#well it's kinda hard considering a lot of these are them bonding over their previous identity as sabs

[triglycercule]

thinking so much about horror and dust,,, gosh these SILLY goobers theyre so EYDAGHGGG!!!!! compliments to eachother,,,,,

i need them to make puns about topics that absolutely nobody should be laughing about and then DIE cackling because no waaay the punchline was a human's execution :333 (phantom papyrus is shaking his head in dismay)

need them to share stories about shitty experiences with humans and for horror to be impressed by dust's ability to keep coming up with new ways to kill his human and then for dust to also be impressed by horror's ability to handle with all different types of humans!!!

they make eachother food but dust poisoned horror's food and horror added rusted nails to his so theyre just like no you first you really should eat first i wouldn't wanna be rude no but i INSIST! they both know. it's a fun little game isnt it??? horror gets a bit scared of having to eat the food when dust's eyes turn red and cyan but it's okay because then he can just shove the shitty eggs he made into those eyes because theres literal NAILS cooked into it

sometimes they fight because thats normal and dust is annoyed at horror for hating undyne because she's a good person who just wanted to help others and horror's getting pissed because DIDN'T YOU LITERALLY KILL HER DONT YOU JUST VIEW HER AS EXP WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HER!!! and they bicker back and forth and dust is really starting to wonder why he even empathizes with horror atp.... but its ok after a little quarrel they simmer down and move on. they dont change opinions at all the fight was for nothing

but then there's also times when they just wanna confide in each other because likeeeee theyre both shitty people who fucked up their undergrounds by their own accords and miss how peaceful life was back then. dust tells horror stories of life back before the human came because horror doesn't really remember it that well anymore and horror speaks to phantom papyrus through dust so he can pretend that this is just a conversation between sans and papyrus and everything's okay for just a moment. they both linger onto their memories of how things were before everything went to shit even though horror can barely remember and dust hates his previous self back then,,,,,

dust thinks horror's sooo much better than him for not literally mass murdering everyone but then goes around and stink eyes him for forcing his snowdin to eat humans and then leave the rest of the underground to starve. WHY DIDN'T YOU DO BETTER HORROR WHY DIDN'T HELP EVERYONE ELSE. horror scoffs because even though he kinda lowkey gets dust's philosophy of saving everyone and stopping the human through gaining LV he still killed everyone??? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO THEM YOU IDIOT SHOULD'VE JUST FOUND ANOTHER WAY OR LET IT HAPPEN!!! the way they understand eachother on paper but then in reality despise what the other did,,,,,

ok SO WHAT if they encourage eachother's delusions. SO WHAT if they pretend the past never went away so WHAAAAT!!! it doesn't matter at least they found someone who can match their freak,,,,,, dust and horror peak duo PEAK DUO DARE I SAY OK

[kerubimcrepin]

Liveblog: Wakfu Season 1 (episodes 13-18)

Episode 13 - Calm Blue Sea

It might be hard to believe now, but when I first watched the show, my favorite character was Nox.

I don't think about him often anymore, but I still really like him. This episode is one of the first ones where we get glimpses at his backstory, which is fun.

(Geez, I'm predictable for liking characters who are over a hundred years old and care a lot about their families...)

Another reason this episode is big is Soft Oak's death. 1. He's a lore character, I suppose, and 2. I like to headcanon that this is the reason Joris went to Sadida Kingdom.

It's just a silly little headcanon but to elaborate (and sadly, go a bit forward in terms of episodes):

Soft Oak was the friend of the tree of life.

2. Nox seems to have been a bigger issue for the world than shown in the series, considering the fact that Yugo says he's ravaged countries/other reasons.

Bonta and Sadida Kingdom seem to be on good terms — so it would be reasonable to assume that if Nox began going after great tree entities of the world, it would pose a threat to Sadida Kingdom. This opens the possibility that Joris was sent there for this reason, at the time of episode 13 or later.

The timing would also be appropriate — Joris arrives in Sadida Kingdom just a bit before the Brotherhood of Tofu. Though we do not know the route he took.

Chopsticks spotted...! At this point, I'm beginning to believe they're just very common in this world, and as widely used as forks and spoons.

Episode 14 - Moon Island

[guy who is mentally ill about fishing in this franchise voice] guys imagine Kerubim, Atcham, and Joris on a ship. Competing against one another in fishing.

I really like knowing all the various superstitions in this world because, y'know, Ecaflips love those doubly.

My honest reaction to this moment, as well as all moments involving the night sky and cosmos, in this franchise:

[guy who talked too much about this fucking fruit in previous liveblogs and is now obligated by law to mention it voice] This piece of dialogue tells us that this fruit is actually kinda on the expensive side.

Your daily reminder that Joris has canonically been to Kanniball island and the only things he had to say are "nice locals. don't stay for dinner."

Episode 15 - Adamai

Do you think Adamai's bond with a crackler makes him more or less likely to fucking hate Joris in Waven times.

Rare "Eva Taking an L" moment. A real "You still believe the earth revolves around the sun at your age?" sort of line for her to say.

Episode 16 - The Eliacube

Adamai forgot to account for old man stupidity.

Even though I have issues with how his arc of descent into batshit insanity and subsequent redemption were handled, I do want to say that I have always thought that this + Grougal's death was when the darkness began to grow within him.

Episode 17 - Grougaloragran the Eternal

No commentary. This is a legendary episode.

Episode 18 - The Brotherhood of the Tofu

Please don't throw rocks at me, but I'm not the biggest fan of how Pinpin and Eva's relationship was handled. They're cute together, but the decision to give them drama the second their relationship became canon was a bit... jarring, on the first viewing.

[writingwithcolor]

Jurassic period alien interacting with key cultures and historical figures in Middle East & Asia throughout history

@ketchupmaster400​ said:

Hello, so my question is for a character I’ve been working on for quite a while but wasn’t sure about a few things. So basically at the beginning of the universe there was this for less being made up of dark matter and dark energy. Long story short it ends up on earth during the Jurassic Period. It has the ability to adapt and assimilate into other life animals except it’s hair is always black and it’s skin is always white and it’s eyes are always red. It lives like this going from animal to animal until it finally becomes human and gains true sentience and self awareness. As a human it lives within the Middle East and Asia wondering around trying to figure out its purpose and meaning. So what I initially wanted to do with it was have small interactions with the dark matter human and other native humans that kinda helped push humanity into the direction it is now. For example, Mehndhi came about when the dark matter human was drawing on their skin because it felt insecure about having such white skin compared to other people. And ancient Indians saw it and thought it was cool so they adopted it and developed it into Mehndi. Minor and small interactions though early history leading to grander events. Like they would be protecting Jerusalem and it’s people agains the Crusaders later on. I also had the idea of the the dark matter human later on interacting with the prophets Jesus Christ and Muhammad. With Jesus they couldn’t understand why he would sacrifice himself even though the people weren’t deserving. And then Jesus taught them that you have to put other before yourself and protecting people is life’s greatest reward. And then with the prophet Muhammad, I had the idea that their interaction was a simple conversation that mirrors the one he had with the angel Jibril, that lead to the principles of Islam. Now with these ideas I understand the great importance of how not to convey Islam and I’ve been doing reasearch, but I am white and I can understand how that may look trying to write about a different religion than my own. So I guess ultimate my question is, is this ok to do? Is it ok to have an alien creature interact with religious people and historical events as important as they were? Like I said I would try to be as accurate and as respectable as possible but I know that Islam can be a touchy subject and the last thing I would want is to disrespect anyone. The main reason I wanted the dark matter being in the Middle East was because I wanted to do something different because so much has been done with European and American stuff I wanted to explore the eastern side of the world because it’s very beau and very rich with so many cultures that I want to try and represent. I’m sorry for the long post but I wanted you guys to fully understand what my idea was. Thank you for your time and hope you stay safe.

Disclaimer:

The consensus from the moderators was that the proposed character and story is disrespectful from multiple cultural perspectives. However, we can’t ignore the reality that this is a commonly deployed trope in many popular science fiction/ thriller narratives. Stories that seek to take religious descriptions of events at face value from an areligious perspective particularly favor this approach. Thus, we have two responses:

Where we explain why we don’t believe this should be attempted.

Where we accept the possibility of our advice being ignored.

1) No - Why You Shouldn’t Do This:

Hi! I’ll give you the short answer first, and then the extended one.

Short answer: no, this is not okay.

Extended answer. I’ll divide it into three parts.

1) Prophet Muhammad as a character:

Almost every aspect of Islam, particularly Allah (and the Qur’an), the Prophet(s) and the companions at the time of Muhammad ﷺ, are strictly kept within the boundaries of real life/reality. I’ll assume this comes from a good place, and I can understand that from one side, but seriously, just avoid it. It is extremely disrespectful and something that is not even up to debate for Muslims to do, let alone for non-Muslims. Using Prophet Muhammad as a character will only bring you problems. There is no issue with mentioning the Prophet during his lifetime when talking about his attributes, personality, sayings or teachings, but in no way, we introduce fictional aspects in a domain that Muslims worked, and still work, hard to keep free from any doubtful event or incident. Let’s call it a closed period: we don’t add anything that was not actually there.

Reiterating then, don’t do this. There is a good reason why Muslims don’t have any pictures of Prophet Muhammad. We know nothing besides what history conveyed from him. 

After this being said, there is another factor you missed – Jesus is also an important figure in Islam and his story from the Islamic perspective differs (a lot) from that of the Christian perspective. And given what you said in your ask, you would be taking the Christian narrative of Jesus. If it was okay to use Prophet Muhammad as a character (reminder: it’s not) and you have had your dark matter human interacting with the biblical Jesus, it will result in a complete mess; you would be conflating two religions.

2) Crusaders and Jerusalem:

You said this dark matter human will be defending Jerusalem against the Crusaders. At first, there is really no problem with this. However, ask yourself: is this interaction a result of your character meeting with both Jesus and Prophet Muhammed? If yes, please refer to the previous point. If not, or even if you just want to maintain this part of the story, your dark matter human can interact with the important historical figures of the time. For example, if you want a Muslim in your story, you can use Salah-Ad-Din Al-Ayoubi (Saladin in the latinized version) that took back Jerusalem during the Third Crusade. Particularly, this crusade has plenty of potential characters. 

Also, featuring Muslim characters post Prophet Muhammad and his companions’ time, is completely fine, just do a thorough research.

 3) Middle Eastern/South Asian settings and Orientalism:

The last point I want to remark is with the setting you chose for your story. Many times, when we explore the SWANA or South Asian regions it’s done through an orientalist lens. Nobody is really safe from falling into orientalism, not even the people from those regions. My suggestion is educating yourself in what orientalism is and how it’s still prevalent in today’s narrative. Research orientalism in entertainment, history... and every other area you can think of. Edward Said coined this term for the first time in history, so he is a good start. There are multiple articles online that touch this subject too. For further information, I defer to middle eastern mods. 

- Asmaa

Racism and Pseudo-Archaeology:

A gigantic, unequivocal and absolute no to all of it, lmao. 

I will stick to the bit about the proposed origin of mehendi in your WIP, it’s the arc I feel I’m qualified to speak on, Asmaa has pretty much touched upon the religious and orientalism complications. 

Let me throw out one more word: pseudoarchaeology. That is, taking the cultural/spiritual/historical legacies of ancient civilizations, primarily when it involves people of colour, and crediting said legacies to be the handiwork of not just your average Outsider/White Saviour but aliens. I’ll need you to think carefully about this: why is it that in so much of media and literature pertaining to the so-called “conspiracy theories” dealing with any kind of extraterrestrial life, it’s always Non-Western civilizations like the Aztec, the ancient Egyptians, the Harappans etc who are targeted? Why is it that the achievements of the non West are so unbelievable that it’s more feasible to construct an idea of non-human, magical beings from another planet who just conveniently swooped in to build our monuments and teach us how to dress and what to believe in? If the answer makes you uncomfortable, it’s because it should: denying the Non-West agency of their own feats is not an innocent exercise in sci-fi worldbuilding, it comes loaded with implications of racial superiority and condescension towards the intellect and prowess of Non-European cultures. 

Now, turning to specifics:

Contrary to what Sarah J. Maas might believe- mehendi designs are neither mundane, purely aesthetic tattoos nor can they be co-opted by random Western fantasy characters. While henna has existed as an art form in various cultures, I’m limiting my answer to the Indian context, (specifying since you mention ancient India). Mehendi is considered one of the tenets of the Solah Shringar- sixteen ceremonial adornments for Hindu brides, one for each phase of the moon, as sanctioned by the Vedic texts. The shade of the mehendi is a signifier for the strength of the matrimonial bond: the darker the former, the stronger the latter. Each of the adornments carries significant cosmological/religious symbolism for Hindus. To put it bluntly, when you claim this to be an invention of the aliens, you are basically taking a very sacred cultural and artistic motif of our religion and going “Well actually….extraterrestrials taught them all this.”

In terms of Ayurveda (Traditional holistic South Asian medicine)  , mehendi was used for its medicinal properties. It works as a cooling agent on the skin and helps to alleviate stress, particularly for the bride-to-be. Not really nice to think that aliens lent us the secrets of Ayurvedic science (pseudoarchaeology all over again). 

I’m just not feeling this arc at all. The closest possible alternative I could see to this is the ancient Indian characters incorporating some specific stylistic motifs in their mehendi in acknowledgement to this entity, in the same vein of characters incorporating motifs of tribute into their armour or house insignia, but even so, I’m not sure how well that would play out. If you do go ahead with this idea, I cannot affirm that it will not receive backlash.

-Mimi

These articles might help:

 Pseudoarchaeology and the Racism Behind Ancient Aliens

A History of Indian Henna (this studies mehendi origins mostly with reference to Mughal history)

Solah Shringar

2) Not Yes, But If Ignoring the Above:

I will be the dissenting voice of “Not No, But Here Are The Big Caveats.” Given that there is no way to make the story you want to tell palatable to certain interpretations of Islam and Christianity, here is my advice if the above arguments did not sufficiently deter you.

1. Admiration ≠ Research: It is not enough to just admire cultures for their richness and beauty. You need to actually do the research and learn about them to determine if the story you want to tell is a good fit for the values and principles these cultures prioritize. You need to understand the significance of historical figures and events to understand the issues with attributing the genesis of certain cultural accomplishments to an otherworldly influence. 1.

2. Give Less Offense When Possible and Think Empathetically: You should try to imagine the mindsets of those you will offend and think about to what degree you can soften or ameliorate certain aspects of your plot, the creature’s characteristics, and the creature’s interactions with historical figures to make your narrative more compatible. There is no point pretending that much of areligious science fiction is incompatible with monotheist, particularly non-henotheistic, religious interpretations as well as the cultural items and rituals derived from those religious interpretations. One can’t take “There is no god, just a lonely alien” and make that compatible with “There is god, and only in this particular circumstance.” Thus:

As stated above by Asmaa and Mimi, there is no escaping the reality the story you propose is offensive to some. Expect their outcry to be directed towards you. Can you tolerate that?

Think about how you would feel if someone made a story where key components of your interpretation of reality are singled out as false. How does this make you feel? Are you comfortable doing that to others?

3. Is Pseudoarchaeology Appropriate Here?: Mimi makes a good point about the racial biases of pseudoarchaeology. Pseudoarchaeology is a particular weakness of Western-centric atheist sci-fi. Your proposed story is the equivalent of a vaguely non-descript Maya/Aztec/Egyptian pyramid or Hindu/ Buddhist-esque statue being the source for a Resident Evil bio weapon/ Predator nest/ Assassin’s Creed Isu relic.

Is this how you wish to draw attention to these cultures you admire? While there is no denying their ubiquity in pop-culture, such plots trivialize broad swathes of non-white history and diminish the accomplishments of associated ethnic groups. The series listed above all lean heavily into these tropes either because the authors couldn’t bother to figure out something more creative or because they are intentionally telling a story the audience isn’t supposed to take seriously.*

More importantly, I detect a lot of sincerity in your ask, so I imagine such trivialization runs counter to your expressed desire to depict Eastern cultures in a positive and accurate manner.

4. Freedom to Write ≠ Freedom from Consequence: Once again, as a reminder, it’s not our job to reassure you as to whether or not what you are proposing is ok. Asmaa and Mimi have put a lot of effort into explaining who you will offend and why.  We are here to provide context, but the person who bears the ultimate responsibility for how you choose to shape this narrative, particularly if you share this story with a wide audience, is you. Speaking as one writer to another, I personally do not have a strong opinion one way or the other, but I think it is important to be face reality head-on.

- Marika.

* This is likely why the AC series always includes that disclaimer stating the games are a product of a multicultural, inter-religious team and why they undermine Western cultures and Western religious interpretations as often (if not moreso) than those for their non-Western counterparts.

Note: Most WWC asks see ~ 5 hours of work from moderators before they go live. Even then, this ask took an unusually long amount of time in terms of research, emotional labor and discussion. If you found this ask (and others) useful, please consider tipping the moderators (link here), Asmaa (coming eventually) and Mimi (here). I also like money - Marika.

[fernpost]

Cycle 0 - Interviews

[read on ao3]

[next]

Taako Taaco. 114. Elf. Wizard; Specialization in transmutation and inventive magical applications.

Previous experience: Top of class at Tredore, Academy of Magics and Technology; recently graduated.

Criminal Record: Multiple counts of petty theft.

Davenport likes to think of himself as calm and composed. It’s hard to throw him off. He has to be in order to have gotten this far in his mission as fast as he has.

But when he turns around from shutting the door to see his interviewee with his feet kicked up on the table, twirling a wand through his fingers, he’s a little shocked. He’s been doing these interviews for two days now, and even the more relaxed and confident people have held a bit more sense for decorum.

It’s a bit rude.

It’s also a little interesting.

He sits at his desk, pulling the elf’s papers away from his boots (shiny, and though they look expensive he can see they’re worn down and well taken care of) and glances down. “Tell me, Taako Taaco, what makes you want to explore the planerverse?”

“Bored.”

If the feet on the desk threw him off for a second, that floors him entirely. “Bored?”

“I’ve got nothing else to do on this plane, why not, you know?”

“No burning desire to go further than any being has gone before?” That’s one of the normal responses, the well-planned out speeches he keeps getting in response to his opening question.

The elf crosses his feet, leaning back somehow further into the provided chair. Davenport worries for a second that he may fall as he continues on, “that’s cool too, I guess. But I figure, why wouldn’t you want the great Taaco name aboard your ship.”

Davenport picks up a pen from his table and makes a small note on the paperwork, “no offense, Mr. Taaco, but you’re rather cavalier about this interview that determines whether or not you’re accepted into a program that may redefine our understanding of the world.”

The elf shrugs and takes his feet off of Davenport’s desk, flashing him a smirk, “you’ve seen my sister’s paperwork, yeah? No way you’re not going to accept her, and we’re a package deal. Says it right there in bold at the top of my application, my man.” It does, in fact, say that at the top. Cursive words noting how he refuses to accept any position on the ship if his sister isn't there too. When reviewing who he was interviewing today, he saw similar words on Lup Taaco’s paperwork.

“You’re very confident in your sister’s abilities.” Davenport begins, pausing for a second as he notes the way the elf begins to tense up before continuing, “however, I wouldn’t sell yourself so short. You also graduated top of your class, and excelled in the art of transmutation multiple times. One of your letters of recommendation even noted how you made many spells easier to cast, somatically speaking.”

“What can I say, I’ll find any short cut I can.”

Davenport makes another note on his paper. “Now, I do need to ask about your record of petty theft.”

“Oh, natch.”

Lup Taaco. 114. Elf. Wizard; Specialization in evocation and applied magic regarding planar research.

Previous experience: Top of class at Tredore, Academy of Magics and Technology; recently graduated.

Criminal Record: Multiple counts of petty theft.

“Lup Taaco, it is nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Captain.” The woman in front of him smiles. The resemblance to her brother couldn’t be more clear, and though her demeanor is quite similar, she at least doesn’t have her feet on his desk.

Not that his desk is anything fancy, but the point stands. “I’m not technically the captain yet, you know.”

“Potato, potato.”

Davenport is fairly certain that’s not how that phrase is used. “You did research into the planes at Tredore, correct?”

“Quite a bit, yeah. I’m sure my brother told you?”

The slight tilt of her head and lit of her voice tells Davenport this is some sort of test, which is confusing and a bit disconcerting, considering he is the one conducting the interview. He checks a quick box on his papers. “He talked you up a bit, yes. But this is your own interview, and I wanted to discuss your own knowledge with you, personally.”

She smiles, a touch more warmth to it than her previous attitude. “Oh, of course. Did quite a bit of studying at Tredore. First real school we attended. Kinda boring at times, you know?”

“If you’re accepted into this program, it’s going to be four intense months of studying and teaching you the more complex workings of the ship. Plus the two months of actually being on the ship.”

“That’s the fun stuff. Not a third semester in a row of another language I already figured out most of years ago.”

“How many languages do you speak, Ms. Taaco?”

“Including common, five languages.”

“Impressive.” Davenport himself only speaks three. “Now, I would like to ask you about your criminal record, if you don’t mind?”

Her smile grew sharp as she laughs.

Honestly, he isn’t surprised. Her explanation is the same as her brothers. Grew up on the road, needed food and other items on occasion. Didn’t always run fast enough. Davenport can’t fault them, and certainly won’t hold it against them.

He glances down at her paperwork, about to ask another question about her education, when she speaks up. “I’ve got a question for you, Captain.”

“Oh?”

“The ship- we’re really going with the name ‘The Starblaster’?”

Davenport sighs. He knew this question was coming, but he was expecting it to come during a press conference from a reporter, not a potential shipmate. “Yes. To be fair, it was a communal name we put to a vote from everyone who worked on building the engine.”

