#speedran these I’m not doing well about them

[mondaymelon]

— pocky for the malipo ⭑.ᐟ

⟶ ( kinich x gn!reader )

— in which... hey, does this even count as a kiss...?

— speedran this filler post for pocky day + kinch's birthday.. its single day too LMAO the coincidences are simply uncanny ..

— starts out w mualani + kinich for context , fluff !! reader likes sweets,, ...tw... use of the word orbs..

“awwww, c’mon!! it’ll be fun, i promise…”

mualani jumps up and down vigorously, her expression slowly growing more and more dejected. “the traveler told me all about it- this otherworldly tradition, y’know, with those little sweet stick thingies, they even gave me a box! it’d be a reallll big shame to waste ‘em, and wouldn’t it be super cool to do?”

recently, mualani had grown very invested in the idea of some date called “pocky day.” these sorts of random hyperfixtations happened just about every other day, but this time the obsession lasted a linger longer than most, all because of some eavesdropping on the traveler, who offhandedly mentioned it in some conversation… anyway, now that the day itself had arrived, 11/11, she was more excited than ever.

“just onnncee..! pretty please, kinich… xilonen? sharky??” seeing that no one here was willing, except for sharky, who wagged his tail in approval, mualani let out a wail.

kinich stared at her with a tired gaze, sighing slowly. “well, i don’t see how-”

“oHHH my aRCHONS, kinich, how are you so BORING?? when i contracted with this stupid guy, YOU, i thought itd be a little more fun than rotting in a cave ALLL day long but APPARENTLY not!!? live a little uGHHGH, you emo little ‘oooohh look at me im so distant and mysterious’ shut UPPP…” ajaw popped out of nowhere, face red and pixelated hands waving back and forth angrily. “c’mooon, surely you aren’t stupid and blind enough to see that this is the literally PERFECt opportunity to smoochy smoochy kiss kiss that one person you've been OGLING with those  big ORBS of yours huh????”

kinich opened his mouth to say something, but then paused. mualani watched with bated breath, squeezing sharky in her hands in anticipation, eyes sparkling, gaze screaming “oh????”. 

“...well… i guess… hmph, even someone like ajaw makes a point sometimes, huh…?” kinich coughed into his fist sheepishly, a barely noticeable blush dusting his cheeks. “though, i’m not ‘ogling’ them at all, ajaw- it’s- well, i’m just observing them. for a commission.”

“suuuUUUReeee palllll, whatever you say- YOU REALLY DIDN’T THINK I’D SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT, DID YOU??? BLABLABLA LALALA I’m RIGHT AHAHAHH THATS RIGHT IM RIGHT IM-”

kinich swatted ajaw out of the air, in the way one would with a buzzing fly. he flew through the air, disappearing into the horizon with a sparkle.

“...ahem. mualani, i’ll be heading out now.” kinich turned around calmly, as if he hadn’t just committed battery. "if i may, could i get one of those ‘pocky’ you were talking about? i’ll repay you.”

"hehe... no need for repayment, just tell me how it goes later!" mualani, smug and beaming, handed over one of the boxes.

..and so the time had come.

"kinich?" glancing up from your work, you flashed him a smile. "what's the matter?"

well, it wasn't as if the saurian hunter didn't see you out often- he did. this little nook you had in the scions of canopy was, as kinich put it, "on the convenient way back" for all of his missions, and so the male found most evenings swinging by (pun intended).

no, him coming wasn't the issue here. but kinich had been uncharacteristically.. avoidant of your gaze. for the past five minutes he had been there, arms crossed and leaning against the door frame like they do in those inazuman light novels, he'd been staring at a crack in the floorboards. and to make matters more concerning, he had something strange in his hands too: some sort of box that he kept flipping around with his fingers.

"hey. kini'. we're both not great at words, so just tell me and get.. well, whatever it is. you wanna say over with." at the mention of his nickname, kinich perked up, clearing his throat.

"ah, that..."

ohh, so there was the problem. the eerily quiet atmosphere was because ajaw wasn't present... pause, now you were even more worried. kinich had somehow gotten ajaw off his ass?? unthinkable????

"is it an emergency? fuck, are we all going to die? tell me this type of thing earlier, kini', i need to pack all my-"

"what? no- i, mualani.. she, no, there's this holiday, today. the traveler mentioned it, and i thought it'd be fun to try out.. you like sweets too, so. here." kinich unearthed some sort of... stick? was he really trying to feed you sticks? c'mon now, you weren't that stupid-

"i can read your gaze. it's not like that. here, it's chocolate, just- hah..." kinich sighed, eyebrows pinched together, wearing the expression of someone watching everything go wrong. "give it a taste?"

you eyed him skeptically, before taking the stick out of his hands and taking a bite.

"...sweet."

"yeah?"

"not a stick."

"...yes."

"...give me another."

"not so fast, we need to play the game first." kinich took one of the sticks and put it into his mouth, all of a sudden looking a lot more... guilty? you couldn't quite pinpoint the expression on his face, something you'd been doing with a 30% success rate (the highest any natlanian had ever achieved). "whoever gets the last bite wins."

"...i'm just supposed to. eat the other end?"

"what, you can't?" the slight teasing edge in his voice reminded you of ajaw (just the slightest) and you immediately became exponentially irritated.

"hah, who said that? bet."

"..."

oh, so now he chose not to break eye contact.

"...a-hey, we're getting a little close, aren't we.."

"...if you wanna break it off, lose."

"...fuck, you-"

you grabbed him by the cheek, pushing yourself forward and, admittedly, forcefully touching your lips against his. whether by the suddenness or whether by the fact that you two had, well, "kissed," the esteemed malipo kinich let out what sounded like a sputter and fell backward, hands barely catching him from falling to the ground. sitting himself down, he looked up at you with flushed cheeks, mouth slightly open, and the edge of his lips smudged with chocolate.

"bleh. i win." sticking out your tongue, you motioned with your hands. "the whole box, it's mine now. winner takes all, or whatever they say in mondstadt."

kinich's gaze was observant, and under it you felt your face slowly begin to warm, realizing what you had just done.

"not so fast." kinich stood back up, recomposing himself in a matter of seconds.

"one more round. you caught me off guard."

(a/n) and then reader and kinich smoochy smooch smooch kiss kissed and single day was no longer single and happy birthday kinich really did become happy for kinich fuck when am i going to find me a partner <- has unrealistic expectations

context notes!! :

ajaw purposefully left kinich alone so that he could do his.. idk if you can call it flirting. pocky game w you. best wingman ajaw we all cheer (in reality he was tired of seeing kinich act all lovey dovey whenever you were around and found the tension suffocating so he decided to take matters into his own hands)

taglist (comment to be added / send in an ask on my sb): @manager-of-the-pudding-bank, @iamdedinside, @ilyuu-archive, @falors, @swivy123, @scara-is-my-wife, @lupicalbestwolf, @justyoureader, @fiannee, @aether-darling, @aioniela, @avensuersa, @dainsleif-when-playable, @umiloa, @intpessimistic, @keiiqq, @intpessimistic, @eutopiastar, @matcha-mintea

[zeb-z]

feliz vuelta al sol

[thewritingrowlet]

The Tireless Wife, ft. Red Velvet Irene

tags: creampie, deepthroat—you know what, just read the whole thing, hm?

length: 8k+

author's note: I speedran this fic so please forgive me if it's too messy; I just wanted to make use of this free time.

p.s. this fic takes place before and after The Determined Wife.

-

Irene walks in the bedroom as you’re gathering your consciousness after a very good, post-sex sleep. “Ah, good morning, my love.” She high steps towards the bed to join you, taking her rightful place in your arms. “Love, on a scale of 1 to 10, how awake are you?” “Seven, probably.” You rub your eyes to see if maybe you can improve that score. “Okay, maybe eight and a half,” you revise.

Irene thinks that it’s not good enough; she wants you to be 100% in the right mind this morning, which is odd. She sits on your lap and starts kissing you passionately, seemingly in high spirits; she’s likely very satisfied with the fact that you’ve granted her wish to be bred.

“Tell me again.” “Nine and a half,” you tease. Your wife rolls her eyes. “Ugh, please don’t play hard to get.” You chuckle. “Aww, come on, love; I just want more kisses.” She puts on the beautiful smile that’s unique to her and only her. “Ah, fine, you win.”

She comes in for one more deep kiss, going as far as invading the space of your mouth with her tongue—it’s unfortunate that she breaks it soon after, though. “If that didn’t make it 10, I’m going to suck you off,” she says. “Sounds tempting,” you tease, “well, maybe later—let’s get to your point first.”

With a smile, Irene fishes something out of her shorts pocket and hands it to you with a closed palm. It is only when she lets go that you can see what it is: a pregnancy test device with two lines on it. “I’m a mother, love,” Irene starts breaking into tears, “I’m a mother, and there’s no question that you’re the father.”

Tears, endless of them, start flowing freely out of your eyes and onto your cheeks. “Y-you’re pregnant, my love?” Your grip on the little test kit weakens as your hand starts trembling—oh, look: a tear lands on the device, right where the little screen is. “I am,” Irene joins you in crying, “thank you for granting my wish.”

You put the small device to the side because you want to use your hands to hug your wife. “No, no, no,” you say, “thank you for giving me such a huge blessing.” Irene starts crying more freely, and you can’t help but do the same. “We’re going to become parents, love—isn’t that crazy?” “It is,” you agree with her, “thank you for making it possible for us, love.”

Irene pulls away from the hug, placing her hands on your shoulders instead. “You need to get ready for work, don’t you, love—let me start your shower.” You shake your head. “Screw work,” you say, “I want to spend this wonderful day with you and only you.” Your words draw a wide smile on her face. “Sounds great, love.”

She turns around before leaning against your chest, placing your hand right on her stomach that’s now occupied by the little one—your little one (the fetus hasn’t formed yet, yes, but the point still stands). Irene giggles as you rub her belly gently. “You’ll need to come up with some names, love.” “You first,” you say, “do you have ideas?” She taps her chin as she thinks of a candidate. “Jihoon-ie if it’s a boy, and Hyewon-ie if it’s a girl.”

You’re a little startled; Jihoon was the name of your little brother who passed away just before he turned 9 years old (you were 13 at the time) due to cardiac arrest. Your parents, specifically your mom, took his passing heavily, falling into what you learned years later as depression, which explained why they weren’t at home a lot—they were busy seeking help from professionals, both at home and abroad.

Irene knows about this story, obviously; you’ve taken her to his resting place a few times. “His memories can live on with our child, love,” she explains the reason behind the idea. “I’m glad that you have that idea, but personally, I think I’d let him rest,” you say, and Irene dares not argue.

“What about your ideas, love?” You take a few deep breaths as you try to come up with some names. “I don’t have any boy names in my head, but Yeseo if it’s a girl,” you say. Irene likes your idea; she thinks that it’s such a pretty and cute name for a girl. “Well, we’ll need to wait until they can tell if we’re having a son or a daughter.”

-

Mr. Hwang, the cook, has made some fettuccine for breakfast, since Irene said that she’s been craving pasta—a pregnant woman shall have what she wants. So, here you are: sitting at the table in the dining room with Irene, ready to fill your stomach with this tasty-looking dish.

Seeing the tall glass of water reminds you of something important that you want to address with Irene. “My love,” you place a hand over hers, “now that we’re going to become parents, let’s stop drinking alcohol, hm?” She nods enthusiastically. “I was about to suggest that idea to you, hon.” You smile. “I’m glad that we’re on the same page.” “About that, though,” she backtracks, “what about our collection? We have some nice wine and champagne.”

You ring the kitchen bell, and Mr. Hwang appears after a few seconds. “Yes, sir?” “Do you drink, Mr. Hwang?” “I do, sir, occasionally,” he admits. “Nice,” you put on a thumbs-up, “would you like to keep our liquor collection? We want to stop drinking now that we’re expecting.” His eyes widen in surprise. “I would be honored, sir, but as far as I know, they’re expensive.” You smile kindly while placing a hand on the side of his arm. “The only thing I care about, Mr. Hwang, is my wife and my child’s health—I don’t care about those bottles.” “If you say so—oh, and congratulations on the pregnancy, sir.”

After convincing Mr. Hwang to keep your collection of liquor for himself, you return to your wife. “Mr. Hwang will take care of those bottles, love; we won’t have to throw them out,” you inform her. “Erm, actually,” says Irene, “can we give the Masseto to my parents, love?” You agree with her request, thus officially marking the start of the transition to a clear-headed life without alcohol.

-

You invite Irene to join you on the sofa because you think that you have some things to discuss with her. “What do you want to talk about, love?” “Which hospital do you want, and how do you want to deliver the baby?” After thinking about it for a while, Irene says she wants to try delivering without surgery but is open to it as the last option. As for the hospital, she chooses the Sacred Heart Hospital, which is a very good hospital that’s also not too far from your house.

“Next up, our stuff,” you say, making Irene confused. “What do you mean?” “Well, we’re going to need a new car; I don’t think transporting the 3 of us in that 911 or your Genesis is a good idea.” “Do you want to sell the 911?” No, you don’t want to; Irene bought that silver speedster as a birthday present for you. “I was thinking that we should just buy a new one—something that can accommodate us and our child comfortably.” She pulls out her phone to search for options, but you stop her. “That doesn’t have to happen today, love,” you say, “we can think about that later on; I was just trying to get it out there, you know.”

Irene moves to sit on your lap. “I have some things to ask from you, love,” she starts on a new subject, “tell me what you think about them, okay?” You nod to get her to continue. “First, whenever possible, please come home early and don’t spend too much time working.” You say yes without hesitation, which satisfies her. Work will always be there, but your child’s growth and other important moments only happen once—wouldn’t want to miss your child’s first word or first step, would you?

“Second,” she puts up two fingers in front of your eyes, “please have mercy on me when we have sex.” You ask her to elaborate further. “I know that we can get rough sometimes, so let’s turn it down a bit to make sure the child isn’t in danger or anything.” “What about the frequency?” You take your turn to ask. “Just the usual, please; I’ll tell you when I want it, and you can tell me when you want it.” Again, without hesitation, you agree to her terms, which apparently serves as a segue for her next point.

