#You want to play the “you’re using right wing arguments” game?

[convoy914]

Here's what the anti-censorship, pro-filtering crowd are actually worried about:

Minorities are going to write stories with racist villains, and those villains might use slurs. Should that be banned from AO3?

Child sexual assault survivors might want to tell their own stories to process their trauma. They aren't going to hurt real children while doing it and might not pull any punches to avoid diluting the horror of what happened to them. Should those stories be banned?

Transgender writers are going to write stories where their protagonists suffer from transphobic hate crimes and microaggressions. Should those stories be banned?

Figure out a solution that won't get innocent people caught in the crossfire because the far right wants to shut those perspectives down, and THEN we'll listen.

But sure, keep parroting Far Right Propaganda about how sinful and evil AO3 is! I'm sure that won't backfire when homophobes push to have queer coming of age stories labelled as child porn!

OOOO, lots of whataboutisms. You seem to be under the impression that it’s one or the other. That it’s necessary to keep things as they are in order to prevent The Dark Ages. That the Holy A03 is tho only bastion against the Evil Puritans. That people won’t be able to tell. Why is that, exactly? Why do you assume that it has to be one or the other?

But sure, let’s play this game: If we ban white people for saying the N-Slur on Twitter, then what about black people who say it? If we ban pedophiles from Twitter, will that mean banning people who talk about their experiences? And as for the commonly repeated “it’s actually survivors” thing, okay sure. Why do they need to SHARE it? Why is that part necessary? I have never gotten an answer there. Do you have an answer? Depiction is NOT automatically endorsement but in the cases where it clearly IS, or will in fact cause harm because, guess what, tagging doesn’t magically solve all problems, putting it out there for everyone to see won’t actually help and has more risk of harm than anything else, then it’s absurd to suggest that we NEED to keep ALL of it. ESPECIALLY, might I add, when it’s porn or REAL CHILDREN that they refuse to take down.

Frankly, the idea that being against CHILD PORN is “far right homophobia” is insulting. It is fucking deranged that we’re at the point where people are using right wing arguments about censorship to whine about even the slightest amount of moderation and then acting like the people who call out this hypocritical nonsense are the “real” conservatives. Because that’s all this is: The same exact arguments I hear against moderation on Twitter, the same “it’s just fiction” excuse I hear from lolicons, the same hypocrites that calls themselves “anti-harassment” and then harass the hell out of actual children. WE’RE the ones using “far right” arguments? YOU’RE the one fearmongering about what will happen if we try to introduce even the slightest amount of moderation. If we even TRY to sift through what’s endorsement and what isn’t, because clearly that’s impossible. To even TRY to improve A03 somewhat, because if we do that then it’s the second age of homophobia

Look, I’m not going to deny that things were hard and this website was founded for a reason. Mostly, it’s incredibly helpful. But it’s gotten to the point where people react violently to the suggestion that their precious anarchist website might have some flaws, that maybe a LITTLE moderation would be helpful, and to the point where they’re defending ANY depiction of child porn or anything else because it’s either that or the homophobes win. How do you COME to that conclusion? How do you tell yourself, with a straight face, that leaving ALL of that up there is somehow “protecting” people? There comes a point where the reaction to something is just as bad as the thing it was reacting against, and this cult-like devotion to a website and all the hoops you’ll jump through to pretend like there’s no other way is definitely one of those cases.

Anyways, when I call this “cult-like”, I’m not being facetious. I know how this works: Feed people stuff that sounds reasonable while hiding the true intent, slowly normalize to that idea, and then we get what you’ve just done: Defending leaving ANY depiction of these things up because there’s definitely no other way, using the exact same “it’s just fiction” excuse that lolicons and their ilk use, acting like it HAS to be a “one or the other” based on what you IMAGINE Conservative Christianity to be like (which, might I add, is the exact same thing exclusionists do to justify why asexuals aren’t “oppressed enough”). WE don’t provide the alternative? YOU’RE not willing to hear any alternatives out. Because no matter how much they may protest to the contrary, it really does come down to “any moderation = bad” just like conservatives love with absolutely no sense of irony.

My advice: Take a step back and analyze what you’ve said, just…look at what that collection of words put together means. You ARE better than this, I know that. And the fact that you ARE against pointless censorship is a point in your favor. But that’s exactly how they get their hooks into people, convincing them that censorship and moderation are the same thing. And the damndest thing is, I’m not even sure it’s intentional on THEIR part, either. I think they’ve genuinely deluded themselves into thinking this is necessary, because they can’t see the irony. You want a real life example of “going too far in the other direction”, well here it is. It’s a real damn shame that it’s devolved into this “all or nothing” thing, but that’s just how it is. And I’m just responding appropriately.

[atlas-of-a-human-soul]

Draw your swords, pt. 5

Summary: A very special dinner brings a very special moment for the Darkling and his wife.

Warnings: angst, sexual innuendoes, swearing, bit of fluff

Part one // Part two // Part three // Part four  

=================================

She felt caught in the riptide, finding it hard to stay upright. As the daughter of a general, Y/N had seen so many evils, so much hurt, yet she never buckled under pressure.

Staring at the empty spot beside her, she laid there while battling shadows in her head. So filled with rage, she wondered who she’s becoming as a part of her longed to feel his touch. Perhaps he was right, she’s a foolish girl who is trying to win a game where the rules are nonexistent.

Having stayed awake most of the previous night, she didn’t expect trouble sleeping. With a heavy sigh, she abandoned the bed they shared – it felt too intimate to remain there now. They’ve only ever kissed and it was never planned nor did it happen in the very bed she felt is so incredibly vast, so lonely and cold when he didn’t stay there with her.

Pacing the room as she saw his shadow do the night before, Y/N couldn’t help but wonder if he had trouble sleeping alone too. It was less than a full week since they married and she already cursed the smallest part of her that seemed to care for him.

Men are easy to love. A woman’s heart was made to care and love those near her. Mistaking love and trust is what a woman should never do. Love and trust are separate entities, one is given, the other must be earned.

Remembering her mother’s words eased her self-loathing. If she dared to love the Darkling, it wasn’t entirely under her control. Trusting him was different. She wasn’t as naïve as to allow the echoes of her heart dictate what her mind long acknowledged – he isn’t trustworthy.

And as the stars rise in the sky, she paced the room tirelessly. Arguing with herself, she paid no mind to the night sky she loved so much. If she had, Y/N might have realized a man with dark skies for eyes had trouble looking away from her shadow.

Exhausted, Y/N rose with the dawn. She had barely scraped up a few hours of decent sleep, tormented by his words even in dreams.

“Enter”, she yawned as Genya readily walked inside. The maids rushed to the bed, willing to change the bed sheets they couldn’t last time as Y/N had sent them away.

“Stop!” She exclaims as they reach Kirigan’s side of the bed, a slightly panicked look on her face relaying uncontrollable desires she had no chance of understanding.

Frowning, Genya licked her lips. While Y/N wasn’t sure what caused her outburst, she believed to know the root. “Leave us. You will be asked to change the sheets when Y/N desires it.”

Swallowing thickly, Y/N turned away. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be”, Genya mussed. “We have a dinner to prepare you for.”

“Yes, of course.” Y/N managed a smile, briefly looking to Genya. “I’ll be alone which gives me a perfect chance to find new allies.”

Blinking fast, Genya’s frown deepened. “I’m not sure who could ally with us in the Palace. Everyone’s charmed by our General. If you’d just work with him, they would all be with you too.”

“He works for the emperor.” Y/N reminded her.

Running her hands through her hair, Y/N didn’t know if she could ever trust him enough to tell him the truth. Her plans, her fight, it’s her life’s work. She came into that palace with intention of burning it down. The emperor must die and anyone else who’d fuel the flames of war must perish along with him. The war had claimed her mother’s life, of thousands of humans and Grisha alike, Y/N aimed to end it. And to end it, she had to destroy those who started it, those who refused to implement equality between species, as Kirigan called them. Humans and Grisha must be seen equally worthy, they must ally or they will be exterminated like vermin by surrounding enemies.

She grieved for her mother every day, even now as a decade had passed. Grief is really just love one cannot give to the other. It’s all the unspent love, gathering in the corners of her eyes, the lump in her throat and inside the hollowed heart that’s trying to beat in her chest. If her sorrow was but snow that could melt with coming spring, she’d shake it off her shoulder and be done with it. It doesn’t just disappear or heal with time, she could not just let it go and forgive. Y/N survived the loss of her mother by making a vow, one she was closer to fulfilling.

“Should I prepare your usual kefta?” Genya asked, holding the blue one over her forearm.

Shaking her head, Y/N turned to her with a smile. If she wants to succeeded, she must use all weapons at hand. Being the General’s wife is one of the weapons at her disposal.

“I was thinking about a different color for tonight.”

“How different are we talking?”

Smirking, Y/N’s eyes flickered to Kirigan’s kefta. “Black.”

“No one wears black but Kirigan”, Genya reminds her.

“Until he married. I believe I’m allowed to wear his color.”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Genya sighed heavily. “Alright. As long as you allow me to make a few modifications.”

Anticipating the dinner, Y/N felt like a goddess in the kefta Genya had crafted for her. It fit her perfectly, adjusted just above the waist as it properly accentuated her curves. The closed collar wrapped around her neck, fallen stars creating a golden woven blaze as a necklace, while moondust adorned the long, skin tight lacey sleeves. The bottom acted as a floor length dress with a long slit revealing skin up to middle of her thigh.

Entering the room with her head held high and Genya on her hand, Y/N felt even more confident about the eclipsed sun stitched across her heart. It was bound to attract attention if the rest of her makeshift kefta inspired dress didn’t.  

The moment she took a step inside, everybody’s head turned. The chatter died down, replaced by astonished gasps of pure awestruck admiration.

“I believe you’ve created a masterpiece”, Y/N whispers to Genya whose smile widens.

“You are what makes it so spectacular”, Genya winks.

“Don’t be modest. We both know it’s not in your nature.”

Giggling, Genya nods, “You’re right. I’m brilliant and this”, she steps aside to give her a once over again, “You are proof.”

Pursing her lips, Y/N felt her cheeks darken. Her plan was to draw attention so any potential ally she speaks to would be more inclined to accept her request, but she didn’t expect for everyone to stop and stare.

Tugging her by the arm, Genya pulled her closer. “You’ll never guess who is here”, she spoke in a hushed tone, looking to the left as the rest of the guests began speaking again and the music played softly in the background.

Following her line of view, Y/N’s heart came to a near stop as her eyes locked on his.

“Wasn’t he supposed to leave last night?” Genya whispers, but Y/N could hardly speak.

Breath caught in her throat, Y/N stared back at Kirigan who seemed to be just as breathless. She looked like a dream, a golden bird that carried all the happiness of the world on its wings.

“He didn’t”, Y/N looked away, knitting her eyebrows. “Why didn’t he”, she tried to finish her initial thought, but she couldn’t. If she spoke of the sudden ache that settled after the initial shock of his presence dispersed, she’d hate herself more. She’s weak if her feelings are hurt by a single night spent alone in a bed. She was certain now. She is foolish.

“You won’t be able to network tonight”, Genya’s frown made Y/N chuckle.

“You’ve been frowning so often since we met.”

Shrugging, Genya leaned in discreetly. “I can afford a few worry lines. I’ll just erase them later.”

Playfully rolling her eyes, Y/N smiled brightly. She would not allow Kirigan to dampen her mood. He can stay on his side of the room and she won’t spare him a single glance.

“I’ll test the waters”, Genya promised, “If I find anyone that we can work with, we can test their loyalty later.”

Glancing over Y/N’s shoulder, Genya’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

Frowning lightly, Y/N glanced at what has her so perplexed only to huff in frustration.

“Black suits you”, the Darkling compliments her. Holding out a hand for her to take, he glances at his open palm before raising his brow. He’s challenging her.

Looking around, she realizes everyone’s waiting for her reaction. As he told her once before, they may not be a love match, but their arrangement must seem successful to the unsuspecting eye.

“Dance with me and pretend they don’t exist”, his voice softened and she couldn’t believe this is the same man who so cruelly baited her, branding her as foolish earlier. How can he act as if nothing happened when she was still reeling from it? Not that he’d know, she always put care in every move she made around him.

She placed her hand on the palm of his, holding her breath as she chained her gaze to the abyss in his. There’s no going back, she thinks, nearly shuddering as he places his free hand on her hip.

“I thought you were gone by now”, she mussed. Choosing to take control of the conversation, she kept her neck straight as it secured a proper distance between their faces.

“We had a slight delay”, he said, “I’ll be gone tonight.”

Humming, she swallowed thickly. Avoiding looking at others, she remained in a staring match with her husband.

“How did you sleep?” The Darkling smirked, watching her eyes narrow at him.

“Quite well. Did you enjoy sharing your bed with someone else?” While her voice seemed cold and unattached, her words were anything but.

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy there?” Pursing his lips, he nearly laughed as she stepped on his foot. “I’ll take that as yes.”

“I’m merely concerned how it would look if word of you sleeping elsewhere got out. I prefer my pride and honor untouched and if you choose to find a lover, I should assume you’ll be discreet.”

Licking his lips, the great general didn’t laugh at her or sneer. There was no angry squinting or vile words. For once, he had a serious expression on his face that had nothing to do with the army or their arguments.

“I’m not the kind who would seek a lover while married. Even if the marriage is a mere arrangement.”

Scoffing, she clenched her jaw as he pulled her waist closer to him. 

“How many lovers have you taken?”

He raised a brow, “That’s a horrible question.”

“Because you lost count?” She narrows her eyes, the lips he found himself so fascinated with formed a thin, red line.

He doesn’t respond, so she tried again, “Why have you not married before?”

Now he looked amused, “That’s even worse!”

Shrugging, she smirks, “Well, ask me a question then! If all mine are so awful, let me hear yours.”

“Do you think I’m a very good liar or a very unlovable being?” Slowly pulling her body flush against his, Darkling looked deep into her eyes. “I’ve never loved anyone and I’ve manipulated everyone who has fallen in love with me. So?” Inhaling sharply, he watched a disarray of emotions cross her face as he asked again, “Liar or unlovable?”

“A liar. Because you are lying, not just to me but yourself.” Her breathing is shallow, strained even. “You have a heart, General, but you’re cowering like a scared little boy instead of just facing the facts.”

“And what are those?” His voice is darker as are his intentions.

If they were alone, she was certain he’d be kissing her lips now. For some reason, it seemed he enjoyed their arguments. He liked it when she fought him almost like he didn’t know any other form of affection.

“That you care. You care and you hate yourself for it.” Stopping their dance, she managed a faint smile. “But don���t worry, I’m not spending my time waiting for you to accept it.”

Brushing his fingers across the left side of her face, he cocked his head ever so slightly, “Is it possible you’ve got this all wrong? From where I stand, you’re the one who cares – perhaps a bit too much? Let me remind you, this marriage is a sham. You are my wife, but I do not love you, I do not care for you and if you were killed right in this very spot, I would avenge you but solely for the arrangement to remain unsullied.”

Nodding, more to herself than him, she took a step back from him. For the first time ever, she drew back. “For once, we’re on the same page of the same book.”

The music stops. Looking to the man clinking his glass, Y/N’s lips part. She didn’t even realize it, but too often she entirely forgoes breathing in Kirigan’s presence.

Taking a deep breath, she nearly laughs. Kirigan…General…The Darkling. She even called him husband, yet she never even heard his first name. How odd is it to marry a man whose first name is a mystery to you, she thought.

“If you’ll excuse me”, she nods curtly without sparing him a glance. 

Her seat at the dinner table was beside Genya, while Kirigan was placed all the way on the other side of the room. She smirked, satisfied she’ll have some peace during her meal. She never quite liked the table formation in a wide U form before, but she blessed the ones who created it on this evening.

Studying him from afar, she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt for him. It wasn’t some cosmic connection that she hoped she’d share with her husband, rather wishful thinking. Longing for him is out of the question. He may be the most handsome man she had ever seen, but it’s not at all something she’d thank the saints for. If he were less appealing, she’d at least be free of torment his looks bring. The devil is real and he’s not a goat like man as humans believed. There are no horns, no tails – he’s beautiful, a fallen angel, but an angel nonetheless.

“You’re staring at him again”, Genya speaks in a hushed tone, her smile audible.

“I’m not”, Y/N replies, “I simply looked over in a direction and he happened to be seated there.”

“Then why was that look on your face?” Genya raises an eyebrow.

“What?” Y/N asks, incredulous. “What look?”

“You have a certain way of looking at him”, she informs. Letting out an tired huff, Genya explains, “You look at him and it’s like you’re staring at the night sky littered with stars.”

“So?”

Genya looks down before whispering, “You love night skies littered with stars.”

Rolling her eyes, Y/N stared at her food for the rest of the evening. One bite after another and her plate was quickly emptied. Her stomach felt like it would burst, but she didn’t care. Most people claim they can’t eat under stress, but she was the opposite – her appetite only grew.

“He’s standing up”, Genya informed her and despite wishing she remained impassive, Y/N’s eyes shot up to where he was sitting.

With a lump at the back of her throat, she watched him as he headed to the door. A part of her hoped he’d be decent enough to bid his farewell, to acknowledge her at least. That part of her needed to be destroyed, she decided. It’s the part of her that would ruin her mission and for what? If she truly wanted to, she could have him on his back and under her. If she wanted him, he’d be hers – at least his body would. The principle she held onto was more important and so, she swallowed thickly and looked to her empty plate in order to stop her weakness from showing.

As she looked away, the Darkling looked back at her from across the room. He felt a strange tightness in his heart and once he saw she didn’t follow him with her gaze, his heart dropped. Furrowing his eyebrows, he kept his gaze on her for a while longer – her beauty was unmatched by anything he had ever seen. White looked good on her, every color did – but black fabric hugging her curves could bring a dead man back to life.

With a heavy heart and frown etched on his face, the Darkling turned his back and left the room, the Palace, the strangest, most beautiful creature he ever laid eyes on.

He carried her in his thoughts ever since. It aggravates him how quickly she’s gotten under his skin. Most of the month before their marriage was finalized was spent in petty comments about their armies or their distaste for one another. She was insufferable, maddening and entirely different from what he expected.

And yet, even then, the Darkling hoped she’d lose her patience and either leave or tell him she loves him. If she left, he’d be free of her and the shackles of an undesirable marriage, but if she told him she loves him, perhaps he’d believe her. If he knew there was ever a possibility of her loving him, he’d dare assume he might be deserving of love – because she may have dubbed him a liar, but he believes himself to be unlovable too. He never saw the point in allowing himself to feel a thing for her when it would be futile, wasted emotions on a woman sworn to hate him.

Once he was done chasing a rumor of a stag up north, the Darkling had to accept it too was a futile. Going after a legendary animal wasted so much of his time that he couldn’t even believe how foolish he’s become too. The stag must not be real after all.

Approaching Little Palace, he felt almost eager to run up to their shared chambers and see her. Even if she’d likely have a few choice words for him, he hoped he could make her blood boil just to hear her speak. He’d never admit it, but he missed someone he could converse with without dying of boredom.

“General”, Genya rushed to Kirigan who nearly growled at the distraction. However, Genya seemed distraught, panicked enough to draw his attention.

“Yes?”

Swallowing thickly, she wiped a stray tear slipping down her cheek. “It’s Y/N.”

His heart stops at the sound of her shaky voice, his jaw clenching before speaking. “What happened? Is she alright?”

“She went for a ride this morning and she hasn’t been seen since.”

Darkling’s gaze hardens as he grips Genya’s arms and shakes her lightly. “What do you mean?!”

“We sent riders after lunch, because I was worried she missed two meals already”, gasping for air, Genya’s tears made tracks, “The snow covered her tracks.”

She left me, he thought. She deemed me unlovable, unworthy. She left.

“They managed to find her mare”, Genya continues through tears, “It was decapitated and left in the woods.”

“Woods?” He frowns, wondering why she’d stray from the meadow and then he realized. He’s the one she rode into the woods with. She must have thought the woods were safe. They were at the time, only because he was with her and he’d never let any harm come to her.

“There were signs of struggle, but the snow is making it hard for us to track them.”

Releasing a visibly shaken Genya, he grunts. Biting his lower lip, he paced before her as his hand ran through his hair. She never saw him so worried, so mad before. He looked like a man walking a fine line – a line between madness and sanity.

“Call everyone”, he orders, “We must find her.”

Exhaling in relief, Genya smiled as Ivan emerged, having heard everything.

“Why would we do that?”

A pause ensues as the Darkling takes a step toward Ivan. “I haven’t made a promise in so long”, he spoke but in truth, it’s been hundreds of years since he made anyone a promise. “I promised her I’d protect her.” His voice was ragged, but controlled. “So I’m making a new promise right here, if they harm a single hair on her head, I will end them all. I will do it with a smile on face and I will bathe in their blood!”

They took her from him and he had every intention of ripping the world apart with his bare hands and for once, the thought of how far he’d go for that insolent woman didn’t frighten him. He barely knows her, he certainly doesn’t love her, but Saints help those who touched his wife.

=============================

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Part 6

[pndnj]

Cathartic- Yellow Metal Lyrics

Heres where I am with the lyrics, I referenced @25Goldenn on twitter for some of it that I couldn’t comprehend. 

