#i'll probably go back and add more if necessary eh

[just-a-normal-regretter]

Honestly at this point I'm just gonna categorize all these Odd-centric plots/AUs I've spawn as "Odd-shots". If I get the time and fight off the clutches of writers block I'll probably draft up some drabbles of what shenanigans can happen in the assortment of AUs I've written about.

If people do wanna hear more about certain AUs from below then I'd be happy to chat about them a bit more though. I want to at least get the brain firing ways to really draft up what could happen in these concepts beyond what I have already.

Some of the selection:

Bystander - "Make sure to send updates on Kiwi every day, Louise!" (aka the "Odd doesn't bring Kiwi to Kadic" AU; this one likely results in some Ulrich/Odd shipping and a much more stressed out group of Warriors trying to pick up the slack without their third member.)

New Kid - Maybe we shouldn't have the romantics fall in love with each other... (Odd and William bond during William's first day at Kadic, thus William develops a crush on the blond. WillOdd food for the soul as hilarity ensues with an oblivious Odd and a chaotic yet dorky William trying to woo him throughout Season 2.)

A Bizarre Guide to Living a Human Life - It takes a village to raise a kid. So uh, how much to raise four? (aka the "Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi are AI" AU. Toying around with lore is so fun but honestly I think the part I like the most here is just the Kadic students having to accept that "yeah these kids are really weird". That and as much as Jeremie tries to do this solo, the ensemble cast sort of step up to help him despite not knowing much about the circumstances.)

Odd is Alone - At the end of the day, always love yourself. (aka the "William/Odd roleswap" AU. Main thing in this fic would be Jeremie's implementation of Teleportation goes wrong so the canon!Odd gets sent into the world where his counterpart is XANA's pawn while William was a part of the team from the get-go.)

Cherrybird - Juggling multiple superhero lives is not for the weary. (one of the Miraculous/CL fics I have in the wings to scratch my itch of Odd/Adrien. This one pivots so Odd winds up the Ladybug wielder while his family was vacationing in Paris for the month. Now his hand is forced to try to stay in France so he can keep being the superhero Cherrybird, unknowingly signing up to deal with another evil once he begins his boarding school life at Kadic.)

For Me, It Was Only Today - Trying to keep their lives a secret sucks when your best friend is trying to court a literal superhero. (final CL/Miraculous AU focusing on toying with both lores, Lyoko powers rubbing off into the real world, and of course Ulrich's POV just trying to survive dealing with XANA while Odd crushes hard on the Parisian Hero Chat Noir.)

[yes there are other ones but these ones I at least feel like I have a decent idea as to where their direction would go. Or at least have some concepts that could just be hilarious to implement in some of them. Even if I don't touch any of them I honestly hope y'all enjoyed me posting about them lmao]

[neko-loogi]

Heeeyy, I'm back with a new Helluva Boss opinion post thingy

Okay so, the Mammon episode- it was alright I guess? Tbh it didn't strike me as super awesome or anything, it's just kinda there?

Anyway, let's talk about it a little bit!

So I wanted to start off with Mammon himself, I'm gonna be honest I don't hate him but I don't like him either. I'll admit I do actually like his voice, I'm sure y'all might find it annoying but I dunno, I like his accent and the way he talks is kinda funny. His design tho? Eh, it could use some work.

For instance, his eyes are weird, like every time he was on screen my first thought was always: "Wow, he looks like Robin from TTG". I also hate how he's shaped like your typical "fat" character from cartoons. But for some reason they decided to give him skinny arms but a round body. He's weirdly disproportionate, which is disappointing because they definitely could make a better plus sized character design. But oh well, knowing Viv, she wouldn't even try.

I will admit his true demon form is kinda cool, except that I actually thought he was going to be a caterpillar or something but he's a spider? I swear, Viv has some weird design choices.

Moving on, the episode was cluttered as hell. It had way too much stuff in it, which made the episode feel eternal. Not only that but the episode has 4 songs.. FOUR FUCKING SONGS- When will Viv realize that not every HB episode needs a song? Like is this shit an animated series or a fucking musical? Make up your mind Viv-

Anyway, I'm glad this episode focuses on Fizz, but his character did feel a bit off in certain scenes, but aside from that everything else was fine. (I found that scene of Fizz talking to the deaf imp child while using sign language to be very endearing).

Alright, I'mma point out a few other things real quick:

Ozzie's relationship with Fizz is absolutely adorable and I love them so much. However I don't understand why they portray their relationship as a bad thing? Like, fucking Queen Bee is dating Vortex (who's a hellhound, and they are a lower class than imps) and nobody says anything and she's a sin- so why can't Ozzie do the same??

I also happen to noticed that Fizz and Mammon's relationship is similar to Angel Dust and Valentino's- I just hope they don't completely butcher my boy Fizz, because he's the ONLY character I genuinely like from this god awful series.

Edit: I find it outrageous that Fizz apologized to Blitzo in the previous episode for the accident and claims that yes, he was affected by it but he's gotten over it. Yet here, he's super insecure about it and seeks approval from Mammon. It doesn't make sense- I swear it's like the characters are evolving backwards (as in the character development just resets and they act like nothing happened).

I also just wanted to say that this character made me feel super uncomfortable throughout the episode (which I guess is the point, but honestly they didn't need to add him.) Like, was it really necessary to include this Reddit mod, Discord user incel with an obsessive personality to the episode? He doesn't really contribute much other than to probably trigger people who have dealt with some form of harassment like this, and to make Fizz look super helpless so that Blitzo can defend him.

