#why does marvel take away all my favorite characters

[negasonic9403]

Okay, so this is massive old news for anyone who's seen Agents of Shield, but Ward, WHAT THE FUCK. I am upset 😭. Man was literally my favorite character and he has ripped my heart out. Fuck Hydra.

[churipu]

hiii !!

this is my first time requesting smth so sorry if I’m not making sense !! 😭

can u do jjk boys / men with short reader ?? can u also include megumi ?

thank you !

SHORTIE — JJK MEN + SHORT PARTNER

featuring. megumi fushiguro, toji fushiguro, gojo satoru, nanami kento x reader

warnings. none

note. hii jelly!! don't worry love you're doing great, and thank you for requesting! sorry it took so long :( i hope you like this. also, guys, omg you don't know how thankful i am to reach 500+ followers in a short amount of time, i'm going to sob. i love you all so much <;33

MEGUMI FUSHIGURO. i feel like he doesn't mind at all, he did say his type was someone with an unshakable character — so he could obviously care less about your height. in fact, he'd be pretty much delighted, he finds you adorable (but let's face it, he'd never tell that to your face).

it sounds cliche but megumi would be the one to help you get things from higher places, and when he can't reach them either — he'd carry you up his shoulders to let you grab it. if there's one other thing that he loves besides your personality, it's your height.

so when anyone tries to bring you down with that, megumi would definitely be up to defend you; saying there's no problem with your height and how much he likes that about you.

"what're you talking about? they look just fine." megumi mutters out, scratching the back of his head, his eyes averting to the side.

"so what if they're short? why does that matter?"

"'t doesn't matter what you think, i like them, so what?"

just, he's always going to defend you about your height so the next second you feel conscious about it — he's going to ask you if anyone said anything, and if you said yes (he'll make sure to find out who it is behind your back), and if you said no (he'll tell you how much he loves you, your height, and everything about you).

TOJI FUSHIGURO. big tease, will definitely make fun of your for it, he calls you "shortie", it's just his default nickname for you. the first time het met you, he's just decided that he'd go with the name "shortie" instead of "y/n".

he's going to ask you to grab something for him, and when you realized it's something out of reach, it's just his act to make fun of you, "hey shortie, grab my favorite mug for me."

and when you opened the mug cabinet, his mug is just sitting on the very top — you looked at him with a defeated smile and let out a laugh. he would always end up taking it for himself, patting your head on the way with a satisfied laughter.

though sometimes, you feel a little self-conscious when he makes fun of your for your height, and toji would caught up to it almost immediately.

"what's up, shortie? why'd you look so sad, hm?"

"am i really that short?" he cocked his eyebrow and hummed out, signaling that it's a yes indeed. but he scoffs after.

"so what?" he mutters out, laying his hand on top of your head before walking away, don't worry it's just his way of telling you he loves you. you'd feel so much better after that.

that's why he kept calling you shortie, no matter how self-conscious you get, he ends up encouraging you about it. so he never bothered stopping (and he never thought of stopping the nickname).

GOJO SATORU. like toji, i feel like gojo is a big tease as well. he absolutely loves your height, he's a tall man, and having such a short partner is a fun thing to him. he loves making fun of you (in a cute way) — and so you didn't mind it at all, since you know that gojo didn't mean it literally.

"oh, i didn't see you there! you're so small i could just step on you." he marvels out with a toothy grin before scooping you into his embrace.

with that being said, gojo absolutely loves carrying you on top of his shoulders, and when he has the chance to, he won't waste the chance to ask you how it feels like to be so much taller. you always comply with his jokes as well so he loves teasing you a lot, cause you give out reactions to him.

"how does it feel to be tall?" he asks you, hand gripping on your hips, holding you in place so you wouldn't fall.

"not bad, definitely could feel the heat up here, must suck being so close to the sun," you replied back, patting his head gently and gojo chuckles, letting you down.

being short isn't so bad when you have a giant to protect you from the heat, he's like your personal umbrella. so, you weren't going to complain about it at all.

also, gojo wouldn't let you talk bad about your height. he's your number one fan, don't tell me otherwise.

NANAMI KENTO. he absolutely adores you. he loves how his shirt looks big on you, he loves how small you look next to him, he loves how you always use him as a shield for anything, he just loves you.

most of the time, you'd feel a little bad about your height — but nanami would tell you how it doesn't matter and how much he loves you. he has his ways of showing his love to you and your height. nanami would sometimes use you as a place to rest his arm, at first you thought he was making fun of you, but he wasn't and i guess it's now just a normal thing for the both of you.

nanami loves tucking your head under his chin when you're both relaxing, watching a movie, cooking, anything — he just loves pulling you close and laying his chin on top of your head. he tells you it feels comfortable, and so that has also been a normal thing for the both of you.

having a small height means teeny tiny body parts. your hands, especially; he's in love with how small they are compared to his. how your hand always tugs on his shirt when you're out, he's hand would engulf yours completely, and he makes sure you're well taken care of when you both go out (it would be hard if you'd get lost in the crowd).

one thing he adores is a habit that you always do when he's busy. of course you wanted attention, and when you wanted his attention — he'd find you tugging at his shirt, his suit, his hand with your own while muttering out a, "boyfriend, boyfriend".

he's just so in love with you and everything about you, and with that, you've slowly come to love your own height. thanks to him.

© CHURIPU 2023 , DO NOT COPY OR REPOST ANYWHERE !

[quitealotofsodapop]

So in your Tiger Monk AU how many kittens does Sanzang end up having?

Was it an easy birth or were there complications?

How many sons and/or daughters?

What are their names?

Do any of his cat suitors (particularly Azure) try to court him by showing him that they can get along with and take care of his kittens?

Only to met with the kittens’ claws and Sanzang’s hissing (and that’s just when the other pilgrims aren’t around 🤣)

Do any of the demons that still try to eat Sanzang go after the kittens, thinking their flesh and blood will have the same effect as their baba’s (mama?) ?

And which of the pilgrims (and Macaque) ends up being the kittens’ favorite babysitter?

Prev.

While it would hilarious to torment our dear Monk with a large litter (Tigers sometimes get up to seven kittens/cubs at a time), odds are he ends up with the average 2-4 kittens.

Tripitaka takes to the "mother/mama" title more readily than the male counterparts. After all, if the Bodhisattva can be referred to in both male and female terms, why can't he?

His worst symptoms (in his opinion) is an overwhelming craving for organ meat. He finds it disgusting, but he needs that iron.

The only reason Tripitaka isn't swamped by suitors like before is because they're all afraid of whom was able to father the Great Monk's young (i.e. himself via river magic).

Tripitaka only choses two names at first, A boy and girl, telling his disciples that they can choose any extras when the time comes. He wants to honour his parents, Chen Guangrui (陳光蕊) and Yin Wenjiao (殷溫嬌), whom he nor his children will ever truly know, so he ensures both names contain a character from each.

Wēnhòu/温厚 - "good natured, warm and generous". Wukong got confused after hearing this name since it sounded like "tender monkey". That was unintentional, but Wukong excitedly thought the second character was to honour him, and Tripitaka was too tired to change it

Bōguāng/波光 - "reflection of sunlight on waves". A very pretty name. Ao Lie started laughing when he heard it and wouldn't tell Tripitaka why until the gang encountered Prince Mo'ang. "Master is naming his first born son Boguang!" Now all the dragons think Tripitaka did it as a sign of good faith to dragon kind.

Tripitaka has no delusions on the matter; he is male from birth, and the only reason he knows he can survive this mystical pregnancy is 1: A Demon's natural ability to shapeshift, 2: His increased healing ability, 3: Surprising reassurance from the Six Eared Macaque of all people.

(*the Pilgrims have set up camp for the night, all asleep save for a certain monk. Tripitaka is praying, still unfathomably worried about his and his child's health.*) Macaque, manifesting from the shadows: "Cut the mopping, fluffy. I can hear it from across the valley." Tripitaka, eyes fixed on the fire: "I'm sorry..." Macaque, sighs and groans: "My ears... aren't just for show you know. They don't just hear the Now, but also the Past, and Future. It's all in the wind." Tripitaka: "That's a marvellous ability to possess. But I fail to see how it will help-" Macaque: "You're going to be fine. You and your kids. Thats what I've heard." Tripitaka: (*surprised but secretly ecstatic with the news. Rubs hand on stomach where a lot of kicking it happening*) Tripitaka, warm smile: "Thank you, Liu'er Mihou. You've put a great worry of mine to rest." Macaque, acting nonchalant: "Whatever. Just don't want to be kept up all night by your panicking. There's three by the way." Tripitaka: "...wait, THREE!?!" Macaque, evil smile: "Enjoy!" (*shadow portals away*)

The cubs likely only arrive after some years (demonic pregnancy and all), and whilst it would be nice and clean for them to only arrive after the gang completes their Journey...

Imagine the utter chaos that would occur if the Great Monk's children decided to be born at Lion Camel Ridge? >:3

The Pilgrims and the Brotherhood are arguing, causing a huge fuss when Tripitaka, like a character in a Victorian romance novel, faints upon the nearest surface.

Guanyin teleports on scene and tells everyone to STFU - baby Golden Cicadas are in-bound!

The process is long and tiring, but doesn't have many complications. The main issue is trying to keep the parent awake - Tripitaka depleting all his energy to bring his children into the world.

Wenhou/温厚 (First Born): A feisty little girl. Is out kicking and hissing before her eyes even open. Has more prominent white markings than orange or black. A right diva/princess of a kitten, if something doesn't go her way, she lets everyone know about it. Bajie can't say no to his baby niece, and spoils her rotten despite Tripitaka's objections.

Boguang/波光 (Second Born): A confused little panther (black-furred tiger) who immediately gets into an argument with his older sister when she kicks him. Mostly chill but quick to sibling-on-sibling violence. Most mischievous. Loves hiding in people's hair, and due to blending in and causing his family to panic searching for him; his fave is Macaque (the feeling is mutual).