“Can I have you, love?” You grin as you feel your cock getting hard. “You certainly can, love—can I have you as well?” Irene giggles cutely. “That goes hand-in-hand, doesn’t it?” “Just wanted to make sure, baby.”

Because of the time and day, there are other people in the house (i.e. the cook and the cleaning staff), so the only place you can have sex in is the bedroom. On your way to the bedroom with Irene in your arms, she taps your chin to get your attention. “Love, Miss Jo wants to take a leave to visit her parents,” she says. “We’ll go out later and get her some stuff to take home.”

You set Irene gently onto the bed in compliance with her request to take things easier during sex. “Ah, my gentle giant,” she comments. She hasn’t used that nickname in quite some time, now that you think about it. That name was given to you by your fellow student council members (including Irene) back in university when you refused to beat up a toilet peeper and would rather have him formally punished by the university and charged by the victims. “I thought you’ve forgotten that name.” She lets out a giggle. “How can I forget, love?”

You come in for a kiss to indicate that you’ve had enough chatter, and Irene welcomes you warmly as usual. “Please, love,” she gulps, “please start already.” You reach for her pajama top and undo the first button. “Patience, baby; I still need to undress you.” She cooperates by undoing her top starting from the bottom button and meeting you halfway. “There, I helped,” she says, making you laugh a little. She then proceeds to pull down her shorts just as you’re about to ask her.

Your gaze lands on her firm belly where your child is being safely kept. “I hope you won’t hate me when my stomach gets bigger.” You shake your head rapidly. “There’s no way I’d hate you for that—you’re my wife and that’s our child in your belly,” you say, and you see that Irene’s eyes are threatening to burst.

You join her in bed after undressing yourself and after she has taken off her underwear. You then pull her into a hug and peck her head everywhere, making her let out that lovely laugh that’s special to her. Once you stop, she places her hands on each side of your face. “I swear on everything I have that I’m so glad that I ended up with you and not with that Kim Junghwan guy.” “He never deserved you,” you say, demeaning. “That is true,” she agrees with you, “you and only you, love.”

You take the bottom position today, letting Irene have her way with you. “I have a feeling that I’d not be able to ride you as well with a big belly,” she comments as she moves to sit on your lap. You’re starting to get ticked off, but at the same time, she’s coming from a good place, so for now, you simply let out a sigh. “Love, please don’t worry about the sex; we’ll adapt as the pregnancy continues. Just focus on your health and stress levels, please.” Irene places her hands on her chest. “That’s touching, love—thank you.”

With your cock in hand, she aims it at her entrance. “Here I go,” she notifies you, as if you couldn’t see what she’s doing. Irene slowly goes down on your shaft, hugging it with her tight and warm walls. You breathe deeply as she starts moving up and down. “Fuck, that’s good,” you praise her to rile her up. “Yeah, daddy?” There it is: the kink that you love the most—Irene has always been quick to use it.

Irene bends backwards slightly and fixes her grip on your knees. After making sure that she’s steady, she starts moving faster on your cock, and you desperately want to hold those bouncing plump tits of hers. “Daddy, daddy,” she chants, “oh, you’re so deep in me, daddy.” “Keep it up, baby—fuck, you’re doing so well.”

Irene might not be the best at working out, but damn is she good at managing her stamina during sex; it feels like she has this extra battery pack that’s specifically used for sex, and as long as praises and words of affirmation keep flowing out of your lips, that battery will never die.

“Oh, no, daddy,” she slows down a little, “I think I’m about to cum.” “I don’t see the problem with that.” You slap her butt a few times to get her to speed up again. “Go on, baby; be good and cum for me.” Irene nods and picks up the pace again, trying to adhere to your command to “be good.”

Irene’s thighs shake violently when her first orgasm hits while her walls are gripping your shaft very tightly, making it very hard to you to not just bust right here. You pull her towards you and hug her. “Good job, love—very good job.” “You—oh, you always bring the best out of me, daddy,” she replies despite the heavy pants. “I can say the same about you, love,” you whisper back.

Without retreating from her pussy, you roll over until you’re the one on top. “You’re so sweaty, love,” you comment while wiping her forehead, “that must’ve been exhausting for you.” Irene shakes her head feebly. “A-anything to make you happy, daddy.” The way she always puts your pleasure as the top priority is touching. “Alright, let’s take a breather first, okay?”

“Take a breather,” you say, but you’re still slowly moving back and forth in her pussy, making her let out soft moans despite the exhaustion. “Ha-have mercy—please, daddy,” she utters faintly, almost too quiet to reach your ears. “Don’t worry, baby; I’m being gentle.”

As you keep fucking her like this, you can feel your orgasm inching closer, so you pause for now. “Okay, I’m going to stop here—I don’t want to cum without your full attention.” “B-but you have my attention, daddy.” You chuckle. “Your eyes are barely open, love.” When you see her opening her mouth to make an argument, you quickly lean in for a kiss to interrupt her. “Relax, love, we have all day.”

You’ve spent the last few minutes kissing (while still being inside her), and Irene is the first to break it. “When are you going to give me your cum, daddy?” You assess that she has recovered enough for you to finish this, so to answer her, “Right now.” You straighten your back and prepare to start. “Where do you want it, love?” Irene scoffs. “Where else?” “But what about your career?” The callback to the career vs. child argument makes her laugh. “I’m literally pregnant right now, in case you forgot—fill me however much you want, daddy.”

You place her legs together on one side of your shoulder and start fucking her. Irene promptly places her hands on her tits, doing whatever she can to add more stimulation on top of that you’re giving her. “Daddy, you’re close, aren’t you? I can feel it, you know.” You let out a hum to answer her. “Give it to me whenever, daddy.”

You fasten your grip on her legs as you turn up the pace to the maximum of your ability. Your wife has now been reduced to moans and screams; she no longer has the headspace to play with her tits and instead just puts her hands on each side of her head.

“Love, I—” Before you can finish your sentence, semen escapes your shaft and enters her body, making her let out a long, sensual moan because of the warmth. “Oh, daddy,” she gasps, “oh, God, you’ve filled me again.” You let go of her legs and fall limply onto her body. “I love you, baby,” you say right into her ear. “I love you more, daddy.”

-

As you roll closer towards your house, you see your wife patiently waiting for you in the front garden among the flowers. She turns her head and puts on a smile for you, and you swear to God that exhaustion and stress from work has been taken away, and along with it, your breath.

You quickly jump out of your car, stumbling on your own leg in the process. “Welcome home, love,” she greets you with open arms. You take your rightful spot in her arms, and you can feel her belly bump against yours. “Tired, love?” “I was but not anymore,” you say. “It’s like magic, isn’t it—the moment you see your significant other, everything else just disappears.” “Absolutely,” you agree with her.

Irene invites you to sit on the garden bench with her, but you opt to take a knee in front of her instead. You rub her belly gently to greet your little one, and Irene looks at you with a smile of approval. “I want to say that I’m tired, but it doesn’t feel right.” You furrow your eyebrows. “Why not?” “I mean, it’s you who went to work, not me.” “That’s absurd; you might be at home, but I imagine being pregnant is tiring.” You can tell that she wants to make another argument, but the way you’re looking at her right in the eyes makes her bury that intention.

“Have you eaten, by the way?” Irene nods. “I asked Mr. Hwang to make me lentil soup for lunch.” Lentil soup sounds nice and healthy, which is important for a pregnant woman. “It was so delicious, by the way.” You laugh. “He’d be in deep trouble if it wasn’t.”

You think that this is enough catching up for now and that it’s time to get into the house, so you carry her inside safely. Irene says she wants to watch TV because she’s “tired of being in the bedroom,” so you put her down on the sofa and hand her the remote. You then tell her that you’ll join her after taking a quick shower.

When you get back to the living room to join her, you see that Irene is watching this little documentary on Giethoorn, this beautiful hamlet in the Netherlands where rivers run everywhere. She keeps letting out wows as shots of the area are shown on screen, deeply immersed in the show. “Do you think we can move there one day, love?” “Oh, man, I hope so; that looks like a really nice place to live in.” Irene turns your head towards you. “Maybe if we can’t live in the Netherlands, we can live in some quieter place instead—Damyang or Jinhae, perhaps?” You smile at her. “We’ll see what we can do, alright?” Not satisfied with just words, she makes you make a pinky promise that you’ll seriously consider it.

-

You didn’t know that you fell asleep, only waking up because you feel soft pokes on your thigh.

“Hngh?”

“Love, you’re tired, aren’t you?”

“A little.”

“Please, that doesn’t look like a little.”

“A little lot, perhaps,” you change your answer.

“I was going to invite you to sleep, but you haven’t eaten yet.”

“That’s fine, love.”

“No, it’s not fine—do you want to have food delivered here?”

“Eh, sure,” you accept her offer, “order something light for me, please.”

Irene doesn’t say anything, presumably busy scrolling through the food delivery app to find something for you. “Light, light, light—what’s something that’s light?” “A lamp—haha, get it?” Irene slaps your thigh for your joke. “Daddy is really funny, isn’t he, Hyewon-ah?” Hearing your wife say that name startles you a tad. “Hyewon-ah? Really?” “I don’t know,” Irene shrugs, “I just like that name.” “Oh, I thought we’ve found out if we’re having a daughter.”

Irene focuses on ordering food again, and something finally catches her fancy. “What about some toast, love?” “What toast?” She shows you the available options, from peanut butter toast to kimchi and cheese toast. “Get me one peanut butter toast, please.” She says that it’s a better deal to order at least 3 toasts, so she adds some other toast to the order. “It’ll be here in around 45 minutes, love.” You thank her for the help and then invite her to rest her head on your lap.

“Love me, please,” she says in this aegyo-esque voice. You bend down and peck her on the forehead. “Anything specific, love?” Irene opens and closes her mouth a few times, seemingly trying to judge if she should speak her mind. “You’re so tired, though,” she utters, and you can already tell what she’s getting at. “You want me between your legs, don’t you?” Your wife covers her red face. “W-well, if you put it like that…” “We’ll wait until I have some food in my stomach and see how we can proceed—do we have a deal?” “Yes, deal!” The way her voice cracks makes you laugh. “My, my, aren’t you a cutie?”

-

The toasts are here: you’ve grabbed the bag from the delivery man and put it on the living room table.

You pick up the box with the text “PB” written on it. Irene says that she has bought some toast from this place before and hopes that you’ll like it like she does. You nod in satisfaction after taking the first bite. “I think I know what brand of peanut butter this is,” you comment. She scratches her head in cluelessness. “I don’t know, love; they all taste the same to me.”

You notice that Irene has two hands on top of each other on her stomach and keeps licking her lips while watching you eat. “Want to have a bite, lovely?” She nods timidly. “It looks so good,” she admits, “b-but I don’t know if I should eat.” You tilt your head in confusion. “Why not?” “Erm, I think that’s ultra-processed food—that’s one. Two, I don’t want to gain too much weight.” Weight can be quite a sensitive subject, especially considering that your wife has always been paying close attention to it.

You keep chewing as you think of a reasonable answer—well, here it goes: “I’m sure that you have good intentions, but I’m almost certain that one toast won’t hurt you or Hyewon-ie.” You can tell that she’s starting to get swayed, as proven by how she has a box with “CHOCO” written on it in her hands. “Forgive me, Hyewon-ah, but I really want this toast.”

You panic a little when Irene sheds a tear after taking a bite. “Oh my, are you okay, love?” She nods again. “T-this is so good, but I feel so guilty for eating this—oh, I’m so sorry, Hyewon-ah.” You put down your and her toast on the table so that you can hold her hands. “Love, love,” you try to get her to focus on you, “it’s okay, no one is yelling at you for eating one toast—not me, not Doctor Shin, and certainly not Hyewon-ie.” “A-are you sure?” “Yes,” you say in a resolute tone. “We’ll be just fine, trust me.”

Feeling decently comforted and assured by your words, Irene asks if she can have her toast again, so you give it back to her. You make sure you don’t forget to wipe that random tear off her cheek while you’re at it. “Thank you,” she utters softly. “You’re welcome, my love,” you say equally softly.

-

After finishing those tasty and quite filling toast, Irene asks if she can have you between her legs, so you stand up from your seat and stretch your body to warm up. “I apologize in advance if I finish too fast; I’m kind of tired.” Your wife shakes her head. “As long as your load is mine, I don’t really see the problem with finishing fast—I’ll probably finish before you, anyway.”

There’s only you and your wife in this house right now, but that doesn’t change the fact that sex should only happen in the bedroom for the next 6 to 7 months; it’s more comfortable for her and safer for your child.

After getting undressed, Irene asks to be helped sit on the stool that she prepared earlier today. “It seems like you have an idea,” you comment. “Yes,” she says, “I want you back there.” “What happened to turning it down?” “This isn’t our first time, is it—just remember to be gentle.”

You open the bedside drawer to find the lube and see that it’s not there. “We don’t have lube?” Irene looks away to hide her red cheeks. “Erm, I might or might not have used it earlier.” You furrow your eyebrows. “You used it? For what?” She shyly admits that she fucked herself in the rear with a dildo this afternoon. “I-I wanted to prepare for you, because I know you like it when I think ahead.”

It’s not strange or new to you that your wife is lustful; you’ve known that for years at this point. That said, you’d think that being pregnant would turn that lustfulness down, but it doesn’t seem like it so far—in fact, it feels like she’s more lustful than ever.

You stand in front of her and hold her chin. “Oh, love, what would you do without me—who could satisfy you if not me?” “I don’t know, daddy; it’s always been you since day one.” You reward her with a kiss for answering correctly. “May I, then?” Irene giggles slightly. “Certainly.”