*music*

0:23

Dark matter, like painted splatters, they fit better, the old saying, the way it goes, better the devil you do then you don’t know. I hit pedals and switch levers, my heart metal, I can't settle, im part trouble, they are not subtle. I fuck good so fuck cuddles, burst bubbles the thrist levels at new heights, i down doubles, and got baked til I felt high, my face puzzled, felt muddled, far strung and your floors woodent, the thought might but the fit wouldn’t. A fortnight

0:46 - 1:00

And I thought right, it’s all bark and no bite, I’m Tony Stark still embarking on a dream, took a bit of time to take darkness from the team. Seen what I saw. Heartless on the sleeve. Tried to burn my wings, so I put them in a piece on my chest , at peace no rest.

1:00-1:15

Flipped this on it’s head. Rip the script up now, flip it don’t pretend, slipping shit again, Fakers all around me, I’ve been living in pretense. Fake friends won’t make amends. There’s no need, these mean comments control the scenes. Attentionseekers, the spine is weakened

1:15-1:24

This family needs, what a family needs, and the planet bleeds, the damaged trees. It’s never leaving til we ascend so fuck the fence, and until they stop killing colour it’s fuck the feds.

1:22 - 1:44

You must be off it, I mean it, you know you ain’t never get with the judging and I used to dread growing my beard too long, never felt I belonged, but it's really long like a minute I ain’t looking to no mans for the limits, They’re feeling timid, I’m telling them who they mimic, why they don't look like a clinic …. Why they don't get no women, Still, we’re just fucking girls, Lost in the wrong world, Jurassic, now to this vermin

1:41-  1: 50

Kicking the game I’m serving, these losers are never learning, my fire is forever burning, adding it to my fuel, seems like I’m always focused on never becoming you, These locals that rob us feeling … was for a reason.

1:52-2:02

I’m seeing my new beginnings, watch out this loser’s winning, and no water is too deep to swim in Like I’m about to see a killing, I’m all the way that and living, flawless and feeling lawless, the prison now to the gimmicks, my vision is set to something,

2:03-:2:20

I’m watching you bitches plummet, no matches here for my cunning, you rappers are feeling done in, switching your genre, running and Running your jaw, stunting, pulling at straws, something  I think you’re a poor effort, deaf and tone deaf and I ain’t treat you separate. Living, I’m in my element, riding it like a … never lose me to fentanyl, scared when I take a benadryl. Keeping it green in general

2:20- 2:46

Think that you remain irrelevant. Look at yourself with reverence, hoping to always elevate. Celibate of these thoughts, killing themselves with sedatives. In comparison to eminem, you’re feeling feminine. Impolitically correct, still dropping on my dick. And I never gave a fuck about what they say abt my shit, I’ve been moving things in my mind like it’s this mountain dew Memories have made me wonder if one day I’m after you. What’s the purpose that you do, is what you're hoping that they learn, i’d like to say i’m done but it’s getting up on my nerves

2:46 -2:55

I’m looking at my life, saying what do I deserve. It’s hard to say I know when I’m walking through the dirt. Talking while you’re nothing I can see for what it’s worth. I’m tired of feeling hurt and I’ve tried enough but nothing works.

2:55-3:40

I’m racking up excuses while I’m slacking off on work. Chit chatting is the usual, talking to this clerk, i beg you don’t include me. I might write it on my shirt so everytime they see me, the oldest know to swerve. SWERVE Life is potent, bits of fucked shit… till they took notice weren’t  no hocus pocus, it was hard work that got me heard so i put in the graph like google maps but the whole earth

… around my door mat, taking over like the drones, rolling dirt up in miles like the water, and exploding like Annas hematoma. Don't need to see a slammer to know that I don't want to go man

I’m a showman. I’m just focused on the drama… like i’ve got my own insurance, show myself the pain, like i boxed it in the frame, if we’re about to talk greatness im great, the way you have to say my name like beyonce

“Say my name”

4:00-4:46

Just a bum with a cigarette, sun coming up, all my thoughts on the internet. Feeling deep, I’m just bored with the silhouette single sec,  get fucked up for the thrill of it . killer streak playing Pacman. Like I came from the Philippines vanilla bean still a thing for the thrill of scene,

Theres a beam, UFO, Leave it well alone  I aint moving, stood still on the peloton, telephone and its always on the dial tone,  it's been a while since i’ve smiled at a milestone, seen a big pile in my mind stone, me against the world on my Jack Jones, Like I’m John Jones, With pictures in the condo, far from John Doe, in the ___, like I'm Johnny Bravo, got pravado, with a small dick sitting in golados, feeling far gone, cuz that last hit was the good shit, was that stay lit

4:48-5:02

You can never take my shit come and get me. On the top floor,  cloud 9, fading, never bailing, felt amazing, inhaling, til my lungs two guns blazing. Overcome all the stunts that I pulled. A suit of just skin and then wool

5:02- 5:17

This life doesn’t give you no armour, a lot of myself can harm ya. I swear on what’s good, that I’m here till they take me. I pray that I’m wrinkled, at least over 80, and start moving like a ruler, ?damaged? Like a computer going fast, bars from the jeweler, bring the songs to the beach in hopes of finding tuna

5:18-5:36

…

5:36- 6:16

Grab a bat, lose my rag. Couple things got me mad, a couple people got me wrong and now I’m changing up the swag. Coming in and stealing it, I might take the whole bag. Feeling undefeated, I’m a beast with a reason, and imma lead the whole pack. Fearless like I’m Caesar, I’m just waiting for a chance to fill it up with diesel, and all I've been achieving is clocking miles in its region, moving like a legion.

Promise that I made to myself an allegiance. Do you still believe I’m a fool for ever leaving, staring at the ceiling, can never put a cap on achieving. I’m just here for the rap, then I’m leaving.

I’ve had about enough of being my own enemy, it’s time I grew up,  a long way from 17. Always went against the grain, struggles in my life. Got some things to say when I stand up on a mike.

6:16-6:32

I ain’t dropping this for fame, I need this time, like therapy, it’s just to keep me sane. The truth is on my medicine, can’t put that on your plate.

Speeding into everything, bout time I fixed the brakes. Don’t say I can’t communicate , you know I conversate with you in several different ways. And I know you know it’s references, looking at your face.

6:33- 6:53

Can’t justify mistakes, like every man that made them, seems I ain't  the one to blame. Lying to myself, only had so much to gain, so now I’m switching up the plate, see if that affects the place, im at on most days

I ain’t going with the usual so they looking at me strange. Confused, I can feel it all,  I’m here to make a change. It’s cold at 3am outside, I’m walking with the dog, thanking god that you don’t talk at all, my mind is switching off

6:54-7:12

Driving down to find myself, cuz I’ve been getting lost, lived this selfless life and found I can give a toss. Lessons that I’ve learned I’ve tried teaching to myself. What I’ve learnt from certain people is that they’re better than myself.

So I surround myself with real ones, and you feel the plastic melt. Like burning toy soldiers that used to go up on the shelf. Recycle the ideas, conveying on the belt

7:14-7:29

.. circus, always hurting the way we felt? Embarrassed that we dreamt of bigger things and letting go of notions till we feel them in cement

Tired of only hoping, we feel broken men. Cuz the gravity is weight and has kept us to the ground, see the only people speaking with favors in their mouths

7:46-7:58

Got killer rhymes… no fillers, like godzilla, eating clouds cuz my smokes thicker, throat licker, my dope sicker, bringing people their hope like im the pope slicker,  i hope you’re getting the point cuz i walk quicker

I thought my city was shit bcs I want bigger like my zipper couldn’t zip up fed up with the…my love is fickle.. Residual age has a primitive face

I see demise for your limited ways, Left it to simmer, simmer away…a fake glimmer in the haze

8:09-8:11

Feeling trapped this industry is a cage

8:34-8:50

Nobody’s speaking the truth, I’m offended by the State. Look at the state of the news, I’ve decided the argument, reciting my views, while they’ve been sat in their chairs, I’m feeling pressure to choose.

Standing here as one man, how can I do half when you’re half the person I am. If it wasn’t in your life, you didn’t choose it. It’s the funny thing about music. It’s the pain and beauty of it.

8:52-9:11

Don’t give a fuck what my suit is, it looks good so I wear it, better than the shoot that People’s wearing, changing the whole narrative for these basics and scarcity

Been facing the racists from back when i were a kiddie .born up in in 93’. been living in Bradford City..kicked me out of the schools, they had a problem with me hitting the kids that would call me p*** still sitting in the classroom chilling, and i'm angry now that I’m older I see they treat us different

9:12-9:25

got me thinking I’m the problem cuz they never dealt with those issues.

20 years later I’m still in the same boat, tryna treat me like my grandpa, say I came up off the boat. Came to tell you what I stand for, man I think you’re shit, a joke. How can I be civil, when they got me by the throat

9:25-9:35

Pushing my feelings down, you ain’t got it like them

‘Boy your skin is so light’, ok motherfucker take my name up on a flight. Try to convince immigration that your bloodline’s half white.

9:35-9:45

I don’t know how that’s acceptable, when life is more susceptible to perception, be the death of them. I’ve been looking at the sky saying where’s that day of reckoning, you had your prophets right when they say that you would speak to them.

9:45-9:55

I need justice in this life and I trust that it’s my fight, cuz when I’m writing it feels right to have them focused on the facts again. Focused on the rap again, hoping for the change, gunna put this on the map again

9:55-10:16

Writing in all caps again, the pain, it goes through me so I write the letter. All the shit that could have brought me but made me better.

I’m at home with a pain in my soul , yeh rap… cuz you know I was too real to contest it, my time was invested. Now I look at the industry, I see it infested, looking like kids who would write on nesquik.

10:17-10:29

My name ain’t on the list unless they label it ethnic.

I ain’t never gave a fuck about these jokers and jesters. Ain’t no answers for these things, so just save us the questions, man allowed of violence, cuz my silence is deafening, your opinion stinks, somebody get him a breath mint.

10:30- 10:42

Start to understand why they think that I’m threatening, I move in certain ways, couldn’t slow me with ketamine Now they all wanna hear me, got a table at letterman. Direction changed, like I changed up the lettering. Don’t believe the age ,bcs I move like a veteran.

10:42 - 10:47

Raised on the benefit for whose benefit, they’ll never learn shit, man, if the shoe fits.

…no words coming out when you open your mouth

And to be honest, it’s insulting, offensive to my wounds that have been salting. Tryna ask me questions that they know I never answer. I’d rather sit online and reply to the fan art

11:00-11:06

Fuck a sports car, coming through when i rapped

tell you what I like, farm life and the tractor

11:06- 11:17

Fake life, 'sup online, suck a fat one. You don’t wanna buy into that, none of that son. Sitting in the garden 98’ in the Datsun,  seen some hot summers but I still remember that sun.

*music*

11:51- 12:34

I make millions off of my pain, cause I know a few millions still living that way

Dealing with the hurt, they should know cause they don’t deserve it, it hit deep cause i hit the nerve. Only way that the sheep learn if the street firm, in my ways I don’t wanna change, everything just stay the same

Who you tryna convince you understand, cant maintain, let the lights dim some,  get the Chow Mein, flex, get the tape, right up at night

Why these men be nice to my face, be nice,  i ain’t tryna be a gangsta ruins my vibe

Rather be low-key and on my phone. Never need the trophy or the show piece

Never show peace in a North Face fleece. Show kids this like i wrote my flip

Cause the sign might fit till the start i’m sick

12:37-13:05

Now you see where I come from, the world don’t. Only achievement in this life is the Jordans. Committing petty crimes out of boredom, we can’t afford them. So I stole it, need a rolex

Go make sense, get yourself a job, It’s a poor man’s game tryna sit and pray to god, he ain’t sorting out your problems, gotta sort them out yourself

Used to tell us fables, now I’m writing them myself, Cause we raw like animals we all just need some help

Cathartic, I’m an artist, trying to put my heart in

Felt double crossed like Leo in Departed

13:05- 13:27

For the knowledge i’m not charging see I got it all free

But my hunger kept me starving like i’m feening for the feed

I just Need a reason to see me bleeding for my creed. Trick you with the words like I keep em up my sleeve. Picking where I fit, I see me sitting with the queen

I ain’t doing it unless you’re used to saying please

Let me flow a bit, before I sting 'em with the bees, They tryna kill us with disease

(Music)

13:34- 14:12

Why does it feel like they had the same notebook and the same four looks

Like the rain won't touch on their face, so sus when they lie don’t trust not a minor

Please no fuss, I just move through the game like must

Something in the way i adjust till i stick, Free falling like the ship, free fall till i bust

Remember 21 brother gave no fucks. Trying to project when they give them looks

In the projects, in the objects us

In my own way, never gave me love, shoulda never started this, broken hearted kid

Dried up the feeling till I stole the lid

Don’t wanna relish in the fame but I can’t resist

14:46-14:58

I like the way we feel, I like the way, I like the way

Ain’t no mistake, i am a being

I ain’t tryna be a leader, been selling out since Jesus

All my rhymes are for the readers, between the lines, like Father time, I fuck Mother Nature

14:58-15:40

That’s what they get, the connotations. Tell 'em I lived a life, and then I lived a life of adjacent? like its…. and played it patient.

Alone on my own spaceship, always tryna find greatness, still defying lines, but I’m fighting in my prime.

Shining light like Kylo while imma kill it all the time. Aging like I’m wine

Asian in my face, but still my race you can’t define. Focused on defiance, imma fight it while it’s life.

Started something sick and on my mind is what’s next, just became a dad so now I’m taking all the cheques. Better know I’m staying and paying like it’s debt. Imma get it done, if it’s taking all my breath, sweat, and down I ain’t messing around til I’m the best

Speaking in full sentences, shoulda thought about a strategy before you went at the stratosphere about this… rings around Saturn, this ain’t a battle, I’m sat, I’m here

15:40-16:22

Catch me doing magic, hired and sounding tragic I think you could use practice and until that you get the blacklist and pull like a … actress? Fooling them like a catfish, schooling like a legend, happy to be the reference, fusing like iridescence, leaving them all guessing, leaking out of my brain like a pipe I aint fixing, shining like a star you can see it from a distance

Aint many of me around p*** I’m just different Certain stages to this level aint here because fame is to the devil fuck a label, imma do this from the ghetto, clean up like Im Dettol

I’m the man to put a bet on, sight smart like a weapon,  this is my kind of setting, i write the world I’m sat in, while these others live on hype, i see them fight in how they type, the fruit is ripe for the taking, i think i might

16:22-16:57

Let me take you away from here, Let me take you away from here, Let me take you away from here

16:58- 17:47

Eccentric things are mentioned like a kid stuck in detention tryna escape im just spitting what is written on the next page, spitting image of my dad in his young days

Born sinner when i’m livid i say fucks sake

Don’t worry i’m too cunning with no plumbing, the waterworks, i sung something that resonates, i thought it first like giving birth to the parrot perch

They see me do it and they know it works

Don’t know what’s worse: the way that you live your life or the way that you write a verse

You’ll be nervous, you don’t deserve it we’ll scratch the surface ill leave a crater, lift the dirt up to find the hurting

Can’t know for certain nothing is guaranteed, tryna be a better person than the world deserves to see cuz i see a lot of sharks still swimming in the sea

Cease and arrest what’s the reason.. And these the kinda kids we bringing up next

Distorted reality, all they needed was family, too hard to face, to see what the damage is

17:47

*i don’t wanna be, i don’t wanna be, a part of this, no, i don’t wanna be, i don’t wanna be, a part of this, *

18:04-18:38

Sometimes they ask the questions too deep to form a sentence, to disform, is this the norm, is this the sentence i feel defenseless i played the setlist, and all my sweat blood and tears, forgot to mention feeling lost, going off into different sections i feel like love wrecked it

If it’s not a drug why am i waiting for the next fix, affected, i cant believe that you left this

I guess I leave for the best wish, moving on like im fine for the lectures

We see it all from spectrums, cuz if we’re falling down we can fall down together

Staircase to heaven, mirror down the middle like 11, resentment on one side it won’t settle

18:38- 19:14

Mind fried but taking sense, they aint got a sense of themselves in the rich ends

Need to spell it out for them.. Made for them so witness

I know you feel afflicted but you always love it with me while im laughing at you, ya think you’re laughing with me

I try to (i love you) but im grown so they don’t fit me, my body thrown from the new to this old city so Im sick of sitting on my own, feeling so shitty, i’ve been on roads where its cold and the snow hitting

Its okay to be yourself, sit and talking to myself

I’ve been walking for the longest, just need a little rest, know i ain’t the strongest, I can feel it in my chest, talking about my feelings and of me, they get the best

19:14-19:59

They aint leaving, seeing breathing in my breath

Till death do us part is just seeded in my heart, like a work of art

Never winning,im just scared

Cant begin from the start, do i play a part in the rhythm of the night

I guess i’m onto something cuz the dark is feeling right

Every cloud got a lining, put my own miles  in, like moralis, figured that they’re jealous, that they could just never tell us to change because the weather never made me question whether or not i’m not that level

Got rid of all the bullshit sitting in my way, most of them are full of shit i see it every day

I do hearing the same things that i do, maybe that shits hitting like haiku

How much do you pay for them to hype you

Recycle your flaws but they aint like new, leaving and conceded and full of diesel like engines that need a cleaning, the ending will be revealing. Even though we ain’t raising the facts, now we been facing.

20:01-20:52

The cactus with spikes, needing spaces. Different faces, the same story. A full body like straight body direct to your system.

Could never tell 'em we missed’ em. Not even with the thoughts, we gift them. Cuz they just take advantage, guess we are caught in a system.

My soul pouring out details of borrowed time, had enough of a fill, this is for sorrow time. I’m seeing visions of Heaven, I seen the severed line, between the gospel they speak and when theyre telling lies.

Remember telling a friend of mine, you’d sent of mine, identified like a 3rd eye. Got a habit of knowing now where the dirt lies. So benign. I ain’t sober after 9, so I fuck their minds. Why you flipping out, see another

Try to rep it from the city, fuck a chiller crew, repping for the nittys, trying to keep us down, raised on the social, don’t want to let us out of the system. Me, I insist we assist them, me alone putting shifts til I lift them

20:53-21:12

I know it’s hard, that’s why I like it, I’m fit to fight it, I’m from the North, I’m backing Tyson, it’s been decided, don’t see no light. They needing guiding, just redefining, realizing, I’m realigning, in full finance, they stay silenced.

Can’t be louder, I’m juiced up with no powder. I fix shit like a slick spanner. Gone green like Bruce Banner. So free Gaza on my banner

21:12-21:51

The real McCoy, I ain’t nothing to toy with, signifying peace like a Japanese Koi Fish. How did this happen, we’re moving backwards in our timeline, killing us with cyanide, Right up for the freedom 'til we transform like Ironhide

This is bout my feelings, the way that I move affects the fate that I’m sealing. Can’t say nothing, with that something being on the page, kept inside the pen like the bars that have been kept caged. See I always had a plan, since I was young, we had nothing man

Now it’s been a few years since I ain’t seen the fam, on foreign lands. Bout to climb Everest in the avalanche. Right into the riddles as soon as you were born. Never asking the question cuz it’s the norm. See I’m in a questionin’ session

21:52-22:03

Like the manner got a method to teaching a lesson, listen to MF Doom, he taught me like Ra’s Al Ghul. Felt like living in Gotham, the people were rotten. Still we play cartoons so it’s never forgotten.

22:03-22:15

Chilling at the top but we came from the bottom. Writing and jottin for them life by, spotting the difference

*Dreams, was growing out of me, sun promising that tomorrow it will rise, time playing games with my mind, I swear it will pass us by

Train goes on the tracks, smoke, I’m tired to hide my thoughts, so blinded in flames, Don’t know where we’re going, I have no way of knowing, only see what’s in my head

Can’t we wait a minute, so we can savour this, It’s on my brain again, these days, It on my brain again these days”

23:10-23:46

They’re hating on Palestine ways, The oh no Palace playing Prince on the Steinway, Sending out mind waves, stop them like crimewaves, Freedom fighter, Yellow Metal is my name

Like vipers, I see the sly ones, the snake that’s called Biden, none of them abiding what they might put in writing

We should be used to it by now, say whatever for the vote and then just choose another route, say they’d never kill another unless that brother’s skin is brown

I’m just telling you the facts, if you can’t take it, the truth naked, to bare bones and my thoughts lately, spitting politics.. Done ain’t it, Shit just gets me vexed, and now I’m sitting that I think of it

23:45-23:59

Feeling on the brink of it, whatever it is, Figure out some shit at least it feels that way

talk about my feelings and I don’t feel so strange, finding solace, that’s a promise, in Metropolis but being honest, can’t write a sonnet, without some pain

24:00-24:40

Can’t fade away, away so we can savour this, been on my brain again these days

Can't find a way to be so you can savour this, been on my brain these days

Singing the song for another, singing a song for another

[blu-joons]

DATING NCT A⇴Z HEADCANON ⇴ Park Jisung

A ⇴ AFFECTION

Being touched isn’t something that Jisung is particularly huge on, so he much prefers to be the one to initiate affection so he can decide on what he likes. He’ll usually tend to hug you from behind as he’s tall and can rest against you.

