#quite honest the cops suck

[basilsbestpainting]

Just drove behind an unmarked cop car (ya aint too slick with the same 6 antenna and wires on your windows as you think you are homies). I'd seen the around (with flashing lights, that's how I knew we had them here in the big city), but this is the first time I saw one "incognito" and I realized some things.

First off, I didn't panic like I typically do when I see an officer when I'm driving. Which was helpful bc my panic attacks while driving have been super bad since my car accident.

Second off, it fails its duty as a cop car. In my intro to criminal justice class I learned something very important about crime deterrence which I think the actual police seem to fucking forget: the mere visual presence of an officer every 15 minutes deters crimes in a crowded area. By hiding the presence of the car, it's not acting as a deterrent, but a trap. (Which, yeah I know, but it was wild to see in action)

Even if it's shit at being "unmarked", (public plates, same antennas, same dark shade as the dark color on the cop cars, same window protections) it looks normal at a quick glance. It's not acting as a visual cue to behave, which is one of the primary jobs I learned the police are supposed to do in my "what are the polices job" class.

[pucksandpower]

Blow Out the Candles

Charles Leclerc x birthday girl!Reader

Summary: the many ways that you and Charles celebrate your birthday throughout the years

Warnings: vague depictions of childbirth and labor

It’s my birthday today so this is my gift to you 🫶

You let out a long sigh as you lean back against the cold concrete wall of the holding cell. This is not exactly how you pictured spending your birthday weekend.

The heavy steel door clangs shut behind you, the sound echoing in the cramped space. Looking around, you take in the sparse furnishings — a bench along one wall, a grimy leaking sink in the corner, and a single window so dirty that it barely lets in any light.

Charming.

You hear voices and footsteps approaching. Keys jangle and the door swings open again. A police officer steps aside and another person stumbles into the cell.

He looks to be about your age or a little older, with messy brown hair and a bewildered expression. The officer mumbles something about “sorting this out shortly” before slamming the door closed once more.

The new arrival blinks in confusion before noticing you sitting on the bench. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there,” he says with an accent you can’t quite place. French, maybe? He runs a hand through his tousled hair sheepishly.

You give a wry smile. “Don’t worry about it. I take it you’re joining me for the complimentary holding cell experience?”

He chuckles, leaning back against the wall across from you. “Yeah, something like that. I’m Charles.”

“Y/N,” you reply. “Nice to meet you, cellmate.”

Charles grins, and you can’t help but notice how his nose crinkles up when he smiles. It’s kind of adorable. “The pleasure is mine,” he says gallantly, giving a theatrical little bow that makes you laugh.

“So Charles, what terrible crime did you commit to land yourself in this lovely establishment?” You ask with mock seriousness.

He smirks. “Would you believe me if I said jaywalking?”

You raise an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” he confirms. “I was trying to get to the bakery before they sold out of croissants. I may have darted across the street … outside of the crosswalk.” He shakes his head ruefully. “The things I do for pastries.”

You have to laugh. “A real menace to society, you are.”

He grins again. “What about you? Don’t tell me you’re in for armed robbery or something.”

“Me? No way,” you scoff. “I was taking the metro downtown and I may have … accidentally used an expired metro card. The transit cops dragged me off at the next stop. I tried to explain it was an honest mistake but they weren’t having it.”

“Ah, a hardened criminal!” Charles exclaims in mock horror, eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Clearly. Us lawbreakers need to stick together,” you joke.

You both erupt into laughter, the sound ringing brightly in the dreary holding cell.

As your laughter subsides, Charles regards you curiously. “So do you make a habit of riding the metro with expired cards, Y/N?”

You make a face. “No, I just grabbed the wrong card in my wallet this morning. I was rushing to get downtown and didn’t even think to check.”

“Why were you in such a hurry?”

You hesitate. The real reason seems kind of silly now that you’re stuck in a jail cell. “It’s my birthday today,” you explain with a self-conscious shrug. “I was meeting some friends for brunch downtown to celebrate. Guess I’m going to be late for that.”

“It’s your birthday?” Charles’ eyes widen. “Well, happy birthday!”

You crack a smile. “Thanks.”

“I’m sorry you got stuck in here for your birthday,” he says sympathetically. “That really sucks.”

You give another shrug. “Honestly, this will make for a pretty funny story later. Not exactly how I wanted to spend today, but what can you do?”

Charles nods thoughtfully. A moment later his face lights up. “I know what we can do! Since we’re stuck in this lovely cell, we should have our own little birthday celebration. I can sing for you!”

You raise your eyebrows, surprised but charmed by the offer. “Really? You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s your birthday, of course I do!” He insists.

Clearing his throat theatrically, he launches into an enthusiastic, if not exactly tuneful, rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

His voice echoes off the concrete walls as he gesticulates dramatically, getting really into it by the second verse. You can’t help giggling as he puts his whole heart into hitting the high notes.

By the time he finishes with a flourish, you’re both laughing again.

“That was amazing, thank you,” you tell him, still chuckling.

He gives an exaggerated bow. “My pleasure, birthday girl. Sorry I don’t have a cake to go with the song.”

You grin. “That’s okay. 10 out of 10 performance.”

Charles smiles, looking adorably pleased with himself.

You regard him thoughtfully. “You know, you really didn’t have to do that. Singing for a total stranger in a holding cell.”

He shrugs. “I wanted to. You seemed like you could use a pick-me-up.”

“Well, it worked. I definitely feel better.” You study him for a moment. “You’re pretty strange, Charles.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he laughs.

You shake your head amusedly. You have to admit, you’re really enjoying his company. For someone you just met under bizarre circumstances, he’s remarkably easy to talk to.

Charles checks his watch. “I hope they let us out of here soon. Those croissants are calling my name.”

“And I’ve got mimosas waiting for me,” you add.

As if on cue, footsteps sound outside. You both look up expectantly as keys rattle in the lock.

The door swings open and the officer from before steps in. “Alright you two, come with me. We got it all sorted out, you’re free to go.”

You share a relieved look with Charles as you both follow the officer out. After a quick stop to collect your belongings, you step outside into the sunshine.

Charles turns to you with a smile. “Well, it was very nice to meet you, Y/N. Happy birthday again!”

“Thanks, Charles.” You smile warmly at your strange but lovely cellmate. “This turned out to be a pretty memorable birthday after all.”

He looks pleased. “I’m glad I could help make it special. Enjoy the rest of your day!”

With a little wave he heads off down the street, presumably in search of those croissants. You watch him go, struck by an impulse.

“Charles, wait up!” You call out, jogging to catch up with him.

He turns, looking at you curiously.

“I just wanted to say thanks again for making a crappy situation fun,” you tell him sincerely. “And, if you want, you’re welcome to come join me and my friends for brunch.”

His eyes light up in surprise. “Really?”

You nod. “It’s the least I can do after you serenaded me in jail,” you joke. “Plus, I’m sure the restaurant will have croissants.”

Charles smiles broadly. “Well in that case, I would love to.”

“Great!” You beam, linking your arm through his. “Let’s get out of here.”

***

You sink back into the plush leather seat, gazing out the jet’s window at the twinkling stars dotting the endless expanse of sky. This is definitely a step up from last year’s jail cell birthday celebration.

“Champagne, ma’am?”

You smile up at the flight attendant as she offers you a crystal flute. “Yes please!”

Charles grins at you from across the cabin. “And please keep it coming, my girlfriend deserves to be spoiled on her birthday.”

You still get butterflies every time he calls you his girlfriend. This past year with Charles has been amazing. After that fateful day, he easily slotted himself into your life. What started as an impromptu brunch turned into real dates, which turned into a real relationship. You’ve never clicked with someone so quickly or felt so comfortable so soon.

Now here you are, celebrating your birthday at 11,000 meters aboard a private jet chartered from one of Ferrari’s sponsors. You had balked at the extravagance at first, but Charles insisted. “It’s your special day, we have to do something incredible!”

You take a sip of crisp champagne, the bubbles tickling your nose. “So where exactly are we headed?”

Charles has kept your destination a surprise. “You’ll see soon, birthday girl,” he says with a wink.

You pretend to pout. “Fine, keep your secrets.”

He just laughs. “Trust me, it’s going to be an amazing trip.”

You don’t doubt it. Charles has a knack for making every day feel special and fun. Even just being cooped up in this plane with him feels like an adventure.

As the flight continues, you enjoy a decadent five course dinner complete with even more champagne and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Charles keeps you laughing with silly stories and jokes. By the time you finish eating you have to stifle a yawn behind your hand.

“Someone’s getting sleepy,” Charles teases.

“It’s been a long exciting day!” You say through another yawn.

Charles grins and hits the call button. A flight attendant appears instantly. “Yes sir?”

“I think it’s time to get the birthday girl to bed,” Charles says.

The attendant nods and pulls back a partition, revealing a plush bedroom suite.

Your eyes widen in delighted surprise. “Wha … we can sleep in an actual bed on the plane?”

“Only the best for you,” Charles says, planting a kiss on your forehead.

You happily snuggle under the covers in the sumptuous bed, sighing contentedly. “Okay, this is an amazing birthday present.”

Charles chuckles, sliding in beside you and pulling you close. “The fun is only beginning, mon cœur.”

Within minutes you’re sound asleep curled up in his arms.

Sometime later you stir slowly awake, momentarily confused. The bedroom is dark and Charles is shaking your shoulder gently.

“Wake up, chérie. It’s almost midnight!” He says excitedly.

You rub your eyes and peer blearily at the clock. 11:58 pm. “Why, what happens at midnight?”

“Your birthday starts again!”

You look at him blankly, still not fully awake.

He grins. “We just crossed into a new time zone. Which means ...” He pauses for dramatic effect. “I get to be the first to wish you happy birthday again!”

As it clicks you start laughing. Only Charles would come up with something so adorable. You watch the clock count down the last seconds to midnight as he bounces giddily on the bed.

“Happy birthday!” Charles exclaims right on cue, tackling you in a hug.

You hug him back, still laughing. “You’re crazy, but thank you.”

He beams down at you. “I have so much planned, it’s going to take more than one time zone to celebrate properly.”

Over the next few hours, you dip in and out of sleep as Charles wakes you at each new midnight. Every time he sings and wishes you happy birthday again with infectious enthusiasm. By the fifth round you’re both delirious and silly from lack of sleep, belting out drunk duets of “Happy Birthday” and collapsing into giggles.

Finally he lets you sleep through until morning. When you emerge from the bedroom, blinking in the bright daylight, you gasp. Out the window is an ocean of clouds and in the distance, a tiny island just coming into view.

You turn to Charles with wide eyes. “Are we … is that ...”

He grins and wraps his arms around you. “Welcome to St. Barts! I wanted your birthday to be paradise.”

“Every day with you is paradise.” You kiss him soundly. “Thank you, this is the most magical birthday I could’ve imagined.”

Charles trails his fingers over your cheek. “You deserve magic every single day. I’m just doing my part to make sure you get it.”

***

You stir awake to soft kisses trailing down your neck. Opening your eyes, you find Charles gazing down at you, his brown hair endearingly rumpled.

“Happy birthday, mon ange,” he whispers before capturing your lips in a sweet kiss.

You hum contentedly, running your fingers through his messy locks. “Mmm, now this is a nice way to wake up.”

Charles gives you his signature crinkly-nosed grin. “I have so much planned for your special day.”

Your heart flutters happily. After two amazing years with Charles, the connection between the two of you feels more intense than ever. You can’t wait to celebrate.

But his smile turns apologetic. “Well, so much planned for after the car launch.”

You nod in understanding. Charles has commitments. And today the new Scuderia Ferrari car is being unveiled in a highly anticipated event.

