#((Sucky worlds would do that I suppose?))

[yongseungkim]

.

[starlightsuffered]

Captain and Cheerleader

Info - soccer captain Timmy, cheerleader reader, bratty sub reader, dom Timmy, soft dom, temper tantrum, calling reader slut/whore/bitch, not wearing underwear, denying sex, praise kink, daddy kink, fuck in a locker room, tease reader, unprotected sex, minor baby talk

“Go Timmy!” I said, waving my Pom Poms. He smirked until he saw me. He was the soccer captain and I was the head cheerleader. We were a match made in heaven. Since we were so perfect, I liked to spice things up a bit.

Since I was head cheerleader I could get away with a lot. Today I wore the colors of the opposite team. I knew this would drive Timothée insane. He was possessive

He jogged up to me. He unabashedly checked me out. My outfit was much more revealing than the other girl’s.

“Really, red and gold?” He asked.

“I look prettier in it than green and silver,” I giggled.

“You look pretty in everything,” he said and kissed me deeply.

“Don’t shake your ass and tits too much,” he mumbled against my lips.

“I’ll do what I want,” I said back.

“Brat,” he said with a final peck and ran off.

I distracted him as well as I could during the game. I shook my ass and tits and he kept looking over at me. I liked showing off. He was glaring at his team mates who were also looking at me. He even hit one of them upside the head when he was staring at my cleavage. I knew I was in for it when I cheered for his rival who got a point.

He glared at me and ran a finger across his neck indicating I was dead meat. I blew him a kiss.

At the end of the game he didn’t even stay to shake hands with the other team like he was supposed to. He didn’t stay to be praised for making the winning goal. He instead, dragged me to the locker room.

“You’re such a bad girl,” he said as he lifted my skirt. He squeezed my ass hard.

“I like being your brat,” I giggled.

“No panties, you’re such a slut,” he swore.

“I’m your slut,” I said.

“Maybe a good punishment would be for me NOT to fuck you,” he said darkly. My smile fell.

“What no!” I said desperately.

“Yeah, maybe I’m not feeling it when you’re wearing the other teams colors,” he said and stretched.

“Timothée Hal Chalamet! Fuck me!” I demanded and stamped my foot.

“You know you don’t make the rules sweetheart,” he chuckled.

“I want sex! Gimmie, daddy please!” I whined.

“You begging? That’s new,” he said and blew some hair casually out of his eyes.

“I want my big cock! Baby wants her pussy massaged by daddy’s giant sucky toy,” I pouted. “And I want it now!”

“My goodness, such a brat,” he tutted but he did pull down his pants. He lifted my tiny skirt and shoved into me.

“Such a good pussy baby girl. You like being a slut for daddy?” He asked as he pumped his cock in and out of me.

“I love being your slut. I wanna be your whore forever,” I said, clinging to him. I kissed him needily. I was so obsessed with him. As bratty as I was I couldn’t live without him.

“Timmy, your cock treats me so right,” I said. I felt almost dizzy with need.

“Oh baby girl,” he purred. “That’s all I want.”

He grabbed my ass and massaged me. He was kissing all over my face. I loved that he was just as obsessed with me as I was with him.

“My pretty baby. Everyone was staring at you, but Timothée is the only one who gets you right?” He asked.

“The only one. My tits and ass and body belong to you,” I gasped. He felt so damn good.

“You’re such a good slut. My perfect slut,” he whispered in my ear. He shoved me up against the lockers and went harder. He tangled his fingers with mine and lifted our hands above our heads. He took control. I could be as bratty as I liked, but daddy always won in the end. I was whipped.

“You gonna be my bitch in heat? Get fucked by daddy all night because I won my game?” He asked.

“Oh yes daddy, anything for you,” I breathed. “I want your cock inside me as much as possible.”

“You’re such a good girl, So pretty. I’ve got the finest girl in the world. You love daddy’s praise don’t you?” He asked.

“Yes, yes,” I moaned.

“Daddy wants to spoil you,” he sighed as he rammed his cock deep inside me.

“B-but you won,” I whined.

“Who cares, you being the perfect girl you are deserves spoiling,” he chuckled. He mouthed over my neck and bit and suckled.

“I love you,” I said as I pulled his hair.

“I love you too,” he cooed.

“Daddy, I’m so close. My pussy walls are gonna squeeze you,” I said.

“That will be so sexy. You gonna take my load? Gonna take the soccer captain’s load of cum? My perfect cheerleader?”

“Yes! Yeeeeesss!” I hissed. I was overwhelmed with pleasure. My body quivered. My body almost gave out as black spots poked at my vision.

“OH FUCK! TIMMY!” I cried.

“That’s my good girl. I’m so proud of you for coming,” he praised but his voice was shaky and his thrusts were sloppy.

“I’m gonna fill you,” he rasped. He was moaning in my ear, holding me tightly, and pouring his cum inside me. I loved being full of cum. He was cursing in French as he overflowed my pussy.

“Thank you daddy, and good job on your win,” I said and kissed him passionately.

[sports-on-sundays]

lucky strike / CL16

Summary: Charles x American!female!reader - F1 comes to Sin City and you unexpectedly run into a certain someone.

Warnings: gambling, alcohol, cussing, use of pet names (A LOT), flirting, one moment of implied jealousy

Requested?: Sort of! Thank you to everyone who voted for Charles in the poll!

Author's Note: Charles won out in the poll, so here you go, everybody! (Of course I HAD to use The Charles Vegas Podium Picture). Also, I listened to Lucky Strike by Maroon 5 while writing.

one in a million ; my lucky strike

Well, you thought the whole F1 thing was absolutely ridiculous. You couldn't care an ounce less about Formula 1, so you certainly weren't happy about all the complications of it coming to your city.

You would call yourself an all American girl, and you're proud of it. If any racing, NASCAR. Football is the sport with the brown ball you throw- NFL, not the white and black ball you kick. That's soccer. You have the greatest food, the greatest mix of cultures, the greatest weather. If you didn't know better, you'd say you have the greatest country, too.

You watched a Formula 1 race when you realized the whole Las Vegas Grand Prix thing was actual, and when you saw that (firstly) it was honestly pretty boring, and (secondly) the only American driver is basically the most sucky one, you decided it would be pretty hard to get into it.

You're a Vegas girl, and you're proud of it. You're actually from Los Angeles, California, but you moved to Vegas to chase your dreams and live the life you dreamed of a year ago with your boyfriend, and it was so worth it.

Now you identify yourself with Vegas even more than you do with the Los Angeles Rams, despite the fact that your boyfriend broke up with you seven months ago and left to go be a prodigal son in New York City.

You decided Vegas was perfect enough for your clever hand, and you'd continue to be a prodigal daughter right where you're at.

But now the Grand Prix is the newest thing, and you don't like it at all. All these people flooding in, like as if there's not already enough people. Just to watch some cars drive around in circles, closing up main roads? No, you're not into it.

Your girl friends all seem to think this is just the best thing, and you discuss it across the table with two of them. One says, "Honestly, the McLaren duo are the hottest."

"No way- Ferrari! Have you seen Charles Leclerc?" your other friend disagrees.

You snort in disbelief and say sarcastically, "How about neither? So you guys only care about this because the racers are hot? Give me a break."

"Well," one of your friends starts, crossing her arms across her chest, "They are hot. At first, I wasn't so sure, but, I mean, come on! Maybe we could get glimpses of them when they're in Vegas!"

"Or meet them!" your other friend pipes in.

You scoff. "Good luck with that. Aren't these guys self-focused millionaires with too much money for their own good? Probably all greedy idiots who hook up with every half-sexy girl who comes along. So if you're into that, sure, waste your time trying to meet some hot plutocrats, with the one percent chance you might get f*cked like crazy for a night before they forget about you and move back to their mansions across the world! F*ck, is race car driving even a real sport? It's f*cking driving cars. I could do that!"

Your friends don't really argue with you, because you're right. And clearly, they do only care about the hot racers, because you figure any real fan of the sport would argue with you.

Two days before the Strip is supposed to be closed up for the Grand Prix, you find yourself submerged in the vibrant energy of Wynn Las Vegas, the dazzling lights and sounds of the casino floor swirling around you. The scent of alcohol lingers in the air, a reminder of the drinks you've indulged in throughout the night.

You slip between two people to reach the roulette wheel, holding your newly bought chips, with money you've earned earlier in the night.

Bets are placed around the table over and over, as you earn more and more chips. You feel someone nudge your shoulder, and a cocky male voice comments next to you, "You're having a good night, huh?"

"Every night is a good night," you remark back, not even glancing up at the man talking with you. He seems to have some sort of accent that you can't place. Perhaps French?

Which means he's probably from Louisiana. Possibly Quebec.

Probably some rich idiot F1 fan who can afford to travel half way across the country for the Grand Prix.

You don't plan to even give him the light of day.

"Until it's not," he says as you watch the roulette wheel spin once more.

You smirk and feel his eyes on you as you collect more chips.

The game goes on, and you think he's gotten the message that you don't care to converse with him, because does shut up.

But now it's the last bet of the game. You take a sip from your glass and feel a stupid, risky streak in you.

Some idiot part of you that's drunk and wants to push her luck way too far.

You place a straight-up bet, all your chips on the number sixteen.

You can feel eyes on you, and the same man next to you from earlier says, "Are you stupid?"

You chuckle. "Possibly."

"You're going to lose all your-"

"No, I won't." You straighten your back, staring at the wheel. It's true, you've earned a lot of money throughout this game.

And honest, it is true that you're stupid.

But it's also true that for some reason, you're confident.

"So you're overconfident and risky? I like that," comments the guy next to you. "But you're going to lose all your money. All that good luck for nothing..."

"You'll see," you breathe, ignoring his little flirt. "It's going to land on sixteen."

"Sixteen, huh?" This man's hazel eyes sparkle, and something in you tells you that you've seen this guy's brown locks, bright dimples, and perfect stubble before.

You've seen him somewhere. Recently. Like some guy you could haven't been drunk with, but the memory is fuzzy.

But you weren't drunk with him.

Despite being sure you've seen this guy before, you're also sure you've never met him before, either.

"Yeah," you nod, looking away, staring as the roulette wheel begins spinning. "It's my lucky number."

You're not looking at him, but you can feel him grin next to you. "Your lucky number, huh? Just so happens, it's mine, too."

You snort, rolling your eyes. "Is that some lame attempt of a flirt?"

"No. It really is my lucky number." By his tone, you can tell that grin has downgraded to a smirk. "But if you'd like to see a lame attempt of a flirt, that's an option, too..." His voice lowers as you feel his arm snake around you, and his hand land on your waist.

You gently shove it off as the wheel begins to slow. You hold your breath, watching, this stupid French boy no longer even a fraction of your concerns. All focus is on your slight potential lucky strike.

And then the world stops as the wheel stops, too.

On sixteen.

And then it all comes flooding back. "Oh my God!" you squeal stupidly, covering your mouth as there's rounds of, "You've got to be kidding me," "No way," "It's impossible!" and "How lucky is this girl?"

You feel surges of shock and pride as you collect all your money. Once you've received it, after such luck, and earning a fortune, you decide you're going to have a drink. Or more than just one.

But when you turn, there's that guy again.

"What's up?" you ask, the grin on your face impossible to wipe off.

"How did you know it was going to stop on sixteen?" he questions, and he looks a little more handsome than he did before as this time he succeeds in taking your waist.

