#i also cannot really lie convincingly so i gotta find ways around it

[lu-sn]

omg lusn i am going absolutely FERAL over your supposed incoherent pete meta (supposed because, it MAKES SENSE). I agree with you about the scenes in ep13 and 14 and what it meant in terms of what it's going to take for pete to be completely honest/open. i spoke about ep14 with someone that i think what he said about being vegas' pet and being hungry... idk if he truly meant them. he said those basically in desperation, because he needed vegas to stop, to think, to come back to him. (and even then it didn't completely work - it was when pete pleaded with him to turn around to look at him that vegas finally relented).

in fact, i have this feeling that even in ep14, in that last scene at the hospital, pete had his walls up back again. because he said so little. he said what's necessary, sure, and he 100% truly meant them given his body language and the way he was looking at vegas (with such softness and longing and purity that I bet surprised even him), but just a couple of lines to let vegas know that he is here to stay, and even then it was only after vegas' questions and prompting. i think it's mostly him thinking 'shouldn't you have realized by now? i've been here all day, day after day', but also his self-preservation coming in full force once again. he didn't want to reveal more than what he has to. though to be fair, the little he said was already so much.

(referencing this post)

listen i promise when i start typing the metas they are just hints of a vibe i have no idea how they're going to turn out 😂

for me, whether or not he meant the pet/owner bit literally is something that can be up for interpretation. i've seen lots of commentary on it leaning either way and i can respect it either way. i personally don't think he meant the pet bit literally, but i do think he absolutely meant it metaphorically. it's the idea of "i need you to survive so that you can take care of me." and you're right! it made vegas stop in his tracks. but for pete to say something so selfish like that, even if it's to get vegas to live, is still pretty incredible for someone who never asks for anything for himself.

and god i think you're spot on for that final scene. i don't even think that he's doing it in purpose, or that he realizes that his walls are up. he's had a lot of time to process everything that vegas has not had, and so he can be that source of reassurance: i want to stay, i need to stay, i'll be happy if i stay. what he's not bringing up here (and probably won't for a while) are any doubts he might have had while vegas was comatose, or any of his negative feelings about the entire situation that he might be shoving down at the expense of taking care of vegas's feelings. i want to stay, he says. i'm here because i have nothing else left, he doesn't say.

pete doesn't lie. but he deflects and omits like nobody's business. and he does it in a way that sounds very genuine, because it is. and so i think the biggest hurdle for vegas is going to be figuring out what pete isn't saying.

[clotpolesonly]

Feels Like Falling (For You)

because we all need more fluff in our lives, i have no other excuse, this idea has been kicking around in my head for ages and i just finally got around to getting it down on paper lol

| Sterek | Gen | 2k | Roller Coasters | Getting Together | Fluff |

(also on AO3)

--

“Please?” Stiles drew the word out obnoxiously. “Come on, Scott, please, please, please!”

“For the last time,” Scott sighed, “you know roller coasters give me motion sickness! Have you forgotten The Upchuck Incident of 2006? Neither of us wants to relive The Upchuck Incident of 2006, Stiles.”

“It’s been nine years! Maybe you’ve grown out of it!”

“Yeah, and grown into even more sensitive senses,” Scott pointed out, flashing his eyes right there in the middle of the amusement park. Thankfully, it was busy enough that none of the people flooding past even noticed, but Stiles still whacked him in the chest anyway, just on principle.

“Somebody’s gotta ride with me,” Stiles said staunchly, throwing a pleading look around at the rest of the pack.

Well, part of it. The rest of them had gotten dragged off by Erica to visit the petting zoo. The look on Derek’s face when Erica had latched onto his arm and started babbling about baby alpacas had been worth the ticket price all on its own, but he’d let himself be dragged without fuss because he was weak for his pushiest beta.

It was downright cute, if you asked Stiles, not that anyone ever did. Which was probably a good thing, honestly; Stiles had gotten better at keeping his physical reactions under control, but there was no way he would be able to lie convincingly enough to cover up his giant crush if any of the were-creatures asked him directly.

“Look,” Stiles declared, “the Xcelerator is a bucket list experience, okay? There’s no way I’m gonna go in as a single and get stuck sharing a car with some rando.”

“Well, don’t look at me,” Isaac snorted, still immune to Stiles’ badgering after all this time.

Stiles turned his best puppy dog eyes on Malia instead. She dated him once! Clearly, she had loved him then, and if she still loved him now, she would do this with him.

She stared back, unmoved. “I would rather get stuck in a trap and have to chew my own leg off.”

Stiles pouted. “Kira? Lydia? Please?”

At least Kira, unlike the rest of them, was nice enough to sound apologetic when she said, “I’m kinda scared of heights.”

