#I just love nerd/hunk ships

[hatsbuckets]

AHDJFNDICNFN

MY MALE FRIENDS FROM HIGH SCHOOL AND I JUST HAD A THREE HOUR LONG DISCUSSION THAT STARTED WITH ME EXPLAINING THAT...

These boys have read little to no fanfic, if they have read it, it was for the porn...

We started on me opening up (chaotically) about writing about cod characters and loving like NikPrice as a ship.

And then it was important that I explained the history of Star Trek, fandoms, Spock x Kirk, and omegaverse. And how like sometimes people make big scary, 30 lines or whatever '09 Ghost a fucking Omega down bad for Cap (who my friends were like :O well he-- he's too badass and scary what. And i said hold up hold up like, it's about the fun.)

Then jump to how Steve x Tony is a pretty big marvel ship. (THIS BLEW THEIR MINDS)

They were like "Steve Rodgers??? Born in the 1920s?? Him being gay doesn't make sense.

I said: "Steve Rodgers??? Army soldier surrounded by military men all the time who's only friend was Bucky "hunk and flirt" Barnes??? it's not about if he's canonically gay. He's a fictional character, we can do what we want to him. It's about taking a character and putting him in a situation and seeing what he would do. For example, Steve discovering, in the modern world where being gay is more widely accepted and he's not only focused on WAR, that oh... Maybe this man is kinda... Attractive to him.

Or just for shits and gigs, let's suspend our disbelief, and forget how we got here and just let it happen. A "What If" scenario if you will."

THEN we moved on to Magneto and how like Magneto doesn't happen unless he experiences all of the horrors he did. And I said well, imagine if he didn't. Maybe his mother lived and all is fine. Let's pretend, because we're already pretending.

One made a great point that it's a disservices to characters and long standing stories (like Star Wars) to do things like "somehow Palatine returned."

And I agree ! And then we discussed trust between readers and storytellers. And how there is a relationship between them. And whether it's about crafting a beloved story, writing for funzies and wanting to share, or just making money, there is a relationship.

And we had more conversation about, for example, the What If episode of Nebula joining the Nova Corps and he was like "it's not even Nebula anymore it's just like a complete different character. It was a waste of time."

And I said, "maybe it's more that her personality will take different turns, but just like Magneto we said well just what if. And yes, she might change some, but pieces of her core character are still there and that's what matters."

And then we talked about book to movie adaptations and movie to movie adaptations (like Snow White or HTTYD) and more on that relationship stuff side.

It was such a fun conversation and I just got to be a nerd and I think I may have convinced them all that fanfic is good because creativity and fun. (Also, those boys need to read some good, soft porn with plot just so they can learn how to really treat a woman. (Instead of the straight up porn ik they watch)

Anyway, good night, I hope you all can have a silly little ramble like me with friends.

[sable-skies]

QUICK -while that Anon is incapacitated from being hit with TWO Voltron mentions- TALK EVEN MORE ABOUT VOLTRON!

Your biggest issues with the show! Wasted potential! And of course the biggest piece of Drama; SHIPS?!?!??

We will never get proper closure. We all share Voltron trauma ✌️😔

the people yearn for a five hour video essay talking about why voltron sucks. (I've literally wanted to make one for Years about it but alas, life happens)

i cant do that yet because of my schedule, but I will give you a snippet on some of my thoughts

Forgive me, for I am about to yap like I'm a fucking professor in the subject, got my master's years ago and all it did was give me fandom trauma (/lh, but there's a reason why I don't join fandom discords anymore or anything like that!) so strap in my brother (gender neutral)

I WILL ADDRESS THIS FIRST: Ships. I actually never shipped anything in VLD! No offense to Klance, but I never really got the appeal? And obviously there's that Other Super Popular one that I'm not gonna name because it's fans are gonna kill me, but I didn't like that one either.

For Klance; I think I never got it because I just. never considered them love interests? Like I would see people losing their minds over it and my (at the time, unknown) aroace ass would just slow blink at them like "yeah man i guess. what?". Could it have been good? Maybe, but it was never the horse I backed personally. I will say, some of the content that came from that ship was absolutely phenomenal though, never doubt what yaoi-obsessed teenagers can do.

I won't say much more on the fandom tbh, but trust me I saw some shit. This blog wasn't around back then but I witnessed some things. Remember the socks? I do.

Moving onto the actual show itself, I actually rewatched at least the first season (and half of the second) because a few friends and I were talking about it again and I wanted to try and get some notes for that video essay I'm totally going to do, and I realized that from the get-go the show was absolutely fucked worldbuilding wise.

I'm a big worldbuilding nerd, I never share my various insane projects but I literally make a new google document every week with ideas for various stories I would love to tell. Worldbuilding is such an essential part to telling a good story and having a believable world, and upon rewatching at least season 1, there's some loose foundation set but then completely butchered by season 3.

I will be honest, people always say that season 4 was the worst, and I will agree it did suck, but in my opinion season 3 was the worst for me. I absolutely hated that they started to switch lions, which I understand is a reference to the original 80s show, but it completely disregarded one of the lines in the FIRST EPISODE about how a bond between a lion and it's pilot is scared, cannot be forced, and is a rare thing. only for that to get thrown out the window. AUGH.

I'm a firm black paladin allura believer personally, I think that would have been so much fun seeing her step into the leadership role she pretty much had from the start alongside Shiro! (Never shipped them for anyone worried, they're just really good friends)

Speaking of friends; I don't think the show really established the team's overall bond well enough. Looking back, there's nothing in the show that promises found family friendships and all that, but the showrunners said that would be the case, and I think they were the biggest reason the show failed. (more on that later)

Sin Squad once said in one of their videos that everyone on the team felt more like co-workers and honestly? I still agree on that sentiment. I can believe that Pidge and Hunk are friends, I can believe that Keith and Shiro have a familial bond, I can believe that Hunk and Lance are friends. But Keith and Pidge? Hunk and Shiro? Hunk and Allura? There are so many potential really good friendships that are completely ignored in favor of other established bonds, and I think it makes the whole "we gotta work as a team!" message a lot weaker because of it. They're all co-workers at best, "strangers forced to be friends under the worst circumstances" at worst (shout out to keith for that line, he was actually spitting)

Additionally, and this is just because I'm still a big Keith head at heart (when I was 15 I wanted to go by that name because I was so attached to him. its funny looking back), I really dislike how they treated his character? In season 1 he didn't get much development, but we got the hints of him being half-galra, and I loved that! Season 2 really built on him and S2 E8 "Blades of Mamora" is still my favorite episode. I love that one with my whole fucking heart. Oh my god.

But then season 3 hit, forced him into a leader positions I don't think he ever grew into, and then his. mom. came back. Don't get me wrong, I love Krolia (big fan of women), but all of Keith's angst being cured by spending a few space whale years with his mom continues to completely disregard the bonds he made with his team. And Keith isn't the only one who suffers from this, everyone does.

I understand family is an important bond (despite the fact that I keep many of my personal family members at arms length, for reasons) but every character only got a "complete" arc or ending when they were reunited with their blood family, not the "found family" that the showrunners promised. Pidge's only arc was finding her family, sure there was the stuff about nature and coding being similar but that was for a single episode. Hunk only got development again post season 1 when it was about his family being enslaved. Lance only ever wanted to see his family again, and then he never got an arc past that except for his dead space girlfriend. Shiro never even got an explanation for his family past his totally-boyfriend Adam.

SPEAKING OF ADAM

I will say that I disagree with the fandom's opinion that the entire show queerbaited with Klance. I think you had to have Klance-sized glasses on to see that. The show truly did queerbait with Adam though, with promoting and hyping him up for season 7, only for him to barely get a minute of screen time. Actually such a waste of time, and such a waste of an interesting character. Voltron writers and showrunners when i GET YOU.

A final note I'll make because I'll never stop writing otherwise: there was some discussion about whether or not the show's failure was the writers, showrunners, or executives fault. I personally think it was the showrunners who were at fault here. She-Ra came out the same year VLD ended, and it soared in terms of worldbuilding, storytelling, and queer representation.

For She-Ra to come out around 2018, I imagine these shows started development around the same time (Did you ever realize VLD only had a 2 year run time? 75 episodes in 2 years? I did and it made me upset.) They were probably working with same executives, under the same people, same deadlines, etc. She-Ra succeeded (i think), and VLD fell apart and crashed at the end. Hell, in the final year it was airing they were STILL in the storyboard process. I think the showrunner's either majorly mishandled the production of this show, or they were given shit terms and didn't do anything to make something of it. Either way, Lauren Montgomery and Joaqium Dos Santos I will remember your names forever because of it

(On a serious note, I don't actually dislike or hate them. I'm just disappointed in what happened is all)

Anyways that barely like. scratches the surface of many more issues I have with the show, but those are some of the major problems I saw in it!

And for some more positive notes: I love the ost of the episode where Allura's AI-father dies, it still sticks with me even now. (i ugly sobbed at that episode I'm sensitive to parental death), and Keith is still my beloved meow meow, I love him so much I miss him. Steven Yuen the GOAT. I also loved the concept of these bio-mechanical lions, they could've gone a bit more cosmic horror eldritch with them, but it's still good regardless.

shoutout btw to my friends who sat in call with me as I typed this like a madman.

[macchiatosdumptruck]

i started watching my adventures with superman and like. i love it, but also the silverusso parallels are off the charts?????????

It really is an excellent show!

And while the two ships are very different in canon, the au possibilities are so good. And like, just imagine Daniel tugging Terry around like this.

Also the size difference?

A tiny, tan, spunky brunette and the black haired blue eyes hunk they pretend to not totally be in love with. (Or at least for me, I grew up with Margot Kidder Lois, and superman the animated series Lois, who both played a bit more hard to get) (it does make sense though given the change in the timeline for their characters.)

