#i don't want this in the main switch tag bc I'm worried this will get me flagged idk

[sunsetzer]

This feels like an illegal question to ask because Nintendo hates mods with a passion that burns as hot as the fucking sun, but:

Hypothetically speaking, if I was in possession of a fully functional switch lite that my uncle very kindly replaced the joycons and thermal paste in, that I no longer use because I bought an OLED last year while he was fixing it (and I feel bad bc I don't use it and haven't sold it yet, I'm sorry uncle Mark), since it's already been cracked open by someone who is not technically authorized to repair Nintendo consoles, is there a way I could like... use it... to play modded games...? Do those games work on the switch itself or are they emulated on PC? Could I run an emulator on my switch lite even? Or did they do something between the DS era and switch era to make that impossible?

All hypothetically speaking of course. Allegedly, for legal reasons.

[omgjumin]

if you're taking requests — how about nanami comforting reader while they have panic attack? (pretty please!) headcanon form or in drabble, i don't mind.

no pressure either way!!

comforting you - nanami kento!

note: of course i can! this is literally right up my alley bc lately that's just how i've been feeling so this would be so comforting to write so! i hope you like this <3

tags: panic/anxiety attack mention and symptoms, overthinking, crying/sobbing, mentions of blood/cuts (only once, not graphic), pet names (my love), nanami just being a sweetheart

- honestly i think it depends on what was the cause of the panic attack

- nanami has different ways of comforting you depending on the situation

it's often nanami comes home late, yet ever since nanami switched careers, going back to being a sorcerer, he would always let you know if he would be home late or be back in the morning. and just that by itself would be anxiety-reducing. however, tonight especially you felt as if something was off. even if nothing was. you paced around the kitchen, not looking for anything to eat, you weren't hungry anyway but you were looking for something to occupy your mind as you waited for nanami's text. your hands grabbed your phone before unlocking it and shutting it off once again.

you felt your chest become heavier and tighter as if bricks were placed on it. your screen lit up once more notifying you that another minute has passed. it read 10:17pm and nanami sent you a text message at 5:02pm that he would be home soon yet he's still not here. he wasn't safe in your arms. he wasn't safe inside your house, eating the dinner you prepared, taking a warm shower, he wasn't here. you started to get more upset and worried by the second, there was a ticking sound in your ears as you felt time go by so slowly. your feet came to a halt as you fell to the floor.

you felt dizzy, your head was spinning round and round yet no matter what you did, it wouldn't stop. your hands wouldn't stop trembling as you tried to reach for your phone that was on the counter. "kento please.." you choked out in an almost sob, tears falling down for face as you tried to muster up the strength to get up. you didn't notice how much time had passed since you got on the floor, but when you felt two arms developing you in a tight hug, your body felt grounded in the moment. "kento?" you blurted out, not really sure if it was truly him.

"im here now, its okay." nanami said, his voice sounded exhausted and there would be darkening eye bags beneath his eyes to prove such a statement but he didn't care. your body curled up into a ball as nanami tightened his arms around you. he settled you onto his lap, hands landing on your waist, temporarily leaving only to wipe the tears off your face. there were multiple blood stains on his clothes and if you looked closely, you could be able to see small cuts along his face as well. nanami was fairly wounded but that was none of his worries now. you were his main priority and he wanted to let you know that he's here and alive. he's here in your arms.

"my love, please look at me." he raised his hands slowly before placing them on each side of your face. he tilted your head up softly, his eyes immediately turning soft the moment he caught your gaze. "you're safe and i'm safe, okay? i'm at home with you." he repeats affirmations to help ease your mind, he keeps his movements slow and soft, not wanting to overwhelm you more. "let's go wash up, okay?" he says after a while, moments of silence pasts with you in his lap on the floor before shaking your head. nanami smiles softly before taking your hand in his and leading you into the bathroom. he still needs to take care of his wounds before they get infected but his eyes were on you, not himself. and it would stay that way until the night ended. nanami ended up calling off of work the next day to be able to stay in with you. you were his world and he was yours, nanami isn't going to let either of you fall.

[arminsumi]

Hi my angel 😘😘 do you have any writing tips when it comes to plot and description and dialogue?

Becuz I have read so many of your works and each time I’m blown away with how much amazingness your writing has!! You’ve inspired me to write stories so I just figured I would ask you writings tips 🙂‍↕️ hope you have a amazing day lovey

aaa thank u sososo much?? i can't believe i've inspired u to write that's so cool... 💗🙈

i'm really not too good at writing or explaining but here's how i approach these things... i hope it's helpful!! 😗✌️

here is a resource that might help;

helpfulprofessor.com on writing skills and text types and tropes

and here is kerouac's advice to writers which i cling to.

plot ✨

i base a lot of things on real-life 👀 ...of course i turn it into fiction and i'm not writing autobiographical form on tumblr... lol.

i just mean some stories are inspired by real life experiences. personal experiences are very rich and the plot will shape nicely.

this year i've turned lots of experiences into stories, of course i totally romanticized them bc that's kinda what we writer's do ig since real-life is not poetic, it's just kind of a mess lol

also asking second opinions and sometimes even stranger's opinions can help clarify plot points that aren't adding up.

