get here?” The unfamiliar voice didn’t want to discuss much more on the phone, thinking it was better to talk in person.

So as your body and mind went numb, you made your way back inside. Your girls instantly recognised the look in your eyes, they had only seen it once before when your mother had passed away. “It’s Steve, I have to go,” you managed to get out when they asked you what had happened.

You made your way out of the restaurant, into the car park and once you were settled into the drivers seat of your car, it all came gushing out. You cried for nearly 15 minutes before it finally eased enough for you to control your breathing. 

You didn’t even know the details but you didn’t need to. You knew Steve was broken and you weren’t even there to help. It would take you at least 3 hours to get to the hospital if you stuck to the speed limits, but you obviously didn’t plan on that tonight.

It had been 2 hours since you had set off and you were now coming into the city. It was another half an hour before you reached the hospital car park. You found the closest parking space and jumped out of your car, racing to the entrance.

You navigated your way to A&E. “Steve Rogers,” your voice was breathy as you asked for your brother. You were directed to a room and as you were making your way down the corridor, you felt your heart beating out of your chest. 

You didn’t know what you were going to find on the other side of that door when you reached it. You knew it was going to be bad but you were never going to be prepared for it. 

It seemed like the walk took forever, and you felt like you were starting to hallucinate as you noticed rugged men and woman lining the corridor leading up to Steve’s room. They were all wearing leather jackets, a matching ‘A and D’ symbol stitched onto the back of them. They all seemed to be eyeing you as you passed but you didn’t pay them much attention. 

Your only focus right now was Steve.

After what seemed like quite a walk, you reached Steve’s room. You took a deep breath, steadying yourself before knocking twice and slowly opening the door. You peeked your head around first, the sterile smell hitting you instantly and it didn’t take long for your eyes to land on your brother.

The air seemed to be knocked from your lungs at the sight. He was shirtless and you didn’t think you could count the amount of wires and tubes coming from his body. His skin was littered with hues of purple and red and everything seemed to be swollen. A cast was taking over his right arm and both of his legs.

The doctor noticed your presence and ushered you in. You nodded and swallowed. You felt like you could pass out any minute, but you slowly made your way into the room and quietly shut the door behind you.

“You must be Y/N Rogers, yes?” The doctor asked gently. He had a kind face, with a worried look seeping into his features. You simply nodded. Your eyes kept flitting between the doctor and Steve and you seemed to notice a new cut or bruise every time you looked at your brother.

“He’s in pretty bad shape at the minute, he was involved in major car crash at an intersection, his motorbike was hit by a truck that went through a red light just as it changed,” the doctor’s words caused panic and confusion.

His motorbike? Steve didn’t even know how to drive one of those things so how has he ended up being hit by a truck on one? This was definitely something you’d be asking him about when he woke up, you weren’t willing to let it slip that easy.

“What’s exactly wrong with him?” Your voice was barely above a whisper but the doctor heard it in the quiet room, the only other sound being the beeping of the heart monitor and the ventilator.

“Well, he’s suffered multiple broken bones and fractures, one of those being a broken rib which caused a puncture in one of his lungs, shattered glass from the truck caused a few burst veins, he has concussion-“ 

The list seemed to drawl on and you zoned out. As much as you needed to know what was wrong, you wished you didn’t have to. You didn’t want to see Steve in this way.

He was always the strong older brother. He looked after you, it wasn’t supposed to be you looking after him. He always kept you on the good path, always made sure you were safe and well looked after and now this had happened.

It wasn’t long before the formalities with the doctor were over and he left with you a “don’t hesitate to ask anything else, if you can’t find me, just ask at the desk.”

You watched as the door slowly shut behind him and you were left alone in the room with Steve. It took you a second before you looked back around at him but when you did, you instantly felt the tears begin to flow again. 

You took the seat next to his bed and shuffled as close as you could, taking hold of his left hand. It was the only thing that didn’t seem to be damaged, yet you were still as gentle as you could be with it, you didn’t want to cause anymore harm to the boy.

“Steve,” you breathed out. You clenched your eyes shut and when you opened them again, your teardrops had collected on your eyelashes and everything seemed distorted. You didn’t mind though, Steve seem in less pain that way.

He didn’t wake up for the rest of the night and you didn’t leave his side. Not even for some food or a drink. You needed to be there the minute he woke up and you weren’t going to risk it so you could get a snack.

The nurses and doctor worked around you throughout the night, doing their routine checks and making sure everything was going smoothly. They would always greet you with a warm smile and ask how you were to be polite. They knew you weren’t alright, your brother was unconscious in front of you. 

It was 5 in the morning when Steve’s doctor came back in, a sandwich and drink in hand. “Here, I brought you these, you need to look after yourself,” he said, handing over the items. You seemed shocked by his kindness and it must have shown on his face.

“I have a little sister about your age and I know she wouldn’t have eaten anything if this had happened to me, you remind me of her, it seems like you’re practically the same person.” You both let out a small chuckle and you thanked him for the food.

“He’ll pull through,” he said after a short pause. “He’s a fighter, I can tell, it’ll take some time for him to fully recover but he’ll get there.”

That was definitely something you needed to hear. It set off the spark of hope in the back of your head that made you realise that no matter what happens, the Rogers siblings can get through anything. You’ve proved it before and you can do it again. 

It was in the evening the next day when Steve finally opened his eyes. Unfortunately, his timing was as bad as always because you had just gone for a toilet break.

When you arrived back at his room, you noticed the same rugged, leather wearing group gathered in the corridor but you didn’t linger too long. You needed to get inside and see your brother.

The doctor was asking him general questions when closed the door behind you but Steve’s attention quickly switched from the man to you and a smile broke out onto his face. “Hey, lil sis,” he said, his voice was gravely as he spoke. You could tell it hadn’t been used in a while.

You’d made your way to his left side and you were beaming down at him. “Hey, big bro,” you replied just as gently. You felt yourself tearing up, “you scared me just then.” You grabbed his hand and he reciprocated the action, giving your hand a little squeeze, it must have been all the energy he had at that moment.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to happen,” you simply nodded, looking back at the doctor for him to carry on his checks.

It only took another 5 minutes before he left the two of you alone, sending you a hopeful smile as he disappeared. You had taken your well worn seat and now you were just staring at Steve as he stared back at you.

“I mean it, I’m sorry for scaring you like this,” Steve eventually said. You pursed your lips, this probably wasn’t the right time but you needed to know. “I’m just wondering why you were on a motorbike in the first place Steve, since when could you drive one of those?” You tried to keep your voice as calm as possible, trying to be jokey towards the end of your question.

“Y/N, don’t act like I’m not a badass, you know I am,” he responded, causing you to roll your eyes and giggle. “Okay Stevie, so you’re a big bad biker now?” That only made him laugh but he soon stopped and wheezed. “Oh, I’m sorry Stevie,” you instantly felt deflated that you couldn’t even laugh with him.

“Don’t worry about it, Y/N,” Steve managed to reply when he controlled his breathing. “Anyway, I met some guys while I was out here, got myself a really good friend who just so happens to own a garage and is a biker, so he helped me out and yes, before you say anything, I got my license, I’m not stupid.” “Well, lucky you Stevie, well done on the new friends,” you giggled. Then it suddenly clicked. 

“He’s a biker? Is he in a gang?” The edge in your voice only made Steve roll his eyes. “Don’t freak out like you usually do, and you don’t have a right to say anything to me seen as though you ended up in a weird cult at one point.” You cut him off at that point, “it was not a cult! They just liked weird stuff, okay?”

Steve only shook his head, “he’s in a biker gang, but they’re good people, not like those Hells Angels type.” You couldn’t help the groan that came tumbling out of your mouth.

“Stevie, I love you but sometimes you can be so stupid,” you leaned back in your chair and glared at him. You couldn’t believe he had moved away from home and then joined a biker gang! With the amount of trouble he had saved you from, you thought he would have more common sense for himself.

“Don’t knock them until you meet them, they’re different from what you’re thinking,” Steve said gently and you didn’t have the heart to argue with him while he was in this state so you let it be for now. 

You slowly went back to normal conversation, updating Steve on some new things that had happened back home. How your favourite café had been renovated and you’d bought a new bookshelf because yours was overflowing.  

He was just drifting off to sleep at about 10pm when he woke up a bit more and said “go and get yourself comfy back at my apartment, there’s a spare key in the plant pot next to the door, I can’t have you staying here all night.”

“No, I’m fine Ste-“ he cut you off as soon as he knew you were going to suggest staying in this small room another night. “Y/N,” was all he needed to say in that voice before you gave in and agreed to go. He gave you the address and you gave him a goodbye kiss on the forehead before making your way out.

“If you need anything, just get someone to call and I’ll be right here,” you told him as you were walking to the door. “Yes, mum,” he mused. You just scoffed and left him to rest for the night. He never changes, even when half of his body is broken.

Once again, the leather army in the corridor was present and you couldn’t help but notice the large figure that seemed to be at the forefront of the group. He dark hair and dark beard made his blue eyes pop with colour. His leather jacket looked well loved and the amount of badges and patches that were sewn or pinned on let you know he had been doing this for a while.

You caught his eyes and his gaze seemed to pierce straight through you. His face stayed stone cold, not even breaking into a small smile as he looked you up and down. He didn’t even try to be subtle about it. 

“Do you mind?” You couldn’t help yourself and your features turned into a grimace as his eyes flickered up to meet yours.

“Not at all, doll,” his Brooklyn accent was strong and his voice was as smooth as honey, but his words grated on your nerves. 

You rolled your eyes before speeding up your walk down hallway. You needed to get out of here. 

It was pitch black outside Steve’s apartment and the flickering streetlight didn’t provide any help when walking up to the entrance. Inside however, was quite homely. The stairs were well lit but you decided to take the elevator up. You didn’t get much sleep the night before and it was finally catching up to you. You didn’t think you’d be able to make it up all those flights of stairs.

You reached the floor and then the door number that Steve had told you and the small plant outside looked like it was waiting to be knocked over. “You couldn’t have been more obvious, Stevie?” You mumbled to yourself but you tilted the pot and picked up the small silver key underneath.

You were grateful to be inside and it felt like you were back at home when you walked in. Cream walls and dark furniture scattered the place, family photos hung on the walls and in frames and the occasional plant was placed in just the right spot.

It wasn’t long before you were rooting through the fridge with one of your brother’s t-shirts on. You quickly put together a snack and made your way to his bed, getting comfy for the night. You didn’t realise how much you needed this sleep and it wasn’t long before you drifted off.

--

This time, you came to the hospital prepared. You found a canvas bag in Steve’s room which you emptied and filled with snacks for the day. This way, you didn’t have to leave Steve and you didn’t have to eat boring sandwiches all day.

“Good morning, Stevie,” you called out as you entered the room, and when you turned around from closing the door, you noticed someone was in your seat. Your eyes narrowed as you recognised the face.

“Hey, lil one,” Steve greeted you but your eyes didn’t move from the other man in the room. “This is Bucky, he’s the friend I was telling you.”

So, now you had a name to the face. It was a stupid one, you had to admit, who named their kid Bucky? 

“Bucky,” you repeated, looking at Steve and then back at the man you now knew as Bucky. He cleared his throat, “you can call me James if that’s too hard,” the sarcasm dripped from his words and you scoffed. 

“No, it’s just stupid,” you responded before moving next to Steve and sitting in the only other seat. “Y/N,” Steve warned but you just shook your head. “If it wasn’t for him, Steve, you wouldn’t have nearly died, so no I will not show him my respect.”

You couldn’t hide your sudden hate for the man in the room. What gives him the right to think he can teach your brother how to ride a bike and then not look out for him from then on. 

“Well, that’s my cue to leave,” James stood up with a sigh and patted Steve on the arm. You eyed him the whole time as he said his goodbyes and he simply gave you a glare before leaving.

“Don’t be so hard on him, you’re not the only one that’s hurting Y/N,” Steve tried to reason with you but you weren’t having any of it. “No, Steve, this is his fault and I won’t let him forget it.”

Part Two

[gumnut-logic]

Minerva (Bit 4)

Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 | Bit 4

Really just some brotherly fun :D I’ve posted a couple of snippets from this bit, but there is plenty more, a whole 1600 words worth :D

Thanks to @vegetacide​ and @scribbles97​ for the reading and support ::hugs you guys::

I hope you enjoy this fluff :D

-o-o-o-

“Scotty! Bro! How ya doin’?”

Virgil had to smirk at his little brother. Gordon was acting like his hand had been caught in the candy jar.

“Gordon, what are you doing in Minerva?” One lowered just slightly. “Virg? What the hell? Gordon!”

“What?! He needed some fresh air!”

“He has two broken legs!”

“Yeah, but Grandma was cooking up a storm.”

“Oh.”

“Exactly.”

Virgil twisted his lips. “You do know I am a sentient being and can both speak for myself and make decisions on my own.”

“Did you hear something, Scott? There was interference on the line. Sounded like Virgil was claiming he was able to look after himself.”

The snort from the hovering Thunderbird was loud.

“Hey!”

Gordon actually cackled. “Sorry, Virg. Great at looking after everyone else, total shit at looking after yourself.”

The glare he shot his brother should have scalped him.

Gordon only grinned more. “We all have our strengths and weakness, bro.”

“Shut up, Gordon.”

Thunderbird One began lowering as if to come into land.

“Hey, don’t you dare land that tin can on the reef, Scott. Mel will have your hide, right after I kick your butt.”

“Keep your pants on, Fish, I’m well aware how attracted you are to my butt.” Thunderbird One pirouetted midair like the graceful craft she was under his brother’s hands, shifting towards the centre of the lagoon. Her landing struts unfolded from her fuselage.

“He’s not going to...” Virgil’s eyes widened.

But Gordon was grinning. “Oh, yes!”

A crack in the air and pontoons at the end of her landing gear inflated with a snap, One suddenly sprouting what looked like fat ski blades. Her front strut shot out extenders either side for stability and Thunderbird One settled on the calm ocean like the prim and trim bird she was.

“That’s not something you see every day. I thought Scott hated landing on water.”

Gordon snorted. “He does.”

“If Brains asks, it’s practise and equipment testing.” Scott’s voice was smirking on comms. In the distance his brother’s flight chair slid smoothly out of the cockpit to hang above the water. Scott reached beneath the seat and pulled out a package. With a yank of a cord, he inflated his own little lifeboat, chucked it onto the water surface, and lightly stepped onto it. He sat there fiddling for a bit, enough to have Gordon frowning across the water, but then Scott was moving in their direction.

“So, dropping by for a swim? Or just checking up on us?” Gordon’s voice was flippant, but Virgil sensed a touch of concern under it all.

“Does it matter?” As Scott got closer Virgil frowned. The blue of his uniform was smudged with something black.

A flick of the water seat’s controls and Gordon yelped as Virgil flew off the edge of the reef and splashed his younger brother with water as the contraption forced stability in a way it really wasn’t quite designed for. Virgil cursed as the seat hit its maximum speed which was little more than walking pace, a limitation he had put in there himself to stop Gordon from killing himself. But it got him across the water, however slowly, those few moments faster to his eldest brother. As Scott pulled up alongside him, Virgil raked him with his eyes.