Blitzo didn't contribute anything to the episode, they didn't need to add him either. Like we get it he's the main character but that doesn't mean he has to be in every fucking episode doing absolutely nothing other than saying a bunch of curse words or shooting someone.

In conclusion, I didn't like this episode that much. I was expecting more to be completely honest.

Sorry if this post was a little long- I wanted to write more stuff but I don't want to burden y'all with reading a lot of shit lmao. Anyway, that's all, love ya <3

[asimp4bee]

I don’t know if anyone’s asked this but how does Mea get along with the rest of the TFP autobots?

I was waiting for an ask like this <33

With Optimus:

Mea gets along with Optimus really well considering he was the one who asked Agent Fowler to track her down in Utah and have her brought over to Jasper for her safety and also because he made a promise to Voltage (who contacted Optimus at the last minute before he was k!lled by Starscream).

Mea often comes to Optimus for advice or just someone to sit down and talk with. Optimus cares for her, much like he does any of the other humans. Although there are times where Mea would sass Optimus or just talk back to him in some of his decisions but she would regret it afterwards. Optimus would often take Mea on rides whenever she was upset, sometimes he'd play music and let her sleep in the front seat if she liked.

With Ratchet:

Just like how he was with the trio, Ratchet was not fond of Mea at first– especially considering the fact that Mea has a Cybertronian artifact attached to her chest (I'll make a post talking about that soon hahshs) and doesn't like how a human has it on her person. Ratchet was also not happy when he was assigned to be Mea's guardian since she rarely leaves the base anyways.

Considering Mea's personality, there'd be a lot of back and fourth between the two. Whenever Mea gets into trouble, Ratchet would talk her ear off and Mea would sass him in return. However, overtime, Ratchet grew fond of Mea and her stubborn personality (probably because he sees a bit of his younger self in her) and would get worried whenever she'd get hurt or when she was upset.

With Arcee:

When Mea first got to the base, Arcee rarely interacted with her. She didn't want to get attached and she didn't think it would be necessary. Just another human to protect, she thinks.

Arcee was pleasantly surprised by Mea's personality, her stubbornness, her resilience and the way she stands up for herself infront of the Decepticons they'd encounter despite her size gained her Arcee's respect. They both eventually bonded over their hatred for Starscream and would often talk smack about him whenever they could. In terms of loss, Mea and Arcee would relate to each other a lot as they both experienced a lot of loss (Mea with Voltage n Zodiac then Arcee with Tailgate n Cliffjumper).

With Bulkhead:

Mea rarely interacted with Bulkhead, especially when she first arrived at the base. She couldn't seem to find something to talk about with the big bot.

However, when Miko and the others arrived– Mea along with Miko and Bulkhead, would bond over music such as rock and heavy metal. Sometimes she'd tag along with Bulkhead and Miko whenever they went on rides or went to monster truck shows.

With Bumblebee (we already know how she is with Bee but I just want to add him in ehe):

Surprisingly, Mea didn't interact with Bumblebee when she first got to base. One of the main reasons is she couldn't understand him. But, the first time Mea interacted with Bumblebee was when he caught Mea sneaking out of the base late at night. Of course, Bumblebee was going to tell on her and the two of them ended up in a little bickering that was later heard by both Ratchet and Optimus, which resulted in the both of them getting into trouble.

Though because of that one incident, it was the main reason they kept on interacting with each other. It started off with little bickering over the littlest things to beginning to spend more time together outside of the base (late night drives) and more (wink).

With Smokescreen:

Mea got along with Smokescreen pretty easily. She found his recklessness endearing and in a way, reminded her of Bumblebee. Mea would often teach Smokescreen more about earth and humans while also keeping him in check.

Sometimes– Mea, Bumblebee and Smokescreen would all go out for a ride together. Sometimes, Smokescreen would race Bumblebee and when they'd end up in a squabble, Mea would chew them out. In a way, Smokescreen sees Mea like a big sister. Except she's smaller than him.

With Wheeljack:

Much like how he was with Miko, Wheeljack has come to like Mea's personality and her spunk when it comes to the Decepticons. Sometimes he'd sneakily give Mea a human-sized blaster or bomb, which Ratchet would yell at him for but Wheeljack would give her another blaster whenever Ratchet wasn't looking.

Mea doesn't hang around Wheeljack much but when they do, they're usually talking about random things.

With Ultra Magnus:

Mea respects Ultra Magnus. Though there are times she's tempted to sass him but she wouldn't risk getting her ear talked off. Like Ratchet, Ultra Magnus didn't like how a Cybertronian artifact was attached to Mea.

They don't spend time together much or hang out but there are times where Mea and Ultra Magnus would have little talks about the war and she'd listen to his stories during his time on Cybertron.

And that's basically the gist of it! I want to draw more of Mea with the other TFP bots but lord they can be hard to draw :'))

[silver138]

Perfectly Flawed - Chapter 12

word count - 1.9k

warnings - discussion of alcohol

Summary: Lina and Penelope get ready for their night out!

Walking in and grabbing another folder, I sit down and spin to face Penny while saying, "Heya, Pen! How're you doing?" 

Giving me a grin, Penelope spins to face me and says, "I'm doing well. So, uh, what happened at lunch to make you extra cheerful there, Lina?"

I flush and say, "I-I dunno. Just...talking with Spencer, and hammering out details about tomorrow," trailing off with a small smile growing on my face, while adding, "He also showed me a few magic tricks." 

