#i could give you more things about what I actually DO while writing and my actual Methods but i dont wanna ramble and you didnt ask abt thos

[ghouljams]

i feel like konig and simon have become quite mainstream (on tiktok especially) in a way where a lot of young teens (i say young teens bc its very rare i see a person over 23 years old gaf about what other people r doing with fictional characters) latched onto them as their big strong protective military boyfriend which is fine, but they go absolutely mental when god forbid other people write them as weirdos or creeps

literally just block shit you dont like and leave people alone wtf 😭😭

I've noticed that as well and I think it's from none of those people ever having interacted with the source material, they only know Ghost (and Konig) from whatever cod related tiktoks they're consuming and never actually play the games or read the comics. Which makes it hard to then talk about Ghost and the things that are absolutely in character for him without someone going "no he wouldn't!!! He'd be so nice and treat me like the specialist princess in the world, tiktok said so" ok will I think he'd be popping percs while choking out a random bird for his own violent sexual gratification, and here's the evidence behind my headcanon straight from the comics.

Like I understand that we want out favorite characters to love and protect us but sometimes I will get asks that are fishing for a kindness that I genuinely cannot imagine any of these men providing. This is also where I think a lot of the "virgin/shy/not confident/inexperienced!reader" comes in, there's this infantilization of the reader that I see more and more and I am trying so hard not to say that it's because it's appealing to children but y'all... come on...

Sometime I get in a mood where I want to give my honest to God opinion on how I think these men would act in canon, because I genuinely do not think any of these men are good people. That's why I like them, they're complex and terrible, and I think they could learn to integrate into society but it would be like those people who keep wolves as pets. Eventually they're going to snap and bite someone, it's just instinct.

But yeah God forbid I say that Konig would be unphased by tears, the man has probably interrogated enough people that you crying does nothing except bore him at best, and at worst turn him on.

[jasminedragonart]

Another little fanfic nitpick. For those of you who need it, I will be putting a reference below for those who are writing about children. This is just from my experience as someone who has a nibling as well as someone who has educated children for a good few years now teaching a wide variety of ages.

So, here is your child chart:

Ages 0-1: Blob. They can barely function without help. They need carried to do the most basic of things. Some of them can walk but not all, and their walking is not without a LOT of hand holding. They can make noises that sound like words, and maybe even say one or two, but they have no idea what those words mean. There is nothing behind their eyes. Will primarily be fed on milk for the first 6 months and then move onto solids once their teeth come in.

Ages 1-2: They can say a few more words. They can recognise those who look after them and say simple things. My nibling knows tractor and cat. They can walk. They will have a fascination with something weird, like their feet and putting and taking off not only their own shoes but other people's. There's a little bit behind their eyes but for the most part they don't know where they are or what is happening around them. They may still be on milk for the first half of their first year but they'll move onto primarily solids and water for most of their diet.

Ages 2-3: They're a little more switched on. They know what behaviours will give them attention and be it good or bad they'll do it. They might be toilet trained but it's all dependent on the parent. They babble. A lot. It's mainly a string of words they'll know but they'll all have different meanings. Shoe could mean, where are my shoes. It could also mean, hello, how are you, I haven't seen you in a while. It's all part of the communication process. They might move onto actual sentences midway through their second year but they will be short and the words extremely simple. They like to run around but their attention spans are still small so they'll lose interest after a while. They will climb out of their cribs and across the baby gates as they've figured it out. My nibling is currently costing my sibling hundreds of pounds because they now have to buy a new toddler bed despite my nibling not necessarily needing one yet. This is because they've figured out how to climb out and the crib is now a safety hazard.

Ages 3-4: They're at a really interesting phase here. They're a lot more independent than they were at 2, which for some is pretty independent, but they also regress a lot. They might not sleep very well, they'll fall down a lot more. This is because they know a lot more and understand a lot more around them. They're actually turning into a little person at 3. On the tail end they'll be a sort of mentor to those younger than them, babies and toddlers fascinating them as they try and understand what's happening around them.

Ages 4-5: Whatever progress they've been making is gone. They now have nothing once more behind their eyes. They are just chaos, turning in circles and licking the floor. As someone who had to teach 4 and 5 year olds, their attention spans are horrific and they will wander off back to their parents to sit on their parent's knee while they glare at you for not understanding that they don't know what left and right are. There will be the odd one or two who find sentience again but this is rare. Sentience is usually not found until age 6. that being said they can communicate a lot better, speaking in bigger sentences. They can also start to learn to write and retain some knowledge imparted on them.

Ages 6: They're back and meaner than ever. They can and will tell you the truth. They will tell on their parents, teachers, friends just because you've told them lying is bad. They are brutally honest and will share their opinion. They will talk for hours on end and call your name seventy times if they think you haven't heard them properly.

Ages 7: They're a fountain of knowledge at this age. They usually have specific hyperfixations and interests that will influence their lives from this point onwards. They'll love getting messy, playing outside and watching cartoons. Their reading level should be fairly decent if they go to a good school and have a good support group around them. This is the best age to get them interested in a sport as they actually have the attention span to enjoy it, maybe even compete in it if they want to join a football club or something. But they are still really young so they will take everything as truth if you tell it to them.

Ages 8: This is one of the last truly childhood years. They're still ignorant of the wider world, and not much truly changes between seven and eight save a lot of friendship building and deeper interest and understanding in their interests.

Ages 9: This is where they start to understand a bit more grown up things. They might be taught about puberty at this age, by that I mean, in my school we had someone come in and warn us about periods. It might seem young, but some girls can get their periods earlier than others and develop earlier than others. They'll understand that girlfriends and boyfriends are a thing and while they'll still thing it's disgusting there will be a deeper understanding that it's something that might happen to them rather than the bliss of years before when pretend weddings were something fun they emulated because they saw it on TV or in their family and wanted a big party like that too.

I might do a separate post for ages 10 and up but this is the basic stages of childhood. So next time you think your five year old in your fic can run away successfully from home just remember, they can't. They are five. There is nothing going on up there except big feelings and big emotions. They will likely cling to their parents and if they do run away, it's literally just around the corner and they will come back inside when it gets cold enough or they want more attention. Your five year old doesn't know left and right never mind can wield a sword. At least make them eight. Dick Grayson was 8 when he became Robin, I feel like that should be the benchmark for every child who is put into a situation. Make them 8 otherwise they don't know what's going on.

If there's more to add, please feel free to. This is, again, just what I've observed from years of working with little kids.

[minart-was-taken]

A second chance Deleted Scenes and bonus sketches

Please read the comic here first!

This is a sketch from when I was about mid-way done with the comic. I thought it'd be fun to do a post with my headcanons regarding the differences these two have, but I never got around to lining it.

The comic was originally going to stay largely humorous so that I could end it at around 5 updates, but I had wanted to make something long form for this fandom for ages and the reception had been so sweet-- So I decided to go for the long haul and take the story seriously.

...Yea originally Maxwell was kicked in the balls and then transported Wx's soul back into the robo body.

