#but now im fine with there being some overlap. they come in a set

[touteytout]

updated refsheets!!!!!

while i do think that mbti types are a bit silly it is the easiest way for me to break down/explain their personalities. "[ISTP] is not a type who is inclined to socialize beyond what is necessary as they try to accomplish their goals." couldnt have said it better myself

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 163 spoilers and thoughts that are making me procrastinate on like all of my work but its totally fine below the cut

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i am so serious i was completely tricked into thinking this would just be a light episode with some ominous foreshadowing but still some answers for how to defeat fate. i thought we'd be in silly haha territory now and that soon we'd reach the end and everything would be wonderful now and they can finally have what they want. I WAS PROVEN WRONG

YOU. YOU TRICKED ME FROM THE GETGO BY SETTING THE MOOD OF THE EP TO BE SILLY OFF THE BAT. YOUR STUPID CUTE HAIR BEING MESSY WHEN U WAKE UP AND THOSE SILLY ASS D*SNEY ANIMALS. YOU YOU YOU YOU RAPHAEL YOU FOOLED ME

it's super cute and funny that his singing and his general demeanor is so fairytale esque that animals and people just love him even though he tried to destroy what they were working on . he looks adorable with messy hair. i wanna see it more. cute and blond. but also. FUCK YOU

like we went from that to this and i was like "oh my god they're gonna have a bonding moment" and i was so so happy i just,, i really thought,,,,

like he looks so pretty here!! and then javier says something so sweet and so javier-brand of affectionate and they're being funny about it and it's so cute and they're all smiley afterward in the reflections of the water so its like "awww stupid fucking idiots being happy at each other without even really knowing it i love them so much" AND THEN.

STUPID FUCKING OMINOUS REFLECTION GOT ME ALL WORRIED. BUT THEN I THOUGHT OF RAPHIE AT THE START AND WENT "nahhh thats just. yknow. the normal foreshadowing at something bigger. they haven't even gotten answers yet. it's fine" oh lynn. oh girl you had no idea.

like they're so close to the truth cmon they wouldnt dump what they need to do to stop fate AND whats going on w javier at the same time right? ha. ha. ha.

ominous panels aside POOR LLOYD,,, OF ALL THE SECRETS HE COULD HAVE CHOSEN,,, he had no idea its not fair </3 we got blushy lloyd as a result i love this panel btw he's very very cute. super duper bug of him. i really like that the artist has been drawing the two of them at this angle a lot recently they look so stupid i like it a lot

ALSO JAVIER DO YOU. HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SAY. WHY DID HE ASK THAT I. JAVIER U CANT JUST ASK PEOPLE HOW DEE- WHAT THE FUCK

and then we got hit w javier being worried and i was like "man me too buddy, im worried too but im sure itll be oka-"

DEATH FLAG. WHY. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO THINK THAT LLOYD OH GOD. i read this and my worry that was briefly washed away IMMEDIATELY came back . tged is very good at giving me tonal whiplash. i dont think thats a bad thing but also its not good for my health either so. /lh

AND THEN WE GOT HIT WITH THE JEWEL OF TRUTH SECTION AND. AAAAHHH AAAAAAAAHHH the darkness that lloyd is in, he's all alone when he hears this god i . oh god i have so much to say okay

it's kind of hard to go shot by shot with this section because all my thoughts are overlapping with each other but ill try my best???

he's immediately pushed into communication between just him and the jewel and shrouded in a very very isolating darkness. there's so so so much empty space and all my yapping about how much lloyd has been isolating himself for the sake of finally protecting his loved ones kind of comes to a head here. and then we hear the truth...

lloyd is a BUG. the fact that he EXISTS is a problem that has been the catalyst of all the pain and work that he and javier have had to go through, so so early in the story. he's essentially being told that its HIS fault fate is threatening their lives. AND WOW THAT HURTS. how do you cope with being told that?? how do you manage that???

and on TOP of it all, in order to fix it, he has to choose. rid the world of this bug, or let the bug take over. THAT'S SO EVIL

the only way to protect his loved ones is to forfeit his protection over them, giving up his life. and yet the only way for him to continue being there to protect them is to lose the life of the one he absolutely loves most, javier. WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT

the moment he hears this he falls to his knees. im so fucking ill IM SICK . THIS IS SICK AND TWISTED!!!!!!!!!!!

some more thoughts on the language and just. inherent despair of this section:

i think the choice of calling lloyd a bug is so so so heartwrenching. i don't know if it's an intentional thing by the writer/adapter or if it's just something they defaulted to since the world is considered a system, but either way it makes me so damn emotional

i'm a computer engineer, so i take some computer science classes too as part of my major, and one of those fun facts that you learn in those classes is that debugging/bugs became common terminology in compsci for a very silly reason. "bugs" as a word to describe error and defects had been present before, but it became conflated with programming due to a team of programmers actually finding a moth, a true to life Bug, interfering with their computer and thus messing with their program.

see, the JoT could have called lloyd anything. an error, a mistake, a problem, hell even a glitch would have worked. but they specifically said bug (and again whether or not thats intentional is up for debate but i will treat it like it is)

and the thing about bugs, the thing that haunts me now, is that without them the rest of the program (theoretically) works fine. if that moth hadnt entered the computer of those programmers, then their code would have been operating smoothly. the system would be chugging along well.

the knight of blood and iron would be functioning just fine.

yeah it'd be sad, yeah javier would have lost everyone, but it would have gone exactly as the program was written. the memory allocated for the class lloyd_frontera would be freed, and the story wouldn't have had to call on it, ever. but lloyd, the bug, the moth, stuck around. errors ensue.

and often, bugs are HUMAN error. it's a problem in a human design, not a natural glitch or mistake. the moth wouldn't have been able to enter that computer if it was built differently. bugs do not appear naturally. and they do not go away until you go back to where the bug appears and FIX IT. lloyd cannot fix the story, he can NEVER achieve the happy ending he's always wanted, because the program will always be bugged because of HIM.

suddenly too, all the little changes that have happened in the story thus far make so much sense. all of those events happening EARLIER than they should have completely tracks.

the choices lloyd made - to defeat neumann, defeat lacona, go to cremo, go to the capital - pushed javier's presence ahead, and i know that's like really really obvious, but coupled with this bug analogy i feel insane because

something that's very common in programming in general are function calls, where on the side you have the function written out all complete, and in your main code you can just say the name of the function. when it compiles, itll know what to refer to when it sees the name in your main code.

something else thats very common is conditionals! y'know, your classic "if (comparison here) then do (this thing here) else (do this thing here)", you might have seen this before (or not, im not sure how well versed tged tumblr is on programming which is why im explaining this)

and u think back to javier being there EARLY and oh. ooohh....

if (javier.location == magentano.event_location(banquet)) {

kyle_betrayal(alicia);

}

this function, this betrayal, was called early. THIS WAS CALLED EARLY because a certain character object, lloyd frontera, changed the state of javier's location way sooner than it should have happened. a bug. a bug. a bug. a bug made the code jump to this conditional. he's been a bug this whole time

and you think to when the glitches on javier first started appearing and oh. oooohhh. the object referred to as javier, disabled the "protagonist" variable on him and passed it onto lloyd. but that won't do, because all these functions for the ENTIRE STORY rely on javier's class object. how can it call on lloyd instead? lloyd should have been freed, aka the memory storing his little array of data, should have been REMOVED. CAUSE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DIE

theres more examples of this throughout the whole story that maybe ill list another day (as much as im yapping about it, its really not that hard/deep on figuring out where things were called early lol) but yeah yeah yeah. yeah this is so so evil and i cant believe i didnt put two and two together earlier. this analogy is SO EVIL WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS TO ME

apologies for the jargon btw. i have no idea if i explained this right or if anyone else really knows what im talking about but i've been losing it over this for the entire weekend ALKDFJLSDKF

WHATS WORSE IS THAT IVE BEEN CALLING LLOYD A BUG FOR LIKE. ACTUAL MONTHS. I WOULD REFER TO HIM AS A CREATURE AND AS A LITTLE ITTY BITTY BUG AND NOW I FEEL SO SO TERRIBLE BECAUSE HE REALLY WAS A BUG. I MADE A SHITPOST AND EVERYTHING (that ill prolly post later) THAT I HAD NO IDEA WOULD. AGE POORLY SOB SOB SOB

I AM SO SO SORRY LLOYD. I DIDN'T KNOW I DIDN'T KNOW I DIDN'T KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sniffle,,, sob,,, anyway,,, thats enough yapping about bugs and programming and lloyd being a bug,,, back to the anguish

the following section is just. god ow ow OW. the shaking linework, the shadows setting in at the top with the dramatic bottom lighting, and the blur on javier as he loses focus and starts truly, truly panicking makes me INSANE. artist you're making me CRAZY!!!

javier truly has no idea either but god dammit he's trying his best to help, but how can lloyd explain this to the man whos completely and utterly loyal to him to the point of sincere devotion? if lloyd tells him, whos to say that javier - the martyr that he is - won't just give up his life for him? god that's so... GOD. GOD GOD GOD WHY AGHHH

AND AGGHHH AGGGHHHH THE FLASHBACKS TO THE P PANELS OF SUHO WORKING SO SO HARD TO REACH THE LIGHT. GOD FUCK. FUCK FUCK FUCK

ITS DIMMER ITS HARDER TO REACH AND OH MY GOD THE PANEL OF LLOYD REACHING UP EVEN IN HIS PANIC TOWARDS HOPE. THE THOUGHT THAT "ITLL GET BETTER ONE DAY" COMFORTED HIM AND KEPT HIM ALIVE BUT NOW ITS BEING RIPPED FROM HIM I FEEL ILL. EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL

this panel of that light going out . not much words on this i just feel sick to my stomach. why would u do that.

and finally at the end of the chapter we have this incredibly HAUNTING panel of lloyd panicking. the despair here is UNREAL. the lineart is shaken and messy and scribbly, and the focus on his face and his hand gives the panel a very claustrophobic and hard-to-breathe feel and it makes mE SICK!!! IT MAKES ME SICK!!! SICK AND TWISTED!!!! JEWEL OF TRUTH I HATE YOU!!!!!!!

anyway that's all my thoughts for right now . i really really hope they figure out a loophole or something . if they dont im actually gonna keel over and die /j not literally but yknow what i mean

SICK AND TWISTED!!! is my final word on this ep

thanks for joining me in hell ill see yall next week salute emoji

[ace-in-a-shopping-cart]

Dance With Me Under the Stars

@yeah-im-a-fae-deal-with-it, I hope you enjoy this! I had a lot of fun making it and I hope I did the wishes justice. Happy Holidays!! (Much of the imagery was based on the song Volcano by The Vamps.)

@sanderssidesgiftxchange

Word Count: 3993

It was mid semester and Virgil had arrived late to class for the first time in his three years of college. He hurried in quietly, taking his usual seat and pulling his books out. Almost shamefully, he grabbed his homework and walked between the desks to put it on the teacher’s.

He must have had the worst luck in the world as, just then, she turned around. “Ah, Mr. Storm. I was wondering when you’d show up.” Her tone was kind, no note of malice anywhere.

Virgil nodded. “I forgot to set my alarm.” His voice was quiet, barely reaching past the professor.

She nodded with a smile that seemed genuine. “Go back to your seat, please. Just as discussed yesterday, you’ll be debating Mr. Croft in a few minutes.”

Virgil trudged back to his seat, slipping past the others to sit in his usual corner. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up to find Logan Croft, a double major in zoology and astronomy who was taking this class for fun, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Virgil ignored him, turning back to his notebook and doodling in the margins as he waited for the professor to finish taking attendance.

He got through half the page before he was being called up to debate, as per usual. He and Croft were only put against each other as examples or if the lecture finished early. This was mainly due to them both being stubborn in their ways and being able to debate things for hours. Thus, they were both called into her office the day before to confirm the topic and style of the debate.

There they stood, on opposite sides of the same plain. It was a familiar position for the pair during their debates. While many would have seen a peaceful place within that plain, maybe even a spot to build something, the two students only saw a battlefield with the fight yet to be fought, yet to be won. Their words danced across the plain, leaving wounds that didn’t mean a thing outside of that moment. A struggle for dominance raged before, as it always did, they came to be equals that saw eye to eye.

Their debate lasted for the first half of class before they came to some sort of agreement on their topic and sat down to listen to the teacher give a lecture on what just happened. After class, Croft caught up with Virgil on his way out. “That was a good debate today, Storm.” He said. The battlefield was back to a plain, nothing special about it.

Virgil looked at him briefly before just shrugging and walking up the stairs. He didn’t bother to look back or wonder why the student who usually avoided him unless it was during these debates was talking to him. He just knew he needed to get to class.

A day later, he was running to dance class and missed a step. Crashing down the stairs, he landed at the bottom in a haze of pain. He tried to move but found that his vision was blurry and his ankle was broken. Someone nearby gave a shout and he heard footsteps on the stairs. A hand landed on his shoulder and he flinched, coming face to face with the person who lived across the hall from him.

“Virgil, what happened?” Emile said, eyes looking concerned.

The dancer didn’t even lie to the psychology major he knew only in passing. “I fell.” He shook his head, trying to get his vision to focus on something, anything. “My ankle hurts.”

Emile nodded and moved to look at it. Gently pressing, he inspected the joint. Virgil hissed when he pressed on it and Emile sat back. “Yep, that’s broken.” Sighing, he moved to help Virgil to his feet, throwing the dancer’s arm over his shoulders. “I’ve got time before my next class so I’ll take you to the nurse before I go tell you’re dance teacher you won’t be able to make it today.”

Virgil shook his head, hobbling along beside him. “No, I’ll tell her later.”

Emile frowned. “You know Professor Kim is not going to be happy about this development. She was counting on you being there through the whole semester.”

Virgil just laughed, shaking his head. “Since when do you talk with her?”

“Since I came to drop off your lunch that day and she was the only one there. We struck up a conversation about you.”

Virgil nodded. “Fair.”

Emile pushed the door open and sat Virgil in the nurse's office before leaving with a wave, tossing an, “I’ll be back in a bit,” over his shoulder. Virgil waited for the nurse to come and diagnose him, soon being rolled out on a gurney on his way to the hospital to get a cast on his broken ankle. He’d also been told that he had a concussion but that wasn’t the main concern.

A few days later, debate class was back in session and Virgil was there in a cast, crutches by his side. Croft came in and eyed the crutches before setting his bag by his usual chair. He didn’t sit down as Virgil thought he would, rather coming over to stand by Virgil’s seat. He nodded his chin at the cast. “What happened there?”

Virgil was taken aback by the care in his voice, a voice that had previously remained so neutral while talking to him that it was borderline monotone. He shrugged as he continued to grab his books out of his bag. “I fell.”

Croft raised his eyebrows, looking about as convinced as he would if Virgil had just told him the sky was magenta. “You fell? Why don’t I buy that, Storm?”

Virgil shook his head. “I don’t know why you wouldn’t believe the truth, Croft.”

He huffed, his eyes melting into the concern that was evident in his voice. Opening his mouth, he seemed to be about to say something but thought better of it, going to sit down instead just as the professor walked in. She paused by his desk. “Professor Kim told me about the ankle. You don’t have to debate for the rest of the semester if you don’t feel up to it.”

Virgil shook his head. “Standing won’t be a problem as long as I have the crutches.”

She nodded. “Still, I’d like to let you rest for a bit.”

Virgil shrugged. “I’m fully capable of standing and debating but I’ll follow your lead on this.” She gave a final nod and moved to stand at the front of the room to begin class.

Thus, six weeks went by. Virgil did essays on dance and movement instead of performing the dances. Professor Kim insisted on recording the lessons so he’l still be able to do them when he’s recovered, which he was immensely grateful for. Debate class went similarly in that he wasn’t called up as often to debate Croft anymore. Instead, he wrote most of his debates as argumentive papers.

That summer, Virgil stayed on campus. He wasn’t taking a summer course, he was simply trying to follow the videos Professor Kim left for him. He lived nearby anyways so it made sense to keep using the studio on campus. That’s how he ended up running into Croft again on the stairs. 

“Oh,” the other student said, bag in hand as he was clearly trying to put his books back in it, “I didn’t expect you to be here.”

Virgil smiled, holding up the gym bag that had replaced his book bag. “The studio is allowing me to catch up on my dance lessons over the summer.” He paused. He and Croft had never been too cordial with each other, merely remaining civil. However, toward the end of the semester they'd come to some sort of academic truce. Now, they were just normal strangers, just two students. So, Virgil took a chance. “What about you? Why are you still here?”

