fy-magnificentcentury

[oceanamethyst]

im scared of gen alpha

[kens-puku]

Y'all are gonna think I'm so weird.

But I'm running with this idea I've had for a while for my mcl ocs. Well, other than the actual other mcl ocs I've made.

It's part lazy, part bizarre.

Clones.

Yep, clones.

My MCL NG oc is a clone of the original Puku, but different. I haven't figured out the details yet, but it's like what I did with Pukun, Puku's male clone. It has the idea of a type of clone theory idea of nature vs nurture. The DNA and nature of the puku clones is the same, but the nurture is always a bit different depending on circumstances. Puku "prime" is the parent of all the clones made, but Puku "prime" had a different parentage and upbringing than the clones. Not to mention, the events of each mcl game has different outcomes for clone Puku.

This Puku has -teal- hair and is a zoomer, I guess. Raised by Puku "prime" and has the existential grappling of dealing with being a clone in general.

There's... still a lot of ironing out to do. Like... Where does Kentin fit into all this? How should I incorporate the family given to Puku 2.0 in New Generation?

Why am I giving this plot to an MCL OC!??

lol

[tigergender]

A lot of people complain about gen alpha's stupid sense of humor which is itself stupid because literally every generation has their own brand of complete banal nonsense they found funny. But anyways I do find myself impressed by how little I understand the youth's memes. I'm thrilled to see in a decade the absolute bullshit what gen beta will come up with. I hope at the very least they'll get to grow up with an internet that's kinder to them than it is to gen alpha.

[ladybyakuya]

IS WHAT LOVE IS ? | GEN NARUMI.

+cw.— omegaverse au ( alpha!male x beta!reader ) + roommates au + college / university au, gen narumi x f!reader, fast burn ( we don't appreciate it enough ), world building, angst & hurt, smut, mentions of alcohol, bullying, blood and physical injuries.

+syn.— When college got busy with upcoming internships, classes became hectic, sleep schedule got fucked up and exam stress piled on: gen narumi sought blissful comfort in your presence. However, the same can not be said about you.

+wc. —5k ( dw I think I'll often talk about this in my main.) 

+playlist. — affection by between friends \ no love in L.A by dutch melrose \ fire by jvke \ is this what love is by wasia project.

+notes. — one of my favourite things to get things done by challenging myself so please be kind to me if you feel my writing is little off or not fitting my general pattern. thank you, enjoy reading. | redirect to blog navigation.

+tags. — into the omegaverse collab by @goxjo + other tags : @sukirichi @to-eden @stunie @interstellar-inn

[ one. ]

"We should fuck,"  Narumi announces walking into the dorm room half-clad in the towel and boxers freshly showered, clusters of hair falling onto his face, wet and aromatic opening the door with a bang. Still, it failed to startle you like it generally does. His arm is still holding the door open as you try immersing yourself more into the university website that is spread open on your laptop attracting a fair amount of attention. A barely visible deft amongst his eyebrows arises as his presence remains unbeknownst to you even after he clears his throat. Are beta's senses that dull? 

You take the bluetooth earphones off your ears. "Did you say something?" you pose the question as if you are aware of his presence just now. 

Letting his fingers skim through his wet hair he grumbles, "We should fuck," with pinnable irritation in his voice not that you would know why he is being cranky. 

It is your turn to be silent. Your eyes switch over to the calendar hanging on the wall right beside him. It is still two weeks for Gen before he starts to show the bare minimum signs of an approaching rut. Besides, he has never been this ridiculous. "Did the summer heat finally take your sanity?" you exclaim with a scoff returning the annoyance right back at him but respectable enough to look at him as you spoke. Your phone chimes followed by a vibration and Narumi is forced to cover one of his ears with the arm that has been holding the door all the while; his other ear suffers the damage.

"How many times did I tell you to tone it down a few notches?" He gets inside finally closing the door. All you could spare for response is nothing but a glance of unease. Who is he to tell you what to do and what not? You put your notebooks and a few things in your bag as his whistle finally blows off. "It's been two years already. when are you going to finally give in to my alpha charms, huh? I know that you are no strangers to the modern ideas of mating. I mean you are quite active so why don't we just celebrate the last year of graduation being fuck buddies rather than just roommates?"  You roll your eyes when you are still facing his back to him. You turn around to tuck your hair behind your ears making the bluetooth earphones visible. Holding up your fisted right wrist in his direction you tap on the watch two times and fist out your palm with all five fingers and Narumi just squits his eyes. Before he could make full sense of what you are conveying, you are already out of the door and Narumi knows better than anyone that you love listening to music at high volumes without interruption. Maybe you do so because you are a beta or you are sad or annoyed about something. It couldn't be him, could it? Sometimes when the surroundings get too quiet and you are listening to music he can hear what song it is. 

Not that he is a fan of your music taste but he has rather expressed in preposterous ways to exhibit his distaste for your tastes, likes, and dislikes, sometimes even unasked for one and you were fine with it. You were fine with his obnoxious, rude, and rough behavior. Even in his class, he has a hard time getting along with his batchmates. Every once in a while he would come up with bloody knuckles or a bleeding nose, scratches in his face sometimes and you would have no other choice but to tend to his wounds. You never bothered to ask how he got hurt or why he hurt others and he never decided to divulge. Being at the top of the university has prevented him from getting expelled. The professors are fed up with him but are willing to put up with him only because he is sincere in his studies. And, he is surprisingly good at it given his nature. Sharing a room for almost more than two years with an alpha like Gen Narumi is not a cakewalk, especially for a beta like you. Even before moving into the dorm room, you knew that you would either be paired with an omega or an alpha. You knew what you were getting into and with the advancement of medicinal chemistry cohabitation with other species of your kind has become easier than before yet the primal urges never really fade, do they? After all, what is more dangerous than an unmated alpha? 

You check the time. You are so early for someone who has an interview for the first time. You sit with the other candidates without a slice of panic in your body. Thanks to Gen for nuking your attention into something that you would never expect in nightmares or another universe. Like what the fuck was that? What kind of question was that? Was that even a question? As for a fact, an alpha's desire is too innate to ignore. And with the amount of patience stored in Gen Narumi's body if anything was possible it would have happened in the first few months of college year. Wait a minute! is he finally asking you out after trying to hide it for almost two years? If yes, that would certainly explain why one time he gave you cologne on your birthday which would complement his scent too. Not only that, it would surely explain how he snuggles to you during movie nights, or on liquid nights he would almost spoon you when his ruts were approaching he was too broke to buy video games. But at the same time, you can not completely claim those actions as an act of pursuit of seeking a potential mate in you since it was just an extremely rare occurrence. 

You remember the time when both of you just came from an exam semester party being too drunk, high, and happy to change or freshen up. Both of you just passed out on the nearest bed to the door of the room and you swear you felt a graze of something sharp upon the nook of your neck. But you swiped that thought at the back of your mind thinking it as a dream or some bad alcoholic effect. That night you woke up with Narumi in your bed sleeping like a log, a loud log to be specific. You have always given him space during his ruts since it works better that way; rather than arguing to come to a truce. That's how you have always been. That's how betas had to be. You would always find him buried under a futon with bloodshot with a game controller in his hand, and a lot of junk food packets all around the room yet you chose to give him space because that is how you avoid alphas like him; the more you indulge with him, the greater the chances to be under his target radar. 

"Y/N L/N is next. Be prepared." the mic announces breaking the pensive silence and your reverie of thoughts for a mere blinking moment.

On the first day when you moved in you clearly stated that you would file a complaint if he ever tried to scent you, mark you during his ruts. He just joked saying, "So, it's okay when I'm not in a rut?" but you would not budge or answer him so he mentioned in a sing-songy tone, "Oh don't worry. Betas are hard to influence. You should know that darling.  Plus, you are not exactly my type." with a smug so loud on his face that you wished you could throw something at his face but engaging with him would give him a crack to widen the gulf, explore and test waters. . .you know better than that. But since unlike other alphas, he listened to it, he abided by it, he sustained it—- well tried to or he was just poking the bear for fun. He often does that when he is out of video games. 

That is how you have always maintained a boundary between him and you. 

Gen Narumi finds it impenetrable. You think all the things he does, he does it out of respect which is not exactly true. There is respect but just a pinch. Sharing a room with a beta wouldn't be too bad. That's what he thought when he came to know about you. He did mention in his admission form that he would not like an omega as his roommate but he did not expect it to be beta. It could have been an alpha or a zeta, someone either loud or too mute. Mediocrity has always been a foreign concept to him. And what's up with "do not scent me or mark me." as if he would be interested in such things. He is not like other alphas. Some alphas spend their ruts giving in to their urges while some take suppressants. Gen Narumi belongs to neither of them. He spends his ruts eating junk and playing video games. works both ways actually. It has always been like that since he was expressed as alpha in society. What would he do to a beta? or that's what he thought. 

This morning when he said, well, suggested that you and him should fuck he was possessed perhaps. Why on earth would he say that? It does not make any sense because never in two years he has thought or even looked at you with a splotch of romance. Most of the alphas in his batch have already found a mate or maybe were forced to. He might be the only unmated alpha in this university which is why lesser potential omegas approach him. An unmated alpha is always seen under the lens of threat. And, if they came to know how he spends his ruts, they would not even acknowledge him as an alpha. At the start of the college year, he would often end up bullied by other alphas because of that. The last thing he wants to do is to use his pheromones on others. Why would he waste it on others? He doesn't exactly know for what or whom he is saving it. He would come to the room late whenever he got into a fight. One time he was so tired of all the bullying that he did not even try to defend himself or scare them away. By the time he reached the dorm room,  he was too hurt to breathe properly. That night Gen Narumi came to know that even a beta can calm an alpha, and nurse them into good health if needed. He was too hurt to protest or say anything, all he could do was to imbibe your scent while you were taking care of him. Even betas have a smell. Did you do that on purpose? release pheromonic signals to calm him? Would it be so hard to believe if he were to say that most alphas took their roommates as mates? He can certainly try, at the very least he will get a good laugh out of your reaction. If you did that on purpose he has a chance to show other alphas that he is actually an alpha not that he cares what they say but since you showed your interest in him in a puzzled way he would certainly try to match your level. wouldn't this be a win-win situation if he fucked you? For you, for him, and others as well; it certainly would. That's right. This morning you did not pay enough attention to him so he will say it again just so he can reject you. That's what an exceptional alpha would do. He is exceptionally good at gaming and studies though so he can not see why he should let this opportunity slip through his hands like sand.