Tangzǐ/唐子/"Little Tang/Tangy" (Third Born): The runt of the litter. Tangzi took a much longer time to arrive than his siblings and even longer to start crying, worrying his family immensely. Guanyin even stepped in to rub the baby's chest until they got a solid angry "Mew!" from him. Eventually though, he's heartily eating and has as much hunting instinct as a sheep. Loves his Uncle/Big Brother Wukong the most-

HEY WAIT A MINUTE:

When did he get here!?

But yeah, 3rd babu is LMK Tang. All lazy and hungry and giving the big kitten eyes to get what he wants. He's named "Tangzi" as a joke to how much he looks like his mama + a pun on how much he exaggerates things like his hunger or how big that bug he saw was.

Tripitaka sighs tiredly. He never thought he could love someone so much until he met his cubs. He instinctually grooms them clean as a mother tiger would, and only allows his closest companions near enough to see them.

In drafting these Tripitaka river-kiddos I realised I accidentally did something XD

As for suitors and those who'd wish the kittens harm - it will be certainly a task to get anywhere close to them with not only their protective mama tiger nearby, but also their vigilant uncles!

If a demon ever actually managed to harm one of the babies to try and consume their divine energy - Guanyin themselves would step in and tear them limb from limb.

The gang are forced to stay at Lion Camel Ridge a little longer than planned. The demon populace are surprisingly accepting, and even joyous by the Great Monk's situation! One "of their own" is going to make it up the ranks of Western Heaven, and has produced healthy cubs that not even the Buddha can deny the preciousness of!

Azure attempts to greet the kittens personally shortly after the birth, only to get three tiny swipes at his nose, followed by a much larger one from Tripitaka himself. He's more in love than he could ever be.

[a-titty-ninja]

Hi. After following you for so long, I decided to give Senran Kagura a shot. The Video Game, I mean. So, I started with Burst Re:Newal

So I have to ask. How is this story so good? I get it's just Magical Ninja Girls, but how is this story so good?

Katsuragi, the lesbian pervert, has so much depth. She's an orphan who lost her parents. But not to a car accident like she thought. Her parents ran away because they were Ninja who failed a mission and had to commit sepaku. Now she seeks strength to become a leader of the light shinobi, all so she can pardon them herself.

Yomi, the destitute revolutionary, lost her parents in elementary school. They lived in the slums of Japan, unable to feed their daughter. So they sold themselves to slavery, so they could give her a better life. Instead of living lavishly, she takes her money and feeds the slums, working as a villain in the dark shinobi to do so.

I could go on and on with each character, but they're all awesome. (Except for Mirai. Wanting to slaughter your family and friends because you're a late bloomer is kinda stupid.)

And the overall morality comparison between the light shinobi vs. dark shinobi.

Light shinobi, secret warriors who work for the government of Japan and its public, accept only perfection. The only light shinobi are Elite shinobi, warriors that can take on hundreds of regular enemies. They have rigorous training, difficult testing, and high moral standards.

But this is also their downfall. For most people aren't perfect. For minor infractions, one can be excluded and banished from the ranks of the light. Which kinda makes them bad guys.

Dark shinobi, warriors who work for corporations and private entities, accept all who wish to join. For that's their saying.

"Where the light shines on the few, the darkness accepts all."

Which makes a scary amount of sense. All of these shinobi who didn't make the cut for the light, the dark accepts them wholeheartedly, flaws and all. And somehow, this makes them good guys too.

Which brings me to my ask. How does this game about Sexy Ninja Women come up with a comprehensive moral controversy that rivals mainstream media. And makes corruption arcs make sense.

Note: the scene with Hikari, the girl who lacks emotional responses, crying over the (fake) death of Mirai. It's just. Oh my. I was crying too. Like, she loves her friend enough that she just cries involuntary.

What is this game?

im glad you gave senran kagura a shot, its an incredible series that is often overlooked as just some generic ecchi! it was great reading your thoughts and it makes me want to go replay the games as its been a while although i resent you comment about mirai!. senran kagura is a whole package - the lore, the characters and their designs and animations, the style and the music is marvelous pun intended. i love the opening songs for all the games they live in my head and the anime has one of my favorite op/eds in general

i hope you play all the other games too, even the cooking rhythm game (bon appetit) is brilliant! its pretty cool that you can play the more recent games on PC these days and even peach beach splash supports VR! playing the original burst on 3ds with the slider turned to max though is an experience lol - the shinobi arts 🥵. i recommend the anime series too if you didn't check it out yet - the second season is top tier!!!

as for why the fuck this series bangs so hard its because of this genius who loves boobs and action games. this guy didnt want to just make a generic pervy game he fucked around and created a master piece. read his interviews too he is cool as shit. shinobi are cool as shit and senran kagura is just cool as shit.

[heyimdove]

Things of Note at @neil-gaiman ‘s NJPAC talk:

1. Do you people understand that he switches into accents when he reads? Do you people know he does a perfect Michael Sheen impression? did you know it’s also hot

2. He used to cold call publishers/mags to see if they’d publish his work. He’d lie when asked what other magazines he wrote for; they’d think he was more legitimate and would, therefore, be more likely to take him on themselves. “You couldn’t get away with that now” thanks to Google. Also, back then, “we had telephones and we used them,” but today’s publishers would not easily recover if you unexpectedly called them on the phone.

3. It was a personal point of pride for Neil to write for each of the magazines he’d claimed to have written for. He said “I didn’t lie. I was chronologically challenged.”

4. Neil made a deliberate effort to not be boxed in by publishers. He’d interviewed many authors who were unhappily boxed and did everything he could to avoid it, including declining big contracts from prestigious publishers (notably after American Gods). This is why he can write what he likes now. Comics writing spoiled him in this regard, as publishers mistook the medium for a genre, and therefore didn’t care what he wrote (so he wrote all the genres he wanted to in Sandman).

5. He hates Thomas Hardy thanks to being introduced to him in school. Regarding being forced to read Tess of the D’urbervilles, he said “I wouldn’t do that to a dog”. He hopes students, who might have liked him if they found him on their own, don’t encounter his work in school and hate him for it.

6. “The evil characters (you write) don’t possess you, you try to find the little bit of you in them….the little bit of you that is gloriously evil.”

7. “I touched the magic and passed it along” this was a line from Watching from the Shadows that especially moved me.

8. Terry was increasingly upset as the bidding on Good Omens increased (eventually reaching 150,000 - can’t remember if he said $ or £). For his part, when the book finally sold, Neil put on Iggy Pop’s Success and danced.

9. Anansi Boys should be out on Prime by the end of 2024!

10. Described Sandalphon as someone you want to “hit with a large oar”. (The woman next to me, who was extremely stingy with her applause, hooted like an owl at this and clapped til the last).

11. Pronounces Amazon as “Ama-zin” and Los Angeles as “Los Angelese”. This isn’t noteworthy, but I liked it enough to write it down.

12. “Being on a beach in bare feet” was the line that led Neil to realize David Tennant would be perfect for Crowley.

13. He is pictured on the ALA’s poster holding Wind in the Willows because, as a child, “it messed up my head.” He said he is “in love” with a chapter in the middle called The Piper at the Gates of Dawn where the characters meet Pan. It’s often left out of printings, which makes him sad because it is “strange, beautiful, luminous”.

14. TOATEOTL was originally planned to go to Broadway. Then, Covid. They did a “world tour” instead. Now that it’s wrapped, talks about Broadway are happening. He says all of adaptations of his work, this is his favorite.

15. “Disney’s Aladdin plays four times a day in Hell”

16. His favorite question of the night was “WHY did you think of the Other Mother?” He was tickled by the word choice of “why”

17. Asked the library in Sussex “What have you got in the way of really good horror for four year olds?” Obviously none existed so he wrote Coraline.

18. Talked about going viral for being in a falafel, seemed to marvel at the progression of the meme’s meaning.

19. “Tumblr is its own madness”

20. “Stephen King has fabulous stories about meeting fans in toilets, including being passed a book under the stall”

21. Read “The Day the Saucers Came” which I misheard initially as Sauces. Saucers is definitely better.

22. “You want to see me doing Dickens?” I laughed inappropriately at this. I was the only one.

23. I don’t want to say what pieces he read because I want you to buy tickets to his events. But it was very nice to be read to by Neil Gaiman.

It’s very worth it to go. I flew out from San Diego for this and would do it again in a heartbeat!

[restinslices]

I found your twilight post with the Lin Kuei brothers amusing and relatable 🤣

Can you do headcannons on watching marvel movies with the reader? Captain America is my favorite character in the movies lol

The MCU is huge so lmk if there was something specific you wanted to know about

Bi-Han

I don’t see any of them watching a lot of movies so you definitely introduced it to him 

He takes the longest time to finish the movies because it’s not on the top of his list when it comes to concerns 

He’s one of those overly critical watchers so he’s annoying as fuck to watch movies with 

I can see him liking Ultron

Why? I think he’d like the concept of Ultron and understand why he’s thinking the way he is 

The type to agree with Thanos until someone points out he could’ve just doubled the resources 

His favorite Phase is Phase 3 purely because Hela is his favorite character in the entire MCU 

He’s legit upset she was killed off 

I’d say which show is his favorite but I only watched Wandavision and TFATWS so moving on-

I don’t know if I see him reading the comics. Maybe if he’s curious enough 

The Avengers and The Guardians of The Galaxy are pinned against each other a lot, but what does he think?

I think it changes a lot. Depends on his mood

One thing’s for sure; he prefers the OG Avengers 

Not one of those Marvel fans that remembers everything and he doesn’t really stay up to date

Hasn’t even watched any of the shows yet 

Please bring Hela back and stop pissing him off. She ain’t do nothing wrong 

Quick afterthought 

He’s Team Cap

He don’t even wanna listen to Liu Kang. Why the fuck would he agree with the government controlling The Avengers?

Kuai Liang

NOT one of the overly critical watchers so thank fuck 

If he spots something that’s off, he’ll call it out but that’s as bad as it gets 

He likes a mix of villains and heroes

If the villains got a point, then they got a point. That’s just how it is.

