#And Two: He really really doesn't want to explain his whole Thing. So he's going to avoid talking about it

[nellie-elizabeth]

This was the first full episode of the show I watched, and I'm really excited to get back to it as I watch through chronologically! What I was so impressed by in the whole episode was the details of their intimacy, the cleverness and subtlety of the writing. Like, not to over-explain what's happening in this moment, but I kinda want to break this down.

Starsky says "You got any plans after this is over?" and the premise of the banter, as it were, is that he's making "small talk," saying the same kind of thing he might say casually at work, akin to "what are you up to this weekend."

And Hutch, he matches his energy but he tosses the ball directly back to Starsky to hit the punchline. He doesn't answer the question with a jokey fake small talk answer. Instead he says "it's up to you."

Which works on like, so many different levels for me? For one, it's Hutch just being sweet, telling Starsky that his plans are with Starsky, whatever they are. He could have deflected, but he affirms that he wants to spend his free time with Starsky. For another, he's implicitly referencing the fact that being here in this restaurant where things have gone so catastrophically wrong, was Starsky's idea, and affirming that he'd still defer to him to make plans. And then on the more serious level underneath the premise of the joke, Hutch is serious: what happens after this is wholly dependent on if Starsky is okay or not. If he makes it through this, if they both make it through this. Hutch's plans, both immediate and long-term, are completely up to Starsky in a very real sense.

And then Starsky hits us with the Butch & Sundance reference, which, you know, famously queer coded, along with being a response to Hutch's statement: Starsky, too, plans on doing whatever comes next with Hutch. The plans they make, they make together. And Hutch gives the sweetest little laugh, such open affection on his face! Starsky makes jokes because it's his only way of taking care of his partner when he's in this vulnerable state, and Hutch is being so terribly gentle with Starsky while still participating in their back-and-forth. If the banter stops, that's the sign that things are actually dire.

The bit at the end of this episode when Starsky makes a joke about Hutch getting his teeth capped, and then retracts the joke just before Hutch goes out to confront the armed baddies alone, is a good continuation of the rhythm they have going on in this ep. They keep things light and superficial in order to keep each other calm, but by the end of this episode shit is dire enough that Starsky can't keep the banter going.

When I first watched this episode, I didn't know these characters yet. I was (and am) still so new to the show. But even on that first viewing I remember being impressed by the economy of storytelling and relationship building that was happening in little moments like this. The whole show is built out of scenes between the two leads that work this way, multi-layered and performed with an impressive amount of subtlety and power. Obviously it's the domain of fandom to overthink the media we consume, to pick at little moments and dissect them beyond any possible intended meaning. But this show... man, it holds up under that scrutiny, in so many ways big and small.

[pohtaytoh]

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗬/𝗟/𝗡

*ೃ༄ Megan Skiendiel x f!reader

Everyone ships Megan Skiendiel with your brother Gabriel, convinced they're endgame. He's always taking credit for the sweet gestures that make Megan swoon, and she totally believes he's the one. But you, Y/N Y/L/N, have been secretly head over heels for Megan for years. You're the one leaving those thoughtful gifts and sending those encouraging messages, watching your brother bask in the glory.

But as Megan starts spending more time with you, she can't shake this feeling. Now Megan's wondering if the person she's really meant to be with has been right in front of her all this time.

part: one. two. three. <four.> five. six.

Y/N Y/L/N felt like she was floating or maybe, she was living inside a very delicate, beautiful bubble.

Megan’s words, whispered under the old mango tree, kept playing in her mind. "You just get me... I actually feel more like myself when I'm with you more than I do... with anyone else."

And then, that last quiet, almost sad thought from Megan. "Gabriel's great... but sometimes it feels like he's acting... it doesn't always feel real, you know? But with you, it's always real. Always."

It was a dangerous feeling, this hope. For years, Y/N had felt like a ghost, watching the girl she loved be charmed by her brother, accepting the deep ache as her normal but now? Now, Megan was seeing her. Truly seeing her. It was scary and wonderful all at once.

Y/N’s heart hammered a wild beat against her ribs, a mix of pure joy and utter panic. “Is this real? Can this really be happening?” she wondered, rubbing her temples, trying to calm the storm of feelings inside her.

The change wasn't like a sudden, loud boom. It was more like a slow, steady tide coming in, gently washing away the old ways. Megan started seeking Y/N out even more often. It wasn't just about needing help with a class anymore. It was about needing Y/N's presence, Y/N's thoughts, Y/N's quiet way of understanding everything.

Megan had stopped looking for the showy gestures and started looking for the real connection. She realized that Y/N saw the parts of her that Gabriel never seemed to notice. Y/N saw her quiet joys, her silly thoughts, her true worries and that felt like a breath of fresh air.

One afternoon, Y/N was sitting by the big window in the student lounge, sipping a cold calamansi juice and trying to finish a very tricky essay. She was frowning, staring hard at her laptop screen, feeling completely stuck.

Suddenly, a warm hand rested lightly on her shoulder, making her jump. "Lost in thought, Y/N/N?" Megan's voice was soft, playful, very close behind her. Y/N turned, startled, her heart doing its usual little flutter-kick. Megan was holding two cups of coffee, steam gently rising from them.

"Megs! You scared me!" Y/N laughed, a little breathless, her hand flying to her chest. "Yeah, this essay is totally fighting me. I'm trying to explain why ancient civilizations needed really good plumbing, and honestly, it's less exciting than it sounds."

Megan giggled, a bright, clear sound that made Y/N's whole world feel a little lighter, like sunshine breaking through clouds. She slid into the seat beside Y/N, pushing one of the coffee cups closer.

"Here, I figured you might need a boost. Gabriel was going to get us coffee, but he got distracted by a new video game ad on his phone. He literally just stopped mid-sentence. So, I just grabbed them myself." There was a tiny roll of her eyes as she said Gabriel's name, but it was playful, not mean.

Y/N’s eyebrows went up slightly. “Gabriel got distracted? And Megan just… went without him? That's definitely new.”

"Thanks, Megs," Y/N said, taking a grateful sip of the coffee. It was exactly how she liked it – black, no sugar. Megan always remembered these small things.

"So about that essay, I was thinking that I will write it this way, if your water system fails, everyone gets sick, right? No one wants a city full of sick people. So, good plumbing means a healthy, strong city, ready to conquer the world!" Y/N tried to make a silly, serious face, doing her best to inject some humor into the very boring topic.

Megan burst out laughing, a full, joyful sound that echoed lightly in the lounge.

"Oh my god, Y/N, you're brilliant! See, that’s what I mean! You take something totally boring and make it make sense, and even make me laugh while doing it. If it were Gabriel, he would say, 'It's a sanitation thing, just write about that, Megs.' So helpful, right?" Megan shook her head again, a soft, amused smile on her face as she looked at Y/N.

"He’s great, he’s fun, but sometimes... he just misses the whole point, you know?" Her eyes met Y/N’s, a shared understanding passing between them, a warmth that had nothing to do with the hot coffee.

It was in these small, everyday moments that their closeness truly bloomed. Study sessions in the library became less about Y/N "helping" Megan and more about them just studying together because it was simply better, more fun, with each other.

They'd sit across from each other at a big table, notes spread out everywhere, but every now and then, Megan would toss a crumpled paper ball at Y/N, or doodle a silly monster on Y/N's notepad.

"Hey, Y/N/N," Megan whispered one afternoon, her voice barely audible over the quiet rustle of pages. "Do you think a historical economist from the 1800s would have TikTok? Like, seriously."

Y/N looked up from her book, a small, amused smile playing on her lips. "Probably not, Megs. They were too busy writing super long, boring letters with fancy quill pens and no internet. Aside from that, they don't really have access to the internet yet."

"But imagine! All those dusty old dudes in powdered wigs doing silly dances while talking about trade routes!" Megan giggled, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle the sound. "Like, 'Here's my thoughts on the price of cotton!” The latter stated, doing a little dance move to add to her statement.

Y/N laughed, a genuine, joyful sound that echoed lightly in the quiet library. “That would be a sight to see,”

These were the funny conversations, the easy laughter, the silly jokes that started to fill Y/N's days. With Gabriel, it was always a show, a performance for others, something loud and attention-grabbing. With Megan, it was just... them. Unfiltered. Real. No pressure, no acting. Megan felt like she could finally relax. She started looking forward to these moments more than anything else. She knew Y/N wouldn't judge her for a weird thought or a silly idea.

One afternoon, a sudden, heavy downpour caught them by surprise as they were leaving a class. They huddled under the narrow overhang of a building, laughing as the rain hammered down, forming puddles on the ground.

"Well, this is just great," Megan sighed, running a hand through her damp hair, which was starting to curl from the humidity. "I totally forgot my umbrella. Gabriel probably has one, but he’s already halfway to the gym. Said he couldn't miss leg day."

“I can't believe that idiot would choose the gym over this gorgeous woman. I’ll cut off his legs so he’ll be missing both,” Y/N thought but kept it to herself.

"Hold on," Y/N said, digging into her backpack. She pulled out a small, foldable umbrella. It wasn't very big, just enough for one person, really. "It's not much, but it's better than nothing. We can share. Squeeze in!" she offered with a small grin.

Megan’s eyes widened slightly, a surprised, grateful look on her face. "You carry an umbrella everywhere? You're so prepared, Y/N! My hero!" she grinned, a genuine, delighted look that made Y/N’s chest warm.

"You never know when a sudden storm hits,” Y/N said, opening the umbrella. It was tight, but they managed to huddle close beneath it, their shoulders brushing as they started walking toward the dorms.

The rain created a cozy little world around them, muffling the sounds of the campus. Y/N could feel her heart pounding with their closeness.

Under the small umbrella, walking so close that their arms brushed with every step, they talked about everything and nothing. Megan shared a silly, rambling story about a tiny, very stubborn dog she once had, and Y/N told her about her embarrassing first attempt at baking bread that ended up looking like a rock.

They laughed, their voices hushed by the steady drumming of the rain. Y/N could feel Megan’s arm brush hers, the gentle warmth of her body next to her, the faint, clean scent of her shampoo. It wasn't just physical closeness, it was an emotional closeness that felt breathtakingly new and real. Megan felt truly at peace beside Y/N, a comfort she hadn't realized she was missing.

Megan also started to open up more about her deeper worries, things she never shared with Gabriel. One evening, as they shared a late-night delivery of noodles in Y/N's dorm room, Megan confessed her fears about her upcoming soccer tryouts for a national team.

"What if I'm not good enough, Y/N?" she whispered, her voice small, almost unheard over the slurp of noodles. "Everyone expects me to be amazing, but what if I let them down? What if I fail?"

Y/N reached out, gently touching Megan’s arm, a soft, comforting squeeze. "Hey," she said softly, her voice firm, looking directly into Megan's anxious eyes.

"You are Megan Skiendiel. You are one of the most talented, hard working people I know. You don't 'let people down.' You inspire them. You inspire me. Every single day and even if you don't make that team, you're still incredible. Your worth isn't tied to a tryout, Megs. It's tied to who you are."

Megan looked at her, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "No one's ever said that to me before," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

"Everyone always just says 'you'll crush it' or 'just push harder.' Gabriel just says, 'Don't worry, Megs, you're a shoe-in, stop stressing.' But you actually... you actually see how much it means to me, and you don't just brush it off. You understand."

She leaned her head lightly on Y/N's shoulder for a moment, a moment so intimate and unexpected that Y/N’s entire body went still, her heart aching with a tenderness so vast it almost hurt.

It was these moments, built on shared laughter, deep talks, silly jokes, and quiet comfort, that Megan started truly understanding the difference between Gabriel's effortless charm and Y/N's genuine, steady presence.

Y/N wasn't performing, she was just being and Megan felt safe enough to be herself with Y/N, truly and completely. She saw that Y/N remembered the small things, listened to the big things, and understood the quiet things in between.

