#I'm actually having troubles finding him...

[cryptotheism]

I do find it a little fascinating how many of these people go insane. Not metaphorically, but literally just become shadows of their former selves. Every grifter who’s from 5-8 years ago I’ve seen is now in some phase of either borderline delirium that people watch to see them burn or just straight up vanish.

Why do you think that is?

Grifting in the internet age is an act of performance with a profit motive. The goal of that performance, the way you make money, is the art of Baiting.

Making good bait is difficult. Grifting was a different game in the early days of the internet. You had to be provocative enough to bait people into paying attention (positive or negative!), but not so provocative that you folded over into self parody. But I think the algorithmization of social media has changed how this game has played somewhat.

Every seen this guy?

He goes by DateRightStuff on tiktok. He is a master of producing bait. Every video is some shit like "when homeless people ask for money, I like to give them fake Hollywood money. That way when they go to try and use the money, they get arrested."

Clearly made-up nonsense. He doesnt actually do that in real life. But it is a story that gestures towards a conservative base, while leaving himself wiiiiiiide open to dunks from the left. Because you gotta remember, he makes money from every comment, every stitch, every reaction.

Every half-baked snarky dunk is another triggered lib for his audience to laugh at. Dunks keep him relevant in the algorithm! This is important, because the way DateRightStuff makes money is by hawking his "conservative dating app." His entire tiktok account is essentially one giant marketing campaign for this app. It is bait-based advertising, and every day literally thousands of people fall for it.

But DateRightStuff is especially good at this. Mainting this level of performance is exhausting, no matter how profitable it may be. It requires an in-depth understanding of the social space and no small amount of creativity. It is a careful balancing act, constantly making small adjustments to an internet persona to keep the money flowing in.

Many grifters fail because they are strange. They have strange ideas about the world, and have trouble maintaining the level of objectivity that makes guys like DateRightStuff so effective.

I dont think grifters really "go insane" per se. (I'm sure some do.) I think they lose control of the balancing act. They press too hard in the wrong direction, get into the wrong beef, or fail to capitalize on some new social trend, and lose the attention they need. There can be a period of attempting to claw back that attention with increasingly ridiculous stunts. From the outside, this looks like they are going nuts.

[weaver77]

Ready player 2

Gamer Shiesty!Mark x Reader

Part 1

Inspired by @clairewritesfanfics version of Shiesty, I didn't know i needed gamer Shiesty until now.

If Mark were to go back in time and told his past self, that he would one day. Buy Animal crossing, Stardew Valley and even the Sims. He would have promptly laugh in his face and tell him to fuck off

And really, Mark couldn't blame him. Because after all he hadn't meet you yet.

When the two of you started dating he didn't expect it to last long.

At best, he thought it would last for a week or two. Before ultimately the two of you would part ways due to respective differences.

But that never happen.

Instead he was surprise when not only did you made an effort to know the things he liked. But you remembered them too.

He mentioned offhandedly about an anime character he liked and you got him a keychain of said character.

Before he knew it, the two of you started talking about all his favorite series, games. Heck, he even showed you the cosplays he made and the figurines he collected.

For the first time in his life, Mark felt like could just be himself around someone. Not Invincible the masked hero or Mark the resident bad boy who gets in trouble with the cops.

Just Mark Grayson who likes to read Seance dog and learned how to sew so he can cosplay his favorite character.

So when he accidentally insult you, he knew he fucked up

You had invite him over to your place, its the first time his been inside your house. And Mark was trying his best to hid how nervous he actually was

He lowkey regrets not doing any romance routes in his games. Maybe it would better prepare him for these stage

Maybe you picked up on his nerves because low and behold you set up a game console for the two of you.

How did he get so lucky?

He toke his respective seat ready to play the game you set up. Mark already decided he would go easy on you on the first round

When the game boot up and the title screen appeared. It toke a minute for Mark to register the name. Mario Kart

"What's so funny?" You ask carrying a bowl of popcorn catching the tail end of Mark's snicker.

"I'm sorry Babe, its just-" Mark bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing again as he reach for the popcorn bowl "I think you bought the wrong game"

You stilled for a moment processing what he said "What do you mean?"

"Its a racing game, you nailed that part sweetheart but it's for kids"

You didn't say anything

"It's okay" He paused to munch on the popcorn "We've all been deceived by good cover art "

You watch Mark pop more popcorn in his mouth

"We can exchange it for a real game so you didn't waste your money, or if you like I'll find a way to get your money back babe"

".. Mark" You spoke softly drawing his attention immediately "I didn't buy these game for you"

He blinked "What?"

"I owned these game for a while now, i played a version of it when i was a kid. And when i saw they're releasing a new version, i got it for myself"

Oh "Oh" Mark looked between you and the tv screen

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"I don't understand, how can you like these?" Mark ask waving his hand towards the screen like it has personal offended him "I understand liking it as a kid but how can you still like it now, is it the nostalgia?"

You toke in a deep breath before responding "I had fun playing it by myself and with friends. You like racing games so i thought we could have fun playing it together"

Mark remembers when he introduced you to one of his favourite anime, you haven't watched the show before and despite it not being in your genre. You watched it with him and listen to him gush about it.

And here he was interrogating you on why you like Mario Kart when you set it up as a cute co-op gaming date with your boyfriend.

"Its fine" You sigh snapping Mark back into the present "We can just watch a movie or something"

Before you can take away the controllers Mark stopped you "Y/n- baby wait" grasping your hand Mark inhaled looking up at you with his sad puppy dog eyes "I'm sorry, i shouldn't have said that too you. I meant not like these game but i shouldn't be an ass about you liking it"

Your expression soften as you hear out Mark's apology, due you didn't respond right away. Letting him sweat for a moment before ultimately bringing him into a hug "Apology accepted". Mark sighed sagging in relief as he returned the hug tenfold, nuzzling his face into your neck before separating.

"Do you still want to play?" Mark asked holding up the controller

"Mark we don't need to play Mario Kart if you don't like it" You replied not wanting Mark to feel pressured into playing it with you

"I know but you like it. And if it's something you enjoy playing then I'm happy to play it with you" Mark replied blushing at how sappy he sounds, but it was no less true.

And that was how Mark mange to salvage the date, only to lose the battle that was Mario Kart.

It seemed simple enough, cross the finish line. Something Mark is familiar with

What Mark didn't account for was how brutal you were with the turtle shell

Mark can figure out the best route of the race course but it was the power ups that got to him

He wasn't familer with them and even when you explained what each were he was still getting use to them

Meanwhile you were incredible experience in the game and it shows

Mark used the squid to ink up your side of the screen, limiting your vision in hopes of catching up

But you were still able to navigate through the course from the small clean gap the power up didn't cover

Which Mark is impressed by and finds attractive as hell

"I can't believe i lost" Mark stares in disbelief at the screen as you cross the finish like first

"Well that's not true you came in second place, that's a good first try" You point out patting him on the back

"Yeah but I'm usually come first" He muttered with a pout "I swear I'm usually good at these"

"Hmm i don't know" You hummed thoughtfully "Sounds like an excuse to cover up your skill issue"

"You did not just say that" Mark gasp

"Oh but i did, what are you gonna do about it Bowser?" You smirked raising your controller

"Oh now it's on!" Mark grinned in return starting round 2

Mark ended up winning that round and both of you ended up having a competition too see who can get the much wins

Mark knew some of the characters, like Peach, Mario and Luigi. But he was surprise there was more then one Mario and Luigi who apparently called Wario and Waluigi

You start to explain the characters history as the two of you played, even going into the other Mario games.

"I'm not sure if they kept these in the new release but in the original Mario and the thousand year door. The robot who was Princess Peach jailer fell in love with her when he watch her take a shower"

".. What?"

"And in another section she had to take off her clothes when she turned invisible to sneak around the castle she's in"

"What!?"

"Yeah it happened"

"Why- wait no go back, rewind. Tell me more about what happened with these perv robot"

By the end of the night not only did Mark have fun playing Mario Kart but he also takes back the Mario franchise being a game only for kids

[pushspacetocontinue]

"At least it seems things are improving a little bit for today's kids. At least a little," Travis said, "Our brother Bradley actually gives training on how to help kids in situations like ours. He's a teacher but does that as well."

But then he grinned.

"Heh, my nails weren't suited for that," Travis said, "But I'd love to have seen you do that. It doesn't take much to be a decent human being, and sometimes people need to be reminded of that."

Travis looked thoughtful.

"Well, I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for you," Travis said, "Even if it was for him. But the pockets are useful. Yeah, that was about six years ago. I think January or February. If Russell had only just met Rook after that, I can see why he might not have said anything, and then he might have just forgotten entirely, or thought he already told you, with all the other troubles that seem to find him."

