#so there's a number of characters i haven't really gotten to yet

[anonyanonymouse]

🙈

[not-so-plus-ultra]

Okay, maybe unpopular opinion time, but I started watching DanDaDan (ADORE it so far) and some of you are starting to become the meme of "that one friend who is too woke" about what happens in the first episode

TW for sexual assault + CW light DanDaDan spoilers if you haven't watched it yet. Its gonna be a bit ranty

First of all I wanna preface this with saying that, if Momo's scene with the aliens impacted you and / or you found it triggering, that's extremely valid. I am not claiming it isn't, specially for people who have any kind of sexual trauma. What I'm gonna say is not about that

What I mean is; I think we have gotten so used to a very big number of anime using sexual assault as a "funny" gag, having characters violate other characters' physical boundaries, or having a token perverted / incestuous / p*do character, all in the name of terrible "comedy" or fanservice, that we have started bracing up for any mention or showcase of sexual assault to be treated as a gag or as a "sexy" thing; specially when it comes to female characters, because sadly they're the victims of this 99% of the time. This, without going over the sexualization of characters in general, even when mundane things are happening

It's a sentiment I understand and share. I hate all of these tropes and "jokes" and it makes me really sad when a series I otherwise like has to include something like that. I actively criticize these kinds of things no matter how big a fan I am of a work in question

However, I think because of all this, we have forgotten that media can choose to use scenarios like that as an actual Bad thing to show. A bad and unfortunate thing that happens to a character that isn't used as comedy or as fanservice

I had heard about the sexual assault scene in DanDaDan prior to watching it, and I had decided I was gonna skip that scene, as I am someone who is both disgusted by these things and has trauma related to them. However while skipping quickly through the scene I thought it didn't look as bad as I was bracing for, so I decided it was something I could stomach. I was really surprised when I saw that the scene was strictly being handled as a bad thing happening to Momo, and that it also ultimately ended up with her escaping her assaulters before anything truly scarring happens

No jokes about the situation per se, no compromising shots other than the fact that she was in her underwear - and regarding that, the fact that she was built like a normal girl, her proportions and physical features weren't presented in any objectifying or exaggerated way, and through the whole scene she was fighting against it and being uncomfortable instead of submitting to the situation or being made to blush and get flustered about it like you can Disgracefully see in many other instances of other shows

DanDaDan is ultimately a horror / paranormal series. It's not as dark as others and it seems it doesn't pretend to be, but bad things are bound to happen. I think that, as long as you do it tastefully, almost any subject can be used for those bad things. Sexual stuff is sadly EXTREMELY misused in anime, and tbh in media in general, but I don't think it has to be a taboo thing to have your characters go through as long as youre not being weird about it

Furthermore, I think it's pretty clear that, at least the parts that have been adapted of this manga so far (I am not a manga reader btw, I have only seen the 5 anime episodes that are currently out, so if the manga later proves me defending it wrong, I'm sorry, and I'd like to hear it), are in part talking about bodily autonomy

Our mcs BOTH get assaulted, but nobody online ever pays attention to Okarun losing his genitals as him also having been assaulted simply because it's presented in a more unrealistic way. His initial motivation in the series is to retrieve his genitals, and even when he seems to have gotten them back the first time, something is still wrong (another part missing) and he can't just go about his life normally again as if nothing had happened, which I think is a clear metaphor of a victim's feelings after having been assaulted; and what is more, our first arc ends with the revelation that the ghost who did that to him seems to have done it to protect the place she's bound to, a tunnel, from men, for we get told that many girls have gotten sexually assaulted, killed and dismembered in it

About Okarun, I DO get that his situation is shown in a bit of a silly light because haha penis, but I am also afraid that people would have reacted a lot more if he was a girl losing his genitals instead even if it was painted in the same light. Both Momo and Okarun got out of the situation fighting, both of them were brave and as nonchalant as they could to their assaulters, but it's only Momo's situation which gets treated as the bad one. Both get terrible things done to them ! And both of them are being shown as bad things !

None of this means you personally can't be uncomfortable with any of the mentioned scene; after all, they're portraying something horrible that happens in real life. And again, I get that in Momo's case, although unrealistic elements are involved, the situation she's put in can look closer to a real life assault, and thus, it can be more triggering. But the fact is that the sexual assault of both characters is being used to showcase a terrible thing, it's not there just for a gag or for people to put their eyes on the characters' bodies, and I personally just think it's silly when I see people lump in the situations in DanDaDan with series like Undead Unluck, when the former is portraying assault as not only a genuinely bad situation but also as part of the many points I think the first act of the series makes about bodily autonomy, and the later uses it as a reocurring "funny" gag (I have seen people say it gets better later, but still, it's still used as a gag at some point)

This is brought to you by me seeing people on Twitter compare DanDaDan's assault scene to incestuous characters from other animes like Yuri from Spy x Family, Makoto from Saiki K., and Lance from Mashle. I am a big fan of two of those three series and let me tell you: those characters can fuck themselves, I don't find haha incest jokes funny or necessary in any piece of media

[scorpioriesling]

Too Hot To Handle - Episode 4

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

Characters featured: Reader, Feyre, Morrigan, Gwyn, Elain, Emerie, Amren, Cassian, Lucien, Eris, Tarquin, Rhysand, Helion, Azriel, & Tamlin

Warning(s): Nothing real crazy.

SR’s Note: Wine? Check. Cozy blanket? Check. Dog on my lap? Check. Alright... *cracks knuckles* let's get to it, then! Tags: @velarisdusk @lilah-asteria @starlightazriel @panther-girl-124

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *

"Anybody have a makeup wipe?"

Elain's hand reaches out, towelette in hand from the makeup mirror beside you. You take it from her, meeting her apologetic stare.

"Thanks," you mutter, and wipe at the gentle fallout of your eyeshadow beneath your eyes. From your other side, Feyre sighs, gazing at your reflection in your mirror from her seat. She sounds as dejected as you feel right about now.

"Damn, mami!" Morrigan's rich voice fills the bathroom, and you glance toward the doorway as she strides in, clad in the skimpiest of red bikinis as she raises her martini glass above her head. "No wonder Lucien has been sweating it out all day, huh!" She flashes you an only-joking, award winning smile as she strides over to you, many of the other girls engrossed in their own conversations to take in the one unfolding before them.

"No, Mor, he's been sweating it out because Rhys has been keeping him pre-occupied at the outdoor gym all day," Feyre says, her brows furrowing slightly as Mor leans over your shoulder to inspect her own makeup in your mirror. You shoot Feyre a thankful glance.

"Has he seen this number yet?" Mor's fingers hook under the strap of your simple black dress, her brows wiggling as she stares at you in the mirror. You roll your eyes.

"No, no he hasn't." You say with a say. "I actually haven't seen him... all day..." you shrug sorrowfully. After learning last night that you were chosen by the newcomer for the date tonight, Lucien had been acting strange.

"Oh my," Elain sighs from your side. "He might be... upset." She says thoughtfully. Feyre and Mor turn their heads to her, seemingly just realizing she was a part of this conversation too.

"I mean, I'd be pretty pissed if someone with a name like Azriel was trying to bag my lady," Mor says. You unscrew your mascara, opening your eyes wide to apply it to your lashes. "He sounds sexy as hell already."

"Well, I don't even know him yet," you clip. "And, yeah, maybe his name makes him sound suave, but... I really, really like Lucien, guys. I don't know if one date with a new guy is going to change that." You shrug, moving to work on your other eye. "And besides, I'm not Lucien's "lady", I mean, not officially, anyway."

"So, you're not a couple?" Elain asks. Feyre leans forward, peering at her around you.

"I think what she means is, we've only been here a little while, usually people become official after they leave the retreat," she explains, looking up at you. "Right?"

"I dunno," Morrigan drawls. "He seems pretty attached to me."

You blush slightly at her words, realizing just how close you and Lucien had gotten. Spending so much time together, getting to know one another, and you hadn't even cost the group money yet!

But, now you were being whisked away to a beachside picnic with another male.

"Is he really your type though?" Elain prods, and Mor looks at her quizzically. You continue with your makeup.

"I mean, not typically, no," You reason. "But, that doesn't really matter now, I mean... I met him, I like him. It's not something that really bothers me."

At some point, you hadn't realized Elain stood up until Morrigan plopped down in the chair she had been sitting in. You only took a few more minutes to fuss over your hair, remembering Lucien's request not to look "too good" from last night. He said it with a light heart, but you could tell from his avoidance today that he was uncomfortable. Elain was right, he probably was upset.

"Good evening, ladies."

Every head turns to the light up cone, responding simultaneously with one another.

"Good evening, Y/N. Are you ready for your date with Azriel tonight?" Lana asks. You feel multiple eyes on you -- all the girl groups in their respective huddles as they finished getting ready for dinner.

You gulp. "Um, yes."

"Good. Please make your way to the beach, everything is set up already, and the new member is ready to meet you."

Feyre and Mor walk you out, reassuring you everything will be fine. You look between them, hoping to convey that everything is in fact not fine.

"If you see Lucien... just tell him it'll be alright, please?" Feyre places a comforting hand on your shoulder, giving you a light squeeze.

"You can tell him when you return," she says, winking at you. Mor brushes your hair back one last time before you wave to your friends, walking across the concrete path toward the beach. You spotted Eris and Helion in the pool, but glancing toward the gym -- it was dark.

Where was he?

You didn't have time now to find out.

