#but now it's basically : actually there's no bar. you can't clear it. here's why

[monstersqueen]

i fucking love how we started from the impossible - savign sakura is only possible if you defeat zouken and use the power of the grail to save her - to even more impossible - defeating zouken will just give the shadow even more power so you need to defeat the shadow - to more impossible ! no you can't defeat the shadow that's killing sakura !! good luck finding a way to save her even a hypothetical one !!! you can destroy the shadow and kill sakura or let the shadow keep on - allowing hundreds of deaths every day - and sakura will lose herself anyway

as long as there's a way - no matter how impossible - shirou can convince rin to try. he can stay sakura's ally, no matter how many victims that means.

but is there a way to save sakura, no matter how impossible ? where's the loophole ? the third option ??? something ????

look saving sakura here is impossible enough. you can't ask for the slightest more thing - not saber, not illya. sorry.

that shirou can save one is already more than allowed

[alchemistc]

both your hands in the holes of my sweater

It starts innocently enough. There's a chill in the air, a crisp and cool morning where neither of them have anything in particular to do, and when Evan plates up two decadent looking omelettes and suggests they eat them out on Tommy's patio Tommy can't think of a single reason why they shouldn't. The pergola is actually fully built, now, wisteria just beginning to creep across the lattice, the Adirondack chairs that have been sitting at the fence line for six months have been sprayed down and placed catty corner to the table with a built in fire pit Tommy had spent months staring at before allowing himself the indulgent purchase.

They're outside for five minutes before Tommy notices how tight Evan's arms are to his body as he eats, how the hair on his arms is standing on end.

Tommy gives it five minutes.

Evan is pretending not to shiver by the time Tommy decides Evan is officially more stubborn than he is. He'd come just off work, in a tight tee and jeans, and it's been hot as shit for weeks and he'd stopped bringing an overnight bag basically immediately when Tommy cleared out a drawer for him, so he doesn't have a jacket here.

"Evan," Tommy admonishes, after Evan's teeth clack together. "The omelettes are amazing, please go grab a jacket before you vibrate right off your seat."

He looks like he might protest, but after a careful moment where Tommy stares him down, he nods, stands - gives in and rubs his hands over his forearms as he books it back through the sliding glass door. Tommy spends the time waiting scrolling the same website he'd gotten what Evan has dubbed his "old-man robe" - he gets all the way through to choosing a cornflower blue one for his cart before Evan returns, snug as hell in one of the cardigans Tommy hasn't pulled from the back of his closet in at least a few years.

And there's something to that, actually. Tommy's dated around plenty - still remembers the way his first girlfriend had blushed beet red the first time he hooked her by her elbow to drop his letterman over her shoulders and how he'd wondered if there was something broken in him that seeing his name sprawled across her back didn't do shit for him. Still remembers the first guy who'd wrinkled his nose at Tommy's Carhartt and flannel, always half a step from dragging him into some high end shop for something Tommy absolutely knew they didn't carry with shoulders wide enough to fit him. Remembers the only other guy he'd dated who came close to matching him for size, and how he'd owned a grand total of three jackets that were tailored at the waist in a way that would have made it impossible for Tommy to close them.

So it's a first - Evan's style is changing, muteable, seems to hinge on his mood and his plans and the position of the stars in the night sky, but Tommy's never seen him in a cardigan. Give him some glasses and a collar under that shirt and...

Evan catches him staring and his grin goes wide, tongue pressing against the backs of his teeth in a way that promises at least one of them is getting a blowjob after breakfast.

---

Tommy winces against the sting as the tequila warms his throat and actually does a double take when Lucy wolf-whistles right in his ear. An hour ago, Tommy had been nursing his one beer and waiting for the text from Evan that he was leaving the firehouse, but a rollover on the 401 had run his shift long and somewhere between Evan's profuse apologies and Donato sidling up to him with a pool cue he'd agreed to shots. Date night was a wash, anyway, and Evan had seemed happy with the idea of meeting Tommy and his coworkers at the bar, and Donato was sneaky about her shots.

Tommy's - warm. Glad he'd ordered them both burgers once he got a text that Evan was on his way. Tommy is absolutely not going to make a fool of himself when he catches sight of Evan and feels the hinge of his jaw go loose.

Evan grins at him and waves at Lucy as he slides into Tommy's space. "Hi," he says, and Tommy knows he's a fucking dork but he's usually a smooth dork. Tommy's fingers drift over the pocket of his fucking flannel, dart over the rolled up shirtsleeves and the bulge of muscle stretching the seams at the shoulders and - "Nice shirts, Buckley," Donato snarks, already sliding a tequila shot past Tommy.

He's wearing one of Tommy's Henley's underneath, too. The fucker.

Evan looks a little bashful as he admits that he'd maybe gone a little too dressy for date night, and Tommy's place was closer.

Tommy knows for a fact Evan has a whole drawer of casual wear at Tommy's, but he doesn't call him on it, because this is doing something for him.

Their waitress is dropping off their burgers at the table in the corner, and Donato has already wandered off, so Tommy snags one of Evan's belt loops to tug him in, to press his lips to the bow of Evan's lip, to inhale Evan's pleased sigh. "If you catch up to me in drinks before we finish those burgers I might be convinced to let Donato mack on you again."

Evan swats his ass as he dances away, but Tommy can hear him adding a beer to Tommy's tab as he makes his way back to the pool tables.

---

Donato spends a month calling Evan "Tommy Too" around the station and Tommy's too smitten to care when half the crew picks it up.

It makes the next time Evan runs into the 217 on a call a little awkward, but Evan takes it in stride.

"No offense to the whole carpenter mechanic vibe you have going, but it's not even my style," Evan tells him, in the midst of explaining that he can't actually explain why he's constantly pilfering Tommy's shirts, jackets, and on one memorable occasion a pair of grey sweats that hadn't even made it past the bedroom door.

"It's - you can just say blue collar, Evan." The whole conversation had started when Tommy realized he was missing four different flannels and one of his tan jackets to boot. "It's fine, just - maybe stop hoarding them at your place, please? I'm running out of clothes to wear."

"We could go shopping," Evan says, with a gleam in his eye, and Tommy thinks of the party supplies debacle last month.

"No. Never again. You're a goddamn tyrant." He eases the words with a nudge of his shoulder against Evan's, and Evan grins back. He'd been mulish as hell about which balloons to get and what type of tape was allowed, and it had worked Tommy up so much they'd barely gotten through the door before Tommy was crowding him against a side table and reaching for his zipper.

One day they're gonna have an argument about trans fats in the freezer aisle of Ralph's and Tommy's gonna get a nationwide ban for public indecency.

Evan blinks away an expression before Tommy can parse it, but even though this is his first real foray into dating a clothes stealing fiend, he's heard the women in his life talk about the sentiment enough to sort of have an idea what it's all about. He takes a shot in the dark. "You can have one thing at your place at all times. Rotate them out if you want, but for the love of god don't make me go to work naked."

Evan's blink is a little less focused this time, which is absolutely Tommy's bad.

---

He doesn't really get it, is the thing. Until he does.

---

He's sulking. Tommy is absolutely sulking and he has no one to blame but himself.

"A whole wide world of fluke accidents and cursed injuries and you sprained your ankle on a basketball court," Eddie says, and they share a quick smirk between themselves at the memory of the last time they'd been to this particular urgent care.

He's got Evan's Jeep, and when Eddie gets him up into the back seat Tommy can feel the edges of his eyes getting heavy. It feels like barely a second has passed before Eddie's popping into the drivers seat

"These are good drugs," Tommy says, and then tosses the bag the pill bottle is in into the passenger seat. "Take them with you."

Eddie glances at him askance in the rearview, and Tommy's pretty sure he mumbles something vaguely coherent about addiction being a fucking genetic gift, but he's distracted by the shot of emerald green tucked into the back of the passenger seat pocket.

It smells like Evan, is the first thing he notices as he yanks it loose, and Eddie is most likely chuckling about Tommy pressing it to his face but there could also be a funny street sign. They'd gone to that brewery up in San Luis Obispo and when they'd left for the day trip it'd been chilly, but by the time they got there it'd been scorching.

Tommy spends a good ten minutes trying to figure out if he can separate the sandalwood body wash from the vanilla and vetiver cologne and then loses that train of thought when Eddie checks in. He's forced to remove the hoodie from his face with something vaguely approaching embarrassment, but Eddie just laughs. "You two are something else," he murmurs, and - it's a sentiment that's been repeated a million different times with a million different facial expressions but from Eddie, here in the quiet comfort of the Jeep, with NPR turned down low even though Eddie complains about it every fucking time he hops in to find Evan listening to it - here, it feels important.

That's probably the good drugs talking.

"I'm gonna marry that man," Tommy blurts, and Eddie doesn't do anything crazy like slam on the breaks or whip his head around. What he does do is catch Tommy's eye in the rearview and take stock of Tommy trying to stuff himself into the hoodie without unbuckling his seatbelt. He's probably gonna regret that, when the drugs wear off.

"He know that?" Eddie asks, and the edge he'd maybe expected is missing from Eddie's voice. He sounds - pleased, maybe. Knowing.

"I thought we had a hard rule about relationship talk."

Eddie hums. "You started it."

And he did, at that. Tommy isn't subtle at all about tipping his head to the side to nose at the hood of the sweatshirt. God, it's like rolling into Evan's pillow after he'd left for work.

"We've talked about it." He's aiming for casual, and it sucks that his vision isn't the best right now because he can't quite read the tilt of Eddie's brow.

Eddie makes it clear, though - a long, low whistle. "Kinda early for 'til death do us part."

"I woulda married him a month in, if he'd asked," Tommy admits, and - that's something he hadn't really planned to admit even if it's the truest thing he's ever said.

Eddie snorts. "A month after you ditched him halfway through a date?"

Tommy narrows his eyes. Tips his chin against the warming metal of the zipper where it rests against his chest. "There were extenuating circumstances."

"Like?"

"Like I was already way too invested and I didn't realize he didn't even know he was into men until I kissed him."

Eddie stews over that for the next however many blocks. Tommy tucks his thumbs into the sleeves of the hoodie and strokes them over the still downy-soft fleece lining the inside of the jacket.

"So what's the protocol with two dudes, anyway? You gotta ask each other's parents if they're cool with their sons no longer living in sin?"

Tommy snorts. "Your religious trauma is showing, jackass." He flicks a look at Eddie. "Besides, Phillip Buckley fucking loves me."

Evan had been more surprised by that than Tommy. Tommy's got a way - with fathers, with white collar men in their fifties and sixties, with - well he's got a way. They either secretly wanna fuck him or secretly wanna be him and Tommy knows how to lean into that. Without making it weird.

The rest of the drive is quiet. Eddie seems to be processing, though what, Tommy can only assume. He's got no clue what Evan tells Eddie about the two of them, unless Evan has mentioned it himself.

When he pulls into the drive, Evan's already pushing out the front door with a hand on his hip. He stills when he catches sight of the no doubt haphazardly thrown on jacket Tommy's wearing, and - yeah. Yep. He gets it now.

"I'm staying for dinner," Eddie says, with a finger aimed at Evan's face. "You get that look off your face."

Evan gestures, splutters. He's doing absolutely nothing to help Eddie guide him up the walk.

Five minutes later, when Tommy's settled in the couch with his leg elevated, Evan sends Eddie to the kitchen and spends a ridiculous amount of time fluffing pillows and gentling his hands over Tommy's legs - the good and the bad one.

Tommy's expecting a kiss, but all he actually gets when Evan draws near is an annoyed groan and a punched out sigh. "After Eddie leaves I'm gonna spend an hour telling you all the different shades of green in your eyes I've never noticed before."

Tommy grins dopily. Tugs at the hem of Evan's sweater - an old, old cable knit Tommy's surprised even fits the breadth of his shoulders when Tommy hasn't worn it since the aughts. "Eddie said no dirty talk," he admonishes, and Evan's grin as he drops his lips towards Tommy's is bright enough to power a city grid.

[niningtori]

to know him is to love him, and i do | chapter three: i'm not all bad, right?

pairing(s): choi beomgyu x you, kang taehyun x you

summary: you love beomgyu more than anything. you just wish he loved you, too. or you finally break up with beomgyu and move on, but as for him? maybe he's starting to realize too little too late.

genre: romance, angst, angst with a happy ending (?)

word count: 2.1k

notes: hi friends! i don't have much to say this time around besides the fact that i just want to thank user zzhyuu for helping me edit this (´∀｀)♡

if you were to ask beomgyu if he loved his ex mere months ago, he'd say he didn't know for sure, but probably. they ended things rather messily, which seems to be a trend for him, but if he really thinks about it, he doesn't know what he liked about her after all. if he had to pinpoint it, he liked the thrill of the chase and the idea of never knowing how explosive things would inevitably get between the two of them. he liked the toxicity. he liked the idea of breaking somebody and being broken in return. only now does he understand that that wasn't love at all, but some sort of sick game of hurting and being hurt he doesn't — he can't — play anymore. he doesn't want to hurt the people around him any longer, especially not you, but it would appear that that sentiment has presented itself a little too late. 

there's always been a lot to love about you. always. you're so kind and so incredibly patient, at least with the people you love. you're thoughtful and intentional with your words and actions. you're not perfect, but you try your best to be a good and fair person. and you listen. like, really listen. the kind of listening where you're not just waiting for your turn to talk, but the kind where you genuinely want to know what the other person has to say. even if he didn't know it at the time, beomgyu always did love you. was it in the way you deserved? obviously, with the way things are now, it's perfectly clear that it was not. 

even if he does bump into you, it's completely pointless. you made it perfectly clear that you want nothing to do with him anymore. the last thing you said to him echoes in his head with an unspeakable viciousness. "i'm sorry you feel that way." he didn't realize just how cruel those words were until they were falling from your lips instead of his. he didn't realize just how cruel he was in general. 

he ponders over how succinctly you summed up your entire dynamic: "i don't understand why i have to explain basic human emotion to you and i really don't understand why i have to beg and plead for you to care about how i feel!" to be honest? he doesn't understand why you had to do that, either. 

contrary to what one might suppose about him given his overall shitty personality, he had actually had a pretty good go at life. he was innately able to make the world sit and watch him go, and he wouldn't let anyone forget it. but what should he do since you don't want to watch him anymore? what should he do since you don't want anything to do with him anymore? 

as he sits in the extremely uncomfortable chair of his new least favorite bar, he's confronted by this truth over and over again. he's not completely sure why he's even here — he hates this place, but he remembers you mentioning you liked to come here. in hindsight, there's no doubt that that was a way to hint that you'd like to come with him, but what use is it to recognize it now, after all this time? 

not much, apparently. or at least that's what his conscience is telling him. he should leave, he thinks. he should stop coming here every night hoping he'll run into you because it's wrong to make you uncomfortable when you've said in no uncertain terms that you don't want him anymore. he should, he should, he should. and he will, really. in just a minute. that's what he tells himself, but he just watches the door as he drinks himself dry.

he's on the brink of literally passing out when he hears a sound he'd recognize anywhere: your laugh. he actually thinks he's hallucinating just because he wants to hear it so fucking badly, but it takes the sound of your voice to convince him it's real. you're actually here. he's incredibly drunk, so the idea of being tactful escapes him. he can't miss this chance.