Croft finally shoved the last book into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. “I’m having to retake a class due  to low grades.” He shook his head. “I just can’t grasp the subject.”

“What is it?”

Croft sighed. “Psychology.”

Virgil nodded and, on a whim, gave an offer. “I passed Psych with flying colors if you want me to tutor you?”

That plain, that had once been a battlefield before lying dormant, became a meadow in that one moment. No longer a place for duels or violence, but peace and healing. Their once shaky truce seemed to settle, becoming something more permanent, as Croft smiled. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

They walked side by side as they discussed times and tactics for studying. They concluded that their only overlapping free time was directly after Virgil was finished with dance practice as that was when Croft got out of his classes and clubs but before Virgil had to go to Professor Kim’s office for office hours.

So, the very next day saw Virgil walking out of the shower room, towel he’d been drying his hair with still in hand, to see Croft leaning against the wall in the hall. “I wasn’t expecting you for another fifteen minutes or so.” Virgil said as he approached.

Croft looked up from the book in his hand. He briefly glanced at the page number before snapping it shut and picking up his bag. “Apologies, I like to be early.”

Virgil just waved his hand as they fell in step beside each other. “It’s fine. Next time, you don’t have to wait in the hall if I’m not in the shower, you can just sit in the room. As long as you’re quiet, you’ll be fine.”

Croft nodded. “Noted, thank you.”

They made it to the library and sat down, both pulling out books. When Croft gave Virgil a puzzled look, he laughed a bit. “I’ve brought my notes and blank copies of homework to use as practice problems. First, I want to gauge just how bad off you are.” he set down the cumulative final review. “Fill this out to the best of your ability.” Croft set to work, a serious expression on his face. Virgil didn’t want to twiddle his thumbs while waiting so he pulled out his phone and opened it to a new note, beginning to plan out his evening.

Once that was done, he looked up to see Croft with his tongue sticking out slightly, hair in his eyes, and eyes focused on the page. Strangely, there was something beautiful about the concentrated look on his face. Maybe it was the way the sunlight dramatized it and cast his eyes into shadows, making Virgil want to stare until he could see where the iris ended and the pupil began; maybe it was the way his hair framed his face in a way that made Virgil want to pull out a sketchbook.

Feeling self conscious at that thought, he looked back down at his phone and ignored the other student until he heard a pencil connect with the table. “Alright, Storm, I’m done.”

Virgil nodded and slid the page over to himself, quickly checking it against the answer sheet he’d made up. He gave Croft a grade, circled it, and slid it back. A sharp intake of breath came back as Virgil pulled a clean piece of paper closer to himself and began to write down what needed to be worked on.

“Is it really that bad?” Croft’s voice came from Virgil’s side.

He paused in his writing to look up at his former academic rival. He shrugged. “It could be worse. You don’t seem to be too bad off right now and we’re gonna try to get you to where you need to be as soon as possible.”

Croft nodded and away they went. The next few weeks were spent in a new routine. Croft would wait in the hall if Virgil was in the shower but most times Virgil had lost track of time and gone over, resulting in Croft sitting in the corner reviewing definitions. A few times, one of his clubs wouldn’t meet and he’d get out earlier than normal. Those were the times that Croft would sit in and make sure Virgil wasn’t putting too much strain on his ankle and was properly hydrating. Those were the times they’d strike up a bit of witty banter that reminded them of their debates but on a personal level that the debate class was lacking.

One step at a time, they came closer on that meadow until they were standing side by side, leaning on the other. As they grew closer, the meadow rose as if two tectonic plates were pushing it toward the sky. Over the course of that one season, the meadow had become a mountain of a friendship. Their banter began to spread outside of just those rare moments, becoming a constant part of their meetings, tutor sessions, and walks. 

It wasn’t long before the summer semester ended and they had a few weeks of vacation before the next semester. As the days shortened and the leaves turned colors, Virgil almost expected Croft to go on his way. After all, the agreement was done. Virgil had finished learning all the moves he’d needed and Croft had passed his classes with the usual flying colors. 

Still, tutor sessions turned into chats over coffee, dancing changed to walks in the park, but their late night talks on the way back to their apartment building stayed the same. Virgil enjoyed that constant, knowing that no matter what else happened that day, he could walk back to the apartment building with Croft. It was one such walk that it struck him. In all their time together, he’d gotten closer to Croft and no longer saw him as the academic rival they’d been at the start of the year. Instead, he saw him as a friend, or even more than that.

Just when Virgil was satisfied and comfortable with the balance they’d created together, fate tossed a spark gently onto the mountain. In that instance, the mountain turned into a volcano. In that one instant of time, Virgil had fallen for Logan Croft and he knew with absolute certainty that he wouldn’t have it any other way. He had no idea how he’d tell him, or even if he would tell him. After all, volcanoes can stay dormant for years before going extinct or erupting. Virgil could just wait and hope it was the former or deal with the latter.

The next few weeks were much the same as that with the exception that Virgil was noticing every little thing that Logan did. He noticed the way he leaned toward Virgil as they talked, the way his focus was entirely on the dancer during conversations. Logan was always walking on Virgil’s left side, the ankle he’d broken mid spring semester that acted up occasionally but especially on stairs. He noticed Logan holding doors for him or smiling at him for no particular reason.

All of this gave Virgil a spark of hope in his chest that had him wondering if Logan liked him back. That spark was almost crushed one afternoon. They had just gotten their coffee and started their usual round about the park when Logan spoke. “I might not be able to do the full rotation today, Storm. I’ve got a date with Roman later.”

Virgil felt like his chest had just been stomped on. “. . . A date?” He didn’t know how he kept his voice steady when his heart was breaking, getting closer and closer to shattering the more he thought about those two words.

Logan tilted his head to the sides. “Maybe ‘date’ is the wrong word for it. It’s more like a meet-up.”

Virgil nodded, pretending he hadn’t been holding his breath through that whole exchange. “Okay, when do you have to leave?”

“About half an hour.” He turned and smiled. “Plenty of time.”

Virgil smiled and walked ahead, turning to face Logan as he walked backwards. Logan shook his head. “That’s not the safest way to travel, you know.”

Virgil just shrugged. “There’s worse ways to travel.” He also got to see the rare grin that spread across the zoology major’s face, not that he would tell said student that.

Their walk in the park ended with them standing at the entrance. “I’ll see you later, Storm.” Logan said by way of parting.

“Wait! Later as in tomorrow or later as in-”

He laughed, something that was even more rare than his grin but something Virgil longed to hear more often. “Later today.” Virgil nodded, walking back to his apartment alone.

On a whim, he grabbed his gym bag, stuffing his dance shoes in it, and went to the studio. He scrolled through his playlist as he entered before just hitting shuffle and letting the music play as he got ready. He waited for the next song and took a second to identify it before throwing his hoodie off and moving to the center of the room. 

He went with the music, letting his body flow in whatever way it wanted. Incorporating all the moves he’d learned over the past few months into a cohesive whole that was both as graceful as saplings in the wind but as sharp as the flapping of cloth. He danced to forget his troubles and anxieties, letting them bleed into the movements. A faster song came on and he changed his movements to match, becoming sharper as he let himself get lost in the music, lost to the beat of his feet against the floor, the feeling of the air on his sweat, the feeling of dancing and being free and feeling on top of the world.

When the playlist ended and his muscles were screaming for him to rest, he collapsed onto the floor, panting for breath. When he felt like he could stand, he moved to check his phone clock and found that he’d spent the whole afternoon dancing. Quickly, he showered and made his way back to his apartment. He was still overheated after dancing for a few hours straight so he just had his hoodie slung over his arm, his gym bag over his other shoulder.

He got back to his apartment to see Logan with a fist raised to knock. Smiling, he moved around him and unlocked it. “Come on in.” He dropped his keys in the little bowl on the entrance way table. “I’ve just gotta put this stuff away but it won’t be long.”

Logan smiled, standing comfortably in the entryway. “Take your time, Storm, I’m not going anywhere.” 

For a brief moment, Virgil wondered what his first name would sound like in Logan’s voice. He didn’t dwell on it, instead he nodded, ducking into his bedroom to store his bag where it belonged. Taking a second to put on some extra deodorant and move his hair around so it looked semi-styled instead of the mess it was before, he took a deep breath. The scare of losing him that afternoon had made Virgil realize that he needed to act fast before he lost Logan for real.

So, he kept the hoodie across his arm as he went back out and picked up the keys again. “Ready to go?”

Logan nodded. “Quite.”

Virgil held the door open for him, locking it on his way out. They started down the path in relative silence, the only noise being the crunching of gravel beneath their feet and the sounds of life coming from nearby buildings. Virgil was hesitant to break the silence despite the feelings and words bubbling below his surface. Logan also seemed comfortable in the lack of conversation. They made it to a bench that was out of the way and sat on it to stargaze for a bit.

Virgil tilted his head back, resting it on the back of the bench. His eyes scanned the sky, resting on different stars and connecting them into constellations. After another while of silence, Logan shivered beside Virgil and the dancer turned his head, looking at the astronomy major. “Are you cold?” His voice broke the silence like a sheet of ice falling from a slope.

Logan shrugged. “A bit. I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Virgil hummed and threw his hoodie over the other. “No use in you getting cold when this is right here.”

Logan didn’t react beyond tilting his head down just the slightest bit. He hummed, taking a breath before speaking. “Apologies again for having to end our afternoon walk early.”

Virgil waved his hand. “It’s fine. In fact, it actually gave me time to think.”

Logan looked over at him, eyes inquisitive behind his square black frames. “What about?”

Virgil took a deep steadying breath of the night air before he turned to face Logan just a bit more on the bench. “About you, actually. I realized something when you said you had a date with Roman.”

Logan nodded, his gaze sharpening as his attention seemed to hone in on Virgil. “Okay.”

Virgil fiddled with the rips in his jeans, suddenly anxious. “I realized that if I didn’t act now, someone else might be walking by your side in the park, laughing with a coffee in hand. Someone else might have the door you knock on late at night when you can’t sleep, be the person you debate with over the phone into the early hours of the morning.” He took another deep breath, not looking up at the wonderful human sitting in front of him, the one who deserved the world. “I realized that I love you and can’t stand the thought of another person getting to hold your hand and kiss you goodnight.” He turned his head so he was staring out into the night rather than at Logan. “There, I said it. I love you. I love you so much my chest aches.”

Logan hummed in a way that Virgil couldn’t interpret before there was the rustling of fabric and Logan was kneeling before Virgil, one hand hovering near the dancer’s cheek. “I’m glad you told me as it makes what I’m going to say much easier.” Virgil’s eyes widened slightly, fearing the next thing to come past Logan's lips.

“I love you too. Honestly, I think I’ve loved you since the start of the fall semester. The way you helped me study, putting things into ways I can understand and bending over backwards to do so. The care you take with everything you do, the grace in your every move, the fire and passion you put into your dancing, I love all of you.”

Virgil couldn’t believe what he was hearing but his nerves settled when Logan’s soft expression didn't change, didn’t turn to a sneer, he didn’t laugh or mock Virgil. Elated, he leaned forward but paused before he could connect their lips. Logan smiled at the quiet ask for consent and leaned in with him, closing the distance and bringing him into a kiss. His hovering hand settled on Virgil’s cheek as Virgil’s hand came up to cradle the back of Logan’s neck, neither wanting to let go.

When they pulled apart, they were both smiling. Logan pulled the hoodie tighter around his shoulders before standing, offering a hand to Virgil to stand as well. An idea came to him and Virgil put his hand in his pocket, pulling his phone out to play a few ballads. “Dance with me under the stars?”

Logan grinned, sliding his hands to be around Virgil’s neck. “I’d love nothing more.”

So, the two did just that, dancing the hour away under the midnight stars. In the arms of the one they loved, the same person who had been their greatest enemy at the start of the year, neither could ask for a better way to spend their time.

[santigarcia]

First Time for Everything

a santiago ‘pope’ garcia x reader fic 

word count: 2k+

rating: m for smut feat my watch kink; mentions of pregnancy 

summary: It’s Santi’s birthday and you give him a present~

a/n: i wrote this a couple weeks ago and now im finally posting it!! as many of you know my main blog (damerondjarin) is still incorrectly flagged smh so i made this side blog for posting fics and gifs! and feedback is always appreciated! 

tagging: @punkpascal​, @tintinwrites​, @damndamer0n​, @mandoplease​, @darksideofclarke​, @yougottakeeponkeepinon​, @huliabitch​, @himbopoes​, @mylifeliterally​, @agentpike​, @pascalplease​, @wakalas​

First Time for Everything 

A classic rock song plays overhead. There’s a dull roar of voices overlapping in the sports bar. It’s dimly lit, with deep red walls and a black ceiling. TV’s playing different ball games are over the bar. It’s Santi’s birthday, and this place has his favorite wings.

He was ready to get a to-go order and spend the night with you, but the guys wanted to come hang out and buy him dinner.

So that’s how you ended up sitting in the middle of the restaurant at a tall table. Tall enough that your legs dangle from the bar stool. It’s not your first preference. If you’d could pick, it’d just be you and Santi alone in a booth in a corner. Or better yet just you and Santi home alone and naked.

It’s not that you mind the guys company. You enjoy being around them. They treat you like one of their own. You’re an extension of Santi and they respect you. You make him happy, and he makes you happy; and that makes them happy.

Santi’s hand rests on your thigh as a comfort. He knows being out in the middle isn’t your favorite. He only removes his hand to eat his meal. But he’s right there and that’s enough to bring your comfort.

There’s no keeping it a secret it’s Santi’s birthday, Benny told the waiter something like 8 times. A free dessert will be brought out once the meal is over. All Santi does is laugh, and hey he’s not complaining.

Your husband is a happy man tonight, you pat his tight stomach when he leans back in his chair, full and content. He grunts a little, as it tickles him. He’s about to lean in to kiss you when you swipe a bit of sauce from the corner of his lips.

“What did you get Pope for his birthday?” Benny asks with an obvious tease in his tone.

“I haven’t given it to him yet,” you play along, your face heating anyway when Benny smacks Santi on the back. “There’s something else that he doesn’t know about yet,” you add in.

Santi raises an eyebrow, his hand back on your thigh. His palm warm on your bare skin, and his pinkie finger just under the hem of your shorts. Will and Frankie share a surprised look from your comment.

“Guys calm down I’m not pregnant,” you laugh.

Santi leans in for a kiss, and presses another to your cheek.

“Do you wanna be?” he murmurs in your ear. You don’t have time to answer because the dessert is brought out and a group of singing wait staff crowd around the table. Benny sings loudly along with them, and Frankie can only shake his head with a laugh. Will takes a swig of his beer but joins in the singing. You sing too and plant a big kiss on your husband’s cheek as the dessert is set in front of him.

He gets a big spoonful and holds it up to your lips. His eyes have a secret hidden heat in them as he pulls the spoon from your lips. Then like nothing happened, he tucks into the dessert himself.

He gives you a couple more bites before he finishes it, and this time he wipes some chocolate sauce from the corner of your mouth. Only instead of his finger, he kisses it off.

His hand finds its spot again on your thigh while the conversation turns into goodbyes as the night winds down. The bill has been paid and everyone’s letting their food settle a bit before getting up to leave.

Will and Benny leave together. You stay seated while Will kisses your cheek, and Benny wraps you up in a huge hug. Benny gives you a wink, you know what it’s for. Santi’s gonna get lucky tonight.

They hug Santi and you take that opportunity to turn to Frankie to say your goodbye to him. He adjusts his hat on his head and pops one of his remaining fries in his mouth. He gets up and squeezes your shoulder and smacks Santi on the back telling him happy birthday. Leaving you and Santi sitting at the table.

He flips his hand on your thigh over, his wrist coming to rest on your skin. His palm is open to you, he’s offering you his hand, but all you can focus on is his watch face digging into your skin.

All it takes is one look from you and he’s on to you. He doesn’t say anything, just quietly observes. He presses his watch into your skin just a little deeper and your heart jumps.

Fuck.

He knows.

You’re quick to take his hand and hop off the barstool. The heat of his gaze is too much, and the night has only begun.

His hand is in yours and he follows close behind, he slides up close to you and pulls his hand from yours – putting it on your hip.

“Something you wanna tell me?”

“No,” you smile, which he returns.

“I’ll get it out of you one way or another,” he teases. His ‘threat’ goes right to your core. You know what that entails. He’s right, he has a way of getting you to ‘talk.’

His hand is still on your hip as you walk in the parking lot, Frankie drives by in his truck and honks his horn when he sees the two of you. Santi gives a little two fingered salute at his friend.

