#<- i say this like im not still incredibly lame

[rillette]

As a former gremlin kid (as in my school would be like “just don’t go past that one white line” and I’d skip class just so they’d find me sitting one inch from the white line) I adore ur robin jason so much

TYSM!!! I was also a little shithead kid we are brothers in arms 😈🤝😈

[harvestmoth]

more rejuv things but its. its just this guy again, im sorry shes all i can draw

[good-beanswrites]

My lyrics for Double!! I really loved this song and became like a thousand times more impressed by Deco27 and Natsuki Hanae after working with it for so long 😅 I chickened out of recording this one in the apartment but if anyone wants to cover it... lmk.... 👀 I can definitely put something together to help hear how the rhythms work, because I got it all to line up very nicely! (Lyrics under the cut and my little commentary in the tags)

(I’ve got you, leave it to me!)

Welcome home, it's another day, keeping things at bay, you see no change

Not a smile in this mess, you're doing your best, you say (wake up)

"Don't need a break" as you proceed to start breaking, both sleeping and waking makes you bleed

And now, reborn anew -- I'll take in on for you

Not your plan? Who gives a damn, I'm here and here is where I'll stay

It's just the two of us, nothing left to run from. You're safe now, your hero's come.

All I did was dream, is that a crime? Is that enough to name me guilty by?

"He can't be trusted, he lied," you cried. Made me out as the bad guy. But why?

Ah, I'm the one that saved you, don't you see? So tell me why the hell you cry to me!

Let me hear you revel, grateful, cling to me with "savior," "adore" -- oh, sing to me.

Welcome home, it's another day, keeping things at bay, you see no change

Too late, your limits passed. Too late, yourself has cracked (goodnight)

If you persist I'll assist with releasing, keeping your peace is why I exist

And now reborn anew -- I'll take it on for you

(Oh, hello? Mom? It’s been a while. Yeah.. well, I mean, some days are hard but I’m doing alright, don’t worry. How’ve you been? I’ll go home next time I get some time off...)

The reason I'm alive, must be making sure that you survive

"He can't be trusted, he lied," you cried. Made me out as the bad guy. But why?

All I did was dream, did you forget? Go on and forgive me, I'm no threat.

Listen to me confess, honest. Eat your words and I bet, regret

Ah, I just tried to help, tried to be strong. So tell me why the hell it's all gone wrong

Let me hear you revel, grateful, cling to me with "savior," "adore" -- don't sing me this song

Lost my memory

I'm double, it was unavoidable

Living painfully

I'm trying, as hard as possible

Tell me, tell me.

If I wasn't born, maybe this trouble --

Tell me, tell me.

It's all my fault

[nomaishuttle]

reading the desolations of devils acre and idk man im not tly feeling it

[slutforop81]

𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 ˡⁿ⁴

𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐱 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐬𝐡𝐞/𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦)

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬? 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐚𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟, 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬, 𝐬𝐡𝐲!𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨, 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐚t 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐛𝐡, 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲!

You and Lando have been friends since always. And yes, when you say always you mean that. Your moms were sort of best friends when they were younger, kind of resorting to you and Lando also being best friends since basically birth.

You’re both 24 now, Lando being a successful f1 driver and you studying medicine right now.

When you were younger you two always talked about moving together some day, and well - here you are, sitting in the living room in your shared apartment in Monaco while Lando talks about the girl he recently met.

“You don’t get it… like- she’s incredible! She’s anything I could ever ask for…” he stops for a moment, taking in your absent state. “I invited her over for dinner tonight, by the way.”

Your ears perk up at his words, “tonight?,” you ask, wanting to do everything but to meet your best friend’s new lover. “Shit uh- im busy I thought I told you…” you stutter out a lame excuse, Lando not really looking like he buys it.

“Busy? With what?” He asks, eyebrows raised.

Your eyes widen a bit, but you make out an excuse, “I was going to that party tonight… you know the one with Alex and his brother…?”

He looks away, clearly still not believing you but deciding not to push any further. “Oh alright… i mean have fun, im not gonna stop you, just know that she’ll most likely still be here when you’re gone yeah?”

You nod, “maybe another time… I’d love to meet her.” Full faced lie but who cares. You get up from the couch, pointing over your shoulder towards your room. “Uh I was gonna get ready now im leaving in an hour that okay?”

He responds with a small nod and a tight smile, clearly hurt by the fact that his best friend turns him down like that. He pushes it off and just continues watching whatever is on the tv.

-

After a good hour you leave your room, looking absolute bomb with your hair up and curled and a cute yet small dress covering your body. You make your way to the living room where Lando was still on the couch, scrolling though his phone and not acknowledging you when you make your entrance.

About to pick up your bag from the coffee table, he looks up, raised brows. “You’re 𝐧𝐨𝐭 going out like… 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.” He says, pointing out your outfit.

“Why not?” You practically snap back, not knowing why Lando suddenly tells you what to do and not do.

“Half your ass is hanging out!”

You just ignore him with a simple roll of your eyes as you pick up your purse and walk to the front door. You hear him huff and mumble something under his breath but decide to just ignore it.

Once outside the first thought you get is ‘fuck’. Fuck. Fuck because where tf do you go now? Oh Alex’s party? Lie.

You get in your car and just drive on to the nearest club on the Navi. Already a few minutes later you’re stood in front of amber lounge Monaco, a club you know to well from the countless parties Lando already had been invited to in the past.

You make your entrance, have a good dance with the most random people on the dance floor and everything’s great, until you suddenly feel a hand groping your rear. Instinctively you immediately turn around and see who it was, now stood in front of a tall man, dark hair and eyes full of desire. What a perv.

“What the fuck dude!” You yell over the loud music before letting out a huff and making your way off the dance floor. On the way to the toilets in the back of the club, you don’t even realize the tears streaming down your cheeks. Usually Lando would be here, taking care of it and making sure things like this wouldn’t happen, but he’s not.

You’re hit by a wave of disgusts at the thought of him doing whatever with his new girlfriend now as you get to the bathroom. In front of the mirror you quickly wipe away some mascara and tears from under your eyes, before taking out your phone to check the time.

For fucks sake how long have you been dancing for? You don’t even remember the time you left the apartment but the time on your phone clearly shows that it’s too late for you, especially without having anyone to take you home or anything. You decide it’s best for you to leave, so you do. On the way out you see the man from the dance floor again, waving you over, but you ignore him as your pace quickens and In no time you’re sat in your car, starting the engine and driving back to the apartment.

