#like he will compliment the people he cares about bc it only makes sense in his mind

[cvnt4him]

could I get #8 w/ iida? Fluff please? :) BC U ALREADU KNOW

I GOT YOU BBG NEVER MISSING A CHANCE TO WRITE FOR MY SECOND HUSBAND<333333

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More than friends.

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No one ever really understood why you were friends with him, and the way your friendship with him was, could be simulated as rather...odd.

Which never really made sense to you because like, why? Hes a good guy, he's helpful, caring, doting when needed and just overall a good person. People always called him uptight but around you he was just so amazing.

When he called you sweet, or said you looked 'divine' called you things like 'enchanting' or 'breath taking' at some moments, he was an angel sent from the heavens above, truly.

He always found a way to make you squirm in your seat, the way your friendship worked was confusing sure, but it was yours and you wouldn't trade it for the world.

"hello, y/n! How are you? Have you eaten?"

Tenya continued bombarding you with these questions, you always loved hearing them he was so caring and gentle with you it always made you feel so loved.

"I'm fine, ten ten."

You replied, offering him a smile that instantly brought one to his face, his features being complimented by the way he did.

He pushed up his glasses as he nodded to you, you giggle and nod back.

He was never really this doting on others, well except for midoriya ever since his vigilante arc tenya vowed to never really let izuku out of his sight, you admired his passion for wanting to keep his friends safe, it was one of the things you liked about tenya.

"wanna come to my dorm?"

You said blatantly, looking at him with a pointed look. You couldn't keep eye contact well, especially not with him but it always got worse when he'd look at you with such a piercing gaze, one of which was always filled with something, a desire.

He was shocked at your random outburst but was quick to agree.

You two found yourselves talking and laughing with each other which wasn't out of the ordinary for you two, he held you close to him your bodies colliding in a peaceful way like this is how things were supposed to be.

You faced him while his hand was on your hip, not in a sexual way, rather a comforting and safe way, the way his tight grip on his hip was all that you could think about, how much smaller you were than him, truly, he was tall and muscular and very attractive, being this close to him did something to you. You craved to be one with him.

"so.. I would prefer you've heard it from me rather than anyone else bombarding you with such things, but.. mei hatsume and I are dating, officially now.."

He told you, excitement being tinged slightly in his tone. His words caught you off guard interrupting your laugh as your eyes went wide, your smile fell as you looked at his chest before glancing up at him.

He looked down at you with a smile before seeing your reaction and concern went to paint his features instantly.

"is.. is something wrong, y/n? Are you alright?"

He was quick to ask you, god why did he do the things he did to you. You can't blame him for finally getting a girlfriend, he deserved one, a great one, one that was worthy of him, that was worthy of his bombarding love and caring personality, the way he smiles so perfectly, the way he was the walking embodiment of perfection.

He deserved someone that was perfect and more, and if he found that in.. mei hatsume, then who are you to stop him from pursuing that.

You exhale through your nose, looking down with a defeated look not bothering to answer his question, you felt rather uncomfortable in this moment now. Not because you hadn't wanted to be with him, lord knows it might just be the only chance you have left to be with him intimately of some sort. You didn't want to be held by him like this especially if he was with some other girl, he was a good guy who didn't deserve to be accused of cheating because you had some deranged fantasy of being with him.

He hadn't seen you like that, so you shouldn't see him like that. Yet, you couldn't help but feel something flutter in your stomach or much lower.. when his grio of your hip tightened and when he grabbed you by your chin and gently craned your head up to look at him. He stared down at you with a piercing gaze, concern filling the way he silently took you in, your wide eyes staring up at you sadly, your smile long gone as he frowned his brows furrowing.

You couldn't speak, not that you wanted to, you were stunned to say the least. You hadn't wanted to be a downer because this might be the last chance you have with him, once people get significant others they stop hanging out with their friends and when they do decide to hang out their significant other always has to join.

You didn't want to be that person who wanted him to feel like he shouldn't hang out with his girlfriend outside of them being together, plus if they are really together why should you be the one to stop him from being with her.

"y/n.. please tell me what is disturbing you."

He asks you softly, his voice hushed into a whisper as he looks down at you through his glasses lens. The way his blazing, lucent, electrifying ocean blue eyes looked deep into your own was magical, he could tell a start with only his eyes, how you wished you could live in them, dive in and never come out. He had such a grasp on you, not just physically but mentally, you were his and he was all you wanted.

You felt so defeated. So much so that you could almost cry, but you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of him due to your unrequited feelings for him.

He pulled you into a swift tight hug, burying his nose in your hair, the smell instantly taking over his senses, it was intoxicating he enjoyed the smell of your hair, the smell of your skin, the way you felt next to him was perfect. Meant to be even.

The hug was ended by you pulling away slightly, you look up to him once more staring deep into his eyes. He stared right back at you with just as deep eyes, however, something else on you caught his eye.

His eyes moved down a little, you seen that and followed his eyes on your face, your first thought went to maybe he was staring at your boobs? No he's not that kind of guy. Well.. maybe on the dl, but he wouldn't make it blatantly obvious if he were staring at your boobies.

His eyes were on your lips, he just couldn't help himself! Your lips looked so good and soft and kissable, he just wanted to grab you by your neck and kiss you.

That's just what he did, he slowly pulled you closer by the back of your neck, a soft hand holding you firmly and bringing you closer to him, you welcomed it and embraced it. You were so ready for this magical and enchanting kiss he was going to give but he stopped right in front of you, his breath fanning your lips as he continued to look down at them before bringing his deep ocean eyes to yours.

"may I?"

God why did you find him so sexy, the way he spoke and looked at you, the way he made your heart flutter when he was around, the way you got butterflies from just thinking about him. It was genuinely bazaar.

You pulled him into a rigid kiss, you needed this kiss so badly you fekt like you were going to explode. His eyes went wide from the way you yanked him into yourself, he ended up pulling away catching his breath that yous tole from him.

You looked up at him afraid, had you gone too far?

He simply chuckled before pulling you back in but into a much softer and rhythmic kiss. He held the kiss for a while, holding your face as well while he hummed lightly inside of it.

You sighed as your eyes fluttered shut, this was it, what you needed his beautiful lips on yours, if you were to pass in this given moment you would.

He pulled away with a sigh and a smile, you were speechless. The way he looked down at you, his thumb rubbing your cheek as he smiled at you with his beautiful eyes peering over you.

You eventually started to feel guilty creep onto you. You just kissed a taken man, let alone your best friend. Were you the girl best friend that people's girlfriend had to worry about?

Out of all honesty, you quite literally didn't mind if that meant tenya was yours.. selfish as it is.

You brushed the feeling away, yet still felt the need to ask,--

"what about your girlfriend."

You said bluntly, curious on what this meant for the two of you and how it would effect his relationship.

He gave you a confused look as his smile faultered before he mouthed an 'oh' with wide eyes, he sighed with a smile and chuckled.

Wait, what's funny? The fact you want to be a good person? God forbid.

You had started to get slightly angry, was he making fun of you?

"darling, I'm not really in a relationship. I only said that to see how you would react to if I actually had one."

He told you continuing to rub your cheek slightly pinching it.

You nod with a hum, your gaze then moving down to his chest as you ran a finger up and down it, you bit your lip slightly thinking to yourself, does this mean what you thought it did? That you and your best friend might actually get together?

"nothing to say?"

"not yet.. still thinking."

That made him laugh, he smiled brightly, just watching you and the way you worked, you were a beauty really, you were magical and one of a kind, the way you were programmed to him is just so mesmerizing, you're so.. yourself it makes him crazy. He would never say it to your face, but honestly he thinks you're a bit of an airhead, however he loves you all the more. These little facts and tricks about you are just so cute and amazing to him he can't help but want to be with you.

"take your time, my love."

He whispered, lying his head on top of yours and shutting his eyes with a comfortable sigh, you were his officially, now he can relax.

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AN: this needs to be said, no one can tell me certain mha characters js don't love black women like I js get vibes from certain people who either love or need a black woman in their life.

Tenya, bakugou, shoto, monoma fr

Idk what it is ab blondes who are ridiculously mean but I js love it and hate it at the same time.

[necrotic-nephilim]

For the ask game: A Damian who never got the sex talk or a consent talk from Bruce (both bc he assumed that Dick, son-wife extraordinaire, would take care of that and bc he thought that Damian would be ace or celibate or something) and so in his teens after only learning about sex from the internet he just becomes like, wildly inappropriate about his crushes, including unfortunately his older siblings, especially Dick, Tim and Cass

This includes not just the bat-typical stalking online and irl, but also making comments on their bodies, flirting excessively, and one notable time, masturbating in the living room of Dick’s apartment

Everyone is torn on how to address it, if they should be saying anything at all, I mean, he’s just going through puberty, it’s just a phase right?

for the ask game!

i LOVE it when Damian has like. zero concept of how relationships work and no one thinks to talk to him about it, leading to wildly inappropriate behavior. it's my fave flavor for any Damian ship.

obviously, his first crush is Dick. and because Damian has had such little interaction with healthy romantic relationships, he doesn't even *realize* that's what he's feeling. in concept, he understands sex. but he has a very clinical definition of it, viewing it as coupling to produce an heir. (100% influenced by Ra's) so sex as a pleasurable thing, as something driven by romantic interest, that's foreign to him. he refuses to show weakness and he needs to be hyper-independent, so he falls down a google rabbit hole. i love the idea of Damian accidentally stumbling into like, forums and subreddits based on what he googles that are for people with incestual fantasies and it ends up giving him the WILDLY wrong idea about what's normal. he makes his own account and becomes mildly chronically online about it. at first, it's just a safe outlet for him to vent about his feelings. bc deep down Damian *does* know this is a little wrong and weird, he knows Dick doesn't exactly reciprocate and he understands there's a difference between familial and romantic love. but the more Damian is reading other stories online, the bolder he gets. and he starts getting more open about his attraction.

not only does he get more open about it, but his attraction spreads to Cass and Tim. for Cass, it makes sense. they grew up similarly, if anyone understands the guilt of being raised to be an assassin and now trying to atone for it, it's her. Damian respects her raw ability and naturally it turns into a crush. for Tim, it's harder to explain. he hates Tim with his whole being, doesn't see Tim as his brother. it starts as sexual attraction first, with Tim. for Dick and Cass it was romantic first, but not Tim. watching Tim train shirtless, Damian almost hits himself in the face with the workout equipment he's using. since he's never considered Tim a brother, he's never considered Tim seriously when he's thinking about incestual feelings. it startles him to be attracted to Tim too. honestly? fun concept that Damian gets so in his head with an incest kink that he finally accepts Tim as a brother to him because he's attracted to Tim, therefore this must mean that some part of Damian views him as a brother because Damian has just. entangled those feelings internally.

it's when Damian is attracted to them as well, that they all start to notice. Cass notices first, and she asks Tim about it, since she can tell Damian's feelings are toward Tim and Dick as well. they have a conversation about it and ultimately decide they can't change Damian's feelings, and they don't want to embarrass him about it because he's young and going through puberty. Tim had his own childhood crush on Dick, it happens, he really gets it. they loop Dick in, who is absolutely thrown by the concept. for a while Dick doesn't believe them. he's convinced they're reading into things. until Damian starts getting more bold. going from openly staring that could be interpreted a lot fo ways to excess compliments and flirting. Dick's used to comments about his body, they slide off easily. but when Damian very loudly makes a comment about Tim or Cass' body, Dick balks. he tries to. carefully tell Damian that there are boundaries to certain relationships and he needs to be more respectful. Damian doesn't take it seriously because Dick won't address it head-on and is dancing around the topic. Damian either doesn't think Dick is serious, or he thinks Dick doesn't understand the depth of his emotion outside of sexual desire. so he starts trying to be more romantic. flirting, gifts and gestures. it's very sweet and almost childlike, how hard Damian is trying. Cass thinks it's cute and doesn't mind it. Dick is trying carefully to let Damian down gently. and Tim is just baffled, not really sure what to do with the *very* nice new bo staff Damian got him that's reinforced and admittedly, very well balanced.

