#why am i going this hard in the tags for this goofy of a comic?

[risingsunfish]

(the first funniest thing is that he accidentally cosplayed his least favorite person)

Bluesky

The second-funniest thing about Valentine's Claude is how his bouquet is literal weeds it looks like he plucked out of the ground 7 seconds before the photo shoot.

Bluesky • Reddit

[blackbatcass]

2024 WRITING REVIEW

tagged: @malinaa LYS HI LYS THANK YOU FOR THE TAG MY LOVE

tagging: desperately trying to remember which of my mutuals are fic writers.. uhmmm @bluegarners @starsapphire @roseworth @lieu42 if you all haven’t done this yet and feel like it! if you haven’t written fic this year my bad my memory is terrible

number of stories posted to ao3: a whole 4 fics lol! i am pretty new to the fic writing game so that was good for me idk🤷‍♀️

word count posted for last year: 64,475 (thank you to tbba for being long af)

fandoms I wrote for: detective comics babeyyyy😎😎

pairings: dickroy<3

stories with the most kudos, bookmarks & comment threads:

NOT THE STATS LOL.. i write for my mutuals and my mutuals alone ok😭 there’s a hole where your heart lies had the most all around with 158 kudos, 60 bookmarks and 21 comment threads. the people love dickroy 🤷‍♀️ it’s ok one day niche comics canon bart allen character study fics will have 5k kudos trust me

work i’m most proud of (and why): to be buried alive is im pretty sure the longest thing ive written to date, excluding maybe one or two pieces of bad original fiction (<- girl who has terrible writing stamina). so i was very proud that it got done at all. also was just very proud of the arcs and emotional moments from that piece! cassie cain amiright<3333

work i’m least proud of (and why): i mean at the beep was pretty dumb lol, it was just a goofy gimmick fic. it brought me joy tho

share or describe a favorite review you received:

i have a lot of comments i keep close to my heart that talk abt themes & analysis i was going for but i want to thank this person for giving me the ego boost of all time

a time when writing was really, really hard: SECOND HALF OF THIS SEMESTER. ugghhhh. double major in humanities will mean you write a lot for class, shocker. so when i do get free time i usually do not feel like spending it writing even more🫣 curse you academia

a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: i wrote you are my sunshine in a feverish haze over the course of a week or so hence a lot of it surprising me.. the ending especially! i did not plan on iris making an appearance in the fic but when i actually sat down to write the ending.. there was no other way it could end🥺

a favorite excerpt of your writing: Damian was a small thing. Cass imagined him wrapping his little hand into a fist, watching blood leak between his fingers.

makes more sense in context but probably my fav lines from tbba<333 that good old gut punch of 8yo cass imagery

how did you grow as a writer last year: improved stamina.. writing 40k is still insane to think about

how do you hope to grow this year: i really just want to write more consistently and frequently. i go through weird phases of activity usually so i just need to get into the habit of writing every day<3

who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer, beta, cheerleader, etc.): this is mostly for original fiction but my partner<3 sent them a draft of my final portfolio for a cw course and they texted back lots of very sweet reactions and also said: ‘okay so what if we made [x story] into a short film?’ so now we’re making one of my pieces into a short film. pro tip get into a relationship with someone who loves ur art. also sway was def my biggest cheerleader for tbba shoutout sway🫶🫶🫶

anything from your real life show up in your writing last year: no one ask about my relationship to my father.

any new wisdom you can share with other writers: get weirddddd with it ignore the rules

any projects you’re looking to starting (or finishing) this year: hehehe there is a donna fic in the works😈 also vague notions of a longish wally west versus parenting & unresolved childhood trauma fic but we’ll see what happens with that

[makwandis]

Hey! So, I'm pretty sure the post isn't about drastically different takes on characters/canon divergence - it's about the fact that the Hetalia tag has a lot of posts that not only hate on the canon, but shame/mock ANYONE who enjoys the source material in any way. I'm pretty sure when OP said "silly yaoi show," it's not meant as "how dare anyone make serious content," but rather "liking canon is not that deep, so please stop berating fans" (afaik you don't do this, I am not blaming you, but there are a few prominent fan artists who do).

oh this is illuminating thank u anon... yah I think cuz of hetalias like. Reputation. A lot of ppl who remember how goofy it was just haven't even gone back to any of the updated stuff anyways.... I personally don't even know how to engage with current content like wh. I don't read comic books or nothing nor watch anime so I myself am working off a smoked out memory of canon from when I was like 14 and I don't think im the only one... I think a lot of ppl engaging w canon now see it for the silly yaoi it is and can enjoy it tho. It is really interesting how like there are such divergences in how ppl are in the fandom.

That post wasn't the only post I seen tho / but the silly yaoi comment thing stuck in my head. I do think that ur interpretation makes sense wrt that post but it didnt come off that way to me tbh when i saw it but thats just how I read it / it's only like 2 sentences so there isn't much to go off for me anyways. Like I'm just annoyed at people tryna tell people what to do lol. But I appreciate this anon and ur thoughts cuz I see that angle now too def. Ppl shouldn't be so rude online... what's the point. Let ppl enjoy the silly. I try to, that's why I'm always like IN MY OPINON cuz a lot of ppl will think if I don't say that I mean in my opinion and also the now bee mandated dictatorship of opinon that u must also follow... which I don't actually think haha. Least not for hetalia lmfao. Just be less combative it's not hard ppl .

But damn this Fandom is small I have gotten 2 anon over this more anon than I've ever gotten over anything else haha.

[jetsandflowers]

HELLO THERE! I'M JET/FLOWERS! 🌼 Consistently losing my sanity over the giant space robots (as you do), I'm over-enthused and over-caffeinated and have a brain that wanders like a little fish. Sometimes I write! Sometimes I art. Most times I just stare into The Void.

🛫MY TF FANDOMS🛫 🌼 Transformers Animated 🌼 Transformers Prime 🌼 G1 Transformers 🌼 Transformers Earthspark 🌼 Transformers Cyberverse 🌼 Bumblebee Movie 🌼 Rescue Bots 🌼 Transformers One

🛫UNMENTIONED🛫 🌼 Bay movies (nah. thanks. the fanfics I've read go hard though) 🌼 Comics (may start reading 'em soon!)

🛫FAVORITE BOTS🛫 🌼 Blitzwing (TFA): EVERYBODY APPLAUD THAT COURT JESTER RIGHT NOW he's the funniest MF here. Wife material??? Brain says yes. 🌼 Ratchet(TFA, TFP): That's Peepaw!!! 🌼 Wasp/Waspinator (TFA): I am a hard-core Wasp apologist. He was a big meanie but he didn't deserve That. Wishing hugs and therapy on that dude! 🌼 Bumblebee (TFA, Earthspark): That's The Guy. Homie who you could kiss material. 🌼 Swindle (TFA): Baddie. I love him. 🌼 Blurr (TFA): That's Zippy!! 🌼 Starscream: I love him in every iteration because I, too, think about stabbing my boss every breathing moment while looking totally slay 🌼 Shockwave: I love him in every iteration 🌼 Soundwave (every iteration): He's the only one with brain cells! Prime has the most Shaped design to me and I love the idea about his vow of silence, but G1 will always be my true fave. 🌼 Hound (G1): no real reason. He's my little guy, a true blorbo. 🌼 Blades (Rescue Bots): just the most blorbo!!! 🌼 Nightshade (Earthspark): They're actually perfect.

🛫MY SHIPS (I collect Blitzwing ships like cool coins at this point) 🛫 🌼 Blitzwing X Bumblebee (TFA): Ma'am, why are you shipping those two clowns together, I hear you ask. Well, maybe because they're silly goofy, and I think they should exchange clown noses. Real talk though? Vibes. Also together they could get away with murder - Actually, SIKE, no they couldn't, and that's precisely why I'm shipping them. 🌼 Blitzwing X Wasp/Waspinator (TFA): I know it’s weird but it’s like dark timeline Blitzbee for me and I dig it. I'm the only one that ships this as far as I know but it rocks anyways. 🌼 Blitzwing X Blackarachnia (TFA): Think about the body horror discussions they could have, man. Additionally, she made him Like That according to the Allspark Almanac. Like HELLO. Someone had to suggest it at least. It'll be me I'm chill with that. Also, can we talk about the actual Stein and Madusa energy they give o- aight, I'll stop now before I go on forever. Side note for persuasion purposes: they're also mostly dressed in the asexual colors. Hell yeah!!!

🌼 Charlie x Bumblebee (BB movie): HUMANS AND ROBOTS LOVING EACH OTHER: THE SHIP. YAAAAAYYY!!!! 🌼 Optimus X Megatron: When I tell you that any love story between these two is so Pride and Prejudice coded... UGH-the DRAMA. Disgusting! Give me more!!! 🌼 Starscream X Megatron (TFA, G1, Earthspark: oh I ship them, sure, but like, in the way where it's like they're in the middle of a nasty divorce. Horrible. Beautiful. Mwah!

🌼 Thundercracker X Skywarp (G1): Wholesome. Adorable. 🌼 Swindle X Lockdown (TFA) they slay and it’s everyone’s problem. 🌼 Shockwave X Soundwave (TFP & G1): I don’t gotta say anything more than they’re just top tier. They get shit done. The end, amen. 🌼 Slipstream X Blackaracknia (TFA): now this? This is beautiful.

🛫TAGS🛫 🌼 Art Tag: #Jet's art

[kiwikiswia]

hey @9617saphs totally didn't forget about this but, sighs

first of all, *them (blasts you with spelling mistake gif)

second of all, you SHOULD'VE TELL ME THIS IN THE ASKBOX dumba dumma I literally just found this from scrolling the tags of the post (i don't usually check activities <- scared) and found out you rb'ed my post which i'm sorry for noticing it late but then again you should've send this to my ask it's literally an ask game!!!! dum

(/lh /nm at the fullest i hope the way i word it kinda funny/unserious makes me actually sound not mad at all, I just feel like this funny)

anyway back to the answer,

I actually kinda expect someone will ask this 😭but at the same time I have to thought of the answers like "how do I make you know that this character mean so so much to me" since wooooords are hard and idk if anything I say is comprehensible to people but aight I'll try.

ok what was the questions aga- okay.

long post ahead whoops!

1.) How do I feel about this character?

short answer, I have uncountable arts and comics ideas about them what do you think i feel about this character

long answer,

the "they look cool but tf is that goofy ass hair tie brah is that a feather duster 😭" -> "grumpy cold freak /neu" -> "wait actually. I need to learn more about them" (no reason, but full of spite and curiosity) -> "FFUCKCKFUFUXKCUDK WHY ARE YOU SO COMPLICATED" (trying to figure things out) -> "ough this is not normal I'm not normal actually. /pos" -> "self projection beam go" pipeline.

can a character I used to mock on turn into character I've written and theorized on a lot? Into a character I self project onto? apparently engel from the hit game pk2 can do this to me, and as one of the most mysterious character in the game engel gave me so much headache long time ago it's making me insane (still am) but worth it! but I can't escape now! i might be forever staying in this regalle hellhole! wow!

2.) /r pair you like of this character

Need I Say Anything next question

3.) /non r pair you like of this character

the above answer goes too here actually. i've ever mentioned somewhere they're like. a secret fourth thing to me. their love is something incomprehensible to the world it *can't* be classified as merely and only romantic. sure it can be seen as such but I don't rlly want to strict the two's relationship under a status.

but for other answers is of course the other two of the main 4, leif and especially evelynne

don't get me wrong I do am insane more about zefirengel and the writing I have about their dynamic is a lot more (yes i'm biased thanks to the past me and how I want to bring back that old spite. sorz), but

never forget that evelynne is canonically the only person in regalle that engel has positive relationship with. they're friends and lynne mentioned engel helped her since the early days she became a merchant and said multiple times they're nice despite that cold cover of theirs. how'd they get along in the first place? that's the question. there's so SO many things I thought of about their friendship story and her perspective prove a thing that engel isn't always a very quiet cold and meanie person and can be soft and nice if you actually get them right.

(though smth to note I see them as queerplatonic. I think lynne would shriveled up if she found out she's in a romance with someone for a second and. idk they fit better as that honestly I don't think they understand romance or want to aha)

and leif. goodness. if they interact more perhaps prism may fall into apocalypse they're too powerful. they could be a good student-mentor duo. Leif called them "librarian friend" and I believe he would ask for guidance to engel despite already have gwynelle. engel too would admire his bravery and determination to help everyone and just being so friendly with anyone. how's he's just. a contrast with the so-called arrogant and strict aegles. I can list MANY similarities they have esp like. their mindset. actually If i have to list what things are the main 4 share the same it would be uncountable since each second passes I would thought of a thing then another.

OH AND DON'T FORGET GRETTA THEIR SO-CALLED SISTER i can't even say anything here it would be a lot LOT. God what are you two hiding. what are your motives to hide on places? what. what. what. wh

engel why are you such a complicated character (i AM the one making it complicated) (i give too much a fuck)

4.) unpopular opinion of said character

bitches who call them librarian aegle version of peanut pk1 needs to be executed

(this one is [mostly] for me ->) also people mostly thought they're mean and "annoying" or just see them like "ok sure you exist but you're kinda nothing with that grumpy personality", which I get people see it that way esp when you aren't into the game deeply but you've got to know there's more than that about them and once you learned atleast their origins you realized you can make things up, interpret how they are this and that and how they act that and this, it was so much fun to figure out how their actual personality blend with the others. you can actually have so much fun with them considering the many things about them unrevealed. truly the character to self project onto. it's fun.

5.) what you wish happened to this character in canon (?? smth smth around this I forgot)

grabs kurechii devs' shoulders. hey.