Once in Santi’s truck, you lean in and give him another cheek kiss while he starts the engine. He turns to kiss your lips and he hums.

“How’s your birthday so far hmm?”

“It’s been great, honey. But I have a feeling it’s going to get better.”

“Don’t speed on the way home,” you laugh.

He gives you a little wink. You grab his hand and pull it in your lap. Your fingers interlock with his, and with your other hand you rub up and down his forearm.

The drive home is familiar, nothing new to notice. It all fades in the background. All you can focus on is what you’re going to give your sweet husband when you get home.

“So, do you?” his voice pulls you from your thoughts about him.

“Do I what my love?”

“Do you want a baby?” he seems nervous. His fingers flex slightly against yours. “We’ve not really talked about it in a while. Is that something you still want?”

You bring his hand up to your lips and kiss the back of his hand. You don’t answer verbally, just a nod of your head ‘yes.’ His foot presses a little harder on the gas and you giggle behind his hand.

When he reaches your driveway, he pulls his hand from yours. With his knuckle his presses the garage door opener. He pulls his truck in the garage next to your car. He pulls the keys from the ignition and sits for a moment. Still.

“What?” you freeze, your first thought is that something is wrong.

“Honey,” he purrs and lunges forward to kiss at your neck. “I wanna fuckin’ take you in the backseat right now.”

“I have to give you your present!” you squeal while he starts to bite on your neck. His stubbled chin scrapes your collarbone.

“I thought you were my present?” he murmurs and kisses behind your ear. His hands cradle your head, there’s no pulling away.

“That’s not all of it!”

“Fine,” he pretends to pout and opens his door. He unlocks the side door and closes the garage and squeezes your ass when you pass by him into the house.

“Go sit down and get undressed,” you point to the couch when he turns on the living room lights. “I’ll come out with your surprise. Don’t move.”

“Yes ma’am,” he grins and steals another kiss before doing what you ask.

Your stomach flips with excitement, it’s been a while since you’ve put on lingerie for him. You disappear into your bedroom and get the bag out of your closet. Inside along with the garments is his other gift.

You undress and the redress in the lingerie. It’s sheer, thin, and lacey. It flatters your curves and you know he’ll like it. He likes you no matter what you’re wearing.

“Close your eyes!” you call out to him from the doorway. Your hands clutch to his other gift with a sudden bit of nerves. You hope it likes it. “No peeking!”

You can’t help but smile when you step out into the living room, then a rush of heat goes to your core. He’s sitting naked on the couch as requested, feet planted firmly on the floor. He’s sitting up straight, and one hand is covering his eyes. His lips twitch into a smile when he hears you come in. And his nostrils flare when he gets a whiff of his favorite perfume. He’s hard and ready for you already, you love the effect you have on him.

“Can I look honey? You sure know how to kill a man here.”

“Yes,” you tell him. He lowers his hand and his eyes widen. His mouth drops open and his tongue sweeps over his bottom lip.

“Fuck, honey. Get over here,” he laughs. He’s dying to hold you.

“First,” you hand him the small box in your hands. He takes it in his big hands popping it open to reveal a brand-new shiny silver watch. He has a few watches, but not one like this.

“Wow,” he looks up at you, “thank you!” he takes off his tactical black one and slips on the sliver one. “How does it look?” he asks sticking out his arm examining it. His eyes flick up to yours, he knows.

Without warning, he slips his hand between your legs – grabbing your ass with his hand. The band of his watch on his wrist presses into your center. The cool metal sends a chill to your hot flesh through the thin lace fabric. When your knees buckle at the friction, he steadies you with his other hand on your hip.

“Damn honey, look at you.” He presses his wrist into you harder. “Can I unwrap my present now?”

You nod with a smile; you’ve been waiting for this all night.

With a sharp tug, he pulls your panties down, then brings you to straddle his lap. Only when you’re seated does he pull off the sheer bra. A hand clutches your back as his face buries between your breasts to kiss at your chest. His stubble brushes along the sides of your chest and he groans to feel your body on his. His abs tighten with need, and his length is hard and hot in-between your bodies.

“Fuck,” he whimpers when he closes his lips around your nipple. His other hand cups your breast and you moan. He makes a point to dig his wrist into your skin so you can feel the watch. “I didn’t know my watch got you this hot, honey. It’s killing me.”

His eagerness has him pulling you onto his aching length, and you groan in unison. His right hand reaches between you to thumb at your clit. His left hand starts at your hip, his watchband digging into your skin. He moves up your body, the band brushing against you – giving you delicious chills and shudders, which spurs him on to groan. His hand finds a place on your neck. He doesn’t squeeze, but he wraps his fingers around your neck.

You know what he’s doing, and fuck if you don’t love it. His wedding ring and watch – you feel them both against your skin. It’s then he bucks up into your heat. Your hands in need of holding something, your fingers dig into his curls, and you other grasps the back of his neck. You pull his face back to your breasts and he sucks on your nipple again while he thrusts.

His fingers on your clit move faster to pull that sweet high from you. And when you tug on his curls just a little harder, he follows behind you.

“Happy birthday Santi,” you laugh, trying to catch your breath.

“Thank you honey,” he purrs into your neck. “Be honest with me though, was this watch for me or for you?”

“Both.”

He lets out a loud laugh and holds your body closer to him. He leans back into the couch cushions with a sigh. “Don’t get up yet,” he runs his hands up and down your back. “You feel too good.”

He’s softening inside you, but he doesn’t pull out. You nuzzle into his chest, feeling warm and giddy from your high.

“You think we made a baby?” you ask him, and he grunts a little, the idea turns him on.

“That’d be one hell of a birthday present, in addition to what I already got.”

Your chests are pressed together as your breathing slows. You can feel his heartbeat, and he can feel yours. His arms are comfortably wrapped around you, and you don’t move from that spot on his lap for a good while.

“I love you Santi,” you nuzzle your face into his neck. He squeezes you tighter.

“I love you too honey. What a good birthday. Seems like you enjoyed it too.”

“Santi!” you scold him, and all he does is laugh. His chest rumbles under yours.

You hope you do get pregnant; you’d love to have a baby with this wonderful man you get to call your husband.

[fullmoonremus]

Thunder’s Getting Louder | Edmund Pevensie x Reader

Warnings: Fluffy

Time/Era: Modern/High School AU

Word Count: 1.4k

Summary: Y/N and Edmund are best friends until he comes over to help her with college applications. 

Request: Hello!! Im was wondering if you could write and Edmund x reader where they are best friends and one of them has tiktok and then they make the "kiss your best friend" 👉👈 I don't know if I explain it well hehe but if you need and example I can send it to you or if you really don't know what it is do as you please 😅

A/N: Thank you for the request :D I hope you enjoyed! Lmk what you think :)

masterlist | narnia playlist | read on ao3

Being in your last year of school before University is a storm; the whirlwind of applications and tests, the rain of sadness when it comes to leaving your friends, and the thundering excitement of your heart. Y/N’s mind was constantly a hurricane of teenage emotion. 

While she may be the hurricane, her best friend, Edmund Pevensie, was the eye of the storm. No matter what Edmund was faced with, his mind seemed to always be clear and his actions were well thought out. Not only that, but he got early acceptance to his dream college and a weighty scholarship to aid his studies. Early acceptance meant very little stress on his mind and more time to enjoy his final year to it’s fullest. 

“What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” Edmund asked, shoving a forkful of salad into his mouth. His long legs stretched under the lunch table and crossed at the ankles lazily. 

“Nothing, I’m just trying to read the text on this Tik Tok, it overlaps with the caption,” Y/N twiddled her thumb over the screen, trying to make out the message. Edmund laughs carelessly and snatches the phone out of his friend’s hand. He presses the power button with his thumb before places the iPhone facedown on the table. 

“Tik Tok is going to melt your brain, you know. Then there won’t be anything going on in there.” Y/N rolls her eyes and takes a bite from her sandwich. 

“Don’t look at me with that judge mental look in your eye, Pevensie! Maybe you should get addicted to the app like the rest of us!”

“I would but I’d like to keep my brain un-melted.” Edmund took another bite of his salad and a big gulp of his water. “I might need it for next year.” 

Y/N huffed playfully and rolled her eyes. “Ah, right, my bad. I forgot you’re some sort of super genius. Silly me!” Edmund leaned his elbows on the table and shot an amused look at Y/N. “A genius who has eaten a salad for lunch every day since he was 12.” 

“Hey! They’re good, thank you very much!” 

“Live a little, Ed. Eat some ice cream for a change! Download Tik Tok! Run around town naked! I don’t know!” Y/N threw her hands into the air 

Edmund choked on his lettuce, “I am NOT running around town naked!” 

“You’re missing the point!” 

“I don’t think there is a point, Y/N.” 

“Come on, people would eat you up! You have a cute face and girls love cute faces!” Edmund’s cheeks reddened considerably and he reached for his water again. 

“I don’t want them to eat me up, Y/N.” His voice came out as a squeak. 

“Why not? I’d personally love to watch your videos. I’d be your number one fan,” 

“You already are my number one fan,” Edmund smiled shyly towards Y/N. “Anyway, how’s the applications going?” 

Y/N groaned and piled up her trash. “Ugh, don’t even remind me. I have no idea what I’m supposed to write.” 

“I could come by yours after school to help if you want? Maybe that could help ease the storm inside your mind a little.” Edmund took Y/N’s trash and placed it with his own. A large smile graced her face and she nodded enthusiastically. 

“You always know exactly what to do to help, Ed. Thank you.”

Edmund beamed as the bell rang. 

~

You received a message 

You received a message

It was Y/N’s study hall period, so she was trying to get a jump start on her college essays. Y/N glanced at her phone before opening her notifications. One of her friends had sent her a video on Tik Tok.  

this reminds me of you and edmund. 

The video was of a pair of teens, probably a year or so younger than Y/N. The girl in the video was trying to teach the boy a dance while the song Electric Love was playing in the background. When the chorus starts, the girl cupped the boy’s cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. Y/N scrunched her eyebrows as she read over the caption: decided to try the kissing my best friend trend. now were dating #fyp 

Y/N watched the video for a second time. 

why is this me and edmund?

Y/N watched the video for a third time. 

you know why, Y/N. 

By this point, Y/N had watched the video so many times she practically had it memorized; she envied the girl in the video. How did she have so much courage to kiss her best friend? How would Edmund react if she did that? 

Y/N’s thumbed hovered over the sound icon; she needed to see more of these videos. As she clicked the sound, Y/N realized there were hundreds of videos of girls kissing their boy best friends. Y/N chewed the inside of her cheek and scrolled, the hurricane in her head growing more intense. 

Horror stories of Edmund rejecting her or laughing in her face played through her mind. But, still, Y/N couldn’t stop scrolling until the final bell rang. 

~

“My brain is fried, Ed. Can we take a break?” Y/N looked up from her laptop and groaned. They had been working on her applications for nearly two hours and her eyes were beginning to sting from the harsh screen light. 

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We’ve made a lot of progress,” Edmund smiled and sat next to Y/N on her bed. She glanced at his side profile and admired the curve of his jaw. It was so sharp and defined, Y/N couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to trail kisses up and down it. “What? Is there something on my face?” 

Y/N’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “No, I was just wondering what my chances of you saying yes to making a Tik Tok with me were.” 

“Slim to zero,” He responded, deadpanned. 

“Oh, so there’s a slim chance?” Y/N could feel her heart thumping in her chest. The thunder in her mind storm was so loud, she could have sworn Edmund could hear it. 

“Will it make you stop bugging me about that stupid app?” 

“Yes!” 

Edmund sighed, “Fine, just one. What do I have to do?” 

Y/N stood from her bed and gestured to the open floor space. “Just stand here. I’m, uh, gonna teach you a dance.” Y/N took a deep breath as she set up her phone, clicked the sound, and pressed play. 

Electric Love started playing through the speakers as Y/N began to dance lamely. Edmund, oblivious, started to copy her movements. Y/N’s heart was going a mile a minute and her legs shook under the harsh vibrations of the thunder. She still had a few seconds to chicken out if she wanted. 

Y/N turned towards Edmund and he had the cutest focused expression on his face. His eyebrows were scrunched in thought and his lips were pierced as he tried his best to mimic Y/N’s movements. She took a step closer to him, which he copied, and scanned his facial features. His pink lips were plump and slightly parted, his cheeks held a slight blush and his skin was smooth and perfect. 

Y/N took a final deep breath and pressed her lips to his. 

The music faded out of existence and the world grew blurry; the only sensation she could feel was Edmund’s chapped lips pressed against hers. The kiss was soft and contained, like a gentle rain shower, until his hands found her waist and everything accelerated. Lighting bolts of electricity flowed through their veins, making a single shiver travel down their spines. 

Y/N’s senses were flooded with nothing but Edmund; the familiar taste of coffee on his lips, the smell of mint, the soft material of his shirt, and way his hair ticked her forehead. No one but her and the boy she loved existed at that moment.

Edmund pulled away and looked down at her with his chocolate brown eyes. Y/N had never experienced that look in his eyes, and something about it made her want to experience it over and over. 

“It’s about time,” Edmund mutters, his thumb stroking the skin of Y/N’s waist. He dipped his head down again, catching her lips in another electric kiss. 

[satoruvt]

the color of you - gold (2)

i lost the template for the banner i used in part one so i had to make a new one and it looks different and im sad but at least this chapter is fuckin AWESOME

pairing → keigo takami x bakery owner!reader

word count → 1736

summary → you’re not really dating, so you can’t really be in love with him… right?

song inspo → portland by armors

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five

“Does everything look correct?”

The packet in front of you is intimidating, thick and detailing every aspect of the relationship you and Hawks are supposed to have. You flip through the pages, looking over the big points - no one but you, Hawks, his publicist and your lawyer are to know about the terms of your “relationship,” you need to be okay with having your picture taken, and the whole thing will only last a few months to cover a few press conferences and an awards ceremony. The line for your signature on the last page is blank - you expected Hawks to have signed it already, but the line above his name is blank as well. The ball’s in your court, it’s saying.

“Yes,” you say, nodding up at his publicist. “Everything looks fine, thank you.”

“Any boundaries?” Hawks speaks up, and you meet his eyes from across the table. You shake your head no, offering a curt, gentle smile. Your lawyer hands you a pen to sign the contract, and after a deep breath, you drag the pen across the paper in your name. Hawks does the same after you.

“There we go,” he says when he’s done, clicking the pen. His smile is laid-back, easy. “We’re officially in an unofficial relationship.”

You can’t help the smile that dances on your lips, because it really is ironic, but it’s quickly forgotten as the publicist goes over the general idea. There are big events scheduled for the two of you to be seen together - the press conferences, a few dates, the awards ceremony. You’re welcome to do anything else that you might want, the publicist says, and you don’t miss the wink Hawks sends you.

The rest of the meeting is settled with a copy of the contract handed to your lawyer, and the four of you disperse. You’re gathering up your things when you see Hawks waiting in the doorway. “Let me walk you to the front,” he says, and you do.

His agency building is smaller than you thought it would be, given he’s the number two hero. You get strange looks from a few people as the two of you walk towards the front - you’re not surprised, if you were anybody else but yourself you’d be curious too - and it’s not until the two of you are in the elevator, taking it down to the first floor, that Hawks speaks again.

“So,” he begins, and you turn towards him. “Fancy going on a date with me tonight?”

His gaze is playful, so you join in, and it’s not as awkward as you thought it would be. “You read my mind. Must be a lovers’ connection.”

He likes the humor, you decide, when his teasing smirk grows into a grin. “Well, I figure since we’re gonna be dating for the next few months, I should know about my new girlfriend. Doesn’t do well for the press if they ask me questions about you that I don’t know how to answer.”

You laugh, nodding along to his words. The elevator doors open and the two of you continue to the front of the building in comfortable silence.

“I’m very much looking forward to our date tonight,” you tell him when the two of you reach the front doors. They slide open as another person walks into the building, and the warm air from outside brushes against your legs. Hawks grins, pulls you closer to press a chaste kiss to your cheek. It takes you by surprise and you feel your face grow hot, but before you can say anything Hawks is already walking back to his office.

“See you tonight, babe!” He calls, and you roll your eyes, but the soft smile on your face would fool anyone.

And although it’s embarrassing to blush over something as simple as a cheek kiss, you suppose the pink on your face is a good thing. You notice paparazzi outside of the agency, and they definitely saw what just happened.

-

By this point, you’re not really nervous to be going on a date - “date” - with Hawks, but Jesus, it’s stressful to pick out what the hell you’re gonna wear. Do you actually try? Do you put on some jeans and a nice blouse and call it good? What does going on a fake date with the Number Two hero call for?