Damian gets bolder. his touch lingers, his comments get more sexual. and of course, the breaking point: he jerks off in Dick's living room. he does it when Dick is busy in another room, taking a shower. Dick comes in just as Damian reaches completion, gripping one of the throw pillows on Dick's couch. Dick leaves the room, pretends he didn't see anything and gives Damian the chance to clean himself up. but when he comes in the room, they both know that Dick knows. Dick decides he has to be more firm with his boundaries. he sits down and tells Damian it's okay to have a crush, but this is not okay. Dick repeatedly calls it "puberty" and a "phase", and Damian gets more caught up on Dick denying the realness of his feelings than the rejection. he doubles down, because he perceives the issue as Dick just not understanding how real Damian's feelings are. this isn't some silly teenage phase to Damian, he knows his feelings. obviously, the issue must be that Dick, Tim, and Cass don't understand that. so he does his best to act more like an adult. he's far more reasonable on patrol, he doesn't pick fights, he's independent. all the issues Dick has been having with training Damian suddenly vanish and well. Dick knows why, but he has to admit, it is far easier to work with Damian like this. at this point, Tim just finds the whole thing funny. Cass doesn't enjoy the sexualized comments about her body, she's always been hyperaware of how others will oversexualize her, but she still sees Damian as a young kid and doesn't lash out at him over it. she's dealt with far worse, and she doesn't want to make him feel bad about a crush.

if i were writing this, i think it'd be fun if Damian's feels do eventually fade. he stops going online so much and he gets other things to focus on trying to be a good vigilante and soon his efforts aren't about his feelings, he's just genuinely focused on himself. he grows back and Dick, Tim, and Cass breathe a sigh of relief about it really just being some phase. that is, of course, until someone new joins the Batfam and the cycle starts again. maybe it's Duke, maybe it's someone else like Terry. but at the end of the day, Damian's incest kink wins out and maybe this time, he actually succeeds. he gets his new person of affection to reciprocate with all of the attention he gives them and Dick just has to watch from the background, facepalming. bc at the end of the day, Damian will always get what he wants, sooner or later.

[raquellemonsta]

Hi!! Just saw ur post announcing that you’ll be taking requests so I’d love to send one in! I would love love LOVE a timeskip! Tobio x supermodel/influencer/celebrity gf who is like the IT girl of Tokyo and is super gorgeous Bcs I’ve just forever had this thought that timeskip tobio just SUITS so well w like specifically a famous celebrity that compliments him yk?? And not to mention he’s also canonically attractive like YESS. It just makes so much sense bcs I def think Kageyama fits into the unpopular/quiet guy trope with the ultimate sunshine/popular gf yk?? So so excited to read it!! <33

i LOVEEE this idea. i think his personality perfectly contrasts a popular/famous cosmo girl. i kind of went crazy with this one, and it has it's own little twist on it so the two aren't initially dating (also enjoy the lev cameo <3). hope you like it!!

timeskip! kageyama x celebrity/model! reader

4.0k words

(part 2)

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you live a pretty normal life. you have lots of friends, lots of clothes, and your very own makeup brand. plus, you have millions of followers on all of your social medias, enough brand deals and fan mail to fill up an entire house, and weekly photoshoots for fashion magazines. and not to mention a beautiful penthouse in the most expensive part of tokyo. okay, maybe your life isn't that normal.

at only 23, you've been on the cover of famous magazines (both in your home country and abroad), developed your own million-dollar beauty brand, and even starred in a few popular movies. the spotlight has always seemed to find you.

when you were younger, you participated in pageants, first locally and eventually moving up to larger-scale competitions. you would start to get spots in commercials for random products. you had become locally well-known, however it would be at the end of your teens that you would be catapulted into real stardom.

when you were 19, you were crowned miss universe japan and were the runner-up for the miss universe competition. ever since, you had become a national celebrity and were known internationally as well. you now lived a lavish lifestyle and surrounded yourself with glamorous possessions and people (though not to say you didn't appreciate and even miss your life before fame). as tokyo's beloved 'it' girl, your life is exciting and lots of business at the same time.

which brings you to now, you were sitting in the backseat of your car after just leaving your manager's office. you kept replaying the conversation you just had with mr. gushiken.

"i don't understand what you're trying to say" you admitted.

"you're going on 24 (y/n), and you've never publicly dated anyone! you're going to become less relatable if you keep it up" he warned. your manager has been on your case about getting into a relationship to boost people's view of you. personally, you didn't care how relatable you are, but the more you thought the more you realized people might find it weird that their favorite megastar hasn't shown any sign of a love life. that didn't mean you wanted a 'pr' relationship though. you want love to find you, you don't want to force it or fake it. if that means waiting for the right person then so be it.

when you finally come back to reality, your driver informs you that you're almost to your destination. your manager booked you a shoot for some designer handbag brand that's going to pay you a large sum for the photos. you're even getting a free purse from their new line, so you're not going to complain.

entering the studio, you're greeted by an intern and shown to the set area. you're caught off guard when you see lev haiba at the set with you. you are aware of him, though you've never collaborated with him before. you most often see him in perfume/cologne advertisements, while you usually appear for fashion brands.

with the context that your manager wants you in a relationship, though, you start thinking that maybe you're being set up. a sinking feeling in your chest causes you to consider what dating lev would be like, and then onto lev himself. what is he like?

"hey (l/n), it's nice to work with you!" lev excitedly greets you. he has a wide grin on his face and talks faster than you can even keep up with.

"i'm happy to work with you too lev" you smile back. you make your decision then and there.

lev is very handsome, he's a model for crying out loud! but he isn't your type. superficially, you've always been into tall guys with dark hair. but honestly, appearance didn't matter to you as long as he had certain other traits. personality-wise, you liked when guys aren't like yourself. you find yourself clashing with lev simply because the two of you are very similar in your dispositions. it's nice as a friend and colleague relationship, but you don't see it working out romantically.

"alright ms. (l/n), please follow me" a younger man calls for your attention and lead you to a dressing/makeup room. your makeup took a little over half an hour, and then you were helped into the elegant red dress you were given for the shoot.

following the same man back out, you see lev already waiting for you so the shoot can begin. you shake hands with the photographer before getting some individual shots with the bags. then, they decide to have the two of you do some photos together. at first, it's innocent enough, but then they start asking you to get into some slightly more intimate poses. for example, the photographer has their intern move you two into a pose where your back is to lev's chest. they have him place his arms around you while you hold a handbag (and he has one over his shoulder). it's a very couple-y pose and you can just picture your manager scheming with the shoot photographer.

the thing that finally puts you over the edge is when they expect you and lev to kiss. that basically confirms your suspicion that this was some sort of plot to make the public see you and lev as a couple and spark a pr relationship between two models. your heart picks up its pace, but not in a positive way. you start to breathe heavier and feel on the bring of an anxiety attack. the only thing really stopping you is knowing how it could affect your reputation.

it's too much. i need to get out of here.

you settle for a kiss on the cheek, before announcing that you're not feeling very well and rushing off the set and back to your dressing room. you chug from your water bottle and breathe deeply, knuckles white as you clutch the edge of the table. you give yourself a few minutes to breathe before quickly getting out of the red dress and slipping into a slightly more casual black one. you grab your purse and walk back down the hallway, saying thank yous and byes to people as you go.

you give a more personal goodbye to lev, and give him a kind smile to show that it's not his fault that you ran out. he smiles back at you in understanding as you leave the building, your driver waiting out front for you. the sun is getting lower in the sky, and the streets are still bustling.

after that interesting shoot, you really need to unwind. you have your driver bring you to an upscale club in the heart of tokyo. you aren't an alcoholic by any means, but you really wanted a distraction and didn't think you would find it in your quiet apartment.

finally reaching your destination, your bodyguard opens the door for you. you thank your driver before walking up to the entrance of the club. several of the people in line excitedly point at you, whisper-shouting that you're even prettier in person and various other compliments. you grin at them before happily greeting the bouncer. this is a club you frequent, and the bouncer is used to seeing you.

you walk inside and immediately feel the speakers vibrating the floor. this dark front hallway merely conceals the colorful dance floor and lit-up bar. one of your favorite things about this club is the lighting perfect for insta pictures. you say hi to some of the people you recognize before feeling the need for a drink.

you head to the vip section and take a seat. your bodyguard is hidden away in the back, giving you some semblance of privacy while still ensuring that he'll be ready at a moment's notice, though you doubt you'll need his assistance here. while waiting for the server, you look down from the indoor balcony that gives a view of the dance floor. there are actually a lot more people here than usual, now that you think about it. there's a lot of really tall, really hot guys here tonight on top of that. a server comes by and you order a drink before asking about all of the extra people here tonight. he tells you that japan's national volleyball team are here

you wait for your drink by doing some more people-watching. you look around the vip area from the chair you're on when your gaze falls on a man across the room. he seems vaguely familiar, but you can't put a name to the face you're currently openly staring at. he's insanely attractive and fits the tall, dark, and handsome archetype to a t. even from where you're sitting you can tell he's particularly muscular, and his features are sharply defined.

is it cheesy and cliché to say this is love at first sight? you can't think of another way to describe it. you feel your heart start to thump faster in your chest, and unlike earlier it's a positive feeling. you look back at him and to your surprise, find that you're making eye contact with him before he quickly averts his eyes.

did you just catch him staring at you?

now you have to find out about him. by going over to him and asking? well no, he had three other guys currently sitting at his booth with him, which runs the risk of him blowing you off even if he is interested. so you do what makes the most sense and ask random clubgoers about him instead of approaching him. like any drunk person down there would ignore a pretty girl anyway.

you head down to the dance floor, where the music is nearly deafening, and try to ask around to find out who this guy is. it takes only one person to find out the identity of the handsome 'stranger'.

a girl around your age is able to tell you that it's kageyama tobio, a professional volleyball player. that explains his excellent physique. you look his name up on your phone and sure enough find the man and numerous pictures of him throughout his career. damn is he hot, especially in his action shots. you also realize you've definitely seen him online before, probably in a headline as part of his impressive volleyball team without even realizing it. apparently, he's a very talented setter and a key part of his team, despite being one of the younger ones on the team (when you see he's 24 you want to yell out loud that finally an attractive guy is actually your age and not a questionable amount older).

you're told by others that he's 'emotionally unavailable' and that he is already in a committed relationship (with volleyball) though. you aren't going to let that stop you, plus he was actually staring back at you earlier. that has to count for something! besides, even if it doesn't work out, the chase itself is fun.

you make your way back up to your seat. you feel eyes on you and find him at the other side of the vip intently staring at you again. one of his teammates (you assume) is sat across from him, though his attention is clearly on you. you wave at him and give him a flirtatious wink, which causes him to furrow his brows. he looks behind and then around himself while you continue to stare at him. is he really so surprised you're interested in him? does he not know how attractive he is?

when he's finally alone, you decide to make your move. pushing your chair back, you make your way over.

