#i really could just write pages and pages of rambles about how lovely the young king by aphra behn and shakespeare's cymbeline are

[britneyshakespeare]

literary theses are so hard to come up with when i choose to write about things i really truly love with that emotional, subjective part of me that is the true professor in my heart... like i know how to analyze texts... but can't i instead just tell you about all the beautiful, magical parts instead?

[1eoness]

professor!re4r leon fucking u.. i think (or at least wanting to fuck u)

cw content : leon size kink kennedy (jk) | sub-afab-fem-reader and dom!leon kennedy | age gap(ur 22 he's 27), leon masturbating, penetration, slightly weird ooc leon ♡

[to clarify, i am 18. anyone <18 and anyone >18 uncomfortable with interacting pls dni]

authors note bc i love rambling; btw i'm writing this in public at some boba cafe can u believe that lol im literally supposed to be studying but hwatever fuck it leon make me go blaahhhhhh. btw what do i call this? a fic?blurb?drabble? idklmfao by the way i have NO idea on how to write professor x reader shit so im sorrhy if this sucks ass.

synopsis : conflicted and flustered professor!leon kennedy of your local college struggles to improve his class' average because students like you—incompetent, airheaded, spoiled and klutzy— make it difficult for him :(

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ - - ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

you heard the rustling of laptop bags and stationery as leon's students left for that morning lecture. though, they moved slow and drowsy; for leon is sure nowadays this generation can't afford to wake up at 6:00 in the morning to prepare for a 7 a.m. lecture on "deviance and crime control."

especially you.

kennedy is a sharp man. he harps on students even if they get a B on any assignment, but he swears it's on his tough love (to which a lot of students aren't really aware of, just that they know this stoic pretty-face of a man has high standards.)

he is also keen on attendance. something girls like you seem to take lightly. it was absurd, really. most professors don't give a shit, do they?

it would've been fine with leon if you missed lectures even twice a week as long as you emphasized your understanding of his lessons through putting stellar effort on your schoolwork. but the best you've gotten on his class was a B- drawing close to a C+.

so, he needs to have a chat with you. urgently.

"l/n, i need to speak with you." leon spoke, confrontative as his black jeans peered from your right peripheral vision. he stood tall beside the edge of the table where you sat. jesus, was he trying to give you a heart attack? (he always had this habit, he'd just pop out of nowhere. he has silent feet.)

yes, you may have missed his lectures from monday to thursday to go to macedonia with your family: but if leon were given the opportunity for a vacation he would snag it too, right?

you looked up at the young professor, wide-eyed and a bit intimidated. what the hell did you do this time? you closed your laptop, gave leon your full attention. leon has also noticed this about you; you're quick to pay attention but you have the memory span of a dumb rabbit. maybe even the IQ of one too, if leon was rude enough.

so you sat there, hands on your lap as you fiddled with the pleats of your blue plaid skirt. the color makes his heart beat a little—he loves the color blue. and the way it looked on you... wait, no. what the hell was he thinking?

"you couldn't even spare the few minutes to e-mail me that you'd be missing four- four, of my classes in one week." he emphasized with a slate tone, and the way his eyes peered down at you added that he needed your reasoning of the situation. he'd love to hear what you had to say for yourself. "i had to talk to your friend, ashley, for some clarification. even the president's daughter has the dignity to show up to my class with a verbal apology." leon scolded as his fingertips met the pages of your notebook. did you even care about his classes? :(

much to your chagrin, your lips were pressed in sheepish silence. hopeless, even. you didn't even have anything to say for yourself? how pitiable.

you simply can't miss class, that wasn't right! just because you thought you could hide in the shadows amidst leon's collective of 73 students (yes he counts), you aren't out of his eyes. in fact, you stood out to him even if you were just an incompetent scholar.

he sighed at your silence. "fair enough, an apology can't compensate for your lack of presence or decorum." he then placed your paper on the desk, you had gotten a D. you were never a bad student but this was your first D ever! your eyes widened and he caught on even though he could only see the crown of your hair. "surprised? because i'm not." leon uttered flatly while his pale fingers flipped through the papers right in front of you. you even spotted a few contractions— when did you even pass this?!

but you weren't a bad girl to him, no. you were capable of shame and guilt. you looked sideways, unable to meet his eyes and training your vision to the floor. you felt low, disappointing a professor that gave you numerous chances to break out of your awkward shell.

"you're a smart girl, you know that?" he finally sighed softly. he wanted you to look at him, make him another promise that you'll start putting effort in his class. he needed to maintain his class's average or else he'd prove he was an inept professor, and he can't do that when he lets 'students like you' get away with shabby attendance and subpar schoolwork. "i don't just give students chances. but that doesn't make you special." and it was true—he's voluntarily failed 6 of his students before. "you'll do something about this, right?"

"yes, professor kennedy.." you muttered modestly.

"hmm?" he hummed inquisitively as he took your paper back. he was willing to give you a chance. "listen to me. i'll give you the chance to redo your paper. i know when students rush their work and if i see even a hint of redundancy in it—i will take all my chances back. and you are never taking absences from my class. i don't want you entering even a minute late, or leaving a second early. i hope we're clear, l/n."

naturally, you were scared. so you nodded up at him after countless confirmations that you will do you work and that you'll show up to class no matter what. he has to use your word against you, he's sorry but it's for your own good.

once he was satisfied, he gave you a nod and turned his side, dismissing you. after all, leon was a busy man. you're not his only student.

it was when you walked out the building and then 20 minutes away from it that you felt like crying. you hated being scolded by him :( but just when you were about to go through your bag for your handkerchief, you were stuck with an inconvenient realization. you forgot your handkerchief.

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ -♡- ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

leon just stared at the table where you sat from just now, backpack strap over his shoulders since he was just about to leave. he gripped onto either of them slowly as he stared down at your handkerchief in contemplation.

a twofold baby-blue hankie embedded with a subtle floral print. tentatively, he picks it up with his hand and examines it. for a minute his mind went blank, conflicting between chasing you and just returning it to you or to leave it by the lecture podium for her to retrieve tomorrow (when you hopefully attend his lesson again.)

..but blue was his favorite color.

"damn it." leon, with a barely audible mutter, shoved the handkerchief in his jacket pocket. he felt like the most guilty man in the world, poor boy.

...

leon sighed.

he wasn't celibate.

his hormones were in shambles once he got to his place. perhaps part of it was because he knew he hasn't graded the recent tests yet.

manspreading, tie loose, shirt stuffy and jeans undone while his hair wisped in slightly disheveled directions. cold breaths followed out his pretty mouth.

"nnn..fuck.. uhh-" leon whimpered into the baby blue cloth, laced with your perfume. he felt so guilty, so perverted. he shuddered every time he could see over the edges of the cloth, seeing his cream-leaking tip from previous orgasms spurt teasingly. "ahh- fuuuck, p-please-"

his grunts were high. he was close to crying, staining your pretty handkerchief with guilty-pleasure-ridden tears. spilled milk, it trailed down his pretty shaft as he pumped it over and over. his motive was you— you were just so fucking stupid and had so much naivete, it absolutely vexed him knowing how endearing you were.

until a slip of leon's mouth surprised him, earning a small squeak from him as he accidentally muffled your name in your cloth. "fuck, y/n- a-ahh.. u-uhh..hmfff.." he was frustrated; whining and cumming while his mind stirred with the thought of you and your pretty eyes and the photographic memory of your dumbstricken face.

he gave out a tired whine into the cloth, so, so close to crying his frustrations out. he just wanted to eat you. christ, and he was so hard for you it made his head ache..

he could only watch his girth that pulsed with white. he pried the sweet handkerchief off his lips, breathing roughly and wiping his tears. he felt so, so sorry for you. the color of the cloth looked exactly like the skirt you wore yesterday. and yet to top it off, he (ashamedly) wiped his cum off with your dainty cloth. oh, he's so sorry..

‿︵‿︵୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ -♡- ୨˚̣̣̣͙୧‿︵‿︵

he didn't want to come to this point. or maybe he did and god was force-feeding him with culpability (he's atheist). he offered once to tutor you personally. one-on-one, no distractions. and so suddenly, someone's skirt was on his clean carpet floor..

your blouse draped over your shoulder and was pulled above your bra carelessly. he handled you with so much ease, squishing you into position while he tried to slowly push his thick length into your syrupy hole. you bit the knuckle of your thumb, and whimpered timidly that he was too big. but look where you were now.

"fuck- you're so- you feel so good.. shut up and take it all, yeah?.. hmmff-" there leon goes, harping you again. you were so loud but it wasn't even your fault, not when he was pistoning his cock into you and paying no hesitation to his pace. you were simply too sweet for him not to please. "sweetheart, hold onto me.." he mutters.

he was pushing every squeak and cute little wail out of his pathetic student, rutting his tip into that spot. "n-nnghh- aah!~" you were running low on words.

"yeah?- mhmm...ffuck, right here? huh?" the feeling of him thrusting against that spongy part more and more sent your mind further into autopilot. you were past squirming around and pushing him away, you just had to take it.. and take it.. and you were doing so good ♡.

"l-leoonn.. m-mm!- fffeels t-too good-" you babbled, mind stuffy with the pleasurably-shameful feeling of being gorged with your professor's thick girth. he shuddered at the way you uttered his name so adoringly. to leon you were so dirty but so, so cute. he had you puddled into tears beneath him while he fucked into your cute little hole with fervor. he just wanted to stuff you full, make you his, adore you forever.

he whined softly into your shoulder. you kept clenching down on him and it made him impossible to think. his phone was ringing on his bedside but he doesn't even give a shit—if anything he tried to drown it out by thrusting into you faster, to which made him lament into your skin. he even adjusted your hips up impossibly further.

"l-leeonn, n-no..— n-no more, please!!-" you blabbered adorably, voice mumbly and whiny as you clawed at his shoulders or back— you didn't know anymore.

"shhh shh.." he cooed over your cries with a quiet and honeyed voice, planting a soft kiss to where he could reach on your face or head. "i know, i know, it feels so good, hm?.. just let it feel good, baby—ahh, fuck-.. uhh..." he moaned lowly into your shoulder, unable to stop the way he rutted his cock into your creamed-up cunt. you seemed to be enjoying it, so why were you complaining? leon thinks to himself smugly but he knows he can't act on his pride. after all you made him like this—submitting to his carnal urges...

you didn't wanna cum a third time, huh? silly little girl.

leon growled quietly into the crook where your neck and shoulder met. you've never heard that sound from him. he held you down, constraining you, and squished you further into his mattress. a helpless and surprised yelp lolled out your tongue as he went impossibly quicker while he cursed like he was about to break down in tears. leon was mercilessly grinding his cock into all your sensitive spots, not letting your pleas of retort contest him. "fuckfuck- u-uhhh, take it, baby, c'mon... do it f'me, it's gonna feel so good-.. ahh!-"

he couldn't even finish his sentence—just piping his cum in you roughly as if he were proving a point, growling whinily along the way. he even kept fucking you shallowly while you were a dumb, sniffling mess with no sense of self-assertion as you creamed all over his shaft uncontrollably a third time. consecutive and quiet whimpers could be heard from you while you soaked in your overstimulation, needing him desperately to reassure you again through the overbearing pleasure of being pushed past what your cunny can handle.

"poor baby." he muttered to himself breathily as he gave the last of his tired, frustrated thrusts and pulled out of you; giving you the time to breathe while he pats your hair down comfortingly. his fluttering eyes finally closed as his head found refuge in your neck, slightly limp with exhaustion as he huffed cold breaths on the wet patches of your skin.

he pulled his head away after a minute of regaining what's left of his strength. leon looked down at you with subtle puppylike eyes, like he was sorry for ever being so harsh on you; even before he fucked the shit out of you. you quietly took your handkerchief to wipe some sweat off his neck— and his cheeks went a little rosy, remembering what he did to it that day you "lost" it ♡.

seems detergent can't wash something like lust away!

[bunnybunbun0]

Can you please write a Michael smut where he takes readers virginity with a lot of praise or mutual masterbation please plz

TO DE-STRESS A FRIEND

Anon,that ask rocked my shit! and lucky you i love writing about virginity loss! hope you like it! <3

Summary: Living the life of a young adult was stressing you out,you needed your best friend Mike to help you relax

Warnings: Smut , minors DNI,unprotected sex,fingering,virginity loss,mutual masturbation,afab!reader,let me know if i forget any.

You are responsible for your media comsumption.

You swear that one of these days you will make it to the front page of the news,the headboard will say "local college girl goes insane".

The stress were just over the board for you,the pressure at college,maintaining a minimun wage job to pay rent of the cubicle appartment you called a home. You needed to relax. So you just did the best thing you thought off.

"Hey,i picked up pizza!" Mike greeted at the door with a smile as you let him in.

Mike has always been your best friend,he was the only one that would be kind to you when you had to change schools for junior year,and youve been inseparable since,it was weird to see one without the other,and all you needed to calm yourself down were your best friend.

"Thank god you´re here! i think i´m gonna explode!."

You sank yourself on your old couch on the small living room sighing deeply,hearing Mike´s chuckle from the kitchen as he fetched you both plates for the cheesy delight.

"Relax,two more years and youll have your degree." He smiled at you with those sweet brown puppy eyes that could easily melt your heart.

You´ve been into Mike since the first homecoming you two attended together,its been you two in all events since,graduations,proms,homecomings,halloween parties,always matching outfits and always glued to one another.

As just friends of course! It´d be way too awkward to ruin the best friendship you ever had,but the caring way mike always made those nights special for you,even tho he thinks they´re lame,he always proteced you from creepy guys and mean girls at school,he listened to you ramble about your interests,he made you feel confortable and safe,and happy...

...but just as friends of course!

"Ugh,all that suffering for a lousy piece of paper!" You reflect while getting your plate of pizza (your favourite flavour of course,mike always remembered which one it is) "Just pop in the movie already!"

You took a bite of your dinner and watched as mike popped the cd on,then sitting by your side while the movie started.It wasnt a very interesting one but it was good enough to keep you both entertained. Your leg lazily hung on top of michaels and the mood was peaceful,until it wasnt.

You knew this movie were r-rated,but you didnt expect to see that,that one hot actor that been distracting you the whole movie is the one getting it on in the scene,you squirm a little,wishing you could excuse yourself to your room and let your toy do the job of settling the throb between your legs.

Mike´s eyes on you were´nt helping said throb either,you knew he could tell what happened and weirdly enough the shame of it was thrilling you more.