You walk around and look for your target. “I’m pulling this plug out, alright?” After getting a nod of approval from your wife, you gently tug on the plug. “Ngh!” Irene clenches her fists when she feels her rear being stretched by the wide part of the plug. “Relax, love—it’s almost out.” With a pop, the plug is finally out of her tight ass, and you quickly put your mouth on it for the first time ever in this marriage, making your wife gasp in shock. “Daddy, no, I’m dirty there.”

You ignore her and keep running your tongue on her puckered hole; quite fun, you must admit. Occasionally, you try parting her cheeks apart so that you can put the tip of your tongue in her rear.

Feeling weak, Irene starts tumbling forwards, but you catch her just in time to save her from going face first onto the floor. “God, you’re so crazy, daddy.” “Your new task, baby, is to keep it clean all the time—is that clear?” Irene nods in obedience. “Y-yes, sir; I will try my best.” You squeeze her butt cheek lightly. “Good girl,” you praise her.

You get on your feet and hug the panting woman from behind. “Are you alright?” “Y-yes—fuck, you’re fucking crazy.” You pinch a nipple, more surprising than painful. “That’s not how you speak to me, woman.” “S-sorry, sir, b-but you are indeed crazy.” You kiss her on the back of the head. “I hope you didn’t mind, by the way.” Your wife shakes her head. “Not—oh, not at all.”

“Sir, daddy,” Irene can’t choose between the two, “would you fuck my ass, please?” “Thought you’d never ask, baby.” You stroke your shaft to make sure that it’s properly hard and ready while your wife spreads her butt cheeks to give you access. You place the tip right on the entrance of her forbidden hole. “Are you ready, baby?” “Yes—oh, God, fuck, yes.”

You waste little time and go deep right away into her warmed-up hole. “Fuck, you’re always so tight right here.” “Hngh! Ngh!” Irene can only let out grunts as she’s getting overwhelmed by the stimulation you’re giving her. “No one can touch you like I do, hm?” She shakes her head weakly as a response, still unable to say anything back.

You hook her arms backwards as you get ready to fuck her to make sure she doesn’t fall off the stool. “I’m yours, daddy—fuck me however you want,” she says, as if it was ever a question. “Bet.”

With this steady posture, you start fucking her ass roughly, forcing Irene to scream with each thrust delivered. “My husband is fucking amazing—Hyewon-ah, daddy is fucking amazing,” Irene thinks as the sounds of your hips crashing against her butt enter her ears.

As time goes on, everything starts to get blurry for Irene, and it doesn’t help that from this position, she has no control over how fast you’re fucking her. “P-please stop,” she says weakly, hoping that it’ll still reach your ears amongst the clapping sounds. It doesn’t seem like you heard her, though; you’re still fucking her ass recklessly, which leaves her no other choice but to just yell out loud. “DADDY, STOP—PLEASE!” Hearing her scream makes you stop abruptly with more than half your shaft still lodged in her ass. “Daddy, please, let me breathe,” Irene begs.

Still panting, you gently retreat from her gaped ass. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” you just realize how rough you’ve been. “Oh, God, I’m so sorry, love,” you repeat to show sincerity. You pull her into your arms and take a seat on the edge of the bed, and the sight of your wife crying (from getting fucked in the ass, nonetheless) twists your heart like nothing else. You keep repeating apologies while rubbing her stomach gently, hoping that doing so could also tell Hyewon that you’re regretful of your actions.

Irene feebly reaches for your face. “I-it’s okay; it was good until it became overwhelming, daddy.” You lie her down on her side and inspect the result of your recklessness—it seems like she didn’t get injured by your shaft. “I think you’re fine, baby.” “Great,” she replies, “so what are you waiting for?” You blink rapidly in confusion. “I thought you were in pain?” “I never said that,” she shrugs. Seeing that you’re silent, Irene piles on. “C’mon, look at yourself, daddy: you’re still hard and ready to fuck me—let me finish the job, please.” “Fine,” you give up, “I’m not getting in your ass again, though.”

Irene says that you have a deal and asks you to lie down so that she can take control, which is fine by you; you’ve had enough “fun” being dominant tonight. You keep an eye on your wife as she aims your shaft towards her entrance from the cowgirl position. You grit your teeth when Irene slowly sits down on your cock—you’re in her ass again. “Oh, fuck, welcome back, daddy.” “I thought we had a deal.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Irene deflects, “anyway, I hope you enjoy the ride, hihihi.”

Irene rests her subtly bulged belly on your body while her hips are busy bouncing up and down along your length. She keeps chanting “you’re in my ass” as if you can’t tell that you are indeed in her ass. You reach around and slap her butt. “Go faster.” Having planted her hands on your chest, Irene tries to bounce faster on your cock. “Oh, oh, yes—how’s this, daddy?” It’s you who can’t respond this time; just like earlier, the way her muscles are squeezing you prevents you from thinking straight and coming up with words to say.

You rest your head on the pillow while your wife is busy fucking herself on your cock (while moaning so freaking freely), and for some reason, your eyelids feel like they weighed 100 kilograms—what the hell are they so heavy for? “You must be close, daddy,” Irene makes a keen observation. “Uh-huh,” are all that escape your lips. Hearing that you’re close serves as fuel for Irene to keep up the tempo and make you bust with her ass; this tireless woman can be very crazy in bed, pregnant or not.

“Love, I’m about to—oh, fuck, I’m about to bust,” you warn her. “Yeah?” Her voice is barely heard thanks to the endless clapping noises. You grip the pillow your head is resting on as your cock starts twitching wildly in her rear. “Baby, please,” you let your desperation to cum be known to her.

Irene slams herself down onto your body, and you instantly erupt, surprising the both of you at the same time. She throws her head back as your warm semen floods her ass. “Oh, oh, yes, daddy.” It was her who did all the work, but it’s you who’s panting heavily.

“Love, thank you so much.” Irene removes you from her ass and lies down next to you. “Even when tired, you’re still so strong,” she praises while her hand runs along your length. “What’s your secret, daddy?” “You’re my secret; if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be like this.” You let out a low moan when your wife manages to squeeze the last bit of semen out of you. “You’re so cute, you know that?” You chuckle. “No, I don’t.”

-

It feels odd to not have Irene welcome you at the driveway, especially since she’s been doing that consistently for the past few weeks, too. Her Genesis is parked neatly in the usual spot, so she must be at home, but where is she?

“I’m home.” You close the door behind you and scan your surroundings—still no sign of your wife, making you wonder if perhaps she’s asleep. You make your way towards the bedroom, and your jaw drops immediately when you see her kneeling on the floor while being almost entirely naked. Irene buckles a little, presumably because she feels a fetus kick. “Even Hyewon-ie doesn’t approve,” you comment.

You rub the side of her face gently. “What on God’s green earth are you trying to do, love?” The ball gag in her mouth prevents her from answering, but she has this little spanker in her hands that she’s trying to hand over to you. “Love, please, what are you doing?” Irene just looks at your feet while her hands are on her thighs. “This isn’t how a woman in her second trimester is supposed to behave, is it?” You close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to get yourself together. “Fine, I’ll play your game.”

Your wife steals some glances as you undress in front of her, and when you’re finished, you take the time to take off her bra, exposing her tits that you swear have grown bigger recently. You then lift her onto her feet to remove her panties, and Irene instantly drops back down onto the floor after you’re done. “Oh, you’re that serious, aren’t you?”

You pick up the slim paddle from the floor and prepare to swing. “Wait, where do I hit her?” You look for places to hit her on, but the more you think about it, the more that you don’t want to do it. That said, you imagine that it’d disappoint her if you chicken out, so you decide to play along until she taps out.

You hit her on the right shoulder once. “Ngh!” Irene lets out a yelp of surprise when the paddle lands. “That’s one.” You move the paddle to your other hand and hit her on the left shoulder. “I’ll count until 29, okay?” Irene nods in response, and that’s when you look for other targets.

You ask her to show you her palms and hit them successively. “Any ideas?” Your wife taps her thighs, indicating that she wants to be hit there, so you hit those two spots, harder than you’d like to admit, making her grunt in pain. “Sorry.” That sounds less sincere than you’d like, but it’s okay, you’ll make it up to her later.

Before you continue, you join her on the floor and unlatch the gag. “This doesn’t look comfortable, so I’m taking it off,” you say. Irene relaxes her mouth now that she’s free. “Thank you, master.” You sigh. “Master? Really?” Irene nods enthusiastically. “Yes, master.”

You stand back up and swing at her tender breasts out of nowhere. “Fucking naughty, aren’t you?” As Irene opens her mouth to say something, you hit her breasts again. “You’re pregnant, and this is how you fucking act? Explain yourself.” You tell her to explain herself, but you don’t give her the chance to do so, interrupting her with a hit on the forearm. “M-master, please.” “Please what?” You subconsciously raise your tone. “Please punish me; I-I’ve been naughty.” You roll your eyes. “Fuck it, we’re going back to zero.”

You hit her on different places in rapid succession, and Irene screams after each one. “How many?” “S-six, master.” “Good,” you praise her emptily, “count to 18, slut.” You initially chose 29, which is the date she was born, but changed it to 18, which is the date you were born. As much as you’re putting on a cold charade for her, you don’t have the heart to hit her 29 fucking times.

You tell her to get on her hands and knees to expose other parts of her body. You smack her on the back a few times before moving on to her butt and hitting it a few more times. “How many?” Irene chokes up momentarily before she manages to get her answer out. “T-twelve, sir.”

To end the show, you give her some hard hits on the back of her thighs. “E-eighteen, master.” “On your knees,” you command, and Irene obeys right away. “Explain yourself, or else.” “I-I was just trying new stuff,” she says. “Is that it?” Irene just nods, and you can’t help but sigh, feeling somewhat frustrated by her simple answer.

“Love, be honest with me: why are you acting like this?” After taking a deep breath, Irene proceeds to explain the whole thing, from how she tore the left rear tire of her car against an elevated curb while trying to pull into a gas station this afternoon, to the fact that she touched herself thrice while thinking about you. “L-like I said, I’ve been very naughty.” You exhale deeply. “Those few things don’t require punishment—especially not of this sort.” Your wife shakes her head. “But I want to be punished,” she insists.

“Have you had enough, or what?” Irene slowly shifts her gaze to meet yours, and you know that she knows that you’re aroused, as shown by your erect cock. “Do whatever you please, master,” she says, hiding her excitement behind the façade of obedience.

Still kneeling in front of you, Irene eases you into her mouth. You place a hand on the back of her head and pull her towards you, forcing your cock deeper. She’s taken you deep plenty of times, so this is neither new nor difficult for her. “Hold it there and count to 10.” After finishing her count, Irene retreats until only your tip is in her mouth. “Very good—now do it 9 more times.”

Irene does as you command, doing each repetition passionately, much to your satisfaction. “That’s very good, love,” you make sure you don’t forget to praise her. You retreat from her wet mouth to let her breathe, and she promptly inhales sharply. “I-I hope I did well, sir.” You smile kindly. “Of course; you always do everything so well.”

You take a seat on the edge of the bed while you wait for Irene to get herself together. “Anything else, master?” A lit bulb appears over your head. “Is it just me, love, or have your breasts gotten bigger?” She takes a quick look at herself. “I-I think they have indeed grown, master.” “They look so soft, don’t you think?” She nods to your question. “Would you like to touch them, sir?” “I have a better idea,” you say, “put them around my cock.”

Irene crawls towards you and places your cock right between her extra plump tits. “Like this, sir?” You moan in a low voice as your shaft grinds against her tits. “You—oh, fuck, you’re so good at every-fucking-thing.” Your wife blushes. “I aim to please, master.” “Oh, trust me, I’m very pleased right now, love.”

Much to your pleasure, Irene presses her chin against her chest and catches your tip with her mouth every time it pokes through her tits. You pet her head gently. “Good fucking job, baby—fuck, I’m about to bust.” “Please, give me your cum, master.” Irene moves her tits faster, eager to have your first load of the day.

You throw your head back and close your eyes as semen spurts out of the tip of your cock, landing all over her face and chest. “Oh my, very thick,” she comments. “I love how you taste, master; your diet works well for me too, you know.” You chuckle. “Good to know, baby.”

You invite Irene to lie down in bed with you. “You haven’t cum yet.” “Yes, I have; I told you I touched myself a lot today.” You get your tie from the messy pile of clothes. “Hands above your head, please.” She puts her hands together above her head, and you tie them together. “Are we ready?” Irene looks at you nervously. “Please have mercy, master; I’ve had a lot of orgasm today.” “That wasn’t my doing, was it?”

Irene gasps in shock when she feels your hand on her little nub. “Sensitive much?” “Please, master.” “Please what, baby?” “I need to cum again, master—make me cum with your hands, please.” “Well, since you asked so nicely.” You use one hand to stimulate her nub and use the other to play with her tits, going fast and fervent right from the gate.

In the moment of high stimulation, Irene accidentally kicks you in the head—how did that even happen? “That’s not nice.” “I-I—fuck, I’m so sorry, master. I didn’t mean it.” “That’s strike one, Miss Bae,” you warn. To punish her behavior, you increase the intensity of stimulation on her pussy, making her jolt around more. It’s fine if she were to kick you again; you have some more ideas in your head to get her back.

Your wife keeps moaning loudly and freely as her fourth orgasm looms ahead. “Master, master,” Irene begs for your attention, “I won’t last too long, master.” “Oh, is that so?” You plunge two fingers into her pussy and finger-fuck her, and Irene can’t help but moan, possibly until her voice disappears.

Your hand starts getting tired, but as timing has it, she’s also very, very close to orgasm. With an ear-piercing scream, Irene explodes: her legs are shaking violently, and her juice is coming out torrentially. “Very, very good, my love—you’re such a big bomb, aren’t you?” You free her hands and move to barrage her sweaty head with pecks. “We’ll wait until you’re relaxed before doing anything else, alright?”

Amid all this, you notice that you’re getting rock hard again. You start stroking your cock with the sight of your naked wife in front of you. Irene, in her exhausted state, looks at you. “Don’t waste your cum,” she says vaguely. “What do you mean?” “Put it somewhere in me, master,” she clarifies. You stop for a moment. “You’re very exhausted, love. I don’t want to burden you with more sex.” Your wife shakes her head. “I can take it, don’t worry.”