In the end you settle for a sundress, something in the middle. It doesn’t take much longer for you to finish up getting ready before you’re heading out the door to the restaurant Hawks had told you to meet him at. You’re lucky it’s not that far away - a fifteen minute walk at most. The sun glows in the evening light, drenching the world in melted gold.

The restaurant is small, but filled with a decent amount of people. When you step inside the gentle hum of overlapping conversation fills your bones, and you see Hawks in a booth down a walkway. You point him out to the hostess and she lets you find your way to him. 

“It’s awfully rude to keep your date waiting,” he says when you get close enough, standing up to greet you.

“What can I say? I dress to impress.”

Hawks kisses your cheek and you scrunch your nose at the feel of his stubble on your face. He lets you into one side of the booth, and you’re expecting him to sit on the opposite side, but instead he sits next to you. The low light of the lamp overhead makes his eyes brighter.

“You do look great.”

“Why, thank you.”

Both of you are teasing, playful, and the conversation is fluid to follow. You’re not speaking across a table so your voices are hushed, gentle, and you think you’re starting to understand why Hawks chose to sit next to you rather than across from you - it’s intimate, couple-y. 

“You know,” you say, finger tracing the rim of your wine glass, “since we’ve been dating for a total of, like, five hours, there’s a lot that I don’t know about you.”

“Ugh, were you even a fan?” Hawks teases, and you scoff, rolling your eyes. His tone softens when you make eye contact with him. “Ask away.”

“For starters, I don’t even know your real name.” You lean your head on your palm as you look at him. “And I feel like, as your girlfriend, I am entitled to that.”

Hawks chuckles, and there’s a certain look in his eyes that you can’t put your finger on. “It’s Keigo Takami.”

Keigo.

“Keigo, huh?” You repeat. It floats around in your mind, lingers on your tongue like the taste of honey. It reminds you of amber, gold, of coins and riches. Keigo.

“Well, I’m Y/N L/N.”

“I know, I looked you up.”

“At least one of us is smart.”

By the time your food comes, you’re barely eating, and it catches up to you how much the two of you have been talking. You’d been worried that the whole thing would be awkward and weird and not at all convincing, but you’re certain if anyone saw the two of you right now, they’d assume you were dating. The conversation rarely stops, and if it does -

Oh. He’s close.

There’s a moment of silence, a break from talking as you shift from one topic to another. On top of the two of you already being close from sitting on the same side of the table, with how much you’ve been talking, you’ve just gravitated towards each other. His arm is draped over the back of the bench, casual, but you can’t really focus when you fixate on his lips.

“And so we, um…” you trail off, then blink yourself out of your trance. “Wow, I completely forgot what I was gonna say.”

Hawks - Keigo - notices, and his face is smug. The smirk on his lips is nothing short of pride.

“Catching feelings for me already, Y/N?”

“In your dreams,” you bounce back.

For the first time tonight, you check your phone. It’s getting late, and although you don’t live very far away, you don’t want to be caught alone after dark. “Ah, I should probably get going.”

Keigo nods, reaching into his pocket to pull out a few thousand yen banknotes and set them on the table. You want to tell him that you have your own money to pay, but he cuts you off by getting out of the booth and speaking himself. “I’ll walk you home,” he says, and you furrow your brows as you get out, too.

“Are you sure? I don’t wanna trouble you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Keigo says, offering his arm to you with a sly grin. “It’s my duty as a hero. And your boyfriend.”

He puts emphasis on the word and you can’t hide the amused smile from your lips, looping your arm through his. 

The walk to your apartment is as comfortable as being in the restaurant with him, but somehow it feels nicer. You suppose it’s the open air, the golden sun having gone down past the distant mountains, leaving remnants of its light in freckles and rosy skin. The walk home seems faster, and you find yourself a little disappointed that the night is ending so soon.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to come inside,” you say, voice sultry as the two of you stop in front of your door. “Make the paparazzi think we had a little more fun in the privacy of my home?”

Keigo shrugs, and you can see him thinking about it. “I mean, if you’re okay with it…”

“Now who’s catching feelings?”

He scrunches his face up and you giggle. When you speak again, your voice is softer. Crickets chirp somewhere nearby. 

“I had a good time, dating or not,” you tell him, find your key and unlocking the door. “Thanks for taking me out.”

Keigo takes your hand in his and brings your fingers up to his lips in a formal kiss (though the wink he sends you says otherwise). “Anytime, princess. See you later.”

He takes off out of your apartment building and you go inside, immediately laying down on your sofa in the living room. You feel over the spot on your hand where he kissed you, humming quietly to yourself. 

Maybe this won’t be as hard as you thought.

[ambitionsource]

hi can we get some zaley friendship headcanons whenever you're free? ☺️

im not the best at headcanons just bc of the way my brain functions but im gonna do my best for you, sunny my friend. let’s go zay and riley let’s go!

thrift shop buddies!! one of the most common ways that they hang out is definitely going thrifting. considering they arguably have the two most eclectic wardrobes on the show, this makes sense. esp i fully believe they’re the perfect people to thrift shop with where they encourage each other to try on everything, even if it seems outlandish (and sometimes even more in those moments). that’s the only way to really get some good finds! and i feel like, beyond S1, when they wear items for performances in the show that are clearly unique / seem thrifted, it’s more than 50% likely the other helped them pick it out at some point

on this note, i think that they both have really good senses of what looks good on the other bc they spend this time together, probably better than anyone else (yes, including their significant others. not that that’s hard, since both of their significant others have notoriously bland fashion). like even when theyre not out together i can totally imagine them seeing something and being like “oh this is so riley / zay” and getting it for each other. they know each other’s sizes and have like an ongoing swap credit system gfJSKHJDLFH

riley and zay usually run performance by the other person before they perform them for the class / at an audition. like they find a specific time (usually during breakout sessions during class) to get in front of the other person and run them through their concept + do a run-through for them. they just really appreciate the other’s perspective, especially since they tend to complement each other -- zay is able to identify places where riley could heighten things or add some flair or just like... assert her talent more lmao, whereas riley helps zay pull back on some of his more overwhelming instincts when necessary or find the moments to truly lean in emotionally rather than blowing us out of the water the whole time

if we could actually Watch the show, i guarantee 9/10 times when riley or zay is performing, we would cut to the other enjoying the performance. like theyre always bobbing their head along and truly feelin the other’s performances. excellent vibes luv!

i also think they harmonize well with each other, which is why its kind of a shame they dont do more performances together within the context of assignments (as for why, couldn’t tell you... it might just be a weird psychological thing of like i have These people i perform with when it matters and these who are just for fun... like maybe zay and riley tend to see each other as easygoing comfortable duet partners and thats why they try not to overdo putting pressure on it). but yeah they absolutely have days where they just hang out in one of the rehearsal studios and play around on the piano and try to find ways to harmonize on their favorite songs. this is some of the best singing riley ever does, bc its so low stakes and fun

i also think that honestly, zay really helps strengthen riley’s vocals over the time they’re friends -- especially early on. riley is someone with good raw talent but she’s never thought about honing it seriously prior to joining aaa, whereas zay has been on a career mindset since he was little. so he is good at teaching her like small technique things or helping her expand her range and she really values that esp bc hes so selfless about giving it, but it doesnt come off naggy or unnecessary like maya’s advice often does

sometimes it can be hard for them to find songs they both wanna sing though bc their music taste is so different. i think they have like three small categories where their favorites overlap -- select big names (sza, chloe x halle), jazz / old-time crooners (frank sinatra, nina simone, and the like), and select musical theater. but i think this is mainly on zay, bc he’s much more picky about music than riley who will give anything a listen without much nudging. as we know zay likes to pick on his friends’ music taste (like charlie and harry styles / 1d) and i don’t think riley would escape this affectionate teasing. they exchange song recs and riley gives him like her usual piano ballad-y sara bareilles tswift rachael yamagata energy and shes like oh yes, another piano ballad and hes like STOP!!! JUST LISTEEEENNNN GFSJKLHJFDSKLHKDLFH

that said though, they’re definitely go-to friends when it comes to like checking out a new local artist or coffeeshop open mic nights. this is probably a typical zay / riley / yindra outing

zay doesn’t spend a ton of time watching tv bc “he has better things to do with his time,” but riley and zay are definitely the type to watch a show together. like not always Together, but they’ll try to keep up with each other so that they can talk about it (and riley has to try really hard not to keep binging and get way ahead of zay). theyre good at this bc they can have really intense and opinionated conversations about it but in a way where its like safe and neither of them feel like theyre actually being judged / are stupid if they disagree (something thats not common for riley, and zay usually is trying to discuss media with super strong personalities who aren’t great at Debating).

in general, though, they tend to agree on favorite characters / relationships. for example, they both hate rachel berry -- which always gets maya and farkle extremely heated if they’re around. i can only imagine why...

they’re also definitely safe-space vent people for each other. they don’t use the privilege all that often bc i think both of them try to like keep their cool and not get hung up about things, but if they really just have to pop off about something they know they can go to the other person and they’ll actually Listen and keep it under wraps rather than either spilling it to everyone else and/or immediately trying to problem solve rather than just listening to the Emotions. and it’s helpful bc for the most part, their friends don’t actually really overlap that much, so they don’t really like harbor the emotions the other person unloads on them or let it affect their dynamics with other people? like riley can talk about dasher and zay can talk about yingel without it having any ripple consequences bc theyre different circles.

for example, i can totally see riley talking to zay about how she feels like -- at first -- asher doesn’t really like her and won’t really let her in and like he doesn’t want her to join the friend group (even tho that isn’t really true). like she can’t talk to dylan about it bc she’s not going to put him in that position and she’s not foolish enough to think that’s a good idea, she can’t talk to lucas about it bc he like doesn’t get stuff like that gFJKHGLFJSDLH and also he has such a set impression of asher it would be hard for him to understand it from her perspective. zay has none of that, so hes a good person to listen to her nerves about it.

the only times this gets kind of complicated / janky is in the midst of zay x charlie stuff where riley is kind of unintentionally (or, sometimes, intentionally) in the middle. like, zay trusts her not to go telling charlie what he says about him, but he knows they’re good friends too, and its an awkward position to put her in. but still, i think when zay is really hurt or frustrated he’ll snap sometimes and just vent out all his anger about charlie to riley in one foul swoop, and she’ll just absorb it like a sponge without judgment and then not bring it up again. but you can also see little ways where this puts pressure on their friendship, like how when he was drunk in 304 zay expressed resentment towards the fact that riley also talks to charlie and sometimes he feels like she puts him first, even though that isn’t true. it’s just..... a very very complicated (and interesting, if emotional) situation with that trio.

that being said, when things are Good, i think that zay feels comfortable talking about his significant others (including charlie) with riley. he doesn’t really get too Detailed about anything personal or anything, but they definitely discussed charlie in s2 in the small window of time where riley knew and zc wasn’t actively imploding LMAO. on the flip side, riley doesn’t really talk to zay about her relationships, but only bc her relationship is lucas GJFSKLJHLKDJHFLDSH. like anyone else she’d be like okay sure this is fine but she knows zay finds lucas annoying 65% of the time and talking about him in a romantic context grosses him out so she respects that LMAOOOO. hysterical

in general, if they’re gonna hang out, they usually go to either a local coffee shop they like (like svorskis) or each other’s houses. its kind of a relief to have a person they can just take anywhere and have around their parents with no trouble at all, considering both of them are used to having a boyfriend who cant be seen in their house (for different reasons). and theyre comfortable enough that like i think when they hang out at their houses, they just spread out in the living area of both bc theyre not hiding anything, its like very lowkey and comfortable

that being said, riley doesnt spend much time in zay’s usual studio at school. most people don’t, its a place zay now likes to be alone (and it feels weird with someone else being there who isnt charlie)

as for how they come off to their families, the babineauxs love riley. jada has met her a couple of times and thinks she’s super sweet + zay could afford to learn a thing or two from her like how to chill the fuck out (cue zay going shut the fuck up). donna is excited that zay has another friend who isn’t batshit intense about stuff like maya / farkle, she figures yindra has the diva best friend role covered and zay needs more friends like nigel and riley to ground him. she’s right about this.

cory likes zay, but he also does have some prejudices from the teaching perspective about how zay doesn’t pay attention in class half the time and blows off his assignments -- but this isn’t partially because cory isn’t a great teacher and his assignments suck. so the feeling is mutual, tho zay gets along better with cory in a neutral, polite sense than say, asher and dylan, where it’s like guerilla psychological warfare. topanga has no opinion about zay bc riley doesn’t introduce her friends to her (wisely).

they’re still very common lunch buddies. essentially when riley isn’t eating with the techies (which is only when lucas is there usually) or bothering lucas in the booth once a week, she’s with zay (which usually also means nigel, yindra, and farkle, though not always)

ultimately, i think that when someone asks riley who her best friend is, her mind will always jump to zay first. not even because theyre necessarily the closest at any given time, but because he really was her first life raft at aaa and he extended that kindness to her in a moment where she was so used to being brushed aside, talked over, ridiculed -- and you don’t forget that. it stays with you. so when she thinks about her Best Friend, speed round answer, he will always come to mind first. i think she greatly admires his skillful balance of confidence and compassion, his sarcastic sense of humor, the way he gets so passionate about dance and music and how these elements come together, and his inarguable kindness that is at his core and so fundamental to everything he does (even when his more known reputation is a bit more barbed and witty).

on the flip side, i think riley came into zay’s life at the exact moment he needed it. we know he felt isolated in s1, and even though i think he thinks of nigel and yindra as his first-to-mind best friends, riley was a breath of fresh air who allowed him to be himself with someone who wasnt going to judge him on past decisions or impressions. just like he gave her the chance to define herself in his eyes with his extension of company on that first day, she does the same for him by not making assumptions about him and learning who he is on their terms. i think she’s also just a really great, measured system of support -- she’s not busting his balls or keeping him in check like yindra and nigel do (except when its really needed, like 304), but she isn’t as in awe / romanticized with him like charlie. i think he appreciates that he can go to her for an honest perspective, but she’ll take the care to deliver that honesty in a gentle way. it’s like, he’s tough enough to take a hit, but sometimes its nice to know you have someone who will be kind with you even then.

that’s what is at the core of their friendship overall. kindness.