"hi. mind if i sit?" you ask. you're not going to beat around the bush or worse- make him feel like he's wasting his time.

he looks at you, likely recognizing you as the beautiful woman across the room that seemed interested in him. he then takes in the rest of you, and you're happy you had decided to wear a short but flattering black dress that highlights your favorite features.

"hey. no" he shortly responds. he shifts over in the booth despite the entire rest of it being empty. you take the opportunity to be close to him and sit in the area he made space for. you bump his shoulder accidentally before placing your drink down.

you sit down and get a good look at him up close for the first time. you have to say, he's even more attractive in person compared to your phone screen. his eye contact with you is inconsistent, as you'll catch his gaze for a few seconds before he looks away with pink cheeks.

"i haven't seen you here before" you say, "what are you doing here tonight?" you question, taking a sip of your drink. you want to hear from him, even though you kind of already know the answer. you look up at him to find him already looking at you, for some reason surprised that a pretty girl is actually this interested in speaking with him. after several moments of his incredulous look, he finally answers you.

"i'm on japan's national volleyball team" he explained, "we're here for 'team bonding' or something". he doesn't say much but you find yourself hanging on every word he speaks. he has an alluringly deep voice that you noticed more with his longer sentence. "i know who you are" he says.

you're shocked by his sudden assertion. honestly, you shouldn't be because you're literally one of the most famous people in tokyo, but still. you honestly feel kind of bad that you hadn't really known who he was when he caught your eye from across the room earlier.

"really?" you ask.

"who doesn't?" he responds.

kageyama does know you. he knows a lot about you, truthfully. you've been his 'celebrity crush' for several years, ever since he happened to see you on the miss universe competition representing his country.

he had been visiting home, watching tv with his sister. miwa has always been a big fan of reality tv and beauty competitions. he hadn't really been paying much attention to what she was watching, opting to play some random game on his phone while waiting for dinner. that was until his sister started freaking out and squealing at the tv. who was the older sibling again?

"tobio it's her! miss universe japan!" she excitedly shouted. "she's so beautiful" she had quieted down a little, but still had her eyes glued to the screen. kageyama looked up from his phone and at the screen and was surprised to see a breathtakingly beautiful girl wearing the 'miss japan' sash. she was smiling brightly and he felt a thump in his chest even though the smile wasn't directly aimed at him.

words on the bottom of the screen came up: 'miss universe japan: (l/n) (y/n)'. he immediately went to look up your name online, and found plenty of pictures of you, along with your instagram with hundreds of thousands of followers. he only scrolled for a few seconds before following you and looking back up at the screen, entranced.

it was a whole new thing to see you in front of him now. slightly older from the first time he had laid eyes on you, but still just as alluring. your smile still makes his heart skip.

"well, i'm honored that the kageyama tobio knows me" you say. he merely stares back at you in awe at finally meeting you in person as he tries to think of something to say.

one of your favorite poppy songs comes on and you excitedly jump up. he gets slightly nervous at your quick action.

"dance with me?" you ask. you have a wide smile on your face and hold your hand out to him.

"i don't dance" he tells you. which is true. whenever he comes to clubs or bars, he feels out of place. while his friends and teammates are able to unwind and attract the attention of women, he finds it much harder to do either. he's much too quiet and emotionally reserved to hold the attention of most women, while others are put off by his 'unsettling' smile.

"it'll be fun! there's so many people here no one will be looking at you anyway, you have nothing to be worried about" you reason. you can clearly see the inner turmoil written on his face.

little do you know, kageyama is so nervous he's going to embarrass himself in front of you. he's never gotten this much personal attention from such a gorgeous girl, let alone a famous one he'd been crushing on for several years. he's almost always had fangirls, but people have always said he's unapproachable and too volleyball-minded for girls to ever have any attraction beyond physical. you've been talking to him for this long though, so he can't help but think this is different and you might actually be genuinely interested in him.

he mutters a small 'ok' and you take your chance before he can change his mind. you grab his hand and pull him from the booth and down the stairs all the way to the dance floor. turning around to face him, you have to look up to meet his eyes again. definitely over 6 foot, but he doesn't tower over you as much as lev does. it's a good, happy medium. he's standing very stiff and looking around at everyone before he looks back down to you. you give him a warm smile, encouraging him to loosen up a little.

you decide it seems like he needs you to help him. you grab his hands and sway back and forth in a goofy way. he only follows your actions, letting himself be wildly flailed around by you. he can't help the smile that breaks out onto his face, one he hasn't let himself show to anyone in a very long time (due to the many comments people had made about it). when you give him a strange look, he quickly tries to go back to his straight face and pulls his hands out of yours, turning around so you can't see his expression. he's already managed to mess up.

that's not how you see it. you're surprised at how his smile makes you feel. you finally understand what people are talking about when they say they have butterflies in their stomach. you feel light and airy, while also being tied down to this world next to him. your entire body heats up and you swear you're about to catch on fire. you haven't felt this way for a guy in a very long time, especially not this quickly. everything about him demands your attention and makes you wish you didn't need to blink so you never have to miss a glimpse of him.

"your smile is cute" you tell him honestly. it's a little unconventional, but you mean what you say. you can tell it's genuine and true, and that in itself is what makes it so beautiful. he gives you a strange look with something you can't really grasp. the best way to describe it is like he's really seeing you for the first time. not just your face, your body, your looks. he sees into you.

"you're gorgeous" he tells you. it's something you've heard thousands of times but it holds an entirely different meaning when you hear it from his mouth. you glance up at him and find him giving you an intense look of admiration and maybe even more.

"kiss me" you whisper. he doesn't respond verbally, and instead grants you your request. the butterflies in your stomach explode and go all over your body. it's an amazing sensation that leads you wanting more. his lips are slightly chapped, and you have to admit he seems slightly inexperienced, but you don't care. if anything, it's endearing. you hear some of the people (they sound like guys so you guess they're probably his teammates) whistle and holler in your general direction, but neither of you pay any mind to it. his arms fold around your back and pull you in closer, causing you to reach up and place your arms over his shoulders and around his neck. after what feels like forever, you pull away though he follows you. you hide your face and just embrace him. he's so warm and the feeling calms you. you feel safe with him, and wish the two of you could just be alone with each other.

you tell him as much, and he offers up his place for the two of you to go. you smile at him before texting your driver and your bodyguard (who was watching you now), telling them the address you would be heading to.

honestly, the rest of the night is history.

a package turned up at your apartment, something which at first makes you a little nervous. being as famous as you are, it's unsettling to think a 'fan' might show up at your door or have bad intentions with you. fortunately, the package is addressed to you from your manager. why not just text me, we're in the 21st century? you think, but pass it off as him being an 'old man' (he's about 50, so you decide).

you sit down with the package on the couch in your patio. opening it up, you find one of the most popular celeb news magazines and immediately recognize the two people on the cover. it's a picture of you and tobio walking down the sidewalk after one of your recent coffee dates. he had been walking you to one of your friends apartment buildings to visit her (and more importantly her dog). the photographer had caught you animatedly talking about god knows what, but you were more interested in tobio. he was looking at you intently with the faintest smile that most people probably wouldn't notice. if they didn't notice that, though, they definitely would notice the look in his eyes: lovestruck. if it was a cartoon you were sure he would have literal hearts in his eyes. you held your frappuccino in the hand not intertwined with tobio's. though you could find paparazzi annoying and even creepy at times, you have to admit you love everything about this picture.

the picture of course has a caption. in big letters it reads:

'tokyo's hottest new couple!: (l/n) (y/n) & kageyama tobio are official!'

you can't help the smile on your face. flipping through the pages, you finally come to the one about you and kageyama. a small slip of paper falls out when you do so, and you find it's a note from your manager:

congratulations on front cover again. he's a keeper - gushiken-san

"what's that?" a familiar voice behind you questions. you feel arms wrap around you and you smile. it seems someone's finally gotten out of bed.

"us" you show him the cover, to which he makes a low hum in response.

"i'm putting this on the fridge" you joke. you turn around to face him in all of his bedhead glory, wrapping your arms up around his shoulders.

"seriously? i look weird in that picture" he scoffs. you playfully swat him for making such an objectively wrong claim. you always help him with his self-esteem. he never doubts his abilities in volleyball, but in nearly ever other part of his life he needs some assistance. even now that the two of you are actually dating he doesn't feel worthy enough, friendly enough, attractive enough for someone like you. you do everything you can to convince him otherwise. he is worthy, sweet to you, and definitely attractive enough.

"you look handsome in it! but you always do so i'm not sure why you're surprised" you teasingly flirt. his cheeks darken and you reach up to pinch one. he moves his head away but moves back to gaze sweetly into your eyes. you look back just as sweet, and can't help but be lost in his beautiful blue eyes.

"if you say so" he responds with a kiss to your cheek. you respond with a kiss to his lips, followed by many more.

[shaunashipman]

Have you seen how the buddie shippers are claiming either that Tim didn’t even watch the fan edit because “it was too long and not good” or that he posted is to throw people off and make them think everything is okay with bucktommy when they’ll actually breakup at the end of the season. 😂 Oh! And the newest evidence of bucktommy bones from the show is that buck didn’t mention tommy in the scene where eddie drops Chris at bucks. “If they really cared about developing this relationship they would’ve mentioned him instead of having Buck flirt with eddie about his perfume.” ….. have people never complimented their friend before? especially before a date? also buck seemed very excited for eddie to be going on this date with who he thought was Marisol and also spending the night with her. He literally tells him they won’t wait up. that doesn’t quite strike me as someone who’s so in love with his best friend, even unconsciously. I mean we literally saw how jealous buck gets even when he has an unconscious crush. And who was that crush on? Tommy! And who’s tommy? Buck’s boyfriend, in canon not fanon! Also the narrative purpose of the perfume line was def to show us that Eddie isn’t just trying to be friends with Kim. he’s doing little things like putting on the nice cologne, etc etc, bc he’s attracted to her and wants her to be into him.

ok well then by that first logic i'm gonna say that tim didn't even look that hard at the vertigo poster before he posted it and only realized oliver's name was there after someone pointed it 🤷‍♀️

and posting bucktommy to throw ppl off the scent of buddie? you mean like how he used buddie in ep4 to throw ppl off the scent of bucktommy? the thing that they can't seem to grasp even when tim spells it out in b&w? but they now think he's doing secretly?

someone else theorized that they shot 2 endings to ep6, cause they weren't sure of the reception, and probably still didn't know while filming ep7, that's why there's no mention of tommy. I don't know enough about the shooting schedule to know if that's a viable theory, but it makes some sense to me, cause they were taking a big risk, which seems to have paid off

hard agree on the perfume thing. I like to joke that it's because eddie likes to pour it on, cause i'm a perfume hater and think you shouldn't be able to smell it unless you're right next to the person, which buck wasn't. but yeah, it was to reinforce that dinner with kim was a date™, not somehow a platonic meet up where he's gonna confess that she looks just like his dead wife oh and also he's not single he has a serious girlfriend

[bnhabeans]

Class 1a pride headcanons let's gooooo 🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Going by seat order bc I'm autistic and it makes good sense

Also no mineta bc I don't know what to do with him

1. Aoyama 🌟🩶

Nonbinary and aspec. They aren't sure if they have a definitive gender one way or another but if anyone asks they just say "sparkling of course!! ✨️" as for sexuality/romantic attraction they are asexual and still questioning their romantic alignment. Honestly they would be happy going through life with maybe some qpps and not really thinking too much about it

2. Mina 👽🩷

Bi as hell babey!! Everyone is gorgeous in their own way!! Mina falls in love so fast and with so many people she's just like. Everyone deserves love and if she's gotta be the one to give it then so be it.

