#avoiding common interview

[bibuckaroo]

absolutely hilarious to me that that side of the fandom think the buddie side is the delusional one because of the tim interview when the man himself CLEARLY stated that he had NEVER seen the fandom behaving this badly in all of his years working in the business and the only difference from all the other years to this one is the bt fandom, like genuinely lol.

he also stated about people coming to talk to him and using what he said when there are prints out there of their fandom doing this, like it’s not all of them obviously, just like there are parts of the buddie fandom who can be disrespectful too, but as someone who recently joined the fandom and saw the comings and goings through the years, i can safely say when a fandom is being too much on the disrespectful side and i saw that behavior way more on that side, honestly.

[lifes-little-corner]

common interview mistakes

Walking into a job interview can feel like stepping onto a stage. Every move, word, and gesture is scrutinized. I remember a time when I thought my resume alone would speak for me. I arrived late, fumbled through questions, and left feeling defeated. That experience taught me a valuable lesson: preparation is key. Studies show that 80% of interviewers report that candidates who are unprepared…

[the-proeducator-blog]

Top Reasons Why UK Student Visas Get Rejected (and How to Avoid Them)

The dream of studying in the UK can come to a screeching halt if your student visa application is rejected. While the process of obtaining a UK student visa is straightforward, mistakes or oversight can cost you the opportunity. In this guide, we’ll discuss the most common reasons why UK student visas get rejected and share actionable tips to ensure your application is successful. For a step-by-step breakdown of the application process, check out How to apply for UK student visa.

1. Incomplete or Incorrect Documentation

One of the leading reasons for visa rejections is incomplete or improperly filled documents. The UK visa authorities are strict about adhering to guidelines, and even a minor error can lead to rejection.

What to do:

Double-check every document before submission.

Use the checklist provided during the online application process.

Ensure all personal details match those on your passport.

2. Insufficient Financial Proof

The UK government requires proof that you can support yourself financially during your studies. If the provided financial documents fail to meet the minimum criteria, your visa may be refused.

What to do:

Show bank statements demonstrating the required funds (tuition + living costs) for at least 28 consecutive days.

Make sure the funds are in your or your parent's account (if applicable).

Include an affidavit of support if someone else is funding you.

3. Failing the Credibility Interview

The credibility interview is designed to confirm your intentions to study in the UK and your knowledge of the course/university. Nervousness or insufficient preparation can lead to doubts about your eligibility.

What to do:

Be clear about why you chose your course, university, and the UK.

Research details about your program, such as modules, career prospects, and university ranking.

Practice your responses to common visa interview questions.

4. English Language Requirements Not Met

Applicants must meet the English language requirements, usually by taking an approved English test (IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE). Submitting scores below the accepted threshold can result in visa rejection.

What to do:

Take the English proficiency test seriously and achieve the required score for your course.

Submit valid proof of your English scores.

5. Suspicious or Fraudulent Documents

Providing fake or suspicious documents, intentionally or unintentionally, can result in a visa rejection and even a ban on future applications.

What to do:

Only submit genuine documents.

Work with trusted agencies or advisors to verify paperwork.

If applying independently, carefully follow the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) guidelines.

6. Lack of Travel History or Immigration Violations

If you have no prior travel history or a record of overstaying visas, it may raise concerns for the UK immigration authorities.

What to do:

Be transparent about your travel history during the application.

Avoid providing misleading information about previous visas or stays in other countries.

7. Applying Too Late

Waiting until the last moment to apply can leave no room for corrections or resubmissions in case of errors. Late submissions may also overlap with visa processing delays.

What to do:

Apply at least 3-6 months before your course start date.

Regularly check your application status on the official portal.

How to Avoid a UK Student Visa Rejection

Here’s a quick recap to ensure a smooth approval process:

Carefully prepare your documents and financial proof.

Practice for your credibility interview.

Meet all English language requirements.

Submit genuine documents and accurate information.

Apply early to allow time for corrections if needed.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can significantly improve your chances of securing a UK student visa. To know the complete step-by-step application process, check out this detailed guide: How to apply for UK student visa.

