#or just wants to send an ask as an excuse for me to talk about this more

[animamii]

lockedup!Toji loves his Honeybuns

The phone rang just as you were settling onto the couch, a mug of tea in your hands and a show playing faintly in the background. You glanced at the caller ID, already knowing who it was. With a small smile, you picked up, bracing yourself for whatever Toji had cooked up this time. After accepting the call, hearing that way too long trill, you finally get to speak.

"Hello?" you greeted, feigning nonchalance. Although every phone call from Toji has you giggling and kicking your feet, let's be reallll.

"Hey, princess," Toji's deep voice rumbled through the line, warm and familiar despite the scratchy sound of the prison phone. "Whatcha doin’?"

You rolled your eyes, though the grin tugging at your lips betrayed your fondness. "Just relaxing. What about you? Playing king of the yard or something?"

Toji chuckled lowly. "Nah, nah. Somethin’ like that, though. Listen, baby girl, I gotta ask you for somethin’ real important."

You tilted your head, immediately curious. "Important, huh? What is it this time? A file baked into a cake? Need me to smuggle something in my mouth then tongue kiss it into yours?"

"Close," he quipped. "But nah, just a few more honeybuns."

"Honeybuns?" You couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of you. "Are you serious? Didn’t I just send you a whole box last week?"

"Yeah, and they’re gone," Toji said, completely unapologetic. "Ate most of 'em the minute they cleared it and gave it to me. Besides, those things are gold in here."

You raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the couch. "Gold? What, are you trading them for favors or something?"

"Don’t worry ‘bout that," he replied, his tone light but teasing. "Just know your man’s gotta keep his stash stocked. You wouldn’t wanna see me suffer without my sugar fix, would you?"

"You're unbelievable," you teased, shaking your head even though he couldn’t see it. "But fine. I’ll send more. Anything else while I’m at it? Chips? Cookies? A five-course meal?"

"Nah, just the honeybuns," Toji said, and you could practically hear the grin in his voice. "You’re the best, princess. Knew I could count on you."

"Yeah, yeah," you said with mock exasperation. "You’re lucky I like you so much."

"Damn right, I’m lucky," he replied smoothly. "I’ll make it up to you when I get out, I swear. Dinner, a movie—whatever you want. Just me and you, baby."

Your heart softened at his words, a small smile creeping onto your face. "I’m holding you to that, Toji. No excuses."

"Deal," he said without hesitation. "But for now, just keep those honeybuns comin’, alright? They’re the only thing sweeter than you in here."

You rolled your eyes again, though your cheeks warmed at the cheesy line. "Alright, alright. I’ll send them out tomorrow. But you owe me, big time."

"I always owe you, princess," he said, his tone softening. "You’re the reason I get through this mess."

Your chest tightened at the sincerity in his voice. No matter how much trouble he got into, no matter how ridiculous his requests, you couldn’t help but love him for moments like this.

"Stay out of trouble, okay?" you said gently.

"Can’t make any promises," he replied with a chuckle. "But I’ll try. Love you, baby girl."

"Love you too, Toji. I’ll talk to you soon."

As the call ended, you found yourself smiling down at your phone, already mentally adding honeybuns to your shopping list. For all his tough exterior and troublemaking ways, Toji had a soft spot that only you got to see.

Later that evening, as you wandered the aisles of the grocery store, you couldn’t help but laugh to yourself, remembering his unapologetic confession about devouring the last box. You grabbed not one but two boxes of honeybuns this time, thinking about how his face would light up—well, as much as it could under the circumstances—when he got them.

The cashier gave you a curious look as they scanned your purchases. "Big fan of honeybuns?" they asked with a smile.

You chuckled, shaking your head. "Not me. Someone special."

And special he was, even if he had a knack for driving you crazy with his antics. As you packed up your bags and headed home, you realized that, despite the distance and the challenges, you’d do just about anything to keep Toji smiling—even if it meant being his personal honeybun supplier.

⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆⋆ ˚｡ ⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡ ⋆⋆

I'm literally addicted to locked up Toji rn what can I say I love a hot felon ughhh

[coraniaid]

Standard disclaimer that I understand themes and motifs and I'm aware that the reasons characters do things in fiction is because the writers have decided it will drive the plot, rather than because of those fictional characters (who do not in reality exist) being inherently "good" or "bad" people.

Additional disclaimer that I don't think there's any one single reason that Faith ends up spiralling after Finch's death and siding with the Mayor, that the necessary dominoes started falling years before Faith was even Called as a Slayer and that by the time Faith had lost her first Watcher and been living out of a motel room for months and been tricked and betrayed by Gwendolyn Post and accidentally killed a man there probably wasn't anything anyone could have done to stop her from doing all of that.

One more disclaimer: I do not, despite what the rest of this post (or any other posts I may have made or fanfiction I may have written) might suggest, think that Faith's story in Buffy the Vampire Slayer would be somehow improved if she hadn't had the character arc she has in canon. I do not think it would improve the story if Faith hadn't ended up making a series of terrible and short-sided and selfish decisions which ended up making not only her own life much worse but also many other peoples' lives worse [and a couple of other peoples' lives much shorter]. I do not think Faith's fall and eventual redemption is a problem that somehow needs to be fixed.

That being said though ...

Why on Earth, when Giles realizes Faith is lying to him about who really killed Allan Finch, does he decide the best course of action is (1) to pretend to believe her, and (2) make a big show of acting as though Buffy's in a lot of trouble before sending Faith back home to her motel room? In Consequences itself the only excuse he gives is that he "needed [Faith] to think he was on her side" but .. well,

First, newsflash, Rupert: you are meant to be on her side. That is the job you signed up for and are still insisting on doing despite nominally being fired!; and furthermore

This only explains why he pretends to believe Faith. Why does he make a show of throwing the book at Buffy, something that can only help to convince Faith she was right to lie? ("If this is what he's saying to Buffy, his first Slayer and obvious favorite, imagine what he'd be saying if he knew it was me?")