His brother was filthy, but there were no obvious injuries. “What the hell happened to you?”

Scott rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. Took a bit of a tumble down a coal mine.”

“A coal mine? Are you okay?” Scott still looked a little off with his pencilled-in eyebrows still growing back. Wasn’t the first time one of them had had to use makeup to hide an injury from the world at large. Scott had more soot on his face than anything else. “Did you wear your helmet?”

His brother’s shoulders slumped with the most put-upon whole-body expression he could manage. “Of course, I did. I’m fine, Virgil. A few bruises and a lot of grime. That’s all.”

Virgil didn’t stop frowning as he grabbed a handle on the inflatable and held himself steady. “Why didn’t you go home and get cleaned up?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Just happened to find a brother with two broken legs sitting on a reef out in the middle of nowhere. What the hell are you doing out here, Virg? You’re supposed to be resting.”

“I am! I’m still sitting on my ass. Andre and Cecil, not to mention, Gords, have me wrapped up in bubblewrap. I’m fine!”

Scott arched a wonky eyebrow at him.

Virgil’s lips twisted and he combed his brother with his eyes for injury one more time before conceding. “Fine. We’re both fine.”

The grin that split Scott’s face was kind of worth it.

It was a sign of how involved they were in each other’s medical condition that they both startled as Gordon suddenly surfaced beside the boat. Their fish brother flicked his wet hair out of his eyes forcibly enough to get both of his brothers with the spray.

In the distance, and still on the reef, both Andre and Cecil were staring at them.

“Hey, bros.” Gordon pretty much hovered in the water like the water seat his movements were so practised. “How goes?” In others words, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ When both brothers just stared at him, his eyes narrowed. “Scott you’ve dragged Two Broken Legs out onto the water by your mere presence. You look like shit, he worries. Go back to A Little Lightning and get cleaned up. Meet you on the reef when you are more respectable.” The Fish’s glare turned to Virgil. “And you. You are giving Andre conniptions. You fall off this seat, there is drowning in your future. I know you know this because you drummed it into my head multiple times.” His brother parroted Virgil’s own words from years ago. “‘Its use must be accompanied by adult supervision at all times’. While I know ‘adult’ in my case can be a grey area, we didn’t hire two suitably respectable nurses for you to fly out of their reach and go drown yourself. Now, get your ass back on that reef before I throw it onto my boat, take you straight back home, and force feed you Grandma’s cooking!”

Virgil stared at Gordon. Okay, perhaps he had acted a little irresponsibly. Of course, Scott took the opportunity for what it was and turned his own glare on Virgil for reinforcement.

Gordon’s glower upped a notch at the lack of movement. “Now!”

“Okay, Gordon. Fine. Whatever.” Virgil somewhat meekly let go of the life raft and turned back towards the reef, the seat humming quietly beneath him. Gordon growled further words at Scott and a moment later the life raft took off for A Little Lightning.

It wasn’t often Gordon put his foot down, but it was usually a good idea to agree with him when he did.

But then it wasn’t like he could fall out of the seat, being strapped in an all.

The whole tone of his own thoughts screamed pout and Virgil was forced to acknowledge that yes, Gordon was right.

The aquanaut swam alongside him, quite capable of keeping up with the seat’s easy pace.

By the time they reached the edge of the reef, Virgil had worked himself up to an apology. “I’m sorry, Gordon.”

His brother had stopped swimming a little way back and was now wading. Looking down and watching where he put his feet, Gordon sighed. “Don’t beat yourself up about it, Virg. Just keep yourself safe and in one piece, and we won’t have any problems.”

Virgil brought the seat to a halt and turned to his brother. “Gords, thank you. For all of this.”

Gordon stopped and stared, a small smile curving his lips. “Anytime, bro.” And of course, he had to take it that step further. He flung his arms wide. “My boat is your boat. Mi Casa, es su casa. Yours, mine, ours. Happy families and all that.”

Virgil stared at his goofball brother a moment. Then a flick at the controls, he darted over, grabbed two armfuls of Gordon and hugged him until he squawked.

“Oh, god, Virg, getorff!” Gordon struggled, but even in the water, he was no match for heavy lifting biceps. If Virgil closed his eyes and just clung for a moment, he wasn’t going to admit it or care. If it wasn’t for the fact that the seat was on the verge of flipping, he would have hung on longer.

It was Gordon stumbling and righting him before he took a swim in the drink that finally broke the clinging.

“God, Virg, don’t you dare get all teary on me or I’m telling John the combination to your personal refrigerator.”

Virgil grinned, if a little sloppily. “He already knows and it is not what you think.”

“What, it’s not Two’s launch date?”

“What?” Oh shit.

Gordon’s grin split his face in half and he cracked up laughing. Virgil was reduced to grabbing at him again in either an attempt to throttle him or give him the biggest noogie since he hit adulthood. That explained the mystery of the damned banana caramel pie from last week. He’d have to change it again.

His brother ducked out of reach basically by throwing himself underwater. Sure, the water seat was designed to follow, but damnit! “You owe me pie! Cecil made that for me, you brat!”

Gordon just kick-splashed his brother and laughed harder.

-o-o-o-

TBC

[tea-at-221]

So, let's delve a bit into the Spanish dub of Supernatural.

I'm going to go through a lot of terms here, and a lot of basics, in order to increase people's level of understanding as to how the dub may possibly have come about the way it did.

This post will provide information and, I hope, allow some members of the fandom to move forward with their own theories with more reassurance. Information is power. I will define and clarify industry terms to the best of my novice ability to make it easier for others who wish to do their own research.

This post was inspired by the fact that I've been part of multiple fandoms in which queerbaiting has played an enormous part: I am tired of seeing fandom friends left devastated and without answers, no emotional resolution in sight. So this post is, in spirit if not content, largely dedicated to my fellow Johnlockers and Queliot shippers. And most of all, for Quentin Coldwater, who deserved not just better but the very best.

Disclaimer: This is my own research and there is a bit of speculation involved; I can't guarantee 100% that I will get everything right (I hit some very frustrating walls looking up what should be easy-to-find facts), but I did a *lot* of work for this. Other people will doubtless be able to clarify points/give better specifics/correct what I've gotten wrong. I am not promising a concrete answer to “SPN gate” here, as without more information than we currently have that is impossible to declare with certainty.

More under the cut.

All that having been said, onwards (see end for sources):

First, who airs the Spanish dub of Supernatural?

Answer: the Warner Channel.

Why? It goes back to who owns The CW.

From Wikipedia (2): "The CW Network, LLC, a limited liability joint venture between the CBS Entertainment Group unit of ViacomCBS; and the Studios and Networks division of AT&T's WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB. The network's name is an abbreviation derived from the first letters of the names of its two parent corporations (CBS and Warner Media)."

Warner Bros apparently is the side that handles the delegation of dubbing to outside studios. So, who does Warner use for their dubbing? Perhaps multiple studios, but the two I found in the course of my research were SPGStudios(5) (who specifically handle localization for Latin American Spanish productions) and Iyuno Media Group (formerly BTI Studios)(3).

What is localization?

Simply put, it refers to the translation of the home language of the show in question to the language of the new market it's entering. So, Supernatural 15x18 is translated from its native English to Spanish for Latin American viewers.

And what exactly *is* dubbing (actually called revoicing within the industry; dubbing is a widely-recognized term, however, and it's pretty well understood what is meant by it)?

Here is the Merriam-Webster definition:

"1 : to add (sound effects or new dialogue) to a film or to a radio or television production —usually used with "in"

They dubbed in the music.

2 : to provide (a motion-picture film) with a new soundtrack and especially dialogue in a different language

The film was dubbed in French and Spanish.

3 : to make a new recording of (sound or videotape already recorded) also : to mix (recorded sound or videotape from different sources) into a single recording"

There is a slang term, "dubby," which refers to any overdub that is comically jarring and obviously a dub. The history of dubbing has been such that this has become a way to think of and recognize it: by how awful and ineffective it used to be when it came to foreign films sloppily overlaid with English dubbing.

However, we are in the midst of an age of networks and companies scrambling to play catch-up, eager to use modern technology to create more effective, convincing dubs. In short, they see the moneymaking potential of presenting finished works that viewers may not even realize *are* dubbed without careful inspection. It's true that a good dub is about 10x more costly than subtitling, but it's hard to satisfy the viewer's desire for escapism if they can't suspend disbelief because they're busy reading.

The truth of that is reflected in internal statistics Netflix (for instance, but not just them) parses to gauge viewer interaction and retention with their various shows: when comparing subtitled vs. dubbed shows, it's easy to see which is the winner.(1)

So to be sure there is no nefarious intent here, we would need to be able to identify the following:

A.) What exactly was the process for this dub?

B.) Who decides what changes to make during a dubbing process?

C.) Who approves those changes?

*Can* there be such a thing as a "rogue translator," as Misha Collins put it? (I am going to clarify here that I think Misha is an upstanding person who believed the best of the show he was involved in and all the people who made it, so his assumption of a rogue translator makes sense in the context of that emotion-based reasoning).

I'm not sure which studio did the dub for the Latin American Spanish version of Supernatural; if I had access to that episode perhaps it's mentioned in the credits. You'd think that would be simple enough to figure out anyway, but I was unable. So maybe someone can take a look and let me know. But, as an example, here is how SPGStudios outlines their localization (dubbing) process:

1.) They make a digital or analog transcription of a show/movie.

2.) The translation, or localization, is done by their staff (in any of 40 available languages their staff can speak). When translating, they translate for meaning and then adapt for time, tempo, and style. They say that "extensive experience is required to capture the essence of the language dialog while accounting for variances in speaking time between the source and destination languages." i.e.,  wording/word choice will be kept as true as possible to the original intention of the native language, but at the same time the translation will need to use its chosen wording in a way that fits what is being shown on-screen. To produce a convincing/pleasing dub, they won't replace a word like "looked" with a longer phrase like "scanned the horizon" because it's not going to match what's onscreen. That would be venturing into "dubby" territory.

3.) They perform the ADR process: the voice actors (in this case it would normally be Guillermo Rojas performing for Dean Winchester, though it appears things may have been different in 15x18, possibly due to covid) record the new dialogue to replace the original actor's performance.

4.) The newly recorded dialogue goes to the sound editorial department "to ensure that lip-synch is optimized and technical aspects of the vocal performance match the original."

5.) All of the new audio--including dialogue, music, and sound effects--is mixed together to emulate the quality of the original production as closely as possible despite the changes in rhythm that resulted from the dialog having been translated.

6.) Designers, animators, and VFX editors assist with the localization or enhancement of graphics, if needed.

7.) Localized Master: SPG has a 'traffic team' who 'ensures that all client delivery and storage specifications are met, including file formatting, labeling, and uploading." So in other words, the files are heavily encrypted (or that's how I read this).

Presumably, after all steps are performed, SPGStudios transfers the show back to Warner, who then distributes it. The other studio, Iyuno, makes it very clear that *they* can coordinate and handle all distribution themselves to a vast number of networks. That means that if the client desires, Iyuno can send the finished product directly out into the world.

There seem to be two types of scripts that can be given to the dubbing company:

1.) "In-Production Dubbing indicates that dubbing production is active in tandem with post production. In-Production Dubbing fulfillment partners should expect potential changes to source materials."(4)

2.) "Final Asset Dubbing indicates that dubbing production takes place after final delivery of the show. All source assets will be in a final state. The dubbing fulfillment partner should not expect any changes to the source materials."(4)

Without knowing which of these was agreed upon for SPN 15x18, it is very hard to say exactly where or if additional edits may have been performed on the original material that weren't performed on the translated material (in other words, earlier draft).

If the studio was given the episode as an In-Production Dubbing project, this could explain why the title of the Spanish translation reflected the original script title, "The Truth," rather than the final title in English, "Despair".

Assuming this difference was unintentional, rather than a calculated marketing ploy re: audience enticement (which seems admittedly unlikely), then yes, it could indicate a screw-up on someone's part. The question is, was the dub company given the task of generating the title card, or did some other graphics department handle that before the project made it to them? If the latter is the case, the choice to add "Me too" instead of "Don't do this, Cas" could be either a conscious choice on the dub studio's part as sort of a nod to what they thought "the truth" was, or could just be them going with what they were given and making their translation choices based on something else, such as rhythm/timing.

SO, could there have been an original script that had Dean say "me too" in response to Cas, which then went through translation and made it out into the world? Teeechnically yes, but one would assume that the original script and original *footage* would have to have arrived at the dub studio together if the script is being transcribed in-house as SPGSTudios outlines in their process. I'm going to reason that the odds of them using a later edit of the visual--one that contained what in this instance we would be assuming was Warner's preferred dialogue ("Don't do this, Cas") yet choosing to stick with their own audio revoicing of the (supposed) original script/visual's "Me too, Cas" with its now subsequently poor timing, seems unlikely.

So either they would likely have to redo the exact same "Me too" audio again (having made the choice to keep the original dialogue, while also having to work under pandemic restrictions re: travel and talent availability) to make everything match the visual footage time-wise, OR, it was simply a matter that the English scene always was just as we saw it, but that the studio chose to interpret the script the way they did and were able to do their timing the first time around to match accordingly.

This still leaves a question in the air regarding the origin and fate of certain clips of Dean's more visually emotive reaction to Castiel's confession that have been floating around the internet. I've only seen very very brief glimpses of them, myself, and I'm not certain that they're really evidence of anything other than more than one take having been done of that scene, which wouldn't be uncommon and doesn't necessarily point to a conspiracy.

I also want to state that in the wake of 15x18, I opted to protect my mental health rather than follow every development/rumor/speculation that cropped up in the aftermath, so there’s probably a lot that I’m leaving out of this post that may be pertinent. Do me a favor and do assume that I know nothing of it. lol

I will also add this about the other studio, Iyuno: they are very careful to state on their site, repeatedly and with great pride, that they are committed to presenting the world with the smoothest, most true-to-the-original localized version of a film or show possible. Quote: "...our entire team of staff wants nothing more than to make every single one of our partner's content feel as if it were never translated." They are not fucking around. They want to please the client. Would they have done something like the translation in question without any direct go-ahead from Warner? It seems unlikely, though they don't outline their process on their site the way SPG does.

Notice that in the SPGStudios process outlined above, there is no mention made of a review step in which the studio presents the translated dialogue to the client for approval re: the new wording. That doesn't mean there isn't a review step; however, without seeing the contractual agreement that was made between Warner and whatever dub studio they used, or knowing Warner's preferred process by some other means, it's difficult to be certain whether or not there was a review process for the translated script. I did find evidence that Netflix reserves the right to review such translated scripts before air.

Speaking of Netflix, I will include here what their translation requirements are, as I did find those. They, like Warner, also use Iyuno Media Group much of the time for dubbing (voiceover style dubbing in which they apparently like to leave the original language audible underneath, so that's slightly different from revoicing, but I'm working on an assumption that the general expectations are the same for both):(4)

"1. Translation Requirements

1.1 Main Dialogue

   All main dialogue in the source (original) language should be translated unless specifically noted.

