#another time the one who had an afro despite being white and the one who was somewhat good looking had a dance party in their living room

[fingertipsmp3]

Like, moving to a big city in September 2020 only to be locked in a house with 4 strangers and basically never see the light of day for nine months was 1) a terrible experience overall and 2) not a bad setup for a horror series of some sort, but also I am nostalgic for a few things from that time

[genderqueerdykes]

apologies if this is not the place to do so, but I need to talk about being biracial. I deal with a sort of anti-whiteness where I feel genuinely disgusting for not being just black. I feel like a traitor to the black community for having white heritage too and have thought about darkening my skin to hide the traces of a part of me I wish wasn't there. It's like. A sort of racial dysphoria and I don't feel like an adequate black person. It gets really distressing sometimes when I remember my skintone is caused by partial whiteness. Have you ever dealt with this too? I know it isn't an experience unique to me to feel not POC 'enough', but it gets so intense for me that I resent the people responsible for my birth.

i do get where you're coming from, and this is an okay thing to vent about

the unfortunate thing about being mixed race is that there will be people on both sides that will be upset with you- you will encounter white folk who find you too black, and black folk who find you too white. colorism is a big problem and comes from both ends of the spectrum. unfortunately, for whatever reason, interracial relationships and biracial children can really set people off and it's not exclusive to white people. i have unfortunately seen other black folk absolutely tear into mixed black people, especially if they're light skinned. i think what happens is folks start seeing you as a white person masquerading as something you're not, when it couldn't be farther from the truth.

one of my friends for the longest time was white and afro-latino (honduran), and his own family and friends would tell him that he was basically only a white person, despite the fact that his skin was light brown, he had an afro, black facial features, and a black dad who had no white relatives. he himself literally told me that he viewed himself as entirely white because he wasn't "black enough". i felt so sad and angry for him but i didn't know how to word it at the time. i wanted him to be able to be proud of all of the parts of himself, but instead, literally his own friends and family were berating him telling him he wasn't black enough to be proud of that part of himself. every time he told me that he was "too white" to consider himself black, i just wanted to cry. he used to ask me to massage his scalp and help trim his hair. i remember how beautiful his afro was, he took very good care of his hair. he had so much to be proud of and people guilted him out of it.

i feel this as well, i have a hard time wanting to consider myself a person of color at all because folks focus so hard on skin tone. the thing is, when people are biracial, they can look like ANY possible combination of traits from their parents and relatives. sometimes, an interracial black and white couple will have children that look entirely black or entirely white. my neighbor is an older white woman whose current partner is black, and they have a black son. if i didn't know she was white, i wouldve assumed her son had 2 black parents. he doesn't look mixed in the slightest

i have more white in me than i do black, as my father was also mixed, so its hard for me to speak with confidence about this part of myself without feeling like i'll be judged, especially considering that i have not been in the same room as my father in over a decade, and before that, i was not allowed to see him for years due to my parents having a nasty divorce. it took until i was going through a photo album at my sister's house that i saw my dad again for the first time in years and realized he was not white. when i had asked my mom if my dad was black as a child, she told me no and that he "just has a white guy afro".

i went through a lot of gaslighting about being mixed, and i still do. people focus only on my skin tone, and especially how light my face is. it makes me super hesitant to speak about this part of myself, even though i've met other extremely light skinned mixed people. another friend of mine is mixed white/Mexican and he was even more pale than me. he was constantly profiled as just white, but when he would go home at night, his Mexican mother only spoke spanish to him, and he spoke it back just fine. whenever people looked at him they assumed he was 100% white and it really opened my eyes to how diverse mixed people can and do look.

sorry for such a long response, but i just wanted to say that i feel you. it's hard. there's pressure on all sides. there will be white people and black people alike that will feel like you're a "traitor", as if you controlled the people who made you. you had no hand in who gave life to you- these are factors beyond your control, and you don't deserve to feel like an outcast and like you're doing something wrong

you can't control your genetics, nor can you predict what genetics someone has just by looking at them. i'm sorry youve been made to feel this way, but i hope it gets easier for you. i know it's tough to feel like an outcast or a bother on all sides. you shouldn't have to feel like you're stepping on someone's toes just because you were born mixed. you deserve to live a life where you are proud of who you are. i hope things get a bit easier for you soon

[iisasxia]

heyyy, I really loved your post about the afro-latina reader, so I wanted to ask if you could do one about an afro Latina reader entering 1-a after being transfered to the school, and when she walks in he just cant take his eyes off her. You can either continue it or end it there, I just really love your writing

authors notes: this is so cute, i love love love this idea because he wouldn’t definitely be staring hard at reader and would probably be secretly cursing himself wondering what it is about her that’s making him feel this way. ah I love it and thank you sweetheart for the compliment, im so glad you love my writing I really appreciate it doll 💗💗

context: university au (18+), FLUFF

[8:35am]

You looked up at the large “UA” logo on the front of the school. You were aware the university was large but seeing it in person for your first time was completely different. It was the best university in Japan, you were blessed to have gotten in through recommendations and your parents making good money also helped with securing a good house local to the school.

The uniforms were super cute too, a white long sleeve button down, a dark blue tie, a slightly lighter shade of blue jacket, dark blue skirt, and socks that were black or tights. Since it was the middle of fall you chose to go with socks seeing as they were a bit thicker. You styled it with cute black flats to match your outfit and your pretty soft curls out in half up-half down with a bow in the back. Honestly you loved the uniform, it looked so good against your skin tone and your brown eyes always popped out in blue.

You took the steps to class as directed by the principal. You met him once on a video call when discussing the arrangements and acceptance for you in terms of being welcomed into U.A. Finally you reach the door… it’s huge you thought to yourself. You sighed before opening the door and stepping in.

—

“This is the new student, y/n. She was welcomed through recommendations and came all the way from […..], you will treat her as another classmate. Any issues involving her are solved through me.” Mr. Aizawa was always a bit monotone when he spoke, but he was so sweet to you.

Before he finished he activated his quirk, everyone tensing at the seriousness in his voice.

“Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes Mr. Aizawa” it was a bit funny seeing everyone speak not only at the same time but so scared, you look over at him and notice him sigh.

“Welcome, please take a seat. The one in front of Bakugou is open, that’s the kid with the spiky blond hair.” He pointed as he directed you towards the seat.

“Thank you” you smile at him as he heads back to the front of the class and begins taking. You smile at the blond, Bakugou was it? He wasn’t even looking at you.. the minute you smiled he turned to face the window in what looked like disgust.

Mr. Aizawa had a formula on the board and offered a ‘get out of exam’ ticket for anyone who could finish it and solve it. You stuck up your hand confidently and so he chose you.

You walked up to the board, taking the chalk from his hand as you began solving it.

—

Sero cocked his head to the side when he noticed Bakugou intently staring at the board. It wasn’t unusual for Bakugou to be paying attention, he was top of the class and always took his academics seriously.. but it looked like he was staring at something else.

“What are you staring at?” the question from Sero caught Bakugou off guard as he sucked his teeth.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Despite his words his tone of voice was softer than usual.. Sero couldn’t help but glance at you and then back at Bakugou.

“She’s pretty isn’t she?” Sero smirks as he asks Bakugou.

Bakugou rolls his eyes but they never leave your figure as you continue writing on the board.

You are pretty, you’re captivating to look at, and no matter how much he wants to he can’t pull you from out of his point of view.

—

“Well done y/n.” Mr. Aizawa exclaims as he looks over your work on the board, you softly smile and find your way back to your seat.

As you get back to your seat you place your hands on your desk and without realizing your pencil stumbles off your notebook and onto the floor.

Landing right under Bakugou’s desk.

You turn around and apologize before bending down to pick it up, what you saw was him scoff and roll his eyes.

What you didn’t see was him place his hand on the corner of his desk to make sure you didn’t hit your head.

He thinks you didn’t notice but you did and as you sat down you smiled.

—

Class ended and everyone left. You packed up a little slower than usual and waited until everyone was gone, Bakugou being left. You step in front of him as he tried to walk past you.

“The hell is your problem?” He looks down at you, a slightly scowl on his face but you know he means no harm.

You stick your hand out to him.

“Im y/n, I wanna get to know you.”

His eyebrow quirks up as he looks at your hand.

“I know your name dumbass. Why should I care?” He crosses his arms and looks at you with a slight grin.

—

“Because judging from the way you stared at me in class and made sure I didn’t hit my head on the desk…

I know you wanna get to know me too.”

I am so sorry it took me so long to reply !! I had this in my drafts for a while but I’ve been moving into uni and taking classes so I’ve been sleepy and didn’t make that much time to write !! I’m trying to get back into it cause it’s very comforting but I hope this was okay for now, I plan on still writing for Afro-Latina reader. Thank you again for the request pretty 💗💗

[punkeropercyjackson]

Ben 10 rewrite-fix-selfship thangs by me and my little sister @mayameanderings we did agesssss ago but am only posting now since my friend @franollie is re-entering the fandom!

My s/i's name is Solana Cristalina!!!He's half Petrosapien,half (afro-dominican) human,transmasc genderfluid and bigender,audhd,super bubbly,chaotic,physically incapable of not running his mouth,a pastel punk femme,a mom friend and has a mean streak that's mostly funny but sometimes angsty or played for coolness against villains!His design is meant to look like a half white black person because that's what i am but since he's made of crystals,his colors reflect the primary light of whatever scene he's in(Hobie Brown moment).His eyes glow in the dark and he's strange looking but not enough to not pass as human!

His dad,Diarius,raised him on Petropia for the first 5 years of his life but decided Earth was safer for him and so he started being raised by his mom,Mariana.He had his own special debut episode in Classic called 'Crystal up,Sunshine' and Mariana is a Bruja who mentored Lucky Girl!Gwen on her and her son and daughter's summer jewel collection travels after Solana had his adventure with Ben and Gwen and became basically like siblings with them even though he was only in a few episodes for that run.Him and Kevin met the same year but at their school where Solana was a Special ED kid and Kevin was in a club/support group for troubled kids.He sat in front of Kevin and he was like 'This shiny kid is gonna blind me' which led to them talking and Solana was like 'His edge is going to cut me' /irony.They befriended eachother nonetheless before Kevin dropped out as he's implied to be homeless in canon and Solana was upset since he was his only friend but they reunite in the show itself with the exact quote 'Holy shit,edgy kid!!!' and 'Holy smokes,shiny kid!!!' but it dosen't end well just yet since Kevin was an antagonist at the time

Kevin is black monoracial but mixed etchnicity-His mom is mexican and Devin's american.He was taught to seperate his blackness from his latinohood and he grew up disconnected to his blackness due to almost no other black people around and becoming best friends with Solana was the start of healing journey og embracing his afrolatino identity.He participates in both black latino and black american culture since he's half both!!He used to feel guilty about falling under stereotypes but now sticks it to racists by being way better than them and loves himself for who he is!He has fang grills by Omniverse and his redemption arc in Alien Force isn't relient on romance despite Kelana being a big part of it

The Tennysons are white latinos with Abuelo Max being an argentinian inmigrant based purely on vibes and Verdona was latina too(poc swag transcends solar systems.Next question‼️).Gwen is a lesbian and dating Kai,Julie,Ester and Charmcaster and the last one was her first love and there was so much unnecessary gay drama that could've easily been avoided if Gwen wasn't such a loser when it comes to romance and her and Ben's character development sticks instead of keeping them static characters for the sake of unfunny comedy.Ben and Rook's obviously a thing as a plot that's not really a plot twist since their dynamic is the same as in canon but intentionally romantic

Kai is recurring in Alien Force and respectfully written as navajo instead of only existing for Ben and having a fucking feather in her hair and is an official member of Team 10,as is Julie who's also not a Ben love interest but a girlgeek that has a sibling-like relathionship with him and has Ship pre-debut as she gets her own special like Solana that dives into her backstory.Ester's way more prominent too and yet another member and has quiet bpd due to childhood trauma but is helped with it by her friends and girlfriends

The last additions to complete Team 10 to make it fit it's namesake are Charmcaster,Albedo and Alan.Hope is still technically a villain but a dear friend to everyone on the gang who regularly spends time with them and helps on missions,Albedo got a fullon redemption arc and Alan was pretty much adopted/taken in by everyone since he dosen't have parents

They're also all trans and autistic

Solana and Ben are a 'i'm mean to you because i love you' typa beat,Solana and Gwen are soul sisters who bond over everything and on the same level to eachother as him and Kevin are and Kelana in Classic was Kevin actively trying to make Solana worse but Solana is such a nice person that it dosen't work,in Alien Force they get to be proper longterm friends with crushes undertones and in Omniverse they basically act like they're dating already but are still complete oblivious.They develop all throught the franchise and don't get together until the final series:Ben 10 Forever

Ben 10 Forever takes place in Ben's young adult years and is a darker,more complex story to reflect it.This includes Solana dying when he saved Diarus' life in a battle in episode 1 but being ressurected with Petrosapien resources and having trauma from it and Diarus has survivor's guilt.He was always afraid something would happen because he just dosen't trust most human's and blames himself moreso because he feels he should've been there full time,even though he wasn't neglectful and visited all the time with him and Mariana just being long distance

Kevin having mimic powers and Solana being crystalline=They're a reflection of eachother

Mr Smoothie is Team 10's hangout and Solana has a job at a thrift store and convinced Ben to be hired alongside him

[vixenpen]

Rapper’s Delight Hobie X Black Fem Reader (1970s coded)

This is for my biggest fan @kyankyannnn

This is what a Black girl from the Bronx talks like @ohsanghoe and @kyankyannnn since it was so confusing before! 😂 anyway, this was HELLA fun to write! Hope y’all enjoy 😉

You gazed around at the brick faces of Camden’s shops and the graffiti peppering random surfaces with awe and fondness.