"Ah, Spencer's sleight of hand work, huh? Yeah, the Good Doctor likes to show off new tricks he's learned every once in a while. I'm guessing he'll have a more captivated audience now..." she teases.

"I-wh-what, magic tricks are fun, I don't know about you, but I've enjoyed them since I was a kid." I sputter out. 

Penny just raises her eyebrows and hums out an "Mmm-hmm, sure..." She adds, "It probably doesn't hurt that you find the magician so dashing, huh?"

I start waving my hands and shushing her to not say that so loud, looking at the door, but it's devoid of anyone. After seeing that no one else is there to hear, I fidget with my hands and quietly say, "Well, yeah. There's that, too..."

Giving me a smirk and laughing lightly, she turns around and gets back to typing. Face beet red, I spin around and prepare to start on my work, starting my music and beginning to type. We work diligently for the next few hours, swapping old folders for new ones when necessary.

Finally, it's quarter til 5, and Penny and I are finishing up the files we're currently working on. Placing my finished folder into the box, Penny looks up with a sigh, a smile on her face. She closes up her folder and places it in the box with mine, standing up and stretching.

"Alright, Lina, you ready to go? I'm gonna swing by my place so I can pick up what I need to change into." Penny says to me, picking up her purse. 

Gathering up my things and putting them into my bag, I nod and say, "OK, sounds good. I can show you what I was thinking of wearing when we get to my place!"

Walking to the elevator, she smiles and raises her eyebrows, saying, "Oh, you're not looking forward to this at all, are you?" 

With as straight a face as I can muster, I say, "Nope!" then break out laughing. As we wait for the doors to open, Spencer and Derek walk towards us.

"Are you ready to bust loose tonight, my lovelies?" Penny says to them, wiggling her eyebrows. 

"Oh, you know it, Mama. How about you two?" Derek says smoothly. 

I grin and say, "Eh, I doubt I'll get too wild, but it'll be fun. How about you, Doc?" 

"Oh, um, yeah, I-I guess?" Spencer says.

Stepping into the elevator, Penny starts suggesting the kind of shoes that would be best for our time out. Spencer looks over at me and asks, "How are you going to have time to get ready? The Metro isn't that fast..." 

"Oh, Penny said she was going drive us to my place to get ready," I explain.

"Oh..." Spencer says softly. 

I laugh lightly and say, "C'mon, Spence, a girl needs time to get pretty." Spencer flushes, then looks down at his feet and mumbles something. 

Derek smirks and lightly taps Spencer's arm with the back of his hand and says, "Alright, you're comin' with me, Reid."

Getting off the elevator, we part and Penny leads me to her car, unlocking it so we can get in. Sliding in and buckling up, Penny turns on the car, then the radio. "I hope you're ok with some tunes on the way there," she says, adjusting her mirrors before pulling out of the spot. 

I grin and say, "As long as you're ok with me singing along if they put on something good."

She nods and smiles, saying, "Well, isn't that the point? Ya gotta sing along!" The previous song ends and then the first notes of 'Dirty Little Secret' start playing. I bop my head along to the beat, then start singing along. 

When it gets to the chorus, Penny joins in, and we sing along for the rest of the song. When it ends, she laughs and says, "'Make an idiot of yourself'. Right!" 

I grin and shrug, saying, "Eh, it got him to come, didn't it?'"

"That remains to be seen. OOH! You gotta sing something with me!" Penny says, pulling in front of her apartment building. 

As she gets out of the car, I say, "Yeah, absolutely!" She hustles into her place and comes back out in about 5 minutes. 

"OK, good to go!" she tells me as she straps herself back in. She puts the car back into motion, and we make our way to my apartment.

After a short drive, she parks her car and we exit, heading into my place. Unlocking my door, I let Penny go first, closing the door behind me. "You want anything to drink?" I ask, heading to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. 

"Yes, water's good, thank you," she says, taking the bottle I hand her and sitting down on the couch.

After taking a drink, I walk over to the clothes laid out on my bed. "I was thinking of these jeans," I say, placing them and the peasant shirt against me. "And this top. What do you think?" 

Penelope hums and taps her chin, narrowing her eyes and saying, "The pants are great, but how does the top look on you?" 

I bite my lip and shrug, saying, "Um, I think it looked ok when I tried it on, but I'm not sure, it...shows off more than I usually like to..."

Penny raises her eyebrows and smiles while saying, "Well, go ahead then. Let's see it!" I grin nervously and grab the top and the bra I'd need with it, walking into the bathroom to freshen up before putting them on.

I walk out, adjusting the top and looking down, trying to keep the bustline from dipping too low. Penelope stands up and walks over to me, raising her hand and asking, "If I could?" I nod, and she proceeds to adjust the sleeves so they're off my shoulders, and doing so makes the bustline lie flat.

"Um, it's-it's not too much, is it?" I stammer out, glad that I don't have to fight with it anymore. 

She gives a half-shrug, saying, "You are literally buttoned-up at work, I think that'll be ok. Besides, I thought you were trying to get a certain someone's attention?" 

I flush and start, "Well, yeah, but..." 

Penny cuts in, saying, "Trust me, this will grab his attention!" giving me a warm but amused smile. I give her a nervous smile back, taking a drink of water.

"Um, did-did we want to grab something to eat before heading out, or..." I start slowly, looking at Penny as I fidget with my water bottle. 

She hums and nods, saying, "Yeah, that might be a good idea. O'Keefe's doesn't have too much in the way of food."