I know they really just seem really want to stay distance and unbothered by the people in regalle but. c'mon. can you develop more interactions of the main 4 with each other. I promise I know how to get it right I can help you I can give you ideas. more things about gretta and engel please. where could this engel enthusiast get other sources to learn about them. hey. can you still make them able to befriend others despite have to stayed mysterious. do I have to stay making things up forever like this. hey. hey. are you really gonna make them stay mysterious forever. that would be so bad you know. hey. can zefirengel become the 2nd sapphic rep of this game. why did you make them terrible. can they be more developed actually whether it's onto the healthy yuri or toxic yuri or tension yuri lead but can you not just left them like that. hey. h

.

ok that's all for now props if you read all that and idk if what I'm explaining is accidentally out of topic or I fully don't answer what the question asked aka I go off with what the question asked or. I actually just yap nonsense or nothing at all but idrc at this point i. certainly talk about things. and. I think my brain's fried from typing all of this. have this little doodle okay bye

[queen-scribbles]

Tagged by @rannadylin no-pressure tagging @greyias @eluvisen @haledamage @captainderyn

So, wanted to get some hiatus rec lists going and encourage some self promo in my friends so how about sharing your top fics no matter how big or small - give us the links to your wonderful words with the Most hits/Most kudos/Most comments/Most bookmarks/Most words/Least words.

I have so much to play with, just on AO3 I’m up to 984k words wtf.

Most hits:  Of Wardens and Pariahs, the joint AU fic for my Trinne Amell and errantgoat‘s Harvey Cousland running DA:O. It is... 46 chapters long so far(done Circle Tower and Redcliffe round 1, so... about halfway? phew) I’ve been working on this sucker for a long time. Twelve years, I think? Maybe thirteen? Between it taking a couple weeks to write/edit each chapter and doing other writing in between it’s slow going. But I still love it and our kids and there’s some stuff upcoming I am so looking forward to writing and inflicting on sharing with people >;3  

Most kudos: Unspoken (Endrali/Arcann, SWtOR) is the champ that finally unseated Third Time’s the Charm(Tavi/Aloth, Pillars of Eternity) by two whole kudos, assuming they cleared out all the bot kudos from when that was a problem, bc my Ardrali fics got hit hard by that one. (seems to match with the typical hits/kudos ratio tho) 

Most comment threads: Technically Of Wardens and Pariahs again, but second place is Moorings Lost & Found(Emiri & Aloth & Edér), my Pillars of Eternity minibang fic and that one’s near and dear to my heart like you wouldn’t believe, so we’re gonna give it some love, too. (Emiri and Aloth’s friendship means so much to me, y’all.) Tl;dr-- 9 chapters of Aloth and Edér rescuing Emiri after the slavers she’d escaped recaptured her.  Well, they threatened to kill Aloth to get her to surrender to them. And then stabbed him anyway. She might spend 3/4 of the fic thinking he’s probably dead. I got to really explore Emiri’s character and her friendship with Aloth especially but also Edér in this, and I got to write Aloth being a badass and give a platonic slant to a lot of usually-romantic tropes, so it was great fun. (My beloved Aloth icon comes from a goofy bonus comic my artist partner made. Part of why I can’t let it go. Good memories <3 Also skeptical Aloth is great) 

Most bookmarks: Eventually(Keme/Jorgan, SWtOR) Reunion fic for my Cathar babe and her husband, set mid- and post- KotFE ch 11. People have fabulous taste; I am very proud of and attached to this one. Partially bc I wrote it immediately after writing 6k of Jorgan denying processing her “death” while she was in carbonite, so it was basically the happy ending that wasn’t included in Never Give Up. But there’s established relationship fluff. And banter. And I just plain ol’ love Aric Jorgan, so all my stuff for him and Keme is a piece I love for one reason or another xD him

Most words: Of Wardens and Pariah(213,183 so far) Shocker(/sarc), with how long running it is and how much I’m trying to cover with it. XD

Fewest words: A Good Story(422) Varric musing about his own words biting him in the ass (”It’s not a good story unless the hero dies” :)))) ) as he gets ready to write Sebastian and tell him about Astrid (Hawke) staying to fight the Nightmare in HLtA bc I’m a terrible person. (tho that new Mallory & Mason thing I wrote is 360, I just haven’t posted it over on AO3 yet)

[existslikepristin]

Please, No Virginity Puns

The most recent thing I posted before tumblr. It was on Choerry's birthday, and I am proud of that.

