#which didn’t even actually happen bc Time Travel Shit

[fishyartist]

[ughdontbeboring]

pain relief

Austin Butler x WoC Reader (can be read by anyone)

Reader is trying to hide her chronic pain from her man

warnings: chronic pain (migraines), insecurities, smutty

THIS FOR ALL MY CHRONIC PAIN GIRLIES!!

notes: WOW even with all the Austin wips in my notes this is my first one to be posted, wow idk makes me nervous 😅 yall I hope I did our sweet boy justice.

No description of ethnicity one comment of complexion that’s it but reader when I write is always written with myself in mind. It’s soooo self indulgent.

this is SUPER self indulgent, So I first thought of this from his interview with Jimmy Kimmel when they asked about the migraines as an excuse not to have sex and of course his response was spot on he said “I don’t know what a migraine is” and Jimmy said “of cour you don’t” lmfao bc idk if I’d even turn him down if I had one!

I had a really bad period of back to back migraines for a couple months and this is what my brain rewarded me with in between one. I really don’t know what this is yall lol so don’t ask idk if I’m actually happy with it but yea lol

I put x reader but idk I guess it can tell be read that way, I don’t have the energy to re write it y’all so

now that I’m starting to feel better I will be catching up on my other wips.

if you like it, love it, fuck with it leave some love. I DO NOT give permission for my shit to be used anywhere by anyone.

🤕

Don’t focus on the pain, don’t focus on the pain she repeated over and over again in her head from under the safety of the soft cool cotton comforter as if it would keep away the pounding pain, protect her from it. 

It would not. 

Even with the house dead silent, the fan on for a little noise and all the black out curtains drawn that her boyfriend insisted he buy when he learned about her diagnosis from childhood- she knew relief would not find her. She shifted trying to readjust and find a more comfortable position to lay in, the little pocket above her head letting much needed cool air into her little bubble. 

She knew a few weeks ago she should have reached out to her neurologist but she’d just been so busy it kept slipping her mind and the aspirin had been holding her over but this? no this one was a monster and it was full peak right now. It started almost a day ago after the LA screening for The Bikeriders and had not gone away.

It didn’t help that they also just got back from the UK press tour. All the flying, the red carpets, the flashing lights and noise was starting to take its toll. Recently her boyfriend of just a little over a year revealed to her how much he enjoyed having her accompany him and how he loves sharing those moment with her. Hence all the traveling she’d done recently at his side. 

They still believed in healthy space but they truly enjoyed being together as much as they could. 

Usually she’d fly out every 2 or so weeks to wherever he was since her job was more flexible, their relationship was long distance since she was still living in New York. Which they’d also discussed changing that status but they both agreed to iron out the plans once the tour was over and he had a few weeks of down time. They figured the actual move would happen after he filmed in NY the end of summer. Knowing summer was her favorite time to be home, ever the thoughtful boyfriend. 

Though she was nervous to tell her family. They adored Austin but they’re a very close family and not seeing them everyday would take a lot of time to adjust to but it was important at this point in their relationship to actually be together. He even mentioned he’d love to look for a New York apartment which she had thought was unnecessary they could just stay with any of her family members when they visited until he reminded her she wouldn’t want her family to know she was his pretty girl who got cock drunk and loud when he fuck her stupid. Yes their own place was necessary. 

She felt a sharp pain at her temple and groaned. It was like her brain was telling her to stop thinking about all the stress and think about the pain she was in, which she didn’t want to do either honestly. She wish she could sleep it off but it was impossible. 

She flipped her pillow to the cool side and once again tried to empty her brain. Deep breaths girl deep breaths, the pain isn’t forever. 

She heard the front door slam shut up, which made her curl up even more in a fetal position and the deep smooth voice of her favorite person calling out to her. That voice was her favorite in the whole world but right now she needed silence. She had hoped the migraine would have been over by the time he got back but she wasn’t so lucky. Now she would have to face the music.

She had been telling him the past couple weeks it was just little headaches nothing serious, he knew she got migraines but hadn’t experienced any with her so far. The past 2 years she hadn’t needed to be medicated, the doctor couldn’t tell her why they suddenly stoped and why she was only getting little headaches every once in a while. This is why she was so unprepared and completely out of her medication she hadn’t needed in so long; she truly thought they had finally stopped for good. 

She couldn’t have been more wrong with the pain that was throbbing in her head. The front of her skull a constant ache and the back at the base of her skull and neck a wicked throbbing. The pain in her neck and shoulders unbearable even right between her eyes a sharp pain. She felt like she was dying. The fatigue of the attack her body was under was starting to catch up to her. She was trying to hold back the tears but the sound of boots pounding up the stairs along with the call of baby had her on the verge of a tearful melt down. 

She wanted to avoid the conversation that would surely come after this, when he would witness her in a peak migraine state. She felt horrible because she knew he’d feel like it was his fault for encouraging her to come with him to all the press events but it wasn’t his fault. 

She was an adult and she should have addressed this weeks ago with him and her doctor when the headaches started and not try to hide it to avoid worrying him. 

She should have been honest and though she has no reason to be she was scared to tell him.  She was scared he may think she wasn’t able to handle this kind of life. What if he wanted someone who didn’t need to recharge so often? Or someone who could just do anything with him at anytime not be laying in a bed sometimes for more then a day in pain and grumpy. Someone who couldn’t be touched in this state or be the prefect girlfriend. 

She also knew she sounded ridiculous that wasn’t who Austin was but it didn’t stop the insecurity she had about her migraines and how they held her back from life sometimes. Held her back from being fully emerged into his lifestyle. The guilt wrecked her. 

She knew she was mostly feeling insecure about her migraines because of those comments. She wasn’t normally insecure but recently she had read some comments which usually don’t bother her, about her and Austin’s relationship and how unhappy she looked being on press tour and if she was so unhappy why not just leave so he could be with someone who was happier with him. Those people obviously ignored the photos that were not taking at events that showed how happy they were but not knowing or they probably didn’t care she couldn’t be happier than she was, she was just suffering from more frequent migraines. 

So of course they’d focus on the bad, not all the fans but some. A lot of fans, who she felt were real fans could simply see how happy Austin seemed again. She knew how that felt, she met Austin as a fan and all his relationships and flings after Vanessa seemed lackluster and without any real connection, so she got it. But some of the comments were really getting to her at this moment. Especially the ones about how he looked happier with Kaia (which she knew was a lie from hell, she heard all about that relationship from Austin, his last ex) and then the ones about Vanessa looking happy ALL the time, which was funny because Austin spoke to her about their relationship also and if fans only knew it wasn’t always perfect, yes they loved each other but still there was a lot of hurt in that relationship for Austin. 

Then when those things would pop up she’d think what she’d say to her mans ex’s if she ever met them or if she’d just ignore them. 

Her head throbbed hard from all the unnecessary thinking and stress she was bringing onto herself, things she normal never paid any mind when the bedroom door swung open. 

Baby? He called again, steps coming to a slow stop halfway into the room when she assumed he noticed the state of the room; all the curtains drawn, the TV and lights all off, no noise but the fan she placed near the bed even though the central air was on and the pile of blankets on the bed covering her balled up body. Not a single part of her visible as she quickly stuck her hand out the air pocket at by her head careful to not let any light in and weakly waved at him. She could hardly speak let alone move her head to acknowledge him anymore. 

“Baby you still in bed? It’s 10” He asked as he walked closer, not that he cared it was just unusual for her and caused a bit of concern to form in the pit of stomach. 

He watched the head or he’s assuming area of the blanket shake in a yes motion. Even with the black out curtains there was still just enough light to make out everything in the room. 

“Baby what’s wrong” he asked in a soft voice from the edge of the bed, his hand running gently up and down some part of her body under the blanket. Her body coiled away from his touch. He tried to shake away the slight sting it caused him.

“uh migraine” she whispered weakly, if he wasn’t mistaken he could hear the underlying embarrassment in her tone. What could she be embarrassed about? 

“Oh shit baby, you need anything? Anything I can do?” He genuinely asked in gentler tone, though she couldn’t see how his eyes soften knowing she was probably in an immense amount of pain. 

He felt useless. 

“Uh no, just gotta be left alone for a while” this time there wasn’t any embarrassment in her tone just guilt. 

Austin tried to school his own face and tone of disappointment. He know he couldn’t do anything truly to make it go way but he wanted to help, wanted to be there for her like she’d been there for him on all his overwhelming days and nights from filming and traveling. His sweet girl deserved that. Then he thought back to this one thing he’d came across when he was reading online about migraines when she first told him she got them pretty frequently in the past. He quickly dismissed that idea, a slight blush creeping up his neck, he felt a little embarrassed himself for even thinking to suggest that, who says that to their partner Austin? He thought. She clearly needed to be alone. 

“Ok I’m just head downstairs then, call me if you need anything”  

He took another moment eyeing her blanket fortress before turning and slowly heading Towards their bedroom door.

“Austin?” He heard her call shyly, her voice still muffled from the layers covering her.

“Yea?” His own tone was laced with curiosity.

“Uh…there…there is one thing you could probably do for me…if you don’t mind..if you do it’s ok-“ 

He was quick to be at her side, slipping out his shoes, ready for whatever. His stomach burned a little thinking she may ask what he thought of just briefly a moment ago.

“Anything” 

He watched her baby blue fresh set of nails slip from under the blanket and her hand reaching out for his. His own large hand was in hers before he even registered it moving. She tugged him lightly, his body following gently. He was careful not to touch her as he laid next to her, his chest near where her head was, he remembered her saying how she didn’t like to be touched when she was having an episode, everything felt more intense and for some reason it usually amplified the pain. 

“Can I use your hand for a while?” She asked shyly still under the safety of the blankets, he could hear her clearer through the hole she left at the top. 

He felt guilty at the blood that rushed his cock.

“Of course” He said squeezing the right hand that held his left one. 

He allowed her to maneuver his hand so that his left hand was under her head, she placed his fingers at the base of her skull, thumb on one side and his fore finger and pointer finger on the left side.

“Can you keep your fingers like this and apply as much pressure as you can? This are some of my pain points and the right kind of pressure can ease the pain a little, usually I tie a scarf but it isn’t always helpful” she mumbled weakly. 

He was confused. 