She checks her phone, jolting slightly and saying, "Oh, we should finish getting ready, it's just about 6, and we were going to meet up by 7. OK if I steal your bathroom for a few minutes?" I nod, leading her there.

While she gets herself ready, I start searching for something to put my hair up. Finding a black velvet scrunchie, I stand in front of my vanity mirror, trying to put my hair into a decent ponytail and keep my hair off my neck.

Touching up my eyeliner and adding some dark red lipstick, I give myself a final once-over, just as Penny walks out of the bathroom. Turning around, I ask her, "Well, what do you think?" 

She gives a nod of her head and says, "Lookin' good, Lina."

I smile and tell her, "You look amazing too, Penny. But you probably already know that!" 

She gives me a small grin and says, "Doesn't hurt to hear it from others every once in a while, though." 

Going through my purse and inspecting what I have in there, I ask Penny, "So, what should we get? Oh, I remember that having greasy stuff is good for when you drink, right? Supposed to, like, make the alcohol absorb slower or something?"

She laughs lightly and says, "Yeah, something with fat and also carbs and protein helps." 

"So, we wanna get, what, some burgers and fries?" I ask her as I put on a pair of short black combat boots with chunky soles.

"Ooh, yeah, that sounds good! I know a great place with veggie burgers, too!" Penelope says as she checks over her hair and makeup in the mirror. 

Grinning, I make sure I have everything I need in my purse, then ask Penelope, "Anything you need me to grab before we head out?"

Switching into the shoes she brought, she shakes her head, saying, "Nope, I have it all here. Just gotta put my coat on and we can split." As she shrugs her coat back on and grabs her work things, I get my coat on as well, waiting for her by the door.

Heading out, I lock my door and follow her back down to her car. After buckling ourselves in, Penelope starts driving towards the nearest burger place, maneuvering into the drive-through. 

After placing our orders and getting our food, it's not long before we're back out on the road, off to our intended destination, O'Keefe's. As we sit in the parking lot and eat, Penny turns the radio back on, loud enough to hear but still carry a conversation.

As we eat, Penelope and I talk, mostly about the past week. "So, it isn't usually that calm?" I ask, wiping my hands on a napkin. 

She hums as she takes a drink from the soda she got, then says, "Well, it's probably like that about half the time. It just feels like it's hectic more often, though."

"Do you ever go with them?" I ask, taking a bite of my burger. 

Grabbing a fry, she shakes her head and says, "No, not usually. I think it's because half the time, the places they end up in have little to no internet access, and that's pretty vital for my end." I hum and nod in understanding.

As we finish eating, she starts gathering all the garbage in the plastic bag, motioning for me to hand her mine. "Gotta keep my Esther lookin' good." She says, patting the dashboard lovingly.  

"That said, you ready to rock?" Penelope says to me, checking her makeup one last time. 

I take a breath and say, "I'm ready when you are Pen." 

She gives me one last smile and says, "Let's go have some fun, then!"

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Story masterlist

[billerak]

Chapter 24 mesh (part gay)

Part 1 isn't strictly necessary but it adds some context to this

So Ami tries to kick Minori out too, but she realizes Minori is not very well so she trails off.

So as soon as they leave Ami's like "Alright bitch what's goin' on?" And Minori collapses on the spot. She's been wearing her mask all day on like a really high level and she can't do it anymore.

Look at Ami's surprise, shock even.

This is, possibly, the most vulnerable Minori has ever been. And she's chosen Ami of all people to see her. Nothing's stopping her from going out there, crying by her lonesome.

Earlier, she said people seeing her vulnerability is what made it worth it. She's here, showing her most vulnerable self to Ami. And if you remember a couple episodes ago, she insisted ghosts only show themselves to people who truly understand them.

So here comes the big question.

Why are you crying?

Disclaimer: I'm aware this is probably a mistranslation, on the side of both dub and subs. Afaik, the question should be the other way round.

Regardless, the "is it...?" implies the opposite question would follow, so either way the point is the same.

Why is Minori crying? Because she lost Takasu, or because she lost Taiga? She doesn't know. The answer is probably both. And without the probably, the answer IS both as I'll show in a bit.

And Minori's like "I didn't want to cry", but she couldn't help it and she's showing this to Ami and... It's so fucking great, you know? And gay, of course.

But it just goes to show her entire thing about determination or whatever... it's a front. She just didn't want Ryuji to see this.

And look at Ami's face. She's SO FUCKING KIND AND UNDERSTANDING

foooor about 1 second, then she goes back to playing the role that's expected of her.

Minori doens't take offense. She knows how Ami really is when pissed, so she just goes on.

But Ami dismisses her. However, her tone is far kinder than any other time she's spoken like this. She's, in her own way, trying to help Minori get through this.

Way to not care, eh, Ami?

Honestly, this whole scene has this... romantic undertone. Minori's heartbroken, and Ami's right there, cheering her on. Honestly, the only thing that could make it gayer is if they had some physical contact going on.

And the next time we see them... they're still together. And Ami is still trying to get her to, you know, be honest.

But Minori is back on her bullshit. Literally doing what she's done before already: Training/working so that she doesn't have to think.

And Ami's just like "yeah, she got her bisexual ass kicked, poor girl." For once, she actually accepts Minori needs space. Because this time she really is on edge. OH AND ALSO LAST NAIL ON THE COFFIN OF MINORI'S BISEXUALITY

And we see them off with a bit of a comedic bickering moment. Obviously, Minori is just deflecting, but Ami plays along again.