Continuing toward the beach, your adrenaline started flowing when the dusty white sand invaded the flats of the cute Tory Burch sandals you were wearing. Your speed slowed, and you looked out at the dusk filled sky, the calming sound of waves lapping at the shore.

That's when you spotted it.

Well, him, rather.

And, oh boy... did Lana do you dirty.

･ﾟ: *

"Hello," you say, your voice coming out quieter than you'd hoped. You almost thought he didn't hear you at first, but he turns to fully face you, a wide smile spanning across his face as he sees you approaching.

"Hello there, gorgeous," he stands, extending a hand to you. You politely take it, and he presses a featherlight kiss to the back of it with his... very, soft lips.

"Please," he motions, guiding you to the blanket laid out on the soft ground. He only lets go when you've sat, taking in the array of fruits, cheeses, and wine laid before you.

"My name is Azriel," he says, and you meet his gaze. You smile, hating the tiny bit of excitement in your stomach at the tenor of his voice.

"Very nice to meet you, Azriel," you say, and he chuckles. "I'm Y/N."

"My name sounds lovely on your lips," he says, and you blush. How did Lana know you had a history with men just like this? The smooth-talking, dark-haired, handsome kind...

"You're quite adorable, you have to know that," he continues, reaching for the wine before you as well as the bottle opener.

"Isn't that why you picked me for the date?" You lull, trying to keep up with his level of suave. Mor was right... this would be harder than you thought.

"Oh, without a doubt," he says, shaking his head as he screws the metal into the cork. Clad in a loose, navy silk button down, you can see the way his biceps flex as he works against the bottle's tight hole.

....Gods, don't even go there.

"Well, what drew you to this retreat?" You ask, trying to keep your tone even. You smoothed out the stretchy fabric of your mini dress as the cork came out with a soft pop.

"I saw the application out for a mid-season arrival," he begins, making to grab both wine glasses and balance them between his fingers in one hand. You gulp nervously, watching the clear liquid flow into the glasses as his long digits held the bases securely.

"...and, I haven't had much luck with women in the past, so I figured why not try it out this way?" He continues. He hands your glass to you, a tiny tingle passing through you as your fingers brush his for a moment. You raise an eyebrow, taking a swig from the glass before looking at him once more.

"You? Have had trouble, with women?" You ask. He shrugs, tipping his glass back and swallowing hard. You unashamedly watch the apple of his throat bob with the action, and bite your lip nervously.

"You're surprised?" He asks, holding the glass lazily as his arm drapes over his knee. He scans the plates, finding a cheese cube and popping it into his mouth.

"I mean... yeah, I guess so. You're... well, I mean you're really attractive, so I just kind of figured..." You trail off, not really sure what to say. He chews slowly, peering at you with his beautiful hazel eyes sidelong.

You grab a cracker, nibbling on it to avoid getting too caught up.

"I'll take the compliment from the pretty girl," he chuckles, and your cheeks flush again. "But, I can't say I'm surprised that someone has already coupled up with you." He says, grabbing an apple slice this time.

"I mean," you swallow your cracker, and take another sip of your wine. "We're in couples, but, nothing is really like, official yet-" You say, reaching for another Ritz and stuffing it into your mouth to avoid saying something you'd regret.

"Oh? So, you're not really... tied-down, is it?" He asks seductively, and you cough, nearly choking on the dry cracker you're praying works itself down your esophagus. He laughs, and you can't help but enjoy the lovely sound.

"I... no, I, uh... what I meant, is, the guy I'm in a relationship with, we're not like... labelled, or anything..." You explain, gulping down more wine. You begin to feel a light buzz -- how much wine did he put in these glasses?

"So... it would be alright if we took advantage of the rule-free conditions on this date, then?" He asks, suddenly a bit closer than before. His natural oak scent fills the air, his hand resting casually atop yours on the blanket. You gaze up into his hazelhalf-lidded eyes, the last remnants of daylight highlighting the various colors in them. He's so close... you can spot every freckle on his cheeks... his hair is practically tickling your forehead...

He reaches to take your wine glass from you, and though the thought was there, both of your hands glance toward it when some sloshes out at the contact and runs down the side of the glass, dribbling onto his fingers.

He chuckles, setting it down behind him. "Little sticky, but, I can overlook it." He smiles genuinely.

Suddenly, a memory flashes through your mind. The boat taking off on the first day; the lovely embrace of those strong hands around you when you stumbled; the gorgeous smile, handsome male that was there from the start, already making you laugh from the second you'd laid your eyes on him.

He was yours. He was your sticky fingers. Not Azriel.

You return to the present, your hand lightly splaying across Azriel's smooth chest, slightly exposed from the few undone buttons of his shirt. He halts his forward inching, his hand tucking your hair behind your ear stopping mid-motion.

"Azriel, I... can't."

His eyes search yours, the only sounds coming from the waves crashing against the moonlit-shore. The small beach lanterns have kicked on, illuminating the space, creating the perfect date for two under the stars.

But, this wasn't who you wanted to share it with.

"Alright," he says after a few silent moments, a look of defeat crossing his face at your rejection. He moves back, his hand retreating from yours, as he runs a hand through his hair. "I mean... I tried, right?" He grins lopsided at you, and you smile warmly at him once more, taking his hand in yours.

"I'm flattered that you chose me," you say, eyes roaming over his handsome face once more. "I truly, didn't think I'd be picked. This was a very nice date, and a nice night that I spent meeting you," you continue. He chews on his lip, his eyes still raking over you and closing softly when you lean in.

You press a small kiss to his smooth cheek. "But, I think you're meant for someone else, maybe you'll meet them when we get back. And, I think I'm meant for someone else too."

･ﾟ: *

Walking back from your date with Azriel was quite pleasant, actually. He asked you about what brought you to the retreat, and you indulged him in a little preview of what to expect when he got to the villa. He seemed excited, especially at the mention of a few of the single girls still looking for someone.

What was not so pleasant, was seeing the group divided when you got back.

Around the firepit, you passed the group of guys first. You felt safe meeting the eyes of Rhysand, Tarquin, Helion even -- but looking around, your eyes never met the heterochromial pair that you'd adored so much.

"Hey guys," you say, and Rhysand stands to greet you with an embrace.

"Hey!" He says cheerfully, others standing to greet the newcomer. Azriel looks from person to person, sticking his hand out and introducing himself with a smile.

"Where's-" You begin, and Rhys lets you go to look at you directly.

"I honestly, have not seen him since the gym earlier. He skipped dinner," he says, hands up in surrender. Your face falls, and Rhys only smiles lightly at you.

"So, I take it the date didn't change anything?" He asks, and you shake your head. You watch his eyes as they linger just over your shoulder, and he jerks his chin to the cabana across the pool deck behind you.

"He'll turn up, but, I think the girls are waiting on a "full report" or somethin'... that's what Feyre was saying earlier anyways." You nod silently, chewing on your lip before meeting Azriel's eye.

"You good if I leave you to fend for yourself?" You joke half-heartedly, and Cassian claps the newest villa member on the shoulder.

"Oh, he'll fit in just fine. Go on, I'm sure the other ladies are waiting to talk with you!" Cassian smiles, and you return it, stopping only when Rhys catches your shoulder before you walk off.

"Hey," he says calmly. "...take a deep breath, okay?" You do, the tension in your shoulders dissipating as you realize how uptight you'd been all day.

"Everything will be fine, I'm sure he'll come back around later, alright?" He winks, and you grin at him hopefully before making way toward the girls.

･ﾟ: *

"Was he kind?"

"Did he try to kiss you?"

"Is he really that handsome up close?"

The rapid fire questions from all of the girls was starting to feel more like a cross-examination, and less like a recap of your date with Azriel.

"Guyssss, guys, chillax," Mor drawls, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Giving me a damn headache, I can only imagine being Y/N right now." She squeezes her eyes shut, and you take a deep breath.

"Listen, guys, the date was lovely, and yes, he truly is handsome," you say, meeting all of their intrigued gazes. "...but he just isn't the one for me, I was just thinking of Lucien, and that wasn't fair to do to Azriel. Maybe he will meet one of you and just, know." You shrug, getting a few awws from the girls.

"Did he say who he was sharing a bed with tonight?" Gwyn asks quietly, and you meet her turquoise irises with a look of realization. You hadn't even thought about that aspect yet.

"No," you respond, and make to stand. Looking around, not all of the girls were actually here.

"I really need to find Lucien, do you guys know... where...?" You trail off, a few of the girls shaking their heads. You sigh, waving your goodbye to the group and making way toward the bedroom inside. Feyre follows you in, and sits on the bed you and Lucien share. She toys nervously with the end of her braid, chewing on the inside of her lip. You're slipping into more comfortable clothing when you halt, noticing her shift in behavior.

"What's... going on?" You ask timidly. Feyre fidgets on the matress, looking everywhere but you. She stands, walking over to look in the bathroom, closets, everywhere before sitting close on the bed with you again.

"Y/N... I need to tell you about something I heard today." She says, her crystal eyes wide in seriousness. You cross your legs beside her, prepared to listen.

"I... I heard Elain today. At dinner." She stammers. You nod for her to continue, and she starts picking at her braid again.

"She was... talking to Amren, I don't think she knew I could hear her, but she was... she was saying she was going to move in on Lucien. Tonight." Your eyes grow wide in fear, and Feyre rests a hand over yours.

"Now, we both know Lucien, I don't think he'd simply-"

"Feyre, I need to find him. Now."

You spring up from the bed, slipping on your Birkenstocks before making for the door. Feyre follows you, and you run past the group of girls still at the cabana. Feyre stops chasing after you when she reaches them.