“Oh ok..I..I thought-“ 

This wasn’t something he read, though he seen something about heat compress. He was confused because he thought she was going to ask for his hand to give her an orgasm. That was something interesting that he had came across. It said it didn’t work for everyone hence why he was slightly embarrassed to suggest it, he didn’t want her to think he was only thinking with his dick. 

He applied the pressure anyway, happy to help anyway he could.

“Is that good baby?”

“You can press a bit harder” 

He did as she said, feeling her body adjust just the tiniest bit next to him. A soft sigh leaving her lips.

She soft voice thanked him. He hummed a response, his own body adjusting slightly to get more comfortable.  He would lay here as long as she needed.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, she called his name.

“Yea?” He asked feeling more tired himself than what he thought he was when he got home.

“What were you going to say? When I asked for your hand?” She replied softly voice full of the need for sleep.

His felt that fire and a blush come back. He chuckled to himself. Now was good as anytime to confess his unconventional suggest and figure out if it was something helpful to her or if it was something she even heard of before. 

“Uh..I..I had been reading about migraines when you first told me you got them, trying to understand them better-“ He was cut off by a whimper she made, a pitiful sound of endearment. He knew what she was thinking, she was taken back by his willingness to be there for her however he could and that meant trying to understand what she would be going through. He kept going. “And I was reading how orgasms can sometimes help temporarily, but I didn’t want you to think I was just thinking with my dick” he concluded softly. Feeling better about just getting it out and in the open, it didn’t feel so dirty anymore, like he was taking advantage somehow. He knew her better than to think she would think that but it didn’t stop his insecurities about the topic. 

He felt her body stilled.

shit was she mad at him? He felt the slight unease creep into his stomach and his insecurities intensify at the thought that she would be mad at him for suggesting such a thing when he noticed her right hand slip from under the covers. 

Her soft palm facing up and open in a silent question and permission, are you still willing? And of course you can touch me. 

He let go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding and gave her his right hand, her soft fingers gently pulled his under the covers, her forearm resting ontop of his own as she slipped his hand under hers to be guided where he couldn’t see. Once his rough fingers tips ghosted over her wet pussy he didn’t need anymore guidance, he knew her too well, maybe better than she knew herself. 

She gasped at the first touch and her hand left his to grip his forearm, as he’d started to explore her wet folds.

“How are you this wet already sweet girl? Hmm? Just can’t help yourself around daddy?” Austin questioned softly from above her, awe clear in his voice. He stayed laid on his left side, careful his body other than his hands didn’t touch her. 

“Fuck” she groaned quietly from under the blankets. “Guess my body always needs you daddy” she moaned out. He groaned as his fingers applied more pressure and speed. 

He felt the twitch in cock as she coated his fingers and moaned softly and weakly. His fingers switching between slow and quick. He was so painfully hard. He had to stay focus this was about her but how could he when her tight wet warm pussy was calling him? Begging for him. Her body was hardly moving just her hips grinding slowly into him.

Even fully covered by a ton of blankets he was still completely in-tune with her body. He didn’t need to see her face though he wished he could to kiss her soft lips, to know the pleasure he was giving her, to know she was close. 

He blindly felt the warmth and wetness of her pussy driving into his hand slowly chasing the pleasure he was somehow able to provide in this state.

“Cum for me pretty girl, take it” he groaned lowly.

She moaned out, she sounded so exhausted and pitiful but he could tell she wanted this, needed it and he was more than happy to give it to her. 

She squealed softly as she rocked against his hand, her body exploding and the sweetness of her drenching his fingers, her face seeking the comfort of his embrace under the blanket, he moved over slightly as his left hand still pressed to the pain points guided her, help her her blanket covered forehead lay against his chest. Her hips kept rocking slowly chasing the feeling.

“There you go baby” his husky voice praised even with a migraine she was still his good girl. So wet and warm and tight for him.

Moments passed with his fingers still cupping her warm sticky folds and the other still applying the pressure she required, neither hand moved as he felt her drift of to sleep, her body finally relaxing from the endorphins of her orgasm. 

Austin woke to the press of a soft warm body slightly on top of his and light kisses and licks against his neck. He stirred and tried to adjust his eyesight to the darkness that had over taking the room. It must be late.

“Hey baby” her voice sounded softly, her lips suddenly near his own. She kissed his plump mouth, pecking kisses over and over. She sounded a lot better.

His arms moved to embrace her, pulling her further ontop of him and as close as he could get her. 

“Hey baby” he replied his eyes seeking hers. The dimmed light from the hallway allowed him to finally see her. Though he didn’t physically see her face earlier, he knew she looked more well rested than she had in the past day or two. Her eyes had a fatigue to them but he was sure that would clear up from the migraine once she got some more rest. All and all she almost looked back to her normal self. 

Her hand snaked up his chest to cup his face.

“Thank you, for everything” she told him a little emotionally.

He brought his lips to her for a passionate kiss, before laying his foreheads on hers.

“You don’t ever have to thank me, I’m yours, that’s what I’m here for, to take care of you” he whispered against her lips.

She pecked his again. 

“And I’m still going to say thank you” she mumbled.

He pinched her side playfully as she laughed and pushed at him.

They just gazed at one another and she had to blink to stop the tears. She had woke to Austin on his back, her body against his. She had unconsciously sought his while she slept as the tension faded from her body and to her surprise his hand was still gripping the back of her head. The pressure had loosed when he eventually fell asleep but his hand was still there nonetheless. She didn’t think she could love the man more and here she was slipping further in the ocean that was Austin and some how she was learning she could breathe underwater. He was everything to her.

“I have a surprise for you sweet boy” she said smiling at him like he hung the moon and she’d die on that hill that he did.

Austin’s chest ached in a good way. He never wanted this to end. Couldn’t imagine it being any other way. Everything that had failed for him relationship wise lead him to this moment with her. He was better for it. 

“Hmm, what’s that?” 

She nodded her head to the side of him and that’s when he noticed the en-suite bathroom door open and the soft glow of candles burning. The scent of oils and salts hitting him. He quickly turned back to her.

“Wh-“ 

“You were knocked out and I wanted to return the love” 

“You little sneak” he accused tickling her sides.

She was quick to scramble away from his hold and climb over him getting to her feet and out of his grasp when his hands followed her as she head toward the bathroom.

She stopped short of the door as she pulled her oversize graphic shirt over her head. 

“I would do that you know, sometimes, never with men though, I hated being touched during my migraines but when it was really bad and I had the energy I would do it myself to help ease the pain” she spoke from the doorway to the bathroom, the soft light surrounding her body, giving a even more beautiful glow to her brown skin. “I didn’t think it would ever work from someone else’s hand, not too sure what that means handsome” she smirked.

So she had done that before he thought but just never with man, no man had ever made her comfortable enough to try let alone achieve bringing her relief. Austin felt those butterflies in this stomach again, he felt a sense a pride swell in his chest. His cock was even stirring again. That’s exactly who he wanted to be for her, the man that gave what she needed, what others couldn’t, he wanted to be the one no other man could compare to. He wanted to be her all.

She smirked at him almost as if she could read his every thought and she could because they mirror her own and how she felt about him.

“Lets go loverboy, it’s time for the real show” 

X

X

ALSO yall don’t have to say anything abt it but i find it helps SOMETIMES but alone so I thought who could make this work for me with another person of course our boy Austin could bc he’s so perfect. He’s the only one I’d let touch me with a migraine lol

[agaypanic]

Hey :) I was wondering if since it’s a leap year you would maybe write a oneshot or blurb or smth with James Maguire x reader (maybe like Quinn!reader from your series??) where she proposes on the 29th of February bc it’s a tradition that comes from Ireland?? I just think it would be so cute bc he just totally wouldn’t see it coming and I’ve never seen anyone do it in a fic before

Leap Day (James Maguire X Quinn!Reader)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: You, the girls, and James are now well into your twenties. Life is perfect, except for one little thing that’s been on your mind. After taking with your friends about it, you figure you should take matters into your own hands.

A/N: won’t put it on my series masterlist, but this could be seen as an epilogue of sorts to the fella series (even tho it’s not finished yet lol) but obvi it can be read as its own thing. Also im american so sorry for any terminology and such i get wrong. reader, james, and the girls are obvi aged up

***

If you had told your younger self that you and your friends ended up staying in Derry after finishing school, she would’ve thought you lost your mind. All she thought about was graduating and leaving home, traveling the world, and escaping her pain-in-the-ass sister Erin and somewhat crazy family.

But if she saw the life you had now, she’d probably understand. Because you had everything you truly wanted.

You had a nice little job close to your flat where you managed a bookstore. It was a quaint shop that became a frequent stop for some of the local teenagers. Erin also stopped by every now and then to boast about what she had already read.

When you weren’t working, you were with your friends. You were a bit more tame than you were in your adolescence, but that all usually went out the window when Michelle got a drink or two in her. Which happened often.

But the best part of your day was when you’d go home to see your boyfriend of many years, the love of your life, James Maguire.

“So, what’s goin’ on with you and him, anyway?” Michelle asked as she messily poured everyone a glass of wine. Every now and then, you and the girls got together for a night to get drunk and catch each other up on anything that happened since the last time you’d gotten together. For some reason, you and James were a bit of a hot topic tonight.

“What d’ya mean, Michelle? You know what’s going on with us.” You laughed, taking your wine glass from her.

“I mean, when are the two of you getting hitched? Has he even popped the question to ya?”

“Believe me, Michelle, you’d all be the first to know if we got engaged.” You said a bit glumly, downing your drink and waving your glass around for Michelle’s attention to fill it again.

“He still hasn’t asked you?” Clare asked with an incredulous look. From the start, she had been a big supporter of your and James’ relationship. If it was up to her, you’d probably have a few kids and a house in the countryside by now. “You’ve been going out since we were sixteen! And you just turned twenty-five a few months ago, didn’t you?”

“Yup.” You responded, popping the ‘p.’ “Nine years and no ring.” You held your bare hand up to prove your point. “But I don’t mind too much. As long as we’re together, that’s really what matters.”

“Aw, that’s sweet.” Clare cooed.

“It’s shit.” Michelle countered.

“Michelle’s right, Y/n,” Erin said, grabbing a crisp from the bowl in the middle of the table. “You’ve been waiting for James to propose since we finished at Our Lady Immaculate; admit it.”