   Due to timing limitations, some of the dialogue may be condensed/truncated as long as it retains all essential elements of the plot.

   Please refrain from dubbing redundant words such as character names and repetitions.

       Additionally, do not recreate laughs, hesitations, reaction noises, etc."

I'm looking at that bit: "Due to timing limitations, some of the dialogue may be condensed/truncated as long as it retains all essential elements of the plot."

So let's say just for argument's sake that this is pretty standard language provided to the dubbing studios. Netflix is a giant, so I'll proceed with that assumption given the lack of more concrete information:

Does it really change essential elements of the remaining plot to have Dean return Castiel's declaration of love? Forgetting about the outside, emotional ripple effect such a declaration was bound to set off in the viewing audience, no. The two characters have no further scenes together, nor does Dean go on in the next episode to immediately embark on a new relationship, or tell anyone that Cas said he was in love with him but he couldn't return it because he didn't feel the same. So technically, no rule was broken. And that is what it comes down to, if you're thinking like a lawyer reading a contract: specifics, not theoretical implications or consequences.

So, possibly what we have is something that was simple to add and easy to get away with/argue for: translated dialog that fit a dub better due to its length, and didn't actually change anything plot-wise (or at least, the argument for that could easily be made). This points to the painful crux of the matter: why would the Spanish version of Supernatural which aired in Latin America allow Dean Winchester to return Castiel's declaration of love with a "Me too, Cas"? Could it *really* be as insulting as the fact that "Yo a ti, Cas" would be a quicker, smoother dub than "No hagas esto, Cas"? ("Don't do this, Cas" in English.) Or did they see something they could get away with, and a reasonable argument to provide for it, so they went ahead and claimed a small LGBT+ victory?

Is someone, somewhere, getting in trouble for all this? Maybe. But could action be taken against them? That would look pretty bad, public-relations-wise, for the party expressing condemnation if that got out. Could Iyuno, or whatever other studio (again, I don't actually know which one handled the dub) theoretically feel a ripple effect from the fallout of this? Could they quietly suffer a drop in acquisitions/revenue for "reasons unclear"? Sure. That sort of thing happens all the time, so theoretically yeah.

Whatever the reasoning behind the decision to have Dean return Cas' declaration of love, surely they didn't have to do it. Surely they could have chosen some other phrase that fit. But they chose to do exactly what they did. I don't know what went down, in the end, or whether censorship was indeed involved, but I will certainly say that I think it was a brave and admirable choice that was made with the Spanish dub. It doesn't undo the "bury your gays" trope of course, but for some LGBT+ audience members it surely provides a sense of validation and maybe even lends a little hope for better representation--which is long, long overdue.

Thanks if you read this far. I hope that even though it’s not perfect it will be helpful in some way.

Sources

(1) https://www.indiewire.com/2020/02/subtitles-vs-dubbing-what-you-need-to-know-1202212800/amp

(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW

(3) https://www.iyunomg.com/

(4) https://partnerhelp.netflixstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/115016062708-Dubbed-Audio-Style-Guide-VO-Style-Dubbing

(5) https://www.spgstudios.com/localization

[buckybeardreams]

Unwanted

Chapters: 7/11

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark

Characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Brock Rumlow, James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Harley Keener

Additional Tags: Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alpha Steve Rogers, Omega Tony Stark, Service Top, Dominant Bottom, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Virgin Steve Rogers, Brock Rumlow is a Good Bro, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Romantic Soulmates, First Meetings, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sappy, Romantic Fluff, Awkwardness, Drinking to Cope, Self-Worth Issues, Insecure Tony Stark, Insecure Steve Rogers, Age Difference, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Bonding, Claiming Bites, Claiming, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Non-Explicit Sex, Light Dom/sub, Mutual Masturbation, Coming Untouched, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000, Knotting

Series: Part 1 of Second Chances

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7 Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11

Can also be read here

Summary:

Steve is a soft Alpha and Tony is an in charge kind of Omega with no desire to find a mate. He doesn't want to find his soulmate and when he does meet Steve he's determined to stay away from him.

That is until he realizes just how right they are for each other.

Words: 1,898

After that they saw each other almost everyday. When they weren't together they were texting or talking on the phone and at night there seemed to always be phone sex, until Tony suggested that he wanted to see Steve, then suddenly they were getting off over Zoom. It was overwhelming to Tony just how quickly his entire life seemed to revolve around Steve and yet it wasn't nearly enough.

It was a week after Sam and Brock's dinner party that Tony's heat hit. He was at work at the time, heading through the kitchen to get to the employee break room in the back when he hunched over in pain.  Tony groaned, suffering through what must have been the worst cramp of his life and it had come on so fast and out of the blue that he seriously hadn't expected it. Bucky turned the stove off and came over to Tony, cautious because Tony got a bit touchy about Alphas trying to help him, but clearly concerned.

"Tony? You okay?"

Tony shook his head.

"No, no, something's wrong. I think I'm dying," Tony moaned dramatically, dropping to his knees and curling in on himself until his forehead was pressed up against the cold ground.

"Should I call 9-1-1?" Bucky asked, not entirely certain what was happening.

Tony knew exactly what was happening, even though it had never felt this bad before, at least not so quickly. This was so sudden, the awful cramps, the heat coursing through his body, the slick pooling in his underwear. This was his body's way of demanding a knot when it knew it had one available, when it knew that its soulmate would come and provide exactly what it needed.

Tony whined as he fumbled with his phone, pulling it out of his pocket. His hands were trembling and he could barely unlock it before he was cramping up again and his phone slipped from his grasp, clattering to the floor, his arms wrapping around himself.

"I need my Alpha."

Bucky froze.

"Your... Alpha?"

Tony nodded, groaning in pain.

"Please, Bucky, I need him."

Bucky stood there for a moment longer, stunned by the news that Tony had an Alpha, but he swiped up the phone when Tony cried out in pain again.

"What's his name?"

"Steve," Tony whined, sounding more like he was calling out for his Alpha than like he was telling the name to Bucky.

Bucky's heart twinged in his chest, but he ignored the jealousy that he felt at the thought of Tony having an Alpha. It wasn't like Tony had ever shown an interest in Bucky anyway. Tony had never shown an interest in any Alpha, at least not that Bucky knew of. Bucky found Steve's name easily, there were dozens of calls from and to him in the past few days alone. Bucky gritted his teeth, biting back a growl and called Steve. He answered on the first ring, like he was just sitting around waiting for a call from Tony.

"Are you on break, pretty Omega?" The voice on the line, Steve's voice, said, a fondness to it that made Bucky's heart ache a little.

It was like the thought of Tony calling him on his break was the most adorable thing ever to Steve, but in a way, one that Bucky couldn't quite pinpoint, it seemed almost more like an Omega inquiring about their Alpha's day, than an Alpha asking their Omega a question. Bucky wasn't sure why he felt that way and he immediately shook the strange feeling away. Bucky couldn't say anything for a moment, a lump in his throat.

"Tony?" Steve asked, sounding a touch concerned.

"No, um, this is Bucky. I, um, work with Tony. He told me to call you."

"Why? What's wrong?" Steve demanded.

He sounded so much like a concerned Alpha then that Bucky disregarded any strangeness from before.

"I think he's going into heat," Bucky answered immediately.

Just then Tony cried out again and Steve cursed.

"I'll be right there. Tell him I'll be right there."

Bucky relayed the message to Tony who started sobbing, maybe from relief now that he knew his Alpha was on the way, or maybe just because he was overwhelmed and in pain. Bucky wasn't quite sure. He could hear rustling and a door creaking open and slamming shut over the line.

"Bucky?" Steve asked.

Bucky's eyes widened at the sound of his name coming so unexpectedly off of Steve's tongue.

"Can I trust you to keep him safe?"

Bucky's eyes landed on Tony.

"Of course," Bucky said without a second thought. "I would never let anything happen to him."

Steve paused, like he was considering something, but then he just thanked Bucky and hung up.

Bucky helped Tony up off the ground and into the break room. He then went to talk to Pietro who was working the bar and told him to call his sister, Wanda, in to cover the rest of Tony’s shift. When he returned to the break room Tony was curled in on himself, but he reached out for Bucky when he saw him.

"Alpha, Alpha," Tony sobbed, clutching onto Bucky's shirt.

"Steve's gonna be here so soon, Tony," Bucky promised, sitting down next to him on the shabby second hand couch. 

Bucky stiffened when Tony climbed into his lap and his breathing picked up. This was the closest to Tony he'd ever been and the Omega was scenting so pretty. Bucky had to swallow down a growl and clench his fist to keep from touching him. Steve showed up in record time, driving over the speed limit to get there. Pietro pointed him in the direction of the break room and Steve burst in, heading over to Tony immediately.

"Oh, baby, shh, it's okay. I'm right here, pretty Omega," Steve soothed, scooping him up off of Bucky's lap.

Tony immediately nuzzled up against Steve, his entire body relaxing, recognizing that its Alpha was here now. Suddenly all was well with the world. Steve didn't have any personal experience with an Omega in heat, but he did know that the moment of relief wouldn't last long. He eyed Bucky, his eyes raking up and down him and Bucky dropped his gaze, not wanting to appear as a threat to the other Alpha.

"He climbed into my lap, I swear," Bucky blurted out, then immediately cringed.

What if this guy was the kind of asshole Alpha that would get pissed off at his Omega for touching another Alpha?

He didn't know Steve, so he had no way of knowing, not that he really thought Tony would put up with that kind of shit. Even strong headed people like Tony could end up in abusive relationships though.

"But he's so out of it, man. I'm not even sure he knows it was me," Bucky added just as quickly.

Steve raised a brow at him, chuckling slightly.

"Trust me, Tony can do whatever he wants to do. I'm not going to tell him who he can or can't touch."

Bucky relaxed, nodding.

"Good, well, um, you should probably get him out of here."

"Yeah," Steve agreed, heading for the door.

He paused, turning back, just the slightest of a blush on his cheeks, but something sincere in his eyes.

"Thanks, Bucky."

"'Course, I'd do anything for Tony."

Steve hummed.

"Yeah, I get that feeling."

Bucky wasn't quite sure what to make of that and Steve wasn't quite sure what to make of Bucky, but he didn't have time to think too much about it.

*****

Steve drove much more carefully as he headed to Tony's place, calling Brock first to get the address since Tony wouldn't say more than Alpha and please. Tony was wrapped around Steve, rutting up against him and rubbing his ass on Steve's crotch, which wasn't exactly safe seeing as they were on a motorcycle going forty-five miles an hour.

Luckily, Tony lived close by and they made it there in under five minutes. Tony even let Steve set him down on the couch and head off to the kitchen to slice up fruit for his Omega. Steve was just plating the food and setting it on a tray when Tony whined, a high pitched sound that had his Alpha rushing to his side, the tray of fruit abandoned.

"What is it, pretty Omega? What do you need?"

"Need you!" Tony demanded, the whine more of an order than anything else.

Tony grabbed Steve's shirt and tugged until his Alpha loomed over him, his hips rolled up to meet Steve's and they both groaned at the feeling.

"Fuck me," Tony said in that almost growl sort of way that was both adorable and such a turn on.

Steve whimpered, tugging down his sweats and boxers until his dick sprang free. Tony was already wet and open when Steve undressed him, his body preparing itself to take his Alpha's knot, but Steve still pressed a finger experimentally into him, moaning at the way Tony clenched around him.

"More," Tony whined, grinding down on his finger.

Steve sucked and licked at his neck, right where his mark would go, adding a second finger. Tony rocked his hips and rolled them, anything to get more pressure. He just needed more.

"Your knot, Alpha," Tony told him, licking at his lips. "Give me your knot. I'm ready. I can take it."

"Whatever you want, pretty Omega. I'll give you whatever you want," Steve promised, pulling out his fingers.

Steve's tip felt hot on his hole, delicious as it pressed inside and the stretch was heavenly. Tony's eyes fluttered shut when Steve was fully seated and so did Steve's. Steve knew he should probably stop, but he’d never felt anything like this before, the way Tony felt all tight and hot wrapped around his dick. His hips stuttered forward, trying to push in even deeper. Tony moaned, rolling his hips, a gasp falling off his parted lips.

"You like that, baby?" Steve murmured, kissing and nibbling at his neck. "You like having your Alpha's cock inside you? Filling you up?"

"S'good, Alpha," Tony slurred. "Gimme more. I need your knot."

Steve grunted, pulling his hips out slowly before easing them back in. Steve had always assumed he would like being fucked. He had never really thought much about getting his dick wet. He had been fingering himself since he hit puberty, but being with Tony like this brought out a desire in him to protect and provide. He just wanted to give Tony pleasure, to make his pretty Omega happy.

When Steve's knot finally popped, Tony sighed in relief, feeling like he was exactly where he belonged. His arms wrapped around Steve's neck and his legs wrapped themselves around his lower back, holding him close.

"Don't leave me," Tony mumbled sleepily, his eyes fluttering shut.

Steve physically couldn't leave Tony right now, but he knew the Omega wasn't talking about that. Tony didn't want his Alpha to help him through his heat and then walk out on him. Steve nuzzled against him, careful to keep enough of his weight off of Tony that he wouldn't be uncomfortable, but still staying pressed close so Tony would feel secure.

"Never," Steve whispered, like a secret whispered softly into the night, just for the two of them to hear. "I'll never leave you, Tony."

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Fruits Basket 53 (s3 ep 3) | Wave, Listen to Me! 3 | God of High School 7 | Kemono Jihen 8 - 12 (FINAL) | Visual Prison 1 | Mieruko-chan 1

Fruits Basket 53 (s3 ep 3)

You only want what you can’t have in a lot of cases…whether that be something from the past you can only live through once, like this…

Wave, Listen to Me! 3

Now that I’m in a server where one of my fellow admins is a trans gay dude…I wonder if it’s okay to enjoy gay people being the butt of a joke like this (quite literally, in one sense)?

INGRY MONGRY.

…what are the turtles for(?) Update: Oh, the turtles are Mizuho’s.

I think Minare thanks Jupiter because of the Maroon 5 song, Drops of Jupiter…I feel like that’s the only way to explain it, even though the chart rankings on Wikipedia say the song never charted in Japan.

God of High School 7

*38-year-old high schooler* - LOL, wut?

LOL, the swearing finally hit its limit on Crunchyroll, eh?

I seem to remember people who read the source text said the pacing was too fast, but I don’t feel that, as an anime-only watcher. Then again, they increased the focus on the fights, so I’m not complaining.

LOL, Sixsung. The only Korean word I know well is “chaebol”, so I think it’s used here. (<- did not use volume)

Kemono Jihen 8

“Inugami” is written as “hidden god”. Hmm.

Nobimaru, you asshole!

Kemono Jihen 9

LOL, Kabane’s on the floor.

