#i’m genuinely going to be thinking about rocket for so long

[vault--of--amber]

watched gotg3 finally. and i’m normal about it i’m completely okay. i’m thinking normally about drax and mantis sibling banter and about rockets creation and i want a perfect body i want a perfect soul and about peter and gamora not getting together and about ravenger gamora and about floor and lila and teefs and why didn’t you make me good enough so that you could love me? and about “why didn’t you tell us?””why didn’t you ask” and about mantis fighting for what she wants and about how drax had a daughter and he loved her and about rocket raccoon and about how in the end they split up even though that means you can’t milk the franchise anymore because this is the good ending and happiness hit her like a bullet in the back and about he’s funny and he loves us and isn’t that enough? and about nebula and kraglin and about quill coming back to his grandfather and it all circles back and about rocket and being worth something on your own. i’m normal i’m so completely average about this movie

[soosth]

AANG ＆ OZAI PARALLELS: DEBUNKED

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Because apparently the true villain is the sole survivor of a genocide of his entire nation, and not the imperialist colonizer.

Where do I even begin?? Because I’m genuinely holding in laughter writing this, it’s absolutely insane how certain people can make such egregious parallels that aren’t even found in the first place. 

AH, so a little backstory on how this fucking shit stained idea even came to existence, well our dear z^tara fans pissed their pants over Zuko and Katara not tying the knot, so, as a way of retribution for their supposed “honour” They take any chance to jump on the Aang hate train and make him into some irredeemable abusive demon, aaand they got that perfect opportunity because the LoK decided to take a lick out of the great “Main Characters Must Be Bad Parents In The Sequels” Trope. Which personally, does absolutely nothing to the protagonists resolution aside from cheap family drama but I digress. 

Now, I’m not behind the idea of the writers trying to make Aang a “flawed” Parent, I think it really makes no sense by how they went about it, (I might touch on this in another post) 

((And it’s so very clear that they’re trying to give it a soft “retcon” And even taking extra steps saying that Kya and Bumi just “remember wrong” Which I’ll actually take, because season two of LOK was hell on earth anyway so you might as well give it some saving grace.)) 

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There’s three main parallels that they got from Ozai and Aang: (god help me)

Favouring a child

isolating the rest

leaving pressure On the golden child

I’m going to debunk all three of them while trying not to fall into complete lunacy over how ridiculous they are. 

Favouring a child + Leaving pressure: 

OK, so people are clearly blind with context clues and media comprehension, got it. No surprise whatsoever. I can’t be disappointed if I didn’t even have any expectations to begin with. 

Let’s compare the treatment on how Ozai treats Azula, and how Aang treats Tenzin. (Holy Shit)

Beginning with Ozai, well.. It doesn’t take much of a rocket scientist to understand that Ozai essentially could not give two fucks about Azula, as she in essence, serves the role of an attack dog, as long as it does its job, it’s worthy. 

Ozai favoured Azula because she was molded to match his ferocity and hunger for power, she was a prodigy bender, and was cunning and calculated, all traits that Ozai found endearing and someone worthy to be crowned the next “fire lord.” His “favouring” Of her didn’t come out of genuine love or care, she is his tool who serves a purpose. In short, she showed more competency and more ruthlessness and callousness in comparison to Zuko. Which earned her, her place as the “Golden Child.”  

-------

None of this is even remotely similar to how Aang treated Tenzin and his kids, aside from the fact he supposedly “favoured” Tenzin more, but that is such a baseline statement and has absolutely no relation with Ozai's reasons.

You have to understand that an entire FUCKING NATION IS DEAD. History, Culture, Tradition, is at the BRINK of being wiped out, Tenzin is quite literally the only Airbender that will be left after Aangs passing. Why do people devalue this concept so much? 

“B-BUT THE AIR ACOLYTES1!!” Still have limited knowledge, airbending is so heavily tied to its spiritual roots, you LOSE your ability to AIRBEND, if you aren't inclined to your spiritual side. Which is a core part of the air nomad culture. Tenzin is... Literally the only god forsaken part left of that, so yeah. It’s a pretty big fucking deal. Aang values his culture and teachings to such a high degree, he is literally the survivor of a genocide. His favouring of Tenzin was done out of necessity and love, not out of a need for power and a new attack dog to send orders around. 

Tenzin will literally be the future “Director” Or guide for the next avatar to learn airbending, people still forget this, and it’s hilarious. He needs to know all the moves, all the teachings because he will be the next avatar's personal guide. 

Aang constantly reassures him, and apologizes for the pressure that may be put upon him but he always reaffirms that he’ll be there to guide him and they’ll “learn together”

---------

So yeah not the same thing at all. Fuck you for being so inept at understanding the different reasons and perspectives of those situations, just for some petty ship discourse, genuinely disgusting.

Isolating the children:

OK this part, I have to say that the writers definitely messed up with aangs characterization, but I think the execution came out way differently than the intention, so I will try to look more into the intention of each decision.

Ozai isolated Zuko, mistreated him, belittled him, PHYSICALLY ABUSED HIM, but yeah totally on par with Aang actually. 

I don’t wanna touch on this part much mainly because his treatment was literally explained all throughout the show, and granted, while I understand most of these people haven’t touched the show aside from reading fanfic 300000 Where Aang is revealed to us as satan himself, but perhaps, even a small peak at Ozai's parenting would reveal the laughable contrast between the two.

Zuko was a slow learner, and much more of a softie, and a “mama's boy” To Ozai’s heavy dislike, he was thus treated as such, he was belittled, turned down, and literally burnt alive for showing “weakness” He is meant to serve as a direct contrast to Azula, ”The everything he isn't.” 

Kya and Bumi on the other hand, don’t show any actual signs of trauma aside from some petty jabs they threw at Tenzin, 

Bumis talk with Aang at the statue was *very very* Clearly, meant to highlight his own inferiority complex that he internalized growing up. His need for proving himself to be capable of doing just as much if not more than a “bender” Probably happened because his two parents were both prodigy benders and him being a first born son who was a non-bender must’ve hit pretty hard for him, and I’m so sure that katara and Aang reassured how special he is but that kind of thing doesn’t really go away.

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Kya: [while healing Bumi] I told you those rocks were slippery. You're lucky you didn't kill yourself.

Bumi: You done with the lecture, mom?

Kya: Oh, grow up. You haven't changed one bit since we were kids. You're still trying to prove you can do everything a bender can. Well, you can't. Deal with it.

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 That talk with Aangs statue was very much meant to unveil an internal struggle rather than a conflict he had with his father. Kya even doubles down on this, telling him “of course he’d be proud of you” Basically spoon feeding to us, the viewers, that this is much more of internal than an external conflict that he has to overcome along the show. 

“Why Didn’t he share his culture with them 1!!1!” 

He most definitely did, or tried to, but it’s clear they didn’t show much interest so he didn’t pester, this is shown many times throughout the show. 

“You know I could never keep all those gurus straight… There were like a million of them!

remember that long boring story about the guy who never ate?”

This is literally Kya’s remark to Tenzin just after he tried teaching the airbender students this story, basically telling us that Aang DID try to tell them about his stories and culture, but much to their disinterest, didn’t try any further. 

And Bumi, literally could not pay attention to the story to save his life, and instead decided to fool around in his literal 60’s!! I mean Imagine what he was like when he was a kid!! 

I could imagine their dynamic was very similar to Jinora with Meelo and Ikki, Tenzin being the only one with actual interest and care, whilst Bumi and Kya goofing off and not putting much focus onto it. WHICH IS FINE BTW!! 

It only goes to reiterate that Tenzin was the only one who was actually giving interest and attention to the air nomad culture, and it was of Kya and Bumi’s own personal choice to not partake in it. To each their own I see. 

“BUT WHAT ABOUT THE VACATIONS” 

This.. I agree, weird for the writers to decide this, but given how they low-key are retconning it in interviews, my best guess is that each of those trips were side-quests during their journey to teach an important lesson that might’ve just drowned out because Tenzin may not have remembered it as well. 

Also keep in mind that Tenzin was put into a lot of pressure, Aang probably saw this, and as a way to still keep it enjoyable, he took him to trips that would help ease the mind for a little kid whilst also learning something valuable. That seems pretty on brand for Aang actually

And given that Kya and Bumi are literally in their fucking 60’s it wouldn’t surprised me if they didn’t have the greatest memory. Hell, they didn’t even fault Aang as a parent until Tenzin started boasting about “trips” That Kya and Bumi gave petty jabs but weren’t actually showing genuine hurt, just annoyance.

Kya even comments how Aang was too busy “Trying to save the world, and doing his duty that he didn't have much time for them” 

Phrasing as if it wasn't anything "important" But it's clear that this was Kya's own personal irritation towards Tenzin rather than an actual evaluation on Aang's duties.

A continuation comic best explains it in a deeper way:

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Literally showing that “neglecting” His kids wasn't up to him, and was out of a sense of necessity, trying to cram as much knowledge onto Tenzin, the only one who was basically putting his lessons into practices. Kya and Bumi were left feeling neglected. But that wasn’t out of his decision; he still loved them dearly.

-------

This. Literally highlighting how much pressure was forced upon Aang, so yes, as any person would, he struggled with making time for everybody. Holy shit who knew?? 

GASP!! IS THAT… A REALISTIC BUT UNDERSTANDABLE FLAW!!?? HOW DARE YOU! ITS OZAI #2 

The fact that the smiley energetic person forgets to SMILE, is a big deal, man was put through hells amount of stress but he never cracked.

So tell me, how is a genocidal freak, who treats his golden child like a tool and abuses the other both physically and emotionally for showing “weakness’ 

Even remotely comparable to

 the sole survivor of a genocide, trying to withhold his teachings and culture onto literally his only child that showed actual effort in doing so, while also maintaining the balance of an entire fucking world and being literally the biggest “advisor” And “Mentor” For society, OH! And also building and managing a literal city, but along the way struggling to make time for his children. 

Guess what, they’re not. And if you think they are. You are an idiot, with bias and headcanons.

So the conclusion is, Aang is a flawed parent, but he isn't a "bad" Parent - confirmed by the literal writers.

Comparing him to Ozai a literal dictator, is absolutely sickening, just for your petty shipping discourse when this show's been over for a decade is insane. Indulge in what you enjoy, but stop projecting delusions like they're canon.

:D

[gabessquishytum]

I only seem to write you here when I’m incoherently tired so sorry in advance.

Im thinking about the wonder that hob and dream look on the world with together. Mr “they invented chimneys” and mr “I’ve never been a human and was locked in a fishbowl for the largest boom of human technical innovation” find joy in /everything/. Running water?? That’s hot?? Every type of food from the whole world available in a ten minute walk??? The fucking internet???? You can call a helpline if you’re sad??? Super tall buildings??? Making tea together every morning and there’s so many kinds? They wake up on different brightly colored sheets each day because dye is no longer as expensive as gold. Dream takes the tube so much he becomes a local cryptid. They stand and hold hands in the national portrait gallery. They watch every rocket launch livestream, no matter what time. They look on Hobs young students with joy. There’s new kinds of bread to eat, new shows opening. New languages to learn (for hob at least) new technology to break with his presence (for dream). There’s cat cafes and science museums and tesco and so many books coming out every day. They love the world together

-🦐

Oh I'm so soft about them!!

I'm convinced that sometimes Hob just has to go lie down on the floor and have a little cry over the sheer availability of THINGS. Abundance is the ultimate joy for any hedonist, let alone one who's been around since 1389. Imagine the delight he takes in Poundland, in international food buffets, in public transportation!! I'm fully convinced that one of Hob’s greatest love affairs is with the London Underground. It's there, under your feet! All the time! You can travel to the other side of town (not necessarily quickly, but it's quicker than walking... sometimes).

Mr Depression Personified, freshly unfishbowled Dream of the Endless, is gonna seem like he just took a fat dose of Duloxetine every time he hangs out with Hob. The joy is bone deep, and so infectious. Watching Hobplay Just Dance at 3am because he just remembered that he owns a Wii genuinely heals some part of Dream that shattered long, long ago.

Imagine what it's like for Hob, as well. Spending time with someone who knows that he's actually a medieval peasant who's lived well past his sell-by date. He gets to be honest in his excitement for things like ibuprofen and chocolate flavoured vodka. He can go to museums with Dream, and Dream will understand why he gets that distant misty look in his eyes when he sees a certain familiar object.

