#i love fight club fans you guys are so cool

[yns-world]

guys. this is just so wow. i’m so grateful that humans are capable of such amazing art. i’m so grateful for the human mind.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Pick One: Magical Girl Show or Rom-com. You cannot be both.

Early in season four we get the episode Gang of Secrets. An episode that ends with Marinette outing her secret identity to Alya. A touching moment that sparked outrage across the fandom because it meant that Marinette had made the choice to reveal her identity to her best friend while keeping her hero partner in the dark.

This choice spat in the face of the exceptions that many fans had for the series. Thousands of pre-season-four fanfics feature moments where Ladybug and Chat Noir promise each other that they'll be the first to know each other's identities. After the Alya reveal, scores of fanfics were written to salt on Marinette's choice to tell the "wrong" person.

Most of these fics feature a betrayed Chat Noir quitting or otherwise punishing Ladybug for breaking their promise to be each other's first, thereby destroying his faith in their partnership. But that promise was never made on screen. It only existed in the realms of fanfic and, when Chat Noir finally found out in canon, his reaction was largely neutral. He never once blamed Ladybug for her choice or pushed for a reveal or even asked for the right to tell one of his friends.

So what happened here? Why did the fans have such wildly unrealistic expectations of canon? Were their expectations even unrealistic or did canon betray them? The answer to that is not as straight forward as you might think because it all comes back to one of Miraculous' many, many, many writing problems: Miraculous is trying to be both a Magical Girl Show and a romantic comedy, but those are not genres that mesh. You can only be one (or you can be a third thing that we'll get to at the end as it's the easiest way to fix this mess, but I want to mostly focus on where the anger is coming from and why the writing is to blame.)

To discuss this mismatch, we're going to do something that breaks my heart and talk about some of Origins flaws. While I love that episode and unironically refer to it as the best writing the show ever gave us, it's not perfect and its flaws are all focused around trying to set up both genres. Do note that I'm going to use a lot of gender binary language here as magical girl shows have a strong focus on gender segregation and rarely if ever acknowledge gender diversity.

Let's Talk Magical Girls

Magical girl shows are shows that center on young women and their friendships. While male love interests are often present in these shows, the boys tend to take a backseat and function primarily as arm candy while the girls save the day and carry the narrative.

A great example of this is the show Winx Club. This show features a large cast of teenage girls who save the magical universe from various threats with their magical powers. Each girl has a love interest, but the boys are usually off doing their own thing and only occasionally show up for a date or to give the girls a ride on their cool bikes or magical spaceship. I don't even think that we see the guys fight or, if we do, it's a rare thing. They are not there to save the day. They are there to be shipping fodder.

Like most magical girl shows, Winx Club starts with the main character making friends with one of the girls who will eventually become part of her magical girl squad. This brings us back to Miraculous.

Did you ever find it weird that Origins implies that Marinette has no friends? She doesn't even have a backbone until new girl Alya shows up to become Marinette's First Real Friend:

Marinette: I so wish I can handle Chloé the way you do. Alya: You mean the way Majestia does it. She says all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing. (pointing at Chloé) Well, that girl over there is evil, and we are the good people. We can't let her get away with it.

This is a bizarre opening because Miraculous is not about Marinette making friends or learning to stand up for herself. If you skipped Origins and just watched the rest of the show, then you'd have no clue that Marinette wasn't close with her classmates before this year. You also wouldn't know that Alya was new in town and you definitely wouldn't know that Marinette had never stood up to Chloé before this year. So why is this here? Why waste screen time setting up elements that aren't actually important to canon?

Miraculous did it for the same reason that Winx Club did it: magical girl shows traditionally start with the main character making friends with at least one of her eventual female teammates because Magical Girl shows are all about the girls and their relationships. The boys are just arm candy.

But Miraculous isn't a magical girl show. The writers have explicitly stated that it's a rom-com and romantic comedies aren't about female friendship. They might have female friendships in them, but that's not where the focus is. The focus of a rom-com is on the romance and Origins is very clearly all about the romance.

Origins as a Rom-com

Origins has a lot on its plate. It has to establish the villain's motivation for the first time, show us how the heroes got their miraculous, show us how the heroes first met on both sides of the mask, show us how they met their respective best friends, and show us how the heroes dealt with their first akuma. It would be perfectly understandable if this 40 minute two-parter didn't do anything with the romance. They have a full show to give us that!

In spite of this, Origins has some incredibly touching moments for both Ladynoir and Adrienette because romance is the heart of Miraculous. It is the main focus of the show. The driving motivation for both of our leads and the majority of the show's episodes. To tell the story of how their journey started without at least one of them falling in love would feel wrong. That's why we see both of them fall in love!

First we get Chat Noir giving his heart to his bold and brilliant lady, then we get Marinette's heart being stolen by the shy sweet boy who never once thought to blame her for her snap judgement of his character. We even get a touching moment where Chat Noir inspires his lady to accept her role and be Ladybug, leading her to boldly face their enemy and call him out:

Roger: I have a new plan, unlike you! Move aside and let the pros do their thing. You've already failed once! Ladybug: …He's right, you know. If I'd captured Stoneheart's akuma the first time around, none of this would have happened! I knew I wasn't the right one for this job… Cat Noir: No. He's wrong, because without you, she'd no longer be here. (they look at Chloe) And because without us, they won't make it, and we'll prove that to 'em. Trust me on this. Okay? Ladybug: Okay.

I love this moment, but it does lose a little of its power when you remember that we had an Alya-driven variation of this exact same thing five minutes prior:

Alya: HELP!! (Marinette suddenly gets filled with courage. She gets the case out of Alya's bag and puts on the Miraculous. Then, Tikki appears, happy to see Marinette again.) Tikki:(raising her arms) Mmmm! Marinette: I think I need Ladybug! Tikki: I knew you'd come around! Marinette: Well, I'm still not sure I'm up for this, but Alya's in danger. I can't sit back and do nothing.

This scene initially confused me because - if Miraculous is a rom-com - then why would you make Alya the reason that Marinette became Ladybug? Why wouldn't you have Chat Noir be the one in danger so that Marinette chose to fight because of her love interest and then encourage that bond with the later scene of him encouraging her? Why split the focus like this? Why give Alya so much attention?

In case you haven't figured it out, it's because Origins is trying to establish two different genres of show. Two genres that will continue to fight for the rest of the series (or at least the first five seasons).

Magical Girls Vs Rom-com

Why is Alya the one to shake off the nightmare dust and inspire the others during the season five finale? Why is Alya the one that Marinette trusts with all of her plans while Chat Noir is kept in the dark? Why does Alya and Marinette's friendship get so much more focus than Adrien and Nino's? Why was Alya the only temp hero who got upgraded to full time hero?

It's because Alya is Marinette's second in command in a magical girl show and magical girl shows focus on female friendships while the boys are just there to be cute and support the girls.

Why do most of Marinette's talks with Alya focus on Adrien? Why is Chat Noir the only other full time holder of a Miraculous for the first three seasons and then again for the final season? Why do Marinette's friends become more and more obsessed with Adrienentte as the show goes on? Why is the love square's identity reveal given so much more narrative weight than any other identity reveal?

It's because Miraculous is a rom-com and the love square is our end game couple, so of course the story focuses on their relationship above all else!

Are you starting to see the problem?

Circling back to our original question: no, it was not unreasonable for the fans to expect that the Alya reveal would have massive negative consequences for Ladynoir. That is what should happen in a rom-com and Miraculous is mainly written like a rom-com. But the writers are also trying to write a magical girl show and, in a magical girl show, Alya and Marinette's friendship should be the most important relationship in the show, so it makes perfect sense that the show treats the Alya reveal as perfectly fine because the Alya reveal was written from the magical girl show perspective.

When it comes to Miraculous, if you ever feel like a writing choice makes no sense for genre A, re-frame it as a thing from genre B and it suddenly makes perfect sense which is fascinatingly terrible writing! It's no wonder there are people who hate the Alya reveal and people who will defend it with their life. It all depends on which genre elements you've picked up on and clung to. Neither side is right, they've both been set up to have perfectly valid expectations. Whether those expectations are valid for a given episode is entirely up to the mercurial whims of the writers!

How Do We Fix This Mess

At this point, I don't think that we can, the show is too far gone, but if someone gave me the power to change one element of Miraculous, that element would be this: scrap both the magical girl stuff and the rom-com stuff and turn Miraculous into a team show where the friendships transcend gender.

At this point, I've written over a quarter of a million words of fanfic focused on these characters (the brain rot is real) and one thing I've discovered is that it is damn near impossible to keep Adrien and Alya from becoming friends. They're both new to their school while Marinette and Nino have gone to the same school for at least a few years. Alya and Adrien are both obsessed with Ladybug plus Adrien is a natural hype man who loves to support his friends and Alya loves to talk about her blog. Alya is dating Adrien's best friend. On top of that, Alya, Adrien, Nino, and Marinette are all in the same class, meaning that they pretty much have to be spending time together five days a week unless French school don't give kids a chance to socialize or do group projects. If so, then judging them for the first issue, but super jealous of the latter.

Given all of that, why in the world is does it feel like Alya is Marinette's close friend while Adrien is just some guy who goes to Alya's school? Along similar lines, while canon Marinette barely talks to Nino, I've found that Marinette and Nino tend to get along smashingly, especially if you embrace the fact that they have to have known each other for at least a few years.

If you embrace this wider friendship dynamic and scrap the girl squad, replacing it with Alya, Adrien, Marinette, and Nino, then the fight for narrative importance quickly goes away. It's no longer a question of is this episode trying to be a magical girl show or a rom-com? Instead, the question is: which element of the friend group is getting focused on today? The romance or the friendship?

A lot of hero shows do this and do it well. I think that one of the most well known examples is Teen Titans. That show has five main characters and the focus is usually on their friendships, but there is a very clear running romantic tension between the characters Robin and Starfire with several episodes giving a good deal of focus to their romance. I'd say that this element really starts in the show's the 19th episode - Date with Destiny - and it all culminates in the movie that capstones the series: Trouble in Tokyo. The character Beast Boy also gets a romance arc and, while it's more short lived, it's further evidence that you can have strong romances and strong friendships in the same show and even the same episode. You just have to own the fact that boys and girls can be friends with each other, a very logical thing to embrace when your show has decided to have a diverse cast of heroes instead of imposing arbitrary gender limitations on its magical powers.

I couldn't figure out a way to work this into the main essay, but it's relevant so I wanted to quickly point it out and give you more to think about re Origins. Have you ever found it weird how Origins gives both Adrien AND Marinette the "I've never had friends before" backstory and yet wider canon acts like Marinette has this strong amazing friend group while Adrien doesn't seem to care about making friends and instead focuses all his energy on romance? Why give both the protagonist and the supposed deuteragonist this kind of origin if it's not going to be a major element of the show? It makes so much more sense to only give one of them this backstory and then focus that person's character arc on learning about friendship.