This was your first time in Hobie’s hometown, and it felt at once familiar and foreign. From the grey and brown square buildings to the peeling, painted signs adorning their façades, the neighborhood was so distinctly working class; you half expected to see a hotdog vendor or a bodega.

“Y’alright, America?”Hobie asked, quietly. His large hand rested on your arm.

“Oh! Yeah, I’m cool.” You replied.

“Not scared yet are ya?” Smiley, the dimpled bassist of Hobie’s band asked. His signature toothy grin lit up his medium brown face.

“Not at all,” you laughed. “Feels like home.”

“Let’s see if you’re still singin’ that tune when we take you to The Sub.” Silas, the perpetually stoned drummer, added.

Despite its name, The Sub, was in fact not a late night spot to get sandwiches. According to Hobie it was one part basement club, one part speakeasy. Not unlike the warehouses the DJs threw dance parties in back in your hometown of the Bronx New York.

It was beyond trippy having another spider friend in the same timeline as you. The Spiderverse often either felt vast and disconnected or—whenever you were in the spider society— claustrophobic and overwhelming. So it was a major relief when you’d met Hobie, aka Spider Punk, another spider from Earth-138. The two of you had immediately hit it off being the same age, nineteen, and major music lovers.

The punk scene was practically non-existent in the Boogie Down Bronx and the same was true of the brand new hip-hop/rap scene of your home. But you were curious to see how these London cats got down, so when Hobie had invited you to Camden for an extended stay, you’d enthusiastically agreed. Hopefully New York could behave itself for a few weeks while you were gone.

Being that you weren’t a full time member of the spider society, Hobie had mopped some tech to make you a watch giving you the opportunity to transport to his place with the press of a button.

As you and the band headed to The Sub, you took note of the rest of the crowd, who were mostly dressed similarly to Hobie and his bandmates. Ripped skinny jeans, leather vests studded with silver spikes, chunky stainless steel jewelry and so much spiked up hair you were almost certain you could see a trail of hair spray and pomade in the air. There were a few people who were more casual in band tee’s or Jean vests, but you in your sparkly bell bottoms and matching top certainly stood out. Especially with your bouncy afro compared to the—mostly white—girls with their immobile Mohawks.

The Sub was actually a record store called: ‘Subwoofer Record Shop.’ It was closed to the public, but a trail of punks were all rounding the side of the building to the alleyway.

“Man, I’m psyched for tonight!” Smiley enthused. “Y/n, you gotta be front row and center cheerin’ us on, yeah?”

“I gotta be front row and center to see around these people’s hair.” You joked.

“Hey, that fro a’yours ain’t exactly flat, innit?” Hobie grinned, tweaking a tight curl near your ear. The motion made your cheeks burn.

“Picked to perfection.” You countered, playfully, ignoring the way your heart revved.

The boys led you down a flight of crumbling, concrete stairs where a handrail wrapped in multicolored Christmas lights and a surprisingly bright street lamp led the way. At the base, grungy looking characters in black leather clothes and heavy eyeliner smoked and chatted in tight circles. Their scary expressions immediately brightened when they saw Hobie and his crew.

“Oi, dickheads! ‘Ow the ‘ell are ya!” A tall, rail thin guy with an electric blue mohawk exclaimed, slapping hands with the band as they crowded the floor by the doorway.

“Ah, ya know! Nother day nother disaster.” Hobie greeted him.

“Right ‘bout that, mate.” The blue haired guy chuckled. “Oi, Si? Ya still on earth with us?” His accent made the ‘th’ sound like an ‘f.’

“Always an never.” Silas waved a joint between his ringed fingers. You had no idea when or where he’d gotten it.

“Can’t wait to hear you blokes blow the house down t’night.” A girl with fire red hair that matched her kilt exclaimed.

“S’gonna be one helluva a show, that’s for sure!” Smiley replied.

“See you all in there.”

The exchange had been so snappy you’d gotten whiplash just listening to it. The boys let themselves in with Hobie holding the door for you, a soft smile on his face.

“Welcome to The Sub, America.”

You gawked around the shockingly huge room. It had a black floor, a wall to wall stocked bar, darts at the far end and an elevated stage at the other. The walls were decorated with band posters advertising past and future shows. Some had been ripped off, others looked freshly tacked on. A wall of records hung from a shimmering curtain behind said stage and a gaggle of musicians were tuning up in a discordant symphony of riffs and scales. Colorful stage lights bathed them in hues of red, blue, and purple.

“Holy shit.” You marveled.

“Pretty cool for a group of weirdos, right?” Hobie whispered beside you. You could hear the casual excitement in his voice— clearly pleased at your reaction.

“Dynamight!” You exclaimed.

“C’mon, let’s grab a seat up front.” Smiley suggested.

Being that mosh pits weren’t uncommon in the space, “up front” actually meant at the end of the bar closest to the stage. The space surrounding the stage, was clear of tables and chairs in case of moshing.

The band on stage currently began playing and you were immediately impressed with their sound. They were a tight unit.

“Who are these cats?” You asked, Hobie.

“The singer’s name is Chris and the drummer is Byron.” He replied.

“I mean what’s the name of their band?”

“Oh, they ain’t a band, love. Chris sings folk music and Byron usually plays keyboard with a jazz quartet.”

Your head swiveled toward Hobie.

“You mean they’re not a band? And they sound that good together?”

“The drummer’s a bit slow on the pickup, but they’re all solid.” Hobie shrugged, swiveling in his stool until his knees kissed yours.

“Ok, Mr. Musical Savant.” You mocked a posh accent. “But you have to admit, they’re pretty tight together.”

“No doubt, but they won’t compare to our sound.” Hobie replied matter of factly.

 “Ohh? Big talk, Slim Jim.” You smirked, giving his shoulder a gentle punch.

“Yeah,” Hobie’s hazel eyes danced with amusement as he fixed you with his humorous half smile. The one that secretly made your heart race. “With the flavor to match.” He winked.

You thought you’d melt off the stool. Your mind raced as you tried to conjure up a response, but before you could Smiley interrupted.

“Oi, when you kids’re done whispering sweet nothin’s, the stage is clear.”

The pair of you swung your head in Smiley’s direction. You could swear you saw a bashful, almost embarrassed expression flash across Hobie’s chiseled features, but he was smirking in a blink.

“Sure, sure.” He replied, standing along with his bandmates. Before he made the short trek to the stage he turned to you. “Be right back, yeah? Dun let any creeps try an pull one over on ya.”

“London,” your voice lowered as you leaned forward on the stool. “You took the girl outta the Bronx not the other way around.”

Now it was Hobie’s turn to look stunned. He scanned your face and seemed about to say something before Silas tugged him away.

“Let’s go, Romeo!” The stoned bassist quipped.

You giggled as Hobie shrugged.

“Don’t talk to strangers, y/n.” He playfully warned.

As the band climbed on stage a piercing wolf whistle sounded in the crowd along with a loud smattering of applause. It was clear Hobie’s band were well known amongst this crowd.

“Ri’,” Hobie chuckled. “Look, we got a friend here, yeah? She came all the way from America so you blokes better make us look good!”

“Even if we suck!” Silas added, sitting down at the drum set.

The crowd laughed. So did you, a fond smile lingering on your lips.

With that introduction out of the way, the boys began tuning up. Immediately, you noticed a different between their sound check and the slapdash ensemble that’d gone before them. You sat up, admiring your friend bathed in hues of blue and purple that seemed to caress his high cheekbones and emanate from his deeply melanated skin. The sight was enough to make a flush rise up your neck. You crossed your legs and propped your chin on your fist. The boys started out the gate swinging with a piercing guitar riff that hyped the crowd, followed by Silas’ bombastic drums.

The crowd went crazy, and you lowered the drink you’d gotten in awe. Wow, so this was what Hobie got up to in those unpermitted shows? Back where you were from, there were black rockstars, certainly. Jimi Hendrix,  Betty Davis, Prince, but you only knew a couple cats who played rock like Hobie. Bad Brains and a little band out of Detroit called Death.

Still, you couldn’t deny, the band’s sound was tight. Loud, but tight. Hobie’s fingers were flying. The rest of the band was amazing too, but you couldn’t take your eyes off your fellow comrade. You’d never seen him so in the zone. His expression was relaxed, but his entire body was locked into what he was doing. His head bobbed with the rhythm of his guitar.

“Woowoooo!” You whooped, bouncing in your seat. The cheering got Hobie’s attention and he glanced at you with a smile.

When the band was done, the room practically shook with applause and cheering. You jumped from the stool to join the noise.

“Jeez, how’re you blokes gonna act when we really start playin’?” Smiley joked, making the crowd laugh.

Hobie lifted the hem of his shirt to dab his forehead, and you could have sworn you heard the entire female demographic of the audience swoon. Not that you weren’t one of them.

“Ri’,” Hobie spoke up, “but I wanna introduce our girl. A friend of ours who came all the way from America to  visit.”

“Gwen!” Someone shouted.

You snickered. You almost forgot Gwen hung out with Hobie on a regular basis.

“No, not Gwen.” Hobie chuckled. “This is another friend. She’s in the music scene too.”

I am????

You thought.

“An’ I think she should come up here an’ join us, how bout you lot?”

The crowd cheered again. Your eyes widened.

What. The. Fuck?!

No way were you going up in front of this crowd. Everyone in there looked like they could kill you with their bare hands. Was Hobie crazy?

You sank down in your seat, but Hobie gestured to you broadly.

“Y/n, come up’ere. You know we ain’t gonna let ya off the hook.”

You looked around as if trying to find who he could be talking about, but all heavily made up eyes were on you as the punk crowd cheered you on.

“Yeah, c’mon y/n!”

“Be a sport!”

“Show us how they do it in America!”

Then the crowd began chanting your name. A thousand British accents practically singing “y/n, y/n, y/n!”

You could only gawk at Hobie whose pierced brow was quirked as he smiled slyly at you.

‘Come on’ he mouthed, holding out a ringed hand.

‘Seriously?’ You shot back?

‘Seriously.’ Hobie confirmed.

You prayed the moment would pass, but with everyone cheering you on and Hobie smiling gallantly at you like some knight in shining armor, you didn’t think you were getting out of this one. So with a quick ‘Ima kill you,’ to Hobie, you downed the rest of your drink and slid off the stool.

The applause got louder as you joined the band on stage, grabbing Hobie’s hand.

“Wow, umm, ok.” You chuckled nervously. “Look, I’m not from here, so my music probably isn’t gonna be you guys’ speed.”

“Try us!” Someone shouted from the crowd.

Alright. You would. You turned to Hobie with a half baked idea in mind. Time to bring a little Boogie Down to Camden.

“Yall know Rapper’s Delight?” You asked the boys.

All three members scoffed, almost offended at the notion that they didn’t.

“Yeah, love, we know Rapper’s Delight.” Hobie replied.

“You lead the way, y/n, we got ya covered.” Smiley winked.

“Alright, I guess ima kick yall something outta my hometown. Cool?”

The crowd responded favorably. You turned to the band, heart hammering nervously, and nodded.

Silas counted the band in.

“One.. two… one, two, three!”

Silas picked it up with the drums and Smiley quickly came in with the bass. Hobie was last.

God you were nervous, but man, the beat was way too funky to stay still so you bounced along. And when the beat gave way you started with the unmistakable intro of: “I said a hip hop the hippy the hippy to the hip hip hop and ya don’t stop the rock—“

But instead of biting Sugar Hill’s flow completely you decided to freestyle like the cats back home.

Now I know that you know that you ain’t eva heard this befo’, but layback and relax and let me kick you this flow.

Cuz in the boogie down, groove comes naturally to us and if you wanna be down and get down wit’ me now, you need proper influence. Boogie down B-town is where it really be happenin’ and I’m deliverin’ from Bronx and straight into Camden.

“Oooohhh!” The crowd chanted.

You laughed through your freestyle. Surprised by how much fun you were having. The crowd was jamming and the band was grooving right along with you. By the time the dance break came along, everyone was grooving along with you.

With an outro you thanked the crowd and were practically drowned out by their applause.

You slotted the mic back onto the stand only to be scooped into a hug by Hobie who spun you around. You laughed.

“That was amazing, y/n!” He exclaimed.

The rest of the boys joined you turning it into a group hug.