-

You stumble inside, surprised to still see a light in the kitchen. You toe off your extremely uncomfortable heels and peek your head to the kitchen, Lando standing at the counter and making some food. When he hears you, he turns around with a slight smile, which is quickly fading when he sees the smudged mascara on your face.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, immediately putting down the spoon in his hand and turning his whole attention towards you.

“Huh? Oh nothing, don’t worry about it…” you mumble as you put down your bag and walk inside the kitchen fully. “What are you making?” You ask, switching the topic as you open the fridge to get out some water.

“Mac and cheese..” He says softly, watching you walk into the kitchen. He can tell you aren’t being honest, but he’s still not sure what happened. “Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t want to talk about it?” He says, sounding worried.

You smile at him, “just… girl issues, don’t worry about it.” Fucking he’ll do your insides cringe at what you just told him but you push it off with an awkward smile.

He shrugs, not knowing if he really believes you, but deciding not to push it. “If you say so…” He says, turning back around to focus on the food he’s making. “Do you want some?” He asks.

You shake your head, sitting up on the kitchen island with a bottle of water in your hand. You watch his back for a moment, and eerie silence in the room before you break it again. “How was your evening with- uh you didn’t tell me her name yet actually?”

“Her name’s Luisa, she’s great.” He says softly, smiling a little just thinking about her. “Did you meet anyone tonight?” He asks, clearly just trying to make conversation.

“Nope, wasn’t a lot going on in the cl- at the party tonight…” you mumble.

“Really? I would’ve thought you would meet some hot guy and take him home?” He teases. He notices how annoyed you seem to be by his question, and feels a little bad. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” He stops talking mid-sentence, realizing how that may have been awkward to ask.

you once again smile, a weird awkward tension in the room. “No no, it’s okay… just glad you and Luisa had fun…”

“Thanks. I really like her.” He says, looking back at you with a soft look in his eyes. He can tell there’s something more on your mind. Your behavior is unlike anything he’s seen from you the rest of the day.

“Do you think she’s the one?” You ask, not really thinking.

He turns to you, a little surprised by the question but smiling softly. "I hope so. It's too soon to say, but I really like her..."

You hop off the counter and get a fork from the drawer, before hogging a fork of Landos food with a smirk. “Heyy stop stealing my food!” He says playfully.

Lots of giggles are exchanged the next few minutes, before an eerie silence sets in, just for Lando to break it, “do you think im good enough for her…?” He asks, keeping his gaze locked onto the floor as he sets his bowl of Mac and cheese down on the counter.

“More than good enough… she’s lucky to have found someone as caring and loving as you…” you say quietly.

He meets your gaze for a moment before looking away again, “you think so?”

You just nod with a small hum of approval.

"I don't know... sometimes I question it. And I know she has so many options, I don't want to keep her from potentially finding something better..." He says quietly, not looking at you. He sounds insecure, which is not something he usually shows. He normally puts on a confident face, never showing this side of himself, yet you can see it clearly.

You look back up at him, almost shocked at his words since he’s usually the funny, self confident guy. “Oh cut it, you’re literally perfect Lando.” You say immediately, not really thinking how he’d take your words.

“You think im perfect?” He asks, finally meeting your eyes.

“You’re my best friend, of course I do…” you murmur, feeling a little awkward now.

He looks at you, the look in his eyes showing his appreciation for your honesty. It's like he's never heard those words before, and that's exactly what he needed to hear. “…thank you." He says quietly, the smile on his face growing.

There’s a long, eerie yet calming silence. You think about your next words, when you suddenly get a thought you’d been having for a while now.

“Do you think im unlovable…?” You ask quietly, almost a whisper, your gaze on the ground again.

His head immediately cocks towards you, his brows raised. “No, why would you say that?”

“Just a stupid thought, forget about it…” you murmur, thinking it’s bullshit.

He doesn't believe you, but decides not to press the subject. A part of him feels that there must be some reason behind that statement. "... okay. Just... you're not, I promise." He says, looking you in the eye.

“How would you know…” you more state than ask in a hushed tone of voice.

He doesn't answer for a few moments, a hint of a smile lingering on his lips. "...because you're amazing, Y/N. Any guy would be lucky to have you." He says in a quiet but strong voice.

You stay quiet, chewing on the inside of your lip as you’re debating whether to say the next words or not. Your thoughts get interrupted by Lando again. “What is going on with you?”

“Nothing.” You say back almost immediately, a forced smile plastered across your lips. A smile Lando has seen so many times and knows so well.

“Don’t bullshit me… ‘cause you’re acting off and I don’t like that…”

“I’m fine.” You’re quick with a reply again, absolutely hating being in this situation right now.

“Don’t do this again.” Lando stays firmly yet his voice wavering slightly. “Don’t do this thing where you shut me out again and don’t let me and- and just push away all those feelings because im sick of that.” He almost snaps, followed by a long silence of you not responding. “Is it really that you don’t care? Do you not care about your feelings or- or-“

“No, I in fact don’t care. I don’t care that I have nobody I- I don’t care that im some depressed girl i don’t care that- that im unlovable and I- I!” You start talking, not finding an end as he cuts you off again.

“Stop- don’t talk like that…” he says quietly yet firmly.

“No! You- you have Luisa and I have no one why- why do you get to love and be loved and I don’t?!” You snap, not even thinking about your words.

"Don’t say that, you are loved, okay? You have me." He says, stepping closer to you, staring at you with a determined expression. “You have nobody? No one? Not me? You’ve been my best friend for years, and you haven’t once considered the idea that you’re loved by me?" He asks, his voice slightly wavering.

“But not the way you love Luisa!”

His heart skips a beat at that. “…it doesn’t have to be the same way I love her” he says, his voice slightly lowered. He can’t stand the fact that you don’t realize how much he cares about you.

“Yes it does!” You yell, not even realizing how pathetic you sound.

“Stop yelling!” He yells back. At this point you’re both a yelling mess, not even knowing what it’s all about no more. Lando is hurt by your words, by the fact that you feel like you’re unlovable, but he pushes those feelings away as he shakes his head and walks to the front door and puts on a jacket and shoes.