You recieve many confused shouts, a few of the guys staring from the other side of the pool. You run, as fast as you can, around every corner of the villa, looking past every bush. Where would she have taken him?

You round the final corner, a little too quickly and the edge of your rubber show catches on the tiled wall, sending you flying toward the ground. You cry out, your knees hitting the pavement as you skid forward, the palms of your hands screaming in pain at the impact. You turn your head to the side, blinking back tears as your gaze comes back into focus.

That's when you see it.

Lucien, the male you'd ached for all day. He was there, right before you -- holding Elain against the wall, his hands pinning hers beside her head. You look between the two of them, and Elain meets your eye, smiling cruelly at you before giggling and biting her lip, Lucien's face so close to hers.

He finally catches sight of you in a heap on the ground, the tears running down your cheek as you gawk at the scene before you silently. Immediately dropping her hands, he rushes over to you.

"Oh my Gods, Y/N-"

"Don't," you bite out. He rears back, a pained look on his usually so joyous face. "You... just, don't touch me." You glare at him, and his eyes lower painfully.

"Y/N... it's not what it looks like, I swear-"

"It was, exactly, what it looked like," Elain strides over, smirking as she looks down at you. You stare hatefully up at her, and she only shrugs, stepping over you and making her way back to the villa.

"My bed will be empty later!" she calls over her shoulder. Your eyes focus on the ground before you, small drops staining the concrete wet with your tears.

After a few long silent moments, Lucien clears his throat. "Y/N, you have to trust me, it really wasn't-"

"Wasn't what, Lucien? You holding another girl in a private alley against a wall, inches from breaking a rule with her when you're already with me?" You ask, another stream falling down your cheek. He kneels beside you, and you back up a few inches.

"Y/N, I promise I was just trying to get her off of me, she wouldn't stop; all night, she's been on and on about how you told her I'm not even your type, and we..." he huffs, his brow furrowing. "She said you told her we weren't actually a couple."

You scoff. "Oh don't turn this back on me, right now. Why would you believe any of that, Lucien? Have you ever, ever seen me talk to that girl anyway?" You ask, and he sits back on his hands, thinking quietly for a moment.

"No. No, I guess not-"

"So what. She overheard me before the date earlier saying that yes, you're not my typical type." Hurt flashes in his eyes, and he looks down. "I don't care, Lucien -- I like you, a lot." Your voice cracks on the last word, and he sits up straight, placing his hand on your knee.

"Y/N..."

"Well, I did, anyway," you sniff, wiping your nose with the sweatshirt sleeve closed around your fist. "Until I saw you pinning another girl against the wall." You shake your head.

"I promise it wasn't like that..."

"Whatever. Most relationships don't actually make it out of places like these, anyways." You scoff, and Lucien stands, grabbing your wrists and tugging you up with him. You stand, his eyes boring into yours as his hands wrap strongly around the small of your back.

"Y/N, please don't talk like that... I want to make it out of here with you, truly!" He pleads, and for a moment you just might believe him. "I promise, what you saw tonight was me attempting to remove a handsy female from me," he continues, holding you close to his chest. His familiar scent brings you comfort in a way that has your eyes welling up with tears again, and his hand cradles the back of your head, petting it lovingly.

"I promise you, the only female I want, is you." He says, and you pull back to meet his eyes again, a fresh wave of tears free-falling down your cheeks at the sight of him, being so open and honest before you.

"I know how it looked, Y/N... and I'm sorry I avoided you all day, I just... I really struggled knowing you were going on a date with someone who could just, take you right from me," he chokes out, his eyes lining with silver. You reach your hand up, wiping the corner of his eye and allowing your fingers to lightly trail down his cheek. You knew you were in deep -- you'd been so good, doing everything by the books and trying your best with Lucien this whole time.

But right now, you didn't really give a fuck what the rule books told you to do.

"No one is taking me from you." You say confidently, and his hand slides to cup your cheek. "Not tonight, not..." He pulls you so close, backing you up a few inches until your back meets the wall of the villa, his hard chest pushing into yours.

"Good. I really, really don't think I could let you go." He whispers. You pull him closest, closing the gap between the two of you in a passion-filled kiss. You sighed, tasting the lovely delicacy that was Lucien, all Lucien — body against yours, lips devouring you like you were his last meal. Heavily breathing, his hands roaming down your back, gripping your ass and lifting you up -- so much, you wrap your legs around his torso, groaning as he pushed you against the tile. His teeth toyed with your lower lip, halting just to slip his tongue in, battling for dominance with yours as he continued to relish in your delicious taste. His hands ran over your curves, respectfully staying above your clothes. Gods, how you wished they were off...

He pulls back, gasping for breath with you as your hands cling to the toned muscles of his back. He stares as you intently, every emotion and feeling flowing between the two of you as fresh as the tear trails down your cheeks. Then, he smiles at you, grinning and chuckling in the most handsome way.

"What?" You ask, your own smile failing to be surpressed. His hands hold your waist as his eyes scan your face.

"I... I've been waiting for that, since... that day, on the boat." He says, smiling at the memory. "I knew then, that I'd do anything just to get to know you, and..." he kisses the bridge of your nose. "Well, thank Gods I did."

You blush at his words, unhooking your legs from him and making to stand once more. His hands hold your face as you continue to hold him close to you.

"You mean... you thought about our first kiss?" You ask, and he rolls his eyes. Now its his turn to blush.

"Yeah, yeah, sticky fingers, I did." You chuckle, kissing his cheek. His fingers slide through your hair, all the emotion in your heart not able to be conveyed in this moment through words alone.

"I bet it was exactly like this, wasn't it?" You ask, raising an eyebrow. "Me in my cutest outfit... only a sweatshirt and sport shorts would do, right?" You laugh, and he chuckles before kissing the top of your head.

"You know I wouldn't have it any other way."

･ﾟ: *

[lynnuvo]

Golden Retriever's Leash

Characters: Midoriya Izuku x Female (Y/N)

If there's one thing anyone knows about Midoriya Izuku, it was that he was the sweetest boy in all of UA. His kindness and seemingly never-ending flow of support played a great part in your romantic interest in him, after all. Fueled by his oblivious encouragement, you surprised Midoriya with a date consisting of some of his favorite activities and merch to ask him out. He was a blushing mess and cried on the spot, sputtering acceptance between sobs. After being bullied for years and being fixated on his quirkless or now-quirk-filled body, he hadn't expected anyone to see him in such a light.

But the truth was that more than a couple did. You just happened to have the balls to get to him first.

It was unfortunate you weren't in his class. After learning about what happened at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint (USJ), you were quick to ask for his number that day in the cafeteria. His classmates' gushing made your insides swirl, but you continued, telling Midoriya you wanted to learn more about him. He--with a face as red as a tomato--happily gave it to you. Since then, you both messaged pretty often and went on a few hangouts outside of school. With trouble brewing about with villains, however, Midoriya had been messaging less, and you two haven't gotten to hang out as much.

Your classmates and even some students outside of class gushed about how lucky you were to have Midoriya by your side, but you knew there were at least a few that were jealous. Or at least you guessed. Though you displayed confidence about the security of your relationship to your friends, a part of you was anxious about him losing feelings. This was especially so now that he lived in a dorm with his entire class.

One day, you were leaving class when you heard your name being called. You turned to the right to find Midoriya in his school uniform, with his tie still not properly done, rushing over to you. His smile was beaming so hard, you would have been blinded if it were possible.

"Midoriya-kun, nice to see you," you greeted with a smile, ignoring the gushes of your friends as they hurried to leave you alone with your lover. "It's not often you come all the way to my class. What's up?"

"Oh--uh--I just missed you is all," he replied with a blush. One of his hands grasped yours. "It's been so hectic lately. I was thinking maybe...seeing you would make my day better. Can I walk you back to your dorm?"

You chuckled. "Better yet, why don't we go sit in the courtyard? I missed you too. Let's talk before we have to go back!'

"Really?! That'd be great! Yes please!"

You both headed to his dorm for your spontaneous date. His classmates waved upon noticing your presence, and a couple of the girls made noises that sent Midoriya into a blushing mess. His class has met you a few times, all of which you managed to squeeze in free time to be somewhere around them. Most of their welcoming aura, however, likely resulted due to Midoriya sharing cute pictures of you to them and gushing about how in love he was. At least, that was what you knew according to Mina Ashido.

Once you both settled on a bench, you stretched your arms. "Ah, it feels good to hang out again. Are you busy this afternoon?"

His smile fell a bit. "I am, unfortunately. I was hoping to ask you on a date, but I need to prepare for my Provisional Hero License Exam. It's really important."

"I know it's important to you, love. I don't know what hero would exist without one," you chuckled, ruffling his fluffy green hair. You reached into your bag and pulled out a bento box and a pair of chopsticks. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to finish the leftovers from lunch. Would you like to try some?"

"I'm okay, don't worry! You don't have much left, so you should eat them all."

"It's fine. You won't hurt me by trying my cooking again."

"I wouldn't want you to go hungry later because of that one scoop though. Oh! Hold on! I almost forgot!"

Your boyfriend dug through his backpack and withdrew a box of chocolates with an adorable red bow wrapped around it. As he undid it, he explained, "I was visiting the grocery store the other day when I ran into a student here at UA in their uniform still. I don't know why they were outside UA in their uniform since it's especially dangerous, considering the USJ attack. I was in my civilian clothes because of that. Maybe they were running a quick errand before heading back to the dorms? Um. Anyway, she saw me and ran away almost immediately. I was freaking out and wondered if I did something to offend her that badly, but then she came back while I was at the register with this box. She said she just bought it and wanted to give it to me."