I found the latter joke really funny, so I kept it in as a bonus for the finale!

Most of the comic was actually very easy to write. The cast is already full of things worth exploring and fun dynamics: so I just let them loose. However I did struggle a lot with writing Maxwell, as he is... Mysterious. I wanted his presence in the comic to imply deeper knowledge but I also... Don't know what Maxwell knows. It was a real tightrope.

There was a version where Maxwell fully knew who Woodrow was and brought up the name. However it felt far too disrespectful and in the end... overly dramatic. Considering I didn't actually have anything for Maxwell to be bargaining for, there was really no point to give him such a "big chip" in the game.

Another segment I struggled with MASSIVLY was the ending. From the beginning I knew I wanted a very specific outcome: Wx returns to being a robot but their empathy module is functional again.

Whatever the motives are in canon, in this comic I tried to establish that Wx being a robot is a part of their identity, not just an escape. Wx-78 has a lot of self destructive tendencies, and existing as a human would be a compromise on their identity. SO: The only real happy ending would be best of both of worlds. Wx being accepted for their full self, and them feeling ok lowering the walls between them and happiness (at least a little bit.)

While struggling to figure out what to do, I considered a dream sequence where the Wx we follow in the comic meets Wx-78, and later also Woodrow from the disconnected animation. I didn't ever really consider this a real option as it felt so out of place with the down to earth tone the comic had so far, but it was an interesting exploration.

There was another sequence between this segment and the finale that was cut out as well.

I found the idea of SHOWING that Wx put the Empathy Module in to be a very emotionally powerful idea, but although I sketched it many times I never felt satisfied... Given a few more months maybe I'd found a way to fit it in, but I wanted this comic finished. I have so many other things I'm doing, and this comic deserved an ending. I do like the one I made, I just... Its hard to not ponder what could've been!

But wait! There's more! Here's some additional deleted scenes that didn't quite fit the above chronological recollection.

This scene was what originally happened after Wx drank some of Walter's hot "chocolate."

It got cut since it kinda felt like writing Wx into a wall. However you can spot things from this scene in the finished comic! Like Wx claiming the others were helping them just because they were human, Wilson and Wx having a convo about fee fees, and Wx's wild laugh.

The next deleted scene was meant to occur sometime after the one above. It was then later turned into a few scenes, such as Maxwell and Wx's talk.

I got rid of this one because it felt wrong to have Wx just... leave and figure everything out. I wanted them to keep interacting with other characters and... Well, this was too soon! They wouldn't drop their guard that fast!! Nuh-uh!! You can see a lot of it was kept for later tho!

Before redoing those parts, I drew a bit about Wilson and Wx planning to go into the caves.

However I had no clue why I'd take them into the caves, and it just felt off pacing wise. This idea was reused too, though! I just sent Winona and Wigfrid into the caves instead.

Finally, a few deleted panels. You can probably guess where they used to be.

[lovebyhyun]

bad idea, right?

genre : idek what to call this, a blurb? ex!chan x gn!reader, inspired by olivia rodrigo’s “bad idea, right?”

synopsis : you were supposed to forget about you ex a while ago, but somehow life is more fun if you both have a secret to keep.

warnings : mentions of vomiting, very very slightly suggestive

a/n : i love olivia rodrigo so much i just had to do this, also i wrote this while watching jurassic park so excuse any typos lmao

masterlist

It all started when Chan was supposed to give you back the things that you left at his apartment before you two broke up. Some clothes, a phone charger, even a toothbrush. You practically lived there so it was big box of things. He couldn’t just leave it under your door for you to handle it yourself. No, he wasn’t that evil.

He had to carry it inside himself, and since he was already there, you welcomed him inside, it would just be rude not to serve him a cup of coffee. So you did.

It went downhill from that point. You wake up, your cheek glued to his bare chest, and as your body starts to wake up, you feel how badly tangled the limbs of you two are. It was not supposed to be like this. You get up from your bed, and you hear Chan groan.

“Stay, please” Chan mutters, still half asleep. “Just this one last time”

And oh my god. Those puppy eyes he gives you everytime he wants something, you just can’t resist but give in. Just this one last time.

The party is in full-swing, as always. Your friends always throw the best parties and you always end up blackout drunk, but not tonight.

Sitting in the bathroom, rubbing your friend’s back as she’s throwing up terribly, you hear a faint ding from your phone. You immediately know who is texting you, because who else could it be, trying to reach you at 3.30 in the morning?

Naturally, you abandon your friend who’s now passed out in the bathroom. She won’t remember it anyway. You start gathering your belongings to leave the party, when suddenly your colleague stops you.

“Hey y/n, where are you going? I thought you always stayed till the end of the party?” He says while almost tripping over another passed out party animal on the floor.

“Not this time. I’m pretty tired, I’m gonna go home and get some rest. Sorry.” You say with a smile. Technically, you didn’t lie. You were going home and you were going to get some rest. Nobody said anything about who’s home you’re going to.

You leave right away before he starts being nosy like he always is.

Another ding.

“are you on ur way already?” the text says, and you can practically feel how impatient he was getting, which was quite unusual for him.

You quickly answer with a simple thumbs up emoji, and you start walking towards his apartment. It’s not that far away, so you might as well clear your head a bit while you’re on your way there.

As you continue to contemplate about if you actually should keep seeing Chan in secret, you feel a little raindrop on your forehead. The another one. Then another one. And before you know it, you’re drenched in rain water, leaving you shaking from the cold and in clothes so wet that you could squeeze water out of them

Public transport it is.

Once you get to the nearest bus stop, you sit down and finally have a moment to breathe. You pull out your phone and write a quick message to your ex, so he doesn’t worry about you

“sorry, got caught in the rain, it might take me a while to get to yours :(“

Perfect. Now you wait for the bus to arrive, get off at your stop, take the elevator to the top floor and you can rest in the arms you knew oh so well.

Despite the 13 minute delay, the bus arrives and you get in. It’s empty of course, I mean, who the fuck is out at 4 am on a random friday. You, turns out.

First stop, second stop, third… Fuck. You missed your stop. Seems like the universe really doesn’t want you seeing Chan.

“Whatever.” You think to yourself, as you start feeling how much your drenched clothes are actually sticking and clinging to your skin. Disgusting.

You get off at the next stop, surprisingly not that far away from Chan’s apartment. As you stand at the entrance to the building, you take a shaky breath in. This moment is always so exhaustingly nerve-wracking and for what reason? Well, you never quite know what to expect from these visits. Is he going to tell you that you’re the live of his live and that you need to get back together, is he going to fuck you until you think he’s the only man in the multiverse, or is he going to tell you that you two need to seriously stop with whatever the hell was happening between you?

You step out the elevator and walk towards the door of your beloved apartment. The one you knew so well, the one that you spent so much nights in, more than you can count.

Before you can even lift your hand up to knock, the door opens. A sleepy Chan appears in front of you, and all of a sudden, it feels like all of your worries and doubts have been physically removed from that little head of yours.

“Hey. Took you long enough.” he says as he smiles widely at the sight of you in your soaked clothes. “Come on, let’s get you changed. You’re gonna catch a cold.”