-

you try, and try, and try some more, but you can't seem to forget beomgyu's last words to you. he loves you? you scoff at the idea. does he even know what love is? it doesn't feel like it. truly, it doesn't. if that's what his love feels like, you'd rather not feel it at all. 

that's what you keep trying to hammer into your head along with the idea that you're doing well. and you are doing well. seriously. things with taehyun are better than ever and you can really see yourself building a life with him. everything feels so pure and brand new. your feelings for him may lack the intensity that you felt with beomgyu, but you had known him for years. it's only fair that you nurture the love that's blossoming between the two of you while smothering out the embers of what used to be with beomgyu. it's only right, right? it should be, but the way you're so torn makes your brain hurt.

so you decide to go to your favorite bar and forget about everything for the night. it's been a long while since you've let loose and you're excited. you're surrounded by your friends and you're ready to let go. it's only when you excuse yourself to get some fresh air that you realize fate has other plans. 

when you're walking to the curb to take a seat, you feel a tug on your elbow and whip around. if there's some creep trying to get with you, there will be hell to pay. 

"who the f—" you stop dead in your tracks as your eyes meet with beomgyu's misty ones. the ones you used to love so much. 

"hey," he says weakly.

"what do you want?" you ask venomously while harshly yanking your elbow from his grasp. his lips purse and even in the dim lighting outside of the bar, you can see his eyes water even more. he's always been such a baby when he's drunk. 

"i just wanna talk," he pleads. he sounds so out of it and looks so pathetic you almost feel bad for him. almost.

"i have nothing to say to you," you reply coldly. 

"but i do." he sounds desperate to a degree that you sincerely never thought you'd hear.

"what, are you gonna tell me you love me again?"  you retort with a roll of your eyes. you're obviously being sarcastic, but all he can think in his drunken state is how pretty your eyes shine, even when they're impatient to look away from him.

"if you're not gonna say anything, i'm leaving —" you snap, turning away, but beomgyu is awoken from his daze and gently pulls you back.

"n-no! i mean, yes. i love you, b-but that's not what i wanted to say."

"well, what did you want to say?" you ask, tone laced with annoyance. seeing that you'll actually give him a chance to hear him out, he scrambles to pull out his phone. you're confused for a few seconds before he pulls up his notes app and you see an alarmingly huge chunk of text. what the fuck?

"i-i wrote this for you," he says tremblingly — so anxious that the hand that holds his phone is visibly shaking. you cock your eyebrow when he clears his throat and begins.

"i was so, so inconsiderate of how you felt, and didn’t treat you with a lot of respect as a person, let alone as a partner. i didn't understand how hurt you would be by the things i did or didn't do. in a way, i still don't think i understand just how fully how i treated you affected you. especially when you were so hurt by me. especially when you’d hold onto those feelings for so long, whether you wanted to hold them or not. it's unbelievable to me that you stayed with me for as long as you did, a-and it’s a testament to your willpower, your resolve, and how much you really do — or did — love me. i don’t think i ever appreciated your love like i do now. i... i don’t know if i appreciate it fully even as i write this. 

when i last saw you, i thought you were being cruel, but looking back, i can’t blame you. i can only admire you for not being worse, actually. roles reversed, i definitely would have been. i-i'm starting to understand how you must have felt, and why you probably want me to feel how you felt in the past. i know you think i am the one who owes you, and i do. i really owe you a lot. i owe you more than you ever asked me for.

so i want to make it up to you. i really do. and i'm hoping that i can really change. i'm – i just miss you so much i can't stand it anymore. i-if you don’t feel the same way, or don’t care, or however it is, i understand. but i meant it when i said i love you, and i mean it now when i say that i'm so, so incredibly sorry," his voice cracks as he finishes and hot tears threaten to find their way down his face. 

"beomgyu..." you begin, not really sure what to say. what can you say? and any hope he has of being with you is almost extinguished when he sees how much you pity him in this moment, but he'll hold on for as long as you'll let him.

"you said you saw the real me. you know i'm not all bad, right? i'm a piece of shit, but i can't be all bad," he pleads, tears now streaming unabashedly from his eyes. maybe if he can just find the right words, you won't leave him.

"beomgyu," you sigh, "i've never thought that about you. i know you're not all bad," his face perks up at this and he's tempted to bury his face in your neck and sob in pure relief. the pain he's been feeling for the past few months is about to be over because you understand him. always have. even though he's like this, you can still see the good in him. just the thought alone is enough to fill him with pure ecstasy. he goes to close the distance between the two of you to pull you into his embrace, but you gently place your hand on his chest before he can come any closer.

"thank you for telling me how you feel, beomgyu, but if you think you can fix everything with a few words from your notes app, you're delusional." his face crumbles at this and a sense of panic and dread pools in his stomach.

"w-what? b-but you said —" 

"i know you're sorry and i know you'd probably try to make it up to me if i let you, but that's not enough. you really hurt me, okay? and it's just, you know, i'm finally happy now. and i have taehyun. i really like him, beomgyu. and he really likes me," you say with a fond smile, as if you're thinking of taehyun right now, and his heart shatters into a million pieces. the former him would probably be throwing a tantrum right now, but he said he'd change for you, so he says what you'd never expect him to.

"it's okay," he smiles bitterly, tears still flowing freely. "i... i understand. i just want you to be happy. i want you to be so happy. you deserve it."

"but..."

"go back in," he sniffs. "you don't need to stay here with me anymore." he swipes at his eyes with his sleeve and tries to send you off with a smile, but it's so forlorn you wish he'd just keep frowning.

"... okay." you turn away, and even though he told you to do it, he can't help but feel an even bigger lump in his throat now that you're actually listening to him.

"beomgyu?" you say softly, before you enter the door. 

his damned heart can't help but flutter again against his will. 

"yes?" 

"don't wait for me anymore, okay?" how are you so cruel but so merciful at the same time? he should say okay, but the ugly and selfish part of him refuses to lie, so he just shakes his head and waves you off. his love is ugly and his heart is broken, but it's still yours to have. 

"I'm sorry," he murmurs again to nobody but himself as you enter the bar.

notes pt. 2: the next chapter will be the final chapter. it will probably be relatively short, so keep that in mind. anyway, feedback is always appreciated :)

masterlist

[qqueenofhades]

I'm not clear as to whether or not the 14th Amendment barring an insurrectionist from holding certain powerful offices needs that individual to first to be proven guilty of being an insurrectionist in court. We all know Trump is absolutely an insurrectionist, but do we technically need that guilty verdict first?

I mean, I'm not a constitutional lawyer so I can't give you a 100% for sure answer, but I think the problem here isn't nuances of law or interpretation so much as basic courage: are courts or judges actually going to come to literally the only conclusion that can factually and legally be drawn (that the evil orange is a fucking traitor who should rot in prison for the rest of his life and never be allowed near public office again) or are they going to chicken out of it by admitting that he's an insurrectionist but something something the statute doesn't apply to him?

That's why the CO Supreme Court ruling (and as a native Coloradoan, HELL YEAH GUYS HELL YEAH!) is so important. Yes, I'm sure SCOTUS will do their worst to it, though the COSCOTUS judges craftily tailored their ruling to a states' rights opinion written by Gorsuch, who will now have to go diametrically against his own previous jurisprudence to find in Trump's favor. Yes, Republicans only like states' rights when the states are doing what they want, and the rest of the time it has to be stamped out, but even though Trump has been formally indicted for insurrection in regard to January 6, this is the first time that a court has conclusively found that as a result, it would be illegal for him to appear on the ballot due to the 14th Amendment. Which. Yeah. It is incredibly fucking obvious that this is the case. As I said, the issue isn't whether the statute applies, as it clearly does, but if the legal system is going to actually do the right thing and correctly apply it to Trump. While he wasn't going to win CO in 2024 anyway, what I really hope is that states like Pennsylvania or Michigan, where it would be HUGE to boot him off the ballot, follow suit. Ideally with a slightly different model of legal theory, so it can't be invalidated by whatever nonsense SCOTUS comes up with in regard to the Colorado ruling, but yeah.

The original judge's ruling in the case was a mess because they were clearly trying to have it both ways and avoid taking a stand: yes, Trump is clearly a traitor, but they didn't want to be the one that said he couldn't appear on the ballot as a result. But now that COSCOTUS has found that a) Trump engaged in legally defined insurrection and b) that therefore disqualifies him from standing for elected office as a matter of straightforward application of the 14th Amendment, let's hope that gives other judges in these suits across the country nerve to follow suit. Because this is not a candy-ass or trivial statement:

That's as about as strongly worded a statement as you can get in a case like this, and it's been made by a state-level supreme court. It likely will not survive SCOTUS, but they might also try to find a way to split the difference (especially as Jack Smith has asked them for an expedited ruling on the absolute immunity question and they might have to pick one or the other in terms of helping Trump out) and come up with some vague weasel word opinion. So. We'll see. The issue is not that it applies to Trump, but that he's heretofore been handled with kid gloves and gotten the benefit of the doubt and preferential treatment at every turn. This is not that, and God, do we ever need more of it.

[twinkletfout]

Rude boy — part.3

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ

When did you even get home last night?, you thought, sitting up as you looked down at your badly wrinkled satin dress that you wore the other night, the very same dress that his gentle fingers ran through. Memories flooded your mind before you got up, you realised you were still wearing one of your heels, as you undid that heel, you bend yourself to look under the bed, if that missing heel is there. Knowing yourself, you were right. Always under the bed. You reached your hand to grab it, when suddenly your phone rang. Making you flinch under the bed, you hit your head when you finally retrieved that fricking heel.

You sat down on the bed and reached for your phone, you realised it was an unknown number.

The message said,

“Same bar, at 9:15��

You wondered for a second who this was, it didn't take that much time to put two and two together.

“Is this the rude guy who paid me to pretend to be his fake gf?” —

— “Bingo”

Of course you were too tired from all that drinking and ‘action’ from last night, you had to refuse at least for today.

“Too busy this morning, can we do this later?”—

— “Change of plans“

The reply was quick like he was expecting this from you.

— “Get ready“

— “Right now”

Like hell you will, he cannot just do that, do all that decisions like he wants,

— “stop jk, i just woke up”

Your heart skipped a beat when you saw an incoming call from him. Taking a moment for yourself to mentally prepare yourself. You clicked the green button.

“Be nice and attractive, she is here. I need you right now.” — and that was it, he hung up.

What are you even doing right now? You can't believe yourself getting all cheered up on his words as you obeyed his words getting all barbied up just to make his girl jealous. But you didn't know why, why, just why. You have enough money to live your own pretty life. You don't need his money? Why are you even doing this anyway? Your mind raced with questions and random scolding for yourself when you suddenly spotted him, leaning on a pole with one his hands inside the pockets of his cargo. Looking rather bored as he scrolled something on his phone. You had a firm grip on the handi bag you were carrying as you walked towards him.

He spotted you randomly when he looked up from his phone. He realised that you were kinda struggling to cross that road. But you didn't realise that he noticed. You only came to understand that he actually crossed the road to help you get to the other side. When his hand clasped with yours, you felt the same heat and burning from last night, maybe it was the pride of yours that got hurt slightly.

When the both of you were on the opposite side of the road, he didn't seem to say anything to you, “where is she?” You asked genuinely,

It took him a few moments to finally talk.

“Didn't expect you to actually come this early” he said avoiding eye contact as he looked over to the other side of the road.

“What do you mean ‘early’?” You were confused as you kinda looked around if you could catch a glimpse of that blond.

“she will be here, any minute now” he finally looked at you as he said, even though he completely ignored your questions. You were waiting for him to look at you but the moment his gaze fell on you, you cant help but look away.

You both stood side by side in total awkwardness for some good 10 minutes, you guessed.

“if she isn't coming, I am still getting paid tho '' you randomly said out of nowhere. You didn't look at him when you said, his head shot at you. “Did i hear something?” He mumbled.

“You heard me” you said before he could. “Loud and clear~” he said as he scratched the back of his head. The two of you have been waiting for almost 1 hour now. Your feet were starting to hurt, “is your pretty gf gonna show up or what?” You basically moaned from impatience and the growing pain climbing up your body. “Maybe you don't know her that well” you didn't know why you let that slip from your mouth. He was fidgeting his finger behind his back as he kept looking around, but with your statement, he was completely shut down. After a while he spoke again. “This is her favourite place, I'm sure she will…” he didn't bother completing whatever he was about to say, but you understood. “I'm sure she will come” and you completed it for him.

“my feet ‘s really starting to hurt, you know?” you protested giving in to the pain. You knew he was about to say something about your comment but suddenly his body shifted and he picked you up easily, his hands enveloping around your thighs. The short skirt that you found in your closet was certainly a wrong move for today. “What are you—” your words cut off as you realised when you looked far from his shoulder, in a very slim black dress that hugged onto her body until it covered down her knees, cute white puff sleeves. Her blond hair tied to a slick bun. A new stranger was accompanying her, she was clinging onto his shoulder, laughing suddenly when he said something.