You take a position in between her legs, aiming your cock at her pussy in the process. You announce that you’re going in, and Irene moans weakly at the first contact. She tells you that you need to do all the work this, citing her exhaustion. “Never thought I’d hear such words from you; you’ve been tireless recently,” you say, earning a little chuckle from her.

You kiss her while your shaft goes in and out of her, dropping whatever charade you’ve been using these past few hours. “I love you, baby—I love you so fucking much.” “I-I love you more, hon—you’re the best for me.” Her warm words make you smile. “I’ll stay by your side until death do us part, my love.” “You have a deal.” You hug her tightly when your second load of the day enters her body.

“We’ll rest a bit, if that’s okay with you.” “Sure,” Irene says, “I can’t even stand up right now.”

-

You feel rapid taps on your chest, making you wake up crassly in surprise. When your eyes are open enough to provide vision, you see that your wife is seated in bed with Yeseo in her arms. “Yes, love?” Irene doesn’t answer your question and instead, starts breaking down in tears. “C-can you take care of her a little? I-I want to rest.”

You slap yourself as hard as you can for leaving your wife to sleep and, in turn, forcing her to tend to your child alone. “My goodness, I’m so sorry, love.” You open your hands to receive your daughter who is wrapped snug with a little blanket, and Irene immediately falls flat onto the bed—she’s still crying, though. “Go to sleep if you can, love; I’ll keep her safe.” “I’m such a bad mom,” she insults herself unnecessarily, “I can’t even stay up for my daughter.” “No, you’re not a bad mom—trust me, you’re not.” To offer her some peace, you tell her that you’ll be in the living room with Yeseo until morning. “I’ll see you later, okay?” You give her a peck as a parting gift.

“Yeseo-yah,” you whisper softly, “while mommy catches her breath, we’ll hang out in the living room, okay?” Having been born just a few weeks ago, Yeseo can’t respond much aside from a small head movement, which you’ll gladly accept as an answer. “We’re going to get along very well, aren’t we, sweetie?”

You turn on the TV to watch something in an attempt make sure you don’t fall asleep, and that’s when you see the time: 02:09 a.m. “We’re staying up late, sweetie—I hope you won’t make this a habit when you’re grown up,” you comment.

You make sure that the TV is muted so that it doesn’t startle your daughter when this video starts. “Oh my, look at that place, Yeseo-yah.” A shot of beautiful countryside scenery in Jeju steals your attention, and it’s very hard to resist the temptation to move there with your family. “What do you say we move there, sweetie?” Yeseo lets out a small squeal, and you guess that she’s interested in living there. “Aha, great minds think alike, hey?”

You remember your wife asking if the family can move to somewhere quieter to raise Yeseo in, and now that she’s actually here, you’re really contemplating the opportunity. In your head, you try to think about what work would be like if you lived in a place like Jeju, which is even farther from the big capital. Your brain suggests stepping down from your post and earning from dividends, which sounds like a sound idea. Irene had stepped down from her position of director of risk management two months before Yeseo was born, so it’s not the craziest idea to follow suit.

“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you and mommy, Yeseo-yah.” You want to say that you’re willing to die for them, but Irene’s words enter your mind: why die for family, if you can be healthy and stay by their side instead? You laugh a little as you recall that exchange. “Mommy is an amazing person, sweetie. Sometimes I can’t believe I ended up with her.”

-

Irene wakes up around 6 hours later, feeling somewhat refreshed after a decent night’s sleep. The first thing she does is obviously to check up on her husband and daughter.

“Look at you: sleeping with Yeseo in your hands.” Irene unlocks her phone and takes a picture of you sleeping with your mouth wide open while Yeseo is chilling in your arms. She gets teary eyes looking at this scene in the living room.

She never had the idea of being childfree and has taken a more neutral stance about it, but at the same time, having Yeseo is quite the surprise turn of her life.

Irene quietly joins you on the sofa to not disturb your peace. “Love, love,” she whispers, trying to get you to wake up, “wake up, please; it’s time for work.” “Screw work,” she hears you say, “I’m stepping down.” She knows that you’re referring to your job. “Are you sure?” “Yes,” you reply again, “we’re moving to Jeju.”

Before getting too excited, Irene makes sure you’re awake. “Love, seriously, wake up.” The way you’re suddenly looking at her with eyes wide open makes her jump. “Yes?” “Were you serious about moving to Jeju?” You nod. “I’ve talked with Yeseo about it, and she agreed.” Irene bursts out laughing, shaking her head in amusement. “Sure, she did.” “Just ask her yourself if you don’t believe me.”

She plays along with your joke and asks Yeseo about her opinion on moving out of the big city, to which she replies by crying out loud, taking the two of you by surprise. “What, what, what,” you panic, “is she hungry? She’s probably hungry, right?” Irene unbuttons her pajama to expose a nipple Yeseo can latch on, so you hand your daughter over to her to be breastfed.

“Sorry, love, but these tits aren’t solely yours anymore,” Irene quips. You start laughing out loud, finding it difficult to stop. “What—what are you talking about? Why did you say it like that?” Your wife joins you in laughing. “I don’t know—it just felt right to say it.” You shake your head, highly amused by your wife’s odd statement. “It’s fine; I’m totally content with sharing them with Yeseo,” you clarify.

-

You take one last look at your house that is now empty. “We spent a fortune on this house, didn’t we, love?” You nod in agreement. “It’s crazy how much we bought this place for,” you reply. “I hope you won’t regret moving out,” Irene expresses her concern. You look at her right in the eyes while your hands are on either side of her waist. “We’re doing this for Yeseo—this is bigger than just the two of us, love.”

You walk with her outside towards the driveway, where Yeseo’s stroller is parked. “Isn’t she so cute?” “She is,” you say, “I swear I will do and give everything for you and her.” Irene puts on a big smile.

“We’ll give her a good life and a bright future, love.”

“We absolutely will.”

[jamiethebee]

(In which I spiral down a rabbit hole with Midoriya that has little to do with @codenamesazanka 's original post that started this (x).  FYI I sorta separated Deku/Izuku to indicate Deku as the hero and Izuku as the person outside of heroics.)

I started thinking about this post again (see the link above) and how Deku doesn’t really understand that non-perfect or sanitized victims exist AND still need to be saved and not by destruction. (The "maybe killing someone does save them" thing is a great way to assuage guilt but it's a stupid copout.)  Deku (hero) and more importantly Izuku (person) doesn’t really understand that though because he WAS a “perfect” victim.  Midoriya stayed quiet and inconspicuous and didn’t make a fuss about the bullying or discrimination he faced, he just kept his head down and hoped that something would change without any real effort on his part.  And if he had died as a result from the bullying he would’ve been hailed as an unfortunate victim (of who? or what? Don’t worry - isn’t his death so tragic? oh well now on to our next news story -), so any critique of society and the individuals who reinforce the status quo don’t actually have to do anything.  I know there’s more nuance here and lot of cultural things happening with this all but I’m not gonna dig into that right now.

Moving on!  Quite frankly the boy didn’t live long enough to get out of his childish mindset and get some “righteous" anger at the wrongdoings and failings of society.  All Might came along when he was still starry eyed and hopeful to lift Midoriya out of the trajectory of his life and Izuku never had any time to get to the point where he comes to terms with the hurt caused society’s rejection of his self and get angry about it.  As such, he can’t understand the league.  It probably doesn’t even occur to him that he's missing that understanding because for him it worked out - he got the attention and support to be able to escape the circumstances of his birth/quirklessness and to leave the box (deku) that society shoved him in. Twice and Toga never had that support – they both lived how they needed to in order to survive in a world not meant for them until they broke down.  (Maybe that's why Vigilante Deku AUs were so popular back in the day - they speedran Midoriya past the hopeful kid stage and to a point where a lot of the fanbase was in their own lives - seeing the issues in the world and wanting to affect change.)

Izuku, for all that he claims to want to connect to the villains, hasn’t given enough thought or empathy to understand how continuing to live a life where you don’t fit in with society can be deeply hurtful as well as the emotional repercussions of having unchangeable parts about yourself be reviled.  This isn’t to say Izuku had it easy -  of course Izuku went through hardships but.... there’s a big difference between living through stuff as a kid and finding a way out of it vs living through that, growing up, maturing, and in turn looking critically at society.  But I can’t bring myself to fault Midoriya for those exact reasons because he's just a kid. He doesn’t have the perspective to see outside of himself – at least not for the villains.  Because that seems to be too far of a stretch for him?  But Todoroki was close enough to Izuku’s mindset for him to help back in the sports festival arc.  I also acknowledge that he's a teenager and IS capable of critical thinking, but from what we've seen, his schools have never actually made the students examine the world they live in - which is a different skill from quirk analysis or historical or literary analysis or the various writing exercises that students go through. 

(Believe me – you can have the brightest kid but, most of the time, unless you point out the shortcomings of their mindsets, it won’t occur to them to look further.  (Not necessarily assuming that they’re wrong, but rather that their consideration of life is not as expansive as it should be. Especially for a kid wanting to be the greatest hero and save everyone.)  For example: many abled bodied people don’t realize how inaccessible places can be until someone brings it up to them or they find themselves in that situation (like a temporary crutch or wheelchair).  It’s through no fault of the able bodied person that they weren’t aware enough to consider it in the first place, but what they do once they realize physical accessibility is an issue, is on them.)  Back to the point – hero society never calls attention to it’s own shortcomings despite the proof quite obviously existing and the people within society don’t seem to spare much thought either. The adults who have seen more of these instances are then of course more culpable in this than the kids who haven't.

So, Midoriya was also failed by society (cough all might cough) as well, but he chose the hero path - to save people. We see him starting to consider the deeper issues in his talk with Uraraka, and the few times he “tries” to talk to various villains shows that he is aware enough of underlying issues - which makes it his duty as a hero to do something about it.  In that way, he is at fault. He chose a profession to devote his life to that should require this of him.  And through his hero work, Midoriya has seen the problems in society and yet he’s chosen to turn away from them (and by problems/them I’m referring to the villains “too far gone to save” and the issues they represent). 

(Sorry Midoriya, but considering we’re nearing the end and you haven’t shown any growth in this area….. I am faulting you for metaphorically pushing your head in the sand.  I do want to be wrong though.  I really want the kid to prove me wrong.)

And he’s able to turn away from them guilt free, in part, because he’s gotten the proverbial thumbs up by his classmates that it’s ok and that they’ll just be better and be model minority heroes and that will fix the problem! Because they’re positive representation!  Or something?  If you can put your mind to it that will fix things! Just try harder! Again, very idealistic but they are kids, so it comes with the territory.  (Horikoshi didn’t have to make them unquestionably right in that approach though.  Toga and Uraraka coming together for the win! The Shoji and Spinner match up not so much.)

Overall, there’s something about how Deku still fit into society's boxes in an acceptable way and never truly faced what existing outside of "acceptability" was like.  Don’t get me wrong it’s tough to live in the mha world as a quirkless person and of course it has its problems and restrictions, but that’s still a box that society provides for, even if the society in question doesn’t like it. 

And I'm not saying that Izuku had to live through a terrible life to understand the villains!  Just that, he has the capacity to look outside himself and be empathetic, but the application of it is lacking, despite knowing there’s problems, despite having LIVED with some of those problems. Extrapolate, boy!!!! You don't need empathy to reach out to others but the whole compassionate/kind Midoriya thing has been touted since the beginning! So I want to see it!

(Not sure how much sense this will make to people, but there’s a maturity that comes about with either time or certain circumstances that can be hard to grasp unless you’ve lived through it.  And quite frankly, Midoriya hasn’t. He went from a perfect/acceptable victim to the top tier of society (heroes).)

(Basically: Midoriya never **matured in the restrictive environment he grew up in and can't emotionally connect with the league who did, because of that. Instead he seems to have internalized the "if they were better" or "if they were truly good" then there wouldn't be a problem because just look at his classmater!, so villains being villains is their own fault and no one else is culpable.)

**centers on the idea that someone starts off as hopeful in regards to their discriminated position in life and over time matures to understand how society supports that discrimination and come to terms with the hurt that it's caused them personally (and in this case to fight back against it)

also, if you made it this far, i'm just having a fun time reading codenamesazanka's posts about the latest chapters

[antimonyandthyme]

antimony do u have anything else from ur carcar tlou au?? just read it and i’m obsessed

anon thank you so much for inquiring about the tlou au... it brings me great joy to imagine carcar navigating a cordyceps infested world... put them into situations amirite?

drew comparisons with joel and ellie and carlos and oscar because both parties basically speedran the enemies to whatever-it-is-they-are-to-each-other-now course. joel would of course level the entire world for ellie. he has in fact, levelled the entire world for ellie, and i see carlos doing the same, because he has decided oscar is his to protect. except there's nothing special about the package. oscar isn't a cure. they're both just trying to survive.

in my head, just like joel, carlos picks oscar up by accident. not from any group, just by coincidence. magnets, right? oscar just has something carlos wants, and carlos is very good and dispatching infected. after max and charles, he thinks he's a little too good.

after max and charles, he also travels exclusively alone, but after bringing oscar back to his city, only to see the kid bury the one person he went back to the city for, carlos offers it up without thinking. hey, wanna come along with me? i'm not very good at taking care of people. in fact the last two people i travelled with, well. but i can't really leave you here, tear-tracks still wet on your face. charles would be very disappointed in me. so. wanna come along with me?

oscar of course says yes. anything to not be alone.

carlos doesn't talk much in the car rides, until oscar somehow manages to steal them more country music cds. then carlos talks, while oscar makes fun of his music tastes. but keeps stealing more country music cds.

of course, because the world hasn't changed and everyone is still fucked up, oscar gets taken. by whatever group, the fireflies, the seraphites. whatever it is, oscar gets taken. maybe over something as simple as jacking a car with a working cd player, after their old one breaks down.

there's a switch at the back of carlos's head. he didn't think it'd be so easy, but it is, to go from killing the infected to killing anyone who stands in between him and oscar. he pulls oscar out, unconscious but wondrously unharmed. carlos's body count of non-infected probably rivals that of the infected now. that's how many people he works his way through to reach oscar.

carlos doesn't say anything when oscar wakes up in the car. he'd forgotten to wipe the blood off his own face, before getting out of there in a hurry. oscar does it for him, wasting precious water so he can clean off carlos's brow.

this is what you get for liking country music so much, oscar says. carlos hears, i don't give a shit about what you've done, i'm staying with you.

and then they never speak of this incident again.