Why not pretend to believe Faith, reassure her she did the right thing by coming to tell him -- and that he's sure she only did it because she knew Buffy needed help -- and then give her the speech he later gives Buffy about how "this isn't the first time something like this has happened" and he "has no plans to involve [the Council]"?

Why not tell Faith that this isn't the first time Buffy herself has been accused of killing a man and questioned by the police? Why not tell her that he himself once accidentally killed a man, and that's something that he and 'Buffy' now have in common? If possible, he could even take Buffy aside and explain the truth to her, and ask her to play along with the charade for now?

Surely if Faith sees that Giles isn't prepared to throw Buffy under a bus, and that he acknowledges that "the Slayer is on the front side of a nightly war" and that "accidents happen", and he's more interested in making sure both of them get the help they need than meting out punishment, she's much more likely to actually admit the truth eventually?

Even if she doesn't want to do that, why not just ask Faith to "sit in" while he talks to Buffy about what "she" did and asks her to explain how she was feeling, so that Faith is in earshot for any advice or suggestions he makes about what to do next? Giles says out loud in this conversation with Buffy that he's worried about "scaring [Faith] off", so ... why is that exactly what he decides to do?

Again, note the disclaimers above: I know the real answer to my question is "that isn't the story the writers wanted to tell". It is necessary for the short-term twist that Faith seems to have convinced Giles to blame Buffy for Finch's death, and for the longer term plot that Giles be unable (or unwilling) to offer Faith any help. I understand that.

But -- in-universe, pretending Giles and Buffy and Faith are all real people -- is there an explanation for this that doesn't boil down to "Giles is a pretty lousy Watcher and should probably not be acting in a mentor role at all?". Why has he decided that the number one priority before anything else must be for Faith to admit it was her, and not the girl Giles can't help but see as a daughter, who killed Finch, when he accepts that -- whoever did it -- it was entirely accidental? If he's not telling the Council anyway and nobody is going to be sent away to be punished, what is the actual issue here?

"There is no help for her until she admits what happened." Okay, Giles, but why have you decided to unilaterally invent this rule, and why do you never use it for anyone else? We saw way back in Faith, Hope & Trick that Giles has no problem at all lying to people who aren't willing to admit the truth in order to help them. If, that is, by "people" we mean "Buffy Summers". Why can't you do the same thing for a girl you don't personally like?

[logan-fields-official]

SBG MAIN SIX UNDER THE MISTLETOE

Yes I know it’s not Christmas anymore, but this has been on my mind for a while now.

Word count: 2,463

Warning: possibly out of character?

Ashlyn:

This probably happened in Aidens house cause I don’t believe Ashlyn would even hang up mistletoes at her house. Aiden probably thought it would be fun to put them up. Ashlyn seems like the type to know about the tradition but never physically participate in it so she forgot about it.

At first Ashlyn was confused as to why Aiden started Ooooing at her. Ashlyn raised a brow and glanced at Aiden, confused until Aiden pointed up. Ashlyn saw the mistletoe and shrugged. “So what it’s just a mistletoe?” And that response made the others giggle/snicker as they shove you under the mistletoe with Ashlyn.

This causes you to squeak out and glance at Ashlyn awkwardly and slightly red faced. This just made Ashlyn more confused until Taylor reminded her of the tradition. Kissing whoever you get stuck until the mistletoe with.

Dating:

This girl is panicking so bad, but all you see is some blank ass stare and maybe a hint of red on her face.

Now your probably taller then Ashlyn so if y’all do actually decide to kiss if you start it you just tilt her head up, but if she starts it she probably yanks you down with enough force to hurt.

Of course she’ll be sorry, but she wouldn’t apologize right away as after the kiss she’s to flustered to even look at you. The kiss is 100% on her mind for the next week.

Not Dating:

She’s panicking and her normal get your hands off of me self. Honestly she’s probably jolted back when you moved even the slightly hint towards her. She’s bright red the whole time.

This just causes the others to laugh so bad. To which Ashlyn just sends them a glare. If you do manage to get close enough to kiss her, she’s probably really stiff.

Now when you did lean in to kiss her, she chickened out last second and snapped her head to the side causing you to kiss her on the cheek. She was flabbergasted and ended up shoving you back.

Because of that kiss though later on in the day she did manage to confess to you.

Aiden:

Again This probably happened in Aidens house. His family seems like the type to decorate and I mean DECORATE. I’m talking lots of Christmas lights, they probably have some inflatable Santa, multiple Christmas trees, and of course the most important detail mistletoes.

This time though instead of the group noticing the mistletoe first Aiden does. You'd just so happen to walk under one of the many mistletoes in his house. Aiden would just give him signature smile and walk over to you with a hint of a blush on his face. He'd talk to you for a minute then look up and be like 'oh? Would you look at that, we're under a mistletoe. You know what that means

That had caught the others attention and Taylor had glaced up and started giggling when she noticed the mistletoe. Aiden would then state with mock innocents that you two now have to kiss in some form of way because of the mistletoe.

Dating:

This boy is practically jumping with joy and of course just so happened to have an energy spike at that moment with him twitching and fidgeting a bit. And he grabbed your hand to mess with it asking if you were up for it.