“Still wanna kill me?” Hobie asked.

“Yes!” You tried to glare at him, but your smile was too big. “But you made me sound good so I guess I’ll let you off the hook.”

Hobie laughed.

“I’ll take it.”

[zenaidamacrouras1]

hi i have another question about hot neighbor. rose seems to be written as black biracial and everyone else seems to be written as white. i was curious about this choice for her! i think weirdly as a black reader it made me think a lot about what her life would be like if her black parent was around, since being black in an all white space/family can be isolating. (there is no call out incoming i swear, i was just curious! i love the story!)

I'm so glad you asked! Yes I did intend for Rosie to be multiracial, and yes I did kind of drop the ball on filling out her world with characters that look like her.

So this post got bonkers long because it made me think of a lot of things. I realize this maybe looks like I am feeling defensive, but actually I just really enjoyed talking about this. I know I am not a perfect author, but thinking about useful things makes me hopefully less imperfect. Sorry that 90% of this is irrelevant to your actual question.

More below the more.

So this fic is weird because it has a small core cast, and yes all of them are white but Rosie!

Then it has this big cast of barely there neighbors - who are very very background in the fic, but I think all of them that speak are people of color except Eloise/Elsie/ukulele lady/cookies lady (this is one person).

So though the fic didn't address it (that's on me) I imagined Mrs. Rodiguez as Afro-Cuban and the jaded teens are Black. Exercise Grandpa is Chinese. I actually had a scene with Santiago and Mrs. Rodriguez arguing about Mexican vs. Cuban pronunciation which I cut despite spending hours on it, it felt distracting. So poor Santiago never got a speaking gig.

Side note!

I have some basic diversity things I try and do in all my multi-chapter fics. I try to make them all pass the Bechdel test for women (two named women talk and not about a man) as well as for race (two named people of color talk to each other not about race). I don't think they all pass both tests, for the record, esp my earlier ones.

I also like to always have an Ace/Aro character as well as a trans character, someone that uses them/them pronouns and I like to have a character whose first language isn't English. These are, to be clear, incredibly low bars for representation.

All this is partly because I value diversity and partly because that's what real life looks like for me, but since I write about two white men, based on the MCU which has a LOT OF WHITE MEN, I will miss things if I don't have a mental list.

Also for fun almost all of my fics include a reference to Bucky resembling a mermaid and a Lord of Rings reference.

Okay that's just random author notes. I do love to think about and talk about these things. I don't think this makes me a good person or anything magical. Just sharing this cause as an author this is interesting to me so maybe it is to others.

So! Your actual question :)

I had initially had Rosie as mixed race cause, honestly, statistics. The fic is set in Brooklyn. It's a diverse place. It's super likely that Steve would have a hook up with a guy with textured hair and brown skin, and since his whole genetic code is submissive as hell, his kid is gonna have curls and melanin. I actually pictured the mystery dad as Latino, but like many mixed race kids, people are gonna see Rosie as Black. And I am fine with whatever read on the mystery dad because I left it very vague.

I never saw her other dad as in the picture. It's just not what Steve wanted at that time. One reader asked if her dad was Sam Wilson and in my head Sam and Steve were college besties but Sam moved to DC. But again I don't care if someone wants to imagine that!

One of the reasons this fic got put on the back burner for a year was because I was gonna be way more thoughtful about Rosie's race. I was going to bring in Uncle Sam and Grandma Wilson and maybe swap out Wanda for a non-white character, and Steve and Bucky were going to have a few conversations about it.

And then, and this is real, I simply did not, my friend. I ran out of spoons.

I had Sarah Rogers as dead and Mrs. Darlene Wilson had some of that Grandma role. When I resurrected Sarah, which I think was very good for the story, sorry Mrs. Wilson, Grandma Wilson got cut. 😭

At this point I suppose I could have made Rosie have a white mystery dad but again. It's Brooklyn. Just. Statistics. And I already had a picture of her in my mind and I loved her precious little curls too much.

I imagined a lot of conversations happening off screen more or less. I imagined the Jaded Teens giving Steve shit because he doesn't know how to style Rosie's hair at first. I imagined Mrs. Wilson inviting them over for holidays when Sam is in town and Steve is the only white person there.

I imagined Rosie getting beaded braids for her first day of kindergarten (per the recommendation of the Jaded Teens) and Ruby being jealous as hell that she can't get beads because her hair doesn't have enough texture and also appropriation Ruby.

I also think we can trust Steve to 1. Fuck things up, bless his disaster heart and 2. Absolutely try his best to be thoughtful about raising a biracial kid and in the end do more things good than not. My confidence that Steve was doing a great job off screen made me lazy about what I ended up including.

In sum: I also thought a lot about Rosie's race and the importance of her having strong Black and Latino role models and then did not work any into her immediate family. Which is of course a real dynamic of many kids in the world, as you note! But we can expect Steve to want to do better for his daughter.

It is, of course, my own privilege and perspective as a white person that influences my author choices. No, not everything is ever going to fit. Something will always need to go.

It's a legit thing to notice and feel some tension about that for this fic, because it's definitely the case that a more nuanced approach to race was one of the things I let slide to the cutting room floor. It wasn't malicious at the time but I did actually notice later and feel regret, but not enough to re-work the story.

In retrospect, I managed to fit in Bucky fixing not just a microwave, but also a dishwasher! Clearly I could have worked in more discussion of race somewhere. 🫠🥴🙃 Not that I would cut either appliance scene. They are very dear to me. In large part because of my cultural bias!

Also it sucks extra because I hear people noting that it is not always easy or comfortable to be a person of color in such a white fandom, so I am sorry for this fic adding to that cognitive dissonance.

So thanks for asking! Sorry for all the extra crap I wrote that wasn't actually answering your question! I appreciate you taking the time to mention it!

❤️🧡💚💙💜

[thousandyearphantombunker]

(vent)

TOH fandom feels this need to 'stick it' to other kids shows and show them how TOH 'did it correctly' but they don't understand what shows like Amphibia's SVTFOE and SU etc etc were going for. And the whole 'the show was cancelled excuse' drives me freaking insane! I grew up watching Spectacular spider man, x men evolution and GLtas and those shows got screwed over so badly- but they used their time efficiently to establish stories and characters etc so no you can absolutely can give everyone in your cast good character and relationship development establish important plot points and elements and villains within a short amount of time.

SVTFOE went through awful seasonal rot yes but it knew how to balance highschool drama with adventures amazingly (also it's mix of random xd humor and dark comedy was done a lot better imo) Amphibia despite its flaws is a very well done fantasy story (and has some great diversity in it and more subtle allegorical stuff surrounding being a foreigner and oppression- it's not the most deep show ever but it absolutely has depth) and im gonna say it Steven Universe while not a masterpiece by any means (it does share most of TOH's flaws) is just objectively better than TOH. Especially when it comes to diversity! More diverse body types, more diverse personalities (not everyone is lovably dorky- steven is a crybaby soft boy who matures into a charismatic leader, amethyst is a rambunctious tough bruiser, pearl is an intellectual insecure knight whose lost her cause and garnet is a stoic cool leader etc) and has jewish and south east asian rep and while no one talks about it Amethyst is good disabled rep (she's got the alien equivalent of dwarfism, the alien equivalent of a developmental disability and she has an arc surrounding how she views these aspects of herself) it handles mental illness very well and yet it has this horrible reputation as being super racist and inappropriate to show to kids- which is an opinion people are allowed to have about this show especially if they are black or poc or whatever- I'm not gonna call their opinions BS there are some good points they make about the whole 'angry black woman' stereotype but as a Puerto Rican girl with autism wasn't allowed to make any mildly negative comments about TOH and how it handled neurodivergence or how I didn't even register Luz as afro latina without fans saying I was full of shit and just completely media illiterate- the human zoo in su was depicted as bad but made one or two off color jokes and therefore the show is irredeemably evil- okay then but now you can't fucking harass me over saying TOH had some instances where the disabled rep fell apart a bit (i wouldn't even say that the show is over all ableist or godawful it just had moments that could've been handled better) but um no I'm not allowed to say that apparently- if you get to call my complaints bullshit because your a 'queer poc' then i as another queer poc gets to complain about the show you think is untouchable (i won't cause that's really mean and you have legitimate points) the logic this fandom uses to justify being an asshole to others drives me up a wall. SVTFOE handled revisionist history and colonialism better. Steven Universe had actual fucking diversity. Amphibia had actual layers and complexity that gets totally ignored. But no all shows have to have super blunt representation, and pretty art styles with flashy animation and we must shame all people who have even the most tame criticisms of TOH. The owl house isn't a horrible show but it has its flaws and people who complain about them bring up valid points and since some of you seem so up in arms needing bringing up race guess what? White people also get to call out TOH's flaws. So many kids shows get disregarded as having no depth or being stupid and I hate that TOH fandom also gets in on that nonsense.

Your show is cool we get it now stop fucking putting other kids media down. I'm not gonna say you should be thanking Steven universe or adventure time or gravity falls for laying down the groundwork so TOH can exist you get to criticize these shows but maybe don't get shocked and call everyone who says something you dislike media illiterate and say our complaints are BS? Cause we can easily say the same to you-by your logic I can say all your complaints are full of shit and harass you over liking the collector because of how he treated king, by your logic I get to call you racist and homophobic etc - which we can agree is a bullshit thing to say right? And also it's just mean. You can complain that Steven Universe getting cancelled isn't an excuse for its shit writing in some episodes (I agree with that) just also be aware that Im holding toh to that same standard. You can complain that SVTFOE had an ending you hate because of how ooc and pointless so much of it was- agreed but I get to say the same shit about toh

TOH is not immune to the criticisms you lob at other shows and screaming media iliteracy at the top of your lungs doesn't shut down arguments as well as you think it does

[womenfrommars]

Hey, Juno, how you're doing? If you don't mind, I'd like to know your opinion on a trans issue. I had my peak trans moment almost two weeks ago and I've been in contact with gender critical rhetoric ever since. Recently, I came across a reflection about how weirdly powerful the Trans movent is, changing laws (even the legal definition of sex), conquering spaces in politics, media and uni programs... Something other social movements, like feminism and the black movement never did (not like the trans movement at least). And I do agree in a way, but I can't help being skeptical about the strength of this idea when we witness trans folks being murdered, suffering because of lack of opportunities, being kicked away from home... In a way, I do believe the Trans movement is uncommonly powerful and that's sus, but at the same time I accept trans folks still face a lot of hardships because of their gender identity. Is it wrong to assume both things at the same time?

Hi anon, I don't think these ideas are necessarily inherently contradictory. The fact a political movement (in this case, the transgender movement) is gaining momentum doesn't necessarily translate into the idea that the average transsexual has a wonderful life. The transgender movement claims to advocate for transgenders but personally I find it doubtful to what degree they succeed in doing so. They mostly advocate for legal changes which are supposed to benefit the social and mental well-being of transgenders. Think making it easy to legally alter your gender, or make cross-sex hormones more financially affordable. But studies indicate the overall quality of life of transgenders is not tremendously improved post-ex reassignment surgery. Most notably the rate of suicidality is just as high as pre-surgery.

I find that the transgender movement can be very manipulative with statistics. It is claimed that only 3% of transgenders have regrets about their transition. This figure is based on a Dutch follow-up study that exclude roughly 30% of the initial patients from the follow-up. Either they refused to cooperate with the study or they couldn't be reached. So we have no idea what happened to this group. Lots of detransitioners feel resentful to the point they cut off all contact with their doctors so many are not included in follow-up trials. And it is sad to say but it is definitely a possibility some died of suicide

Another example is the homocide rate of transgenders. Most figures being thrown around are based on studies in South America that mostly follow transsexual prostitutes. Those people are not representative of Western, middle-class transgenders at all. Even when you take a look at the homocide rate for US-based transgenders, it is significantly higher than the US national average yes, but that actually disappears when you account for racial background. The vast majority of the victims are Afro-American and to a lesser degree Latino American. The homocide rate for white American transgenders is lower than the US national average (and also lower than that for white Americans specifically). It is hard to find statistics that account for other factors such as sexual orientation and socio-economic background. I think most of the hardships that some transgenders face can be best explained by them being homosexual and/or of being of an ethnic minority, usually combined with lower income. I bet you have heard various stories in the media about the suffering of transsexuals, and 9 out of 10 times, they showcase a homosexual transsexual rather than a heterosexual one, despite the fact that in clinics today, most male-to-female patients are heterosexual. The ones who are kicked out of their parental home, who end up in prostitution, get involved with drugs, etc etc are from what I can tell almost always MTF homosexual

I really implore you to look more into these matters as statistics can be very easily manipulated to fit a certain political narrative. That is not to say we should not also have compassion for those who do suffer and look for social and political solutions. But fast-tracking pre-pubescent children into a transition process is very unlikely to increase well-being for the transgender population, which is the usual answer coming from the transgender movement

[profoundgladiatorbarbarian]

The reason why I made some of my villains different ethnicities part one

The Queen of hearts.