You wake up to the sound of your phone buzzing like the world is on fire.

“Where the fuck are you? Why did you leave me when I was in the middle of throwing up?”

Fuck. She did remember.

“Oh, um- I’m sorry I just went to- to uhhh-…”

“Who are you talking to baby?” Chan says in a sleepy voice. He must’ve woken up too.

“Y/n are you fucking kidding me? Is that Chan that I’m hearing? I swear to god if you-“

You hung up. You choose peace for now. You’re going to deal with that mess of your friend later. You have better things to do now. You think to yourself as you roll over to admire the boy beside you. The sight of his body laying so gracefully on the bed where you shared your most intimate moments together, it truly made you feel things.

Chan made you feel things.

So, no matter how many times you try to tell yourself that you guys are done, you know you’ll always trip and fall into his bed.

He’s going to get you back every single time.

[m4iya]

──★ ˙🧷 @yiooobb37 has chosen to study languages, 2 hours a day for 1 week with Hinata! He isn't too sure how he'll do though! Let's see how they go...

Hinata, who has been pretty stressed lately. Ever since the groundbreaking news was dropped that he had to pass all his exams in order to make it to this years training camp, his head has been buried in the books for hours on end.

You, who'd been doing alright for most of your subjects, only feeling the nerves hit as exams inched closer and closer.

Hinata, who stumbled on his words as he struggled shifting between Japanese and English while you quizzed him on a variety of different vocabulary words.

Hinata, whose thick Japanese accent made you giggle. His English translations weren't necessarily incorrect, quite the opposite, actually. 'Rice' would become 'lice' , and 'very', would become 'bery'.

Hinata, who would flare up when you teased him, ensuring you that it wasn't a speaking exam, and that his pronunciation wouldn't be marked!

You, who'd attempt to stifle your laughter, and he'd snap back, challenging you to an accent competition.

Hinata, who made sure to organise study sessions with you, whenever he was free. During weekends, during lunch breaks, and even after practice—with the two of you meeting at the local library together, or at each other houses.

Hinata, who'd sometimes fall asleep during these late-night study sessions, breathing softly as the mechanical pencil he held slowly slipped out of his grip. Gently swiping it from his hand, you noticed that the tip of his index finger dented by how hard he'd been gripping it.

Hinata, who brought his friend, Kageyama, along at one point, joking that you'd 'definitely be able to tutor a numbskull' like him!'. It wasn't long before the boy told him off, remarking that their grades were practically the same.

Hinata, who'd sometimes ring your number in a panic, asking you about a word that he'd never heard before, and how it would be structured in a sentence. You'd answer his question as much as you could, continuing to give him pointers on other things he needed to know.

Hinata, who definitely wasn't a slow learner when it came to grasping a language concept. He knew his vocabulary, vowels, punctuation and sentence structure more than most of the people in your class. He'd been stressing for so long, complaining that he wasn't sure how he'd ever come close to passing this exam, but you'd seen how much he was working, knowing his skill level well.

Hinata, whose score on the last practice test you gave him was 100%. His eyes widened, taking the paper from you with a gasp. Laughing, he shoved the paper in his friend's face, who turned away, wearing a scrunched frown.

Hinata, whose final score on the official exam didn't necessarily align with the practice one despite the countless sleepless nights you'd shared.

You made sure to let him know that what he learnt wouldn't necessarily only be used in one exam throughout his entire life. After all, if he really wanted to play professionally around the world, wouldn't he need to learn a variety languages to communicate with all the different people he'd meet?

Hinata, who never stopped hanging out with you after exam season, inviting you to come watch his team's games sometimes, always reminding you that he wouldn’t forget what you'd done for him.

extras:

Hinata, whose newly tanned face one day appeared on your TV, playing in his debut match for a national team in Brazil. Sticking around for the whole match, you watched as the interviewer asked him how he learnt to speak Portuguese so fluently in such a short amount of time.

Hinata, whose eyes softened at the question, a breathy chuckle leaving him before responding "A close friend of mine from high school gave me the push I needed."

side note: Hello!! You're my first request for this event! Not sure what to call you, so i'll call you yiob if you don't mind! I noticed you chose Hinata again!! I mean, I write for him a lot either way lol

From my exam season event ✩ other works

[bloodchapell]

hiii if its not too much work could I request what’s it like to be high school sweethearts with stanley?

Also side note I LOVE your writing sm especially since there is barely any one that writes for dr stone now these days 😔

highschool lover — stanley s. SIDE A

what to expect: suggestive, so cuteee

your sword's note: thankyu for the request dear anon! i actually have two posts for this request, i will link it here so check it out too (SIDE B). more on my mistresslist

i have two ideas, either you are a goody two shoes or sheer evil, but for this one lets go with the angel on earth, i will do the menace on the side B

you have english together, he hates the teacher but always sees you participating and it kinda pisses him off but he lets it slide because you are so beautiful that he can't even skip the class because he needs to see you there

the teacher asks you to tutor him, so after school you go to your house and you sit in the dining table with the book assigned for class. you sit reading out loud the first part, then you stop and talk with him about it, initially he doesn't get the symbolism or the metaphors, and he is ready to feel embarrassed and stupid, but you help him right away. he feels his heart skip a beat at the tenderness of your voice, he has never been treated so softly

every day after school, you hang out. you tell him that you love books. he can't talk about books with you, so he asks what your favorite is and at your house you lend it to him

once he is home, he opens it. there is a pressed flower in between, and the paper smells like you, page after page he sees annotations on the text with your beautiful script. he reads the book in one sitting.

"i finished the book dolly, let's talk about it." he asks. he loved the book, it changed his whole perception of things. in recess, you sit together and you discuss the book

his grades in english class improve so much that he doesn't need you to tutor him anymore. you catch him purposefully messing up the response of his homework just so he has an excuse to spend time with you. "stan you know the right answers." you tilt your head and so he erases the wrongdoings and writes the correct ones

he is constantly telling xeno about you. he asks stanley if he likes you and he can't even lie. "no, i don't like her, i am in love with her."

one afternoon while you both read in your house, he asks hesitantly. "dolly, this might be odd, but i would like to take you on a date." you agree so fast that it actually makes him laugh

he takes you on a picnic and then to a drive-through movie theater. initially he doesn't know how to act but you remain kind and understanding as always that he simply acts like usual

by the end of the date, when he drives you back to your house, he opens the door for you and walks you to your doorstep, and you give him a kiss on the lips

the next day, he comes by your house. when you hear the doorbell you open the door and find him with a bouquet of flowers and chocolates. you hug him and let him in. despite his meh handwriting, he gives you a letter. since i met you, my life has become like a dream, my poor vocabulary can't even express it, so i will read all the books i have to until i can tell you. xeno helped him redact that. he is not easily vulnerable, but given the type of person he fell in love with, he feels it is only just. if he has to learn, no problem, he can do it.