[bettysupremacy]

omg I have an idea (you don’t have to write it if you don’t want to) and I have to put it somewhere.

so rafe is this like super mean, big guy right? wrong. imagine r touching him and he just freaks out because ??the love of his life is touching him?? and r just giggles bc of the effect they have on him

This is suchhhhh a cute idea!! i ❤️ rafe. I hope you like this!! I don’t know if he did much freaking out, but she does much loving on him.

“I told him forty.” Rafe grumbles, fumbling with a pack of camels. His big hands rip at the new packaging frustratedly. He gives up and uses his teeth.

Topper winces. “That’s what told him.”

“So what’s the fuckin problem.” Rafe looks up, spitting plastic.

His knee bounces under the white country club table. “He wants a discount.”

“Bullshit.”

“I know,” he breathes. “So I told him,”

“You’re not giving him a discount.”

Topper laughs nervously. “If you’d let me finish-“

“He’s gotta perfect amount of his mommy’s money to be spending on drugs.”

“Exactly-“

“You don’t give figure eight kids discounts.”

“Rafe,” Topper starts, frustrated with his lack of sentence.

“Rafe!” Your voice echos outside the private room excitedly at the same time. He sits straighter, smile fighting his face at the shriek of his name. Toppers still here. Rafe’s stoic.

Top sighs exasperatedly, leaning back in his chair. He’s not finishing that sentence.

The door flings open, your hand tight on the fancy handle. “Rafe.” You bounce. He watches greedily over you, this doesn’t deter you. “Guess what.”

“You’ve waited too long to give me my hello kiss?” He taps his pen against his thigh, elbows resting on the chair.

“No, silly,” You laugh, airily walking over to him to plant a kiss on his cheek. He swerves, smiling against your lips instead, reveling in your laugh as you pull away. His arms wrap under your butt. “Sarah’s having a party tonight.”

Tops eyes flit up curiously.

“What?” Rafe’s face drops.

You squeal. “We have to go.”

“It’s my house too, babe, I think I’ll be there against my will.” His eyes flit to Topper.

“Not at your house.” You pout, pushing his hair back. His eyes fight against fluttering closed. “Joint party, Scarlett’s house.”

“Oh, we’re not going.” He decides, squeezing the flesh of the back of your thigh.

“What,” Topper laments, no mind of his own. If Rafe’s not going, obviously he can’t go. You both ignore him.

“Please, Rafe.” You whine, E’s extended longer than Top thinks necessary. You walk behind him to grip his shoulders.

He short circuits. You’re warm behind him, the perfume you spritzed this morning making its way to his nose. You knead your fingers into his back. Digging into the tense muscle he tries so hard to relax around you.

“Baby,” He grumbles, wary of your hands on his shoulder. “That shit’ll be so lame.”

You sigh working deeper into his muscle. “You know I love Sarah.” Then afterthought. “And Scarlett.”

He holds back a noise at your thumbs pressing into his back. Grabbing your wrist, his warm fingers press into the tender skin they find.

“Can’t see you.” He murmurs.

You round the chair, sitting on his lap. His arms wrap around you heavily and securely. He bounces his knee a couple times as you brush hair out of eyes, both wary of Top three feet away. “Better?”

He grunts a nod, smiling at you brilliantly. “So much.”

Your hands card through his hair, raking gently against his scalp. His hair is soft, clean, the smell of his shampoo hitting you easily. You tug, gently, his hair back, till he’s looking up at you lazily.

“You know you have hazel in your eyes?”

His demeanor changes. “Stop.”

“Im serious,” You laugh, head tilting to the side to eye Topper. “Someone’s cranky.”

“I am not cranky.” Rafe scoffs, unable to bring your hands from his hair.

“Then play nice.” You whisper, cool air fanning Rafe’s face. “Let’s go to the party.”

He frowns, overly aware of your dancing fingers. “You know what you’re doing.”

“If loving on my sweet boyfriend was a crime-“ you start.

“Then you’d be in jail by now.” He finishes.

“Exactly!” You grin, leaning down to kiss his jaw. His eye twinkles. “Let me love on you in public.”

He scoffs softly, bouncing the knee you sit on. You squeak at the sudden movement, turning to laugh prettily in Toppers direction. He can’t help but to smile through his annoyance.

“What d’you think, Top?” Rafe sniffs at the way you’ve worked him.

“Well,” He starts in the shifty tone of his. “Uh, I think it’d be good-“

“He wants to see your sister.” You laugh.

“Y/N.” The younger boy glares pointedly across the table. “Seriously?”

“I don’t give a shit who Sarah’s doing this week.” He gruffs out. You push his shoulder.

“Be nice.” You whisper.

Rafe rolls his eyes, big hand splaying over your face and pushing away from him.

“Hey!” You muffle as he smiles.

“You wanna go?” He looks at Top.

“I guess.” He shrugs nonchalantly.

Rafe snorts at him. “Cool.” He lets up on your face. “We’ll go.”

“Yay!” You jump, wrapping your arms around him. He leans into the touch, uncaring of the company.

What a simp, Rafe sulks.

[astonmartinii]

worlds biggest fan part two | max verstappen social media au

pairing: max verstappen x reader

y/n is the president of the official max verstappen fan club, but nothing can come of that, right?

part one

masterlist

yourusername

liked by maxverstappen1, martingarrix and 6,708 others

yourusername: not much going on right now

view all comments

user28: and now we're quoting taylor swift huh?

yourbff1: you're fake as fuck for posting this after not replying to me for two days

yourusername: what if i told you my phone died?

yourbff2: i would fight u

yourusername: i'm outside pull up

user29: the way they're still bickering as if y/n isn't well known now

yourbff1: she'll never dodge these hands

maxverstappen1: 🧡

user30: you ever gonna progress past an orange heart WHERE'S THE FLIRTING?

yourusername: blushing

user30: there's something suspicious amuck here

user31: ur right

maxverstappen1

liked by yourusername, danielricciardo and 1,309,561 others

tagged: yourusername

maxverstappen1: i'm her biggest fan

view all comments

user36: i am going feral i need to be put down

danielricciardo: who is this man and what did you do with max verstappen?

maxverstappen1: i'm not allowed to appreciate my girl? danielricciardo: my bad, y/n is a very beautiful girl you're very lucky maxverstappen1: I AM AWARE

user37: yall i think max is losing his mind

yourusername: wow who is this girl who definietly should be in a lecture and not monaco

maxverstappen1: but i'm more fun than your professor yourusername: better take that maxy he's a big fan of yours maxverstappen1: okay he's a cool guy but i'm cooler yourusername: i'm not going to debate that

user38: so like did he fly her out for the dinner or did they go to dinner and then get on so well they went back to max's in monaco? i like desperately need to know

yourbff1: so this is where you've been @yourusername

yourusername: sorry not sorry yourbff2: we've been collecting notes and work for you and this is how we're thanked maxverstappen1: name a race and i'll get you there yourbff1: i take it back you can fuck off to monaco whenever you want yourusername: you change your tune fast

maxverstappenarchive

liked by maxverstappen1, yourusername and 39,671 others

maxverstappenarchive: max enjoying his summer break

view all comments

user39: i know y/n is loving reporting on herself on this account

yourusername: maybe am i, maybe i'm not

yourbff1: she definitely is

user40: not to sound cheesy but i've never seen max this happy victoriaverstappen: neither maxverstappen1: i'd rather wait this long for a love like this, than have something less than what i feel right now yourusername: awwwwwwww i love you too maxy user41: i'm sorry ? LOVE ? user42: i feel like this is way too fast maxverstappen1: i'm an f1 driver all i know is fast charles_leclerc: good lord that is cheesy mate user43: @charles_leclerc what are you doing in the comment section of a max fan account charles_leclerc: being nosey and gathering data for the group chat user43: what group chat? charles_leclerc: the one where we make fun of max for being a softy

f1wagsandtea

liked by user44, user45 and 2,198 others

tagged: yourusername, yourbff1, yourbff2, yourbff3

f1wagsandtea: y/n y/ln, the girlfriend of max verstappen, will make her debut this weekend at silverstone and has brought along three of her closest friends and housemates.

view all comments

user46: omg y/n is finally going to a race

user47: i want her to go to zandvoort at some point i know the girlies there would treat her well

yourbff1: we're famous now oh wow

yourbff2: i mean it's just a wag account bro don't we hate these?

f1wagsandtea: catching strays on my own post

yourbbf3: deserved xoxo

user48: i am so excited for y/n omg this has all happened so fast

redbullracing

liked by maxverstappen1, yourusername and 569,341 others

tagged: yourusername, maxverstappenarchive

redbullracing: a famous face in the orange army was with us in the garage this weekend. y/n has been a long-time fan of her boyfriend max and finally got to attend her first race here in silverstone

view all comments

user49: this shit is straight out of a damn fanfiction

yourusername: thank you so so much for having me, truly an insane experience i am so grateful

redbullracing: there's still race day to go

yourusername: don't remind me i'm so nervous

maxverstappen1: i thought i saw an angel in the garage after fp1, turns out i wasn't hallucinating

yourusername: you're too sweet

user43: @charles_leclerc i got one for you

charles_leclerc: thank you for your service

maxverstappen1: how many of you are in this group chat

charles_leclerc: none of your business

user50: god when will it happen to me

f1

liked by lewishamilton, lancestroll and 881,208 others

f1: RED FLAG. the marshals have thrown the red flag after a collision between max verstappen and lewis hamilton. the impact was 51g and verstappen has been escorted via helicopter to the local hospital but is awake and talking. we will resume within the hour.

comments are restricted on this post

maxverstappenarchive

liked by maxverstappen1, victoriaverstappen and 67,033 others

maxverstappenarchive: i cannot express my disappointment enough in the way the situation was handled this afternoon. it is to my understanding that the fia have considered this to be a racing incident, though i do not agree, that is the ruling so i nothing i can say will change that. HOWEVER, i am deeply disappointed in the manner in which lewis decided to celebrate despite the severity of the crash to max. i am lucky enough to be with max now, he is okay and his scans indicate that there is no internal damage, but i do believe there should be some introspection to how we celebrate while being unaware of the wellbeing of the other party. you can call me bias, but max will come back stronger and this will only motivate him more for the title fight. game on.

view all comments

user51: holy moly she did not come to play

user52: i don't even know how to feel about this whole thing

user53: i was there and oh my god it was so intense

user54: i'm just glad both parties are okay

user55: this title fight is so intense oh god

user56: i have a feeling this is not over

maxverstappen1 added to their story

[caption: thank you for being there for me, we'll come back stronger]

note: HOLY MOLY this felt like it took so long to write lol. i've been at work every day and finally sorted my living situ out (i.e. i'm gonna move into the dodgy house and just wait to be evicted lol). i like writing cause it's such a distraction from my current shit show life lol - i may make a part three of this if y'all want idk i love the drama of it all xxx

[eomayas]

his friends and his dad hate me • chs

pairing: non-idol!vernon x fuckgirl!reader, fwb

genre: smut 18+ MINORS DNI!!! angst

synopsis: you broke his little heart, he’s a cry baby. OR, reader excels in the male dominated field of being a female fuckboy! (based off ‘crybaby’ by megan thee stallion)

warnings: p in v, oral (m receiving), fingering, riding, vernon gets his heart broke, reader is not a good person

a/n: i’ve had this in my drafts for awhile and needed to finish it 😭 i love when readers are morally gray or just wrong & bad! pls remember this is just fiction ok thx!

despite the protests from his friends and the little (though extremely loud) voice in the back of his head telling him this is a horrible idea, vernon grabs his car keys and tries to slip out of his apartment. “dude, we didn’t even get to finish the game! get back here!” wonwoo shouts, frustration clear in his voice. it’s bible in their friend group to finish any smash tournament that’s started, and he’s breaking the one and only most important rule.