B ⇴ BEFORE DATING

You were reluctantly dragged to a football game by one of your friends, and just so happened to be sat beside Jisung. You were instantly drawn to how passionate and invested he was in the game, however, when he cheered one goal and sent his drink flying into your lap, he never imagined the first words he’d say to you were sorry.

C ⇴ CONFESSION

Somehow, you reluctantly agreed to accompany him to the last game of the season for the team and endure yet another football game. You didn’t realise it, but to Jisung, it meant a huge deal that you went because you knew how much he watched to watch games. It was enough for him to realise that perhaps you were the one for him, recognising that you did things for him that even his closest friends wouldn’t do.

D ⇴ DATES

Whenever the two of you enjoy a date, it’s a necessity that you either go out for food or order food in, Jisung is forbidden from ever cooking dinner for your dates as it always ends badly. Neither of you are people who enjoy sitting around at the dorm on your dates, but whilst you don’t necessarily enjoy sitting down to watch a sports match, you’re always more than happy to make sure that you beat him at a game of air hockey at the arcade or win the biggest toy at one of the stalls at the local carnival that’s in town.

E ⇴ EXPERIENCE

Jisung has zero experience when it comes to dating, so he’ll rely on his hyungs a lot to give him a few pointers and learn from any experiences they’ve had. Whilst most of the members are yet to date too, being the maknae, some of the sunbaes are more than happy to help him out too, particularly Baekhyun who takes him under his wing. They don’t want Jisung to mess up either, even if they do like to mess with him from time to time and try and sabotage any dates that he might have prepared for you.

F ⇴ FIGHTING

Whatever Jisung puts his mind to, he does, and sometimes that includes arguing with you. It certainly takes a while for him to stand down in an argument, particularly if he truly believes that he’s done nothing wrong. He doesn’t enjoy arguing with you at all, but when he strongly believes in the point that he’s trying to prove, then it’ll take a while for him to even try and listen your point of view. Eventually, you’re usually the one that makes the breakthrough and decides that things aren’t worth it anymore, and even though Jisung might carry things on for a little while longer, he eventually gives up on it too.

G ⇴ GETTING TO KNOW HIS FAMILY

You were introduced to his big brother before anyone else as Jisung wanted to get his approval first. Seeing the two of them together instantly brought a smile to your face, and it didn’t take long before their duo became a trio, and his brother began to treat you as if you really were one of the Park family too.

H ⇴ HOME

Jisung had no plans to move out of the dorm, he enjoyed having so many elder brothers to look after him. However, he knew that a bunk bed was no good for you, so as your relationship became more serious, he tried to fight a little harder to get a single room that could give the two of you a bit more privacy too.

I ⇴ “I LOVE YOU”

He was the first to say, ‘I love you,’ when with the help of Mark, you arranged for you to surprise him at one of his shows on the tour. All of them had been telling you how much Jisung had been missing you, and so you decided the only way to try and make him feel better was to go and surprise him and completely overwhelm his heart.

J ⇴ JEALOUSY

As the youngest, the other members definitely liked to tease him from time to time and try and push the boundaries. For the most part, Jisung knew that it was just banter between him and his friends, but there were also a few times when he’d find himself getting jealous too. He’ll try and not let them see that any of their comments are getting to him, but you’ll always be able to tell when he starts getting a little quieter and his laughter becomes a little more forced that he’s not enjoying their teasing anymore.

K ⇴ KIDS

Having children was a subject that was pretty off limits for the two of you at your age, neither of you ever really wanted to look too far into the future at the best of times when you were still so young and had so many years ahead of you. If anyone would even try and ask you about children then you’d usually be pretty quick in shutting them down, not wanting to think about your future family for a little while just yet.

L ⇴ LAUGHTER

You’d often find yourself laughing at Jisung because he was forever bumping into things. You’d never met someone quite as clumsy as him, you failed to understand how one person could break so many things and hurt themselves so often, but somehow Jisung found a way. As much as it would hurt when he was forever bashing his hip against the side of a table or stubbing his toe on a door, hearing your little giggles in response to his mishap would still bring a smile to his face, even if he knew your laughter was at his expense, just knowing that you were laughing was always a huge, and a happy deal for him.

M ⇴ MISSING

Whenever he was missing you, every member rallied around him without fail. He’d try and be strong and convince them all that they had nothing to worry about, but despite how often they teased Jisung, he was still the youngest, and so they had a duty to care for him, especially when you weren’t around. However, it wouldn’t stop them teasing him still, one of them would often try and get in his bed as the little spoon or play with his hair whilst they were flying to try and make it seem like you were still there with him. But no matter how hard any of them tried, Jisung knew all too well that it never compared to having you there too.

N ⇴ NICKNAMES

Jisung had a tendency just to call you, ‘love.’ It was the first every nickname that he used for you, and so it always held a bit more of a significant meaning for the two of you than any other nickname that he decided to use.

O ⇴ OBSESSION

He was obsessed with your hands, he loved how they felt in amongst his big hands and how easily it was for him to wrap his hands tightly around your smaller ones.

P ⇴ PDA

Jisung’s love for your hands translated into his affection whenever the two of you were in public. Despite not being huge on affection, he wanted to keep you safe in the chaos, and so he’d always hold onto your hand because it was his favourite thing about you, and also enough that still made him feel comfortable when out and about.

Q ⇴ QUESTIONS

His determination meant that he often tried to run before he could walk, which didn’t always end well. Whenever Jisung had to ask you for help with something he hated it, he’d be reluctant, and pouty, but you’d always offer your services anyway.

R ⇴ RANDOM FACTS

Jisung loves his hat collection but will quite often notice that one or two are missing, and that’s usually down to you. As you often remind him, his hats are the perfect solution for when you’ve had a bad hair day or when you know that there’s fans lingering outside of the dorm. He usually doesn’t tend to mind if you take one, but if you take any of his favourites, then trouble will most definitely be coming your way.

S ⇴ SEX

Intimacy is usually the time when Jisung is most open to your touch, there are still a few times when he finds it all overwhelming, but for the most part, he’s happy to feel your hands explore his body and not allow himself to close off too much. As well as this, you’ll feel his hands explore your body a lot more during intimacy then you do during any other occasion, although you try not to react, you usually can’t help but smile.

T ⇴ TEXTS

Jisung doesn’t tend to text you too much, he’s quite forgetful at the best of times and will often completely forget to reply to your texts too. He’s always quick to apologise, but it’s a habit of his that you very quickly get used to.

U ⇴ UNIVERSE

In amongst the chaos that came with his crazy life, you were the one constant that Jisung adored. He never imagined that he’d find love at such a young age, but the time was right, and he had to accept that as he could.

V ⇴ VACATION

When he had time off, Jisung usually preferred to spend it doing nothing at the dorm and enjoying your company. He travelled enough when he was on the road that just being able to enjoy his own home for a while was what he preferred and knowing that you were there too was the icing on top of the cake.

W ⇴ WHINING

If he wants his own way, Jisung will be sure to let you know about it. If he has his heart set on something from you, he’s relentless until he gets it.

X ⇴ XXXXX

Jisung uses his height to often kiss the top of your head, as he much prefers kisses to cuddles. The easiness and speed of kisses are his favourite things, whilst he might not always like to be touched, he doesn’t mind receiving a peck on the cheek or the lips from you from time to time. He loves to use his height to his advantage whenever he’s kissing you, and crane around your smaller frame to get access to where he wants.

Y ⇴ YOU

You were a comfort to Jisung, his life was hectic, but you were always there to bring him back down.

Z ⇴ ZZZ

Jisung tended to sleep in the living room as a result of the bunk beds, which would often mean the two of you were curled up on the sofa. It wasn’t ideal for either of you, but if it meant you got to spend the night with him, you’d take it.

---

Masterlist

[ijenoyou]

Out of my league.

kun x reader.

summary; he always admired from afar but not this time.

requested. send one!

warnings; none haha i mean it includes mentions of gummy bears lol fluff and humor.

notes; sooooo i’m sorry this took so long to finally post (˃̣̣̣̣︿˂̣̣̣̣ ) but i was quite busy with school (it’s kicking my ass lol) anyways remember english isn’t my first language sooo ignore the mistakes if you see one lmao

Kun was always the one between all his friends that only admired girls from afar. Of course not in a weird way, he likes to admire the beauty of each one of them and later on forget about it.

But he couldn’t forget about you.

You were a new transferred student who happens to be best friends with his own friend, Lucas.

Kun first saw you at the mini gathering Lucas was doing at his apartment. When he entered his friends home he saw you sitting next to Sicheng, talking about which color of gummy bears tastes better.

“Yellow is the best one.” You said while taking one of the bag you were holding.

“You’re crazy! They taste so bad, red ones are the winner here.” Sicheng defended his posture on the argument making you roll your eyes faking annoyance.

You were about to speak again until Kun interrupted you.

“I think the yellow ones are tasty.” He softly spoke making you and Sicheng turn towards him.

He didn’t know what overcame him to speak out like that. He was always sitting in silence while hearing his friends talk, but not this time.

When he didn’t get any answer he started to regret his decision until you smiled.

“See? He knows about good taste.” You pushed your friend with your shoulders and stood up from your sitting position. “I’m Y/N.”

Kun made sure his hands weren’t sweaty before taking yours in between his.

“Kun.”

Sicheng watched the whole scene with a weird expression on his face, he turned his head towards Lucas who was busy playing tetris on his phone, he pinched his arm to get his attention.

“Ow! What was that for?” Lucas answered and started to rub his arm, trying to calm the burning he felt from Sicheng’s fingers.

“Look at them.” He whispered and nodded towards you and his quiet friend.

“What about them?”

“What about them?! Kun never talks to girls out of the blue and Y/N never smiles to boys like she just did with him.”

After saying that, Lucas’s eyes widened. He snapped his head upwards and searched for the both of you. He found you next to Kun at the kitchen counter, making a drink that included those disgusting yellow gummy bears you liked so much.

“Oh god.” He whispered to Sicheng. “I’ve never seen her like that.”

“I know!” Sicheng answered with excitement.

He knew you way before Lucas, you and him were neighbors since baby’s and stayed friends all this time. So he definitely knows how you react around other guys.

You always tried to be polite but never gave them a single smile or stuff like that. You only did that with Sicheng and Lucas since they were practically your only friends alongside your roommate. They always joked about how you hate men and that the day you smile at one for real that will be because he’s the love of your life.

“I didn’t know Kun has a girlfriend.” Xiaojun said making Lucas and Sicheng flinch.

“Yeah, they look cute.” Ten answered and placed his hand on Xiaojun’s back.

“How did you guys get in?” Lucas questioned with surprise.

Ten pointed towards the other couch in the room, Hendery was playing red hands with Yangyang.

“Yang opened the door for us.” Ten said while taking one green gummy bear out of Sicheng’s bag.

“But how did they got in? They weren’t here before!”

Before anyone could say anything a strong laugh could be heard in the whole place. The six boys turned their heads and saw you and Kun laughing loudly at something he was showing you on his phone.

“Okay! Why don’t we play a game while waiting for our food?” Lucas asked everyone, grabbing your and Kun’s attention.

And that’s how you ended up almost choking Ten for hiding his uno cards by sitting on top of them so he could win. Two hours went by and it was time for you to leave.

“Damn i’m so full.” Hendery spoke while trying to keep his eyes open. “I’m getting food coma.”

You patted his head. “Good luck with that.”

You stretched your arms and decided to start putting your shoes on.

“Well, it’s was nice but I have to go back to my place, Wendy needs help with a project.”

You said goodbye to everyone and before you could say anything to Kun he decided to speak first.

“I’ll walk you.” A blush spread on your cheeks and the boys didn’t fail to notice it but said nothing about it.

“Don’t worry Kun.” You smiled and placed the hood of your hoodie on your head. “I live a few flats from here but if you one day want to come by just let me know.”

“Sure.” Kun tried to suppress a smile and nodded.

“Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow guys!” That was the last thing you said before leaving.

The whole place was silent. Until Kun turned and saw all of his friends holding each other trying not to scream.

“What?” He asked.

“You like her!”

“She likes you!”

“I’m going to cry, our Kunnie finally spread his wings out.”

He couldn’t understand a single thing his friends said and decided to ignore them.

————

You first day at your new collage was great so far. You didn’t see any of the boys at all since all of them were majoring in different things. Expect for Kun.

“I didn’t know you were into law.” He spoke behind you.

You turned surprise and smiled.

“Hello there.”

He sat next to you, putting his backpack on the floor and took out his laptop with the rest of his materials for the class.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your major?” You asked while pressing the ‘on’ button of your laptop.

“You never asked.” Kun playfully answered and you softly punched him on the shoulder.

After that, the class started. Two long hours and Kun couldn’t be more surprised by you.

Since you were new, the teacher had his target on you. He asked a lot of question to you to see if you were capable of answering, which you did gaining a good response from the teacher.

Kun knew you were smart. At the reunion everytime you spoke you did it with such a smart input, like you had all of the right words.

“We have free class right now, so... vending machine?” He asked and you nodded.

Weeks went by like that. You and him spending most of the time together.

You study with him, eat with him, laugh with him.

The boys were surprised that at this point you and him haven’t kissed at least.

“Not even a tiny peck?” Ten pinched his fingers together while asking.

Kun shook his head and the boys groaned.

“I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.” He softly said and started to play with his fingers, a nervous habit he developed with the years. “And we don’t know if she even likes me like that!”

Sicheng gasped.

“Are you dumb?”

“Not even close, why?”

“There’s no time for jokes!” Sicheng’s dramatic voice appeared. “trust me with this dude, she likes you.”

Kun sighed and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles.

“Y/N is way out of my league.”

————

“How come your roommate is never here?”

“Uh, Wendy usually sleeps at his boyfriends.” You answered while searching a show to watch on netflix.

You decided to lay your head on his shoulder and he decided to place his on top of yours. You decided on watching Twilight again and he groaned making you poke fun at him.

“Again? We’ve watch this like a million times!” He expressed his annoyance.

“And? It’s good so shut it.”

The movie began, it was making him sleepy. He could tell you the whole scrip even in his sleep. That’s so many times you’ve made him watch it with you.

“Are you tired?” You asked and took your head off his shoulder to look at him.

“Yeah, I was busy so I forgot about the essay Ms. Kang gave us, I finished it up in one night.”

His ‘busy’ meant going with you to this art exposition about candy in which they were selling a giant gummy bear, he got you the yellow one and he couldn’t forget they way your face lit up with happiness when he gave it to you after a few days.

“Why don’t you sleep here? You can have my bed and I’ll sleep in Wendy’s”

He nodded at your proposal and sighed. Too tired to even say anything. He was about to continue watching the movie but he couldn’t keep his eyes off your lips. Shinning bright because of the grenade chapstick he gifted you the other day.

The conversation he had with the boys kept on replaying on his mind.

Fuck it.

He pressed his lips against yours. You let out a tiny gasp in surprise but soon after decided to relax.

You tilted your head to the side so you could return his kiss while placing your hand on his cheek. It was a quick kiss but the softness and love was there, and it made you feel for the very first time, full of love.

“I’m in love with you.” He said in a whisper.

You caressed his skin with your fingers, admiring his features under the artificial light that came from the TV.

“I—“

You couldn’t think straight. Too in love with the idea of love. So instead of saying anything, you took him by the back of his neck and drew him close to you, reconnecting your lips with his.

“Be mine.”

————

The boys couldn’t believe their eyes.

“W-What? W-When?” Lucas stuttered.

“Wow, he finally made a move.” Hendery said while sipping on his coca-cola.

A few tables away from them, you and Kun were eating a small cake, feeding each other and sharing sweet kisses.

“Woo! Go Y/N! Go Kun!” Ten shouted to make them feel embarrassed.

You tried to hide your face in your boyfriend’s chest and stuck out your hand with direction towards Ten, folding your fingers except for the middle one.

Kun laughed at this antics and pressed a peck on the crown of your head.

He also was in love with the idea of love.

[jinkicake]

What Happens When You Ignore Ushijima Wakatoshi

Note to self, Ushijima always craves your attention during a game.

Ushijima Wakatoshi x Reader

Here you go Anon~ I hope this is good and filthy enough! I’m not that really good at writing long-ish fics because I have trouble tying in all the pieces together. There might be some typos, hopefully not, but I can only go over my words so many times LOL. Yeah, long story short, Ushijima makes me go feral. PLUS FERAL! 

This contains SPOILERS. Nothing too much just timeskip manga stuff, mainly Schweiden Adlers.