Lydia picked delicately at Scott’s plate of funnel cake and said, “Sweetie, my scream can literally disintegrate human flesh. Do you really think it’s a good idea to put me on a roller coaster and see what happens?” She shook her head and managed to look smug doing it. “I’m just here for the atmosphere.”

Stiles groaned loud enough to make Isaac flick him in the ear in retaliation. “You guys are the worst! You’re seriously gonna make me go alone? I’m gonna get stuck next to some snotty ten-year-old.”

“Would have to be a mighty tall ten-year-old,” Scott said, eyeing the sign with the minimum height requirement.

“The point is, it’s gonna suck! You guys are ruining my dream here, do you realize that?”

“What dream is this?”

Stiles jumped at the voice from directly behind him. He whirled around to find Derek with a curious eyebrow raised and Erica, Boyd, Liam, and Mason trailing behind him.

“Stiles wants someone to go on that psycho roller coaster with him,” Malia told him.

“Oh, fuck no,” Erica said cheerfully, squinting up at the ride in question.

Boyd stared at it too, shaking his head in silent denial. Mason cringed and hid in Boyd’s shadow, and Liam was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

“You people are all pansies!” Stiles cried. “I cannot believe, I mean, really. After all the adrenaline-inducing shit we’ve been through over the years, this is too much danger for you people? This is what crosses the line? One measly little roller coaster? You guys are so—”

“I’ll go with you.”

It was Derek, hands shoved in his pockets. He shrugged and offered Stiles a half-smile, though, the kind that did things to Stiles that he would never admit out loud, and Stiles could’ve kissed him! Though, to be fair, Stiles always wanted to kiss Derek a little bit. That was sort of his baseline state of being at this point. He’d learned to ignore it. Now he just punched the air in triumph.

“Yes! Derek, you are my hero, and also officially the only person in this pack that I have any respect for. Come on, let’s go quick, while the line is short!”

Scott caught Stiles’ arm before he could run off. “Derek,” he said slowly, “are you sure you wanna do that?” He was looking at Derek funny. So was Isaac, actually, and Boyd too. Malia had her nose wrinkled.

Derek did not acknowledge the looks. He just said, “Why wouldn’t I?” at which Erica snorted. It earned her a fierce glare that she ignored with the ease of long practice. With a huff, Derek took hold of Stiles’ other arm and said, “Let’s go.”

Stiles shot Scott a triumphant look as Derek dragged him away, hoping his elevated heartbeat would be attributed to excitement over the ride and not to having Derek’s hand on him.

And he absolutely was excited. Holy shit, was he excited! He told Derek as much, at great length, as they joined the blessedly short line. He had been dreaming of riding this particular roller coaster since that time when he was seven and his family came here on vacation. He had been too small to ride it then and no amount of begging had convinced the ride attendant to let him on, so Stiles had declared it his goal in life to come back someday.

That it had taken thirteen years for him to return only made the anticipation sweeter. Stiles was practically vibrating out of his skin, he was so pumped, staring up at the coaster as people blew past them at crazy speeds, screaming their heads off. Even Derek’s characteristic lack of enthusiasm couldn’t bring him down.

They didn’t have to wait very long. Ten minutes later and they were being ushered into—yes!—the very front car and fastened in by an attendant who did not seem appropriately honored at having the opportunity to attend this legendary ride.

“This is it,” Stiles said, drumming against the safety bar like that would be enough to jumpstart it. “My whole life has been leading up to this moment.”

Derek made a noncommittal noise. The anticipation must’ve been getting to him too. Stiles couldn’t blame him for that.

Stiles resisted the urge to start a countdown as the attendant latched the last safety bar and made his way back toward the control booth. It wasn’t until the ride lurched into motion that Stiles noticed how tightly Derek was gripping the safety bar, both hands clenched around it, knuckles white. The jerky motion yanked another noise out of him and Stiles glanced over to see Derek’s eyes wide and his jaw clenched.

Stiles stared at him. “Oh my god. You’re scared of roller coasters.”

“No!” Derek said. Then the car hit the first incline, chugging steadily upward, and he whimpered. That kinda put the lie to any denial he could give.

Slumping back against the seat, Stiles said, “That’s why the others were looking at you like that. They could literally smell it on you. Dude, why did you agree to this if you’re that scared?”

“I’m not—” He didn’t bother finishing the lie, obvious as it was, fingers flexing around the safety bar. Stiles wouldn’t be surprised if his claws were out. Derek’s eyes darted over the edge to where the ground was swiftly disappearing below them, then flicked over to Stiles instead. The pallor of his cheeks gave way to pink as he looked away again.