[ipleadbritney]

Directors cut: anything you wanna share from “scenes from a social media admin” or “love you, bye” because I’d love to hear about your process writing social media AUs! You make them flow together so well 😊

Thank you for this!! More info on director’s cut here

I’m so incredibly awed by the support my social media aus have gotten. I love writing them, and I’m super happy people love reading them, too. Funnily enough, writing love you, bye and scenes from a social media admin are SUCH different experiences. This is mostly me yapping, btw.

love you, bye

initial concept

fic started from another wip of mine

i really wanted lando to say “i love you” absentmindedly to oscar on the phone then proceeds to panic about it

i was sort of lurking actively on f1twt (i’m not anymore) during this time so i thought hey, why not just do a smau

writing/draft

speedran this in like 2 or 3 hours, which is the SHORTEST i’ve written anything ever (apart from drabbles)

i draft mostly everything in bullet points (like how i’m writing this)

i knew i wanted the following: news article, tweets, emails, tumblr post

the texting part i was unsure of, but i’m happy with how they turned out

i have placeholder names/handles for the accountz then go back to look at my recent bookmarks to see which fics i’ve loved recently. my brain got wiped thinking of handles so i just got inspired by other fics (AND THERE’S SO MUCH TO BE INSPIRED FROM IN LANDOSCAR FICS)

i wrote the beginning, middle, and ending of this in one-go and they mostly stayed the same

structure

in terms of structure, i didn’t follow much for this love you, bye. it’s a fairly short fic

but i did know i wanted the tweets to carry most of the narrative

we see posts chronologically

first, we see the news article for the info-dump, then everything else follows

specific inspiration

here’s my list of fic references

special shoutout to this tweet, which was inspired by nyoomfruit’s love you with the lights on (olivia’s the name of oscar’s kid. in the tweets, she goes from being a brocedes child of divorce to two loving dads)

fun facts

in the fic, the tumblr post is by “time-in-the-tangerine”. i didn’t have a tumblr back then. life imitates art

scenes from a social media admin

initial concept

it was supposed to be a third pov, some random pr dude who suffers bc of landoscar antics

the first part i ever wrote was the to do list

but the idea wouldn’t take flight

i only started grinding for this after seeing how much people loved love you, bye and how much i loved writing it

i knew i wanted it to have something love you, bye didn’t: pictures, more unconventional formatting, MICROSOFT TEAMS CALENDARS???

turned the random pr dude to lando himself

writing

from writing to publishing, it took me 2 months

i wanted to sprinkle some tropes in this one but gave up halfway through (their first meeting being a whole oh-god-there’s-only-one-bed)

i collected a bunch of initial pics i wanted to put, then wrote scenes around them. i mostly wrote around pictures, which is. not optimal. but hey!! finished it, didn’t i?

this took me so long to write because i didn’t know how i wanted their relationship to progress

all i knew was that our perspective is lando’s phone. like. HIS ACTUAL PHONE

structure

i definitely made a more conscious decision to break up different formats in between each other

every few tweets you get something new

unlike love you, bye this one took place across months. i had a rough time conveying time passing. suspension of disbelief is needed, so sorry

specific inspiration

here’s my list of fic references

david malukas got dropped from mclaren so i wrote him being a quadrant athlete. pato's also there as this bundle of bright energy. an ode to "canon" landoscar. because pato and lando really are just. look at their podium shots. golden boys for a reason.

i wanted lando and oscar to pass around that white mclaren hat like they can't just buy another one.

random pictures i think that capture the fic's essence (wag lando during bahrain testing in his beanie and osc merch, probably)

characters

ooooh so for this one, i knew i wanted lando to leave mclaren at the end. he has quadrant, he still has all that passion and creativity. he would always leave, and being with oscar both complicates and simplifies it. also, he's a “conflict of interest”.

also how can he live his full wag-lifestyle if he's under zak brown's payroll????

most of lando and oscar's development happens off-screen, which is deliberate. we see lando's phone, but we're skipping through milestones with him and oscar. they're happening off-screen, off-phone. trust.

imagining oscar falling in love with a media staff is. something. it all hinges on that first meeting, that late-night conversation. daniel and him have a wildly different dynamic from him and lando (“canon”), and i think talking with someone young and driven is good for oscar's soul.

In conclusion, I don't write SMAUs. The demons write SMAUs through me. I think of one good scene then write everything else around them. In love you, bye, it's the phone call that triggers everything else. In scenes from a social media admin, it's the pictures.

I love args (in theory, I rarely follow along with any of them because I get overwhelmed) so I love playing around with unconventional formats. More often than not, I CUT content from my drafts. Less explaining, more theorizing. I look at smaus as snapshots, where most of the story happens outside the readers’ reach. Part of it is laziness, though. Formatting shaves years off of my life.

Thank you for letting me yap through the director's cut. If any of you have any more specific questions about my smaus or fics, the ask box is open 😉

[hypaalicious]

Why I think Nocturne is way better than the OG Castlevania series

Sorry, when I try to shut up about this show I be like

so here’s my unsolicited, highly biased word vomit that will contain spoilers at the end (but those will be under a cut) so read at your own risk! Okay, leggo

It’s actually diverse.

One thing about high fantasy is that it’s almost always Eurocentric. Even if it’s not set in Europe, the characters are gonna inexplicably have British accents because we associate that with high fantasy. We’re gonna have European style “old” clothing choices. And if everyone isn’t white, they might as well be because they’ll only throw in a couple ambiguously brown side characters and call it a day. Or if they make a main character a POC then best believe everyone around them will be white.

Nocturne, tho? Oh, you can tell it’s made with more than just a sprinkle of representation. They didn’t just make Olrox indigenous, they tied his Aztec lineage in beautifully. Annette was a slave but it’s not flattening her character because of it. Drolta came to slay but even she has her authentic background. Which leads me to my next point!

The Black characters especially are done tastefully.

Like… don’t get me wrong. I love Isaac. He was the only reason I stayed tuned into Castlevania past season 1, LMAO! But his backstory felt like straight trauma porn cooked up by a non-Black person who wanted an excuse to see a Black man whipped for character development.

Zodwa Nyoni wrote some episodes for Nocturne and she put her FOOT in it. When it came to addressing Annette’s time as a slave, her connection to the Orisha through her bloodline… I was gobsmacked at how accurate everything was and now I know why LOL! Like, for me, it’s always gonna be hard to see slavery in fiction but I can’t say shit bad about how it was tied into everything in this show. Annette’s ancestors play such a huge part in her growth and it just warmed my heart to see a Black girl whoop some colonizer ass without it feeling hamfisted. 🥹

The token relationship is the cishet one, everyone else is gay asf

I love that trope flipped on it’s head, ngl LMAO! I, by default, HC everyone as bi anyway but MAN was it nice to see Olrox and Mizrak speedrun enemies to lovers and a hint of Drolta’s devotion/gayness to Erzsebet.

I know the majority of my fictional character thirsting leans male but don’t get it twisted; I jump for JOY for gay shit in media 😂 The only reason I don’t thirst as hard for female characters is because I prefer my men fictional but my women real.

That being said, this series sent me into bi panic and I’d like to be manhandled in a room by Drolta and Olrox.

Nocturne’s first season plays out neater than the OG’s first season.

Like… okay. My main beef with the OG series was that after they defeated Dracula, the rest of the show felt like a meandering fanfic. Sure, there were a few badass moments, but the energy kinda faltered for me and I was bored with a lot of it. I hope they don’t do the same with Nocturne; they left off at a nice cliffhanger which builds anticipation for the next season and… idk it feels more cohesive already? They coulda speedran kicking Erzsebet’s face in like the OG trio did to Dracula but I’m so glad they left us a lil something to look forward to.

Alucard’s glow up >>>>>

I’m chronically online but I’m so glad I went into this series blind because the way I GASPEDT when he showed up at the end

Like damn for the past fifty-leven years he was in that castle by himself going “do I wanna talk to Sypha and Trevor plushies again or do I wanna make myself even more of a bad bitch?” Then he chose the latter, went to the salon, got his hair bleached platinum along with some sew in extensions for volume, beat his face with Fenty, and said “sorry Drolta but there can be only one vampire baddie on this earth and hunny I’m TAKIN IT”

He looks more like his video game design this way too, which I love! I hate that he took out Cuntress McSlay tho 😔 Drolta I will always love you!!

Mmkay. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to start a cult to Olrox real quick. Erzsebet ain’t the only god walking the earth and I feel he just needs good marketing!

[thatgirlonstage]

Re:zéro asks!

What do you think would be the most interesting/hilarious crossover Subaru could stumble into. Either pre-canon or canon (or maybe even IF story), because he gets into situations, regardless of the timeline.

What ships do you like?

Do you ship rezero characters with characters of other series? If you do which ones?

And lastly, do you think Subaru deserves à vacation?

I don’t really do/think about crossovers so much unless I get particularly inspired for some reason—I’ve had some AU thoughts about Re:Zero but I’ve never really bothered considering crossovers for it. Subaru is a difficult character to transpose out of his setting & original plot without doing a LOT of work vis a vis how you manage his character arc. Though actually precisely bc of that maybe the most interesting crossover to me would be if canon Subaru got a glimpse of himself if he had been dropped in a more traditional isekai (I don’t know nearly enough about classic isekai to pick one though) and the kind of person he would’ve become if he was just handed a bunch of awesome powers and people who think he’s cool without ever being called on his shit (the absolute worst version of himself). Relatedly, to your third question, nah I p much never ship characters outside their franchise. Even if they don't directly interact I need them to at least exist in the same/similar enough context or interact with some of the same people in order to get the shipping tickle in my brain. Again unless something particularly inspires a crossover idea, but even then, I will at most do like, bullet point ideas that are mostly meant to be funny to me. I almost never read crossover fic and I’ve never written it.

On ships in general… okay look. I am a) multishipper galore and always one good piece of fanart from being interested in whatever ship idea you want to pitch to me, but b) not primarily into this show for ships and c) at most poking the Re:Zero fandom with a ten foot pole for pretty fanart and usually staying well away from it except to make posts for my own amusement and like six of my friends. I can’t go in the Ao3 tag for it. Every time I do I start wanting to stab things. My current strategy to make re:zero fandom for myself by slowly luring all my friends into watching re:zero is having a shockingly good success rate but yeah the fandom at large is…… holy lack of reading comprehension Batman.

For whatever it’s worth, just as, things I will yell the most about while watching, I am deeply invested in Rem and Subaru in whatever configuration of relationship you want to put them in, I like Rem/Ram because I’m me, and idk that I really know enough about Satella to have Thoughts but I am So Normal about Satella/Subaru Jesus fuck the love love love love love you bit. (NB: I’m anime only with this series so far, please no spoilers.) Emilia/Subaru do make me soft, Subaru and Otto should queerplatonically own a cottage and 37 pets together, and Crusch/Felis are a t4t couple and I shan’t be told otherwise. Actually the ship I’ve probably Thought the most about though is Julius/Subaru. Why did they put in a loop where they speedran an enemies to lovers tragic boyfriends arc. What was that about.

But all of that is secondary to my desire to watch Subaru get the shit beat out of him 😂 which, to your last question—does he DESERVE a vacation? I mean, sure, boy’s been through the biggest boatload of trauma one can imagine and he’s not a bad person even if he’s an asshole with a lot of baggage to unlearn. Do I want him to GET one? Absolutely not, that boy was made in a lab for me to squeeze him like a stress ball

[spinningbuster98]

Metroid Fusion Ending: The Big Dumb Ending

Fusion introduces a design element that will become a staple of every single game afterwards and that many fans dislike: the so called “final victory lap”

Essentially plenty of the game’s items are locked away by blocks and objects that require really late-game items to reach, in this case the Screw Attack, meaning that if you want that 100% item completion you’ll be forced to go through the ENTIRE game right before facing the final boss

Many fans detest this aspect of the games feeling that it’s unneccesary padding that only serves to make the game’s backtracking skyrocket for no real reason: after all Super Metroid didn’t have this

I used to agree with this assertion

Not anymore since a couple of years

Because I asked myself: why? Why do this? For what purpose from a level design standpoint?

Many fans just chalk this up to the games’ inferior level design and more linear structures when compared to Super Metroid

But...it doesn’t make sense when you really think about it

If this truly were a case of superior VS inferior level design then why do Metroid 1 and 2 also allow you to collect everything with minimum backtracking, like Super, despite those games having a lot of level design issues?

It also can’t just be a matter of linearity because Zero Mission, basically a game that can be even LESS linear than Super, also has a last minute item round up

Hell: even AM2R does this! Yeah sure it makes things more convenient by allowing limited fast travel upon reaching the third to last area, but you’ll still have to revisit each previous area to complete some “bouncing ball” puzzles that only become available upon restoring power to the systems in the third to last area. This is not how Metroid 2 worked.

So why? Why do this?

Well.... I think most people see this from the wrong perspective

My personal favorite way of playing Metroid games is by 100% them while ALSO speedrunning them (though not in a “professional” way since I’m not nearly that good)

Now I’m not trying to tell anyone here how they’re supposed to play or enjoy their games but I, personally, believe that this is the best way to experience 2D Metroid, to the point that I’d argue that they’re specifically designed for this

These are adventure games so exploration is indeed an important element, so 100% item completion is logical...but after replaying the games enough times you’ll know where everything is and so item collecting will become merely a matter of “go to X and shoot Y block to get Z”.