You open the door with the help of keys while holding your bag in one hand and your cell phone in the other. Gen does not leave his seat to hold the door rather graces you a glance and goes back to whatever he is doing. 

“Yeah. I’ll definitely call you back, Hoshina-san.” you disconnect the call and Gen’s eyes are on you. He does not look away so you took it as a cue to explain something, anything. He just needs some info to be fed so that he does not start again. “Hoshina Soshiro is gonna be my supervisor if I get the job. The interview wasn’t so bad but I don’t wanna get my hopes up. He is one of the best and doing an internship under his guidance would be a great start. ”

“Stay away from that guy,” Gen grumbles looking back at his desk. It is unusually neat today. Not to mention his futon bed is folded and kept on his bed in a side enough that one can sleep peacefully without any problem. You would have said something to him if your attention did not keep faltering . . .Gen rolls his revolving chair in your direction, one of his legs is touching the wheels of the chair while the other is stretched creating a huge gap. His left-hand travels under his t-shirt and it hooks on his right shoulder.  "we should fuck," he declares, inept and inert.

"oh god! Not again" you let out a groan and sit on the bed near to you. Your head is in hands not because of what he said or what he did, not even because your patience is thinning with each tick of the clock enough to not to put up with this anymore but because of what is about to come out of his mouth the next.

"So, you heard me the first time ?" he barks while leaving his chair. You just wave your hand nonchalantly in a gesture to dismiss him but he locks his hands in his chest taking a stern stance in front of you.

You tilt up your head looking him in the eye, "You know Gen we shouldn't do this," your elbows rest on your thighs as you start to scratch your index finger with the other.

"don't you mean can't? you can't do this?" Is he serious? Isn’t he joking? Oh God. Why isn’t he joking like he generally does? Maybe a reaction would keep him quiet but what kind? A yes? A no? Or a laugh?

"you know better than others that I can fuck, literally too sometimes." You exclaim hoping to judge if this is really serious or just some sort of prank. If the latter, then it's not funny. If the former, then you might have to consider moving out. You get up from his bed to grab towels and bathroom needs."Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. Maybe I need to prove to someone that I'm an alpha." Gen regrets saying that. Your hands have stopped as you look at him which rarely happens. You never do one thing at a time. Fuck! You’re still looking at him. Gen unlocks one of his hands and scratches his jaw. 

"well, you chose a very wrong person to fuck, to prove then. I despise alphas. I would be much happier if you weren't one," That’s a little harsh, even from you. 

"as if a beta like you could get me hard." You keep the shampoo and conditioner bottle on the desk with much greater force than needed. Here it comes. . .Oh okay.

"Well, have you been with Beta before?" Gen tries to dodge the bullet because this is not the direction of conversation he wants to go. "that's exactly my point-" 

"an omega?" you pause and take a few steps towards him "An alpha?"  

“Wha—t? What’re — you talking — about?” Gen blabbers. He does not step away as you come closer but he has the urge to do so.

"god. Please find someone else to lose your virginity." You turn around the moment you finish deciphering his goal. Gen starts to growl underneath everything that comes out of his mouth now. "me being an alpha won't affect you being a beta if we were to fuck. and I don't wanna hurt an omega or alpha—His patience is thinning out too. This really isn’t the way he wanted this to go.

"But you'd hurt me?"

"That's not what I meant,"

"Are you a virgin, Gen Narumi?"

"Yes—I mean no." He glitches and now he can not look at you.

"Which is it?"

". . ." 

"I'm too tired to think about it now," you express with an exasperated sigh walking towards the bathroom.

"Is that a yes?"

"maybe be,"

"forget it." His tone is too sharp, demanding for someone who was begging you to fuck.

"What?" You stop before entering the bathroom and turn your head to him. "forget it" He repeats. You tilt your head, "But you just said. . ." you are starting to understand what this is really about. He does not want to fuck you neither want to lose his virginity or whatever he is trying to protect. It is his alpha ego acting up. He wants you to say yes so that he can reject you so that it strokes his alpha-nature. That’s it.

Your face distorts in disdain in his dense thought process.

Gen Narumi squints his eyes and then blinks. When he opens his eyes you are in front of him. You push him onto the nearest bed, your bed, and sit on his lap, legs folded and creating a dip on the mattress under the pressure of it, thighs grazing his pelvis.

"what're you doing?" Gen gasps as you let your palms touch his chest. He is gonna explode. His heart is beating so fast. You can feel it. Oh My God. You didn’t think this through.

"Well, let's see if a beta can get you hard or not." 

You undress your top. You are not an omega. There is no stench. But your scent is so muted that he has to either influence you to emit some or get closer to inhale. The first option is a no-no because he would not like to anger you while you are on his lap. So, he has to get closer. Wait, closer than this? The smell from that night threatens his senses and memory. Before the realization fully hits his brain, his hand moves in your direction but you stop him. Did you do something wrong? Both hands are now aligned with his. You notice how your hands are different from his. His fingers are rough and raw. Yours are at least, well-maintained. You slowly interlace his fingers with yours folding his hands at the back. He could easily swat you away but he is not doing that. You lean into his face and he does not move away so you take that as a yes to lick from his collarbones up to his chin and immediately pull away. 

Narumi’s eyes are closed, head still tilted. Without giving him a moment of reprieve you let your lips graze on his, just barely, and pull away just a little, wet yours and thereby skimming at his bottom lip in the process. He opens his eyes, slowly looks at you, and then your lips. He is breathing like a tired puppy. He inclines, perhaps for a kiss but you sway your head giving him access to the side of your neck. As you graze your cheek against his jaw, his hands that are still at the back are held by you but it is slowly getting lithe as you feel his lips on your shoulders, hot tongue on your skin, and then a sharp graze of his fang from your shoulder up to the back of your ear. You tip your head down for a moment feeling goosebumps arise on your skin barely allowing him any moments of reprieve, only permitting a rare moment to breathe. You watch Narumi intently, unafraid to make things awkward, but Narumi is too distracted by his inner crisis to notice the amused stare mere centimeters from his face; studying him.

The tip of your tongue curls slowly but forcefully, tracing the plump of your bottom lip before sliding across Gen’s own and trailing the roof of his mouth. Eyes watching intently. Controlled. Curious. Amused. But then you abruptly pull away, lips shiny and wet. Before Narumi can ask why, your lips curl in on themselves, hiding a smug smile. It looks like you can’t catch your breath — like if you do, you will erupt into laughter. But a lopsided grin finally breaks free, tugging at your lips, when your eyes flash down to Narumi’s torso and back up.

Narumi freezes, heart, hammering in his ribs.

He’s hard.

“That was fast,” You smirk — and you stand. “I’m going to shower now.” you release your grip from his hands and get off his lap.  Gen watches you go into the bathroom and looks down at his boner biting his bottom lip; a click of his tongue follows as he checks the time. It is too late to go out now.

when you come out of the shower he is not there. A part of you worries if he got into a fight or something or maybe he is with his big hot alpha friends bragging about how he turned you down. You hit the bed with a thud, exhaustion creeping up from your toe to head, slowly. You do not give a damn what he says about you to other alphas or anyone in general. A beta will always have to watch out for themselves. They can not rely upon anyone, not even their kind because most betas are dumb enough to mingle with alphas and get turned into omega with or without consent.

Look what fate landed upon your mother when she took an alpha as her mate. You let out a wry chuckle. Sleep seems like a foreign land somewhere in heaven.

[ two. ]

It has been two days since Narumi left. Some of his batchmates have started to ask you during recess and breaks between classes. You answered them the same thing every time. “I don’t know.” or “he didn’t tell me before going.” or “How should I know? I’m not his mate who can sense it. Go find his mate.” or “he didn’t take his phone. So I don’t know.” truly it had not bothered you until Professor Shinomiya showed up at your doorstep asking for his whereabouts. You politely and patiently answered him the same very thing that you have been telling anyone who asked about Narumi. For a hated unmated alpha he sure is popular.

On the third day, late at night, there is a knock on your door. You go and open without hesitation. Narumi enters wearing the same clothing he wore the last time you saw him, only a little fade. His hair is wet and it is not raining outside so he comes back after going missing for two days, freshly showered. Bloodshot eyes, hair messed up, and mayhem all over his body.

“Welcome back.” You say but Gen does not say anything but goes straight to his study desk. He has a test coming up. Professor Shinimiya said that so you would contact him if you had the means. Your day-to-day notebook is on his study table, under the stack of his books, and guess what? That is exactly what you need the most right now because without it you would not be able to work on your applications and resumes. It has all the details and info you. The moment you touch the stack of books, Narumi’s hands are over yours.

“Are you—-? Where were you ?” You ask and For the first time in your life, you feel that something inside you went missing. When did that happen?