But just imagine who terry could've been if he hadn't gone through Vietnam and his weird gay thing with Kreese and his shitty dad? What if he had stayed that sweet kid he was when he was Twig?

It's also fun to think about Tig's own personal backstory and how it matches up with certain versions of Clark's backstory.

According to Tig he was all awkward and pudgy until he shot up overnight and got tall and skinny and awkward and then filled out into the piece of beef cake he is today.

Or like, how Clark was a mathlete and Tig was a drama nerd and played accordion.

It just fits! I do have a few scant ideas for cute little drabbles of them but I haven't gotten around to it.

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

Let's Rewind! Toast watches Voltron: Defender of The Universe (1984)

Season 1, Episode 12: Bad Birthday Party

Turns out watching cartoons for hours on end that adds to your isolation isn't good for your mental health, I'm back now though, so hopefully I can get through two episodes today

Oh a legitimate slavery episode, and it's about Zarkon's birthday I think I remember this episode a bit just from the characters I'm seeing

Apparently the prince of the planet is related to Zarkon, I guess that makes sense with Lotor also not looking anything like his dad minus the skin tone There's also a Zarkon statue which I thought was a watch tower but alright, his narcissism knows no bounds

Did they stop trying to make the doomite soldiers into robots for censorship, this one dude feels too much like a person with how he's trying to hog the credit for being a slave driver

Oh smart kid, I didn't catch his name, but he stole a ship from a nearby landing strip while the guards were busy preparing for Zarkon's visit I wonder how they know about Voltron through, maybe one of the guards was careless and told them about him

He crashed in the castle moat, still alive somehow but good for him, he made it The team found his ass floating in the water, again I'm not sure how he got out, but yea ok I'll accept that

Once again are these soldiers robots or people because this guy is acting too smart for his characterization because he's blackmailing the prince so Zarkon doesn't find out they fucked up

Too late, Zarkon already knows lol

Lance knows cultures from other planets apparently, he was spot on from where the kid was from

I think Jai is his name? Anyway the team is debating on helping him because Arus would be defenseless, but Jai limped to the control room to yell at the team for having to even think about it Which worked because now they're on their way lol

Why did Lance suddenly try to punch Keith LMAO, maybe I'll see that reused in a later episode because I swear it happened under different circumstances

Did they try a new preamble for forming Voltron, that did not sound good at all It's nice to see that they form the big guy before any robeast though, they're getting smarter lol

"[the meteor shower] is just another rock concert" Keith you nerd

I'm sorry they BURIED 100 slaves into the sand only to let some soldiers take a wack at their heads with SWORDS?? That's fucked up

The first thing the team does is break the giant statue of Zarkon, good for them

Oooh double robeasts today, their name is Twin Devil Robeasts Beyel and Zebub I laughed when I saw the name, I'm a sucker for puns lol

I forget that both the blue and yellow lions can still move around and use their jaws as support when fighting as Voltron Allura and Hunk just fucking bit the robeasts to throw them off their rhythm

The fight was fun this time around, they tagged teamed the fuck out of Voltron but were eventually taken down together from above lol

Nimon (the planet) is free now but iirc we'll see them again later, also this episode gives me more fodder to throw at Coran when we get to the episode I both hate and love the most

The closing statement from Keith makes me MAD, you'll know why but hhh

[cringearenachamp]

-steve's my favorite of course. beautiful neurotic little freak of a man that can never pass as anything else as well as he thinks he can (because he's always trying too hard). thinks too much, seemed pretty aware of his own faults and what he'd consider weaknesses or flaws but also extremely defensive about them (lmao), and was a pathological perfectionist. can be SUUUUUUCH a queen, for better and for worse. but also cared so deeply about things and certain people, seemed to have an inherent suspicion of certain kinds of authority, and had incredible instincts around how fucked up herbie's whole deal was. tried so hard to fit in but had a part of him that knew it was wrong that he was eventually forced to listen to. he's a land of contrasts! and a tragic idiot dum dum <3

-i don't think i hate anyone that ppl like, as far as i know?

-i also didn't like neal at first and wasn't interested in him at all. just gave off too many bro vibes and i know how shitty straight frat bro types can be. now i know he's still a stunted dumbass but i also know some of the tragedy around him being a stunted dumbass. also he WAS a hunk. if i go 'no thoughts head empty pure testosterone' mode i extremely see the vision

-would like to know more about: steve and the crew! he really seemed to care about them and care about their labor being recognized and compensated fairly. at times during an '83 documentary about the road crew he seemed to like hanging out with them more than he liked hanging out with the band :V and i also heard a story of him making dinner for the entire crew during the RoR tour at some point.

-least favorite guy: herbie. controlling authoritarian micromanaging boss that wasn't above blackmail and other types of threats to keep everyone in line. jon is second place lol but there's something tragic about his whole deal, too: he and steve had some similar questions about their lives and they just seemed to choose the dead opposite answer for each of them.

-similar personality: ...mostly Steve. Which i know is a problem lmfao. But yeah i also don't trust easily and thus don't let people in easily, I can be neurotic and overly worried about how I'm perceived, I can be caught between fawn fight and flight, I can care so deeply about things that I end up massively burning out because of it in the end, I LOVE being right, and i can also be a petty little queen sometimes 💅. ...I have some of Jon's awkward nerd book-smart Good Student shit too though.

-fave ship: Steve x Inner Peace. or Steve x A big sweet old hairy bear of a man, which to me would be the same thing as inner peace.

-least fave ship: steve/sherrie only because it was clear that they were extremely bad for each other

-would befriend irl: none of them probably lmao

-would NEVER befriend: jon. dude i was raised by a bookish devout right-wing catholic, ive had enough of that shit for a lifetime

-would fuck: yeah steve and neal could spitroast me, sure. i mean what. gregg could get it too, especially once he shaved the mustache off (not that im anti-mustache, but)

-would marry: none~

We need to play this with our guys 🤔🤔

I'm gonna post my answers soon

[drowninginblox]

Rewatching Voltron

Season 1

Season 2

— ~~~ —- _ — ~ }=>

Wanted to say this at the top: All of this is for fun. I haven’t seen voltron in a hot minute so I’d thought I’d go through and see if it was just as bad as we remembered. Below is my highlights and grevences, along with a few Head Canons! So stay if you want. If you don’t, I don’t care! This is just a me thing ^-^

Transition between season 1 and 2

Seamless!

So satisfying on rewatch but must’ve been a bitch on release (OGs I will never know your pain lol)

Honestly wouldn't do anything to change the start of the second season.

The evolution of the paladins language

Idk if I said it already- but I love how the paladins are using Altean vocabulary. V good detail. Hope this stays consistent

Ships: Yes we’re doing this again but Klance won’t be the biggest issue

There’s a lot of Aullura and Shiro moments in the beginning that would’ve been a great foundation for something more if it wasn’t for the fact that (spoilers) Shiro is gay. The vibes they have are very knight or mercenary x princess and I’m a sucker for that shit.

Allureith is born in this season. And all I can read from this is good intentions but no thought. Both in execution and in the actual relationship. At least right now, I may change my mind the further I go.

Allurance. To me. Is the most infuriating thing this show has to offer. Every time I see Lance take a shot on Allura, and I see her discomfort I always say something along the lines of “Can you shut the fuck up-!” Or “Can you actually stOP!” While pausing for a good moment to regain myself. Just- god. Why? She is nO T into you dude. If anything this would be wonderful character development for both characters. I can see a full ep dedicated to this issue of Lance not knowing when someone isn't interested unless they actually say it to their face while Allura is in this denial that one day lance would get the hint. And from this experience, lance either fucks off for the next few episodes or starts from scratch with Allura with the understanding that friendship should always come first. If she is comfortable with that ofc.

Klance as a whole is screaming enemies far more than rivals right now. If klance is gonna work regardless of being a bromance or romance, there should be an understanding shining through. However, with both parties actually fighting in the middle of battles, and little to no willingness to talk, Iis becoming harder and harder to see why this was the biggest ship the fandom had to offer (then again 2016 was a fandom fever dream to begin with soooo)

Platonic relationships

Give me more Coran. He needs friends. I’m volunteering literally any of the palidins. And ofc we need more of the daughter Allura dynamic since we DONT HAVE ANYY. This man is such a theater kid and we are blessed with his existence.

Keith needs more time with Hunk and Pidge! For the love of god I CANNOT see them as more then trauma bonding buddies. I already have a list of things the B team (thats what I call Hunk and Pidge together because they are the Best Team) can bond over with Keith

Tech- (for both) this is built on the fact that Keith litterally had that cork board set up in the first eps to find Shiro. (Sorry Sheith shippers. I read these two as brothers only.) I like to think that Pidge and Hunk would ask Keith for help with techy stuff almost in the same vein as Lance. The only difference being Keith knows slightly more than Lance dose.

Sports- This one is mainly for Hunk but this can bleed into Lance too. Even though he's a big nerd I like to think his family is big on Foot and Fútball. I think Keith is the same but he loves baseball far more (same with Lance). Almost like I'm projecting my I Dont Dance Au onto these two hahahahaha-

Family/ lack there of - this can go for everyone. The best way to start this convo would be at dinner in the castle. Everyone is having a very quiet time until Hunk asks "Guys, what were your family's like?" This would result in a beat of quiet as for the first time in a bit, everyone really thinks about earth. Not for a passing moment or anything. Like- seriously. Allura or Coran would encurage this, saying that they dont really now alot about the palidin's home planet. From there it would a hodge podge of stories and background. I have a few HCs bout this including Shiro not really having a family and going into the airforce for financial and emotional support only to end up on the Curburos mission to.. escape life *cough cough* Adam *cough*, Pidge would talk about their mom's cooking and how their brother helped them with homework to the point where it got annoying. Hunk would say his mom's cooking is far superrior and then talk about his dad and siblings. I want to make his dad a retired wrestler, now mechanic. Lance would take offense to Hunk's claim this his mom could cout cook his mom. But he would talk alot about how his siblings were always there for him after their dad left (YES I WANT DADDY ISSUES LEAVE ME ALONE) Allura would remark throughout these stories with questions of her own. We'd eventually end with Keith, who almost leave the table at the pressure to remark on his own upbringing. This. This would be interesting.