You follow after him, tears of both, anger and frustration, stinging in the corner of your eyes. “What are you doing?” You ask, voice trembling ever so slightly.

“Going to Luisa’s place.” He murmurs as he grabs his car keys and just… leaves…

-

[dr-spectre]

Talking about Side Order and... Marina. (SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!)

You know, i really enjoyed Side Order, like it wasn't perfect or anything but i had such a blast with it and if they continue to expand on it we could have something REALLY amazing. My reaction to the GOD DAMN TUTORIAL BOSS GOT ME HYPERVENTILATING! IM NOT JOKING! IT WAS SO EXCITING AND SHOCKING!!! THE FINAL BOSS WAS INCREDIBLE TOO! I was singing along to Spectrum Obligato and WHEN THEY BROUGHT IN THE STUFF FROM THE LIVE CONCERT VERSION OF EBB AND FLOW MY JAW DROPPED!!!

However i gotta admit, the story could have been better, what was the deal with the Octoling engineers Marina was talking about? That goes completely nowhere and i thought it was gonna build to something with the repeat playthroughs of the final boss.

And of course, the biggest missed opportunity in my opinion, Marina Agitando.

Now look, i wanna say right off the bat, the design is excellent, it was so smart to bring back her Order outfit and make her into a giant abomination that moves in such a weird way that makes you feel uncomfortable. When i saw her for the very first time when you enter the room, i stood there for at least a solid minute in complete disbelief and shock seeing a giant Marina in some octopus tentacle heart thingy that beats and pumps with the music. The song that plays too "Unconscience" is such a BANGER and honestly it rivals Octo Callie's Bomb Rush Blush remix in my opinion.

The build up for this was pretty good too, seeing Marina say "help me" before she was knocked unconscious and then possessed by Overlorder BROKE ME! I was like "OH NO! ITS HAPPENING AGAIN! NOT MARINA!!" The build up to the 10th floor was so anxiety inducing because you know in the back of your mind that Marina is gonna fight you but you don't know what it's gonna look like, if you were there since Splatoon 2 and have watched Pearl and Marina since the beginning then this build up is even more anxiety inducing and its pretty damn good. And once you free Marina she feels so sorry about what happened and helps you out to put things right, heck she goes through a small character arc of embracing chaos.... but... i have to say...

It is unfortunately not executed that well or with any depth in my opinion because they repeated the whole thing of "oh no a character we know is evil because of (quote on quote) mind control!!!! oh noooo!!" Which is a tired trope in this series that needs to stop or else I'm gonna get REALLYYYYYY pissed off.

I've done enough ranting about Callie's villain arc and how that has been misinterpreted and stuff, but for Marina, i really wish they didn't do the whole "oh no a character is evil because of an evil character oh nooo!! we gotta save them!!" thing again and i wish Marina was more of a villain with a sad motivation for her actions. As much as its cute to see Pearl and Marina act all flirty with each other in Side Order, it kinda ruins the mysterious and dark tone of the story that was teased from the trailers and the tutorial in my opinion. Everything is also explained so quickly early on which really sucks. I really wish Marina was actually conscious throughout her time as Marina Agitando and most of it should have been her fault. She does blame herself for creating Overlorder but it's kinda brushed aside quickly and Marina ends up being totally fine and free of guilt. There isn't enough depth to it which is so lame and a missed opportunity.

Marina is flawed, she makes mistakes and acts emotional and angry sometimes. We have seen a side of Marina where she snaps at Pearl when she loses Splatfests and has shown signs that she still hasn't recovered from her time before she met Pearl.

She picked team Order because she was genuinely scared that her new life would fall apart and she doesn't wanna lose the people (especially Pearl) that she's met and grown to love. Marina is also heavily theorized to be on the autism spectrum and as someone who is autistic, i can see myself in Marina, they could have really explored Marina's psyche and mental health in Side Order but they just... didn't. Instead she's put to sleep and controlled by her ai child and all of the focus is put on stopping it like a traditional "oh no we gotta stop an evil ai!! oh noo!!" story... ugh... I mean Smollusk is cute i guess but there's not a ton to them and they come off as yet another "evil ai that wants order and control!! roarrr!!!"

From reading the most recent interview on Side Order and seeing the concept art, they said that they wanted to tell a story about Marina losing herself to a machine that she created. Could you imagine how tragic it would have been to learn more about Marina and how she's so wrapped up in anxiety that she decides to make this replica of Inkopolis Square and make the Memverse? Maybe at first she makes it to help Sanitized Octolings just like in the dlc, but then maybe due to overwork and burnout (which Pearl mentions in the tutorial by the way), her emotions and anxiety become so strong that she becomes consumed by it, this obsession of order and trying to achieve happiness takes over her and then she gets the idea to spread this order to the real world, where her friends can be "happy" and "safe." Maybe Overlorder is still there but they just whisper to Marina, manipulate and point her in the right direction to continue to her mission of order instead of just fucking knocking her out and using her as a meat puppet for 5 minutes.

Could you imagine how much better the build up would have been to not see Marina until you get to the 30th floor for the first time and you got to unlock her diary entries beforehand? Seeing her thought process and her slow descent into becoming an antagonist. I'm not sure how they would have changed the permanent upgrades but they could have thought of something man. I get that they wanted to subvert expectations but, i think they should have gone WAY further with Marina Agitando.

I was waiting for Pearl and Marina to have their "Tidal Rush" moment where it's this emotional battle between the two, could you imagine how DEVISTATING a remix of Ebb and Flow would have been if it had gotten that "Tidal Rush" type of remix? Pearl singing her parts in this chaotic and emotional way, on the brink of tears trying to get Marina back and calm her down, and Marina trying to fight back against her words, not wanting to believe her because she's so wrapped up trying to make them both happy in her way. She's so caught up in order that she has forgotten what Pearl wants, that Pearl wants to be with her and go against any obstacle that stands in their way together. God i would have cried seeing that I'm not gonna lie. Maybe once Marina starts to think rationally, she breaks free from the machine and then leaps into Pearl's arms, and then we have to go back up the 30 floors to fight Overlorder and we slowly see Marina learn to embrace chaos throughout the floors instead of it just being at the final boss.

