#this is very rambly and half thought out but i'm very attached to it

[k9effect]

I thought about Mav passed out at his work desk with headphones on and it spiralled into this whole thing

Mav always felt a little lonely.

Even when he had people around him who loved him, he always ended up on his own one way or another and felt that loneliness seeping in. Goose was the first to notice. Before Goose's trips back to Tennessee to see Carole included Mav, he would come back to base to hear about how his pilot had lost a bit of his shine while he was away.

That's when Goose started making the recordings.

It was a small gift, but it meant the world to Mav. A brand new walkman, headphones and all, and a single cassette tape. This tape didn't have music on it, no, it contained a three hour recording of Goose reading though the F-14 Tomcat Flight Manual and adding in his own comedic commentary.

He wasn't sure what Mav would think of it, but when he returned home from another trip and found his pilot curled up asleep on the lounge, headphones on, walkman clutched in his hands, the tape run through, he realised he had made the right decision. Once Mav stirred, realising Goose had returned, he pulled the RIO onto the couch and thanked him for how thoughtful and considerate of a gift it was. That it made him feel less alone.

Goose continued the recordings. They were simple things he could make while completing other work. An hour recording here of Goose rambling while he completed chores, half an hour recording there of Goose muttering while he completes some paperwork. Even after Mav started joining him on his trips to Carole and they inevitably became attached at the hip, Goose continued making recordings. They grew more sincere over time, telling Mav that he was loved and he was strong and could get through anything.

Maverick was very glad he continued making them. It was a piece of Goose he could always carry with him.

Because one day, Goose wasn't there anymore.

Ice was never quite certain why his wingman was always listening to music on a busted walkman, but he never questioned it.

That was until he was packing Mav an overnight bag after an accident and Mav had specifically requested the walkman. Ice had taken a closer look at it and seen the writing on the cassette.

‘GOOSE - 12’

Curiosity got the better of him and he pulled on the headphones and pressed play.

“Y'know, Mav-” It was Goose's voice, Ice realised with a pang deep in his chest, “- I'm pretty sure, by like, most, if not all, the laws of aviation, you should have broken our Tomcat's airframe several times over. I honestly don't know how she's still together-” There was the clinking of dishes and sloshing of water along with the distinct sound of a bristly, sudsy brush scrubbing metal. “- What sort of demon did you make a deal with to manage this? I'm not arguing, I'd rather not face a board of inquiry again, but I'm curious.”

Ice paused it.

He realised very quickly what the cassette was and that, judging on the number, there were more of these.

Mav was always listening to Goose talk.

He packed the walkman into the overnight bag with much more care than he offered possibly anything.

Mav stared.

He blinked once, then twice. But it changed nothing.

There was a cassette sitting on his bed. On it, was scribbled a name and a number.

‘ICE - 1’

Beneath it was a small, simple note.

‘Listen to me.’

Mav pushed the cassette into his walkman and, sitting down, let it play.

“Hey, Mav. Sorry if this is weird for you, it sure feels weird for me. I- uh- I realised what the walkman is for. I'm sorry I teased you for it, it's not dumb and old. I know Slider thought you were pretty cool for having one. He's got one too. But anyways, I found a recording of Goose and I realised why you have this so I thought, y'know, maybe I could make you some new ones? To make up for the teasing at least. I mightn't be as good as Goose but I'll give it my best shot. I've got a book here, I'm just gonna read it out loud for a while, okay? Okay. Here we go…”

Mav listened to the whole thing in one sitting. It was long and sweet and Mav felt something aching inside him, something that hadn't ached in a long time.

Every week or so, Mav would find another cassette in his room with an increased number on it. It was just Ice for a while, but then he found one labelled ‘SLIDER - 1’. Then another a few months later labelled ‘HOLLYWOOD - 1’, then ‘WOLFMAN - 1’. His collection grew as more people helped continue Goose's legacy.

The day he found ‘VIPER - 1’ he felt like he was five again. Viper's recording was two hours worth of him recounting childhood stories of Mav, stories of him with his parents, of just his parents, and deployment tales of his dad.

Once Mav buys his first proper home, an old hangar out in the Mojave Desert, he builds a small shelf to hold all of his cassettes instead of keeping them in a bag or a box. It's then, when they're all neatly organised together, that he realises just how many he has.

The original thirty-one from Goose.

Three from Carole.

One short one from Bradley.

Seventeen from Iceman.

Ten from Slider.

Seven each from Hollywood and Wolfman.

Four from Chipper.

Three from Sunny.

And, so far, Two from Viper.

He doesn't feel so lonely anymore. Everyone he loves has put time and effort into making sure he doesn't feel alone. That instead, he feel loved.

And he sure does.

Even now, years down the track, Ice will stumble upon Maverick passed out at his work desk late at night ontop of a half finished project, with his old walkman next to him, headphones on, listening to Goose laugh his way through the Tomcat manual.

[nectardaddy]

mirage | suna rintarou

four | scandalous ★

masterlist

ignore timestamps

cw/notes: some sexual humor, terrible description of getting a tattoo, messy messy messy, my iwa simps are eating good today

There was a hum in the air, a sharp twang ringing as it muddled with music. The low drone coming from a speaker beside her; subconsciously mouthing the words to it as her eyes tracked the man's arm. Gaze narrowing before taking a paper towel and wiping down, earning a small groan in return. Tattooing the "sweet spot" of his inner arm, just above the elbow - the only blank area left on his right arm. It hurt like a bitch.

"You weren't kidding last night about being heavy handed." Commenting with a groan as she pressed the tattoo needle to his arm once more, flexing his hand into a fist with a sharp inhale. "I think you're trying to kill me."

"Oh, grow up," she laughed. As she turned to dip the needle in the ink container, she cast her gaze over to him, locking eyes with him for a brief moment before turning away. Don't look at me like that, good god. He was handsome, that she couldn't deny even if she wanted to. Black ink winding down both arms and stopping just before his hands, a cut off that was stark but blended well. "You're the one who came in regardless, I did warn you."

Iwaizumi wasn't a stranger to the ramblings of the woman, often finding himself enjoying them the many times he came in. But this one was different, an aura of dejection around her today, that juxtaposed her usual irritability as he listened to her speak. Asking him rhetorical questions to gauge his attentiveness; ones he was always ready to answer. Maybe it was merely a distraction from the discomfort he felt on his arm, that slowly merged to a numbing feeling as time passed, maybe it was something else.

"I listened to the song you suggested last time by the way. Best interest." Telling him in an effort to shift the conversation to a lighter subject, tired of speaking about her relationship woes. Though the tone shift of the conversation was palpable, a bit hesitant, and heavy.

"Yeah? Did you like it?"

"I did." She paused a moment from her actions, formally shading part of his arm, now glancing to look up at him with a small smile. "Pretty scandalous though. There something you're trying to tell me, Iwa?" She asked half joking, laughing off her own question before flicking her eyes back down to continue shading.

"And if there is?"

Another pause as his question caught her off guard, a small 'huh' leaving her lips as her eyes snapped up to him again. Oh fuck he's dead serious. His earnestness made her hesitate and she pulled away the tattoo gun completely, instinctively knowing she didn't want to mess up. Locking eyes with him once more as she opened her mouth to say something, then promptly shutting it as no words came.

"I'm sorry, that was really forward," the man found himself quickly backtracking the conversation but the question was already out in the ether. He saw it. Swirling in her eyes - contemplating it.

"No, don't apologize." Giving him a nervous smile in response. "I actually wouldn't be opposed."

I kind of hate this but we ball. first time doing something so messy so bear with me ugh

once again thank you @eggyrocks for your very correct thoughts on iwa's music taste, your playlist was the reason I attached this song to this moment

iwa knows every possible detail about the situation and still asked her. it's more of he thinks she's pretty and she needs a distraction than he wants to ruin this for suna

they are only getting a drink guys I swear, I know this is a suna fic

yachi pulled yn in the back room as soon as he left and whisper yelled that she heard everything and was fully freaking out

yn downplayed it hard

taglist under cut

@mollyrolls @causenessus @froyaoya @seroh @eggyrocks

@nbcvs @rory-cakes @localgaytrainwreck @kodzu-ken @hermaeusmorax

@sunafc @lvtilzs @kr1nqu @hyenagoated @gsyche

@le000xxgrd @iheartpinky @strxwberri-s @wolffmaiden @yogurtkags 

@superboywife @cherrypieyourface @soulfullystarry @bedeater @a-little-pebbl

@miliondollagirl @toges-cough-syrup

[falinesimagines]

🎲 Kakegurui girls x Reader Headcanons♥️

Kirari, Ririka, Midari

Tw : none

Sfw, suggestive

Kirari🐟

Pda!

Kisses, sitting you on her lap, a hand around your waist or on your shoulder, she loves being able to touch you whenever she wants and no one can say anything about it.

Loves to play with your hair

Big spoon

One of her fish is named after you

She taught you how to braid her hair (Sayaka's still the one that does it for her though)

You know you'll never win a game against her but she somehow always finds a way to convince you into gambling against her

Huge, lavish gifts that you really don't know what to do with anymore (What even have her the idea of giving you a pony?? Where are you going to keep it???)

Too good of a listener (why does she remember things you don't remember telling her??)

You've noticed people purposefully losing ain't you and you believe you have reason to suspect it's because of how afraid everyone is of crossing your gf...

Ririka🎭

Pda is a NO!

She's far too shy and insecure to even hold your hand in private, let alone in front of the school! Maybe she'll behind more open to it eventually

Alot more confident when she's wearing her mask

Little spoon

Headbutts you like a cat with her mask (she's awkward just be patient with her please)

Expect extravagant gifts you never would have thought you'd be able to get, it's one of the only ways she's somewhat confident in showing affection.

Great listener, she loves to hear you talk about your favourite movie or that one person from you met when you were five or a cool bug you saw on your way to school the other day.

She looks at you like you're the most precious thing in the world to her

She loves play with your hair or fingers

Feels like she's going insane when you seem interested in whatever she's talking about

No one really listens to her or even notices her when she's around so to have someone genuinely engaged in her rambles or thoughts is the most amazing thing she could ever have.

Midari🖋️

Pda no matter where you are. (If it was a competition she'd be beating Kirari by a landslide)

Sat on her lap during a council meeting, making out in the hallways, saying inappropriate things to or about you in front of people.

Wouldn't be able to keep her hands off of you

Big spoon

Would probably be confused if you were actually romantic with her (she was assuming this would just be sexual at first)

Shows off her gun(s) to you and loves to ramble about them (You now know way more about guns then you ever thought you would)

Diy piercings🫶(please get them checked out by a professional)

She's begging to get matching tattoos

Scary dog privileges (like a feral doberman with rabies and guns attached to it's back)

She loves sneaking into your room late at night (you are both very tired and late for school the next day)

————————————————————————————————

Sorry if these don't come across very well, I wrote most of these half asleep and very stressed (⁠-⁠_⁠-⁠;⁠)

I've got exams for the next two weeks but I promise I'm working on both the Heather Duke and Ramattra x reader oneshots! I'll try and get small things out in the meantime.

