#can relate to many such tropes and things and it's fun I feel at home... The Lovecraftian influence in this game was sort of meh though

[weaponizedmoth]

Every time I don't draw, I itch for it. Every time I do draw, I have a headache. Human being is truly never ever happy with the circumstances. Such is life.

[roseykat]

KINKTOBER DAY 1

Title: Same coin, different faces

PAIRING: Bang Chan x Reader

WARNING: minors DNI with this post or my blog. I create NSFW SKZ related content and I know I won’t be able to regulate/monitor every single potential interaction with those posts so please do not engage with my work and page whatsoever.

SUMMARY: Despite not being together with Chan anymore, you somehow end up in the back of his car...fogging up the windows.

TAGS: pre-established breakup trope, swearing, a dash of angst but also a hint of resolve, mentions of alcohol (neither the reader nor Chan is drunk), a bit of manhandling by both parties, oral sex (reader receiving), car sex, unprotected, sort of hate/rough sex. 

MASTERLIST - KINKTOBER LIST

(This is currently unedited but I will be proofing it later on)

It wasn’t as fun as you had hoped it to be, a party that is. Given it was the end of the semester, people usually prefer to go all out - which they did, but you weren’t feeling it. There were far too many people off of their faces, including your entire friend group that you showed up with.

Two of them were playing drinking games in the kitchen, one of them - Minho, who had completely disappeared for the past few hours, and another one who had found himself someone to hook up with. 

In the end, you were on your own for the remainder of the party. After having found a way into the lounge through the masses of people attending and remained on the couch, watching those around you for a while, you decided to get back up and grab a drink. There wasn’t an entire selection to choose from; either warm beer or cheap wine, which you grab from the latter and pour some in a plastic cup to try and fit in with everyone else. 

The briny taste of the wine was enough to make you think that maybe it was time to go home. It wasn’t fun, interesting, nor a good way to spend your time on a Friday night. Before being able to make the decision to leave, you find yourself planted on the ground when your eyes catch onto a familiar figure amongst the people. 

Chan. Your ex-boyfriend - your ex-best friend at that too. 

It was a surprise to see him given that he isn’t really a party goer, but also a surprise to see him in general after the pair of you went through such a tumultuous breakup a month ago. Things just didn’t work out the way they were supposed to which was unfortunate because Chan is one of a kind.

There isn’t anybody like him that exists in this world. He’s gentle, caring, and has a bottomless well of love to give. Now that you’re not together anymore, you know that whoever he ends up with in the future is well taken care of. 

“Hi,” Chan says, walking up to you. 

“Hey,” you respond back, unsure of how to actually talk to him now. “What are you doing here?” 

Chan sighs, looking at the screen of his phone momentarily then turning his attention back to you, “trying to find Minho. I’m here to pick him up, but I can’t find him. Is he here?”

“I haven’t seen him for the past couple of hours,” you answer. “I highly doubt he’s actually here still.”

He sighs and rolls his eyes, “course he’s not.”

“He probably went to Jisung’s at some point,” you add.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” he replies before his eyes peer down at the plastic cup. “Drinking? That’s not like you.” 

“It’s the end of the semester,” you say in your own defence. “I was trying to finish off strong.”

“Right. Have you got a ride home then?” 

Your eyes dart beyond Chan to ‘your ride home’ who has probably now consumed half of his body weight in alcohol. Chan catches your gaze, turns around and sees Seungmin throwing back another shot with a couple of strangers, presumably his classmates.

Chan sighs once more and faces you again, “don’t tell me he was supposed to sober drive.” 

“He won’t be now,” you respond. 

“Okay well, I can drop you off. Minho’s not replying and he’s probably not here, plus I’m getting tired,” he offers. 

You ponder for a moment. Since Chan had come up to you, you hadn’t felt that sting of pain that a breakup usually induces. Not since the day you both called it quits on the relationship. But that’s only because things were never awkward with him. It’s only until now that you realise how depleting life has been without him. It’s not colourful anymore. 

It’s an issue because you don’t want to be reminded of what you don’t have anymore. Sometimes, the best things can be the worst for us. 

“It’s okay, thank you though,” you decline respectfully. “I might tell the others to get ready to head off.” 

“And who’s going to drive them? You?” He asks with a brow raised then shakes his head with disapproval. “You’ve been drinking.”

“Not that much,” you retort. “I’m not even tipsy, plus I don’t want to leave them behind.”

“Seems like they left you behind,” Chan points out a very good point which you find hard to not be in denial about. 

He takes the plastic cup out of your hand and places it on the nearest surface cluttered with other discarded items. He then returns back to you to gently take hold of your wrist and leads you out of the lounge full of people. 

“Wait-”

“I’m not letting you drive under the influence, end of story,” he decides. 

With that matter in hand, you’re quickly reminded that Chan has always had a strong head on his shoulders and his morals are very clear cut. He held reasonably strong opinions on doing unnecessarily dangerous things, particularly when it comes to you. It happened to be one of the poisonous factors that pierced the final dagger into the relationship. 

The cold air then hits you when you both make it out into the front yard. 

“I can walk thank you,” you say to Chan who forgets that he’s still holding your wrist. He looks down at his hand and releases. 

“Sorry,” he apologises. “Car’s this way.”

He leads you once more just across the street to the vehicle while you think about the fact that you never actually agreed you were going to accept his offer to take you home. In saying that, there was no other alternative other than walking which Chan wouldn’t have put up with anyway. 

The pair of you hop in his car, finally able to catch a break from the blaring music that was blasting throughout the house. After both of your seatbelts are on, Chan starts the car and drives away down the street. 

It’s not long until silence falls quickly. Things had never been this terribly awkward between you both, but there had been pockets of quietness which used to be comfortable to sit in. Now you can see that it’s not as nice. 

“So what have you been up to these days?” Chan asks out of the blue, breaking that silence. 

“Nothing interesting I guess,” you answer blandly. “Just studies and that’s it.” 

He nods, “how’s that going so far?”

“Fine, I suppose.”

Chan lets out a small huff, “you know, it’s still okay for us to talk right? We don’t need to be so hostile.”

The glow of your phone from your lap catches your attention away from his comment. You blink down at the screen and read a text from Felix. 

Lix: ‘Saw you leave with Chan. Please tell me you’re both back on.’ 

You roll your eyes. You love Felix, but sometimes he can be too optimistic. There wasn’t any way you and Chan were going to find your way back to each other. If anything, it wouldn’t be the same anymore. 

“I wasn’t being hostile, plus there’s not much to my answer anyway unless you want me to lie?” You respond back.

“No, I don’t want you to lie,” Chan adjusts his tight grip on the steering wheel. “But you speaking just proves my point on why we shouldn’t act like that.” 

You turn your head, shooting him a well-deserved glare. This isn’t usually how Chan acts. He never says backhanded things as such even though he can be relatively blunt. Whatever subtle malice was behind his words obviously came from the same place that helped the relationship tear apart. 

“This is why we never worked out because you always had to have some degree of control,” you scoff, ignoring the fact that you’ve now doused the flicker of the argument with petrol.

“I was only doing what I though was safest for you,” Chan argues back strongly. “It was never about having any type of control, it was because you couldn’t see what the consequences were.” 

“Then why couldn’t you have let me figure it out for myself? How else am I supposed to learn, when you’re not here anymore?” 

“You, driving drunk isn’t something that you just learn not to do. You don’t do it, full stop. Anyone with common sense knows that,” Chan bites back. 

“I’m not even talking about that! When have I ever driven drunk? Now you’re just fucking reaching for things! All I’m saying is that it didn’t matter how much time I spent with you, I never got to be my own person. It was like I was turning into another ‘you’.”