Gen stands up but you do not scoot away as he closes the gap between him and you. That’s what he likes about you. You were never afraid of him. You never considered him as a threat like others. Now, that he is closer you can smell several mixes of strong musky aromas. It is odd. You have been close to him before, but never once knew his scent. Is he in a rut?  Or did something bad happen? Did he. . .? Was he attacked by a gang of omegas or alphas? It makes your stomach turn thinking about whatever the probable reason for such a state as his. 

“Oh? You can tell?” There is a few inches gap between his face and yours. His palm is still intact on yours. The grip is lithe yet you don’t move your hand away.

“Gen? What? OH. God.” You had to swallow since tears threatened your eyes. “Are you okay?” A trembling whisper is all it takes for him to finally say something.

“Leave.”

“What?”

“Just leave for a few days. Go to some friend’s house or something,” He is still sitting, his eyes are on the open book now but his hand is still over yours.

“Why? What did I do?” You ask trying to move away your hand but in a swift moment, he grabs your wrist and pulls you closer as he stands up. 

“I’m — in a rut. So, I need you to stay away from me.”

“But — I’m a beta. You don’t need to worry.”

That is funny. It is because of you that he is such a shipwreck now. It was your pheromones that fucked him up. It was you who calmed him with scents when he came home injured. It was you who had no control over pheromones when drunk. It was you all along and despite that, he can not bring himself to hate you. Why can’t he hate you when he wants to? He even took a whole bunch of suprresants before coming back here. Gen laughs at your naive sentiment so blaring that you take a few steps back but he yanks you back to himself, a little too forceful than he intended to be resulting in you on top of him sprawled on the cold floor.

“Ohh? Why do you think I rub my fangs against your neck? You don’t think I do that for fun, do you?” You are still trying to get away from his grip but he is strong. He is stronger than you have known all these two years. “Are you too dumb to know that if I bite and knot you enough times you will turn into an o—

Thwack!

Narumi’s head is tilted away from yours. The exposed side of his cheek is red, his ears are thrumming and he has to force himself to keep his eyes open. Fuck. You’re strong. That was one hell of a slap.

“I know that. I’ve known that all my life. You don’t need to tell me that,” you yell looking down at his t-shirt. A cry is at the brink when you see a few drops of water fall on his top.  You try your best not to fall apart in front of him but it is just too much. Hearing such a thing what your mother went through and then slowly becoming a victim of it is nothing but a slow poison. You refuse to live the life your mother led. You refuse to owe your existence to an alpha. 

Narumi’s lips form a crescent but it is quickly clouded when your body starts to shake. You cover your face as you start to crumble like Rome in front of him. 

Folding his legs he sits up. His hands rest on the floor to support himself as he whispers, “Hey, stop crying.”  His voice is calm, pupils back to normal, not red anymore. “Please” He insists. “I’d hate to use my pheromones on you, especially now” 

You slowly look up wiping off your tears with your hand.

“Tell me y/n have I ever used my pheromones on you?” 

“No. Never.” Your hands fall on his chest. “But I still hate you. Why would you say something like that?” You stifle a sob and continue. “I know. I’ve never opened up to you—-” Your voice turns up, anger laced underneath. “But never did you. You think I don’t know—- that alphas bully you? Oh please! I know better than anyone what an alpha’s beating looks like.” You inhale a long breath, “I mean I have known that my entire life. I’ve seen my mother all my life— and I can’t see someone else getting hurt because of me . . . your voice breaks into a cry again and you inhale so as not to cry anymore but what good that would do now that he has seen the core of vulnerability in you that was tucked inside carefully with layer upon layer.

“Well,” Narumi starts to speak. “Save me then. Save me from this torment.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Narumi jocks down to meet your gaze. “Be my God and I will be your devotee.”

You try to get on your feet. Gen’s eyes follow you, each of your movements until you are standing on your own. He is still sitting on the floor in the same stance, laid back and amused.  He is sure you will say no. He has done this before. Back then you thought he was speaking out of delirium but that night when you saved his life he felt like he found a God to worship. He remembers saying, “I think I love you, Y/N L/N.” and you scoffed at him saying in no world an alpha like you would feel that about a beta like you when there is a bevy of omegas around him.

“Okay.” You murmur.

Gen’s mouth is parted. His eyes are big in surprise. “But just so you know, I’m hard to please,” you mumble with a sniff getting out of the room to make a call.

[artsekey]

I'd been seeing videos on Tiktok and Youtube about how younger Gen Z & Gen Alpha were demonstrating low computer literacy & below benchmark reading & writing skills, but-- like with many things on the internet-- I assumed most of what I read and watched was exaggerated. Hell, even if things were as bad as people were saying, it would be at least ~5 years before I started seeing the problem in higher education.

I was very wrong.

Of the many applications I've read this application season, only %6 percent demonstrated would I would consider a college-level mastery of language & grammar. The students writing these applications have been enrolled in university for at least two years, and have taken all fundamental courses. This means they've had classes dedicated to reading, writing, and literature analysis, and yet!

There are sentences I have to read over and over again to discern intent. Circular arguments that offer no actual substance. Errors in spelling and capitalization that spellcheck should've flagged.

At a glance, it's easy to trace this issue back to two things:

The state of education in the United States is abhorrent. Instructors are not paid enough, so schools-- particularly public schools-- take whatever instructors they can find.

COVID. The two year long gap in education, especially in high school, left many students struggling to keep up.

But I think there's a third culprit-- something I mentioned earlier in this post. A lack of computer literacy.

This subject has been covered extensively by multiple news outlets like the Washington Post and Raconteur, but as someone seeing it firsthand I wanted to add my voice to the rising chorus of concerned educators begging you to pay attention.

As the interface we use to engage with technology becomes more user friendly, the knowledge we need to access our files, photos, programs, & data becomes less and less important. Why do I need to know about directories if I can search my files in Windows (are you searching in Windows? Are you sure? Do you know what that bar you're typing into is part of? Where it's looking)? Maybe you don't have any files on your computer at all-- maybe they're on the cloud through OneDrive, or backed up through Google. Some of you reading this may know exactly where and how your files are stored. Many of you probably don't, and that's okay. For most people, being able to access a file in as short a time as possible is what they prioritize.

The problem is, when you as a consumer are only using a tool, you are intrinsically limited by the functions that tool is advertised to have. Worse yet, when the tool fails or is insufficient for what you need, you have no way of working outside of that tool. You'll need to consult an expert, which is usually expensive.

When you as a consumer understand a tool, your options are limitless. You can break it apart and put it back together in just the way you like, or you can identify what parts of the tool you need and search for more accessible or affordable options that focus more on your specific use-case.

The problem-- and to be clear, I do not blame Gen Z & Gen Alpha for what I'm about to outline-- is that this user-friendly interface has fostered a culture that no longer troubleshoots. If something on the computer doesn't work well, it's the computer's fault. It's UI should be more intuitive, and it it's not operating as expected, it's broken. What I'm seeing more and more of is that if something's broken, students stop there. They believe there's nothing they can do. They don't actively seek out solutions, they don't take to Google, they don't hop on Reddit to ask around; they just... stop. The gap in knowledge between where they stand and where they need to be to begin troubleshooting seems to wide and inaccessible (because the fundamental structure of files/directories is unknown to many) that they don't begin.

This isn't demonstrative of a lack of critical thinking, but without the drive to troubleshoot the number of opportunities to develop those critical thinking skills are greatly diminished. How do you communicate an issue to someone online? How do look for specific information? How do you determine whether that information is specifically helpful to you? If it isn't, what part of it is? This process fosters so many skills that I believe are at least partially linked to the ability to read and write effectively, and for so many of my students it feels like a complete non-starter.

We need basic computer classes back in schools. We need typing classes, we need digital media classes, we need classes that talk about computers outside of learning to code. Students need every opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and the ability to self-reflect & self correct, and in an age of misinformation & portable technology, it's more important now than ever.

[antiquarianfics]

Taken pt. 11

If Bucky Barnes could time travel, he would go back to that morning. He would hold you a little tighter in his arms, and he would kiss you a little deeper. He would pull your daughter in between the two of you, letting her giggle as loudly as she wants whilst her parents kiss her cheeks and tickle her belly. If Bucky Barnes could time travel, he would have told you not to go to the park—to go anywhere else. But Bucky Barnes can’t time travel, and his wife and daughter are gone.

a/n: this is a direct result of the power of commenting/reblogging an author's work. someone said they were sad they didn't think i was going to finish this, and i realized i hadn't finished it, and i have some time for once, so i decided to be skibidi sigma. (gen alpha brainrot is starting to come out unironically. i work with middle schoolers. sorry.)

warnings: swearing, blackmail, mention of murder, themes of conspiracy, canon typical violence.

note: I do not own the character Bucky Barnes or any other Marvel affiliated characters. Any and all characters are a work of fiction and any likeness to real persons is wholly unintentional.

You do not have permission to copy, translate, or repost my work; however, feel free to like, comment, and reblog.

»»———-———-———-———-———-———-———-««

previous part | series masterlist | next part

»»———-———-———-———-———-———-———-««

When the judge tells you, “Mrs. Y/N L/N-Barnes, you’re a free woman,” you let out a sob and feel yourself yanked into a firm chest that you’d recognize anywhere: Bucky.

“You’re okay, sweetheart. You’re coming home.”

—

You would think that months working for the enemy, followed by months locked up in a cell, followed by a month of trial, that finally ended in your freedom and return to your family would bring you peace.

It doesn't.

Sure, finally sleeping in your own bed again and cuddling up next to your husband was amazing, hugging your daughter again was amazing, having privacy again was amazing... but freedom and its perks don't erase trauma. You get to lie in your own bed again and cuddle up next to your husband, but you can't sleep lest the nightmares come. You get to hug your daughter again, but you're always looking over your shoulder, worried someone will snatch her away from you again. You get to have privacy, but you never trust that you're truly alone.

