#maybe more ''heavily implied'' i guess. but yea. come on

[stoopidstapler]

I LOVE HIM UR HONOR

[truculentbitch]

Do you think dreams mean anything? I've had very similar dreams a couple of times now. in my dreams, I'm avoiding, trying to get away from my father. the dreams heavily imply SA or even alluding to R. it seems traumatic and even his presence is traumatizing. almost like panic and crying.

I don't have a relationship with my father irl. he was in and out my life and when he was around it was yelling and fighting. I don't have memories of these acts happening. the only thing was growing up and in my teens he would grab my butt and rub it too. I never liked it but I thought I was being dramatic cause no one saw an issue with it. I also thought I was purposely trying to be a victim. I told my mom I didn't like it and she spoke to my father and apparently he got angry about me not wanting him to do this and he still would from time to time. Idk if this is considered abuse or anything? or if I'm subconsciously bothered by him doing this year's ago. what do you think?

so.

there are a bunch of theories about the meanings of dreams. my personal belief tends towards theories of runoff cognitive processes and emotional regulation. so, i don't think that the folks tales about dreams are true - losing yr teeth doesn't mean you're scared of losing money etc - but i tend towards thinking that yr brain continues to process information in ways that we don't fully understand. a lot of that is based in continual-activation theory if you wanna look it up.

to start off with: whether it's considered abuse doesn't lessen the impact on you. you don't need to label it as anything in particular to be able to express the harm it caused you - those labels are a way to communicate that to other ppl and often they don't fit our experiences. if you were hurt by it, you have a right to that feeling.

was yr dad grabbing and rubbing yr butt an issue? if it was completely innocent, possibly not? i guess? like uhhhhhh maybe if there was a situation where that was a normal interaction between parent and child???? can't really imagine what that would be but let's stretch our imaginations to the limits. but that's not how you felt, right? it was an issue for you. and that supersedes absolutely anything else when it comes to him continuing that behaviour. it doesn't matter if everyone around you thought it was ok. it was yr body and it wasn't ok to you so it's not ok.

yr father ignoring yr feelings and continuing to push yr boundaries after being told of them is completely out of line. he disrespected the line you drew about yr own body. that's not acceptable in any way. you weren't being dramatic; you were setting a boundary that he refused to abide by. that kind of shit is abusive, yea, unequivocally; it's absolutely not you being dramatic. the issue is two-fold: he was purposefully grabbing yr butt, an action which is clearly crossing a line between an adult and a child (even if it was a parent and a child), and he refused to respect yr boundaries when you'd expressed them to yr mother and it'd been made clear to him.

looking at this with my nebulous understanding and the theory of dreams that i ascribe to, i think it's understandable that you continue to have these awful dreams about him. as you've grown, you've realised what yr father's dismissal of yr boundaries and bodily autonomy can lead to and that lurks in yr dreams like a phantom. that doesn't mean that yr father is definitely a rapist or that yr dreams are truth, that he'd take it that far necessarily. i think it's more about the feelings he inspires in you based on his previous behaviour.

to reiterate: yes, i think you're bothered by him doing this years ago and i think that's a rational, reasonable reaction to his behaviour. considering this through the lens of continual-activation theory, i think this is a theme in yr dreams bc you're attempting to work through something traumatic.

mostly i think you should give yrself all the love you can. you deserve that more than anything.

[benevolentcalamity]

Rescue Mission [Yautja (Wakate) x Human!Reader] PT2

The second part y'all have (hopefully) been waiting for. Now with the Xenomorph fic coming next we will play the part of [Redacted] and expand on her backstory since I do like acting smart. XD

... Ngl I've become pretty fond of these beefy bois so let me know if you want more of them. (Also yell at me to watch the movies if you would, Arnold Schwarzenegger makes everything better.) 

I wonder if the existence of the term "monsterfuckers" means there's "humanfuckers" in the monster world... Probably!

The third part will be the smut and last installment in this mini-series, so look forward to other monsters... maybe.

Also, there is a semi-graphic... scene with a Xenomorph, so proceed here with caution.

CURTAINS!

"We're almost there."

Alongside the observation you clutch your gun tighter, ready to raise and shoot the moment something isn't right.

Glancing about you sigh in relief as the pair of you destroy the eggs scattered about. "This was an ambush. They know we're closing in so they put these here to take care of us preemptively."

"But this implies they're breeding already, or the Queen was here before." Wakate's tone doesn't imply aggression or irritability. "My guess would be the latter."

"Yea. Her corpse was very fresh when we found her, so she was probably gunned down a day or two before [Redacted] and I arrived. That'd explain the eggs." You look around, blood about freezing when you see a trio of Xenomorphs just near a cluster of eggs leading into a cave. "Shit."

Noting Wakate getting ready to attack you tug his arm again, warranting his head snapping to you along the sound of his mandibles flaring.

"Get down!" You urge, whisper-yelling as you get him behind some plants and trees.

Once you're both kneeling you part some leaves, watching as the trio approach the mouth, pausing. At first they look around, snarling, before turning back to each other. They make a variety of sounds and motions, clearly communicating. One looks back into the cave, wiping his face, before going inside. For a moment you notice their anatomy differing slightly, noting how the ones staying outside seem more angular and aggressive.

"They're posting the stronger ones outside to protect the queen," You observe. "My guess is there's more around."

"So we take them out, go in, and save your friend," Wakate nods. "This we can accomplish."

"If it were that simple, yes." You nod, checking your shotgun rounds. "If we make too much noise we'll draw out more of them, and we'll be overwhelmed before we even realize it." You look back towards the pair. "If we can draw the guards away and take them out, we'll have an easier time inside the nest."

"And what do you suggest we do once inside?" He asks, wary.

"We go in, find the Queen's chamber, get [Redacted], and get out," You reply. "If we have to we can fight against the weaker ones, but there'll be too many of them. Definitely don't want to dance against them without backup, we just want to get her."

"Alternatively you could throw bombs in there and clean them out."

"This is also true." You touch the grenades in your backpack. "But we don't know how far in she is, so unless we know that we have no chance of knowing if she'll be affected by the blasts."

"Which brings me to another question." He shifts so he can lean closer to you. "Are you sure you want her back at your base after she's been here?"

Your heart skips a beat. "If we can get her back in time they can decontaminate her and suppress the Queen pheromones."

"You're guessing, though." He leans on an arm.

"I am. I don't know the ins and outs of Xenomorph biology, nor do I know the full details of their newfound compatibility with humans." You bite your lip, before sighing heavily. "But if we get there and she's already far-gone, I'll have to make a difficult decision."

"If we're vying for time, our best bet is drawing them into one spot and using explosives. If this nest has existed a good while that means the queen's chambers are far down. So if you're worried about injuring your friend, the chances are slim to none unless you're clumsy." Wakate points to your grenades. "Now unless you want to waste more time, Ooman, you'd better make your choice quickly."

Inhaling sharply, you at first reach for your grenades, before pausing. Right when your fingers touch them, you look back up at Wakate.

"When we take out the bulk of the outside Xenomorphs, I can slip past them unawares if you're intent on fighting them. Once I've retrieved [Redacted] I can back you up. They hate fire so use that to your advantage. If you feel you're overwhelmed, I want you to retreat immediately, okay?" You assert.

"Fleeing is a disgrace." He snorts. "Asking me to surrender is an even bigger one."

"There's victory in retreat, Wakate," You respond. "At the very least we can consolidate towards the mouth. There we should be able to fend them off even if one of my arms is occupied."

"Are we now?"

"Okay, Wakate."

"You're quite possibly one of the strangest Oomans I've ever met," He comments, but readies his gun. "... If there's anything I hate more than a Xenomorph, it's any sort of disgrace. So don't you dare let yourself die."

You grin. "Game's on, then. You ready?"

Pulling out a cluster, you charge, aiming to throw. "LEEROOOOOYYYYY JEEEENKIIIINS!!!"

___

“Ooman! Ooman, you’d better be alive down there!”

Poking your  head up from some destroyed eggs - confirmed to have no other threats in there, we’ll say - you cup your hands around your mouth.

“I’m fine! Must’ve destroyed this entire sac, so they broke my fall!” You call back. “Are you okay, Wakate?!”

“Yes! But the floor collapsing like that isn’t doing any good - damn things...” He’s more visible after leaning a bit closer to the hole you’re in. “... Or we just got lucky, Ooman. Do you see a tunnel nearby?”

For a moment, you survey your surroundings after standing. Eventually your eyes fall on an extra tunnel, and you light up despite the dread settled in your stomach.

“I do!” You shout.

“If you’re lucky, Ooman, you’ll be able to follow those egg sacs straight to the queen. If you can, just get her and run - I’ll make my way to you!” Wakate’s voice is thick with authority, like a general you used to serve with. Swiftly he turns, the sound of distant growling and hisses growing louder. “More of those Berserkers...” Raising his gun and getting in stance, he looks back down at you. “Get out of there!!!”

Picking up the cue, you swap your shotgun for a rifle - admittedly a gun you’re more adept with - and get to work. Squashing a dead creature you meander carefully down the cave, following the distant sounds of gunfire and roaring. Biting your lip as you pass some eggs, you carefully push through some debris and near-tumble some more. Admittedly feeling a bit vulnerable without Wakate you find yourself looking left, right, above, and over your shoulder every few steps.

This isn’t much different from your regular missions in enemy territory, but the primal fear of death, a reminder of your humanity and mortality, is always fresh.

You sigh through your nose. I really miss my dad. You miss home in general, so you may have to put in a request to return for the fall. Maybe you’ll have to reduce your time in the military at this rate; quite honestly you’ve had enough.

When it comes to Xenomorphs this is definitely not your first rodeo. Matter of fact being inside a nest is just as disgusting as you remember, those who share the memory being either long dead or retired. Many who have to deal with them put in their notice once they’re lucky enough to return alive, but the experience leaves terrible scars. Death would be a release for them, perhaps, but an honorable death is never in a nest, unless it’s with a gun in your hand.