You guessed that he picked you up because his ex-lover suddenly showed up and with a man, that must be it. He had a strong grip as he carried you inside the bar, gently putting you down on the sofa as his face looked rather bored. “Such a romantic” you teased. “Shut up” there came back the reply, he sat down beside you, “how do you feel?” He asked, “much better”

You thought he would be kind of shocked to see that blondie with another man but maybe he already saw them together before, you put it aside for awhile, but when she walked inside the bar, all of the attention was on her. You felt him stiffening beside you, turning your face to meet his face. You saw his eyes darken, the vein on his jaw pop, he suddenly looked away and towards your gaze. And you knew, you knew that it was the first time he came to know all of this too, just like you. The last hope that was obvious on his face extinguished when you didn't take your eyes away, not this time. And that was the only thing that made you two different during this moment.

[1moreff-creator]

Taking a "Shot" at the DR:OS Prediction Game!

In case you're not aware, a post on the av-multifangan account explained an interesting prediction game: after reading the prologue, you give your predictions on killers, victims, death chapter, survivors and mastermind. I am, to be clear, really bad at this, but I decided to give it a "shot" (heh) anyways! Here are my predictions, with explanations under the cut!

(I put chapter number too because this format is not colorblind friendly otherwise lol)

CW: Murder, death, insane predictions. Spoilers for DR THH, DR2, DRV3, and DROS Prologue

[Also, in case you're curious, I didn't check accirax's guesses, nor the guesses of this Jonas fellow mentioned in the original post, before making this post. I only checked their mm guesses 'cuz I was curious :v I'll check them out after to see how different they are :)]

Survivors and MM

We're starting with survivors because sometimes it's easier to start at the end and workshop a way to get there.

First is the only freebie on the list: Ellis. As stated in the linked post, because of DROS' format, the protagonist must be a survivor. Which means I'll only get 15/16 wrong, nice.

After that... I have no idea :v

Mark is here because of... pattern recognition, really. In canon DR, out of three Ultimate ???s, two were survivors (Kirigiri and Hinata) and one died in CH1 (Amami. No I don't know why I'm listing them by last name). However, Amami knew he was the Ultimate Survivor (more or less? Been a while since I've seen anything DRV3 related) so he actually doesn't count. I think you can see my reasoning here lmao.

However, there's a reason Ultimate ???s have a tendency to survive. Simply put, if the mastermind (MM) chooses to erase this person's memories particularly, they're presumably somewhat important. Maybe connected to the nature of the killing game, even. And so, they're usually around for the CH6 reveal of what their missing memories might mean for the larger plot.

It's not perfect, obviously. There's many ways to kill Mark before CH6. Talent reveal can happen posthumously, which was the case with Amami for example. They can also happen earlier in the killing game, allowing Mark to react to it without surviving to CH6. And more! However, I have very little to go off of, and Mark's "talent" gives me something to argue for their survival, at least. That's more than basically everyone else in the cast bar Ellis, so they're going here :v

So, now that we're officially out of okay-ish guesses, let's dive into the insanity! Starting with my hail mary, absolutely most-probably-wrong MM guess, Grace!

Now, this cast has a few "suspicious" characters. Robert has the whole "plain" thing going on that Tsumugi had, Aidan's half and half color scheme could be a nod to mm leanings, Ultimate ???s like Mark are always decent guesses, and the setting being a casino makes Antonia a prime target for MM accusations. Of course, these might be too obvious for an MM, but that's not extremely disqualifying. There's also the argument that the attempt on the mm's part to replicate Hope's Peak throws suspicion on the Impressionist, Taylor; and that Paris' talent being related to secrets and stuff could be considered mm-ish. Plus, Paris is the 13th student by Countdown Order (which I can't help but notice is the order of this list when read left to right and up to down), and 13 is an unlucky number, compared to Ellis' lucky number seven. Thee two might be a bit better. Finally, since she's even less obvious, I also vibe with accirax's guess of Cass, but I can't think of many arguments beyond Vibes for them (which is valid, tbf).

But if we're going to take Countdown Numbers into account, 4 is also an unlucky number (related to death even!), which gets us to Grace. There are a few reasons I believe they could be the MM.

First and foremost; given some of my previous posts, I just find it really funny for me to call the Clockmaker of all people the MM. If you've ever touched a clock, it's on sight with me, apparently xD

Now that we've established that, I do actually think there's a good argument for Grace!MM... by the standards of any MM theory pre-CH1, at least. Beyond the previously mentioned Countdown Number thing, they're the person in the prologue found next to the Movie Theater room, which was locked and didn't really have anything interesting to look at. Could it be they didn't feel the need to explore, because they already knew everything about the building? They also mentioned they liked the directness of the message on the cork board outside the Movie Theater room, when that's the exact thing Vanessa complained about Monoquin earlier. These are, to be extremely clear, really silly points. But they're there! And compared to people like Jeff, who have somewhat disqualifying introductions on the mm front, it's not a horrible start.

Another point is that, so far, Grace is the only person to have definitively shot down Ellis' flirting, by talking about their boyfriend. If Ellis is Lucky, then maybe it makes sense for the universe to stop him from flirting with the mm... maybe. This point is even sillier than the others, especially considering Grace isn't even the only character Ellis has no opportunity to swoon, as for example Vivi is aro/ace.

The next point is funny. See, I joke about the talent, but Grace being a Clockmaker could be twisted into suspiciousness if you're mentally unwell like me.

Usually one of the tools I consider best for MM predictions is thematic analysis (in other words, what kind of mm would best fit the themes of a work), but I can't exactly do that in the Prologue when there's very little set up in terms of themes and such.

Unless. Unless we go insane.

The fangan... is called One Shot. So a theme of the fangan (bear with me here) could be irreversibility. That you only get "one shot" to do certain things or something. Which fits decently well with the idea of time, this unstoppable march forward that can never be turned back. Right? You get the idea? And, and, because the DROS killing game is the sixth in-universe killing game ran by the mastermind(s), another theme could be repetition. As in, the killing games happen "like clockwork."

...

Me rn

Yeah this is maybe the stupidest set of "evidence points" I've ever used for any theory ever. Like, that's an insane soul read on what the themes of DROS could actually be, I'm fully expecting to be completely wrong on that lol. I actually find Grace!MM pretty unlikely, but I currently feel like all MM theories are almost equally unlikely, so if I have to pick one... I'm gonna pick the funniest one and continue my "beef" with Clockmakers lmao

Anyways, so remember those themes I'm pulling right out my ass and struggling to even pretend there's the slightest chance I'm actually right about them? How about we draw more probably wrong conclusions from them? Because if irreversibility is a main theme, then Vivi, who is interested in "conquering death", could fit well as a survivor. After all, you only get "one shot" at living, and she has to accept that, right...?

God I'm so bad at these.

Finally, Taylor.

I have no idea why Taylor's here.

It's sort of process of elimination, more than anything. I'm not confident about the rest of the kill order, but I feel I can't fill the fifth survivor spot (or fourth if you count the MM as separate) with any sort of actual reasoning, so... uh, I just picked my current favorite out of the characters I feel are most plausible as survivors. And that's Taylor, apparently.

Of course, the counterargument is that if they're already taking charge somewhat by proposing the breakfast meetup in the prologue, then that might not bode well for their survival and they might die soon. It's definitely decent reasoning, but... I mean, the story can go literally in any direction atp, so it's not impossible Taylor survives regardless. Just let me have the silly impressionist okay they're cool :p

Btw, funny thing about survivor predictions in this fangan. Usually a good way to build survivor predictions is by trying to balance the genders of the surviving cast, as generally there's a more or less equal split of girls and boys in the final trial, and thus remaining at the end. However, there are very few girls and boys in this killing game. In fact, no one in the surviving cast I predicted uses exclusively he/him or she/her pronouns. This isn't even the only configuration where this happens! Not even close! I find that amusing xD

Now that I've already probably gained no less than 25 points with these guesses alone, let's move on to the even harder part; death order!

Chapter 1: Vanessa - Robert

I chose Vanessa as the first victim because she is (I believe? more or less) the only character to have had, count them, three whole positive interactions with other characters on screen! Her chat with Ellis, giving Mark their name, and helping Taylor speak up at the end of the chapter. She's too nice, so she's dying. Immediately. Because she's one of the only people whose death could have a legitimate impact on the cast even this early, at least from what we've seen. Obviously I could be wrong but that's a given by now.

As for Robert, well look. I'm perfectly ready to be proven horrendously wrong about this, but I kinda struggle to see how his shtick of being perfectly normal could continue to be all that interesting post-CH1. It feels more like a gimmick you use for one chapter, then make Robert the killer to make the point that "if the most normal person here murdered someone, anyone could murder :O" and get paranoia going on the rest of the cast. Again, I'm probably completely wrong about that, but it's an angle I find plausible, so I'm picking it.

Robert's also like one of my top four picks for fifth survivor. Just so we're clear on how unsure about my guesses I am :v

Chapter 2: Harper - Cass

Harper and Noah met before the killing game. Even if they don't know much about each other's lives, they seem to be on pretty good terms. That means the pair probably isn't making it past CH2 lol.

Out of the two, I find Harper slightly more likely to be the CH2 victim. Vibes only on that one. I guess it makes sense in my mind that the Philanthropist is more likely to become more well-liked quicker than the Frat Boy, and as we've established, a character making friends is a good indication they might die, because their death might impact the cast more. Obviously with only the prologue, it's impossible to properly guess about any character dynamics beyond maybe CH1, but I try to pick my guesses with some amount of reasoning so.

As for Cass...

Listen I have no idea what to think of Cass. For some reason my mind comes up entirely blank when I think about predictions for them, or even when I try to think about anything about her character in general.

Why am I putting them here, then? Simply put, I could see them being an interesting foil to Harper, and it's not uncommon for character foils to kill each other in these killing games. Think Mondo - Chihiro, Ryoma - Kirumi, Kaito - Kokichi (now I'm listing them by first name because I hate consistency /j), just for some easy-to-see canon examples.

The foil here could potentially be that Cass might be (and just so we're clear on this, this is an immense extrapolation from like two lines of dialogue and could be horribly wrong) a more money-oriented person, based on these lines:

Cass [Prologue]: Lucky Student, huh? That’s an all-around useful talent. Still though, it’s weird… Why is no one here talented at making things, or having something to sell…?  Ellis: Hey, who says I’m not talented at “making” something? Cass: I should clarify, I’m referring to making something physical. Something that one might, say, need someone to critique and/or help them market to higher ups

Cass [about the Customer Service Desk]: That can’t be a sound business practice…

While Harper is a Philanthropist whose likes include charities. So... boom. Foils.

Make no mistake. I doubt I'm cooking. I've probably overshot the kitchen and jumped directly into hell. Two or three lines are far from enough to properly guess what a character's deal is, especially when it's something so specific. This is not so much a genuine prediction and more so me grasping at straws to put Cass... somewhere and not have it be just up to the roll of the die. Unlike...

Chapter 3: Davis & Paris - Jeff

My CH3 guesses are nothing but Vibes Only hail maries. The reasoning here is that I don't know where else to put these people, so they're going here. I mean, putting them around the middle reduces the amounts of chapter points I can get from them under this scoring system, right? (<- Not actually the reasoning I used but y'know).

Davis, at least, has some form of... conflict? Thing? Going on from the very prologue, with him being clearly uncomfortable with Ellis' flirting and stuff. That could set up some form of early game character exploration, and that can imply an early-ish death after he gets explored. That or he survives. Uh... So he's going in CH3.

Jeff being a killer makes sense with him being the Ultimate Absentee, and thus wanting to leave. You could argue that might be too predictable, which- maybe, but that doesn't mean bad. The setup's there for him to not make it to the end... but still survive to see the pool open, since they were interested in it. So CH3.

Paris is here because I needed a second victim :v

Chapter 4: Noah - Aidan

It's not uncommon to guess that if one half of a pair dies, the other will survive, so you might think Noah as a survivor makes sense. And it does! But that reasoning didn't save Taka, so...

Again with these two, I am very unsure as to what exactly will happen with them. This, too, is a very Vibes only hail mary guess. I could see them going at practically any point past maybe CH1, but Aidan's probably gonna last for the sake of Conflict and... I don't know what to do about Noah so he's here :v

I can't even be sure about their roles! I could definitely see both of them as victims and killers, though I should note I think Noah being a killer is more likely if he dies before Harper, which is why I put Aidan as the killer for this prediction set.

Of course, this assumes Aidan can overcome his Contrarian urges to throw all weapons out the window when given the opportunity, but I believe in him! (/Slay the Princess ref).

Chapter 5: Kennedy - Antonia

You might think my confidence in guesses would go down as the chapters go up (barring Ellis and maybe Mark of course), as it's harder to predict things further down the road because of all the stuff that can happen in between the Prologue and the later chapters. And while that's generally true, Kennedy is actually one of the guesses I think is most defensible. Not necessarily more likely to be right, just easier to argue for.

I struggle to see her reaching CH6, since you'd probably want the protagonist to take center stage in uncovering all the mysteries behind the killing game, and having the Ultimate Conspiracy Theorist around could complicate that. However, if he reaches CH5, he can at least start uncovering the mysteries as a way to set up for CH6, and I can even see the angle of the MM specifically making a motive against them to get rid of them. That could even be the inciting incident for CH6, a la "Junko wrongfully 'executing' Naegi" (now I'm using both first and last names because I'm Evil) from THH.

However, a lot of that is probably the kind of bs Kennedy herself would say, and it's never a good sign when you start sounding like the Ultimate Conspiracy Theorist, so I'll leave it alone now.

Finally, Antonia...

Look, in my heart of hearts, I want her to be a survivor. I think it could work, especially with how intertwined her talent is with the setting and the protag's own talent. And in fact, those very reasons are the logical explanation of why she's this far in, all the way as the CH5 killer.

(The emotional explanation being that I just want her to last a while :v)

But... come on.