Chan shrugs, “in comparison to what you can be like sometimes, I honestly don’t think that’s so much of a bad thing.” 

The last nerve inside you, had been struck.

“Stop the car, I’m getting out.” 

“No, we’re nearly at your h-”

“I don’t care Chris, I seriously don’t want to be anywhere near you right now,” you cut him off sharply, not wanting to hear another word come out of his mouth. 

Chan looks over at you, absorbing how painfully angry you look right now and the fact that your hand is on the door handle, ready to bolt as soon as he pulls over. It was fairly obvious because once he did, you were out of the vehicle before he could say anything more. But as fast as you are out the door, Chan is already on the other side to meet you. 

“Don’t go home angry,” he says urgently. 

You shoot him a dirty look, thinking who the hell is he to tell you what to do, “or what?”

“Well can we at least talk then?” He questions, trying to grasp onto some common ground here. 

With as much force as you can muster, your arms come up to shove Chan by the chest, “fuck you.”

He stumbles back a few steps and is not as nearly as surprised as you are by your own behaviour. Never has anyone elicited as much of a reaction from you until now. The shock has you to the point where you can barely assemble an apology to Chan. Even so when he comes back forward, grabbing you by the sides of your arms, and shoving you right back against his own car. 

Before either of you say another word, his mouth crashes straight against yours. His swift hands are quickly groping and roaming in every place around your body that he can reach while you submit to his moves. You’ve forgotten how electrifying Chan can be at times when it comes to intimacy, that you really start to feel it when he slides his knee in between your thighs. 

You gasp against his lips, yelping almost when his hands reach behind you to squeeze your ass and to try to bring your body as impossibly close to his as he can. For a split second, you break away to consolidate what is happening. Chan remains latched onto you, his mouth now working its way to your jaw and down to your throat, sucking and biting into your skin. 

Neither of you care about whether or not he’s going to mark you up. All you care about at this point in time, is the hope that he’s going to fuck you. 

“The door…open the door,” you mumble to him, even though you’re trying to find the handle yourself. 

Even with the unshakeable frame of mind that he’s in right now, Chan listens to you. He pulls you forward with him so that he can yank the backdoor open. You hop onto the seat, pushing yourself backwards to the other side of the car to create room for him to join you. But Chan had his own idea planted already. 

He grabs you by the ankles and pulls you right back to the edge of the seat closest to him. His hands take pride in reaching underneath your skirt and tearing your underwear down your legs. 

He doesn’t even get the opportunity to fully take them off as they dangle on one leg. In saying that, it doesn’t take you very long to click onto what he wants to do. So you help him by doing your best to hike your skirt further up your thighs. Chan decides to take a few seconds to appreciate being able to relive this moment once more by using his thumb to swipe over your wet slit, collecting your juices only to bring it up to his mouth and suck it right off. 

“Fucking missed this,” he speaks for the first time in about five minutes before lifting both of your legs and separating them for his head to slot in perfectly between. 

The fan of his hot breath washes over your skin, already making your squirm forward towards his mouth. It’s been a long time since someone had touched you and Chan could tell. He knows how needy you can be, but not when you’re like this. Not when you’re straining to reach for the back of his head to pull him closer to your pussy. Not when you’re already moaning when he’s barely touched you.

Not when you’re wetter than what he usually thinks you are.

“Y-Yes…right there,” you sigh out and lie back down, waiting eagerly. 

One of your hands threads through his dark hair and tugs every time he sucks on your clit. Shivers of pleasure reverberate throughout your body, already making your legs tremble on his shoulders. If anyone were to drive past, you know you and Chan would get done for public indecency. Except that devious consequence became an elicit far away thought drowned out by your own moans the more Chan continued to eat you out. 

The best thing about it is that he’s not going easy on you. He’s being deceptively rough by digging his nails into your thighs and showing zero remorse when he relentlessly licks over that same sweet spot. The more work he puts into trying to make you cum, the harder he gets in his pants, straining at this point.

“P-Please Chan, hurry,” you cry out, trying to sit up and slide down further into his mouth. “Need to cum, please.”

When your begging and moaning become increasingly louder and more frequent, Chan knows you’re on the cusp of an orgasm. However, as much as he used to enjoy you cumming on his face, the idea of you cumming on his cock is just as good, if not better. So just as you’re about to tip over the edge, Chan pulls back. 

You blink in amongst the haziness of what was about to be a mind shattering orgasm to see Chan who’s head had lifted up from in between your legs. His mouth and chin were covered in your juices, and is completely unashamed about it. 

“You can just fucking wait,” he snaps and begins to adjust your legs so that he makes sure they cage his body at his sides, that way he can grab onto your thighs and fuck you hard and steady. 

Although you can barely see, you hear the zipper to his pants open before he takes out his cock, hard and ready to put it to use on you. You bite down on your bottom lip when Chan uses his tip to tease your entrance. He pushes his hips forward, enough to make his cock slide up and in between your pussy. 

Chan’s shaky hand manages to get a proper hold around his dick, aligning it with your wet hole, and slowly pushes in as the heat begins to encapsulate around his length. The top half of his body nearly falters forward if it weren’t for his hips that thrust forward first. 

“Chris…” you mutter in an aspirated voice, feeling the fullness of his cock stretch you out.  

There is no forewarning for the strength he has behind each buck of his hips. It takes you back to times before during your relationship and how deliciously memorable the sex always was. Chan’s main priority was to always make you cum first and regardless of his own needs and pleasure. Whether you misbehaved or were being an outright undeserving brat in bed, even then he would still let you cum. That’s how much he loved you. 

“Nobody can ever fuck you the way I do,” Chan grits his teeth, his eyes watching his cock disappear inside of you each time he rams forward, hard and fast. 

Every second that goes by, you’re grappling more and more onto your last threads of sanity. It’s hard to keep up and absorb Chris’s stamina and pace - a relentless and unapologetic pace that hits the same spot inside you over and over again until that build up of pleasure starts spreading around your lower abdomen. 

“Make me feel…so good,” you mumble incoherently. “Gonna make me cum.” 

It’s been a long time since Chan has heard you say those words - hell, even heard you moan at the very least. It’s enough to keep his pace steady but he’s very wary of the fact that he himself is already near the edge of an orgasm too. Nonetheless, he’s determined to get you there first once more. 

So Chan lets go of one of your legs at his side so that he can use his thumb to now rub fast circles over your clit. Your hands grip at the hem of your skirt, back arching as you start submitting to the crest of intense pleasure Chan has built up for you. Then within seconds, Chan has you cumming hard around his cock, shuddering, and straining his name out of your mouth as it rings throughout his car. 

“Fuck, baby…” he groans as his head tips back before he starts spilling white inside of you. 

His hips stutter finally, gently slowing down to a leisurely pace while he drowns in the afterglow from one of the most transcendent orgasms he’s ever had. He gives you both time to come down before he carefully slides out of you. It takes you a while to fully fathom what just happened, but you allow yourself to think about it. Whatever it is, it’s not regret. There’s a longing feeling there, a borderline sense of relief. 

Once Chan is decent, he helps you slide your underwear back on even though you’re both fully aware of the fact that he just came inside you. It’s not like either of you were prepared for this to happen. In saying that, Chan gently takes hold of both your hands and gets you to sit up.

“You okay?” he questions, using his finger to hook some of your messed hair out of your face. 

You nod, “yes. You?” 

“I’ve been worse,” he answers, making you smile. “I’m really sorry for what I said earlier.” 

You shake your head, “I’m sorry as well for being so stubborn. I figured that the more hostile I am towards you, the more I push myself away so that I don’t have to deal with any feelings from before.” 