Tags: TheLounge, Loona, Choerry, male reader insert, it's her birthday!, 100% butt stuff, I ate a thesaurus

~~~~~

It didn’t matter what you had to say anymore. Choerry was already on top of you, nude and keeping you muted with her tongue. How did you get there?

Well, moments prior, you were sitting next to Choerry at your small dinner table. She’s always insisted on sitting as close to you as possible in order to enable near-constant snuggling. It’s gotten a little annoying here and there, but you can’t help but concede to her innocent demands whenever she smiles.

Of course, and not that you’ve ever complained about this, that’s not to say that her demands aren’t always entirely innocent. Most of the time they are, but not always.

That day, for example, you woke her up with breakfast in bed. It wasn’t tradition, but you were just getting her back for the last time she did it for you. And what better day to present her, prone, with a pancake, pulverized potato, and porridge parfait platter… with toppings… than her birthday?!

It can be hard to tell if Choerry is acting or not at times, but you’d like to think that her cartoonish level of enthusiasm for the treat was entirely real. She carried that sunshine throughout the rest of your day, skipping through the park, greeting everybody on the way to, inside, and on the way out of The Lounge, at the surprise party that you helped all of her members get her with, and when she dragged you to her room.

Not a drop of alcohol had touched her lips that night, so it was all the more surprising when she shoved you onto her bed and stated matter-of-factly-but-also-vaguely that she wanted you to put a thing in her butt. Her words came out of her mouth like shimmery soap bubbles.

You had to pause for a moment to process her words. You were certainly up for some sexy times with Choerry. You had anticipated it was going to happen when she put your hand down her pants near the end of the birthday party with no attempt at subtlety. But her exact word choices had you rubbing your temples out of exasperation, even as she stripped herself down to her ridiculously cherry red lingerie.

Your chance to admire that rare view was lost to history, however. She removed the lingerie from her body while she claimed your lips. Your disappointment at not getting the opportunity to remove it yourself quickly faded when she popped back up though.

Her breasts were as perky as her attitude, and also your dick. She was quick to notice the latter and made quick work of your clothes too. She sighed satisfactorily at the sight of your sword and stooped to supply it with a suck and some slickening slobber, so you suspected the sex was starting summarily; more swiftly than standard, it seemed.

Concerned for her well being, you made sure to ask if she had lube available. Again, you weren’t going to complain about her gusto, but she lacked the anal experience that some of your mutual friends had, at least you assumed. Sure enough, there was a bottle mere feet from her reach in her drawer. She grabbed it and jumped back on top of you, pouring it generously over her ass crack and your cock with surprising accuracy for someone so engaged with a hot and heavy kiss.

You were sure you had something to say on the matter. Perhaps some additional words of caution, maybe some other words of encouragement. It didn’t matter what you had to say anymore. Choerry was already on top of you, nude and keeping you muted with her tongue. How did you-- come back around to the exact same thought that the story began with?

“It’s okay, right?”

You attempted to blink away your stupefaction. “O-okay?”

“Mhm! For me to… you know!” She leaned in and whispered directly into your ear, “Put your penis in my butt.”

Ah, yes. The demand that you had nearly forgotten in her flurry of kisses, now slightly reworded to include your dick in the equation. “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”

“Just checking!”

“We’ve… done this before.”

“I know!” Choerry swooped back in to continue kissing you, implying that she had no intention of expounding further. Her fingers wrapped around your cock, massaging the whole length to ensure that the lube had maximum coverage.

Your breath caught as you felt her readjusting you, tapping you around between her legs as she tried to match you up with her intended target purely via exploration. Your cock was ground between her ass cheeks, the tip slid over her clit, and dipped briefly into her pussy. A groan was the only complaint you could give to only being given a half second of her fantastic heat.

You didn’t have to wait long to get it back. Her ass opened up to the pressure she applied against it with your dick, but exceptionally slowly. Choerry released a series of little exclamations into your mouth as she pushed. She tossed the lube bottle to the side and snatched your hand, curling her fingers into your palm.

Finally, the last pop came, and was followed by a short slide. With no more manual guidance necessary, she grabbed your other hand as well, which promptly slipped out of her grip considering the amount of lube present.

Choerry released you from your kissy bliss to look at her slippery hand, a mixture of anger and amusement on her face. She tried a couple more times to hold your hand with it, but you liked this look. You easily slithered your hand out from under hers every time she slapped down. It was like watching a cat trying to catch a laser pointer.

It was just another reminder that no matter how deep inside Choerry you may physically be, she’ll never stop bringing a goofy-ass smile to your face.

Finally, you relented and entwined your fingers with hers, locking your knuckles together so you wouldn’t fall apart. She glared down into your eyes, but a grin still crept through. “Thank you,” she said, lips tight and nose scrunched up.

With you fully in her grasp, Choerry straightened herself up, allowing you the opportunity to look up and down her sublime figure. Though her movement caused her to cause you to penetrate her a bit further which caused her to flinch slightly, she kept herself aloft on her knees to not go too far all at once. She closed her eyes and took a series of deep breaths there, as calmly as if she was meditating.

As much as you wanted to go ham on her ham, you didn’t want to hurt her, so you contented yourself with watching her chest rise and fall. “Happy birthday…” you whispered.

“You’ve already told me that today,” Choerry intoned, eyes still closed like she was drifting off into her own little world.

You laughed. “I was saying it to myself! Have you seen you?”

She smiled again, and said three words in a voice that made it seem like she was speaking to an audience on the edge of their seats, “Okay, I’m ready.”

Her fingers constricted around yours, so you questioned if she was, in fact, ready. But you wouldn’t be the one to stop her.

Choerry’s tight tush trucked its way toward the top of your tower twice to tighten her take on the task at the time, before torturously trending testicle-ward. She temporized without taking your entire tool.

So hypnotized were you with her graceful movement that you didn’t even notice the frustrated moan coming up your throat until it was too late.

Her eyes popped open. “I’m sorry!” She sounded like she meant it, too. “This is… tough.”

“Take your time,” you said, straining your voice for comic effect.

“Could have used that four paragraphs ago,” she said, continuing her extremely slow descent down your shaft.

The odd statement distracted you just long enough for Choerry to finish her drop. No longer did space separate your pelvises. You grew concerned again when she winced and bit her lip from the inside.

“Choerry, we really can do something else. Don’t hurt yourself please.”

She gave you an exaggerated, indignant gander. “Rhetorical question: Who gets to choose the cake on her birthday?”

You held in your “cake” joke.

“It’s me,” Choerry’s voice was far too chipper to make this talking-to sound as stern as you were sure she wanted it to come across as. “As birthday lady, I get to pick the cake, and I get to feed it to you if I want to.”

You held in your “cake feeding” joke.

“And tonight, the cake I pick is my bum.”

You opened your mouth to comment on her most excellent selection of the word “bum” in the midst of a scenario where your cock is fully inside of said bum, but you instead gasped a sharp breath.

Choerry ground forward, pulling your dick with her and anointing the lowermost part of your stomach with the juices being lightly sprinkled from her clit.

“Besiiides,” she continued, re-angling her hands to she could tickle the backs of yours, “We have all the lube! Even some that’s got a certain special flavor to it!”

“Just some?”

“Yeah, ooh,” she crooned, apparently quite enjoying the grind back down your pelvis, “I didn’t get it all at once. Now guess the flavor!”

You waited for her grinding to pause again to be able to think straight, “Does it start with a ‘C?’”

Her smile grew. “Yes!”

“Is it a fruit?”

“Yes!”

“Is it… cherry?”

“Failure!”

“Wha--”

“It’s coconut!”

If you weren’t so established in your hand holding with Choerry, you’d have palmed your face. Thankfully, thoughts of how she could have possibly expected you to guess that were pushed to the back of your mind as she resumed her removal of your breath with a series of fanciful body rolls.

Finally fucking her fanny felt fictional. For while not the first foray there, far-fetched was the philosophy that it was fielded often, the front being the favored fornication fissure for the foreseeable future. Unless, of course, you could make this an especially special session.

But woe was unto you. Choerry had the upper hand(s) figuratively as well as literally. But, perhaps, you thought, this was exactly what she wanted and you could wait your damn turn to take control.

And you liked letting her anally probe herself this way, so, you know, what were you to do but enjoy the ride?

Over the course of her self-imposed ravaging, Choerry’s meditative breaths became ragged. Her eyelids fluttered at regular intervals. Through it all, she held her phantasmagorical demeanor. A couple of times she reached for the lube bottle and shotgunned it somewhat inaccurately between her legs, but it did the job. You were happy to see that she was still considering her own comfort.

In fact, to your surprise, her mouth opened wide in a silent shout. Her core trembled anticipatorily. Her hands held yours with a colossally increased lewdness. And those two mystical words trickled from her tongue with a high-pitched susurration, “I’m… cumming…”

Choerry’s grinding came to a grinding halt. Her body jerked and she fell onto you. Your cock sprang free of her ass in, and as a result of, the same motion.

You untangled one of your hands to stroke her back in the most adoring fashion you could muster. After chewing on a thesaurus for the prior hour, you were sure neither of you really needed any more words.

She stayed there for a spell, and you were happy to let her. It was so late it was nearly no longer her birthday, but her birthday it still was. She deserved the rest, along with the rest of your undivided attention.

Her whole movement consisted of her back going up and down as her lungs attempted to revive her fighting spirit, and her thumb lovingly shifting over the divinatory lines on your palm. You wished she would do something about her hair plastered on your chin, but ninety-nine percent of paradise is paradise enough.

You were disappointed when Choerry rose once more, slimily straddling your stomach. She detached her hands from yours to give the hair on either side of her face a good backward flick over her shoulders, and she sighed with contentment.

It was a shock to hear her speak again after such a prolonged reticence, but her unerringly cheerful voice was entirely welcome nonetheless.

“More please.”

You couldn’t then, and you still can’t help but concede to her innocent demands. Her smile just touched the corner of her lips. Sure, some of her demands aren’t so innocent, but… How did you get here again?

[adamfoolcry]

How the Tables Turned (One-Shot)

pairings: Reader x Hendery, Lucas(mentioned)

rating: PG-13  

warnings: none just cringe inducing fluff

genre: comedy, fluff

synopsis: You are a student assistant at the library and Hendery seems to love staying in the library past open hours.

word count: 1,734

a/n: Mentioning @nctcreations in case the tags don’t work. I love Hendery he exudes so much positivity and is very thoughtful.

Everyone who is acquainted with you knows that you are good-natured and possess a calm temperament. Right now though, the way you are glaring at the back of Wong Kunhang's head makes you resemble a bull seeing red complete with steam blowing out of your nostrils. The ticking of the old clock as it counts every second passing by infuriates you as if it's its sole purpose. It is already past five in the afternoon to other high school students it isn't much of a nuisance but to you, it is life or death. You need to be out of the school premises past five and should be on the way to the cafe you work in the evenings. Being a minute late at your part-time job means that you will receive a lengthy sermon from the cafe's owner as if they will not deduct it from your salary. But here you are still at the library waiting for Wong Kunhang to go on his merry way so that you can return the book he is pretending to be reading back to its respective shelf. Honestly, you would have let this pass but it's as if he is doing this on purpose for the past seven days. Adding salt to the wound, for every single day he takes a different book bringing it to his desk leafing through the pages eyes unfocused. Making you conclude that he is not doing any reading at all but just drops by the library to spite you. Each time before he leaves he will try to approach the desk where you are situated at and as if changing his mind in a millisecond he always makes a hasty retreat, exiting rather abruptly. You have reached your threshold and decided that you are going to confront him, for whatever his game is this got to stop. You walked towards the desk where he is, standing from behind his seat. You cleared your throat to get his attention. He craned his head back to look at you.

"Ummm, hi"

He immediately stood up from his seat in a frantic manner and rise to his height to stand opposite you. The seat's leg scratched the concrete producing a screeching sound.

"Hi, my name's Kunhang you can also call me Hendery if you like." He scratched the nape of his neck sheepishly smiling.

"I know who you are it is past five and the library closes at 5:00 PM sharp and I need to be at work -"

"I can totally take you there!" Kunhang exclaimed cutting you off. His words echoing in the empty library. You were not expecting that, the heat started blossoming on the tops of your cheeks.

"Uhhhmm, I was going to say that if you can, you know tidy up before five that would be great." You replied awkwardly.

"Ohh uhmm sure sure." You can see that he was embarrassed. He picked up the book from the desk. "I am sorry, I am gonna put this book back." You watched him as he put the book on its respective shelf and exited the library leaving you bewildered. Well, at least you got that over with.

After that incident, you no longer have to deal with him as he does not visit the library anymore. But he now occupies the other half of your brain you see him from your peripheral vision wherever you go. It seems that you are hyperaware of his presence and you can't take your eyes off him. How could you not notice before that he sits a few seats away from you at classes? By the things are going you can probably write a one-page essay about him.

He likes cats, not fond obsessed is the right word. His pencil case is imprinted with cat designs. He keeps a picture of his cats in his wallet, you know because you peeked over his shoulder at the cafeteria while he is paying for his food. He always remembers to feed the school's resident stray cat every morning. You saw him one morning bending down at the bushes near the outskirts of your school petting and feeding the stray cat.

He always hides a manga behind his textbook during classes snickering quietly so that he wouldn't be caught. Strangely enough, for someone who is not trying to do his best academically, he excels in maths and sciences and actively participates in those classes.

He likes to exchange crumpled notes with Yukhei. Maybe containing a joke or two because one time the teacher caught them they were kicked out of the class and got detention for the rest of the afternoon.

You can't deny that you are fascinated with him the same Wong Kunhang that you used to curse in your mind. You might even develop a tiny crush on him. This is why you found yourself boring holes at the back of his skull with the intensity of your gaze. Looking for minuscule details to add to your Hendery's cute and quirky habits list. Yukhei caught you in action sending you a wink and a teasing smile like he knows what's going on in your mind. He leaned down and whispered it to Kunhang.

Oh god no ...

Which made Kunhang spare you his attention looking at you with his biggest signature goofy smile. You abruptly hide your face behind your textbook and pretended that you are not gaping pathetically at his back so intently. You avoided looking at his direction for the rest of the day but you can feel Kunhang's eyes following your every move making you flustered and rendering you to something akin to tomato for the rest of the day.  

You do not feel good scratch that this is the worst menstrual cramp that you have experienced in your life. Top that with the fact that your PE teacher has instructed your class to do ten laps in the field under the sweltering heat. Your peers are already ahead of you and you have long given up trying to match their pace. You stopped jogging and clutched your stomach the spasms intensifying making you double over in pain.

"Hey _______, you okay?" Kunhang kneeled at your crouched figure.

"Yeah, I am fine." As soon as you said that your abdominal muscles contracted so hard and a whimper escaped your lips.

"Let's go to the clinic you don't look so good." Kunhang reached for your forearm and slung it on his shoulders providing support to your frail figure helping you stand up. Although feeling like you might pass out any minute you can't help but observe Kunhang now that your bodies are now in close contact. His perfect side profile, tall straight nose, big doe eyes, plump pink lips, his floppy hair that frames his face, and his light perfume which smells like the sea breeze. As Kunhang led you to the clinic he started telling you about the time he collapsed due to over-exertion at one of the PE classes blaming the teacher's strenuous routine and launching on his tirade about what a pain in the ass the teacher is. You giggled finding his attempt to comfort you adorable.