"You okay?" He asked suspiciouly

"Huh? Uhm,sure...." Making eye contact with him while the moans kept going on the background proved to be a hard task.

"Really? You seem...agitated" To say that was an understatement,your thoughts of mike were running wild,to the point where you could feel your underwear cling to your soaked heat.

"I´m...uhm...i am...." Mike´s sincere concern about your well being and how sweet he was about it were thriling you on even more,to the point where you couldnt muster up any words.

"I get it,you´re into that short guy on the screen" He said jealously "The scene clearly messed you,its okay if you need to...yknow...reliev yourself"

You were mortified by his words,but something about the thrill of being watched by michael´s sweet puppy eyes were making your fire burn higher.

Without taking your eyes from his and unsure of how he´d react,you slowly slid your hand into the hem of your pyjama bottoms,his lustful eyes following every movement of yours carefully,his breathing getting heavier by the moment.

"Fuck..." He whispered when you let out a low whimper as your cold finger finally found your needy clit.

You kept on staring at each othe while you pleasured yourself and after a few minutes the tent on his pants were hard to miss,and the way his hands tended to it were even harder to miss.

The movie behind you were long forgotten,the gasps and whimpers of you both were drowning the small space,eyes glued on one another and hands unable to stop pleasuring yourselfs.

"God,i cant wait any longer!" Mike pulled you suddenly on his lap kissing you deeply and passionately,swallowing your whimpers as you grinded on his lap,frenetic hands locked on the hem of his shirt pulling it over his head.

Your eyes lock on his shirtless figure and his hands caressed your waist below your shirt,goosebumps coming from your back. His hot lips went down with open mouthed kisses on your neck,a satisfied grin on his face as he took off your pyjama shirt and met your braless torso.

"Youre gonna be the death of me..." He huffed out in a breath.

You could´nt even think about responding before you felt his hot tongue on your nipple,he sucked on your breasts like his life depended on it,erupting multiples whines from you,the fire getting higher and higher between the both of you.

You snapped back to reality once you felt his hand grip your thigh strongly,inching closer and closer to where you were soaked for him.

"Mike wait!" You breathed out and he immediately stopped his ministrations,staring at you wide eyed.

"I´m so sorry,the sounds you were making,i thought you were liking it" his voice leaked of honesty.

"I´ts not that mikey,it feels great im just...i...never did this..."

"Oh,youre..."

"A virgin,yes,pathetic i know" The weight of being a twenty two year old vigin sank on you after that.

"Hey hey its fine!" He cupped your face gently and looked into your eyes,so tenderly you nearly forgot you were both half naked. "It´s all right...you should have told me sooner...if you wanna move on with it,i wanna make it special for you,like you deserve" He strokes your cheecks lovingly and you dont even need to think twice.

You threw your hands around his neck and pulled him closer kissing him with all the need in your heart.

"Please michael...make me yours"

He got up with you on his lap bringing you into your bedroom laying you gently on your bed,slowly peeling you off your shorts,you were only in your underwear now,laying in bed in front of your best friend.

"You look beautiful."

He dives into another deep kiss sliding his hands closer to where you need him the most.

"May i?" He asks teasing your hips with the elastic of your panties,you nod giving him acces to your whole body.

He slides a first finger into you with ease,revelling at the sweet moan you let out.

"Fuck baby you´re so wet"

Baby. You liked being called that,specially when mike did it. His kisses were growing desperate and erratic,just as the pace of his now two figers inside you.

"Mike,please,stop" You mutter almost out of breath opening your eyes and seeing his worried expression "Wanna cum on your cock,please."

Michael´s painfully hard cock nearly busted hearing those words come out of you,how could he deny anything you asked for? He was always putty to your wishes.

his hands quickly fumbled with the fly of his pants,making you giggle at his eagerness to get undressed,when he finally did your laugh got stifled at the sight.

His big red angry cock sprung free hitting him back in his abdomen,there was no way in hell that could fit inside your tiny virgin hole,he could see the worry in your eyes clear as day.

"Relax,ill be gentle..."

He kissed you again removing your panties now leaving you bare for him,the sight itself of you naked and wet for him,with that adorable blush on your face was driving him nuts. He drew his body closer to yours until his tip was teasing your entrance.

"You ready baby?" He asked,you nodded,and his fat tip was inside you.

You both gasped in unission at the feeling,his hands holding yours giving it a slight grip,signaling he was gonna push more in. The moan you let out were other wordly,busting his usually low ego and egging him on pleasuring you.

"Fuck baby youre so tight" With a final push and a guttural groan he was fully inside you.

The disconfort and euphoria were fighting to see who would take place on your expressions. Mike gave you a few minutes until you got used to the feeling of his shaft deflowering you,the pain turned into needines at any growing second,until it was unberable for you to have him inside you and not moving.

"Mike please,i need you to move" Your wish was his command.

He thrusted in you slow and deep,every time he bottomed himself you let out a moan,and each time you moaned he moved faster,making you moan more. It was a vicious cycle and before you could even register he was fucking you senseless.

You were flirting with your orgasm,only needing that one final push to send you over the edge.

"Mike,fuck,i´m so close" you whined out,only needing his sweet final push.

"Come on baby,be good and cum for me,feel good for me."

You couldn´t hold it at his praise,moaning his name loudly followed by a string of profanities. He was hypnotized by the sight of your orgasm,seeing you trash and moan underneath him,his hips moving on his own as you ride your high.

"Oh,fuck baby,watch me cum so good for you"

He pulled it out jerking off quickly on top of you painting your pretty tits white his seed before collapsing tired on top of you.

"So..." He rolls to your side holding your hand and laying close to you "Did you liked it? Are you okay?" You chuckled at the shift in his personality.

"It was amazing..." Your voice was hoarse from all the moaning "My legs will definetely be sore by the morning and i have class tomorrow" You laugh a little

"You can afford to miss class one day,you need to de-stress" He kissed your temple as you both drifted into a peaceful post sex sleep.

I guess yiu were more relaxed after all...

Gosh,i suck at endings and i´m writing this at four AM so i hope it doesnt suck!

[heartsforseo]

Strawhats with a member who likes Sanrio

A/n: I LOVE Sanrio sm and used to have a Keroppi mirror and Hello Kitty plush (now I have more >:)). The Skincare fic did better than I thought tbh. And I ws brainstorming what fic to write since I ws bored. So pls request :(( also maybe a bit oc??

⭑Luffy wouldn't understand why you like Sanrio and what's the hype about it.

⭑Yeah, he heard about it from Makino and got a shirt that's Kitty, but that's that.

⭑When you ramble about Sanrio to him, he'd just laugh about it and say, "You really know so much about this, Y/n!"

⭑Especially about your fav character(s), he'd just listen to you, smiling and looking right at you. Though he might doze off from time to time.

⭑And if he ever remembers, he'd tell you about the Hello Kitty shirt he got from Makino.

⭑And if he ever figures out that he had that merch before you, he'd boost about it and talk about it until dinner arrives.

⭑But now whenever you guys stop on a new island, he'd race you on the Sanrio merchandise and steal buy one for you and him.

⭑Zoro, the best man, would stare at you like you just escaped from the mental asylum.

⭑He really doesn't know anything about Sanrio. He thought that it was some booze at first based on how much you'd talk about it.

⭑But when you finally explained what it was to him he was like://

⭑He noticed your gloomy expression and he suddenly started panicking.

⭑Would try to tell you what he heard from your rambling, but all you could hear were some loud stutterings.

⭑It was honestly laughable how hard he tried. So extra credit for him.

⭑You told him how he acts like Badzt and he was like, "Is he cool?"

⭑But now whenever you guys would stop by a new island, he'd somehow reach the Sanrio stall first.

⭑Nami would gasp, someone actually knows Sanrio???

⭑When Nami was young, she'd see it on one of the newspaper pages. She'd always look forward to the new chapters to be released.

⭑She'd also hear some of it from Bellemere and would get hand-me-downs from Nojiko.

⭑So when she overhears you ramble about Sanrio to someone she'd butt in and share her opinion.

⭑After the conversation, she'd start noticing how many references and merch you have of your favorite character.

⭑Now, whenever you guys stop on a new island, she'd happen to buy you clothes for your favorite character.

⭑Say your thanks and she might buy you more. (But don't abuse it or make her angry, she'll pull up the bills.)

⭑Sanji also knows a lot about Sanrio.

⭑Working at Baratie as a server and cook, he'd seen a lot of girls wearing Sanrio bracelets or necklaces.

⭑He'd even gift Sanrio cut flowers with a letter (the dedication of this man goes crazy).

⭑So when he finds out you like Sanrio, he immediately shows you his pile of plushies, posters, cards, stickers, etc.. you name it.

⭑Every day, you gotta expect a gift from him.

⭑And it doesn't help that he gets more creative--day by day. For example, he'd first give you small gifts then start getting bolder and bolder.

⭑He’d also make you a sanrio-themed food/dessert/drink.

⭑Whenever you guys would go to a new island, he'd add a "gift for Y/n" to the list.

⭑And when you all would set sail, the cycle returns.

⭑Ussopp is also one of the people who knows a lot about Sanrio.

⭑He was just skimming the newspaper and saw Sanrio, now he looks forward to the stories and maybe even gets some inspiration for his stories.

⭑When you told him that you love Sanrio, he told you about his stories and that he met the creator of Sanrio. Even meeting KeroKeroppi.

⭑But fr though, he probably made a weapon inspired by Sanrio.

⭑Ooh, speaking of weapons. He has an inspired Sanrio attack and name.

⭑Now whenever you guys boarded off, he'd look for gunpowder and get some ideas and critiques from you.

⭑Chopper has heard of Sanrio from the townsfolk and Dr. Hiriluk.

⭑When you told him you like Sanrio he was happy.

⭑He starts talking about things from the past that link with Sanrio.

⭑When you told him that his animal form is like Deery-Lou, he'd whine and say, "I'm a reindeer, not a deer!"

⭑All jokes aside, he likes getting praised and being told by strangers that he looks like a Sanrio character.

⭑He likes sweets so when he saw a Sanrio-themed lollipop he'd start squealing and run over to buy one.

⭑Now whenever you have to go to a new island, you'll see Chopper with 2-3 Sanrio-themed lollipops.

⭑Robin would also know what Sanrio is

⭑Looking at other children having those kinds of stuff, I'm sure she must have dreamt of having at least one merch before.

⭑But when she was still Ms. All Sunday, I'm sure she kept track of the storyline in the newspapers.

⭑When you tell her about your love for Sanrio she'll say, "Is that so? I have some fair share about it."

⭑She collects the little kinds of stuff. For example, she has a keychain of kuromi and Aggressive Retsuko (it reminds her of Chopper).

⭑Now whenever you guys get off to a new island, she'll maybe buy you a keychain and match with her (if she has time, especially since she's looking for poneyglyphs).

⭑Franky has heard of Sanrio before.

⭑Especially from Tom-san.

⭑He honestly likes Sanrio. He even tried to make one before, when he was young.

⭑When you told him 'bout your love for Sanrio, he immediately thought of building you one.

⭑AND HE ACTUALLY DIDD!!! It was a life-size Pochacco statue!

⭑If you didn't like the character or have other commissions, Franky would happily do them!

⭑Now, whenever you guys settle to a new island, you don't have to worry about getting the limited's since Franky could make them.

⭑Hands down, Brook probably knows the owner☠︎︎

⭑This guy is so old he may even helped with the soundtrack.

⭑All jokes aside tho, I'll say that Sanrio wasn't really known when he was still alive. And considering he has been wandering on his own for 50 years, he had definitely missed much of it.

⭑You'll have to tell him what the latest chapter is and what he missed (He's in the corner, crying cuz he missed so much).

⭑He'd probably play a soundtrack he remembers when he first watched it 50 years ago.

⭑But once you fill him in on the latest news, he'll also be fangirling with you!! (Yoohoo new buddy!!)

⭑Now, whenever you guys would settle on a new island, you both would hang out and discuss the latest episode.

⭑Jimbei I'd say would know the basics

⭑I mean, he has been a fighter so I'd say he hasn't gotten some time for relaxation.

⭑he reminds me of Hangyodon sm :(((

⭑I mean, he's a nice guy who likes the best for others.

⭑When you told him about your love for Sanrio, he'd be like, "Oh I know some of that." but he'd prefer to listen to you.

⭑When you tell him about his similarities to Hangyodon, he'll probably try to learn more about him.

⭑Hangyodon would probably be one of his favorites. Especially since he's the first one he knows a lot about.

⭑Now whenever you guys would leave for the next island, you'd give him some small stickers and ties.

A/n: Okokokokok so ofc I don't know MUCH about Jimbei yet. And I just got into the backstory of the sun pirates. I'm at like 536. But anyway, I finally finished this fic after 23 hours. Ofc I was bored again so I wrote. My next fic would be the Gaming one unless someone sent a request. ALSO MAYBE OOC

[cannedpickledpeaches]

Beneficial Marriage

Jade x Reader

You’ve thought about it long and hard. Yes, this is the conclusion you came to. A way to secure your future.

You slam your hands on the table as you stand, your eyes boring into Jade’s face. He continues writing in the Lounge’s ledger book without moving from his seat. You would have thought he didn’t take any notice of your abrupt action, but the slight upwards quirk of his lips gives him away.

“As I thought, I have to get married to a competent person!”

You think you hear him exhale a quick puff of air, something that barely qualifies as laughter.

“Is ‘competent’ truly the word you are looking for?” He flips a page, eyes still trained on the numbers. “Surely, you must have meant ‘wonderful,’ ‘kind,’ ‘compassionate,’ ‘loving,’ or something along those lines, no?”

“Those would be nice, too. But competent definitely is my priority. A useless partner is just dead weight on my shoulders, right? There’s no way I can marry someone who’ll drag me down.”

What brought this on was the recent success of your clothing brand. Your wares focus on making human fashion trends comfortable to wear for all manner of beastkin. Tails, ears, fur, horns, you name it and there’s a category in your online shop for it. It is not a new concept, but it is still true that most trending clothes are created with regular humans in mind. It certainly did not hurt for Vil to casually mention your shop in his recent Magicam post.

“If my success continues, doesn’t this mean I have the potential to really make a lot of money?” You have a surprisingly good business sense, so you think you have a pretty good chance of keeping your brand afloat. But with great money comes great responsibility. “I don’t want to get exploited by a partner for my money, nor do I want my partner to be an idiot who makes growing my business difficult. So it’ll be best if they’re competent and have no issues with managing their own income. They could even help out with mine, although I’m aware that might be asking for too much.”