Travis nodded.

"Where does six years go?" Travis added, "Time flies when you're making friends and having fun. But I'm glad he's met you all and gotten to be friends with you too, and I'm glad I've gotten to meet you too."

And to think, he had initially come by to Endlebridge for the opportunity to beat up some bad guys. He was coming away with much more than that.

"Yeah, we could. That's another thing to look forward to," Travis then agreed.

"I, I was wondering ab-about that," Russell said, "But that's, that's really helpful too, that you, you did that."

"I imagine it would have driven me rather crazy if you hadn't," Antonio said, "And it benefits most who come here to pass through."

Or to spend a slightly longer (albeit temporary) stay like he had.

"It's fortunate that you got found though," Leofric said, "And that you did find a way to keep yourself busy and hopefully from panicking about it. That is amazing as well. I will admit in all my time of being here, in creating spells and concoctions, and using them, I have never had much skill in creating gold."

"We sure did," Simon said, "It's very impressive. And hey, there might not be a rainbow but it doesn't make it any less cool."

Russell's eyes widened at the idea that Rook was just willing to give it away. But he felt like it would be a good diversion after what she needed to do, and that perhaps accepting the gift would help Rook feel better about the entire situation as well, at least for the time being.

Antonio took the little pouch gently, smiling.

"Thank you, sorellina," Antonio said, "It's appreciated."

"Y-yeah," Russell said, before his cheeks turned a little bit pink at Lucien's comment, "Well, that, that gives me all, all the more reason to, to try and, and make some-something nice for, for you too. I'll, I'll have some as well. Th-thank you, Rook."

Leofric nodded.

"I will have some as well, please," Leofric said, "It will be useful for an experiment, and I can keep some on William's behalf, if he wants to try making something with it."

This was proving to be a pleasant diversion, and hopefully it would be the first of many after what they had experienced.

"They never do. I don't get why adults are like that with kids." Erica grumbled, "Well, that served him right. He should be thankful he can still see other people holding mops or anything else. I used to scratch those who picked on isolated survivors."

She tried liking everybody, but she simply couldn't stomach bullies. They should be better people if they didn't want their butts kicked.

"Oh, I just dress comfy for myself and for Smokey. He used to sleep in the hole on my back, but I don't have it anymore. So we need pockets now." Erica explained, "Oh, I see! Russell always gets in trouble, uh? But I'm glad he's going to be okay."

She scratched at the tip of her ear as she tried to recall anything about the accident Travis had mentioned. "Hey, Willow, how long have we known Russell?"

Willow, of course, provided an answer without hesitation. "Rook met Russell about six years ago. However, the accident in question was never mentioned to me, which might imply she isn't aware of that particular misadventure. It isn't the sort of topic one would so casually discuss with a person they only recently met."

Rook would have definitely brought it up at some point. The topic of Russell's ability to get in dangerous situations and narrowly escaping it had been discussed often over the years and neither had been able to provide an explanation on how he managed to do that.

"And I met him later because I was still figuring stuff out after Willow found a way to reverse my zombieness."

"We were all very busy at the time." Willow said, leaning back, "To think I was only two years old then. Time really does fly outside the matrix."

"You know, we could watch that show together." Erica offered, "It'd be the first time for me!"

Rook stopped to look around while the pocket kept shifting to create a suitable way out of there.

"That would become unbearable quickly. The first thing I did when I learned there was a way to interact with this place was removing the echo." Rook said, "I really didn't have a great time the first time I got stuck in here. It took mum half a day to notice I was missing."

"I only had control over a limited portion of this place. Chick had to keep busy rearranging all my supplies." Veronica added.

But of course, everything had changed when Rook had retrieved one of their lost books from the clutches of the Brotherhood. They finally had access to a powerful tool that made their activities far easier and were a bit closer to unlocking other hunting techniques previously lost to time.

The last few blocks fell into place just as Bill was sent off to enjoy the panoramic view. Veronica figured she would make herself useful while they waited for Rook to tend to her business and shifted her focus to keeping their surroundings stable while they lingered there.

"Alchemy has always been one of our strongest suit. I dare say Erika has a natural talent for it." Veronica said, pride evident in her tone.

Rook wasn't feeling particularly proud of herself, but still managed a small nod. "I'm alright. I see you guys found my pile of gold without the rainbow. Do you want some?"

The coin shined and felt like the real deal. It was made of gold of the highest quality and with both sides decorated with a crude rendition of a bird's foot.

Rook went ahead and dug up a candy scoop she then used to fill a small bag with coins under Lucien's very intrigued gaze. She closed the bag by pulling the strings at the sides, then offered it to Antonio.

"I've got plenty to spare. I really don't mind."

"The one he picked might be worth more than the entire pile, dear."

"Let me splurge, mum. I'm trying to ignore my feelings right now."

Unable to resist to the shiny himself, Lucien quietly took the scoop from her and started filling another bag for himself.

"Oh, please, don't make compliments." Rook said, nudging him with her boot.

"Get off my back. I can make a lovely pendant for Russell with these." The half fae hastily pushed back with his arm, before scooping up a few more coins.

[cripplecharacters]

Hello, I'm trying to write a sci-fi/fantasy type story where one of the pov characters gets badly injured in a magical type attack (lightning spell gets his ship), and starts using a cane as a mobility aid, since the lighting effected the range of motion in one of his legs enough that walking without it is painful/he can't get the full range of motion. (sorry if this is too much/the wrong kind of info, wanted to be specific)

He's a social butterfly type of guy, but he's not really good at confronting his personal issues and I wanted to check with somebody that has more experience that I'm not falling into a negative trope of some kind?

also still related to the topic but different question, I wanted to know if it's better for him to be able to take advantage of his enemies underestimating him, or if it's better for his enemies to be more wary of him since it's a millitarized/dangerous environment, these kind of injuries are common, and the fact he survived the attack makes him more of a danger? I'm not sure if I'm phrasing it right still T-T

Hello!

From what you've written here, I'm not seeing any negative tropes or other problems with the concept. It all sounds pretty realistic to me and it's something I'd really love to see more, particularly the part with your disabled character being a social butterfly.

I find that a lot of disabled characters in media are frequently presented as being loners or otherwise not being very social (examples that immediately come to mind are Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows, Matt Murdock from Daredevil, Moritz Farber from Because You'll Never Meet Me, etc.). As much as I love a good lone wolf character, I'd really REALLY love to see the opposite when it comes to disabled characters [especially for those whose disability affects their speech but that's for another time].

I think a lot of people have trouble confronting their personal issues and it doesn't undermine their social butterfly-ness.

Regarding your second question: I wouldn't say that one is necessarily better than the other.

Different types of people will have different reactions to your character's disability. It's okay to show that! In fact, I think it'd actually be better to show the different reactions (and how he handles them).

I'm not really seeing any problems here and this sounds like a pretty great concept!

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[c-monthecob]

To R.H

Synopsis: Maybe you should've given it to him yourself... Tokyo Revengers High School AU A/N: Trying to step out of my comfort zone and actually write stuff, but it is so hard to stay motivated. 2nd time writing a one-shot, so please go easy on me. I know my writing ain't good ��

☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎

What if he said no super loud? What if he laughed at you? What if he ripped it into a million pieces and tossed them in your face?

You'd crawl into a hole and die. That's what you'd do. Never show your face again for the next ten years. Nobody would ever let you live the rejection down. Especially that asshole Shion.

So here you are. Trying to convince yourself that this wasn't the coward's way out. That leaving it in his desk was just as brave as handing it to him yourself.

You're not a scaredy cat. Emma doesn't know what she's talking about. If you were such a scaredy cat, would you be sneaking around the halls during the assembly?

A scaredy cat would be too afraid of getting in trouble with the teachers to do this. They wouldn't be sneaking into the classroom of the strictest teacher. They'd be at the assembly with everybody else. Listening to the principal complain about how low the test scores for the school are. Staying silent for an hour-long school-wide lecture.

This requires lots of courage. So, no. You aren't taking the coward's way out.

It was easy to find his desk with the alphabetical seating and initials written on a laminated note card and taped onto the desk R. H Here we go.

After six years of silently pining. Being nothing more than a friend of a friend. You were finally gonna face your fears, with one little letter, pink, glittery, and sprayed with your best perfume to "Really draw him in," as Emma put it.

You slid it into his desk—his very messy desk at that, fighting the urge to go back and rip that token of embarrassment into shreds. The deed was done. No going back now. You poked your head into the hallway, just had to be sure nobody saw you. Not that you cared if they did.