But for those that remain in service and throw themselves back into the wasp’s nest, like yourself, it’s uncertain what exactly awaits.

“Please be okay, [Redacted]...” You shudder. “Both of us come home alive.”

A hiss, some thuds, and a growl wrench you from your thoughts. Hairs standing on end you dive behind some muck. Just then a Xenomorph, more stout and round like a bumblebee, rushes past. It doesn’t slow down or pause to look around, it just makes a beeline (haha) down the cavern.

It looks like a weaker subspecies. So it seems the more attacker types are concentrated wherever Wakate is. Whatever the case I’d better hurry up. You rise when the coast is clear and continue forward, clutching your rifle tightly. Even as strong as he is, he and I are a team. 

You don’t want to protect and fight with Wakate because you think he’s weak or an asshole - alright he is sort of an asshole but you’ve accepted that’s just Yautja - but because you genuinely care about his safety.

Hm? “What is that noise?” You whisper.

It’s like those pumps, where they’d have oil or water pumping into a reservoir or tank or something. A concentrated mass, like a bubble but it’s not, would pass through the tubes, and make a weird sound the whole journey. This particular sound is only broken up by the occasional growl or slap-like noise, throwing you off slightly. Even so the cold dread returns, weighing on your chest just as it does your stomach, solidified as eggs don’t just cluster but rather line up like soldiers in the upcoming cavern.

And there, just at the other end, is a sight you never thought you’d see in your life.

“[Redacted]!” You cry, throwing caution to the wind entirely.

Among clusters of eggs much unlike the others, she’s there, unconscious, naked from the waist down, covered in slimy goo - Xenomorph saliva - among small amounts of her own blood and other fluids you can’t quite name.

Surrounded by Xenomorphs just like the one before, only in stasis, she’s in the lap of one just like the one that had attacked the Nastromo. With large, horrible hands it’s holding her waist and shoulder, and as you get closer you realize its hips thrusting upward - and eventually the pitch black cock the size of your shin inside her.

Pursing your lips and furrowing your brow, you swallow the revolting scene before you and raise your gun. Just then the Xenomorph raises its head, and sees you. Its movement pauses, and it begins to snarl.

“Get away from her, you bitch!”

Enraged, it leans forward, screaming at you at the top of its lungs. Visibly fighting its instincts it takes a moment, looking down at [Redacted]. Pulling its cock out of her with an unceremonious schlop, it picks her up bridal-style in its hands, putting her delicately among the other Xenomorphs, assuming they can protect her even being in the state they are. Once it finishes it swiftly turns back towards you, beginning to approach you like a cougar to a rabbit as its mouth pours with copious amounts of saliva.

So whoever moves first, huh... Okay.

Leaning into the stock, you aim right for the chest, blasting it dead on. As the acid blood flies about you barely register it lunging, rolling out of the way and aiming once more. Roaring it gets right back into stance, charging before you can reload and forcing you to dodge again. It’s terribly fast and especially aggressive - it does see you as a threat to the queen aside from its dominative instinct to kill - so you’ll have to be even sharper.

This is a fight for your life and [Redacted]’s. Living for her, protecting her... Making it back to Wakate, too.

“Don’t you dare let yourself die.”

“Fuck you!” You shout, reloading and managing to put another cap in its leg as you strafe out of the way of a tail stab. “You ugly motherfucker!”

What fuels you in this moment, as you’re reloading and shooting with the occasional toss of a grenade, isn’t just the instinct and need to survive. It’s absolute, unbridled rage, determination to see your duty through to the end, and outright refusal to die to this creature. Everyone else is reason enough to make it, but you have no one but yourself in this moment, even with [Redacted] out of the line of fire and Wakate holding his own whilst making his way to you.

With each bullet, each side swipe, and laceration, the Xenomorph is growing angrier and angrier. It lunges, and with another roll out of the way you hurriedly recover. Every step you take, every breath, your heart pounds up into your throat, and your palms start to get sweaty. Your bullets are becoming fewer, but never wasted, whilst your trigger finger is never faltering.

This is it.

Rolling under a lunge for once - it’s come to expect you to go to the sides - you put one more cap in its back, your body beginning to ache from the strain. Sweat pouring from your brow you momentarily glance at your bullets.

One. Bullet.

One bullet, and this will be made or broken. Either you’ll save your own life and [Redacted]’s, or leave Wakate to face the music.

“Alright...” You raise your gun one more time.

A lunge from the creature, and everything is suddenly in slow motion. Delicately, almost, your rifle’s barrel is perfectly lined with the weak spots you’ve created in the creature. With this last shot you could finish all this - and you will.

Exhaling raggedly but coolly through gritted teeth, you squeeze the trigger, resolute acceptance of death clashing with determination in your chest as the bullet flies free. Closing your eyes, you lower your gun, opening your ears for any more movement, a hiss to tell you your life has ended; a scream of a last moment of flurried rage. Your brain mimics the sensation of enormous, monstrous hands gripping you to rip you a brand new face, or spit flying onto your body to foretell a violent, instantaneous death.

But none of this happens. Rather, you merely hear the sounds of drips, of a sound more like sizzling. Opening your eyes, you step back and onto some elevation to avoid the acid blood, following its trail to the Xenomorph. Still twitching with angry attempts at springing back up with one final scare, it weakly hisses, clawing languidly at the ground. Approaching it, you tug out a grenade, shoving it into the newborn cavity with your foot, your soles only burning slightly with minimal contact with the blood.

“Bye.”

You retreat to the other side of the cavern, and no sooner do you reach that wall that the grenade explodes following its horrified scream. Flesh and blood spray everywhere, some limbs still intact and others looking like paper mush. With the settling reassurance that the fight is over, you allow yourself to collapse onto your knees, hands falling onto your thighs as you catch your breath. Momentarily lamenting leaving your canteen by mistake, you raise a hand to hold the communicator button.

“Johnson, come in. [Name] reporting.”

“What’s the sitrep?”

“[Redacted] is confirmed alive, mostly unharmed but... well...” You raise your head to look over at her as she momentarily stirs. “... Ah, Johnson, do Xenomorphs have genitals?”

“...”

“Johnson, come in.”

“Newer variants were reported with genitalia matching mammals, yes.”

“Oh, good. One’s been using ‘em. I’d suggest preparing the base for decon when we return with [Redacted].”

“Affirmative. As for the Yautja?”

“We got separated in the nest, but I’m sure he’s still alive.” You blink at the distant sound of gunfire and flesh tearing. “... Stand by.”

Standing, you reach for your pistol, preparing to fire at another Xenomorph. To your relieved surprise one comes flying into the cavern- quite literally, actually. It’s very dead, from how it doesn’t immediately jump back up and scream. Before you can question it, though, Wakate’s hulking frame stomps in. Breathing with relief you relax, hand falling from your communicator.

“Wakate, I’m here!” You declare, rushing toward him.

He doesn’t immediately respond aside from nodding to acknowledge you. For a moment he looks around, clearly aware that there was a fight here, before his eyes fall on the gory remains of the Xenomorph you blew up. Approaching it, he kneels down, looking it over. Nodding again, he raises a hand to beckon you over. Tilting your head you comply, scrunching up your nose at the smell as you kneel beside him.

Blinking, you watch as he finds some still oozing blood, dipping his fingers in it. Turning to you, he uses a free hand to smooth back the loose hair over your forehead. Closing your eyes tight you clench your teeth as your skin burns, him using the acid blood to mark your forehead. Once he finishes you inhale sharply, swallowing and clutching your pants to avoid touching it.

“All in a day’s work, huh.” You take a moment to crack your knuckles. “Wakate, I’m out of bullets in my rifle, but I can use my pistol. If I carry her I can still shoot, but my trigger finger won’t be as on the mark. Can I count on you?”

He stares at you in visible contemplation, the telltale sound of his mandibles touching through his helmet before he nods.

“Always.”

Satisfied, you stand up, turning and approaching [Redacted]. Lowering yourself onto your haunches you wipe some (luckily not acidic) fluid off of her face. Just then she stirs, looking at you with tired eyes. Upon recognizing you she lights up slightly, smiling weakly in her exhaustion.

“I knew you were coming...” She whispers. “... Hey, [Name]?”

“Yeah?” You wrap some gauze - tragically it’s all you have - around her nethers and hips, making it look more like zombie apocalypse panties.

“Do you think these stains will come out of my clothes?” She asks, and you can’t help but erupt into laughter as you move her so you can carry her in your arms, your pistol at the ready with your finger off the trigger.

“Yea, they will.” You start walking as Wakate turns to lead the way out. “It’s over now, [Redacted]. We’re goin’ home.”