“Have not!” You laughed at the absurdity of your sister’s sentence, but the looks everyone gave you made it die down. “Okay, maybe a little. But not seriously! It was just like a dream, you know? Like Erin thinking she’ll get published or Granda thinking Ma will actually divorce Daddy.” 

Everyone giggled, except for Erin, who was grumbling about your little jab.

“Be serious, Y/n!” Clare laughed, patting your hand. “You’ve been waiting for him to ask for a long while.”

You looked down at your glass, swirling the wine around with a sigh. 

“Maybe a bit.” You answered quietly. It hadn’t really nagged at you too much until recently. After all, you had been together for almost a decade, and everyone else around you seemed to be getting engaged or married. You loved James; truly, you did. But it felt like you were missing out a little. “But I’m fine with waiting.”

“The question is, Y/n, how long are you gonna have to wait until he actually does it?” Erin asked, leaning forward to stare at you. You shrugged, not really knowing the answer and not really wanting to respond.

“You might as well ask him, Y/n!” Your cousin Orla said with a grin. She was always an optimist. “He might just be scared you’ll say no!”

“You know, now that you say it, that’s probably why he hasn’t asked yet,” Michelle said, taking a sip from her wine glass that had been filled more graciously than anyone else’s. “After all, James is a pussy.”

“Don’t call my fella a pussy, Michelle!” You reprimanded, yet you still laughed along with everyone else.

“I can call my cousin what I want. And the fact is that he’s a pussy!”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea, really,” Clare said when everyone’s chuckles had died down. She gasped. “This is a leap year! You could ask him on the twenty-ninth!”

“That’s next week, Clare.” You said a bit nervously. Of course, you’d marry James in a heartbeat. But the thought of proposing, especially so soon, made you a bit sick to the stomach. Now you realize why James probably hasn’t asked you yet.

“It’s either next week or another four years, Y/n,” Michelle said with a teasing smile.

You gulped, feeling everyone’s eyes on you. As you thought about it, you had to admit that it wasn’t really a bad idea. Sure, you had less than an ideal amount of time to plan everything out. But you could probably get something small but nice together.

“Okay… Who’s going ring shopping with me?” The girls squealed at your question, getting up to surround you in a drunken group hug.

***

It was the twenty-ninth, and you were a nervous wreck. The ring weighed heavy in your pocket as you paced around your dining room. Dinner was sitting waiting on the table, and you were playing your little speech of love over and over in your head. All you needed was James, who should be home soon. But as the minutes ticked by, you wished the clock would freeze so you could have more time to prepare for this.

“Darling, I’m home!” James called out as he opened the door, and you realized you were out of time. You skipped out to the front hall to greet your boyfriend.

“Hi, Jamie.” You cooed, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek before stepping away so he could hang up his coat. 

“Sorry I’m a bit late, needed to finish some things at the office.” 

“Oh, that’s okay, hun.” You waved your hands, both to dismiss his unneeded apology and to get rid of some nervous energy.

James gave you a quick peck before walking off to the bedroom to change, leaving you to overthink a bit more. You wanted tonight to be perfect. James deserved nothing less than that.

To pass the time, you grabbed a candle and placed it in the middle of the small table, finding a lighter to light the wick.

“It’s so nice to be home,” James murmured as he walked over to you, arms slinking around you to pull you close to his chest. He buried his face into your neck, leaving a kiss or two before taking a deep breath. “Dinner smells good.”

“Thank you, Jamie.” You turned your head to kiss his cheek before pulling away from him. The two of you sat down and started putting food on your plates.

You talked about anything and everything, James leading most of the conversation, which you were grateful for. You felt that if you had to talk too much, you’d either stutter too much or end up spoiling your surprise. James held your hand most of the time, playing with your fingers absentmindedly as he talked about something amusing that happened at work.

Eventually, your plates were clear and your cups were empty. James was finishing up a story about something a few of his lads had done while they were all watching some sports game you didn’t know much about. You knew that now was your time.

“Jamie?” He hummed, perking up at the sound of his name. 

“Yes, love?”

“I love you.” You didn’t really know how else to start.

“I love you, too, N/n,” James said, smiling as he squeezed your hand.

You took a deep breath, about to give the speech that you’d been preparing in your head.

“I’ve known that you were the one for me since we were fifth years. Probably since I first saw you at the bus stop. That’s probably crazy, knowing something like that so early and so young… But it’s true.” You laughed, thumb sweeping over his knuckles. “These have been the best years of my life, being with you. And it might be a bit selfish of me, but I want more of them.”

“Y/n…” James whispered, tilting his head. “What are you saying, darling?”

“We have a bit of a tradition here.” You say, wiggling your hand from James’ grasp and standing up. “Ladies’ Privilege, Bachelor’s Day, whatever you fancy calling it. Where on Leap Day, girls can propose to their fella.” You stuck your hand in your pocket, fiddling with the ring. “And seeing how it’s Leap Day now, and I have a ring and all, I guess there’s just one last thing to ask.”

James’ expression turned even more stunned when you got down on one knee, now holding the silver band up in front of him. 

“Will you marry me, Jamie?”

In the few seconds of silence after that question, you could feel your heartbeat in your ears. He looked at you stunned, and you desperately wanted to know what was going through his mind. How long would you have to kneel on the ground for him to give you an answer?

But then he smiled brightly, and all your worry slipped away.

“Of course, I’ll marry you!” James slipped out of his chair to join you on the floor and grabbed your face, giving you a long and deep kiss. You gripped his curls in your free hand, the other resting on his shoulder. When he pulled away, he let out an airy laugh. “I never thought I’d be the one being proposed to.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.” You giggled with him as you slipped the band onto his ring finger. “Happy Leap Day.”

“Happy Leap Day, indeed,” James said before kissing you again.

[rosehipandroots]

if the links had YouTube channels what kind of content would they make

oh i can so get behind this

time: he’s too cryptid lol he appears in the background of Malon’s ranch vlogs. he makes his appearances stranger and stranger to mess with people bc he’s Like That 

warriors: all the beauty. makeup, skin routine, fashion, etiquette. this is however staggered by him and artemis’ impromptu sparring matches bc she likes to ambush him while he’s streaming 

twi: he’s just a little guy doin his farm things. he mostly talks about fishing and his goats and posts tutorials on how to properly herd and wrestle em. his audience is routinely shocked that he can haul 300 pound rams around. his most popular video is of illia roasting the shit out of him while talo and malo cheer her on (he left epona out overnight at the ranch on accident) 

sky: he knows all the birds. all of em. he’s like the rainbow macaw guy that was just walkin his birds lol. he does volunteer work at a zoo and vlogs about days in the life of a zoology student. he also skydives with his girlfriend all the time and he and wind happily talk about seagulls, and he often introduces his sword at the beginning of his videos. he’s got all the sunshine energy 

wild: he’s just Insane on social media. just a total gremlin. wind shows up in his videos a lot & they do crazy shit followed by a cooking tutorial from wild like nothing even happened 

legend: he’s a nerd. such a nerd lol. he didn’t post often but when he does it’s always an infodump on the most random of topics, esp things he shouldn’t really have the right to know/vaguely concerning bc he knows Everything (with an occasional jewelry interlude with wars) 

four: you never know what he’s going to post. smithing, pranking, breaking and entering; he gets away with the weirdest shit and no one knows how. wildcard fr

hyrule: he does those lil soft aesthetic videos with a lot of travelling, landscapes and rain. throughout the course of his videos he somehow becomes friends with increasingly more concerning animals until he’s just taking innocent selfies with a wolf pack in the middle of nowhere (which may or may not include twi) 

wind: had to think about this one for a minute! i think he’d do a lot of out-to-sea videos and chaotic boat manning stuff with tetra. plus bombs! aryll often steals the show bc of how cute she is and often steals the actual camera itself. she talks about seagulls and fencing. wind also does cartography occasionally with legend bc they’re all about maps 

this was really fun!! i think the tl;dr is that they're simply all too chaotic to not be entertaining XD twi and sky are the only vaguely normal ones

[kiwiaok]

aftg is eating up my brain so badly, I have a constant stream of ideas and I’m shit at actually writing them but I need to get them out of my system bc it’s suffocating, so:

• an au where king and sir turn out to be shapeshifters so andreil magically acquire two spoiled kids

• andreil saying to each other ‘IU’ instead of ‘I hate you’ or ‘I love you’ or anything else. they use it in every kind of situation bc it’s the testament of how much they feel about each other and that’s more important to them than anything else. they’re fighting? IU (I hate you, I’m scared for you, I’m scared of how much power you have over me, I still want you to stay) they’re having sex? IU (I trust you, I love you, I’m going to take care of you, I’ll make you feel good) they’re breaking down? IU (I’ve got you, I’m here, I’m going to stay, I’m going to help best I can)

• a fic where neil dies in baltimore and we see the aftermath told from his perspective as a ghost: introspection, character study, cannibalism, polaroids, inspired by strangers by ethel cain:

• neil taking great pleasure in buying andrew expensive things and seeing him use them, not out of possessiveness but bc he truly just wants andrew to be happy and taken care of. and andrew learning to accept those gifts bc neil never wants anything in return, not even gratitude

• neil getting drugged at eden’s by some stranger and proceeding to glue himself to andrew’s side. the next day andrew is frustrated by that show of trust and he asks how neil could know that it wasn’t him doing the drugging. to which neil replies that he didn’t know that, but he knew that andrew wouldn’t drug him or let anyone touch him without a good reason. so it was okay, he just needed to trust andrew’s judgement and stick by him. and then andrew realising just how much faith neil has in him and having a breakdown about it

• after neil’s bad days, andrew spoons neil and keeps his hand wrapped around neil’s throat while they’re sleeping. it makes neil feel safe and grounded and makes andrew drunk on trust and control (bonus scene: foxes witnessing this one day and completely failing at understanding their dynamic)

• neil getting into a habit of spitting after his time at the nest bc riko used to spit into his mouth and make him swallow it as a power play. whenever neil remembers it the thought of any spit in his mouth, even his own, makes him sick. so he spits

• whenever aaron is on the edge of relapsing instead of telling anyone he just trails after andrew 24/7 bc he knows his brother won’t let him destroy his life

• tlou au where andrew is traveling the world in search of his twin brother and he’s hired to transport neil somewhere. meanwhile, they fall in love with each other and they find out andrew was supposed to deliver neil into his father’s hands (andrew promised neil safety and he refuses to break his promise so this becomes the first job andrew ever failed)

• andreil breaking up and neil desperately trying to prove to himself that he can move on so he takes the page from andrew’s books and starts sleeping around, but he only succeeds in hurting himself and feeling miserable (they get back in the end bc I need them to be happy)

• OH MY GOD HORNY KANDREIL CLASSICAL MUSIC AU!! kevin (and neil?) playing violin and drew being freakishly good at playing every instrument he ever touches but especially the piano. kev giving a performance and andreil sitting in the first row, neil getting a hard on bc kevin looks so good in his suit, with slightly greying hair combed back and passion burning in his eyes. andrew discretely edging him on, palming neil’s dick through the fancy suit’s material and keeping eye contact with kevin the whole time

AND SO MUCH MORE AAAAAA. this is insufferable, I’m writing fics in my head to fall asleep and then I’m waking up literally quoting aftg (genuinely happened last week, I felt like a lunatic) and then I’m going to uni and I spend every lecture thinking about how I can use my degree to better write about those stupid murderous college athletes. what kind of crack did you put in this series, nora?????