Ms. Taaco smiles. “Dope.”

Barry J. Bluejeans. 37 years old. Human. Wizard; specialization in applied magic regarding bonds and planar research.

Previous experience: Current assistant professor at Duffman University of the Arcane, part-time employee at the Institute of Planer Research and Exploration.

Criminal Record: Previous altercations regarding necromancy; no crimes against the nature of life and death ever committed.

Mr. Bluejeans is an interesting man. By the look of him, you’d expect to see him fumbling his way through a PTA meeting for his two kids. Instead, Davenport is staring down the word ‘necromancy’ on his paperwork on an application regarding literal planar travel on a ship called 'the Starblaster.'

So far, the interview has been going well. He’d listened to the man explain his research into the arcane, and he’d understood planar travel as well as any of the current scientists and engineers at the Institute. He was called in often for conferences and meetings about the bond engine. He’d seen the man walking around on occasion. They’d never been in a meeting together before, but he’d seemed nice.

But he also had a history of necromancy.

Now, Davenport doesn’t like to judge people. However, being in an enclosed space with someone who needed to specify he had never technically committed “crimes against the nature of humanity” isn’t the most comforting.

But, he was a smart man. Easy to get along with, too. So far. Necromancy notwithstanding.

Best to get it over with, “so, Mr. Bluejeans. I do need to ask about your criminal record-”

“Oh! Yeah, I never killed anyone. Or un- killed anyone. Uh, resurrected, I mean. Just did lots of studying into the application of necromancy and necromantic spells. Got in trouble because I toed the line of ‘research’ and ‘bringing my cat back to life,’ but got a stern talking to. Didn’t try it again, and don’t plan on needing to deal with those types of authorities again.”

Okay, normal enough answer, far as the situation applies-

“My current research into it has stayed purely theoretical, and it won’t interfere with the mission at all.”

So the man is still into necromancy.

Davenport glances down at the man’s file, thick with it’s attached papers Bluejeans has done on planar research. He’s not even stuck up about his level of education, and that’s extremely rare for the field.

Holding back a sigh, Davenport asks, “Can you explain the paper you wrote on the outer planes interactions with the inner planes for me?”

It was a really good paper.

But the man is still into necromancy.

Lucretia. 20. Human. Chronicler; Specialization in journalism.

Previous experience: Due to multiple NDA, she is unable to give us the exact number and titles of books she has written, but she sent letters of recommendation from Duke Rensburg, Lady Norabelle, and Warren of the Seatree Clan.

Criminal Record: Acquisition and attempted use of a false ID.

“So, Ms. Lucretia, I understand you cannot provide us with most examples of your works, but from what you have provided, you seem to be very, very good.”

“I like to think so, yes.” The young woman in front of him seems polite. She’s quiet; he saw her waiting outside with a few others before her interview, and while most of them were engaged in some awkward small talk, she sat away from them. Likely partially due to her age- she is much younger than the people outside- but she also simply seems quiet.

Which wouldn’t be the worst quality in someone you would be sharing a small, enclosed space with for an extended period of time. But, if she couldn’t bond with the others sufficiently, the bond engine won’t work.

(Hell, the bond engine was already finicky, they figured out the tech only a month ago, and they only have four months to bond an entire crew to pilot it and-)

“Can you explain to me why you acquired a fake ID and tried to use it at a, uh,” Davenport glances down at the records in front of him, holding back a chuckle, “at the forbidden section of the Library of Runar?”

Lucretia looks uncomfortable for a second, and he’s sure if the lighting in the room were better he would be able to see her flush with embarrassment. She gives him a hesitant smile, “I can’t get into the explicit details, but I was working on a book for an older client whose memory was becoming patchy, and I wanted to confirm some details before I put their name to it. They wouldn’t allow me into the section without the proper documents, but my client refused to agree that I should double check his work, even though I was almost certain he was wrong, so I simply… found a way to get past their guard. I wasn’t going to steal anything and I was going to use the proper equipment to read through the documents.”

Davenport smiles, “pursuit of knowledge and truth is important to you, then?”

“I don’t think spreading lies, especially in that context, is very honorable, no.” Her hands are folded in her lap now, and she seems a bit more relaxed.

Considering the others he is planning on accepting, he may be wrong about her getting along with them. Anyone willing to break the law just to prove an old man wrong would at least get along with him. Davenport refuses to have any pushovers aboard his ship.

Magnus Burnsides. 19. Fighter; Specialization in protection fighting and mechanical engineering.

Previous experience: Current bouncer at Apex Club. Currently enrolled in Gallier’s Fighter Academy and College.

Criminal Record: One count of assault and battery, appealed for defense of another person present. One count of indecent exposure and public intoxication.

Davenport will be the first to admit it can be tricky to follow human aging patterns, but he knows he’s not mistaken in thinking the man in front of him is barely out of “child” territory. Nineteen is a very, very small amount of time to be alive. Also, a very, very small amount of time to learn important things, like how to run what is basically a ship right out of a science fiction novel- complete with breakthrough technology.

Despite this, it’s hard to not find the young man in front of him to be endearing, and mostly knowledgeable in the things they need him to be.

“Magnus. You’re very young, one of the youngest applicants we have. What makes you think you’re qualified as the head of security of the ship?”

The young man in front of him- Gods, he really is young- grins and lifts his arms to flex, a show of pride and ego almost unbefitting of an interview setting, “Have you seen my muscles? I’m very strong, and a very good fighter.”

Many of today’s interviews have been quite different than he was expecting.

“I was referring more to job experience.”

“Oh!” Magnus shifts in his seat, fingers drumming against the table as he thinks. “I worked as a bouncer for a club while I was in college and did, if I must toot my own horn, a very good job. You should have a letter of recommendation from the owner-” He leans forwards, reaching a hand out as if to look through his own files to show him the letter.

“Yes, I did read through it. She was very thorough in stating how eager you were to help.” Davenport glances down at the papers in front of him, holding back a sigh. It truly was a glowing review of this young man. While his grades from the aforementioned college weren’t the highest, especially in classes one might consider important for an institute of planar research, the two letter of recommendations he submitted from teachers of his explained how Burnsides was very persistent when he wanted to learn something he didn’t know. He also had taken quite a few classes regarding vehicles- not enough to claim the young man was an expert but enough to provide a solid basis to show him how things worked and could be repaired on the ship.

The kid’s attitude was something of a breath of fresh air in this place. However, there was one glaring concern.

“I was also a bit concerned about the criminal record we have on file for you. Assault and battery as well as the indecent exposure and public-”

“In my defense for the second one, I was drunk with some friends and maybe thought it’d be funny to streak in the lake. Who hasn’t been to a party that gets a little out of hand.” He holds his hands out as if to say “am I right?”

Off the record, Davenport is inclined to agree that he was right. On the record, he is choosing to ignore it. “And the assault and battery? The file says it was in defense of a young person.”

Burnsides grins, “that’s how I got hired as the bouncer!”

He waits a moment, expecting Magnus to continue. When it seems the young man is assuming that is enough explanation, he prompts, “by beating up a man outside the club?”

“Yeah! He was harassing someone outside, and I was walking home and passed by. I told him to step off, and he didn’t. So I decked him, and he was out right away.”

It lined up with the records he had, and honestly, seeing someone so ready to step up to the defense of a stranger was a good quality. Better than some of the older applicants who were much more… formal in their training. He wonders briefly how Burnsides would react to an altercation against someone with magic.

Glancing down at his records, he guesses he would run headfirst without thinking.

Stifling a small grin, Davenport continues, “Now, tell me. Assume we’re up in space, and something goes wrong with the bond engine. What would your course of action be, Mr. Burnsides?”

Merle Hitower Highchurch. 214. Cleric; Specialization in botany, religion, and medical treatment.

Previous experience: Current botanist at the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration. Professor of botany at Narvick’s University for four years.

Criminal Record: Multiple counts of loitering.

The door is pushed all the way open before Davenport can even call out the next person.

A short dwarf slides into the room with a wide grin, “hey Dav!” A mug of tea is pressed into his hands.

“Hello, Merle. You do know this needs to be at least a little formal, yes?”

“Formal schmormal. Ask me your silly questions already, bud.” Merle Highchurch, resident botanist at the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration, plops right down in the seat he’d taken to commandeering once a week, for the past three weeks.

Davenport had seen him around before, but a botanist in an institute designed for exploring other planes that had little capabilities to actually go to those places yet was rarely busy, and even more rarely called upon. He still barely knew the guy, but after the day they’d gotten stuck in the elevator for ten minutes when it broke down, the dwarf had come to his office for tea each Wednesday.

It was a bit strange, but the tea was good.

“Tell me about your work experience.”

Merle laughs heartily, “they barely have me do anything around here, ‘cept tend to the couple of plants they’ve grabbed from the ground plane.”

“It’s the Elemental Plane of Earth, and don’t sell yourself short, Merle. This is basically a job interview, you know.”

Merle slurps loudly at his own mug, “aren’t you planning on nepotism hiring me, because we’re buds?”

“That isn’t even what that word means, Merle.”

“Isn’t it?”

Davenport stares into the tea, “is this made from the Earth plant?”

“Maybe?”

Davenport. 276. Captain and navigator; Specialization in mechanical engineering and arcane components combined with contemporary technology.

Previous Experience: Crewmate on the Lady Blue for twenty years. Graduated from Grensville University. Current staff at the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration.

Criminal Record: Unlawful resistance of orders from captain, raising of commotion on board ship while employed.

Davenport handed the six files over to Selune, “These are them.”

The halfling woman flips through them, eyebrows raising higher with each one she sees. “You’re sure you grabbed the right ones? A few of these I understand, but you do know we had the Issaiah Broler apply.”

He folds his hand in front of him, nodding. “I also know that during the interview he made me want to pour my tea on his lap. There’s no chance of getting the bond engine going with him. These are the six I picked. They’re all qualified- and the ones that are less educated in the specifics in the field I’m sure will pick up on the important information quickly. The Taaco twins already will give the bond engine a huge boost. Ms. Lucretia will ensure we have everything chronicled, something I’m sure you can appreciate, Selune. Mr. Bluejeans previous work shows he will thrive given the opportunities awaiting us. Mr. Highchurch is an educated man, and I trust him to keep the crew healthy and provide ample information on anything botany related we encounter, and I’m certain Mr. Burnsides will provide ample help in any task we show him how to do.” He sighs, glancing out the window of her office. There were a few people lingering outside in the courtyard of the Institute. “We have been given a tremendous opportunity to explore beyond what we can imagine, Selune. The last thing I want is to be bogged down by people stuck in their ways, who have been working in this field long enough to have their preconceived notions about what to expect and who will react badly when they’re proven wrong. I trust my own judgement in picking a crew, and I hope you trust my abilities to get these people ready to set sail in four months.”

What he doesn’t say is that he doesn’t want a bunch of stuffy jackasses on his ship. He’s not even sure picking all the over-qualified people would pass through the higher-ups' inspection of the crew. The people he picked were qualified enough to get a quick sign-off, but not too much. Anyone “overqualified” would probably get rejected. The ship had been built in basically six months. It’d get them off the ground, sure. It wasn’t going to explode on them once they got up there, but it wasn’t safe. There was a reason Davenport was the captain at all.

The six candidates in those files didn’t have a name for themselves as “important” to any stuffy scientific group or noble family. These people he picked were just that- people. A group of people who he believed deserved this opportunity. If anyone was getting the chance to make a name for themselves- to have the chance to redefine everything they know about the planar systems, he wanted to make sure they deserved the chance. A dangerous chance, sure. But what was science if not a little risky.

She sighs, opening the file on top. Her hand reaches for her pen, “Davenport, I got the final say on the name of the ship, I suppose the least I can do is give you final say on the crew.” She begins to write ‘approved’ at the top of the file, flipping through each one before giving him a pointed look. “But when I get angry calls about how you approved a bunch of nobodies and two people not even old enough to drink, I’m transferring them straight to your crystal.”

“And I will not be answering a single one.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to, Captain.”

[snuggetfish]

Just read your post about Kiryu in bed and was wondering how you think Majima is. I know a lot of people write him to be pretty kinky but something tells me he likes things to be personal and romantic. What are your thoughts?

Oh boy do I have thoughts on this 👀 NSFW under the cut, as before~

I know what you mean by Majima being generally portrayed as a kinky bastard. Looking at his usual over the top behaviour, it would be easy to extrapolate that he's also wild in bed. And I think that depending on the scenario... he might be. Because he’d play it up, as easily as he plays up his breezy personality to crazy levels. If it’s a one night stand or a really the first time in a very new relationship, he’d be inclined to treat it like any other brief encounter: keep the act up, play into their expectations and just abandon himself to momentary pleasure. Anyone who’s seen or heard of him and his reputation will likely assume he’s down for all sorts of fetishes. The Mad Dog fucks, he doesn’t make love. And he’ll probably score you with his tanto while doing it.

But this is all, as I said, an act. For years it’s been Majima’s means of disguising and distracting himself from how vulnerable he is inside. He’s sentimental and he falls in love easily and he knows this, bitterly even. So he’ll be overly dominant, go hard and fast, enough to fill a need and nothing more... presumably. But what if his partner were to hold him closer, stroke his face and kiss him softly? Stick around for cuddles afterwards, only to fall asleep in his arms? Just maybe... he could get used to it.

Once he’s comfortable with someone and in a stable relationship, then he’ll loosen up and accept more of the bonding aspects of sex. At his core, I think Majima really wants a loving touch, to be both on the giving and receiving end. Body worship would definitely be his thing. On the one hand because it’s his way of showing complete devotion, without having to say it. Words are hard and his mouth is much better at kisses than it is at expressing just how much love he feels for them. On the other hand, Majima’s own body bears painful scars and memories, in addition to being touch-starved. If someone were really willing to cherish all of him, even the parts he doesn’t usually show to the world... well then he'd simply melt in their arms.

That’s not to say he’d be completely vanilla. He wouldn’t seek out extreme fetishes, but he’d incorporate some roleplay into the bedroom. The man’s got an entire wardrobe of “Kiryu-chan harassment” costumes, he’s gotta put it to good use! Also, unlike Kiryu, I think he’d be very receptive to experimenting. If there’s a fantasy you’ve always wanted to live out, he’s listening and he’s down for it, as long as it doesn’t involve actually hurting you. He might even learn new things about himself. After all, when it’s with the right person, even a kinkier act can be tender and romantic. Light bondage + body worship? I think that would ignite quite the fire in him. 👀 By his own admission (in Y0), he’s a bit of a masochist, but I think his relationship with pain would be complicated at best, considering the torture he’s been through. He might seek it out because it’s what he’s used to and even what he thinks he deserves... so you can bite him or dig your nails into his skin and he’d grin through it... but it’s affectionate caresses that would rattle him more, for sure. I’ve talked a lot about kinky stuff, but what about turn-ons? In a previous ask I mentioned Majima would be less of an ass/boob man and more of a neck and shoulders kinda guy and I still stand by that. He’s attracted to elegance (in women particularly) and there’s nothing more graceful that the gentle slope of a loved one’s shoulders. Also a prime nuzzling spot. Easiest way to get him riled up is minimal lingerie. As he says in Dead Souls:

Wear those under your clothes when you’re lounging at home and then watch for Majima’s reaction when he discovers them as you give him his “welcome back” hug and his hands start roaming... or, even better, send him a racy picture while he’s at work. 😌  In terms of the sex itself, I think it starts slow, with him giving plenty of care to getting you properly turned on. Honestly just seeing the desire in your eyes makes Majima’s head swim and he’s gonna want you as close as possible, I’m talking full body contact, so that you’re practically inseparable and he can feel your warm skin and your heartbeat against his. Now slow passion is nice, but Majima doesn’t have Kiryu’s patience and composure, so I think he’d be prone to... losing it. Gradually picking up the pace until he’s really pounding into you or forcing you down on him if you’re on top. How vocal he’ll be throughout this depends on the era, I think... younger Majima (’85-’88) would try to stifle all sounds because he’s still a little self-conscious, but Mad Dog Majima would have less qualms about letting you know just how amazing you make him feel. If there’s dirty talk on his end, it would stop abruptly once thrusts start getting vigorous. Head empty, only thrust. Best dirty talk you can serve him is his name, in any form: moans, sighs and cries. Never fails to short-circuit his brain. He doesn’t always last long because of how roughly he goes, but that doesn’t mean he’s giving up after only one round. He’s skilled with his mouth and fingers as well and more than eager to please you. If there’s no time for a proper session, then oral sex is what Majima would go for. Whether giving or receiving, he’s always gonna be watching your face. He wants direct eye contact while your mouth is full of his cock or you’re biting the sheets rocking against his tongue. And for afterwards... expect him to be clingy as hell. He’ll do some quick clean up if needed and then wrap himself as tightly as possible around you. Drop a little “I love you” into his ear now and he’s truly in Heaven. 💙

[jojoboisimagines]

Snippets Ch.4 : Johnny and Josuke (4) with the Same Crush (3)

Previous Chapter

A set of multiple drabbles/oneshots combining characters (i.e Jojos) from multiple parts and AUs.

.::.

"That guy...do you think--" Josuke started.

"That's their boyfriend? No idea." Johnny quickly answered, trying to play it off as if he didn't care.

It was quite the opposite. He may have cared too much.

To say Johnny was jealous was an understatement. But it seemed like Josuke was feeling some of the heat too, seeing you hanging out with some guy and proceeding to talk about him with Josuke when the two of you went to lunch the other day.

Josuke was still in the dark about Johnny’s own crush on you, which was a relief for the jockey, but it was hell for him, having to be afraid of either guy winning you over first.

He just needed to muster up the courage to talk to you again, but it was a lot more difficult than he thought it’d be. You two always seemed to be busy when the other wasn’t. Of course he still had Gyro (and occasionally Josuke and Hot Pants) to keep him company, but he missed you.

The little spat the cousins had was forgotten for a while. They didn’t exactly apologize to each other, but just starting to talk normally again was enough sign there was no hard feelings. The younger teen was still very confused about Johnny’s intentions that day.

‘ Was he trying to be a good role model or was he just mad I was leaving him at home?’ he thought. It didn’t really matter to him anymore, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t concerned about what Johnny must’ve been thinking, and if he still did feel that way.

They sat at a small table on the far side of the kitchen. Josuke, looking rather bored, held his head on his palm, while Johnny was playing on their shared Switch. Or at least, was pretending to be after Josuke brought up the subject.

“Hey, can I ask you an honest question?” The Japanese teen breaks the icy silence once again.

Johnny merely raises an eyebrow with a low ‘hm’ that was barely audible. His heart silently raced thinking of what the boy sitting across from him had on his mind to ask.

“(y/n)...how long have you known them?” 

A simple enough question to start off with, Josuke thought. Yet Johnny’s lips still pursed.

“Uh...about half a year now. We got really close in that time I’d say.” That last part wasn’t even to get a rise out of Josuke, he just genuinely thought so. He really cared about you, romantically or not.

Meanwhile, Josuke had only known you for the duration of the summer, which was about to end in a couple of weeks. Perhaps if he’d beg Johnny to let him stay he’d have more time to bond with you, but there was also the issue of him feeling homesick from time to time.

God, if he could take you back to Morioh with him..it’d be like a dream come true.

They both had quickly forgotten about whatever guy Josuke was referring to earlier, mixed up in their own thoughts about their relationship with you. Besides, he had only ever seen the guy once, there was no way you’d switch up on him that quickly.

He had no dates or anything planned with you like he usually does, though. Not that he didn’t want to spend time with you, he just felt as if he was coming off as a little...clingy.

Higashikata had been trying to drop hints that he liked you, such as buying you things, having heart-to-heart conversations as he’d walk you home, calling you pet names, and ending his goodnight texts with a little heart emoji. He considered himself a romantic, but when it came to your reactions, you kinda brushed them off platonically. Perhaps you’d never been flirted with before?

His texts were still frequent, making sure you were having a good day and all, but he figured maybe he should start being a little more risky..

“What do you like about (y/n) anyways?” Johnny asked.

There was a pause for a couple of seconds, before Josuke scooted back in his chair and got up from the table, intending to retreat to his room for a couple of hours.

“The same things you do, probably.”

.::.

“Ow! Gyro, what the hell was that for?!”

“Because, idiota, you need to confess already.” He hovers over Johnny like a judgmental parent.

Josuke had left the house to get some groceries, and in that time, the jockey called Gyro over. Not for advice specifically, but that's what it had eventually turned into. Sitting on the floor of Johnny’s room (where it was painfully easy to find porn magazines, Gyro won’t let that go as long as the two of them live).

“Like seriously, this is getting embarrassing to watch, just do it already.” The Italian pointed a finger at his friend. “Sooner or later you’re gonna do the thing where you get the girl drunk and then sleep with her regardless of feelings.”

“Ugh, I’m not like that anymore Gyro!” Johnny folds his arms with a pout his friend knows all too well at this point. “I’ve never committed to anyone before, so of course this is a little more awkward for me than it is for anyone else, you know this!” 

Indeed he did know. It was somehow one of the things they always ended up talking about.

“Listen, I know how this is gonna end. Its gonna end with you in this same room, bunched up in several blankets, listening to Fleetwood Mac on repeat with 3 pizza boxes to make yourself feel better.”

The American scoffs.

Gyro sits upright on his bed. “I’m right. Look, this gal means a lot to you, I know. I’ve seen it. You’ve never stared at someone with such a…not hateful look in your eye.” It was half a joke, half truth. “And I don't wanna see you sad, so you’re just gonna have to pull yourself up, grow some steel balls, and ask them out. For real. For both of our sakes at this point.”