3. Tsu 🐸💚

Distinguished lesbian. Not afraid to tell the other 1a girls what makes them attractive. Tsu loves complimenting ppl and feels very proud of herself whenever the other girls get flustered bc she knows it means she's made their entire day.

4. Iida ⏩️💙

Bisexual and doesn't know what to do about it. Has many panicked conversations with Tensei over finding people attractive and feeling very weird about it bc they all live together and also puberty hormones hit him like a truck about a month or so after meeting everyone.

5. Ochako 🌌🩷

Pansexual. Very proud of it. Often seen very loudly validating her classmates identities and making sure that any potential homophobes and transphobes know that they will be punted into the stratosphere if they so much as breathe wrong in the general direction of anyone ochako cares about

6. Ojiro 🐒🤎

Token cishet. Great ally tho.

7. Kaminari ⚡️💛

Nonbinary and bisexual. Pronouns vary by the day. Often jokes that they've never made a decision in their entire life because of this. When they go pro there ends up being an official line of Chargebolt merch that has the slogan "gender? I don't even know'er!" On it.

8. Kirishima 💪❤️

Bisexual but kind of oblivious to it. Equates attraction to admiring someone for being "manly." It is discovered at some point during his years at UA that his personal definition of manly just encompasses all the traits that he finds attractive in a person plus other traits he admires but isn't necessarily into. This makes for a very confusing journey of self-discovery.

9. Kouda 🐇🤍

Grey ace. Questions his gender sometimes but is not overly concerned with what gender is the right one. More interested in solid friendships than dating too and so he ends up with qpps as his most meaningful relationships

10. Sato 🍫💛

Stereotypical cake loving aro ace. He doesn't care what everyone else is doing, he's busy perfecting his ganache.

11. Shouji 🤝🩵

On the ace spectrum but still figuring out exactly where. He has body image issues due to trauma and that kind of effects his views on attraction and romance.

12. Jirou 🎵💜

She thinks she's bi but she's still figuring it all out. Honestly anyone that can vibe to music with her could catch her eye, and she especially likes people that have slightly odd tastes such as listening to classical music or pre-quirk pop*

*(this is based on the headcanon that bnha takes place a couple hundred years into the future. Pre-quirk pop would just be the pop of the 80s up to about now in her view)

13. Sero 🩹🩶

(I couldn't find a tape emoji so bandaid it is)

Pansexual. He and ochako get along very well bc not only do they share an identity in this way, they also both feel like they're parenting their respective neurodivergent friend groups lol.

14. Tokoyami 🐦‍⬛🖤

Homoromantic ace. Sometimes does Bird Things to show his affection like bringing gifts and trinkets to ppl he is interested in or like nesting with their stuff. He finds these urges embarrassing but everyone else thinks it's cute and adores him for it.

15. Todoroki ❄️🔥❤️🤍

Gay gay homosexual gay. Has absolutely no idea how romance or crushes or teenage hormones or anything is supposed to work so he just does not realize that it isn't normal to daydream about cuddling his male classmates. Ochako gently explains the concept of a crush to him after he mentions something about this offhand and it blows his fucking mind.

16. Hagakure 🌫🤍

Bisexual and a very proud member of the Loving Women Club. Has a huuuuggeee crush on Mirko (which like, same girl).

17. Bakugou 💥🧡

Gay. Has a very specific taste in men but he won't tell anyone what it is because like three people on the entire planet fit the criteria (in his mind anyway) and he does not want anyone figuring out who he might be into because he sees it as weakness. Even after he goes to therapy he describes his type as "certain dumbasses who have issues and can't take a single fucking hint" so.

18. Deku 🐰💚

Bisexual disaster and everyone around him knows it. Has like 3 crises a day over finding random classmates attractive and overthinks everything there is to overthink in the situation. Luckily for him everyone knows what he's like and how his brain works and they find it endearing (even if certain classmates won't say it out loud)

19. Yaomomo ⚛️❤️

Lesbian. Momo recognizes that all the girls around her are so pretty and talented and it's a win for her bc they have such a culture of uplifting each other so she's constantly getting compliments from very pretty girls. She's living her best life as the president of the loving UA women club.

Bonus: shinso!!! 🐱💜

Shinso uses the Queer umbrella label. He has a preference for men but is generally attracted to any gender. When he transfers into class A the first two weeks are like a constant crisis bc he's like. Getting attention from all these attractive and talented people??? And they like him for who he is??? Paralyzing.

[creepling]

here are my headcanons that clash with the lore [aka ronnie hobb's headcanons he just makes up on the spot me thinks] i have for tcm game characters bc i have writer's block and i need out of it FAST.

danny does not go to university, i'm sorry. i know i know the home gives him a scholarship but he is a blue collar guy. he has to make his own living, he's a hands on guy and he's got COMMON SENSE. no working-class person in the 70s is going to college, they know learning on the job is both sustainable for living (plus he's in a situation where he has to leave the home at 18, so he gotta pay city rent prices to have a roof over his head) and better to learn a trade while getting a paycheck. he was an apprentice since he was 18, and is a year into working as a car mechanic in austin. he does night/weekend classes at the university, probs something in humanities or art. he frequents the student bars when he has his time off, and that is when he meets maria + the gang. he knows leland from fixing his car from time to time, and when danny sees him at a bar one night, hanging out with maria, he knows right away he's asking him to introduce him to her.

leland is NOT the mf that gets the friend group together. this mf has a lot of misogyny to unlearn from growing up in a southern suburb. he took an elective in an art just so he can be in a class with "hot chicks". he doesn't even consider being friends with women at first bc he used to think girls = protential girlfriends/future wives. it wasn't until he found out sonny (the first friend he made, his bff) was close with maria, julie and connie that he warmed up to the idea of all hanging out together. sure... his crush on julie played a factor on him wanting to stay, but being around such open-minded people made him relax and unlearn the shitty traditions he didn't like in the first place. now they're like sisters to him and he lets maria braid his hair when stoned and makes attempt at getting connie out of her shy shell. watching julie from afar, remembering her off-hand remark about not wanting to be in a relationship, keeping his feelings to himself; because he doesn't wanna ruin the bond they all have.

the reason why julie is not wanting to date is because she comes to the realisation of her sexuality. she realises she likes men because, men tend to like her first, and it's easy to love someone who loves you back (typical fire sign move). and she's never picky, she says she doesn't care about looks; it's more the personality. and that is true but, for a guy if he has good style and funny -- she's settled. then she will see a lassie and think "she is the most ethereal thing i've laid eyes on". the intensity of her love for women compared to men hits her overnight. she lets her love for women shine through her platonic relationships; connie, maria and ana are her first priorities (especially connie). she likes sleepovers, having the illusion of living with a s/o while sharing a bed and making breakfast in the morning. she loves showering her friends in compliments, giving them makeovers, taking any excuse to be close to them and show her adoration. her subconscious desire to be in a relationship with a woman lives vicariously through the platonic relationships she has with her feminine peers.

the only person who can see right through it is connie, someone who has her sexuality figured out. she went through the same self-discovery, after all. but loving julie means moving on from her lover who she left behind, so connie is tied at both ends. does she take the risk, find new beginnings, even when there is no concrete proof julie is capable of loving her? or does she keep her promise, return to her lover back home, even if that meant witnessing the promise broken on the other side? what if she found another fate, got married, had kids, kept the feelings hidden. and when she sees how men look at julie, and how boys looked at her past lover, the insecurity prevails. why should they take the risk for her, a singular person, when there is the familiar option lining up to be her husband? *queue Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan*

[midnightmah07]

WAIT HELLO HI MAH sorry this is so random (and so long) but i have some jamali thoughts for you perhaps? :0

i was thinking about jamil (so nothing's new really) about how he’s canonically very knowledgeable about fabrics in general due to his job

and with damali being blind (and i believe you mentioned something about her caring more about the feel of her outfit — i.e. the fabrics and textures of the outfit and stuff)

do you think they would often go out for outfit dates??? or just spend quality time dressing each other up, doing make up, etc -

i just kind of love the idea that they would banter or help each other out about what would look good on one another??? and i also thought of something like this happening -

so i suppose damali can only really give a feel of jamil’s outfits and just assume they look good on him,,, but jamil would probably know the perfect outfit with the fabrics and style that damali would like and yeah jamil is spot on, damali loves the feel of the outfit, but then she would ask what jamil thinks (probably as a joke? and expecting a dismissive answer) jamil would look at her and then tell her with the most genuine tone ever in his voice to let her know that she looks beautiful (maybe also with the intention to fluster her while still being honest with what he thinks) and damali (not expecting the genuine answer) is flustered(?) bc she actually believes him like these are the only times that she would actually take a compliment about her beauty and then back to teasing and banter after the shock wears off

idk idk im rambling jfdhfkdskj but i want to hear what you think/ your take on it if you have a different vision for it!! :0 (also forgive me and correct me if i gave any misinterpretation of damali’s character and her dynamic with jamil 😭)

STAWP THIS IS ADORABLE I LOVE THAT?? Also oh my goodness don't worry Ian I love whenever u come to my inbox kxjxiehsjdb

I love this sm what... I totally think they'd go on shopping/thrifting dates together!!

I can def see Damali making the joke of "wow this looks awesome" "yeah this really accentuates your hips" "no def this one looks so good" as she's looking at absolutely nothing and Jamil is just. So done. He's so tired.

She would genuinely do her best to choose outfits/give opinions of outfits that look good on Jamil, despite not being able to see. She'd so her best to choose the most comfortable outfits and the ones that feel like they're very well made for him, like doing her best to help him in any way<33

Jamil choosing the exact type of clothes she likes is very on point, and him trying to fluster her makes a lot of sense too😭😭 you got Damali right!! She's normally the teaser/flirt because it's hard for her to take her feelings seriously so the moment Jamil does the same to her she's just a blushing mess😭😭 she's actually way more in love than she shows, so it's easy to fluster her despite what people think 🥺🥺

[sloshys]

HI I WAS THE FIRST ANON AND YOURE SO FUCKING RIGHT. GOD.