Charles kisses your pouting lip. “I’m so sorry, ma belle. I wish I could get out of it but-”

“Shh, it’s okay,” you assure him, silencing his worries with a kiss. “I know how important the launch is for the team. I’ll just miss you today.”

“I’ll miss you too. But I promise, as soon as it’s over I’m all yours.”

You spend a blissful morning lazing in bed, laughing over crepes Charles attempts to make for your birthday breakfast. Flour ends up more on him than in the pan, but you happily eat the lumpy results.

Too soon it’s time for Charles to leave for the launch. At the door he pulls you into his arms. “I love you. This evening will be perfect, I swear.”

You smile up at him. “Love you too. Go show off that new car.”

After one more lingering kiss he’s off. You distract yourself by meeting local friends for birthday lunch. But your mind keeps drifting to Charles. You hope the event is going well for him.

By mid afternoon you’re back in Charles’ Maranello apartment, curled up on the couch watching silly movies. You’ve just bitten into a slice of birthday cake when your phone rings.

It’s Charles FaceTiming you, his handsome face filling the screen. “Hi, mon amour!”

You grin at your adorable fiancé. “Hey you! How’s the launch going?”

“It’s good!” His eyes drop to your plate. “Are you eating cake without me?” He gasps in mock outrage.

You giggle. “Only a tiny cheat slice. Don’t worry, there’s plenty left for when you’re home.”

Voices sound faintly behind Charles and he glances over his shoulder. “Ah, the program is starting again soon. I just wanted to see your beautiful face.”

You blow him a kiss. “Knock ‘em dead, baby.”

“I love you!” He says before the call ends.

Snuggling back into the couch, you focus on the movie again. But a notification keeps pinging on your phone. You glance over to see texts flooding in from Charles.

Can you watch the livestream?

The link is all over social media

It’s starting again soon 😘

You go on Instagram and click the link curiously. The livestream shows an auditorium packed with press, Ferrari team members, fans, and VIPs. Cameras flash as Charles takes the stage along with his teammate and team principal. They talk about the new car but you mostly just stare lovingly at Charles’ dimples on the big screen.

After the speeches, they unveil the sleek new car. Your heart swells with pride for Charles. But you can’t wait for all the events and obligations to be over. You miss him.

The hosts invite Charles to say a few words. He steps up to the microphone, smiling. “Thank you all for being here today. I’m so excited to get behind the wheel of this beautiful SF-26 ...”

He continues talking passionately about the team and the season ahead. But then his eyes flick to the camera broadcasting the feed. “Oh, I also have a very special announcement.”

You sit up, intrigued. Charles winks at the camera. “As some of you may know, today is my wonderful girlfriend Y/N’s birthday.”

Your eyes widen. You have no idea what he’s doing but it makes your heart flutter.

“So to celebrate this amazing woman, I thought we could all join together to wish her a very happy birthday.”

Charles starts singing “Happy Birthday,” looking straight at the camera with so much love. The crowd joins in, the whole auditorium singing to you. You stare in overwhelmed wonder as Charles blows you a kiss.

When the song ends, the audience claps wildly. Charles grins. “I hope you enjoyed your serenade, mon cœur. I can’t wait to celebrate you properly tonight. Happy birthday, I love you!”

The livestream switches off and you sit staring at your phone in shock. Trust Charles to orchestrate something so thoughtful and adorable. Only he could turn a huge unrelated event into a birthday present.

A few hours later, the front door finally bursts open. Charles rushes in and sweeps you into his arms.

“Surprise!” He laughs, spinning you in a circle.

You hug him tightly. “Charles, that was the sweetest thing ever!”

He beams. “I wanted you to feel special today even though I couldn’t be with you. Did you like it?”

“Like it? I loved it!” You punctuate each word with a smacking kiss.

Charles looks immensely pleased. “Good, because the celebrations are just beginning. Now, I believe I was promised cake?”

You spend the evening feeding each other cake and laughing over champagne. Charles serenades you again, because one impromptu singalong just wasn’t enough for him.

As you sway together, slow dancing in the kitchen, you whisper, “Best birthday ever.”

Charles smiles and pulls you closer. “We’ll make every birthday together your best one yet. I love you, Y/N. So much.”

Your heart swells with joy. No matter where life takes you both, with Charles every birthday is celebrated to the fullest.

***

A salty ocean breeze ruffles your hair as you gaze out over the glittering turquoise water. The sun is sinking low, painting the sky in dazzling pinks and oranges.

You sigh contentedly, snuggling back against Charles’ chest. His arms tighten around you as you sway together on the yacht’s deck.

“Happy birthday, mon ange,” he murmurs, dropping a kiss to your shoulder.

You tilt your head back to smile up at him. “I know I say this every year, but this is the best birthday ever.”

Charles grins, his nose crinkling adorably. “Well you deserve the perfect birthday getaway.”

You hum in agreement, perfectly relaxed and blissful here in his arms. Charles always plans the most romantic adventures for your birthdays. But after three amazing years together, just being with your favorite person is celebration enough.

As the sun continues to set you chat and trade soft kisses. The conversation lulls eventually into comfortable silence.

Charles shifts behind you. “Y/N, can you turn around? There’s something I want to ask you.”

You swivel in his arms to face him, curious at his suddenly serious tone. But a radiant smile lights up his face.

Slowly, Charles sinks down to one knee before you. Your breath catches as he takes your hands in his.

“Mon amour, these past three years with you have been the happiest of my life. You are my best friend, my heart, my home. I want to laugh with you, explore the world with you, and grow old with you.” His eyes shine with emotion as he gazes up at you.

“So Y/N, will you make me the luckiest man alive by marrying me?”

Joyful tears fill your eyes. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!”

Charles’ face splits into the most delighted grin. He moves to stand but wobbles slightly, the boat swaying beneath the two of you.

You reach out to steady him. “Careful!”

“Sorry, just excited,” he laughs breathlessly. With exaggerated care he pulls a ring box from his pocket and opens it to reveal a dazzling diamond ring.

Your smile widens impossibly further. The sunset lights the gems ablaze from within.

Charles takes your left hand gingerly, his own hands trembling. “I hope you lik-”

But his unsteady fingers fumble and the ring slips from his grasp. You both gasp, hands shooting out too late to catch it. The diamonds glint once in the dying sunlight before plopping into the blue water.

“No!” Charles cries in horror. In a flash he’s scrambling to rip off his shoes and shirt. Before you can react, he’s diving in after the lost ring.

“Charles!” You rush to the railing, scanning the rippling surface for him. Bubbles appear where he dove down. The seconds stretch nerve-wrackingly until finally he surfaces, gasping for breath. In his clutched fist, the ring gleams triumphantly.

Relief crashes over you as Charles swims to the ladder. He clambers back aboard the boat, soaked and panting but grinning ear to ear.

“I got it!” He crows, holding up the retrieved ring.

A delighted laugh bursts from you. Only Charles would dive headfirst off a yacht to save an engagement ring. You throw your arms around his dripping shoulders, not caring that you’re getting drenched too.

“My hero,” you kiss him soundly.

Charles wraps you in a soggy hug. “Couldn’t let this ring get away when I still have a very important question to ask you … again.”

He sinks down once more to his knee, water pooling around him. With his hair plastered to his forehead and clothes soaked through, he looks adorably bedraggled but still so breathtakingly handsome.

Grasping your hand again, he asks earnestly, “Y/N, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?”

“Yes!” You don’t think you’ve ever smiled so wide. “Yes, Charles, yes!”

Charles whoops triumphantly, surging up to kiss you passionately. This time his hands are steady as he finally successfully slips the ring onto your finger.

Admiring the shimmering diamonds you joke, “This ring might need a free cleaning after that swim.”

Charles laughs, pulling you close again. “I’ll get you a new one if you want. Anything for my future wife.”

Wife.

The word sends a thrill through you. You cup Charles’ face in your hands. “This is the only ring I’ll ever want. Because it’s from you.”

His eyes soften. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” You lean in for another searing kiss as the last light fades behind the horizon.

When you finally draw back Charles wrinkles his nose. “As romantic as this is, I should probably get into some dry clothes.”

You laugh, plucking at his soaked shirt. “Good call. Then we can continue this celebration in proper style!”

Charles grins and sweeps you up into his arms. “I like the way you think, Future Madame Leclerc.”

***

“One more push, you’re almost there!”

You squeeze Charles’ hand with all your might, face scrunched in exertion, as you bear down to bring your baby into the world.

This is not exactly how you envisioned spending your birthday this year. But as you give one final push and hear your daughter’s first cries, you know this is already the best birthday of your life.

“She’s here! You did amazing, mon amour!” Charles says through joyful tears, kissing your sweat-damp forehead.

The doctor holds up the squalling, wriggling newborn. “Congratulations, it’s a girl!”

Charles cuts the umbilical cord with shaky hands before the nurses whisk your daughter away to be cleaned and checked. He turns back to you, eyes shining. “I’m so proud of you, Y/N. She’s perfect.”

You beam tiredly back at him. The child you created together, your little family, is finally here. After long months of waiting, your birthday wish has come true.

Soon the nurse returns, swaddling your baby girl in a soft pink blanket. “Say hello to your daughter,” she says gently, placing the tiny bundle in your arms.

You gaze down at your daughter, tears of joy and wonder sliding down your cheeks. Ten tiny fingers and ten tiny toes — she’s absolute perfection.

“Hello Juliette,” you whisper. “Happy birthday, my beautiful girl.”

Charles perches gingerly on the edge of the bed, staring at you both like you hung the moon and stars. He reaches out a tentative finger to stroke Juliette’s downy head.

“She’s so small,” he marvels. “And so perfect. I can’t believe we made this little human.”

His voice cracks on the last word. Your tough Formula 1 driver melts into a puddle of emotion in the presence of his daughter.

You glance up at Charles, your husband, your soulmate, and now the father of your child. The utter love and joy shining from his eyes in this moment eclipses every birthday and every milestone you’ve shared before.

“I used to think so many birthdays were the best day of my life,” you say softly. “But now … this is it. The real best day.”

Charles smiles through his tears and leans in to kiss you tenderly. “This is just the start of so many best days together.”

You both gaze back down at the baby nestled between you. Juliette blinks up at you tiredly and the sight of her green eyes looking back at you takes your breath away.

Charles lets out an awed little laugh. “She has my eyes.”

He holds out a hand and Juliette instinctively grasps his finger. Charles completely melts.

“Hello, ma petite princesse,” he coos. “I’m your papa. And I’m going to love you forever.”

Juliette seems to study his face intently before giving a big yawn that makes you both chuckle. Your heart feels fit to burst watching Charles bond instantly with your daughter.

The next hours pass in a blissful blur of feeding, diaper changes, and stealing each moment possible to just gaze at the miracle you’ve created. You almost forget it’s even your birthday until Charles speaks up.

“You know, I had something else planned to celebrate today but Juliette decided she simply couldn’t wait,” he laughs.

You just smile. “This is the greatest gift I could have asked for.”

He leans down to brush a feather-light kiss to Juliette’s forehead, then yours.

“I guess we’ll just have to plan an extra special party when you’re both home,” he says with a smile. “Our little princess deserves the biggest birthday bash for entering the world on such a special day.”

You grin up at him. “I have a feeling her daddy will go all out.”

“Only the best for my girls.” Charles winks.

Juliette stirs in your arms, letting out the tiniest of baby sighs that melts you both instantly.

As Juliette drifts to sleep cradled between you, her little fingers curled around yours, you know this birthday marks the start of your greatest adventure yet and many more amazing birthdays still to come.

