#or are they attractive because they resemble the person I'm dating who i also find attractive?

[wildgesse]

I never really liked Sam Smith and their sad gooey songs but I have just discovered Unholy and the whiplash is unreal

[lucysarah-c]

There seems to be a bit of debate within the fandom about whether Isayama stated that Erwin is handsome while Levi isn't, or if Erwin was based on Captain America, and so on.

What I'll offer you is my personal take on the matter, as someone who not only happens to be a woman but also, sadly, a woman who likes men (lol) but also as someone with plenty of friends who share that preference.

Let me preface this by saying that I don't intend for this post to be seen as definitive proof or canon, derived from specific panels or interviews. No, this is simply my humble opinion, based on one thing: my perspective as a woman.

Now, if Isayama believes that Erwin resembles Captain America due to his care for his appearance, and thus is deemed more conventionally attractive, that's fine. But let's remember, Isayama is a MAN. When has a man ever accurately grasped what women truly find appealing?

Sure, Erwin may be tall, handsome, and blond. I'll admit, I even find Erwin attractive. But do you know any girls who go wild over that? No, girls aren't going to Marvel movies for Thor or Captain America (well, maybe some are). They're there for Loki, the Winter Soldier. Men seem to think girls thrist over Captain America's abs, when in reality, I've witnessed more girls giggling over Bambi's dad and his deep voice. Girls don't fantasize about Captain America; they're watching Peaky Blinders or Pride and Prejudice, yearning for a Tommy Shelby to size them up, cigarette and whiskey in hand, with that Birmingham accent asking, "Are you a whore? If not, you're in the wrong place." We want Daemon Targaryen beheading someone who dared insult us.

In my own fanfic, I don't deny that characters like Mike, Erwin, Reiner, Zeke, and all the "conventionally attractive guys" are attractive. But Levi? He's known as the strongest thug in the underground, yet he's also the man who rescued a young girl lost in the streets. In a den of violence and depravity, Levi was both tough and compassionate. I'd wager Levi had the bitches making lines.

The perfect example of this is Zeke admitting he's "not popular with girls." It's like the guy who posts a frustrated TikTok because his gym crush is dating someone edgy. He's the type who wonders, "Why that twig and not me?" Well, sweetheart, because that "edgy" guy is caring and probably knows how to make a woman come better than you. He's so secure in his masculinity that he doesn't need to prove it.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Levi embodies the female gaze because he's what girls want. I'm not claiming this as gospel truth or canon. I'm simply explaining why it seems obvious to me that Levi would still be attractive and desired within the walls—just like how many girls these days prefer Cillian Murphy over Chris Hemsworth.

[darklinaforever]

I don't understand some people's obsession with the age difference between Edwin and the Cat King.

Yes, Edwin is a perennial 16 year old.

But the Cat King isn't even human. He is literally a cat deity. And as someone @jaks21 pointed out to me in the comments, the Cat King has the overall behavior of a cat : "I think it's also being forgotten that the cat king isn't human. He can shift into human form, but he is essentially a cat. This is all cat behavior. They have absolutely no sense of personal space (unless it's their own), they like the thrill of the hunt and they like to play."

Soon people will talk to me about zoophilia maybe ?

Beyond that, the Cat King's behavior seems to be quite immature most of the time as well.

So why are people absolutely trying to categorize him as a straight-up adult when he's not a human being ? Who tells you that his brain works like a human's ? Who tells you he's not a baby compared to other supernatural beings ?

It's all well and good to judge Edwin for his reality on the show, but give the same courtesy to the Cat King in this case, otherwise it just seems designed to unnecessarily lower the ship.

Also, if we want to speak realistically... since the Catwin plot revolves around Edwin finally coming to terms with his sexual orientation through his attraction to the Cat King (even if we know that there is also an important emotional context involved ) well it seems to me that Edwin is exactly the age of consent required for sexual relations, namely 16 years old.

Sexual maturity is not the same as legal age making you an adult and I feel like people often confuse the two.

I also find it paradoxical to say that Edwin, who lived more than a century, is judged as not being able to date an almost immortal divinity (because yes, one day the Cat King will no longer have his 9 lives and will therefore die for of good) clearly outside human norms because he happens to be a Cat King and not having at all the behavior of an human adult, or even of a real human, under the pretext that Edwin has his brain blocked at age 16 years old.

But many people will also say that Edward in Twilight cannot love Bella, a teenager, on the pretext that he has lived several centuries due to being a vampire, even if this type of vampire in this universe mentally stops evolving at the age where they were transformed, making Edwin an eternal teenager of 17 years old. Yet he is considered disgusting for wanting to be with a human teenager of almost the same age mentally ?(Be careful, I'm not saying that Twilight is an excellent and brilliant story, I'm just talking about the context of the age difference between the protagonists and the ridiculous discourse around it)

The battles over the age difference in fiction featuring supernatural beings are almost never consistent. And for good reason, I find it useless !

Because most of the time, the supernatural creature does not meet human standards in order to be associated with the younger person (at least if this person is actually younger, in the term of non-majority, because otherwise, as long as everyone is an adult we don't care). Or if it is not the creature that follows a particular pattern, we are for example transported into a universe inspired by a particular era, where the legal age is then different.

So, we must stop judging imaginary beings as if they were human adults, it makes no sense.

Yes. Edwin has been a 16 year old ghost for a very long time and technically cannot mature beyond this age. Tragic. But in the show, which is not the comics, it doesn't really matter. Edwin remains a character with an arc and evolution. So he has undeniably experienced things as a ghost that allow him to change and evolve in his own way.

Of course, it can be confusing, but Edwin's case aside, the Cat King does not meet human standards. And he clearly doesn't behave like a human. Even less that of an adult human. So stop judging him as such.

Essentially the Cat King resembles in his behavior a mixture of... well, a cat, since that's what he is, and a form of immature teenager.

That the Cat King is older than Edwin doesn't matter if he doesn't have a maturity greater than Edwin.

Once again, the Cat King clearly doesn't have the mentality or maturity of most healthy adults of our world. So why absolutely try to judge him as such ? Again, that doesn't make sense.

The Cat King is a being to be judged outside of our realistic standards.

Plus, being uncomfortable with the Cat King & Edwin relationship because Edwin is 16... seems ridiculous again.

Although I would love for the show to make Catwin canon in the future I doubt that will be the case (but good if it happens !), as things stand the Cat King only seemed to be a tool to allow Edwin to open up a little more about himself, in particular about accepting his sexuality, even if not only that. So, since the sexual aspect is very much emphasized in this relationship, it must be taken into account. And Edwin is a 16 year old teenager. Not only do adolescents inevitably have a period of trouble linked to sex, but in fiction the treatment of sexuality is sometimes done through a creature outside the norms of reality, therefore fanciful, often morally dubious.

It’s a classic trope in the world of fiction !

And if that makes you uncomfortable... well I don't know what to do for you.

Again, as I said before, Edwin is of the required age of consent in terms of sexual relations.

So how does it shock you to see someone old enough to explore their sexuality find themselves in a sexuality-related scenario with the classic trope of a fantasy creature to do so ?

This kind of controversy is beyond me! We're talking about fictional characters of a supernatural nature !

[waiting-for-a-sunny-day]

1. “You think you’re the only one who can find a date?” Geto paused his inspection of himself to meet Gojo's gaze in the mirror. “Ah, no, sorry. You don't go on dates. You have to know the other person's name for it to count as a date.”

Behind the near black of his sunglasses, Gojo’s eyes widened with exaggerated offense.

“You can’t slut shame anymore, Suguru. It’s 2010,” Gojo teased, as he flopped back on Geto’s bed.

“I’m not slut shaming you. I’m saying you’re not in a position to act like me going on a first date is a scandal."

Gojo tipped his head backwards and leveled Geto with an over-dramatic eye roll. 

He does that to make people notice how pretty his eyes are. 

“It’s not a scandal. It’s…”

Whatever Gojo thought it was was a mystery, because he was uncharacteristically lost for words. 

Despite what Gojo might accuse him of, Geto was not a sex negative person or a prude. 

He was just madly in love with his best-friend-slash-roommate, and every time Satoru stumbled home with his clothes rumpled and his hair fingered through, Geto felt like burning Tokyo to the ground.

It was all the unhinged, unrealistic pining that led Geto to make this plan in the first place.

The Plan: Geto was going to get over his straight, no-strings-sex-only, relationship-phobic best friend.

Step One of The Plan: Find literally anyone else in the entire world that he could think about kissing without wanting to die.

- - - - Read more cut - - - -

A month earlier, he’d gone so far as to get a guy’s phone number. He’d popped into a café after a particularly foul curse he’d absorbed – hoping to wash the taste out of his mouth with tea and a pastry – and the barista had such a stark white shock of messy hair that Geto had done a doubletake to make sure Gojo wasn’t fucking around in a coffee shop on some bizarre mission objective.

The barista had been, admittedly, extremely attractive. His hair was bleached, but it suited him, and he had pleasing, well-proportioned features. Working on pure adrenaline and determination, Geto had asked him for his number. The guy had turned beet red but managed to stutter out his info to Geto.

Almost as soon as Geto left the café, though, the little nits and snags started to pop up in his mind.

Obviously, the eyes were all wrong. The shyness wasn’t right. The smile. His voice. He wasn’t tall enough, and his hands didn’t have that same graceful strength.

It was a laundry list of how fake-Satoru was emphatically not Satoru.

Geto wasn’t even all the way down the block before he deleted the barista’s info from his phone.