But ima leave it there lol

The tracking plot point and rant about season 2 ep 6

Before this ep we got sprinkles of shiro/black lion tracking- wich is great. Love that shit. I have a problem with how we figure that out tho

“Zarkon must’ve imprinted one me durring our last fight.”- Keith. My man. Explain to me wtf you mean.

Fr tho. Just because you’re half Galra dosent mean that’s how it works bro. Ik we’re not fully sure at this point but- cmon.

“It’s me.” Allura. Hunny. H o w? Why even?

Why would two people who think they’re being tracked- GO TOGETHER??? Why would you even leave in the first place?! Shirio is right. Splitting up makes y’all vulnerable! Voltron can’t be formed without Keith! Why would y’all do that?? If anything why not leave in separate pods and just so happen to crash onto the same planet the paladins are on! I’m sorry I just hate the beginning of “The Arc of Taujeer” while Keith and Allura are away there is an actual humanitarian crisis. I know it’s important but damn to the tracking idea but G O D

Allura and Keith should be shunned and punished for the stunt they pulled in this ep fr. Info learned be damned

Mall episode

God bless the mall episode. An icon. Truly. All hail. All hail!!

The Blade of Malora/ Keith’s heritage + the racism

Let’s get the great out of the way: The Blade themselves- Their introduction is great. That goes without saying.

Keiths trials- M W A H the character assessment I could make is TOO LONG ON G O D

but the actual workings of the BoM is so calculated and cold. It’s honestly so refreshing in a way I don’t know how to explain

I just love untrusting rebels because that’s the reality of rebellion. You don’t know who is for the cause and who is a gov plant

I personally want Keith’s Galra heritage more known physically. Both on him and in his upbringing. I want splotches of purple across his body that no doctor can explain (all of wich can be hidden with a change of clothes) and barely noticeable physical abnormalities (ie: longer and sharper nails, maybe purple tinted hai “I dye it…”, strange “scars” that are actually birth marks that stand out. But he passes as human. Through these excuses.

I also want flashbacks to his dad trying to pass on everything he knows about his mother’s culture. (The knife and stories)

Now- I wanna talk about the bad. Y’all know it, y’all seen it- the racism

Now- Allura, sure. She has a reason to hate the Gullra. They killed her people. That is valid and I think that the truama combined with the truth that she’s working with “the enemy” is a great conflict and is honestly wonderful character growth.

HUNK ON THE OTHER HAND- w t f. This is so out of character. Hunk is literally the heart of the group and almost as smart as Pidge. I think he would know better than anyone else that litterally nothing has changed about Keith. Hell- maybe Shiro would know that struggle of people seeing him differently better than anyone else because IDK HES GAY (unless I change that. Personally I saw Shiro straight but… audience interaction? Lol I’ll put a poll on the final season if I remember) TLDR- As Keith said: “I didn’t just turn Gullra!”

Finale (season 2, episode 12 + 13)

Aullara getting over her biases and apologizing to Keith is perfect

Shirio and Keith’s chemistry is amazing as well both in and out of combat

The spy. An icon.

The amount of tension around this plan not failing is delicious. Yummy yummy- give me more!

Emperor whomever the fuck’s obsession w/ voltron carrying over to battle

Hagar being the voice of reason aGAIN. Queen shit fr.

When I first watched this I thought the paladins died ngl. Then when I rewatched I thought Allura died. Voltron out here with the drama fr

Zarkon meka action figures. When?

ALLURA DOING SHIT- F I N A L Y (Tangent will be later I promise)

HELL YEA WINGS!!! The fursona is complete

“Shit she got tats too!” Only to be met with Deisex Machina because Allura is the main character apparently

Hands to the side of voltrons face. That scene. Fucking slapped.

EVERYONE RUNNING TO DAD ONLY TO SEE HES GONE TO GET MILK- W H Y????

oh also lotor revel lol

Smaller things

The spies for the rebelion

I’m such a fake fan I don’t remember their names, but both of them left a big impact on me with their sacrifices

The guy who died in the cluster field, was a real one. Making the big bad of the episode implode on itself with him at the center- dude

Also, the guy closer to the finale who was almost caught multiple times. What a fucking trooper.

Underwent torture and still didn’t reveal the plans

Both of these dudes need art made for them! Like- I swear to God they did so much for these fuckers and we don’t hear about them, their back stories, or their families ever. When I rewrite this, I want to include pieces of what these people are sacrificing, and who they are fighting for either before, during or after they sacrifice themselves for the revolution.

TLDR; 🫡 Real ones

Zarkon’s black lion obsession bleeding into his character

I like how hyper-focused the big bad is about controlling the black lion.

He’s kind of right in his thinking that by controlling the lion, he’s won. He’s right. But from this thought process he’s reckless and too assured in himself.

It’s a self fulfilling prophecy given layers with the later seasons

Slav

I-

Icon?

Let lance be the sharp shooter

I want more sniper man!!

I want more chuckles instead of groans

Overall- The show is still good!

This was a fun watch! Was there things I’d change? Ofc! But this season holds up just as, if not better than, the last! From what I remember everyone agrees that seasons 1-3 or 4 is the good shit and then everything goes downhill. Hopefully I’m proven wrong but I highly doubt that.

Scroll bat to the top if y’all wanna see my thoughts on Voltron season 1, thank you for reading my rambles, and, most importantly, FOLD YOUR FUCKING LAUNDRY! You’ve put it off all day-! DO IT!

[unfo11owmeplz]

Sh/ulk is slowly taking over my love for I/ke. Oh no.

[thekatebridgerton]

Your so right about Pilose shippers being chill though. I’m just in my bubble liking my own ships I’m not that bothered by people who find Philip unlivable to each their own. Question has it been confirmed that Theo will be in s3 I only ask because I don’t follow that sort of stuff and I saw you talk about it. Thanks!!!

Hi anon

Calam Lynch has expressed a desire to return to the show but so far hasn't been confirmed as coming back.

You know I have this theory about philoise shippers and it's that we are all people who experienced or saw at one point in life what a funtional family looks like and right then decided that no family was completely irredeemable if you had the right tools to fix that mess.

I mean it's just a theory and I've never outright asked any of you. But given the fact that Philoise shippers are 1) not deathly afraid of children 2) usually advocates for mental health causes and 3) the most chill and relaxed people in this fandom. The theory runs deep

For us, Phillip is bae, and Eloise is too. And we love them together. They're just so good and honestly who cares if the we're not more numerous. This ship sails in calm waters anyway.

I look forward to Phillip's makeover because right now of you see Chris Fultons most recent pics. He looks like a soccer dad 😅 and it's hilarious that he can go from that to dirty hotter than fire Rience in the blink of an eye.

He's the perfect example of how the nerd to hunk transformation happens with a moment notice.

In fact I'd love to see an au where Phillip was introduced in highschool as a skinny plant nerd and Eloise was the popular class president. And then they meet again years later as adults and he's beefy hot CEO of a environmental protection company he founded himself and journalist Eloise is left going 'wow' at the transformation.

Okay this got away from me but yeah that's the tea

[whentheynameyoujoy]

So the ATLA Movie Is... Good, Actually?

Just kidding, of course it’s not, it’s so bad it sucked the paint off my walls. But after ten years of people pointing out its glaring flaws, why would anyone bother talking about this garbage heap if not to go the other direction? So here’s a very brief and very superficial list of things the movie does get kinda... not atrociously wrong.

And they won’t be fake hipster pokes, like “It’s fun to laugh at”, “The Rifftrax for this is OK”, or “Kudos to the actress for managing to say we believe in our beliefs as much as they believe in theirs with a straight face”.

(though now that I mentioned it, it is fun to laugh at, the Rifftrax for this is OK, and massive props indeed.)

Rasta Iroh

Yes, I know it’s not exactly the aesthetic of the real Iroh or that it makes no cultural sense for him to sport this do when no one else in the racebended Indian “OMFG what were you thinking Shyamalan” Nation does but goddamn, long-haired dudes are my one mortal weakness and I will ogle the hell out of him.

Jesus is that a man bun I see that’s it mum I’ve been deaded

Yue’s hair

No.

Now we’re talking. Yue’s hair turned white when the Moon spirit gave her life, so it makes sense for it to go black again when she sacrifices herself to revive the koi fish. It’s a neat detail I find myself expecting whenever I rewatch the scene in the show. Yes, I realize it’d be a pointless hassle to animate since she, unlike in the movie, immediately goes on to become the Moon herself but still. I like.

The Blue Spirit’s mop

Zuko, hun, what’s with the dance-off?

First of all, I want to imagine that Zuko the Theatre Nerd was about to leave his ship with just the mask like in the show but then stuck his head into the cleaning cupboard and went, “Yeah, more coverage might be good, even though it do seem mighty fried to shit”.

Which makes me giggle. I like to giggle.

And secondly, the hair’s movement is what makes the static mess of the Blue Spirit’s solo fight scene appear at least bit more dynamic because God knows the cinematography isn’t doing it.

Any particular reason why it’s at the edge of the action, shot all boring-like?

Now, I get why circular shots would be reserved for Aang while he’s in the practice area and then used once the two join forces. What I don’t get is why Aang’s part of the action scene has a defined visual style while Zuko’s delegated to a few stationary wide shots from afar as though he’s a tertiary goon, meaning that when the time comes to combine the respective pieces of cinema language and visually convey collaboration, there’s not really much to combine.