"Are you trying to pick my pocket?" you question warily, though, shoving his hand away.

"Not at all," he chuckles, "But you're a smart girl, aren't you? And I think I might be a lucky boy. Come on- I'll buy you a drink."

You snort. "No way, pretty boy! I can buy my own drink, after what just happened! How cocky are you?"

"Call me cocky, or call me rich, but either way, you're too sexy to have to pay for your own drink."

You scoff at this, but figure that you can't really let down an offer of free stuff. You'll be the first to admit you're greedy. Once of the biggest reasons why you gamble is because you want money- duh- and as much of it as you can get.

So soon, you're sitting at a table with this random guy, looking into his eyes, holding your drink in your hand. After barely a moment of hesitation, your curiosity finally gets to you, and you ask, "Who are you, anyway? I could have sworn I've seen you somewhere recently."

He gets a smug look on his face, which you don't like, before he says, "You really don't know?"

Your nose crinkles up in confusion, and for a second you feel ultra worried. Is this someone that I've met, that I should remember? Am I a terrible person for not knowing who this is...?

But then he says simply, "My first name is Charles. Charles Leclerc."

You stare at the taller individual, knowing you've heard that name, trying desperately to wrack your brain of it.

And then, suddenly, it hits you.

Loudly, in your head, in your friend's voice, in the exact tone she said it, 'No way- Ferrari! Have you seen Charles Leclerc?'

"Wait-!" you say in shock. You can see the satisfaction on the man's face, Charles, as you realize. "So, you're one of those F1 racers? Like, you race for the Ferrari team?"

He snorts and nods. "I'm surprised you didn't recognize me right away. Do you live here in Vegas?"

"Yeah," you say simply, taking a sip of your drink.

"So I take it you hate Formula 1, then? Because how else are you living in Vegas right now and don't know my name, or recognize my face?"

"You sound awfully prideful."

Suddenly, he smirks, and drags his finger across your jawline, pulling your face to look up at him in the process. "Maybe so. But clearly you're not so much better yourself, Miss Bet It All On Sixteen."

You cock an eyebrow at him and return his smirk with a challenging grin. "Sure, but I was right. I won what I wanted."

"Hmm... Well, what if I'm about to win what I want?"

"Oh, yeah? And what is it that you want?"

He leans in closer, so you can feel his hot breath tickle your ear as he utters simply, "You, baby."

You smirk. "We just met, buddy. I'm not that stupid."

"I think you're just playing hard to get."

"Or maybe it's just hard for you to get me," you counter.

"Well, I like your spunk. And your good luck. I think I might need a little bit more of that." He leans away a bit, and comments, "And I think I foresee a little bit more of luck in your future."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah," he smirks, leaning in closer. In barely any second, his lips meet yours, and though you know you should, there's no way you're pulling away now. He wraps his arm around you, urging you to lean into the kiss. You melt, letting him.

You don't know what it is.

But in this moment, you gently let your lips part, inviting his tongue to slip in between your lips, allowing yourself to, yes, make out with basically a stranger.

It wouldn't be the first time, but it also isn't something you do for fun whenever you feel.

When you finally force yourself to pull away, the first thing you breathe is, "How did you do that?"

He grins, and is clearly red in the face. But there's a look of shock on his face, too. As if his flirty cover was just confidence, and not because he gets tons of girls like this...?

Or maybe you're just reading too much into his expression.

Either way, he responds with, stroking your cheek, "No idea. Maybe I just have a way with you?"

You roll your eyes as you check your purse. No, he didn't pickpocket. He meant to kiss you. You stand up and say simply, "Well, I better get going n-"

"Sorry, what?" he suddenly snatches your arm back, pulling you back down to sit again with a surprised chuckle. "You just met a famous millionaire race car driver who bought you a drink after you won big money in roulette, let him make out with you, loved it, and now you're just going to casually walk off?"

You grin. "What? Do you think I was impressed by you? Think again, honey. Just because you drive cars fast and make ridiculous amounts of stupid money for it, and that you're insanely handsome- none of that means I'm any more impressed with you than I am with any other guys I meet on my night outs."

"Hm," he raises an eyebrow, and says, "What if you could get more from me, missy? Clearly, you're out for yourself and will do anything for a good deal. And you're f*cking sexy about it, too. So what if I had something else to offer you?"

You let yourself sit down at this, looking at him expectantly.

He smirks, clearly loving that he's 'won you over,' before saying simply, "Would like a free pass to the whole weekend, and a pass for the paddock?"

Your eyebrows scrunch together, and your eyes widen. "I- what?"

His smirk grows even bigger. "You heard me."

You inhale sharply, but cross your arms across your chest and come out sharply saying, "Unfortunately for you, I couldn't care less about Formula 1. In fact, I'm starting to dislike it a lot. But thanks for the offer."

His jaw drops, and his eyes practically pops out of his head, which gets a chuckle from you. For a moment, he's actually speechless, before he finally gets out, "Are you aware of the offer you just refused?"

You raise an eyebrow, not able to keep the cheeky grin off your face. "Probably not, but that's okay. Why, anyways, would you give a stranger such an opportunity in the first place? You probably have ulterior motives, and I think I can pretty much guess what they are, mister. You don't even know my name yet."

"Oh, God, you're right," he laughs, taking another sip of his drink. "Well, what's your name, princess?"

You roll your eyes, and tell him.

He grins. "It's been wonderful meeting you." He digs in the pocket of his light blue jeans, and pulls out a pen and a restaurant receipt. "I know you think you'll be able to forget me so easily, princess," he starts, scribbling something on the receipt, "but trust me- you'll be wanting this." He takes your hand and presses the receipt into it, before standing up just like that, and saying with a wave as he turns to walk off, "I'll talk to you later, angel."

You look down at the receipt to see a phone number scribbled on it in chicken scratch. But the numbers are clear. And though you walk out that night rolling your eyes at this Charles's boldness and cockiness, with an abundance of money you've earned that's a lot more worth the stupid grease-stained receipt, the moment you get back to your apartment, the first thing you intend to is putting that stupid number into your phone.

"This is stupid," you comment as you slide into the backseat, next to Charles.

He just rolls his eyes. "You won't be saying that by the end of this experience. Besides, you were the one who decided to text me, like I said you would. You were just playing hard to get."

You scoff. "Oh, shut up."

"You look lovely, by the way," he comments in a lower voice. "I like that skirt." You look down at yourself. You're wearing a matching crop top shirt and short skirt, your sunglasses holding your hair back away from your face, and brown sandals.

"Thanks," you snort, crossing your arms and looking out the window, turning your gaze away from the Monégasque driver. (Yes, you did, despite yourself, look him up last night, just to know who the heck this guy even is.)

(You also were sure to look up his salary.)

(Ridiculous.)

(But also intriguing.)

Soon enough, before you know it, you're walking alongside him, about to enter the 'paddock.'

Makes it sound like a bunch of horses racing.

But when you're there, surrounded by it, in the moment, you don't think rude comments like that.

You stop, taking in the high life atmosphere. The revving car noises, the lights of The Strip on the 'racetrack,' the crowds, the music, the richness, and the challenge.

Your breathing falters, and your heart beat quickens as your hand involuntarily finds Charles's wrist and grips it as you gasp, "It's... extraordinary."

You glance to Charles's face to see him softly grinning. His hand slips down to hold yours as he comments, "You seemed like the type of girl to love it."

Your smile widens. "I've been here so many times. On The Strip. But... it's not the same. How did they do it?"

He begins walking, pulling you along by your hand as you look around. "That's just Formula 1 for you. There's nothing in the world quite like it, Y/n."

He leads you by the hand toward the Ferrari garage. Once you're there, he says, "Want to meet my teammate, Carlos?"

"Don't know who Carlos is, but sure..." you say vaguely, taking in the large piece of machinery- the Formula 1 car- in front of you.

He chuckles. "You're f*cking adorable," he murmurs, before leading you away to see Carlos.

He's a well-built man with fluffy dark hair, tan skin, big brown cow eyes, and stubble. Pretty much looks like exactly how you'd imagine a Formula 1 driver to look.

He nods respectfully. "Hey, Charles," he says, and shakes your hand with a friendly wink. "This your new girlfriend?"

You look up to see Charles smirk. "Not yet."

One of Carlos's thick, dark eyebrows cocks up, and the suggestion of an amused smirk travels on his lips for a second. "Ah, I see."

"Charles!" you snap, your eyebrows scrunches together. "Not ever."

"Well, we'll see about that. So far, I've been the right one, now, princess, haven't I?"

"Pfft. I was right about sixteen, wasn't I?"

He rolls his eyes as Carlos says with a chuckle, "Well, it will sure be interesting to see how this plays out," before moving on with his life.

Charles takes the time to show you around, and halfway through the tour, you blurt suddenly, "So, this is all the Italian team and stuff. Isn't there an American team?"

"Hmmm," Charles snorts as his eyebrows travel farther up and he fights off a seemingly somewhat mocking smirk. "There is."

"Why don't you show me them? Don't they have an American driver? Like, Carlos is Italian, right? Isn't it protocol or somethin'? Anyway, isn't it called Williams, the American team, or something? Some guy named Logan something that's an American racer on there-"

At this, Charles can't seem to hold it together anymore, and doubles over laughing, essentially, at you.

"What?!" you demand indignantly.

"You really are clueless!"

"I-"

"Alright, alright, Y/n. Haas is the American team. They don't have an American driver- German and Danish. No, Carlos is not Italian; he's from Spain. Williams is British, and yes, Logan Sargeant races for Williams, and he is American. About the only thing you got right."

You roll your eyes with a shrug. "I told you I don't give a damn about this stupid sport."

"Whatever you say, Miss Starry Eyes."

So, first Charles takes you to Haas, where you learn, surprisingly, that not all the racers are young hotshots like Charles and Carlos at least seem to be. They're friendly enough there, but really don't care much to give you any of their time, so then Charles suggests to go to the Williams garage and see if there's Logan to bother. You agree to that, so soon, you're entering Williams.

As soon as you see Logan, you know he's the American. You can see it in his stance. You can see it in his golden blond slightly sweeped hair, gray blue eyes, and strong jawline. "That's Logan, isn't it?"

"How'd you know?"

You shrug, breaking off from Charles to Logan. "Hey! You're the only American 'round here?!" you ask with a friendly grin.

"Huh?" he asks, looking up, in the most United States of America way. "Oh, hi," he says in what you perceive as dumbly, with a friendly smile. Ah, that's more like it. None of these posh Monacan boys and hot Spanish men- this guy is just like home sweet home!

You can practically hear the eagles cawing over the Rocky Mountains!

"You're Logan Sargeant?"

He nods. "I am. And you are...?"

"Just some Vegas girl dragged here by Charles."

"Ah... so you know him?"

"Well, now, unfortunately, yes."

His eyebrows furrow, but he chuckles at the same time. Though this guy isn't nearly as handsome or charming as Charles, there's something about him you like a bit more-

Suddenly, a hand is on your waist, and hot breath says in your ear, "Got to be getting back to Ferrari now. Come on with me?"

You blush and nod. "Right, Charles."

You have no idea what to think of him.

"Podium?! Uh- is a podium good?!" you ask, eyes wide as Charles brings it home in second.

"Yeah, yeah, it's good!" some guy you don't know wearing red near you says.

"Oh- Alright, well- That's good, I suppose!" you respond a little manically.