try to outline plots or they can become a messy web. you don't need to plan it out neatly, you just need some sort of guideline for yourself so that you don't go off the rails or forget what your purpose for writing is lol (i still do that sometimes bc i am extremely lazy and don't plan things very often bc... spontaneous writing is more fun)

description ✨

honestly just say it how it is bc descriptions that come from a true place will feel true if that makes sense??

lots of times i find myself deleting descriptions bc i worry that the reader is getting bored bc i can get pretty wordy. using too many adjectives is generally something i try to avoid unless it's working well — literary devices are worth learning about.

but if you feel like your descriptions are boring or too long-winded then i'd suggest employing alliteration or other literary devices (like metaphors) that produce rhythmic effects on readers. imo the beats of alliteration make it fun to read stuff word by word, i just rlly go to town on it bc i love it hehehe 🌷 anything with repetition really

keeping it short can be fun too. ik it's hard to find specific words but try talking to people or reading lots of different types of literature to get the juices flowing. sometimes a good conversation can spark my imagination because someone has used very specific words. i'd say reading classics is really good for helping vocabulary but also be wary of dated words lol.

dialogue ✨

you could read this or watch this

i've gotten into the habit of analyzing the way people speak whenever i'm talking to them, even if it's just brief conversations.

the reason this helps with writing dialogue is because you start to understand how conversations actually flow, how people actually respond — it can help to make dialogue between characters more fluid and realistic and then in turn this makes it more believable for the reader. i like to observe what vocal inflexions people use and try translate it for myself as a speech tag.

idk i just sort of go about life with the attitude of like "how do i describe that with words" kind of like exercising your drawing skills by drawing anything you see day-to-day.

also i just want to say that it's not necessary to be talkative and extroverted bc you can also just like... gather this stuff from tv shows and literature and other forms of media too. i just yap a lot irl so it's my main mode of analyzing speech and stuff.

smth i'm just recently learning to employ more often in dialogue is implying responses from other characters.

so like character A says something, they're currently speaking to character B, and instead of switching to character B and writing a whole new line break for new dialogue, i just kinda wedge in a reaction into character A's dialogue like;

Character A: "nice weather we're having, huh? yeah, i know. i also like penguins."

ok this is like goofy and nonsensical, but it's just an example. so from the above text, you can gather that character B likes penguins without even needing to write their dialogue "i like penguins."

it's kinda neat and adds more diversity.

anyways ✨

i would highly encourage anyone to spend time learning how form, structure and language are used together in a text (literary analysis skills) bc even tho text analysis may seem boring and hard to learn, it will help with your writing and then u can do cool stuff 🍰

[anachronistic-falsehood]

Hi Weird Question, but how many followers would you ballpark say you have gotten from posting about qsmp?

I ask this because Ive been on tumblr for a LONG while, I have run multiple fandom blogs and this is the worst follow to notes ratio I have ever gotten for a blog (it is relativity new as well though). I don't want to sound weird and complain about the number of followers I have, but of the 523 posts in my blog, 38 are original posts. I have 236 notes total from those 38. and zero followers. compared to when one of my other blogs was at this size I would have somewhere of a ballpark of 10ish especially with a few posts chilling way above the average of 6 notes

I feel like this could be an issue much like the issue pertaining to people not reblogging stuff, but also I may need to reevaluate the way im interacting with people on this site >_<.

that's kind of a hard question bc i was gaining followers from the trigun fandom very shortly before i started posting about qsmp, so there was a period of overlap, but i guess when i switched to posting primarily about qsmp i would say i've gained approx. 350-400 followers. i typically get anywhere between 100-1000 notes on any qsmp post i make (excluding liveblogging) and i am apparently a more popular blog because i write fanfiction and make analysis posts on occasion which has made me weirdly well known in some places of the fandom and that is terrifying i hate being perceived HELP

ANYWAY i think a better blog to use as an example would be when i had to use a new blog because this one was unfairly flagged for a couple weeks. i used a previously unused sideblog to liveblog and make posts on since posts on my main wouldn't show up in the main tags. i typically got a fair amount of notes, anywhere between 50 to 200 on each post, but i only ended up with maybe 4 or 5 followers on that blog (excluding mutuals i had advised to follow that blog as a backup in case my main went down forever [which it didn't thank fuck]).

honestly?? i assume the lack of following is because a lot of people in this fandom are very wary. qsmpblr likes to hail itself as better than twitter (and it is in some respects for sure, i'm not denying that), but it feels like everyone in this fandom has some kind of Opinion on Something at all times. there's always something to complain about or criticize about anything, whether it be the admins, an event, another cc's character, a cc themself, etc etc. if you follow a person you will be subjected to all of their opinions on every single issue that pops up, even if it's just a dismissal of whatever current discourse is making its way through the tag (and i'm guilty of this myself sometimes, i'm no angel here). there is not a single day that goes by without something negative crossing my dash regarding something that's going on with the smp. doesn't matter what it is, someone will have something to say about some kind of issue no matter what, and that shit gets tiring. sometimes it's better not to follow people lest you find yourself bombarded with opinions. that way you can still scroll your dash without worrying about seeing untagged discourse and infighting and criticism.