THIS HAS 1.5K WORDS OF SMUT // NSFW 

WC- 2,709

~~~

“You’re going to do great, Wakatoshi!” You encourage your boyfriend as the two of you walk through the gym. “Don’t worry, I’ll be here for you the entire time, okay?” Ushijima tries to hide the smile on his face but is unable to do so when your lips peck his cheek.

“Thank you (Y/N),” He leans into your touch and you reach up to run your fingers through his hair, smoothing it out to perfection.

“I’ll be in my usual spot, okay?” You tell him and Ushijima nods, already knowing where you sit in the arena, his fingers pinch the identical jersey you have on that matches his own. With one last kiss, Ushijima heads off to the locker room.

You turn around after deciding to head to one of the merchandise booths to see if you can find anything to send to Ushijima’s mother but, much to your luck, you run right into the chest of someone very familiar. You pull back and notice the thick black curls and legendary mask on his face.

“Yo, Omi-omi?” You gasp in shock at your old classmate, not at all expecting to see him here. “What are you doing here? Did you come with Komori?” You look around for his cousin and Sakusa simply takes in the jersey you have on.

“You’ve always been a big fan of Wakatoshi, haven’t you?” He teases and you narrow your eyes up at him as he brings up your old high-school crush who, luckily, became your boyfriend after Sakusa pulled some strings.

“It’s been like five months since we’ve last seen each other and that’s the first thing you say to me?” You scoff and gently punch his shoulder, remembering all the times you two spent together at Itachiyama. “How have you been? I’ve been watching some of your games.”

The two of you talk for a while and you eventually invite him back to your seats.

“I always have Wakatoshi score me an extra ticket in case my friend wants to come or something,” You explain and Sakusa refrains from rolling his eyes.

“You simply use Wakatoshi for his power, don’t you?” He asks and you cross your arms over your chest.

“No, I don’t. I very much love my Wakatoshi.” You tell him honestly and your eyes fall on your boyfriend, Ushijima glances over at you and a large smile appears on your face when you wave at him.

“He was looking at me.” Sakusa leans back into his chair and you have to hold yourself back from tackling him, his teasing competitive nature getting the best of him. “Ah, Kageyama?” He scoffs and you glance at your old friend and then back at the setter. Sakusa looks over at you. “You know him?”

“Mmm, not really. I’ve bumped into him like once or twice, he seems nice?” You really don’t know what to think about Kageyama, you don’t know much about him.

“You remember our second-year when Wakatoshi wasn’t able to come to nationals because his team got beat?” Sakusa asks and you nod, you were really butthurt back then. “That was Kageyama’s team.”

“Oh, really? And now, they’re teammates?” You gasp and Sakusa nods. “That’s so weird, they seem like they get along though.” Out of the corner of your eye, you glance at your old friend. “You jealous of Kageyama? That he gets to play with Wakatoshi and you don’t?”

That comment sparked a long argument filled with bickering between the two of you and before you know it, the second set had begun. Not that you noticed, you were too busy catching up with an old friend.

Ushijima noticed, he watched you the entire time. He watched every interaction, every laugh that left your lips, every time you touched Sakusa, and it made him spike the ball much harder than he needed to. Kageyama simply looks at Hoshiumi with a raised brow and the wing spiker motions to where you are sitting, it still doesn’t make sense to Kageyama. What do you have to do with how Ushijima plays?

The Schweiden Adlers still win, not that it comes as a surprise to anyone, especially when it is an early match in the season like this one is.

Ushijima, in his dense head, manages to push down how he is feeling. The feeling of frustration over how you didn’t look at him once while he was playing. He is whole-heartedly jealous even if he doesn’t realize it. When he finally leaves the locker room he is rudely awakened. There you are waiting for him like normal, but this time you are with someone else.

You are still talking with Sakusa.

���Wakatoshi! Look who I found!” You excitedly grab his arm and bring him toward your old friend. Ushijima notes with an irritated expression that you don’t congratulate him on the match or praise him like you usually do.

“Wakatoshi.” Sakusa greets, subtly nodding his head and Ushijima does the same. Except, he even refuses to acknowledge Sakusa past that. You notice the tense air rather quickly and try your best to smooth it over.

“We should all go out to eat, Sakusa already has a place in mine, it’ll be fun.” You tell him, trying to warm Ushijima up to the idea while at the same time calm his anger down. You don’t understand why he is so upset.

“I will just meet you at home.” Ushijima stiffens and coldly disregards you, breaking from your grasp, he sends Sakusa one last nod before walking off.

“I should check on him.” You sigh and turn back to Sakusa. “I’m sorry, rain check, you still have my number right?” Sakusa nods and you send him a sympathetic smile before running off to where Ushijima went.

Thankfully, you catch up to your boyfriend rather quickly, you find Ushijima right outside the subway next to the arena.

“Wakatoshi, wait!” You call and grab onto his arm when you get the chance. Ushijima glances at you once before going back to looking straight ahead of him, he is clearly ignoring you. “What’s wrong?” Your question is met with nothing.

When you finally get back to your apartment, Ushijima heads straight to the bedroom as he still ignores you. You quietly take off your coat and put away your bag before following him.

It’s quite the surprise that you find him laying on the bed, already watching playbacks from the game on his phone, usually, he does this later at night.

“What’s wrong?” You ask again and Ushijima finally turns to you and you can practically see the anger swimming in his eyes.

“Why do you even go to my games if you are not going to watch?” He asks and you raise a brow at him. You softly shut your eyes before taking a deep breath.

“I was watching, I always watch you, what are you talking about?” You press, not liking his sudden change in attitude, at the same time you take off your annoying jeans. All that you are left in is his large jersey and your panties, your socks already flung elsewhere. 

“All I saw was you watching Sakusa.” He glares and you click your tongue, trying your hardest not to scoff. Deep down you realize, he’s just jealous. 

“Shouldn’t you be paying attention to the court and not me, Wakatoshi? It’s my job to watch you.” You tease and poke his nose, Ushijima’s face doesn’t falter. “Are you really that upset?” You ask as you climb onto the bed. “Wakatoshi, I’m sorry, you know I love you right?” 

Ushijima simmers in his frustration and goes back to his phone. You heave a sigh and take your underwear off, leaving his jersey to be the last thing that leaves your body.

“Let me make it up to you Wakatoshi,” You gently cup his cheek and climb onto his lap, from where you rest on his hips you can see how upset he is and your cheeks puff out in frustration. You try to kiss him but Ushijima dodges your lips and instead tightly grips your hips, his phone now forgotten.

“On your knees.” You cautiously look up at your boyfriend but still drop to your knees obediently, shuffling down in-between his legs. Your innocent eyes nearly make him groan, there is nothing innocent with what he is about to do with you. Ushijima palms his clothed cock and audibly grunts when your smaller hands take over for him. Your hands run along his strong, muscular thighs while purposely skimming over his most sensitive parts. With another look up at him you see his olive eyes already staring back at you, you know you have to get to work. Slowly you pull at the waistband of his shorts, bringing them down his thighs while every so often looking back up at him to check for his reaction. 

Ushijima’s hard cock slaps up against his stomach and you bite your lip at the thoughts coursing through your head, just the sight makes butterflies wind up in your stomach. You lean forward and place a single peck on the head of his cock before taking him into your mouth. The pace you have set is slow as you let yourself adjust to having his large length inside of your mouth. Ushijima sighs and tips his head back when you run your tongue along the underside of his dick, your warm mouth sucking him in feels heavenly.

He needs more.

You glance at his hands fisting your hair before looking up at him, Ushijima only stares blankly down at you. He gently cups your cheek while gently stroking the skin with his thumb before he continues.

“I am going to fuck your face.”

You have to appreciate the warning, you gently pull off of him and let yourself take a deep breath before taking him in again. Ushijima guides you along his length, setting the pace to which you bob your head up and down to take him down your throat. Your nose brushes against his pubes and you gag loudly once it finally registers just how deep he is inside of you. Your nails pinch his thighs as you try to keep up with his pace. The only thing keeping you going is hearing his moans and praises.

“Such a good girl sucking me off like this, so good.” Ushijima grunts, tightening the grip he has on your hair. The jealous from before is still resting in his belly, even when he has you like this, he’s still pissed. “You can take more.”

A loud guttural moan echo throughout the room once you swallow around him, one of your hands trails down to toy with his balls. You do anything to distract yourself from the ache in your jaw and the lack of oxygen you’re suffering from. One glance down at you and Ushijima can tell it all, he gently pulls you off of him and stares at you as you rest on his muscular thigh.

You cough lightly before sending him a wobbly smile, ensuring that everything is still okay. He can’t make you deep-throat him again, as good as it feels, Ushijima won’t allow it. Instead, he pumps his length right beside your face as you continue to massage his balls. His hand speeds up and you watch with dark eyes as he finishes all over your chest and chin, coating you in his cum.

You stare up at him with your mouth agape slightly, you’re in disbelief that he came all over you.

“I’m not done with you yet.” Ushijima pulls you back up into his lap, your legs spread wide on either side of his thighs. You can feel his length hardening against your hip and you can’t even comprehend how fast everything is moving. Before you know it, you’re flipped onto your back with Ushijima towering over you. He pulls your legs over him with your knees bent towards your chest.

Ushijima drags the tip of his cock along your slit, pressing into your clit to get you squirming.

“You don’t get to enjoy this,” He tells you and you can’t help the way you pout at him. Ushijima leans forward to place a single kiss on your forehead before thrusting inside of you, completely bottoming out and not even giving you the chance to adjust. His hips slowly pick up the pace, thrusting into you all at once.

“I’m going to stuff you full,” Ushijima growls, his low voice rings in your ear. “you like that? Having my cum drip out of your little cunt?” His hips slam into yours harshly and your lips fall open in a silent moan. Your back arches as you thrust your chest into the air and Ushijima takes no time in sucking one of your nipples into his mouth. “No one else can fuck you like I do.”

His thick fingers move quickly against your swollen clit, rolling the bud against his digits while his cock drills into you. Ushijima is able to get so deep inside of you, especially when he has your knees bent like this. His balls hit your ass with every thrust and the sting makes tears prick in your eyes. He is being so rough and you absolutely love it.

“Cum now, right now or you do not get to cum at all,” Ushijima commands, his eyes narrowing down at your fucked out figure. His hips stutter slightly when he notices the way your eyes are half shut and your tongue is peaking out past your lips, you look so ruined. When he zones in on his cum splayed on your chest, he can’t help himself anymore. “I said to fucking cum.” His fingers pinch your clit and you sob at the feeling, his other hand moves from your ass up to your throat. As his fingers move up your body he tweaks your other nipple, roughly fondling your breast, before cupping your throat.

Ushijima squeezes the sides of your neck as his frustration continues to grow.

“Why aren’t you cumming? Do you think someone else can fuck you better?” He snaps and your lips fall into a pout, his insecurities are getting the best of him.

“Only you can fuck me like this Wakatoshi, I love you,” You hiccup and each thrust causes your breath to hitch as loud moans spill past your lips. “I-I don’t want it to be over.” Fat tears roll down your face and Ushijima feels his heart stop, he seriously can’t get enough of you.

“I fuck you every night, pump you full with my cum and you still are greedy for more?” At one harsh snap of his wrist, your hips rise up to meet his thrust and you come undone. An unfamiliar feeling washes over you and before you can even process it, you’re squirting all over his cock. Your essences coats his abdomen and his thighs, his cock, the sight makes Ushijima fall onto his forearms.

Despite your orgasm, he still fucks you with purpose. He still uses you as if you are a toy to get his own personal fill. His lips suck deep bruises into your neck and your eyes flutter shut as you focus on his grunts, his groans, how rough and animalistic they sound.

“You’re mine, you know that?” Ushijima asks, his hips speeding up even quicker to chase his own release. “Mine.” You’ve never heard your boyfriend talk like this before and it sends your heart into a frenzy.

“All yours, Wakatoshi.” You moan quietly into his ear and Ushijima’s hips still against yours, he completely bottoms out inside you as he finally comes undone. His cum paints the inside of your walls and after a few moments, he shallowly thrusts experimentally inside of you as he pushes his cum even deeper into your cunt.

You watch with your mouth agape as he pulls out of you, his spent cock falls limp against his muscular thigh. Ushijima brings his fingers to your lower lips, pushing the cum back to your entrance before thrusting two of his fingers inside of you.

“Take it all, I don’t want you to waste a single drop.”

~

Taglist.

@yams046 @why-am-i-sad-and-sleepy @xhanjisungiex @xxashshs @chaosamu @angelkogane @augustdearly @kunimwuah  @littleshopoflove @osamuonigiri @pearzuko @darksxder @macaronnv @nerdygremlin @buzzybeebee

[pokemonherpetologist]

What’s up with Flygon? Is it a reptile?

Wouldn't you know, I was just having a chat with a coworker about this last week! It's a bit of a sardonic running joke at this point. And it seems that everyone has their own opinion on the matter of how Flygon ought to be classified, so I suppose now's as good a time as any to get into that can of Wurmples.

So, we know certain things about Flygon. It's the third stage of its line, evolving from Vibrava, which evolves in turn from Trapinch. It has excellent vision. It sheds its skin. It prefers flying/hovering to walking, and is well-suited to desert environments, particularly sandstorms.

What a lot of people don't know is that its typing has been the subject of dispute for...well, decades, really. At the moment it's ground/dragon, has been for a while, probably will be for the foreseeable future. The ground typing is indisputable, and Raihan's use of one in most of his gym battles has cemented its reputation as a full-fledged dragon. Even if we wanted to change it, I doubt we could.

But wait. "Barclay," you're probably saying, "what in the name of Lugia are you talking about? What type change?? What else could it be???". And yes, I'm afraid I must apologize, it's a very circular subject and that seemed the best way to break in. Yes, there are arguments about what type Flygon should be. Again, it's indisputably ground, but the dragon part is up for debate in some deeply academic circles. The alternative?

Bug!

So I'm afraid for the sake of simplicity, I'm going to be turning your question around from "is Flygon a reptile?" to "is Flygon an insect?". Insects are easily encompassed within one typing, the bug type, and rarely waver. Meanwhile, pokemon that would suit the title of "reptile" can be found in just about every type out there, making them all the harder to pin down. Phrasing it this way makes it an either/or question. It’s a a reptile, or it’s an insect.

So, is Flygon an insect?

There are a plethora of arguments to be made in favor of it. The way the anatomy of Trapinch and Vibrava are structured most closely resembles the segmentation of fellow bug types. Flygon’s signature “wing-singing”, an ability often found in insects, most famously the Kricketot line. Even its sensory organs, particularly the antennae atop its head, bear a superficial resemblance to our general cultural image of bugs.

And, it hasn’t finished peer review yet, but there is a paper coming down the pipeline that claims to have bred F1 Flygon that exhibit the compound eyes trait. If it gets published, that’ll be a major playing card in this overly complicated game of competitive solitaire, since that means a wildtype Flygon was able to produce offspring with an ability otherwise found only in bug types, implying they’re more closely related than we’ve been led to believe. Might be a few months before it’s widely available but I’ll keep you all in the loop in case there’s any interest. 

On the other hand, I can’t say I’m aware of any other 3-stage bug type pokemon that spends its second stage actively out and hunting, rather than hunkering down and conserving energy. Kakuna, Silcoon, Whirlipede, Charjabug, Swadloon, Dottler, the list goes on! It’s crucial for their biology - to undergo such a drastic change, they need that designated period of rest and resource allocation. Despite superficial appearances to other bug types (Yanma comes to mind), Vibrava would be an extreme outlier in this case, to the point where one particularly heated paper made the audacious claim that instituting it as a bug would compromise the integrity of the whole typing. Not sure how I feel about that, but anything is food for thought, I suppose.

(Mind you, I'm not an expert on bug types, so if you want another equally expert point of view I’ll direct you over to the far more qualified @poke-entomology!)

And just to cover our bases, let’s take a quick peek at why it’s been classified as a dragon type. The type standard for that (as far as I understand it, anyway; you want citeable answers, find a specialist) some degree of species-wide competitiveness, incredible power, and a temperament not well-adjusted to captivity. Flygon fits all of those boxes, exhibiting territoriality within the deserts it calls home and a disposition recommended only for expert trainers, not to mention its strength. 

At the end of the day, insect or reptile, I can’t find a single fault with the assertion that this critter is 100% a dragon. And isn’t that what matters? 

Anyway, I hope this helped at all...apologies if there were any parts that were difficult to parse, you really did manage to land upon one of the most nichely head-spinning topics I’m aware of right now. It's far more suited for a spirited argument among friends around a table, perhaps with snacks. Feel free to ask for clarification on anything mentioned here, too - still getting used to the “writing as outreach” thing. 

Thanks for the question!

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Pro-variation vs. pro-selection culture

Evolution requires three things: some form of information that’s inheritable, some way to create variation from that information, and some way to select what information will be passed on to future generations. In biological evolution, of, course, we all know what these three things are: genes (information) can mutate (variation) -- well, it’s more complicated than just mutation, but this isn’t a biology lesson -- and those that are worse at surviving and reproducing themselves are of course naturally weeded out through cause and effect (selection). But other things -- art, culture, language, science, technology -- evolve as well, and they all need the same three things.

When it comes to variation and selection in things like culture and politics, there’s a sliding scale of which one people think is most important -- whether they’re more pro-variation, or pro-selection.

People on the pro-variation end of the spectrum tend to view diversity as a positive thing and selection as something that will take care of itself, or even something to be actively suspicious of because of its tendency to cause harm -- a rainbow queer community, an education system available to people of all cultures and economic backgrounds, country borders that are as open as practical, and embracing a diverse array of art make a community stronger, and things like gatekeeping, means testing and heirarchies on ‘what counts as art’ should be abandoned unless there’s a really good reason for the selective process to exist, in which case it’s grudgingly tolerated. To pro-variation people, exclusion and oppression within a community are threatening. Pro-variation people recognise that yes, you’re going to get some freeloading drains on resources and obvious money laundering schemes masquerading as terrible art and a few people pretending to be gay for a few years to look more interesting to their straight friends, and this is largely a non-issue, a perfectly acceptable price to pay for a diverse and fair world.

People on the pro-selection end of the scale tend to view selection as the main means of advancing or healing a society, and see diversity as something that will take care of itself and as something to be deeply suspicious of. Gatekeeping, unequal opportunities and financial heirarchies are needed to sort the what from the chaff and make sure everyone does their best (”capitalism breeds innovation”); initiatives to redress inequality and give minorities or poor people an ‘unfair’ advantage or make it easier for outsiders to enter the country should be abandoned unless there’s a really good reason for their existence, as they’re dragging down the ‘deserving’ and polluting the culture. To pro-selection people, contamination or invasion from outsiders is threatening. Pro-selection people recognise that yes, you’re going to lose some talented geniuses in sweatshops and stop some deserving people from achieving success and bully some LGBT people out of the community to face abuse and oppression alone, but this is largely a non-issue, a perfectly acceptable price to pay for an advanced and fair world.

“Oh, Derin, you’re just talking about left-wing vs. right-wing philosophies.” Sort of, but not really. It fits the stereotypes and common arguments to a T, but one can’t assume that all righties are pro-selection or all lefties are pro-variation. I have met pro-variation righties, although I’m not really sure how. And there are leftie TERFs out there, despite TERFism being an undeniably pro-selection philosophy. I find determining where people sit on the variation-to-selection scale to be a lot more useful for communication than left-to-right.

I say this because often I’ll see pro-selection and pro-variation people talking to each other, and notice that they’re having fundamentally different conversations. For example, let’s look at the issue of meritocracy. Most modern people would say that meritocracy is a good thing, but ’meritocracy’ means a fundamentally different thing to pro-selectionists than pro-variationists.

A pro-selectionist, when conceiving of meritocracy, tends to think in terms of, well, selection; devising a system where the strongest (those that excel in whatever the thinker thinks is important; innovation or determination or whatever) rise to the top and gain special privileges and power over others, that they can use to determine the rules and make life better for themselves and their children, elevating society as a side effect. To the pro-variationist, this is absolutely not a meritocracy. “You’ve built a system whereby those who don’t start out with more, those who are born poor or disabled or underprivileged in some way, have to work way harder and be lucky in order to get anywhere than those born lucky. People don’t get ahead on merit in this system because the playing field becomes drastically uneven after a couple of generations. This is not a meritocracy.”

A pro-variationist, on the other hand, would concentrate on making sure that everyone has a fair chance at exercising their skills and getting ahead. They’d focus on making sure that people had the space and security to exercise their skills and that, when it came to supporting the society to make that happen, those with more contributed more. To a pro-selectionist, this is absurd. “So those who have pulled ahead and succeeded are being penalised by having to give more? That’s the opposite of a meritocracy! That’s a system designed to drag the best down!”

I find this framework useful in explaining a lot of weird political quirks of certain subcultures. TERFs and tradwives, for example, are theoretically political opposites, but in practice their logic sounds almost identical to outsiders, sounding rather a lot like standard right-wing talking points and Fascism Lite. This is because they’re all using pro-selection arguments. To a pro-selectionist, the arguments of these groups look very different -- “we’re saying that X kind of people are good/virtuous/victims, and Y kind of people are bad/oppressors/sinners, which is the exact opposite of what the other group is saying!” To a pro-variationist, the fact that they are making literally the same argument makes them identical -- “you’re still putting people in your little ‘keep or cull’ boxes for exactly the same reasons, you just wrote different names on the boxes to keep or cull according to your personal taste.”