[noodle-made-a-mistake]

A short list of things that bother me about the Magisterium canon:

Forgive me in advance for rambling, I have to get these thoughts out of my brain lmao (also it's been a couple years so correct me if I'm wrong! (I really hope I’m wrong on some of these :’) )) Spoilers ahead obviously!

● The lack of Calron :(

● Not taking the opportunity to develop Tamara's character and keeping her static until she's randomly just different. Strong female characters aren't just skilled and perfect until their one flaw (usually it's having feelings like any other human being) is revealed shockingly (that's just sloppy characterization), they should be crucial to the plot and not overlooked in favor of developing other characters (from what I remember she literally was my favorite while reading the series until she just got annoying (??) after a while, of course that could just be because the story is told through Call's perspective but still)

● The entire school system that I need more info on bc it sounds so unthought out and not like something that has existed for hundreds of years

● The forceful nature of making people serve as masters?? That makes no sense? Like, “Congratulations on not dying during your schooling or in the war(s), your prize is forced labor 👍.”

● Also THE COLLEGIUM WAS MENTIONED AND NEVER ELABORATED UPON

● TGT. Least favorite book. Get out. Tgt truthers how do you do it??

● The Maugris plot twist. It destroys the meaning behind the past four books. It's just so uncalled for and frankly just sloppy ig? I love the idea in a way, but only if it's foreshadowed from the beginning. Also I'm too attached to the complicated dynamic of Alastair raising his possible ex-bestie for it to end up like that

● The fact that the iron trio is out of school for half the series, I'd like to know what's normal, y'know??

● THE LACK OF ELABORATION ABOUT THE FIRST GEN I WANT TO KNOW MORE I HAVE TO KNOW MORE

● They did my man Constantine especially wrong, give him some ✨️character✨️ aside from E V I L and problematic (trademark) and charming (???)

● AND ALASTAIR GOD TELL ME MORE?? He's characterized as distant and obviously traumatized with his hate of his magic involved past but I just need to know what that past was like. Like who was he before his dead wife syndrome?? Idk but I'd of liked any excuse to know more about it just so I can understand him more??

● Please give me a single character trait of Declan's?? Like he was mentioned a handful of times and that's all we got. He was just some guy and I am hating it !!

● And Sarah. Like. She was a mom and liked peace as a concept but she also made a cool ass knife. That's a lot of things left up for interpretation. And I know Call wasn’t allowed to ask questions for plot reasons but god i wish he had more information about his own dead mother for Christ's sake

● Also other than a victim, who was Jericho? I need to know who this kid who drew scribbles in the margins of his very important journal while writing about how he was slowly being killed was. What was his relationship really like with his brother if he was so scared to say that he was dying or what gave him the impression that he didn't care?? It's fascinating and I need him under a microscope immediately

● Also the lack of queer representation until the last two books. AND THEN IT WASN'T EVEN ANY OF OUR MAIN CAST. Literally the saddest L ever :(

● AND AARON WAS NEVER CONFIRMED QUEER LIKE WHAT THE FUCK JUST L O O K AT HIS CHARACTER AND INFACT ALL OF OUR CORE CAST IS AT LEAST BI LIKE C O M E O N (ik they're like kids but even I knew I was not straight when I was like 11 and i lived in the most conservative non-LGBTQ-friendly town known to man)

● Low key, callmara was so bad, like I love them but not the way it happened, horrible set up. Tamara deserved so much better and to not have her entire character destroyed by becoming a love interest. I wish they thought about her as an independent character instead of the means to implement a romantic subplot in tgt, they did so good in the first books with that

● Also there's no elaboration on what chaos is. It's the mystical 5th element. Wow! Let's go girl, give us nothing! You'd think that if Makaris were so exceptionally rare and special that we'd get some explanation on how they come to be and what it is exactly that they can control but we're just left to assume it's the special "chosen one" type of thing. Idk it bothers me for some reason :/

That's just off the top of my head and it's been years since I read the series all the way through (I should do a reread soon). For the most part I adore this funky series and I hate to bash it but I felt the need to ramble about it's shortcomings because I'm not crazy, right?? It had so much potential! Anyway, I'm sort of glad for the blanks in the story despite complaining about them because it leaves room for fics and fan interpretations that I always love to see, but on the other hand, I'd like for the story to feel finished and not like a last minute science fair project.

Thanks for sticking around for my late night rambling lmao

[lizzyscribbles]

Today's MHA ramble is either gonna be great or ineligible and there will be no in-between. I'm on my computer instead of my phone today so I can type so much faster, but, I am slightly dehydrated and out of it because I just spent like eight hours outside in the sun for a renaissance fair so maybe I'll just pass out half way through, who knows.

Lizzy's MHA thought/ramble of the night: MHA and why I think it does the "power of friendship" trope the correct way (IE: Not cringy/weird).

Now, I honestly think trying to wrap up the intricacies of the end of MHA in just "the power of friendship!!" is doing the series a huge disservice, but in its simplest form, that kind of is what happens. To be honest, I'm such a sucker for this trope. I love it when we get to see all the people the MC (Izuku in this case) has made an impact on over the course of the series and they all come together to back the main character, that is thee shit and I will eat it up.

However, the thing I love about MHA's approach to this is something we see explored a lot through the series: the idea that you don't have to go at it alone. Like, I feel like the ending has so much more of an impact because instead of them all the other characters standing behind him and going "Yay!! You can do it!! Good job!!" No, instead they run beside him and say "rest, we'll clear you a path. We know we can't do this for you, but at least let us do this".

Because that's what a friend is. That's what friendship is. It's realizing that not only is a friend someone you want to protect, but it's someone who protects you.

It gives me chills Every. Damn. Time.

It's through that we get to see the impact Izuku has made on everyone in the series. I joke with people that even when Izuku has nothing to do with something that's happening, he has something to do with it, and that really comes to a head in the final chapters. In a sort of ironic way, it's what ends up defeating All for One, because it's literally the only thing he never managed to get. Deku says as much while they're fighting, that deep down All for One really is just a lonely man. He had power, people to do his bidding and hang on his every word, but the top of the world is a very isolating place to be because there's no one who can look you in the eye. Followers and friends are two different things, a friend is an equal, a follower is a pawn.

I think it's why All for One was so attached to his younger brother Yoichi, because deep down, he knew All for One in ways that no one ever could. It was the closest to a genuine loving relationship he ever got.

Honestly, it's part of why All Might failed the first time around too. He had a few friends, sure, but in the end he was surrounded by mostly fans. People who adored and appreciated him, but did so from behind a barricade. All Might pretty much worked alone - and Deku definitely couldn't have made the progress he made without the trail All Might blazed - but Deku had the one thing All Might never did: People who fought alongside him even when he didn't want them to.

And, honestly? I can't blame All Might for avoiding it. After all, Deku almost does this same thing. They both wanted to protect people so badly they don't want to accept help. They see themselves as the only person who's allowed to make sacrifices because they're so scared they'll loose someone. It's part of the reason I find such comfort in Izuku as a character, because he never wants to see anyone else hurt because of him.

However, because Deku reached out first in the beginning, because he made friends and took care of them whenever he could, because treated them as equals, they said "too bad so sad, you get our help whether you like it or not, because that's what you'd do for us". It's the beauty of those final episodes of season six and why I love them so much, because 1-A had no reason to go after Deku other than they were worried about him. They didn't take no for an answer, because sometimes it's a friend's job to take you by the hand and scream in your face to "TAKE A NAP!!! EAT SOME FOOD!! YOU'RE WEARING YOURSELF DOWN AND YOU NEED A BREAK!!! SIT DOWN AND LET US CARRY YOU FOR A WHILE!!!"

It's exactly like Ochaco says, they don't want to be protected. They're not fragile victims to be looked after. They didn't get blindly wrapped up in this mess, they dove in head first because they cared about Izuku and wanted to stand at his side.

And therein lies the difference.

All for One had followers.

All Might had fans.

Deku had friends.

Followers will only do as they're told. Fans will only cheer on. But friends? You can't tell them to do shit, they do what they want, and if they want to help you then they will. Friends go the extra mile. Friends run beside you when no one else can. Friends clear the path for you so you can deliver that final big ass punch.

That's the magic of this trope, and you can see it so clearly here because it's realistic. And by that I mean Izuku doesn't get a magical burst of energy because everyone was cheering his name from the sidelines. It came from them actually doing shit to give him a chance. It came from Aizawa bandaging his wounds, it came from Iida grabbing his hand and half-dragging him across the battle field, it came from Eri giving a little bit of her quirk, it came from Bakugo showing up at the last second to blast the crap out of someone, it came from the countless attacks launched by the rest of the heroes to give him a chance to get back on his feet.

You know what they say, actions speak louder than words, and that's the magic of this kind of storytelling. We don't need to be told they care through chants or claps, they just show us.

That's the true "power of friendship". People who don't just stand beside you, but sometimes run in front of you so you don't trip over that stump in the path.

That's friendship. That's love. And I think that's incredibly beautiful.

...these posts get longer every time. Maybe I need to stick to my phone so my thumbs get tired faster. 😂 This is what happens when I'm allowed to cook late at night. If you made it to the end, thank you and I salute you.

[anzulvr]

ʚɞ On Purpose Karma x (fem) Reader || Chapter: 2 ୨୧

Prev || 02 Butterfly Effect|| next

Karma hadn't made it to class yet, he wasn't know for being punctual much less early. Rio, Fuwa and Hinano were hovered around Ritsu's main screen with anticipation.

"Ritsu what did you find out? The suspense is killing us!" Hinano asked.

Ritsu nodded, she'd even programmed a detective outfit for herself, taking her job as the investigator very seriously, "Rio was right, He lied about getting a call and met up with someone."

With a dramatic gasp, Fuwa exclaimed, "Sounds like a shady deal scenario? That reminds me of a manga I read where—"

"Not at all! I couldn't see her face or anything but he called her [Name]! They sounded friendly with each other... it's a relief that nothing dangerous happened." Before Fuwa went off on another one of her Shonen rants, Ritsu interrupted her.

"I told you guys! He totally has a secret girlfriend!" Hinano cheered.

Maehara rushed over as if the words '[Name]' and "girlfriend" in the same conversation had summoned him. "No way! Karma's going out with [Name]?!"

"You know her?" Rio questioned.

"Do I know her?! She's rejected me a bunch of times- I was worried I was the problem but if she's dating Karma it all makes sense!"

"You are the problem! She rejected you 'cause you're a womanizer." Isogai shouted from across the room.

"Maehara you're so loud- now everyone knows Karma has a secret girlfriend!" Fuwa chastised, Ironically everyone who was too preoccupied with their own talks to hear the conversation up till this point heard it from Fuwa.

"KARMA HAS A SECRET GIRLFRIEND?!" Fuwa winced at the overwhelming reaction from everyone.

Ritsu elaborated, "I don't want to give misleading information, I'm making assumptions based on one interaction, I was going to go through their chat logs but that felt invasive... I did calculate their compatibility and it's very likely."