[beyourownanchor6]

Lol you are right, we keep coming back!

Oh it definitely got weird. And they tried to integrate it with the cwtv multiverse and it got even weirder because of spoilers but basically in integrating it they contradicted events of the original series

Lmao the ending of arrow was so bad. The ending of Supergirl made it impossible for Superman and Lois to take place in the same universe because she fucked up the bag. Legends got canceled without any ceremony and it ended on a cliffhanger. Black Lightning was great but it also ended too soon. The ending of The Flash was very disappointing. Basically nobody stuck the landing.

Oh god i wish i could forget the school shooting episode. It wasn't even traumatic (and i'm saying this as someone who survived two separate Activr Gunman Situations in junior high and high school), it was just bad. And i never saw that episode of one tree hill (i only watched a handful of episodes, i was firmly a The OC kid), what was that like? And you're right, they probably wanted to steer clear of the controversy.

OMG I FORGOT VENOM WAS MARVEL 😂😂 Yeah, Symbrock is also one of my ships. I don't care for deadpool but i do like spideypool. Also MattFoggy from Daredevil (my absolute favorite marvel hero).

Omg same. My goal is at least 12 books in the year and to cut down half of my Read Later from AO3. I wanna get through the buddie backlog so i can get into BuckTommy, and i do wanna get back into Sterek. Also you definitely got time to read 10 books! Good luck!

Okay, glad i'm not annoying you. I worry about that sometimes. Lol honestly the readmore is a good move, wish i could do it on asks too. I think i'm gonna stick to asks for a bit cause i love that i have a tag on your blog, but in the near future i'll switch to DMs.

it’s a hellsite, but it’s our hellsite? something like that 😅

the cw multiverse sure was…something wasn’t it? they were definitely reaching with a lot of those episodes and storylines.

i’ve erased it from my memory it was so awful 😂 i tried to watch supergirl twice and ending up quitting it both times; thankfully didn’t come back a third. omg legends! that show was sooo good the first couple of seasons, then they got rid of half the main cast and then it became the reject show. they truly had no idea what to do with it. i never watched black lighting; tried to stay clear of more of those shows after all the others lol. i also stopped the flash before the last couple of seasons bc it was becoming like arrow and i wasn’t going through that again lol. they were definitely all—something lol.

oh wow, that’s intense. sorry you had to go through that; that’s so awful. the oth one was definitely intense. i think a big part of it had to do with how it affected the storyline as a whole, but the way they put it together was definitely very haunting. it’s ironically one of the best episodes i do believe. i also love me some oc. i’ve been thinking of rewatching that one lately lol.

venom my most beloved! ngl a lot of that could have to do with tom hardy 🤣 but i do love the character as well! i can’t wait for the new one. i’ve seen a lot of people are into spideypool but it doesn’t speak to me i guess lol. loveeee daredevil. i miss when all the marvel netflix shows were a thing ngl lol

i got my marked for later down to 4 or 5 pages? so ig i have that going for me 😅 my problem right now is that i’m wanting to read for multiple fandoms and my buddie brainrot has kinda disappeared, so now my marked for later is stuck. i did buy 2 new books today, so there’s hope! good luck on both your goals! there’s still lots of time left this year!

no, not at all! if i don’t reply right away its bc i either don’t have beans atm or i just don’t have the attention span, so once the notification disappears (if it even comes) its out of sight out of mind lol. but definitely not annoying me ever! i love giving people their own little tags 😎

[bagheerita]

Writers Truth & Dare Ask Game

🎱 ⇢ post your AO3 total stats User Subscriptions: 103 Kudos: 6,416 Comment Threads: 1,083 Bookmarks: 1,312 Subscriptions: 692 Word Count: 1,674,954 Hits: 115,408

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?  Ever since I was a small child I've made up stories in my head where my favorite characters get to meet each other and go on adventures.

🌵 ⇢ share the link to a playlist you love my writing playlist on youtube

🕯️ ⇢ on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you enjoy editing? why is that? 11. editing is basically rereading my own stuff, and I'm the bitch I wrote that for so what's not to love? Though it usually sucks when I get to the end of what's written and have a that can't be it, where's the rest of it? moment, but hopefully if I'm in the mood for it I can add more on❤

🛼 ⇢ describe your latest wip with five emojis Um... 🤔😻😭😭😭(i opened another new gdoc when i should be trying to finish something)

🥑 ⇢ you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help? Like, IRL or in a fic?

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love I have just over 200 bookmarks and they are all fantastic

💌 ⇢ how many unread emails do you have right now?  0. I check for new emails multiple times a day.

🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis @sorchakitty Hi! It's been awhile. 🙂

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both?  ...Neither? I mean, I prefer canon characters, bc that's why i write fanfic, I'll add in OCs when they're necessary, but I usually prefer trying to find some background canon character I can use instead if possible.

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before Um, when I was a kid the three states I never wanted to live in were Florida, California, and Texas. Guess what, my family moved to Texas.

🎲 ⇢ what stops you from writing more in your free time?  Usually when I have "free" time I'm wiped out.