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww…an eight year old and…how old is Kabane again? 15 at best? Please tell me you’re joking…

Kemono Jihen 10

(no notes, sorry!)

Kemono Jihen 11

(no notes, sorry!)

Kemono Jihen 12 (FINAL)

Get some clothes, Kabane! More than Shiki’s jacket!

LOL, Kabane is such a derp!

Okay, that was really fun, albeit not quite finished. Also still barfing at how Aya seems to be in love with Kabane…See you next time while I recover...

Visual Prison 1

Checking this out because I am 7 episodes from approaching the (self-imposed) threshold on my spreadsheet – that is, I had over 100 eps accrued on that thing and, once I finish those 7 I’ll have exactly 100 old episodes, so I can move on to checking out the new anime.

Of all the things in the world this anime needed, why did it have to be a panda cat? *raises eyebrow*

I like a concert-like experience, but I swear it’s the same yells on loop! Gah!

These twins(?) remind me of the Beppus (Boueibu s2).

There’s a member of the Discord server who likes Iori of Paradox Live, so I am reminded of Iori when I see this Saga guy *sweatdrops*. (Note: I am currently an admin of a Discord server for Hypnosis Mic. This was one of the reasons I fell behind on my simulcasts – the conversations there would happen for most hours of the day and always sucked up anime-watching time.)

Waiwaiwaiwaitttttttttttt…microphone swords???? That’s something not even Hypnosis Mic does and you know how much I love that series! You have my attention!

What’s with the “Bro”??? Honestly, there’s not much to comment on if it’s just music video after music video…

*vampire gets bitten into, he screams in ecstasy* Uhhhhhhhh…there is clearly a sexual metaphor here, but I will refrain from commenting on it…

When it says “thank you”, Ange specifically seems to be saying “thank you for helping me” in the Japanese. However, it seems to be readily apparent from the previous text he is saying this, too, hence the simplification. (Also, it’s possible I misheard him. I suck at listening to Japanese these days.)

Hah…that was…interesting, to say the least. It’s threadbare in plot, hard to comment on, but a fun viewing experience, if campy.

Mieruko-chan 1

To be honest, I wasn’t planning on watching this one - I heard about the fanservice when reading others’ first episode impressions. However, I kept hearing about it from someone in the Discord server and so it got to the point where I checked it out anyway.

Question for all the writers out there: is in medias res always a good place to start? (<- might write a blog post about this)

*cringe* What’s with Hana’s boob shots?

*cringes again at the panty shot*

*gives sus eyes to the butt shot*

Funi translated “uneasy”, but they didn’t translate one of the other calligraphy on the walls, which is 虚構 (kyokou), or “fictitious”. A different one says “hope” (kibou) and ye another says “despair” (zetsubou).

I think the moment where Miko is proven to be haunted is a masterclass in how to scare people – I mean, the build-up (establishing Hana wasn’t there with the camera angle and the photo appearing many times until you could see a different face) was slow but steady.

I knew this was a horror-comedy going into it and I knew the entire premise, but…seeing it in execution now is…kinda disappointing. Miko has the ignorance down to a T.

*cringes again at butt shot* The fact most of my reactions here are cringes…is a bad sign, really.

*sighs at unnecessary underwear line/camel toe*

The bag actually said “Kanata no Shio” (Faraway Salt/Salt Over There)…it’s probably a Japanese brand I’m not familiar with. Update: Checked it and it seems to be a brand unique to this anime.

“Gangle”, LOL.

Welp, it’s a horror-comedy that executes on the horror, but not on the comedy much. It’s a shame too, because it’s just in time for Halloween.

[chuchiotaku]

Ok, first of all

HOW DARE YOU MAKING ME THINK I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL JANUARY FOR THE NEW CHAPTER!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF THE HEART ATTACK I HAD THIS MORNING WHEN I SAW THE UPDATE!?!?

Ok, now that, ehm... I'm calmed down, let me gush on your art piece once again.

I loved everything. I said last time that I wanted some shocking dose of angst, but I didn't knew how heart clenching would have been seeing Ron saying goodbye to... his friends, again, and for the last time. How many things not said, how many plans that will never see the light, how many... apologies, never to be make...

I'm happy that the mirror made him see (and hear) what his loved one truly thought of him, but I'm still bitter for the fact that he had to DIE before he actually got some vocal recognition.

But moving on from depressing topics, I loved seeing the sibling so tight with each other and Harry! I felt almost as if you anticipated Harry's second year summer, and now they get to see Sirius too? Original Harry would be terribly proud of his Ron and terribly jealous of that little Harry...

I really liked Pettigrew's breakdown at the end of the process. And I loved (and hated too, of course) his threats: making 'regret to be born' the same guy that fought and gained the upper hand on Bellatrix? Twice!? Ok buddy, whatever makes you feel better... But if in order to hurt Ron you target one of his brothers or Ginny... well, it has never been a pleasure meet you.

And it's also good seeing Pandora alive! Another Truespartan's Fateverse character added in the rooster, I can't wait to see her in action!

And at least this time Albus is actually ackwnoledging Ron, wonder if he's already planning a role for him in his chessplay againts Tom. I hope he will grow to love him as he'll love Harry.

And I know tastes are subjective but... I think the anon was just short sighted, Ron is totally the person that for his loved ones is ready to move mountains and seas (Buckbeak's trial proved it. How he started searching for past trials in his free time is proof how much is ready to invest himself if it means to help his friend) and I don't expect that everything is going to be all fine and dandy the whole time. Peter's threats scream 'FORESHADOWING' for an ipotetical plot in the third year (way less traumatazing regarding what happened with him in Fate... brrr). Ron is just... trying to sow the best he can, and only at the reaping time we'll see what he did right or wrong.

Keep it going! You are an increadible writer! See you next time, and happy new year!

(And give me some Daphne showtime damn it!!)

First off, anon, happy New Year! 🎉🎉🎉

Ahaha, sorry about the mini-heart attack.  I was aiming to post chapters 14 and 15 relatively close together because they’re initially planned to be one chapter but I hit some snags so yeah, chapter 15 got delayed.  But at least it’s up now, right?  :)

[Warning: Long response ahead. ]

I said last time that I wanted some shocking dose of angst, but I didn't knew how heart clenching would have been seeing Ron saying goodbye to... his friends, again, and for the last time. 

That part at the mirror was very relatable, I think.  There are things we will always want, but deep down, we know they can never be.  In order for Ron to move forward, he had to acknowledge that and let go, something he learned he had to do after that Owlery scene with Harry.  

Not that he entirely has, mind you.  But it’s a good step forward.

I'm happy that the mirror made him see (and hear) what his loved one truly thought of him

It’s a comforting interpretation, but I feel the need to remind my readers that the Mirror of Erised shows only the deepest desires of its viewer. The scene where the new life versions of Ron’s loved ones take over the older ones, telling Ron that they accept and love him, is Ron’s true deepest desire now that he time travelled. Not that it is what’s real.  That’s why Ron broke down, because he knows deep down it’s just a fantasy.  Weell, we know that’s not entirely true, but to him it is.  

(The Deluminator souvenir from Death and its visions, on the other hand...)

but I'm still bitter for the fact that he had to DIE before he actually got some vocal recognition.

You know what they say: you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.  :shrugs: Honestly, Ron is such a taken-for-granted character both in the books and in the fandom, it’s so frustrating...

Anyway, getting off the angst train!

I loved seeing the sibling so tight with each other and Harry! I felt almost as if you anticipated Harry's second year summer, and now they get to see Sirius too? 

I wanted to show the tight knit Weasley dynamic JK claims they have but never really showed because we are limited to Harry’s narrative (which is understandable).  And as what I have planned for second year summer: safe to say, it will start off like what happened in the books before it veers off canon course.  Because Sirius and Remus are there, and Ron knows it. :)

Original Harry would be terribly proud of his Ron and terribly jealous of that little Harry... 

But of course!  I’d like to think that Ron is one of the, if not THE, characters in his age group that Harry holds such high regard for.  

And who’s to say jealous Harry won’t make an appearance? When Ron’s making more friends outside the Gryffindor house, and a certain someone may get close enough to threaten the best friend position?  😉😉😉

I really liked Pettigrew's breakdown at the end of the process. And I loved (and hated too, of course) his threats: making 'regret to be born' the same guy that fought and gained the upper hand on Bellatrix? Twice!? Ok buddy, whatever makes you feel better... 

Pettigrew doesn’t know who he’s messing with, but Ron too is underestimating the rat a little too much.  Good thing that won’t cause him any problems in the future. 😒

But if in order to hurt Ron you target one of his brothers or Ginny... well, it has never been a pleasure meet you. 

Now that would make Pettigrew wish he was never born.  Haha!

And it's also good seeing Pandora alive! Another Truespartan's Fateverse character added in the rooster, I can't wait to see her in action!

Pandora is Luna’s mother’s canon name, but yes I did get the inspiration from Fate, as well as The Red Knight.  But she won’t be around until Book 2.  Don’t worry, it will come.  I hope.  :sweatdrop:

And at least this time Albus is actually ackwnoledging Ron, wonder if he's already planning a role for him in his chessplay againts Tom. 

Of course Albus will notice a smart and wise beyond his years eleven year old who became best friends with Harry Potter, managed to take on a troll then get involved in the reveal and arrest of a mass murderer who may have something more in common with him than he originally thought (coughmirroroferisedcough).  How Ron will benefit from this attention (if he ever will) or how he’ll deal with this new complication will be part of the story’s fun.  And we’re just getting started.

I hope he will grow to love him as he'll love Harry.

I think many can already tell where I’m planning to go with Albus and Ron’s relationship.  The specifics, however, are the ones I can leave you guys guessing.  It will be good!  Hopefully! 🤞

And I know tastes are subjective but... I think the anon was just short sighted, Ron is totally the person that for his loved ones is ready to move mountains and seas (Buckbeak's trial proved it. How he started searching for past trials in his free time is proof how much is ready to invest himself if it means to help his friend)

I saw it as Guest being too fixated at what happened in the books that they didn’t take into account that the second I changed something in the fic, the butterfly effect is bound to occur.  In fact, Ron’s very presence in a world that isn’t what he left behind is already creating many ripples.  I honestly also saw it as them underestimating Ron a bit.  He’s a typical boy during most of the books: lazy with his studies because he is unmotivated.  Give him purpose and you’ll get to see him really shine, exactly like what you said about the Buckbeak thing.

It’s canon that Ron is smarter than he appears.  I mean, can a normal eleven year old remember the exact names of the laws on dragons, even if their brother is a dragon tamer?  

(It’s also another good basis on how much Ron admires Charlie that he can remember that much! Sorry, Solstice Muse turned me into a Charlie/Ron bro fluff fangirl after Ickle Ronniekins)

I don't expect that everything is going to be all fine and dandy the whole time. Peter's threats scream 'FORESHADOWING' for an ipotetical plot in the third year (way less traumatazing regarding what happened with him in Fate... brrr). 

Fate is a very heavy read, combining some of my favorite Ron-centric tropes while taking their fic to a newer, darker spin.  Truespartan has done a wonderful with it so far (I haven’t finished it yet,).  But as most of you can already tell, my story will be fart different from theirs.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be some dark moments in TBA.  And I’m so thrilled that you got the idea behind Pettigrew’s threats.  They ARE foreshadowing what is to come starting Year 3.  But what exactly?  Care to take a guess?  

Ron is just... trying to sow the best he can, and only at the reaping time we'll see what he did right or wrong.

Very true.  Although to me, it’s not a matter of whether it’s just “right or wrong”, and more of “can Ron deal with the consequences of the changes he made, and whether those consequences are worth the changes?”

Example: from a strictly moral standpoint, revealing Pettigrew and clearing Sirius’ name is the best good and what Ron should do from that thematic perspective.  However, these actions will cause some events to change from what he knew, and even cause entirely new ones (i.e. the plot of Year 3).  Is it worth the possibility of rendering Ron’s future knowledge almost useless?  Who knows? 

Keep it going! You are an increadible writer! See you next time, and happy new year!

Thank you so much for your kind words!  You guys are the reason TBA is still running even after all these years and me taking long breaks.  I hope to finish TBA Year 1 within 2021 so please be patient with me.  I’ll do my best!

(And give me some Daphne showtime damn it!!)

Oh, trust me, I have big plans for Daphne and Astoria.  Might get flak for it in the future, but for this, I’ll have to stick with my guns.  Oh dear...

💖 Happy New Year to you too, anon! And thanks for the ask. 💖

[therainroguefanfiction]

⁂ Push Your Limit (Initial D) Act 3

📑 Table of Contents | ◂ Previous

Author’s Note: This is the author’s note I posted once upon a time when I posted this on Quizilla lol I’m starting to realize how cringy I was back then, my god.

“I think this is finally starting to get good (or maybe it’s just me). Was it exciting for you? Did it make you laugh? I’m seriously having fun writing this XD Even if it IS slightly annoying to write out (but that may be due to my stupid freezing retarted dumbass computer) <—- Almost pulled an Iggy~ Have a good Niay (Night + Day = Niay!), Zilla~!”

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

“What?! What do you mean Cole got in an accident?!” Iggy was shocked. Tak, who was finishing up with a customer, also had his attention on the one who had delivered the bad news. You were standing next to Iggy, just as worried. “When did it happen?!”

“Last night. He hit the guard rail while coming down Akina.” Kenji explained.

“Was he hurt?”

“Thank you for coming,” Tak bowed to the customer before running over to the trio, just as worried as Iggy and you were for the sake of your friend.

“He’s kind of messed up, but it could have been worse. He’s got whiplash and a bunch of scrapes. He’s really P.O.ed about the whole thing. He may have got by with a few nasty bumps, but I heard his car wasn’t so lucky.”

“What’re we gonna do about Saturday? We got the battle meeting!” Iggy asked.

“Yeah, I know. We’re hosed. Unless we find someone willing to drive for Cole.” Kenji looked down at the ground, knowing that the possibility was extremely slim.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

You and Bunta were sitting in the living room watching TV when Tak came home. Without a word, he started up the stairs. He stopped on the sixth step, suddenly remembering something important. Tak walked back down the steps and into the living room. “Before I forget, I was wondering if I could borrow the car this Sunday?”

“Sunday?” Bunta didn’t even turn to look at Tak. “Uhh, no.”

“But why not? I’ll take care of the morning deliveries before I go anywhere!”

“No, that’s not the problem. There’s a town meeting I wanted to go to this Sunday, so I need the car.”

“A town meeting? That figures.” His hand flew to his mouth and he started thinking out loud, “Now what am I supposed to do?”

“Huh?” Bunta noticed this and started laughing. “I get it. Must be a girl.”

You chuckled. “Definitely,” Tak turned red and you burst out laughing. “Right on the money, Bunta!”

“Mind your own business!” Tak looked away, cheeks still flushed a bright red, “Come on, don’t be so stubborn, just let me use it.” his eyes shifted back to his dad, but the red never left, “It’s just an old piece of crap, anyway. I’m taking it.” he shoved his hands in his pockets and started up the stairs.