But as long as Zuko is stuck in this static mess, it’s that awesome disaster on his head flopping about that draws the eye, helping me understand that something even is going on over there.

It also prevents me from paying much attention to how the extras are mostly just staying put and a lot of the hits don’t land, so that’s good.

The music slaps

James Newton Howard is too good for this.

Pls ignore that the word “gods” is used in the ATLA universe

I can’t be the only one who constantly uses this piece to daydream about writing specific fanfic scenes instead of, you know, actually sitting down and writing them. It’s just so good at communicating a sense of sorrow while speaking of rebirth that I find myself getting misty-eyed whenever I listen to it. Unfailingly, the soundtrack as a whole manages to break through the mile-thick crust of horrible acting, confusing writing, and uninspired cinematography and make me feel things. And considering how everything on screen is working against it, that’s no small feat.

Imagine what a powerful experience it would be if the score was used in service of an actual movie.

Dev Patel

No wonder since he’s the only one in the film occupying that crucial intersection between “is a good actor” and “was given something to work with”. It also doesn’t hurt that he breaks with the trend of actors starring in martial arts flicks despite never having done any martial art.

And all EIP-jokes about “stiff and humorless” aside, he’s a pretty decent Zuko considering how abridged this version of the character is. A while ago, I remember hearing a reviewer say that with his comedic chops, Patel should have been cast as Sokka. And on one hand, yes, god, absolutely, I need to see that asap. But on the other? He captures all layers of Book 1!Zuko, the desperate obsession, rage, and self-loathing, and at the same time gives you a peek at the soft momma’s boy dork that’s buried underneath. For Christ sakes, he exudes intensity and ambivalence even when acting against an emotionless hunk of wood that’s giving him nothing in return.

Oh, and I guess there’s a tree in the frame.

Ba dum tss

What can I say, the guy’s good.

Showing vs telling

OK, so this movie is all tell and no show, except for one single moment. And it’s the exact moment where the original goes in the other direction in terms of how information is conveyed.

See, I never liked this. The revelation is preceded by Iroh giving advice to Zuko who scolds him for nagging. Iroh then apologizes, moves in to say the line above, and is interrupted by Zuko who seems rather uncomfortable with Iroh laying his feelings out like this. And once they’re out, Zuko verbally confirms that he knew already and Iroh didn’t need to bother.

All this extraneous information and pussyfooting ends up weakening what should be a profound scene that reveals to us, the viewers, how deep the relationship between these two in fact runs.

Compare to the movie where Dadroh acts like a parent by fussing and worrying, with Sonion needing a single look to tell him and us that he understands what it’s all really about.

It’s genuinely efficient and just good.

No Cataang

Fine, a bit mean-girl bitchy from me since I only start minding the ship in Book 3. And probably unintentional on the part of the creators since there are moments where I think they’re trying to set the romance up? There’s a, well, an attempt to recreate the famous introductory shot of fateful meaningful destiny of meaningness, there’s some slight note of saving each other’s bacon going on, I’m pretty sure they’re the only ones in the film who smile, and oh, right, Katara’s shoved into her post-canon useless role where she doesn’t ever do anything, and is all about Aang right from the get go.

Yes, I will blame the “executive producers” because a) I’m incredibly petty, and b) it’s perfectly in line with their vision of the character so why the hell not.

Hilariously, none of it reads on screen because the actors are just... yeah. These poor kids are struggling so much with delivering their own lines and portraying their own characters they don’t seem to have any strength left to create something between them. To be fair, the bare-bones shot-reverse shot style of their scenes doesn’t exactly lend itself to the idea they occupy the same universe, let alone are friends or each other’s crushes.

And I enjoy this immensely because it allows me to forget the depressing horror show Katara’s life turns into post ATLA.

Yes Zutara

I need to delve into this because it’s fucking hilarious. So in a movie which fails to establish the original’s central romance so spectacularly that if Aang got lost in a crowd I don’t believe Katara would notice, SomEOnE thought it’d be a good idea to add an utterly unnecessary non-canon moment where Zuko for some reason feels the need to pause his character-defining hunt for the Avatar which otherwise has him ignore everything and snap at everyone, and explain his central conflict to an unconscious peasant he doesn’t know, complete with gently pushing the hair from the pretty girl’s the soulmate’s the Water Tribe Ambassador’s the Fire Lady’s the love of his life’s her face away, AFTER his uncle nagged him twice to find a girl and settle down.

I just wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page and this is what we really saw.

Celibate Avatars

I have no idea why the decision was made, if TPTB thought expecting viewers to understand the story through the lens of Buddhism would be too much, or if the “executive producers” already worked their retconny magic. What I do know, however, is that there’s a big shift in worldbuilding and Aang’s struggle with his role as the Avatar stops being a personal conflict defined by a) his grief for Air Nomads, b) his notion of being robbed of the loved ones in his life, and c) the selfish attachment to Katara he confuses with true love. Instead, what he has a difficulty to accept is apparently a general notion of who Avatars are supposed to be, i.e. a fantasy version of Catholic monks, no family and worldly relations, period.

I guess either someone understood the original’s portrayal of de/attachment as “hermit no freaky”, or thought the audience would so why not go there outright.

Now, do I like this on its own? No, God no, it makes the world infinitely poorer and changes the story from an exploration of ideas which aren’t all that ingrained in the West, to a cliché tropester about a Catholic priest going Protestant so that he could be with a girl.

At least I assume that’s where they were going to take this eventually.

I mean, I think the direction was “look conflicted, this isn’t the final stage of your journey”?

But consider this—the show went there, it built on the concepts of Eastern philosophy and touched upon the ideas of spiritual awakening, only to swerve in the end and strongly imply they’re bullshit and Aang should have never wasted his time with them.

So honestly, I much prefer scanty worldbuilding to an insulting retcon by a damn rock.

Multiracial Air Nomads

Probably the most substantial “no hint of irony” point on this list and a genuinely good addition to the universe’s worldbuilding.

See, the notion of the elemental nations being perfectly separate and never mingling before Sozin has always been sketchy but it’s especially ridiculous in the case of airbenders. It never made sense to me for all airbenders to be Air Nomads and for all Air Nomads to be monks and for all monks to be chilling at the temples all the time to facilitate a quick everyone-dies genocide should an imperialistic warlord ever decide to commit one.

Because committing everyone to a single way of life at a handful of places kinda goes against the central philosophy behind airbending. Like the freedom and nomadism part.

Instead, there should be more variety to the airbending culture, with some staying at the temples as monks, hermits, and teachers while others live as nomads, travelling the world and creating more airbenders, with the resulting children in turn being influenced by the non-airbending cultures they grew up in.

And thus, not only should airbenders not be modeled after a single culture to create a one-size-fits-all lifestyle, but they should have the most diverse and dynamic culture out of the four nations.

And it’d be precisely this diversity which would pave way for an eventual reveal that some of them survived, that their complete extermination is impossible.

Because they’re everywhere.

You know.

Like air.

[dirkjakeweekly]

DIRKJAKE FIC RECS

This is a rebloggeable version of our sidebar page reproduced in full, for those who prefer to save things on their own blogs for later!

INTRO

This page is not intended to be an encyclopedia, but rather a non-exhaustive list of a few Dirkjake Fanfics (and Fancomics) for those that may be interested in the ship, but a little too tired of trawling through AO3 search! Some of these contain NSFW or suggestive content, viewer discretion is advised.

[ FIC RECS (last updated Jan 2021, click readmore for full list) ]

It’s only a canvas sky

Their guardians dead at the hands of the Condesce, growing up in the shadow of her slow takeover of the Skaian Federation, Dirk Strider and Jake English have spent their whole lives alone up until shortly before their twelfth birthdays.

Or: Dirk fixes a transmitter, makes a friend, builds a robot, and tries to communicate affection over distance to the barest possible minimum.

Read here!

GOD’S BRAND NEW FATE SELECTOR (Fancomics)

In ONE PARTICULAR TIMELINE, detached from many similar ones, an aspiring divorcee stands by his baby’s cradle and attempts to hatch an escape plan with some aid from the ghost of his long-deceased boyfriend. He’s not exactly helpful.

SOMEWHERE ELSE ENTIRELY, Dirk Strider is overcame by the nagging feeling his splinters may be getting a little out of hand and far too into his head, when he gets a booty call.

One timeline is Epilogues-Compliant, another Epilogues-Divergent. 

Read here!

We’re All Friends & Family Here (And Frankly, We’re Sick Of Your Shit)

It’s been about a year since the big Fast Forward, and sure, things on Earth C aren’t perfect for everyone. But they’re fine. Really. It’s fine. Everything is super fuckin’ swell, and that’s that.

It’s not like one night is going to change anything.

Read here!

Perpetuity

“Call it a car crash waiting to happen, you’ll just call it your downfall”

Dirk is a romantic, just not a particularly optimistic one.

(Written pre-epilogues release, post-game, fix-it)

Read here!

Tailspinning Into the Epilogues with Dirk and Jake (complete series)

Read here!

Stark Nonfiction (Part of the Tailspinning series)

Jake tries his hand at a gentler epilogue.

Read here!

Between the Lines (Part of the Tailspinning series)

“It’s just… I can’t remember the last time I felt so at peace, I guess. It was such a lovely jaunt with Jade, and instead of being all torn up about coming home, I feel even better, now. It’s actually been a real while and a half since I felt… bad, you know? Like actually bad.”

You don’t have much in the way of emotional permanence about that sort of thing. Surely it was months ago, when you were staring gloomily at the bottoms of bottles like the world’s most up-his-own-ass useless overdramatic dilettante. Did it even really happen, if it all, in hindsight, just seems like a dumb pantomime of misery to get attention? A successful dumb pantomime of misery to get attention, mind you, you definitely got it, and a boyfriend to boot. Was it ever really as atrocious and apocalyptic and unsurvivable as it seemed?