[enwoso]

GOOD COP — alessia russo

lil halloween inspired fic. tbh i dunno what this is- half of it i wrote at the start of the month if i’m be honest with you all

a little bit suggestive.

masterlist

“baby? c’mon we need to be heading out!” you called out from the other side of the bathroom door, alessia had been in there for at least forty five minutes getting ready for the night.

you and alessia going to a halloween party that one of the arsenal girls had set up. you and alessia had decided to do a couple costume, alessia as a police women and you as her prisoner.

you had gotten ready in record speed time, all you had to do was put on a bright orange jumpsuit with a white tank top underneath, and scrape your hair back into a bun. but alessia was always one to take her time when getting ready no matter the occasion.

“we’re gonna have them all teasing us again, if we’re late” you carried on as you walked a little further down the hallway to get your phone which had been sat on charge in your shared bedroom for the past half an hour.

a small chuckle leaving your lips as you spoke, remembering all the teasing comments the team made about you and alessia the last time you arrived at the gathering late. it was only by ten minutes but the team had a way with words by saying you were both too in love?

you shaking your head at their teasing comments as you remember alessia’s cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. if you could be too in love with someone than that’s definitely a level you were at with alessia as you look at her as if she is the one who hangs the stars in the sky at night.

pulling you out your daydream as you hear the bathroom door click open and alessia’s sock covered footsteps get closer to you. a slight push of the bedroom door and there she was, a slight gasp coming from you as she entered the room, your jaw dropping.

“it’s too much isn’t it. i’ll go-” alessia mumbled seeing your reaction however you weren’t gasping at her in a bad way, quite the opposite actually.

“no- don’t.” you quickly choked out as alessia was about to spin on her heels. “you look gorgeous, my girl.” you smiled taking her in her outfit and how sexy she looked in it.

black shorts which were short but hugged her legs in all the right spots, some black fishnet tights lining her long legs and a black v neck polo on her top half. a silver police badge on her chest and a belt with silver hand cuffs hanging down from the side as her hair was curled lightly at the ends.

“you think?” alessia asked clearly unsure scanning her outfit over once again, but as she looked up seeing the smirk on your face she knew that the outfit had clearly had some sort of affect on you.

“oh baby i don’t think, i know” you whispered as you stood up from the edge of the bed inching closer to her, your hand’s slithering around her waist pulling her closer to you with a sudden urgency that had spiked.

your eyes flick between her eyes and her lips, words being spoken without the use of actual words as you close the gap. capturing her lips in a kiss which starts slow and sweet, a kiss that doesn’t need to ask for permission instead takes before it turns hungry and desperate.

alessia’s mouth moving against yours with an urgency which only matches your own and the taste of her is intoxicating with a slight hint of the lip gloss she’d probably put on near moments before hand.

the kiss deepening and growing more intense by the second as your pressing instinct each other as both your hands roam and tug each other as if you both can’t bare there to be any distance between the two of you.

your hands finding the back of her neck, pulling alessia impossibly closer as her hands possessively grip your waist making your head spin.

your lips leaving hers as a small whine slips from her at the loss of contact as you trail kisses from her lips and down to her neck. finding her sweet spot and sucking harshly on it, drawing a moan from her as you graze your teeth along her skin. your skin lighting on fire from the sounds escaping from her pretty lips

“do we have to go-” you breathed out against her neck as a small giggle came from her as you went back to nipping at her neck small whispers falling from her lips.

“we wouldn’t hear the end of it if we didn’t show” alessia managed to squeak out as a small huff came from you as your teeth sunk into her, you were all worked up and wanted to instead be falling through the bed sheets not through club doors.

you reaching up to move a strand of alessia’s hair behind her ear as you nibbled slightly on her earlobe, “make sure you don’t lose them handcuffs. they’ll come in handy later darling.”

[superparadise-ghost]

the insane thing about voltron: legendary defender 2016-2018 featuring esteemed actor Steven Yeun is that it was honest to God CRAZY queerbait. like. it's the only time I've ever been fucking GASLIT by a TV show. because they were showing you scenes that were so OBVIOUSLY written to be part of a rivals to lovers story, like, scenes where these two twinks were quite literally an INCH away from each other's faces, having heart to hearts in bedrooms and at SUNSETS, waxing poetry about how they secretly thought the other was actually very important and wonderful, smirking at each other, and saying shit like 'ha. like that?' in a voice like he's sucking someone's DICK (NOT JOKING). and they show you all these scenes and they're like 'heyyy see these guys? you like these guys? they're kinda cute together, huh?' and you're like 'yeahhh they kinda are! wait so are they endgame?' and then they spin their heads like the cop in the lego movie and they say 'NO. WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? THEYRE FRIENDS! DUDES! BROS! AND THEIR BEAUTIFUL CONVERSATION ABOUT SELF WORTH AND HOW MUCH THEY CARE FOR EACH OTHER IS ACTUALLY JUST THE GAYER I MEAN ALTERNATIVE LOOKING ONE PREPARING THE OTHER FOR HIS DATE. WITH A WOMAN. A GIRL. A FEMININE LADY. fuck you. you're insane. also we killed the actual canon gay character. SUCK A FAT ONE LOSERSSSS !!!' and it was 2018 and you just had to deal with it. cause everyone else was apparently fucking insane and started 1. shitting on the woman 'stuck in the middle' of the not-gay guys (who also drew the short straw, being one of the only women of colour in the show and getting killed off at the end for funsies) and 2. SENDING GLASS CUPCAKES TO THE VOICE ACTORS. and you didnt want to be associated with them. so imagine that. and now imagine you're esteemed actor Steven Yeun. and your character is the not-gay gay one. jesus christ.

[chososwifey24-7]

Hey everyone! Here's another story that I thought of. I also just thought I'd let everyone know that I will try to upload a story or cute little oneshot daily. Feel free to ask for a oneshot if you have suggestions!

Dare...

Frat boy suguru x f!reader

Also, just for this alternate universe, there is no jujustu sorcery, and all of the boys fall under the same age ish. This would obviously also be a college au.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

Synopsis: At yet another one of the silly parties, saturo gojo hosts, suguru was found stuck in a game of truth or dare. The dare? Make you fall in love with him and bed you by the end of the night.

Cw: NSFW, MDNI, smut, pv penetration, consensual sex, praise, missionary, slight size difference, fem! Reader, fingering, tit sucking, cum, protection, angst to fluff, pet names (pretty girl).

Let me know if I missed anything. Besides that, enjoy!

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The music was loud, too loud. The beer, weed, and other kinds of drugs and alcohol really made the place smell like shit.

Suguru was slightly buzzed from the weed. He wouldn't even try to touch the beer. It tasted cheap and disgusting.

Satoru was beaming and chatting it up with everyone he knew, the life of the party indeed. That was Gojo.

Nanami sat in the corner and didn't really talk with anybody. To be honest, he only joined the frat to get Gojo to leave him alone.

Toji had been betting with people that he could beat them in arm wrestling competitions and who could chug a beer the quickest. He was making bank, but knowing him, he'd go and blow all the next day.

Then there was Sukuna and Choso. They conversed between each other. Suguru couldn't quite remember at the moment how they knew each other so well. Distant relatives, or something like that.

Suguru laid his head back on the couch, wanting nothing more than this party to be over. He had a pounding headache and was absolutely exhausted. He looked at the clock on the wall. 10:30 p.m. this party was just getting started.

Knowing Gojo, he'd keep it going to midnight or to 1 in the morning, and if the cops showed up, no big deal! He knew how to talk himself out of any situation. Suguru just didn't want to deal with the officers, again.

Sugure felt the cushion next to him dip a little as the frat boys began to all sit in a circle with him. It was then that Satoru slung his arm around Suguru.

"Let's spice things up a bit between us, shall we? I've had enough chit chatting. Let's play some truth or dare."

Gojo suggested with a playful tone as he observed the reactions of the boys around them. To his surprise, everyone agreed. Even Suguru.

The game went back and forth, Suguru ended up having to drink, and Nanami was forced to remove his glasses and let Gojo wear them. Nanami wasn't very happy about that one.

Until finally Sukuna smirked and looked at Suguru.

"Truth or dare?"

He asked. His voice came out in a low rumble. Almost antagonizingly so.

"Dare. You should know this by now, Sukuna."

Sukuna let out a low chuckle at his response. He thought for a moment as he looked around the room. Sukuna's eyes met your timid form, next to your supposed best friend, who now just walked away with her boy toy of the night.

He smirked and looked back at Suguru.

"I dare you to fuck her by the end of the night, and make her fall for you by the next day, if you don't, you owe all of us 20 dollars. Deal?"

Suguru seemed appalled at sukuna's suggestion, but he'd already chickened out of one dare before that. He couldn't chicken out again, and he didn't necessarily want to pay all of them 20 dollars each.

He sighed and flipped Sukuna off, which Sukuna just shrugged and chuckled at. Suguru really didn't want to play with anyone's feelings, even yours, but a dare was a dare.

Suguru stood and began to make his way over to your timid form. The party almost looked like it overwhelmed you, you poor thing. As he got closer, he gently put a hand on your shoulder and looked you in the eyes with a smile.

"Hey, I'm Suguru Geto, and who might you be?"

His voice was soft and reassuring in the crowd of raving college students. You raised your voice a bit so that Suguru could hear you.

"I'm y/n. It's nice to meet you Suguru."

Suguru chuckled at the slight raise in her voice and tried to usher her out of the corner she was in to take her into the less crowded back yard.

"Sorry, it's a little loud in here. Let's go somewhere we can talk better."

You nodded and followed Suguru. You had heard all about him. The tall, dark-haired, sexy, kind man who joined the fraternity for his best friend. He seemed nice enough to be around. He seemed that way.

"It's nice to meet you too y/n, sorry it's quite the ruckus in their. Satoru really knows how to throw a party."

He chuckled and eyed you up and down. The little black dress that your friend had picked out for you rode up your thighs each time you took a step, and with each step, you tried to shimy it back down.

"He sure does."

You laughed back, then silence overcame the two of you. You weren't entirely extroverted. You only truly liked talking to those you knew. Suguru was about the same way, that's why he had Datoru around to do all the talking.

"So, I saw you were in my calculus class. Been pretty interested in you for a while."

He said and watched your face to see your reaction. That's what Suguru knew how to do best. Watch reactions. He was an observer, not a talker.

"Oh yeah! I've seen you in the back with Satoru. The teacher doesn't seem to like you two too much."

You giggled. You completely skipped over his previous statement. Was he interested in you? You must've heard wrong. So glazing over it was the best idea.

Suguru noticed your attempt to ignore his previous statement, so jntead he just goes along with what your talking about.

"Huh? No way, it's definitely Satoru he doesn't like that much. All he does is chatter. I can't control him, he's like a tornado."

You laugh at Suguru placing a good chunk of the blame on Satoru before you look up into his eyes. Those sweet purple eyes, hus hair pulled so nicely into a bun, one strand of hair just dangling on the side of his face.

You have an urge to brush it to the side of his face, but ignore it.

That's what leads you to his lips. They have a slight hint of pink to them. They were slightly parted in a way that felt inviting. You wanted to kiss him after all this was a party, you didn't have to catch feelings, right?

Suguru cleared his throat as he noticed your gaze on him, observing him. He felt himself blush a bit. Slightly embarrassed at you observing him.

You look up at him again and give him an awkward smile.

"Sorry, you're just so... handsome."

Your face flushes. You meant to call him handsome, but hearing yourself say it out loud was different than how you had thought you'd say it in your mind.

