#sorry I took a while to respond to this ask

[goddamnitmahtin]

“My fucking nose-”said the vigilante with surprise. He wasn’t used to civilians actually packing that much of a punch. He tensed up, watching the young man he had perched into the roof with just in case.

He watched as the sickly pale boy’s eyes went from a glowing Lazarus green to blue. …. Noted.

“What the fuck- you scared the shit out of me,” he said as he pointed a finger accusingly, “I almost pushed you off the roof!”

Red Hood didn’t respond as he got poked in the chest. He was busy. He took note of this man’s features. How his hair was blacker than night, almost as if it was all of space stored within it. It was short in the back, wildly sitting atop his head almost like a mop in the state it was in now. His skin was deadly pale. Paler than Tim’s even, if that was possible. Almost as if he was a walking corpse, the blood completely draining color from his complexion except the cheeks that were currently flushed from embarrassment. His features were sharp and sunken in, a sure sign of not treating himself very well. His eye bags were as dark as his own if wasn’t wearing his mask.

That lead him back to those eyes. Those huge bright blue eyes. They were like ice that had been put through an IV and straight into his own veins. Almost…. electrifying.

“Oh no…. Did I- hit you too hard? Fuck me-” said the man groaning.

“I mean…” he didn’t know what it was but this man…. This man was really something. He just couldn’t quite put a finger on what that something was.

Next thing Red Hood heard was on comms.

“Hood are you- fucking concussed right now? We are in the middle of something!” he heard Nightwing say followed by a stifled chuckle from Oracle.

The man looked at him with a surprised expression that quickly fell into a smirk, “Don’t fall in love with me Birdy. You’re not gonna like the results. Now, I hope I didn’t give you a concussion…”

Next thing Jason knew, he was in this guy’s apartment on the sofa while the man was asking him how many fingers he was holding up.

“Four, what’s your name anyways?” He may have a broken nose but like hell that was gonna stop him from shooting his shot.

The man’s pale thin lips curled into an amused smile, “Danny. And you are the Red Hood.”

Jason nodded, “I am. And you got me pretty good. Broke my nose even.”

Danny’s eyes got a bit wider in surprise. “Did I? Fuck man I’m sorry about that. Let me get you something for the pain. I would do more but you’ve got that mysterious mask look going on,” he said as he got up and began to search through his cabinets.

Red Hood immediately slipped his mask off. If this man was offering to touch his face he was gonna fucking let him.

Danny came back with some medical supplies that he nearly dropped upon seeing the mask on the coffee table, “Wait what about secret-” Danny looked up to see Hood’s domino mask, “Ah. Nevermind.”

Meanwhile on comms:

Robin: This is highly inappropriate!

Red Robin: Red Hood come on man, we are supposed to be on patrol!

Nightwing: This is honestly disturbing.

Oracle: Boys! Shut up! I’m listening!

Robin, Red Robin and Nightwing: GROSS

The next day

Jason was lounging on the sofa dreamily when Bruce walked in. Seeing him like that was… unnerving.

“So Jason. I was told you abandoned patrol last night and spent it with a man,” he said.

Jason just looked back at him wistfully, “He broke my nose.”

Bruce nodded, “I see that.”

Jason sighed dreamily, “It was so hot.”

Bruce shouldn’t have been surprised but that didn’t stop him from wanting to die inside a little.

Bird Questions

Prompt idea

College student Danny Fenton is taking a much needed break from his studies, sitting on the roof of his apartment building. He’s sleep deprived and a little delirious, watching several of the Gotham vigilantes grappling between buildings in the distance.

“Do birds ever just fly for fun, or are they always on some kind of mission?”

Danny isn’t talking to anyone, he’s up on the roof on his own to de-stress. He was just thinking out loud.

So when he heard a snort and a chuckle from behind him, Danny felt like he was justified in his reaction of not only swearing, but also throwing a solid right hook at the same time that he spun around to see who the hell was there.

He didn’t mean to punch anyone in the face.

[psychoticbipolarbear]

Unprofessional innuendos

pairing: Aaron Hotchner x reader

summary: You keep teasing Hotch jokingly, a habit that stems from your feelings for him, but when you want to make a move he doesn't approve of, he thinks it's time to tell you he secretly likes it.

tags: daddy kink implied, age gap, pre-season 1, fem!bau!reader, Haley isn't with Hotch

word count: 0.9k

“Boys, we all know that Daddy loves me best,” you say with a laugh as you lean back in the chair with a smug smile on your face. 

Derek laughs with you as he shakes his head, knowing full well you are right, while Spencer looks like you just shot his dog. “What about me?” he asks hesitantly, pointing at himself. 

“You’re Gideon’s favorite, I won’t give you Hotch too.” 

“And I’m the oldest child both parents forget about,” Derek notes as he stands up and stretches his arms above his head. You throw a pen at him, but he catches it with ease and walks over to put it on your desk. “Come on, I’m paying for the drinks tonight. You’re coming too, Reid,” he adds, giving a pointed look to the youngest member of your team. 

You don’t move, instead you turn to the hallway where Hotch and Gideon’s offices are, wondering if you should at least offer them the chance to join you. Gideon barely came with you, but Hotch agreed every so often, and when you could convince him to drink more than two glasses, things always got interesting. He could be fun when he let his walls down, when he joined the playful banters, or when he played along with you when you were back on your usual bullshit after one too many drinks. 

So, despite the others’ protests, you jump up and run into Hotch’s office to convince him to join you. He’s playing hard to get, but you know you could easily get under his skin with a few sweet words, and sure enough, he rolls his eyes and closes the folder he was working with. “Fine,” he says, then stands up to follow you. 

Fast forward to one in the morning, when he’s standing at your door, holding you up while you try to open your front door. Derek offered to take you home, but he wasn’t that sober either, so Hotch took it upon himself to get you home in one piece. Despite being aware of your intoxicated state, he gives you a lecture in the car about how you should try to behave, toning down the innuendos that are usually flowing out of you more often than not. And it only happened around him, which made him wonder if there are real feelings behind them. 

One day is enough to put the pieces together, and when the team goes to their respective rooms after a long day of traveling and getting up to speed with a new case, you can’t help but linger around your boss’ room, debating whether or not you should talk to him. You know he was right that night, that you were taking things too far, that you were overstepping boundaries that existed for a reason. But you didn’t know what to do, your crush on him made it impossible to be around him and act normal. 

And tonight you had a moment of enlightenment and figured out what route you can take to solve this. So, you knock, impatiently waiting for him to open the door for you. When it creaks open, you see that he’s already dressed for bed, wearing a white shirt and black track pants, and his hair is a mess already. “Did something happen?” he asks.

“I know it’s late, I’m sorry. There’s something I want to tell you, but I don’t want to wait until the morning,” you admit, glancing past him into the room as a sign that maybe you shouldn’t discuss it there. He gets the message and steps aside to let you in. “I’m leaving the team,” you announce when he leans against the wall. 

Hotch freezes, but his brown eyes tell you that his brain is in overdrive. “What?” You nod, not feeling like responding with words. “No.”

“That’s not up to you.”

“It should be. Is it because of what we talked about in the car?” he asks as he steps closer, slowly closing the distance between you. You nod again. “Okay, listen to me very, very carefully. I said what I said because I don’t want a scandal. I swear to God, one day the way our team members communicate will trigger a sexual harassment training. Garcia and Morgan? You and me? That’s completely unprofessional, no matter how natural it feels to us,” he says. 

You think about what he said, then you note, “But you never join in when I say those things. It’s not mutual.”