Jade notes down some calculations, flawlessly multitasking between managing the ledger and listening to you. He hasn’t looked up at you once, but you can tell he’s finding great entertainment in listening to your ramblings. The barely restrained grin on his lips is a dead giveaway.

“You underestimate the greed some possess. Even a businessman with a flourishing company may attempt to steal yours.”

“Well then, I imagine my judgement of character will be so good that I can filter out those people right away.” His shoulders shake slightly. Is he stifling a laugh? “Don’t laugh at me. I’m being serious here.”

“Don’t you think,” he says, closing the ledger, “the fact that you remain friends with me indicates your poor skills in judgement?”

“Don’t be edgy. It’s making you exude middle-schooler vibes.” You dramatically place a hand over your chest and close your eyes in mock sorrow. “Stay away from me for your own good! I’m dangerous!”

Jade finally chuckles audibly, hiding his grin behind a gloved hand. You open one eye out of curiosity. His sharp eyes dart up to meet yours. There’s a curve to them that only exists when the smile is genuine. You aren’t sure how happy you are to be the source of his entertainment.

“How interesting it is to hear that is how you perceive my words. I will be more careful with what I say in the future.”

“Whatever, we’re off topic.” You cross your arms and shifting your weight from one foot to the other. In your excitement, you’ve forgotten you have the option to sit back down. “I’m still thinking about my requirements for a partner.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” He leans forward in his seat and tilts his head. He must find your dilemma funny. Certainly, he wouldn’t have any troubles finding a partner, the son of rich parents that he is. “We are still young.”

“And no longer in school! Meeting people has never been so difficult.” It’s not that you don’t socialize. Networking is important for business, after all. Unfortunately, nobody so far has met your standards. “If I lower my expectations, my successful and worry-free future will be compromised!”

“There is nothing wrong with staying single.”

You look to the side, pursing your lips. A slight flush settles on your cheeks. When you reply, it is barely above a whisper.

“Maybe I kind of, sort of, just a tiny bit, want a relationship.”

Jade doesn’t look surprised. If anything, his grin grows bigger and shows a few too many serrated teeth.

“There is nothing wrong with that, either. If it will ease your troubles, may I propose a solution?” He reaches across the table and reaches for your hand. You meet him halfway. Your fingers rest in his palm lightly, with enough control to yank back at a moment’s notice if he decides to pull something unhinged just to tease you. He doesn’t do so, but his expression puts you on alert. “Wouldn’t you agree that I am competent enough to be a candidate for your partner?”

You blink once. Twice.

“What kind of bull—”

You snap your mouth shut. Upon further thought, it’s not a bad offer. You’ve known Jade for years. He’s shifty but reliable when you need him to be. Despite your wariness around his hidden motives and his constant sense of schadenfreude, there’s an underlying unspoken trust between both of you. If it comes down to it, you’re confident you can, to some extent, counter his schemes. His family is rich, he’s set to inherit the business, and he’s capable enough to run it properly. Actually, isn’t he a pretty good choice?

“I’ll consider it.”

It’s worrisome how his smile looks like that of a cat that caught the canary, but you suppose he’s always been like that. You can cut him some slack this time. You don’t even withdraw your hand when he pulls it to his lips.

“I am very pleased to hear that.”

“Only for consideration, okay? I haven’t made a decision yet. But even if I do,” your eyes drift to the ceiling in thought, “it should be fine. Couples can always break up, engagements can be annulled, even marriages can be broken by a divorce. So really, I have nothing to worry about!”

He presses his cheek to the palm of your hand, his grin seeming about to split his face in half. He murmurs against your skin in a tone that sounds more like a promise than a goal.

“Rest assured that if you truly choose to be mine, I have no plans on letting you go.” His eyes, sparkling in mischief and withheld laughter, curve with his smile. “So do take your time and think long and hard about it. I will patiently await your answer.”

[letupabit]

Are you ready to apologise?

A/N: IT IS FINALLY DONE. ALMOST THIRTEEN WORD DOCUMENT PAGES AND MY MAD RAMBLINGS ARE FINISHED. Holy SHIT this is long, but man I had so much fun writing it. Requested by @ryoko-loves-roses , thank you so much for your ask, what a gem you are!!

Summary: In-ho gets utterly fed up of Thanos' arrogance. He's had enough of seeing him bully everyone around as though he thinks he's invincible, and after witnessing him pick on Player 333 yet again, he decides he needs to teach him another lesson that'll really stick; even if that means using a rather...unconventional, method.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------\

‘The great Thanos and his team succeed again!’

In-ho, donning the fake name of ‘Young-il’ as he infiltrated the games, watched from where he and his team were sitting as the figure of Player 230 strutted through the dorm, the almost-comical gait adding to his obnoxiousness. Yes, the Frontman was purely playing pretend, but one thing he could never stand was arrogance- especially from the younger generation. Young-il quietly scoffed as he saw the purple haired man direct a nasty glance toward Player 333, who was sitting innocently at his bunk. 

Player 230, otherwise known as Thanos, quite obviously had a humongous ego, assuming himself untouchable. The way he spoke to others, even sometimes his own teammates, was nothing short of downright disrespectful. In-ho thought back to when he had to break up a fight between 230 and 333- the sheer arrogance of the man was staggering. He couldn’t help but feel a wave of satisfaction as he recalled how he decommissioned both Thanos and his little crony, 124, in a few swift moves. 

This alone should have humbled the both of them. Player 124, Nam-gyu, had an obvious tendency to blindly follow Thanos, although this was mostly down to the fact he had become strongly dependant on the drugs Thanos supplied- nobody knew the specifics, but it was glaringly obvious that the two players were high on something 100% of the time. Even so, Nam-gyu wasn’t anywhere near as bold or brass as his pill-popping friend.

But Thanos’ failed attempt at a fight hadn’t seemed to falter his ego.

He was still the exact same conceited, opinionated person he had been since the beginning of these games. One look at him and it was obvious there wasn’t even a shadow of a doubt that he thought himself above every other player, utterly convinced that the prize money would be his. He cared about nobody other than himself. 

In-ho couldn’t stand him. He couldn’t stand his arrogant attitude, his dismissive nature, his obvious natural instinct to treat the people around him like dirt. Whilst yes, he himself was manipulating his ‘teammates’, he had an awful lot of respect for them, and could willingly admit that they were truly good people. Thanos, on the other hand, was seemingly far too high to even recognise other people as people. 

In-ho also couldn’t stand the fact that Thanos didn’t take anything seriously. 

Not only had The Frontman infiltrated the games to manipulate Gi-hun, but he was also purely curious and intrigued to see the extent of human nature up close- the raw, primal extent of human nature; How far would people go to save their own skins? To ensure themselves a future?

This stupid, happy-go-lucky idiot was ruining it for him.

Whilst, yes, he still had 454 players who were authentic, the very existence of Player 230 was so over the top it practically nullified his observance of everyone else. After every death, every vote, every win or lose, Thanos would be prancing around like a little child, chanting some absolute nonsense that In-ho didn’t care to give a second thought to. Despite his attempts to drown this specific player out, he just…couldn’t. 

Wherever he looked, 230’s exaggerated mannerisms or catch-phrases were annoyingly attention-consuming. 

‘I swear I saw him kick his own teammate to the floor to free up a room…how can he be so happy right now?’ remarked Jung-bae, sitting with a protective arm around Dae-ho, who was fully invested in devouring his bean bun.

‘He’s obviously on something. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed?’ Dae-ho replied, his mouth half-full.

‘Of course I have. But surely he’d still have some kind of remorse?’

In-ho scoffed at this.

‘Someone like him isn’t able to feel remorse’ He passed his own meal wordlessly to Jun-hee, who was sitting beside him. She gratefully said a quick ‘thank you’, In-ho nodding back at her. Unlike the actual players, he didn’t need to worry about a ‘last meal’. 

‘Even without those pills, I doubt he’d care’ He said, staring at Thanos, who was now harassing his younger teammate, Player 125. In-ho narrowed his eyes as 230 slung his arm around Min-su, his affection obviously just thinly-veiled manipulation. 

‘He’s clearly just in this for himself. He’d kill his entire team if it meant he got out of here alive’

In-ho’s team went quiet, unsure of what to say to this. Jung-bae and Dae-ho exchanged glances, whilst Gi-hun gave a quick look at his friend before staying silent himself. Honestly, they were all in agreement- Player 230’s obnoxious behaviour was distracting, but it would’ve been all too easy to fall into a negative discussion spiral, and that’s the last thing they needed- or, wanted.

In-ho quickly picked up on this, ever the socially-adept person he was. 

‘Ah, I’m sorry- it just grates on me that he could be so oblivious at a time like this, aha’ relaxing his face into a charming smile, he thought quick on his feet, not wanting to decrease his team’s morale. After all, these were the people he’d be sticking with until the end- and as much as he didn’t like to admit it, he was quite fond of them in his own way.

They settled into idle conversation, casually chatting about this-and-that. For a while, in a long long while, things seemed…normal.

However, just as In-ho had gotten comfortable, forgetting his grievances, he couldn’t help but notice some kind of…of…god, what was going on over there? 

He reluctantly shifted his gaze over to the other side of the room, a clear scuffle taking place. Player 333 was picking himself up from the floor, evidently having been knocked down, his stance defensive and on edge. He was angrily staring straight ahead at- oh, for gods sake. 

Player 230.

He barked out something malicious, something In-ho couldn’t quite make out, before turning on his heels and walking back to his bunk. Player 124 trotted along next to him, smiling into his sleeve as they laughed nastily together about what had just happened. It was obvious they’d just been in another two-against-one fight, this realisation becoming even more evident as Myung-gi limped back to his own bunk with a sour look on his face.

The surrounding players who had gathered to witness the altercation slowly dispersed, the brief distraction over and relatively uneventful. Before long the dorm’s atmosphere returned to normal, everyone keeping to their teams.

However, In-ho was outraged. Those two still had the gall to pick on the same player he had previously separated them from? Still fighting in pairs against a single individual? Not even that, the smug look on Thanos’ face told him everything he needed to know. The purple haired man had learnt absolutely nothing- or, if he had, the drugs had clearly made him forget. 

Pain evidently didn’t work on someone like Thanos. He needed to be taken down a peg by something…sillier. Something that would really put him off engaging in his usual stupidity and bullying. In-ho narrowed his eyes in thought, and he formed an idea.

He got to his feet, ignoring his friend’s confused remarks, and strode purposefully towards the bed that Thanos sat on. His legs were crossed and he was leaning back leisurely, engaged in conversation with Nam-gyu who was standing next to him. They both seemed so relaxed- almost as if they’d forgotten completely the assault they just took part in. It wouldn’t be surprising, but it was more than likely they just didn’t care.

Nam-gyu was the first to notice In-ho as he approached quickly. Unlike his oblivious friend, he seemed to recall the ass-beating he received from the very person who was getting closer by the second, and he sheepishly halted his chatter and stepped back. Thanos was clearly too high to realise anything, or simply didn’t care, up until In-ho was standing directly next to his bed. 

There was a silence, the two of them staring at each other.

‘Uh, can I help you?’ Came Thanos’ laid-back response, only adding to In-ho’s frustration. 

Thanos suddenly got a knowing look on his face, remembering that this was the man who had showed him up not even a day ago. 

‘Didn’t I tell you not to gang up on people? Have you no shame? Are you scared you’ll be the one on the floor if you were to fight single-handedly, is that it?’ In-ho’s face was unreadable as he stared unblinkingly at Thanos, not wavering his gaze for even a second.

Much to nobody’s surprise, instead of apologising or even mumbling a hasty ‘I’m sorry’, Thanos jumped up to his feet with an indignant look on his face. The two men were now standing mere inches from each other, the taller of the pair glaring down at his provoker. It was no secret that despite the appearances, Player 230 held a very fragile ego. This insinuation that he couldn’t hold his own, on his own, completely enraged him.

‘What the hell are you talking about, old man? Why don’t you go on back to your nursing home over there’ he nodded pointedly at Gi-hun’s team, who were now watching with intent ‘and mind your own, yeah?’ 

Nam-gyu watched with wide eyes, standing to the side of the tense duo, making sure to keep somewhat of a distance. He felt a phantom pain shoot down his shin as he recalled the sharp kick he’d received during yesterday’s fight.

‘You’re a joke. Flaunting yourself around, shouting nonsense. When was the last time you were sober for more than five minutes?’

At the mention of his drugs, In-ho noticed Thanos’ eyebrows twitch uncomfortably. Hm, seems he hit a nerve. Let’s see what he could do with this…

‘Tell me honestly, who are you when you’re not forcing pills down your throat? Do you even know?’

This burrowed itself deep under Thanos’ skin and was the comment that sent him over the edge. In-ho took a step back, anticipating the fist that flew past his head, Thanos playing right into his trap. 

Grabbing the younger man by the elbow, Player 001 effortlessly threw him back onto the bed. Thanos yelped, pulling himself further onto the mattress in an attempt to make space between him and In-ho. 

‘What the fuck, boy!’ He shouted, as if he hadn’t literally thrown the first punch. For a man of smaller stature (although Thanos would phrase that in a slightly less polite way) his strength jolted him back into reality, almost as if he were remembering how easily it was for Player 001 to decommission him in yesterday’s fight. But alas- his ego overshadowed that brief logical thought.

He attempted to stand back up, more than likely planning yet another punch, but In-ho bent down and shoved him right back onto the bed. 

‘I’m not sure where you think you’re going’ Muttered In-ho, not really caring if the protesting man heard him.  He remained bent over Thanos, his hand firmly on the younger man’s chest, putting his whole weight on him and effectively holding him down. Out the corner of his eye he saw the blur of Thanos’ fist coming up to sock him in the jaw, but his fast reflexes kicked in and he grabbed the offending wrist, pinning it to the bed roughly.

‘OW! Fuck you man! Get off, you’re hurting me!’

‘It only hurts because you’re struggling, relax your arm and you’ll be fine’ Replied In-ho matter-of-factly.

‘Like fuck I’ll relax! You’re fucking crazy, what the hell are you doing?’ The fight in the younger man was strong, even in such an obviously one-sided situation he didn’t relent in hurling insults and profanities. In-ho chuckled inwardly- what an idiot.

Before In-ho could reply, he heard footsteps rapidly approaching. More than likely another one of Thanos’ cronies- Fuck, he couldn’t believe he had been caught off guard like that- 

‘Young-il! Are you alright?’