As soon as Charles as the chance, he finds you. He still has champagne on his race suit and his face is glistening with sweat, and there's no way you can deny it- he's sexy. When he reaches you, he wraps his arms around you, and his stunning eyes seem to burn into you. He can't fight the grin off his face as he says lowly, "Get why my lucky number is sixteen, baby girl?"

"Ah, stop with that," you snap, your voice cracking. You don't know, but this seems- all this seems-

Way too important.

You reach up to touch the number sixteen on his hat, before taking it off his head and slipping it on your own, backwards, on impulse.

He grins. "You can keep it. Not like you'll need a keepsake. You won't forget me."

You bite your lip, giving a quick nod, still studying his handsome face. Your eyes linger on his light pink lips, which arch into a perfect cupid's bow, as you murmur absently, "You seem pretty confident about that, huh?"

"Of course I do. Looks like you might be my little good luck charm, hm? Can't be letting you run away from me, can I?"

"Hm. Well, we'll see about that."

"Still playing hard to get?"

"Not playing. I just am hard to get."

"Whatever you say, darling," he comments with a shrug, walking off.

The French accent is pretty sexy.

Your eyes flutter open, and the first thing you see are the big earnest eyes of Charles Leclerc, staring back into your eyes. "Morning sunsh-"

Your immediate reaction is to scream and promptly slap him across his pretty face.

He grunts as his hand flies to his cheek to cover it up, and he says, "Hey, hey, calm down!"

But your eyes scan the room. It's clearly a hotel room. There's only one bed: the one you and Charles are laying in right at this moment. You're wearing a large black T-shirt and big blue gym shorts very tightly tied to fit your waist. Charles is dressed in a grey hoodie and jeans with a white T-shirt underneath, his regular jewelry, and white sneakers. So clearly, he's already showered and gotten dressed. He smells like his rich cologne, and his hair is all washed and fluffy and clean. If you weren't in a slight panic right now, you'd have wondered if you could touch his hair and feel how soft it is.

But!

As you're about to gasp out questions, Charles sits up and gently sets his hand on top of yours. You become aware of the pounding in your head as you bite your lip nervously. Charles looks at you earnestly, and says calmly, "Hey, you don't have to worry. It's okay."

"What happened?" you exhale.

"Nothing," he soothes. "We went out. You got more drunk than any of us though you should. I didn't know where you lived, so I took you to my hotel room. Gave you clothes to change into, and we went to sleep. Nothing more."

You swallow an anxious lump in your throat. "How do I know I can trust you? Please, just be honest with me. I won't be mad. You didn't know any bet-"

"I didn't do anything. We didn't do anything. Okay?" he leans in closer, and reaches to cup your cheeks in his hands. "'Kay? Can you just trust me?"

You bite your lip, but slowly nod. "I suppose that's the only thing I can do."

Over six months later, you stand on the boat, staring out at the Mediterranean Sea, smelling the salty breeze in the air, feeling content, wearing a loose button down, light blue jean shorts with a brown belt, your slew of bracelets, white sneakers, and a headband holding back your hair.

Suddenly, Charles is up next to you. "Hey, princess." For months, you've had what you stubbornly call a 'situationship,' whilst Charles calls you his girlfriend.

Because you love Vegas more than you love Charles (or at least that's what you like to say), you refused to leave when Charles did. You like taking risks. Just not the 'travelling halfway across the world for a hot guy' kind of risks.

But you stayed in touch. Charles made sure of that.

Well, he meant it when he said he'd make sure you'll never forget him.

But then Formula 1 came back to the States, to Miami, and you knew you'd have to make the trip. The flirty comments and romantic tension thick enough to cut ensued as soon as you and Charles set eyes upon each other, like as if it hadn't been six months or so since you'd last seen each other last.

It just felt like-

Somehow fate is involved.

Well, when Charles invited you to the Monaco Grand Prix, that was an offer you felt you couldn't let down.

And, boy, was that the best descision of your life.

To see Charles win his home race like that, and to be there? Just thinking about it now gives you goosebumps. Charles had wrapped his arms around you after the race, his eyes a little damp, and you felt something more.

Like he really cared.

If you didn't know better, you'd say it was like he really loved.

Loved you.

But, no. Of course not. That can't be.

Can it?

Well, all night you partied. You were in on the fun. You also made sure to pay a visit to the Monte Carlo casino, as you obviously must.

You had amazing luck, once again.

On this thought, as you feel Charles approaching from behind you, you comment into the wind, "You know, I'm starting to think you're my lucky charm, honey."

He chuckles, coming up next to you. "Oh, yeah? That's what I said six months ago when I first met you, you know. I've been starting to think the same thing about you."

You snort. "Maybe so, Monaco race winner."

He smirks, and you can feel the pure joy radiating off him. He slips his hand into yours as he murmurs, "I was so lucky to meet you."

I smirk. "I am pretty awesome."

He rolls his eyes, but squeezes your hand. "So, do you like it here in Monaco?"

You nod vigorously. "Gosh, Charles, it's amazing."

"Better than Vegas?"

"Well- I don't know if anything is better than Vegas..."

He leans in closer and speaks lower. "Well, would Monaco be better if your good luck charm just so happens to reside here?"

"Hm..." you smirk, flushing a bit. "I'd have to think about that, prince."

"Yeah," he nod, his tone softer. "Why don't you."

There's some silence, as you watch the sun begin to set, reflecting off the sparkling water.

Charles leans even closer to you, his hands gliding around your waist, pulling you towards him. He leans down, gazing deeply into your eyes. Then that stupid flirty grin appears on his face again. "F*cking gorgeous you are, one in a million. I struck lucky with you. My lucky strike."

He closes the distance between you, his soft lips meeting yours in a passionate kiss. The heat of his body against yours sends shivers down your spine, igniting a spark between you as your tongues dance together in a sensual embrace. Connected.

Maybe it's not fate.

But it is most certainly luck.

And in this moment, with the lips of the winner of Monaco sucking on yours, you feel like the one who struck it lucky.

[thatbitchery]

The way my therapist taught me to learn to love my life and live a life that is fulfilling to me and overcome the fear of taking risks and new beginnings and interests and starting over and loving things as someone with ADHD is to realize the purpose of existence as a being with consciousness is to experience. You are alive to experience life.

For the longest time in my life pre 22 I struggled with picking up new projects or liking new things or making decisions because with my ADHD it could easily be a three month long hyperfixation that I will grow out of and I don't have the energy in me to make short term choices that crash and demand more short term choices. Which inevitably led to choice paralysis. What's the point of going to uni when I might decide I don't even want that career? Or starting a blog when I might just delete it in two weeks after I'm bored?? Of starting a business when once my dopamine craving is satiated I will lose interest and neglect it? Of making new friends when once three weeks are over I will be bored of them?

Because the purpose of Life is to experience it. Ethnic communities believe souls choose into bodies to be able to experience the 3D. The meaning of life is to experience.

There is no such thing as a wrong decision because every single one will lead you to an experience. The notion that my soul chose this body with all it's flaws and ADHD to experience life with it as a medium just makes living so easy because... this is what I asked for. Not to be psychospiritual or anything but this is what I decscended for. And with a brain like mine with it's inability for long-term focus and long-term consistency I get to experience 500× what everyone else is.

It's 1000% okay if I feel the need to jump into my car and go for a random road trip, I am experiencing life on the road trip. It is 100% okay if I pick a pottery class just to get bored and never do pottery again- I experienced learning. 1000% okay if I make week long friends, I experienced short term friendship. Every decision leads to an experience, and the purpose of life is to experience the world.

There is no such thing as a bad decision because every single decision will lead you to an experience.

There is no such thing as a bad decision because the very mechanics of it is dependent on the narcissistic notion that you can predict the future, you can't. You make the best decision with what you have and let it happen- one way or the other it will lead you to an experience and you will have fulfilled your purpose as a conscious being by experiencing life.

There are no such things as bad experiences, only painful interpretations of events. Some people walk out of car accidents afraid of cars and some walk out with a biological need to join F1, interpretations of experiences. You can not make a bad decision because decisions are supposed to lead you to experiences and there is no such thing as a bad experience, only a painful or joyous one+ and even that is because you choose to interpret it. You learn to take things as- well damn that was sucky, but anyway- and you learn the happiness formula.

We regret our decisions after making them because we equate an unfavourable experience with a bad decision, but sometimes the timing was just off. Sometimes , most times, external factors played in . Getting into the car that got into an accident wasn't a bad decision unless you knew for a fact it was going to crash. 'i had a bad feeling' no Susan you did not that's your brain trying to guilt trip you so next time you don't jump into cars, that's how phobias are born okay?? Unless you knew for a fact there would be a bad outcome you did not make a bad decision. Simply because there is no such thing. The arrogant assumption that you can avoid the nature of existence to be unbearably painful by making the right decisions is you asking to be depressed because darling you can not avoid pain, ever, and not through something as flimsy as decision making- which is you making choices for a future you can not even see through the lens of a fraction of the present you can see- and a very tiny fraction at that- that is largely influenced by desire, hope and pain.

My therapist says just make a random decision you'll be fine. An informed one, of course, but do not torture yourself, just pick one. Any, really, it doesn't matter just pick something. Inactivity is the real problem. Psychologists have a lot to say about the problem with inactivity but you don't need to be one- just think of all the bedrotting you've been doing and how it's made you feel. Exactly.

Just pick one thing. There is no such thing as a bad decision unless you know for a guaranteed fact it is a losing game and even then, even then you will get to play and the play is an experience. Focus on the experience of the thing- journey over destination and all that- and you will be happy. Just make a decision and take action. Do not assume you can control your future, you're old enough to know you can't . Indecisiveness is the enemy. Pick one and go, you'll be fine.

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[svt-rosalie]

. . . ♡ MAMA ! ? 🐚 2023 ★ ﾟ๑

ׁ ׅ ୨ ❪ moments! ❫ ୧ ⊹ ࣪

© 2023 , svt-rosalie rosalie masterlist!

warnings! mentions of anxiety, mentions of a passed family member, woozi and rosie being the cutest couple korea knows, speeches, sucky writing

MAMA 2023 was the award show to see if you are a Rosalie stan! She was nominated in four categories and stole the night, as she should! Rosalie won in all four categories she was nominated in, including; Worldwide Fan Choice, Best Female Artist, Song Of The Year, and Best Music Video.

୭ৎ ࣪ ׅ ROSIE’S BEST MOMENTS !

— rosie is the biggest extrovert and loves talking to the other idols! It causes a big of mayhem for her members but who cares? not rosalie.

— you can see rosalie at some points sneaking over to le sserafim’s seating spot and talking to all of the girls and laughing loudly that you almost hear it in the background

— on the first day when they were late, rosalie kept trying not to laugh at the realization and got caught on the screen and got very embarrassed

— rosalie was dancing to almost every single song preformed especially bouncy by ateez, that’s her ass shaking song come on guys

— she started crying when woozi gave his speech for album of year and had to be consoled by seungcheol. and then cried even harder at wonwoo and seungkwan’s speech wishing only the best for the boys.

— there was multiple times woozi and rosie were caught on screen talking and holding hands during random parts of the award show

— the screams that came afterwards were oscar worthy! yunjin of le sserafim was definitely not one of those screams

— rosalie was able to perform breathe with woozi playing the piano.