"I am on my period Kunhang. The cramps are a bit on the painful side today."

"Oh ..." Hendery said embarrassed.

After dropping you off at the clinic Hendery got back to the PE class to inform the teacher about your mishap and that the nurse advised you to take the rest of the day off. You decided to rest up at the clinic and head home after the classes are over. Exiting the clinic you advanced your way to the classroom to collect your belongings when you froze on the spot upon seeing Kunhang leaning at the opposite wall to the clinic. He was carrying your bag on his shoulder. Noticing your presence he greeted you with his smile.

"I thought it'll be a hassle for you."

You can't help but smile back at him, taking your bag from him as the two of you walk towards the school gate Kunhang started bribing you to buy him ramen as payment for his good deeds.

He has this habit of looking at you but he isn't trying to hide it, in fact you think he is waiting for you to catch him because every single time you caught him redhanded he'll flash his goofy smile at you. The first few times you caught him your initial reaction was to start blushing but after the novelty of being embarrassed wears off you just shook your head smiling your eyes crinkling in mirth.

He'll always approach you and start acting cute doing silly little poses sometimes Yukhei drags him off before he starts embarrassing himself other times Yukhei will join in and start imitating Kunhang's comical poses resulting in overjoyous laughter erupting from your classmates.

He leaves you food and other trinkets on your desk. Lately after coming back from the cafeteria the ever-presence of food at your desk baffles you sometimes it contains other miscellaneous items like hair clips and ties. It was not after that your cramps manifested again that you finally knew who the culprit was for in your desk is a hot water bag. You quickly looked in the direction where you knew Kunhang was sitting, his head thrown back laughing at Yukhei's joke. As if sensing your stare he turned his face in your direction and grinned charmingly doing another of his silly poses.

It's fifteen minutes to five o clock and you need to make sure that every book is on their designated shelf and there is nothing out of its place scrutinizing the library with a sweep of your eyes you deemed that everything is in order. You grabbed your bag under the desk when the sound of the door hinges creaking got your attention. You quickly look to whoever dares to come in at the library fifteen minutes to its closing time. Surprise it was none other than Wong Kunhang. You walk up to him to stand at his opposite side, clearing your throat to get him to address you.

"Is the offer of a ride to my workplace still up?"

"Only if we go to the movies afterward."

"It's a date then."

There it is Kunhang's goofy smile. Perhaps you are too, smitten with him.

a/n: Read more of my works for NCT here:masterlist.

[softer-ua]

in regards to what you pointed out a few posts ago, ngl one of my least favorite fandom things is when they make Kaminari the Har Har Stupid Joking ADHD Bi Playboy Who Is Never Serious Trope. like, he's very smart, 'worst in ___ area of a UA course' is very impressive and I don't remember if it even said that or just that he was studying with some other students, worried about his grades overall, calls himself stupid with implied insecurities about it, and didn't think he was very smart compared to the other people in the course. quirk overuse makes him loopy, incoherent, and think everything's funny. and yeah, he's a bit of a flirt and made a few perverted comments and actions that he clearly didn't think through that well. I'm pretty sure he's not ever stated to be bi in the manga because it was written by a coward, so I think people should think more about why they're associating and pairing together the idea of "hot flirty playboy who if legally able would sleep with everyone he meets" with emphasis or joke in the captions of whatever the content is on him being bi. I don't think this is inherently bad, even put together, but the execution feels kind of :/ and shallow. and I mainly just wish they'd pause to consider if there's any reason (subconscious or intentional) why one of those makes them think about the other, and at the very least lean back to see if they're blatantly making those traits centric around each other and tweak how they're showing them a little. Part of this is also because it's basically his fanon sexuality, but then they stick together "oh he's bi and everyone thinks that" and "he's made flirty or perverted comments and actions in canon at some point" and then mentally exaggerate and have this Canon Image of him as *waves hand at above* and I don't think that's happening consciously in most cases but. again. Cookiecutter Bi Party Playboy Who's Made a Date Offer to Everyone In The Building. not a flirty Person or a Playboy who is bi and flirts with more than one genders

I myself headcanon him as adhd and while the exact sexuality depends on my mood I think of/have him as bi in a lot of my content, but it's the same thing with why non adhd people see how he acts and label "adhd!" Especially about comprehension speed and derpy acting and intelligence and attention span jokes/tropes. Again, not bad in and of itself, but the specific parts of his behavior that make them think he's adhd, or that they start making jokes about or Ha Ha ADHD'ing, or that they think is why we project ADHD on him, (which they aren't necessarily wrong about, but like right in a really disrespectful look at how funny this is oh look squirrel way that's only funny when adhd people are doing it and it isn't all mocking like that) when they see other people calling him adhd, are the wrong ones, I think, and it shows in their characterization of him.

I'm not saying that any of those traits are bad in a character, but as a queer adhd girl with very high annual test scores and Gifted Kid Intelligence but extremely poor grades, focus, and brain damage (admittedly nothing like his, it was a longterm passive thing that mainly just made me have a Lot of Really Bad headaches, and closest thing it did to me was make me sluggish and emotional on bad days and also techincally have the potential kill my language bit if left untreated or the surgery messed up, which it didn't, and it won't be a problem again. but even after explaining that it wasn't cancer or any sort of tumor, and after seeing it do very little at all to affect my behavior outside of irritability and performance, because y'know, constant migraines, gone after the surgery but this was before that, Certain People I Was Vaguely Kind Of Acquaintances With started to treat my like I was a fragile glass thing going to to drop dead and revive myself speaking like a comic relief cartoon crazy person at any moment which was. patronizing.) I've since had surgery for, the way the fandom combines them into stereotypes and portrays them really just rubs me the wrong way- "Flirty Bi(tm) Playboy" "Har Har ADHD Can't Focus Or Get Things After They're Explained To Him, He's Still Confused And An Idiot" "Stupid Person With Brain Damage Who Can't Take Care Of Or Think For Themself And Acts Stupid And Funny For People To Laugh At" which tbh is super ableist even and especially when people irl do fit that description, and also reminds me of the Autistic Person Freaking Out And Being Dramatic sense of humor. And I know it's not helped by canon, because it done for comic relief and to limit his powers, but explored more I think it as a limitation could have been used way more interestingly than canon did and also call me biased but that quirk induced brain frying sounds at least as concerning as Izuku's quirk's backlash.

And it's a shame!! Because he's so much more interesting than that! Instead, the fandom gives me the Cookicutter Funny Bi ADHD Flirt Who's An Idiot and I am sad about it.

tbh it reminds me of what happened to percy jackson, esp with the ADHD Idiot Trope thing. which sucks because apparently it originated in the author making up stories around characters like his adhd and dyslexic kid inspired by Greek myths to tell him after running out of actual myths because it was his special interest and he wanted more. and then the series got kind of all over the place and the fandom processed that the adhd and dyslexic main character who does dumb things sometimes but is very combat smart and great at strategizing and leading gets bad grades and has trouble focusing and has, y'know, adhd, and made him the ADHD Idiot and erased his Gifted Kid girl friend's traits and ADHD and dyslexia into No Nonsense Calls Him an Idiot And Thinks He's Stupid And Has To Tell Him What To Do And Manage His Life For Him and honestly that just kind of sucks and it reminds me of what happened to fandom Kaminari. and now that I think of it people have jirou like that around him a lot too.

im fine with you answering this publicly if you want or have something to add but probably tag as ableism and maybe a biphobia mention content warning for people who don't have the energy to deal with thinking about those kinds of negative things rn because I kind of Went Off About It

I love this! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences 💚(and double thank you for tag suggestions)💚

I couldn’t agree more that a lot of fandom has messed up Kami’s character, which is why I’ve kinda been posting more about him cause he’s just stuck in my head.

I think a lot of fandoms have trouble with characters like this, people have a hard time with duality in characters and fast/fun posts are easier to make if you flatten a character down.

The did it to Kami, they did it to Percy, they did it to Ron Weasley, they do it to Thor, the list goes on. If being the Smart One ™️ isn’t your thing and you can be goofy than you get pigeonholed into the idiot trope.

I feel for Kami a lot(probably because I have adhd/brain damage too)

It sucks when you’re smart but it’s not the traditional, measurable kind of smart(even if by national comparison Kami technically is).

I got terrible grades growing up, and I pretty much got the absolute lowest gpa you can get and still graduate. But absolutely no one would have known if I didn’t tell them, because I’m not dumb.

(It’s okay if you are “dumb”, I love me a head empty just vibes friend. You’re 100% valid, stil worthy of joining discussions, and should be listened to and taken seriously. This just isn’t about that tho)

I joke sometimes that I’m clever and witty but not smart, because that’s exactly what it feels like.

I have lots of thoughts and ideas that I think I articulate pretty well, I am excellent at finding the humor in things and expressing it in a way that’s funny to others too, and there is almost zero problems I can’t find a work around. And the people in my life love it, and they love to use it.

But eventually everyone in my life finds out that I’m not smart. They see the way I have to pause to Google how to calculate a tip, that I don’t know the name of all 50 states or even where to find them on a map, or I legitimately just can not spell (if you ever see a post where it looks like I used a weird word choice it’s probably because I tried 4 times and autocorrect+Google couldn’t help me and voice to text wasn’t an option)

No one ever questions my intelligence until they find out about my adhd and/or catch me struggling with it. After the mask comes off it’s like they can’t even hear me anymore, nothing I say could be true or matter because I’m now just the goofy accident prone spacy girl. My family literally calls me Spacy

And ya know what sometimes I just let people think that because it’s easier, it’s easier than explaining that I’m dyslexic and that I didn’t have a single geography/history clas until 10th grade and shocker the capital of Iowa doesn’t come up much by then. And it’s easier for me to laugh off losing my keys again than dwell on the fact that sometimes it feels like I’m losing my marbles.

And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if after this post I get a lot more “fact checkers” and push back on anything else I post.(not talking about people who want to genuinely engage,y’all are always welcome, I’m talking those people who don’t wanna look it up themselves but no longer trust me to know what I’m talking about)

Kami is a sweet brilliant boy. He’s in a nationally high ranking school, he loves the weather channel, he’s careful about his quirk that could easily hurt his friends in combat, he has a very high emotional intelligence level, he wears dorky shirts with electricity puns on them, and he pays attention to his friends and remembers a lot of little things about them.

He wants to be a hero and he takes that seriously, and the series has tried time and time again to tell y’all that smiling and laughter are an important part of that. Kami excels at this part! So what if his history grades don’t rival the top of the class, the top 5 students would struggle hard to do what Kami does.

Iida can’t relax, Momos rather shy, Todo struggles with social cues, Midoriya is canonically not funny, and jfc where to even begin with Katsuki. I’m certain they’ll all grow up to be excellent heros in their own right, but none of them are going to bring the level of joy and camaraderie that Denki can. You can’t test that into someone.

Kami also just notices people differently and has any easy way of joining in with them, he doesn’t struggle approaching Katsuki or Shinso. Sure he doesn’t hit the the nail on the head the same way Deku does but he’s the only one who has the guts and skills to try. Also he’s not that kinda friend, he’s not looking to a save these guys but pal around with them

I think Kami 100% realizes what a special case and tough nut to crack Bakugo is, I don’t think he’s just careless or too dumb realize his life’s at stake or whatever.

I think he’s purposely testing Bakugos boundaries all while trying to not be a threat to Katsukis actual ego and calling Bakugo out when he needs it in a way that not to serious. Kami knows how to be just goofy enough that he’s approachable. He’s also keyed in that the way to Bakugo is through Deku, meanwhile everyone else is stuck believing the opposite.

Kami also realized how important music is to Jiro and saw an opportunity to let her display her skills and combin the two worlds she lives, and he wasn’t afraid to get some back lash from her for it.

Like Deku Kami isn’t afraid to be uncomfortable. You really can’t teach that level of social ease, you can teach the posture and feed people a couple of lines but it’ll never hit the same. Funny approachable people have spent a lifetime learning the craft, usually out of necessity.

It’s actually what gives me the biggest adhd vibes from him, because adhd is (speculated to be) a dopamine deficiency disorder. People with adhd are constantly trying to raise their dopamine levels, and that means looking for praise and reward and nothing makes the human brain light up faster than postative human connections.

Adhd children struggle a lot with connecting with peers and often find making people laugh a fast way into people’s circles and makes it more likely people will overlook being interrupted or spaced out on.

Also adhd people are pretty much forced by their own brain structures to be genuine in all they do, low dopamine levels make it very hard to do things you don’t enjoy because there no promise of dopamine from the activity and you don’t have enough to spare, plus impulsiveness makes it really hard to not show when you do or don’t enjoy something.

I agree that Kami is also painted as overly perverted at times, he’s a little flirty but in a fun casual way but it’s not the foundation of his personality and it’s really mellowed out over the course of the series.

And while I subscribe to the bi hc from his interactions with Jiro and Shinso, we should all be very mindful that we don’t lump these characteristics together. The are separate facets of his personality that are not dependent on each other in anyway.

Kami deserves all the respect and love, I can’t wait to see our electric king again 🖤⚡️🖤

[mrpenguinpants]

Alright, I finally read Reincarnation no Kaben

AFTER MONTHS (it’s probably been a month? My mind doesn’t keep track of the days) I FINALLY CAUGHT UP TO RNK. Ty to Okita anon for the recommendation (*￣3￣)╭💕💕💕 I absolutely loved it. 

After this I’ll start on the other recommendation you gave me. I kept a bit of a log of my reading journey under the read more tag. 

Major spoilers for literally everything in RNK up to ch 53 “Withdrawal”. 

Oh, and I’ll finish answering all my leftover asks and I SHOULD have a fic done by tomorrow. I was so ready to write and then I got up. Now I’m back to bed. 

I’m just gonna write this as a log since I read super super slow and I’m only on ch 7 at the start of writing this but I’m really liking it already. Though to be fair. I love everything okita anon recommends haha. I remember you saying you were simping over Kouu and I haven’t gotten to the part where he appears but I wanted to quickly google what he looked like to prepare myself and I see this:

Well. That’s reassuring. 

I was actually kinda surprised by how many western figures were in the manga since I know there are only like 7? Around 7 western figures that pop up in any anime/manga but seeing people like Albert Fish was kinda surprising but I really liked it. Also, at the end of certain chapters they write little bio’s on them so you get to know more about them was such a nice touch.  I also love that the tradition of making males -> females still stays strong even outside the fate universe hehe.

---

Literally, the next chapter I see him. AHHHHHHHHH. Well maybe not him but his eyeballs. 

This guy lowkey reminds me of the MC’s brother but it’s 99% because he has the same long ponytail. I wouldn’t be surprised if the brother was apart of the the Greats. Honestly, Ein reminds me of those really hard headed girls that are actually really kind on the inside but aren’t good at expressing themselves (maybe because that’s pretty much her character). I also like that Ein doesn’t like males but she’s hiding behind this guy. At least, I’m..99% sure this is Ein. 