"Well what did you hear?" Kayano asked

"Not much, they're going out to eat at the cafè Isogai works at after school."

"We should go then! To see what they're up to and what not." Kayano's eyes light up, like a child whose tasted ice-cream for the first time.

"You just want to go 'cause they sell pudding." Sugaya sweat drops.

"That's only half the reason!"

Isogai suggests, "You all don't need to worry about it, I have a shift today anyways, so I can keep an eye on them."

"No way! I wanna see it first hand!" Hinano counters insistently.

Everyone is startled when Korosensei appears in the middle of the group, thanks to his heightened sense of hearing he is always there when gossip is involved.

"Young love is such a beautiful thing... I could die of happiness right now." He dabs his tears of joy with a handkerchief.

Nagisa, clearly taken aback by his sudden appearance, asks, "How long have you been here?!"

"for one, I think we should help him on his date. We should get her flowers on his behalf and attach a letter with his forged signature. We can send it to her doorstep and—" Korosensei rambles on and on with his own pushy ideas.

Rio stresses, "We are not doing anything, you can't get involved. We don't need her fainting at the sight of you." 

"Yeah that would be hard to explain..." Isogai thought out loud, their dismissal makes Korosensei turn blue with shock, there's no way they're going to meddle without the wingman himself.

"I'm great at disguises! No one will suspect a thing! I promise I won't interfere! I'll listen!" In a moment of desperateness, He leeches on to any excuse that comes to mind.

"Stop getting your tears everywhere! We should plan this later, if Karma catches wind of it, we're so dead." Hinano couldn't help but shudder at the thought.

"Why would you be dead?" Karma walked through the door, timing couldn't have been better.

"NOTHING!" Hinano's shoulders tensed up as she instinctively answered

Karma paid little to no mind to her reaction, he sat down in his seat. His classmates on the other hand were exchanging weird looks. Hinano seemed especially apologetic. Everyone's strange reactions sparked some interest in him but he didn't care enough to delve deeper into the matter. 

[its-all-papaya]

for the ask game :

👗 put away clean laundry (a trope you’d like to see me write)

what about accidental marriage landoscar or a trapped in an elevator fic ?

okay i got two of these (thank you deeply, i've been fishing everything out of The Pile for the last few days and it sucks) so i put away HALF of the laundry and i'll do the other half after this and answer the other ask after that.

↠ please make me do my chores

trapped in an elevator landoscar is fascinating to me because i feel like depending on when it is, the vibes would vary so incredibly wildly. my first thought was like after a mid qualifying or a bad race, trying to get back to their rooms and lando is just a Bitch because he's moody and wants to be face-down in bed and this so incredibly inconvenient and he just. can't be here. oscar's being mild and trying to joke to make lando feel a bit better, and lando's trying to be kind bc that's his boy fr, but eventually he's like "this is a fucking joke, are we ever going to get out?" not sure where it would go from there, but feels like eventually they'd either Talk About It or Oscar would go anybody, nowhere mode and be like "if you sit in my lap and i rub ur back for a bit and you can put ur nose in my neck, would that help you chill out until we're free?" i'm partial to that one but i can't just write the same landoscar narrative over and over you know? maybe i can. who's to say.

the other option kicking around in my silly brain is Drunk getting-together Landoscar in an elevator bc i think we are all aware of lando's favorite post-drinking activity of finding a man to hang onto. so oscar trying to get him home to his apartment or hotel room but then they get trapped. and lando is like plastered to oscar's side already (probably oscar's been holding his hand since they left the club or whatever so lando would stop looking so sad) so when the elevator stops he's amenable for a bit. leaning into oscar's side with all his body weight so oscar HAS to put his arm around lando to keep him from collapsing. and when it's been long enough, eventually, they're sat together on the floor, lando's head on oscar's shoulder, "osc, can you play with my hair? i like when people touch my hair" and oscar is like "is that true?" bc lando is like. kind of neurotic about it sometimes. and lando is like "yes, of course! not at work, you muppet, that would be crazy" (even though oscar's totally touched lando's hair like a dozen times at work and lando's only ever grinned at him about it) "only when it's the right time. like when i'm sucking someone off and they pull my hair, that's the right time for sure." and oscar is like... oh! okay! cool, that's such a fun fact about you! and who knows where lando's drunk ramblings would take them from there!! (fuck me this feels so strongly like another fucking wip i need to lay off the microsoft word 'new document' button so baddddly)

accidental marriage landoscar.... (almost forgot the second half of this bc got distracted thinking about drunk lando telling oscar he looooooves it when men call him pretty). okay... idk how this would even happen and i need to sell things to myself to make the fic work, like it's got to be at least distantly very abstractly believable to me... but you know they'd be a disaster. it's not speaking to me the way trapped in an elevator is, but i love domestic shit so i could probably make this work if i thought about it longer than like 35 seconds... i'd probably make it kind of fake dating-y in theory like forced proximity...rings...that lando tottttttalllly doesn't get sooooo attached to why would you even ASK him that?? anyway.

[kafus]

pasting a ramble i did on discord of analysis/conjecture/headcanons about liko's home life/upbringing, with strong likodot flavor in the latter half as usual, nearly verbatim because i think i worded it pretty much perfectly the first time while relaying my thoughts to friends... just edited for easier reading slightly

liko doesn’t canonically show attachment issues or abandonment worries really, but i headcanon her with some of that because like. parents busy all the time. not a lot of people in her life and the ones that are, aka mainly her caretakers (she's implied to not really have friends at the start of the show) don’t communicate with her great or are sometimes unavailable for stretches of time.

it makes a lot of sense to me that canonically the brave asagi feels like home so quickly to her. because it’s stable. the same people are always there, she literally lives with them on an airship. but like. they're stable adult figures that aren’t disappearing for periods of time, and friede’s forgetfulness aside (lighthearted), people who communicate with her better. this does wonders for her bdjdjdsk

i also think her selflessness to point of fault could tie in with this, like blaming herself for situations and shrugging off her own feelings (she often doesn’t even notice when she herself is upset/moody on multiple occasions!!) could have been a habit developed from this very thing. she loves her parents and doesn’t want to have to view them as absent or being poor at communication so everything is her fault. she doesn’t want to be pointing blame or to cause problems when people are home or things are good so she dissociates away her own feelings and is very polite and considerate of anything that comes up.

i say all this because i think it’d be an interesting way to spin liko’s character who is already interesting. but also i got to thinking about this manifesting in her relationship with dot down the line. cause like adult figures are one thing but also friends and hell having a girlfriend is kind of different. and dot does actually get busy sometimes because she is still working as gurumin on top of schoolwork (this is headcanons for vaguely what a couple years from now as of HZ053 at the time of writing might look like or something. dot going to more normal schooling similar to how liko has been, on top of still being gurumin)

this starts sparking anxiety in liko but first she shoves it down and acts like it’s fine. and then it starts slipping through the cracks. cue comedy of her being like WHY AM I THINKING CRAZY THINGS LIKE “I WANT TO INTERRUPT GURUMIN VIDEO EDITING TO HANG OUT WHO HAVE I BECOME WHAT SORT OF GURUMIN FAN AM I AHHHH also i don't want to be clingy to dot she likes her independent space...”

still, her response is to be like no it's fine, i have to be fine with this, i'm just acting crazy, dot has literally never done anything to warrant me feeling like this, i am being a bad girlfriend. and dot notices this in her demeanor and is like hey what's wrong? and liko’s like What!

anyway they talk it out and come to some sort of middle ground where of course dot still needs to be alone sometimes either to focus or to just have alone time in general. she’s not gonna let liko derail into a worsening spiral of clinginess. but! she is going to reassure her that it’s fine!

and also cue liko sometimes being able to hang out quietly in her room doing her own thing like lying in dot’s bed on her phone while dot video edits... also way more self indulgent, extremely “this is so not canon but i am a shipper let me live” imagery: dot managing her gurumin socials on her phone in her bed with one hand and liko lying on her bed partially on her lap like a lapcat while dot pets her hair with the other hand. in this essay i will

thanks for coming to my ted talk i've been rotating this in my brain for weeks

[nights-legacy]

Hello, how are you? i would like to ask if you could do a imagine if you don't mind with hawks please where he gave him one of his feathers and at some point he starts to feel an extra heartbeat and realizes that she's pregnant, but no one even knew the reader with fluff please

Hope you like it! This was so cute to work on.

Baby Detector?- Hawks

Masterlist MHA Masterlist

1541 words

Warning: None

+ After a scare, Hawks gives you one of his feathers to give you both some peace of mind. A couple of months down the road, he notices something that sends his mind whirling.

Being the No. 2 Hero is a dangerous job. Hawks has known very little of the domestic, fluffy life of being in a relationship. He honestly thought he would never experience that until he met you. You had completely flipped his world around for the better. He wanted to flaunt you to the world but he had seen how other Heroes' significant others had been in danger. He didn't want that so you both agreed to keep your relationship a secret.

Y/N's POV

I trudged into the apartment after a long day. Working for a publishing company, especially being the head assistant, Lends itself to being a busy job. It didn't help that there was a villain attack just outside our building, causing us to have to evacuate half way through the day.

"Keigo! I'm home." I snogged off my coat. Just as I took off my shoes, I was enveloped from behind by strong arms and wings. "Oh, hi!"

"Are you alright?" Keigo whispered into the back of my neck. I smiled at his concern. I set my head on top of his.

"Yes, baby. I'm fine."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there. I was knee deep in another attack when I heard about your building and I..."

"Keigo!" I interrupted his rambling. I turned to cradle his face in my hands. "I am fine. I'm not hurt in any way."

"Good." He ran his hands up and down my arms while wrapping his wings tighter. He kissed my forehead. "Come on. I made dinner." He stepped back.

"You made dinner? Keigo Takami made dinner?" I joved. He rolled his eyes as he pulled me along.

"Ha ha. I know it's rare but I beat you home for once. So I decided to whip something up for when you got home." He shrugged. We got to the table and I saw a variety of things.

"Whip something up? You sure you're not trying to provide for a slew of people?" I laughed. He chuckled. "This is so nice, Kei. I'm going to wash up and be right back." I packed his lips and slipped away.

We ate until we were stuffed and well satisfied. We just finished the dishes and he drug me to the living room. He was all giddy and I couldn't help but chuckle at him. He sat me down on the couch.

"Okay. What's gotten into you?"

"I have something for you. Close your eyes." I shook my head but did as he asked. I heard him move away before returning quickly. "Okay hold out your hands. There, now open." I opened my eyes to see one of Keigo's feathers in my palms. It was attached to a beautiful gold chair.

"Keigo?" I looked up at him. He smiled.

"I wanted you to have one of my feathers. So you always know I'm with you. Also in case you ever need me, you have the most direct link. You know how my quirk works. So Yeah." He sat down next to me.

"Keigo... thank you." I leant forward and kissed him sweetly. "This is so thoughtful. Thank you." I put the necklace on before cuddling into his side.

"You're welcome my love." He got comfortable on the couch, cradling us in his wings.