-- Maggie

[shijas]

hi chel! i hope this is ok to ask but if it isnt, you dont have to answer. lately, ive been struggling with my writing. i do still enjoy writing, but i find myself doubting myself more often. i sometimes wonder if what im writing is realistic to how the characters would act, or if my writing is embarrassing. i started posting my works on ao 3 more recently and... while my writing gets a somewhat decent? amount of attention, ill see other works with a lot of engagement and wonder if im doing

heyy nonny! ofc this was okay to ask!! firstly, i totally feel you. it’s completely natural to have moments when you’re unsure and dissatisfied with your writing. if you still enjoy the process of writing, then that’s great! i want to make it clear that your feelings may linger but they will pass!!

i talked about this in an ask on my writing blog once but my three biggest writing tips are: “a first draft is a first draft”, “if you’re writing is indulging you then it’s met your target audience” and “as long as your characterisation is consistent to how you feel about the character everything is fine”.

i think, especially, when you’re writing fanfiction that these are things that you keep in mind! when characterising characters, i can’t personally tell you whether how you feel and thus write about them is ‘correct’ or not! no one can, because the lens of which you read and write them is dependent on your whole life worth of experiences!! and this is fine!! you don’t have to write characters exactly as they are in canon, and in all honestly no one truly expects you too. people read fanfiction because they want other interpretations of a story/characters that they love!! as long your characterisation is consistent to you, rather than realistic to someone else’s standards i think you’ll be okay!

now, posting on ao3 is always a double edged sword, and once again, i totally get where you’re coming from. i think everyone who posts semi frequently has a work that they love, which gets barely any attention, and other works that maybe are more of a joke or a quick thing that do surprisingly well. sadly, you can’t force readers or engagement, you can only put your stuff out and hope. if your numbers seem small and the engagement does seem low in comparison to other people, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing something wrong and as hard as that is to internalise or believe, please trust me on this!! i’ve read many a fic with barely any interaction and they’ve been brilliant, likewise i’ve read a lot of fic with a whole bunch of engagement that i personally didn’t enjoy.

a quick initial solution that helped me when seeing numbers really started to bog me down was using the site skin that removed all statistics from every work, my own included. this meant that i could still read fics, but i wouldn’t see anyones numbers, and it also meant when i went on my own page i was forced to look at my works for what they’re about rather than how “well or not” they did by numbers.

another thing that really helped me was advice from a tiktok i can’t currently find which basically said: “30, 60, 100 views might not seem like a lot on the internet, but imagine if that many people walked into your room and saw what you’ve created. they chose to come and see what you’ve created. 15, 40, 60 likes may not feel like a lot but imagine if that many people who had walked into your room to see what you’ve created and told you they liked your work. it would be pretty overwhelming.” i think there’s a really important message in that tiktok. every view, every kudo, comment and bookmark — even if it’s few — is an individual who chose to take a look at your work! they wanted to read it! some of them felt brave enough to kudo and tell you they enjoyed it! some of them were even braver and left a comment saying what they enjoyed! sure, it can feel underwhelming in comparison, but people are engaging, people do care and like your work!

the only person your writing has to be ‘good enough’ for is yourself! and if you enjoyed writing it then external numbers are just a bonus, no matter how big or small!! dissatisfaction is natural and expected from time to time, like i said earlier it will pass. sometimes it’s even a good thing, because if you finish something but feel dissatisfied, that might motivate you to write another draft, or redo a section or take a section out or add a section in! as long as this process is because you want to and it’ll make you happier with your work that’s good. if it’s draining it might be a hint that you should take a break from that project and try something else that you enjoy. you can always comeback. and on that note your ao3 and the fics you post there are not set in stone. if one day you decide you want to revamp a fic, do it! that’s allowed! it’s not a printed published fic! just hit that edit button and change at your hearts content. no one will mind! if anything those few people who might love you fic may be super happy that when they reread it, there’s something new or things have changed a bit!!

i’m really lucky that i have a friend that is not only is doing an english degree but writes fanfic herself, and other friends who frequently read fics and hc stuff over shared fandoms, so there’s always someone there to read my stuff — if you’ve got irl friends that are in your fandom spaces that you trust, i say subject yourself to the mortifying ordeal of being known and talk to them about it!! writing fics in isolation can be pretty hard!! online, i think if you’ve got the nerves to handle it (i do not OTL), twitter is a great place to interact with other writers!! my tips are maybe follow some of your fave writers and try and strike up a conversation?? be wary of the numbers again on twitter!!! similarly, if you do have a tumblr, talk to some of your favourite writers on here, and follow some writing/ao3 based blogs to see whose in the community! apparently there’s even discords for writers these days, so if you’re up to it that’s a great shout. if we’re in overlapping fandoms i love hearing people’s hcs so you can always throw them at me here or on my writing blog!!

i’m sorry that my reply got so long!! i hope that in some way it helps you even a little!! i’m sure you’re writing is pretty amazing and that it’s only going to get better the more you read and write!! have a great day nonny, and good luck, you can push through this!! 💗

[365text]

Hello! I’m a long time follower and I’ve recently been accepted to UC Berkeley as a transfer! I wanted to ask, what do you love about Berkeley? I’m trying to separate the prestige of going to THE UC from my personal feelings about the school. Getting the opinion of someone who has actually attended might be helpful. I appreciate anything you have to say!

hello !! omg “long time follower” what a CONCEPT that means you were probably here at least 4 years ago, considering i haven’t used this blog in the past 3 haha. 

also, CONGRATULATIONS !! i’m so excited + happy for you ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ (and i’m laughing at “THE UC” because i forget that we are also called Cal for that reason haha). v understandable to try to get a vibe about the school to separate prestige from the actual experience — i’ll try my best to share what i love about berkeley, though ofc (obligatory disclaimer) every person ultimately has different experiences at the same college, so YMMV :’)

i’m actually making/editing a video about what i’ll miss about berkeley [updated!] that im aiming to post by the end of the week heh so i’ll share it here / update this ask perhaps with a link when im done!

but in the meantime! what do i love about berkeley under the cut heh

berkeley is in general known for their academics / research opportunities! depending on what you intend to major on, it can be a really great resource to strengthen your foundations in your intended field :’) i study computer science, and imo berkeley’s CS program is pretty good — we have some particularly amazing lower division teaching faculty, and also pretty solid access to some innovative / Big Things™ research labs + professors in the field as well. i think in general their STEM is p strong, and i think various majors within the humanities as well. i would just say do your research for your respective interest in that regard, since i think some majors (ie. cognitive science) are probably “better done” at other schools? example UCSD has an actual dept. dedicated to cogsci, whereas berkeley’s cogsci program is just kind of like a program rip

i’m also in the college of Letters & Science (L&S), and what i love about that is the flexibility you have for your major of choice! transferring to EECS is now impossible (?) iirc given I started in L&S, but i was still able to major in CS (after meeting the GPA cap) which is honestly virtually the same degree — you have the same CS requirements, just without some of the COE requirements (like physics or multivariable calculus, which is fine by me LOL). being in L&S also means you’re able to double/minor in L&S majors more easily (anywhere from history to art to english to stats to data science, etc.) without needing to worry about overlapping individual college requirements! 

and one more thing about academics is that it’d probably be ideal if you could talk to someone who majors in the same thing you’re interested in, as i can only really speak to my personal experience as a CS major. the school is honestly really big, and experiences vary greatly within department to department! CS department is HUGE and our class sizes pretty much never dip below like 200-300, mostly averaging around 600-700 even in the upper division. but with smaller discussions, it usually doesn’t feel that bad. but i know that experience is v different for some other majors, where their upper division classes are like 20-30 people!

there’s also a bunch of student orgs / clubs, like a lot of schools i’m sure, that you can take part in! berkeley feels like a very self-driven school, in the sense that you can really feel students’ personal motivations, which drives the vibe that student orgs typically take on (in my experience).

i personally really like the city + campus! i like how berkeley feels like a ~ community ~ and almost a combination of a suburb / metropolitan area. you can find residential areas just by walking 20 minutes north of campus; you can go downtown / into oakland with similar travel time either on foot or by bus; you’re next to BART which gives you access to a bunch of bay area cities; and even tho the campus is an “open campus” which means anyone can come onto campus, it’s not integrated into the city as a school like NYU is — which means you still do get the campus vibe/feeling! also some areas of campus are absolutely beautiful, esp. during golden hour *chefs kiss* hehe.

we have a pretty decent selection of libraries to study in too HAHA. 

i think food in berkeley is def not bad either! near campus won’t be like Top Notch food and it’s not super cheap, but you get a lot more options that a lot of colleges don’t have within like 5-10 min. proximity i believe. but i am not 100% certain about that ¯\ _(ツ)_/¯  but it’s p easy to find good grocery stores if you prefer to cook @ cal, and p easy to find some quick food options that aren’t bad if you’re busy either!

like all schools tho, there are plenty of pros and cons depending on what you prefer / are interested in / what kind of person you are! there are lot of things i could talk about, but i’m not sure what you’d like to hear / what would be relevant for you heh. if you have anything you’d like me to elaborate on / clarify, please do lmk! 

at the end of the day, i think my personal belief is that a person’s college experience is largely shaped by their chosen community (re: people they choose to spend their time with), and if you find people that have the vibe you’re looking for in a college setting, i think it helps the overall experience a lot! sorry this is kinda rambling heh but congrats once again and GO BEARS LOL

[strange-principles]

The One That Got Away

Oh boy, another angsty song inspired ship one shot. Today I’ve been on an angst run, and I honestly love the one sided relationship related angst in Parkner. Pretty much, Harley is smitten for Peter, but Peter likes MJ, a lot, so he has to watch as they start dating, and his own heart is just, slowly crushed. Cause who wants to date a gay asshole nobody from Tennesee?

Certainly Peter wouldn’t!

---

Harley wasn’t exactly sure what had happened in full on that whole summer trip that Peter had taken with their class. Being in the grade above them, and in a different sort of class per say, he didn’t attend that trip. Which was fine with him, it left him open time in the lab with Tony to work on things. The main thing that he had been tasked on working on was a suit of armor for himself. Tony had proposed the idea of him becoming a hero known as the Iron Lad, and Harley certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea of joining the hero side of the world.

Peter was on that side of the world, and a chance to stand besides the brunette sounded like a great idea. When Peter caught wind of the idea, they were pleased with the idea of an Iron Lad - Spider-Man fighting duo. Harley liked that idea, even if he almost missed hearing it the first time that Peter was talking about it to him. He had been preoccupied at that time. He was listening to Peter, yes, but not to their words, to their voice. He was focused on the way Peter expressed himself, the way his expressions changed with the words that they said. He only belatedly heard what Peter was actually talking about when Tony walked in the room, questioning Peter on what got them so excited.

Harley had only then realized that he had zoned out, blinking a few times and listening to the hurried, but enthusiastic, explanation that Peter was sharing with their mentor. A duo. That was what they were talking about, and as Harley closed his eyes, face directed in another direction for the moment, a soft smile spreading across his lips as he pictured the painting that Peter was describing.

If you couldn’t tell, even after all this. Harley was well… lovestruck by the man that was Peter Parker, It was incredibly hard for someone to not like Peter even in the smallest bit as you got to know them. Harley still vividly remembered the first time he met Peter. The brunette walking in the room was enough for him to pause, his composure slipping as he watched Peter in what felt like a slow motion almost. A bright smile, cheesy, dorky science shit paired with some jeans, the soft curls in their hair. He knew he was gone the moment he felt that gay panic starting to rise. The beating of his heart in his chest, the rise if heat to his cheeks.

Harley actually had to excuse himself from the room so he’d be able to compose himself before he was able to introduce himself. He recalled leaving the room in a hurry, leaving a very confused mentor and other intern for a few minutes as he leaned against the wall outside of the lab. A hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating in his chest as he mulled over the mere thought of Peter.

He got to spend a lot of time with Peter after that first encounter. They spent a lot of time in the lab with Tony, talking about whatever crazy thing that came to their minds. Each conversation was something that Harley found he would be looking forward to and then cherishing afterwards. Peter was just… he didn’t have enough words in his vocabulary to describe how Peter was. A cute dork seemed to do just the job though. They talked a lot, but they hung out a lot too, which meant that he got a lot of the whole Parker action. And needless to say.

Peter was an idiot. A big one.

But each stupid little thing that Peter did always made him laugh, bringing out a sheepish smile and a rub to the back of their neck on Peter’s end. Harley loved that. Each time, he could feel himself slipping further down that path of love for the other.

They consumed his thoughts, and he certainly wouldn’t ever admit that it was a constant thought. In almost everything he did.

The brunette was intoxicating a good way, and Harley easily understood why Tony was so fond of them. He was too.

Things only got more crazy as he figured out that Peter was the masked hero of New York. it was a complete accident that he found out. It was late at night, Harley was staying up at the compound and Peter still dawned in the suit had dropped by. They had a plan already set, telling May and informing Tony that he was planning on staying at the compound for the night. What Peter hadn’t been expected was for him to be awake in the kitchen fetching a glass of water and watching just as the mask was removed from Peter’s face. Shocking him, and when Peter finally noticed that he was in the room as well, Peter as well.

Harley hadn’t ever seen someone jump into denying action as fast as Peter had. It would’ve been amusing at the moment if he wasn’t tired and still, well in shock. The rest of the night he spent thinking about how, amazing it sounded to have a superhero boyfriend. Peter would be perfect.

They were perfect.

Then came the day that Tony moved him up to New York, and enrolled him in Peter’s school, just one grade above them. They had a few overlapping classes, but his favorite would always be lunch. Peter’s friends were nice. Ned was enthusiastic, Peter’s best friend and a fun person to be around. And MJ? He didn’t really have a read on her besides interesting.

But then the dynamic of the group became to change, Harley could notice. Peter and MJ started to spend a lot more time with each other. Peter started to act all stuttery and flustered around MJ, and she was finally acting, well more comfortable around Peter. Even though it was still pretty awkward to watch. Ned would agree.

Harley did his best to remain the same, but he couldn’t push aside the ache that started to rise in his chest with every encounter he had with the two of them. Watching them together, hearing a few people’s side comments about how they looked “cute” together. It all started to break him. A tight constricting to his chest, and then a slight void of emptiness.

Then that science trip came up, and everyone in the little friend group besides himself was going.

Harley saw Peter off at the airport, managing to pull Peter aside for a moment and into a hug that Peter didn’t think much of, but it held a lot more meaning on his end. He told them to be careful and he’ll be waiting for them once the trip was over. He had something he wanted to tell them. Peter just gave them that smile that made his heart melt as they reassured him that they’d be fine.

Little did Harley know, but that was the last chance he ever would get to tell Peter how he felt.

They came back, and the only thing that happened on his end was heartbreak.

It was the late afternoon, he had intended to go to the airport to see Peter, but he got caught up in something else. He was working hard on a small project of his as his phone buzzed once besides him. Harley thought nothing of it at first, but then it buzzed multiple times in a row, and immediately, he knew it was Peter. No one else texted him like that.

Sliding over to where his phone was, harley picked it up and turned it on, expecting the messages to be a concerned Peter asking where he was, but what he got wasn’t that.

P: HEY, I'M NOT DEAD

P:ALSO YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED

P:I FEEL LIKE IM GONNA BURST

H: Are you, alright???

P: YEAh but

P:Man im embarrassed to even type it out hhhh

H:??

P:okay well, i liked MJ for a while now

P:and it turns out she likes me too

P:and we kissed and now

P:we’re a couple and ims uper happy

Harley never responded to those messages. It concerned Peter after a while, a few texts over the course of a few days asking if he was alive being sent his way.

He didn’t even open their messages. The annoying red notification bubble remaining over the messages app on his phone until almost a week later he was invited to come join Peter, MJ and Ned for a hang out at the park. Harley wasn’t sure what compelled him to say yes and actually agree to go. He guessed it was the message Peter sent.

P: I really wanna see you, please come :(

And so he did, but Harley regretted it immediately.

It was a nice day outside, but he had a hard time enjoying it as he trailed behind the trio of friends in front of him. He had his head tucked a little, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans as he was forced to listen to Peter rambling happily about their trip and him and MJ, forced to see their hand intertwined with MJ’s everytime he decided to glance over towards Peter. He didn’t listen to the chimes of their voice like he used to, didn’t watch for their little expressive movements, he tuned them out.

He was aching, badly. His chest clenched too much in only what he could consider real heartbreak. It hurt, a lot, and Harley could only reason with the fact that life really liked to throw him down into the ditch.

It really did, and it hurt. His chest tightened, eyes stung in the way he hated.

---

They had been walking for a while now, and Peter had just finished talking about one of the crazy things he saw on the trip. Ned and MJ had been putting in their input on the story, fixing details that he missed. Though he found it odd that Harley hadn’t said anything. They always had some snarky remark or chuckle when he talked about things like that. Thinking of the blond mechanic made a distant thought, or more so memory come into mind. It was the day he left for Europe and Harley had just let go of the hug.

“Oh Peter-” Harley had grabbed hold of their wrist lightly, tugging them back lightly over to him. “I have something I want to tell you when you get back alright?”

Peter stopped walking when he recalled that memory. “Hey Harley.” he started. “What was the thing that you wanted to tell me when I got back?” He turned around as did Ned and MJ, but the blond wasn’t anywhere in sight. The park was relatively empty, though there was no sign of Harley anywhere.