Y/N felt a constant, dizzying battle inside her. The soaring hope that Megan might, just might, feel something more for her than friendship and the crushing fear that it was all a dream or that Gabriel would somehow ruin this too, just like he always did.

Every time Gabriel would casually greet Megan or throw an arm around her in public, Y/N would feel a cold dread creep into her stomach. Now, she noticed Megan's reactions. Sometimes, Megan would stiffen slightly when Gabriel touched her. Sometimes, her smile for him would be a little less bright, a little more forced, like she was wearing a mask.

"Gabriel's just so... busy, lately," Megan sighed one day, watching him walk away after a quick, hurried conversation with her, where he seemed more interested in his phone than her words.

"He's always got something going on. Sometimes I feel like I'm just a side note in his very exciting life. Like I'm not really important to him, not truly."

Y/N just listened, offering a quiet nod, her heart aching for Megan's unspoken sadness. She didn't want to badmouth her brother, even if her heart screamed for the truth to come out but Megan was seeing it for herself.

The subtle differences between Y/N’s quiet sincerity and Gabriel’s showy charm were becoming glaringly obvious to Megan. Gabriel’s charm was wide, reaching everyone, but shallow. Y/N’s kindness was deep, personal, meant just for Megan.

The breaking point, or perhaps, the breakthrough came during the university's annual "Talent Night." Gabriel was performing a cover of a popular song, and, as usual, he was the center of attention, soaking up the cheers.

Megan was there, cheering loudly, her voice bright, but Y/N noticed her eyes kept wandering. They kept finding Y/N, who was sitting a few rows back, mostly hidden in the shadows, quietly enjoying the show, a small smile on her face.

After Gabriel’s performance, which got a huge roar of applause, he went straight to Megan, pulling her into a big, public hug, posing for photos with a wide, confident grin. Megan smiled, but Y/N saw a flicker of something in her eyes, a fleeting tiredness, a faint shadow that looked like a sigh.

A few minutes later, Y/N decided to slip out for some fresh air. The auditorium was hot and noisy. She walked towards the quiet courtyard, the sounds of cheering fading behind her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, trying to make sense of all the swirling emotions inside her.

"Y/N!" a voice called out, making Y/N jump. She turned, surprised, her heart leaping into her throat, to see Megan running towards her, her face flushed, her hair falling across her eyes, looking a little breathless.

"Megs? What are you doing out here? Aren't you with Gabriel? He just finished his song," Y/N asked, confusion mixing with the sudden, overwhelming rush of hope.

Megan stopped in front of her, breathing a little heavily, but her eyes were shining, filled with a newfound clarity. "I needed a break," she confessed, a small, wry smile on her face.

"It's all so loud sometimes and Gabriel... he's great, but sometimes I feel like I can't breathe when he's around, like I have to be 'on' all the time, playing a part." She paused, her gaze settling on Y/N, soft and deep, like a warm blanket. "I was looking for you."

Y/N’s breath hitched. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought Megan must surely hear it. "You were looking for... me?"

Megan nodded, stepping a little closer, her hand slowly reaching out. The air between them suddenly felt thick, charged with unspoken feelings, a silent electricity.

"Yeah because you're quiet, because you just... listen and you see me. All of me. Not just 'Megan Skiendiel, the soccer star' or 'Gabriel's girl.’" Her voice dropped, a vulnerable whisper that tore at Y/N's heart in the best way possible.

"You see Megan Skiendiel, the person with all the messy thoughts and silly jokes and secret fears. The one who just wants to be understood." She reached out, her hand gently touching Y/N's arm, sending a jolt through Y/N's entire body, like a spark of pure light.

"And honestly, Y/N? I think... I think I like that person a lot more. The one who is just... you."

The words hung in the cool night air, clearer than any song Gabriel had ever sung. Y/N felt a tear escape her eye, tracing a warm path down her cheek.

It wasn't a sad tear. It was a tear of pure, overwhelming relief. Megan wasn't just seeing her, she was choosing her. Not with grand words of love yet, but with something far more profound, genuine understanding, deep connection, and a quiet, undeniable preference for Y/N's realness over anyone else's show.

In that moment, under the quiet stars, Y/N knew, with a trembling certainty that settled deep into her bones, that the game had finally changed.

But then, a voice, sharp and cold, sliced through the quiet bubble they had created.

"Megan?"

previous part | next part.

a/n: Please let me know your thoughts! that would really help me and if you got requests, don't hesitate to click that ask button, I don't bite.

[b0n3s-is-gay]

i’m so sorry if you’re sick of writing sub! greasers but i am saying grace and eating it up with no crumbs left behind. if you don’t wanna you don’t have to write any more but it would be greatly appreciated

More sub! The Sub apocalypse! Same rules apply as the last one, just the three older greasers but I'll think about writing for the other 2 boys.

Submissive Greaser kinks! (I'm running out of head canons here, but keep eating!)

Darry Curtis:

Big fan of oral, adores you telling him what feels good and what he's doing right. Darry also loves when you go down on him, praising him between orgasms.

Yes, Orgasm is plural and I'll explain. DARRY LOVES OVERSTIMULATIONNN!!! It shuts his brain off, ensures that his worries aren't at the front of his mind.

Darry isn't a big fan of anything that'll hurt him, nothing that good should hurt so badly, that's his philosophy. So impact play, knife play, blood play, etc. etc. are off the table.

Darry loves watching you, so he's not okay with blindfolds. But he's alright with a little bit of bondage, mainly having his legs tied down but not his hands as he wants to touch you.

Adores when you just let him relax. Like slow sensual sex, it's something that he genuinely adores after a rough day at work or a hard time with the gang, it's like his wind down time with you.

He's also a big fan of being used for pleasure. He gets a kick out of it, knowing that he's useful for more than just taking care of his family.

Keith Two-bit Mathews:

Gagging, bondage, yes please! Be in control, don't give him any control. Just do what you want within the boundaries that you both agreed upon.

Some days Two Bit is a brat, like big brat so sure that he's in control. Other days Two Bit doesn't want to put up a fight, he just wants you to take control and make him feel good. It's a lot better than drinking sometimes.

If it's alright with you and you want it, he wants to be blind folded. It makes things more enjoyable in his eyes (or lack there of in this case). Mainly it's the surprise aspect of the whole thing, he likes not knowing where you're going to touch next.

Once in a blue moon, you can get to be the power bottom. Control when he moves, tell him what to do. Two bit also loves when this happens, at least this time his legs won't fall asleep from not being able to move.

He's okay with edging, like generally okay with getting edged. His favorite example of this was at the drive in. You're sitting in the back of a car, whether it's your car or one that he borrowed doesn't matter, point is you edged him until the end of the movie. It was the best feeling for him.

Fucking adores anything that you do when it comes to this kind of thing. If you use the toys he has on him then it's a win win case.

Dallas 'Dally' Winston:

This man, this man is the biggest brat of them all. Like worse than Two Bit, he's going to make it difficult for you to top him. It's nothing against you he just likes the fight.

Now Dally hardly subs, he's not really good at letting go and giving up his control. But when he does give up that control to you, he's trusting you to not make him regret this.

When he subs, he likes to be able to touch you, see you, and talk to you. So gagging, blindfolds, and bondage are off the table for him. Sorry babes.

Dallas also won't let you do anything that'll leave visible marks. He's got a reputation to keep up after all. He won't let anyone know he's a sub sometimes, it's better this way in his eyes. Now if you bite where it won't be visible, it's fine.

As I mentioned before, Dally doesn't own any toys and doesn't like to use them. He doesn't want them anywhere near him, not because he feels like he needs them, he just doesn't want them. He finds the idea off putting.

Another thing, you cannot get Dally to sub in front of anyone. That is a you and him thing, he won't do it.

[callsigndreadfrost]

Loke (Skyrim): This version of him is a little similar to the Fallout one in that he and Jelani both lost their parents though here it was a little more complicated than that.

TL;DR: Back in Hammerfell Iain, an Imperial woman, was carrying her hours long dead son and ran to Sanaa and Loke for help to heal him, in her despair she was in denial of the fact that he'd died hours ago, they tried to explain to her that he'd been dead for some time now and that there was nothing they could do for her. She went loopy and blamed both of them for letting him die. In her despair she took her two older sons and returned to Sanaa and Ingvarr's home and attacked the family. While there she noticed that Sanaa had two children, Loke (25) and a baby (3 months old). Iain got it into her head that in order to get revenge on Sanaa and Loke she needed to kill Ingvarr and the baby and leave both Sanaa and Ingvarr to live out the rest of their lives with that pain and torment. Long story short Sanaa told Loke to take the baby and run. Neither Sanaa or Ingvarr survived the attack and fire so Loke took the baby and left to Skyrim to keep the baby safe from Iain.

Anyway, unlike the Fallout version this Loke was an adult when he lost his parents and processed the grief better than his Fallout counterpart did. He moved into the small manor that his dad's family had in Skyrim and once there he changed his name (originally it was Jørgen) to Loke and changed his baby sibling's name to Subira, his maternal grandmother's name. This would be changed to Jelani later on when he came out as trans.

When he moved in and he was approached by the people in the town he made up a story and said he'd moved there from Markarth as he wanted a fresh start after his partner died during childbirth so he and his daughter moved to his grandfather's home to start over. For all intents and purposes he adopted his younger sibling as his and lied about their identities to keep safe from Iain who he was sure was out there looking for both of them.

Adopting his younger sibling and basically becoming a single dad didn't affect him negatively, on the contrary, I think he was glad to at least have his little sibling/kid. If he'd been the sole survivor I don't think he would've lasted long if at all so having his kid gave him a sense of purpose and a reason to keep going. Also a reason not to hunt down and kill Iain. Loke's a very vengeful person, you hurt his and he'll make it a priority to hunt you down but in this case he needed to keep his son safe so he slipped into this new life he created for himself and his son and lived rather contently. Life was even better after he met Trevor and then met Uthorim. Uthorim was a turning point for him and an important addition to his life. Uthorim and Trevor were the only ones who knew the whole truth about Loke's past.

He slowly and comfortably fell into the role of father and learned quickly from his mistakes. It was pretty smooth sailing honestly, he did the best he could and as a father Loke was cautious though very attentive and caring, soft and a little rough around the edges and a bit overprotective but nothing too out there. He doesn't regret a single thing, well...he does regret that he lost his parents but he doesn't regret adopting his baby brother as his own son.

He never told Jelani the truth because he wanted him to have a clean slate, to grow up as happy and as healthy as he could in a loving home and environment and not have him worry about some Imperial woman who was after him as revenge. He wanted him to grow up without any of that baggage and so he became dad instead of brother and his mom and dad became his grandparents. Loke had zero intention of telling Jelani the truth and whether he was right or wrong about that he really didn't care, he just wanted the best life he could possibly give to his son. He even embraced the fact that he'd been turned into a werewolf after a duo attacked and bit him. He saw it as another tool to help keep Jelani safe.

However, Iain eventually did track them both down after 29 years. She injured Loke and she almost killed Jelani but thanks to Uthorim he managed to survive. All the secrets Loke had kept came out and he had to tell Jelani the truth.

Leads nicely to what Jelani thinks of Loke as his dad. Quite honestly he thinks Loke is the greatest dad in all of Mundus. He loves him very much and has a lot of respect and admiration for him. He's his entire world.

None of that changed even after Loke told him the truth. To Jelani Loke is and will always be his dad no matter what. He understands why he did what he did and doesn't hold it against him.

For OCs that had unplanned kids or became guardians: how did this affect them? Did they take to it quickly or did it take them a while to adjust? Did they end up regretting it? How are those OCs as parents/guardians?

What about the kids? What do they think of their parents/guardians?

✉️

[tswwwit]

Sometimes I think about Dipper finding out that alternate dimension Mabel referred to Bill as “GAY Bill,” and I absolutely lose it. He’d have ammunition for days. Especially once he connected it to the rainbow sticker Bill came home with 😭

This works amazingly as ammo until Bill points out Dipper would also receive an appellation, should the alternate dimension meet him! He'd be lucky to get 'Gay Dipper', all things considered! Bill omitted the details! If they had all the info there was WAY worse they coulda come up with! Bill basically took a bullet for him!