He chuckles at your flushed features and slowly reaches out, brushing a straightened hair out of your face. His hand cupped your cheek longer, and he looked into your eyes.

"And you're so gorgeous, pretty girl."

He said in a low tone as his gaze obviously dropped to your lips. You couldn't help but lean into him a little more.

His touch was warm and inviting. You just couldn't help yourself, and as your lips collided with his, you couldn't help that either.

Both of his hands go your waist and pull you closer to him. Your arms wrap around his neck and you close your eyes enjoying the heat of the moment.

Neither of you wanted to stop. It was too euphoric for the both of you. Only pulling away for seconds of air.

Soon, the heated kiss turned into a heated make-out. His tongue swiped your bottom lip, asking to enter.

You let out a low moan and open your mouth for him, and the kiss becomes tongue and teeth. Heated. Each of you wanting more.

That's when you feel it. The bulge in Suguru' pants. You push away from him a little as he tries to chase your lips, instead settling for your neck.

"Suguru, maybe we should take this somewhere more private."

Suguru just groans into your neck and nods. He gently pulled away from you as he blushed gently at the raging boner he had. Just from kissing you, too.

He silently leads you through the house, the party still going. The time, 12 a.m. Suguru had 30 minutes to get you into the bed and fuck you before he lost the dare.

Sukuna and the other boys were still sitting on the couches in a circle. As Suguru walked past them with you, he made sure Sukuna saw you both headed for the stairs. He wouldn't lose this dare.

You both made it to Suguru's room, and as soon as the door was shut and locked, he pounced on you again. Kissing your neck and biting on your collar bone gently. He fumbled with your shurt to get it over your head.

You worked on his shirt and tried to get the buttons undone while not getting distracted by the feeling of his lips on your hot skin.

You succeeded in getting his shirt off, but suguru was already trying to shimy your pants down your hips. You did tour best to help him get them off of you, and you worked on the button of his pants.

He gently slapped your hand away before wrapping his hands under your thighs and carrying you to the bed and gently laying you down.

He towered over you and looked tou in the eyes, his hair a little more disheveled, his eyes filled with lust.

"I need you to tell me you want this pretty girl. I need to tell me that this is okay."

He said as he ran a gentle hand up your side.

"And if you don't want this, I need you to say that right now."

He ran his hand all the way up and gently cupped the side of your face again. He didn't want you to feel forced, but he needed to beat Sukuna's dare.

You nodded as you looked into his eyes, and with a reassuring smile.

"Yes, I want this Suguru. I'm yours tonight."

That's all Suguru needed to hear before he reached behind you and uncapped your bra, and slid your panties down and off of you.

Your body was gorgeous to him. He ran his hands all over your curves and kissed your neck again.

"You're so perfect, angel. So pretty, just for me."

His praises hit your ears like a soft melody on a piano. Just right.

You groaned a bit and bucked your hips up into his. He took his hand and gently pressed your hips back down.

"Patience, pretty girl, I have to get you prepares to take this cock."

He whispered in your ear. He dragged his fingers up and down your folds collecting your slick before gently pushing two inside of you.

You grabbed his shoulders and closed your eyes, letting out a wanton moan. His fingers felt amazing. They reached all of the right places. You couldn't imagine what his cock would feel like.

He began to slowly move his fingers in and out if you while leaning down and taking one of your tips into his mouth and sucking gently.

You moaned again and arched your back into him, almost offering up yourself for him to have. To take.

Your fingers found their way to his hair, and you began to take out his bun. After you ran your fingers through his long, silky hair.

"Oh, Suguru."

You moaned his name so prettily. He increased the speed of his fingers inside of you, and his eyes looked up at you to watch you.

Your eyes were closed, back arched, and your delicate hands were placed in his hair. This was almost heavenly. Suguru could fall for you.

You began to rock your hips into his fingers and moan louder and louder. That familiar knot in your stomach beginning to come undone.

You began to whimper and moan more.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, suguru, I'm cuming!"

He leaned in and began to whisper soft praises in your ear to talk you through it.

"It's alright, pretty girl, let go for me, cum on my fingers."

With that, you did. You came all over Suguru's fingers. Throwing your head back, you were in bliss. You trembled as you came down from your high, and Suguru cooed at you and helped you come down.

"You did so amazing, pretty girl. You think youre ready for my cock?"

He asked as he shimmeid himself out of his pants and boxers, and what you saw made your jaw drop.

He looked like he was close to 8 and a half inches. He was huge. And his swollen tip leaked with pre-cum. He pumped himself a few times as you continued to gawk at his size.

"Don't worry, pretty girl, you can take it."

He reached over to the nightstand and opened up the drawer before grabbing a condom and opening up the package. He rolled the rubber onto himself before finally lining himself up with you.

He reached over and laced his fingers with yours his eyes found yours and with a gentle gaze he leaned down and kissed you just as gently.

"Just tell me to stop and I will. I promise."

He began to slowly slide himself in, and he groaned at how tight you were around him.

"Fuck, pretty girl, you feel so damn good."

You squirmed a little at the slight pinch you felt as he began to sink deeper and deeper into you. This wasn't the first time you've had sex, but he was so damn big, you could've forgotten about all of the previous times.

He finally bottomed out and groaned at the feeling as he leaned his head into the crook of your neck.

As soon as he got used to the feeling of you around him, he began to slowly rock his hips into you. It felt orgasmic just as it was.

Your mouth opened into an o-shape as moans slipped out involuntarily. Your hands gripping his as he continued to rock into you.

"Fuck you're so perfect. Don't wanna let you go, don't wanna stop."

He mumbles into you as he picks up his pace, he was already feeling so close, and you were already feeling overstimulated from your previous orgasm. So when he begins to mumble he's about to cum you're already ahead of him, your vision going white as you came around him again.

He came into the condom and stilled. He grunted and kissed your neck a bit more before he finally pulled out of you. He tied off the condom and threw it into the garbage can next to his bed.

He gently rubbed his hands down your body before getting up and grabbing a warm rag to clean you up.

He almost wished thisbwasnt just a dare.

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That night, you had left with your best friend and went back to your shared apartment, and you couldn't get Suguru out of your mind.

Even you had told yourself no strings attached, but you couldn't help but find yourself trying to call him and text him after he gave you his number.

He never did answer so you decided to try to corner him after calculus.

"Suguru,"

You called out to him before he was about to leave, and Suguru guiltily turned around to face you.

"Can we talk?"

He looked at the ground nervous but nodded, telling a snickering Satoru to go on ahead.

"Look, I know that it was just supposed to be a one night stand or whatever, but I can't help but feel something was actually there."

You explain as you looked into his violet irises. The only gaze you're met with is a guilty one, though.

"Y/n... I didn't want to have to tell you, but it was a dare from Sukuna... he told me to sleep with you and make you fall for me."

Your heart had stopped. A dare? You couldn't believe the audacity, but then again, could you even be mad? It was supposed to be a one night stand.

He tried to reassure you and reached out for your hands. You take a step back from him and even he feels hurt.

"But y/n. I feel like there is something here, too. I don't want you to think that because of some stupid dare, there is nothing here because there is something."

"How do I know you're not lying to me?"

You asked, and you looked up at him with watery eyes. You didn't want to be hurt. You honestly enjoyed what was between you two that night. It felt honest, it felt real, it felt like love.

"Let me prove it to you. I saw there was a new movie coming to theaters tonight. If you'll accompany me, I'd like to make it a date."

He said and stepped towards you again and reached for your hands. This time, you let him take your hands in his. When you looked up to meet his gaze, all you could see was sincerity, honesty, love.

So you nod.

"I'll go, but this better not be another one of these stupid dares."

Suguru chuckled as he wiped a few stray tears you hadn't even noticed roll down your cheeks.

"Never, never again, pretty girl. I love you too much to waste what we have on a dare."

[variousqueerthings]

now haaaving watched the next three episodes of Cobra Kai

Pros:

while the going was good with Sam and Tory it sure was good. I do kinda like that their thing isn't related to boys anymore (not that it ever really was, but now it definitely isn't) (instead it's related to the plot psychologically torturing Tory beyond any other character) + Mary Mouser and Peyton List have chemistry out the ceiling. is that a saying? out the chimney. through the roof. out the window. defenestrated chemistry

I quite liked a lot of the training stuff as a general

I also quite liked Devon's plotline -- I like that she was ruthless in that way, she takes the lessons she learns at face-value + she's not great at Peopleing, I liked that (although... let's look at the cons...)

liked the Demetri and Hawk narrative, they were brought a little more to the fore and it was a realistic break that follows up on some threads I fully thought they'd just... forgotten. lol

okay this was actually in the earlier eps, but I like that the show had Chozen go "uh fuck you, Miyagi-do is a super important cultural space and you can't just come waltzing in and demand it fits your specifications" (altho it is a shame I feel like Johnny respects Chozen more than Daniel... this down in my cons generally about Johnny)

Cons below, but I will say I will say! there's nothing super unexpected down there. I am chill about this show, I'm just. noting it. I'm watching the show as wholly braindead, while thinking about what a non-wholly-braindead show could look like

Cons:

Gender Reveal Party. at least it was over with quick

Okay so like. the elephant in the room (shockingly not the fact that Johnny is having a baby and is woefully terrible at parenting) -- Miyagi's deep dark secret. I think it's not even like. That tarnishing, that's not exactly its issue. it's that it's such an incredibly boring idea compared to his actual backstory, which I'm trying to remember rn if the TV-show ever properly mentioned (not the Okinawa part of it, but the internment camp). There's really no need to create this drama, other than it seems like the writers can't quite figure out what to do with Daniel and don't understand what made Miyagi an interesting, flawed character to begin with and why Daniel might struggle with having him on a pedestal. That being said, I'm mostly just. meh. this might as well happen. Miyagi punched some guy in the face, stole something expensive, fled America for a bit to avoid the cops (?) and fought in the karate killer tournament I guess

I've gotta be honest withya. I just. no longer enjoy Cobra Kai's Johnny. he just ain't it anymore. he was increasingly not it as the seasons went on, but he is simply a merry-go-round of being a dick who is also never going to change, and it being ok by the plot at this point because he needs to fulfill some idea of masculinity and clash with Daniel. there were a fair few moments I could go on and on about buuuut. I'm chill about it. Fanfic Johnny: blows u a kiss. Show!Johnny: it's not on sight, but certainly it's a wide berth. u kinda suck as a person. you're like the dad that someone doesn't ever bring their friends round to see, because he's not a nice guy and it's embarrassing and they know he'll never change and so you drift apart over the years

which -- the show is still trying to make claims about Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do as Equal, while also showing that every kid who went through Cobra Kai (including Johnny) is Fucked Up. Kenny is traumatised and doesn't trust anyone. Devon is fucked up and doesn't know how to be with people. Tory is... my sweet angel who does nothing wrong ever. Hawk and Demetri's break started here. and it's like. Johnny you were a part of this! Take one accountability pls, ever

similar to many things related to Show!Johnny a lot of the kids dramas came outta nooowhere. I can buy Demetri and Hawk's, I actually think that worked (see above), but Robby getting at Miguel for needing the win more? I mean. Yeah? the stakes are higher? be a bro about it? clam down? help your guy get into university? what's the problem here? similarly Sam's "I've just got to prove myself for... reasons." it's a struggle with balancing stakes I think

Chozen is still in love with Kumiko I guess *siiiiiiiiigh*

There's just. everything with Kreese taking over Korean Cobra Kai further eroding the whole idea of the original movie, in tandem with the Miyagi-plotline, we're just off on a whole other journey at this point vs earlier seasons where it was like. "got the spirit." the spirit has left the building. there's definitely a sense of either "we think we can do Better than the original" or "we completely missed the point of the original in the first place." a mix of both I imagine

I noticed how Carmen and Amanda appeared almost only to push the Johnny and Daniel into their arcs. there are things one can do with it ofc, one can build on the crumbs. Carmen questions how Miguel and Robby might be at odds with one another if having to fight -- and they sort of are, and it's the thread again of Carmen bringing up Very Reasonable Concerns, Johnny waving them off and... then she's right, but nothing happens. I think Carmen deserves compensation at this point. vs Amanda who gets one neat bit with the hospital calling her to reveal that Tory's mother has died (suggesting she's continued to support Tory between seaosns), but otherwise she's like "oh look a Miyagi Mystery. Daniel are you thinking about the Miyagi Mystery again? how do you feel about the Miyagi Mystery?"