Now you either to embarrassed to kiss him in front of the others or you went through with it and kissed Aiden. Aiden of course didn't give two shits that the others were there he just wanted an excuse to kiss you.

If you do end up kissing its probably a very sweet kiss. He'd pull you closer and either lean down, look up, or just tilt his head to the side and with no hesitation give you a kiss. He has no shame

If your to embarrassed to kiss him in front of the others he might pout a bit, but he wouldn't force you. Though the moment the others aren't looking/aren't around he'd managed a quick peck on the lips.

Not Dating:

100% is blushing a lot more. I mean like blushing in that one episode when Ashlyn grabs his hand. Though I believe for Aiden whenever he's embarrassed his face doesn't turn that red, but his ears do. And he's fucking panicking internally so bad.

He'd make sure your okay with him kissing you before he does anything. If you agree he is fucking overwhelmed with excitement and joy. He'll carefully pull you closer maybe hesitate a second before kissing you to give you time to back out. The kiss was short and sweet.

He's blushing so bad whenever you guys pull back, but you can tell he enjoyed it from the huge dazed smile. That would 100% give him the confidence to confess.

Ben:

Surprise! Aidens house cause I can’t think of anything else. He was probably trying to avoid all of the mistletoes as he helped put them up so he knew where they all were.

Aiden noticed that Ben was avoiding all of the mistletoes and he knew about his fat crush on you. So Aiden being Aiden came up with a plan.

You, Ben, and Lily were all just chilling in the living room just cuddled up under some blankets watching a movie. That’s when Aiden decided to put his plan into motion. He grabbed a mistletoe and held it over you and Ben.

Dating:

When Ben noticed Aiden and the mistletoe in his hand he flushed bright red and tensed up. You noticed him tense up and glance around to find out what’s wrong. That’s when you see Aiden and your face also flushes red.

Aiden just smirks and claims that you and Ben have to kiss now. This just causes Ben to turn an even deeper shade of red as he glances away awkwardly.

If you two do share a kiss it’s quick very quick just a soft peck as he’s very nervous in front of the others and well he heard Lily just being a kid and ew-ing at you and him.

If you or him end up backing out, Aiden would be disappointed and continue trying to get you two to kiss. In the end Aiden, while you and Ben were distracted talking to each other ended up pushing both your heads together. It didn’t go as planned and y’all were just in pain.

Not Dating:

Really and I mean really nervous. He’d probably try to cover your eyes before you see Aiden, but he was already to late. He still covers your face though.

Aiden just laughs like a maniac the whole time and teases Ben. Lily was confused and asked what was happening. When Aiden told her she squealed and honestly probably unintentionally exposed him. Just some child whisper or ‘you can kiss them now like your in a fairytale isn’t that what you wanted?”

This makes Ben flush an even deeper shade of red and with some encouragement not only from Aiden and Lily, but also the way your face is red. With his hand still covering your eyes he leans in and gives you a quick peck.

Logan:

Okay let’s try a new place? Let’s try Logan’s house. You had came over around Christmas so they were decorating and you decided to help. Logan’s grandparents adore you. They are so happy Logan has some good friends(or more).

In fact since his grandparents could tell Logan had a crush on you and they liked you. They set Logan up. It wasn’t Logan’s idea for you to come over it was theirs. That’s how you ended up in the Fields house.

Logan’s grandparents knew exactly what they were doing when they had Logan hold you up so you could put the mistletoe in it’s place. The moment Logan sat you down they immediately spoke up about how you were both under the mistletoe.

Dating:

Still panicking so fucking bad. There is no way this boy has kissed you yet. So this would end up being y’all’s first kiss and his actual first kiss. He immediately stiffened and looked at his grandparents like a deer in headlights.

Once he’s calmed down enough to speak he’d act like a kid immediately saying ‘GRANDMA?!?’ Like what she said was the most embarrassing thing in the whole world. His grandparents would just laugh at him and honestly you did to.

He would not be the one to kiss you. In fact he’d probably just start rambling about why that’s the worse idea he’s ever heard and that you probably don’t want him to. Of course you shut him up by snagging ahold of his sweater and pressing your lips against his.

He squeaked and immediately froze. His brain quite literally shut down. His face was bright red and he felt like he was gonna pass out. Of course after a moment he melted into the kiss. Then he remembered his grandparents were there squeaked again and backed away from you covering his face.

Not Dating:

Bright red. That’s all you can say. And I’m talking the whole nine yards (that’s a saying right?) his whole face is bright red, his ears are bright red, and his neck is red. He is blushing like no tomorrow and he looks like he’s about to pass out.

He’d honestly try to walk away, but his grandparents just kept on teasing him. He had his head down and eventually agreed after you did. He’d try so so so hard to follow through and kiss you, but he was hit FULL FORCE with some  top-tier embarrassment.

He actually almost passed out his anxiety was through the roof. And he ended up resting his head on your shoulder. You laughed and told him it was alright and help him sit down. Of course you did manage to sneak a little kiss on the cheek, which just made it worse. He could couldn’t talk or look at you for the next couple hours.

Taylor:

Let’s make this at the Hernandez’s house. Taylor 100% invited you over to hang out. It was her idea, she honestly doing it to also make Tyler have no choice, but to be nice to you.

They had the normal amount of decorations for Christmas including mistletoes. Taylor seems to be one of the most confident people in the group. So she honestly probably planned this.

You were both just chilling in her room. She was just yapping and honestly you were to. At some point though you quieted down and just listen yo Taylor talk. Until she held something above your head… a mistletoe.

Dating:

She was really giggly while doing this. She knew exactly what she was doing. She wanted to kiss you and she was going to kiss you. She just gave you an excited smile while her face was slightly red.