To your surprise, he lets out a laugh, then reaches out to cup your face. “Don’t think I don’t want to,” he admits, leaning so close you can feel his hot breath on your skin. “I love the way you’re teasing me, surprisingly, I even find your stupid daddy and sir kinks endearing, but I need to draw the line at work. I’m your boss, there are rules against relationships like that.” He thinks about this, then lets his hands slide down from your cheek, moving along your neck, down over your collarbone, exploring your sides as he leans in to kiss you. “Stay here tonight. Let me show you how badly I want you,” he breaths against your lips.

Your brain doesn’t work properly anymore, you can’t think of a reason why you should say no to him. So, you stay, giving in to the sexual tension that’s been building up ever since you joined the team. From that night on, you don’t even think about leaving the team again. You just tone down the comments to play by his rules.

[floralscented]

the amount of times i've had to address this because she literally will not fucking stop is insane. @artyandink, for the last fucking time, leave me alone <3 stop coming in my inbox anonymously trying to get me to talk about your fics & promote them thinking i can't tell it's you. stop asking to use my ideas even after you've BEEN BLOCKED. stop keeping tabs on me to see what i'm writing for now so you can start writing for it. i'm dead serious it's about to give me a fucking aneurysm.

it is not subtle. and as stupid as you think i am, from the way you did all of this & are still fucking continuing, you sure do like the things i put out! i am noticing it. people are SHOWING me it. move the fuck on. find your own voice! stop trying to steal mine and what i'm writing about. i'm tired of speculating on why you are doing this and just want it to fucking END.

writing clark kent & making bots for him just because i started it is fucking mental. naming people in your fic bonnie & clyde after the au that i made that you asked to use, and still did anyways even if it was private, when i said no is MENTAL.

on this note, anyone that follows me that also supports or interacts with arty, please show yourselves out, too. if you want to know why, look here & here since i've had to address this publicly three times now. but i'm tired of going about my life & pretending that over on her side of the internet, she's not STILL taking my ideas, or using the ones that she already has, because she doesn't have a single original bone in her body.

no! i do not know about your bodyguard & president fanfic, arty! because i did not ever actually fucking read it!

and if by the grace of god, somehow, this isn't you ( which is highly doubtable ) i'm sorry to these anons that this two faced, five identitied grown woman has made me this weary to have to respond like this. i am not usually hostile, i don't think, but constantly having her shit in my dms, having her try to make me promote her shit, is INSANE.

i have moved on. you are the one that cannot keep my name out of your mouth to other people trying to salvage your fall from grace, saying that whatever i'm saying isn't true, and then coming into my messages the one other time within EIGHT MINUTES of me unblocking you, saying that you're so sorry that this is happening and feigning ignorance. go to hell. i tried to handle this civilly and privately and every single time instead you took to your tumblr feed to try and paint me as a bad guy, or discredit everything that YOU PUT ME THROUGH. so truly, go to hell <3 and actually fucking listen to me and leave me alone. i do not talk about you or think about you when you're not actively doing this shit, so stop monitoring my account and especially stop stalking my cai just because i cant block you on there.

and while you're at it, find some creativity on your own. it'd do you some good in the long run to actually make something yourself and not piggyback off of others & their success and THEIR WORKS.

[blackgirlsloveburrow]

Can we have Joe with black wife effect

yes! okay here we go

you and joe are sitting on the couch enjoying each other’s company. he’s looking through instagram while you’re reading a novel.

“hey babe,” he says breaking your attention away from the book.

“yeah?”

“what’s the black wife effect?”. he asks this so seriously you can’t help but laugh a little bit.

“what? don’t laugh at me baby,” he pouts.

“okay, okay i’m sorry. why are you asking though?” you reply. even though you know why.

“a lot of the fans are saying i’ve been hit with the black wife effect,” he says.

it’s funny that he’s bringing this up now. you guys have been together for a long time, getting married just last year. he’s definitely had a little extra spice added to him over the years. a big thanks to you specifically and being around his teammates. you were a big confidence booster for him when you guys first got together. especially when his teammates would ask him, surprised, how he managed to get with a black girl. they would ask like it took some type of magic to do it. in reality, you were drawn to his dorkiness.

you could see it on the field too in his celebrations. he’s become a little more outward about himself in front of the press too.

let’s not forget the fashion though. he always asks for your opinions on his clothes, even letting you buy them sometimes so that he’s looking fly always. he also loves when you give him opinions on his hair cuts. loving the way you rub his head when you’re proud of the way it looks.

you climb on his lap and he looks up at you. you give him a kiss on the lips and tell him “it just means you have more culture now that you’re with me baby,” you say smiling and explaining further.

“hey i had culture before i met you,” he responds a little defensively.

“baby…the haircuts, the outfits, and if we’re being honest the food too”. you’re laughing a little more now.

he thinks about it some more. “okay you’re right ,” he responds. he rolls you over on the couch and kisses your face multiple times, thanking you in between.

“of course i am. everyone can see it baby,” laughing, and finally responding when you break away from the kisses.

you look a little disheveled from the kiss attack. he’s staring at you.

“i’m glad you’re in my life y/n. i love you so much,” he says.

“i love you too joe”. you go in to get kissed some more.

[ttheggrimrreaper]

Pink lock

Blue lock x reader (Fem! manager)

Liar. Sellout. Hope.

"Alright, our next opponent is team w! Our backs are against the wall, but so is theirs. So we're both desperate for this win." You pointed to the screen as you spoke. The boys paying close attention.. well. Minus Chigiri and the missing Kuon. Followed by that Keiko was missing. But atleast Fumiko and Rei were still here.

"We need to look out for the Wanima twins. Their combination plays is what makes them the most valuable asset to their team. They flew through team Y." You should not have said that last part. While some had a look of determination, others shared a look of concern. Chigiri however perked up at the name of the twins, something you have chosen to keep track of. "That being said, their weapon only works when it's being used along side the other twins weapon, we sperate them, we shut them down," you slammed your first into you open hand, waiting for the reaction.

"Isn't Kuon the one that usually does the briefings?" Raichi spoke, chin resting in his palm.

"Well he's obviously not here." You moved your hand to rest on your waist. In truth, You took over for Imeon because he asked. Plus it was bound to give you bonus points in the exam. Turns out it wasn't just one exam, it was multiple... So horary. At least you were about.,, 75% through it all.

"I think he's fallen asleep in the bath" naruhaya teased, you rolled your eyes as you pulled up footage of the twins. Chigiri watching the screen intently. You observed the room, Naruhaya currently being held down by Gagamaru, rei and Fumiko sitting silently in the back, Fumiko had really gone quite since she finished her first exam... It was kinda odd.

"Sorry I'm late! I was thinking of a name and I must have drifted  off." Kuon said from the door. The boys erupted with " hi coach" and asking if he truly did fall asleep. However.. something bothered you, his hair., was dry. But that could easily be due to hair dryers. But you still wanted to test that theory. You walked  to him and grabbed the plastic cup from him, setting a hand on his forehead as you filled it.

"Your not warm... But your face is redder than a tomato. You okay?" You asked, handing him the water. You really were concerned.. for a number of reasons but one being that you needed 11 players.

"Uhh y-yeah!" He started, taking the water as you moved your hand, grazing a strand of hair. Not warm. So either he dried his hair and let it sit until it cooled, or he never took a bath. Maybe he was using that as a cover up for something personal. So you didn't push it,

"Umm.. anyway. Our plan last time really worked, but it lacked coordination! So this time we are having three of us with compatibil weapons upfront at a time. We switch ever 30 minutes!" He said as he tossed the cup the away

"And the name to the brilliant plan?" Rei inquired, she has a different change from Fumiko.. she started talking more.

"Southern All stars!" Kuon responded proudly.. much to the crowds dislike.,

"We can work shop it" you winced through gritted teeth. It was a horrible. Gagamaru however stated that he loved the name because of some dumb band. Imeon unwilling signed up to stay on goalie.