I think a lot of the things associated with right-wingers could be more accurately associated with people on the pro-selection end of the spectrum in general. It’s known, for example, that right-wingers tend to have a more sensitive disgust reflex and, as a consequence, be generally more xenophobic. You can see this in the way xenophobes talk of making room for outsiders; they talk of invasion, contamination, infection, hygeine, purity. LGBT exclusionists, lefties and righties, talk in the same sort of language. So do antis.

It’s also notable in the sorts of innocuous-seeming things that such people get really angry about. Right-wingers and authoritarians are known for their trend of an almost comical hatred of modern art. The idea that anything can be art, or that art can be measured on any level that isn’t strict complexity and realism of paint and sculpture, causes a surprising level of dislike in such groups. (See also arguments like ‘what is a video game’, ‘does this even count as a game’, althoughpeople thankfully seem to be bored of that now). Exclusionists are equally renowned for campaigns against inclusive terms like ‘queer’, and TERFs get obsessively nitpicky about people’s genitals to a really creepy degree and get very uncomfortable when you mention the ‘grey area’ in biological sex. This is normally assumed to be just dislike at people challenging their arguments, but I think it’s deeper. I think it’s like the modern art thing. Any kind of radical inclusivity is threatening to pro-selection thinkers, not because it’s a challenge to their rules and definitions -- they can have those arguments perfectly comfortably -- but because it is an attack on the very concept of meaning. “Words mean things! Groups exist! You can’t just... just get rid of groups and open up categories to include more people without putting them through a serious, rigorous proving ground first! You can’t just call anything you want to ‘art’, you can’t just call anyone outside cisheteronormative expectations part of the LGBT community, you can’t just call people men or women based on how they feel! That’s chaos! How can any progress be made if we just decide words don’t mean anything??”

(I also think this is a much-overlooked aspect of the same-sex marriage debate. Yes, most of that was garden-variety homophobia, but I’ve known a lot of people who were perfectly fine with ‘the gays having equal rights’, they just didn’t want it called marriage. To a pro-variationist, having the same legal language for partnerships regardless of the sex or gender of the participants is really important -- it’s a shield against future discrimination as the laws relating to either marriages or civil partnerships change over time. To a pro-selectionist, changing the definition of words related to fundamental cultural activities is a huge deal. “They’re eroding the very meaning of marriage! Chaos! How much more will the word change? Can people marry animals or cars next?!”)

As I said, this is a spectrum. I’ve met very few people who are on either extreme end -- even the most pro-equality liberal anarchist acknowledges that some standards of behaviour, community responses to inappropriate action and definitions of different communities do have to exist, to protect people, and the most hardocre fascist admits that there needs to be some measure of generating diversity to avoid stagnation and extinction. And people’s default reaction isn’t necessarily their position on all issues -- somebody who’s generally pro-variation might feel specifically threatened by immigration and think a strict proving ground for immigrants is necessary, or someone who is generally pro-selectionist might think that a robust social system is necessary because one’s economic status at birth has no bearing on one’s merit or value. But I’ve always found it to be a very useful general model.

[jodfics]

Two Men and a Baby

Something silly.

Sam blew a sigh out from his mouth and looked at the man sat opposite him, "This is a mess, you know that, right?" Then, not waiting for a reply, he leaned over the small car seat they had strapped to the side of the carrier plane and frowned when the baby's eyes locked onto his. "Why you gotta look into my soul like that - check out Bucky, girls love ken dolls."

"How am I a ken doll?" Bucky's eyebrows furrowed even further, but he reached out to check the straps over the baby's chest for the nth time in the half an hour they'd been in the air. "If it's because of my arm - it's vibranium, not plastic."

"It's vibranium, blah blah'" Sam mimicked him childishly and sat on the left side of the car seat, "I can't believe this, man. I sent you in to disarm the bad guys, and you come out with a baby!"

Bucky scoffed and shook his head, "C'mon!" He nodded toward the baby, "You sayin' I shoulda left her there? All alone?"

"No, I am not saying that! I am saying, though, that you shouldn't have told the powers that be that we were gonna look after her for the next few days until they can find her parents - there's literally a service for that shit, Buck!"

The baby let out a whine at the same time Bucky sent a glare Sam's way, "Don't swear in fronta the baby... and don't call me 'Buck'. Stop being an asshole - you have nephews. A baby is a piece a cake."

Sam pressed his fingers to his temples and rubbed, Bucky was a constant headache at the best of times, but today he wanted to 'Sparta kick' him off the plane. "I'm not an ass, and for your information - ass is a bad word, don't swear in front of the baby." He waited for an argument, and when none came, Sam continued, "I didn't raise the boys, Sarah did all that, I just got to hold them and hand them back when they got damp. We should have agreed to take the baby to child services, and they would have found her parents - you," he pointed at the other, "You had to mouth off and tell them that we were taking her until further notice."

A squeal came from the tiny human and the start of what was likely going to be wailing; Bucky wasted no time in unstrapping her and holding her to him. She was around six months old with curly hair and a polka-dot dress - small enough to be utterly helpless but big enough that Bucky wasn't too worried about feeding her. Sam watched his 'not' co-worker make a fuss of her, asking her what was wrong in a quiet murmur and feigning shock when she squealed in reply. "Really? Oh, Doll, you are having a bad day, huh?"

"I didn't know you had a babysitting module installed - is that included in the Winter Soldier brainwashing, or is it an add on?" He couldn't help but find the interaction kind of sweet. Same knew how good Bucky was with kids, whether it was his nephews or the neighbour's kids or the kids back in Wakanda; Bucky was a soft touch when it came to them. "Why were you so adamant we take her?"

Bucky's nose scrunched a little when the baby reached out and pat his cheek before going for his nose; he was grateful she was more interested in him than crying. "I don't want her getting lost in child services, they're stretched thin since all the missing parents, and kids suddenly showed up after five years and the guys we saved her from obviously planned to ransom her or worse. So her parents will look for her, and when they do, we can hand her back nice and easy, no lost babies or weird foster parents."

"Dude... you're calling the pot black."

"I'm not a weird foster parent." His tone was even, and Sam blinked at how oblivious the other was. "Here, take her a second." Bucky handed her over, and Sam settled her on his lap whilst he watched him head toward his mission bag. "You got any food in your bag?"

"Not unless babies drink protein shakes," Sam looked down at her and made a curious expression, "Do you want muscles on your muscles? Yeah? You do...? Damn, you're gonna show Bucky up with your miniguns - pow, pow!" He shook her little arms gently and pretended to feel for biceps, "Oh, I think I found a muscle!" She giggled at Sam as he proceeded to poke and tickle her in search of a sixpack; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bucky glared and snorted, "Uh oh, I think the bionic moron is jealous!"

"No, I'm not!" Came a reply too quick; even Bucky winced at it and cleared his throat to appear calmer, "Put her back in the car seat before you drop her."

"Ooooh, he's so jealous!" Sam pointed at the other, and her eyes followed his direction, but she was too young to understand that Bucky was pouting at them. "Give him the soul stare, Sweetie, see if you can beat him at his own game."

--

Bucky had moved to Delacroix a few weeks after taking out the flag smashers, and to his surprise, Sam had offered to let him move into a little place he had been checking out. It was a nice place with plenty of space for them to train or have the kids run around in - Sam liked that it had a good road into town and his sister's place. Bucky liked the trees that provided them cover and the view of the dock at sunset. There had been negotiations about the living spaces for both of them. Mostly it boiled down to Sam keeping his baseball trophies and wings out of the shared living area and Bucky agreeing not to turn it into a vintage bar or hide knives in all the crevices he could find.

Sam stood at the kitchen counter, baby on his hip, and checked how his homemade applesauce was doing. It had been his turn to check on her when she cried in the night and to take the 'morning shift' - not that he minded as he rocked her slightly and sang for her. He called for the volume to go up and brought the wooden spoon to his mouth like a microphone, "You ready, Sweetie? Nah, you're not ready for this - here we go! Yeah..." The man nodded his head and joined in on the following line of the song, "'And baby, I can't hold it much longer - It's getting stronger and stronger! When I get that feeling, I want -"

"I want an age-appropriate song!" Bucky interrupted and turned the station over.

"Oh no." Sam pointed the spoon at him, his brown eyes wide in outrage, "You did not just turn off Marvin Gaye." The baby pat his chin, and Sam smiled down at her softly to show he wasn't mad at her, "Don't you worry, I'm gonna wait for your naptime before I kick Uncle Bucky into next, next century." He looked back at the brunette who was slumped at the kitchen table and barely awake, "Why do you hate Marvin so much? Hmm? What did he do to you?"

Bucky sat up and tipped his head back to roll his eyes at the ceiling fan, "I don't -" he looked at Sam, "I don't hate Marvin Gaye. I just don't think that song is appropriate for a little girl, ya know?"

"Mm-hmm... But giving her a little whisky is alright?"

"It wasn't even a thimble full! My Pa used to sneak me more than that to help me sleep when I was a baby."

Sam turned off the cooker and put the pan aside to cool, "I'm pretty sure cocaine and cigarettes were on prescription back then. Besides, she's not yours for another couple of hours."

"I'm not gonna give her cocaine, Sam!" Bucky snapped, and then he lowered his tone, "Gotta start her on the small stuff and work up to cocaine."

"I am applying for full custody, Buck! You can pay child support all you want, but I'm not giving you visitation rights!"

"What," A woman's voice cut in, "Did I just step into."

"Sarah, hi!" The brunette's previous grumpy face brightened in a smile as he gave Sam's Sister a wave and ignored the other man glaring at him. He made to stand up, to be polite, but Sarah motioned for him to stay where he was - her smile matching Bucky's.

Sam adjusted the baby on his hip, "As much as I loathe watching you two make eyes at each other... Bucky, don't you have something else to stare at?"

"I got the best view right here - how's your morning, Sarah."

Watching his sister grin like an idiot and knowing her cheeks were red hot, Sam cleared his throat loudly, "You're setting a bad example for the baby. So what do we owe the pleasure, Sarah?" The girl in his arms made grabby hand at the woman, and Sam passed her over.

"Hey, Honey, are your Dads fighting again?" She was ignored in favour of her necklace, and after making sure it wasn't going to hurt the Baby, Sarah let her play. "The engine in the pickup is playing up, I need to head into town, but I don't trust the darn thing not to break down on me."

Before Bucky could even stand up to offer, Sam rushed in with, "I'll take you. I'm not leaving you two together without a chaperone."

"I can take a look at the engine later for you?" He may have been beaten to offering a lift, but Bucky knew more than one way to impress a woman. "Besides..." his blue eyes landed on the baby as she babbled and played with the necklace, "I need something to do after we drop her off with her parents later."

"Did they pass all your security checks?" Sarah asked, only half-serious as she had made fun of them the day before for insisting the people claiming to be the baby's parents were checked by every security firm they could name. "That's a shame... a baby really suits you, Bucky."

He parted his lips to reply, his ears turning a little red as he tried not to blush; whatever he was going to say was prevented by Sam nearly choking on air and sputtering that they had to go, "There's no such thing as on time, Sarah! Bucky, don't give the baby anything illegal!" He took the baby from his sister and deposited her in Bucky's lap before ushering the woman through the door.

"Bye, Sarah."

"Bye, Bucky~."

[five-rivers]

Snow and Song Chapter 5

About five seconds after Danny registered the huge crowd of people gathered in the park (and why were they there?  Had there been some kind of event he forgot about?), it began to snow.   Danny looked around himself in alarm.  He was often insensitive to temperature changes (and a few other things, according to his sister), but it wasn’t nearly cold enough snow.  It was September.

He looked up.  There weren’t even any clouds.  

A snowflake, perfect and crystalline, stuck to his eyelash.  

Alright.  When something weird and unnatural started to happen in Amity Park, usually there was a ghost involved.  All Danny had to do was find the ghost causing it to… snow…

Oh.  Right. He was a ghost that could make snow.  

He was an idiot.  He hadn’t even noticed his core activating.  His cheeks flushed with cold.  This was so embarrassing.

Wincing, he looked back down at the crowd.  Only about a tenth of the people had phones in their hands, winking camera lenses pointed up at him, but that was more than enough.  He felt entirely too visible.  

… Which he could fix because he was a ghost, darn it, something that he kept forgetting about tonight.  Berating himself, he adjusted his visibility down to zero and flew away.  

Almost at once, all the birds took off, the sound of wings obscuring whatever the humans down below were saying.  

Danny didn’t stop until he got home, trailing snow all the while.  He was not looking forward to tomorrow, but for tonight, maybe, he could forget what had happened.  

He went human, phased off his clothes, laid down on his bed, closed his eyes, and started to-

“Maddie!” shouted Jack.  “The ghost-kid is on TV again!  He’s in the park!”

“Oh, good!  Go start up the GAV!  This time, we’ll catch him!  I’ll be with you in a minute!”

Danny let out the breath he had been holding since his dad startled him from his doze in a long sigh.  He resigned himself to being woken up at least once more that night.

.

.

.

The first rays of sunlight filtering through Danny’s window brought with them something that would have chilled Danny to the core if his core weren’t naturally frosty.  

Music.  

He peeled his eyes open slowly, grudgingly, because it was still September, and sunrise was still quite a bit before the time he had to get up in the morning.  Hoping he was hallucinating, he trudged over to the window and pulled back the curtains.

Ah, yes.  He hadn’t quite expected to find a bunch of cultists standing outside his house with a boombox, playing back a rather scratchy version of Tale as Old as Time, but, somehow, he was unsurprised to do so.  What exactly were they attempting to accomplish here?

One of the younger (about six years old) cultists waved up at him.  Resigned, Danny waved back, then let the curtain fall back down.  

He rubbed his eyes.  Normal teenagers didn’t have to deal with cults that worshiped them as a god.  Even that dude from Nazareth was a full adult before he got hit with the heavy stuff.  

(Yeah, because it wasn’t at all a sign of megalomania, mental instability, or good old-fashioned insanity to compare himself to that guy.)

(He didn’t want a cult, darn it.)

What did they want, anyway?

He got dressed and started downstairs.  To his horror (but again, not surprise) he heard more music emanating from the kitchen.  

“What are you guys doing?” Danny asked.  

“Oh, morning, Danno!” boomed Jack.

“Shh, shh,” said Maddie.  “We need to go over that last part again.  There are pancakes on the stove, sweetie.”

“Oh,” said Danny.  “Thanks. But, really, what are you doing?”

“Analyzing the sound patterns of Phantom’s voice!” said Jack.  “We missed it before, but he must have a low-level mind control power!  Just like that Rockstar ghost!”

“Sneaky post-human ectoplasm glob,” muttered Maddie. “That’s how he’s got so many people on his side.  He’s brainwashing them.  But don’t worry, sweetie.  As soon as we figure out how he’s doing it, we’ll be working on a cure!”

“Well,” said Danny, trying not to sound bitter. They had made him pancakes. “That’s news to me.”

.

.

.

Danny stepped out of the house and sighed in the general direction of the cult.  

As always, acknowledging them in any way shape or form proved to be a mistake.  They rushed at him.  

“Daniel Fenton,” intoned today’s leader, a man wearing robes colored in an approximation of Phantom’s suit.  His beard was… interesting.

“What?” asked Danny.  If only there was a way to skip through awkward conversations like this, like there was in video games.  But, no, life was like one, huge, un-skippable cutscene.  Tragic.

“Last night, our Lord Phantom gave us a message. A message, and a divine task.”

Danny was pretty sure he’d remember that.  “What task?” he asked, resigned.

“To spread his word through song!  And you, his prophet, his chosen, his blessed consort, shall reveal his intent upon the stage of the Casper High School Musical!”

“I’m begging you, call it anything but that.”

“We will do anything to make the Casper High School Musical go well!  We are at your command!”

“Please stop picketing my house and harassing me on the way to school.”

“We have fine members of our choir here to audition for you!  Please take word of their worthiness to our Lord Phantom.”

Several of the cultists began to sing.

“Danny!” called Jazz from the driveway.  “Stop feeding the cultists, or we’re going to be late for school!”

.

.

.

“So,” said Sam.  “The Ghost Watch feed blew up last night.”

“I know,” said Danny.  “I feel so stupid.”

“Hey, it’s fine,” said Tucker.  “But we really do have to put some time aside to test whether or not you really do have a pied piper ability.”

“I made it snow while I was singing,” said Danny.

“Ah.  We’ll have to look into that, too,” said Tucker, making a note on his PDA.  “Who wants to bet that the ‘Phan Club’ will try to incorporate last nights performance into the play somehow?”

“That’s not funny,” said Danny, closing his locker. “Guys, what if I accidently mind control the audience?  Or start a snowstorm inside?  The cultists are already on top of this.  They were outside my house this morning.”

“Again?” said Sam, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, again.”

“What did they want?”

“They seem to think that there’s going to be some kind of revelation in the play,” said Danny.  He caught the look in Sam’s eye.  “Sam.  No.”

“Sam, yes.”

“Cults are not a toy,” cautioned Danny.  

“Not the way you’re using them, they aren’t.”

“Seriously, Sam.  No matter how much you want to change the world, do not use a cult to do it. It never goes well.”

“Christianity started off as a cult.”

“And would you say that went well?  I’m asking you this as a Christian.”

“Are you a Christian?” asked Tucker. “I’ve never seen you in a church. Can you go in a church? Have we tested that?”

“I—What?  I’m not a demon, Tucker.  I went to church, uh…  Last Easter. I can totally go in a church.”

“You had to think of that for an awfully long time.”

“What about a synagogue?” asked Sam.  “Or a mosque?”

“I don’t know.  But you’d think that if I could go into a church, that’d mean I could go into the other ones.”

“But what if you couldn’t?” asked Sam.  “Would that mean that religion is more right than the others?”

“Or more wrong,” said Tucker, “since Danny is a good guy.”                                                                  

“I—” started Danny.

“PHANTOM!” screamed Wes from down the hall, interrupting whatever revelation Danny could potentially have had.

“Oh, great,” said Danny.  “I’m not Phantom, Weston!”

“Kids,” said Miss Lyn, poking her head into the hallway.  “Please don’t shout in the halls.  Class is about to start.”

“I have proof, this time!” crowed Wes.  “I have video.”

“Oh, no,” said Danny, with perfectly flat affect. “Are you here to harass me with yet another badly photoshopped, grainy, vertically filmed, twenty-second clip of me ‘transforming’ into Phantom like some kind of anime heroine?”

Wes reared back, face coloring and nostrils flaring.  

Danny would feel worse about what he had said, if half the videos in Wes’s last ‘Fenton is Phantom’ presentation hadn’t been exactly that.  Tucker had made several of them and stealthily dropped them in various chat rooms for Wes to find, as something halfway between a joke and an exercise in misdirection.  

As soon as Wes had included one of those in his presentation, it was doomed to be a laughingstock.  Again, Danny almost felt bad.  

“No!” said Wes.  He puffed his chest out.  “From Ghost Watch!”

“Uh huh.”

“I kind of feel like we’d be hearing about it from more than just you,” said Sam.  

“Yeah,” agreed Tucker.  “If the news decided Danny was Phantom’s dead twin or whatever, you’d think some of his groupies would be swarming.”  He pointed at a pair of Phan Club members who were having a sedate conversation near the water fountain.  “Where are the groupies, Wes?”

“Did you not learn your lesson from the beauty pageant?” asked Sam.  “Or Egypt?”

“I don’t know, didn’t you learn yours from Desiree?”

“Who’s learning what from Desiree?  Because you should ask her for a better naming sense.  I mean, you just copied.  Lame.”

“You’re talking to me about copying?  You vegans are the copiers!  Vegetable burgers, tofurkey, where does it end?”

“With the abolition of the cruelty of MEAT!”

At this point, most people would have started edging away from Sam and Tucker’s patented and infamous meat vs. veggies argument.  However, Wes had long since proven himself to be of sterner stuff, and Danny wanted to hear what he was on about.

“Guys,” he said, “guys, it’s not working.  He’s still here.”

Sam and Tucker turned back towards Wes.  “Bummer,” said Sam.  

“Yeah, Wes, why do you have to be such a bummer?” asked Tucker.  

“Let him speak,” said Danny, magnanimously, twirling his hand.  

Wes glowered.  “Well, now I don’t want to,” he said, mulishly.  

“Come on, Wes, what’s the video, don’t leave us in suspense!”

Wes attempted to glower harder but failed.  Grudgingly, he held up his phone, which did, indeed, play a video from Ghost Watch.  Danny watched himself singing for several long seconds before returning his gaze to Wes.

“I’m not sure what this is supposed to prove.”

“The song, you idiot!  It’s from Beauty and the Beast!  And I know the drama club gave you that music.”

“A movie that thousands of thousands of people have watched and know the music for?”

“That doesn’t matter!  You’re the only one who has any reason to sing it.”

“You mean, other than everyone else in the drama club?” asked Sam, bored.  

“Or anyone who likes Disney?” said Tucker.  

Wes opened his mouth to make some kind of riposte.

The warning bell rang.  

He closed his mouth.  “I’m watching you, Fenton!”

“You and everyone else,” muttered Danny as Wes retreated down the hallway, pointing at him.  

Why was everyone around him so ridiculous?

.

.

.

“We’re doing Snow White, not Beauty and the Beast!” howled Razor, baring his teeth at the hapless Phan Club member that had suggested adding ‘Tale as Old as Time’ to the song list.

“If you guys had taken that bet, I’d have so much money right now,” said Tucker.  

“Students, please,” said Mr. Lancer.  “We can’t have any actual copyrighted music in our play. Not without paying for it.  And I’m not negotiating with Disney.”  He looked into the distance.  “Not again.  Never again.”

Danny did not want to know the story behind that, but nevertheless, he had to ask… “Are you okay, Mr. Lancer?”

“I’m fine, Mr. Fenton,” said Mr. Lancer.  “Thank you for asking.  In any case, my lovely drama students!  Today, we are going to do our first round of auditions!”

“But, sir, we haven’t finished the script, yet!” protested Mikey.

“Right you are!” said Mr. Lancer.  “But I have found that things go more smoothly when we have people already in the main roles.  There’s less… outright sabotage and script jockeying.”

“What does that even mean?” whispered Samhain (aka Kevin) loudly.  

“People trying to change the script to fit a certain person so that person gets the role,” said Paulina.  “Or exclude a certain person.  Which I would never do, Mr. Lancer.”

The covetous glare shot in Danny’s direction indicated that Paulina’s words might have been less than truthful.  

Mr. Lancer chuckled.  “I didn’t think you would, Miss Sanchez!”  He began writing on his whiteboard.  “Now, we already have our Prince Snow White, our Princess Charming, and our Evil Queen.”  He nodded at Paulina as he wrote the roles on the board.  “Now, we need our seven dwarves—”