Other people can stare or laugh at Hob’s joy, but Dream will never do that. Its never silly or funny to see Hob rave about some entirely ordinary object, it's just. Important. And quite beautiful. For Dream, it's possibly the most beautiful thing in the world.

[oldwritingm]

Congrats on the four hundred followers. When this open can I get one for Mercy by Shawn Mendes and Fem reader with Lloyd. Thank you

Loved the vibes for this one!! :D

Word count: 1.1k

Ninjago - Mercy (Lloyd) (400 follower event)

The sunset’s angry hues were giving in to the calmer shades of night on the horizon, the sun’s fervent flames being doused in the blue ocean that seemed to stretch on into infinity. You blinked slowly, giving your eyes a rest from the intense view.

Keeping your eyes closed for a second, you listened to the waves crashing on the rocks below. From up high on the cliffside it was a soft hiss, but you knew that down there it was a deafening roar of water.

“Hear that?” You smiled, opening your eyes to glance at the blonde boy sitting beside you.

“Yeah,” he said, his gaze dropping from the horizon to his feet extended out in front of him. He was clearly thinking about something deep. Not wanting to disturb him again, you just turned back to the sunset.

Your fingers brushed through the grass, appreciating the coolness that was settling in as the light faded.

You didn’t notice, but as you moved your hands they brushed gently against Lloyd’s balled fists, which contracted even tighter at your touch.

Lloyd’s lips were pressed into a firm line. Here you were, languid and lethargic as a cloud beside him, while he was tighter than petrified wood. He always got like this when he was this close to you; his entire body would tense up, and he’d send frequent shy glances in your direction. He could never decide if he was grateful for the way you never seemed to take notice.

There were a lot of things you didn’t notice. The way he’d stare at you when you talked, the longing glances he’d send when you were across the room, the way his voice changed ever so subtly when he was talking about you… you were aloof, indifferent to it all.

And worse were the things you did, again, without notice. You’d grab his hand, pull him close, hug him, tell him how handsome he was, how brave, how kind. You’d tell him how important he was to you. You’d tell him he was your favorite.

It wasn’t that you seemed insincere; no, you were more genuine than anyone Lloyd had ever met. But that was part of the problem. How could you be so real, yet not feel something more profound around him, like he did around you?

He forced his clenched jaw to relax. It’s not like you did this on purpose, he reminded himself. Maybe it’s just me getting too attached, he lamented.

And then you said it.

“This is the type of sunset you’ve gotta share with someone special.”

And then you did it.

You smiled. The way your lips curved told him that there could be nothing more real, more special than what was between you two. But what was that?

“I can’t do this anymore, Y/n!”

You blinked, your smile dropping. For a moment Lloyd was sad to see it go, but he shook his head in frustration and the feeling was gone.

“I know you don’t do it on purpose, but… can’t you see what you do to me?”

“What do I do to you?” You looked concerned.

“You—!” Lloyd gesticulated vaguely, not quite sure what he was doing himself. He threw his hands up with a sigh, giving up on his hands and trying words again.

“When I’m around you, my heart beats so fast. Your smile makes me feel like I’m rocketing up into the sky. Your voice is my favorite sound. Sometimes I just sit there wishing you’d tell me to do something, anything, so that I can feel like I’m doing something for you, too. Because you’re always the highlight of my day. The days I don’t see you are almost unbearable.”

He ran a hand through his hair, bringing his knees to his chest and keeping his gaze directed downwards.

“I just… I’m like your puppet. You’ve got this grasp on me. I’d do anything for you. I’d sacrifice my life for you; I’d do it twice!”

You were just watching him, eyes wide, lips parted in a shocked expression. You wanted to speak, but there were no words.

“And the worst of it is… you don’t even know that you do this to me.” His voice dropped to a miserable whisper as he said: “You don’t even feel the same.”

“Lloyd,” you said at last. It didn’t come out pitifully. Nor did it come out angrily. It was a command for his attention, and you got it straight away. You felt a strange pang of guilt as his pained eyes snapped over to you; was this really the effect you had on him?

You almost reached to hold his hands as you spoke, but you decided that this was a bad idea. Instead you just balled your fists and put them at your sides as you turned to face him.

“Lloyd… I’m able to be so affectionate towards you because that’s really how I feel. Affectionate, I mean. I… I love you! With my whole heart! I get this thrill whenever I’m able to give you a compliment or hold your hand—that’s why I do it. I guess I just never considered that you might feel the same. I’m so sorry, that must’ve been torture for you.”

“For me? What about you? You didn’t think I felt the same,” Lloyd blinked, eyebrows coming together in puzzlement.

You looked away bashfully. “Yeah, it hurt whenever you looked away all embarrassed or laughed awkwardly at me. But… I guess I misinterpreted it?”

A smile gradually curved Lloyd’s lips, and laughter began to bubble from his mouth. It became more and more intense, and you felt compelled to laugh, too.

“Are we both idiots?” Lloyd managed, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Idiots in pain. And for no reason, apparently.”

Your mouths both closed at last, the laughter leaving grins on both your lips. You stared at each other with looks of relief, of admiration, and for the first time you finally saw the affection you had for each other reflected in the others’ eyes.

And suddenly your lips were connected, and your hand was on top of Lloyd’s. His free hand held the back of your head gently, fingers subtly shifting as he felt your hair.

When you pulled apart, your foreheads came to rest against each other. You were both looking down at your hands; your thumb brushing Lloyd’s knuckles, Lloyd’s fist finally having relaxed.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“You have no idea how good it is to hear that.”

You giggled. “I could say the exact same thing.”

Thank you so much for taking part in our event!! And thanks for reading, take care loves <33

(divider by saradika)

[eunchancorner]

The Truth Behind 'Loyalty' (TTT)

Sven is a little shit. Henry hates leading. Carol's a good friend. That's all you need to know :3c

-

“Sven, please, have a seat,” Henry greeted the Head of Finances coldly, motioning to the chair across from his desk. Behind his own seat, Carol stood guard, her eyes trained on the blonde and her expression one of thinly-veiled anger. Silently, Sven sat, keeping his face calm and neutral.

“Why have I been called up, exactly? I’m assuming to discuss the finances over the canceled rocket project,” he guessed, resting his head in one hand, crossing his legs idly.

“Actually, Sven, this is a lot more serious,” Henry explained, “We have reason to believe you were aware of the traitor’s plot to kill me. Do you have anything to say to that?”

Sven froze. It was clear this wasn’t what he was expecting, making Henry think that he genuinely did believe he was just in here to talk finances. It also made Henry suspicious of him.

“What… gives you that idea…?” the blonde asked cautiously, straightening into a more tense position in his seat.

“We received an anonymous tip that you were complicit in the plot of my overthrow. You also seemed to be keeping well in contact with the traitor while I was in the Wall. Now, given the traitor’s identity, that, alone, isn’t evidence enough. What’s interesting, though, is the identity of the person who tipped us off. However, for their own safety, they’re going to remain anonymous.”

“I…” the blonde trailed off. His eyes were wide, he looked nervous, caught up in his own lies. It was clear as day to Henry that he’d obviously been colluding with Reginald the whole time. He just wanted to hear him admit it. 

After he was silent for too long, Henry began to grow impatient.

“Sven,” Henry warned, “If you don’t give me a clear answer on whether or not you helped the traitor, then not only will you be demoted, but you will be stripped of your Toppat status completely and locked in the brig, understood?”

“So hurry up and answer, shark boy,” Carol snarled in addition.

“Fine,” he conceded, “I knew what Pa and Dad were doing. And yes, I helped them. Pa’s a better leader than you and you know it. You don’t deserve this position.”

“And you don’t deserve to be a Toppat if you’re going to keep talking like that,” Carol warned, stepping forward before Henry stopped her.

“Sven, I was going to be nice about punishing you before you decided to use your admission of guilt to insult me,” Henry told him as he stood, “But that was completely uncalled for. Come with me to communications, I want you to hear the announcement I’m about to make personally.”

Henry led the way to the door, watching as Sven stood and followed, tailed by Carol, who kept a close eye on the blonde and a hand on the pistol holstered at her hip. The trio walked to the communications room, earning the confused and concerned gazes of several Toppats. Unluckily enough for Sven, two of those just so happened to be Reginald and his Right Hand Man, both of whom looked like they knew what was going on.

As they reached the room, Carol motioned for Sven to sit in a chair in the corner, while Henry walked up to the microphone that went to the PA system. He cleared his throat, and with a click of the button, began his announcement.

“Attention all Toppats, we have once again found a traitor in our midst. However, since this one was on the rocket when I made the original warning announcement, I won’t fault him for not stepping forward sooner. This being said, I will not award him the same anonymity I did his ‘partner in crime.’ Sven Svensson is being demoted from Head of Finances and his VIP status in the clan, effective immediately, for plotting with the traitor to kill me and take over. He is also being given restroom cleanup duty for one week for being a little shit while admitting this. I will warn you all again, now that the rocket crew has returned home; If any of you are also colluding with the traitors, come visit me in communications immediately, so proper punishment can be given. Failure to do so will result in being stripped of your Toppat status and imprisonment in the brig. Remember we do not take threats like this lightly. Thank you, and as always, keep your eyes up and your ears open.”

Henry turned to the blonde, who looked about ready to attack him. As a matter of fact, he made an attempt to do so, standing and running at Henry only to be caught by the back of his shirt by Carol.

“You prick! You can’t do this! I’ve been nothing but a loyal Toppat from the day I joined!” he roared, tears pricking his eyes as he attempted to swing at the leader, who stood just a few feet away.

“‘Loyal’ Toppats don’t plot to kill people just because they hate the power they have. You’re not loyal to the Toppats, you’re only loyal to your father. And as admirable as that is, it’s the worst argument you could possibly make right now…” Henry began walking towards the blonde, who’s movements seemed to slow as he drew closer. Finally, he stopped, towering over him. 

“So I’d advise you go take care of your new duty, before I decide to be less merciful with your punishment. Understood?”

“Yes… sir…” the blonde nearly squeaked, before being released with a shove towards the door. Henry watched closely as he stepped out and the door slid closed behind him.

He sighed, letting his tough demeanor fall away as the guilt weighed on his shoulders, putting his head in his hands.

“I hate being so mean to people… Is this really what I have to do for people to take me seriously?” he asked, glancing at Carol, who let out a sigh of her own.

“Unfortunately,” she told him, “They respond best to aggression… Actually, most of them only respond to aggression… It’s how they know you’re actually serious.”

“I just…” he trailed off, before sitting in the same chair Sven had been in, crossing his arms. “I just wish it didn’t have to be like this… Oh, and, uh… I guess you know who the traitor is now…”

“I… kind of… already… knew…” she admitted awkwardly, earning a shocked stare from Henry, so she elaborated. “You told me when you were drunk, though you probably don’t remember…”

“... Fuck…” he mumbled, putting his head in his hands once again.

“It’s alright, I haven’t told anyone,” she assured him, “Everything you said is staying between me and you. Even if I… really think people should know, just so they know not to let him sway them. He has a way with people, y’know…”

“I know, but… I don’t want to ruin his life the same way I had to for Sven… I’ve… I’ve done enough damage to it already…”

He was referring to what he’d done to Right Hand Man. He knew personally how it felt to have someone he loved be so hurt, not knowing if they’d make it out or not, and yet he still did it again. But Carol would never know that, not in this lifetime. All she’s ever known was Henry felt guilty. That’s all she needed to know, anyway.

“I know… and I know I can’t sway you on this, so I’m not going to try… Just know I’ll be keeping an especially close eye on him. It’s my job to keep you safe, after all,” she told him.

“Yeah… and it’s… Just… thanks…” he managed, finding it hard to work up something to say. He was a little overwhelmed by the combination of everything that had happened, and everything he’d remembered.

He felt her gently pat his back, prompting him to look up at her, before sitting up.

“Right, yeah… sorry you have to keep seeing me like this… I’ve been pretty emotional lately, huh…?” he asked, taking a deep breath.

“If anything, I’m just glad you feel safe enough to be like this around me,” she assured him. “Remember, Henry, I’m not just your Right Hand, I’m your friend… and frankly with everything being so terrifying, I’m glad you can be like this around anyone. And I’m proud to be that person.”