"I think I left my headphones in my desk."

Okay, maybe you did care.

You made a dash down the hall and turned the corner, disappearing right before the voice’s owner could catch a glimpse of you.

And just as you did. He showed up.

Rindou Haitani.

Retracing his steps to find out where he left his headphones, along with his brother. Ran Haitani, who was only tagging along as an excuse to skip the assembly.

He poked his head into the classroom, hoping the teacher wasn't inside. She'd send them right back to the assembly if she caught them. Ran didn't seem nearly as cautious.

He shoved Rindou inside and strolled in right behind him. "Why'd you do that!? What if she were in here?" Rindou snapped. Ran rolled his eyes and shut the door. "If she were, then the lights wouldn't be off and the door wouldn't be wide open." Okay, he has a point. "Now go ahead and check your desk."

He crouched down, feeling around for it. Just as he expected. It wasn't there. But then he felt something else. Something that wasn't a candy wrapper or crumbled homework. "What's this?" He picked it up, turned it over, and read the front. To R.H., written in dark red glitter pen ink.

"Is that a love letter?" Ran mused, leaning over Rindou's shoulder. His little brother never really got attention from girls. It wasn't that they found him unattractive. Just very intimidating. "Open it! Open it!" Ran shook Rindou with excitement. Shoving Ran off with an unnecessary amount of force, Rindou carefully opened the letter.

"To R.H."

☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎

"Come on, Y/n! Don't chicken out now!" Emma pushed you back onto the bench, keeping a tight grip on your shoulders to stop you from moving. She's stronger than she looks. Apparently, blonde hair isn't the only thing she and Mikey have in common.

"What if some creep shows up while I'm waiting?" you whined. Emma ran a hand over her face in frustration. "That's why he's here." She pointed to Draken, who sat on a bench not too far away, his head rising and falling as he nodded off.

His presence didn't even put a dent in your nerves. Because there were things even Draken couldn't protect you from. Like rejection.

You couldn't help it. The spiraling thoughts. The possible outcomes. There were so many things that could happen, and you were downright terrified of each one.

"What if he shows up with someone else and they record me getting rejected!?"

"Y/n—"

"What if I get so nervous my voice cracks and I embarrass myself. You know my voice cracks when i'm nervous!"

"Y/n—"

"What if he points out things I didn't even know I could be insecure about!?"

"Y/n—"

"What if—" "Y/N!" Emma shouted, scaring Draken awake and effectively shutting you up. She let go of your shoulders and let out a sigh. A heavy and tired sigh. "Y/n." She cupped your hand in hers, giving it a light squeeze.

The stern look on her face— the one she only had when she was upset—made you lower your eyes to the ground, but she was quick to lift your head back up. "It's not the end of the world if he says no," she assured. But if that's true, why does it feel like it will be? Why can't you ever see the brighter side of things? Why is every outcome you think of negative?

"He's a nice guy, he'd never try to humiliate you like that. You know he wouldn't." He really is a nice guy, although he doesn't look the part. With that permanent scowl and all. Some people find him to be intimidating, but not you.

You know he would never hurt a fly. It's one of the things you like most about him.

All those scenarios where he's mean and nasty don't sound anything like the boy you've loved for the last six years.

That's an entirely different guy. Nothing like him at all. Well... not to you at least.

You know he's better than that. So why can't you think positively?

Emma gave your hand one last squeeze of reassurance before letting go and walking back over to Draken. "And if he can't see how amazing you are, I'll kill him myself!" she said, grabbing Draken's hand and dragging him off to a better hiding spot.

So now it's just you. And hopefully soon to be him.

Any minute. He should turn that corner any minute. Right here, right now, you'll say what you've always wanted to say. Three words, just this one time.

Footsteps.

You tore your eyes away from the corner, suddenly finding the beetle crawling around on the ground fascinating. The footsteps were loud. Really loud. Or maybe you're just hyper-focused on them. Either way. They were getting closer. and closer, and closer, and—they stopped.

Right in front of you, just like you feared. He didn't say anything, and neither did you. Maybe he was waiting for you to look at him? Unless his answer was yes, then he could keep dreaming.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the letter, and holding it right in your face.

No.

He was definitely telling you no. Out of all the ways he would've said it, you didn't think about him handing it back. This was so him. Nothing too loud like you'd imagine.

You took the note back, mumbling a small "I understand." You couldn't look at him. Not now. You'd burst into tears. You just wish he'd say something. Let you know what he was thinking at the very least.

But the voice you heard wasn't the same scratchy and high-pitched voice you knew. "I didn't know you felt that way about me." This voice was deeper, smoother, not his.

Looking up with furrowed brows, your face contorted into one of confusion as you locked eyes with the wrong pair of brown eyes. Rindou Haitani. "What?" you frowned, looking around. Maybe you were being pranked because what the hell was he doing here?

"You and I don't really talk much, y'know, so this is a shock for me." Rindou was blushing. Hard. His ears and cheeks might as well be on fire with the way they were burning. He could swear his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

A girl—A pretty one at that—was confessing to him. He's never been on the receiving end, so he'll admit. It feels nice to be wanted. "We could get to know each other if you want." He nodded his head in a random direction. "There's a nice cafe that's still open. We could grab something and talk if that's okay—" "Rindou." You cut him off. Your voice was soft; it had to be.

Because this was going to be awkward.

☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎

"What the hell is he doing here?" Emma whispered, watching Rindou hand you the letter. She was very confused right now. She knows for a fact that Rindou isn't your crush, so why does he have the letter?

Draken scratched his head, just as confused as his girlfriend about the younger Haitani's presence. Should he step in? Was he bothering you? He can't tell if you're uncomfortable, you still have your head hung low.

"I told her to go into Mrs. Tanabe's class and leave it on his desk. How did Rindou end up with it?"

That's when it clicked. Why was Rindou here and not him? Draken placed a hand on Emma's shoulder, drawing her attention away from you. "He's in Mr. Tanabe's class, not Mrs." Ever since those two got married, people always mix them up. A real nightmare for freshmen.

"But Mikey said—" "Mikey hasn't been to school in months. He doesn't even know what class he's in." He really doesn't. Draken has to walk him to class on the rare occasions they do come to school.

☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎ ☂︎ ♡ ☁︎

Rindou wished that the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Damn, this was embarrassing. Keep you up at night kind of embarrassing. Ran will never let him live this down. And neither will that asshole Shion. Especially that asshole Shion.

This is something he's got to take to the grave. "So, you got me mixed up with someone else, huh?" Rindou cut off your string of apologies. "Uh, yeah. You guys have the same initials." Rindou hummed, taking the letter back from you. "R. H," he muttered, "I'm the only one in my class with those initials."

"Yeah, I figured." Rindou handed you the letter back. "Ease up on the perfume, will ya?" You nodded, even though it wasn't your idea. Maybe you should redo it. There were some parts you cringed while writing, anyway.

"So who was it for?" Rindou asked. "Oh, you probably don't know him." You doubt that he did. You've known Rindou since 5th grade, and he only learned your name in the 8th. Sometimes you think you just weren't important enough to be on his radar. So yeah, you doubt he knows him.

"Try me," he challenged, plopping down in the spot next to you. You clutched the letter, absentmindedly tracing the initials.

"Ryohei Hayashi."

[novasillies]

okay. wifi sorted. squid game i hate you i will try and keep this organised. spoilers upon spoilers beneath the cut, this might be a long one. i had an 8 hour journey to watch the whole show in one go and then ruminate on it for two hours of driving. so. yeah.

As many issues as I have with this season, I will say some things were pretty interesting. So let's start with the few positives I have.

One, the commentary on democracy and the idea of a democratic vote. The fact that the players were forced into making this choice, either threatened or manipulated into voting one way or the other, and treated differently by the group depending on which way they voted was very interesting and something I am not at all smart enough to dissect beyond surface level. the whole "through your democratic vote, you have all chosen to continue the games" thing made me go hrrhrhrhrr every time because, yeah, democracy is far from fair and two-party systems with one final choice cannot accurately represent the wants of an entire group. love it speak on it.

Two, I didn't mind In-ho's story this season (or, what little story he had). The fact that he's tried to save Gi-hun's life at every turn, and the man has been too stubborn to listen, rightfully so, if the writers had decided that optimism was something we deserved in this day and age. He begged him to get on that plane, to stop looking for the games, to kill the other players and just take the money. In-ho wanted Gi-hun to live. And he didn't. And In-ho delivered, in person, his jacket and money to his daughter. He never called him a friend. He blew up the island. I'm assuming he left it all behind now that the coast guard got involved. God knows. Actually, never mind, his story was lazy and nonexistent. The contrast between him and Gi-hun when given that chance to kill them all and take the win was interesting, though.