Now Geto was on attempt number two: a first date with a man who in absolutely no way resembled Satoru Gojo.

His non-Gojo-ness was exactly what prompted Geto to ask the man at the train station for his number. Shota was short, burly, square-faced, and serious. Geto had only clocked the man’s interest by the overly long looks he’d shot him.

At least I'm good at reading people…

“Hey, you should bring her back here,” Gojo said – pulling Geto’s attention back to the present. “We can watch that new horror movie. Human Earthworm.”

…unlike my oblivious best friend.

“Are you seriously asking to be the third wheel on my date?”

Gojo’s face was upside down - his head practically hanging off the end of Geto’s bed. The odd angle must have been what made Gojo’s smile look off.

“You worried she’ll be more interested in your hot roommate?”

Geto shot him an unamused look.

“I don’t know why anyone agrees to sleep with you,” Geto lied. “Your head’s so big, it seems like a crush risk.”

“They can tell I’m killer in bed,” Gojo smirked. “The risk is worth the reward.”

Geto turned away and pulled at the shirt he was wearing. He didn’t totally love it, but he also didn’t care as much as he should about impressing Shota.

It wasn’t as if Geto was about to fall in love with this train station stranger, but if he at least went through the motions, maybe his brain would get with the program and start considering non-Satoru people as potential romantic interests.

“But, seriously, Suguru,” Gojo said as he folded his hands under his head – making the hem of his shirt ride up. “What’s up with this date? I thought you weren’t into that sort of thing.”

Geto’s eyes drew immediately to the sliver of skin above the waistband of Gojo’s slim-fit black joggers. 

The peek of skin couldn’t have been more than an inch wide, but Geto could see twin ridges of definition. The visual set Geto’s mind racing, thinking about the rest of Gojo’s skin.

Damn him for having a nice body.

“I’m trying to make myself get into it,” Geto said, wholly distracted by seeing Gojo’s abs and trying to not let his body get worked up, as if he were still a horny highschooler.

“Ohhh,” Gojo replied, his tone brightening. “I get it.”

Geto’s stomach flopped over as Satoru sprang up.

Did I just out myself?

“What do you get?”

“Nothing,” Geto said with a toothy grin that implied otherwise. “But - just so you know - I like you the way you are, Suguru.”

The idiot part of Geto’s heart – i.e., the whole of it – thumped hopefully.

“If you don’t want to date anyone, don’t date anyone,” Gojo added, cheerily. “I won’t let anyone talk shit about my best friend. I mean, who cares if you’re a virgin?”

Geto’s idiot heart plopped down into his stomach.

Gojo thought he was a crotchety prude who’d rather spend his whole life celibate than have any fun, and he still definitely had Geto squarely in the friend zone.

Obviously you’re in the friendzone, you idiot. He’s straight.

(Complete fic on AO3)

[theneptuneflytrap]

Intro to thatoneguyyousawinthebackgroundofTF: ONE pt.4

ARCEE!!!!

Left: Arcee in TF: ONE Right: Arcee from Transformers Universe

For all the other intro's I started with the tech spec from their original generation one toy, unfortunately, Arcee didn't have a G1 toy. In fact, Arcee doesn't get a traditional transforming toy until 2014. To make up for this I'm going to include both her bio from the Transformers Universe (Marvel) and also her bio from Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye (Dreamwave, not to be confused w/ the IDW comic).

The following is from Transformers Universe:

Function: "Warrior"

Quote: "Looks are always deceiving"

Profile: "A sweet, kind, and loyal Autobot to her friends, Arcee is also a merciless, lethal warrior to her enemies. Arcee's intelligence, quick wit, and coolness under fire make her invaluable to the Autobot cause. The Decepticons constantly underrate her because, since to them she so closely resembles the female humans of Earth which the Decepticons have absolutely no respect for, they believe she is beneath their consideration. It is an attitude that arcee exploits with deadly efficiency. Arcee is very protective of the human, Danny Witwicky, son of Spike Witwicky, the long-time Earthling friend of the Autobots. In fact, sometimes Arcee is a bit overly protective of him and treats Danny almost like a fragile Ming vase since his skin is not composed of a supremely tough metal alloy like hers. Arcee is attracted to the Autobot, Hot Rod, who reciprocates the affection, But neither of them is willing to admit it openly. If one were to listen to the verbal pot-shots they take at each other, one would think that they were the bitterest of enemies. But catch one of the Autobots, or worse, Adecepticon. making a disparaging remark about Hot Rod in Arcee's presence and the offender will more often than not find his hydraulic hoses sliced to ribbons before he knows it".

Weakness: "Arcee's concern for Danny sometimes causes her to take excessive risks in order to protect him".

The following is from Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye, it's important to note that this came out in 2003 and is NOT a part of the Generation 1 cannon:

[From the data personal datatracks of Kup, earth date: 2003]

Bio: Arcee's different. In fact, other Autobots were at a loss to explain what exactly made Arcee so different until they turned to an old hand like me, who'd been off world before the wars. That's when I explained her resemblance to the females of other galactic species. Quick-witted and formidable in battle. Arcee's compassionate to her friends yet merciless to her foes. Her skill and ruthlessness in combat have made others wary, including Hot Rod. Still, the lad has developed a more-than-passing interest in Arcee, as has Springer. None of us have exactly figured out the reasons for all of this yet, but I seem to recall stories about there being more Transformers like her. Of course, that was crazy talk even when I was young".

Abilities: "Acree's an expert hand-to-hand warrior and sharpshooter. Her vehicle mode is equipped with several anti-personal weapons like shrapnel-launchers and tire spikes. In robot mode, she's got average strength, but she's fast.

Weaknesses: "Arcee doesn't have any physical weaknesses I've noticed".

[lazaruspiss]

"I dont support it in real life!"

Then why write about it? If for coping purposes, why post it online for others (especially actual predators) to see and consume? Then why portray those things in a positive light instead of condemning them?And you're seriously going to tell me that just because as an adult you want to see a fictional minor (that mind you, is usually designed to resemble an actual child) depicted in sexual situations doesn't mean you don't share that same view concerning children in real life? You find fictional minors attractive but not real ones? Why does the line between finding someone who is (and usually also looks like) a child sexually attractive get drawn at whether the child is real or not? I'm not calling anyone pedophiles, but if the shoe fits... And also no, I am not talking about 18 y/os finding 17 y/os attractive. Use your brain. Creating content of underaged characters is still questionable regardless of age, however.

broooooo go outside. talk to a real person. think with ur brain like "do i think their life is of equal value to a cartoon" or smth. talk to a therapist, do a thought experiment, etc. hug ur mom and/or dad if either of them is around and decent.

like personally i dont interact w sexual content involving real human actors, theres my line. i like cartoons dude. i dont like men irl but i still read M/M smut lmao. i don't date younger either. like legit, if i find out someone is even a day younger than me its an immediate turn off.

u good now? got any more questions about my sexuality/personal life? bc i hate to break it to u but: i am a real human person. cartoon blorbo #748193 is not. the shit you say to /me/ can count as sexual harassment, the stuff i say about fictional boys cannot.

[bunni-v1]

🌳 🖌️ 🤲 🌹 😍 One from each category~

I haven't had the time to answer this up until now, but I'm excited to talk about Mimi more!

🌳What physical traits did they inherit from their biological parents? Do they look more like one parent than the other?

Mitsumi looks like the perfect blend of her mother and father, though physically she resembles her mother in the face more, she's quite short like her dad. She got her dad's curly blond hair, but her mom's sharp green eyes. Her dad also gave her little freckles and MUCH darker skin than her mother. They also share a smile, which is quite jarring to see. She inherited most of her mother's mannerisms and ideology, which is how she can remain so happy even with what she goes through.

🖌️What is their go-to hobby? When did they start learning it? Why do they like it?

She loves all kinds of music, but her favorite thing to do is play the violin. She picked it up when she was about nine years old and has been playing professionally ever since. While she does resent playing for shows, she really does love playing for fun. When she needs to relieve stress, she picks up her violin half her age, closes her eyes, and lets herself get lost in the music. It brings her a sense of freedom, control, and peace she doesn't get anywhere else.

🤲Do they have deep desires that they don't talk about and/or don't even realize they have? Do these desires conflict with their main goal at all?

Truly? Deeply, she just wants to have a real family. She doesn't tell anyone, because her past is painful, and it aches to talk about. That's all she wants, though, and I don't think she realizes that's what she wants. She's so hard focused on finding her biological family, that she doesn't realize she can make a family all on her own. She HAS a family that loves her already at NRC.

🌹Are they experienced romantically? How many partners have they had? How has this affected their view of romance?

She's dated one other guy and had a flood of admirers. Her relationship wasn't exactly healthy, since she seems to attract toxic people into her life. He wasn't physically abusive, but he did manipulate and control her a lot. She left him shortly before moving off to college, and he killed himself because of it. It still haunts her to this day, and she's afraid to really fall in love with someone ever again.

😍What traits, physical and/or mental, do they find attractive in other people?

She likes people who are smart and crafty. They have to have a good head on their shoulders and have a sense that they know what they want for themselves. However, they still have to be kind and caring enough (to her, specifically). Someone who can sympathize with her and her struggles. She also loves a nerd! Someone who can unabashedly love what they love is her favorite type of person.

Physically, she likes people taller than her (it's not hard, she's 5'0"). She finds people with dyed hair/"unnatural" hair colors the most interesting. Preferably white, whether is dyed or not doesn't matter. She likes blue and brown eyes the most, and likes it when her partner has freckles or beauty marks or dimples or ANYTHING other than the perfect industry standard you see on idols and stuff.