I think this just goes to show that, from here on out, they're gonna be close friends. And who knows? Maybe more.

For who can truly know what goes on in one's own heart?

Anyways, I think this is gonna be the last analysis-type post, I'll just go back to posting random screenshots and commenting whatever I feel like.

[haejjoon]

had an absolutely bonkers day at work SO i reread the 5th chapter and immediately!! crops watered skin moisturiser anxiety gone im feeling so good now woah...........

moments i absolutely adore: goro knowingly utilizing gap moe, goro imitating ryuji and ryuji laughing with it, goro unused to being bickered over by HIS FRIENDS, the neat-o explanation for changing clothes in the metaverse, robin & ryuji, goro being a nerd and also loving the praise he gets but not allowing himself to bask in it for long, AKIRA

my bby is here again ive missed him 🥺🥺🥺 i love how nicely him appearing ties into with THE FOOL, because he sorta is one yeah? it's like a little nod to the canon p5 (where thematically akira can be said to be the fool, gaining enlightment and spirituality via his bonds as the game progresses; but also where yaldabaoth is the fool confidant AND is the one behind akira in the swap au). it's also a little 👀👀👀 with how goro unlocks the fool confidant the moment akira comes into the picture, like it's not just the ryuji-ann-morgana group who are the fool confidant for goro, akira is a necessary element there as well. also is goro suspecting something with those CLANG CLANG chains and cards? is he tying them to specific people in his mind and will he (mistakenly) tie the fool to akira?

um also i love love love what you do with the text formatting in those BREAKETH THY CHAINS sequences, it's very cool! and when you change the text in there a little bit, like turning "chains of captivity" into "captive" and then evolving it into "you are held captive" like woah...... foreshadowing!!

then the entire sequence of goro trying to understand why does he hate akira so much. lmao omg "he's so annoying and his smile is not ugly at all and also his lashes are soooo long. god what a fucking dick" goro babe please skdjeindosndj im very curious as to who will be the first to understand and acknowledge their feelings to the other. goro or akira akira or goro. goro is emotionally constipated akira is babygirl murderer place your bets

and then!!! goro immediately becoming suspicious bc of akira's slip up. it's going to bite everyone in the ass of course we know that but i can just FEEL how narratively satisfying it will be when everyone will write goro's suspicions off, like "nah goro's just got a hateboner for him" like ahhhh goro you're so correct but your actions and biases have led you here the cliff of your own doing

and then sojiro scene. the entirety of it. goro scrambling to fall back on some tried and true approach except sojiro's having none of that because HE. GENUINELY. CARES. poor monamona that whole breakdown and crying must've been so awkward for him

thank you again!!! ill keep saying it every time haha sorry this got so long im just. loving your work so much. truly a labor of love <33 hope you have a good day!!

before i say anything else, tumblr user nugylienshyd your asks are probably the very highlight of my days. i get SO giddy whenever i see your username pop up. im sorry i coudln't get to you until just now it's been such a day but (cracks knuckles)

GORO UTILIZING GAP MOE WAS SUCH A THROWAWAY LINE I WONT LIE HSKGLSD i was trying to figure out how to have him explain the difference between Pleasant Boy and Aspiring Axe Murderer and then i went wait. there's a term for this. gap moe. goro imitating ryuji also made me ugly laugh as all hell when the idea popped up into my mind because he would do that, wouldn't he.

AKIRAAAAA i'm glad you noticed the formatting ehe <3 ive said this before and i'll say it again, people need to utilize formatting more in fics!!! just because you're using words to create art doesn't mean you can't add a visual aspect to it as well!!! THE FOOL coinciding with akira's sudden appearance will forever be high point for my pride. i'm super happy with it. i'm glad you liked it too <3 (also your point about the phantom thieves somehow being incomplete and then akira appearing right when the bond formed is a neat one. i didn't mean to make it that way but damn thats an idea [writes down])

goro being a hater is another thing people need to use more often. listen its cute when he's like "akira :) responded to my date request hehe ok time to go to kichijoji" but its CUTER when he goes "look at this pathetic loser. he agreed to go on a date with me after Just One Text. this troglodyte. this buffoon" (asked him out in the first place)

and about goro immediately noticing akira's slip up!!!! of course he would. his entire thing is being Clever after all <3 iv ealso mentioned this in the past but i always found it so weird that ryuji and ann somehow picked up on pancakes so quickly? like these two are canonically the dumb blondes of the group..... and ur telling me... that they not only paid enough attention to morgana/akechi's words (ryuji SPECIFICALLY, who doesn't even like the two all that much at that point in time) to make the pancakes connection, but they ALSO remembered it enough to recall it to every new thief that joined their party??? really???????

im glad you liked the sojiro scene. it was honestly and truly such a long time coming, and they kind of... needed it? it was the only way goro could understand where sojiro was coming from, at least to me. goro's instinctive reaction to any unnatural behaviors is to lash out until the other person goes away or fights right back--both of which would be beneficial to him, at least in his perspective, because the strange threat is gone and he's back in his safe, lonely bubble. it's also why he was so taken aback when sojiro just... took it. he didn't expect him to agree. he didn't know what to do when he did.

thank you for such a well thought out ask, man <3 i did see this earlier last night, but i was in such a funk the whole day i couldn't collect my thoughts enough to respond to it properly until now. i hope your day's going well too. until next time <3

[that-crazy-five-foot-two-chick]

Summary: Winry sat in the optimal place to study in the school cafe for the entire fall semester. Then spring came, and suddenly some self-entitled twit who dressed like off-brand Gerard Way decided it was his territory. He was so not going to get off easy.

