#i do not ship b/e but i see the value in that relationship and how it works in the story

[writerofthewinds]

Nikolai lantsov fluff alphabet

A/N: I watched shadow and bone last week and I fell IN LOVE with him so here's a fluff alphabet about him (NSFW Cumming soon hihi)

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Nikolai enjoys spending time with his significant other in various ways, from exploring the city to engaging in daring adventures together. He likes to share his love of flying and the sea with his partner and often takes them on exhilarating rides on his airship or ship. He also enjoys attending balls and social events with his s/o and spending quiet nights reading or playing games.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Nikolai is drawn to his partner's strength, intelligence, and courage. He finds their beauty in their unwavering loyalty and kindness, and he admires their quick wit and resourcefulness.

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

When his s/o is feeling down, Nikolai would listen patiently and offer words of comfort and encouragement. He would make them feel safe and secure, using his humor and wit to lift their spirits and make them laugh.

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Nikolai sees a future with his s/o filled with adventure, love, and loyalty. He envisions them ruling Ravka together as equals, supporting each other in their goals and aspirations.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship or relatively passive?

Nikolai believes in equality and mutual respect in his relationship. He values his partner's input and opinions and encourages them to speak their mind and pursue their own interests.

F ight - Would it be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

While Nikolai can be quick to anger, he is also quick to forgive and is not one to hold grudges. He believes in open and honest communication and tries to resolve conflicts calmly and rationally.

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Nikolai is extremely grateful for everything his s/o does for him, and he makes sure to show his appreciation with words and actions. He recognizes the sacrifices his partner has made for him and does not take their love and support for granted.

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

Nikolai values honesty and transparency in his relationship and does not keep secrets from his s/o. He believes in open and honest communication and expects the same from his partner.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

While Nikolai is a strong and confident person, he acknowledges that his s/o has helped him grow and evolve as a person. They have inspired him to be a better man and more compassionate and understanding.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous quickly? How do they deal with it?

While he can be possessive of his s/o, Nikolai trusts them completely and does not get jealous quickly. He would deal with any feelings of jealousy calmly and rationally, communicating openly and honestly with his partner.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Nikolai is a skilled kisser, with a confident and passionate approach. His first kiss with his s/o was electric and unforgettable, leaving both of them breathless and wanting more.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Nikolai would confess his love to his s/o with a grand gesture, perhaps taking them on a romantic airship ride under the stars. He would express his love in his own charming and witty way, telling them how much they mean to him and how much he cherishes their relationship.

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

While he is not one to rush into marriage, Nikolai can envision a future with his s/o where they are partners in every sense of the word. He would propose uniquely and thoughtfully, considering their interests and personalities. The marriage would be a celebration of their love and a reflection of their shared values.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Nikolai is fond of using nicknames for his s/o, such as "my love" or "darling," depending on the situation and their mood.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it evident to others? How do they express their feelings?

When he is in love, Nikolai is effusive and passionate, wearing his heart on his sleeve. He expresses his passion through grand gestures and thoughtful acts, and it is clear to everyone around him that he is head over heels for his s/o.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Nikolai is upfront about his relationship and enjoys showing off his s/o in front of others. He is not shy to kiss or hold hands in public.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

Nikolai has a great sense of humor, and he loves to make his s/o laugh. He can always lighten the mood with a witty comment or a silly joke.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

Nikolai is a hopeless romantic and loves to do grand romantic gestures for his s/o. He would plan surprise dates, write love letters, and shower his s/o affectionately to make them happy.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

Nikolai is very supportive of his s/o and believes in them. He would do anything to help them achieve their goals and dreams.

T hrill - Do they need to try new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a specific routine?

Nikolai enjoys trying out new things with his s/o and keeping things exciting. He is always up for an adventure and loves to surprise his s/o with something new.

U nderstanding - How well do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Nikolai is very empathetic and understanding toward his partner. He knows them well and can always tell when something is wrong. He is a great listener and always offers a shoulder to lean on.

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it worth in comparison to other things in their life?

The relationship is significant to Nikolai, who values it above other things in his life. He sees his s/o as his equal partner and wants to build a future with them.

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

Once he organized a whole day just the both of them (which is exceptional considering how busy he is ) Horse riding picnic in the wild, roaming around rakva with the hummingbird you came back with you on a little cloud

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Nikolai is very affectionate and loves to cuddle and kiss his s/o. He always looks for ways to show his love and make his partner feel special.He adores wit hen his so plays with his hair

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Let's say you have to go somewhere far. Nikolai would always be in touch with him so you should expect a frequent amount of letters from him telling him everything that happens when you are gone you can tell he misses you in those letters

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Nikolai is willing to go to great lengths for the relationship, including making sacrifices and taking risks. He would fight for his s/o and do whatever it took to keep them safe and happy.

[quartzguts]

Trope rating game

i'm putting this as its own post instead of reblogging to avoid having a super duper long post on my blog. thank u @rinn-e for tagging me!

rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic? -10 -> very dissuaded 

0 - don’t care either way 

+10 -> very enticed 

nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged.  Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

Age gap: +10

YEAH YEAH YEAH. pretty much all my recent major ships have had age gap (ardynoct, askefinn, sladin, etc). i've figured out recently that i find it kind of boring when the two characters are on the same level, and age gap is an easy way to effect that power imbalance.

Codependency: +10

yep yes and always. love when two people are each other's world. love when they would do anything for each other and that's a bad thing. love when they destroy themselves for each other.

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +7

see above lol. this one gets a lower score because jealousy can get a little annoying. i actually like it when characters AREN'T jealous... like, A trying to make B jealous and B doesn't care, because they know A will come crawling back to them sooner or later.... nice... if the jealousy is warranted (like an above situation w flirting/cheating/etc) then that crosses the line into love triangle which i'm not big on, and if it isn't warranted it gets annoying. i like obsession and possessiveness a lot but jealousy doesn't necessarily have to be part of that.

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): 0

eh, it's okay. i prefer it when two characters in a ship are shockingly similar, even if they have completely different values/motives/goals, whatever. opposites can be cute but it's not really my thing.

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +9

i started writing a paragraph about how i prefer enemies to remain fucked up and awful even if they get into a relationship, but then i remembered all the crying i've done imagining soft sweet Wales endgame askefinn and i was like yeah, let's not lie today LOL. both are good.

Friends with benefits: -5

where's the ROMANCE? where's the DRAMA? where's the OBSESSION? it's not like i hate it but i typically want a more substantial emotional attraction y'know. also, a lot of the fic i've read recently does... not really involve the characters in question being friendly lmaooo.

Sex to feelings: 0

this is a difficult one to rate because it can be very very different depending on the existing dynamic. are we talking about two strangers who keep hooking up and develop feelings? two enemies who feel nothing but hate for each other, but their relationship starts to change once they have sex? i guess this trope is more the former, which isn't something i would actively look for but isn't something i dislike either, so it gets an even 0.

Fake dating/relationship: +6

god i used to read this trope so so often. i'm not huge on established relationship because i want to see the relationship grow (rereading this i realize it makes me look like a tool because i've written a bunch of established relationship recently but like... I KNOW how they got there ok. my city now), but i also love cutesy romantic shit, so fake dating is right up my alley (along with arranged marriage and soulmates for the same reason). bonus if the faking is very uncomfortable for one or both characters. put those blorbos in a psychologically stressful situation where they have to pretend to be happy 👌

Friends to lovers: +3

yeah it's fine. see above, i like my ships terrible and fucky. this trope doesn't usually facilitate that. if it's awful friends to awful lovers i'm all over it.

Found Family: -9

not gonna lie, i wasn't big on found family in the first place and kingdom hearts fandom utterly destroyed whatever little interest i had in it. while i like platonic relationships in original fiction, for fic i rarely if ever read gen fic. it's shipping or bust for me. if they aren't doing the nasty (physically or emotionally) i'm not interested.

Hurt/Comfort: +8

ohhhhh yeaaaahhhhh babyyyyyyyy i'm all about that whump. love it when a blorbo is harmed and another blorbo has to help them. i can go for hurt/no comfort too sometimes but only if i'm in the mood for it.

Love Triangle: -6

yeaaaah no. this is another area where i like them in original fiction but am not at all into it in fic. i like my ships with two characters (who preferably have no interest in anyone else).

Poly, open relationships: -5

i do have some multi character ships (pyra/mythra/rex/nia is the one that immediately comes to mind, though i don't typically read xenoblade fic) but i'm not usually a fan, for the same reason i mentioned for love triangles. a lot of times i'm only here for one or two characters in the relationship so anyone extra feels unnecessary and distracting.

Mistaken/hidden identity: +5

i probably would've given this a lower score if i wasn't in my sladin revival era. superhero secret identities are perfect for conflict.

Monsterfucking: +8

gave this an 8 because when it leans too far into furry/bestiality territory that's when i'm out. generally love monsters of all kinds though, and all the hentai-esque tropes that come with it.

Pregnancy: -8

hate kid fics. god do i hate kid fics. this only gets a -8 and not -10 because unwanted pregnancy fics that do not end with a kid being born can be pretty angsty, which is nice.

Second Chance: +6

second chance for... what? as in a redemption arc? sure i'm down for that. also down for a character getting a second chance even though they have not earned it, because another character refuses to give up on them/let go. second chance time travel where a character gets to go back and redo something is also top tier.

Slowburn: +1

this one was very hard to rate. i've read some slowburns that i absolutely loved. i'm currently writing a slowburn where it's 20k in and the mfers haven't even held hands. but i also get bored easily and if it's TOO slow it begins to feel like the fic is dragging its feet. to keep me interested i usually like if there's another element going on, like fake dating, enemies to lovers, heavy whump, etc.

Soulmates: +9

YES. YES YES YES. LOVE THAT. again, it's a way to have both relationship development AND immediate sex/romance. especially good when the soulmates are enemies or otherwise not suited to each other in any way whatsoever and this is surely the work of a god with a very shitty sense of humor. i have written and read many soulmates fics and i intend on writing and reading many more.

Tagging all of my lovely mutuals!! qwq some of u have already been tagged so i will save u the trouble of tagging u twice!

[itsgerges]

Best Greetings

How Is The Creature Realization And Logic Created?

How can the animals know this is s street and walk though it? how can to know this is a canal and doesn't walk through?  

There are 2 factors must have effects on the realization process

(First Factor) The Earth Motion

As usual – the simple question have no answer! the today question is –

 What's The Earth Motion Effect On The Creature Realization Process?

 No book defines the Earth motion effect on the creature vision for the universe! No one touches the question or considers it!

 Imagine we live on a ship – the ship sailing will effect our daily life and our logic – so- the question is – the Earth velocity is 29.8 km/s – what's the effect of this motion on the creature realization process?

(Second Factor) The Sun Rays

The sun rays is a visible light for the creature eyes – frequently I have asked – why the sun rays is NOT in Gamma or Any Ray which be invisible for the creature eyes and by that No light will be on the Earth for the creature?

Why can the creature eyes see the sun rays? The question proves a relationship must be found between the creature eyes (and creation) with the sun rays.

 The picture shows different parts for one process – by that – the Earth motion, the creature realization, the sun rays and the spacetime coordinates these parts are connected by a great connection but what's it?

 I see parts of one picture and don't know how to arrange them – but the physicist sees these parts are independent from one another -  by that – the physicist can Not help simply-  let's put these parts beside each other

(1)

Einstein equation (E=mc^2) tells some relationship be found between the matter and speed of light

(2)

Lorentz transformation tells particle data can be changed by high velocity motion – means – a relationship is found between particle data and speed of light!

(3)

The observer determination the experiment shows that the wave and particle are 2 faces for one coin and each face be seen as a result for some reason (which may be the relative motion)

(4)

The sun rays is visible for the creature eyes which shows that a physical reason must be found behind

(5)

The system of creation (male and female) and the double production experiment (electron and positron from Gamma ray) gives a similar reference for the creation

(6)

The Earth velocity – as I account it – which equals the speed of light (300000 km/s) shows that the speed of light has a great effect on the universe vision

 What do I try to do?

I want to conclude – Because the Earth (real velocity) is 300000 km/s this velocity has an effect on the creature realization process- this idea can be seen by another side – that- the Earth motion creates an absolute frame of reference and because the Earth real velocity is (300000 km/s) – this velocity has an effect on the coordinates which defines the space and time values- and by that the velocity creates an effect on the creature realization process-

I want to say-

The speed of light is a component of the universe structure - the universe of matter depends on the speed of light and can't be found without it

That causes to narrow the gab between the picture parts but still the relationship between the creature realization process and the Earth motion velocity is the complex point behind.

 Notice

How the Earth velocity can be equal the speed of light 300000 km/s??

 (a)

The 9 planets velocities total is 176 km/s and I add the Earth moon (29.8 km/s)

By that The 10 planets velocities total is 205.8 km/s

Now

300000 km = 7.1 x (205.8)^2

7.1=Lorentz transformation rate for a velocity =0.99 c =297000 km/s

(b)

The data tells – the planets velocities total (205.8 km/s) must be equivalent to the speed of light -

 Thanks a lot – kind regards

Speed Of Light Has An Effect On Matter Creation Process

https://www.academia.edu/s/053a0a794e

or

https://www.academia.edu/98508585/Speed_Of_Light_Has_An_Effect_On_Matter_Creation_Process

or

https://app.box.com/s/tpl1shsi2m28dqo6rq6x6j7ncid0zl4g

or

https://app.box.com/s/x52am353v74fwieeodg4a73yv9c31l2r

Gerges Francis Tawdrous +201022532292

Physics Department- Physics & Mathematics Faculty  

Peoples' Friendship university of Russia – Moscow   (2010-2013)

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[charmed-redemption]

A. What nicknames do they get called?

Heir of the Damned

Mistress of the east

B. Describe their family dynamic.

Absolute Monarchy, he is the crowned prince and baby of the family. His mother is the queen and the mother. His father is a dad before the king.

C. What’s their weirdest habit or quirk?

Running and hiding to do the things that he loves.

D. What was their high school experience like?

Private school but the oddest experience was seeing random people's sexual fantasies and tapping into their lust.

E. What is their love language?

acts of service

F. How do they handle conflict?

directly He will fight and not thing twice about it

G. What’s their greatest talent?

Over thinking everything

H. Where is their favorite place to be?

Near water

I. What makes them feel safe?

Being alone that way noone can hurt him

J. What is their greatest weakness?

Same as his strength overthinking but he believe he believes that people will abandon him.