I FUCKING KNEW IT. AS SOON AS I SAW HE GOT A THEIF TALENT I COULD FEEL THE SOLO LEVELING VIBES IN ME. HE CAN STEAL TALENTS I FUCKING KNEW IT!!! I’m surprised that Neumann didn’t say anything and  Haito seems to be aware of it.  

Edit: Ah okay, I understand a bit now but it almost seems like Haito is the only one aware of Toya’s second talent.

Edit 2: Okay, as much as I love power hungry MC’s I’m really glad they didn’t make Toya into that. I am such a softie for sympathetic and kind MC’s like these even though it’s been done so many times. I’m really glad this didn’t feel like a rehash. I mean, some points some of the stuff Toya says it does but it’s fine, I don’t mind that. I actually gave a crap about him since I usually prefer the side characters (I UNDERSTAND ANON, I CARE ABOUT KOUU SO MUCH AHHHHH) but HAITO?? AHHHHH. 

---

I like that Izo always has the same hat in every adaptation he’s in lol. Istg, cats are always op. Schrodinger seems so strong and the parallel universes are my absolute shit. Sometimes I think, in one universe I did this and in this universe I’m not. Would I rather stay in this universe or be in the one where I am actually productive. Usually I pick the productive universe and actually work but sometimes I’m a bit of a slacker haha. I think this is my approach to a lot of things in life. But I digress, I don’t wanna get too deep into my life. 

I can sorta sympathize with the sinners. At least the ripper guy to say the least. I love love love unhinged characters that just want to basically destroy the world or at least have fun. But then you find out- wait they are actually sympathetic oh no. That’s how I felt about Djoser in “im the great priest imhotep” (please...i beg...someone read this...I’m so starved). 

As much as character development and rooting for the hero is cool and all, I just want to simp for the crazy “let’s burn the world to the ground” kinda character. I’m also so glad Toya doesn’t automatically become evil and try and steal everyone’s talents because he does seem like a good person and I really don’t see him suddenly switching fields so when he saved (I don’t remember names I’m sorry), the undead solider it was really nice. Proves that he still has his humanity and isn’t strictly relying on the branch of sin. 

It makes sense that he wants to steal talents since he never had one (and it was kinda out of left field when he killed Vlad and we just never addressed that ever again haha) but to see him actually consider his actions and if he actually want’s to steal his teammates talents feels right to me. Poor guy doesn’t seem to have a lot of friends so this is the first time he’s ever seemed to have companionship, aside from Haito, so I really hope he doesn’t attempt to steal their talents. I think I’m thinking of the slime? That time I got reincarnated as a slime manga/anime. Where he’s the pokemon catcher of skills. I thought that was where it was going. 

But I do kinda like how selfish Haito and Toya’s talent stealing relationship is (I mean, later it develops but my first draft of writing this I wasn’t there yet). I’m not sure if selfish or like self-gratitude/pride is the right word but it’s kind of a breath of fresh air. Rather than Haito trying to contain or “help” Toya’s inferiority she’s actually encouraging it and using her own talent for her own...acknowledgement? Er, yeah let’s go with that. 

---

This. This interaction. I love this. Like, genuinely love this. We need more of this. Two people from opposite sides finding some common ground and their fight to the death is less about morals or whose on whose side but for themselves. I love that. This is actually some wholesome stuff. 

Edit: AHHHHH CATCH MY UGLY CRYING IN THE BACK BECAUSE ALL THE “SINNERS” ARE ACTUALLY AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. IM DEAD. YOU’VE KILLED ME. 

---

I KNEW IT! YOU CAN NEVER TRUST THESE KIND OF PEOPLE!! I’m going to slap the whiteboard on this but if I see any “goofy” character I’m immediately sus of them. 

As much as I hate that Hitler is getting drawn as a small child I really like this. I know the whole, oh I killed your friends but I’m letting you go because you express humanity but I’m gonna finish my death with a sympathetic line, can be annoying to people but idk I really liked this. 

Honestly this and the undead soldiers death hit me hard ngl. This manga might not have my favourite art style during some points compared to like main stream manga but it has some really beautiful scenes. 

BOOM CALLED IT, though it’s pretty obvious lol. 

THE PONY TAIL NEVER LIES AND HES DA VINCI IT MAKES SENSE NOW

He looks so cute lol. I like that Seiya has the talent of being talented in everything while Toya has the talent to steal other talents. Seiya can probably only cap his power by his own physical/mental abilities with Toya can pull a solo leveling and go further beyond. Thinking of it like jack of trades vs master of none type deals. Though, I might be thinking too hard on this. I like that this man is actually humble but I really wish there was a tiny bit more to him since we only get this one interaction/backstory but the manga isn’t completed yet. I really hope we get to know about Seiya more;; like how he became da vinci or etc. 

Everytime I see Neumann I look at that comic sans type and it kills me on the inside. But I love that her eyes are 01 just, mwah perfection. These little details that aren’t that big but it’s soooo nice. I also ahem, unhinged character heart be still. It’s really nice reading manga in bursts because you can see the art progression and damn does she look good. 

tiny fang appreciation post. 

ngl i’M HARD SIMPING FOR THIS MAN. It’s the pony tail, I have such a thing for guys with long hair (and this is why genshin broke me) but man the art really picked up here. 

I didn’t get into it but OKITA ANON I GET IT. KOUU??? AHHHH. WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE??? As much as his whole “war” was a bit questionable in the beginning and tbh I still don’t really get it I like that he knows he’s not the same as the other Greats but still tries to help the other “sinners” in a way only he knows. That’s why Seiya was so important;; I get that he wanted them to have a fun death and to be understood but idk, the whole war idea and having them kill each other (especially the Hitler fights because I understand the others since they reached some kind of acknowledgement) but nonetheless, what a great guy.

Nightingale gives me mad masaki vibes from chainsawman. I hate them and I can’t wait for you to fail, but the inner part of my is cheering for you because unhinged characters are my shit. I feel really bad for Neumann, I had suspicions she wasn’t actually like that since it’s sooo out of left field but I’m really glad the manga seems to know what it’s doing. I really wish we got more Kouu interactions with everyone tho. 

NOW THIS. THIS IS SOME WHOLESOME STUFF. I WANT THIS. I REALLY WANT SPIN-OFF OF REALLY SAD ANIME/MANGA/STORIES WHERE ALL THE DEAD PEOPLE HANG OUT. That’s how I’m feeling about JJK and the scroll segments or BSD WAN that just came out. IT’S SO WHOLESOME TO SEE EVERYONE NOT TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER. 

UGLY SOBBING IN THE CLUBBB AND KOUU AND CHARLOTTE AHHHH. I hate how this is phrased but the respect I have for Hitler?? YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD THAT IS TO TYPE?? Kitazuka is cool tho, I really like him. Some god given talent. I’m hard simping over him but I really hope we get to know more about him later. 

Getting smug mona vibes, I love this. 

AHHH IVE NEVER FELT THIS UPSET OVER AN APPLEEEE. I’M ACTUALLY UPSET. IF HE DIES IM ACTUALLY GOING TO CRY MY HEART OUT. 

THE FAMOUS SLAP 

I’M SORRY WHA- SLENDERMAN?

Oh..wow. Okay, be still my heart. When I first saw her I thought she was really pretty but now I’m absolutely smitten. God damn, can I please have some more crumbs on these characters before they die;; 

AHHH SAME GIRL FUCKING SAME????? I adore these small panels and translator notes. It’s a real breather after the sad 3am hours talk these characters go through. 

Yagyuu. Jesus christ. WHY ARE ALL THE DEATH SCENES IN THIS MANGA ACTUALLY SO PRETTY AND STABS ME IN THE HEART??? that’s it. goodbye. im fucking out. im actually so upset rn. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME? 

---

In conclusion, and I should probably re-read what the characters say and not go off on memory because I’m about to get really deep. I really like how they phrased why they wanted to stop the branch of sin. That there are people just like Toya and Haito who, if they never found the branch of sin, could still probably lead respectable and okay lives. That there was a “them” in another universe that didn’t go down that road and that they want to be in the same universe as “them”. I know this sounds really confusing if you haven’t read the manga but going back to what I said about the parallel universe stuff. 

There was a universe where Toya and Haito didn’t rely on the branch of sin, that even without their talents from becoming a returner, they could still live a happy life given their own personalities and attitudes. It was kinda moving since in the beginning, Toya wanted a talent so badly and now that he has one. He’s realizing that wait, I don’t need a past life talent in order to live. Honestly, I hard relate to that because I totally agree with him. If you have a talent you can probably live a very happy and comfortable life that other factors wouldn’t matter if you just have that incredible talent. Thinking of it as a painter or artist, if you had actual god-given talent you wouldn’t need to worry about other factors since people would naturally seek that talent. So you end up comparing yourself to others and setting that limit on yourself. 

But that’s okay, it’s completely natural and I’m not saying it’s horrible if you do this. Fuck, I do this all the time. I’m not saying the manga is changing my life but it’s kind of refreshing that it get’s talked about since other adaptations of this just make the character super OP. I understand wanting to have that incredible talent, fuck who doesn’t? but you don’t need it in order to live earnestly in the bigger picture sense. Not everything you do has to be productive and honestly, learning to be okay with having fun is nice. Just being okay with who you are right now, even if it isn’t perfect in your eyes, you still have time to build upon yourself and your own talents but doing it for yourself. 

But I probably missed the point and I’m going way to deep haha. But I really enjoyed reading this and thank you once again to okita anon for the recommendation^^ I always love everything you send me and I’ll start reading the next one. If anyone else has any recommendations let me know! 

[tyongf-nct]

accidental fate - jung jaehyun (2.3k)

The rain was pouring down in buckets as you walked quickly on the streets of the city, leaving the warmth and dryness of the coffee shop. You attempted to balance your school bag with the now steaming cup of caffeine and umbrella in each hand, probably looking like a hot mess but not caring too much anyway. The map on your phone directed you two more blocks until you found the bookstore, complete with a lounge and plenty of tables and chairs for students in the city to use while they shopped. According to their website, this bookstore had exactly the material you needed for your World Geography class that the library did not, and you had planned out several hours in today’s schedule to get all of the information you needed.

The bell on the door jingled as you walked in, tripping over the mat that was placed right in front of the door. A few customers watched you stumble, averting their attention as you smiled sheepishly and continued on. You placed the wet umbrella in a designated holder, shrugging off your coat in the relaxing temperature of the store. The ambiance was beautiful, it looked like one of those old-fashioned libraries. Rows upon rows of books covered the walls, the shelves stocked at full capacity with thousands of books. Dark wood tables and cushioned chairs were filled with university students clicking away on keyboards and heads buried in their books. You smiled to yourself, satisfied with finding the right environment to work on your project, and made you way over to the maze of shelves to find what you were here for.

After a few frustrating minutes of searching, you gave up and asked one of the employees to help you find your reading material. He directed you to the right section and you selected a few options on the history of England’s land during the medieval era to buy. You sat down at one of the long wooden tables, admiring the smooth, dark surface before placing all of your supplies out in front of you. With your laptop on and paper up and loaded, you got to work on your research, underlining and highlighting the information you felt would make your paper stronger. You reached over absentmindedly to grab your coffee, knocking it over in the process.

You cursed under your breath as your coffee spilled over the entire table, soaking not only your notes and edges of your books, but the front of your white top as well. You scramble to move everything off the table, trying to peel back your now see-through shirt from your chest as the hot brown liquid destroys everything in its path, wrecking all of your hard work and the color of your shirt.

“Need some help with that?” A smooth voice from behind chirped in. 

You turned to look at its owner and stopped in your tracks, one hand pinching the hem of your shirt and the other holding a sopping piece of paper. The coffee dripped to the floor as you stared at the bookstore employee, a ridiculously cute boy that looked to be around your age. A few space-themed pins were attached to his work apron, toned muscles straining against a long-sleeve shirt. He grinned mischievously at you, dimples popping out on such smooth skin it looked almost blurred.

“Do you plan on just letting that continue to stain the table? Because, if so, that’s totally fine, but just let me know so I can clean it up before I get fired,” he smiles, cocking his head to the side. His hair does a sort of floppy thing, looking tussled in such a natural way you think there’s no way someone’s hair is that perfect.

You snap out of your daze and open your mouth, stuttering a few times before finally getting out your apology.

“Sorry. I am so sorry, I’ll clean this up right away.”

The boy’s grin was lopsided, the mix of his amused expression and messy hair making him look a little goofy. He reached over and started to help you clean up the mess you’d made, whipping out a towel from seemingly nowhere. You watched him with rapt attention, butterflies swarming in your stomach as the very attractive employee swiftly cleaned up the mess and placed your books back in your hands.

“I’m really sorry…” you mumbled, averting your eyes from his intense stare. The smile he gave you softened his features, the dimples making an appearance once again.

“Don’t worry about it, accidents happen.” He swipes the towel across the table one last time, effectively cleaning the mess you’d made, and turns to focus his attention on you. His eyes dart down at your torso just momentarily, as if he wanted to look at your bra that was definitely peeking through right now but didn’t want to be rude.

“Um, I have an extra jacket in the back if you want to borrow it?” He clears his throat, eyes flitting around nervously. You feel your face heat and laugh awkwardly, grabbing your coat that was hanging on the back of the chair and hugging it tightly.

“That’s alright, I have my own. Thank you though, seriously, I’m really sorry. I can be a little clumsy, apparently,” you say, and he meets your eyes again, grinning.

“Apparently.”

Unsure how to respond, or what to do next, you shift uncomfortably and try not to stare at his face. 

“Well, I-I’m just going to go now, before I ruin anything else,” you laugh, voice cracking slightly. You start to turn around but stop abruptly when he speaks up again.

“Hey, do you like graphic novels?” He asks suddenly. You raise an eyebrow, confused at the randomness of his question, and look down at his name tag for the first time. Jaehyun.

“Huh?”

“Do you like graphic novels?” He offers no further explanation, only staring back at you as you stand frozen and damp.

“Uhm, I guess not? To be honest I’ve never read one,” you admit, biting your lip uncertainly. He grins widely at that, perking up with excitement. You’re about to ask why he’s wondering when he dashes off into the rows of shelves. Your mouth hangs open, the words still sitting on the tip of your tongue when Jaehyun suddenly appears again, with a stack of what must be comic books in one hand.

“This series is really good, the fifth installment just came out but we don’t have it yet,” he frowns, shoving the books into your hands. You struggle to balance all of your things, trying not to get the comics stained with coffee as well. Your face is stuck in an expression of confusion as you stand there unmoving, unsure if you should thank him or not.

“Oh! I didn’t explain,” he laughs to himself, “I just noticed you seemed to be having a rough time, what with your tripping as you walked in and now the coffee situation. I figured maybe reading these could cheer you up. They’re very addictive,” he adds. You stare back at him, cracking a smile at the thought of him, a complete stranger, doing something--though strange--so considerate. Also, the fact that he watched you make a mess of yourself not once but twice was embarrassing but cute, and you wondered how long he was watching until he came up to you at the table.

“Thank you, Jaehyun,” you say. He looks bewildered at your mentioning of his name and you point at his nametag, realization crossing his beautiful features.

“Oh,” he laughs, “Right. Well, don’t mention it,” he smiles his award-winning smile again, shiny white teeth peeking through full pink lips. “When you finish those you have to report back to me, okay? A discussion will need to be made.” His serious choice of words make a nervous giggle bubble up inside of you, escaping as you eye him uncertainly. 

“Yes, sir,” you mock-solute, the smile dropping from your face when you realize your poor choice of wording. Jaehyun only laughs in response, nodding as if satisfied with where he carried the conversation.

“I didn’t catch your name,” he says, shoving his hands into his jean pockets.