He managed a small smile as she helped him up from the chair.

“And I want you to remember something Henry, since it seems like damn near no one’s told you this in a long time,” she said, patting his shoulder. “Despite your mistakes, I’m proud of you, and I think you’re a really good leader.”

God, you never realize how much you need to hear something until you hear it, he realized, feeling like he was about to cry. He had to keep himself from hugging her immediately, instead trying to ask.

“I- can- can I- I-” he stammered, earning a small chuckle from her as he struggled to string the question together. 

“I know. You want to hug me. And I’m going to let you just because you need it, okay? Don’t make it a habit,” she warned lightheartedly, opening her arms and letting him hug her tightly, patting his back as she hugged back.

“Thank you… so much…” he managed, pulling away after a few seconds and wiping away the tears that had escaped him.

“You’re welcome, chief. Now, c’mon, let’s get back to the office.”

[fan-of-many24]

New Face

Wayne x fem!Reader

Letterkenny

Word Count: 1.76k

Contains: Drinking / mentions of drinking, American reader, female reader

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Moving from Wisconsin to Letterkenny was a big change for you. Your aunt and uncle moved there for work and you decided that getting out of the US would be a welcome change. Even though some of the politics wouldn’t be much different, at least you wouldn’t have to deal with the hack job conspiracy theories from the parents at work.

Of course the school at Letterkenny was desperate for new teachers, with some of the old ones waiting to retire until their position could be filled. As an art teacher, there wouldn’t be much to change in your lessons. There were still a few weeks until the school year started and you had just finished decorating your classroom. It was the end of a long, hot, summer day and you decided to treat yourself to a drink at the local bar, MoDean’s. 

You walked into the small building immediately smelling the stale air of the bars you were used to in Wisconsin. At least some things are the same. You pulled out a worn down wooden stool, plopping down, relief easing your aching feet. “What can I get ‘cha hot stuff?” the woman behind the bar asked with a twang in her voice and a tilt in her head. You smiled, already somewhat used to the town’s quirky residents.

“I’m new to town,” you asked, “What do people usually get?” 

“Lemme get ‘cha a puppers,” she stated turning to grab a beer and slamming it down in front of you.

You nodded and took a sip, feeling the cool liquid slide down your throat. “Good shit.” you commented.

Unbeknownst to you, you had grabbed the attention of two hockey players sitting at a table across the room.

“Yo Jonesy, a fuckin’ rocket just sat down,” a fluffy-haired Reilly elbowed his buddy.

“Oh yeah bro,” Jonesy replied, “total babe. You think one of us could get a takedown? Or both of us?”

“Sure as shit bro,” Reilly confirmed, “let’s wheel some snipes.”

You were making light conversation with the bartender you just learned was Gail. She was telling you who were good people and who were the skids and degens to stay away from, and even though you didn’t exactly know what a skid was, you took her advice. She seemed genuine and you had to take pointers from someone. You were talking about moving here and your job when you were interrupted by the bar stools on either side of you getting pulled out with a guy sitting on either side. You looked at the two guys in muscle tees, sighing internally. You didn’t particularly come to the bar to get hit on, just to wind down.

“Sup,” the blond one started. “Sup,” the other continued.

“Hello, boys,” you greeted blandly, sipping your drink.

“So what’s a guy like us,” blondie pointed to himself.

“Gotta do to get with a snipe like you?” the other pointed to you. 

You gulped down the drink in your mouth, making a face. “A fuckin’ what?” you chuckled.

“You know, a rocket,”

“A ten,”

“A zinger,”

“Someone that makes you go ‘yew!’” they listed.

“A hottie,” Gail explained in words you’d understand.

You took a breath, processing the… compliments?

“Sorry boys,” you sighed, “you’re not really my type.”

The boys gasped, “What?”

“How so?”

“Well for one, you look like you could be my students,” you chuckled, causing the boys to exchange some looks, “And two, you’re a bit fuckin’ much.”

Gail laughed at your words that left the boys speechless.

“So how ‘bout you go find some other… rocket… that might be more your speed,” you got up from your seat and patted the blond’s shoulder before moving to a different seat down the bar, one next to a girl with long brown hair pulled into two ponytails on either side.

You plopped down again, setting down your beer, leaning onto your hand, letting out another sigh.

“Nice job fending those two off,” the girl next to you commented, “dealing with them can be a lot. I know from experience.”

“Thanks,” you chuckled, “hope I wasn’t too harsh. Don’t wanna go causing any bad blood just starting out here.”

“Thought you looked new to town. I’m Katie,” she stuck out her hand.

“Y/N,” you shook it, “ I moved here with some family, I’m gonna start teaching here in a couple weeks.”

“Good on you, god knows we need some new faces,” she rolled her eyes, “but at least now you know a couple people.”

You smiled and the conversation took off from there. She asked where you were from, you asked what she did. It felt easy talking to her, even if she was a bit younger than you. Gail was nice enough, but it was good to talk to someone a bit more… normal. She talked about how she ran a farm with her brother and how he was actually gonna meet her there soon so you’d have a chance to meet him. The door opened and Katie mumbled, “Speak of the devil, there he comes.”

You didn’t know what you were expecting from her brother but it certainly wasn’t the man walking towards the two of you. He had a lean, sturdy frame. His face was strong and a bit stern and he walked with a confidence that had your stomach full of butterflies, so much so you almost didn’t notice the two men trailing in behind him. While you may not have noticed the heat settling on your cheeks, Katie sure did. A sly smile broke across her face.

“Wayne, this is my new friend, Y/N,” Katie turned around in her stool to face her brother, leading you to do the same, “She moved her with family and is gonna start teaching here in a few weeks.”

The flush remained on your face as you smiled and nodded at him a bit shyly.

“Thank god, we needed a new face,” the man repeated Katie’s earlier sentiment.

“She did a good job of putting Jonesy and Reilly in their place earlier,” Gail piped up behind you, “Sent them with their tails between their legs.”

You chuckled, remembering the situation from earlier. “I just told the truth, wouldn’t call it sending them with their tails between their legs.”

Wayne gave an impressed nod and sat next to his sister, his two friends sitting on the other side. The burlier of his friends, Dan, continued the conversation with you, asking whereabouts you’re from, what brought you here, etc. The men were a bit taken aback when they heard you were from the US but with Katie vouching for you a bit they weren’t all that shaken.

Wayne had gotten up to go to the bathroom and Katie used the chance to scootch down a seat to talk to Darry about something. You continued to make casual conversation with Dan about random things here and there. When Wayne came back, he just stood behind Katie, arms folded. “You’re in my seat.” he stated.

“Move your feet, lose your seat big brother,” she smiled, “you’re free to take mine.”

“Mmm…” Wayne groaned before letting out a breath through his nose and sitting down in what used to be Katie’s seat.

Before you were able to continue your conversation with Dan, Katie had dragged him into the conversation she was having with Darry, turning her back to the two of you, somewhat excluding you from the conversation. With Gail on the other side of the bar, it was just you and Wayne sitting in somewhat awkward silence. You blushed again but decided to start a conversation with the handsome man next to you. But to your surprise, you didn’t have to.

“What brings you to Letterkenny?” Wayne asked, still facing forward.

“Well, my aunt and uncle moved here for a butchering job, and America isn’t getting better anytime soon,” you chuckled, “So I came with them. Figured I could find a teaching job here and if not I could work with ‘em.”

Wayne nodded, “Not afraid to get your hands dirty, huh?”

You shook your head, “Nah, I grew up in the country and as much as I didn’t like some of the… ideology there, I did like getting stuff done myself. Something about it was… satisfying.”

“Well, uh, if you ever miss that, I’m sure Katie and I wouldn’t mind you, uh, comin’ over and choring some time,” Wayne sniffed a bit, “if you’re up for it that is.”

You smiled and cocked your head a bit, “I might have to.”

The conversation flowed just as it did with Katie. The two of you talked about family and how you missed yours back in the US. You talked about your dog, a pittie mix named Hero, and how he loved running around your aunt and uncle’s property. He talked about his sister and his buddies, told stories about the town, some that sounded almost unbelievable, but when you remembered some of your earlier interactions you believed them.

It had gotten dark out and when you checked your phone it was about time for you to leave.

“Well, I should head out or my aunt is gonna send a search party for me.”

“Need me to call you a cab?” he asked gruffly.

“Nah, I’ve been nursing this beer since before you got here,” you nodded towards the beer besides you, “If I had any more I’d say yes.”

You left more than enough cash on the counter for Gail, tipping out of habit.

“Want me to wall you to your car then?” he suggested.

“Sure,” you smiled.

You waved goodbye to Katie, Darry, and Dan before walking out of the bar. The cool summer evening sent a chill down your spine, and it didn’t help that Wayne was standing so close. It was a short walk and once you had gotten to the car door you turned around to face the man once more. “Thanks for the walk to my car. Very gentlemanly of you.”

“Yeah, well, never know when a degen’s around,” he stated, glancing around a bit, “So, uh, could I, uh, get your number.” He still wasn’t looking you in the eye. Your face flushed and a smile split across your face.

“Yeah, yeah of course,” you stuttered a bit, “gimme your phone, I’ll put it in.”

He pulled out his phone and handed it to you, contact creator open. You typed in your number and texted yourself, handing the phone back to him.

“Feel free to text me if you need any help choring. If it’s the weekend that is.” you smiled and got into your car. You waved at the man and pulled out of the spot, driving home.

He looked down at the conversation on his phone, the name at the top reading “Y/N ;))”. He knew he was going to take you up on your offer.

[skeefee-sky]

'Sentience ain't all fun and games...'

@thunder-tober Day prompt: 10 - Speed Characters: Alan Tracy, Thunderbird Three Word count: 570

Hhhhhhhhh, I hate how much I struggled to write this one >w< but! Of course, not all stories are going to be easy to write – such is the life of a creative writer <w< I’ve also based this like, early season 1 so, Alan’s a lil bit inexperienced and brash; don’t mind him >w> Alan persuades his brothers to use Thunderbird Three for a ground-mission… which doesn’t go exactly as planned.

💙❤️ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ❤️💙

“I can’t believe you thought that was a good idea… How did they even let you think it was a good idea?!”

Alan opened his mouth to reply, but his words were lost on his tongue. He’d come back down to the hangar to check in with his ship, half expecting a few words of discouragement from him, but Thunderbird Three sounded genuinely upset with him. He did have a sprained wrist to answer for it…

The Thunderbird let out a quiet huff through his vents. “I know I haven’t been sentient very long, and yes, it’s cool and all but... Trying to get to the danger zone before Thunderbird One is, not an excuse to test out what I can do.”

“I just wanted to help…” the astronaut murmured, finally finding a chance to say something. He felt so small tucked against his Thunderbird’s thruster, but it was the only way they could hear each other, without the youngest Tracy having to climb back into the cockpit. The upside was, it was still warm from them being out on a rescue… A sigh drawled from the Thunderbird’s systems.

“I know… Sorry… I’ll admit, I want to test my new limits now too but, we can’t do that at every opportunity,” he explained, rocking the slightest on his refuelling pad to make sure the locks clicked into place. Their little test drive had used up half of his fuel reserves, and he didn’t want to risk being half-empty if they were called out again. “If a rescue calls for speed, or heavy lifting, we already have two Thunderbirds perfectly capable of that. I was built for space missions...”

Alan knew that. Scott had reminded him of it too. He’d just thought, now with his Thunderbird’s sentience, they could be a little bit more useful on missions… Of course, yes, there was the fact his craft was a spacecraft… He tilted his head back, blue eyes trailing up the side of his Thunderbird as he nursed his wrist to his middle.

“… Wasn’t it just a little bit cool to tow that cargo ship though?”

“No.” Thunderbird Three had been rather abrupt with his answer, and there was no way he was admitting out loud that actually, yes, it was a bit cool. The nosedive he’d taken into the water hadn’t been… “We were going too fast for it to be considered safe anyway.”

“Since when have you ever worried about that?” Alan snorted; the craft not being able to tell if he was humoured or annoyed. “You’re always breaking your own rules, Three!”