[of-stars-and-fireflies]

Mina and Nyssi - Dynamics with the Men

I realized only later that Obscuary isn't in this image I nabbed off google LMAO, but here's the Crush Chart.

Since Mina and Nyssi are both "MCs", I imagine that all the guys have a crush on both of them, but they all have stronger feelings for one or the other. The Obscuary guys have crushes on them equally, and I've changed it to where Towa does as well. (This is all subject to change.)

Edit- Okay, I unlocked the Obscuary chapter and I'm getting vibes that Ed likes Mina more and Lyca likes Nyssi more. Rui still likes them both though.

Mina is the blue heart, Nyssi is the purplish-pinkish heart.

As for some individual headcanons with different characters:

Mina:

> Being around Tohma makes her very (oddly) relaxed.

> Kaito likes Mina a lot, but thinks Nyssi is a little bit cuter.

> Mido finds himself thinking about Mina from time to time.

> Bonnie is more comfortable around Mina, which obvi draws Sho to her even more.

>> I had a random romantic headcanon where in the Sho Route, he calls her "Firefly" (Or IceFirefly), so I changed her hair accessory to vaguely resemble one.

> Taiga will call her a different nickname, and will use "Kitty-Cat" for Nyssi (just 'cause I think it sounds cute-), but I haven't decided what it will be.

> Mina finds Romeo the most attractive, but his personality turns her way off.

> While Nyssi dedicates her time to Zenji pretty quickly, Mina doesn't hone in on any particular guy for a while.

> Though I don't ship them primarily, Subaru makes Mina's heart flutter, though she can't pinpoint why.

Nyssi:

> She finds Luca reassuring to be around.

> Leo knows Nyssi isn't as passive as Mina, so he's more careful about approaching Nyssi so he doesn't chase her off. He also low-key blackmails her into spending time with him.

>> Truthfully, since learning about something he shouldn't have, Leo's become more obsessively attached to Nyssi, having his ego tested bcause he thought it was easier to get her attention.

> Towa calls her a different flower name, and after a lot of research, I think he'll call her "Azalea".

> Peekaboo seems more comfortable with Nyssi, which obvi draws Haru to her even more.

> Ren finds her annoying like how he views Haru, but thinks she's still kinda cute.

> Haku knows Zenji and Nyssi are mutually interested in one another, but can't seem to shake his crush on Nyssi.

> There's a rumour going around that she's dating Yuri because of how often they meet up.

> Both Yuri and Jiro like her more because they've gotten to know her so well.

I was also thinking that, depending on who one of the girls hooked up with determined who the other would too for some reason. So my current "endgame" possibilities (assuming everyone survives to the end+Zenji stays permadead) are:

Nyssi/Haku -> Mina/Sho

Mina/Ed -> Nyssi/Towa

Nyssi/Taiga -> Mina/Romeo

Mina/Ritsu -> Nyssi/Haru

[48610]

you're the closest to heaven that i'll ever be.

240810 — 04:59

looks like i went from not writing anything at all to writing three letters within the span of one month. if you were here right now, you'd go 'you wrote another one?! i haven't even read the other two...', but what can i say — i could go on and on when it comes to you (which is funny considering most times my mind goes blank the moment i start a post, despite having some vague ideas of what i wanted to write about beforehand). i guess our kids will really have to sit through hours of stories if they ever asked about you. but it's a good thing, isn't it? they'll see how much we love each other.

it just dawned on me that that last line sounds so much like you... they say lovers start to resemble each other after some time so it shouldn't have been a surprise to me, yet it is. there are a lot of different theories out there: it's said that opposites attract, but i also heard about being attracted to a person who's like oneself. i suppose in this situation it's the latter. the very first time that we met, i thought that well, this person has the nickname 'happy virus' so maybe i can use that to get closer to him since i was called that too. then, once i started talking to you, i really liked how friendly you were. before i knew it, we were close and we had multiple interests that connected us.

i can't recall how much i'd told you back then about my life but it was a difficult year for me. if it wasn't that apparent, then it must've been because my days were a little brighter with you by my side — i do know that i mentioned that in the first letter i wrote to you. there was something about you that was different. whenever i talked to you, no matter the topic, i felt safe and like nothing else mattered. i knew then that we'd be together forever, but never in my life could i have guessed that we'd be romantically involved, despite me hoping to have someone like you as my boyfriend.

the past crushes don't bother me anymore now as i barely remember them. in the past, i even counted how many times i had my heart broken. i felt discouraged. i thought that love wasn't for me, that i would never find someone who truly loved me, who would love as hard as i do and who would stay with me. i didn't like hearing positive things like 'you'll find the one for you', they seemed more and more untrue with each heartbreak i felt and i envied my friends who were more successful at love. it always looked like i was too much for everyone, until you became mine. during our date, i'd asked if you liked clinginess, and you said yes. it's not the first time i'd heard that, but somehow i was inclined to believe you. perhaps it's because you yourself were clingy towards me before the date even happened. it wasn't all talk. you don't know how surprised i was each time you, out of nowhere, told me that you missed me and wanted to see me. the things that i'd longed to hear, you said them so easily without me having to ask for them. you still say these things to this day. the past me didn't have such thing, she was supposed to presume that her partner always missed her. i agree that that should be the case, but to some extent. i could only hear an 'i miss you too' each time i said it first then.

the smallest things that you deem as nothing much mean a tremendous amount to me, which is why i'm often moved by them. without knowing, you're healing the damaged parts of my heart caused by other people. i for one, wished that you didn't have to do it — that i could be the best version of myself for you because with a heart like yours, you deserve that much. but i've come to realize that i can't do it alone. it's probably because i haven't reached a point where i can confidently say that i love myself that the past no longer affects me. i'm thankful towards you, for treating me with so much softness that i'm slowly able to trust love again, after thinking that i'd forever be shackled to the fears of my past.

now, i have someone who worries about me when i hurt myself, who wants me to wake him up when my heart starts beating weird, who picks me up when i'm drunk and stays through the night to take care of me, who sings me to sleep, who randomly kisses my face and hands just because he wants to, who misses me when we're apart for only days, who tells me he loves me more and means it, who spoils me a lot with whatever i ask of him, who makes sure that i've eaten every day, who offers to take my nightmares so i can sleep well, who clings to me and wants my affection, who looks at me like i hold his world, who adores everything i do and say, who reads my letters with so much care that he has to sit down to take in every word and rereads from time to time. the list is endless. the road i took to get to you was rocky and full of twists and turns, but it's worth it. if i had to do it all again to have this in our next life, i would bear all the hardships. you're worth it.

it was a little scary going into this, right? not knowing what the future holds for us, with our friendship at stake (though i personally believe that regardless of what happens, i would still be friends with you). it could be that i never directly said this but even when we were friends, i thought that you were the one person that i couldn't bear to lose, because then i feel i'd truly be alone in this life and i don't know how i'd live with that. now that you've become someone who's the dearest to my heart, i feel it even more. in the romantic sense too, i don't think that there can be anyone else in my heart after you. with how much i love you - and this love is only growing more every day - perhaps this will truly be my last love. i, who have become accustomed to expecting the worst in everything, now think that this might just work out. we'll still be together when we're older. because it's you, i think that it's okay to harbor such hopes.

going back to the old nickname we talked about earlier, it's honestly ironic to think that i haven't felt like the word happiness and me fit well in years, only temporary bursts of it that last a short time when i do something i like. however, with you, i can say that i smile and laugh much more than i do normally. you seem to bring that side out of me with ease. i can only hope that i bring you the same amount of happiness, especially during your busy, exhausting days. i know that there's not a need to remind you to ask me if you need anything as you often do it... well, mainly the head rubs so far, but just keep in mind that i'll do it if it's within my means. i'd even do your work for you so you can get some rest.

i didn't plan on this letter to be this emotional, and i also didn't plan on talking about all that, it just so happened to be this way. well, i guess you got a deeper insight into what goes on in my heart, even though you didn't ask for it. it's getting quite late now (or early if you really look at the time). you may have noticed that my mind is slowly ceasing to work, the letter dropping in quality the longer it goes on. so i think i'll simply stop here, i can't think of anything else to add anyway. i'll come again in the future if i have more to say. thank you for reading this earnestly, and that goes to all of my letters.

i love you. i love you. i love you. i'll always love you.

[savingthrcw]

Sarah paused, visibly biting back a smile, and let a beat pass before saying: "Will it shock you if I say that I have no idea of what kind of animosity there is between our colleges, besides the fact that all colleges compete with each other?" Making a joke out of how isolated she had been, willingly, was actually helpful, because surely soon he'd realize she hadn't changed one bit. "I didn't dedicate myself to dictionaries, but I did spend more time with a punchbag than I did at... games." God, were those still a thing?

Ah, now it was far more clear, and at least she gave him a semi-apologetic look when he spoke of his ex, because yes, that had to be awkward. "I can use a different name, it would take little for us to re-forge my documents and papers. Would you prefer Jane? Cassidy, Dina?" she offered - if his name had been Bryce it would have been ten times worse; though she doubted his Sarah had played him, stolen information and gotten shot right after. It was still someone he must have been intimate with.