"Buutt ... I know this is a double meaning gift." I felt him tense. "It's also so you can make sure for yourself that I'm alright. Especially after something like today."

"That obvious?" He chuckled before smiling sheepishly.

"Come on Keigo." I chuckled, pushing back to look at him. "You gave me this on the same day I was nearly in a catastrophe. You're slick but not that slick Hawks." I booped his nose. He laughed. He pulled me back down into his chest.

"Can't pull the wool over your eyes." I hummed before kissing him. The kiss started out simple and sweet but after a few moments, I wanted more. I squirmed around to sit on his lap, deepening the kiss. We pulled away, breathing heavily. He picked up the feather. "I can feel your heart beating."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And it's racing." He set his hand on my chest. "Are we excited lovebird? Do you want something?" He ducked under and kissed along my jawline.

"Keigo. If you even think about teasing..." I started but he cut me off with a kiss.

"Sh, sh. Don't worry." He said against my lips. He stood up with me in his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist. "I know what you want. I want it too."

"Then do something." I mumbled as he walked to our room.

*A couple of months later*

3rd POV

Hawks was sitting on a wall, taking a short break while Endeavor was on the phone with one of his kids. Shoto from the sound of it. It was a nice day. Not too hot with a nice breeze that blew through his feathers. At the feeling, he decided to check up on Y/N. He focused on the feather.

"There we go." He said as he felt her heart beat. He could feel her breathing evenly and that the heart rate was normal. No trouble, good. He thought to himself. He was about to move on when something small caught his attention. It was a small pitter patter that he could have easily missed. He "listened" for a moment to try and figure out what it was.

He wriggled his feather to juxtaposition where it laid on her. He determined it was on her stomach. He was stumped.

"What could it ..." He froze in realization. Soft sound. Pitter patter. Stomach. "She's... Oh man." He fell off the wall at the surprise.

"Good God, Hawks. Pull yourself together." Endeavor said as he narrowed his eyes at the birdman.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course Endeavor." He dusted himself off, shaking out his wings. He was jittery all over and the rest of the day he was restless. As soon as he got home, he was calling for Y/N. "Baby! Baby, where are you?"

"I'm here. In our room." Y/N called. He was across the apartment in a flash. He flew in the bedroom door. "Woah, woah! What's going on?"

Y/N's POV

I stared at him as he caught his breath. He looked like he had run a marathon. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for him to calm down. I couldn't help but chuckle at his appearance.

"Give me a second." He held up a finger. I held in another laugh. I could tell by his wings that he was excited about something.

"What's got you in such a tizzy?"

"I'm not for sure but I think I may have some big news." He straightened up and took a big breath.

"Okay then what's this maybe big news?" I asked. He took a step closer. I could see he was a bit nervous. I reared up and stroked his cheek. "Keigo?"

"I checked up on you today. Through, you know. When I did, I noticed something." He started. I urged him on. "I noticed a small sound that was barely there."

"You're not making any sense, Keigo." He chuckled. He looked down at my stomach before setting a hand on it.

"I heard what sounded like a heartbeat underneath yours, right here." I looked down at his hand and it took a moment to put two and two together.

"What!" I exclaimed. I looked him in the eyes. "You mean you think I'm..."

"Yeah." He nodded.

"I'm pregnant?" I said breathlessly.

"It's just a maybe but there is definitely something going on. So maybe be a good idea to go to the doctor?" He suggested. I was in a daze, still comprehending his words. "Baby?"

"Yes, yes. Doctor. Yes, I'll make an appointment. Um..."

"I want to go with you so can you schedule it on my day off." He asked.

"Keigo."

"Yes?" He met my eyes.

"That means someone will know about us..." He must have just now realized that.

"Right well. This um..." He stumbled on his words. He paused before a look of determination came over his face. "I will not let you go through this on your own. If you are pregnant, I won't have people thinking you're some type of hussy. They need to know that you are an honest woman and there is someone taking care of you." He said strongly.

"How chivalrous of you." I chuckled lightly. He smiled, setting his forehead on mine.

"Plus, it wouldn't be so bad if people knew, right? At least the people we're closest to us?"

"Yes. It wouldn't be so bad." I agreed. "On both people knowing and our own... Our own baby."

"Can you imagine it? A kid of our own?"

"Yeah. I can." I said, looking down at his hand still on my stomach. I place mine on top of his before reaching up to cup his cheek.

"A mini us." he whispered before kissing me. I sighed, kissing him back. He pulled away suddenly. "Oh! We need to pick a room for a nursery!" He took off running.

"Keigo! Don't get ahead of yourself!" I laughed, chasing after him.

Tag list: @spicy-therapist-mom @dxnaii-rxse @iris-shihabi @l0vely-lee

[troutfur]

José. My absolute beloved.

Unveil ALL your Kestrelflight lore 🙏 All of your characterization and headcanons and everything 🙏🙏🙏

RAMBLE ABOUT THE MEDDIE, MY GOOD MAN

Aye, aye, captain!

(Under the cut because length, predictably.)

So! Let's start from the beginning and let me tell you what are my family headcanons for him. I don't have well defined parents for him, I really have no idea what works best for him. But I do know pretty definitively who I think are his littermates: Antpelt and Harespring.

What really gave me this idea was the Only Child Lionblaze AU. Each of these three characters have a connection to the WindClan three and as such I thought making them siblings would be fitting.

Harespring is a rival to Hollytail for the deputyship. Both are ambitious, rule-following, and competitive. Harespring in particular resents Hollytail because he sees her as having an unfair advantage. He's both Ashfoot's apprentice and granddaughter, not to mention Onestar's grandniece. In his view she's coasting a lot on the nepotism and so Harespring decided on training in the Dark Forest as a way to gain his own advantage on her.

Antpelt is Breezepelt's best friend. While in this AU given that he has Hollytail and Jayroot to serve as a support net that keeps him in check and helps alleviate the pain of what they all suffer having Crowfeather as a father, Breezepelt still has a lot of aggression to him (not helped by getting to have Lionblaze's power). Breezepelt's firendship with Antpelt ultimately begun with them being sparing partners and grew from his need to have someone outside his family.

(Breezepelt also takes the role of Ivypool, the DF spy pressured to take the role by his siblings. His introduction was through Antpelt, and as you can imagine that turns out tragic.)

Finally Kestrelpaw who was a nursery friend of Jaypaw's who was devastated about how cold he turned upon becoming a warrior apprentice. He's very desperate to win his friend back over, fretting about whatever he did wrong, trying in vain to approach even though Jaypaw seems to want nothing with him, losing much sleep and tears over it. They end up reconnecting once Jayroot earns his full name and Kestrelpaw is unsure of what changed and is over the moon about it.

(What happened is that StarClan was trying to goad Jaypaw into sabotaging Kestrelpaw and replacing him as Barkface's apprentice. Jaypaw began avoiding Kestrelpaw for fear StarClan may play a dirty trick. StarClan only gives up once Jayroot becomes a warrior and only then can their friendship rekindle.)

I really enjoy this dynamic between the two litters a lot and even though the Hare & Ant & Kestrel litter doesn't work nearly as well without it, I'm still attached to the headcanon. If nothing else the thought of them working together as WindClan's upper rung of power and them having to contend together with the fact their brother was erased from existence is compelling. I bet it was a tragic conversation once Harespring could talk about it.

BUT ANYWAY! Onto his characterization!

His most consistent traits in canon, at least as far as Po3 and OotS are concerned, are that he's friendly and naive. A little bit stupid even. I really like to play into those first two in the way he interacts with Jaypaw. He's convinced that with a friendly attitude and a little persistence he can turn the grump around. He's not ultimately wrong about it, too.

Within the half-moon meeting gang dynamic Willowshine is deeply disapproving of his endeavor to win Jaypaw over. She met him before her, as we may recall during Jaypaw's first half-moon metting Kestrelpaw was sick back in camp, and it wasn't at all a good first impression. Willowpaw tries to dissuade him and acts antagonistic towards Jaypaw in an attempt to protect sweet, naive, little Kestrelpaw.

Eventually, though, when he makes progress with her, he acts as the ambassador. Willowpaw and Jaypaw have a rocky road to building a friendship. But in the end they manage to become verbal sparing partners. Argument and debate are how they pass the time and bond. Kestrelflight has to constantly reassure everyone they do, in fact, get along.

Another way I really like for the Kestrelpaw & Jaypaw dynamic to develop is what I did on this other fic that's been since privated but which I want to rewrite eventually. In this Jaypaw gets the meddie position by being an absolute insufferable BRAT to Leafpool because he thinks he's entitled to it over Hollypaw. When he eventually breaks her he's already made quite the reputation for himself.

Willowpaw is quite harsh and antagonistic to him from the get go over the slight to her friend Hollypaw and thus Jaypaw ends up quite isolated. He and Kestrelpaw begin interacting because he pities him, essentially. But soon enough the kindness brings about in Jaypaw a desire to repair his relationship with his siblings and better himself as a person.

In the end they end up in a clandestine meddie relationship. All because Kestrelpaw didn't like seeing him so alone and miserable.

Finally! With regards to the way I like to fill out the details of his ascent to full meddie. As I said before the story implied in how even though he's older than Jaypaw by all canon evidence but doesn't get named until the allegiances of the first book in OotS, the first chapter of which has an announcement of Barkface's death, fascinates me.

Being unintelligent is something that's commented on in the narration and the fact he does not have a full name until after Barkface is dead to me imply very clearly he was only promoted of necessity. Even if by Clan culture he would be adult aged twice over he was not ready to handle the responsibility on his own.

I hesistate to name any learning disability in specific, but I think it's a combination of that and a general immature personality. I like to think he cherished having an extended childhood/adolescence and didn't want to ever grow up. Even if he would have to eventually because Barkface is old and won't live forever.

The 6 month timeskip between Po3 and OotS really lend themselves to having these circumstances that necessitated his premature promotion be really tragic. This is why I pin Barkface's cause of death as a terminal disease. Alzheimer's is a really good suggestion I was given and I still have to research that some more before I get to write this fic.

I also like to think that in this timeframe he got to make friends with the other apprentice in their little grouping, Flamepaw. Willowshine and Jayfeather are already full meddies and in many ways dealing with a lot more responsibility than even Kestrelpaw's care of Barkface. I feel that Barkface's impending death would put the contrast between them in sharp focus and make him more likely to bond with someone still firmly in the "kid" camp of this liminal time he's going through.

And that's about it for my thoughts (he says, having written over 1100 words). Hope it was a fun peek into my thought process and why I rotate this bird boy so much in my mind.

[chromotps]

uhhh thoughts on alabasta ratman sleep-deprived and weed fueled ace vs peak chad energy fuckboy prime wano ace?? like which one do you prefer, do you have any thoughts if he’d treat/think of luffy any different? in these two periods of his life?