The excitement you had for the chocolates faded away the more he spoke. Maintaining a smile the best you could, you took a piece of chocolate he offered and asked, "Why did she give you chocolates?"

"She said it was because I was cool and thought it could help me relax," he answered with a slight blush. You'd learned a long while ago that his blushes were prone to emotions of different kinds, but your stomach churned despite your brain acknowledging he was probably just flustered at the praise. "I said thanks and thought about giving it to you."

"Awww, that's...so sweet, love." You ate the chocolate and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for thinking about me, but it doesn't feel right for me to eat something meant for you."

He frowned. "Please? Do you not like it?"

"Oh, no! It's delicious. I just...."

"If you like it, don't hesitate to eat. Pretty please? I'll try your leftovers in exchange for you eating some more chocolate."

You rolled your eyes with a smile. "I just can't resist an offer like that from you, can I?"

The two of you spent the rest of the hour you had together chatting about classes and what else has been going on in your lives. It didn't take long to finish eating, and you both decided to conclude your meeting then. Once you both parted, your mind returned to the girl who gifted your lover the chocolates. Even as you tried to fall asleep, your heart was heavy while your mind conjured up different scenarios that endangered your relationship. Although you doubted that Midoriya would ever betray you, security wasn't set in stone. You two have been together for less than a year, and people could be unpredictable.

A few weeks went by. You and Midoriya privately celebrated the acquisition of his new license by enjoying dinner at a restaurant. The boy was all nerves, a cute sight. He'd never been on a date until he met you. Despite having been on several since then, a meal in a dimly lit, fancy location set such a romantic tone. You both shared a gentle kiss at the end of the night. Things were looking up for you two.

Until Midoriya came up to you with another gift from a girl.

And another.

One was flowers and another was an All Might keychain, both to celebrate his accomplishments thus far. Now, you didn't like thinking of yourself as the jealous type. It was smarter to acknowledge that those gifts were likely given with his well intent. But what bothered you was that not only was Midoriya not reassuring you, but he was also clearly oblivious. Despite knowing you needed to either talk to him or figure out how to dissolve your emotional conflict yourself, you opted for the second. It'd be less embarrassing for him to not know this side of you.

What made you sad upon thinking about it shifted into agitation when you were approached by a girl in one of the Support classes. You had just finished a mathematics test. After a night of cramming information, all you wanted to do was go to your room and take a fat nap. Alas, lunch was in the way, but you could use some energy. While you were in line, she tapped you on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, I hope this isn't too invasive to ask, but do you and Midoriya-san know each other personally?" she questioned, twiddling her fingers. "I've seen you two talk in the halls a couple times; that's why I ask."

You nodded. "Uh--yes. How come?"

"Well, I was wondering...um...sorry this is embarrassing."

You smiled and ushered her in front of you. She didn't have a lunch box and didn't reject your indirect offer to enter the line. "It's okay. You can tell me."

"Thank you, thank you." She bowed before taking a deep breath. "Do you know if he has a girlfriend?"

Your heart dropped. "Oh. Are you interested in him?"

She nodded, hands shooting to cup her cheeks. "Yes! I've been admiring him for a while. I saw this other girl give him flowers and was wondering if those two might be together. Maybe I lost my chance..."

"Oh, no. Um. They're not dating."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Me and him are."

Her eyes grew as wide as saucers as she let out a gasp. "You?! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

You chuckled. "It's fine, really. We haven't had much time to see each other during school, so he's been without me lately. Otherwise, we hold hands sometimes."

"Aww, that's so cute! Congratulations!"

You were grateful she was such a kind girl, but it unsettled you how sought after your boyfriend really was. It made you wonder at night if he received even "closer" treatment from his female classmates. It irked you. It ate at you. It made your stomach flip to think about too much.

Your last straw came on what was supposed to be a happy day. Classes were preparing for the school festival, an event you'd been dying to participate in. If any Japanese school's festival was meant to be eye-catching, then UA's was bound to be one of--if not--the best. Midoriya had been messaging you about Eri, a child he'd saved during his internship with Pro Hero Sir Nighteye. You were relieved to hear both he and the girl were safe. He promised to make up for your worries by giving you the "best festival experience ever!"

You were really looking forward to it until the day you came over to his class while they were building their set outside. His peers invited you over to help, but it ended up being the guys encouraging you to sit and catch up with Midoriya while they handled the heavy work. Urakaka, a sweet soul, gave you a glass of lemonade along with the rest of the class.

As you two talked, a notification from Midoriya's phone made him reach for it out of his pocket. He smiled and showed it to you. "I almost forgot. Do you remember the girl who gave me flowers?"

Your lips tightened into a smile. "Yes. What about her?"

"She came by my class last week and asked for my number. I gave it to her, and we've been making great conversation! She's nice and really encouraging. And guess what? She also collects All Might figures!" He leaned forward with sparkles in his eyes. "She invited me to come to an All Might event at the mall! I didn't even know one was happening! Isn't that cool?"

"Yes, dear. Does she know you have a girlfriend?"

"Um. Not yet. The topics of our talks have been on All Might, classes, and other stuff. Not about relationships."

Without wasting a second, you set your glass of lemonade on a table, stood, and walked away.

Midoriya called your name and raced over to you, but you yanked his hand off your shoulder and continued storming away from your boyfriend. Your chest quaked as tears escaped your eyes. You wiped them away to avoid unwanted attention, though you were likely already getting it from the distancing chatter of Class 1A. Even though you should probably have let your classmates know you were turning in for the day, you stormed all the way to your room and locked yourself inside. Sobs escaped your mouth at last. Throughout the rest of the day, your phone buzzed with messages and missed calls from the green-haired boy, but you didn't have the energy nor desire to answer them. A couple classmates came to check on you, but they got the hint to give you some space after a small talk.

You knew you couldn't avoid the situation long, though. When you woke the next morning, you turned on your phone to find apology after apology from Midoriya. He begged to see you and talk, and he apologized for bringing up another girl into the conversation. You sighed and messaged for the next time he'd be available to meet privately. He messaged back immediately that he can come over to your dorm as soon as possible. You hesitated before replying that he can come over in the afternoon and sent directions to your room. He'd never been to your dorm before, but luckily, it was a weekend, and you were sure your classmates wouldn't mind him coming over after they noticed your gloomy demeanor.

Time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye while you readied yourself and your room for his arrival. A knock sounded on your door, and you opened it to find Midoriya holding a bouquet of your favorite colored flowers.

You let out a heartless laugh. "Is this one from another girl?"

He sucked in a breath of air and bit his lip. "No. This one is for you. Can I please come in and talk to you, (Y/N)-chan?"

"Sure." You stepped aside and gestured him to sit on the bed. He did so after handing over the flowers, their sweet smell tickling your nose. As much as you wanted to bury your head in his display of affection, you set the bouquet on your desk and sat next to him. "Hon, I'm sorry for walking off so suddenly yesterday, but we need to talk."

He nodded. "I know. I know what I did wrong."

"What did you do wrong?"

"I..." His eyes fell to your lap. "I kept on accepting gifts from other girls, and I let them get too close to me. I talked with Mina since she seemed to know more about relationships than I do, and she told me that...I wasn't really good at making myself look taken. She was there most of the time when those other girls came up, except for the one with the chocolates. She told me I should have rejected those gifts."

"Do you believe her?"

"I...I do, but I don't want to be mean to those girls."

"I understand. I do, really," you told him, resting one of your hands on his. "But it's not as much the fact you're accepting their gifts that makes me upset."

"It's not?"

You hiccupped and wiped your eyes with your other hand. "Whenever you tell me about these interactions, you never tell me you love me right after, or that I'm your only girl. Gifts are sweet, but letting another girl have your number AND not telling her you have a girlfriend already right off the bat is too far! You know, this one time at lunch, this girl came up to me asking if you had a girlfriend. It hurt a lot. Not because I don't think you'd be a good boyfriend, but it hurt knowing that if she were to make a move, you'd probably accept it."

Midoriya moved your hands aside and cupped your face in his hands. He kissed your tears, despite needing to wipe a few tears of his own. "I'm so sorry, (Y/N). I'm sorry. I'll do better, I promise. I'm sorry for hurting you so much. From now on, I'll make sure you know you're my only girl. I'll make sure the world knows. I promise. I love you, my dear."

"I love you, Izuku," you cried, wrapping your arms around his neck. "Please don't leave me for anyone else."

"Never. I promise."

He held you for a moment before pulling you away. Your lovely boyfriend wiped your tears with a gentle smile, a gesture you couldn't help but smile back at even as your face was a mess. Impatient for more of his affection, you pulled him for a kiss on the lips.

════════════════════ ⋆★⋆ ════════════════════

"Hey, did you read about that scandal Deku-kun got dragged into?" Uraraka questioned as she removed her hero gear. Her shift had finally ended, and she was more than ready to clock out of work.

Jiro shoved her jacket into her locker and yanked out her civilian backpack. "Yeah, I don't know why that one tabloid company keeps bringing up 'anonymous' accusations against him. We both know how head-over-heels he is for (Y/N). They're married, for fuck's sake."

"I can't imagine Deku-kun cheating on her. I guess we're all bound to get into a scandal of some sort since we're basically celebrity-level popular." Urakaka sighed. "I'm terrified to find out what scandal I'll get into."

Jiro bumped her shoulder with a grin. "As long as you're honest, you'll be fine! Now come on! The others are waiting for us for lunch. Kirishima texted me the address."