Johnny rolls his eyes. “Wow, Gyro wants me to be with a girl? Pigs must be flying.”

“You are so not funny.” The Italian’s teeth flashes for a moment as he scowls.

“Alright, since you’re such a casanova, why don’t you tell me what to say to them?” At this rate, there was really no other choice for Joestar to take. He could ask Hot Pants, but knew she would give him similar advice.

“Nyo-ho! I’ll show ya! All you gotta do is gimme your phone.”

As soon as the word ‘gimme’ was uttered, the jockey clutched his phone as if it was a baby. The last few times he lended his friend his phone, it didn’t go so well.

Gyro would’ve snorted if he wasn’t serious about this.

“Come onnn! It--”

“Won’t go like the last three times, right? Fat chance.”

“Just hurry and hand it over before I tackle you!”

The larger man did that far too much already, much to Johnny’s dismay. Once Gyro had him in a headlock, there was no getting out of it. He defeatedly raised his phone up to the man for him to take.

“If you ruin anything, I’m doing the same thing to you, AND taking your damn horse.” The Italian waved him off as if he was merely an angry toddler. As he typed, Johnny tried to peer over and see, but his friend was too adamant on turning side to side so he couldn’t. The expressions Gyro was making wasn’t a good sign either. First confused, then mischievous, then looking a little too proud of himself. The jockey’s hands could start sweating at any moment from the sheer anxiety this was giving him.

“Aaaaaand done! There we go, all set!”

Johnny reached for his phone as soon as the words left his mouth, unapologetically in a snatching manner to immediately read the text sent.

::‘Hey This is Johnny darling. Hope your day has been as beautiful as your smile. I was wondering if you’re free tomorrow by 12pm. I have something very important to tell you. See you soon xoxo.’::

Alright, so it wasn’t as bad as he thought itd be (not nearly as bad as the time Gyro dared him to send a ‘send nudes’ text to you) but god, it would look suspiciously out of character for you to see. He can’t even remember the last time he typed ‘darling’ instead of ‘darlin’ and actually bothered to punctuate his texts. And who even used ‘xoxo’ anymore?

His friend looked at him with a big grin, waiting for his reaction. A slightly more pure smile than if he were waiting for Johnny to get a joke.

“Soooo what do you think? You gotta pick some nice clothes out for your date.”

The shorter man sighs.

“Its...passable.”

.::.

 Josuke got home a little later than he expected. He was surprised to see there was still Prince CDs in stock at the store. Thats one of the perks of coming to America, he guessed. He was more than ready to put them into one of Johnny’s old CD players he had found. It was already hard for him to listen to pretty much anything without thinking of you. At least if it was Prince specifically, it would help him feel better and he could jam out to it.

Finally finding the track he wanted, he grinned, letting the music play out loud and hopping on his bed. It was a good few minutes before he had started getting that feeling in his gut again.

..Crap, this wasn’t helping either.

The teen felt that he couldn’t endure this much longer. Love was something he took very seriously and to be so unsure about your relationship just made him feel funny. He had to at least know for sure if the both of you were on the same page. Josuke was sick of being so anxious about it.

Josuke laid down flat on his back, pulling his phone out.

“You know what? I’m gonna ask them out.”

[killianmesmalls]

On your comments about Jack: ye-es, in the sense that Jack is a character who definitely deserved better than he was treated by the characters. The way Dean especially treats him reflects very badly on Dean, no question. But, speaking as a viewer, I think the perspective needs to shift a little bit.

To me, Jack is Dawn from Buffy, or Scrappy Doo. He’s an (in my opinion) irritating kid who is introduced out of nowhere to be both super vulnerable and super OP, and the jeopardy is centered around him in a way that has nothing to do with his actual character or relationships. He’s mostly around to be cute and to solve or create problems — he never has any firm character arcs or goals of his own, nor any deeper purpose in the meta narrative. In this way, he’s a miss for SPN, which focuses heavily on conflicts as metaphors for real life.

Mary fits so much better in that framework, and introducing her as a developed, flawed person works really well with the narrative. It is easy for us to care about Mary, both as the dead perfect mother on the pedestal and as the flawed, human woman who could not live up to her sons’ expectations. That connection is built into the core of SPN, and was developed over years, even before she was a character. When she was added, she was given depth and nuance organically, and treated as a flawed, complex character rather than as a plot device or a contrivance. She was given a voice and independence, and became a powerful metaphor for developing new understandings of our parents in adulthood, as well as an interesting and well-rounded character. You care that she’s dead, not just because Sam and Dean are sad, but for the loss of her development and the potential she offered. So, in that sense, I think a lot of people were frustrated that she died essentially fridged for a second time, and especially in service of the arc of a weaker character.

And like, you’re right, no one can figure out if Jack is a toddler or a teenager. He’s both and he’s neither, because he’s never anything consistently and his character arc is always “whatever the plot needs it to be.” Every episode is different. Is he Dean’s sunny opportunity to be a parent and make up for his dad’s shitty parenting? Yes! Is he also Dean’s worst failure and a reminder that he has done many horrible things, including to “innocent” children? Yes! Is he Cas’s child? Yes! Is he Dean’s child? Yes! But also, no! Is he Sam’s child? Yes! Is he a lonely teenager who does terrible things? Yes! Is he a totally innocent little lamb who doesn’t get why what he is doing is wrong? Yes! Is he the most powerful being in the universe? Yes! Does he need everyone to take care of him? Yes! Is he just along for the ride? Yes! Is he responsible for his actions? Kinda??? Sometimes??? What is he???

Mary as a character is narratively cohesive and fleshed-out. Jack is a mishmash of confusing whatever’s that all add up to a frustrating plot device with no consistent traits to latch on to. Everything that fans like about him (cute outfits, gender play, well-developed parental bonds with the characters) is fanon. So, yes, the narrative prioritizes Mary. Many fans prioritize Mary, at least enough that Dean’s most heinous acts barely register. To the narrative (not to Cas, which is a totally different situation), Jack is only barely more of a character than Emma Winchester, who Sam killed without uproar seasons earlier. He’s been around longer, but he’s equally not really real.

I debated on responding to this because, to tell the truth, I think we fundamentally disagree on a number of subjects and, as they say, true insanity is arguing with anyone on the internet. However, you spent a lot of time on the above and I feel it's only fair to say my thoughts, even if I don't believe it will sway you any more than what you said changed my opinions.

I'm assuming this was in response to this post regarding how Jack's accidental killing of Mary was treated so severely by the brothers, particularly Dean, because it was Mary and, had it been a random character like the security guard in 13x06, it would have been treated far differently. However, then the argument becomes less about the reaction of the Winchester brothers to this incident and more the value of Jack or Mary to the audience.

I believe we need to first admit that both characters are inherently archetypes—Mary as the Madonna character initially then, later, as a metaphor for how imperfect and truly human our parents are compared to the idol we have as children, and Jack as the overpowered child who is a Jesus allegory by the end. Both have a function within the story to serve the Winchester brothers, through whose lens and with whose biases we are meant to view the show's events. We also need to admit that the writers didn't think more than a season ahead for either character, especially since it wasn't initially supposed to be Mary that came back at the end of season 11 but John, and they only wrote enough for Jack in season 13 to gauge whether or not the audience would want him to continue on or if he needed to be killed off by the end of the season. Now, I know we curate our own experiences online which leads to us being in our own fandom echo chambers, however it is important to note that the character was immediately successful enough with the general audience that, after his first episode or two, he was basically guaranteed a longer future on the show.

I have to admit, I’m not entirely sure why the perspective of how his character is processed by some audience members versus others has any bearing on the argument that he deserved to be treated better overall by the other characters especially when taking their own previous actions in mind. I’m not going to tell you that your opinion is wrong regarding your feelings for Jack. It’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it, it harms no one to have it and express it. My feelings on Jack are clearly very different from your own, but this is really just two different people who processed a fictional person in different ways. I personally believe he has a purpose in the Winchesters’ story, including Castiel’s, as he reflects certain aspects of all of them, gives them a way to explore their own histories through a different perspective, and changes the overall dynamic of Team Free Will from “soldiers in arms” to a family (Misha’s words). In the beginning he allows Sam to work through his past as the “freak” and powerful, dangerous boy wonder destined to bring hell on earth. With Dean, his presence lets Dean work through his issues with John and asks whether he will let history repeat itself or if he’ll work to break the cycle. Regarding Cas, in my opinion he helps the angel reach his “final form” of a father, member of a family, lover and protector of humanity, rebellious son, and the true show of free will. 

From strictly the story, he has several arcs that work within themes explored in Supernatural, such as the argument of nature versus nurture, the question of what we’re willing to give up in order to protect something or someone else and how ends justify the means, and the struggle between feeling helpless and powerless versus the corruptive nature of having too much power and the dangerous lack of a moral compass. His goals are mentioned and on display throughout his stint on the show, ones that are truly relatable to some viewers: the strong desire to belong—the need for family and what you’ll do to find and keep it. 

With Mary, we first need to establish whether the two versions of her were a writing flaw due to the constant change in who was dictating her story and her relationship to the boys, which goes against the idea that her characterization was cohesive and fleshed-out but, rather, put together when needed for convenience, or if they both exist because, as stated above, we are seeing the show primarily through the biased lens of the Winchester brothers and come to face facts about the true Mary as they do. Like I said in my previous post, I don’t dislike Mary and I don’t blame her for her death (either one). However, I do have a hard time seeing her as a more nuanced, fleshed-out character than Jack. True, a lot of her problems are more adult in nature considering she has to struggle with losing her sons’ formative years and meeting them as whole adults she knows almost nothing about, all because of a choice she made before they were born. 

However, her personal struggles being more “mature” in nature (as they center primarily on parental battles) doesn’t necessarily mean her story has layers and Jack’s does not. They are entirely different but sometimes interconnected in a way that adds to both of their arcs, like Mary taking Jack on as an adoptive son which gives her the moments of parenting she lost with Sam and Dean, and Jack having Mary as a parental figure who understands and supports him gives him that sense of belonging he had just been struggling with to the point of running away while he is also given the chance to show “even monsters can do good”. 

I’d also argue that Jack being many ages at once isn’t poor writing so much as a metaphor for how, even if you’re forced to grow up fast, that doesn’t mean you’re a fully equipped adult. I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but I believe Jack simultaneously taking a lot of responsibility and constantly trying to prove to others he’s useful while having childish moments is relatable to some who were forced to play an adult role at a young age. He proves a number of times that he doesn’t need everyone to take care of him, but he also has limited life experience and, as such, will make some mistakes while he’s also being a valuable member of the group. Jack constantly exists on a fine line in multiple respects. Some may see that as a writing flaw but it is who the character was conceived to be: the balance between nature or nurture, between good and evil, between savior and devil. 

Now, I was also frustrated Mary was “fridged” for a second time. It really provided no other purpose than to give the brothers more man pain to further the plot along. However, this can exist while also acknowledging that the way it happened and the subsequent fallout for Jack was also unnecessary and a sign of blatant hypocrisy from Dean, primarily, and Sam. 

And, yes, Jack can be different things at once because, I mean, can’t we all? If Mary can be both the perfect mother and the flawed, independent, distant parent, can’t Jack be the sweet kid who helps his father-figures process their own feelings on fatherhood while also being a lost young-adult forcing them to face their failures? Both characters contain multitudes because, I mean, we all do. 

I can provide articles or posts on Jack’s characterization and popularity along with Mary’s if needed, but for now I think this is a long enough ramble on my thoughts and feelings. I’m happy to discuss more, my messenger is always open for (polite) discussion. Until then, I’m going to leave it at we maybe agree to disagree. 

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Somebody I Used To Know

Summary: Months into the end of the world, the reader helps out a mysterious man she’s never seen before. He asks her to meet up with him where she learns she used to know him better than anyone...

Pairing: Endverse!Dean x reader

Square: Endverse!Dean

Word Count: 2,800ish

Warnings: language, slight danger, angst, eventual fluff

A/N: Written for @spndeanbingo​​

_______

The Croat hit the pavement hard, the guy on the ground looking back at you as he got to his feet. You turned your gun on him, the man staring as you both heard the echoes of running in the distance.

“Either shoot me and get it over with or let’s go,” he said. You lowered your gun and took off running, the man catching up quickly. He went with you down the street before he started to veer off to the left.

“You won’t make it,” you said, going to the other side of the street and opening your jeep door. You spotted the truck in the distance that was probably his. He looked at it and then you and you sighed. You drove over and he hopped on the step up, grabbing onto the top rack. You drove over to the truck and he climbed off, quickly getting in as you both saw a swarm of Croats fill the street.

“Highway 12. Mile marker 108. One hour,” he called out through his window before he took off the other direction. You headed West and drove out of town, finding a quiet parking lot to sit and think in.

Going to meet a stranger by yourself was fifteen kinds of stupid. Even if you were packing. It could have been a trap for your gear or your jeep. Or you. You reached into your glovebox and took out a map, finding the spot the guy had wanted to meet. It wasn’t a very good ambush point, not much cover around on an open stretch of highway.

He was the first person you’d seen in months that didn’t want to actively kill you though which was something. At the very least, if it went bad, you could take his belongings. There was bound to be something useful in there.

One Hour Later

“I didn’t know if you’d come,” said the man as you stepped out of your jeep. You were the only two vehicles around and the swampy fields on either side didn’t make for a good hiding spot. 

“Wasn’t so sure myself,” you said, your hand resting on your thigh holster, his matching you as he straightened up from where he leaned on his truck.

“You had my back,” he said.

“You looked like you were in trouble,” you said.

“I was. Still am,” he said with a shrug. He moved his hand away from his gun and crossed his arms. “Judging by your ride and the gear I saw in there, you’re on your own too.”

“Who says I’m on my own?”

He looked around and smirked, kicking at the ground.

“I’m Dean. Dean Winchester.”

“Y/N Y/L/N,” you said, giving him a nod. “What do you want Dean Winchester?”

“A blueberry pie with a dollop of whip cream on top,” he said, chuckling to himself. “Shit, I miss pie.”

“I’m going now,” you said, a hand on your door already before he started to walk over. He was slow when he approached your jeep, holding up his hands. “I saved you. It’s no big deal.”

“Do you...do you want to come with me?” he asked. 

“Where?”

“It’s kinda far,” he said. You undid the clip on the top of your holster, Dean taking a step back. “I’m not going to hurt you. It’d be a bit hypocritical of me considering you saved my life an hour ago.”

“You don’t trust strangers. Didn’t you learn that in apocalypse 101?” you said.

“You are as sarcastic as ever,” he said, a dry laugh escaping him. Your gun was out and by your side now. “There was a time when you would have died for me.”

“You going Croat on me?” you asked, cocking your gun and raising it up. He shook his head but dropped his hands down. “Up if you don’t want a hole in your shoulder.”

“Y/N…” he sighed but he did hold his hands up again.

“Turn around.”

“January 30th you woke up in Phoenix, Arizona in hospital room 45A at Mercy General with a burn on your lower right back, selective memory loss of the previous ten years and a tattoo on your hip of a star in a ring of fire.”

You swallowed and reached around your back, feeling the scar there. He slowly moved his right hand down and grabbed the back of his jacket and shirt, yanking them up to show his back.

“I got one too, sweetheart,” he said, dropping the clothes over his scar.

“Who the fuck are you?” you said as turned back to face you.

“I was your husband. Soulmate too. It’s not a burn scar. Our bond was literally physically there once after something happened and it left a lasting impression. It’s a long story,” he said as you raised your eyebrows. “Yeah. I know I sound nuts. But how else would I know that crap?”

“Prove that-” you said before he tugged his shirt collar aside and revealed a tattoo just like your own. “Who are you?”

“Dean Winchester. You’re Y/N Winchester. It’s been a while since you’ve been called that is all,” he said.

“I’m not married. I work at Starbucks and I tend bar. I-”

“Your father died when you were thirteen. Everyone told you it was a burglary gone wrong but that never sat right with you. When you were eighteen, you confronted your mom about it. She walked out and called you to meet later on that night. She never showed. Three days later, you got a story she was attacked by a rogue grizzly while hiking. Any of this ringing a bell?”

“I never told anyone I thought my dad didn’t die in that house,” you said. 

“You told me about five years ago.”

“What’s something else I’ve never told anyone?”

“You know your mom killed your dad but you don’t remember why.”

“It’s creepy that you know that,” you said, looking him up and down.

“Your amnesia was related to something...specific. It’s more like memories were wiped clean of certain things. You can remember the past few years. They feel bland is all, right?”

“Are you like this too?” you asked.

“No. I’m the one that had your memory wiped,” he said. Your eyes narrowed and he tilted his head back. “I’m not going to answer why and I’m not telling you what’s gone. If shit weren’t bad, I’d never have come back.”

“What do you mean come back?” you asked.

“Well, when the shit hit the fan and the literal end of the world started, I went looking for you.”

“Why?”

“Cause I’m your husband, dumbass,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

“Well if I’m not insane and what you said is true, I think the relationship ended when you wiped my memory, don’t you think?” you said. “I was out screwing a guy two months after I got out of the hospital.”

He dropped his gaze down, taking a deep breath before he forced his head up.

“Shit. You really do love me,” you said.

“Yeah. I do,” he said.

“I was kinda lying about the screwing thing. I wanted to see your reaction,” you said.

“Don’t do that again,” he said but you saw the flash of relief on his face. “I know it sounds crazier than Croat crazy.”

“Yeah. All evidence points to you telling the truth though,” you said.

“Will you come with me? We can go someplace safe. Take your own ride if it makes you feel more comfortable,” he said.

“Fine. But I don’t care if you do love me. You do something shady, I’m gonna shoot you,” you said.

“Funny. You shot me the night we met. Just like old times,” he said. You blinked a few times and he shrugged. “Good on gas?”

“Half a tank,” you said.

“Top off,” he said, walking over to the back of his truck. He opened the trunk and grabbed a gas can. He set it down on the road and walked back to his driver’s side door. “If we head out now we can get there by night.”

“Alright. Lead the way.”

Eight Hours Later

“Where the fuck am I…” you said to yourself as you drove up a dirt road. You saw Dean stop ahead of you and get out of his truck. He opened up a garage door and hopped back in before he pulled inside. He stepped out and waved you to park behind him. You were hesitant to but part of you trusted him somewhere deep down. You took a breath and pulled in. He locked up the garage as you got out and looked around. “What is this place?”

“It’s where I live. You used to live here too,” he said. You turned your head around and spotted a nice muscle car parked in the corner. “Baby’s not much for an all terrain vehicle unfortunately.”

“I like it,” you said.

“You always did,” he said. “I haven’t been here in a while so hopeful it’s not too much of a mess.”

“Lead the way,” you said. 

“You want me to get your bag for you?” he asked. You shook your head and crossed your arms.

“Let’s see how this goes first,” you said. He nodded and went down a short flight of stairs, opening a door. You followed after, finding yourself in a set of hallways.

“Y/N?” said a voice behind you. You spun around with your gun out, aiming straight at a giant of a man, his hands up. “Shit, it’s Sam. Don’t shoot me.”

“She doesn’t know who you are,” said Dean. “Y/N, this is Sam. He’s my little brother.”

“Anybody else live here I should know about?” you said, lowering your gun, not yet returning it to it’s holster.

“Our friends, Cas and Jack, do sometimes but they’re not in. They’re out working on something,” said Dean. “Just us here.”

“Fine,” you said. You put your gun away, Sam dropping his hands to his sides. 

“I’ll uh, show you around,” said Dean. “Sammy, maybe you can get my stuff from my truck for me?”

“Sure. Y/N, good to see you,” said Sam as he headed up into the garage. 

“Y/N,” said Dean when you stared after him. “Let’s check out where you can keep your stuff, okay?”

“After you.”

“How you doing?” you heard Sam ask Dean later on in the night as you roamed the halls. You paused around a corner and heard a sigh from the other side. 

“Surprised you’re not telling me I told you so,” said Dean. “You told me how wiping her memories was one of the lowest things I’ve ever done.”

“It wasn’t your choice to make. But I understand why you did it. I should never have said that,” said Sam.

“You were right. I’m lucky she’s even alive. If I hadn’t done that, she would have been so much safer when the world went to shit.”

“You can’t predict the future, Dean,” said Sam. “You were trying to protect her.”

“It all still went bad,” said Dean. “All I did was make her more vulnerable. I don’t know what to do.”

“You could tell her the truth.”

“She’ll think I’m nuts.”

“She seems to believe the you wiping her memories part. If she can believe that, she can probably handle the rest. Think about it. Croats are real. A year ago people would have thought this was insane. The way I see it, you’ve been out there a long, long time looking for her. If you want her to stay, you have got to tell her everything,” said Sam.

“What if she wants to leave then? It’s safe here,” said Dean.

“You have to respect her right to choose. You took that from her last time. Let her have it now,” said Sam.

“I know,” said Dean quietly. “It’s just...I know I hurt her when I did that. I could live with it though because she didn’t know. She was starting to have a good normal life. Then this happened and I hurt her for nothing. I made it worse. When I tell her, all I’m going to end up doing is hurt her again. She doesn’t deserve that. She never did.”

“Dean. The only problem you ever had when it came to Y/N was you loved her. It’s fine to want to protect her. But sometimes, you have to let people you love get hurt. You can’t protect them from everything. When that happens, they want you there to help them heal. You owe her the truth, De...and to cut yourself a break. You wanted better for her. There’s nothing wrong with that. Let her pick what better is though. It’s her life, not yours.”

“I’ll talk to her in the morning. We had a long day,” said Dean. “Thanks.”

“Night,” said Sam. You quickly headed back towards the room you were staying in. You heard Dean go past in the hall outside and round the corner, a door shutting in the distance. A few minutes later you wandered over to his room and knocked on the wood.