I really do feel like Splatoon has this issue of trying to appeal way too hard to kids and being really scared to dive into the flaws of these characters. They are so avoidant of being more serious and they hide it away in optional collectables and obscure posts on social media that creates misinformation and stories that feel way too undeveloped. They just say "oh this character has been brainwashed!!" which is such a lazy and bullshit trope they slap on these characters to avoid getting into their flaws for some stupid reason. (Hell that word has lost all meaning to me now to be honest. Like no, Callie wasn't "brainwashed" per say, hypnosis is not brainwashing or mind control I've said that a trillion times in other blog posts but whatever. Agent 3 was knocked out and had no clue on what was happening. They weren't "brainwashed" they were used as a puppet from a fucking goopy telephone for five minutes while they were asleep. Maybe its poor translation i don't know.)

I know that Splatoon is made for all ages and primarily for children but, i find that to be a stupid excuse for bad storytelling, a good story with depth that's explored and set up properly can be applied to all kinds of age groups not just adults. And the adults that say that shit too, why do you think like that? Why do you wish to dismiss that sort of thing in media? So what if it's made for kids? Adults write these stories and plant themes and arcs into them. Why do you think people cried over the Rosalina storybook in Mario Galaxy and think its the best part of that game? You don't want that kind of stuff in games because "they are made for kids"? Why do you think there are so many adults in the Splatoon community hmm?

I am so worried for Deep Cut in the next game because i really don't want this to happen again, i want an actual proper villain arc for either Frye or Shiver. No hypnosis, no brainwashing, no mind control. Just a pure fucking villain arc caused by the flaws of the characters and without the involvement of a third party. Please, i wanna see growth in these characters that is explored way more clearly and better. Or maybe don't do a villain arc again and just have Deep Cut be fully happy with each other and develop their relationship more with lore and backstory. PLEASE!

Anyways ramble over, thank you for reading!

[odyssean-flower]

yet another deleted scene (i am literally stalling for time)

chapter is coming this week i promise...im just trying to find the motivation to put words to page rn...please feel free to send me asks about any of my stories, it will probably help me write faster

He has a very nice profile, you thought as you gazed at his chiseled features. It would look very good on coins or cameos.

You instinctively took a step back. “W-what is it, sir?” you stuttered, your heart suddenly beating rapidly. Oh, this is so embarrassing, especially after I teased him for staring at me!

“I called your name several times, but you didn’t answer. Just as I thought, we really should stop for a short rest—”

“There’s no need for that, sir,” you shook your head vigorously. “I was just enraptured by the beauty of the sea.”

The incredibly lame excuse popped out of your mouth before you knew it.

Neuvillette raised an eyebrow. “But you weren’t looking at the sea. You were staring at me.”

I did this to myself. You resisted the urge to bury your head in your hands. Neuvillette was still staring at you intently, but there was a lightness in his gaze, almost like he was amused.

“Well…” you cleared your throat. “I was looking at you…because…because you seemed like you really love the sea. You do, don’t you?”

You wanted to smack yourself in the head. Way to ask the most obvious question in the world!

“I do,” Neuvillette nodded, as though it was a perfectly reasonable question to him. “But that still does not explain why you were staring at me.”

“…I can see why you’re able to stay in your job for so long,” you muttered after a while. “You just can’t let things go.”

“Why, thank you, Madame. Persistence is quite the desirable trait to have in my line of work,” he said. Ah, he’s enjoying this, you thought as you saw the corners of his mouth twitch. “You have yet to answer my question, though.”

You gave him a look, which he returned with a nonchalant stare. You heaved a sigh.

“Fine, if you must know,” you said. “I was staring at you because you have a face that’s interesting to look at. The kind of face that should be minted on coins or depicted in statuary.”

You expected him to be put off by your words, but instead he turned to look at the water’s surface, as though to verify your words by checking his reflection. “An interesting face?” you heard him murmur to himself.

Is he actually unaware of the effect his appearance has on people? You thought as you watched him incredulously. Or maybe he thought I was insulting him?

The second option seemed more likely. You were sure that he was used to more flattering and direct compliments for his looks.

“I-I don’t mean that your face is unattractive, sir,” you began to say, but was cut off when he abruptly turned to you.

“I do not understand why you would prefer to look at me when the sea is right before your eyes,” he said, his voice filled with sincere bafflement. “The scenery is so much more riveting.”

It caught you off guard, sometimes, how seriously he took everything you said.

[mytheoristavenue]

*turns on lap in dark room* ya know what im here for 😈😈 may I request a 2012perv x clueless reader for Mikey and Raph please 🙇🏾‍♀️🙇🏾‍♀️

Sure thing, this will be the Mikey version!

TMNT 2012 Perv!Michael Angelo x Clueless!Reader - Boo Boos

Summary: While out skating, Mikey scrapes up his knee and takes a guilty pleasure in being the subject of your care.

Warnings: Perv! Mikey, mention of injury, innuendo, language, sub!Mikey, praise kink

"Crap!" Mikey hissed dramatically, groaning while splayed out on the dirty cement floor of the defunct subway station. You gasped and scurried over to him, skidding on your knees to his side.

"Oh my gosh, Mikey, are you okay?" you fretted, hesitantly reaching out to touch the fresh red marks on his skin.

"Obviously not," he scoffed, finally sitting up. "I totally wipe out." He pouted for a moment before his eyes wandered over to his skateboard, divided in two, and laying scattered on the abandoned train tracks. "Shit, my board!" He cried, limping over to the edge of the sidewalk and looming over it. "It's snapped in half! Goddamnit!"

"Maybe we should just go home?" you suggested, trying to pry him away from the ground by his shoulder. "We should get you patched up or you might get dirt in your scrape."

He sighed unhappily, and rolled over onto his shell, head drooping over the cliff. "Yeah whatever, just grab my board, would ya?"

-----

After a short trek back to the lair, you tossed your now crippled friend onto the couch while you bustled around the living space. "Maybe Donnie can fix it," you cooed in an effort to lift his spirits. "I'll take it to him on the way to get the first aid kit." Mikey sat on the sofa, heavily pouting. This was so lame. When you came back, you had the aforementioned kit, a bottle of alcohol, a rag, and no skateboard. "Good news," you chirped, walking over. "Don said it'd be an easy fix and he should have time for it in a few days."

"A few days?!" he whined. "What am I supposed to do until then?"