In-ho sighed a small breath of relief, his dark eyes never having left his victim. That was unmistakably the voice of Gi-hun, the dark-haired man rushing to his side after he had witnessed everything. Young-il was his friend, and in this shithole they had to have each other’s backs. 

Young-il finally broke his relentless glare aimed toward the squirming man underneath him, turning to look at Gi-hun, his eyes softening. 

‘I’m just fine’ He remarked, ‘him, on the other hand, maybe not’ He directed his gaze back at Thanos, who was frantically pushing at Young-il’s chest with his free, non-dominant hand. 

‘Get OFF me, boy! You’re going to fucking regret this!’ He snarled, his anger building by the second. He wanted so badly to just beat the hell out of him but he simply couldn’t get free. The hand on his chest kept him pinned to the bed, the other hand holding his wrist down making it impossible for him to escape. That didn’t stop him, though- he squirmed and wriggled and kicked, however everything he tried proved to be completely uneffective. 

‘Tell this fucking psycho to lay the hell off!’ He shouted, craning his neck to meet Gi-hun’s eye.

Young-il turned back once again to say to his friend, ‘He’ll tire himself out in a minute. Come closer’

Gi-hun did as he was told, truly intrigued by whatever it was Young-il had in mind.

Player 124 had retreated to a higher bunk, keeping a keen eye on the scene below. He wanted to help Thanos out, truly he did (if only to save his drugs more than anything), but he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance against Young-il; not even mentioning player 456. Together they were a formidable team and he didn’t fancy going up against them on his own. He started to realise how Myung-gi must’ve felt…

‘Are you fucking deaf?! The two of you are insane! I’ll kill you both! Slit your throats whilst you’re sleeping!’ Wow, Young-il thought to himself. He must’ve been really high to make such intense threats despite obviously not having the upper hand. 

Speaking as if he didn’t even hear Thanos, Young-il said- ‘Hold his arms, Gi-hun’

‘What are you going to do?’ Asked Gi-hun, already very hesitant to go along with Young-il’s request. He had rejoined the games solely to save other players, not to inflict additional harm upon them. Even if they were arrogant nuisances. 

‘I don’t plan on hurting him- it’s not my style to stoop to harming defenceless individuals’ he looked down pointedly at Thanos, blatantly referring to the 2-on-1 fight with player 333. ‘I’m just taking him down a peg’ he braced himself as, at this, Thanos renewed his struggling. 

‘FUCK! Let me go or I’ll skin you alive!’ His threats, although most likely not empty, were completely unattainable. He was absolutely stuck.

At this, Gi-hun set himself at the other side of Thanos’ bed, grabbing the purple-haired man’s arms, holding them securely out the way. He still didn’t know what the purpose of this was, but he trusted Young-il to not shed any blood- especially to an, although annoying, helpless man.

Young-il stretched his now empty hand, satisfied that both of them were now freed up. This would make it a lot easier to carry out his plan- thank god for Gi-hun, eh?

He began to speak, this time directed at the squirming man beneath him.

‘Was yesterday not enough of a lesson for you? You think it’s big and clever to go two against one, huh? Maybe you just need to see what it’s like for yourself’

‘I swear boy, if you so much as TOUCH me I’ll-‘

‘You’ll what? You’re pathetic, look at you. You’re lucky I have more integrity than to harm someone who can’t fight back’

Gi-hun, not knowing what to make of the situation, felt Thanos’ wrists strain against his grasp. 

He was both relieved and confused. Relieved, because it truly did seem like Young-il wasn’t intending to inflict pain. However, confused, because if he wouldn’t be hurting Thanos, what on Earth could-

‘AH!’ 

Gi-hun was brought back from his thoughts by the sound of Thanos yelping. Young-il, having shifted the hand pressing on Thanos’ chest, was digging with a single finger at the skinny man’s ribcage. The corner of his mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly- that was just the reaction he needed.

At his friends confused expression, Young-il said ‘I told you I wouldn’t hurt him, Gi-hun’. He smiled at his friend, excitement sparking in his eyes. His finger continued digging, finding its way inbetween a higher rib. He noted how Thanos tensed up and his angry yelling (attempting to hide his strained giggles) got louder- ah, jackpot.

He focused his energy there, still using just the one finger, and felt a sense of immense satisfaction as Thanos crumbled immediately.

‘AHAHAHAHA! FUHUHuhuhHUHUCKING GEHEHET OHOHOFF!’ 

‘Wow, all this fuss from just one finger, huh?’ Taunted Young-il, smirking nastily down at the now frantically laughing man. ‘Is this why you always fight unfairly? Scared that your opponent will find out and you’ll be stuck laughing until you cry?’

Thanos couldn’t reply. All he could do was take it. He could feel a burning anger at this humiliation, unable to verbalise just how furious he was. He wanted nothing more than to hurl insults and threats, but everytime he tried to do so it was rendered unintelligible through his hysterics. He shook his head from side to side, the sensation driving him insane. Oh, how he’d love to just punch the pair of these fucking assholes- 

‘AhahahAHAHAHAHAAHA! FUUHUhuHuhuHUHUCK YOU- EHEHAHAAHAHA!’ He was pulled out of his frustrated thoughts by the sensation of Young-il using the entirety of his hand to tickle him now, the feeling getting so much worse. His other, now non-occupied hand, secured itself firmly to the other side of his ribcage, methodically squeezing up and down.

 Thanos screamed and his legs kicked out. Fuck, this was bad. He had no control over his own reactions, his hands wildly trying to grasp at anything to alleviate the horrible feeling.

Young-il rasied his eyebrows. ‘Ohoho, this must be a really bad spot, huh? Or maybe you’re just that sensitive?’

Meanwhile, Gi-hun couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. He was glad Young-il wasn’t hurting the laughing man, and although he was still humbling him, tickling wasn’t anything dangerous. It left no marks, excluding Thanos’ bruised ego. Although he still had a vague sense of uncertainty, he decided this was probably the best outcome in a place like this.

And, If anything, it was pretty funny to see the usually so arrogant Thanos on the verge of tears and laughing his head off. He could feel from holding the wrists of the druggie when a bad spot was hit- when a particularly more ticklish rib was assaulted, he would strain against his bonds harder, to no avail as Gi-hun kept a strong grip. 

‘This certainly was not what I was expecting, Young-il. Seems it’s effective, though’ 

‘I used to have to do this to my brother when he forgot his place’ Replied Young-il. ‘It always managed to get him back down to Earth when he thought he was bigger than he really was’ he shifted slightly as he felt Thanos’ legs kick out behind him. ‘But he was a good kid so I didn’t have to do it often- It’s a good job we weren’t brothers, Thanos. I have a feeling I would have to do this to you almost everyday’ The only response was a strangled growl that quickly dissolved into laughter as Thanos did his absolute best to throw out some wise-crack or insult. The fact he couldn’t defend himself with his usual quips enraged him, but he could do nothing but cackle.

The two older men chuckled. Gi-hun, readjusting his grip around Thanos’ wrists, saw the first hints of tears beading at the corners of Thanos’ eyes. ‘Do you think whatever it is he’s high on makes him more ticklish?’ There was a teasing tone to Gi-hun’s statement, and Thanos attempted to glare at the older man, completely failing as his features were twisted with forced laughter. Gi-hun met his eye, unable to keep a smile from his own face, raising his eyebrows in a fake display of confusion.

‘Hey, what’s so funny, huh?’ 

Young-il chuckled at this, forming his left hand into a fist and knuckling up and down the length of Thanos’ ribcage. His eyes screwed shut and he threw his head back, laughter coming through jagged breaths, feeling his arms ache from how hard he’d been trying to break them loose.

Well, actually, everything ached. His chest and stomach burned with the prolonged intensity of his laughter, his cheeks ached from his forced smiling. But worst of all, his ribs ached, having been non-stop assaulted for a while now. Thanos couldn’t focus on anything else but his rage and the unbearable sensations shooting down his sides- fuck, why was Young-il so good at this? His strong fingers didn’t miss a beat, hitting the worst spots along his ribcage. He quickly realised that Player 001 was picking up on his reactions to pinpoint what tickled the most, the older man scarily observant. 

He tried to hold back his reactions, but Young-il was absolutely devastating him, and he gave up as he laughed freely. 

‘Look how much you’re laughing, you must be loving this’ and then sarcastically, ‘oooh, bad spot?’ when Thanos’ laughter turned squeaky as he focused a knuckle on one specific rib.

‘Hey, Gi-hun’ Gi-hun looked up from the hysterical player. ‘It’s not really a two against one right now, is it? He needs to learn his lesson, so help me out okay?’

This took Gi-hun slightly by surprise. He looked back down at Thanos, who now had tears running freely down his flushed cheeks. 

‘DOHOHOHOHN’T FUHUUH-AHahHAHAHAHahahaha-FUHUHUHUhuhuhuCKING TOUHUHUCH ME!’ 

‘Can you not form a single sentence without cursing? Is your vocabulary that stunted?’  Young-il, much to the immense relief of Thanos, stopped his assault. The older man wanted to give him a chance to speak- and maybe false hope that the attack was over. It was a mean thing to do, but Young-il thought it would be amusing to let the purple-haired man think he was in control, only to rip it away.

Thanos immediately gasped much-needed breath, his chest heaving. He blinked away tears, turning his head to the side to dry his damp face with his shoulder. 

‘Yeah, that’s what I thought…fuckers…I’m gonna kill both of you’ he spat out through ragged breaths. The two older men shared a glance- even after all that, he was still just as cocky. He turned his head back to its position so that he was staring directly at Young-il.

‘You’re fucking crazy, man! Nam-gyu, get down here and help me!’

Nam-gyu wasn’t about to put himself in harms way, and this was even further solidified when In-ho turned his head toward him and said ‘If you interfere, you’re next’. 

Thanos felt a slight sense of panic that his only hope of escape was refusing to come down from his bunk. ‘Dude!’

Player 124 shifted uncomfortably in his bunk. ‘Sorry, man…you kinda got yourself into this one…’

‘Your friend knows what’s good for him’ said Young-il.

‘You’ve been throwing your weight around since these games started- you need to see that you’re not as invincible as you think’ he carried on, his tone similar to that of a parent chastising an unruly child, which only served to enrage Thanos further. 

‘Didn’t I tell you to save the lecture for your own kids, old man? Get off me now and I might not punch out what little teeth you have left’

Young-il snorted. 

‘Your attitude needs a readjustment, so I’m going to give you one last chance. You can apologise now and promise to stop being such a brat, or we can keep going until you learn’

Thanos laughed in his face, this time not from fingers in his ribs. 

‘Are you serious? You sure you haven’t popped something yourself, man?’ 

‘Is this really what you want to do? Think carefully’

Truthfully, Thanos could feel a knot of worry and dread in the pit of his stomach. He was astoundingly ticklish, as had been made obvious, and being stuck in such a position wasn’t…ideal. In the back of his mind he couldn’t help but feel like apologising wouldn’t be a terrible idea-

No! What was he thinking? He couldn’t let himself give in to something as stupid as tickling. Especially not at the hands of this old man, who had embarrassed him in front of everyone yesterday. He had an image to uphold.  But, this was a different kind of embarrassment… at least being caught up in a fight showed he wasn’t all talk. What was this doing for him, apart from making him laugh like a kid?

Again, his ego overruled any sensible thought, and he glared at Young-il with an arrogant sneer. 

‘I’ll say it again, you bastard. You’re going to let me the fuck go, or I’ll choke you in your sle-EHEHEHEP!’

He didn’t get to finish his sentence as his face broke into a huge smile and he was once again hurled into forced laughter. But it wasn’t Young-il’s doing. 

Confused, the shorter man looked up and quickly realised that Gi-hun had taken both Thanos’ wrists in one hand and was drilling his thumb into the hollows of his armpit. 

Noticing Young-il’s surprise, Gi-hun said ‘I was getting bored of listening to him talk. Besides, I like him better like this anyway’.

The two shared an amused smirk, and Young-il looked back down at their once-again squealing victim. 

‘NAHAHAhahahahAHA’ Thanos renewed his squirming, chest trembling sporadically as he couldn’t help but laugh with ticklish mirth.

‘You had more than a fair warning. I guess you wanted this, huh?’ Teased Young-il, bringing one hand to tweak at 230’s hip bone and the other to gently trace circles on his stomach. The light, fluttery feeling of his skilled hands was almost just as bad as the rougher tickles. 

Gi-hun picked up on this and moved his hand to Thanos’ neck, scratching and teasing with an almost delicate touch. The boisterous laughter died down to frantic giggles, becoming higher pitched. 

‘Awh, listen to him’ Cooed Gi-hun in a mockingly sweet tone.

‘Almost cute, isn’t he?’ Replied Young-il. 

Thanos was losing his mind, shaking his head back and forth whilst giggling uncontrollably. These lighter tickles were a whole different sensation and were all he could think about. His train of thought was derailing by the second, trying to use his head to knock away Gi-hun’s gently-tracing hands. 

It was kinda poetic- this man who was usually so confident in himself, so sure of his invincibility, reduced to nothing but child-like giggles. His styled hair was dishevelled and sticking out in all directions, his face flushed and cheeks shiny with ticklish tears.  

‘Maybe you’ll think twice before picking on someone weaker than you’ quipped Gi-hun, having admittedly a lot of fun. This unconventional method had taken his mind off the games and the usual anxiety that sat in his chest. 

Thanos felt a surge of panic as he felt Young-il’s hands moving back up to his ribs. Suddenly he wished he’d just apologised when he had the chance, his bravado falling apart as those same deft fingers returned to vibrating between his ribs. 

‘nonoNOHOHOHOHO NOHOHOHOT THEHERERE! STOHOHOHOP!’ The gentler tickles seemed a lot more appealing now as he screamed with laughter, his worst spots being assaulted at once. 

‘Not where? Here? Or here?’ Chuckled Young-il, punctuating each word with a jab. Gi-hun once again drilled at his armpit, watching with satisfaction as Thanos’ laughter somehow went up an octave. 

‘You know how to make this stop’ stated Young-il casually, as if he wasn’t wrecking the younger man. ‘Are you going to get a grip and act normal?’

Thanos couldn’t even reply, laughter going silent. His strength was completely sapped- as was his fight. He threw his head back angrily, knowing he had no choice but to give in. God, he hated these two. 

Forcing a ragged gasp, Thanos mustered up every ounce of willpower he had and started to beg. The tickling was too much and he knew when he was beaten, not even considering his ego or pride as he shouted out near-unintelligible pleading.