— she preformed in a beautiful light blue gown, her sister’s favorite color

— every time rosie won an award the boys were hyping her up so hard and embarrassing her so hard, it was so cute though to see her laugh and playfully scold them

— when rosalie won song of the year, she had jihoon come up as well to give a speech with her

— WOOZI’S SPEECH: “Breathe is a song of comfort. It’s a song that’s suppose to let you know that it’s okay, and that someone cares. This song is for Rosalie, a girl who continues to put on a smile no matter the circumstances! Ever since we met, she never went a day without laughing and trying to make other people feel happy, regardless of how she was feeling. She deserved to know that it was okay to be upset and to need a second to breathe.

I hope people will continue to find comfort in this song and support Rosalie till the end.”

— she definitely didn’t cry when she got home that night remembering his words

୭ৎ ࣪ ׅ ROSIE WINS SONG OF THE YEAR!

Rosalie was in her own world at this point, the award show had been going on for what felt like hours which in her case you can’t blame her. It was just one of those days where she would rather be cuddled up to her animals reading a good romance book rather than sit here, waiting for a event to decide if she or her group we’re good enough for the title of “Album of the Year”. But she was grateful, 2022 and 2023 had been a tough year and she was happy she was even nominated for a category.

Always her worst critic.

Though it was finally time for the ‘Song of the Year’ category, one that she had been anticipating for a while . . . more like the whole award show. Rosalie was nervous and couldn’t help but clutch the person’s hand that was nexts to her, Jihoon.

Rosalie lets out a sigh of relief and her worries subside, for the mean time.

Then the (dreaded) words came from the announcers lips “Samsung Galaxy Song of the Year goes to….”

Rosalie didn’t know what she was stressing about. It was as if her brain couldn’t decide which thing to worry about the most; what if I don’t win, what if I do win and so forget my speech, what if I trip going up the stage, what if?

All of that seemed to fade away when the words “Breathe, Rosalie!”

Rosalie’s eyes widen comically and was captured on the big screen for all the other idols and fans to see (which they found adorable) she covered her mouth in surprise and walked up the stage never letting go of Woozi’s hand. This was just as much his award as it was hers. He wrote the song, he produced it, all Rosalie did was sing it.

Rosie made it center stage, right there for all eyes.

“Ahh, I don’t know what to say! I had a speech for incase I won but I didn’t think I would so i forgot it.” Rosie said pouting. Anyone could tell she was nervous, you didn’t need to be close to her to notice the shakiness in her hands as one held the golden MAMA award and the other holding onto Woozi like a lifeline.

Rosie took a deep breath in and out before continuing, “I never expected to get an award like this and I am so so thankful to CARATs and to everyone who stood by me and supported me and this song. This song is everything to me and I’m so glad it’s getting recognized for what it’s worth.”

Woozi stepped a bit closer to Rosie at this point and held her hand a bit tighter.

“There is one person I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart. . . my little sister who wished for this day with me. We would watch the award shows together when I had first debuted and she dreamed I would win an award like this for her one day.” Rosie looked up trying to avoid letting the tears roll down, and took another deep breath in . . . and out.

“She would say ‘Unnie! Please win a big award so I can brag to all my friends that I have the most popular older sister in the world!’ and at that time, I didn’t think it would be a reality. But here I am!”

The crowd screamed for her as she held up the award, Woozi letting out a chuckle beside her as she did.

“My little Sarang, My forever Valentine — I did it! Aren’t you proud of your most popular awesome sister?” She asked rhetorically looking up the roof of the building. Breathe, in . . . and out. “I’ll be sure to remember this day forever and make more music people can find comfort in it as I did. Thank you!”

taglist — @angie-x3 @alixnsuperstxr @allthings-fandoms

click here to join the taglist!

[asterias-record-shop]

Can you do Jack champion x reader where Jack flies down to see your high school graduation and it’s a suprise?

╭════• ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ •═══╮

— surprise!

╰════• ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ •═══╯

hey honey, so sorry it’s late I wanted to go in order of requests 🤍

In all honesty, you were kind of bummed you wouldn’t be graduating with Jack. It had been something you had looked forward to since you were a child, and to be honest, not being able to take a picture with him in matching caps and gowns made it kind of sucky. You also always wanted to recreate the moment in The Amazing Spider-Man series where Peter kissed Gwen when they were graduating, but that wasn’t the point.

He was busy shooting movies and such, it was understandable that he wouldn’t be able to come. As much as you were upset, you were even more happy that he was achieving his dreams and that he was happy himself.

So as soon as you got your diploma, you looked over at your family and waved, missing the mess of curly brown hair that ducked behind chairs so you would miss him. You went back to your seat, patiently waiting until the end of the ceremony to stand and throw your hat up. As much as you didn’t want to because it wasn’t supposed to happen and you could get a sweaty ass cap, you felt the need to.

So as soon as he said his final words, everyone threw up their caps and you gratefully caught one that was all pretty and thankfully not sweaty. It didn’t take you long to reunite with your family and friends, giving and getting gifts before your parents pulled you to the side.

“One more picture!”

“Guys! Come on, we’re going to be late for our dinner reservation!” You had no malice in your voice though, pure giggles as you held your diploma and the flower bouquets that were given to you, giggling as they snapped pictures.

“Congrats, babe.” A voice says making you turn around quickly, the mess of brown curls you missed earlier standing in front of you carrying a large - extremely expensive looking - bouquet of flowers. “You didn’t think I was going to miss your graduation, did you?”

“Jack!” You basically squealed, running into his arms after carefully setting down your bouquets of flowers, giggling. “You’re here!”

“Wasn’t gonna miss this for the world,” he grinned down at you, pushing back your hair. “I’m so proud of you, honey.”

You giggled, leaning up to pull him down for a firm kiss. “Not like Gwen and Peter, but still good.”

He scoffed playfully. “Better have been good. That was better, actually.”

You giggled, nodding. “So much better.”

Regular taglist:

𓆩[@lem0ns77]𓆪   𓆩[@cecepop15]𓆪   𓆩[@memeorydotcom]𓆪   𓆩[@your-favorite-god]𓆪   𓆩[@xyzstar]𓆪  𓆩[@just-my-shit]𓆪   𓆩[@your-mom21]𓆪   𓆩[@c78r]𓆪   𓆩[@dizscreams]𓆪   𓆩[@asrt5]𓆪

© asterias-record-shop

[base0h]

Hello, sorry if I boring you..

I just would like to have a request with sanji, luffy and ace react with a s/o who doesn't fight as much as possible, because she wants to pretend to be a weak person (she doesn't it AT ALL)

one day they are about to take a violent blow and their "weak" s/o imposes herself and keeps the enemy VERY VERY far away with a simple slap

Sorry if it’s a suck request.. 🙈

a/n - ohhhhhh my goshhhh- this idea??? 💜👀nono it’s not a sucky request at all! Tysm for the request anon!

Warnings ⚠️ - g/n reader, overpowered reader (y/n is always so cool 😭)

You don’t fight as much as possible, not because you were weak. But because of the fact that fighting and battles weren’t your favorite thing. So why not avoid it in the best way possible? Pretending you were weak. You’d become quite the actor, easily persuading the entire crew of your supposed “weakness”. You knew that the love of your life, Sanji, would do absolutely anything to keep you safe. That’s what made you feel guilty, his loyalty and love for you. While you were pretending to be weak, the chivalrous chef always had to swoop in and save you like the prince he was. It was whenever he got injured for you when you could’ve easily defended yourself when you felt the guilt deep inside your heart.

Perhaps this facade should end, it was only costing your lover and friends to risk their lives for your safety. God, you felt horrible. You weren’t weak at all! The fact that your crewmates got hurt for you, because they thought you were weak made something burn in your heart. You could easily protect yourself and your friends, so why keep this play going? It was time to end it.

The strawhat crew was in yet another close battle, one that you didn’t think you’d make it out of unscathed. Your assumptions were correct, a marine was just about to land a violent blow to your head with their rifle. It was like everything slowed in your vision. Was your mind so much faster than the world? You could hear the faint cries from Sanji, begging you to get out of the way. That’s what made you snap out of it, flicking the back of your hand into the marines face instead. The soldier flew so far away you couldn’t even see where he landed. The impact of your blow was so powerful that a small gust of wind was felt around you.

No words could describe just how shocked Sanji was to see you completely destroy the soldier like that. One little flick of your hand was all it took to send the soldier flying.. His mouth was hung agape, his eyes as wide as you’d ever seen them before. He couldn’t move, so distracted from your hidden strength. Poor cook ended up being hit in the head by a metal javelin, being slammed into the ground harshly. You immediately went over to him, kicking the javelin out of the marine’s hand, grabbing it and slamming it into the soldier’s face. The blow launched the pitiful soldier far far away, maybe if you looked hard enough, there was a little sparkle in the sky from where he flew.

Sanji didn’t think it was possible to love you even more than he did. But, you proved him wrong. There isn’t a number to describe just how much the man loved and admired you. Everything about you was so perfect, even before he knew about your true strength. The way you smile, when you lend a hand with cooking meals, even the way you talked with him! Oh gosh- he could ramble on and on for decades about just how amazing you were. (Please go along with my thoughts 💀)

You ended up carrying Sanji bridal style, blocking every attack from all angles, the epic and cinematic slo-mo shot as you saved your prince <3 Sanji had that sparkle in his eyes, looking up at you with absolute amazement and love for you. To this day, he would never admit this… But, he would like to be carried by you once more 🙏

You never really got a chance to show off your true strength, not when Luffy was around at least.. He was already bouncing off, kicking ass before you could even lift a finger. It wasn’t like he was doing it on purpose- that was just your boyfriend being himself. Even when you tried to help out, Zoro and Sanji ended up taking over too!!

They all kept stealing all your thunder >:( even Usopp manages to pull through with his ginormous one-shot cannon more than you. You’d had enough! It was time for the crew to know that you weren’t completely useless in a fight.

Luffy was reckless, that’s just how he was, but he meant well! He got himself caught in a marine base, miraculously getting caught by every single guard stationed there. It was honestly amazing to you how he always, almost always got caught. You were hiding behind a crate of rifle ammo and other supplies, waiting for the right moment to strike and save your loveable idiot.

He looked towards you and smiled excitedly right before the guards cuffed him with sea stone. You motioned to him, frantically trying to tell him to not say anything, to BE QUIET.

“Y/N!!! Hey!! You came to save me?? Thanks!”

…

You sat there for a moment. Why was he always like this..? The guards started to aim their swords and weapons at Luffy, ready to strike in a moment. You rushed forward, and just before the soldiers struck your loved, your hand blocked their attacks. The impact of the blows to your hand were completely absorbed, you didn’t move a muscle, the swords unable to cut through your skin.

The marines audibly gasped, and so did Luffy. You slapped them all in the face, sending them flying into all of the crates in the storage room. Splinters, dust, gunpowder, extra swords, clothes, food, and other items flew around the room. You caught a stick of meat and went to go give it to Luffy.

His mouth was on the floor. Literally on the floor. His eyes bulging out of his head as he stood there in astonishment. You put the chunk of meat into his mouth and closed it for him, patting his head softly. He didn’t even start chewing until you started moving his jaw to chew for him.

“Luffy… You ok?”

“MHFM! HOUCH GOME YOUF HAND WAF BIKE SHEBSIBDFSJSHBDIENDJCH?!” (Y/n! How did you do that?! You slapped him and he went BOOOOOOM- THAT WAS SO COOL!)