[palmett-hoes]

wrote this at first to be a reply to this post by @annawrites but it got super long so i figured it would be better just to make it a standalone post

---

it’s a great post about how neil probably has a perfectly functional knowledge of popular culture and how continuously representing him as totally ignorant of it isn’t a fair read of his character or circumstances. neil has incredible street smarts and that involves knowing how to blend in and disappear in a crowd. his knowledge of popular culture is probably eclectic and not very american, so he may not know all the pop culture touchstones that his teammates know, but he definitely knows stuff

meanwhile there are several foxes it would actually make much more sense to have extremely limited or just similarly patchy knowledge of mainstream pop culture

(i’m using “mainstream pop culture” here to refer to a combination of movies, tv shows, celebrities, video games, entertainment and communication technology, music, fashion, pastimes, books, etc. each one has it’s own specific considerations but all together if it was new and popular and timely, it’s pop culture)

---

kevin, for one, i think definitely knows like, next to nothing, and i honestly think it’s weird that people decided neil was the “knows nothing about pop culture guy” rather than kevin. i mean, kevin was raised since childhood in an extremely insular and one-track-minded underground cult. he was literally raised under a rock! you think the ravens were taking the time to watch saturday morning cartoons and disney movies? absolutely not. like i truly do not believe that kevin has ever consumed media in his life. he does not know songs, movies, celebrities, video games, tv shows, nothing. and he also has absolutely no idea that he doesn’t know about these things. neil has a working knowledge of most things even if it has plenty of holes but he knows what the holes are. kevin genuinely does not know that the movie Titanic exists

(also i’m ragging a bit here but this is a genuine analysis and a fascinating way to view kevin’s character and i wish people took more time to think through and flesh out his influences and the effect they had on him)

---

nicky. son of a conservative christian pastor? his access to media was likely heavily censored to remove “sinful” and “ungodly” influences. the media he consumed probably had a heavy christian focus and there were probably tons of mainstream popular things he wasn’t allowed to even look at, like especially things that were maybe a little risqué or sexual, which a lot of 90s and 2000s pop culture was considered to be. i also wouldn’t be surprised if he went to a private christian school that would still keep his chances to access other influences limited even away from his parents’ immediate view. nicky grew up on christian rock and veggie tales. he was forbidden from going trick-or-treating because it was “satanic.” that vein. watch the movie Saved! (2004) to get a sense of what i’m picturing. obviously once he got away to germany he got the chance to branch out and experience a lot of things, but doing things as an adult is very different growing up with them as a child. i also think this feeds into like,, nicky’s enthusiasm and why he tries so hard to get everyone involved in things and get neil to hang out with him so much and it’s not because he pities neil for not knowing these things but rather that he himself is still enthralled by their novelty

---

dan. but also renee, seth, andrew, and possibly aaron to varying lesser extents. these foxes all grew up poor, and access to pop culture is heavily tied to having money, especially in the technology boom of the 90s and 2000s that the foxes came of age in. it’s common for kids from low-income families to be “behind” on popular culture because engaging with it costs money

dan and seth we know grew up in poverty. yes people need entertainment but money considerations have to take priority so what they had access to was probably very touch and go. it’s hard to pin down anything for sure because it just comes down to what their guardians prioritized, but i can say that i doubt they had cable (and it’s possible they didn’t have tv) so their tv influences would be public broadcast rather than like,, disney channel and nickelodeon. dan especially, as someone from the rural poor in north dakota is the one most likely to be out of the loop of mainstream pop culture imo

.

renee’s mother is implied to have also been involved with renee’s gang which makes it really hard to pin things down. gangs and other forms of organized crime tend to have a profit motive but because it’s mostly off the books it’s just,,, different. they may had some money but it’s,,, complicated, and she was still living in an impoverished neighborhood. i really can’t make any guesses about it because i just don’t have any context for it, but i think it’s fair to say her media influences wouldn’t have been entirely mainstream pop culture. then of course she spends a year in juvy and two years in the foster care system, which definitely has very limited access to pop culture

.

andrew being in the foster care system means that his influences were constantly changing. he could have been in houses from a wide range of economic means, but regardless he probably wasn’t treated well or given gifts or access to new toys or anything that requires an additional fee or tool to access. stories from kids who lived in foster care often reveal that even very wealthy houses enforce extreme limitations on their foster kids. the idea that andrew had a foster sibling with a gameboy, an xbox and a tv in their room while andrew himself didn’t even have a bed,,, isn’t outside the realm of possibility. so, probably no video games or internet. limited choice in what movies or tv shows he could watch. social services are wildly underfunded so what he had access to in group homes and “at-risk youth groups” was probably pretty dated

.

we don’t know much about tilda, especially things like her job, but we know aaron grew up in san jose which is one of the most expensive cities/housing markets in the world. this means that they were probably either rich or very poor. personally, i think they were probably poor, which means aaron would have been subject to the same sorts of things as dan or seth in terms of spotty or inconsistent access to a lot of things in popular culture

---

so yea, ig just remember that each fox comes from different and complicated circumstances, that upper-middle-class pop culture experiences are not universal, and it’s weird to think that neil has absolutely no concept of pop culture at all while every other fox is apparently highly in tune with it and all have the same up-to-date experiences

[haknew]

pls talk about your thoughts about chanhee and also the other concepts!! I always have such a hard time interpreting music and videos but i love to read about it

“bestie pls share ur thoughts on make your own concepts specifically chanhee’s but any others that are ur fave too 🎤- mar”

omg mar thank you for enabling me all day today 😭🥺🧡 thenks bestie ily :,)) and thank you too anon ! i should preface that T-T i have not read any other theories or analyses so these are just my opinions / impressions but i hope it’s entertaining to read about haha :p ! (feel free @ anyone to add on or share your thoughts too ! :,))

HYUNJAE - okay so audio cues... if you listen to the beginning there’s a sound of a bomb going off before the music starts ? and that ties into the dystopian / cyborg aesthetics that jump out at me of course, but what i immediately thought of was their no air perfo ? like we know hyunjae in the no air mv got that shot where he’s laying in the bathtub filled with water but also their kingdom performance with it also had those underwater shots ! so i think it ties into that... i feel like we saw in gen z, he’s a very straightforward person he says things on his mind which can come off as blunt but he thinks it’s better than not saying it ? which is interesting bc i think that speaks to his self- determined personality, he’s much more inclined to do whatever it takes to get something done, which i think falls perfectly in line with the “make your own air” phrase that he gets, if it’s something he needs he makes it himself, in a situational sense methinks u.u 

 JUYEON - JUYEON’S DJSKHDG i’m waiting for dri’s essay but in essence we see the gen z “juyeon is not such a good boy” shot and these text bubbles that pop up that say “sexy” “you so hot” “such a bad boy” and tbh i like this ‘concept’ ? for him better than his gen z one ? it’s not bc of the concept itself but i like the idea that he can “make your own character” as in he has the capability and power to be whoever he wants to ! you see him throwing white paint at the gen z canvas and i think ?! that’s symbolic of like a fresh canvas ! of remaking himself to whatever he wants bc the canvas is now blank again thanks to the white paint and flowers usually indicate spring ? so renewal and stuff like that ! i really like his, it’s also fun word play on “character” which has been juyeon’s intro in tbz (bc his name sounds like main character in korean) but yea :o ! i really love his the idea he can just repaint / paint over a literal image of him gives it the possibility of becoming smth new and that’s so so cool

CHANGMIN - SCREEEEECH okie um oh boy um *windows shutting down noises* this was so so so very different from his gen z stuff but i actually think BOTH are equally perfect for him ? the way that he set up the sparklers and neon lights on this very obviously trashy and kind of rundown rooftop with the cityline behind him is so ?!?!? LITERALLY making his own stage as his tagline goes, sort of like how the physical stage itself does not matter but rather it’s changmin himself that makes the stage special ! i talked about this in gabi’s set that i rbed ;-;/ but changmin puts a lot A LOT of stake in his position as a dancer it means almost everything to him as a form of expression from what i can see ? so he’s always trying his best to put forward the best performance possible and seeing this segment makes me feel like he’s doing just that ! pouring himself into it to make his stage pls i care him 

HAKNYEON - god i’m a jusadan but just u.u rest in peace me, i’ll ... T_T be kind of honest this one confuses me a little ? i have assumptions and i feel like i know ... quite a bit about haknyeon (LMAO) my best guess is it has smth to do with self assurance ...? the way he’s framed and the fact that he’s sitting on a bed in the middle of a church surrounded by candles gives me christ figure symbolism (where my ap english takers at :/) and the light that perfectly frames him in a halo gives me angel vibes too, but the tagline of “make your own romance” paired with him kissing his reflection makes me think it’s about self love ;;;; from what i can tell haknyeon has always been someone who really likes feeling validated and praised for the stuff he does well, which he does for himself a lot of the times too ! but sometimes i think the self assurances he compliments himself with is more for reassuring himself rather than bragging (which i think people misinterpret) so it’s more about becoming the person he wants to fully love and being happie with himself which *tears* i might be reading too much into who knows i just love him ok ... U.U 

KEBINNN - i know !!! dri mentioned this in my gifset tags but ! kev on kpop daebak (? was it) or smth mentioned how he strives to keep a childlike wonderment for the world around him, which is a reason why i think he loves drawing and sound / music production, he talked in a fancafe post once about an artist who turned mediocre everyday objects into art and he said he really loves that sense of wonderment so peter pan who “never grows up” is actually perfect for his worldview ahhhh T^T also kev really likes disney lmao, the way he’s doing this outside in this “neverland” garden on a balcony which is a part of this very typical apartment backed by a typical city bg also i believe ties into this turning a mediocre everyday thing into smth wonderful through his sense of childlike wonderment and his tagline of “make your own fantasy” (i also care him a lot this concept >>>>>>) and keeps to his referencing movie plotlines like he did in gen z jddkfj

SUNWOO - i also mentioned this in my tags on sunu’s set but this gives me 100 degrees vibes which i still to this day think is one of the most “sunwoo” vibe things ever, it’s a lot of him having fun and doing his own thing, and mixes both more mature and youthful aspects together in a way that i’d only ever describe as sunwoo vibes LMAO like the roller skating around and all the soap bubbles ! cute and youthful ! the crop top and celine wasitband (don’t laugh at me we all noticed) more mature and a callback to his gen z look methinks U.u, think sunwoo has always been a more go-with-the-flow or do whatever he feels like doing sort of person and so “make your own vibe” fits well with him in that sense to me 

SANGYEON - .... *silence* *more windows shutting down noises* *jess.exe has stopped working* OKAY i feel like ! sangyeon’s is also more self explanatory :p i love the juxtaposition of boxing AND the arcade type fighter games ?? like both require very different sets of skills i feel like one is more physical the other is more mental ? but both require adapting to changes whether in the game or the boxing ring which as leader sangyeon would know a lot about, esp being flexible and quick to respond to different situations, and the “make your own glory” i feel is maybe more on the nose, but tbz are this man’s pride and joy you can see it literally anywhere and for him, as leader, to have made it this far with tbz, winning rtk and building their popularity through their hard work and efforts really is building his own glory and i just HHHHHHHHHH