If you do end up kissing Taylor you might wanna hope Tyler doesn’t walk in. Or else you’ll have to deal with overprotective brother. It would be a really sweet kiss. You could feel her smiling and trying not to giggle.

Tyler would see the both of you later with Taylor giggling with a red face. He raised a brow at the two of you, but surprisingly he wouldn’t question the two of you. You and Taylor just ended up cuddling the rest of the day.

Not Dating:

She’s still giggly, but she’s really giggly now. She’s blushing and it’s really noticeable. She’d swing the mistletoe slightly and ask if you wanna kiss.

If you agree she is overjoyed. And doesn’t hesitate to lean in and give you a kiss. She’s very happy and has a huge smile on her face.

If you say no it’s because Tyler just had to walk in at that moment. When Taylor noticed Tyler she practically LAUNCHED the mistletoe across the room her face turning bright red. Tyler just ended up giving you the whole you better not break her heart or I’ll break your neck talk.

Tyler:

Again at the Hernandez house. Taylor invited you over for dinner because one you and her are friends and two she knows even if Tyler won’t admit it that he has a fat crush on you. Oh and yes Taylor didn’t tell Tyler that she invited you over.

When Tyler saw you in his house he froze just for a minute. Before immediately going back to his grumpy self. Taylor honestly was the one to get you two under the mistletoe. She called both you and Taylor into the living room and the moment you both step into the living room she points up.

There right above yours and Tyler’s head is a mistletoe. Tyler immediately flushed red, but tries to hide it by just grumbling and calling the mistletoe tradition stupid.

Dating:

He’s fake cocky and tough when he’s literally panicking on the inside. He’s grumble thinking you helped Taylor plan this and say something like ‘if you wanted a kiss you could have just asked.’

Yet when it comes to actually kissing you he’s surprisingly flushed and hesitant. Like he doesn’t want you to hate the kiss. He does manage to kiss you though and honestly he’s a lot more red then what he was. Don’t tease him about it though or your getting a pillow to your face.

Taylor was so happy when you and Tyler kissed as if she didn’t know that you two were dating. Tyler and you 100% end up kissing more throughout that day as Taylor kept on randomly holding mistletoes above yours and Tyler’s head.

Not Dating:

Panicking big time panicking. He’d seen Taylor a small glare for doing this to you two. He’d glance at you awkwardly and then try to act calm and collected asking if you wanted to kiss him.

If you say yes not only would Tyler seem to get more awkward, but Taylor would immediately squeal in delight and honestly that probably got their moms attention. Who ended up walking in and as soon as she walked in she paused.

There you and Tyler were sharing a small kiss, after you two pulled away Tyler was grumbling his face noticeably more red. His mom might speak up with something like ‘awh my sons all grown up’ which just causes Tyler to get even more flustered looking away to hide his blush.

[ganondoodle]

okay, bc i have seen this argument alot now (and it also seems to be the view point of aonuma himself..) is that "zelda cant do everything link does bc whats the point then"

and i take personal offense on that bc its a stupid argument (in. my. very. personal. opinion.- not judging people for liking it. its a ME thing)

whats the point? its that its her. its still a different character, different in story, background, personality, but i WANT to play zelda and she can do everything link does, why does she have to be so restricted and be bend over backwards to find some new way to make her 'useful' when link gets to do basically everything no questions asked (the only thing thats hers is like .. sealing power and sacrificial maiden, which i find a little underwhelming to say the least), if theres no point to it why are there always modders that model swap link with someone else, and in that case it has even less impact bc its an artificial model swap with no changes to the story (which can and should still be different when its the vanilla game with a different protagonist... its still a different character), clearly theres joy in just the model being a different one- and that isnt even to mention the story possibilities, since, again, its stil a different character

if we ever (never ... i know who we are talking about here) get to play as ganondorf i want to him to be just as versatile and active as link is, if we got a point and click adventure game for him instead bc 'whats the point' id be disappointed too- you can find any sort of excuse/explanation for zelda to be singled out but the fact remains it tracks with how female characters are often treated, and that hits a very sore spot for me

i guess i am unfortunately one of those annoying people that want to see female characters be treated exactly the same as male characters, possibly bc i am myself afab but identify as agender and have a deeply personal dislike for anything 'traditional' feminine bc i cannot and never will be able to truly live as myself in real life, it influences all of my work, my work is as just as much as my opinion on this, very personal

and in line with my point about modding, i see theres joy in just beign able to play as her even if its like this, i get that, i also get it for the creative aspect (though that mechanic worries me even more for the future bc it really seems to be the path now that -freedom = good, linear anything = bad-) it is a different idea and its not like i cant see that value- im not trying be "right" either, just bc i have that opinion doesnt mean i need everyone to agree, its a very personal thing, if you like it good for you! not for me though, and i think both of that is equally valid

i just personally wish she was allowed to be just like link, fight just like him but be different bc its still her and not him in the end- to be physically/playstyle like jsut like him, but you know ... as her, i dont think shed stop being zelda if she could wield a sword just like him

i dont really know how to get my point/feelings across, i dont want to step too much into personal stuff nor spam people with something that ultimately doesnt interest me alot, im just saddened by it really

(EDIT: bc i forgot to add this on here again; this isnt as much of a problem as it might sound like here, just the main topic i wanted to talk about; why im so uninterested in it is MAINLY bc i dont trust them to write anything interesting/care about lore anymore after totk, im always on the more pessimistic side that thinks its most likely worse than id hope and i know even the past games arent perfect or super interestingly written, but now its much more just a general distrust, together with everything like the price ... im just much less hopeful and cant get excited until i see more of it, like im waiting for the game to get out and reveal that its just as much of a mess and money i regret spending- kind of fear)