Urakaka changed as swiftly as she could. Then, she and Jiro got into the latter's care and drove to the restaurant. Every now and then, members of UA's former Class 1A planned a hangout for those who were available. Last time, the location was a western-styled buffet. This time, it was a casual ramen shop.

"There you two were!" Kirishima cheered, pointing his bottle of soju as the pair as they entered. "I was worried you guys would cancel last minute."

Jiro rolled her eyes, dragging an excited Uraraka into the seat beside her own. "Please, I have some manners. Pass me a bottle. I'm pooped."

"Are you sure you don't want to eat before drinking?" (Y/N) passed her a steaming bowl of ramen. "We ordered some to have them ready as you guys came. It's delicious!"

"Well, if you insist."

"Thank you, (Y/N)-chan!" Uraraka exclaimed as she started shoving her face with noodles. After swallowing, she looked around the shop. "Where's Deku-kun? He's usually here with you during our hangouts."

You chuckled. "Yeah, but he told me to go ahead of him. Have you guys seen the new issue of that one tabloid we talked about a couple days ago?"

Jiro scoffed. "Yeah. I was shocked when you sent the link in the groupchat. I got a magazine later that day before work just to make sure it was real. The audacity."

"I don't get the point of bringing up this drama," Kirishima stated with a frown. "Midoriya's so honest. If anyone were to do any cheating, it absolutely could not be him. Imagine! Midoriya, the cheater?! Japan would go insane!"

Uraraka laughed. "I think 'insane' is a bit of a stretch."

"I don't think so!"

You shook your head with a laugh at your silly friends. "Izuku saw the tabloids too. That's why he's not here with me right now. He wanted to go to the company himself and talk to the person who's making up such things."

Uraraka's jaw dropped. "Can he actually make them stop?"

You shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I think getting an earful from the Number One Hero is enough to intimidate any person out of gossip."

Just then, the shop's bell rang. All heads at the table turned to the entrance to see a built man with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a small box in the other. His eyes lit up upon seeing the group.

He rushed over to you guys, laid the items on the table, and embraced you tightly. "There's my darling! Hey guys!"

"I wanna hug too!" Kirishima pouted, Despite it being a joke, Midoriya laughed and squeezed him into a hug as well. The two were balls of positive energy even years later. After Kirishima let him go, he scanned the items. "Wow. You make me feel so single."

"I'm sorry! That wasn't my intention! I just felt so terrible after reading those tabloids; I couldn't shake my mind from (Y/N). I just had to get her something."

Uraraka held the bouquets, feeling the petals. "Remind me to never settle for a man who's less of a husband than you."

"What?! I'm just doing my best! It's nothing much!"

"It's everything, love," you reassured, kissing your husband on the cheek before opening the tiny box on the table. Upon seeing the gem, you rolled your eyes and lightly punched him. "Again with the bracelets?!"

"But this one is totally your color!" Midoriya pouted. "Try it on! Please!"

After doing so, you couldn't help but roll your eyes once more. "Okay. You didn't lie, but you still have to save your money."

He kissed your forehead. "Spending money on you is the best kind of spending."

You absolutely adored him.

Jiro tugged at your shirt. "Hey, lovebirds, why don't you guys kiss tonight and eat now? The food is getting cold."

Midoriya's face exploded red. "Sorry, sorry! Eating now!"

[frownyalfred]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @lurkinglurkerwholurks

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 146! It would be a larger number if I hadn't deleted all of my Supernatural fics back in the day. There were at least 30 of those, maybe more...

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

913,163 - I'm hoping to hit a million soon!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Batman, Superman, Justice League, Star Wars, Marvel

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Take Care of Business Everybody Wants You It Was Always You a sky of honey Anything Like Me

5. Do you respond to comments?

Not anymore :/ I have a really hard time keeping up with writing if I'm responding to comments. I hope my readers understand.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm. Probably lonely town? Dick is getting de-fibbed in the alley by Bruce, and it's not clear if he's going to survive or not.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

here as I am is hilarious if you're into jealous!Clark. otherwise the weight (salmon ladder fic) always gets me.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yep. Mostly on borderline, but on other fics too. I love how, as I've gotten better at writing, it's changed from "wow this sucks, your writing is awful" to "you suck because you chose to have [character] do this." Luckily I think most of the hate filters over here to Tumblr, where I can happily block and forget. These days, I mostly get people commenting about how I'm wrong about something. Wrong about something I researched and triple checked before posting...

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep! All of them, I think? At least, I haven't balked at much yet. I'm not really into the excrement related ones, so I think that would be one of my no-go's.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yep! bloodletting (Mandalorian/Star Wars and DC Crossover) and a few Marvel/DC crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, a few times. What I'm more pissed about is all of my textposts being monetized over on TikTok and IG. I could be making bank off of those, considering the reach. And several of them are basically mini-fics.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Tons. Check them out here. There's also some podfics and related works there.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really. I've made attempts but I'm really bad at it. I tend to write spur of the moment and follow my gut on where the conversation/action goes. Planning out a fic with a partner would do them a disservice, I think.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I really love Superbat, but Codywan is right up there with it. Something about Cody being a loyal BAMF soldier and long-suffering big brother gets me.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

My vampire AU. Not because I don't want to continue but I cannot decipher my notes as to what should happen next.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm very quick, I can type up a full draft in a few hours. I like natural, snappy dialogue and I think I'm good at it. I don't shy away from weird or uncomfortable situations. I'm comfortable with writing a lot of sex/etc.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I write too quickly, sometimes I get ahead of my plot. My dialogue and descriptions can sometimes be a little too bare, or I overcorrect and become too flowery. My fics take on the tone of whatever I'm thinking about at that time.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

If you're confident in your language abilities, go for it. If you're just plugging it into google translate, consider why you're doing that first. Is the addition of this new language actually something someone would say in that moment? Or are we just using it to signal to the audience that they speak another language? Is there a way to show this without telling? That being said, I love using Mando'a in my Star Wars fic, and I've studied it for a while now to be able to do so.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Probably borderline or a sky of honey. Both took a ton out of me and I'm proud they're whole and standing on their own right now.

---

I'll tag anyone who wants to play! Go wild.

[fogwitchoftheevermore]

behold, sausage not beating the watcher allegations that he started for 5 minutes. and this isn’t even including my absolute string board theory about his new life ending.

video transcription below the cut

Clip 1: Sausage is at the Vigil in Pixandria.

Sausage: Ok, really quick, I'm glad we're here. We're gonna pay our respects for all the death that's gonna be happening, uh, in that other reality. [Cut]

Alright, really quick, oh! I have candles here. One second- this is cool! I actually wasn't planning on this. Le- let's see. We have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. Oh! Perfect number, actually. I guess we can add this to the Vigil! 14... Let's do one here, one here, let's go... boop! Perfect. 14 of them, man. Let's do another one there. This shouldn't mess with space time or anything. This might be the past, but that's fine. I've done this so many times, it's not gonna ruin anything. Ah, there it is. Let's do another one there, perfect. You guys can figure out which candles' for who, hehe. And let's- let's leave this side open, let's do it on this side. Oh, perfect. Let's light 'em all for the deaths that happened today and last time. 1, 2, 3, 4- I'll leave that one. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Perfect! Alright. Now let's bow our heads, right here. Oh, screenshot moment! Everybody, a moment of silence for our lost, uh, brethren who have met their demise. But at the end, one did- did win, right? I don't know who that one was cause I haven't gotten that spoiler yet, but, one is alive, at the end. Rest in peace. [Cut]

o7s in the chat for all the death that happened. This is a safe space to cry, but it's okay. Because at the end, there must have been a winner. Time runs out for everybody, everyone. Time runs out for everyone. All we gotta do is just sit back and watch. And maybe listen. But I don't wanna hear any whispers out there, you guys talk with your chest because at the end, it's fine! It was worth it, it was a good fight. May they rest in peace, all the fallen. Especially Jimmy. Dying first. Canary curse, forever and ever.

Clip 2: A screenshot

Clip 3: Sausage is in his church for Bdubs in Sanctuary

Sausage: And I did throw in that that was Cleo, because that was just funny when he said his mom was calling him, so I had to do it. Uh, it's almost like my character knew that happened, somehow. [Cut]

Ah, yes. I'm not a Watcher! Ask Martyn, he can confirm.

Clip 4: Jimmy is flying around his Christmas world

Jimmy: -one. [reading Sausage's chat message] "Jimmy! Really weird thing I saw last time I was online but I forgot to ask, if you go into the first igloo, stand in the door and look directly to the opposite s- side of the mountain"? [Cut]

Here... [Jimmy sees the Secret Keeper remake and goes silent for almost 30 seconds. He gulps and then stays silent for another 15 or so seconds] I'm not pressing any of these buttons. I'm not- I'm not pressing any of these buttons! Don't tell me that's me! [A few seconds of silence] What in the-? [Another few seconds of silence] No, the buttons don't work. [He presses a button] Good. This is where the server just blows up, [laugh]. Well, that's odd. Genuinely, I don't know why- how th- how that is there. I think it's Sausage playing pranks on me. He knows I have nightmares, still, about this fella.

[lookingfts]

As we approach S3...

First of all, I want to say thank you for the (truly overwhelming) number of asks and comments I've gotten so far! It's been really exciting and this is certainly not intended to discourage anyone from reaching out - it's just my own feelings on the subject.