The rubber boy was shouting with a huge chunk of meat in his mouth, so you didn’t really get anything he said.. You had to grab him and sling him over your shoulder as you both escaped narrowly. He was still yelling at you in gibberish, and you couldn’t really tell if he was amazed or extremely angry-?

a/n - Sanji needs to be carried bridal style pls

[idkiwasntsupposedtobebackhere]

what i would do if i was a gilmore girls writer:

april storyline:

i feel like instead of the april storyline liz could have given birth a bit earlier and and luke and lorelai would have to step in to help raise doula a lot. first of all we’d get to see them with a baby, which is cute. but there’s also a lot of room for conflict in deciding how to handle the situation. aka conflict that makes for good TV (”should we even have kids together if we can’t even do this?”, ”we have to make these decisions together, we’re getting married!” etc.) but isn’t life altering enough to ruin the couple. it also draws parallells to the jess storyline (which was a huge part of the earlier seasons), luke’s established family issues and his earlier disagreements with lorelai which makes luke’s character arc and the show as a whole more cohesive and satisfying. i could see this drama lasting for all of season 6. in the end because these characters have grown, they would actually figure it out somehow. and then they’d have season 7 to settle down and be happy. i actually do love april but they could have made her a young sheldon type of guest character at yale and paris could have developed a soft spot for her or something.

literati in season 3:

so i feel like they wanted to show us that this is rory’s bad boy phase. they made their relationship about dean a lot and most of the episodes centered around them were like ooooh jess did this sucky thing and dean never would have. and i get that maybe they needed to try something new and didn’t want to just recreate the boyfriend storyline with a new guy (aka see how he fits into her grandparents world, saying i love you for the first time etc). they already did the good stuff with dean so they decided to make this rory’s bad decision and only came up conflict to show us. but they didn’t even fully commit bc rory didn’t change with jess the way she did with logan. that was her bad boy phase, literati was always supposed to be something more. so instead of showing how bad of a couple this was compared to dean/rory, they could have drawn different parallels. because dean/rory was not a perfect relationship and they could have shown how in some ways why this is better for rory. what does she want? not her grandparents and not her mom. after all the buildup literati was the audience’s favorite and most anticipated couple, so i really think painting it as an unexpected but positive change of direction in rory’s journey would have been worthwhile.

like show us how when they go on dates they want to do the same things (as opposed to donna reed or rory just watching dean’s games). show us how they both want their alone time and them not calling each other every day because rory wants to study and jess has to work can be an OK thing (as opposed to the infamous 14 calls a day). show us how jess maybe doesn’t fit into lorelai and rory’s flow as well as dean did BUT how that’s also ok because rory is getting older and going off to college so this makes sense. but then also show us some god damn character development and lorelai and jess actually learning to get along (pls make that an entire episode’s storyline actually. have them be funny together and make it emotional). and show us nice scenes with luke, lorelai, rory and jess. where was all of this when they were dating??? nowhere to be seen. although i would have liked for luke not to kick jess out (i will make another post of how i would handle jess and luke’s relationship in season 3) i know it had to happen because milo had to leave. and i wouldn’t change major plot points like that because i like jess’ arc too much. but if they had shown everything i wrote here, literati’s realtionship would have canonically been stronger and jess would have at least told rory about not graduating and his dad showing up and why he felt like he had to go before he went.

dean cheating on lindsay with rory:

actually i would have had lindsay push him in the lake luke pushed jess in but oops plot twist, dean can’t swim

[mysticmellowlove]

Yoooo that yan streamer was goood!!! Man is delulu and so down bad lol. I was wondering, what if his 'Sugar' decided to quit, like, they quit being a mod and found a better paying job, like an editor for a bigger creator, like a youtuber with millions of followers. You didn't specify the college degree that the darling have, so i just assume they have a degree related to film production.

note; Seth is so delusional and unfortunately he's backed by some pretty rich, also delusional, people. the end product, darling being completely trapped in his grasp.

warnings; yandere behaviours,

He tries really hard to be happy for you. Seth knew how sucky the apartments you both lived in were, he himself had been saving up to move after all.

After your initial meeting at the takeaway place he felt an even larger connection to you. You were right there after all, his most beloved mod. But now, you had a better job that paid more than he did. It infuriated him when you told him over a small cup of tea. He acted as if he was excited for you, a nice pat on the back (in which his hand lingers a little too long) and a celebratory goodbye hug (was he sniffing your hair?) were all he needed to do to show his excitement.

That night he went into his highest paid chatters and vented about how the world was trying to take you away from him. Obviously, the chatters weren't impressed either. More money for you was good but if you had a full time job then you wouldn't be on as much anymore, eventually you wouldn't even want to mod for Seth! They couldn't have that.

That was how it started, their grand plan. Seth would tease the information out of you about your new job. You were a small-time editor for some local reality show, working under several other editors. Seeing you as such a small part of a bigger production angered him. You deserved the world after all, you did such a good job looking after him and his chat. Always so considerate and welcoming...

After he found out he went and told his chatters. In the weeks after the film studio found floods of negative comments, stock drops and sudden appeals to get the studio shut down because of accusations that seemed to come out of nowhere.

In the meantime, Seth would be over at your apartment, listening to all of your worries about what was supposed to be this new stable job. It crushed him to see you so downtrodden, without the smile he always imagined was plastered on your face.

The two of you really grew closer over this time, he seemed dependable and you were so open to manipulation. All you had to do was let him in and he'd take care of the rest!

One day you got the dreaded email, you would have to be let go as the company was suddenly going under. Don't worry though, you always had a place on Seth's team! His viewership was always going up (totally not because his chat was working overtime to support and promote him) and he was even getting some really cool twitch deals (thanks to some of his more frequent influential chatters).

All you had to do was stick with him for the moment while you looked for another job... that he made sure would never come! He vowed to himself that one day he would be big enough to support you all by himself! He was so close so just hold on for a little while longer.

[carpememes]

10 Minute Power Hour Starters

"You gotta warn me because I was just about to yell 'Remember who made you cum?' and how embarrassing would that shit have been?"

"We've got ____ here. Can you believe it?"

"Alright, shut the fuck up, everybody."

"No, not the stegosaurus!"

"Oh! We're giving samples. I've done this before."

"Can you Urkel your way to a win?"

"I don't love this."

"Glug glug glug, now I'm drunk."

"WOO! Show us how it's done, baby!"

"It's what all the kids on youtube are doing."

"Where is this piece? Did you steal my piece?"

"Bro, I'm killing it."

"Am I right, the youth?"

"You didn't even savor the peelies."

"You just ripped it off like a barbarian."

"Sizzle sizzle, baby bitch."

"It's gonna be really dramatic and cool!"

"I don't want a pumpkin growing in my belly."

"What a fool he is, to get wood confused with food items."

"I told my mom to help me clean it up and she said 'no thank you'."

"___ said I look like the floor of an arcade."

"My heart is beating so fast right now."

"Spin the wheel, you bitch."

"We're visible to lots of people, but it feels great to be truly seen by someone special."

"Well, not like my BEST best friend but he's definitely in that class."

"That's too much plastic crap."

"You look like something they'd serve at 2 in the morning at iHop."

"I feel like i just came back from a mythical creature bukake."

"This is what the ladies are into. A big ol brain horn of goo."

"I'm an ex-man. Which means I used to be a man."

"Yeah you won. Everyone's great. Three people need to go to the hospital but hooray you won."

"Thanks for invalidating my win, dude. I worked hard for this."

"You popped which means you are legally obligated to not stop."

"Please. No laughter."

"I feel you should've said something."

"I has bro! Do you has bro??"

"Well, I think you get double points for that."

"You got a serious buttchin and you need to admit it and use it!"

"YOU DID THIS!"

"We're losin it. We're losin it! ___, we're losin it!"

"This shirt's better now."

"No don't! ___, fucking, god damn it!"

"That was the most legit anger I've heard out of you in so long."

"Why is it filled with chestnuts?! And a lemon!"

"Thanks for celebrating my birthday. This was really fun and not depressing."

"Hold on! I have to do some research."

"Jesus. Reginald. Christ."

"You did it! It's a nightmare."

"What do you think? You think i look sexy?"

"Am i out kissin vandals and vagrants?!"

"Imagine I'm rubbing your thighs."

"I'm going to open a tube of goo now."

"You're a sucky friend!"

"I'm doing all of the colors, you fuck!"

"I know what makes green! Magic and jesus!"

"Oh cool! It looks not that great!"

"It looks like somebody's pancreas exploded over here."

"Anyone wanna be on camera?"

"Drink it, you armadillo."

"Have you witnessed me?"

"Ew, ewww- EEEWWW!"

"Nooo, I don't wanna be the hulk anymore."

"There we go. That's a big boy."

"Are you gonna attack or are you too scared?"

"Admittedly you wield a lot of power that I was not aware of."

"It makes magic fun!"

"That's not what I wanted at all."

"I feel like a cat that just fell in the bathtub."

"YES! Eat the worms!"

"Early 2000s is retro?"

"What is the best time of day to shake a baby?"

"Oh no! It's making the connection that I'm it's mother!"

"We dont have all day. Im becoming sterile wearing these jock straps."

"So you can stick your little emoji faces in here when you write your diary about how much God has betrayed you."

"That is one of the worst shirts I've seen in my life. Put it on."

"What? Oh, I suppose you want to KISS about it?!"

"I dunno. I guess cuz I'm an asshole."

"What do you mean 'is that really what it looks like'? It looks magical!"

"In this world we must all tilt.... But we also a-whirl."

"Look around you. All you see is death and chaos... Here is a kirby."

"Every birthday is like the grim reaper moving one peg on the abacus of your life."

"Everytime I try to solve it i'm just making things worse. Which is just an analogy for my life."

"I was brewin' in the nutsack of an older man."

"It was like having Chuck-e-cheese right in your house."

"The ooze doesn't smell great."

"Parents killed each other to get this thing."

"I threw up a lot more in the 90s than I do now."

"It's about to erase your memory."

"____, Im so sorry, but there's something your mother and I have to tell you."

"It's not your fault! Don't ever think it's your fault!"

[sillygooseassociation]

The Year of Us

Request: Holiday fic request: new years w/Jason first new years together fluffy or spicy whichever you prefer ♥️

Description: When Jason invites you to a New Year’s Eve party, someone’s jealousy runs wild but honestly? Might be the best for everyone.

Warning(s): angst, jealousy, smut, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, i just forgot to include them talking about contraception lol, reader is on birth control)

Pairing: JRU, Jason Sudeikis x reader

Word Count: 3.6k

A/N: and here it is! angst, smut, and fluff to ring in the new year. the origin story of our beloved JRU couple! while these are not published in chronological order, this shows how Jason and Y/N finally made it official! i think the order of reading the JRU and everything may be a little confusing, so maybe i’ll make a little reading guide? if you’ve read all of JRU, i hope you pick up on all the little callbacks, such as finding out where their little phrase comes from! anywho, happy happy new year, friends! 2022 has had some really sucky things for me, but it’s also had some absolutely amazing things like discovering ted lasso and the light it has brought into my world (plus jason, thank you god). ted and jason have then brought me all of you, my beautiful friends! i am so thankful for all of you and can’t wait for us to grow even more together in 2023!