“A car can’t go very far without a key, which will be on a string around my neck.” Bunta murmured, causing you to chuckle in amusement.

Tak flew back down the stairs, “That’s not fair!”

“If you want it that bad, oh.. I’ll think about it.”

“You will?” Tak smiled.

“There’s one condition.”

“What’s that?” his smile dropped.

Bunta turned serious, turning to look at his son. “There’s some clown who’s known as the fastest on Akagi. I want you to beat the hell out of him on Akina’s downhill Saturday night.”

You tilted your head to the side, glancing at the old man. ‘So this was his plan? I guess Cole got to him.’

“You want me to do… what?”

“If you do that, the car is all yours on Sunday. Tell ya what, I’ll even throw in a full tank of gas.”

“Full tank of gas? Hmmm.” His hand moved to his chin as his eyes closed in thought.

You didn’t bother looking at him as you sipped your soda. His answer was obvious.

“Well? What’s it gonna be?”

“I’m gonna need to think about it for a little bit,” Tak answered, his hand moving to the bridge of his nose as he climbed the stairs once more.

“That’s fine. Take all the time ya need.” Bunta smiled, knowing he had captured Tak’s interest.

“That’s pretty sneaky, Bunta,” you said once Tak was in his room. “Any hidden intentions I should be aware of?”

“Not really.” he responded lazily, “I want you to go with him, though. Keep him in line.”

You shrugged. “Sure. I’d love to see him beat that blonde idiot into the pavement. With a front-row seat… it’ll be lovely. I should bring some popcorn!”

Bunta chuckled before lighting up a cigarette.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

“I wonder if it’s going to be sunny tomorrow,” Tak wondered, mind elsewhere.

“Why do you bother me with such boneheaded questions? The TV said it was gonna be sunny the whole week.” Iggy answered.

The three of you were walking on the bridge that went over the street, allowing pedestrians to cross the road safely, on your way home from school.

“Why? Do you have special plans?” Iggy questioned, glancing at his best friend.

“I’m going to the beach.”

“Hmm? The beach?” he paused, before freaking out and grabbing the front of Tak’s white school shirt, “AHHHH! You’re cruisin’ to the coast to chill and you’re not taking along your best friend?!” His gaze snapped to you. “Are you going?”

“Nope,” you answered, pulling a cigarette from your pocket.

He turned deadly serious. “Wait a minute…” The seriousness was quickly lost, “You’re going with a babe, aren’t cha? Aren’t cha?!”

“Sort of.”

“Who is she?! Do I know her?! Does she hate me?! Is she fine?! Does she have a nice rack?! What does she look like?!”

“Is that all you care about?” You rolled your eyes.

Iggy looked at you in disbelief. “Duh! If she ain’t cute or have a nice rack, what’s the point?”

“You’re pathetic.”

“You’re just mad that you’re not cute!”

“The fuck you just say to me?!” You growled, grabbing for his shirt, but he ducked away, hiding behind Tak, who wasn’t even paying attention.

“She’s real cute,” Tak answered dreamily. You could practically see the lightbulb appear above Iggy’s head.

“I know… Natalie…”

Tak nodded, smiling sheepishly and scratching his cheek. “Yeah,”

“You should have fessed up man!” Iggy cried.

“I know, it just didn’t seem right to tell her that I wanted you to hang with us. Next time we go, bro, you’re comin’, kay?”

Iggy turned around, crying waterfalls.

Tak sweatdropped, “Will you knock it off?”

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

You and Bunta were sitting in the living room once more, watching the Masked Singer on TV. Tak came in and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.

“So~ You gonna do it?” Bunta asked, not turning to look at his son.

“I guess, but I’m not really into it.”

“Why not? Don’t you think you can win? Just drive like you normally do. You won’t lose.”

Tak sighed, closing his eyes and grabbing his brown bangs with his hand, deep in thought. You watched him closely, waiting for him to utter the response you knew was coming. How could he turn down such an offer? “Fine.”

Bunta sent you a look before removing the key from around his neck and tossing it at him. The three of you stepped out into the cool night air.

Tak got into the driver’s seat, revving up the car as he turned the foglights on. You sat in the passenger seat, feeling relaxed.

“Do I need to take the paper cup with me today?”

You smirked at the comment Tak made.

“You don’t need that cup, you’re not carrying any tofu with ya on this run. This isn’t like your regular runs, so push it as hard as you can.”

“Don’t forget, you said a full tank of gas.”

“I know, I didn’t forget.”

“Alright then, I’m out of here.”

“Good luck. Keep each other safe.”

Tak shifted gears and took off for Mt. Akina.

You glanced at him before turning your attention toward the window. ‘This is going to be so~ interesting,’ you folded your hands behind your head, lips twitching up. ‘And I’m getting a fucking front row seat. I can’t way to see the look on that rich bitch’s face,’

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

* Drifting Terms:

Braking Drift – Upon entering a corner, a driver slightly depresses the brake in order to shift the balance of grip to the front tires, therefore allowing the rear tires to slide into a drift with ease.

Clutch Kick – Depressing the clutch upon entering a corner causes the rear end of the car to kick upwards, shifting the balance of the grip to the front and allowing the driver to perform a drift by swinging the rear around in the corner.

Dirt Drop – Initiating a drift by allowing the rear tires to slide off the road and into the shoulder.

Inertia Drift – An inertia drift is initiated by feinting the car towards the outisde of a corner and quickly steering towards the inside. The resulting rebound of grip initiates a dynamic slide in the normal cornering direction.

Jump Drift – This occurs when a rear tire is bumped off the inside curb of a turn in order to lose traction in the rear, resulting in drift.

Shift Lock – When entering a corner, the driver downshifts and allows the RPM to drop. Upon releasing the clutch, the rear wheels slow due to engine braking, causing understeer.

Side Breaking (E-Brake Turns) – Pulling the E-Brake during cornering causes traction loss in the rear, resulting in oversteer. E-Brake turns are necessary to induce a drift in an FF car.

Straightaway Drifting – A high-speed drift initiated on a straight section of road in order to achieve a maximum drift angle.

━━━━━━༻🌧️༺━━━━━━

▸Next

📜 Read more by checking out my masterlist 📜

[sevenringsblingbling]

Sienna and Colson part 5

Word count: 2,087

@creatureofthen1ght-v3 <3

As we everyone else chowed down on their breakfast all I could do was push the food around on my plate. Turned off by the eggs and pancakes in front of me. I would take small bites just so no one would suspect anything. On the ride back home I could sense tension starting to build between us. It also didn't help that Colson and I wanted to do more drugs and the weird thing about coke is that once you hit the first line you just want to keep the party going, it's an agonizing cycle. “I'm gonna take a quick shower. You staying or what?” The tone in his voice was flat almost as if he was pissed off and wanted me to leave. “So you sound like you want me gone?” I sat on the edge of the bed putting my shoes on. He sucked his teeth. “Alright don't start that shit Sienna. I'm already agitated.” He took out his phone and started scrolling. “Calling one of your little hoes? Fine! So selfish!” I pushed on his forehead walking past to get my bag. If he wanted me gone then fine. I could take a hint.

“Get your ass back here!” He yanked my arm pulling me back towards him. “Ow! What are you trying to break it?!” He took a deep sigh and rubbed his head. “Sorry but fuck Sienna, you know that shit pisses me off and I’m fucking tired and I..you know how I get when I’m on this shit. Just chill.” I nodded my head slowly and laid down stretching my body out. “So umm you got anymore?” I could feel physically my body was getting tired but my brain was still wired. Sleep wasn't happening anytime soon thanks to the nose candy so I had nothing but time to kill. “Oh yeah.” He reached for a gym bag in the closet and took out another eight ball but I was determined not to clean the whole bag just a little would be fine. He chopped up a few lines with a credit card on the dresser. “Ladies first” He handed me the steel straw. My mouth was watering for this. I snorted two lines as fast as I could. It hit me immediately. “Oh my god.” I stumbled back almost falling down but Colson caught me. 

“Woah party girl go easy on this shit.” He laughed helping me back on my feet. My heart was beating so fast I thought it might jump out my chest. “I can’t it's so good baby.” I walked over to the mini fridge and popped open a beer. Colson turned around from the dresser “My fucking face is so numb.” His eyes were glassy but still he was beautiful to me. We legit talked our faces off about everything under the sun. On his third trip up to the dresser I started feeling a little concerned. He was snorting way too much in such a short period of time. “Heyy big head um don't you think it's time to sober up?” He shrugged his shoulder and did another bump. “Colson chill out on that shit. I’m serious.” He ignored my pleas. “Shut up already. I know my limit.” With his back turned toward me. I stood up stretching my legs. This fool was still doing little bumps. 

“Colson! Fucking stop!” I put my hand on his shoulder and turned him around. “You need to chill out on this shit. Really though we need to stop using it. I've already lost fifteen pounds and I feel like shit half the time. This is too much.” I took a deep breath. When I first used I thought it would just be something fun to get into party mode but it was starting to get out of control. “And you’ve been losing weight too. I'm scared, you're getting too thin.” He just sucked his teeth. “I'm not stopping. You can do what you want but this is how I cope.” I wasn't surprised by his answer. His stubbornness wouldn't let me have the last word. “Are you fucking kidding me? Colson look things have been bad for awhile now. We need to stop this. It's getting out of hand.” He ignored my pleas and turned back around. “Your fucking heart is going to explode you idiot!” “Well at least I’d die with a big bang.” He just laughed it off sniffing his nose. “Fuck it then! I'm so out of here.”

He yanked my hair back hard. “You little slut get your ass back here!” I fell against the foot of the bed hitting my head. My body throbbing. “Fuck you Colson!” I kicked him in the stomach with my heel. Not caring that his shirt ripped a little hole in it. He jumped on top of me mushing my face against the comforter. “I’ll fucking kill you and the cops will never find your body.” A tear streamed down my cheek. I felt scared and alone. I wasn’t sure if he meant it or not. Just then there was a knock on the door. We both stopped in our tracks. “Ayy what the fuck is going on in there?” It was Slim’s voice. He got off of me and walked over to the door cracking it just enough “We good. No worries.” I guess Slim could hear my cries and nudged the door open a little more. There I was in a curled up ball on the floor. Hair a mess hugging my thighs. 

“Bro what the fuck!” He pushed the door open walking over to me. “Are you okay Sie?” I muffled a “No.” I was crying so hard. Not only was I in shock but now embarrassed that his friend caught us like this. “Get out!” Colson screamed at his friend. Slim looked around and saw the coke sprawled on the dresser and shook his head. “Bro what the fuck? You can’t keep living like this.” Colson just shook his head and laughed. “You taking up for this hoe? Ya’ll two fucking behind my back or something.” I couldn't believe Colson would stoop so low and make crazy ass accusations. “What? Colson you’re not making sense right now.” Slim walked to him. “Nah what's not making sense is that you’re taking up for her! You know what, I’ve seen the way ya’ll look at eachother I’m not fucking stupid.” They stood face to face and up until now I’d never seem things get so bad. They were brothers. 

“That's enough Colson! You’re crazy.” I stood up and grabbed my bag. “You know what get the fuck out!” He pushed me out the bedroom door. Slim touched his shoulder. “Bro chill she’s gonna call the cops.” Colson swatted his hand off. “Don’t fucking touch me. You like this hoe so much well go with her!” “What?!” “Get the fuck out! Both of you!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Colson this is your brother, you stop this right now and apologize!” He walked past both of us storming into Slims room and throwing his stuff down the stairs. “I want you out of my fucking house!” Slim stood there in shock. Colson was throwing down all of his stuff. Electronics, shoes, clothes, hats it didn't matter. 

All of the guys downstairs rushed up to see what what going on. Slim and Colson were yelling having a shoving match. Things had escalated so fast I didn't know what to do. “What the fuck?” One of the guys asked, looking at everything on the steps. “He’s coked out! Accusing me and shit!” Slim shoved Colson and fist started flying. Baze tried to break it up. “Stop!” He turned to Colson. “Bro your fucked up for this.” Colson was at a loss for words he balled up his fist and punched a hole in the wall right above my head. His knuckle started bleeding. “Colson you're scaring me.” I slid down the wall in hopes to just disappear from all of this. Everyone was silent for a moment. Colson cleared his throat. “I want all out you out of my fucking house! Taking up for this whore.” This was the worst day of my life. I couldn't believe it. 

Rather than fight more all the guys gathered what they could and left the house. Sienna was torn all to pieces. One of the guys were kind enough to call her an Uber home. She was in no shape to drive. They all decided to crash at a friend's house until Colson got his act together. It was a stressful time for all of them. One day out the blue Colson sent a group text explaining everything that happened and promised to get professional help. Saying that he needed his brothers by his side and he would never fight them again. Colson was especially choked up explaining to Slim everything. They were like blood brothers who had been through so much shit together he didn't want to throw in the towel on something so silly. Meanwhile some time passed and Sie hadn’t heard anything from Colson. She didn’t know what to think. Was he sorry for what he had done? Was he in rehab? How was he holding up? Sie checked his social media and saw a post five days ago that had all the guys with the caption “brothers4L” Sie was happy to see this but he hadn’t even sent her a text to see how she was. 

Some time had passed and I was determined to move on with my life. Men come and go and I needed a fresh start for my body and mind. I had gained a few pounds back and was going walking every morning. One morning in particular something caught me off guard. I got dressed as usual and did my thirty minute walk on a trail I frequented. When I got back home there were rose petals at my doorstep, confused I opened the door and to my surprise there were roses everywhere! On the table, floor, just all over. I was in shock. “Oh my.” I smiled. I saw a note on top off the bouquet of roses on the coffee table it read:

I know I’m a fuck up and don’t deserve someone as sweet as you and hopefully you find it in your heart to give me another chance. I miss you like crazy. I want to see you. I'm getting help, I swear. I just..you know this industry shit has me fucked up but anyways meet me at our usual dinner spot tonight. I want to talk to you about something important. I got something for you on your bed. See you at nine thirty.

I was in shock. This came out of nowhere and I had to admit I wanted to see him badly. I needed to look in his eyes. My bed was covered in rose petals and on top was a red satin box. I sat down and opened it. There it was in all its beauty, a blinged out diamond choker. “Wow this is gorgeous.” I laid back taking it all in. finally we would be face to face. I know I said I wanted to move on but not now. Besides, I had to see what this ‘something important’ was about.

By nine-fifteen I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup. I had to look my best tonight. I had to show him how royally he screwed up. I was certain he was still sleeping with other women. Colson wouldn't go weeks without sex. I chalked it up to being a man thing but that didn't mean he cared about those other girls. I took a deep breath and tried not to focus on that. I put on a little black dress and matching shoes along with the choker. “Oww you looking goodt girlie. Eat your heart out Colson.” I looked in the mirror recording a video feeling like one of those instagram baddies. Just then there was a knock on the door. I opened. It was a young man dressed like a limo driver “Good evening ma'am. This is for you.“ He handed me a gift bag filled with my favorite snacks and goodies. I swear colson knew me too well. “I was told to drive you to a um.” He looked down at his phone. “A Tres Leche. On Downton Boulevard.” Welp here we go.