I've been thinking about a lot of the comments I've gotten over the past few weeks that hint at the show writers not "liking" Kanthony, or them not getting enough screen time in S3. My thoughts on this are and have always been - a) It's a waste of energy to assume things about media we haven't consumed yet, and b) I'm not interested in dwelling on the negatives. Were there things I didn't like about S2? Sure. Are there things I won't like about S3? Almost certainly. But Bridgerton, and Kanthony in particular, has given me a beautiful community that got me back into fanfiction after more than a year of writer's block. And for any legitimate grievances about it, which I know there are some, I am very grateful for that. I'm only here, talking to you all, because of it.

I'm going to sit on my couch on Thursday and eat snacks and watch S3 and enjoy myself, whether we get ten minutes of Kanthony or thirty. (My first fanfic fandom was Scorpion - anyone who has watched that show knows that it got canceled after a finale where the main ship breaks up and all the characters hate each other. So, honestly, I'm pretty content just to get A happy ending, and catch a few glimpses of that happy ending.)

All that is to say - I hope everyone enjoys S3, and I still have a very long list of fics to tackle after it airs, and I just ask that everyone respects my wish, as much as possible, to avoid negativity when reaching out to me after S3. It's not the headspace I want to be in, it won't encourage me to write, and I think fandom in general has lost so much of its enjoyment. I don't care about the show's flaws! It's a show, and not a particularly deep one at that. I love Kanthony, and I love this fandom, and that's ultimately all that matters to me.

[sroop]

leave it

You didn't really know how to ask a girl out. So you just... did it your own way, I suppose, with your big eyes and open hands. Do you want to shoot deer with me?

Pairing: König x reader

Warnings: very brief, very light mention of past bullying

Summary: at one point in your life, you thought könig would be nothing but a passing character. tonight, you have decided he will be your life partner.

A/N: oops sorry, just a love letter to my fixation at the moment 😟

{}{}{}{}

When I first met you, I thought you were a dog looking for a bone. The kind of lost mongrel that you see padding along a highway, when you're going too fast to care and, by the time you do, too far gone to do anything. I wrote you off as another boy my age, only thinking he was ready for a relationship.

You didn't really know how to ask a girl out. So you just... did it your own way, I suppose, with your big eyes and open hands. Do you want to shoot deer with me?

Not really, actually, but I'd be happy to make us a dinner with what you bring back. Worked out for us anyway I guess. And even though I thought I wanted someone older, more experienced, you were actually so much more than I thought you'd be. Nervous, yes, but kind and so, so attentive. Always at my heels, happy to please.

Now here we are. You, in the dairy aisle of a supermarket I don't know the name of because I haven't quite gotten the hang of German, with your handwritten shopping list that I've scribbled a few items of my own on. You'll notice soon. Not yet, because you're too busy puzzling out the offered discounts. But soon.

Actually, I don't know why you bother with discounts anyway. You have more money than the army has bullets. Maybe that times two. But I don't say anything about it because I remember the first time we really talked, you told me about shopping with your mother.

It still makes me ache a little to imagine you cutting newspapers up for coupons, afraid not of going hungry, but that your mother would look away when you couldn't add up the right numbers. Of getting to the grumpy cashier who called you slow, every time, that you'd gotten the total wrong. I hate to see little you clench your fists, study harder, grow more and more afraid, get it wrong each time.

I know you are still a little afraid every time we go shopping. And it's ok, I won't tell anyone.

What I don't know is why you hang on. Like sometimes, I think you're even a little relieved when you're deployed. Like the time you were deployed just before my birthday, when we'd just started dating.

You, at my door, flowers in hand. All 6 feet something of you that you hunch over to hide. When you told me the news, you'd said sorry, but I knew from that look in your eyes that you wanted nothing more. War and battle you knew. A girlfriend's birthday, though, was foreign territory.

That's ok too. You came back after all, a month later, and asked me if I still wanted you. Yes, König. I still want you. Besides, you're getting better at all that stuff anyway. Getting better at letting go too.

Like yesterday, when you sidled up to me during dinner and asked, like a child with a Christmas wish, if we could celebrate our anniversary somewhere closer to home for you. Austria. In your hometown, which I never thought you'd want to return to. And as it turns out, it can be quite charming if you have a hulking boyfriend following you around clearing obstacles.

I get the sense that you're doing more than clearing my obstacles, be it the language or the money or the transportation. I sense that you're uncovering old wounds. That's why you came back last night, after I'd fallen asleep, tears on your cheeks and shaking cold hands. I don't know where you went or what you did, but I can smell in your stories the morning after that it was something at your old school. That you chose to tell me about those old bullies because you had chosen to summon them again. Fight nightmares awake instead of asleep.

Did I ever tell you that I'm proud of you? That I don't care what oddness you get up to so long as it means you can live, a day in your life, unafraid? That I only watch you count up unnecessary discounts because I know, somewhere in you, you're still trying to make your mother proud?

I put a hand over your shoulder as you make your way down the shopping list. You're finally seeing what emergency supplies I've tacked onto the end.

Your eyes are big and your mouth is open and there's nothing on Earth more excited than you. You pull your features together in a question, pitched and desperately hopeful.

"Das ist wahr? du bist schwanger?"

I play it off coolly, just a chuckle and a shrug. König, I put my hands in my pockets to hide how they shake. How equally desperate I am for that hope, no less dog than you are.

"If we get the tests, we'll know by dinner."

{}{}{}{}

thanks for reading!

[grandadofrad]

RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS VOL 1

In the spirit of gratitude for the plethora of free resources out there for artists that I've been gleefully ransacking my entire life, I want to share some of them that I've compiled.

smithsonian open access: this is a HUGE one! lots of images that are absolutely free to use, as well as an incredible set of 3-D resources. Their collection spans the same breadth that their multiple museums do-- natural history, gems, fine art, aerospace/engineering stuff, etc. so do not sleep on this.

(screenshot is the 3-D digitization page, one of my fav sections)

2. The League of Moveable Type is a resource for free fonts, but not just any free fonts-- professionally designed free fonts. Some of the bigger sites can be a lot of wading through sub par stuff, but every single thing here was very carefully and lovingly designed, and is free.

3. Unsplash is full of great free to use images. Seriously, huge collection. Portraits, textures, 3-D renderings, you name it and it's probably here and free to use. ALSO cool because images will note whether their creator is for hire if you like their work. You can also submit your images to this platform. (I think it has a premium section but I haven't needed to engage with it yet)

(screenshot of unsplash.com with a search for 'y2k render')

4. rawpixel's Public Domain collection. They've been high quality scanning public domain images for a while. They're free to use under a CC0 license, which is basically without restriction. They've got lots of categories, I personally love the Graphic Design and the Vintage Illustration sections.

(screenshot of the 'patterns' section of the Public Domain collection on rawpixel)

5. Photopea is a free Photoshop alternative that runs in your browser. It's got a few quirks(especially if you run a non-chromium browser, but stay strong anyway) and is ad-supported, but really powerful and robust. It also opens PSD files, supports smart objects and basically all of the Photoshop asset filetypes(.abr .grad .pat etc), as well as has filters, even a couple that Photoshop itself has gotten rid of in their more recent versions. You can use the fonts on your machine, export transparent pngs, and do generally anything that the big guy does. You can also donate a small amount to remove ads and support the singe person(!) who created and maintains it.

(screenshot of a .psd file with smart objects/smart filters open on photopea. The 'file' dropdown menu shows exciting options such as 'export' and 'save as psd')

6. Brusheezy.com is a great place to get free brushes, vectors, and photoshop assets in general(which can all be used in Photopea, btw).

(screenshot of the 'categories' page of brusheezy.com)

7. dafont.com Last but not least, I will include this huge font site but assume most people already have it on their radar. Free fonts! No account needed to download! Tons of categories! Many are demo/limited versions, so pay attention especially if you plan to use numbers or special characters as those are often the things left out of the free to use demo versions. It's nice to have a lot of options but to the discerning eye a decent amount of the fully free fonts here will fall a bit short/feel unpolished. That's not to discourage you from it, as I have a huge collection of types from here and routinely check it when I need something specific.

(screenshot of dafonts.com with the 'sci-fi' section pulled up)

So that's what I've got right now for visual art resources, I hope you can find something useful in here. Feel free to share this list and keep an eye out for the next one! Thanks to everyone out their with a love for sharing in their hearts, it's really inspired me to make some things with no other intention than to put them into the world as tools for others!

[more-better-words]

fic author interview

Yoinked this from @ladytharen because it looked like fun. Hope that's not presumptuous of me. <.<

Tagging @deadheaddaisy, @phoenixflames12, @butcharondir, and anybody else who'd like to play.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

60! That's a nice round number.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Currently 593,580 - though in fairness, nearly a third of that is a single fic.

It was a different time back when I wrote that.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The four fics of my Built to Last series (though not in order, lol)

What We Build Here

For the Duration

From the Ground Up

The Place We Call Home

And rounding out the top 5, a Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency fic!

Lay Down the Beat 

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Absolutely! And because I have very little self-control, I will often do so within minutes of receiving them! 😅

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hmmm. I don't really do angst - I mean, I'll write stories where angst happens, but that's rarely the point of the story. If the plot demands a dash of angst, then, much like a chocolate recipe that needs some salt, it will get its angst. But I don't really set out to write A Series of Sad Events in Which the Characters Are Sad; that's just not my style or my taste.

So I can't really say that ANY of my stories have an angsty ending. Oh well.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

With the above in mind, happy endings are basically a guarantee, at least up to a point. 😆 I let my darlings be happy, I let them get married and have things work out, because it's fiction, dammit, and I can.