After everything that has happened, you realize, you will never be able to go back to how things were. You're a different person than you were before you and Becca were taken. You're a murderer now, not a hero. When you look at your hands, all you see is blood, and when you look in the mirror, all you see is a shell of the woman you once were.

—

The first week back home as a free woman is spent making amends, as per the recommendation of your court-mandated therapist.

"Steve, I am so sorry for trying to kill you. I... I don't even know what to say. If it weren't for Bec, I wouldn't've, but-" You say, throat dry, palms sweaty as you wipe them on your pants.

"Hey, it's okay. I understand. I forgive you. If anyone is going to understand turning on a friend to protect someone they care about, it's me." Steve gives you a comforting smile, his tone so earnest. "Just ask Tony and Bucky."

You crack a smile.

After Steve, came Fury and Coulson, the late presidents' family, the families of the many politicians you killed... the list felt unending as you worked your way through it.

It takes months to track down the loved ones of all the people you hurt while with HYDRA, and by the time you're finished with it, you're more exhausted than when you were literally locked up and starved while in HYDRA's custody.

With a huff and a frown, you flop onto the couch. You fall over the arm of the couch and land on your back. Bucky laughs a little as he watches your dramatic display, walking over and leaning over you, resting his arms on the back of the couch.

"Tired?" He asks.

"Yeah. This making amends stuff is exhausting. Don't know how you do it." You flop an arm over your eyes.

"Slowly but surely," he says. "And it helps that I have a super hot and supportive wife to encourage me when it feels like too much." He reaches over the couch and pokes your stomach. You giggle and squirm.

"I don't know that the 'hot' part helps the amends," you say pointedly.

"Maybe, but it doesn't hurt."

You smirk but say nothing. Bucky watches for a moment.

"Well?" He asks finally.

"Well what?"

"Are you going to say it back?"

"Say what back?"

"You know."

"I don't know."

"That having a super hot and supportive husband makes making amends easier," he says in a matter-of-fact tone. You lift your arm off your face to look at him; he's wearing a shit-eating grin.

"I guess it does help a little," you concede.

He jumps up, throwing his arms in the air in victory. It's a little out of character for him, but it makes you laugh. He's been going out of his way to make you laugh, even when it includes him doing things that feel unnatural to him. Bucky Barnes wants his wife back, yes, but he is also aware that after everything that you went through, you won't be the same. Things won't go back to normal: there will just be a new normal. In the meantime, he just wants you to laugh a little while you figure out what your new normal is.

—

At some point, you fall asleep on the couch. Bucky leaves you there, afraid to move you lest you wake up. Ever since your captivity with Frost and HYDRA, you've been having nightmares that Bucky worries rival his. Any nightmare-free sleep you get is rare and needed.

Bucky had lain a blanket over you before putting Becca to bed and heading to bed himself, and even though he'd deny it, he was exhausted, too. So when your nightmares start, he doesn't wake up.

The nightmare starts out slow, and you toss and turn in your sleep, pitiful whimpers leaving your lips. Though, it doesn't take long for the nightmares to progress. Soon, you've tossed the blanket onto the floor and your whimpers have turned into screams. Bucky doesn't hear, but Becca does.

The 4 year old walks through the apartment, leaving her room quietly in search of her screaming mother. She's scared; she's never heard you scream like this. While locked up, she heard you scream in anger—she still remembers how you screamed and pulled the chains out of the wall—but she has never heard you scream in fear. Until now. Her mommy has always been the bravest person she knows, and that's even braver than her daddy—he said so himself.

Clutching her stuffed rabbit in one hand, she slowly walks into the living room where she can see you flailing and screaming on the couch.

"Mommy?" Becca calls out softly, nervously. When you don't answer, she tries again, moving closer still. "Mommy, wake up."

Again, you don't answer. You're still deeply asleep. Becca walks up to the couch and stands right beside you. Tentatively, she places the hand not holding her rabbit against your shoulder and shakes.

"Mommy, wake up."

When you still don't wake up, she shakes your shoulder a little harder and speaks up a little louder.

"Mommy, wake up! Mommy, it's just a dream. Just a bad dream. Wake up!" She gives a good push to your shoulder with the last 'wake up' and you sit up quickly, swinging your arms in a punch. You hit Becca, and she stumbles back, loses her balance, and falls, hitting her head against the coffee table.

You start to fully come to. You're looking around the room frantically, breathing heavily, and, slowly, you realize you're in a familiar place. Slowly, you recognize your living room. Slowly, you realize your daughter is bleeding on the floor.

You do a double take. Becca is sat against the coffee table, her bunny abandoned at her side. She's holding her head, but blood is still dripping out from the sides of her small hand, and she's bawling.

"M-m-mommy, I'm s-s-sorry!" She cries.

"Becca! Oh, no, no, no!" You quickly stumble off the couch, sitting on your knees as you hover your hands next to Becca's head, trying to assess the damage.

"I'm so sorry, baby. Mama's so sorry. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to."

The commotion is loud enough that it wakes Bucky up and he slides into the room, panic staining his face.

"Y/N, what's going on? Are you okay? Is Becca okay?" He says worriedly, rushing over to you and kneeling beside you.

Noticing that you're not actually touching Becca or trying to help, he pushes you out of the way, pulling Becca's hand away from her forehead. He grimaces as he gently swipes his thumb across the cut, wiping the blood away. He lets out a relieved breath.

"It's not that bad. It's okay. You're okay, sweetheart," he tells Becca, kissing her forehead.

Bucky turns to see that you've backed yourself into the corner of the room, as far away from him and Becca as you could possibly get. You're holding your head in your hands, crying, and muttering "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to," over and over.

"Doll, she's okay. It's just a small cut. You didn't do anything wrong," Bucky reassures you, scooping Becca in his arms as he speaks. He was piecing together that you'd hurt her in a post-nightmare haze (he was familiar with them).

You just shake your head frantically.

—

Bucky gets Becca cleaned up and put back to bed. When he returns to the living room, you're still huddled in the corner, but you've stopped crying. Instead, you're staring blankly at the wall. He walks over.

"Doll? Hey." He gently tilts your chin towards him. "Bec's okay. She's not mad—a little rattled—but mostly worried about her mama. You didn't do anything wrong. You know that, right?"

You shake your head and he sighs.

"She's asking for you."

You finally make eye contact.

"No. I don't want to see her; I can't see her. You have to keep Becca away from me, Bucky." Each word that leaves your mouth is deadly serious. Bucky's mouth is slightly agape as he takes in your words.

"Sweetheart, she's okay. You can see her," he tries.

"No, I can't. I'm a danger to her, Bucky. I hurt my baby." Your voice cracks, and the pain in your voice breaks Bucky's heart.

"Promise me you will keep her away from me," you beg.

He nods reluctantly. "Okay."

You nod and turn your gaze back to the wall. It's silent for a few minutes.

You stand abruptly and Bucky quickly mirrors the action.

"What is it?" Bucky asks.

"I'm going to kill Frost," you say at the same time.

A beat. Bucky stares at you.

"I'm going to hunt that son of a bitch down, and I am going to make him pay for everything he has done to this family." You make direct eye contact with your husband. "Everything."

»»———-———-———-———-———-———-———-««

@just-henny @jasminocano @browneyedgirl22-blog @barnesboo1967 @matchat3a @unkasworld @qwertyb2577 @raajali3 @yoruse @iilsenewman @alysianc @fairytalegirlofurdreams @marvelxlevram @casa-boiardi @buckybraneslover111 @hhiggs @smolracoon25 @questionableratatouille00 @heytheredemonsitsyourgirl @thearieunhinged @sebastianstansource @middaystarlight @talesofadragon @killerwendigo @ozwriterchick @kandis-mom @scatteredstardustt @babysbreathbabes @ordinarylokix @lilstarfish88 @ordelixx @shizukestar @filmsbyblair

[arinzu]

My Headcannons for bllk characters💋

Part 1 l part 2

Shidou, Sae and Kaiser

💗💗💗

🪳Ryusei Shidou🪳

✿His favorite painting he made was sperm cells swimming towards the egg cells.

✿Middle Child vibes, has a older sister and a gen alpha brother.

✿Was once very emo

✿Makes traditional Japanese painting and donates to the art club since he thinks their chill asf

✿Learned how to do makeup from a website that has too much virus.

✿Very chill outside the field

✿Likes traumatizing children, once a kid came to him and ask 'how babies were made', that kid was his brother.

✿Knows almost every gen alpha or gen z slang known to man.

✿I genuinely think (even if this is canon) he has a room dedicated to sae's passes to him at the u20 vs bl11

Boyfriend Headcannons🪳

♡Your display name on his phone is my pookiebear💗, Cockroach junior🪳, My babagrill💕.

♡Paints you and him kissing under the moon om a bridge.

♡Call him my one and only demon and he'll go feral or just wear he's jersey.

♡If anyone is making you uncomfortable he'll buy a bat and swing that bitch like no tomorrow.

♡Writes a cheesy love poem and reads it out loud to the bllk CCTV that is broadcasting live.

♡If you guys cuddle he'll kiss your collarbone or forehead if you're not ready.

♡Once wore a fairy costume with you for Halloween.

♡Doesn't get why you're insecure about your body, in his eyes you're divine, your perfect and he is lucky to have you by his side.

♡You thought he was into sae until he confess his love to you in the weirdest way possible (he said be my egg cell to my sperm BLA BLA BLA...)

♡Always tries to make you feel love even if it's weird, just know that he loves you no matter what happens

Sae itoshi💋

✿Gives judgemental stares/side eyes to his questionable fans, it's bcuz y'alls Kinda weird...(Some y'all gotta go)

✿He isn't a massive tsundere he's just stoic like that.