Rating: T

Word Count: 1.8k words of coffee shop/college AU with a side of enemies to almost-lovers

A/N: It's finals week, I posted this on Ao3 at almost 5am, and if the rest of the sentence didn't make it obvious, I'm writing from unfortunate experience. Not beta-ed or proofread, although I happened to see one thing to fix when I woke up this morning. Feel my raw power. Rawr.

It wasn't that big a deal.

It kind of really was, though.

Every Thursday morning during the fall semester, Winry sat in the same spot at the same school coffee shop. It was the spot sent by the entire patron pantheon of cram papers. Maybe one person didn't need an entire booth, but it was in the corner, and the tops of the bench seats had opaque plastic barriers that just so happened to be perfect for minimizing excess visual chaos. For the most part, there weren't loud conversations, and the jazz music that came through the speakers helped her tune out people ordering coffee. Add to that the fact that she could use campus flex dollars and not her own bank account that was begging for mercy, and it was the perfect spot to get papers done.

But apparently not this spring.

As soon as Winry walked in, she noticed him in the corner. Some emo wannabe guy on his computer. Probably on Reddit complaining about how women didn't appreciate the amazing pics he sent them on Tinder. Or at least, it was a fair guess based on the sour look on his face. Why did this guy of all people have to steal the holy grail spot? Ugh. She was still gonna get her coffee, darn it.

"You know the deal, Sciezska. Medium roast with a shot of espresso and vanilla creamer."

"On it! You paying in flex?"

"Yeah." She scanned her student ID and lowered her voice. "Who's off-brand Gerard Way in the corner?"

"Who's Ger—"

"The punk kid."

"Ohhh. I can try to get his number for you, if you want."

"No, he looks like a total tool! And not the kind I like dealing with!"

"Which means you think he's hot. I didn't think you were into that type, but you're not wrong."

"For the last time, no, Sciezska! He took my spot! And I'm trying very, very hard to keep this to a stage whisper, but if you keep trying to set me up with some random creep, I won't be able to!"

A distinctly male voice grumbled, "I'm not a creep."

"Keep telling that to the girls on Tinder. I'm sure they'll understand eventually."

"Yeah, and I'll bet if you look at your 'Live, Laugh, Love' sign a little more, you'll understand it eventually." He mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that, Mr. Nice Guy?"

"Lay off, it's eight in the morning. I said the only reason I even have a Tinder account is because my roommate stole my phone while I was going to the bathroom."

"Well, if you didn't want it, why didn't you delete it?"

"Eh, I figured if I really got sick of being single one day, it'd already be there."

"Never would have guessed you were single," Winry said dryly.

"Come on, it's way too early to be rubbing that kind of crap in. Who says I'm not fine with being single anyway?"

Sciezska timidly spoke up. "Medium roast with espresso and vanilla creamer?"

Winry thanked her as red jacket boy continued. "'Edward Elric, Bachelor.' Almost sounds as good as 'Edward Elric, Bachelor of Science.'"

"B.S. degree. Sounds about right."

"About time you stopped acting like I'm an idiot!"

Winry snorted. "That's not what I meant."

"Hey!"

"And with that, I'm going to go find some other spot to write my paper."

Edward, as his name apparently was, scoffed and mumbled something that sounded like "good riddance". Maybe the librarians wouldn't get on her case too much for bringing in coffee.

-----

A week later, Winry walked into the cafe, assuming the circumstances of the previous week were an anomaly. They were not.

"Medium roast with a shot of espresso and vanilla creamer," she grumbled and sulked in the direction of the corner seat.

"Hey, don't start with me again, blondie. I've had a whopping four hours of sleep and I can't promise you'll like what comes out of my mouth."

"We're at a coffee shop. Get some coffee. I can't help it if you're too hung over to be polite."

"Now look, genius. I did not stay up until 4 A.M. working on a stupid chem paper for that sadistic pyromaniac excuse for a professor just for some random chick to accuse me of being hung over."

"Oh."

"Yeah. And for your information, coffee doesn't really help me wake up. It just helps me focus on homework." He lifted up his empty cup and gave it a shake.

"That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard."

"ADHD is a weird thing, and yet, here I am."

"Huh, interesting."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pick up where I left off with the same stupid ten page paper I started last night."

"Oh right. Sure," Winry stammered. "Listen, I'm really sorry I just assumed things about you. It was wrong of me, and I'd like to make it up to you, if that's okay."

Edward eyed her suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well...I could look over your paper once you're done writing it? I've got a paper of my own to write while I'm waiting, and I can sit right across the table here so you don't have to come get me. I won't try to talk to you or anything. Neither of us need that kind of distraction."

"Alright, alright. Get your coffee and sit down. The girl at the counter's been up there waiting for a good minute or two while you've been at confessional over here."

"Wait, she has?" Winry's eyes widened, and Edward laughed at her expense. He was kind of attractive when he wasn't scowling...wait what? She pouted and got up to retrieve her coffee. When Winry returned, she plopped down on the bench opposite Edward and opened her laptop. Peeking out from behind it, she added, "By the way, I'm Winry. I figured you ought to at least know the name of the person who's proofreading your paper."

"Well, Winry, you're the one who volunteered." The corners of his mouth twitched upward. The two worked on their assignments in silence, occasionally speaking up when necessary.

-----

Edward was in the corner again the next week as well.

"Hey, Edward! Mind if I join you for homework again?"