“Ghosts!”

“Excuse me, yes, ghosts.  Thank you, Mr. Baxter.  Our Huntsman—”

“Or woman!”

“Yes, thank you, Miss Thunder,” said Mr. Lancer. “Huntsman, or Huntswoman.  And… Let’s see…  Snow White’s parents, for the prologue, Princess Charming’s retinue, and… I think that’s it.  Alright, let’s start with the ghosts.”

“Shouldn’t they have names?” asked Mia.  

“Well, sure,” said Mr. Lancer.  “But we can’t use the Disney names.  You’ll have to come up with your own.”

“Phantom!” screamed Paulina.

“Here we go,” said Danny, burying his head in his hands.  

“You want to bet that we’re going to wind up with your whole rogue’s gallery?” asked Tucker.  

“If you need money, Tucker,” said Sam, “you just have to ask.  Rates on my loans are very reasonable.”

“Isn’t usury against your religion?” asked Tucker.

“Nope,” said Sam.  “Not at all.”

“I am incredibly against this development,” said Danny.  “The cults are going to have a field day.”

“Ember!  Ember! Ember!”  Chanted the punk goth crowd, which had split off from the larger goth subgroup.

“I am somehow even more against this development,” muttered Danny.  “Mr. Lancer! I don’t think it’s a good idea to include a ghost who gets power from people saying her name!”

“Shut up, Fentonnage, what do you know about ghosts?”

“My parents study them.  I know a lot.  More than I ever even—”

Danny narrowly dodged the workbook Dash flung at him.

“Mr. Baxter!” scolded Mr. Lancer.  

Sadly, when everything shook out, Danny did not get his way.  One of the seven ghosts was named Ember and was going to be played by Star.  Because why not?

“At least the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady aren’t on the list,” said Sam.  

“But ‘Hamlet, father of Hamlet,’ is,” said Danny.  “Why does that bother me more than Ember?”

“Because you hate Shakespeare?”

“No, I don’t,” protested Danny.  “Shakespeare is a perfectly nice person.  I just don’t like how his writing is taught in schools.”

“You’re going to break Mr. Lancer’s heart saying stuff like that,” said Tucker.  

“He wrote love poems to boys.  Why do they skim over that?”

“Excellent point, Mr. Fenton!” exclaimed Mr. Lancer, who had somehow materialized behind them.  “Shakespeare was definitely bisexual.  I wi—”  The teacher stopped.  “Nope, can’t use that word.  It would be nice if the state let me teach it like that.  Along with the crossdressing.  School board won’t let me.”  He shook his head.  “Dale Baxter. Someday, someday he’ll lose an election. Eventually.”  He took a deep breath.  “Next time we meet, we’ll be doing auditions, okay?  I want you all to think about what parts you would like! And, Miss Gray, I’d like to have a word with you about your role in our production, alright?”

[lundya366]

Until The End Of Time (And Then Some) | Charlie Gillespie x Black!Reader

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x Black!Reader

Word Count: 2235

Warnings: None that I can think of (let me know if I should add some)

Summary: Sometimes love is a lazy river that makes your heart swell, and sometimes it’s a waterfall that makes your heart pound. A cute and fluffy one shot about a quiet night in the Gillespie household.

A/N: So this is the first fic that I’ve ever written, but I like how it turned out so I wanted to share plus I haven’t seen a lot of Charlie with a Black!Reader and I wanted to see more of that. I would love you all’s feedback and would love to know if you enjoyed it!

As Netflix is about to autoplay the next episode of your show, you click pause. You stand from the couch and straighten up your leggings and pull down the t-shirt that you borrowed from Charlie’s drawer. Walking around the house you duck your head into the rooms and call for Charlie to see where he is.

 “In here,” you hear from the room he claimed as his “music and masterpieces” room (his words, not yours).

 You walk in to see his back facing you with just a sliver of his face in your view. You look around the room and take in the yellow walls and tan carpeting, the posters and stickers littering both the walls and the floor, the instruments propped up around the room, and the small messy desk in the corner with Charlie’s laptop set in the middle and make a mental note to help Charlie straighten things up tomorrow. You take one last look at the yellow walls and smile (he painted the walls yellow because it’s a happy color and writing music is a happy thing).

Your attention turns back to your husband who is sitting in the middle of the room on a stool. His hair is pulled back into a messy bun and he has on sweatpants and a cutoff tee, but this one is older, so it showed quite a bit more of his chest and back than usual. It was originally an oversized t-shirt you got him very early in your relationship as a joke. Across the front read “Black Queen” with the silhouette of a black woman wearing an afro. You had bought it the day after a calm discussion (cough cough heated debate cough cough) about what clothes he could pull off and you were so sure he couldn’t make this work. He picked you up from work the next day and had cut off the sleeves and put the words “I’m dating a” across the top and you laughed for a full five minutes before you were able to utter a sentence to him.

 (He felt like a genius for that one and you couldn’t necessarily disagree.)

 You shake your head to remove the memory from mind and focus on your husband yet again. He’s strumming the same chords on the guitar and as you step closer you can see the frustration starting to creep into his face. Your hands rest lightly on his shoulders and you can feel the slightest tension leave them at your touch.

 “What’s not working out?” you question knowing his frustration comes from the song not coming together like he wanted.

 “It’s just not working. None of it is. I’ve been here for hours and I finally got the melody, but every lyric I write sucks. And honestly, I kinda hate the melody now too.” He leans forward to set the guitar back onto the stand before settling back onto the stool, still facing away from you. 

 As he closes the journal he was using to write notes and drops it to the floor, you notice all of the scratching out he’s done. You frown at his harsh criticism of himself and start to massage his shoulders in an attempt to soothe him.

 “Well why don’t you take a break for today and pick up where you left off tomorrow. Maybe you just need to see and hear everything with a fresh set of eyes and ears.”

 “No no no, I can’t,” he responded, “I’m meeting up with everyone in the morning and I really wanted to have everything done for them.”

 Your eyes drift up to the ceiling as you think back to the conversation you had with Charlie earlier. You could’ve sworn he said they were supposed to work on and hopefully finish the songs tomorrow.

 “Oh, I thought you all were having a writing session? I didn’t know you had to finish everything tonight. Maybe I can make you a snack to help get your juices flowing then?” 

 You take the scrunchie (your satin scrunchie that he stole actually) from his hair and start to run your fingers through it, starting to get rid of the knots he didn’t brush out before he started writing.

 “We are having a writing session; I just don’t want to disappoint them you know?” He took a deep breath as his eyes closed and his head tilted back into your touch. He hummed in contentment as your hands worked through his hair and massaged his scalp.

 “Babe,” you start “you can’t be so hard on yourself okay? They’re not gonna be disappointed. You guys’ best songs happen when you all come together. Remember Youth?”

 A smile took over his face as Charlie remembered the rambunctious night the song came into existence. Everyone had come over to hang out at yours and Charlie’s house to watch movies and play games and somehow everyone ended up cramped into the small music room strumming guitars, making beats, writing lyrics and throwing out ideas. Even you, Carolynn, and Owen’s fiancée threw in a couple of suggestions.

 “Maybe you’re right.” Charlie said softly, his body relaxed because of your head massage.

 “You know I am.” You replied back. You start to comb Charlies hair back up into a ponytail and pull it through the scrunchie and back into a bun before settling your hands back on his shoulders.

 “Or maybe I’m right but I’m just tired and don’t feel like arguing with your logic, that kinda maybe makes sense?” He threw back.

 You lean down to kiss his hair before wrapping your arms around his shoulders to hug him from behind.

 “Mmm yeah okay. I’ll let you think that’s the case, sweetheart,” you whisper in his ear.

 You start to pull back from him and plan on heading back to the living room, but before you can remove your arms from around him fully, he grabs onto your left arm. He pulls you around so you’re now standing in front of him, towering over him for once.

 (You’ll admit, “towering over him” may have been hyperbolic, but how often is it that you have this height advantage over him.)

 He doesn’t say anything yet, just looks up at you. You can see that his eyes trace your features, and a small smile graces his lips (not that you’re staring or anything). He takes in your pretty dark skin and thinks of how amazing the setting sun looked against it. He thinks you shine like an angel, with your coily hair as your halo and the sun as your wings. His eyes focus on your chin that he teased you about for the occasional hair or two that made their escape.

 (No worries, one quip about how you at least have hair on your chin zipped his lips real quick.) 

 He takes in your full lips with just a touch of lip gloss still left on them, from your earlier trip to the store. He could kiss them all day and never tire. His smile grows as he gets to your nose. Your teddy bear nose as he calls it because “it looks just like the cute little noses on the Valentine’s teddy bears!” to which you roll your eyes at because in no way is your nose “little” (it’s pretty wide to be quite honest) and in no way does it look like the ones the cute teddy bears have.

(You still smile when he says it though, but you definitely don’t get flustered over it. Nope, never.)

 He looks at your cheeks, your high cheekbones on display due to the smile on your lips. Secretly, it’s one of his favorite things about you, they seem to just add to the joy you radiate.

 And finally, he meets your eyes, of which many arguments have come about. Whose eyes are prettiest to be specific. He says your eyes remind him of the sweetness of a Reese’s peanut butter cup, the richness of coffee, the friendliness of a puppy, and the beauty of a thousand sunsets on the beach. You always say his eyes remind you of the excitement of life, the hope of a new beginning, and a love that burns like a thousand suns.

 (You guys always ended up agreeing to disagree.)

 Finally, his smile grew to its full size and his eyes squinted to make room and you’re sure your expression matched. His smile never failed to bring a smile to your face. His ability to experience pure unbridled joy, unmarred and unburdened by the world, reminded you of the joy that children are able to indulge in. Fully and without obstacle. 

 Your heart starts to beat faster, and you feel flutters all over and suddenly you feel shy from his gaze and overwhelmed with love, all at once. His hands wrap around your waist as he pulls you to stand between his legs. Your arms move to drape across his shoulders.

 “I love you,” he whispers, eyes never leaving yours.

 “I love you too,” you whisper back. 

 Everyday you wake up thankful that you’ve never had to doubt how much Charlie loves you. His words and actions more than speak for themselves. And every day you’re thankful you don’t even have to think about whether you’ll be able to say “I love you” back. It’s instinct at this point. One you hope you’ll never have to unlearn.

 He pulls you into a hug as he rests his head against your chest, and you rest yours on his head.  Charlie begins to hum a song and after recognizing it as I See the Light from the movie Tangled, you join him. It was the song playing when he proposed, but that’s a story for another day. You don’t know how long passes before you pull back just enough to be able to see his face.

 “Wanna watch something with me?” And just like that his smile returns full force.

 “So that was your plan all along wasn’t it? Play with my hair to make me lose focus, butter me up with your sweet words, just so you didn’t have to watch a show by yourself, huh?” He said even as he stood from the stool to head to the living room with you.

 “Charlie Gillespie, I’d never do such a thing. I played with your hair and buttered you up so you could watch a MOVIE with me, not a show. There’s a difference,” you said giggling at the pout on his face.

 Your giggles turn to full on laughs as he scoops you up bridal style and alternates between littering your neck and face with kisses and blowing (very wet) raspberries wherever he could reach.

 “Charlie!” you yelled between laughs. “Stop! That tickles! And you’re gonna drop me!”

 “Say the magic word!” He yelled back, still not stopping his kisses and raspberries. 

 “Please!” You squirmed trying to get out of his grasp.

 “Wrong magic word!” He said as his range expanded to down your chest, up to your hair, and honestly anywhere his lips could reach.

 “How can there be a wrong magic word?! There’s only one universal magic word! You’re making up rules!” You laughed back at him, still squirming in his grasp.

 “I’ll give you a hint, it’s food related.” He replied to you through laughs, kisses, and raspberries.

 “Umm...” you said, still distracted by his mouth “peanut butter, whipped cream, ice cream, nachos, waffles, burgers?” Honestly, you were just listing his favorite foods and hoping one was right.

 “Ding ding ding ding ding! You got it! The correct answer was waffles!” he yelled dramatically in a TV show host voice.

 His mouth finally stopped roaming your body, but he didn’t set you down. Instead, he carries all the way to the living room (stopping at the light switch so you could flick it off) before setting you down on the couch. He let you sit up against the arm of the couch before you reached your arms out for him, his invitation to join you. He grabs the remote off the table and hands it to you before he settles between your legs. You click a button on the remote to wake up the TV about to start scrolling through for a movie. You kiss the top of his head, which in turn causes him to turn his head toward you as a way of asking for a proper kiss. You oblige him (more than once, maybe more than twice. Let’s just say you had you to wake the TV up again when you guys finally refocused on choosing a movie). You both finally settle back into a comfortable position before discussing what movie you were going to watch.

 As Charlie went on about a scary movie trying to convince you that it was a great idea to watch it (at night, you don’t think so) you once again felt that surge of overwhelming love and adoration for him. Whenever that happened it always felt like your heart soared, your mind cleared, and all you could feel was joy and a love that couldn’t be put into words. A love unmatched by any you thought you had felt in the past. And as you gave in and clicked the scary movie Charlie was raving about, you hoped that feeling lasted until the end of time and then some.

[selkiesbittybonanza]

500 Followers Appreciation Bitty Profiles! (+ Bonus bitty!) (ALL FREE TO ADOPT)

Fellswap Gold Lamia Bittys

Merlot

Snake: Taipan

Venomous?: Yes

Size (Bitty): Length - 0.5-1m (1.6-3.3 ft.), Standing - 0.25-0.5m (0.8-1.6 ft)

Size (Full Sized): Length - 1.5-2m (5-6 ft), Standing 1-1.25m (3-5 ft)

Merlots are very calm and soothing bittys, they always seem to have it together. It can be easy to let them take control of things – you always feel like they have your best interests at heart. Merlots are very distinguished, they don’t appreciate looking disheveled, it gives them an almost “old man” quality. A Merlot’s nest is impeccably clean – you may even find a doily or two! And they somehow have a bowl of no-name candy to offer guests like a strange satire on how seniors live everywhere. However he had an eye for quality and doesn’t accept poor quality furnishings. While a Merlot doesn’t mind taking charge, he appreciates an adopter who takes initiative. A Merlot isn’t above using intimidation to get his way, but he’s so smooth about it you have a hard time noticing! He prides himself in being unflappable, to demand respect without screaming for it. He certainly has a devious side – he didn’t get this far without knowing how to “play the game” and isn’t above a few white lies for the sake of it. He can be quite paternal as well, he enjoys taking younger bittys under his “wing” and helping raising them. While he can seem rather stiff he’s actually a warm-hearted bitty who enjoys cuddles and being needed.

Espresso

Snake: Black-tailed Criibo

Venomous?: No

Size (Bitty): Length - 0.75-1m (2.4-3.3 ft), Standing - 0.25-0.5m (0.8-1.6 ft)

Size (Full Sized): Length - 2-2.5m (7-8.5 ft), Standing - 1-1.5m (3-5 ft)

Despite the name: Espressos aren’t very active bittys. They mostly prefer the quiet – gaming and drawing are their favourite hobbies. They tend to be shy and soft spoken – loud people can startle them into muteness and a lot of the time they prefer to communicate in non-verbal ways. If you want a gaming companion an Espresso is your perfect bitty match: but be warned – gaming is a fixation for them. If you ask them to not continue a game until you can play it together later it’s almost unfair to them, they’ll become obsessed with what’s next. Games with both single player and co-op content is more ideal – he can work on the single player campaign while he waits for you to come back to the co-op campaign. His shyness makes multi-player gaming a bit hit or miss – he doesn’t like gaming where a lot of communication and strategy is necessary – he prefers staying quiet and working towards objective without any instruction given or taken. His exception is co-op, he loves playing games together with you and feels his most accomplished when you both complete a challenging level together. He isn’t super competitive but takes pride in his skills so be careful setting up play-dates with bittys that may not appreciate losing to a quiet, seemingly submissive bitty. Despite his quiet and gentle nature he isn’t one to allow people to take advantage of him  or disrespect him – he will stand up for himself, usually by exiting the situation instead of getting into an argument, and when pushed, he WILL fight back. He is surprisingly skilled and controls his magic well.

G!Siblings Ampitheres 

So I decided to give my ampitheres the same human-like intelligence of all my other lamia bittys, but restrict them to a one-size bitty like my Harpys. Honestly a full size ampithere’s wingspan would make them pretty tough to house indoors… 

Suave

Snake: Bolen’s Python

Venomous?: No

Size: 1-1.5m long (3-5ft), 0.5m (2ft) standing

Suaves pride themselves on being, well, suave and flirtatious – it helps them stay in control of the conversation and relationship so you don’t discover how much of a dork they really are. Suaves inherited Gaster’s love or building important monuments – like the Core. He’s interested in work that will stand the test of time, with the added benefit of being practical. He’s not interested in building, say: the Pyramids for vainglory. But, if that Pyramid was covered in solar panels that provided electricity for the nearby citizens – that’s up his alley. He also has an interest in motorized vehicles like cars, trucks and motorcycles – but he admits he’d have a difficult time using one without a lot of modifications. Which could be fun. Suaves love flashy experiments and inventions that leave an impact on his audience: however, when he’s working on his next big thing he ends up working at all hours of the night in his pajamas. His inspirations are flashes of brilliance and a flurry of work, after which, he collapses into a deep sleep for up to 36 hours. Despite appearances Suaves are huge nerds who love to share their work with interested listeners and isn’t above goofy shenanigans. They share a Sans’ sense of humour and laid back attitude – but it’s a mask to cover the whirling chaos of the mind within. Suaves can be surprisingly immature and will get a kick out of pranks and childish humour. A Suave can summon up to four disembodied “hands” to help him work on projects that require dexterity but doesn’t often use constructs in offensive magic. He’s more of a behind-the-scenes guy – but he can certainly manage bone attacks.

Savvy

Snake: Amazon Tree Boa

Venomous?: No

Size: 1.25-1.75m long (4-6ft), 0.75m (2.5ft) standing

While Suaves are the rock star scientists, the Savvys end up being in the babysitter role more times than they’d like. Savvys inherited Gaster’s interest in the soul and physical health of monsters and humans; since Savvys are on the autistic spectrum it helps them understand others better because, although they have trouble empathizing with others, it does not mean they don’t CARE. I head-cannon that smoking is a Gaster-trait and a Savvy’s Papyrus half REFUSES to participate in such a disgusting habit! Therefore Savvy’s tend to have an oral fixation to make up for the lack of smoking: chewing on the end of pencils, pens, their own tails… and rely far too much on caffeine. A Savvy works hard, but on a schedule and his experiments are always tightly controlled as opposed to a Suave’s scientific method. Savvys are polite, distinguished and a bit absent minded when it comes to personal relationships. If you’re looking for a bitty that will faun over you – look elsewhere. While Savvy’s certainly care about their adopters and family they are independent and self sufficient. They can seem humourless but the right touch can send them into giggles, they are very passionate about their interests and appreciate an interested audience (or at least captive). Savvys enjoy being needed and do well in situations where they can work as doctor’s, biologists or psychologists. They’re not judgmental and they like to look at the world with endless curiosity and enthusiasm! Savvys can summon up to four disembodied “hands” to help him work on projects that require dexterity but prefers to use his magical energies in his studies and use of healing magic. His offensive magic abilities are rather stunted because of this.

Bonus Lamia Bitty - Blueberror

Blue Ribbon

Snake: Blue striped Ribbon Snake

Venomous?: No

Size (Bitty): 0.5-1m (1.6-3ft), 0.3m standing

Size (Full Sized):1-1.5m (3-5ft) 0.5m standing

Ribbons are afraid of being alone (autophobic), they know that being alone in the anti-void is what caused their transformations from Blueberries to Blueberrors. They thrive in large families and want to be seen as a friend and protector by the group. Do not adopt one of these guys if you spend a lot of time out of the home and can’t provide them attention. A bitty family is a good stop-gap but they really need validation and one-on-one time with their adopters. Ribbons retain most of their personality traits from their Blueberry days but they’re a little… off. A little, too intense. Ribbons can get caught up in an emotion or situation and can spiral out of control whether the emotion is: joy, anger, frustration, or fear. They need a patient friend who can help them “reset” their emotional clock. Of course, being an Error, it sometimes causes a hard crash that they need to restart from. Depending on the situation they can forget completely what had set them off and will continue along like nothing happened. Other times, they remember what happened but the restart gave them enough time to reprocess so they can move on and get past what set them off. They can get depressed easily especially is someone is afraid or intimidated by him – he knows he’s different now, but he’s still a good guy at heart! A Ribbons magic is star-based – they create star-shaped attacks and can even summon a star to ride around on like Kirby.

Creators

Blueberror created by @loverofpiggies​

Fellswap Gold AU created by @blackggggum​

G!Sans created by @bouru​

Art

Fellswap Gold Sans & Papyrus + Blueberror Lamias commissioned from @calmchapsart​

G!Siblings Ampitheres commissioned from @me-and-my-gaster​

all art commissioned by me: @sealpointselkie​ / @selkiesbittybonanza​

[nonstop-haikyuu]

Social Media Apologies

This is my first fic with the Haikyuu Headquarters server! And it's my first Daishou fic, as much as I love that snake bastard!! This month's SFW prompt was "meet ugly" so this is about Daishou serving a ball into reader's face which leads to him groveling on social media. Honestly, I hope you guys like this!! Here's the link to the masterlist!

-

For years, I had a string of bad luck that seemed to follow me around no matter where I went or how I acted. My parents cited bad karma or a curse placed upon me when I was a child. I simply called it life being an asshole. When I gained the job as the Sendai Frogs trainer, I knew the dangers of what I was getting into. Volleyballs were constantly flying across the gym and it wasn’t uncommon for someone to catch a spiked ball to the face.

For the most part, I had managed to avoid any strays that came my way, whether it be me blocking the hit or the players that I worked with saving my ass.

That changed the day that we played Yotsuya Motor Spirits. Admittedly, I wasn’t expecting the day to be anything special, especially since Kyotani, Koganegawa, and Kei had finally started working as a team, with their fellow players supporting their talents both as a trio and separately.

“Hey, don’t let them in your head, okay, Kyo? And Tsukki, please don’t rile them up too much. I really don’t want to deal with their coach coming to rip our heads off cause you want to be a dick.” I encouraged, crossing my arms over my chest. The two rolled their eyes at my usual pep talk then mumbled their agreement, turning towards their opponents. Kanji bounced eagerly in front of me and asked, “What about me?”