✿He got traumatized(prob not)by seeing one of his questionable fans made of him and shidou (hint it was a fanfic)

✿Owns a few Spanish and English dictionary and regularly reads it.

✿Still has a photo of him and Rin somewhere in his place.

✿Has a big ahh tv in one of his rooms to watch horror movies if he had any free time to spare.

✿Almost flip off Luna when they were practicing on more than one occasion.

✿On his childhood he found a stray cat and fell in love with it, sadly he never saw that cat again after he was famous.

✿Wants to file a restraining order against some of his fans, didn't because of his manager.

✿Goes to the internet only for browsing for fights.(he uses a anonymous acc)

Boyfriend Headcannons.

♡Isnt possessive nor protective since your an adult with your own life, and since he knows that everyone knows your his and his yours.

♡Blow him a kiss or any sort of affection to him when he's entering the field, he doesn't want he NEEDS it.

♡If any of his fans are harassing you don't worry since he got bodyguards surrounding you.

♡He loves you deeply and if the media questions that he'll have no problem with clearing up the confusion.

♡Beach dates!

♡Even he might not look like it, he loves your affection, it clings to him like a bug so show him affection.

♡Please do wear his jersey or any of his merch... He wants everyone to know that your his lover.

♡If you cheat on him he'll cut you in half (totally not from who would you choose? Check it btw it's in one of the endings)

♡Cuddle with him, spend some quality time, or just watch his matches he will be so happy.

♡He might not be the best lover you'll have but he'll be the richest one you'll ever have.

Micheal kaiser💠

Half of these are angst and most importantly from his childhood🙂

✿He isn't actually as cocky as most of his teammates think he is, his just hiding that pathetic boy in him so people wouldn't try to use him.

✿Doesn't want to go to therapy since he'll lose out on training that might end up in him going to jail.

✿Hated those kainess shippers on the bllk tv.

✿At one point, somewhere he actually liked ness not romantically but liked as a human, that quickly change.

✿Loves stray animals he often tries to feed them food.

✿Still keeps the blue rose gifted from his mother, it's sacred something he would never give to someone else.

✿When he's about to sleep he has the sudden urge to piss.

✿Has a notebook to talk shit about people.

✿Gets awfully quiet near a store he had stolen from.

✿Vibes with any music genre unless it's about abuse.

Boyfriend Headcannons.

♡Spoils you rotten and buys you expensive things especially with things he wanted as a child.

♡Gets really mad if you gonna ask him when can you meet his family, it's before he told you his past.

♡Whenever he remembers the past he'll snuggle with you until he falls asleep hugging your waist.

♡I REPEAT THIS AGAIN wear his merch, jersey, and buy his plushies he loves to see you with them.

♡If you give his merchandise too much attention, he'll have no choice but to hide them (time to time destroy it)

♡He thinks your the angel that save him from that horrible nightmate.

♡Is probably using you to stop the nightmares.

♡You and his teammates have a somewhat civil relationship, but with ness he actually adores you.

♡Makes you and him matching bracelets or any type of accessories.

♡If you're a questionable fan, he'll give you the side eye once or twice a day.

That's it y'all I totally didn't upload this by accident on more than one occasion.... BUT FORGET THE ANGST AT KAISER

TYSM for reading!

[immortalxrose]

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞 [ʸᵃⁿᵈᵉʳᵉ! ᴼᵐᵉᵍᵃ ˣ ᴼᵐᵉᵍᵃ! ᴹᵃˡᵉ ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ]

summary; Paris Willaims has been stuck in the same world loop for years. 135 to be exact. It's always the same- he's the helpless omega who so desperately needs an alpha to save him. No matter how many times he tries to escape, he's always brought back. That is until you come along.

Warnings; Yandere themes and behaviors.

Notes; Sorry this took so long! Updates might be a bit slow since school has started back up. Also, I am very sorry that this is a bit shorter than the last.

Part Two

ᴘʀᴇᴠ ɴᴇxᴛ

It's been two months since the semester started, and Midterms were just around the corner. [M/N] had been cruising through his classes so far, so he wasn't worried about how he'd do. Most of his classes were just gen ed, all freshman-level and fairly simple. It also paid to be smart.

[M/N] was heading to the library for a study group. Listen, he's smart, but he isn't smart smart. Plus, it's a math class. Say what you will, but math is absolute hell.

“[M/N]!” Paris’ voice called out across the busy campus. The [h/c] male looked back as the pink-haired male ran towards him with the same bright smile. The shorter omega wore a green turtleneck, tight jeans, and black platform boots. [M/N] was shocked by how much effort the shorter omega kept putting into his outfits. [M/N] himself had already given up on the whole ‘dress nice’ thing instead of opting for some sweatpants and hoodies. Look, he isn’t going to get all dressed up just for class, especially since he’s spending hours sitting.

[M/N] stared down at the omega approaching, feeling himself smile at the other's welcoming grin. Paris was a very determined omega and somehow weaseled his way into [M/N] life. The pink-haired omega was resilient, refusing to take no for an answer. It was annoying initially, but the other persisted and somehow became what many would consider a friend.

“What are you going here? Your classes don’t start till 2, right?” The shorter male tilted his head, looking up at him with that stupidly adorable look.

[M/N] nodded. “Just here for a study group.”

"Oh. For what class?"

"Math."

Paris grimaced. "Ew."

[M/N] laughed. He held the same sentiment, honestly.

Paris smiled just slightly. He looked at the taller omega with a strange glint in his eyes.

Suddenly, a burning feeling was at the back of [M/N]'s head. He could sense someone approaching, smelling them before he could see them. It was a vulgar scent, reminding him of lit cigars. He looked behind him to see an alpha walking towards them, likely a few inches shorter than him. Something was telling him this experience wasn't going to be fun.

Paris grabbed onto his hoodie sleeve to look behind him. "What are you-" Hr froze, watching in horror as the alpha grew near. He buried his face into [M/N]’s side, his body trembling. His pheromones grew sour. A small whimper left his lips, startling the [h/c] omega.

[M/N] placed a hand on Paris’s back. “Are you ok? Do you know him?”

The omega nodded frighteningly. “He…” The alpha grew nearer, and the omega buried his face farther into the taller side. He continued to speak, his voice muffled. “He’s one of the…alpha’s I told you about.”

[M/N]’s eyes widened. Since the start of the semester, Paris had come to him, complaining about a group of alphas, six to be exact, all trying to court him. He’d refuse multiple times, even going so far as to decline one of them publicly. Yet they were frighteningly persistent. They continued to pursue and court Paris. One of them even went so far as to try to follow the omega back to his dorm. Luckily, [M/N] had been returning to his apartment when the pink-haired male asked him to walk him home.

[M/N] looked back up just as the alpha stood before them. The alpha’s scent began to pour out of him in waves, attempting to get the [h/c] male to back down. But, spending 3 years in an alpha-riddled military base, you don't easily submit just because of some random alpha. “Do you need something?” The alpha ignored him, his gaze stuck on Paris. [M/N] gritted his teeth. “If you're just going to stand here and stink up the place with your scent, then you can leave.”

Shit. 

Paris panicked as the pest grew nearer. He felt sick as the alpha’s scent surrounded him. Nausea settled into his stomach as the scent of cigars penetrated his nose. His legs felt weak as he buried his face in your side. ‘No, no, nonononononono, NO!’ His whole body shook, his scent turning sour with fear. 

His thoughts weren’t on his own safely, honestly. He knew the alphas wouldn’t dare harm him. Their affection for him was too high for them even to try. And even if they decided to try anything, he’s learned to carry two pocket knives, anyway. No, he was worried about you. He knew you could probably protect yourself. You were big and much stronger than him. But these pests were terrifying, even to him. And he’s had years to get used to them.

When he peeked up at you, he was astonished at how calm you looked. You were around 3 inches taller than the pest, yet you practically towered over him. You stood unwavering before the alpha, hardly deterred by the wretched scent. For whatever reason, he expected you to cower and submit. At least, that’s how everyone reacted to the alpha, regardless of secondary gender. 

The pest, Cole, if his memory serves him right, was the next head of a rather influential and dominant family. They trained him to stand above everyone else from a young age. He has great control over his scent and how to make others fall to their knees. 

Yet you didn’t even bat an eye. 

Instead, you stood before the alpha, gently pushing Paris behind you to shield him from the alpha’s gaze. Paris let out a startled gasp at your actions. His grip on your sweater loosened slightly. He quickly looked up and stared at the back of your head. You were…protecting him? He hadn’t expected this. Perhaps it was the effect of the game, yet he’d been used to everyone blatantly ignoring his pleas for help. Even when it was obvious how uncomfortable he was, no one paid attention to him, whether friend or foe.

Yet here you are, protecting. He watched as you stared down Cole. Your actions only solidified his theory that you were not a part of this game. Your existence and actions did not fit in this game. You were made just for him.

He let out a silent chirp as he snuggled into your back. ‘My mate’s protecting me,’ his thoughts raced as his fingers curled around the soft cloth of your sweater. He pressed his nose against your back, inhaling your scent. His body calmed as he began to purr. 

[M/N] stared down at the alpha, his gaze hard and filled with anger. These types of alphas are the ones he despises. The ones that think they have power over everyone just because they're an alpha. The ones that think everyone should submit to them. [M/N] has had years to get used to alphas like this. He’s also had years to force them on their knees and submit them. 

The alpha’s eyes were on him now, a snarl on his face. “How dare you speak to me like that, beta?” [M/N] huffed out a laugh. So the bastard thinks he’s a beta. This will be fun. The alpha continued. “You should never come between an alpha and his omega.”