K. What is their greatest strength?

Over thinking everything

L. What is their secrets to happiness?

Loving others more than he loves himself

M. How do they handle competition?

" People should never Compete where they Don't compare. and others don't compart to me."

N. What are their hidden talents?

Rico is a decent singer

O. What motivates them?

Defending those that cant defend themselves

P. What advice would they give to their younger self?

" have more sex"

Q. Do they have a signature look or fashion?

runway and fitted

R. How tall are they?

5'7"

S. What’s their relationship like with their parents?

Good they all love each other and they can talk about anything

T. What are their favourite foods?

Spaghetti

U. What do they like to do in their spare time?

Read books about magic or life Occasionally QB to learn about fashion and skin care

V. What’s their biggest pet peeve?

Repeating himself or getting/ Feeling annoyed

W. What’s their favourite sport?

Basketball

X. What’s their biggest fear?

Prople

Y. What physical object do they value most?

His Grimouir

Z. What’s their relationship status?

Verse depended but single, Single ship. Arranged marriage

[sometimesrosy]

idk if it’s spoiler. It shouldn’t be since it’s an interview but anyways. how do you feel abt tas*a’s words regarding bec*o. abt their “ first” fight and then “balancing each other”? I don’t know what to think since she seems to be not that trustworthy during interviews. But fight and balancing eo doesn’t make me think of a break up.So what do you think? i don’t want u to think im an hateful anon, it was just a thought. Feel free to not answer.

I want to answer and this is not hateful. I’m going to have to make judgment calls on what I think is a spoiler and what isn’t. And since his was an interview and NOT in Sanctum, I’m going to count it as safe.

So what do I think of Tasya’s interview?

First of all, I do not think of Tasya’s interviews as unreliable. They have helped me come to understand Echo’s character much better. Because as far as I can tell, Tasya basically only tells us ECHO’S point of view. Tasya is NOT analyzing the story for narrative or themes or endgame. She is ONLY talking about Echo. That’s how she goes into the script and the show, that’s what she’s asking the directors and JR about. ECHO. Echo’s character, echo’s motivation, echo’s story. 

When people ask Tasya something, they might be asking to figure out the whole story, or their ship or whatever. But when she answers, she can only answer with what ECHO knows or would think about the question.

So when we ask about Bellamy, she’s not telling us what happens in the end, or what Bellamy thinks or how it affects Bellarke. She is ONLY speaking of Echo and what she feels.

This is an example of what I mean when I tell everyone to question the information they receive, on anything. Question the agenda of the speaker. Question their perspective. Where are they coming from? What do they know? What do they want?

TBH, Tasya has been very professional. She’s speaking to you as an actress who plays this character, who she’s been thinking about for years. If you want her to give you proof of Bellarke, either to confirm or destroy it, it’s you who is stepping out of line and asking her not only to reveal spoilers, but also to speak as an authority on a thing that is not her arena. She plays Echo. The story now has Echo with Bellamy. THAT’S what she can speak of. She’s not the showrunner who can tell us Echo’s fate. She’s not Pedowitz who can allow spoilers. She’s the actress who can tell you what Echo wants, feels or knows. And that’s ALL she’s telling us. 

When she says Echo thinks Bellarke are like siblings, that’s telling us what ECHO feels, not what Bellamy or Clarke feel or what JR intends. And looking at the story that way, it is FAR more revealing to the state of B/E and the intentions of JR, and the way the narrative is proceeding than any other bit of evidence I’ve seen. Or, it makes sense of all that narrative evidence and gives motivation for her actions. It’s like the missing piece in what B/E actually is.

So if you look at Tasya’s comments from the close perspective of Echo, they ALL make sense. That’s why when I make my speculation about c/b/e, I feel like I know where Echo is going to go. Because I’m considering Echo’s canon and stated character, and evaluating how someone like that would act in various situations.

So what about her current comments. I like them. I like them for my c/b/e concerns. 

They have an argument. Yes. That’s what I want. I want the feelings to get out. I want conflict. Different goals and focuses? Different moralities? Different ideas about how to move forward? How he feels about other characters? Yes.

We need to see conflict because Bellamy and Echo have some fundamental differences in character that were not apparent on the ring because there was no real conflict. They have not been tested as a couple. And now comes the test. I know what I think will happen, but Bellamy and Echo don’t. Depending upon what happens with Clarke, that will affect things. I think more importantly for b/e, how they deal with their concept of Being The Good Guy vs Doing What’s Best For Your People, is going to be the deciding factor. Because Bellamy is the good guy, and Echo is the assassin who will do bad things to protect her people. Bellamy has learned that is not who he wants to be. Echo has not. 

As for the balance? This is their relationship. They are partners and family and they have developed an equilibrium over six years. Does that equilibrium last when they have new challenges? When the stable family of 7 people is added to or subtracted from? IDK. Maybe it only works in one way, not another. 

I think fandom wants to think that if there is anything positive in B/E, then it means Bellarke is doomed. But that’s not how it works. B/E is a positive, healthy relationship that is there to show us that Bellamy has grown and healed and learned how to accept love, something he was unable to do when he was with Clarke before praimfaya. Not with Clarke, not with Octavia, not with Kane. And he struggled with the delinquents, too. He was growing, and learning to accept himself. He got a whole lesson from Jasper about it. B/E shows us that he achieved this healing. If Clarke had made it to the ring, for sure he would have shown his growth through a relationship with HER, but then we would have missed out entirely on the development of the central relationship of The 100 becoming romantic and that WOULD HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE.

If B/E was a horrible relationship, that would have meant that Bellamy wasn’t ready to be with Clarke yet. If Echo knew about how he felt about Bellamy, and had to deal with his love for a dead girl for 6 years, she would have a different reaction to Clarke’s reappearance and to Bellamy and their relationship. That she didn’t means B/E was a recent relationship and not settled. B/E OPENS THE DOOR to the Bellarke relationship.

I know when you ship a thing on a show, and when you fall in love in real life, you want to believe that THIS IS ENDGAME and will last forever, but the truth is that most relationships, even loving ones, end. The better they are, the more potential they have as a match, the more you learn from them. If Echo and Bellamy balance each other, that’s good. They have a healthy, working relationship.

But it doesn’t compare to what Clarke and Bellamy mean to each other. They don’t just balance each other. They center each other. They are the head to the other’s heart. They question each other. They believe in each other. They trust each other. They save each other and redeem each other. They are honest with each other. They are devoted to each other. They are soulmates.

B/E works. Bellarke is, however, destined to be together, and together they are stronger, better and bigger than they are alone. 

I also don’t think Echo’s story this season will be about b/e at all. I think her narrative arc and character arc is about herself, her past, being the good guy, making choices for herself as an individual NOT as part of a tribe or even a family. Echo is a child slave who became a servant to the throne who became an exile, who became dependent upon an isolated family. Her self worth has ALWAYS been about serving other people, about being there for THEM. I think season 6 will be about Echo learning for the first time that she is more than just someone there to protect and serve, but a person on her own.

And if you look at the things Tasya says in interviews, that’s what she’s talking about, even when people ask shipping questions to figure out either B/E or Bellarke. Echo’s thoughts about b/e or bellarke are just thoughts. They aren’t telling you story, just where Echo’s head is at. 

[firelxdykatara]

If you interpret Katara’s aggression towards Zuko as romantic affection, then you have some serious issues of your own. Is a very dangerous message for teenage girls indeed. People who ship Zutara have to seriously analyze how unhealthy the message of the pairing would be. Katara hated Zuko for a valid reason, and to twist it into something it’s not is massively disrespectful to both the character. The outdated and ridiculous notion that a girl who acts like she doesn’t like a guy is simply “confused” and “denying her feelings” is so sexist and degrading. Take her emotions at face value. It's never been

Yawn. Boring. This is the same old tired argument I’ve heard a million times before--the one that proves a) you don’t actually understand how relationships work, and b) you’ve never read a single zutara meta in your life, because that’s the only way you could seriously get the ‘good girl is secretly in love with the bad boy and hopes to fix him’ read of a relationship that bares absolutely no resemblance to that particular collection of tropes either in the show or in our fandom.

But ok! I’ll bite, since you clearly want so badly to be educated and evidently don’t have the time to watch the show yourself, nor the reading comprehension necessary to understand the sort of media analysis that goes on in a lot of atla and zutara-focused meta in this fandom.

Which probably means that anything I write here will fly right over your head, but oh well, what can you do?

At any rate, the first mistake you’ve made here is assuming that I (or zutara shippers in general, but since you came into my inbox, I’m going to be taking this just as personally as you clearly intended me to) interpret Katara’s aggression towards Zuko as romantic at any point in the series prior to their reconciliation (after which point, there is no aggression from Katara aimed at Zuko for anyone, me included, to interpret romantically in the first place). I don’t, and I never have, and neither does a vast majority of the zutara fandom in the spaces I frequent (which encompasses tumblr, occasionally twitter, and the very large zutara discord server I’ve been an active part of for two years now). Pointing out oddly suggestive tension in early parts of the series (such as the “I’ll save you from the pirates” and “you rise with the moon, I rise with the sun” lines, or the fact that Zuko wore Katara’s necklace around his wrist for like nine episodes when there was absolutely no need for it) is just that--pointing out tension.

There doesn’t need to be feelings for there to be tension, antagonistic or otherwise, but that tension is the foundation from which their relationship arc throughout the series grew, developed, and eventually evolved. This is what is generally known as relationship development, and it occurs when two characters go from having one kind of relationship to another within the course of the story.

For example, enemies, who become friends, who become lovers.

Now, your mileage may vary on this next part (although I really hope not, cause Y I K E S), but I, personally, think that ‘if a boy kisses you without your consent, but he really really loves you, then you owe it to him to love him back, especially if he just saved the world, and you should never expect an apology because since you suddenly decided you return those feelings, that means the violation of your boundaries was ok since clearly you really liked him all along’ is a much more damaging message to send to young girls--and boys, to be frank, especially since learning about consent is hugely important at young ages--than ‘if a boy who was your enemy goes to great lengths to better himself, to the point where you forgive him for when he hurt you and become close friends with him, then it’s normal for those feelings to grow and change, even to the point of becoming romantic, and it’s ok to explore them’.

And guess which one of those is canon to the AtLA finale?

Next, you say ‘Katara hated Zuko for a valid reason’ as if that was ever in dispute. It wasn’t--certainly not on my blog. I know there are some people who hate Katara because she was ‘too mean’ to Zuko, but I don’t agree with them, nor do I associate with them, since I have no time, energy, or room in my life for Katara slander. However, do you know what the operative word is in that sentence? Hated. As in past tense. As in, ‘Katara used to hate Zuko, but by the end of the show that is no longer the case, and they are extremely close friends with a deep bond and multiple life-debts between them’.

Why are you so insistent on not only denying Zuko’s hard-earned and bitterly fought for redemption, but also Katara’s emotions and feelings, which you end this weirdly disjointed ask by insisting they be taken at face value?

And it’s actually really funny (ironic funny, not so much ‘ha ha’ funny) that you use the word ‘confused’ there, followed by the phrase ‘denying her real feelings’, and then call that ‘sexist and degrading’, as if that isn’t exactly what happened in Katara’s canon endgame in the show.

She said point blank that she was confused, she showed with her words, tone, and body language that she was not open to Aang’s romantic advances, she had completely forgotten about the last time he’d kissed her without her consent, rather than reflecting on her romantic feelings as one would expect of a girl who’d been kissed by someone we’re supposed to believe she’s had feelings for since book 1, and was completely taken aback by Aang’s reaction to the play and his weird believe that they ‘were gonna be together’, when she had never once indicated that she wanted to be with him in any romantic sense. And yet, he kissed her--and while she got angry about it and stormed off in the moment, he never apologized for crossing her boundaries, and they also didn’t have a single significant scene together between that moment and the epilogue.

What happened to taking Katara’s emotions at face value? What happened to how ‘sexist and degrading’ it is to assume that if a girl says she’s confused, that must mean she’s ‘denying her feelings’? What happened to caring about Katara’s agency, even a little bit?

Anyway, I’m gonna wrap this up by saying: I do not believe Zuko and Katara should’ve been making out in the finale instead. I actually hate the fact that the final shot of AtLA was a romantic kiss (particularly for such a poorly written pairing), rather than a shot of the gaang together like it should have been to show what the series was meant to be about. I think that focusing on the romantic relationships in the finale undercut an already weak ending to an otherwise great (not perfect, but certainly good enough that it deserved much better closure) show.

That said, I also think a Zutara kiss would have been more earned, at that point in both of their narratives. Because Katara’s feelings had been the focus of their relationship throughout its entirety. Zuko’s feelings mattered, too, of course, (in stark contrast to how they were treated during his relationship with Mai), but Katara was the one who got to choose when and why and what she felt about him. She got to choose when to forgive him. She got to choose to help him, and to save his life, and her emotions were frequently the focus in a way they never were during her relationship with Aang, so nudging those into a more romantic light not only would have fit better with her character arc, it also would have been far less jarring to see that as the culmination of their respective storylines, rather than a romantic kiss coming out of nowhere when her very last scene with him was being kissed without her consent and storming off about it because it upset her.

My most fervent hope, anon, is that some day you actually watch the show, Avatar: the Last Airbender. Because Katara and Zuko are amazing characters, they have amazing storylines both separately and together, and it’s really a crime whenever someone misunderstands both of them so badly. I hope that when you do watch the show, you pay attention. You may see something amazing.

[aboutmikasa]

Hi there. I am one of your readers and I have read all of your RM fanfic stories. And I admire them all.

You also write Mikasa with other men/women which is for me very enriching- in a way that your readers can explore and see the dynamic of Mikasa's character by portraying her in different relationships with varied men/women.

But my question, however, is about RivaMika. In your perspective as a Mikasa stan and a multi-shipper writer: what do you think is the strongest quality of RM among other ships?

Hi! Thank you so much for always being there! I always notice you and I’m super grateful for your support and kindness, it means a lot to me.

As you mention I love to explore Mikasa in many different scenarios and looking at her from different perspectives, without changing who she is and I just want to write and read nice fics about how much love she deserves. Every ship is different, the dynamics and interactions are never the same, and of course, every ship attracts me for different reasons.