“Yeah?” he said. You pushed it open and saw him sitting on the edge of the bed in a shirt and pair of boxers. “Do you need something, Y/N?”

“I sort of heard you and Sam just now,” you said. He nodded and looked down to his lap. “I don’t know you anymore. I don’t know what we used to talk about or how we used to. I don’t know why you did what you did. But I do know I felt something the second I saw you. I know that you made a mistake and I know you did it to protect me. I know I’ll forgive you for it too.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because you tried to help me. I won’t be mad at you for that,” you said.

“I took away your memories and I don’t think I can get them back,” he said.

“I guess you’re just gonna have to get me to fall in love with you a second time then,” you said. He stared at you and you stepped inside, sitting beside him. “You did it once. It shouldn’t be too hard the second.”

“You don’t even know me and you’re still...you,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“I think it’s my choice, Dean.”

“But why? I thought you didn’t trust me.”

“You love me. You went looking all that way for me to make sure I was safe, in the middle of the end of the world. You don’t do that for people you don’t care about,” you said.

“If you change your mind, it’s okay. I understand,” he said.

“Okay,” you said. You took one of the hands in his lap and held it, Dean turning his head. “Don’t count on it though.”

“Alright,” he said as he ran his thumb over your skin. “It’s late. You should head to bed. I’m sure you haven’t slept on a mattress in a long time.”

“I haven’t,” you said. You leaned back and shut your eyes. “Feels good.”

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” he said. “I know I’m a stranger.”

“I know. I want to if that’s alright,” you said. He hummed and lay back himself. “I like that picture over there. On your dresser.”

He was quiet and you opened your eyelids, glancing over at him as he looked at you.

“We look happy,” you said.

“We were,” he said.

“Maybe someday we can get back to that,” you said. You smiled and he returned it. “Thanks for coming to make sure I was okay.”

“Always, sweetheart. Always.”

_______

[jui-imouto-chan]

i wanna see more of the hiraharem magic au, if you havent expanded on it already!! the idea is super cool :)

Part 2

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Ah thank you!!! 💕💕

Alright, so let’s pick up where we left on, then! :D

Hinata kind of starts sweating really, really hard bc holy heck there’s two scary tall demons in his room what how did he do this AGAIN—

“Iwa-Chan, how’d you get through here too?”

“I... I have no clue. Where even are we?”

They survey the room for a moment, and while the little redhead backed into the corner of his room caught their attention first, they easily spot another demon in the room.

Kageyama’s arms and legs are wide in a protective stance in front of Hinata, doing his best to block him from view, a snarl pulling his lips and a growl rumbling in the back of his throat.

The brunet demon’s face went from curious to bitter, his voice dropping an octave. “You.”

Hinata, riddled with anxiety, pokes at Kageyama’s shoulder from behind him, flinching and pulling his hands into a defensive fighting position when his summon’s glare is leveled on him.

“Wh-who-who are they?!”

Kageyama stared at him long and hard, fixating on his face to take in every bit of it. It seemed to help him calm down, as his taught shoulders slowly dropped and his face relaxed. “Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san,” he murmured, “They’re higher rank than I am.”

And Hinata kinda knew that Kageyama was considered one of the many demon kings, albeit a lower one, so he went a little starry eyed at first. “Grand Kings?”

“Well, there’s not really much of a specific name for--”

“Hey, Grand Kings!”

Kageyama slaps a palm to his own forehead as Oikawa’s glower drops in confusion. ‘Who’s he talking to?’

Iwaizumi cuts in, “Hey, uh, kid, what are we doing here?”

“Oh, um. About that,” Hinata rubs the back of his head, his cheeks flushed a bright red, “It was.. sort of.. an accident?”

“An accident? You summoned two beings! That doesn’t happen on accident.”

Hinata gets ready to demonstrate to them what he did before, grabbing his book off the floor, but Kageyama smacks his head as he was on his way up, the book tumbling out of his hands. “Haven’t you caused enough problems today, dumbass?”

“Hey, that hurt!”

Oikawa strolls over leisurely and picks the book up, curling a palm around Hinata’s head with his fingers threading through orange strands. “Tsk tsk, Tobio-chan. I thought you’d have learned to be nicer to your summoner.”

Iwaizumi shoves Oikawa away by his face, blocking Hinata from the brunet. “Stop provoking people, dumbass.”

“Iwa-chan, you’re so mean.”

So yeah after a bit more bickering and whatnot, Hinata finally asks why two of them showed up. 

“I usually just respond to mana that piques my tastes. If you don’t respond fast enough, another demon might snatch up potential summoners or meals before you. I never would have thought Iwa-chan would respond to a summon, though. Human-realm halfies don’t respond unless there’s a lot of mana that’s being offered.”

Iwaizumi rubs at his temple. “I just felt really compelled to do something, and when I did, I ended up here. It was like I was being pulled along by instinct.”

“Huh,” Hinata hums, eyes alight with interest.

“So, how do I get back?”

“Usually our summoner has to dismiss us and cut off the mana supply keeping us here, or use a contract.”

They quite pointedly look at Hinata, who jumps a little. “Wh-what?”

“Aren’t you gonna cut off the supply?”

Hinata mumbles something inaudibly, ducking his head. 

“What was that?”

“Idontknowhow.”

“Speak clearly,” Iwaizumi reprimands.

“I don’t know how!” he blurts.

“What do you mean you don’t know how? Tobio-chan, you didn’t make a contract with him, right?”

“Ah,” Kageyama says, like he forgot about it, “I don’t think so.”

“Then how do you go home?? There’s no way you’ve been together without a single break--” Oikawa screams in frustration at the way they come to the same realization. 

Iwaizumi sighs, grabbing a pillow off Hinata’s bed--’Why does one person need so many pillows and blankets?’--to smother Oikawa. “Okay, if we can’t get your mana supply to cut off, then let’s just make a contract.”

“How do we do that?”

Iwaizumi leveled Kageyama with a small glare. “Have you explained anything to him?” Kageyama at least had the decency to flush in shame.

“We just have to agree on some conditions, and then we usually swap DNA through blood to solidify it. Depending on the terms, summons can even come and go as they please.”

“What happens if you don’t do either?”

Iwaizumi defers to Oikawa.

“The the demon either hovers around the summoner like Tobio-Chan, or the summoner gets consumed.”

Hinata ‘eep’s at the latter, hiding behind Kageyama. “You guys wouldn’t eat me, would you?”

Oikawa pretends that he’s thinking hard about his answer, though Iwaizumi smacks his head to get him to knock it off when Hinata started to scream. Kageyama told him that as long as he wasn’t useless he’d hold off on eating him.

“What do you wanna do, kid?”

“As um, often as I end up bleeding and summoning people, I uh, I don’t like pain. So. Does it have it be b-blood?”

“Well, Shrimp, you’d have to give us some kind of DNA for a contract. Unless you’re wanting me to devour you in another way?”

Hinata, clearly not getting the insinuation, bursts into hysterical tears. Iwaizumi glowers at the brunet, although the intent of the perceived threat is not lost on Iwaizumi. He starts to lay the terms out to Hinata, who, whimpering, agrees to them as he says them.

“We can come and go as we please, and we’ll provide to you our ability when you call upon us. Oikawa can draw out your full potential, and, with a surplus of mana, can even take you beyond that. I can assist you in anything physical, and will arrive whenever you’re extremely distressed.”

Hinata nods, his tears beginning to dry. Iwaizumi and Oikawa nod to each other, getting close to Hinata while covering Kageyama’s eyes with their palms.

“With this exchange of DNA, our bond is formed.”

Hinata squeaks as their lips press onto the trails of tears on either side of his face, blood rushing to his cheeks. Before he can react any further, they’re gone in a poof, and Kageyama is fuming behind him.

-

“Iwa-Chan, do you feel that?”

“Yeah, that was... how can he have so much in just his tears?”

Every muscle in their bodies thrum with a rush of energy.

“Just knowing that there’s someone out there with that level of mana is terrifying.” Iwaizumi murmured, trying to still his quivering hands; having never properly received mana before, the surge of surplus power threatens to overlook his system.

“It’s scarier,” Oikawa interjected, “that he doesn’t even know anything about it.”

•

•Part 2 of (?)•

It was really hard to write the progression for some reason, but I hope it’s not too awful!! ^^; I was struggling to get to the contract part and then trying to make it natural was literally impossible so!! Ye

•• Send Asks for more! Feel free to ask about characters and send Headcanons! Or if u wanna just talk Haikyuu/ships, I’m good with that too! :) ••

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[liliesoftherain]

Persevere though Forsaken

Warnings: Mentions of past abuse, nonphysical

A/N: This was for my server collab!

Masterlist! Check everyone else out!

“Kya, let's talk about our soulmates!”

Soulmates.

The mere notion of having someone else considered to be your perfect half was daunting, to say the least. Having a mark on your skin, just to remind you that your sole purpose in this life was just to find that other person.

It was all a little too much for you honestly.

On your fourth birthday is when your life had changed forever, not only did you receive your quirk but you had also received your soulmark. The intricate patterns of flowers and clouds on your shoulder had you swooning, but the intimidating snake in the midst of it all caused you unease. Of course, every soulmark had a reason for being the way it was, only matching that of your soulmates, but at a mere four you could only fear the harsh animal that would be forever there. Your mother had tried to sooth you, stating that snakes could have multiple meanings and that there was no need to fear them or your mark, but you had never liked snakes very much either way.

Even so, at your young age you had been joyful overall, knowing that this was an important mark and it would one day lead to your happily-ever-after. Fantasies of meeting the one plagued your thoughts, longing to know the feeling that would come once your marks would combine. It was a beautiful sight supposedly, the way each tattoo would take a copy of itself and intertwine together, just like your souls were supposed to be.

Yet as you grew, those feelings of excitement grew into dread. You began to wonder, to worry, if your soulmate was really your perfect match. Wasn’t there no such thing as perfect, so how could there be someone that completed you to such a degree?

There were countless horror stories of how soulmates found one another and it was nothing they dreamed of, nothing they expected. Many said it was due to the wrong lifetimes, not meeting where they should have, or meeting in a time of this current life where they weren’t as stable as previous lives. Whatever the reason, you didn’t want any of it anymore. Not after seeing it all break down right in front of your eyes, you wanted nothing to do with them if you turned out exactly like them. What if your soulmate and you were exactly this? What if you two just weren’t compatible; what if they stood for everything you were against?

You wanted to be a hero, no matter what that was the path you wanted to go down and no one could stop you; you could only imagine the pain you’d feel if your supposed other was the very thing you swore to stop, a villain.

Applying to U.A. was your first step, and now with one year left you swore to yourself you wouldn’t let anything get in your way. You weren’t looking to be pulled in by hopes of a perfect ending, you were willing to carve your own.

“Ne, your guys’ are so pretty!” You snapped out of your thoughts at Hagakure’s voice.

You glanced in the direction everyone was looking at to see Jiro and Momo showing their matching forearms. You had to admit, their soulmarks were lovely; a beautiful backdrop of a lake with two sakura petals caught mid dance, frozen forever on skin barley grazing a lake below.

“You should have seen the way the petals fluttered down together when we connected our arms,” Momo said, a shy smile on her lips, “I’ve never seen a more beautiful connection.”

“That’s the only soulmark connection you’ve seen, Momo.” Jiro laughed, rolling her sleeve back down as she nudged her girlfriend.

“Your point?”

You all laughed, taking turns looking at everyone's marks and theorizing about their significant others until all eyes fell onto you.

“You know (y/n), we’ve all kinda seen everyone else’s before, but never yours.” Mina stated, looking at you with playfully narrowed eyes.

“You’re always wearing a cover or shirt long enough to hide it!” Tsu pointed out.

“Well,” you started, rubbing the back of your head nervously, “I’m not really into the whole soulmate thing, you guys know, so I hide it I guess.”

“Really? I didn’t know that!” Uraraka gasped, scooting closer to you as she did.

“You didn’t know? It’s like the thought of soulmates makes (l/n) sick!” Jiro snickered, sticking her tongue out at you as you flipped her off.

“I don’t get sick, I just don’t see the point-no offense.”

“I agree when I say it isn’t for everyone.” Jiro shrugged.

“Can we see it anyways? Pleaseeee!” Hagakure bounced excitedly, hoping you would agree.

“I’m really curious as to what it looks like, kero.” Tsu agreed.

You only sighed as you stripped off your long-sleeve shirt, leaving you in your sweats and now tank top. The sounds of amazement made you blush as you presented your right shoulder, letting everyone see the detailed snake, it was wrapped around two different types of flowers in front of a giant moon and clouds. It was a lot larger than it used to be when you were younger, now covering almost your entire upper arm. As you grew, your mark did as well, keeping proportional to your body.

“Wow that’s beautiful!”

“It really is, look at how cool it looks.”

“Dude the snake is hardcore.”

“What kind of flowers are those, what do they represent?”

You glance down at your mark before looking back up with a shrug, “not sure.”

“You never wanted to know the symbolism of it?” Uraraka asked, eyes still scanning over the lines of permanent ink.

“When I was younger, sure, but I never bothered to look them up.”

“Well the larger flowers are magnolias,” Momo spoke out as she pointed to the ones that framed the bottom of the mark, “They tend to represent a multitude of things; beauty, purity, and gentleness, but the thing that stands out above all else is perseverance.”

“Perseverance huh, maybe your soulmate is going to have to persevere for a looong time to win you over with that attitude, (y/n).” Mina jokes, causing the rest of the girls to laugh and you to roll your eyes with a grin

“I’d like to see them try.”

“What about the top flowers, Momo?” Hagakure asked.

“Well, they look like anemone’s, and the most significant meanings are anticipation, protection, longing, and forsaken or forgotten love. These flowers rely on the winds to open them up, who knows, maybe all you need is the right wind to open you up.”

“I doubt that.” You deadpan.

“I’m surprised you know so much about flowers!”

Momo held her hands out, creating a couple of flowers with a grin, “Well, I like to know everything I can for my quirk!”

You watched as she put one of the flowers behind Jiro’s ear, and you felt a twinge at jealousy that you immediately shoved down. You couldn’t long for something as sincere as that, you didn’t have the time.

You should take the anemone’s advice and forsake the love altogether.

“Here, one for everyone!” Momo passed the flowers around, and you giggled as she forced you and everyone else to wear it behind the ear as well.

“Gosh, I don’t remember the last time we did this. It feels nice!”

“I agree, we all need to have girl time more often!”

“We don’t talk about things like this as often as we should, it really is a nice bonding moment isn’t it?”

“Ne, (y/n), speaking of bonding... What will you do if you do ever meet your soulmate?”

You glance at Uraraka, you knew she was always a little more interested in soulmate’s due to her crush on someone that wasn’t hers; so you figured you’d continue indulging her and your friends.

“If I’m going to be painfully honest, I hope I never do.”

Silence was met with your answer, and you knew everyone was keeping quiet out of respect for your feelings even if they didn’t particularly agree.

“I only say that because, I just don’t think there is that someone for me you know? I can’t imagine someone being perfect for me, this path we’re choosing is already hard enough, why...” you glance down at your hands, watching them clench up in determination, “Why should I hope for happiness when it isn’t guaranteed?” “Well, I hope you find that happiness. No matter what it looks like, we all deserve it.” Tsu spoke softly.

Everyone agreed, and you could only smile half-heartedly. It wasn’t that you wanted to be a downer, you just couldn’t get over the notion of not being happy. Maybe you were being too cynical, but seeing it first hands at home was really an eyeopener.

Soulmates couldn’t be trusted.

“I don’t know what I would do if I found mine, how awkward huh!” Mina chuckled, scratching her cheek nervously.

“It’s not easy,” Jiro blushed, glancing at her lover, “It is a pretty awkward conversation, isn’t it?”

“Oh most definitely, but it was all worth it in the end.”

“After the initial stutters and such.”

“I bet it was romantic though!” Hagakure swooned.

“All it took was Momo once in her costume, it wasn’t hard to find out after that!”

Everyone laughed once more, agreeing it was hard for the creation hero to hide anything because of the way her hero suit needed to be.

“Awh, we’re out of popcorn!” Uraraka groaned, pushing the empty bowl away.

“I’d go get some but, I’m too comfy here!” Mina snickered, cuddling into her cocoon of blankets she created.

“You’re such a baby Mina, I’ll go.” You flicked her forehead, grabbing the empty bowl and standing.

“Thanks hun, oh can you also bring me back a water?”

“Yea sure, any other orders?” You joked.

After receiving a small list you retreated out of the room and down the hall, towards the kitchens. You hear a couple of the boys who were still up in the common room and rolled your eyes at the way they were screaming at the T.V., raging at the video game battle currently going on. You passed by without a care, closing the door behind you to muffle the energetic shouts the best you could.

“Oh, hey (l/n)!”

You snap your head to the side and smile, noticing the redhead's hair is down and not in it’s usual spikes.

“Hey Kirishima, what are you doing in here, aren’t you missing the party out there.”

You walk forward, reaching into one of the cabinets and pulling out a packet of popcorn. You shuffle around Kirishima, as he was leaning against the counter closest to the microwave, something you needed for your snack run.

“Well if I were to try to eat this in there, it’d get spilled in the chaos.” He laughed, lifting up a bowl of cereal.

“Touché.” You smirked, punching the popcorn button and leaving the machine be as it whirred to life.

You set down the bowl you brought before going to the fridge, you were pulling out a few waters when you felt a stare on your body. You glance curiously at Kirishima to see the intense look on his face and raise a brow, confused as to what he was looking at. Following his line of sight, you stopped to your shoulder- your soulmark.

In your rush out of the room you forgot to put your overshirt back on, and you felt a bit of anxiety bubble in your chest. You tsk quietly, slamming the fridge door. The sound snapped him out of his daze, his eyes rushing up to meet your gaze.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to stare-”

“s’okay. I know I don’t normally show this off. I forgot I didn’t have it covered for  a sec.” You shrug, walking back over next to him as your food beeped.

You opened the microwave, setting the waters down while collecting the hot bag of popcorn and opening it to pour it’s contents into the bowl. While doing so, you felt his stare on your mark once more. You didn’t really mind showing it off, letting the girls see it earlier was proof of that, but the way Kirishima’s face contorted; it was as if he knew something.

“What is it?”

“N-nothing!”

“What’s with the stuttering then?”

You narrowed your eyes as he looked panicked, but he tried playing it off by waving his arms frantically in the air as he gave a thumbs up.

“Haha, I better get back in there, and you should probably get back to the girls- see you tomorrow, (l/n)!”

“Yea… See you tomorrow.”

You both stood in awkward silence as you took your time gathering your items and he washed his dish. Turning on your heel, arms full, you made your way across the kitchen when you felt him rush up behind here.

“Here, lemme get that, your hands are full so be careful!” He grinned, hand coming over your frame to push the door open for you.

You gave him a smile, this gentleman-like personality was more suited than the one he tried taking on earlier.

The loud sounds once again invaded your ears, but there was less screaming than there was before. You look over towards the couches and catch a red gaze on your form. You smile shyly under his gaze, having to turn away in hopes he didn’t see the blush you knew had to be on your face. You were used to Bakugou’s piercing looks, but when caught off guard you had to calm your racing heart. You glance up at Kirishima who let the door fall, a grateful look on your face.

“Thanks Kirishima, awkward really doesn’t suit you yanno.” Laughing, you nudge his side.

“The fuck is that in your hair.”

A harsh voice stopped you in your tracks, and you looked at the ridgid blonde glaring at you.

Geez, what had him in a mood now? Must’ve lost a game or something.

You try the best you can to look at the side of your face, remembering the magnolia you had behind your left ear.

“A flower, stupid. Are you blind?”

He clicked his tongue at you, his glare leaving your form as he stared at Kirishima. There was a conversation they held with their eyes, and you felt awkward just standing there.

“Well, uh, goodnight then?”

You don’t wait for a response as you went back to the room, thinking about how strange those two were acting.

____

“Go change into your gym clothes, quickly now, I don’t want to wait around all day.” Aizawa sighed, giving the signal to leave the room.

You stand slowly, as you were tired from the night prior, only to be yanked on by Mina who was pumped for the mock battles to come.

“Jeez, Mina, I’m too tired for this much of your excitement.” You tsk’d, being dragged out of the classroom as she rushed towards the locker room.

“Look it’s not my fault that you stayed up all night last night doing whatever it is you do.”

“It’s called being a good student, I stayed up studying all weekend; you were the one who kept me and everyone else up friday night, talking our ears off about your dumb boy-bands.”

“DUMB- girl, they’re literally my entire life- my loves!”

You snort, rolling your eyes as she throws an arm frantically into the air.

“So dramatic.”

“If I ain’t dramatic, am I even me?”

You laugh, opening the door while holding it open for her. She enters first and you follow, letting the door fall shut behind you as you head towards your locker. You open it up to see your gym clothes, changing sluggishly. The rest of the girls soon entered and began to change, while you told Mina you’d wait outside for her.

“For being so hype to fight, you’re sure taking your sweet time getting dressed.”

“I’M SORRY I GOT SIDETRACKED!” She shouted, shaking Hagakure’s shoulders.

You waved her off, walking out of the changing room while stretching. Raising your arms up with a groan, you enjoy the few seconds of extension before allowing them to drop in a relaxed manner. You heard a grunt, and out of the corner of your eye you saw a body leaning against the wall by the boys locker room.

“Yo.” You called, a hand coming up to cover your mouth as a yawn slipped past.

“Tch,” Bakugou rolled his eyes, “Pulling an all-nighter was stupid.”

You pouted, now regretting texting the group chat at the late hour you did.