(also ugh I adore both and there’s something special about alabasta ace who went after luffy to drum island, made sure everyone knew he would be waiting for luffy in alabasta, then went and sat there for 10 days with no other purpose but to wait for luffy. bc he just wanted to see him so so much. brocon alabasta ace is uhhhgggghh insane vibes but. there’s also something about wano graciously giving everyone big tits and a healthy layer of fat tissue on top of all that muscle. also the fact that portgas d “i hate when little children follow me around” ace willingly befriended and took care of tama. also promised her the same thing he promised luffy. idkidkidk I just like to think luffy was on ace’s mind 90% of the time, wherever he went, and he often just thought about him bc a lot of thinks reminded him of luffy. like things luffy would like, things he’d like to eat, things he’d find funny etc)

I thought this would be easy to answer but then I had like a whole essay typed up in my head. so. thank you for this ask, I have a lot of feelings about it apparently. 😂😂

they really do feel like 2 different characters, maybe bc Oda was still firming up the details of marineford/wano when Ace first appeared in alabasta? In any case it's always fun seeing which "version" of him fans lean into in fanart/fic/headcanons hahaha. like do they make him more scrungly and sleazy (but maybe also secretly doting)? you got yourself a greasy Ace fan. do they make him all upstanding and softly affectionate and soulful? wano ace wano ace wano ace

(a lot more rambling from here)

I have to admit...... and I'm ashamed to say it............... but I was only half-aware of Ace in Alabasta—like at that point, he was just another "wacky cool shounen guy" to me. It took Marineford breaking my brain down to its component parts and rearranging them for my full Ace brainrot to set in, and at that point he was closer to Ethereal Fridged Wife wano Ace, so I'd probably go with that one? God I do need to rewatch Alabasta tho, I feel like it'd be such a trip of fawning over greasy ratman Ace this time around ahahahah

I think it took until Marineford for me to really latch onto Ace bc it was outwardly like: Alabasta Ace: I'm cool Marineford Ace: I'm cool [ironic][hiding INTENSE self-worth issues]

I agree with everything you said though... I love wrinkly, wrung-out-to-dry Alabasta Ace and his devil-may-care coolness. His vibes of being just a bit more of a rebel than any of the Strawhats even, the thing that makes people cast him as a guitarist or artist in modern AUs. that fuckin,,,,, crouch/perching thing he does,,,, The WAITING... he's so understated with his devotion, like, this panel??

he's trying to be so cool and older brother-y but really he just wants his little brother to visit him sometimes!!! he waited for luffy for 10 days when he's been prioritizing this mission over everything else, even being with his other found-family crew, and I just!!! sigh

"any thoughts if he’d treat/think of luffy any different" I so agree that Wano Ace is pre-Whitebeard Ace, meaning that even though he's presenting himself as independent and a leader/captain, there's a part of him that's still very angry and searching for acceptance. And yesss, bc of that he was probably holding his memories of Luffy so close all the time, seeing his brother who loves him in the innocent, trusting kid he helps, and unable to stop bragging about his brave little brother to the brash, impressive club-weilding guy he runs into.

meanwhile I feel like Alabasta Ace is actually more mellowed-out in his feelings toward Luffy, in a way? like idk, maybe—I might be completely off—but he's more secure in himself and his attachment to Luffy... or at least he tells himself he is. I just feel like that explains why he's shown to be so openly brag-y about Luffy in his Wano days, but seems way more laidback in Alabasta, haha (but the brocon devotion is still there, just better-hidden, lmaoooo) (and it gets ripped to the forefront during Marineford—he's forced to confront all that fear and attachment when he sees Luffy hurtling through the air toward him AH)

god tho. wano ace. wano ace and this gif

the things. the things i want to do to this man. the morals i would abandon. unspeakable.

and this???? him??????????????? sunkissed angel backlit like the once-in-a-lifetime love interest in a twee indie film???

yeah I... in summary, I feel like I have 60/40 preference for Wano Ace over Alabasta Ace, but really it's that mix of all those qualities that I like to bring in when i can.

(my secret third answer is Marineford Ace. the blorbo who started it all, lmao)

[callmearcturus]

Mission Impossible: a Crazed Ramble by tentacledwizard

Re my mission impossible ask: gonna share my thoughts bc I just finished watching the series (sans 2 and 3) and boy do I have Thoughts. I think I’ll cover the ones I’m most interested in (Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, and Fallout) though I might ramble at u about 1 and 7 later lmao. So okay here we go

Ghost Protocol. I REALLY liked this one. This is 2nd on my ranking of MI movies.

This movie has the best team vibes. Might be my favorite iteration of The Team, even if Luther isn’t really there. I just got really emotionally attached to these guys and their interactions lmao..

I liked Brandt. Jeremy Renner didn’t have to do some heavy-duty acting for this role, and he didn’t. His role was to be small and cute and tormented, and it worked. So well that I mumbled “where is my wife” when I watched Fallout, and my brother looked at me strangely. 

Jane Carter holy moly. Dude you were NOT kidding about Jane Carter. I love her so much. I love how she’s not even slightly the love interest, how her and Ethan’s interactions have this respect and camaraderie, and even when they kiss it’s not romantic. It’s great. Loved how she got the dudely “gotta avenge my dead wife” backstory with her boyfriend getting killed, and how that propels her most ruthless actions. I guess I’m pretty much agreeing with everything you’ve said about Jane lmao. SHE’S GREAT. Also loved it when she fought Léa Seydoux, it was pretty cathartic. Let female characters be driven and reckless and (eyes Rose Lalonde pfp) yeah

Benji Dunn the man that you are. Okay I’d say that Benji is at his best in the next movie, but this is a damn good introduction. He’s newly promoted, a little bit out of his depth, and I’m a sucker for funny nerdy sidekicks okay. Gonna talk about him some more when I get to Rogue Nation probably.

Ethan Hunt has the best haircut in this film. Idk man that’s my Ethan Hunt commentary. Oh wait it was also funny when he wore the mustache

I GOT ALL FLUSTERED WHEN LÉA SEYDOUX WAS ON SCREEN. I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS IS. HOW PECULIAR

Didn’t watch 2 and 3, so the brief glimpse of Julia was very intriguing and bittersweet. Then of course in Fallout she Julias all over the place!

OKAY NOW I CAN TALK ABOUT THE BURJ KHALIFA

I’ve actually seen the Burj Khalifa irl and it is SO TALL (I know, very surprising) so I cannot wrap my head around the fact that this scene was shot on location (??) I need to look into that more.

I am a dork and I do not know much about how stunts and action scenes are calibrated, hence the sheer delight I derived from the way the camera moves in the Burj Khalifa scenes. Also my hands got really sweaty during the first half. (The “blue is glue, red is dead” part reminded me of “hasta lasagna don’t get any on ya” IDK MAN)

I spent the wall-climbing section gazing at the TV rapturously and occasionally mumbling “uh oh,” “Ethan Hunt: Human Gecko” or “the climberrrr” alternately. I literally was not hearing myself because I was watching so intently. My breath was BATED lmao.

And like I’d seen the gif sets, I knew he was gonna jump but I didn’t know when. So when Ethan does jump, it’s so sudden that you can’t help but go :O !! And it works. Anddd that’s my favorite stunt in the film (i am an easily impressed nerd with no technical knowledge but i AM dying on this hill. The Burj jump would impress ANYONE and for good reason)

I am replaying this scene in my head over and over. It’s just. It’s so good. My reaction to it reminded me of when I watched [S] Descend and it just Worked and I was amazed. To say nothing of Cascade lmao. Actually yeah this kind of is Cascade in a sense

I'm sure none of this commentary  is really original, but I really love it when Tom Cruise does a big jump heh. I am a simple man

So yeah this film is easily my 2nd favorite. It’s character-driven, there’s comedy elements, the way the team interacts and collides and argues with each other is wonderful. And I believe in Jane Carter supremacy.  

Oh yeah, Bogdan was funny too. So many good + funny moments here :D

Wait how could I forget the best character (the Russian man who has an enemies-to-friends arc with Ethan)? Love that guy.

OKAY this is too long so Im gonna separate this into 2 parts.

they sent three asks and then I responded, we're gonna use a cut here, LONG POST!!!!!

@tentacledwizard PART 2.

Rogue Nation. This one’s my favorite! I like how it begins not with Ethan but with the Team, because their interactions are good. And of course Ethan’s trying to jump on a plane. Just another Saturday.

I am not very good at talking about plot so let’s talk about Benji Dunn

ok wait first I gotta say that I like how they played with the usual IMF message. The “we ARE the syndicate” got me. Really good moment, and I bet if I rewatched it I’d catch all the little details that made me suspicious of whoever was talking. 

Anyway Benji Dunn.. the man that you are…

Like I said, Benji is at his best in this movie. There’s so many little moments that cement his greatness. He’s gaming on company time! He lies about not being Ethan’s friend on a daily basis :( also the sincere dorky smile he does on his way to the opera is so wonderful. 

I really like how sincere Benji is. He’s genuinely looking forward to the opera, and he’s eager to wear a mask someday, and he cares about Ethan so much. Yeah he’s a funny little British man but he’s also v sweet and you can see why Ethan goes crazy and kidnaps the prime minister to get him back. 

speaking of, I really think that Benji and Ethan’s relationship is… if not the core of the movie, it’s definitely a major part of that core. Does that make sense? Like, I tried to take a picture of the screen every time Ethan and Benji glanced at each other knowingly, and I ended up with a lot of pictures. Even with the 6-month separation (Ethan with a beard is something I never thought I’d see), they know each other. Ethan knows Benji wants to see the opera, and Benji will yell at Ethan when Ethan needs to be yelled at. Ethan compliments Benji’s tuxedo (as he should).

Also ffffuck whenever these guys worry about each other… like when Benji tells Ethan he’s probably going to take it too far one of these days.. Man. The scene where Ethan washes out of the giant torus with Ilsa and Benji goes to talk to him is so good.

oh and yeah Ethan did kidnap the prime minister. For benji. HE DID THAT!!!

Also the scene where Benji is forced to speak for Solomon was honestly incredible, it was like Ethan and Benji were having their own separate conversation with eye contact. When Ethan briefly put his hand on Benji’s shoulder, maybe to reassure him without having to talk, and Benji glances up at him… that’s good stuff right there. When Benji was finally able to talk it was cathartic. God I love these two

Plus the opera fight scene is so fun oh my god.

ok let’s talk about my queen Ilsa Faust

Ilsa Faust is great, and I really like how this series does female characters. Because she has her own shit going on, there’s a bit of romance between her and Ethan but they’re both agents with missions, and she’s never sexualized. I love that. Her signature move is filmed the way a male character would be filmed if he were fighting. That’s awesome.

I really loved Rebecca Ferguson’s performance here, the conflict between saving others and saving herself was neat. It’s also interesting how she has way less reservations about killing people, which plays off Ethan’s… everything. And she never makes it easy for Ethan, which I’d honestly do too if I was involved in the shit she has to deal with. 

But of course there are moments that show she does care about him (asking him to run away, the scene where she saves him in the underwater whirly spinner). The hug was pretty sweet.

Also, Ilsa is when I started really paying attention to the outfits in MI, because all of her looks were great. The yellow dress is iconic, and I REALLY liked the pleated coat she wears when talking to Solomon Lane. Plus the suit she wears in Fallout is Good.