The Queen of hearts in my AU version, Is afro latino Having black British Decent from her mother And Mexican descent from her father And my inspiration for her came from 2 versions of the Queen of hearts Well actually a few but here they are

The Queen of hearts from The 1951 movie allison wonderland Was depicted as a tyrannical ruler of wonderland, And one of the most dangerous villains, Because of her short temper. Her outfit consisted Of half red half black Royal dress with A half black half gold Underdress with diagonal stripes from both sides, And she also says a fundess for red roses But hates White roses and also hates when people Try to deceive, Despite her attitude And appearance, the Queen of hearts is quite intelligent and, Is a looming threat in wonderland but still maintains order and prosperity within her Kingdom, She's an info queen , But she's still reasonable. And most of the time when she says off with your head, she doesn't necessarily mean it, And just prefers to give the commands otherwise , she'd run out of victims quite soon, Which is why her card soldiers still full her out of Loyalty and fear. But the queen of hearts has an extra vendetta against alice because not only did alice humiliate to the queen of hearts but she talks down to royalty, Which i'm sure was a high offense , especially in wonderland so the queen of hearts really had it out to behead alice , not just in the movie , but even in some books. There is one thing that does come the queen of hearts down and that is her loving yet shorter husband, The king of hearts matter fact , the queen of hearts is technically the only disney villain that is married, Well, married and in a loving relationship with her husband unlike other Black Widow villains, And they seem to genuinely love each other Despite the queen having slightly more power and being more in control than the king, But the king is no hero, though.He is more than willing to go along with whatever his wife says, Improbably it's just as evil as her just with less of the respect about His wife commands. The Queen of hearts Was voiced by verna felton in the movies who really drove home Is the queen's booming personality, And was probably the most memorable queen of hearts, However the queen of hearts didn't always stay the same way.

In 1992 Disney made a small spin of series based on the Allison wonderland movie called adventures in wonderland showcasing our first ever black Queen of hearts as well as the first ever black Tweetledee and Tweedledumb( But that's the story for another day). Armenia mcqueen Acted as the red Queen Who was a mix between the queen of hearts and the red queen, From the lewis carol stories, And she did quite the fantastic job as her role, Especially for a kid's show. The Queen of hearts in this TV show was a little bit more toned down with her Being a little bit more childish and Reckless but at the same time She was also a bit kinder and often Spoke as a voice of reason, By all means she was still An antagonist within this Siri is but acted more friendlier compared to Other versions, However, she was still scary enough in her own right where citizens of wonderland followed her out of respect but also a lot of fear because of how powerful she was There are very few residents in this series So one would imagine a lot of heads had to roll. The Queen is said to be the ruler of wonderland however, it's debatable how much power she has because, within the series we hear about other rulers and how she is Sometimes jealous of them because of wealthy possessions that they hold, It makes you, Wonder if she really is the queen of wonderland or just a queen of her part of a Kingdom. Speaking of which , the king of hearts does not appear within the series and she seemed to have a stronger relationship With the white rabbit that the same time shield treats him as a servant First And a friend last. She does command a lot of great respect , however , not as much as other versions of her, A lot of the time , residents of wonderland managed to get away with insulting her and mostly got an evil glare or a suffering consequence , then actually losing their heads or being threatened to at least, And on the rare occasion, she did threaten to dehead to someone.It was mostly in a written response. So yeah, she is one of the Reasons, I got inspiration from my Queen of hearts but not the only one.

In twenty twenty two alice's wonderland bakery Came out showcasing the first ever Latina Queen of hearts voice to by Eden Espinosa Who previously voiced Cassandra in tangled the series, And she did an amazing role as the queen of hearts. The queen of hearts here is actually a one eighty opposite of her previous version, Yes, she is the ruler of wonderland, and yes She is a high authority figure, But there is probably not an evil bone in her body that we can see within this whole series instead of being the off with your head Type , she is more a flare for the dramatic, And loves being a judge for Wonderland competitions, Especially competitions that include food. She here also has has a daughter Whom she named the rosa and the king of hearts here is no longer her husband But her father, I don't know If he was the original king of hearts from the original Alice in wonderland with a different Ethnicity , but here he has no longer a villain Nor is he technically A ruler in wonderland but is more like Part of the Royal council and helps make decisions with her Daughter and granddaughter, And most of the time he enjoys dancing With all his wonderland friends, Also , he is voiced by john sakata , which was very fetching to me, Who did a perfect job in this role Fun fact. Also, John sakara is Afro Cuban, Which was another bit of inspiration for me. The queen of Hearts here was a very interesting character but to me who was also very disappointing Because of her lack of villainy. Now I know it's a preschool show, but that doesn't mean they needed to make her a full on good guy, I mean , they didn't do that for other Villains. Take captain hook , for example , from the neverland pirates, He was, Toned down a lot from his original, From a want to hurt Children pirate of the sea Who could be clownish at times to a Grumpy sneaky captain Who is clownish most of the time, But even then with those details he still acted like captain hook, He still acted like the menacing villain he was So that tells me that if they could have done that for a villain like captain hook in a preschool show , they could have done the same thing for the queen of hearts , but they chose not to , for some reason beyond me. The Queen of hearts can be a kind person, but even then, just have her villain.Come out and let loose once in A while because that's what i'm seeing as a pattern throughout some of the new disney series, They are trying to soften and make villains good Even villains as evil as Ursula are becoming sweet caring aunties in The Little Mermaid Arial series based on the live action movie , which I loved by the way , sono criticism to Haley Bailey for all those haters out there, And to me it's sad because we know how some of these villains futures will turn out, With them being defeated humiliated or killed by the people around them. But anyways, about that.Let's get on to the The next queen of hearts

In 2019 in apple, TV series came out.Titled ghost writers.I don't know if it's an original or based off of an old series.I've never heard of but anyways.I particularly love this series Because it's about 4 young kids telling mysteries about a ghost Bringing storybook characters To life from the stories of Alice in wonderland, the jungle book, Sure sherlock holmes, And so many more but this series I like most of all showcasing the first ever air black canadian queen of hearts, And her design by far was the most inspiring to me, which is where I got my inspiration most of all for the Queen of hearts I draw. Patrice Goodman A Black canadian actress Portrayed the queen of hearts in this series as a semi book character who has a bit antagonistic But more chaotic neutral , having more of a complicated past that she has a hard time facing. Her look in the series was absolutely stunning and probably my favorite version of the queen of hearts ever, I can't find a complete photo of Her but If you watch the series for yourself I'm sure you will agree with me when I say your look was stunning, With a nice modern touch to it. The queen of hearts here was betrayed chaotic neutral but still acted like the queen of hearts being a little bit more patient than others but still hot tempered when she didn't get her way, End very commanding , but also quite emotional as well Showing her vulnerable side, But for most of her her scream time here, she acted Quite high class and was often annoyed by the Matt hatteras and tax madness, Showing that she knows she is the only one who can bring order into the otherwise chaotic wonderland. When you think about it , the queen of hearts is Really a great ruler and a great villain at the same time, She's a great ruler in the sense.That wonderland is a very prosperous and beautiful place with very few people complanning and everybody living peacefully and happily in a mad sense at least, And she's a great villain in the way of she commands respect and She is a high authority figure and is willing to chop off as many heads as she needs 22 keep order in her kingdom, But has a Vendetta to get rid of Alice most of all because alice dared to embarrass the queen And talk down to her, Which is why the queen of hearts has tried to get revenge a few times believe it or not. The thing I like most about this version of the queen of hearts is how they showcased her natural curls in a royal sense, Honestly , it looks beautiful even on the book cover of this series

It looks so nice, Like that way, I could really drive home and tell that she was a black person because of it I mean, I could tell from a mile away but still this one drove it really home for me and that's what I really appreciated in the terms of black representation. But hold on , this is not the only reason why I make the queen of hearts black

Now anybody who is anybody has seen the new descendants Rise of red movie , which brought up a lot of eyebrows as to So many things most of all why chad was white If His mum is black and his dad is asian, Many Speculated that he got it from his grandfather, But this just cannot be the case because His dad is asian and would be impossible For a black woman in an asian man To make a white child which is why I think that descendants rise of red is Part of a Multiverse. And here's why.

At the end of the three There are some v k s holding up signs Showcase Is the villains including scar, Cruella deville, Jafar, Maleficent, Captain hook, Ursula, The evil queen and the queen of hearts, Who is said to have Is stayed in wonderland, As it was blocked off from auradon Where she ran as a very strict ruler of wonderland who hated all fun and was probably the most evil version of the Queen of hearts we've ever seen, But my theory is that's a different version of the queen of hearts from a different multi verse Because in descendants rejoin the musical Number good to be bad. There is an interesting background dancer who can be seen weighing red, yellow and black clothing with symbolic heart shapes to it, leading us to believe she was the daughter of the Queen of hearts, and the dancer, who played her even confirmed her name was Quinn, the daughter of the Queen of hearts Who was banished to the Isle of lost Which is why I think that Rita orez version it's different from what we had in descendants three, Which is why I think that rise red is a multi verse 2 the descendants movie. Hear The Dancer.We see playing the daughter of the Queen of hearts.It can be debatable whether or not she is black, Asian, Arabic, or Latina, But all I can tell from her.Is she really Don't look like a full white person, Mixed maybe but not fully white( Not meant to be racist) But whatever Ethnicity she is Hey I just wanted Share my thoughts The descendant's rise of red is part of a multi verse I can get Onto why else in other posts. But in my version if I had to imagine what the Queen of hearts and our family would look like.Based on my own original version this is what I think it would look like

The queen of hearts and her husband the king of hearts Are one of the few faithfully married villains that were banished to the isle of the lost for the The crimes of being tyrannical rulers, And trying to Kill alice of wonderland who is now voted the new queen of hearts Of wonderland after the queen of hearts was Is banished to the isle of The lost. Is in my AU version The queen of hearts here It is very much a villain and is part of the villain council on the aisle, but it's a lot nicer Then people think, Yes she's Quick To say off with your head But doesn't always mean it and usually plays it off as a joke and tell somebody Really pisses are off.

On the isle of the lost , she's does still rue her kingdom which she calls the kingdom of hearts, But she also owns her own salon On the The aisle of the lost, Which was information I got from the descendants island of the lost novel books, Stating such, And she is also a competitive rival with lady Tremaine's salon, And lady Tremaine in general. The both of them are still part of the villain council but are indifferent to each other. And don't really get along because the Queen of hearts sees lady Tremaine as inferior to her, Because she is not royalty like her and lady Tremaine Looks down on the queen of hearts because of the queen's childish Attitude at times, and it doesn't always help That the queen likes to shout orders.

The queen of hearts in my version Also has descendants Based on rise of red and alice's wonderland bakery, And other official And unofficial content, Most of them are from Wiki fandom.

Jack of hearts Is the First born Child sign of the queen of hearts And is often, The class clown of His family, And it's a lot more calm compared to his mom, but still has his breaking points.

Red is the first born daughter and the second born child of the Queen of hearts. And unlike Kylie, control's version is a lot more serious and acts A little bit more like her mom, but still has her rebellious side and opted to give up the throne, So that she could become A pirate On umas crew, Which her mom disapproves of but after some time traveling red decides that she would like to be a future queen of wonderland and a pirate at the same time, A little bit, Complicated I know

Quinn is the third born And is probably The most like her mom, Enjoying to command the order off, And Wearing dresses, That are reminiscent of her mother , along with a bit of her own style in leather jackets and fish nets sleeves. She along with her younger brother Ace have all days one dark brown and 1 yellow with heart-shaped birth marks, Actually all the heart family have heart shaped birthmarks except for the king of hearts and hayley hartz who has both golden eyes but has to wear glasses because she has poor vision.

Ace of hearts , is the fourth born of the queen of hearts and is a real mamma's boy. He loves to give the order as off with their Heads but not as much as His older sister quinn and his mom do, Keeps to himself, However , he does have a strong relationship with his older sister Quinn whom she treats like a twin sibling.However the two constantly like to fight with each other in a joking manner, Which makes the queen eye roll all the time.

Haley hearts is the youngest daughter of the Queen of hearts and Constantly tries to be one of the cool kids , even though secretly she's a nerd. Her need to pretend to be a cool person is because she has a crush on the son of ursula urchin, Who actually have a crush on the daughter of cruella deville carly who also has a crush on him back but none of them know about this. Eventually though She starts to develop feelings for the son of mother Mother Gothel marios Gothul who also had a big Press on her despite her never Noticing

Last of all, the youngest is Roy of hearts Who is Also known as 10 of hearts Who is the Queen of hearts The little Prince. He also enjoys saying off with your head like his other siblings But Preferably likes to do what other young Boys his age do including playing soccer, Hanging out with his friends, Drawing, And annoying his oldest siblings , but especially his oldest sister haley , whom he and her always get into fights with. He also has a small crush On Abby nine of hearts , who is a descendant of one of the Queen of hearts playing card soldiers, And they are both in a cute , loving relationship with another, However the queen of hearts doesn't totally Because to her, Abby was trying to steal away her son, And every chance the queen god should give abbey some dirty looks, However, she did trust Abby and view her as her own niece and a good future member of the card soldiers But just wished her son wasn't in a relationship with her.