[M/N] smirked at the absolute audacity. “Your omega? As far as I know, this omega doesn’t belong to anyone.”

The alpha snarled, his scent growing increasingly heavier as anger flickered in his eyes. His scent was beginning to attract the attention of others on campus. Crowds began to form around them, and whispers surrounded them as people pulled out their phones to record. It made him uncomfortable, knowing they would rather stand by and watch. Absentmindedly, [M/N] wondered if his study group had already started.

The alpha, however, puffed out his chest at the newfound attention. Despite the height difference, the alpha attempted to intimidate the ex-veteran. He poured out more of his vulgar scent in his weak attempts. “Do you even know who I am? I’d advise you to watch your tone.”

The [h/c] omega recoiled. What kind of stereotypical rich kid shit is this? [M/N]’s eyebrow twitched. His arm reached back, landing on Paris’s back, and feeling the omega purring “I couldn't care less if you Jesus Christ himself. You and your little gang of friends have been harassing and stalking my friend.” The alpha bristled. [M/N] continued before he had the chance to reply. “It’s fucking disgusting for you all to keep harassing him, even after he rejected your advances. You know that’s how you get a restraining order, or, better yet, a harassment charge.”

The alpha’s face fell as a snarl overcame his features. “You!” The surrounding people gasped, some laughing at the alpha’s ugly face. The male’s face grew red with rage. “You have no reason to speak to me like that! You're just some lowly beta, you have no right to come between this!” The man suddenly stepped forward, his fist clenched and raised in some intimidation tacit. He suddenly smirked. “Someone needs to put you in your place.”

Predictably, the alpha swung his fist toward his face. [M/N] quickly grabbed the man's fist. The alpha’s strength could hardly compare to his. [E/C] eyes met dark brown eyes as the omega squeezed. 

The alpha screamed, his other hand shooting up in a pathetic attempt to pry [M/N]’s fingers off. His knees started to collapse into themselves as he folded in pain. Seconds passed as the alpha cried, completely humiliating himself in front of the entire campus. Everyone stared, their whispers ranging from the alpha’s pathetic state to the supposed beta’s strength. [M/N] stood towering over the withering alpha, his gaze devoid of emotions.

It reminded him of the times when he’d had to prove himself to the alphas on base. The alphas who acted all high and mighty, only to end up sobbing at his feet for mercy. 

[M/N] finally relented, letting the alpha’s still-clenched fist go. The poor man fell to his knees, holding his now bleeding fist as he sobbed. His nails must have dug deep into the palm of his hand for blood to spill. Regardless, [M/N] just watched the depressing scene without a lick of remorse.

Everyone watched the scene with interest. Their phones set off, clicking pictures and taking videos of the scene. Their whispers and jeers circulated the air. [M/N] hummed in satisfaction. “I wonder…” He drawled, bending down just low enough to reach the alpha’s ear, yet loud enough for any students close enough to hear. “How does it feel to get your ass handed to you by an omega?”

[vampiricnature]

Hey guys

FOP hcs under the cut

Dev Dimmadome

-has manic BPD

-curly hair (inherited from Dale)

-extremely closed off, emotionally really sensitive but is just really good at masking

-sleeps in the corner of his bed even if it's absolutely humongous

-likes futurama unironically

-favorite mlp character is sunset shimmer because she's "like, I dunno, whatever" (pretty and rebellious)

Hazel Wells

-favorite mlp character is Applejack because she's cool and strong, plus her accent

-high functioning autism!

-will debate people on whether or not ice cream is a food (it is and she always wins)

-usually when having episodes, her brother always helps her calm down, so when Dev has manic episodes she knows how to help him

Cosmo

-Bed hog

-loves slugs for no reason

-gifts Wanda moss and leaves (she loves it)

-very bisexual tbh, also uses she/her on occasion because he does drag 💪

Wanda

-genuinely enjoys Stephen King books, her favorite is Misery

-watches commentary videos about things she knows nothing about

-keeps every little trinket given to her by everyone (one time, hazel gaze her a rock with one big googly eye and Wanda put it on a shelf, and when hazel came over and saw it she started crying because Wanda displayed it)

Dale

-gay

-gay

-gay

Peri

-due to his love of fashion and his passion for helping kids, he's looked into symbols of support (he paints one of his pinkies red to show his support against csa)

-autistic because I'm him and I said so

-clicks his tongue against his teeth as his main stim (it usually hurts the tip of his tongue but he can't stop)

-scared of peacocks even though they're absolutely gorgeous to him. He just hates how they look at him

-loves fashion from all eras, but usually wears 70s/80s style clothing, with the occasional greaser look from the 50s

Jasmine Tran

-likes Katy Perry more than Taylor Swift

-had a weeb phase where she dressed in only anime merch for three months straight

-her favorite mlp character is Rarity because she's slay

-doesn't actually like musicals unless it's Disney or other animated movies, especially if the genre is pop or jukebox (like Trolls or strange magic)

Winn Harper

-avid Justin Bieber and Eminem fan

-tried roller skating but they don't have very good coordination like that, so skateboarding is much easier for them

-loves the "cool s" symbol

-says based about everything they like

-favorite mlp character is obviously rainbow dash because she's based

Anthony Wells

-ADD+OCD

-theatre lover, the kinda guy to like parody musicals (also watched scamilton and sobbed so hard because of how funnily atrocious it is)

-prefers red over blue Gatorade

-genuinely just a really good guy to everyone, naturally sweet

Irep

-Rivers is a vampire. Look it up

-uses gen alpha slang but also outdated trends like dabbing and flossing

-listens to ABBA on a daily basis, literally every night he plays gimme gimme gimme (a man after midnight) and in the morning it's Dancing queen

-only wears platforms because it makes him taller by like. An inch or two

-telle people to commit suicide on the internet for shits and giggles

-genuinely glad Peri changed his name because Foop embarrassed him and ruined his intimidating image

[crossthread]

Okay I swear to God I hope the directors of avatar (the alien movie) sees this post somehow but the whole reason the way of water flopped so badly is cause it was written over 10 years ago. So I like avatar. I thought it was a cool concept and good characters and overall a solid action movie. But the characterisation is just a dacade old man. It's really outdated. It instantly turned me off when Jake was seen to be a 'hardass' to his kids, and having them call him Sir, and have Neytiri taking kind of a secondary role as the 'peacekeeper' parent who goes 'but your dad loves you, he just wants you safe' bullshit trope that's just really not what this generation is looking for rn.

Emotionally mature parents is what's on topic rn. Dad's that step up and know what they're doing and don't have the 2000s 'military hardass emotionally distant' bullcrap. Just look at all the other movies and shows with family themes that did really fucking well. The Last of Us. Ultraman: Rising. Nimona. Even Maleficent, which I think is one of the earliest movies of this trope that's well known. They did well for a reason. You can't make Jake Sully a bad father and think the current audience will dig it. All of his kids, one way or another felt the pressure of living up to their dad's expectations, and im sure, whether he really loves them. And I assure you for all intents and purposes it felt like Neteyam died thinking he wasnt enough. You can't have those 'your dad loves you but he just doesn't know how to show it' bullshit anymore and expect the audience to like or even relate to that character cause a lot of us don't take that shit anymore from our own parents. A lot of millennials are actively trying to be present and good parents to their kids. So yeah. The way Jake Sully, and to a certain extent, Neytiri were characterised is probably one of the biggest reasons this entire movie flopped. It could have been great. But it isn't. And I kind of hate it actually.

My point is: if there's gonna be a third movie, the best bet to make sure it doesn't follow the way of waters footsteps is to overhaul a lot of the characterisation and plot. See what the audience wants rn, and what they audience relates to. It was clear the writing to that movie was old as balls and gen z or gen alpha don't take that shit man. Give us good parents

Edit: okay as someone pointed it out it wasn't actually a 'flop' flop because they grossed by over a billion or smth in the box office I think but to be fair half this post has been sitting in my drafts for like 2 years and I wrote this soon after I watched it back then, and a LOT of people werent that happy with it. But yall know what I mean. I waited for this movie for 10 years and all I felt was this low simmering disappointment because it could have been so good, but it wasn't.

[rozeliyawashereyall]

FINALLY POSTING THIS.

Some Zef and Sera +a secret third thing, again.

The fish boys belong to @obsidian-lantern !

@greaysharkboi requested, and I shall provide.

Do you dare to click?

Headcanons, again.

Also for you @jaetists

The listener will be referred to as 'clemmy'

I. Slaps a pride flag on both of them

The tap water turned the frogs gay and in turn the frogs turned the fish gay.

Them going to a pride parade would be very fun.

II. I think both of them would find surface flowers very interesting, especially since there's not a lot underwater. Zef once tried to keep a rose alive underwater and was very sad when it pretty much got ripped apart.

III. Sera secretly likes his hair being braided or played with, especially in human form—and vice versa! He likes showing affection through actions rather than words, and hair playing is one of it.

Speaking of hair, both of their hair are most likely very messy and tangled. Sera a little less than Zef.

IV. Zef and Clemmy occasionally ramble and rant about the differences between land and sea. Sera prefers to listen rather than join in.

V. They both have no idea what a TV is—Sera has a bit more of a clue but still very confused. He likes watching crime documentaries, Zef tried to watch it with him but got PTSD flashbacks/hj

Zef likes watching the romcoms instead

While they'd both be mildly terrified of analog horrors, they find a slight comfort in liminal space images.

VI. The three of them have gone ice skating, both fish guys almost broke their legs.

Kind of on the same topic, but Sera would be a good slow dancer, probably has danced with Zef before

VII. Clemmy brought Zef and Sera to a planetarium, and they were in awe. Zef refused to leave and Sera was too speechless to process that they even have to leave. Clemmy had to call Eric for help to drag them out.