Chan completely gets it, “I know. I thought I could do the same, but it seems that I’m too nice.”

You roll your eyes, “you’ve had your moments.” 

“I definitely have,” he replies. “Anyway, we should go in case anybody just saw that.” 

A bashful sense of embarrassment washes over you. It’s been minutes before you realised that you just fucked your ex. But even so, it doesn’t really feel that way. It’s just Chan, someone who you still have a lot of love for. 

“You can stay at mine, it’s late,” you suggest to him. 

Chan smiles softly, “as if I’m going to say no.”

-

A/N: Yes, I am a day late already to Kinktober - I just realised bc my dumb ass was trying to figure out time zones and when would be the best time to upload for people bc I’m quite some hours ahead from other countries. So I’ll just stick to my time zone, that way you’ll get my works a few hours earlier x

KINKTOBER TAGLIST: @mal-lunar-28 @fairy-lixie @dreamingaboutjisung @lizzetmv @luneskies 🩷🩷

[jabberwockprince]

ok y'all got two really cute OCs from me, but it's time for the big bad and mandatory sona <3

as usual, you can find the template here! made by @fetusmeme! pls check out their art and OC!!!!

some info about them under the cut!

Along with Paige & Tabby Trouble, Mx Wolf is also a character exclusive and created specifically for the animated Welcome Home show! Mx Wolf was meant to be a recurring antagonistic character - not a full villain but just mean enough to cause a big chunk of the conflict. Y'know like every annoying rival in every kids show.

...And since the show follows Wally (and the viewer) then I like to think that Mx Wolf has that one trope where the protagonists are the only people who aren't fooled by their shenanigans and lies <3. Basically I want them to Not Get Along with Wally and You, I think its fun!

Their status as a celebrity is never expanded upon and it changes everytime it's brought up - like, yeah he can be a singer, a model, an accomplished writer or whatever is convenient for the plot. They're probably lying anyway! The only thing truly real is that he's very popular outside of Home.

They're also based on many of my fave wolf-related fairytales for no reason other than I love shoving them everywhere I go <3. Mx Wolf is a liar in honor of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, they have no proper residence in home and stay over at everyone else's houses as a nod to the wolf in the Three Little Pigs. And they're half-goat as a nod to the Seven Goats story. And bc my main sona is a goat. but ANYWAY <3

I wanted to give them a red suit instead of salmon, so it could be a nod towards Red Riding Hood but I also wanted to keep the pastels - their palette being muted instead of vibrant and colorful is deffo on purpose, to make him feel out of place with the rest of the cast.

Mx Wolf also grew up with Paige and Tabby Trouble, so pretty much everything that people find annoying about the siblings is something they picked up from Mx Wolf. I like to think that Mx Wolf is the reason the siblings were kicked out from the Big City, so they're in very awkward terms but they fear him just enough to still act as little henchmen from time to time. Dysfunctional found family stuff!

[moggggggggggg]

some thoughts about obx4 p2 that no one asked for

look the thing about me is I love a mid-written teen dramas bc let’s be honest they’re made for better writers and by that I mean fic writers. we love mid source material we can fix and do better job at. a privilege to do so.

(A lot of it is jj related I’m sorry)

in no particular order:

-chandler groff’s actor actually does a fantastic job of subtly intergrating the physical mannerisms and speech patterns of jj. massive kudos to him honestly. big job.

-loved that we got to see jj fight and actually win and really tear shit up. really loose-canon it properly. they been talking about it for so long it’s great to actually see him in action.

-pregnancy is so dumb but hey that’s the beauty of soapy teen dramas baby. TROPES !! not that I agree but also i can see their thought process… one life out, one in. his spirit will live on in their (likely) baby boy they call jj bc they love a father and son theme

-was really hoping jj would have more to say about Luke and the abuse and all of That with Groff but again, whatever, that’s what better (fic) writers are for right ?

-guttered GUTTERED jj wasn’t buried at home. that hurt.

-kie revenge arc next season give it to us girl go feral embrace his energy

-Madeline Cline is a fucking superstar. beautiful performance. stunning.

-wish we had more time alone with jj and kiara with the same emotional weight Sarah and John B get. I want to know what they talk about when they’re aloneeee

-not a single drowned phone was put in rice. (I think about phone logistics the whole time every time)

-pope/cleo have my whole heart. their arc was sweet but i hope next season we have time and space to look at cleo more.

-really happy kie is on speaking terms with her family. would have loved like 1 short scene or line about them before we see them again at the town council

-loving john b in his purples this season yes girl

-i love Madison Bailey like girl is queen of ??!!??? and I love her for it. hope she gets some better written jobs. queen of LEGS.

-rudy actually did a wonderful job with what he was given (forced upon) too. what an incredible physical actor. boy was RUNNNING. I was tired of watching him run around for 2 days straight and I wished he’d kept going. hope he gets some more comedies or actions bc he could make a great Character Actor if he wanted to be. future iconic villain. mark my words. if he plays his cards right he could do a Dylan Obrien. poor guy is clearly an anxious dude tho. feel that. feeeel that.

-bummed that Luke just like disappeared ?? definitely could have tied off that loose end a bit better tbh. would have been fun to see Groff and Luke and jj have a moment together… would have love to see jj navigate that tense scene. NASTY LYING MEN !! luv

-also jj got beat to shit and not a single bruise or blood ? Boooooo. they’ve stopped giving him that shit after season 1. NOT TO MENTION his stomach wound. buddy had to tape his own self up and everyone was just chill. booo.

-love an alcoholic jj/luke parallel

-there was no way jj could come back after everything and there’s no way he would accept prison or anything else so yeah they kinda did have to kill him. am i happy about it? obviously not. was it earned… eh. they tried. wish the all pogues had to watch bc I’m a sucker for punishment.

-jj seeing his MOTHER LIKE THAT ouch. haunting.

-pope and the marines is kinda funny like imagine hahaha

-jd really brings a grounding energy (even as pope) and I’m a big fan of the vibe

-still holding out hope for queer kiara one day my girl will be free

still so many more thoughts but let’s play it chill and save it for another post

xoxo

[empty-dream]

Just read Sakamoto Days

I was baited into reading it by these pages and I will use them to bait all of you too.

Simply put, due to some unforeseen situation, the retired assassin now has to defend his new home when assassins from his past come back to his life.

If you're into action movies, you will see a lot of familiar tropes related to many of well-known ones, sometimes even homages level. For example John Wick, Wanted and kaiju battle series like Ultraman.

It's very fun and the epitome of "Don't think too hard about it." Very much a popcorn entertainment.

Love many of the settings of the fights. I'm always a sucker for a fight scene that goes in a funky weird place, and this series gives me that multiple times. For example, a roller coaster, a haunted house and a hallway in a temple.

I love the artstyle so much. I'm not familiar with Suzuki-sensei's previous works, but I can guess from the get go that this is not his first manga. I feel like there are panels that GO HARD in every like 3 chapters or so.

The character are so colorful and unique. Just experience it yourself.

*sobs* FOUND FAMILY :''''' I love the Sakamoto family so much. Like the family is now the actual Sakamoto family, several former assasins and underworld figures, an assassin-in-training, and sometimes visited by an actual active assassin.

My favorite character is Shin. Dude is basically like Taro's clingy younger brother while later he himself meets teen boys who become like clingy younger brothers to him. I like that he thinks hard between his mindest of "idolizing Taro" and his desire of "being dependable for Taro." Because idolizing someone means admitting you're behind them, and if not careful, that will lead you being blind and dependent on your idol under impression that you're inferior and they are superior so they can do it themselves one way or another.