"You should stop worrying about others and focus on getting a goal" chigiri said to Isagis question of where he would stay. This angered you,, you needed ten players moving not nine..

"Chigiri, if your staying on defense, You better do the best damned job I have ever seen," you spoke out. Your voice bitter as you glared, he didn't even look up, "boys,, if we lose now... We're done, so don't screw this up."

(Time skip brought to you by the Crocodile twins)

The boys were on the field stretching. The first three up and ready. You looked over to the other side... Dear God those twins looked creepy, big wide eyes... Big wide eyes was all you had, but still, creepy. As the kickoff started, you noticed how the twin with the oddly shaped eyebrows, never spoke... Communication through eye contact.. which was really something. Something to marvel at if you had the time. Seems like they had time through, because they flew through your defense.

"... Fuck." Was all you had to say, crossing your arms. However, it was when you heard Chigiris name you payed more attention to the dialogue on the field.

"Look who it is! The glass genius testing his luck at blue lock~ take a look bro! Can you believe he's still playing soccer! My bro says you days as a player are-" you could not, would not let him cover that sentence. Chigiri clearly was having a hard time putting in effort as is, and him being further more oushed down for it by apparently some old friends, would not be the best way to go. unfortunately.. you had to give up Isagi for it.

"YEAH ISAGI!!" You shouted, perfect timing to. Enough to still allow Isagi to steal the ball.. although it was sketchy and pushing a foul, and right before the talking twin finished talking. However, Isagi did send a glare your way,, and all you could was shrug. You could see as Isagi ran the ball, up the field that Chigiri was not pleased with the advice he was being given from Isagi.

Isagi passed the ball to Kuon, a little high. But with Kuons amazing ability, he's able to hit it in. The team cheered, as did you... But something was off.... The goalie saw it coming. Heck! YOU saw it coming from across the field... So then why did his muscles flex as though he was forcing himself not to stop the ball.... You shook off the thought. Crazy, no way a single team member would ruin the chance for the rest of the team.. not with how easily the managers were greeting and congratulating players when they passed.

It's team ws ball again, while the twin is talking... To himself. Kunigami manages to swipe up the ball. Passing it to Bachira who passes it to Kuon again., who is oddly in a good spot. It was once more high, but Kuon made it work scoring another goal. You didn't cheer this time. You just watched the other teams defendees step away from Kuon before the ball was even at its apex...

"Kuons never shown this much effort!" Keiko said, gleefully as she smiled and cheered. "The other day, right before the team meeting about this game, he said he was so worried for us and what would happen to us after this game! He's so sweet!" Before the team meeting,,, after this game.

"..yeah.., real sweet.." so he wasn't bathing then.... Then what in the world.. could be so important to miss that team meeting? You were no longer focused on the game, time onky coming back to you when you were walking into the locker room for half time.

"... I hope you find something for you Y/n. Don't tell the others, but your definitely my favorite manager. Always testing me to push my limits... Both you and Isagi," Kuon had said to you before he entered the locker room. He gave you a side hug, and you stood their dumbfounded. It took you a few seconds to regain the sense of self to walk into the locker room.

"This game is going great! I honestly thought the plan was lame before.. but now I think everyones on board!" Naruhaya cheered

"Hey, to be clear I was on board since the beginning!" Gagamaru corrected. You looked around, chigiri still sitting on the side lines. After this game,,. Win or lose you were gonna talk with him.

The next three up are Naruhaya, Raichi and Gagamaru. Kuon tells Raichi to pass it back. And before you can shout differently, Raichi does so. Kuon started to go on about building up. Thankfully that's what they had you for, to see what they couldn't. "Kuon! Behind you!" You shouted, but it feels on deaf ears... Seconds later the ball was stolen. Isagi dives for it, fails, chigiri is just a pole to them.. because of Kuons sudden blindness... They just scored. Kuons claps, trying to cheer the team up. But when Kuon passed it back, to defense of all positions... You noticed how he twisted his foot. Enough to kick, but not nearly enough power... As though to ensure that he would not make it. The silent twin ate that chance up like a crocodile.. 2-3.

As you saw Raichi boiling up, you ran into the field, patting Kunigamis shoulder and pointing to Raichi as you walked over to chigiri. Thankfully Kunigami made it in time to stop lemon shark  from beating Kuon. Kuon apologizes, even going down to his knees... But when he gets up.. you swore you saw a smile.

'I hope. Sorry for that. after blue lock.'

Those words rang in your ear, but you shook them away. No. No way, no one in the team, not even chigiri would do this. It didn't matter anyway.. even if he was screwing the team over he would still not make it through- he had three goals. Three. The highest on the team, the top pulls through if all else fails. As angry as you wanted to be, right now you were heartbroken. Eyes wide as you watched Kuon lift his head.. smiling.

"Sorry... Let's try again.." he said, his tone sounding sad... Your mind screamed that it was a trap. It could be how much of a bond you built with these people, or it could be how desperate you were to succeed. But while you were trying your hardest to stay on the sidelines, to not call him out for it, you watched. Time for Isagi, Bachira, and Kunigamis link up play.

This would confirm or deny your suspicion. If he sold you out or not... They have never used this link up in a game so team w would have no other plausible way of knowing.

As Kunigami, Isagi, and Bachira were shut down, so were you. Your breath quickening. The feeling of fighting or flight fighting to take hold. You wanted to punch Kuon,you wanted to turn and run away from the betrayal. You wanted to address the issue, but to also bury it where no one would ever find. Its when someone sets a hand on your shoulder your hearing returns.

"Y/n? You good?" You heard Rei ask. You were still standing.. but they picked up on your quickned breath. Taking a deep, but shaky breath you nodded. This was not a panic attack.. but it was harmful to your job to keep the team moral happy. This was a huge  speed bump.. and it could not be buried.

"TIME OUT!"

Isagi was standing in front of Kuon as you called it. The teams galred at you. As the boys slowly made their way to your side, you decide to meet Kuon half way a sharp scowl on your face.

"Oh Y/n.. I promise I am alright! I just,, I gue-" you slapped him before he could finish. The girls gasping, the other team members looking shocked.

"Y/n L/n please return to your-" you drowned out the voice of Anri telling you to return. You had nothing to lose! His plan was to fucking ruin your future with this anyway!

"Are you fucking serious!?!" You spat out, Kuon cupping his cheek. "The trust I fucking put in you. The time I spent covering your ass and trying to keep you from fucking up! But nooo we just got a sell out the team huh!?" You didn't even know what you were saying at this point.

'I am sorry for this'

'what would you do without your head?'

'I wish you the best'

"Y/n...." Kuon started but Keisuke finishes for him, setting a hand on your shoulder.

"They caught on Kuon! No use hiding it-"

"That was not an invite for you to fucking talk! Go mind your damn business far the fuck away from me!" You pushed the boy away. Sure he didn't really do anything, but you were pissed right now, blood boiling.

"Is this true!?" Raichi shouted, moving past you and Keisuke as he lifted Kuon "Your a fucking traitor!"

"Hey you can't touch him either!" One girl shouted, from team W. While Raichi handled Kuon, you got to handle this shit.

"Oh!? Why the fuck not!? I am minding my own business! Did you know about this shit? That we were being sold out!?" You stepped forward, continuing towards the girl. You were ready for a fight. The girl looked down, almost ashamed. "... You lack that much confidence in your team, that you knew they couldn't win without a sell out!? Your pathetic! Not as bad as Kuon, but your not very far." You growled out getting closer with each step.

A loud whistle rang throughout the field just as you got within arms length of the girl. "RETURN TO YOUR SIDE OF FEILD." Anris voice shouted. You didn't want to, you reached out to grab a hold of the other girl but a strong arm caught you. You looked up.