I just think that Daan has this kinda like. Need to be towered over? I think thats why he interacts with the people who are kinda cold/uncaring/powerful most. I mean. He's found himself almost in every aspect of his life in a position where someone was constantly telling him what to do, and I feel like strong characters (like O'saa or karin) kinda fill that niche of "I need someone to boss me around and tell me what to do because I've lived my life at others whims and while I can hold my own for a good bit after a while I'm not sure what to do but asking for help would be too vulnerable so having someone be a higher up towards me gives me a sense of security but i will also kinda be a little shit about it so it doesnt seem so vulnerable" and with O'saa he's super blunt. Very much "I will do things my way wether you like it or not and you will follow my lead or get out my way." and I mean, hell he was a leader! He very much outwardly has control and leadership tendencies, even if inside he doesn't feel like he can ever truly fit the bill. Which is what Daan is looking for yknow? And O'saa, i just kinda think for O'saa its one of those things of he cant for the life of him figure out why he likes him so much, but then Daan starts talking to him about scholarly topics and they have discussions of religion, medicine, science, war, and other things and theres this draw of Daan's Intellegence paired with this strange need of "i want to see him happy, because his whole life hes been miserable and part of it reminds me of me and if i cant be happy then perhaps i can make someone else happy to fill the void" (touching on the whole joking between the two) but being as O'saa has an enlightened soul, i feel like he would be incredibly interested in what Daan has to say. If the two ever got the chance i feel theyd definitely debate between eachother. Imagine that one reaction meme image of the two scholars talking to eachother. Thats them i think. I feel like the two compliment eachother but in a way of like. They fill a niche the other is searching for. Neither are good with words, much less pda, but alone? I feel like if there ever was time alone in a different time in a different place their intimacy would be intense, passionate, and wordless. Nothing would really need to be said, just intimacy, a smoke on the balcony, and dinner in a perfect world. Other people may find their relationship seemingly loveless, but they just couldn't understand the wordless display of trust, of closeness, and of tenderness. How could they? The two have only ever really been truly vulnerable with the other, and I feel if conflict was to arise, they may argue, take a heated break, and then come back with a wordless apology and cook for eachother. Acts of service, cooking, and gift giving i feel would be something that again, if given the chance, the two would indulge in regularly. I feel if O'saa was being particularly sappy he'd maybe get Daan some expensive alcohol he'd been eyeing. As for Daan, I feel he'd get O'saa a nice clothing piece the other had been admiring. But that's in a life they'd never get, I suppose... sorry for rambling in your inbox, I care for them dearly PFT

Anon rn:

BUT FR LIKE IM SOSO GLAD TO RECIEVE THIS RESPONSE BC YOU EXPLAINED SO WELL WHAT I WAS THINKING

I put my thoughts down there i hope i was able to cover everything

Im going to start off in a daan analysis tangent real quick

Daan has been neglected by his cultist parents ever since he was a baby. He probably never got the proper feeling of security or personal growth as a child because he was always living to survive. Which worsened even more after the death of his parents, and was doomed to child labour very young. Im sure he never got to properly play or express himself as a kid until he got closer to Elise. But The only thing about himself he found worth talking about were his insane cultist parents. His life at the Baron’s mansion was everything he had, as were his studies of modern medicine. That's why he feels attracted to powerful and determined people like O'saa and Karin (and Marcoh too, I believe), who seem to know exactly what their own goals are and think they still have control over what is happening. Despite trying to do things on his own, he still craves company. He also wants to protect the younger ones, like Levi and Marina, because his ass is projecting! But the sad thing is that Daan can't be too dependent on these people and doesn't want to share too much of his past with them because it's very traumatic for him.

If the discussion had taken place, I think O’saa would have been very interested in Daan and his upbringing. Daan never followed the religions and cults of Europa and is aware of their danger. He prays to Sylvian not as an act of worship but to help those who are sick. He also ran away from Pocketcat his whole life and never wanted to give himself to him until depression hit him harder than before. This makes Daan rational, smart, and inquisitive. Which seem to be attractive traits for someone who possesses an enlightened soul.

TOTALLY AGREE ALSO ABOUT THESE TWO HAVING BIG BRAINED DISCUSSIONS O'saa proves himself to be a good listener to others feelings in the booth; Daan can be a very open-minded person; and they both have similar views about the use of magic. I agree that the way they show affection is when they’re both very intimate with each other. O’saa does not trust people lightly because, in his case, his greatest fear is manipulation due to the fact that his country is being invaded and controlled by Europa's religions, wars, and cults. So he only ever relied on himself, which is why he chose to be a yellow mage. I imagine it might take a great deal of time and trust for him to share his vulnerability and feelings with Daan. But they seem to both crave social interaction since they're both lonely at heart, so there might be a chance (we’re winning, girlies!). Either way, I agree with sappy O'saa, that's such an adorable concept and somehow fitting since he finds his own jokes funny. I hc that he’s very genuine when he talks about his emotions, and no matter how embarrassing they are, he always says them with a straight face. But Daan is so sappy too. They would write each other love letters; you cannot tell me otherwise.

Also, I thought of an ending for these two surviving the festival: Daan confessing to O’saa that he doesn’t have anything that waits for him and O’saa noticing the true meaning of those words. He feels a tinge of sympathy because Daan has lost everything to war and religion, and he can't bear to see him give up after surviving the gruesome festival. So O’saa proposes to make a deal to be his personal doctor because he plans to travel dangerously, defy the authority in his country to establish his own teachings, and rise to the top. Since Daan doesn’t have anything to lose, he agrees to it. I think that it is during those travels that they will slowly fall for each other. They might also find some closure on their pasts during those trips.

[pumpkinnning]

rewatched bridgerton s1 and now i'm trying to understand why it's bad (spoilers) from a writer's perspective

* criticisms about the inaccurate costumes or over the top music or lots of ballroom scenes or lack of serious worldbuilding are silly to me tbh the show makes no pretense to be sth its not, this is like criticizing YA for having emotional teenagers or horror for being bloody. just say its not yr thing and move on

* obviously the interesting themes of sexual education and agency and empowerment are completely fucking ruined by the sexual assault scene that's not framed as such just because the perpetrator is a woman. there's no coming back from that

* even beyond that though the romance is badly done. there are some seeds of sth that could be interesting but it all stays so shallow and underwhelming. the actors have little chemistry i don't like the way Daphne is played

* the scene with Daphne saying she likes Simon's mom's favorite painting bc it reminds her of the peace of early mornings in the countryside and feeling alone yet at one with the world is very charming but also i was like....yes and ? are they gonna bond over liking the peace and quiet together? nature ???? sth else ??? as if it comes across as very...Omg Surprise Woman Capable of 1 deeper thought = hot !!!!! or is it just about her being like his mom (ew). good example of how attempts at depth can fail if they're not connected to deeper themes and character dynamics

* they make each other laugh with sarcastic observations about the behavior of the people around them and the shallowness of social games. like the prince complimenting all the other women's dresses. this would work with characters who are outspokenly critical of society around them. But their connection is that same kind of shallow. And so much of their romance needs us to buy into the social rules and games. The appeal is omg Daphne is the Prettiest and the Diamond and the most specialest girl ever and Omg Simon is this important Duke and isn't it romantic that they're forced to get married for stupid reasons because of honor based rules. And Daphne visibly cares so much about making a good marriage within the rules of society. So these moments feel disingenuous or like they're just being assholes (but without even truly commiting to it and making it fun!)

* the Duke talks about how they're best friends. but i never got that sense of begrudging respect that develops when antagonists start to like each other. Or that they actually liked spending time together. The only thing that i can think about is her punching Berbrooke (he likes boxing so that's an interesting parallel) and making moves on the Prince that force him to consider she's not just a naive little doll. And the bits of witty dialogue. but that's just not enough.

* this is supposedly about Daphne's sexual awakening but yet there is so little real sensuality. she stares at his arms a bit. he tells her to touch herself. its so basic and bland. giving "everyone is hot and no one is horny" vibes. every romance at its core, even the more chaste ones, eroticize something, and the deeper it goes into their characters the more impactful it is. i don't know what this is eroticizing beyond the fact that they're both hot and it's a Good Match tm. the appeal of the innocent virgin vs. rake who is supposed to educate her and show her the wonders of sex is cut down by the fact that he's witholding information, lying and manipulating her the whole time. and not teaching her much either tbh. that's not hot. it's a story that could be interesting if done properly but tbh it doesn't belong in a fluffy wish fullfillment romance, it's too sordid and psychologically complex and unpleasant (like that is horror romance territory lmfao)

* the sex scenes are a key part of this. i'm not against explicit scenes on tv when well done it can really contribute to the dynamics and be really hot (there's nothing wrong w that) but here there is just this fundamental disconnect btw what they're trying to sell us - the focus on Daphne's pleasure, the sense of freedom and liberation after all that repression - and what is actually happening in the plot, him trying to distract her and lying to her. that's not hot and it's weird. secrets and fucked up dynamics can be hot in a sex scene but you have to acknowledge it somehow, not present it as perfect honeymoon bliss. Unless you're in the close pov of a character who's completely unaware - which is not the case here. We know what Simon is doing ! we can't just set it aside.

* the conclusion scene where they're both standing in the rain and she tells him he doesn't need to be perfect to be worthy of love is beautiful in itself. it's a beautiful message. what is so disappointing is how they get there. Simon isn't given the time to heal from his own trauma - he's strongarmed in a way that feels extremely manipulative. She tries to force him to impregnate her against his consent, then she goes through his private correspondence and tries to guilt trip him into changing his mind, judging his deep and private pains and trauma in a flippant way and telling him he should get over it if he actually loves her. of course he shouldn't have lied to her, but that doesn't make her actions ok. the whole thing is just incredibly unromantic to me. there is no genuine growth happening. Simon ends up being a nothingburger of a character bc he is so reactive and one note. when he's pissed he gets drunk and hits stuff. that's basically it until Woman Shows him the Way. the actor tries his best with the smoldering soulful looks. but that only works for a bit.

* there is absolutely an uncomfortable racial element to this. she's an incarnation of this image of white womanhood that is supposedly morally and emotionally superior and is going to teach silly men how to live properly ; i don't like this dynamic much already. it's bioessentialist it puts women on this pedestal that's actually a burden and makes it impossible for them to be truly human ; it's terfy and smug and self righteous and honestly insufferable. And it's much worse when it concerns a man of color

* really it's mindboggling to me that so many people gave the green light to this. but i think it's a testament to the idea that there are some "normal" elements of sex that couples owe to each other, and also that marriage and having babies is the one right way to happiness and health. ofc this wouldn't be strange for the time period - the weird thing is more that they assumed modern viewers would find this romantic, because, again, this is designed to be wish fullfillment, not historically accurate, and the kind of wish this is fulfilling is yucky honestly.

* Daphne is just not a very appealing character by modern standards, tbh. she's very passive, and she cares the most about following the mores of her society and getting the picture perfect ending that is mandated for her as a woman ; whatever agency she develops is strictly in pursuit of that, and she goes about it in this manipulative way with a sense of her own superiority that comes from privilege, sticking to social rules and gender norms. she will have her babies and insure the triumph of the aristocratic heteronormative family. it's, again, not a surprising narrative for the era, but it feels deeply incongruous for a show that handwaves accuracy for the sake of diversity and female empowerment and wish fulfillment everywhere else

* i still remember enjoying the show on first watch until ep 6 - because its light silly frothy tone is just so fun and entertaining, and the side characters are really compelling, and there are just not enough rom coms these days. it's really the saving grace of the show they're able to listen to criticism and were able to change the way they did romance for s2

[dearinglovebot]

oml hi! what are your headcanons for claire and owen when they were at school? here are some of mine:

claire would defnitely be on good tersm with everyone, i feel like she'd be popular in the way that she knew everyone

but she's classify everyone as aquaintences though and call it 'networking'

would be super annoyed by everyone in her class constantly talking abt marriage and kids like thats the only option for her (alas i wish she was in my class i'd have someone to survive those trenches with 😔)

straight A+ student ofc

owen wouldn't really care for school i think

he'd get like alright grades

he'd be like 55% class clown if that makes sense?

super good at PE tho like he'd be the Pe Kid (TM)

i think he had a pet dog or cat (or both?) but they died

i kinda hc that his parents were pretty shitty. idk why but i do. (shhh let me project)

constantly getting into fights with vic hoskins but everyone agrees vic is annoying as HELL so eh he gets a pass socially-speaking

also:

in dodgeball the teachers always put claire and owen on the same team bc the two of them against each other means the match lasts FOREVER and if it does end it's a tie followed by an argument of who won that lasts for two weeks. like claire vs owen in dodgeball would be legendary. and like +340% hype bc everyone's 10 and dodgeball matches are IT when ur ten (can u tell i miss primary school dodgeball 😔)

hello anonnie! brace yourself cause this is a level 5 yapnado

I don’t agree with EoC a lot (...most things) but it hits my high school headcanons very well. that is to say, she is weird and off-putting to the general public. particularly sheltered midwestern kids who absolutely will be raised on the housewife/breadwinner-husband cool-aid in the 90s. they’re all obsessed with settling down with kids in the same town they were raised in while she’s trying to escape to a big city and get a master's degree. they’re doing the 90s equivalent of calling her woke blue hair liberal with pronouns. not outright bullying her but like... side-eyeing her. she's not really being invited to parties. which is fine! (it is not fine. she is lonely).