I feel like in later arcs, Lu is underutilized.... I know she is not as battle-prominent as the other guys but it has always been fun to see her fight.

Taro the Goat. Also him being head over heels and scared shitless of making his wife Aoi will never get old. That's being married for love, indeed. Same thing with his adoration and protectiveness over his daughter Hana, which can translate into fighting one war to protect her safety and another to get her a limited brand item.

TL;DR This is what could have happened if John Wick's wife didn't die.

[dilatorywriting]

To add onto you not liking Idia I would like to add Vil. The whole potato thing? What if someone's already insecure, huh? (Not speaking for myself here no worries) You trying to get them an Ed, I get I guess why someone could like him but he just seems so controlling and demeaning in a way.

------

And then to add onto the Leona and Zazu. I think those would be great ideas, especially him sneaking off to nap, MC having to go find him and then running into Zazu (or his brother?).

Some other characters for that could be, of the top of my head.

-Zazu

-his brother (forgot his canon name, does he even have one??)

They all go to the mall and get separated or he just wants to spent some time with his brother and his girlfriend. Yes that's his girlfriend, right?

-Pumbaa and Timon

They could recreate a bit of the original Lion King, with Simba meeting those two but instead it's MC telling them about their worries for finding their way home and in this world.

-Cheka (and Nala)

MC stumbles upon them a bit like their first meeting, Cheka ran from his bodyguards and finds MC and is like: 'I can trust this person they are with Leona.' Maybe he has a bit of a misunderstanding and things Leona and MC are a couple like little kids do.like father like son, Idk? Or Leona has to babysit and dumps Cheka with MC and pays them to babysit in his place.

------

Not sure but these ideas came to mind, also I love the staff fic of this, shame part 4 didn't get as popular as the others it really deserves a lot more recognition, your writing is fantastic keep it up, and I get the whole school thing, take your time.

Lots of love.

- court-jester-stuff ♡

The thing for me with Vil at least, is he gives me those vibes of "kind, but not nice." Like I think if someone genuinely burst into tears and was super upset about his nicknames/behavior (in a, 'this is something that is really sensitive to me' sort of way, not the 'stop calling me names!' sort of way, because then he'd just roll his eyes), he'd feel genuinely shitty about it. He is King of insecurities, so as fussy as he can be, I think he would at least amend his behavior if it was causing genuine issues. Again, though. I can also see why people really do not like him. I'm just horribly biased because he's the character in Twst whose arc I find the most relatable (the wonderful slew of self-worth issues and never feeling good enough no matter how hard you work in comparison to people who are just 'naturally' best. I felt personally attacked reading all of it lol). But, yeah. Again. I can DEFINITELY see why he'd rub people the wrong way. Underneath it all I think he's awesome, but he is still a Spicy Asshole on top of all of that lol

But anways! (I have too many thoughts on all these characters and they like to bubble up and out at any moment they can >.< ack)

And oooo all good ideas. I assume for Falena, it's his wife because they have their son Cheka. So I'm also assuming they're at least a teeny bit older (granted, Leona is also older because of how many times dude's gotten held back).

I really really want to do something with Cheka, because he is ADORABLE. And I love the trope of the sunshiney child who just absolutely latches on to the most miserable piece of shit they can find, and is like 'ah yes this is my favorite person ever. He threw me in the garbage once and it was the best day of my life.' So I'll definitely have to find a way to incorporate all of them intogether. I also think Leona's brother would be a lot of fun to try and write, so he's definitely got to make an appearance!

But yeah--for Part 4, I guess it wasn't the issue of popularity so much as it made me take a step back and try and consider WHY I was writing all these again. They're supposed to be for fun! So the fact that I was getting so hung up on the numbers was bleh and also a personal pet peeve of mine that I had really, really, wanted to avoid. But now that I've kinda given myself that boot to the butt, I am excited to hopefully go back to it at some point! There's just so much to write and so little time lol

[matoitech]

What are your top-3 werewolf tropes (popular or obscure) or things you wish to see more in stories about/with werewolves?

ooo rly interesting question and surprisingly tough for me to answer.. i think 'tropes i hate' are probably easier to identify LOL but for some tropes i like hmmm:

i tend to enjoy werewolf transformations however it goes in that universe's werewolf lore, whether its painful and bone breaky and screamy or painful but feels good afterward or magical and painless or whatever, i think theyre all cool and they can all say a lot abt how u want ur werewolves to be viewed and what ur trying to say w them. i think my personal favorite is like, there is some level of pain but more than anything its a RELIEF to get to shift so its worth the pain. theres lots of things in life like that and growing up i could relate a lot to feeling like i was ready to burst out of my 'shell' as in body into who i REALLY was. on multiple levels lol

pack as being a better version of family was a huge one for me as a kid. i didnt have a good home life or childhood so i dreamed of finding out i was a werewolf and getting to run away and live in the woods as a wolf with a group of ppl that loved me, that was better than 'family' and meant more. tho it should also be stated this was more like a fantasy scenario for KID me; as an adult i love political dramas in fiction so complicated pack politics seem really fun to write now. i still wrote them to an extent when i was younger into my werewolf stories too but more than anything i had the dream of it being like a total freedom and actually getting to be loved as who you really were thing. i also like werewolf universes where they DONT rly have either packs of groups that function as packs, whatever works for the narrative and lore the best, but i loved the whole pack thing a lot growing up

i love werewolves being able to be used to represent so many things.. this isnt rly a trope in particular but i love the expressiveness and creativity and originality and fluidity their stories can have and i think its rly cool how many ppl can be compelled by them and attracted to the potential in these stories. theres so MUCH you can do w them that goes incredibly underutilized. if i wanted to always write a different way of looking at or approaching or relating real human experiences to werewolves, or even just slightly different ways the werewolves function (and you have so many different KINDS of werewolves; dif levels of animal and human mind combo as a four legged wolf, furry anthro werewolves, beast werewolves, etc) i would never run out of material or alternative ideas. thereis so much that can make a werewolf story a werewolf story and a werewolf a werewolf. theres so many personal reasons ive always loved and felt connected to them. this is partly getting into the 'what id love to see' thing, but just HUGE massive potential in writing abt stuff like disability for example that u just never see. werewolves r smth ive always rly deeply loved a lot and been fascinated with and i think it shows in how like Personal me talking abt werewolves tends to get lol. this wasnt rly a trope but im counting it

for more things i want more in werewolf stories.. lots of stuff specific and niche to me personally lol, but i want them to stop being so goddamn cisgender i think werewolf stories r one of those things where the way gender is handled is so unneccessarily bad SO much of the time for no reason i can see. i guess ppl want to be '''realistic''' to animals but gender does Not work like that for animals so theyre just being annoying for no reason. theres a lot of gender essentialism in a lot of werewolf stuff? which is incredibly grating. and obviusly shitty

anyway as a dif thing one of my biggest qualms w werewolf stories is that i rly dislike the incorrect 'alpha' dynamics + crazy aggression of the pack members against each other like werewolves r Biologically Evil thing that shows up a lot in werewolf stories by ppl who dont know anything abt wolves or wolf pack dynamics, or just dont care i guess. i dont care abt 'alpha/omega' shit at all i never write that kinda stuff. so i want more things that Dont use that. lol

id love to see more werewolves who Like being werewolves lol. being realistic abt like the pros and the cons here but there is NO reason why there r so few stories abt werewolves who actually like being werewolves or at least like some aspects of it. theres not enough furries writing these things i guess. oh i forgot to mention i like never think of lycanthropy as a 'curse' unless im writing it For A Reason. other characters viewing it as a curse while the werewolf doesnt, thats another story. i think its just boring and too like horror werewolf tropey to me. being able to turn into a wolf man is not a curse what the hell thats like the coolest power ever. i see ppl complaining abt how werewolves r 'too happy to just realize they have cool powers and start killing ppl they dont like for fun, i want to see them be SAD abt it' but i dont actualy see the 'enjoying murdering for fun' a lot in media so idk what theyre talking abt. i guess horror, maybe, where the werewolves r the villains? i see way more of them moping abt how hard it is to be cursed to be a furry. bite ME then if you hate it so much

i could keep going but i am gonna cut myself off now lol, tysm for asking! i could say lots more but its 2 am lol

[saturnpanther]

Do you like Stoken/Stolkien? If so, can have headcanons for them please?? ❤️❤️

OOOOOOO OKAY

So this isn't a main ship of mine, but I actually do really like it. Especially in the context of last nights episode. Although we don't see Tolkien in it- the whole context with the farms and exploring Stan and wealth has me thinking about them.