You shrugged nervously. It seemed like nothing could make him happy. "You can borrow mine until then, sound good?"

"I guess..." he sighed, propping his chin on his fist. His annoyance was short lived, attention caught by by something shifting in his peripheral. Looking down, he found that you'd situated yourself between his legs, peering up at him with the prettiest smile. "What are you doing?" he asked, heat creeping into his cheeks.

"Fixing up your knee?" you giggled. "It would have been awkward if I sat beside you and had to lean over you." This wasn't much less awkward, he had to admit, but he didn't plan on asking you to move. Secretly, he rather enjoyed the sight of you sitting between his knees.

"Whatever, just make it quick." he scoffed, averting his gaze in order to hid his flushed face. He once again hissed as you dabbed an alcohol soaked cotton ball against his tender flesh. He made moves to try and escape you, but he couldn't bring himself to tear away from your dainty grasp on his ankle. "Fuck, (Y/N), that hurts!"

"I know it does," you soothed, stroking a thumb against his calf. "But you're taking it like a champ." Something about the double meaning of your words, paired with the innocence of your smile did him in. You could pour that entire bottle of chemical onto his wounds right now, and he'd let you with few complaints, as long as you praised him like that again.

"I-I am?" he sputtered, relaxing a bit under your touch. You nodded proudly, dabbing his knee again, this time with a clean, wet rag.

You sure are," you cooed, unwinding a roll of gauze between your hands. "Doing so good, Mikey." The terrapin shudder at the way his name sounded when it left your lips. "Now hold still so I can wrap it, we're almost done."

His breath hitched at the way your eyes batted up at him, looking so deliciously oblivious to how incredibly seductive your tone was. "Y-yes, Mommy."

Your eyes shot open at his comment, and your hands froze in mid air. Your gaze darted to his, shocked and a little unnerved. "What did you just say?"

Mikey's entire world was falling down around him. He couldn't have possibly just said that, could he? There was no way he'd be that stupid! Frantically he searched for some type of excuse, to gaslight you into thinking you'd misheard. "Uh," he stalled. "Sorry. Heh, get it?" You waited with cautious eyes for the punchline of his joke, only for it to be farther delayed by awkward silence. "Like the meme, ya know? 'Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry.' Heh heh, it's funny!"

His hands trembled with humiliation as you eyed him like a rabbit would a dog, carefully packing the first aid kit and backing away. "That's...still pretty weird, Mike." As you set the kit on the kitchen island, you grabbed your bag, pretending to glance at your phone. "Uh, it's pretty late. I'm gonna head out..."

You couldn't leave the lair quick enough, and you made sure to grab your skateboard on the way out, no longer comfortable with letting him borrow it. He watched you leave, head hung in shame and the last few minutes playing on repeat in his mind before flailing back onto the couch to whine.

"Damnit!"

Taglist:

@sunshinesdaydream @helpyaw @thelaundrybitch @momii @camillahorne26 @turtle-babe83 @fyreball66 @sharpwindow @roseygardenfan @witchofthenorthstar @pheradream15

[ultimateloserboy]

since its pride month im providing my hot take (thats actually a joke but still) i absolutely HATE IT when people are like “haha duck would be homophobic”. not because i dont agree with queer people making those jokes, but because it doesnt give him enough credit when it comes to his assholery. making fun of someone for being gay is so lame and overdone. this man is the type to forgive you for being gay but NOT your haircut!!!! he wont aim for the stupid shit like blue hair and pronouns, oh no, he’ll aim lower. he’ll aim so low he’ll be sifting through your family photos to see which family member d/ed to make fun of you for it. he’ll be the type to say “he should be hit by a bus” and when corrected he’ll go “oh. my apologies. she should be hit by a bus” with no emphasis on the “she” either cuz thats not the part he was trying to get across. he wont be condescending about that kind of stuff, he’ll be condescending about the uglyass boots youre wearing today. or the way your eyelashes are fucked up. he cant judge you for who you are or what you like, hes a drag queen that kisses household appliances, but he absolutely can judge you for that one pimple you tried to hide that you’re incredibly insecure about that you popped and now its scarring and he’s laughing and pointing at you and all that kinda stuff. also the guy hes into is a naked man with nothing up or down (if you know what i mean) so the idea of him being transphobic is laughable. especially paired with the fact that THERE IS ALMOST LITERALLY NOBODY CANONICALLY WITH BIO SEXES!! LIKE WHY WOULD HE BAT AN EYE AT A GUY WITH BOOBS WHEN HES SURROUNDED BY STRANGER, LESS HUMAN MEN!? i could go on all day about how gender as a concept in dhmis is nowhere near the cis ideology but the main point im making is that when the computer tells duck “hey imma boy” hes like “shit me too brother, but i dont have those bigass teeth tho LMAOOOOO!!!”

also extra point hed be the type of guy to get arrested for something serious and be like “god forbid A GAY MAN do ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!” and def reclaims gay slurs like. he is the type to wear the “THATS MR F//GOT TO YOU!!” shirt and red guy has to tell him not to (although i highly doubt they have slurs in their world cuz theyve suffered enough)

[notyouraryang0dd3ss]

I find it so bizarre that I’ve seen some of your anons say they remember when she got super famous around 2008… as an international ex-swiftie I can tell you right now that is so far from the reality at least on a global scale. Maybe in the USA she was super famous then but she was still relatively unknown until the whole Kanye VMA situation, and even then only a small number of people knew her for her music itself. I was a fan since her first album but she wasn’t like an overnight global success (tbh I think she hates that she wasn’t cause it definitely feels like she tries to make it seem like she was). And when she did start to become “Taylor Swift” the brand it was NOT COOL to like her. In fact I remember being picked on for liking her. Like why would I like that lame country singer. Country music is lame. It wasn’t till 1989 that she became cool to like her (I could argue I Knew You Were Trouble but for the sake of it I’ll say 1989). Then the whole Kanye 2.0 situation and she went into “hiding” (aka didn’t call paparazzi on herself). Then Reputation is where I think people were back on the Taylor train. She’s not really fallen from grace since well until now. I just find it interesting the perception she was a mega star in 2008 when I don’t think globally she was till 2014/2016. And even then most of the success for her music followed personal drama that increased her fame not the other way around. Don’t get me wrong she has always been in the public eye but definitely more of an American Celebrity than a global one for the most part of the start of her career. Even now I see a lot of other international people saying she’s not got a large global pull like she does in the USA. She’s no Michael / Madonna / Janet / Britney / Beyoncé.

this ask is so funny “(tbh i think she hates that she wasn’t)” is so true. she is the queen of taylor swift historical revisionism and i feel like her rerelease campaign is part of revising the history of her personal brand too

thank you for this ask this is so insightful. im american if it isnt super obvious already enough but she’s always been big here. idk if other americans are aware of this but we’re an incredibly self centered country and assume whatever the american opinion is is the default global opinion which is fundamentally not true. she’s always been big here and her blowing up around 1989 (or her full shift to pop) makes sense. she makes really catchy pop music (if i accidentally hear a song it will get stuck in my head for days) and isn’t vocally challenging to sing along with.