-

To say Jason’s invitation surprised you would be a massive understatement. Sure, the two of you had hung out multiple times since his appearance on SNL at the end of October. But no one had truly made any moves and it was absolutely infuriating. Maybe you understood his hesitation at the beginning, he was in his late 40s and you were a young PA for SNL, he likely didn’t want to abuse any power someone could perceive him as having over you. However, after his flirting with you during your first real conversation, you didn’t think he would instantly dial back,

But alas, that’s exactly what he did. He spent probably an hour with you at the after-party, apologizing over a drink as promised, and he most certainly let his eyes gloss over your figure more than once, but that was it. You two had hung out almost once a week since then, yet no moves had been made. Could you make a move? Technically, yes. Realistically, hell no. What if you ruin this amazing friendship the two of you had formed just because you had the hots for him? What if he complained to his friends? And by friends, you mean what if he told people like Bill Hader? You’re pretty sure that means your life would be over. So pushed aside feelings and friendly touches on the arm were all there was.

That’s not to say you didn’t do certain things to perhaps prompt Jason to act on his flirty comments. Every weekly hangout, your pants got a little tighter and your neckline a little lower. And not that anyone could prove it, but any onlooker would think you were the most clumsy person ever considering the couple of times you spilled your drink on yourself, specifically spilling on your chest, drawing a certain someone’s attention to the area. Much to your dismay though, it seemed as if your efforts were failing, Jason flirting with you in almost each of your interactions but never following through to show you that he was serious.

So when he texted you to ask if you had any plans for that evening, New Year’s Eve, you were surprised. If he was asking, he must not have the kids, but wouldn’t he want to be spending the holiday with his friends? Ignoring your confusion, you tell him about the wine and leftover pizza awaiting you in your kitchen. After expressing his disgust at the pairing (though you know it's bullshit, the two of you had shared that exact meal at his place before), he tells you to be ready by 9 and then responds to none of your follow-up questions. “Geez, thanks, Jas…” You roll your eyes at the man, how were you supposed to even know what to wear if you didn’t know what you were doing? Surely he wouldn’t want to go out, New York is packed on any given day, nonetheless New Year’s Eve. Plus, you know how anxious he feels about paparazzi seeing you two and reading into things. Not that he had told you such, but it was easy to put two and two together when you only ever hung out at one of your places or a hole-in-the-wall bar with a back entrance.

By the time nine o’clock rolled around, you were anxiously pacing in front of your door, ready for Jason’s text that he was outside. You were dressed up more than normal, in a sparkling outfit that fits you just perfectly and definitely showed skin in all the right places. Were you too dressed up? You put on white Jordans to try and dress the outfit down, knowing heels likely be too much and would leave you regretting it the next day. But what if you still went overboard? Your anxious thoughts were cut off by the buzzing of your phone,

Balls Man: Here :)

If it were any other man or you lived in any other city, it would be a red flag that Jason didn’t come up to your apartment to get you, or at least meet you in the lobby. But with the busy and full streets of the Big Apple, plus the risk of fans, you understood Jason’s hesitation when he explained his texted arrival the first time he picked you up. Rushing out of your apartment and down the stairs, hopefully burning off some of your excited energy, a bright smile crosses your face when you see Jason’s car stalled in front of your building. Opening the passenger, you slide in, not surprised to hear a Mumford & Sons’ song playing, “Hey there, stranger.” You roll your eyes and look at him with a cocked eyebrow, “Really? Could you be anymore midwestern white dad in his 40s?” 

Letting out a hearty laugh, Jason nods as he focuses on the road, pulling into the street when the opportunity presented itself, “Alright, I asked for that one.” You chuckle in response, subtly glancing over to check him out, letting out a small shaky breath at the image of his flexed left arm out with his hand holding to the wheel, his right hand relaxing on the gear shift in between your bodies. You quickly have to ask him something or you may do something drastic and regrettable, “So, what exactly are we doing tonight?” Jason casually shrugs, looking over his shoulder as he merges left, heading in the direction of Manhattan from your Brooklyn apartment, “Thought we’d head to a party my friend’s having at his place. Unless you wanted to do something else, of course.” You hold in a laugh at the second part of Jason’s response, the man seemingly getting nervous over the idea of him just deciding your plans for the night. “That sounds great, Jason. Honestly, I’m fine with whatever, I’m just happy to spend the new year with you.” 

A blush rises to your cheeks as soon as you realize what you say, quickly turning away from Jason to look out the window at the passing buildings, a small smirk appears on Jason’s face, both at your words and your reaction. A silence falls over the car, save for the music playing, though the silence is comfortable, almost as though you and Jason had reached a spot where you don’t need to worry about filling the empty space, you can just sit, together. After about thirty minutes of anecdotes and stories from the week, your’s mostly about the SNL PA group chat and Jason’s mainly about his children, you arrive at a swanky apartment building. Jason pulls into the parking garage, presenting a guest pass to the attendant, hm, okay, this must be a pretty close friend if Jason has a parking pass rather than having to find street parking. 

The two of you get out of the car after he finds a spot and head towards the lobby door, walking close enough that the back of your hands brush against each other, though neither of you attempt to make a move. Clearing your throat, you look around, noticing how nice the cars are in the parking garage, okay, so everyone here is rich, “Um, Jason, how fancy of a party is this? Am I gonna be shunned for how I look?” Jason looks at you like you’re crazy and laughs, stopping when he realizes that you’re seriously asking, “Y/N, what, no, you look…” Jason looks you over, under the guise of examining your outfit though anyone would be able to see that he’s taking in your body, anyone but you apparently, “What? I look what?” Jason clears his throat, looking forward as he holds the lobby door open for you, speaking softly as you pass him through the door, “Perfect, you look perfect.” 

The elevator ride is silent, though it is a different kind of silence than the one in the car, the tension could be cut with a knife. Jason is positive that the tension is one of anger from you, that he crossed the line, meanwhile, your thoughts of mounting him then and there surely mean the tension is sexual. Before either of you can say anything, the doors open to reveal an apartment, your eyes widening slightly when you are reminded that some people have enough money that elevators can just open into their homes. You suddenly realize you have no idea whose house you’re even at, but before you can even ask Jason, a familiar face makes his way through the small circles of people talking, “Sudeikis! You made it!”

Jason Sudeikis was a fucking dumbass. Seth Meyers, that’s who lives here. Sure, working at NBC for a year and a half, you had passed him a couple of times in the hallway, but you had never had a conversation and you sure as hell have never been in his house. Jason and Seth meet for a hug before the two pull away, briefly catching up before Seth not-so-subtly points his eyes in your direction. Jason laughs at himself as he turns to you, putting his hand on your lower back, “Oh, duh, sorry. Seth, this is Y/N, Y/N, Seth. She’s fit so perfectly into my life, I forgot that not everyone knows her.” You’re 99% sure that you got whiplash from turning to look at Jason, but his attention has been caught by someone else and he’s telling Seth they’ll talk later, interlacing your fingers to pull you towards his friends. 

What the actual fuck is happening. Is this what heaven feels like? Or is this hell? Yeah, you’re holding hands with Jason, but it’s surely just so he doesn’t lose you in the crowd. There’s no meaning behind it, there never will be. Jason introduces you to the group, many of whom you recognize as different writers from NBC, including your idol, Amber Ruffin. Not wanting to make a fool of yourself, but also needing some liquid courage if Jason is going to keep touching you and breaking your heart, you slip your hand out of his, turning to head where you see a bar set up. As soon as your touch leaves him, Jason stops talking and turns to you, “Are you okay?” Turning back to him with a tightlipped smile, you give him a nod, “Yeah, just getting a drink. Enjoy your friends.”  Jason nods, though it’s apprehensive, wanting to catch up with his friends, but also not wanting to lose track of you in the crowded living room. 

At the bar, you make yourself a drink before hearing your name called, turning around to see Mark, a fellow intern from when you started at NBC. The two of you greet each other with a hug, “Mark! What are you doing here?” He fills you in on his job as a PA for Seth’s show while you tell him about working at SNL, “Wait, so how do you know Seth?” You shake your head as you take a sip of your drink, setting it down on the bar, “Oh, I don’t, just came with a friend.” Mark nods and you two catch up, laughing about your intern days and sharing stories from your current jobs. 

About twenty minutes pass before you feel a hand wrap around your hip and a chest meet your back, “There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you.” Mark’s eyes widen when he sees who you came with, you didn’t think to mention that it was an NBC legend. “Y/N, you didn’t think to mention that you came with SNL royalty. Or that he’s your boyfr..” Before he can finish, Jason cuts Mark off, “Sorry, where are my manners? I’m Jason, and you are?” Jason lets go of your hip briefly to shake Mark’s, squeezing a bit tighter than necessary, though you are none the wiser, “M-Mark, Y/N and I were interns together when we started at 30 Rock.” Jason nods as he takes his hand back, putting his hand back on your side, a bit lower this time, resting just above your ass. “Oh great, well it was wonderful to meet you, but we really should be going. We were just stopping in.” 

You look to Jason in surprise, what was he talking about? He didn’t mention any other plans, you only got here like half an hour ago, why do you have to leave? Mark nods, the two of you wishing each other a happy new year before Jason’s fingers intertwine with yours, heading towards the door. After thanking Seth for having the two of you, Jason and you take the elevator down to the lobby, which oh my god, you’re just now realizing is the lobby of lobby baby. You cross the parking garage, only letting go of each other when you reach the car. 

This time the silence of the car ride is thick with discomfort. You are not quiet due to imagining sinful acts with Jason and you’re not enjoying peace with your company, you’re practically grinding your teeth out of annoyance. After an hour and a half in the car, your drive time tripled thanks to holiday traffic, Jason pulls into a spot surprisingly open in front of your building. “Y/N, I…” Jason is cut off by you opening the door, “Goodnight, Jas.” You get out of the car and slam the door, so frustrated that you didn’t even notice that you let your nickname for him slip, a nickname you hadn’t used to his face in fear it would cross the line. As you walk up the outside steps of your building, Jason chases after you, “Whoa, Y/N, wait please.” You whip around to look at him, tears of anger and confusion welling in your eyes, “What, Jason? What can you possibly say that will explain how you’re acting?”

Your raised voice catches the attention of those walking past, something you and Jason both notice. Looking at you with desperate eyes, Jason steps closer to you, though you still have the upper ground thanks to the steps, “Can we go inside and talk? Please?” Jason’s plea is dripping with emotion, how can you say no to him? It’s not like he actually did anything wrong, you just need to get over yourself and your feelings for him. Obliging his request, you enter your building, walk up the steps, and enter your apartment, Jason a few steps behind. He walked next to you, always. The only time he wasn’t with you was when he walked a few paces ahead of you to open a door. The man never left your side, and yet here he was, behind you. 

Kicking off your shoes, you walk a few steps out of the entryway so Jason can do the same before turning to him, your arms crossed and an angry expression on your face. Jason looks at you, the guilt in his eyes almost makes you break, but first, you needed to know why he was guilty and what he thinks happened. Jason takes a deep breath, looking down at his socks before looking back to you, “Y/N, I am so sorry. It was not at all okay for me to take you away from your friend. I don’t know what happened, I-I just saw you talking to him and I got so anxious and, and…” Jason cracks his knuckles, obviously regretting what he was about to say, “…and jealous, I was jealous.” 