Read here!

A Palate Cleanser (Part of the Tailspinning series)

ROXY: hay everybody its jakes turn! ROXY: hes got a few words hed like to say about our dear departed buddy

The eulogy we missed on Candy’s page 15.

Read here!

Eschewal

“you hope he’s a benevolent god”

Read here!

Grublr. (Fancomic)

In the consort kingdom, atop of the large, humongous mansion where the god of Hope lives, there is an apartment complex.

Read here!

The Hitchhikers Guide to Your Ex-Boyfriend (Fancomic)

Jake English waking up sore and alone on a cold floor is not a strange occurrence for him as of late. The ethereal beam of light and sluggishly churning floor is new, but he’s woken up in stranger places.

If circumstances were better he’d probably have something shocked and relevant to say about this strange landscape he’s found himself in, but circumstances are in fact legendarily shit right now.

(A comic/fic where Jake English gets rights)

Read here!

The Four Kings, the God Thief, and the Black Diamond Pirates

Dirk and Vriska have it good. They raid ships, pillage merchant vessels, constantly poison each other, possess a lucrative pact with the Wind King, sing a lot of dope fuckin’ sea shanties, and captain a loveable crew of pirate scum. They’re ready to kick back, take it easy, and become the vile and revered scourge of the diamond trading line.

Then they find someone in the water.

Read here!

Sea shanties for Thots (Four Kings continuation)

Jake English has never done anything wrong, ever, in his life, if you don’t count literally all that stuff from the first installment of oxfordRoulette’s diegetic-musical-cum-found-family-pirate-AU. Luckily, that was in the last story, and he is completely better now in all respects. None of that nonsense is a thing anymore and it will not be relevant at all! Surrounded by friends and allies, with a very cool piratey boyfriend and a hold full of treasure from his recently decimated country, he’s got everything a fellow could want.

What will he do?

Befriend an octopus god. Learn to fish. Kick back. Take it easy. Kiss his boyfriend a lot. Open a jewelry company? Pursue immortality. Confront his past. Embrace his future. Maybe save the world. One thing’s for sure: there will be a lot of songs involved.

Read here!

Two idiots at Homoville, N69, TX

In a moment of desperation, Dirk goes on r/relationships. Things get oversharey real quick. He types as follows:

“I [23M] cannot understand my [24M?] roommate. He is the most bizarre man to ever set foot on earth and I’m afraid I’m losing him.”

or, and They Were Roommates.

Read here!

Drive it home with one headlight

Some mistakes are so fucking big that they divert the path of your life entirely, sending you somewhere you were never meant to go. Some mistakes are so seismic and so obvious that when you look back on your life all you can see is the beacon where you made them. Some mistakes leave you so far off course you don’t even recognize who you are or why you’re still here.

You don’t usually get a chance to make amends.

Read here!

A Tallied List of Various Occasions in Which Jake English Encountered the Elusive Smile Belonging to One Dirk Strider

Jake English, explorer extraordinaire, tracks down the most unique treasure of all: a nerd in pointy sunglasses.

Read here!

BONES OF BLACK MARROW

Dirk summons a demon for the exclusive purpose of ‘cathartic boning.’ He gets what he wants.

NOTE: This fic is ergodic (think House of Leaves), which means it cannot be downloaded for offline perusal on your kindle/pdf reader. Also has CYOA elements, so clicking “Entire Work” will make the fic impossible to read.

Read here!

fire fly

A wedding. An anxiety attack. A daring tryst.

Read here!

DIRK TOPS (Fancomic)

Ever think about how Dirk Strider got full narrative awareness of the fanfics where he’s the big scary hunk in charge and went “I can do that” when he wasn’t, in fact, able to do that? i do. i think about that.

Read here!

MLM stands for Moron loving Moron (Fancomic)

aren’t you TIRED of longing? don’t you just want to go APESHIT while dating your best bro? i mean, you’ve earned it, right? (Collection of oneshot comics. marked as complete, updates whenever)

Read here!

fist is a four letter word

Jake’s face quirks. “App?“ 

“Yeah, app. Like, application. You know your phone can do other things right? Like, apps.”

“You sure do keep using that word! I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean.”

“You know, apps.” You try to think of how to explain apps. You suddenly can’t think of what apps are.

What’s the name of an app.

Literally just name any app.

He’s staring at you.

Oh my god.

Read here!

Witching Hour

There’s something almost magical about that time between too late at night and too early in the morning. It’s the perfect time to meet a stranger and go on an adventure.

Read here!

[chibi-pix]

Okay, my dudes, y’all know what time it is. Time to watch Voltron Force! And tonight, we’ve got episodes 11 through 13. 

Episode 11 with robeasts looking for the lion dens. The other forms seemed practical... then we get a minotaur for red den. I mean, I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t expect that.  Seeing the interface for the defense system was pretty nice. And I love Larmina’s way with it being more active. Of course, for me, it doesn’t top Vince being an adorable nerd going over everything. “And what do we do if Lotor’s command ship enters Arus’ atmosphere.” The flow of his nerding to that and then alarms. I love it.  And on the plus side, Daniel and Larmina understand duty enough to not ditch their work when called back, thinking Voltron would be fine. Good job, guys. You’re doing well. Hunk, Lance, and Pidge being extra with one liners as they try to launch. Keith: “Can’t anyone just launch?” Sorry, buddy, your friends like to be extra and fun.  I appreciate Vince syncing in with tech to help with defenses. “Oh yeah, I do this now. Didn’t I tell you?” These lines in this show! They just make me smile! And I’m glad to see the Hunkyard vehicles back in use! Though... they may need to be repaired.  Poor Lance feeling like the bottom of the totem pole. “Oh, you’re all free. That is so fantastic.” The sass. Oh. And the robeast can make its own Voltron. Well. That’s a thing. And then Lotor recalls them. He wants to defeat Voltron himself. Dude can barely get through a day without a Haggarium bath. Oh well.

Okay, let’s move on to episode 12! With Larmina feeling Arus is elite. Poor Allura is just done with them. “Class dismissed.”  A planet calling for them, Lance and Keith agree on it being a trap. Of course, Allura’s ready to take the risk.  Though... yeah. Trap. And Wade. Welcome back Wade, no go hug a cactus. Or, you know, I will live with Larmina sassing him. When she got her voltcom back, I had honestly hoped she would hit Wade in the face. Whack! But... she goes over him instead. Whatever works.  And with the team back together and breaking Wade’s blockade over the planet! Lance and Keith are serious about what’s going on.

And that seriousness continues into episode 13. They are ready to stop Wade! And Wade and Coran were classmates!  Though the lions sensing who is worthy is a nice touch. Makes me think of VLD with the lions picking the paladins; hmm, I wonder if they got the idea for that from here.  But Wade being rejected by Voltron, the dude really needs a hobby. Like sewing or scrapbooking.  I did not expect Wade to force control over Voltron and kick the team out of their lions.  The team is pretty much split with the cadets going off to do their work and Pidge to Lance, “Tell me you don’t do this stuff on purpose just to make it more exciting.” Pidge, honey, you sound like an exhausted husband or parent and I adore it. Your DotU and VLD Counterparts would drive you to the brink.  Vince and Daniel getting to the den, I actually forgot it existed. Oops.  Seeing that Vince can sync up to the voltcoms to help out or connect to the lions, that’s impressive.  And that satisfaction of wade being in custody. Oh yeah, I enjoy it. I mean, Wade’s face and a cactus would be better, but this works, too.  And the lion riders taking Wade’s lion with them. Good luck, lion! I hope things go well for you! “The defender of the universe I grew up with may not be one the universe needs today.” Ah, good way to put it, Allura, showing a different understanding of things with the big guy.  And studying Voltron while the big guy is down, Vince with, “I’ve been seeing one in my v-” or it was a f-, I suck with catching that. But that. Vince, sweetie, you cut yourself off. You have me intrigued. 

And that be another night. Oh how I’m enjoying this show. And I look forward to continuing tomorrow.  Also, I was doing a smidgen of research for daydream purposes. Of course, I was doing my hardest to avoid spoilers and I think I did well. But.

According to the Voltron 30th anniversary book, Vince is 16 (this is in regards to a precious point not necessary to this from the wiki page) Also in the script, it states that Daniel is 14. This is in direct contradiction to the Voltron 30th anniversary book, which lists him as 16.

My brain just went to thinking with this. A Realities Collide with VLD meeting VF. And literally! These guys older than VLD Pidge. Not by much, but still. It just amuses me. Probably because my brain just thinks of her kicking their rears and beating them in a fight with ease. Gods, I need to think of Realities Collide for Voltron Force so I can have more Pidgeractions. 

Anyway, this is it for the night. I hope y’all enjoy! Until next time!

[overly-b]

Hi! I loved the blurb of jj watching teen wolf and I was wondering if you could do one of him watching criminal minds, please?

I am HERE FOR THIS! Thank you for the request babes!!

Warnings: some spoilers, and swearing

Alrighty so I feel like JJ wouldn’t love the show at first

He’d think something along the lines of like, every episode is the same

But one episode would spark his attention, and boy would be hooked

okay so JJ is one to think that he literally knows and predicts everything. 

sometimes he’s right

but most times he is really off

but he always tries to play it off as if he knew what was going on the entire time

“ha, see babe I knew it” 

“No you didn’t JJ you had no idea” “

babe yes i did i just didn’t say anything” 

“JJ you ALWAYS say something, you didn’t this time, which means you had no idea” 

“whatever…” 

He loves it when serial killers have weird motives and he always makes fun of them for it (I love it when serial killers...have a fun little thing..) 