However these games have also undeniably always been built for speedrunning. Keyword being: built. It’s not like speedrunners have a fascination with this series just because Samus happens to run fast, the level design and movement kit of these games are all centered around giving the player a very satisfying experience if they plan on testing their own time. In general you don’t lock ending rewards behind clear times you don’t also want your game to be speedran. However JUST speedrunning a Metroid game can also be rather...unsatisfying because it will often lead you to skip over half of the content: many hidden items and puzzles will just be left there to waste

However....you can combine these two elements together

Now I don’t want to present this as some kind of revolutionary design quirk that only these games have as I’m sure others do as well, but every 2D Metroid game is designed specifically to allow you to both complete it and speedrun it at the same time

It’s something that’s difficult to explain, you kind of just have to “feel it”, but the way the areas are designed, the way the games are often paced, the way Samus moves, it’s all in service to both speedrunning and exploration done in such a way that it absolutely allows you to do both and reap the rewards of both approaches without either’s downsides

If you’re both speedrunning and collecting every item will need to be collected quickly and following a distinct route, so it’s no longer a matter of just checking something off a list

And if you’re exploring while speedrunning that means that you’re not skimming over half of the game’s content anymore

It’s essentially the “ultimate” way of experiencing these games I find, the best way of putting your skills and knowledge of the game to the test.

And this is why it sort of bugs me when people just dismiss this aspect of the games. You don’t HAVE to play them like this, it doesn’t make you any less of a fan if you don’t, but this isn’t just some weird niche way of experiencing these games that only big time speedrunners relish in. This is a big part of 2D Metroid’s core design: Fusion even locks a special ending images behind a sub 2 hours 100% requirement and so will Zero Mission, so it’s by no means some accidental or unimportant element: the developers made these games to be played in different ways and this is just as relevant as others

So what does any of this have to do with the “final victory lap”? Well if you just approach these games in a very casual way in terms of 100% item hunting, just looking for items slowly in a very lax way then this final lap will be very stupid and useless to you

But in the context of a 100% speedrun this final lap has a purpose: it’s one final challenge, one final test of your movement skills and especially of your knowledge of the map

You’re never getting everything during this section before you reach the 2 hour marks unless you map out a route that will allow you to get everything and then go to the final boss as quickly and smoothly as possible

In a game as linear as Fusion this is especially needed because otherwise it would be too easy: just follow the game’s forced path and get everything you find along the way

And I know this can be very daunting, trust me I’ve been there. But this doesn’t require you to be a literal master like some guys on YT, all it requires is for you to be good with movement and to memorise the map, which can actually be easier than it sounds because of how replayable the games are and Fusion’s linear nature alraedy giving you a clear path 90% of the time

Now despite this....I have issues with Fusion’s approach. Specifically with the way it hides items

Fusion is probably the most cryptic game in the series when it comes to item collection. It’s certainly customary for the series to hide items behind breakable blocks with no visible marks or behind fake walls or such. But Fusion does this A LOT more than the others. The main issue being that this game doesn’t have a good equivalent to the X Ray Scanner from Super. The closest that you get are Power Bombs which can at least reveal any block they can’t break...but they can’t reveal fake walls and even then what this all means is that, if you wanna 100% this game without resorting to a guide, you’ll have to plant Power Bombs every 5 fucking seconds in every single room in the game while keeping your eyes peeled for any tiny block that may get revealed as breakable in the process. Now nowadays I know where everything is so it’s no problem but during my first few playthroughs I DISTINCTLY remember just how slow, meandering, frustrating and just overall boring this process could get, it’s borderline pixel hunting! And yeah getting everything in such a cryptic game is certainly a big satisfaction but they should probably chilled a bit there

....oh you must be wondering by now why I titled this “The Big Dumb Ending” eh?

Well it’s got nothing to do with the gameplay side of things. No I’m talking about the story

Fusion is...a bit of a fandom dearie when it comes to its story I believe, with some even considering it the best story in the franchise

And while I wouldn’t consider it awful or even bad by any means I have come to believe that it’s...pretty overrated honestly.

The thing about Fusion is that it’s at its best when it affects gameplay and the game world in interesting ways, but when it comes to the actual plots you actually get various issues that can be pretty easy to miss given how often the game just throws new stuff at you

Funnily enough I’ve come to realise most of these issues upon seeing peope criticizing Dread’s story and comparing it unfavorably to Fusion’s. Don’t get me wrong: Dread has its issues too but one thing I noticed is that some of Dread’s narrative hiccups are actually also present in Fusion except they tend to be way worse there

Let’s make a few examples:

Dread shoves Kraid as a boss with little to no explanation as to how he got there on ZDR. It’s forced and kinda muddles things....but I’d argue it’s not that big of a deal since the game does give you some vague hints that can allow you to for your hypothesis regarding his presence: you can notice wall paintings in Ferenia depicting Space Pirates fighting Mawkins impying that the two races have battled in the past. In Dairon you can even spot the silouhette of what appears to be Draygon in a giant testube. Raven Beak at one point even mentions cloning Samus, implying he has access to cloning tech and with Dairon being a biological lab and the Mawkin having encountered the Pirates before AND the game’s official site at one point describing Kraid as “a creature that looks like Kraid” it’s not impossible nor improbable to imagine that that is not the Kraid we know but rather a clone. It’s not a full answer but Metroid as a series has often worked with implying things with its environmental storytelling rather than outright stating them so I can’t fully fault the approach. Plus: it’s just Kraid. He may be iconic but he’s not really important either to the plot nor to Samus

On the other Fusion shoves Ridley and a bunch of Zebesian Space Pirates on the BSL.

This is...horrendously stupid and forced on so many levels.

First off: how can they even be here? Zebes exploded, Ridley in particular was blown to pieces by Samus in Super and THEN Zebes blew up for good measure. They should be a bunch of atoms floating in space. The game makes absolutely ZERO effort to explain their presence here, neither through implications or direct narrative. I could at most excuse the Zebesians by imagining that maybe some of them could have been away from Zebes at the time, but Ridley is inexcusable. And don’t you Other M me, that game came out 8 years later and introduced a lot more issues than it fixed, plus it’s THIS game’s job to clear out its issues or at least reassure the player that they’re not issues but rather unanswered questioned that will be cleared by a later game

But the worst thing is that Samus doesn’t react nor comment at all on their prsence

She will take the time to ponder about Adam or the animals but NOT about the evil aliens she thought she had killed? About the guy who MURDERED HER FAMILY!?

Not only is this baffable it actually feels super forced from a narrative perspective: the game plays the revelation that the BSL had an illegal Metroid breeding program as the tipping point for Samus, the moment she realises that this section of the Federation is corrupt...but honestly she should’ve come to this conclusion at the beginning upon encountering Ridley and the Zebesians, which clearly indicated that the BSL was up to some shit because there should be no good reason for housing dangerous criminals on your innocent research lab. Yet the game ignores all of this, making this blatant attempt at a callback an actual fucking plot hole that makes Samus look blind at best

Raven Beak is sometimes criticized because his plan involved letting Samus live, which fucked him over in the long run. And yeah it’s partly your usual villain cliche but it has an actual in-story reason beyond simple arrogance, much like how Dark Samus in Prime 3 had an actual reason for letting Samus live at the start which in the end proved to be her demise

The evil Federation guys in Fusion on the other hand?

Samus’ mission here was originally to see if there were any survivors on the BSL.  Then it’s implied that the evil government guys got interested in the X and stopped sending her upgrades in order to prevent her from engaging the SA-X

Here’s the issue: this story should have logically ended by the time Samus frees the animals. Because by then every human on the station has been confirmed dead by Adam. So...mission accomplished. Let’s go home. There’s literally no more reason to stay here. Oh sure Samus wants to eradicate the X, but instead of limiting her power ups why not just straight up order her to leave so that the Federation can totally bomb the station from orbit thus absolutely destroying every X? It certainly sounds way more logical than trying to kill them one by one. It would have certainly prevented Samus from discovering their little Metroid pet project

(There’s also other minor stuff like the Omega Metroid for some reason only being vulnerable to cold and not missile which is literally the opposite of how it worked in Metroid 2 and is given no explanation but whatever that’s its own can of worms)

However by and large my biggest issue with Fusion...is its ending

First off: Metroid games usually have some form of sense of anticipation towards their endings, something that makes you feel like you’re gradually getting closer to the climax: Metroid 1 and Super had you fight a number of Pirate leaders before you could access Tourian. Metroid 2 had a literal countdown in the form of the Metroids you had to kill, Dread has a bit of an issue with having a rushed ending but the EMMIs served as a countdown as well

Fusion’s ending sneaks up on you: Samus just happens to stumble upon the secret evil lab which had only been foreshadowed one about an hour ago then, in quick succession, we get the big info dump about what the evil Federation guys want to do, then we get Adam coming to his senses I guess, then the final battle with the SA-X, then the escape sequence and finally the final monologue (that was translated wrongly and created a 20 plus year long misconception but whatever) where Samus quickly mentions that “Oh gollee jee! I didn’t know that the Federation frequently uploaded the minds of generals to computers! That’s why Adam is still alive!”

It feels...not just rushed but anti-climactic and flaccid. Like the game suddenly ran out of ideas and just said “ok it’s ending time”

But my absolute biggest issue with this ending, and the entire game for that matter, is the scene between Samus and Adam

Putting aside just how rushed and sappy it feels that the AI that reminded Samus of Adam GASP!! Was actually Adam all along!! Helping Samus out from beyond the grave! What a coincidence!

As I said in another video one of this game’s main themes is Samus going from a position of vulnerability to gradually becoming stronger thus allowing her to violate Adam’s orders repeatedly

And it all leads to this: a big confrontation between the two, with Adam locking Samus in a room

....and it’s solved by Samus accidentally triggering Adam’s repressed memories (I guess?) thus having him open the doors and giving her one last order on how to solve this mess

I hate this

very

very

much

After an entire game dedicated to Samus growing stronger and slipping away from Adam’s control in the end she doesn’t beat him through her wits or through her powers. She doesn’t even INTENTIONALLY trigger his real personality, as she only called him Adam by reflex. Samus here is basically resorted to begging with the AI and she’s only freed because he LETS her go. Samus, in this moment, is essentially stripped of her agency and Adam regains control over her and the game doesn’t treat it as a negative because it’s too focused on its sappy narrative about how special Adam was for Samus and how much of a surprise it is for him to have been essentially resurrected in such a way

I once saw an old forum dating back to 2007 where old time fans were criticizing Fusion and Zero Missions for being unneccesary sequels after Super had essentially ended the story and for feeling like fan fiction

And while I don’t agree with this opinion in the general sense I do believe that this scene gets pretty fanfictiony in a bad way. Samus is not only at the mercy of Adam, a new character that’s been introduced not only to the series but to her backstory, but she’s also being presented as not only weaker when compared to him but also dumber: Adam points out that if Samus went along with her original plan of blowing up the station to take out the X she wouldn’t actually be accomplishing much as there would still be X on SR388 and she would only be sacrificing her life for nothing. This is a mistake that is pretty weird for a hardened and professional bounty hunter like Samus to do, one that I could excuse as being due to her missing a crucial detail due to the stress of the situation but I’d say it’s pretty obvious that it only exists so that Adam can present a better plan and show just what a brilliant military mind he is! Even if it means making Samus look like a fool in the process!

And doesn’t all of what I’ve just said reawaken memories of a certain other game...?

[charles-among-us]

I’m gonna be honest

Spoilers for Pikmin 4’s Second Act End because I speedran 100% {as of post, 99% because of a single stupid treasure} it like nobody’s business.

Aka; My gripes and likes of Pikmin 4

I don’t know where to start, but remember how in Pikmin 2, how the Purple and White Pikmin didn’t have Onions like the others?

Well now they do and I’m very happy to see them, but I can’t seem to find them. {which is odd considering the mission to fuse 8 onions}

Second, SCREW THE WATERWRAITH AND ITS MULTIVERSE SELF.

Yeah I just have a problem with it like all of us do.

Third, I’m confused about Louie, like how tf did this man forget Olimar’s face? I mean, clearly the President told Louie to get Olimar, given if this is before Olimar sent the S.O.S. But Louie has been known to dabble in eating possibly otherworldly creatures (Waterwraith for example), and clearly this takes place after Pikmin 2 & 3, so Louie knows Olimar.

Sure you can probably say Louie’s hunger made him forget, and given the time space between 3 and 4, you could say he might’ve forgotten Olimar’s face. But it doesn’t make sense.

Fourth, and my final thing. Why did every ship so far, with the exception to a few (like the MC’s ship) crash?

I know there’s been theories as to why and how. But it wasn’t just the Dolphin (or Dolphins), the Drake, and the Shepherd. It was at least 10 civilian ships as well. And they all crashed coming into the atmosphere, maybe due to the asteroids outside, but that doesn’t make any sense if the ships had experienced pilots.

And we know Olimar, who in Pikmin 2, was able to land relatively safely (with the exception of Louie). We know he can land safely, but it doesn’t make any sense as to why this happened to basically every ship that comes in the atmosphere.

Anyways, if you have a theory, I’d love to hear it.

[tellmewhatyouc]

2022 in review

from ficwip!

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out? Would you do it again?

i wrote my first crossover fic! they're not usually my thing so it seemed kinda wild to do but i was really surprised how naturally the characters worked together. plus i was really happy to see a few other people excited about it 👍

What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

i learned a lot about myself and my identity through writing characters i love! especially exploring relationship anarchy and other non-traditional relationships, it gave me the language to describe how i feel about my friends and people who are important to me overall 💞

also that i'm way more likely to get a fic done if i can crank out a draft/outline in one sitting 😭🙏

What piece of media inspired you the most?

nu: carnival! i’m thriving with relationship anarchy being built into the canon 😩👌

What fandom(s) did you write for this year?

sk8, nu:c, and one deltarune fic! also posted some one piece but it was stuff i wrote the previous year

What ship(s) captured your heart?

the sk8 cast polycule, primarily four wheels (adam/langa/reki/tadashi), kept me Running for a good chunk of the year. i love all the different dynamics and history between the characters and it's really fun to explore how they can work in all different ways.

also some combinations of quincy/kuya/blade of nu: carnival, there's a lot of fun (potential) history going on there and i have Many more ideas i'd like to execute in 2023

Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year?

nu: carnival yes! and that one deltarune fic fjdksf

What fic meant the most to you to write?

