#this was honestly just a rollercoaster of disappointment

[edgybutnotveryedgy]

Im thinking about miraculous future stuff based on some lore and cultural inspirations (because i don't want to think about finals rn), and something that i don't think will happen, but would be interesting if it did happen is if Felix were to be snapped out of existence.

I think if this were to happen then it would probably just be temporary, but considering his arc and everything, there could be some interesting ideas in this. Like take his miraculous. It is the peacock miraculous, and it creates life. This in and of itself is heavily loaded when you look into potential irl cultural inspirations.

Warning i am not including any citation in this, but i will be making a series this summer exploring in depth the different cultural influences in miraculous and how they may or may not pertain to the story. I'll be more thorough there.

So first something i just found on a site is that supposedly in roman times peacocks were an important symbol representative of death, funerals, and resurrection in particular. Supposedly early christians decorated their tombs with a lot of peacock iconography because of this association.

I wouldn't be surprised if this association with peacocks and death/resurrection had some connection to the story of Hera and Argos, when Hera took the eyes of Argos and put them in the tails of peacocks feathers/she brought him back as a peacock. In some european cultures it seems there was an association between peacocks and bad luck and death (i need to look more into this) then of course there's the obvious association between price lucifer and peacocks that i feel like most people (in the west at least) are aware of.

So in India there is an association between a mythical bird called Garuda, who Vishnu would ride. Peacocks were made from the feathers of Garuda (i don't know, sounds kinda familiar to me). Peacocks by association with Garuda seem to be representative of time, and preserving and maintaining balance in the cosmos. Specifically due to how they eat poisonous snakes, which snakes are symbolic of cyclical time.

Next up in China, this is where things get really interesting. It is associated with a goddess named Guan Yin, and transmutes evil into beauty. Also a peacock is the manifestation of the Phoenix. So let's talk about phoenix's for a second. So a Phoenix represents things like virtue, duty, humanity, strength, good fortune, etc. Also phoenix's generally show up if an empire was good, or as a premonition of the rise of empires.

So i should clarify, this Phoenix (also known as a Fenghuang) isn't exactly the same as the western phoenix, which i was not aware of until now, but we're in too deep to go back baby lets gooooooooooo

So the western phoenix does go through a cycle of death and rebirth, but the Fenghuang is just immortal and doesn't die. So... Yea... I'm still gonna post this because its finals week and i have virtually no quality filter rn. I just might not tag it.

So i was gonna say that Felix would pull a Phoenix and just like will himself back to life or something, which could be interesting considering his whole arc of having no control of his life or whether or not he lives or dies, but i guess this is all being thrown out the window!

This is what i get for researching things. I am proven wrong in the middle of writing an epic post, and then I have to admit I'm wrong.

Oh well. I'll have more fun dissecting the lore later anyway.

[vagalumess]

A friend of mine is graduating, but she knows i won't be able to be there cause I'm flooded with exams until january and she just

messaged me saying she's gonna print a picture of me and take it so i can be there with her i???? the honor?? 😭

[perfectlynormalvelocipede]

something about me stumbling upon a post about the last of us's joel and ellie miller (?) and spending several minutes rereading it thinking someone has had an absolutely outrageous thought about broadchurch and also got the name slightly wrong this is why we as a society need to tag tv shows because names just won't cut it

[911lonestar911imagines]

The Captain and his 'Captain' - Owen Strand x Reader

Summary: After icing you out, captain Strand decides to have a rather intimidating conversation with you in the kitchen

Warnings: Implications of future smut, making out, Owen being hot asf

You and Owen had been roommates for awhile, after a fight with your brother, Judd, you moved out, quickly finding your way to Fire captain Owen Strand, and you guys definitely hit it off as friends.

You had lived with him for about three months before he started avoiding you, harshly. As soon as you'd leave your bedroom you'd hear him rush out of the house quicker than he would during a fire. It hurt, but you didn't feel a need to say anything, it wasn't like he was your boyfriend or anything.

"Y/nnnn, So what's going on with mystery man?" Carlos asked, you two hadn't really been close but after he arrested you one time for being way too drunk, you guys started talking whenever Tk was busy working. "He's been giving me the cold shoulder for weeks! It's not what I was expecting after I cook the man a full breakfast" You huffed crossing your arms huffing. "Mmm" Carlos hummed smirking "Could this man..possibly..have a name that rhymes with Bowen Krand?" He asked raising an eyebrow "Don't judge me, Carlos! He's four years older than me! and you have a thing for a Strand so you understand" You huffed looking him up and down judgmentally.

"Captain Strand, if you like the girl why don't you just tell her?" Tommy asked raising an eyebrow towards the fire captain as they walked back to their rigs "It's not that simple, I wanna marry her, Tommy, but every marriage I have just goes down the drain" He groaned as he put the axes back into the compartments "Owen" She said in the same tone she'd give her girls as if they were lying. "Tommy she made my favorite breakfast, my golden milk, and got my running gear out before I ever woke up!" He yelled in shock "Oh you must be so smitten" She joked before stopping "Owen. Honestly, my advice is, if you like her...make her a nice meal, and tell her how you feel, you're Owen Strand, has anybody ever rejected you?" She joked, Owen smirked at her "Actually yea" He said crossing his arms "You're not gonna do anything I said are you?" She asked mocking his stance "Yeah" He smiled innocently, walking towards his office after finally getting the rig restocked.

You laid in bed, Carlos long gone, you were bored. Normally you'd be joking around and drinking with Owen and yet, not a sound in the house. Groaning as you got up, you decided to grab a snack before you got into the shower, as you approached the kitchen though, there stood your roommate. Shirtless and in sweatpants, attempting to make something on the stove. "Owen?.." You whispered careful not to scare him, he quickly turned around offering you a quick but soft smile. "Hey hun, how was your day?" He asked turning his back to you as he focused back on the stove "Boring..I guess..Owen, I don't understand why were you icing me out then all of a sudden you're happy to see me..." You asked walking around sitting on the counter, you weren't going to lie, being that close to a shirtless Owen made you nervous, very very nervous, but you needed to act cool.

"I promise I will explain all once dinner is ready" He smiled offering in response, you were a little disappointed at his answer but you tried to shrug it off "Did I do something wrong?.." You whispered nervously "What? No" He almost shouted grabbing your shoulders "Trust me if you did something wrong I'd tell you" He explained looking into your eyes, your stomach felt like you were doing a loop on a rollercoaster. "I'm-" He cut you off by the dinging of his timer "Dinners ready!" He smiled excitedly as he pulled dinner out of the oven. You stayed on the counter watching him cut and plate the food, watching every muscle of his flex and tense as he moved. Owen turned around ready to tell you to sit down, but stopped whenever he caught you staring, not even stopping whenever he caught you. That's whenever he got not only a boost of confidence but also a boost of cockiness to him, just by your stare.

"Ya know Y/n..It's rude to stare at man whenever he's making you a meal" He sassed leaning back against the counter, using the edge to purposely grab and flex his biceps while eyeing you down, trying to use any intimidation tactic came to mind. You froze feeling your body go hot in embarrassment, and that feeling was back in your stomach "S-Sorry I was in my hea-" he cut you off again by taking a few steps towards you "Don't lie, Y/n you're one of the worst liars I've met, and I caught you staring an extra minute after I caught you" He stated sternly, maybe you had pissed him off? or maybe just maybe..he had a thing for you too?

"I'm sorry I-if I made you upset" You started but he shook his head "Don't apologize" He said, his tone lowering, you took in a shaky breath watching him walk closer towards you. "Owen..." You said softly watching him closely as he got into arms length of you, resting his arms on the counter tops next to you "I won't hurt you" He whispered, stepping between your legs looking into your eyes. Holy shit. You were turned on, more than you had ever been before, he looked so damn hot, and you were trying your best to hide it, but the way he was looking into your eyes made you feel like he knew every thought you were thinking.

You felt his breath against your lips as he leaned closer "This is okay, right?" He asked calmly, almost like he wasn't making you a melting mess on his kitchen counter tops. You took a soft sigh nodding as you felt his lips brush against yours before feeling his hands sneak up around your waist. Owen had his own anxieties, especially with Mateo accidentally walking in on you two having a stare down one night and ruining the tension.