[samatok-i]

sooooo this is my first request here so I spent 737484647 hours thinking on what would be a good start but I think I'll settle for something simple,, may I request first date headcannons for the boyes?

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE WAIT TUMBLR RLLY LET ME HAVE IT!!! blease accept these qwq (im breaking them up by division so the post wont be so cluttered :0)

💫 Allstars on a First Date Pt. 1💫

♡Buster Bros♡ :

Ichiro: 

-He wants to take you to the movies! He’s not picky at all about what you guys go to see because he’s the kinda guy to enjoy the experience no matter what kinda movie it was! He’d love to talk about it afterwards with you if the movie was trash or if it was really good! (when he saw Into the Spider-verse with his bros he raved about it for days) 

-(his fav spidey person is Peni cuz he’s a slut for mecha anime)

-If you wanted to pick the movie that’d be totally fine with him! (unless theres a new movie adaption of an anime he wants to see- he’d agree with your choice but you can see the Longing in his eyes as he walks past the poster and you just might hafta give in lmao)

-Definitely pays for your snacks and drinks even if you protest because he’s a huge sweetheart (need me a MANS)

-He’s no scrub either he goes for the large drink, the large popcorn. AND king size m&ms??? Do you even deserve him????? No baby I’ll hold the food tray you’ve done enough 😤

-He finds y’all good seats and takes the tray so you can get comfortable before doing so himself and immediately going to demolish the popcorn before the previews end because he’ll always be a rebel at heart

-During the movie he (subtly but not Really) shifts closer to you and occasionally leans over or puts his hand on your shoulder lightly to whisper a joke or a thought he has about the movie in your ear (stay calm Reader-chan)

-You sorta spend the rest of the movie whispering jokes and making witty comments and giggling to yourselves like adult children and Ichiro thinks your laugh when your trying not to laugh is cute

-If something funny happens during the movie he’ll laugh loudly, if something sad happens you’ll hear him sniffling into his jacket sleeve and if something scary happens he’d keep that to himself but the way the his voice wavers when he asks if you’re okay kind of gives him away (he will Jump at the opportunity to hold your hand if you ask)

-He asks to stay after the credits because he cannot miss any after credits scenes its not in his blood, that’s not the kinda man he is

-After the movie is officially over he beats you to throwing away the trash and putting the tray back

-Would also immediately fire off about what stuck out to him in the movie and what he thought it lacked and ask your thoughts about it with a glimmer in his eyes

-He set a curfew for himself that he told his brothers he’d be back by but you both have a few more hours to kill so he asks if you wanted to grab dinner somewhere

-The place he takes you too isn’t fancy or high class, it’s just a nice, warm family diner he takes Jiro and Saburo to sometimes- he promises you’ll like it! (the place is also very special to him yknow)

-”If you don’t like it you never hafta go out with me again!” he joked but when you told him in all seriousness that you wouldn’t do that to him, some sort of tension fell away from his demeanor and he laughed warmly (relieved even) and said how that was real sweet of you

-Ichiro makes good conversation over dinner- he treats you like that he would an old friend or someone close to him and makes sure you stay engaged in the conversation just as much as he is

-After dinner (he pays of course- he was quick to whip out his wallet) you both make your way outside of the restaurant and you notice how he starts to fidget by rubbing the back of his neck and shifting his weight from each leg

-He asks if you had a good time and when you tell him you did (you Better) he visibly lights up, all traces of nervousness leaving him and his smile is big and its adorable

-(If you tell him that he wouldn’t know what to do other than stutter out a shocked thank you as his cheeks color)

-He says maybe you guys could go out again sometime? If you want? It’s totally chill if you don’t tho.

-When you say yes you didn’t think his smile could get any brighter and you realize how nice it makes you feel. How fuzzy.

-”Okay cool! That’s awesome! I’ll talk to you later alright? Be careful on your way home!”

-When you respond he starts fidgeting again like he wants to say something else and when you’re about to ask him what was up he quickly pecks your cheek before you could even register how close he had gotten. If his face wasn’t red before it definitely is now

-”I’ll call you okay? G’night!” he waves as he’s leaving and his big smile never leaves his face

Jiro:

-It’s arcade time! That would definitely be his first choice on where to take you

-Ichiro insists Jiro bring you over before y’all leave and although Jiro would love for his Niichan to meet you he can’t say the same for that little rugrat he’s forced to share a home with

-Of course he brings you anyway because Ichiro really wanted to meet you and Jiro can’t just say no to his older brother like that (Ichiro made Saburo promise to behave and he did so while wrinkling his nose and shooting Jiro a look behind Ichiro’s back and Jiro shot him a smug look in kind- Ichiro caught that one though and flicked his ear)

-When you reach the front door of the Yamada residence the door swings open before you could even knock

-Ichiro greets you warmly and eagerly ushers you inside telling you how much he’s wanted to meet you because “Jiro talks about you a whole lot yknow!” (Jiro makes a strangled noise of betrayal and his face goes red)

-You get an excited introduction from Ichiro and a less excited more being polite out of obligation introduction from Saburo (who’s about to make a quip at how Jiro even got someone to go on a date with to which Ichiro pushes Jiro towards you and says how you both ought to be going- “Also don’t forget about curfew got it? Have fun!”)

-When y’all make it to the arcade and get your game cards (they’re still tokens in my Heart) Jiro asks what game you wanna hit first and then y’all just sorta take turns dragging each other around

-His personal favorite games are 1v1 fighting games, racing games and dancing games- he loves the competition they bring and if you challenge him it’ll totally pump him up “You’re gonna regret it when I kick your ass!” 

-You guys go around the arcade with a new fighting spirit and try to kick each other asses at almost every game. Basketball, air hockey, hell even wack-a-mole- theres no holding back on any of them

-After you guys’ 3 round long dance battle you announce that you need a Break and he agrees (his jock ass could go for a few more rounds but he don’t wanna leave you out)

-He buys you a drink of your choice because he was informed that that was the Manly thing to do (”gentlemanly” was the word used but technicalities, technicalities) and asked if you’re down to get some food 

-Y’all both go for pizza (unless dear Reader is lack toes of taller ants then he wouldn’t mind letting you pick)

-You guys just share a big platter because Jiro’s funds are limited but he’d still like to treat you

-You guys laugh more often than you chew and take silly videos of each other eating to post on social media until you both decide that it was time to make more rounds around the arcade

-When it’s time to exchange game points for prizes Jiro loses his impulse control (read: non-existent) and picks out a bunch of dumbass shit

-”Bro I’ve wanted a kazoo for so fuckin’ long it ain’t even funny”

-If you want something a little higher on the points list but don’t have enough for he’d put back some of his shit (goodbye Creeper plushie) and say y’all could try combining points

-When its about time to leave Jiro clumsily says that he could walk you home- if you want! It comes out rougher than he intended and he can feel his face heating up but he’s determined to hold eye contact with you until you give him an answer

-He walks home with you until you both reach the front door of your place (also like how he was informed) and says he had a real good time and that y’all should definitely go again…y’know if you want…or whatever…

-You tell him you do and his face is Priceless (shock turning into something more like joy until he schools his features to look less like an excited puppy)

-Now unsure of how to end the conversation without being awkward he settles for the Bro Clap on your shoulder (totally not awkwa r d) and promises to get at you later 

-”I’ll dm you later ok? See ya!” he turns leaving you with a cool wave over his shoulder but he has the biggest grin on his face

Saburo:

-Oh god Saburo’s first date

-It’s his first date

-”Baby’s first date haha” “Shut up, maggot”

-He’s so nervous please help him

-He doesn’t have a clue how he was able to invite you out for the weekend let alone get away with calling it a date

-He’d be stroking his big fat ego if he didn’t feel like he was going to collapse- but he’ll be fine he has to be

-After all it’s just the aquarium! He actually likes the aquarium unlike the idiotic suggestions The Lesser One gave him (he would never go to the mall by choice). But he found the specimens kept at the aquarium to be interesting.

-Also Ichiro said he’d “chaperone” as his support (which Saburo would have never asked his Ichinii to do so in any other situation but…it’s a date. This is not his area of expertise. No matter how much research he had done on what to do and what not to do his anxiety never went away.)

-The plan was to meet the Yamada brothers at the aquarium and sure enough you couldn’t miss the two freakishly tall boys (one waving with both hands and the other meekly raising one hand in greeting)

-Ichiro took the lead, introducing himself on the way in and thanking you for taking care of Saburo (Saburo’s cheeks may have tinged a light pink at that)

-After making your way in Ichiro said he’d get out of y’alls hair and to text him if you needed anything

-Then you were both alone

-Saburo squashes the feeling of unease settling in his stomach and whips out a map of the building, asking if there was an exhibit you’d like to see first and then set off when you’ve made your pick

-At the exhibit he finds himself wanting to tell you what he knows about this particular species but he doesn’t want to annoy you or seem like he’s bragging about his knowledge (thats what kids at school usually assume- and although he Is known to brag he also like to share facts for fun)

-He starts slowly, “You know these animals are actually very interesting..”

-When you turn away from the exhibit to look at him and prompt him to speak more he’s actually startled and stutters a bit before continuing 

-You tell him that what he said was interesting and these animals were cooler than you thought!

-Oh. Oh.

-Saburo’s face feels warm as he opens the map again

-You guys laugh at the otters, marvel at the jellyfish and pet the little stingrays (Saburo was honestly a little reluctant at first but you coax him into it easily and the smile he wears when he touched one is a sweet little thing)

-He was becoming more eager to share his random information with you and you were just as entertained to listen

-He also laughs with you if you point out something funny the animals are doing

-”Hehe T-Pose crab.” “T-Pose cr a b” (these r what kids b talkin about dont @ me)

-He found himself loosening up around you qwq

-You guys eventually reach the gift shop and Saburo’s immediately drawn to these little sting ray plushies (they remind him of Mantyke from pokemon hehe) and he really wants one but…should he? In front of you?

-You catch him staring at them and then get a crazy idea: you both get one

-His cheeks flush immediately and before he can protest with something stupid you pick one up and give it to him while taking one for yourself. 

-Saburo was so caught off guard that he almost forgot to offer to pay (its Gentlemanly, Jiro, not Manly you fucking imbecile-)

-(Regardless MC BB taught them well)

-After you both snap a pic of your matching pokemon plushies, Saburo texts Ichiro asking if he could take you guys to McDonalds and Ichiro is fucking on it bro

-You all leave to get some McNuggies and make fun of the new Lion King toys because that shit is nasty (i know Hypmic is set in the near future but have you considered: i do what i please)

-It’s sundown by the time you all finish eating so Ichiro insists they accompany you home

-When you all reach your place Ichiro fakes a phone call and leaves you kids to be anxious alone

-Saburo says he hopes you had a good time and that if you’re ever free on the weekend again maybe you could hang out? If you’d like to…. (Ichiro fist pumps from behind the corner)

-You tell him of course you would and his cheeks grow warm again and he stutters out an “O-Okay!” and that he’ll keep in touch and he smiles and you smile and its cute bro

-He leaves you with a “I’ll see you at school” and a small wave

-He tries to keep his face neutral when Ichiro asks him how it went (and that his Mantyke plush is cute) but he fails horribly, a slow smile creeping onto his features

♡

WOO finally finished these for a second time! i still had a lotta fun writing them though!! the rest of the divisions will be up shortly ;3c thanks for requesting!! 💖💗💕

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 213: blahblahblahSIXQUIRKS

Previously on BnHA: Baby Ochako stole the show for a few pages as Ochako thought back to her childhood and the first time she saw a hero in action and wanted to be like them and help people who looked like they were in trouble. And more recently during the Basement arc, she saw Deku struggling and thought, “who protects the heroes when they need protecting?” So with that nice segue, we cut back to the present, with Deku freaking out and Ochako trying to calm him down and eventually realizing he had no control. So she called on Shinsou to brainwash him, which he did by telling Deku he wanted to fight him again. And miraculously the brainwashing worked, and the quirk died down and retreated back into Deku’s arm. But then Deku found himself back in the OFA Happy Funky Dream Time Zone, being accosted by some beefy aggressive bald dude with goggles. He told Deku he’d gotten it all wrong, and accused him of not listening. “We told you that you’re not alone!” He said Deku’s quirk wasn’t something he could use casually while distracted any more, and told him to pull himself together.

Today on BnHA: Aggressive Bald Dude explains that the crazy new power Deku just used is actually his quirk, Blackwhip. To make a long story short, Deku can use all of the quirks from the previous wielders of OFA. Something something OFA is getting stronger, something something Quirk Singularity blah blah blah. Anyway, so Deku accidentally activated Blackwhip due to his strong feelings and his wanting to capture Monoma. Baldy warns Deku that if he wields his power in anger, it will respond accordingly, and that he needs to have control. He tells Deku he will eventually manifest six different quirks, and that he is the one who will complete One for All. Then he wishes him good luck and vanishes. Deku wakes up in the aftermath of all this strangeness, only to immediately be attacked by Monoma, who knows an opening when he sees one I guess. Everyone else from Teams A and B chooses this moment to arrive as well, and things quickly escalate into a melee battle. Shinsou challenges Deku, and we cut to the teachers who are watching nearby. A thoughtful-looking Aizawa tells the other teachers to let the battle continue.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my mostly-unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’m caught up with the manga now at chapter 224, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

lol

Kirishima you never told me your ancestor was a bearer of OFA

I really like this guy. what’s your name dude

(ETA: jesus Horikoshi would it kill you to name such an important character though. at least let us know which number he is. give us something)

and this conversation just keeps getting better!

“I don’t have a mouth.” “oh shit you don’t have a mouth. well THAT IS JUST FINE don’t you worry”

so Deku can see this guy much more clearly than OFA Primo in his previous dream. and on top of that, he’s now fully aware that it’s not a dream at all

also I really like TryHarder’s face. it’s just a nice face

he seems tough but kind

ahhhhh it’s another image of the previous 8

(ETA: so is that really you up there, Katsuki? is a part of you “actually alive inside One for All”, deep inside Izuku’s soul or whatever? just waiting for Deku to finally figure this shit out? so you can finally pop up at a critical plot moment and be all “hah, so you can finally see me. took you long enough, you damn nerd” and then give him Mystical Advice or some shit I guess? what level of shipping is that. when a piece of character A’s soul or will or whatever is literally chilling out inside character B’s soul. honestly I still don’t even know what to think about this fucking theory, because I would lose my damn shit. it just seems so ridiculously catered to Everything I Want that even pondering it feels absurdly self-indulgent. and how would it even work. ahghghg. anyways.)

there had better be at least one more girl besides Shimura, otherwise I’m gonna go on a ranting spree just like the JP Hero Billboard Charts all over again

I wonder when Toshinori’s outline will become more visible

and also when will Deku get to talk to Shimura?? her vestige has been clear right from the start. TALK TO HER AND GET THE GOSSIP ON HER SON! YOUR DAD!!

she probably knows so many embarrassing things. this is the true reason why All Might didn’t tell him about this shit back at the sports festival

okay so TryHarder is starting to fade now and he’s like “oh shit looks like I’m on a time limit”

so he’s telling Deku to listen up

YESSSSSSSSS

I wonder how many people guessed this before it was revealed. Horikoshi did an excellent job making it look like his power was just out of control again, honestly. this probably came out of left field for a lot of people

since I unfortunately can’t give you a genuine shocked reaction now, let me instead try to summarize my response when I first came across this spoiler.