she has sooooo many autistic traits that i do just consider it part of my personal canon and that will NOT help her. her hyperfixation is going to college and she stims by doing homework (exaggerating. but only partially). i love my queen dearly but she does not have cool autism that makes you do cool art installations. she has collecting alaskan postage stamps from the 1800s type autism. she is a loser that few will truly appreciate <33 like fine wine

claire being from no-where wisconsin in the 80s-90s is sooo vital to understanding why she is #likethat. small town midwest is basically the deep south politically except in the south people will straight up say "women belong in the kitchen" and in the north they'll go "oh. you want a degree? how quaint [condescending tone]". she's used to everything being a backhanded compliment and proving that she deserves what she has. it makes her super defensive and lean towards interpreting things as malicious even when they're not. which is why, on the island, people don't really like her. she's the mean boss lady who won't even do small talk with her peasants

she absolutely is a straight A student. that is PRESIDENT of the debate club to you. she's a teacher's pet who Will do the extra credit work every time and has perfectly chosen her extra curriculars based on what will look best on her college application.

i also think she'd start working about as soon as she legally could. not only is that the smart financial move (start saving as soon as possible) but it looks amazing on college applications too. she is absolutely maximizing what she is able to accomplish in a day

overall, it really isn't an experience she thinks of fondly. she spends most of her teenhood devoted to trying to escape the poor, rural lifestyle she was born into. it's another stepping stone in her 10 stage plan to conquer a small nation. and she wouldn't regret any of it until her life inevitably comes crashing down (indominus incident) because only then does she realize she's been chasing material wealth instead of internal happiness for her entire life

owen has none of the crazy ambition claire does bc he's normal. he would take it one day at a time with vague goals of where he wants to end up. as long as he does the bare minimum of passing the class then he's doing pretty good. best subject science, worst subject literature

owen is from the 80-90s deep south which also heavily influences how i view his characterization. as a funny guy who enjoys very traditionally masculine things like construction and sports, he's going to be very well liked. everyone likes someone who makes you laugh. but overall it's pretty surface level. nobody asks about his day. he's gonna be like "damn is this really all i am to them??". but it's not like he can say that cause then he's being weird and emotional (toxic masculinity culture). so whatever. he keeps balling. (represses vulnerability and compensates by going even harder into funny sport guy routine)

so really he's the guy everyone "knows" but they're gonna lose contact the moment he leaves town. which is whatever. he has his wholeeeee life ahead of him to make some #real friends (his only long term friends include barry, the raptors, and sometimes claire)

he has proven time and time again he has no problem speaking his mind so yeah he's punching every hoskins that comes along and getting a few days suspension over it. he would not gaf tho bc his internal sense of justice is stronger than any school related punishment

he's the kind of kid who mows the lawn for your mom for pocket change and volunteers at the animal shelter

not the worst but yeah he's not that interested in reliving that

not including much about their individual family dynamics because thats an entirely different yap session

also:

in a hypothetical au where they're in the same high school, i believe it would go like this: claire is brilliant and smart in every class they share meaning he's enamored with her big words, she thinks all sports guys are meathead jocks and actively avoids them, she tutors for extra cash after school and he's on the verge of failing lit, she takes him on as a client and he's like wowza the whole time, she's like can you focus on the themes of shakespeare already and stop looking into my eyes longingly every few minutes i'm starting to think you aren't even interested in the deeper meanings of the rivalry between the veronas and capulets (she isn't picking up on a single hint), and now he is actively pretending like he doesn't understand any of the assignments to "get her guidance" on them (she still doesn't get the hint and is wondering if he got a concussion at some point)

[lazaruspiss]

So, I'm writing a long fanfic based around the characterizations of the various Bats in the 80s-00s time frame, and Nightwing is gonna be important but I don't have a good grasp of his personality yet. I'm currently reading through The Resurrection of Ras Al Ghul, but that and a few of the 2016 issues are all I've got to go off of right now.

Do you have any comics you'd recommend for getting a good grasp of his personality and general vibes?

I'd also be happy to read any kind of ramble about his personality/appeal you feel like writing. Having read your fanfiction I feel like (sincere compliment:) you are the exact kind of unhinged I want to get character opinions from.

(Also you mentioned Dick being in the mob which sounds Very Fun and I wanna know what titles so I can read that)

-redhoodinternaldialectical on anon cause sideblog

ok first of all. im flattered. i feel so powerful rn.

and second of all... my 'to read' list is embarrassingly long, and dick's been around and in a lot of comics so i have a lot of trouble keeping up ;-; but i will try my best!!

The New Teen Titans gets recommended a lot as a starting point for Dick as Nightwing, and while i havent read much of it, the stuff i have read has been pretty solid and i get why its so popular.

Nightwing 1996 is my personal go to comic for Dick, mainly bc it was his first real solo run. (it's often listed as "volume 2" of nightwing, but volume 1 aka Nightwing 1995 was really more of a test drive just to see if they should make a Nightwing solo series) It's also where Dick joins the mob! although that came off the tail end of a lot of different plot points.

(This is a bit unrelated, but in general I think knowing a bit of irl context to certain comic events is important. Like, at one point Bludhaven is nuked off the map. It doesn't make sense, and it was most likely due to some higher up DC nonsense. And Nightwing 1996's second annual is written by a man. etc etc.)

... I actually have a guide I've been working on, main reasons being quick reference for what happens where, and that writing these things down helps me remember them better

as you can probably tell, I still have a ways to go. looking at this now i'm starting to realize that i am really down bad for him lol

Mobbed Up (where Dick gets adopted by a random mob boss who took one look at his depressed mug as he was getting fired from the police force and said "new son?") is issues #107-111

I feel like I should get back to character thoughts.

Dick on his own is deeply serious, he has a job to do and it's incredibly important that he does it right. In the beginning this serves as an invaluable asset, but as he loses more people it starts to turn into more destructive. A trait that is morphed by his traumas into obsessiveness.

Dick when Tim comes to visit (or just when he's around people he cares about) is a bit softer, it's subtle, but it shows that he's aware of/cares for the people around him.

Dick with Bruce around seems to worry so much about proving himself, about being seen as a respectable peer, that it backfires into making him come off more insecure and as a bit of a "rebellious teen". (which is exactly what he's trying to avoid when he strikes out on his own) I've read various arcs and issues but I haven't actually read any focused on Dick and Bruce aside from the ones towards the beginning, so I'm sure their relationship must change, but this is how they were when Dick had first moved to Blud.

I feel like Bludhaven is also important to talk about. It's very much meant to be "Gotham, but worse". It's a place that even Batman wouldn't bother with, a place beyond saving. I'm... kind of breaking my own heart, thinking about how much Dick put into this city, only to. To fail? In a sense? A hero's home city isn't usually obliterated like that. The only other example that comes to mind is Hal Jordan's, and Hal literally went insane and became a space terrorist to bring it back. Dick is just... forced to move on.

And Dick goes back to NYC. Nightwing patrolling Gotham with any regularity feels very modern. He shows up when there's a major event and DC wants to capitalize on having a bunch of names in the same series, and he shows up when something drastic changes (like a new robin, or a death). Dick has however spent a lot of time in NYC, either because of the Titans or because. yknow. home go boom.

Anyways. Arc recs. Unironically I need you to read Brothers in Blood. Get past the initial gross out factor of Tentatodd and it's a great look at Jason and Dick's relationship. This is #118-122 and right after Bludhaven gets nuked. Dick has just experienced the lowest lows that one could low. Jason seems to know all about it, and tries to help in the worst way possible. Jason is right and blunt and convoluted and so so insecure about where he stands with Dick. Dick doesn't know where he stands with Jason either, on account of all the murder, and his tactless approach to trying to confront Dick on the copious amounts of trauma that Dick is dealing with. BiB is my Jaydick bible.

I'd also say to just give the first few arcs a shot. Beginnings are meant for introductions! It gives a good sense of who Dick is, why he's here, and what his goals are. Exposition baby! And I'm once again thinking about how ultimately Dick kind of fails said goals. I love him but he makes me so emo. Blockbuster has also been his main villain since the beginning, up until. Yknow. He became deader than his namesake. There's also a few fear toxin based issues that are good for. well. understanding what his fears are. There's also a fear toxin scene in Batman: Orphans, but i'll just reblog the post i made of it so u don't have to read that one. The art is fun, the story is weird and just kinda. meh.

#60 is when Dick joins the force. The beginning of the end, so to speak, but we don't meet Catalina until #71.

#93 is That Issue. The infamous rape scene. The thing about his time with Catalina is that it was almost definitely meant to be explored for what it was- an abusive relationship. But DC wanted Nightwing in an event. It doesn't have any satisfactory end, Bruce (DC) calls Dick to fight in Gotham. He does. His story falls to the wayside for the bigger title. The worst thing that can happen to a DC character IMO is getting a Batman crossover. There was supposed to be an entire arc dedicated to what would happen to Dick in this abusive relationship. But we got 2 issues. And War Games. It pisses me off to absolutely no end. DC needed more mouths to kiss the ground that Batman walks on. They don't give a damn about the stories that exist outside their cash cow.

After all that, eventually Dick is back to his utterly depressing life. He joins the mob, finds a family, bad things happen to said family. (Mobbed Up, #107-111) He wants to protect the daughter, Sophia Tevis, and then Slade holds Sophia hostage to get Dick to teach his daughter Rose how to fight. He does, but he also teaches Rose how to question authority (aka her dad). Slade is not happy about that, and nukes Bludhaven. (Renegade, #112-117) See my earlier note about IRL reasons for dumbass plot points.

Nightwing 1996 has 2 annual issues (despite running for much longer than 2 years). The first annual is a fun murder mystery and i think a good look into how Dick handles relationships. He also reads as very aromantic/demiromantic who doesn't know it yet, but maybe that's just me, lol. the second annual is dog shit. Mark Andreyko can get bent, it sucked total ass and isn't worth reading.

[its-a-ittle-bit-cold]

You’ll be safe (to feel our grace)

Jamie Tartt/reader bc there’s a devastating shortage of these fics, Jamie Tartt Imagine

tw: child abuse, violence, language and just be careful

requested? no

posted on ao3 under uhm_why_not

It was a bad beat against Man City. In fact, it was worse than bad. The locker room is quiet when you enter, fully expecting this.

You remember these games. When the match was so hard you would go home and get drunk alone or not say a single word on the bus ride back. 

In your fourteen weeks at Richmond, you’d never seen the team this quiet, never seen Dani not try and cheer people up, or Ted make some weird analogy that puts things in the perspective of a guy from Kansas.

They all barely glance at you. you traverse the locker room and make small conversation with Beard, who is standing with his arms crossed and hat tipped down near the far wall.

“Peter Wasnowski wants to talk to you,” you say. Beard meets your eyes. “He wants an honest perspective instead of Ted’s happy-go-lucky schtick.”