YES EYYSFDHSHF CHANHEE YES - i said it in the tags of my srb before deleting it so i’ll just repeat it here but CHOI CHANHEE !!!!! this detail i didn’t quite process first watch was the continuous flashing of lights in all his scenes, like ... from the shots and the set it looks REALLY empty ?? but the flashing seems to indicate cameras and photos being taken of him despite there being no people we can really see in any of the shots ? WHICH IS SO COOL i think the implication is like “all eyes on him” type which SO TRU i love that idea, like i said the walking past the wedding dresses ? v heavily implies fashion designer which i think you mentioned mar :o ! and i see it in the sense of his tagline “make your own stereotype” bc white wedding dresses are the very traditional / typical choice and obviously feminine in stereotypes, whereas chanhee is wearing a SUIT which is all black in a very clean b/w set with no color which i feel is very stereotypically MASCULINE and the glasses too, it’s such an interesting contrast of his “stereotypically feminine” features (in my view) with very masculine symbols, like glasses we usually associate with more soft hearted / meek stereotypes ? but the geometric shape of the windows and again his suit seems to indicate the very opposite ? it’s a mixing of stereotypes which i think is the point, by putting those together he quite literally makes his own stereotype and puts on the crown while the cameras continue flashing while pointed at him AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

YOUNGHOON - okie might have less to say about this one :o i feel like both hak’s and younghoon’s i don’t see the connections quite as readily but ! i think it’s interesting that his tagline is “make your own classic” but then in the scenes itself he has a flip phone ??? with an antenna (okay boomer /j JDHFKFG JK PLS) and a teddy bear while in PERIOD stylized clothing and setting where those two things are more modern / contemporary in origin (but also not modern enough bc ,,, it’s a flip phone LOL) like 90s kid vibes ? you know but as an emperor in the joseon era haha :p while eating shrimp chips and reading a (comic ?) book, like idk too much of what it means but it’s a cool dichotomy LOL, think it might also tie into actor ! hoon bc it’s make your own classic and i think acting has become a very important aspect to him :o after seeing what he’s capable of in love revolution and his atbz video so it’s interesting u.u (need help w/ this one)

JACOB - think my explanation in han’s set’s tags didn’t really make sense so lemme ... reexplain LOL,,, so ! similar to his gen z video ? like he’s talked about how difficult it is to open up about his own feelings etc. and he said it’s less bc he realizes he needs to but rather just to make other people feel more comfortable when it comes to understanding him, and like the whole breaking the mirror with his reflection in the wanna be angry jacob, it’s about freeing himself to the point he can express the emotions he wants to ! in gen z it was about being able to be angry when he felt that way instead of being tied by his image of being just nice ? and in the video with his pilot uniform not only does he control the ride but he also rides on it himself ! quite literally making his own freedom (symbolically), a sort of realizing he can free himself ? from what’s been tying him down and i think the really big smile he has while riding it just comes to show how he wants to feel :,))) (jacob bae i care you) 

ERIC - last one :p AHHH this is one of my favs too, the quite literal “make your own pride” I LOVE IT ! sooo i think the biggest takeaway i got was that of course in this video his “pride” is symbolized by the hot pink car (that he’s going to pick up his christmassy date in of course u.u if he has a license which he does n- his driver’s license in this was literally his aaa / boy version of reveal photo which in no dmv anywhere would a license picture be allowed to look that good-) and LITERALLY when he finished and takes it for a joy ride while sitting on the roof he’s STILL covered in the dirt and grime stains ! from working on it ! which i think is so symbolic ! it’s my favorite detail actually, he literally put sweat into this car which is his pride and now that he’s finally riding around in it, it feels accomplishing ! his pride ! love that, also when he’s grabbing a stub from that flyer i noticed he chose “youth” over the others (which was like .... ca$h, beauty, ice cream, hamburger...) which i think also just indicates that despite all this hard work he put in he still cherishes his youth and still lets that be a huge part of who he is (i mean pink car so of course) so idk i think it’s very neat go bestie mwah

[elliot-orion]

1-5! :)

Pretty sure this was from the deep dive asks a while back., sorry for it taking so long! i just didn't have a project to work on, but I do now!! I’ll be answering for the White Lake (temp title) characters, Logan, Nellie, and Charlie.  Thank you so much! 

1. Who are two characters that don’t like each other? What do they reveal about each other to the readers? Will they ever learn to put aside their differences?

Logan and Nellie have a bunch of tension at first, honestly. Logan is stubborn, but Nellie is more so, and both want opposite things. They also have a weird initial dynamic of “we were like... friend adjacent in high school, haven't talked to each other since, so we feel like we know the other but we’ve really barely exchanged a few words outside of class projects.” They were both the school weirdos and stuck together out of necessity, not real friendship, even tho both consider the other a friend even tho they really aren’t, so it leads to a lot of ‘i think you are this way but you arent behaving this way, why the hell wont you behave this way??” bc of the other like... placing what they want the other to be like onto them. if that makes even a lick of sense. I guess it all reveals what they want in a friend to the reader, bc they assume the other to be their Ideal Friend since they have nothing to confirm nor deny that. But its more of a ‘what you want versus what you need’ thing. Nellie wants someone who will listen to her and let her protect them without asking questions bc not listening and asking too many questions that nell couldn't answer got her one actual friend killed. Logan wants someone who just accepts his weirdness and doesn't try to push him. But Nell is pushy when she thinks she’s right (and tbh she usually is), and Logan is curious, and its a mess at first. They do put aside their differences tho. Nell is determined as hell and she realized at some point that she needs to work with Logan to keep him safe, and Logan learns that he needs to teach Nell how to accommodate his autism (that he doesn't know is autism because his parents suck) because she has no idea and just thinks he’s being difficult and has to meet her halfway too. Its messy but they work it out and become way way better friends because of it.

2. What do you hope readers will take away from your WIP? Is there an intentional theme (or themes) to the story?

I mean there’s not an intentional theme to it. I definitely want people to be unsettled and a little freaked out, I am intending it to be like... romantic era horror level horror book, if that makes sense. more atmospheric and eerie then ‘im actually going scream I'm so afraid’ horror. But also themes of friendship maybe? idk I haven't decided if there will be romance yet but definitely friendship and found family stuff.

3. What do you love most about your protagonist? (It can be something you’d admire in them if they were real, or something interesting about them as a character.)

Oh jeez. I love how determined Nell is to protect Logan. She doesn't always do it right, because misunderstandings and her idea of safe is different than his idea of happy and she needs to learn that he might be safer with her way but he’d be miserable. She just loves her people so much and she’s determined not to fail again, but its all coming from a place of deep love and I really admire how much she’s willing to put into keeping her family together. For Logan I admire how strong he is honestly. He lives in a really conservative, ableist town with parents who think he's just being difficult when its not his fault he's neurodivergent, but he knows who he is and what he needs and even when Nell is trying to push her beliefs about him onto him he stands strong in who he is. He knows he’s not wrong. He’s just lonely because no one else knows that. Its really admirable in my opinion (maybe because I've never been able to do that with my neurodivergencies and I'm definitely projecting but whateverrrrrrr). He’s also a really good friend, he’s just not given many chances to be that. As for Charlie I just love how happy they are. They try so hard to get Nell and Logan to get along, and they are always smiling even when they are the one who has the most reasons to be miserable (considering they did you know. die horrifically and are now trapped by an eldrich lake)They are always pushing themself to make others happy, even at their own expense, and while its not a trait I admire, it is one that I love in characters because I just love the hurt comfort when they break :3 also they are just fun as hell and I love my little extrovert cinnamon roll (who is way more devious than they seem but thats what happens when you basically grow up and then spend about 130 years with a ghost circus)

4. Is there anything in the story that is implied, but not directly stated? Will this become more relevant later on? How perceptive would a reader have to be to pick up on this?

A lot of the lake stuff is implied at first, and there's a big misdirect, but it gets cleared up after just a bit so I don't think it counts. Um... idk ok I haven't even written draft one yet so idk what will be implied vs told I'm a pantser I've got about 6 plot point checkpoints and a vague idea of progression here most of this is being bs-ed. Im not even sure yet if I'm making Logan a trans guy or if there will be romance or anyone’s sexualities besides Nellie (who is v much a lesbian) I’ll get back to you on this. Although wait actually - Logan never gets his autism diagnosed, I know that, so that is implied but it's like. heavily implied so you won't have to be super perceptive to figure it out. I’m not doing any -coded stuff, he is, he just lives in a shitty town with no therapists for anyone to talk to. kinda hard to go to a therapist not from town and go ‘yea my best friends are ghosts, my town is actively trying to kill me, sorry im late the road disappeared how are you today?’ you feel? no one in this town gets any goddamn therapy. But its not explicit no. 

5. Which character has the most intricate backstory? Is this backstory common knowledge from the start, or is it revealed later on? How does this backstory affect the narrative?

Oh man uh... I guess Charlie has the most intricate backstory? definitely, the longest since they did die in the 1890s. In a fire. While they were trapped in a tiny ass box. in the middle of said fire. and burned alive.  .... What i said it was horror didn't i?? Charlie has some SERIOUS claustrophobia my guys. It’s common knowledge to the circus folks how Charlie died, they sorta agree its the worst of them all. Everyone died from the fire but only Charlie was trapped in such a small space unable to get out. They are the contortionist of the circus, it was a combo act with the magician who locked them in this way-too-small box and was going to make them disappear when the fire started and he ran off to help people and forgot them in the box. He’s super apologetic and Charlie only sorta still blames him. Logan and Nellie know that Charlie died in the fire but they don't find out until later exactly how. Idk how much it affects the narrative yet, but it does affect how Charlie interacts with the other circus performers since they tend to be mother hen-y around them, tho that also has to do with, again, charlie basically being raised by the whole crew. they ran away at like 11-12 or so to join, so yea, especially the people who have been there forever tend to view them as their kid in a way. It takes a village after all. But whether it affects the whole story, idk, again haven't started it yet. 

thanks again for the asks, and im sorry it took so long! 

[muthaz-rapapa]

Embrace Your Shining Future~

Boy, I hope 10 years from now we’ll be lucky to have a future that’s even a quarter this great as Hugtto’s.