[leelikesjasongracesupremacy]

Fanfic idea where after Jason “dies” (he doesn’t actually) he hides like that hero from Megamind but differently. Like, he doesn’t want to do anymore prophecies and he can’t continue on the temples bc he knows everyone thinks he’s dead and with his logic, it would probably cause another panic or prophecy and he doesn’t want that. So instead of going back to the demigod camps, he just runs. He runs until he’s found by a group of bandits that happen to be demigods that didn’t fit in and they’re not just Greek or Roman. They’re Norse and Egyptian and all that kind of stuff. They immediately take him under their wings after hearing his story after they interrogated him. They’re surprised to hear he was apart of the seven and was a Roman praetor. He doesn’t like to talk about that. Jason knew the risk of not having anything to hide his face or hair if he were to ever run into anyone he knew him. So, knowing this, Jason literally isn’t recognizable because he has a hood and a bandit mask on. Only his eyes are seen. He also picks up a few bad things from the bandits that he was susceptible to already due to his mother— I.E. drinking & smoking. He’s with them like this until he’s like 19 or 20 or so. The bandits also call him JJ, Jay, or Mr. Electric (only when joking ofc)

Now this is just Jason’s backstory for the fic. The actual story is in Leo’s POV (ehem Valgrace) and Leo doesn’t even know that Jason is in fact Jason. The bandit he’s been traveling with has a super intimidating and authoritative aura and he doesn’t talk. The bandit doesn’t seem to mean harm to Leo though, and if anything, he seems to want to protect Leo even though he doesn’t know him.

The prophecy is also this:

Fire shall go find the bandits of the west

With them, he will find the lost hero laid to rest

Together they will prove wrong and right

They will stop a devastating fight

And if they are to fail

Death and destruction will prevail.

Basically a bunch of demigods are starting wars or at least trying because action has been slow and they want their own time. Not just the Romans but it’s so many demigods of different “mythologies”. Leo has to go west alone and find the group of bandits. He has the find the lost hero (which he didn’t realize was Jason) and stop those wars from starting.

Idk this was something that came to me in a dream. Also Jason’s face gets revealed at a super suspenseful time bc he has to eat some ambrosia. His hair is longer. A lot longer. And Valgrace ensues. Tears and angst and fluff and all that fancy shit.

[tutuandscoot]

Ice Dance Falls, Fails and Flubs

Part 1

1. “Stationary Lift BASE?! “😱🫠

Classic HD fuck up 1.0

By now y’all know my distain for HD, not that I have any love lost for Bock either.. or WeaPo.. or gilorier.. so basically this is me missing VM at 4CC and HOLLERING at the cocky ness HD display for a rushed, messy, careless program with a travelling stationary lift guys come on what are you doing sitting there pep-rallying for +5’s.. you look like idiots. Btw. who tf is this lady on the right ↗️??

Also feat. Evan ‘employee of the month at Taco Bell’ Bates

2. Belbin/Agosto blow it in the Compulsory Dance

They came to these world champs in 2008 expected to win, with the Russians D/S out with injury. But down Tanith goes on a twizzle in the CD.. the point of CD’s is that you are in hold basically the whole time therefore it’s extremely unlikely to fall bc your partner holds you. This put them 6th after the CD, 5th in the OD, rising to 4th after the FD.. they would never win a worlds or Olympics despite being an incredible team* (for the time.. )

3. FP/M- Torino addition

Maybe the funniest thing ever in Ice dance. This happened after at least 3 teams had already had serious falls (including Marie and Patch which I won’t be talking about bc of the seriousness of it- that was not funny) this on the other hand is HILARIOUS. Firstly: the costumes. WHAT? WHY? Maritzio looking like a pimp. Even before the fall this performance reminds me of your cringe aunt and uncle getting up to dance at a wedding. They had not competed since SLC 2002.. we won’t discuss that bc How and WHY- what sport was ID in 2002 where this team wins a medal over Bourne & Kraatz?????

Then.. the fall.. yes BESP uncles.. it was the too much outside edge that did it, that’s where the problems started, never mind mags’ shithouse skating skills.

My favourite part is when she just *reverse Homer Simpson’s out of a hedge* towards him and he does that *nod* as if to say “hey that was pretty damn good” seriously, what a flop, even in the K&c it continues to be hilarious him just man spreading looking at the scores while she looks like she’s gonna kill herself (and him), he’s looking as if ‘yeah that’s not bad’ well you wouldn’t know bro there’s been a new system introduced since you seemingly last stepped on an ice rink.

Just omg.. iconic. all I can think about is god forbid this ever happened to vm and the polar opposite their reaction would be (except S never dropped T and S actually had skating skills)

4. The piece of shit that is Didier Gailhauget

(Thankyou to @iluvausten for finding this for me)

I don’t need to translate this right y’all get it..

This tweet and subsequent result is the reason the acronym LMFAO was invented. Guess the Russian mob didn’t feel like helping out on this one sorry boo 🥲

(And/Or the bby angels were just too damn good)

5. Bourne/Kraatz 2002

This is kinda a sad one..

But what I love is the contrast between B/K reaction and FP/M..

No blame, no hate, no making a scene.

They were in 4th place going into the FD with a good chance of capturing bronze, but fell in the last 5 seconds.

It was so unfortunate but you know what: you skate to MJ you should expect karma..

They finished 4th- same as they had in 1998- a fixed event

6. Classic HD fuck up 2.0, Worlds 2017

I don’t want to talk about this to point where I’m gonna get hate for it and I also don’t want to be that person who says ‘I don’t talk bout what I don’t know’ and then talk about what I don’t know but since this post has a bit of a ‘blunt and direct humour about it’, why do I get the feeling that the whole ‘we don’t have faith in ourselves’ thing was a bit of an act with these two and training with the goats gave them this false sense that they were better than they were and took that cocky confidence too far to the point where (he especially) couldn’t stay on his damn feet?? The whole ‘Gabrois podium sweep’ thing they were going for at these worlds and olys gives me side eye..

Ok. That’s part 1, part 2 coming soon

Reminder this is all in good humour, every team that competes at this level is highly skilled in some respect and then others are just a$$holes🥰

[xerith-42]

So in your rewrite why did Araphel destroy Kulzak’s eye and why didn’t Irene heal it. Also do you have any more Kulzak crumbs I humbly beg.

I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED!!!

In my rewrites Araphel did destroy Kul'zak's eye, it actually happened during that final fight against him as an attempt to stop Kul'zak from shattering his relic. It didn't work, but whatever fucked up and evil magic Araphel used to destroy Kul'zak's eye was something Irene couldn't heal. She tried to, but the wound always repelled her magic away and just didn't work at all.

After the failed attempts Enki whisked Kul'zak off to one of their vacation homes in Galruk and tried to heal him in a variety of different ways. The one that had the most promise and that is considered a core memory for both of them was a potion that Enki spent almost a year figuring out the components for, gathering said components, and then brewing. It was a long, arduous process, and multiple times Kul'zak told Enki that this wasn't necessary. He was perfectly content living without his eye, it was his idea after all, if this is the price to pay then it was worth it.

But Enki can't live with that. "What's the point of all this knowledge if I can't use it to help the people I love?" In the end it didn't work, but the attempt was greatly appreciated. Kul'zak did their best not to let this keep them down, instead turning to try and understand/love this new aspect of his appearance from an artistic sense. He had paintings commissioned of him that depicted him with this new eye in a beautiful way, hoping to show to his fellow wanderers and everyone who saw him that this change didn't make him any less beautiful or worthy of love than before. He and one of their muses even wrote a song about the "One Eyed Wanderer" to cement that this is who Kul'zak is now, and they can live with that.

Oh yeah Kul'zak is so nonbinary in my brain it's not even funny. Every time I think of Kul'zak I just think "You would use neopronouns". Probably star/starself would be their favorites bc Kul'zak is such an astronomer/astrology girl. It's actually how astronomy started as a science in the ancient days. Wanderers, merchants, sailors, farmers, normal people just looked at the stars a lot and noticed patterns in them, wrote those patterns down, and then theorized about them. I imagine stargazing is one of stars favorite pastimes, something they tried to do with each of the divine warriors at least once, including Xavier who wasn't even divine, just this simp who Kul'zak was fond of.

Kul'zak does have everyone's sun signs memorized and Enki is the only one who fully understands what they're saying. Menphina's in a bitchy mood one day and Kul'zak barks "Stop being such a Gemini," to which she yells back "Shove those stars up your ass!!" Irene understands it kind of because she asked Kul'zak what the hell they meant when star said she was "Being a total Sagittarius." Esmund and Araphel do not understand this weird star bull shit at all, but Kul'zak is having fun and they don't understand half of what he says anyways.

I think a lot of music in the MCD world was composed by Kul'zak. He learned how to play many instruments in his time, and possibly made a few of his own, probably some of the weirder ones that have fallen into obscurity. Some of his compositions are credited to different people, and some don't even have his name on it, but that really wouldn't bother them. As long as there is music in the places star once called home, Kul'zak is happy.