“You needed someone to go with you,” he said. “No one else was volunteering.”

“But you did.” Stiles peered at Derek through narrowed eyes, a suspicion rising in him. “Everybody was scared shitless, but you volunteered anyway. Why?”

The car shuddered, gears grinding loudly as it ratcheted up another few feet. Derek made another of those distressed noises and gritted out, “Stiles, can we please talk about this later?”

“Oh, I think this is the perfect time,” Stiles said, a nervous thrill that had nothing to do with the roller coaster bringing a smile to his face. “Why did you come on this ride with me, Derek? Why, really?”

Derek groaned. If they weren’t three stories off the ground, Stiles would’ve expected him to claw his way out and jump, but there was nowhere to go and they were ten feet from the top. Stiles said his name one more time and Derek snapped, “Okay, fine! Maybe I wanted to impress you or something! Clearly that plan has backfired and I regret everything.”

Stiles didn’t have time to respond. They tipped over the edge and suddenly they were rocketing toward the ground at a neck-breaking speed. He was screaming, and Derek was screaming, and everybody behind them was screaming, and it was the most glorious thing Stiles had ever experienced in his entire life.

By the time they cruised back into the loading bay, Stiles’ throat was hoarse from all the yelling, eyes leaking from the force of the wind, hair an absolute disaster. He stumbled out of the car on unsteady legs and laughed until his stomach hurt.

He finally turned to see Derek, pale and disheveled, leaning up against the railing and looking like his entire life had just flashed before his eyes. Stiles couldn’t help but laugh some more, and the glare Derek attempted to send him was pitiful compared to what it usually was.

Stiles ducked around another passenger staggering towards the exit to settle against the railing at Derek’s side. “You survived!”

“Barely.”

“Are you gonna be sick?” Stiles asked. “Because that would make what I’m about to do really gross for everyone involved.”

Derek frowned, obviously too shell-shocked to be quick on the uptake. He shook his head, though, and that was all the reassurance Stiles needed to kiss the hell out of him. It didn’t last very long—both of them were still out of breath—but Derek swayed into it with his whole body. Whether that was a testament to Stiles’ kissing skills or because Derek was still weak-kneed, it was hard to tell, but the stunned expression on Derek’s face was impossible to misinterpret.

“Your plan didn’t backfire,” Stiles told him. “Color me suitably impressed.”

“I screamed like a little girl,” Derek pointed out.

“Yeah, you did. We all did, and it was awesome. Literally the best thing ever.”

Derek shook his head, but Stiles kissed the protest out of his mouth. It was probably rude to loiter on the platform this long while other people were trying to board, but Stiles didn’t care. This was a momentous occasion and everybody else could get fucked.

Even when they broke for air, Stiles didn’t move away. He stayed as close as he could get, foreheads pressed together and arms wrapped firmly around Derek’s waist. Their lips brushed together when he said, “Thank you. It was really nice of you to do this with me.”

Derek shrugged a bit, fingers sliding up to thread through Stiles’ hair. “It was a bucket list thing. Couldn’t make you miss out on that.”

“Know what else was a bucket list thing?” Stiles asked. “This.”

He kissed Derek again. Derek laughed and shook his head. “Seriously?”

“Oh, absolutely!” Stiles said. “I have been waiting years to kiss you, Derek. Literal years. Admittedly, not as long as I’ve been waiting to ride the Xcelerator, but I promise, this is just as exciting.”

Derek quirked a knowing eyebrow, though the grin on his face proved that he wasn’t put out by ranking second.

“Okay, so maybe not quite as exciting as the Xcelerator,” Stiles said. “But you have an upside that it doesn’t.”

“And what is that?”

Stiles grinned and tightened his grip. “I get to take you home with me. And then I can do this whenever I want.”

Another kiss, long and lingering. The ride attendant was saying something—probably trying to get them to leave already—but Stiles was way too focused on the soft scratch of Derek’s stubble against his cheek to care.

“The Xcelerator may be a once in a lifetime experience,” he murmured against Derek’s lips, “but you might just be the rest of my life.”

[recentanimenews]

What Your Favorite Juni Taisen Character Says About You

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Juni Taisen... character sorting quiz. Although somewhat less dramatic than the actual Juni Taisen, learning what dark personal secrets are revealed by your choice of favorite character can be pretty shocking in its own way. As we all know, the characters we most relate to in fiction are clearly direct barometers of our own personalities and values, and that truth couldn’t be more stark than in the context of a bloody battle royale. Does picking the wrong favorite mean you’re likely to murder someone? I wouldn’t know – I’m not a person who likes murderers, you murder-liker.