🍄 ⇢ share a head canon for one of your favourite ships or pairings I tend not to have firm headcanons... but in general I really like exploring D/s dynamics and I tend to prefer when the traditionally more masculine/outwardly dominant character is more submissive in the bedroom, though I also write almost all pairs as switch. I think it's a reaction to reading yaoi/BL manga for years.

🧸 ⇢ what's the fastest way to become your mutual? Post about Wraith stuff.

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now 1. the company delayed notifying the bank about my loan, so I don't have to worry about making a payment until next month. 2. I have a new foster kitten who is super cute. 3. I just "bought" an ebook that sounds like it's going to be really good.

📚 ⇢ what's the last thing you wrote down in your notes app?  Buy eye drops

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character Sometimes I think John Sheppard is extremely overrated.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project? how to skin a deer

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best? I'm a sucker for regency/victorian AUs, and I desperately want one with Wraith as main characters. I'm trying to write it, but I'm not very good at the time period appropriate language and mannerisms, for all that I love reading it.

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity You need input to create output. If you can't output (and you know, other factors like sleep aren't the issue) try reading or watching something new or different to generate input.

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh  I've seen the first 5 seasons of Red vs Blue so many times I quote it to myself in all situations.

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work? Detailed, incisive critique, with citations. 😉 Really, anything where someone quotes a piece of the chapter or mentions specifically what their favorite part was, because I can usually be like "OMG, YES, ME TOO!"

🍦 ⇢ name three good things about a character you hate Ugh. I think the only character in SGA that I unequivocally hate is Lucius Lavin. 1. Richard Kind is good actor. 2. He's probably not the worst person in the galaxy, underneath the rape-y exterior? 3. He's only in 2 episodes.

🥝 ⇢ do you lie a lot? what's the most recent lie you told? I do not.

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately  everything is expensive

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?  not one that I can think of specifically. I mean other than it being fanfic for SGA, so... maybe I should say moderately mediocre media inspires me lol.

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing You really need to work on writing conflict.

🐚 ⇢ do you like or dislike surprises? generally dislike, because I like to plan things out, but it can be fun sometimes

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

Scylla narrows his eyes in thought. “The name does not sound familiar,” he says. “Though I do not know much about the Fayn or their allies. They were the enemies of the Wraith.”  “Why are you here again?” Toriel asks, even though Dorsey tries to glare him to silence.  “I am familiar with their technology,” Scylla explains with a dryness worthy of McKay at his most withering, “not the individuals themselves.”

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username? It was my nickname for my cat, since she was a "house panther" or bagheera + ita. Kipling's racism aside, I adore The Jungle Book and if I don't feel like explaining to you why Kaa is the fucking boss and disney sucks, I usually say Bagheera is my favorite character. Also when I first got into AO3/tumblr I was really into Avengers and Black Panther is my favorite/the literal fucking best avenger, so it was fandom adjacent at the time.

🐝 ⇢ tag your biggest supporter(s) and say one nice thing about them Um, I was going to say my sister, but she's not on tumblr. so, less personally, I'll say @eos-x and @anonmadsci set up discord servers for Wraith-focused SGA chatting which is probably why I'm still in the same fandom after several years. Thanks!

🌸 ⇢ do you have any pets? if you do, post some pictures of them My cat Amun, better known as Bug, often called Old Man.

🎨 ⇢ link your favourite piece of fanart and explain why you like it That would be literally impossible because like 90% of the fanart I've seem is also my favorite. I love people drawing Todd, and anyone doing fanart for stargate ❤❤

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately? I'm pretty flexible about character interpretations but... if character would NOT do that

[kyber-crystal]

An Accidental Confession

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Words: ~3.1k

Summary: In which you decided to a record a message explaining your feelings for Steve in case you didn't make it out of your mission alive. You don’t have any intention of it actually being heard by him, but you have no other choice to face your fear when it’s accidentally broadcasted across the entire compound.

Warnings: none, this is pure fluff haha with hints of a cocky steve hehe.

A/N: Some dialogue credits go to Descendants of the Sun! (yes, this is a oneshot of a scene from it, bc I love that drama with my whole heart) 

Tags: Dedicating this to @sylvie-writes​ because she’s an absolute SWEETHEART. I LOVE YOU BB. go follow her!

"Hey, Y/N, check this out!"

You glanced up from where you were furiously typing away at the computer to see Peter with a wide grin on his face. "Hm?"

"Look what I found! Mr. Stark's old speaker set!" The teenager went around to behind the table and rolled out the speaker in front of you. "It was a bit souped up, but all it really needed was some TLC and here it is, good as new!"

"Found this old thing while he was cleaning up," Tony explained, "you wanna hook your phone up and give it a go?"

"Uh...sure, why not," you shrugged, standing up and pushing your seat in, making your way over to the two of them. You took your phone out of your pocket and plugged it in.

"Check, one, two," Peter spoke into the small microphone. "Check one, two, three. Hey! It's working!"

You couldn't help but grin at his enthusiasm. "How old is this thing, anyway?"

"Older than me, that's for sure. Now play something!"

"Alright, alright. Let's see..." you scrolled through your playlists until you found the one you wanted, pressing 'play' and putting it on shuffle. "There."