That being said, probably the happiest of all would be just about any of my Trip/T'Pol fic, because I let them get married and have kids and successful careers and be surrounded by friends and family who love and support them because SCREW YOU CANON.

7. Do you write crossovers?

No, I don't think my brain's wired for that. I just...can't seem to.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Never on AO3 (okay, I once got snippily told I'd mistagged something, but that wasn't hate). I have gotten hate here on Tumblr, though never anything specific, just general "u suck" which...whatever.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

For a long time, I did not.

That answer has since changed.

As for what kind...the sweetest, fluffiest, most loving, happy, vanilla, tooth rotting smut ever.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, and I seriously doubt I ever would. I'm rather niche.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, niche. Haven't yet, doubt I will.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Years ago, I worked on an AU fic project with a friend that was very cool and a lot of fun. None of it ever got published, though.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Which ever one I'm writing right now. 😁

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I wouldn't mind finishing my Shadowrun: Dragonfall fic The Haven. Maybe some day.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, baby! I can have two characters sit and talk to each other FOREVER.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action and physical description. Even when I can clearly see a room where action is occurring in my mind, I have real trouble describing it on the page.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I used to not have any, then I started making up words and phrases in my own version of Andorian for my Trek fic.

And I still don't really have many thoughts, because I'm sure I'm doing it wrong.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Hmmmm. Pretty sure there's some BtVS fic of mine still existent on LiveJournal. 😅

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I'd love to write Discworld (I adore Carrot/Angua), but Discworld is already so perfect. It would have to be an absolute gem of an idea.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Whichever one I just finished. 😄

[factual-fantasy]

Heya Factual! Congrats on the 23,000! Yet another well deserved milestone earned by your hard work and dedication! Really sorry about the cold- we always seem to get sick at the worst of times! Definitely don't do anything crazy till you're 100%, but thanks for making that really cute celebration piece- you can really tell how much the factual Fam cares about you from their worried expressions...and then there's Gerald, who refuses to let his happy demeanor waver for a second! Though then again, he is still quite young- he might not even understand the concept of getting sick yet!

And on that note, at least till you're better, I definitely won't send any unnecessarily exhausting Asks like last time ( thanks for answering that so thoroughly though- that was really cool! ) and just keep it simple- and my ask today is regarding the simplest Mario enemy, the goomba!

You've mentioned them in the past as beings created by Kamek- How does he do it? How long has he been doing it? Are the goombas sentient, or just savage constructs? How many are there, in ratio to the Koopas? Did the bros have to fight through a bunch of them on their way to the castle? And do any of their variants exist, such as the micro goombas, para goombas, or giant goombas? We require the Goomba Lore!

Thank you! :DD I'm doing my best to take it easy.. I've spent most of my days recently either sleeping, sitting, or playing Pokemon Scarlet XDD that's relaxing right? Yes, I believe so-

As for Gerald, he isn't ignorant to my condition- he's actually meant to be surprisingly emotionally aware. :0 He's smiling though all this because he wants the others to be happy. And if he's calm and smiling, maybe we'll smile too.. 🥺

I was intending to draw a comic that goes into Gerald's character a bit more... But I just haven't been well enough recently to take on a project like that.. :((

And don't worry about "exhausting asks", I encourage them! :D I could really use some lengthy asks as a form of distraction to be honest.. 🥹💔

Speaking of asks, about your Goomba questions..

Well, starting with Kamek actually- I have intentions to make him a few hundred years old. Being the most powerful magikoopa there ever was supposedly.. and he's been associated with the royal Koopa family for generations.. though this idea is in canon limbo, because I'm having trouble figuring how exactly he's managed to live so long. Considering how magic works in my au.. his lengthy life span shouldn't be possible..

None the less, even though I haven't gotten that idea to fit yet- I love it so much that most of the au kinda branches off from it- <XDDD so with that established, Kamek brings Goombas to "life" using magic of course!

I was thinking that the ability animate dead/inanimate things is a very complex magic that took Kamek years to learn. And he was only finally able to master it in the last 100 years or so.

Now for the Goombas, they are not sentient for sure. They are just these little.. zombie like.. machines. They start as poisonous mushrooms and when they are "brought to life", they gain this desire and need move and attack anything that doesn't appear to be a Koopa.

As for the Koopa to Goomba ratio.. I'd say they make up 1.5/10 of the kingdoms population. They are very disposable and "easy" to make.. but they are relatively fragile creatures and take a while to grow.. plus the Goombas don't live very long. Since they uproot themselves upon being "Goomba-fied", they eventually wilt and die.. :/ so that number doesn't ever go over 1.5.

I'm sure Mario and Luigi had to squash some on the way to save Peach the first time. But it was only after her rescue that one landed a bite on Luigi..

As for their variants, the micro and Giant Goombas surly exist! Though king Goomba might not because the original brown mushrooms probably don't grow that big-

As for para-goombas.. hmm.. I know there won't be any Goombas with wings going around. But perhaps there could be a Goomba that can release airborne spores.. or at the very least can attack from afar.. that could get them the title of para-goomba! :0

I think I covered everything, I hope at least-

Thank you for the ask and interest in my au! :DDD it was a nice read and took my mind off of all my ailments for a short time 🥹💖

[disabilityshowdown]

Disabled Character Showdown

Loving the tournaments like @autismswagsummit, @aroaceswagcompetition, @adhdswagcompetition, @bisexualswagcompetition, haven't yet seen a showdown for disabled characters yet, so let's give that a go!

Rules:

As usual, no real people, etc

Both mental and physical disabilities are allowed, though I'd ask no responses that are just adhd/autism as they've had their own showdowns, we wanna showcase other disabilities here

(Chronic pain also counts)

I'm on the fence about including characters who aren't disabled in canon but are in popular headcanon (eg Essek from Critical Role), so I think for now, you can submit them, but let me know in the form, and we'll make that decision later depending on the responses I get

No "Oh this character isn't REALLY disabled bc they have a perfect disability aid/don't suffer" arguments pls, different representation means different things to different people, a disability is a disability no matter how sci fi your setting

Submit as many characters as you like but only submit each character once! (I'll use number of responses where relevant to help with seeding the bracket)

EDIT: Please use the google form, no longer counting submissions in my inbox unless you have a real good reason for not using the form

Form is HERE, submissions will be open until the end of Sunday, 5th March (NZDT)

(That's Saturday 4th if you're American)

Characters I'm already pretty confident will get submitted a ton so will get an automatic nomination: Toph (AtLA), Terezi + Tavros (Homestuck), Daredevil (Marvel), Ed Elric (FMA), Kaz Brekker (SoC), Shiro (VLD), Geordi La Forge (TNG)

I can't guarantee I'll include every single character that gets submitted, especially if this goes similar to some other blogs who've gotten like 500 characters all with one vote each? (Alas, I am but a simple human being and have multiple disabilities myself), but I'm willing to do a pretty big bracket/have some qualifying rounds beforehand, so good luck, and I look forward to hearing about a whole bunch of disabled characters I didn't know before!

[toskarin]

Do you have any good VN recommendations that have interesting or notable UIs? Most of the games I've played have stck with RenPy Standard or something similar where all the text is displayed through three-line bottom boxes one at a time.

hm... you didn't mention NVL style text, so just in case, I'll recommend that you try out Fate/stay night and Tsukihime (optionally Remake) if you haven't yet. those are what I'd consider to be very "core" VNs, and I'd feel negligent for not mentioning them if turned out you haven't played many games with that style of text yet

at the end of the day, the reason that ren'py looks like that is because most visual novels do (with a decreasing number of them being presented with fullscreen textboxes), so games that do things outside of that mould are notable for doing so

that aside! to answer your actual question, here's a couple text presentations I've personally found really charming

starting off strong by telling you I was fucking lying when I said this was a list of three games (I'm mentioning the Muv-Luv series first, rather than any individual game in it)

Muv-Luv sticks pretty close to the standard setup for horizontal textboxes, but you might notice that they're themed to look like anime subtitles. I've always been charmed by this, and it's probably the only mention here that actually warrants a screenshot just to clarify that it's actually a very visually distinct presentation

I'm not actually a Muv-Luv fan and the next game is one I personally enjoy more, but god, the presentation in Muv-Luv really is just so striking

Full Metal Daemon Muramasa features vertical text boxes, which isn't all that notable, except for the fact that these were retained in the translation (because characters use horizontal textboxes to indicate they're speaking english)

I actually really enjoy this style of presentation because it fills the space between two characters while also allowing for a wider background. when I'm looking for styles to steal for my own work, this one lingers in my head a lot

remember when I said I lied early on? I technically told you the truth when I said this was a list of three games. kind of. I'm mentioning one game and have to mention another game in the process. so this is a list of three games and one series.

of the two, Analogue: A Hate Story was definitely the game that seemed to occupy people's memories the longest into present day, but the presentation of Digital: A Love Story was much more striking to me. that being said, I'd be remiss not to mention them in a discussion on VNs that do interesting things with the UI

-

bonus round:

I haven't actually gotten around to CHAOS;HEAD yet, but I want to make an honourable mention of it either way because I really like the hard letterbox of the original release. from what I've seen, it doesn't seem to be present in CHAOS;HEAD NOAH, though

I can't recommend it or recommend against it, but I can say "that looks neat!"

[masterj]

i'm kinda new to the chuggington fandom. i used to own the episodes on dvd but idk where they went. anyway! I figured it'd be cool to hear the thoughts of someone invested in the show, to get a new perspective on it, so i myself could become more invested! do you have any thoughts you'd share to an amateur train appreciator??