THE CROSSOVER FIC, exploring that sweet religious trauma is so cathartic

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

i feel fine, i haven’t been feelin it much lately but writing paramedic quincy is a treat and i’m hoping i can get back into it soon 👀

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

two old friends and an e-droid bc i speedran that shit for elise’s birthday

What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

maybe also the previous answer but ALSO the crossover fic that no i have not finished

also some zine/bang fics that i was just NOT FEELING and i’m excited to do much less of those next year fjdskfjd

What fic was the easiest to write?

probably i feel fine until just this next chapter where i got STUCK

What were you go-to writing songs?

i like video game soundtracks, usually lo fi mixes of like animal crossing, the sims, or a hat in time

What were your go-to writing snacks?

i don’t usually eat while i write but i love tea

What was the hardest fic to title?

probably any fic that’s not titled with song lyrics and honestly some of them that are song lyrics bc they were a last resort

Share your favorite opening line

The tension in Sia la luce could be cut with a knife.

Or rather, a dagger, in the case of Kaoru’s stare across the table. 

--don’t mind the third wheel (technically wrote this in late 2021 but shhhh)

Share your favorite ending line

It wasn’t the same, but Quincy was happy.

--close enough to forever

Share your favorite piece of dialogue

“Well, simply put, my dove, he’s worried about you.” Adam took a sip from his own glass, and if he didn’t care for the taste of his drink, it didn’t show. “He wanted to make sure we’re not doing anything… unsavory.” He wiggled his eyebrows, to which Kaoru rolled his eyes.

“But we are,” Langa replied, deadpan. “We have sex all the time.”

Adam snickered. Kaoru put his head in his hands.

“Yes, dear, I’m sure he knows that,” Adam said. Then, he mumbled into his glass, “Certainly now, if not previously.”

--don’t mind the third wheel

Share an excerpt from your favorite scene

a lot to pick from but here’s another bit i liked

“It doesn’t matter what your relationship with Tadashi is like, compared to others,” Ainosuke said. “I feel… different sorts of feelings about all three of you. We share different things with each other. But I think… by association, we’re all important to each other. While we have our individual relationships, we also work as a unit. Right?”

Reki hadn’t thought about it that way… but it made perfect sense. All four of them met up plenty, whether for their regular check-ins or just a nice dinner. He liked his moments alone with Langa, and with Ainosuke, but he liked seeing everyone together just as much.

”Tadashi likes you,” Ainosuke continued. “He may not always show it, but he’s fond of you. He likes spending time with you. He gets plenty of alone time with me already— and if he needs more, he knows he can talk to me about it.” He gave Reki another kiss, this one on the nose. “You’re not intruding. I promise.”

--pillow talk

What’s something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

i don’t have specific examples but certain characters (particularly ainosuke) love taking the wheel and changing the entire course of the fic so that’s always an adventure

What did you use to write? (programs, paper & pen, etc.)

just google docs! sometimes also a word counter app on my phone if i’m writing quick drabbles

If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

not necessarily Just writing but fandom rhythm vol 1 going live

for writing specifically, hmmmaybe posting not quite anointed and having other people care about it

Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

not in particular, my fics tend to be on the shorter side so i’m just like 🎉 woo time to post

How did you recharge between fics?

actually been reading a lot more in these past few months, particularly outside the fandoms i write for which has been LOVELY

If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

writer friends! @dykecassidy who i love talking fic with regardless of our fandoms, @hyuge ​& @theinsanefox i got to know this year and have been lovely beta readers & general support buddies, and of course @waaaluigiboard​ who constantly puts up with my yelling 😌❤ also @ficwip​ and all the regulars there!

What’s something you want to write in 2023?

i think i’d like to finish my big four wheels fic! it’s a silly one based on a cheesy romcom and i have it all outlined i’m just. always tired and swamped with events and deadlines. but i’m hoping to sign up for less and focus more on my own stuff, less on current trends or w/e and just write things i want to write at my own pace.

it’d also be fun to write for a new fandom! i got really into deltarune, supernatural, and fnaf this year and it’d be fun to explore those more in fic ✨

[pidgecv]

i have to get up on time tomorrow and i’m exhausted and can hardly think thoughts in properly. anyways i know it’s not my job to think about but i’m thinking abt how jo would have a particularly rough time with V going on his fucking journey of enlightenment.

aka unfinished bullshit where the second V leaves, everything is a lot less functional and Cleo immediately sustains a head injury.

i’ll be surpised if this makes any sense tomorrow morning and even more surprised if it’s any good.

knowing me i speedran mischaracterization

feeling cute might delete later idk teehee :p

Naturally, things were going to be a lot less efficient without V around. Cleo had admittedly always been a bit of a follower, and if it weren’t for the fact that she had plenty to do between the glorified chore list V left them to split and her own intensifying search for Ellie, she’d probably be a lot more lost than she was now.

Jo had been particularly despondent the last couple days. Ever since V had pitched the idea of him going out on his own for a while, Jo had become mopey and generally unpleasant. Cleo would be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about him herself, but this was ridiculous. The day V actually left, Jo spent 3 hours glaring at the door. At the same time, Cleo could hardly find a second alone now. Jo was acting very clingy, which when paired with the upset bitchiness was bound to end poorly. This ended up coming to a head when Cleo was about to go check out a lead on her sister’s location.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jo spat with all the confidence of a righteous mother scolding her child. Cleo was not having it.

“Out. Just because V’s out there fucking soul-searching or whatever doesn’t mean I’ve gotta stop what I’ve been doing.” She met Jo’s glare with an annoyed look of her own.

“Like hell you’re going without me. We’ve gotta stick together now even more than before. Besides, we were just out scavenging, and we’ve got more than enough to do in the base right now.”

“I’ve done my packing for the day. I’m not grounded or anything and I’m an adult, I can leave the damn base.”

“This is different and you know it. There’s actual danger out there. I know you saw the infected as well, and with V gone we’ve lost our resident medic.”

“We haven’t ‘lost’ anyone. Besides, I’m not going to get hurt. I leave the base on my own all the time. Why’ve you got a problem with it now? What the hell has gotten into you?”

“What are you even talking about?!”

“You’ve been acting strangely ever since V decided to leave.”

“Did you forget about the BOMB THREAT?!”

“I know DAMN well that THIS isn’t about the bomb threat. You’re upset that V left and now you’re taking it out on ME.”

“Well, MAYBE you should’ve helped me convince him to stay.”

“I tried, jackass! He wouldn’t hear it and you know that.”

“It’s dangerous to be alone out there and we should be sticking together right now!”

“You think I don’t KNOW that?! I’m not LEAVING I’m going OUT for a little.”

“Like hell you are!”

“Oh my fucking god Jo, you’re not my mom.”

“I’m not letting you leave me too!”

“I’m not GOING ANYWHERE!”

“DAMN RIGHT!!”

“I’M GOING OUT WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. MANIFEST YOUR DAMN ISSUES SOMEWHERE ELSE!!” Cleo shouted, shouldering Jo out of the way in an effort to leave the base. Jo grabbed her arm and in a desperate, frustrated panic yanked her backwards hard enough for Cleo to go crashing to the ground. The side of her head hit the wall behind them with a loud crack and Jo froze, unsure of what to do.

Jo had not meant to do that. Frankly, she wasn’t sure what she’d meant to do or why she was so worried about Cleo leaving in the first place. Maybe she didn’t want to deal with an injury since it would mean more work for her. Maybe she didn’t like the tone Cleo had taken on while talking to her. Maybe it was the thought of being alone again, sitting in a house that’s empty save for the silence filling every corner of every room. Maybe she had been scared.

Meanwhile, Cleo somehow remained conscious but deeply confused. Her glasses had been knocked off from the impact which only fueled her disorientation. She wasn’t sure if her vision had been messed up by the fall or if she just needed to find her glasses. A blurry figure loomed over her, before kneeling at her side (why was Cleo laying down?) and handing her her glasses. The lights were very bright and her head hurt (did she hit her head?). She put her glasses on but her vision remained blurry and strange (she would ask her mom to schedule an eye doctor appointment when she came home from work).

“Cleo?” Cas asked her, as she started propping herself up on her elbows. The slight motion made her head throb and the edges of her watery vision darken and blur.

“Cas, can you call for Hannah? I think I’m sick.”

“What? Cleo, you hit your head. I’m just going to go get some ice.” Cas declared, sounding uncharacteristically lost.

“We don’t have any ice kiddo, it’s the apocalypse. Remember?” Cleo laughed humorlessly, managing to sit up against a wall. Ellie said nothing in return as Cleo felt her eyes slip shut. But she couldn’t nod off, she was in a lecture. Something warm trickled down the side of her head and onto her shoulder. Cleo raised her hand.

“Put your hand down Cleo, and hold this to the side of your hea- oh fuck.”

“Professor, can I go to the nurse?”

“You know what? Sure. Cmon man, up you go.” thin arms looped around Cleo’s torso and pulled her up. The fuzzy world pitched around her and she could barely put one foot in front of the other. The ice pack fell from her loose grip almost immediately, hitting the floor with a clatter that pierced her brain like a hot knife.

“Whysm head ‘urt?” Cleo asked, words starting to slur as she navigated the fuzzy world.

“Uh, you hit your head.”

“Oh.” Cleo returned her focus to moving her legs. Her vision started to fade out at the edges.”

“Cas, i thinkm gonna fall—“ The last thing Cleo heard before her vision went dark was a panicked voice she couldn’t place saying something in response.

She’s fine btw

unused line: “Jo had no idea what to do. Not just with Cleo, but herself.”

they both agree to never tell V about this. whether he finds out regardless is up to interpretation.

i know nothing about head injuries and i don’t care to do research. i am well aware that this type of thing would take a long ass time to heal but i’m ignoring that bc i think it’s funnier if they do not tell V.

[hauntsdiscourseblog]

Summary of my relationship with being trans, I guess?

So my friend came out to me today. Utterly unexpected - I’ve known this guy since like fifth grade and known her to be just as much of a nerd as me if not more, but never really thought of her as a woman. It’s also wild to me because as far as I can tell she speedran the whole experience and skipped straight past the part I’m stuck at. Like I’ve had a list of things that make me wish I were a woman since before I knew what being trans was. I’ve mistaken jealousy for sexual attraction so many times that I’ve figured out what it actually is and come to terms with it. I regularly crossdress(?) and purchase women’s clothes whenever I’m online shopping, and I’ve hated guys’ fashion for years and years. I’ve even recognized gender weirdness within myself (I first thought of myself as genderfluid sometime in college - after reading EGS, of course - and decided I was probably just a trans woman sometime after). And yet, she’s over there certain about being trans and I’m over here creating side blogs to explore the idea.

Why? Well partly out of duty. I have a family that cares about family and I care about them and about family as well. And well, you can’t have kids if you become sterile from taking estrogen. (Yes I know, you can freeze your sperm or whatever. It’s a matter of doing it right, not just doing it. I’ve got my conservative facets, we all do. And that leaves you with a limited supply anyway.) I’ve never really “thought of” myself as trans either, perhaps as a result of the above. I’ve been more on the side of being “happy with what you have to be happy with”, to quote King Crimson, and viewed myself as the person that I am with some inclinations towards being a woman. It doesn’t quite feel real, you know? And that leads to questions of, not quite “are trans people faking it”, but rather, “are we all just playing pretend”. Which is hard to disprove! The “You will never be a woman” comment hits hard because it’s true! Good luck getting the full biology of a woman. Male puberty is irreversible. Sex changes reduce sexual pleasure. Top surgeries (not relevant to me, but relevant to some) leave massive chest scars. And nobody has ever been able to have children after a sex change. You can’t maintain a desire to continue the human race while also deciding to become incapable of doing so. Like with all of that in mind, are we really going to say that we’re not just playing pretend?

So I get a little bit terfy. I don’t understand the path, so I’m not sure if I want to walk it, and I hesitate. And the community doesn’t help either. They do all kinds of things I don’t like, such as:

Saying gender is meaningless or can mean anything you want it to, and then asking hence-meaningless questions like “what do you identify as”;

Stupid terminology issues, like calling everyone transgender even if it’s their sex they want to change because “oh well the transphobes use the word transsexual so we’re just gonna let them have it”;

Claiming that trans people’s right to transition is justified by dysphoria, when it is painfully obvious that nobody is interested in restricting transition to just the dysphoric people (and if they were of course I would be effectively excluded; I’m much less interested in not being a man than I am interested in being a woman);

Being straight up misandristic, cisphobic, straightphobic, the whole shebang, and then claiming that it is literally impossible to be these things because “but they aren’t oppressed like we are”;

Refusing to interact with people they disagree with, as if the issues people have with the lgbtqia community aren’t just misunderstandings that can be worked out through discussion; and

As above, losing their ability to exist as a community (by definition; trans people can’t reproduce and gay people refuse to) and hence being 100% dependent on the good will of the straights they so clearly hate.