The heart's family also sometimes where Heart-shaped eye patches as a way to pay homage to the Queen of heart's nephew, the knave of hearts( Different person From the Jack of hearts in my A. U.) Who lost his eye during a battle for his aunt during the war in wonderland. They mostly wear these eyepatches during family Photos and photos and royal events but nothing more except for the queen of hearts who almost always wears her eye patch to pay a nodge to her nephew even if he annoys her most of the time.

On the Isle the loss to the queen of hearts Is considered one of the most dangerous villains and is entitled to respect, Which is how she managed to get her place on The villain council with her army of card soldiers who follow her not Only out of fear but out of True loyalty to the queen who is A kind of ruler to her subjects , but Quite blood thirsty to anyone who opposes her. She is best friends with the red queen who is A different person in my a u but used to be Great friends with the evil queen when they went to Morgana academy together which was a rival school To merlin academy for villains, There she and the evil queen were not as evil as they used to be and were quite friendly and nice And wanted to avoid their future destinies But as destiny had it, they soon became evil queens and at 1 point became rivals with another, mostly because of their daughter's fighting with one another and just having to support their girls as Mother's should.

The queen of hearts has teamed up Two iconic villains before cruella and captain hunt in trying to defeat alice, Peter Pan, And Winifred darling, who is the niece of Anita darling, whom cruella wants to use as a way to get 101 Dalmatians to make her Fur Coats.

The queen of hearts has also Also worked with other villains in the Kingdom of hearts game, Villain's revenge, And also managed to start her own underground college for students who wanted Follow in the Foot steps of some of the most evil villains, Footsteps in some of the most evil villains in a place she likes to call twisted wonderland.

Whatever you store you want to believe whether it's the white version of the queen of hearts, The hispanic, The black, Whenever it is just know that Giving Disney characters, different ethnicities is not a bad thing If anything it's a good thing to an extent, as long as it isn't part of the story For example.

Snow white You need to be played by a white person Because one the description of her showcased a white person playing her, End two the word white is literally in her name So it's just point forward, And having a latin person play her is disrespectful Not Just to the snow white character but Latina and community in general Who have an identity outside of white people, The same thing can go with Merida from brave, who needs to be white because that is part of her Scottish heritage.

No for characters like, Ariel, from The Little Mermaid or Cinderella.Their ethnicity has nothing to do with their story like clearly nothing, And there could have been any ethnicity that they needed as long as the story arc stayed the same, Which is why I am tired of hearing people complaining or saying if there can be a black little mermaid, then there can also be a white black panther because those types of people are only saying that becathey think, It's funny or Because they really hate the movies that much that they have to go out of their way too Say stuff , that's offensive like this and I for one, I'm very sick of it, These people know exactly why Black characters cannot be turned white cause, Nobody is that stupid To ask that question in real life, Because people are saying that they are not ignorant.Or they're not being racist but if they weren't being ignorant then they wouldn't even be asking these questions but they decided to anyways because they view it as so called black facing, Meanwhile , I have never heard a complaint about ursa being portrayed as a black woman in descendants or The little mermaid live, For cruella , deville being portrayed as a black woman in descendants either. My main message is you do not need to race swap all characters but it It should not kill anybody that disney wants to make a few changis from the originals, Besides, what difference does it make What Race certain characters are, As long as they're still acting as the original characters Should it really matter, But anyways, that's just my thoughts on it Let me know what you think done in the comments

[emblemxeno]

Sorry, I have returned with another heavy representation related question

Do you find it odd that the push for black characters is disproportionately higher than the push for black culture?

Aside from all the interesting history and cultures in Africa, there's aboriginal Australians and Afro-Brazilians who invented an entire martial art to escape slavery and fight off colonizers. Capoeira is awesome btw

Why represent black people, but ignore black culture?

Good question!

I don't know if I have a great answer to this, but if I were to start anywhere, it's that part of it is definitely because of just how significant the U.S. is (or at least is treated) in how culture moves, shapes, and released. In the risk of sounding like a baby leftist eager to use buzzwords all the time, honestly it all ties back to capitalism. What sells, generating profit, buying out smaller companies for their better critical acclaim-to-commercial success ratio.

And a notable cog in the capitalist machine is what U.S. corporations do as, despite being an extremely young country, it is a superpower with massive amounts of land and wealth that it hoards. It stands to reason that anything that comes out of the U.S. can and will be marketed and capitalized off of if it reaches a certain point of popularity and/or notoriety.

Black American culture is one part in that American capitalist cog, where, despite being a proported bastian of modern day human rights, the U.S. values the dollar of the world's citizenry over actually making efforts to improve the damn planet they live on.

And true to that type of attitude, that resulted in Black American art at first being mocked ("a Negro wrote a book? yeah and pigs can fly haha"), then the 'emancipation' happened (ignore the fact that slavery technically still exists under the 13th amendment as punishment for crime and doubly ignore which racial population is drastically over-arrested and accused for crimes of which they either didn't do or have outrageous sentences compared to the crime committed e.g. weed posession, the U.S. doesn't want you to think about that) /s

After mockery, came mockery+profit, such as minstrelsy, and later whitewashing and theft of cultural aspects (music is a big one) at the expense of Black Americans not getting their due.

Then the Civil Rights era happened (ignore how socialist MLK was that's not good for the money making machine) and with that led to a more rapid dissolution of segregation, and that meant Black people can be on screen and can sell stuff to other Black people. Later, Black culture started becoming really cool and hip to non-Black people in America. White boy hip-hop, white guy and gal R&B (Timberlake, P!nk's first album), whatever the hell X-tina was doing with those damn cornrows lmaoooo.

And this corporate co-opting of the culture has proven to be a major money maker for the past 5 decades, and is still perpetuated today. Any accusation, claim, or slander of "Gen Z/TikTok/Stan Twitter" language is how Black Americans have been talking for decades upon decades (I wish I could remember there was this show from early days of color tv that had a black cop do a "white to black" translation as a joke on the show and he said "my partner wants the tea on the old bird" cuz that's really a big indicator of that fact.)

The double edged sword of this, is of course that this is a way of speaking, culture, art, and lifestyle that a group of people live, and despite it continuing to be marketable as trendy and cool, Black Americans are still not really getting the lion's share of praise for it, because well... the U.S. is still systemically racist and any trend that starts from a non-lighter skinned cultural/ethnic group that can be whitewashed, will be in order to sell more. Unconscious bias as a result of being raised in a country built upon injustice and genocide is something I don't imagine will be undone for even the next century or two.

Getting to the actual point you asked about, it's because of the topics in my aforementioned ramblings why it's most likely harder/less seen for Black culture to be pushed over just Black/dark skinned characters.

On one hand, yes, I did mention how Black culture has been commercialized and commodified, but 1) lots of overt racists still exist and celebrating or even explaining something adjacent to Black culture can and will set them off cuz "THE WOKE AGENDA, STOP PREACHING IN MY FAVORITE FRANCHISE GRRRR" which means a not-insignificant amount of money can potentially be risked since those types are in more spaces than you'd expect, 2) there's extra work to be done now as to not offend the particular culture being portrayed, which is a good thing to do, but sadly often results in said culture just being cut from a character to avoid the work because time spent on sensitivity can be taken as time wasted on not improving other parts of the product, and 3) I know this is a big accusation to make, but... people consume more subpar and shallow stuff than they're willing to admit. Obviously there's nuance to stuff; enjoying a children's show with black characters in it as a kid and thinking it's good representation is no problem whatsoever, in fact I encourage it more because diverse cartoons set developing kids' brains up extremely well for a progressing society.

But there's a very noticeable deluge of applause from even mature audiences when there's a major involvement of a Black person in general that rings hollow because there's usually nothing significant about it other than the produce may not have had Black involvement before. I myself am not immune to this of course, because my favorite game series' are Fire Emblem and Xenoblade, and only in the most recent entries of both did they feature unambiguously Black characters inspired by either cultural taste aesthetics (Timerra and Fogado from Latin America) or physical features (Taion's hair, nose and lips), and I basically fucking cheered cuz those are my babies and they look so cute. BUT, again, those were the most recent entries in series where characters darker skinned than a paper bag (or gray-ish brown) that weren't just insignifanct NPCs were hard to find, and in FE's case got outright fucking offensive (Danved/Devdan).

I suspect this is a similar sentinment with non-American Black culture as well, as since Black American culture is still a controversial celebration, African, Carribean, Black Latin, or Aboriginals of Australia have the same reputation except exacerbated by xenophobia, weird fetishy-exoticism being placed on them, or flat out being unknown to the greater zeitgeist at the moment. Certainly doesn't help that the major powers of entertainment are located in the places that ruined or exterminated those same Black cultures :/

TL;DR: Capitalism profits off of culture, but not too much because that risks losing more money than its worth, so the compromise is usually slapping a "they're black" sticker on whatever they're trying to sell and unfortunately it works a lot of the time because being an uncritical consumer is something we've been raised to deal with as a part of life.

[bixiebeet]

Chapter 5: Three Beers and One Club Soda

Winston agreed to one drink. Egon agreed to a club soda. They all walked over to a local dive bar where no one cared that they were the famous Ghostbusters.

The place was fairly empty and smelled of stale cigarettes. A few people sat on bar stools, chatting with the bartender. Winston figured that they must be part of the regular weeknight crowd. Rock music from a stereo was drowned out by the echo of live music from next door; it sounded like a jazz band was practicing.

“You can have one measly beer, Spengler,” Peter laughed as the team crowded into a small circular booth. “I’m buying tonight.”

Egon insisted that he wouldn’t drink while he was working—and it seemed like he was always working. He was eager to return to his lab and finish some calculations related to the dangerously crowded ghost storage facility unit.

“I wanted to meet Winston in a less formal setting. That’s all,” Egon shrugged. He awkwardly gripped the knot of his tie and slightly loosened it. Winston figured that was Egon’s version of casual, and he appreciated the scientist’s friendly gesture.

Ray walked over from the bar carrying four glass bottles: three beers and one club soda. “First round is on me,” he said. He went back to grab a bowl of pretzels for the table.

Winston took a swig of beer and shifted uneasily. He’d been prepared for an interview, not happy hour. What would he talk about? What did he have in common with three white guys from the Ivy League? He nibbled on some pretzels and tried to think about some ‘safe’ topics for small talk.

“So, you like baseball…?” Winston began. He was a lifelong Yankees fan and had dreamed of being a professional ball player as a kid. Ultimately, he was better at engineering than he was at running bases.

No one had time to answer because of the woman who’d walked up to the booth. “Peter Venkman, is that you?” she said, tapping him on the shoulder.

“It’s Doctor Venkman,” he replied, as he cleared his throat and turned around “Do I know you?”

“Do you forget all your teaching assistants?” The woman smirked and cocked her head to the side. She had a short Afro and wore denim from head to toe; Winston thought she looked too cool for this bar, and much too cool to be talking to the Ghostbusters.

Peter’s jaw metaphorically dropped to the floor. It was a student he’d had when he first began his PhD program at Columbia.

“The years have been kinder to Lisa than to Peter,” Egon said dryly.

“Another woman who was strangely immune to the Venkman charm,” Ray smiled, sipping his beer.

Peter is the smooth talker and the lover of the group, Winston thought. Egon had to be the brains. And Ray—well, he could tell that Ray was genuinely enthusiastic about his work and always energetic. Ray seemed to be the heart that kept everyone beating on track.

Peter excused himself for a moment to have a private conversation. Egon and Ray didn’t have much to say about baseball, but they did have a lot to say about the ghosts supposedly haunting the Mets at Shea Stadium.

A few minutes later, Peter came back to the table with a huge grin on his face. “You guys won’t believe this!!”

Lisa was pleasantly surprised to see him at the bar after all these years. She remembered Peter fondly, despite his cad-like behavior when he was a young PhD and she was a grad student. Her husband—yes, she was married now—managed the band playing tonight at the jazz club next door.

“They invited us to see the show,” Peter beamed.

Winston wasn’t so sure about sticking around. He loved jazz, but it was a long trip back uptown to his apartment. It turns out that he wasn’t the only person having doubts about the late night.

“I’m going back to the firehouse,” Egon said with a yawn. He looked straight at Peter. “Try to be home before 3 am this time.” Egon peeled out of the booth and put $1 in the bar’s tip jar on his way out.

“I don’t care if I wake him up, we’re staying out late. It’ll be fun,” Peter said with an impish grin. He lifted his beer bottle to clink ‘cheers’ with Ray.

“Does Egon really work all night? He looked tired,” Winston whispered to Ray.

“Yup, ever since college. Lately, he’s focused on his spores, mold, and fungus,” Ray replied. “He’ll probably bore Janine with some mushroom discovery before she goes home.”

“I overheard him rambling to her about examining his prized king oyster—and she acted as if she was interested! It’s just a mushroom, for heaven’s sake,” Peter said, rolling his eyes.