OMGOSH 👀 👀 👀 👀 👀WELCOME ABOARD!!!!! 🚅🚄🚈🚃🚂🚂🚂😄😄😄

I've been into the show since 2011-2012 I think... pretty sure before Cars 2 came out- or maybe after... memory's a bit rough in that area. I was first exposed to the show by my younger cousin who watched it on Disney Junior, or at the time, Playhouse Disney, and also had the DVD Let's Ride The Rails, which I now own, playing in my auntie's van one morning on our way to school. I would later track down Disney Junior myself to find the show.

It was pretty much the main reason I've hung around Disney Junior. As a kid who loved trains because of already being a Thomas The Tank Engine fan, it just to captured my interest so quickly and I was hooked.

I'd say the characters and designs are mostly what I love about Chuggington. While there aren't really antagonists in the show they all have their own quirks and distinction from each other which balances it out well.

Wilson is both my favorite to draw and favorite overall. While I haven't gotten to making my own scripts for my planned fanseries yet, his ADHD personality is just pure spirit animal energy when I look at how he's characterized by the show and by myself. I also relate to him to an extent in some areas. He's practically my son lol

The episodes are mostly well written, and miles better than Thomas was at the time... (*COUGH* SHARON MILLER *COUGH*)

Chris McHale's music for the show some of the most unique I've ever heard and the fact we don't have more of the show's score available in high quality than we do is a crime.

Production slowly went to hell since Season 3 onwards, due to investors pulling out for unknown reasons, resulting in S3 being cut from 26 to 14 episodes, Season 4 being rushed and strictly formulated towards the advanced training agenda, (but the episodes were not by any means terrible) and S5, while better than S4, was entirely funded by TOMY resulting in only 10 episodes. After that, Ludorum Entertainment was on the verge of bankruptcy resulting in the show being on hiatus for five years until Herschend Entertainment purchased them, but things weren't that much better.

Season 6 or Tales From The Rails is sadly where Chuggington truly dropped in quality due to Herschend's low budget and their inexperience with the show. Many characters and locations were written off and a number of the voice actor recasts were not too great. Not to mention occasional mischaracterization (mostly Brewster), continuity errors and overall rather shifty writing quality. The merchandise also plummeted in quality and the pandemic caused several delays, and this whole disaster ultimately led to Season 7 being cancelled as of November last year... 😔

While Season 6 was a failed comeback and is NOT fit to be regarded as canon to the first 5 seasons, it still has a decent number of episodes that are good to okay enough at best, and I do plan on rewriting the misfires of season 6 at some point.

Despite all the hardship this show faced, production, performance, and reception-wise, Chuggington is still very much an enjoyable and mostly solid series. I commend both Ludorum and Herschend for not going down without a fair fight and I've very much grown to love the show just as much as Thomas.

To the point where Thomas content is not my top priority anymore and hasn't been for some time now, seeing as thousands of people do Thomas content already while Chuggington content is very scarce and slow going, even with more people finally appreciating and warming up to it, since there's far worse out there nowadays... media ain't what it used to be so good f---ing luck... 😑

With all the moping and mourning aside, thank you so much for joining us, you don't know how much it means to me to have another person hyperfixating on this underated and criminally disregarded series, but it's important to remember that you don't choose the hyperfixation. The hyperfixation chooses you >:3

I am an artist, editor and headcanon writer, and slowly pushing to write up my own fanseries which takes place after S5, and I even have my own roster of original characters and locations in progress, one OC I've already revealed, and another that was actually created by a Tumblr buddy of mine, @lomotunes2008.

So make sure you follow my art account, @masterjarthub - with notifications on, cuz I may pump out surprises over there!

But for until then, welcome to The Chugger Cult! 🚂🚄🚅🚈😄😄😎😎

Enjoy your stay. 😊

[qloof]

On this very day. What has binded you so much onto Masamune? What did he do that you take him everywhere? /lh

my rewatch of metal masters in like 2020 changed the trajectory of my life for real. that stupid green idiot was so comical and cringe and endearing his story and writing and character really stuck to me and 15 year old me saw a bit of myself in him and then proceeded to add a little more of myself to him and it all went downhill from there. he's quite the easy guy for me to project onto and still have it be reasonable/in character? (at least...i think it does..) if that makes sense. i also saw how he was generally perceived by different parts of the mfb fandom and i will not lie i related to being perceived the same way in certain aspects in real life. i went "he's just like me fr" once and look where i am now. it's a little funny because when i was younger i really loved tsubasa and the whole reason i got back into mfb was because of tsubasa but my brain took a complete 180 and attached itself to a totally different character.

before the revived Beyblade obsession, the previous thing i was into was minecraft streamers and while they were entertaining there's like a line of things between things that you can and can't do with them like you can fictional characters. and i think because the last time i was really into fictional characters was like…when i was 12 (even then i was mostly absorbed into my OCs) i just went ham. i haven't loved a fictional character as much as i love masamune before. he hasn't let go of my brain and although it's a little silly this guy really does help me get through the days and helps me reassure myself. i think about him a lot every day and sometimes i'll just go "no way…masamune kadoya" in my head whenever i think about him😭😭😭 drawing him being silly and happy brings me so much joy !! putting him into situations is incredibly fun !! ive met my best friends and partner through loving this guy !!! woagghh !!!

there are still lots of things i want to draw that i havent yet and i hope to get to them eventually. some things i havent drawn because theyre way outside my skill level right now and others because i fail to defeat executive dysfunction very often. there are...many thoughts i have about masamune and one of them is about how much money he owes me for living in my head. it's gotta be at least a million dollars atp. if i wasn't so awful at putting all my thoughts into words i probably wouldve written so many things about him honestly but i dont think in words im afraid (one reason why im primarily an artist helpppp). i honestly do not know where i would be without mr number one blader masamune kadoya. i joke about kinning but like lowkeyyyyyyy

ANWYAYS I WENT ON LIKE AWHOLE ESSAY OOPS i didnt know if this ask was asking for a joking or actual response, but a response you have gotten !!

[gaybellethorn]

i started listening to the first shannon hale eah book on my walk earlier and it's so good. hale you mad bitch <3!!!!!!!

raven being a swiftie (taylor quick........obsessed) and apple being a directioner ("you don't know youre charming" in universe pointing to the real life charming family. CRAZY.)

apple keeping a basket of candy and coins at her bedroom balcony to throw down to her adoring masses PLEASEEEEE . all her kingdom management classes amassing to this she's so FUNNY.

relatedly, how frustrated she gets at the end of her first chapter that people are only gonna grade her on being a good snow white based on how pretty she is and not on how hard she's studying to be a good ruler. very very juicy very interesting characterisation very interesting take for a snow white character. but also. the chapter starts with her naming the dwarves by derogatory nicknames ("my name is frank," pouty said poutily) and the narrative itself superimposing her names onto them in the dialogue tags. SO FUCKING GOOD. APPLE YOU SILLY BITCH.

hale's distate for apple's dad bleeding into the description i looooove it. "keeping a hand on the hilt of his blade as if ready for battle at a moment's notice, but of course he had never been in battle. his only claim to fame was falling in love with a comatose woman in a glass coffin in the woods" damn hit him again for me!!!!!

BUT this coming from apple's pov???? EXQUISITE!!!!!! god that's so fucking INTERESTING and really doubles down on her looking up to her mam and wanting to be the best ruler she can be, because no one's gonna help her out later! i haven't gotten to apple interacting with daring yet, but that's gonna be such an interesting lens to read their relationship through as well if she considers his role in the story like. repulsive!

also just an interesting contrast to raven's relationship with her parents, where she loves her dad and wishes her mam wouldn't belittle him in their convo. oh sidebar there was a description like, raven's mam did love her, in her own way. hope was like a sticky syrup and raven wished she could drink it down just one more time. auggghhh ravennnn :( <33333

back to apple, i liked the little detail about snow having this squeaky high pitched voice, and apple musing that being stranded in the woods with the squirrels may have done a number on her. i think she gives a length of time there, either weeks or months? i hadn't considered that being part of the snow white legacy, that's interesting ! especially after thinkng of her dad as a useless bum ass nobody like 😭

looooove getting raven's introspection around her mam. the mirror scene at the start is so so good. ugh then when she's talking to apple and she notices how slouchy and unkempt she is next to her. and she tries standing properly but she knows she comes off as too tall, too gaunt comparatively. and then she reprimands herself like 'stop comparing yourself to her, that's probably how mom turned out the way she did' AUGH ? that being the first indicator that raven can understand how that path unfurls in front of her, how she could easily take those same steps. sooo juicy

also looove her relationship with baba yaga so far. it's really interesting that baba yaga is compared/contrasted to raven's mam, i wanna keep an eye on how that relationship develops

baba yaga using an actual spray bottle on raven when she starts voicing rebel thoughts PLEASE‼️ raven grumpily looking into the princess' advisor office (run by the white queen! cute detail) where theyre given tea and plush chairs and noticing that there isn't a spray bottle in sight. MWAH.

oh ! and the detail about it being maddie who asks raven point blank "if you weren't destined to be the evil queen, you would...?" as part of this wonderland word game that she doesn't think anything more of, but raven is left speechless because she's never been allowed to consider it before. really sweet moment between them! :)

im like an hour into this 6.5hr audiobook. the voice actor is doing a wonderful job, i really like her voices for raven and apple in particular so far. i definitely wanna keep going on it! i will listen to it on walks i think :^)