Unlike some of his peers, Kul'zak could honestly care less whether anyone remembers him in the future. His name could fall into complete obscurity, his relic could be left to rot somewhere where it will never be found, and all his findings could be attributed to someone else. As long as there are still wanderers, poets, musicians, bards, travelers, and those with free spirits who let themselves love the world they live in the way he did, they're happy. As long as there's still a world for them, he did his job right.

[sigmashuffle]

I have a question!! So I’m a long-time BSD enjoyer but I haven’t read nearly as much of the manga as I would like. I’ve seen all of the anime though, most of it multiple times through. I didn’t realize until looking at the comments on Danny Motta’s video at how much people fucking hate Fukuchi and his sword. Up until this point I’ve thought it’s cool as hell and he, along with the sword, bring something kinda new and fun to the series.

HOWEVER, I know BSD is FAR from perfect and there’s a lot of dumb shit that faithful manga readers have a better perspective on. Would you mind explaining why Fukuchi and the sword are such a sore point? I hope this isn’t too much to ask. I just really want to know.

Hi anon! Its not too much to ask at all!

Unfortunately the answer to that is best explained in the context of ALL the issues I have with the manga/show so... this is going to be v long... and im done giving this show more credit than it deserves but don't take it that seriously lol I hesitate to even consider my pov to be on par with the average manga reader but ig we'll see how my opinions hold up after i post

And disclaimer: I don't mind answering this but ONLY with the context that this is 100% my opinion (as of late, bsd as a whole has just been REALLY bugging me so im just gonna take this opportunity to explain my gripes since most of them apply to or tie greatly into fukuchi's character/design/motivations/development)

I simply don't want anyone to come for my head bc of anything I say here tho, bc I feel like I may disagree with a large portion of the fanbase but WITH THAT SAID...

***from this point forward there will be a few spoilers from s5e11***

Here are my gripes with BSD...

1. BSD and its "magic system"?

bsd powers suffer from what i like to call a "lack of scope"

granted this could be due to the fact the story isnt complete HOWEVER im sure any anime fan can tell you this story doesnt feel like it is leading anywhere its just... going... (ill get to the awful pacing later)

for comparison sake im going to also talk about The Case Study of Vanitas since it is the world I have the most experience in

what does BSD not have that VNC does?

simply put, the magic system doesnt reinvent itself character to character

in VNC if you have an ability it is EXCLUSIVELY connected to "manipulations of the world formula" which is essentially elemental control (fire, ice, gravity, etc.) based on a sci fi version of chemistry (alchemy, if you will) and this rule applies to EVERY CHARACTER in VNC

its a structure that starts developing from the beginning

BSD however introduces a WHOLE NEW magic system for each character

some character abilities are similar, yes, and can be classified as such, but many cannot be classified

again a magic system doesnt NEED to have strict rules (its actually more boring that way if the rules are too simple) but it DOES need RULES... and solid ones

otherwise its tempting to use the MAGIC system to fill in PLOT RELATED gaps

and if that system isnt defined, well, to me that looks like lazy/sloppy/illogical writing

if you like the whiplash of not knowing whats gonna happen next, fine, (i did for awhile too!) up until the unpredictability started to come from powers that as a whole look like an authors way of trying to write themselves out of their own plot hole

ie: time travel

specifically time travel that isnt introduced FROM THE BEGINNING...

2. Fukuchi and his "deus ex machina" sword

time travel is NOTORIOUSLY difficult to pull off and especially by my standards

I have watched Doctor Who since 2008, before I even knew what tumblr was I was doing my own solo fandom stuff (basically just watching a LOT of youtube video essays) but basically I have high standards when it comes to time travel in stories

Amenogozen has the POTENTIAL to be a great weapon if used in a logical context... but theres one thing the sword (and BSD as a whole) does not follow

RULES

time travel is TRICKY mostly bc it has consequences... in BSD fukuchi gives nothing in exchange for his powers

lets even toss time travel aside for the moment

what is Fukuchi's innate special ability? Mirror Lion... (read below)

its essentially an attack multiplier of x100 at CLOSE RANGE

lets say your average untrained human punch is 150psi (pounds per square inch) which is the pressure equivalent of a point 100m below the surface of the ocean...

with Mirror Lion's multiplier you get 15,000psi which would be 10,000m or 10 kilometers

a pressure equivalent to the deepest part of the ocean (i dont need to remind you how powerful water is... we all know about oceangate)

MY POINT IS HE'S OVERPOWERED AS FUCK

dont even get me started on his motivations too

im glad we got backstory for him in ep 11 and im sure we are just supposed to sum up his motivations into "he was willing to pay the high price for world peace" but tbh royally fuck that

dont TELL me thats what he believes

PROVE to me how you made that conclusion

also the only reason he even dies is becasue he wants fukuzawa to kill him... we dont have any sense of accomplishment for stopping his scheme because NOW the scheme has been PLOPPED right into fukuzawa's lap which fukuchi intended to do from the start... apparently

and this seemingly retroactive decision-making is a problem A LOT of bsd characters have, especially the one and only character i hate THE MOST... *drumroll*

3. Osamu fucking Dazai

oh boy...

I have thought long and hard about Dazai... im not going to lie, after ch109 and ep10 I was about to admit Dazai might actually have grown on me BUT

this was all erased after 6 minutes into ep11 when he was confirmed to indeed NOT be dead

Dazai just *knows* everything thats gonna happen

Chuuya was never a vamp... he knew this... and somehow his ENTIRE escape plan was just hinging on that? bc yknow... hE kNeW fRoM tHe bEgiNniNg

OSAMU DAZAI IS A PLOT DEVICE USED *ONLY* TO FILL IN NARRATIVE HOLES

HE IS A WAY TO FORCE PROGRESS ON A STORY WITHOUT EVER GIVING A REAL EXPLANATION

HIS CHARACTER IS AN INSULT TO INTELLIGENCE

His character is paper thin, with motivations that do not translate to his actions

and frankly... im tired of it...

additionally... if sigma doesn't survive, all of Meursault was literally useless... so why pick him for nikolai's prison break game?

even if he does, it means the ONLY thing we get out of the arc is information about fyodor... as to WHAT information, who knows... but regardless, a villain arc that has been going on for TOO GODDAMN LONG (40 chapters?) should have a resolution that isnt "i knew what was gonna happen all along"

we spent the whole time being SHOWN that fyodor and dazai were of equal intelligence levels... or at least higher than what dazai was used to dealing with

if dazai could just predict shit like this from the beginning why was fyodor a villain for so long? makes ZERO sense, dazai would've defeated him AGES ago... what makes THIS time any different?

also... why is he even suicidal? yeah ok the author was... but like... why make it such a present character trait?... so we can fake kill him over and over? idk

can you tell i dislike him?

4. THEORY vs PRACTICE

I am a "show dont tell" girlie

ALL BSD DOES IS "TELL TELL TELL" ...its infuriating

almost every power/special ability has an element of "trust me bro" ok SOME OF THEM DONT but most of them do

ie: atsushi is a tiger (what does that even mean), kenji gets strong when he's angry (ok hulk?), and THIS JUST IN we STILL don't know how fyodor's ability works... and now he's DEAD?... we also dont know almost any detail about sigma's ability and he might ALSO be dead

but thats only regarding abilities...

when it comes to writing stories using people of high intelligence it is VERY difficult to not get into the aforementioned "trust me bro" mindset which BSD does REPEATEDLY

im not listing off every example but off the top of my head is one scene from s4...

ranpo explains his plan for saving yosano loosely involved "replacing the engine [of an armored vehicle] with an electric motor and playing engine sounds over the speakers so no one noticed" ...and only i can pick this claim to shreds lol (i engineer electric vehicles for a living) but this is so wrong on so many levels...

Internal combustion engines and Electric motors are IN NO WAY EQUIVALENT

ranpo would never be able to power a vehicle the size of an armored truck with a motor that he installed an hour before the truck was put to use... he just wouldnt... the vehicle is too big... ugh *facepalm*

and dont even get me started on batteries...

MY POINT IS

if you want to write some *genius move* at least TRY to do some research to make the action believable

thats like saying "oh yeah i ran out of gas so a threw a couple AA batteries into my gas tank until i could make it to the station"

BUT THAT WOULDNT FLY BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE KNOW THATS NOT HOW CARS WORK

*sigh*

5. Manga Readers' POV

the.chapters.are.too.short

especially for a monthly released manga

i am relatively new to anime and manga... like late 2020, so I am part of the "new gen" I guess you could say so i know i dont have any right to complain about pacing in comparison to like... the dressrosa arc of One Piece

with that said, not enough in bsd BUILDS on itself

it all feels like a self "one-up"

its been too long since any of my large questions have been answered

honestly its rare that any of my questions are ever answered because the narrative rarely follows logical progression anyway and any scenes thats ARE useful are cut from the anime

characters do not *develop* their powers, they just simply ARE

whatever ability you are born with limits what you can do and thats that... which leads me to...

6. Types of Ability Users

the most coherent thing i think i can speak on so this will be short lol

there are 3 types... i think (excluding lightnovels, i have not read 15, Stormbringer, or any others)

(1) natural abilities (ones that can be nullified by dazai or stolen like in Dead Apple)

(2) human/god fusions (chuuya) -> but this can ALSO be nullified???

(3) when an ability isnt an ability (it CANT be nullified) -> ie: whatever the fuck Lovecraft is

Sigma -> ??? (he could be part of the natural ability category but like... it feels weird to put him there)

but... there is never a comparison between these types so im not even sure of this "list" is exhaustive

this is just another way the story is leaving open ways to dig itself out of a plot hole... which isnt fun... bc now there are no stakes... there are no rules... its disorganized chaos where anything can happen

everyone will always be fine because there is a way out of everything

and thats BORING... and for me, downright infuriating

fukuchi likely falls into the first category... but then again he's also using a tool from another ancient ability user... so does he even fit there?

7. Anime Adaptation

rushed

rushed

RUSHED

and i know why...