Winston silently sipped his beer. It didn’t sound like Egon was talking about a mushroom…but he really didn’t know what to make of Egon and Janine. At least Winston would have tonight to learn more about Peter and Ray.

“I’m more into blues,” Ray said. “But jazz can be fun.” He and Peter bantered for a bit about music. The object of Peter’s affection—Dana Barrett—was a classical musician. He’d stopped by Lincoln Center this afternoon to wait for her after orchestral practice. He figured that now was a good time to him to brush up on his musician knowledge.

They got up and headed to the club. That’s when Peter mentioned a minor complication before they could enjoy the show.

“Lisa thinks that the instruments might be haunted,” Peter said as they entered the club.

[sbrown82]

The post about Pat and Mick was really interesting to find out about and look more into. I also felt really weird about the way that girl was pressured into doing things she wasn’t comfortable with, especially at such a young and vulnerable age and coming from a history of trauma and abuse.

The guys from the Rolling Stones are cool and we should give them kudos for the creative stuff they did but I think it’s also ok to acknowledge when they do bad things.

It feels a little like victim blaming to ask why a young woman with trauma didn’t just leave or not do something she didn’t want to - a lot of people who were in downright abusive relationships are asked those very same questions without regard for the different power dynamics and complexities at play. I just feel like the older person shouldn’t have seen that their partner was resisting or uncomfortable with something and had them do it to please them anyway. It sounds more like exploitation than her being given a chance to be free and explore her own sexuality; if that was the case her own interests would be included/catered to and her boundaries taken seriously.

There’s a issue of certain men knowing they can coerce black women because if we speak out no one believes us or fights for us the way they do others so we have to understand and stick up for other black women - especially the younger ones because they deserve to be treated right, like humans and not means to and ends. We don’t have to make excuses for the people that use or hurt when they do that because they’re white men, famous or did other stuff that we like/respect (and if we care for those people we need to hold them accountable so they grow and change for the better). Even if that kind of treatment was more normal back in the day and women were expected and conditioned to just go with it despite their feelings, we don’t have to tolerate it now.

Mick never pressured her to do anything, tho! He never “forced” her to have threesomes and group sex with other women. It just sort of happened because he was sleeping with both P.P. and Marianne at the same time. P.P., who Mick started dating when he was still with Chrissie Shrimpton, also didn’t tell him about what was really going on. He wasn’t aware of her trauma. In one chapter of her book, Mick asked her about Ike and Tina, and she told him Ike was violent, but she never actually told him that Ike raped her. She also didn’t tell Mick that her ex-husband used to beat her. He was always curious as to why she was keen on staying in London, but she never really explained why. She wanted to make records under his label so she wouldn’t have to go back home or with the Ikettes. People weren’t really open about abuse in those days. You just didn’t talk about it. But the Stones all kinda knew about Ike’s violence. Keith, Brian and Bill were also messing with Ikettes and they would tell them about what was going on behind the scenes. And on top of that, even though she was previously married and had children young, P.P. was a bit of a church girl. A lot of Black women and girls in those days didn't have the freedom to explore their sexuality without shame or judgement. White girls can get away with a lot of things that we can’t because we're Black and we’d get called “fast” for it. I think that's where a lot of the hesitation came from. But Mick didn't understand that he's white and from another country. In the book she claimed, "I was a good girl. As boring as that all sounds. Even when I came to England, everybody thinks I’m all hip and everything just because I’m an Afro-American girl. I wasn’t hip! I was boring as hell. And Mick Jagger will tell you that. He was always saying, ‘Why are black girls so uptight?’ Because we have morals. That’s why."

[tetsunabouquet]

Part 2: my Personal Opinion

Now, considering I refered to is as an epic blunder, obviously I am cringing in hindsight. I can understand how for the people from this specific time period, most of whom not having ever seen a black person outside of racist caricatures, would not understand that this could offend some and how it would come to backfire upon them. Still, I too have a icky taste in my mouth for using a specific group of people for commercial reasons. However, that doesn't mean I agree and am happy, with the way it turnt out. In the 80s, there actually was black person who got to play Sinterklaas and there was an entire uproar with the black people in my country included, saying that Sinterklaas is white and the Zwarte Pieten are black. There were some individuals who got hurt, but it never got to the level where the concept actually got called into question, until BLM made a documentary about it and lied about the cultural history behind what painting your skin black meant in our culture. Then protest groups were formed, some of those were legit teased in their childhood, but most were just greedy attention whores, a very notorious example being a Dutch celebrity named Sylvana Simons. She had been one of those celebrities who always flopped and just seemed to latch onto anything to get herself attention. She had switched into politics just around the time the documentary dropped and she latched onto their narrative like a leech. I used to follow art classes with this black girl who actually defended our cultural usage of the Zwarte Pieten and she called Sylvana a crazy banana herself, saying the holiday wasn't meant for adult politics but for the kids. And that is the running sentiment across the anti-protesters, that adults are crashing a children's party as they really do. Because these protestors in a sea of children is a safety hazard, and some towns literally felt forced to comply the agenda's new alternative when they wanted to do the Zwarte Pieten concept. These protests aren't peaceful, when they are literally intimidating a parade filled with children. These protestors are legit bullies, and it got to the point where we got called out by the UN for our tradition. Despite the fact its actually is also very similar to a Persian tradition that actually got put on the world heritage list by the UN... (Dutch Irani actually have also publically defended our tradition because they could see the similarities to their tradition). The new alternative they created, was rainbow colored Pieten, like pink and yellow. Another alternative that has been opted was having your face smudged with black paint like dirty stains but even that look has been criticized by the protestors. Personally I loathe the rainbow concept. Our ancestors painted their skin black as it was the color of death. That's like changing the color of St. Patrick's day, you can't do that! How do all the centuries old childrens songs make sense if they're no longer black? I personally prefer the smudges alternative, but my personal choice? Stop imitating black people, ditch the fake afros and reintroduce bits of the original look!

When I look at these Heilung pictures, I am like, yes! That looks cool, and as a woman I really am digging the alternative look for women. It brings back the Holda theme, as she was both called the White Lady as well as The Black Grandmother (see, how we have habit of nicknames revolving mystical figures of death using the word 'Black'? Zwarte Piet literally used to be our nickname for the grim reaper). I want to keep the roots of my culture alive and not trade in one of the few traditions we have left from our tribal roots for the sake of an American organization and the Dutch citizens reiterating their propoganda for cloud.

Especially considering the hypocrisy of it all: America uses elements of our tradition for commercial purposes, Father Christmas didn't even had an iconic look until Coca Cola created a Sinterklaas rip-off in the 50s. There are entire movies surrounding Christmas, merchandise, etc, etc. I thought the academic definition of cultural appropriation was a company making profit off of a culture's tradition without crediting them and giving them financial compensation. By the academic definition, companies all around the globe but America especially, have been guilty of appropriating Sinterklaas for many years, so many have made millions off of Sinterklaas' back but when they look at Sinterklaas and see something they don't like, that gigantic country bullies our small country they stole it from into compliance. It's sickening how America has gotten away with this behavior so far. I get we should change our look, but America doesn't gets to decide for us what it should look like. America doesn't gets to decide how a foreign cultures history and warpaint gets to look. Wilders holds some radical views, but he is the best man when it comes to putting his foot down and daring to stand against America, considering our previous leader kissed the feet of all important organizations for good PR and money. It's why we're still a tax paradise and arguable got even worse during his reign. Our previous leader was trying not to ruffle anyone's feathers as long as they held status. Our monarchy is another popular example. Whilst Wilders is the opposite. I really wonder how his reign will influence the conversation surrounding Sinterklaas, I really do. I just hope the protestors and the anti-protestors don't end up hurting or scaring some children around this time. Whilst I would love a look that actually goes back to celebrating our culture, their happiness and safety is the most important thing of all.

[keeloves]

My thoughts on Proud Family Louder and Prouder

I have been watching the new reboot of Proud Family Louder and Prouder. It most defitenly lives up to its name. The biggest example being Michael Collins, who in the orginal series was voiced by Phil Lamar, and he was coded as Gay or the implication of him being gay was there in the original show. In the reboot he is voiced by a real life gay man EJ Johnson and they aren't afraid of showing Michael dancing with a boy. Another example would be the new characters having two dads and they say the words "My husband" and kiss on screen. Also the animation is absoutely gorgeous I love that the afros on this show have more of a visible hair texture. The biggest improvements in terms of character designs are Zoey, Michael, Cece and Bobby. Of course the animation is beautiful in general. However with the improvements there are also places where certian areas of the show didn't improve, and the area where the show has gotten ten times worse is the colorism. If you thought the colorism in the original series was bad, its even worse in the new series. The Gross Sisters are still ashy as hell despite the fact they are rappers and probably have enough money to live well and won't have to be Ashy anymore. I know I have said this before but why did they have to do that to Olei,I really wish they have styled her hair differently. She can have locs nut done is a cute way and quite honestly if I didn't know Olei was a girl I would assume that was a boy. I thought this show had enough of masculinizing darker skin black women the biggest example would be Suga Mama her look isn't masculine but her behavior is. Then there is the edition of Maya's character, when they first announced her character I was hyped, a dark skin female character who was averaged size and she was voiced by Keke Palmer but then they say her character was an SJW type and ugh I just wanted her to have hobbies outside of being an SJW. Her writing is really irriating to me because I feel like she is put there to perpetuate the stereotype that dark skin black women and girls are bitter jealosus humans and light skin girls are the beautiful nice and desirable. Maya's reasons for not liking Penny, claiming Penny is shallow, superficial and fake or whatever the reasons are just completely fall flat, especially when she was okay seeing Make Up Boy and giving a ridicoulous ammount of money for a picture, she doesn't mind hanging out with LaCinega as if she isn't the shallowest of all the friends and she didn't even have Maya's back when she was getting bullied for having two gay dads she only befriended Maya because LaCinega wanted something from her. Now I am going to move on to Dijonay, she be that big considering the fact she was a cheerleader in the original show she should be slimmer, she is still a pick me chasing after a boy who doesn't want her, I was hoping she would out grow that and she is still spreading everyone's business around and that's not cute at all. Also her hair is stiff as hell and they couldn't have given her a better hair style? One more thing on the Gross Sisters I wish Gina and Olei would get actual lines instead of just standing around snarling or growling or having a mean look on their face because they could be really interesting characters if written properly and I have said this before and I will say it again they kind of make me wish they were Penny's friends. Penny has some stank friends, they're annoying fake and rude for no reason. Dijonay as I said earlier spreads gossip like wild fire and there was the time she dumped all of her siblings on Penny to go to a concert, LaCienga is shallow, a user and poser and she flirted with Penny's boyfriend, and Zoey is a spinless punk. I mean her being "netural" when Maya and KG were getting bullied for having gay dads was just gross especially since she planned to run for president she wouldn't get my vote just because of that. Also speaking of Maya having two dads why is the white one a cop when she is a huge activist that seems like an odd choice. Anyways when we voiced concerns to Bruce W Smith about

how we would like to see improvements with the characters, he laughed us off gaslit us and then doubled downed on his colorism towards the dark skin female characters. Yes I know I had a long list of complaints but I do still some what enjoy the show, I like that they aren't afraid of having openly gay characters and yes I will continue watching the show but I felt the need to get off of my chest.

[zukump3]

fixated ✰ s. aizawa

aizawa takes interest after you, but he doesn’t really know how to go about it.

genre: fluff, some smut in the second part! fem!reader

warnings: two parter!! aizawa has a CRUSHHHH, he pins after you heavily, counselor!reader. zawa used to have a thing with ms joke, black!reader

a/n: this idea was super cute so i had to write it. i hope you guys like it!!

requested: yes!!

part 2 (coming soon)

Aizawa has never been one for dating. Honestly, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had a relationship.

Back in high school, when he sat in the very desks his students sat in, he was often teased at by Mic about getting a partner. The hero tried to set him up on dates, give random people his number and all types of other methods, but Aizawa was just never interested. No one really caught his attention that way... until Fukukado came along.

She was everything he despised. She was loud, she talked too much, and she never took anything serious. But somehow she made her way into his cold heart and he indulged in her.

He enjoyed his time with her. Underneath all that goofiness she was a sweet woman who cared deeply for her job and her students. Aizawa felt emotions he had never felt with her, and was a bit peeved when they split. However, they remained friends. Since then, he hasn’t bothered dating with anyone.

“Have you seen the new counselor?!” Aizawa opened one eye to see Kaminari and Sero gushing as they entered the class. “She’s sooo hot. And she’s foreign!”

“Doesn’t she speak English and Japanese fluently though? She’s smart and attractive, jeez.” Sero huffed, and Aizawa furrowed his brow, zipping down his zipper on his yellow sleeping bag.

“Who are you talking about?”

“Miss L/N!” They both yelled, making Aizawa blink. “She’s our new counselor. She said parents were complaining that the students mental health wasn’t being cared about enough, so U.A hired her. She’s from America too.”