While Dipper begrudgingly has to admit Bill has a point, he wishes he weren't such a dick about it.

[obligatory-name-change]

still going insane thinking about that one movie about the kid's dog who got turned into a human. not the movie itself but just the concept

[cricky-butspicy]

Some answers to your questions below the cut!!!

Soleil might struggle at first after you've shown him your wings to get close again just out of fear of them popping out on him, but he'd still very much be enamored with you! He just gets spooked for the most part and it makes him think of bugs. That's the biggest issue. It really isn't you or you hiding that from him. It would take him a lot of exposure therapy to get used to the wings and a lot of accepting that they are there and won't hurt him and are not there to scare him.

Becoming a little stroked for them would make both happy. They'd both be very careful at first with you, they don't trust that they won't hurt you, but if you assure them enough, they'll try. Atlas probably accepts faster than Sol. And Atlas doesn't lose control like Soleil would. Atlas definitely enjoys it, but always keeps you in mind, maybe playing with your small breasts as he did it or trying to find your little clit to rub against while he used you. Soleil would just lose his mind in the act and fuck you silly. He apologizes if he comes inside; it's probably a lot of cum for your little body to handle!

(It's definitely magic that you take them. It has to be magic or else they would literally rearrange your insides.)

Main one I suppose, is if either would want to be sexual while reader is small?

Yes! Atlas thinks you're sexy no matter what, and being so small in his hand kind of, turns him on for some reason??? He can't explain it, and he won't. He just thinks you're extra cute and extra able to follow as he likes. He'd want to try a few things with you for sure!

When Soleil is finally okay around them, would he want to touch their wings? if they were being intimate would he allow them to brush against him?

I think Soleil would definitely be curious once he is in a better spot with you and your wings! He might want to touch them, but it'd need to be Atlas or you helping him touch your wings for the first time and it's need to be slow and gentle. If you were being intimate, I think he wouldn't notice if they brushed against him. He's a little preoccupied at that moment if you know what I mean ;)

Would Soleil ever fantasize or want to have sex with his little faerie? What would he imagine?

I think Soleil would start to fantasize about it and would feel SO GUILTY. You are so tiny! No way! His dick is like three times the size of you! He couldn't! But, he could show you affection... he'd use that mouth and tongue of his to good use on you for sure. He'd probably fantasize about kissing your little body and sucking your breasts and licking your small heat that he hoped would get so wet for him. He'd use his finger to rub against you and watch with heavy lidded eyes and heavy breaths. He might fantasize of you grinding your heat against the tip of his cock, too.

Would he imagine them grinding their whole body against his dick and still have room to spare? Would he enjoy how much focus they'd almost have to give to his tip if they were trying to give him oral at that size? Basically making out with the slit on the top with every bead of pre or cum being a messy mouthful for them?

He would! Your whole body against his horse cock? Him helping you rub against it and moaning for you? Never really thought Attie or Sol would go for micro/macro, but it kind of gets them with how much of a fan they are of size difference (which is easy to achieve with them.) God, he would go crazy if you focused on his tip. He slit is his favorite spot to get attention besides the whole tip, so licking and making out there might have him coming. He'd apologize for getting you messy a thousand times! He's so sensitive there, and your little tongue made him so turned on! He'd offer to wash you up right away.

Would the two still enjoy dressing up 'their dolly' if Reader was that size?

Oh, I think they'd enjoy it more! I just know Soleil would make little outfits for you! He'd research doll clothes videos so he could get a good idea on what to do before doing some trials on you. You have to do a lot of fittings with him, but he rewards you with kisses each time. And at the end, you get something cute to wear! Atlas likes telling Soleil what to make! He wants to see you in things, too!

Would either try to find safe 'sex toys' that could be used on them? (imagining them basically using a finger vibe or some sort of makeshift finger strap-on so they can do deep penetration while small)

Atlas would be the one to think of this. Soleil is too busy eating you out with his giant mouth or sucking and kissing your body. Atlas making you ride and grind yourself on a little small bullet vibe for him as he coos how good you are doing for him. He's find the smallest sized condoms he could before using any object with the condom over it he might find to be able to fuck your little Fae body with. Like the tip of a paintbrush or something tapered and small like that that he could stretch the condom out on to be thin and rubber band it in place. He'd be careful, but he'd still push you and see just how much of it you could take for him. He might even try to get Soleil to make little molds of hand sculpted dildos to poor with silicone for them to use on you at varying sizes.

Silly ask time! and minor nsfw for nudity so there was the ask for the lovely slasher boys about sirens and while I know it's not in their world but knowing of Soleil's fear of butterflies and most flying insects, would he still have such aversion to faeries or pixies? For this ask in particular I'm thinking along the lines of the 'naked human' with wings kind and less creature-esc.

And for the funsies if reader was one with the magical ability to grow in size for periods of time to disguise as human, and could cloak their wings for short periods too. Would human sized fae reader with butterfly wings terrify him? Would it be better since it's larger and he knows it's attached? Would tiny lil fae reader (who is not bashful of nudity from basically being raised in it) no longer be able to be his Sunshine? How would Atlas react to the discovery as well? And side note because my mind is wandering off now imagining Fae reader losing control of their 'human' spell and shrinking down while at the boy's home and Soleil freaking out he just saw a butterfly in their home and Atlas trying to catch it to bring it out and then it's lil naked reader (cause the clothes don't size down with them) who ends up trapped under a jar sorry for the minor ramble at the end XD

Simple answer first! Soleil is still scared of faeries and pixies, especially pixies as they are in my creature fic and in the way you describe them because they are small and flying at HIM.

He's be terrified of the wings, especially is they moved even when you were just standing about. Like this man flinches if your wings just kind of open and shut a little. Don't fly at him and don't approach him quickly with the wings out, he is afraid! It's going to take some refereeing from Atlas to get you to be able to approach Soleil with the wings out at normal size.

You really should warn/tell/show Atlas first, so he knows what he's dealing with and how much he's going to have to calm and correct his blond scaredy cat dummy boyfriend. He's going to be unbelieving again and say "Well show me the proof." And then you show him and he just gets frustrated as hell like "of fucking course, the weirdest shit always happens to him." He accepts it much better than the siren. You are just a little person with wings to him basically. He can deal just fine with a little person with wings. Plus, he has to admit he finds you kinda cute so small and free in the palm of his hand. You look good as a pixie. Watch out, he's now flirting with you when you are smaller than the size of his dick. He'll tease you a bit. Honestly, he takes this much easier in more stride. You don't drastically change, and he doesn't see you as dangerous or messing with him or Soleil.

He'll warn you not to feel bad, but also not to be worried when you show Soleil. He got Soleil to kind of like fireflies after all (or at least accept them flying around him without flinching, crying or running. He can also hold one for Soleil to look at and inspect and that's impressive for the blonde and progress.) If he can do that, he can get Soleil to calm down about some giant wings around him or maybe a small little you with wings. Maybe don't go small around him like that anytime soon, and if you do, don't go to Soleil for help. He'll tell you to come to him. He'll actually help you instead of squealing and running away. Plus, being naked around Soleil, even when small, might be a little much for the guy.

Little pixie reader could still be his Sunshine, but boy would he be nervous when you turned small or took out your wings. He gets that fight, flight, or freeze etc. response and he'll want to run or freeze when you become like that until he worked up to accepting. No, that's just you. It's not a bug, you aren't after him, you are just small and you have wings that look like a bugs! Still his Sunshine! Don't be scared of your Sunshine, Soleil!

Imagine, Soleil screaming about a butterfly in their apartment and Atlas just curses like "How the fuck did a butterfly get in here?" and goes to try to get a jar to catch the little bugger and he finally snatches them in it only to hear small pleads to not hurt you and he looks down like, "Why the fuck does this butterfly look like my Starlight? Why are they naked too? Am I losing my shit right now?"

He'd probably take you to the kitchen in the corner and plop you on the counter to have a very serious, but quiet talk with you on what the fuck happened and how Soleil could have brought out the bug spray on you, what were you thinking? Why didn't you tell them?? He's so mad at you but also hiding you from Soleil and Soleil is just sobbing and asking "I-is it gone?" through tears and Atlas just has to be like "YEP! TOATLLY GONE! NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! Starlight how dare you scare him like that, why are you so small??? Where are your clothes!?"

It's a very messy scene with a very confused Soleil on why his Sunshine is gone and why Atlas is acting funny and why there was a butterfly in their home. He is a wreck for a bit and has to look for anymore with Atlas and Atlas has to let you out so Soleil doesn't find you!

[teaboot]

One time my mom took me to a hibachi grill with a bunch of her friends and if you've never been to a hibachi grill basically the draw is that theres a bunch of interactive performance stuff done by the cook who cooks for you at your table, and one of the tricks they did at this one was take a squeeze bottle full of liquor and shoot it into your mouth across the table (with permission)

And now at our table my mom explained this because it was my first time going, and she wanted to make sure to warn me it was liquor because she knows I don't drink- she just said "if he offers to shoot at your mouth, say no because it's alcohol".

And so the chef does his thing and it's all very impressive, but the time does come where he pulls out this squeeze bottle of booze and asks me if I wanna try

I of course say no, because I really don't do alcohol, so he moves on to someone else

And I watch, and slowly come to understand that this is some sort of game, because once someone is drinking from the continuous flow the chef starts counting "ONE! TWO! THREE!"

I realize that we're trying to see who can keep drinking the liquor from three feet away without choking or spilling, and its a bummer cause i kinda wanna try and I CAN'T

But he goes around the table with everyone there, and I think my mom makes it to three, one friend makes it to five, I think my brother got to three as well, and he comes back to me

And I'm REALLY bummed out now but I will not drink alcohol, so I sort of sadly repeat that I can't when he pulls out a SECOND BOTTLE and grins and goes "juice?"

And Im like FUCK YEAH LET'S GO and I'm a bit worried he's gonna spray it into my eye or something but he doesn't, it hits me right at the back of the throat, and I start drinking while the whole fucking table counts "ONE! TWO! THREE!"

And like

It just sorta

Kept going?

And Im looking at the chef and he starts freaking out by the time we get to six, and at around seven I kinda start looking around and my auntie is staring back in shock, my brother is laughing his ass off and my mom has her face in her hands

And then at like nine or ten it gets like. Super tense and quiet, and only the chef is still counting

And I guess it got too much for even him cause we're at eleven and I don't believe in quitting early and it is almost painful how awkward it's getting

So he cuts me off at twelve and raises his hands in the air and everyone else cheers and claps like a dumb movie

and I just sit back in my seat to look back at my mother staring at me surrounded by everyone she knows, bright fucking red in the face and choking with honest to god tears in her eyes and she puts her face back in her palms and starts chanting "I don't want to know. I don't want to know. I don't want to know"

So I give her the biggest, proudest grin and tell her, "I won."

So now every time something suggestive happens in a movie, or in conversation, or something shocking happens around us and she goes to jokingly cover my ears, I just ask her, "Remember when I won?" And she goes face-down and groans, because I know EXACTLY how she thinks I trained to develop that particular skill and she HATES knowing that about me

The truth is though, I'm a whole ass 28 year old virgin. I've never so much as kissed anyone in my life. I had no idea I could do that trick until that exact moment

But she doesn't know that, and I'm never gonna tell her

[nezuscribe]

part one

fake dating your best friend gojo satoru is a lot harder than you imagined.

not because he's not good at the faking part, he's really good at that. in fact, he's so good that you sometimes forget it's all an act. something to get him closer to the girl he's been crushing on since freshman year, and you closer to a guy he thinks you've been crushing on for forever.

thank god he doesn't know his assumption is completely incorrect.

so, yeah, maybe agreeing to fake date the guy you've been in love with since you were playing in sandboxes wasn't your brightest idea, nor was it particularly smart to help him try to get together with the girl he likes but so what? this was probably your only chance to truly experience gojo.

your friends were all shocked when the two of you came out with the news. they looked at your with furrowed brows and parted lips, not knowing whether to say congratulations or i told you so.

and it get's even harder tyring to protect yourself as this whole scheme continues because he's just such a good fake boyfriend. like that time you flunked an exam? you could've sworn he was playing with your feelings just for fun at this point.