"It's not worth it" Kunigami spoke lowly. Looking down at you, he only let you go when you turned away from the girl. Raichi had backed off of Kuon so atleast you had that. You walked back to your side standing right at the edge. Keiko or two didn't dare approach you, and Fumiko had simply walked out.... Another odd thing that's come up this week.

"I am doing my best to survive blue lock... And after the last game.. I've realized I am on a team full of idiots. No matter how many ,managers you have, can ever fix that." Kuon said as he grabbed the ball walking to center field. He kicked it off... Passing the ball right into team Ws hands.

"From now on we're playing 10 vs-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND PLAY!" you yelled, hands clenched. You did not need to hear a damned word he said. This wasn't for the boys, this was for you right now. You were fighting tooth and fucking nail, staying up practicing how to handle pretend media situations for all 11 of these assholes and the only one you thought that could help you, was helping dig your grave. Thankfully, managers could leave the game, so long as one stayed. Keiko and Rei were staying so you had that to lean on. You stormed right out of that field without a second glance.

You found Fumiko leaned on the wall right outside... And for once you felt inclined to join her. So you did. Sitting right next to her and bringing your knees up to your chest.

"Sorry..." She whispered out.

"Oh for what?" You bit back the attitude you wanted to give her.

"... I knew about it. Before I walked into the meeting I saw him talking to them.. he asked me not to tell.." she confessed, breathing heavy.

Honestly... You weren't surprised. She had been acting weird since the exams started. But that didn't mean you weren't still pissed off with her. You took a deep breath as you got up.. she was simply reminding you... That no ,matter how angry or pissed you get, if the boys can't walk away nor should you. "That's fucked up Fumiko.... Real fucked up."

"I know."

"But you clearly don't regret it"

"I do!" She looked up to you with glossy eyes

"Only because you now know that we still are gonna win." With that last thought, you walked back into the game taking your standing position and watching how this would unfold. Keiko and Rei didn't say a word, just watched you as you watched the game. Just because she or Kuon didn't believe in your team, didn't mean that you shouldn't.

"Girls... Do get ready, Because it's gonna be a lot harder from now on."

Note: I clearly can't write angst (or maybe I can? Idk. Don't have a beta reader 😢)  so do forgive me for this!!

[cakeiscoolsblogthing]

I have a theory.

This is going to be a long post, but I don't know how to do the "read more" thing, sorry.

Bear with me for a minute. So I realized recently that I don't actually see that much Mabel or Ford hate, it's mostly stuff I hear from other people. (What I see is generally more subtle, like I read a fic that was good, but Ford took responsibility for Filbrick kicking Stan out. What was he supposed to do? He's 17 too! I also saw someone say the apocalypse wasn't Mabel's fault, it was Ford's. I'd just like to say that it was Bill's fault and Ford was manipulated into building that portal.)

But I do see a lot of Billford. It keeps on showing up in my suggested communities and the "For You" thing, despite The Book Of Bill portraying it as a very manipulative, horrifically abusive relationship. (When I say relationship, I don't necessarily mean romantic. It could have been a completely platonic horrifically abusive relationship.) And I have to wonder if, because Bill is a triangle, we let him get away with things we wouldn't if he were a human and/or doing these things directly to Ford.

Say that there was a movie. In it, there are two human men. Their relationship is clearly built on manipulation, and when the manipulated realizes that he's being manipulated, he tries to leave. The manipulator proceeds to torture him. You see this onscreen and it's horrible. The manipulator drives a nail through this guy's hand, shoves spiders down his throat, humiliates him . . .

Would people ship these two characters? This is the main fandom I'm in, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say probably not. (I'd like to say that I don't have a problem with people who write them as together . . . as long as it's portrayed as the abusive relationship it actually WAS and not a good relationship.)

All of those were actual things that happened in The Book of Bill. I didn't even mention the psychological torture (He makes Ford forget his OWN NAME) and forced sleep deprivation.

But Bill is a triangle. Bill isn't doing these things directly to Ford. He's doing them while in Ford's body, which is arguably possibly more horrific than if Bill was a separate person doing these things to him, but it's not something that could happen in real life.

But in this analysis of Ford: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58698496/chapters/158032750 when speaking of the torture Ford endured during Weirdmageddon, Callipraxia mentions that the fact that people can't electrocute others "takes at least some of the realism and therefore some of the horror out of the situation." (I apologize if this quote is incorrect, I couldn't find the part where she says this in this quite long work.)

And that makes me wonder if, again because Bill is a triangle and the things he does are literally impossible, it makes people less inclined to see his relationship with Ford as abusive when I have read two separate analyses (one of them is the one referred to above) that straight up say "This reads like a domestic abuse situation." One of them (the one NOT linked above, I'll look for it later) says that Bill hits every. Single. Criteria. For an abuser.

Even before Ford learned what Bill was really there to do, their relationship wasn't good. Bill doesn't show up for months and when Ford asks him where he's been, Bill responds by basically gaslighting him and making him doubt McGucket.

And there's one more thing I noticed. I wasn't in the GF fandom when the show was airing, but I'm pretty sure Billdip didn't become a popular ship until after Sock Puppet Opera, much the same as Billford wasn't so popular until TBOB. It's a pattern of "Bill abuses someone, then gets shipped with that someone." It's quite disturbing.

I know people are going to ship what they're going to ship, but Bill x Pines family members really shouldn't be so popular imo.

Tl;dr: If Bill were a human and you saw him torturing Ford, would you still ship them?

I'm pretty sure I forgot some of what I was going to say, so I might edit this later or reblog it with the extra information.

I do want to say that I do NOT support being rude, sending hate comments or death threats to people who do ship this. Don't do that. Just wanted to say, just in case.

I also want to say that though I put "anti Billford" and "anti Billdip" in the tags, I'm pretty sure I'm not an anti, though I haven't been able to fully figure out what the term means.

Another addendum: I am NOT qualified to be talking about abuse.

This is just a theory.

[honeyjars-sims]

Part 2 Prologue #2: Goatzilla vs. The Influencer

In addition to the chickens, Gail and Ellie bought a mini goat. Since I’ve been helping out a lot with the animals, they said I could name her. I went with Goatzilla–"Zilla" for short. She’s a big hit with the kids in the community, and even Taco seems to like her. 

I’m taking care of Zilla when I spot two of my neighbors near the greenhouse. I’ve seen them around but we haven’t officially met. Judging by their resemblance to one another, I assume they’re sisters and they appear to be around my age.

The blonde one is dressed for the hot weather in a crop top and skirt, but she doesn’t look ready for outdoor labor. She has a full face of makeup, long nails, and her clothes are clean and freshly ironed. The brunette looks more in place in ripped jeans and boots, both lightly dusted with dirt.

She’s holding a pink glittery cell phone in her hands that I can only assume belongs to her sister.

“Okay, I want it to look casual, like you just happened to catch me looking this way,” the blonde tells her while striking a pose I’m sure I’ve seen on Simsta somewhere. 

“I’m pretty sure people will know that it’s staged,” her sister complains.

“Oh my God, just take the picture, Glynnis!”

Glynnis sighs and holds up the phone just as Zilla scurries towards her sister’s skirt, which apparently looks like something good to much on.

“AHH,” the blonde screams. “He’s eating my CLOTHES!” 

I shoo Zilla away as the girls sit down on a nearby wooden swing. 

“She,” I correct the blonde. “Zilla is a girl. Sorry she ruined your photoshoot. And your skirt.”

“It’s fine,” Glynnis tells me. “I told her she shouldn’t have photoshoots near the animal pen if she doesn’t want to get dirty.”