“It wasn’t an all-nighter, I was just studying for a few hours.”

“Until 4am?” His scoff caused you to frown, smacking his arm as you did.

“Don’t judge me! We all stay up late to study at one point.”

“Not me, stupid. Sleep is more important than trying to cram all that shit in at one time.” He grabbed your check and pinched, payback to you smacking him.

“Ow- let go idiot!” You grab his cheek back, much to his annoyance.

“Hah!? You’re the idiot, you let go!”

“What are you two doing?”

The sound of Todoroki’s voice caused you to jump away from Bakugou, face warm as you glanced in his direction.

“N-nothing!” You giggled nervously, embarrassed to have been caught so close to the hothead.

The boy in question went ridged, his glare deepening as he glanced at the intruder then back at you. You watched warily as Bakugou clenched his fist as he huffed, turning around and walking off to the gym alone.

“That was strange.” Todoroki said, confusion in his voice.

“Yea.” You agreed, staring at Bakugou’s retreating form till more students began to come out of the locker rooms.

You walk along with Mina, Sero, and Denki, and originally Kirisishima-until he ran off after Bakugou.

The wide eyed look on his face after you told him what happened had made you even more suspicious, these last few days have been weird to say the least. Kirishima had been dancing around you ever since that night in the kitchens, and Bakugou-while he was somewhat normal-had a shorter fuse than late. Anytime it was just you two he seemed fine, but add anyone else to the mix and he would be storming off the next second.

You were just glad he wasn’t ignoring you anymore, on saturday anytime you tried talking to him he would rush off, as if running away from you. You were getting fed up at the weird treatment, and were thankful it stopped only after the one day. You decided not to bring it up, knowing you didn’t need a moody Bakugou Katsuki ignoring you again.

Once inside the gym, Aizawa was waiting to give the proper instructions.

“It’s a mock battle, you know the drill; quirks allowed, keep the damage to a minimum, you win if they give up, or if you get this taped wrapped around them. Let’s choose your opponents.”

You all pulled letters, and quickly knew your opponent from the same corresponding letter. You heard an awkward chuckle and saw Deku quickly make his way over to you, holding up his matching paper.

“I think it’s going to be us fighting, (l/n)!”

“Looks that way, Midoriya! Sounds fun, I can't wait, you’ve gotten really good recently.” You praised him earnestly.

“R-really!?” His excitement came out in his shining eyes and wild arm gestures, the scene forcing you to stifle a laugh.

Izuku really had been improving rapidly this last year, and you were kinda proud of him, even if you rarely talked to him. It was times like this where you understood Uraraka’s feelings about him, even though she was embarrassed about it because he wasn’t her soulmate.

You thought back to the sleepover, how you grabbed her shoulders and said that it was her choice to love whoever she wanted; soulmates or not she shouldn’t let that dictate who she wants in her life. The rest of the girls also told her it would be worth trying, since soulmates aren't always guaranteed to be found.

You guess you were also telling Uraraka words you had also wanted to hear, since you couldn’t help but feel a little something more for a certain hothead. At first you hated the idea of feelings altogether, and desperately tried to get rid of anything more you felt, but later came to term that you couldn’t help that much. It wasn’t that you were scared of being in love, or having strong feelings, you were scared to be forced with someone who could be no good.

Not having a soulmate would make things much easier.

Midoriya had continued talking animatedly, waving his arms around and vividly talking about a topic you couldn’t keep up with. You were going to tell him to slow down when a rough shoulder knocked into him, causing Midoriya to stagger back.

“Get out of the fucking way, Deku.” Bakugou spat at the boy before walking off to the viewing area.

You glance at Deku who looks as bewildered as you felt, staring at his childhood friend’s back.

“Is Kaachan okay?” Midoriya turned back to face you, and all you could do was shrug.

“Honestly I don’t know.”

“Well, if anyone could get him in a better mood it’s you!” He beamed, and you raised a brow questioningly.

“What do you mean by that?”

You saw his jaw drop slightly as he blushed a bright red, waving his arms frantically with a nervous laughter.

“I, uh, I mean you guys are just really good friends! Th-that’s all!”

You narrow your eyes, unconvinced, yet you drop it anyway; simply agreeing with a small blush on your face before heading up to the viewing spot. Once inside the area, you chose to stand in between Uraraka and Mina.

For some reason as the matches went on, the antsier you felt. There was this bubbling feeling of nerves creeping up slowly and you tried pushing the feeling away. Sure, you may not win this fight against Midoriya, but you were as sure you wouldn’t go down without a fight. You thought yourself lucky to have a physical, strength base quirk. You were no prodigy, but you were by no means weak. You never backed down from a challenge, so you weren’t sure what was bringing this on.

“Bakugou, Todoroki, your turn.”

This was a battle you were determined to watch, you had no doubts in Bakugou’s ability, but Todoroki was his own force to be reckoned with. You held your breath as the signal was released, and they were off.

Both of them immediately went on the offense, Bakugou sending a large explosion and Todoroki countering with a large wall of ice. Bakugou jumped up, smashing through the ice with another explosion, and from there it was really hard to keep up with what was going on. Chunks of ice and large bouts of smoke filled the area, and you couldn’t even see their bodies at one point anymore, until Todoroki let out a large blast of fire. It was intense and blew all the surrounding smoke to reveal a cleared battleground. Bakugou’s high-collared zip up was lit up in flames, and you watched as he threw it off with a wicked grin.

“THAT’S MORE LIKE IT ICY-HOT, LET’S GO!”

He fought now without his top, having nothing underneath. You feel your face grow hot as you stare linger a little longer than you should have. You couldn’t help it, his build was very broad and thick, the dips of his muscles were really eye catching.

The black ink on his right shoulder also caught your attention, and you realized that must’ve been his soulmark. You wanted to look away, you really did, but the curiosity was ushering you to see what the ever great Bakugou Katsuki could have.

You narrow your eyes, mentally yelling at the blond to stay still you could see what the patterns of ink could be. He finally stopped just long enough for you to quickly scan the details, and doing so had your heart stopping.

There was the shape of flowers surrounding the mark, clouds wisping in the background. A large moon accentuating the large and finely detailed snake in the middle.

The world had come to a halt in your mind, the only noticeable thing being the large mark on his shoulder. There was no way it was the same, there had to be some difference, right?

Bakugou Katsuki couldn’t be your soulmate.

You’ve been his classmate for the last three years, and you only now found out? There was no way, it was a coincidence, there were little differences-there had to be.

“Hey,” Mina whispered, “Isn’t that… your mark?”

Mina’s words shattered the already thin remains of conviction you had tried to force upon yourself. With wide eyes, you looked helplessly at Mina. She looked surprised when she caught sight of you, instantly feeling guilty at mentioning it.

“(y/n)-”

“Alright, enough. At this rate no one else will get to go. I end this as a tie.”

Aizawa’s voice boomed over the intercom, ceasing the battle below. Bakugou’s cursing invaded your ears and made you even more aware of what he was to you. You gasped quietly, drawing the attention of Uraraka who regarded you with concern.

“Are you okay-”

“Midoriya, (l/n). You’re up.”

A white noise filled your ears, both girls trying to talk to you but you couldn’t speak. You removed yourself from Mina’s hold, her eyes showcasing pity and you couldn’t take it. You shut your eyes tight and turned around, rushing out.

You were so out of it you didn’t even realize that you were standing on the platform already, face-to-face with Midoriya. He seemed none the wiser to your current state and you couldn’t decide if that was better or not.

“Begin.”

You were normally a first attacker, springing into action as soon as you could to try to get your opponent off their guard, but you couldn’t move. Your world was spinning and the air just wasn’t coming. You could faintly see Midoriya charging up, but it was an out of body experience. The will to move was strong but you were unable, watching through wide eyes as he sprung forward and punched you straight across the face.

The force of his punch sent you flying back, rolling across the ground till you stopped on your stomach. You kept silent, the pain strong but you were numb to it. A shocked gasp mixed with the ringing in your ears, Midoriya’s concerned voice followed.

“-god, you always go for the kill I-I, I’m sorry!”

You push yourself up on uneasy arms, gaze stuck on the drops of blood that steadily fell onto the concrete. You bring your hand up to wipe your face, staring at the crimson smear staining your fingers.

The same crimson that matched a certain pair of eyes you knew all too well.

Standing up silenced Midoriya’s worried words, examining you in shock.

“(l/n)-”

“Come at me…” You glare harshly into his green eyes, the anger flooded your system all at once.

You were glad for the green, wanting to erase the thoughts of the other.

“B-but, you’re shaking. Are you alright?”

You look down at your hands to see that he was indeed right, you were violently shaking. 

You clench the hand that still held blood, squeezing it tight and sticking out your arm while aiming your fist right at him.

“COME AT ME! I’M NOT LETTING ANYTHING STAND IN MY WAY, I JUST CAN’T!” Your anguish echoed around the room.

Sucking in harsh breaths, you watch as Izuku still falters on attacking you, unsure of what to make on your outburst. Letting out a guttural scream in frustration, you bring your fist down and slam it onto the concrete. Breaking upon impact cracks form, rapidly snaking their way towards where he was standing, forcing Midoriya to jump up to avoid falling because of it.

You spring forward and jump up to meet him in the air, slamming a fist into his stomach and sending him spiraling into the ground. You saw red hot anger, and all you could remember was going all out against Deku. He was on the defense, since every time he managed to get a strike in you would scream bloody murder and punch back ten times harder.

Every time you thought you could calm down, an image of spiky blond and cocky grins popped into your mind, and the anger rose all over again. The anger continued to rise as your mind raced with thoughts of confident laughter and opinionated yelling, then of twisting snakes and broken glass. Shouts of the past deafened your ears, and memories played back on a loop; a tearful face and angered, screaming mouth behind your eyelids.

“AGH.”

You snap back to reality, Midoriya’s pained face in your vision as you landed a solid hit on his forearm. He had his arms crossed in an ‘X’ in front of him and the power behind your punch had managed to damage both of them.

It was broken from your brute force and the other bruised, the guilt washed up to replace the anger. You hadn’t meant to take it out on Deku, you really didn’t. You were just so lost in yourself that you didn’t realize what you were doing, you didn’t want this side of you to be brought out.

Your worst fears of having the ugliest sides of yourself arising were coming true, you felt sick.

Midoriya staggered back, his broken arm hanging limply by his side as he charged, bruised arm aimed in attack.

“I give up.” You whisper.

Deku’s punch stopped an inch from your face, his eyes blown open and chest heaving.

“What-”

“Midoriya wins, (l/n) forfeits.”

As his arm drops to his side, he stares at you with the most caring look.

“You’re.. Crying.”

You can feel the stares, feel the questions, the whispers. As Deku held out a good hand you back away, the room was closing in on you and you needed to get out. You walked off the now broken arena, unable to wipe the tears that fell from your eyes.

Because all you felt was his red hot stare and it was the most brutal thing.

_____

A few days had passed from the mock battles, most wanting to put your feelings first so they hadn’t asked what had gone wrong. You weren’t so lucky when the person you most dreaded to see was not one of those people, constantly trying to get you to talk to him. It had been easy to avoid him for the first few days, but after the third you could tell he was getting fed up.

Especially since here he was, holding your dorm door open with a snarl on his lips.

“I said I don’t want to talk-”

“And I’m saying that’s fucking bullshit, you’ve had enough time to do whatever, now you talk.”

You couldn’t even bring yourself to look at him, your hurt gaze focused on the floor. It was silent for a moment before Katsuki pushed himself into your room, despite your protests.

“You’ve been ignoring everyone, what the hell is up with that.”

You stay planted in your spot, hands coming together to pick at your fingers. His annoyed huff made you flinch, you finally turned to where he was standing by your bed. He had been in your room plenty of times before, but never had you felt like this.

Never had wanted him out more than you did at this very moment.

“(y/n).”

Wide eyes look up as he called out your first name, something he’s never done before.

“Don’t-”

“Don’t what? I’m sick of you acting like you don’t have anyone to fucking talk to. You have a shit load of people who will listen to you.”

You cross your arms to hug yourself, looking away with indifferent eyes.

“I’m fine. I don’t want to talk because I don’t need to.”

“Cut the crap,” Bakugou sighs, “I can’t stand liars.”

“I’m not…” You trailed off as you caught his nasty glare, the past once more flashing through your mind.

A chilling silence filled the room, and you bite your lip in an attempt to help remove the pressure building behind your eyes.

“We’re soulmates, Bakugou.”

“I know.”

Your chest tightened with irritation as you stared him down.

“You know?”

“Yea.”

“And you weren’t going to fucking tell me?”

“Were you? If I didn’t know, would you have told me?” He seethed, annoyed.

“I-”

“You can’t be fucking upset over something you did too, (y/n).”

You stayed silent, knowing he was right, but the hurt of such a large secret being kept still clawing at you.

“How’d you find out?” You question softly.

“Kirishima told me, he said he saw your mark.”

You think back to the night in the kitchens, his behavior now making sense.

“You know how I feel about soulmates, I can’t-”

“What can’t you do, because if you tell yourself you can’t do something then get over yourself.”

“Excuse me-”

“If you fucking say you can’t, then you’re right. But I'll tell you right now that’s a shitty reason to not do something.”

“Can you quit cutting me off!” You hiss, hands coming up to rub your temples, “I can get a damn sentence out without you interrupting me! I’m just saying I can’t. Bakugou I just can’t-”

“You’re a fucking coward.”

You let out an exasperated cry, hands covering your eyes as scenes of fights similar came to your conscious thought.

“THIS IS WHAT I’M TRYING TO AVOID!”

“What, me?” Bakugou said calmly, the white hot angry threatening to bubble over.

“Yes! No, ugh-I don’t want the universe to dictate my life okay? There’s no such thing as a perfect match, and I for one don’t want one!”

“Who said I had to be your perfect match!?”

“The universe, the fucking gods, the stupid string of fate, I don’t fucking know who! But I won’t accept this, I can’t trust this to work out.”

“You can’t trust me.” He scoffed, looking away.

“That’s not what I meant, I just want to choose for myself! I want a choice in my own life!”

“Then what the hell do you want!? Because you know what, I couldn’t give a damn about this soulmate bullshit! I want you, you get that!”

Your mouth went dry, watching Bakugou run his hands through his already messy locks.

“I just want you, you piss me off but I can’t stand not having you around! I get fucking pissed when I see you blushing around anyone else, laughing and shit. I fucking want you to myself, same mark or not, open your fucking eyes already!”

Here he was, laying his heart on the table and all you could do was stare. Your heart was squeezing painfully in longing, but the fear that gripped your throat kept you from speaking the words you wanted to.

“I’m sorry…”

You watched as Katsuki’s face contorted into one of anger, disappointment, and suffering. You wanted to reach out, but you looked away instead. His once booming voice now pitifully strained.

“I hope you find whatever you’re looking for, glad to know it isn’t me.”

He brushed past you, slamming your door as he left your room.

The silence haunting as you now felt cold without him, but you couldn’t force yourself to run after him. You just couldn’t, the sooner you both accepted that, the better.

So why did you feel like you were making the biggest mistake of your life.

____

When you woke up that next morning, you couldn’t get out of bed. Your body was aching, your head was pounding, and your chest hurt. You look at the time, seeing you still had a few hours before you had to get up for school. You roll over in hopes of trying to get some more sleep, but as an hour trickles by you realize how pointless it is.

Sitting up, you throw the covers off of your body and sit at the edge of the bed. You sigh, slipping your feet into your slippers and slowly standing. You threw on a sweatshirt and walked down the hall and to the kitchens, wanting some water for your parched throat. The stars were still shining bright in the sky, the sun's light barely visible as the midnight blue was turning into a dark sapphire.

You open the door to the kitchens, surprised to see your teacher at one of the tables, papers everywhere and a cup of coffee next to him. He looks up, eyes droopy from lack of sleep and hair tied up messily.

“(l/n), morning.”

“Morning, Aizawa sir.” You respond, cautious.

You have never woken up early enough to catch your teacher at this time, you didn’t even think it was possible for him to be up at this hour, but here he was. You shuffle to the fridge and grab a bottle of water, quickly chugging the cool contents.

Letting out a satisfying sigh, you close the cap and turn back to head out of the room when you pause. You glance again at your teacher, and see him raise a brow without even looking in your direction.

“What is it?”

You pick at the bottom of your sweatshirt with one hand, the other holding the bottle loosely at your side.

“I can’t sleep, is it alright if.. Um, never mind-”

“Sit.”

You don’t have to be told twice, sitting in front of him, careful not to mess up the school work. You both sit in silence for a while, you staring down at  the table, picking at a spot that has chipped paint. The sounds of a scratching pen filled the air and it was somehow calming, knowing that there was someone who cared about you directly in front of you was a nice thought.

Your heart thumped painfully, thinking back to last night. Katsuki was someone that cared about you, and he was right in front of you too. Why was it so hard for you?

“I’m surprised you gave up the match the other day. You could have beat Midoriya.”

You look up at your teacher through your lashes, mildly surprised at him conversing.

“I,” you paused, a sigh leaving your lips, “I don’t know, I wasn’t thinking straight. I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“Yea, you could tell, and he’s fine; he’s done worse to himself his entire first year than what you did to him. You know that.”

You don’t know what to say, sitting there, a feeling of shame running through your veins.

“Still... I didn’t mean to take anything out on Midoriya, I just couldn’t control myself.”

The shuffling of paper caught your attention, he pulled one out of the stack as he spoke.

“Does it have anything to do with this?” He hands you a piece of paper, and you grab it, confused.

Scanning over it quickly, you realized what today was. A dull pain making you gently set the paper down, looking back up at your teacher who was staring at you with what looked like concern.

You only hummed in agreement, it wasn’t the real reason but it was easier than explaining the truth.

“Maybe you should finally take this. For the last two years this request form comes in on this day every year and you never use it.”

You swallow, mouth suddenly feeling dry once more as you grab the paper again. You stand up, form clenched tightly to your chest as you nod in appreciation.

“Maybe I should. Thank you.”

You turn to leave, seeing the sun now peaking out, a bright orange painting the lands in signal of a new day.

The day you were finally going to do what you should’ve done long ago.

____

You stood shakily in front of the house you grew up in, the door seemingly intimidating as you held your hand up to knock. Thankfully you were saved from the trouble, the door opening up before you even got the chance. You and the woman shared a look of shock, before her eyes began to water.

“Oh, (y/n)... You’re here?”

You bring your left hand up, rubbing your right shoulder nervously.

“Yeah, I’m here mom.”

She pulled you into a hug, and you let yourself fall into her embrace. She pulls away, closing the door and locking it before beaming up at you.

“I’m glad you’re here, sweetie. Let’s get going, okay?”

You can only nod, walking side by side with your mother down the road. It was still early morning, the sun higher in the sky than before, but not high enough to cast a vast amount of heat or bright light. Your mother was silent for the most part, asking you a few questions here and there about school and graduation. You answered earnestly, telling her about how the midterm exams were approaching and you were busy trying to prepare yourself.

The conversation edges away to nothing once sight of the hefty, daunting grey gates comes into view. Your mother holds onto your hand with her free one, and you give it a quick squeeze to let her know you were okay. Passing the gates you both walked along a cleared path, coming onto the plot you both were looking for.

Your mother lets go of your hand, walking forward to one of the tombstones. It was neatly kept, flowers along the top and the stone wiped down. Your mother sets the basket she had brought on the ground, opening it up as she kneeled down. She replaced the drying flowers with fresh ones, and also replenished the incense resting there. She bowed her head, letting her forehead rest against the stone and she mumbled words meant for their ears early.

You take a deep breath, swallowing all the dread that had built up as your mother turned around and smiled at you.

“Your father must be overjoyed to see you, he has missed you these last couple of years.”

“Mom,” You ignored her, jumping straight to the point, “Why do you do this. You hated dad.”

“No, I didn’t.” She shook her head, a hand running along the cool stone with a wistful smile.

“I love your father, I still do.”

“But you two were terrible together.” You cried, keeping your voice down out of respect but still in need of knowing.

“It’s true, we weren’t the best together at the current time. It’s one of my biggest regrets.”

“Being with dad?”

“No, sweetheart, I never regretted being with your father. He was my soulmate. My other half.”

You clenched your hands at your side, flashbacks of your father and mother having screaming matches.

You could hardly remember a time they were happy together, there was always some reason why one or the other would be upset. You hated the fighting that would happen constantly; you would hide under your bed, in your closet, anywhere to get away from the noise. From the screams and the tears, from the cursing and the heartbreak.

Soulmates, what a joke.

“Mom, I don’t think you two were meant for each other. I don’t think you were truly soulmates.”

Your mother gave you a soft look, patting the space next to her. You reluctantly sat down, refusing to look at the grave this close.

“(y/n), I’m sorry. For all those years of hardships you had to deal with, you didn’t deserve that. Now look what it has done, given you a warped view of love. It’s with a heavy heart your father had passed before we could truly better ourselves. In our next life we shall be reunited in better circumstances.”

“I-”

“Please dear, let me finish.”

You close your mouth, allowing her to continue as you stare at the loose ends of your sweater.

“Your father was a wonderful man, one that I did not give enough credit to. I was hard on your father, and in turn he was hard on me. It had led to our poor communication, and eventually our rough patch. You remembered for the worst of it, and for that I cannot be sorry enough. I regret to this day the way I handled the relationship; instead of cherishing my love I had forsaken him.”

You still your movements, those choice of words causing your stomach to flutter in an unpleasant way.

“We were opposites, but we fit each other so well. It was our own foolish actions that caused us to drift away.”

Tears started to pool in your eyes, squeezing them shut in hopes to stop the floodgates, but they fell anyways.