‘YES! YEHEHEHEHES YESYEHEHeheheHEehES! PL-AHAHAHA-PLEAHAHAHASE! AHAHAHAHAHahahAHAHA-!’ His laughter going silent once again. 

Gi-hun and Young-il shared a look, hands not relenting.

‘Think he’s had enough?’ 

‘YEHEHEHEHES! PLEAHAHASE! HEHEHAHAAHAHA!’

‘I wasn’t talking to you’ 

Gi-hun looked down at Thanos, who was absolutely beside himself. He didn’t want to kill the poor guy, but he thought he could prolong the fun just a little longer; after all, they could’ve been much meaner, and he had it coming.

‘hmmmm, I don’t know…’ he mused in an exaggerated tone, pretending to think. ‘How do we know he’s really sorry?’

All hopes of keeping his reputation intact had long flown out the window. Thanos would agree to anything at this point.

‘IHIHIHI- I AM! IM SOHOHOHOREEHEHEEHE! STAHAHAHAHAP!’

And suddenly it was over, the two older men stilling their fingers in synch. Gi-hun released the arms he held captive and Thanos immediately snatched them away, wrapping them round himself protectively. Young-il straightened up, looking down at the gasping man, who was now red faced and trembling with lingering giggles. 

He watched as he curled up, as if he were expecting the tickling to start up again. Thanos tried his best to glower up at Young-il but much to his annoyance, he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He attempted to catch his breath as he slowly pulled himself further onto his bed, trying to keep as much distance as possible.

‘F-fuck you guys’ he stammered out, quickly yelping an apology and holding himself tighter as Young-il raised his eyebrows, worrying that he’d just dropped himself in for another a round. 

But it was obvious in his now-meek disposition that his words were empty. Young-il patted him condescendingly on the cheek. ‘That was fun, but don’t make me do it again’.

The purple haired man watched in relief as his two attackers threw one last glance at him before walking back to their space in the dorm, as if nothing had just happened.

‘You were right, Young-il. That was a lot more fun than punching him’

Thanos glared at them (as best he could anyway) as they engaged in idle chatter until they were out of earshot. He jumped slightly as Nam-gyu dropped down from the safety of his bunk.

‘Er…you good, dude?’

‘Not. A. Fucking. Word’

[poshbiscuit]

Ok, I have two questions for you

1.- What is your process for writing? Like, how do you plan out a story in the long term?

2.- How the fuck did you improve so much in so little time?? Ive been a fan of yours for some time and istg, CRaawloTT and ABCs and 123s are years light apart in quality!! And they were posted just with a months difference, like what??? Did you sign a deal with the devil?? Tell me your secret, ive been writing since 2022 and i havent improved a lot😭😭

Warning: This is going to be a ramble 😭

First of all, I want to say thank you for the ask and for reading my fics!! I really appreciate it :)

Now, for your questions:

1. I am someone who needs everything to be picture perfect before I even begin to think about writing the fic. So, I’ll come up with the vague concept first. Most of my WIPs don’t get past this point lol. But if they do, then I explore the idea a bit more. Make the concept more than just a sentence or two. Think about other things that could link and come into play. Think about how this concept COULD potentially be fleshed out into a story. Just get a word document, or a Google Doc, and just dump. Dump every single idea in your head, don’t overthink it. If you still like it after that, and you still have inspiration and passion for it, then start a rough outline. Now, an “outline” is subjective. Like I said, I’m an extreme perfectionist. Therefore, I’m not happy to start writing before I have every single moment of the entire story planned out. I have a Google Doc for “Yours, Veronica” which has a summary of everything that happens in every single chapter. It’s nearly 200 pages long. You do not need to go this crazy! 😭😭😭 This is just my personal preference. So I write an outline for the story. I go back and read it. I change it. I add more. I read it again. I research things to make sure there are no historical inaccuracies. I add more. I keep on redrafting it and adding to it and changing it until I am 100% satisfied. For “Yours, Veronica” this took me a few years. Again, you don’t need to be this particular about it, it’s entirely up to you. You don’t even need an outline! Write how you want to write. This is my personal planning system, and it’s what works for me. I like having a strict and thorough outline to refer back to when writing the chapters.

Okay, for your second question, I’m going to waffle a bit, so bear with me! And I do want to preface by making it very clear that I am not a professional writer. Like… at all. I don’t really know what I’m talking about! So take it all with a pinch of salt :)

I do want to say thank you. I can’t believe you’ve been around for so long! That’s incredibly sweet, and I appreciate you so so so much.

In terms of progress, I have a lot of thoughts about this.

I think a big reason why there is such a difference between CRaawloTT and ABCs is because CRaawloTT was so unfathomably bad. It was immature, there was no effort, no planning, no spellcheck, it was written rapidly and badly, and it was (objectively) stupid. I was young when I wrote it, and I had never properly written a story before. So my point is that CRaawloTT was such utter trash that literally anything would be better than it, which is why ABCs seems a lot better. I still don’t love ABCs and I still don’t think it’s very good in hindsight but oh my god it’s SO much better than CRaawloTT. The thing is, it’s pretty easy to be better than CRaawloTT.

Another thing that I do want to point out is that I was very young when I wrote my very first fic. Even though ABCs wasn’t that long after, when you are young your maturity rapidly grows and each year you’re like a new person. If that makes sense? So, I would say that I was really young when I wrote CRaawloTT (and it shows) and I was less young when I wrote ABCs (and it shows). I think even the end of CRawloTT has a pretty big difference to the start. But really, it is effort that is the main point. During those few months between the stories, I worked a lot on the new story and therefore was improving, and also was automatically making a better story. I was just doing at least the bare minimum, which I hadn’t done before.

I mean, even now I go back and I look at The Prom Bet (which is a ton better than ABCs) and I cringe because it’s so frustrating and immature and there’s a lot of contrivances. You have improved and you will improve. I’ve been doing this for nearly 6 years now and I know you may not feel like you’ve made progress but you have. We are all our own biggest critics. But if you want to keep on improving until you notice it, then all you can do with writing is just keep doing it and you will get better. It’s experience, that’s all it is.

I’d say a big tip is trying new challenges and getting out of your comfort zone and testing yourself. With ABCs, the difference was I started implementing things like minimum chapter word count goals and that made a huge difference. From CRaawloTT chapters that were rushed and less than 1000 words to ABCs which had chapters that were a minimum of 3000 to 5000. Another thing was doing an outline, like I mentioned before. CRaawloTT had no outline and I had no idea where it was going. I would randomly open a word document and decide “Uh okay, chapter 7? I guess… this can happen?”. The impact that makes on the quality of your story is huge because you’ve got a story there. It’s not guessing games, and spur of the moment incoherent babble. Of course there’s spellchecker too. Listen, ABCs still has a lot of spelling errors because I was still a bit lazy 😭 but it’s better. And that’s the progress that you’re talking about. Such basic tools that I just didn’t implement at first. So don’t beat yourself up! What I’m trying to say is that you probably started at a much higher level, with much more effort, passion and consideration. So, of course your progress isn’t going to seem as dramatic!

So really, it wasn’t like I went from “good” to “amazing”, you know? I went from “really really abysmal” to “not as bad”, which seems like a huge jump but it’s not. It’s just a big difference in quality, because the first one has such a lack of quality that anything feels like a big jump. I think you need to give yourself more credit.

Finally, and perhaps the most important point of all, is that I didn’t love doing CRaawloTT, and that shows in the writing. You can put hours of effort in, you can have all the talent in the world, you can use every technique in the book. If you don’t like what you’re writing, it’s going to be so clearly. I loved writing, I loved being part of the Heathers fandom, but I didn’t like CRaawloTT itself. I had no passion for it. I had passion for ABCs. I enjoyed writing it. I enjoyed the story (at the time). I was excited for it. That’s such a huge difference. Just like how I feel even more excitement for Yours, Veronica.

so TL;DR:

The reasons for the improvement from my first fic to second fic are that my first fic was just so awful, I implemented very basic writing and planning methods, and also I was very young when doing my first fic.

I’m sure you have improved, even if you don’t see it. Just continuously writing and gaining practice and experience is the best you can do

Implement challenges and goals if you haven’t already. Set a higher minimum word count for your chapters in order to improve pacing, for example. Write an outline, if that’s what helps you, so you don’t go off-track. Try a new style of writing that you’ve seen before that you like.

I am so terribly sorry for this completely unnecessary babble. I got a bit passionate there! I really really loved this ask and I really loved talking about this stuff, so thank you ❤️ good luck with your writing, I’m sure you’re doing great and you’ll continue to do even better. Have faith!

[powertaco]

What are your thoughts on WR development overall and your thoughts on WR being developed/made canon in V10?

Ugh I am going to ramble about everything here I can feel it...well you asked for it. I apologize for none of it, and if you all hate me at the end well I don't mind.

Volume 6 and before are pretty much great. They go from kinda at odds to tentative friends, learning to trust, and rely on each other, best friends, pining over one and other and V6 was a loooot of WR for us to feast on.

Afterward I felt like it got sidetracked. There could be various reasons for this (in hindsight I feel like Penny being given a way bigger role so her death could hit harder is to blame for part of this because realistically how long has Ruby known Penny? A month?)

Even if you don't like the ship they're supposed to be canon best friends so I take personal issue with almost all of volume 9.

I think it was sloppy writing that didn't move the story forward, and even though I don't care about Bees I feel like they still got shafted since they basically were forced to confess to move things along, and them doing so made them miss out on the sister/supposed friend and her problems, and only showcased the worst sides of the relationship.

For example Yang let's Ruby scream at Weiss but only moves to do something when Blake gets yelled at. Blake and Ruby still have...less dialogue than Ruby does with Ren I think etc.

Jaune was too present merely because his entire deal took away from Ruby's imo.

I've said it before but frankly Nora falling and learning who she is away from Ren so when she sees him in V10 she's ready for the relationship is far more satisfying to me narratively.

Leave Jaune above ground so he has to deal with the fact that he thinks he failed his friends and they all died and let him learn from that experience instead.

This also doesn't take into account that Jaune's one interesting change in 9 (being old) is taken away via random deaging (although I guess this makes deaging canon and hey young maria this is how dwr can still win! more at 11!)

Generally when characters go through a volume you want some sort of arc for them to go and change through. Weiss gets none of that. Out of all the characters nothing really happens to her, and she doesn't change at all. She's just sad about Atlas. Neat.

There's no time for it just like there's no real time for Ruby.

In Ruby's own words 'gotta help Jaune right?' and they do. Ruby removes herself from the census, which is how its framed, and they stop to...help Jaune.

There are a few moments that are WR'ish in 9. The Nevermore summon, Weiss believing in Ruby, and calling her name first etc, but overall Weiss's main job is to backslide.

I said it before but in the market Neo, the perfect assassin is after Ruby, and they split up. Weiss goes 'gross nosehairs', and ditches her best friend who she already knows by that point is NOT doing well.

This is not Volume 1. This Weiss is not that petty, and she's literally had to manhandle corpses. The fact that she wouldn't stay near her canonical best friend, and leader is asinine, and only happens so she can be alone to meet the smith.

Even if Weiss can't help Ruby fight Neo she's an extra pair of eyes (and Neo doesn't care how crowded it is in the market), and just being there for Ruby can help.

With all that said RWBY is big into symbolism. When WR are together in almost all the side spin off material it means something. Manga Anthologies has them making heart eyes and flirting like every other page. Ice Queendom was a love letter to WhiteRose (precious?). The movies, etc.

When their weapons rest next to each other on screen like the Bees do? It means something. When their flowers break ranks to be near each other (and Weiss's flower is the lily please note)? This means something.

Ruby can stand and jump from missile to missile but has to wrap her arms around Weiss to stay seated?

If Chibi continues it's pattern of predicting things in the main plot then the fact that Weiss is the woodsman in the fairy tale means a loooot as in several versions of that fairy tale the woodsman marries little red after helping her deal with the wolf problem (which varies by the story).

They're the knight and princess for each other. Ruby comes into Weiss's live turns it upside down, and helps her change. Likes her for her genuinely and wants to be her friend at the start. Through this she changes the world for Weiss, and helps her grow, and Weiss in turn helps Ruby be the leader she can be.

But yeah I guess that's just friends things and they should date some guys they've had like a half a dozen lines with instead? I don't get it really.

She and Oscar punch each other in the face, and they talk about strategy. Oscar has a younger kid crush on her, and Ruby is awkward because that's her headmaster in this kids head. Oh right he went in for a hug she ignored. Peak romance.

Jaune and Weiss have almost no interactions, and when he saves her at Haven her response isn't to be like 'omg i love you' it's 'keep doing it i have work to do'. Are they friends now? Sure, but that's about as far as it goes.

It remains that outside of group hugs the only person that's allowed to initiate contact with Weiss almost all the time outside of battle is Ruby.

Ruby knows when she needs help and will guide her away when she needs it, but other people don't' touch Weiss unless she does it first because they know she doesn't like it...except Ruby.

I have tried to look at other relationships for them, and I honestly don't see them as realistic.

Even Penny would need a lot more development to make it work. I get that it's cute and wholesome but they've known each other for again a month, and Penny just defers to Ruby.

Ruby needs a partner and equal not a submissive enabler. That's a relationship you have with a pet, and not a person.

Now if Maria were young and hot that'd be different...

Anyway...

Ruby and Weiss are partners. If they're allowed to have the much needed conversations they never seem to get, ie haven, ever after, Ruby's mom, everything, etc.

Then is it possible? Maybe. If they do go WR I suspect it'll be more hints, and slow ramp up until the final season.

I would expect it either on the eve of the final battle, or literally during it maybe as in Weiss gets feds up with waiting, and decides to do something about it.

More likely at this point is they'll both just end up single with maybe faint hints so fans can imagine what they want for it.

Would I prefer it if it was WR so the team can truly be family? Yes, but I don't even know if we're getting a volume 10 at all to be honest. The fact that it wasn't announced at the last festival, and we get an extended eppy, and then nothing after the last movie?

Not making me feel super confident. I could be wrong though. On many things. Except Young Maria.