Star/planet gazing has since become their favourite hang out date

VIII. Zef is the kind of guy who would try to impress his crush, fail miserably, and still get them

He fr got that loser rizz

IX. they did not know what glitter was before Eric accidentally glitter bombed them. All three of them learned the hard way that glitter does not come off easily, especially when it gets in your hair.

X. These two would definitely use Clemmy as a heater. Look, the ocean is freezing, and they're probably just as cold to the touch. A Clemmy with a lot of warmth will be the fish boys heater

XI. They both don't like merfolk themed movies, documentaries, etc. Yes this includes the little mermaid

XII. doubling on what Aspen said here. Both Zef and Sera glow as a form of blushing. Sera would probably play it off as intentional, Zef too embarrassed to come up with a proper excuse

XIII. they'd both be very, very confused by AI.

XIV. God those two would not last with gen z or gen alpha— they are also very confused by memes.

"look at all those chickens!..

"Clemmy, those are seagulls..."

XV. Chat...hear me out...Sera and Zef get drunk for the first time...

Zef would either be a sad or happy drunk, with Sera being a silent drunk. Clemmy would have to drag them out and most likely get crushed in the process.

XVI. Them going to a carnival would be hilarious, especially on the rollercoasters—Zef would try to act tough but in the end throws up. And oof, they would be mindfucked by the hall of mirrors.

XVII. Zef would definitely love indie video games. He has watched the entire 8 hour lore video and all of matpat's vids <- Sera thinks this matpat guy is going insane but let's Zef watch him anyway.

XVIII. Sera is the type of person to not want a cat at first, but does let's the cat does anything it wants after they get it.

XIX. Zef would definitely like scrapbooking.

Yay for help from @willowve01 @lightdragon789 @aspenm00n and @tiefling-chaos for the headcanons!

[littlelightbolt]

TF ONE:

That one cave scene after they see the betrayal first hand has me thinking.

Did Alpha trion just have bad judgement?????

Alpha trion ngl is a little double standard here tho I think in the movie. He truly was the key factor in how events unfolded.

Like his brothers and sister were murdered AND their planet is NOW under slavery as he seen from the gang's appearance so understandably he wants to kill sentinel.

That's why he was silent when Megs was all I WANNA KILL HIM.

He willingly chose to give megs a t-cog giving them all access to WEAPONS to achieve their perceived goal.

Even if they themselves didn't know their potential at the time.

Was that intentional by Alpha?????? I think yess totally. Who's best interest was prioritised tho.

In the beginning, Megs was alpha T's champion. Was this a reluctant decision I dk.

By the end of movie, Meg's DOES kill sentinel. He's achieved Alpha's objective.

But Orion accidentally being collateral gets him in the good graces of Alpha trion???? - becomes prime. If my train of thought is somewhat true, Like Alpha wanted to kill sentinel too, what do you meannn show mercy and you get prize. I can see why Megs would be pissed.

Did Megs feel he was fooled by Alpha?? Being fooled into loosing his best friend. Mabye that why he Soo angry?? Orion fr was too passive.

I wished his dialogue would have been more challenging to D-16's. That would have been great dialogue mabye, we would be able to see the push and pull CLEARLY between them. Their inner turmoils, their inner thoughts - What the stunned silence can't show us. does show how they feel but for the audience we don't benefit much other then seeing this as an OH shit Moment.

At the end of things, Alpha is winning out. Alpha is getting his main goal achieved, getting the trash out (sentinel) so his people can deal with the Quints (the bigger problem) instead.

What I'm trying to ask is How MUCH did Alpha know about the events of past and future in this universe. - as a prime he has powers but to what extent. Did he have his covenant???

Now Orion is his champion going into the future.

This brings into question their planetary war-like culture.

Alpha is no stranger to death and violence. As, it is already implied that the primes of old were battle trained. Their main way of dealing with things is through conflict. They are at war with the Quints.

Alpha saw them as a means to the end, it's just unfortunate that they will eventually bring the planet that alpha entrusted to them to ruins.

With the first gen of TFs being like that, does that mean that all other TFs that emerge from vector sigma or however their sparks are ignited later were made to have battle protocols inbedded to their programming????

Cause my one gripe with the movie is kinda they blurred the lines of violence.

I was like wth they suddenly have black belts in combat??????? SINCE when did they learn???

Self defense, okay... But still a weak answer.

Bee and elita have literally killed/ SHOT mech's DEAD. Orion has bashed the heads in of multiple officers or high guard. And yet he was like noooooo don't kill sentinel.

Guess hindsight really is a bitch to people huh, he made his stance too late. Beautifully TRAGIC.

It just seemed very shallow. Like killing lowly henchmen is OKaY but now it comes to a figurehead and be like NOoOOOOO don kill.

I don think Orion had a chance to clearly understand or see what Sentinel had physically done to Megs. (That permanent scar)

When I watched to movie, I was sooo confused honestly about the whiplash turnaround between them.

But now, I think I have a better understanding of Megs fr fr. OP being the dreamer just sadly couldn't dream for the both of them.😢😢

[g-xix]

for some reason i can't wrap my head around the fact that arthur is 28. like, harry's 27 and that makes sense to me- he looks it (not in a bad way) but arthur just has such a baby face that i just can't believe it sometimes. like they both could have children but i genuinely can't imagine arthur having a child (if he were to at this time) i obvi can't rlly see either of them having a child (bc they don't) but for some reason i can see harry being a father more than arthur in this day and age. idk what im spewing on about but i felt like i needed to see if others felt the same...

Hmmmmmmmmm

I get wym tbh i really genuinely do asw

Harry i feel seems more "mature" than Arthur Television, in a sense that Harry would be more grounded n ready to... settle down? Not really, but sorta just be a dad, vibes.

I wonder whether that'd maybe because we've seen so much of Harry's life on YouTube - we know what he looked like when he was youngest and most reckless - rather Arthur, we've only really seen in the last 2-3 years (ibfr i only learnt ab him a year n a bit ago...)

...Ykw takebacksies i dont think that's the reason. Let me soul search s'more.

Idk i deffo hear u tho - maybe it's smth to do with the fact moreso that Arthur spews a lot more brainrot bullshit - about rose toys and wolves and allsorts tbh. That podcast is something that's become so comforting and yet also so bad for me in every conversation. I am a disgusting creature amalgamated from everything I watch online. i.e. Arthur's shit humour and Bach's lack of filter and so on and so forth.

But yes - i think Arthurs' brainrot-talk makes him sound more young and less mature, whereas Harry tends to talk more... sense? In the fact we probs wouldnt hear him say daddy alpha like Arthur would. I think that makes him appear more mature and sorta dad-like, because he doesn't really understand or interact with brainrot + Gen Alpha/Z content, which is quite reminiscent of a dad (atl in my perception)

I get what you mean anon. Those are my thoughts. The people reading this can decide whether or not to agree or disagree.

[luciferanalyzestar]

I love dark humor but HH is very lacking about expect the pilot for example the jolke about angel insults vaggie who asks if he is trying to be rasist oe sexist and he tells which make her more mad. Only joke I like in series it is when nifty told about how she torture insects and nobody catch her because they are too afraid.

The comparation between hh heaven and P&S one is beacuse the main character act rude and sinful but big point they are been kicked out ! Heaven don't approve but in same time there is episode where a demon ascend , so P&S heaven is good place.

The funny thing i don't consider HH!heaven corropt sure they made extemination, in secret so we don't know what all population thinking about, and without extremination sinners would be dangerous because Hell is just amusement park for evil, imp company make their money killing humans by commision from sinners, if they could they do themselcves. Hell is full of worst , for examople when vaggie was suppost to be protitue for me, that heaven was corropt because prostitue should be hold accontoble like pimp, serial killer, gangster

I like dark / general fuck up humor too. For example, the life lesson parody channel Tomorrow's Teachings. That channel has made me laugh out of loud so many times due to how absurd the plots are. I do not like every joke made in those videos though and they can cross into tasteless or too fucked up if you know about that channel's history.

For a show set in Hell, Hazbin is lacking in the dark humor category. The only joke that got a giggle out of me was in episode one when Niffty freezes up when the camera is on her and I like how it comes back at the end of episode eight. I like to me a good call back.

This show never made me laugh. I found those Gen Alpha parody songs that were made when the show was released to be funny. So many of them live in my head rent free. Also, I have watched this voice over parody more than the actual show. Makes me laugh every time, it is so stupid. /lh

Back on topic, I wish the show had more character-based humor and maybe dry/deadpan humor. There are many forms of humor. Focusing on just on one type can make your show dull.

The funny thing i don't consider HH!heaven corropt sure they made extemination, in secret so we don't know what all population thinking about, and without extremination sinners would be dangerous

I wonder what the reaction would be if the exterminations are revealed to Winners. Will they be against it, for it, or neutral. This is probably will be explore when Molly [Angel's twin sister] gets introduce. Like would she care that there is a chance that her brothers and father will be killed by angels? It is also a headscratcher that she is in Heaven. She is a spider like the rest of her family, meaning she had a part in crimes her father or brothers committed. We just have to put a pin in that until Season 2.

Hell is full of worst , for examople when vaggie was suppost to be protitue for me, that heaven was corropt because prostitue should be hold accontoble like pimp, serial killer, gangster.

I think I mentioned before, I think in my Charlie blog post, but I wish Hell and Heaven had clear set rules on what gets you set to those places. The unfortunate implications of that being a sex worker gets you sent to Hell is horrible. I hope when we see more of Heaven it is revealed that sex work exists in Heaven like in the form of OF models.