He likes villains that can become better people. The pure evils ones he’s like “yeah you suck” but villains that are actually victims or who have done certain things but try to become better, he likes 

Because of that I’d say his favorite villain is The Winter Soldier 

He’s done terrible things but Kuai Liang feels pity for him and enjoys his story 

I think either Avengers or Civil War is his favorite movie 

He prefers the og era of the MCU and I think the Avengers as a whole reminds him of his family (petty as fuck towards each other but there’s ultimately love there) and Civil War was a banger

A situation where there’s technically not a right side is a topic I can see him liking 

With that being said, he is both Team Cap and Team Ironman 

Since he follows Liu Kang I can see him being like “sometimes teams need to be reined in and need someone to follow”

But in the same breath this is the same government that is corrupt and has proven themselves as not trustworthy 

And people could always die before the heroes are able to help

Then there’s Bucky and he once again understands why Steve wouldn’t tell but he also understands Tony’s anger 

He stays somewhat up to date when it comes to the new movies and shows 

He knows when they come out but he doesn’t see them right away 

Tomas

I can see him staying up to date and seeing the movies whenever he could 

Has possibly read some comics too?

Prefers Heroes 

Do I wanna say his favorite character is Spider-Man because the PS5 Spider-Man voices Tomas?

Yes

So that’s what imma do

Does he have a favorite Spider-Man?

I’m not sure. I can see him seeing the positives and negatives of all the Spidermen 

Team Cap for the accords 

Team Ironman for the Bucky situation 

His parents were killed so are we surprised? No

The type to see the positives of Phase 4 instead of just saying it’s shit 

Is it the best? No. But it’s not all ass. Damn.

He prefers the Guardians so when Gamora was killed, his heart was in SHAMBLES 

“Maybe Gamora and Peter can fall in love again”

I have bad news 

Favorite Phase is always changing. Each Phase has bangers and non bangers so it changes day to day 

I know I said he loved all the Spidermen but his favorite movie is probably a Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie 

Do not tell him the Avengers are more like coworkers than family. Do not fuck up his day 

He likes found family movies so he enjoys the movies that focus on the groups 

[amethystarachnid]

POTIONS

⤷ BILLY KAPLAN / MAXIMOFF

ᯓ★ Pairing: Billy Kaplan / Maximoff x male!reader

ᯓ★ Genre: romance, fluff

ᯓ★ Request from: MARVEL Multiverse

ᯓ★ Story type: one shot

ᯓ★ Word count: 4.6k

ᯓ★ Summary: Billy Maximoff is probably the most feared Slytherin in all Hogwarts because of his mother, the Scarlet Witch, but no one knows that deep down Billy is just an awkward boy with a big crush on an Hufflepuff boy. Billy isn't sure on how he should act so he keeps teasing y/n, hoping to get his attention that way...But what will happen when they're paired for a project together?

ᯓ★ TW(s): reader understand that he's gay (which isn't really a tw but anyway), kinda mean!Billy but it's really just a few comments

ᯓ★ AU: Harry Potter / Hogwarts

ᯓ★ Request: Harry Potter AU for Billy Kaplan / Maximoff x male!reader? Pretty please :3 ( @blazeymc)

ᯓ★ Comment if you want to be added to the taglist (specify if you want the everything taglist or for a specific character)

ᯓ★ My Masterlist

ᯓ★ MARVEL Multiverse - choose an AU, pair it with your favorite character and make a request!

ᯓ★ Songs & Superheroes tales - The Game (to make a request, follow the rules on the link!)

ᯓ★ MARVEL Bingo

ᯓ★ English isn’t my first language

You’re not sure when it started, Billy Maximoff teasing you during Potions, making snide comments during Charms, or sneering at your House every time your paths crossed in the corridors. But it’s clear that he’s got something against Hufflepuffs, or at least, something against you.

You glance across the classroom at him now, trying to focus on Professor Slughorn’s lecture about the properties of Wiggentree bark, but your attention keeps drifting. Billy sits there in his Slytherin robes, lounging in his seat with that signature air of superiority, dark hair tousled just enough to look effortlessly cool. His eyes flick over to you, and you immediately look away, feeling your face heat up. You’re used to it by now, the way he looks at you. Always with that little smirk like he knows something you don’t. You figure he’s sizing up another opportunity to take a jab at you, like he always does.

“Hufflepuff and Potions… a tragic combination,” you hear him mutter under his breath, just loud enough for you to catch.

You roll your eyes, trying to ignore him. But of course, he doesn’t stop there. He never does.

“I’m surprised you even know which cauldron to stir,” Billy continues, voice dripping with mockery as he leans slightly toward you from across the aisle. “Guess Hufflepuff does teach something useful after all. Like how to follow instructions. Riveting.”

You clench your jaw, willing yourself not to rise to his bait. This is how it always goes—Billy picking at you, trying to get under your skin. The fact that he’s Slytherin, with his mother’s terrifying reputation hanging over him like a dark cloud, makes it worse. No one in their right mind would stand up to Billy Maximoff, son of the Scarlet Witch. Not when rumors swirl around the school about the things Wanda Maximoff is capable of, and by extension, what her son might be able to do.

Still, you’ve never really understood why he singles you out like this. You’re not the only Hufflepuff in this class. But it’s always you.

“What’s the matter?” he says, tone oozing with faux innocence. “Didn’t they teach you how to talk back in Hufflepuff?”

You grit your teeth. “I’m just trying to focus on the lesson, Maximoff. Maybe you should try it sometime.”

Billy's smirk falters for a second, like he wasn’t expecting you to respond. He narrows his eyes at you, and you feel a strange flicker of satisfaction. You’ve never really talked back to him before.

“Touchy, aren’t we?” he mutters, leaning back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze lingers on you, as though he’s studying you for some reaction, something deeper.

There’s a beat of silence, and you glance over at him again, catching the faintest hint of something in his expression—nervousness? Uncertainty? For a split second, Billy almost looks… awkward? But then he catches you looking and snaps back into his usual cocky posture.

“You know,” he says, smirking again, “it’s cute that you’re trying. Really. Keep it up, maybe one day you’ll even make it to competent.”

You don’t know why it stings so much this time. You’ve been dealing with his taunts for weeks, but this one feels sharper. You glare at him, more frustrated with yourself for letting it get to you than anything else. Billy’s always like this—mean, biting, trying to rile you up for whatever reason. But for some reason, today, it hits different.

Billy, meanwhile, glances away quickly, clearing his throat as though regretting the comment. You think you see a flicker of guilt in his eyes, but it’s gone before you can be sure.

“Whatever,” you mutter, turning back to your notes, trying to ignore the strange tension that seems to settle between you two.

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Billy sneaking another glance at you. His lips part like he wants to say something else, but then he hesitates. Instead, he lets out a low sigh and looks away, sinking into his chair, unusually quiet for the rest of class.

You tell yourself you’re imagining things, that there’s nothing going on behind those sharp words and smug smirks. But there’s a small part of you—one you’ve tried to ignore—that wonders if Billy Maximoff's teasing is less about your House… and more about you.

When Professor Slughorn announces the paired assignment, you don’t think much of it at first. You’re too busy making sure your Potions notes are organized, and trying to shake off the feeling of Billy staring at you from across the aisle like he’s been doing all class. It’s nothing new, really. He’s always watching you out of the corner of his eye, ready to throw another sarcastic remark your way.

“As for partners,” Slughorn says cheerfully, pulling out a long parchment. You’re barely listening, your mind drifting to what this project might be. Something tedious, probably. “I’ll be pairing you up myself, so listen carefully!”

The room buzzes with soft murmurs as everyone starts whispering, wondering who they’ll be stuck with for the next few weeks. You half-heartedly scan the list, hoping to get someone who’ll actually do their share of the work, maybe one of your friends from Hufflepuff—

“Maximoff and…”

You freeze, heart sinking in that split second before Slughorn says it.

“…Y/N.”

You blink, sure you’ve misheard. But no, Professor Slughorn’s eyes are on you, and Maximoff turns his head sharply in your direction, his usual smirk replaced by something that looks more like… disbelief. You hear him mutter something under his breath that you can’t quite make out, and suddenly you’re very aware of the weight of the situation. Maximoff. As your partner.

This can’t be happening.

“Looks like you two will be working together on our Draught of Living Death project,” Slughorn says, sounding pleased with himself. “Should be a fascinating exercise, and I trust you’ll both rise to the occasion!”

You resist the urge to groan out loud. Of all the people in this class, him? It’s not that Maximoff isn’t smart—he’s one of the top students, of course. It’s just… well, you’ve been trying to avoid him for weeks. The idea of being stuck in close proximity to him, having to collaborate, deal with his constant teasing… It makes your stomach churn.

Maximoff leans back in his chair, crossing his arms as if he’s processing this too. For a moment, you wonder if he’s just as horrified by the idea. But then that familiar smirk starts to tug at his lips again.

“Well,” he drawls, not even looking at you, “this should be interesting.”

You glance at him, trying to read his expression, but it’s the same as always—arrogant, amused. Like the thought of working with you is just another opportunity to toy with you. Of course it is. That’s what he does.

You keep your face neutral as you start packing up your things, determined not to show any sign of how much this bothers you. You’ll deal with this. You have to.

Maximoff, of course, doesn’t give you the chance to slip away quietly. As you both stand up at the end of class, he falls into step beside you, just a little too close, his presence impossible to ignore.

“Hufflepuff and Slytherin, working together on a potion,” he muses, his voice low and teasing. “I wonder how that’s going to go. Think you can keep up?”

You grit your teeth, gripping your bag a little tighter as you glance at him. “I’m not the one who’s going to be struggling here, Maximoff.”

His smirk widens, but there’s something off about it today—something you can’t quite place. Like maybe he’s putting on an act.

“Sure, sure,” he says, waving a hand dismissively. “Just don’t spill anything. I hear Hufflepuffs can be a little… clumsy.”

You roll your eyes. “I’ll let you know if I need help handling a spoon.”