Rivamika is my OTP, the ship I spend most of my time writing (things I publish and lots of things I may never publish). For me, what makes them special is [a] they both are Ackermans; [b] how much they have in common, [c] how kind is Levi, and above all, the two things I value the most in any relationship [d] respect and, [e] equality. The last thing is my weakness, [f] a terrible first impression (this is the root of most of the couples I ship because, well, my mothership is DarcyxLizzy).

You can stop reading here or follow my long, long, ramblings on how much (and why) I love rivamika.

I love the Ackermans, I’ve always been team Ackerman. I trust them and I knew they were going to be alive at the end of all of this (I wasn’t a prediction but more a feeling; the feeling that Isayama loves them as much as a lot of us do). This is linked with the things they share and their equality but, it stands alone because, well, the Ackermans are the most iconic clan in the story, they are the strongest and all of them are so freaking amazing. When his last name showed and Kenny showed us the family story… I found it even more alluring. I don’t give a damn about the “they are related” issue because they are not, and belonging to the same clan or having the same last name is so good for creativity and writing purposes (the best inside jokes I've read in fanfiction comes from this). It's as if something is pulling me more and more towards them as a ship.

Even if Levi were no Ackerman, the things they have experienced made them attractive to me. A lot. They are strong and people always assume things about them, they lost their families (more than once), they believe in their friends and tried really hard to protect them, they want to protect humanity even when humanity treats them bad. Levi is as taciturn as Mikasa, and he wants a quiet life. I don’t believe two very different people are a good match; couples need to share and have in common a lot of their essential interests: wanting quietness, stepping aside from crows and the public eye, the loyalty they have… These type of things is not easy to balance if you partner needs/wants something else.

The third I adore and that makes me ship them, is Levi’s kindness. I know most people focus on his strength and I get it, he is stronger as hell, but for me what is more distinctive about him is his kindness. He had no reason to be so kind but he is, he listens and tries his best to help. When he “offered” to break Erwin’s legs, when he understood why Mikasa and Eren wanted to save Armin, every time he talked to Mikasa, his interest in Historia. It's not your usual kind guy but the misunderstood type. Mikasa needs that more than anything. Kindness is something I explore in all my fics with Levi, he is more kind than resilient, and that, I adore about him. A strong, kind, resilient, and awkward Levi is so perfect for Mikasa.

For respect and equality, well, the things they share are as important as their differences. Levi is man enough to don’t give a damn about Mikasa being taller than him, to love how strong and muscular she is, to understand she needs her own space and that she moves at her own pace. Mikasa has hope enough for him to have a bit, so caring that he feels safe, Mikasa wants a family and I can’t imagine someone, anyone, else wanting him to have kids of his own and supporting his dream of having his tea shop. Mikasa learned to respect him as much as he learned to respect her and they the most amazing team ever made in fiction. Seriously.

My heart needs to go from a terrible first impression to "love of my life" and, let's be honest, no other couple can give us the Pride and Prejudice vibe. I read once some EM reference and got offended, not even for SnK, but for my Pride and Prejudice soul and how inaccurate is to say E would be Darcy... a kind, blue, man that is the epitome of romantic hero with a quizzical brow. And Levi grows in her just as Darcy grows in Lizzy's heart. I call it my P&P test, if a couple passes it, it's my ship forever. It's absurd and completely personal.

And as a side note, I love their height difference with a burning passion. Mikasa is as self-assured, as he is, and having a shorter man as his man wouldn’t matter to her. Once she loves, she loves fervently. And my inner self—breaking molds and defying stereotypes and patriarchy—can’t love more how not conventional but still conventional they can be.

It’s not one thing alone, it’s the sum of all of it. They are so good together and I live for it.

Idk if you have noticed but, it’s really hard for me not to mention Levi in my non-rivamika fics, and once he’s there, damn he doesn’t stay put and fights me really hard for her. I can’t explain it better, but he’s the closest thing I can accept as her soulmate.

[thebountyfucker]

Embo Relationship Alphabet

My take one the Embo Relationship NSFW Alphabet. (First done by@justanotherstarwarswhore) The format is from Din Djarin (SFW + NSFW 18+ Alphabet Combo) by ChicanaStardust

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex) Embo values his partners, and unlike some other bounty hunters, he prides himself in caring for them. He is aware in the importance of aftercare, especially after intense scenes, and is the first to initiate aftercare. He enjoys giving massages (though they can be unintentionally rough due to his incredible strength) and will even go as far as helping his partner to bathe if they request it.

B= Body part (What’s their favourite body part on themselves, and their partner?) Just as @justanotherstarwarswhore said, Embo is not vain. He sees himself as a functional whole, for a lack of a better description. He is a hunter, he is a warrior... as long as he can fulfill these duties, he doesn't much care about how he looks. He is neither vain nor insecure in his appearance, though he is aware that his more alien biology is not a turn-on for everyone. As for his partner, Embo, again, sees them as a whole person. He doesn't like breaking his partners down into 'favorite parts' because there is more to a partner than looks. He does have a certain fascination with breasts, only because Kyuzos don't have them. Doesn't mean he likes them better or more, he just finds them amusing.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum, basically) Embo cums - a lot. He can orgasm over and over again, unlike humans. It's hot, and a bit sticky, and he produces more than many species. He doesn't have a favorite place to cum, but there is a certain pleasure in watching it leak out of a partner. (It tastes sweeter than human cum, but it has a bit of a metallic after-taste)

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?) & Dirty secret (self-explanatory) Eventually, yeah, probably. He grew up around kids and finds them delightful, so he'd probably want to have them at some point. He does intend to retire from hunting, but not soon. He considers himself at the top of his game and doesn't want to waste that opportunity. He is a neat-freak and a wonderful cook, though he tends to cook spicy, ethnically-Phatrongi food.

As for a dirty secret, I think he got around quite a bit when he was younger. Generally during his training days on Phatrong. Kyuzos, other than their weaker lungs, are incredibly hearty and rarely get sick. He didn't feel like he had to worry about STDs. When he left Phatrong, though, he slowed down a bit. He still sometimes sleeps with other bounty hunters. (What else are you going to do when you spend weeks on a ship alone?)

E = Experience (how experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?) Going back to the previous point, I think he's quite experienced with pleasuring partners of any gender. Of course, he's most experienced with those that share his same biology. He's still learning about how to please other species, but that doesn't mean he's bad at it.

F = Fiancé (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?) Embo would be the type to settle down with a long-term lover or two, but I don't think he's the marrying type. He feels that marriage is kind of a scam and complicates otherwise fine relationships.

G = Goofy (are they the serious type or more humorous?) Embo is very serious - it comes with the job. He might try to quip or crack jokes, but they usually fall short because Kyuzan jokes don't make much sense to outsiders.

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? Does the carpet match the drapes? Etc.) & Head (Giving and receiving) No hair, upstairs or downstairs. He doesn't mind hair on his partner. He also doesn't mind partners without hair. To him, hair is inconsequential. He likes giving and receiving head.

When he's in a situation where he can eat a partner out, he will gladly do so. (He's got quite the tongue, though his sharper teeth do pose a slight threat to the nethers. He's careful, though) He likes receiving enough that he won't ever turn it down, but it's not a required sexual act for him.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?) & Intimacy (How intimate are they during sex?) It would be rare to hear that from Embo. He's a bounty hunter, and despite how much he may care for a partner, he does need to keep a certain distance. Without doing so, it could put his partner in danger.

He's intimate, surprisingly! He's very worshipful and reverent, but good luck getting any emotional intimacy out of him (for the prior reason).

J = (Jealousy and Jack off/Handjob combo) Embo, jealous? No! Or at least that's what he'd say if a

partner asked. And, to an extent, it's true. However, if a partner were to flirt with, or be flirted with, one of his immediate rivals, he would likely be a bit upset. He masturbates sometimes, but not often.

K = Kisses that lead into kinks (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed? What are one or more of their kinks?) Kissing Embo is... difficult. Circumstances have to be exactly correct (there has to be oxygen enough for him and his partner to both breathe relatively comfortably, which is difficult to achieve). He likes it... it just doesn't happen often.

I agree with@justanotherstarwarswhore that Embo likely has a size kink. It's hard not to, given his height. Otherwise, Embo is what I like to call 'a sexual chameleon', meaning that he will engage in mostly any kinks that his partner requests. (Within limits, of course).

L = Location (Favorite place to do the do.) I'd say bedroom, bathroom, kitchen... anywhere in a private home, really.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?) & Motivation (What gets them going?) Embo is an early riser. Like... early. He'd get up, meditate, drink some tea, and probably do some tidying around his place before his partner ever wakes. When they do wake, he'd already have breakfast ready.

Clear communication is the thing the gets him going the most. But, he's also into a partner sitting on his lap and grinding against him.

N = No (something that is a turn off? ) He's up for almost anything, but I do think age play and scat/vomit play are off the table.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?) Good luck getting him to reveal anything about his personal life unprompted. He's rather closed off, though if one was to ask about his past, he might answer.

P = Pace (are they soft and sensual? Or are they rough and feral?) & PDA (are they open to displaying the relationship?) Both. He does as his partner desires, but his 'rough and feral' can be too much for many people. (Man's strong as hell! Without full cognizance of his strength, he can do serious damage.)

PDA is... very rare. Again, he is a hunter. He doesn't care as much about his public image as he does about his partner's safety.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?) Embo remembers a lot. He's more of a listener than a speaker, after all. Sometimes, he can bring things up that even his partners don't remember telling him.

R = Risks (are they game to experiment? Do they take risks?) It depends, really. Does he experiment? Most definitely. Will he partake in things that he's tried and doesn't care for? Depends on the partner. He partook in much riskier behaviors when he was younger.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?) Embo is very protective. His business is dangerous. His enemies, even more so. He would protect his partner with his life.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?) The Kyuzo don't celebrate anniversaries, so he wouldn't think anything of them. He would spoil his partners on dates, though, taking them to fancy restaurants and on expensive vacations.

U = Unfair (How much they like to tease.) He would like a bit of teasing, but he wouldn't say that it's the primary turn-on for him. He would also tease his partner a little, but nothing too extreme.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?) & Volume (Are they loud during sex?) Again, Embo is not vain. He doesn't care about how his body looks, but he does take pride in keeping his uniform/armor as clean as possible. (Obviously, he can't always keep it clean... but he tries). He's rather quiet, but he does hiss and growl sometimes.

W = Whole/wildcard (What's a random headcanon for the character?) Embo doesn't wear much clothes around his home.

X = Xtra & X-Ray (Random Headcanon/ What’s Underneath those clothes) Embo and his partners sometimes have ritual sex to appease his goddess. Embo's cock is quite large - it's longer than most humans', and thicker. There are nodes at the top of his cock which are adept at rubbing internal pleasure points (g-spot, a-spot, etc.) He also has internal balls.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?) In terms of how long he can go when sex has started? It's incredibly high. He can and has fucked for hours and hours without tiring. In terms of how often, I would say the higher-end of average.

Z = Zzzzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?) Embo sleeps very little and very lightly. It's biology and training at this point. He'll sleep for five hours at night, and then sometimes take a quick cat nap during the day.

[gagmebucky]

thank you to taylor @blessedbucky​, mia @theamericanfalcon, liz @marvelous-mr-stark, raechel, shayla, lauren, courtney, em and tina for allowing me to write this content as well as my beta reader kat @angel-fire​! love you all!

read the full synopsis and excerpt // read chapters snippets here.

o. in which you accidentally send your nudes to your brothers’ best friend. (includes reader’s pov, bucky’s pov, mentions of sexting.)

—

Initially, taking the photos—exposing yourself in such an intimate state to another—you were hesitant. It wasn’t the possible repercussions, i.e. revenge porn, that gave you pause but more-so an insecurity in your own body. Having never done something like this before, you briefly dithered between whether you should or not. 

Ultimately, however, you do. The guy had spent money on you, went through the trouble of finding something you’d like and shipped it discreetly. And when you slip the racy number on, your insecurities wash away and leave excitement in its wake. Everything about it you love, and it has you preening in a solo photo shoot you’re eager to show off. 

After a good time of selfie shutters bulking your phone’s storage—positions of you scantily-clad standing, sitting, a cross of both—you finally relent. There’s too many pictures to pick from, but you do. Three poses that optimize the best aspects of the outfit and that you think he’ll like the best have you buzzing in anticipation of his reaction. 

Giddy, you tap them directly on the album app and click the share button; you input the letter B in the ‘To:’ slot. Since there’s only two contact names under that letter, his name shows up immediately, the first with the nickname Bucky beneath it. You gloss over that and in quick succession, you quickly hit the contact and press send. 

For a split second, you’re proud: you’ve taken this e-relationship to the next level like he wanted, and he’ll be happy with you. Then it hits you like a brick through glass. A replay of your actions travel to your brain, and you belatedly realize what your eyes saw—your thumb smearing too low on the screen, so instead of Brock as the recipient, it’s Bucky. 

“No, no, no!” you whisper as your heart hurtles like a jackhammer stuck in your rib cage. 

A part of you insists it’s your paranoia playing tricks on you, and that’s a valid rationale because this whole thing does worry you about getting caught. Except, upon checking its legitimacy, you confirm what you accidentally did. There’s no mistaking it, now, because with your brightness turned up full, your partially nude figure stares you in the face underneath of a thread between you and your brothers’ best friend. 

James Bucky Barnes—the man who’s nicknamed you bambi because the numerous times he’s seen you face-plant over your own footing, the twenty-four year old who still ruffles your hair when he greets you, the soon-to-be business owner who dates certified models—has a trio of your attempts to be seductive; bottom lined with text you hope comes off likewise seductive.

Mortification swallows you. Your skin burns hotter and hotter by the second. Sure, you’ve embarrassed yourself before: you fall a lot, and you’re awkward conversationalist. But never something of this magnitude, not something that makes you seem so desperate and pathetic. 

You can imagine him opening the messages. He’d immediately assume, understandably, it’s a come-on; a girl trying to be a woman’s failed goal to enthrall a man like him, his best friend’s kid sister’s pitiful effort to be anything other than just that. As if you could ever measure up to the types of women he dates. 

And, yes, there’s been a time where you had a crush on him. But it’s not your fault when he looks like how he does, a rugged example of masculine sex appeal, and treating you the way he does, teasing but with a twist of kindness, and the fact that he’s the only non-blood related man allowed near you. 