With the stakes of this contest properly established, let’s get right to it. What does your favorite Juni Taisen character say about YOU?!?

Dragon

Wait. What? Dragon dies before the show even begins – he doesn’t even do anything. All we see is him snickering with his brother and updating his lizard blog! You are clearly not taking this survey seriously, and are likely a fundamentally unserious person. Do better, internet stranger. Pick a different favorite.

Boar

You are confident and strong-willed, but still respect the importance of family and other social institutions. You firmly believe that might makes right, and that the gifted and deserving will naturally rise to the top of society. You don’t necessarily despise weakness in others, but cannot imagine helping those who do not help themselves. You are very confident you have never lost an argument on the internet.

Dog

You understand enjoying life creates its own value: you don’t sweat the consequences, you just go with what feels right. Your confidence comes from a combination of being genuinely clever and also open to experiences – you’ve seen and conquered it all before, so what’s the big deal? Some might call you callous, but hey, however they want to justify having less fun than you is their own deal.

Chicken

You just came out to have a good time and are feeling so attacked right now. Your convincingly charming facade is built on the conviction that even though you’re playing pretend, everyone else is too. The idea that everyone lies about their intentions doesn’t make you angry; I mean, how else could people actually act? Those last two lines are your most deeply concealed lie of all: you secretly are unhappy knowing all people are liars, and desperately want to be proven wrong.

Monkey

You are a genuine optimist who believes that we all have the potential to be decent to each other. You’ve seen enough of the world to be aware your perspective will often be discounted as pure naivety, and have accepted that as well. You know personal strength is a difficult thing to acquire, and see your own strength as an obligation to help others lift themselves up. You do not expect to save the world, but don’t think that makes the task any less worth attempting.

Sheep

You don’t see yourself as anyone truly special, but then again, who is “special?” You’re a pragmatist with enough sense to take your breaks where you can find them and enough romanticism to hope everything turns out okay. You know all people are a mix of good and bad, and feel content to do right by the people who matter most to you. If you can live a moderately successful life and leave your family on reasonably stable footing, you’ll have gotten all you asked for out of life.

Horse

After being bullied back in your adolescence, you’ve resolved to never ever let yourself be a victim again. In spite of that, your experiences haven’t really lead you to be bitter or callous – you’ve worked on yourself to the point where you take pride in your strength, but you still ultimately believe in other people. You acknowledge and refuse to be beaten by the darkness of the world, and if anyone wants to get a coffee or something after this, you know a nice place a few blocks from here.

Snake

You don’t try to buff up your philosophy with honeyed words about how society works: you’re a selfish little stinker and you don’t care who knows it. Life is a series of games marked by winners and losers, and if you don’t see the truth of that, then it’s clear which side you’re on. That said, you’re no monster and no god: there are people you care about, and you’re well aware your number could be the next one up. But heck if you’re going out without a fight.

Rabbit

Your main complaint with the Roadrunner and Coyote cartoons is that the violence is too abstract – why don’t we get to see the coyote’s guts fly out when he splats on the canyon floor? You are very confident that violence is the solution to basically any problem, even if the problem at hand is also violence. You know this is true because all of your friends agree with you. Right, friends?

Tiger

You were pretty sure this quiz was going to be a lot more fun when you started taking it, but at this point, you feel almost bitterly determined to get to the end just to spite its writer. You’re sure there’s gotta be some better way to employ your current buzz than browsing articles on the internet, but considering your previous drunk activity was “lie on the carpet and slowly peddle your body around in circles,” you’re not entirely ready to act on that belief. Perhaps another drink will clear things up.

Ox

You are driven and studious and polite to a fault. You’re aware your natural talent puts you ahead in life, and work hard not to simply sit on your abilities, pushing yourself to truly seize your potential. You see little value in false pride and less in demeaning others, and so you do not partake in either activity, though you also do not go out of your way to assist the less fortunate. What you personally find to be improper or unsavory is largely irrelevant; in the end, all we have are results.

Rat

You’re pretty confident you’re smarter than most other people, but actually going ahead and demonstrating that feels like a lot of work, and besides, what’s the upside? The natural ugliness of other people makes you feel very confident in your own apathetic approach to life, something you’re always happy to promote to others. Other people working hard doesn’t really make sense to you, but you’re pretty sure they’re the ones who don’t actually Get It. You’re done justifying yourself, it’s time for a nap.

AND THAT’S ALL OF THEM! Which substrata of heinous villain do you happen to embody? Are you sure? That one? And you’re actually willing to admit it? Scandalous.

-----

Nick Creamer has been writing about cartoons for too many years now, and is always ready to cry about Madoka. You can find more of his work at his blog Wrong Every Time, or follow him on Twitter.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com