“Oh, it’s y/n, sorry. I’ll, um, see you later, I guess? You know, to return the comics,” you start to back away, cautious of your footing this time.

“Graphic novels,” he reminds you, and you nod, hand on the door.

“Right! Graphic novels!” You hurry out of the door, bumping into a few pedestrians as you make your way back to the university. Your face is hot and your stomach is jumping around inside of you, not sure what just happened.

________________________________________________________________

One week later, you found your way back to the bookstore, wandering the aisles as you tried to look for Jaehyun casually. Stupidly, you hadn’t bothered to get his number, and you had been regretting that the entire week. It turns out, The Adventures of Actaeon and His Arduous Adversaries was quite a captivating read. You weren’t even sure whether to read them in the first place, but the memory of Jaehyun grinning fondly at you had convinced you.

After some time, you stumbled across Jaehyun and the both of you were seated at one of the long tables now, huddled in a corner.

“Look, I’m not saying you have to agree with me, but Lord Astrid definitely had some good points!” You argued, slapping a hand on the table. The patrons in the bookstore looked at you in various degrees of curiosity and annoyance, and you lowered your head before turning back to Jaehyun.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes and tossing back his head, soft hair flopping in various directions.

“You’re just saying that because you’re a new reader. Just wait until you get to the fifth installment, everything changes in that one! I can’t believe you would side with a dictator,” he mumbles, narrowing his eyes at you. You giggled, the offended look on his face reminding you of just how geeky you sounded right now. Never did you think you’d be debating the morals of an evil space lizard with a boy in a random bookstore, but here you were. Jaehyun cracked a smile, shaking his head and leaning back in the chair.

“Well, I’m ready to read it. You were the one who didn’t have it ready for me today,” you pointed out, shrugging and crossing your arms. While the thought of reading a comic book series about intergalactic space lizards have never been appealing before, you were embarrassed to admit that you had binged the first four in just one week, running back to Jaehyun’s stupid cocky face to grudgingly ask for the next one.

“I told you, the shipment is just late. I chose express shipping, but I guess the company is backed up on orders or something,” he frowned, full lips pouting in such a cute way it made your heart flutter in your chest. The fact that he was considerate enough to specially order it for you made your face flush, a sheepish grin taking over. Jaehyun looked at you questioningly, but you just shook your head in response, wanting to change the subject before you blurted out something even more embarrassing. Despite this being only your second interaction with him, you felt like you had known him forever. He was kind, funny, and definitely a giant nerd. It turned out, he had a huge love for all things space, rambling on and on about planets and galaxies and how there was going to be a meteor shower soon, “The first one in such a long time, y/n!”

“Okay, okay,” you ceded, leaning back in the chair to copy his pose. He glanced at his watch, sighing before standing. Your heart dropped, not wanting him to leave.

“Ugh, my lunch break is over. I don’t have to work tomorrow, though, do you want to study together or something?” Jaehyun asked. You smiled again, excited at the idea of spending more time with him.

“Yes! I mean, th-that would be nice,” you cough. He grins at your enthusiasm, slipping you a piece of paper before dashing off into the shelves.

You look at the paper, a smiley face drawn on it next to a phone number. His phone number. You pump the fist with your air silently and save him as a contact into your phone, sending him a simple “It’s y/n” so he can have yours as well. He responds almost immediately with another smiley face, and you melt internally. 

You stare at your phone that evening, praying that he’ll text you first with details about tomorrow’s study date. Well, it wasn’t exactly a date, but you hoped he thought of it that way secretly. After hours of no text, you start to feel deflated. Maybe he forgot? Or maybe he just doesn’t want to see you outside of his work hours. Your shoulders are sagging when your phone buzzes, and you leap off your bed to go grab it from the desk.

Jaehyun: Are you still down for a study session tomorrow? I have some work I need to get done. Also, Actaeon is waiting for you in the store ;)

You squeal, hopping up and down excitedly before taking a deep breath, reminding yourself that you’re just getting to know him.

Y/n: Yes, sounds great! And I can’t wait :)

You flop down on the sheets, kicking your legs in victory a few times before sighing happily. You fell asleep with a smile on your face, ready to use the excuse of homework and graphic novels to spend more time with this strange but adorable boy.

[pluckyredhead]

Daredevil 101: What Happened to Milla, Part 1

For the past while in Daredevil 101, Matt has been somewhat rockily married to a woman named Milla Donovan. Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that Matt is no longer married in comics continuity. What happened?

*sigh* “To the Devil, His Due” and “Without Fear” happened, aka Daredevil v2 95-105 by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark. Aka an absolutely interminable parade of pointless cruelty riddled with dangling plot threads and misogyny. Yes, the team that gave us the masterful “Devil in Cell Block D” has now gone off the rails so hard that Amtrak is still working on the repairs. (Sadly, their run never improves, so strap in, I guess.)

Now, Milla is not exactly my favorite character, but very few things in DD history make me madder than the way she was written off. It’s so clear that Brubaker wanted to fridge her but realized he couldn’t get away with a fifth dead Daredevil love interest, so he figured out a different “fate worse than death” (hoo boy we’ll have to unpack that in Part 2). No price is too high for a woman to pay if it means Matt Murdock suffers, amirite?

And with that tempting introduction (?), let’s get into it!

Content Warnings: Ableism, sexual assault and implied threats of sexual violence.

We begin with Melvin, who is in jail thanks to having attacked Matt back when he was blackmailed into doing so. Specifically, we begin with Melvin in a room with a bunch of dead bodies he swears up and down he isn’t responsible for.

Matt and Foggy and most especially Becky Blake believe him and take his case, but just a few days later it happens again - Melvin is found surrounded by dead bodies and claiming to have no memory of what happened but that he didn’t do it. The psych eval doesn’t go well, in that, well, he passes:

According to the doctor, this isn’t Melvin being taken over by his Gladiator personality or an actual second person stepping in - this is just Melvin himself killing people. Which for Melvin’s legal team (and friends) is the worst possible option, of course.

Meanwhile, Milla appears to have taken up therapy:

Aside from what this story does to Milla and Melvin, part of what makes it so bad is the structure. This was partially due to a couple of company-wide crossovers that we’ll see marching through the book in a little bit, but also just lots of things being set up and then dropped without going anywhere. Here we see Milla in therapy, which is never returned to or discussed. The sinister way this is framed makes it clear that the person she’s speaking to is the villain of the piece, but the fact that he met Milla at therapy is never revealed or mentioned at all. Later in the scene he says something about how he hasn’t told his wife that he’s in therapy but he should stop underestimating her, which is clearly meant to get under Milla’s skin in regards to her relationship with Matt, but that kind of subtle manipulation is too interesting for this story and leads absolutely nowhere. And of course we don’t get to actually see Milla talking to her therapist, which would require her to have an interior life.

Which means we have an entire scene that could have been replaced with a single panel of Milla bumping into someone on the street that would have had exactly the same effect on the plot. And the pacing problems only get worse from here, folks!

Anyway. The state decides to move Melvin, but he escapes his prison transport - and attacks Matt, who’s been keeping an ear on things:

Melvin kicks the crap out of Matt and escapes, but Matt realizes that there’s something wrong with Melvin - it may not be the Gladiator taking over, but this isn’t his friend, either.

The next day, Nelson and Murdock receive a surprise guest: Lily Lucca, who you may remember as she of the Karen-smelling perfume who aided and abetted in multiple murders and lured Matt into a confrontation with Vanessa Fisk:

As you’ll recall, the perfume Vanessa gave Lily to entrap Matt with makes her smell like every man’s fondest memory [INSERT GIANT EYEROLL HERE], which is why Foggy’s falling all over himself here. But now she has a problem: even though she’s not using the perfume anymore, she still smells like it, which means men are constantly creepily following her around, getting into fights over her, etc.

This is...sigh. There’s an aspect of “female character is punished for using her sexuality” here that makes me super uncomfortable. Certainly 90% of comic book villains have some kind of monkey’s paw in their backstory (“I tried to make a cool suit of armor and now I have robot tentacles!” “I tried to cryogenically freeze my dying wife and now I am really cold all the time!” etc.), but there’s a way in which it’s weaponized against certain types of female characters that’s deeply gendered and often kinda rape-y. (I got this vibe with Debbie and Micah Synn as well.) Lily wanted to control men through their desire to her? Well, now they might desire her so much they’ll assault her! That’ll show her! I guess. Ugh, it just grosses me out.

Anyway, Matt reluctantly agrees to help her, or more specifically have Dakota help her, since she won’t be affected by Lily’s scent the way he and Foggy will. Even with this caveat, when he meets Milla for dinner she does not like this:

I think we’re meant to be reading Milla as not being entirely rational about Lily because she’s so jealous of Karen’s memory and Lily reminds Matt of Karen, but she’s not wrong. I have no idea if we’re meant to read Matt as being sort of a douche in this scene but if my husband was like “Keep your voice down” and “Don’t be so hyperbolic” I would walk out of that fucking restaurant.

Or run, as the case may be:

Matt distracts Melvin so that Milla can get away (lotta Ms in this storyline), then somehow quick-changes to Daredevil for a fight. Melvin knocks him out and Matt wakes up handcuffed in the back of a police car:

The cops are arguing because it’s the middle of Civil War, which didn’t touch the Daredevil book very much but Matt was firmly on the anti-registration Team Cap side, unsurprisingly. As an unregistered superhero, just being out in a mask made him a criminal. (They don’t do anything with the fact that his secret identity was basically an open book at this point, which would have been interesting.)

Anyway, The Mysterious Voice Speaking On A Frequency Only Matt Can Hear gleefully tells him that he left his wallet at the restaurant, which has his home address, which means Melvin knows where to find Milla. Of course, Melvin was one of Matt’s bodyguards when his identity was first exposed and definitely already knew where he lived, but whatever.

Milla is, of course, wandering around the apartment in nothing but a bra and panties when Melvin shows up, because Daredevil artists apparently love putting her in her underwear to terrorize her and this is the last chance they’ll have to do it.

Melvin takes Milla up to the roof to wait for Matt. I’m including this exchange, where Milla tries to talk him down by appealing to his better nature, because it’s basically her last moment as herself. Reminding others of their better angels has always been one of her strengths, and she deserves to have that highlighted before...everything else.

Matt shows up. Melvin throws Milla off the roof:

Matt miraculously saves her and returns to fight Melvin, but Melvin has pretty much given up at this point and it’s all over but the crying. He’s bundled off to maximum security, and that’s...well, that’s the end of Melvin. This storyline came out in 2007, and this sweet, interesting character who has been around since the Silver Age has been unusable ever since. So thanks for that, Brubaker.

Matt’s furious, and determined to figure out who did this to Melvin:

“What did your sensei say about fighting angry?” always makes me laugh. Also, why would you ever suggest Matt follow Stick’s advice, Foggy, honestly.

(Foggy is A+++++ in this storyline and it makes me mad that I can’t even enjoy it because he’s just frantically trying to salvage a steaming pile of shit the whole time. Also given the overall ableism in this story I’m a little :/ that he basically takes over being the functional adult like Matt’s incapable of it.)

Matt runs into another dropped plot thread here because he gets on the trail of a street drug that makes people angry, which, like, how would Melvin have even gotten that in prison anyway, especially nonconsensually? Also, every other depiction of this drug shows it putting the user into a senseless rage, but Melvin sure was able to find his old lair, put on his Daredevil costume, track down Matt, and kidnap his wife when the plot required him to. How very Guardian Devil.

Anyway, Matt starts tracking the drug to its source. Meanwhile, Milla shows up at N&M:

Yeah, from here on out Milla is all tears and hysteria. Sigh.

Foggy decides to take her home, and Lily tags along, even though Foggy thinks that’s a REALLY REALLY bad idea because a) she's upsetting Milla, b) she fucks with Foggy’s head, and c) every dude in the subway is going to be all over her. But Lily insists, because she’s...manipulative? Genuinely feeling guilty and choosing the absolute worst way to fix that? Flimsy plot reasons? Let’s go with flimsy plot reasons.

While waiting for the train, Milla pretty much loses her shit at Lily, and also the world in general:

“I don’t know what I’ve done to you” is pretty rich, Lily. YOU LURED HER HUSBAND ON A MURDER CHASE ACROSS EUROPE.

Meanwhile, Dakota is still trying to figure out where Vanessa got Lily’s original perfume from - and Matt has followed the drug trail back to the Enforcers, a bunch of goofy-ass Silver Age villains we haven’t seen in decades. (They are specifically named the Ox, Fancy Dan, and Montana. They are ridiculous.) They clobber him and take him to their leader:

LARRY CRANSTON. MISTER FEAR. He made the perfume. He drove Melvin insane. And he’s the reason behind what happens next:

Lily lives. The random bystander does not. And when Matt, having been literally thrown out of the window and into the garbage by Mister Fear, returns home, Foggy is waiting for him:

Next Time: Milla is taken into custody, and Matt searches for a cure.

[thattimdrakeguy]

I wish when I filtered tags on Tumblr id just wouldn’t let me know it ever existed. I’m tired of this bull shit. Let. Me. Fucking. Ignore shit.

I have tag block on my laptop but what the heck am I supposed to do about it on my phone.

I want to ignore anything to have to do with that Tim panel from Heroes in Crisis as long as I can fucking live, and I’m tired of so much other shit. Let me freaking rest, let me filter these posts to dust like Thanos to never be seen again until I get beat up for it.

I’m so sick of Tom King going so back and forth between pandering like an annoying ass to get brownie points for going with that stupid as hell fanon version of the Bat-Family, and then going on to demolish their characterization in a complete other way for some of them by being totally edgy and gritty like a freaking maniac with that Wally bashing someone’s head in after he accidentally killed them to frame a murder, like what the hell was that. That’s freaking insanity, who’s sick mind thought that was okay for a superhero to do.

I hate both of those Bat-Family versions and Tom King won’t let me rest because he keeps using both of them. Damian isn’t cute, he’s a former murderer, he used to be vaguely sexist, he’s past that now but he’s still kidnapping people, even in the stuff that’s aimed at children, that’s not adorable it’s scary, he has a freaking personal prison he keeps people in, he may have a better heart now compared to his murderous past but that don’t make him cute by any means. Dick isn’t just the nice funny one, he has angst, he has problems, I don’t even think he was known for puns once he became Nightwing, he has anger issues and can flip out easily sometimes. That nothing but goofy jokes just sort of personality only popped up again like that’s his thing again because no one cared, and Jason “the Rebellious cool one?” give me a freaking break, he’s a murderer, I know he has his reasons, but this is Tim, this is the Bat-Family, he’s the one that betrayed them in their minds, he’s not THE COOL ONE. 

Like oh my gosh, how can you not give such less of a shit that you actually write that and think it’s accurate, and this is in an official comic now. There’s not even a fandom excuse for it like it’s just people having fun. This guy put this in an actual comic. I have to deal with that now. It’s infuriating, like I was already just dead inside about comic’s quality in recent years but that’s just like shoving a grenade in a dead horse’s mouth, like it’s PARODY AT THIS POINT.

I needed comfort comics, not that 100% bad comic panel in one of the most controversially bad and out of character comics ever in probably existence on our Earth that probably sells anyway because DC promoted it so much, and now people are gonna cream there pants over it because “OMG GUYS TIM CALLED DAMIAN CUTE, IT’S CANON NOW!” like fuck off, I am so freaking sick and tired of all this shenanigans and bullshit.

I know it’s a fucking comic but I’m already depressed, suicidal, and hate myself, why does simple small things like this keep going bat shit wrong. It shouldn’t be so hard but they act like it’s a freaking impossible task. I try to entertain myself with something I love because I’m desperate as could be and wanna die and it spits in my face. Like I get it’s a comic, but I’m just so frustrated and overwhelmed all the time I’m so sick of seemingly everything wanting to make me frustrated.