BSD is so thin on STABLE plot the story would feel like its dragging if Bones wasn't animating at the pace they are (see Manga Readers' POV)

so to try and counteract the feeling that nothing is happening they are cutting "irrelevant" scenes BUT ALSO important portions relevant ones (ie: aku's death)

do all the plot points from the manga happen? by definition, yes... but the nuance the manga has is lost almost entirely

Atsushi doesn't physically throw an injured Aku's arm over his shoulders... Aku doesn't smile upon his demise... Aku doesn't reach out through the fog of the fire extinguisher (the adaptation of this scene was personally my last straw)

and then we have the new anime content...

why did we tack on an additional fight? zero context... didn't even tie up loose ends from fukuchi like...

is sigma alive?

are chuuya/dazai/nikoali still in france? europe?

is fyodor going to return in some way? (we know nothing of his motives, ability, or MOST importantly, what information did he learn from Sigma??? his ability is an EXCHANGE so why even have that happen if they are both dead anyway?) why would you fucking kill off a character like this

WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THIS ENTIRE ARC??? The mere reason I'm asking this question is, in and of itself, unacceptable

we MAY get an answer later... but its been 20 episodes... why the fuck dont we know anything about the arc we just completed? ...ludicrous

Final Thoughts

BSD does not have enough reliable rules in its magic system to form a solid foundation of... anything

Fukuchi is a disjointed character trying to do too many things at once, he doesn't have solid motivations, and his arc provides more questions than it answers

Osamu Dazai is not a character... he is a plot device used like a saving throw in DND

BSD frequently insults my intelligence to cover it's ass in its storytelling

being a manga reader is like taking 30 days to rip off a tiny band aid... the pacing is unbearable

even with the end of fukuchi's arc now known, there was no sense of accomplishment in defeating him bc technically we didnt… he gave himself up... so the sword was just to make him overpowered... it was pointless

the anime adaptation was rushed, scenes cherry picked, and plot narratively thinned into water... there was no depth this season

In my opinion...

There are very few redeeming characteristics about BSD now

The few meaningful scenes we do get in the manga are overwritten by later context that negates any emotion initially associated with the scene

even with the end of fukuchi's arc now known, there was no sense of accomplishment in defeating him bc technically we didnt... he gave himself up

Dazai is the worst written character I have ever read

It is very likely i drop this story entirely

If I seem salty/upset/etc. its because I am. However is NOT directed at you, it is simply a manifestation of my disappointment in this story.

...

And there you have my opinion... in way too many words... thanks for sticking around if you made it this far im impressed bc i am salty as hell lol

fin

[commanderthalys]

Ro’wynne and her relationships with the rest of the firstborn

Doing all of this under the cut bc it’s gonna be a long ass post

Wynn

Wynn thought it was fun that she shared part of a name with Ro, and used to joke that Ro’wynne quite literally wasn’t complete without her. While Ro was watching over her siblings in the night Wynn would often come and sit quietly with her, when unable to sleep due to the secret she carried (I think it weighed really heavily on her). Ro never pried but it seemed that was enough for Wynn. They rarely held an actual conversation yet always seemed to be close due to their dream connection. Ro doesn’t know the truth about Caithe killing her and I don’t think will ever know. She pleaded with Wynn not to leave, they had already lost Riannoc, but Wynn had reassured her before leaving that she’s be alright.

Caithe

Ro and Caithe have had a strained relationship due to many different factors. She loves Caithe, but was very upset at how she treated the secondborn sylvari. She then went with Caithe to rescue the second born that were captured by asura and stayed with them while Caithe pursued Wynn. She sees her sister as selfish due to her secretive nature, and Caithe thought she was cold due to her rough personality. Over time Ro does gain an admiration for her efforts against the elder dragons. They don’t get along very well but do love each other even if they have a hard time communicating that. Post mordrem corruption they haven’t seen much of each other.

Dagonet

Ro admires his position as a diplomat but worries a lot about him. When he first left to study away from the grove she gave him a thorn from her armor to remember her by, and to use in emergencies. She tried to teach him how to defend himself before he left, and the thorn was as close as she could get to being there herself to keep him safe. They write letters to each other somewhat often and he tells her about his studies abroad. I think this quote from him

“A true sylvari should have two hearts: one soft and pliable as hot wax, and the other as hard and impenetrable as an icy diamond. The first, he should show to his companions, the second, to his enemy. Woe to the one for whom the two are the same.” Is inspired by her.

He writes more to her post mordrem recovery, she can’t really travel so he tries to bring bits of the world to her.

Faolin

it sounds like Faolin’s always been a little shit in many respects from what I’ve read lmao. She used to mess with Ro’wynne and test her patience when they were saplings. After the Wynn incident Ro’s connection to the dream allowed her to feel her mother’s bitterness towards Faolin, and although she didn’t know what had happened, she stuck with the Pale Tree. Once Faolin created the court and started tormenting the rest of her kind though, all bets were off. Ro’wynne’s only left the grove a few times in her life prior to HoT, and she went with Caithe to twilight arbor to put a stop to Faolin’s nightmare. By the end they hated each other, only for mordremoth to corrupt them both.

In a sick twist, Faolin was turned into the vinetooth creature by Mordrem Champion Ro’wynne. As mordrem they worked together to try and take down destiny’s edge, which ended with Caithe killing Faolain as we know. She does not miss Faolain but does regret not doing better in trying to help her against nightmare.

Kahendins

these two are very very close. Ro’wynne was the protector of everything Kahendins built. She’s so proud of him, she used to quietly sit by him as he would explain his plans to build a new house, or a new defense for the grove. He greatly enjoys her company and they live together, even though Ro has her own place now (I imagine she used to stay with him in the early days, and even after he shaped a house for her she stayed. He doesn’t mind).

Post mordrem he helps her heal and they do a lot of things together. They built a garden and he also built a quiet little spot for her to get away from all the noise when she needs it.

Malomedies

he was the Riannoc incident before the Riannoc incident and the reason Ro’wynne is so overprotective. She blames herself for not being there to prevent the asura experimenting on him. They weren’t super close but whenever he had nightmares after coming back she’d always be there as a shoulder for him to cry on. She’s one of the only people he makes an exception for, in being allowed to interrupt his studies. Mainly because she’s quiet and he knows she won’t bother him. Maybe also because he feels safer sometimes knowing she’s watching his back.

Riannoc

her baby brother, she loved him so much. His cheerful and outgoing personality would bring the hidden side of her out, and he would playfully mess with her as she watched over the grove. He looked up to her example as a warden for the grove, but when he decided to pursue Mazdak she begged him not to. Even when the Pale Tree gave him Caladbolg Ro’wynne feared for him. After the death of her brother Ro’wynne began taking her role as warden much more seriously, the first death of a sylvari was a great shock to everyone and she was going to do her best to prevent more of them.

Trahearne

due to his time spent away from the grove they never grew very close. Her connection to the dream allowed her to check on him from far away, and on nights he was lonely in Orr, he’d still find himself able to fall asleep feeling safe. At the world summit during lws2 he saw her flee with the mordrem and later he caught glimpses of her as a mordrem, ravaging the pact. They don’t see each other for years and he assumes she’s dead until he visits the grove and learns about her recovery. They still haven’t talked though, he’s been busy with his own life and he’s not quite sure how he’ll be able to handle seeing her, the one that killed so many of his soldiers and turned many more. She likewise is afraid of him, he was the pact marshal and he ordered cannons to be fired against her. She of course understands his reasons but those thoughts still linger.

Aife

they’re pretty close after HoT. Aife had always seen her as a distant figure (most did) but she was one of the firstborn, along with Niamh, who first met her post mordrem. Due to her position as a luminary the two don’t see each other often but try to spend as much time as they can together when they have it.

Niamh

Niamh officially founded the wardens as a group, and Ro’s been one since the start. The two of them are very alike when it comes to being protectors, and Niamh understands a lot of Ro’s reasoning for many things. As saplings the two would bicker over who should be the one to keep watch, etc, and Ro would often win just due to her imposing presence. However, the two do love each other. Post HoT Niamh is very wary of letting a mordrem into the grove, but over time the two are able to regain trust with each other.

[shalpilot]

Hello! It's been a while since I asked you something

So, i'm not really into ffxiv stuff (like, plot, game itself, etc) but I'm extremely curious about your oc Kiril. Due to this i came up with some questions (they're so basic, because i need to know at least something to ask a proper question)

1. Can we get a lil' bit of Kiril's backstory (other than running away from home). As far as i understood, he ran away with his sister/friend Yesui and something bad happened to her. So, maybe now you can give some extra details on their runaway and her death (if it was death, obviously)?

2. What about Kiril's parents? I didn't get the thing about forehead scales (maybe, it's described in ffxiv wiki or smth, idk) and who were they? Some sort of a ruler? Just soldiers?

3. Not really important but how do you pronounce Kiril and Yesui's names (full, of course)?

So, I'm glad to write again and being eager to wait for your new answers

Probably, if it doesn't bother you, i'd ask more questions in future about Kiril

edit: question one ain’t canon anymore LOLOLOL. yesui still dies in coerthas but it’s related 2 the herectics now. idk how bc I like. just stared heavensward but. we will see.

1) I actually rolled Kiril’s last name and ended up getting one of the tribes with canon lore which is GREAT for me bc it helped me mold his backstory more. I’m not at the part where I actually get to learn about ‘em in-game cuz i only started playing like a month ago but to boil down what I know, the Dotharl tribe believes in reincarnation & as a whole the Xaela- pausing. Kiril is an Au Ra (race), a Xaela Au Ra (black scales; nomadic), and a Dotharl (tribe). hope that makes sense lol. anyways as a whole the Xaela are pretty unwelcoming to outsiders and even Xaela from other tribes. Every year they have a Naadam which is battle where the victor “claims dominion” over the Azim Steppe (homeland) for the year. The Dotharl emphasize not fearing death and not being a fucking pussy

all of that is setup LOL. Anyways, Kiril was born shortly after the death of a notable warrior (also named Kiriltugh) and so he was set on the path of becoming a warrior since essentially day one. thing is, he a.) hated it and b.) was shit at it. he struggled to pick up even the most basic parts of fighting and suffered a lot of berating due to it. at the same time, an older girl in the tribe was making strides and becoming a veritable golden child in the eyes of the adults. that was Yesui! she was incredibly strong for her age and seemed to have a natural gift for battle. but very importantly, she was also understanding of Kiril’s struggles & helped train him even after plenty of other people had declared him a lost cause. eventually though, despite her best efforts (and Kiril’s improvements! turns out a mentor who doesn’t yell at you is a lot more effective) Kiril made up his mind to just. leave. when he told Yesui about his plan, she insisted on coming with him. even with Kiril protesting (you’re doing fine here; don’t ruin your life by coming along!) she wasn’t going to let a 10 year-old leave on his own.