"be my girlfriend dolly." he asks playing with your hair, you nod immediately and hug him

he is late to all his classes because he insists on carrying your bag for you and dropping you off to every class

you introduce him to your parents on your first month together, and even years later, having been in the military and in special missions that are real danger, he has never been as scared

he has kissed before, but not like he kisses you. of course later on you two star experimenting and kissing gets heated, but on the regular your kisses are tender and full of love, and he is addicted to them

he heard a girl call you a nerd once in the hallway, but since he couldn't beat her up, he put a rat in her locker

stanley introduces you to xeno and he approves of you👍🏻

he thinks you are an innocent sweet pea but while looking through the collection of books in your room he finds the most down bad novellas, he is shocked

people are always saying "no wayyy" to him when he says that you are his girlfriend, what cliche is going on here!?

all the teachers keep joking that you are going to finally fix him. "there is nothing to fix, he is perfect like this, be more respectful." you say. he doesn't know if to laugh at them or cry at your sweet words

he takes you to alongside him to his hangout with xeno at the paintball arena. he teaches you how to shoot the gun and you seem clueless at first but end up winning. it seems feasible defeating xeno, but even before training stanley was already good at guns

he would never attend school dances, but after he started dating you he does, not only because you thought it might be cute but because he wants to show you off and laugh in the faces of his enemies (whatever that means)

he is oddly shy to get handsy at first, even knowing what you would be reading, but after a particularly heated make out session you pull his hands towards your body and he can't help but give in

"are you sure in the car is fine dolly? wouldn't you want something more romantic?" he pants holding your waist in the backseat of his car. "who ever said that?" you play with the hem of his shirt. nonetheless it was on. clothes removed and bruises on his neck, he had imagined that your first time together would be different, but it is just fine to have you ride him in his car. looks like one can learn a lot from reading —stanley's thoughts—

you are king and queen of prom hell yeah !

better believe you guys are lasting forevah

when stanley goes to training it hits you very hard. you send him so many letters that everyone is jealous

in the class reunion, god knows how many years after, people are gossiping about the highschool days. when they see you walking together they sigh, "of fucking course"

[dilfdater420]

can you do like a one shot or just some head canons of cecil with a hero reader? idk if you do specific powers, but if you do the reader has like wanda/ scarlet witch powers 🤔

Heya! Of course I can

Before I get into the details I just wanted to thank you for your request. This is my first ask ever and I’m grateful that I get to do something I’ve always wanted but never got the chance. Much appreciated, and if you’re reading this feel free to request as well. I love requests and I love writing!!

Getting to your actual request, my knowledge on Wanda is limited as I have the slightest memory of what her powers were. I just know that they were crazy powerful! So as to respect your request and my love for making my writings as open as possible, I’ll just do a really strong reader!

#dilfdater420 : Cecil Stedman x an gender neutral uber powerful reader. non-specific. this is a headcanon post with a little drabble at the end like a cherry on top. hope you enjoy, please request for more!

Cecil is constantly worried you might die.

Everyone’s eyes are constantly on you, watching for a mishap, a sudden blunder, something to exploit. To kill you with. Even if you’ve never lost a fight, he knows people are looking for a way to be your first loss.

You’re a target under his care, dating or not. He must do what he can to protect you, but maybe with the added pressure of love, this protective grip can be a little tight.

This looks a lot like tracking your every mistake, debriefing on everything that went wrong on missions as to not make the same misstep twice, and training the he’ll put you in is based on the intel he’s gathered.

He even has a small committee dedicated to finding every fault in your system, he’s meticulous.

Training is not only what debriefs are like, but him making you actively relive blunders through simulations, strength and endurance training, and the like. You could be about to lose consciousness, and he’d tell you to keep going goddammit! We’re pushing new limits here, this isn’t grade school! Go further or go home! Either that or he’d give you a small break and then a pat on the back to push you back out.

Of course, the relationship you two have is frayed because of this. One screaming match turned heart to heart finally cleared some of the air between his actions and his intent.

Cecil loves you, unquantifiably so. And with that he worries, a world without you is a world he doesn’t want. He needs to know that he doesn’t have to worry about you, that you have no margins for error.

Despite this, the obvious answer is that what he seeks is not possible.

Now depending on the reader, this argument could be “too little too late” or the “saving grace”.

If you’re a “saving grace” reader, things get better for the relationship.

Cecil is coming to terms with the fact that some circumstances must be left uncertain. No matter how much it aches him, he’s starting to learn how to trust in uncertainty, and more importantly, you. He’s learning the art of “trusting the process”.

There’s a little more lovey dovey, a lot less control. It’s nice, it’s breathable, it’s brings you both peace.

—

“___” is a placeholder for your name btw I just don’t like Y/N for some reason

You were running towards the battlefield, your hips swayed atypically, vision ebbing in and out of focus, weighted breath. You hadn’t slept since Monday, it was Thursday today. Or at least you thought it was.

Cecil watched you closely. You were with the Guardians, helping to save a bank from being robbed by the Mauler Twins. It was easy with the Mauler Twins, always easy, this time it sure didn’t seem easy. You weren’t as sharp as you were, making error after error while his anger grew. He knew you knew that fact, feeling your famous confidence get etched away.

After the encounter, Cecil eyed you as you walked back to the GDA. You needed to talk to him apparently.

“Hey,” you address him, walking into his office.

His eyes continued their relentless dig. “Dont hey me, you look a mess. What the fuck was that?”

“Sorry, I—“

“There’s no “sorry” in this ___, those two idiots damn near beat cha’ to a pulp. You better thank the guardians for helping ya’ keep your winning streak or so help me.” He was so mad his facade was cracking.

You inhaled. “I mean do you know how many people saw that? Over four million on national news!”

“Cecil,” you sigh

“Ya’ need to realize the influence you have as Earth’s greatest hero—“

“Cecil.” A little louder…

“—If people are seriously led to thinking we’re susceptible, our enemies could get bolder!”

“Cecil..!” Louder…

“They could make an attempt on yer life goddamnit I could lose you! The world doesn’t need that! Ya’ need to be better!”

“Cecil!” Loudest. This got his attention

“WHAT?!”

“Fuck you.”

In his disbelief, you walk out the door of his office, going to take the nap you deserve whether he liked it or not.

Hard to tell if his love was just an affinity to what you’ve been reduced to, an emotional punching bag.

Sorry if this kinda sucks I’m operating on like half sleep and my beta reading doesn’t work until I’m like, 6 hours post fanfic writing and I refuse to wait that long. Gimme thoughts in your reblogs and comments!

Much love and thanks <3

[caponhans]

just finished the theresa dlc, and i absolutely don’t understand how people complained about it. sure, the quest doesn’t really tell you beforehand that you’ll play as theresa for a while, and i can understand that it throws people off at first. but i started the quest immediately after the intro, so it actually teaches you how to lockpick and such, which is really helpful. i also really like how it gives you another perspective on what happened in skalitz and emphasizes what an amazing woman theresa is. not only that, but it also highlights the struggles of a medieval woman—like how her father arranged a marriage for her purely for financial reasons without even discussing it with her. she’s also incredibly brave (she literally boxed a cuman to death with her bare hands in my playthrough). she went back to skalitz to help people simply because it was the right thing to do. i could write an essay on what an amazing character theresa is and how she isn’t just a love interest, but so much more.