“later!” vernon says, hand on the door knob. he’s sort of stalling, sort of wants to be told that he has to stay behind. the thing is, he’s pathetic, especially when it comes to you. he’d cross all seven seas to get to you, if you asked.

“she doesn’t even like you!” soonyoung shouts. vernon sighs and rolls his eyes, walking down to the hallway and stopping at the entrance of the living room. five of his friends look at him with mild disappointment and he puts his hands up in surrender.

“first of all, she invited me over so you’re wrong—and secondly, you’d all do the same if you had prospects but you don’t,” vernon says, letting out a breath. it felt good for him to fight back like that, though soonyoungs comment does leave him feeling sort of doubtful. very doubtful, actually, because he knows there’s some truth in his statement whether he wants to acknowledge it or not.

minghao and joshua share a look and vernon sighs. “fuck you guys,” he says.

“yeah, whatever. but don’t come back here crying,” soonyoung says, a shit eating grin on his face. vernon flips him off, face flushing in embarrassment at the memory of him getting so drunk that he cried in mingyus arms at the club over you. they’ve never been able to let it go, bringing it up every time your name is mentioned. it’s mortifying, but a slight wake up call. except he’s not thinking with his head right now.

they all snicker, but minghao manages to give him a sympathetic shrug. it doesn’t do much to alleviate the doubt in his head, but the support is nice. simply put, his friends are not fans of you, and he doesn’t necessarily blame them. your relationship started out rocky and unserious—he was a late night booty call for you and a fill-in boyfriend without the title. he did boyfriend things with you—for you, thought you two were together until you dropped the bomb that you didn’t like him or want him like that. he was crushed, but he played it cool and told you that he wasn’t looking for a relationship anyway. that only made things worse, seeing that you only called him when you wanted some attention, and constantly made him feel like you wanted him.

the crying in the club bit was the straw that broke the camels back for his friends. they had a mock-intervention for him, urging him to delete your number and to find somebody else, but as if you were summoned at the mention of vernon moving on, you’d called him a few days later and got him back where you wanted him. he hasn’t been able to escape you since, caught in some spell or trap you put him under.

“whatever,” vernon mutters, pulling off his cap to run his fingers through his hair. “i’m leaving now.” he declares, urging himself to actually make the move to leave.

he’s halfway to the door when minghao calls out to him by saying, “my therapist would call this self-destructive behavior!”

vernon doesn’t have time to deeply evaluate his behavior as ‘self-destructive’, because he spends the twenty minute drive to your place psyching himself up. that alone should be indicative of the issue with seeing you, but he doesn’t pay it any mind. instead, he bumps his music and drums his fingers against the steering wheel.

it’s not lost on him that he was able to make it to your place without directions, though he forgot how complicated the apartment parking lot was. by the time he finds a spot that he won’t get towed and/or fined in, he’s much later than when he said he’d be at your place.

vernon sends you a quick ‘here’ text before making his way towards the door to your apartment building. he presses the buzzer for your unit, and his pulse skyrockets. in the few seconds that it takes for you to answer, he spirals thinking of every negative possibility of your encounter. what if you really do hate him, like soonyoung said? and, if not, what if he sucks in bed? what if he says something stupid? what if you find out he’s a complete and utter loser?

“vernon?” your voice crackles through the intercom and shoots straight to fast beating heart, halting his mental spiral of doom, and putting him back in the moment. he’s nervous in a different way now. he’s so unsure of himself around you sometimes—which is definitely a sign that he should cut ties with you.

“y-yeah,” he clears his throat quickly, trying to cover up his shaky voice. “it’s me.” his finger nearly throbs in pain from how much pressure he’s putting on the buzzer.

with a loud pop, the door unlocks and vernon enters. he hikes the two stories to your apartment, and by the time he’s at your door he’s mildly winded from how fast he got up there. vernon stalls a few feet from your door to regain his breath (and confidence). he chews on his bottom lip for a second and glances down the hallway and considers making a run for it.

there isn’t much thought put into that, though, because his feet take him in the other direction towards your front door, and he’s raising his fist to send three soft knocks your way. vernon shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and sighs, dropping his shoulders and rolling them back.

you pull the door open and his eyes snap down to you, and he swears his hearing goes out for a split second, because his face feels like it’s on fire and his muscles feel heavy. and then you smile at him, and he thinks he may melt into a puddle in front of your door. “vernon!” you squeal, laughing yourself onto him, legs wrapping around his waist and arms encircling around his neck. “you took forever.” you mumble, capturing his lips in a kiss that he’s been dreaming of for weeks.

vernon silently thanks the universe that he didn’t collapse when you attached yourself to him, and that he had enough sense to hold onto the bottoms of your thighs for support. “traffic,” he lies, walking the two of you into your apartment and kicking the door closed behind him.

he stops walking and the two of you make out for a few minutes. his nerves disappeared the moment you latched onto him. granted, hes a bit nervous, but he doesn’t feel like he’s going to pass out, or like he wants to make a run for it. “you look good, baby,” you purr once you pull back from his lips to really look at him. you run your hands through his short, brown hair and smile at him, and he decides right then and there that all of the pain and suffering you’ve put him through might be worth it, if you keep smiling at him like that.

untangling you legs from his waist, vernon helps set you down and lets his hands drag up your bare legs. your skin is soft like he remembers, and he wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his life rubbing and touching it. but your hands make use of pulling down his jacket zipper and subsequently helping him out of his coat, so he unfortunately has to pull his hands away from your thighs.

“have you been working out?” you question, setting his jacket on the back of one of your bar stools. vernon looks down at his own biceps and shrugs. “i lift sometimes, yeah,” he says. you walk back over to him and shamelessly feel him up. he’s still skinny, but there’s muscle in places you don’t necessarily remember him having.

“hmm,” is all you reply—it does a lot to cover up how badly you want to tear him out of his clothes. you grab his hand and lead him down the hallway to your bedroom.

“how’ve you been?” vernon asks. you giggle at his awkwardness and give him a look over you shoulder as you pull him into your bedroom.

“really great,” you push him lightly towards your bed, and crawl onto his lap, lips finding purchase on his neck. you grind down onto him as you suck a purple mark onto his neck. “what about you?” you ask in between kisses, voice slightly breathless.

“uh, fine,” vernon spits out, mind a bit hazy when you slip off of his lap and onto your knees between his legs. “better.” you smile at him sweetly, but your hands make quick work of unbuttoning his jeans. he helps you pull them down to his ankles, along with his underwear.

a soft whimper leaves you mouth at the sight of his semi-hard dick. you press your thighs together and reach forward to grab ahold of his member and start stroking his shaft. vernon looks down at you with parted lips; he feels like he’s in a dream, watching you on your knees below him. you’ve given him head before, but it was conditional. usually, when you felt guilty for something, or knew you made him upset you would suck him off. he tries to push the thoughts away, and succeeds when you wrap you lips around the tip and attempt to take all of him. “fuuuck,” he groans, gripping onto the edge of the bed.

vernon is embarrassed at how quickly you draw out loud moans from him just by massaging his balls as you work your mouth on him. he hasn’t been with anybody else in awhile—and he’s too embarrassed to ever admit that he’s good with just having you, even if he has to wait for you to call him.

“oh, fuck, y/n,” he whines, thighs tensing. he lets go of the mattress to gather your hair and wraps it around one of his hands. you moan against his crotch when he pulls, watery eyes flicking up to meet his own. spit gathers at the corners of your mouth and vernon knows this is an image he’ll never, ever forget. “shitshitshit!” his hips buck upwards and he expects you to pull your mouth off of him to use your hands to get him to his release, but you stay put.

it drives vernon crazy. he comes fast, and he doesn’t have time to be embarrassed because you swallow, and then keep sucking after the fact. he’s never seen you act like this, and you’re a bit shocked at your own behavior—you hadn’t realized you missed him that much.

“y/n,” he whimpers, chin falling against his chest. you take that as a sign that he’s about to pass out, and reluctantly pull your mouth off of him with a pop. a trail of spit mixed with cum follows his cock to your mouth, and it makes you want to give him another blow job, but he looks too spent.

“vernon,” you start, getting off of your knees. he manages to sit upright before falling backwards onto your bed.

“give me a minute,” he croaks. you smile and take a few seconds of your own to catch your breath before you undress completely and crawl onto the bed next to him. vernon opens his eyes and looks over at you. “i wanted to do that.” he whines, referring to getting you naked, and reaches out for you.

you crawl on top of him and settle on his abdomen. his hands moves to your waist and his eyes stray trained on your breasts. you lean down a bit, practically putting your boobs in his face. vernon leans forward and wraps his lips around one of your nipples. he shifts the two of you so he’s sitting up straight, thus shifting you down onto his crotch.

you can’t help but grind yourself against him as he plays with your breasts. he fondles the own that’s not in his mouth, and keeps his eyes on you. you moan softly above him, light little pants leaving your mouth that only encourage him. “nonie,” you whine, running your hands through his hair and gently tugging on the strands. “touch me. i want you to touch me.”

vernon pulls his mouth off of your breast and slides his hand that was on your waist up your spine. he grabs the back of your neck and pulls your mouth down to his own in a messy, heated kiss. he manages to flip the two of you over, propping himself up on an elbow and slipping his other hand between your legs.

“all for you,” you purr when he drags his fingers up your slit, a look of disbelief on his face at how wet you are. “need you, nonie. your fingers, mouth, all of it.” you whine, spreading your legs open for him. vernon liked how vocal you were about what you wanted from him. he wished you were as vocal about other aspects of your guys’ relationship, but he’ll take what he can get.

vernon dips two fingers inside of you, your arousal acting as a perfect lubricant. vernon kisses your neck and chest as he fucks his fingers in and out of you. his thumb presses on your clit and you moan out his name. “more, vernon,” you breathe, gripping onto his hair tightly. “fuck, i want you to fuck me vernon. can you fuck me?” you ask, clenching around his fingers.

his cock jumps at your tone of voice and request. “i can fuck you,” he rasps. he’d rather make you cum on his fingers first, but you wish is his command. he lifts up from you and pulls his shirt off. you rake your nails along his exposed abdomen, applying light pressure. you smirk up at him and he grabs your hand and kisses your palm. it’s much too intimate, but you can’t deny the butterflies it gives you.