He def cried when JJ left

And screamed when Emily was actually alive but left

And screamed again when she came back

He HATES how much you love Mr. Derek Morgan

“Chocolate thunder…. God babe maybe you should be dating Pope….” 

“UM, DOES POPE LOOK LIKE THAT HUNK OF GOD???? NO!” 

Even though he hates Derek because of how much you love him, he LOVES Derek and Garcias over the phone banter and ships the two of them so hard and hates when they end up with other people 

You know who he hates more than Derek tho….Dr. Spencer Reid let me tell you that boy HATES how much you love him

“He's just… babe he's such a nerd… once again, if you wanna date a nerd you should date Pope…” 

“JJ you have to stop with that” 

Sometimes you worry about him watching certain episodes because you worry that they may be triggering for him

And he figured out that this was a worry of yours because every time there was an abusive relationship in an episode you would hold him extra close and extra tight 

And he thinks is the sweetest thing ever so he declines to say that it is unnecessary and just lets you hold him 

He always has comments about the killers

Whether is about their physical appearances or the type of women that they abduct or the mistake they make that gets them caught

He always has something to say about them

He's a big talker and commenter

“This guy is soooooo creepy” 

“JJ all of them are creepy they’re fucking serial killers…..” 

“Yeah no i know I know, but this guys just, extra extra creepy, heavy creeps right now” 

The show kinda makes JJ want to join to force

Criminal Minds was definitely your show before JJ started to like it

But ever since he started to like it and watch it with you, you CANNOT watch it without him

“Have you been watching criminal minds all day….WITHOUT ME??????” 

It kills him waiting for more to come out on netflix

And once you guys finish the entire show, you usually turn it on to fall asleep to

[mrskurono]

Hi Three! I’m glad that you’re doing well! Oh my gosh, I’m so excited! I can’t wait to read it. I need to read more Atsumu stuff but I’m excited because you’re the one writing it 💕 Also, I want to apologize ahead of time for writing such a long message!

One of my friends also doesn’t watch actor based shows. I had to pause or take breaks because there were times I didn’t really find any interesting dramas or I was too busy studying in college lol. I love Adventure Time! I should really catch up on that!

Iwa, Oikawa and I have a group chat where we talk about our dramas. I think Oikawa would get offended if we watched an episode ahead of him but I also think that Oikawa “looks” like he’d watch that aha. He would tease Iwa when he notices that Iwa starts dressing like one of the actors from a drama and he’d tease me when he sees me cut my hair like one of the actresses xD

Okay Three, you’re making me blush because I would say “prove it” and freak out when Atsumu attempts to kiss me because I have to pause the drama even though he’s already tackling me 😅 Gimme kisses Atsumu!

I love that whenever you share your thoughts on Atsumu! They’re so good and I’m like they’re such a cute couple T_T It’s okay, that’s how you know he’s your anime husband!

I’m curious what you consider slutty clothing for guys. I’m living for this headcanon because I imagine Atsumu wearing athleisure when we’re home. But now I’m imagining Atsumu wearing stuff that shows off his arms or wears tight shirts because he knows I’ll ogle him xD

Thank you Three! I only interact with a few people on Tumblr and y’all are so welcoming. It was the first time I saw people talk about their self ships! I find it wild that there are people who hate on self ships.

You’re right! We watch fiction so we can enjoy it. OT4 ship! I love it! I think I saw your post about it with Rae Hehe! Kid and pet headcanons are the best! While I do like thirsty fics, I’ve been thriving with fluff and comforting headcanons! I love that we can all nerd out <3

Thank you so much! I’ve been overthinking some stuff recently but hearing that makes me feel better because I’ve been trying to not stress myself out. I will stay hydrated and work on taking care of myself! Oh my gosh, it’s okay! Sometimes I forget to check Tumblr so I get all excited when I see your reply regardless of when I read it! Please stay safe and take care Three. Have a good night and sweet dreams of Atsumu 😊

I just never got into real life dramas and shows. There's enough of that crap irl pls give me princesses and wizards and dragons. Also Adventure Time's finale was breath taking and I lowkey still cry every time I rewatch it

Oh my god the slander out of Oikawa's mouth if he noticed you picked a certain hair cut or Iwa picked up a shirt that suspiciously looks like one of the characters clothing. Totally the pot calling the kettle black though when he teases you both about it but the week before you watched an episode without him and Oikawa had ten screaming fits. Plus Oikawa 100% freaking gets fancy haircuts to match "hot actors" he's that kinda guy lolol

Eww god I think Atsumu is my husband. God when did I end up liking Atsumu this is embarrassing 😅

Don't ask my but I so see Atsumu (and Oikawa) in a god damn femboy hooters outfit. Shirt twisted on the boobies and daisy duke shorts to match. I guess slutty could just be shirtless and low hanging sweats. But also booty shorts and crop tops on these fine looking hunks pls. Lemme be good boys all pretty and dressed up

I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to share with me! I know self ships can be kinda personal and even now I feel weird sharing my own sometimes. But 100% fuck anyone who wants to shit on self ships or self inserts. ffs its all fiction and every character you like is just the authors god damn oc. Indulge and think about your anime husbands and wives bc god damn the serotonin ain't free around here we'll take what we can get!

[gem-tavvy]

if u dont mind getting multiple ships in one ask how do u feel about Marvus x Mallek, Mallek x Galekh, Eritav, Ruficro and Equigam?

marmal:

hmmmmm interesting! i guess mallek could be an interesting "straightman" (not literally of course) to marvus' sort of showyness! and they both have identical limos! personally i find it hard to like... draw a meaningful connection between the two of them but that's prolly bc i don't Understand marvus that much like i do tavros, so it's hard to see those dynamics! but i am gay so i think it's good!

malgal:

but i DOOOOOO love this one!!! prep nerd x punk nerd!!! hunk x tw(u/i)nk!!! blue boy x2 combo!!! what i love abt them is their interaction too!!! mallek calls galekh "button up" and i think that's pretty homoerotic like oh you want him to UN-button up huh buddy? also mallek gave him a tramp stamp and that's pretty romantic! very very good!!!

eritav:

a friend told me they hc eridan was the one who brought tavros back to his hive after his paralysis (bc he passed out and would have been burnt to a crisp in the sun) bc tavros' hive is on the shore and.... idk i kinda hc that too... i wish we got to see them like. interact! tavros with his dorkiness and eridan with his dramaticness, i feel like they could bounce off each other well, AND tavros could show eridan the kindness he doesn't get from basically almost any other troll, except karkat's karkattian kindness and sopor'd gamzee!! i think tavros would be very interested in listening to eridan talk about history and eridan would just be like. wait. someone actually likes listening to me talk about my interests??? anyways it's very good

ruficro:

beyond the fact that they're both cute boys if a little not very good at romance, i can't rly say i see them as being good....... Together. rufioh is tavros but with conflict avoidance at like eleven, and cronus is cronus! so i feel like if they were flushed, it would be the same unfortunate aspects about ghost horruf except amplified because cronus is far less subtle... i am willing to hear ur opinions on ruficro tho!!! it could just be bc i don't think abt them a lot!!!

equigam:

this is one of those ships that really work best when both characters have already addressed their flaws and are working to become better and healthier people! their banter pre murderstuck is VERY funny though and i love how obvious it is that equius is just INCREDIBLY gay for gamzee!

[puzzlebones]

♛ (softly but with intent sets down my url uwu)

send me a url and i'll tell you the following;

my opinion on;

character in general: Its a single skeleton hanging out at a bonfire, what’s not to love? Both Gaster and Grillby are those characters that we don’t get a ton of info on in canon, and that’s the appeal of them I think. Although I will admit I was never a big fan of Grillby? But! that’s changed a bit because of your blog lol. 

how they play them: In short? Amazing. To be more specific I adore your Gaster, he’s a big dork science nerd, who just LOVES his kids, and loves his team, and loves his Swap BF and I just love him okay. Now....like I said before, I was never a Grillby fan...BUT! you made me simp for Ferno so here we are >:/ How this big flaming hunk of a himbo, that cant even say shit right (Shark Coochie), come up in here and snatch my feels? heck

the mun: Spacy your awesome aight. Like I haven’t known you very long but your always fun to talk to in the VC and fun to RP with. and like you said...we going on a road trip together so yeah XD

do i;

follow them: Duh C:

rp with them: Of course I do

want to rp with them: Always

ship their character with mine: **Gestures to the horny mess that is PurpFern**

what is my;

overall opinion:10/10 would recommend, very friend shaped C:

[starkeristheendgame]

Starker Valentine

Firstly, I want to start by wishing @softstarkerstuff a wonderful Happy Valentine’s, and also every other wonderful noodle that may see this! This is my second time participating in a challenge and I am beyond excited! Softstarker requested a High School AU where childhood best friends drift apart after Tony rejects Peter’s feelings for him. Naturally, Peter has the mother of all glow-ups over summer and Tony is quickly forced to reconsider.

I didn’t wanna go absolutely crazy on the word count for this, so I haven’t actually written out the majority of the backplot. This fic takes place after said rejection and focuses on the requested act of Tony developing his character in order to deserve Peter’s affections.

(I said that and this ended up being over 4,000 words!)

@starker-valentines 

TW: Light Angst | (Not) Unrequited Love

“Tony. Get up,” Natasha hissed above him, and ordinarily the glint in her eye would have been enough for Tony to hop to, but the situation outweighed whatever horrible consequence she could bestow him, and he shook his head.

“We live here now,” Clint shrugged happily, popping another nacho into his mouth from the bowl he’d swiped before joining Tony in an act of solidarity on the floor, hiding behind a countertop in the kitchen. Natasha arched a dangerous eyebrow at the other boy, and even Tony twisted to look at Clint.