“Just take it slow, okay? Don’t rush your sets,I know you can do this.” I replied, patting him on the shoulder. He grinned at my words of wisdom and they soon walked away to line up, prepared to take their stances on the court. The first set passed without anything too out of the ordinary, with snide comments and smug grins exchanged between the net.

It was the second set that seemed to make the match all the more interesting.

Daishou Suguru, an outside hitter from the Spirits, was the man responsible for the shift of the atmosphere. I was returning from the trainer’s room with a bag of supplies, knowing that at the next timeout, Tsukishima and Kanji would need tape for their fingers. Along with that, our libero would likely want his knee braced better, due to an old injury.

I was walking on the corner of the court when the whistle blew and Daishou took his stance for his serve. I glanced up for a brief second to see who would take on the receive, only to realize that the ball was hurtling towards my face at a pace much too fast for me to hide from. Shouts and gasps filled the stadium as I slammed to the floor. Blurry faces crowded around me and I faintly acknowledged the fact that my three friends were looming over me, waving their hands in front of my face.

“Hey, hey, easy. Just lay back, okay?” Kei encouraged, pressing a gentle hand against my shoulder. I groaned at the pain in my head and nose then mumbled, “Hurts. It hurts. What the hell happened?” Kyotani masked his snarl and bit out, “Bastard snake nailed you in the face with a serve. Might wanna hold still, Coach thinks you have a concussion and a broken nose.”

“You realize that I can hear you, right? It’s not like I meant to hit them. I was shooting for a service ace, give me a break.” Daishou replied, rolling his eyes.

“Shit, this hurts.” I grumbled as Tsukki pressed a wad of tissues under my nose. Daishou knelt beside me and murmured, “Hey, I’m really sorry about hitting you in the face. I didn’t see you there.”

“I’m kinda pissed that you serve bad enough to hit someone on the sidelines.” I snapped, pushing myself up. Kogane’s eyes widened at my bitter tone and harsh words, then Daishou spat, “You were walking in front of the barrier. You should have enough brains to know to walk behind it.”

I jerked my head towards the wing spiker, groaning at the sharp jab of pain and bit out, “Maybe you should learn how to serve properly then. If your serves are that high, then you’re not doing something right.” Kyotani helped me to my feet then I heard the snake hiss, “Bitch just needs to learn where to stand during a game.”

An argument between Tsukishima and Daishou began to rise with Kogane attempting to coax his teammate out of the fight. Kyotani braced against me then grumbled, “You never know when to stop talking, do you?” I let out a bitter laugh and mumbled, “He’s the one who will have to deal with the backlash. And I’m the one with a broken nose!”

He patted me on the shoulder and replied, “I’ve learned that you usually get screwed by what you say in the end.” He was right but shit, I was really hoping that I would escape any trouble that followed.

-

I, in fact, did not escape the results of Wednesday’s game. Kyotani, Kogane, and Kei came to visit me in the trainer’s room on Saturday, my first day back from my concussion, and they showed me the results of my broken nose and bitter words towards Daishou.

“Sendai Frogs’ Trainer and Motor Spirits’ Wing Spiker in the midst of a social media battle? Daishou Suguru has gone to social media to publicly apologize to the Sendai Frogs’ trainer after a stray serve broke the trainer’s nose and left them with a concussion. As of right now, the Sendai Frogs have not addressed the situation. The wing spiker seems to be desperate for a response and his fans seem irritated with the lack of acceptance from the trainer. ” Kei read off, raising an eyebrow in my direction. I scoffed at the ridiculous headline then snapped the first aid kit shut as I bit out, “Give me a break. He’s the one who won’t stop tagging me in his stupid apology. I mean, why should I accept his apology twice?”

“Because it’s good publicity and if you don’t accept on social media without a single ounce of sarcasm in it, I think you’ll be finding a new job.” our PR manager answered, entering the room. We twisted at the statement and I snapped, “What are you talking about? I could be fired over this?”

“Not my idea but the Motor Spirits’ manager is pissed that you’re not replying to him publicly so the fans of his team say that you’re being a stuck up bitch.” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. I groaned and flung myself on the trainer’s bed, whining, “This isn’t fair! I’m the one with the broken nose and he’s the one gaining the sympathy? Ugh! Fine, I’ll tweet him now.”

Yanking out my phone, I opened the Twitter app and constructed a tweet, “Daishou-san, I accept your apology. I’m sorry for taking so long to accept publicly.” I clicked send on the public message and grumbled to myself as Kei chirped, “You think the public will leave your little feud at that?” A simple chime followed his question and I glanced down, surprised to see that Daishou had privately messaged me.

“How about dinner on me? I’d really like to make it up to you.” Kei blinked in surprise at the statement then laughed, “Are you going to accept? It’s been a while since you’ve been on a date. I mean, people already think you guys are a thing.”

“Seriously?! Who asked you anyway? Hmm. I mean, I guess I could go out with him?” I asked, tapping my chin. My best friends continued to laugh as I thought over Daishou’s offer then mumbled, “I guess it can’t get worse than it already is.” Typing a quick response, I hovered over the send message then Kyotani huffed, pushing the button himself. We loom over the phone screen, waiting for his response, then a new chat appears with an address linked and a simple, “Tonight, 9 pm. I’ll see you there.” I tilted my head back then asked, “What am I thinking?”

“You need a boyfriend, that’s what you’re thinking.” Kei supplied, patting me on the back. I came to a stand then stated, “I guess I should go get ready for this date, then.”

“You’re gonna have a great time!” Kanji called out, laughter following me out.

9 pm came surprisingly slow, likely due to my repeated glances at my watch. The ramen shop was actually a ten minute drive from my apartment and I often frequented it during the weekends. I was thankful for the familiarity and lowkey manner of the shop. It would provide some comfort to me.

Bowing briefly at the shop owner, I glanced around and spotted Daishou in the corner. He smiled at my appearance then pulled out the stool across from him. I settled down on the seat and he admitted, “I’m not going to lie, I kind of thought you weren’t going to show up.” I laughed at his statement then replied, “I wasn’t sure if you were going to come. Tsukki definitely wasn’t confident in you showing up.”

“Well, Four Eyes is best buds with Kuroo and that cat hasn’t liked me since middle school. You look beautiful by the way. I really am sorry about breaking your nose and giving you a concussion.” he remarked, scratching the back of his neck. I pressed a gentle finger to the bridge of my nose then stated, “Don’t worry about it. Neither of us could really do anything about this. You’re a persistent asshole, though. Why did you ask me out for dinner?”

He paused at the question and answered, “I thought you were pretty. And I like that you didn’t let me be an asshole. At least, not without a fight.” I laughed, shaking his head, and chirped, “You thought I was hot while I was being a bitch? Are you a masochist or something?”

“More of a sadist, if I’m being honest.” he blurted out, playing with my fingers. My eyes widened at his bluntness then he leaned forward with a remark, “But that can wait until after dinner. What would you like?”

We glanced over the menu and I found myself studying Daishou. His hair was relatively short, barely hanging on his forehead and it looked soft until the ramen shop’s lights. Green eyes flickered back and forth over the options and my gaze continued down to petal pink lips. His tongue flicked out and I’m surprised to see that he has a tongue ring, with fangs in place of normal canines.

“Snake bastard… I thought Kyotani was being a dick, not being serious.” I mumbled, reaching to cup his face. He startled at the sudden touch and his eyebrows furrowed together, asking, “Can I help you with something?”

“Fangs… you have fangs.” I breathed, focused on his mouth. He laughed at the awe in my voice then replied, “I was born with them. I got my tongue pierced right after college on a bet.” He wiggled his tongue afterwards and returned his attention to the menu as the server approached our table.

“Hello! What can I get for you?” I turned with a smile as I gave my order then dropped my hand away from Daishou’s face so he could answer. Once she wrote down our selected meals, she gave a small bow and informed us that our food would soon be out.

“I’m sorry. You must think that I’m a crazy person for grabbing your face like that.” I apologized, burying my face in my hands. He laughed at my embarrassment and tugged my hands down before he chimed, “It’s okay, I thought it was cute. Honestly, a lot of people are turned off by the fangs. Something about how it’ll hurt if I kiss them. So it’s nice to have someone fascinated by them.”

“I really like it actually. It looks really good.” I murmured, a shy smile stretching across my face. He smiled in return then asked, “So how did you end up as the trainer for the Frogs?” I let out a laugh and answered, “I used to go to Aoba Johnson with Kentarou and went to college with Tsuki. When they joined the Frogs, I heard they were hiring an athletic trainer so I put in an app. Now I’m here and stuck with three blond idiots.”

“Hey I’m not an idiot!” a growl interrupted, jerking our attention to the table behind us. Three men sat there with awful disguises and I could feel my fury beginning to bubble.

“What the hell are you three doing here?” I spat, jerking out of my seat. Daishou started at Kyotani, Kanji, and Kei, the two glaring at Kentarou for blowing their cover.

“Idiot! They haven’t even had dinner yet and now they know we’re here!” Kei hissed, slapping his teammate on the shoulder. I slammed my hands on their table then demanded, “Why are you here?! Which one of you morons thought of this bright idea?”

“Group effort?” Kogane supplied, ducking his head to avoid my glare. Our server returned with our food, with concern across her face then Daishou stated, “Could we get our food to go? Please? We had something come up and can’t stay to eat.” Kei turned with a bitter expression then asked, “Do you think that I would let you go on a date with him by yourself?”

“Yes! I’m a grown adult and I figured you would at least trust me enough to watch over myself! Daishou-san, I am so sorry for this! I didn’t think these three would be this dumb. My apartment isn’t too far from here if you’re still wanting to go on this date?” I asked, turning my attention back to the wing spiker.

He gave a grin and answered, “I would love to. I’ve already paid so I’m ready to go when you are.” The trio began to protest as we walked out of the shop and I shot a glare over my shoulder, hissing, “You follow us and I will end you.” They settled back in their chairs and sighed, shaking their heads.

I turned back to Daishou and he wrapped an arm around my waist, murmuring, “I think we make a pretty amazing couple, what do you think?” I leaned into his side and said, “I think you’re right.”

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Top 5 Missed Opportunities in 400 Days

Hey, remember when TWDG Season One ended and we were a group of emotional messes? Remember when Season Two was announced and we were gonna get a DLC to bridge S1 and S2 together and we were extra excited for everything to come? Because I do. 

To be fair, I truly did enjoy 400 Days when it first came out years ago, and it’s not like I hate it now or anything... I just can’t help but look at it and see wasted potential on every level-- the characters and their development, the stories, the impact our choices made for the future...

The concept of 400 Days-- a collection of stories that follow different protagonists and the situations they find themselves in within the zombie apocalypse that eventually connect to one another-- is a great one. I love the idea of mini-episodes that are all connected, and one choice you made in one episode affects the next episode you play... so what happened? Why does it fall flat now when we look back on it?

Well, a major reason for me is the fact that all four seasons of the main game are complete. When 400 Days came out, we didn’t have S2, so we didn’t know what our choices meant. That lead to us theorizing about what would happen if we got everyone to go with Tavia, or what would happen if no one but Bonnie went. Why was Bonnie the only one who agrees no matter what? What could that mean?

And we have those answers now, and it’s a let down... especially when it could’ve been so much better. That’s what I wanna talk about today. I wanna talk about what I think are the biggest missed opportunities in 400 Days. 

5. Giving Shel and her dumb sister actual personalities

Of all the stories you can play in 400 Days, Shel’s episode is probably the worst due to the fact that she and her dumb sister lack any memorable qualities or personalities.... which is such a shame because this story also has one of the more interesting moral dilemma’s. 

In this story, you play as Shel who is surviving in the diner/gas station with a group that consists of some of the cancer patients from S1. Remember them? They were with Vernon and helped him steal out boat? Yeah, they got away and apparently Vernon died and the group feel apart over the damn boat, but you don’t get much more than that. 

Shel has this dumb sister who I can’t be bothered to remember her name because she’s that bland. Her sister is basically Shel’s personality. Take away her sister, and you’re left with nothing. 

They’re going for the “Oh man, I don’t know what this world is doing to my dumb sister, it’s changing her, I don’t want her to have to do things like murder, I want her to have a normal childhood,” but that falls flat when they don’t give me a reason to care about them in the first place. 

Like I said, the moral dilemma for this one IS interesting-- They catch someone who tried to steal from them. The man is injured pretty bad, and he can’t speak English, so there is no way for them to communicate with him. Roman, the dude who acts as the leader of our group, says that they can’t keep him here but they can’t send him back out there... and that means killing him. 

So what do you do? Do you risk it by giving this man a second chance, give him some food and send him on his way and hope he doesn’t come back and do more harm? Or do you kill this man so that there is no risk in him coming back to do harm? 

And you as Shel are the swing vote. That’s not an easy choice to make, plus you gotta think about how that choice is gonna affect your dumb sister?

Except it doesn’t really matter.... at all. No matter what you do, Roman still cracks down and wants to murder another member of the group who tries to escape, Shel’s dumb sister is still a brat who talks big but never does anything, and Shel is still a stale piece of white bread. 

If they wanted us to care, then give Shel something other than her sister. Maybe they could’ve had her be someone who doesn’t really have a backbone, she tries to avoid conflict and is intimidated by Roman, she doesn’t speak up even when she should, and then her dumb sister could be the opposite-- Loud, take charge, wants to get more involved with protecting the group, isn’t afraid to stand up to Roman which causes him to take her under his wing and wanna turn her into a murder baby... which Shel definitely doesn’t want so what could she do to keep her dumb sister away from him? 

If they wanted to tell the story of a woman worried her sister is going to grow up cold and ruthless because of the world around her, then tell that story. Show us that story, show us what happens when you agree to kill the man and now her dumb sister genuinely believes that murder is an easy solution to their problems, so when it comes to the woman who escaped, the dumb sister volunteers to kill her and Roman lets her... and you as Shel gotta decide if you wanna fight that by running away or just let it happen. 

I dunno man, but Shel’s story is my least favorite of the bunch because I have no reason to care about either of them, and that’s a waste. 

4. Nate’s a shithead so they should’ve used him more

Well, hello again, Nate... we meet once more here on T5F. 

So yeah, I’ve talked about this crazy bastard on a previous list about characters no one likes, so you’re probably wondering why I’m saying that he should’ve been around more.

That’s the thing, I hate Nate. He’s gross, he’s brutal, and he’s uncomfortable with those crazy eyes of his... but he would’ve made for a fun antagonist in more of 400 Days, as well as in S2. 

Depending on what episode you play first, Nate can either first appear in Wyatt’s story, or Russell’s. In Wyatt’s story, Nate is chasing down him and Eddie after Eddie accidentally killed a guy who was with Nate, and Nate here is chasing them down for some revenge. He eventually finds them, and who ever is left in the car as no choice but to flee, leaving the other behind. 

Nate plays a more active part in Russell’s story, picking him off the highway and chatting with him on the way to the diner/gas station, and y’know how Shel has no personality? Well, I think I know where all the personality went because Nate’s got quite a bit of it. He’s one of the more memorable parts of 400 Days for a reason. He has a weird charisma about him, but then he starts talkin’ gross and almost gets Russell’s face eaten off by a walker and you get the idea that this man isn’t quite right, y’know?

Then we make it to the diner/gas station where they get shot at, and Nate insists on finishing this... as in, let’s go in and shoot whoever is shooting us. They sneak in, and the old man there says Nate is back to finish the job... which isn’t great. Nate acts like he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, but then suggests they kill the old couple using a line from the story Russell told her.... y’know, the story that’s kinda triggering for Russell. 

At this point, Russell can either tell Nate off and leave, or he can stay where Nate will kill the couple right in front of him and claim that Russell is his boy and it is not great.

We know that either way, Russell gets away from Nate. We never see him again so he could be dead, turned, or alive. All I can think about is the fact that they created the beginnings of a compelling antagonist who could’ve bled over into S2 at Howe’s or even afterward. Like if we showed up at Howe’s and were locked up, only to find Nate locked up with us. Or maybe instead of Arvo, Nate could’ve been the one who stumbled upon Clementine and Jane and was overpowered and threatened by them... only for him to stalk them and confront them about what happened. 

Either way, there was a missed opportunity to do more with Nate. 

3. Focusing on the wrong things within Bonnie’s story

Alright, everyone’s favorite: Bonnie. 

Bonnie is the only character in 400 Days who actually matters in terms of S2... and even then, her story doesn’t matter too much...which is dumb. 

For me, Bonnie’s story is such a waste... like okay, right from the start they establish that Bonnie is a recovering addict, and I’m intrigued. The idea of an addict surviving in the apocalypse while trying to kick the stuff is interesting as hell.... but the story kinda just glosses over it unless Dee is insulting Bonnie by calling her a junkie. 

No, the story we got was Bonnie breaking up a marriage. Great. 

There’s this dude Leland who has a wife, Dee, but he and Bonnie are getting awfully snug with one another... so that’s real nice. Dee eventually finds them giving each other the look and breaks it up in a passive aggressive way before revealing she found a bag of supplies. This happens to be a bag that she “found” at the diner/gas station where Shel’s group is currently staying. 

An argument breaks out between Leland and Dee with Bonnie in the middle and it’s not compelling at all. You can just sit there and do nothing and it doesn’t matter, they continue to fight until Shel’s group spots them and they gotta run. 

Bonnie ends up shot and falls behind, and we do get a cool scene where she has to make her way through this cornfield without getting caught. I do like that bit, it’s fun. 

But then she gets away, grabs a weapon, and hits someone walking up on her... that someone happened to be Dee. Whoops. Dee calls her a junkie, saying she killed her, and then dies.

Now comes the big choice: Do you tell Leland the truth or lie to cover your ass?

While this is an interesting choice on paper, it doesn’t matter. Leland isn’t with Bonnie in the end no matter what, and Bonnie will always agree to go with Tavia. 

Personally, I wanted the fact that she was a recovering addict to be more front and center. Throw Leland and Dee away, have Bonnie travelling on her own. Have her going through withdrawals, show us her struggle of still being hooked on drugs while surviving in the zombie apocalypse... have her stumble across Shel’s group and from a distance, she sees they have medical supplies. She’s so desperate that she sneaks in at night and steals as much as she can, but gets caught. 

We could still have her running away through the cornfield with the drugs, she can still get shot and everything... but maybe she’s so desperate for them that she ends up killing one of Shel’s group members, and she sees just what she’s willing to do in order to get these drugs, and you can make a choice of abandoning the drugs and quitting, or taking the drugs and running away... and it could actually affect Bonnie in the ending and into S2. 

Plus, her killing one of Shel’s group would help add to the debate in her episode, y’know?

I just... I wanted that story... not what we got. 

2. The past is more interesting than the present

This goes hand in hand with #3, but applies to almost everyone else. 

All of these characters that we get to play as have more interesting backstories that I was more compelled by than what they’re actually going through in their stories. 

The first time we meet Vince, he straight up murders a dude who is pleading for his life, saying he doesn’t even know Vince’s brother. Like... okay, what the hell happened here? What happened to Vince’s brother that made her commit murder like that? 

How about Wyatt and Eddie? They’re running from Nate after Eddie killed the guy he was with. They’re panicking, Eddie is covered in the dude’s blood, Wyatt doesn’t know if Eddie meant to shoot or not. You can tell they’re known each other a long time, too. They’re a couple of stoners who got themselves into hot water. 

Oh and Russell? His story is interesting as hell! He was in a group where the main guy kept going on about how seven if the perfect number for a group, ya can’t break seven, and this group eventually started killing so they could steal, so Russell got away and is now on his way to find his grandmother’s place. 

Once again... Bonnie is a recovering drug addict in the apocalypse. 

The only one without an interesting backstory is Shel... which I guess is fitting. The boring character doesn’t even get a fun backstory, she just exists. 

It’s not a good sign when I’m more interested in the past, y’know? Vince’s I can give a bit of a pass to because he killed that guy before the apocalypse broke out, and his dilemma takes place right at the start, and it’s done pretty well. 

Everyone else though? I already explained Bonnie’s, but what about Russell and his seven group? We could’ve gotten that story of a group that starts out good, the guys gives his philosophy on the dumber seven, Russell meets that one girl... but then things start to grow dark when the group starts to become desperate enough to murder and steal, the guy keeps going on about the number seven so they can’t invite anyone in, and they can’t let anyone go... so Russell has to sneak away or something. 

Wyatt and Eddie? Show ‘em there when Nate and his buddy show up. Give us the tension of “are these guys chill or are they planning something?” when Eddie gets into a fight with the other dude and ends up shooting him, Nate gets pissed, and they gotta flee. Wyatt doesn’t know if Eddie shot him intentionally or not, it’s a whole, thing and they can still hit the cop and do that whole thing, too. 

I just... I think problem is the stories were a bit too compact and short, not giving the characters a chance to develop or the stories enough compel to them. 

1. It doesn’t matter who goes to Howe’s or not and that’s dumb

Sigh..... so yeah, obviously this is #1. 

My biggest problem with 400 Days is that is doesn’t affect much. Even Bonnie’s story doesn’t affect what she does in S2.

As for the rest, if you only got Bonnie at Howe’s, then the rest and their fate’s are unknown. But if you do manage to get everyone to go with Tavia, they are at Howe’s... the problem is, they show up in small cameos that literally do nothing. 

Ya got Wyatt who walks past Clementine like “Dude you better hurry, Bill doesn’t like to wait” like.... what, am I just supposed to get excited and point at him like “oooohhh I know him! I know him! That Wyatt! Hehehehe!” because I didn’t do that...

Or Vince randomly showing up to catch Tavia smoking, or Shel and her dumb sister making a comment about Sarah, it’s just dumb. 

And then Howe’s falls and their fates are left unknown anyway.... so it didn’t matter. 