“she went into hiding (aka didnt call the paparazzi on herself)” LMFAO SO TRUE! her reputation era was hilarious cause she framed herself as being universally hated yet had the highest grossing tour of 2017…like let’s be real.

i feel like the eras tour is her establishing herself as a global force on par with michael/madonna/beyoncé/britney etc. but it isn’t really sticking. like it is financially but also…its not? idk i just feel like she doesn’t have that IT factor no matter how much she tries to fabricate it through other means. her brand is not her music (despite being her being the first billionaire solely off her music) its being Taylor Swift™️

idk. only time will tell her actual legacy but she will go down as a musician whose 4 AOTYs did not deserve their awards. and i got so sidetracked but yes swifties do overhype the timeline of her intl fame to fuel their delusion over her

[lowpolyshadow]

Something i don't really agree or get is fandom perspective of shadow being lame,cringe and bastard meow meow cus that's not really it either(surviving and trying to cope with the horrors? The coolest thing), more like a modern distorted loved notion of people, yeah is funny but also projected and kinda westernized(the inaccurated dub versions and dialogue), leaning away from the original cultural backgrourd that get's sleep on and puts a more nuanced perception of the games. Idk where im going with this but i don't get people popular perspectives idk sorry im a killjoy i just love the fucked up aspect of this silly franchise and it's characters(i wish it could get that deep again).

theres a lot of things that indicate shadow is a cringe little bastard from jp to eng, it’s like his whole. Thing. the fanon flanderization of shadow is crazy but the part where he’s a bastard is pretty blatant in canon

like, he’s genuinely cool and stuff, he has a lot of fantastic moments (if the world chooses to become my enemy i will fight as i always have, the entire somewhat ridiculous yet awesome finale of shadow the hedgehog, sa2’s ending literally cemented his popularity so hard he came back to life in heroes because people thought he was fucking awesome and compelling), but a big appeal is the fact that he’s also still a silly guy in a series full of whacky silly guys

the eng and jp dubs have their differences in tone in a lot of ways, and eng is not incredibly accurate bc of it, but shadow even in jp is still like. a loser (affectionate)—he’s constantly talking about how much better he is, he insists on showing his dominance over sonic (and others, but especially sonic) even when it doesnt fucking matter ala tsr, he constantly FULLY believes he is the most correct person in any and all situations, and that his actions are always the best way to go about it even if it’s reckless or sometimes unnecessary (the mow things in my way down solution)

he’s so earnest in everything he does, in his own special cringe little way, where he’ll say factually correct statements in a blunt manner, but also not quite … ? he’s very honest. he’s incredibly straightforward. every single comment he says, no matter how fucking absurd or edgy or funny, he truly means it. thats his APPEAL he says shit like “ive hit the ultimate jackpot!” and “this is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me!” and somehow also “no one else should experience the things ive gone through” and thats all FANTASTIC

i like this twitter thread and a lot of jib’s threads on shadow, bc they know a lot more about the jp side of things, but tldr: shadow is my funny little guy. my stupid little pogchamp. my cringe little bastard boy who is the coolest and also the lamest motherfucker ive ever witness. i’m going to dribble him like a basketball

[cosmicdream222]

sorry to be morbid again but do you think we can manifest passing away early? im honestly past the point of wanting to exist and just want to get over this thing that im supposed to be a successful person but im not so idrc if i do or dont live

so many ppl on tarot related blogs ask about their fs but if we dont meet them does it matter and would they just move on with their life? like i think u have to have ur life put together but its genuinely so hard to do these days so i hope my fs wont be sad at all when i die cause i wouldnt be able to make tnem truly happy anyway cause im not happy myself with how things have been

ideally i wouldve done something in a sport or music but that ship sailed long ago and now im so stuck but id hate to be reliant on someone else and i shouldve moved out into my own place but housing is ridiculously expensive where im from and taxes dont help anyone. it takes years and years to pick up a talent so i have wasted those years and ik im just going to struggle to get past 50 if i were to have my own place bc minimum wage jobs suck arse and i dont want to be doinng something lame not that its lame for others to do it, its just not what i wanted to have done at all

you cant even get a degree without needing to fork out hundreds and thousands so yeah none of its easy and sure you can try subliminals but lets face it the systemn we are in is fucked up big time so rn i cant even bother with daydream about how it could have been or the what ifs i had done smth differently or if i had any talent but then theres still the, im too old and too foreign to do any sort of music as most successful groups nowadays are korean and even if i tried to do what they did it would probs end up killing me some way or other

its just either about having to be wealthy or having some type of talent both of which id fail at anyway as i shouldve done it years ago like a normal person who goes from being so so at something to being great at something.

i truly think i was born in wrong generation or i just shouldnt have been born at all then i wouldnt have to fret constantly abt these types of things. i think if the government genuinely sorted shit out for once and helped society ppl would be happier to work for less but im not happy at all with the current state of things. i feel guilty for existing and i hate it sm like god just let me end my life pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee there is nothing worthwhile in store, ik we could try shifting subliminals but have those genuinely worked? like u exit this reality and straight into the one you wanted originally? but then i might as well just pass away cause id have to know what i want in another reality

My dude, take a deep breath. You’ve ranted about all this same exact stuff a bunch of times now and I’m just gonna repeat the same thing I said to you last time:

All of that stuff you mentioned about your current reality is an illusion. Time is an illusion. It does not matter what you’ve done in the past. The economy does not matter. Your present circumstances do not matter.