You yelped as you were suddenly in the arm, wrapping your arms around Owen's shoulders tightly almost like you were a cat about to be put in a bathtub. "Don't drop me, you crazy ass!" You gasped wrapping your legs around him tightly watching and feeling him jerk down a little bit. You looked at him, eyes wide as you felt a certain bulge in his sweats, now understanding his movements a moment ago. "I won't let you get hurt" He grunted holding you closer to his bare chest as he dropped you a few feet above his bed watching you bounce on the mattress.

"Don't want, Mateo walking in" He whispered before kissing you deeply, you could feel his hands next to your head, holding himself above you. You let your hand roam in his hair, which was unsurprisingly soft, while he pulled away from your lips leaving a small hickey on your jawline. You gasped starting to laugh smacking his chest "I have to watch Charlie tomorrow! If Judd sees that he's gonna know I was doing something with you" You laughed, watching him pull away to smile at you "You're so beautiful" He whispered, caressing your cheek gently "Owen..You never explained why you were icing me out" You said softly, playing with his hair, wrapping it around your finger "I...well..I realized I liked you..and I took in account my past..marriages that didn't end well, so I didn't want to risk it" He explained almost like a kid getting in trouble and having to explain what they did wrong.

You smiled rolling your eyes as your heard the front door shut "I'm home, Cap! Just getting some clothes to go to Nancy's!" You heard him call out, Owen looked at you in shock and fear, almost like he was worried what Judd would actually think. "Just shut up and kiss me, captain" You joked pulling him back down to your lips by the back of his neck, he laughed against your lips, rolling over on his bed to where you were straddling him "Better for my...uh..for my..back" He said, trying to find an excuse "Mhmmmm sure, Strand" You laughed kissing down his jawline trying to keep your smile hidden.

[katurdayss]

Caught up with the 9-1-1 finale after watching some live-blogging on tumblr and I feel like some things should be addressed.

I saw some comments about how having Latinos being Cartel members was racist because it reinforces stereotypes. 9-1-1 also has Eddie and his family, who have been main/side characters for multiple seasons, who are positive complex characters, whereas the Cartel was like 1.5 episodes. Complex, wide ranging representation is important and in this instance I think the 6 seasons of Eddie and family far outweighs the 30-60 min of Cartel.

"Gerrard was like the father I had" "I wasn't close to my father" are SUPER IMPORTANT LINES FOR TOMMY. It shows that he grew up in a household that wouldn't/doesn't accept his sexuality, that his past behavior is predicated on existing in various forms of Gerrard's toxic environment his whole life. That is until the Winds of Change in the form of Chimney and Hen started to blow in.

Imho, Tommy wasn't nullifying Buck's trauma by making the daddy joke. Putting aside the argument that Queer people shouldn't have to be sanitized to be represented on TV, Tommy could have just read the room and thought Evan needed a little break from the EMOTIONAL DAMAGE his whole day had been consisting of. I mean if I went on the emotional rollercoaster that Buck did in one day, you better bet I would appreciate my super hot pilot boyfriend making some jokes and giving me some space to just breath.

Honestly, the whole live blogging experience on Tumblr was really disappointing. I won't be doing that again. Instead I'll just watch the show by myself, analyze it by my nerdy-self and then come here to post and hope some fellow nerds like it. Somehow I spent 30+ years of my life in positive fan culture land and I really wish I never ventured out of it.

[pommunist]

Honestly, I've been very scared to keep posting about the situation, since I don't want people who follow me to think I'm ''too negative'' or judge me when I'm not remaining as positive as before, or to bring negative posts to dashes of people that I know are very stressed about this. And I appreciated before how you are a safe place for neg thoughts, so I'm here to vent a little bit if that's okay.

My experience since the reveal can be described as a rollercoaster that only has been going down.

I was incredibly stressed when Lèa revealed everything, but remained hopeful that things could change for the better. I had trust.

At first, the next few days after that, I thought the leaks of the changes made were odd since they looked like they lacked context, and the lack of context could lead to fandom outrage, which I was worried about at the time. Why was I worried? Well, I still had trust right things were in progress to be done. Looking back into that, while we got the context later on and it reassured me then, not jumping into immediate conclusions and waiting for more points of views was more my way of protecting my mind from spiraling further into distress, all while knowing full well that Lèa has only acted with the best intentions and none of this was in bad faith.

Then we get hit with this: Admin after admin are leaving, and it gets to the point that Lumi and Shade leave, because the communication never existed in that workplace and priorities were proved to be incredibly out of place. My trust was B R O K E N. And like I promised an anon back then, I finally allowed disappointment to sink in.

And why was my trust broken? Fun fact: When it matters to me, I have good memory, and I remember Q's statements. The words and the actions are not matching.

- He said that he was going to collect testimonies and investigate. Ah yes, the investigation tactic of not contacting anyone in the workplace and actually gathering their testimonies, I heard it's a good source of information to make important changing decisions /srcsm.

- He said the CCs were being updated about the changes. Then we see CCs saying they actually don't know shit going on bts except for a couple of general announcements.

And there may be other stuff that does not match, but those two are the most relevant to me right now.

Like, genuinely I didn't even care about whatever the fuck Q said after Lumi and Shade's statements, and any other post that tries to reassure the fanbase just feels like very hopeful thinking, that I used to have, but I DON'T anymore. It feels like false promises and looking for things that make sense, when, really, that shouldn't be our job. At this point I need tangible proof of improvement, not just words because these fucking words have proved to not be enough for me to believe whatever the fuck Q says it's being done.

I can't even trust fully that the merch money will actually go to payment for the remaining admins and compensation for the ones who left. That would be the best case scenario, but can I even TRUST this scenario to occur? Right now, no, I don't think so, I have not been given proof to trust this. And seeing any merch with Pomme, Dapper or Ramon in the Qsmp Awards just felt extremely wrong and I hated it.

When you are a Huevito, this has been wild: First, Artea leaves, and then, Shade reveals to us that Ramon's OG admin was fired around the time Artea took the role, while this entire time most of the Huevitos thought the OG admin was back around the last days of february. It feels worse when you can connect the dots about what happened with Ramon's OG admin, when we know that he was extremely busy with school last time we saw him, and we consider Lèa saying how management would fire you if you were not active enough...

Must clarify, all the love to BOTH Ramon's OG admin and Artea, they both killed it with the role, they are both wonderful people and I wish the best to them and the new Ramon admin that was with us at the beginning of march aswell. Also all the love to them. Must be hard to play a character that was played and developed by two different people before, and the effort is deeply appreciated.

I also feared to say the above since I was scared to spread misinformation somehow. But honestly, I'm trusting Shade's words, you know, the one who's best friend irl with Ramon's OG admin should know full well what they are talking about and the status of employment of said best friend.

And when you have been a ghostie for months since basically the beginning: This shit SUCKS and people are SO EXTREMELY VALID for being upset and grieving.

I think no company should ghost their employees even when they are ACTIVELY TRYING TO REACH OUT. Fucking paranoia of leaks ain't cutting it for me as an excuse for this mistreatment and I don't blame Lumi and Shade at all for taking the decision that was healthier for themselves after that. Just a ''we can't say much right now due to legal reasons, but we are still slowly working on it'', LITERALLY JUST THAT HAD TO BE SAID, WDYM NOT EVEN THAT.

The french community have every right to be angry after this. The CCs stated they were leaving if Lumi left, and that's an entire language going away from the server. Yeah, no shit they are upset.

And I want to just grab Bad by the shoulders and say YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PLAY ON THE SERVER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO, YOU ARE CLEARLY DISTRESSED, DO WHAT'S BEST FOR YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL BEING, WE UNDERSTAND.

Of course I want this to turn out for the best, like everyone. I believe the basis of this project was a wonderful idea, and I'm grateful for the positive things it had brought. But this shit is not being resolved the right way, as we could see. And with Q seemingly no understanding the underlying issue, then why would I remain as hopeful as before.

Another fun fact: When you break my trust, it's really fucking hard to gain it back or for that to happen in the first place, so.

I have stated that my hyperfixation to Qsmp has died out, since I decided to keep my distance in order to collect my thoughts, reflect, breathe and do what's best for myself. Nowadays I only would watch two specific CCs play, but if at some point they decide to leave, which I would not blame them if it reached that point, then that would be it for me. I would be done with it. I don't blame the people who also feel this way or the ones who think it is already over.

If I'm only staying here it's purely for love for this community. In the anniversary, I could not bring myself to say happy birthday to the Qsmp, I said happy birthday to Qsmpblr instead. I love the people I have met and interacted with here dearly. Even if our opinions don't match, because hope and trust have left me, the love is still there, you know?