While you appreciated Ted’s enthusiasm and belief, sometimes being a coach is worth more than cheer twenty-four seven. As his strategic and medical coordinator, it was up to you to bring him back and to make a good reflection on the team, especially after a loss like this. Beard, stoic, silent, but wise, was your solution.

Beard acknowledges this, but when he makes for the door, a security guard peeks his head in. “Mister Tartt, you’ve a guest. Says he’s your father.” Ah, shit.

Jamie’s told you about his dad. Not much, only that he never had a great relationship with him, not now, not ever. He's always been painted in your eyes as a dick.

That's another factor to your Richmond experience: Jamie Tartt. he’s a soccer legend (although he makes fun of you calling it soccer), and he used to be a grade-A asshole, so you’ve heard from Sam and Roy. He’s Keeley, your best friend’s ex-boyfriend, and so you’ve heard your fair share of horror stories about how he used to be.

And yet…

Ever since you’ve arrived, he’s been nothing short of respectful and kind. He’s pretty funny, you would even admit. He brings you flowers on Mondays, and he turns bright red when you compliment his sense of style, even though he’s so full of himself that you would assume that he got compliments all the time. He has a facade that he puts on for fans: the untouchable, unbeatable star player of Richmond FC, the master ass himself. 

His father peeks his head, trying to be comical, but the team barely reacts,

You look at Jamie. He's tense, jaw clenched and fists turning white.

His dad prods and teases about the game, making biting remarks that you just know Jamie’s taking personally. You can tell, from the slight movement of his lip, to the crescents that are sure to be forming in his palms, that he’s about to lose it. 

Ted has this look on his face, protective, but not ready to intervene,

How is it, you wonder, that there is a room full of professional athletes- a team, a family - and no one is trying to defend Jamie, who is being verbally and emotionally abused by his father, right in front of them?

Jamie quietly stands up for himself. you feel a surge of pride, but the defense does nothing. his father only gets madder. You can’t help but wonder if he’s drunk or just plain crazy, because no one in their right mind would cross Jamie Tartt.

… right?

His father calls him a name and this is when you decide that Jamie is worth so much more than this. “Okay, that’s enough, sir.” you slip between the two Tartt men. Jamie’s father, crazed and hysterical, looks livid. you try and stay courteous.

“(Y/n),” Jamie’s tone is warning.

“I gave you a chance to talk to your son but I've had about enough. you need to leave.”

You have to fight hard so your voice doesn’t waver too much. There is a slight quake. You ball your hands into fists. “I won't ask again.”

“(Y/n),” Jamie says, more urgently. “don’t.”

But James Tartt Sr. ignores his son and zeros in on you. Your heart pounds in your throat

. “You think you can talk to me like that, you little slag? You fucking think that i’m scared of a little fucking bitch like you?”

“Sir-“ you put a hand out. Beard and Ted seem frozen. Finally, you can see the team reacting. Roy looks about to kill Mr. Tartt.

“Little fucking slut!” the name spits out like poison, and you don’t see the punch coming. The man’s fist collides with the left side of your nose, right next to your eye. The pain is automatic. You hit the ground and there are shouts, but your eye is watering and you can barely see. You can make out Jamie’s voice from the din. 

“You don’t touch her!” There’s a sound of a blow and you look to see Mr. Tartt fall to the ground. He groans, but gets up surprisingly quickly for a man his age. 

“Okay, you can get that one for free,” he laughs manically.

no.

You find a sudden burst of energy and run straight into Mister Tartt’s midriff. You wrap your arms around him and push him away, like you’ve done many times before, separating teammates from petty locker room squabbles. He smells of stale beer and body odor. Beard has the same idea as you, and together, you rid the locker room of James Tartt Sr.

there’s a wet warmness running down your lip, the taste of iron in your mouth. you press your sleeve to your bleeding nose and squeeze your eyes shut. Beard crouches next to you.

“Let me look,” he instructs, you pull your sleeve away, a drop of blood on your jacket. It’s stopped quickly, and you completely take off your coat. “Not broken. Only bruised.”

You nod.

The sound of shouting echoes down the hall and Beard tips his hat to you, leaving you alone with your back pressed against the wall.

You give yourself thirty seconds to recuperate before re-entering the locker room.

You do a double take in surprise, the sight of Roy Kent hugging Jamie Tartt is not one you ever thought you’d see. 

You approach slowly, letting Jamie see you before putting your hand lightly on Roy’s back. He immediately lets go of Jamie, casts you a worried look, but gives you space.

Hesitantly, almost fearfully, Jamie takes your face into his hands, pressing a gentle thumb against the spot were his father hit you. 

“He hurt you,” he whispers. You ache at the sound of pain and regret in his voice, knowing he’s probably already tearing himself up for this. You wrap your arms around him, one over his shoulders, one under his arm and pull him close. He returns the hug, holding you tightly. You feel his chest quake against you.

“I’m okay,” you tell him, voice muffled. “you’re going to be, too.”

[vermillioncrown]

just read ch. 7 of tpac! the whole time i was like "timmy, no." and then i was like "korvin no!" i mean, looking from the outside, stalker tim drake would definitely freak out korvin, but reading the chapter in tim's pov, it makes him sound so reasonable. and i could say the same thing about korvin when i read his pov in ch. 6 and how there's a reasonable thought process there. im not blaming korvin, but looks like he just escalated the situation, and im worried what tim and korvin end up doing.

love the moment tim concluded that korvin must be his replacement, and he seemed to have just went "ok. alright. makes sense. i'll be professional." it's genuine, but it also sounds like he's compartmentalizing there for a bit.

also, for the rest of the chapter, i was just going, "oh my god, just talk. someone tell stuff to someone! maybe, idk, ask?" while also cackling. the tendency of not telling people who care about you about stuff you probably should is very much a bat thing, i'll say.

gotta say tho, if i only had this chapter on tim's pov to base on, it wouldve looked to me that korvin fits in perfectly with the bats' in terms of a lack of communication skills. or is this just a mind game he's instigating? the usual paranoia? what was going on his head when he went for the flight reaction at the sight of tim as robin? and then pulling that usb stunt.

like. what kinda vibes has korvin been getting from tim for him to get to this point?

i shall answer morning (?) you and then later you (second ask)

=

yep thank u for seeing that if you take each pov as is, both tim and korvin may be squirrely in different ways but they both come from a rational starting point (which is what makes their particular type irrationality a slippery slope and super fun to write)

(and something to be mindful of irl, i'm def prone to anxious spirals but have the energy of a dried-out slug so i just ride the spiral to the end until it's so irrational that i go "lol okay there's a higher chance of a meteor striking my apartment dead on, calm down bitch" to myself. korvin has a lot of energy)

and tim wrt potentially being replaced "i guess so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ hahaha" he is definitely compartmentalizing and rationalizing

(i don't want to get into uwu tim sadboi territory bc i feel that's a slippery slope to take, but bro's not okay. it takes a type of childhood, parenting, and enabling to make tim drake.

but i hope readers can catch hints of that in his pov)

no one's fucking talking lmao who does that??? (real adults with emotional and social competency)

(people who aren't terrified of being vulnerable 🙃)

but like, think about it. if you're constantly trained to have a secret identity and always around people that do the same...you get used to not talking. very bat, like you pointed out. + so much more going on; someone left a very insightful comment on the chapter that had me kicking my feet in the air 🥰🥰

and yes, the final bit you've pointed out--to tim, this is like standard fare bat mindgame shit. or what the fuck is going on with this kid??? who reacts like that, to that extreme???

this will resolve next chapter, so hang on until then 😏 please do continue to speculate because 1) it's fun and 2) i really don't write things by accident (my writing's already bloated--i do a lot of excising and editing to keep to the point)

rereading tpac ch. 7 with a clearer mind than i was in the morning earlier.

i gotta say, one of the best things i love about your writing the most is how wonderfully flawed you write the characters. tim drake is a character i adore and it's a compliment when i say i wanna punch him in the throat with the way you characterized him. it's so fascinating to see korvin from the direct pov of someone korvin doesn't know well yet, like with dick's pov and with barbara, back to how he was before they bonded, and especially with someone young like tim and also tim being tim.

which! ofc they would clash terribly for the first time! ofc tim "no sense of personal boundaries" drake would simply absolutely rub korvin "hates being perceived" kwan the wrong way in the most vehement way possible.

anyway, ya. tim deserves that a little bit in the end, and im excited to see where the tim-korvin dynamic is gonna go from here.

first off, i just wanna say i'm super flattered and appreciative of you (and other readers) actually giving this much attention to the fic. i joke it's not homework but like, you're having fun, i'm having fun, there's a bit of substance going on 🤭 a little puzzle, a little treat

and then another thank you 😭😭😭 because that's the goal with my characters. i want them to be believable and coherent in their own perspectives, which means traits and behaviors that are strengths can be recontextualized as flaws (and vice versa). not really into strict "this is always positive" "this is always negative".

(a big running theme in all my fics + something you can't avoid with SI fics is "a whole person is defined by both the internal and external". you have your core, but you must also be perceived)

i'll take the way you want to punch tim (lovingly) in the throat as a compliment! i want that! he deserves a bit of bullying! i just get sad when ppl get actually mad-mad at him because...bro's just trying his best but playing the wrong game with the wrong pieces lmao

his view of korvin also goes back to your previous asks about how'd they interact, and the answer is "depends on the context of how they meet and their relative social place to one another". tim's much older than korvin in whfagt and those are extenuating circumstances, so that's a very different interaction vs...this lol.

HAHA yes, you got it in one on how tim rubs korvin wrong. you'll get the other side next chapter.

(another theme with SIs is "get perceived, idiot", so korvin's getting dragged kicking and screaming into that. eventually. might take a whole sequel.)

you're excited to see, and i'm excited to show! in my other fics, the SI has the luxury of fucking off and stepping away from powder keg social interactions (kinda), but not korvin. so it's finally reasonable for me to write the most batshit (pun intended) insane character dynamics i can imagine

(if i wasn't so tied into my metacognition, there would have been plenty of places in my other fics i could have gone off the rails like readers wanted/expected. but that's not how i work.)