“Why are you down here?” Tony asked, risking leaning over Clint’s thighs to peek around the corner. Fuck. He couldn’t see him anymore, but that didn’t mean it was safe to move. He blew out a harsh breath and curled back up against the counter, scowling.

“Barnes has that leather jacket on again,” Clint announced simply, as though that explained anything at all. Above them, Natasha heaved a put-upon sigh, settling for kicking Tony in the shin with an unimpressed frown.

“Him I can understand,” she begun, motioning to Clint, who paused like he didn’t actually know if he ought to be offended or not. “But you. I had higher expectations of,” she sniffed, eyes scanning the room behind them before she reached down, grasping a fist of their shirts and hauling them to their feet despite their yowls of protest and clamours to hide behind her.

Heart in his throat, Tony cast a quick glance around, but couldn’t find the object of his fears. Or... The person. He relaxed a fraction, mindlessly pawing at Natasha’s iron grip with the dull awareness that his shirt would likely be crumpled.

“Idiots. The both of you. If I were less of a friend I’d complain about you ruining my night,” Natasha sniffed as she begun to drag them out of the kitchen, Clint still desperately clinging to his snacks and having no qualms about stealing a bowl. Tony kept himself alert as they walked, fugitively scanning the rooms as they made their way towards the door.

He couldn’t exactly say he lamented leaving - Contrary to every single clichè American film, high school house parties were often measly affairs, more pizza than booze and always with that one weirdo pretending they were absolutely wasted off alco-pops and mixers. 

This party was largely no different, thumping music that made it hard to talk, pizza that had long gone cold and Tony would rather starve than touch, shitty drinks with a 4% content.

Mm, but no. What made this party truly, utterly horrific, was the fact that Peter Parker had shown up. And really, that sounded meaner than it was intended. Tony didn’t hate Peter - Not even close. Wasn’t disgusted by his presence but terrified of it.

Peter was - Or rather, had been, his best friend. This is where Tony’s sort kind of did realise the typical ‘teen film’ plot.

Boy meets boy. Boys grow up as childhood best friends, joined at the hip and vowing during recess to never, never, ever break friends. Boys navigate pre-teenhood together. Boy gets crush. 

Apparently, other boy also gets crush. Boy admits crush. Other boy is too emotionally repressed and terrified to admit crush. Boy rejects boy. Summer comes. Boy gets glow up. Other boy now doubly regrets rejection and is left to wallow in pitiful regret and jealousy.

Yeah. Tony liked it about as much as he liked Marmite, which was to say, not at all. When Peter had rolled over on their bed, eyes imploring and voice soft as he admitted his feelings, something within Tony had died. 

Because Peter was this perfect, pretty thing he was destined to never have. The flower that Tony was too scared to pick because he didn’t want to see it wither and die.

“He’s gone all thinky and melancholy again,” Clint complained at his side, and Tony thumped him on the shoulder, tripping over the welcome mat as Natasha lugged them along like reluctant suitcases. 

Tony would have given a smart quip in response, something scathing about how Clint was also running away from someone, but a soft voice interrupted the quiet of the front yard just as they reached Tony’s car.

“Tony?”

Fuck. Fuck. Don’t turn around. It was easy to pretend he hadn’t heard, grabbing Clint by the scruff to stop the moron from turning and waving as they hauled into the car. He couldn’t do it. Couldn’t face it. Him.

They were barely even in the car before Tony begun to pull away, Clint and his nachos rolling around in the back as the teen struggled to buckle himself in. From her seat up front, Natasha eyed him.

“Coward,” she announced, and Tony immediately agreed without shame. He was, of course. He was a coward. Had been from the start, from the moment he was old enough to let his feelings morph from the love of a friend to just...Love. He drove with a grim expression and an ache in his chest that felt like drowning.

He lay in bed for the remainder of the night, nose filled with chamomile and flora and heart aching with every memory that encompassed all that he had left of Peter. He had run away that night, recoiling from the prospect of ruining something he loved, and knowing he was ruining it by running. A vicious circle; a rat maze he was destined to run forever.

The torture of it had only increased upon their return, when cheeks round with baby-fat had slimmed and sharpened, when Peter’s unruly curls had smoothed into rolling, silky waves. He’d worked out over summer a little too, no longer just slim but lean. Summer glow-ups were nothing new, but Peter’s had hit hard.

Peter’s new looks had only succeeded in turning him from a neutral, friendly nerd to the newfound adoration of Queen’s Public High School, the boy suddenly inundated with attention and propositions. Peter seemed to have taken it in stride, not exchanging his personality for popularity, and still sat with the same two friends at lunch, still studied hard and ignored the feral social ladder.

It only made Tony love him all the more.

His sleep was restless and by Monday he was tired and grouchy, stalking through the halls towards his locker with a pair of deep shades covering his stinging eyes. Natasha cast him a glance as sympathetic as she could offer when she had made her opinion of his torment clear, and steered him towards first period. 

Peter was already there when they arrived, slouched over his desk and engaged in an enigmatic conversation with Ned. Tony allowed his gaze to linger for exactly six seconds before he slumped in his own desk, decidedly across the room from Peter and slightly in front, so he wouldn’t have to spend any of his lessons watching the other boy and lamenting the loss of his warmth.

A shadow fell over his desk and Tony slowly lifted his head from where he had been staring at the floor, willing his migraine to jump ship. The shadow belonged to one Steve Rogers, who’s summer glow up had happened over the previous year, and who had gone from your average joe with pretty eyes and a jawline to a six foot tall, broad-shouldered, lean hunk of very biteable meat. If Tony wasn’t fairly (entirely) certain one Bucky Barnes would knock all his teeth out, he’d have tried a taste.

“Can I help you?” he asked blearily, tipping his head so his glasses dipped and he could see Steve without a vignette of black. Steve merely raised an eyebrow, and Tony narrowed his eyes suspiciously in response.

“Hm.” And then Steve turned away, striding towards his own desk. Tony blinked dazedly at the now empty space, cast a sideways glance at Steve who sat down and begun to talk to Clint without a peek in return, and sighed. Ah. So Peter’s presumable warning about not going after Tony for breaking his heart must be nearing its end, then.

Wonderful.

At lunch, Tony snuck off campus and drove to the nearest Starbucks, returning to Natasha’s side with a coffee that was more espresso than water. He slouched in his seat and gave a pathetic whine, rubbing at his temples, and she slid a manicured hand through his hair, deliberately catching the tips of her nails on his scalp.

“If you weren’t such an emotionally repressed baby, you wouldn’t be like this,” she ‘soothed’ gently, and he cast her a sideways scowl.

“Yes, thank you for that. Nothing compares to your compassion and support,” Tony grumbled, scowling at her from behind his glasses. He needn’t remove them - she knew him well enough by now. Across the table Clint leaned forwards, petting idly at Tony’s forearm whilst his gaze remained steadily on Bucky from across the hall.

“Thighs like that should be illegal,” he sighed dreamily, and Tony and Natasha raised a brow in unison. Tony wasn’t the only one afflicted with love-interest related drama; Clint had gone and fallen in utter besottment with Bucky Barnes, also known as the second side of Steve Rogers’ coin. 

Unlike Steve; Bucky had always been tall and broad, with a slick haircut and a face that was already breaking hearts across the school.

Tony’s gaze drifted, away from Barnes’ denim clad thighs and instead to the sweater-clad form besides him. Peter was sprawled in his chair, sipping absently at a Cola and paying delighted attention to whatever conversation was happening. He looked... 

Soft. Soft in a way that Tony knew was huggable, touchable. His sweater was a deep blue to match the unlaced Doc Martins on his feet and his hair was askew like he’d been running his hands through it all morning.

“Stark!”

Fuck.

“What can I do for you?” he ground his teeth, voice faux sweet as he turned to eye Ms. Hill, who arched a brow at him and leaned down, plucking his coffee cup from his grasp.

“Please, correct me if I’m wrong, but last time I checked, the campus lunch hall didn’t stock Starbucks,” she announced, voice steely as she stared him down. Tony only offered her a short smile and an easy shrug.

“Correct.”

“Well then. I hope you’re sufficiently fuelled for a long day - you have detention. Immediately after last period.”

Tony simply cast her a serene, unbothered smile, taking his cup back before she could throw it in the trash. Tony’s grades more than made up for any mishaps he might incur, but Howard would still be displeased with him. Even more so at the triviality of why he was facing detention. 

Neither of his friends deigned to say anything about the instance, though Clint had given a dramatic wince at his punishment and had tossed a scowl at Hill’s retreating back - ever the supportive friend.

Natasha disappeared shortly before the end of lunch, though Tony had long since learned not to question her. He’d once found her lounging behind the bleachers, making a scalpel out of a piece of plastic card, some gum and a pencil. 

Since then he hadn’t dared to think too hard about what she might be doing whenever she wasn’t sitting in view and judging everyone.

She was back by the time last period rolled around, sitting primly in her seat with her book open, interest lost in a magazine she had apparently pulled out of nowhere. A glance at the cover showed it was a rifle magazine and Tony was not, at all, surprised.

Last period was history, and their tutor was a decidedly crabby old man who was never pleased with the efforts of his students. He was a fair grader - Never shorting them of their achievements, but he sung little praise and always had something to say about improvements.

They'd been given homework that no amount of groaning would rescind, and Tony pulled his from his bag with a sigh, rooting in his bag for a pen. In this class, he sat at the back, and it gave him a full vantage of where Peter was practically sitting in the lap of the pretty girl that had transferred here not too long ago. He had a vague notion of her name, but he knew for a fact that Peter always called her 'MJ'.

"Students! I should hope your weekend was spent wisely. Anyone not in possession of their homework will receive a detention," Mr. Ardell announced, hands clapping together. Tony breathed through his nose at the sound, pressing at his temple.