"Normally, I'd say no, but you didn't bother me too much last week, so you might as well." He turned away slightly.

"Great! Have you gotten your coffee yet? I didn't see a cup, and you got something the last two times."

"Eh, I haven't been here long. If you're going up and getting yours, would you mind ordering a caramel macchiato for me?" He asked, sliding his ID across the table.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be back in a sec."

She returned and slipped his ID back before pulling out her computer. "Do you have anything for me to look over this time?"

"Not this week. But if you have anything you need looked over, I can do that, too."

"Actually, I do, if you wouldn't mind."

"Winry, I just volunteered. Just send the paper to my school email. Mine's 'elricedwa'," he instructed as he proceeded to spell it.

"Medium roast and a caramel macchiato?" Sciezska called out.

"Coming!" Winry replied and turned to Edward. "I just sent it, so you should be able to start while I'm getting our stuff." Eyes glued to his laptop, Edward gave a thumbs up.

Once she returned with their drinks, Winry sat down and wordlessly set Edward's drink next to him.

"Thanks," he muttered distantly. His lips mirrored the words he was reading. Though his lips weren't plump by any stretch of the imagination, they were shapely. His steely concentration made the air leave Winry's lungs. To top it all off, the first rays of sunlight came through the window just right, hitting Edward's hair in a way that made it positively glow.

What was she thinking? Those were only the sorts of things people thought when they had a crush. She'd only had two positive interactions with him, including this one. ...well, maybe it was a crush. She could certainly do worse than someone with a questionable fashion sense. After all, he worked hard, and he got good grades, if the quality of his writing was any indication. Okay, fine. He was also drop dead gorgeous, if you could see past his clothing choices. Yeah, she had a crush.

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

"...no."

"Figures. I finished reading your paper. It's not bad, I just left a few suggestions for sentence structure. Now I am going to enjoy my caramel macchiato." He took off the lid and breathed in the steam with his eyes closed, nearly drooping into the cup in content. When he opened his eyes slowly, Winry was awestruck by the similarity between the color of his eyes and his drink.

"What?" Edward furrowed his eyebrows.

"Nothing. I didn't say anything. At all. Nope."

"Okay." He shrugged. She reopened the document and went through his suggested edits. Gnawing her lip in concentration, she leaned forward a bit to settle in and tackle the editing.

"...hey, uh, Winry?" Edward gulped. "Are you going to drink your coffee?"

"Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot. Thanks, Edward!" she smiled.

"No–no problem. And you can call me Ed, you know. Most people do. Except for that excuse for a professor that calls me pipsqueak. Can you believe he's my advisor? I mean, come on, I'm a grown man. I'm not that short."

Winry made a poor attempt at containing her laughter. "Okay then, Ed. Prove it. Stand up."

"Fine." He slid out of the booth and stood. Winry followed suit and appraised their respective heights.

"Well, I'd hardly call you tall, but you're at least taller than me by a few inches, for whatever that's worth."

Edward grinned as if he had won some sort of prize. "Time for shorties to sit down now!"

"Watch it now. You're not too far from that label yourself, mister."

They both returned to their positions in the booth and worked steadily for the next hour. At the end of that time, Winry closed her laptop. "Ed, are you okay? You seem distracted."

"ADHD. I'm always distracted," he dismissed.

"No, like, are you sick or something? You did get more than four hours of sleep this time, right?"

"No comment." Ed's mouth twitched. He mumbled barely loud enough to hear, "Wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"Are you sure? If you're not feeling well, I can drive you over to the health center."

"N-no. That's not it." He exhaled, then slid a napkin across the table. His hands trembled slightly. "Anyway, here's my number. In case you need me to look over a paper. Or whatever. I've got a class soon."

Winry blushed, but tucked the napkin in her laptop. "Thanks, Ed. See you next week?"

"Yeah. Next week."

-----

Winry: This goes with your major, right?

Edward: Blocked

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon back again. Heads up im going to be busy for the next week about so it may be a bit til I submit my next bit. I'll try to get something in though! Even if its just a bunch of incorrect quotes I have stored up or songs that inspired the story (or if you have questions you haven't been able to ask you can ask those, literally any question is fine).

1: Not particularly, but it does give him an advantage in everything basically. Cause he was taught how to survive in many different areas (like treating wounds and how to survive in a tundra when you have nothing), this teaching is what allowed him to live alone for 4 years, and is what gives him a strong advantage in the Pit because he's almost fully trained in fighting and has many different tactics for multiple scenarios. Ranbob was distraught and was sent into a depressive episode when he discovered that, almost his entire family was dead, and got even more distraught and sent into a state of hysteria when he found out he was the one who killed them. He acted much the same when he found out he killed his friends, Ran's friends, and every single mentor and leader that was there. Knowing full well he may of very well doomed Mizu, if anyone was still left alive of course. 

2: Grievous remained salty for the rest of the day, and showed distaste in Ranbob as well. But the day after Grievous was back to being friends with and gently pranking Ranbob, forgiving him for yesterday's accident.

3: Eh? It depends I'll say. For life threatening situations and stressful situations, yes definitely. He doesnt last long before breaking down and begging Benjamin for help. But if its something like getting everyone to work toghere, giving directions, stopping fights, or even making calls in a very important decision, he doesnt get overwhelmed too easily. Benjamin is basically the co-leader of the group, only really leading when Isaac is unable too. 