“America.” Aizawa groaned. He already had an image in his own eyes—a stereotypically one, but oh well. You probably had blonde hair and blue eyes. There was probably nothing special about you at all. His students weren’t as used to foreigners, so of course they would find you attractive.

Throughout the entire day he kept hearing his students chatter about you. About how kind you were, how pretty your voice sounded, how you looked so unique. He was getting peeved—why was everyone so hung up on you?

He carried the thought with him until the end of the day, when he headed down the hall to what seemed to be your room, just as you were leaving.

And—wow. He really understood why everyone was talking about you.

You weren’t blonde haired, blue eyed at all. Your hair was in a fluffy afro, like Mina’s but kinkier. You had the most supple brown skin and dark eyes that lit up when they caught his. His eyes widened a bit at just how radiating you seemed, your multi colored lips raising into a smile.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Aizawa! I’m L/N,” you spoke, your hand pushing out to shake his. He shook your hand silently, noting at how warm your palm was against his cold one. “I’ve heard a lot about you from your students!”

“You’ve met them?” he asked, voice deep with shock.

“Ahh, well, they kind of pranked me earlier,” you said sheepishly. “They came banging on my door and said there was a fire, and that I needed to leave as soon as I could. But then they said they were just joking when I was about to jump out my window,” you laughed, shaking your head. “They’re pretty goofy huh?”

Aizawa couldn’t help but note at how good your Japanese was. He knew English and Japanese were two different languages—you must’ve been pretty smart and hardworking to learn it.

“Well, I have to go do paperwork at my apartment-hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” you smiled once again. Aizawa only nodded and then you were off, with his eyes burning into your back.

His fists clenched. You were much more attractive than he originally imagined. But he wasn’t going to indulge—he knew that would only end badly.

Right?

The next day, Aizawa heard the same chatter about you. And the next. And the next. He didn’t see you again until about a week later, when he saw you chatting with Midnight and Mic in the lunch line. He cringed—the two were notorious for gossiping and he really hoped they weren’t telling you anything stupid.

“And then I—aye yo, Zawa! Good afternoon! Have you met L/N?!” Mic screamed, and Aizawa’s eyes went to meet yours ago. Your hair was styled differently to the point where he could see your eyes better, and it framed your face so nicely. You waved at him and he smiled sheepishly.

“We were just talking about our high school days~” Midnight’s voice rang out. “American high school is reaaaally different from Japanese high school, according to L/N.”

“The students here are really well behaved, especially in Aizawa’s class,” you smiled at him. “You’re doing a damn good job with them. They’re some of the most charming students I’ve seen! The ones in American high school can be really rude and nasty... I haven’t experienced any of that here. It’s nice.”

Aizawa breathed shakily. Thank god his students weren’t embarrassing him.

“L/N here’s got a degree in psychology and all that mental stuff!” Mic yelled once again as you all moved down the lunch line. “She understands da brain! We really needed someone like her here, with all the breakdowns our students have!”

Aizawa huffed. Teachers, too.

“I’m here for everyone,” you spoke. “Students, teachers, even the Recovery Girl if she’s got a lot on her mind. I’m just here to help everybody as much as I can.”

“Aizawa needs some of that help fo sure!” Mic yelled, smiling so hard all of his long, white teeth showed. “Motherheffa never talks to anyone about his feelings, keeps em balled up! That’s not healthy!”

Aizawa’s ears turned red. “No, I don’t need-“

“I’ll help ya!” you offered, moving so your body was right next to his. He couldn’t help but inhale your scent—it was strong and sweet, something he’d never smelled before. “Don’t worry—whatever we discuss in my room stays in my room. It’s something I pledged to do when I became a therapist.”

Aizawa laughed nervously, shaking his head. “I really don’t-“

“It’s okay if you don’t wanna have a session immediately, no worries,” you shrugged. “But I’m here whenever you need me. I have more work to do later, but I’ll see you guys later!”

And then you were off, with Aizawa’s eyes still on your back.

“You’re staring pretty hard Aizawa,” Midnight raised perfectly done eyebrows. “She’s pretty—I would stare too.”

“Be quiet.” He spluttered, his ears still red as he made his way back to his classroom to eat.

Another week had passed of Aizawa admiring you from afar. You always came into work with a smile on your face, greeting students with handshakes and hugs—the hugs threw him off a bit, but Kaminari told him it was an “American thing.” He didn’t know how much he would daydream about it until he started to long for hugs from you, thinking of how your arms would wrap around his middle before class.

He wasn’t obsessed with you, no, but rather infatuated. You were intelligent and easy to approach, and your appearance matched your personality. He was attracted to you but due to him not having a relationship in years and also not having the best social skills, he had no idea how to approach you. He didn’t even know much about you. His students knew you more than he did and you were his age! It made no sense.

Time after time during the third week of you being here he tried to talk to you. During lunch, when Midnight and Mic would force you all to sit together, he would want to open his mouth but he couldn’t. He’d come by your room to start conversations after school but the most he’d say was “have a good evening, L/N.” and leave you alone. He even found your social media and took a quick look through your pictures—leaving your page when he saw you in a bikini, his cheeks red.

By the time the fourth week came around, his students and his work buddies were noticing his changes in behavior. He was getting distracted much more than before and whenever someone would mention your name he’d go scarily silent and look deep in thought. It wasn’t until Mina chatted with the rest of the Bakusquad that his students actually began to do something about it.

“Miss L/N!” you heard Jirou’s voice rang out from your doorway, with some other students from Class 1-A coming in behind you. “Good evening~”

“Good evening Jirou! Hey everyone,” you smiled warmly at the students that were entering your classroom, confused as how many of them were coming in. “What’s up...?”

You had formed a pretty close relationship with the class of 1-A during your short time here. You had sessions with most of them and got to know their personalities and feelings pretty well—even Bakugo, who was closed up and rude at first, but eventually shed a few tears in your room.

“Mr. Aizawa said he needed your help with planning lessons today—he said he’s asked everyone else and they’re all busy,” Mina told you, and your brows furrowed in confusion. Aizawa needs help from... you? That was odd. “He needs you to come by as soon as possible!”

“Oh! Well, alright,” you laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of your neck as you stood up and grabbed your phone. “Thanks for telling me—you all get to your dorms and don’t cause too much noise okay?”

You heard rings of “yes, miss l/n’s” as everyone left your room and you locked it behind you. You started to make your way to Aizawa’s classroom, your palms a little sweaty against your notebook. You hadn’t talked to Aizawa in a while and it was weird that he had requested your help, but you didn’t mind getting closer to him. Truthfully, he had been on your mind a lot the past few days—you found him pretty attractive despite his quiet demeanor. Although, you were a new teacher, and didn’t want to be involved with anyone too early in your school year.

Aizawa jumps a bit when he hears sudden loud knocks on your door, and sees your face come into view. “Good evening, Aizawa. You needed my help?”

“Huh?” Aizawa asked, his face twisted in confusion.

“Jirou and Mina came by and said you needed my help with lesson planning—I’m not the best with planning stuff to teach but I don’t mind offering my assistance,” you offered him your normal, gentle smile. “So where do we start?”

Mina and Jirou? Ugh. Of course they would tell you that.

“Um-um-well,” he stuttered, his face already starting to heat up. “I just need a new quirk training game... yeah. That’s why I need help with.” Fuck. He hoped that sounded believable.

“Okay!” you nodded, suddenly taking a seat that was in the corner of the room and sitting right. Next. To. Him. He had to clench his fists to keep his cool, not used to such an attractive woman being so close to him at all. “Where should we start?”

He spent two hours with you discussing new games to play with his students that would also train their quirks, and those were some of the best two hours of his life.

He so enjoyed the time he spent with you. You were so easygoing and natural to talk to—he didn’t feel awkward or nervous talking to you which is what he feared he would feel in the first place. He cracked more smiles with you in the span of two hours than he did the whole week.

“You can’t just make them play dodgeball with their quirks! They’ll get hurt!”

“We have a Recovery Girl for a reason.” Aizawa rolled his eyes, smirking at the glare he got from you.

“Still! You know some of them—Bakugo—are going to take out their anger on other students,” you huffed.

“But it’ll be fun to watch?”

You were quiet for a moment, but inevitably started smirking along with him. “...you’re right. It will be.”

Together, the both of you planned for Class 1-A dodgeball, with you and Aizawa as the referees. You two even planned to go by the outfits together—and now he was out at a sporting store with you, looking for a fucking black and white striped shirt. He couldn’t believe this.

“I’ve never worn one of these before—you think I’ll look cute in it?” you asked him, raising your eyebrows repeatedly and he couldn’t help but chuckle gently at your antics. “I’m serious!”

“I’m sure you will F/N,” he told you, not even noticing his slip up until a few moments later. “I—I meant-“

“So we’re on second base huhhhh? Don’t worry, I’ve accidentally called you Shota a few times to Mic and Midnight. I’m not used to calling people by their last names, we don’t do that in America.”

“You talk about me?” Aizawa couldn’t help but feel a little proud of the fact.

“What?! Of course not, no.” you quickly shook your head, and he grinned at the flustered look on your face. “The only thing I tell them about is how you need more sleep. Your brain doesn’t function correctly on a small amount of sleep.”

“My brain doesn’t function correctly at all.”

“Wrong. You’re pretty smart, Aizawa. Pretty understanding too,” you hummed, you two walking through the aisles so you could get whistles. “Your students are always telling me how much you care about them, even though you don’t show it. They really appreciate you you know?”

He was expressionless, but his heart did warm a little bit at your words. “I know.”

You two bought the items and soon enough you were back at the school. You got out of his car, sending him a wave and a quick goodbye before heading to your own car, and Aizawa let out the longest sigh of his life.

“Shit.”

[thosewickedlovelies]

Be the Girl You Wish to Meet in the Bar Bathroom

Pairing: Santiago Garcia x F!Reader

Summary: You make a new friend in the bar bathroom. She and her friends help you lure in the hottie she spots checking you out ;)

Rating: T for suggestive themes

Tags: Brief mention/implications of alcohol use.

Word Count: 3,359

A/N: This one goes out to all the drunk girls you've ever met and been uplifted by in bar bathrooms <3 Also for @nathan-bateman ❤

---

“Ugh, my feet are killing me,” your new friend groans as she lowers herself onto the toilet. “This always happens when my friends make me dance with them.” Still seated, she bends over to rub what she can reach of her heel.

Despite the thumping music and the din of bar conversation in the background, you can hear her perfectly fine, seeing as you’re sealed in the tiny bathroom together. You met her a moment ago in line, after you almost stumbled into her and she immediately proceeded to compliment your dress. Now you’re chatting like longtime pals.

A universal feminine experience, a distant part of your mind thinks, with a fuzzy sense of warmth.

“Yeah but you’re so lucky though,” you tell her earnestly, while washing your hands. “My boys hardly ever dance with me, they’re soo lame.” You make an exaggerated pouty face.

You only ever went out with your boys- Frankie, Will, Benny, and Santiago. You had other friends at work, but weren’t quite at the “let’s go out dancing together” stage with any of them yet. Benny and Santi actually did dance, but while you loved them to pieces, it wasn’t quite the same.

Tonight you had reunited at one of your usual spots- a basement bar that was a bit on the divey side, but just trendy enough to have designated space for a dance floor.

“Oh my gosh, you should totally come dance with me and my friends! Every girl needs a girl friend group to dance with.” She looks at looks at you with wide, serious eyes and all the sage certainty of a perfectly tipsy person.

“Oh my gosh, that’s so nice!” You’re genuinely touched at her invitation. “And so true,” you add a beat later, nodding with conviction. You shift away from the sink as she flushes the toilet.

“Yeah!” The brown-haired woman continues to rave about her friends while she washes her hands. “Ready?”

Arm in arm, you leave the bathroom together. You halt almost immediately, however, as the colored lights of the dance floor change abruptly, blinding you with white strobes. You both shriek and giggle as you throw your hands up in defense. You decide to remain where you are while you try to locate her friends.

She spies something else first. “Oooh, don’t look, but there is an absolute Adonis of a man checking you out right now at one of the tables.”

You don’t look, keeping your intrigue under wraps as you continue to scan the room. “Ooh, what does he look like?”

Santiago Garcia had been keeping an eye on the restrooms waiting for you to return, but his relief at your reappearance turns to curiosity as you exit with a woman he’s never seen before. His interest in her fades quickly, though, as the sweeping lights highlight your grinning face and that close-fitting dress. Everything else seems to fade to his peripheries.

He doesn’t know what it is, but he’s captivated by you tonight. Maybe it’s that you haven’t seen as much of each other lately, everyone busy with work and life. He thought he’d been elated at the prospect of a group get-together this evening, but when he kept finding himself frustrated at the guys stealing your attention from him, he wondered if it was just you he’d been excited to see.

Maybe it’s the fact that he can see every man in a ten-foot radius of you right now doing the same thing he is: checking you out. Sizing you up like nothing more than a trophy to add to their collection, as if any of them were good enough for you.

His fingers tighten around his beer as Santiago drags a dark gaze down you. Thinking of all the memories he has associated with you, all the things he’s seen your body do- a connection none of these other suckers can claim. In his brooding, he doesn’t notice the woman beside you noticing him.