“I think my skirt’s okay,” the blonde says as she smooths it out. She looks up at me. “I’m Hollis. I think I’ve seen you around. And this is my sister, Glynnis.”

“Nice to meet you both. I’m Johnny. And I guess you’re acquainted with Zilla.”

Hollis laughs. “I’ll say! You live with that hot Tartosan guy, right?”

“Uh yeah, that’s Paul,” I tell her.

“Cool. How long have you two been together?” 

I can feel my cheeks getting hot. “Oh, we’re not…together,” I explain. “We’re just roommates.”

“Oh, sorry,” Hollis responds. “I just assumed. Does that mean you're both single then?”

“Hollis, stop,” Glynnis pipes up.

“What? I’m just asking.”

“Yeah, we’re both single,” I tell Hollis. “So, what’s the photoshoot for?”

“Oh, just my Simsta,” she says, waving her hand nonchalantly. “People seem to enjoy the outdoorsy pics. Or at least that’s what the algorithm tells them they like.”

“Ah, yes, the algorithm,” I say, and we nod in solidarity like we’re speaking in a secret code language. Glynnis rolls her eyes.

Taco strolls over and mews loudly at Hollis, excited for the opportunity to receive attention from a new person. Hollis leans down to pet her.

“What a cute baby,” she says. Taco purrs and jumps into her lap. 

“That’s my cat, Taco,” I tell her. “She’s very affectionate.” Taco mews louder.

“And talkative, too! Ooh, would you mind if I took a few pics with her? Cats always get lots of engagement.”

“That’s cool with me,” I respond. I look at Taco. “Did you hear that? You’re gonna be famous on Simsta!” Taco lets out another big meow and we all laugh at her comedic timing.

Glynnis takes a few snaps of Hollis with Taco, who I have to say killed her first photoshoot. 

“Thanks for letting me borrow your cat,” Hollis says afterward.

“No problem! She’s just happy for the attention. Oh, by the way, my sister and I are having a little get together for our birthday here this weekend. Gail said we can use the seating area by the food truck to set up. Feel free to come by if you’re around.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Hollis says, and Glynnis nods in agreement.

“Cool, see you around!”

“See you!”

Previous | Beginning of story | Beginning of chapter | Next

[waitsobs]

THE LONG GAME ⋆˚࿔ chapter nine!

When popular actress y/n l/n's private account gets exposed, it is revealed that she has a crush on one of the girls from the girl group katseye. y//n tries to de-escalate the situation, but makes it worse, and loses her chance with the girl. The only way she think of winning the girl over is by playing the long game. 

WORK FOR IT

When yn arrived on the set, the scene set up was a typical bedroom. Megan was already standing on the side, ready to start. yn's heart began hammering as she approached her, but fortunately, the director was approaching them to explain the scene, saving her from having to make an embarrassing introduction.

"So, in this scene, you two will be on the bed. Megan, you're going to lay down while yn is on top of you applying your makeup." The director explains.

Megan's eyes widened; she wanted to protest, but she knew she had to be professional, so she remained silent and nodded.

yn, on the other hand, was freaking out since the two were not on good terms, if they were on any terms at all.

"You guys got it?" The director inquired, which jolted yn out of her trance and caused her to nod in agreement. "okay great, well let's get started you two can go take your positions."

The director walked away, and to yn's surprise, Megan was already laying down on the bed.

Gradually, she approached the bed and stood beside it, gazing down at Megan. 

"Are you just going to stand there or what?" Megan asked, slightly annoyed, her brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry I didn't know whether to ask or just you know…" yn responded, her gaze shifting away from Megan.

"Just get on top of me so we can hurry and get the scene done."

yn took a deep breath before finally climbing on top of Megan. The two remained motionless in their postures, not speaking until yn felt compelled to apologize.

"I'm so sorry about the private account situation. I asked Lara for your number to apologize, but you then blocked me. yn explained, scratching her brow.

Megan turned her head to look at yn, who continued speaking. "I didn't mean for it to sound like I didn't know who you were. I just didn't know how to word it. I never meant for it to get blown out of proportion, and I apologize.

Megan quickly realized that if she hadn't blocked her, she would have received an apology sooner, and she felt bad about it now. She took a deep breath and responded. "I'm sorry too I probably shouldn't have blocked you."

"No," yn interjected. "I understand why you did but I kind of wish you didn't block me when I messaged you." yn allowed a faint smile slip over her lips.

"Yeahhh" Megan went on, "I was still upset about the situation, but I'm kind of over it now."

"So does that mean you'll unblock me now?" yn's small smile became larger.

"Hmm," Megan hummed, leaning up and placing her face a few inches away from yn's. "I think I'll make you work for it." Megan curled her lips into a smile.

"Oh I'll work for it." Yn answered, softly nudging Megans' chest, causing her to fall back into the bed.

masterlist ⭑.ᐟ next

Taglist: @saysirhc @urmom2314 @artrizzler19 @yeetaberry127 @yjiminswallet @lara4eclipze @meiphobic @meizinisnumberone @meganskiendielsbtc @soobnotfound @linnnsworld @1luvkarina @raviolisupremacy  @peranoo @vrtualstar @ssamlovr | TAGLIST OPEN

[jrswritings]

Tingles and Giggles - Chapter Twenty-Two- Tyler Owens x Reader

Get caught up with the Chapters 1-21 on the Masterlist! :)

Chapter Twenty-Two - Haggard, Jennings, and Strait

You had just left the gas station a couple of hours away from the small town where Auntie B lived, starting your journey to your parent's house. While you were filled with excitement, you were also quite nervous. You hadn’t brought any man home to your parents since your ex, Derek. Your parents were in love with Derek more than you think you were. They viewed him as the perfect boyfriend for you. He was pursuing a law degree and planned to have his firm in the Big Apple. 

Your parents listened to you, but there were times you felt your words landed on deaf ears for what you wanted in life. Every parent wants their child to be happy and successful in life, but everyone views success differently. 

While accelerating onto the highway, you leaned against the armrest and gripped the wheel tightly. In all honesty, it wasn’t just nerves you were feeling; you were scared, too. 

Tyler decided to lean his seat back and put his hat to cover his face, in hopes of taking a brief nap. You slid one of your earbuds into your right ear and selected a random playlist from your ever-growing list of music. The piano intro of Merle Haggard’s ‘That’s the Way Love Goes’ flooded your ear. You hummed along softly, but it was one of your favorite songs of Merle’s so it was hard to not sing along. 

“That’s the way love goes, babe, that’s the music God made, for all the world to sing, it’s never old, it grows,” you sang softly,  “Losing makes me sorry, you say, honey, now don’t worry, don’t you know I love you too, and that’s the way love goes.” 

Little did you know, Tyler was not asleep beside you but was listening to you the whole time. You grew up listening to Haggard, Jennings, and Strait so it brought you back to a time when life was simpler. 

Your phone dinged and your phone read it to you in your ear.

“A text from Mom, hey honey, what time do you think you will be at Uncle Oliver’s? Say what you’d like to respond with.” 

“In an hour or so,” you said, “Who’s driving the truck and trailer?” 

After it was sent, the fiddle on ‘Amarillo By Morning’ took over. You slightly started to rock your shoulders while listening, your fingers tapping the beat of the song on the steering wheel. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Tyler shuffle, glancing over you noticed he was disconnecting your phone from your ear bud and connecting it to the truck. 

“What? I like this song, too,” he said, turning the volume up.

“Ah, okay,” you laughed softly. 

“They took my saddle in Houston, broke my leg in Santa Fe, lost my wife and a girlfriend somewhere along the way,” he sang, sitting up in his seat, “But I’ll be lookin’ for eight when they pull that gate and I hope that judge ain’t blind. Amarillo by mornin’, Amarillo’s on my mind.” 