But that time has passed. Even then, you knew the one-sided attraction was delusional to have. You were—still are—so sure about it that you never even dared to fantasize about him and the rumors that used to trek behind him about his sexual escapades. There’s no hidden desire to be with him, and that worsens it because it’s not like you’d feel any relief in knowing his reaction. You don’t care about his reaction in the first place!

Now, no matter how much you will insist it’s an accident, there will always be a dubiousness about it. With how close your families are, things are going to be tense. Because there’s no forgetting he’s viewed you like that, and there’s photo evidence of it. 

It hits you then. The extremity of your fuckup douses you in ice, and your muscles freeze because you register that since he knows about your family borderline patriarchal values concerning you, he has to tell them you’re taking nudes, and it will be over for you. 

It has taken you twenty years of your life to finally venture outside what your family has allowed, to sate your curiosity of what exactly your fathers and older siblings have kept so strictly from you: sex and all the goodness it entails. 

It has taken you an additional six months to explore in-depth and build the courage to start something tangible, to wander the depraved side of the internet where strangers did things to each other that made you want to do things with someone of your own: stirring foreign but oh-so amazing feelings in your nether regions. 

For twenty-six weeks you carefully treaded across in order to ensure your family had no clue what you’re doing, clearing your web history and using incognito mode, all your accounts anonymous, keeping your notifications on silent in case anyone becomes suspicious of who’s continuously contacting you. 

One hundred and eighty-two days later—in the middle of which you started your sex-based communication—of preparing to lose your virginity, your family will find out what you’ve been up to, and your life will be hell. 

Everything has been going so perfectly. You found a guy enough distance away he isn't affected by your family’s influence, middle-aged so he’s experience and doesn’t mind handling a virgin, and is willing to drive an hour to meet you at a specified hotel when the time comes.  

All that hard work down the drain. 

You toss your phone and jump to your feet. Panicked, your bare feet pad back and forth on your rug-covered wood floors. Your teeth gnaw at your thumbnail as different scenarios of how everything will transpire flit through your head. Each one is more terrible than the last, and your anxiety heightens. 

Somewhere in your disquietude, it occurs to you. Your brothers are downstairs and so is Bucky, but it’s ten o’clock at night, and that means they’re gaming. That particular activity coined a rule that all players have to stow their phones in the guest room. The specifics are blurry but it was something about Bucky interrupting the session due to excessive texts. 

It’s an opportunity. A chance that you can creep downstairs, swipe his phone and delete your mistake—hell, you’ll break his phone if you need to—before he’s any the wiser. 

“And—” Bucky Barnes drawls out the vowel as the rough-textured ball hurls through the air and swishes sharply into the hoop. “—nothin’ but net.” He relaxes from the perfected basketball follow-through stance, hands dropping to his sides, while he regards his old friend with a cocky smile. “Beat that, Rogers.” 

Steve snorts and catches the ball when it bounces onto the concrete. Palming it in one hand, he dribbles it twice and trades positions so instead of being stationed next to the hoop, he’s descended to the driveway curb where the established three-pointer line is. 

“You still got it, Barnes,” the blond admits, loosening his shoulders and spreading his footing to be a width apart. His right hand balances the ball from below, elbow tucked underneath, while the left splays against the side as his knees bend, and he springs up. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he releases the orange sphere at the top of his jump. It catapults in a flawless arc and drops through criss-crossed netting with a similar swish. His lips curve with satisfaction as he adds, “But, so do I.”

Bucky laughs and seizes the ball as it falls free. “Callum and Henry have no idea they’re going to get obliterated,” he says, coming to slap his palm in an affable embrace. “Fair warning, they’re still as sore losers as they were five years ago so be prepared for that.” 

Steve Rogers chuckles. The former fourth to their high school cliquè, he’s aware of just how bad sports they are. 

After graduation, he left out-of-state to pursue a degree in technological engineering, which he acquired last month in May, prompting his return back to New York. Between the four of them, Bucky and Steve are the level headed ones so he’s glad to have the support to handle the wild children his childhood best friends are. 

“Speaking of,” Steve starts, dirty blond eyebrows knitting as he glances around the neighborhood’s cul-de-sac. “Where are they? I thought Henry was supposed to be waking up Callum? If we aren’t starting yet, then can I get my phone back?” 

Bucky clicks his teeth. “Yeah. They’re probably stuffing their faces right now. Their sister went grocery shopping and got a cake so. . .” He waves his hand in gesture before continuing in vehement passion on the second point, “The whole phone thing is bullshit, though. I miss a few winning shots ‘cause I was busy with some pretty little thing texting me, and now there’s a ‘no technology rule’.” He scoffs and folds his arms. 

Now that he thinks about it, he could totally have his phone right now. And he’s more interested in having it than usual. There’s this girl he’s been seeing frequently at local parties—six feet tall with gorgeous brown skin, always done up in intricate eye makeup, silver tongued (he’s very interested in her tongue) when she speaks—and he’s finally gotten her number. She could be texting him, and he doesn’t even know it! 

“You know, yeah, we should get our phones back if those assholes want to take all day,” Bucky decides, agreeing with steps toward the closed storm door, but opened front door until he hears the inquiry:

“How is Y/N, anyway?” Steve’s voice is genuinely and harmlessly curious behind him, and he stops in his tracks because Bucky remembers the poorly hid crush he harbored for you. “I saw her instagram the other day, and she must be quite the heartbreaker.” 

Spinning around to face him, Bucky lifts a brow. “Huh?” Then he processes the implication that you’re out dating and such. The mere prospect has him surprising laughter. 

With their dad and his girlfriend on a tour of the world, the three of them are the only ones in the household. Given you’re the baby of your siblings, despite being an independent twenty-year-old, your older brothers have taken it upon themselves to ensure you focus solely on school work. Callum and Henry know exactly how to threaten their message across that you are not to be bothered, and anyone who tries will end up battered and bruised. 

He shakes his head. “Nah. She’s not with anyone, hasn’t been ever,” he tells him. “If you thought Callum and Henry were overprotective back then, you should see them now.” 

Gunmetal blue eyes blink surprised at him, and there’s a faint battle between delight and disappointment. “Really?” He shoves his hands in his sweats and falters somewhat. “It’s gotta be hard considering the way she has grown up,” he says but Bucky’s face scrunches in confusion. “You can’t tell me you don’t see how cute she is.” Before he can respond, Steve adds, “Obviously I wouldn’t ever see or be with her in that way—I wouldn’t betray Callum or Henry like that—but objectively, you can admit she’s gorgeous, right?” 

Bucky has to take a moment and genuinely consider it—consider you—because he hasn’t before. (Other than noticing the genetic similarities to Callum, who shares your eye and hair color but is a shade lighter than you, and Henry, who shares your complexion and eye color, but his hair is darker than yours.)

There’s no denying your looks are better than most: the structure of your face works beautifully, dazzling eyes framed by your lashes and occasionally accentuated by mascara, lips usually adorned in gloss or anything that keeps them hydrated which could be described as alluring, and your hair is almost always done, sometimes switched up in style. But there’s an inherent innocence there, a sweet and clumsy awkwardness, and maybe because he’s watched you grow up, four years your senior, but it just doesn’t do it for him. 

You’re his best friends’ baby sister, for God’s sake. He’d never at you like that in the first place. Especially not when he’s been aware, in the past, you harbored a schoolgirl crush on him. It was painfully obvious, to your chagrin, but he found it adorable—flattering but unsurprising considering girls flock to him like seagulls to boardwalk french fries. 

Currently, he’s sure you know he won’t ever pick you—under principle, under the lack of attraction. Other than pleasant smiles and occasional small talk mixed with teasing, you don’t gaze at him with starry eyes anymore, at least it’s waned significantly as you matured. 

Back to the question: “Uh, no, not really. Even if Callum and Henry didn’t care, I don’t think I’d be attracted to her,” he answers truthfully. Your purity doesn’t provoke his sexual attraction although it does invoke a duty of protectiveness. “She just isn’t my type.” 

Steve arches a brow, a surprised playfulness in his expression. “Oh? Then what is your type, then?” he asks, nudging him with his elbow. ‘Cause from what I remember you’re up for anyone and everyone.”

“That makes me sound like a whore,” he feigns offense but digresses into a fit of chuckles as he thinks back to all his various sex-capades and Steve flashes him a look that says aren’t you? “Yeah.” He nods with a prideful chortle. “But I’m into more frisky girls, y’know? Ones who’ve been everywhere and done everything. They’re brass and loud and just do whatever the fuck they want. I like to be one of those things.” 

Behind him, his best friend, Callum’s orotund voice rings out between the pressurized shh of the storm door, “Buck’s into slutty girls, Steve.”

He cringes at the diction. “Don’t call ‘em slutty. Sounds degrading when you guys say it like that.” Most of the time, he agrees with him—and his brother—but when it comes to women, there’s usually a dissent and a need for correction. “But yeah. I prefer girls with experience,” he declares strongly. “They don’t get attached like girls with... less experience do.”

Callum rolls his eyes, bounding down the porch stairs to the recently pressure-washed driveway, and he plucks the basketball out of his hands. “Here we go again. Bucky and his ‘I hate virgin’s’ campaign,” he mocks, shaking his head. “Doesn’t make any sense to me ‘cause everyone knows virgins are the tightest.”

This time, Bucky is the one to roll his eyes. “Well, that doesn’t make any sense considering tightness isn’t dependent upon whether it’s their first time ‘cause, y’know, vaginas stretch, you morons.” Sometimes he has no clue how Callum passed sex education (then he remembers that he bribed the health teacher). “Meaning a girl can have sex, then after a period of time, her virgin ‘tightness’ eventually returns. The only reason virgins may seem tighter is because they’re usually nervous.” 

The look on Callum’s face says that what he just said went right over his head. “Whatever.” He shrugs and starts dribbling the ball half-heartedly. “I just know the woman I end up with better be a virgin.” 

“Right!” Henry’s likewise orotund voice, a pitch higher, speaks after he pushes through the glass door. He presses to the court-slash-driveway, wiping icing off his mouth. “That’s marriage material. I’m not fucking around in a relationship with no woman that’s been fucked already, y’know?” 

Bucky’s eye twitches, jaw locking for a millisecond. “But you guys aren’t even virgins yourself,” he points out their hypocrisy. When they look at him to rebuttal, he automatically knows it’s going to run his blood pressure up and it’s not worth it. “You know, I’m gonna go to the bathroom. You guys have fun with your conversation.” 

Swiftly, he whirls around and heads for inside. The last thing he hears is Steve’s ambivalent, “I get the appeal of virgins. But you know, I don’t think it really matters. I think it just matters if you’re into them, and if they’re into you. I wouldn’t care either way but. . .” 

The air conditioned air greets him coldly, and he revels in it. The June sun is killer, though perfect weather for playing a game outside, and the chill dries the sweat beaded on his forehead. He pads down the foyer, turns the corner to the bathroom and enters to take a much needed leak. 

Bucky has so much brotherly love for your brothers: neighbors since being in diapers, his mother the female figure in their life, and becoming and remaining best friends for over twenty years. There’s only one thing that grates his nerves when it comes to them and that’s their view of women is somewhat skewed. Sometimes—most of the time—went the topic comes up, he’s always one second away from throttling them. 

Hopefully after he pisses, they’ll be talking about something else, and finally they all can play basketball. It. 

Flushing the toilet, he goes onto wash his hands. He lathers up in orange antibacterial soap and rinses the suds off with hot water. There isn’t a towel, at least not a clean one, so instead he just lets the remaining droplets drip onto the floor. 

Emerging from the bathroom, James pauses and absentmindedly wipes his hands dry on his mesh-polyester shorts. His attention automatically draws to the guest room’s closed door adjacent to his position. A decision strikes him, and he steps forward and casts a curious glance down the corner. 

When boisterous and distracted laughter filters through the front door and down the empty corridor, it springs him into action. He figures there’s no harm in checking his phone while he’s here. He’d been especially resistant to giving it away because he’s engaged in a particularly stimulating conversation with a particularly titillating woman—popular in her own right, he can’t afford to miss his shot with her. 

His fingers turn the knob, and he shoulders through. The furniture is decorated and accented in yellow and white, condition otherwise pristine, save for the phones littered across the king-sized poster bed’s fluffy duvet. He strides across gleaming light oak floors and hones in on the only golden-colored, rubbed encased titanium. 

As he grips it, long digits curling around the back, pinkie supporting the bottom, thumb tapping the screen to life, he can hear the dwindling of high-spirited jesting through the en-suite’s rectangular horizontal slider window; a wondering of where he’s gone has him speeding up. 

Although he’d been gone for under an hour, his screen is bright with various notifications, social media accounts and text messages. He ignores the former and searches for the latter, specifically the contact, Val 😛💦. Scrolling quickly, he comes to a stop but not because of his original intent. 

His head cocks, and he knits his brows when he sees your name instead; formally nicknamed, bambi, due to your penchant for clumsiness and general fragility. You don’t text him—except for that one time you needed to be picked up from the library—and considering you know he’s just outside, his baffled curiosity is further spurred. 

With a sideways swipe of his thumb, your thread enlarges on the high-definition display. He isn’t sure what he expected, but this? Oh, this, definitely is not it. His eyes widen as the content loads, and reveals you, in all your half-naked glory. 

“Shit,” he breathes out raggedly, blinking multiple times because he has to be seeing things. But, nope, it’s still you—looking like that, wearing that. “Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck.” 

Your brothers are beginning to call his name, demanding his attendance, and he froze in shock, unable to tear his stare away from the girl who’s tripped over her own feet more times than he can count; the wallflower who spends all her time studying in her room; the forbidden fruit who’s innocent has always stirred a vigilant feeling inside him—now stirring something hard between his thighs because there you are. 

Like always, your hair is done prettily, wispy-lashed eyes big and inviting, a saucy pout to your glossed lips. Your flawless complexion seems to glow in the reflection of the mirror, and he doesn’t know if it’s because of the warm lighting, or if it’s the confidence you exude in your faux-innocent expression from where something so sinfully sexy. 

Three photos, and every single one is like a punch in the gut; displaying your usually hoodie-hidden figure in its bare, exquisite form. The skimpy white two-piece caresses your breasts in a lace halter top, leaving a teasing amount of cleavage. Your navel exposed, he becomes aware of how soft your skin would be. Moving lower, your untouched flower is wrapped in a thin thong with a bow on the center of the waistband. 