DRAMATIZATION:

me: [reading through a post that didn’t seem to contain any spoilers that I didn’t already know] haha what a fine post

post: [gets to a part where it’s like “warning, spoilers” and then just JUMPS RIGHT INTO THE SPOILER RIGHT AWAY without any further ado]

me: [not understanding what just happened yet] wait what

post: blahblahblahSIXQUIRKS

me: [still hasn’t fully processed yet due to my sleepy brain] huh what. six

me: ...

me: wait WHAT

and at this point my brain finally kicked into gear, and it just hit me all at once that (1) I knew there was gonna be more OFA stuff coming up (back when I did the recap for Deku VS Shinsou way back in the sports festival arc, someone mentioned that the manga had gotten into the OFA Past Avatars shit again recently -- this was back in like September -- and so it was kind of in the back of my mind ever since then, just waiting to be remembered at a critical moment), (2) said OFA stuff would presumably consist of him learning to communicate with the Ghosts of OFAs Past in precisely the way that All Might said he couldn’t, (3) I also knew from a comment in this post that there was some power-up coming up for Deku at some point that was considered a spoiler, and lastly (4) the math added up. this last part just came to me in a whoosh. I have no idea how it all came together so quickly. but some very logical part of me waltzed in holding a corn cob pipe and was all, “you know, if Deku is the 9th OFA user and he, All Might, and OFA Prime didn’t have quirks*, that means there were six remaining OFA users who presumably did,” and I was like “NOOOOOOOOO WAAAAAAY?!” and I started freaking the fuck out. so anyway that’s how it all happened god bless

(ETA*: okay so technically Prime did, but his quirk is OFA, so. like. doesn’t count.)

anyways I really went off on a spiel there. let’s drag our focus back to the present day can we please

so TH is all “our quirks all merged with the core of OFA and have just been sitting here chilling inside it for like aaaaages”

gotta say the visual of this helps a lot. so the quirks are in that tiny lil marble in the middle of Primo’s back, buried deep within all of those flames of power

oh shit wait, did we say “tiny lil”

hmm. is this that quirk singularity bullshit that Seiji was talking about all the way back in the Babysitting Arc. I jump around between translations so much that I didn’t notice until very recently that the word “singularity” was being used in odd ways, and that it was also the word used to describe that phenomenon of quirks evolving until they’re beyond the user’s control

so is this. that

so TH says that One for All itself is growing. but like, look at how he says it though

that is a lot of ominous emphasis there

and Deku’s thinking “but why? what caused this?”

which, I’m glad he thought that, because here I was thinking it was just some natural phenomenon that All Might and Shimura for whatever reason never unlocked. but just like that he’s made me realize that this might be tied in to AFO somehow. didn’t he say just a couple chapters ago that he could hear the voice of his dead bro?

(ETA: yeah, listen guys, there is some shady shit going on here. part of it is the quirk singularity stuff, I’m sure, but there’s a lot of suspiciously coincidental stuff happening. but I will tell you more about my thoughts on this in a separate post, I think, because it’s something I’ve been pondering for a while now and I think it’s better suited to its own theory post.)

oh but TH says that right before the power erupted out of him, Deku was probably thinking something like “GETTIM”

and Deku’s sweating and thinking that he was indeed thinking about capturing Monoma

yeah to beat the shit out of him for insulting your boyfriend

so presumably he activated this quirk somehow which is meant to be a capture quirk?

OOOH

IT’S SEXY

that was honest to god my first thought. look at how elegant it is when he uses it. nothing like Deku’s out-of-control Venom rampage

here. this is what it reminds me of

ah, I see. so TH says that OFA’s power has been added to the black whip quirk now, so now it’s like it’s on steroids

AHH

DON’T DO THAT ALL SUDDENLY, HOLD UP, THIS WAS JUST GETTING INTERESTING

ah shit. so he’s starting to fade away

but you do exist! you’re real! you live on inside the quirk!

so you hear that, All Might? when you inevitably die your stupid fucked up tragic death that poor Nighteye foresaw and was tormented by, once you’re done ripping my heart to pieces, you can come back and still give Deku mentor advice within his mind. like Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows, only with less “sorry about dumping you on your abusive relatives and raising you to be a sacrificial lamb”

anyways the point is the two of you are bonded forever within OFA now, and that’s a comforting thought that I’m gonna hold onto for when shit eventually gets Real, however far along down the road that may be

oh okay good, before he goes he’s giving Deku advice on how to control it

he says that if Deku wields the power in anger, the power will respond accordingly

(ETA: and there’s literally a flashback panel of Monoma being all “REMEMBER WHEN BAKUGOU DESTROYED SOCIETY” lmao. just to remind everyone yet again of what exactly it was that set him off.)

good thing he’s not an empathetic young shounen hero prone to being roused to action and acting impulsively to the point where that was literally the deciding factor that made All Might choose him. oh wait. oh shit

but TH does say that it’s fine to get angry and that anger is one source of power

wow. just let that sink in for a second. so here’s a wise old mentor ghost actually telling the hero that he doesn’t have to be some perfect zen monk all the damn time. damn. hey TH I really do like you my dude

but anyways, so “that’s exactly why you must have careful control over that anger”

so basically you can use it to power up your quirk, but you gotta keep a rein on it otherwise we’ll wind up with a repeat of what just went down

YESSSSSSS AWWWWWW HERE IT GOESSSSSS

and that was the sound of fans across the world either ragequitting or losing their fucking shit in excitement lol

but okay, so me personally, I fucking love it. I know fandom is somewhat divided on whether he’s going to be too overpowered, but look at him! he has his fucking hands full just getting a handle on this one single new quirk! it’s not like he’s gonna just master this and the other five overnight. basically this is a brand new challenge for him which will take quite some time (if not the remainder of the series) for him to get a handle on, and which will make for much more interesting and unpredictable battles from here on out. and what with All Might gone, and us having pretty much seen the limits of what Endeavor can handle now, I gotta say it seems like we’re gonna need this sooner than later

(ETA: especially with the recent reveal of just what he’s going to be up against. bad guys are not fucking around holy shit.)

and strangely, this also makes me excited as a Bakugou fan because I still firmly believe that the two of them will remain head to head as the series progresses. which means that Bakugou is going to get a hell of a lot stronger himself. I don’t know how, but I have faith in the series to make it happen, and I’m looking forward to that as well

anyway, so TH is fading away, but he really has a lot of confidence in Deku and I love it

“you’re going to be the one who completes One for All.” fuck yeah. you hear that Deku? we all agree this is your destiny kiddo

and now we’re finally cutting back to the real world yaaaaaay

so Ochako is frantically shaking him

her slap probably did hurt. she’s fucking strong as hell. but he’s all right

so she’s setting him down and he’s realizing that the quirk has vanished (ah yes, that’s right, he went into that trance OFA dream state as soon as Shinsou’s quirk activated, and he was pretty out of it when the quirk was receding)

and she’s explaining that they were able to calm it down with Shinsou’s quirk. thanks for the assist Shinsou!

so like is this battle still on though or what lol. I think that Deku’s team should concede and call it a day because yikes

so Ochako’s asking him if he’s okay now and he’s just now realizing that she’s all banged up too. I guess that black whip packed a punch

HEY WHAT

FUCKING HELL MONOMA, YOU LITERALLY DON’T EVEN KNOW IF HE’S OKAY YET AND YOU’RE PULLING THIS SHIT ANYWAY. CAN YOU GIVE IT A REST FOR TWO FUCKING SECONDS OMG

also did he just snatch OFA?? I’ve been wondering for ages what would happen if he did that, and I gotta say most of my speculation didn’t end very well for him

anyways, sigh, so he’s whapping Deku with the giant bolt he just rode in there on. Yanagi’s quirk combined with Kodai’s quirk

and Deku’s stupidly shouting “Monoma!” and he’s lucky that Monoma didn’t just activate Shinsou’s quirk right there and then

and now Ochako is charging in yessssssssss!!!

FUCK HIM UPPPPPPP OCHAKO lol

ahh but here come more giant flying objects crashing down at them

and now Yanagi is asking Monoma if he’s all right and he’s complimenting her on her good timing

well would you look at this

so are we just going to have a big fucking brawl right here and now then

Kodai’s using her size quirk to block Mina and Mineta’s attacks, and it occurs to me to wonder what level of acid Mina was flinging at them. you know, Mina’s someone who could be pretty fucking deadly if she wanted to. they’re lucky she’s not on the villain side; with her charisma and creativity and fucking acid quirk she could probably take over the world with ease

anyway so now this is happening

honestly, Vlad and Aizawa, you really might as well call the fight off now lol

or don’t. because this is still entertaining

meanwhile Deku and Ochako are watching from above

“you wanna go get some burgers or something”

lol are you gonna help your teammates out or are you just gonna crouch there all day

Deku’s thinking back on TH’s words about how he needs to be in control of his heart and how if he wields his power in anger shit’s gonna get wrecked

uh oh

Shinsou being a sneaky sneak. but they owe him one though

lol it didn’t do much though

you tried, Shinsou

Deku’s narrating that he’s got so much going on in his head right now he can barely think, but he knows he can’t allow himself to go out of control and hurt everyone again

and now we’re cutting to the teachers who have snuck onto the stage and are watching from the shadows

Vlad’s asking Aizawa what they should do

Aizawa you’re so fucking hot as always good grief. I like your thoughtful face as you ponder how to address this later on, while also thinking that in the meantime you wanna keep watching and see how your protege fares against your problem child

haha okay

THE 5TH SET SHALL CONTINUE, EVERYONE! LOOKS LIKE THE BATTLE’S BACK ON FOLKS

next issue has a color page yaaaay. should be the 4th popularity poll results at long last if I’m not mistaken. MIRIO’S REVENGE. or mine, if he’s not represented the way he should be

meanwhile watch fucking Hawks be in like 1st place. except he’s not unseating the big three, probably, but after that who knows. sky’s the limit, and this boy can fly, so

(ETA: motherfucker made it all the way up to 4th place lol called it. apparently I missed when the results were originally announced back with chapter 207. still not sure how. but anyways I’ll post all my thoughts about it tomorrow lol)

[bonepranks-a]

* verses

aight so since i put most interactions into their own verses, i have like a million, and oftentimes certain interactions will sorta create new ones. so i’m going to attempt to list all the verses i have. i will specify if they’re with specific people. (i may use the word timeline instead, they are generally the same thing, but sans will always refer to it as a timeline whereas i will usually call it a verse.) also, as you know, i don’t tag my verses -- but it’s helpful to know.

this is well over 1500 words so i’m gonna just stick it under a cut. i listed the people who have specific verses in the tags so u can read it if you want??? i mean everyone is encouraged to read it but yKNOW. up to you guys <3

GENERIC VERSES

pre-undertale sans and papyrus grow up in hotland with gaster. sans works as his lab assistant/apprentice. gaster falls into the core, “dies”, the boys leave hotland and move to snowdin.

neutral/post-neutral in the flawed pacifist ending (aka the one that allows you to load from your last save and do the pacifist stuff), sans continues living in snowdin, life continues as normal until a reset happens. for all other neutral variants, see this post.

genocide for obvious reasons, stuff in this verse will only take place during the events of a genocide run, as sans dies. however, in a verse where this is not the first genocide run, certain events may change, including but not limited to an aborted genocide where frisk doesn’t come back after sans kills them, and life continues. this will look a lot like any other neutral run where papyrus is dead, but he’s more fucked up probably.

pacifist/post-pacifist the pacifist route goes as it does in canon. afterward, sans goes to the surface with everyone else. however, he makes frequent trips back underground, both to help other people move, and to visit those who decided to stay behind. 

abandoned pacifist/deltarune in a pacifist ending that occurs after many different routes and countless resets (many of which sans remembers), sans accepts the futility of seeking a real ending of any sort of happiness. he manages to find a way to leave his timeline. he does not believe that this is the end, and is afraid of what will happen if frisk resets again. he has never tried it before, and his method is purely theoretical, but he manages to take papyrus and escape the timeline before anything bad can happen. he leaves a seemingly peaceful and happy life on the surface, and ends up in the deltarune world. papyrus’ memories of their past life have somehow been erased (perhaps for the best), and sans is torn between relief that they seem to be safe now, and guilt for leaving everyone else behind without a word. he actually fakes his and papyrus’ deaths simply so that no one worries about them or tries to come looking. he’s not particularly happy, but he can’t find a way to go back either. he buys the grocery store and tries to find answers about why he ended up in this specific world that is so unlike the one he knows, and yet eerily familiar at the same time.