"And it's not just the discomfort. Gay men often have trouble finding dates, especially if they have a job that tends to give little time off and will keep you from befriending your coworkers whenever it can. It's not that I expect every straight or bisexual man to be attracted to me, but there was a chance you'd be... particularly disinterested in dating women. I figured if that was the issue it would be decent to let you know I'd work around it." Went without saying that there'd be no judgment too if she was only asking so that she could recalibrate - but no, apparently he was just out of luck with them. She did wonder why. Sure, he said things that weren't great at first impact, but one could find his lack of filter charming. She did. He had been flustered, and that was cute in itself-"Wait, you think I'm emotionally stunted?"

She broke into a little laugh when he asked her if she was unaware of what she looked like, looking away; admittedly, yes, she was more used to men appreciating her looks than coming off as horrified at the prospect of kissing her. "I'm still a stranger, and I'm not everybody's type," she pointed out amusedly, "It's not impossible that having to kiss me could elicit a look that at least resembles disgust, if you are so... unused to kissing people you don't know well. But good to know I met your standards." She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear with a smile, and thought that yes, this was much better than talking about having to stick his tongue somewhere.

"Okay... Just so we are clear, I'll be starting to lean into my character for this, given that she's the one you are dating and you should know her, and I also don't know you but we are coworkers, so I can't exactly pull on you moves I use with unsuspecting targets. But we can talk, and you can tell me more about... what you think I should know as your future roommate and pretend girlfriend, okay? I don't know if you want to reinvent your personality too, in which case I'll follow..." it was a suggestion, he had been undercover at least as a friend before, he was a spy, so he'd know better than anyone if he needed a character or not. Her own usually took something from her real life, truths, but still gave her the opportunity to be safe and shielded away from the other person. She took a deep breath to let herself relax into the girlfriend, and her entire demeanor softened as she broke into one of her bright smiles, focusing on the fact that she had thought he was cute and that she also had nothing to complain about his looks so she could make eyes at him. "Why don't we go get the ice cream we talked about?" she asked, her tone sweeter and happier, "It'll be like our pretend first date... minus the dog. It'll make true when we say that we were coworkers who really only got to know each other while having ice cream at the park."

"You went to Harvard?" Ben asked, arching a brow. "Well, that settles it: this fake relationship isn't going to work, 'cause I'm a Yalie." Here, he flashed a grin, if only to show his jest. "Don't worry: what you hear about Yale types isn't completely true."

Slowly, his smile faded as Sarah started laying out a completely unexpected trajectory. With an incredulous huff, Ben appraised her with growing bafflement. "Sooo, because I've expressed discomfort in kissing a colleague -- you, specifically -- your first guess is I might've dated men?" Here, Ben snorted anew, though this time he laughed. "All right. I'm unsure if your ego is just a tad too healthy there, or if I'm so painfully bad at this that you're praying I don't like women, but allow me to disappoint you either way: I do like women -- arguably, a little too much -- and I've had pretty much zero luck with them. Besides..." He exhaled. "You and my ex actually have quite a bit in common. She was blonde too, and also named Sarah, and, coincidentally, kind of emotionally stunted. Now can you perhaps see the merit in my discomfort?"

"Like I said, our objective is for you not to look disgusted or uncomfortable. Then we can strive for positive adjectives."

Disgusted?

Ben arched a brow, his baffled smile slowly returning. "So are you unaware of what you look like? Because I'm pretty sure 'disgusted' isn't the right word for my situation...but still, you're right. I could use some work."

Absently rolling his palms over his knees, he released a breath and leaned back in his seat, contemplating Sarah's suggestions with a shy little smile. "I haven't been on a date in just as long, so I'm not even sure what's enjoyable these days," he confessed. "But very well: show me what 'Sarah Walker' likes, and I'll try my best to 'get in the mood' for this ruse. You lead, and I'll follow."

[mobiused]

is there any lore about hyewon? feel free to ignore, i just have a hard time finding out if things are about lore or if people are mostly talking about the real-life relationships between the girls

This is so overdue I'm so sorry. But yes, there is. Let's do a timeline (using this term loosely because I don't trust myself enough to promise anything chronological) of Gohye (which is the shipname they picked for themselves btw cuz there's an existing Hyewon which is sometimes confusing) and I'll really try my hardest to take as few detours as possible...

The first time that Gowon & Olivia are officially associated with each other is in the Egoist MV, where Gowon appears in the same car park for a couple frames:

Doesn't this remind you of something? (And not the car park insert pictures from [#] album)

Why are all of yyxy in the car park though? Detour No. 1, but in my opinion the way the sequence is shot, and the way the [] one teaser is shot are meant to be evocative of each other, and is related to the theme of determinism, or more simply the inevitability of the girls leaving Eden and arriving on Earth. (I think the scene in Egoist was meant to suggest the other girls had already been here, on Earth, before, just like in the 'one' teaser, and Olivia was simply the last to get there.)

Next up is not a visual, but the song Rosy. This is the part that explicitly confirms romantic feelings between Gowon and Olivia Hye in canon. Originally (they neutered it after release to something less explicitly wlw) the song description in English was as follows:

Rosy is a song that talks the beautiful yet thorny emotions between 2 girls that draws them like a compass but wrecking them simultaneously without a place to escape to, in which they are being kind but chic, friendly but not close, have feelings for each other but finds it annoying to date each other.

The english is kinda scuffed and I'm mad cuz I can't find the original Korean text to translate either, but this shows that Rosy, sung by Gowon & Olivia, is describing a relationship between two girls who are romantically attracted to each other. Litell_Johnn provides his own take on the rectified/updated Korean description, though it doesn't really connect with the theme of the song at all. Notably, this doesn't suggest the two have feelings for each other.

We get more detail on what the story of Rosy actually is from the Lyricist Darly here, where Darly suggests the character of the 'Rose' is actually Olivia: "And in my mind Hyeju really seems to resemble a rose petal, so maybe for that reason, I think she really fit well with "Rosy"" You can read the full post (which also directly confirms that it's strongly related to the lore, where other b-sides might not be) but here's some edited highlights which I think expands on the nature of their relationship

The overall story is that I compared a woman to a "flower", and people get drunk on her beauty and try possess her and pluck her Towards the solitary rose, already hurt many times before, approaches yet another person The rose thinks, you're like all the others, you're just taken by how I look on the outside Looking at others, who are faking love but actually just drunk on the rose's beauty and only trying to possess it, I wonder how the rose feels? I'm sure you want me, she says, but come at me very carefully, so I won't prick you with these wounded thorns I like the way she says "It won't be that easy" too, because I think it reveals the rose's personality, alluring yet prim "I liked being alone with all my hurt, but wait, I guess I don't hate it when you come near me? What is this nervousness?" is the rose's confused monologue This person doesn't become afraid or fearful of the rose, and instead genuinely understands how the rose feels When the night falls, dangerous thorn bushes will come out of the rose to protect herself, like a habit. So she says hurry and run from me, before you get hurt, before you get lost. But the other person says "I know all of your wounds, so it's okay, I don't care if I get a little hurt". For the first time, the rose has met someone who doens't just want to possess her beauty, but truthfully loves her for who she is. In that way, the two people bloom beautifully into genuine love

That brings us to yyxy's 'love4eva'. Gowon & Olivia aren't shown to interact much, in fact, Gowon seems to find Olivia weird for unquestioningly swallowing whatever the institution is feeding her.

Also IDK if it's just Gowon's rbf but the way Gowon looks at Olivia when she walks in but that's pretty frosty (unless she's putting on airs in front of Yves?). Kind of a massive jump from the relationship that was depicted in Rosy. I guess just because Gowon takes part in ostracising Olivia, doesn't necessarily mean that Gowon doesn't like her...?

I always find the use of rose petals in love4eva interesting, because they're not the representative forbidden fruits, and rose petals are at this point associated with Olivia Hye (Lip's official flower being a rose doesn't really seem relevant in the yyxy arc and also seems like a retcon). All the three girls who leave eden partake in consuming the flower petals. Even though we see Olivia eat her forbidden fruit to leave, we never see her eat the rose petals - so what exactly are they meant to mean? Is Olivia the (nonliteral) sacrifice to leave Eden?

Then, of course, Gowon looks back at Olivia, who they're abandoning, and makes eye contact with her... but keeps running.

Ouch.

Olivia & Gowon don't seem to meet individually after this, but they have some parallels between their Butterfly Teaser arcs.

In So What era, Olivia finds herself in... somewhere that could either be Iceland (with Haseul's feather on the ground) or the Moon (which she set fire to). It's kind of vague, right? (I think it's meant to be Iceland but I'm not confident about it...) I wonder why Olivia would go to Iceland, and then wonder if she went to retrace Gowon's steps.

And then for Hula Hoop, it's just the two of them that get dressed up in their Eden clothes.

I'm wracking my brain trying to think of any more narrative interactions they have, but I really don't know how to finish this off. I might come back to this with a part 2.

[therealvinelle]

hi! I absolutely love all your twilight metas! something I'm curious about: what do you think about jacob and his relationship to bella?

There’s this post addressing mostly Jacob. For this post I’ll be getting more into Jacob/Bella.

I don’t think they’re in love.

On Jacob’s end, Bella is at first a girl he’s lowkey crushing on. She’s a girl, she’s pretty, and she’s fun to talk to. He gets butterflies around her, as most teenaged boys would. 

Then we get to New Moon, and Bella is a depressed damsel who comes to rely on Jacob. That by itself makes them more than friends, they’re something more intimate than that. More, they hang out every single day, and again I have to point out that Jake is male and Bella is an attractive female.

So, you have a beautiful damsel that Jacob hangs out with all the time, and that crush was pretty serious. However, while this was definitely the precursor to love, I hesitate to call it actual love because that’s a deeper and more serious thing that they quite frankly didn’t really have the time develop.