Three, i cant think of another thing i liked. which is troubling. Oh, I do love a tragedy done right, so Gi-hun's death did satisfy me in the way that it was horrible. I still think he should not have died. But the fact that it was like that. I don't despise it. Not happy about it. but it could be worse.

I'm gonna just get right into my main issue with this season (and season 2 now that it's over and I can be sure of it), which is: THIS WAS NOT NECESSARY.

The entire two-part story (ridiculous) of seasons 2&3 was literally, in the end, for nothing.

Nobody's characters developed and they all died. Jun-ho didn't get anything out of finding the island because they blew it up and he was only there for 25 minutes. He saw In-ho again, said like 8 words to him, got nothing back, and then left again. Pointless. So many hours of television that were for nothing. He didn't grow as a person, he didn't learn anything new, he didn't even realise Gi-hun (WHO HE WAS MEANT TO BE LOOKING FOR) was dead however many feet below him. All he got was that fuckass CGI baby and 45.6 billion won of blood money.

Gi-hun went back just to stop the games, then killed himself to let a two-day-old newborn become a multi-billionaire for the hope of that innocent little FUGLY FREAK being a better person than him. He said maybe 20 lines the entire season. He spent the whole time silently plotting dae-ho's death, then killing dae-ho, then trying to kill himself until he finally did. His entire story was just a playbook on how to give up.

They watered Jun-hee and Geum-ja and No-eul down to just Mothers with nothing else to show for themselves. Two out of three of them killed themselves for their children and one of them tried. No-euls entire storyline felt just as pointless as the rest of them, with its weird maybe-your-daughter's-alive-maybe-she's-not open ending of her flying to China. It didn't help that we've spent this whole two-season storyline waiting for Gi-hun to have some magical moment where he figures out how to save them, only for all of them to die slowly and pointlessly one by one. Geum-ja's suicide was the only death this season that upset me, purely because I only realised what had happened just as the coffin got carried in, and her big monologue to Gi-hun finally made sense and became far more sad. It was really only thanks to her actress' performance that Yong-sik's death made me feel anything, too. Everyone else had nothing. Just cheap SFX and two seconds of shock value.

What the fuck was Hyun-ju's death. Like. Excuse me?? Myung-gi had no reason to still be killing people, let alone hunting them like animals. Why the FUCK did he kill her??? And why did Jun-hee's water break and her baby was born within five minutes???? I don't think there was a single woman in the writer's room for season 3 honest to god. I wasn't even sad about Hyun-ju's death I was just so so sooo confused. It made no sense. And then I was like uhgggh she shouldve gone through the door but no she was right to go back but wtf myung-gi why did you do that you useless piece of human garbage. and maybe it was a little bit poignant because they were so close to all surviving together. but they could've. very easily. Hyun-ju's death was just as unneccessary as the rest of this story.

Don't even get me started on myung-gi. I didn't like him last season on the principle of what he did to Jun-hee, but there was always the justification of him trying to protect her from the people who were after him but. god. I was so right to hate him. Even then, he was somewhat likeable. He did nice things sometimes. He acted like a normal human being. Who the HELL was that this season?? trying to throw his own newborn daughter off that tower for THE MONEY??????????? I thought Gi-hun would hand over the kid, myung-gi would be all sweet and sad and sorry and kiss his daughter on the head (WHICH GI-HUN THEN DID AND MADE ME GO !!!!!) before he pressed the start button and threw himself off. A nobel sacrifice for the kid, just like her mother had done, or whatever the fuck. but no. nooooo nonono of COURSE not. that wouldve been HEARTFELT and SWEET and would've let OUR HERO survive. can't have that can we?!?!?!?!??!?!?!? i need to calm down.

Side note, what the hell was kate blanchett doing there?? we do NOT need an american squid game spinoff with kate fucking blanchett as the recruiter and in-ho going full gi-hun and trying to infiltrate it and take it down in his memory or some bullshit STOP IT.

Another side note, why did they spend more time on min-su's grief over se-mi than like... any other character feeling anything?? i didn't give a shit about those two personally so every drawn-out drug-induced hallucination about it just felt like watching paint dry.

Also the games sucked. Sorry. They were all dissorientating in the most midly inconvenient way and the direction of this season was all over the place. whoever was director of photography for s3 needs to have a long think about things. And the sound design??? was it always that weird?? no, right? there wasn't always the freakish distorted music and stuff? and that weird prowler sound whenever gi-hun was staring at dae-ho and wanting to kill him?? I felt like i was going crazy it was either too silent or too loud but whatever.

And the CGI baby. Come on now. Terrible!!! There was an egregious amount of CGI in this season and it was very clearly rushed. you're on a Netflix budget with one of its most popular titles and you still managed to come out with cheap, uncanny special effects??? I would be happy about the use of CGI because yeah newborn babies look like that not like 4-month-olds and yeah that's a big rope swing u cant be throwing those at real people in real life without some serious waivers signed and some serious injuries nonetheless but you had the money to make it good. you should've taken the time, too. I have an inkling that the six-month gap between seasons instead of a few years had a small role to play in that, even if it was all shot at once. Maybe if you hadn't stretched out your nothing burger of a second season into two of them, we wouldn't be having these problems. It's just so confusing how season 3 felt so much lazier and just worse than season 2 when they should've been written, filmed, and begun post-production right alongside each other. so so sooo weird. The subpar performances of the actors i think didn't help. i just felt like i was watching actors act instead of watching people exist within a story and that always irks me. to be fair, with a cast that big, you really can't expect the greatest performances from all the nameless side characters. but like. still. lock in for me guys plz. and maybe stop throwing babies from extreme heights (Gi-hun is just a man)

The thing is, season 1 was neat and tidy and concise and heartwrenching and purposeful. It had a true meaning. A moral. It was a representation of the horrors of capitalism. The characters changed - gi-hun became an entirely new person due to the trauma of it all, sang-woo became colder and so desperate he was unrecognisable, sae-byeok's end was so tragic but before it happened, she learned to trust, jun-ho actually learned new things about his brother and the games and uncovered secrets as the viewers did and it was interesting - and the story was written with clear intention. This storyline, stretched over two seasons to get more fucking money from continuous streaming and renewal of interest, shocker, anti-capitalist my ass, was literally nothing more than a cash-grab. It was heartless. They somehow brought back queerbaiting for a second there. Nobody (at least I hope) believed it, but they tried. And that is just so so disappointing. Because they knew this story wouldn't stand on its own. They knew they had not written it for any real reason. It was all for the money. And how ironic is that?

This story could have been so good. All of the pieces were in place for them to craft something insanely relevant, a story about goodness, community, honesty, and hope beating the 1%. A story about redemption. A story about equality.

Instead, Squid Game season 3, and the overarching story of season 2, teach nothing more than there being only one thing we all can have and deserve to have: death.

Sacrifice yourself, give up, because the rich are just gonna keep getting richer. And you will never win. But, hey. There's always the next generation. Here's to hoping.

[dragonzfanfics11]

Sbg main six x reader that’s a night owl barely sleeps, but can function perfectly fine.

I love this sm because I'm such a night owl myself and can function somewhat fine (depends the day)😭

Sbg x night owl! Reader

Warnings - none besides possible spelling errors and it's kinda short sorry! :]

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

Ashlynn

Generally concerned about how you can function properly with so little sleep

The first time she notices is at the savanna field trip

You all were sharing the bed or you were sleeping on a couch that was in the room (your pick!)

And even before the phantom showed up she noticed you still awake just doing whatever but she didn't pay much attention because you were pretty quiet and not bothering her

Then after the phantom you all obviously barely or didn't sleep at all

Then you just, walked around the rest of the day like you didn't only get an hour of sleep??

She wants to know how you do it tbh

Also trys getting you into a somewhat better sleeping routine after y'all get closer as friends or lovers

¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿?¿

Aiden

I feel like he's kinda the same way?

Like he still smiles and jokes around like normal but you can definitely tell he's tired

You on the other hand it's almost impossible to tell

The first time he notices is probably at one of the sleep overs and he's having trouble sleeping and notices your still awake to

Then the next morning you where still awake or woke up earlier then him

Either way he's super confused about how you do it

Like "how can you survive with so little sleep?? Are you like a super hero or something??"

After y'all get closer he shows you some tricks he learned or what Ben showed him to fall asleep better

Will 100% lay on top of you so you can't move and cuddle with you till you fall asleep, no arguments allowed

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Ben

I feel like it takes longer for him to notice because I think he's one of the first to fall asleep in the group?