I’ll just say what most of us were thinking.... Why weren’t they the cabin group? No, seriously, why weren’t the 400 Day’s crew the cabin group? Because it was too hard given the fact that there are so many combos? That’s fair, but if that’s the case, then what was the point of 400 Days?

Did they just want to tell a bunch of smaller stories within this world but never actually planned on using them outside of fun cameos in S2, with the exception of Bonnie? That probably is the case... and I think my disappointment in 400 Days does stem from being in the fandom at the time and getting hyped to see what they would do with these characters, only for it to be this. 

Not only that, but then I started to think about how they could’ve done with game but with the actual cabin group from S2. Luke, Nick, Pete could’ve had their own story dealing with Nick’s mom getting bit after they took in a bite victim. 

Rebecca and Alvin could’ve had a story about their marriage kinda falling apart despite them trying hard, and this could help make her affair with Carver make more sense. 

Carlos and Sarah could have a story that explains Carlos’ over protectiveness and as well as explore Sarah as a character. 

Hell, give Mike a story. 

Give JANE a story about her and Jaime so that her appearing outta no where isn’t jarring, and develops her and the reasons she treats survival the way she does.

There was so much they could’ve done with this idea... and to be honest, if we ever get another game in this series, I would love it in this style but expanded into a season where each episode follows a different character and tells a different story, but in the end they all end up connecting. There is SO MUCH you can do with that!

But alas..... 400 Days for me is full of missed opportunities and I wish it wasn’t. 

---

Honorable Mentions

-Eddie only appeared in Wyatt’s episode and then disappeared until his death in S4.... Eddie’s great, should’ve been around more. -Would’ve been nice if the cancer group from S1 was expanded on, give more context to what the hell happened to Vernon and the boat, y’know? -a bit more development for Tavia would’ve been nice, as well... she just kinda shows up at the end and recruits who she can. 

---

So what are your thoughts on 400 Days? Do you agree with these missed opportunities, or have any to add? Lemme know, it’s always fun to chat.

Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D

Next week’s T5F Top 5 Reasons Gabe’s Pretty Great, Y’all Are Just Mean

[yugirl]

Day 4: “Swing of Memories”

Ah, yes, those sweet, precious memories shared with siblings...and a few you’d rather forget. Explore the bond between Asuka Tenjoin/Alexis Rhodes and Fubuki Tenjoin/Atticus Rhodes today! A sweet sibling hug? A heated argument? Show us!

@gxmonth

((I got intrigued about how Atticus might feel insecure about his and Alexis’ relationship after graduation. He’s always been the big brother to provide comfort and support, so what will he do when she spreads her wings. Plus I finally get to introduce Ms Mutou to GX Month))

To call Ms Mutou’s Office and Office was a bit of a stretch.

It was a decent sized room, probably an old classroom before that part of the building became Offices. She had a few beanbags and large cushions lying to one side and a few coffee tables amongst them. On the other side were a few tables and chairs and a station that provided coffee, tea and biscuits.

The truth is Ms Motou’s office wasn’t much of an office at all. But a room she had created for students to wind down in and relax as duelling could be stressful. So they could read, take a nap, play quieter games or duel without disks. There was also a spot called the confidentiality corner for students to vent their troubles to the young teacher. She couldn’t guarantee advice, but sometimes they just wanted someone to listen.

Today the office was on the empty side. Students were busy preparing for their final exams, and her adoption litter had gone no contact with her after her stunt with Dyspia. To be honest, she didn’t blame them. Sending her kids to a nightmare dimension where they had to confront the worst of themselves just to settle a petty squabble between friends probably was a bit extreme. Her cousin, Christina, had made it very clear she wasn’t speaking to her, and Megan said no hugs for a week. Even Mako said, “Leysa, I love you, but that was too far….”

So, needless to say, she was surprised when she saw Atticus was slated for a session in her confidentiality corner.

She had just finished making her tea when Atticus walked into the office

“Full disclosure, I’m still pissed off at you about the Dyspia thing”, The third year started, “but I need to get something off my chest and didn’t know where else to go.”

“You’ve come to the right place!” Leysa gestured for the other to take a seat “what seems to be the problem, Atticus?”

“It’s about Lexi…” Atticus sighed. “She’s excelling in all her classes and knows exactly what she wants to do after school, and knowing her, she’s going to be very successful….”

Leysa failed to see what the problem was. “And how does that make you feel?”

“I don’t know— I mean, I was convinced I was going to make it as a big musician, but now I’m not sure… some people would argue I’m past my prime. I mean, I’m 19 now….”

“I’m pretty sure 19 isn’t past your prime, Atticus. I mean, Guilmon Deltora didn’t make it big until he was 35, so you still have time…” Leysa assured. “Besides, didn’t you mention you wanted to be on reality TV? Anyone of any age can get stardom in that industry!”

She really didn’t want to encourage Atticus to be on Reality TV, but she was trying to cheer him up right now.

“I mean, yeah, but that’s not the problem… I guess… do you have any idea what it’s like to have a sibling that’s so much more popular and famous than you?”

“Atticus, my twin brother is Yugi Mutou”, Leysa deadpanned. “I have a fair idea.”

“Oh shit”

“You forgot?”

“Yeah”

“It’s cool. I’m used to it, continue?”

“Ok, right!” Atticus took a deep breath. “I guess I’m just anxious because well… Lexi is going to do so well in life and as a result she… she isn’t going to need me anymore… I’ve always watched her, protected her, encouraged her, but lately she’s been pushing me away, and I’m worried one day… she won’t want me in her life.”

Leysa slammed her hands on the table.

“Ok, Atticus! I know I’m overbearing but listen up. As someone who is the little sister, I can assure you there are times when I still turn to Yugi for advice. When we were living in separate countries, I would still call him when I was insecure! But this is not about me. This is about you and Lexi, and I assure you that she will still want you around, even need you around! She’s going to need someone to vent her problems too, someone’s shoulder to cry on, and someone to stand by her no matter what.”

“B-but doesn’t she have her friends for that?” Atticus asked, still not convinced.

“Ok, let me put it this way. Do you have any idea what Alexis went through to find you? She had sleepless nights, interrogated everyone she could, risked death several times and then visited your bedside every single day! Because she missed you, she loved you, and she wanted you to come home!” Leysa sighed “if you don’t believe me, then how about talking to her….”

“Wow… Lexi never told me any of that….” Atticus mumbled. Looking at his feet. “She did that?”

“All of it and more!”

“Wow…” Atticus sighed. Now he felt like a butt. “I’m going to go talk to her….”

“Good idea. Why not go to the secret hang out spot! Use the old swing of memories!”

“Good idea… thanks, Ms M… still mad at you, though.”

“I know!”

Alexis was confused about why Atticus had invited her to the secret lake where the adoption litter usually met up. But at the same time, it was nice for them to catch up alone as siblings.

“Lexi! Glad you could make it!!”

“Atti!!” Alexis smiled “so what’s the occasion?”

“I… I guess I wanted to play the swing of memories card… I wanted to do the big brother thing just a bit longer!” Atticus said quietly.

“A bit longer? What do you mean?” Alexis asked, confused.

“Well, you’re going to the pro leagues, aren’t you? Once you do that, you’ll be big and famous and successful. You won’t need to rely on me anymore.”

“As Megan always says, that’s bull hockey!” Alexis scoffed.

“W-what do you mean!?”

“Atticus, you idiot, I’ll always need you!” Alexis sighed and pulled her big brother into a hug. “You’ve always been there for me and believed in me… I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

“I’m sorry, Lexi….” Atticus sighed and hugged back. “I didn’t mean to make you upset….”

“It’s ok, Atticus… just know you’ll always be my big brother, and I’ll always need you!”

“I’ll always need you too, Alexis!!” Atticus teared up, “after hearing everything you went through for me… I hope you know how much you mean to me, and I can’t wait to see you make it big in the pro leagues….”

Alexis teared up too and hugged him again. Eventually smiling and turning to the old swing hanging from the tree. “Hey, do you want to…”

“Oh, absolutely!”

Alexis sat on the swing, and Atticus stood on it with one foot on either side of her. “Let’s go!”

Alexis kicked her feet, and whoosh, they were off. Free in the air as the sunset, the two of them giggling and sharing memories and making the most of their time together.

[justanotherexlover]

Anonymous said:

Can you please make another chapter of "The Metal Clan" the first one is so good and I was so happy to see a Lin x reader!

Anonymous said:

when are you gonna update the metal clan?

The Metal Clan (2/3) (Lin Beifong x Reader)

Warnings: Angst, language

Word count: 2,900+

Notes: Apologies for the title formatting, I’m without a computer and Tumblr mobile sucks. I’ll fix it when I get a chance!

You watched as Lin and Suyin went back and forth once Korra confronted Lin, and you felt like your head was spinning. You’d seen Lin upset before, but she seemed utterly impossible to reason with at this moment.

“You’re the one who tore our family apart,” Lin said, pointing a finger at her sister.

“Yeah, and you’ve done a bang-up job of keeping it that way!” Su shot back, looking every bit as fierce.

“Shut up!” You exclaimed, looking at both of them. Your wife looked shocked, and Suyin seemed slightly smug as you continued, your words aimed at your wife, “Let it go. For now, at least. We came here with a goal in mind.”

“Thank you,” Suyin asid politely, raising her eyebrows at her sister, then turning to Korra, “My daughter is thrilled to meet you.”

“Your niece--our niece--is the new Airbender,” You told Lin, sending her a look of warning to be nice.

“Terrific,” Lin said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

You glared at her, and Bolin leaned over to whisper to you, “Trouble in paradise?”

“Shut up Bolin,” You muttered.

---

You basically had to drag Lin out of the airship. Even though she’d been found out, she didn’t see the point in going around Zafou. You insisted, however, and she gave in eventually(although still grumbled about it).

“Those are my two youngest, Wei and Wing. They’re playing a game called power disc. They invented it all on their own,” Su said, her voice thick with pride for her twin sons.

A metal disk was being hit back and forth between the brothers, and hitting metal posts in the middle. You weren’t sure if you entirely understood the rules, but it looked like they were having fun.

They twins were both very talented benders, and you glanced at your wife to see if she noticed. Lin seemed so cold and apathetic, and it was beginning to bother you more and more with each passing moment. You knew bits and pieces of what had happened between her and her sister--how Su had left home at 16 after a fight, leaving their family essentially in pieces.

But what could she have done that would justify this behavior?

“I’m so proud of them,” Suyin said, her hands clasped together. She had a small smile on her face.

“You should be,” You spoke up, smiling at her. She placed one hand over her heart, looking bashful.

The team walked on, and you could hear Korra and Asami marveling over the metalwork of the mansion. It was a sight to behold, for sure.

You fell a little behind the group to stand next to Lin, and you looked at her, “You could at least pretend to care.”

She glanced at you, her face stiff, “Why would I do that?”

You let out a scoff. Lin had always been an opinionated woman, and you loved her for that, but you had never seen her so uncaring before. You wanted to ask her for an explanation, but knew that now wasn’t the time.

Your attention was soon taken by the sound of metal creaking and you searched for the source of the noise, your eyes landing on a man who was frowning at a statute he was attempting to bend.

“Huan, I want you to meet the Avatar and her friends,” Suyin said brightly, gesturing to the group, “And your Aunt Lin and her partner, your Aunt (y/n).”

It felt weird to be referred to as someone’s aunt, since before today you didn’t even know that Suyin had children. But a feeling of fondness spread through you, feeling fully embraced by Su.

“Nice to meet you,” Korra said.

“Hey,” Huan said, not looking away from his statue. He, like Lin, didn’t seem to care much about what was going on. You wondered if Lin had the introspection to see that Huan was similar to her, but again, she wasn’t even paying attention.

“Wow, that’s a really nice…” Bolin started, squinting at the statute. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, and his answer sounded more like a question, “Banana?”

You snorted, and Huan turned around and angrily exclaimed, “It’s not a banana! I was inspired by Harmonic Convergence. It represents the dawning of a new age, obviously.”

Bolin seemed embarrassed, but was squinting at the statue in an attempt to see what Huan was talking about. You figured you should probably help him out.

“Each side is supposed to be the opposite ends of Harmonic Convergence, right? And the middle piece rises above both, which is the new age dawning,” You guessed, and he turned toward you, an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah,” Huan said, his voice never straying from its monotone state as he pursed his lips, “Finally someone with an artistic eye.”

You smiled at him, and noticed Suyin give you an appreciative smile as you moved closer to her as the group began walking again. Bolin was rambling on about understanding the artwork, and attempting to make a frame with his hands from which to view it. So much for your attempts at helping him out.

“Nice job,” Suyin said, smiling at you, “Huan is such a great artist, but to be honest I don’t understand his art until he explains it most of the time.”

You waved her off, flushing slightly, “It seemed obvious, I suppose.”

“Nonsense. You have the eye of an artist,” She praised you, and you noticed Lin’s shoulders set in the back of the group. She was obviously listening in on the conversation.

You began walking up the stairs with Lin, each step making a slight creaking noise, “I didn’t get to say it before, Zafou is absolutely beautiful. I’ve always wanted to visit, but… It’s more than I could’ve imagined.”

Now it was Su’s turn to blush, and she spread her arms in front of herself, “It’s my pride and joy, after my husband and children, of course… I wish you two would’ve visited sooner.

“Me too,” You said quietly, “It hasn’t been for lack of trying on my part.”

Su hummed, nodding in understanding, “I know how stubborn my sister can be. But at least you’re here now.”

Suyin was nothing like what Lin had described her as--your wife had said she was selfish and irresponsible, but the woman next to you seemed smart and kind. She’d changed a lot over the last 30 years it seemed, but Lin didn’t want to see that.

You arrived at the top of the stairs and followed Suyin as she walked up to a sweet looking girl and began speaking, “This is my daughter Opal.”

Upon hearing her name, the girl looked over and closed her book, her eyes instantly landing on Korra as she said, “Wow, Avatar Korra. I can’t believe you’re really here. You’re amazing.”

Opal had a soft voice and a delicate demeanor, and you were sure that she would do well as an Airbender.

“It’s great to meet you, Opal,” Korra said kindly.

“Opal? That’s a beautiful name,” Bolin said, holding out his hand. She smiled bashfully and pushed her hair behind her ear. You raised your eyebrow, watching the exchange carefully.

“Thanks,” She said.

“I’m Bolin,” He introduced himself, and she shook his hand.

“Opal,” She responded instantly. A blush took over her face, and you smiled as she rushed to recover, “But, uh, you already knew that.”

Lin walked over to you, and you hoped that Lin saw how sweet her niece was and would feel more sociable. But instead she said, “Great, we found the Airbender. Let’s take her back to the airship and get out of here.”

You rolled your eyes, giving her a scathing look. She ignored it easily.

“And the woman apparently trying to abduct you is your Aunt Lin, and her spouse (y/n),” Suyin explained to her daughter, slightly amused.

Opal looked between you and Lin, and a large smile come onto her face, “Really? I didn’t know Aunt Lin was married. I’ve always wanted to meet you!”

Lin’s face didn’t change, but you reached forward and took Opal’s hand, “It’s great to meet you, Opal. You seem like a nice girl.”

She blushed again, and said, “Thank you.” After shaking your hand, Opal turned her attention to Lin and said, “My mom’s told me so many stories about you.”

“I’m sure she has,” Lin said coldly, crossing her arms. Opal’s face fell, and you looked at her apologetically. Regardless of Lin’s feelings towards her sister, she had no right to speak to Opal that way.

Suyin, thankfully, moved past the tension with ease, “So I’ve set all of you up in the guest houses while Korra trains Opal.”

“Oh…” Korra started, sounding slightly unsure, “I’m sorry, but I was hoping that Opal could train with the rest of the airbenders at the Northern Air Temple.”

“That sounds amazing,” Opal said dreamily, clasping her hands together. She was such a sweet girl, and you found it funny considering that most Beifong women were known for being harsh.

“Nonsense,” Suyin said, and her daughter’s face fell as she continued, “This is where Opal’s home and family are. You can train her here.”

“I guess I could help her get started,” Korra said, shrugging.

You wanted to point out that Opal obviously wanted to train at the temple, but Lin was already speaking.

“Absolutely not. We’re leaving,” She said, leaving no room for argument.

“I have to agree with Lin,” You said, and Suyin seemed surprised as you added, “There are assassins after Korra, and even then… I think it would be nice for Opal to be around other airbenders.”

You wanted to stay in Zaofu, but even you could recognize that it would be safer to leave and keep moving.

“If you’re concerned about safety, don’t be. This is the safest city in the world,” Suyin said confidently. She then went on to invite you and everyone else to dinner, but your eyes were on Lin the whole time.

-

“Five kids, what a nightmare,” Lin said when Suyin introduced her oldest, and you kicked her shin under the table. She sent you a scathing look, but you ignored it and just rolled your eyes.

“No, no, my children are a blessing,” Suyin said graciously, bowing her head. You smiled at her.

“Yeah, mom used to say that too but she never meant it,” Lin shot back. You looked down at your plate, suddenly feeling very awkward and out of place.

You reached a hand forward to brush Lin’s hand, but she pulled away, crossing her arms. You tried to hide the hurt expression on your face, but Suyin noticed and sent you a sympathetic look.

Lin made a few more comments to her sister, but you largely ignored them, feeling overwhelmed with trying to reign in Lin’s attitude.

Most of the conversation was lost on you(you even ignored Varrick’s arrival, deciding that you had too much on your plate to deal with him), as you contemplated what could’ve happened between Lin and Suyin.

Suyin left home at 16, which would’ve made Lin not much older at just 22. But she was definitely an officer by then, so maybe it was some encounter there?

Or maybe Lin was upset that her sister didn’t want to become an officer? Or did Toph favor Suyin? You didn’t know much about Lin’s mother and had never met her, but nothing you knew from Lin was positive.

Your mind was reeling with possibilities and it was starting to make you feel on edge. It was made worse when the sound of a chair being thrown back caught you off guard, and you jumped.

“All right, enough!” Lin yelled, throwing up her arms, “I’m trying to keep the Avatar safe and you’re harboring a criminal?”

Your eyes widened at your wife’s outburst, and you thought about intervening but decided not yet.

“Ease up, Lin,” Suyin said, “Sure, Varrick’s made a few mistakes in his past, but that doesn’t mean he should pay for it the rest of his life. My chef was a pirate but now he’s a culinary master. People change.”

“You haven’t!” Lin yelled, pointing at her sister. She looked like she wanted to say more but you interrupted her.

“That’s enough,” You said, your voice level. Your hands were in fists at your sides, and you felt utterly humiliated. Lin turned to look at you, and you held her gaze steadily.

She growled and stomped off, slamming the door shut behind her.

“I’m sorry,” You said, feeling your lip begin to tremble. You needed to get out of here, now, and take some time to think. You stood up and followed your wife’s path, ignoring the calls to come back.

-

After a little while wandering through Huan’s statue garden, you decided to return to your room. You’d managed to mostly calm yourself, but you were beginning to wonder if maybe there was a lot more to the story than you thought.

You knocked hesitantly, then opened the door to the guest room you two were sharing.

Lin was sitting in a chair reading a newspaper, wearing just her pants and typical white tank top.

You walked forward and put a hand on her arm and gently said, “Look, we won’t be here for more than a few days… Even then, I want to be here. I wish you did too.”

Lin looked at you, her eyes narrowed. If you were anyone else then you would’ve likely been intimidated, but after being with her for so long you could read her like a book.

“Doesn’t what I want matter?” She asked, her tone venomous. You reeled back, holding a hand in front of yourself defensively.

“Of course it does!” You exclaimed defensively, and she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, sure, that’s why you keep sucking up to my sister,” She muttered, turning away from you.

“I…” You trailed off, your mind beginning to cloud with anger, “I am not! I’m trying to get my wife’s family to like me, so what? It’s normal!”

“But they aren’t my family!” She responded, looking fierce, “You are! I made that decision a long time ago.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but closed it again. What she said was touching, and it made you hesitate to argue with her any longer.

“Lin…” You trailed off, looking at her. It seemed like she hadn’t meant to reveal that so readily, but she was holding her head high. You raised a hand to her face, caressing her scarred cheek softly, “I just want you to talk to me. Explain why you feel like this.”

She looked at you with narrowed eyes, but still leaned into your touch, obviously finding comfort in it. Lin seemed to be thinking of the right words when someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Lin asked loudly, and you pulled away, looking at the door as it opened.

“Hey, it’s me” Korra said, peeking her head in. She glanced at your wife, then you, and you shook your head, trying to tell her that it wasn’t a good time. Your warning went ignored as she continued, “I brought someone who wants to talk to you.”

Korra opened the door wider to reveal Opal, who you offered a soft smile too. She seemed nervous.

“You wanna talk, then talk,” Lin said, sitting back and crossing her arms. You stood next to her, one hand on her shoulder.

Opal stepped forward and took a breath, then began speaking as if she’d practiced, “I’m sorry being here is hard for you.”

She walked forward, and you stepped back, watching the situation carefully as Opal kept going, “When you showed up, I was so excited to get to know you. I’d heard so many grea things about you from mom and Grandma Toph. So… I guess I was kind of sad that you didn’t want to get to know me… Believe me, I know my family can be a little crazy and overwhelming sometimes, but I would love it so much if you and (y/n) would be a part of it.”

Opal casted you a glanced towards the end, her hands clasped together. She sounded so sincere and sweet. You wanted to hug her, but decided to wait to see what Lin said.

“Get out,” Lin said quietly.

“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” Opal asked, her voice quaking.

“Get out!” Lin yelled. Opal’s eye filled with tears and you reached forward to try to comfort her, but she turned and ran out of the room crying. Korra followed her.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” You asked, stepping forward to glare at your wife, “Opal is your niece, and a sweet girl who didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Maybe you should reconsider whose side you’re on!” Lin yelled back, and you threw your hands up in exasperation.

“There are no sides, Lin!” You yelled, finally fully losing your cool. You pointed a finger at your wife, “You’ve been nothing but rude since we got here, and I would stand by your side if I knew why! But you’re so closed off that I can’t seem to understand you.”

Lin turned away, brushing you off. You scoffed, feeling your rage pushing you forward.

“You know what? Fine. You wanna be alone, then be alone. I’m leaving,” You said, turning on your heel and walking out the door. You didn’t know where you were gonna go, but you were sure that Su could find space for you somewhere.