But first, it looks like George returned to his time, no longer a villain (and I guess he wasn’t a ghost, after all) but now an ordinary man again.

And while it doesn’t seem like they really applied the Walking the Earth trope here, his surroundings doesn’t suggest that humanity instantly recovered once time started again either (this all the more supports my theory that it’s a separate timeline from Hugtto’s timeline, where humanity didn’t fall to ruin).

However, maybe it’s just because of his location and they’re all somewhere else.

Whatever the case, the flowers indicate that life will start over once more and perhaps, humanity will reborn, so to speak. 

As for him, he doesn’t look as depressed as he was previously which is good because hopefully, he can work his way towards redemption by helping to nurture this newly sprung future instead of setting out to destroy it like he originally did.

Alright, back to you Hugtto, looking quite marvelous and sunny ten years later.

These two became a manzai duo.

Didn’t expect that but hooray, hooray for them.

Shoulda known, since they came from the future, that they would still be kids (or at least around the same age as the Cures in present time) when the girls’ time finally catches up to future.

But nobody could’ve really predicted at what age exactly anyway so it’s no big deal.

Oh, and it’s nice to see that some old classmates still kept in touch long after they graduated middle school.

Nice. Very nice. *nod nod*

It’s especially funny when you don’t find it surprising that Fumito ended up working for….

…this president of what is possibly Japan’s biggest and most prosperous design company (Hana always liked to draw so not surprised about this either).

And what a president she is!

Twirling around in her office just radiating POSITIVITY even though she’s HEAVILY PREGNANT AND SHOULD BE ON MATERNITY LEAVE!

Oyvey…that’s our Hana, alright, lol

Daigan working in the same pediatric ward as Saaya doesn’t surprise me either since we’ve seen him getting along with kids very well.

And wooot~,  Saaya with short hair looks so pretty (she’s always pretty but now she’s grown-up and living her dream pretty!).

Then Homare bumped into Papple at the airport (pretty sure Homare recognized her but didn’t have time to chat since she’s in a hurry and all).

We don’t know what Papple’s doing nowadays but it looks like life is treating her well so yay~

Then there’s this.

I suppose Emiru met up with young Traum sometime ago and agreed to fund his research and development (the Aisaki family is loaded, remember, so again, NOT SURPRISED THERE) all for the purpose of seeing her best friend again…

…which resulted in the birth of Lulu, the first robot of her kind to have not only a human heart (which we’ve already seen happen) but also the capability to grow just like a normal human does.

And the reunion is just as you would expect. Tears of joy because hell yea, baby!Lulu may not recognize Emiru since she’s just been born but HELL YEA, they kept their promise to each other!

*sniff*

And of course, the first thing they do together is sing.

Ugh! So beautiful~! <3

By the way, I’m declaring it canon that Traum’s first daughter is alive and she probably did contribute some way into the project to create Lulu and the reason we don’t see her here is likely because she’s at school or something.

The Traum family consists of three members and they’re all alive and well and most of all, happy together.

You can’t convince me otherwise! xP

Homare made it in time and what’s more, SHE BROUGHT A GOLD MEDAL!

What a great auntie/godmother!

Kotori guiding the next generation of cheerleaders.

Appropriate.

Henri made a musical on ice.

He did THAT!

“HENRI ON ICE”

And who was the producer of this theatrical success?

The one and only Aisaki Group, DUH!

I mean, what you’d expect from having in-laws (I dare the fool who tries to tell me Masato and Henri are not married, I DARE YOU!) who are such opera/theater fanatics that they LIVE the stage in their daily lives?

So glad the grandfather finally came around as well. Awesome.

Ranka became the next Best Actress. Congrats.

THE GRANNIES ARE STILL GOING STRONG!!

100 is the new 20! xDD

New grandparents rushing to the hospital and they hardly look a day over the last time we saw them from 10 years ago.

*whispers* The secret must be a healthy, happy marriage.

And this is, without a doubt, Hana’s (wavy, dark-haired) husband (she is wearing her wedding band, go back and check) who’s just heard the news but still made sure to pick up a bouquet along the way to see his wife.

A bouquet of craspedias, the same flower villain!George tried to give to Hana years ago.

Except this person is obviously not the same George.

Again, it’s strongly implied the foremost reason why George spiraled into depression and started doing evil things was because he lost Hana in the future.

But since Hana doesn’t die this time, villain!George never comes into existence and therefore, George is just a normal guy who’s, hopefully, grateful that life has given him such happiness and meaning and is very much anticipating meeting his baby daughter.

Yea, they deliberately did not show his face to continue to cast doubt on who Hugtan’s father is but I’m certain it’s gotta be him.

Knowing the type of person Hana is, there’s no way she wouldn’t be concerned about the man George was before he became President Kurai when she meets (again) in present day. And she likely would’ve stuck by him to make sure he didn’t go down the same disastrous path. As a result, they got close, fell in love, married and are now having a baby together.

It’s still squicky because of the age difference so I hope they got together when Hana was at legal age (and by that, I mean by my standard of 21 years, not Japan’s 13). At least, it’ll make me feel slightly better about them being a couple that way.

Also, it looks like what people have been telling me about genetic traits possibly jumping a generation or two (thanks for further confirming this, btw!) are correct so Hugtan/Hagumi can have blonde hair even if neither of her parents do. The fact that George’s name is written in katakana instead of hiragana (which probably would translate closer to “Jouji”) suggests George himself is partially foreign so perhaps Hugtan got the blonde hair from his side (??). 

To be honest, I was aware of this fact already (really, I’m not lying here). I just didn’t believe that the staff behind Hugtto knew about it and because of that, I didn’t think they would apply it here since it’s more common to see animators make almost all girls take after their moms and almost all boys take after their dads. I especially can’t trust Toei after that whole skin color incident with Towa from Go!Pri but it seems like the writers of this season learned from their mistakes and even did some extra research this time.

Who knows?

Anyways, all evidence points to this person as George and I have nothing more to add.

Moving along, d’aww, whaddya know?

Mogumogu and the cat he admired got together and adopted Hariham village!

How sweet~! <33

Finally, they don’t tell how much further off in the future it is when Tomorrow turns up again but can I just say, it’s such a RELIEF that she doesn’t have to suffer through a despairing future like she did in the original timeline.

And that was all thanks to her mom and her friends.

Plus, when the focus turns to her at the precise moment Hagumi is born in Hana’s present time and she softly says “Mama”?

Yea...who else felt that?

*turns into a sobbing mess*

And that’s it.

Congratulations, Hana. Congratulations, Hagumi. May you have many, many blessed and blissful days ahead of you and may you always be together.

Thank you, Hugtto, for giving everybody such a huggy, huggy year! ^^

[raptorasreign]

Soooo yea, major OW2 spills just came out and have some i d e a s.

NGL I’ve had these ideas connected to regular OW but hey if we’re getting more story I might as well share the ones I’ve always thought would have been good plots for our favorite justice bird!

Idea: Strike Commander Amari

Yes, please! So this concept came to either one of two ways. Either of which Fareeha is crazy determined to get overwatch back into the good graces of the United Nations. One would be that Overwatch is placed under the operation of Helix, or they’re merged, something like that. The United Nations then decides to put someone from their presently hired peacekeeping force (Helix) to manage the recall.

The other would be, I was thinking it was possible that the recalled Overwatch could operate very Blackwatch-ish under Helix supervision. Which is a pretty unlikely run, but hey, I seriously think Fareeha would have at least have a trying role in putting Overwatch back within legal permission. Like hell the UN is gonna admit they made a mistake of disbanding and allow it to just reform. and like hell is Fareeha gonna let everyone she love be labeled as criminals.

Also I’m rooting for this and thought Fareeha not being in the promo poster could support she’s running the operation behind the scenes like mama bird did. LOL

Idea: It’s a trap

This one’s a cousin of the idea up there. So maybe the UN is aware that Overwatch is getting recalled, and the merge/recall goes smoothly. Fareeha could be placed with them, but the catch is that management is strongly restricted and controlled. While it would appear to be held by the UN, it could be heavily implied that the smooth transition is a mere distraction. The support is a decoy for shady dealings that eventually restrict the purpose OW recalled in the first place. 

Corruption is evident. So if the UN simply lets recall slide just like that, there’s probably some real deal they’re just trying to hide, especially if the offer is just too good to be true. Not saying this comes in the way of funding, location and equipment, but there is no massive operation that operates without the hidden hand of the enemy in there.

Idea: Overwatch is the Enemy (you’ll hate this one)

Everybody knows Fareeha’s weakness is being a law abiding citizen and she does think Jaywalking once will send her to hell. So what if the UN insists that Overwatch should not have recalled and requires a taskforce to shut them down? I’m under the impression that they would have to send their own forces (being Helix) to attend to this matter. Assuming other players like Talon haven’t already seeped their way into the UN to handle it their way.

I guess this one is heavy on the feels and moral compass. Would those who answered the recall be okay knowing Fareeha could be on the receiving end of the fire if they will have orders to desist? It’s been openly discussed that governments have been crazy corrupt so we don’t know how further askew it can get. What would Fareeha do if she were ordered in particular because of her close knowledge of them to put a stop to their operation and have them fall in line with UN mandate?

Paris is burning. Egypt could be next. The Anubis AI could be at total risk, Overwatch may come to help assist but would an unapproved arrival be received warmly? Good luck with the UN peacekeeping pride lol

Idea: The most Overwatch thing to do (don’t take this one too seriously)

Stemming from the idea above: Fareeha gets sent on an assignment to put an illegally operating Overwatch to a stop. She goes anyway.

TL;DR: get "killed”, be actually not dead. Join Overwatch without strings attached. The End.

Thanks for coming to my TEDtalk, don’t forget to subscribe to my channel. Tell me what you like about my content in the comments below, and I’ll see you next time! Bye! lmao

[fonix-girl]

One of my bosses is one of those gen x’s who rants about the lack of communication in the newer generations and how were all additcted to our phones and that’s the root of all the evil and how it’s rude to be on the phone when you’re checking out instead of making conversation with the clerk and like, I’m so done. But this is one of my bosses and she already is kinda iffy on liking me so imma go off here.