“grab a condom,” you remind him, pointing to your nightstand when he grabs onto the base of his dick. he quickly moves to open the drawer, and he tries to ignore the photobooth strip of photos of you and some guy he’s never met is the first thing he sees. he pushes it out of the way and grabs a stray condom, and slams the drawer shut.

he rips open the package and rolls the condom on before grabbing your leg and throwing it over his shoulder and lining himself up. vernon pushes his hips forward and sinks the tip in. “ah!” you gasp at the delicious stretch. quiet as it’s kept, vernon has a big dick and he knows how to use it. it’s unfortunate that he’s hung and is so shy about it—sometimes you wish he’d call you to fuck, rather than you doing it all the time. “fuck, vernon, you’re so big.” his body flushes with heat and he keeps pushing forward.

you suck him in welcomingly. he fits inside of you like you were made to be stuffed by him. he fucks into with a steady rhythm, and each time he pushes inside a moan is pushed form your lungs. vernon can’t keep his own moans contained, moaning our curses with each thrust. it’s dizzying, how turned on he is by you. he feels like he can’t think about anything other than fucking you and staying like this until eternity. he gets the morbid thought that he’d be okay if he died like this, buried inside of you.

“fuck, right there baby! you’re so good to me, fuck!” you shriek, mouth falling open as you look at there the two of you connect. you get lost in watching him disappear inside of you, by the white ring that’s formed at the base of his dick. the sounds vibrate off of the walls; squelching and skin on skin nearly deafening. “fuck me, vernon!” you cry, hips raising to meet his own.

tears brim in your eyes when he pulls your leg from his shoulder and shoves it up to your chest, spreading you open wider and fucking into you at a different angle. “i m-missed you,” he chokes out, shifting his weight to a single arm so he can grope your chest.

“me too,” you pant, chest arching up into his. you chase his lips with your own, wanting to feel as close to him as possible. your mouths press together, but not in a kiss. you pant and moan harshly against each other, his hips rutting into you at a faster, less rhythmic pace.

“i-im close,” he whimpers, placing an open mouthed kiss on the corner of your lips. you whine out his name as he speeds up his pace, your arms sliding up his back. you dig your nails into his skin, definitely leaving scratches. “fuck, you’re perfect.” he whispers, eyes looking into yours.

you whimper and squeeze around him before your release comes crashing over you. “nonie!” you cry, clutching onto him like a life raft as he fucks you through your orgasm. his strokes lose rhythm completely and moments later he’s coming into the condom, stilling inside of you as he does. you almost wish he wasn’t wearing a condom, so you could feel him.

vernon drops on top of you, his arms too weak to hold himself up. you cling to him, hands running through his hair absentmindedly. you don’t mind the weight of him on you, and you especially don’t mind the fact that he’s still inside of you. you have a soft spot for vernon, even though it may not seem like it. he’s the nicest guy you’ve ever been with—much nicer than the guys you’re typically acquainted with—and he’s sweet to you, even when you don’t deserve it. you know you should probably let him go, free him of your games, but something in you won’t let you. and that same something won’t let you like him—love him—how he deserves.

“vernon,” you murmur, rubbing his back.

“hmm.”

“im hot, and you’re heavy,” you say with a soft giggle. he smiles into the sheets and lifts himself up and pulls himself out of you. both of you whimper pathetically at the loss of contact, and laugh at each other seconds later. he drops down beside you on the bed, rolling onto his back. you roll onto your stomach and rest your chin on his chest before resting on your cheek, and he wraps an arm around your waist.

vernon strokes your hair and keeps his eyes on you. if he was a cartoon, his heart would be beating out of his chest and hearts would be shooting out of his eyes.

“you’re staring,” you mutter, rubbing his side.

“because you’re pretty,” he says, hand sliding from your waist to your ass. you roll your eyes and sit up onto your knees and look down at him. you can’t contain the urge to smile or kiss him, so you do both. “you should go pee.” he mumbles, breaking the kiss.

“right,” you say, quickly getting off the bed. no other guy would remind you to pee after sex, but of course vernon does. every single time, too. you wish you could leave him alone.

vernon sits up and grabs his boxers. he pulls them on and stretches his arms above his head, sighing when he feels a pop in his shoulders. somewhere behind him, a phone buzzes once, then twice, then incessantly. he doesn’t know where his phone is, so he digs around in the bed until he finds the source, pulling out the phone from under a pillow. it’s definitely not his, so he feels sort of strange holding it as the name ‘seungcheol’ flashes across the screen.

“what are you doing with my phone?” you ask with an accusatory tone, eyebrows furrowed as you tie your robe.

“i couldn’t find mine, and it was ringing,” vernon says, holding it out to you. you snatch it out of his hand unnecessarily, ready to tell him to mind his business until you look down at the screen and see three texts and a missed call from a guy you’re seeing. it’s not super serious, but you feel bad for vernon having to see it.

“sorry,” you mutter, quickly typing out a response to seungcheol. you try to shove the guilt down as you set your phone down on your dresser. it’s awkward and tense, and you can feel him watching you as you mess around with things on your dresser.

glancing up, you catch his eyes in the mirror and sigh before turning around to face him. you crawl onto the bed next to him and sit on your knees. he won’t meet your eyes, so you try the only thing to bring him back to you.

you kiss his neck and run your hands across his chest. he doesn’t react so you pull your robe open and grab his hand, placing it on your chest and squeezing. “vernon,” you murmur, crawling into his lap. you kiss up his neck, to his jaw, and when you get to his mouth he pulls back.

it’s not his business at all, but he can’t hold back when he asks, “who was that?”

you bite your bottom lip and encircle your arms around your neck. you press your weight into his crotch and bite back a smile when he covers a groan with a throat clear. “he’s just a friend, nonie,” you lie, kissing his cheek. “you have me. all of me.”

he looks up at you with wide eyes, and you feel his cock twitch under your ass. he’s pathetic, and it’s never been more clear to him because he kisses you and palms your breast, pinching your nipple lightly and shoving off your robe. he knows he’s reaches new lows because he lets you push him flat onto the bed and pull his underwear down. when you sink down onto him—with no condom this time—he knows he’s fucked.

you ride him like your life depends on it, like him forgetting that seungcheol ever called is imperative to keeping this thing going between the two of you, because it is. you bring out all the stops, riding him on your toes and telling him things he definitely wants to hear, like how nobody feels better than him, and he’s the best you’ve ever had.

vernon leaves your apartment with clarity on one thing: he understands why his friends can’t stand you.

[raphaelesbian]

I blame @melonpalooza for introducing me first to the Brothers Sun, and then the idea of a TMNT au based on the brothers sun. If you haven't watched it, it's on netflix and you GOTTA check it out it's fantastic and only one season.

In this AU, there's 4 brothers instead of 2 obv, with Raph and Leo staying behind in Japan while Shen left for America with Mikey and Donnie. Details and closeups under the cut :)

Like Charles from the original show, Leo is the most lethal member of their gang. Him killing a man at 14 was what convinced Shen that he was too far gone and she had to leave with the remaining kids who could still be "saved"

Saki's son, not Yoshi's, though Yoshi raised him up until his untimely, totally-not-related-to-Saki death. Which is part of why Shen was able to abandon him (sorry Shen, you're not a great mom in this one...)

Sci-fi nerd who would love to write, though he suppresses all that. The only thing that matters is Protecting the Family.

Meditates a lot (He Is Dissociating)

Spitting image of Shen

Where Leo is cold and dispassionate, Saki's dragon, Raph is his rabid dog. Lowkey feral, laughs during fights, always smiling. Bloodthirsty.

Genuinely a fun guy, kind of taking Blood Boots's role from the show

He was 11 when Shen left, so he was exposed to the violence younger and more intimately than Leo was.

Really looks up to Leo, not that he'd ever admit it.

Very little self-preservation instinct. Leo has had to frantically stop him from bleeding out WAY too many times.

Yoshi's son, but he was born at a weird point where he honestly could've been Yoshi's or Saki's, and Shen honestly was pretty sure he was Saki's (or told herself that to assuage any guilt about leaving him)

Saki totally saw a younger Yoshi in him, and was super normal about it. Saki definitely doesn't miss the brother he didn't kill and isn't mentoring Raph and extra close to him as a result. Who said that.

Gets shot when trying to save Shen after she's taken hostage. Mikey fails to take his pulse and incorrectly says he's dead, so they leave him behind. They think he's dead for at least a few days and Leo crashes out HARD

22, already almost done with his doctorate. So incredibly done with this entire situation and wants to focus on his dissertation

Kind of remembers his older brothers, but not super well (he was 7 when they left)

Shen uses him as the main justification for leaving, because he's just SO smart and he would've been wasted in a life of crime. Raph is definitely a bit snarky about his genius and potential

Learned Japanese for school credits, but his accent is ATROCIOUS, which Raph and Leo roast him over

Leo is especially jealous of the life Donnie got to lead, and is cold to him as a result.

Spitting image of Yoshi, but with Shen's coloring

Only 4 when they left, so he has basically no memory of the others or Japan

Donnie had too much Potential, and Mikey was just too Bright to stay in Japan. Too soft and gentle for that life.

Not one for school, but he's in an improv club like Bruce was. Makes friends with literally everyone.

Thinks the whole crime family thing is SO COOL (until it isn't). Super excited to meet Raph and Leo and learn about their history.

Only understands like, a few words of Japanese. Knows enough to order food and ask for the bathroom. His accent is way better than Donnie's though (probably bc he's a big anime fan)

Mondo is his best friend. Him and Mondo both get along well with Raph. Blame themselves for Raph's "death," considering it was Mikey's plan that got him killed.

Bleaches the tips of his hair.

[tedwardremus]

I feel like Ron fans really want him to be an Auror for the rest of his life like Harry is because its a "cool" job but it makes perfect sense he stops after 2 years? He is canonically lazy. That is not projection. That is not bashing. That is how he IS. He is lazy. Why would he want such a work intensive, difficult, and stressful job long-term? I really think the glory would wear off fast once you realized you can't even talk about what you are doing, you have to work overtime, you can get injured, you deal with constant stress, and for what? A basic pension. You don't even get rich off of it. Ron at the joke shop suits his character SO much.

oomph

Okay, Anon. I love you, and this is a safe space for people to discuss their controversial opinions with no judgement but I will have to push back a bit because I am a member of Team Ron Defense Squad.