"Fly Me To The Moon! May played it for me all the time when I was little," Peter exclaimed. "She always insisted I educate myself on older music. Now I'm glad she did."

Bucky and Sam stopped screaming at each other as they battled it out in Mario Kart, quieting down and humming to the beat as they held their controllers tightly. Wanda smiled to herself as she stirred the pot of soup on the stove, Bruce on the verge of falling asleep as he sipped his coffee at the kitchen island and read a news article on his phone. The energy within the compound seemed to lighten significantly as Frank Sinatra's soothing voice echoed off the walls.

You went out to the patio to relax, crossing your arms and closing your eyes as the sounds of chirping crickets and music mixed together in one soothing melody, the moonlight reflecting over the water. For a brief moment in time, you were at peace - and you relished in the temporary feeling of serenity. The 'city that never slept' was sleepy, for once. It wasn't all that late, but you were already beginning to succumb to fatigue's temptations.

But then, the song came to an end and switched off to something else.

"Hey, Steve. I hope this message never finds you because if it does...it means I'm most likely dead-" your all-too familiar voice came over the phone, thick with tears as you struggled to contain your sobs. "God, what am I even doing here? I have a gunshot wound that most likely pierced a vital organ so I'm just gonna bleed out here alone- why am I even doing this? I don't even know how much longer it'll be before you arrive with the evac team...so I just want to apologize in advance for not coming back to you like I promised. If I'd known I'd die in a foreign country, I would've lived a more carefree life instead of constantly worrying, like you always told me to just relax sometimes, I'm so, so sorry-"

Your eyes widened in realization and you rushed across the facility as fast as you could possibly go to the labs.

"Leaving words like this before dying is so uncultured- please, Steve...are you on your way? Please tell me you're on your way. If I'm really dying here I don't wanna die alone. Please hurry...I don't think I can last until you get here. Even so, you'll be the first to find me if I die, that is, if my corpse isn't dragged away or some shit like that - God, this hurts- I almost forgot how much it hurt to get shot...damn...I really underestimated the power of a bullet, huh?

Steve's bandaged fists fell to his sides, the punching bag swinging back and forth so wildly that it would've knocked him over if it weren't for his muscular figure. His brow furrowed in concern and he felt a small ache his chest upon hearing your voice crack - you never cried, and even if you did, which was extremely rare, you were good at hiding it from others.

But then a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips - you did ramble sometimes, and he found it rather adorable. It was, in fact, one of the main reasons why he admired you so much.

"FRIDAY? Where's the source of this audio?"

"It's playing from Mr. Stark's speaker in the lab, Captain," the AI responded.

"Thank you."

He unwrapped the tape from around his hands and exited the training facility, going into a light jog as he headed up to the lounge.

"If I knew that I'd die like this, then I would've told you my true feelings. That I'm in love with you and I really wished you'd kissed me when we were watching that movie together- it was Die Hard, wasn't it? I really wished you'd done something. We were sitting so close, and...I couldn't stop thinking about it. I was tempted to just run my hands through your hair and kiss you. And I almost did. I'm so in love with you, hopelessly in love with you...and if there's anything that scares me more than dying alone, it's probably thinking of a way to tell you, and the fear of being rejected by my best friend, my partner in crime-"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. You were in love with him? He felt his heartbeat pick up speed at the thought. He always held that small bit of hope in his heart that you'd feel the same way.

Just as Steve arrived at the labs, you came bursting through the doors with a look of sheer panic in your eyes, your face drained of all color. You quickly unplugged your phone from the speaker as he watched on in amusement.

"Want some, Mr. Stark?" Peter offered through a mouthful of popcorn, holding the bag out to his mentor. "Seems like we're in for a treat here."

"Where'd you get these, kid?" Tony questioned as he reached over and popped several kernels into his mouth. "Mm. Caramel, a classic."

"I always keep some with me. Never know when drama will break out."

Steve laughed and shook his head as you quickly turned around on your heel and sprinted out of the room. It was so unlike you to act like this - normally you were rather guarded and stoic. To see you as anything but was not only amusing, but adorable in his eyes - it was one of the many things he loved about you, in fact.

"Music...really changes a lot of things," Peter cleared his throat awkwardly.

The super-soldier cracked a smile. "I seem to be in the center of that change."

He said a few quick goodbyes went to find you, as Peter and Tony continued enjoying their popcorn together.

"Oh my god, I'm so stupid, oh my god, why did I even record that damn message," you muttered, finding yourself going back outside again. You needed to clear your head and get away from Steve. The secondhand embarrassment you just knew was waiting for you was almost too much to even think about - what would he think of you now? What would everyone else think of you?

Steve had beaten you to it and was already out there, leaning against the glass railing  with his arms crossed over his chest, wearing an amused expression on his face.

"Oh my god! You scared me!" your voice heightened to a shriek. "What the hell, Rogers? How are you here? Why are you here?"

"I know you like the back of my hand, sweetheart," he chuckled lightly. "You always come out here whenever you're restless or stressed out. Figured you'd try to flee as soon as you heard," he gestured back inside, "all that."

"That was none of your business!" you squeaked. "It was a private message, not meant for you to actually hear! It wasn't for you!"