---

"what's wrong?" his muffled voice came out from behind your bedroom door. the two of you agreed to meet up for a "fake date" that would be plastered across your socials to make geto and suki jealous, but you had missed out on his last phone call, his plethora of texts, and weren't responding to his onslaught of questions.

you groaned into your pillow, face dry with old tears as you sat in a hunched and curled up position. you were so mentally exhausted from studying the past week and failing so miserably that you didn't even have the energy to open the door for him.

"was it that test?" gojo asked, and you just groaned louder at the thought of it, wiping at your nose.

you could hear him sigh, getting his answer from your weak excuse of a response. even when the two of you were in high school you'd kick yourself down over these sorts of things. now, in college, it seems to have gotten ten times worse.

"look...can i come in?" he knows you don't want him there, but that's the exact reason he's pushing this so much.

you swallow, sniffiling again as you raise your head from the pillow just a bit so that he could hear your groggy voice.

"i looked pooped out," you tell him, "i don't think i can make it tonight."

there's a pause,

and then he opens the door.

you groan in annoyance, looking at him from over your shoulder with a wrinkled brow and ready to berate him for being so emotionally inept when you spot the mountain of things in his arms.

snacks, food, his laptop (for movies, never anything work or school related), and that peach ice cream you love so much but is never in stock.

he lays it all out on your desk with a pleased smile, watching you roll over on your bed to take it all.

"kinda pieced it together when you didn't pick up," he explains, pointing to all the things he knew would cheer you up, "thought this would help."

you slowly lift from the position you'd been rotting in for the past three hours, going on wobbly legs as you make your way over to where he was.

fresh tears well up in your eyes because this isn't even fair, you still flunked that test, and the guy you love is acting like he actually cares about you.

at your reaction, gojo's smile drops, a worried expression taking over his face as his hand shoots up to your arms, caging you in between his strong body as you lean your head back and let out a strangled wail, one reminiscent of a cat.

"hey, hey, come on," he shushes, bringing you in for a tight hug, one reserved only for you, or so you hopelessly tell yourself, "it's okay, it's just a test."

your breathing quivers, "a really important one," you say, muffled against his chest, "a really really important one."

gojo shrugs, one hand rubbing up and down your back, the other one gingerly cradling the back of your head.

"and you'll do really really good on the next one, yeah?" he says softly, all teasing gone from his voice. you hate this, you hate that he's actually nice and not some jackass who's just using you.

you nod limply.

"maybe you could just buy the grade for me?" you say through a hiccup, looking up at him through watery eyes as his face of concern melts into a more relaxed one, rolling his eyes as he pinches your side.

"always thinking about my wallet, huh?" he chastises you, pushing you away by the flick of your forehead, shoving some chips into your outstretched hands.

"it's something good to think about," you mutter weakly, opening it as you look at the ruffled chips, rubbing at your nose as another hiccup escapes your chapped lips. it's stupid, you know that, but you can't control it.

"hey," he calls, his voice dipping a little, the one that forces you to look up at him because it means he's being serious, "it's gonna be okay. promise."

you nod, blinking slowly as you eat a chip, chewing lazily.

"besides, my crazy smart fake girlfriend can do anything she puts her mind to, right?" he says with a boyish smile, taking some chips for himself as he gives you another hug.

your shoulder sink again.

damn it.

[dontmixpaintinyourcoffee]

This one goes out to all the bitches who love some good Safehouse Era Horror. It's me, I'm bitches. I want Jon and Martin to be fucked up and eldritch but I want them to be fucked up and eldritch and loved

(Notes under the cut because I can't help myself. Heads up, I do go into some detail of how Jon gets injured so I can explain my thought process for how I designed his scars. All canon-typical and fairly clinical in tone.)

Here's how I picture Safehouse Jon!

He doesn't need glasses anymore by this point, so he should just be wearing empty frames, but I drew this before I settled on my glasses headcanons. This drawing looks better with the reflection anyways.

He hasn't gotten a haircut since before his promotion to Head Archivist. He doesn't love the weight of it on his neck, but he also uses it to fidget, and he really doesn't want to go through the whole process of cutting it. He's disliked haircuts since he was a kid (People: Bad. Small talk: Bad. Touching: Bad. Loud sounds: Bad. People talking all at once: Bad) and since his time with the Circus he's only grown more reluctant to go and get it done.

At this length his hair is naturally pretty curly but he is. Not taking care of it. I actually put a lot of effort into trying to make it look brittle and tangled (I have a lot of experience lol, my hair is quite thick and I've always hated taking care of it. Yes I am also projecting my feelings about going to a hairdressers onto him why do you ask.)

The various scars were a bit of a strange task, but anyone who has seen my takes on The Bad Kids knows I'm not averse to selective realism in my fiction. Easiest one was the neck, I always pictured Daisy making a vertical cut based on "through the voice box". The larynx is longer than it is wide, so I think Daisy would go for the method that dealt damage across the largest total surface area. Yes I am aware that I'm speaking the same way Martin does when he explains his corkscrew.

The worm scars were easy because I barely drew any. There are a few marks on his cheek, but they're just surface bites. I picture most of his encounter with Prentiss showing on his legs, particularly on the right side, with enough damage there that he starts using a cane after the incident to keep weight off his right leg. More research to be done on this particular detail.

Finally the burn on his hand from Jude. This was the weirdest one to figure out just because of the nature of the injury. How do you quantify the damage done to an epidermis by a living manifestation of sometimes-boiling wax that can heat and cool at will? I settled on it being a second-degree burn that healed supernaturally fast, containing the damage to the space Jude had direct contact with. He'd probably have some mobility issues there as well. I know there are ways to help with mobility and pain after a severe burn, but I don't know how much of it Jon would actually. Do. Like I said, definitely further research to be done on these last two.

Hey so I'm gonna ask you to stop and consider the horror of the watcher. The helplessness. The guilt. The inherent terror of being a spectator, a participant by proximity but not by action. The horror of not being able to look away, of being a bystander. Jon forgets to blink sometimes. But wouldn't it be so much worse if there were no eyelids at all? That's how I interpret the description of The Archivist being "All Eyes" :D

I love a good Many-Eyed Jon, so I whipped up my own interpretation here. I think the more he Becomes the more he starts to resemble the thing from the dreams. He has a lot more control of it in S5, but it still creeps up on him and he has to consciously go back to a human shape.

[mieisunki]

affection

alt: how enhypen reacts to shy partner initiating affection

ot7 x shy!reader warning: fluff, little reader anxiety in sunghoons

masterlist

heeseung:

heeseung is one of the members who understands that you aren't the most comfortable showing affection. it never really bothered him that he was always the one initiating affection.

you knew that heeseung was having a rough past few days with their comeback approaching. he always told you that your presence helps calm him, so you decided to help surprise him with the help of jungwon.

you picked him up some food on the way to their dorm. jungwon let you in saying that he was playing a game in his room. when you opened the door, heeseung's back was too you while he stared almost unmoving at the computer screen. you almost thought he was asleep if it weren't for his hands moving.

you set the food down before walking over to where he was. he had his head phones on, so he didn't hear you walk up to him. you leaned over the back of his chair, wrapping your arms around him before resting your head on his shoulder.

you laughed when you felt him jump at the contact before relaxing into your arms. you decided to take it a step further, pressing a kiss to his jaw before telling him you had some food. you completely missed him falling apart as you let him go and turned away.

the two of you enjoyed dinner together before heeseung went back to gaming. this time with you by his side.

rest under the cut

jongseong:

jay is another chill member that is okay with you being shy and not initiating affection very often. he knew that you cared about him which you showed daily and that was all that really mattered.

it was currently the weekend which meant jay spent the whole day with you in your apartment. you were currently laying on the couch scrolling on your phone while jay practiced his guitar for an upcoming video.

eventually, you got bored of your phone, so you threw it on the couch next to you before sitting up. jay paused when he felt the couch move next to him. he looked over to see that you have moved from your laying position to a sitting position right next to him, so you could watch him play. he smiled at you, pressing a kiss to your cheek before turning back to his guitar.

you noticed him stop before returning his attention back to you. he softly asked you if you wanted to learn how to play. initially you were unsure, but after some reassurance from jay, you agreed.

you watched intently as he explained the cords and how to position the guitar. once you were comfortable with that, jay handed you the guitar. now, he fully expected you to sit next to him while he showed you how to play. but to his surprise you stood up before moving to sit on his lap.

you heard him let out a chuckle as his arms wrapped around you. he pressed a kiss to your exposed shoulder as he tried to compose himself. the two of you spent the rest of the evening like that while he taught you how to play the guitar.

jaeyun:

jake would be the one who would take your lack of initiating affection the worst. he would assume that either you didn't feel the same, or you didn't like him as much as he liked you. he skated around the idea until he finally sat you down and asked why you don't show affection.

it was only after you explained that you've always felt awkward initiating affection that he would understand. good thing with jake is that he will initiate enough affection for the both of you. the first time you initiated affection though, you thought you broke him.

it had been raining for the last few days nonstop. so when the rain finally stopped, jake came up with the idea for you two to go for a walk. you were all for the idea. that was until you realized jake doesn't know how to stroll, so you felt like you were constantly running to catch up with him.

that was when an idea hit you.

he couldn't run off if you were holding his hand. the moment he felt your hand grab his, he would instantly stop- nearly making the people behind him run into him. you almost thought you did something wrong until he looked at you with the largest smile you had ever seen on him. he immediately pulled you into a hug, pressing a kiss to your cheek before he told you how much he loved you.

and that smile that was on his face? it stayed there for the rest of the day.

sunghoon:

sunghoon is more than likely the member that would care the least about the fact that you don't initiate affection. don't get him wrong, he would enjoy when you gave him affection, but your comfort came first to him.

a new attraction had just opened up, and you and sunghoon really wanted to go. the two of you failed to realize how packed the place would be on a weekend even though it had been open for a few weeks. you knew that sunghoon didn't mind it, so you tried not to as well. but sometimes crowded areas made you nervous.

you were handling it well until you nearly got separated from sunghoon. if it weren't for his height, you would have lost him. you had to squeeze by a couple of people in order to reach him. by the time you got to him, he noticed you weren't by his side and was looking around for you.

he turned to you as soon as you got to him. he smiled at you when you wrapped your arms around his waist and hugged him. he kissed the top of your head before asking you if you were okay. you nodded your head, but kept your arms tightly around him for another minute or so.

once you were okay, you pulled away from him, but you kept his hand in yours for the rest of the trip.

seonwoo:

sunoo would probably be a mixture of jake and jay. on one hand, he would understand that initiating affection isn't always something that makes you comfortable. and on the other hand, he would sometimes feel like your attraction to him isn't as strong as his is to you.

at the beginning of your relationship, sunoo kept this to himself. but now that the two of you had been dating for a while, sunoo will tell you how he feels, so you can help reassure him that you do in fact love him just as much as he loves you.

you did have certain ways of showing him affection that did necessarily involve physical affection. for example, whenever you stayed with him at the dorms, you would let him do your skin care. it was something you never really did at home- unless sunoo reminded you that is.

you were sitting on the counter watching him as he applied a facial cream to your face. he was humming along to a song that was playing from his phone's speaker. once he was done with your skin care, his hands gently grabbed your face before pinching your cheeks.

you thanked him for taking care of you as you jumped down from the counter. before you left the room, you stood on your toes and kissed his cheek. you told you that you loved him as you left the bathroom, failing to realize what your actions had done to him.