Clay Mann can’t even draw a 16 year old, like give me a freaking break. Let alone Tim who’s supposed to look even younger than his real age. I guess no one remembered that one.

I can’t stand Tom King, I can’t stand DC Comics, I can’t stand Heroes in Crisis, and I want that panel to be eradicated from existence so no one can ever remember it ever existed again because fucking hell how does he keep fucking up so bad, and why does it keep going after each and everything I freaking hate around and about the comics. It just hit every freaking beam of it in one swift hit in that bullshit.

[preciousghouls]

excerpt taken from my stony fic for the stony zine application!

It’s a little past two in the dead of the night, but neither Steve nor Tony dare to shut their eyes and go to sleep, still somewhat in disbelief that after everything, they still have each other. They lay together on Tony’s bed, loosely wrapped in each other to avoid applying pressure to the areas where they’re injured, but close enough to feel their partner’s warmth. In a rare moment of peace, Steve recalls a conversation from (not that) long ago.

“I do wonder, at times.”

Tony hums, plucking at a loose string of the bandage around his arm. Steve swats his hand away with a disapproving frown. “About what?”

“Like, what if there weren’t any superpowers involved.”

Tony turns back to look at him, a brow raised. But Steve can tell he’s amused. “Time travelling isn’t crazy enough, now you wanna talk about fiction-like alternative universes? Damn, Rogers. Didn’t know you were such a dreamer.”

“C’mon, Tony,” Steve pulls the man closer to him, setting his head on Tony’s shoulder and closing his eyes. It’s easy to forget the cuts and bruises over his body when he feels like this. At peace.  “Just imagine. If the world was like this from the moment we met.”

Not perfect, of course, but it is perfect, because of the people he’s met. The people he’s had the honor of meeting.

Steve feels the vibrations as Tony hum thoughtfully. “Well, the world wouldn’t be the way it is if I wasn’t who I was. Who I am. I’d say I’m pretty okay with how this universe turned out.”

“Yeah?” He thinks he understands what Tony is trying to say. There are days, really rare ones, where adrenaline is coursing through his veins and he cannot rest, his mind needing to run. Those days are when Steve allow himself to wonder, to imagine what life would’ve been like if he’d woken up in the future to learn that the war is over, he can go and live his life a free man. A common man, as common as he can be, because he’d be the weirdest thing science had ever created, and he would be fine with that.

Tony turns to look at him with those honey chocolate eyes, “Yeah. You’re here with me now, aren’t you?” And he is just so beautiful no invasion could’ve stopped Steve from leaning in for a kiss right then.

They never did tell Steve the cost that comes with war, but now he’s seen. He’s lived through it. And it’s all that experience that has brought him here. He can’t lie and say this is the best outcome, the one his optimistic self has envisioned so long ago, but he’ll take what he can get. And what he can get right now is in his arms, and Steve thinks he’s pretty damn lucky, all things considered.

-

The topic of marriage comes unexpectedly, just two weeks after the battle, as the world is still recovering from its loss. The Avengers (all six of the original team, because they sent the rest on vacation , they aren’t responsible for the beginning nor the end) are forced to ‘get their asses off the field or be put down forcibly’, and Nick Fury is really quite terrifying when he wants to be, so they listen. But things are hard when you’re a superhero - what did you do when you didn’t have a world to save?

Let’s watch a movie, Tony had suggested.

So they sit in the living area, eyes glued to the screen stretching almost 2 metres long, watching The Incredibles, because they can’t deny they’re practically a family by now (also because Steve thinks he will be able to relate to Mr. Incredible, and being Tony’s boyfriend has its advantages, but no one points that out).

“This is such a grossly domestic movie to watch,” Clint mutters fifteen minutes into the film as he shoves chips into his mouth. Nosily, lower lip pushed out in a pout. Like a petulant child. His head is on Bruce’s shoulders, the latter’s hand in his hair, and no one misses the irony of the situation.

Natasha, of course, calls him out on it. She’s sprawled out on the floor, massaging Clint’s calf that he’s spread on the coffee table, legs over Bruce’s. She simply applies more pressure to her ‘massage’, and Clint cries out.

“Nat , what the hell!”

“Shut up and enjoy the movie,” she threatens in a soft tone, a smile curving her lips, neither of which making her any less dangerous. “Or I’ll tell Laura to burn your Lord of the Ring figurine collection.”

He pales almost comically; Steve bites down on his cheeks to stop from breaking into a goofy grin, while on his lap Tony just bursts out laughing. “Jesus Barton, you look ridiculous. I hope you caught an image of that, J.”

“Of course, Sir,” the ever attentive AI answers, tone one of amusement.

“Ah, JARVIS. Ever the efficient one,” Thor praises with a smile. The camera above the TV nods in greeting.

“You’re all ganging up on me!” Clint digs his face into Bruce’s shoulder. “We have the worst team Mom ever .”

Tony takes one exact minute to stop laughing long enough to answer in a mock serious voice, “Careful there, Sonny, or you won’t be invited to our wedding and end up being known as the prodigal son."

Clint just sticks his tongue out, “Like you’d even notice me in my stealth mode. I’ll disguise myself and tell everyone about your sex life!”

“Like my sex life has ever been private,” Tony beams proudly. “But you’ll have no one to tell, because the wedding would be private. Everyone invited would know exactly how awesome we are in the bedroom.”

There’s a collection groan throughout the room and a “Christ, Tony, this is a family friendly movie, we’re lucky Parker isn’t here” from Bruce that Steve almost misses because his heart is thumping so loud, so wild he’s amazed he can still hear them at all.

“Tony,” Steve breathes, because he’s still in disbelief. “You want to get married?”

And Tony seems to get the wrong idea, he still usually does. He stiffens in Steve’s arms, already trying to squirm himself out and away from the couch. “Uh.” Then, softly, “Fuck. You don’t?” Clearing his throat, in a louder voice, “I mean, of course you don’t. That was just a scenario y’know. You don’t have to take it seriously."

“What?” That’s just ridiculous, and Steve pulls Tony into a super hug. He’s gotten better at those, hugs that make them both feel warm and content that don’t actually hurt anyone. “No! I mean, yes! I mean-- I do want to get married. To you, Tony. I want to get married to you. ”

“Oh.” Tony seems to go complete slack upon hearing that, letting himself go limp in Steve’s arms. “Thank fuck. Thought I was gonna be rejected before I could even get out the ring.”

Steve’s grin is ear splitting. “You got me a ring?”

Tony’s red down his neck, and he groans. “Fuck you, Rogers.”

“Any time, Tony.” He means it, hoping his words convey his sincerity.

Judging by the way the entire room (including Tony, though his eyes are bright) groans in unison, Steve thinks himself successful.

-

The wedding is private. There are lesser people here than Steve is used to, but then again, that was before everything went to shit. Compared to the last gathering he’s been around, this is… good. Better than good. It’s his wedding day, after all.

He’s in a suit of Tony’s colors - gold, and red. And Tony, vice versa. At least, he thinks that’s how it works. Steve hasn’t exactly been contributing or giving a say as far as aesthetics are concerned; that’s Tony’s natural element, and Steve’s more than happy to indulge his soon-to-be husband (God, his husband ).

He’s in the waiting room, being ’done up pretty’, and his palms are sweaty and gosh, why is he so nervous ? Sam laughs as he dabs at the beads on his forehead, only for more to take its place.

“Don’t worry, Steve. It’s just you and Tony, and us .”

And when it’s put that way, yeah . Yeah, Sam’s right. It’s a ceremony with just them, the team, the family. They’re here to make something that has been happening… Official. That’s what this is. He clings to that thought.

Steve smiles, squeezing Sam’s wrist once. “Thanks, Sam.”

“Anytime, pal.”

It doesn’t stop Steve from tearing up when Tony walks down the aisle, arm in Rhode’s (there’s no one else more fitting). As he’d suspected, Tony’s in his colours - red, blue, white. Not America’s colors, but his , Steven Grant Roger’s, like how he’s in Tony’s, and not Iron Man’s. Once, they’d been unable to differentiate each other from their alter-egos.

Big man in a suit of armor. Steve had said that, once.

Every special about you came out from a bottle. Tony had shot back, then.

They had been so wrong about each other, and so what if took a war, a snap, sacrifices, years, for them to come to this point? They have so many flaws, but so God help him, Steve will do it all again in a heartbeat.

His eyes fall to Tony’s cufflinks, and he breaks into an almost laugh through his blurring vision. Tony smirks when he sees what Steve’s noticed - the dick shaped cufflinks Tony’d sworn he’d wear. Steve’s own cufflinks are relatively PG; it’s a palette, because art has been the one consistency in his life. And even now, his heart warms that Tony understands.

Rhodes’ own eyes are misty when he passes Tony to Steve with two hard pats to their joined hands. “Take care of my best friend.”

In a choked voice, “I swear.”

“We’re not the vows yet!” Someone shouts, and there’s laughter that resounds within the small hall.

Nick Fury clears his throat, and they repeat the vows. More tears pool at the corner of his eyes when Tony looks him in the eye, and says “I do”, but the tears fall freely when they exchange rings, because the rings were melted and molded from his dog tags, with his carved ‘Tony’ and Tony’s carved ‘Steve’. They kiss, one of the softest exchanges between the two, and their family erupts in cheers.

In a voice Steve thinks is filled with awe and pride, Fury announces, “I now pronounce you husband and husband.”

They part to loud applause, pressing their noses together, breathing each other in. Tony already has a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Hello, Mr. Steve Rogers-Stark.”

Steve smiles, pressing his lips against Tony’s again. “Hello, Mr. Tony Stark-Rogers.”

This is in no way an ending; the second half of their lives has barely begun.

-

The second half of their lives, as one may expect, isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. They stick with the team, reasoning it with ‘They need time to adjust. Just a little longer’ when all it’s really about is that they aren’t ready to part with all this. War has never been their choice, and the world will only ever truly be at peace when something like the Avengers need not exist, but they have found home in each others’ presence, and no one is quite willing to just let go yet.

It takes a little more than a decade before they figure a way to neutralise the effects of the Super Serum. There are risks - there’s always risks in science and experiments - but when they think about the reward and how there’s technically nothing much left to lose, they approach it light-heartedly. And maybe it’s some faraway God who takes pity on them, or maybe Tony’s just that much of a genius (Tony insists on that), but the process is smooth and the effects are immediate.

Steve will never forget Tony’s laugh when he sees the first signs of age catching up to the super soldier in the form of a single wrinkle across his forehead. It’s one of those moments Steve captures in his sketchbook when Tony’s gone to sleep and he knows he won’t be caught in the act. This particular sketchbook is a private one, something Steve hopes he can keep to himself in this world that isn’t quite his.

The team, supportive in a way only they can be, congratulate the couple. They have a party, one lasting two days and three nights, however impossible it may sound. There are no tears as Steve and Tony finally retire from the Avengers team, only smiles and laughter and warmth and love.

They move to a quiet place, off the grid, for retirement. The press do what they do best - they press , but the Avengers have also made some connections with powerful news stations, who convey their blessings and swear to keep reporters off their backs. Steve thinks that’s largely thanks to Pepper, and he thinks Tony knows that too, but that’s just one of the many things they’re content with keeping to themselves.

They adopt two dogs - Steve gets to name one and Tony the other, it’s only fair - and a baby girl. When Tony suggests to name their daughter ‘Morgan’, Steve has to turn away and hold back his tears. Tony doesn’t ask - he knows . Tony always knows. He simply stands there in silent support, because Steve always shares when he is ready to. And he will, even if that time is not now.

-

The nightmares never truly stop. Even now, albeit rarely, Tony dreams of the Chitauri, of the world’s end, of stepping into a battle 87.4% sure that it will be his end. But Steve is always there when Tony wakes, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. He will hold Tony close, remind Tony who he is, that he’s safe, they’re here and only this is real.

For Steve, well, it’s a little more complicated, seeing as he’s literally a man out of his time, his world now even. And that’s the one thing that truly haunts him. Steve’s never forgotten who he really is. He never lets himself forget that he comes from a different timeline, messed this one up (too, the darkness in his mind adds) with his good intentions, and found his way to Tony (but at what cost?). That the time he has now is stolen, that one day this will all catch up to him.

He never forgets what really happens after New York. Not Ultron, not finding out what Bucky did and keeping the truth from Tony, not the Accords, not Siberia, not the time he spent as a fugitive in Wakanda.

Not the way he felt when the burner phone had rung, the way his stomach lurched at the thought that something was wrong , and hearing Bruce on the other end, telling him that Tony and a wizard had gone to space .

He can never forget the first time he’s had his arms around Tony in two years, looking so thin, hollow, fearful . Can’t forget the hurtful words exchanged, even when (because) the Earth is already damned and there’s nothing left to lose.

The temporary truce five years later.

Tony’s lifeless eyes before Steve can make things right between them again.

“Steve.” Tony’s voice, gentle but firm. Something warm presses against his ear, then again at his neck, his forehead, over his shut lids. Tony.

“Tony?” His voice comes out small, like the sickly boy from Brooklyn who isn’t sure whether he’ll make it through the day. Steve doesn’t dare open his eyes, like he thinks once he does, he’ll find himself alone in a dark alley, and he can’t take that. But Tony is real, or so the voice coaxes, until Steve’s breathing calms.

“Tony,” Steve says again.

“I’m here, Steve,” the answer comes within a heartbeat.

Now that his mind is clearer, Steve realises the sun has long since risen, now high in the sky. They’re both still under the covers, and Tony is spooning him, chest pressed against Steve’s back. His hands clasp Tony’s, toying with his wedding ring.

“I love you.” Not thank you, or I’m sorry, because they’re way past that.

He feels Tony smile. “Good morning to you too, Winghead.”

-

One night, when Tony comes out of Morgan’s bedroom looking somewhat helpless and in awe and so full of love, Steve thinks he knows.

Brown eyes seek out the blue of his own, and Tony is all but whispering, “She told me she loved me 3000 times. My calculations -never wrong, by the way- tells me she loves you maybe 900 times, max? Wow.”

And Steve laughs, because now, he finally understands. He beckons Tony to join him and their two dogs on the couch, cradling him. “It’s not a competition, Tony.”

His husband all but snorts, sinking into Steve’s arms, absent-mindedly stroking the golden retriever’s fur. "Course it isn’t."

They both know Tony will never let any of them live that down, and Steve is more than fine with that.

[arrias-the-enigmatical]

I talk about TFA and it's personal importance because why not

So, I am trying to get out of my protective shell and be more open and active outside of an abundance of reblogs. I've been meaning to do this for a while, but only recently I've been getting enough confidence. I've made a little plan to help me, and I figured why not start by talking about a show that's quite important to me.

Transformers Animated was one of the many cartoons that I watched growing up. I had never seen the Unicron Trilogy, and never knew the series even existed.

Transformers Animated was THE show that introduced me to the franchise. I watched a lot of Cartoon Network, and was (still am, too) a die-hard Teen Titan fan. I would sit for hours, at my own and my grandma's house, watching the series. One time I was looking through the channels looking for something to put on while I waited for my mom to come back from where ever she was. I flipped to Cartoon Network to see if TT was on; it was not. Instead, the second episode of "Transform and Roll Out" had just started. The first scene I had ever watched from any Transformers show was the team in front of the burnt building after resuming the humans.

My next thought was not "Holy shit! Giant Robots!" It was, in fact, "Holy shit! It looks like Teen Titans!" (I never said this out loud, my parents didn't like me swearing.)

From then on, whenever TF: Animated was on, I'd be in front of the TV, watching the show.

I was unfortunately unable to get any of the merch while you could get it at Wal-Mart or Target. But I still loved the show very much. I was unable to watch the last few episodes of the show, and for a long time, never even knew the show ended. My mom was... kind of demanding, so there wasn't much time for me to watch cartoons. When I did, TF:A wasn't on. In both that it wasn't on when I went to CN, and that it wasn't being broadcasted on the channel anymore. I never knew about Transformers Prime or the Hub channel, so I didn't know Transformers was a giant (ha) franchise. Slowly and surely, I lost touch with the series...