"Well, you did announce it, publicly," he defended himself, pushing himself away from the railing and raising his hands in surrender. "And it sounded like it was for me. You said my name."

"It wasn't for you!"

"Then why'd you say Steve?"

"It's a different Steve?"

"A different Steve with a stealth suit, Quinjet, and evac team?"

"Y-yeah! B-but it's really funny. Why are you listening to other people's recordings?'

"Like I said, doll," your face flushed at the nickname, "it was broadcasted publicly. I didn't listen, I heard."

"Because you heard it, you carelessly hear it all the way through?"

He smirked. "You know, you're really cute when you're upset." He smirked, taking several steps towards you. You instinctively stepped back. "But why are you running away? When you were about to die you wanted to confess." With each step he took, you took another backwards. "But since you lived, you changed your mind?"

"Confess? That wasn't a confession. That wasn't me."

"This cell phone is yours," he held up your hand that tightly gripped your phone.

"This isn't a phone- Y/N, what the hell are you saying? Stop talking," you cursed yourself under your breath.

"It's an honor knowing I'm in your will," he said kindly.

"If you know then that's enough," you exhaled, stepping around him to leave. Steve stopped you by placing a hand out in front, before moving it to grip your wrist. You felt your skin heat up rapidly under his touch.

You gasped. "Look! Thor set the toaster on fire!"

"I'm not fooled, sweetheart."

You moved to try and leave again, but he only tightened his grip. "Whether or not it was a confession, I'm going to listen to it, so let's not run away, shall we?"

You were silent for several moments before responding, swallowing hard. "Okay. I got it. I'll answer you so let go of me and let's talk. Really."

"Really, right?"

He obeyed, releasing his hand from your wrist. You quickly moved around him and ran back inside. Steve just laughed to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.

"She finally did it," Sam nodded in approval as he and Bucky finished their Rainbow Road deathmatch. "Good game, man."

"Yeah, good game," they shook hands, "but if I'm being honest...I didn't expect things to go down like that. If anything, Steve seems like he'd be the first to confess. The way they're dancing around each other like oblivious monkeys...damn."

"Couldn't have described it better."

...

You flopped onto your bed, panting heavily as you stared up at the ceiling. Your heart was beating so fast that you felt like passing out. Maybe I'll just die like this and I won't ever have to confess for real, you thought. That sounds much better than death by blood loss from a gunshot wound.

"Hey, darling."

You sat up and let out a short scream as you saw Steve leaning against your doorframe, that damn smirk still on his face. "What the hell? You can't just ambush me like that! How long have you been standing there for?"

"Long enough," he chuckled, sliding his hands in his pockets and stepping inside. This time, you were too lazy to push him away, and just allowed him to sit down next to you at the edge of your bed. Steve propped his hand on his chin as he gazed at you, smiling.

You sighed and let your head fall into your hands. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?" Steve tilted his head in confusion. "How is this my fault?"

"Becau- never mind. I'm busy. I gotta go check up on the new lab I'm working on with Bruce."

You stood up abruptly, but he reached out and grabbed your wrist again. "I'm going to go to the labs, too. He asked me to help with a few things. I think you just found yourself an escort."

"I can go by myself, Rogers. I'm an adult," you gave him a pointed look.

"Ouch. That stung," he pretended to look hurt. "Last name calling? I thought we agreed on sappy pet names. And besides, you know what happened last time you went somewhere alone. You got shot."

"Whatever."

"Hold on," he tugged you back so that you had to sit down again. "Why do you keep running away from me? You confess your feelings in your will and then you run."

"It wasn't my will."

"You said you were scared to die alone."

"It wasn't me. Where is your bout of confidence even coming from?"

"I'm not asking how you feel about me at the moment. Don't feel bad that I found out how you feel about me. Because I'm in love with you too, and nothing can change the fact that I like you even more now."

You swallowed hard.

He smiled again. "And you look beautiful today, doll."

"Stop with the pet names," you mumbled. You couldn't stop the tremor in your tone as you spoke

"Hey hey hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Steve brought a hand up to your face, lightly skimming the tip of his thumb across your cheekbone to wipe away the tears that had fallen. "Hey. Tell me what's wrong, darling."

As soon as that last word left his lips, you lost it. A broken sob escaped from your mouth before you broke down, and he felt guilt settle in the pit of his stomach. Sure, he was lightly teasing you - but he didn't intend for his jabs to hurt you in any way. That was the last thing he wanted to do - to see you cry. He hated seeing you cry.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry," he whispered, carefully wrapping his arms around you and pulling you to him, rubbing circles onto your back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken the teasing so far. I'm so sorry, Y/N-"

It took nearly twenty minutes for your sniffles to die down and another ten for your crying to stop completely, but he patiently held you until you did. And when it finally stopped, it still took you several moments before you could bring yourself to meet his eyes.

"I look like a mess," you muttered, quickly ducking your head down to wipe at your nose. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this-"

"You look lovely, regardless," Steve murmured, kissing your forehead. "You'll always look beautiful in my eyes."

"You're such a sap," you mumbled, closing your eyes. "I hate you."

"You know you love me, Y/N."

"No I don't."

"That message told me otherwise. You sounded like you were pretty in love, judging by the desperate tone in your voice-"

"Shut up!"