Maximoff’s laugh catches you off guard. It’s not cruel or mocking, but something softer, almost genuine. For a moment, he seems less like the arrogant Slytherin who’s been making your life miserable and more… human.

But then he glances at you again, and his expression shifts back to that familiar teasing look. “Well, let’s hope this little partnership doesn’t blow up in our faces. Literally.”

You sigh. “I’m sure we’ll survive. As long as you don’t screw it up.”

Maximoff raises an eyebrow at that, his smirk faltering for just a second. Then he recovers, leaning in slightly as if to make his next comment more personal. “Guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

There’s something in the way he says it that makes your pulse quicken, but you shake it off, refusing to let him get to you. This is just a project. Just a few weeks of working together. You can handle that.

As you walk away, you can still feel his eyes on you, like he’s trying to figure you out.

The first few days of working on the project with Maximoff are exactly as awkward as you expected. He still throws in the occasional sarcastic comment about Hufflepuff, and you still resist the urge to snap back every time. There’s a lot of uncomfortable silence too, where you’re both too busy focusing on the Draught of Living Death to fill the space with words.

But the weird thing is, Billy doesn’t seem quite as relentless as before. In fact, he’s been quieter, more thoughtful. It’s almost like he’s holding himself back.

One afternoon, you’re both sitting in the library, poring over old potions textbooks, when Billy clears his throat. You glance up at him, expecting another jab or snide remark, but his expression is… different. Less smug, more hesitant.

“So,” he says, leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his dark hair. “I’ve been thinking…”

“Sounds dangerous,” you mutter, more out of habit than actual malice.

To your surprise, Billy laughs. It’s a low, genuine sound, and it catches you off guard.

“Okay, I walked into that one,” he admits, shaking his head slightly. “But seriously. About this… partnership. I’ve realized something.”

You look at him, curious but cautious. This is the longest he’s gone without teasing you since you started working together.

“I’ve been kind of… a jerk,” he says, his voice quieter than usual. His eyes flick away from yours, like he’s uncomfortable admitting it. “You know, with the comments and the attitude. I thought… I don’t know what I thought. That maybe giving you a hard time would make things easier between us or something.” He shrugs, looking almost embarrassed now.

You blink, not sure how to respond. Is Billy Maximoff — Billy Maximoff — actually apologizing to you? For the first time since you’ve met him, he seems almost vulnerable. Not the cocky, arrogant Slytherin who’s been making your life difficult for weeks, but someone real, someone unsure of himself.

“I get it if you don’t believe me,” he continues when you stay quiet. “But I just… I don’t want things to be like that anymore. I mean, we’re stuck working together, right? We might as well make it less miserable.”

You stare at him for a moment, trying to gauge whether he’s serious. He’s watching you closely, like he’s waiting for your reaction.

And the thing is, despite everything, you don’t actually hate him. Annoyed, sure. But hate? No. And now, with him sitting across from you, admitting he’s been kind of awful, it’s hard to hold onto the frustration you’ve been feeling.

“I… appreciate that,” you finally say, your voice a little softer than before. “I mean, yeah, you’ve been kind of a jerk. But it’s not like I’m perfect either.”

Billy seems surprised by your response, his eyebrows raising slightly. Then he smiles—really smiles, not the usual smirk or sarcastic grin. And for the first time, you see a different side of him. A side that isn’t hiding behind layers of arrogance or teasing.

“Okay, good. So… truce?” he offers, holding out his hand in a gesture that’s more sincere than you ever thought he was capable of.

You glance at his hand, then back at his face, and after a moment’s hesitation, you take it. His grip is firm, warm, and something in that simple contact sends a strange flutter through your chest that you quickly ignore.

“Truce,” you agree, letting go of his hand and trying to focus back on the potion ingredients in front of you.

The next few days are… different. Billy, true to his word, tones down the teasing, and in its place, something else starts to grow between you two. He’s still sarcastic sometimes, still has that sharp edge to him, but it’s more playful now. Less biting, more… friendly.

One evening, as you’re both huddled over a bubbling cauldron in the Potions classroom, trying to perfect the next step in your Draught of Living Death, you find yourselves actually talking. Not about school, or the project, but other things: Quidditch, your favorite classes, even a little about your families.

“So, Hufflepuff,” Billy says, glancing over at you while stirring the cauldron. “Why’d you end up in that house, anyway? Always thought you’d make a pretty decent Ravenclaw, with the way you obsess over details.”

You raise an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden interest. “Well, not every Hufflepuff is just ‘nice and loyal,’ you know. We’ve got more going on than that.”

Billy chuckles, clearly amused. “Yeah, I’m starting to see that. But still, I didn’t picture you there at first. You’re… different than the other Hufflepuffs I know.”

You can’t help but smirk a little at that. “Is that a compliment?”

“Maybe,” he says with a shrug, his eyes flicking to yours again, and this time there’s no teasing behind it. Just something… softer.

For a while, the two of you fall into an easy rhythm. You notice little things, like the way Maximoff’s confidence seems less about bravado and more about hiding some deeper insecurity. And Billy, for his part, starts asking about you: your hobbies, your thoughts on things, like he’s genuinely curious.

One night, while working late in the library, you’re both sitting closer than usual, poring over some notes about the final step of the potion. Billy is quieter than normal, his focus drifting from the pages to you, though you try not to notice.

“You know,” he says suddenly, breaking the silence. “I never thought I’d actually like working with you.”

You look up, confused. “What do you mean?”

He shrugs, leaning back in his chair and running a hand through his hair in that way he always does when he’s nervous. “I dunno. I just… you’re not what I expected. I thought this would suck, but it’s actually been… nice.”

There’s a strange, warm feeling in your chest at his words. It’s the first time he’s been this open with you, and for some reason, it makes you smile.

“Yeah,” you say quietly, meeting his eyes. “It’s been nice.”

For a moment, the two of you just sit there, the air between you thick with something unspoken. Billy's gaze lingers on you a little longer than usual, and you wonder if he’s thinking the same thing you are—that maybe, just maybe, this project was the best thing that could’ve happened to the both of you.

It hits you all at once, like a flash of lightning on a clear day, completely unexpected.

You and Billy are sitting in the Potions classroom again, working on the final steps of the Draught of Living Death. It’s late, well past dinner, but the two of you have fallen into this strange, comfortable routine—staying behind, just the two of you, focused on the bubbling cauldron. You’ve grown used to it now, the sound of his voice, the way he leans over the table to make a point, his dark hair falling into his eyes, that little smirk that’s become softer around the edges.

And that’s when it happens. He laughs—really laughs—at something you say, his whole face lighting up in a way you’ve never seen before. His eyes crinkle at the edges, and the sound of it, the sight of it, warms something deep inside you. It’s not like the usual snark or teasing. It’s real. Genuine.

You freeze, the stirring rod slipping from your fingers and clattering against the table, but you barely register it because your heart suddenly feels like it’s doing somersaults in your chest. Something tightens in your throat, a rush of heat flooding your face.

Oh no.

You stare at him, your mind reeling. This can’t be happening. You can’t feel like this about him. He’s Billy Maximoff. The guy who used to make fun of you. The guy you’ve spent weeks bickering with. The guy you’ve—somehow—grown closer to.

But that’s the problem, isn’t it? You’ve grown close. Too close. And now, as you sit here in the dimly lit classroom, watching the way the light from the cauldron flickers across his face, the truth slams into you so hard you can’t ignore it.

You’re in love with him.

The realization shocks you to your core. Your mind races, scrambling to make sense of it, but you can’t. You never thought… you’ve never even considered that you might feel this way about another guy. About Billy of all people. And yet, here you are, staring at him like he’s the only thing in the room that matters. Your heart pounds in your chest, and suddenly you’re hyperaware of everything—how close he is, the way his hand brushes against yours when he reaches for a quill, the subtle curve of his lips when he smiles.

Billy glances up at you, oblivious to the storm that’s raging inside your head. “You good? You’ve been staring at the cauldron like it’s about to explode.”

You snap back to reality, blinking quickly, trying to act normal even though your thoughts are anything but. “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Just… thinking.”

He raises an eyebrow, looking amused. “About what? Whether Hufflepuffs can handle a potion this complex?”

You force a laugh, but it’s shaky, and you hope he doesn’t notice. “Something like that.”

He rolls his eyes playfully and turns his attention back to the potion, stirring it carefully. You watch him, heart still racing, trying to process what just happened.

You never thought you’d feel this way—about a guy, about Billy. But there’s no denying it anymore. It’s not just the fact that he’s good-looking, though he is in that infuriating, effortless way. It’s more than that. It’s the way he’s started letting down his guard around you, the way he teases you now with a smile instead of a smirk. The way he talks to you, like he’s actually interested in what you have to say. The way he makes you feel seen in a way no one else ever has.

And that’s terrifying.

You can’t be in love with him. You don’t even like boys—or at least, you didn’t think you did. This wasn’t supposed to happen. But now that it has, you can’t unfeel it. You can’t undo the way your chest tightens when he looks at you, or the way his laugh sends butterflies into a frenzy in your stomach. You can’t stop your heart from racing every time he’s near, or the way your thoughts keep circling back to him, even when you try to push them away.

You swallow hard, trying to steady your breathing, but the truth is, you’re completely overwhelmed. You glance over at Billy again, your gaze lingering on him a little too long, and you catch yourself wondering—what would he think? If he knew. If he could see into your head right now, could he feel the same way?

But that’s impossible. Billy’s never shown any sign that he’s interested in anyone, much less you. And besides, you’ve been nothing but rivals for so long. He’s only just started being nice to you, and here you are, falling for him like some lovesick fool.

You pull yourself together, forcing your focus back to the potion in front of you. This isn’t the time to think about it. You’ll deal with it later, figure out what to do with these feelings—if you can. For now, you just need to survive this project without giving anything away.

But as Billy leans closer, his arm brushing against yours again, you can’t help but wonder if you’ll be able to.