Definitely not the first one to fall asleep but definitely not the last either

So when he does notice he trys his best to figure out why your not sleeping much and trying to find ways to help you fall asleep more

Even if you don't want him to or you like staying up late he's definitely trying to get you into a more healthy schedule

Hell check in with you constantly to make sure your ok even if you reassure him constantly that your seriously fine even with so little sleep

Probably makes you/suggests you to try tea that's supposed to help relax you or make you tired, unless you don't like tea

→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→

Tyler

i feel like he'd notice pretty quickly because I feel like he's pretty observant?

Like I feel like he'd be able to see you didn't get much sleep just by how you act even if you seem like you've got a whole nights sleep

At the sleepovers he trys to subtly get you to sleep and stop doing whatever

Like he'd give you your blanket and pillow or simply fake yawn to see if you would yawn or realize your tired

Random stuff like that

Eventually he'd have enough of it and will drag you over to where everyone was going to sleep and make you lay down and get an actual night's rest

No matter if you say your fine

He will not leave you alone till you get onto a healthier sleep schedule

←←←←←←←←←←←←←←←←←

Taylor

Probably takes her or Logan the longest to notice?

Mainly because I see them falling asleep first in the group (I could be wrong tho)

Tyler, Ben or ash probably bring it up to her and she's like what?? No way!

She literally has no idea how you can function with so little sleep like how??

She tried staying up with you once, fell asleep 3 hours in

Respects if you choose to stay up late but does try to help you get a bit more sleep then you usually do

Off topic headcanon but shed probably do like late night skin care routine stuff with you if she can't sleep herself

★★★★★★★★★★★★

Logan

Like I said in Taylor's he'd probably one of the last to notice

Probably hears of it from Taylor or ben

He literally can't comprehend how you can manage

Likes to ask you questions about what it's like, how you do it, esc.

Suggests stuff that can help you sleep and says you should probably get a bit better of a sleep schedule because what your doing can't be healthy

But won't force you to do it

Will remind you tho and try to help in his own sweet way

★★★★★★★★★★★★

Sorry about it being so short and I think it went a bit off from what you requested so feel free to request again if it want what you wanted! :3

[muffinsin]

helllo, hope you're doing well. I'm wondering if you'd be interested in doing a scenario where one of the Dimitrescu faints, you can choose who, and you can choose why and where it happens.

My only request is if there could be a bit of mama worry and care as well as sisterly care- I know your not a fan of writing alcina but I've been seeing her pop up more often so it makes me believe you're getting more comfortable writing her? But still add her if you want and I hope mother care and sister care is not to much of a big ask.

Im trying to keep this ask to have more freedom in case of writers block sooo idk if it will help but here you go 🫰🏽

Hey, hon! :) I absolutely am interested, this sounds adorable! I love writing Alcina in fluffy prompts, actually XP But I find her quite difficult to write. Anyway, let's get some good mama bear and protective sisters incoming

Let's get into it!

Masterlists

Bela overworking herself is... an understatement

Between a busy schedule cramped with a nearly impossible mountain of tasks, spontaneous issues and worries being dropped on her by the staff and, perhaps most of all, constantly having to monitor her younger sisters, Bela is known to tackle more than enough tasks a day

So headstrong, her mother praises

So perfect, her sister mocks

So capable, her other sister admires

So resilient, others speak highly of her

An impressive heir. A dedicated worker. A respectful woman. The prime example and role model of a sister

Bela Dimitrescu

None know what is behind the titles, the overwhelming amount of stress, the angry tears and breakdowns each night, the headaches daring to overwhelm her after neglecting meals in favor of working more, or simply being too stressed and forgetting about them entirely

Alcina, always praising her for being so headstrong, for the tasks she accomplishes in record time, could never guess the intense toll it takes on her eldest

She knows only of her bright smile when she is praised, cannot catch a glimpse of how her precious eldest breaks herself to perform better, faster, more tasks than she is given, more tasks than anyone ought to take on, desperately chasing the next words of praise from her

Cassandra, mocking and rolling her eyes when her sister scolds her, just rarely sees the utter exhaustion in her well kept features, just rarely picks up the unease her sister's swarm seems to convey, just rarely notices how her sister trembles when she crosses her arms and scolds her

Daniela, who so often mocks and pouts, who so often causes more trouble, intentionally or not. Always looking up at her sister, yet incapable of looking at her, the eldest constantly surrounded by thick walls shielding the true exhaustion her life brings

Bela Dimitrescu

Desperate to do good, to be a good role model, to be worthy of her family's love. Desperate, to keep her family safe

It's like this that she pushes herself too far

She doesn't understand what's happening, doesn't understand how she could trap herself in this room with no escape

She wants to blame Cassandra

She wants to snarl about how she told her to catch the man-thing and she deliberately let him go, only to continue on and postpone her childish, sadistic hunt

Naturally, catching him is now her task

What she didn't account for, however, is being locked inside a room with two large, broken windows and the cool wind causing more and more of her flies to drop rapidly

She feels pain course through her entire body as shots are fired at her, feels as her body trembles, then falls to the ground, her knees weak

Everything goes blurry first, her vision swimming, her head so light and mind hazy

Then, darkness, pain, and silence

She awakens to...noise?

Whispers, hushed voices and snarls. Her eyes feel heavy, her body even more so

She's cold, terribly so, but feels something warm surrounding her. A blanket? No, there must be more than one. Three thick ones, at least

Bela stirs a little as she feels her body be readjusted, her mind reeling as she attempts to figure out where she is

Next, however, she picks up a series of familiar scents

Rich perfume and roses- her favorite scent, the one bringing her the most comfort- Mama is here

Then, there is the scent of iron and blood, of pine trees and the kind of indescribable smell that belongs to rain and water- Cassandra is here

She picks up the last, too, the sweet perfume mixing into the coppery scent of blood- Daniela is here

Ah, but she hardly needs her scent to tell that. She winces when she feels something press against her stomach, her eyes fluttering a little as the thing- a hand, she is sure- is immediately removed and she picks up the hushed snarls of Cassandra as she scolds the redhead

"Move it!"

She opens her eyes to the sound, feeling her body protest as it yearns for just a little more rest

Immediately, she gasps as a body crashed against hers and she feels her youngest sister's head bump against her throat. She hugs her, so tight it hurts, her front and dress rubbing up uncomfortably against the countless wounds on her body

She doesn't dare push her away

"I'm so sorry!", she hears her cry. Again, she feels the discomfort of warm breaths hitting her neck and wet tears running down her skin, though she doesn't dare push the younger woman off. Instead, she groggily raises her aching arms to wrap them around her, not trusting her voice judging by how dry her throat feels

Opening her eyes fully, she finally recognizes the room she's in

She's in her mother's arms, four blankets piled on top of her and countless smaller things- pillows, dolls, stuffed animals and dead mice set up around her almost like an offering of comfort and a plea for forgiveness. Too exhausted, she can't bring herself to smile, though weakly raises her fingers towards her other sister until she feels Cassandra hold them wordlessly, not daring to meet her eyes

She knows, after all, it was her job to kill the man-thing. Her task to get rid of him. Her fault her sister collapsed and nearly froze over, she's sure, unaware of just how hard she has been pushing herself prior

Still, despite the pain she's in, she croaks out a little laugh when Cassandra eventually tugs at the back of her sister's dress, drawing unhappy whines from her as she's yanked back and away, completely oblivious to how the blonde breathes a sigh of relief now the pressure on her wounds and aching body has been lifted

She feels a large hand lovingly cup her head and sighs in relief yet again, leaning into the touch as her eyes slip shut again

She doesn't dare meet her mother's eyes, not after this. She couldn't bear the immense worry in her eyes, knowing she caused it. Knowing it's her fault

Despite her efforts, however, her mother knows

She always does

Bela whines lowly at the back of her throat as she’s turned and her chin is lifted, pressing her eyes shut when she feels tears build up

She couldn’t bear the disappointment she is sure Alcina must feel

Instead, her eyes snap open wide when she feels the woman kiss her forehead as she has so often back when they were still little. Much to her embarrassment her bottom lip wobbles when she catches the utterly loving and caring expression her mother’s face shows

No disappointment- at least not revealed by her expression

She jumps as she feels a body against her back, giggling tiredly as she feels Daniela sling her arms back around her, sniffling quietly by her ear

Her heart aches again as she hears the woman whisper and sniffle, promising to be “the best sister in the world and never cause trouble again” if only she gets better and doesn’t die

She wants to promise her; she won’t die, but the words die in her sore throat and she’s left coughing, which seems to only have her younger sister panic more