5: Yep! Just cause this is a mythical and fake world doesnt mean there can't be some real world attributes. Im trying to keep it mythical but also use real world functions and trying to show the change/mix in times (like how while some of the world is machinery and its slowly gaining popularity, it's still mostly midevil based)

7: If the person is in the arena he gets revenge. Though sadly he can't get it outside cause last time he did that he got banned from fighting for a month. But if he sees one of the people who made fun of Jackie in the arena he makes sure to go hard to them, pushing them to their limit, but not pushing hard enough to make them lose if that makes sense. He makes sure to fight in a way that's draining and causing pain for the person, but not draining enough to make the round end so he can drag it on until the person collapses. 

8: He does! He's kept all of his books from his adventures and sometimes re-reads them to make sure he doesnt forget anything. And sometimes if the others beg, he reads them outloud to the group as a sort of bedtime story. He goes wack, he wacks Jackie when he's being a little shit, he wacks Grievous after a prank, he wacks Genevieve when she brakes a training dummy, he wacks Levi especially hard when he gives Jackie alcohol after he specifically told him not too. He watched the dressmaker, baker, farmer, fletcher, cleric, cartographer, and butcher! He learned all tricks of the trade and learned how to properly make clothes, map maps, how to take care of animals and what certain animals need, how to cook anything basically, how to harvest and preserve food, and how to make arrows and the basic necessities for a bow. 

Ran does not necessarily make them often, he mostly only wrote them down so he wouldn't accidentally brew a potion of poison and drink it thinking it was a healing potion. Its considered no longer necessary to go into the nether, as the only thing really needed is netherwart and building supplies, but the building supplies are very rarely needed and every major city has a netherwart farm. Also cause I wanna add it, no one knows about netherite. Only a few adventures know about it but consider it a hoax, it's only Rans netherite sword that actually proves that it does exist. I actually wasnt planning on it at first but now definitely, I could do a lot of things with them in the SMP grounds. Weeks, it takes weeks for Ran to decide their ready. Because they need to pass whats basically tests about mobs of the nether and their habits, mine plenty of gold, learn about what to and what not to do around Piglins, learn about bastions and fortresses and areas to completely avoid, learn to be able to take multiple mobs on at once, and be able to withstand the heat there. Watson tries to get Ran to lighten up on the requirements but Ran is firmly sticking his ground and Watson ends up giving up and letting Ran do whatever. Though even with all of Rans training their not completely ready for the nether. The fishermen originally refuse to go through, but eventually go through, mostly to make sure Ranbob is safe, and because Cletus wouldn't stop whining about going. 

10: I am very tempted to add angst here because their fighting against Dream after all. But I've made a lot of angst so far so I'll only do it if you want me too. 

12: He does end up stepping in! He goes to Ranbob one night and says how he's noticed he's been stressed and always sad and asks how he can help. Ranbob brushes him off at first but is debating going to him again and asking for help one last time.

13: Yeah he's like a final boss. When you fight as a General your allowed to use your own personal weapons and whatever tricks or tactics you want, along with 3 potions of your choice. While when fighting as a typical gladiator, you have to use the weapons supplied (although unless specifically stated you can use any weapon given at any time), and have to use tatics and tricks specifically allowed in the rules. Though there are 2 more titles! Sergeant and Corporal. Ran and Watson are both Sergeants, they get to use personal weapons and mostly any tactic and tricks they want too. While Grievous is a Corporal and only gets to use his personal weapons. 

14: Yep! The whispers disappeared gradually the futher away they got from Mizu, and even while he was moving away from Mizu Dream was asking, almost begging him at the end, to come back to Mizu. Saying how the futher Ranbob gets the lonier and colder he feels, and how he's sorrh, trying to guilt trip him into coming back to Mizu, or at least coming closer again. 

15: It is!

1: Huh. What kind of things would people learn if they chose other idols, exactly? Also, ouch. Why do I keep asking questions I know will hurt me later on?

2: Gently pranking. I applaud his restraint. Is that how Grievous forgives people? Gently pranking them? Just joking with them in general. Also, who laughed at that little situation?

3: So Isaac’s good with everyday things, not so much high stress situations. Gotcha. Is there a reason Benjamin is able to remain calm where he can’t? Practice, experience, personality trait?

5: Very cool. Can’t wait to see what else you do with that, honestly.

7: Petty. I love it. 

8: Aww, adventure bedtime stories! Also, him wacking people is so funny to me, thank you for that. And Levi gave Jackie alcohol? How did that go down? Did Jackie get drunk, or did Watson manage to keep them from drinking it? Watson sounds like he could probably establish a small village if he so chose, and honestly, good for him.

Dang. Does this mean like, everything from the Smp has been lost? So many of them had netherite armor and stuff, what happened there for people to not even know it’s a thing anymore? What happened in general, for so much of the past to be lost to history? How does their little Nether trip go? Anyone get hurt? Are piglin tribes around to trade with? Do they find anything cool, like a fortress or bastion?

10: It’s your AU, do what you will. I’m going to read it regardless, because for some reason, I enjoy breaking my heart like that(and the AU in general). Just give us some bonus hurt/comfort if you do, please? Just a smidge?

12: One last time? What does that mean, exactly? Should I be concerned?

13: Huh. So how many people know that Jackie’s the General? What kind of status does it give him? And how many people have managed to beat him when he fights all out? Would you say he and Ran are on par? How about him and Watson? And do the Sergeants and Corporals fight before the General, as like, mini bosses?

14:Oh no. Did it ever cause Ranbob to try and go back to him toward the end, or did the Fishermen manage to distract him long enough to get away from the whispers just about completely?

15: Yay!