Ellis: … So, is there some kinda prize for winning? Other than our escape, I mean. Antonia: There must be. If it’s a “game,” there has to be an incentive to win.

It's the damn prologue and she's already considering prizes for murder honestly CH5 might be a little too optimistic T_T

---

Anyways, I hope this doesn't sound as completely unhinged as it reads in my mind lmao. And I also hope you enjoyed the objectively buckwild and most-likely wrong predictions, even if I'm probably going to end up with a ridiculous amounts of points at the end! See you!

[shouldiusemyname]

Episode 6 and Pisaeng's journey

I need to write about this because, first of all I am angry about this entire event. Second, as I said about Chot in Step by Step, I believe that we need to understand Pisaeng's angle to get the complete story. In order to get the other half (aka his mother), head over to @bengiyo for his post about Pisang's mom and the history of weaponizing the queer community against itself.

@biochemjess has touched on it a bit here in regards to how Pisaeng fits into the themes of rejection and acceptance in this show. and I would like to get into some details here.

Pisaeng's conversation with his mother sheds a complete new light about Pisaeng and everything that we've learned about him so far.

Apparently, Pisaeng is very clear about his sexuality. He has been clear about it since he was 15! So this:

This is not Pisaeng contemplating his emerging queerness. This is Pisaeng lamenting. This is pisaeng seeing what he could have had all this time. What his mother has taken away from him.

Which gives a whole new meaning to this:

Pisaeng is not lonely because he can't make a connection with others or finds it hard to make friends. He is lonely by choice. He is lonely because he is in the closet. He is lonely because his mother has isolated him from his own community leaving him no choice but to associate with Not and his band of toxic buffoons.

No one and nowhere is safe for pisaeng. His mother made sure of that. This is how you get people to internalize homophobia. Saying shit like "you can do or be whatever you want, just in the privacy of your own home, with no one knowing about it. Because, you see, I'm not the problem. I will love you and accept you. It's just that other people out there are not like me. They wouldn't understand you."

Pisaeng has been hearing this since he was a teenager. From a woman he trusted enough to talk to about his sexuality. This is some top tier gaslighting. As I see it, Pisaeng was ready to come out when he was younger, he is sure of who he is and confident in his sexuality. What's important to understand is that he was shoved deep deep into the closet by his mother who has gaslit him into seeing her as a safe space.

This is where Kawi and Max are game changers for Pisaeng. First, pisaeng sees Kawi as important enough to risk outing himself. I would guess that it's probably the first time he's allowing himself to want someone, hence this:

He wants this and he is ready to take the first step. I also feel like his decision to go into the gay bar is intended to signal to his mom that he is done with her bs. He knows she will hear about it. He makes sure she hears about it. He walks in and just stands there making sure he's seen.

Sure, he freaks out when he's approached by Max, but that's because he realizes that this actually might reach his mother and there's no turning back now.

Then, after doing some damage control with Max and making sure he isn't one of his mom's informants, he turns Max into his community. At this point, Max is the only queer community he gets to have because his mom has made sure that he knows she has eyes everywhere. While Pisaeng wants to let his mom know what he's been up to, he does want someone he can trust going forward. I don't remember if he knows Max and Kawi are friends, but I think he's betting on Max because he knows non of his mom's informants would have approached him. So basically, what I'm saying is that Pisaeng wasn't checking in with Max to make sure he won't tell on him, he's doing it because he wants to make sure that Max can be a safe space for him.

That's why Pisaeng reacts with a Face when he finds out that Max finds his mom interesting. I think it's disappointing to him especially since Max is an observant no-shit person, and Pisaeng was hoping he would be able to see past his mom's bs.

By the time his mother is back home, Pisaeng is ready. He has been expecting this and it shows in his reactions. He knows her tricks, he knows where she's going, and he isn't taking it anymore. He is blocking her every move even at breakfast when she tries to understand what exactly went on at night with Kawi. He is not letting her get anything anymore because he knows she will use it against him just like she did before.

So, to build on what @biochemjess was saying, Pisaeng's journey is about rejecting his mother (who represents so much of what keeps us hidden) and allowing himself to accept what being out can offer him.

[k7l4d4]

K Reviews and Rants: Miraculous Ladybug Season 5! Episode 13

Hello! One more episode until I review the episode I feel is the worse in this show to date, continuity-wise!

Now, Migration is... less bad then the majority of Season 5, but that's such a low bar to clear it isn't anything impressive to write home about. The plot is kind of, honestly, garbage in that it has Kitty Section be shilled as this amazing band in the making by Jagged Stone (not sure if we've ever actually seen him play at all, honestly, but he's a professional shilling an amateur band), while also having them being super hyped over signing on with Bob, which makes no sense as Bob has never been anything less then a scumbag towards them. Like, this episode would've made more sense if they'd had it that the group they were signing on with was actually run by Bob in secret and they didn't learn about it until AFTER signing. Like, the best thing about this Episode is that it doesn't do any irreparable damage to anyone involved, and has a genuinely cool scene of Marinette freaking out over realizing someone knows her secret that she didn't tell personally before hand.

Anyway, with that said, onto the episode review! As always, warning for any profanity on my part.

Episode 13: Migration 

Alright, Marinette shows up to a Kitty Section meeting, and goes instant noodle. Not as badly as normal, though. 

And we get a brief moment of Marinette zipping around greeting everyone. I know it's partially for effect, but dang, she's fast. 

Marinette briefly dances around what she wants to talk with Luka about, Luka cuts through the bullshit, and now we get an awkward scene of Marinette using Luka as a therapist. The awkwardness is mostly in how Marinette is phrasing things, personally. Like, starting a conversation with "as you know, there are things I can't tell Adrien" doesn't help matters as, for all MARINETTE knows, Luka DOESN'T know there are things she can't tell Adrien. 

And we get Marinette whining about "breaking Luka's heart" and I just... I'm just sitting here and wondering how long this conversation is meant to last. 

...The fact that Luka is basically reiterating something both Tikki AND Alya have told Marinette multiple times for her to go "so you mean I'm not cruel, or pathetic?" just kills me, and not in a good way. It's nice seeing Luka get some development, but it doesn't feel as believable as it should, if that makes sense. I don't get why Luka is meant to be the "team therapist." I don't MIND that he is the one, but it doesn't look like anything was put into establishing why that's the case. 

And right away, now that I'm back in... Why in the world is ADRIEN going to Luka for therapy!? It made SOME sense with Marinette, but from what I recall, Adrien and Luka don't even really KNOW each other all that well, and have interacted less than Adrien normally interacts with his classmates. 

Maybe I'm forgetting something, I don't know, but the show treating it like Luka being the team therapist is this established thing feels... weird to me. Like, if they had Adrien go, "Hey, Juleka said you were good at helping with talking about problems, do you have a moment to listen?" it would feel more... believable, if that makes sense? 

Ugh... I can (grudgingly) see why this episode is regarded a bit better compared to the rest. Seeing Adrien open up when he's been so dead set on keeping his thoughts and feelings locked up for FIVE SEASONS would be a huge breath of fresh air.

And the "therapy Luka" train keeps chugging along. This one, I'm less annoyed by, even if the set-up feels a bit dumb. Like, I doubt a bunch of amateur kids are making better songs than a famous professional like Jagged Stone, but seeing him show doubts about being a father and honestly wanting to improve it, getting his son's input... it's a MASSIVE improvement overall compared to the fiasco that is the show's efforts at trying to portray fucking GABRIEL of all people as a well-meaning father. 

And the "I don't know what I'd do without you" bit ruined it for me. Also, the kinda awkward ship-tease between Jagged and Penny for a second. Jagged struggling to be a dad? I'm cool with that. But the show is trying to push the idea that Luka is this brilliant therapist... it feels forced, especially when it's three consecutive scenes of him... basically just giving extremely basic and obvious advice. And yeah, sometimes hearing obvious advice is what people need when they are making too big of a deal over something that isn't really as complicated as they fear... but it's undermined by how the first scene involved Marinette hearing advice she's already heard, the second trying to set-up Luka and Adrien as being bros when I can't even recall them ever hanging out, and the third just gives me cringe-vibes at how it presents Jagged as being... kinda pathetic 

...And of fucking COURSE we get a fucking FOURTH scene of "therapist Luka." Nope, nope, I just... can't with this. And Penny going "I don't know WHY I'm in love with Jagged" is just... UUUGGGHHH!!! As strange as it might be, people tend to have REASONS they are in love with someone. Even if they are in denial about those reasons. This just feels like the show is shoving Penny into Jagged's arms. They should be able to give a fucking REASON why Jagged makes Penny happy. And yet, they don't, and I'm losing patience with this bullshit. 

No, no, people may not be able to explain WHEN or HOW they fall in love, but people tend to very much know what it is that makes them fall in love with someone, or at least have some kind of idea. I do not like how this show is presenting love as this "unknowable, impossible to understand force of nature." Is love mysterious? Yes, yes it is. But not to this extent; it just comes off as the show trying to defend how crappily it's written all the relationships up until now by going "no no, you can't EXPLAIN why you love someone, you just DO!!" and since this is coming from the same people who insist on treating the idea as if having two crushes at the same time is scientifically impossible, I call BULLSHIT on it.

Okay, seeing Anarka literally yeet Bob off her ship makes all this nonsense worthwhile for that alone. Bob's such a selfish, stupid scumbag that seeing him being treated like garbage just made my day. Thanks, Migration! 

...Yeah, the show saying that Kitty Section are better than a professional musician is just... laughable to me. They aren't BAD bad, but they are very obviously amateurs. 

...Bob Roth getting thrown overboard makes the idiocy on display of him trying to sign the contract for the band he plagiarized so worth it. Also, I wonder if the show will acknowledge the fact that he plagiarized them; that ALONE makes him an untrustworthy scumbag, something they should be well aware of. 

"Anyone can change," yes that's true Luka... but someone has to have to want to change and have shown that they ARE, and Bob has shown NOTHING indicating he's changed AT ALL, and hasn't even acknowledged that he tried to cheat your sister's band. Honestly, knowing the episode that's coming next makes this feel like they are trying to go for the opposite moral of "people never change, so don't bother trying to get them to." 

WHY are they acting like him admitting his promise to sign them up was a lie is some big shock!? The fucker PLAGIARIZED THEIR WORK!!! 

Yup, that's about what I expected. He fired all of them except Luka because WHY THE FUCK NOT!? This man is a fucking moron who doesn't seem to have even the slightest understanding that deliberately antagonizing and alienating someone YOU JUST HIRED is the epitome of idiocy. 

Yeah, the way they are having Bob act like a blatantly evil and immoral scumbag blaming THEM for trusting him would be honestly pretty funny (and whatever comeuppance he gets more deserving) if I weren't dreading what's to come. 

Okay, I can't lie, despite the pit in my stomach, seeing Bob reveal just how completely and utterly overboard he went on making the contract as unfair and exploitative as possible is kinda hilarious. Although I don't really see what's "small print and ambiguous phrases" about "can fire them whenever he wants, is sole owner of Kitty Section as brand, AND owns the rights to whatever they make for the NEXT THOUSAND YEARS."

Like, if they were going for a lesson exploitative and corrupt businesses that treat their employees and talent like tools, it could be really interesting at seeing such a laughably blatant scumbag reveling in being such a jerk and then getting what's cumming to him... but the placement makes me feel icky. 

You know, normally I would put up a token effort against Luka categorizing this as "all his fault," but in this case...? Yeah, no, he's spot on. He took a scumbag who has done nothing but be a complete and utter piece of exploitative shit each and every time he's shown up and done nothing to indicate he's changed in any way at his word that he's become a better person, so yes, this is ALL HIS FAULT. Although, now that I think of it, it's also the rest of Kitty Section's fault, since they were perfectly willing to take Bob at his word all on their own, even without Luka's backing. This is just stupid. 

...Uhh... I just... WHY THE FUCK DID MONARCH INSTANTLY JUMP TO LUKA KNOWING THE IDENTITIES OF LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR!? Like, he has HAD people resist him before, he KNOWS that no one (aside from his cronies) LIKE getting Akumatized, so him jumping to "You KNOW!?" Is utter fucking NONSENSE. It's the same BS with Ephemeral having him take a single word as "evidence" that his son was Chat Noir. Seriously, the Writers aren't even fucking TRYING!! 

I am curious as to how Bob's contracts haven't been destroyed by being chucked in the river. Did he get them laminated? 

Huh, they nearly had Rose admit to being in love with Juleka. Boo, quit with the dodging, writers! Just admit they are a couple!! 

...They had a rubber duck somehow get turned into a record by Bob's new powers. Nope, not gonna think about it, not gonna think about it, nope nope nope! Also, while the songs being sung by the people he's "recordized" might not be what he's looking for, they honestly sound better then Kitty Section did at the beginning, to me.

...Okay, the fact that Bob LIKED the Rubber Ducky Record is the one thing I wasn't expecting. 

...Wow, Marinette really isn't noticing that Luka is explicitly stating her name, despite the fact that she's transformed. I just... wow. Not a good wow, a "I cannot believe this fucking stupidity" wow. 

Okay, NOW she notices, and is currently freaking the hell out. Which is an appropriate reaction, if COMPLETELY the wrong time for it. 

Alright, I will admit, Luka expressing his absolute confidence and trust in Ladybug was nice. 

Yup, he's still an unrepentant scumbag. 

Oh no, the guy who knows Ladybug and Chat Noir's secret identities that Hawkmoth found out by complete and utter bullshit has to leave. Who saw this coming? (Raises hand) 

...When did Jagged see Luka stand up to Bob again?? Also, for fucks sake, WHY would him accompanying Luka involve ANY of that!! He flat out said it himself during Guitar Villain that he's one of the biggest chart toppers there is in-universe, he can just find another producer who isn't an exploitative scumbag like Bob whenever he likes. 

You know, this scene wasn't as bad as I was fearing it was, since it's not Jagged inviting Luka to come with him, it's him volunteering to GO with Luka so he has supervision and company until Monarch is defeated. Still, it's annoying how little focus is given to Juleka in this, given she's supposed to be Luka's twin. And with that, this episode is done. Phew. Not as bad as I was worried about, but it's definitely not a chart topper.