Your jaw drops slightly as your eyes widen, “What the fuck are you talking about?” Jason runs his hand through his hair, the other on his hip as he starts to pace, “I know, okay, I know I have no right to be jealous. And you have every right to be mad at me for acting like a jealous psychopath. I know, we’re just friends and I’m a fucking grandpa compared to you and you would probably be so happy dating someone your age like Matt…” You hold in your snicker at Jason’s error of your friend’s name, also having to hold back from snorting at his stupidity, “I know, okay, I know that I am the worst and just ruined the entire fucking thing, okay? You just, I swear to god, every fucking time I see you, your shirts are lower and lower and it’s all I fucking see and it’s goddamn torture and now I just admitted to being a fucking pervert, oh god.” Jason sits on your couch, burying his head in his hands, freaking out over everything he just revealed meanwhile, you stand a couple of feet away from him, just watching him before you can no longer hold your laughter in. 

Jason lifts his head, looking like a mix of a sad puppy and a confused toddler, “Wha…” You round the table in front of the couch, sitting on wood furniture in front of him, your knees touching, “I know they say comedians can be dumb, but damn, you’re a fucking idiot.” Jason’s head tilts slightly as his brows furrow, “Okay, not the yelling I thought would happen, obviously you’re going for emotion warfare instead…” You stare at the man with love in your eyes as you chuckle slightly, here he is thinking he ruined everything and yet he’s still cracking jokes, he absolutely amazed you. “Jas, I’m not mad at you for being jealous, if anything, it’s actually really hot.” Jason’s eyes widen, obviously about to ask what you mean by that but you continue before he can say anything, “I’m mad that - well, not even really mad but - that you were fucking doing all these things and, and I knew you didn’t mean them. And holy fuck, I want you to mean them.”

You look down at your legs, anxiously rubbing your hands up and down on your thighs before Jason places his finger under your chin and lifts your head so you’re looking at him, “Y/N, I meant every single one of those things. When I said you looked perfect I meant it, I mean, fuck, you always look perfect. When I grabbed your hand because of the crowds, I wished I was doing that for the rest of my life. Everything I do, every act, every touch, I mean it. I just never thought it meant something to you.” You’re not even sure what to say, for the first time in your life, you’re speechless. To make up for what you can’t put into words, you kiss him. You wrap your hands around the back of Jason’s neck and pull him into you, your lips meeting in a sweet kiss. Jason’s hands grab onto your hips, holding on so tightly that even through your clothes, you wouldn’t be surprised if you have a finger indentation tomorrow.

Running your fingers through the hair at the base of his neck, you pull away just enough to speak softly, “Bedroom.” Jason nods eagerly as he meets you in a kiss again, both of you standing and messily stumbling to your room. Never breaking the kiss, Jason messes with the zipper on the back of your outfit as you stand at the end of your bed, “Fuck, need this off.” You whimper at Jason’s words, the easiest way to agree given your current situation. Finally, Jason pulls the zipper down, groaning when he sees your lacy set as your one piece falls to the floor, “You're telling me I could have seen this two months ago?” You giggle, attaching your mouth to the column of his throat, sucking deeply, as you mess with his belt. As your palm passes over his erection, Jason lets out a groan that you’re pretty sure is the sound angels make when you ascend to heaven. 

You begin to sink to your knees but Jason quickly stops you, grabbing onto your hips, “That sounds like a fucking dream, but right now I need to be inside you, is that okay, sweet girl?” A whine slips past your lips, tugging at his sweater before he pushes you onto your bed. Jason strips off all of his clothes, a moan leaving your mouth when you see his size and the precum leaking from his tip, “Holy fuck, Jas.” Jason practically growls at your comment, crawling onto the bed and laying over you, keeping himself high enough that he isn’t touching any part of you, “I need you to call me that for the rest of my life, honey. I’m all your’s.” A gasp leaves your lips as he slides into you, pausing to allow you to adjust. 

Your core clenches around him as you feel his cock throbbing inside of you, “Fuck Jas, need you to move.” Happy to oblige, Jason begins to rock in and out of you, bringing his thumb down to rub at your swollen clit, “Ya feel so good around me, honey. ‘s like you were made for me.” Jason pulls all the way out before plowing back into you, a cry erupts from your throat, your noises pushing him closer to the edge. “Hm, what’d you say, sweetheart?” As he asks you, Jason increases both the speed of his thrusts and the speed at which he’s rubbing your bundle of nerves. His lips attach to your collarbone, nipping at your skin and leaving marks, to which you bring your hands to the nape of his neck, pulling at his hair, “Y-yes, Jas. All yours.” 

Jason moves his head down slightly, bringing his nipple into your mouth right as he hits your g-spot. You cry out his name as you reach your peak, clawing at his back as you do so, your tight core seemingly holding him in a vice. Pulling off of your nipple, Jason watches you, in a trance, as you cum, “Never seen anyone look so pretty.” Jason continues to work you through your climax, his own groans coming out as his brows furrow, concentrating on reaching the finish line, “Come on Jas, need you to finish in me, bubs, wanna feel all of you.” Your words push him over, Jason filling you up as his movements still, his forehead falling to rest in between your breasts, both of your bodies covered in sweat. 

As your worlds seem to still with this change of your relationship, the world outside begins its countdown, the streets filled with cars and drunk New Yorkers yelling out starting at 10. Jason pulls out and lays next to you, the two of you staring into each others’ eyes as he pulls you close, your legs intertwining. As the crowd outside hits five, Jason places his hand on the side of your face, swiping his thumb across your cheek, “We doing this? We starting the year with us?” You smile softly, giving a small nod as your faces grow closer, “I’m in if you are, Jas.” 

Jason returns your smile, “You and me, baby.” Your lips meet just as the fireworks go off outside, your heart feeling similar to the entire east coast right about now. The two of you pull apart, resting your foreheads together as you repeat the phrase back, “You and me, bubs.”

[ladyloveandjustice]

oof, good point. That is essentially it. Though you could also turn it on it's head and say people who shut themselves off from Hisui don't want her to see who they really are.

Heeeere we go! I was wondering if anyone would resent Hisui for the bad things she made happen to them as a characters. EVERY AUTHOR'S WORST FEAR. But it's not just that Hisui had them hurt for the sake of the story, it's that she didn't even care about the supporting characters enough to remember what she did to them.

(This is making me cringe because I do give a very very minor character a leg injury in my book to generate some conflict, and I don't care about him. Hope he doesn't come for me in the night. I mean at least I remember doing it. That will be my defense.)

It's not really bad for an author not to care about every single character, imo. I know authors are supposed to ~love all their characters~ but tbh I think the authors that actually manage to do that are not the norm. Sometimes you use very minor characters to cause conflict or make the plot work or drive a certain point in and no, you don't care about them or think about them too much, and that's fine.

The problem with Hisui's story that probably made it, to be frank, not very good, is that she only REALLY cared about her leads, and her caring was rooted in them being fantasies she could project herself onto. Doing that isn't wrong or bad--in fact I myself has argued self-insert fantasy characters in a well-built world with a good supporting cast are just fine and in fact, comprise a good chunk of comics and classic lit and people only start hating them when they're women and/or a minority--but it does make for a pretty sucky story (SEE MOST OTHER ISEKAI). And if you did have to meet those supporting characters who were all there just to prop your fantasy up and make your self-insert look better, they'd probably be pretty pissed.

[fantasyinvader]

I was watching a video on why Japanese media is so focused on youth, especially high school. The TLDR is that for the Japanese, high school is romanticized as their last experience with freedom before they enter adulthood. The last time they can just hang with their friends at their own leisure, back before they enter a career and the dreaded Japanese work environment. Rather than looking back at high school as a sucky place, it's viewed as something to long for afterwards resulting in a lot of media romanticizing it in order to cash in on the appeal.

But this just ignores the fact that Japan is a meritocracy, and even during high school there's focus on studying in order to get into a good school, because getting into a good school can result in getting a good job and enjoying financial success. But that's not really the case of what's going on in Japan, as those high paying positions are already filled by people who got to them first. Likewise, in companies people are expected to work not for their own sake but the sake of the company, which can be abused in people required to work unpaid overtime, go to afterhours parties, hell people are criticized for being the first person to leave at the end of their shift while others are doing that unpaid overtime in order to look good. People are meant to follow their elders/superiors, even if those leaders have made mistakes and problems worse, because that's how Japan follows tradition. It's led to problems like Japan's missing generation, how the Japanese economy burst in the late 80's and still really hasn't recovered, and the infamous black companies.

In terms of anime and manga, people just want to escape from modern Japanese society. Not just in using stories set in a high school as a form of escapism, but isekai stories or stuff like Zom 100 where Japanese society collapses and rather than viewing it as hell the protagonists view it as a means to be free and pursue the dreams they've given up on. Or you get slow life stories about people moving from the city to a more relaxing life in the country, as well as all manner of power fantasies where you can just brute force the world into making sense.

In modern Japanese, the word hadou is used to refer to bosses who abuse their power. And at the same time, the devs of Houses believed that people would focus more on the school section of the story. And this got me thinking.

Think about it like this, Edelgard is supposed to represent hadou. She talks a lot about merit, and like a significant proportion of Japanese society doesn't believe in social safety nets. The Japanese text has her state that she's going to put the world back to the way it was, a return to tradition. Likewise, like Japanese society she also believes that change has to come from the top, namely her remaking society the way she believes it should be run. She's also an Imperialist who has been fed historical revisionism, which she never questions despite knowing her real source and their intentions.

Edelgard represents the worst aspects of Japanese society.

Now, go back to that romanticization of the high school experience and how the devs thought people would focus more on the Academy portion of the game. Time passing is a motif of the game, with the Japanese name for the game invoking the passage of the seasons. Time is always going forward (minus the odd divine pulse), it waits for no man and once passed you can't go back. Mechanically, we get the game's calendar system limiting how much grinding we can do in contrast to past FE games with grinding. The story isn't going to stop just because you want to grind EXP or supports. And with the passage of time comes maturity.

Going back to what the devs have said, Edelgard being a villain is meant to be a twist. Supporting her means cementing Fodlan as a meritocracy, a place where people are expected to look after themselves and not rely on others according to her solo ending which shows that her big speech against Rhea was just BS. She'll even admit to walking the path of hadou up until that point, and despite her words that's not longer the case her victory is still supposed to lead to hadou. All this happens because when her mask came off and she was revealed as the Flame Emperor, the player didn't see her for what she was. They saw her as the romanticized school girl she had pretended to be up until that point.

Supporting the system that is most like Japanese society leads to tyranny.

The flipside is oudou. Dimitri's ending was written in direct opposition to Edelgard's and is seen as radical in Japan. Rather than consolidating power on himself, he gives it to the masses so that societal change comes from them, all while he also works to support those in need rather than leaving them to fend for themselves. It's also present in Claude's ending, as he makes a point to bring up stopping Edelgard's hadou. His route sees him mature, realize he was wrong about things, and as a result changes his stance. He also opens up, working with others to accomplish his goals while also realizing that simply erasing lines won't bring people together. His ending sees Fodlan reset and rebuilt in contrast to Edelgard's restoration of the Empire. Finally, it's also present in SS (through the Japanese name for the Sword of the Creator invoking Heaven's Mandate) where Byleth and the Black Eagles don't side with Edelgard after all she's done. Doing the right thing is not always easy, and SS is meant to be the hardest route simply because it means fighting someone that you may been close with. But the alternative is just blindly following your house leader, whose route repeatedly makes her out to be a liar manipulating others for her own gain and again it leads to tyranny. Instead, Byleth takes over as the leader of the Church and their former students.