They travel together for an undecided amount of time- left vague so I can update it when i get to later expansions (heehee) until they eventually end up in Coerthas, a snowy region. To my understanding this is pretty fucking far away so I think they must’ve argued their way into an adventuring party or several to make it all that way. they didn’t exactly have a plan; it was just “keep going until we feel like it.”

(a realm reborn spoilers until the next question.)

in Coerthas, things take a pretty sharp nosedive for the two of them and they end up alone and very, very lost. their adventuring party was attacked by a beast tribe and the materials they were carrying were ran off with. They manage to find a cave which offers them a small amount of shelter. Yesui leaves Kiril there while she goes to look for any kind of settlement they might be able to hole up in. she’s gone for ages. and when she comes back, excitedly promising Kiril she’s found someplace safe, she seems… off. she’s holding his hand a little too tight, moving a little too fast. she assures Kiril that where they’re going is safe, warm, and “beautiful”, but the storm raging around them only seems to be getting worse.

…i’m gonna get a little more technical from here because i want to make the rest of this into a comic rather than writing it out.

what’s happened to Yesui is she’s become enthralled by a primal god. Garuda, the resident primal of the region, is in the process of being summoned by the same beast tribe that attacked them, with the items they were transporting (large quantities of crystals). the more followers a primal accrues, the more powerful they become, and something in the region has caught her attention.

Kiril.

so, using Yesui as means to draw him to her, she means to take control of him as well. unbeknownst to either of them, Kiril is under the protection of Hydaelyn, a different (benevolent) goddess who grants Kiril immunity to the thrall of primals. in shielding him, She also ends up shattering the crystals being used in the ritual, causing it to fail. in the ensuing chaos, Kiril escapes with Yesui and manages to find an actual settlement. he begs for help for him and his closest friend- who has remained enthralled even after the disruption of the ritual.

the thing about those who become enthralled is that there is no helping them. what’s more, every follower is another source of strength for a primal.

she cannot be allowed to live.

despite his desperate pleas, despite his promises that she’ll never hurt anyone, Yesui is put to death.

he is far, far from home, and he’s never been more alone in his life.

….then some stuff happens and he becomes an adventurer. i don’t wanna fill in everything just yet, haha.

2.) His mom is a goldsmith and his dad’s a hunter! His mom’s forehead scales are just a trait female Au Ra have. men don’t tend to have as many/any scales there.

3.) Key-rill-too (full name is Kiriltugh) and Yesui is like. yeh-sooey. kinda :?

Kiril doesn’t tend to go by his full name because he feels he hasn’t earned it. this is more so a thing before he saved the entire realm; now it’s more of an affectionate nickname from friends.

[khytal]

octopus adventurer 2 thoughts :)

-negatives first (this is the only one). my biggest criticism is how the beastlings were handled; we got rid of the awful dancer design but received “‘savage and uncivilized’ natives” in return. which. what the fuck

-if you liked ot1 to any degree you will enjoy the sequel I can almost guarantee it (but try the demo first)

-there are improvements in nearly every aspect (essentially there’s a lot more variety in everything, but especially the sprites for both regular characters and enemies)

-most importantly the party feels like they’re actually traveling together :) and the crossed paths chapters are fun, although I wish they were a little longer x)

spoilers section (only to be read if you’ve seen the credits roll)

ochette: -aside from the shit subplot between the colonizers and beastlings (which was resolved by abruptly slapping a bandaid on it in ochette’s last chapter) I thought ochette’s story was passable -it wasn’t anything super special but I like ochette as a character. she’s fun and honest and her travel banter was very sweet (especially the one about gil’s piano playing wahhh) -she also gets the “tempest on the battlefield” song, which only plays 3 other times in the game so. yeah :]

castti: -hey check out how hard i can cry -my favorite comparison between alfyn and castti is that even though both of them were forced to take a life to save several others, for alfyn it made him reconsider what it meant to save lives while castti had ZERO qualms about killing trousseau -apothecaries also get the best pre-boss fight prelude themes for no reason -idk how else to describe castti other than “strong”. in more ways than one. she’s my favorite of the girls for sure -and she definitely had one of my favorite stories (although I guessed pretty early on that malaya was already dead x’) ). I love how her path/job actions played into the last few scenes o(-<

throné: -yeah hi what the fuck -genuinely just. what the fuck -i don’t even know what to say. I love throné I like that she’s socially awkward but not necessarily shy, and she’s not exactly closed off either -she’d look better with pants (it’d also be way more practical for her job) but that’s beside the point I guess -good god her last chapter had me reeling. I thought they were going to reveal at the garden that all of the blacksnakes were like. clones grown in a laboratory and that’s what the garden was but it was so much worse. wdym this guy’s been fucking for decades -oh also shoutout to the writers for letting throné actually go through with killing mother in front of the little girl desperately begging her not to do it (bc usually that leads to “maybe i should reconsider” but that didn’t happen and it was nice for a change lmao)

osvald: -you know how I said I didn’t really care much for him. yeah that opinion flipped by chapter 4 -idk if this is accurate or not but the travel banter between him and the rest of the party felt like it got more amicable as it went on (obviously this is. tracked in the “wasted time” series but I mean in like other travelers’ conversations) -I’m glad he got his daughter back, and that he at least plans on reuniting with her instead of being like “no I must stay away for her own good forever” -also the voice acting is really good. it’s really good across the board but especially for osvald’s last 2 chapters

partitio: -sorry before i say anything I need to mention that partitio’s ch1 is one of the 4 times that “tempest on the battlefield” plays and it’s SO funny to me that it’s even there. because otherwise the song plays during 3 major, high-stakes confrontations and meanwhile partitio’s here beating up some thugs in the mines sdkjfhgkjdf. anyway -i love him he’s everything to me -honestly surprised that they managed to make partitio more connected to the overarching plot than agnea, who was only tied in because she encountered tanzy. the fact that he’s so selfless that he was able to give one of the antagonists hope in humanity.,.,.,augh -the scent of commerce stuff was fun and I liked that that, along with his story, really did end up taking him all over solistia -he doesn’t kill anyone BUT he was absolutely prepared to end giff’s life in ch1 so I 100% believe that he wouldn’t have any issues with committing murder under very specific circumstances (hope this explains why I put “murder is okay” for him in that one meme) -huge props to his VA. unfortunately “yeehaw” is now a part of my vocabulary because partitio was my protagonist and I have 104 hours logged lmao -also something he and alfyn (my fave from ot1) have in common is saxophone being their associated instrument x)

agnea: -she’s so sweet I love her.,,.. -her story was also really good!! again nothing special but I enjoyed the execution + her final fight was really cool (esp with the unique song wahhh) -did not think she would be one of my favorites but she’s definitely up there :)

temenos: -temenos. -I ended up liking him a lot more than I expected x’) -me when characters have a seemingly infallible, confident mask and it only slips because they’re angry on behalf of another. me when temenos does this twice for crick’s sake o(-< -god. what do you MEAN crick is dead. orz

hikari: -in ch2 I was like “haha what if kazan betrays hikari” and I was relieved when that wasn’t the case. and then I went into the final chapter. -ngl i did tear up a little in the scene after the fight with rai mei. the voice acting was fantastic there -also the travel banter with osvald where hikari smashes osvald’s train of thought by going “but you have magic”. lmao -I really expected a moment where the cursed blood forces hikari to take a life against his will and he has to deal with the consequences afterward but that didn’t happen. probably because mugen was the endgame rather than figuring out what the cursed blood was -related note everything about the archmage dar’qest went in one ear and out the other I do NOT remember what he did x’) -other than that I liked hikari a lot. I’m glad he wasn’t a brooding character, though he’s not exactly one for jokes. he’s just very humble and polite. straightforward

final chapter: -I was so SO excited that there were scenes where all of the travelers got to talk together. one of the few things I desperately wanted out of ot2 and I got it :’D -ALSO I’m glad that this was a mandatory chapter bc it really pulled everything together in a much better way -my only complaint about it is that at vidania, only the protagonist you chose talks. and I know hikari has a comment about kazan before entering vidania but it’s just a little weird that they don’t all have something to say when directly facing kazan/vide. like of all the times to cop out on the travelers being together.,...,,.lmao -having all 8 travelers on the screen was SO cool btw -the epilogue was really sweet too I had a huge grin on my face when it was over :’)

thanks for reading all this sorry that it’s so long o(-< anyway this is a standout sequel it’s very very very good. easily one of my favorite 2023 games so far

[invinciblelikeu]

“dSmP fAiLEd bC dReAm diDn’T knOw hoW tO rUn hiS oWn sErVer 🤓☝️”

qsmp was made for the purpose of becoming big and popular. the dsmp was not - and it was never meant to be as big as it was. dream made that server so he and his friends can hang out in minecraft

unlike quackity, dream never had a whole team to help him run the server. he didn’t have a bunch of mods, he didn’t have fans sign up to promote the server for him, he only had himself and callahan. dream didn’t have a team for content at all period. no editor no thumbnail artist - it was all himself. he was editing his and the dream team’s videos up until last year.

also unlike quackity with the qsmp, the dsmp was NEVER dream’s number one priority. he had manhunt, other youtube videos, the dream team’s videos (to conceptualize, code, and edit, mind you.), a merch company to run, george’s visa application, music, mcc, etc.

the dsmp failed for the same reason usmp never got to start: harassment and hate from other ccs’ communities. need i remind you of the “drop dream” and “boycott dsmp” hashtags? the threats to him, his friends, and his family? dream himself said it’s the biggest reason why. the people faulting him for ending the dsmp are the same people who pushed him to do so.