That would be everything I wanted to get out of my chest, sorry for the big text and angry rambling. I would prefer to stay anonymous for this one. Take care, Pommunist.

Hey anon ! I don’t really know what to say in response to all this, just that I agree with most of what you just said here.

The feeling of being afraid that you’re being too negative too often ahah big same here ! I didn’t think my blog would turn into what it is when i made it, and I felt many time like I was bothering people with my frequent posts on the situation (I also know I’m not the best at tagging stuff I promise I try my best though !).

We have to remember that we aren’t being negative for fun or drama, we are just talking about a situation that is negative so of course this isn’t going to be fun and rainbows. And personally I’d rather do that than « faire l’autruche » as we say in french (Translation would be : to do the ostrich aka to put your head in the ground so you can ignore your problems), as it is too serious of an issue .

Also using your post to express my admiration and gratitude to Ramon’s OG admin and Artea because they both did an amazing job playing him and shaping him into the character we love so much (Our beautiful baby boy).

And yes, the community is great ! Even if you don’t feel like watching the server or at least less than before, we should still interact with the wonderful people thanks to it ! Also, keep sharing fanarts, fanfics, anything ! the artists are blessing us with wonderful art and stories they still deserve our support ! I understand people who do but we don’t have to stop talking about something we love altogether if we don’t want to, the things that made us like it are still here, at the end of the day we can keep that love at least.

My thoughts are so disjointed here anon I’m sorry but lots of love to you ! As someone who was hyper fixated on it too, the fall from grace was particularly painful, can relate 😣

I’ll reiterate that I don’t mind anons at all, you don’t have to justify yourself ! It just makes a bit sad the number of people who told me they didn’t feel like they could express their thoughts publicly.

Take care too ! ♥️

[babyhatesreality]

The Sinner and the Saint Ch 3

Pairing: (eventual) Mob!Boss Bucky x f!reader

Warnings: NSFW, f!reader, language, fake names (for now), Truth or Dare, LOTS of innuendos and dirty thoughts, everybody has secrets, reader says unkind things about herself, reader is an exotic dancer, reader is extremely flexible dancer :D, reader uses several dance styles, Bucky (aka Nick) is a little shit, touch of angst, touch of fluff, slow burn relationship. There will be many, many more warnings for future chapters including mafia and all the stuff that comes with that, kinks, and smut. 

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN MEDIA CONSUMPTION. MINORS DNI. THIS IS AN 18+ STORY ONLY AND IS NSFW. I DO NOT CONSENT FOR ANY OF MY WORKS TO BE COPIED, REPRINTED, OR TRANSLATED ONTO ANY PLATFORM EXCEPT MY OWN.

Previous- Chapter 2

Chapter 3

“Who goes first?” you asked boldly, smiling at him.

“Well,” Nick said, running his gloved finger along his chin as he thought. “I SHOULD say ladies first. It’s be the proper thing to do. Gentlemanly and all that.” He tossed the rest of the bourbon into his mouth, then set the glass down definitively. There was a dangerous sparkle in his eye. “Well, I’m always a gentleman, but I’m definitely not proper,” he said with an evil grin. “So. Truth or dare?”

Your own lips twisting as you tried not to show how much that glint in his eye was turning you on, you merely tilted your head like you were thinking. “Um...truth,” you said, pretending like it had been a thoughtful decision. 

“Do you like working here?”

“Honestly, I love it. Most of the girls are fantastic, and Ms. Romanoff’s one of the best bosses I’ve ever had.” You paused to take another sip of champagne. “Then of course, I get to meet charming men like yourself as well,” you said overtly flirtatiously, in an attempt to...well, you weren’t sure. This guy paid for your company in the freaking VIP Champagne Room, which WAS NOT cheap- shouldn’t you be giving him compliments and making him feel like an alpha male or something like that? Your inexperience was making you both mad and terrified. 

Nick gave a carefully constructed and corporate smile at your words. One that was acknowledging your flattery but also said he didn’t truly accept it. Your guts twisted again. That made you panicked and disappointed that you had failed. Not just at your job, but...him. You’d failed him. And that really bothered you.  Disappointing him was...not an option.

 Before you could put your filter in place, the words came tumbling out again. “Sorry if that was inappropriate,” you said, your face turning Hooker Lipstick red. “I...I mean, you’re really nice and I just...I don’t think you’re getting your money’s worth with me just running my mouth and being so dumb and I don’t want you to waste your time-”

You snapped your mouth shut- FINALLY- as Nick’s jaw dropped, his shocked blue eyes piercing you down to your soul. Finally, he collected himself. “No, I...no that’s not what I was thinking at all,” he stammered. “You thought that...” he choked to a halt, looking flabbergasted. A teeny tiny part of you rejoiced that you weren’t the only one on the back foot now, but THAT made you feel more guilty. Shit, if you could afford a Therapist they’d have a field day with this emotional rollercoaster you were on. “I...I don’t want you to think that you’re not worth the money. But...not in a cheap way, like not that you’re cheap, but not like...oh fuck not like I’m buying you or....I mean...shit. Goddammit,” he finally grumbled, standing up and storming over to the bar and pouring himself another bourbon quickly. He took a huge slug of it before pausing, taking a deep breath, and turning back to you. 

“Sorry. I’m not used to having to explain myself,” he said gruffly, but seemingly more in control now. He exhaled and relaxed a bit, then smiled. “What I meant to say is that I am enjoying my time with you. I’m especially enjoying your forthright honesty. Not many people give me that. You don’t have to worry about me not having a great time. This is one of the best conversations I’ve had in a very, very long time, and I want it to continue.”

It was your turn to exhale, your eyes wide as they could go. How the FUCK were you supposed to respond to such a masterful answer? All you could think to blurt out was, “Can I have a bourbon too? Or whatever it is that just made you so eloquent while you were freaking out? Cause I clearly fucking need it.”

Nick suddenly tilted his head back, laughing loudly at that, which made you laugh too. After you both wiped your eyes and settled down a bit, he pointed to the glass in your hand. “You stick with champagne, missy, you’re still working.”

You sighed playfully. “Yes, sir,” you responded deliberately. He froze again for a heartbeat before making his way back to the couch. 

Damn, that was still very interesting.

After he sat down, he turned you to again. “And don’t call yourself dumb again. I don’t like it. Got it?” he said, with that air of authority mixed with...something... you couldn’t name it. 

Shocked that he cared about that, you took a beat before responding. “Okay,” you said, feeling your entire body soften for a moment, before tensing right back up again. 

His secretive smile returned. “Your turn,” he said in his arrogant tone.

“Truth or Dare?” you asked after trying to clear your throat delicately.

“Truth.”

Wanna fu- “What do you do for a living?”

Nick tilted his head, staring right into your eyes, for three solid seconds. Just as you were about to get nervous that you’d once again put your foot in your mouth, he smiled- softly. It was a good look on him. 

“I’m the CEO of a business that handles a lot of high-end imports and exports,” he said, the words falling so seamlessly off his tongue that you knew he’d said them a million times before. “We dabble in all sorts of fields,” he continued in the same breath, his eyes never leaving yours. 

“Wow,” you said breathlessly, realizing that money clearly was not an issue for this man, but having enough tact and filter thank god to not bring it up. “That sounds really cool. So you manage how and where product comes from, pricing, all that kind of stuff?”

Nick smiled mysteriously again. “Tsk, tsk,” he said, before pointing a finger at you. “That’s a second question.” You blushed again, making his grin widen. “Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“How long have you lived in New York City?”

“Nearly three months. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“So you manage how and where product comes from, pricing, all that kind of stuff?” you asked sweetly. That caused Nick to snort a laugh into his drink. 

“Yes, that’s the basics of how it all works,” he said, chuckling. Your gaze fell on his leather gloves as he brushed away the moisture in his eyes, and you instantly knew your next question. But it was his turn. “Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Depends on the day and how I’m feeling.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“But it’s the truth.”

“Clever girl.”

“Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“Why are you wearing gloves?”

“Poor circulation. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

"Why did you move to New York?”

“You already asked me that.”

“But you didn’t answer. You freaked out thinking you sounded like a hillbilly, remember?”

Turning red again, you tossed your hair back in an effort to recapture your strong persona out of your embarrassment. “I came here to be a professional dancer.”

Nick nodded in understanding. It wasn’t the first time he’d met a wanna-be performer. New York City was full of them. “So what form of dance is your speciality?” he asked, curious. 