“When we’re in space…” the rocket grumbled. It wasn’t just their speed he’d been concerned about… His manoeuvrability had been rather shoddy too, and while yes he was fast, he was a lot bigger than Thunderbird One… His pilot could have come away with a lot worse than a sprained wrist had his nosedive not been as controlled as he’d made it… “You know, you worry me sometimes, captain…”

“Makes sense. I’m still ‘just a kid’ after all…”

“That’s not what I-…”

Thunderbird Three quietened when he no longer felt the small of his pilot against his frame, settling a little straighter on his refuelling pad. Had he been too harsh…? He was still trying to figure out everything that came with being sentient… Maybe he should ask for pointers from his pilot’s older brothers at some point…

[alotofpockets]

Coming out | Yelena Belova

Pairing: Yelena Belova x Reader

Summary: Yelena comes out as ace to her best friend. Based on Legends of Tomorrow's episode 7x10.

Warnings: alcohol consumption, and coming out.

A/n: This is a repost from an old account.

Masterlist | Marvel masterlist | Words: 720

After a long mission the team finds their way to a bar. At first the group sits down for a quick bite to eat all together talking about the mission together. It had been a while since they had all worked together on the same mission, so it was nice to close out the night like this. 

When the drinks were added to the equation, the team split into smaller groups. Bucky challenged Tony to a game of darts, Natasha, Wanda and Pietro found a quiet corner and continued their conversation. Kate and Peter were poking fun at Steve and Clint, the older of the four didn’t seem to go for any of their antics, though it was hilarious to look at still. The rest of the team was scattered all around the establishment. You and Yelena had taken a seat at the bar, as suggested by the Russian, this way she would be as close to the drinks as possible. She loved her alcohol, especially her vodka, which she was throwing back shots of as you speak. 

You were both looking around the room, appreciating the group of people around you. The people that had become your found family over the years. After some more looking around you decided to play a game. “Okay, enough looking at our friends, let’s play a game.” You opted. Yelena turned your way, ready for whatever you were going to throw her way. That’s one of the reasons the two of you were best friends. You worked together so well because the both of you were always up for whatever the other person had in mind. “Fuck, marry, kill out of Bucky, Cap and Tony?” 

Yelena narrowed her eyes at your question. “Ehm I’m not really into any of them.” You were quick to fall into your next question. “Okay, copy. How about Kate, Wanda and Valkyrie?” Again Yelena’s face filled with a questioning look. “Actually, not really into any of them either.” She sighed. “Also copy.” You said to reassure her that her feelings or lack thereof were okay. “What is your type then?” You ask, genuinely interested. You wonder why neither one of you had really talked about the topic before, but you left it at the work that you do and how quickly you had been thrown into a mission together, giving your friendship a rocket start, skipping the small talk. 

“I don’t really get those types of feelings for anyone. Maybe it’s one of those things that the Red Room took away from me, with the brainwashing, controlling, and what not.” Yelena looks down at her hands that she has folded in her lap. “Hey, no no no, what you’re describing is totally normal.” You quickly reassure her, placing your hand on her shoulder. “It just means that maybe you are ace, asexual. People who identify as ace have little to no interest in sex, but many of them still want to be in relationships.” You explain to the best of your abilities, knowing you’re not an expert on the matter. 

Yelena’s eyes light up at the words you speak. “Oh, I guess that makes me ace then.” She says with a content look on her face, like a whole world of possibilities just opened up to her. It was amazing to see your best friend realize that what they’re feeling isn’t something they’re alone in. If it has a name, other people must be experiencing similar feelings. 

You give her a moment to let it all sink in before asking, “Did you just come out to me?” Yelena laughs and looks at you with a big smile on her face, “I think so.” You lean in to give her a sideways hug. “Okay, copy.” You say with a wink. “Haha without jokes, I am very proud of you, and you know that I will love you no matter what, right?” She nods, “Right back at you.”

“Excuse me, can we get two more of these?” You ask the bartender. When he puts the drinks down in front of you, you thank him before raising your class towards Yelena. “A toast to you, and to figuring out who you are.” Yelena clinks her glass with yours and you each take a sip, enjoying the rest of the night with the team.

💗 If you enjoyed this fic, please consider leaving a tip 💗

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Lois Einhorn/Ray Finkle

(WARNING! This analysis contains LETHAL LEVELS OF TRANSPHOBIA! Literally what the FUCK!)

I have wanted to review Ace Ventura for a long, long time. I mean, this was part of Jim Carrey’s break into the big time alongside Dumb & Dumber and The Mask, two films I wouldn’t hesitate to call comedy classics. But then there’s Ace Ventura, a film many would say sits alongside those… and to a degree, it does. The titular character may be one of the funniest and most awesome film protagonists ever made, and for the most part it is a genuinely funny comedic mystery.

But then comes the twist.

The villain of the film is revealed to be Lois Einhorn, a cop that Ace had been working with. But that’s not actually the real twist. No, the real twist is that Einhorn is disgraced football player Ray Finkle… and thus, a man. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the problem here.

Finkle/Einhorn has long been considered one of the most transphobic characters in 90s media, and it is genuinely hard to disagree. But is there anything of value to them? Is this character really as bad as people say? Well, I’m going to tell you how I feel, though two things need to be kept in mind. First, I’m a cis guy. I am going to be upfront and say I agree this character is horribly problematic, but I definitely recommend seeking out what actual trans people have to say about Finkle as well (this video’s a good place to start). Second, I’m going to be using “They/Them” pronouns for Finkle. I’m doing this mainly because the movie is wildly unclear about how they view their own gender identity, and it’s actually unclear if they’re actually trans or just so insane they’ve gone to the biggest extremes to disguise themselves as a woman for their vengeance since, you know, the movie doesn’t particularly care about their gender identity beyond it being a vehicle for mockery.

Now, let’s go ahead and open this big ol’ can of worms...

Motivation/Goals: Finkle’s motivation is where they really shine, because it’s genuinely insane and amazing. They ended up being shunned by society and disgraced after a screw up that cost the Miami Dolphins the Super Bowl, and went completely insane from the derision. This led to them concocting an absurdly complicated plan that involved the kidnapping of the team’s mascot, rising through the ranks of the police department, and assuming the name of a dead hiker, all to kidnap and kill their former teammate Dan Marino for his role in their fumble. It’s so brilliantly batshit!

Oh, and they decide to unndergo a sex change as part of this scheme. It’s done as tastefully as you can imagine a 90s comedy would do.

Performance: Blade Runner’s Sean Young plays Finkle-as-Einhorn (and even portrays Finkle in a photograph back when they were a man). Whatever problems this character has, I don’t think it’s completely fair to blame them on Young; she does a relatively good job playing a comedic femme fatale villain when it comes right down to it. If the writing were better, this could easily be a career highlight for her. Alas, that’s not the world we live in.

Final Fate: They get arrested. I guess it’s better than them getting killed? They were in a room full of cops, it was the early 90s, and they are presenting as a woman while being assigned male at birth. It is genuinely a miracle that the worst thing that happened to them is that they were sexually harassed by Jim Carrey.

Evilness: This is the tricky one. On the one hand, Finkle has quite a list of genuine crimes under their belt: Murder, kidnapping, attempted murder, animal abuse… They might also be responsible for the death of the original Lois Einhorn, but it’s extremely ambiguous and I’m not going to hold it against them. On the other hand, Finkle’s downfall and subsequent shunning by their own hometown to the point their life was destroyed and they were driven insane is so over-the-top in how cruel it is that it’s kind of hard not to feel a little bit of sympathy for them. Like hell, I think I’d go batshit insane too ifI got treated like that for a mistake that was out of my hands! The narrative is trying to say they should score a 4 or even 5, but I think they’re more around a 3, a tragic villain who was driven to madness. It’s certainly a high three because it’s hard to excuse some of their worse actions, but I’m feeling a little more lenient towards them than the movie is.

Worst Scene: The big gender reveal at the end, of course.

Let’s ignore that dolphins have been observed having gay sex before. Let’s also ignore there is a non-zero chance that someone on the police force isn’t totally straight; there was a cop in the Village People for a reason, after all. Setting all that aside, this just isn’t fucking funny. It’s just a tasteless, bottom-of-the-barrel gag cranked up to eleven. I know the 90s weren’t the most enlightened years, but this is still excessive, especially since this is the gag the entire movie’s central mystery builds up to.

Final Thoughts & Score: There is so much to unpack here. Like, unbelievable amounts. This is a villain in a fucking detective comedy film, this really shouldn’t have to be so goddamn hard to talk about!

This character is just so stuffed full of offensive stereotypes that there is genuinely no charitable read for them. Looking at what the film is laying out for you, we have a man who has gone to insane lengths to disguise themselves as a woman for their revenge scheme, the sort of lengths that are usually reserved for people who are actually trans. So this isn’t even straightforward transphobia, it’s invoking the “trap” stereotype. For those of you blessed with ignorance, the “trap” is a nasty stereotype of trans woman that essentially believes they are a man disguised as a woman looking to rape unsuspecting men. It’s a pretty vile term that was and still is pretty popular among the coomer crowd, so yeah, not a good look when your character is what 4channers were calling Bridget Guilty Gear for years.

But hey, maybe the transphobia is just accidental! Even the director has said the intended joke with stuff like Ace barfing after discovering the truth is meant to be a dig at how fragile his masculinity really is if he falls to pieces over something like kissing a man! So instead of transphobia, the joke is… homophobia! Yay? This excuse doesn’t even hold water when the entire police force and the fucking dolphin barf at the big reveal too.

All of this is bad enough, but here’s the kicker: Aside from that massive, glaring flaw, Finkle is actually a genuinely good villain for a story like this. Their plan is insane and convoluted, perfectly fitting into a comedic narrative, but they’re also a genuinely threatening villain when they need to be. But this just makes it all the worse, because they took this good idea, wrapped it up in the sort of shit Joanne Rowling writes for her crappy detective novels, and then made it the punchline the whole movie builds up to.

If it weren’t for the exaggerated 90s bigotry the character is steeped in, I think they’d be a really solid bad guy who would likely deserve a score at least as high as Buffalo Bill got. But the existence of the novel that elaborates on Bill’s whole deal, the (admittedly minor) efforts of the movie to deny Bill is trans and is merely insane and delusional, and the fact he is played entirely seriously and is not the butt of jokes make him far more defensible than Finkle is.

I don’t think there’s ever been a twist villain that so thoroughly decimates the quality of the film they’re in. Bellwether didn’t ruin Zootopia, Hans didn’t ruin Frozen, and Roy Burns didn’t ruin Friday the 13th: A New Beginning. But Finkle? They fucking tank Ace Ventura, and it didn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of ways to have a character pretend to be a woman and have it be tasteful and funny; Bugs Bunny is a queer icon for a reason, and movies like Some Like It Hot and Mrs. Doubtfire, while obviously not perfect, manage to be a lot more tasteful in their jokes. But here, they just aim right for the bottom of the barrel.

With how times have changed, I think it’s genuinely easy to read them as a sympathetic character, provided you can look past the murder and homicidal revenge of course (something easy to do when you remember what caused them to snap). When the movie is doing all it can to demonize and humiliate them for not conforming to gender norms as opposed to ridiculing them for the sheer absurd lengths they’re going to for revenge or the fact they literally fucking killed someone, it’s hard not to take their side. The narrative is already against them for the stupidest reasons, so why dogpile them? You go, girl! You can have a little murder and kidnapping, as a treat.

I’ve gotta give them a 0.5/10. And that .5 is pretty much only because aside from the horrible twist, they’re honestly not a bad villain and there’s actually a lot of great foreshadowing that they’re behind the dolphin kidnapping. It really is just the gender reveal thing that not only completely ruins the character, but torpedoes the movie too. Ace Ventura is probably one of the best characters ever, and one of Carrey’s best performances alongside Truman and Robotnik, but he’s stuck debuting in a film where the big joke is “queers are fucking freaks lmao.” What a sick joke.

[medichamcham]

thinking of some fucked up interaction between rose and gio where a 3rd party threatens rose's life and giovanni saves him and rose makes a comment like "I must be more useful than youve let on" and giovanni says No. there are plenty more useful idiots around if anything happened to you. and rose is like ":/ ok so what am I to you then?" and gio is like . . . [takes way too fucking long to answer if at all because he cant admit he cares about him]

What would one call divine intervention, if the divine were not so?

Rose is at the edge of the bathtub, first-aid kit in hand, watching Giovanni patch himself up near the sink.

…Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, the breathing embodiment of evil, as wicked and calculating as they come.

He's cleaning up his wounds, hissing when he wipes his bleeding skin with alcohol. He requests more bandages.

…Giovanni, the thief who stole Rose from death’s cold hands.

Rose picks out a small box, containing a roll of bandages, handing it over to him.

“...Any way I can help?” He asks. “It's the least I can do.”

“No need,” Giovanni replies absently, eyes concentrating on wrapping the bandages over his knuckles. “In fact, I don't see the purpose of you sitting here and staring at me.”

Giovanni breaks character, and he cracks a cheeky smirk, glancing back towards Rose.

Rose laughs somewhat sheepishly, not realising his gawking. He reaches up to twirl his curl of hair around a finger.

“Well, I’m sorry for being attentive to your needs,” he quips, tipping his head to the side, brow raised. “Should I return to the living room and take your act of kindness for granted?”

Giovanni can't help but snort, ears perking when he hears a word most unfamiliar.

Kindness.

“You have a knack for the hyperbolic,” he huffs, although his grin shows his jest. “It’d hardly do us any favours if those fools slashed your throat and left you for dead.”

Rose remembers the few hours before. Found by masked strangers whilst wandering home, brandishing knives and baseball bats, crudely embellished with nails.

At the wrong place, at the wrong time, to put it simply. An uglier side of Galar, which Rose feels no pride for.

With nowhere to go, his trusty Pokémon recovering from a sparring match, and physically outnumbered… What could he have possibly done on his own?

Rose’s heart sinks at the thought, pulling him back to the present, and his fingers reach up to trace across his throat.

If it weren't for him, his story would surely have ended right there and then, gruesomely so.

“Giovanni, you must be misunderstanding me,” Rose tells him in a less joking manner. “I saw you fighting those men alone; I saw you getting hurt when all I could do was stand by and watch, because I’m obviously not cut out for such work! And when one of them pulled a bloody pistol on me…”

He trails off, his heartbeat quickening when he recalls the sheer terror enveloping him at that very moment.

“You saved my life, you know,” Rose adds, quietly. “And there's no hyperbole to that statement. So, I insist.”

Giovanni slows his movements to a halt whilst hearing Rose speak, halfway in wrapping up his scarred hands.

The warmth, the gratitude, the honesty. It's not often he’d be on the receiving end of such genuine admiration… aside from his own organisation, of course.

It makes something stir within the decrepit void where his heart is supposed to be.

…Well, nearly.

Rose's words sink in. And Giovanni comments with a sarcastic huff.

“A most inspiring speech, Mr. President,” Giovanni muses, returning to covering up his wounds. “Ever considered politics?”

Rose rolls his eyes, grumbling to himself.

“Arsehole…”

He supposes that two can play at that game, and he crosses his arms with a smug twinkle in his eye.

“Alright, then why did you even bother going through all that trouble in the first place?” He argues. “To me, it sounds like I must be more useful than you’ve let on so far.”

Giovanni barks a laugh, his wide smile making him appear nearly deranged for a split moment. A sardonic part of him takes great joy out of Rose's innocence.

“Hah!” He grins. “What makes you think you're indispensable? Simply because I didn't let those idiots beat you to death?”

Rose's shoulders sag, flipping from prideful to bemused. He doesn't answer straight away, the brief silence pressing under the weight of apprehension.

“Maybe so,” Rose chuckles, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “I mean… you're always up to something. You're not the type to do things unprompted.”

His teeth sink into his lip, tentatively, for another moment. While he talks, his leg unconsciously starts bouncing as a way to ease his nerves.

“If I’m so useless to you,” Rose says, slowly, thinking his words through. “What’s my purpose, then?”

Giovanni doesn't respond, not sparing a glance, his concentration on his wounds creating a sense of distance between the two.

Rose won't make him walk away, however.

“Am I wasting your time?”

The last thing Rose wants is to have no meaning to his presence. They're busy men, something the both of them understand. Time is a limited resource.

Giovanni falters for a moment, grimacing when his mind draws a blank. A rare occurrence.

Rose is a decent business partner, sure. But he's right in saying he didn't need to stick his head out for him, especially considering the risk he poses to exposing himself. It's something he didn't expect to do at that moment, either.

“No,” He sighs, frank in his tone. “You don't waste my time, Rose. That's not what I’m saying.”

He’s nothing like him. He's idealistic, naïve, aimless. Downright pisses him off, on occasion. 

Yet his charm has come to smooth out those edges. Rose is considerate to a fault and, unlike countless others, he understands his business practices. Tries his best to see him for who he is, rather than the monolith of Team Rocket.

And perhaps that makes Giovanni want to look out for him. He's a selfish bastard, sure, but he’s been taught to appreciate what he's given. 

It's common sense that, should you want to keep receiving the goods … you better keep the distributor happy.

…Or safe, at least.

But Giovanni doesn't feel like letting him know. Not yet. Partially because he's getting rather annoyed by Rose’s badgering now.

Simultaneously, he both enjoys and loathes his relentless persistence.

“So what are you saying, then?” Rose presses. “Am I not allowed some clarity?”

Giovanni groans and lowers his bandages, unable to focus.

“Okay, next time you're hanging off a cliff, should I just let you fall?”

“Ah? No, no!" Rose blurts. "Of course not! But—”

Giovanni raises his hand in a beckoning gesture, snarky in his disposition.

“Then quit overthinking it,” he orders him with a toothy smirk. He comes closer to Rose by a few steps, standing over and peers down, maintaining an air of authority by keeping his head lifted.

“If you're so concerned over being useful, then hand me the medical tape, Mr. President.”

Rose opens his mouth again to talk back, but ultimately relents. He begrudgingly does what he asks of him, sitting back and basking in his dissatisfaction.

[cockatrice-writers-guild]

Contact

this takes place in the space au

warnings: swearing, fear

word count: around 4.8k

taglist: @autism-alley , @awkwardgtace , @tripodcat-gt

T-minus 10

“Could I ask you something, big guy?”

9

“Sure.”

8

“Are there other ways you hold the planet? It can’t always just be in your hands, right? That has to get tiring.”

7

“…well, sometimes I kinda…cup the planet to my chest. Like when I lay down. …or just…I don’t know…whenever.”

6

“Dear God, you are touch starved.”

5

“…touch starved?”

4

“Mmm...it means you crave physical affection.”

3

“Touch…,” I can sense the wistfulness in his voice. “I’ve seen the way some humans hold each other…I think it’s called a hug? And just…I don’t know, getting lost in someone’s arms for a while…it seems…really nice. I just…I wish there was some way for me to hug you, Mia, but…well, you know.”

2

“...maybe there is.”

1

“…what do you mean?”

Lift off.

There’s a giant that lives up in the cosmos who holds the world to prevent it from freezing over now that the sun’s dead. It's literally something out of a children’s story but the scientists have been working on this long enough to know that somehow, impossibly, it’s still the truth.

Weirder still is that this giant never asked for anything in return.

Until, that is, when a particularly tired intern got the shit scared out of them when the massive cosmic entity known as Jax popped into their head to quietly ask them if it would be okay to send their cranky janitor to space. And once the higher ups got word of it, they knew it was probably for the best not to say no to the giant who literally held the entire planet in his hands and started on it right away.

Of course, they could have said no. Jax knew that. I knew that. They didn’t know that. I guess they were just happy Jax hadn’t started asking for human sacrifices or something.

So that’s how I ended up here.

I’m in a ship and a bulky suit, watching the sky turn darker and darker as I leave the Earth’s atmosphere. The constant shake rattling through the ship is horrible and the jolt of the engine separating from the rocket is even worse. The ship stops shaking soon after but gradually, I can feel the sheer weight of gravity pushing me deeper and deeper into my seat as the vessel tries to escape the Earth’s pull. It’s almost agonizing in its intensity, the sounds and sights and feelings all working together to turn my body and brain effectively to mush but then finally, finally

the engines shut off and I’m left sitting there in the dead silence that follows, still so stunned from the trip that it takes a few moments too long to even bring myself to move.

And that was the easy part.

My legs feel like jello and both my back and neck feel stiff but still I wrestle my way out of the chair to go look out the window.

And the first thing I see is the Earth, an impossible sight of blues and greens and yellows all condensed and mixing together, masses of huge storm clouds passing over continents. The backdrop of stars and darkness make it almost glow.

And then I see something else.

Something that just about makes my heart stop beating.

As the Earth slowly, very slowly, gets farther and farther away, I can see that it’s not suspended in the star filled void of space like it’s supposed to be. Instead,

something

something so huge I can’t see where it begins or where it ends, something so huge my brain can’t even fully comprehend what I’m looking at,

something rests just below the planet, cupping it, holding it up in the cosmos

something flesh coloured

something warm

I’ve seen this before, when Jax projected himself into my head or…whatever the hell he did to me but seeing it here, now

It’s too much

It’s genuinely too much

And as the Earth gets smaller and the flesh surrounding it remains the same endless expanse, I find it harder and harder to stay calm.

My brain is screaming, screaming at me to get away but I can’t breathe and

instead I choke on my own spit, staring at the view as my breaths get harder and harder to control until I finally manage to turn around, pressing my back to the cool glass and instead focusing on the dull interior of the shuttle as I try to get my breathing back under control. I’m starting to sweat again and the insulation the suit provides isn’t helping. I try to take in every single detail of the room I’m trapped in, the grooves in the seats and the dull walls, the fluorescent lights and the panels and panels of buttons lining the main console, the screens and the sensors and very very distant hum of fans and other machinery quietly working away to keep me alive.

The constant beating in my chest as it finally starts to slow

As my vision stops dancing in front of me

As my head gradually stops swimming

And then I hear it, a call so sudden it causes me to jump.

“…Mia?”

Jax.

Jax

A being so fucking huge that the world is nothing more than a marble to him. Of course, I’ve seen him so many times before in the sky, his huge face stretching across the horizon thanks to his sheer size, an eye larger than the Earth completely engulfing it when I want to show him something. Even when he holds an arm out so I can see him better, the concept of him holding the planet is still something I can’t even begin to register.

And now I don’t have a barrier to protect me.

It doesn’t take long before I can feel tears streaming down my face as I hug my arms close and then closer.

“…Mia?”

Quieter now.

I can’t stifle a sob in time and somehow, somehow, I know he hears it.

“…I…I’m sorry, M.” He sounds pained and my heart pangs even as I slowly lower myself to the ground.

My friend.

This cosmic fucking giant is my friend.

I guess on some level I just never fully thought about what I was dealing with.

Jax is a giant, one so goddamn huge that any space program that wants to send something out has to let him know in advance so that his damn fingertips don’t block their flight paths.

He’s not human. He’s never been human but

“…do you want to go home?”

He’s tentatively whispering in my head like we’re equals, asking me questions, asking me what I want to do. There’s genuine distress in his voice. He wanted this more than anything and yet I know he’d give it all up for me. He’s…

“…Jax?”

A lengthy pause on his end. Then

“…Mia?”

I take in a few more gulps of air, staring at my now empty chair before I speak again.

“…give me a moment. This is…a little hard for me to deal with right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am.”

“…alright.”

Some time passes in silence, me eventually starting to run a hand up and down the material of my suit to try and ground myself before Jax hesitantly speaks again.

“���I…actually, there…might be something I can do to help.”

I try to focus on his voice. “…and what’s that, big guy?”

“Just…just give me a moment.”

“Okay.”

More silence for a long long time before,

“…Mia?”

“…Jax?”

“Look out the window.”

“…what?”

“Trust me. Please.”

There’s something about his tone that cuts the tension. There’s desperation, yes. But now there’s something else too. Something that almost sounds like excitement.

I frown, staring down the empty room before finally breaking. Damn it, now I’m curious. And I did trust him at the end of the day.

I slowly uncurl myself from the floor and move to peek out the window. And I see

Jax

He’s…

Oh my God he’s so far away right now.

I don’t even know how far away he is but I know it must be a lot because I can fucking see him now

All of him

He looks like a regular human floating a short distance away from the glass. I can finally see his fucking clothes properly, some kind of weird flowing orange-purple crop top and a long flowing skirt to go with it. He tentatively waves when my eyes meet his because of course he can see when my fucking germ sized eyes meet his planet sized ones over the how many millions of miles he just marathoned in his quest to make me feel more comfortable.