he stood there stunned for a moment before chasing out after you, pulling you into a hug, whining how much he loved you. good luck leaving his arms for the rest of the night.

jungwon:

jungwon would like to think he was on the more chill side of not showing affection, but more often than not, he was similar to jake. especially at the beginning of your guys relationship. he didn't think you felt the same way due to the lack of initiating affection. it was only after he pulled away that you figured out what was happening.

once you explained that you're just not used to showing affection like he was, he would completely understand. he would be the one always showering you with affection, but he would always ask for permission first. you never minded how affectionate he was. you even found yourself craving at times- which was foreign to you.

you were spending the day with jungwon. the two of were having a lazy day since jungwon had just finished with promotions. you were sitting at the counter watching him as he made the two of you food. you had tried to be the one to make food, but he refused- loving to be the one to cook for you.

he had his back turned to you as he swayed to the music that was coming from the tv. you just thought he looked so cute that you wanted to hug him. and that exactly what you did.

you got off your chair before moving to stand behind him. he froze for a moment when he felt your arms wrap around him, but quickly relaxed into your embrace. since he back was to you, you couldn't see the large smile on his face as he returned to making you food.

that lasted for about two seconds before he couldn't help himself - turning around before pulling you into his arms with a kiss.

riki:

riki was a mixture of heeseung and sunghoon. like heeseung, it never bothered him that he was always initiating affection. he also wasn't the biggest on affection, so it relieved him that you also were big on it. not to say that the two of you didn't have your own ways of showing that you care.

it was one of the rare nights that riki was staying at your place. he had been begging you to watch this new movie that came out a few weeks ago, and you two finally had a chance to do so. the two of you were laying on the couch side by side, snacks that riki brought laying on the table in front of you.

riki was fully invested in the movie- which you thought was adorable. you were content with just watching his reactions as you knew that you were going to necessarily like the movie. it just wasn't your taste, but you didn't mind watching it for riki. only issue was that you were getting tired.

riki had just sat back on the couch next to you- his shoulder brushing yours as his hand rested on your thigh. you wanted to get more comfortable and had the urge to be closer to your boyfriend. you took the opportunity to throw your legs over his before resting your head on his shoulder.

you felt riki stiffen for a moment before relaxing back into the couch. he grabbed your hand, intertwining your fingers before resting them on your lap. he also placed a soft kiss on your head.

the two of you were so relaxed in each others embrace, you both fell asleep before the movie ended- which you didn't hear the end of that from riki until you agreed to rewatch with him.

[worstgenerationloser]

Could you please do ace, shanks and benn defending their f s/o from a misogynistic man? I had to face one at work and he gave me the absolute ICK

,, Rushing to your aid! ''

Ace, Shanks, and Beckman x F! Reader.

Summary... how would your boyfriend defend you from a misogynistic man?

Contains... misogyny, mentions of harassment, depictions of bloody violence, and some slight fluff!

A/N: IM SORRY YOU HAD TO DEAL WITH THAT ANON💕 I hope since you sent in this ask the men have left you alone! If not I'll ward them away myself!! 🤺🤺

Portgas D. Ace

Ace doesn't register it completely, so at first he's confused on why this man is talking to you as if you were a baby (mostly because he's a dumbass)

Now, even if he wasn't aware the man was being misogynistic at first, he's still rushing towards you because there's literally a weird man talking to you the way you would to a little kid, and you definitely looked angry enough to tear off his head.

"Woah, what's happening here?" Instinctively and natural as breathing, his arm slips around your shoulders and his fingers move to gently graze your arm in an attempt to console you.

He doesn't like showing his temper much, but when people precious to him are involved, his angry heart bursts into flames. When the man speaks, his jaw drops out of pure disbelief. According to him, he was mansplaining how pirates operate to you. Which is weird, because Ace knows that you're definitely well versed in pirates... Considering you're his girlfriend.

He wanted to diffuse the situation, but it seems like this random needed a reality check.

"Hm... Good to know, but I'm sure it's irrelevant to her." His smile is wide and joyous, but the ominous shadow looming over his face is anything but.

"But she's clueless!", the man rambles on and bumbles about like a headless chicken, before he turns back to get one good look at Ace. Then it clicks in his pea-sized brain that maybe you know a bit more about pirates than him.

Ace looks a little scary when he's mad, you discover . But mostly cute.

"My girlfriend doesn't need to explain her knowledge to some random asshole who couldn't make a lasting impact on her life if he tried, you're way below her, buddy."

With gritted teeth, Ace tries to not light fire to the whole town, but only you seem to notice his body is literally smoking hot.

According to Ace, the guy ran a little too slow, and that's how he ended up naked covered in burn marks! The marines didn't believe him, though, and you two were left to flee.

"Can you believe the balls on that guy? It's not like you're unknown, either. Portgas D. Ace's kickass girlfriend! It's got a nice ring to it, eh?"

He nudges you a little too hard and sends you flying into a bush, but you appreciate the cute moments with him no matter how brief.

Red-Haired Shanks

Shanks learned many things during his time in the Roger Pirates, but one thing really stuck with him throughout the years. He can tolerate being spat on and kicked around, if his crew sees it as a threat then he's not gonna stop them from doing whatever it is they're planning, but he's not gonna ask them to go out of their way to deal with it.

But when someone disrespects his crew, and especially you?

Oh, he's pissed.

You think he doesn't realize at first, but he's keeping a very close eye on you two. He tries to keep his ass planted firmly into his chair per Beckman's request. Beckman is the mature one, and he's almost never wrong in the astute observations he makes. Despite this, Shanks has no self control and he's lobbing himself towards the bar where you sit.

Beckman shakes his head disapprovingly at his captain, because unlike him, Beck knows you can handle yourself.

The man in question harassing you seems to be a small time criminal with a bounty of 50,000... That doesn't deter Shanks, it might have egged him on even more because who does he think he is harassing you?

By the time Shanks has made his way to you, your harasser seems to have taken it upon himself to demean you for your appearance, pulling out all the classics like "bitch" "whore" , and "slut" to name a few. Shanks, of course, finds absolutely no amusement in this. I'm sure you can guess what happened next.

Your harasser tries to argue and degrade you a little more when Shanks steps up, not realizing how silent the bar has suddenly become. He didn't even realize the hundreds of eyes disappearing from him, not wanting to watch things unfold.

"You're drunk, I'll give you that one." Shanks barks out a laugh like he finds it funny, but up close you can see that gleam in his eyes.

Well... it's not like you could stop him anyways.

But you really wish he left the bar standing, at least. It certainly isn't doing good for his reputation as an emperor of the seas.

When Beckman scolds him as if he were a child on deck, he laughs like he'll forget about it in a day or two. But everyone knows Shanks will be doing it all over again in a heartbeat. He holds you extra close that night, trying to make sure your heart isn't tainted by the venomous words spat.

"I don't want anybody, big name or small, disrespecting people I hold dear to me."

His words are sweet while he whispers to you in bed... he's an odd man, but he's yours.

Benn Beckman

Two words. Broken. Bones.

Beckman does not play around with his girl, at all. He'll bash in heads day and night if someone even looks at you the wrong way, but he restrains himself because he's not a jealous young man anymore, so he likes to think.

Regarding everything else, he's cool as a cucumber, he prefers to let things wash over by themselves and only offers advice if he senses things will go astray. (as previously mentioned)

You're his girl, and a damn beautiful one, so he isn't surprised when some people try and scope you out, the same happens to him with many women, so why be so hypocritical about it? His heart is locked inside of yours for the rest of his life whether you want him or not, so he knows you won't run off with another no matter how much Shanks jokes about it.

If they're a little persistent, he might walk up to you and give you a few kisses so they get the message. But this man was definitely not "a little persistent."

Beck doesn't have a second to think of what he should do when he hears the utterances of vile comments slip from this man's mouth after you turned him down, because he's already right next to you quicker than his own head can wrap around. He's big, tall and scary, enough so to make someone shake with just a look.

"A grown man like yourself should know that ain't no way to talk to a lady." His voice is low, and he's talking nice and slow for your harassers ears only.

Beck heard it all, him hitting on you in an unceremonious way, all the way to demeaning you when you rejected him, spouting the same chewed up rhetoric that is "women are only good for bearing children" and whatnot. He can't let that pass no matter how capable you may be of handling it yourself.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" The man's words were proven to be a bad move before his lips could rest against eachother.

Following that, there was quite a sight. Somehow Beckman managed to twist the poor guy into some kind of abstract form of art, all bloody and fucked up with no more teeth left.

And of course he ushered you away after wiping his hands clean enough for you, because he's a gentleman, he didn't do it for himself, it was for you!

"M'sorry you had to see that, sugar." His whispers fill your head while he has you resting your head on his chest hours later, a few giggles coming from outside your bedroom door. Guess who?

"You know I won't let nobody disrespect you like that. You aren't mad, are you baby?" Beckman is a real sweet talker, so it's not like you could be even if you tried.

Plus, he looks super hot fighting.

END.

Likes and Reblogs are appreciated! ❤️If possible, leave a comment too!

[flippinpancakes64]

The Cullens with a reader that REALLY loves to nap/sleep?

This was on my list of ones to do so thank you! And I hope you like it!

Edward:

He got really concerned for a while

There was a period of time, before he started stalking you at night of course, where you would go hours without responding to his texts

He got so anxious one day that he just showed up at your window to make sure you were alright

And you were asleep

Pretty much every time after that if he wanted to know where you were he knew that's what you were doing

When you start dating and he can come and go more freely he'll cuddle up next to you and just watch (creepy)

But then it gets to a point where he gets a bit scared

You guys are out and about and you mention that you're tired and just want to go home and sleep

Or instead of watching a movie with him you'll just drift off

Genuinely asks Carlisle if this is normal

He needs reassurance from both you and Carlisle that this is normal and that sleeping is just fun <3

Alice:

Before you two start dating, when you guys are still just friends, she finds it odd that you won't hang out with her

Like wdym you don't want to spend a whole Saturday shopping

Also finds it odd that you don't want to text or call all the time

She just straight up asks you tho

Almost doesn't believe you when you say it's because you're napping/sleeping

"Okay yeah I toootally believe that you sleep from 7 pm to 4 pm"

But it's true

When she eventually makes her own Edward-style trip to your house in the middle of the day and sees you sleeping she has no choice but to believe it

When you guys start dating she gets a little more annoyed

Like come on you are her partner dammit why are you sleeping all day?

She makes the mistake of waking you up one day

That doesn't go too well

She doesn't do that again

She gets a bit huffy when you sleep all day but just make it up to her by letting her drag you wherever she wants one day and you're good to go

Jasper:

Your relationship is slow to build

You start off only seeing each other in school

Then talking a little bit

Then hanging out at school

Then talking a little bit after

Then hanging out a little bit after

So he doesn't really question anything when you don't talk to him most of the time

He just thinks you don't want to move on to being that close yet

But once you guys start dating, that's when he notices it

For a while he thinks it's just him because he's so used to Alice literally always being there and ready to talk to him

But when he goes over to your house for the first time to hang out and you just take a nap

He puts the dots together

He doesn't mind one bit

He's quiet after all

I feel like he would appreciate the peace since his house is never quiet

And not to mention that he can feel the tranquil and calm emotions radiating from you

You bet your ass he is cuddling with you

He just likes to lay there and close his eyes

Rosalie:

She was pretty quick to notice tbh

I feel like she's one to pick up technology pretty quick

So she's a texter

And she notices that you go dark at like 4 pm every day only to respond again sometime in the middle of the night then stop again

She gets a little annoyed

She thinks you're ignoring her

She gets petty for like, a week

Won't acknowledge you in the hallway or answer your texts

It's only when you basically have a breakdown in front of her that she tells you why

And then you have another breakdown explaining that you're literally just sleeping

So then she feels bad

Cue a week of apology gifts

After that though she starts coming over to nap

Sleep sesh

She brings over a book or a movie to watch while you sleep next to her

She loves it

Like Jasper she loves the tranquility

Emmett:

He'd also notice pretty quick that something's up

Like wdym you don't want to go throw rocks at cars or whatever he does for fun

He would just take it as you being a whimp tho

"You don't want to hang cause you're scared of *insert random thing* right?"