"Make me," he challenged, a smirk appearing on his face.

You huffed and stood up, crossing your arms. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that, Rogers?"

"Watch your language-"

"Make me."

"Using my own words against me, are you?" Steve raised a brow as he stood up as well, walking towards you. You kept walking backwards until you felt your back hit the wall and internally panicked when you realized there was nowhere else to go.

"Shit," you whispered. "I'm not escaping this one, am I?"

"Not a chance," he chuckled wistfully. You felt your heart do somersaults and your stomach twist itself into knots as he met your eyes, a softened look to them that you'd never seen before - what was it? Just a few minutes earlier you'd find yourself squirming beneath his intense gaze but for some reason, you stayed put.

When his lips pressed against yours, you felt a crackle of electricity across your skin and the world fell away. It seemed as if time stopped and held its breath as it watched the two of you, his arm curving around your waist as his free hand rested at the back of your neck, pulling you flush against him. Though you were taken aback by the sudden gesture and terrified you wasted no time in reacting, sinking deeper into the kiss. You could feel him smile against your lips and fireworks exploded inside your chest - if there was a way to describe pure magic, this would definitely be it. And he felt it too - and he swore to himself that he'd never felt a bigger rush of adrenaline before until now.

You looked absolutely stunning to him in that moment as you pulled apart - with your half-closed eyes, reddened cheeks, and swollen lips - his doing, no doubt. Your gaze slipped down to his equally swollen lips and you felt your face flush at the sight. Steve was quick to catch what you were doing and pulled you back in for more.

This time, it wasn't as innocent and quick. It was more needy, passionate - months, no, years of pent-up frustration he didn't even know he had seeping into it. Years of not being able to tell you finally being poured out into one grand gesture - years of finally getting closure because he now knew the girl he'd loved for as long as he could remember felt the same way.

"Oh my fucking shit."

The two of you were practically gasping for air as you broke apart a second time to see a smug-looking Sam.

"You just- I didn't interrupted something between y'all, did I?" Sam cocked a brow. "Looked like you were this close to-"

"No," you exhaled, "we weren't."

"I'm a GENIUS for fixing that speaker! If I hadn't done so you guys never would've gotten together!" Peter squealed as he appeared by the Falcon's side. "I believe a thank you is in order!"

"I hope my timing isn't bad, but I have to ask," Steve cleared his throat and looked you straight in the eye. "that was a confession, right? And you didn't do it just because you felt compelled to. Be honest with me."

You let out a sigh of defeat. "Yeah...it was."

He broke into a gorgeous, million-dollar grin that made you weak at the knees. He leaned down, lips ghosting over yours as if he was going to kiss you again - but pulled back, much to your disappointment.

"I guess I'm the victor of this battle, huh," he whispered before releasing his hold on you and walking out, leaving you to stand there utterly shell-shocked and speechless as Peter and Sam began teasing you.

[tardytothepardy]

Fruits Basket - Vol 17

I am,,, confused. Thoroughly. Did I read this too fast? Am I misunderstanding? This book felt like a series of "What? Huh? What? Huh? What? Whuhh?? Huhhhhh?????" and I am kinda bewildered.

So let's talk about it,,, somehow.

It starts with Shigure and Hatori talking about Akito's meltdown at New Year's, and how apparently Shigure tried to comfort Akito, but Akito was having none of it. The topic of Kureno came up, and how he just seems off, disconnected, in a sense, and also how Akito seems to have chosen Kureno above all the other Juunishi.

Panning over to Kureno, in the previous book Momiji gave him the CD of the play, "Sorta Cinderella". He seemed pretty affected by the things that Uotani said, but they also reminded him of moments with Akito, when he was younger. He calls Shigure later, asking for Tohru, which Shigure finds odd. What business would the two of them have? But it turns out that later, Tohru does run into Kureno, on her way to the store. She was squatting next to a bunch of birds, and when he showed up, they flew away. This is important at all, because that isn't what usually happens to the animals that the Juunishi share a spirit with (agh how to phrase things), in fact it's the opposite. Tohru asks Kureno about this, and then he solidifies any questions by hugging her and,,,, nothing happens. Somehow, he isn't affected by the curse. It has no hold on him, he won't turn into a bird (I suppose a rooster, specifically, which is kinda sad bc I was looking forward to that, in a little way. It'd be funny, if nothing else) if he gets really weak or sick, or if he hugs someone of the opposite sex.

Tohru asks him how this happened, and when, but Kureno doesn't really know. It happened randomly one day, a while back, but he has no idea was triggered it. It's just that, one day, he was vibin, doing his thing, and it just happened. No one else in the family knows, he's just been pretending that he's still a Juunishi. Kureno also said that he can't be with Uotani, that the CD was a wasted attempt, because he's promised to be with and take care of another person, that person being Akito. Kureno makes it clear, though, that he still does care for Uotani, but he just can't be with her. This whole time, it's been switching between the current interaction between Kureno and Tohru, and flashing back to when Kureno first realized that the curse broke for him, and Akito was just fucking losing his mind, screaming and shit. He begged for Kureno to stay, regardless of the curse (btw, at this point, Kureno's a teenager, and Akito's still a little kid, so it was a little while ago), and Kureno said that he would promise to stay with Akito, stay by his side, pretend that he's still a Juunishi, etc.