"Stark. This is not a nightclub nor a fashion show. Take the glasses off, and keep them off," he added in a snipe, and Tony forced a brittle smile, steadfastly ignoring the way that soft, honeyed eyes turned to him as he slid his glasses off And set them on his desk.

Even the typical 'bad type' student or the dumbest of them all listened to Mr. Ardell. The man had a booming voice and no hesitation about dealing punishments. 

At a glance, Tony could see that every student had their homework on their desk. Every student except Peter, who was rummaging around in his bag with a growing sense of urgency. Tony perked.

That was unusual. Peter often had his homework out before the teachers even got a chance to ask. Tony’s gaze remained fixed on the boy, who was now frantic as he dug around, mindlessly passing Mr. Ardell his homework as the man roamed the room, collecting sheets, right up until he stood opposite Peter, who floundered.

“I... I did it! I packed it this morning. It was right in my folder and now it’s gone!” Peter breathed, panic blossoming in his eyes. Mr. Ardell was quite clearly having none of it as Peter rambled and rifled through his bag, until Mr. Ardell finally held up a hand. Despite himself, Tony sucked in a breath, wincing in sympathy.

“Detention, Mr. Parker. And such a shame. You’re one of the few that don’t frequently make me wish I had the money to retire sooner,” Mr. Ardell sighed, and Peter crumpled. 

It made Tony’s heart clench in his chest, sympathy surging through his veins. He had no doubt Peter had done the homework - But perhaps he’d simply forgotten to pack it.

He was sitting there, chin on his palm as he watched MJ comfort Peter, when he sat bolt upright.

Detention.

Tony had detention.

That meant -

“Aw, fuck.”

“Mr. Stark!”

As Tony packed his bag at the end of class, Clint came sidling over, nudging him with a meek smile. “Hey, man. It’s not that bad. Just put some earbuds in. I bet he hates your guts too much to talks to you anyway!” he added cheerfully as they strode from the room, and Tony cast him a flat look.

“Gee, thanks.”

“No problem! Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow. I gotta dash if I wanna make it home to walk Lucky before food!”

And then, there was just Tony and the rapidly emptying hallway. He heaved a sigh, ground his teeth, and strode towards the detention room. It was only half an hour. 

That was nothing. He could make it. The wild notion of fleeing and dealing with a double detention tomorrow crossed his mind, but Tony could only stand being in school for as long as he had to, and with a duck of his head he strode down the hallway at a faster pace. The sooner he got there, the sooner it was over with.

He reached the door and was about to push it open when the sheet of paper caught his eye.

Detention students - Room 3A12.

Tony frowned, but turned on his heel, making his way towards the other room. Perhaps that one was being cleaned or something. He was putting his earbuds in when he pushed into 3A12, Guns’n’Roses already filling his ears when a yelp of; “don’t let the door shut!” filtered through, followed by the soft slam of the door behind him.

He blinked across at Peter, who had stopped mid-stride, arm outstretched, looking pained. “Fuck! It locks from the outside. Now neither of us can get out,” Peter whined, and Tony scoffed.

“None of the doors in this place lock only from the outside.” to prove his point he turned, grabbed the handle, and slammed shoulder-first into it when it did not move as he did. Tony frowned, lips thinning as he jiggled the knob, tried again.

It wouldn’t open.

“Who the fuck installs a door that doesn’t open from one side!” Tony exploded, panic beginning to seep like cold water through his veins as the reality of the situation hit him. He was stuck alone in a room with Peter. Opposite him, Peter groaned and sank back down onto the -

“Son of a bitch.” They weren’t even a proper classroom. There were barely ten tables in here, a tiny whiteboard and a miniscule teacher’s desk. They couldn’t have been put in a smaller room if they tried. But speaking of the teacher's desk…

“Where’s the teacher?” he asked, nose crinkling. Opposite, Peter heaved a sigh, fidgeting on the edge of his seat and tugging at the ends of his sleeves.

“I don’t know. I’ve been in here for ten minutes, nobody has come in,” Peter sounded quiet, miserable, and Tony’s heart squeezed uncomfortably within his chest as he sunk down into a chair, frowning. 

Maybe the teacher was just held up with a student. They’d arrive soon enough, and Tony could be out of here and far away from that plush mouth, those dark eyes.

The minutes ticked by, with nothing but the sound of the clock on the wall. Tony tried texting Natasha and Clint, but they were both home already. If Peter had text anyone, he’d had similar luck, because ten more minutes passed and still not a soul even passed the door. 

Tony blew out a breath and tossed his phone down, running a hand through his hair and leaning back in his chair. From the corner of his eye, he could see Peter watching.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re staring.”

“There’s not a lot in this room to look at.”

Tony gave a soft sound, eyes closing behind his shades as he settled. This wasn’t so bad. He could do this. They just had to wait and hope that a caretaker came around, or that someone called the reception to report that they had not come home. More minutes ticked by.

“You’re still staring.”

“I can’t help it. I haven’t...I haven’t seen you in a while,” 

Tony sucked in a breath, eyes closing and fingers beginning a tempo against the table. No. He couldn’t do this. If he did this; he’d crumble. He’d get to his knees and beg for all he’d lost, and he couldn’t do that. Not as a Stark, and not to Peter. Couldn’t lead Peter to a reckless end.

“We’re in all the same classes,” he noted roughly, and Peter made a soft, frustrated sound besides him. Tony winced but said nothing more, steeling himself. Peter deserved better than him - especially now, when it would look like Tony only cared because he’d changed. Except... Peter hadn’t changed all that much. He’d just filled out a little, gained some confidence.

“You’ve been avoiding me and ignoring me.”

“So have you,” he replied evenly, relenting to the fact that Peter wasn’t going to drop the issue. He let his head loll to the side, almost startled when he found Peter leaning forwards, arms around himself, staring at Tony with shining eyes.

“I haven’t wanted to. You pushed me away, disappeared, came back and won’t even look at me”.

Tony ground his teeth, chewing his tongue. “It’s not like I wanted to either, Peter, but I couldn’t…” Couldn’t be around you, knowing that, and not taking advantage of it. Couldn’t see you hurt. Couldn’t, couldn’t, couldn’t.

“What, you were so disgusted with me you couldn’t even bear to be around me?” Peter sounded defensive now, voice hardening slightly, and part of Tony was thankful. Yes. He could do barbed. He could fight. He could take Peter hating him. At least he wasn’t hurting him further, that way.

“I’m not disgusted at you,” he replied quietly, turning his gaze away. He couldn't bring himself to say anything else, throat tight and hands gripping his desk to stop them from shaking. He thought about ringing Clint, bribing him to come open the door, but Peter spoke again.

"I get it if you don't like me that way but... It's not fair. Treating me this way. Being so... Awful about it.”

"I'm not being awful. I'm…"

"Running away from your feelings? Yeah. That's kind of your MO.”

And Peter said it so bitterly that Tony flinched, teeth clipping the edge of his tongue as he sucked in a breath. Low blow. An emotionally neglectful childhood was bound to leave it's scars.

Peter seemed to regret his words immediately, because he actually stood, taking a few steps to reach for Tony. Despite himself Tony leaned away from the reaching arm, mindless of how much he longed for the contact.

"I didn't mean…"

"Words said in anger are still words with intent.”

"Tony…"

"I can't do this. I can't pretend to hate you and I can't be around you without wanting what I can't have!" he didn't explode, but it was said with some degree of passion, standing to round on Peter, who sank into a chair, looking up at him sorrowfully.

"You can have me!”

If only.

"You said it yourself. I run from my feelings. I can't have you because I'll fuck it up, and I’d rather lose you without hurting you and without attaching myself. I'm a fucki-"

The rest of Tony's emotional rant was cut off sharply as Peter reached up, grasping him by the front of his shirt and hauling him down, so he had to brace himself with one hand on Peter's chair back and the other on the table as Peter's plush mouth met his own, clumsy and a little too forceful.

A man with a stronger will would have pulled back. Would have stuck to his cause and not been selfish.

Tony was not that man.

He let his lips part, opportunistic of the way Peter gasped against him, licking into his mouth and moving his hands to cradle Peter's jaw, relishing in what he knew would be the only time he could indulge his festering love.

There was a click, and then -

"I told you it would work.”

They jerked apart, mouths red and eyes wild, Tony twisting to find none other than a prim looking Natasha and a dubious looking Steve taking up the doorway.

"What." Tony managed, and Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Obviously this was a set up. A good one, too. It took forever to sneak around and replace the door lock. You two were disgusting and all... Pining. It had to be stopped," she announced, like a mad plot was nothing unordinary.

But turning, looking at the flushed grin on Peter's mouth and the sparkle in his eyes... Well. It was worth getting another detention for missing the first, and it was worth the hours of agonising emotional talk with Peter, tears and sloppy kissing and the jeers from their friends when they came into school on the Wednesday, hand in hand.

"How come I wasn't in on the whole plot?" Clint whined at their table during lunch, casting a mulish glance around them. Natasha gave a sigh and pet at him with faux pity.

"Because you're an idiot with a big mouth," she informed him, twirling a lock of hair around a finger. Overnight she'd gone from fiery copper to a blue-black. It suited her well. Some black lipstick, and she'd be every boy's wanna-be-goth-girlfriend.

"Only we get to insult the idiot and his big mouth," came from above them, and none other than one Bucky Barnes ducked down, pressing a kiss to Clint's cheek, before moving on to Steve.

"That's... New," Tony managed, glancing across at Peter, who looked equally perplexed. Clint had the decency to look sheepish.

"At least I didn't need to get locked in a room to sort my shit out," he grumbled, and Peter giggled, before kissing the affronted look off Tony's face.

Tony wasn't good at feelings. And he'd never been in love before. But Peter was worth it. Peter was worth trying, learning for.