A million things flit through his head; a million disgusting things he never thought he’d think about you. 

The main one is every sort of attraction these snapshots arouse. A laser slices down his center and sears him to the core. The multiple poses calls every hungry part of him to attention, the curve of your breasts, the contours of your hips and the jut of your ass. And he shoves to the darkest recess in his mind because that’s just an innate reaction to lingerie. (Right? Right.)

He combats your images with that of Val: knows-what-she’s-doing and equally promiscuous as him Val. The anthropology major who downs beers within seconds and tongue kisses the first person she sees afterwards. 

The next is the one he focuses on, that you would take these and send them to him—as if he’d betray your brothers like that. Second-hand embarrassment strikes him because he knows if you’ll send something as risky as this, he’ll have to formally reject you and break your unreciprocated pining heart. 

He grimaces at the thought. This is why he doesn’t do virgins and the less experienced in general. The inherent strings are a killer, and he resents the drama; and it’d be ten times worse with you because of the added complications of your siblings. 

In fact, he hears something beyond him, coming down the hallway, and it’s probably them, but he can’t stop rereading your text accompanying the photos, partially imagining how it’d sound in your delicate voice: 

bambi (4:21PM): is this as pretty as you imagined? did i do good? just tell me what you want, and ill do it. i want you. soon, please - and yes, ill beg. i promise itll sound even better in person. 

[read it in its entirety on my patreon - one time fee of $5 to access!]

[mugiwara-rosewolf]

Alphabet Headcanons

One Piece Edition

Shanks

SFW

A=Affection (How affectionate are they with an s/o?)

Yes, Shanks is affectionate. He will take any opportunity to be near you without smothering you. He’ll have you sitting in his lap at every opportunity, if you’ll let him. 

If you’re not okay with that, just having shoulders brushing is okay with him. When there’s a moment to rest, in public or private, as long as you two are touching in some way, Shanks will be happy as a clam.

Of course there are other ways one can be affectionate. So--perhaps equally as important as the action of physical touch--Shanks appreciates the value of words. 

As such, the Red-Haired captain always knows just what to say in order to encourage you, affirm your decisions, to express his appreciation for you and empathise with what you’re feeling. 

Shanks is also extremely intuitive. As well spoken as he is, and as much as he likes to talk, he also knows how and when to listen--actually listen. With him, you’ll always know that your being, your voice, is always appreciated. 

B=Breath (What could their s/o do to take their breath away?)

Show your strength. Whether it be physically, mentally, morally, emotionally--almost any way you can imagine--Shanks will be deeply affected by the display and take notice. 

For example: he admires Makino’s kindness for taking care of Luffy and her grace when confronted by dangerous bandits. He admires Luffy for his loyalty to friends and determination to pursue his dream of becoming ‘King of the Pirates’.

Whether it’s going toe to toe with a swordsman, standing up for a bullying victim, enduring painful hardships, or just going off on somebody about the importance of loyalty--just stick to your guns and Shanks will love & admire you for it.

C=Cuddling (Do they cuddle? If they do, how and when do they cuddle?)

Oh my goodness this man--this man is a closeted cuddle monster. If you thought he was affectionate before, that was just him playing it cool. When it’s just the two of you? Ho-boy.

Of course he’ll listen if you’re not comfortable at any particular moment, but again, if you let him, Shanks will plop you down in his lap. No matter your height or weight, this man will hold you and make you feel wanted--because he does. 

Whether sitting up or lying down, Shanks will wrap his arm(s) around your waist and hold your waist and hold you close. He loves to feel your heartbeat so close to his--cause that’s what he loves most about you--in every possible way.

D=Dream (What do they dream of doing with their s/o?)

His dream is pretty much the same as when he was a kid, back when he and Buggy were cabin boys on Roger’s ship. He wants to have his own ship with a reliable crew and to take his time travelling the world. 

The only thing that’s changed is that he wants to do all those things with you. It seems like such a small change, and yet to Shanks that little adjustment changes everything. 

The way Shanks sees it--if life is an adventure, then life with you would be the greatest adventure he could ever accept. 

If for some reason you weren’t able to travel with Shanks and his crew, the Red-Haired captain would still do everything in his power to include you in his life. 

Postcards from Loguetown, Sake from Sabaody--living vicariously through a pirate (and a Yonko at that!) would turn your mailbox into the world’s greatest curiosity shop.

E=Effort (How much effort do they put into a relationship?)

As laid back and fancy-free as Shanks is--he does not choose a life partner lightly. Because that’s exactly how he sees them--a Life partner. 

Sure, there was probably a phase of his life where he treated romance and intimacy more flippantly. He grew up with stereotypically rowdy and promiscuous pirates as his role models and mentors. It would take some time for him to realize that such shallow connections didn’t really suit him.

But once he fully realizes himself; his goals, his morals, his priorities, etc, he would treat relationships and intimacy more seriously.

That being said, when he finds somebody, you bet your bottom dollar this man is gonna Commit. Try to make you smile, try to make you laugh, be there when you’re sad, listen when you’re mad, he’ll aim to do all the above and more if he can.

If/when your relationship is confirmed, he’ll expect a similar level of commitment from you. This man is loyal to a fault. He does not choose his friends and family lightly. Once he grows attached to someone, he will do his best for them in whatever way they need.

But when he chooses a Partner, again, he’s gonna want a similar effort to be made for him as well. (In this house, we stan equivalent exchange in relationships).

F=Fear (What do they do if their s/o is scared? How do they handle it?)

This all depends on the threat level. 

If someone is intimidating, boasting, or otherwise making his s/o anxious/uncomfortable, Shanks will intervene by just waltzing in and distracting the stranger in his charismatic, dorky pacifist way.

But if there’s a chance of his s/o actually coming to harm (or god forbid having their life threatened)--ho-boy. 

Bitch better put some brown pants on ‘cause they’s about to shit themselves. Hands down, Red-Hair Shanks is down to murder to protect his loved ones. 

We’ve all seen the footage. Shanks can be downright terrifying when he needs to be. And protecting his s/o from harm is an absolute necessity. 

He tries to avoid violent confrontation if he can help it, but threaten someone he cares about and you gonna get yo ass whipped with his (1) good hand.

G=Gifts (What type of gifts do they give their s/o? Do they want a gift in return?)

Contrary to what many expect of pirates, Shanks isn’t a very materialistic person. (In utter contrast to Buggy and others).

He’s not really the type to buy every little trinket that reminds him of you. And he doesn’t expect that kinda behaviour from you either. If you are that kind of person? Great! 

Shanks will appreciate pretty much any way you're willing to express your affections. He’ll happily accept anything you give him as long as he understands the thought/meaning behind it. Gift giving is appreciated, but not expected or required. 

However, if/when he does decide to give you a gift, rest assured that it’s gonna pack one helluvan emotional punch (*cough Straw Hat *cough*). 

For some reason I’m picturing the hand-carved engagement necklaces from Avatar the Last Airbender. I feel like he’d give you those types of gifts--small, but beautiful and immeasurably meaningful.

(How Shanks would go about carving a necklace after the loss of his arm, Idk. But this is Shanks we’re talking about. BAMF would find a way.)

H=Hugs (Do they hug their s/o? How often?)

Yes, yes he does. He doesn’t offer hugs as often as one would expect (esp. After losing his arm). But he will willingly accept any and as many hugs as you are willing to give him.

When he does hug you, it is usually him reaching around you from behind. Besides the heartbeat thing mentioned earlier, I have no idea why he does this. Maybe cause he feels like a shield around you--that he can protect you, you can support him and vice versa. Affectionate, devoted, but not smothering.

Then, of course, there’s the obligatory reunion &/or ‘thank god you’re alive’ hugs that are bound to happen when 1 or more partners lives a dangerous life on the sea.

I=Intimacy (How romantic are they? Do they have problems with intimacy?)

Oh Shanks is a raging romantic at heart. Love makes him absolutely twitterpated. He’s affectionate and can be an absolute cuddle monster when the mood strikes him. 

But the majority of the time (esp. In an established relationship) the manic energy of love is often tempered by his naturally easy-going personality. Shanks is the same in his romantic gestures as he is with almost everything--he is super duper uber chill about it.

It’s the little things that carry the most meaning for him.

Tucking a wildflower behind your hair (anybody can rock a flower in their hair, fucking fight me)

Putting his arm around your waist or over the back of your chair (he’ll only do the cheesy ‘stretch and yawn’ technique to make you laugh)

Any sort of teasing or banter is fair game too, especially if you’re on the more playful or bashful side.

No matter how rowdy he and his crewmates can be, Shanks isn’t all that loud with his romanticism. The freakouts are usually before or after he’s done something grander/more elaborate than usual (Like that engagement necklace mentioned before).

Otherwise, as long as your boundaries have been established, he’ll do as many or as little of those cute intimate gestures as you’ll allow. Whatever bounds you give him, he’ll lounge comfortably within them so long as it suits you both.

J=Jealous (Do they get jealous? How do they act when jealous?)

He’s not really the jealous type. He does, however, tend to sulk when he wants your attention. Like a sad, kicked puppy he’ll pout until you refocus on him. The moment he knows he has your attention again you’ll easily be able to imagine a tail wagging behind his back just from the sparkle in his eyes.

See U=Unique for more

K=Kiss (Are they a good kisser? Do they like to kiss? How often do they try to kiss you?)

Remember that ‘previous experience’ we mentioned before? The part of his development where he thought intimacy consisted of one night stands at the tavern? He’ll probably have long outgrown that frame of mind by the time you enter a relationship with him. But what he gained from that time of his life, was experience. 

Experience which serves him very well in a relationship. He’s a quick study, and thus a phenomenal kisser. He’ll figure out all the ways to make you melt with just his lips, teeth and tongue. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

He may get a bit over-excited on occasion, so not every kiss will be perfect. Clacking teeth and bonking noses are bound to happen once in a while. (He may be a Yonko but he’s still a giant dork).

Otherwise, besides your occasional snogging session and other such steamy moments, Shanks is a surprisingly domestic kisser. Cute kisses on the cheek, forehead and temple are common.

He’ll also surprise you on occasion, kissing your ear, nose or chin just to see how you’ll react. If it makes you smile or laugh, he’ll keep going. If you blush, he’ll laugh and take note. Again, a quick study, this man is.

L=Love (When do they say they love you? How often do they say it? Do they prefer to say or show it?)

The words slip out in the middle of something utterly mundane. That much is for sure. Either he’s known for a while (realizing mid-battle/mid-argument or something) and just can’t hold it in anymore--

OR--he just saw you there; washing dishes, swabbing decks, sipping sake, what have you--and the realization just happens out loud. “Oh shit, I’m in love with you…” *cue momentary panic* “HOly SHIT, I LOVE YOU!”I

When he finds his feelings are reciprocated, Shanks will feel like the King of the Pirates, One Piece be damned. From then on he’ll be boasting to everyone on his crew that he’s in love. 

Anybody who wasn’t around during his epiphany will congratulate and tease him. Anybody who was there will chuckle and roll their eyes. Money will change hands and Beckman will be 100,000 berries richer.

Besides his nakama, those ‘three little words’ are meant for your ears only. In public, he’ll typically stick to those little gestures mentioned previously. Proud to be your partner, but keeping it low-key, ya know?

Contrary to what some may think, Captain Shanks is in fact capable of discretion. Not quite the same as subtlety, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

Anyways, back on his ship it’s a whole ‘nother story. The manic energy of being in love mixed with his own innate dorkiness has led to some pretty ridiculous moments--all of which make his crew laugh and you smile like sunshine.

M=Marriage (Do they want to get married? If so, what kind of ceremony?)

Honestly, Shanks doesn’t mind either way.

He’s happy to have you as his life partner, he’d be happy to be your husband.

But if you don’t drop down on one knee, or explicitly address the topic of marriage, the subject will likely never come up.

If you ask, of course he’ll say yes. If you address the topic, but don’t act on it, Shanks may not act on it at first. But w/ a bit of advice from Beckman he’ll take the hint and ask.

Either way, as long as the two of you are together for life, Shanks will be more than satisfied.

N=Night out (What type of dates do they like to go on? How often do they like to go on them?)

Any time you two have together is precious to him. On the ship, through various markets, in various taverns--as long as the two of you are side by side, doing something together, he’ll consider it a date.

So, by that logic, y’all go on dates all the time.

O=Out of the Ordinary (What’s something they don’t normally do with/for their s/o?)

Those big, extravagant, over-the-top romantic gestures. Candle-lit dinners, bed covered in rose petals, extra shit like that.

Shanks is a Simple Man, like the Lynyrd Skynyrd song. So those kinds of exuberant gestures aren’t typically his style. 

Sort of a continuation of the previous section--if he does try for one of those more extravagant date ideas than you know he’s up to some shit. Special occasions only. Whatever it is, you’re damn sure gonna enjoy yourselves, lol

P=Playful (Are they playful in a relationship? If so, how do they play around/mess with their s/o?)

Uhm, have you met Shanks? Man pokes fun at everyone he calls ‘friend’. Picking on Luffy for wanting to be a pirate. Drunkenly draping himself over Mihawk just to get on his nerves, the list goes on.

Believe me when I say this man loves to tease, prank and challenge his s/o at every opportunity. It’s just his personality. 

Jump-scares, banter, pad puns, pretty much everything you can think of, this guy’s gonna try it. He’s gonna poke fun at you, but in a way that pushes you to improve; to grow your wit and prove your mettle.

That and he’s a generally light-hearted person.  He loves having a good laugh with his crew and his s/o about just about anything.

If he’s feeling particularly mischievous, he might go for tickles, but that’s just him trying to get you close and maybe turn up the heat a little bit. Dork.

Q=Questions (Do they ask their s/o their opinion on things? Do they share theirs?)

Contrary to what some may assume about Shanks, he doesn’t always have all the answers. He is very wise, and occasionally insightful, but not perpetually so.

In moments where he is taken by surprise, afraid, or in a moment of panic, he will turn to you. You and Beckman are probably the two people he relies on the most. When he is unsure, he will ask your opinion. 

Sometimes he’ll ask just cause he’s curious. He set out to travel and learn about the world, so of course he would be interested in different perspectives. 

And if you ask his opinion, he’ll freely give it. He’ll give you his perspective so that you both have a chance to learn about each other.