“I never took you for much of a singer, Owens,” you said, turning the radio down slightly. 

“Auntie B and my Mom would always have music playing, no matter the time,” he said, “Especially if it was classic country. They always played Alabama and Johnny Cash.” 

“Sounds like my household,” you chuckled, “Hence why my boys are named Waylon and Willie.” 

“Same for Cash, ain’t that right, bud?” He asked, turning around and seeing his dog passed out in the backseat peacefully. 

“He’s had a lot of excitement the last 24 hours, babe,” you said, “Let the poor pup sleep.” 

“I know,” he said softly, reaching his hand over and placing it on yours, “My last few days have been a lot of excitement, too.” 

“I bet, you’re with one crazy lady,” you laughed. 

“The only thing she doesn’t know is that I’m crazier,” he laughed. 

Your phone dinged again, this time it playing over the truck sound system. 

“A text from Mom, your father planned on having you drive and use your truck, then we’d have your boyfriend help out with some of the manual labor. You know we have to see if he is even worth your time. Say what you’d like to respond with.”

You pressed the button on the screen to not send a reply. 

“Well that isn’t embarrassing at all,” you groaned, rubbing your forehead while turning off the main highway. 

“It’s okay, they just want to see if I’m good enough for you,” he said, “Normal protective parenting.” 

“That’s what you think,” you scoffed and rolled your eyes, “Just wait until they bring up my ex and won’t stop talking about them.” 

“Why do they like him so much since he broke your heart?” Tyler asked, squeezing your hand gently. 

“Because in their eyes he was the perfect boyfriend,” you mocked your parent's tone, “Meanwhile our relationship was far from perfect. I’m glad he cheated, even though it did give me trust issues.” 

“Okay, now I’m lost,” he said, leaning to be facing you slightly. 

“As much as my parents viewed him as perfect, after year two I was starting to fall out of love with him. We would fight, a lot and about the dumbest things. I’d want to go listen to bands and dance in downtown Salado, yet he would want to go to the city and bar-hop with his college friends,” you said, your mind going back to how those days made you feel, “He’d be gone to the cities for a whole weekend if not longer sometimes. He never helped out with the farm chores when we’d go to my parents. It’d just be that his soft little hands can’t get rough, it doesn’t look good in a courtroom.” 

“Was he going to be a judge or something?” Tyler asked.

“Lawyer,” you said, “My parents viewed him as going to be quite successful and would make me happy my whole life. So, I swallowed my pride and stayed with him to make them happy.” 

“Why though? If you were miserable,” he started to say.

“Because back then I was a people pleaser,” you snapped, “And others abused that so I’ve been working on not being one.” 

“I see,” he said quietly. 

“But what I view as being happy isn’t what they view, so I just suffered until I had an actual reason to leave him,” you said, pulling into a rest stop and putting the truck in park. 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that for that long, baby,” he said softly, reaching over and moving a piece of hair from your face. 

“It is what it is, Ty,” you sighed, resting your forehead on the top of the steering wheel, “I’ve moved past it to what actually makes me happy.” 

“I make you happy?” He asked, a smirk coming to his face. 

“Yes, you dummy,” you said while sitting up and smacking his chest lightly, “I wouldn’t have said yes if you didn’t.” 

“I suppose you’re right,” he chuckled, kissing the back of your hand. 

“Are you okay to drive? I need to text my mom that we’ll be there in twenty and I need to calm down so I don’t lose it the next couple of days,” you said, unbuckling your seatbelt. 

“Anything for you babe,” he said, “I’d rather not have to bail you out of jail.” 

“I wouldn’t kill anyone, just say some not-nice things,” you said, opening your door and sliding out of your seat. 

“That’s what they all say,” he chuckled, getting out of his side of the truck to go around to the driver's side. 

While you messaged your mom back that you’d be there soon, you leaned the seat back slightly and rubbed your face with your fingers. There was a reason you rarely visited your family, and this was it. The home wasn’t a happy place anymore without James there. Your view of life changed, along with what priorities you had. You moved to stay focused on one thing and one thing only. Yourself.

Taglist: @fanboyswhore9 @faith719 @ummmeg @nerdgirljen @winterassassin1804 @smoothdogsgirl @xbox5angelx @ifilwtmfc @djs8891 @watashiwababy

[cc1306]

hopeless romantic! suna, who can’t stop zoning out, while you’re telling him all about the fight the twins got in during second period. he stares at you blankly, thinking about the way your nose crinkles from laughter as you’re talking to him. cute.

hopeless romantic! suna, who asks, “sorry, what were you saying?” in response to you waving your hand in his face and snapping him out of his daze. with a slight blush on his face, he turns his head, mortified that you caught him failing to pay attention.

“seriously…keep up!” you reprimand him with a half-serious frown and a pout, and he forces himself to pay full attention not wanting to subject himself to such embarrassment again.

hopeless romantic! suna, who stays up late that night facetiming osamu, as he rambles on about some argument he and atsumu got into earlier in the day.

“sunarin, pay attention! quit thinking about [name], i’m talking to you,”

“i wasn’t thinking about her,” he defends, knowing full well that he was wondering if you were still awake before osamu interrupted.

“right, and i’m not the better twin. you know, you should just confess to her before it’s too late. someone else might make a move before you do, then you’ll never get to be with her.”

osamu’s statement made suna think hard.

“…yeah well she doesn’t like me like that. we’re just friends ‘samu.”

“you two are insufferable. let me know when you grow a pair and finally ask her out,” osamu groans out, growing tired of suna’s crippling fear of rejection.

“whatever… im tired now, bye,” suna cut off osamu’s rant with a yawn, before he ended the call.

would she really go out with someone else?

today was the day. suna decided that today would be the day he put his fear to the side and told [name] how he felt. he felt his hands tremble every time she was near and his heart pound, as adrenaline surged through his body.

during your lunch break, you sat on the roof together, just the two of you alone. suna saw this moment as his opportunity, the perfect chance to try and confess his feelings to you. you were currently rambling to him again, telling a story he honestly tried to listen to, but it proved difficult considering his heart was beating out of his chest, as he thought of how you’d respond to what he was about to tell you.

“and then aran and kita told me-“

“[name], i-“ he interrupts you mid-sentence, but his voice got caught in his throat. he cursed himself for being so nervous, all he had to do was say the three words but nothing came out.

“yeah, what’s up?” you ask him, as you drink from your strawberry milk carton contentedly.

“i…umm… i have something to tell you,”

okay yes, good start. just tell her.

“okay…should i be worried?” you ask, starting to get concerned about how serious suna suddenly became.

you thought he’d been acting strange the past week, like how he’s been zoning out recently when speaking to you, or just staring strangely. you’re getting the vibe that somethings wrong with him. maybe he’s sick? maybe he doesn’t want to be your friend anymore? you have no clue what to think, so you chose to hear him out.

“no…well, maybe.”

he felt his hands getting clammy and nervously rubbed them on his trousers. his eyes darted everywhere, looking at everything in the room except back at your own expecting pair. he realised he’d been silent for too long - he needed to say something now.

“i have to tell you how much you mean to me. you might not realise it, but i’m obsessed with you. i think of you before i sleep, and you’re the first thing i think of when i wake up. you consume me, and i don’t know what i would do without you,” he blurted out, speaking so quickly you wouldn’t have been able to keep up if you weren’t listening so intently.

you sat there, stunned in silence. of all things he could’ve said to you, you certainly didn’t expect this. he took your silence as a signal to continue his speech.

“i need you in ways that surely can’t be healthy,” he chuckled, releasing a nervous breath.