You internally steeled yourself, and put on your own seductive grin. “That’s a second question, sir,” you said, pursing your lips in mock disapproval. Nick tried to hide his smile by pushing his tongue against the inside of his bottom lip, but it didn’t work. He shook his head, grinning. 

“Mea Culpa,” he said pompously, before fixing his deep blue eyes on you again and gesturing for you to continue. Thrilled that you had won that tiny little battle and filled with an inappropriate amount of ego over it, you perked up a bit and asked. 

“Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“What’s YOUR favorite color?”

“Black. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“What form of dance is your speciality?” he asked, cocking his eyebrows at turning the tables back on you. You giggled- you had a feeling it was coming. Brushing a stray strand of hair out of your eyes, you tilted your head as you thought about it. 

“I don’t really have a speciality. I studied as many styles as I could. Basically any time a new class was offered even remotely near me, I took it. Or studied it online. And I couldn’t get enough, you know?” you said, your eyes beginning to gleam. “Like every new class I took just added gas to the tank, and I needed to know more. There’s always going to be a new style to learn, a new technique to try. And I want...I NEED to know it. I...I just want to dance,” you said quietly, your mind flicking through every recital, every show, every class where you’d felt that secret, magical spark, that insatiable drive. “There’s a lot that’s inside me,” you mused, as if you’d forgotten Nick was even there, so lost in your worship of the art form. “And the only way I know how...well, the best way I know how to get it out...is to dance and let it flow through my body...I have to get it out, otherwise, the terrible beauty of the world inside me would crush me.”

The precious confession hung in the still air and you were loathe to shatter the poignant silence. You felt like you should have felt shame for sharing so much, but you just...didn’t. You wondered why. Nick gently reached over and laid his gloved hand on top of yours. 

“Thank you,” he said so softly you almost missed it. “I...thank you.” He managed to look both stunned and in awe, all at the same time. 

As if the oxygen entered the room again, you inhaled deeply and turned to him. You wanted to apologize for oversharing, but the look in his eyes made you realize that he didn’t want an apology- he honestly treasured your deep response. Swallowing hard, you took a sip of champagne, nearly finishing your second glass. “So...truth?” you asked, recovering your sweet smile. 

His smile widened, and he nodded. “Truth,” he acknowledged, toying with his glass.

“What’s your real name?”

His eyes slid to yours. You could see a million calculations going through his mind, and you saw the moment he decided. “Dare,” he said instead, cocking his eyebrow at you in that damn challenging way again. 

Your mouth opening in a delighted surprise, you scrambled to think of something ‘cool’ to dare him with. Your eyes landed on the mini bar in the room. “I dare you to take a shot of tequila...” you began. His smirk and eye roll before you even finished your sentence peaked your competitiveness. “...without the salt and the lime.” His eyes suddenly stretched wide, surprised, before narrowing playfully at you. 

“Well, let it be known that you fight dirty,” he grumbled with a grin, before heading over to the bar, looking at the contents carefully, plucking out a bottle from behind the counter, pouring himself a shot and downing it in one. You saw the faintest hint of a grimace cross his face before he shut it down with him impassive look, that turned arrogantly smug as he looked at your shocked expression. Tequila was NASTY- how the hell had he done that?!

“So. Truth?” he asked, completely smoothly. All you could do was blink at him. He sauntered back over to you, that power just dripping off him so viscerally that you could feel it in your bones. “What’s YOUR real name?”

And suddenly you knew. This was his game, and had been his game all along. He had trapped you into taking a Dare, knowing there was no way you were going to reveal your name unless he revealed his. Taking your last sip of bravery juice, you stood right up, willing your limbs to stop trembling in your nervousness. 

“Dare,” you said simply, forcing your eyes to meet his and not waver. He jutted his chin forward in his moment of triumph. 

“Dance for me,” he said simply. 

Something inside of you cracked at those words. You had spilled inner secrets and thoughts to this stranger, things you had never vocalized before, and in return, all he wanted was for you to take your clothes off for him. The sting of disappointment and...almost...betrayal? hit your heart. But that was ridiculous. He had never asked you to share- you had done it of your own free will. This was all your own fault. You’d forgotten your place. You were just another stripper in a big city to him. That fucking hurt. And it must have showed on your face. 

Nick held up his hand. “Stop thinking whatever it is you’re thinking,” he commanded after he watched the emotion flicker over your face. “Not like that. Dance for me how YOU want to. Your way,” he said softly. “I want to see that world that you’re so passionate about.” 

You absolutely froze, completely obliterated by the about-face that was happening in your brain. He WANTED, actually WANTED to see you dance your way? “Are you sure?” you asked breathlessly. “You don’t want me to...?” You couldn’t finish, hating yourself the moment the words crossed your lips. He had given you a golden opportunity and you were still so unsure of yourself, still so damn insecure, that you were offering to take your clothes off. 

He shook his head, once. “No. I want you to dance your way. Pick whatever music moves you, and just...dance. I want to see.” He swallowed hard. “Please.” He gently forced the word out, as if he was unused to saying it like this.

“Okay,” you whispered back. A look of relief flickered through his eyes before he swallowed hard and sat back down on the couch. 

“Take your time,” he said smoothly. “Whenever you’re ready.” Was that a touch of...nervousness you heard in his voice? He gestured to the wall behind the bar. You turned to look, and found a very expensive looking sound system installed in the wall. Taking a deep breath yourself, you walked over to it with a confidence you didn’t feel. Your mind raced- what song? And more to the point- what was really going on here?

Was he just being nice? Was he really expecting you to strip despite what he said? For fucks’ sake you were working in a strip club that he apparently came to all the time. He really didn’t mean what he said. Or...was it possible? Was he serious? 

Then it hit you. You might not get this chance ever again. 

Carpe Diem.

You quickly turned the system on, and found it surprisingly user friendly. You typed in one of the songs from one of your favorite musicals- a musical that made you go nearly feral from the dancing the first time you saw it. You unbuckled the straps of the Fuck Me heels, then playfully tossed them out onto the floor. You watched Nick carefully when you did that. His eyes never left you. He didn’t care about the clothes you were discarding, even if they were only shoes. He was watching you. Now or never. Truth AND Dare.

You hit play and stepped to the center of the room.

*Nature Boy from Moulin Rouge the Musical*

The evocative notes from the lone guitar filled the room. You closed your eyes and surrendered to the music, letting the notes and the feeling flow through you, gently stepping back and forth and side to side as the mental image of the guitarist’s strong hands gently plucking the strings called to you. 

There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy, 

they say he wandered very far, very far, over land and sea

You gave the tiniest plié before going up onto demi-relevé as the hypnotic words came. You’d start with the most classical dance- ballet. You moved as if you were mystical, imagining that you had been visited by the enchanted boy and had been touched by his spirit and adventures. You let your arms flirt with the magic in the air as your legs moved you across the room.

A little shy, and sad of eye, but very wise was he

You used moves similar to a Japanese Nihon Buyo style that you’d observed on the word ‘shy’, ‘sad’, and ‘wise’. The rich Japanese culture of dance had a way with expressing strong emotions that was incomparable to anyone else. 

And then one day, one magic day he passed my way

As you continued to move lithely, caught in the emotions of the ethereal melody, you let your eyes drift to Nick on the words ‘he passed my way’. He was watching you with wide eyes, like a child seeing Wonderland for the first time.

And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings, 

this he said to me

You changed it up, going into a more modern Twyla Tharp style, subtly indicating that upon meeting him, everything else changed too. You moved as the music told you to, rejoicing in the talking, the fools, the kings, and every other word sung. 

The greatest thing you’ll ever learn 

You used wide sweeping movements on these words, trying to give gravity to the deep profound thing you were about to learn. 

Is just to love, and be loved in return.

You stopped moving after the words ‘just to love’, simply looking to the heavens in expectation, letting the next words speak for themselves. They were more powerful than any move you could have made just then. On the last moment of the word ‘return’, you looked down and ever-so-slowly brought you right leg up in passé, your arms in fifth ballet position. Except you didn’t stop- you slowly extended your leg up, until your right foot was pointed at the ceiling, and you casually turned your face to the light to look at it. And then you didn’t move; you held perfectly still. It was the move that was making you famous at the club; it was singularly yours. It had taken you years to perfect it. 

Finally getting to use it YOUR way brought tears to your eyes. 