[gingerteafairy]

hullo its me again ^0^ is it possible to write smth where reader is insecure about their not flat stomach / pouch? idk i have no preference on which evan character it should be. i like peter, luke, todd, warren, tate.. the choice is urs hehe!! thank youuu queen

— ( 🦇 )

OHMYGOF GURL I WAS WAITING AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO IT BC I HATE MY POUCH SO MUCH. oh, hey bat anon 💞

tags n warnings: slightly nsfw, language.

peter maximoff

Peter has the weirdest compliments in the world—you never know if he’s actually praising you or just roasting you for free. "That extra fat makes high-speed travel safer." It took you a while, but eventually, you realized it was his own awkward, heartfelt way of saying something sweet. He’s clumsy, but he always makes sure you feel beautiful and adored, treating you like an absolute goddess.

"Peter, I think I should lose weight," you murmured, looking at yourself in the mirror, your expression sad as your fingers traced over your stomach.

"If that’s what you want, I’ll help you and hit the gym with you. But I think you’re perfect just the way you are, don't need to change it for me or for anyone." He smiled, cupping your face gently. "Besides, that just means there’s more of you for me to love."

luke cooper

Luke has an insane attraction to your body—like, almost unsettling. The moment he sees you in a pencil skirt or a dress that clings a little to your stomach, he loses it, instantly pulling you aside just to kiss you senseless.

He loves running his hands over your belly, giving it small squeezes, and he has a bad habit of biting you whenever he gets the chance. "Sorry, I had to do it." He’s always encouraging you to wear bikinis and other clothes, hyping you up like a personal cheerleader.

"Your stomach? I think of it as a built-in cushion, like a support for my... for our... y' know..." he grins, pressing a teasing kiss to your skin.

tate langdon

Tate lives for touching you. He loves holding you in every way possible, but hugging you is his absolute favorite. His top-tier cuddles include spooning with you as the little spoon and wrapping you up in his arms whenever you're sitting on his lap. He hates when you talk down about yourself—especially about something he adores so much.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you..." he murmurs, frowning as he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear.

But if he ever catches you comparing yourself to other girls, his patience wears thin. He’ll snatch your phone out of your hands, shutting it off with an irritated huff.

"You spend way too much time watching those videos. It’s time to spend more time with me, stop comparing yourself, and actually listen to what I say. Stop focusing on the bad things. Focus on all the times I’ve told you you’re beautiful. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone, and you’re not any less gorgeous just because of your stomach."

warren lipka

Warren is obsessed with your stomach. No exaggeration. His favorite thing in the world is randomly squeezing it—especially when he sneaks up behind you, wrapping his arms around you and giving your belly a solid squeeze.

"Warren, stop. My stomach looks huge," you whined, embarrassed as his hands kneaded at the soft flesh. "I’m starting a diet, gonna do ab workouts every day and get rid of it."

"No fucking way you’re doing that shit," he grumbled, tightening his arms around you in protest. "Right when I was thinking about feeding you more so I could eat more of you.”

He smirks against your neck, pressing a kiss there before whispering, "Now, how do you feel about some snacks? ‘Cause I’m craving one, and I think you should have one too."

todd haynes

At first, Todd genuinely doesn’t understand why you feel insecure—because, to him, your body is just normal, and he loves it exactly the way it is. He tries to be patient, but if you keep bringing it up, he’ll hit you with straight-up facts to boost your self-esteem. He wants you to love yourself the way he loves you.

"I wish I could have a flat stomach. Everyone has it and I feel so ugly with this..." You sigh, resting your head on his shoulders.

"Actually," he starts, his voice taking on a factual tone, "that small curve on your stomach is completely normal for women. It’s where the uterus is located, and the slight fat storage there helps support a healthy pregnancy. That’s why ancient goddesses were often depicted with bodies like yours—it’s a symbol of beauty and strength. So, technically, you're built like a goddess. Which makes sense, ‘cause that’s exactly how I see you." He smirks, watching the way your face heats up.

[barkingincontroversy]

Ok so update on what I previously asked about Caleb Love and DeepSpace. XD

I wanna start first by saying it took me so long to finish with all the emotions I had and am currently writing this at 7 in the morning.

ANYWAYS When we first saw him it was a crazy plot twist (if I didn't already know) and I like how he was introduced but when he was giving the interrogation in the beginning..... GURL I would have been giggling so hard if my first thoughts weren't "THAT'S HER BROTHER!?!?!?!" so I was actually very uncomfortable in the beginning BUUUT when she was talking to him and stuff and calling him a childhood friend instead of her brother it was all making more sense and honestly it's our fault for assuming he was our brother in the beginning *Insert sweating emoji*.

Over all it was only cause of his first impression in chapter 1 if it wasn't for that he would have been my FAAAAVORITE. His story was so angsty and amazing and WHEN HE FEEL DOWN IN THE RAIN BECAUSE THE CHIP BASICALLY JUST COULDN'T HANDLE ALL HIS YEARNING.... it was powerful for me.... love love love the angst. (Why did my goober game get angsty? I have no idea.)

something else that I've paid attention to a lot more lately is there eyes. When I replayed Syulus's story a while back after reading his myths and other stuff I really noticed how you could see the pain in his eyes at certain times AND WHEN YOU REALIZE WHY???? it hits hard chat... and Caleb had that a lot of times like when MC said things about not needing him and other time- EVEN IN THE BEGINING AND WE SEE ONE OF HIS EYES he even looks tired there.

Don't get me started on how he's PRACTICALLY FULL yandere like what the Flippin frick do you mean he locked her up :| Im not playing... I LOVE HIS CHARECTER

and yea he's my new favorite I also have a things for apples aesthetically sooooooooo BUT IM NOT BETRAYING RAFAEL

I also can't wait to find out if he has any past lives with MC.

[sturnioz]

I actually haven't been that active on the fratboy Chris tag in a WHILE. So, imma give my take on what I think had happened in their pasts and what could possibly happen.

We all know Chris can be and is and asshole. He doesn't care for romantics, and it has been proven time and time again. He's cold and closed off, even to his brothers which you would assume he'd let loose a little. He's close to his mother (from the phone call bun overheard) which I'll get back to. But that's kinda it? He doesn't plan on opening up to anyone, so maybe something triggered that and there could be a future stressor to reopen that. Who knows what your series will say.

Now, bun is different. Not in the way of 'opposites attract' but there are key differences that are mentioned. Her shy behaviour for one. She has only been with Chris and had all her firsts with him. She isn't exactly as shy anymore in thay department but either way, she is close to Chris given that he is the only one she's been with. But I also don't immediately take her for an overtly romantic person. I'm sure she dreams of it or imagines situations like that but if she really wanted that then would she stay with Chris? I doubt it. Bun has friends, connections and it's stated that Chris isn't making her stay with him that way sooo...