CHARACTER-SPECIFIC VERSES

vertebralheights 001 bo and sans meet as children when her father and gaster worked together. they hit it off, but after all the other skeletons leave hotland, she and sans lose contact. it’s only many years later that they reconnect quite by accident, and they don’t even recognize/remember each other until they find old notes and photos that jog their memories. they meet pre-undertale, and their relationship continues long into a positive neutral ending. as sans learns more about resets and their circumstances, he begins to do research, and bo helps him out. if this is a situation where alphys has disappeared, they move back to hotland and continue work there. eventually, pacifist happens or whatever, maybe they go to the surface, we haven’t really gotten that far.

vertebralheights 002 the origin is the same as in 001. however, it diverges into any ending where papyrus is dead. sans runs away to vertebral heights and stays with bo -- they come to the same conclusions about how they used to know each other. sans is determined to find a way to stop the resets - but only once papyrus is back alive. if this is also an ending where alphys is gone, they eventually go to the lab in this verse too.

vertebralheights 003 after bo’s parents die, she contacts sans and comes back to hotland. she stays with the bros and gaster up until gaster’s “death”, and when they do eventually part ways, they slowly lose touch but don’t forget about each other. they probably reconnect again post-pacifist when sans stumbles across VH.

cynicalborne 001 ( paired with mercy-heart 001 ) post-pacifist, sans and papyrus choose not to stay in the town the monsters have set up (though he and papyrus pay frequent visits), and move to nyc. sans buys a closed down bodega and runs it, living in the apartment above. sans also somewhat accidentally befriends a human named os. they somehow hit it off, and when he loses his job and apartment, papyrus invites him to stay with him and sans. as time goes on, sans and os completely fall in love. other than cryptic warnings from gaster that they should not be together and that sans needs to focus on finding a way to prevent further fresets, life is pretty good.

cynicalborne 002 sans and os still know each other - they’re even friends, but their lives are very separate. os is still working more or less as an arson for hire, and he attacks the monster town that’s popped up. sans finds out, and shit goes down. 

mercy-heart 001 post-pacifist, sans visits frisk frequently, though he does not live in the monster town on the surface. one day, chara manages to take control of frisk’s body and gives sans a cryptic warning about how this happiness won’t last. he laters finds out through them and through dream messages from gaster that the only way to prevent further resets is to take away the vessel the player is using -- aka destroy frisk beyond saving. make it so that they cannot reset or reload at all, by literally erasing them from existence. sans refuses to do this however, and tries to find a way to simply disconnect the player from frisk’s soul, or removing only the ability to save and reset.

mercy-heart 002 more or less the same, it’s post-pacifist, except sans does stay in the monster town and probably ends up getting together with toriel because his love for her knows no bounds. life is good, there’s no players interfering, they can just be a happy family, and sans can just help frisk cope with their own depression without worrying about everything else.

we-believe-in-you-crew 001 sans meets bonny when she arrives in snowdin -- due to his promise to toriel he decides not to hurt her. instead, he helps her as best he can, encouraging her to stay in snowdin with him and papyrus and not to venture too far away for fear she might be killed. they eventually catch feelings for each other, and while they both know it, they never do much about it. everything is very subtle with them - mainly because sans knows they’re living on borrowed time. when she eventually makes it to new home, sans mercy kills her in the judgement hall because he can’t stand the thought of her being killed by asgore. 

primaautomaworld / qvietstcrm 001 (these are just getting lumped together because they happen in the same verse.) sans and mettaton used to be childhood friends, back when alphys worked under gaster and mettaton visited frequently as a lil ghostie. he would often play with sans and papyrus, and he and sans even had lil crushes on each other, not that anything ever came of it. however, once mettaton became corporeal and moved on to becoming a star (and after gaster’s disappearance as well), they completely lost touch. it’s only much later that sans calls up mettaton and invites him to stop by snowdin. the reunion between all three of them is really really good, and mtt and sans start up the flirting hardcore until they finally do just get together. MEANWHILE IN PAPYRUS LAND, he starts going out with a siren from waterfall named storm. sans meets them one day during work, invites them back for dinner, storm and papyrus hit it off really well, and the rest is history. it’s really cute uwu  

fluersamour 001 sans and chara.... knew each other before she died. they would play together along with papyrus and asriel when gaster had meetings with asgore and brought the kiddos. they weren’t necessarily close friends, but they were pleasant. good companions. over the course of genocide routes, they’re constantly fighting and she’s killed sans multiple times. it’s a thing. but eventually, it stops. they reach a stalemate. they don’t want to kill each other anymore. and eventually, they start talking again. about the past. about her time in the void, and meeting gaster. it’s not exactly normal friendship but it’s.... something.

[goodguidanceptc]

Louisville IM Race Report October 14, 2018

Welcome coaches, training buddies, close friends and masochists/insomniacs. As with prior race reports, be warned that this post contains STRONG LANGUAGE. Here goes:

Abstract:

Read the Athlete Guide. Always. Miserable cold and wet conditions. Water temp warmer than air temp, wetsuit legal. Absurd Swim (shortened due to aggressive current); T1 was all about gear choices; Adequate Bike under demanding conditions; T2 was also all about gear choices; Tough Run. Two key takeaways: 1) Read the Athlete Guide; 2) I haven't quite properly calibrated in-race fueling.

Total race time result = 10:18*

* Under grossly dis-humane weather conditions and my own flubs, that is a good result...with which I am completely unsatisfied. A no-surprise, well-managed bike and a somewhat uneven run (matched stand-alone marathon result). Feel free to stop reading now.

Pre-Race (aka: “the Dumbening”)

I cannot emphasize strongly enough: no matter how many races you’ve done, how confident you may be in knowing the procedures, the timing, the places, etc... read and re-read the Athlete Guide.

So although I cannot provide details, just know that I--through my own dumbness--was told to acquire my timing chip in T1 after an official manually noted my swim start time, while standing on the dock to jump into the Ohio River. Clearly communicated in multiple places: check-in closes at 5pm Friday. 

Brief rewind: woke up, standard pre-race breakfast, uneventful gear check and load bottles onto bike, walked over to Swim in. Shoulda found an IM staffer then, but didn’t think. Just didn't think it through; too cold and pre-race- process oriented. Got a little tunnel vision to get to the front of the self-seeded “1-1:10″ swim line. 

Announcer: The current is so strong, some of the pros were struggling to get up river. Swim shortened to .9 mile, in other words an Olympic distance. Race delayed. 

Some squats to stay warm, chat up some folks in line, never once thought to go  get my chip before passing though that big black arch.

Swim (:18 min or 1:18/100 pace)

I swear to you by all the barge traffic and catfish whiskers in the Ohio River, there is no way I was in that river for 18 minutes. More on this in T1. Feet first into the river, sight that first buoy and...

Ever look through a kaleidoscope? Or imagine a Disney version of puke from a flying whale?  The view from my goggles was: 

[Kayaks + swim caps + buoys]

X

(river current exceeding posted speed limits) 

= 

flying Disney whale puke (as I imagine it rendered)

Just utter chaos. I aimed for the big wall, hit the metal steps and out. To quote one of my training partners, “My hair barely got wet.”

T1 (9:20)

Up the steps and skipped the peelers. Rationale: stay as warm as possible as long as possible. Jogged to changing tent, quickly passed the clumping “under 1 hour” swimmers, grabbed a chair near the exit.

Decision time on what to wear and how much skin to cover for the bike. I went with 100% coverage. Socks, thermal legs, long sleeves, gloves, balaclava. Plastic bag under the jersey and five of those little hand warmers hunters use (squeeze and shake for 6+ hours warming) in my back jersey pockets.

Out to bike rack, unhook and... it’s find-my-chip time. Found an IM staffer who radioed multiple people before finally sending me past the Bike Out arch to where the chip folks were.

I.  Stood. There.  Forrr -- evv -- errr. 

Trying to alleviate my own frustration and anxiety, I literally put my head in my hands and made Hulk sounds.

Now, even in my adrenalized and hyper-performance-oriented state, I remember that I brought this shit on myself. So any expectation of special treatment, expedited problem-solving or what I call the lack of a “hop to!” by IM staffers simply cannot be criticized.  This crapola? All.  On.  Me.

Furthermore, I'm grateful. (Check prior race reports, if you must. OR just trust me when I say that...) I thank all the volunteers and cops and EMTs and Traffic Management and general staff within earshot. No matter what speed I’m biking or running. Seriously. I’m all about appreciation.

All that said, Swim and T1 times are clearly inaccurate. Although IM staff noted the time of day I jumped into the water, another IM staffer wrote my time on a clipboard when they activated my chip and yet another other IM staff told me they’d estimate my T1 time. But I didn’t know precisely where to go in T1. So I lingered.

[So again: read the Athlete Guide.]

And if you are ever in that situation--which I guaran-frikkin-tee you I will NEVER be--I recommend you DO NOT stop to ask questions. Continue until you happen upon the chip folks. Worst case: you miss them and back track... the biking equivalent of going back to get dropped nutrition.

Bike (5:43)

While I definitely did not feel myself relax heading down River Road, I did feel a certain familiar comfort. I’d ridden this course a few times so even in the cold, wet wind, I was pretty confident I could manage the bike.

In the spirit of gratitude, whether passing or getting passed, I try to say something positive (looking good, go git some, stay strong).

Even on a hilly course, I ended up pacing with a few others. I try to be sensitive to any ‘gamesmanship’ (I’m not trying to get in your head competitively) but I'm definitely chatty. And the cold and wet just invited comment, even if only to distract from the misery.

Stick out and first loop was uneventful other than the number of people shivering on the sides of the route. Second loop had more than a few cars on course that seemed patient and considerate (relatively, IMO) but still required careful negotiations.

A FEW FIRSTS FOR ME

BLINDING ANGER. I admit I might have been “kicking the cat” but I’ve never experienced this on course.

On the back side of the loop, in the narrow stretch of blacktop through the small neighborhood just after the long descent out of La Grange, there’s short, steep descent with a well-marked/painted “BUMP” before a short, steep uphill. I’m a technically strong and confident cyclist so getting through here on the first loop was a piece of cake. Second time though, there was a hefty pack of windbreakers weaving(!) across the entire width of the road. Despite shouting “on your left” repeatedly and loudly, I had to brake. On an uphill. Dropped my chain. Nearly fell. Unclipped.  All in the tiny 8ish yards of that short ascent. 

What did I do? Stood there trying to get my chain back on and swearing profusely that dickhead bucket-listers with fucking no fucking business fucking leaving their fucking strip-mall periodontist practices should fucking learn to handle their goddamn bikes.

As I passed them on the descent towards the hay-bale bullseye, I gently advised them about blocking, race etiquette and having some goddamn self-awareness. In my defense, I averaged very nearly 20mph that day. And when I accidentally felt somebody too close as they passed, I always apologized. In retrospect, I’m sorry I was that guy right then. 

PROFOUND SOLITUDE Stay with me as I get a little bing-bongy here... At the split to repeat the loop or return on the stick, most folks (the fat part of the bell curve) go left for their second loop.  I was returning on the stick. 

Suddenly I was not saying or hearing “on your left” or listening for the difference between aero wheels or a passing car. 

I was alone. Like the guy in that Robert Frost poem. Miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep. And the mental chatter started. Cold. Grey. Wet. Stupid. Wasteful. What ego on you, chump. Clips from Moby Dick, Chapter 96. Burning ship, drove on to some vengeful deed. Gloom. There is a wisdom that is woe; but there is a woe that is madness. ee cummings A Leaf Falls. 

[Stop wasting your time with this race report. Go read some actual writers.]

Even my mantras had abandoned me. I may have started singing or rapping something from my training playlist to shut down the negative chatter. And that’s about when I realized how well I was managing this bike leg. I think that’s called a paradox.

DON’T BLOW IT NOW Somewhere along one of the last ascents, I realized that I’d dressed properly! Coach Robbie’s advice for plastic grocery bag was spot on. Sure the toes and fingers were cold, but functional. Ears and neck felt okay and core temp was a non-issue. I wondered if I’d taken enough calories (thought: probably) but come on! I’d handled some real shitball conditions pretty well. 

T2 (8:49)

Pulled off everything soaking wet except kit shorts. Replaced with dry thermal long-sleeve top, dry hat, dry gloves. Run belt, bottle, dry socks, shoes. Go.

While neither T1 or T2 were very fast, I really didn’t linger in the warmth. I remember thinking, “Take two deep breaths, make this decision and move it.” In other words, time was spent actually changing clothes.

BTW, Transition volunteers? True Guardian Bros. Can’t thank em enough.

Run (3:58 aka: avg 9:03/mi)

Two MAJOR joyous moments within the first mile:

1) As we’d pre-planned, my unbelievably awesome wife told me I was 18 minutes behind a podium slot. She told me later that I barked, “FUCK!” Regardless, I steal a kiss every race.  Better than a GU and just as sweet. [Yes she reads these. Wink!] 

2) Coincidentally, she was standing a few feet from Coach Robbie (C26), who I recognized but accidentally called Mike (his podcast co-host who I knew was on course). I think I shook his hand? Or maybe just shouted a happy shout?

So those two intercepts helped make the first 25% of the run all good.  I kept turning down the pace because, as Coach Robbie has said, “your legs are lying to you.”

Then all that good ju-ju abandoned me like buoys on the Ohio River on the backside of the first loop.

I’d dropped my Infinit before finishing the entire first 24oz bottle. Why not stop and get it? I got no good rational answer. Ditched hat and gloves and actually rolled up my sleeves. My legs and shoes were soaked. (Walk-peeing wasn’t doing me any favors.) 

I felt better once I had another bottle from my Special Needs bag, but by then I’d already burned my biscuits (another C26 gem) so I was well below my planned and expected 8:40/mile pace.

I may have even cried a little. Apologies to extremely helpful volunteer who graciously ignored a grown-ass man losing his shit. I KNOW i was talking to myself, “It’s all in your head. Move it.” and other more terrible words.

The last 25% in-bound was an exercise in utter stubbornness. Coke Gatorade Coke Gatorade Coke Gatorade and tons of verbal self-flagellation to keep going. I sincerely believe I passed two guys in my AG out of pure self-loathing.

The Fourth Street Live finish lived up to the hype. There’s photographic evidence that I actually smiled as I crossed and nearly collapsed (again, super kudos to the volunteers). I was wheeled straight to medical, shivering and borderline shock-ey. Broth, blankets, checked vitals (core temp too low). As planned, Susan brought me multiple layers of dry clothes. Changed. Got my mental shit together after finding out I’d finished 16th. Gold star to Al V., the med tent massage therapist. Another Guardian Bro.  Limped home.

OVERALL RACE GRADE: PASS

As with prior races, IM-LOU yielded incremental improvements in all racing phases. As I said at the top, this was a good result, with which I am completely unsatisfied.

Am I one of the guys at the pointy end of the bell curve? Clearly yes. 

Did I KQ? Unequivocal NO. Not even close.

There is clearly opportunity for additional incremental improvements to all five aspects of my racing:

Swim pace was an anomaly. 3x/wk in the lap pool could be improved by 2x/wk in endless pool.

Bike power was lost due to shitass Garmin tech. But from what I remember, I was mostly high Z2 with relatively few power spikes given the course and conditions. I definitely managed the bike with patience and smarts.

Run suffered due to fueling strategy that is just not... quite...perfected. And again, deplorable conditions.

Fuel strategy. I over corrected from IM-AZ (early run GI problems). Calories, liquids (no solids) and delivery method feels right. Timing around T2 needs tweaking.

Transitions were what they were. MY dumbassery in T1 was offset by my smart gear decisions.

See you in New Zealand in March, 2019!

WITH GRATITUDE FOR...

I’m very grateful to my lovely wife Susan and my wonderful kids, Peter and Veronica for their support. Susan, you are my salvation.

I’m grateful to have the expert professionals Coach Klebacha and Coach Sharone and the entire Well-Fit staff and athletes who generously share their wisdom.

I’m grateful to my inspiring and impressive training partners, including but not limited to the TriFam, the Well-Fit Elite Team (too many bad-asses to list but special GOLD STARS to LIZ and LAURA) and other triathlete rockstars like Nic, Dana, Andrew, John, James, Tony, and all the Pauls and Mikes.

I’m very grateful to anybody willing to excuse my terrible smell, deplorable language and barbaric sounds during training.

Maximum gratitude to Well-Fit, FFC, UIC, Whitney Young, Get-A-Grip, Live Grit, Fleet Feet, the Lakeshore path, Louisville Landsharks.

I’m grateful for Crushing Iron (C26), Matt Fitzgerald, Joe Friel, Training Peaks, Scott brand bikes, Apple, Ironman.

Thank you to all the on-course maniacs cheering and making signs and wearing all sorts of crazy outfits to show love and support. For strangers exercising.

Special thanks and appreciation to Bernie Mc for the most amazing on course support. Extra special Top Marks to Bernie!

I’m grateful that I’m able to race triathlons. Thanks for reading.