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

I just can't get over how Tails spied on Sonic in the bath via satellite in the movies (and enjoyed the view. He knew what he was doing). They (probably unintentionally) giving us shippers fuel ❤️👀

Listen listen, anon

Anon

I think about some of those tidbits from Sonic Movie 2 all the time

I mean it's not as if this is out of character for Tails (given that he more explicitly just kind of straight up stalked Sonic in the backstory in Japan's version of the Sonic 2 manual) but man

This really is not to mention the way Sonic feigns uncomfortability/disgust when he's like "You even watch me in the shower??", and then when Tails doesn't even skip a beat explaining that he knows Sonic takes bubble baths Sonic full 180s into "Wow!😊". Just full on impressed with how extensively Tails has been watching him

Like they just dropped on us "Tails watches Sonic constantly like it's the Sonic show, no matter how private or intimate the moment" and "by all rights Sonic is perfectly okay with the knowledge of this behavior" and expected us to be normal about it?😂

I could probably make an entire post logging Sonic movie 2's sontails shipping fuel honestly

Honarable mention of a scene is when Maddie starts looking through Tails' backpack of inventions and comments "This fox is into some freaky stuff!"

Interesting connotations there

Anyways😂

[nadekosnake]

neglected manuscript - Do you have a favorite novel?

from this ancient ask meme

LMAO NO!!! PICKING THE ONE I WAS AFRAID OF 💀 I could make it easy and lie but y’know what? We’re gonna be honest about this 🫡 Gonna be LONG bc I have 1) not talked with about this in any capacity with another human being before and 2) a pretty complicated relationship with this book 🤕

Content warning for CSA 👇

This is difficult partly bc I do love a lot of books but partly bc I don’t like to reveal my actual favorite book… I genuinely worry people will perceive me in a very negative way LMAO. My favorite of all time is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 😶 It’s the book I’ve reread the most in my life so far and it is genuinely one of the best written books I have read 🤧 I think generally people are like 😰🤢 when you drop a bomb like that what’s typically supposed to be a light-hearted convo so I usually will say something else! Typically my safe answer is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (which genuinely was my favorite book at some point in time, we are not going to dive into this right now).

(A disclaimer as I talked about Lolita fashion before, I am aware that the fashion gets its name from the novel but that’s where the relation ends. I like Lolita fashion because I’m a loser that likes subculture fashion and not because it has the same name or any other connection to the book. That happens to be coincidental. I am staunchly against fetishization of the fashion ok thanks! 🙂‍↕️ back to the program!)

Brief summary for those who need it: Humbert (the narrator) is a scholar and a secret pedophile, who one day meets the Haze family for a home stay. He obsesses over the daughter, a 12 year-old girl named Dolores Haze, who he personally calls Lolita. Humbert marries Ms. Haze to be around the real object of his obsession. Through unfortunate events, he ends up Dolores’s sole caretaker. She lives with Humbert’s constant sexual abuse that spans a cross-country roadtrip, but eventually she runs away with the help of another pedophile. Unfortunately it is not a happy ending. Despite Dolores’s escape from both pedophiles, she dies before she can rebuild a normal life with her future family.

The first time I tried to read it, I was too young (around Dolores’s own age 🫥). It was recommended to me by another middle school girl! God knows what the fuck we were doing back then LMAO but the girl who recommended it to me said it was a love story. Older man girl our age whatever. Tbh when I started it I understood that it wasn’t a love story… and I couldn’t finish it because of how uncomfortable it made me. I reread it a handful of times between middle school and uni with varying degrees of success, and I only really started to grasp it when I reached uni. I do think I was entirely too young to read the book or even understand it, and thankfully it was not used as a tool to manipulate me. It was a dicey time tbh. When I was growing up, there weren’t communities of young women that centered around accepting Dolores Haze as a victim.

I think there’s a disclaimer for those you haven’t read it and think it glorifies CSA and pedophilia. It really does not. Nabokov himself was a victim of CSA and did not condone it. I think that the #1 thing that movie adaptations and pop culture struggle with is that people believe the narrator point blank. So the adaptations all have this horrible romanticization of the story at their cores. People even struggle with understanding the book because the narrator is an Educated & Scholarly Man who is like ✨I’m a poet I’m a sensitive soul and we poets just believe in love✨ like NO!!! The whole point of the story is that he is an unreliable narrator!!! The narrator is a murderer, rapist, kidnapper, and if you’re actually paying attention you see it all with your own damn eyes! And of course nobody really does pay attention! 😭

So like, why is this my favorite? This is also complicated LOL, but I think that there’s a couple of main reasons.

Ultimately, to me, the novel is a puzzle that Nabokov invites you to solve. You have an unreliable narrator, but he’s an excellent manipulator. I think a lot of people lose “the game,” so to speak, the first time they read the book because the narrator is so good at making you see only what he wants you to see (he loves her, he’s just a nice sensitive guy who lost his first love too early, he’s doesn’t mean to hurt “his” “Lolita,” she “seduced” him, she “makes” him do horrible things to her, etc). It is written so well, and since the character himself is a professor and an intellectual, I think it’s easier for folks to let their guard down and to literally be tricked. Genuinely speaking I struggled with what to believe too, especially as a child. The only reason I didn’t buy into the “love story” bit was because by some intuition, I was aware that something Bad was happening despite the narrator’s insistence that it was all good. Tho I could not pinpoint what it was at the time.