You give in one time and go do something with him and he notices like an hour in that you are yawning like crazy and walking super slow

You explain that this is your regularly scheduled nap time and then it makes sense to him

Unfortunately tho he's not one to just lay around

Something's gonna have to change

Maybe one day dedicated to doing what he wants and then the rest you can sleep as much as you want

Compromise :)

Esme:

Honestly she's down

When you first come over she thinks she's prepared for anything humans would need but then you start drifting off at like 4 and she's like "oh"

Instantly is putting you in a room and telling everyone to be quiet

Is a little concerned but also she thinks it's cute

And it makes her lowkey miss being human and being able to take naps too

LOVES laying with you tho

Will grab a book and lay there with you for hours

Chill queen

Carlisle:

He's concerned

He can't help it

He sees people come in multiple times a day every day with similar symptoms and rarely do any of them have nothing wrong

Once he has learned the extent of your sleeping, he takes you to do some testing

Not even an at-home consultation

You are going into the clinic no ifs, ands, or buts

When he finds that there's nothing wrong though, he'll ease up

Just a little

Is still super concerned though

Will check up on you every once in a while when you're sleeping

He likes spending time with you though

His favorite thing is if you take a nap on the couch in his office

He loves just having you there while he does paperwork for the clinic

Vampire! Bella:

She remembers naps all too well

And she misses them too

Even though she loves being a vampire she does miss getting to rest and disappear from the world for a couple of hours

She will never ever wake you up

Unless there's like an emergency or something

Loves to chill

Again, would be content just reading a book or drawing while you're sleeping

Would like to cuddle too

She likes the warmth and the comfort

Might even convince someone in the Cullen house to buy a nice bed for when you come over (if she doesn't already have one)

[thankskenpenders]

Thoughts on two specific areas of the writing in Sonic X Shadow Generations

The best new 3D Sonic game in over a decade (or even two, depending on who you ask) dropped late last year. And I didn't write anything about it! Sometimes life happens. Well, I've finally sat down to finish Shadow Generations, and by now everyone has already been singing its praises for three months. This is the rare instance where the entire Sonic fandom, and even mainstream reviewers, are in agreement on something. The level design is the best it's been in a long, long time and the cool factor is off the charts, embracing Sonic's peak cringe era in an incredibly confident way. It's great. If you're even reading this post, you probably don't need me to tell you that. So I won't!

No, what I'm really interested in here is the writing. Because this is me we're talking about. But I actually don't want to talk about the main narrative of Shadow Generations, which is really solid little story about Black Doom trying to mold Shadow into his perfect soldier. No, I'd like to zero in on two other aspects of the writing here: the revisions made to Sonic Generations, and Gerald Robotnik's unlockable journal.

The updated Sonic Generations script

The new package mostly presents Sonic Generations how you remember it. There are some tweaks, but it's not a major overhaul. Graphically, I don't think the game has been touched much, if at all. I certainly can't notice any difference without a side-by-side comparison, despite playing it on a PS5. The most notable update is that the game's script has been rewritten by Ian Flynn.

Naturally, this caught my attention. Generations always had a nothingburger story, so with Ian rewriting Pontac and Graff's lame dialogue there was nowhere to go but up. (I don't like to pin the blame for those games' stories entirely on them, as a ton of it was dictated to them by Sonic Team, but, well, I don't think they're very good dialogue writers.) But it's less a complete rewrite and more like Ian was brought on as a script doctor for some minor touch ups here and there. Many lines of dialogue are completely identical to how they were originally written in 2011, and many others only have slight wording changes. Ian was clearly not allowed to request additional scenes or extend the ones that already existed. He has to match the original beat for beat so that they can reuse 99% of the cutscene animations. Don't expect it to be a whole new experience compared to the original.

Still, I think the new script is an improvement, albeit a minor one. Various things have been tweaked to maintain characterization consistency. Cream calls Sonic "Mr. Sonic" instead of just "Sonic." Instead of calling Sonic "buddy," Rouge uses the pet name "Blue," like she tends to do in things like the IDW comics. Espio doesn't have to remind you in the dialogue that he's a ninja, and he no longer has a line making it sound like he has some kind of soul reading power. I also like that Modern Sonic now actually has responses to what his friends say when he rescues them, rather than being silent like Classic Sonic. They won't blow you away, but they make Sonic feel a little more engaged with everything.

In general, the altered dialogue just seems tighter to me, and some of the more childish or trite wording of Pontac and Graff's script has been altered. Here, let's actually make a direct comparison, just because this stuff is interesting to me as a writer. Here's a couple lines from after the Egg Dragoon fight late in the game, in the original script:

Modern Eggman: Ooooh... I can't believe this! I was supposed to beat you this time. Modern Sonic: Aw, I'm sorry! I didn't get that memo. I beat you every time! [Turns to Classic Sonic] No, seriously, we beat this guy every time. It's like it's our job or something!

This is a simple exchange. Eggman is mad that he lost. Sonic is unflappably confident because he always beats Eggman, and he explains this to his younger self. But the wording here isn't particularly good. Eggman's simple and direct wording makes him come off like a little kid who's mad because his older brother beat him at Mario Kart, rather than a mad scientist who just had his plans foiled. It's making light of the situation.

And I've never liked Sonic saying "It's like it's our job or something!" That doesn't feel like a thing Sonic would say, it feels like a thing an outside observer would say about Sonic. This is a frequent problem with so-called "MCU dialogue," where quips meant to echo the commentary of a casual, somewhat disinterested audience are inserted into the story itself so that the writers can be like "See? We get it. We're genre-savvy, too!" It also just reminds me of bad Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric lines like "Rings! It's like they're made for me!"

And then here's Ian's rewrite:

Modern Eggman: I recalibrated everything! This was supposed to be my time! Modern Sonic: Oh, please, keep dreamin', Egg-head. I beat you every time. [Turns to Classic Sonic] No, seriously, we beat him every time. Our score card's flawless.

Eggman's still mad about his defeat, but the line "I recalibrated everything!" makes it more specific. He put all this work into the engineering side of his latest scheme and got tunnel vision, thinking if he got his creations just right there'd be no way he could lose. "This was supposed to be my time!" also turns it into a time travel pun, which is a bonus. He's still pitching a fit over losing, but it feels more like Eggman pitching a fit, rather than sounding childish.

And then instead of saying that beating Eggman is "like his job or something," Sonic says he's got a flawless score card against Eggman. He doesn't take Eggman seriously as a threat—at least, not to his face. He acts like it's all a game. But he conveys this in a way that feels truer to the character, rather than feeling like the words of a real world observer poking fun at the tropes of the Sonic series.

Is this amazing, A+ dialogue that blows me away? No. Again, it's not a completely different scene from the one we already had. Ian had to fit the beats of what was already there. He couldn't go all out and write an all new story confirming his longstanding headcanon that the Time Eater is a remnant of Solaris or whatever. But the wording here makes the existing story land a little better and feel truer to the characters in subtle ways.

But to me, the main change is that the Sonics and Tailses seem to have a more solid understanding of what's going on with the timeline and the Time Eater, compared to how idiotic they sometimes seemed in the original game. Which is good! No more standing outside Green Hill and wondering why it seems so familiar. Thank god. As part of this, yes, there are a few more references to past games in the dialogue, like Sonic briefly being confused about the fact that they're time traveling without the Time Stones, or South Island and Westside Island being acknowledged as the normal locations of Green Hill and Chemical Plant. Yes, ha ha, insert joke about how Ian loves references here. Look, it's Sonic fucking Generations. It's a game built entirely out of nostalgic references. Just own it! And, again, in this instance Sonic and Tails come off as less stupid when they make it clear that they do, in fact, remember their adventures from presumably less than a year ago in-universe.

Eggman, too, seems to have a better understanding of the powers he's toying with. Where in the original vesion his focus was simply on going back in time to undo his previous defeats and he seemed kind of oblivious to how much the Time Eater was actually fucking up the universe, here Eggman says he wants to use the Time Eater to give himself complete control over the entire timeline. Eggman also makes way fewer references to his own failures and shortcomings. Of course he won't admit that Sonic has defeated him time and time again. To him, he's never truly lost—Sonic just keeps delaying the inevitable total victory for the Eggman Empire.

So, yes. The new Sonic Generations script is better. It won't blow anyone away, but it's better than it was. It's been elevated from "kinda lame" to "fine." No, if you really wanna see Ian flex his ability to breathe new life into old Sonic stories, look no further than...

Gerald Robotnik's Journal

Hoo boy.

The story of what happened aboard the ARK has always been... a bit confusing, to say the least. Fans with encyclopedic knowledge of the script for every route of Shadow '05 may disagree, but it's the truth. We've had all the pieces to understand the story for a long time now, but that info was given to us out of order by a pair of unreliable narrators—Gerald, who became a vengeful lunatic shortly before his death, and Shadow, who was subjected to multiple rounds of amnesia and altered memories. Some of the ambiguity left by Sonic Adventure 2 was cleared up in Shadow '05, but that game also retconned in a bunch of new elements to Shadow's backstory (aliens!) that lead to further confusion. Not to mention the fact that that game had multiple routes and only revealed the truth about Shadow if you sat on the ultimate final boss battle for WAY longer than the fight would normally last. Or the fact that Sonic X made its own tweaks in its telling of the story. Or the fact that none of these things ever had the best English translations. I can't blame anyone who hasn't played those games in two decades for not remembering the truth about these characters and getting some details mixed up.

What we needed was something to piece together all of the info we have into one coherent backstory, told in chronological order. And thanks to Shadow Generations, we have that, in the form of an official journal tying together what we knew from Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow '05, and Sonic Battle into the tragic tale of Gerald's rise and fall.

Ian Flynn was the perfect man for the job here as the guy who started his career by tidying up the mess that was the first 159 issues if Archie Sonic. This is what he excels at: taking disparate bits of weird Sonic lore from multiple different sources, boiling them down to their most interesting elements, and connecting it together in a way that will make the audience see the dramatic potential he's always known was there. Rather than feeling like a cynical exercise in franchise building, going back and explaining things that never needed explaining so that people can add more bullet points to the wiki, he puts a new spin on things that retroactively enriches those past stories. The story here means something to the characters involved and gives us a better understanding of them as people, rather than as plot devices to motivate Shadow.

(And, of course, Ian didn't do this journal alone. He wrote the story, but I also have to give a huge shout out to Evan Stanley, who made the final product. All of her handwritten journal entries, sketches, and "photos" included throughout. The physical damage done to the journal over the course of 50 tumultuous years, passing from Gerald to Eggman to a certain special someone at GUN. The way Gerald's handwriting gets less and less legible as his mental state declines. So much love was put into what could have been a mere text dump in a menu, and it really elevates it to the next level. Congrats on officially getting hired by Sega, Evan, you've sure as hell earned it!)

The main idea the journal conveys is that Gerald was under a lot of pressure from a lot of different parties—GUN, the President, his colleagues aboard the ARK, Black Doom, even his own family—and boy did it get to him. The known incidents aboard the ARK mentioned in previous games are put together here to form a story where everything slowly spirals out of control as Gerald keeps compromising his morals to further his research, thinking he'll eventually find some way out of all this because he's a genius. I won't recap that whole story here (if you haven't already played the game and read the journal entries, I would highly recommend at least reading it on the Sonic wiki), but I'd like to highlight my favorite elements of the story, as Ian tells it here.