Her golden eyes wide and bottom lip quivering, Daniela watches as Bela is guided to lay back again, her eyes closing momentarily at the warmth surrounding her

Still, just to make sure, she allows some of her flies to rest by her sister’s head

For protection

As Bela nestles back against the many blankets around her and feels her mother’s hand stroke soothing circles against her shoulder and back to warm her up, she catches both her sisters looking at her expectantly, as though unsure what to say or do

Guilt. Love. Hope. She easily picks it up in their expressions and pose

She sends them a gentle smile, her throat aching a little as she croaks out an “it’s okay”

Daniela is the first to cuddle up when beckoned closer, by her left

She can only smile again as she feels the woman steal away some of the blankets for herself and whine for Alcina’s other hand until she too receives gentle head scratches

Cassandra stays back for a moment longer, her eyes downcast again until she too joins the pile of blankets

She doesn’t dare meet her sister’s eyes, doesn’t dare bump into her in fear of worsening the pain she’s sure she must be in

She does, however, snarl automatically in surprise when she’s yanked closer, her eyes finding other golden ones as she eventually too curls up against her sister and the blankets

Maybe, it was her fault

But maybe, it doesn’t matter now, with Bela recovering, with her forgiving her

[dandysworld-meh-imagines]

Hallo !! ;D Astro w/ a cuddly reader requester here. I lovvved how it turned out, very cute! :3 but, if it isn't too much trouble again, could I request Astro with a fem. reader who's like,, an angel-based toon? eruhh.. y'know, white wings, glowing halo, soft looking type thing !

Astro With A Fem! Reader Who Is Based Off Of An Angel!

Hey again, dear anon!! It's not too much trouble, no worries! I feel like I'm gonna be very busy these days (whether with stuff or going through bad days sksks) and in the near future too, I'm trying to balance so many things aaaaa.. I hope I'll still be able to post requests here! Here you go, thank you for requesting! <3

-Anna

-Astro thought you looked so beautiful. He still remembers the first time he ever saw you, he was quite surprised. You were such a beautiful girl that he often found himself gazing at you from afar before looking away, it was hard to keep you out of his mind especially when you made an impact on him. Even things like the way you smiled or how others seemed more relaxed around you or just how majestic you looked really drew him in. Astro still remembers how you waved at him and came to introduce yourself, he felt his words fail him a little but was happy to get to meet you.

-You had this specific aura around you, it was safe to say that everyone who stayed near you would suddenly feel more at peace. No one really knew if it was true that you actually did have a pretty good effect on others or it seemed that way, but it really felt like it helped a lot. You even had the power to calm down upset kids that visited Gardenview or those that cried so hard it shook the place, hell, even just holding them in your arms or even gently patting them seemed to work, it got the staff and parents talking about it. You were the toon they brought the most upset kids to, you were helping so much.

-We know Astro can float, though your wings can help you fly as well! You would use them to sit on high places together and just watch down on everyone. Sometimes toons liked to say that you two looked like the sun and moon sitting together, which was quite wholesome. Sometimes you two just fly in the air for a little before landing and laughing softly together. Something you two like to do is hold each other's hands as you fly around or even do a silly spin in the air. Astro really likes to hold your warm hand with his cold one, he finds it comforting.

-Speaking of the sun and moon comparison, some would say that you did indeed felt like the sun with your glowy soft aura and with the warmth you provided around you. Astro being the moon boy certainly helped with that as well, toons or even the staff now calling you the sun girl was quite funny. You and Astro liked the little nicknames, sometimes you even wore them while giggling and he would smile softly. Whenever the toons saw you two flying in the air or sitting somewhere, the nicknames would start again. Well, from afar, thanks to your auras, it really did seem like you two were sun and moon.

-Since Astro's floor and room was kinda dark, you two liked going there and just relaxing together in the dark. His blue and your own soft yellow aura being low felt nice. Your warmth really helped Astro fall asleep faster as he was cuddling with you or even just resting his head on you as he snuggled close. Not to mention the mountain of pillows and blankets this guy has, you are definitely getting the best sleep as his beloved girlfriend, he wants you to rest well! Sharing a blanket with him also feels quite nice, you are really helping his cold body warm up and he falls asleep with a soft smile on his face.

-If there was ever a toon that needed Astro's powers to make them fall asleep if they were struggling that night, you liked to accompany him during these moments too. Honestly? You two made a pretty good team. Your aura would calm down said toon and Astro's powers would make them fall asleep with more peace in their minds. Your auras combined made the dark room feel more safer and more cozy as you helped them fall asleep again. It was honestly a pretty sweet sight to witness. Your angelic appearance made things feel okay and Astro would be able to use less power since they already felt more calm and not shaky much anymore.

-While Astro was sitting somewhere quietly to make sure everyone got good dreams, you liked to sometimes walk around the Gardenview floors where the toons slept and see if anyone was struggling to sleep or have had horrible nightmares. You liked to be there to help them out. Of course, you also needed your sleep but sometimes you liked to stay up to help out your boyfriend. You would have your aura low to not disturb the other's sleep but obvious enough for anyone who was still awake to come to you if they wanted any sort of help. Sometimes you go back to Astro to bring him to whoever needed help sleeping but sometimes you could also be able to calm them down enough alone so they can sleep again.

-The other toons thought you two really fit together, honestly! Not only your aura colors fit together, with Astro having a cold color and you a warm one but you also had a wholesome dynamic that makes the others smile whenever they spot you two relaxing together. Astro really likes listening to you talk or even just rest against you (while fighting sleep), even reading books alongside you is also nice! Sometimes you even like to hug Astro with your arms and wings at the same time, you two look like an adorable couple!

-Astro would really have to convince you to sleep some nights. Don't get him wrong, he really appreciates what you do for him and for the others but don't forget about yourself too! You won't be able to help anyone if you are very tired, after all! He promises that you can spend time with him in your precious dreams while you are asleep, it usually sounds convincing enough for you to agree to it. He does let you stay up only SOME nights, especially since you seemed really eager for it and everything. You two really make a good team and others like to give you little gifts as a thank you for everything.

-Overall, you two are pretty popular in Gardenview, the other toons think your relationship is cute and you just smile while Astro feels shy and flustered about the whole thing and stares he is getting. You two like being mostly in the background just watching everyone else while you two just hold hands and rest together. You have a very wholesome relationship and you two really do a lot for this place and for the others. Astro really loves you a lot, he likes calling you his beautiful angel with a soft tone when you two are alone followed with a gentle hand on your cheek that he strokes with his thumb. You two are adorable!

Thank you for reading! <3

[aforeffective]

parent teacher conference

a helping hand au story | paul + pony centric

*warning for teacher being a dick about the curtis parents' death*

bird and i have never decided on a solid timeline for the au but in my brain this is like 5/6 weeks after the curtis parents' death and like 1/2 weeks after paul gets legal custody of the boys

paul followed pony through the hallway, letting the younger boy lead the way. “it’s so weird being back here.”

pony rolled his eyes playfully. “you graduated 2 years ago, stop acting so high and mighty.”

“yeah, graduated 2 years ago and now i’m back here for my 14 year old kid’s meeting with his teacher. so yeah, it’s a bit weird.”

pony froze for a second, like he was only just realizing just how weird the situation was. “fair enough.”

“so what is this meeting even about?” paul asked as pony seemed to get over his shock and continued walking.

“something about how im slacking in class? which, for the record, i’ve done all the work. i mean, yeah i'm struggling a bit because of everything but i swear i've done it all. the guy just hates me.”

“well for the record, this guy hated me too.”

pony looked up at paul with a raised eyebrow. “what’d you do?”

“your brother was very distracting.”

pony scrunched his face up. “gross.”

“what? ew, not in a gross way. god, i just meant we sat next to each other and we fooled around a lot. did you really think i was saying the teacher hated me cause i had the hots for your brother?”

pony’s eyes widened as he moved to cover his ears. “oh my god! ew! i’m gonna cut my ears off, why would you say that?!”

“you were the one that implied it!”

“gross," pony removed his hands from over his ears as he comes to a stop. "whatever. we’re here now, it’s this door,” pony gestured weakly at the door they had stopped in front of.