She gets irritated when my fellow work studies and I are on our phones at work. Keep in mind that unless we have a project and if we’re keeping up with the book shelving and refilling the paper in the printers, no other boss cares what we do behind the front desk as long as we promptly stop whenever someone comes up to check out a book or something, or they need help. She has no problem with me reading a physical book in my hands, but if I’m reading a book on my phone it’s apparently a problem. I see no difference, but she does apparently.

She went on a tear recently about how people don’t know how to communicate in person anymore. Really? Are you kidding me? Yea, I have a few friends where I’m at rn. But guess what. As a college kid most of my close friends are scattered across the country (if not the world), and the friends I have here have different schedules. I can comminicate in person just fine. I’m not much of one for small talk outside of work obligations, but I don’t see a purpose in chatting idly with strangers outside of my job? Sure I’ll say hi to a clerk if I’m making a purchase but I don’t need to make conversation.

She gets so frustrated when people walk around with earbuds in. “They don’t notice if someone’s talking to them!” “It’s rude!” Well if they’ve got earbuds in that usually signifies they don’t want to talk and don’t need help? I mean, I only put one earbud in myself usually, even at home, purely for safety reasons (I’m a girl, gotta be careful walking around alone), but I don’t usually want to talk to people when I’m going places? If a friend wants to get my attention they can wave or tap my arm, and I’m all theirs attention wise. But otherwise, I don’t think it’s rude to not want to uncessarily talk to strangers or people you don’t know very well, I think it’s more rude to expect strangers to talk to you, personally.

I’m very tired of these sorts of tears she goes on. I’m generally tired as a college student taking 21 credit hours and working 20 hour weeks. (Not to mention that I’ve had insomnia since seventh grade so exhaustion is like my permanent state of being.) But this woman’s insistence on small talk before I leave at the end of my shift kills me. My other two bosses (another gen x who’s generally done with everything and everyone at any given moment, and a millennial who I very much enjoy talking to) and fellow work studies try to avoid her when they leave because if she catches any of us as we’re leaving she’ll pull us into conversation.

On that note, I think she’s at least started to get the hint when it comes to me that by the time I’m getting ready to leave I don’t want to talk to anyone (mon and tues I leave at 6, thurs at 7). Because not that she realizes it, but it’s been a long day/week for me, and I’m an ambivert with a social battery that is drained at the end of the day. I’ve spent time at work helping people. I’ve been going to classes. I DONT WANT TO TALK AS IM TRYING TO GO HOME AND EAT SO I CAN SHOWER AND SLEEP THANKS. I’m not being super rude, I’m just trying to end my day.

On the note of the small talk that this boss loves and critizes people in general for not doing because like I said I hate small talk. Yes, I do it constantly st work. I do it with my polite customer service smile. And I do it because I get paid to and that’s fine. But screw small talk. If I’m not getting paid to do it I don’t wanna do it. It might just be an INFJ thing or whatever, but it’s so vapid and useless and a waste of valuable time. Also, why would I smile at random strangers? I’ve been raised being told I have to be careful with strangers, particularly men. I’m a girl who (despite knowing how to kill someone in various ways, it’s surprising easy!) doesn’t want to get into unnecessary altercations. I don’t want random people approaching me (not including work things) and talking to me? That’s not safe my dude. How do you think some serial killer lure their vics? I’ve had to many friends (male and female alike) who’ve been harassed and are to anxious to polite to tell someone to get the heck away and leave me alone—I’m not going to put myself in any of those situations if I can help it. Sure maybe it seems rude but I care more about the safety and well-being of me and mine than I do about a stranger (children being the acception, as I am a mom friend and children don’t deserve to suffer).

Idk. I don’t have much else at the moment. I’m really just frustrated with her attitude. I’m not “shy” or “anti-social” or “bad at communicating” like she tends to heavily imply. I’m selectively social and find small talk incredibly useless and a waste of time. I’m a writer. A really good public speaker. A mom friend who can generally figure out what a hurting or upset friend needs hear. I can craft pages and pages of commincation, and I have no problem carrying on meaningful conversations. I’m just a true neutral who prefers her own because they’re the ones I like. I don’t believe in the obligation to be super polite to everyone no matter what. I won’t be mean or anything unless they provoke it, but I don’t see the need to talk to strangers unless I’m getting paid or I need to actually talk to them about something. And I wish these older people who do nothing but criticize all change and younger generations would LISTEN and PONDER about why things have changed instead of saying we’re rude and anti-social. This isn’t the 50s. That picture perfect isn’t the ideal for everyone and most of us don’t want that (I mean the anti-depressant useage was higher then than any other time in American history, I friggin wonder why!). Just…don’t be so judgy. I don’t generally assume things about people (and if I do they’re shallow assumptions that are capable of changing if I gain new info and need to change) so I’m politely asking for others to do the same.

Also just leave me be when I’m trying to go home, Diane. Seriously. (And I know she’ll never see this because she doesn’t even know what tumblr is, and even if my millennial boss sees this (which she won’t she’s in totally different tumblr circles) she won’t rat me out.)

[jflashandclash]

The Fall of the Sun: Traitors of Olympus IV

Four: Ajax

A Most Uninspiring Rescue

(or: Titan Ex Machina)

             The hush aboard the Princess Andromeda cruise ship became eerier with each erratic creak of the smoldering floorboards. The strength of the waves that were battering the hull weakened, as though the sea itself had quieted to listen. The souls of Kronos’ former army lingered on the top deck. Because Ares owned the souls of all combatants that died in a losing battle, they could do no more than stare as two gods and a titan decided the fate of some of the last survivors from their ranks: two of their last heroes alive and free.

            That was all great, but all Pax could think about was how boring Prometheus was when he talked.

           Or, at least, that’s what Pax told himself to think about.

           Now that Prometheus’ initial aura of, Oooooo! Titan Ex-Machina! had worn off, Pax’s hand and shoulder felt like Zeus had prodded him a couple hundred times with a lightning bolt in a “is it dead?” motion. From what Pax could tell, his left shoulder was either dislocated or fractured and his hand definitely had a hole in it. Prometheus still cradled him and his brother, Axel Pax, in either arm, with Axel squirming and thrashing violently, like a proper, indignant, kitten warrior.

           Pax wanted to make a joke about but was only able to burrow his face further against the Titan’s white tuxedo. All he wanted was a hug, a lollipop, and probably seven years a therapy paid as worker’s compensation for being a demigod.

            “Ares, Aphrodite, I’m really here for your interest,” Prometheus said diplomatically. He sat on a patio chair across from the God of War and Goddess of Love, like they were talking business while he was holding a cup of coffee, instead of two sobbing Pax boys, one kicking like a toddler. “If you kill Ajax Pax now, you’ll regret all the misery that you could have put him and his brother through if you let him live.”

           Gee, Prometheus, guess who’s not getting a homemade Christmas sweater this year.

           Pax opened his mouth to thank Prometheus for swooping in with the most rousing rescue ever, but he couldn’t get intelligible words to come out. He choked on tears.

           This was a typical demigod Sunday: one minute you’re off, trying to stop a friend from listening to a homicidal sword so she can defend your summer camp, and the next minute, you’re pulled off course and your brother is stabbing you through the hand because a god’s driven him mad.

           So, maybe Axel shouldn’t have tried to castrate Ares in a fight during the Second Titan War and maybe Axel shouldn’t have turned the goddess down so harshly, but it wasn’t like Axel was in the wrong. Plus, Ares and Aphrodite both cursed Axel in turn. Let bygones be bygones, right?

           That’s how Pax would have started this meeting.

           “Can we start beating him now?” Ares asked Aphrodite, adjusting his sunglasses. The darkened lens blazed with a backlit fire. The frames settled onto his facial scarf that wrapped around his head like a Somalian pirate. The AK-47 strapped on his back swayed as he cracked his knuckles and widened his stance.

           Aphrodite huffed. She smoothed the purple straps of her bikini and shook her now-spiraling red locks. “Human Lover, why should we listen to you?”

           Prometheus shrugged. “If you want to miss out on tragic romances and some bloody battles…”

           Aphrodite’s amber eyes softened at the words “tragic romances.”

           Ares grinned at “bloody battles.”

           “Well, let’s dissect this logically. If you force Axel to kills Pax now,” Prometheus continued, “Then, Aphrodite, you’ll never see how the love triangle will unfold between Kally, Alabaster, and Pax.[1] You’ve worked too hard to build up that tension just to let it be resolved by a simple death. As subplot romance goes, that would be lazy writing.[2] You’ll miss out on all the remorse, the struggle, the jealousy, and the passion.”

           Aphrodite pouted. “I do hate when shows cop out at the end. It really deprives you of the loser’s emotional turmoil.”

           Pax should have been offended that her only qualm with his death was how it would rob her of a good season finale. Instead, despite all of his current pain, his ears chimed in to “love triangle.” That implied he still had a chance with Kally or Alabaster, or, in a dream world where the Fates didn’t hate Pax and where he owned a weasel circus, maybe he’d have a chance with both. Meow.

           “And Ares, if Pax dies now, you’ll never have a chance to add his soul to your collection.” Prometheus gently lifted the Pax brothers. If his hands were free, Pax could tell he would gesture to their dead friends, gathered around to silently listen. His stomach clenched to think that Flynn was watching this. “And I think you’re only missing Luke and Jack currently. And Jack’s soul might be up for grabs again soon.”

           Ares’ lip twitched. “What makes you think I wouldn’t get the Pax brat’s soul? He’d be the loser in a battle.”

           Prometheus scoffed. “Really, Ares? I feel like Artemis would enjoy watching that more than you would. That was no battle. That was a hunt. Little Pax will never fight his brother. He’ll always run away.”

           From across Prometheus’ shoulder, Pax could hear the low whine of a suppressed sob.