1) The Eclipse Cannon

Here's something that never quite made sense in Sonic Adventure 2: why does the ARK have a laser that can blow up the Earth built into it? It was supposed to be a peaceful research colony. Sure, Gerald went crazy and swore revenge on the Earth, but, like... when did he have an opportunity to go back up to the ARK and modify it? Did he have someone else do it? How? The ARK was raided by GUN and shut down! And then they arrested him, held him in prison for an unclear period of time, and executed him by firing squad when he was no longer useful! It doesn't add up. Shadow 'the Hedgehog '05 would give its own answer by introducing the Black Arms and saying that the Eclipse Cannon was always supposed to be a secret trump card against the Black Comet. But, like... we know that's kind of a bullshit answer, right? You don't need enough power to blow up a whole planet just to destroy a comet.

Well, the new journal retains what we already knew, but it paints a much more complete picture.

See, long before Gerald ever made a Faustian bargain with Black Doom, he had already made one with an even greater evil: the military. GUN gave Gerald much of the funding for the ARK, Gerald's personal utopian research station in space, but it didn't take long for GUN to start pressuring him to design them weapons. Gerald tried to get GUN off his back by personally contacting the President of the United Federation, and the President gave him an alternative: how about, instead, you just use your genius brain to figure out the secret to immortality for us, so our soldiers can be immortal? Gerald was initially sickened by the notion and found it completely absurd, like chasing a shadow... but given no other option, the sarcastically named Project Shadow soon began in earnest. (Maria would later put a more positive spin on the name after Shadow's awakening, pointing out that a Shadow can show us the direction of the light, like she says in the game itself.)

Of course, this search for the ultimate life form didn't go very well, and without any results on that front GUN kept hounding him for weapons. Gerald would throw them a bone here and there to get them off his back. His research on Chaos resulted in the Artifical Chaos prototypes, which he worried would be used for warfare but could at least theoretically be used for search and rescue missions in floods, in his mind. But that wasn't enough. So he gave them Chaos Drives to power their mechs. And that still wasn't enough. He's got Emerl. He'll give them Emerl. They're not impressed by Emerl. They'll shut the whole ARK down if Gerald doesn't give them something big.

Fine! GUN wants something big? Gerald builds a huge fucking laser cannon into the ARK. However, as a middle finger to GUN, Gerald makes it so powerful that it would destroy the Earth if it was ever fired at any target on its surface. In other words, GUN now has their ultimate weapon of mass destruction, fulfilling his contract, but they can never actually use it. Oh, the delicious irony. (And also Shadow will blow up the Black Comet with it in 50 years yada yada yada.) Is this perhaps extremely shortsighted and naive of Gerald, to believe that such a weapon would never actually be used just because of the risk? Of course. But hey, that's Gerald for you. And I love this as an answer.

(Also, this, uh, kinda echoes something from real life! Remember the bit in Oppenheimer where he says all nuclear war will become unthinkable, and Edward Teller responds "until somebody builds a bigger bomb"? Yeah, Teller went on to conceptualize a superweapon codenamed Project Sundial that would have been able to kill all life on the planet, as the ultimate deterrent for war. This was never made for obvious reasons, but hey, there's a basis for this sort of thinking outside of heightened sci-fi! There's a whole Kurzgesagt video about this if you're interested.)

2) The Biolizard

The Biolizard is, of course, brought up as the initial failed prototype of the ultimate life form, from before Gerald met Black Doom. We don't really learn all that much about it that we didn't already know, but I just love the way it's framed in the story.

As you can see above, we actually get to see a picture of Maria holding up the cute little salamander that would end up mutating into the Biolizard through Gerald's experiments. (Researchers want to figure out how to replicate salamanders' regenerative abilities for humans in real life, too, so this was a natural starting point for the project.) And then, after it grows to a monstrous size and goes out of control, Gerald has to lock it away in an unused sector of the ARK. He needs to keep the poor thing alive for his research into harnessing Chaos Energy, building life support systems directly into it, but he doesn't have the heart to tell Maria what happened. So it just becomes this first dark secret weighing on his conscience. The Biolizard becomes Gerald's Tell-Tale Heart beating beneath the floorboards of the ARK. I love that.

3) Lost Impact was the breaking point for the ARK

Remember the level Lost Impact in Shadow '05? The flashback level on the hero path where Shadow is running around fighting Artificial Chaos enemies on the ARK 50 years ago? Yeah, that wasn't just a random incident. That was important, as we now know due to its placement on the timeline.

See, Emerl's rampage aboard the ARK that was chronicled in Sonic Battle and Dark Beginnings set off a domino effect. Emerl riled up the Artificial Chaos, causing Gerald to lose control of them. They became violent, and so Shadow had to stop them, as depicted in Lost Impact. The thing is, that incident sent an SOS signal to GUN telling them that shit was going down on the ARK. Gerald didsn't fully understand the trouble he was in and assumed that he'd simply be reprimanded by the higher ups, or maybe face legal action. But, well... the next time he heard from GUN, armed troopers were raiding the ARK.

So Lost Impact was the straw that broke the camel's back. I just really like that detail.

4) Maria

And, of course, there's Maria herself. Maria has often been more of a symbol than a character, this perfect embodiment of everything that's good and pure in this world who gets killed to motivate Shadow and Gerald's revenge plots. But I really like the wrinkles this journal adds to her and Gerald's story, and their relationship. This is the most fleshed out they've ever felt.

For one, the journal leans into the idea of Maria's intellectual potential. The rest of the Robotnik family is all geniuses, after all, and she was proving to be a really bright kid. She excelled in her studies on the ARK, and she even helped design Shadow's jet skates and inhibitor rings. When Maria died, the world didn't just lose a symbolic personification of purity. She genuinely could have been a hugely influential scientist who did so much good for the world. That's what Gerald wanted for her. But we'll never know, because GUN killed her.

Speaking of her family, their presence isn't just mentioned for the sake of fleshing out the Robotnik family tree. It's mentioned that as Gerald struggled to find a cure for Maria's illness through his genetic research, he faced mounting pressure from his family. They didn't want Maria to be up on the ARK forever. They wanted Gerald to hurry up and find a damn cure, or otherwise just send her back home to Earth so she could be with her family again. She'd been up on the ARK for so long that Gerald's coworkers started thinking that she had been born up there. Eventually she gains a baby sister on Earth who she's never met. A rift forms between Gerald's two sons, and he's unable to really deal with it because he's so consumed by his work. There's this sense that the family is falling apart, and that everyone is dreading the possibility that Gerald will never find a cure and that Maria will just spend her final years up in space and die far away from her family, because Gerald just couldn't let go. If that happens, it'll break the whole family. But he can't stop now. So he just keeps working. Curing Maria is the only way to win his family back, in his eyes. It can't all be for nothing.

But my favorite detail regarding Maria is this one paragraph:

Maria is growing into a lovely young woman. It breaks my heart that someone as bright and energetic as her is diminished by disease. There are no visible effects, and I've caught my fellow researchers muttering to each other, doubting her illness. It is infuriating. I find all my reason and restraint vanishes when she's slighted.

This is SUCH a great addition to the story! It's always been true that Maria doesn't really seem all that ill, just looking at her in cutscenes. With this one little comment, Ian flips that issue on its head and turns it into a story about invisible disability. She doesn't act like she's in chronic pain, so she must not be, everyone thinks. And this really, really gets to Gerald, as does the pressure from his family. He's dedicating his whole LIFE to saving her, and they think she's faking it?! It's such a small addition, never referenced elsewhere in the journal, but it adds so much flavor to the story, as does the implied family drama. It grounds Gerald and Maria and makes them feel more like real human beings, rather than being pure archetypes. It's just enough info to let my imagination run wild filling in the blanks.

You also get the feeling that Maria being such a walking ray of sunshine was the only real source of joy Gerald had left in his life before Shadow was awakened, and the only thing keeping him from snapping under pressure sooner. All this stuff just keeps piling on, everything's spiraling out of control, but at least Maria is keeping her chin up, right? It makes so much sense that losing her would make him go off the deep end when it's framed like this.

It's just... man, I never thought I'd care so much about Gerald and Maria. But that's the Ian Flynn touch. After years of less than stellar Sonic writing that seemed to be embarrassed of itself, I'm so happy to have new games coming out that fully embrace the history of the series like this, making its world feel so rich and real instead of just serving as an excuse for a string of platforming levels. I don't even like Shadow '05, but I'll be damned if Ian and the rest of Sonic Team didn't make something amazing by "yes, and"-ing Shadow's cringe past here. Sonic has truly reached levels of "we're so back" never thought possible.

[apollabarnes]

transfers are(n't) for kids

it was hard to stop a train once it got started. buck still wasn't sure he wanted to. 8x18 coda. canon compliant? pardon the terrible trix joke, it amused me.

"Han!" The bellow shook the station. "Get your scrawny ass down here right now."

Chimney put his coffee cup down slowly, dusting off his pants. "'Scuse me, everybody," he said calmly. "I heard my name."

Hen snorted into her drink. "Bakersfield heard your name," she said, abandoning the table and heading for the railing. "This should be good."

Buck hesitated for a beat longer than everyone else, only moving when Ravi knocked his hand against Buck's shoulder. He hovered a step behind Ravi, worried that if he got too close to the front the two of them would notice him and the argument would escalate.

"So," the enormous man on the apparatus floor said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You want to explain why, on the day my new transfer's supposed to be starting, I get a call from the Chief saying whoopsie?"

"I was short a guy, turns out. Buck agreed to cancel the transfer," Chim said easily, tipping his chin up and meeting the other man's stare.

Ravi turned to Buck, his eyebrows jumping up. "That's you," he mouthed, pointing at the showdown. Buck elbowed Ravi cautiously, grinning when he shoved back at him.

"Bullshit, Howie. We both know you're not good at keeping yourself on the sidelines. And I'm down two guys — or gals, Wilson — so you can get yourself to the back of the line."

"Today was supposed to be your last day?" Ravi whispered, not looking away from the floor.

Buck shrugged. When Chim had asked for, and gotten, the captaincy it just seemed easier to give him time to grow into the role without having to train someone new at the same time. Besides, if the station was just a number now, it wasn't like going somewhere else was going to mean he'd be somewhere more like Bobby's station. At least here he had Ravi to partner up with.

"Who's that?" Buck asked Ravi, leaning in close. He hadn't paid much attention, or asked too many questions, when he'd handed in his transfer paperwork. The Chief had told him he'd send the assignment along when it was figured out, but then Buck had pulled his name from consideration and… well, it hadn't mattered then.

"Deluca, 122. You really don't do the whole firehouse gossip thing, do you?" Ravi asked him, amused.

"I mean the fun stuff, sure. Rodriguez over at the 126 ended up going to a furry convention by 'accident'," Buck told Ravi, waggling his eyebrows.

"He used to work with Chimney and Hen back in the day," Ravi continued, making a face at him.

"Huh." Buck inched closer to the railing, peering over it. Deluca wasn't menacing Chim, exactly, but he did have enough height on him that there was some looming going on. He might even have a little height on Buck. "He looks… tall."

"Chim's compact," Hen said easily, knocking her arm against Buck's gently. "But he's scrappy. He's got this."

Deluca lowered his voice and kept going, gesticulating wildly at Chim's equally quiet response. Buck found himself wishing they were still bellowing. He couldn't help but feel a little invested in what appeared to be a fight over himself. He wasn't sure who he wanted to win.

"Do not make me arm wrestle—" Deluca's voice rose, amused, before dipping low again.

"Don't do it, Chim!" Hen hollered.

Sal and Chimney both glanced up at that, seemingly realizing that everyone on shift was paying rapt attention to what was going on. Buck was pretty sure the only thing that would break their concentration was the bell or a knock down drag out argument in the loft. He found himself glancing over at Eddie, sighing when he kept his eyes focused forwards.

"That doesn't seem very ride or die," Ravi said smugly, shuffling closer to Buck. He knocked their shoulders together and Buck grinned tiredly at him.

"Sal held the station record for almost a decade," Hen shot back. "It's very ride or die to make sure Chim doesn't embarrass himself."