I agree that being an auror wasn't the perfect fit for Ron, but I disagree with his laziness.

He was lazy when it came to school work. But a lot of kids are? That's hardly unique for a teenager. School didn't really interest him. But he was bright enough to do well in all his subjects (well, except history and divination, but those were joke classes) so he didn't really feel the need to work harder.

But in the things that he was interested in? The boy was not lazy.

You don't become the best chess player Hogwarts has ever seen at age 12 when you are lazy. That is years of hard work and skill development (prodigy level!). He probably spent hours at the Burrow as a kid studying chess moves and learning to see the board. That's not lazy.

You don't become a prefect by being lazy.

He also went off by himself and practiced quidditch so he could make the house team. That's not lazy. Thats determination (and a little insecurity because he was afraid of beign mocked for putting effort in or being told he wasn't good enough)

Which is totally relatable. Have you ever been afraid of failing or being compared to someone who, in your mind, has already mastered the skill you are practicing, so in the end, you didn't really try? because not trying is better than failing? That's not lazy, that's being insecure and anxious.

Ron is also with HArry on all his adventures. Going into the forbidden forest, starting an underground defense club, solving mysteries, fighting in the Ministry. This isn't lazy.

One of Ron's number one traits is his caregiving. Offering tea, the easy way in which he assures people, making sure Harry eats. Caregiving is not lazy. It takes attention to detail, emotional intelligence, and a lot of follow-up and determination.

I think Ron retired from ebing an auror early for several reasons.

1.) The job was finished. They caught the death eaters, the trials were over, he had some breathing room, and he realised that he could move on. That it was a job he felt he had to do but didn't really enjoy doing

2.) He saw that Harry really did enjoy it and that Harry didn't need a caregiver anymore, he wa an adult who could take care of himself and had Ginny at home to also care for him.

3.) Hermione, the ultimate girl boss that she is, clearly has ambitions and was career driven. Ron wanted to make sure she wasn't burnt out and that she had someone at home to take care of her (and their future children). Ron is the ultimate wife guy and I love him leaning into the role hard and with vigour.

caregiving and homemaking aren't laziness, and seeing a traditional feminine role as lazy in the body of a male character is sexist.

4.) I love Ron and the twins relationship. They are very close, even if the Twins mocking him crosses the line. And I can see Ron caring for George after the war in his very Ron-like way. Stopping by after an auror shift to help clean the shop and make sure he ate that day. Takes him to the pub for a pint, where they don't talk, but Ron just wants George to know he is there for him.

Over time, Ron learns that he loves working at the shop. He is good at it. And Geroge loves Ron being there, and he needs the help. George wants to be creative and invent things, and Ron has a great mind for business. He is using his logic skills to improve their business strategy and expand operations. He is good at balancing books and making sure bills get paid (oh no! It Looks like he enjoys a bit of homework after all!)

And Ron loves greeting customers and talking to kids in the shop. Being friendly and a bit goofy and his warm and comforting self.

He doesn't need fame and fortune because he is secure in his role as a caregiver, it is his ultimate strength. He has matured and moved on from his childhood insecurities. He is no longer in the shadow of his large loud family.

He is Ron. And he is enough (kenough)

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

What are you headcanons about Senju in the relationships with new toman

Like toman in the good timeline? That's what I went with since that's the newest version of toman, tried to include everyone in it and I think I got everyone at least mentioned once? (South is also here).

She enjoys teasing Baji (this includes telling Chifuyu and Kazutora childhood stories about him)

Senju still challenges Mikey sometimes and will try to beat him in lots of little contests like arm wrestling.

Likes Mucho a lot, sometimes he brings her cake (she's unsure as to why Sanzu frowns about this though)

Likes hanging out with Taiju because she finds his fighting style to be strong and interesting.

Draken is thankful for her presence since she handles the division whenever Sanzu gets into trouble and disbanded.

Once playfully threatened to break Hanma's wrist after he teased her over her height and patted her on the head. Hanma of course was very amused by the whole interaction (though he didn't do it again).

Switches schools to either Takemichi's or another group in toman's school so she isn't so alone anymore.

Has a bit of beef with some of the members who think guys shouldn't fight girls. It's not uncommon for them to step into her fights and take her opponents as a way of trying to keep her safer. (As time goes on this becomes less common)

Tries very hard to make friends with Hakkai even after she's told he won't talk to her. She brings him drinks a lot and tries to be friendly towards him.

She tries to convert them all into being mint chocolate chip fans, but struggles to actually win anyone over.

The first time she meets Angry, she assumes she's done something wrong so tries to make him laugh/ smile.

Gets along well with Rindou and sometimes works out with him

She also sometimes works out with Kakucho too (she heard about the yakuza thing from Rindou and immediately wanted in. But unfortunately Kakucho just took her to beat up some random thugs)

Her and Inui hold a lot of respect for each other

Occasionally goes on shopping trips with Koko

If she needs help with her uniform or dressing then she has no problem asking Mitsuya for it, he acts completely natural about it which makes her feel more relaxed when she needs help with adjustments. (Emma is also sometimes around to lend a hand)

Although her and Smiley are on good terms, he'll sometimes blush if she gets too close or hugs him. Angry thinks this is funny

She once complimented Shion's tattoo, he thinks this makes them close friends.

Likes reading manga with Chifuyu

Becomes very close with South (even though he seems to appear after toman) they play fight a lot.

Ran has offered to take her to his hair salon many times, she's always refused.

When she first joined toman, a few of the background guys weren't happy with this so she beat them up then asked if anyone else had a problem with her being here. No one stepped forward.

She likes the mizo mid members and thinks they're pretty funny (they were acting strangely when they first met her, mainly because they were holding their breaths and hoping Makoto wouldn't say anything weird. Especially since Sanzu was watching them the whole time).

Izana cheers for Senju anytime she challenges Mikey

If Pah needs someone to walk Pochi, he knows Senju is always willing to help out (she loves dogs)

One time when Peh wanted to talk to Mitsuya during handcrafts club time, he took Senju with him and told her to distract Yasuda with "girl stuff". It backfired pretty badly though when they started talking about embarrassing things Peh had done.

Senju is amazed at how much corn Mochi can eat, she thinks it's cool

Senju once found Kisaki asleep at a meeting so she snuck his glasses away, put them on and then did her best kisaki impression. Kisaki was not impressed.

[honeyjars-sims]

3.22 Boys Club

Later that evening we arrive at the restaurant. I feel a bit awkward at first; after all, I’m having dinner with my boss. We’ve been pretty friendly lately and I wouldn’t want anyone at work to get the wrong idea. With her husband there, though, it feels less intimate.

Her husband’s name is Christopher and he seems pretty laid-back. I can see that he and Lucy are well balanced, and they have an ease with each other that leaves me longing to find the same.

Lucy’s phone buzzes and she checks her notifications. “Matt says the boys are having a blast with their cousin and not to worry about rushing back.”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Christopher laughs. “I’ve barely even sipped on this glass of wine."

“You have kids?” I ask. “I guess I don’t know much about your personal life.”

“Yeah, 2 boys. One of my brothers is babysitting for us,” Lucy explains.

“One of your brothers? How many do you have?”

“4. I’m the only girl.”

“Get out! I have 4 sisters and I’m the only boy!” For some reason this mundane similarity excites me.

“Finally, someone who can relate to my pain! Nah, I’m kidding. My brothers are great. We all get along for the most part.”

“I’m pretty close to my sisters, I guess.” Last year I wouldn’t have tacked on that last bit, but my siblings were still a little salty about my summer of sin. “Sometimes we get on each other’s nerves, but it’s all love. How old are your kids?”

“We have 2-year-old twins. They’re pretty much inseparable.”

“Especially when they’re fighting! They’re really hard to separate then!” Christopher joked.

“I bet! You know, I have a twin. Her name is Chantal.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that! That’s so cool!” Lucy takes a sip of wine. “It was definitely unexpected, but we feel blessed. I guess I’m destined to be surrounded by boys.”

“She wouldn’t have it any other way,” Christopher tells me.

“Yeah, I’ve always been able to hold my own around the boys club. I guess I’m more comfortable with what I grew up around. Is it the same for you? I noticed most of the people you talk to at work are women.”

“Are they?” I hadn’t really thought about it, but I suppose she was right. “Hmm, I guess I am close to a lot of women, and I don’t really have any guy friends that I hang out with regularly.”

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. We’re not big fans of gender norms ourselves,” Christopher says. “That’s something that factors into our parenting for sure.”

“Yeah, I have 2 dads and one of them is a drag queen, so gender norms weren’t really a thing in our house either,” I explain. “I lived with my mom until I was 14, though, and that was a different story.”

As soon as I mention my mom’s house a familiar chill starts spreading up my spine. My breaths get shallow and unsteady and my heart begins to race. I know what's coming and I try my best to stave it off. I grab my water and shift my focus to the coldness of the water in my mouth and how the glass feels in my hand. Luckily, this is enough to ground me.

After a few seconds of silence, Lucy leans in and says quietly, “Well, it’s good that you had some positive influences.” I can tell from the concern on her face that she knows the topic upset me, but she doesn't pry. Still, I feel exposed. “If you want, I can invite my brother so there will be at least one other guy there.”

“Cool,” I reply, still unsettled. Lucy reaches over and silently squeezes my hand. I can imagine her doing the same to one of her sons when they're upset and it comforts me. “Thank you,” I tell her softly.

“For what?”

“I don’t know. For inviting me to dinner, and…everything, I guess.”

A woman approaches the table, smiling warmly. She’s around the same age as my parents with golden blonde hair that almost matches Lucy’s exactly, save for some silvery strands woven in. “How was everything?” she asks, placing her hands on Lucy's shoulders.

“Mama!” Lucy exclaims as the woman leans down and embraces her. “I was wondering where you’ve been, I haven’t seen you all night. Johnny, this is my mom Lucinda. Johnny is my assistant.”

“Nice to meet you, Johnny!” Lucinda tells me. “I hope you enjoyed your meal.”

“Oh, it was terrible,” I joke, grateful for an opportunity to change the tone. “Just awful! I definitely didn’t eat way too much of it and give myself indigestion.”

Lucinda laughs heartily. “Oh, you’re a little smart ass! I like you.”

I can tell she has good taste. “I’m glad someone appreciates it!”

“I do, and I want to let you know that your meal is on the house. Since it was so terrible and all,” Lucinda says, winking.

“Well, thanks! A good cook and generous, too. If you’re looking for another son, my parents would probably be glad to have someone take me off their hands.”

“I think I’m good on sons for now, but I’ll keep feeding you if you keep coming back.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

[lowkeyrobin]

AUAUUGJGHJ have i told u how cool u are. like ur writing several requests at a time while managing writers block. like u handle it and still be able to write so well??? thats so cool?? i js adore ur work idk atp..

so ermm maybe some poly preferences w sparrow!ben and klaus dating reader,, would wanna see how they worked it out esp w ben being there yk :3

- 🦇

awe tysm I appreciate this shit sm it's not even funny A; but yeah I could totally try!! hopefully this came out well idk LOLLL; thanks for requesting, hope you enjoy!