I'd say they did my boy Kenny dirty, but I'm waiting to see where they go with all of thiiiis. but they did. that was really really cruel and the show doesn't always know what it's saying about bullying and Kenny has been hurt more than most by other characters (including Anthony who didn't do that to him, but does laugh about it... my guy...)

they really do have Tory in a whole other narrative, she's got a thousand yard stare!!!!!!

Mike Barnes homophobia moment (Twice). Me @ the writers: listen, I know "cream puff" is a thing that was iconically yelled in the first movie, but I think your including it here says so much about how you're all about referencing Cool Moments without caring at all about like. the plot of the original film/s. like a big example of everything this show is

[teruthecreator]

toichiro for ask :3

i know youre doing this to fuck with me but i will try to take this as seriously as i possibly can. just to prove you can never break me

Sexuality Headcanon:

it’s fucking toichiro man

Gender Headcanon:

it’s fucking toichiro man

A ship I have with said character:

josetoi is the classic and that’s basically it. just two guys fucking around in their weird sexually charged antics.

A BROTP I have with said character:

i once had a toichiro character study i was playing with that was gonna involve a scene with reigen and toichiro having a pretty candid, honest conversation about life and i’ve always thought about it. i think reigen could pretty easily cut through the bullshit and be real with toichiro, and as much as toichiro does not respect reigen he can appreciate his brutal honesty.

A NOTP I have with said character:

seritoi sucks and we all know this

A random headcanon:

i don’t know if this is a headcanon, more so just my general thoughts on how i’d think his Imprisonment would go. i don’t think he is ever formally Let Out bc my understanding of his imprisonment is it’s something a lot more dubious than just a typical criminal being apprehended by the cops situation (i see the esper branch as working oftentimes Outside of the jurisdiction and general rules of the government, therefore having their own means for capturing and subduing perpetrators). toichiro was never formally arrested in the books, more that he just kind of fell off the face of the planet and is assumed to have either left the country or be dead. toichiro Could feasibly just leave the containment facility and walk free—there are no legal laws keeping him there. it’s just that, well, they would probably try and stop him if he Did try to leave and that would involve probably beating and/or killing him. plus, i think it’s more of a personal penance for toichiro. he knows he can leave but chooses to stay because he feels this is what he deserves after all he’s done. but, eventually, as toichiro proves to be a good inmate, the facility starts giving him more freedoms. it kind of becomes like a nursing home? where people can check him out for a day or a couple of days at a time, provided he isn’t needed for any missions and is escorted by an agent (most often joseph, who was assigned to his case). he sees the outside world quite often, between his missions apprehending rogue espers with joseph and the gang checking him out to attend big parties and shit. but he also gets the typical prison visits and calls from shou and whoever feels like seeing him. he never becomes able to Leave the facility, but he’s made his peace with that and enjoys his life for what it is.

General Opinion over said character:

world’s funniest and yet saddest anime villain. i used to think about toichiro A Lot, especially in terms of writing him. i think it’s funny how closely you can compare him to teru in the way he talks and his worldview, because it means a grown ass man was having the same powertrip as a Literal Fourteen Year Old. but also that’s like. sad! tfs has a lot of toichiro in it and i got rlly good at writing him and the ways he manipulates people. i don’t think he’s a fundamentally evil person or anything. i just think he kind of sucks and has the capacity to change. mob psycho is literally all about giving kind of shitty people the capacity to change. and i openly welcome the idea of toichiro growing to become a different person post-wd. he’s a fascinating little critter and also just generally hilarious

toichirofish BLAST

[nutzworth]

DAY 5: JANUARY 31, 2024 (i got to start reading more consistently.)

STATS: read for ~3 hrs pages read: 1052-1359. 307 pgs. act 4! slur count: 8 + 1 = 9 (john r slur on 1 of his defaced posters) silly count: 11 + 0 = 11 (i might have missed some. to be honest) piss count: 1/3

THOUGHTS: today started with john's alchemizing spree! i really like the alchemy even though i can NOT understand how the binary and codes quite work. john does though. johns really smart about alchemy in sburb specifically. this section also has a lot of funny john faces. i love this guy

FINALLY the end of dave and bros strife! jesus! been 2 sessions sicne it started! i said this last time but i think its SO INTERESTING how bro doesnt cut or stab dave in any way during the strife. they clash and lil cal gets torn up and daves sword gets 1/2ed and daves SYMBOL gets scratched but when hussie shows dave after the fight hes winded and bruised and battered but hes NOTABLY NOT BLOODY! obviously being bruised cus youre FIGHTING! WITH YOUR DAD! is bad and your dad (bro) is a criminal but. man. how much restraint was bro USING. to be SO PRECISE! did he have to choose between slashing dave and slashing cal in that split second? why else would he possibly have slashed cal? for paradox reasons? i really like dirk strider

the unofficial homestuck collection website is bugging out SO BAD for me. for so many flashes today the music just did not play. it SUCKS! but its fine i just play the music in another tab. i hope they fix that but i know its not priority

i really like the few dave logs i read today. dave is sooooo sad puppy on the other side of a cracked door that sees you and wants to get in the room but cant figure out how to push open the door so he just whines. "hello" "what are you doing" "man where are you" "are you there" he is so cute. in contrast the other dave log today was DAVE AND TAVROS!!!! HOORAY FOR TAVROS! and dave in this one is really funny hes so nonchalant and like "no man. if you want to have sex with a 13 yr old boy okay dude. im on board. time and place." and tavros is like UM! NO! IM GOOD! HAHA! }:) ! they are so funny. the striders are SO internet troll. dave does it flawlessly

KANAYA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE KANAYA! SHES MY FAVORITE TROLL! shes so awesome in the kanaya/rose log she is so funny. start talking to this girl like "humans cant understand time travel when its really so simple youre all kind of dumb" and ending with "hey we should be friends". i literally love her

EXILES! not much happened with the exiles. introduced to aimless renegade. what a cop. pa harley heart! thanks for your guns pa!

THE FLASH WHEN ROSE ENTERS THE GAME IS SO COOOOOL!!!!!!!!! i really really like it unfortunately the sound didnt work so all the beats didnt hit quite right but they hit ENOUGH. SO COOL! I LOVE ROSE!!!! theres so much going on all the time for that girl. i love you rose

INTERMISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i really like the intermission i think its so fun trying to parse what the hell is happening. i have GOT to read problem sleuth because so many of the things i find funny are straight up just problem sleuth bits

hussie averting the readers expectations with the like You have a deck of cards. ==> play solitaire With what cards? Dumbass? Fuck off. You only have your WAR CHEST. i think this is hussie like softdropping his rivalry with his audience. it starts with silly banter and then hes like im going to make a character representing the fandom and im going to kill her off (calliope)

the felt are SO COOL! if anyone knows all the pun names for them lmk. i only know a few obvious ones.

the intermission is SO gory. theres so much blood and death and guns and knives. like ok dude i get youre in mafia gangs or whatever but cool it on the blood and yucky faces! yeesh! there is also more crude jokes in it than normal i think. maybe cus these are real adults with pornography in their briefcases than like 13 yr olds. "jack king off" "you beat it(your heart) pretty often" "fist full of penis" etc

you kjnow what drives me crazy. the ACTUAL REAL TIMELINE of the intermission. or at least what it means for the rest of the comic. obviously the intermission is foreshadowing (esp when slick gets his eye and arm cut off; mentioning lord english; etc) but like. its MORE. when i first read homestuck i was under the impression that the intermission was just some other timeline in some universe. granted i dont remember slicks eye and arm getting nixed or karkat vantas reveal or lord english mention or anything that foreshadows anything. but NO! its NOT some other timeline! but it IS another universe. its ALTERNIA!!!!!!!!!!!

the story of jack noir (spades slick) as i know it is as follows: jack noir spawns in derse ==> commits a crime (probably shittalking the queen) ==> gets exiled to... um. somewhere. ==> i assume he meets karkat here? and stabs him. and karkats blood is revealed and then theyre friends ==> slick (now scurrilous straggler) is left on the green moon? exiled in rags ==> he builds a city ==> the felt's mansion is there also. they form gangs and become rivals ==> intermission starts; midnight crew infiltrates lord english's lair to get the vault prizes ==> slick goes in the vault and begins commanding karkat. if im wrong about any of this correct me im so curious

i really like clubs deuce and diamonds droog. i wish crowbar was in the intermission more. clover is just like nagito komaeda. trace and fin are insaaaane. i wish i knew more about the felt

ACT 4! GAME!!!!! game on lowas. its really cool i didnt get to play it my first readthrough. love the salamanders and love the captchalogue nonsense. it is so fun. thats all for today folks

[tobiasdrake]

A Comparative Look at First Cases

Okay, before moving on to 3-2, I want to take a moment to go over the First Cases. I feel like I should break this down into categories to make it simpler.

Okay, let's start with the motives. Motives are a lot of fun. They can be captivating and mysterious, with overarching effects that may not be clear at first glance but ultimately compel the murder.

I need to clarify that we're talking about capital-M Motives provided by Monokuma and not necessarily the specific, individual rationale for murder that the killer interpreted from it. That will come up when we talk about killers.

Best Motive: 2-1 - The Missing Past Sometimes simpler can be better than overcomplex, and that makes 1-1's Motive fairly strong. "Your loved ones are in danger; That sucks." Straight to the point. Who will be driven to murder by this?

But 2-1's Motive manages to take that simple Motive and mold it into someting that's intriguingly esoteric. Taking the grand reveal from 1-6 and frontloading it into 2-1's Motive disguises its true menace. It keeps the sequel plot moving without having to retread too much, while still delivering a rationale for murder that nonetheless ends up being every bit as hard-cutting and personal as 1-1's.

Worst Motive: 3-1 - The First Blood Perk I already went on a tirade over this but suffice it to say, the First Blood Perk is one of the most interest-terminating Motives in Danganronpa. A good Motive should make you wonder which character's particular psychology is going to interact with the Motive in a way that moves them to murder. This Motive just makes you wonder how they're going to cop out of it.

Ah, but what's a Motive without the rest of the events leading up to the case? Hanging out, being sociable, and trying to defeat the Mastermind. Let's talk about best build-up.

Best Build-Up: 3-1 - A Plan to Thwart the Mastermind All three build-ups center around two major things: Learning about the Killing Game and our fellow players, and getting to know the character who's about to betray us in a big way: Sayaka, Nagito, and Kaede.

Of the three journeys these sets of characters undergo together, Kaede and Shuichi's plan to undermine (and, secretly, assassinate) the Mastermind is immediately investment-grabbing. And while you can spot signs of Kaede's impending plot if you're observant enough, it's not quite as obvious as Sayaka's meltdown and plot to frame Makoto.

Worst Build-Up: 2-1 - Entering the Neo World Program To be honest, this was a toss-up between 1-1 and 2-1. The time we spend getting to know Nagito hits a lot harder given how much more important of a character he's going to be than Sayaka.