According to the timeline on the Twilight wiki, it was on January 17th that Bella came to Jake with the motorcycles, and at some point in February that he phased, with Laurent’s death happening that same month. Now, I don’t entirely trust this timeline when it comes to pre-series events, but the events of New Moon are so tightly packed that even if these dates are wrong, Bella’s zombie pages of months passing and St. Marcus’ Day being celebrated on the 19th of March (in real life it’s the 25th of April) narrows the time span down considerably. Jake and Bella had a hard maximum of six weeks to hang around as humans before he phased, though most likely less.

My point with all this being that I never got the feeling Jake’s feelings for Bella were particularly serious. They didn’t get the chance to be.

As for Bella, she’s trying to claw her way out of a crippling depression, romance really is the last thing on her mind. Jacob became very important to her, but that’s not the same as romantic love.

We then get to Jake phasing. He finds out that all the stories about terrifying, blood-drinking demons that his father told him were real, that they’d been in his neighboring town preying on Bella, and that she was under their thumb. More importantly, Jacob hates being a werewolf with every fibre of his being, and it’s not something he can in any way escape. His father, his friends, his community, his very own blood, it’s all entangled with his new and unwanted identity. Bella, as a white girl from the neighboring town who comes to talk about garages, is a reprieve from all of that. We see it in his “I don’t want to disappear” speech: he latches on to Bella and allows her to become the only good thing in his life. His sun, if you will.

Then we get to Eclipse, the Cullens are back, and Bella is right back in their claws. This by itself is terrible news on every level, as Jacob has competition, his girl is consorting with his ancestral enemy, the time they spent together is invalidated as Bella instantly forgives Edward for the hell he put her through, and overnight Jake loses this person he has allowed himself to depend on. 

These things are a very bad mix.

Bella then casually drops the “oh and they’re turning me into a soulless demon in a few months!”

For reference, these excerpts are from “Being Jacob Black”, a sixteen-page rant Meyer released, written entirely in second person (yes, I died inside). It contains these very telling observations on how Jake sees vampires:

“The little vampire seems very upset, and this surprises you. You hadn’t realized they had much in the way of emotions. You’re revolted and amazed at how comfortable Bella and Alice seem to be touching each other. You would have thought the vampire would not be able to touch humans that way without hurting them. And Bella is so at ease with Alice - able to interact with her like Alice is human. Bella seems to see her that way - like a person, almost.”

(...)

“It’s actually easier to speak with her than you would have thought - she reacts and speaks like a human, though her appearance is frighteningly alien. To your sharp eyes, she’s like a moving crystal, all angles and shine.”

(Let’s just take a moment to appreciate how incredibly gay that first paragraph is. So Alice is touching Bella that way, alright.)

Jacob doesn’t see Alice as human, or anything resembling it. As far as he’s concerned, she’s a humanoid demon. He’s surprised she has emotional range and capable of conversation.

With this in mind, when Bella informs him she wants to become like Alice it’s dire news. Bella’s not just becoming a monster, she’s becoming something that can barely be considered alive. And he knew it would come to this, but she’s planning to do it in just a few weeks. I’d bring out the book quote from when Bella tells him, but I don’t have it at hand at the second, and I remember it well enough - Jacob thought he had more time, and gets so angry he nearly phases.

Shit is now real.

Jake has to get the girl, or she’ll be cursed forever and he’ll have lost this girl who is his light in life.

This is where his age comes in.

He casts himself in the light of the underdog. It’s not quite a storybook, except it kind of is - Bella is with someone who is as bad for her as he could possibly be, and this guy is going to destroy her. Enter Jake, the underdog prince who’ll save her. He’ll succeed because he has to, the world would be too cruel otherwise. Of course the underdog gets the girl!

More, he fully believes that he will, because he fully believes he’s the one Bella really loves. She just doesn’t know it, but they’re in love. How could they not be?

There’s also the fact that Jacob is watching this girl he grew up with, who is so incredibly important to him, important to his father as well, throw her life away to become a demon, and the only way he knows to stop her, the only argument he can come up with, is love. It’s very melodramatic, very teenage-y, and ultimately insufficient.

Because while Bella loves him on a platonic level, and finds him attractive (though she doesn’t seem attracted to him, and that there is a difference), she never comes to love him romantically. He manages to convince her that she does, but I never see anything beyond deep feelings of friendship. She never longs to kiss his lips, never admires his beauty, never blushes because he touched her. Her response to him is consistently platonic.

And so Jacob fights a battle he was never going to win.

[classysassy9791]

Fandom: Inuyasha Genre: Romance/Humor/Fluff Pairing: InuKag Rating: T

The conclusion for this little fic that has waited 6 years for completion. Hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Thank you to @akitokihojo for being such a stellar beta for this fic, and helping it come to its completion. Couldn't have done it without you!

For @inukag-week Day 6: Transformation.

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l

Part 4 Word Count: 2,000

Can also be found on FFN and AO3

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It had been a very long time since Kagome had experienced a hangover.

The buzzing in her brain soon became too much to ignore as it beckoned her to consciousness. She opened her eyes to the dimly lit room. Sunlight peeking from beneath the closed curtains indicated it was daytime and she silently thanked herself for being smart enough to close them before leaving her apartment the evening before.

Kagome wrapped the duvet around herself and tried to grasp a hold on the fleeting darkness of unconsciousness. She knew nothing would cure a hangover except time, and she would rather spend it floating through dreamless sleep than deal with the repercussions head-on. Waves of nausea added to her misery and she could faintly smell whiskey with each exhale - a scent that was intoxicating last night, yet this morning it only caused her stomach to twist further.

Her phone pinged with a message, but she didn't dare even try to reach for it, the annoyingly bright glare of her phone not exactly something she wanted to sabotage herself with. As the minutes passed by, she became more acutely aware of her brain feeling like it would swell beyond the capacity of her skull, and her dehydration became too obvious to ignore. Her tongue felt like cotton as she licked her dry, cracked lips. Damn, why did the morning after always have to remind her of what a bad decision the night before was?

She squinted and finally set her gaze on her nightstand. A surprising wave of relief washed over her. Drunk Kagome must have had an intelligent moment, for on her nightstand stood a bottle of painkillers and a glass of water. As quickly as she dared, she propped herself up on one elbow, trying to ignore the slight spin of the room, before greedily popping two pills and finishing the water. Even so, her thirst was far from quenched.

As Kagome tried to sort through her memories of the night before, she quickly registered that she had no memory of coming home last night. The last, clear recollection she could come up with had her sitting at the bar with Inuyasha and sharing a shot with the bartender.

"Shit," she groaned, hanging her head before precariously pulling her legs from beneath her blanket. Blacking out from drinking had been a favorite past time of hers back in her early college days. It wasn't because she didn't know her own limits when it came to being intoxicated, but back then, she simply didn't care. Drinking had been her favorite vice when it came to dealing with the pressures of school, boyfriends, and girl drama. It had been years since she had felt the need to get obliterated so completely.

Finally finding her courage, Kagome reached over and unlocked her phone. The red battery sign at the top meant it was almost dead, so she quickly scrolled through all the alerts on her phone. There had been way too many messages and missed calls from Hojo, which triggered the memory of the picture she had sent him. Her nausea increased ten-fold. Regret was a spiteful bitch.

Hojo was going to be the afternoon's problem. Maybe even tomorrow's problem. All Kagome knew was that it wasn't going to be a now problem.

Kagome plugged in her phone and once she was on her feet, the room swayed, almost causing her to lose balance. She stumbled out into the hallway to her bathroom to relieve herself. When she finished, she washed her hands and splashed cold water on her face just to feel something refreshing. The person's face who greeted her in the mirror no longer resembled the glamorous girl of the night. Only a woman's face awash with guilt, a wrinkled set of pajamas, and hair that was far from attractive.

From the other end of the apartment, Kagome suddenly heard a key turning in her front door. Immediately, she felt panic rise in her throat, eyes going wide. No one had a key to her apartment, not even Hojo, so unless she had been robbed last night - which she very may well have considering she had very little memory of it - no one should be coming over.

She swallowed thickly against her cotton throat and grabbed the first weapon at her fingertips - a plunger. Yeah, she wasn't winning any awards for being clever, but she was hungover and scared for her life.

Kagome crept down the hallway toward the front door and nearly lost her breath at who she saw standing in her entryway. The man from the bar last night - Inuyasha? - was making his way to her kitchen with a carrier filled with coffee and a bag from her favorite breakfast joint down the block.

"Good morning," he greeted casually, not at all thrown off by her presence as he set down his packages on the counter. "I brought you breakfast."

Rage and astonishment swelled in her chest. "What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?!"

He winced and held his hands over his ears before turning to glare at her. "If you could wait until after eight in the morning to start yelling, I'd really appreciate it."

"You didn't answer my question," she seethed, wide eyes sweeping the rest of the apartment for evidence as to what exactly happened last night?!

Inuyasha studied her from across the room and laughed at her dumbfounded expression. "Did you think I was a burglar or something? What's with the plunger?"

Kagome looked down at the plunger she held in his direction like a sword, and felt a blush bloom across her cheeks. She hurriedly hid it behind her back. "W-What was I supposed to think?"

He simply rolled his eyes. "Do you want breakfast or not?"

She bit her lip, but couldn't deny the ravenous hunger eating away at her stomach. Probably half the reason why she was so nauseous. Without saying another word, she slipped back into the bathroom to put away her weapon before meeting him in the kitchen. The sweet aroma of coffee and fresh bagels greeted her. She could've kissed him all over again.