[canayams-art]

the immortality concept in tgcf is always interesting to think about, especially with the age range that the human mind cannot really comprehend... but maybe it's best for me not to think too much about it at midnight when i have uni early in the morning 😞😭 there are a lot of thoughts tho

you described the dynamic i had in mind for them perfectly!! mq's way of showing care by scolding and nagging and teasing that at time could come out as a touch too sharp. lqq's of being loud when defending and engaging into banter but keeping it light and not taking the teasing too close to heart unless it comes to his morality stands. they just weirdly compliment one another, especially with the way you said lqq takes the spotlight on the stage while mq is more "behind the curtain" type when dealing with things. you're so right, thinking about them makes me deranged as well

i do feel like the gods would be more vocal about the dislike towards mq when he was still a young god, and yeah especially those 33. while mq we see is well respected, and still very much disliked and distrusted, it is mq of 800+ years of presence in the heavenly court, and i do think many would be tight lipped around him regarding whatever his business are. but thinking about the backlash he would be facing during their earlier years/ centuries of friendship, i think they would be more vocal about it, if a bit sneaky with the way they would talk considering mq's temper with fx and general reputation that has been following him. 🤔 and well... there's also the broom throwing thing that has been going on apparently :'))

and he would definitely be on the bigger receiving end of it than lqq, especially considering their backgrounds and what the heaven considers "right". while lqq may be considered naive, he is still a noble that technically belongs in a way mq never could in their eyes.

but lqq still not standing by the bullying, even during the 'fight' is ekejjejejeej especially because i lqq knows that bullying is wrong no matter who's at the receiving end and, parallel to the mulian situation, there would be no shielding behind the higher authority to make it stop, just a very straightforward way to handle it. and i feel like mq, even if he is somewhat even struggling to admit he's miserable without lqq, would feel extremely touched knowing the way lqq would handle it 🥹🥹

no shade at mulian, literally my fave ship ever! i talk about them so much to my friends i feel like all of our brains are fried at this point lol they can fit so much angst and there are honestly dozens of ideas for fics that would likely never see the light of the day but we have the hope cuz we're all delusional 😔✊

just the parallels between them make me absolutely crazy, especially since i always kinda pictured mq as a type to get particularly adopted by the idealistic "sunshine type" people around him and get dragged around while he scowls and acts like he doesn't enjoy it, and then eventually ending up genuinely liking them, no matter how much they would clash at times with their ideologies. xl, sqx, i have an ongoing rants about mq and qyz friendship every other week. kinda pissed off that i didn't remember lqq until recently but it's never too late to start the brainrot anyway

i also went and checked the extras qianqing interaction, and it was actually mq seeing that lqq was in an awkward position being both the victim and the culprit and trying to send him back to heaven (it was the extra chapter where xl felt pain bcs of the guoshi mask he melted into a key?? i only searched for their names so again i have no idea/) but that was enough to have me covering my mouth and squealing

no at this point i will have to write *something* about qianqing, it would literally eat at me alive if i don't. life is busy and hard rn, but it will have to be done in this lifetime 😭

Mq has always given me the sense that he seeks out people with more emotional freedom than he feels he has. He spends so much of his time showing restraint and being distant that whenever I read sections of the book where Fu Yao makes an appearance, I see the way he lets his personality come out more. Maybe choosing the name “Fu Yao” was (among other reasons) mq’s way of literally saying he’s giving himself more freedom.

So like— it makes sense that mq has a pattern of associating with people who express themselves so freely— even if he sometimes takes shots at those people (mostly fx but also occasionally xl). Lqq is entirely unrestrained in a way that’s familiar but still unique. He’s one of the few gods who would step in or stand up for another without any ulterior motives— there’s nothing lqq would want to gain by standing up for mq in their early years. Whether he’s still angry with mq or not— it’s the right thing to do and that’s enough for him.

Meanwhile I feel like mq hates feeling like he’s once again being seen to hide behind another prince for protection. Mq likes to be in control of his circumstances— even if he could ask for help.

“I don’t need anyone fighting my battles.”

“No— but someone should have your back.”

Maybe that’s what it is about them actually? Lqq is so quick to jump up and declare injustice that mq thinks lqq would be trying to shield him when lqq is actually trying to advocate for his better treatment. Lqq learned the importance of unity and he practiced it well before ascending, so his type of support might be less about defending mq personally and more about shaming the gods for not setting a better example. Maybe he doesn’t even give mq the option to hide behind him.

(Related note, I can’t help thinking this type of tension would rise if lqq caught mq throwing a broom or snapping it in half— like ofc lqq is still mad but ofc he’s gonna try and connect the dots— maybe he even heard some of the gods laughing about their “gifts” to the young General.)

But okay now I’m thinking about the extra you mentioned and oooooooo

Mq confronting lqq in the mortal realm and failing to convince him to return to heaven. It’s a side of lqq mq has never seen. He’s not driven by a sense for justice anymore, now lqq wants revenge— maybe mq tells him that. Maybe it only angers lqq more. Either way, lqq doesn’t return.

(I actually have a similar scenario in my brain between lqq and newly-mortal pei xiu, which was actually the idea that got me started in qianxiu rarepair hell but that’s a separate space altogether LMAO)

Anyway—! If writing is too exhausting given life’s demands I am always happy to keep exploring these deranged (affectionate) scenarios. Life persists, but so does the brainrot!

[dropout-if]

I just found ur If and like I'm so normal about this it's not funny

I'm soooooooo NORMAL ABOUT THE POLY SO FIXKING NORMAL I WASNT LURKING IN THE POLY ASKS I JUST

Sweet sunshine mc with either poly would be such a dream omg imagine

K always flirting and being all sweet to mc just to tease J and causing trouble ,J trying to separate mc from them and mc in the middle just like ummm😳

Uma UGH my beloved is just😖✨💞💥 I want to smooch their face and cuddle fight them and we both will battle smooch Travis into submission, maybe cook some nice brunch for my babesssss and cuddle with Uma on the couch for movies and Travis makes popcorn cause they lost rock paper scissors lol

(Take all my love bc I seriously needed this story so much I didn't even know how badly I wanted one till now THE YEARNING OMG ) (UR WRITING I SO GOOD, take care dear thanks for listening me ramble 💞❤️🫧🥺👉👈)

I just found ur If and like I'm so normal about this it's not funny. I'm soooooooo NORMAL ABOUT THE POLY SO FIXKING NORMAL I WASNT LURKING IN THE POLY ASKS I JUST

THANK YOU!!!💕💕💕

It's funny because originally the polys weren't really a thing and so many people love them now 😭💕 (J/Kai really were a headache to make sense of in the outline)

You're very welcome to lurk mwah!

K always flirting and being all sweet to mc just to tease J and causing trouble ,J trying to separate mc from them and mc in the middle just like ummm😳

THEM! Kai knows J is so jealous they love getting a reaction out of them😭 their dynamic is so chaotic sjajskw

Uma UGH my beloved is just😖✨💞💥 I want to smooch their face and cuddle fight them and we both will battle smooch Travis into submission

Uma would be so up to MC's physical affection srsly as well as subjecting Travis to the same treatment 😭💕 The three of them can have such a domestic dynamic??? I love writing them together.

maybe cook some nice brunch for my babesssss and cuddle with Uma on the couch for movies and Travis makes popcorn cause they lost rock paper scissors lol

Travis is the kind of person to lose at rock paper scissors and accuse you of cheating only to begrudgingly accept his 'punishment' (while looking very adoringly at Uma and MC being together! He loves watching them being cute even if his face is just 😐)

(Take all my love bc I seriously needed this story so much I didn't even know how badly I wanted one till now THE YEARNING OMG ) (UR WRITING I SO GOOD, take care dear thanks for listening me ramble 💞❤️🫧🥺👉👈)

I LOVE love love writing pining characters. I think it's so realistic for people to be smitten with someone and terrified of all the consequences. And I love that you love it thank you so much💕💕

Thanks for all your compliments too I'm low-key tearing up screw period hormones 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️💕💕💕💕🫂

[subskz]

when you said you’d be posting part 5 shortly i wasn’t fully expecting to wake up to her. either way, i’ve read her and come with notes 😼

first, i have to begrudgingly admit, i was either tearing up or full on crying the whole time. thank you for that🤩

starting it up with a minho breakthrough moment… i love him. he’s so stupid but so minho. him admitting he was wrong, talking things out while still holding that same silly air lino always seems to have about him. i could practically hear his laugh when you wrote it in 💔🔨 he’s so beautiful. brb i need to stare at him for a second.

CHANGBIN 😭😭😭😭 💔🔨 gilc. i’ll say it til the day i die. he’s so…. 😖😖😖 this section made my tears fall fr. i understood the reader so well. i also have a tendency to assume people will react poorly/negatively to news, so i just avoid telling them altogether. pain, suffering 😪 so glad changbin reacted in his normal binnie way and brought light to the scene. i fucking love him

…………………. you know what’s next. once again, the way you write chan is fucking astounding. down to his silly little habits that make him unbelievably endearing. the sweater paws making a comeback? him rubbing his nose the same time reader tugs their ear?? they’re disgusting, i want what they have. chan hitting us with “i’m sorry” literally shut the fuck up!! fucking opened the flood gates, i didn’t stop crying for the rest of this scene. you wrote it so well. they finally had a conversation and it seems to have worked!! “five fingers, one for each of the days you’d spent apart” literally just shoot me next time 😭💔🔨

and the smut…. delicious 😛 starting it up with reader thinking about wanting to give him a bath, to wash his hair for him?? same queen, they get it. and then the body worship??!?? the PRAISE?!?!??! you really know the way to my heart. everything about this was perfect, immaculate, splendid, magnificent! when he giggled and hid behind his hands? nauseating. he’s perfect! 🤩

thank you once again for putting so much time and love into this series! you really hit it out of the park with this and it’s my new favorite ever. the way you wrote everyone was so endearing and so true to the way they present themselves irl and i’m amazed. so thank you 💖💖💖

last question, it’s very important! 😡 …..was berry included in the family that came in for his graduation??😇 -🐾

HAHA im gonna miss this trend of you waking up to find a new bb update! and of course the delight of getting to read ur wonderfully thoughtful notes ㅠ they’ve made me smile so much u have no idea!

TEARING UP/CRYING THE WHOLE TIME??? this was not what i had in mind when i said i’d make it up to you i’m very sorry for another installment of tears 😭 i hope some of them were at least out of happiness this time! and i hope u feel much better now that the dust has settled <3

starting it off w our favorite piece of work…lino thought he was clever he really did…but if there’s one thing that can interfere w his razor sharp intuition it’s the cosmically intertwined fates of channie n the reader hehe. i’m so glad u felt it stayed true to him! that’s the highest compliment to me esp when it comes to minho ♡ he is so beautiful…in true kitty fashion he gets away w his menace behavior bc he is simply too pretty

GILC!!!! 🥰 i just have to say it’s made me so happy how much u seem to have enjoyed binnie throughout bb bc he was my absolute favorite to write! it’s heartwarming to know the fun i had w him was also shared w u ^_^ he is truly the only one among these fools w a good head on his shoulders lmao i so badly wanted to give him a fully fleshed out scene w the reader reconciling w him but it was just…already so long 😭 and i completely understand ur connection to the reader in that sense i think it’s a very human trait! when u wanna ensure the happiness of ur loved ones ofc it’d be scary to be the bearer of bad news, esp if ur at the center of it </3 but a true friend like binnie cares abt ur happiness just as much! even if it means bearing the weight of some unpleasant things sometimes~

our channie ㅠㅠㅠㅠ this whole series was essentially a love letter of sorts to him and everyone out there who is like him, so to know that u liked channie’s portrayal and felt bb could capture even a fraction of how lovable he is in reality…that’s really everything to me ㅠ i’m so glad u caught that lil moment too HAHA they have left irreversible marks on each other! and yes…channie wears those sweater paws to feel safe but nothing is safer than when they are holding hands…they are disgusting -_-; that scene was probably the most difficult out of the entire series to write (along w the breakup scene LOL) so it’s a huge relief that u feel that way, thank you so much!! things aren’t perfect but the first step towards smth better has at least been made!

i was hoping that as an outspoken member of the bang christopher chan praise club you would enjoy that scene hehehe it was really the bare minimum of all the love and adoration and pleasure he deserves as u always say 💗💗💗 i’m so glad it was to ur liking!! channie hiding behind his hands is forever a weakness of mine…i think i’ll find a way to incorporate it into everything i write somehow

i wish i could put into words how giddy each msg you’ve sent over the course of this series has made me and how much you’ve encouraged me w your interest and positive energy!! i truly can’t thank you enough, it’s been such a joy to read ur thoughts and i’m just so grateful that you were here every step of the way! thank you from the bottom of my heart <3

the most important question of all…you KNOW she was!! i dont care how difficult it is to travel overseas w a dog, berry was absolutely there to cheer channie on w the rest of his family 🥰