[cybercasket]

Sally Williams headcanons

(CW for discussion of coping with death + trauma. I go in-depth into Sally's mentality towards what happened, but I don't talk about the trauma itself.)

To start things off, this is based off of Sally's official character sheets (2017/most recent sheet) (2013) and what I remember from the story more than they are the fandom's perception of her. These headcanons might make more sense if you check those out first!

🧸 According to her creator La-Mishi-Mish, her body's age can change. She's chronologically in her 60s, mentally + spiritually 12 (her age at death), and typically appears 8. She used to have the ability to turn any age she wanted, but it got retconned because La-Mishi-Mish kept getting called out for being irresponsible and creepy with it.

So, I think that Sally's form can shift ages to some extent, though it's mostly subconscious and based on her state of mind. It's a little bit like the early Steven Universe episode "So Many Birthdays" except a bit more stable.

🎀 Sally is actually deathly afraid of becoming older, and does everything she can to maintain the persona of an innocent 8 year old girl.

To her, 8 was one of the last few good years of her short life--afterwards is when everything became bad and wrong, and she was subject to so much judgement, criticism, responsibility, and predatory behavior from the people around her that she couldn't handle at the time.

She's afraid that being much older than 8 will make her a target.

🎠 Sally romanticizes being younger a lot, though she also likes the way it makes other people perceive her. By behaving more incompetent, temperamental, and oblivious than she really is, she can make people believe that she's cute, innocent, and incapable of wrong. She has a strong internalized belief that being older is dangerous, while being younger is safe.

🧸 She age regresses intentionally (from 12 to 8) by heavily focusing on her more childish interests (eg. Dolls, girl toys, and princesses) and by pushing away/repressing parts of her that she seems too mature or grown-up (eg. Certain words, ways of speaking, and knowledge/awareness she has).

🎀 According to her creator, Sally spends a lot of time in the woods near her house playing with kids at the local playground.

I think she is absolutely DEDICATED to the act of being a completely normal 8 year old girl. She'll bandage the bleeding from her head, watch all their shows, learn all their games and slang, and even collect the toys they like so she can fit in and play with them.

🎠 Lately though, she's been having to tell kids that her parents don't let her use her iPad much. There's always a bit of an adjustment period for her between each new generation of kids, but she really struggles to wrap her head around Gen Alpha's modern technology.

🧸 Speaking of technology... She's not good at it. For a long time she didn't really bother to learn since stuff like computers and phones were associated with older people, and her not knowing how to use them fed into an image of her being cute and childlike. However, it's genuinely bewildering and confusing to her.

🎀 Do NOT play Roblox with her, it will take 20 minutes for her to join your game and she won't know the first thing about how to play it 😭😭😭. Though with enough patience, you could probably get her hooked on something like Adopt Me.

She's not good at other games either, though she usually doesn't try in competitive video games (eg. Mario Kart) on purpose because she doesn't really understand them, and likes seeing how happy the people she's playing with get when they win :-).

🎠 She has a ton of excuses memorized for why her parents are never there with her at the playground, and why the parents of other kids can't meet her parents.

Sometimes it doesn't work out so well, and she has to spend a few hours trying to find a way to wiggle out of a missing person's report... She usually hangs out farther away from where the adults are to avoid ending up in awkward situations like that.

🧸 Over time, her perception of her years from 0-8 and her years from 9-12 became really polarized--in her mind, her younger years were all really good, happy, and romanticized, and her older years were completely terrible and miserable.

Like, in her head 1st and 2nd grade were happy and peaceful, meanwhile 4th and 5th grade were completely miserable and that's when her life became terrible. Realistically there was good and bad in both, but she isn't able to see it that way.

🎀 Everything past 9 for her is a blur until she has to connect with people closer to her death age, which then makes her shift her physical appearance back to where it'd normally sit. Her older years become a little bit easier to process in that state.

She tries to act a bit more like a "big kid" to fit in, but she's extremely out of practice since she's almost always acting 8, so she ends up coming off a bit immature.

🎠 She misremembers herself dying younger often.

🧸 She doesn't like throwing temper-tantrums (especially around strangers) because it's difficult to tell how people will react to them, however she plans them out strategically and WILL have them if it means she gets what she wants. She represses a lot of her emotions and releases them during these (Though she does have plenty of genuine breakdowns as well, since she's mentally 12 and has been suffering from PTSD and depression for the past 50 or so years.)

🎀 Maintaining her appearance as a young girl takes stamina/energy, though being 12 takes the least because it's more authentic to her.

🎠 According to Sally's creator, she also haunts her childhood home. I think her house is her safe space where she can be herself without worrying about how she's perceived by others.

It's really messy (she's a bit of a hoarder and only cleans when the mess becomes inconvenient to her,) and she has a huge collection of toys and books.

🧸 Her toy collection spans multiple decades, and she even still has some toys from back when she was alive deep in her collection somewhere in terrible condition. She doesn't usually have whole sets, just a few pieces here and there she decided to keep from the people she plays with (whether they left them at the playground or she decides to pocket something small she likes but the other kid doesn't seem to care about while they're playing) or from CVS or something.

🎀 Sally really likes reading, but she's a little self-conscious about it because she likes to read books that are far above the reading level and outside of the interests of the average 8 year old, like Pride and Prejudice. She also likes watching old movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and has a secret obsession with Marilyn Monroe.

She also likes reading romance, but sex scenes trigger the hell out of her so when she comes across one, she gets out a giant black crayon (because black covers the words the best,) and just starts madly scribbling over it.

🎠 Sally likes horror a little bit too, because darker stories and themes often reflect how miserable she feels deep down. However, since she's 12 and doesn't have a large capacity for tolerating the heavier stuff, she usually keeps it light.

Most of it isn't worth much, but there's probably a couple things that are like $200 or something and she has no idea because she barely uses the internet.

🧸 When she runs out of stamina or gets too triggered, her body morphs into a very pale, bony, frail old woman with sunken cheeks. It's terrifying for both her and whoever witnesses it.

🎀 She doesn't kill, but I feel like it's less of a morality thing and more because she's too squeamish and also terrified of the consequences of getting aggressive/violent with someone who ends up attacking her back. Rapists in particular make her angry enough to almost want to kill.

🎠 She's emotionally attached to and chases Ben, but he doesn't reciprocate it. They're both technically the same age (both being dead at 12), but while Sally embraces her childishness and immaturity almost to a fault, Ben is deeply ashamed of and uncomfortable with his which leads to him feeling easily annoyed or disgusted by Sally. Basically, Ben is too much of an "Ew, that's for babies" type of kid to enjoy playing with Sally 😭😭.

[badasscoffeemug]

expanding on my tags on this wonderful drawing by @moeyoon (hope that's okay), because i can, in fact, not stop thinking about it. guess i'll hereby out myself as an insane f1 girlie but i have Thoughts, so:

bucktommy formula 1 drivers au

buck is absolutely max verstappen-esque, a prodigy already a standout in karting but really caught the attention of several driver academies the moment he set foot in a single-seater

rough around the edges but with so much raw speed everyone Knows he's something special. aka the exact type the red bull driver academy of old would've loved

so he's signed, thrown into toro rosso/alpha tauri/vcarb (whichever name the faenza-based rb junior team is called at the time), impresses, gets promoted to red bull racing, becomes their Golden Boy. the One they rest their hopes and dreams on

his driving style is aggressive, daring, especially in his early years in the sport. maybe he causes a few incidents. maybe some other drivers aren't too fond of his antics. what of it?

but he's good, undeniably. and he mellows out over the years, though he never loses that edge, never afraid to push it right to the limit on track (just knows how to pick his battles now)

his attitude is a bit divisive with the audience, but he is well-liked in the paddock, even good friends with some of his peers. he is fiercely loyal to his team, absolutely intends to stay with them for the rest of his career (that's his Family), but does not put up with any shit and does not hold back from speaking his mind when he's unhappy with things

generational talent, even his detractors won't deny. won at least 3 world drivers' championships to show for it (i'm giving him 5-6 if we're going by buck's current canon age, but i'd probably age 'em down a bit if i ever were to flesh this au out further, for realism's sake)

bonus: buck fucking kills the grill the grid challenges every year, he is filled to the brim with trivia knowledge and hypercompetitive, that's His thing

(reference, max verstappen's action of the year winning overtake in 2019, max winning in 2024, max and his beloved engineer gp)

tommy, on the other hand, is part of the old gen. nearing retirement at this point. well past his prime, but you don't get to stick around for this long if you aren't still good

where i envision a near one-on-one comparison to verstappen's career trajectory for buck, i don't exactly have a clear one for tommy's. but probably something halfway between fernando alonso and kimi räikkönnen

he's talented from the jump, but the timing is never quite right, always driving at his best during someone else's dominance. changes teams a fair few times. never quite lived up to his perceived potential. some may call it "poor career choices", but that's easy with hindsight

did one significant stint at a top team though and got one, maybe two wdcs out of it

"retires" a champion, does some other motorsport (rallying probably, maybe some nascar races for fun) comes back a year later for the love of the game

a known asset for any team due to his experience and renowned skills regarding car set-up and development

doesn't care much for the media side of things, has a bit of a reputation as standoffish, though every team will insist he's great to work with even if he doesn't socialize much

his illustrious career lends to some reverence though, some of the younger gen drivers may even name tommy kinard as their idol, if they were the right age to grow up watching him race at the peak of his success

as for current teams i'd put him in aston martin i think, alonso-like role. alpine would love to have him but anyone with a bit of reputation to spare would steer clear of that mess right now, sauber maybe but tommy's better than dead last, haas was an option but he's still a champion and they cannot afford a driver with that type of salary lmao

(reference, kimi räikönnen in 2007, fernando alonso in the 2023 aston martin)