[loveinhawkins]

Hi! I've never messaged you before, but your writing is some of my very favorite on Tumblr! I love that you have Steve as a poetry fan, and a fan of Simon and Garfunkel! I was reading the poem Richard Cory, and it made me think of a young Steve, the one people only see as a King, as a spoiled rich boy, not seeing his pain and trauma. Even his friends seem to gloss over it. And I can imagine him and Eddie in English class, and Eddie barely paying attention, but seeing how Steve subtly reacts to the poem when they read it, and Eddie wondering if maybe there's more to him than he'd previously thought! I found out that Simon and Garfunkel made it into a song, too, and that really sent it home! I hope you have a wonderful day, thank you for sharing your wonderful stories with us!

you are so kind, thank you so much. i hope you have a wonderful day too ❤️

oh, this has so many things i love. the poem & simon & garfunkel references (cw for references to suicide in both the poem & song lyrics), how Steve views himself and his high school persona vs how Eddie sees him—like, I could quote the whole poem but:

he fluttered pulses when he said, “Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.

Steve glittering as he walks! Eddie in denial that his pulse is also fluttering! ❤️

and them fleetingly crossing paths in high school is one of my absolute favourite things to think about, as well as them sharing the same English class at some point.

And when they read that poem… Eddie silently notices things. How Steve’s reaction stands out amidst the typically bored, glazed-eyes expression of other students. Eddie can see out of the corner of his eye how Steve reads the poem over and over, the subtle swallow, the shift in his jaw. The crease in the middle of his forehead that somehow seems more than just straightforward confusion.

But then he puts it out of his head—until, that is, an English period when the teacher says the whole lesson is just for silent reading. And Eddie hears a, “Psst,” coming from his left.

He doesn’t realise that it’s Steve Harrington trying to catch his attention, assumes it’s just someone trying to piss him off, so he snaps, “What?” a little harsher than warranted.

He almost does a double take at the way Steve shrinks back in his seat—not obviously so, but just enough for Eddie to notice.

“… Nothing. I’ll leave you alone,” Steve says shortly.

Eddie feels a flash of guilt. Sighs. “What?”

“Just… you’ve done this class before, right?”

“Fucking astute observation, Harrington.”

“Shut up. I just…” And Steve hands Eddie his photocopy of the poem, points at the top of the page. “Do you get this stuff?”

There’s a pause where Eddie scans the poem—and, Jesus, there’s a lot of annotations. Like, a lot. There’s even parts where Steve’s writing gets all cramped in between the stanzas, because he’s got a helluva lot to say, apparently.

Then he sees the part Steve’s pointing at, where there’s a scrawl of: Metre???

“Uh, yeah,” Eddie says. “I get what… it’s, like, the rhythm of it. Where the emphasis is on each word and stuff.”

Steve actually has the audacity to roll his eyes at Eddie’s, in his opinion, very generous explanation. “Yeah, I get all that in theory, but I can’t, like, hear it, y’know?”

And well, Eddie’s in a band. He knows a thing or two about rhythm. So he leans over and taps the rhythm out with his finger on Steve’s desk. He can’t remember the proper term for it, but he rambles, “It’s the same rhythm in Shakespeare plays? Kinda like a heartbeat.”

It must click for Steve, because sometime during Eddie talking, he starts tapping out the beat, too. Their knuckles almost touch. Not quite.

“Thanks, Eddie,” Steve says distractedly, as he takes his paper back and starts writing again.

And for the rest of the lesson, Eddie has to consider the fact that Steve Harrington truly knows his name, like he didn’t even have to think about it; like the freak moniker didn’t even occur to him.

[cindol]

hii ! saw that you wanted some retired soldier connie asks ( not sure if you still do )

but i was wondering if you could tell us how they met ? was he already a soldier ? did he join while they were together ? what’s the dynamic like ?

just scrolled through your page and i love your writing it’s amazing

hope you’re having a lovely day !

aaaa thanks for this ask! Been waiting for an excuse to ramble on about it.here’s my first post on my retired soldier!connie hc for any reference!

Retired soldier!connie met his future wife before he was even a soldier and training as a police officer at police academy. Her father was a police chief training men from 18–35 to be police officers and Connie was one of the young men training under him. He gotten the chance to officially meet y/n when he and all the trainees were doing early morning exercises. The chief liked every man to meet his baby girl and respect her so it was somewhat mandatory to meet her. All the men in training give her a simple hand shake and nod but connie’s handshake was much more great in a way. The way he gripped her hand with his strong one and gave her a head shake smiling at her made her wanna twirl a kinky curl on her hair, it was tougher that he was attractive even with the shaved buzzcut head he had.

Once the two did get to know each other before dating their dynamic was very cute though. Y/n being Connie’s golden girl who cared a little too much for him and Connie being like his bad boy, and the two really showed out on that trope. When Connie got himself hurt in police training exercise or something unrelated to that she always has him in her bed as she pouts and fixes up any cuts or bruises as she mutters under her breath.”always in fights.. can’t with you boy..” he just chuckles as she pinches his skin a bit cleaning a cut below his eye. He knows she would never truly quit doing this for him, she might even like it secretly, cleaning up his pretty face.

Retired soldier!connie was the first man to actually break y/n out of her good girl cycle. The first time she broke the rules of the curfew she still had at 19 years old it was like a rush of adrenaline for her. Her father would kill the both of them actually, a police boy in training playing around with his daughter would make his blood boil. She just couldn’t stop messing around with him. She would find herself in his own bed with him on top of him giggling.”you’re bad for me y’know? Could get me in so much trouble.” He just smirked and grabbed her jaw.”you love that though, and don’t pretend like you don’t.”

3 years later Retired soldier!connie decided to start eating his little golden girl when he was officially a police man. He didn’t exactly have her fathers blessing but did he really need another man’s words to date the woman he loved and plans on marrying in the near future?

[balalaijka]

books read in 2024, with notes

Problém tří těles (The Three Body Problem), Liou Cch'-sin

loved it, beautiful suspense, the video game aspect was very cool, felt that the last section where we see the trisolarans’ perspective makes it better thematically but weakens the dread that was so prevalent otherwise

Arabian Nights, transl. Haddawy

delightful, had some extremely raunchy parts that i wasn’t expecting, honestly it’s fascinating to see the convergence of so many literary impulses side by side

Červotoč (Carcoma), Layla Martínez

a shorter weird horror about cycles of trauma in three generations of women in a house with skeletons both metaphorical and literal within its walls

Kluci ze hřbitova (Cemetery Boys), Aiden Thomas

the plot was a bit predictable but the romance was sweet and yes, i did cry at the end a bit

Děti duny (Children of Dune), Frank Herbert

honestly i think herbert really struck gold with his writing of sibling relationships, the contrast of alia and paul’s dooms and leto ii and ghanima’s adventures were the highlight here

Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov

for a “problematic novel” i felt that nabokov does an excellent job of reminding us of hh’s monstrosity even if it is told directly through his pov, loved the literary references from edgar allan poe to carmen—always elegant but with the edge of almost satirizing intellectualism itself

The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson

honestly a perfect book to read even when you’re feeling burnt out—the nonlinear and rambling style makes it very interesting to read without taxing you too much, and the discussions of queerness and sexuality and art were throughly enjoyable

Entangled Life, Merlin Sheldrake

love this chaotic mess of a man, who’ll tell you about the chemical structures and scientific methods on one page and then describe taking lsd and brazenly admitting to apple theft on the next

The Wounded Sky, Diane Duane

as a fan of duane’s young wizards series, this is a fascinating window into the transition from her star trek novels to original writing, the banter is infectious, the alien characters delightful and the scifi jargon jargoning

EDIT: the lovely Ms. Duane herself clarified that the original fiction came first, my bad!

Binti: Home, Nnedi Okorafor

as a fan of the first book who felt that more time was needed to explore binti’s trauma, this book gives that narrative its space, and also delivers an honestly heartbreaking story about returning home but it’s not home not really because you changed but you love it but did it love you or did it only tolerate you when you fit its ideas of who you should be? the line “you used to be such a beautiful girl” made me bawl

The Devourers, Indra Das

the simple version of the summary is “iwtv but werewolves in mughal (?) era india,” it does fall into the trap of trying to make things edgy by indulging in game of thrones-style “grit”, but at the same time its a dream-like exploration of legacy and queerness

Wild Seed, Octavia Butler

a reread technically, but still holds up, butler does not hold back when it comes to fucked up power dynamics and the implications of having powers tied to genetics, anyanwu and doro remain some of the most fascinating depictions of immortals

Mind of My Mind, Octavia Butler

a shorter and more transitional work, i feel there could have been more detailing of the patternist society but on the other hand we see doro get his just desserts and it is amazing after all the shit he pulled in wild seed

Clay’s Ark, Octavia Butler

butler’s attempt at writing a horror slasher?

Bluets, Maggie Nelson

dreamy and indulgent, i generally just really love how nelson mixes up intellectualism and horniness like a cocktail and makes it amazing

Vicious, V.E. Schwab

amazingly paced with wonderful asshole characters, featuring a found family that probably shouldn’t have found each other and unapologetic vengeful sentiments

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

if you can ignore the voice in your head chanting “i would have done a better job hiding the books than montag,” this is an honestly life-changing examination of the importance of literacy??? the montag and beatty argument made me start annotating like i was in ap lit again

The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer

stories so bright and vivid you’ll be mad that movies purporting to be “realistic depictions of medieval times” are always gray and misery-filled

When We Cease to Understand the World (Un Verdor Terrible), Benjamín Labatut

while the “prussian blue” chapter remains my favorite, the whole thing is a really good examination of the tangle of scientific progress and human atrocities, though the titular chapter did drag on and verge more on “melodramatic biopic” territory rather than the dry menippean satire that the rest of the book is

[afternoonblues]

finally after almost 2 weeks, i've finished re-watching the raven of inner palace anime, re-read the first 5 volumes of the LN & completed the last and final 2 volumes. thus, concluding the whole series. (now, spoilers ahead!)

this is gonna be a long, a very much selfish ramble because i have so many things to say and so many feelings to feel so i just want to take things slowly and try to as carefully as possible articulate, for me to look back. i will probably talk about many characters along with the ones i had already mentioned during my first read of the vol. 1-5 during march of this year.

first of all, i didn't really expect that the inevitable sadness i felt while reading this story for the first time would resurface again. i almost deluded myself into thinking that i would easily skim through the 5 vols without much hesitations but...i was wrong. every single feelings rose up like steam from the hidden corners of my memory. but not just that, i could also additionally learn more about certain characters like senri, shiki, yozetsu and even eisei.

at certain parts of the story, i felt like i was reading again for the first time, feeling conflicted about certain characters like hakurai, shiki, banka (for example, why would she do that? why would she tell her father about jusetsu's secret even after all that knowing contemplations?) and her brothers but later as more pages were turned and we move along with the story, i understand her perspective and later, in the last two vols, her brothers too. it was serene how everything wrapped up at the end for these four siblings. they sort of became free of as ko jokingly said the curse put by their own father.

because we're on the topic of the ending, i'm gonna be honest, i was genuinely scared because i didn't want it to be too heartwrenching. i don't think i would've loved that feeling in my heart and soul. i am actually genuinely happy with how all the strings tied up at the end. all characters get their sufficient ending, albeit not all so satisfactory as we would all want but still there's not much of a tinge of utter sadness. except for, i guess, shin. but i will write about that a bit later.

the last paragraphs of the ending put such a big smile on my face. it was bittersweet, yes, but still an honest one. nothing out of ordinary and as i would expect of our main two protagonists. i liked that koshun and jusetsu never said any words of eternal parting during their last physical encounter (while they were still young). koshun said, "that's enough for today" after each of them placed their individual go stones. they kept communicating through sumaru, the star raven, the raven's original apparatus. i liked that their one common connection was the game of go. you know, i was washing my face this afternoon after finishing the final volume and realized something.

the go stones are black and white. remember how koshun said something along the lines - the moon has both shade and light. but koshun and jusetsu is both shade and light as well. they're not just two things respectively. both of them are inevitably a single thing - the moon. two halves of single entity. go stones are black and white. the moon too is both black and white, when in shade and when in light. therefore, this playing of go is the only thing that keeps them as one. this is that auspicious thing of their that they carry while on this journey of a relationship they have, regardless of how vast and distant it might be. i just...couldn't stop thinking about it. i really don't know if this is what it is supposed to mean but it is simply just my wishful interpretation. i will not enforce this theory upon anyone to agree with me.

i'm just glad that the hope and perhaps a dream that koshun had which is them still playing go even when they're elderly came true, after all. especially when he was not the emperor anymore and tied down by the shackles of the imperial ground. at the end of their lives, they were finally free. perhaps in next lives, they will become more closer and nothing will seperate them.

i was also glad that the story simply didn't end with jusetsu becoming free of the raven. i was worried that she would end up becoming a lone wanderer and go onto living a solitary life without at least a few people she made meaningful connections with. the absolute delight for me was when i read how not just onkei and tankai but jiujiu herself ending up tagging along with jusetsu on her path in becoming a sea merchant under the teachings of chitoku, kajo's father. i liked it very much when jiujiu was so adamant at joining her niangniang when she was embarking on the journey to find the other half of raven at je island. jiujiu knew that if she didn't, she would never be able to see her again. so good job on that, jiujiu!

as for tankai and onkei, i kind of expected them to tag along with jusetsu even when she would be free of all the shackles. this part was very much clear to me during the golden goblet chapter, involving tankai. the air changed after that time. the perfect found family to ever exist, i would say.

also the development of onkei's emotional openness with jusetsu was a nice thing to watch. he was practically distraught when jusetsu's soul drifted away. his realisation that at time of her imminent danger, he couldn't do anything. this never changed. he became overly conscious with the outmost safety and well being of jusetsu. things shifted in him after this incident and it continued till the end of the story. his feelings reflected more on his face and he became more open to talk and not just guard her out of liability. i think tankai remained almost the same. the only thing was that he was more honest and straightforward with jusetsu. his dynamic with jiujiu balanced out the reserved nature of both jusetsu and onkei, creating the perfect equilibrium.

as for kajo, i also believe that her ending was perfect too. that last encounter between kajo and jusetsu though....man, i teared up. also our girl told kajo that her father keeps her childhood shoes with him as an auspicious item while travelling on sea waters. for kajo who always thought that her father didn't think much of her, this must have come like a whirlwind for her along with the imminent departure of her beloved amei, jusetsu who finally...finally!!!! called her aje as she said her farewell.

oh, kajo, i cried with you. but i was so happy that koshun never abandoned her, which i knew he would never. and, i simply knew no one could've been a better empress than her. her taking in banka's child and adoring him is something i expected from her. even banka herself knows her son was in better hands. kajo has always been one of my favourite female characters in this story. since day one i haven't had a single conflicting thought about her. she was always so dignified and well-defined. truly the best aje jusetsu could ever ask for and i too agree that there's no way she could ever repay her back. it's a good feeling that it was kajo's father who took jusetsu under his wing, therefore, i would like to believe that the thread between kajo and jusetsu never severed or thinned. she sort of became a part of her family, her real amei.