SS, AM and VW are all supposed to lead to better societies. Lessons that could lead to better a Japan, all tied to the idea of growing up into being a responsible adult rather than expecting the person on top to magically solve everything. If anything, it makes this obsession with the freedom of youth and high school Japan out to be an issue holding it back. Japanese society has plenty of problems and whatever your poison escapism isn't going to solve them. People stepping up and taking control of their own lives rather than just having blind faith in their leaders, supporting and empowering each other rather than believing that people only get what they earn, adopting new points of view rather than regressing to tradition, even taking in the perspective of outsiders, all of those things can help make things better. This longing for high school, conversely, only leads to how Hideaki Anno once described Japan: A nation of children.

And, really, the fact people make up elaborate headcanons in order to say Edelgard is the real hero despite what the game's creators say? That's just people revealing how childish they really are. After all, Houses had a CERO rating of B, rated ages 12 and up. This game is something that is supposed to be understood by middle-schoolers, yet some folks can't accept that their favorite is a villain who does bad things

[bugeyedfreaks]

So I was thinking about the whole “misogyny behind the supposed lack of interest in teenage girl Powerpuffs” statement you made and something hit me: the reason why the reboots suck is because they’re trying to squeeze edgy, Cinemasins-style teenage and adult situations and humor out of perpetually five year old girls and it makes me so mad that Craig said that because teenage girls ALREADY think that their lives end once they have boobies or are interested in girly hobbies and it would be so subversive to have a show that continues off of the “GIRLS CAN BE ANYTHING.” message of the original with “TEENAGE GIRLS CAN DO ANYTHING. THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE MEN LITE TO BE HEROES.” but instead, we get like five reboots of various levels of quality, all because he thinks teenage girls have cooties or whatever.

Oh yeah, what I said on this post! I could have given you a short answer like a normal blogger, but here is my long, rambling answer where I basically agree and get a little off track and go more in detail about the suckiness of the reboots/the suckiness of saying the girls aren't special if they're older... behind the cut. 🤣

“Teenage girls ALREADY think that their lives end once they have boobies or are interested in girly hobbies.” It's definitely not an inherent thought by any means, but I totally know what you're saying. Society and culture and the media and the internet push girls into thinking they have to become a certain kind of "mature" by a certain age and it's awful. And to say that the girls wouldn’t be “special” if they were older felt as if it was reinforcing the whole gross notion that women allegedly turn into completely different creatures at puberty and from there on out rapidly lose their worth/usefulness as they get older. To say that the girls wouldn’t or couldn’t be “special” when they grow up… yeah, the wording was pretty yikes.

I guess I should quickly clarify that I prefer Craig doing what he does best, and I'm perfectly fine with the girls continuing to be kindergarteners if the show gets rebooted or continued. And he hasn't been involved with the series since 2008, so he's not responsible for any of the content in the reboots that have already happened. I don’t believe he’s some raging sexist (…well, I hope not) either, it’s just that the way he’s said some of the things he’s said concerning this topic are kinda… ugh. Poorly communicated. It's frustrating sometimes! 😩

I get what Craig was trying to say: having the girls be ass-kicking kindergarteners is a fun and unique premise (true, and I love them that way, it's OG, baby!), and having them be teenagers or adults… well, there are already a lot of ass-kicking superheroines who are teenagers/adults. But that's such a limited view of who the girls really are. Their being kindergarteners isn’t the only thing that makes them unique compared to other superheroes/hero teams. They’re three sisters (essentially triplets) with a creator who acts as their single-parent father figure (so they have a loving and stable family life), and each one of them has distinct personalities and talents. They’re fully fleshed-out characters on their own, but they’re also incomplete if they aren’t together. How many other superheroes or superheroines are like that?

Regarding the comment he made about their “kryptonite,” I definitely think that an interesting setback (and strength!) of theirs– regardless of them being in kindergarten– is that none of the girls have alter egos, so they can never just have “normal” lives. At least Clark Kent and Diana Prince could maybe pretend to be regular people once in a while. Blossom and Bubbles and Buttercup can’t! No matter how old they become, the girls will always have to deal with their “real world” responsibilities in tandem with their “superhero” responsibilities because they don’t have to hide anything about their powers from the world. Other superheroes’ lives would end if their “normal” identity was exposed: theirs wouldn’t. And then again, no matter what unique responsibilities they’d be facing, no matter their stage in life, they’d continue to have to deal with the positives and negatives of that kind of existence, and, like I've discussed on here before, I think there are soooo many stories that could potentially be explored stemming from that. So... like... come on. Not special, my foot! It's not like their adventures would all of a sudden end or could never be just as unique as they've always been!

In the case of making a story with the girls being older, yeah, that doesn’t automatically mean you need to stuff your show with edgy, "adult" humor. You barely even have to change how they talk. They don’t have to talk about sex or comment on the latest pop culture thing to be “mature.” They don’t have to get all serious and gritty to be “mature.” Those are the kinds of things people in Hollywood think maturity is (does a certain someone who's also in Hollywood believe that, too? 👀). The problem is in the writing, in misunderstanding what the show is and who the characters are in the first place, how they deal with life to begin with, and so far it seems that the right storytellers who could tell really cool stories in that sort of setting who do understand all that haven’t come along yet.

Also, a thing that I feel is critical to getting the tone of the girls as characters right is that they exist in a universe that, while it may have exciting action and fighting and carnage, is still a very silly place. The goofiness of that universe comes with a very specific tone that has not been well replicated in these other iterations of the series. The balance of the girls' “normal” and “superhero” lives is always off-kilter (and I’m gonna be controversial… I think the live-action script didn't hit the mark but was a billion times closer to getting that balance than the 2016 reboot), and the type of humor that gets used is way off in tone (PPG humor ≠ twerking/Simpsons humor/lazy pop culture jokes/sex jokes). Plus, that small but critical dose of sincerity in the writing of the original show barely ever feels like it’s present in any of these newer iterations.

...but what do I know, I dunno, do I even get the characters? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ That's just how I feel about it all. Sorry for all these words, haha.

[black-arcana]

NEW YEARS DAY's ASH COSTELLO Opens Up About Pregnancy Loss, Divorce And Dating

In a new interview with The Mistress Carrie Podcast, NEW YEARS DAY singer Ash Costello opened up about the personal tragedy and trauma that she went through during and after the pandemic. She said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't talk about that stuff publicly ever, really. We were announced [for this year's] Rockville. Welcome To Rockville is a really amazing Danny Wimmer festival. We're playing with MÖTLEY CRÜE and JUDAS PRIEST. And the last time we were on Rockville, we had to cancel — we had to cancel all of our festivals last summer. And I saw the comments, like, 'Oh, NEW YEARS DAY's gonna pull out again.' 'I don't trust they'll ever make it.' 'How come they always cancel?' And I just wanna reach out to those people, like, you have no idea the personal battles I was going through that summer."

She continued: "I had to really learn to prioritize myself and my health. I went through a pregnancy. I went through a pregnancy loss, which was really traumatic because it was like a prolonged — tons and tons of tests, and it just kept getting worse and worse. And it was like an all-summer stressful event. And then a divorce and moving to another state. And there's just so much that happened, and I just wanna reach out to those people and be, like, you have no idea what any artist you're idolizing is going through. We're all human beings facing battles you know nothing about. But that was a big lesson for me because I was never putting myself first, and it showed. So now I put myself first, and we're getting way more creative, which I'm excited about."

Elaborating on her pregnancy loss, Ash said: "I didn't know how common it was. And although common, still not fun.

"I had plans to be on that 'Kiss Of Death' tour [with ICE NINE KILLS and IN THIS MOMENT last fall] seven months pregnant. That was gonna be the plan. I was gonna rock it. I was actually really into the idea of it, even though I'm sure it would have been really hard, but I was gonna do it. And everyone was on board and everyone was supportive. And then it just didn't…

"Life gives you what you need and taketh away what it's supposed to take away, and looking back, everything happens as it should, even though it's still sucky, but everything goes exactly as it should," Costello philosophized. "And it's not something I talk about. It's how you said, it's important to have a community of women in the rock world talking about their real womanly issues that go on in our lives. I don't talk about this in general, but this is a girl's podcast. So I feel super comfortable talking about mental health and self-care and prioritizing yourself and not sacrificing your happiness and your mental health just to grind."

Ash also talked the difficulty in maintaining romantic relationships while being in a touring band. She said: "I'm not a dater. I've never been. I hate dating. I don't do it. I'm the kind of person where it's, like, 'All right, we get married or not, 'cause I've got somewhere to be.' I've always been like that. And if someone freaks out over that, I'm, like, 'Cool. You're not my person. Next.'

Addressing specifically the breakdown of her marriage, three and a half years after she tied the knot with Jered Boeving, Ash said: "It was harder to make a marriage work while being in a band with maybe a person who's not from the industry and doesn't necessarily understand… 'Cause I always said I'm not gonna date anyone in a band. I'm gonna go with someone in a totally different field. And then that also came with its cons as well, because it was a little hard for the other person to understand what it takes. And I'm a very friendly person. I've always been one of the guys, just because I've always been in bands. And so that can be a bit jarring for someone who maybe doesn't understand what the camaraderie is actually like while you're traveling and stuff like that. So definitely difficult to navigate. It's gonna take a very understanding person or just someone in the industry."

NEW YEARS DAY's fifth studio album, "Half Black Heart", arrived on March 1.

[thelediz]

Hello!! I'm really sorry to interrupt your Sonic kick, it's been wonderful to follow your rewatch of Underground, but I've been wondering this for a while so I thought I'd ask...do you have any thoughts on Paldea as a region, and what Ash's journey through there could look like?

...bc to be honest, I'm incredibly sad that MY region (paldea is based on the iberian peninsula and I'm from Spain) has a sucky design (region design has always been one of my favorite aspects of the pokemon games) and is the only one so far Ash hasn't gone to :(

I loved your thoughts on ash-in-galar and how the regional style would be like and stuff, so I'd be super happy to learn my favourite pokemon (and sonic!) writer and worldbuilder had poked at it some :) and if not, that's prefectly okay! I know I've been avoiding all the more recent pokemon stuff myself haha

Oh, wow, I so wish I could answer this, because I love talking about any franchises - I'm just trying to focus on Sonic because the FIC MUST BE FINISHED SO HELP ME.

But unfortunately I just... haven't been in Pokemon, and I don't really know the Paldea region. From what I've heard about the games, I actually suspect I'd have more to say about it on a literal professional level (projects and development are my thing, and the whole thing reeks of someone trying to enforce agile iterative development without having an actual roadmap - total budget crunch to user experience detriment).

Yes I appreciate that sentence probably doesn't make any sense to normal humans. I'm sorry.

But from what I do know about it, I'd say it would be a pretty poor fit for Ash. There have been Pokemon Schools since the first games, but the reason people objected to Ash attending the Pokemon School in Alola is because he's supposed to be a traveller and explorer, and keeping him confined to a single city felt wrong. It proved doable, kind of, but...

Whereas Paldea seems quite... -vague gesture- contained. The fact the main character is a student of an ACADEMY enforces a kind of rigidity that doesn't fit with Ash. He would be the problem child, and that would derail him back away from being the strong hero that he has been since X&Y.

You could expand on the world, definitely. Grow it beyond what was in the games. But then some people would cry foul, and... egh.

But I'm talking out of my ear. So... I'm afraid all I can offer are sympathetic winces that your region is so poorly represented. Hopefully we'll see better in the future.