---

Never planned that one day I'd be losing you

In another life, I would be your man

We’d keep all our promises, be us against the world

In another life, I would make you stay

So I don't have to say you were the one that got away

The one that got away

All this money can't buy me a time machine, no

Can't replace you with a million rings, no

I should'a told you what you meant to me,

Cause now I pay the price

[shellheadtm-a]

anon | ‘✖‘ cuz it seems like you're only willing to rp w/ people who are big on aesthetics, or 'friends only' ...

anon | ‘✖‘ the times i have reached out to you, i've been ignored... i do love your blog so, but naturally i'm hesitant because of that.

i’m gonna answer these together and be breathtakingly, brutally honest about myself here.  first things first:  i remade in part because this was a bit of a problem, in that so much was happening on my dash at all times i literally could not keep up with the influx of ims, how fast my dash moved, and it was incredibly, awfully, not fun overwhelming.  rp started to feel like a job, and i’m not here for that.  i couldn’t keep up.  i was stretched thin.  so naturally i gravitated back to the people i have sure, plotted things with.  things i don’t have to think hard about because i don’t have to really consider how tony feels, i already know.  does any of this make sense?  probably not.  but this is a lot of it.  there was just too much, at all times, going on, and now that i’m here, on this new blog, the list of people i’m following is genuinely under a quarter of how many i was.  i do regular clean outs when things aren’t clicking.

so let me clear up the main elephant in the room here that...if you’re here, if i’m following you.  i want to rp with you.  i don’t care if you’re 616.  i don’t care if you’re mcu.  i don’t care if you’re another fandom.  i don’t care if you’re an oc.  i don’t.  if i’m here and you’re here, i want the thing.  sometimes it’s gonna take some hashing out before we do the thing, however.  and that all comes down to the point that scenarios that would work for an mcu based tony will not work for a 616 based one.  things have to be kinda guided, i know not everyone is familiar with the comics and how astronomically different tony is.  but i’m here to do that, to talk about, to explain how he’s different and answer any questions anyone may have because i am a literal tony stark wiki article.  except more indepth and a better wealth of cited sources.  you get me?  please i am begging you - if you ever legit have questions about how comic tony is different, i am always happy and more than willing to answer them.  you’re giving me a chance to do my favorite thing, which is talk about my boy.

and if i’ve ever ghosted you in an im or something, it’s by accident usually.  again, i used to get...so many ims.  so many.  i could not keep up.  i’d open something with the intention of replying and get swamped with something else and...by the time i realized i’d never replied it’d been ages and i’d look like an asshole.  like i said, my dash is much, much, much smaller now.  and i definitely intend to keep it that way.  i’m still bad about being flaky on tumblr ims, i don’t know why my brain hates them so much.  and i will say disco is literally the best place for this kind of thing, if you have it.  but i’m doing what i can - now that i’m not...drowning under the weight of things - to keep up with what i have.  i’m...well, probably still failing miserably, but i’m trying.  there’s also the fact that i’m socially anxious, shy, and awkward.  i don’t do the whole hi how are you thing very well.  i do better, handle it better, if we just jump right into it.  it gives me something to latch on to that’s not the social graces i lack. (as a note, you’ll probably notice i’m in literally almost no marvel/rp servers at all that aren’t exceptionally tiny and closed, and this is part of that, too.)

last two things, here we go.  one, there are certain people (that shall remain nameless) that i have a lot of things with.  and by a lot i mean unintentionally they make up the bulk of my drafts and inbox.  we just have plotted and built so much we have a lot to say.  but that doesn’t mean i’m closed to having more friends like that.  let me be really clear about that.  i’m absolutely here for it.  and now, hopefully, with such a small dash, i can do that.  like everyone else, sure, i have my friends.  we happen to have plotted things more.  i have threads i’m really excited about, and they get a faster turn around - strike while the iron is hot, etc.  but it’s because we talk and plot that that happens.  i know i’m kinda awkward, and it takes a tic to get me comfortable.  i don’t do small talk at all.  but honestly - i prefer being friends with people i write with because it makes it all just...so much easier than writing with a stranger.  i’ve never been very good at that, and i come - originally - from an rp background stretching back to livejournal and dreamwidth where friend groups move through the community together, and all the friend groups are interconnected by some people so they merge and move and...it’s like that.  it’s how i know how to operate.  and i would love - and i can’t believe i’m finally gonna say it - to have a good, solid group.  for continuity and plotting.  a bunch of avengers rpers where we can just.  set up a continuity line and run with it.  would fucking love that.

lastly, here’s the the thing:  i don’t give a good doodly fuck all about aesthetics.  i really don’t.  i like making things in photoshop, it’s fun for me.  it’s a hobby.  it’s relaxing some days to do nothing but make comic edits.  i like comic artwork, so i make things out of it.  a lot of the rpc is into it.  i know some people do it for...idk.  popularity points.  but it’s completely incidental.  i make things because i want to,  not because i give a good goddamn what anyone else thinks about it.  don’t use icons?  cool, that’s fine.  don’t have a fancy theme?  great, those don’t matter.  don’t make fancy promos?  okay, would you like one?  i like making promos.  like it’s a thing that literally just doesn’t matter to me, but is also a hobby that overlaps the rpc and it is what it is.

a lot of my reticence has to do with the fact that...i worry people come here looking for a tony stark that acts like mcu tony, and uses comic artwork, and that’s not what this is.  i’m a comic tony through and through, and he’s as different as you can get without a lot of core things being true.  i feel like that’s probably disappointing to some people, and if it is, i’m sorry, but it’s why, ultimately, overall i was disappointed with how the mcu panned out.  but it makes me really kinda...gunshy, even though i very much want to interact with you if you’re here!  i do.  and that’s the truth of it.

why aren’t we rping | accepting

[vyvesvi]

vyvesvi’s long awaited yesstyle review lmao :-)

ugh the keep reading isn’t working on mobile rip y’all sry

>a few Important things:

i just moved into my dorm yesterday so everything abt the pics and reviews to follow is a hot mess + i misplaced some stuff + didn’t bring it to my dorm bc it didnt work out (so i don’t have pics)

I’m not being sponsored in any way by yesstyle, i just don’t think there are enough black reviewers of yesstyle goods (but what does race have to do with anything, you may ask??? well, ppl come in all shaoes and sizes and the overlap between east asian sizes and body types and black body types is um. well. slim. that being said, i’ll give you some deets on me: i legit have no idea how much i weigh but im generally thin-ish with thicker thighs and a tummy pouch; height: ~169 cm, generally a US size S - M/4 - 6))

bc im not being sponsored, im not providing any (affiliate) links, just product names, sorry if that’s annoying

every yesstyle member (you become a member when you buy stuff) gets a reawrds code that takes a % off of my next order and the order that the code is used for, but I think it’s only like. 2% or smthng. message me and i’ll try to unearth my code if ur interested)

I ordered this stuff in two separate, similarly sized orders and the delivery time went like this (#1: ordered on-  2019-07-05 01:33 AM; split into two packages for some reason, received on like...july 22ndish? for some reason the tracking info isnt showing the delivery info. the 2nd part of this order, which was shipped a day later, arrived on the 19th. #2: ordered on-  2019-07-30 10:04 AM, received on  08/20, wasn’t expecting much bc it was shipped from hong kong during the protests but it was basically the same as the first order)

>the actual review part

i rly didnt wanna make a long post so just click for better quality sry lmao

edit: rip the quality if y’all want better photos @ me lmao

Dreamkura - Short-Sleeve Embroidered T-Shirt, Black - L

4/5- weird shape (really long sleeves for a short sleeved shirt, and really boxy too), and if you compare the placement and size of the patch vs. the one in the picture it’s not 100% accurate. still a cute shirt though so it’s fine

I sized up for an oversized look but I probably didn’t 100% need to

the black one is currently unavailable :/

camikiss - Seamless Under Shorts, Black - One Size

5/5- i wear these shorts too much. im wearing them right now. the ultimate safety shorts

the one size was a Risk but these shorts stretch well. maybe dont get them if you’re an XL and above in US sizes though

Lemongrass - Distressed Denim Shorts, Dark Blue - M

4.5/5- better quality than primark which. wow, did not see that coming

you have to cut the button hole (they seal it to show they they’ve never been worn apparently)

the button kinda like...jingles if you shake them vigorously, but it doesn’t happen when the pants are on, so it’s fine. still funny tho

im bad at wearing ripped shorts but if ur not i highly recommend

INKLEE - Round Buckle Faux Leather Belt - 105CM

5/5- kinda cheap but it does what I want which is hold my pants up lol

i could’ve sized down but that has way more to do with me not knowing my waist size lmao

Gwendolyn - Off-Shoulder Ruffle-Trim Blouse, White - One Size

4/5- i bought this bc it made me think “flyy like a butterfly” and all that jazz

it’s not my normal style but i really like it! it’s VERY sheer though

but I also got white so what did i really expect?

one-size was a risk once again but this shirt is pretty roomy, although it’s also kinda short...like not crop top short, but slightly difficult to tuck in short.

i would buy it again in black so i guess that says something

also i have like. freaky long arms (i can wave my hand over my shoulder with my arm behind my back and my elbow parallel to my torso...that’s such a weird description but uh. just know that my arms are long okay) and it didn’t look too indecent at the top to have the sleeves pulled down to my wrists! it’s a win!)

Moon City - Drop Shoulder Cardigan, Black - One Size

4.7/5- smelled weird when i opened it but I washed it and it’s fine!

one size risk but this one was also roomy af

the sleeves fit!!! god bless!!!

Edise - Couple Matching Elbow-Sleeve Embroidered T-Shirt, Black - L & White L

5/5- The white one was perfect and I love it! I sized like 2 sizes up for it to be a oversized but I would say it’s only abt 1 size oversized, if that makes sense? but I actually like it the way it is so cool lmao

3.7/5- the black one was really badly sewn on, but i reported it and got a new one for free so go me go yesstyle! they didnt give me tracking info *i think* and i wasn’t really waiting for it so it feels like it came fast lol

the moon is kinda a more awkward shape in person i think, but the stormy clouds were high quality and perfect!

i really like the material of the shirt!s it’s thick and soft and smooth? i’ve legit never felt a tshirt like that but im into it

DIYI - Plain High-Waist A-Line Skirt, Black - M

4.7/5- im wearing the outfit pictured right now and *TMI* the sewn in shorts are giving me a very very uncomfortably large wedgie tbh

it fits perfectly otherwise though

i feel like it’s one of the cheapest feeling things that i received, but it’s about forever21 quality but for only $11.45 so i’m 100% fine with it tbh

TREEZIN - Plaid Mini Skirt, Dark Blue - M

4.7/5- it’s very cute and fits perfectly! kinda shirt though and there was like 1 loose thread

the brown in the skirt isn’t super noticeable which i don’t really mind...overall i’d say that they lightened the photos considerably, which effects the color of the skirt

no safety shorts but idrc

pretty thick material

the final stretch thank god

Manicotto - Mock Two-Piece Sleeveless Mini Dress, Check - M 

3/5 pretty cheap material. the skirt is true to size, but the top is like two sizes too small (i don’t have that much boob but it was still too much for this poor, poor, top). they come as separate pieces, so i brought the skirt to school with me and left the top at home. im not sure what i would tell someone who wanted to buy this abt sizing, bc of the dramatic discrepancy btwn the sizes.

A’ROCH - 925 Sterling Silver Dinosaur Earring, 1 Pair - S925 Silver - Gold - One Size 

4/5, very cute, VERY small (dainty, sure) and good quality! my only complaint is that either it’s not real silver or whatever it is that they used to make them look gold is something that im allergic to. my ears got itchy

A’ROCH - 925 Sterling Silver Ear Cuff1 Pair - Cross - Silver - One Size

4.7/5, definitely 100% silver. i’d love to wear them but with my move i can’t find either pair of the earrings

they only sell them as 2 of the cross cuffs or 2 of the parallel cuffs which is annoying bc they’re pictured together but they’re good enough and cheap enough that i’d buy the parallel ones in a separate order

Euphrasia - Oxford Crossbody Bag, Black - One Size 

5/5 one of my best buys hands down

its ugly cute but it’s so useful

it has so much storage space for such a small bag

im in love

Jansi - Set of 3: Heart-Embroidered Socks, Black + White + Blue - One Size

4.5/5 i wanted the dark gray that’s pictured but they edited the hell out of that photo so the blue that i ordered is actually the gray sock pictured

really comfy and cute! esp with the tops of the hearts peeking out over the tops of high top converses??? i love it sm

i have big feet and they fit me, so they’d fit most ppl i think

Ashlee - Cuffed Denim Shorts, Light Blue - M

2/5, a horrible disappointment part 1

maybe i shouldve sized up more but the critch area just fits SO BADLY i left these at home

i would return but im not paying for return shipping to hong kong so i’ll donate them

they’re also cute really badly like they don’t taper in at the waist at all

no human person is shaped like that pls ashlee

they get a 2 bc they are shorts and they sent me the right color

Rosehedge - Pleated Mini Skirt, Black - S

3/5, a horribly disappointment part 2

i shouldve sized up idky i didnt

i can actually fit into them and zip them up and everything but it’s so so short that you can basically see my entire safety short covered butt and it kinda bulges between the top of the tiny sewn in safety shorts and the actual skirt

wow thats a weird sentence sorry but you get it

has thousands of good reviews though, way more than anything on this list so that must count for something right?

3 bc it’s kinda my fault

Regalia - Faux Leather Wallet, Black - One Size 

5/5 beautiful lots of storage space but still very compact, would buy again

the “forever young, made in korea” is kinda ugly but what can you do?

Prinsis - Printed Socks, Dinosaur - White - One Size

3.5/5 they’re cute, but the design is so but that you can see halves of it on the front of the sock, which is very ugly

notice how on the site every pic is taken from the side? not a coincidence

they fit fine and are comfy though

>okay that’s it thank god!

>lmk if you have any questions!!!

(@gowon-yyxy)

[script-a-world]

hi! im having some trouble figuring out some things about my world. The main country of the story like a post calamity old west, filled with cowboy gangs that occupy turf. But there are also people in towns within the country that have nothing to do with the gangs. My issue is im having trouble figuring out how the two sides would interact, and how the people in the towns would avoid getting raided every day.

Tex: Ah. Well, cowboys... don't do the raiding thing, traditionally - it's actually a job as a cattle herder and sometimes horse wrangler that worked on a ranch. The original cowboys were vaqueros of the Iberian Peninsula. It's a very old cultural tradition, which is typified by doing cattle - and other animals as necessary - herding on horseback. Technically speaking, the Iberian roots refer to a dressage style of the region, known as doma vaquera (aka "Western dressage" or "cowherd style", DressageToday, which is different from the horsemanship style of doma clásica (aka haute école, Wikipedia in Spanish).

I find the phrase "post calamity old west" very interesting; what about the Old West drew you toward it for a post-calamity setting? It may not have looked like the US east of the Mississippi, but for the most part the frontier was highly oriented around entrepreneurialism, egalitarianism, and self-sufficiency - Manifest Destiny's impact on westward expansion is popularly said to have shaped the roots of American culture, distinct from European. Society in the frontier wasn't highly stratified like in the original colonies, but it was quick to develop in something that reflected the friction with the Native Americans, the aggressive politicking that was the developing legislative landscape, and the shift from financial modesty to the dream of wealth.

Cowboys were incredibly important to frontier culture, as cattleherding [and horse... everything ( 1  2  3  4  5 ) were a core component of the frontier economy. Settlers made up another core component, and between the two of them - under Manifest Destiny's set of goals - American law and government was further developed. The building of the railroads to connect east and west coasts had major help from cowboys and their ability to wrangle horses for use in railroad construction, something that helped put the US higher on the international stage in terms of their trading power. Being able to negotiate literally new trade routes, as well as govern them, is a potent draw for any society as it enables them to have a steady source of income to develop themselves further. Since cowboys were an integral part of this, the culture surrounding them was built up accordingly.

It's important to highlight that the Old West was planned, inasmuch as territorial expansion on other people's property can be. As the population of an area grew, and went through the formal procedures of becoming towns, cities, and states (there were some hiccups, as evidenced by the Kansas-Nebraska Act), the amount of law enforcers grew accordingly. In the beginning sheriffs and others were sparse compared to their big city relatives in the more developed regions of the US, and as such they were spread thin.

What was... maybe not unique to the era and region, but perhaps distinctive, is the fine line between "law-abiding" and "not law-abiding". Since the US was galloping toward expanding its territory and defending it (pun wholly intended), picking up the slack as a representative of the US government could be financially beneficial. Bounties could be put out on criminals - whose crimes were frequently theft of cattle and horses when not cash and other goods - and deals were frequently struck with not only cowboys but whichever criminal was currently in the good graces of the local sheriff/town as a whole.

Outlaws, also known as lawmen (sometimes law-abiding!), badmen, pistoleers, pistoleros, rustlers (a particular occupation), and gunslingers (the last one a post-era name suited for Hollywood), are the byproduct of westward expansion in the US. Like cowboys and law enforcement, they had a spot in their society as, literally, a criminal occupation that varied in how far from the law they operated (entrepreneurship, if technically of a different tone than homesteaders and other settlers). Because of the contemporary in situ development of law, criminals could be sheriffs and sheriffs could be criminals.

This lack of stratification that would typically define respectability is what made the American frontier the "Wild" West, not necessarily the lack of physical infrastructure. The US is big, and matching the technology of the East Coast and Europe took a lot of resources, both physical and financial, and many routes were taken to achieve the singular goal of fulfilling the US' vision of becoming a power player in the world stage.

Such an apparent lawlessness was dealt with by using a form of equality, something best said by the adage "if catapults are outlawed, then only outlaws shall have catapults". The multiple layers of politics - from Native Americans to war with other nations and neighbors to quite simply the wildlife - meant that firearms were a staple of settlers, ranchers, Pony Express riders, and stagecoach travelers that had to deal with "the wild" (something that notably wasn't allowed within town limits as a demarcation of civilization). If you want to talk about raiding, the Bleeding Kansas crisis is your best bet to see how the Old West handled such things.