           Normally, Pax would have never thought that noise could come from his brother. As far as Pax was concerned, Axel was created from primordial awesome and didn’t know the meaning of the word “flinch.” Crying and cowering: those were Pax solutions to problems. The last time Pax had heard Axel cry was five years ago, when their father had bludgeoned Uncle Frasco and Aunt Nilley to death. After that, Axel always had that stupid, stoic expression on his face, and only expressed his emotions through night terrors, cigarette smoke, and miraculously losing his shirt around Reyna Ramirez.[3]

           “And when it comes to Axel,” Prometheus said, “do you really want a broken man? As a lover or an opponent?” His gaze alternated between Aphrodite and Ares.

           Pax wanted to point out that ambiguous directing of Prometheus’ comment made Ares’ relationship to Axel terrifyingly questionable. Instead, Pax found himself trying to peek over Prometheus’ shoulder to look at his brother. He wished he could give him a hug, or remind him that Reyna would still find Axel sexy after this, but he regretted the motion for more than the ache it caused in his shoulder.

           One glance of the Leonis Caput helm, obscuring Axel’s face, sent Pax shivering. Pax could perfectly envision Axel stealing one of Pax’s own celestial daggers and posing it to stab Pax in the throat, like he had mere minutes ago. Yea, he loved his brother and didn’t want Axel to worry… but Pax was officially freaked out more than a Reese’s Stick and a hug could fix. And those were fantastic bartering tools in the Book of Pax.

           From the soft sounds Axel was making, he was freaked too.

           “Ares, if you have Axel finish off his brother, he’ll likely never fight again. So you’ll lose the chance at two souls from Kronos’ army. And you love watching Axel fight.”

           “That kid is really violent,” Ares agreed.

           “And Aphrodite, you fell for Axel’s tenacity and aloofness. If anyone is going to break him, it should be you, because he finally crumbled to your wiles, as you know he eventually will.”

           “He will,” she said stubbornly.

           Despite their discussion on Axel rising to the occasion, both for fighting and for… um… Aphrodite, Pax had to bite back a horrified thought: what if Axel was already irreparably broken?

           “And lastly, Ares,” Prometheus said. Pax tried to focus on the calming tones of his voice, remembering all the times Prometheus had talked Luke out of punishing Pax for a prank gone wrong. Pax wanted to hold it together, to pretend everything was alright. Axel was already going to feel terrible enough without seeing Pax a mess. “Eris won’t be happy if you kill the only child she’s had in centuries.”

           Centuries? Pax managed to choke down his sobs. “I’m a special snowflake,” he said.

           “She can make another one,” Ares grunted.

           “It takes a unique psychopath for her to fall in love,” Prometheus said. “As you would know from your dallies on the battlefield.”

           Ares cracked a grin. “Ah, the Trojan War, Stalingrad, Vietnam… Those were the good days.”

           Gross, Pax thought. That was about as comfortable as thinking about a porcupine mating with a condor.

           But the diversion was ingenious. Aphrodite’s eyes immediately narrowed. “The good days?” she echoed softly.

           Ares nodded absently before noticing her careful expression. He put his hands up. “Oh, no, babe, I didn’t mean—”

           “The good days?” she said again.

           Pax wanted to point out the double standard of Aphrodite wanting Axel and Ares not being allowed to want Eris, but figured now wasn’t the time to help with their godly love life. Though, judging by how big their cabins were, neither of these two cared about the other’s interests. Only if they were “the good old days.”

           The Goddess of Love began to snarl in a low voice to a retreating God of War.

           Prometheus rose to his feet. “I wouldn’t want our presence to be any more a mare on your vacation.” The titan stepped casually around the deck, nodding to fallen Kronos soldiers as he gathered Pax’s Silver Tongued Snake helm. Several soldiers on deck dropped their mops and rushed to bring him Pax’s utility belt from the pool. Pax hiccupped to see Flynn tuck Pax’s daggers into Prometheus’ belt.

           Flynn gave Pax a mixed expression: a warm smile of relief with an icy scowl that said I never want to see you again. The message was a good one, that he shouldn’t get killed in a losing battle and become a slave to Ares. Though Pax would have preferred a kazoo send off, this was the best he could hope for in this parting.

           With his white tuxedo, random weapons, and the two Pax boys—one sobbing and one still struggling to be released, the titan must have looked like the most heavily armed, well dressed baby sitter ever to ride on a cruise ship.

           “I’m glad you’re smart enough to see how this could have been a terrible misstep in judgment. I’ll get them out of your hair so you don’t need to worry about it,” Prometheus said.

           Aphrodite didn’t turn from her argument with Ares. She snapped her fingers and snarled, “Get lost.”

           At the snap of her fingers, Axel stopped struggling against Prometheus’ grip. The door to Johnny Rockets—where the Pax brothers had originally entered—flew open to reveal a narrow set of ascending stairs instead of a restaurant: their way back to camp.

           Pax could only hope the heroes of Olympus had patched themselves up and come to Camp Half-Blood’s heroic rescue. That would mean a rather pissy, sore Jason Grace might be waiting for him. But, after having nightmares-premonitions of Axel trying to kill Pax and living through the event, he would have been happy to scrub Jason’s cabin with a toothbrush.

           Imagine the prank and terrorizing access he’d have.

           Memo to self: offer to scrub Jason Grace’s cabin with a toothbrush when we get back.

           Once they walked through the Johnny Rocket’s door into the stone passageway, a wave of icy, dank air greeted them. Earlier that morning, when Euna forced Jack, their decapitated, singing friend—long story—to make these stairs by singing the earth into a headache, Jack had been inconsiderate in accommodating a titan’s size. If Jack were around, Pax would scold him for his bigotry and told Prometheus to stage a social justice boycott. In the meantime, Prometheus shrank down in size.

           Pax could barely get his voice to work. “Th-they d-don’t c-c-call you the T-titan of c-craft-ty c-c-council f-f-for no reason. T-though I th-think you sh-should add d-dramatic t-t-timing to your list-st of s-s-super powers.”

           “Thank you, Ajax. I will remember to put that on my resume next time they dedicate a statue to me,” Prometheus said. Although there was some humor to his words, he sounded sad.

           The grey light from the ship disappeared when the door swung shut. All they had was what dim firelight trickled down the passage from above. Pax wished Prometheus would sprint up the stairs. He was waiting for Ares to appear and shout, “Psych!” and drag them back down.

           He also hoped his brother would scold him for being ungrateful. Instead, he heard Axel’s choked whisper, “Th-thank you, Prometheus. I… I…”

           “Axel, do you remember what you said to me when I thanked you for slaying the Kaukasian Eagle?” Prometheus asked softly. His steps echoed up the stairs.

           There was a pause. Then, “That no one should be punished for trying to better the world.”

           Pax could envision Prometheus squeezing Axel’s shoulder. “I’m just repaying you in kind.”

           At first, Pax thought this “bettering the world” was in reference to how Axel had helped Hephaestus pull a prank on Ares and Aphrodite and, really, to how Axel tried to cut off Ares’ dick. While those actions would certainly make a better tomorrow, Pax realized Prometheus meant their service to the Titan Army.

           They quieted for the last few steps, enough that Pax could hear Axel’s shaky breath and the renewed ruckus from Camp Half-Blood above. From the sound of it, campers had woken from Phobetor’s spell.  

           “Um, P-Prometheus?” Pax said, trying to get his voice under control, “Y-you’re g-good at pr-predicting things. H-how do you think a bunch of p-panicked demigods w-will react when an e-enemy t-titan walks into the middle of their c-c-amp during a b-battle?”

           “I’m not sure. I haven’t given it much forethought.” Prometheus smiled. “Let’s find out.”

  Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed seeing Prometheus… in talking action? Man, he sounds a lot less epic when you remember his powers are like those of a British aristocrat. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed! :D Tune in next week for Kally’s Dental Floss Does Not Equate to Surgical Thread

(or: Unsanitary Surgeries and Unconventional Kisses). (Ooooo, a shippy chapter XD)

 Footnotes:

[1] Mel, my editor, has repeatedly asked if Prometheus has a ship for these three. In response, Prometheus would like to remind everyone that he is a titan of forethought and it would be cheating for him to answer.  

[2] And Jack can’t have that. Merry would murder him.

[3] Pax would like to add this to the list of powers that Axel possesses.

[kamyyu]

🌹 & 👎

Ship that you have as an OTP

lmao this might be unusual or whatever but i have…. SO FEW otps and the ones i DO have are almost always canon AND IF THEYRE NOT they’re heavily implied – i have non-canon ships but they’re more… background ships… like… OTPs… i’ve never really… felt the NEED to refer to a ship as an otp because jsut ???? it’s??? like??? just a ship, man??? anyway that’s more about terminology i guess i dont know i never understood the whole deal with ‘OTP’ things tbh but that’s me & me being too old to get along with the young crowd nowadays or sth maybe i dont knoW MAN laughstokiharu is what comes closest in utapri. anime verse, that is. i luv them. i rp it. or used to. i’m sure most of yall remember. i even refuse to ship my tokiya with anyone BUT haruka (and a very particular haruka too, even), but anyway this is old news u wanna know what the realest otp is the best otp the one otp to rule them all???fuk king eowyn and faramir yEA THATS RIGHT NERDS get your shitty animus away from me i dont care i only care about faramir getting it on with eowyn nOW THERES A PAIRING THAT WORKS u only need those few lines in ROTK to know it WORKS i love t h em so much theyre perfect okarwen & aragorn also come close but just EOWYN AND FARAMIR OKalso rumbelle from ouat its basically the only reason i ever got into the show (its bad, dont watch it, or only watch it for the rumple scenes honestly lmao)