another reason dsmp failed is because of loreheads and freak stans who would cry and whine about every single artifact and mob on that server - further demotivating old and new members to play

most members of the dsmp also had other content to prioritize, such as irl content. dream is not the sole cause of everything that happened on the dsmp. (it’s also just funny how back in 2021, lore got pushed back so hard cause lockdown was being lifted and dream did not complain a single time. but once dream had face revealed, got 10 times busier, had been traveling, had internet issues at home, and had JUST MET his best friend of 7 years for the first time, people [ccs and fans alike] suddenly wanna cry about lack of communication 🤷‍♀️)

dream actually does know how to manage a server, despite *certain* people’s negative biases. he was involved in a lot of the lore writing, especially with wilbur and tommy (another instance: he agreed to be involved in ranboo’s lore out of the blue, even while he was doing his main arc with tommy - and if you were actually there, you’d remember it went really well). he used to hold meetings with other members to discuss lore. it has been mentioned before that dream would hold open forums and discuss terms of the server which had always ended in agreement. he also set specific and fair rules - which i’m sure everyone forgot about - and was unbiased about it (ex. punishing george for tping to where he died to get his stuff despite being his best friend). he also catered to other members’ needs (coding ranboo’s enderman powers, giving hannah her elytra back after it was stolen and destroyed, giving foolish his immortal powers). there’s so much more to say here but you get the gist: dream is a natural born leader and it showed while he was running the dsmp

dream actually already had prior experience when it came to running servers. he was literally the co-owner and a developer of munchymc. if you read that reddit comment from velvet complimenting dream on how well he handled issues in munchy, then ikyk

you can insult dream about a lot of things (i'm lying, you can't actually), but to diminish his work ethic and skill in general is what pisses me off the most - cause i have never seen a public figure this dedicated to his job no matter what hurdles are thrown at him. he has done almost everything by himself with minimal help - and did so with grace. he’s never complained about being swamped with work, is always open to *constructive* criticism, and most importantly of all, he has never, ever, shit on someone else to earn his spot on the top.

[iridescentoracle]

okay so i know i disagree with the Entire Rest Of The Fandom Except Nyquildriver, Apparently, on a lot of stuff, but this does still feel a bit like sacrilege to say, but i’ve been thinking it for over a year now:

i do love the concept and a lot of the individual bits are great, but honestly i didn’t think chat blanc was like, super well-written—the concept is great but the execution was lacking—but not for the reasons i’ve seen anyone else argue. the problems i’ve seen other people have with chat blanc were all down to characterization (of marinette and/or of her parents, mostly) and that all worked totally fine for me.

the problem i have with chat blanc is the way the time travel/flashbacks are handled—having bunnyx frantically flipping back and forth between the chat blanc/ladybug conflict & the how-we-got-here just feels contrived, like if the solution here is having ladybug deakumatize chat blanc then why does it matter what happened, why are you so desperate to find the answers, and if it does matter that much and bunnyx does need to know, then… why doesn’t she do anything with the information

but then there’s also all this focus on “oh she has to find the akuma so she can fix everything!!!!” but surprise that didn’t fix everything and actually now you have to go back in time and avert this whole timeline so actually you could’ve dipped on the fight ten minutes ago and gone back to erase the name as soon as you found out he knows who you are and everything that’s happened since was totally pointless

and while i think that could have been done well—you thought everything was fixed but SURPRISE OH NO—it actually just felt anticlimactic? and the “actually this whole fight was pointless bc she’s erasing this bit of the timeline” could’ve been really poignant—she knows she should just leave and fix things before the timestream breaks down but she can’t bear to leave chat noir like this even in a future she wants to prevent from happening in the first place—but again, as it stood it just felt pointless

like, the problem with how marinette is written in this episode isn’t about characterization, it’s about agency. between dropping off the hat and erasing her name, nothing she does actually matters or drives the plot, and basically ditto bunnyx; she’s great in theory but doesn’t actually do anything that like, a random time portal marinette accidentally trips through couldn’t have done.

and i feel like i’m making it sound like i don’t like the episode, and that’s not even true!! i cannot possibly overstate how much i love the idea of it, i’m all about time travel and alternate timelines if they’re handled well, and i have happily eaten up every temporary identity reveal the show has given us and hoped for more! to borrow a description from nyquildriver,

it honestly does feel like all its impact on the story is to give marinette some PTSD "gotcha, can't fall in love with chat noir, okay"

and i am just fine with the actual plot impact going forward being "marinette has PTSD around the idea of falling in love with chat noir now," [kicks a non-trivial amount of my ao3 history under the bed], so at the end of the day i’m still really grateful that chat blanc is an episode that exists, but i’ve never been able to watch it without thinking the whole time that they had all the pieces of a top-tier episode and put them together clunkily enough it’s actually just kind of okay.

which is WILD because holy shit what a concept. like even from years in the future when we’re a couple episodes from the end of season five i still can’t believe that’s actually a real episode they gave us. i wish it were more than the sum of its parts but what parts

[imstraight]

well ig since i walked out i can spill the real tea at my last job

extreme racism

extreme sexism/misogyny

extreme homophobia/transphobia (a supervisor targeted this trans girl who was so sweet)

sexual harassment on a daily basis. i reported it often and was laughed at. didnt really help that the worst of it was coming from managers/supervisors. so many incidents including getting groped by an 80 something year old dishwasher over the summer

cut hours with a promise we’d be back to full time (never happened the salaried bitches got a 1k bonus for sending 20 people home daily) none of us were approved for partial unemployment and couldn’t eat or pay bills

dishwashers got paid meals. cooks did not. we were threatened with termination if we ate uhhh it was called stealing. but we got a free shift beer which no normal person took! we were hungry and most people weren’t even 21

call out sick? no that’s a write up. you were expected to come in still and have a manager send you home. (this is why i walked out i just came back after 2 viral infections that almost killed me and my dr sent a note and i had medical paperwork as proof) any absence would be held over your head including covid, not coming in during a travel ban, etc…

begged for a raise. i did not get a raise. i was the only person with a soup talent. i can make a mean soup. i was told “i didn’t give enough back to the company”

do you care about your family? not allowed. your life was supposed to be just work

13 hour shifts at times no recognition no nothing

phones were not allowed to be even in your pocket (new rule riiight before i left) scary shit bc i watched my friend have an extreme family emergency and i had to step in and take her home

managers got fired for sexual harassment ONLY if they were caught with multiple minors. no adult accusations were believed

sick time that you would get in trouble for using

filthy work environment

expired ass moldy food

someone sent out a blade in salsa a customer actually found it idk how we weren’t shut down and no he didn’t get in trouble he just blamed someone else

food was sent out either overcooked or extremely undercooked

gas leak (i almost got fired for calling osha over the summer cause everyone was getting sick anyways it was still a problem when i left)

we had a fire one day on a GAS STOVE and my coworker was screamed at for grabbing a fire extinguisher. it was rusty and he couldn’t pull the pin. they got it out with corn starch 😺

drinking on the job (im not a buzzkill but it was extreme and these people would drive home hammered)

you want a raise? you have to fuck a higher up for that. this girl was fucking a supervisor and they got caught on the property multiple times. she got a raise. a girl who busted her ass working did not get a raise and she quit after she found out (she was very nice)

need flexibility because you have personal obligations? no you’re not giving enough back to the company

unpaid vacation that rarely got approved. over the summer i needed 2 days off for getting my college shit set up and my bf’s bday. i let this manager know over 5 times with notice. eventually i was tired of being ignored and went around her and sent a mass email to everyone else reminding them i would not be there. it was not a request i was NOT going to be there. they didnt like that too much

managers would regularly come in 30+ mins late. i had to step in and get shit set up for the day write out lists and get a good idea of what we had stocked (which was not my job)

FAVORITISM if you were a white man you were golden. all minorities were treated like absolute shit

good employees were threatened with termination over everything. they did not need a reason to fire you. they just did

harassment in general i almost got into full on fist fights trying to defend myself after people came at me

hr cared about the company. owners cared about the company. management cared about the company. they did not give a fuck about employees at all

no one had manners this bitch almost knocked me out with a door she dropped a box on my head. she never said “behind, sharp” yk all the common kitchen etiquette. i was advised by a manager to stab her?

benefits? nonexistent. i did get covid relief for 40hrs which they didn’t want anyone to know about. i told everyone (we were encouraged to come in with covid just wear masks)

annoying ass rude ass people that wanted to mansplain everything even if they were in different departments LOL. i cussed out people on a daily basis. it got to the point grown ass men were afraid of me because they didn’t expect me to fight back

good workers were threatened the shitty ones were promoted

and much more!

honestly fuck that place with everything in me. i have been debating on blowing them in for labor laws and sooo much illegal shit. they would get shut down for many incidents i didn’t get into

[the-travelling-witch]

When it comes to Kazuha I think you two are definitely the friends to lover trope. He’s definitely the type though to realize his feelings but refuses to say anything to you about it, wanting just to keep things how they are and admire from afar. Something had to have happened for him to be motivated to confess: whether it was another suitor, shit going down in Inazuma/ danger period, or even you confessing your own insecurities and desires.

For Xiao, this is definitely a slow burn. Xiao doesn’t understand feelings or love in that regard, all he knows is that he wants to hang out and spend time with you more. It probably wouldn’t be until Cloud Retainer/Xianyun slips if he has a crush before explaining the the sense yaksha he fell for you. He’ll be a lot more awkward and robotic at first but eventually with some motivation he’ll confess

Childe and you are def right one, wrong time trope but I think unlike most those stories this one would end up with a happy ending. The conflict mainly just comes from his job and constant traveling, while also pushing you away because he doesn’t want you to realize he isn’t as kind as he’s made himself out to be. With some time though and communication, he’ll finally settle down and let you in

ohhh honey, thank you so much <3 it’s so interesting to see that you picked kazuha for me; normally i feel like the two of use would be too harmonious and therefore nothing would happen (which is the devil talking, tranquility is what we want)

ngl, looks like we’re at a stalemate in every scenario though bc i can’t see myself confessing to any of them unless they make it very clear they’re interested in me

so maybe confessing to xiao would be the most likely if my very dense brain actually translates receiving affection into the thought of “oh he likes me”; but childe pushing me away would absolutely keep me from confessing; kazuha and i just sit in the same boat, admiring each other hsjsj

also i think the tropes are really well picked!! while kazuha’s and xiao’s are definitely classic, childe’s i didn’t see coming, though it definitely makes a lot of sense (and invites so much angst, omg the angst); i wonder what his breaking point would be to stop running and start talking