"I didn't know how you liked your coffee, so I got cream and sugar just in case."

Kagome slowly sat down in the chair across from him, watching him slather some cream cheese on his bagel and drink his black coffee. She racked her brain as to exactly why Inuyasha was in her apartment, and then flashes of the night before came rushing back, of sloppy passionate kisses and tangled sheets.

Her heart dropped to her stomach.

Inuyasha studied the array of emotions that flickered across her face while he slowly chewed his bite of bagel and then swallowed. "Kagome, how much do you remember of last night?"

She bit her lip, shameful eyes lifting to his. "Um, well…" Her gaze fell to her person, realizing she was no longer wearing the sequined black dress she had gone out in. All the evidence pointed to a girl she wanted no relation to, making decisions that were very, very regrettable.

"We didn't sleep together."

Kagome's eyes flew to Inuyasha's, his deep voice quelling her fears. "We-We didn't?"

Amber eyes watched her carefully before turning back to his bagel. "No, we didn't. I'm not the kinda guy who beds a girl when she's drunk. Not my style."

A breath Kagome didn't know she had been holding escaped her lips. She had never been the type of girl to have one-night-stands. Her friends always teased her about it, but it was something she prided herself in. Having sex with someone wasn't something she did on a whim. She wanted to know she meant more to someone than an easy lay.

Her brows furrowed as she sipped on her coffee. "If we didn't sleep together, then why are you here?" she questioned. It would've been one thing if she had woken up with a naked man in her bed and kicked him out because of sheer embarrassment. It was another thing entirely that a man she didn't sleep with would bring her breakfast in the morning.

Inuyasha shrugged. "I was too tired to get another ride home last night, so I slept on your couch."

Kagome glanced over the breakfast bar to see a blanket and pillow on her couch as evidence that it had been occupied the night before.

"You know, you probably shouldn't drink so much."

She threw him a glare. "Did I ask for your judgement?"

He shrugged. "I'm just sayin'. Letting a stranger take you home because you're too drunk isn't exactly attractive."

Kagome scoffed. "Oh, thanks for the help," she snipped sarcastically. "What would I've done without you?"

Inuyasha grinned. "Probably throw a party to celebrate my absence."

"Probably, yeah," she hotly agreed. "I would've been just fine on my own."

"Maybe."

She frowned, flashes of last night starting to come back. They had been two heartbroken strangers in a bar who found comfort in their shared misery. Under the neon flashing lights and upbeat techno music, they gravitated toward one another like moths to a flame. But by morning they had transformed; she no longer represented the alluring woman who bewitched him, and he no longer appeared as the mysterious man who captivated her.

Now, she was simply Kagome Higurashi - a woman who was dumped by her fiance and had a mile-long to-do list regarding cleaning up their frayed relationship. And he was simply Inuyasha.

Kagome inwardly cringed. She didn't even know his last name. Or what he did for work. Or anything about him really.

Just fucking great.

"Look, Inuyasha," she began, setting down her coffee. "I appreciate everything you, er, did for me, but-"

"When we're done here, we should go on a real date."

Her mouth fell open. "What?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Why not?"

"You have got to be joking," Kagome said while shaking her head. "One-night stands are literally just for one night, and we definitely would not work out."

He grinned. "Damn. That's a quick deduction there."

Kagome blushed. "I just mean that, last night… it was great and all, but…"

"It's daytime and the whole world's changed?" Inuyasha finished for her.

She sighed and looked away. He was right. Things were different. Last night didn't happen often for her, and bringing home a guy to her apartment never happened. If it were up to her, she'd stuff last night in a box as a precious memory and then forget it ever happened.

"I'm not saying I'm over Kikyou."

Kagome met his gaze. His eyes locked onto her, and held not an ounce of mirth. He was serious about this. He wanted to see if this could become something.

"And I doubt you're over your ex-fiance," he continued. "But, last night was fun. You're different and piss me off to no end-"

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

He sighed and after a moment finally stood up. "Look. You seem like a great girl. But I'm not one to beg. Thanks for the couch." Slipping his phone into his back pocket, he turned to leave.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome called as she chased after him.

Dammit. This guy was so infuriating! He insulted her, and called her names, and angered her enough to make her slap him upside the head. But he also made her laugh, and feel alive, and made her want to kiss him again and again.

She couldn't deny that she wanted to see him again.

Grabbing his elbow, she made him stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder at her. "What?"

"This…" she started, fumbling for the right words. "This is never going to work. You and I."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I'll pick you up at six."

And then he was gone, closing the door behind him.

Within a moment of him leaving, Kagome realized something: Meeting Inuyasha was either going to be the best luck she ever had, or the very worst. At least, on the bright side, he had already witnessed her at her lowest.

How bad could it be?

[anika-ann]

The Best Mistake of My Life - Pt.2

What a Gentleman

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader    Word count: 2400

Summary: A soulmate AU. They say having a soulmate is a blessing. Who wouldn’t love the idea of star-crossed lovers, right?

Neither Steve Rogers nor you consider yourself lucky though. It probably has something to do with the lines written on your skin. Because if the words are anything to go by, you’re not sure you want to meet each other.

Now that you have, it’s time to get some answers.

Warnings: swearing, light angst, FLUFF

Story masterlist

༻༺༻༺༻ღ༺༻༺༻༺

The diner had quite an atmosphere and on any other occasion, you would have been fascinated, easily being pulled decades back in time. Today however, your attention wasn't on the decor too much. You had very different things on your mind; like a certain man with a built of a Hercules and a spine-melting smile – if a little nervous one.

"Is this place alright?" his soft voice snapped you from the space of your own head.

You gave a tiny nod, letting him lead you farther in. He picked a table in the back, away from the giant windows to the street; you were glad for that despite the nice weather.

You would have stayed outside to begin with, but Steve had asked whether you had been hungry and to your enormous embarrassment, your stomach had replied. To his credit, he hadn't laughed, only frowning a bit while he had clearly been biting back a smile; what a gentleman.

Your waitress appeared quickly, leaving with your order written down just as fast, and you found yourself alone… with your soulmate. Your 95-year-old soulmate. How crazy was that?

You had no idea what you say, finding him silently watching you; either he was unable to form words as well or he was waiting for you to gather your thoughts and wanted to let you speak first. Once again – what a gentleman.

You cleared your throat awkwardly. "So… uhm. You're… you're really 95."

God bless him, he only grimaced a little, not commenting on the stupidity of your statement. As far as communication with him went, you were being excellent.

'Oh no, there must be a mistake,' calling him mister instead of captain (then again, you hadn’t checked if he was one just yet), your stomach answering his questions and now this. Where did your ability to talk go? On vacation?

"Uhm… yeah. I know this is hard to believe, but… yeah,” he conceded, fidgeting. “I can explain! Also, sorry for being stuck with such words."

Well, speaking of being stuck with words…

"Well, Mr.Rogers-"

"Steve, please."

He had told you that before. Except yeah, it somehow stuck you all over again, that this was most likely the man who was remembered for saving many, many lives. You wondered if you should be kissing his boots or the pavement he walked on or something. So, yeah, calling him Steve seemed like a bit of a disrespect. If he was who you thought he was, of course.

"Feels inappropriate. Even the ‘mister’ does," you explained, testing the waters. You believed Ryan was right, but still…

"What would feel appropriate?" he asked, nervously fiddling with his fingers at the edge of the table.

Huh. Alright. Maybe you and Ryan were wrong and he was just a guy? A really, really attractive and nice guy? But why else the whole ‘I'm 95’ thing then? He said he could explain…

"Captain?" you whispered, the tension in his shoulders growing immediately. Yeah, busted. You were sure now. Captain America was in a diner with you. Because he was your soulmate.

Oh shit.

"Guess I don't have to explain then…" he murmured, a worried wrinkle forming between his brows.

Before you could comment and tell him that you definitely needed him to explain, because what the hell, you hadn't exactly done your homework, how was the first American hero alive, just HOW?!, he continued.

"Look, I… I spent a good part of my life believing my… soulmate… you, would consider me a mistake," he sighed, “and-“

"Oh god, I'm so sorry!" you blurted out, instantly feeling even worse for the words you had told him. He had lived with the belief that his destined partner would resent him. Great job, me!

He shook his head, never minding the interruption. "And I'll… I'll understand if you do."

That gave you a stop. Wait. What?

"...what? Why would I?"

Why would you? He was… gorgeous, polite and so far so genuinely nice you thought you just made him in a dreamed-man-machine and as far as you knew, he was a superhero. So… if anyone should be considered a mistake… it was you. Your heart dropped to your stomach when your mind helpfully supplied you with that information. Was that what he thought? That you were unworthy? It would be perfectly understandable after all. How could you even compare to a man like him? You had told Ryan that this man was way out of your league and you hadn’t been kidding.

"Unless that's how you feel… uhm, about me."

His eyes, previously focused on the table, snapped up sharply. "What? Why?"

Wasn't it obvious? You gestured towards your humble self. Wasn't it what he was saying?

"Well, I don't really think I'm considered a superhero girlfriend material," you concluded.

The captain quickly leaned in, his hand gently wrapping around yours. To say you were bewildered at the gesture would be an understatement. You were perfectly lost. And it felt kinda nice, him touching you.

Shut up.

"That's not what I meant at all!" he exclaimed with urgency, his eyes roaming your whole face, his expression seeming guilty.