I’ll add to that: Whatever some tarot reader or TikTok psychic says definitely does not matter. Idk what fs means but I’m guessing something like a twin flame and that is especially 1000% bullshit.

The spiritual community has created an incredible amount of false narratives to make excuses and blame outside forces for why things aren’t going their way. None of it is real. Seriously forget everything you learned about fate, karma, astrology, or anything else that’s saying something else is in control. Reality is an illusion. YOU are in control.

You don’t have to identify with any old bullshit anymore. Stop repeating the old story and think about what you do want. You can have literally ANYTHING! You say you don’t know what you want, ok, but you know what you don’t want, right?

I don’t want to work -> I want to live in a reality where I don’t have to work.

There, you just figured out something you want! It’s that simple.

I totally agree that this society is a horrific shitshow and I don’t want to be aware of it anymore either. But it’s just one version of reality available. It’s not the only reality and it’s not the original reality. You don’t have to be aware of it anymore if you don’t want to be.

You also don’t have to involve death at all. There’s a lot of misconception in the shifting world which has lead to concepts like “permashifting” and “respawning”, but those just all assume this current reality is the original one. It’s not.

Have you watched The Matrix? It’s really more like a documentary than science fiction lol. Just like in the movie, we are being tricked by a simulated virtual reality, controlled by a society that’s using us for our energy. Just think of reality as an escape room. We’re escaping the Matrix. Once you figure out how to leave, you don’t ever have to go back. There are infinite realities available to you, and none are more real or right or original than any others. Remember, death is not an ultimate, nor does it exist in all realities.

I am scripting a utopian reality with my best friend where there is no death, aging, or illness. Everyone is a master manifestor so they always get whatever they want. Nobody has to work and there isn’t even a need for money because we can manifest anything instantly. We can just relax and get massages all day. Everyone lives in peace and harmony and abundance. Animals are treated as equals to humans, we can all communicate with each other, and we can all fly and teleport. Because why the f not? 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

And if you really don’t want to exist (I’m guessing that other ask from a couple weeks ago is you too lol) you don’t have to exist in this reality, or any other. Removing your awareness from all physical reality is known as entering the void. You exist there as pure consciousness, and you can stay there as long as you like. It is you as your highest self. There’s nothing negative about it.

As for the whole subliminal thing, shifting subliminals are just one method. Shifting = manifesting = deciding what you want and experiencing it. It’s something we are always doing and is available to all of us. You don’t need any methods to shift besides intention. We just use methods to convince/calm the annoying human brain that is programmed with society’s limits.

[lowkeiloki]

kung fu panda 4 review - spoiler free

it was solid, not as good as the first three movies, but the og triology set the bar so high even a 'not as good' movie is still a fun watch. The animation is beautiful and you get quite a bunch of awesome action scenes out of it

zhen is a lot more likable when not voiced by awkwafina (croatian dub saved me ✊️) but even that wont save her from her character being pretty bland. ironically the same criticism for her design could be applied for her character as well, not bad, likable enough, just fails to stand out and ive seen it done better a lot of times already

chameleon... oh boy... so much potential, such incredible built up, such luckluster execution... ill talk more abt her in spoiler section, but honestly she was the weakest link of the movie

dont get your hopes up for furious five, they only really exist as a cameo, what you will get is mr ping and li being a very married couple and personally if theres anything worth seeing the movie for its them (still im hoping for at least a short abt the furious five, cmon theyve been non existent since kfp 3)

the pacing was too fast, and there were too many comedic and too little serious moments, glad im not the only one that noticed

ive seen a lot of complaints about tai lung and other past villains not being in the movie enough, but honestly im happy for that bc its not their movie, they all had their own movies to shine and i really feared this movie would rely too much on them to carry the hype and im glad that wasnt the case. PLEASE stop asking film studios to spoonfeed you familiar content

end of spoiler free review, spoilers under cut

the chameleon rant

you know, i believe the kfp movies are heavily carried by their villains. they're the ones that set the tone, bring the stakes, and not only are they a foe for po to defeat but represent his internal conflict (tai lung being self acceptance, shen being overcoming grief and kai being self discovery) so to have the villain be the movie's weakest spot is... not great at all

firsty, the chameleon is the first movie villain in the franchise to not have any beef with any of the main characters (like tai lung had with shifu, lord shen with po and kai with oogway) and that couldve been great, give us a villain that doesnt care about po or anyone else and is just doing their own thing, its something new and an unexplored territory, but then they do nothing with it.

what does she want? to rule the valley of peace? all of china? ok and then what? the city shes already rulling doesnt look like its doing too bad to me. why should i care about her being defeated? yeah shes mean, but where are the STAKES

and how does she reflect po's conflict? because its about accepting change and she's a chameleon? weak, that only connect on paper and only barely. is it how she was never accepted to train kung fu because of her size? that's such a lame motive. really? not a single kung fu place wanted to take you in for your size? in a franchise full of all the different characters of all different shapes and sizes being kung fu masters? yeah ok sure

what i did like about her is how they made her get her way through manipulation and intimidation. she's not strong, she's not a skilled fighter, she's not inherently scary, but she uses smoke and mirrors to intimidate people around her and manipulative tactics to get her henchmen to listen which ties nicely into her shapeshifting abilities, just wish theyve done more with it, show us how she spreads horror stories about herself, show us the influence she has over the townspeople, show us just how manipulative she is of zhen, hell have her be all kind and nice to her in moments to bait her to stay under her wing (yk as abusive parents do)

nothing much more i have to say so spoiler part was rly just abt the chameleon but i needed to rant abt her more in depth bc i had high hopes for her

[biomic]