I understand that this may not be the popular interpretation of the pairing since Stan is down to earth, but i'm inclined to write/feel what I know soooooo let's go.

They could so work with the despondent wealthy youths spending money on fast cars just to feel something trope. I think Tolkien would handle it better, but take Stans dysfunctional upbringing/new found wealth/proximity to Tolkien. Do you know the song Super Rich Kids by Frank Ocean? Yeah.

Thinking about them as late teens/young adults exploring that strange distance where they relate to their peers, and are still down to earth, but also have many new privileges that wealth provides.

At some point they're going to enjoy it and let fucking LOOSE. Because maybe the stress at home is too much, and maybe their friends are being shitty, and it's really easy to blow off steam when you have a little extra cash. I like the idea of them getting lost in a wild youth, and maybe experiencing things together that feel disconnected from reality because they can AFFORD to disconnect from reality.

Of course in this- theres kindness and gentleness. These are good kids. So maybe it gets taxing, and although the sex and glamour of exploring new freedoms is fun, sometimes all they want is the simplicity of a trip to Starks Pond, or a night camping in the woods, sleeping in the bed of Randy's old farm truck. They can vent about expectations, and how much they want to live for themselves, not what their family expects. I see them really enjoying the outdoors, quality time over anything else, and a really stable romance.

Also MUSIC! They would 100% both be into making each other playlists of whatever they're feeling. I think they are both okay with words, but music translates better. They're in Tolkien's room with a vinyl on, just talking until 2am because they feel so comfortable with each other- and the silence with just a song in the background, and Tolkien playing with Stans hair is just as comfortable.

[alienssstufff]

If you get the time and inclination pls do share with us your beef with the existing zombie apocalypse genre, I have my own feelings about it (I think it overshadows other types of fictional apocalypses a bit too much in most ppl's heads) but I'd love hearing someone else's take on it (and also how you would improve the genre if you like :3 )

oh ABSOLUTELY it does! One way its probably the easiest type of apocalypses to write abt just cuz there’s already so many and such an established I guess wwww scenario and tropes to it (?) In consequence bc of how ‘easy’ it is, it becomes so damn samey and the zombie apocalypse genre (and apocalypses genres as a whole) gets such bad rep for that reason. [The rest atp is me ranting abt zombie apocalypses specifically those are the ones I have beef with]

When I ask ppl why they don’t like apocalyptic stories most answers is just the amount of carnage that’s in them it’s horrible— to put it better: unnecessary violence in an already terrible world is what they think abt. When people think of apocalypse stories they think of the movies made in Hollywood. Muscular, American white man whos good at everything who kicks ass and saves the world singlehandedly. And the rep for zombie-driven games aren’t any better either… Not saying that stories of kicking ass taking names are ALL bad but most of it is very surface level reasoning as to why . That being said I wish there was more focus on mental health in zombie stories, realisations that the world ended and they’ll never go back to how it was before, instances of the struggles of learning how to adapt to this new way of living. There’s many topics that could be discussed and so many themes that haven’t been fully developed (or done poorly) in zombie apocalypses but seldom media’s deliver u_u

I think the zombie stories that stand out to me the most are the ones that revolve around normal people. There’s an vid essay somewhere that talks abt the success of Train to Busan as a movie, it’s still just as action packed as the ones above but it’s also rly freaking emotional as the characters and cultural themes they represent can hit p close to home for the target demographic. Also I cannot recommend enough Gakkou Gurashi (School Live)! It’s almost never talked about solely cuz of Episode 1 and even now I’m trying to be as vague as I can Please watch that anime/manga you will not regret it.

And finally worldbuilding always a sucker for worldbuilding I need more of it. Not how to stop it but more of How The Hell we fucked up that badly to ended up in this situation. Give me zombie stories of patient 0s, pov scientists fumbling in the lab etc I want THAT. I freaking love the worldbuilding in The Last of Us , such a unique way in designing zombies inspirations from real life (I believe funghi that controls dead ants). That freaking hospital part in TLOU2 will always have a lasting impression on me the environmental storytelling of the flooded hospital and the whole backstory of how the Rat King came to be an amalgamation of all the victims of Seattle’s Patient 0 zone forced to fuse because of the such claustrophobic and wet conditions of the basement OHMYFUCKINGVGG its so well thought out.

Overall my frustrations with apocalypses is just - the amount of untouched potential and themes that SHOULD be addressed but aren’t - to get creative with it. And even without mention of the worldbuilding stories of the average joe like u and I trying to do smth as ‘simple’ as going to the store but there are mental and physical struggles along the way would be fine too - u don’t need to fly a jet and shoot a rocket launcher to make things interesting. Relatability and/or creativity is what I wish.

[this was so fun to think abt anon if u have things u wanna share feel free to shoot another ask I’m all ears!]

[butterbeerandlemoncakes]

Books of 2023

The ABC Murders, Agatha Christie--This is probably one of my favorite Poirot novels. It keeps you on your toes and as always with Agatha Christie, there’s a surprise twist (or two!)

1984, George Orwell--I feel like this is another book that has been lost to the times. When it first came out, I’m sure it was a phenomenal read--it predicts a dystopian future in a surveillance state, which, at this point, maybe hits a little too close to home for some. The ‘big bad’ and scary suggestions for the future in this book are, at this point in our lives, fairly normal feeling, or things that we’ve since in more recent sci-fi novels and tv shows, done bigger and scarier. So, while I’m sure it set up the foundation for which many of these new things were based on, I was fairly bored reading this book, and did not finish it.

Finn Fancy Necromancy, Randy Henderson--This was a fun, light read. It follows the story of a boy who was framed for a crime he didn’t commit, and his journey of discovery after completing his sentence. 

The Diviners, Libba Bray--A supernatural-esque mystery story set in New York in the 1920s? What else can you ask for? This book was actually really good, it had a well rounded set of diverse and interesting characters, and was a good mix of a scary read and a fun read. 

The City We Became, NK Jemisin--This was a really interesting book--it’s hard to explain without giving too much away, but it was a very unique writing style overall, with subtle shifts in narration for when a different character was telling their part of the story. It explored a new concept, I think, in writing and storytelling, which I really enjoyed.

Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo--I’m a bit biased because I saw the show first, but that and a friend convinced me enough to read the book, and I loved it! The TV show stays pretty accurate to this book, at least (I’ve heard it strays from some of the later ones). Although it has some of the typical fantasy YA romance tropes, I still really enjoyed this book, and it had enough new and interesting ideas to keep me hooked and interested in the book. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

Moby Dick, Herman Melville--It’s taken me literal years to finish this one because I was reading it on my phone so would read it while riding to work and then forget about it for months on end and then pick it up again. BUT regardless, I really enjoyed it! I can see why a lot of high schoolers hate it, she’s DENSE. There’s a lot of explanation and things that aren’t necessarily plot-related going on in the book, which I enjoy, but I can see why others wouldn’t. Another one that I’d maybe recommend reading the abridged version of, but I really liked it!