The greatest thing (the greatest thing) you’ll ever learn (you’ll ever learn)

Is just to love and be loved in return

You held your position until ‘thing’, then let the energy flow through your body once again. Holding a position like that for that long took immense and precise concentration, so you let your muscles loose and let them take you where the music whispered to go as a thank you. On the last word you gracefully stopped, picked up your heels, and gently slung them over your shoulder, turning and slowly walking away as the violin cried out its lonely descant. On the last guitar arpeggio, you stopped and turned your head, locking eyes with your audience of one. The music ended, and you quietly turned back around, anxious and exhilarated. You both stared at each other as if you found the secrets of the stars in the other’s eyes. 

Golden silence. 

Suddenly Nick stood and walked straight over to you. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly pulled the glove off his right hand. His eyes bored into you almost in desperation. When you didn’t break eye contact at all, he gasped quietly, then reached towards your face. 

“Please,” was all he said. You nodded, unable to break the stare. He reverently drew one finger along your cheek, along your jaw until his fingers hovered right over your lips. You had never wanted to be kissed so badly in your life. You silently begged him with every fiber of your being. And he leaned in for a fraction of a second. 

Suddenly, he stepped back and let his hand drop to yours. He picked it up and pressed the back of your fingers to his lips, holding it there a long time as he squeezed his eyes shut. Finally, he stood back up, looking you right in the eyes. “Thank you, Miss Angel,” he said, almost in a worshipful tone. Then without another word, he turned and walked out of the room. 

*************************************************************************

He was breathing hard as he shut the door behind him. He looked to his right and nodded at Fury, who gave him a respectful single nod back. He looked to his left and met the blue eyes of the muscular, well dressed blonde man guarding the other side of the door. He turned to his right with purpose and began moving at his typical fast pace. He heard Steve’s footsteps follow him, like always.

Knowing his way around the club all too well, he walked straight into Natasha’s office. As he barged through the door, Natasha looked up, startled, her hand flying under her desk. He knew she was gripping her concealed gun in her shock, but she relaxed the moment she realized it was him. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about startling her- he wanted something and wanted it now.

“Book her with me for the week,” he said firmly, cutting right to the chase. “Every night. And I want the exact schedule of when she dances for that whole time, too.”

Natasha’s jaw hit the top of her desk. “What? Are you serious?” she asked bluntly. His eyes suddenly blazed metal-melting blue in their fury at the idea of having to wait even longer for what he wanted.

“Did I stutter?” he snarled at her. “Do it. Now. You have two minutes.” Eyes stretched open in shock, Natasha ripped her gaze from his to her computer and began typing as fast as her fingers could fly. 

He turned and looked at Steve, who was wearing his typical stoic look. “She has no idea,” he breathed out, still half caught in his moment of wonder. “She doesn’t know who I am. She doesn’t have a clue.”

Steve’s usually impassive face betrayed a rare moment of incredulity. “You’re kidding,” the muscular man in the impeccable black suit said, looking back at his boss- and best friend- in shock, unable to comprehend the idea. His boss shook his head, that daring grin spreading across his face again. He was about to expound on the thought, but Natasha walked up to him, thrusting a piece of paper into his ungloved hand. 

“Here you go, Mr. Barnes,” she said with corporate formality. “She’s all yours.”

Chapter 4

[insertname099]

THE END OF OSHI NO KO

And so, it's Oshi No Over. 166 chapters, 4 and a half years. Here lies Oshi No Ko, April 23, 2020 - November 14, 2024.

What a ride, huh? From the greatest first volume of manga to ever exsist, through all these cliffhangers and fake out deaths, just to end on a conclusion so bad that it almost ruins everything that came before it and will go down in manga history.

Honestly, I thought I would be happier that it's over, but I'm just too tired to muster up anything than a vague apathetic acknowledgement. All the themes and messages that this work could have had, gone like dust in the wind. My poor failhusband Hikaru... they treated you so badly. Despite this, this work is still incredibly special to me. It's made me develop the most intense hyperfixation I've had in my life so far, it's gotten me to write my first ever fanfic, made me ship characters in a way I've never done before... The HikaAi brainworms have made themselves very comfortable lmao. I've chatted with so many interesting people and have had so many great conversations because of this work. Waiting every week for updates, that constant cycle of It's Hoshinover and WE'RE SO BACK... I had fun. The crushing depths of disappointment only exist because of how good it once was... but we make do with what we've got, not what could have been. It's bad... but I appreciate what we've got nonetheless. And at the very least, the best character (Hoshino Ai My Beloved) made it all the way with her character intact. We've made it through all the incest bait, character assassination, inconsistent writing, terrible handling of very delicate topics, way too much rollercoaster cliffhanger bullshit... Now, at the end, I can say that though I can probably never recommend this manga to anyone, I still love Oshi No Ko.

Thank you, Aka Akasaka. Thank you, Mengo Yokoyari, for carrying this manga on your back. For better and for worse, you two have changed my life. I will never forget it.

I'm still Ai's fan. For all eternity!

[bibibbon]

Yo! I see you rant about JJK on occasion which is cool I'm a fan of that series.

Just not the recent leaks.

Are you caught up on spoilers? Because Bibi... I have things to say about JJK's creative choices, especially what Gege has done recently.

I'm not happy.

Hi anon 👋

Sadly, Iam caught up with canon and the horrendous rollercoaster that is gege akutami's creative writing choices. I know I don't rant much about jjk but I honestly plan to start doing that, I am just busy at the moment and I am making character analysis and all before ranting about leaks like I do with MHA.

In all honesty I have always had problems with gege's writing here and there but they have never been big enough until we reached the culling games and the nonsense that happens after it.

The 261 leaks are disastrous and a huge disappointment. Look I really don't mind if Gojo came back or died but I truly despise the way he chose to make yuta hella overpowered. I did like the fact that we got an acknowledgement of how society has dehumanised Gojo by making him the strongest but you would think that a story about the younger generation breaking cycles they wouldnt choose another hierarchy type system but in the end they do? Yuta coming back in gojos body was what I hated most really like I liked yuta acknowledging gojos feelings and all but Dam I don't know what gege was thinking here.

Iam afraid that gege has forgotten about megumi and nobara. Like Iam pretty sure megumi has taken a lot of damage so him coming out miraculously unscathed would just be bs plot armour and all. On the other hand, the way you're telling me after like 100+ chapters of no mention of Todo he comes back? And then we just forget completely about nobara?!?!?! It's infuriating.

Also my final mention is what gege truly plans with yuji itadori. Look I get that geges writing of his MC doesn't follow the traditional shonen MC formula which is something I really like but I genuinely expected for yuji to be the one to fight from right on here and we get more of megumi (heck even insert nobara) instead we get yuji sidelined and we get yuta in gojos body. At least if it was nobara coming into the battle of would at least work because she is close to yuji and it's basically the trio reuniting with eachother in a cruel way.

I have more to say but I will keep it short as this is getting too long

[delectablyhumongousstarfis--blog]

Well… that was quite the emotional rollercoaster. I have a lot of thoughts.

Firstly, I am over the moon about the callowmoore shenanigans! I love me a slow burn (pun absolutely intended). Pure fucking awkward chaos - nom nom nom! I don’t think the events with the shard spell the end of anything. We’ve seen romances weather worse storms. Remember that one time that Yasha nearly killed Beau? I love their whole dynamic and I’m excited to see it hopefully blossom into something more, and how they deal with all of this.

I’m disappointed that Ashton took the shard, but honestly that’s mostly because I think the narrative is going to be worse/less compelling for it. Seeing Fearne and Ashton learn how to navigate such a connection to another person is infinitely more interesting to me personally than Ashton adding to their already complex stack of abilities. Not saying it’s bad, or uninteresting, just less so than what could have been.

While watching Ashton nearly get shattered (again!!) was incredibly stressful, it was also the kinda high-stakes drama I enjoy. I’m really looking forward to the conversations that’ll come from this in the next episode.

After 4SD, I’m of the opinion that Fearne was scared of the power the shard holds and the potential of being corrupted by it. I also think part of it might have been not wanting to steal Ashton/Tal’s thunder. For Ashton, I reckon it was a combination of things. From their perspective, they’ve been a nobody their whole life, they finally have an opportunity to be a somebody. They want to take hits so others don’t have to. They want to be a hero. I think I get why we ended up here.

Am I a little mad at the characters for being kinda stupid? yes. Am I glad the cast RP their characters making stupid decisions? Also yes. As dumb and avoidable as this all might have been, it was a great piece of entertainment.