... Until I was at my dad's house one morning, eating breakfast while watching TV, and saw the premier of the first episode of Transformers: Robots in Disguise 2015. I was slightly confused, as I didn't even know it was transfirmers until the title card. When I saw Bumblebee's look, I thought "The fuck happened to him? Wasn't this show 2D animated?? Where's Sari???? WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?????" (My family was in the room, so nothing was said out loud.) After questioning the show, I decided not to question the show (further) and watch the thing. It actually wasn't bad and I watched the show in the mornings while getting ready for school.

My interest in Transformers came back full swing a few months/ a year later, when I found out about the comics and the vast depths of the franchise. I decided to go to my ever-trusty cartoon site to watch TF: Animated to relive my childhood (and see the episodes I never got to watch. I was a kid. The internet to me before I got back into Transformers was filled with Sonic the hedgehog and other fandoms. Mostly Sonic.)

Since I was older and had more experience, many of the concepts that went over my head as a child I understood. What hit me the hardest though was the fact that these five robots, who at first never wanted to be part of the group in the first place, grew close together as family. I always liked to found family trope, but I never fully understood how much it meant to me until I watched the series again. My familyas a whole is a damn good one, but my immediate family was not in the best... condition. My mom is a toxic person, and my parents are divorced. We moved around a lot when I was younger (which also factored into being unable to watch the end of the show.) The fact that this rag-tag group of robots who weren't at all close in the beginning actually found solace and family with each other as time went on hit the largest chord in me. I actually saw myself in them. Character wise the closest to me would be Ratchet.

After I got into my big Transformers kick, I went out and got myself some of the comics I could find. They were, in a funny way, about another rag-tag group of robots in space moving around and trying to stop a jerk from doing bad things after he hijacked their ship- Transformers: Lost Light. A couple months later, A friend of mine managed to get me the Complete Allspark Almanac, a very prized book I am proud to own and never intend to give away. A few months after that, in summer/ fall, I got my first-ever Transformers figure, Transformers Animated Starscream, in all his gimmicky, goofy gloriousness.

When I read in the Almanac and TFWiki that there was to be a season 4 that never happened, I honestly felt kind of robbed. Season 3's ending was awesome note to end on, but there were many questions that were left unanswered. I was disappointed, and I was part of the group that was clamoring about Season 4 to be produced (although I never made my own post before. My support was through reblogs of those posts with my own two cents in the tags.) This post has gotten quite long, so, however abrupt this ending might be (a tad ironic in a way,) I will be vocal in my statement:

Hasbro, if you're reading, please make a Season 4 of Transformers Animated. The show, as amazing as it is, ended earlier than it should've. Give the show it's proper ending that's not only been long awaited, but it's long deserved.

[pendragonfics]

You Really Got Me

Paring: Kraglin Obfonteri/Reader

Tags: female reader, set after Guardians of The Galaxy Volume 2, minor Gamora/Peter Quill, eventual fluff, secret relationship, matchmaking, Groot is adorable. 

Summary: The thing about keeping a relationship on the down-low is that few to no people know about it. For the Guardians of The Galaxy, not having the both of you together is almost a crime against nature. Also, Rocket wants nothing of this. Leave him out of it.

Word Count: 2,668

Current Date: 2017-12-17

The Guardians of the Galaxy were no strangers to trouble, trouble on alien planets; trouble in general. But on the Outer Rim of known space, stranded on a semi-hostile planet while shady hired dealers were working on refuelling the Milano, you were saddled with the long watch-shift to keep everyone safe on the shift. While Mantis was grabbing sleep, Groot practicing his vocabulary, Gamora cleaning her guns and Drax working out, you and Kraglin were sitting with your weapons, keeping an eye and ear out.

“Do we really need to keep watch?” You had asked Peter, dubious. It wasn’t as hostile a planet where the people would shoot on sight, yet, the captain of the ship was set on it, and set with saddling the job on his adopted brother Kraglin, too. “I mean, one person, sure, but two? It’s overkill.”

Kraglin had agreed with you, but Peter was adamant. “Trust me on this, _________.”

So, you two were left out, sitting with your sword, and Kraglin with his blaster. It was a nice night, and you could see the constellations like what you’ve come to recognise living away from Earth. The twin moons in the horizon are rising over the mountain range, and bathing you and your broadsword in ample moonlight. The forest around the both of you is silent, empty except for its fauna, creatures darting to the places where they would rest their heads for the night, the odd birdcall made before they settled.

“So, Kraglin…” you start, moving your sword in the dirt, looking to your companion, and fellow Guardian of the Galaxy. The moonlight kissed his face sweetly, bathing his features with the silvery light, those green eyes ablaze with potential, “You never said how you became a Ravager.”

He’s silent for a second. The blaster in his hands is held tight, and with a deep breath expelled, the gun is lowered to his side. Kraglin looks you in the eyes, and released another sigh. Two sighs. No wonder he hadn’t told the story like you told your many little stories, this seemed to be a little heavier in its emotional baggage.

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you…” he says, giving you a little smirk. But you saw straight through it – it was as much as a front as Peter’s need for music to cover the losses in his life. “I was just a kid from Xandar, ten. Xandar wasn’t as nice as it was back then, and there was a raid on my parent’s ship when we got back from a special trip on some planet.” He looks to the ground, where his boots scuff the dirt, digging it to cover the caps of his toes. “It was a Kree ship, and we were shot down. Nova Corps did all they could, but covered it. Said we was dead.”

You frown, not sure if you heard that right. “Wait, we’re talking about same Nova Corps, with Nova Prime, and –,” you stop yourself, raising your brows. “How did you survive?”

Kraglin smiles. “Ravager ship was just leaving the atmosphere. Yondu’s. Saved my life.”

You smile, remembering the late Ravager, and his odd acts of kindness he made over the years. “And you just stayed with him from then on?” you ask, “I mean, you know me, the galivanting rouge, never to stay too long in one place.” You add.

“Yeah, you’re nothing like that.” Kraglin laughs, and clicking his blaster to standby on his side, gives your shoulder a playful whack, and one of his bright smiles. “Had nowhere else to go, _________. Yondu was like a father to me, Peter too. Ravager’s became a family for me.”

It’s silent for a moment between you, and then, you blurt out, “I wasn’t a pilot before this all, not back on Earth.” You say, unable to face the look in Kraglin’s eyes at the admittance. “My dad was a part of the military, and my Mom an astronaut…” Sensing his confusion at the word, you add, “Um, it meant she went to space for a living. Nobody knew she was pregnant, and she had me in space.”

He frowns. “But Terrans don’t have good space stations.” He states.

You nod. “That’s the understatement of the year, right there,” you laugh it off, but it really cuts deep. “My birth father is a man named General Ross. But…I’m just the defect of an affair gone wrong, I’m sure I have half-sisters or something back on Earth.” You shake your head, unable to picture what family you could have.

Kraglin turns toward you. “You didn’t say what happened to your Ma.”

“She was an American astronaut. They’re prized back on Earth, endless media coverage, fame, science journals to boot. You should hear about how much they like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin…” you remember the names, how your mother would tell you about them before tucking you in at night. “She gave birth to me in space, and when she came back to Earth, they faked her return. Said she was dead, obliterated her name, put the whole scandal to sleep before it was leaked.”

He's silent.

You add, “I was fifteen when I stole a government prototype space jet, and I ran away.” You chuckle. “It was more of a suicide attempt than anything, I was shocked as hell when I met actual aliens.”

The forest is still silent, not a peep from the outside world. Kraglin glances, and puts a hand on yours, his skin cold to touch, yet, the gesture was warm. “You never said…”

You sniffle, only then realising you’d been crying. It wasn’t a good story. It was a terrible, terrible story that only told of your origins, and how you came to be the woman you were today. “I was an alien to them…to my own father. A freak.”

Kraglin smiles, those crooked teeth overshadowed by the endearing gesture. “Looks like you’re in the right place to be with your own kind, then, _________.”

You laugh it off, whispering pssh to him, changing the topic to something else.

Inside the ship, Peter turns to Gamora with a goofy grin upon his face. But the Zen-Whoberis native has nothing of it, and ignoring his antics, leaves him for a stiff drink until it’s her time for the unnecessary watch shift.

---

You should have noticed it by now, but it was coming on the eighth time that Gamora had tripped you up, and had you land on Kraglin. All on different occasions, all in different contexts, apparently – she claimed to have not seen you, to not have noticed he was there, that your bones should have been strong enough from all the hits you’d taken already to get over it. But you stomached the acts. But it was the eighth time that Gamora did the deed that made you question if she wasn’t a master warrior herself, but clumsy.

It was after a deed for a Baluurian fleet when you were sitting in your hammock in the brig of the Milano, and tired after the hard day of work fending off bad guys and the works, you just wanted to read a shitty alien romance novel and ignore the world. But when you saw Gamora approaching, you put the paperback down, and extend your sword toward her.

She raises her eyebrows. “_________? Don’t say this is a mutiny.”

You huff. “I know what you’re up to! You’re trying to humiliate me for some kind of bet. Have me fall all over poor Kraglin, make us look stupid.” You hold your sword steady, and coming out from your hammock, you stand, facing your green-skinned teammate. “I’m having none of it.”

From where he sits to the side, playing in a heap of dirt he took from the last planet you all landed on, Groot agrees, “I am Groot.”

Rocket tosses a bolt near your head. “Keep it down, will you? I’m trying to make a bomb here.”

You roll your eyes, but do not back down. “Cut it out, or I’ll cut you.”

Gamora crosses her arms, her stance revealing her intentions; unyielding, firm. “Strong words from a strong woman, _________. You will not like what is to come.”

You can see over her shoulder, and entering the brig, Kraglin has something that looks like a mango in his mouth, the juices running down his arm as he bites into the auburn flesh of the fruit. But you also see – almost too late, and in comical slow-motion – Drax bounding up behind the ex-Ravager. In a matter of seconds, Gamora has moved the side, and thrust toward you with a mighty shove from Drax, Kraglin is atop you, his fruit over your shirt, your skin, your everything.

“Guys,” Rocket complains, “Bomb! I need my focus!”

Groot hums. “I am Groot.”

Rocket throws another bolt. “Nobody cares, buddy!”

But you care that Gamora has succeeded in making the eighth trip effective, and you’re fuming. “Holy hell, Gamora!” you groan, rolling Kraglin from on top of you, the juices of the fruit smeared all over you. “And Drax, why?”

Gamora passes him a handful of credits.

---

You were on your way to your bunks after a hard shift in the cockpit – hard not because of the flying, no, piloting vessels was kind of your thing (besides sarcastic one-liners and the way you made being awkwardly weird cool), just not putting up with the squabbles with the other Guardians. At least Mantis wasn’t in on the whole argument, as she sat beside you and with a hand on your bare arm, told you all the meanings of your dreams the night prior. But now, you  were desperate to get some shut-eye, and if you could sneak in some time at the communal shower to strip away the day before then, it would be an added bonus.

But there was a Drax-shaped wall between you and the bunks. No, scratch that. It was just Drax.

“Hey there,” you smile at the muscle of team. “What’s up?”

He frowns at the words you chose. “We are currently flying in space, _________. Nothing is up or down without gravity.”

You nod, remembering that Drax wasn’t the greatest at phrases. “No, I mean…ah, how are you?”

He smiles, it’s small, but nonetheless, there is no scowl, no war-like grimace, no deathly resting face, and you take the smile as a good sign he isn’t up to any funny business. “I am fine, thank you. How are you?”

“I’m tired,” you gesture to the bunks behind him, “I was going to sleep off the day.”

He frowns. “You cannot sleep off a day, time is not a contractible illness that fades after rest is acquired.” He pauses, and glancing down the hallway both ways, hands you a crumpled slip of paper. “I am needed elsewhere, you can sleep now.”

As he walks away toward the cockpit, you unfold the gift from Drax. It’s very poorly written, with many grammatical mistakes, but nonetheless, you discern the general meaning from what he has just handed you. You push into the bunk, where you see Kraglin sitting on his bed. He’s pulling a comb over his tuft of hair, toothbrush in mouth, and when you flop onto your bunk, he gives you a strange look.

Spitting into his glass of water, he asks, “Why the long face, _________?”

You scrunch the note in your hand, and toss it to him. “Read it.”

He undoes the paper, and narrowing his eyes, does his best. “Yuor – you got a need to put your face on –,” he raises his eyebrows at it, and scrunches it up, tosses it back to you, “Who gave that to you?”

“Drax.”

“Makes sense.” Kraglin nods, and placing the glass beside his bed, he adds, “I mean, it’s weird, and sounds like something that he’d say. Not that any of this makes sense.”

You nod, “First Peter has us doing menial tasks together.”

Kraglin agrees, “and Gamora makes us fall over on each other!”

“And this shitty note!” You toss it toward the waste paper basket beside your makeshift bookshelf, the paper missing, hitting the rim, falling onto the floor pitifully. “I think we should tell them.”

Kraglin shakes his head, unsure. “I don’t know, _________…last time I told Peter I had a girlfriend, he took her out, and slept with her. Turned out she was a traitor to the Ravagers, but still. He could take you!”

You pssh at those words, laughing, “Take me? Jeez, that sounds like I’m an object!” you stand, and go to where the paper rebounded the bin. “No. I’m in love with you, Krag, and have been for what, three years now? I’m sick of hiding it from the team. I’m sick of being a part of their pranks to make us do something about it.” you toss the paper in the bin, fixing the problem. “Are you with me, or not, Kraglin Obfonteri?”

He nods. “Always, darling.”

---

The next day, you approach the cockpit with Kraglin at your side. Everyone’s there – Drax is staring off into space, Gamora interested in the readings on the schematics on the screen before her. Rocket mans a control, as does Peter. Mantis is reading your shitty alien novel, and Groot sits beside her, playing with a toy yoyo you found a month ago, and has the string wrapped around his arms in a way that can’t be comfortable.

You cough, alerting them of your presence.

“_________! Hey!” Peter greets, waving. “What’s up, Kraglin?”

Drax mishears. We are currently flying in space, Peter, nothing is up or down without gravity.”

Peter ignores that, and says something to Gamora you quite can’t catch. Rocket wipes a hand over his face, groaning very loudly. “Will you guys just quit it! Who cares if you think they’re cute together, I think you all look alike, and I think we’re all going to die alone one day!” He growls. “Love is dead!”

Groot whacks him from where he’s seated with the yoyo. “I AM GROOT!”

Mantis speaks up. “Are you talking about _________ and Kraglin?” she asks politely.

Peter nods. “Yeah! Don’t you think –,”

She adds, “They’ve been in love for over one thousand and ninety-four days, and when you are not around, push the beds they sleep in together and kiss in secret.” She says, her antennae bouncing as she talked.

“What?” Gamora gapes.

Peter blinks.

Drax says nothing, playing with the holo-graphics on his seat.

Mantis realises something is off, and says, “You didn’t know?”

You and Kraglin glance between you, and deciding to see what happened after this revelation of the team, watch it out. “We were just coming to say all this,” you say, breaking the silence. “I mean, it’s just a relationship, it’s not like it affects anyone beyond us.”

“You’re with _________?” Peter asks, saying the same fact again as if to want to hear it confirmed from your own lips, even though it had already had been.

Kraglin nods. “Yeah, for nearly three years.” You link hands with one another. “And we’re here to ask everyone to stop punking us. We’re sick of doing bad shifts, and falling on one another.”

You look to Drax. “And if you want, I’ll gladly teach you basic writing skills, big guy.”

“Writing is speaking’s sorry, weak cousin,” Drax tells you, “I only resorted to it for desperate measures.”

Groot comes to you, and carefully, you unwind the yoyo from his arm. “I am Groot.” He thanks you, adds, “I am Groot!”

You look to the team, “Okay, that was enough social interaction for one day. I’m going to take my boyfriend with me, and we’re going to cuddle, and then I’m going to kiss him in a public space.” You lift your hand that’s holding his, and grin. “Permission to take the day off, Star-Lord?”

He gives you both a thumb up. “Do more than cuddle!”