A few days pass, but your mind is still tangled in the realization you’ve been fighting against—you’re in love with Billy Maximoff. And it’s more than just a passing crush, more than something you can shove into the back of your mind and pretend doesn’t exist. It’s real, undeniable, and every time you see him, every time you talk to him, it gets harder to ignore.

At first, you keep trying to convince yourself that it’s not possible. You’ve never been interested in guys before, right? So how could this happen? But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. The way you felt around other boys, the awkwardness that you brushed off as nothing—maybe it wasn’t nothing. Maybe you were just afraid to look at it too closely. And now, sitting here with the reality of your feelings for Billy, you know you can’t hide from it anymore.

You’re gay.

The thought should scare you, and maybe it does, a little. But it also feels like a weight lifting off your chest. You’ve spent so much time trying to be someone you thought you were supposed to be, and now, for the first time, you feel like you’re starting to understand who you actually are. You don’t have all the answers yet, and you’re not even sure what comes next, but this truth—this part of you—isn’t something to be afraid of.

But then there’s Billy. And the idea of telling him—of confessing to him—is something else entirely. You’ve been working with him every day, getting closer, sharing inside jokes and moments that make your heart race, but does he feel the same way? Or is this all just in your head?

It’s not until the day the potion is finally complete that you make up your mind. The two of you are standing side by side, admiring the shimmering, perfect Draught of Living Death. Professor Slughorn had praised your work, saying it was one of the best potions he’d ever seen from students, and now it’s just the two of you in the empty classroom, a sense of accomplishment hanging in the air.

Billy grins, leaning on the table, looking ridiculously pleased with himself. “Well, we didn’t blow anything up. I’d call that a success.”

You laugh, but your mind is already elsewhere, racing with what you’ve been meaning to say for days now. If you don’t say it now, you might never have the courage to do it. And as much as the thought terrifies you, the idea of keeping this secret locked away forever scares you even more.

“Billy…” you begin, your voice a little shaky. He glances at you, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

He straightens up, his playful smirk fading as he notices the seriousness in your tone. “What is it?” he asks, his voice softer, more cautious.

You take a deep breath, your heart pounding so loudly you can barely hear yourself think. This is it. No turning back. “I… I’ve been thinking a lot lately, about, well… everything. And I realized something.” Your stomach twists into knots, but you force yourself to keep going. “I think… I think I’m gay.”

The words hang in the air between you, heavy and terrifying, but also freeing. For the first time, you’ve said it out loud. And for the first time, you don’t feel like you’re suffocating under the weight of pretending to be someone else.

Billy doesn’t say anything right away, and your heart sinks, fear creeping in. Maybe you misread everything. Maybe he’s about to make some sarcastic joke or brush it off.

But he doesn’t.

Instead, he just looks at you, his expression softening, his usual bravado nowhere to be found. “Y/N,” he says quietly, stepping a little closer, “thank you for telling me.”

There’s something about the way he says it, the gentleness in his voice, that makes the tightness in your chest loosen. But you’re not done yet. You swallow hard, feeling the words rise in your throat, the confession you’ve been holding onto for what feels like forever.

“And… it’s not just that I’m gay,” you say, your voice barely above a whisper now. “I… I think I’m in love with you.”

You finally meet his gaze, your heart hammering as you wait for his reaction. The silence stretches out between you, and every second feels like an eternity. You half expect him to laugh it off, to make some snarky comment about how you’re just imagining things. But instead, something shifts in his eyes—surprise, yes, but something else too. Something warmer.

Billy takes a step closer, so close now that you can feel the warmth of him, smell the faint scent of whatever cologne he wears. His expression is unreadable for a moment, but then—finally—he speaks.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear that,” he murmurs, his voice low, his gaze locked onto yours.

You blink, stunned, the meaning of his words hitting you like a tidal wave. “Wait, what?”

Billy laughs softly, shaking his head. “You’re not the only one who’s been keeping secrets, Y/N.” He reaches up, brushing a strand of hair out of your face, and his touch sends sparks skittering across your skin. “I’ve liked you for… well, way longer than I want to admit. But I didn’t know how to act around you, so I did the only thing I knew, I teased you. A lot. Which, in hindsight, was probably not the best move.”

You stare at him, completely floored. “So… you like me too?”

Billy’s lips curve into a smile, the kind that’s more genuine than any smirk you’ve ever seen from him. “Yeah, I do. A lot.”

Relief and disbelief crash over you in equal measure, and you feel like you can finally breathe again. You laugh, a little breathless, shaking your head. “I can’t believe it. I thought—”

“Thought what?” Billy interrupts, stepping even closer now, his voice soft. “That I’d push you away?”

You nod, your pulse racing.

“Well,” Billy says, his voice dropping to a near whisper, “I’m not pushing you away.” He hesitates for a second, like he’s making sure this is what you want, and when you don’t pull back, he closes the distance between you completely.

His lips meet yours in a gentle, tentative kiss, and it’s like the world falls away. Everything you’ve been worrying about, all the fear and confusion—it fades into the background, replaced by the warmth of his touch, the softness of his kiss. It feels right, like this was always supposed to happen, like the two of you were meant to find your way to this moment.

When you finally pull back, both of you are smiling—really smiling—and the weight that’s been pressing down on you for weeks, maybe longer, is completely gone.

Billy grins, his eyes sparkling with that familiar mischief. “So, what do you say we celebrate making the best potion in class and you finally coming clean about your feelings?”

You laugh, feeling lighter than you have in ages. “Yeah. I think that sounds like a great idea.”

And as you leave the classroom together, you realize that this is just the beginning. You’ve finally accepted who you are, and somehow, against all odds, the person you’ve fallen for feels the same way. Everything feels possible now.

First time writing male!character x male!reader so I hope I did good but I'm open to criticism as long as it's kind lol.

If you like the story like reblog and drop a follow if you want to read more. <3

[pinksugarscrub]

One Year Celebration 💙

Hello travelers!

Weary from your journey? Fear not, I have remedies to soothe your aching feet. Take a seat and pick your fancy. Although I caution you that you may only ask for two tales as I have many more customers. Well, what will it be?

~ i

Side Quests

For any pre-existing stories completed or not such as "Sun and Moon" or short stories like "Home" send in a request for a fic based on their respective universe. As long as it does not interfere with the main story you are free to spin the tale in whichever way you choose.

For example, our lovely Katy requested a sea witch Hobie! with a mermaid! reader.

Bounties

Looking for a change of pace after screening across the spider verse for the hundredth time? Send in a request for a different character or do ask for our lovable Hobie Brown, I won't judge you. The list goes as follows:

My Hero Academia

Ouran High School Host Club

DC

Marvel

One Piece

Avatar the Last Airbender

Bridgerton

The Dragon Prince

Howl's Moving Castle

...and so forth!

If you're unsure of your request or have another fandom in mind please let me know and I'll respond as soon as possible to provide you with a suitable story.

~ii

After choosing your story I'm sure you would like something sweet or savory to enjoy so please, look at our menu and let the barmaid know. Be wary we do not serve ale (smut) so please keep that in mind when you order.

Tiramisu - angst/comfort

A mix between sweet and bitter! This would go excellent with a "right person, wrong time" scenario.

Hearty stew - fluff

How...domestic of you. I love it! Doing everyday activities or enjoying new experiences with your person of choice seems lovely.

Bean Brew - angst

Sometimes I wonder why I subject myself to this, and then the ideas come. This appears fitting for "unrequited love" or "miscommunication".

Now you are ready to order!

~ iii

Message by Carrier Pigeon

Interested in asking for advice for your next adventure or asking for my own? Just send in your inquiries! I'd love to talk about my inspirations as a writer or converse about your favorite books. Writers uplift other writers, yes?

Note in a Bottle

Want a sneak peak into the wips currently within my arsenal? Ask away and I'll try to contain myself from joy. Even unreleased works 👀...

Other

As a mage in training I do have other responsibilities other than manning this tavern therefore I ask of you to be patient for your tale to arrive. Enjoy the fire and view while you wait. Thank you again for all your support and happy birthday to the blog! 🎉🎉 The deadline is September 27th as not to interfere with Octobie.

[jeannereames]

Hero Alexander vs. The Real Alexander

Moving to the second half of a recent question:

And if I'm not wrong, you mention at one place that you don't "heroize" Alexander. That's interesting, since he's often worshiped as a mythical hero. Why did you move away from that?

As a writer (and a reader), I’ve always been intrigued by the challenge of humanizing the “inhuman” (which can also include the ridiculously talented).

When I fell in love with Tolkien as a girl, I wanted to know what it would be like to be an elf, to have magic, to live that long, etcetera. Maybe that’s also why I always preferred Marvel superheroes over DC. Their hallmark was to make the fantastic (mutants, etc.) more human.

Now, I love me some traditional mythopoetic fantasy, but I’m no good at producing it myself. What is mythopoetic style? Peter Beagle, Patricia McKillip, Nancy Springer, C.J. Cherryh’s sidhe novels, my friend Meredith Ann Pierce … and of course Tolkien himself, where magic is real and magical creatures are…well, magical. Inhuman. Elves … not hobbits. Like a fairy tale…a myth (hence “mythopoetic”).

Anyway, I love reading that, but can’t write it to save my soul. When I write epic/historical fantasy (and I do see SFF as my home genre), it’s closer to anthro SF than to any mythopoetic style. My current MIP (monster-in-progress) is a 6-book series set on a secondary world where two branches of humanity survived, one of which, the Aphê, have super-convenient prehensile tails. 😊 The character journey for one of the protags across the first three novels is to recognize the Aphê as human and fallible rather than as a “noble savage” wise people. (Yes, questions of “What does it mean to be ‘civilized’?” are among the series themes.)

When it comes to historical fiction, I take the same tack. Alexander is interesting to me because he was a real person who accomplished extraordinary things.* What might he have been like in real life?