I’m surprised that I’ve yet to see anyone talk about Imogen and Laudna being so ready to abandon Ashton when they thought they were going to die… especially considering Ashton’s history. Even more so when looking at Ashton’s own reaction to other party members being close to death. I really hope that gets discussed at the table at some point. Could get some juicy RP moments.

I think I’ve rambled enough for one evening. Really looking forward to next week’s episode, let the drama begin!!

[puppetshcw]

⸻ STUPID CUPID'S TOMIE SPOTTED CELEBRATING BEST FRIEND'S BIRTHDAY AMID BREAK ANNOUNCEMENT: FANS EXPRESS MIXED REACTIONS ��

in an unexpected turn of events, STUPID CUPID's TOMIE has found herself at the centre of controversy after being spotted at her best friend's birthday party, just days after the group announced a hiatus. the revelation has left fans puzzled, stirring a whirlwind of speculation and mixed reactions within the k-pop community.

TOMIE, who recently took a break citing exhaustion, was photographed enjoying the birthday festivities, seemingly at odds with the narrative of prioritizing rest and recuperation. fans, initially supportive of TOMIE's decision to focus on her well-being, now find themselves questioning the sincerity of the hiatus amidst this surprising turn of events.

the controversy has sparked discussions on social media platforms, with fans expressing a range of emotions from disappointment to frustration. some argue that TOMIE's presence at the celebration undermines the legitimacy of the announced hiatus, while others extend understanding, acknowledging that artists also need moments of joy and connection.

STUPID CUPID's agency, MIGHTY DEVIL RECORDS, has yet to comment on the situation, leaving fans in suspense about the group's future plans and how TOMIE's recent actions may impact their comeback timeline. the incident has injected a sense of uncertainty into an already challenging period for the popular k-pop group.

as the controversy unfolds, fans are left eagerly awaiting clarification from both TOMIE and the agency, hoping for transparency and insights into the circumstances surrounding the unexpected birthday appearance. the incident has added a dramatic twist to STUPID CUPID's hiatus narrative, leaving fans on the edge of their seats as they navigate this rollercoaster of emotions.

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

⸻ NETIZENS' REACTION:

⠀⠀⠀ [ +713, -314 ] wow... and she goes partying after making such a big deal about taking a break... i see how it is. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⤷ [ +812, -194 ] so now she can't even celebrate her best friend's birthday?? what kind of thinking is that?

⠀⠀⠀ [ +389, -324 ] when it comes to everything else, mighty devil rushes to say something but for this they stay quiet. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⤷ [ +381, -109 ] i'm sorry, but what is there to say? "oh, we're sorry tomie has a life and you don't"??

⠀⠀⠀ [ +492, -158 ] some of you guys are reaching.. she didn't go on a break because she has sickness, but because she's tired from being overworked. she'll literally go back to getting rest after just one day of partying.

⠀⠀⠀ [ +150, -47 ] so did everyone seem to forget her birthday was literally yesterday?? you guys are focusing on wrong things.

⠀⠀⠀ [ +294, -127 ] honestly i don't care, it's not like she's outside getting everyone sick. i just want their next album to drop out soon!

⠀⠀⠀ [ +442, -158 ] oh wow. allkpop is not kidding about delivering the news fast. the photos dropped out not even an hour ago

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Thoughts~

Bonnie being angry and disappointed at Freddy when Cassie helps bring him back only for him to see the destruction and decay of his family and home that Freddy allowed to happen because of Gregory, and breaks up with him.

Bonnie later slowly starts falling in love with Proto Freddy (maybe a bit of it is Bonnie projecting but he's def falling) instead.

And Freddy can see it happening from where he is.

Gay drama~

(Long post. I went off on one lmao and can't use read mores on my phone, sorry mobile users)

Ohhh that's a fun one! Bonnie rebounding onto Protobear and after a while those feelings become real... he deserves it honestly. He deserves a happy ending after everything, and so does Protobear! Bet that's an emotional rollercoaster to get through though... That party doesn't sound fun... For them anyway. Very fun for us though! Sucks to be them!

You know what else is fun for this? Bonnie falling for whoever Freddy believed deactivated him. Freddy treating someone differently before the events of SB, and side eying them all the time, not trusting them at all because of what the must have done to Bonnie... It must have been them! They're the only one the makes sense! They're the one that made him disappear and is trying to act like everything's normal! They must be to blame! They took his Bonnie from him and won't tell him what they did or where he is! Whether he's right or not is irrelevant, if he believes it's true, he's going to want nothing to do with them! They need to stay away from Bonnie!

And now here he is. Watching Bonnie flirt with that person. Be it Monty, Roxy, Moon, Chica, whoever. Freddy finally saying out loud what he's felt he's known for a long time now, that this animatronic killed him, how could Bonnie possibly even still look at them, never mind fall in love with them after that?!

Bonnie's face falls flat. He turns to Freddy and stares him right in the eyes. "They didn't do it, Freddy." or even, "They did it to save me, Freddy. What did you do?"

Absolutely devastating. The gay drama is so good

On another note, this is making me think of Protobear and Roxy being fucking hilarious. "Hey, you wanna really freak him out?" one of them asks and they start fake dating in front of Freddy to piss him off. Like they're the most over the top, mushy couple with the most insufferable nicknames, trying so hard not to laugh their asses off, and the first one to crack loses. Everyone gets in on it. Whaaaaat?? Roxy and Protobear?? Oh they're sooooo in love so so so in love, they're not pretending, they would never pretend!!

Jskdndk they get Cassie in on it and she starts calling them mum and dad 2 and Freddy is pointedly trying to leave the room as quickly as possible, but as usual, the fucking doors aren't letting him out again. They're always on the blink now, it's absolutely never Roxy using her security clearance to play Musical Doors with him. Nope. Never. Look at their fake mushy romance boy, you can't escape.

Freddy has never been more confused and sickened in his life. He's always hated Roxy and Roxy's always hated him, this is the worst thing to have to watch ever. He's even more upset if Bonnie pretends to be their partner as well, and even more so if Roxy was who he assumed deactivated him. This is a nightmare scenario and he's being so brave about it.

Sat there trying so hard not to say a word. He's so fine. Not glaring at all. No no no, he's not staring listlessly at them, he's just trying to contact maintenance via the network, obviously. He's not resisting the urge to grimace and not wishing the floor would swallow him up right now. Absolutely not. He would never. He's so so so happy for them. Yup. So so happy. Could not be happier. Why won't these fucking doors open?!

You could apply the fake dating to Protobear and Bonnie specifically too. Bonnie's going through a rebound, and he knows it, so he stays away from Protobear for a while. He tries to take care of himself and the others are right there to help him out the best they can. When he's feeling better, he starts gradually spending more time with Protobear (who has had the situation of Bonnie and Freddy explained to him and is very understanding about it) and the two start slowly building a friendship. Slowly, so as to not rush Bonnie through anything. Protobear himself has walked away from several hangouts because he can tell that Bonnie is struggling, even if he won't admit it, they're handling this with the utmost care...

But then Bonnie, Roxy, Monty and Chica, the four that should never be trusted without supervision, get talking. Bonnie is laughing at these three clowns telling him all about how they're fucking with Freddy for fun, and let him in on some of their schemes. They're hilarious, and he would have thought so before everything happened too, even if he did think they were a bit mean at times. I mean, rallying a bunch of kids to gang up on Freddy in their Fazerblast game as a 'super secret mission' is a touch mean, right? Not anymore. He deserves it.

But then they get to thinking. Bonnie wants to try messing with him too. They bring him in on some of their dastardly plans, and come up with several new ones for him, and believe me, at this time, not a single one of them has the braincell, so you can imagine the bullshit they come up with lmao. He finds this weirdly cathartic. The ability to moderately inconvenience Freddy in funny ways is more fun than he thought it'd be. He was worried it would hurt, worried it would make him think about things too much, and while it does hurt to look at him sometimes... Well his heart is more with his friends than ever now. He feels no desire to be nice to him, or to go back to how things were anymore. He's okay now and this is what makes that real to him...

Then one day it hits him. His own plan to mess with Freddy. Completely his own, the three stooges had nothing to do with this one. It hit him when he was hanging out with Protobear and DJ. What if they were fake dating in front of Freddy? Bonnie and Protobear! Madly in love, with the most sickeningly sweet pet names and the worst pick up lines you've ever heard in your life! DJ thinks that would be pretty mean... But would get him so good, he's a surprisingly petty guy sometimes. Protobear agrees and is completely up for this, it sounds hilarious, but... is Bonnie sure he's ready for that? Is he sure he can handle that?