But once you break past the facade and you’re fully paying attention the novel, it is like two stories in one. One hand, poets romantics in the name of love blah blah blah, but on the other hand? Dolores is a girl from a broken home, who’s mother is murdered by a man that wants to rape her. She’s kidnapped and shows clear signs of abuse (triggered by paternal affection, cried herself to sleep every night since the abuse started, bouts of disassociation, extreme rebellion towards Humbert, etc). Some of this stuff is actually glossed over by the narrator, but signs of a whole other part of the story are literally right in front of you if you’re paying attention.

For example, there’s a single line about Dolores’s mother, Charlotte, where she reveals in a letter to Humber that both her first husband and her youngest child (Dolores’s baby brother) died. And the narrator does NOT give a rat’s ass about this woman or her woes so it’s never talked about again. It’s whittled down to one single dismissive sentence, and I missed it tons of times. But knowing that, it makes sense why Charlotte acts as she does, why Charlotte and Dolores’s relationship is fraught. And why Dolores acts as she does at the beginning of the novel. Literally the Haze family is going through extreme grief with barely the emotional resources to process a double death in their immediate family. Without that context though, you’re just going along with whatever Humbert wants you to believe. You don’t see who Charlotte or Dolores are as individuals. You miss a chunk of the truth. And that’s literally just one of the smallest instances I can think of. There’s so much to dig through both directly and in between the lines. Nabokov is so deliberate with his writing and so extremely detailed that there’s a LOT of things that are easily missed unless you read it multiple times. This shit is so detailed, there’s scholars dedicated both to Nabokov and to Lolita the novel.

I think the last big reason I keep coming back to it is because I think it’s something so deeply rooted in society, you never really live without Lolita. The book has been bastardized to hell and back because most people, especially those in power once again, Do Not Understand how to read this book. So we’re left with not necessarily Dolores Haze, but this enigmatic “Lolita” the abstract figure of Humbert’s delusions. She is so influential, we all live our lives with her whether or not we’re aware of it. Coquette aesthetic? Lolita. Lana Del Rey? Katy Perry? The Police? Lolita. Marc Jacobs? Carven? Lolita. Vladimir? Excavation? My Dark Vanessa? Lolita. Heart-shaped sunglasses? Lolita. Butterflies??? Yes, Lolita. You can even go so wild with the connections to the point of bringing up the goddamn Lion King (animated 1994 version, Scar is voiced by Jeremy Irons who played Humbert Humbert in Adrian Lyne’s 1997 adaptation).

And it’s this constant reminder, every day. You pass by her on the Internet or in an ad while you’re out and about. She lives in the shadow of your acquaintance or your loved one. She haunts everything in a very real and literal sense. I think that’s what keeps me coming back to the book… even if I wanted to forget about her, I don’t think I ever really could.

[moonlit-orchid]

good evening to everyone except a certain few fucking anons

[rosicheeks]

two friends always talking about how bad they want to fuck you together and making eachother horny over you, losing our minds any time you post a new picture? 😇

No | rather not | I dunno | I guess | Sure | Yes | FUCK yes | Oh god you don’t even know |

Send me a kink and I’ll rate it 😝

[ningningkittie]

🦨💭

[swearphil]

I started my first job out of grad school a couple months ago, but my grad assistant supervisor from my previous position just let me know that she's moving next year and that a position similar to hers is going to post at some point. she thinks I'd be a good fit and she said she'll keep me updated on it and I think depending on the job description, I'm going to apply for it. I said I would take advantages of opportunities that came my way and I feel like this is one of those moments but I also feel bad about already thinking about leaving my current position when I haven't even been at it for even one full semester

[ichorblossoms]

hehehoho 5+11 for grimm pleasee

good fucking LORD this took so fucking long to answer hihihi thank you for asking this all those months ago <3

5. Does your OC have a signature weapon and/or attack? How long did they train to master it?

while it can use a variety of weapons, grimm's best with a revolver. their ideal fight is one where they don't get hurt, so they got really good with a gun over the years to keep as much distance between them and anyone wanting to cause damage. it didn't deliberately seek to get really good with its revolver in particular, but it's a small enough gun and doesn't take up much space on its person, so its skill is a combination of deliberate training/target practice and years of familiarity

grimm's not the sentimental sort, but the gun itself is meaningful to them; i haven't teased out the exact history behind it or if it has several guns over the years, but the gun is symbolic of the "freedom" they earned for themself as well. it takes care of its few belongings.

(i model theirs off a smith & wesson .44 magnum 29 for literally no reason, i just think the shape looked neat. also i've been drawing the holster on their right thigh when they're left-handed so i'm torn between drawing the holster on the left thigh now or making them ambidextrous when they shoot. i dunno)

and then, of course, there is also the

i talked abt grimm n wrench awhile ago here (which you prolly remember bc you asked that hgkdfhl) as far as that goes everything there is still canon for the time being. aside from scars, wrench is really the only thing grimm still has from the several years they spent under the thumb of the casimir family. i think a word is escaping me here because while they were a bodyguard, they were also part of a group of humods trained to carry out all sorts of dirty work for the family from tracking people down, intimidating adversaries, finishing people off, etc. etc.

as it stands in my mind now, there were five coyote humods all outfit with their own dogs who formed a "pack". i've yet to figure out how close this group was because on one hand, they're all enduring the same shit, but on the other hand it would be in the interest of the casimir family to keep their small unit of well-trained attack dogs bickering and fighting with one another instead of banding together. they were together for....~3ish years? give or take and trained with/against one another

the armor/animal tech is uncommon, especially in the desert where machines in general are uncommon, so while this is a sort of "signature" thing only grimm and a few others can do, i don't think they've mastered it, especially since it goes about a decade or so without resorting to using wrench in that way. it's more of a "use only in dire circumstances" sort of thing. but the muscle memory is still there