Chimney stepped towards Sal, making him take a step back. Buck held his breath, looking between them as they kept talking, volleying back and forth. "Does this feel like a tennis game to anyone else?" Buck wondered quietly.

"Fine," Chim snapped his gum, irritated. "But only until your chicken pox epidemic clears up."

"Pleasure doing business," Sal drawled, draping an arm over Howie's shoulders. "Buckley, grab your gear. We're headed out." He looked up to the loft, finding Buck immediately. Buck blinked, taking half a step back before he stopped. Obviously he would have gotten Buck's file from the chief, it wasn't weird that he could pick Buck out of a crowd.

Hen squeezed Buck's hand, her mouth pursed in a frown. "Hang in there, Buck. He's not as cranky as he sounds. Promise."

"The rest of you, what are you, new? No one taught you how to eavesdrop stealthily? Come on, that's embarrassing."

The bell went off.

Sal gestured to Buck, loping up the loft stairs after everyone had cleared out. The silence hung between them, muffling the sound of the disappearing sirens. Sal caved first, taking a deep breath. Buck smirked, just a little.

"Who really cancelled the transfer?" Sal asked, eyeing him up and down.

Buck shrugged. It wasn't as if it mattered. He was here at the 118 with everyone else.

"Your brother-in-law got captain and asked you to stay, so you did. Noble, but," Sal headed into the kitchen, picking through one of the boxes of doughnuts that Ravi had brought in, grabbing one for himself. "Howie can handle himself. I, however, need someone to hold my hand," Sal continued, taking an enormous bite out of it. Buck stared at the smear of powdered sugar on his cheek.

"Uh, you have a little something just… yeah." Buck nodded, watching Sal grab a napkin. "This the kind of hand holding you're looking for?"

"Okay, not into metaphors. I didn't mean literally, but I had a guy leave and then three of my squad go down with the pox in rapid succession. So. Arm Wrestle Mania 25 commenced."

"You didn't arm wrestle Chim," Buck said, feeling off-kilter. He wasn't sure what Captain Sal Deluca, 122, wanted from him, but he was pretty sure he wasn't going to be able to make it happen.

"Hell no, I'd probably break his wrist and he's got a baby to hold. Nah, Wrestle Mania was with the other stations that needed staffing."

"Multiple stations arm wrestled. Over avoiding having to take me," Buck said flatly. "I'm honoured."

"Oh, you misunderstand. Everyone wanted you." Sal finished off his doughnut, looking back in the box. "What the hell." He took another. "You got a car here?"

Buck shook his head. "Yearly service. I got a ride."

"Perfect. Grab your shit, let's blow this pop stand."

Buck trailed him back down the stairs, emptying his locker out on autopilot. "Wait — multiple stations wanted me?"

"Yeah, but I'm bigger and scarier so I won." Sal looked over his shoulder, frowning at the expression on Buck's face. "You're surprised."

"The, uh, the lawsuit, I thought…" Buck shrugged. "Kind of a liability."

"Once in nine years? Hell, Buckley, if you were gonna be a pest about it, there'd be more than one. Personally, I would have sued a few times — the hell was that heist accusation about? Or the lightning? Or hey, leaving your captain to rot at the bottom of the ocean because there wasn't enough proof they were out there." That last one came with air quotes and startled a laugh out of Buck.

"It wasn't a nuisance lawsuit, and honestly, a bunch of us tore a strip off the union for not taking care of it before it got that far," Sal continued, opening the trunk of the captain's truck. "In here. You've got one of the best records from both trips through the academy, you've pulled off some crazy ass rescues, and you're basically fearless. Seeing your name on the transfer list had me racing Mehta to the Chief's office."

"Oh. Uh. Thanks, I guess?" Buck said, trailing behind him. He dumped his bags, sliding into the passenger seat when Sal went for the driver's.

"Yeah, no problem. Like I said, not a hardship." Sal waited until Buck was settled before flipping his phone into Buck's lap. "Can you type a reply to that? We public servants should be safe drivers, and all," he added, winking at Buck.

"Sure, uh — the contact name is a donkey emoji?" Buck squinted at the phone. "Are you sure you want to give me your lock code five minutes after we met?"

"There isn't one; I do this a lot. Just open and start typing what I say. The donkey is because he's being a jackass. He can get his contact information back when he gets his head screwed on straight — I do want you typing that, Buckley."

"Oh, right, got it." Buck quirked an eyebrow, typing quickly.

"Had to steal my new transfer back, on the road, Gina says you need to come for dinner soon, uh," Sal tapped his fingers against the wheel, coming to a stop at the red light. "What was his question, again?"

"If you wanted to go to the game tomorrow? What game?"

Sal looked sideways at him. "Angels. Jackass and I split a couple seats with a group, but since we organized it we get to dibs the good games. Not that there are many, because they're the fucking Angels. But it's that or the National League and fuck that," He paused. "What do you prefer, by the way? Buckley? Buck? It's Evan, yeah?"

Buck shrugged. Maybe it was time to try out a new one. New house, new name, new… attitude? Maybe. Bobby had thought his attitude was good, it was just everyone else that seemed to have a problem with it these days. "Really not picky. I'll answer to anything."

"Okay, we'll let Ferb at ya when we get there. Not his actual name, he just likes the cartoon. —Can't make the game, covering for B shift, fucking pox, Stella is in her sports phase again — that's my kid, jackass is her godfather, or would be if either of us were into that kind of crap — if he wants to take her for some quality bonding time."

"He's asking who the transfer is."

Sal snorted. "You can probably answer that one without my help."

Buck cracked a grin at that, typing out his name and station. The response came back immediately and Buck frowned down at the phone. "He says sure and he's gotta go."

"Yeah, he hates when I dictate to someone else." Sal shrugged. "Dickhead. It's not like I'm sharing private information out loud."

"Well, so far I know that he's a jackass and he's your daughter's uncle, so. How private does he think that information is?"

"Sometimes I think he hates it when folks know his last name," Sal cackled. He pulled into the station parking lit, popping the trunk. "We can get you set up at Jonesy's locker for now — he's the one that left." He paused. "They're gonna be loud."

Sal hopped out of the truck and hoisted both of Buck's bags over his shoulder before Buck could get out of his seat. He waved Buck off when he tried to take one. "I got this, relax kid. Buckle up."

They walked into whoops and cheers from the loft, the entire shift hanging over the railing. One of the younger firefighters climbed onto the bottom rung of the railing and leaned forward, warbling "All hail the conquering hero!" as they passed the back of the engine. He got yanked back before he could fall by a guy Buck's age, laughing.

"All right, all right, shut up," Sal called, pointing up at the loft. "This is Buckley, nickname to be determined. I had to arm wrestle my way to the front of the line for him, unlike you jokers, so if anyone scares him off…" Sal trailed off threateningly.

"You like hash brown casserole?"

"I've got a fifty-point nickname survey!"

"Ferb, Sal just said don't scare him away!"

"Nerds," Sal said to Buck, his voice fond. "Give him a minute to get settled! Then you can all start asking him about himself. We've got a month, so pace yourselves."

[mainblogonly]

timeskip!sakusa x f!reader, fluff, slightly suggestive (morning after) but nothing specific/explicit at all

sakusa kiyoomi, msby's #15 and now olympian, cannot believe his fall from grace. the olympics ended just a few days ago, they threw a huge celebration last night (which he honestly really enjoyed), and by some twist of fate—he's here.

he paces around the living room of his hotel suite for half an hour before finally deciding what he needs to do. he never thought he would resort to this, but he figures that desperate times call for desperate measures.

to his surprise, miya atsumu answers the facetime call after just a few rings.

"omiomi!" atsumu greets, "you seemed to have a lot of fun last—"

"i'm about to ask for your advice and if you speak a word of this to anyone, i will end you." kiyoomi says sternly.

"woah, woah, relax man," atsumu says, putting his free hand up in surrender, "what's up?"

no backing out now, kiyoomi thinks.

"so... the party last night..."

"the party, indeed," atsumu smirks, "is this about a certain someone i saw you leave with last night?"

"yes, we slept together." kiyoomi says as calmly as possible, hoping to manage his friend's reaction (even though kiyoomi himself is freaking out internally).

"let's go!" atsumu fist pumps, "hell yeah, man, congratulations! it's about time! you've been crushing on her for forever; i was so close to just locking you two in a room myself—"

"that's not the point," kiyoomi groans.

don't get him wrong, it was definitely the best night of his life, but how does he explain to atsumu that he didn't want things to go like this? he had a whole timeline in his head—take you out on a few dates, kiss you in front of your apartment door, get you flowers and treats from your favorite bakery, go on a couple more dates, and then get into bed together (maybe on the same day that he properly asks you to be his girlfriend). he didn't want things to start with a drunken hookup.

"kiyoomi, hey, you still there?" atsumu says a lot gentler this time, seeing the worry on his friend's usually stoic face.

"i don't want a one-night stand, but i have no idea what she wants. and i'm... scared that that's what she wants."

atsumu has never heard kiyoomi admit his worries like this, not even when they were first recruited for the olympics and the excitement started transforming into nervousness. he knew that you mattered a lot to kiyoomi, and this just solidifies that.

"i mean, it doesn't have to be a one-night stand. you can just talk when she wakes up."

"that's true, but i—" kiyoomi hesitates. going to atsumu for advice was embarrassing enough, but admitting this next part is even worse. he's finally got the blonde to a more serious spot, and he knows his next admission will just bring back the teasing.

"hey, you're kind of starting to scare me," atsumu sighs, "please just spit it out."

kiyoomi says nothing. instead, he braces himself for what's to come.

kiyoomi turns the phone camera and atsumu sees to the hotel's dining room table overflowing with every single breakfast item on the room service menu. in addition to all that, there are even desserts and several cups of juice and coffee.

there's a beat of silence.

and then suddenly, atsumu is practically dying of laughter, "what the fuck, omiomi? what did you do?"

kiyoomi faces the phone back to him, his face a lot redder than a few minutes ago, "i panicked, okay? i figured—you don't have breakfast with your hookups, right?"

"this is breakfast for at least 10 people!"

"i wanted to make sure i got something she liked!"

"don't you already know what she likes?"

"well, i was worried she might be in the mood for something else!" he groans, rubbing his hand across his face. he moves the phone a bit so atsumu can't see how much he's stressing about this.

"she's going to think it's stupid. i just like her so much and i panicked and i just hope she had a good time last night and i feel like she won't take me seriously with this fucking spread but it's not like i can get rid of it and i have no idea if she'll even want to go out with me now and i—"

"just ask her," atsumu says.

"miya, she's asleep and—"

"did you have a good time last night?" atsumu practically shouts, somehow looking past kiyoomi through the phone screen.

"what—"

"a great time, actually," you say.

kiyoomi turns, seeing you leaning against the bedroom door behind him.

"but, i don't kiss and tell, so you should go back to bed," you make your way to kiyoomi, gently placing a hand on his arm, "'cause it looks like this guy and i have a lot to talk about."

atsumu gives a quick goodbye, winking at kiyoomi before hanging up. kiyoomi sets his phone down and turns to completely face you. your hair's still a little messy, you're wearing his shirt—oh wow, you look good in his shirt—and kiyoomi nearly forgets the situation he's in. before he can begin explaining himself, you speak up.

"yes, i've been up for a while. yes, i heard most of that conversation—i think atsumu forgets how loud he is—and," you move closer, wrapping your arms around his neck while his hands find your waist, "yes, i would love to go out with you."

when your words finally register, he feels a stupid grin spread across his face.

"yeah?"

"yeah," you smile up at him, "it's not every day that i get to wake up to a breakfast buffet."

you laugh at the way his cheeks turn pink before he buries his face in the crook of your neck, "did i at least get something you like?"

"well, i like you."

"not what i meant... but i like you, too." he says softly.

"so i've heard," you gently nudge him back so you can look at his face properly, "i believe you like me so much?" you grin.

he groans, "you're never going to let me forget this, huh?"