Solomon Lane is a good villain. Jim is the MI villain I think of when I think of MI villains, but Solomon is very distinctive. I mean that voice, man. The VOICE. Lmao. He kind of reminded me of a parasitic worm made human, which is a 100% good thing.

So who has the more distinctive and weird voice? Solomon or Claire? That is the question. (I think it’s Claire tbh. Four am, four in the morning, four o clock)

So this is my favorite MI film. It’s fun, it has a good villain. We see Ethan’s personality start to shine through, too- he’s emotionally driven, as evidenced by when he fucking DOES ALL THAT TO SAVE BENJI GOD I LOVE THESE TWO. So yeah, this is the Ethan and Benji movie to me. It’s also a stellar debut for Ilsa Faust… wait what do you mean she gets fridged in the 7th movie. What do you mean

OH Jeremy Renner is still here! And more Luther! Hell yeah.

really want to rewatch this one so I can take more notes on the stunts and stuff, too

Ok time to make a part 3 because this is ridiculously long

PART 3

Fallout. Oh man. This one messed me up. 

So from the start, Fallout is a darker, queasier watch than the previous two. The more I watched, the more I realized that this movie Is Ethan Hunt’s Nightmare.

Like there’s the straightforward nightmare at the beginning, and then the film just Doesn’t Stop. It keeps messing with our minds again and again. 

This is the Ethan Hunt movie. This is our deep dive into Ethan Hunt’s mind, and at some points it kind of feels like a test of how well we know him- because he wouldn’t kill all those people, so this must be another nightmare, right? 

I am used to vivid nightmares, and this film perfectly captures the sheer horror of having one. And I was constantly doubting my own perception, bouncing between bad dream and reality along with Ethan. Man.

Like Mission Impossible has always kind of had that element, what with the masks and everything, but this film dials it up to eleven. I recognized the horror of Ethan’s situation here, and it was a feeling that stayed with me the entire time.

I mean at some points, it gets surreal. The line about Ethan literally being his own worst enemy (it’s true!), his wife showing up in little glimpses until she finally appears, Lane pinpointing Ethan’s fears, etc. When Ethan looks around at the church and says he’s terribly sorry, it’s such a small moment but it’s still kind of a gut punch. Ethan Hunt is trapped in his brain and so are we.

Even the title sequence shows everything burning around Ethan. The full theme song sounds like it’s going to end, but then it keeps going. This movie feels way more apocalyptic than any of the others.

Even Max is dead. I mean come on.

And we see how this screws up Ethan’s judgment, how his priorities are a little fucked in the grand scheme of things. He puts a few people over millions, for better or for worse.

Ethan Hunt running is an iconic part of the franchise, but what happens when all the messed-up stuff he went through catches up with him? What about the fallout?

So when the ending rolls around, it feels like Ethan is waking up, and that lends it a certain catharsis. But the uneasiness of most of the movie still stuck with me for a long time afterward.

Okay let’s talk about the new characters.

Alanna was neat, and I liked her outfits too. Though every time she flirted with Ethan, I had this vivid mental image of Ethan driving up and yelling “I fucked your mom, shit lips!” Probably something he’d say to Zola instead though.

Walker was such an asshole and that was kind of great actually. Not a single redeeming quality to be found. Have fun falling off that cliff, johnny boy.

Oh yeah and he got to say the only “fuck” in the entire series I believe. (It should have been Ethan. Well I can always hope.)

That conversation Ethan and Benji have about how Ethan won’t let anything happen to him, but then later Ethan does something that seems to put Benji in danger (making him be Solomon Lane)? Chef’s kiss. Also Benji FINALLY got to wear the mask, and he’s damn good at it.

More of Ilsa and Ethan’s relationship and man is it complicated haha. I like the scene where they’re walking through a symmetrical landscape, just paralleling each other, until finally they’re face to face. That’s good stuff right there. Also the scene where he’s in the hospital bed was sweet.

My wife [Brandt] is not here but luckily we get a lot of Luther. Luther is the constant in this series- he’s stuck with Ethan from the beginning, for better or for worse. (Better, because he’s a good character). So Luther really cares about Ethan, evidenced by his conversation with Ilsa. He probably knows Ethan better than anyone, except maybe Julia but then again she and Ethan have been apart for a while. 

Julia was great. The scenes with her and Ethan were v bittersweet. They still care about each other (just look at Ethan’s constant guilt over not protecting her), but she’s living her own life now. The conversation they had near the end was the culmination of all this, the moment we were waiting for. Plus I enjoyed her friendship with Luther, like I enjoyed Ilsa and Benji’s friendship. The scene where they’re cutting the wires/talking about Ethan was cute.

as for the stunts, hmm… I didn't really get the level of physicality I got from, say, MI1 or Ghost Protocol. Idk man maybe I’m just biased against helicopters?

ALSO I really like Face/Off and Hit Man so the John Lark thing was p cool to me. Ofc John was the asshole CIA agent though.

Anyway good movie, might take some time before I can rewatch it but it’s a masterful delve into Ethan Hunt’s mind. Not my favorite but also really really good and I wrote the most about it.

Conclusion. Wow that’s a lot of thoughts. Probably too many to put in one ask. Uh I kind of also want to talk about MI1 and Dead Reckoning as an echo of MI1 but this was a lot so idk if you’d want me to do that lmao. Anyway I have to thank you for convincing me to watch Mission Impossible all those months ago, because it is one of my obsessions now. (If you read all this I am sorry lmao, hope it wasn’t boring tho) 

And now I can finally read your Benthan fic! 8D hell yeah.

okay now it is my turn to reply

I frankly adore Brandt. I've joked to Brandt that I don't really ship Benthan, I just use it as a vehicle to write William Brandt and have him tell jokes. I adore his angry little bureaucratic ass. I am actually a fan of Renner when the material gives him actual shit he can do. Like, he was fucking WASTED in the MCU and the "Hawkeye" miniseries proves he could have been having fun this entire fucking time but they never GAVE him anything. And even if his role in MI is simple, McQuarrie is so damn good at writing characters that Brandt feels vibrant. In GP he goes from sad sweater boy to lowkey the weakest link of the team but everyone is there to help him. And in RN there's a THOUSAND lil moments I love with him. I always point to Benji's interrogation scene, there's a VERY VERY PRECISE bit of editing where Benji is going off on a tirade about how the CIA sucks, and the camera lingers on Brandt LITERALLY JUST LONG ENOUGH for Renner's mouth to make this tiny microexpression, like TWO FRAMES of Brandt indulging in admiring Benji's lie-craft.

Also the argument in the bigass car with Luther was Renner improvising according to McQ. Love it. Brandt's my angry little pencil-pushing angel. Any time he shows up in the PT AU, I'm 😍😍😍

GP lives and dies on the team dynamic tbh, which I find hilarious bc imo MI3 was pronounced dead on arrival bc the team dynamic is non-existent and like, why am I even here???? the chemistry is truly batshit.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE ALL THE TRULY MIND-BOGGLING FACTS BEHIND THE BURJ CLIMB AND HOW TERRIFYINGLY PRACTICAL IT WAS check out this post

Also Ethan's gorgeous LEAP at the end of the sequence is my second-fave Physicality Moment in that movie. The first is of course Ethan's silent vault over the railing after he leaves his prison cell. I'm a slut.

and I bet if I rewatched it I’d catch all the little details that made me suspicious of whoever was talking.

oh you want a fun one? in the record shop, there are two listening booths. ethan goes into the one on the left.

Solomon Lane is sitting in the one on the right.

re: Benji in Rogue Nation, I mean McQuarrie himself has said Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn is the beating heart and soul of the Mission franchise. so don't worry, we ALL stan.

ILSA FUCKING FAUST. /fans face. Yeah, the way MI handles women is like… I don't know how to go back to, like, James Bond films. I keep remembering Skyfall (which I remember as a good movie) and how one of the ~bond girls~ is casually executed and the whole point is how unfazed everyone is, how DISPOSABLE she is, how James Bond as a franchise wants backpats for pointing out "man it sure sucks how disposable women are in these spy flicks huh"

smash cut to Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, Fallout, and ESPECIALLY Dead Reckoning.

I keep saying this but MI manages to pull off the Metal Gear thing in that the Male Gaze of the camera is thoroughly bisexual. Long before we see Ilsa's amazing leg shot at the opera, we get a long lingering shot of Ethan's tiddies, and the way he's held captive is very female-coded, the position, the way he tries to wile his way out of it, the barefoot thing, all of it. There's such intense intentionality with how MI frames bodies.

Hell, I've been flicking between MI and the X-Men AU movies and comparing Ilsa to Mystique is super interesting because both of them fight with their legs-first. But the choreography of Mystique always has this "heh heh heh naked legg" feeling, while with Ilsa, her fighting style is so consistent, it feels like a natural result of her build and how she utilizes momentum. I remember there's a fast moment in Fallout where she very casually assists Ethan by taking out a guard as he extracts Alanna, and she does her leg flip thing. It feels Correct for her, rather than the MCU "make sure you fight pretty" bullshit.

Anyway I love Ilsa but Benji is actually the Love Interest in RN and we all know it.

"wait what do you mean she gets fridged in the 7th movie" SHE DOES NOT GET FRIDGED i am gonna die on this fucking hill, that Ilsa's death was good and actually meant something

Anyway I cosign all your thoughts on Fallout. I think it's the best movie and frankly I think it's a cinematic masterpiece. The claustrophobia of it, the nightmare of being Ethan Hunt, the repeated use of dreamlike imagery to convey that we're falling further into that nightmare with him, AND THE ENDING. I find the ending so bittersweet because yes, Ethan and the team pull it off, they push at the edges of possibility and reason until the universe yields and gives them the win

but then Julia says "I know you'll always be there" and its like watching a door slam in Ethan's face. He's always going to be in this dream/nightmare, a world that exists one layer removed from reality, and he can't get out. It's amazing. I want to kiss McQ on the mouth.

That Ilsa-Ethan scene was not in the original script and TC suggested it day-of and they just did it and its one of the most beautiful shots of the movie, with the green trees melding with the slight green tones of Ilsa's outfit and with Ethan's eyes. The fact they have an entire conversation between Ethan and Ilsa's eyebrows. I love them.

[where1endandyoubeg1n]

I think for every athf season I watch I'm gonna do a series of quick reviews for each episode. I like jotting down my final thoughts

Season 1

Rabbot- A pretty good pilot episode tbh, I really loved their dynamic here with Shake being so uppity about getting things done yet so uncaring at the same time and Frylock just kinda going with it. The shitty lipsyncing took a bit to get used to, but great start. Also HAHA HE SAID THE FUNNY DANCING IS FORBIDDEN LINE

Escape From Leprechaupolis- Fun concept. Didn’t get too attached to the leprechaun guys but Carl and Shake were especially funny, and Meatwad’s big sunshine and rainbows speech at the end had me holding back laughter.