“i-“

“you don’t have to accept it. i don’t expect you to tell me you feel the same, but i’d wait forever for you. if you want to be just friends then we will. but you have to tell me what to do. i like you so much. you can say you hate me. you can say you don’t feel the same. just tell me the truth.”

he couldn’t muster up the courage to look you in the eyes, so he kept his gaze trained to the ground, staring hard at the laces of his shoes.

“suna..” you started, forcibly sucking in a breath of air since you felt like all of it had been knocked out of your lungs.

“that’s the most beautiful thing anyone’s ever said to me. thank you. i don’t now what i’d do without you either because i like you too,” you confessed as he rushed to hold you in his arms in a warm hug.

“thank God, i don’t know what i’d do if you rejected me,” he joked, covering up his anxiety with humour.

“i could never reject you,” you beamed at him in return. he felt his heart explode.

hopeless romantic! suna, who returned to last period that day with a smile from ear to ear, as he entered the classroom hand in hand with you by his side.

[bra1nw0rmz]

you draw levi like a wet tissue and i CANNOT get enough of him PLEASE I LOVE HIM AND HIS SWAGLESS CRINGE FAIL PERSONALITY

GHGHGH TYY I LOVE HIS SWAGLESS CRINGE FAIL ASS TOO

Here’s a levi from another test I did with procreate dreams lol, cw for drug use ofc

[summerlinenss]

Sorry to be that person but do you have any sources of the “pro-Palestine content” Taika has interacted with? I keep seeing people talk about him liking posts and I want to believe it but I haven’t been able to find anything.

(disclaimer: as i’ve mentioned before, i don’t condone stalking through anybody’s social media to “get evidence,” so please don’t do that. the only reason i’m posting this is because it’s a question i keep seeing and i’m seriously just so tired of talking about it. and a final reminder that taika hasn’t been on twitter in almost a year now and he doesn’t seem to use instagram on a regular basis, since he’s openly said he really just doesn’t like social media anymore.)

i’m like 90% sure there are more i’ve seen mentioned (i distinctly remember that he liked a video from a comedian who’s been advocating for palestine but i can’t for the life of me remember their name), but these are two that i’ve personally seen online. i’ll link them both here and here (+ screenshots below).

update: forgot to edit this to add another post i came across here a few weeks ago

the previous anon from this ask (who will remain anonymous by request) also kindly got back to me with screenshots of the tweets they came across from his likes between 2018-2021. i don’t have direct links to any of these obviously, but i did quickly scroll back to 2021 just to verify and i can confirm they’re still there in his likes.

and before anyone starts, i’m not calling him an activist for liking social media posts. no one needs praise for recognizing what’s happening is genocide. but labelling him something as serious as a zionist and harassing/wishing harm on him for signing one poorly-worded letter about freeing hostages in october (and i won’t even get into all of the alleged bullshit that went down surrounding those letters) when there is literal proof he has and continues to support a liberated palestine is so senseless.

if people really care about creating change, they can prove it by encouraging others to speak up and save their outrage for the actual zionists openly mocking the people of gaza for their suffering and taking field trips to “israel.”

[anbaisai]

Seeing that Mayu also likes origami

NOT THE PUMPKIN ORIGAMI HELP- Jamil is being tormented nonstop for the one time he does something weird and it was (unfortunately) captured in 4K 😭😭

I didn't know Astrid liked origami too omg that's so cute ❤️ I love the idea of them just chilling and quietly making stuff together at the same desk, it's always fun getting to do arts & crafts activities with someone ww ⬇

Also the penguin??? I swear to god I have never mentioned this on my blog (I even searched the word on my blog to double check) but some of my friends call me "penguin-coded" and I never understood why, but you're telling me even Mayu-chan gives penguin vibes? 😭😭 This can't be a coincidence I need answers- is it the black and white palette or what hELP-

[kyonshi-8610]

omg saw the tags on the lolita dress reblog. i love toshiro my babygirl... i already drew one of those, but i think it'd be lovely to see him in outfits that falin disliked? like. her gifting them to him instead

[laauranenn]

in wbk fandom you can't have conversation about the writing, development and complexity, this fandom is overprotective about nii's mid writing, Any comments about his flaw in writing characters or this plot will be shut down , fandom only cares about shipping and yaoi

the side characters especially umemiya are well fleshed out with detailed backstories , everything in the plot literally revolve around umemiya , the antagonists like choji and chika revolved around their obsession with ume , tsubakino and sugishita backstories included ume too ,nii is focusing on exploring umemiya and his past more than his mc Sakura

Nii can't make Sakura the center of the plot, the plot always revolves around the side cast and their issues ,while the problem Sakura has with trusting people has been addressed and nearly settled, the root cause is still left in the wind. It feels like the issue was addressed, but Sakura himself specifically never got his past elaborated on, but there is prime opportunity for angst and character moments, as well as just humanizing Sakura.

Thank you so much for responding!!

When I said I want to have a conversation, I meant it!! I agree that when you've got a fandom for something, the fans tend to be protective of the media and its author, and that shipping is something that is very prominent in fandom spaces.

But for the sake of this conversation, I'm going to do my best to ignore shipping that isn't confirmed or implied in the manga, and I'm going to acknowledge flaws in the writing if the points you bring up are convincing!

(If it becomes relevant, I'll only bring up things such as Endo and Takiishi's relationship and Tsubaki's affection for Umemiya, but I don't think they'll be something I need to really get into. )

I disagree with all the plot revolving solely around Umemiya, despite how relevant he is to most arcs in the manga.

The reason that Umemiya is so relevant, and is so present in the story, is because Sakura is going to take his spot someday. Sakura comes to Furin intending to take the top spot, a position that is currently filled by Umemiya.

For Sakura to make it to the top and it mean something, we need to understand what the position truly entails, and how it came to be. Which is what all the information we get on Umemiya is for. We're learning of his journey to the top and how he has shaped the world and its inhabitants.

For Choji and the Shishitoren arc, I'd like to argue that his obsession with Umemiya is about his position, and not about Umemiya himself. Choji and Umemiya are essentially in the same position, just in different teams. Which is why Choji focuses on Umemiya the way he does.

Choji and Togame share the same notion of power being a means to freedom. Choji latches onto this and decides that he wants to be the strongest, and therefore the freest. But when he reaches his goal of being the strongest, it turns out to not be like how he imagined, and the team takes a turn for the worst because of this.

Umemiya, however, is the strongest of his team. Yet he isn't experiencing the same boredom and despair as Choji is, despite being at the top. This is what Choji is so focused on. It's less about Umemiya as a person and is instead about the position he's in.

Sakura does also play an important role in the Shishitoren arc. The whole conflict likely wouldn't have started, or wouldn't have gone the way it did if it weren't for Sakura being there. Without him, the conflict likely would've been resolved differently.

Sakura and Togame's fight is important for both characters. For Sakura, he has a fight with someone where they both respect each other, likely for the first time. And for Togame, Sakura opens his eyes to the ways he's been acting, the ways he's gone against his own beliefs in order to salvage what is left of Shishitoren.

As for Tsubakino and Sugishita, they've both known him for years and he's played an important part in their lives.

For Tsubakino, Umemiya has been his friend since their first year in junior high. He learns that Tsubakino just wants to be himself and love the things he loves, which Umemiya praises him for, and tells him he's going to help back him up if someone tries to hurt him again. And they've been close friends all the way to where we currently are in the manga! Umemiya shows up in Tsubakino's story because he's relevant. It'd also be a little strange for Tsubakino to be one of the four kings without Umemiya showing up somehow, don't you think?

And with Sugishita, Umemiya also plays a similar role. Sugishita gets himself stuck in a spiral of meaningless fights he doesn't even want to be a part of, which Umemiya then saves him from. Umemiya saves him and brings him the peace he wants. This then manifests into his loyalty to Umemiya, as well as his friendship with the four kings.