[freifraufischer]

Okay this interview with former Georgia now Egyptian gymnast Sandra Elsadek is such a train wreck that I need to share some quotes. But please please watch the interview, start at 5.33 in the video and... if you find yourself in the nightmare of her meandering through her travel home from African champs skip ahead...

For context her father is Egyptian and her mother is from Brazil. My comments are in [brackets]. I'm not going to quote the actual line but she appears not to know that there is a third Egyptian woman qualified to Worlds through the World Cups.

This interview is a TRAIN WRECK.

Elsadek: I just finished my fifth year of eligibility at Georgia and I was like hey Ryan if you find me another way to get me eligibility let me know. A joke obviously there is nothing left for me. He goes, 'Well do you have citizenship in another country and I was like yeah actually I do. And he was like oh well we could try that.' And I was like oh my gosh, thinking he was joking like he was just saying that. And then later that night he sends me a text and he's like if you're really serious about this competing for another country let me know we'll sit down and come up with a plan and I was like oh my gosh...

Elsadek: I found an email on the internet. I was just looking up Egyptian National Team and I found this email and I couldn't find any other email. And I'm like oh well I'll guess I'll try it who knows if it will work. I drafted an email and it had all my videos from my past year from all my events and I sent it over and I told them what my dream was and what I'd like to accomplish and like is there any way we can make it work."

[To be clear she only competed VT/BB/FX for Georgia, she had 3 weeks to come up with an elite bars routine. Her D score is a 2.7. But that's okay we'll find out later she doesn't know how elite scores work...]

Elsadek: I hadn't done bars in months and I have to do all around in this in this umum in this whole thing. We had three weeks to scrap a bars routine together basically which was crazy.

Elsadek: There were some minor mistakes here and there but it was my first time competing All Around in over a year. I was happy with it Ryan was really good at pushing me to be prepared. He's very big on being prepared and disciplined...

Elsadek: The transition of you have to put your foot up before pass like in the corner in elite. Oh my gosh I don't know why that tripped me up so much. Because my foot would lift up and I'd start on the wrong the wrong foot it took me a while to get that one.

[Katherine over here trying to figure out how that works with like... having a foot on the ground ...]

Gobourne: How does it feel like to compete for your home country and what does it mean to you personally. Elsadek: I mean I'd say it's a really big honor. I don't know it's something you can't really describe. But having my dad with me that first week when I was in Cairo he would come to my practices and just seeing how like the smile on his face because he's here showing me his country that I had never been to before.

Gobourne: Can you tell us about the support and the resources available to gymnasts in Egypt compared to your experiences in the United States? Elsadek: Honestly they have a really good support system. They have a trainer, they live at a village, it's like the Olympic training center for national teams and the girls live there. I mean the men's team the women's team, so many sports live at this village and then the gym is like 10 steps away. So it's really cool they have a whole set up you know they get fed there they have their trainer they're living all together. The gym's right across they have pits they really hae a great set up and the resources are awesome.

[So why do they need you.... Egypt has one of the largest women's programs in the world...]

Elsadek: The girls are really good at speaking English so when I first got there I was trying to make conversation because I didn't know them yet and they knew exactly what I was saying which was really great...

[In fairness she goes on to say that her worry that she wouldn't be able to communicate with them was her fault... because she doesn't speak Arabic.]

Elsadek: My goal going into this was to hit 4 for 4 and qualify for Worlds because that's how you keep the ball rolling with this journey. Thankfully I was able to hit 4 for 4 and qualify for Worlds. So the next step is to go to Worlds and hit 4 for 4 and also qualify hopefully for the Paris Olympics.

[... she didn't hit 4 for 4. She got a 9.966 bars score... I don't care if you didn't fall a sub 10 score in elite is not a hit...]

Elsadek: I don't understand the scoring, at all, like elite scoring. Ryan's been helping me with your D score and your execution and all this stuff. I don't really understand it so I think that helped a lot because I didn't know I was just going...

Elsadek: The dollar's worth a lot there. I was ubering, I was Talabat ... Talabat is like their ubereats and it was so fast and it was so cheap. It was like two dollars for a whole meal with a dessert...

[I guess she wasn't eating with the other Egyptian women despite living in their national team center where they were eating...]

Elsadek: I had my college floor routine. They had beautiful floor routines, all their floor routines tell stories. My routine is just like la da da and I'm just like dancing and I feel like they're all looking at me going who is this girl and where is her story? My floor music right now is Pepas. Like that fun party sound basically. Their music was all kind of like spanish-y, like Tango. I loved it, it was beautiful. Some of them were like darker, have a hard and that's when they'd really hit it was just so good to watch. I want that. I want what you guys have. I'm over here dancing like a fool because college is so different. College is so flashy and show off and Elite is so tell me a story and elegant. I'm so sorry guys.

[What they have Sandra, is dance training... but I'll give her this in this mess of an interview... she recognized that her floor is a problem.]

Elsadek: I went up and asked one of the people at the hotel that was also running the competition, do you guys have like an uber eats here? He looked at me and was like "What's wrong with you? Why do you speak good English?" And I'm like that's because I'm from America. "But you're competing for Egypt?" But it was funny because they're just like why do you speak good English. Well that's because it's all I speak.

[The moment that I can feel the dislike radiating off this South African meet volunteer even hearing her retelling of this story... which she has no clue about.]

[initiumseries]

what did you think of Storms power loss story on x-men 97? And did you believe her relationships with jean and forge?

I thought it was interesting that Storm went through the power loss. Initially I was annoyed because she lost her powers defending Magneto, and, as usual with these things, I couldn't understand why she had to use her physical body as opposed to moving Magneto out of the way with a wind blast, blowing a chair or anything in the path of the beam, but I also realize these things are done for story purposes, I just feel like, for someone like Magneto, there needs to be an unavoidable reason why Storm sacrifices her own personal safety instead of absolutely anything else, first. But barring that, I was curious about her SL, and the lil demon thing that shows up. I will say, it felt a bit random, like, so...there's mutants AND like, demons in this world? Huh? But I was willing to suspend my disbelief to consider Storm's indecision, anxiety and pain at the loss of her abilities and therefore sense of self, drew this thing to them, thus forcing her to confront her deep rooted fears (taking the visual form of her claustrophobia but obviously extending beyond that), in order to tap into her powers again. The science behind this doesn't make sense, but I think with x-men, it's just better to not look too deep into any of it lol.

So, it took a bit for me to adjust that the weekly release means that it's written as if there's been story development that we just aren't privy to (not uncommon, it was how most things were written for cable and I see it when I go back and watch things like Smallville for ex), so it was clear to me that a lot of the development of Storm and Forge seemingly happened off screen, which I thought was a bit of a shame. It would've been nice to see them fall in love, because I don't think what we DID see, was enough, especially when we find out that his tech is what led to Storm's predicament. How did she overcome that? I get the demon thing helping her get there, but it shouldn't have been the only thing.

With her relationship with Jean, I thought the sisters thing was a little too much, but then I remembered that this is basically, kinda picking up where the OG x-men series left off, and when I took that into consideration, I was like okay, well, they were the 97 graduating class, they're the only women on the team, and they're incredibly powerful, so, it makes sense they'd be close, and I don't think I needed to see that relationship build up in this new series.

TBH, the only part that I was annoyed with and couldn't suspect my disbelief on is some of the dialogue. Part of my problem with metaphors for racism, is they get stupid when applied to actual racialized people, especially Black people, because it means now, we actually have to *acknowledge* the racial element, and we almost never do, because Black people aren't in the room in a decision making capacity. Because it's insane to me, that Jean and Storm have this whole conversation about being human, and wanting a human baby, and Storm's dialogue is stupid because it's like, iirc, she fantasizes about being regular, being human, and I'm sitting here like, girl, you're BLACK. This dialogue is DUMB, because they'd STILL hate you. And she would KNOW that, if Black people had been writing for her. Things like that eternally frustrate me because no Black person would ever talk like this and I just can't suspend my disbelief there. If you introduce/have Black characters, they should operate authentically, otherwise it's just a weird sort of writing blackface.

[justatalkingface]

Hey 👋 I've seen your page and you're really indepth and accurate about bnha, really great analysis. Can I ask you where you think bnha is going as a series? Or like, what messages are trying to be pushed and if they're right or not? Because where we are now it's really hard to tell.

The heroes haven't really learned much about how things got this way, and even when they're told how the villains got where they are, the heroes (and the hero kids) don't really commit to (even attempt to) changing anything to make sure things don't wind up right back where the story is now.

Speaking specifically on the mutant plot you wrote that great critique on, shouji's answer of basically 'shine so bright it makes the racists feel bad' did not seem like a good sign for the future. can I ask how you feel about that part too?

An ask! My first ask! I didn't think I'd ever get an ask, actually. And! And it's a juicy one! Plenty to dig my teeth into here....

Where it's going is simple, yet complicated in a weird way. Where we are, now, Hori has finally decided on a direction and seems firmly attached to it, after zig zagging in messages and themes throughout the entire storyline, so in that sense, the end goal is clear. The problem is he took so long to make up his mind on what even wants that he left himself a giant pile of plot threads to deal with, and I am not only positive he can't resolve them all well, I'm not even sure he can even end them all, they're all so many and all over the place, and so much of it is deeper and complex that the story they're actually in.

This is the reason you're confused, by the way; all the themes, back stories and plot threads that Hori has just... decided to not use, are still there, he just left them hanging. Like Corrupt Heroes, when all the heroes we see are good, Endeavour, the lone asshole, is now defacto redeemed, and even the originally somewhat dubious Mt Lady, who was money obsessed, is fully on the straight and narrow. Everyone talks about 'corrupt heroes' (and acts like Stain has actual depth when what we have is flat out a two dimensional character) throughout the story but we never see them, because Hori realized he didn't actually want to get into how dark that would be. It's why Hawk was killed and replaced by New Hawks, and Deku (like my earlier post, I'm going to be putting a firm line between 'Izuku', and 'Deku', where Deku is a hollowed out version of Izuku, with all his defining traits scraped away to make room for power and The Plot, and Izuku is an actual human being with depth that we haven't seen a long time now) doesn't even blink at Lady Nagant's entire everything, before he revealed she was Good The Whole Time as he defeated her: because Hori abruptly changed directions and all the story build up before that point was suddenly retconned into nonexistence.

The direction Hori seems to have chosen, barring a last second 180, is what I call a 'True Shonen'; that is to say, he has committed fully to the themes of Friendship and Being A Good Person overcoming all obstacles, no matter how ludicrous the odds against it. The ending, then, will be Deku, maybe with some help, killing AFO and Saving The Day, and then Everything Is Better, probably with a timeskip to years later to show how much better everything has become. Now, in theory, that's not a bad thing. In practice, MHA is one of the most theoretically political shonen mangas I've ever seen, and until recently Hori has been trying to thread the line between a normal shonen plotline and the deep ideas and concepts he's introduced, and done that terribly, so there's a lot things that are going to happen that are going to be... awkward, to say the least.

In a True Shonen, for example, the Hero always wins. Not only that, when they reach the full potential of their powers at endgames like this? They get everything they want. Every goal is achieved, with only one or two token sacrifices, and some victories being symbolic or incomplete, and at worst the cost is just themselves. One of the places we're going to run into problems, though, is that Deku has committed to saving Shigaraki. And that is going to happen, Shigaraki will be saved, one way or another.

The problem is Shigaraki himself. Shigaraki was, at the point right before AFO stepped in to conveniently make him helpless and ripe for Deku to vibe on saving, utterly insane in a way I don't know the technical words to describe, but his goal is easy to name: omnicide.

Shigaraki was a fucked up man child that had never had a life, and didn't know how to be a person, until he went through the trials his mentor arranged for him to grow. When he finished and, for lack of a better word self actualized, he gained a goal that was all his for the first time.

That goal was to kill every living creature on the planet, destroy everything on the planet, until there was nothing left. Shigaraki's ideal endgame is a barren world of dust and ash, save for maybe five cities where Japan used to be that his friends live in. These cities have all their stuff, cute prey for Toga to hunt, and possibly some slaves to do things for them (though we're ignoring how that'd destroy all ability to make things like they'd want on a reasonable level, like clothes and food, but whatever), and that's about the only feature left on this bleak, empty world of grey.

Shigaraki has killed, at least, hundreds of people, and is at least indirectly involved in the deaths of thousands more. He has no idea how to live anything near to a normal life. Every one of his skills revolve around killing, or video games.

That is what Deku wants to save, because in the set up we're in, Shigaraki isn't the enemy anymore. He's the rival character, and he just happens to be possessed by the actual big bad. Picture Naruto trying to save Sasuke, if Sasuke was fully possessed by Orochimaru; that's the kind of energy that's happening here. Except, you know, it isn't. They're foils in many ways, but the set up for this kind of situation has never been a thing. That's where the 'kid' in Shigaraki came from, to explain this and skip over years of connections and build up that are sorely lacking to explain why Deku would want to save him.

Not even mentioning what the 'saving' would look like: maybe Shigaraki will go Darth Vader on AFO and mutual kill him, redeeming himself in the process. Maybe Deku will, and I'm not screwing with you, pull the fucking kid out of him, and that kid will just be innocent of Shigaraki's sins. Maybe it'll be like the last chapter of Naruto, where infamous traitor Orochimaru, famed for his human experimentation on orphans, and the ex-leader and founder of a hostile military state, is somehow in charge of the orphanage, and in the same way Shigaraki will just be magically reintegrated back into society somehow. Who knows?

This? This is just one problem with the end we're going towards, and there's plenty more beyond that. Dabi, for example, needs to be saved as well, to resolve Shoto's Endeavor's character arc. He can't just die, he can't just be locked in jail forever, he needs to come to some sort of peace with his family; the story will not end any other way. In it's own way, though, this is almost worse than the Kidaraki thing, since while Shigaraki was basiclly thrown into villainy, without any context on how not to do that, Dabi went willingly to his damnation, but it doesn't matter because it will happen.