Dune, Frank Herbert--Having watched the newest movie beforehand really helped me with this one. It’s a FANTASTIC book, but there are a lot of moving parts, politics, and characters with similar names, that I definitely would have gotten confused and frustrated if I hadn’t have had the movie to base things off of. That being said, would highly recommend reading. A lot times with old sci-fi books like this, they don’t live up to the hype because like, they may have been groundbreaking at the time they came out, but our expectations have risen so much since then. However, for a book that came out in 1965, this one still holds up. It definitely kept me interested throughout the book, which is saying something, because she’s THICK.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Eveyln Hardcastle, Stuart Turton--This was a really good book with a fresh new take on murder mystery/whodunits. Essentially, the narrator wakes up each day as a new person, reliving the events of the same day over and over again until he can solve the murder. It was a really interesting concept and I thought very well executed.

[tcplnyteens]

The Circus At The End Of The Sea

I loved this mystical book set in the carnival beach town of Venice, California. The main character Maddy is a relatable 12 year old orphan who has been stuck in group homes all her life. She has worn a magical, unremovable bracelet since before she can remember, and Maddy has always been able to see beautiful, fantastical objects, and people, that no one else can. 

While in transit between two group homes she feels a strange tug that pulls on her magic. She follows this tug toward Venice Beach where she sees a drum circle performing on the sand.  The drumming makes the sand dance and turns it into beautiful acrobats. When the drum circle breaks up, she unknowingly follows the performers into a supernatural world; a circus in the heart of the town, filled with all kinds of otherworldly creatures and performers.

Some broad themes of this novel are, finding your place in the world and coming of age. The reader discovers this as Maddy stumbles into this supernatural world and goes on an adventure to find and earn her place there. One of the things I liked most about this book was the authentic inner thought process, dialogue, and reactions of the main character. Occasionally, you can tell when a child’s character is written by an adult. Sometimes it might not make sense to younger readers, or captivate them. This was not the case with this book. Maddy seems realistic and I think younger readers will relate to her. Another thing I liked was that the imagery was very descriptive and colorful. This made it come to life, and it was beautiful to read.

Something fun about this book is that, although it was set partially in a fantasy world, part of it was also set in the real town of Venice Beach. Venice has always attracted and been home to many artists and performers and has a carnival-like feel. Throughout Venice you see public art, such as graffiti and murals. One of the main tropes in this book was that the famous murals in the real town of Venice come to life. One particular mural depicts a woman wearing roller skates who becomes one of the main characters in the book. In the book, her name is the Muse of Venice. This mural really exists and if you visit Venice, you can even go and see her! This book encompassed the soul and lively and creative culture of Venice, especially given the emphasis on the iconic murals that are a huge part of Venice’s landscape and history.

Although I would generally recommend this book for ages 11 to 13, some of the concepts, metaphors, and imagery within the book are engaging enough for older readers. I myself, 15, enjoyed this book and I hope a wide age range of readers can enjoy it too. 

-Ayu

The Muse of Venice Downloaded from Flickr

[an-extraordinary-fate]

If you haven’t already read P&P, start there. It’s most popular for a reason and very easy to follow the plot. There are a host of very funny characters and lots of relatable embarrassment for the heroine.

I would say Persuasion is best enjoyed by someone that has felt personal loss with relationships. I think it resonates more with experience as Anne is the oldest Austen heroine by a few years and the people around her think her best years have passed her by. It has a very melancholy and autumnal theme in the first half, but spring in the second half. She is strong and sweet and principled. Secondary characters really bring a good dose of humor.

NA is a favorite of mine. It’s so funny if you realize it’s simultaneously a love letter to novels and satirizing the sentimental novels and gothic novels. Austen is not ripping on novels, but poking fun at certain tropes. She clearly has been a voracious reader of them herself to do what she does in this novel. You need a decent understanding of gothic and sentimental novels of the late 1700s to best appreciate it, but a short internet search is certainly sufficient for a first go with it. This hero is my favorite. He’s delightfully teasing. You can’t always take him seriously. The way he treats his sister is wonderful. This heroine is so relatable for those of us that feel unremarkable. She is about to have an adventure…finally! Also has a narrator that loves to break the fourth wall.

Emma is relatable not that most of us are the queen bee of our area, but that we can make a lot of mistakes reading people and struggle to adjust as we learn. Emma means well, mostly, but she gets in some funny scrapes when she thinks she knows best. Emma has the air of a mystery novel if you know where to look. It’s not written as a mystery novel, but the threads are there.

Sense and Sensibility I don’t recommend starting with. It’s my favorite but it’s slow going at first and the ending is seen as abrupt by many readers. You can tell it’s an early effort as it’s not as tight as some. It’s chiefly about the love between two very different sisters and their misfortunes in coming down in the world of the gentry. Moving the plot is trying to figure out what is up with the men they love. A great cast of secondary characters. They make me laugh out loud in the same way the ones in P&P do. Lots of mirroring and inversion between the sisters with each other and other sister pairs as well as with the would-be heroes. This one is best enjoyed if you’re willing to work and find those things.

Mansfield Park is hard for me to describe. It’s the heaviest of Austen’s work. People tend to get bogged down by a play the characters work on in it. The heroine is different from others and has suffered significant trauma. She is a poor relation plucked from her busy home to live with her rich and restrained family. The characterization in this novel is top notch.

Thinking of picking up a Jane Austen book, any recommendations?

[elysianslove]

haikyuu boys and tropes that suit them!

includes: kageyama tobio, iwaizumi hajime, oikawa tōru, sakusa kiyoomi, miya osamu, miya atsumu, suna rintarō

(possibly part 1??? consider this an apology for not posting as much 💔)

kageyama tobio — practice kissing. 

kageyama is, as embarrassing as it is for him to admit this, inexperienced, greatly so. he’s in his third year of high school, 18, and is yet to have his first kiss. college is approaching him dauntingly quick, and he doesn’t think he can handle being as clueless as he is for any longer. so while you’re sat on his bed scrolling through his phone, he bluntly asks you if you’ve ever kissed someone. he seemed so confident, and the words were straightforward and lacked any sign of anxiety or uneasiness. but the moment they left his mouth, he’s red in the face and his hands are shaking. when you agree to help him practice, he’s scared, shy, flustered, and his heart is in his throat, but he lets you lead the, setting the pace yourself as you sit before him, his face in your hands, pulling him closer to you. it’s electrifying, to put it to the least. he’d heard a million horror stories from his upperclassmen about first kisses, but he finds himself unable to relate. everything about the kiss and you is perfect, and he asks for more practice, starts looking forward to theses ‘sessions.’ he starts growing more and more confident, until he’s the one flustering you, the one making you gasp and squirm and mewl, not the other way around. and maybe he’ll find it in him to confess. maybe. 

iwaizumi hajime — friends to lovers. 