SPARROW! BEN & KLAUS ; sharing isn't caring

summary; dating sparrow! ben and klaus is fucking hell on earth

warnings; language

disclaimers; no harcest.... gtfo, also the other sparrows aren't dead, pretend the grandfather paradox didn't happen

word count ; 471

masterlist

they're both go out and party guys, whether you like it or not

you're constantly going out to clubs and parties (and probably acting as the one watching over them. if not then Ben is watching over you and Klaus)

if you'd prefer to stay in over going out then there's a little spinner thing in the kitchen that decides what they're doing that free night / weekend

^ some nights it's just sitting around watching movies, others it's you and Klaus having a mini fashion show as you await ben coming home from the club w the other sparrows, and sometimes it's you and ben cooking awaiting klaus' return from the bar with five and luther

you do go out as a trio though

and you try to not make it obvious you're dating both of them, at least to strangers

even 2024 isn't that safe for poly ppl

sometimes you all just mutually agree to do one thing, but you mostly have different desires so you try and mix them all together

like if you wanna go on a jog, Klaus wants to go shopping and Ben wants to run some errands, you walk to wherever Ben needs to go and head to the grocery store afterwards / in between (whatevers more convenient)

that doesn't mean your plans don't get switched up tho

you're the most unorganized ppl ever.

reginald would be dissapointed in them (well.. Ben, mostly)

you usually have aux in the car / in the house

but you do rock paper scissors for it most the time and you always win

klaus usually plays stuff like april skies, streetwalker, queer, etc (like 90s grunge (?)) or classic rap / hip hop. the occasional song like come clean or sailor song, probably mix in some she wants revenge and the cure tho

he'd unironically make yall listen to foxszn and 3drinkz all the time

ben is a kind of an early 2000s rock fan but won't actually admit it. like paramore, linkin park, 3 days grace, he was an emo kid

but he usually plays like classic rock or songs you can like dance too iykwim

klaus is a physical affection guy while ben is more into acts of service

"can I get a hug??? 😔😔"

"you need anything? I'll grab you some more-"

they're so sweet I can't

they lowkey don't fight over you at all

I mean they're bros from other hoes

they argue about those doing dishes and shit not over you 💀💀💀

music vibes cause I'm running out of ideas..

the promise ; when in rome

somewhere in my heart ; aztec camera

the bad touch ; bloodhound gang

last night ; fox szn & 3drinkz

big love ; she wants revenge

taste ; sabrina carpenter

nasty dog ; sir-mix-a-lot

the baddest ; joey valance & brae

[hedghost]

Hedge’s Official Ranking of the 24/25 WSL Kits That Literally Nobody Asked For - Home Edition

please please tell me your thoughts in the reblogs or tags!!! i love hearing other people’s critiques. this is the one time the woso community can all come together and complain about the same thing!

1.Liverpool

potentially a controversial opinion but this is Nice As Hell! i know a lot of people said the collars are ugly but like idk it’s kinda giving if you ask me. it’s bold, it’s a statement. i love retro. this is just a good kit. it’s doing bits without doing too much. simple, tasteful, plus a little subtle pizzazz with those jaunty ass stripes - werk it ladies!

plus this kit is made from recycled plastic bottles, nice job! save those turtles liverpool!

apparently the pattern spells out ynwa, which i’m totally Not seeing (maybe i misunderstood this). i’m getting a Y, and then like an H in there maybe? and then i’m just lost, so not sure you hit the mark with that one, but love you for trying! it’s a cool pattern regardless, so i’d maybe just ditch the whole symbolism jargon and stick with that. overall nice job guys - 9/10

bonus points for that prematch shirt, love the detailing on it very sexy top marks

2. Arsenal

sorry arsenal fans, this shit is ugly as fuckkkkk - i’m not even being biased or trying to start fights (for once) it’s just like so hideous. i didn’t really like last season’s but compared to this that was a masterpiece. it’s so PLAIN! the weird red splodge is like not flattering at all and the blue? what’s that all about? also i fucking hate the back it looks like a used period pad, so hopefully the numbers fix that.

praying for your sakes you get a nice third kit or something bc this is ass.

also i’m a HATER for minimalist badge designs. this cannon logo makes the shirt look like a uniform for a museum volunteer. don’t get me wrong - arsenal is not the only culprit. what has a good old crest ever done to you? why do we hate maximalism? why do we hate fun? - 4/10

3. Manchester City

now this is fine. it’s just fine. it’s objectively nice, but it’s also objectively boring! as! fuck! the solid blue is clean but a little too flat. something looks off. it’s missing something. idk it’s nice ig, but it also seems identical to last season? if i saw these pics with no context i’d literally think it was from this year, but that’s the case with most top tier clubs it seems. have some fun guys! push the boat out! where’s the whimsy? but yeah anyway it’s alright.

at least they tried with the sleeves. allegedly they have the manchester dialling code 0161 on them but i mean - do they? do they really? because it looks like a bus seat to me. city fans decide for yourself i guess, because i for one won’t be getting close enough to a city shirt to look

it’s also made from recycled waste textiles so yay again! probably made from all the city shirts people threw out after they all but fucked the title 🤭 - 7/10

4. Tottenham Hotspur

wow spurs this is nice. it’s just so clean, so crisp. my normal issue with spurs kits is their absolute undying commitment to being plain as fuck. they picked one colour, white - arguably the most boring colour of all, arguably even the total absence of colour - and stuck to it. this however? it’s simplicity done well. it’s still plain and simple, but in a gorgeous sexy way. those navy retro colourblock sleeves? stunning! the crispest white you’ve ever seen? stunning! the tiniest of sleeve embellishments? stunning! simplicity done well. it’s just so crispy. pleases my eye.

also huge respect to them for not jumping of the band wagon with the whole ‘every shirt must have ugly details with symbolic meaning we grasped at straws to come up with in order to do something new and edgy’. spurs said no! they said ‘oh this? yeah this is a football shirt. what does it mean? it means football shirt.’ thanks spurs, good job - 9.5/10

5. Crystal Palace

ummmm. now. hmm. uhh. what? this is, um, what? give me a second to get my thoughts in order. i don’t know what is happening here and i’m at a loss for words.

right. crystal palace. inaugural season in the wsl. making a statement. making a splash. right. here’s the thing. i’m always saying wsl kits are too boring. i’m always saying we want fun patterns and whimsy. i’m looking at this in genuine confusion because i actually do not know what is going on here. do i like it? not sure? do i hate it? also not sure?

i think i kind of like it? but i also kind of hate it? it’s insanely busy, it’s probably the most garish kit i’ve ever seen in my life. i think part of the problem is that the club doesn’t have a great colour palette to work from. it’s very bright. i do love the pattern of the eagle crest in the blue, that’s a huge win from me. it’s just those spray paint red splatters that’s throwing me off. it looks like they spent ages making a lovely blue eagle pattern and then remembered they needed red in there so just used the funky spray tools on microsoft paint to draw over the top. it’s giving shit cgi blood splatter in a low budget zombie film. it’s like the barcelona shirts if they were designed by a gcse art student on an acid trip.

the more i’m looking at it however, i’m kind of loving it? kinda camp i guess. this one could be a grower. i’m still confused. at least they’ll make a splash in the wsl - 6/10

6. Manchester United

you’d think by now that i would have learnt to not get my hopes up with this club. remember the long long list of disappointments from yanited this season that i never shut up about? yeah, add this kit to that list.

listen it’s not awful. it’s not ugly, it’s not an eyesore. at the very least, it’s classic united. but it’s just so! bloody! dull! i’m literally falling asleep looking at it. it’s a t-shirt. its literally just a t-shirt. the problem is they set the bar too high last year, with that beautiful pattern and beautiful shade of red. and now, in proper united style, we’re straight back to mediocrity.

let’s talk details. oh wait, they aren’t ANY. there is nothing to say about this kit because there is nothing going ON with this kit. i like the white stripes. that’s it. theres the ombré red at the bottom, which is like- it’s okay. problem is - there’s like four too many shades of red on this shirt, and none of them are that nice. it needs a pattern or something! a pop! a little pizzazz! not a fan of the curved back panel, but it does look a whole lot better than arsenal’s at least.

this is absolutely nothing groundbreaking but it’s fine. it’s just so fucking plain. i know my girls will still serve in it, but i hoped for more. of course, in true united fashion: it’s the hope that kills you - 6/10

7. Chelsea

the tagline for this release is 'we burn blue', because 'the hottest part of the flame burns blue'. congrats on passing year seven chemistry guys. anyway, with that in mind, this kit is, naturally of course, patterned with a mystery blue LIQUID. im not seeing flames in any part of this kit. literally how is this meant to look like fire. this tagline is pure bollocks. it literally could not look more like water if it tried. aka, the opposite of fire.

the kit itself, i'm honestly struggling to form an opinion. i dont think i hate it, but i dont love it either. it may have been easier to figure out if i could actually SEE the kit in any of the release photos, instead of some stupid fucking slow motion blur effect. this pic makes mayra look like she's undergoing mitosis. poor girl's been through enough. it says a lot that in your official kit release you're actively preventing me from looking at the kit.

its not awful? i'm not a fan of these kind of realistic graphics on kits, just makes it look fake and cheap, but like, idk its kinda cool ig. the more i look the more i'm down with it. the colours are nice. its shiny. i'm glad we've gone for originality at least. patterns are fun. - 7.5/10

8. Brighton

i missed this release bc i saw the pictures and genuinely did not realise it was a different kit oops. i do feel bad for clubs who have committed to a striped kit because honestly there’s not really many ways you can play with that. but also that’s kind of their own fault. there’s really not much you can say about this. the sleeves are white this time… okay… there’s a faint pinstripe down each stripe… okayyy… yep that’s kind of it really.

it’s clean, it’s classic brighton, it’s a decent kit. there’s just genuinely nothing new about this. it’s fine. they just clearly couldn’t be bothered and i respect that. - 6/10

9. West Ham

okay we’re doing turtlenecks now apparently!! interesting choice!! i think it kinda looks fuckass silly but also i kind of like it actually. bit of fun innit. good stripes.

the rest of the kit is pretty mid. plainer than a toast sandwich. except for the sleeves! because this year, not only are they bringing in turtlenecks, west ham have decided to also bring in milkmaid sleeves! why is it like that? like is it just a weird bad fit or have they put a fucking elasticated band on? who’s idea was that? what is going on! also am i having a stroke or has the badge changed colour. because it looks fucking hideous. what did they do that for.

i do love the fact they did this shoot in a pub though. very funny. and the kit isn’t too bad. i like the stripes - 6/10