So yeah, where we're going is easy. The ride there, though? Woo boy, that's going to be fun.

On the origins of villains and the complete refusal to deal with their causes? Yeah, that's another one of those big threads left to hang: MHA is a theoretically 'real' world, just with super powers in it, and that means it's complicated, and there's politics, and things don't work out for everyone. All of that? Yeah, that's a bunch of stuff Hori just... started ignoring a while ago, and at this point, i would bet actual money he never will really focus on again. Oh, Deku might make some lip service to it at a climatic moment with Shigaraki, and there's probably going to be a time skip with the problems 'solved' (and yet there'll be villains for new/old heroes to face dramatically anyways), but that's it. To realistically deal with the causes of villainy would require a lot of work on things like poverty, mental health, racism in general, and the insane amount of bystander syndrome in the setting, all of which are never happening beyond a surface level take.

Although, now that I mentioned it... man, Hori seems to hate civilians, doesn't he? I'm not really going anywhere with this, I just wanted to talk about that briefly, but the general public is always wrong in MHA, aren't they? Or, really just about anyone who isn't a hero or a villain is both useless and stupid. He uses 'the civilians' exclusively as props to push his message, usually by a hero explaining why what they're saying is dumb and bad, or as scapegoats to try and push the blame on, and it's just kinda weird isn't it?

And oh, the mutant plot. Oh, that response. Anon, you may not know this, but I loathe every part of that, and I would love to tell you why.

Let me sum up briefly his argument and explain why each part is wrong:

We start off with 'Don't be upset and act out about the discrimination you face, or your children will be next.' Like, I'm paraphrasing here, obviously, and equally obviously I'm slanting it negatively. Still, though the way I put it makes it sound like a threat, and maybe in some undertones it is, honestly the main reason this is shit is the fact that they're here means their children are being discriminated against, already. They aren't going to be in a giant mob following a villain, who is famously part of an organization that has destroyed several cities and killed who the fuck knows how many people, against law enforcement and the super law enforcement, unless they really, really think that this is their only way out. That, in the entire setting, with normal police, and the hero system that is loudly broadcasting that they will save you, the only person who is on their side, the only person who can possibly make change happen for them, is Spinner. These are people so trapped and cornered that they're trying to chew their metaphorical arms off to escape, and Shoji is saying there will be an 'escalation' of their situation that has to be a fact of life for them already.

This, somehow, along with city mutants (who according to their own words just a chapter or two ago are de facto living a different life than them and don't understand what it's like to be a country mutant) joining hands with normal humans, is enough to stop them, because.... they get to watch the people they know have it better than them demonstrate their lack of trauma?

Seriously, let me stop here a second. Let's ignore, for a minute, the sheer layers of stupid here, and take this as written: These people are desperate, and feel so abandoned by society that the only person they think is on their side is a villain. They follow him in siege on a hospital against a backdrop of heroes and police. Let's further pretend that this was, some the fuck how, a good argument. Would that even stop them? They're stuck now; they've come this far, in a something far beyond a riot, lead by a defacto enemy of the State. Just stopping it like this and leaving isn't going to make things go back to normal, it's not going to make them better, it's going to screw them over. The second they did this they were committed, because shonen logic aside, do you think law enforcement is going to forget this? Forgive this? Unless AFO wins, they haven't put their cause back by three years, they've fucked up by decades; every mutant is going to be viewed as a villain just hiding how sinister they are. The very act of doing this is tying them, ride or die, with AFO and the League, and burned the bridges behind them. They can't go back now.

Moving on, Shoji then says that, 'the reason you all gathered here, in a small army, isn't wrong, and the fact that you were able to operate beyond the level of a thoughtless animal and stop when I told you too makes it seem to me you were all shining like the fucking Luminescent Baby'. I shit you not, he compliments them on the fact they 'kept thinking'. I don't care what translation ends up official, I can't see any way anything that vein isn't insulting bullshit with the subtext of, 'The fact that you listened to me is why I think you kept thinking, and if you ignored me, you wouldn't be thinking'. Quite a fucking high horse you're on there, Shoji. Oh, and a token black hero then apologizes for being ignorant to their plight, which is just a special touch on top of everything else.

And now for the good part: "Let's use the fact that you're all Luminescent Babies to change the people hurting us! They'll look in awe of how you glow and be so embarrassed that they'll become better people out of shame!"

I'm going to dial back the snark here because this is the meat of the argument, along with the actual question asked to me (lol), and I want to seriously address how bad this is. What this argument is saying, basiclly, is to be perfect, take the high road, and you'll shame your abusers into no longer abusing you, into no longer being racist. In general, this kind of thing, a disadvantaged minority having to be better than their peers for approval, isn't new; this is old as fuck. What this does, all this does, is allow the person in question to keep their job against all the people who hate them and want them to stop getting above themselves. That doesn't solve anything, that is a step: the true change that they're talking about is long, and hard, and complicated. In fact, I can say in total confidence that historically, it is proven that doing this has not, in fact, magically stopped racism or sexism from being things that exist.

Seriously, Hori, what the fuck.

So, yeah, this is pure shit, basiclly. If this was actually how the world proceeded, off this logic, nothing would get better, but again, that logic isn't going to matter with how the story is going; things will be 'better' regardless of what the heroes actually do or don't do to fix the problem.

And... I think that's everything you asked, Anon. Thanks for the ask!

[shall-we-go-far-away]

just finished episodes 3 and 4 like five minutes ago so here are my thoughts right after (will probably make a new post once I've rewatched the episode to properly grasp what happened):

1. omg the tension is still sooo intense I can't

2. I would've been so thrown off if I was jihyun because why do you kiss me and then stop talking to me for the rest of the trip?? so props to him for handling it somewhat well, I really liked that jihyun's curiosity for jaewon clearly won and he approached him again instead of staying distant

3. but then again, I'm still a little confused on how they "got back together" because jaewon went from acting like they never talked before to come on, let's have a date at han river like?? what happened in between? that seemed like a really weird cut to me idk

4. staying with jihyun tho, my lovely little jihyun I love him, he's so adorable.. I love the scene when he comes into work and it literally almost looks like he's floating through the bar while mopping and smiling like an absolute fool

5. I really liked that we got a little more insight into jaewon's therapy sessions because it made things that were just assumptions before clearer to the viewer

6. Taehyung?? bro, do you not realize that your "BEST FRIEND" clearly has no interest in getting back with his ex?? he was so annoying in the first two episodes already I really hope at some point jaewon is gonna snap because damn, does he really not get it??

7. Eunji? man, I'm kinda sad Eunji is made into the jealous, mean ex-girlfriend.. maybe she's getting a redemption arc later on but right now her behavior is just not it.. hated how she was behaving in the bar, basically treating jihyun like shit I was really glad the bar owner (I love her, she's great <3) said something

8. Aeri tho, I was a little confused by her behavior at first because she was really pushy (?) but I liked that she ended up clearing things up and making sure that jihyun knew she just wants to be his friend

9. the scene in the library where jihyun was showing jaewon his drawing was sooo cute I gotta admit it must've looked weird from eunji's perspective because why is the guy that just told her to work separately now smiling like an idiot? and them enjoying their ramen at the han river? very wholesome, I have to say tho when jaewon sent jihyun to get coffee I thought he would ditch him for a second because he seemed a little off but he stayed so we're all good

10. jaewon being a little hot and cold with jihyun throughout the episodes irritated me a little at first but it made sense if we think about what he said to his therapist and it also further confirmed that most of his relationships are probably on surface level and not even his "closest friends" actually know him.. so jaewon backing off from jihyun every once in a while was probably just him being scared of letting him come too close (I think?? god, sometimes I think whatever I'm saying here goes right in the opposite direction of what's actually happening but oh well, isn't this what theories are there for?)

(idk but jaewon seems like the type of person that's like "I only hurt the people close to me, so I keep everyone at a distance") -> this really makes me curious about jaewon's and eunji's relationship and how that went because he said they dated for two years

11. I also think both of them are at a point where they know there's mutual interest between them and that they're probably gonna be more than friends considering they were about to kiss again before joon pyo came to the rooftop (I mean can we talk about jaewon's cute little smile right at the end of the episode?? the man is whipped)

[bonesandthebees]

Okay, I’m going to try to actually do some analysis now, cuz I need the thoughts out. First up, glass!sandduo. It’s very interesting how this conversation shows the cons of Phil being the leader. As in, being the leader of the Deathlings always comes first, that responsibility always comes first, no matter his own emotions or personal preferences. And I do respect him making that choice.

We saw how badly Phil wanted to go to Tommy. Wanted to check on him. That’s basically his kid. But he’s the leader. So he has to bring order to the chaos. Has to make sure Jack gets treated. Has to make sure no one tries to murder anyone. Has to do a million things to keep the peace before he can finally let himself check on Tommy.

Wilbur doesn’t have that, and while I doubt Phil has seen much of their relationship (even less than Techno really), but he now knows how close Wilbur and Tommy are. And he now knows that Wilbur can be trusted with Tommy’s safety. And at this point, Wilbur isn’t the biggest threat to Tommy. So he asks Wilbur to keep an eye on Tommy, because again, Phil is a leader first, he can’t look biased because Tommy is his kid, but no one will question Wilbur looking out for Tommy. Well, they might, but they are never going to notice that it’s because Phil asked him to. It’s not like that’s the main reason for the care anyway.

And then there’s the fact that Phil knows about the bar. We can forgive Quackity for stitching, because on the hypothetical that Wilbur did run, he really should have told Phil, but Wilbur didn’t run. Something which none of them could have predicted. But it’s interesting that Phil knows, though I don’t think he knows the reason even if he thinks he does. Or not all the reasons anyway.

See Phil seems to think it’s Wilbur questioning his faith that’s stopping him from leaving. That his faith in Clara is wavering so he’s no longer trying to follow her will. And while Wilbur is definitely questioning if he even wants to know what Clara wants from him, it’s nowhere near as developed as Phil might assume it is. Because in the end, Wilbur not wanted to go back doesn’t have as much to do with his faith in Clara as it does with the fact that Schlatts a dick who doesn’t listen anyway and Wilbur has finally made his first every friend and he’s not ready to lose that. He’s attached to Tommy and he doesn’t want to go. That’s a lot easier to accept than revaluating his entire religious view.

(1/2)

-🌲

SPRUCEEEE <33

yeah I wanted to show off a piece of why phil is in such a difficult spot here. being the leader isn't always a good thing. phil has to lead this group fairly and in accordance with Kristin's Teachings, and even if tommy is his kid he can't bend rules or make the group thing he's biased in a situation like this. there's a bad situation going on when jack arrives at the temple, so he has to handle that instead of going to his kid. it's a horrible choice he has to make, but he does it, and thankfully tommy had wilbur there to watch out for him instead

phil doesn't understand how tf it happened, but it's clear as day that wilbur and tommy have developed some kind of bond and he really needs someone not involved in the whole mess to look out for tommy. and that's wilbur.

yeah there's no way quackity would've snitched if he wasn't worried that wilbur escaped. that's an emergency situation so the second he found out that charlie left him alone and now he and tommy were nowhere to be found, he was like "oh fuck phil's gonna kill me"

but yeah, phil thinks wilbur's choice to stay definitely has more to do with his religious beliefs, which makes sense when you think of what he was saying before! the one thing he's been repeating since he got there was that it was his duty to serve clara, so he couldn't stay there. even going so far as to suggest that him dying might be better because it would benefit clara more than him staying there. so when phil realizes wilbur had a chance to leave and didn't, of course he assumes that mindset might've changed. and yes, it has, but like you said it's not as far along as phil might think. or rather, he just doesn't realize how big tommy's influence over wilbur is.

[na-ta-sh-aa]

AAAH!! What a wonderful chapter. There were so many things I liked and I admit, I had butterflies in my stomach the whole time I read it!🫶🏼

“For some reason, that idea alone was enough to piss you off. Going blindly after Rooster would have been no big deal, but Jake seemed to actually give a shit about you. He just took the time to make sure you were really twenty, and he kept questioning you as to why you were here in the first place. In this bar where you apparently stuck out like a sore thumb.”

Is she jealous already? Oh, I love it so much!

“But you wanted Jake specifically for your first time, whether he had already fucked Kylie or not. You leaned in and kissed him again, and he seemed more than willing now. You hoped your little skirt and tight shirt weren't going to fail you after you made it this far. He just needed to take care of this one, basic thing for you, and you'd be on your way. Then you could go out with Cooper who you were actually so ready to date, and you wouldn't completely embarrass yourself with him.”

I love how Jake was able to change her mind with his kindness and caring towards her.

“His hand felt huge against your butt, and you went willingly when he pulled you even closer. "Hangman," he said in that cute Texan drawl. That didn't sound familiar at all, and Kylie was pretty proud of all the call signs she'd managed to collect. Maybe she hadn't gotten to him yet. Or maybe she wasn't his type. That thought alone made you smile even more as he continued to touch you.”

This part with its little details literally drove me crazy because of how much I loved it!🥹

"Jesus Christ, Darlin'. That's not happening either," he said, looking scandalized. "Definitely not for your first time. And a leather mini skirt is an impractical outfit to get fucked in anyway."

I love it when Jake brings out the gentleman in him!

"Yeah," he grunted, his green eyes a little wild in the glow from the truck's dome lights. "I'm going to make sure you come. I'm going to be as sweet as I can be. But you need to be clear if you're not having a good time, or if you want me to stop. If you can't abide by those basic ground rules, we're absolutely done here."

I love the way he respects her but I love even more how he took it so seriously to make her first time a beautiful and unforgettable experience, it's really beautiful of him🥹

“Jake scowled, and his tone was one akin to hurt. "I'm not letting you make yourself believe that all you deserve for your first time is a careless fuck in a bar bathroom or a parking lot, and I'm certainly not letting one of those drunk assholes maul you apart!"

"I do," he replied, mentally cancelling his morning run if you were going to stay over. The implications of letting you spend the night were creeping up on him, but kicking you out was absolutely not going to be an option. You likely had the entirety of the rest of your life to be disappointed by men, but he wasn't going to set that precedent.”