“Mom, I’m scared.”

“Sweetheart,” she pulls you in close, holding you tightly while shushing you, “tell me, what has you scared?”

“I-I found him, my soulmate.”

“Dear, that’s wonderful.”

“Is it though? I don’t want things to end up bad, I don’t know what to do. I actually like him, but I don’t want to be told to like him. I don’t.. And I don’t want to be heartbroken like you were.”

“Sometimes heartbreak is inevitable, and that’s okay. In this life we are graced to find the person who would suit us best, not necessarily who is the most perfect for you.”

“I don’t understand…”

She lifted you face, wiping under your eyes with her thumbs, giving you a smile.

“Your soulmate isn’t the person who you’ll never fight with, nor the person who is your equal in every way. Your soulmate is the one who holds your heart, flaws and all. It is the person willing to go through the hardships with you, the heartbreak, the sadness, the tensions, the anger, and be willing to fix it and continue on with you. The one willing to grow with you. They’re there with you anyways, loving you through all that pain; just to one day be granted with sunny skies and a heart full of love.”

You think back to all the interactions you’ve had with Bakugou, how tensions were always high with the explosive teen. He was a hothead, arrogant, rude, cruel, and had plenty of negatives. But he had good qualities, that you knew for sure; he was caring in his own way, he was strong, determined, wise, faithful, and so much more.

Yet he wouldn’t be him if he had one set of traits and not the other, a Bakugou with no heart, or a Bakugou with no soul wouldn’t be him at all. He needed them all, the good and the bad.

You liked him despite it all, even though you wanted to push it away, you knew you couldn’t have had a better partner in life.

“Do you understand now, sweetie?”

You look into her eyes, glancing at the tombstone, your heavy heart feeling lighter.

“Yea, yea I do. Thanks mom… Dad.”

____

It was dark by the time you had returned to the dorms, opening up the door you were surprised to see people in the common room. Heads turn and you feel embarrassed at the attention, removing your shoes you adorn your slippers and walk further inside.

“(y/n)! Where have you been!” Mina rushed over, throwing her arms around you.

You felt terrible, knowing you hadn’t made the last few days easy on her. She didn’t ask questions, she didn't push or pry, but you knew she wanted to. Of course she did, you had gone crazy momentarily after finding out your soulmate was your crush, and had then shut her out for days after before randomly disappearing.

“Hey, sorry. I needed to do something.”

“That lasted all day?” Kaminari questioned, standing behind Mina as she held onto you tightly, not letting go.

“Yea. I didn’t have time to tell anyone, you were all still asleep.”

“So you ran away like a thief in the night, huh? Pretty bold of you to do, (l/n).” Sero snickered, his large hand patting the top of your head.

You swipe his hand away, grinning nonetheless.

“More like an early bird, since it was in the morning dorks.”

You pull Mina away from you, giving her a tired smile.

“I promise we’ll talk later, for now, I want to go to bed.”

She reluctantly let you go, knowing she could trust you but wanting to be there as a comfort.

You bid a goodnight to your friends and sluggishly make your way to your floor. You turn down your hall, yawning and stretching as you do, distracted enough to not notice the body in front of your door till you rammed into them.

You back up, rubbing your nose while looking up to see-

“Bakugou?”

“Tch, where’ve you been.”

You were surprised to see him outside your door, with the fight not even a day old yet. Your mother's words were echoing in your mind, making you bite back a smile;

“Your soulmate is the one who holds your heart, flaws and all. It is the person willing to go through the hardships with you, the heartbreak, the sadness, the tensions, the anger, and be willing to fix it and continue on with you. The one willing to grow with you. They’re there with you anyways, loving you through all that pain; just to one day be granted with sunny skies and a heart full of love.”

And here he was, trying.

“I was visiting my father.”

He kept quiet after that, knowing the circumstances.

“It’s the anniversary of his death, every year my mother tries to make me go with her, and I never do. She puts in a request to get me out of school anyways, and I don’t remember the last time I went.”  

You walk around him, opening your door and walking inside. You don’t have to tell Bakugou anything, he’s already walking in and sitting down next to you on the bed.

“Why did you go today then.”

“I needed to know.”

“Know what?” He raised his brow questioningly.

“Know if this could work.” You motioned between the two of you.

“(y/n)-”

“Let me finish,” you interrupt him, taking a deep breath before looking at him in the eyes, “My parents never got along, even though they were soulmates. It was hard for me to experience that first hand. I haven’t gotten over it, and it still haunts me to this day. It scares me, I thought if I ever met my soulmate, it would be the universe punishing me and I’d end up just like my parents. Or what would happen if I was cursed even more and ended up with someone the complete opposite of me. How would I love them? This perfect other business scared me, and I didn’t want anyone to decide my future.”

“But my mom told me that it doesn’t have to be someone perfect, just someone willing to be there with you, no matter what. And I think I can do that… I can do that with you, Katsuki.”

“Idiot.”

“Hah? What am I an idiot for-”

You were cut off as Bakugou pulled you in  for a hug. Your face buzzed with embarrassment as his arms circled your waist, your own pinned between the both of you.

“Again, I don’t care about all that soulmate crap. But I guess the way your mom explained it was pretty damn good. I like you for who you are, and nothing else. No mark, no stupid fucking deity shitface can make me think otherwise. Even if you weren’t my soulmate, I’d still fucking fall for you because you’re (/n), and that’s all that matters dammit.”

You tear up, clinging onto the collar of his hoodie while he continues to hold you. It may be a bumpy ride, but you’re willing to ride it out with him.

“Ne, Katsuki, let’s do it.”

“Wh-what the hell are you saying!?” He pushed you away from his body, face flushed a bright red.

You tilt your head on confusion, taking off your sweatshirt.

“OI FUCKING IDIOT WAIT-”

“What?”

You reveal your tank top underneath, soul mark showing proudly on your right shoulder.

“Take yours off, let’s do it. Let’s combine them.”

The shuddering sigh of relief that escaped his lips baffled you, before a sly grin crossed your face.

“Katsuki, you pervert, what were you thinking?”

“N-nothing stupid,” huffing, he say back and unzipped his hoodie, taking it off to reveal a tank top of his own. You stare at his mark, being this close you could see every single matching detail. It was almost like looking into a mirror.

“We don’t have to do this if you don't want to.” He said seriously, staring at you to see if your body language would give out an answer.

“I want to, Katsuki.”

He smiled, and you did a double-take. It was small, nothing fancy or over-the-top like normal, but it was a real and genuine smile.

“What are you smiling for?”

“I like it when you call me Katsuki.”

“Good, cause you better get used to it.”

You chuckled before turning around, sitting on your bed facing the wall while Katsuki stayed still, letting his legs hang off the side of the bed. Your right shoulders were almost touching, and you both gave each other one look before lightly bumping them together.

It really was as magical as they said, the comforting warmth that spread throughout your body was soothing for the soul-giving you a sense of peace. Then the tickling feeling came, it was a feather light touch on your shoulder as the snake on your shoulder split into two. They were the same in every way, mirror images of one another. They also copied each other's movements, dancing and intertwining together until there were two whole pieces to the puzzle.

You both lean your foreheads together once it’s over, basking in the afterglow of such an intimate act. You both whisper promises of honesty and togetherness, agreeing to not let the fear of soulmates interfere with their relationship;

“Because you’re you no matter what, got that? I only want you.”

“I don’t think you’ll ever let me forget it. Thank you, Katsuki.”

[ody3baby]

Born this way with Alex

I’m sorry this took me a few days but thank you so much for the prompt! Also, this did not mean to be so long. Oops. Anyways. Hope you enjoy :)

Warning: Mentions of past homophobia. 

                                                  ______

                                        Born This Way

                                                  ______

Alex was wandering in the hallways of Los Feliz HIgh School after supporting Julie on her first performance in her music class without them. The rest of the band had performed with her at her school a couple of more times after their first time for pep rallies and dances. The principal tried to book them as much as she could to show that the new breakout band, Julie and The Phantoms, who were now starting to perform at big venues, like the Orpheum, were discovered at her school. He always couldn’t help but be amused by that. 

For a big part of her final grade for her semester, Julie had to perform by herself. Reggie had been confused as to why she was nervous of singing solo in her high school class when she had already sung solo in the Orpheum of all places. But Alex understood. Not only did he have anxiety about practically everything, but doing things that had a lot of emotional weight to them even when you seemed to be getting passed them could be very nerve-wracking. And even though all three of them had the urge to perform with her, they knew that they couldn’t and that she’d completely kill it anyways. Which she did, of course.

After the class was over, Julie had her free period. But, instead of spending it with the boys and Flynn, she and Luke wanted some ‘alone’ time together. Meanwhile, Flynn had a marketing team meeting for the band, which now had at least eight members from the school and a lot more clamoring for the chance to be a part of it. And Reggie was so excited and happy for Julie that he couldn't help but want to tell Ray right away. And unlike before, Julie’s dad could now see them and respond back to him.

Whatever Julie did to save their souls from being obliterated into existence, not only made her be able to touch them all, but made them able to show themselves to lifers without just performing with her. Usually they had to be with Julie in order for lifers to see them, but if they had a bond with a lifer, like the guys did with Flynn and Julie’s family, then they could see them without Julie. But they still didn’t show themselves to lifers very much.

Alex especially didn’t.

He wanted to focus more on trying to figure just how this was all possible. He and Willie came up with different theories, but nothing too concrete yet.

Besides, he kinda liked being invisible. He could be his full self and still be in front of lifers without worrying about what they were thinking about him. Like Willie had mentioned that day at the museum, being a drummer had not only helped him with his anxieties and frustrations, but helped him feel confident and be his full self in front of an entire crowd of people. And being a ghost gave him that same freedom, they just couldn’t see him. And he was okay with that, for the most part.

It actually sorta liberated him in a way.

Alex could do whatever he wanted in front of someone and he didn’t have to worry about their responses. Like that time when he danced on stage with Carrie. He had felt so free, like he could do whatever he wanted and just be. Of course his band could see him when he did it. And even though he just knew Julie for a short time, he knew he didn’t have to worry about her and the guys judging him or seeing him differently.

Like his family had.

Even after apparently 25 years of being dead, it still was only less than a year for Alex when he came out to his family. And they never treated him the same since. He used to remind himself that he was lucky. They didn’t say anything demeaning to him and kicked him out or anything like that. Heck, they even still let Sunset Curve have their studio in the back of the house.

But they still acted differently toward him after that fateful night.

In retrospect, he supposed that having the guys there as support for him might’ve not been the best approach, especially the way his parents had looked at him and Luke sitting next to each other. But Alex didn’t care, because he knew that he wouldn’t have done it without the band. Maybe he would have later on, but given the fact that just six months later he would die of an oldsmobile street dog, who knows if he would’ve gotten another chance.

And Alex was glad that he did it when he did.

Of course it stung when his parents would treat him so...differently. It was sometimes hard to even explain it. Sometimes they’d give him these strange looks whenever they didn’t think that he was looking. Like he was this weird alien living in their house, and not the son that they had raised and loved for seventeen years. And they also stopped inviting him to places and family outings, even assuming that he wouldn’t want to go to church anymore. And even when he wanted to, they heavily implied that they didn’t want him to go, always using the excuse, “Don’t you want to practice more with your band?”

However, as he and the guys would always say, it was on them and not him for thinking anything of him any less than the same boy they knew who was anxious about everything and allergic to nuts. It wasn’t his fault that they had seen him differently just because they found out that he liked boys instead of girls.

Besides, he had his real family now.

And even though he was...you know...dead, after everything he and the band went through, Alex was happy.

And as far as ghosts went, he had a pretty sweet deal. Unlike most ghosts, he could still connect with lifers, and in the best way too. That connection he’d feel with the audience while he’d rock out on his drums as he and the band would play the best musical experiences? Priceless. But he also just liked being a ghost in general. He could be in a crowd of lifers and do what he wanted, not having to worry about their judgments or what they’d think of him. He also liked to watch people and make faces or do silly dances in front of them because he could. As he said earlier, there was a sort of freedom in all of it.

However, there was that part deep down inside of him that felt like part of the reason why he liked being invisible was because that way lifers couldn’t disappoint him by not appreciating who he was whenever he wasn’t rocking out.

Alex immediately pushed those thoughts away and continued to People Watch as he wandered the hallways some more. It really was a cool thing to be a ghost and see people during moments where they normally weren’t seen.

Suddenly, he heard music with a great pop beat start to play from one of the rooms ahead. Curiosity taking over, he poofed in front of the door, and saw that it was the dance room that Julie and Flynn had talked about before. It was empty except for one person in the middle of the giant space seeming to be dancing in freestyle.

It didn’t take long for Alex to realize that the person was Carrie, Julie’s ex-best friend turned enemy turned back to sorta friend now? He was a little confused and fuzzy on the details. All he knew was that her and Julie and Flynn seemed to be, or at least on their way of becoming, good with each other again. She also found out about the Phantoms being...well actual phantoms, but to everyone’s surprise, she promised not to say anything.

Especially considering who her dad was.

Carrie couldn’t see them without Julie being in the same room, so she didn’t notice Alex’s arrival. Instead she danced to the infectious beat that he couldn’t help but move his feet a bit to.

She then started to sing along to the voice of the song coming from her phone.

My mama told me when I was young

"We are all born superstars"

She rolled my hair and put my lipstick on

In the glass of her boudoir

From his spot near the door, his legs and arms started to move with the music as well.

"There's nothing wrong with loving who you are"

She said, "'Cause he made you perfect, babe"

He stopped for a moment, struck by the lyrics.

"So hold your head up, girl, and you'll go far

Listen to me when I say"

The beat then started to get a little faster, making him start to move his body again, this time faster and more of actual dancing. Carrie then began to sing louder.

I'm beautiful in my way

'Cause God makes no mistakes

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret

Just love yourself, and you're set

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way (Born this way)

A strange sensation formed within him as he danced to the rhythm and listened to the lyrics. It was mostly like the feelings he’d get when he found a new favorite song or jammed to an old favorite. But this. This felt slightly...different in a way. But a great different. One that made his feet and entire body move with the music, as he danced further into the room.

Don't be a drag, just be a queen, Carrie sang putting one hand on her hip and the other in the air, similar to how she did in her previous performances.

Don't be a drag, just be a queen

Alex mimed her movement, feeling completely consumed by the song.

Don't be a drag, just be a queen

Don't be (Don't be, don't be)

The tempo then slowed just a bit, probably going to the next verse, he figured.

Give yourself prudence and love your friends

Subway kid, rejoice your truth

In the religion of the insecure

I must be myself, respect my youth

A different lover is not a sin

Believe capital H-I-M, hey, hey, hey

I love my life, I love this record and

Mi amore vole fe yah (Same DNA)

Tears formed in his eyes at the words, feeling like the song was talking directly to him, considering what he was just thinking about with his parents. Alex then lifted his hands up in the air, completely feeling the moment. He continued to dance like no one was watching - and literally no one was.

I'm beautiful in my way

'Cause God makes no mistakes

Alex had started to sing along with Carrie and the beautiful voice on her phone, closing his eyes and completely letting the magic of the music consume him.

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret

Just love yourself, and you're set

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way (Born this way)

Suddenly a loud shriek made Alex quickly open his eyes. Carrie was looking him straight in the eye through the mirror, one hand on her heart and one on her hip, anger seeming to simmer out of her.

“Hey, Casper, you can’t just sneak up on a girl like that!” She exclaimed with a hiss before rushing to get her phone that was in front of the mirror along with her bag. She then turned the music off, making Alex instantly miss it.

He put his hands up in surrender. “Sorry! I didn’t think you could see me!”

Carrie looked at him again and placed both of her hands on her hips this time, sending a deathly glare at him. “Oh. So you were just being a creeper who didn’t think you would get caught, is that?”

“No, no no!” Alex quickly replied, shaking his head and hands frantically. “It wasn’t anything like that, I swear! Trust me.”

She seemed to study him for a moment before giving him an expectant look. “Then what was it like?”

Alex shoved his hands in his pockets and then shyly told her, “I watched Julie’s performance during music class and was just wandering the halls when I heard the song you were playing.”

Her eyes immediately perked at that as a smile spread her face. “You like Gaga?”

He gave her a confused look, though the name sounded vaguely familiar. “What’s a ‘Gaga’?” He asked, using air quotes for the last word.

Carrie stared at him in disbelief. “You don’t know who Lady Gaga is? She’s an icon!”

“Is she some kind of royal who sings killer pop songs?”

She seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding. “Well basically yes. Just not in the kind of royal you’re thinking of. A much more important one.”

“So she’s like pop royalty?” He asked.

“Absolutely.” She then pursed her lips. “I’m actually kinda surprised that Julie or Flynn hasn’t introduced you to her yet. They both love her almost as much as I do.”

Alex thought about it for a moment. “Actually, come to think of it, I think they mentioned her before but I was too afraid to ask what in the world a gaga was.”

Carrie shrugged. “Well now you know.”

An awkward silence passed between them.

“So…” she began to say, breaking the silence first, “that was your first time hearing Born This Way or Gaga in general, right?”

He nodded.

“Did you like it?”

“It was amazing! I haven’t felt so connected to a song that wasn’t our band’s in quite a while.” He felt himself start to get a little emotional thinking about the lyrics and just the song in general, and how it made him feel. It was always an amazing thing when a song could touch your soul like that. Especially when it played right when you needed it.

Carrie smiled, seeming to have a knowing glint in her eye. “Yeah. Gaga can do that to you.”

“Yeah.” He smiled back. “I guess I was feeling it so much while singing and dancing to it along with you that it made you able to see me.”

“Damn.” She began to say in awe. “I knew Lady Gaga was powerful, but wow.”

Her saying that reminded him of the first song he heard her sing. “Hey, that reminds me. I like that song that you sang at that pep rally before our band sang for the first time. The one where you said ‘Wow’ a lot.”

Her eyes lit up again at that. “You mean “Wow”?”

“Yeah! And I like all of the other ones Dirty Candy sang too.” He then placed his hand around his cheek like he was telling her a secret. “But All Eyes On Me is my personal favorite.”

“You like my music?” She asked, pleasantly surprised.

“Absolutely! They always bring my inner ‘Dancing Queen’ out, as what my friends like to call it.”

She let out a small laugh. “Thank you.” Carrie smiled brightly at him. “You know, Gaga is one of my many influences. I listen to her as a warm up every time to help get me inspiration for my new song or choreo.”

“That’s so cool.”

“Wanna dance to her some more?”

He gave her a bright smile and nodded so vehemently that he thought his head was going to pop up. “Yes please!”

She clasped her hands together. “Great! Then I can give you a list of her songs that you have to check out first. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Carrie then went back to her phone and played where the song left off.

Ooh, there ain't no other way

Baby, I was born this way

Baby, I was born this way (Born this way)

They sang and danced with all the energy they had.

Ooh, there ain't no other way

Baby, I was born this way

Right track, baby

They both then sang at the top of their lungs, “I was born this way!”

***

A couple hours later, Alex met up with Willie, having a giant pep in his step and gave his boyfriend a giant smile that was even wider than usual.

“Hey, Hotdog! Someone seems more chipper than usual.”

Alex waved a casually dismissive hand, “Oh it’s nothing.”

He felt a little insecure about telling Willie about his latest music discovery and how much it helped him. Even though he knew that his boyfriend not only knew how much music meant to him, but would never demean things that made him happy.

“It doesn’t seem like nothing. What is it?’ Willie asked, giving him a soft and encouraging smile.

“Oh, it’s just that I found this new song and artist.” Alex shyly began to say.

His boyfriend’s smile grew. “Yeah?”

Alex shoved his hands in his pockets and began to kick the air in front of him. “Have you heard of Lady Gaga?”

Willie laughed, “Yeah I’ve heard of Gaga.” Instant fear shot up within Alex. “She’s great, right?”

The fear dissipated and turned into a sense of relief. He didn’t know why it mattered to him so much if Willie liked this Lady Gaga person. Hell, there were artists and songs that Willie liked that Alex didn’t and vice versa. And it was the same with his band, although they’d often end up having good-natured arguments about it. So why was this any different?

Alex nodded. “Yeah. I really like her songs I’ve heard so far.”

He gave him another encouraging smile. “Yeah, which ones?”

“Well, I like all of them. But Born This Way was the first one I heard and it’s my favorite.”

Willie’s smile brightened. “Yeah, mine too.” He then placed his hand on top of Alex’s. “Here follow me.”

Confused as to what was happening, Alex followed Willie, hands firmly intact, as they headed further down the boardwalk. They then stopped at more of a private part of the beach that seemed to be having some sort of event.  

“I heard that someone was having a wedding tonight and I wanted to take you.”

“A-a wedding? Why-why would you want to-to take m-me to a wed-wedding?” Alex stammered and mentally scolded himself for acting like such an idiot.

Willie chuckled. “Relax, Hotdog. I love going to weddings as a ghost.”

“To skate?”

“I do skate, yeah. But I go because I love to see all of the different kinds of people that attend and the drama that no one sees. But mostly I like to see what kind of music they have.” He waggled his brow mischievously. “And if it’s a DJ or DJ system I like to mess with the lifers and put on random songs to see everyone’s reactions.”

It was Alex’s turn to chuckle. “That actually sounds really fun.”

Willy’s smile brightened even more. “I thought you would think so. That’s why I brought you here.” He squeezed his hand three times, making Alex’s ghost heart skip a beat. “Let’s go!” He then pulled Alex with him further into the wedding reception.

They stopped in the middle of the dancefloor, where there were a few lifers slow dancing. Alex gulped, waiting for them to slow dance as well. Willie then pointed to the DJ setup and snapped his hand. Suddenly the beat of a song that Alex may or may not have listened to at least three times that day, started to fill the speakers.