And then, at the end of the chapter, something is revealed: apparently Akito's a girl. To be honest, I'm not really sure what to do with this information. As far as I can remember, it doesn't really have much to do with anything. Why has he (she? fuck. I have no idea.) been presenting as a boy this whole time? Because his mom forced him, since he was born. Why did she do that? I don't know, it didn't say in this book. Hopefully it fucking clarifies later on, because I'm just getting vibes from that one Insidious movie, with that ghost/demon person. Wasn't that their deal? Something like that. Reversed, but something like that. Idk, I was too busy being scared shitless to think about the intricacies of the plot.

Anyway, so Akito's apparently a girl, but has been raised as a boy. Four of the Juunishi know this: Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, and Kureno, because they were all kids when Akito was born. Apparently, when Akito's mom (her name is Ren) was pregnant with Akito, they all came to her and were crying and shit, acting super weird. Like, they all just knew that Akito would be the God.

As a fun side note, Ren and Akito fucking hate each other. Just,, so much. Is there a person in the Sohma family that doesn't have familial issues, because it just seems like there are a lot of people who do. I think maybe Kagura doesn't? I haven't seen anything saying she has issues. Nothing much has been said about Shigure's, Hatori's, or Kureno's families, so maybe they're okay? I dunno, but one of the things that specifically shows up between Ren and Akito, is that Ren does not believe in the "bond" that Akito and the rest of the Juunishi have, saying that it's a fake love, that, if given the choice, the Juunishi would not behave or treat Akito the way they do, which is kinda true. From what I read about when Yuki first met Akito, there were a lot of conflicting feelings, ranging from "I hate you but also I never want to be away from you" to "This is hell on earth just being near this person but also to be away from this person is agony", and like, whoa. That's a lot. I doubt it's like that at all anymore, but there has been some mentions that Akito does have some higher hold on the Juunishi than other people do.

All this said and done, I still want to know more. I am heavily curious. I'd like to know more about Akito's whole situation. I'm glad he's not just a one-dimensional "bad guy", but dang, some of this stuff, it just feels like it's coming out of left field. (Is that a baseball thing? That sounds like a baseball thing. Idioms are weird.)

By the time that Kureno leaves, Tohru's a wreck. She's crying, and confused, and just,,, yikes. (I kinda was too, but just the confused part.) And so who comes to the rescue than Hanajima, and also Hanajima, but the small one. (I realized recently that most of these people are referred to by their first names, except for like, Uotani and Hanajima, which makes sense. A massive swath of these characters would all be "Sohma". It'd be confusing as fuck. But still. Idk) Hanajima felt Tohru's sheer confusion and despair, and Megumi tagged along because why not, y'know?

Hanajima decided that Tohru would stay with her for the night, so that she and Tohru and Uotani could all talk stuff out about what Tohru was upset about. Unfortunately for Shigure, Yuki and possibly Kyo? I don't think he was home at the time but maybe??, that meant that Tohru wasn't making dinner. So Yuki potentially gave Shigure and himself food poisoning, but hey, it's better than takeout, right? (Seriously, Tohru's back must be tired from cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, and dealing with everyone's emotional baggage, she's doing so much. And she still has her own personal shit that she does, like,,, how hasn't she lost her shit yet??)

Tohru says that Kureno was kind, in that he was looking out for other people's feelings and wellfare before his own, and Hanajima says that she (Tohru) does the same thing (which is what Uotani first saw in Kureno, and why she thought that he was like Tohru), but Hanajima worries that the more that Tohru does that, the more that she carries the worries and troubles of other people, it could end up hurting her. (We love a caring friend that cares) In the end, Uotani tells Tohru that it's okay, that she cares more about the relationships she has now than whatever she might have had with Kureno, which was nice.

Moving onwards, the school is making preparations for graduation! I don't think Tohru and Co. are graduating quite yet (maybe they are idk), but there are these paper flowers that they're making, and for some reason, shenanigans ensue. Like, a group of girls just nabbing a bunch of flowers that Kyo made?? Why? That's really weird of you to do. Stop that. (They were tracked down and forced to make up for all the flowers they stole, because for some reason they wouldn't give back the flowers they stole.) It's kinda weird, I forgot that Kyo is also kinda popular with girls, because usually we only hear from the girls that fawn over Yuki. But yeah, that's a thing for Kyo, as well. Weird, either way.

Now we are at the last chunk of the book, hooray! This isn't as long as the previous one 😬. So, Shigure and Akito got something weird going on. I'm not really sure what to think of it, honestly. Apparently Shigure slept with Ren, and Akito kicked him out of the main house as a punishment, which Shigure did not fight back at all. (wow that was not a large section at all i totally didn't just lose steam and stop right there at all nope not me i don't do that not at all)

I'll admit that part of me is still kinda,, squeamish? I guess? about people in the Sohma household being in relationships, it's just that they all have "Sohma", that is probably messing me up. Idk. It's definitely not a healthy relationship. All kinds of weird tensions and miscommunication abound. It's not a good time.