Bus of the Undead- Wasn’t enthusiastic for this one. Not a fan of zombies, which is what usually comes to mind with “undead” but it was completely nonexistent vampires so that was a relief. Tangential rambling aside. the moth guy was cool and while I don’t remember too too much about this episode, I remember it getting some of the best laughs from me.

Mayhem of the Mooninites-

Ignignokt and Err’s debut in which they entirely destroy Meatwad’s morale and Frylock acts like a guardian to Meatwad, and really what more could I ask for? I love me some mama Frylock. And of course the stars of the show, the Mooninites, do not disappoint. Ignignokt has a whinier voice than I remembered, but I don’t mind because that homestly makes him even funnier, and Err has some really aggressive lines that caught me off guard in a good way(“GO BACK INSIDE! WE’RE FIGHTING!”). Fave moments have to be when they lazer Carl and when Meatwad tries to give “the finger” and just morphs into a hot dog. I was very giggly during this one.

Balloonenstein- Fun premise that just spirals out of control the further into the episode it goes. I like the first half where Meatwad has control of the whole household when he gets electricity from being spun around in the dryer. And the literal plothole that’s just a random massive vortex that shows up for plot convenience is honestly hilarious.

Space Conflict from Beyond Pluto- Favorite episode of the season, no contest. I was in tears by the end of it, my cheeks hurt from smiling too much, I was so amused throughout you don’t even know. Possibly the funniest fucking thing I’ve seen and I don’t even know why. The jokes just get thrown at you nonstop again and again and again and stellar vocal deliveries + terrible(/pos) character dynamics + stilted animation = just… perfection. Fave joke is definitely the running gag of all the buttons triggering balloons and confetti(“Did… Did we blow it up?” “YOU ARE TOYING WITH ME!”). I didn’t think the Mooninites would be outclassed by the Plutonians but here we are.

Ol’ Drippy- Was totally unsure what to expect and was very pleasantly surprised. Ol’ Drippy was a super pleasant addition to our nice little list of characters, big fan of the entirely decent character hanging w the total dipshits trope and it's stellar here. Poor dude, I hope he returns for another episode one way or another. Yea, can you tell he steals the show this ep? Such a soothing voice too.

Revenge of the Mooninites- Hear me out but I think this is the worst of the "these aliens are stupid nuisances" episodes of the season. It's kind of just a retread of Mayhem; They come to earth for essentially no reason, take advantage of Meatwad, terrorize Carl, and run away after an anticlimactic showdown. I mean it's still good, like a solid 7/10 episode, not that I'm giving them number ratings, but not very original. I think I would have liked it more if this premise were saved for next season.

MC Pee Pants- Scared of spiders... a little freaky, but I honestly loved the premise of "giant spider coerces innocents to use their brain waves to drill a hole to the center of the earth for candy." it's as nonsensical as it sounds, and i don't have lots to say on it but it's good.

Dumber Dolls- Wasn't a huge fan. I don't have much of a reason, I just thought everything was done pretty average, and there weren't a lot of laughs. I dunno, I wasn't feeling this one.

Bad Replicant- The replica Shake is really goofy, definitely ringing a bell for Emory, which is funny because he's also here. They're kinda just... guys. And I love that. Plutonians are hilarious as always, got tons of laughs from everyone... Great episode.

Circus- I enjoy how many fuckass blob characters this show just throws in 😭 First the Plutonians, then Ol' Drippy, then Randy the Astonishing, today's new flavor of alien! I'm not even getting tired of the aliens, all of them are terrible in their own ways and it's great. Randy gets tons of laughs, and Shake in the circus was really funny.

Love Mummy- Weird premise I'm digging. I really love how absolutely none of these plots are tropey or already established episode archetypes, at most being something that seems tropey and then is totally flipped on its head(e.g. aliens come to earth... but only to corrupt the impressionable with drugs and crime. a biohazard mess becomes sentient... but the monster is friendly and does everyone's dirty work.). I do find the mummy grating after a certain point, but still for the most part fun.

Dumber Days- Now it starts to fall into trope territory, and I'm not even mad because I love this kind of episode. It's the Patrick Smartpants of the show, and I'm running out of things to compliment, dude... Funny!!! Go watch it damnit!!! Good show!!!

Interfection- Shake and Meatwad being total fucking nuisances 💖💖💖 They really did predict just how bad subscription models would get though... I thought Shake would be more internet savvy but him just clicking on ads like a grandma is really funny. The scene where Frylock is trying to retrieve Meatwad from the scene of ads is great.

PDA- The monster of the week format works so well for this show... This and the previous one especially feel like a cracked out version of Regular Show, they're more similar than I would have thought at first. I wonder if there was any inspo from this show. Love how Shake just gets the random ahh tar monster's PDA, and the actual tar pit tour scene was 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂... Enjoyed this one.

Mail-Order Bride- I wasn't big into the premise of this one. Kinda sucked, not a lot to say. It felt like it dragged on for a good ten minutes longer than it was.

Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future- The way the robot's story stretches on and on here is really funny, he just like me frfr(yapping). Everyone being so fucking done with him was great, and the twist at the end was really funny.

BEST TO WORST: Space Conflict from Beyond Pluto, Ol' Drippy, Bad Replicant, Mayhem of the Mooninites, Rabbot, Circus, Bus of the Undead, Interfection, PDA, Dumber Days, Balloonenstein, MC Pee Pants, Escape from Leprechaupolis, Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, Love Mummy, Revenge of the Mooninites, Dumber Dolls, Mail-Order Bride

OVERALL: I thought I'd like the show, obviously... but I think I'm hooked. It's got its teeth into me for sure. The comedy isn't the lowbrow shit I expected from an adult animated comedy, and I'm hungry for what's next in S2!

[anthuan0]

Final Fantasy VI time!

I actually had a pretty rough relationship with this game. Even though I recognized WHY people would like it so much, it just personally never hit me. I stopped in the middle for about 6 months. But, after going to couples therapy (watching videos of people who loved the game) It ended up clicking, and I finished the game.

Gameplay

I wasn't really the craziest about the game play. I love the active time battle system, and I'm surprised more games don't use it. But it really only shined during boss fights, which it gave a sense of urgency to, but the moment to moment game play was a bit dull. I did, however, love each characters unique gimmick. Putting in fighting game inputs for Sabin, or just straight-up busting out the slot machine for Setzer was really fun even if, in the latter's case, it never did anything haha.

Also the encounter rate is the worst thing about the game oh my god.

Characters

I actually got really attached to the characters and I could ramble about the characters for like half an hour but I'll give my highlights.

I loved how Celes and Terra mirrored each other. I liked how Terra was someone who had no purpose to begin with due to being a slave her whole life and eventually discovering who she is while Celes thought she had a purpose, serving the empire, realizing she was wrong and now she has to figure what she really wants. I found it very compelling.

I loved the genuine bond between Sabin and Edgar. Edgar using a double-sided coin to trick Sabin into accepting his freedom was amazing. And I found Edgar genuinely funny (except for that one scene with Relm) And Sabin is such a bro I love it.

Cyan was my favorite character for a while. Going into his mind to fight his trauma was really cool. But that scene on the ghost train where he has to watch his family get away while his powerless to stop it. Chills.

Shadow, I don't even know what to say about Shadow. The way they did his story by slowly showing you the nightmares he has every time you use and inn was genuinely creative. And you can really tell he's wracked by grief and regret. And his ending on Kefkas tower. Woah

Mog

And those were some of my hilights for the character’s I have more to say. But I'll save that for later.

Story

The story was a lot more clever than I gave it credit for originally. I have to give it credit for how honestly well it handled its ensemble I'm retrospect. Yes some characters got lost in the sauce like Relm and Strago, but I still felt like I knew them fully by the end. Also it going from a linear "defeat the evil empire plot". To exploring the hopeless post apocalypse while slowly gathering up your power to defeat a sick, pathetic man turned God was so cool. And the world truly feels so hopeless. That scene with Celes on the little island where she has the last shred of hope she has left be torn away from her, was genuinely one of the most well-done tragic scenes I've seen in any RPG I've played.

Conclusion

I genuinely feel stupid for not initially getting this game. Finding it underwhelming. I realize now just how influential it was, and why it's so important to so many people.

[cdreambur]

space au where professional pilot dream is hired for a transport flight across half the galaxy.

his employer even supplies the ship, a new model made by reputable manufacturer soot corp. and "one of only six released prototypes", as the guy proudly tells him.

dream's not complaining, considering the sleek design, strong motors, and impressive technology on the control panel.

with the first half of the pay deposited in his account and his cargo stored, dream boards, sinking into the surprisingly plush seat of the captain's chair.

flipping the switch to activate the controls, he startles when a sudden light flickers to life on his right, bathing the cockpit in a bright silver blue glow.

when dream turns to it, a face is staring back, and it's only now that he realizes that he's looking at a hologram.

"hi, i'm wil, your assistant navigator." the hologram says before smiling brightly at dream.

it takes the form of a young man, probably around dream's age, with wild brown curls, warm eyes, freckled cheeks, and a simple black sweater.

dream just blinks at it, righting himself in his chair as wil explains, "i've already received the coordinates to your destination. do you want me to tell you and let you figure out the route or should i guide you step by step?"

his head is spinning, surprised that the artificial intelligence already knows where to go when dream didn't get more than an "a small, relatively populous planet in the outer ring" from his employer. though this might explain why he didn't go into detail about it.

he clears his throat, finally smiling back at wil.

"i'd appreciate it if you tell me."

finally starting the motors, he listens as wil rattles off the coordinates, already mapping out the best way in his head. it isn't an area he's been in before, but he's visited planets close to it, and while it's a relatively long trip of around a week, it's also not a very complicated one.

when he voices the thought, wil agrees, right before rambling about all the reasons why the region is a lesser visited part of the galaxy and how that's good for them.

they're in hyperspace already when the talking eventually stops, wil blinking up at dream.

"wait. what the fuck is your name?"

the question is so blunt and out of the blue that dream can't stop himself from snorting, finally introducing himself. he tells wil a bit about his home planet, about his family, and how he came to be a pilot.

and it's nice.

the artificial intelligence is a surprisingly good listener, with a great sense of humor and a seemingly endless supply of little jokes and quips.

dream thinks he's going to enjoy the week of travel.

-

the days pass way too quickly. dream spends almost all of his time in the cockpit, talking to wil, who he's learned a lot about.

wil goes by he, and he likes to sing. he's sarcastic and enjoys telling stories. he knows a lot about the universe and loves nothing more than talking about it.

and dream's getting way too attached to an artificial intelligence bound to a ship that doesn't belong to him.

it doesn't get better when they reach the orbit of their destination.

because it definitely doesn't look like the planet dream's employer described to him.

sure, it's in the outer ring. but it's not small, and not populous either. in fact, it seems as if no one lives on the giant green planet.

"are you sure this is the right place?" he asks wil, doubtful as he looks down at the hilly surface.

"yes." wil answers softly, and there's something in his voice that dream can't quite place.

he pushes it to the back of his mind when the hologram starts directing him to the landing site.

it's... weird.

the place where they finally touch down is a flat area covered in green stems dream has never seen before, close to a majestic mansion that reminds dream of the strange, intricate glass structures you can find on diare.

something doesn't feel right, and dream voices as much to wil.