Oh Jake, what a man you are!🥹🫶🏼

"Darlin', you're playing by my rules. You want me to teach you about sex? Half an hour isn't even going to be enough to get you warmed up."

“You looked surprised as you reached up to run your fingers through his hair. "Teach me about sex? I thought you were just going to fuck me and call it a night."

“Jake moaned. "Definitely not. Now let's get started."

Jake🫠 I love how little by little the more time they spend together they seem more and more into each other!

“You tapped the toe of your sneaker against the hardwood floor and said, "According to my ID, I'm the same age as you. I like white wine, thanks."

“He was trying not to laugh as he walked into his kitchen, and you followed along behind him, watching as he reached for a wine glass and filled it with ice water. "Enjoy your chardonnay, Darlin'," he drawled, and now you were also trying not to laugh.”

This interaction between them was so cute and funny at the same time. Aww I'm already madly in love with these two🥹

“There's a little more to it than that," he told you, stroking your jaw with his thumb. "Let's talk and get to know each other a bit."

“The last thing you wanted him to know about was your complete lack of experience with guys. "We don't have to do that." 

I really like how on one hand Jake wants to try to know as much as possible so he can know as best as possible what to do and how to make her feel at ease (I'm literally falling in love with his sweetness in this series) and on the other hand I love the way you made her embarrassment so realistic and how she tries to divert the topic because of her inexperience.

"No, you don't," he whispered, voice harsh and needy. He kissed you hard on the mouth two times before adding, "You want me to make you feel better than you've ever felt before. You want me to touch you with more skill than you can touch yourself. And none of that has to do with me fucking you. Tell me I'm wrong."

Okay but the way Jake can be so sexy just by talking is really amazing and it's having an effect on me!🫠

“You took a deep breath, let your lips brush against his and told him, "I want you to make me feel good."

"That's more like it, Darlin'," he crooned. "I'll take care of you."

AHHH! Okay Can I say it? I absolutely loved all this preparation, their kisses and their fleeting touches. The fact that the chapter ended like this makes me crazy with joy because I can't wait to read the next chapter!

I absolutely love their story and the way you write it! I love how you manage to contrast their differences in age and maturity in some situations and at the same time how you manage to create more and more chemistry and understanding between them, it's really magnificent! As I said before, I loved how on one side there is Jake, who has the goal of teaching her as much as possible and above all to make her live an experience and an evening that she will not be able to forget. The fact that he always puts her pleasure first makes me melt every time, not to mention how much I love his sweetness and the thoughtful way he constantly makes sure he doesn't cross boundaries or do anything she's not okay with, it's so wonderful🥹. And I love how on the other side there is her, who initially had as her only goal to find a man to lose her virginity to but after meeting and talking to Jake the perspective of her evening is changing and she is slowly giving in to following Jake's rules, and I'm sure she won't regret it! I can't wait to read the next chapter, I loved this one soooooo much!🥹💗✨

Mr. Right Now Part 2 | Hangman x Reader

Summary: As soon as you decide that Jake is the one you want for your first time, he's very clear that you'll be playing by his rules. You're ready to get this over with and get on with your life, but he's determined to make you admit that you're allowed to feel good. And maybe you want to enjoy this with him.

Warnings: adult language, mentions of sex and virginity, sexual touching, 18+

Length: 3800 words

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female Reader

Why is Jake on my masterlist!? Mr. Right Now masterlist

"Jake," you whispered as his soft hair glided through your fingers. You liked his name. He was handsome. He was older. His lips tasted delicious. He had green eyes.

Why had you been so focused on Rooster? Oh, right. Because your roommate, Kylie, said he was good after she slept with him. She told you all about the Navy bar and the different guys with call signs, and you made it a point to remember that Rooster was the one who she said was the gentlest. 

You froze. Jake had his hands around your waist, his hips pressing his semi hard length against you. Those pretty green eyes were locked onto yours, and you knew it would be a long shot to get him to agree, even now. But something else was bothering you about this whole scenario. You suddenly wondered if Kylie and Jake ever had sex.

For some reason, that idea alone was enough to piss you off. Going blindly after Rooster would have been no big deal, but Jake seemed to actually give a shit about you. He just took the time to make sure you were really twenty, and he kept questioning you as to why you were here in the first place. In this bar where you apparently stuck out like a sore thumb.

But you wanted Jake specifically for your first time, whether he had already fucked Kylie or not. You leaned in and kissed him again, and he seemed more than willing now. You hoped your little skirt and tight shirt weren't going to fail you after you made it this far. He just needed to take care of this one, basic thing for you, and you'd be on your way. Then you could go out with Cooper who you were actually so ready to date, and you wouldn't completely embarrass yourself with him.

You let yourself touch Jake's hair again as you asked, "What's your call sign?"

His hand felt huge against your butt, and you went willingly when he pulled you even closer. "Hangman," he said in that cute Texan drawl. That didn't sound familiar at all, and Kylie was pretty proud of all the call signs she'd managed to collect. Maybe she hadn't gotten to him yet. Or maybe she wasn't his type. That thought alone made you smile even more as he continued to touch you.

"Okay, Hangman," you whispered against his mouth in the middle of this crowded bar. "I'm ready for you to take me to your place."

He kissed you gently and shook his head. "Let's go out to my truck, and I'll drive you back to your apartment or dorm."

God, he was such a good kisser, but he was really grating on your nerves at this point. You were a little nervous that he would keep saying no and then ruin your chances with Rooster or one of the other guys in attendance tonight, even though they would be clear backup options now. You whined in annoyance. "Come on, Jake."

"No. I'm not taking you home with me," he replied firmly. 

You stomped your foot; you really wanted to lose your damn virginity, and you couldn't give it away. "You don't even have to take me back to your place. We can fuck in the parking lot."

"Jesus Christ, Darlin'. That's not happening either," he said, looking scandalized. "Definitely not for your first time. And a leather mini skirt is an impractical outfit to get fucked in anyway."

You tipped your head back and groaned. "Well how was I supposed to know that?" Then you looked at his handsome face, pretty much ready to call it a night and try again tomorrow at a different bar. "I'm doing everything wrong."

He had the nerve to laugh at you again. "No. You're really not. The skirt is just going to make guys want to work harder for it. And honestly, somehow the sneakers are doing something for me?"

A small glimmer of hope flashed inside you as you ran your fingers along his stubbled cheek. "Yeah?"

"God. Damn. It." He was practically growling now as he started to haul you toward the exit. "If we're doing this, then we're doing it right."

"Okay!" you replied immediately, not really sure what you were agreeing to as he led you outside to the dark deck, letting the door close behind the two of you. The loud interior of the bar was a thing of the past now as he took your chin between his thumb and fingers and kissed you a little rough with the ocean as the new soundtrack. 

You almost dropped your purse as you tried to wrap your arms around his neck, already wanting more of him. "If you really want to do this," he said between kisses, "then you're playing by my rules." You were practically whimpering as his lips found the side of your neck, because why did his words sound so sexy?

"Absolutely," you whispered. "Jake's rules."

He half carried you out to the dimly lit parking lot as he muttered, "This is a terrible idea." He squinted at your face and added, "You seem like the type who never learns her lesson."

"I resent that," you said, running your lips along his ear even as your feet left the ground. "I have a 4.0 GPA. I always learn my lessons."

He grunted as he helped you into what you assumed was his truck before standing outside the door with his hands on his hips. "Like I said, you're a real smartass. Now listen up. I'm going to be as gentlemanly as I possibly can during this whole thing."

"Whole thing?" you asked, wondering what he could possibly mean. He just needed to get completely hard, shove his cock in you for a little while, and then call it a night.

"Yeah," he grunted, his green eyes a little wild in the glow from the truck's dome lights. "I'm going to make sure you come. I'm going to be as sweet as I can be. But you need to be clear if you're not having a good time, or if you want me to stop. If you can't abide by those basic ground rules, we're absolutely done here."

Oh. He was really taking this seriously. You chewed on your lip, and his face became more apprehensive. But you weren't debating with yourself whether or not his ground rules would work for you. You were actually trying to figure out why he was already being better than anything you anticipated tonight. Anticipated ever.

"Oh, my god," you gasped. "Are you married?"

"What the fuck kind of question is that?" he shouted, looking angry now. "Of course I'm not married!"

You reached out to him and grabbed his hand. "Sorry! It's just that you're sweet, and you seem to be taking this really seriously! I was just checking!"

Jake scowled, and his tone was one akin to hurt. "I'm not letting you make yourself believe that all you deserve for your first time is a careless fuck in a bar bathroom or a parking lot, and I'm certainly not letting one of those drunk assholes maul you apart!"

The more you thought about it, you really didn't want to be manhandled or have to pull your skirt up in a bathroom stall to make the best of things tonight. You squeezed his hand which you were still holding as you softly said, "Thank you."

He ran his free fingers through his soft hair and muttered something that sounded like, "Yeah, don't thank me yet." Then he kissed your lips and said, "Buckle your seatbelt," before he let go of your hand and closed the door. 

-------------------------

You were pretty quiet on the drive back to Jake's place, but you didn't seem as nervous now. If anything, he thought his nerves were ramping up while yours were calming down. He couldn't remember how many condoms he had left in his bedside drawer, and when he tried to estimate how many he might use tonight, he almost missed his turn. Was he really going to do this?

"You live by the beach," you remarked, playing with the hem of your tiny skirt while you looked out the window.

"I do," he replied, mentally cancelling his morning run if you were going to stay over. The implications of letting you spend the night were creeping up on him, but kicking you out was absolutely not going to be an option. You likely had the entirety of the rest of your life to be disappointed by men, but he wasn't going to set that precedent. 

"How old did you say you were?"

Jake felt a little dirty now when he said, "I didn't. But I'm thirty." He tapped the brakes when he was about a block from his house. His truck already smelled sweet like your perfume or shampoo, and he glanced at you when he turned onto his street. "Let me take you back to your place."

You laughed softly as you leaned a little closer to him. "Negative, Hangman. I have a twin bed and a nosy roommate. I think we're better off doing this at yours."

"Come on, Darlin'. That's not what I meant, and you know it."

He coasted up to the stop sign on the quiet side street; he could see his little, white cottage on the next block, but he turned to look at your face in profile as you crossed your arms over your chest. You were looking straight ahead, chin proudly held high as you said, "If you really don't want to have sex with me, then turn right and head back toward Pomona Avenue."

It wasn't that he didn't want to. You were all pouty lips and feminine curves and perky tits, and yeah... he did want to fuck you. And he wanted to make it so good, you'd ask for more. He wanted to take his time and pull that first orgasm from you while he gave it to you exactly how you needed it. When he didn't turn his truck back toward Pomona, you looked at him and whispered, "It's okay if you're not into it, Jake. You can take me home. You don't have to worry about me."

He made a noise at the back of his throat and licked his lips. "That's not it." He wanted to say more, but for now, he answered your concerns by moving his foot to the accelerator and driving straight through the intersection. You visibly relaxed in the seat next to him, and a few seconds later, he was pulling his truck up to his house. You were looking out the window toward his cottage, and when you reached for the door handle, he let his hand rest on your bare knee. You turned his way immediately, and he said, "You never agreed to play by my rules."

"I agree."

He shook his head. "Then tell me what my ground rules were."

You bit your bottom lip, and he could feel you squeeze your legs together as you whispered, "You said you'd make sure I come. And that you would be sweet. And that if I tell you I'm not having a good time, you'll stop." Jake let his hand slide a few inches higher, and you responded by easing your legs apart and telling him, "I agree with the ground rules."

Jake nodded once and said, "Looks like I'm stuck with you now."

You kissed him. Somehow you caught him off guard every time you did it. You were tentative and inquisitive, and when you moved closer, his hand eased up your thigh. "You're stuck with me," you murmured between kisses. "For probably at least a half an hour." Jake started laughing, and you pulled away slightly. "What's funny?"

"Darlin', you're playing by my rules. You want me to teach you about sex? Half an hour isn't even going to be enough to get you warmed up."

You looked surprised as you reached up to run your fingers through his hair. "Teach me about sex? I thought you were just going to fuck me and call it a night."

Jake moaned. "Definitely not. Now let's get started."

--------------------------

You found yourself in Jake's living room, eyes darting around, trying to figure out what to focus on first. He was an actual adult with award commendations from the Navy and a massive TV. You felt small in his space, and some of your bravado melted away as he chuckled and said, "I'd offer you a drink, but, you know."

You tapped the toe of your sneaker against the hardwood floor and said, "According to my ID, I'm the same age as you. I like white wine, thanks."

He was trying not to laugh as he walked into his kitchen, and you followed along behind him, watching as he reached for a wine glass and filled it with ice water. "Enjoy your chardonnay, Darlin'," he drawled, and now you were also trying not to laugh.

"Thanks," you whispered before taking a sip. You tried to set your purse on the counter, but the clasp caught the edge, and both of your IDs came sliding out along with a strip of three condoms. When Jake met your eyes you said, "I made sure I was prepared before I left my place. I'm young, not stupid."

"But the Hard Deck?" he asked, closing the distance between your bodies. "Not your smartest move, parading around in there with a fake and some condoms. The guys that hang out there wouldn't know their ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to making sure a woman enjoys herself."

"You hang out there," you told him with a little eye roll, and his fingers came up under your chin. He tilted your face up until you were staring into his pretty green eyes, and your core clenched with need.

"I don't make promises I can't keep," he told you, and you absolutely believed him. "Now, you said you're a virgin, but why don't you go ahead and tell me how experienced you are."

You swallowed hard, chin still held in place by those rough fingers. "Is that really necessary? I'm ready to go, Jake." You set your glass of water on the counter next to the condoms and reached out to touch his solid abs through his shirt.

"There's a little more to it than that," he told you, stroking your jaw with his thumb. "Let's talk and get to know each other a bit."

The last thing you wanted him to know about was your complete lack of experience with guys. "We don't have to do that." 

"Yeah, well I want to," he told you, finally releasing your chin.

"You're very old fashioned," you said with a smirk, and your hands settled on his belt.