Alex felt his lips spread into a giant smile once more and laughed when he noticed the shocked reactions on the wedding’s patrons' faces from the sudden song change.

“Thought you might like that.” Willy announced proudly, giving him a soft look.

They then noticed how the patrons were now starting to dance to the song, making even more people coming up to the dance floor.

Alex was the first to start dancing, WIlly immediately following right after.

There were some moments where they danced next to each other, and other where their hands would collide and they’d do different moves like swinging each other around. Sometimes they would go through the lifers or dance around them. But all the while they were singing at the top of their lungs as well.

Don't be a drag, just be a queen

Whether you're broke or evergreen

You're black, white, beige, cholo descent

You're Lebanese, you're orient

Whether life's disabilities

Left you outcast, bullied, or teased

Rejoice and love yourself today

Dancing next to each other again, they both then turned to one another, grabbed the other’s hands, and softly sang, “'Cause baby, you were born this way”

They then went back to belting it out at the top of their lungs.

No matter gay, straight, or bi

Lesbian, transgender life

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born to survive

No matter black, white, or beige

Chola or orient made

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born to be brave!

Alex shouted the last part as loud as he could, throwing an arm in the air.

I'm beautiful in my way

'Cause God makes no mistakes

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret

Just love yourself, and you're set

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way, yeah

They continued to dance and sing, having the time of their ghost lives.

Once the song was getting to the end, the two boys latched their hands together and started to sing the rest to each other.

Ooh, there ain't no other way

Baby, I was born this way

Baby, I was born this way (Born this way)

Ooh, there ain't no other way

Baby, I was born this way

Right track, baby

I was born this way

I was born this way, hey

I was born this way, hey

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way

They then leaned closer to each other for the last part.

I was born this way, hey

I was born this way, hey

I'm on the right track, baby

They sang softly to each other, their lips only a few inches apart.

“I was born this way, hey!”

And then their lips collided, their giant smiles remaining.

[shyrose57]

Brothers anon. Sorry about the previous ask I get nervous easy and feel like I need to check im not annoying anyone at times. If I am ever annoying you though or you want me to do anything though please tell me!

Watson is close to everyone from the group, because he's seen as the dad figure and an easy person to talk too. Besides from that Jackie and Grievous are close and often train or play games together, and Jackie and Ran are close, they don't do much expect just hang out and since their both the youngest that helps them feel a bit closer. Ran and Grievous aren't really close, though Grievous wants to make attempts to become closer to Ran, potentially by inviting him to training sessions or game nights.

The other fighters from the Pit are still around! They mostly aren't around the Pit as they have jobs and other stuff to take care off, but they try to vist often. Like Genevieve and Levi come over on a regular basis to train with them all and just hang out. And sometimes Genevieve and Levi participate in the Pit's fights just for fun.

He was kept in a room in Mizu. The room was reminiscent of a jail cell, with no glass in it, and a door that required a key to be opened, he wasn't completely chained down but they did put cuffs on his wrists to prevent him from moving around to much. Benjamin honestly just kind of felt like something was off, because most people don't commit mass murder without a reason and he couldn't find a reason for Ranbob doing it. And he has reported multiple times (along with the others) feeling a strange weightless feeling near dreams room, almost like their getting sucked into a void, while also hearing a distant voice in their head calling them to come closer. When everyone said they heard the voice, with Ranbob even saying from where he was that he heard the voice but much clearer, and sometimes he feels like he doesn't control what he's doing. Benjamin and Isaac decided to block off the room and nearby rooms and made it a rule that if anyone heard the voice or felt like that to report it to them and where they felt it so ot could be blocked off.

Because Ranbob said he heard the voice too Benjamin started thinking that maybe Ranbob wasn't in control and there's something deeper going on. They specifically figure out its the mask when Charles finds it and brings it up to the group, where reports of the voices and feeling come back ten-fold, and even Ranbob who was starting to show progress and become a bit more willing to talk harshly backtracked to where he almost tried to attack anyone who came into the room. So Charles quickly puts it back as far from the group as possible, with Cletus following him to make sure he actually puts it back. Later they talk about destroying it but the question of what will happen to the possession on it stops them, as what if when they break it, the possession type thing (its not actually a possession I just forget the word oop), moves onto another object? Maybe even connect to them or Ranbob?

Ranbob does learn how to sew! Charles helps him learn actually and it helps the two get close! Cletus and Isaac are forbin as of now to return to Mizu, there are talks about going back later in time but for now everyone agreed it'd be best to hang back and avoid Mizu no matter what.

Life in the house is very hard to adjust to at first for Ranbob especially, its mostly awkward and learning boundaries. But after a few weeks to months living with the fishermen Ranbob becomes much more comfortable to open up a lot. Closest to Ranbob is definitely both Benjamin and Charles, as Benjamin is the one who recognized what was happening to Ranbob and Charles is the one who he spends most time with (mostly teaching Ranbob random skills).

Even after the fight ends Ran is still incredibly mad, and when Ranbob is so much as mentioned he growls and gets more aggravated. The fishermen are mostly surprised, Ranbob did mention there was a survivor that he remembers almost killing before they escaped, but because it seemed like a sensitive topic they never pressed him to tell them more. They never would've expected the survivor was his brother though. And the gladiators are completely surprised, expect Watson, Ran told Watson his past about Mizu and his brother (because I like to think Ran has night terrors due to Mizu and Watson is often the one to comfort him). Its only once Ranbob gets taken off to the medical bay and Ran goes to blow off steam in the training area the two sides talk. Where what they've been told is shared and connections and understandings are made. And they all manage to agree to try to get the brothers at least on talking terms, so they can talk about what happened and at least attempt to fix their relationship.

They are not! Other enderman hybrids do exist but their very rare due to complexity with passing the enderman genes. Though Ran and Ranbob did have a family of 6 they where apart of (the 2 other siblings where younger than them) but not every member had enderman genes.

They do notice how Jackie looks similar to Tubbo but they mostly just brush it off, as if Cletus takes off his head gear he looks like Quackity and of course Ranbob looks like Ranboo with the mix of black and white skin.

Hey, don’t worry about it, seriously. I do the same thing with people, so I kinda get it. I really do enjoy reading these, so really, I should be thanking you for sending them!

The bonds between everyone sound interesting. So Watson’s just generally the dad friend? How does he feel about that? Has he just unironically adopted all these dorks? Is it something of an inside joke? Jackie and Grievous sound like quite the combination. Honestly I can imagine these two either being very chill, or very chaotic, depending on the day. Ran and Jackie just hanging out sounds neat, what do they do together? Do they play games like Jackie does with Grievous, or do they just nap and cloud-watch, or something similar? And Grievous trying to bond with Ran sounds nice, how does that work out for him? Do they find some sort of activity that brings them closer?

I saw you mentioned Ran and Jackie were the youngest, which brings up two things. One, does the height difference remain? I’ve seen a lot of art depicting it as such, and honestly, the thought of some new fighters being tossed into a fight with these two, and A, seeing this short kid next to this ridiculously tall guy, and B, their expressions when being told Ran’s not an adult is very amusing to me. 

And two, what exactly is the age limit for going into the Pit? It’s probably not incredibly young, but how old are Jackie and Ran to be stated as the youngest? In their early teens? Late? Older? What kind of rules are there in the fights, no deaths aside?

The other fighters still being around is pretty cool, how do they get along with the gladiators? I imagine fairly well, since you’ve said they hang out, but are they close with anyone is particular? And what exactly is the Pit, besides a tournament? Do people fight for money in there? Do they just fight to fight? Is it open to a lot of people?

So the fisherman hung around Mizu and talked to Ranbob? It must have been strange, seeing the change in their would-be murderer. It does bring up the question of how in control Ranbob was when he first met them. Was he relatively himself at the start, and only begin to fall more under Dream’s thrall later, or was he under it from the start? And how do the fishermen feel about this? 

Actually, how young even is Ranbob? I believe you mentioned him to be Ran’s older(?) brother, but as previously said, Ran’s among the youngest of the gladiators, so how much older is Ranbob?  How old was he when he was led to kill the residents of Mizu?

I believe the word you’re looking for is possibly spirit? I’m assuming? And yeah, pretty smart of them to get away from it. Do they ever end up dealing with that in the future, or is it a ‘let’s just agree to never go near that thing again.’ kinda deal?

Charles and Ranbob bonding! Very nice! What other skills does Charles have, and where’d he learn them? Actually, what’s the general backstory for the fishermen? Is it anything that could tie in later, or no?

But that adjustment period can’t be easy. As we saw, the fishermens’ house was pretty small, and for Ranbob, to go from literally being the only person there in a huge city, to such an arrangement, well. It can’t have been easy. How did it affect him, and how did the fishermen deal with it?

In relation, how did Ran deal with going from Mizu to outside it? I imagine the lifestyle was a bit different from what he was used to.

So the relationship isn’t so easily fixed, hm? Y’know, all things considered, that’s pretty fair. How do the two groups get along, once they’ve decided to get the two brothers back together? And what kind of plan do they come up with? Perhaps deciding to travel together? Or maybe stick around and fight more? How does that work out for them? 

How does Ran feel about the brother that almost killed him being around his new family? And how does Ranbob feel about finding him again? Did he even think he was still kicking, or believe him to be dead?

So Endermen hybrids aren’t that common huh? Does that happen to be why Porkius was so interested in them? And are any of the fishermen or gladiators hybrids as well? Philza’s often shown with wings, and honestly, I’m curious to know if your AU’s Watson is a similar hybrid, or otherwise. 

Also, how do the gladiators fight? Are there double battles and team ups? Is there anyone they fight better with? What’s their general strategy? 

And how does Porkius feel about these new developments? Does he know? Help out, or let them sort it themselves? What’s going on with our resident king?

[hopeassassin]

Rally’s Scribbles in the Work

So after that lovely anon blew my mind away with their kind words and wonderful support, and because I keep telling you guys about my writing plans without actually giving you even a teensy little detail, I have decided to stop being coy and actually likely get your hopes up a bit by dilvulging small details and bits of plots of what is currently going on in my G-Drive. 

This will be a brief recount of what I have currently baking in the AoMomo oven, so let’s dive right into it! Please note that the numbers are in no particular order - I just keep revisiting each of these stories and writing a bit more to them whenever I feel like it. So there’s no ranking and no importance, just a number to keep proper count.

1. “Knight of Renown” Dragons and Knighthood AU, based on that one AoMomo pic with Momo ithe Knight and Dragon Aomine that I reblogged a while back and I actually let me imagination go a bit too much in the tags. I ended up actually rather enjoying the premise I set up in the tags so I actually started writing that one out!  Completion rate at about: 5%? I’d say? Less? :D 

2. AoMomo Music AU - a dearly beloved project that I am pouring a lot of love and attentioin to. That’s why it’s coming along super slow. It’s been in the making since November and I chewed it and mulled through it so thoroughly that I’ve grinded to a halt with it. Intending for there to be 2 chapters, and I am at about 25-30% of chapter 1 currently ready currently. At the pace I’m going, it might be another full year before you actually get to see this bad boy up, but when you do, I’m sure you’ll see all the care and effort that went into making it perfect. Honestly, no joke here, I am intending for this to be one of my rare masterpieces in this tag. So I’m not gonna rush it!

3. AoMomo Car Accident AU where Daiki barely manages to save Satsuki from being run over by a hit-and-run and ends up being the one run over instead. This was my first piece of writing after coming back to AoMomo last summer and yet completion rate is a sad thing. I want it to be flawless, a perfectly agonizing, thrilling type of torturous read that gives you a great sense of relief by the end of it. Needless to say, the clusterfuck of negative feelings is a bit difficult to hold onto for a prolonged period of time and the work is coming along slowly. Planned at about 5 chapters, I have 2 complete ones and the 3rd one is at about ... 30%? Hopefully before this year’s whumptober, we’ll have a finished piece!

4. AoMomo bond character study, which went in a direction I did NOT expect nor intend. It was suppsoed to be an idea that you will see also listed below. But I started this one from their early childhood and somehow, instead of focusing on the kids and their bond and their weird interactions with each other and their first moments of realizing they are of opposite genders, it turned into something much too fun to let go of and the ideas for scenes just kept piling. It’s going to be a long one, very explorative and very in-depth character study on the bond between these two and how it changed over the years, and their first encounters with their sexuality inbetween (because that was really the main idea that I started with... xDDD;;;) Currently at 1 chapter complete, chapter 2 somewhere around 50-60% completion, and at least 6-7 chapters to come after that, soooo.... :’DDDD YEAH. THIS ONE AIN’T SEEING THE LIGHT OF DAY ANYTIME SOON.

5. AoMomo deciding to practice stuff on each other, because I am a sucker for this trope.THIS will be what the idea under previous number 4 was SUPPOSED to be like, but it instead spun out of control. So this one, under number 5, is going to be the smutty, idiots bumbling through physicality to discover that they actually have serious feelings for each other kind of piece. Chapters are planned at about at least 6-7 or so, but not my usual monstrocities! :D First we start with practice kissing, and we move our way up from there! 

6. “The Evil of Humanity” AU - a dystopian futuristic kinda mecha AU, sort of an amalgamation of some of my favourite anime in the genre - a bit of NGE, a bit of Gurren-Lagann, a lot of Darling in the Franxx rewrite and improvement, in distinctly AoMomo colors. I poured a lot of thought and love into initial outline of main moments for this one, and I really hope to make it an epic, thrilling action/adventure with a big dash of romance kind of read! Chapters currently not even planned properly, because I need to sit down and consider this seriously. It will definitely be more than 10-15 though, and they will be my usual chapter lengths so.... likely no time soon. :D 

7. Aomine Fanclub - I got a plot bunny some time ago and I shared it here and my friends were spurring me on with it, so I started trying it out a little more. I’ve written out like... maybe 30% of this one as well, but need to re-read and reconceptualize to get it back on track. The issue with this one is that I’m not really sure where I want to take it, thus it’s on the back burner at the moment.

8. KagaKuro AoMomo double-date kind of story, where Aomine is asking some curious questions of Taiga about going to America and pondering if any of his immediate friends know what Satsuki wants to do with her life. I’m really invested in this one but haven’t started properly writing it out yet beyond just sketching out the idea so I don’t forget it. (I’d say 1% complete here.) Really looking forward to using the idea of Kagami being super impressed with AoMomo perfect sync when playing as a team in arcade games!

9.Laws of Attraction Chapter 2 - You might be surprised at this, but I’m actually super invested in this one. Likely the reason why I am delaying so much working on it - I feel like all my great scene ideas are just too chaotic and I have a hard time starting the chapter flowing properly. I had like 4-5 false starts already and I’m feeling a bit skittish with picking it up. But I have such AMAZING concepts on where to take it after it revvs up the engine, so... Maybe sometime this year! Completion rate: 0% written, but at least about 30% ideas built up for the installment!

10. AoMomo college rooming together story - sort of an expansion on my fill for one of the prompts way back those years ago in AoMomo week. I really dig the concept and the trope of sharing spaces with someone you consider nothing more than a friend and then gradually learning to appreciate each other for something so much more. I am definitely doing this one some day, but not anytime soon, likely.

11. A random idea bit me the other day (read: a month ago) and I actually wrote out like... maybe 25% of it already as well. A random comment from Wakamatsu miffs Satsuki but then she realizes why he’s asking dumb questions and she comes to realize that something is wrong with the equation: either Dai-chan likes someone really close to them and she hasn’t realized, which is unlikely, or Dai-chan likes HER and is super blase about it in a way that betrays his feelings not at all, which is even more unlikely. Being a curious  individual, she sets out to find which it is! Some hilarity should ensue but mostly just some mess-with-Dai-chan fun!

12. Touou summer training camp at the sea - progress is practically 0, I wanted to write a summery piece and set my mind on this, but nothing beyond has come to me, so I’m not forcing it.

13. AoMomo cultural festival fic in second year of high school (meaning something approx end of Oct -> beginning of Nov.) with Daiki being in a distinctly Haruhu Suzumiya role at that festival (has anyone even seen this anime? I adored that episode to freaking bits, man, it’s engraved upon my soul) and singing Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and one more song just like Haruhi did. And Satsuki just beholding the phenomenon he becomes in no time flat while he lays bare his passion for life for all the student body to see. Shippiness will happen in private afterwards!

14. You Can Leave Your Hat On Chapter 2 - Probably like 2-3 years ago while I was still in the damn woodwork and wrestling with real life and adulting being crap, I remembered this AU premise and I got super hyped on the idea of Club Owner Dai-chan being a flirt with innocent Satsuki who got dragged to his joined and fell in love at first sight with his shenanigans. I’ve already played around for like 7k words with the second chapter of this but I’m still not where I want to be at, so it will take a while longer to flesh it out.

15. Idol Worship - a story that I promised my mate aricana some 6 years ago the premise for which I am super hyped for but not quite engaging with it yet. The idea was that Momoi finally starts gettiing the dates she has been pesting Kuroko for for years, and Daiki feeling terrible about beholding that, whilst Kise is being pestered by Horikita Mai for a date and instead ditches her with Daiki because he knows his former Teikou classmate is a huge fan of her. Mai-chan isn’t particularly happy but somehow ends up enjoying her time with Daiki and starts considering actually pursuing him instead of Kise when she sees what an interesting soul he is, with the torch that he’s carrying for some girl in his life he doesn’t really talk about but is evident from the little things he drops off as hits. AoMomo shenanigans will start to ensue properly when Satsuki realizes that Daiki is actually having a close female friend who is not her but is Horikita Mai instead, Dai-chan’s perfect woman, practically. She doesn’t take well to the news and has to grapple with why that is! And what to do with these newfound frustrating emotions!

16. Obstruction of Justice Chapter 3 - MAYBE SOME DAY, I WILL GET TO WRITING THIS. Last summer I inteded to do just that but instead, Wild Side of Justice was born. And it became a spin off of sorts on its own. ORZ. I WILL FINISH THIS SOME DAY, I do have some plans for it and I do have the desire to pursue them. I just need to be in the right headspace for it ahsjkfhkjaf

17. A PWP story of Kagami arriving early for a practice match at Touou and somehow walking in on AoMomo getting busy with each other in very unexpected and explicit ways that Kagami did not see headed his way. Because, we need more PWP in this fandom, honestly.

18. And since we DO need more PWP, recently when checking the 30 lemons community on LJ (shut up, I’m not ancient, YOU’RE ANCIENT) I was wondering how exactly a smut plot around the “Taken by the Faceless Stranger” could work for Aomomo and I came up with this Masquerade ball that they end up both attending because of their friends and meeting each other and hitting off fantastically just chatting the night and then banging in a niche in the long castle-like premise of the ball. :’DDDD Cuz it’s me and if I don’t have something like that in the works, you know i’m likely sick.

ALL OF THESE I am planning on eventually finishing one day. ONE DAY!

For now they are in various states of completion and in various stages of being cared for and improved on with more ideas added and fleshed out.

I am not joking when I say I am very invested in this fandom. I just have difficulty getting to writing out these ideas when I spend like 60% of my free time playing my mobile games. :D 

So there you have it. I didn’t want to say anything about these because 1) I don’t want to get your hopes up. You Can Leave Your Hat On 2, for one, has been in the making for 3 years, very on-again-off-again kind of way, and I just... can’t do that to you guys. I have decided against posting any incomplete fics so I don’t torture you guys and my muse doesn’t abandom me forever for them. So when something is complete, it gets posted promptly for your viewing pleasure!

And 2) If I divulge too much of the story, I feel like my hype of it may disappear completely. Ehh, my muse is a willful creature, what can I tell you... 

So let’s hope at least SOME of these get to see the light of day soon!

[thoughts-on-bangtan]

I m sorry if this post makes u upset but honestly this is something i have been wondering a lot about. So i m sure the admis are aware of a theory that has existed for long time in t/k spaces that BH was holding t/k back. So wrt that we also know the boys recently became partners of BH by buying shares sometime in 2020. They also renewed their contracts in 2020. We also know tae has become happier and the famous t/k conversation took place in 2020. We can also see that t/k have more on (1/2)

screen interactions and are more frequently paired together since after the ITS convo and also appear to interact more with each other in various cobtent. Also there is a fall in j/k content no? I wonder if that theory was indeed true and that tae being happier could be bcoz of him getting to be more open with jk now and not hiding their relationship infront of the cameras and if that has anything to do with them being shareholders and the new contract. Bcoz this kinda makes sense to me (2/2)

Admin 1: The only thing with which you’ve upset me is by ignoring what I’ve said just a few posts ago about how the only ships I feel have actual potential of being ‘real’ are vmin and, to a certain degree, namjin, and how I’m more than open to talking about other duos etc as long as we talk about them as their real life friendships. Just yesterday I said that I don’t really care or pay attention to what other shippers do because it’s simply none of my concern. Why is that? Because no JK+ML ship has ever given me reason to go “huh?” or given me the impression there could be more than just friendship. Also, I’m not here to try and disprove other ships, or somehow try to convince anyone that my views are the only correct ones, I simply want to have a good time talking about vmin, namjin, and Bangtan, and that’s it, which I’ve said it yesterday as well.

I’ve been ARMY for many years now and yes, I’m more than aware of this theory because, in a way, it’s inescapable even if you try to stay clear of what T/K (and J/K) shippers are up to. And yet, despite that, for years my opinion on the topic has not changed in the slightest. I’ve written a whole post about ships and BH and how they are used for marketing purposes in rather obvious ways at times, how more screen time doesn’t immediately equal them being romantic (and the whole no screen time = no bond paradox), or BH “allowing” them to show off their relationship more, because that frankly, to me, sounds ridiculous.