They think on it a bit and talk to the others about it, who think that's fucking genius but have the same concerns as Protobear. Sunny thinks it's a bit much (and he's probably right) but is very excited to play along with this. He loves playing pretend, he's where Cassie gets it from. When they decide they're gonna do it, they set a few boundaries just in case, make a safe word for if they feel they start going too far with it, and swear to eachother to call it off if it all starts getting too much... Or maybe too real.

Oh my god they have so much fucking fun with it. Protobear has never laughed so hard in his life. The others joining in, helping them pull this off, and building on the joke too make it even more fun! They're having a blast and Freddy is suffering greatly! Customer service mode can't save him now!

But after a while, things start to change. Some of the flirting becomes a little too heartfelt. The insistence that they're not actually a thing becomes less frequent. The act starts to spill over into their everyday lives. Suddenly, they're not so sure this is still a joke anymore. Suddenly, the overdramatic cuddles last until long after Freddy has left the room. Suddenly, they're starting to wonder what it be like to be together for real.

Realisation hits and oh god oh no oh fuck this was NOT the PLAN god DAMN IT

So much fun to be had here!

One more funny one: instead of just Roxy or Bonnie pretending to be with Protobear, what if it's everyone? Protobear has one giant polycule going on where everyone apparently adores him and he dotes on everyone cause he loves them all so so so much. Freddy is staring in disbelief at the 'romantic' cuddle pile Protobear is right in the centre of like this is the most normal thing in the world. It's a Plex wide competition to see who can be the most insufferable in a fake relationship and whoever cracks first loses. It's a team effort! A coordinated attack! And sometimes they actually do fluster Protobear and eachother they're all having fun!

I'd like to call this plan the Protocule :)

(Also, hi jellycreamjammedart! This is the first post I've made today so you may wanna check I've not reblogged with more additions later on. I know you get online kinda late in my timezone, or at least that's when I tend to see you around, so saying this is just in case!)

[the-kr8tor]

KATYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

I JUST READ CHAPTER 15 (SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT, SPOILER ALERT)

AAKSHYAHDINDUDHD THAT WAS A ROLLERCOASTER OF A RIDE. MY FRICKING HAPPY ENDING, AKANSHAJHSJD I LOVE YOU SO MUCH (RESPECTFULLY)

OMG OMG OMG I CRIED. I CRIED REAL TEARS. I CRIED REAL TEARS AND MY EYES ARE WET.

BUT THE ENDING AKAJAHVSISMKDKDJRJ I'M SOBBING WITH JOY AND SADNESS IT'S SO BITTERSWEET

THIS IS MY NEW ADDICTION. WHEN I SAW THE NOTIF I LITERALLY SCREAMED AND MY SISTER TOLD ME TO SHUT UP

AJWJAJJSJDJ GHOSTFLOWER/GWILES MADE ME SOB. AND HOBIE OMG I CAN'T ANYMORE I FEARED FOR HIS LIFE. And MIGUEL OMG I KNEW I COULDN'T HATE HIM THAT MUCH. Lyla my bae AND YURI UGHHHH I LOWKEY ADORE HER. I can't stop squealing and giggling and kicking my feet OMG omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg I'm gonna kms

STOPPPPPP CAPTAIN STACY????? GWEN'S FATHER???? THERE FOR HIS LITTLE GIRL??? I'M GONNA CRY I HOPE SHE RECOVERS. AND MILES' FRICKING REACTION I'M LITERALLY DYING OVER HERE

HOBIE ALMOST GETTING EXECUTED GOD SAVE ME I WANTED TO MURDER SOMEONE. OF COURSE HE'S GOING DOWN WITH SOME SNARKY LITTLE COMMENT LIKE THAT

And I wanted Mathias to be killed in the harshest, painfullest, bloodiest way possible omg you did not disappoint

That queen istg I hated HER GUTS

I am never getting over this fic. Y'know when u read a really really REALLY good book and you get book hangover and you google everything related to it and make Pinterest boards for it (i totally don't already have a board dedicated to ur fics)?? Yeah. That's what I'm gonna do. Literally drunk on this fic. I'm gonna end up writing unpublished fanfic about this fanfic. That's how obsessed I am. Like I need all sorts of stuff I need to see R and Hobie grow old and experience the world together I need to see the twins in the BDAS universe- OMG I NEED TO SEE BILLIE AND RAMONA AS PIRATES OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

Honestly worth the wait, my heart is satisfied ❤😭

I think that just about covers it, if you've read this review all the way through I'm actually so happy 🥺😊

Literally crying real tears rn I can't believe it's over 🥹

Sending loads of love ❤🌾

BDAS SPOILER ⚠️

THANK YOU SO MUCH, ANGEL!!!!

HAHAHHAHA I got u all with the miguel fake out 😂 Yuri is wifey material ngl

Yeeesss captain stacy did a magician move and appeared from nowhere 😂 now they've got an actual adult on the ship

I always knew mathias needed a very painful death! I was debating whether he accidentally gets hanged ala tarzan villain or drowned in shallow waters but I'm still glad I went through with what I wrote bc r gave him a beating lol

ONG YOU HAVE A BOARD FOR THEM?! THANK YOU THAT'S SO CUTE 🥺

They deserve so much happiness 🥺 can you imagine the babies in bdas?!!! Oh Hobie would have his hands full with them onboard

Thank you!!! I cannot express how much I appreciate your love and your thoughts ILY ❤️❤️❤️

Lots of love to you, my love!!!!! (⁠｡⁠♡⁠‿⁠♡⁠｡⁠)

[creativenicocorner]

2023 Writing Retrospective

That time of, hehe, New Year again folks, to contemplate over the rollercoaster event that was my writing journey of 2023!

I'm surprised by how much I did end up writing more than anything! And how some projects bloomed larger than I would have previously imagined. I'd like to think I've improved as well, which is inevitable made by practicing of course. I'm happier with how I write, despite knowing it isn't perfect (then again nothing is lol)

Trying the NaNoWriMo for the first time really changed things up in my approach I think, I'd like to try giving myself more of a disciplined approach to writing a little every day, even if it's one word...but I also realized just how tired I felt after November...so a soft middle ground will probably have to be found. I might try to use the website for other projects and set the deadline for far longer than just a month...we'll see!

I am happy that I'm not as disappointed with my own writing as I was with it last year...perhaps that too is a part of my growth as a writer. Could I have written more? Sure, but I've been far more wary of pushing myself and getting burned out last year. I need to remember to pace myself, to be kind, and that sometimes writing is just loafing about and doing other things and projects - and then the next thing you know WHAM 200 words pop in your head!

Anyways let's look at those cold hard numbers!!

2023 Total number of..

User Subscriptions: 17 Kudos: 341 Comment Threads: 61 Bookmarks: 81 Subscriptions: 70 Word Count: 107,804 Hits: 5,054

Top five hits/fics of 2023:

Glow Worms or rather: In the Depths of the Safflower Hills

Cold Green Tea and Colder Feet

Refrigerator Problem

Hand Rolled

Chapped Lips

2024 Goals

Honestly? To keep trying to make each new chapter / fic seem a little better than the last. Keep the progress going, while still remembering to be patient with myself (I'm not very patient with myself ^^;; )

I know I mention this often, but I'd like to attempt writing a multi-chaptered fic in its entirety before posting chapters...just once! Just to see what it is like. We'll see, we'll see... I'm not like in a hurry haha

I'd like to try and finish some of my Discworld Multi-chaptered fics...perhaps I'll use one of them in this theory, just to test it out. I'd love to get a new The Runaway's Gamble chapter out (or finish the fic this year, but I'm being soft with my goals this year) as well as get another Trial Runs and Errors chapter out (perhaps even finish the fic to start working on the next one in the Maurice and Lipwig series of shenanigans and adventures)

We'll see where my attention and heart takes me, cause it'd also be nice to get Glow Worms and Refrigerator Problem done

And yet I have so many other projects I'd like to jump into, like a Serizawa-centric serirei fic, or to finish Chapped Lips

I mean I know there's no rule in having to finish something before starting something else...technically I AM kind of working on them despite not posting anything...perhaps this is a way I could give that "finish the whole fic before posting it" a shot, or at least an attempt haha

I hope my quality continues to improve - but most of all I hope things become a little better.

If 2023 has taught me one thing, it's: let myself be surprised. And you know? I'd like to keep that energy moving forward into 2024

Thank you for reading this far!