Nope, you weren't quite following, though a bit of hope flickered in your heart; his hand didn’t release yours. "You… didn't? I'm sorry, I don't… I don't understand."

"What I meant was… you do know who I am, right?"

"Y-yes. My… uhm, my friend figured it out. I- I don't know much…" you admitted, slightly embarrassed. You never were a fan of history classes. Like… memorising dates. Nope.

"Alright… I crushed a plane during the second world war…"

"That I do know. You saved millions of lives."

His cheeks dusted with a bit of pink as if he was bashful about it.

"I thought it was the end. And I woke up seventy years later…" he bit his lip, his fingers twitching on yours. He blinked in surprise when he noticed them touching you and the blush on his cheeks darkened.

When he tried to retreat, you caught his hand in return, noting the change in his tone. This was not an easy topic for him to talk about and you felt the need to comfort him. He looked at you in wonder at your gesture; you were shocked too, but it was simply an instinct. Bold action on your part, sure, but it still appeared right.

"That was only few months ago. I'm… not fully accustomed to this time." His eyes went strangely absent and you squeezed his fingers reassuringly. "Not to mention that what I do is… dangerous to say at least. I would understand if you rather stayed away."

Heavy silence fell on your table on the last note, interrupted by your waitress. You only managed to stare at Steve as he politely, yet absently, thanked her for your food, conflict all over his face as your hands parted in favour to make space for the plates.

Frankly, you didn't care for food in the slightest, too taken aback and having some serious trouble to process his words.

Now that took a turn you never saw coming.

"So… you wouldn't mind… me being me?" you asked a bit unsurely. You were starting to understand his train of thoughts and your brain was absolutely overwhelmed by it.

The captain – Steve – didn't touch his food either, his brilliant blue eyes with just a drop of green watching you sincerely, wondering what was going on in the head of yours. Good luck with that.

"I'm not sure what you mean, so I'll say no. You're… you seem like a kind person, you're a… very beautiful woman and-- I'd be lucky if you wouldn't reject me right away."

You chuckled incredulously at that, your heart picking up pace. Oh wow, did he just call you a very beautiful woman? What was the last time someone had done that? (Your mum didn't count.) Were you dreaming?

"Steve…"

He perked up when you finally addressed him correctly.

"I spent my life hoping that I won’t meet my soulmate until I’m 80 at least, because otherwise it would be really creepy. I was hoping the number meant literally anything else than their age. And if I understand correctly, you believed you'd be a disappointment to me. We’re… maybe I should only speak for myself, but I'd say that this is the best possible turn of events I could wish for," you finished with something that resembled an awkward but delighted laugh, believing every word you said.

What better outcome this could have had? You were both young and healthy people and as far as you understood, neither of you were disgusted by the choice the universe had made when binding you. That was awesome, right?

He observed you silently for what seemed like eternity, his expression unreadable, and you panicked you had read this wrong after all.

"I mean… I think we're soulmates for a reason. It doesn't always work out, I know, but we should at least try, right? Get to know each other? I mean, I know you're Captain America, but you're much more than some persona from the history books and I like to think this deserves a chance-…. Maybe I'm stupid, but-"

During your monologue, his lips curled up into the spine-melting smile again and he reached over the table to catch one of your hands that had been gesturing rather wildly; not that you had noticed until he stopped you.

For the second time that day, his lips brushed you knuckles, nearly sending you into a cardiac arrest and warming up your chest at the innocence and sweetness of such action.

"I think you're amazing," he breathed out, looking into your eyes from under his incredible pretty eyelashes, effectively turning you into a lovesick puddle.

"You d-do?"

The incredible smile of his was back. Oh god. He was so out of your league.

He gently released you and you suddenly felt embarrassed and awkward under his undivided attention.

"I do. And I'd like to know you better too."

"O-okay."

A+ for that response. But could anyone blame you? Steve was actually watching you as if you were the eighth wonder of the world and it was impossible to accept that this was somehow happening.

"Okay," he echoed softly.

He gestured to the food then with one eyebrow questioningly raised and you had to blink, returning back to earth where you had actually come here to eat. You couldn't remember what it felt like being hungry, too overwhelmed with the turn this conversation took and the emotions it swirled.

He had called you a very beautiful woman. He had called you amazing.

Steve waited for you to start eating, only then joining in. What a gentleman. How were you soulmates with this man again? How could you ever deserve him?

You swallowed the bite of food hastily as you felt the sudden urge.

"Steve?"

"Yes, d- yes?"

Any other time, you would wonder what he wanted to say, but you had to get this out of your chest.

"I think you're amazing too," you admitted sheepishly despite the fact it was totally implied he was kind of a god.

You might even feel a bit silly for saying it out loud, but the twinkle in his eyes and the smile that lighted up his face assured you that you didn't misstep. God, he looked as if you just told him the best news he could ever get. It made you nearly choke on your spit.

He was so devastatingly handsome when smiling, radiant… when a spark of a mischief appeared in his irises, a promise of fun on top of the tenderness he had been showing until now, you were done for. That was it; he already owned your heart, just like that. Was it him or was it because of the… soulmate connection? You decided it was both and that it didn't matter.

"I'll try to maintain that cover then."

It took you a moment to realize what he was going at. Right. Soldier. Or a spy, whatever. And apparently a dork. You were such a lucky woman, weren't you?

"Uh-huh, what are like when you're not undercover then?" you played along, already knowing he actually was that awesome and he couldn’t have been pretending this whole time.

He didn't miss a beat. "Me."

Your eyebrows shot up unwittingly. That was all he was gonna give away?

"Huh. I guess I'll just have to find out, aren't I?"

He charmed a lopsided smile that did something to you on a visceral level, which kinda startled you; you really were falling impossibly fast for him, in every possible way. And you realized you didn't mind at all. You trusted him for some reason, trusted him to catch you in your fall until you could hit the ground. God, you were turning into a complete sap.

"Guess you are," he confirmed cheekily and you smirked as a shot of confidence flooded your veins. Did he think he had the upper hand here? He had said that he hadn’t been fully accustomed, right? There were things you were about to help him adjust to…

"Looking forward to it," you hummed and winked at him before you returned to your pancake with gusto. "Not sure you should feel the same about me, Mr. You. My secret identity might surprise you."

Steve watched you, not blinking, apparently not expecting you mirroring his attitude. He squinted at you playfully and you had to admit you felt the weight that had fallen on your chest earlier, when he had talked about mistakes, disappear into a thin air. You could actually see now that maybe, just maybe, you two could be a good fit despite the terrible differences in the social ladder.

"Are you saying you're trouble, madam?" he pried, something as if strict yet teasing creeping into his voice.

You wondered if this was how he talked to his co-workers and inferiors. He was a captain – he was bound to have inferiors, right? Was this his captain voice then? It tickled your fancy, to be honest.

"I guess you'll have to find out, Sir."

Steve chuckled and shook his head, finishing his food. "I can already tell you are."

"Is it… bad?" you asked, suddenly hesitant.

"No, doll. I actually really, really like it."

The casual slip of a pet name only accented his words and you were absolutely certain now. Oh yeah. You were truly looking forward to getting to know your soulmate.

Even if he was 95 years old.

༻༺༻༺༻ღ༺༻༺༻༺

Part 3

༻༺༻༺༻ღ༺༻༺༻༺

Tags: @cxptain​ @mermaidxatxheart @smilexcaptainx , @murdermornings​@irepostthingsiwanttoseelater , @polarcrystall​ @eliza5616​, @rayofdawnworld  @victor-criss-bish​ @skychild29​  @elysianecho​ @simmisblog​ @scentedsongrebel​ @orions-nebula​, @sergeantrosabellaswan​ 

Thank you for reading :-* Tags are open ;)

[werifestaria]

Hi I love your blog layout it so tidy!! Also would it be alright if I got a bnha matchup please?. My pronouns are she/her and I'm bisexual. My personality type is ISTJ, I'm a sagittarius sun, scorpio moon and libra rising. To the public I'm pretty closed off/reserved but with my friends I'm brave, loyal and love to laugh. I don't trust easily and I'm pretty cautious of everyone so I try to keep out of the way.

My hobbies include gymnastics which I did competitively and won a few medals, I also do figure skating and have leveled up pretty quickly at that. I workout everyday because even though I dont compete now I still want to improve and if anything I'm better now than I was back then.

I like indie music, horror movies mainly psychological, nature and wildlife and the peace and quiet it brings. I hate loud, busy places, untidy, dirty things and people messing up my routine.

My love language is quality time like I just wanna be around that person a lot. I think the love language that speaks to me most is probably also quality time, like the fact that they would want to be around me willingly seems so unfamiliar I love the idea of it. Also words of affirmation or physical touch, I'm awkward at giving those but receiving them would make me melt cause I'm not really used to any of it. My ideal dates are simple things like going on walks at like 3am or dancing in the livingroom or movie nights just cheap simple things like that.

hope that's okay sorry it kindof long :)

𝐦𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐚

Thank you so much for one of our first requests! We appreciate your love for the layout as well!! Tbh, I spent multiple hours straight getting it just right, so it’s a relief people find it pretty- and also, Scorpio moon gang! anyways, I hope you enjoy your matchup from me! Have a lovely day, hun

𝐦𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 . . .