Making him too perfect—good at everything, no/few mistakes (just misunderstood), always honorable, etc., bores me. That’s the Alexander of his own marketing campaign. (laugh) It was adopted and refined by some later historians such as Arrian, and Plutarch in his rhetorical pieces (less in the Life but still there). That’s why I’m not a huge fan of Renault’s Alexander, and generally prefer her other Greek novels. Manfredi and (sorta) Pressfield do the same. Tarr and Graham also keep him deliberately at a distance to allow him to remain heroized, but it bothers me less because he’s at a distance. (Btw, I do not dislike Renault's ATG novels; they're just not among my favorites, either on Alexander, or of hers.)

Yet I’m not a fan of the other approach, either: to “humanize” him by taking him down a notch—making him NOT all that, just lucky (Lucian, and Nick Nicastro). Or by upending the heroic narrative altogether and turning him into a megalomaniacal “wicked tyrant” ala Pompeius Trogus/Justin or Seneca (and Chris Cameron).

I want something (and someone) more relatable, even while letting him remain truly astonishing. To humanize the “inhuman.” I realize that’s a challenge as, the moment we do humanize him, it removes him from the realm of the hero, which in turn makes it harder to allow him to be “all that.” For some, any fault is “too much”—the proverbial clay feet—because they’re desperate to have an idol, a hero…not a person. So the haters come out when, for instance, Simone Biles pulled out of the Olympics for mental health and the Twisties. How dare she!

I’m interested in the person. Even if Alexander wanted to be Herakles Take II, he wasn’t inhuman (divine). He was just a guy, and for me, the fact he was “just a guy,” yet still accomplished all those extraordinary things, is the most remarkable part.

I’ll conclude with what I wrote at the end of the author’s note in the back of Dancing with the Lion: Rise (also available on the website):

In the end, whatever approach one takes to Alexander, whatever theories one subscribes to, more or less hostile to the conqueror, we are left with the man himself in all his complexity and contradiction. The phenomenon called “Alexander the Great” has evoked vastly different interpretations from his era to ours. It’s tempting to seek internal consistency for his behavior, or to force it when it can’t be found. Yet no one is consistent. Even more, history itself is distorted by those recording it in order to serve their unique political narratives, whether then or now. Conflicting politics create competing narratives, and histories of Alexander were (and are) especially prone to such distortions. That, in turn, brings us back to where we began: history (like historical fiction) is about who we are now, and what it’s possible for us to become. So Alexander was neither demon nor god, whatever he wanted to believe about himself. He was a man, capable of cruelty and sympathy, brilliance and blindness, paranoia and an open-handed generosity. As remarkable as he was, he was human. And that's what makes him interesting.

--------------------

* That some of these extraordinary things would be—and should be—reviled by modern standards is part of the uncomfortable contradiction, and legacy, of the ancient world. This is something I also try to depict in the novel. So there is never a “simple win” in a battle. There’s something ugly shown in or as a result of every single one. On purpose. Battle is, and should be, deeply disturbing.

[sobeautifullyobsessed]

Hi BeautifullyObsessed,

Having heard the recent news regarding RDJ and who he's going to be play in the MCU in what I am assuming is future films( Avengers???), I guess, I must admit to being beyond infuriated with the MCU at this point. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE RDJ, but why in the HELL does he get play a whole new character, whether said character be a variant/from another universe/whatever, yet Rachel McAdams, who I also adore immensely and utterly despise how Marvel has treated her(ex. attempting to throw away/disgard palmerstrange and Christine like nothing), can't be Clea/ a Christine variant that is Clea? Yet, RDJ gets to do essentially that himself. Why? What's the difference? If he can do so, shouldn't Rachel be able to be a vastly different character as well? It's just so unfair, not to mention makes zero sense to me whatsoever how one person gets to do something, yet someone else doesn't get to do essentially the exact same thing :@ Not the mention, they would have had me automatically invested in that ship had they allowed Rachel to play the character. I seriously loved the idea of her in that role, waaaaaaayyyyyyyyy more than I will ever like the idea of CT in the role( not at all fan of that casting personally).

Thanks for taking the time to give your thoughts xx!

Honestly, when you put the question as you have, Nonny, the first response that came to mind is that there's some not so subtle misogyny at play here (the same sort of misogyny that enabled the Russos to dismiss Natasha Romanoff as being of no future value to the franchise beyond 'Endgame'). Coupled with Feige/Marvel/Disney being both desperate and greedy for a way to return the MCU to its former glory.

RDJ's Ironman was the initial foundation stone of the MCU and remains a huge fan favorite five years after his death. So, of course, his return to Marvel in any form is going to fill theatre seats that have gone vacant in the past several years with films that have well under performed those of the MCU's glory days. That's gotta be a huge win for the financial health and popularity of the franchise. And as for Downey Jr, well, he doesn't need the work in particular, but consider first how playing Tony Stark revitalized his career and gave him a cadre of Actors that became as family to him; who wouldn’t want to work with those folks again? Second, he really treasured being Stark, he was the perfect embodiment of Stark, and he must surely expect the same fulfilling experience as Doom. I wish him all good things--while I hope like hell that Doom turns out to be a Variant of Stark; there's so much fantastic story potential (including adversarial interaction with my man Stephen) they'd be throwing away to not have it so!

But Rachel, though--she's been treated shamefully, and like an afterthought, despite the incredible onscreen chemistry she shared with Benedict. And in 'Multiverse of Madness', 616 Christine got the same brusque treatment courtesy of Waldr🤢n and his enablers Feige & Raimi. First, they put words in her mouth that denied her canon feelings for Stephen--'couldn't love you...', wtf!!!...

...then the last shot we got of her, she was irritated while watching Stephen try to save the city from a Monster, as though he was doing it to interrupt her wedding! You can bet your sweet bippy she would've been treated far better if Scott Derrickson had been at the helm (as would Stephen). But based on 838 Christine,

I would have whole-heartedly embraced Clea as a Christine Variant.

I've said as much about a dozen times. Clea is so much more than a badass queen in the comics. She is not only Stephen's student but fully comfortable in her femininity. Unafraid to be soft despite her toughness and the battles she has had to wage in the Dark Dimension. Frankly, the perfect feminine foil to Stephen's delicious brand of masculinity [my knees go briefly weak at the thought of him🥰❤️���🔥🥰]. They are true Yin/Yang.

Again, the story potential would've been awesome. Imagine Stephen shocked to encounter a Christine so different than either one he knew. A tough, battle-hardened, brusque, even impatient woman, not at all like the Christine he loved. He doesn't even like this Clea--until he glimpses hints of unexpected yet familiar compassion and softness, which draw him in. Ugh. As a storyteller myself, the waste pisses me off.

Academy Award winner she may be, but what I saw in Charlize's brief appearance as Clea showed me that either Feige/Marvel/Disney doesn't get Clea's beautiful duality or they simply don't care. And surely didn't provide CT with any indication that Clea is way more complex than Badass Woman--and that Stephen DESERVES that so much more in his future wife and partner in the Mystic Arts.

Maybe it's just my perception, but replacing Rachel as they did (and it was very last minute I recall, in December 2021, near the end of photography; they created Charlize's makeup & costume design pretty much on the fly in like 48 hours), feels like they said 'Thanks Rachel, you've been swell, but the foundation we built with you isn't necessary anymore, we got us a statuesque, super duper A++Lister. Ta ta, kiddo.' Which infuriates me.

So yeah, in the end, I'm thinking the reason Rachel isn't playing Clea while RDJ is playing Doom? GREED AND MISOGYNY. And after how abused Stephen was in DS II (ie: ignoring his whole experience in living out 14 freaking million timelines and barely letting him mention Donna's death, the most formative experience of his young life), I'm not even looking forward to DS III (unless Benedict gets significant input, especially in story/writing, as he's said more than once that he wrote things for MoM & No Way Home). Charlize's Clea (thus far) doesn't bode well for what I would have loved to see in Cleaphen.

[babybatscreationsv2]

I watched Deadpool and Wolverine and I have thoughts

Spoiler buffer for people with notifications on

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First of all

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ELEKTRA

I cannot believe I saw my girl Elektra again and yes I would have cried and thrown up if they killed her. If Blade and Gambit are both getting a new movie where's Elektra's?? I say we riot. And I'm only a little bit kidding. Spider-Man needs a new mother figure after all. How about an Elektra/Jessica Drew team up? OMG I'm just realizing they could have put her in the canceled Shang-Chi film. Does the Hand never face off with the Ten Rings? You would think a couple of a martial artist gangs would have a rivalry. We could have been shipping Elektra and Xialing 😭

Okay actual movie thoughts

Yes the car scene was in fact a sex scene and I don't even think that's even debatable. You can't tell me Hugh Jackman threw his head back like that and groaned like he was fucking cumming and it wasn't an analogy for sex and then following it up with a pan away/sunset shot? It was 100% an ode to the many gay writers who hid their desire to penetrate another man through swords, guns, and fangs. Bram Stoker would be proud

Do not watch this movie if you're uncomfortable with inappropriate sexual touching, or language for that matter. Everyone's getting sexually assaulted and it's a joke every time, but at least they call it what it is I guess?

I feel like the amount of graphic sex jokes was to cover for the fact that they were told not to joke too much about drug use. Although choosing to joke about how they can't do coke was possibly my favorite joke, don't ask me why

They sure did let that little people joke in there though... yikes. Disney is really begging people with dwarfism to jump their asses this year

The weakest part of the film was definitely the villain dialog. I guess they didn't want any big plot twisty reveals because man these dudes came out monologing and like who asked? Nobody. Why are they talking so much?

I have a genuine love for Happy becoming the new Stan Lee cameo. I just love that man as a character and it feels right that he has a hand in everything.

I saw someone on here pouting about the photo of Tony and Peter together and how Peter's face was covered BUT ACTUALLY it's a running gag in the comics that Deadpool can't see Spider-Man's face or hear his name. Even if Peter takes his mask off right in front of him the "Marvel censors" hide it from Wade and I hope to god that's why they covered it because it'll be so damn funny if and when they're both in a film together

Speaking of funny, the comedy in this film was so well done. They poured most of the jokes out in the first act and left room for the movie and the characters to be taken seriously. I'm here praying that the other Marvel writers take notes because while I'm a very emotional person who requires comic relief to get through most movies without crying, we all know the humor in Marvel films is getting to be a bit much.