And goddammit I can’t believe it’s working.

He’s just…he’s so fucking sweet. And God, the face he’s making right now is so cute if he wasn’t the size of a goddamn galaxy, I’d squish his cheeks.

A half smile slowly worms its way onto my face and after a moment, he seems to relax too.

“Are you alright?” I know his mouth doesn’t move when he talks to me like this since he’s projecting his voice directly into my head but it’s still trippy to see, especially like this.

“I…think so.”

He smiles. “So now what? Do you want to just…talk like this for a while before you go back?”

“Dude. I didn’t go through months of space training and being questioned by the feds to just talk to you.”

The man’s smile grows.

-

After dancing around the subject for a while, I finally bite the bullet and leave the room to go put on a space suit even bulkier than the one I’m currently in. Jax is a constant nervous chatter in my head as I check the suit over and over and I try my best to reassure him even as my own heart rate steadily rises at the mere thought of what’s about to happen.

And once I’m finally done looking the suit over and over desperately for anything I can use to stall for just a second longer, I give up and make my way to the airlock.

There’s a palpable tension in the air now. I know exactly what’s on the other side of those heavy metal doors and it takes a second to even make myself bring a hand up to the panel.

I take a slow breath in

And a slow breath out

and then I press down.

The doors open and it takes only a second for the lack of pressure to kick in before I’m all but shot out into the black void that yawns open in front of me.

It takes some time to get my bearings now that gravity’s moot and for a while, I just try to stop spinning by any means necessary. Means in this case being flapping my arms and legs around until the universe finally stops spinning. At some point I can even hear Jax start to chuckle quietly in my head and it does not help.

But once I’m finally able to place myself, I take some time to take in my surroundings. Because God, they are stunning. The black void of space completely engulfs everything around me. It’s full of stars and what has to be a few unfamiliar planets all hanging in the empty space, dotting the dark backdrop with a massive array of colour and light. It’s…beautiful. Ethereal.

Completely silent.

There’s something quietly unsettling about it all, the way it doesn’t seem to end, the way I’m the only visible living being for miles, the way the silence is so palpable it makes my ears ring. Beautiful, yes but uncaring, lifeless

Lonely.

…what Jax must go through every single day of his life.

I can feel his gaze on my back, one that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand and my latent survival instincts kick into overdrive.

The stare of a giant who holds the world.

And now there’s no magical barrier. No ship. No nothing.

It’s just me.

For a long time, I stare into the cosmos aimlessly until finally, a small whisper starts up in my head, the abruptness of it making me jump.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

I swallow, trying to find my voice. “…yeah, it is.”

There’s a long pause and I try to find something else to say to stop focusing on how hard my heart is beating.

“I…don’t recognize any of these planets. Never-,” I choke on my air for a moment but force myself to continue, “-never saw one with three rings around it like that.”

Jax is silent for a long moment.

“…Mia…you don’t have to-”

“Where are we?”

“…what?”

“I…I don’t recognize any of these planets so…where exactly are we, big guy?”

He’s quiet for a moment longer before “…I travel around, I guess. Your system is…well…it’s not habitable anymore so you guys just travel with me now.”

You guys

The entire population of Earth is just ‘you guys’ to him.

The idea is so inconceivably, horribly absurd to me that I almost burst out laughing, instead choking on my own spit as I forget to breathe for a few moments too long.

“…Mia?”

That voice in my head again, even quieter than before because, and the realization helps to ground me just a little, he’s hesitant, because he doesn’t want to scare me further or, God forbid, because my reaction actually scared him.

There’s something so undeniably human about the way Jax carries himself. In spite of his ridiculous size and the power he holds over billions of comparatively minuscule lives, he acts like a person. We’re all just ‘you guys’ to him. Equals, friends. Hell, I’m actually his friend. It’s insane. All of this in insane but-

after taking a few sharp inhales and trying to get my breathing back under control, I finally bring myself to start really looking around. Not for the scenery but for my gigantic friend.

And finally, I see him floating in the distance just as before, one of his hands cupped and the other hanging loosely at his side. I know what’s cupped in that hand but try not to think about it, instead focusing on the man himself. He doesn’t say anything but cocks his head slightly at me instead.

I quietly squeeze my hands before I speak again. “…so, how do you want to do this?”

“…you were having trouble breathing, M.”

There’s this deadness in his voice that makes me wince. I ignore him and try again, fighting to keep the shake out of my voice.

“How do you want to do this?”

“…I don’t think this is a good idea.”

We stare at each other for a long moment before I raise a hand and beckon him forward.

“You’re shaking, Mia.” He sounds close to tears, now visibly upset as he hangs in the dead of space.

“I’ll get over it.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Yes, I will.”

He looks like he wants to argue more but instead tries something else.

“I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do.”

“That’s great, Jax, but I want to do this.”

He looks away.

“…Jeez dude, do you even want to do this?”

He nods slightly after a long moment.

“Then?”

“…I don’t want to make you panic again. …or you know…throw up.”

“THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING!”

Jax actually laughs a bit at that and I frown at him.

“You’re an ass, you know that? Now get over here.”

“Mmm.”

“Mmm?”

“…I don’t know…”

“Jax, I swear to God.”

He stares at me.

I stare at him.

After an unbearably long silence I just start swimming towards him and he almost immediately starts back peddling away from me frantically.

“YOU ARE AFRAID OF ME!” I yell as I keep up the pace.

“I’M AFRAID OF WHAT I CAN DO TO YOU!” he practically wails as his legs kick away from me. “IT’S NOT THE SAME!”

“IT MIGHT AS WELL BE, YOU DRAMA QUEEN! GET OVER HERE!”

I try to swim after him for a bit longer before he becomes little more than a speck in the distance and I stop to catch my breath with a sigh. Unfortunately, with that no longer my main focus, the creeping dread of space starts to get to me again. Beautiful and desolate. Completely silent.

…

My ears start to ring.

…

I only have a few small meals that were packed in case anything goes wrong. I’m not sure how much oxygen I have left but I know it’s not enough to live on.

Stranded.

The infinite darkness all around me, closing in.

Closing in.

Closing in.

“…JAX!”

My voice comes out a strangled cry and the pale dot in the distance immediately freezes. “Mia?” He sounds concerned.

“Don’t go. Please.”

There’s a long period of silence before he speaks again. “Oh! Oh no, I’m sorry, Mia, I didn’t mean it like...you’re not- I wasn’t going to- I’m sorry I just-” He cuts himself off, taking some time to get his thoughts in order before he speaks again. “I’m sorry, I’m coming back. I won’t leave you, I promise.”

With that, the speck in the distance slowly grows until once again I can make out a person. I can feel distant relief seeing another living thing.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers again.

“I…it’s ok, big guy.”

Jax watches me for a long moment before he speaks again. “I’ll do it.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll come over to you and we can…touch.”

“Are you sure?”

He nods slightly.

“Okay.”

And so slowly Jax starts making his way over and as the figure of him grows and grows, a distant part of my brain starts screaming and after a second, Jax stops again.

“You’re scared again,” he says quietly.

I just use a now trembling hand to wave him over and he shakes his head.

“Mia, are you sure you want to do this? You really don’t have to force yourself. We can always just talk and I really appreciate you trying like this but-”

“Jax?” There’s a shake in my voice that I can’t quite fight down.

“…Mia?”

“Get over here.”

“…but I-”

I hold my arms out to him and he watches me for a long moment before slowly he starts moving again. His figure grows and grows in the middle distance but I remain frozen in the sky, arms held out in invitation, my heart beating faster and faster and my breaths struggling to catch up.

Jax pauses again. “…are you sure?”

Unable to form words, I just nod and Jax eventually starts moving again. The movement causes me to flinch and Jax stops, cocking his head slightly.

I’m about to beckon him again but

“…you…your hair is green and fluffy. You told me it’s dyed that colour and I think it really suits you.”

He’s whispering again. Continues his approach. It takes me a second to realize what he’s doing but as soon as it clicks, I close my eyes and focus on his words, a small smile starting to grace my lips at the familiarity.

“Your eyes are brown. Kind of a dark brown like…hmm…really dark chocolate.”

That gets a small chuckle out of me and he returns it in kind. There’s a noticeable change in the atmosphere now, like I’m starting to get pulled into a gravitational field. I know what’s causing it but just try to focus on the voice in my head.

“You’re…uh…you…said I was white so…”

I cough to warm up my throat. “…you can just say brown, big guy. It’s fine.”

“Brown then! And you’re…,” he stops to think about it for a second, “…uh…kinda skinny and muscular at the same time? I can’t see your body through the suit but I’ve seen you on Earth and you’re pretty strong, M.”

“Thanks.”

He hums in acknowledgement. “I…can’t see your clothes right now either, M but your…space suit I think it’s called?”

“Yeah.”

“Space suit then. It looks…well…um…”

“You can just say it looks like shit. It’s fine.”

Jax snorts at that. “I mean…I’ve seen worse. And…right now, your eyes are closed and you’re shaking badly but I know that you’re trying and well…”

There’s a long pause before with a jolt that makes my heart jump, I can feel something plush below my feet. I don’t open my eyes just yet.

“…there we go,” Jax whispers.

And so I slowly take a seat.

Take a deep, deep breath.

And finally,

open my eyes

And now I’m here.

Sitting on what it takes me way too long to recognize as the pad of a finger so massive it dwarfs the Earth.

I can’t really make out anything besides the massive black void that makes up what must be his pupil, stretching on and on in every direction like the night sky. Every time he blinks, I can hardly understand what’s happening and on some level, I’m distantly horrified as I stare back at him, the frozen death of space warded off only by the heat rising out of the endless stretch of flesh that makes up the pad of his finger. Every single groove of his fingerprint is like a bottomless chasm to me, my legs dangling off of one as I sit partially rooted to the surface below.

He blinks again and the night sky eclipses with it.

I’m literally nothing to this man.

Nothing at all and the fear is almost enough to make me want to gag but

He’s whispering quietly in my head again too, reassurances, using a voice I can comprehend and even as I can feel my eyes start to glaze over in fear, I can’t fight the smile that’s making its way onto my lips at the familiar voice muttering quietly in my head.

Because in spite of literally everything, he doesn’t want to scare me.

I know this man and he knows me.

Impossibly, I’m safe here

I finally force myself to move and use a shaking hand to rub the surface below me and the voice in my head stops in an instant, replaced with a small sigh as the massive eye in front of me closes in contentment.

“Oh,” is all he says after a long period of silence.

“Oh?” I finally make myself ask.

I hear a small sniff in my head and after a moment, he opens his eyes and my view is replaced by a black ocean suspended in the air in front of me.

He sniffs again and in that moment I want nothing more than to wrap my arms around him and never let go.

Which is…beyond impossible here but still, heart pounding, I hold my arms out to him instead.

He watches me for a long time, a blink sending what must be several oceans of water floating into the atmosphere but I hold my ground until finally the man speaks again.

“…I’m…not sure that’s a good idea, M.”

I just wave my arms at him again and he lets out a watery chuckle.

“I’m too big, Mia.”

“And I’m still waiting, big guy.”

“…I don’t want to hurt you.”

He sounds a little desperate so I finally drop my arms with a sigh. “Fine. In that case just stand still.”

“…what?”

“Trust me.”

He laughs at that. “…alright.”

That out of the way, I make myself stand up and examine the massive eye in front of me for a moment longer before I kick off of Jax’s finger and start swimming through the air.

“…uh, Mia?”

“Shush. I’m trying to prove a point here.”

Jax watches me swim through the air for an impressively long amount of time before he finally speaks again. “…if you’re trying to get somewhere, I could help you out?”

I look around and see that I’m basically exactly where I started.

“…fine.”

Jax laughs. “Where are you trying to go?”

“Just…your face I guess.”

“…oh.”

There’s silence for a long moment before everything starts moving again, the giant black globe rotating until it changes to grey and then a stark white, finally settling on a massive patch of flesh that must be the skin between Jax’s eyes. He then leans forward until the bridge of his nose lays a short distance away.

“Is that okay?” he asks quietly.

And I feel my heart warm up at that. And with that I can feel my hands start to twitch. Why is he so fucking cute? IT’S NOT FUCKING FAIR. I CAN’T EVEN SQUEEZE HIM LIKE- “I…yeah, actually. Thanks, big guy.”