To their pasts I'd say they are similar with a lot of aspects. A decent childhood with opportunities like a lot of other children, a close network of friends and family to keep them well. However, I'm thinking that Chris had his start to differ maybe around puberty or a little later. A lot of kids start to explore sexually or in relationships and something could have changed with him. A bad relationship made him stiff, not wanting to open up like last time. The fact he is still close with his mother in a way also gives me reason to think his father or other family member was narcissistic or problematic. (Based on my own experiences). Either way, he wasn't always like this, a triggering event or course of events changed his behaviour when he was vulnerable to change.

I'd say that Bun has been consistent a lot of her life. She was always shy in childhood and kept to herself, enjoying quiet more than most. A tight network of friends that she wouldn't dare stretch from unless she was introduced by another friend etc. I wouldn't say she's had any stressor to make her suddenly submit into herself, hence her naïvity around Chris' situations and attitude, brushing it off as 'him'.

I do think Chris will crack at some point. Like mentioned before, a stressor could occur where he lets something slip etc. During the whole formal event, he was upset and beginning to subtly get upset when bun wasn't messaging back. If he was any closer to bun than he was, some shit EASILY could've gone down, paranoia, arguments etc. Bun might find out information she isn't meant to? The phone call with Chris' mother was enough to make her question things for a moment. Let alone anything else of any other level. I don't mean stuff he does eg. Sell drugs - one, he is open about that, and two, he has no reason to lie over it. Yet, knowledge is more powerful in this context.

This is slightly vague over scenarios I see them in, but I'm going a lot based on psychological reasons rather than just imagination, so I'm likely to be wrong. I also haven't read a lot of your recent works due to my inactivity, so this may have been proven wrong in updated posts. However, this is just what I think. I could easily write about if Nick or Matt knows what happened to Chris or even if the same thing happened to them etc. But I'll save that.

Enjoy I guess lmaoo

im sorry i dont have much to say to this without giving my own plot away but i just want you to know that i enjoyed every second reading this beautiful fucking take.. the way you analyse everything is so fucking gorgeous

[kiwimintlime]

A Simple Favor

SEASON 2 SPOILERS!

for @terrickweek2025

word count: 2.3k

prompt: betrayal (this is technically for the wrong day but I did want to post it today for @icy-book's birthday)

cw: angst

notes: this takes place like 2-3 years before the start of season 2. I'm bad with my timelines so if that doesn't make sense shhhhhh. this is definitely not my usual wheelhouse, but I did enjoy writing this. happy birthday Icy! (also I literally just finished writing this no beta we die like Doug)

Terry wondered if he was getting just as paranoid as Lark. All day he’d felt the sensation like he was being watched. Something just at the edge of his periphery, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He’d tried scanning the area with magic, and once he could’ve sworn that he just felt something, but no luck. And he could only look over his shoulder so times before he started getting weird looks.

“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” his date, Veronica, asked him, “You seem on edge.”

“Uh, yeah,” he did his best to give her a reassuring smile, though he had no idea how convincing it actually was, “just a bit stressed from… work… is all.”

“Oh, well we can end things early tonight if you’re too tired, I completely understand.”

“No,” Terry took her hand and smiled. “Being with you relaxes me.” He did genuinely mean that. He liked Veronica, he liked her a lot. And even if it was only their fourth date, he could see things going pretty far.

“I’m glad you feel that way.” The two of them walked hand in hand in the cool night air through the park, simply enjoying each other’s company. After a while Veronica slowed down, looking quite serious. “So, Terrance.”

“Yeah? “

“I like you, a lot,” she bit her lip, “I like what we have and I want to keep seeing you.”

“I feel the same way, “ Terry gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m glad, “ she brightened up a bit before steeling herself again, “I just feel you should know, if we are going to keep seeing each other and this thing is serious, that I have a kid.”

“Oh!” Terry didn’t know quite what to say. He didn’t mind at all, he just didn’t know what exactly was the appropriate reaction.

“She’s thirteen. Her name is Theresa, but she actually also goes by Terri.”

“What a coincidence, I like her already.” Terry grinned, “Thirteen huh? I’ve got friends with kids around her age.”

“So… you don’t mind? “

“Not at all. As a matter of fact—”

There! There it was again. That feeling of being watched, even more intense this time. It wasn’t just a feeling anymore either. It was more tangible, a presence, a… scent. And a scent Terry recognized all too well, no matter how many years it’d been. Something somewhere between wood smoke and incense.

“Terry? Are you okay?” Veronica asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Talk about shit timing. He had to get her out of here. “Um, no actually. Look, I hate to do this l, and I promise it’s not because of what you just told me, but I really have to go. I promise I’ll call you okay?”

She looked crushed, though she hid it the best she could. “Um, okay. I’ll be waiting on your call.”

Terry watched her leave, chest tightening.

“Ooh, yeah, she definitely hates your guts now. A real shame, she seems nice.” A voice said from behind him. Terry whipped around, swinging as he went. He’d always been the stronger of the two. But to his surprise the blow was easily blocked and parried, with his weight being used against him. He somehow ended up pushed up against a tree, wrists held above his head, a razor sharp tail close to his throat.

“Nicholas.” Terry spat out.

“Now is that any way to greet an old friend?” Nick flashed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh and this,” Terry looked pointedly down to the tail at his throat, “is friendly to you?”

“Hey, you swung first.”

“What do you want?” Terry hissed.

Nick’s eyes slid away from Terry’s face for a moment. “I need to ask a favor.”

“You’ve got a funny way of asking for one.”

“I— oh for fucks sake” Nick’s tail darted away from Terry’s neck and into his pocket, snatching out his phone. He looked Terry in the eye. “I’ll let you go if you promise not to attack me and hear me out.”

Terry thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Fine.”

True to his word, Nick let him go. Terry rubbed his wrists. He didn’t remember Nick being that string, especially with just one arm. He looked at Nick. “Can I have my phone back? “

“I think not. I’d prefer you didn’t call for back up, considering what happened the last time we were all together.”

“You mean the time I asked you for a favor? I don’t know what makes you think I’d do you one now.”

“Because this could solve all our problems.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“There are literally hundreds of other worlds out there, if not more. The problem is getting to them.” Nick explained, “You knew how to get to hell, which is why you needed me. I’ve spent the last ten years searching for access into any of them. Terry, I’ve found one I think could be perfect. And the access point is just about two hours from here.”

This was bullshit. It had to be. Terry himself and everyone at D.A.D.D.I.E.S. had spent just as much time looking for the same answer. For it to fall into his lap like this, hand delivered by the person who had the most reason to hate him… it just wasn’t possible.

“Why come to me with this?” Terry asked.

“I need a sorcerer, they’re not exactly easy to come by.”

“I know for a fact hell’s got a few of those. Hell, you’ve got a decent amount of magic yourself.”

“And all their magic, like mine, is touched with The Infernal. The portal I found is non reactive to natural phenomena, and extremely volatile to everything from hell. I need magic that doesn’t have Satan’s stink on it.” Nick’s voice got louder. “You think I didn’t try other options? You think I want to be here, asking you for help?”