I was holding my breath during the big team up thinking it was going to be Deadpool 2/Suicide Squad all over again, but they actually got to have their hero moment and it was beautiful.

But WTF? Why did Blade and Gambit get a big moment where they show off their skills but Elektra gets half the screen time during the fight and her moment is just her kicking someone? She has magic ninja abilities?? She could have also done something cool?? The martial arts stuff was cool in her stand alone film, it doesn't impress in a crowd of people who know how to fight. At least let her skillfully throw her sais or something, damn.

And how good is Channing Tatum as Gambit? I'm not a Channing Tatum fan or anything, but damn does he nail it.

NICEPOOL I love Nicepool, I have no idea what Deadpool variants exist in the comics because I actually hate multiverse stuff that isn't spiderverse, BUT it's canon that if Deadpool were to stop killing people that he would become pretty again and I love that there's a universe where's he just insanely nice and handsome mostly because I don't think they would ever make a Spider-Man/Deadpool film so at least we acknowledged that this happens, sorta, they don't really talk about why he's pretty and our Deadpool isn't

I love how it was a Deadpool film, but also everyone got their moment. It was barely even about him. He was the vehicle through which Wolverine and Nova and Laura got to tell their stories and it worked really well

I also feel like Wade getting Johnny killed felt weird and mildly out of character. He's an asshole, not a sadist. There's a big difference. If they wanted him dead to get rid of Chris Evans and still have their cameo, it didn't have to be Wade's fault

Wade and Logan recognizing Chris's face as belonging to Steve also sets a precedent for RDJ playing Doom. (It also means that yes people in universe will recognize him and angst will happen, I'm still crossing my fingers that there's multiple Dooms)

I give the whole thing a 4/5 had a good time, few complaints

[marvel-television]

The X-Men: Evolution tie in comics suck, issue 1

I typically talk about the old MCU shows on this blog, but I also really love X-Men: Evolution and finally got around to watching season 4 the other day. It is far and away my favorite X-Men adaptation, and up there with the likes of Agents of Shield, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Cloak & Dagger in terms of my favorite marvel shows.

After I finished the show, I started getting mad that there wasn't more, and that TAS got the revival instead of Evolution. Lo and behold, there was a nine issue long tie in comic series for the show, made during the second season. Of course I decided to read them, you can't go wrong with more X-Men Evolution, right?

Wrong. These comics fucking suck, and I'm gonna show you why. Let's start at the beginning, with Issue 1, "Lines in the Sand".

The first couple of issues take place before the first season of the show, and provide some extra backstory for certain characters. This first issue starts with a couple of guys finding Logan half naked in the middle of the woods, before cutting to Xavier, who just finished a college lecture. A car crashes into a tree nearby, and Storm, who is currently a grad student, uses her powers and rescues the people inside.

This right here shows the first issue with these comics. In the first two seasons of X-Men: Evolution, the public doesn't know that mutants exist. In the first ten minutes of the first episode of the show, the Professor erases a cop's memories when Scott got his glasses knocked off and accidentally blew up a propane tank.

Meanwhile, several times throughout these comics, mutants will use their powers in public, and Charles just does nothing about it. Again, these comics came out during the second season, there is no excuse for the people writing these comics to not know that this is a part of the show's lore. I'll keep bringing up these moments when they happen, but for now, let's move on.

Anyways, later in the night, Professor X comes up to Storm while she's walking home, and tells her that she's a mutant, but what's strange is that he doesn't seem as though he actually knows for sure what mutants are and what causes their powers. I don't think it contradicts the show, and it's kinda interesting, but still, I thought it was worth bringing up.

Cut to the mansion, the Professor and Magneto are discussing Storm, and he reiterates that he didn't know there were any other mutants. This is all pretty standard Charles and Erik mutant philosophy talk. Take note of the maid, she'll be important in a minute.

Erik turns on what I guess is the TV equivalent of LiveLeak, and there's Logan, wrestling a bear and using his claws. Again, nobody is supposed to know about mutants other than the people in this room. I genuinely don't know how this got through to release.

Erik mentions that Wolverine is in police custody, and the Professor says he's gonna go save him. As he leaves, we see the maid revealed to be Mystique, and the Professor had no clue that she was a mutant, somehow. He can literally read minds, how did he not idly sense that? Her being immune to mind reading isn't an argument, since she doesn't unlock those powers until later on, and even if she did have those powers, you'd think Charles would be able to notice that he can't read this random maid's mind.

The Professor locates Wolverine through Cerebro, which Storm supplied the electricity for, and they head off to find him. By the time they get there, Logan's already escaped from jail, and while the cops are sent in the wrong direction by Mystique disguised as a homeless person, Storm gets him to stop running long enough for the Professor to give him his whole pitch for his ideology. But then Magneto shows up, and also starts giving his pitch.

Logan chooses the Professor, obviously, and Magneto pretty much just leaves after that. This next page is literally the last one before a timeskip. No fight, nothing. Come on, man...

Fast forward to a year later, the Professor has an upgraded Cerebro, and locates Scott Summers, who they're gonna recruit in the next issue.

All in all, the first issue isn't great. The issues with mutants just using their powers out in the open really prevent me from seeing this as an actual backstory for how Storm and Logan got recruited, and the climax of the issue was very boring. It's far from the worst issue of the run, but it's sure not great, either. I'll continue this series with the next few issues whenever I feel like it, because the problems with this comic are only getting started.

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

A-Z Ask Meme | Open

@dezimaton asked: A-Z ask meme: O(adapted) because I'd like to hand you the song: [Gone Angels, Library of Ruina], U, X please!

Thank you! Also, I love that song you suggested, it's got an interesting vibe!

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of? This may be too obvious, but just listening to that song and reading over the lyrics, my vibe was just...Sephiroth, and then specifically Sephesis. Like, it felt like a flavor of Sephesis during their separation, during the defection--it's like they're in the middle of a dance, dealing with the loss, the betrayal, the separation, the confusion, the devastation of information, and then just the reality of the dark lies crashing down on them. It's as if they want to go back, yet they know they're stumbling forward. They want to hold close, yet they want to just toss each other away. Just, their dance.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites. Not sure if this was three period, one from each fandom OR three each, three from one fandom each, so I'm going with the first lol. With FF7, it's always been Vincent Valentine. It started superficially because of just, aesthetics and primarily because his english VA in AC being a VA I was following somewhat at the time. But the love for him has just grown heavier and heavier through the years. Dirge was the first FF game I ever got, and ever beat, too. And it's the one I've replayed the most. I just adore his character, in ways that it'd take me too long to list out lol. Best way to summarize is just...his vibe from the inside in, the tragedy, the spooky intelligent badass vibes, his heart, his pain, his dark humor, just, all of it. Uuummm...trying to decide other fandoms to choose, though. I'll be honest, the top two other fandoms that have circled the back of my mind while my focus has been on FF7, feel free to judge, have been Marvel and BNHA/MHA. Though, Marvel I'm fairly disconnected from most new media and really only care for my choice of its classic MCU days. But, with Marvel, Loki was my top favorite. I was obsessed, he was my first character muse I RP'd as, and my time writing as him and investing in the content made of him was very impactful (I don't really follow anything made from Ragnarok on, that's just me, no judgment to those that do enjoy). But his story is fucked up, too, and though it may go over some peoples heads, he did try, he was something more than just a petty, mischievous jerk (he really wasn't petty or jealous to the degree people make him out to be, he was the more balanced 'Odinson' before he went too far doing something that NEEDED to be done, and it led to a devastating truth). I could go on way too long about Loki, so, I'll just leave it there XD With MHA, it's Bakugo. Again, feel free to judge. I'm aware he is an asshole and was very much a bully and needs to be held accountable for that, and I will never excuse his roof-dive comment towards Deku. But I'm of the mind that, for one he's a teenager than can learn and has learned and is still learning from his faults. For two, he can be an ass but that is technically how he's learned to communicate and if people get to know them they realize it's just him being loud and rough to express his critiques, advice, compliments, etc. But most of all, it's his character complexity and growth. I adore him, and I'm not going to apologize for that.

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom. Soulmate trope, I suppose! I'm not super versed enough to have a list to pick from, but I feel like this comes through a lot, and it's not always just romantic, though that can be appealing! Just the idea that there is someone out there that matches a character, whether it's to counter them, or to meet their energy. It could be enemies to allies, it could be best friends, it could be lovers, it could be a mix! But the idea of them being tied to one another, for better or worse, it just gets me!!

[favescandis]

new interview with Entertainment Weekly: Stellan Skarsgård gave his Andor speech 10 times before he was happy

The Swedish actor opens up joining the Star Wars galaxy and building a revolution as Luthen Rael

By Devan Coggan June 15, 2023 at 10:00 AM EDT

Star Wars has always dealt in archetypes — the wizened mentor, the scoundrel with a heart of gold, the wide-eyed farm boy destined for greatness. But Andor introduces a far more complex character, one unlike any we've ever seen before.

Stellan Skarsgård plays Luthen Rael, a hardened freedom fighter and early architect of the Rebel Alliance. When the series begins, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) is still taking his first steps toward revolution. But Luthen has already spent years in the trenches, abandoning all personal attachments to try and kickstart the fight against the Empire. On Coruscant, he poses as a wealthy antiques dealer, donning a wig and peddling trinkets to the upper class — but he's secretly building a revolution, recruiting allies around the galaxy.

Star Wars has long positioned the Rebel Alliance as the good guys, the knights in shining armor determined to fight the Empire's fascism and cruelty. But Luthen is proof that revolution is rarely so black and white: He's willing to sacrifice anything — and anyone — to destroy the Empire.