10. Leicester

this is the plainest most boring kit i have ever seen with my own two eyes. that is literally all i can say about this. boring. much like the city of leicester itself.

however - the women have a different kit sponsor to the men and i respect that so you can have one bonus point - 4/10

11. Everton

i’ll be totally honest - i wasn’t expecting everton to give me like the best kit of the bunch. this is the kit for me. i like this one a lot. castore may be mega shit quality but at least they don’t just copy paste all their kits.

i fucking love the pattern here. it’s subtle but it’s nice! and it’s different! we’re not doing any mad shit like chelsea, we’re not doing absolutely nothing at all like leicester. the perfect middle ground of the blue kits. the sponsor is hideous but i’m ignoring that. this is just lovely to look at. stylish, sleek. it’s giving high quality bus seats. this is no stagecoach, this is private hire only. i just love it. and then to top it all off, just the perfect amount of collar detailing. i would be a happy toffee if i was wearing this. gorgeous. loses half a point because the badge fell off during the game which is hysterical.- 9.5/10

12. Aston Villa

this is just the west ham kit if west ham were normal. it’s nothing to write home about, but i do like it. i like the block sleeves and the stripe colour. i like the subtle stripes down the side. i like the simplicity. i like the collar stripes. i even like the flat badge. also i’m assuming this is a betting sponsor which sucks but i do have to say that the sponsor looks great with this kit. it blends in, which is rare. this is a clean, classic kit, and i’m glad that at least one team could be normal. i don’t like that there’s pretty much nothing i can make fun of here. unfortunate for me, good for villa. good job - 8/10

note - all this was written as soon as each club released their kit, so some of my opinions have changed, and a lot have grown on me (looking at you united), but i’ve left the review untouched so you can get purely my honest first impression.

away, third and goalkeeper ratings are currently in progress so expect them once they've all been released! these posts literally never get any notes but i absolutely love doing them so i'm doing it anyway, but if you did wanna encourage me with some nice comments that wouldn't go amiss ;) xx

[thequietkid-moonie]

Their stoic friend is as caotic as them

[ HEADCANONS ] [ Kae, Chika, Nejire Sparkle ]

[ Kiss him, not me ] [ Kaguya-sama Love is war ] [ My hero academia ] [ Honkai Star Rail ]

I like this idea of the stoic person not being so serious of how it looks or intimidating people being actually sweet, idk I just like that funny duality <333

Kae Serinuma

Despite being quite known around the school Kae didn't had much friends until she became popular when losing weight, but is not that she minded much, she had good friends with who she could be just herself and express her inmense love for anime and bl! For her it was even a surprise to meet someone so stoic and yet so big of a fan like her, still she wasn't going to say no to the opportunity to rant about what she loves!

Since Kae loves talking about what she love without shame it didn't take long for you two to become close friends, even when you are pretty stoic she can see notice the passion with wich you talk about those animes you two are so into! she doesn't mind you being so stoic most of the time since she knows you aren't judging her, she knows how much you share this love of hers

People who doesn't know you may pity you a little since from the outside seem like an otaku dragging you around in whatever she is up to, when in the inside is a mutual feeling of love and even obsesion over those animes

Honeslty, when the guys started fighting over her love they easily take you as a rival, mistaking your close friendship and even feeling quite threaten by how close you two are and the familiarity you two treat each other with (and, honeslty, the fact that Kae has the tendency to compare you with some really cool anime characters doesn't help at all to easy those worries), since you are quite stoic they just get a bad impression of you as a rival and couldn't ever imagine that you would be as otaku as Kae truly is until they have to personallly witness it (even feel quite idiotic by their previous anxiety about you)

No matter how much friends Kae wins you are always being a special one, so you are always invited for whatever Kae is up to, if it isn't an anime related she always finds a way to relate to it, so of course you always are directly invited by her to join her and her new friends to her plans, and even when they doesn't like much the idea the just get used to it with time, you two are just friends anyways (and its not like they could compete with the conection and friendship you two share)

Chika Fujiwara

Chika is really friendly and cheerful, she has no problems with making friends still getting close to someone so stoic can be a problem for her at first because she will not know what to do and will end up getting a little nervous and probably a little intimidated, however, since she has a club of board games there are high chances that you two end up meeting there wich imediatly throw away any nervousness she may have and imediatly dragg you to her little games

At first Chika thought you could be her new little victim to her games and tricks but soon she found out that you not only not fall for her tricks but also have your own tricks and iniciative to play diferent games, leading you to quickly grow to be really close friend and have a great rivality when playing games

For everyone who looks at you two together can be find it hilarious at times, Chika can be quiet and well behaived so some times is eafy for you two to don't dragg much attention, but whenever Chika is talking about anything, being excited over something or even dragging you to do whatever she wants you two to do is notorios and even hirarious the contract with her energetic attitude with your stoic nature, but just because it cant just be seen at first glance that you are just as caotic as she can be

Honestly, whenever you two are together it become pretty messy since you are the perfect motivation and support to do whatever crazy and silly idea she has in mind, and since the rest of the club just find it funny no one really stop any of you, leading you to be the perfect match for Chika and following her to anything she wants to do, just like she would do for you (wich end up being either a torture or something hirarious for the student council)

Whenever you two are together playing games it can go in two diferent ways, teaming up against the other players and becoming a dificult duo to defeat (or being catched cheating) or going against each other, wich end up making a complete mess out of the game, sometimes you two may end up getting too serious in the games that just end with a pouty loser Chika or with a mockering victory dance from her

Nejire Hado

Since Nejire have found friends that love her and accept her just the way she is then she doesn't sees reasons to hold back, thanks to that is pretty much a surprise when people sees someone so stoic at the side of someone so energetic and talktive, it seems like some kind of comic duo for what people just asume you are more lay down and even serious, contrasting Nejire's personality, but people could be more wrong about that

It actually comes to a surprise whenever people get to talk with you two and see that, despite being so stoic you are just as curious as Nejire, whatever Nejire has in mind you always have the perfect answer or even more questions that would never be answered since you two just are in a infinit cycle of curiosity, both minds just jumps between topics with the same energy, is quite hard for others to follow your rythm

Honestly, Nejire was just so happy to find someone who understand her so well that she just didn't even noticed at first how similar you two can act until her friends point it out, and she doesn't mind, she is just even happier by that, even coming out with a perfect nickname for whenever you team up

Also, since you two understand each other perfectly fine you can team up perfectly in battle too, teaming up with the rythm and energy you two put in battle, no matter what it comes you quickly have it just work out somehow

But is also for what people can see of you that they just have an impression of you being all serious and badass that makes Nejire laugh a lot because everyone gets incredibly surprised whenever you start talking, and sometimes even interrupting them, ranting a lot about things that seem more trivial that for you are important things that have catched your attention and, most important, your curiousity

At the end your close friends just get used to the ball of energy you two are together and becomes something quite funny to joke about, as well, is just something that draw you two together, having a friendship that could last for the rest of your lifes. You two can understand each other so well that even if you two stay separate for a long time whenever you meet again it only take a moment for you two to start talking to the same energetic way of always

Sparkle

Being friends with Sparkle isn't exactly easy, she is always does what she wants and goes where she wants, she is quite dificult to aproach, besides she could easily be lying or talking like saying a riddle, but at the end she is a masked fool she is atracted to anything that could bring her a good laugh

Sparkle admits that your usual stoic attitude was what atracted her at first it only take her a moment to realice that you are more of what if can be seen at first glance, and even better, you understand her, somehow it take a moment for both to see each other as if it was your reflection in a mirror and make a silent agreement to stuck together and do all kind of funny stuff

You two aren't always together but when you do, wherever you are is now your game board, going around as simple side character before making the chaos explote, watching the mess in the front row while sharing some laughs

Sparkle finds quite hilarious your stoic nature and actually use it a lot in her tricks, using you as the perfect disguise to cover up whatever she is planning to do, sometimes even taking your own appearance just to make this little game even more funny!

Sparkle normally prefers to do things on her own, being more than capable to carry out the plans on her own but she admits that is specially funny whenever you are around, you two share a good bound and make a perfect team for your jokes! Getting along perfectly to the point that there is no need to share much words, one can easily understand and follow the iniciative of the other for the greatest fun! A perfect team made in hell that could even make Aha proud!

You two normally not travel together due Sparkle liking doing things on her own but you two definetly hang out together a lot, sometimes even just matching by accident in places you two visit and just stuckign together, other times you two go alone in the same place to be able to place pranks unoticed. Honestly, she values a lot your friendship and even after becoming your friend she considere you a lot in her plans, most of the time sending you invitations to participate or even just watch her perfect act, as well she is always up to heard what you have being doing or to offer you a hand to help on you next plan

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Hello! ^-^

Can I please request Alear, Yunaka, Framme, and Etie hearing that their S/O worships the fell dragon, but when they question them it turns out they're just a massive fan of Robin?

This kind of scenario has been in my head since I started the game hehe.

Have a nice day ^-^ thank you for the stories!

(FE: Engage) Alear, Yunaka, Framme, and Etie's S/O worshipping the "Fell Dragon"

Now that I think about it, if you did worship the fell dragon legit but were still part of the good guys, would you get persecuted?

Alear immediately tenses up when S/O mentions they worshipped the Fell Dragon.

(Alear) "...Are...you truly okay helping us then, S/O? I'm the Divine Dragon after all."

(S/O) "Hm? Why wouldn't I be estatic? I get to fight alongside Robin, it's like a dream come true!"

(Alear) "O-Oh. That's what you mean."

Marth suddenly appeared next to her.

(Marth) "I'm not exactly sure Robin would feel comfortable being called that."

(S/O) "Hm...I suppose that is kinda insensitive."

(Alear) "...In more ways than one."

She simply sighs and shakes her head.

(Alear) "Saying that kinda thing will give people the wrong idea, S/O. Please make sure you choose your words more carefully."

Yunaka's eyes widen at the mention of the Fell Dragon.

(Yunaka) "You what?! But...Why are you even here, and why did you mention it so offhandedly?!"

(S/O) "Huh? What do you mean?"

(Yunaka) "People just don't go around saying "Oh, I worship the god trying to kill us!"

(S/O) "OH! No, I mean Robin!...Do you even know the history of Emblems Robin and Chrom?"

(Yunaka) "Probably enough to know that he'd probably hate being called that! Who the heck would start that as an icebreaker for a conversation!?"

(S/O) "I worship the Fell Dragon."

(Framme) "You

WHAT?!"

Framme screams out, waiting to beat S/O to death with her hands, or the accounting book of the fan club for the Divine Dragon.

(S/O) "Hey, what's wrong with liking Robin?! They're pretty cool!"

(Framme) "...Oh, that's what you mean!"

Framme quickly tossed aside a large rock.

(Framme) "Listen, you can't just casually saying that, considering what's going on out there!"

(S/O) "...Oh yeah, guess that does sound bad."

(Framme) "You think?!"