in general, with iwaizumi, he has a hard time believing in that he’s meant for a relationship, in that he has his own person, and for many reasons. he tries to be rational about it, saying he has other priorities at the moment, that he won’t be able to give his all, that he’s not particularly ready or in the right headspace/situation to commit to a person and a relationship. but it’s also, deep down, because of this indescribable fear of not being enough, of his flaws being too much, of being too imperfect. he just chooses not to get a headache over it, honestly. that’s why friends to lovers is perfect for him. it’s this person who he’s known for a long time, someone he’s come to know so well, so deeply, and vice versa. they’ve seen the bad and good of each other, been through all the ups and downs, learnt all their quirks, their habits, their tendencies. this is someone who is already a priority, someone who is already a constant. of course, he still hurts his head thinking about how wrong it is to have feelings for his friend, and the shame and guilt eats at him from the inside out. but it’s just so— easy. to love them. it’s so, so easy, as easy as breathing. and iwaizumi spends such a large amount of time pining and yearning that the final straw, the snap, the breathless confession, is so satisfying. 

oikawa tōru — enemies to lovers. 

oikawa wants and needs someone that’ll both keep him on his toes, always pushing him to the very edge but not completely over. he needs someone that excites him, someone that he has to work to earn. the word enemies is blurry to him. all he sees is someone playing hard to get, and he takes it as a challenge. it’s not that he wants and needs everyone to be in love with him and how dare you not be swooning at the sight of me!! it’s more that this person intrigues him impossibly. this person challenges him, bites back, and bites back hard. and the transition from enemies to lovers is so smooth with him, because it’s unpredictable and unexpected. one moment you’re swearing at him across the hall, the next you’re tenderly massaging at his injured knee and reassuring him of his hard work and efforts. it’s beautiful, really. the snarky comments and the flirty comebacks and the glares returned with playful grins, and them the moment of realization that opens up a whole new door that this person isn’t so bad after all. the satisfaction of finally giving in, either so slowly, so carefully and timidly, or rushed, hurried and desperate. so good. 

sakusa kiyoomi — there was only one bed! 

sakusa does not share. it’s nothing personal (sometimes it is), but he just prefers to have his own private space, where he can be comfortable. but things happen! like a trip where you’re stuck in the same room! and there’s only one bed! and the person you’re stuck with is the same person you’re very confused in regards to your feelings about them! the trip is a couple of days, and so it starts with the offer to sleep on the couch. it’s very uncomfortable, but he does it anyways, because a) he’s a gentleman, and b) you both now each have your private, safe space. two days pass, and you both tiredly pass out on the bed next to one another. he wakes up before you in horror and falls onto the couch quickly, but he doesn’t fall asleep again. as if this were fate’s play, you find yourself unable to sleep, and neither can he, so you quietly scoot over, a silent invitation. reluctantly, he accepts. he doesn’t spend that night sleeping either, instead simply stares at you, his hand outreaching for you, but not quite touching. eventually comes a day when he wakes up with your face buried in his shoulder, and although his cheeks are as warm as ever, he doesn’t feel uncomfortable. he only feels grateful to be finally touching you. 

miya osamu — soft only for their lover. 

it’s not that osamu is rude to others, or hates everyone else, or anything along those lines. it’s more that he’s less likely to open up, be vulnerable, be softer, easier than compared to with his partner. with his lover, he smiles easier, expressions are readable, his eyes always a dead giveaway to what’s on his mind. he’s colder and less approachable to others, but it’s almost as if his resolve melts the moment he spots his lover. he could be yelling at someone, angrily, then turn to his partner and in the softest voice say, “just a moment, my love,” and go back to yelling as if it were completely normal. similarly, he will always take his lover’s side of the argument regardless of whether they’re right or wrong. and, he’ll be kissing his lover, but pause for a moment to deck his brother, then return to kissing his lover again even softer. it’s because his lover owns such a big part of his heart, and when osamu loves, he loves with every part of him. he’s been called out on it multiple times; the fact that he’s so much meaner and harsher and stubborn with everyone else, including his brother, but it’s always the opposite with you. you are his soft spot, really, and it tickles your tummy whenever you notice the little changes and shifts in his attitude and personality when it comes to you. 

miya atsumu — enemies to lovers. 

unlike with oikawa’s case, you and atsumu genuinely hate each other. you despise his attitude, his cockiness, his ideals, his approaches, his voice, his hair, everything, and likewise, he can’t stand you. he’d only ever been rude to you, and in response, you’d defended yourself by being equally as rude. this isn’t playing hard to get enemies, this is i hate your guts enemies. rarely does being in a room with him not result in some sort of argument. your mutual friends are all fed up, of the arguments, the fighting, the smack talk behind one another’s backs, the complaining, everything. it’s infuriating, and so they beg you to talk it out, to try and resolve whatever it was going on between you, but either he wouldn’t cooperate, or you wouldn’t. it seemed hopeless, until at some point in time, you get badly hurt, maybe mentally or physically, but atsumu finds himself worried unbelievably. it’s irrational to be, especially with your history with one another. but he’s worried, insanely so, and when he finds you, finds out you’re okay, or you will be, the relief that fills him is dizzying and so, scary. but maybe the both of you were just projecting onto each other, the fact that you so badly wanted each other but felt like you couldn’t do anything. 

suna rintarō — brother’s best friend. 

it’s a dash of forbidden love, a dash of friends to lovers. he’s your brother’s best friend, older than you, and it’s wrong, you know it is, but you can’t help it. on the days he’s invited over, you purposely make sure to stay at home, and you make excuses to pass by your brother’s room constantly, to talk to him. he knows you like him, knows you’re desperately chasing after him in your own subtle way, and for a while, suna lets you. he acts dumb, none the wiser, lets you have your little fun of sneaking snaps of him to send to your friends and when you purposely press your leg against his sitting next to him on the couch or when you offer your lollipop after you suck on it. he indulges you, slightly, subtly. and when he sees it suitable, finds it right, he starts to return the advances: he accidentally arrives a little earlier than planned to your home when he’s invited, and he passed by you in school more often, and he makes up excuses to text you all the time. eventually, the sexual tension is unbearable, suffocating, incredibly overwhelming, and when it snaps, nothing else matters. just the two of you. he’s experienced, good with his words and his hands and his mouth and he’s a dream. and all you do is fall deeper, and deeper, and deeper. 

[ramuda-kinnie]

Jakurai’s Actions around Ramuda are so Underrated— here is why.

The fact that Jakurai teaches Ramuda that it’s okay to be himself and show his emotions— the whole character arc of Ramuda Amemura— is a common trope in JakuRamu that is already discussed widely. But opposite is true, too. I want to talk about it because I rarely ever see this highlighted.

Ramuda shows Jakurai that it is okay to be himself too.

From the most “trivial” looking things like calling Jakurai’s hair beautiful, playing with it and putting it in braids when all Jakurai did was a lazy ponytail (..and in present timeline he does not even bother with that). From bringing him to a children’s park and enjoying to swing, not judging him by his age.

From saying that Jakurai can seek fun in his life.

That Jakurai is allowed to seek fun.

That he doesn’t always have to be that Big Responsible Person.

That he deserves a break from being The Hero.

That it’s okay if he doesn’t spend all his life in the war zone saving people, or murdering them, or being a mundane doctor minding his own business while raising an orphan.

That it’s okay to just— just be. I don’t think (affectionate) y’all understand how big of a thing it is for Jakurai Jinguji to actually simply exist. He is always feeling a call of duty, always seeking the scientific and philosophic explanations of everything, he feels obligated to justify all of his actions “for the benefit of humanity”, he finds worth in himself only if he is useful to other people (which also backfired as resentment, murder and insane regret at some point). Most of the time, his whole life is centered around saving. Saving saving saving. Saving the world, the orphans, the war zone, hell, even his meeting with Hifumi and Doppo is based on “saving” them from his trouble.

Just a few lines I recall from numerous songs. It is always about saving people (until the last, precious six colors drama track where he admits to Ramuda that he cannot save everyone, but he will definitely save him.) He even says he will become a superman if needed and it really hits close to home and like… If you or any of your loved ones ever experienced a savior complex I think you get it.