11. What does your OC believe in? God(s)? Monsters? Love? The power of unbreakable bonds of friendship to overcome any obstacle? The ability of money to open any door? Or are they indifferent?

i answered this one here ages ago [dies on the floor] BUT grimm's internal belief system is a fascinating thing so. let's take a little walk. for a very long time, grimm believes the world is apathetic, that everything and everyone only cares about fulfilling the base impulse to survive, and the only thing that can guarantee your own survival is yourself. it is an animal, and part of the food chain, and it will make itself into a hunter before being hunted.

at the same time, it travels, it knows things like friends and love and family exist in this world, and what people do in the names of them. but it's not a person anymore, it's an animal, and it's not practical to think about what could have been, so it doesn't.

now, yarrow is not the first person to treat grimm like a person, but the way he did—and does—it without really thinking, consistently, rattles grimm, who never expected it in the first place. and so grimm falls in love.

which, it does believe in love. but love to it is a death more than a joy, a disfigurement of the self into whatever the person you love wants you to be, because you're an animal only pretending to be a person. of course yarrow doesn't really know about any of this, and grimm slowly realizes there's nothing yarrow is asking them to be aside from themself and they slowly, slowly begin to reconfigure their belief in love as something that can be good, not a chain. except grimm's perception of love is scrambled so it never quite separates love from unerring devotion

this is such a fascinating question to me bc grimm n yarrow's beliefs change over the course of the story, and in no small part because of one another (i'd argue grimm's is more bc of yarrow directly and yarrow's is more from their own experiences, which they never would have had if not for grimm), so it's sometimes difficult for me to pin down beliefs of theirs that remain fully consistent. i think the most broad way of putting it is yarrow believes people are all we have in this world and grimm believes in you are the only thing you have, but at the same time, yarrow hesitates to trust people with himself past a certain level of closeness, and grimm will trust itself in the hands of someone who treats it well

[lovelornlamb]

i would love to feel like i was important in any metric. i don't like feeling as if im just needling him for attention but if i don't push, then i get absolutely nothing. and if i give nothing, its deafening silence

[oceantornadoo]

when you first start talking to simon riley, you want to check yourself into an insane asylum.

you like to think you’re cool, you’re chill, you’re nonchalant. but he takes eight hours to text back, sending you a “come over.” text at 7pm like he hadn’t just ignored you the whole day. you complain to your friends, of course, which is a terrible move when they tell you to drop him and if he wanted to, he would! and you think he does (want to), he’s just so insanely nonchalant about it. so the next time he comes over, chinese takeout in hand after not texting you back since 8am, you go a little crazy…

you open the door for him, stepping back awkwardly when he tries to peck your forehead. he practically shrugs it off, toeing off his boots before setting the food down on your table. “got tha’ dish ya like.” you nod, forgetting his back is to you. simon unpacks the boxes with precision from the bag, not stopping until it’s all laid out on the table. you’ve been quiet for a while, unusual since you’re the talker of the bunch, and that creeping feeling that’s been sliding up his skin finally sets its hooks in him. he turns around curiously, brows furrowing at the sight of you still standing by the door, biting your lip with a timid look and wet eyes. “love?���

you shake your head with a watery smile. “can we talk?” simon follows you as you walk to your couch, feeling like he’s been dropped into an op with no details. he doesn’t know what’s wrong, just that you’re hurting and he seems to be the cause of it. “i just…don’t get it. how you’re acting so normal.” you’re twisting your hands together. “somethin’ happen, love? got me confused.” you give him that small, weak smile again and it’s like you’ve stabbed him in the heart. “you- you barely talk to me all day and then you just come over here like it’s nothing. it’s just so hot and cold and i’m wrecking myself over it when it’s so clear you don’t care. i’m just so confused, si.”

simon runs through his memories. he texted you good morning, you texted it back, then he went about his duties for the day until he was finally free to ask about dinner. hadn’t even picked up his phone in the meantime, security risks or just plain busyness being the cause. “‘ve been busy, sweetheart. ‘s why i asked t’ come over when i was done.” you shake your head, biting your lip. “it’s the modern day, simon. everyone’s on their phones. i don’t think you’re as into this as me, and that’s fine, but i just want to know!”

now simon’s the one shaking his head, pulling out his phone. he might not be tech savvy but he does know this move from johnny, the fucker constantly complaining about his screen time. he pulls up the screen time tracker and turns it to you. “not everyone.” you’re a bit shocked to be honest. his screen time is ten minutes for the entire day. a few in the morning when he texted you and nothing until nighttime, when he texted you again. you’ve never seen anything like it.

“‘m not a big texter an’ we don’t use personal phones for work, so it’s jus’ a brick i leave at home or lug around. ‘s nothin’ on you. been thinkin’ about you all day, to be honest.” your mouth is open, honestly. any other man would have never shown you their minute-by-minute screen time, would have begged off the “busy” excuse while having been on social media for four hours. simon, by all standards, is genuinely different.

“so, you do like me?” he nods stiffly, gloved hands reaching for you. you slide into his lap easily, tucking your face into his neck to hide your heated cheeks. you’d even shed a few tears over this, how embarrassing. “‘course i like you, sweetheart. an’ im sorry if it didn’t feel like it. let’s have it out, yeah?” you nod into his skin and he takes a deep breath, pulling you closer to his heart.

from that day on, you compromise with phone calls. when he’s got a few minutes and you’ve hit a lull at work, he’ll call you. it’s better than any text in the world - hearing his gruff voice asking questions about your messy coworkers or dinner plans. not so nonchalant as you thought.