But the clincher for me was actually the opening minutes of the game. One of DR2's biggest reveals is that we're in a simulation, but they front-load the game with a lot of Matrix effects that give away the trick immediately as you begin playing it. The opening minutes are the disappointing 11037 clue of DR2, but made worse for being too obvious about a major endgame reveal.

Best Blackened: 3-1 - Kaede Akamatsu Okay, I know I've spent multiple posts complaining about this and it still does piss me off from the perspective of overarching game design choice. But given how intricate and fascinating her murder is and the way it plays so hard on established character traits and relationships, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge her here.

The best murders are the ones that are rooted in characters. That stem entirely from the way the character's identity, personality, and relationship to other characters interacts with the provided Motive. You should always come away from the killer's identity reveal feeling like it not only was this person, but that it could never have been anyone else. It was always going to be them.

Kaede's well-conceived but poorly-aimed plan to kill the Mastermind is a perfect example of a masterfully executed interplay of personality, motive, means, and opportunity coming together in a way that feels true to character and heartbreaking to discover.

Worst Blackened: 1-1 - Leon Kuwata

It's hard to choose between Teruteru and Leon here, because they're in a similar boat. Teruteru has an interesting motive for his involvement, but one that doesn't get examined until the very end in a bid for last-second sympathy. Saving the killer's interesting character traits for FTEs and a last-second revelation is a recurring problem in Danganronpa.

Conversely, Leon doesn't have much motive at all. He's a strong candidate for least developed character in Danganronpa. He was selected more or less arbitrarily by Sayaka to be her intended victim and then killer. He is so utterly divorced from the events of the crime that she had to scrawl his name on the wall for the sake of creating any reason in the world to suspect him. The only reason he's even here is because he thought she was hot. Which also doesn't get examined much outside his FTEs.

But between the two, I feel like Teruteru has more going for him. His fear for his mom makes for a stronger motive, even if we don't find out about it until the very end. He's only slightly better developed than Leon, but his integral role as team chef also plays into the mystery a bit more strongly than Leon "can chuck things through the grate" Kuwata's did.

Leon is Danganronpa's first attempt at writing a killer. And while his switcheroo with Sayaka is interesting, it nonetheless shows.

Best Victim: 1-1 - Sayaka Maizono This is another one that's very hard to call. Sayaka and Imposter Byakuya are both strong contenders for best victim.

As characters, all three first victims coast on external expectations that you carry into the game with you. Expectations of a Maya Fey type character, expectations of Byakuya Togami, expectations of an Ultimate ??? mystery.

What puts Sayaka above Imposter for me is that ultimately, Imposter never feels like more than an archetype. He's the leader, he's brave, he's valiant, he's selfless... He's, honestly, unlike his namesake in the way he takes charge and cares for others. But he lacks any sort of personal connections to the other characters. When he dies, his cause of death is simply "being too heroic".

Sayaka is more interesting because her character writing is deeply personal. We spend a lot of time not only developing who she is but her relationship to protagonist Makoto. She compares more to Kaede than to Imposter or Rantaro, because we get to watch her make an emotional journey over the course of the setup.

When Byakuya turns up dead, he dies fulfilling both his archetypal identity as the heroic leader and his horror role as the Horror Ace who must be killed in order for the story to begin. But when Sayaka turns up dead, it's a genuine twist... Whether you "knew" she was going to commit a murder or not, it's still shocking to see her show up as a victim.

For the short time we had these characters, Sayaka feels like she managed to do more to concoct an interesting character journey than Imposter or Rantaro did, and that's why I have to give this point to her.

Worst Victim: 3-1 - Rantaro Amami Rantaro's the other major candidate for least developed character in Danganronpa. There are things there to enjoy if you're willing to put in the work to find them but, for the most part, he's just. Sort of. There.

He's a nice guy surrounded by a lot of question marks, some of which will be explained far later in the game and others that won't be explained until post-game bonus modes. Wreathed in similar secrecy to Imposter, but lacking Imposter's captivating exterior intrigue. Rantaro has the energy of a random person who accidentally wandered onto the set and now everyone else has to roll with it.

He has a cool character design and he's nice, but he isn't here to stay and he's written like it. The others have complex and fascinating over-the-top characteristics and Rantaro is nearby, smiling politely. He likes bread.

In a similar fashion to how Nagito was a dark reflection of Makoto, Rantaro is. Like. Hajime, if he wasn't written to be an important character of any kind. You can become invested in him if you put in the work to do so but there are tons of other characters who are right there.

Meanwhile, his involvement in his own death is "Wrong place at the wrong time. Whoopsy-doodle."

Best Use of Other Characters: 3-1 - Miu, Gonta, and Shuichi (plus Kaito's mob) This is an easy win for 3-1. A Danganronpa game features a lot of characters, and the more involved they get to be in the crime both before and after the body is found, the better. 1-1 and 3-1 both offer Makoto and Shuichi a key role of adjacency, making them unsuspecting accomplices while the crime is being concocted and carried out. But between them, Shuichi has a more proactive and complex relationship to the crime taking place, while Makoto's simply a patsy.

On top of that, we have Gonta for a false lead suspect, plus the whole complicating factor of Kaito's mob forming right next door to the crime - one member of whom would become the victim.

And we have Miu, who is intricately woven into the case. Miu created the cameras and knows key information about them that becomes important to the case. She also builds a sky-camera drone which becomes supremely important to unraveling the mystery. None of this could have happened without her; Either the setup of the crime or the resolution of the mystery. V3 uses its large cast to great effect here.

Worst Use of Other Characters: 2-1 - Nagito, Peko, and Ibuki. Plus Mahiru and Mikan's investigative skills.

Nagito is an extremely back-and-forth character. Sometimes he's fascinating and other times he's a cackling ball of plot contrivance, doing ridiculous things for ridiculous reasons and getting away with it because plot contrivance is literally his Talent.

2-1 may be Nagito at his weakest. Though the drawing of straws is a fun bit, Nagito contriving 85% of the mystery and pulling it off through sheer Luck Powers for the sake of setting up Teruteru for the remaining 15% feels forced. Nagito's involvement feels like the personification of "Writer's hand moving pieces into place."

Like, the trick with the blackout seems like it'd be difficult to pull off without any testing but Nagito has luck powers so it doesn't matter. The timing of everything going down seems unlikely but Nagito has luck powers so it doesn't matter. Every over-complex detail was perfectly planned 100% by Nagito and it all went exactly according to plan, because it could only go exactly according to plan, because Nagito has luck powers preventing any unexpected complications from ever arising.

This is a toxic influence on a mystery (though it makes 2-5 fascinating). Mysteries are actually more interesting when they don't go exactly according to one brilliant mastermind's flawless foresight.

Aside from Nagito, we have... Peko being in the bathroom. An entire subplot is dedicated to the mystery of Peko's extended bathroom visit. This is a character who will be revealed to be a deadly assassin next chapter, and her sole contribution to the story prior to that point is a joke about diarrhea embarrassment.

That leaves us with Ibuki, Mikan, and Mahiru who play key roles in the investigation. Ibuki has exact photographic memory of every person who spoke during the blackout (which also feels a bit like plot contrivance), Mahiru's photographs provide critical evidence (that's fine, no notes), and Mikan... Mikan's autopsy is useful (that's good) and also the running joke about her tripping into compromising positions is critical evidence (okay, game).

2-1 suffers from a bad case of 4-D Chess Mastermind syndrome and is more interested in poking fun and ogling its cast than it is in having them do interesting things rooted in their characters and personalities that contribute to the story in interesting ways.

Best Mystery: 2-1 - The Table Stabbing 2-1 and 3-1 have a lot of moving parts. The mechanism of Kaede's trap is complicated, but not so complicated that you can't see how it worked - or, at least, was intended to work. The same is true of Shuichi's own plot to capture the Mastermind, which runs adjacent to and interweaves through Kaede's.

Like Nagito, Teruteru, and Imposter, there are multiple conflicting agendas running through Shuichi, Kaede, and Rantaro's collision - though with the intriguing and emotionally gripping complication that they all wanted the same thing. Meanwhile, 3-1 does not run afoul of All According to Keikaku the way 2-1 does.

If you don't know, on sight, who killed Rantaro? Then 3-1 can be a shocking mystery to try and solve, as no possible candidate seems to fit the bill. But if you do know? Then. Well. It's a lot like 1-1, spinning your wheels and waiting for the game to catch up. Worse, if you happen to be too observant and catch things that they don't want you thinking about until 3-6, 3-1 can be pull-your-hair-out frustrating as the game gaslights you about details that are plain in front of your eyes.

2-1's mystery isn't quite as captivating as 3-1's, but it doesn't suffer from these drawbacks either. It's less likely to have been spoiled for you by hanging out with the key figures while they were setting it all up. There's still a bit of bullshit in how it's carried out, but ultimately it simply presents a clever mystery and asks you to investigate and solve it.

Worst Mystery: 1-1 - Murder in Makoto's Shower 1-1 was the first case in the series, and you can tell. While getting to watch Sayaka undergo her emotional journey and developing her crime alongside Makoto is interesting, it does give away many of the details that are going to be Huge Reveals later down the line.

By the time her body is found, you're already 95% of the way to solving the mystery. And she wrote the remaining 5% on the wall for you to find.

Kaede and Shuichi took a lot of notes from Sayaka and Makoto on how to do something like this without flat-out explaining the plan to the audience as they go along. Though I do think that sometimes simpler cases are better than complex ones, 1-1 suffers tremendously from being too obvious about key details, leaving little to discover during investigation.

So, where does that leave the Case 1s? Tallying up their scores, we have:

DRV3: 13 points DR2: 12 points DR1: 11 points

Neck and neck in quality but V3 takes a slim lead. Featuring the strongest build-up portion, best Blackened, and best use of Side Characters, V3 edges out the competition with careful, creative, and entertaining use of its cast as a whole.

DR2 thrives on its plot details, with a great Motive and the most well-constructed mystery to spin out of the events, but suffers from poor use of its characters as well as a middling killer and victim.

While DR1 coasts by on the strength of the Sayaka twist, having a harder time establishing itself than the sequels that followed in its footsteps and learned from its mistakes.

[lgcjino]

RE: JINO 'I SWEAR I WON'T GET INTO A SCANDAL' MOON — a black banquet reflection

setbacks are normal. 

being flexible under such uncertain conditions was also a notable skill an actor should have.

jino is flexible, but at his core — he’s quite confused. at the bottom of the totem pole, he is, question marks blaring in otherwise bewildered eyes when he’s told that they will be facing delays and a reconfiguration of schedules and scenes that needed to be re-shot.

while jino is not a core member of the film, he is but a cog in the machine — one of the many who are struck by the suddenness of change and the waste of time, resources and talent that will ultimately suffer from the selfishness of one person. jino should be upset — he should be — but that doesn’t stop jino from pulling hyunsoo to the side and asking him just why this was all happening: because jino was just that nosy.

with a better understanding of the situation, jino leaves the set on the day of retakes, not upset, but tired. finally feeling the fatigue of long nights and prolonged schedules taking its toll on him. 

when he had thought that his endurance had been something to applaud — here it is, showing him that his endurance was as weak as a brittle tree branch. feeling its affects after a long day as he falls to his bed without even washing his face or fixing himself a quick dinner — one of two things he had said this year he was going to be better at. 