I hear him hum in acknowledgment and literally want to kill him. He’s an incomprehensibly huge cosmic giant and it’s not fair not fair not fair not-

I start swimming towards him almost frantically and finally, FINALLY

I reach the man’s face and all but throw myself at him, grabbing as much of his skin as I can and rubbing the glass of my helmet against him.

“You…this is more…aggressive than I thought it would be. I…,” he lets out a small laugh, “…is this normal?”

I let out a small squeak and continue squeezing him and he chuckles in response. “You alright there, M?”

“No.” I finally manage.

“No?”

He sounds a little distressed so I try to clarify. “Jax, I’m fine. I just-,” I squeeze handfuls of flesh for as long as I can manage before letting go and wrapping my arms over as much of him as I physically can, “-GOD, I CAN’T.”

“You can’t?” he sounds more worried now and before I get worked up about that too, I try to calm myself down a little.

“Jax?”

“Mia?”

“You’re being fucking adorable right now and humans do this thing sometimes where if something is too cute it makes us want to hurt or kill them.”

“…so you’re trying to…kill me?”

“…uh,” I feel my arms tingle and know in my heart that I want to punch him repeatedly and also throw him into the sun, instead settling for hugging him tighter. “…not actually but…yes?”

“…oh? You…don’t feel like you’re trying to kill me though. You just seem a little…,” he cuts himself off to hum a little when I try to nuzzle him again, “…rough.”

“That’s ‘cause I have self-control.”

“Oh.”

There’s a long period of silence where I continue trying to awkwardly cuddle Jax to death and he enjoys the physical touch. Eventually though

“…we’re still friends then? You’re not actually trying to kill me?”

“Jax, oh my God, you’re killing me here.”

There’s a long pause and eventually I just frown.

“…We’re still friends. I’m not trying to kill you,” I deadpan and he chuckles.

“That’s a relief.”

He’s humming and crying and I’m trying to tear his skin off his body when something occurs to me.

“…wait, big guy.”

“Hmm?”

“You said you wanted to hug me too, right?”

“…Mia, the pad of my thumb is bigger than your planet.”

“So? I trust you.”

“You really shouldn’t.”

“Be untrustworthy then. See what happens.”

“…hmm.”

“Hmm?”

“…maybe some other time.”

“…what do you mean by that?”

Jax just chuckles and I frown.

“Hug me, man. It’s why I’m here.”

“I don’t want to kill you, Mia.”

“Then you won’t.”

I go back to squishing handfuls of his skin together in the silence that follows and eventually I feel more than see something approaching, the way the atmosphere seems to be physically moving away from some unknown threat. I try to focus on the movement of my hands against his skin instead.

“…Mia,” Jax finally says, “Your heart is-”

“Keep going.”

Jax is quiet for a long long time and I eventually drop the skin with a sigh. “If you want to touch me, Jax, keep going.”

Jax doesn’t immediately respond to this and so I try to soothe him by running a hand up and down the mass of flesh in front of me.

And finally

“Are you sure?”

“I am.”

More silence now.

I’m about to say something more when suddenly something bumps into the back of my helmet and propels me forward slightly, pressing me almost tenderly into the warm skin in front of me. Jax doesn’t say anything and for a long time and so neither do I, wrapping my arms around what I can of him once more as we soak each other in in the silence.

And as I feel the trembles running through what I assume to be Jax’s finger finally start to die down and I settle into him, I raise my head slightly and look to the general direction of where one Jax’s eye might be, trying to find my voice one more

“Hey,” I whisper to him.

“…hey,” he whispers back.

[polyklok]

A, C, D, F, I, U, Y, Z

Toki fluff plz

A- Affection

KING, NO COMPETITION

Everyday, he’s going to be drowning you in compliments, kisses, gifts, and everything else he can think of! Toki completely dedicates himself on making you happy, he worships you with his suffocating love. You might need to tell him to take a breather, it’s a bit much to live up to his grand amounts of care and affection.

If you need anything from him, say the word, he’ll make it happen. Being with him is a great way to make you self confidence rocket. You’ll never have a doubt in your mind about how loved and appreciated you are by him.

C- Cuddling

He wants to cuddle all the time! Being close and touchy with you is a Toki specialty! Unfortunately, he has, like, 0 patience and is very twitchy. When you two cuddle, he’s constantly shifting, fidgeting, and moving you around. He also doesn’t like silence, so he needs some background noise, even if it’s just you ranting for a little bit. That being said, he still likes it, even if he isn’t very good at it. It’s best to cuddle him while he’s sleep, so he can feel your weight and warmth while you don’t have to deal with his restlessness. Win-win.

D- Domestic

He’s definitely the most domestic out of the Dethklok. He constantly tries to provide for you, in more ways than his mass amounts of money, like doing favors and completing chores. He has to stay out of the kitchen though, for the safety of everyone else.

Long term, he definitely wants marriage (more on that later) and eventually kids. It’s a bit scary at how dedicated he is to having children with you, especially with his lifestyle and the conditions of Mordhaus. You’re gonna need multiple long, serious talks with him and lots of preparation if his fantasy is ever to become a reality. He is so, so happy when if it does happen, though.

Despite the music, the fame, the chaos, and all the other conditions that come with his name, he really does want to provide a secure, traditional lifestyle for you.

F- Fiancé

Like I said, marriage is a big part of Toki’s dedication to you. He bought the ring very early on, but didn’t propose until about a year and a half in. Still early, mind you, but later than he would’ve if he didn’t have some voices of reason urging him to wait.

His vision of a perfect wedding is a mix between Norwegian traditions, American traditions (based on wedding scenes in movies and tv shows), and his strange, colorful, and fuzzy fantasy world. It’s colorful, floral, lively, a bit strange, with tinges of religious influence. What I’m trying to say is that he should not plan the wedding. He’ll definitely like having some influence, but you guys are gonna need a lot of help making sure it doesn’t dissolve into chaos. But at the end of the day, if you’re happy, he’s happy.

Leading up to the event, he gets a bit less bubbly, giddy and becomes a lot more sentimental. He spends a lot more moments staring into your eyes, whispering sweet things to you, holding you close for no apparent reason. It’s reality settling in on him that he’s about to make a lifetime commitment to you. He’s not scared or feeling any regret, quite the opposite. He’s grateful. And he’s excited to begin a new chapter of life with you by his side.

I- “I Love You”

The moment he meets you. Toki tends to be hit hard with puppy love, so it’s either when he meets you or when he realizes he loves you, which will probably happen soon after meeting. He says you don’t have to say it back to him, he just needs to you know. And from then on, he’s gonna say it every single time he sees you.

Every single morning, on every date, every time you make love, “I loves you, I loves you, I loves you.” And he means it a little more every time. From puppy love, to infatuation, to admiration, to genuine passion, he’s letting you know just how much you loves you.

The important part is when you decide to say it back. At that point, he’ll scoop you up and say it a thousand times more, filled with glee because he did it. He loves you, and now you love him!

Y- Yuck

Families are a…sensitive topic.

If you somehow don’t know anything about his past, asking to meet his family is gonna get you met with a blank stare and a small “No thanks you.”

If you do know, he’ll get uncomfortable and gets very upset if you start to pry. He’s trying to leave that behind! While he doesn’t hate his family…he really doesn’t want to see them again. Ever. And he probably doesn’t want to you to meet them because he knows that his love for you very much goes against the values he was raised on. It’s best not to bring it up.

The weirdest part is that he doesn’t want to meet your family, either. If they’re a big part of your life, he’ll simply just wait back at Mordhaus while you go visit. If he does meet them, he’ll do a basic, polite introduction and then stay silent for the rest of the time. He’s just…so awkward, considering his usual friendliness and enthusiasm. Afterwards, when you’re alone, he asks a lot of questions about your family and your childhood. Answer honestly and don’t question it, he’s going through a bit of a mental crisis and needs some patience from you.

Z- Zzz

Toki is so clingy. Mf is practically glued to you as he sleeps. He either wraps all his limbs around you like a koala or you’re laying on top of him. He won’t accept it any other way.

Toki is also frequented by nightmares how lovely. He might whimper and shake while holding onto you, a few tears spilling from his closed eyes. On really bad days, he has a tendency to thrash around. If this happens to wake you up, just shush his sleeping form and stroke his hair. It won’t fix the issue, but it might just calm him a little. He never remembers his nightmares, though, and he’ll be just dandy the next morning.

[aliasrocket]

Re: your Rocket x fox/fox hybrid reader post

I've never written that specifically, so I can't speak for anyone who has, but as someone in the process of writing a fic where Rocket is paired up with an alien that has a mixture of animal characteristics, I personally gave the character those to make them a little more exciting and alien. I still love reading about people's gotg stories and characters/readers portrayed as human or human adjacent, no hate to them, but my personal thought process was, there's a whole galaxy to explore, why not give the character readers are inserting themselves into some inhuman ability or characteristic while keeping their personality as something you could still find in an everyday person.

I mean, as much as I love our collective angsty babygirl, Rocket, a talking cybernetically enhanced raccoon is pretty fantastical. And myself as a Rocket angst enjoyer and having read and loved your therapy fic, I agree that lots of people are probably drawn to the relatability of his mental issues. So, in my opinion, it seems fun to play with a reader character in a similar vein of fantastical yet relatable.

Thanks for sending this ask in and to everyone who responded to that small post asking about the whole fox reader ideal. I got new perspectives that genuinely helped me understand why people enjoy it.

Actually this is something I’ve kinda wanted to talk about fro a while but never really had the means to. And hey, this blog has expressed a wide range of opinions regarding Rocket, so why not?

DISCLAIMER : I will still remind everyone that this is me just sharing MY opinion because I love talking to you guys and sharing our different perspectives. This is not a means to change people’s minds but more so to give a (probably) new perspective to this topic.

I have thought about that for a long time, how complicated reader inserts actually are. They seem like a very simple concept at first but when you’re in fanfic and you have to write a reader insert with a fixed story with a canon character, there important things to consider.

I’m creating headings as I go because I realized my points get rather elaborate and I want you guys to be able to read this post easier.

One. It’s not actually the reader.

The reason they’re called the reader is because you, you reading this, are reading the fic. Nevermind that there are others reading it too. It was made for you, because you came here to imagine being with this character you adore.

And it as much as it may suck, especially for Rocket enjoyers, we aren’t any other species but human. We don’t have wings, we aren’t born with powers or enhanced strength.

But that’s exactly what I love about reader inserts. Even if you are vastly different from the world you’re inserting yourself to, you find a way to insert yourself without having to change what you are. You don’t have to change yourself to be loved by your favorite cast of characters. That, in my opinion, is what fanfic is for.

(But character x nb/trans/male/female/queer/genderqueer/readers or anything of the sort are NOT included in this topic because some of us are actually one of the above, where as none of us are alien/foxes/animals. Probably.)

So, I can’t imagine myself making fox reader fics or even making reader insert fics where the reader is from some other planet because that is no longer me. (I understand that even if the reader is human it technically still isn’t me but we’ll get to that in point two.)

I believe my mindset on this is also influenced by the fact that I want to be a published author later on in my life and I think that if you want to explore other galaxies and other powers and abilities that other lifeforms can have, you can more comfortably do it by making an original character altogether.

my personal alternative : original characters.

Yes, there is stigma around it, but a lot of people have pulled this off well and surprisingly enough, I’m not gonna lie, a lot of the OCs people ship with Rocket are fairly well written. Even the designs are so well put together and blend it perfectly with the gotg universe!

Speaking from experience, it is much easier expanding on those explorations on a character you make rather than an insert because you can make the character your own. Self inserts have to be more general to be able to relate other readers. Yes, you are your own audience. But most of us publish fanfic. To some degree, we do cater to other people as well.

Two. Even then, it is distant.

Even when the reader is human, no amount of generalizing is going to take away the fact that this person probably isn’t like you, even when they are meant to be you.

What I mean by this is that majority of the time, the way the reader acts or thinks or speaks in the fic is probably not the way you would specifically. Some readers in fics are shy, but you could be someone who openly flirts with people you’re interested in. Some readers are sarcastic and blunt but you might prefer to spare people the trouble. You get my point.

This related back to point one in the sense that, writing a reader insert is already in itself distant enough and I think making them a different species is just going to make the reader in the fic even more distant from the actual person reading your fic. The same goes for giving the reader specific abilities or talents and what not.