Nick looked… desperate. It didn’t look good on him. Something tugged in Terry’s chest. Something he pushed down.

“I can’t trust you.” Terry said.

“The feeling’s mutual.” Nick sighed. “Look, the sooner we fin a solution the sooner our lives go back to normal. Wouldn’t that be nice? No more everyday battle, no more looking over your shoulder, no more constant worry about the safety of those you care about. I— I could see my son again.” Nick’s voice cracked. Badly. Terry reached out a hand without even thinking but Nick batted it away. “Don’t… don’t patronize me man. Are you helping me or not? “

Terry gave it a last thought. “Fine.”

Nick’s face brightened into the kind of smile Terry hadn’t seen in a long time. That tug on his heart was back, and it was harder to pretend that it wasn’t. He cleared his throat.

“Can I have my phone back?”

“Hell no. At least not until you see that my idea is viable. I don’t need to others jumping me again when I least expect it.”

“I— I wouldn’t do that.”

“Yeah, real convincing. Come on.” Nick led Terry around the corner to where a convertible was parked. It was covered in flame decals because of course it was. “Hop in.”

Terry did and once Nick was in the driver’s seat they sped off into the night. Out of San Dimas, out onto the highway . The night air was cool and the stars were stunning. What felt like a million lifetimes ago Terry and Nick had spent their summers just like this. Open road, less worries, more freedom. Sometimes with the others, a lot of times just the two of them. A million lifetimes indeed.

“How long have you been following me?” Terry asked.

“Don't flatter yourself. Just today. I wanted to know how much of a problem you’d be to deal with.” Nick smirked. “Clearly not much. Guess brawling with presidents pays off.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

They were quiet for another ten minutes before Nick asked, “Why you? Lark I would’ve understood. He thinks this whole thing is his fault and it’s his job to fix it. He’s the mot desperate of all of us. And Sparrow will go with whatever he wants. Grant… I dunno. But you? You were my best friend, you were my— Just… why?”

Terry exhaled a long breath. “I don’t even know anymore. I’ve thought about it for years and I— I think I thought you would understand. I didn’t think things would end up this way. I figured we’d force your hand and you’d make the right choice.”

“The right choice?” Nick’s voice was dangerously low.

“That’s not—” Terry sighed again. “I don’t know. All of us were so miserable, so worn down. I thought if it came down to it you’d choose us.”

“My dad is the king of hell, I have a responsibility—”

“I know. I know that now, I understand better.”

Another silence fell between them. Then Nick spoke. “I wasn’t just following you around today. I stopped by Taylor’s school. He’s doing alright. Could use some more friends, but he seems happy enough. Cassie’s doing a great job.”

“That’s good.”

“Mhmm.” Nick's voice was quiet again,“He doesn’t need me Terry. I’ve turned out worse then Glenn. At least he came home every couple weeks.”

The pit in Terry’s stomach grew deeper. He knew what it was like not to have a dad, and he’d taken one away from this kid.

“Did you ever think about taking him with you?”

“To hell? At the beginning yeah. But it was no place for a kid that young, a kid with no frame of reference for what was going on. Not to mention his mother had no idea about any of it. And now… now it’s too late. Can’t exactly show up with a gallon of milk, ya’know? Especially not with the FBI on my tail. I keep an eye on him, I’ll be there if he needs me, but until this whole thing is sorted out it’s better I keep my distance.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that Taylor had to go through all this.”

Nick just kept his eyes on the road.

“Me too.”

They drove on in silence. Terry must have fallen asleep to the sound of the engine and that wood fire scent, because next thing he knew Nick was shaking his shoulder.

“We’re here.”

Terry looked around. They were out in the desert, on a patch of road as unremarkable as the rest of the highway. “Where’s here exactly?”

“Come on.” Nick started walking out into the desert, stopping about 20 feet away from the road. He looked back. “Come on, it’s hard to see from far away.”

Terry got out of the car and walked towards Nick, peering into the moonlit night. Sure enough, if he looked just the right way, there was a ripple in the air. “Oh my god.”

“Right? Watch this.” Nick picked up a stick and tried to poke at it. The stick stopped just short of the ripple, evidently unable to go any further. He then set his hand ablaze with infernal flame and reaches out to touch it. This time, the tips of his fingers just barely made it through before the ripple spat him back out. For a split second Terry caught a glimpse of something beyond. Nick looked at him. “Your turn champ.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“I dunno, just… magic at it.”

Terry sighed and got closer to the portal. He reached out towards it, and as his hand got closer it almost felt like it was being sucked in. “I don’t know about this.”

“Are you kidding me? This is it! It’s another world, it’s exactly what we’ve been looking for. This will fix everything.”

Terry’s hand crossed the barrier. It felt almost like a soft, fleshy curtain. He felt himself being tugged further in, all the way up to his elbow. “Nick, I don’t like thi—”

“Yeah I bet you wouldn’t. It’s not the best feeling.” Nick's voice was velvety soft and dangerous, “But hey, at least you won’t lose the arm.”

“What the hell—” The portal was all the way up to his shoulder now.

“Oh don’t be so dramatic, it’s not like it’s a 1v4.” He was clearly holding himself back from laughing now, a dark chuckle in his voice.

“Nick!” Terry felt his chest being almost folded up into it, pulled in an unnatural way.

“I got stuck in here a little while back. It’s not like a full world per se, more like a pocket dimension. Kind of like the one Willy’s in actually. Definitely not pleasant, but I survived.”

Terry’s entire torso was inside the portal, his legs soon to follow.

“’Course, the difference is, I had people who knew exactly where I was. Dad sent some demons out here to get me in just a couple hours. You, on the other hand, don’t .”

If this thing followed any sort of natural logic, Terry’s legs should’ve been snapped backwards at the pelvis. As far as he could tell, nothing was broken, but it all just felt so wrong.

“A bit naïve, don’t you think? Following someone who hates you out into the middle of nowhere. I honestly didn’t think this gambit would be so easy.”

“Fuck… you…” Terry managed to spit out. His head was the only thing still sticking out.

“I’ve got demons in hell for that darlin’.” Nick leaned in, “It’s not a nice feeling is it? Being betrayed. Oh and before I forget.” He took out a paper seal and slapped it on Terry’s forehead. “Can’t have you figuring your own way out of here with magic.”

With that he pushed Terry’s head the rest of the way in. He just stared at the ripple for a moment before walking back to the car. Terry’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Nick looked at the screen. It was a text from Veronica. He shrugged before burning the device to ash in infernal fire. Not his problem. He opened up a portal to hell and drove back home.

[artist-issues]

Man... just saw your "Captain America: Brave New World" post, and I gotta say I'm definitely disappointed. Unlike many, I actually liked FaTWS, and was hopefully for what they'd do with Sam as Cap. I'll probably still see the movie because I like the character and want to see if for myself, but I'll definitely be tempering my expectations....