Combining those two above aspects should give you greater perspective on social dynamics of law vs lawless, as well as how the social circles overlapped. The closest I could find to the modern gang war analogue would be range wars, with notable examples including the Johnson County War, Stuart's Stranglers, and Sheep Wars that fit the parameters of cowboys in territorial disputes during the Old West era and region.

I think you might be particularly interested in the Cochise County Cowboys, as a very early form of American crime syndicate during the time when "cowboy" and "rustler" were mostly interchangeable. They're a part of the family feuds in the United States, many of which occur during the time period and in the region of the Old West.

Below (Mod Miri Note: at the end of the post) is a list gives details of the minutiae I haven't covered, which round out the setting of the Old West, up to the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad which effectively ended the era - but not quite to the American Civil War. 

Feral: Everything Tex said. Also...

Something else to consider about the real Old West and the sociopolitical dynamics that came with it is that the Old West was happening during a time of class warfare. And I do mean warfare. An incredible amount of the land was not owned by the people living there. It was owned by the railroad companies, banks, and absentee speculators. Most farmers in the 19th century were tenant farmers, who could be evicted for crop failure - evictions to be carried by the local sheriff. Over a thousand people died constructing the transcontinental railroads, and running the railroads was also a very dangerous occupation. Strikes were happening a lot and the Pinkertons were known to actually battle striking workers. The point of this is to say that the common people might not have had as much of an issue with bandits who targeted banks or trains or fought with sheriffs and security agents. Jesse James was a folk hero who is given attributes of a Robin Hood figure, even though there's no evidence he gave away any of his loot - he did, however, steal from the rich and that might have been good enough for some.

Now you ask how the bandits (or cowboys - is that meant as a reference to the Gunfight at OK Corral? if so, it's a proper noun - Cowboys was the name of the specific gang) would interact with the townspeople. I see 2 general models of this.

Model 1: the towns are part of the territories which are "protected" by the gangs that control the territories. So, gangs wouldn't be attacking their own towns; they'd be attacking each others. And likely trading with their own.

Model 2: the towns are no-man's land on the border of territories and trade equally with the bandits (this model would probably require a very strong law enforcement presence). And trade is a really important thing to consider - you can't eat money. Whatever the bandits steal from banks, train cars, etc, they need to get food with it. And given the very real poverty in the Old West, stealing food outright off farms was a very good way to get a huge posse out for your blood.

If you're not already familiar with Westerns, try some out. Tombstone is a favorite of mine (though it is absolutely completely historically inaccurate). Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a classic. For a more "modern" option, Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is a must-read. Even when they're inaccurate, they capture the feeling that draws people to the mythology of the Old West, even when reimagined as post-apocalyptic.

And speaking of the post-apocalyptic West, you're probably very familiar with the Joss Whedon show Firefly and Stephen King's Gunslinger, but if you haven't taken the time, really study them. Because the world building, especially in terms of the balance of chaos and order, are wonderful, and again, they capture that feeling of Westerns that keep people coming back. "Train Job," "Bushwacked," and "Heart of Gold" may be particularly helpful episodes for you.

Tex’s Further Reading

American frontier  - Wikipedia Timeline of the American Old West  - Wikipedia Territorial evolution of the United States - WikipediaWestern wear  - WikipediaThe Evolution of Western Wear  - True West Magazine Western Economic Expansion: Railroads and Cattle  - US History II (American Yawp) by Lumen LearningHoofs and Wheels: Transportation in the West  - National Cowboy & Western Heritage MuseumLost Skills of Old West Stagecoach Travel  - American CowboyThe Pony Express  - Cowboy ShowcaseWild West Outlaws and Lawmen - The Wild WestJesse James - WikipediaJames Kirker, the King of New Mexico - "American Studies" of the University of VirginiaDunn Brothers (bounty hunters) - WikipediaKansas Gunfighters, KS Outlaws and KS LawmenList of Old West gunfighters - WikipediaCategory:Gunslingers of the American Old West - WikipediaList of Old West gunfighters - WikipediaCategory:Outlaws of the American Old West - WikipediaCattle raiding - WikipediaList of Old West gunfights - WikipediaCategory:Range wars and feuds of the American Old West - WikipediaThe Missouri Crisis   - Digital History from the University of HoustonCalifornia Gold Rush - WikipediaCalifornia Dream - WikipediaSutter's Mill - WikipediaFirst Transcontinental Railroad - Wikipedia

[larksinging]

hey it’s @transrobro ‘s birthday today! happy birthday jay!!!

i thought it was only appropriate to take two of their favorite things and mash them together: rvb and rwby! actually this is based on an au jay came up with, i just expanded a few details for this fic. even so i hope you enjoy! 

now for the sappy part: jay not a day goes by that im not happy i started talking to you more. youve been such a wonderful presence in my life and someone i am just always made better by knowing. and this year youve done a lot to stand up for yourself and take care of yourself and i am SO proud of you for that! i hope you have a great birthday today because you have absolutely earned it 

The metals doors slide open and Alaska steps into the briefing room, the white of her armor tinged in glittery blue from the holographic projections. She steps up to her appropriate spot at the edge of the table, not quite interrupting the Director and everyone he’s gathered. Her stance is stiff and formal. 

“Agent Alaska reporting for duty, sir.” She holds her posture as a few other Freelancers on the other side of the table glance up at her.

She thought she’d be the first one here, but obviously she’d been beaten. If she wasn’t at attention, she’d go stand with Michigan and her red-and-gold armor. Already gathered as well are Arkansas and Oklahoma, but you always see their green and pink together. There’s also BM and Vermont, and she thinks she even sees Hawaii in the corner. 

“Ah, Alaska,” The Director drawls, “Good timing. We were just about to begin. You wouldn’t want to be late for your own mission briefing.” 

“Of course not,” Alaska agrees. She can almost feel Hawaii rolling her eyes. 

“Very good. In that case, let’s begin.” He pulls up the holographic image of some kind of alien ruin. “You’ll be recovering some artifacts from this crash site. Since they require simultaneous extraction, I’m sending two teams.” 

He spins the image and highlights something in one of the lower sections. “Agent Alabama and Agent Hawaii--” He nods and the two of them step forward, “You’ll be recovering the first artifact.” 

“No problem,” BM drawls. Hawaii nods in agreement. 

“Meanwhile, Alaska.” He moves the hologram to highlight a spot at the top of a spire. Of course she’s always sent on the missions with heights. “You’ll be working with...” 

Michigan, she internally begs. Michigan’s never dropped below second place, when she even drops below first. Either Okhlahoma or Arkansas would be fine two, they’re both skilled. Vermont’s pretty sweet and shy, but good in the field, so she’d take her. Or even Tenessse, despite her dramatic flair, is hell with a gatling.  As long as it’s not Rhode Island and his stupid crush. Or worse yet...

“Sorry I’m late! There was, um, kind of a problem with the lockers, and--” Oh no. 

“Agent Oregon,” The Director nearly sneers. “Do try to arrive on time from now on. I’d nearly changed my mind about assigning you to this mission.” Oh no. “You’re working with Agent Alaska. She’ll catch you up on the details.” 

Alaska looks over at her partner. Oregon -- or RG, rather, just like her sister -- has her helmet off and slung lazily in the crook of her arm. It’s as obnoxiously red as the rest of her armor, which honestly makes her look like one of the sim soldiers. And, the worst thing is, RG is beaming at her. 

“Oooh, I’ve always wanted to work with you,” RG says. Alaska braces herself. It’s not the first time people have fawned over her. She joined Project Freelancer to get away from her name, but it turns out a Schnee is still a Schnee, no matter what she goes. 

“Your armor’s ability is so cool and versatile and I have so many combination ideas,” RG is practically bouncing, “And you give great reports.” 

Wait, what?

“Depends on your definition of great,” BM mumbles as she passes, patting RG on the back and nearly knocking her over. Which nearly knocks her into Alaska. She hurriedly shoves RG off of her and dusts herself off. 

“Let’s get going,” Alaska simply says and turns on her heels. 

-

While technically the mission was a success, Alaska’s not satisfied with it. Her own performance didn’t so much as nudge her score. No doubt because she was spending most of the mission bickering with her partner. If it hadn’t been for her suit’s enhancements, RG would’ve never made it up the side of the building. 

Green flickers in the corner of her vision. “I believe you’re overthinking this, Agent Alaska,” Omicron says. 

“I’m not overthinking this,” She snaps, “I’m thinking about this a perfectly reasonable amount. I--” 

“Ooh, is that your AI?” 

Alaska’s head snaps up as RG approaches her. Alaska closes her locker and glares. Omicron clears his throat in amusement and then flickers away before she can glare. It doesn’t matter, because her eyes catch on RG pulling off her helmet. In the light of the briefing room she didn’t see how RG’S short black hair is tipped with red that can’t be natural, or how she has striking silver eyes that almost look through her. Alaska swallows thickly. 

“Yes,” She replies stiffly.

“That’s cool. I’ve got Psi here.” An AI flickers into place next to RG, faintly hazel in color. He waves to Alaska, who frowns. 

“Wait, you already have an AI?” 

“Yeah, I guess?” RG rubs the back of her neck. “The Director thought I was ready.” 

“I thought you just joined the program,” Alaska says through grit teeth, “And you already have an AI? There’s no way you’ve earned that.” 

“Whoa, hey,” RG narrows her eyes, “What’s with you? I just wanted to talk to you because I wanted to find someone else who understood. I mean, Michigan’s got... Epsilon, right?” 

“Kappa.” 

“--Right, and Hawaii and my sister are up soon, but...” 

“You think I want to talk to you?” Alaska can see Psi getting nervous, and Omicron activating to try and calm her, but she ignores them. “After your stunt on the mission?” 

“Hey, that worked out! We were fine!” 

“No thanks to you!” A part of her knows that isn’t entirely true, but she doesn’t want to admit it. “You’ve been trying to aggravate me all day! Ever since you mocked my reports--” 

“I wasn’t mocking you,” RG interrupts her, now deadly sincere. “I actually meant what I said? I like your reports.” 

Alaska stares. “What?” 

“You put more detail into them than anyone else.” RG rocks back on her heels and shrugs. “Yeah, they’re really long, but some of the stuff you include is really useful. Like the other week I read your report on the Chorus mission, and you were the only one who included the exact model of vehicle that Hawaii caught. Sooo I could look it up and calculate the tensile strength on that ribbon-gun she likes, so I could give suggestions for that combo move she uses with BM!” 

“The one they use all the time?” Alaska blinks at her. “You came up with that?”

“Yeah.” 

“And you figured it out because of my notes?” 

“Yeah!” 

Nobody’s ever complimented her on that before. Not genuinely. Everyone thinks she’s pretentious and too focused on her rank, but she just wants to be thorough. And here’s this newbie prodigy telling her how good they are. Something bubbles in her chest, but Alaska can’t put a name to it. 

“Maybe I’ve misjudged you,” She admits slowly. “Would you... like to spar sometime? I could give you feedback on your form, or something like that.” 

The smile slowly spreads across RG’s face. “I’d really like that.” 

-

Anyway, the rest of that is a story for another time. Too bad, I know.

Instead, let me paint you a picture: it’s late afternoon and yet the moon rises high over the walls of the gulch. Alaska goes off on patrol, but so little happens in this box canyon that she’s really just using the excuse to get away from BM and Hawaii being obnoxious and obvious back at Red base. 

She goes up along one of the cliff trails that run along the sides of the gulch. This one leads to a nice vantage point of Blue Base, which is a great strategic advantage for no purpose. They’re only play fighting with Rhode and the rest of Blue Team. Really, it’s just a nice spot for some peace and quiet. 

Except that RG’s already beaten Alaska there. RG sits at the edge of the overlook with her feet swinging off the edge, her sniper rifle laid neatly beside her. 

Alaska hesitates for a moment. RG glances back and notices her, then simply scoots to the side a little bit. Alaska takes the invitation and sits carefully beside RG, her own knees tucked closer to her chest. 

“Do you ever wonder why we’re here?” RG asks. 

“I was going to ask you why you were out here,” Alaska counters. 

“That’s not what I meant!” “What did you mean?”

“I mean, why are we here in this random canyon?” 

Alaska frowns behind her helmet. “I thought... random was the point?” 

“Mmmm. I guess so.” RG leans back and tilts her head up to the sky. “This place is kind of nice at night.” 

“Do you... come out here a lot at night?” 

“Sometimes. Sometimes it’s nice to stargaze. Even though I don’t recognize any of the constellations here.” 

“I could teach you sometime.” 

RG looks over at her. “What?” 

“My sister taught me the constellations. Even ones in the far reaches of the galaxy, like here.” Alaska looks up at the sky, purposefully not looking directly at RG. “I could show you, sometime.” 

“I’d really like that, Alaska.” 

“You can thank me for it later.” 

They say later, but they stay until the sun sets. In the darkness, nobody will see if their hands overlap. 

[chokeonmydickgrayson]

Headcanon #12

Taking the Batfam home to meet your Family.

Dick:

You’d probably have to tell him about twenty times on the ride there to keep his hands to himself, not even a little hand holding in front of your parents. (Lord knows how eager he is to have his hands on you at all times, though honestly you never mind it. You’re father however would slaughter him at the sight of any physical contact between the two of you and you were not going to be splitting up any fights tonight.)

Though Dick, being the playful idiot he was, would probably ignore your warnings. He’d slickly let his hands linger on yours as he’d pass you things around the house, subtitly winking to you as he did so. It makes your heart beat skip and draws a smirk to your lips, you loved his playfulness.

Other then his occasional defiance of the whole hands to yourself rule, he’d be a down right proper gentleman.

Before dinner he’d help your mother in the kitchen with the food, prepping the vegetables, setting and removing the pot roast from the oven, even grabbing her the various bottles of spices she collects and keeps stores up on the top shelves (which she can’t reach for the life of her and is to stubborn to move no matter how many times you and your father beg her to). Once he leaves the room your mother would most likely grab your arm and smack you lightly questioning instantly about plans of a wedding. “Your not getting any younger Y/N and neither am I! I want my damn grandbabies! He’s gentle, he can cook and he’s got the looks” she’d wink with a shake of the hips before giving a chuckle when youd flush red and burry your face in your palms “im just sayin’...the way he looks at you is the same way your father looked at me when we used to date...It’s clear he really loves you sweetheart.”

During dinner he’d probably be seated next to you. He’d probably let his leg rest against yours as he ate, he remembering to use those billionaire manors Alfred and Bruce instilled in him. It warmed your heart at how hard he truly was trying to impress your parents, you’d probably have to repay him the favor after dinner. He’d do his best to impress the table with some quirky banter and after the meal he’d be the first to excuse himself to help clear the table and help with the dishes. (Geh you almost wished he did the dishes at home. You’d give a chuckle and roll your eyes at just how much of a kiss ass he was being, but you thought it was cute.)

After dinner he’d probably try an attempt to spend time with your father. He was positive he had your mother’s approval but, he needed to know your father approved of him as well. It would come in hand one day when he asked for your hand in marriage. He’d probably sit back on the couch diagonal from your fathers recliner and watch the football game with him, he making small talk about the games plays. (As much as Dick enjoyed sports he never got to watch them, with your ever busy life styles sitting home and lounging in front of the tv watching Sunday night football was never an option). Your father knowing what Dick was doing would be the least bit interested in what he had to say. He’d give a sigh and mute the game, not making eye contact as he spoke “if you wanna brown nose my ass kid, your fucking shitty at it. Let me just save you the trouble, i will never approve of anyone that my little girl brings into this house, I know what a young guy like yourself wants with a beautiful girl like my daughter, I was your age once too.” He’d probably sip at a bottle of beer, before placing it on the coffee table in front of him leaning in closer for Dick to meet his eyes. “That being said, you make my little girl happier than I’ve ever seen her. You’ve made it further than anyone else she’s ever dated, no one else has made it into this house” he’d hum fingers rubbing at the short kept black beard on his chin. “You must be special to her...you two got pet names?” He’d ask Dick through squinted eyes, to which Dick unsure how to answer would blurt no. A bluff, your father could smell it a mile away. “What do bees make?” To which a very confused dick would blink and answer back “wait? What? Um, Honey?” You’d hear the word honey and poke your head through the kitchens serving window and respond with “Yeah baby?” Dick would turn bright red in the face and your father would hum with satisfaction, leaning himself back into his chair with his beer, returning the tv volume back to normal “your a shitty liar, you’ll do I guess”

Jason:

Jay wasn’t the most polished of all guys, sure he knew manners but more times than not he’d never use them. You’d beg him to at least try and act like he was raised in a damn house and not like a hood rat raised in the gutters of Gotham. He’d probably take notice of how important this was to you and do his best to comply. You debated telling him to be careful with how much physical contact he’d put out, but you knew it’d be a waste of your breath to even try.