With Sugishita, this also gives us insight into why he seems to hate Sakura so much. From the start we've known the main reason for it, which is Sakura aiming for Umemiya's spot in the school. But with the most recent chapters, we see why exactly he is so offended by this idea. Umemiya brought Sugishita peace, something that Sakura is actively disrupting. How could someone like Sakura, who's constantly snapping at people, and running into fights possibly measure up to Umemiya and what he's done for Sugishita?

It adds another layer to Sakura and Sugishita's rivalry, which I find incredibly interesting!

It's true that a lot of side characters are getting detailed backstories, while Sakura hasn't really had one yet. But in my opinion, this works out nicely with the way it's executed. It adds to the worldbuilding and makes the characters and the town feel more real, more solid.

I've really enjoyed learning about all the characters, as well as their relationships with each other. It makes Makochi and Furin feel like actual places with actual people, rather than just something that's there to only serve the main character.

As for Sakura's lack of backstory? I can see why you're itching for one, but I can't see it fitting into the story well if we got it right now. I also don't think that there even is a lot to it, not a lot to tell. We've already got a lot of info about Sakura and why he is the way he is, even without a proper backstory.

Even the first chapter makes Sakura's past very clear. He's a boy who's been mistreated for his looks for his entire life. It's brought up a couple times in the first few chapters even.

"How ya look doesn't matter in a fight, that's why I came to Furin"

"This is more like it. This is the right reaction. Everyone is always pushing me away, rejecting me, dismissing me-"

Sakura is someone who's been isolated growing up. This shines through in the way he interacts with others. Sakura is much more confident in a fight, he handles himself better in a fight. But when he interacts with others in a casual setting, he stumbles and gets flustered easily. A lot of the things that show just how alone he's been are subtle or might even be played as jokes, such as the only contact in his phone being a bot that gives you the weather forecast for the day. He also takes things literally. This could be just a trait of his, but it's likely a result of his lack of experience in social situations.

It's a lot of little things that add up. He's slow at texting because he's had nobody to text. He holds a spoon weirdly, likely because nobody corrected him growing up. Doesn't know how to open a Ramune bottle as he's never had one before. (This last one could also just be coincidence, but it all does still add up.)

I'm satisfied with how much we know about Sakura, but I'd love to hear what you'd like to get from a Sakura backstory!! Because it is true we haven't gotten a lot of info on where he was before Makochi.

The lack of backstory for him is because Wind Breaker isn't about his past, it's about him moving forward from it. It's about how Sakura makes a space for himself in Makochi. It's a story about him being accepted, about how a boy hated by all others becomes the hero of the town!

Please do respond again!! Share what you think of what I've said and give me your own observations! I'd love to keep the conversation going :)!!

[vamphorica]

How would a female Mello, matt, and Near be?

absolutely wonderful question, anon, thank you so much. if you've been on my blog for any length of time, it is probably not surprising that i've given this a lot of thought and, putting aside my intricate transgender speculations for the time being, let's gender swap the wammy's creatures, and consider how that could impact their narratives within death note.

note: i will still be referring to all three using he/him pronouns, but this is not intended to be intentionally contrary. feel free to substitute whatever pronouns your heart desires throughout.

♀ mello -> mihaela may be a little bit obvious, haha, but if mihael is a croatian name that means 'who is like god', and we need to retain the letter 'm' for obvious reasons, i think it works well as a feminine alternative name. mello is relatively androgynous as an alias, if not slightly masculine, but i think it is fine given what i'm about to talk about.

mello's canonical gender expression is already nonconformative, so it is interesting to speculate what he would he look like if he were a girl. one of my absolute favourite genderbent depictions of mello is this piece by thekatzone because it still retains mello's visual ambiguity but in the opposite direction. i do think he would dress more masculine as a woman not only because his subversive appearance is a very significant aspect to his character, but also because of how it might relate to his position in the mafia.

mello spends a significant amount of time in the manga and anime in hypermasculine environments despite his presentation, and i think it is important to retain this idea even if he were to be genderbent. i do think mello would have had a much harder time, if it was at all possible, in attaining a leadership position within the mafia as a woman. the women who frequent the base are implied to be sex workers, and so i'm genuinely curious as to whether mello would have felt able to approach the organisation as a masculine presenting woman, or whether he'd seek out a different group. in which case, what would that group be? would he have been able to effectively carry out his insane plans in the same capacity?

i have very little doubt mello would still have been ambitious, but i actually don't think that he would have been able to pursue his goal to catch kira before near as he went about it in the series. certainly light would not have taken him seriously if the voice he heard down the phone was higher pitched, and that alone could have greatly impacted how sayu's kidnapping played out, as underestimating mello could have easily resulted in her death.

♀ matt -> apparently mail as a name means 'pleasant', and that is very funny to me. i quite like the name maille, which is irish, so fits nicely with a vague headcanon i haven't fully developed. i also learnt it is the name for a brand of mustard, and i think he would appreciate that. matt as a pseudonym might have to be changed to matilda, or martha.

while i am under no illusion that matt would be the kind of girl to give a shit about their appearance, i do think in another life, he would have made an excellent e-girl twitch streamer. i can imagine him wearing cat ear headphones and miniskirts, and referring to "chat" every five seconds. rest in peace, mail, you would have loved twitch subs.

regarding matt's gender identity in the canon series, i think that it worth considering how he might have responded differently to surveying others as a woman rather than as a man. i think matt's approach to watching others is very informed by his own personal biases, which I think are definitively masculine. The most clear example of this is how he describes misa as "an awfully cute japanese girl" which, while isn't necessarily the worst thing said about a woman in this godforsaken series, demonstrates that matt's perspective on women is superficial at best. this isn't helped either by the fact that he completely fucks up when guessing misa's age, even going so far as referring to her as a "child".

i think a female matt would probably feel the most overwhelmed of the three by societal expectations of women, and may even distance himself away from femininity. i'm not trying to suggest here that matt's comments imply he's misogynistic, but i actually think matt is the most masculine of the wammy's kids, which may be controversial, i don't know. i believe that he retains his masculine personality in this genderbent scenario.

♀ near -> i love the japanese pronunciation of near's name, nia, as a girl's name that he could use as an alias. natania has the same meaning as nate – 'gift of god' – which does not match his character at all, haha, but that is what i managed to come up with.

near is the easiest to consider gender swapping because to me, he's a girl anyway. you can point to his female voice actors in the anime, or his long hair in the 2020 manga one-shot, but he is also so clearly coded as a feminine character, a contrast from not only mello's aggressive impulsivity, but the masculine environment of law enforcement. with halle as a notable exception (who herself is very masculine, but another post, perhaps), near is markedly different from every other character in the series. some might say he resembles his predecessor, but i think they are very distinct from one another as characters.

my personal opinion relating to mello and near's gender identities (which you may disagree with) is that mello expresses his gender ambiguity externally whereas near does so internally. essentially, if we interpret them both as androgynous, mello's appearance is far more expressive of this, whereas near's behaviour is his more nonconformative trait. this can be a slightly tricky area to navigate as it's important not to dive headfirst into gender essentialism, but i think near's mannerisms can, and should, be explored here.

girl near would still be able to work as head of the spk, without the disadvantages girl mello would face to become head of the mafia. i really don't think there would be much in the way of significant plot deviance if near was female, other than maybe light freaking out over the fact he was caught by a woman, which would be very funny. in the one shot, near's internal androgyny has manifested itself as a more external expression, and i really like that decision.

to conclude, i do love the concept of the wammy's girls, and i think it invites some interesting discussions relating to how femininity is often dismissed in death note. there's a lot of creativity in genderbending characters. mello, matt and near each have complex and interesting traits that are very fun to explore when thinking about them from this perspective.