Even if we’d entertain the idea for a moment, while also remembering that apparently T/K is still the biggest BTS ship, wouldn’t it make more sense for BH to show them? Because that would bring in more money? So, in that sense, hiding them wouldn’t make such sense business wise? Someone could argue that scarcity creates more demand, which once they do supply that demand, the money basically rains down on BH like crazy. And yet even that, to me, doesn’t really make all that much sense, given that they could just put T/K content behind a paywall, as in keep their interactions as paid content exclusives, but even that isn’t the case since apparently there hasn’t been much T/K shipper satisfying content even there. So, what exactly, would be the business point for BH to “hide” them? Remember, they are a company after all, not a matchmaking service.

Anyway, going back to my thoughts. We have 4 O’Clock followed by the knowledge that not that long after Tae started working on Happy Christmas, a duet for himself and Jimin which supposedly was too much for two members to sing it together (the implications here are rather clear), which was followed by Scenery (which has clear connections to the same event as in 4 O’clock and to Jimin), and add to all of that what Tae replied to that ARMY on weverse (this I also have a whole post about which I thought might’ve made my thoughts clear in a way, but I guess it did not). That does paint quite the obvious picture, does it not?

Just yesterday I said that the biggest rule in shipping is respect and being respectful, yes? Do you think it is respectful to still hold on to this made up T/K theory despite being faced with Tae’s own words? Despite how ridiculous it sounds? I don’t think so.

Therefore, for me, with everything Tae has done to express his feelings in connection to Jimin, as well as clearly stating that 95z is love (just a few months after telling off that shipper) and the fact that (despite surely having to jump through many hoops along the way) Jimin answered Tae in kind by making Friends happen which solidified them as soulmates to us but also made their wish and promise of remaining together even when the cheers are gone known (here’s my analysis of that song). That’s no small thing. And if that T/K theory held any merit, I highly doubt either Tae or Jimin would do all this, which I’ve also already once discussed in a previous post. Add to that Tae’s Weverse reply, their conversation during ITS, and Tae wanting Jimin to come sleep next to him on JKs birthday (that being something the company has no control over and is their own free time and their free will of telling us about it), the only “relationship” that Tae has with JK, in my opinion, is that of close friends, band mates, and colleagues.

As for their contract and them being shareholders and that having some kind of connection to them being able to show their relationships more freely—while yes, they did say that they’ll sign the contract and thus give BH seven more of their years so long as the contract reflects their hard work and achievements, it’s rather ludicrous to think that there might’ve been some kind of clause in there as well about how BH won’t “hide” a ship anymore or allow them to just run free and show off their relationships. Frankly that would be stupid and way more risky than worth it both for BH and the members themselves. Besides their personal relationships, especially romantic ones, are not for public consumption, so to speak. Even more so in the world of idols and with the prospect of having to do their military service in the future (this being doubly important and risky when considering their relationships being between two members and therefore LGBT).

We have no way of knowing what is exactly in those contracts, and what kind of effect them having BH shares has on their work-relation with BH, all we do know is that whatever was in those contracts was satisfying enough for all seven of them to sign it and be happy with that choice. Everything else is pure speculation.

This is the final time I’m answering such an ask since now I think I’ve truly made my stance on JK+ML ships known sufficiently, and this time I mean it.

Also, for future reference, can we please talk about JK not in romantic connection to a member for once? I have a whole post expressing my grievances with the treatment he gets from shippers and how there is so much more to him.

Admin 2: We live in a materialistic capitalist world where money is the leading power. Many people get up in the morning and work their a*s off to bring in enough income to live and to feed themselves and their possible family. But there are also people who find ways to make money without having to work their a*ses off. Such possibilities in todays day and age gives you, among other things, making videos on Youtube. If you’re sneaky enough and have an eye for what sells best at any given time and what brings in the biggest viewership, you might come to find that a great way to earn well is by making videos about BTS, and more specifically, about popular BTS ships, or even the most popular one at that.

Maybe you noticed how at some point there was a boom on youtube when it came to people making reaction videos, especially to anything BTS related, as well as hundreds of channels about shipping doing analysis videos, especially for T/K and J/K.

More below the cut:

In that moment when Tae basically said no to T/K being romantic, those T/K channels faced potentially “losing their jobs” and thus losing a very lucrative source of income. When I say lucrative, I mean up to $90k a year, which is a sum of money the average person can only dream of. Therefore, to save their existence and income, they decided to push on with their agenda and disregard any signs pointing against their ship. That’s why I think theories such as the one anon presented us with are ones that are created during conversations between people with such channels as wonderful solutions to explain away signs and behaviors that simply didn’t fit them and their agenda. There is a whole own eco system between those channels and their views, and shippers at large, to keep their shipper fantasies alive at all cost.

We know that T/K is one of the oldest, and the most popular one, among BTS ships, which relies on how fun and nice interactions between JK and Tae are to look at, how silly they used to be in the past together, and how some of their on stage behavior worked well in terms of “awakening” crazy fantasies among shippers. The most important in all of it though has always been that this ship contained the maknae and the next member closest to him in age, and thus also to many of those who ship them. But that of course isn’t all there is to it.

Since 2016 we’ve had 4 O’Clock and Scenery, both inspired by the same event, as well as vmin defining each other as their soulmate. These facts alone are, for me, a glaring contradiction for this whole T/K theory and any kind of romance existing within either T/K and J/K. For me, it’s a rather absurd thought to have a soulmate and also be in a romantic relationship (or harbor romantic feelings) for another person. Just like it’s absurd for me how supposedly two big JK and maknae ships are supposed to be real at the very same time and the band also exists at the same time as some form of background noise.

We also later on have Tae who wrote Sweet Night in which Tae sings about falling in love with his best friend, who has always been Jimin. Taking into account what Tae told that shipper on Weverse yet months later announced that 95z is love, that he sang Friends with Jimin, which was also co-written by Jimin, I very much doubt that there have ever been any romantic feelings from Tae toward JK (and vice versa).

I’d also like to note that Tae and JK didn’t spend any time together during their vacation in 2019 (according to them in the first episode of BV4), as well as JK having shown a kind of distaste toward the idea of one of Tae’s friends already having gotten married (or at least that’s what his facial expression looked like) which to me indicates the same thing they said in the ITS conversations: they’ve matured and their personalities have simply grown in different directions making parts of their friendship a bit awkward.

On the FESTA 2020 Rolling Paper Tae called JK his comedian while JK called Tae is safe place, which for me makes it sound that their bond is simply that of an older brother and his younger brother. I feel like during their ITS conversation they tried to communicate to us that they had some issues with each other but at the same time also try to somewhat negate all that obsessive romantic shipping that's been going on involving those two for so long. But that obviously hasn’t worked out.

Tae did say that he had to take certain steps and now he’s happier, but personally I believe that had far more of a connection to their work, or specifically Tae’s mixtape and the work and negotiations around it, since we know some of it might’ve been pushing the lines a little too much if BangPD felt the need to call him and ask him to tone it down a little. If I put on my delulu hat, looking at how happy Tae seems in recent months, I’d be inclined to believe this also had something to do with Jimin, who also seems to be in quite the happy mood as well.

Even if I’d step into a whole delulu tent, I see absolutely no connection to JK when thinking of all the things that could’ve been a factor that led to Tae’s happy state.

It’s easy to see that we’ve been getting more T/K interactions recently, which can be due to marketing strategies (since Tae’s mixtape is coming soon, and potentially also JKs since it’s been mentioned here and there last year) but also due to them getting closer again friendship wise after working through whatever was causing them to be awkward with each other (or at least slowly doing so). We all know that Tae is a very honest (as much as that’s possible in their line of work) and the only thing all of this shows us that Tae is simply showing us with JK that they’re doing better again, but none of their behavior in any way diverges or exceeds anything that’s normal for all of BTS and how touchy and full of affection they are with each other to various degrees. We have a whole post on the bias of body language as well.

Personally, I see no indication whatsoever for there being anything romantic about T/K, since that’s what you’re essentially asking about. After all Tae was the only one who had no idea about JKs drawing for Hobi, so if they were romantically involved, don’t you think JK would’ve showed it to him or at least told him about it?

I’d recommend listening to what Tae told us, remember that especially when we see him put his arm around JKs shoulder or touches his arm, that that isn’t a show of his romantic love for him, but just their normal level of BTS affection. Don’t let people convince you into buying into their agendas because at the end of the day, they have a lucrative business in doing so while, should it all one day come to an end, you will be the one that gets hurt due to their words and theories.

The sole fact that T/K relies on many of the same arguments as J/K, and both have JK as the part of them, is, for me, an indication that those ships aren’t real and instead that Tae and Jimin treat JK as their younger brother whom they love, just like all of BTS does. This is simply how BTS are. Everyone touches everyone’s arm, thigh, back, and hugs each other, it’s simply them being them. In order for a ship to be romantic and “real”, it takes a little more than just a touch of a thigh. There needs to be something more, like we’re able to find/see that something more with vmin, for example.

Tae is my bias and it always upsets me when people don’t respect him and the things he’s said.

[your-ace-cousin-clover]

okay soooo... sorry for the delayed reply, i've been kinda busy!

i gotta start this off by saying how much i loved the way you wrote "[...] that feeling of wanting to reach divinity and holiness with your writing. The raw, exposed nerve of that writing." - it's hard for me to refer to writing as a hobby because it's such a substantial part of me, if that makes sense? or maybe that's just my codependent relationship to writing... whenever i don't write for a while i start feeling like a non-person! (ok, in hindsight this doesn't sound 100% related to the holiness bit, but that's what sparked the train of thought)

on for colored girls who have considered suicide - when the rainbow is enuf: i actually listened to a monologue from this a while ago on youtube, but I'll be sure to check out the full text!

also, on the topic of spoken-word & slam poetry: i'm going to a poetry reading at a friend's place later this month and it's nerve-racking. i mean, hey, of course i bleed into my poetry, and in theory i'm cool with that. but reading it aloud to a room half full of strangers? that's like lying on an operating table, flesh sliced open with surgeons over you. (i'm sure it'll be fun, though)

i've read primer for small weird loves and wishbone (because they're both included in richard siken's book crush - which is definitely worth the money (& btw, he has a new book coming out this year in fall/winter; thought i'd tell you in case you didn't know))! out of the two i like wishbone a lot more - although that's probably just because i relate to it a little bit more. i like making lists so i've compiled some of my favorite parts from the poem:

• "I took the bullet for all the wrong reasons [...]"

• "Let's not talk about it, let's just not talk."

• "[...] we keep doing it Henry, we keep saying until we get it right... [...]"

• "If you love me, Henry, you don't love me in a way I understand."

• "This is where the evening splits in half, Henry, love or death. Grab an end, pull hard, and make a wish."

it's crazy (well, not really, but you know) that you mentioned jericho brown, because we read something by him in english class a few years back and he's completely slipped my mind since then! so, thanks for reminding me :)

first of all, i love how duplex starts and ends with the same line - and this may be a reach, but it feels sort of like coming home? he introduces us to the line, we go away for a while, then we're back at the beginning. and maybe i just feel this way because for me going home is synonymous with going back home. (not always, but a lot of the time.) also, the contrast of "none of the beaten end up how we began" & the poem ending exactly how it began? i don't have the right words to explain what, but there's something that grabs me in that.

now, let's take a short detour because i feel like dropping some recs. here's two poets whose work i really enjoy: chen chen and jasmine ledesma (who i think is on tumblr, too? @/candiedspit if i'm not wrong). i'd specifically like to recommend (and hopefully hear you opinion on) chen chen's i'm not a religious person but & jasmine ledesma's short stories no candy, sorry and FIEND.

links (just in case the previous ones don't work):

i'm not a religious person but: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/58152/im-not-a-religious-person-but

no candy, sorry: https://tinyletter.com/jasmineledesma/letters/no-candy-sorry

FIEND: https://marchharemag.com/fiend

lastly, thanks for the prompt! i'll be sending you the poem in a separate ask (although i'm convinced it only makes sense if you're me) as to not make this one too long haha

-cat

Cat!

Sorry on the delayed reply on my side too. I've been sorta busy with a lot of stuff, but I had to drop in a message.

First of all, the poem? Iconic. It is so well written!!! Ahh! The way you use the numbers to count down all the things in a list sort of a format . And the splendid use of a clock ticking to signify the time coming closer and closer. It reminds of the Doomsday Clock which always reminds us that we are two minutes to complete destruction and in a way it is an inevitable destruction. "I'm one drink away from holiness and I'm not stopping" is such a vivid Ginsberg line that ahhh, it hits with the concept of the Beat Generation being these drunk, high poets who ultimately want to experience divinity through their intoxication and writing. And the ending with, "it's almost Valentine's- please tell your wretched heart I'm sorry." AGHH, the way the narrator tries to stop the inevitability of the sadness of romance?? Or being stuck in a relationship and trying to do better? The interpretations are left wide open and I love that.

[Let me know if you'd be okay with me sharing your poem? And oh, if you like to send me another prompt, I would love that.]

And I wanted to give you some advice on slam poetry performances, I have a bit of an experience with them. The surgical metaphor is indeed apt, there is some vulnerable to stand in front of a group of people to carve out yourself into words and see it take on a meaning for everyone differently. But, revel in that vulnerable state and see how that conveys meaning. Focus on a spot in the room and speak to it and let meaning take its own hold. And remember, even if you don't get the reception you are hoping for, hold onto the meaning that you initially wrote it with. How your poetry affects you in the end is what matters. And good luck! Let me know how it goes.

[I didn't know about the new Siken book. Do you know if it has a name? I'll have to look it up whenever it releases.]

Ahh, and I love the idea of listening favourite lines of poems, I might start doing that with my favourite poems too.

[Also, I know it's in the name, but there's something about the way Wishbone is written that it makes you keep as if you are splintering into bits and dissolving. Especially in the bit where he goes I wish you'd stop reminding about the debt because you can do nothing about it and even if you love me, it is not the way I want.; Please let me go, I cannot let you be in my debt anymore.]

Jericho Brown? Iconic. The cyclical nature of the form as well as it is sort of the same line all the while not being the same line is such a beautiful way to express the repetition, but all how each cycle in a way is different than the last one.

I loved Chen Chen's poem. The way God chooses to escape from his own reality through someone who does not believe enough in him to question him at first it beautiful. And what hits me is how God stops and creates a barrier again by sending the angel as soon as he is questioned in adjacent to his role in the universe. What interests me is how the atheist (I know it does not mention atheism directly, but close enough) is sent an angel and later meet with God, and therefore, the relation that they form is a meaningful bond between two individuals rather than being a power dynamic with the worshipped and the devotee.

There's something about Ledesma's stories about hopelessness in her both protagonists. In the same way, both are extremely tired of their circumstances and want to be somewhere else in perhaps a better versions of their selves. The scattered prose certainly draws it very strongly together.

And finally, to drop a rec of my own, let me know what you think of Ada Limon's "The Problem With Travel" and "Accident Report in the Tall, Tall Weeds." They both are very beautiful poems.

Hope to hear from you soon! :)

[botwstoriesandsuch]

Yo what if the Champions’ spirits stuck around long enough to train the next gen? Hcs for that?

*blows dust off of ask* Sorry this took so long, hope you weren’t too comfy sitting in my inbox there. Alrighty! Time for some

Training Montages *Rocky Theme Plays* (Headcanons)

Credit to @champion-of-the-sky​ for some help with the hcs

Ok, the first part of this post it just gonna be some of my thoughts into how the Divine Beasts actually work, because that’s kinda of necessary information if you wanna train them. So here is another one of my big boi head canon posts because sometimes I can’t shut up.

So firstly, the Divine Beasts can draw immense power from Hyrule which is stored over time and charges their giant laser thingys (Naboris draws power from the earth and makes electricity, Ruta takes in water from the atmosphere, Rudania is fire boy, Medoh has wind and thermal (from the atmosphere) generators, etc. etc.)

The Ancient Sheikah were like “hey wow these are really powerful beasts so maybe we should make sure that no one unworthy gets their hands on them”

Their solution was to have a spiritual bond between the beast and the pilot. Each Divine Beast has their own “soul” or personality and can judge someone of being worthy of piloting them. And only that person would have the power to use the Divine Beast to its full potential (AKA use the giant Anti-Ganon lasers)

Ergo, the Champions

When the died 100 years ago, their spirits stuck around because Ganon need to trap their spirits in order to get the Divine Beasts to actually work

[And then this would be a good segue-way into that cool idea where the Link has to fight the Champions taken over by malice, instead of the blights. BUT we’re not talking about that today]

Ok, so you know the story. Link frees the Divine Beasts from Ganon’s grasp. The spirits of the dead Champions command a legendary blow against the blight of Hyrule. Zelda and Link help save the day. Yay!

HOWEVER! The Champions are still there, their spirits persist.Turns out their spirits cannot go away, because the Divine Beasts don’t really wanna go without an owner, considering they’ve been controlled by Ganon for 100 years, so fair.

Basically, the Beasts wont let the spirit of their old pilots go until they find a suitable successor

Enter, new gen Champs!

Daruk/Yunobo

Training with a Divine Beast is not unlike trying to form a bond with a real animal. In fact, the Beasts do behave with a mind of their own, so that might as well be an on point analogy

Daruk struggled with Rudania because its personality was very stubborn and blunt, much like the Goron race anyhow. As said in my other post, Rudania’s personality clashes with the playful and loving nature of Daruk

The only reason Daruk even got the handle on things was becuase Link forced him to spend a whole day in the Divine Beast. We can only speculate that from that time, Daruk must have somehow formed a mutual respect or protective bond with the giant lizard

So essentially, when he’s training Yunobo, he does the exact same thing

“You just gotta walk around for a bit, Yunobo. Get a feel for ol’ Rudania. They’re a grump, but you’ll get along.”

“G-get a feel? We’re surrounded by lava! What if I mess up? What if your Divine B—”

“Your, Divine Beast”

“Right, right… but what if it doesn’t like me and tips my into Death Mountain’s core!”

Daruk gives a hearty laugh. “Kid, you helped save ol’ Ruddy from Ganon, remember? You’ve already got a good bond going. So just walk around for a bit and just take ‘em all in. Good luck!”

And he slams the door behind him, leaving Yunobo in the dark

But he’ll eventually get around to forming a bond. But Rudania’s probably a little grumpy that they’ve gone from reckless pilot who laughs too much, to timid teenager gifted with a powerful champion ability that he is self-conscious about

Daruk is hella encouraging with Yunobos training. The kid will eventually be the second best with his Beast. Daruk is patient with Yunobo because he sees himself in him. And he also teaches him some cool tricks like if you tilt Rudania just right, you get a cool slip and slide ramp that’s perfect for the hot springs

Urbosa/Riju [not a lot for these guys bcs I’m lazy and this post is long anyway]

Urbosa would be playful with Riju when they train, making goofy jokes about things, letting out a quick joke to lessen and tension Riju might feel from her anxiety to lead her people. At the same time, she also explains things with good detail

Riju is third best with her beast. Occasionally, she’ll be intimidated by Naboris’ strength and power, especially considering she had an incident with Patricia the Sand Seal back when it was shooting lightning everywhere

However, she’s the one to ask the most questions, half of which Urbosa can’t answer. She’s got that childish curiosity that serves well in her understanding of Naboris

Mipha/Sidon [also not a lot because using your imagination can be hard]

Mipha and Sidon just act like siblings, much to both of their delight. It’s less of training, and more of catching up on everything over the last a hundred years on top of a giant elephant.

Because they’re siblings, Mipha pulls little pranks on her little brother on purpose. But neither are really annoyed by it, as they both laugh it off

Like Mipha will tell Sidon to stand in a certain spot to see how the parts of Ruta move. Then she makes Ruta move in such away to splash the poor prince in gallons of water

You’re gonna ruin his handkerchief Mipha!

Sidon is the best at managing his Divine Beast out of the four, for not only does he have a strong bond with the previous pilot, but he gets along well with Ruta’s playful personality

Revali/Teba

Local birds butt heads because they’re both egotistical idiots

Revali continues to be as dramatic as usual, while also maintaining his image by claiming that Teba will probably never master Medoh as well as him

Teba respects Revali given that he was his childhood hero. Yet at the same time Revali isn’t exactly what he expected, and he’s not down to take this sass from a teenager

Perfect storm of dumb banter, because both have reluctance in the whole situation

Teba gives out a groan, frustrated. “Argh! This damn bird wont start its propellers. How do I get it to work?”

“Perhaps Medoh is still tired. After all, you’ve been complaining none stop all day.”

“Right, my voice is the problem.”

“Why don’t you sing her a lullaby, she’s probably so sleepy.”

Teba scoffs, “You’re kidding. There’s no way that would work. Beside, there’s no way I’m sing—”

“Why don’t you hold your tongue, my dear apprentice,” another groan escapes Teba, “You’re going to hurt Medoh’s feelings with that attitude. Tulin is your son, yes? Surely you’ve sung a tune or two back in his fledgling days?”

“Sure, but I’m not gonna—”

“Medoh wants to hear you s i n g~”

Revali is strict with his training, and Teba probably struggled with Medoh the most out of the four, considering that before Link came along, he had the mindset of killing Medoh. 

Teba still repescts everything Revali is doing, making sure to call him “Master Revali.” And though he would never admit it, Revali’s feathers would always fluff with pride at the notion of it

Also he’s gonna call Teba his pupil/apprentice throughout the entire session

Angsty moment: when each Champion thinks their apprentice is ready, THAT’S the time they get their final rest and their spirits move on. Like, imagine Sidon wanting to Master Ruta to make his sister proud, but at the same time the day he does is when she is gone for good.

That looks like a good note to end off of! So yay :)