while talking about conflicting, i can never ignore banka. now...look, i love this girl too. her character development was wonderful in my eyes. i was so goddamn happy when she lashed out at her father...which sort of ignited something in both shin and ryo. at this point, i had no idea about ko but oh dear....i had no idea what was in store. now...before that, i have said how i didn't like how even though banka knew what her father was like, she still gave away jusetsu's secret, all while she herself had opened up to jusetsu about her family curse and about her adopted younger sister. it was just...idk i was so taken aback by it all. but then i understood why did what she did. she was simply just a gaslighted seventeen year old girl, daughter of an absentee father, who simply wanted a bit of love and attention from him considering her mother was also no more. and later this also became evident in both shin and ko too as the story progress considering their mother too never looked at them and stayed cooped up in her room till her death. banka was simply...or i would say, the whole saname siblings are such a pitiful bunch. all because of that piece of shit of a father, choyo. he definitely did not get the death he should've deserved.

because what was that fucking logic again? just because jusetsu was not in existence to destroy that dusk jewel when he was having his rendezvous with his own younger sister, yo, who because of the saname clan curse would die eventually at fifteen. shouldn't her death have been resulted from multiple factors like her not knowing why a girl younger than her was adopted? what was this girl's purpose and the supposed curse in their family? also, the fact that not only a naive girl died on behalf of her, she had to also carry a child conceived through an incestuous relationship with choyo himself? we never really get her perspective on what her thoughts were on her relationship with her elder brother, choyo. i'm sure these two things multiplied way too much and became detrimental to her mental health and thus led her to death. where the hell does jusetsu's non-existence self come into play in all these? i have never in my life seen such bullshit logic for someone to literally do anything and everything to hate and kill someone.

and in all these, i would say it was shin suffering the most. the traumatizing truth of his origin just made me stunned. i never in my life expected this to ever happen. i always thought shin to be the better of the three brothers, especially considering how he had his own lil crush on jusetsu. i'm just glad he got to stand up against his father one last time, leave that godforsaken family, regardless of how much ryo resents him internally and live a new life, with a new name given by koshun. and most importantly, jusetsu was the one to console him. she is just such a good listener, a safe haven without any internalized prejudices. (she has done this countless times, with onkei, ishiha, tankai and even koshun.) anyway, i don't really think shin ever healed completely. his was the only ending that made me feel sad and incomplete.

as for ko, i had not much of an inkling of his personality...and considering the rumours that he might become the actual heir to choyo...i was like oh, i have an idea of what he might be like but that is what it is - just an idea, nothing more and nothing less. even with the way his first interaction with shin went as shin landed on ga province kept up with my idea of him but....then things started going downhill. the rumours were exponentially far from the truth and ko was just the most complicated sibling out of all the saname siblings, also afflicted with same things banka and his brothers were which at least i would say in his case, he got his saving through yozetsu jikei.

ko left me perplexed at times. neither did i like him nor did i dislike him. sometimes i feel empathetic towards and other times, i just absolutely don't like the things he says out of that mouth. his mind and his physical self were never in one place. this man was in a battle of his own. even though jikei fills up that father shaped hole in his chest, i still feel conflicted by what happened to jo after being verbally influenced by ko. while he got his saving, another got banished. kind of mirrors to what happened to him and shin, i believe. although for shin, it was self-inflicted out of external influence, kind of like self-exile. keeping his siblings at arm's length but jo's life gets eventually over. at least before ko came into the picture, he was doing something he was genuinely good at.

among the elderly people, i definitely love love love senri and jikei. these two are just so much of a favourite of mine. the best uncles i could ever ask for. i am also very glad that senri came into jusetsu's life at such a turnover point in her life, helping her, guiding her. somehow i feel like reijo and senri stands quite close to each other in jusetsu's heart. senri was the father she never had. plus both jikei and senri were fun characters too. they were elderly and far more experienced with life and the dealings of the world but still they carried a softness in their hearts even after facing their own trials and tribulations. unlike someone we know like choyo. the most detestable elderly character in this whole story. even i think gyoei perspective-wise had some legit reasons to dislike jusetsu. i personally find it unreasonable but i can excuse his extremely old age and long connection with reijo. at least hakurai too had his own redemption arc while fighting the ao god but choyo? nah, that man was just....ugh.

i'm just glad that senri and jusetsu kept communicating through letters even after he retired and she got freed and talked about her to others. jikei too, after his daughter's death, at least now he has a granddaughter to whom he's going to pour all his love that he wish he could give to his late daughter. especially without any regrets this time.

what surprised me the most apart from all these was the raven's unregulated emotional disposition. raven was truly one curious entity. her antics and personality were something i wasn’t anticipating at all. i had always assumed her to be a mysterious character with a heavy presence after all, with all the pretence that was set for thousands of years in association with the winter sovereign and eventually, with the raven consorts…especially contrasting to the menacing ao god. she was, you know what...a fun one actually. kinda badass too. and she is definitely not the bad guy people make her out to be. how sweet that even after the raven left jusetsu's body, she still kept her apparatus, sumaru to jusetsu so that she can communicate with koshun considering shogetsu, the owl's apparatus was there with him.

like that was her little thank you gift. for keeping her trust and freeing her to her true complete self.

oh another one, how can i forget? kosho. man....that whole interaction between jusetsu and kosho when her soul was drifting. ran yu kind of had every right to be scared of her. i too would be the same. i can never fathom how horrendous her obsession was...the curse and shackles she placed for every raven consorts to come after her. jusetsu was right. for kosho, ran yu was her tunnel vision. no lives ever mattered to her other than that.....not even her own. what a twisted character she was. but somehow idk i want a side story of how ran yu and kosho came to such point in their individual lives and then at last merged into one until again getting separated by death, that too in a horrible way.

additionally, i would like to say cho, even though was a minor character in the whole of the story was such a fun addition. cho was such a interesting fellow too, going into anti-existential crisis out of no where while witnessing the gods fight and randomly jumping into the sea all the while senri stood there flabbergasted, i let out a chuckle during that part for real…& then him washing up on the shore, all alive saying how “nah i don’t think the sea god likes me very much” to which senri absolutely disagrees saying how he couldn't have been any more farther away from the truth…what a silly guy. i love him.

shiki was one interesting fellow too. a grey one i would say. i don't have much to say about him because there wasn't much impact of him in my heart. he's just someone fighting his own demons. he has his own justifications for it and i guess, we all have our own too. good thing is at least, the final confrontation between hakurai and shiki let shomei's soul to pass over. i simply felt sympathetic for her more than anything.

random but now i wonder how koshun was like as a father? as he never really had a present relationship with his father and his mother's death has marked him for life. he had both a son from banka and a daughter from koei. i'm sure he was as gentle as ever. i can just not think of him anything other than that.

finally, as for eisei, what a lovely and bittersweet scene it was. the very last encounter we read between jusetsu and eisei where she asked eisei for his handkerchief while he was returning hers because it's auspicious to carry your relative's belonging while at sea. oh man. by this time, i was already sad with kajo & jusetsu's interaction so this just made me feel so devastated. her teasing at the end by calling him, brother or honorable elder brother....

in senri's words, "you never know where and how you're going to meet someone or whether they'll be able to help you. it's so curious how one single person can lead to another, and then another and another..."[....] "it applies to the dead as well."

overall, i would say i am just so exceptionally glad that shirakawa-sensei didn't leave all the loose ends untied for us readers to conjure up events in our heads but rather took it upon herself to close the chapters on each of the characters, regardless of how much painful their individual lives have been. all lives eventually end. we all become something unknown after our death. i'm just happy that our protagonists might not have gotten the usual romantic ending as anyone would expect but i think they had enough love between them for them to suffice till old age. such thoughts were presented by eisei and kojo multiple times during their individual internal monologues throughput the story.

koshun and jusetsu were more than lovers, family and friends, perhaps they were something we are yet to discover, you know.

P. S apparently, ishiha ends up as the winter minister, raven's oracles were from hatan clan after all (how interesting is it not that a raven consort herself, the final one ever taught ishina to read, write and speak who will not continue her legacy more or less) and i'm assuming ayura becomes the ritual coordinator. you can find some easter eggs here. i hope we get more of shirakawa-sensei's works in english. i just really love the way she builds her characters.

( + i would've completed reading the whole series much faster if kali puja & deepavali hasn't fallen inbetween. 2-3 days literally went by because i was busy with festivities responsibilities at the end of october.)

[aboutzatanna]

Zatanna, Wonder Woman and Barry Allen go undercover in this issue of DC Retroactive: JLA- The 70's #1 (2011) and Diana is absolutely terrible at it:

For those who don't know DC Retroactive are untold stories set in past continuities mostly by writers from those eras.

This issue was written by Carey Bates with art by Andy Smith.

(Side note: While Diana being 'bad' at going undercover is just a two page gag, it makes more sense for me that Diana, former 'Goddess of Truth' and wielder of the Lasso of True wouldn't be comfortable with secret identities. I never liked the idea of Diana needing a secret identity. )

The plot of this issue mainly revolves around Adam Strange, who is accidentally transported to Earth Prime following a fight with Kanjar Ro so Barry, Diana, Zatanna and Ollie travel to Earth Prime to rescue him while Hawkman and Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) take on the newly empowered Kanjar Ro.

Earth-Prime is basically "our world" where the JLA are all fictional characters and the writers and creators exist on that earth. It's also the world where Superboy Prime originally came from. Since Adam had his mind zapped at a mental institute, the only solution is to find DC editor and Adam Strange super fan Julius Schwartz who can jog Adam's memory.

I'm not really a fan of creators writing themselves or their collegues into the story. It feels very self congratulatory. Especially since WW's lasso could have solved the whole thing. I much prefer how Marvel did it, like an Easter Egg, where Stan and Jack would sometimes appear as themselves in issues of Fantastic Four. But I guess you can look at this issue as Carey's tribute to Schwartz. This issue also came with a reprint of Justice League of America #123 where Carey Bates wrote himself (or rather his Earth Prime counterpart) as the villain of the story.

Adam Strange himself is a character that I have mixed feelings about. He's very much a product of his time but the ordinary guy with a space suit, jetpack and helmet really appeals to the young boy in me who loved the Rocketeer. I don't think anyone has ever quite figured out how to make him relevant today. Tom King tried in his mini but it was the usual trope of 'lets reveal this innocent Silver Age character is actually a horrible person' variety of reinvention.

Anyway, enough rambling, since this is a Zatanna blog, here is a few moments with her that I like:

-The League chilling on the tower, Diana looks like she is oogling at Zee plus Hal being a Pink Floyd fan:

-Zatanna and Barry interactions plus Barry taking a leader ship role:

-This bit about mind wipes:

Knowing how much of a nerd Barry is he probably folded inside when she called him boss.

Also while this was most likely an excuse to bring in Julius Schwartz, Zatanna not tampering with minds is more in character for her during this period especially since the arc with her mom also had a subplot of her being mad that her father played with her mind. Another point deducted from Identity Crisis.

Blink and you miss it panels where the artist is clearly showing off their ability to draw human body in perspective:

And Diana wanting to take a selfie after the League defeats Kanjar Ro:

(also Diana's clearly a history geek, only a history geeks would drop random facts about Incas completely unprompted):

Overall, it's an old school issue. Very much a throwback. Still it's noteable that the writer of this issue didn't do the almost obligatory 'Zee gets gagged or taken out early so other characters can shine' plot. Every one has a role and everyone contributes their fair share to help defeat the villain.

[officialsporkintheroad]

Dear Diary

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing: one-sided Tom Riddle/Harry Potter | one-sided Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter | one-sided Ginny Weasley/Harry Potter | one-sided Myrtle Warren/Harry Potter

Warnings: Canon-typical Violence, Tom being a murderous psycho, strong language

Summary: Everything Tom Riddle knows about Harry Potter came to him second-hand from the morons in love with the boy.

---

Despite what one might think, Tom Riddle did not first hear of Harry Potter from Ginny Weasley’s fruitlessly pathetic ramblings on her crush.

No.

He learned the cursed name, Harry Potter, from Draco Malfoy’s fruitlessly pathetic ramblings on his crush.

But let’s back up a moment. It started like this:

It was three weeks to the start of his second year and Draco was in a mood.

(If any of his dormmates had been consulted, they would argue that Draco was almost always in a Mood, capital “m” intended, and that really you’d be better off saving your breath and counting the times he wasn’t having some sort of a fit.)

Three weeks left of summer hols and Draco was still struggling to fully master his new Nimbus 2001. Which was a necessity if he was going to make Slytherin seeker—and he would, he had to, he had to beat Potter. Potter, who had already been made Gryffindor seeker a whole year ahead. When first years weren’t even supposed to be on the house teams or have their own brooms!

All of which he was dead set on ranting about to his father, if only because Father would sneer and huff about Potter too while Mother would merely hum and say, “Draco dear, if the boy matters so much to you, why don’t you write him?”

Except his father wasn’t in his office when Draco went to check. And he knew his father’s study was supposed to be off limits when he wasn’t home, though the particular reasoning as to why had long been forgotten. But he was just so…so irritated.

And there, sitting on a pile of things father had set aside to take to Borgin & Burke’s in light of the more aggressive dark-artifact raids that had been happening lately, sat a perfectly blank diary. Completely unused.

Rubbish, Draco thought, admiring his father’s cleverness because the scheme was obvious: convince Borgin that the diary was some dark artifact and sell it for a decent sum when in truth it was nothing more than a bit of leatherbound parchment that had once belonged to some…Tom Riddle bloke.

Normally, Draco might’ve been put off in using something that was clearly second-hand, but if he only used it to write about Potter…and if he ripped those pages out afterward and burned them…well, what did it matter? He needed to get the words out somehow and this seemed as good an option as any.

So he took it, the diary that belonged to Tom Riddle. And for the first time in 50 years, magic began to stir within the pages.

“Stupid Potter with his stupid curly hair that’s all dark and soft. And his stupid green eyes, looking like emeralds. How ridiculous. And his stupid little smile, the one that’s all smug and his teeth are stupidly straight. And when he’s riding on his stupid broom doing flips in the air—who stands on a broom to catch a snitch? In his mouth?”

Tom could feel himself losing braincells.