Conclusion.

In any case, as mentioned previously I still see the appeal in writing readers in a fantastical way because that is also what fiction is for—exploration of the things we cannot normally explore in real life.

And anyway just because I think this way doesn’t mean I don’t read reader inserts like the ones you mentioned because there are a lot of those going around both on ao3 and on tumblr. It’s just a personal preference that I stick to when I write.

[luimagines]

Team Rocket Blasts Off at the Speed of Light

Part 9!!

Masterlist

First Chapter/ Previous Chapter/ Next Chapter

Hyrule had a fun time just flying around in some impromptu game of high stakes tag. After he went so long flying through Hyrule, following the fairy magic to find Sky (and Twilight), he thought that he could go a long time without flying again. But that was before they stuck him in a bottle. Now it’s as if flying was the freedom he didn’t know he craved.

He knows now that this was the fairy that he sensed earlier. Her magic was too unique, too potent, but still unmistakably fairy-like. Granted, the other magic person was similar in that regard but there was something… off about them.

This fairy in particular though, was enough for him to realize that there was more than meets the eyes. And he’s not talking about her appearance in general. 

Hyrule ducked and flew around the hideout, diving in and out of rooms and flying circles around the fairy. She kept screaming profanities at him. He didn’t exactly have the cleanest mouth on the planet but this little lady took it to a whole other level. He would laugh if he didn’t think that she would only have more reason to catch him and perform violence against his character.

Eventually, she got tired of following him around. Which worked for him because he was running on pure adrenaline at that point. Hyrule stopped and waited for her to find a small place to rest on. He could hear her panting and letting out breathy curses aimed in his general direction.

He bit his lip in a vain attempt to keep a straight face. “Now that you’re less murderous-”

“I haven’t even begun to be murder-”

“What kind of fairy are you?” Hyrule landed gently next to her, making sure to not get too close. At least not within swinging range.

She glares at him, hitting her fist against the box. She snaps to him, venom on her lips and daggers in her eyes. “That is none of your concern!”

Hyrule puts his hands up in mock surrender with an easy grin on his face. “Come on. I’ve been around enough fairies to know that you’re the run of the mill kind. It’s not like there’s anyone else here that’s going to hear it.”

“Of course I’m not “run of the mill!”  She huffs and crosses her arms. “I am powerful and strong and the best of my kind-”

“You can’t even heal.” Hyrule blurts, cutting her off. “That’s why you were so adamant on keeping me, right? You… Don’t have a lot of magic in general. I understand it now.”

She makes a choked sound and turns away from him, keeping her head high. “Well… That changes nothing. I am still the greatest and there’s nothing you can do about it. That’s why I called the Lesser Fairy to help out when I noticed the rifts-”

“A Lesser Fairy?” Hyrule tilts his head. “What does that make you then?”

“Shut up!” She snaps at him again, startling the poor boy. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that genuine question. “Yes! The Lesser Fairy. There’s only two of them. They’re nowhere near the majesty of a Great Fairy that your people have even though they’re powerful in their own right. So I had to step in because they wouldn’t be anywhere near any action if you let them be and I had to tell them-”

“You tell them what to do?” Hyrule interrupts her again.

“Yes! Pay attention!” She bounces in her spot, glaring at him. Hyrule feels like his mind is scrambling to piece the bits of information together. She’s talking too fast with too many new things for him to keep up. “I’m in charge here and there’s nothing either of the other two can do about it. They wouldn’t have ever noticed the dark changes if I didn’t step in. Even if I’m stuck in this form, there’s still a lot I can do. So don’t cross me!”

Hyrule feels like he’s reeling. “This form?... Were you once a Great Fairy?”

She stops again. Her face slowly grows more red as the seconds pass and the silence grows. Hyrule isn’t sure if she’s embarrassed or pissed but he thinks he’s about to find out in a hot second.

He tries to ask one more question. “...How did you all meet then?”

“The Lesser One was called on by me anyway.” She jumps onto the change in topic without any hesitation. “They work with portals and other rifts between realms anyway. Pinky is their friend. I don’t know how they met and I don’t care. But she’s useful and the Lesser One listens better to her anyway, so I haven’t bothered kicking her out.”

Hyrule adjusts his position and swings his legs over the side of the box. He... doesn’t know what to think of that, but somewhere in between the lines, he can see that’s an aspect of respect in her words. Perhaps she just says it differently. It appears she had a lot of power at one point. He’s met other people like her. They don’t take well to being demoted for any reason- even less so giving the credit due to others.

He hums and takes a breath. His wings flutter slowly behind him as they rest, pumping softly in time with his heartbeat. He half expected her to try and kill him now. He must have tired her out too.

He leans over and smirks. “How powerful are you again?”

She grits her teeth. “Very.”

“Are looks correlated with power?”

“What kind of stupid ques- EHH?!?” She turns to him again, stunned if only for a moment.

Hyrule takes his shot and winks. “My name’s Link. But I’ve been going by Hyrule or The Traveler. Makes it easier that way. I don’t think I ever got your name.”

“And you never will!” She stands suddenly, huffing and puffing and red in the face.

Hyrule snorts. “We’ll see.”

[lotus-mirage]

[TriStamp liveblog]

Okay, episode 1!

Hmm alright so a lot of that was established in the first five minutes anyway.  Overall benefit for me, but a little funny.

“Noman’s Land” as a planet name is a little bit on the nose, lol

The expressions are really well done, wow.

Aaaand only one of the ‘corpses’ has primary colors, that’s also kind of funny

...creepy laughter was not the first thing I expected to hear from Vash, I will be honest.

why is the sequence of him being beaten up so long omg

are there non-lethal bullets in this world? isn’t Vash specified to be brought in alive? this seems poorly thought out.

...oh.  rocket launcher.  no kill like overkill I guess. alright.

Vash: actually I’m gonna take a moral stand here, this is dumb

JuLai officer: you wanna see dumb? I have a cluster bomb launcher and an itchy trigger finger

alright this is acknowledged as not being what they’re supposed to be doing! o7

this is an interesting slide between comedy to ethical debate back to comedy.

solidly back in comedy again, alright.

I can see why all of those compilation videos of just Vash making noises have enough material.  

Character moment is interesting and good set up! However, focusing on the bug-bird this much actively distracted me.  I want to know more about the bug-bird.  Please.

Ah. Maniacal laughter runs in the family, I see

Unhinged and over-the-top enough to loop back around to menacing.  Alright!!

...Piano now????? I thought that was definitely a later episode.  

Yeah there is absolutely not enough time for anything more than a teaser, okay.

...???? what kind of outfit is that.  Why is he wearing that.  Nevermind he’s goofy again.

Sit down while playing my guy that hurts to watch.  Dude.

Look I knew Knives’ name but genuinely I had to stop and laugh there again.  ohhhh my god that’s so goofy.

Okay that statue(?) above the piano is horrifying.  Wow.

...I thought it was gone in the next shot and was like ‘oh I hate that’.  Nope, still there, still horrifying.

Okay end notes!!

I can’t quite tell what genre this is trying to be.  It fluctuates so much and even things that I think are trying to be dramatic are so over-the-top that I am not entirely sure about it!

I should clarify that none of this is putting me off.  I prefer when media takes itself a little too seriously actually. Also goofiness is generally kind of charming.

The animation here is just really wonderful.  I don’t really have much to say about it other than that.  Just consistently made me stop and go ‘oh wow that was really well done.’

My guess is the story is going to be a bit episodic for a while, but frankly I have no idea.

I think that’s all I really have to say at the moment! I enjoyed this a lot, but may have to put off watching anything else until at least tomorrow due to a bit of a headache.

[god-mouths]

I NEED TO HEAR EVERYTHING YOU CAN TELL ME ABT THE LAFAUX FAMILY

Will do! this one got long

First off I want to start with the name. LaFaux —> La Faux, which literally translates to “the faker/the false” in French. This of course applies to Casper more than anyone else for a myriad of reasons, but still overall. The whole family.

I’ll go in chronological order— first, the patriarch of the family, micheal lafaux. (Died age 70) He built this business from the ground up! World’s worst eccentric businessman.

Here he is. Fun fact! Every aspect of his personality and character design corresponds to each of his four children— except for Casper. Anyways I have been figuring out his character and boy has it been a genuine fucking delight. He’s such an asshole. He does coke but like. It doesn’t *do* anything to him he just likes putting stuff up his nose. He is always honest (ironic and a direct contrast to his last name)— but he is not kind. He has endless, boundless energy, at least in the prime of his life. The minute he hits fifty it all goes downhill. He loses his energy and his spark.

But, in the 60s or the 70s or whichever, he was a force to be reckoned with. He’s good at macguyvering inventions using random crap, which was how he built and maintained his business. Also he’s sort of a bigot, but not like actively it’s just a side effect of being an important guy in the 60s

A personal rule I have for drawing this thing is that his pupils shouldn’t touch the outlines of his eyes. Adds to that crack-addled look of his that he’s so keen on maintaining. Fun fact about micheal, he cannot wait to die. Not in a bad way, he just genuinely thinks he has it in him to kick the devil’s ass and rule hell. He thinks he’d have fun down there.

Next, Delphina LaFaux (neé Alta-L’Estandares. That’s “high standards” in Spanish. I think I’m funny.) aged ~68 or so at death

She is an assassin who is trying to kill micheal for his money and instead ends up in the world’s most miserable marriage as the man just won’t die. She is absolutely trapped in a hell of her own making.

To put it nicely, she needs micheal like an alcoholic needs a drink. She ends up taking care of the children, because lord knows micheal isn’t doing that. “The prodigal wife, the woman with so much hatred in her body that she's turned it into a living. She faces a challenge in her husband, him being the one person she can't kill. She'd switch gears and try something new, but....something deep in her mind begs her to stay here. Maybe it's destiny, or fate, or....just a prison of her own design. She's doomed. She knows she is. She's procrastinating getting out of the way of the moving train. she's not even tied to the tracks -- she's just standing there.

What's it like to be the dead wife before she dies?”

^ blurb I wrote for an are pee

Now onto them kids those rascals.

This is the firstborn, Peter. (38) He grew up when his father was still in his prime, so he knows the most about how the man actually thinks and talks. When his father dies Peter gets the house. He has no idea how to take care of the huge mansion, and sort of lets it fall into disrepair. He’s a bit frazzled and hides himself from the public eye, because he grew up in the eye of the camera due to being the son of a multi billionaire. He really just wants to live his life alone in peace. Definetly the most chill out of the lafaux family. He got that eyepatch because when he was a kid he looked directly into a bottle rocket just as it went off.

Old ass comic he really is just a fun guy

Onto Vivian, the second oldest. (35) She emulates her father the most, and caught the end of her father’s prime growing up. She is the favorite, and if she were a boy, micheal would have stopped having children literally right then and there. However, micheal wanted a man to inherit all his money. And since the inheritance goes to the youngest we simply can’t have that. The story of LEM is the story of a spy op consisting of criminals. VIVIAN is the one who creates this spy op in the first place, to rival her brother Casper. I haven’t draw. Much of her at all . This is the best image I have of her

I think this is like…2020? Art?? 2019? Still. She’s cunning. A fun gal.

Onto Casper. We all know Casper hi Casper (he’s like 26)

When his father dies, he is 16, putting him in charge of the estate as his sister at the time was too young to do so (13.)

His sister does not make it past age 13. He murders her—supposedly— for the inheritance, and blames it on a faked home intrusion. The rest of the living lafaux siblings are completely silent on this. They’re aware it happened, but have no way of proving it. Peter becomes more of a recluse as a result, and Vivian launches her spy op offensive.

Anyways, Casper renames the company business from “LaFaux Corporate” to “Blue Fox (Faux)”, merging all of the companies his father had dominion over into one giant conglomerate.

The lafaux last name applies to him the most. All he does is lie. His whole personality is a farce to a hidden maliciousness underneath. He is trying to emulate his father, and in doing so has made a suit out of a dead man’s skin. Don’t be mistaken, however. Casper doesn’t live in his father’s shadow- Casper is more famous than his father ever was. What Casper is doing here is making himself a grave in the shape of his father’s corpse. He’s much calmer, though.

Lastly, Beatrice LaFaux. 13, died. Sucks to suck.