“well, here goes nothing.” paul went to reach for the door handle.

pony quickly cleared his throat. “knock. he doesn’t like when people don’t knock.”

paul quickly nodded, shifting his hand away from the handle to instead knock on the door.

paul knocked and upon getting a positive response, opened the door. he ushered pony into the room in front of him before entering himself.

mr fuller didn’t look up from the papers on his desk, instead just speaking. “mr curtis, i must say you are a difficult man to get a hold of. i’ve been urgently trying to get a meeting set up in regards to ponyboy’s slacking and it’s just been-” he finally looked up from the paper to see paul standing in front of him. his eyes narrowed, clearly displeased. “paul holden. you’re not darrel curtis.”

paul and pony shared a glance before paul responded. “i see you’re still as observant as you were when i was in your class.”

mr fuller didn’t seem to find paul’s comment amusing. instead, he continued scowling at paul. “well, darrell is a grown up now so i assumed he would know better than to send a friend in his place for a professional meeting, but i guess that was a foolish assumption on my part.”

pony’s mouth fell open, ready to defend his brother but paul placed a hand on his shoulder; a silent signal to not say anything that could get him in more trouble. instead, paul took the lead.

“for someone complaining that darry is difficult to get a hold of, you clearly don’t check your emails. pony, can you go wait out in the hallway please?” pony turned towards paul to argue but upon seeing the look on paul’s face, he knew he could trust paul to defend him and his brothers. nodding, pony went back out into the hall.

now that pony was gone, paul turned his focus back on mr fuller. “as i was saying, i actually personally took care of making sure all of pony’s teachers were emailed both by the front office and the guidance office to inform them of the situation. so if you are unaware, that means you don’t actually read any of the information sent to you by your employer. so that’s already a really bad look for you, on top of openly disrespecting a student’s legal guardian, after they respectfully came in to meet with you. so, you were saying about mr curtis?”

mr fuller had clearly not expected paul’s words as he hurriedly scrolled on his computer and flipped through papers on his desk. “you’ll have a forgive me, i seem to have forgotten the details of the situation. could you catch me up?”

paul sat down in the chair across from the desk. “well you should tell me what you already know so that i don’t have to waste time going over things you already know.”

despite the fact that paul was clearly winning whatever game the two seemed to find themselves in, mr fuller was determined to go down swinging. “well i believe it would be better if you just told me everything, so i can hear how it is from your perspective.”

“mr and mrs curtis passed away in a terrible accident. is that ringing any bells for you? did you at least check that email?”

mr fuller clearly did not appreciate being talked down to like this, especially not by a former student. “i’m aware of what happened to them,” he spoke stiffly.

paul felt bad using the curtis parents’ death as a gotcha moment, even if it was at the expense of a rude teacher in defense of the boys, so he finally got serious. "look, the state was going to take sodapop and ponyboy and stick them in a home and they would have been far away and no one wanted to see them get split up; from each other or from darry. so i took them in, adopted them. so now i'm their legal guardian, adoptive father, whatever you want to call me. darry and i are just trying to make sure they don't get uprooted from everything they know."

mr blank's face stayed flat, almost bored looking. "how admirable of you. i see you're still using darrel as your charity to make yourself feel like a good person."

his words felt like a stab to paul's heart. but if there was one thing paul was good at, it was not letting his face give away his emotions. so he pretended he didn't care, like that hadn't just validated all of the doubts he had been feeling about himself. "i'm sorry that as a teacher, it offends you that i'm just trying to do what's good for the kid. point is, i'm ponyboy's guardian so this is my meeting to have with you. so please, tell me what was so important about pony's work in your class that we had to meet."

"well, ponyboy is really struggling to keep up in the class. he's been falling behind on his work and doesn't show any interest in the class. seems like he thinks he's just too good for my class."

paul sucked on his teeth, thinking over his words carefully. "as mentioned, his parents were just killed in a horrific accident. and while my stepping in and adopting him stopped him from being taken out of tulsa, it's still a huge adjustment. i mean, he had to move out of his childhood house, he's living away from his oldest brother for the first time. it's a lot. give him some fucking grace."

"excuse you?" mr blank was taken aback but paul's language. he had clearly prepped for this meeting with the intention of it being with darry, who however mad he got, still would have been somewhat civil out of respect for ponyboy's education. paul, however, had no issue disrespecting someone who not only disrespected him but also the curtises.

"you heard me. he's going through a lot. give him a break."

"plenty of students are going through stuff. that's not my business. my business is making sure students get their work done and respect my class. all the other students seem to be able to keep up, so clearly this is a ponyboy issue."

paul let out a deep breath. as mentioned, he had no issue being rude back. but he could not afford to lose his temper with pony right out in the hall. he had made so much progress in getting pony and soda to trust him already in just a few weeks, he could not ruin that.

"fine. if pony is as behind in your class as you say he is, can you please provide me with a list of what he's missing? and then i will go through it with him and we'll make sure to get everything to you."

"well ponyboy is a big boy. if he can be moved up a grade, he should be able to keep track of his own work. without his 20 year old parent babysitting." the way mr blank said parent was laced with disgust.

"if you don't wish for darry or i to get involved, then why request a meeting at all?"

mr blank seemed to not have expected his question. he stammered for a second. "as a teacher, it is my responsibility to keep parents informed."

"well, i'm certainly informed about some stuff. just probably not the information you were hoping i would leave here thinking about; like how you don't read any emails from your higher ups, you don't seem to care about the well being of your students. or how blatantly disrespectful you were about pony's parents dying. all this to say, ponyboy told me prior to this meeting that he has turned in all the work and if you won't show me anything to back up your statement that he hasn't, then i will have to believe him. so?"

mr blank didn't say anything, simply scanning over the papers on his desk, looking for anything he could use to prove his point.

"cool, you clearly have nothing. have an awful life." paul got up from his chair and turned around, heading back to the door without waiting for a response.

he met with ponyboy out in the hallway, beginning to walk straight down the hallway. "come on. he's an asshole. but you have nothing to worry about. we're going to go and get you taken out of that class and get him reported. maybe even get him fired. and then i'm thinking ice cream. you want ice cream?" paul trailed off as he seemed to realize pony was still standing by the classroom door, eyes wide as he watched paul. "are you coming?"

pony seemed to snap out of the overwhelm he had felt for a second, instead replacing it with a smile on his face, pushing himself off the wall to catch up to paul. "yeah. yeah, ice cream sounds great."

[questionablecuttlefish]

I am moreso tb critical . They barely spoke any lines to each other and the time they got together was the au episode to justify it . Also I’m not going to say but a famous voice actor keeps trying to make his ship happen . Also it feels like everything jinx is or does is erased bc omg couple goals . And it’s the whole puppy crush taken to a next level .

Yeah, I find the whole thing personally a bit baffling, because I was totally okay with what was actually there on the show. I remember sitting there at the end of Episode 6 with my girlfriend going "Well we're 2/3rds through the series with no Ekko, I guess they're really not doing Timebomb stuff hey." And then episode 7 lmao.

The AU was an, uh, novel way to deal with Ekko's unresolved feelings about his childhood friend turned nemesis, but the payoff seemed to be spelled out? I thought? It really felt like it was laying Ekko's crush to rest as he accepted Jinx couldn't be the Powder of his dreams.

I just didn't get any romantic vibes at all from Main Timeline Ekko and Jinx, the contrast between them and his romance with AU!Powder made that even clearer, as did everything that happened in the final battle and after. His last shot is burning a mourning paper into the breeze, literally letting her go, ffs.

It's a pretty cut and dried Perfect World Bubble Episode trope and I thought it put a bittersweet, poignant full stop on their troubled relationship.

But then the fandom happened, and to be honest, while I once respected Timebomb as a valid, understandable alternate ship for Jinx, I'm done with it now.

I can't deal with the Canon Brigade. I can't stand Lightcannon shippers being all but forced at gunpoint to preface every social post with "guys I also like Timebomb but" or risk being harassed. I can't stand all mentions of "Lux" and "Lightcannon" being banned on relevant reddit subs. I don't like bullies and homophobes and I won't bow to either.

No, I don't like Timebomb, I never will again, thanks to people like this. You could almost say "I had a crush, until I started talking to the fans..."

No, I won't multiship, I don't care if you do, but I don't have to, and I don't.

Both ships were crack ships based on throwaway scraps of dialogue until Amanda Overton got heart eyes and it's time to stop pretending there's any more validity than that.

Lightcannon was, literally, here first, and pretending it's somehow less valid and has no place in the fandom is just homophobia and queer erasure and I have no time for that shit.

If people want to ship Timebomb, if they see something meaningful there that I don't, I'm not going to tell them they can't have it, who the fuck am I? Just another shipper with opinions.

All I can say is that it just doesn't work for me. And I love Ekko, I love Jinx, but their stories, their canon, has had barely anything to do with each other until now, and erasing them both to force the genius time twisting hero of the Undercity and the chaotic freewheeling destruction terrorist into a hetero tradwife fantasy is throwing away 99% of both of their stories and doing both characters a massive disservice.