𝐞𝐣𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐚 !

runner-up : hanta sero

Easily, Kirishima is one of BNHA’s most easygoing, compassionate characters. His heart is big and always in the right place. Based off of your description and his own array of traits, I think he is the perfect character for you! Like, almost a little too perfect. A Sagittarius and a Libra (Kirishima’s sun sign!) are said to be very compatible and harmonious. Even better, it’s also said that people are often drawn to others who have their sun sign in the ascendant—Kirishima being a Libra sun and you being a Libra rising! To make things even more fantastic, perfect, and everything in between, Kirishima’s MBTI (according to The Personality Database) is ESFP. Guess what? ISTJ’s and ESFP’s are said to be extremely compatible! Of course, he’d find your inner demeanor to be extremely attractive. As he is naturally social, he wouldn’t mind your reserved nature and would pursue you in both friendship & romance regardless. Your outer shell would only lead him to appreciate your comical inner-self even more! He’d greatly admire your bravery and loyalty as well—it’s not something you see often anymore, after all. He’d try to bring the best out of you as naturally as possible, letting you do the same to him. Easily, he’s the most supportive boyfriend you could ever get! This man would adore you with patience, admiration, and sheer love, all with his own cheesy, dorky flair. I imagine Kirishima is careful in love, yet just as bold as the sun. He’s grounded, but on his most passionate days, his admiration can never be paralleled. You’d simply make him weak in the knees with every glance you’d spare him!

𖥸 Your music taste simply infects him. Imagine him listening to indie music with you 🥺🥺 your head in his lap as he plays with your hair- omg!! he loves to just sit and vibe with you. Nothing can compare to the fun you have on your chilliest days- he loves spending time with you in little ways like that

𖥸 Workout dates!! He’s infatuated with you for many reasons, but one of them is because you work out. The dude literally thinks it’s the coolest thing in the world and he adores working out with you. It’s easily his kryptonite lol

𖥸 Kiri has no concept of grace, so he is extremely impressed with your gymnastics and figure skating skills!! He could watch you do your thing for hours tbh. Like, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. In fact, I think he’d try to incorporate more nimbleness to his moves even though such a feat is kinda difficult when you can turn into rock. You gotta give him some credit tho- we all know he can be a little too opportunistic!! Just imagine him tripping all over himself because he wants to be nimble like you- that little blush on his face as he apologies for being a dummy- aww 💕💕

𖥸 Simply the king of casual dates. Sure, he’d love to spoil you with the stars and more, but he knows you like it calm- fr, you two are actually the cutest when it comes to staying up late and just messing around with no care in the world 💕 also, nature dates? Small picnics in the park?? I bet he’d love to go hiking with you. He likes to point out cool flowers or pretty weeds whenever you two are outside for even the shortest amount of time

𖥸 He loves watching horror movies with you.. even though they scare him a little bit LMAO- but just cuddling with you as your favorite movie plays in the background is simply heaven to him. Maybe you can turn him into a psychological horror buff!!

𖥸 He is also the king of words of affirmation~ the dude loves to remind you about how much you mean to him and how confident you make him feel within himself

You two really are couple goals imo 💕💕💕

𝐦𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡

Gahhh!! I was so excited to ship you with someone!! Thank you so much for requesting!! Also! Don’t worry about long bios in your matchup requests! The longer they are the more mod Ara and I can assess who’s best for you! Its definitely preferable. I hope you enjoy who I match you with. ^w^

𝐦𝐨𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 . . .

⠀

𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐨 !

runner-up : hanta sero

In my opinion, I feel that Mina is the perfect match for you!! First lets get some compatible basics out of the way. Like our good friend Kirishima above, Minas MBTI is also an ESFP (according to the personality database lol). As we know, ESFPs tend to be the most compatible with ISTJs. To add onto that, Mina just so happens to be a Leo!! Leos and Sagittarius's are often compared to soulmates and having a twin flame like connection! It’s a little scary how well you two fit each other, personality dynamics and all. Though you may have been cautious and quiet at first meet, Mina most likely pestered and wiggled her way into your life! She loves making new friends anyhow, and saw no issue in going out of her way to talk to you every chance she could. Now becoming your girlfriend later on would just be an added bonus for her! You better believe she finds your bravery admirable, it drives right up her alley. The two of you would make an absolute power couple, even a fan favorite!! Often, she’d make jokes or even play along with ones that you make in return, just to be able to hear your laughter. It fills her stomach with butterflies and she’s near falling apart at the seams with every melodic giggle. Get ready to be showered in compliments and praise, that’s this girls specialty, and she’d happily fluster you any day with her sickeningly sweet words. 

𖥸 Mina would probably ask you to spar with her a lot. Practicing new moves and quirk related techniques. God knows she loves staying active, and doing something she deems this fun with someone she loves. It makes the moment even more worth while. With your experience in gymnastics, you’d find that you’re able to run circles around this girl with your skill. Afterwards she’d probably offer a massage to ease any sore muscles. 

𖥸 Now as much as Mina would probably prefer a night on the town as a date, she would not think twice about choosing a secluded casual option for your comforts sake. Be that stargazing or even staying in to watch one of those horror films  that you love oh so much over popcorn and sodas. (She’s actually terrified of them, and has a weak stomach, but she’d never tell you that.) 

𖥸 Aimless car drives. Picture the sun setting, painting the sky in a soft pink and an orange hue flickering off of the distant buildings. Your preferred indie song blaring through the speaker while the two of you belt out the lyrics. Neither of you can hear each other over the sound of the wind rolling in through open windows, or how high she cranked the volume. You’ll definitely have to be the one to turn it back down, she can’t help but love loud music, even if the music wasn’t intended to be loud in the first place lol. 

𖥸 Don’t be surprised if she comes to you one day with a gift bag in hand. Every time she goes into a store she has to come out with something that reminds her of you. She’s not even aware of it either until you point it out. This could range from something as simple as your favorite drink to a giant teddy bear that she claimed resembled you. The possibilities are endless. 

𖥸 My word is she in love, infatuated even. That one night she caught you dancing about in the kitchen, probably making a late night snack, she couldn’t look away. In fact, she still thinks about it from time to time. How happy and carefree you looked lip-syncing the lyrics, in the silliest kinds of pjs you owned. She tried to sneak her way in, trying her best to not to make you jump in surprise, though she probably failed with how eager she actually zoomed in. Her love for dancing couldn’t go unnoticed here, oh no, not now. She brought you in close with a twirl under her arm, her smile the widest you’ve seen it. Her flirty nature, only for you, had her compliments laced with sugar and honey. Who knows how long the two of you spent dancing and goofing off to your playlist in that darned kitchen. 

Gosh the two of you make me squeal!! There’s absolutely no way you aren’t made for each other!  

𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫

𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭-𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 !

[kimabutch]

You totally don't have to respond to this if you don't want because I understand it can be a very personal thing but what does butch really mean to you? I recently came to the realization that I am indeed a lesbian and I wasn't aware that butch was anything more than connecting more with masculinity rather than femininity. I was not aware there was some sort of common mindset that comes with it and I'm genuinely curious

Hi! First of all, congrats on realizing you’re a lesbian! Secondly, no worries about asking — but I will say that it’s a huge question and that I’m just one, fairly young butch. I’ll answer based on my experiences and perspective, but please know that there are as many of those as there are butches. I highly recommend seeking other perspectives if you’re interested!

I define my own butchness (and no one else’s) by two things:

I am a masculine lesbian, and those two things aren’t separable for me, if that makes sense. They aren’t two different qualities — I’m not masculine and also a lesbian. The lesbianism I experience is inherently masculine (for example, the idea of a woman being attracted to me as feminine feels instinctively wrong to me) and the masculinity I present is inherently lesbian — I present in a way that’s recognizable to wlw (and other LGBTQ+ people), even when the larger society often reads me as a man.

My connection to other butches, both historical and current. It’s the camaraderie I feel when I’m in a space with other butches; the nod I get from the middle-aged butch on the street; the recognition I feel when I read the words of butches who lived a century before me; all the times that I learn that a behaviour I do is shared by many other butches — and a million other experiences, big and small, that make me part of butch cultures, varied as they are across time and space.

I think that second point sort of gets to what you were talking about with regards to “common mindset.” As I said, butches don’t all see the world in the same way; there are butches with views across the political spectrum (including views that I think are wrong and actively harm other butches — I don’t think you get your butch card revoked if you’re a bad person.)

But it’s also true, I think, that many butches share common experiences and feelings, and that the butch cultures of different areas sometimes resemble each other. There are similarities in how the world treats masculine lesbians, and how we adapt to respond to that. I know that when I get yelled at on the street for my haircut, or when even other wlw think I hate them or I’m intimidating because of my appearance, or when everyone knows I’m a lesbian from the first time they see me, or when people make assumptions about whom and how I date — that these experiences are shared by other butches, and we may respond to them in a similar way. This is also true for good experiences: I’m far from the only butch who felt their whole universe shift the first time a woman called them handsome or when they saw another butch in person for the first time, or for whom dressing up in a three-piece suit evokes a particular feeling of pride, or who finds enormous comfort and self-confidence in being physically strong, or who feels the desire to protect and care for our communities following a long tradition of butches doing the same.

Are these things common to all butches, butch community, or butch cultures? Of course not, and other elements of who I am (being white, physically abled, mentally ill, middle-class, nonbinary, etc.) affect how I experience butchness. But there are enough trends that I think it’s fair to say butchness goes beyond simply our presentation and orientation.

I’m sorry for rambling so much, and taking so long to answer your question! Again, I want to reiterate that I’m really, really just talking from my own experiences and don’t claim to speak for all butches. There are tons of us out there who’d love to talk about our experiences, and lots of excellent butch writing out there (although I don’t currently have the energy to come up with a reading recommendation list, sorry!)