“There they are!” Brown Hair squeals. She drags you around the edge of the dance floor to where several people are waving.

There’s a flurry of introduction, but you don’t catch any of their names over the music. A tall woman with noticeably muscled arms; another with deep brown skin and a halo of dense, tiny, blue-dyed curls; a third whose accented greeting you’re just able to catch as the music fades briefly.

Taking advantage of the quiet, Brown Hair speaks. “All right girls, now listen. There was an obscenely gorgeous man checking out our new friend a second ago, and I bet he still is. A few tables behind us, with the hair?”

With the hair? She and you are facing the dance floor, but her friends are facing the bar’s tables, one of which your future man is apparently sitting at. With outstanding coordination and nonchalance, they all manage to identify him over your shoulders, and whistle their approval.

The one who…?” You strain to hear Arm Muscle’s question, but it’s lost beneath a suddenly surging bassline.

Brown Hair darts a quick glance over shoulder and nods.

“That is some nice hair, and I would know,” the blue-afroed beauty smirks and winks at you, before grabbing your hand and tugging you slightly further onto the dance floor. Still close enough to the edge to be plenty visible to anyone seated at a table. “Don’t you worry, we’ll get you that man.”

“I haven’t even seen him!” You protest with a laugh, even as you follow her willingly.

“Girl, all you need to know is that he is insanely hot.” The one with the accent speaks from close behind you. “As your designated girl friend group for tonight, it’s our duty to help you lure him in.”

Conversation becomes impossible in the rhythm of the crowd. You follow their lead, let their hips and hands guide your movements, losing yourself in the uninhibited joy of moving your body to the thumping music. In the whirl of unself-conscious beings all around you, you momentarily forget what brought you out here in the first place.

Until, after some unknown amount of time, Brown Hair twirls to face you. “He’s on the move!” She waggles her eyebrows.

You remember then that you’re supposed to be dancing for some guy. You’re still facing away from the tables, but from in front of you Blue Hair has a clear view over your shoulder. “Mmm, look at his hunky blond friends,” she purrs. “Think he’ll bring them over too?”

Wait. Surely they couldn’t mean…? There had to be more than one table in here with two hunky blond men at it, right??

She spins you around, and you follow her pointing to where Benny and Santiago are standing at their table, the former clapping the latter on the back. Eyes widening, you’re nearly beside yourself wondering which of your boys the girls could possibly be referring to- until Santiago detaches himself from the group.

“Your man is coming!” Accent squeals.

“Wait, he was the one checking me out?” you hiss frantically.

“Undressing you with his eyes, babe,” Brown Hair nods knowingly. The others make sounds of confirmation.

Pope’s dark eyes pin you as makes his way across the room. He weaves through the tables like they aren’t even there, like you’re the only thing worth his attention. Your lips part in shock.

You’d always thought the vague chemistry between you and Santiago was merely a side effect of his natural sexual charisma. Like a power he could turn on and off at will, you’d seen it in action enough times to recognize it. Although...it had never occurred to you to wonder if the chemistry was not, in fact, a side effect, but rather an intended result. Had Santi been deliberately using his powers on you?

Watching him go, Benny chortles. His gaze slides past Santiago to the other women who are still blatantly eyeing their table. “Looks like you might be DD for just yourself tonight, Catfish.” He smirks devilishly and runs a hand through his hair. “Come on, brother.” Will doesn’t react to his sibling’s invitation as he saunters after Pope, only sipping his beer contemplatively.

Frankie snorts at the older brother’s obvious interest. “Get out of here man, they’re definitely checking you out, too. I’ll hang here for a little while longer.”

Will cracks a smile. Draining his glass, he unfurls himself from the table, bright blue eyes roving appreciatively over the women flanking you.

“You’re the man, Francisco.” The taller blond gives him a nod of thanks before following his brother.

Frankie only shakes his head, a faint smile on his lips as he observes the scene unfolding between you and Pope. Finally.

With the hair, indeed. That should have tipped you off straightaway. You’ve been encouraging Santi to grow out his gorgeous curls for probably as long as you’ve known him, but he rarely took leave for long enough to gain any measurable growth. Even short, however, his greying locks reflect the colors of the roaming spotlights as he approaches, making his beauty even more otherworldly.

Dumb with surprise, you don’t have time to plan any kind of reaction before Santiago is there, standing before you with one upturned hand outstretched. “Can I cut in?”

Cooing, your new friends part to allow him unhindered access to you. Although there’s a suave sort of expectancy on his face- he knows what the girls were doing- even in the dim, shifting light you can see the genuine question in his eyes.

You’re still unsure of what he’s playing at, but Santi has never let you down before. Your hand doesn’t waver as you place it in his.

His fingers curl around yours, warm and reassuring. He tears his gaze from you only to briefly address the girls: “My friends are single, by the way.”

As if on cue, you all become aware of Benny and Will sidling up in Santiago’s wake, like two blond, shameless, bad ideas.

Santi is wearing that big shit-eating grin when he turns back to you, and you can’t help but smile at his familiar antics. Laughing, you let him sweep you away, guiding you toward a more remote corner of the dance floor and into a sway that’s breathtakingly gentler than what you were expecting, given the moves with which you and the girls were taunting him.

(If his hold feels gentle, he makes sure it doesn’t look that way: flexing his arms where they rest around your waist and brushing his nose along your hairline, breathing you in and sending menacing glowers to anyone still looking at you.)

You’ve never been this lost for words around Santiago. You’ve danced with him before, technically; but it had never felt like this. You want to speak, but your tongue feels clumsy in your mouth, heavy with the energy between you. As your thoughts churn, his hold shifts, one arm wrapping all the way around your waist to draw you nearer, the other sliding up your spine, fingertips tracing the skin above the back of your dress.

It may have only been a song or two during which you held each other, but it felt like much longer. His light caress sets the blood fizzing in your veins, sparkling like drink mixers, sweet with the promise of bright memories to come.

Finally he speaks. “Is this okay?” Santi murmurs.

Hearing his warm voice in your ear, instead of making you more nervous, grounds you. That familiar, steady timbre, his quiet confidence and trust in you to answer him truthfully. Which you do, because you trust him, too.

“Very,” you profess into his neck. Your nose nearly tucks beneath the collar of his button-down. “Santi…” you hesitate, knowing you want to ask but unsure of what the question is.

He waits, his subtle swaying never faltering.

“Why tonight?” It’s a vague, possibly lame cop-out of a question, but it’s the only way you can think to phrase it. He’ll understand though. Santi can play the fool when he wants, but he knows you, and now isn’t the time.

For several heartbeats, the only response is the rasp of his stubble against your jaw. You swear you feel his lips brush your skin, but before you can properly register the sensation he’s withdrawing to answer.

“Mmm...Well, I don’t need to tell you what those dance moves of yours do to me.” He pinches your side in emphasis, but despite your squirm and flush, you scoff. Santi has seen you dance like that before- he’s been the one dancing with you like that before.

Santiago chuckles, the sound liquid dark. He knew you wouldn’t buy that. “Honestly, I don’t know. Seeing all these other assholes eyeing you up like they’d have a chance...I couldn’t stop myself. I’m just putting them out of their misery, really.”

You snort at his dismissive shrug, knowing his irreverence masks real emotion. You can read it in the lines of his face, each one as dear and familiar to you as the beauty marks on your own. Green and red lights stripe his skin as you study them.

He can’t quite meet your gaze, suddenly. “What are you staring at,” Santi grumbles, burying his face in your neck again.

You giggle at his gruffness, at his breath huffing on the sensitive skin.

“Just your pretty face, Santi,” you croon. You tighten your arms around his shoulders, deliberately wiggling closer so you’re pressed more firmly against him.

His sharp, surprised inhale juts into your chest. But any response he might have given is lost beneath the sudden blare of trumpets from the speakers.

The familiar melody makes you both pause. You lean back just far enough to meet Santiago’s eye; you know he’s anticipating the same thing you are and you both shout: “Shakira, Shakira!”

You squeal as Santi leaps back from you, grabbing your hands and twirling you in a familiar routine. ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ had become, thanks to Benny, Pope’s song, a claim he always pretended to roll his eyes at when the boys brought it up. But he secretly loved it, and rarely missed a chance to show off why.

Your muscles leap into action as he does just that, dancing you to the Latin beat. You’re breathless with laughter, sweat beading on your hairline.

I don’t, don’t really know what I’m doing, but you seem to have a plan...

The tripping guitar notes swirl around you, but Santiago doesn’t let you stumble. He guides you in time with the pounding percussion, his whole body undulating to the rhythm.

All the attraction, the tension...

His arms cross above your head as Santi spins you so your back is pressed to his chest. He holds you close, hands low on your hips, and you lean back into him, relishing the strength in the muscles shifting against your spine. Warmth radiates from him, all-encompassing. He hooks his chin over your shoulder and you turn your head to look at him.

His face is much closer than you were expecting; a thrill bursts in your chest. Curiosity kindles, however, as you take in his expression. You’re not sure if you recognize it. Happy, but searching- like he’s gauging your reaction, or seeing something he hasn’t before.

You don’t have time to dwell on it, though- the song is approaching Benny’s favorite line. You tip your head as if listening, raising your eyebrows at Santi expectantly.

His eyes widen, sparking with recognition at your signal. You jump away-

Let me see you move like you come from Columbia…

The saxophone trills its long, fluttering note and you whoop in admiration at the sight before you. Santiago loops his hips rapidly, letting them sling him in a circle, his elbows held square at chest level. His lips form an “o” of concentration in a spicy expression that would make anyone else look ridiculous. But Santi’s obvious skill and the self-assured confidence with which he always carries himself only makes the whole thing ridiculously sexy.

Santi’s movements cause his shirt to ride up, exposing a sliver of taut, tan skin. Shamelessly you appreciate the visible, flexing muscles in his arms and thighs. His butt in those jeans.

He is grinning and giddy when he faces you again, one corner of his smile crooking higher as he witnesses your glee. Laughing, Santi pulls you back into his arms.

“How many times have you seen me dance like that, cariño? And every time you have the same reaction.” His voice is breathless in your ear.

You bite your lip at the warmth of his broad hands, at what is definitely the kiss of his mouth on your skin.

“I like your dancing, Santi,” you say simply. His pulse thrums beneath your lips as you slowly skim them up his neck in return.

Into the line of his jaw you admit “...I like when you dance with me.”

Santiago brings one hand up to cradle your head, leaning back slightly to look at you. His brown eyes are full of affection. “I love dancing with you.” Creases fan out from his eyes as he smiles and he is so beautiful it makes your heart squeeze.

The moment hovers, both of you hardly daring to hope. Your gaze skips down to his lips despite your best efforts.

You know he sees it when his grasp tightens, his hold at the nape of your neck becoming more deliberate. His face is merely a breath away.

“Cariño?” he murmurs. You’re surprised to see the faintest trace of uncertainty, the question in his eyes. He’s asking if you’re sure.

One eyebrow quirks the tiniest bit. “Santi?” You are.

The uncertainty vanishes, and you kiss him.

He lets out a soft groan in the back of his throat. He hauls you as close as he possibly can, and you arch into him, trying to get closer.

You plunge your hands into his silvery curls with a sigh of satisfaction. You’ve touched his hair before, but never like this- never used it to hold his face to yours. The damp traces of sweat as you twist your fingers in it only add to the surreal euphoria of it all. The flashing lights leave colored impressions against your closed eyelids; the music is a muffled, fading pulse as your senses fill with him.

The sturdy press of Santiago’s body, the smell of him- lingering cologne and the musk of his earlier exertions. His mouth velvety hot, his tongue curling against your own in a way that makes heat expand low in your belly. Increasing desperation infects both of you as you realize you should have done this ages ago.

Dimly you become aware of raucous cheers coming from somewhere nearby. With a gasp you pull your mouth from Santi’s, chest heaving. His lust-blown eyes clear somewhat as you share a shy grin.

Then he looks up, toward where the Miller brothers and your girls are hooting at you. Benny cackles as Santiago gives them a one-fingered salute. You shrug helplessly at the girls, noticing with delight the way they’ve paired off: Benny with his arms around both Accent and Arm Muscles; next to them, Blue Hair’s beautiful brown skin contrasting with Will’s paler complexion.

Overcome with mischief, you duck your head into Santiago’s neck again. Placing your lips where it curves into his shoulder, you flutter your tongue delicately against the flesh before biting down with purpose, laving and nibbling to leave a mark.

Santi sucks in air and you feel a subtle shudder wrack his body. He is still facing your friends; scandalized oooohs sound from their direction, and you're impishly delighted to have made him react in some visible way.

His grip on your head shifts so that one thumb is pressed beneath your chin, guiding your head back up to look at him. He breathes your name, his expression dangerous- but questioning all the same.

Radiating innocence, you grin in answer. “Wanna get out of here, Santi?”

Relief quickly vanishes beneath the promising gleam in his eyes as he takes your hand.