I like FaTWS too! I didn’t find it… “disappointing” so much, maybe because I couldn’t help but feel less invested than I did with Steve. Sam just has not been built up and written with the same level of confidence and care that the writers had with Steve.

The first half of the time (Winter Soldier through Infinity War) they were just writing him as Steve Rogers, if you lifted the burden of “symbol” and “man out of time” off of him. Think about it. Sam’s whole tagline was “I do what he does, just slower.” And he’s okay with that.

When we meet Sam, he’s living a normal life despite the fact that he used to be in the “superhero” category. But he’s not in that category anymore, his wings are retired, so we find him still doing good on a more mundane, normal-person level. He counsels vets. Which is a foil to Cap’s baggage. Sam is Steve, freed. Sam is the good guy with the ability to help everybody, who does his job and has everyone’s back…but then he feels the freedom to go home at the end of the day and do good as a normal guy, too. Steve doesn’t have that. Steve can’t have that, until he learns his lesson at the end of Endgame.

In fact, Sam is so free from being The Symbol of Hope when Cap is around that he doesn’t feel bad being antagonistic toward enemies, or being a little petty with friends in moments of high tension. He does have the seeds of “I’ll see good in everybody,” too: he gives Iron Man a chance to help Steve, and he works with Bucky when Bucky’s still freshly brainwashed even if he’s a little snippy about it.

But the thing is, if you have Sam strive to “live up to” Steve, you kind of undermine his relationship with Steve. He’s no Bucky, but he did know Steve. After Winter Soldier, the audience gets to see that Steve trusted Sam before he trusted anybody else. Steve did not have Natasha out looking for Bucky while the Avengers trained. He had one guy doing that: Sam Wilson. Because he was close with Sam, and trusted him. Heck, their first conversation was written around a moment where Steve was just treating Sam like any citizen, politely leaving after their run, until Sam proved he could talk to Steve like a normal, relatable human. “It’s your bed, isn’t it? Too soft?” They could connect.

Sam is also the only one Steve had conversations with about normal, deep issues. “You can do whatever you wanna do. What is it that makes you happy?” Steve isn’t shown having those conversations with Bucky. He briefly starts that conversation with Natasha in Endgame. But the point is that it’s Sam who’s his second best-friend, and their relationship is based on trust, mutual respect, and understanding.

So having Sam suddenly see Steve as a hero-figure to idolize and emulate and compare himself to puts distance between Sam and Steve. Makes them more like fan-and-hero than brothers-in-arms and honest plain friends. Sam didn’t think everything Steve did was perfect or awesome. He was on his side, but he clearly had doubts about the value in trusting or trying to save Bucky, which Steve was committed to doing. So this thing they have Sam doing (and even Bucky doing in FATWS) where he compares himself to this idea of Steve the Perfect Captain America was not a great move, to start out with.

But they made that decision, so let’s talk about how poorly the follow-up was handled. When you take Sam and give him the shield, he can only worry about living up to the symbol for so long. Eventually he has to become our new symbol.

I mean, this is the first example we have of this in the MCU, right? This is the first “one hero audiences love goes away and we have to accept that he passed the mantle down to a different hero.” So they really needed to stick this landing.

Captain America, very specifically, is supposed to be the selfless one. All heroes are selfless on some level, otherwise they wouldn’t be heroes, but the whole tension of superheroes is “I’ve been given incredible responsibility, so what do I do with it?” Iron Man makes it about himself, covering up past wrongs. Spider-Man, too, on a more empathetic level, because of Uncle Ben (in this universe, Aunt May.) There’s a little ego always fighting to break in and ruin selfless assumption of responsibility.

But not with Cap. The Captain America Symbol is supposed to be just that. The guy behind the shield disappears into the symbol—which is, selflessness.

If you have Sam make everything about “I gotta prove myself” and “am I ever enough” then the symbol becomes about him. So it’s ruined. We need him to not care about “living up to” anything. We need him to eventually get over that.

But they like…can’t drop that victim mentality bone they have him gnawing on.

And it just wasn’t one that Sam had before picking up the shield, which is what made him so endearing, and such a good choice, in theory, for Cap, in the first place.

[toddtakefive]

thinking about todd and his resolve toward… not quite isolation, but being alone in a room full of people again. he goes along to the study room to sit on his own and do his homework, he sits at the poets table and follows along with what’s being said while keeping quiet, he goes to the meetings at all but doesn’t necessarily contribute (in fact, if you watch him when cameron is telling the story ‘from camp in sixth grade’, you can see that he recognizes it before any of the other poets but doesn’t voice it until they all have). he’s not alone, necessarily, if you want to get technical about it, he’s just lonely, and he’s generally okay with that. he doesn’t have friends and that’s fine, he doesn’t participate in class and that’s fine, he doesn’t have a relationship with his family and that’s fine—he could live without any real connection and he’d have been, more or less, fine.

the thing about when he says “i can take care of myself just fine!” is that he isn’t really wrong, you can infer that he’s been doing it his entire life anyway, it’s that ‘taking care of yourself’ isn’t the same thing as really living or being happy. todd’s an introvert, certainly, and even as he gets closer to the group he defaults to sitting quietly in the background, but he’s also denying himself community out of fear not introversion. todd isn’t friendless because he’s an introvert, although that definitely plays a part, he’s friendless because he pushes anyone that might want his company away. if anyone has every wanted for his attention in the first place. (neil’s unwavering interest in him is unique (even when it comes to the rest of the poets, who are fine with todd coming along and joining the group, but aren’t really hellbent on him being there in the beginning) and his refusal to accept it is a direct result of being so lonely growing up.)

there’s obviously something to be said about the implications of his parents neglect, and the more than likely fact that he grew up friendless, and how those both play a part in in him being so skilled at dodging social interaction/being so avoidant of it, but by the time we see him in the movie he’s all but accepted his fate as being alone his entire life. he’s already accepted being the family disappointment, and he’s already accepted he’ll never amount to anything, and he obviously doesn’t like it, but he’d have managed living with that knowledge without the confirmation that it was all wrong. would he have been miserable? almost certainly. but he’d have managed. he’d done it for that long already, anyhow.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

im not exaggerating when i say ive been staring at your newest twitter art for the past twenty minutes. i feel ill Why can i hear them

the thigh size difference, the codpiece, charles drooling and Shaking that man is Gone, mags' smug smile and uh. his uhm . Hes HUGE..... charles How do you take that thing and live to tell the tale... and mags' lil speech bubble, what filth could he be sayin..... much to think about, i think i hauve covid, THEY LOOK SO GOOD, apologies to your bro's sneakers but i for one am very happy with this outcome :3 as always thank you so much for your service 🫡🫡

thank you for the review on my doodles today!!!!! i looked deep into my soul and let it do the rest......

[dennisboobs]

most annoying thing about being me is that i cannot engage with like. any fanon shit about dennis because i'm constantly on some advanced derangement and the stuff i thought two years ago when i was first getting comfy in the fandom is still the way everyone else looks at dennis but i'm like. yes but its Worse than this. you're like a quarter of the way there. this isn't the interesting bit, this is a symptom of it, keep going.