He’s not a fake or duplicitous person, so you can be sure that his opinions are honest and true. He’ll make sure that you can count on him as much as he does on you.

R=Random (How spontaneous is their relationship? Do they do things on the spot or plan ahead?)

Shanks is a pirate. To him, ‘spontaneous’ is part of the job description. He’s not the speedy kinda spontaneous, though. The guy is known for his ‘go-with-the-flow’ attitude--like a human lazy river.

Strange as that metaphor sounds, that’s just how he is. Not in any kinda rush, just a pirate enjoying his life on the high seas. He’s happy just exploring new places with his s/o and his crew.

He’s happy chilling in the tavern for however long he wants. Following a whim at his own leisurely pace, that’s how Shanks lives his life--with a nice, laid-back kinda spontaneity.

S=Sleep (How do they sleep with their s/o?)

Pre-injury, Shanks liked being the big spoon. Usually he’d just sleep in lounge pants (not unlike his typical daywear, just without the shirt and cape).

After his injury, his sleep attire doesn’t really change, but he can’t really lie on his side for too long. So instead he usually lies on his back, letting you tuck yourself into whichever side you choose.

Since his arm was bitten off at the elbow, he can still press you closer with his upper arm if you choose to lay on his left side. It feels like the perfect nook to tuck yourself into.

You can drape your arm across this waist, lay your head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat. That’s when you know you’re in the safest place in the world. 

T=Trust (How much do they trust their s/o?)

Shanks wouldn’t be in a relationship with you if he didn’t trust you. In order for him to trust you, he’ll need to have a good sense of your morals. 

He’ll respect it if your moral outlooks differ in some respects. For example, He and Buggy have very different ideas of what should be treasured in life & yet he still considers the clown to be a close friend.

However, as his romantic partner, it would make sense if the two of you had most of your principles in common. If there’s too great a difference/divide in your foundational beliefs, then the longevity of your relationship would be markedly limited.

Once Shanks has a solid understanding of your moral centre, he’ll give you more of his trust. He’s not really the kinda guy to actively hide anything. But as you two get to know each other, he’ll be more willing to volunteer information about himself and his life.

He’ll be even more unabashedly himself; more goofy, more charming, more openly intelligent and devoted. (The list could go on, but I’m gonna cap it here, lol). 

After that, it’s just a matter of commitment and time--that’s how an intimate emotional relationship is built. 

Because Shanks views romantic relationships to be a long term commitment (the whole ‘rest of our lives/death do us part’ idea is rather important to him), he is not in a terrible rush to trust someone. But he does want to eventually get to the point where he knows his partner inside and out.

U=Unique (What makes them unique as an s/o?)

He is (almost) unflappable. I swear to god, almost nothing phases this man. He hardly ever gets angry (unless innocents or loved ones are threatened) and doesn’t really get jealous either.  (Have you seen this man? He has nothing to be jealous of!)

You mad about something? He’ll let you go off about it for however long you need. Even if it’s him you’re mad at, he’ll take it. He’ll listen to your rant and discuss it with you to help you cool off. He meets all of your moods evenly. No protests, no complaints, no interruptions, just active listening and meaningful dialogue.

The only exception to this is when (before/during/after) or or both of you is at risk for injury or death. That’s when his over-reactive tendencies rear up and fights are had. Though these fights are almost always from a place of either moral determination for the self or worry for the other person. 

Also, this man is willing to try anything you show even a modicum of interest in. A new kind of sushi at the market? He’s down. Hiking up a mountainous island? Sure, why not. You a fan of art and crafts? Your room will be swallowed by paper cranes in three days (trial and error, he says).

V=Vulnerable (How long until they can be vulnerable around their s/o? What are they like in this state?)

It takes a while. Shanks trusts you implicitly, but he’s lived a long life as a pirate--and being a pirate ain’t an easy life to live. While Shanks is not opposed to sharing his emotions, necessarily, it takes a lot for him to thoroughly break down.

Not many people know this about Shanks, but he is just as much of a crier as Luffy is. He’s just gotten better at hiding it over the years (or so he tells himself). 

But when it happens, it’s just as heartbreakingly messy as you can imagine. Waterfalls pouring from wide eyes. His hair askew with his expression crumpling. Teeth gritted and lips trembling, he looks like something broken. His whole body shudders with the emotions raking through him. At first, you won’t know how to put him back together.

Shanks is a much more emotional person than most would give him credit for. He feels things very deeply and when he crumbles what he needs is an anchor. 

He’s not a broken vase that needs to be glued back together. He’s a dreamer with a heavy burden. Someone who can only carry the weight for so long on his own. What he needs is a solid pillar of a person to hold him close and tell him that he’s going to be okay--that there’s a lesson to be learned/knowledge to be gained from what he’s feeling and why he’s feeling. 

After the storm passes, he won’t likely mention the incident to anyone. (His crew will know it happened anyway, they know him too long to be oblivious). But he will acknowledge it to himself. He will thank you for guiding and supporting him, but only quietly, so just the two of you can hear. 

Remind him that he’s not alone in the world. Remind him that it’s okay to lean on others for more than just the daily duties of a pirate captain. It’s okay to be vulnerable.

W=Wild Card (Get a random domestic headcanon of the character of your choice)

Shanks loves to sing. He’s not exactly the best at it, but he enjoys the act so much he doesn’t really care how good or bad he is. 

When it’s his turn to swab the decks, he’ll be dancing with the mop like he’s jamming with a microphone stand. When the crew get drunk together, he’ll egg them into singing sea shanties with him.

When they lose a crew member or a friend on their journeys, Shanks will start up the low chorus of mourning in memoriam. When you wake from a nightmare or just can’t sleep, he’ll sing you a lullaby. It’s this quiet little quirk that makes you love him all the more.

X=X-Ray (What would they do if their s/o got injured?)

Similar to ‘F for Fear’--if Shanks’ s/o is ever attacked or injured in battle...that bastard is gonna get their shit wrecked by one of the most powerful men in the world. 

But once the dust is settled, the man completely switches gears. While his s/o is being treated and recovering from their injuries, Shanks turns into the ultimate worry-warted, mother-henning helicopter-partner. 

He already has a habit of over-reacting at the oddest moments. But now that said reactions are actually somewhat justified? Poor man turns into a fretting ninny at the littlest things. 

Mishandling Shanks’ worry and devoted protectiveness in these moments can result in fights about your well being and your being able to participate in any upcoming conflicts.

Once you get the hang of it, though, Shanks’ behaviour becomes simultaneously the most endearing and most exasperating thing in the world.

Please, be patient with him. He’s trying his best.

Y=Yuck (Do they have any pet peeves about their s/o? Are there any habits that might bother their s/o?)

Honestly? It’s near-impossible to get on this man’s nerves. You’d have to be a pretty big buzz-kill to get even a modicum of annoyance out of him.

He’s a bit grumpier when hungover, but even then, as long as you are considerate of lights and noises, he’s just gonna sulk and nurse his headache in grumpy peace.

One of the few things that may irritate you is his lax attitude about cleanliness and hygiene. When you’re one of the most powerful people in the world, exploring the world and constantly celebrating something with sake--thoughts of housekeeping kinda fall to the wayside.

If you get tired of smelling booze on his breath and clothes, or can’t take the ‘bachelor pad’ mess that is the captain’s quarters, you’re gonna need to sit him down and seriously talk to him about it. Otherwise he won’t even realize that there’s a problem.

Z=Zeal (Are they passionate as an s/o? Do they want or like passion?)

Hmmm...I would say that Shanks is a passionate partner, just not in the loud kinda way that’s usually associated with the word. 

It’s more like a...quiet determination. A deep well of earnestness that he makes sure to show you whenever you need it. 

He never wants you to feel like he doesn’t love you or doesn’t feel as deeply about your relationship. He’d put everything on the line for you. 

And he’ll treasure and enjoy any passion you show him, in whatever way you choose to express it.

A/N: And that, my friends is my first attempt at ‘Alphabet Headcanons’. Three days which could have been spent in boredom instead contributed to this adorable masterpiece, lol. 

Thank you to @demigodxtonio, @r-a-f-t-e-l, @kalissen, @r0r0noa, @kin-sama and @adicoon for the wonderful GIFs and thank you to @burnedbyshoto​ for inspiring this work with their SFW and NSFW headcanons about our favorite blasty-boi Bakugou Katsuki.

Y’all let me know what you think & let me know if you wanna see any NSFW headcanon--for Shanks. Or, let me know if ya’ll wanna see SFW/NSFW content for other One Piece & BNHA characters.

All the best

--Rose

[miracles-totally-come-true]

Ok ok ok ok ok so.

I saw this post from @princeymust-slay a while back while scrolling through the roloceit tag, and I loved the concept and absolutely had to draw something based off of that. And since I’m an impulse dumbass, I immediately started working on a drawing that would of course end up taking over fourteen hours to finish, and yet I still feel like I could have done better lol.

I don’t know if the original post was meant to be for a fic based around the three of them falling for each other or already being in an established relationship but of course, I’ve got a couple headcanons for the established relationship end of this au becasuse Roloceit owns my soul:

Whenever Janus is out in the garden with Roman and no one else is around, he’ll challenge the prince to a duel with sticks instead of swords. Roman loses every time no matter what

Sometimes in the evenings when Roman isn’t busy, he climbs up the castle wall to a library window with the help of the vines he planted when he just started working in the gardens. Logan is always there to open the window and let him in, and then they spend the night studying different topics. Well, Logan tries to study, and Roman just finds books of fairytales and reads them in a very dramatic voice.

Sometimes if they’re lucky, Janus is able to sneak down to them.

The guard who finds them is very confused to see the prince, the gardener, and the librarian curled up and cuddling in a pile of books, but Virgil never tells on them, he simply smiles, and wakes them up so they can all go back to their own rooms without any of the other castle staff finding out

Janus and Logan pretend to not like the cuddling, because it’s “bound to ruin their clothes”, but Roman insists and they can’t help but give in to their boyfriend’s pleading smiles

Janus will walk down to the library for what he tells everyone is the sole purpose of studying, but he really just feels lonely and wants to spend time with the resident nerd

Logan loves spending time with his dramatic boyfriends but also w h y w o n t y o u t w o j u s t l e t m e w o r k i h a v e a j o b t o d o

They have little picnics in the castle gardens in secluded spots where no one else would find them

If anyone ever does catch them, Janus suggests that the person who found them simply didn’t see anything because they value their job so much

Roman constantly tries to fight any insect that comes near them when they’re in the gardens, Logan has to hold him back while Janus dies of laughter

Roman gets accused of only being after Janus for his wealth and power and immediately tries to distance himself from the rest of the world because he’s very insecure and he loves Janus so much how could anyone say that and Roman couldn’t care less about Janus’ status. It’s a full day before Janus and Logan are able to find Roman and comfort him, he was sitting under the weeping willows by the creek. They have a very impromptu picnic in which there’s so many hugs and tears that it barely qualifies as a picnic anymore and is mostly just them cuddling and comforting each other.

Roman has zero braincells and Logan constantly has to stop him from doing stupid things that’ll get him injured. Janus finds it hilarious

Roman is unsurprisingly terrible at cooking, but he tries and sometimes he even makes stuff that’s edible! Logan and Janus always eat the food he makes no matter what cause he’s trying so hard

Once they decided to all bake together and that was a disaster

Janus had never even set foot in a kitchen before, Roman had no idea what he was doing, and Logan insisted on making the measurements so precise that it started an argument that ended with the three of them covered in flour, laughing their asses off.

Logan says he doesn’t smile, but anyone who happened to be looking in Logan’s direction when he met Janus will tell you that they’ve never seen someone’s face light up so much

Logan had been lead into the throne room where Janus and his father were, it was Logan’s first day working in the library and he was supposed to be given a simple tour that included meeting the king and the prince, their first meeting lasted only thirty seconds but ten minutes later Janus tracked Logan down to kiss the back of his hand and whisper into Logan’s ear how much he was looking forward to being friends. Logan turned redder than a cherry

Once, Roman was determined to take his boyfriends across the creek so they could pick flowers. Janus refused to come in fear of his nice clothes getting soaked. Roman ended up carrying him bridal style across the water.

On the way back Roman dunked Janus into the water because “you need to lighten up, your highness!” Roman got dragged down into the water a couple seconds later.

There’s a little archway covered in roses that Logan loves to read under because it reminds him of Roman

Roman figured out that he could climb up to Janus’s window and then after that the long nights of cuddling increased tenfold

Ok I should stop now before I spend all day writing down headcanons, but oh my god I love Roloceit so much and there’s never enough content of that ship so here’s my rambling for the day.

Oh and please, call me out if you see any inconsistencies and/or errors!

Btw, this au is not mine! Just thought I should say that again, just in case!

[tirorah]

Road to Berlin’s ‘Road to Berlin’ Sure Was a Road to Berlin Episode

Hiya, everyone! It’s that time of the week, but don’t worry, your assigned reading is pretty light this time. Because, honestly? I don’t have much to say about this episode in terms of character arcs or themes or the like. Instead, you’ll find my brief thoughts under the cut, as well as my favorite stuff from Episode 11.

In the end, this episode was a follow-up to the ending of Episode 10, and also the start of the final offensive, which makes Episode 11 the middle chapter of a three-parter. This is always difficult to make satisfying--look at any pre-planned trilogy and you can see the struggle with ramping up the tension while also not blowing the series’ full load, as it needs to set up the final, climactic piece.

Consequently, Road to Berlin (the episode) didn’t do a lot of exciting things; it simply moved the story along. And that’s 100% fine. It’s just not as richly packed with content as most of the season has been. There was also some blatant reuse of old footage again (they really love that shot of Trude brandishing her guns, don’t they?) but again, I felt it was within acceptable parameters. I did feel like the episode was holding back a bit with the aerial combat, though. Seems the Ratte was the biggest star of the show for this week.

Without further ado and in no particular order, here are my favorite things from this episode!

Patton’s Redemption

Sort of. He was still a gloating idiot, but he actually valued Yoshika’s power enough to argue the 501st’s case to his fellow generals, and he showed admirable tenacity when the Neuroi’s full power gradually revealed itself. He didn’t shout nearly as often either, and was much more reasonable. Overall, he was far less cartoony and made a decent start at showing us why he attained his current rank.

Although I’ll never forgive him for this. That, and calling Yoshika a ‘little missy.’