The 72-year-old Skarsgård is no stranger to massive, otherworldly franchises, starring in Marvel's Thor movies and playing the villainous Baron Harkonnen in Dune. But the Swedish actor shines as Luthen, and he's since earned Emmy buzz for his weary yet determined performance. He plays Luthen with a single-minded intensity that's usually reserved for Star Wars villains, and he delivers Andor's most moving speech, explaining how he's burned his life to make a sunrise he knows he'll never see.

In an exclusive interview, Skarsgård spoke to EW's Dagobah Dispatch podcast about joining a galaxy far, far away. Here, he opens up about how he approached the morally complex Luthen — from that "tense" monologue to the joys of wearing wigs.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Take me back to the beginning. How was this character pitched to you?

STELLAN SKARSGÅRD: Tony Gilroy pitched it to me. He himself was a very great reason for me to take it. He pitched it and said he was going to make a story that is more real than the others. I know him and his writing, and every scene has an urgency to it. Every scene has a great tension to it. I got to read the first three or four episodes, so it was not a big question. And I said yes.

Luthen is a fascinating character. He's so driven and committed to the Rebel cause, at the expense of everything else in his life. What was it about him that you found interesting?

As an actor, it's interesting to play this guy who lives a double life and to make two different characters out of one. That was interesting for me, but he's interesting as well because he is extreme. He's like Che Guevara or the Rote Armee Fraktion in Germany or any terrorists, really. But also, as a revolutionary, he is like George Washington. So, he's got all those ingredients that make him very exciting. He has this conflict between doing the right thing and also being able to kill for the right thing.

You talked about how he lives this double life, and he really is a shape-shifter. We see him put on his wig, and he can suddenly become the shopkeeper from Coruscant. What interested you about the way he literally transforms?

Well, it was very funny. It's a great thing for an actor to do, to be able to play two characters at the same time. But I also love wigs! [Laughs] I think it's fantastic to put a wig on and be someone else.

One of my favorite moments in the season is that speech that Luthen gives, where he talks about why he does what he does. There's that incredible line about burning his life to make a sunrise he'll never see. What do you remember most from filming that scene?

I mean, of course I knew I had a speech that was very well written, and it was probably one of the best scenes in the season. And I worked on it. When we shot it, somehow I was tense. I think I said, "Let's go again, let's go again." I think I did it 10 times in a row, very fast, right on top of each other. 10 times, like "Go, go, go." And then it was good. Then, I was satisfied, and the director was satisfied.

Oh wow. It really is this intense moment.

Yeah, it was very intense.

I've spoken to Tony Gilroy and some of the cast, and they've all talked about the production design on Andor and how big the sets are. What was it like for you to walk around those sets and be in the Star Wars universe like that?

Well, I was very happy to be in that kind of Star Wars universe and not like in many films, where you're just in the world of green screens. Because it affects you physically when you have the set. You can't deny that. It was the same thing with the sets on Dune. They are physically there, these enormous sets, and you feel it in your body. You move differently. We had all of Ferrix built up as this city. It's very exciting.

Was there a day on set where you really felt like, "Oh my gosh, I'm in Star Wars?"

No, but I was happy that I had my own spaceship. I've lacked that in my career so far.

What's that like to get to pilot a spaceship? What's it like behind the controls?

[Laughs] You're like 10 years old when you sit down behind the controls. You become serious, and you turn the wheel and push the buttons and stuff. You become very silly, but it's very fun.

Tell me a little bit about working with Diego Luna on this. There are some really beautiful, intense scenes between the two of you.

He was also a reason for me to take the job. We met several years ago. We were supposed to do a film about football, but it didn't happen — not with us. It sort of broke down. So I've been waiting for him to do a film with me again. And I love the fellow. He's a true actor, and he's a true man.

I also love the scenes with you and Genevieve O'Reilly, where Mon Mothma comes to Luthen's shop. What do you remember most about filming those scenes with her?

I'm playing the Coruscant character there, which is much more flamboyant. But the first scene she entered, she came with this great limousine she has, flying in. She was much more sexy and beautiful, and she took over the space much more than I realized than she had ever done in the films. And then, of course, she has a great humor, so we had a lot of fun doing that.

There's a lot of really great actors that I met all the time there. It's so well cast. I had a lot of fun.

I know season 2 is in the works. How's that been going?

That's going great. I mean, Tony Gilroy has gone on strike, as of the first of May. He finished the scripts right on the day, and then he shut off the phone and disappeared into a picket line somewhere. So, we'll see. He claims that the [series] is director-proof and actor-proof, which means that it can't be destroyed. [Laughs] We'll see if it works.

Well, I can't wait to see what you guys have up your sleeves and where this story goes.

It'll be lovely. But I can't tell you, I'm afraid! [Laughs]

For more from Skarsgård, as well as exclusive interviews with Tony Gilroy, Diego Luna, and more, listen to EW's Star Wars podcast, Dagobah Dispatch.

[demonsfate]

i've never seen a fandom hate and spite their own mc more than the tekken fandom. i was browsing r/Tekken one day for tips on how to beat lili and unsurprisingly i found a post where people kept disrespecting him on his OWN BIRTHDAY. seriously, as someone who is a diehard stan of kazuya mishima and sasuke uchiha (i loved both of them since i was a kid) even those two get more respect than jin - the naruto fandom on reddit never straight up disrespected sasuke on his birthday.

worst part of it all is that jin got basically the same treatment as luke from star wars and captain america in marvel comics - he was just ooc as fuck in tekken 6 and his characterization in that game completely contradicts tekken 3-5 jin. it can easily be fixed too by just saying he got brainwashed by azazel (like how nina got brainwashed by ogre). jin fans get called whiny for trying to retcon or fix their own favorite, but side character fans (ex. paul, law, etc) get a fix their own fav and be called "the best writers in all of fiction". i think i also remember seeing someone say they hope jin's va gets terminal c*ncer and dies so the writers could have miguel kill him off and then replace him with kazuya or lars as the new mc while xiaoyu fucks hwoarang or something (i checked to see if it was still there, but they probably deleted their twitter account).

why can't the tekken fandom just do what voltron stans do and ignore canon while making their own?...yes, everyone and their grandma knows tekken story has gone down the shitter since post tekken 5. so then instead of saying "Tekken story sucks and no one cares about lore in fighting games" for the 100th time how about fucking make your own au's and fanfic.

honestly it's hard to look thru any jin content without a joke about tk6, or straight up bitter haters. i'm not saying every jin post has a comment with that content, but there's a lot that does. reddit is probs the worst place for jin hate too as i see it there the most. heck, i get hate for being a jin main. usually when they don't agree with one of my takes, they point out me being a jin main and how we're all retarded or some shit. (alisa & jun are now more of my mains, but that was back then when i still listed jin as my main lmao) so whilst you're still gonna come across jin hate on places like twitter or even here, it's best to steer away from reddit 'cos it's most egregious there.

yeah. most normal fandoms do just ignore canon, or if they can't ignore canon 'cos it's canon, they acknowledge it's trash and purpose ways it could've been handled better. but the tekken fandom isn't like that. they're insistent on jin being a fucker head because it happened in one game. and yeah, i have seen ppl say jin fans are either whiny or losers for wanting to say he was brainwashed and not hold him responsible for his actions. and it's like, yeah, i approve of holding characters responsible for their actions. but the problem with jin is that his character should've never been written to commit those actions to begin with - i'm not gonna care to hold a character responsible when they were out of character. i'm just gonna criticize the writing.

also maybe you saw that on a message i already answered? there was another anon that also told me something similar that their sister or friend was praying for that in a church lol. i dunno if you're the same anon or not (as you both have similar takes regarding the treatment of jin's character)

i think the reason why tekken fans have a harder time ignoring the Bad Parts of canon compared to fandoms like marvel, star wars, or certain animation is because of the "stories in fighting games don't matter" saying that's popular. it gives people the mentality that they shouldn't care about the story as much... yet ironically caring about it as they're mad at jin for being the Hope of Mankind lmao.

[wol-fica]

hello there, darling. is everything going alright?

now, I have never thought of writing about an actual person before...

call it my first time - a little shot while shrouded by darkness.

the one who gave us such great characters deserves all hails, right? let's make her justice. or try doing so...

Jenna Ortega is, by far, my favorite. allow me to pay her respects as well.

(Warning: penetration (g.); slight rough sex; slight temperature play)

Jenna is a girl full of easy smiles.

everyone comes to her because she burns like fire and shines like the stars above you. she is a whole lifetime, a true artist - and you know all the reasons why people find her so beautiful. she is charming like that, simple as it is.

but it gets you wondering sometimes...does anyone think about how much more beautiful she looks when her attention is devoted solemnity to the things she loves? how marvelous she is when she takes off her high heels and laughs loudly? how...how...fuck.

you love everything about her.

so make sure to show her properly later, okay? when cameras stop flashing and you are alone inside your apartment. grab her hand and kiss her until you are both breathless. trace the lines of her body, help her take all of her clothes off, rub her muscles until she is at ease again.

Jenna is your pretty girl, your precious jewel. not the actress; not the business woman.

right now, as you press her against the window and watch her shivers from the cold glass, she is your Jenna.

"stop!" she giggles. "people will notice what we are doing."

but then you finally go inside her - and Jenna clenches around you instantly, legs wrapping around your hips as she suddenly remembers you are both too far away from the streets for anyone to see.

you can try to stop, just to tease her, and watch as Jenna moves closer to you, pulls your hair and brings you deeper inside her. you can bend her on the glass - her back against your chest, her hands against the window - and make her watch as you bring her her first orgasm. you can link your hand with hers, lift her chin and kiss her lips, bite her shoulders, lick the back of her neck.

then lure her to the couch, to the kitchen, to the bathroom. go inside every room; touch every part of her body.

make her remember the best night of her life.

and we are finally done. it was quite the experience, trying different scenarios for such an interesting person.

it makes my skin tingle a little.

since you are my man of trust and a skilled writer, I trust you this one.

make it whatever you want...it's yours to have fun.

with love;

Greek Anon.

GREEEEEEEEEEK HELLO MY DARLING

i’ve missed my favorite anon <33333

im so excited to write this, ima start it rn.

(hope your studies are going well!!)