Even his raps are always about saving. Saving saving saving, healing healing healing. It is almost like he sees no inherent value in himself, for being Jakurai, at the same time he paradoxically sees such a high value in himself that he (may be feeling) feels above everyone else, like a god who can offer them a hand.

Either way, he doesn’t— can’t see himself equal to other people. Which is not a surprise, to consider Jakurai is a gifted genius and a hardworking learner in so many aspects, such as academics, fights, rapping, sports and all. He is also born in a world of war. He must have seen that there are things someone has to do to save people, that someone has to take responsibility or people will just… keep dying. Violence will keep occuring. And that’s why I’m not judging Jakurai’s god/savior complex, who knows what he has been through for all his life. (On a personal note, I can only say that I relate a portion of his experiences if not the most, as someone whose field of study is closely related to medicine. I had a strong savior complex myself back in past. It is honestly amazing to see a character go through it, I have so much sympathy and affection for him.)

After all of this, after 33 years of believing he has no value if he does not “serve” people— comes Ramuda Amemura.

Instead of “saving” him, Jakurai is instantly saved by Ramuda during a hypnosis microphone attack.

Instead of being superior to him, Jakurai learns rapping from him.

Despite having tons of experience about how things work in the human world— (such as knowing horror themed amusement parks, tea houses and all the other dates they have gone together), Jakurai never truly lives them until he goes to such places with Ramuda— theoretically, yes, Jakurai is aware of the existence of movie theatres, amusement parks, tea houses, waterfalls and various other places. He has probably visited them many times in his life.

But it is only with Ramuda that he feels comfortable enough to open up, be silly, do silly things, ask questions, be spontaneous and actually HAVE FUN. It is only because Ramuda is so bravely himself (or so Jakurai thinks, since he does not know Ramuda’s secrets at that point), never judging Jakurai, never expecting Jakurai to be Calm And Collected, instead giving him the absolute non-judgemental and affectionate place to be himself and learn what it means to live for yourself, to accept yourself as an ever learning person that is not necessarily perfect, and loving that way of him anyways. The fact that Ramuda himself is so inexperienced with life (it is literally the first or the second year of his life) and eagerly excited to just live adds up to their unique synergy and makes JakuRamu my most beloved, absolutely dear one true pairing in my heart.

I have analyzed Ramuda a lot, but I wanted to highlight Jakurai too. Jakurai found the space and courage around Ramuda to be himself and be accepted as himself without having to “serve Ramuda” as a superior being and that is extremely important. Amemura Ramuda is the only one in the entire series who can unapologetically bring up such a side in Jakurai— and they are truly fascinating and deserve to be together eventually.

[szollibisz]

I love how saf jokingly pokes fun at the spy genre, like it's lighthearted and funny, but then "Doing this" comes on and they rip the "male and female main characters must get together" trope to SHREDS. And it's genuinely hilarious.

Like seriously

"The very first time I saw you, 3 or 4 days ago"

"Just go with it and don't ask why"

"I'm a girl, I'm a guy"

"And now we're alone in your mother's home, surely it must be a sign"

"I guess we're doing this" in itself is about the musical/other media where it would be unnecessary fulfilling this trope

All the other stuff you can feel is a silly little parody, showing love for something flawed and cheesy, but i don't know if it was TCB, I don't know if it was Talkfine, Doing this is absolutely BRUTAL.

Someone was seriously fed up with this trope and I'm living for it

When i first listened to it I was like:

Your honour, your honour, i just witnessed A MURDER.

AND THEN there's the conversation after it which just makes it so much better, and Mrs. Mega is such a clueless mom (that was very relatable personally)

Like the whole thing is so awkward and uncomfortable for both characters and it would add nothing valuable to the plot if they got together and yet so many other pieces of media would still do it, but saf doesn't and it makes me so happy

I just fucking love this scene and song

[asinglemagpie]

I think it's because you never really get past their snarky outer shells in the books. You see hints here and there of the soft underbelly but you don't get to explore it.

So fic kind of steps in and give you that, and putting them together makes perfect and horrific sense because they spend a lot of time within the same vicinity as each other - like for nearly two years they room together, have to put up with each other socially whether they want to or not. There's capacity for them to get close.

Then third year they're not rooming together any more - which gives space for missing each other's company, though not a whole lot of it because socially there's still going to be a lot of time together.

Plus you have the possibility of Aaron's complete identity crisis because we all have had to put up with someone who was homophobic and then turns out to be gay - THOUGH obviously in Aaron's case he never was, he just doesn't like how Nicky's gay-related humour crosses lines, and no one enjoys thinking about their siblings getting freaky with anyone (like... my SIL is pregnant, and I'm not naive as to how that happened, but I really hate that it's a thought forever in my head), but it would still be a huge "oh fuck" moment when he realises he has feelings for a man.

Also Kevin "it's easier to be straight" Day having to decide if he can keep that part of himself locked away forever, especially if it means turning away something he really wants.

I also like that Aaron doesn't care about Exy that much. It was a way out of the house to avoid his abusive mother, it's a stepping stone to getting himself into med school where he wants to be (and I do hate when people make out that he's bad at Exy, or he only started playing because of Andrew signing them all up to the Foxes... like sure, he possibly wasn't NCAA division 1 material, but not once does Neil talk shit about him as a player, and you KNOW if he was THAT BAD that Neil would have had to say something!) A lot of people say that Kevin needs someone who doesn't know a thing about Exy to balance him out and help him figure out a difference between his work and home life... and honestly I think that works with Aaron. He knows Exy, but he isn't obsessed. He'll understand what Kevin is saying and be able to have an opinion - and one that Kevin would listen to because y'know he was an NCAA division 1 champion too (at least once, we don't have a canon number on that lol). At the same time, Aaron won't want his whole life being Exy - even if his boyfriend, brother, and brother-in-law are all pro Exy players. He's going to work hard, with long hours, and want to relax when he's home. I can see him putting his foot down and saying that he doesn't bring work home, neither should Kevin. There's room for it in their off hours, but it can't be everything. But he could still go to the gym with him (exercise is good for you), make sure their meals are healthy - but that they're not missing out on eating fun things too. There's a good capacity for balance.

One of the tropes of the pairing that I really like is the "I see you" aspect - Kevin sees Aaron as Aaron, not "Andrew's twin". Where he sees him as his own person, with his own uniqueness, as a full and complete person and not half of a pair. I think it means a little more to me than it does with Katelyn because Kevin has them both in his life. He spends a LOT of time with Andrew. And to still see Aaron as something other than "not Andrew" is usually very beautifully written.

Speaking of our cheerleader - where do I factor Katelyn in with this? Well, I am happy for it to happen many ways. I prefer it when no one cheats, but I accept that sometimes it's part of the narrative. I prefer it when they've split amicably (way before Kevin happens) and now they're good friends. I've yet to go down the Kevaaronlyn pipeline or whatever the heck it's called... I have no clue, since I don't tend to read those. I like threesomes, I like poly stories, but they're not always the best put together pieces I've read so far - but I mean, I'm a decade behind on reading fic still, so I have a LOT of fic to go to change my mind!

But yeah, I guess it's not too different to Andriel - it's two people who have been through a lot of shit, who are snappy and snarky and abrasive, but under it all have the capacity to be warm and soft and have to find to find the people that help them heal.

Also the height difference is often hilarious, and as someone who has been involved with people a foot taller... it's relatable LOL!

People do not ship kevaaron bcs their too scared to ship kevin with andrew but if you do find out why they ship kevaaron please tell me

@ kevaaron shippers assemble