(Etie) "Oh, neat you worship the Fell Dra-What?"

Etie immediately stops wiping the sweat off herself and turns to S/O with an extremely concerned expression.

(Etie) "Are...you alright?"

(S/O) "Hm? I'm fine, why?"

(Etie) "You just said you worshipped the Fell Dragon, and you don't expect me to be surprised by that?"

(S/O) "But Chloé loves people like Sigurd for being fairy-tale esque. Can I not like Robin for being cool?"

(Etie) "OOOOOH! Okay, you meant RObin! Well, next time just say that instead of the freakin' dragon trying to kill us!"

(S/O) "Oh, yeah that is a good point."

(Etie) "Besides, I don't think you should just casually bring that up. If it were someone other than me, you might have gotten beaten up considering all of us here worship the Divine Dragon."

===

Bonus:

(Robin) "I'd...really appreciate if you didn't call me that."

(Chrom) "Honestly, I'm surprised that even got in the stories told around here."

(Lucina) "But it seems...distasteful, does it not?"

(Robin) "I suppose it makes sense, our past is just a story to them."

(Chrom) "Kind of like how Hoshido and Nohr's war is a story in our world, but current events for Camilla and Corrin."

(S/O) "My bad, I'll make sure not to call you Fell Dragon anymore!"

(Robin) "...Well, at least you're not going around, shouting "I love the Fell Dragon" to everyone you meet."

(S/O) "..."

(Robin) "...Oh my gods.-"

[centrally-unplanned]

2024 Stuff I Liked Post - Live Action Film/TV

Combining TV and film since I didn't watch that much TV this year:

House of the Dragon: Look, I like A Song of Ice and Fire. I like period dramas. I like pretty costumes and people looking at maps. Dragons are cool! Okay really, I think HotD is well made? It is not perfect, Season 2 had some really baffling pacing missteps and their modern-day political concerns are very obvious. But these were frustrating in that "I am already a fan" kind of way, you go "aw come on!" at the screen but you are still watching! The acting is excellent, the set designs are very strong, and a lot of things like the action/fight choreography really fixed issues with the first show.

And at its core it is adapting a really solid story. This year I also reread the Dance section of Fire & Blood, and I know it is a controversial tale in the fandom? And I do see their complaints (Rhaenyra & Aegon need to be 20% more sympathetic), but overall I think the story is just tonally and thematically really strong, and some of the prose is authentically top notch. George RR Martin is a good writer, hot take!

Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets: Yeah the above is too mainstream, let's get hipster baby. The first film of seminal new wave director Shūji Terayama, this 1971 is peak hippie countercultural revolution. It is avant garde sequences about modernity, materialism, and spiritual decay. Those are themes that, in a movie from today, are tiring. Like come on, I too have taken a sociology class, you can graduate from college and get a real job for a bit first. But watching a film from this era, it all hits differently. Japan in 1971 is actually, in many real ways, entering "the era of materialism & westernization" for the first time. It is new, not understood, contested. And from that, the idea that a movie could maybe change someone's view on all that actually isn't so crazy anymore. The revolutionary zeal to make a Message Film is actually kind of justified by the context of the time, you can tell they believe.

Additionally, as a Japanese 70's counterculture film it can serve as an interesting contrast because they are openly pulling from western radicalism, but applying it to a very different social context. Like in Japan, "traditional" culture can be very left-coded because westernization is stripping it away - something that can't work in many western contexts where "traditional" orgs are still running the show. Though it is amusing seeing the sheer quantity of people in Tokyo in bell-bottom jeans lol, the American Cultural Victory is absolute.

And on a more object-level, while the plot is mixed, the soundtrack absolutely wrecks shop as a rock album, the visual composition is exceptional, and the lead is very charismatic. This might actually be the best 70's New Wave film I have seen so far.

The Indie Tokusatsu Collection: Over this year Partner M has been fansubbing indie girl heroine tokusatsu films, after Hazel's video on the subject changed her life, and I have been helping out and ofc watching all the movies. I love weird niche Japanese stuff, obviously, and have a deep admiration for amateurs going all-in on their fetishes for an indie production. Still, individually none of these would be My Thing, even if they are very fun. But collectively, watching a dozen of these films has been extremely entertaining as a project of cultural immersion - it is great to get to know these crazy weirdos making these films and the baffling decisions they make! I now have a parasocial relationship with the tiny Eiyu Club crew from doing deep dives into their 90's website documenting how much they loved their gynoid girls, and I will remember that way more than any Oscar film plot point.

If I had to recommend one to watch, I am tied between Cyber Lady Suzuka, which is the pinnacle of "three guys and a hundred bucks making a movie", and Mighty Lady, which is simply inexplicable as a film.

Honorable Mentions: Repo! The Genetic Opera, IRL (In Real Life) aka The Bronze Documentary, Cutie Honey

[dazai-fan-page]

I know it's not my fandom of choice but since it's animated I dub it close enough, Hazbin Hotel people can y'all stop hating on Valentino stans and fan content? The character's an ass and I don't like him much bc Angel, however you have to remember that he's not real. If you don't want to see anything about that character, block people and tags don't start being a dick to real people because they think a character is fun and you don't.

I am in no way saying that Val is a good guy, I am saying that Hellverse is 18+ so you could at least act like adults. And to those like me who ignored the age thing, you chose to do that so now you have to be mature about what you found, fiction isn't real, what someone likes in fiction has nothing to do with what they like or support irl ok?

Next, the fatphobia surrounding "fixing Val's character design" trend is not it, what the fuck guys? Abusers, especially ones who run entertainment businesses, are very likely going to be conveniently attractive or charismatic. Val's a moth bc it makes sense with his character, he's supposed to be attractive for the same reason. So doing redesigns where y'all make him "ugly" is usually just making him fat.

I don't really care what vivzi did or didn't do so if you want me to elaborate on anything, I don't know about what she did I haven't looked into it. I mostly just watched the shows and fandom to fandom, y'all need to chill out. In fighting sucks and none of us are getting into the cool kids clubs so we could at least treat each other decently.

I'm not sayin roll over of someones a dick I'm saying that if you see something you don't like you can ignore it. You don't have to be the dick in the situation.

I try to tread lightly in this fandom bc it's a lot of NSFW and a lot of adults don't want to deal w/ minors seeing their shit and I don't want to make anybody uncomfortable by being around. But holy fucking shit I can't go anywhere without someone trying to say that you a real person are bad for being entertained by a fictional character created to be entertaining, it's stupid.

Also Huskerdust gives me major Skk vibes and I love it tbh. There's the Dazai part of this

[aranarumei]

hello! since you've mention ssmy thoughts i have come to ask for any you have on kurasawa and tashiro! or kurasawa and miyano, or anything kuresawa really. thank you!

[ask me about any two ssmy charas and i'll give my thoughts on their dynamic, real or imagined]

oh hi!!!! this is like. totally congruent. I was actually talking abt kuresawa-tashiro shenanigans super recently so. from the ssmy first years light novels, when we probably get to meet yuki I think it becomes obvious that kuresawa’s attracted to sweet sincerity. also, that kid loves stars. he’s a huge romantic, which I think is obvious. and he’s serious—he picked this high school for it’s astronomy club, and clearly he cares about studying. I can kinda see why he pierced his ears—hirano’s a lot more outwardly rambunctious, but I think he models that “diligent nature” that kuresawa has in him. like hirano, he’s really careful in his support of miyano’s relationship with sasaki… doesn’t make it obvious, doesn’t push it, but makes sure that miyano doesn’t feel cornered by having to address it too soon. in the ssmy second year light novel he does just that when the conversation turns to topics of love—miyano vaguely talks about his type, and before tashiro can be like, “hey that sounds just like sasaki” kuresawa claps a hand over his mouth.

so like, tashiro, right. probably everyone knows I’m a fan. he’s lively and the life of the party and he’s also a guy who’s welcoming enough to the point that miyano feels comfortable talking to him. not about bl, but like. well enough to ask tashiro to lock up for him when kuresawa gets into that fight. (speaking of, really good moment w/ kuresawa and miyano. it happens and then kuresawa just is kind of like. well. I’m friends with you now. I’ve noticed you’re probably into bl. cool. I love how direct he is about it) miyano also calls him “surprisingly perceptive” in the first years novel, and in the second years novel, during the love talk kuresawa narrates “tashiro, of ever sharp intuition…”

he expresses a similar sentiment in the manga, too—tashiro is really sharp! not deliberately, but he’s just got a knack for knowing things. total intuition. he’s different because w/ regards to miyano and sasaki’s relationship, tashiro is just overwhelmingly neutral… he’s like, interested, but he doesn’t really treat the homosexuality part of it like it’s any kind of deal. kuresawa also thinks that he doesn’t want to introduce tashiro to his girlfriend because he’s too charming. thinks that he and his girlfriend would get along without him, and they’d do it better than miyano and his girlfriend, which is crazy, because miyano and kuresawa’s girlfriend actually share interests. on the subject of “interest” and tashiro, though, there’s love & passion from the first years novel, which is. amazing. stunning. unbelievable. the reason why some people on tumblr are obsessed with an unnamed ping pong club president. but it’s also got this bit where like… tashiro hangs out at a bathhouse to play ping pong with some of the old men there, and some of the old women there are into yuri. and I think the fact that he knows this, and that he regularly hangs out there and is clearly beloved by the patrons, just shows how good he is at like… listening? and making connections with people? there’s this part in the manga where tashiro spends his entire lunch break listening to kuresawa talk about his girlfriend, and while it’s mostly meant as an example of how much kuresawa adores her and adores talking about her, I think it’s also important to note that tashiro got so swept up in listening to it that he forgot to do anything else during his lunch break.

all that to say: I think kuresawa’s going to get the shock of a lifetime one day when, in conversation, tashiro just offhandedly says something that implies he’s got knowledge of yuki’s tastes in bl. not just because tashiro’s recalling incredibly specific details about his girlfriend, but because he’s pretty sure he hasn’t actively tried to talk about anything bl-related with tashiro ever. that’s meant for him and miyano to quietly discuss sometimes. how does tashiro know that? and the reason is, well, he’s a guy who’s deceptively easy to talk to, to the point that you say too much, only you wouldn’t ever think you had, because he accepts it so easily. I hope they get to be friends for a long time.

fun fact the above paragraph is the actual idea / thought I meant to respond with. I just talk too much so I gave a bunch of extra context. don’t have a real proper conclusion so I’ll end it here…?

wait also I love the brief romance of tasuko and tashiro. objectively one of the funniest things i’ve seen, especially with 1) the fact that tashiro was 100% ready to accept a girl showing up in an all-boys school out of nowhere, and 2) the light novel context of the fact that tashiro can’t even properly recall any kind of crush or type of girl he’s into. me personally I like to think think there’s a yet-unworded gender thing going on there. ok end for real. thank you for the ask!