Bad news, Rob. He clarified and what he meant was “take all the cool parts out”

i mean... i get it? not sure what he specifically means by "sped-up action sequences", i don't think PR's action is the thing that's holding it back and could easily be transported over to whatever reboot they wanted to do, but the other things ARE generally seen as corny in a bad way by general audiences. im certainly not happy about that but like. it's just the truth

again, japan was introduced to tokusatsu and suitmation techniques through genre-defining works like godzilla and ultraman, made by people who took the material seriously. america was introduced to it through often goofy (or just straight up racist) kaiju dubs from people who didn't get it and power rangers, which im guessing the original crew thought would be some dumb forgotten flavor of the week before it became a worldwide phenomenon. power rangers evolved as it went on and produced some great, iconic (certainly iconic to ME 😤) seasons of kid's television, but that's not what people remember. people remember the kiai noises tommy would make when he did karate, the cheesy acting, and bulk and skull falling face-first into a giant cake at the end of every episode. and to them that's all it'll ever be, unless something new comes along to pique their interest

i know people say "well, power rangers has succeeded for 30 years under this formula!" but... when was the last time it was actually relevant? i think it got a brief blip from the original cast returning for that 30th anniversary special, but before that? nickelodeon pushed samurai hard when they first acquired it but ever since then it's felt dead in the water. from anecdotes i've heard it seems like a lot of kids think power rangers is lame and something their dad used to watch, its days as must-watch kid's tv have been over for a good long while now. it's survived not by continuing to be a hit but just through sheer momentum. hasbro could work something out with toei and make Power Rangers Beast Cubers or Crystal Guardians and it could be the most incredible season we've ever had, surpassing all the greats, but i still don't think that'd be enough to get anyone who's not a longtime fan to care

power rangers has had an unbelievable run, by any metric it should not have lasted this long. but it's not possible for anything that goes on 30+ years to continue without change. super sentai's not like it was in 1975, kamen rider's not like it was in 1971, ultraman's not like it was in 1966, and power rangers can't be like it was in 1993. whether they go for another movie franchise, a teen netflix reboot, or an animated series, it's clear that the direct adaptation process is over. if it turns out to be good, we're in luck! if it sucks, well, we've got 30 years of Classic™ power rangers and TONS of tokusatsu to go back to. there's worse ways for a show to go out

[todayisafridaynight]

ive seen some people justify IW writing issues by saying the other games in the series were like that too and im like ??? first of all do you not think people complained about the problems in the other games too and second of all do you not want them to keep improving?? such a weird justification to me

i love these games though dgmw i just thought IW could've been so much better story wise 😭😭

my beef with the 'the writing was bad in other games too' defense is that First Off. What-Aboutism arguments are just horrendous in general imo since it doesn't argue anything for the point, it's just someone going 'well This Thing is a thing so This Thing should be valid too' like no !! surprise !! it's still lame and you're not doing anything to convince me it's not lame. right now youre just making an excuse for a thing to Be Lame

and Secondly, since 0 the majority of people have had little complaints about the writing of RGG's latest entries (not that i doubt people have them, but i definitely don't hear them as often as i do older titles and their shortcomings dont feel as obivious as IW's or previous entries). what makes IW's writing stick out so much is that right after Y7- hell after GAIDEN the quality is just so stark you cant help but notice

to top it all off, what really shot IW in the foot was just how much hype was built around it. obviously theyre gonna hype up a game theyre gonna drop, but when they promote things like 'dont play this in one sitting' and 'this is rgg's best game yet', the bar's gonna be incredibly high

[dudethattries]

Let's get out of here | Michael Afton x male reader

Triggerwarnings: Internalized homophobia, being gay in 80s wasnt that fun (as far as I know), swearing(once), mentions of coming out

Disclaimer: Im european I have not the tiniest clue what happens at a prom. Also this is inspired by Jackie and Marco from svtfoe going to their prom.

You are around 15 in this, Chris (crying child) hasn't died yet.

Pronouns used for reader: he/him/his

The schooldance was coming up and Michael Afton wanted to ask someone to go with him. Problem was, that someone was a boy. He didnt want his reputation ruined by going with another boy to a stupid prom. So, the obviously conclusion, he didnt ask him.

You, the boy in question, however were not planning on missing your chance of asking him out. For the past two years you had liked him and you wanted to at least try to get him to go with you. You had worked up the courage to ask him for about a week, but you questioned your decision now that you actually had to ask him.

"Mikey?", you nervously fiddled with the friendship bracelet you had given him when you first became friends. You both wore your respective ones without ever bringing it up. You looked up at Michael who had stopped the game of super Mario bros you two were playing in his room.

"Yes?" He reached over to his cassette player to change the music playing in the background and throwing a bag of skittles your way with his other hand. You would always hang out at his on weekdays to do exactly what you were doing right now: eating junk and playing video games together. On weekends he came over to yours, something his father wasn't  too fond of. He on the other side was ecstatic to go with you to the arcade or have a sleepover in your tree house. Sometimes you thought that he might not like spending a lot of time around his father and that was the reason he stayed with you.

"Are you going to prom with someone?" You nervously chewed the skittles. He looked back at you.

"No, Im not. Why?" You let out a breath you didnt know you were holding.

"Could we maybe go together?" You could see his face getting red. "Yeah I guess if you dont want to go alone we can go as friends." He turned back to the game, not noticing your slumped shoulders.

You nervously stood in front of your mirror, pulling awkwardly at the tie your mother had made you wear. When you told her you were going to take Michael to prom, she didnt question it, which you were incredibly thankful for. You werent quite ready to have that talk with her.

A knock came from your door and without waiting for an answer Michael burst into your room. He looked handsome in his suit, similar to yours and his hair a bit less messy than usual.

"Woah you look nice!" He stood behind you in the mirror,"Damn, so do I." You laughed. "We do, don't we?" He pulled you downstairs, where you're mother was readying her Polaroid camera.

"Stand over there." She directed you to the light blue wall of your living room and took two pictures, one for you and one for Michael. Laughing with the pictures in your hands you walked to your school gym.

Stepping into it you could already tell that that party was going to be lame. The music sounded like it was last listened to in the 40s, the other students that came all awkwardly stood on the sidelines, to scared and embarrassed to ask anyone to dance.

"This sucks, I should've just asked him on a date." You whisperd sighing to yourself.

"What?" Michael was looking at you. Shit, what were you gonna say? You couldn't exactly tell your long time crush, who just happened to be your best friend, that you wanted this to be a date.

"Dang it, so you really did beat me to asking for a date." Michael interrupted your panic. Confused you stared up at him. "Wait what?"

"Cmon, is this a date or can I still be the one who asks for one first?" Your face felt like it was on fire. "You want to ask me…on a date?" He was getting redder in the face by the second.

"I mean yeah? If its okay for you…" You stared at him. "Well then what the hell are we doing here? Lets get out of here! I dont want our first date to be as lame as this is!" You grabbed his warm hand back and looked back at him. He was smiling.

"Yeah lets get out of here."