-

i wish this was from personal experience but unfortunately for me, it’s closer to the men not responding for days but having a screen time of six hours.

[ganondoodle]

i often really do feel like an .. unwanted part of the fandom, i dont draw beautiful landscapes, i have unpopular but strong opinions im constantly annoying about and rarely change, dont like/dont draw the pretty young popular twinks and hot gurls to fanboi over nor do i turn characters into one, the opposite moreso, draw only one ship no ones heard of really, got little energy to interact with the few people that are nice to me and send me asks so it probably looks like im ignoring everyone and unfortunately but still rarely get so stressed i get overwhelmed and emotional about pehaps seemingly minor things and spiral almost into a breakdown feeling super embarrassed about it afterwards but the damage is already done and i look like a freak or agressive weirdo

[sungwoonha]

actually a walk can’t fix me

[acid-ixx]

a loving family, an unpalatable desire

reblogs and interactions are encouraged and appreciated.

a/n: would anyone hear me out if i ever wrote romantic yan! bruce (ft. platonic yan! batfam AND romantic yan clark kent alongside the superfam ofc) with a neglected spouse reader... because uhm, i've been thinking about it lately just yk... so anyways PLSPLSPLS send in asks about this, ive been thinking about it so much lately.

imagine wanting to raise a family so badly with a man who adopts problem children as a side hustle. you're not some invasive spouse, you've always been good, always been loving, so... so accepting, never questioned where or how he picked them up from the side of the streets, never once complaining about the hickeys on his neck or the once neat tussles of his hair now tangled accompanying lipstick stains on his white suit.

you love your children, you tell yourself all the time. you love them, you love bruce— even if he doesn't love you. you said it in your vows, despite it being scripted, despite your family finally sighing in relief in the sidelines at finally being able to sell you off to one of the wealthiest man in the world, rather than being wasting off under their care— your vows are real.

you wanted someone to love you, unconditionally, so viscerally eternal that it eats you up.

really, all you wanted was to play that fantasy life of trophy house spouses. all you wished for was a loving, healthy relationship. the american dream: the picture perfect family frames, your husband kissing you on the cheek as he leaves for work, your children bickering at the dining room, with the scent of homemade meals wafting about the vicinity. all you wanted was the warmth in your chest to flicker like candlelights. all you dreamed about was that domestic life, an escape from the abusive household you were raised in.

yet the manor is too cold, too unforgiving for a soul such as yours.

the longer you stay inside claustrophobic, yet oh-so large hallways, the quicker you drown in a neverending pool of self-hatred.

but you're not allowed to show them your sufferings. they've been through much worse, you tell yourself. they've suffered more, and as what good spouses do, as what you're taught, you stay silent, enabling them to turn you into their own emotional punching bag.

you only allow yourself to cry at the dead of the night, under the sheets of your too-cold blanket and your too-hot pillows. when the manor is filled with deathly silence and a looming sense of dread and ill fitting thoughts of ifs and when they'll come back in one piece, will you grant yourself temporary respite; worry for a family who never even called you their parent.

yet you've always been so considerate. despite the pang in your chest every time bruce flirts with anymore potential love interest at a gala, you chose to instead monitor your chaotic children, who have always never bat an eye on you despite you always gazing lovingly at them.

you know of their interests, they don't know yours, yet you still give them extravagant gifts on their birthdays, with tired, yet glinting eyes, and a silent excuse to return to your room; one separate from bruce.

you know of bruce's hardships, but you don't push too hard, don't force him to talk, only provide him your silence and an offer to serve him dinner; all the time he refuses without looking at you. you give him comfort only if he ever allows you, only if he allows his walls to crumble— but not even his spouse can amount to a warm, crackling fireplace. to him, you're probably only a matchstick under the deadbeat glaze of the snow in a winter night.

maybe that's why you're such a ghost in the manor, stalking through the hallways, looking out for any of your children in case they come across you with any injuries. maybe that's why eventually your resolve weakened.

and maybe the absence of familial love led you to find comfort in another man's arm.

''til death do us part,' is such a tragic saying in your case, because you know it in your fragile heart that bruce's love for you was never alive in the first place. and yet you allow him to play you like a fiddle, allow him to slowly allow you to slip away from his nonexistent grasp.

and now, you're a stand-in parent for clark's son, jon, after the tragic loss of his wife. now, your world seems a lot less bleaker, as you play the fantasy of a loving house spouse, fully abandoning the life you left behind, a life you've never been gifted with until now. you want to feel guilty, you want to feel absolutely terrible but the heartache of neglect has become too much and all you do was allow clark to warm you up each night, kissing away your tears and spooning your deep-seated anxieties away.

you don't let the past eat you up, not when the present is too perfect, too freeing, too delusionally beautiful.

your son, jon provides you every joy a parent could have. parent's day gifts, heartfelt letters at every nook and cranny of your shared bedroom with clark— even reading him bedtime stories, allowing him to sleep in your lap after he slowly nods off, with clark knocking softly on polished wooden doors, greeting you with a loving kiss on the lips and a bouquet of your favorite flowers in hand—

it's everything a parent wants, needs even.

and you're everything clark, and especially jon wants, needs in their life.

so it's such a stupid mistake, really. a slip of the tongue, a too-enthusiastic smile, incredibly bright, shining eyes. it's not jon's fault, you still love him either way. but it's an error still— one a complicated matter at hand, so dreadful for you, that jon accidentally, all-too-suddenly, mentions you as his parent to damian.

a loving, wonderful parent, he says, with a picture of you in his wallet shoved right in front of his friend's face.