"I'm a lot older than you, smartass. Humor me." Instead of responding with anything about yourself, you held eye contact with him while you yanked the end of his belt free from the belt loops and started to unbuckle it. A smile danced along his lips, and he said, "Fine. I'll start. I'm a Lieutenant in the Navy. I grew up in Texas, but I've lived all over the country. My favorite food is chili. I love running on the beach in the morning before it gets too hot out. I have four sisters. And I'm a Scorpio."

You had the button of his jeans undone, and you were easing his zipper down as you said, "You do seem like a Scorpio, Lieutenant Jake." His green eyes were still on yours as you officially went further than you ever had with a guy by letting your fingers run along his impressive length through his underwear. He licked his lips as you reached the tip and then dipped your hand inside his snug boxer briefs. He was warm and velvety soft while also getting harder by the second, and you gasped at the look in his eyes. "Does this feel good?" you asked softly as his pupils widened.

He nodded once, and his voice sounded raspier as he told you, "Yes."

"Good," you mused out loud, unable to contain your smirk as Jake grunted softly. "If you like it, then the guy from my physics class who I want to go out with will probably like it, too."

Suddenly, Jake's hand was on your wrist in an iron-tight grasp, preventing you from stroking him. "What?" you gasped, his hand tightening incrementally as something dangerous flashed in his eyes.

"Lesson number one. When you're with a guy, and you have your hand wrapped around his cock, you shouldn't be talking about a different guy."

You pouted up at him and said, "I already told you earlier that part of the reason I wanted to lose my virginity was so it would feel good when I get with Cooper."

"And I'm telling you right now that you're done talking about him," he grunted. "Got it?"

A chill of delight ran up your spine as you whispered, "Yes. Understood."

His grasp on your wrist released immediately, and he leaned in, kissing you softly one time. "That's just a surefire way to get a guy jealous," he informed you, and another little chill ran through your body as you considered that maybe you just made him a little jealous. 

When you ran your hand along his length again, his lips were back on yours immediately, and he moved you so your leather covered butt was pressed against the edge of his countertop. Then he took your hips in both of his big hands, and you whimpered into his mouth. He teased you, pulling away slightly just so you'd chase him for more. He was throbbing against your palm as your other hand found his hair once again. 

He was sexy. Even the rough stubble on his face felt delicious as it rubbed your chin and cheeks. Then, just as his lips started to migrate along your jaw, he carefully reached for your wrist again, withdrawing your hand from his jeans. "Yes, it feels good, but this isn't about me, Darlin'."

When his lips skimmed down your neck before settling on your pulse point, you whimpered his name. Then he sucked gently on you there while he toyed with the zipper at the side of your mini skirt. He was big and strong, and he smelled good, and as he worked your zipper down, inch by painstaking inch, you shifted so you were rubbing against him.

As soon as his fingers dipped inside the elastic of your underwear, it felt like you were clenching around nothing. Usually you had to use your fingers for a while to get that kind of result, but he hadn't even touched you there yet. Then you realized you were wet. Really wet from his lips and his touch. Your thong felt damp against your skin as your skirt started to slide down your hips, and your voice was a little too loud as you gasped and said, "Okay, I'm ready. I'm definitely ready. Let's do it. Where's your bedroom?"

Jake's lips released your neck. He brought his mouth up to your ear and told you, "Absolutely not. Not yet."

Your skirt slipped a few more inches as Jake ran his nose along the shell of your ear. "God. Do you need me to ask nicely or something? Please?"

"You're playing by my rules. Did you forget? We're not rushing through this." Your skirt dropped to the floor at your feet as Jake pulled away and looked at your face. "Unless you're not having a good time, Darlin'. Say the words, and I'll stop."

You had no control of your body as your head tipped back, a low moan escaping as you said, "I don't want you to stop." You panted as you rubbed your wet panties against the open fly of his jeans. "It feels so good. But I want more."

Jake's hand found the back of your head, tilting it forward until you were looking at him again. "What do you want me to do to you?" he asked as one of his calloused fingers played with the lace trim along the top of your underwear.

"I want you to fuck me," you whispered with a moan, nodding your head as he smirked at you. 

"Really, pretty girl? You sure that's it? Because it sounds more like you want me to make you feel good." His fingers stroked up to your belly button and back down again as you bucked against him. "I think you know by this point in our conversation that you're allowed to enjoy this. And I can tell that's what you really want." 

"What could possibly feel better than getting fucked?" you asked in desperation. "I want you to fuck me!"

"No, you don't," he whispered, voice harsh and needy. He kissed you hard on the mouth two times before adding, "You want me to make you feel better than you've ever felt before. You want me to touch you with more skill than you can touch yourself. And none of that has to do with me fucking you. Tell me I'm wrong."

You bit down on your lip as his hand reached around to your butt, and suddenly you knew for sure it wouldn't have been like this with Rooster or any of the other guys at the bar. They would have fucked you and unloaded into one of the three condoms by now. Maybe you wouldn't have even gotten wet for them. You'd probably be back at your place in bed, planning on seeing Cooper on Monday morning with a new outlook on life. But it wouldn't have been like this.

Jake wanted more than that for your first time, and now you were starting to see that you could have more as his rough fingers kneaded into you. If you were already about to come just from rubbing yourself on him, then playing by his rules and letting him take his time was sounding better by the second.

You took a deep breath, let your lips brush against his and told him, "I want you to make me feel good."

"That's more like it, Darlin'," he crooned. "I'll take care of you."

----------------------------

Jake is about to show you that he's a man of his word. He keeps his promises, and he's already made some to you. Thanks @beyondthesefourwalls

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[cryptidsurveys]

Wednesday, November 20th, 2024.

What’s better: winter break or spring break? Such breaks are no longer applicable to me, but in the past, winter break. It's longer (our winter breaks were two weeks, whereas spring break was only a single week) and it involves Christmas.

Are you cold, hot, or comfortable at the moment? I'm a little on the warm side. I just got out of a shower, I'm wearing cozy clothing, and the heater is running.

How many concerts have you been to in your life? Two/three. I left one pretty early because I was sick, though, so idk if I should even count it.

What’s your favorite TV show? I don't have a favorite show, but I do enjoy history, outer space, and food-related documentaries.

Would you ever have sex with the last person you texted? No. The last person I texted was Iris (manager). She posted a birthday photo to the group chat - of her pup who turned two years old today. I replied wishing him a happy birthday.

Would you rather paint your room puke green, or eat a potato bug? Eat a potato bug. Get the suffering over with. It would take hours and hours of effort to paint my room, and days and days of enduring potential migraines while the paint fumes cleared up. Then I would have to do it all over again because I'm not keeping puke green walls.

How old were you when you had the chicken pox? Pretty young. So young that I don't recall anything from the experience.

Ever had a friend named Alex or John? I've had a friend named Jon. Basically the same, just a slightly different spelling.

Are you one who misses a lot of school, just because? I'm not in school anymore, but I was frequently absent. I'm kind of surprised the same tendency hasn't followed me into volunteering. I've missed a few days here and there for various reasons, but nothing like when I was in school.

What type of music do you listen to the most? Classical.

What are you looking forward to in the next month? Hopefully, more snow…but not so much snow that I can't fit in another trip to the Mountain Park. And Thanksgiving. I wonder if the animal shelter is doing anything to celebrate. I might go to that if I'm invited and not too busy with my own cooking/baking.

Is there anyone that you’d love to just spill your guts to? I already do that in therapy.

When was the last time you painted a picture? If digital painting counts, then the last time was about a week ago. It's been maybe 2-3 years since I've done any "actual" painting.

Where is the person you have feelings at right now? There is no such person.

Can you drive? When did/do you get your license? I can. I got my license when I was 20 years old, but I stopped driving about a year after that and didn't pick it back up again until October 2023.

Have you ever had to get braces? Yeah.

What brand and flavor was the last gum you chewed? Mint.

Are you happy with your relationship status? I'm fine with it for the time being because I'm still trying to figure myself out, but I would like to be in a relationship one day. I don't want to remain single for the rest of my life.

What did you have for lunch today? Was it good? I haven't had lunch yet. I'm going to Black Eyed Pea with my mom and will likely be ordering the Cobb salad.

Which one: chocolate chip or sugar cookie? Sugar cookies.

Who was the last person that you sincerely apologized to? Probably my dad.

Do you like the smell of gasoline? Why or why not? I don't mind it, but I wouldn't go so far as to say I like it.

Do you like the color orange? Is it your favorite? Yeah. I wouldn't consider it a favorite on its own, but I do love autumnal orange/earthy hues. I also look surprisingly okay in orange clothing.

What kind of ice cream did you last eat? I think it would have been a coconut ice cream bar at the animal shelter over the summer.

What kind of stuff do you like on your hot dogs? Not necessarily all at once, but ketchup, mustard, crushed up corn chips, cheese, onion, and jalapeno peppers.

Have you ever been in a spelling bee? In school.

Do you enjoy talking on the telephone? Who do you talk to the most? Naw.

Do you think the last person you texted is attractive? She is pretty, but I'm not personally attracted to her.

Does it bother you when people don’t answer questions with exact answers? Like they're trying to dodge the question? I guess it depends on the circumstances. If I need an exact/clear answer, then yes. But if I asked a question that someone maybe found too personal or just didn't want to answer for some reason, then…oh well. Not my business.

Do you know how to snap your fingers? I can't do it. D;

In what order do you get ready in the mornings? Wake up around 4:30am, lie in bed and watch YouTube until around 5:30am, gather my clothing, brush my teeth, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, pack my bag/lunchbox, and chat with my dad until it's time to leave.

When did you last cry? What for? Weeks ago. Over a movie.

Where were you at 9:18 this morning? Here, eating a snack and scrolling through YouTube comments. After that, I buzzed my hair and took a shower.

Where did you kiss the last person you kissed? At home.

When was the last time you consumed alcohol? Late July. I had some sample beers at a fund-raising event for the animal shelter.

What is in your bag for school, or work? When packed for a full day - a book for reading on lunch breaks, gum, migraine meds, snacks, a lunchbox, a couple of bottles of Powerade, a water bottle, toiletries, chapstick, and my little bag with ID cards and such.

The 2nd to last person you texted, how did you meet them? He's my dad, so…!

Do you call it a crush, or do you just say you like someone? I'd probably just say I like someone/have feelings for them/whatever.

Have you been drunk in the last week? No.

What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Oatmeal.

[r5h]

Howdy. I see you're the author of Backstage Passes and saw your post about changing things in the story. Did that include Akko calling out Amanda for basically sexually harassing and touching her without her consent, even when she got very clearly angry? No one calling out Amanda's scummy behavior gave me flashbacks of assholes doing similar things to me, and made me stop reading it. So if Akko firmly told Amanda to fuck off with her bullshit in the new version, I might read it again.

The spoiler-free answer to this question is, two of the people who commented with criticism about Amanda's and Akko's actions in the story have since come back and said that they liked the changes. So I think that the changes have helped in that regard!

More in-depth answer after the read-more.

So, to provide a little background for anyone reading this: I've got a Little Witch Academia fanfiction called Backstage Passes. It's an AU story with no magic where the characters are all musicians, and it focuses on Akko, Diana, and Amanda meeting up by chance at a bar after a concert they all performed at. Diana is meeting Akko and Amanda for the first time, whereas Akko and Amanda have prior history. Akko and Diana hit it off right away: Diana and Amanda do not like each other (well, mostly Amanda does not like Diana), and they get in verbal fights about it.

A few weeks ago, I got several comments in quick succession from different people, with pretty consistent criticism across each comment. The criticism was that Amanda's actions toward Diana felt way over the line, verging into sexual harassment or negging, and meanwhile Akko was acting weirdly oblivious about it and doing little to stop it, despite being right there and liking Diana.

I think the criticism was fair and justified, and I've since edited the story to try to address that criticism. There's a bunch of little changes here and there, as well as some larger ones, but broadly speaking the edits can be grouped into three categories.

Clarifying Amanda's actions and intent. In the previous version of the story, I think it's fair to say that Amanda seemed to be tearing into Diana for no reason, or at least not enough of a reason. I hadn't made her intentions clear in all her actions, and I think that led to people getting a way different idea of her than what I was going for (ie, people thinking she was negging Diana). One way I've tried to address this is by having her say outright that she is not interested in having sex with Diana. And as for touching Diana without consent like you mentioned, anon, I did change that too - now, as soon as Diana indicates her displeasure at Amanda touching her, Amanda lets go. Besides that, I've tried to make it clearer why she doesn't like Diana in general - she thinks Diana is a self-important snob with popularity but no substance, and that Diana is looking down on Akko. (For instance, I added a little moment where Diana insults Akko a little bit, and Amanda immediately tells her to stop.) Hopefully this changes Amanda's vibes enough to where she doesn't come across so much as a sexual harasser.

Making Akko more responsive to Amanda's actions. Some of that is outright calling her out: for instance, there's a section near the beginning of the story where Akko leaves Amanda and Diana alone for a minute, and previously she sarcastically said "You two have fun" before leaving. That wasn't really fair, though, since at that point Amanda was the only one being antagonistic. So I've changed that to have Akko telling only Amanda to behave. Besides that, she talks a little bit about Amanda's aggressive attitude when Diana asks, as well as a couple of other moments where she tries to keep things from getting too heated between them. I may go back and tweak this more, actually: it's hard to do, though, because I can't actually have Akko keep things from getting too heated or Else there's no conflict and thus no story.

Changing Diana's responses to Amanda's actions. In the previous version, Diana responded very negatively to some of Amanda's more suggestive jibes, and I think that that contributed to making Amanda feel kind of predatory. So with the edits, I've made her a lot cooler in her responses, and a lot more capable of handling herself. Hopefully this will help the overall situation feel less uncomfortable to readers like you, anon.

Like I said before, a couple of the people who previously gave negative feedback have since left new comments, saying that they liked the edits I made. And I certainly think that the edits have helped get the story a lot closer to what I was originally going for.

I hope that answers your question, anon. Obviously I can't say for sure that you'll like this version of the story, but I hope that what I've written here is enough to convince you to give it another try.