I hope 2024 is kinder to us all than the last year, and we all grow and getting a little closer to our goals and dreams and happiness. Who knows where we'll be this time next year, hopefully it'll be a little better than today.

Anywho, stay awesome out there - don't forget to be kind to yourself and others.

And be safe

Best wishes!

[sunsetwaltz]

[Rough Thoughts on Finale - General Spoilers]

FIN at around 110h. (Minus an hour or two spent in photo mode or leaving the game idle lol)

And I'm STILL missing 2 achievements 😩 At least only one of them requires more exploration.

Warning: Mainly negative impressions below.

More than anything, I think I'm relieved the game's finally over for me. Unfortunately I stumbled on a number spoilers on the way (my fault tbh), so things didn't hit as hard as they could've. It's fine; I just wish the music had been more intense and emotionally stirring. The scenes could've really used that extra oomph - the voice acting and visuals alone weren't enough imo. It's a bit sad when the "best" part of the music was the recognisable DAI tracks.

Although the final fight(s) and ending were more definitive than the Inquisition's (base game) finale, I felt kind of...idk ambivalent as I watched the last scenes roll? Like "That's it? Hmm. I see." I couldn't muster the joy or celebratory mood or even bittersweet feelings I'd expected to come with closing a nearly decade-long chapter.

Honestly it felt a little surreal. My whole playthrough had been laced with an undercurrent of (unsurprising) disappointment and "it could've / should've been like this" thoughts, so maybe I should thank my stars the ending didn't bring any more disappointment.

Part of me can't help but remember the emotional reactions I had after finishing DA2, DAI / Trespasser, ME3 or even other games like FFXIV (incl DT). Now those games had elicited strong emotions. They had higher highs and lower emotional lows; any disappointment I had with those games was felt more keenly because the journey had been full of surprises and many joys. Whereas with DA:V, my journey has mainly been like a steady line? There were things I liked in DA:V and everything else was lacklustre tbh. It was missing the emotional rollercoaster and adventure I'd craved from Thedas :/

Don't get me wrong I did enjoy playing DA:V - I wouldn't have continued otherwise. But would I recommend this game at full price? No. I don't regret playing it but I can't in good conscience suggest someone else do so when at its core DA:V is missing the essential "DA" ingredients - compelling nuanced writing, world building and party characters.

DA:V may borrow names from the DA world of Thedas but it doesn't feel like Thedas - these names feel little more than set dressing or props. Like many have expounded before me, by "playing it safe" with the writing the devs stripped away the immersive things players loved about DA. Too many times did DA:V's script feel too superficial, too casually modern and too insincere(?) in regards to the previous games' established worldbuilding. Quantity over quality, new player experience and cinematics over roleplaying seemed like BW / EA's main priorities. Y'know instead of the DA fans who have been waiting ages for this game after being left on a major cliffhanger. Everything elf-related (incl. the veil jumper Rook experience) felt like a "token effort" at best; I can't imagine how much worse it'd be to play as a qunari or LoF.

I could go into the specifics of what I liked vs. disliked and properly discuss the major story beats (or even Act 3 alone), but I'll stop now. Time to head to bed and maybe later I can think about watching the game's other possible endings(?), romances, etc. It'll be interesting to see the other choices - and if Neve still feels like the game's deuteragonist (or the devs' pet favourite) when she's not y'know "chosen".

TL;DR I'm annoyed some of the appearances / transmog are bugged (i.e. locked despite having completed the requisite quest, etc). I hope they actually fix it and add a golden nug feature too 😔

[7cakerolls]

not my gif!!

romancing he who is most misunderstood.

pairing: lo’ak x fem! metkayina! reader x platonic neteyam

fluffy oneshot w some misunderstanding and a little bit of fake dating

prompt: you’ve been tasked with teaching the brothers the way of the sea. you become interested in the younger one, and develop a strong crush on him. he shares your feelings, unknowingly to you. you ask the older one for help, and this is the result.

“dude. i need your help.” lo’ak pleads to his brother. he is currently thinking about the young metkayina tsakarem, younger sister to ao’nung and twins with tsireya. “i think she thinks i’m weird, man…” he says as he shakes his head in disappointment.

of course, neteyam knows all about how the girl feels about him. she is completely head over heels for his younger brother, and she has been asking him for advice on how to represent her feelings for quite some time now. but she asked him to keep that a secret, which he will do.

“hmm, i don’t know. have you ever just fried asking her what she thinks?” he sighs in exasperation. playing the middleman for two teens in love is never easy, but this is his brother and the kindest girl he’s met since arriving here, so he’ll suffer through it. “i honestly think you should just officially ask to court her. what’s the harm?” he asks.

lo’ak stands and looks at his brother in complete shock and horror. “no, bro! that could go super bad… i don’t even know if she feels the same!” he exclaims and facepalms aggressively, falling back into the sand. unbeknownst to him, the girl of his dreams had just seen that, as she was looking for neteyam to gain some wisdom about his brother.

holding back a giggle, she walks up to the boys, signaling to neteyam that she wants to talk. lo’ak looks up with an embarrassed blush, hoping that she didn’t see that. neteyam sighs, standing up, mentally smacking himself and the others for not realizing. “well, bro i’ve got to go for lessons. figure it out, and soon.” he said, hoping that he would understand quickly.

he wasn’t getting lessons. he was helping you make an armband to give to lo’ak as a gift. he helped you choose a pattern and pick out shells and beads his brother would like, all while telling you information about him. you wanted to win his heart well and proper, and even though asking his brother for help was probably skipping a few steps, you didn’t want to take any chances.

“thank you for helping me neteyam, i think it is almost ready.” you said calmly with a hint of excitement. as much as you adored him, you still felt nervous when it came to sharing your feelings. so, you chatted with neteyam until sunset, learning funny stories about lo’ak as a kid, and things like his dislikes and favorites.

lo’ak sighed, watching you talk and laugh with his brother. it should’ve been him. of course you didn’t like him, he was just like payakan after all. an outcast. a girl as perfect as you couldn’t ever love him. so he went back home, downtrodden and feeling low. he went straight to sleep, only muttering small greetings to his family. he was halfway asleep when neteyam arrived at their marui.

“hope your date with (yn) went well…” he grumbled under his breath. neteyam looked in confusion and cocked his head to the side, not understanding what his brother was talking about. “what date? i had lessons, you know that.” he said, defensively. he could see the jealousy in his brother’s heart, and wished this whole thing would just fix itself.

“just save it. i saw you two making jewelry by the cave. guess the mighty warrior has no empathy.” he said, coldly. how could his own brother do this to him? and lie about it? he simply shuffled around and went to sleep, not bothering to hear his brother’s explanation. ��whatever…’ neteyam thought. he would find out in the morning.

you woke up bright and early to go to the sully’s marui, making sure you looked your best. you had it all planned out, you were going to take him on a ride to your favorite cave, then present him with the armband. saying goodbye to your family, you quickly left while the sun was still rising, to execute your plan.

“good morning!” you beamed, standing at the entrance of the sully family home. lo’ak pushed aside the entrance, looking groggy. he was quite handsome even still, but it looked like he had been crying all night. “oh, (yn). looking for neteyam?” he said, with a hint of attitude. “no…” you said confusedly. “i was looking for you.”

what? why were you looking for him? wasn’t neteyam your little boyfriend? this made him angry, so he responded rashly. “for what?” he spat. “look, i don’t know what neteyam told you but…” he started. you understood that he had the wrong idea, so in your attempt to do damage control, you blurted,“nolo’akilikeyoupleasetakethis!!” showing the arm cuff in his face. so much for your plan…

he only stood there dumbfounded. you…liked him? not his brother? he wasn’t saying anything, so you took it upon yourself to explain. “i was too scared to ask you directly, so i learned more about you through neteyam. he was just helping me show my feelings for you. please don’t misunderstand…” you looked down sadly. “i understand if you do not return my feelings, but please take this! it was made to fit you perfectly.” you began walking away when he gently grabbed your wrist.

“follow me.” he said quietly, leading you to the shore. “(yn), i… i see you. i have liked you since i arrived here, i’m sorry for getting stern with you because of my jealousy.” he began spouting out apologies and telling you every little detail he loved about you. you quickly shut him up by hugging him and cupping his ear to whisper. “oel ngati kameie, lo’ak. i hope now you feel my heart’s position…” you pulled back and smiled at him, holding his hands lovingly.

he finally had someone that understood him.