Ship that you can never see happening

there are too many lmAO IM SO PICKY i cry this is sad…ive said ai before (honestly guys come on this is such a snoozefest lmao) , ive said ranmaru before (although it would be so funny if they had to smooch each other for some kind of drunken dare or whatever i’m laughing my ass off at the idea oh my goD), mibelle has said it before too, huh.. huh… i cant say reiji bc reiji is…. well, i’m not saying its THERE but its not IMPOSSIBLE in my eyes (gasps @ myself)… gah… i honestly dont think camus goes well with ANY character (haruka works but its a stretch, needs 528 years to develop ok), erghhh…. eRRRHHHHHHGHH…

well lets go with the obvious since u rp her: tomochika!!! ‘but why ian, dont u love bickering ships they would bicker a lot’u r right… i do… i even used to think it works…but…. the thing is…. tomo is TOO cross. camus being called out on his shit??? hell yes gimme that. but tomo would do it SO OFTEN and LOOK AT RAN AND CAMUS look at where they are. he would hate her. he likes strong characters, TRUE. but first impressions are important for him. tomo is the kind of person who would criticise him the MOMENT he’s beign arrogant/rude/etc. first impression of u is bad??? good luck ever redeeming urself son. granted, he has a bad opinion of EVERYONE at first, but there’s a difference between ‘hmpf peasant’ and ‘how DARE u’, he’s all about hypocrisy and actually!! appreciates!!! it when people are polite EVEN IF they dont like him he just cares so much about that holy fuck (yes hes rude he knows, hes a hypocrite ok)… this is why haruka DOES work. this is why he would be able to stand it if haruka were to call him out on his shit. he KNOWS haruka sees the best in people and tends to overlook someone’s flaws. he KNOWS HE IS A BITCH. u dont need to tell him that. if u cant put up with his shitty attitude he’s like ‘lol ok whatever learn to control urself first see ya’it wouldn’t happen. as camus would say: no manners. no tact. 

[readerwinterbarnes]

Borrowed Clothing

Steve x Reader

Summary: Who knew borrowing clothing could be so much fun.

Word Count: 1,728

Warnings: Implied smut, SFW, Shy Steve,

A/N: Just some adorable Steve stuff

“Hey beautiful,” Steve says, not even turning from the stove.

“Damn you and your super soldier hearing. It’s not fair.” You complained, making your way over to the coffee pot, immediately pouring yourself a huge mug. Clinging to the steaming hot liquid, breathing it in. You peered over the rim of your mug, at the eggs, Steve was making. He leans down and closes the distance between you in a kiss.

“Have any plans today or are you free?” Steve asks as he turns off the stove, fixing you a plate of breakfast. “Tony still having you help him with his project?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Tony has a huge presentation next week. Something about him making it a priority and needing to show off his shit. ‘Course he’s pissed because they want him to make them weapons and he’s declining, but you know how that goes.” You take your mug and plate and sit at the table Steve places his breakfast next to yours, sitting next to you. “Why’d you ask?”

“You’ve been really busy, thought we could hang out and be lazy for a day.” Steve grabs your hands, you join him and straddle his lap. “Is there a way I can convince you to be lazy with me?”

“Maybe...depends on how good you are at convincing me.” Steve slides his hands up your thighs, resting on your hips. One palm slides up to cup the back of your neck and pulls you down into a kiss. Steve’s always been a little shy about doing PDA when not in the comfort of your guys’ room, but moments like these always made you smile. And you were going to take advantage of this before this perfect bubble moment was ruined. Before you knew it, you and Steve were heavily making out in the kitchen, only to have him carry you to your bedroom. So no one accidently walked in on the two of you.

He pushed you onto the bed, lifting your shirt up. “Convincing enough yet?” Steve mumbles against your mouth.

“Hmm, no, needs work.”

Steve pulls back and smirks at you. “Needs work huh? Guess I’ll have to work harder.” He pauses for a beat, then yanks your shirt off the rest of the way, then rips your panties off.

“Steve!” You laughed, “You jerk, those were my favorite pair! And my only clean pair you ass hole.” He smiles down at you.

“Maybe you can wear one of mine then.”

“Oh, you have panties, Steve? Never knew you were that kinky. Ooh are they blue with red and white stripes?” Steve growled at your words as you toyed with the hem of his shirt. “Or do you like it when I wear your clothes? Letting everyone know who fucked me into this mattress all morning?” You grin at him, knowing exactly what can make him all hot and bothered. Even though everyone knows you’re dating, no one knows how much Steve actually likes spending his lazy days with you in bed.

The both of you take your time, not wanting to rush the moment. Taking time to breathe each other in, feeling the way the other person moved and felt. Afterward, both completely satisfied, and cleaned up, Steve pulls you to his side and noses the side of your neck. Placing soft kisses on your shoulder, you linking your fingers with his.

“I love you, Steve,” you whisper. “You’re caring, loving, and compassionate. You put up with all my shit and all my grumpy morning whining. You’re very special to me Steve, you have no idea.” He doesn’t say anything, instead just pulls you closer to him, urging you to face him. He kisses your forehead, then looking into your eyes.

“I love you Y/N and everything about you. You’re funny, and beautiful, even in the mornings. How you put up with me, I’ll never know. But you’re intelligent and can take care of yourself, but don’t mind when I take care of you. You’re my everything.” This time, Steve’s the one who actually asked you if you both could stay in bed all day. And you didn’t mind one bit. You both watched movies, ordered in and yelled at anyone who came barging in to see if you’re both still alive. You end up falling asleep late, not caring that you spent the whole day in bed wrapped in each other.

The next morning, Steve woke you up with a face full of kisses, making the both of you awake well enough to engage in conversation. “G’morning beautiful,” Steve mumbles, before kissing your mouth softly.

“Morning,” you reply, leaning up to kiss him again. “What do you want for breakfast? Considering we never did eat ours yesterday.”

“Mmm, breakfast sounds good. How ‘bout….waffles?” Steve chuckles and catches your lips in a long, lazy kiss.

“Waffles it is then.” The both of you left the warmth of the sheets and made your way down to the kitchen to start on breakfast. Having JARVIS put on some music.

All day yesterday and last night were amazing, in every single way. Steve wore a white wife beater and gray sweatpants, while you wore one of his shirts and of course...a black pair of his boxers. You both ended up talking and laughing all throughout breakfast and while cleaning up. Once done cleaning, Steve pinned you against the fridge. “I should let you borrow my clothes more often. Makes you look fucking sexy.”

“Mmm, I bet. But what I really want to know if you have any secret hidden panties I should know about.” You asked him, raising your eyebrows.

Steve laughed and kissed you. “Kinky yes, but panty kinky? Not too sure about that, but you only wearing my shirt and only that? Now there’s something to talk about.”

“Ugh, you’re such a dork, Rogers.”

“Yea, but I’m your dork, Y/N.”

“You better believe it.”  You kiss him one last time before pulling away to put away the dishes from the dishwasher. Tony’s the first to walk in, he pauses with a coffee mug halfway to his mouth.

“Um, wow, uh...’

His words grab Bucky’s attention, who glances at Tony who then looks over at the two of you. “Hey, uh, nice PJ’s Y/N.” You stand up and smile at him, while Steve blushes furiously.

“Thanks, Bucky! Steve helped pick them out for me, since mine previously….well, they’ve seen better days.” You reply, unable to hold back the smirk from your face. Knowing Steve loved the way your legs looked like sticking out from his boxers. Clint, Nat, and Sam are having a quiet conversation, looking at the two of you every few seconds.

“So Y/N, I’m going shopping later today. Need new clothes?” Nat asked you, pouring you a glass of orange juice.

“Yup, need new panties too. Had to toss a few away, ‘cause someone had too much fun yesterday.” Bucky elbows Steve in the ribs, grinning at him, while he glares at him. Then turning to glare at you, but you just smiled lovingly at him, enjoying teasing him.

Bucky and Nat both grin widely at Tony and Sam. “You both owe us fifty bucks,” Bucky announces, poking at Sam’s ribs. “I told you Steve was rough in the bedroom,” Nat said in victory.

“How the hell would you know that?” Sam asked her, completely stunned.

“Seriously? That’s why we go shopping basically every weekend. Not to mention why she’s already sore when she comes to training.” Everyone was now staring at the both of you in shock, learning something new about their teammate. You glance over at Steve, daring him to make the next move if he had guts. If you had super soldier hearing, you could’ve sworn you could hear the gears grinding in his head.

“Fuck it.” Steve crosses the kitchen and pulls you into a kiss. Tilting your head to the side to deepen it. Yanking your hips to his, while snagging his free hand into your hair. The others watched in shocked silence as the two of you pretty much made out in the middle of the kitchen. A few seconds tick by, until Steve pulls away, both of you breathing heavily.

“Um,” You murmur as you took in a deep breath, “I think that confirms it.”

“Good, glad to know. Just...leave all of that,” Tony gestures to the both of you and your flushed faces, “in the bedroom. No need to mark your territory anywhere else.” You bite your lip nervously and look up at Steve who was mirroring the same expression.

“Oh my god, what-here?!” Tony asks, he looks like he’s about to have a heart attack.

“Well, it was great to see you all, but I have to get changed. Nat and I have some errands to do. Love you, babe, see you later.” You pecked Steve’s cheek quickly before briskly walking out of the kitchen and to your floor. Leaving the team to stare at Steve.

He smirked at Bucky. “Hey Buck, remember New Year’s last year when Stark thought it’d be funny to make my suit like a walking glitter stick?” Bucky laughs at the memory. “Yeah, and how you planned on pranking him back?” Steve nodded his head, his grin widening. Tony, on the other hand, glared at the both of them, wanting to know what the hell they were leaning towards.

“What. The. Hell. Did. You. Do?” Tony asked Steve hesitantly, afraid to actually know the answer.

“Love the new cars, by the way, Tony. They’re really comfortable and spacious too. However, you might want to check on the springs in the back of the Acura NSX Roadstar, they seem to be wearing out. Oh, and the dent on the hood was not from a bird.” Tony stands there in shock, while Bucky slapped Steve on the shoulder and earning a fist bump from Sam. Even if he doesn’t show off PDA very often, he was sure glad this turned out better than he hoped. Now the only thing left to do was to make sure Y/N wore his clothes as much as possible.