"i'm sorry." the hologram replies.

dream whips around to him, finding wil unable to meet his eyes and his expression hidden behind his disheveled curls.

"what do you mean?"

and when he doesn't get a response, "wil, what the fuck do you mean?"

wil swallows.

"if you want answers, go to room 16. and for the the small chance that someone asks why you're there, tell them you followed hullar's orders."

then, he flickers one last time before disappearing.

and dream is left staring at the console, torn between finding out what's going on and leaving to complete his job.

as always, his curiosity wins in the end.

he crosses the short distance between the ship and the house, surprised when he finds the door unlocked. no alarm bells start ringing when he steps into a grand foyer, and there aren't any people either. the whole building seems empty and unprotected, but there's a creepy air hanging over it that doesn't quite allow dream to relax.

two doors lead further into the mansion, and dream picks the left one at random, peeking inside to find a long corridor with numbered doors, all of them a strange off-white color.

the numbers start with two though, so he closes it again, walking over to the other door.

the hallway that lies behind it looks identical to the first one, but this time, the numbers start with zero and thus seem more promising to dream.

he closes the door behind him when he enters the deserted corridor, taking a slow, deep breath before he starts walking.

the even numbers are on the left side, and room number 16 is almost at the end of the hallway, looking just like the rest of it.

dream's hand shakes a little when he reaches for the handle, but he pushes it open without any hesitation.

on the other side stands wil.

he looks exactly like he did on the ship; messy curls, light brown eyes, smooth skin, a black sweater.

but this time, he's real. a person made of flesh and blood, just like dream.

dream doesn't know if he wants to punch or hug him.

"what the hell?" he chokes out as the door silently shuts behind him.

wil smiles sheepishly at him before ducking his head, curls falling into his face in the way dream has seen so often in the last week.

"hey dream." he whispers, and dream almost flinches at the sound of his voice, so similar and yet so different from the slightly distorted version of it he's heard over the last few days.

"what the hell." dream repeats, softer and a little more composed. he straightens his shoulders, letting out a deep sigh as he crosses his arms.

"care to explain?"

it comes out a bit more demanding than he wanted to, but in his defence, this is probably the strangest situation he's ever been in and he doesn't quite know how to handle it.

wil doesn't seem to take offense, although he does shrink a little bit further into himself.

"i'm really sorry." he apologizes again, tone the same as when he said it on the ship. but this time, he doesn't disappear after, instead continuing, "my name is wilbur, wilbur soot."

dream's arms fall to his side at that, the name registering immediately. however, he doesn't get the chance to think about it as wil goes on with his explanation.

"my father is the founder and chief engineer of soot corp., and as you may know, they're the leading company on the market when it comes to spaceships. with that comes a lot of envy and a bunch of very ambitious rivals."

wil finally looks up at him, a soft, sad smile curling the corners of his mouth.

"i'm my father's only child. and people know that hurting me would hurt him. so he keeps me here, keeps me safe. but i don't want to live in a golden cage anymore."

his expression shifts, something so sweet and hopeful in his eyes that dream has to hold himself back from pulling wil into his arms.

"i wanna see the universe. i wanna see the planets and the stars and the galaxies i've only ever read about. i wanna be free."

and dream knows how this is going to end, knows what he's going to ask before he actually does.

"can you take me with you?"

and how, how is dream supposed to say no to someone with so much wonder twinkling in their eyes, someone with so much passion and curiosity for what the universe has to offer.

he nods.

the smile that takes over wil's face is blinding and steals dream's breath for a moment. he basks in it, just for a small second, before he reciprocates it, gesturing towards the door.

wil nods, and together, they leave the room, and then the hallway, and then the house.

there are still no people, still no alarm bells, but the creepy atmosphere seems to disappear in wil's presence, leaving nothing but a content warmth in dream's chest.

it doesn't take them long to reach the ship, and dream sinks into the captain's chair with a satisfied sigh, something that makes wil giggle from where he's tucked himself into the co-pilot seat.

starting the controls, he expects hologram wil to come back to life, but the spot where he usually appeared stays empty.

"huh?" dream mutters to himself before turning to wil.

"where's the artificial intelligence? even if i found you, it should still be here."

wil's sheepish grin returns.

"you weren't talking to an artificial intelligence. you were talking to me. to get away, i had to find a way to contact someone, and since my father developed these prototypes here, i had the chance to secretly build in a video messenger."

dream blinks, stunned.

"so... everything hologram wil said and did was... you? it was real?"

wil nods, and something in dream settles at that confirmation.

because it's strange. theoretically, they only met twenty minutes ago. but dream already knows how wil sounds when he's tired and how much he loves constellations and what his favorite food is. and in turn, wil already knows who dream's best friends are and which planets he likes visiting the most and which ships he would love to fly.

wil is real, and he's here, and he's going to stay.

dream grins to himself when he starts the motors and lifts off, leaving the planet behind and entering space in no time.

stabilizing them somewhere where they're not going to be in the way of other ships, he turns to wil, planning to talk about their next moves.

he's stopped by the sight of wil curled up in the chair, knees pulled up to his chest as he looks out the window, sparkles in his eyes and the softest smile imaginable on his face as he watches the stars.

dream chuckles, quietly making a promise to himself.

he's going to show wil the universe.

[brown-little-robin]

hi robin :] very random but im watching craft videos while i eat dinner and it got me thinking about ur ceramics. giving u permission to ramble about the ceramics process (or literally anything abt ceramics), if you want to <3 idk anything abt ceramics like not a clue but im very curious and every time u talk abt them i stare at u w sparkly eyes (also i've recently developed a HUGE respect for all 3d arts bc holy shit making it look right at all angles ?????literally how)

👀✨‼️

Hi thank you so much!! staring at you with the same sparkly eyes,,, watching craft videos while you eat that's so cool,,, Also, weirdly enough, I have the same "how???" thoughts about doing 2d art. I have trouble conceptualizing making something look right from only 1 angle; that seems like a lot of pressure. with a sculpture, if something doesn't look right from one angle, I know there's probably some structural problem, and I turn the sculpture around a little bit and usually figure out that the problem is deeper than what I thought. I'm thinking of ears, specifically—how, often, my problem with the outlines of my ears (seen from the front) is that the back of the ear isn't full enough, I need to add clay, and just nudging the clay to fix the outline wouldn't Work. and I wouldn't have known if I couldn't turn the sculpture around. the respect and awe goes both ways

longgg ramble about the ceramics process below the cut :]

okay SO. the ceramics process, huh? Well, I mean, I'm really in love with the sculpting part, where you take wet clay and make it into an Animal with Bones And Muscles. I just love the animal form—I think in a similar way to how you love the human form and the way clothing folds. I do wheel-throwing too (I make cups, bowls, that sort of thing), but I've been sculpting since I was like 8 years old and I'm way better at sculpture. it's one of a few things in my life that I take genuine pride in. I love teaching people about sculpting, too!! nothing better than seeing someone instantly grasp the insight I spent years developing <333 ANYWAY

one thing that often surprises people about clay is that it's very... flexible, water-content-wise. clay is basically made of a bunch of small "plates" of dry material with water in between. the water makes the entire structure flexible, which is why clay shrinks and goes brittle when it dries. and clay is always drying out. small sculptures like the ones I make, especially ones with thin limbs (more surface area for the air to leech moisture out of) dry out within half an hour. I have to add water to the thin parts every so often the whole time I'm sculpting. but of course the clay has to be firm enough to hold the creature's overall shape, so it's a balance. it's always a race against time. it's super exciting. To Me, anyway

it takes a day or two for a sculpture to dry. After the sculpture dries out, that's when I paint it with my special pigments. (pigments that survive 2,000+ degrees of heat!!) Like this:

these are the same sculpture. the first picture was from right after I sculpted the wet clay; the second picture is after it got painted.

Then once a sculpture is made, it sits and dries, right? the water leaves the clay. but not ALL the water. that's why you "fire" the sculpture: you put it in a kiln and heat it up to ~1800°F. EIGHTEEN HUNDRED DEGREES. at that point, all the water boils out and the clay CHEMICALLY CHANGES. the "plates" begin to bond to each other. But they don't bond all the way in the first firing, because you want the clay to still be porous / hydrophilic. you want it to SUCK IN WATER. this is because you want GLAZE to attach to the clay.

Glaze—at least the kind of glaze that I use—is basically DIY glass. It's a lot of very fine silica (sand) with other stuff (like powdered metals) in it to give color. The sand-metal-powder is suspended in water to make it usable, and I stir up the glaze in its liquid form and dip my sculpture in it, and the super dry clay goes YAY WATERRR I'M SO THIRSTY and GRABS the glaze, and the powdery part is left on the surface of the sculpture while the water goes into the clay. it feels funny on your skin when you hold a sculpture in the glaze; you can actually feel the dry clay accepting the water. it feels like... have you ever dropped water on a bone-dry wooden board and seen the water spread out in the direction of the wood's grain? it feels like that.

the sculpture is left looking white and powdery and generally not very attractive. unfired glaze is just... thick white chalk.

THEN I fire the clay a SECOND time. The heat varies, but I always fire to at least 2,244° F. >:D >:D >:D and the sandy glaze actually MELTS INTO GLASS. and I open the kiln, which has the products of about a year or two of work in it, and I WEEP IN JOY because everything has COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED. firing is always risky. some of the sculptures always fail somehow—they break in firing for various reasons, or the glaze runs onto the shelf, or the glaze color turns out different than I thought. but some of them always come out BETTER than I imagined. and it's always a process of discovery, slowly unloading the kiln, layer by layer... the objects still warm from the heat of their firey transformation... hot enough to burn, if you're unloading before they've cooled enough, which I usually do because it's just so exciting...

and my glaze shrinks slightly more than the clay does. imagine that: a thin layer of glass shrinking more than it can take. you can actually hear it breaking. little quiet "plink! plink! plink!" as the glass shatters just a little under the stress. we call it "crazing" and it leaves little cracks in the glaze, like so:

you can also see tiny bubbles in the glaze on the rabbit's inner ear!

I just. (physically shaking) I just love ceramics so much. The sculpting part feels almost like meditation. it's almost a form of worship, for me, it's religious, it's a little version of creation, a way to look at bodies and try to express how they work. For the simple sculpture, I just make them from memory, but I work from references for my difficult sculptures—for instance, here's the little pile of images I collected to make my recent tiger:

the painting part is just plain fun, putting cool designs and stuff on a 3-d object in a low-pressure way. and then the two firings are pure magic. pure delayed gratification. it's incredible. you're telling me this thing I shaped with my mortal human fingers survives TWO THOUSAND DEGREES OF HEAT? you're telling me I get to MAKE COLORED GLASS? out of SAND and METAL? you're telling me after all that, I get to open up the kiln which has put these things through immense heat and see these beautiful objects and go I made those?????

YEAH. SCREAMS.

thanks for reading, I hope you had fun <333