His palms would be damp most likely out of nerves (but hell if he’d admit that to anyone.) You’d slide your hand into his regardless of the sweat, and knot your fingers together giving him a gentle reassuring squeeze “you’ll be fine, no matter what happens tonight i will still love you” you’d whisper to him leaning in and pressing a kiss to his cheek. He’d appreciate that more than he’d be able to express.

While you and your mother begin to cook dinner, Jason would be sat on a chair in the kitchen most likely findling with his phone doing some type of “work”. Generally unless spoken to, he wouldn’t speak which could problematically be seen as rude. Your mother would most likely eye you over with disapproval and annoyance motioning to the phone in his hand. Moms are gonna mom. You’d sigh and call his name, evoking an immediate response of “what?” You cringing at the tone. Throughly to be clear you’re not cringing due to the toughness of his tone, but from the fact that you knew his response was going to catch a bit of lash back. You’d just take a breath and hand him a carrot and a peeler. He’d look at you with a brow raised before looking down at the carrot “am I suppose to freaking chop it or something?” He’d ask honestly unknowing that some people did in fact peel the top layer of a carrot off. You’d just snort a bit to his response you not thinking anything out of ordinary it. With a gentle shove of the shoulder you’d take the carrot back and demonstrate proper peeling procedures before handing it back “think you can handle that Mr tough guy? If not I got some heavy dishes in need setting up that have your name engraved right on ‘em” you’d tease. Your mothers eyes would watch the two of you more eased by the way he reacted to you, however her impression so far wasn’t the best. Once he’d finished peeling the carrots and had left the kitchen your mother would pull you aside and voice her concerns. “I know you love him Y/N but are you sure he’s good for you? I mean I can see what you see in him” she’d pause watching him as he set the table. There was no denying Jason was one gorgeous man, the honest to god total bad boy packag. Stunning body build, beautiful piercing blue eyes, and that irritatingly gorgeous dark hair with that one white pinstrip. God you couldn’t help but watch him as well. You could have spent the rest of the night just fantising about what you’d do for him later if your mother had not stopped you. “I’m just saying baby, think about it before you make any choices. You say he treats you well, and I can’t be one to disagree, I just don’t appreciate the foul mouth and the attitude. He clearly means a lot to you and you clearly mean a lot to him...maybe just try and smooth his edges out”

During dinner Jason would most likely take a seat next to you, however across from your father. At some point in your meal you’d ask “daddy could you pass me the salt?” Hey, you were still young and your father was one of the most important figures of your life. Your father would reach forward his hand overlapping onto Jason’s, confusion and anger splaying over his face. Jason had unintentionally without paying attention as well reached to hand you the salt, seeing as how sometimes you could be guilty of calling him by the same name during bedroom play. Your face would be bright red as you sink in your seat, Jay casually chewing the piece of meat in his mouth “oh wow, this is kinda awkward....Id love to give you an excuse for why I reached for the salt, but i got nada.....your daughter calls me daddy too.” He’d smirk.

There was no after dinner, your fathers top blew, you and Jason being kicked out of the house. Don’t worry, your father would leave Jason with fairwell parting gift, a good clip to the jaw....It’s safe to say your father does NOT approve of Jason and your mothers view point may be more skewed now. He’d look defeated and upset that he messed up tonight so badly but how could you stay mad at him. Your family could be difficult there was a reason you didn’t come around much yourself. You’d just press yourself into his torso planting soft kisses there “I’m proud that you at least gave it your best shot Jay, but i hope ya don’t have hopes of ever being called Daddy again after tonight.”

Tim:

You would have zero concerns about taking Tim home to meet your family. He was respectful, smart, and handsome, he was everything you look for in the boy you bring home to mom and dad. You were excited for your family to finally meet him, you’d only chewed your mothers ear off endlessly about the amazing boy you’ve been blessed with, you couldn’t wait to flaunt him off.

Tim however, would be a nervous wreck. He’d probably ask Bruce about a thousand times how he should act and what he should say. He didn’t want to blow this, you mean the world to him, he’d hate for you to leave him over a small screw up. He’d be so nervous he’d practice the phrase “Hi Mr and Mrs Y/L/N I’m Tim, it’s nice to meet you” about a thousand times. You’d notice his jitters and would let your palm slip innocently against his lap, softly petting his upper thigh. “Relax Tim, you’re over thinking it. We’re just grabbing dinner with my folks, just be the Tim Drake I fell in love with, he’s the best guy I know” you’d tell him. I’d do wonders for his nerves.

Before dinner Tim would be attentive and helpful in the kitchen, he’d start cooking right along side your mother as if he were part of the family. (Which you were glad he felt that way) Your mother would love how eager Tim was to learn her cooking methods, even if he was a terrible cook. It was an A for effort from her. Youd crack a grin and watch as he used the might of those finely toned muscles of his to mash the potatoes. He’d look so adorable in your mothers apron, his tongue greased our past his lips in the corner as he really focused on the task at hand. You’d give a smile while your mother wasn’t looking and dab a bit of potato on his nose kissing his cheek softly. Nobody but you and Tim has to know about that. She’d smile when he walked out of the room, she watching him take his time to set out the table out in the dining room. “You were right Y/N, when your right your right. I didn’t believe you when you said you’d found the perfect guy but I can’t argue with you! He’s a little cutie pie, you two are adorable together hunny. He must really love you to go through all this trouble tonight, you’re very lucky.” She was right, you watched him with practically heart shaped eyes. You were incredibly lucky.

Dinner would go fairly smooth. He’d do his best to help clean up after dinner, though he’d end up making bigger mess in the kitchen so your mother would banish him from her realm.

After dinner he’d sit with your father, though Tim being the shy guy he was didn’t really have much to say. He didn’t give a damn about sports, the only thing Tim could talk about that he and your dad had in common would be you. He’d clear his throat and rub his palms nervously on his pant legs he clearing his throat “S-sir....i know I’m not the hippest guy on the block and I get it if you’d rather your daughter date someone cooler than me...but I can promise you I’m never gonna do anything wrong by her. She means a lot to me and I’m sorry I don’t have much else to say, I don’t think other than Y/N we really have anything in common” he’d nervously laugh “but I can tell you that I love her and I promise every day I fight to be a better me so she can have best me possible.” He’d say eyes locking with your fathers.

Your father would take in a deep breath and look Tim over once or twice not saying a word, turning his attention back to the tv. He’d pass a beer over to Tim cracking it open. “You’re an okay kid” he’d say pounding back a good swing of that alcohol before slamming the can down on the table “but if you’re lying to me and you break my baby girls heart I’m gonna break your damn knee caps” Hey, if ya don’t make the threat are you really her father? All jokes aside your father would absolutely approve. He’d pull you aside after he’d shaken poor Tim’s ass and whisper into your ear “don’t tell him i want him to fear me a bit, but I approve sweetie, you picked a good guy.”

[arkus-rhapsode]

My Hero Academia Chapter 209 Review

Well now, we’ve entered the home stretch of this arc. Going in to this last fight, I myself have a few jitters. Will this chapter cure that? Lets find out. 

So we open on team Bakugou at the end of their matches, finding out it only took five minutes. Wow, we know Vlad is the one announcing so that must just be a real salt in the wound for his class. Though, I think team Tokage is walking away with minimal injury and no robo medics showing them out, so I just that’s a win.

So we get the teacher advice and performance reviews and with what Vlad tells team Tokage, I feel as if I need to address this. So last week, I made my stance clear, I was fine with Bakugou winning. As Vlad is saying here, their strategy failed as it was built around a different Bakugu, and they ended up spreading themselves too thin. Now, I will say though, what the fourth round lacked, is any reflection from 1-b. Oh sure, there was Tokage in the sky panicking, but unlike the other matches, there really was a lack of seeing class 1-b react and try to roll with this, even if it would be futile.

I know, let sleeping dogs lie, but I honestly was getting miffed at the tone of last week being, either “Bakugou is so great, you under estimated him,” or “Bakugou is an ass, and Class 1-b shouldn’t have been hyped at all.” So I’d like to say that I’m taking a middle ground and just saying as a fight it was great for Bakugou in terms of character development, but ultimately as an actual clash, it was sorely one-sided.

Speaking of team Tokage, them at least are pretty good sports over their loss. Kaminari is also on the side to congratulate Bakugou and of course needing to remind the shippers of his and Jirou’s relationship. Also, I’m assuming what Sero is talking about is when he lifted up Bakugou with his tape.

We see All Might congratulate Bakugou and he of course decides to act like a serious tsundere and act like this is nothing. Even though we know how he feels about All Might and thus meaning, he’s likely a little giddy on the inside. Also props to the comedy with Deku, that Bakugou’s anger at this point is just reflex.

We get that relationship progression scene with Deku and Bakugou, and don’t get me wrong, from a character stand point this is good, but from an average reader stand point, it feels like I’m watching the scene from the training before the license exam. You know, the one where Bakugou wondered if Deku was still going to try and surpass him. Granted this version is in a different context as we know Bakugou is now the one playing catch up with Midoriya in terms of being a hero. I’m just pointing out that this slow progression relationship definitely feels like it’ll take a while longer.

We actually do get a page that’s mostly blank, and textless to obviously add emphasis of just how important this moment was and is allowing the audience to digest it. Now I’m not posting it mainly cause I don’t wanna take up more space than I need with these reviews. But I wanna definitely that this is very appreciated in terms of pacing, because you have series like One Piece that pack itself with so much content you actually need just to have a chapter long breather rather than just a short single page one. It just really makes me happy to see that MHA is at a point where it can do this well.

We cut to team Monoma who Tokage is apologizing to because with her loss there is no way they can win. To which I’m going to take this moment and say yeah, you can’t. Alright this is just a mini-rant I have, but I really hope this match doesn’t end with team Deku losing and the final score being 2-2. That would be such BS, as what this arc is basically built on is A vs B, someone has to win or else you basically wasted almost 20+ chapters on this arc and it was all pointless. Now some have said that if they tie, class 1-b will still be around and this will clearly show them as a force on their own, as this arc will have gotten their characterization out there so we don’t have to shove it into the moment.

The problem is though, that still doesn’t fix the arc of being pointless. Say what you will about the provisional license exam or the gentle arc, but at the end of the arc, there was a point to each of them that was established and fulfilled. The class got licensees and Eri was free of Overhaul’s influence. That’s what the arcs were about, that’s what we got. But if no one wins and no one loses, then this entire arc was a big waste of time. What is the point of a fight if there is no winner or loser? I think we give shit to the Grand Magic Games in FT a lot, but the point of the arc was to win and get the guild’s popularity back, which it followed through on, and Black Clovers tournament was really a  selection for the royal knights, which means that if the main character lost, there was still a pay off to it.

Now, if you go by saying that this arc isn’t about the fight and is more about Deku and Shinsou meeting and discovering what’s up with those visions of All for One’s brother talking to him, then this arc should’ve been altered. Because that would mean that only now are we doing what matters for the arc. There is basically no way to end this ultimately satisfyingly, because if team Deku does win, that ends this arc at 3-1, which makes class 1-a look like a group of jackasses who steam rolled class 1-b. But I’l take that over its a tie, I don’t wanna feel like I just wasted 3 months on this for just this fight.

Anyway, Monoma gives an impassioned speech that really shows a layer of his character that isn’t shown. While he’s often made a joke by his irrational hatred, Monoma is very much a theatrical man. Now I don’t mean that he’s flamboyant like Aoyama, rather he’s just a guy who sees the world a stage and is gonna bask in it. We saw this really early in the sports fest and a little bit with what he chose their culture fest project to be.

We end this monologue with Yanagi basically asking monoma what the point of this is, which means I already like her cause we’re actually getting some more characterization than we did with team Tokage.

We also get Shoda here, putting the pieces of their strategy togethe, telling us that their powers are techincal based. Likely meaning they aren’t directly combat based, but they all have skills that give them a lot of options.

Yanagi also speculates on Midoriya, calling him “hateful,” to which Shoda points out that Yanagi kinda speaks her own langue. Which is a cool trait that at first might seem like overlap with Shiozaki. However, when Shiozaki would act melodramatic it was out of religious vindication, Yanagi just has her own way of talking.

…Wait… What’s that? …Ahh, I’m getting word that a female character actually mentioned Deku’s name, thus she has been admitted into the Dekubowl.

We start more speculation on Midoriya and I think it’s coming from Shoda, showing that he’s clearly the analytical member of the team. Shinsou says that they need to beat down Midoriya first.

Now look, I actually really enjoy this as the way everyone is speaking of Deku and actually take him as a serious threat. Now I now there are some who have said, “team Deku should lose so that he develops from this.” To which I say, fuck off. Deku isn’t like someone like Natsu who basically could bamf his way through everything up to his fight with Gildarts, so when he lost it was a big deal. But Deku, dude loses like crazy and grows form it. Aside from the physical damage, the kid in the first few arcs barely got a win on his own, most of it was done with teamwork, with im learning for now he had to be the strategist. He didn’t finish at the top of the sports festival by Bakugou, he needed help against Stain, the first fight I think he won on his own was against Muscular, and let me remind you that destroyed both of his arms.

So I its only after 200 chapters, Deku is only now actually being treated as I’d expect a shounen protag to be treated, a massive threat. For the longest time his big quality was he had the heart of a hero, but that always ended with a shattered body. So he wasn’t really that powerful. And only now is is signs of progress really starting to affect other characters especially outside of class. So if Deku loses here, I’m gonna think that this wasn’t a big, “learn from loss character development moment,” I’m thinking it be a set back for him. Still team Deku could still lose if Mina, Mineta, or Uraraka get captured and as a whole they fail. Now there is a potential for Deku to fail, but I’ll talk about that in a little bit.

Also Shinsou asks Monoma that if they combine their quirks then they could pin down Deku. Now the images behind Monoma imply that potentially, Monoma would use copy on One for All and will end up destroying his body. Now That seems to be the implication, however there is the possibility that Monoma could also copy Shinsou’s quirk and then surprise everyone by answering him. But come on, we wanna see Monoma with one for all.

The teachers actually comment on Shinsou and wonder if he’ll pull through in this fight like he did the first round.

We cut to team Deku with everyone trying to figure out what their going to do, and unlike team Bakugou, they seems pretty downtrodden and realize that they don’t exactly have the same all-aroundness that team Bakugou had. However, instead of team Bakugou where Bakugou was the center of the team who protected and attacked, Deku is instead opting as a decoy, leet them focus on him, and then pick them off.

We also need to point out, they are laying it on thick with Deku’s quirk having some issues. If what ultimately screws up Deku is his quirk crapping out on him, then that’ll kinda fee like some narrative manipulation, but at the same time, one for all is such a strange quirk in this world, I wouldn’t doubt it could just screw up against Deku’s will. So we might have some flags going up with potential failure.

I love how even Mineta realized that Deku’s had character development up to this point. Anyway the match begins, but this isn’t the end of the chapter, oh no.

All Might needs to be excused after a call from Gran Torino.

We cut to the cell of All for One himself. He reminds us that Giantomachia has appeared. And unlike the league, this guy is loyal directly to him.

Welp, All for One knows about One for All and likely that vestige stuff. I mean,it’s not too much of a surprise at it came from All for One’s brother. Anyway, pants to be darkened.

Post Chapter Follow up: So I’m going to say, there’s nothing wrong with this chapter at all. Its a pretty standard breather chapter, but my greatest fears are more of what is to come than what has been actually in the chapter. Now I can’t condemn a chapter for not doing something that it isn’t time for, but as you can see the anxiousness is cranked up going into this.

On the positives, my personal favorite thing about this chapter is the character interaction in team Monoma. It’s something we sorely lacked from team Tokage, but now it feels like this making up for that. We see More to Monoma as a character individually, as well as Yanagi and Shoda really showing of what they’re like as characters. Nothing from Yui yet, but she could be like Bondo and that’s the point. As for class 1-A, this group of characters are pretty used to bouncing of eachother, so it’s nothing new. That said, I do enjoy the interactions regardless.

The continuing relationship of Bakugou and Deku is great and I’m glad Horikoshi is committed to the long run with this relationship. Also I’m just happy that we got some good pacing built around it without it feeling inconvenient.

Also appearance from All for One, which already makes this even better and furthers the Giantmachia plot,.

Final Verdict: 7/10

Good breather chapter

Awesome character interactions

Foreshadowing of future events are getting set