This Line from Minna

It’s delivered calmly, but I like to think this is Diplomatic Minna Speak for ‘Fuck off and up yours, she saved your damn butts!’

And another thing: the doctor said it’d take Yoshika a week to be able to fly again, but Minna wants a delay of ten days, not seven. It seems she wants half a week extra so that Yoshika can recover more, which is both prudent and kind of her.

The Generals Being Children

Both amusement and disbelief filled me as I watched the generals of different nations bicker like bloody schoolyard kids. It’s true what they say: War. War never changes. (And especially not the ego of man.) The fact a bunch of grown men devolved into chest-thumping and throwing crap at one another is hilarious. Even Lucchini’s been more mature than that this season, and that says something!

Shizuka’s Turbulent Emotions

Again, Shizuka shows off her similarities to Trude; I feel like she’s definitely the type to hold this in until it comes spilling out in one ugly cry like it did here. She just wasn’t able to hold it in as long, likely due to her relative youth.

We also finally got to see the one character arc thing in this episode I was hoping for: Shizuka and her relationship with orders. For the entire season, we’ve constantly seen Shizuka’s rigid obedience to orders reinforced. But when Mio tells her to keep the Shinden’s presence a secret, we see the first time an order brings her true, internal conflict. Although it culminated in a good cry and not her disobeying said order, I have a feeling she’ll buck the trend and either tell Yoshika about the Shinden, or fly it herself.

Finally, it’s nice to see that she doesn’t let her injury scare her, and channels her guilt into some awesome attack runs. Much credit to her; she’s grown quite a bit, and not because she’s emulating the others, but by growing into her new responsibilities as a combatant.

Yoshika Doing What She Can

Respect was earned by Yoshika this episode. Although she was obviously disappointed she wouldn’t be able to fly with the others into the final battle, she didn’t let it get her down and decided to do whatever she could to help. That meant we finally got to see her newly attained medical skills again! All those books she checked out in Episode 1 sure came in handy now.

If you will, think back all the way to Season 1, Episode 2 for a moment. A Neuroi attacked the ship bringing Yoshika and Mio to Europe, and a sailor was injured by shrapnel. Back then, Yoshika was severely shaken by the combat, and when she tried to help the sailor with her healing magic, she was promptly rebuked by someone else, as healing him with the shards still inside would only hurt him further.

But here, people rely on Yoshika’s medical knowledge and even Patton greatly respects her for it. Her suggestion to hole up in the Flak Tower is also a huge success, likely saving all of their lives.

Shirley's Amusement at the Ratte

Why, Shirley, what are you insinuating here? Surely Karlsland isn’t compensating for something! They just like their prototypes huge.

And Perrine’s Dismay

Harrumph! Size doesn’t matter, obviously! Just look at Perrine’s chest.

But honestly, someone else pointed this out too: the fact they’re relying so much on experimental and/or new things shows how desperate they are, and how fragile their gains are.

Speaking of The Ratte

The Ratte is awesome. The way its rounds punched through the Neuroi walls... *chef’s kiss* It’s obvious where the love and attention went this episode: all the carnage! We also got to see a lot of Berlin’s ruins, which is a nice change from fighting over ocean and rural landscapes. In my opinion, this was the way to go with the budget.

Also, Dem Walls!

They were so cool! I was amazed by the way they could reform to cover the gap where they were under attack! They even showed the little drones coming in to stack on top of one another. And later on, how the main body used the walls to shield itself from the Ratte’s full power was also very impressive! I love how powerful the walls were, but that the Neuroi’s resources weren’t infinite. That’s how you write your antagonist.

Not to Mention the Dome of Death!

Let’s be honest: we all knew a snag was coming. But not only was this a clever trap by the Neuroi, it also showcased the Neuroi using the debris to build more of themselves!

Miscellaneous Things

Something I didn’t mention in my Episode 10 post was Lynne’s support. She’s been really good at looking out for Shizuka! And she also scored a huge hit on the drone horde, which was great. And this time, Perrine also took the time to reassure Shizuka; as the one who was originally assigned to train Shizuka, it’s good she’s showing her gentler side now.

The 502nd made a brief cameo! I haven’t watched Brave Witches yet, which I’ll have to get on after this season finishes. It was also really cool to see how the other Joint Fighter Wings were pitching in for the war effort. The 501st are definitely the stars of the operation (as they should be), but there’s a multi-prong attack going on off-screen. Exciting stuff!

I also really like the little touches that RtB’s been so good at this entire season. For this episode, it’s the blue tulip on Yoshika’s bedstand. Seeing as the episode starts on the day after the ending of Episode 10, this means someone (maybe Perrine?) had a Queen of Nederland shipped out to Kiel really quickly, just for Yoshika. It’s sweet!

Finally, while Minna and Trude clashed during the previous episode, here they work together to support one another during combat. Trude comes to Minna’s aid the moment she’s attacked.

The Stuff I Thought I’d Get, But Didn’t

I’d speculated on this episode and came up with things I thought I’d get to see. But nope!

First of all, what’s RtB’s deal with Mio? I can’t believe Minna’s had more subtext with Trude than with Mio this season! Even when the two of them finally spoke with one another for the first time since Episode 2, there was no blushing or anything like that! Are the days of Minna and Perrine fawning over Mio over? Is there someone on the writing team who loves Trude like I do, and has the same problems with Mio that I do? This is really...well, weird. I can’t describe it in any other way.

Anyway, she’s now bringing the B-17 to Berlin, meaning she might get involved somehow (and is also bringing the Shinden, possibly so Shizuka can fly it.) But here I was, thinking, ‘Oh, that plane they showed Mio with in the opening, she’ll fly that, and it’s going to have anti-Neuroi armor!’ and yet I’m not seeing any indication of that happening at all. Mio isn’t even in that plane right now. It’s the Ratte who got the anti-Neuroi treatment, and again, Mio’s presence felt...functional, I guess.

There’s something about her screen presence that bothers me, actually. I didn’t think about it before, because she was absent so much it just didn’t cross my mind, but...what happened to good ol’ jolly Mio? I don’t mind her being a bit more serious--RtB’s been a more serious season, after all--but we haven’t had a patented Mio Laugh since the first episode, and I miss it. Let’s hope the final episode gives her a nice sendoff.

Secondly, for all the fuss they made about Yoshika and Shizuka’s conditions with that downright tragic ending in Episode 10, the two of them bounced back pretty fast. It’s literally been a day and Shizuka’s already running around fine? And Yoshika doesn’t seem to be experiencing any lingering negative effects of her overexertion? (Aside from the obvious.) For a season that’s so focused on consequences and a consistency in tone, I feel like the two of them got off a bit light.

I was also expecting Trude and possibly Minna and Lynne having sad moments because ‘oh no, people we care about are hurt!’ but because Yoshika and Shizuka seem mostly fine, that didn’t happen at all.

Usually, Episode 11 is the one that ends on a somber note, but here it seems they moved that to Episode 10, and instead had Episode 11 strike a more optimistic tone. No one really showed off their flaws, either; maybe Episode 10 was the bookend to that theme after all?

Into the End

The episode ends on a very interesting note. Everyone finds out Yoshika is also trapped inside the Neuroi dome--and why, exactly, was no one informed of her presence on the Ratte?!--and they’re ordered to mount a rescue operation for their besieged comrades.

And then Trude comes with this absolutely surprising revelation:

I imagine at least one staff member had a chuckle at the fact the cast is now embarking on another Road (in)to Berlin.

The what, now? This wasn’t built up or alluded to at all; I have questions, show! Not to mention, how does Trude even know about this? And why is she the one announcing it, and not Minna, the world’s best mom and team captain?

Anyway, the preview seems to indicate some sort of tunnel run--I briefly wondered if they’d have to venture in on foot, but it seems to be big enough for them to fly.

This shot is ominous.

I’m highly intrigued by this decision. Obviously, the final confrontation will play out outside, but to yank the Witches from the air and into a much more claustrophobic space is a confident move. I can only imagine the surprises the final episode has up its sleeve.

Anyway, all in all, this was a decent episode, and while it did have lots of neat little character moments, it’s obviously setup for what I hope to be a spectacular ending. 

Even if it doesn’t quite deliver next week, though, RtB’s been so consistently great that it’s already cemented itself as my favorite show ever.

[starryskywrites]

Fluff Alphabet Prompts

Hey Dreamers! I wanted to try my hand at doing an alphabet prompt kind of thing, where people send in a letter and a character/ship. If you send in just a character, it’s the character x reader. If you send in a ship, you have to specify which character you want (or both), and it will be that character towards the other.

I want to state that I did not come up with this list! This is from the blog @snk-warriors, who has stated that people are free to use it on their own blogs!

With that said, I hope you’ll send in requests! My main fandoms can be found here, but don’r hesitate to send in an ask about a fandom that I don’t have listed! Even if I haven’t heard of it, I may try and look into it!

Have fun and I look forward to seeing what y’all are interested in!

--Drew

A: Activities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

B: Beauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

C: Comfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

D: Dreams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

E: Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

F: Fight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

G: Gratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

H: Honesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

I: Inspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

J: Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

K: Kiss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

L: Love Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

M: Marriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

N: Nicknames - What do they call their s/o?

O: On Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

P: PDA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Q: Quirk - Some random ability they have that's beneficial in a relationship.

R: Romance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

S: Support - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

T: Thrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

U: Understanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

V: Value - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

W: Wild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

X: XOXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Y: Yearning - How will they cope when they're missing their partner?

Z: Zeal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

[sometimesrosy]

Antis are all the time saying bellarke is platonic, but then they use every bellarke trope, sentence, scene and canon on screen (canon)-off screen( JR words) to make it about their ship, like hello are you alright, you know, it make no sense is stupid.

I believe what’s happening is called “cognitive dissonance.”

In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance occurs when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values, or participates in an action that goes against one of these three, and experiences psychological stress because of that. Wikipedia

Their belief is that bellarke is platonic and their ship is endgame/more important, but the canon is showing bellarke in a romantic relationship, with multiple exceedingly romantic situations and tropes and allusions.

This causes a tension, discomfort, shame, even anger, right? So as they attempt to solve the discomfort, they... look for evidence to support their ships and weaken bellarke. They blatantly ignore canon or shift certain storylines/scenes to be about their ship. 

They are having a hard time reconciling their belief that bellarke is platonic and their otp is endgame, with the canon story, so the way they solve it is to BELIEVE that everything on screen that is romantic bellarke is... not there. I guess. But then if they use it for their ship, then perhaps they’re just ignoring canon and saying canon isn’t as important as their interpretations.

Which is a philosophy I have seen in fandom more than once. People will get very passionate about how they are better that canon, the canon creators, the creators are wrong, about how fandom is more important than story or the storytellers and that they DESERVE to have their OTP be endgame for various reasons... usually along the lines of social justice, what they’ve suffered, perhaps how toxic they think bellarke is, or how heteronormative (boring, trite, lack of rep etc.) Or rewriting the story so that Clarke is the villain and spacekru is the hero so therefore she can’t be bellamy’s endgame. Or creating a story that was never on screen to support the canon statement of b/e relationship which wasn’t given any on screen development.

They can’t deal with the dissonance of their belief in their OTP being disproved in canon. It seems like... they are discovering that they are wrong in thinking their OTP is “meant to be,” so they pick pocket the canon story of all the romance and put it into their fanon, to make their fanon still a part of the canon?

Does it matter to them that what they are using for their OTP fanon is Bellarke canon? NO. Because Clarke said she loved Lxa so they will have an endgame in the anomaly. And Because B/E have been a canon relationship for mumblewhoknowshowmany months/years and it’s not a love triangle because Bellarke is PLATONICdamnyou, so obvi they are meant to be. They fucked so they’re endgame.

No. Let me take that back. It DOES matter. That’s where the cognitive dissonance comes in, when their beliefs: that there is canon romance with bellarke, conflict with their actions: shipping their OTP who is looking less important than Bellarke.

The conflict is causing discomfort. And that’s why they work to change their belief-- SEEING canon romantic bellarke. Much easier to change their belief in what a romantic story looks like on screen, the interpretation of a show, or even the very existence of narrative intentionality. They say everything that doesn’t fit is beliza being in love, or JR being a bad actor, or bait. They look for the tiniest bit of evidence that their ship is endgame. SEE! they mentioned Lxa that means true love, and it’s scifi they can do anything they want that means Lxa will come back. SEE! they hugged on the battlefield that means he cares more for her than clarke it’s the best supportive long term marriage endgame. 

When they came up with a cognitive dissonance between Seeing Canon Romantic Bellarke and Shipping CL/BE As True Love Endgame-- instead of changing their behavior (accepting the story is about BC, letting go of The 100 and sticking to fanon/fanfiction, multishipping their OTP and BC, dropping their OTP, continuing to ship their OTP even though BC is canon) they choose instead to JUSTIFY their actions (Clarke is the villain, CLs DESERVE endgame because they were hurt, BC is fanservice. JR hates Bellarke and is baiting Bellarkers, What happens off screen with B/E is more important than onscreen Bellarke, only kiss/confess/sex counts as canon romance, Bellarke is PLATONIC, the narrative doesn’t matter only canon statements of dating, the cineamatography doesn’t matter only script, the next scene doesn’t matter only this one statement of bellamy’s even though bellamy will be proved wrong in the next scene, etc.,) by changing the meaning of canon as if their opinion of canon changes the actual canon.

There is actually a school of interpretation that thinks the social environment of a work of art is more important than the work of art itself. And that may even be true, when we are analyzing society, culture, history, etc. But IMO if you don’t understand what is happening in the world of the story, the CANON, then you can’t understand it’s impact on society or society’s impact on canon. So therefore, understanding the canon story must come first. 

BUT because this interpretation exists, it allows many people, even educated, intelligent people, to decide that what happens with fandom, cast/crew, politics etc (the CL catastrophe and LGBT rights and the lesbian death trope outrage, the concept that JR hates Bellarkers and is out to get them, various actors saying they love E and B/E, the behavior of fans like harassment, cheating, winning polls, getting the show trending etc.,) will tell us what will happen in the story. These shipwars become the deciding factor in whether Bellarke is romantic and endgame, or whether L will come back and ride off into the sunset or B/E will end up together. 

This isn’t about literary interpretation. This is about social psychology. However if you learn how to analyze fiction, those are transferrable skills you can use in analyzing people and culture. 