“for my first project, honestly, it was kind of an experience. i don’t want to say it was good or bad — because it wasn’t anything like that. i’ve never really been on a filming set of this magnitude,” or of any magnitude at all, outside of the variety shows he’s been in. and those were far different than this by a feat. “so, to see everyone’s hard work get trashed was kind of upsetting. a lot of time and effort went into filming and i don’t want to say harsh things about her — since i don’t know the actress well nor do i know the situation as firsthand as she does — so it’s not really my place to say anything about that. it just sucks that a lot of time was wasted, but it’s okay — that’s what the reshoots were for, right? to make up for all that.”

he tries to be optimist, as a non-bystander bystander. because even though he wasn’t one of the main roles, their manager had asked them what his thoughts were and jino was always one to be honest, first and foremost. 

“if i was in a scandal like that?” he nearly spits out a laugh in disbelief — not that he can imagine himself in such a scandal, he can, but he thinks its far too early before anyone would be paying that much attention on him. “i guess i’d lay low — there’s no use fighting the fire. especially with netizen culture these days, they just jump onto any new thing and it goes crazy. like i said — fighting fire is just useless, that’s how you get burned.”

jino’s never been burned before, and  he hopes that he never will.

( but knowing himself — it was probably wise to devise a plan in advance for any mishaps  )

“would saying being an honest to you be a cop-out answer?” he laughs, trying to lighten the mood. the seriousness of the conversation prickling his skin in a way that he isn’t quite used to — especially not when he had just gotten used to having a manager. “i’m not sure how you’d avoid a scandal, especially not when you don’t really know just what could be scandalizing. society nowadays can be an enigma, y’know — never really know what’ll get them talking next. but for now, i want to promise you that i will never get in a scandal ....” then he quickly adds, "that you won't know beforehand."

oh, how optimistic — how naive; oh, how much you still need to learn moon jino. 

[ha-youwish]

could you tell me more about the postcanon p5 and p3 wip? 👀

ask game

this au is an excuse to make characters not a fucking cops and also make my own persona 6 (a rite of passage for any persona fic writer)

so basically, i think the phantom thieves polycule should get back together and then be recruited by mitsuru to join the new shadow ops. the shadow ops now are a private investigative agency apart from the police so they can get around some red tape that made it hard to do things like, say, get akira out of being questioned and beat the shit out of by the police.

so yeah now the phantom thieves are adults, akira was able to convince sojiro to let him run the cafe a few days a week. he does online classes and can't resist digging up dirt on shitty authorities and being like hey futaba check this out, mona helps him out with that. futaba is also doing online schooling and gets money from a mysterious source......

ann is doing modeling oversees at the time of the start of this, ryuji is in between track seasons and spends way too much time in leblanc (gayass), yusuke sells his art and also spends too much time in leblanc (gayass pt2), haru and makoto are on their honeymoon doing their thing in sapporo (makoto is becoming disillusioned with police work, haru has opened up her first cafe there and runs it).

basically mitsuru approaches akira and is like hey we want to make things better but laws suck but also we dont want to risk corruption can the PT be on an unofficial team for the shadow ops while also being allowed to do their own thing. by the time they accept a new cognitive world pops up on their radar, and thats where the ocs come in and things get complicated in a way i dont have energy to explain sorry.

so here read this also fuck cops

One day things will get better, has been the mantra that Makoto has been chanting since she was assigned to Sapporo. That, and, these things take time. 

Her goal to become a police commissioner took a bit of a turn the more she went through college. But she was here now, working with the investigations unit at the Sapporo Police Department. 

It… wasn’t what it seemed when she first joined. As the newbie, she’d been mostly shadowing under her boss so far, contributing to maybe one or two cases for a year. But it was fine, these things took time. She could change the system, but she just had to be patient. 

It was a little hard to be patient, though, when her boss treated her like she was his personal servant. 

Makoto filled up the coffee mug for the third time this evening, trying to suppress the scowl on her face. One of her colleagues in the unit, a nice man named Nagaki, walked in the room. 

She remembered the conversation they had the other day, when she intervened with one of the officers in an interrogation room. Makoto had gotten in more trouble than the officer who was about to get violent, and the situation had shaken her. 

Nagaki had kindly come up to her after the incident and told her she did a good thing. “But,” he said quietly, “Good things aren’t appreciated around here. Not without status.”

“Can I be honest with you?” She had said, still reeling from her reprimand. “I joined the police to change things. My dad was an officer, he was kind, and I was hoping to make the system more like him.”

“It’s a good goal to have, but it’s not going to happen if you’re here.” He scoffed, bitter. “Either quit or get fired.”

He’d walked off after that, ending the conversation before she could ask. But his words have been rattling in her head ever since. She couldn’t believe it. He’d been in this line of work far longer than her, but she felt she was different. She had to be different if things were going to change. 

One day things will get better, but why did it feel like things were only getting worse? 

[melis-hellis]

Onward's 3rd Anniversary - A (Long) Self-Reflection Post

three years. three gosh darn years old. you're not allowed to be three years old, onward.

the world has obviously changed a lot since this humble pixar film came into my life. when it released, i was an 18-year-old in senior year of high school, and now i'm a 21-year-old junior in college. animation has changed a whole lot, and has been challenged by the perpetrators of the stigma more than ever. and for me...well, there have been a ton of developments in just these past several months.

for two and a half years, this film was my entire life. it was the only thing i thought about. i created tons of art and stories to expand upon this universe that deserved more love. i adored and connected with the characters...i hadn't quite related to a pixar film this much. i connected with the depiction of loving siblings, the emotions, the fantasy world...i've adored animated films before, but not to this extent.

and despite the film's unfortunate reputation - viruses, lawsuits, lesbian cops and all - i wasn't alone in my love. there was a small group of people on this very website who shared my love for this underrated gem, and we came together to create amazing things. we lifted each other up during dark times, and while things weren't always perfect, we powered through.

what's so unique about this particular anniversary is that this is the first one where i'm not active in the fandom. in fact, i'm not the only one who's inactive - most of my friends have also moved on to other things. but our love never went away. if my love went away, i wouldn't be writing out this post. but i'll be honest - i tried to draw a fanart last night, and i couldn't put anything on that procreate canvas. and it breaks my heart because i wish i could put out something like fanart today. but given my business with other fandoms, this post will suffice.

my one major goal i had in this fandom was to complete at least one season of my fanmade series. and that i did - my series was loved throughout this small fandom and seeing the reactions every time i posted an episode warmed my heart. on onward's 2nd anniversary - one year ago today - i completed the first season and started preparing for the second one. by the end of may i began scripting, and i was really getting in the groove...until late june.

something started feeling off by the end of june. i didn't want to admit the possibility of my onward hyperfixation waning, but that's what it felt like. it felt like the magic was being sucked from me. i blame lightyear partially for this; the film was so underwhelming that it soured pixar a little bit for me, and between that and dreamworks coming back with banger movies again, it made me stop paying attention to disney for a bit. i began looking back at older fandoms again.

july and august came and went, and while i still had a bit of onward motivation in me, it wasn't enough to continue writing. i did all i could - but nothing would bring it back up.

then i started junior year of college on august 22nd, 2022. a few days before, the whole warner discovery HBO max fiasco went down, and put the future of TAWOG - one of my old special interests - in jeopardy. while that special interest was a in a dark place...the youtube channel of the special interest i had directly before disney/pixar/onward hit one million subscribers.

in the 2010's caddicarus fandom, the prospect of him hitting one million subs felt like a legend. something that wouldn't really happen. back when i came along in 2014, he was projected to hit one million in 2017, as this was his peak in popularity. but as time went on, that 1 million goal moved further and further away as jim kept steering the channel into its demise. he had no self-awareness and felt he had to grind and pop out videos like rabbits to keep his numbers up...which, if you were a fan at the time, you probably knew was not true. the videos lost their quality and magic...and, funnily enough...i lost my patience on march 7th, 2019.

i unsubbed that day, but i'd been irritated with the channel's output for a while before that.

of course, if you know me, you know the story - exactly one year later, i saw onward in theaters with my sister and my life was changed. after a year of changing between many different fandoms - jontron, game grumps, seeing TAWOG for the last time before its finale, vinesauce, ducktales - pixar was now my new special interest home. the subsequent lockdown was a time where i produced tons of edits, fanarts, and fanfiction experiments.

on the caddicarus side of things, jim almost shut down the channel in late 2019 as his numbers were at their absolute worst. after having an epiphany at a convention in january 2020, he completely shook up his content style, and his channel was suddenly rejuvenated, bringing him the largest figures in the channel's history. before 2020, every caddicarus video gaining a minimum of 1 million views was completely unheard of, let alone none of the videos being under 30 minutes.

what's so ironic is that caddy began making banger videos again around the same time i got with onward. and yet i completely refused to watch them. i knew what was going on, i knew people were saying the newer videos were better. but i couldn't make myself watch them.

i had actually tried to come back for my 7th anniversary in august of 2021 - fun fact, my caddica-versary is august 21st, one day before august 22nd, aka what's now 1 million sub day - but i had just committed to my onward series, and i couldn't have another interest interrupting me.

so another year passes, and we're back at august 2022. i watch caddy cross over to 1 million subs, and it doesn't feel real at first.

i didn't immediately return to the fandom, but i knew in my mind that i needed to go somewhere as my onward hyperfix was thinning.

so what's the last thing i create in the onward fandom? do i draw an elaborate fanart? do i put out at least one episode of the second season i'd been hyping and pushing back for months? do i tease even more OCs and episode ideas? do i put out another chapter of that other fanfic i was writing? or a one-shot?

...on august 28th, 2022, the last things i ever created in the onward fandom were these two fortnite dancing gifs.

this reminds me a lot of alex lasarenko and his disney channel jingle. he's created a lot of breathtaking orchestral pieces - and yet the thing he's most known for are those four notes that have been used on the disney channel for over 20 years. for me and onward, the thing i go out on are these two silly gifs...and honestly? i don't mind that.

the following friday, i finally began watching the 2020-present caddicarus videos...and it was like falling in love with the channel all over again. i love both the original and current runs of the caddicarus show for completely different reasons - but the current run is the one i rewatch, quote, and remember the most of. because it's actually amazing.

needless to say, i resubbed that night, and i could comfortably call myself a caddicarus fan again.

something very funny about this is whole thing is that caddy says the word "onward" a whole lot. like, a whole lot. on interviews and streams, he usually brings up how new fans should only watch his videos from 2020 onwards. in his video talking about his merch box, he says the jokes and references within the box are from his videos from 2020 onwards.

it's like pixar had been sending me a subliminal message this whole time - onward (2020) came out just as caddy's videos became the best they've ever been. pixar was basically telling me "hey, caddy's moving onward too, so you should give his newer stuff a try and stop thinking he's living in the past".

here we are at onward's 3rd anniversary, and i'm still waiting for my caddicarus blu-ray to arrive. it'll be the first caddicarus merchandise i'll be able to hold in my hands and cherish - back when i was a teen, i couldn't just ask for caddicarus T-shirts as my parents couldn't find out that a swearing youtuber was my big special interest. and now, when that box arrives, i will have merchandise of all the major special interests i've had. i'd finally added the missing piece to the puzzle - or maybe for this case, a missing brick in the wall, or... the last check on the bucket list...

...and i've never felt more complete.

thank you pixar. thank you onward. thank you dan scanlon, kori rae, tom holland, chris pratt, literally everyone who made this movie a reality. no matter how much it's overlooked, memed on, dogged on, etc., there are people who adore this film for what it is and the emotions it has brought. it has helped me with many of my personal struggles, and to this day it stands as a glowing reminder that we should all strive to keep moving onward.

so, with all that said, keep putting it in O my friends. because you'll never be ready if you don't try.