The fourth and fifth ones are especially infuriating because it actually leaves me feeling ostracized despite being a trans woman. Despite how much I’ve considered it I’m still questioning, and I still express myself as male. I still walk around acting like a straight cis white man all the time. And hearing “hey this thing you express yourself as is evil and sucks” from the community that’s supposed to be objectively the best about acceptance and tolerance... it kinda sucks. It’s like “oh ok, so this group would accept me, but only if I transition”, like my acceptance is contingent upon being one of them. Contrarian that I am, it makes me less willing to transition. It makes me less willing to involve myself in that culture and identity. And what’s worse is that at that point the people who are willing to talk to me are the terfs. And that’s how people get recruited - by being driven away by the exclusionary nature of the lgbtqia community and straight into the open arms of the terfs and (since that’s a pipeline on TikTok) the Nazis. And I can’t accept that a community that behaves like that is one that I “should” be part of. It’s kinda disgusting honestly

So the community is irritating to me, and it’s pretty obvious even though nobody talks about it that it only exists at all because straight cis people let it. (Y’all know marriage only recently became about sexual attraction at all, right?) And that made the uncertainty in my feelings that much worse, because though I crossdress(?) regularly, I always get this feeling of “eh” out of it, you know? Like clothes are clothes. I’m kinda big so I don’t fit in every outfit I buy, and while I’ll admit that a) I love the buying of the clothes, and b) I think I actually look pretty good in them (at least the ones that fit me), the only feeling I really get from them is “this doesn’t really achieve what I wanted”. Well, that and “wow, bra underwires are insanely uncomfortable, the cis girls were right”. But like yeah, it was almost a negative feeling for me. Until this past conversation with my friend, who said that putting on women’s clothes was more dysphoric than anything, because like she will never have the actual woman’s body she wants. And that, I can say I’ve felt. That I can relate to. Despite everything else in this post, and the fact that it’s still a negative experience, it’s nice to know that at least it’s a feeling other trans women have.

In conclusion? As I told my friend, I am all over the fucking place on gender. I get a bit crossdressy(?), I get a bit terfy, I get a bit overthinky, and I get a bit... family-y? Eh. I also get a bit of jealousy, and a bit transvirtual-y. Even as I sit here wondering how the fuck being trans could even be a viable life choice I still do all the things that make me think “hey maybe I am anyways”. I don’t know where I am. But that’s why this blog is here. To say these things and ask questions. And there it is - my summary of my situation. I’m late for work, but at least it’s out there. Thanks for reading, please comment with what thoughts you have.

[its-your-mind]

“oh clearly jon feels no emotions and is in complete control of himself at all times. this man is a logic machine.”

did we??? listen to the same podcast?????? this man feels first, thinks later. there is a strong emotion? get ready for jonathan jarchivist sims to act on it with little-to-no second thoughts. rational thinking who. we throw ourselves full force at the first thought that comes into our head. like, we are talking about the man who:

busted into the office of a guy he hadn’t talked to more than twice since he woke up from a six month coma, sincerely offering to gouge out his eyes and run away with him, and was Absolutely Gobsmacked when he was refused

was prefectly ready to let a face-stealing monster live… right up until it reminded him that it had killed his friend without him realizing (that “…what did you say” is one of the lines that gives me GOOSEBUMPS every time)

dove headfirst into a pile of evil sentient worms to grab a tape recorder bc he was so determined to not die as aNOTHER GODDAMN MYSTERY

let his survivor’s guilt from when he was eight drive the major decisions he made for the rest of his life

threw himself into a fear dimension of evil loneliness to save the man he loved (who had refused to speak to him for months) at the probable expense of himself who knows

had so much MALICE in his voice when he killed peter lukas like damn girl you do not get that emotional when you’re just killing someone bc they’re evil or whatever. there was Hatred there. go off queen.

literally was willing to sacrifice an entire WORLD so that no one would ever f e e l what he had to feel when jonah voicesnatched him

LITERALLY speedran a love story in like six weeks in scotland. this man was SO READY to be in love it’s ridiculous. so was martin. I love them sm

heard his predecessor was dead

came to the conclusion that he was next

what should we do with this?

oh I know

stalk every one of my coworkers bc clearly one of them is out to get me

committed himself to living in the archives forever bc he didn’t want to put georgie or “god forbid the admiral” in danger (has his priorities STRAIGHT he does)

oh annabelle caine has martin? and an artifact that completely knocks me on my ass and takes away all my powers? off to hilltop road we go come on basira we have spider ass to kick

threw himself into a coffin to save a woman who LITERALLY was ABOUT TO KILL HIM bc he just wanted to HELP and everyone around him was HURTING SO MUCH

was insulted when a statement giver called the institute stupid and immediately discarded all professionalism and clapped back by calling her wildly successful youtube series dumb

also immediately discarded all professionalism when disgusted by a teeth apple “we do NOT want it.” like damn bro this traumatized doctor brought this bone apple teeth proof in for you and you are too grossed out to grin and bear it

was slightly annoyed by the fact that martin was not the Ideal Assistant. Offhandedly mentioned on an official recording that he wanted an evil flesh witch to slowly kill his literal employee by a series of freak accidents that resulted in the loss of one body part at a time. this man has no chill whatsoever.

took so much satisfaction in killing jonah magnus. like jonah told him not to be dramatic and jon PROMPTLY started monologuing while stabbing douchard directly in the chest.

“I don’t want to die”

“Neither did they.” FUCK YES QUEEN GO OFF GET HIS SMARMY VICTORIAN ASS

sounded so SMUG when he told the eye he was gonna go apologize to his boyfriend. like yeah stupid all-powerful fear god I have a BOYfriend and I LOVE him suck on THAT

remember when he decided to doom his whole world bc he wanted to stop anyone else from feeling like he did? yeah that plan went out the window fuckin imMEDIATely as soon as his beloved martin walked into the room. oh, he’s in the world I’m going to be dooming? well fuck didn’t consider that part. welp guess he’s just gonna have to stab me. and then we will hold each other and declare our love and kiss and hope to still be alive and together somehow as the world collapses around us. our love didn’t save us but it was here and that mattered. okay list cancelled I’m gonna go curl up in a ball for a little bit. ty for your time.

[cloudninetonine]

Linktober: Nostalgia

You remembered being introduced to the Legend of Zelda franchise at a young age, your mother was a very active gamer in her youth after all and you remembered all the stories she would share with you- she even remembered when the first game had been released! Hours spent on her console as a teen, she grew up on the game and eventually passed them on to you once you showed interest, sharing hours of fun to experience it with her.

So, it wasn’t a surprise when you had been going through old collections in closest, looking for something to do when you had stumbled across a familiar-looking DVD, looking over the case with confusion until your mama had come to answer your questions.

“Well, I was a little too old when it came out to really enjoy it.” She explained, turning over the Legend of Zelda animated series case “Your nanny got it for me, but I didn’t really bother to watch it so I just decided to keep it for when I had you- do you remember watching it? You don’t? But you used to love it when you were five!”

You tried to argue that children loved any sort of cartoon at such an age but she was adamant, urging you to rewatch it to prove it.

And well, while a lot of inaccuracies and overall cringe of the whole thing made you- well, cringe you couldn’t deny the wave of nostalgia that washed over you, chucking along to some of the scenes and overall enjoying it- it was a connection with your mother and you cherished things like that with your body and soul.

“Saved you again, Sunshine! Kiss me!”

Even now, with Courage ever so persistent and brash, the feeling still stayed true, blooming a warm fuzzy layer of happiness in your stomach. Meeting him was like meeting the physical manifestation of sentimentality, such a great feeling that left you high on life. You thought of better times, you thought about your mother, your friends- everyone in the past.

Completely ignoring the hero in front of you. “Hey, pay attention, I’m talking here!”

“Hm? Oh, sorry, Link, was thinking about stuff.”

His scowl was way more handsome in person compared to his animated self. “Well excuseeee me-”

There he went again, invoking the feeling that made you feel fuzzy, your smile a little sad as you wandered back to the people you most cared about, only being pulled back by his whine and face against your shoulder. 

“Come on, one kiss?”

Courage only relaxed when your hand came to gently run through his hair, massaging his head and making him sigh in relaxation. “Damn, you sure whine a lot, Link.”

“Hey!” He cried, head shooting right back up to glare. “I don’t whine-”

You held his face gently when you kissed him, not stronger than a peck but most certainly longer than one, the arms he had wrapped around your waist tightening as he indulged in the moment with excitement, pressing back a little harder when he realised what was happening and chasing after you when you pulled away, placing your hand over his mouth to stop him from reconnecting your lips.

“Later.” The reassurance made him perk up, his eyes shining in the light of the dungeon and you could feel how hard his heart beat in his chest, probably similar to your own. “We need to get out first.”

You had speedran dungeons but it would never compare to the haste Courage had made to escape and receive his prize.

[megamindsupremacy]

Day 6: Freeze/Burn

Mom, you killed me and you didn't even notice Mom, you've spent the past few years trying to kill me. Well, you half succeeded Mom, I have something to tell you. I'm dead. Ish. Mom, you know that thought experiment about Schrödinger and his cat? In this scenario, I'm the cat.

Read on Ao3

Masterpost/Burn cross-stitch

Mom,

Danny stared at the paper in front of him for a long, long moment.

Mom, there’s something I need to tell you 

Mom, I have to tell you something

He didn’t have to do this. 

Mom, you know the accident I had as a freshman?

He really, really had to do this.

Dear Mom,

Why do people even start letters with “dear” anyways?

Mine dearest mother

Mother,

Hey mom, I have a fun little secret to share.

You know how there’s a portal to hell in our basement? Well, hell on earth doesn’t tend to positively affect those around it

Clockwork said that this decision to tell her would make or break the timeline. Danny wasn’t sure why Clockwork would tell him that. Danny didn’t know which decision would break the timeline. He was too scared to ask. 

Mom, I died when I was fourteen and you didn’t notice

Madeline Fenton, you are cordially invited to

hey lol remember that time the town got pulled into another dimension? totally unrelated to what im abt to say lolz

The pen ink was bright green. Most everything in his lair was. Frostbite said it would change and grow as Danny does. 

Mom , did you know that ghosts aren’t unchanging blobs of ectoplasm? Dont ask how I know

Jazz was worried. She’s always worried, though, so that’s not any different. 

Dad, I was going to tell mom this but you're less likely to kill me about it

Mom, remember how you keep saying you want to rip Phantom molecule to molecule?

Mom, when I died I

Mom, great news! I didnt actually die. Dont ask. 

The paper was starting to wear thin under all the writing and erasing Danny was doing.

And then I faced god and backflipped into hell. I think that's how the quote went. Well, I wasn’t backflipping, and I’ve fought more than one “god”. The hell part is accurate though.

He could feel the crown calling to him. He didn’t particularly want to answer the call. Pandora said if he doesn’t don the crown then it would wear him whether he liked it or not. 

Hello Mom,

 I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to invite you to the coronation of

Danny looked up from the letter. Jupiter floated past him and crashed into Mercury. The Sun was in the corner and Pluto was missing. Again. 

As amazing as his lair’s solar system was, it was still bright green. An unfortunate quirk of being a (relatively) newly formed ghost.

Mom, I’m just going to rip the bandaid off. I’m a ghost. 

Mom, remember how you lost contact with your college friend because of a mysterious illness? Well, I speedran that illness. The illness is death, by the way. He’s not much of a friend. By the way.

This lair wouldn’t be his lair for much longer. The palace bends to the will of its king. Nobody needs their baby lair when they’re a king. He felt bad, abandoning it. 

Mom, I have a ectobiological discovery that’ll blow your mind. They call me a halfa. Half what? The important bit is I’m half alive. The other important bit is I’m half dead. 

Mom, fun fact. The ghost zone leadership operates by right of conquest. Remember what I was saying earlier about fighting gods?

Mom, fun fact. The ghost zone leadership operates by right of conquest. Another fun fact is that I've fought gods before, so really you don’t need to worry about this next bit

Hey, at least everything wouldn’t be neon green, then. 

Mom, God isn’t real. I think i’d’ve killed them by now. “Killed” in the loosest sense of the word. They probably would’ve killed me for real all the way, by now. 

The ceremony was a week from today. Today was the deadline to tell her. Clockwork didn’t look particularly surprised that Danny procrastinated until the last minute to start the letter. 

Mom, ghosts are way more intelligent than you give them

Mom, ghosts are way more intelligent than you give us credit for. They even have a governing system! Had. My bad. I’m working on fixing it. How? 

Mom, I failed my 10th grade Gov exam on the American Executive system. Sorry for not telling you before. You didn’t notice at the time. I’m telling you now because

Make or break the timeline, Danny. 

Mom, 

I’m writing this letter because I’ve been hiding something from you. I don’t know if you noticed. There's a lot of things you haven’t noticed. Remember the accident I had in the lab when I was fourteen? When I was hospitalized for a month? You and dad were so excited the portal finally turned on that you didn’t question how it happened. Or how I was doing. That’s fine, I didn’t really care, because Jazz was there for me. 

    I died, Mom. I died and I didn’t really die and I half-died. They call me a halfa. The other ghosts, that is. Half-dead, half-alive. I’m Phantom, mom. I fight the other ghosts to keep the town safe. They’re mostly cool now, though. Fighting each other for all eternity with no true winners or losers isn’t really appealing to them. Most of them. This isn’t the point.

    There’s one ghost I fought where winning or losing did matter. It mattered a lot, actually. His name was Phariah Dark, and he was the king of the Infinite Realms. Was, because I beat him. And now I’m the king of the Infinite Realms. I promise I didn’t do it on purpose. Become king, I mean. I did beat him on purpose. This also isn’t the point.

    My coronation is on Halloween. The ghosts think it's funny. And auspicious. And convenient. This is kind of short notice, but Clockwork didn’t really give me a ton of time to prepare to tell you. 

    I know we haven’t, you know, talked a lot recently. We’re not talking now. You’re in the lab back at home, and I’m in the Zone, writing a letter to you instead of talking to you face-to-face. But I still want to ask you to come. To the coronation. To my coronation. I’m being officially crowned the King of the Infinite Realms on Halloween, and I, Daniel Fenton, am inviting you, Madeline Fenton, to my coronation. There we go. I said it. 

I love,

Please dont kill,

Cordially,

Thanks,

Sincerely,

Danny Fenton

Make or break the timeline, Danny. 

Danny summoned the Crown of Fire into being. He held it in one hand, carefully, cautiously.

In the other hand he picked up the letter. 

It burned in a blaze of red-orange-yellow.