Truly, the only thing stopping Tom from outright murdering the insipid child for using his diary for this drivel was the fact that the magical signature was so clearly a nice dark gray. It would be a shame to kill off a potential ally just because they were young and stupid. With any luck, they’d grow up to be powerful and at least slightly less stupid, and even if this trite crush on the thrice-damned Potter persisted, at least the Potters were a pureblood family who had been known to marry in with the Blacks before.

“That is quite ridiculous,” Tom wrote back, because it was always best to seem in agreement with people you were hoping to manipulate. “My name is Tom Riddle. May I ask how you came upon my diary?”

There was a flicker of surprise, hesitation, considering.

“It was on my father’s desk,” the child wrote eventually. “And I’m Draco Malfoy, heir of the Malfoy family.”

“Ah, a pleasure. I knew Abraxas Malfoy quite well when we were in school.”

“Really? He was my grandfather.”

That was quite a bit more time than Tom had been expecting. At his last true memory, Abraxas had only been 16 himself and it was hard to imagine him older, perhaps graying—not that you’d be able to tell, really, with the Malfoy platinum blond—not only married but with children. With grandchildren, Merlin’s beard. He did the math quickly and estimated it must have been at least 40-50 years since he’d made the diary then.

He wondered where his other self was, if he’d accomplished everything he set out to do. If he’d made more horcruxes, the seven they’d planned on.

“And who’s this boy you’re rambling about then?” Even if the nonsense about the Potter child was useless, it was always good to build rapport, let Draco think Tom was interested in what he had to say, that Tom could be trusted. Then he could ask what he really wanted to know.

“Harry Potter. He’s an arrogant snob who thinks he’s better than everyone just because he was supposed to have defeated the Dark Lord as a baby—”

If Tom had any sense of bodily functions trapped in the diary, he would have just choked. As it was, he felt frozen with dread and fury and confusion all blending together. The Potter boy had done what?

“—if you buy into that. Father says it’s just Dumbledore’s propaganda and that the Dark Lord isn’t really dead, so that means that Potter’s just full of shit I mean he’s not nearly as impressive as he thinks he is. Can you believe he refused to shake my hand? As if he, a half-blood, was better than me.”

Just what the hell had happened while Tom had been trapped away in the diary? Clearly his other self had fallen far if he’d been bested by a baby.

At least it seemed that Abraxas’s son was still loyal if he truly believed Voldemort wasn’t gone. And trusted with guarding a piece of Voldemort’s soul, no less.

Yes, Tom was confident the elder Malfoy would do what was needed to sort this mess out.

---

Tom was most definitely not confident in the elder Malfoy. The man was a moron.

Case in point: he’d given away the diary to miserable little mouse of a first-year named Ginny-not-Ginevra. If he was feeling generous, perhaps he would have allowed that this might be a plan to offer up a life-force for Tom to feed off of, maybe even give him the opportunity to open the Chamber of Secrets again. Tom was not feeling generous, however, and so the elder Malfoy was going to suffer immensely once Tom got out of this damned book.

Because what were the odds of the only two people writing in his diary in the past 50 years both having a crush on the same boy, who also happened to be the person allegedly responsible for killing Tom’s counterpart.

If he had to hear one more word about Harry Potter…

“He’s so nice and sweet and handsome. He said hello to me that morning at breakfast, his smile so warm. And his eyes…they’re so green. Like—”

Let me guess, emeralds, Tom thought to himself, eyes rolling.

“—like a fresh-pickled toad. Oh. That could be a good poem, don’t you think Tom?”

Poetry. Dear God. No.

Was this some sort of cosmic justice for making a horcrux? If so, Tom was almost tempted to wish he could take it back.

“Hm. His eyes are green as a fresh-pickled toad/His hair…hm…his hair is dark as…a blackboard. Yes. I like that. And of course he’s so heroic too, defeating You-Know-Who and ending the war. I wonder if he’s like all the heroes in the stories? You know, romantic and noble.”

“Perhaps if you talked to him, you might find out,” Tom offered, trying to keep the snippiness out of his writing. Regardless of whether it was the elder Malfoy’s intention or not, Tom was going to take advantage of this situation to make his great return. Starting with the terror of opening the Chamber, petrifiying as many mudbloods as possible. Then he’d suck the life out of Ginny-not-Ginevra so that she’d never have to burden another soul with her incessant, inane chatter.

And if he was very, very lucky, he’d get the chance to kill Harry Potter too, and he’d make it hurt.

“Oh no. I could never just talk to Harry. What would I even say? He’s too cool. He’d never even make time for someone like me.”

But in the meantime, perhaps Tom could still have some fun.

“Then you must make him see you. Perhaps once you finish your poem, you could send it to him.”

“That’s a great idea, Tom! You’re the best!”

---

Somehow, Ginny-not-Ginevra had cottoned onto the fact that Tom was controlling her. A pity, too, since she’d been so very easy to bend to his will. Her mind was weak, feeble, and it had taken next to nothing to possess her.

Perhaps he’d dragged it out too long. If he’d ended her sooner, she wouldn’t have had the chance to throw him into the women’s loo. The indignity of it was unparalleled, and for that, Ginny-not-Ginevra was going to die slowly, painfully, and screaming.

Especially since Myrtle Warren—who had been enough of a blight upon humanity in his own time—was still loitering around the bathroom where she’d died. On the plus side, she was intangible and therefore couldn’t write. That small measure of good news was massively outweighed by the fact that as a spirit with a very strong tie to the mortal realm, Myrtle Warren was capable of projecting her thoughts. Right. Into. Tom’s. Diary.

Not that she knew she was doing it, but still.

“It’s so miserably lonely here. If only Harry would come back. He’s so handsome and so nice. The nicest boy I’ve ever met. Maybe he’ll die and want to share the bathroom with me. Oh! Maybe he’ll drown in the tub—”

There was a lot to unpack there and Tom wasn’t going to touch any of it. Instead, he tried to project his own murderous intent as loudly as possible to get her to shut the hell up, but either it wasn’t a two-way radio or Myrtle’s own whining was too loud to let anything else through.

If I could kill her again, I would, he thought uncharitably when she started scream-sobbing loud enough to wake the dead.

---

If it had been anyone else—anyone else—Tom would have been relieved to have been picked up off the floor of the bathroom and laid out to dry on a nice desk somewhere warm. But…

“Hello. My name is Harry Potter.”

He’d fucking had it with Harry fucking Potter.

Yes, the boy was decent enough not to ramble and instead got straight to the point. Blunt, though not rude. Curious, if naïve and too trusting. And when Tom had pulled Harry into his diary, the boy’s magic was not the blinding brightness he’d expected from the light’s savior but dove gray. Balanced and soft and—

And Harry Potter was a disappointingly average, useless boy who Tom would not waste another moment on.

He would lure Ginny-not-Ginevra back to him, use her life force to regain a body of his own, and then…

Then, the world would be his.

---

“Ginny. Ginny, please wake up—”

“She won’t wake,” Tom said, stepping out of the shadows.

There, finally in front of him in the flesh, stood Harry Potter. Perhaps Tom should have expected it—didn’t everyone say Harry was heroic, self-sacrificing, a fearless savior? Still, he hadn’t really thought…Harry, able to find the Chamber, able to speak the parseltongue to open it, traverse the passageways only to arrive here, alone and woefully unprepared, and yet somehow still fierce.

Dark hair curling against pale skin, smudge with dirt and grime and looking all the more battle-ready for it. Spark-bright eyes; they really were an almost alarming shade of green. Like the killing curse itself. And yet the most compelling element—something which had to be seen in person to be understood, the very thing that had been missing from all of the disgustingly lovelorn descriptions of Harry—was the angry, sharp, vicious something hiding underneath that veneer of goodness.

Tom wanted to dig his fingers into it and bring it to the surface, rip away all the unnecessary heroism and pretense of goodness, carve until all the was left were the shimmering gems of potential buried not-so-deep in the boy. Tom could do it, too. Harry would not be easy to bend to his will, not like Ginny-not-Ginevra, not like his schoolfellows, not like the teachers he wrapped around his fingers.

No. Harry Potter would be a challenge, and—

Oh.

Oh.

Oh no.

[secretkryptoniteangel]

favorite brightly-colored homestuck Aspect?

Okay, for this, looking at the aspect wheel, i'm going to include the following aspects: Mind, Hope, Breath, Life, Light, Time.

These are all fairly saturated, though i did remove space since in the god tier robes, the primary colour is black. Life was tenuous, since it is mostly beige and browney grey, but the bright green clinches it in.

SO, upfront, Aradia Megido is my favourite character and i love Dave and Damara, so that's going to be a big bias in this :D

So let's rule a few out!

Mind; Whilst i like the shenanigens of Terezi, i've never been overly enamoured with her, i think she has cool stuff going on and is an interesting character, but i've never been drawn to her. Latula is fine i guess, she's a sk8ter girl who i will see later girl!

Hope: Before i settled on Void as my aspect, i was hopebound! This gives us Eridan, who i did like in murderstuck as someone having gone completely off the rails, but it also gave us booty shorts bulgeless Jake, and like, give the guy a break. We also got Cronus who i can't remember much of. This is disqualified by default as its characters reference h*rry p*tter, which, please get over anyone who still stands by it, hope this helps <3

Life: I'm ruling this one out since there are more interesting characters, as mentioned in another post, i love the Peixes but i don't think Feferi was given enough time to be her own character! or the comic is just 8k+ pages long and it gets lost in it, who knows. and Jane is alright, but she's not the life of the alpha kids party! the Lalonde holds that title.

Breath: John (the June) Egbert is the standout here, I like Tavros, especially his victory dance in the great sands of irrelevance in the void, but that's about it. Do not get me wrong, The young man who stood in his room after 13 years of life will always have a special place for me.

That leaves Light and Time! and what a showdown it is!

Light has a lot of good points, namely Rose Lalonde, my second favourite character. What she did to that Ogre was fucked up and we love her for it. Additionally we have the Serkets! Vriska i really believe was a much better character pre-retcon, where she got to grow and be her own person and *feel* things rather than being a vessel for the plot and having her worst traits confirmed to be correct by divine (john the june) intervention. Aranea i really enjoyed the arc, ending with Game Over, and how fucked up she got everything whilst believing she could Mary Sue the timeline back to health and away from the literal god of double death, not your best thought out plan but i like the initiative!.

Time has some major factors for it. Aradia Megido. This alone could propel it to the top and destroy any competition. HOWEVER, for the sake of fairness, i will talk about them. So, Dave, is a really good character, partially for the slow realisation a lot of us had about his homelife. Initially i was thinking, it's just a comic, of course this guy lives in a pseudo ninja training place. But hindsight is powerful. He is also a very fun character and a blast to write sometimes! He's definitely a lot of the glue that help the beta kids together, his inane ramblings being a definite high point. Damara is an interesting one, since we see a decent amount of her pre and post scratch self, the latter having an exceptionally subpar time in the hands of the infamous doctor. I think if her pre-scratch self had more time to hang out with the beta kids, she's be a much more appreciated character, since as far as i remember, she was very nice to people who hadn't hurt her!

This round goes to Time! as was expected from the disclaimer, and from the volume i wrote about them despite not really writing anything about Aradia. I mean what is there to say? She's unbeatable

[hexenmond]

Webcomic Wednesday: The Witch Door

Well, I've been thinking about this the whole day now, and I'm almost frustrated that I can't seem to put this into words so easily. What's great about The Witch Door? Well honestly, what isn't?

I thought about Anni's other comic (Transfusions) and how I'm finding that easy to sum up – vampire BL with explicit scenes. I mention those few words and most people will have a fairly good grasp of what to expect and whether they might like it or not. (I personally hesitated a long time before reading it, because this is actually NOT something that's right up my alley. Turned out to also be good though.)

For The Witch Door, I can't seem to find an easily digestible handful of descriptive words like that. I feel like it is very much the sum of all of its intricate details, and it doesn't fit any simple bill. So I'll resort to reviewing my favourite bits about it…

It has great characters

Seriously, all of them are well thought out and engaging, not a single dull person among them. I love all of them so much that I have actually put ALL of them in my fanfiction (except for the Lintukoto people as they belong to the main canon storyline, which I'm not touching on). That includes Ulriikka, the fluffiest plot device ever.

Tangential to that: it has great representation

There's young people. Old people. Thin people. Fat people. Light-skinned people. Dark-skinned people. Live people. Dead people. Bird people. Ummm… a cat who is definitely also people. And other assorted… humanoids? And oh, sexualities for every letter of the alphabet!

The worldbuilding is intriguing

I'd roughly call the setting "urban fantasy", but that could mean so many things really. In a world much like the one we know, there are witches with differing magical abilities, some powerful, some almost mundane, but most importantly there is this one simple, cool thing that opens up so many possibilities, and that is the concept of the Witch Door: each witch has a special door that can lead to any other witch's special door. So even though our protagonists live in Turku, we have already spent an afternoon in New York and one in Kyoto, without anybody breaking a sweat.

… but it's also kinda slice-of-life

I really love the way that protagonist Katariina – non-magical, bog-standard human who works as a nurse – accidentally stumbles onto her neighbour's secret (he's a witch with a witch door), but her life's still lifing, so it's not all just magical discoveries and fun and games from then on. More like her world gets expanded, but that also means that on top of her own, mundane everyday problems she now learns about things happening in the magical community that are possibly even more concerning, and even less actionable. Katariina deals with all those new experiences with curiosity, wonder, compassion, delight, and occasionally overwhelm, and she feels so real for that.

It's about friendships

The more I think about it, that might be what I love most about the comic. We meet a whole bunch of people and all the relationships and interactions are just gold. At the heart of it, there's a lot of people caring about other people in quiet, everyday ways. Everyone is allowed to have their own struggles, and people are so supportive of each other. And there's also snark and banter, delicious!

I nearly forgot: It also has villains!

I do feel I've managed to avoid spoilers in all my rambling here, so I won't say too much about the antagonists. Just this: they exist, they are still a bit of a delightful mystery (we're in chapter 12 as I am writing this), and I fully believe they are just as complex and well thought out as all the other characters. I love to hate them.

Conclusion

If I've managed to pique your interest, why not take a look at the 6 page prologue? And then take the plunge into a completely different kind of mystery with chapter 1 🙃 where we're introduced to both of our protagonists separately, and then to the magic of the fluffy plot device.

Or, if you're unsure about whether reading this comic will bring joy to you and you don't want to just take the plunge and check it out (which I can relate to!), feel free to ask me questions about it!