[redjennies]

ok now i NEED to know your beef with sorcerers. i dont have an opinion but i do have popcorn

I'm going to be honest. It's just a general beef I have with "special characters."

like all the d&d classes have a general story attached to them. you can try to subvert the archetype but it's always present. you're still going to have to interact with it somehow. like there is, and there should be, a difference in character in between choosing to play a barbarian vs a fighter, a cleric vs a paladin, a druid vs a ranger, a wizard vs a warlock, etc outside of just what abilities/stats you want. you don't have to play into an exact archetype (not all paladins are Robo-Cop and all that), but especially with how balanced the classes are in 5e, I think it's important to ask yourself when coming up with a personality for your character: why is this character this class and not something else? how do they relate to their class? what does it add to their narrative?

and I think the sorcerer's flavor just sucks especially when it's contrasted against the other full casters. it lacks the studiousness of wizards, the devotion of clerics and druids, or the cunning of bards and warlocks. at the risk of sounding like Ludinus Da'leth, sorcerer's abilities are boring to me because they don't come from anything intrinsic to the sorcerer's character outside of a vague sense of "I'm a special boy and the rules don't apply to me. oho, where did this new power come from?"

and the proverbial you can try to work with that if you really want to prove me wrong. try to find some way to make Chosen One characters interesting to me in a way a thousand stories before it have never quite managed, but like, why would anyone want to play a lame sorcerer when you could just play a cleric or wizard or bard or paladin or any other class that, I don't know, actually works for a living unlike these sorcerer nepo-babies. /joke

[simping-for-kamski]

12 Steps of Xmas - ch 4

4. Bargaining

Leo was locked up with little else to do than being sick. He was there by choice though, because he knew sheer will wouldn’t be enough to stay clean. He was sprawled on his bed, head full of doubts and questions, still wondering if he hallucinated what was on the news, when his phone rang.

It was Hank.

Leo muted the TV and swiped in the call, eyes turning back to the screen on the wall.

“Manfred,” he answered habitually.

“Hey… Hank here. Can I talk to you for a bit?” His voice sounded hesitant.

“Huh, yeah, sure.” Leo rubbed his nose. “Got all the time in the world; I’m in rehab.”

“Yeah? That’s great.” Hank sounded genuine, even if awkward. “You’ doing okay?”

“Yeah, got meds and all…” Leo hummed to himself. “Thank god I managed to sell a few paintings so I could afford a human-staffed place this time. Rehab centers I’ve been to before are creepy as fuck with those messed up androids, and with what’s going on now, like… What the fuck’s going on?” he muttered, still looking at the disturbing images on TV.

“You mean with the deviants?” Hank guessed.

“Yeah.” Leo’s answer was just a breath.

“I was calling you about that, actually,” Hank said. “You said you’ve got Kamski’s contact and… I’d owe you big time if you could plug me to him.

Leo’s eyes glazed over—not that Hank could see it. “Really?” he asked, and it was clear that he meant “you’re really asking me this?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I had a choice,” Hank answered somberly. “You’ve seen what’s on the news, right? You’ve seen the android detective?”

“Mhm, yeah. The ‘deviant hunter’ one? Connor or something?” Leo drawled.

“That’s my partner, the one they assigned me.” Hank sucked in a breath. “I’m a cop. I’m investigating that whole shit that’s going on, androids going deviant, doing all those things they’re… not supposed to do,” he said hesitantly. “CyberLife’s given us Connor but they won’t tell us shit about what they think’s going on. They say they don’t have enough data yet, that we need to comb through more cases to… Whatever. If CyberLife doesn’t know what’s going on, I thought, that Kamski guy, maybe he knows something that can help us figure it out.”

Leo rounded his eyes, taking it all in whilst quickly trying to go through his interactions with Hank to make an inventory of the amount of incriminating things he might have let him in on.

“Leo…?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I just…” Leo looked around himself and combed fingers through his hair. “Listen, I… If I give you that number, we’re cool? Like, I’m not in trouble?”

There was a snort of disbelief. “Of course you’re not in trouble. I’m the one who owes you. I didn’t meet you as a cop. Whatever you’ve got going for you, it’s your life, your choices, I’m not gonna intrude, okay?” He marked a pause though. “You’re not in trouble, are you? I mean, do you owe something to someone…?”

Leo looked up at the ceiling, clenching his teeth. “I suppose not anymore…” He sure hoped the cartel would let go, now that they’d shaken him down quite a few of his dad’s paintings, but he had his doubts. They’d lended him money, enough to pay for the funeral and to afford rehab, and they likely expected to get it back with interest. It wasn’t like Leo could produce cash while Carl’s possessions and bank accounts were still locked. “Maybe I still owe someone fifty grands, I don’t know.”

“Okay…” Hank muttered.

“If I give you Kamski’s contact and you get to see him, can you ask him if he’d be interested in some of my dad’s art shit?” Leo asked. “He didn’t answer anything about that.”

“Leo, I… I’m not sure I’d get the chance,” Hank answered in earnest. Not what Leo wanted to hear, but he appreciated the honesty.

“Yeah, thought so. It was worth a shot,” Leo snorted. “I’ll send you the info. I hope you’ll get something out of that snob.”

“Thanks, kid.”

Leo grinned. “I ain’t no kid, old man,” he replied.

“Thanks, Leo,” Hank corrected his address.

“Nah, thank you. For calling. And being honest. It’s rare these days,” Leo answered, fidgeting on his phone’s screen. “I sent you Kamski’s contact.”

“Got it.” Hank laughed, although bitterly, like it was some inside joke that Leo didn’t get, but it was okay. “I owe you.”

“You don’t. No IOU’s between us, ‘kay?” Leo insisted once more.

“Take care then. See you next week?”

“Next week,” Leo confirmed.

They hung up. He smiled. It was nice to be called by someone. Well, Hank wasn’t the first person to have called him, but there was something about him, that dad energy maybe. Leo could use that. He could use the way Hank looked at him. There was something warm in his eyes beyond the grey veil of sadness, something more like a radiant blue summer sky. It made Leo feel needy for that gaze on him. It made Leo feel silly.

He wasn’t too fond of sharing hugs in group therapy and usually abstained from the exercise, unless there was some sexy couch-owning ratty boy he could seduce and use. But Hank? Yeah, Leo would want a hug from him, feel small in those big great arms of his. He kinda hoped there would be group hugs next week.

READI IT ON AO3

[literaryspinster]

The thing is with ships like Melvika Melco or whatever else is that...they're such tiny ships. Apart from a few popular fanarts, I've only seen a small handful people on here *actually* "shipping" Melvika and most people who do are just lesbians who think they're hot. It's never going to be canon and it's just a fun thing that a small group of people are doing. It's just a crackship and in no way threatens the canon-ness of Meljay. It's cool to not enjoy it or the characters but the reasons like "They're not good for each other" or "doesn't do anything for her story" or whatever is a nonissue as it's not canon and never will be. Shipping Mel and Jayce with other people isn't always a malicious act of trying to separate them. You don't need to believe a crackship make a good couple because...that's the point of a crackship, sometimes they don't make sense and some people enjoy that. If you don't, that's absolutely fine, but the thought that you need to be convinced if you're not interested in a ship anyway is like...why bother? Let people have their fun and you have yours. And to be honest, people know these ships are never going to be canon. Genuinely! sorry if this comes off as a rant, not my intention to offend and this is not in bad faith, just a responce. It's just I think people in fandoms, in general, should focus more on things they enjoy instead of things they don't, especially if it's small and essentially harmless.

I get all that, and I am a pretty big proponent of focusing on things that I enjoy over things that I don’t, or at least not letting my negativity reach much further than my little corner. You’ll never see me butting into a M*lvika post to hate on them, you’ll never see me spreading negativity in their tag, and this is likely the last I’ll really say about them as I’m truly not trying to be a fan cop or anything of the sort. But I got the ask and wanted to explain my feelings on the matter, even though I knew they probably wouldn’t be taken all that well.

I do get rather frustrated with seeing so much toxicity under Mel and Meljay posts for all sorts of reasons (it seems to stem from the fandom accepting it as canon that she was up to no good with very little pushback) I never want to replicate that energy, that’s not the sort of fan I want to be. My thing isn’t that I think Meljay is being threatened, it’s me not wanting to constantly see hate directed at them in spaces that should be free of that. I can’t control what happens in the show, but I can attempt to curate my fandom experience as best as I can.

As for needing to be convinced that a ship is good actually, again, that’s just… kind of the way I am. If I don’t understand something or see the logic in it then I want to try to understand it, I want metas and breakdowns that find the depth in something that I can’t quite see. If I’m going to ship a pair, it has to be because I think those two people would get along and enrich each other’s stories. And yeah, I was open to shipping them at first, which is why I was initially seeking a good analysis, as I don’t really have a canon interaction to go on.

Lastly, and this is a big one, if I have to see comment after comment about why this character I like’s canon relationship sucks and why this other one would be better, even when I am not at all seeking content about that alternate pair, then it’s natural for me to get curious about why.

That’s me, that’s always been me. But it’s definitely not the way I expect everyone else to be or need everyone else to be.

And I don’t think you’re ranting, I’m glad you came to me with this, and I hope I’ve made my feelings clear.

[butmakeitgayblog]

I like how they show you a sketchy June, with the lying and somehow a non grata person on town, while still making you root for her, which means it will come a time when you feel you can’t anymore. Still, that’s fucking Ripley right there, you can’t go wrong with that.

That’s good writing to me, I agree that saint x in general was too cringey at best and unbearable at worst

Lil’Alice has my whole heart 💔

Men are on the losing side on this (only the cop and Oggi the only decent so far)

This show wont be good for my australian wanderlust.

Oof I wanna pinch Oggi's lil chubby cheekies 🥹 he's such a cutie and so sweet to Alice when she desperately needs it.

And absolutely I love the complexities of June even with just the bits that we know of her so far. She's entirely untrustworthy except you do feel compelled to trust her. She is both unlikable and likeable, she gives such unsettling energy that always leaves you on your back foot and yet feels like a woman who is unwaveringly the habor in a storm. Seeing how that all washes out and influences(d) not only in Alice's upbringing but also in how Clem himself became such a broken person will be interesting to see.

And as for the issue of men in this story, I think it's important for people to go into it with the thought of who the story is actually about. It's about the traumatized women who have been the victims of male violence. It's not saying that all men are violent or that all men are intrinsically evil, not at all. It's just being honest in the text that a lot - if not most - women have dealt with violence from men in some form, that it is a larger problem within society, and most importantly that it does leave women carrying the repercussions/trauma for life - often affecting their lives and those around them intergenerationally.

What I like so much so far is just how Not The Point men are in this actually. They are simply the burned up match dropped next to the house fire.

I understand the desire to give a lot of context and (often) woeful backstories to the abusers in these kinds of tales because we want to make sense of such ugliness (or lowkey find excuses to forgive it), but frankly I'm tired of that narrative. I'm tired of being given these tragic backstories that explain why someone awful should actually be pitied in some way because inevitably, the audience loses focus of who the true victim is. Just because an abuser (man or woman) had a hard or violent childhood does not change the fact that they are hurting someone else and are quite literally now the villain. So while those two things are not mutually exclusive, the former does not negate the latter, and unfortunately I can't readily think of any instances where a villainous character wasn't extrapolated in a way that didn't inadvertently turn them into the ultimate victim - or worse, give credence to why it uwu wasn't actually their fault.

So tl;dr, the men in this suck because it's following a group of women who happened to have been abused by men who sucked. If the men in their lives didn't suck, then they wouldn't have to become one of June's flowers and instead would be in a show that involved men who didn't suck🤷‍♀️