[firelxdykatara]

agghh that anon okay so are there zutara shippers who don't like aang? sure, just like there are people who don't like toph or katara or sokka or zuko or any other character because people have preferences. but most of us A) love aang and B) criticize his writing in some episodes BECAUSE we love him and wanted better treatment for him and for katara. I mean obviously anon can disagree with zk headcanons, fuck i mean not every zk shipper has the same headcanon bc we are a diverse, massive fandom, and maybe anon could, idk, read some of our meta instead of reacting to things ppl say we think.

and maybe anon could, idk, read some of our meta instead of reacting to things ppl say we think.

THIS THOUGH!!!!!

Like I 100% think a huge part of the problem is that some douches w bugs up their asses about zutara being more popular than their ships will talk shit about how we suck and our HCs suck and w/e and that spreads and then you get ppl who haven’t even read a single zutara meta jumping on us for existing bc they take that shit at face value instead of doing their own fandom research

which really isn’t even that hard??? like man, just cruise the zutara tag a bit and actually read our headcanons and maybe keep an open mind and read some of our criticisms and see where our arguments come from before automatically assuming that a bunch of bitter ppl w axes to grind are completely right abt us

and it’s also funny bc it’s like, so easy to tell that we, by and large, aren’t being attacked for our show opinions (except the opinion that zuko and katara would have a great relationship), because 99% of the time it isn’t even about what we think abt aang or mai or w/e, it’s about us shipping zutara where other ppl have to see it

like i’ve lost count of the blogs i’ve had to block bc they said something like ‘if i have to see another post abt zutara ill shoot myself’ and stuck it in our tag, and we get flak for not kissing bryke’s asses by some corners of the fandom -cough-, and then there are the ppl who interpret salty posts as personal attacks but at that point it’s like, why is it ok for ppl to criticize zuko, or sokka, or katara, but not aang??? it’s literally almost solely aang stans who actually get offended at the mere implication that a) aang did anything wrong ever, b) the writing for aang’s arc wasn’t perfect, and/or c) aang is not someone’s favorite character.

and he doesn’t have to be. im sorry, but being the main character doesn’t mean everyone’s gonna like him, and it doesn’t mean everyone has to like him. i watched six seasons of bones before i couldn’t take anymore despite absolutely hating the titular character. it can be done! usually if the story and the other characters are good enough to make up for whatever someone doesn’t like in the main character. even ppl who genuinely dislike aang, whether bc the writing soured them on his character overall or his character archetype is just not one they like, are entitled to their opinions and to expressing them--and as long as those opinions are properly tagged, no one really has any reason to bitch about it.

but they do. and they have somehow linked aang hate w zutara in their minds so the assumption became ‘if u ship zutara it means u hate aang’ even though that’s not remotely true as a universal constant!!! some zutara shippers dont like aang, but many do! because we are a diverse group of ppl w diverse interests and opinions, and that’s a GOOD thing and should be celebrated, but bc our existence is grounds for attacking and belittling us (like that lovely little campaign a while back by those anons harassing the poc minors in our ship), we wind up feeling like we all have to agree on everything bc if we don’t present a united front, we’re easier to attack. and it’s just exhausting tbh.

ldkjghkjdfgh ty for coming to my impromptu tedtalk lmfao

[laceymorganwrites]

Fluff Alphabet: Kidd

A=Affection

Kidd´s affectionate in his own way, he´ll boast About his Partner in public and have an arm around you, but in private he can be more intimate with you, resulting in him giving you all the affection, this depends on his mood though.

B=Breath

Stand up for him. Sure, you can wear nice Things and fight good, but the second you defend him and are Ready to fight for his sake, that´s really what takes his breath away, it´s just so unusual for him and he cherishes that the most. 

C=Cuddle

When you´re in private he absolutely loves to cuddle! In a constant cuddle mood. If he had a bad day, he´ll just wrap his arms around you from behind and groan as he Rests his head on the space between your shoulder and neck. He´ll pout and try to get you away from whatever you were doing to drag you to bed so that he can have his arms around you and rest his head on your chest, this is is favorite cuddle Position and he just feels so safe and warm like this, it relaxes him immensely. And when he´s happy he wants to cuddle you too, also loves it when you initiate cuddles.

D=Dream

This may Sound out of character but he wants to settle down with his S/O sometime. After all the crazy chaos and danger he´s been through, he wants to Focus on his S/O when it´s all over. Before that he wants to go on adventures with his Partner though and appear in the newspaper with them, reading About the pirate couple that they are would make him really happy.

E=Effort

It really depends. Kidd´s been in a lot of relationships and they all were short Lasting. Sometimes Kidd goes over the top with the effort and the relationship still Ends and sometimes he doesn´t give any effort whatsoever. With a Special S/O though it´ll go a bit like this: medium effort in Dating, even less effort at the start of the relationship, then the longer they´re together the effort will rise as he doesn´t want to lose his Partner, so they´ll have to be Patient. 

F=Fear

Depening on the Level of scared, Kidd will either tease them or protect them. If it´s something silly like Spiders or something, he´ll tease them mercilessly, if it´s something like heights, he will guide his S/O through it and protects them and if it´s a phobia he also tries his best to be supportive and help.

G=Gifts

Kidd doesn´t give Gifts on Purpose and he would never buy one, he just thinks those couples who constantly buy each other stuff are stupid and don´t love each other. So he doesn´t want you to buy him stuff as an empty gesture, if you buy him scrap metal or some strings for his guitar however he wouldn´t be mad since it Shows that you care and listen, he likes thoughtful Gifts. Kidd´s more on the gift giving side though, he spends unhealthy amounts awake and tinkering, writing and drawing some stuff. Most of it is because you´re his muse and he Gifts you those Things (he also writes Songs for you).

H=Hugs

Literally hugs you all the time, doesn´t care if you´re in public or not, you´re his and he Shows it. Blushes so hard when you come up and hug him though. In private the hugs are of Course a bit more intimate and Long Lasting. 

I=Intimacy

Kidd certainly is more intimate with his longterm Partner than with anyone else, but that doesn´t mean he was from the beginning. It took a Long time for him to open up and let another Person in, so the thought of intimacy wasn´t there in the beginnin of the relationship, only after a bond of trust was built. Kidd likes to be intimate with you, it makes him feel Special and he likes showing you how much he loves you. But he´s not good at words, or romance, but he really tries his best in his own way. 

J=Jealous

Kidd is in a constant state of jealousy as he is insecure and hates himself and is used to betrayal. He´s asking himself every day why his Partner is still with him when they could do so much better. He´s good at hiding his jealousy, but when something happens that causes his jealousy to get more intense, like someone openly flirting with you or touching you, he gets overprotective and mad. He will beat up the Person and pull you close to him. Needs a lot of reassurance.

K=Kiss

Kidd´s a good kisser, though he might not seem like it. Sure they are Rough, but not to an uncomfortable Level. He likes to kiss you on your temple. When you make out he starts with teasing kisses, barely touching your lips. Kidd likes it when you take initiative and kiss back eagerly, especially when you make out he likes it when you guide him to kiss you the way you like it. Is a sucker for kisses on the cheek, will blush every time you do it. Also likes to kiss you on your shoulders and likes to receive Hand kisses.

L=Love

He will say it only after an agonizingly Long time since he is scared of rejection and doesn´t want you to leave him. Kidd falls in love at first sight, but he knows it´s stupid to say those words early on, that´s why he waits and because he wants to be sure he means them, that the Feeling stays. Kidd doesn´t say it too often since he wants the words to be Special, only really says them before leaving for a big journey, after and before a big fight with enemies. So he definitely prefers to Show it, though he´s not the best at it.

M=Marriage

Hell no. Kidd thinks marriages are stupid, most married People get divorced anyway and it´s just a lot of wasted Money and time. If you want to stay together then just do it, don´t make a big fuss About it, those are his thoughts. He also doesn´t like the Exploitation aspect of marriage, if the love in a relationship is lost you are still forced to be with your Partner, the marriages Kidd knows that lasted were all unhappy.

N=Night out

He likes to take you out on concerts, his ship or a bar where he´s well known, anywhere he can Show off and impress you. Kidd loves taking you out on Dates because you Always make such an effort for him and he for you, he likes Dressing up nice for you and spending time with you more intimately than just the normal time you spend together. He likes it even more when you ask him out, those Dates mostly resolve in Eating somewhere and then going to your favorite place to watch the stars, which to Kidd is peaceful and Relaxing. He loves hugging you from behind and having you in his arms whenever you do. You don´t have much time for Dates but whenever you do you make sure to go out.

O=Out of the ordinary

Well in his past relationships he did everything for his Partners even if it made him uncomfortable, but with you he feels comfortable sharing his Limits and the Things he doesn´t want to do. He wouldn´t Change his appearance or the way he talks for his S/O, if he would he´d be Living a lie, and if his S/O want someone that´s not like him, they should just leave. 

P=Playful

He´s not really playful, but he does fuck with his S/O in the way that he sometimes misplaces their Things and Acts as if he doesn´t know what´s going on when they desperately try to find it. Kidd doesn´t know why, but he just thinks it´s cute to see you rummaging through your place, groaning and frustrated. In the end you Always have to ask him to help you find the object and that´s when he smugly ´finds´ it. 

Q=Questions

Kidd likes to have meaningful and serious conversations, especially About the world Government, of Course he wants to hear your view on it too. But he also asks you About your opinion in the simplest Things on a daily Basis, such as if his Shirt or nail polish Looks good, if you think he should get this lipstick he saw,  etc. He just values your voice so much and it´s Always better to have more than just one opinion to make decisions rationally. On the other Hand Kidd doesn´t really like sharing his opinion in those trivial matters since he thinks it´s unnecessary. If you ask him however he will tell you. If it´s About Things with more weight to him, he will not hesitate to speak up About it.

R=Random

It´s Eustass Kidd. Of Course it´s spontaneous, everything the man does, he wings, it´s the same with your relationship. Be it Dates or whatever, he doesn´t bother with plans, he knows what he likes and what you like so that´s what he goes off on. If it´s About activities Kidd can Change his mind quick since he can´t just do one Thing for a really Long time, he has to have some diversity in his activities, he has to Keep himself busy. You have to adapt to those changes, but that´s quite easy once you get the hang of it. Kidd doesn´t have a Problem with you planning Things though because you have his mood swings and such in mind and Always come up with something good. He actually really likes the Things you plan and Always gets excited because he likes surprises with you.

S=Sleep

You have to be someone really Special to get Kidd to Sleep in a bed with you, or to Sleep at all. Kidd doesn´t Sleep until he absolutely has to, never goes to Sleep voluntarily, just passes out. The only times he actually goes to Sleep are when he´s being depressed or drank too much. Usually he will fall asleep on his working table, working on some scrap metal. You put a blanket around him. Bed sharing only happens after sex with him, and only with you, because only with you he´s comfortable with letting his guard down and actually sleeping. There´s something comforting in the way you´ll be there when you wake up. Kidd has a very light Sleep and is easly woken up, otherwise he´ll lay on his side and be dead quiet. You Always aks yourself how he manages not to move in his Sleep.

T=Trust

Trust is a very delicate matter with him. Kidd has never trusted anyone, despite Killer. Killer is the only Person he fully Trusts. Kidd is weary of everyone, he Always thinks the worst of People and that they will eventually backstab and betray him, it´s what his experience has shown him. The world he lives in is too cruel to trust, everyone is selfish, that´s what he´s learned from a Young age. So naturally it takes him a Long ass time to even come close to trusting you. There will Always be that Little part inside of him that tells him he shouldn´t trust you, he will never trust you as much as he Trusts Killer, but he Trusts you more than others, way more. 

U=Unique

I mean he is a very unique personality already but besides the overprotection and possesiveness as well as his way of affection what I think takes the cake for what makes him unique as a S/O is that he is his S/O´s biggest fan. No matter what you do, it can be as simple as cooking something, he will be there to cheer you on, telling you you´re doing amazing and are the best. Turns all your Hobbies into Competitions somehow, Kidd supports them all wholeheartedly but he´s just going off About how you´re kicking everyone else´s ass in your Hobbies. Kidd is very interested in you, your Hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes. He will share your excitement and voice it louder than you, it´s his way of showing he cares and it´s really sweet. He´s too attentive to put it in a nutshell.

V=Vulnerable

Kidd is never fully vulnerable with his S/O, he doesn´t know how to be. The only Person who sees him in this state is Killer. However when he has a bad breakdown or something else happened that made him snap and be vulnerable, he will come to you for comfort, it´s only the way to the breakdown you don´t see. Kidd hates crying so he tries to reppress it, which Ends up in him forgetting to breathe and having a Panic attack. When he has a depressive Episode he will hurl up in bed all day/week, however Long it takes and won´t talk to anyone, he won´t let anyone close. But whenever you come by he tugs at your clothes and so you join him and cuddle up to him. It helps him a lot knowing you´re there for him, physical contact from you also calms him down a lot. 

W=Wildcard

Takes a lot of Pictures and collects them in photo Albums. He has one with Killer, one with you and one with his Crew. He´s currently working on one with couple Pictures and one with Group Pictures. He also has one from his band and wants to get one with his Idols and Friends (if he finds some). Whenever he´s Feeling down or is having a bad day he likes to look at them to remember good times, it Always makes him smile. He will call Killer and you to look at the Pictures with him and you three end up reminisceing and sharing stories. 

X=X-Ray

If you happen to get injured on his watch hell is About to break loose and god help the poor bastard who dared lay a Hand on his S/O. Needless to say if you got injured by another Person they´re dead now. If he wasn´t there though and only finds you injured or if you injured yourself at home he will rush you to the nearest Hospital or doctor (even if it´s something minor). 

Y=Yuck

Well, everything About this man is a giant pet peeve and red flag, so pick your Poison. Be it his mood swings that tick you off or the way he´s so handsy with you, his stubborness… there are more than enough Things to get annoyed by. For Kidd however he doesn´t like it when your Makeup is cakey (if you do Makeup anyway), it´s stupid but it just gets on his nerves, and he can get really annoyed if you have a certain Phrase or word you tend to overuse and say a lot. 

Z=Zeal

Kidd isn´t overly passionate but he certainly is in some ways, for example he is passionate About your Hobbies and the way you look. He likes it when his S/O is passionate too, especially About the same Things he is.