Don't get me wrong, Ekko is great, I f'cking love writing him, his whole League canon is amazing and it's heartbreaking that they tossed it away for Arcane, the dynamic of their broken friendship is rich and interesting to explore, but it's better off as that. They both have better options that open up whole new adventures instead of ending their stories.

[big-lotus-energy]

Getting your friends to read Naruto is the best thing you could ever do, as evidenced by @theoneindreams opening my eyes to all the ways in which making Sasuke become Hokage at the end of Naruto could've improved the story so so so much. I need to yap about it so here I GO:

Sasuke becoming Hokage would have tied up the story that much more neatly than any other of the options we got, imo. Here's why:

Sasuke's personal arc would be concluded on a very positive note. He has always been ambitious and got lost in his need for revenge, but he also wanted change that is clearly absolutely needed - but at the end of Naruto, he is not in any position to make that change happen. Instead, he hides in the shadows, unable to let go of any of what happened forever. If he instead got to start really processing what happened, and work through it, and come out of that with a fresh drive to change this world for the better, that would give him a perfect drive to actually become Hokage. It would leave him on a note of growth and healing.

It would close the cycle of rebirth conflict and the Uchiha/Konoha conflict so well. Instead of repeating the same constellation as always, have them actually break out of it. The First Hokage was meant to be Madara, was meant to be an Uchiha - and Sasuke becoming Hokage could tie in that thread as well, and really reconcile the Uchiha and the Village as a whole.

Naruto, on the other hand, didn't need to become Hokage to fulfill his arc! His goal of being respected by the village and being accepted was fulfilled long ago. He's a war hero, he's loved and respected by all - without becoming Hokage. He could instead fulfill a role that gives him much more freedom than the position of Hokage allows him - I think he'd thrive much more outside of a position of power like it. He could even follow Jiraiya's footsteps, travel, and bring his help to people in need everywhere, something I think he would find more fulfillment in than politics and paperwork.

In short, I'm now obsessed with the Hokage Sasuke AU in my head.

Some more rapid fire reasons why this would be great:

Sasuke gets to actually spend time with his family.

Sasuke Sakura Hokage Power Couple. Need I say more. (if we keep canon ships ofc.)

Gaara being very opposed to the idea until he sees how viciously Sasuke fights for actual change at every Five Kage Summit, upon which he is SO on board

Shikamaru still gets to suffer, just now in a Different Flavour because Sasuke is probably better at Hokageing in general but he's still as much trouble as Naruto

Hashirama (and Madara? Maybe Madara.) would be proud.

[nfoxysun]

I am shamefully coming back to ask you for another reading for my drs 😞 for this reading it's specifically for my project7 dr in which I'll debut in my own made up girl group called LUVIETTE. and in this dr I have a variety show where I basically interview my favorite groups like for this reading it's NCT WISH, since they're like my number one faves, I get to interview them later on after my debut as their fan but also as an idol. So I'd like to know what the memebrs think of me as their fan in that dr? Thank you so much

(I'm the first blasian idol and I'm still a minor in that dr as well if that helps)

Aaa ty

ahhhhh I'm loving that so much, I'll try to do my best, actually it is my first time doing a reading on more ppl so i have to find a new way!!! let's try it!!

Sion

he sees you as someone that he could be a really good friend with, maybe share moments of joy and some funny jokes. when he saw you he felt like he always knew you since forever and that's why he feels safe with you there, he wants to be your friend so bad, give him an opportunity to this poor boy😭☝🏼

6 of cups and 3 of cups

Riku

with Riku i have mixed feelings, as soon as i saw the first card i got shivers, do not trust him at all. he has some lustful and obsessive thoughts about you but that he tries to fight within himself, maybe because he knows it's not ok having these thoughts on a minor, nono riku, i don't like this energy 😤 he's actually madly jealous of you and could be really possessive, so possessive about you that he could actually fight with other ppl, including his own members, just to have you

devil and 5 of wands

Yushi

yushi is still trying to figure you out, he doesn't actually think of you as a bad person but still he doesn't have a clear mind about you so he decides to just observe and think before judging. you might reveal yourself to him as someone he didn't expect you to be, i see a shift in his vision but still, he's not getting to a clear conclusion yet

4 of swords and hanged man

Jaehee

Jaehee sees you as free spirited and naive, maybe a bit reckless but still really funny to be with, that's why he would like to take the leap of faith and just try to talk to you. btw, i see the both of you really guarded about each other, maybe it's bc you're both afraid you might getting hurt by that? no, i think it's still bc you're a minor, he sees you almost like a child and he wouldn't actually want to get in trouble, he's afraid of it.

Ryo

ryo has a genuine crush on you, when you both met he felt like a sudden desire to know you better. you awaken him, both emotionally and ehm i won't say that but you can think about it. but it's genuine, he's still a teen and he has really pure and lovely feelings about you he really wants to know you better and reach out to you, he felt a real spark, our boy has a crush lol

ace of cups and wands

Sakuya

our sakuya didn't see you coming AT ALL, he's really surprised actually, at first he was unbothered but then he felt a little spark of curiosity and playfulness too, he wants to know you better too but he feels like he already missed his opportunity, i see him being a little bit shy about you

4 of cups and page of wands

i hope you liked my reading!! feel free to leave a feedback!!💗

[sillyswriting]

fuck me.

when they did their thing on netflix about ted bundy (with zac efron) and this app was filled with fic about him. AN ACTUAL R*PIST AND MURDERER, i didn’t see a glimpse of the hate this blog receives. same thing happened for jeffrey dahmer when it was evan peters, and you didn't say a damn thing.

same when i see filthy fic about real actors/actresses, something they’re barely legal. or when stranger things got out and some were writing about underaged characters. where were the haters back then ?

y'all are simping over Negan, but back in the Savior era, he had multiple wives, and it was implied they didn’t really have a choice when he chose them. still, i've seen a lot of fanfic for him.

we don’t even know what kind of person jimmy really is, he was in the movie for like 3 fucking minutes ?? yes he was influenced by a fucking big star in the UK back a that time, he was a traumatised KID, clinging to anything that feels normal to him (his childhood). the real jimmy saville hadn’t even been discovered as the monster he was back in 01, when the world ending for all thoses children in the movies.

if y’all could actually take this hate, and direct it as real troubles, the real world is barely hanging on and you still find the force to harass someone because they wrote for a character that isn’t even problematic YET.

grown up.

just block people if you don’t see eyes to eyes with them, it’s free. sending hate on the internet doesn’t make you a social justice warrior btw, just an arsehole.

edit : i get that jimmy saville traumatised a nation, but his aesthetic is used as a subliminal message. jimmy crystal is the devil in disguise, he WILL be the villain in the next movie, we get it. it doesn't mean he is a sex offender, doesn't mean he is a pedophile, doesn't mean he is a rapist. his tracksuit and haircut is a warning, a way to tell us : "we told you he wasn't nice". and i'm not telling you, jimmy crystal won't turn out to be all of those things in the next movie, but NOW, he isn't.

part of me is tempted to just delete the Jimmy fic altogether and wipe my hands of the discourse

[thoughtfulfoxllama]

I don't know how controversial this is, but the Selective Service shouldn't be a thing

For those not in the States, the Selective Service is the way Conscription happens in the United States. One is required to be registered with the Selective Service System in order to go to College, and to get certain jobs

Personal story, my Biological Grandfather was conscripted during Vietnam, serving with the Seabees. It traumatized him, physically and mentally. He saw his best friend die in front of him, from a shrapnel grenade that got him sent home, and nearly blinded him. His survivors guilt was so horrible that he refused to accept his Purple Heart

And, of course, he met my Grandmother. She was your typical hippie (although she was still Mormon, so not the free love or anti-religion parts). She was a regular participant in Anti-War Protests, and her meeting him further cemented this

So yeah, I'm biased. But, it feels scummy to use College or Career to force people into entering a lottery to see who gets to fight

I have nothing but respect for veterans (as a concept). Many of them are genuinely good people, who fought for what they believed in (even if they were lied to about the reasons)

But, if someone is going to fight, it should be their choice. I'm lucky, and I have issues that prevent me from enlisting, even if my name is called (Septal Defect, Depression, ADHD, and so on)

Now, I'm against War in general, but sometimes it's necessary (Revolutionary, Civil, and WWII are the only ones that comes to mind), but not everyone is meant to be a soldier, and it's unfair to force people unfit for it into that life, just because you want to expand your political cause

[right-there-ride-on]

thinking about how Gyro 'anti-death penalty' Zeppeli discovers his dark determination and willingness to murder only after the situation concerns Johnny's safety. they make me sick