Conclusion

Applying for a UK student visa can feel overwhelming, but with careful preparation and attention to detail, you can ensure success. Avoiding these common pitfalls is key to a smooth and stress-free visa process. Follow the right steps, gather the necessary documents, and ace your interview—your UK academic journey awaits!

If you found this guide helpful, don’t forget to share it with other students aspiring to study in the UK. 🌟

[chillitnz]

Is Your CV Costing You Interviews? 5 Common Mistakes to Fix NOW

We’ve all been there. You spend HOURS crafting the perfect CV (or résumé, if that’s your preferred term!), hit submit, and…crickets. It’s frustrating! Often, it’s not about your experience; it’s small mistakes that send your application to the digital trash bin. That’s why I’ve created a FREE “CV Mistakes to Avoid” checklist. It pinpoints the most common issues that can sabotage an otherwise…

[saint-ambrosef]

I keep seeing people online say that any job offering unlimited PTO is a "scam", because it's reverse psychology and you'll actually take less than normal, or that the manager still has to approve it and won't actually allow more than a few weeks.

I'm sure this can happen, but it's not at all a given! My husband's job offers unlimited PTO and he takes a cumulative average of 6-8 weeks off every year. Management is totally cool with it because he's a good worker who gets his projects done on time, and he's considerate by not taking off during the few weeks of the year that his team crunches for deadlines.

Don't scare people into avoiding jobs that offer good benefits in case they might not pay out. Instead, teach them to ask the right questions during interviews so they can gauge accessibility:

What are common reasons a PTO request may be denied? What's the criteria to be approved?

What's the average amount of time your teammates take off every year? (This will tell you how realistically you will get to take off)

How often do you (the interviewer) take advantage of the PTO policy?

Are there any exceptions to the "unlimited" policy, such as certain weeks of the business year, or length of consecutive PTO days taken at once?

How long does a new employee have to work for the company before the unlimited PTO policy kicks in for them?

Remember, you're allowed to ask questions during interviews! Use it to your advantage. And don't avoid jobs just because someone told you the benefits are too good to be true.

[crushmeeren]

MEN WHO ARE SECRETLY PUSSY HOUNDS. (✿˶˘ ³˘)

⋆ ft. izuku, tamaki, megumi, tobio 𓌹-𓌺

master list link

࣪ . ˖˙ 𖥦 I kind of hate this…… and I made it way too long on accident. But once I started I wanted so badly to finish it, so….. please enjoy while I crawl into a hole. (՞߹ - ߹՞)

Izuku never fails to stand tall in the face of whatever comes his way. The man is an unyielding force in his resolve if he believes in what he’s doing.

Such a statement is simply a fact of life. It’s like declaring that the sky is blue, grass is green, and Midoriya Izuku happens to be the single most determined man you’d ever met.

He’s clever, wicked smart and, as he’s gotten older, he’s managed to get a handle on his nervous stuttering and rambling.

Hell, if you watched him in an interview now, you wouldn’t think to associate him with the humiliating first interview he’d had right out of school that managed to make him go viral overnight. The comments were not kind.

So, as calm and well spoken as Izuku is today, you never expected him to be such a….. such a pussy hound for you. It’s the best way you can describe it.

Izuku fucking loves that tight little pussy of yours in such a gut wrenching manner that he day dreams about it often enough it’s resulted in Bakugou smacking him upside the head to “pay fucking attention,” more than once during department meetings.

The scenarios that run rampant through his mind are more than enough to send all his blood rushing below his bellybutton while he’s at his desk. With the way his stomach clenches and the ache that burns and nags at him to just get. inside. your. fucking. pussy. — well, he’s sure his briefs are sticking to the tip of his cock in the most lewd way.

So, Izuku takes a long lunch.

Just like that, as soon as he gets home, Izuku becomes the stuttering, blushing, babbling mess he was not so long ago. He strides into your kitchen, snaking his arms around your waist and groans when he smells the sweet vanilla scent of your lotion on your neck.

You easily let him grip your hips and lift you up onto the edge of the counter, fingers slipping into your soft sleep shorts and tugging them down and off your ankles. Izuku kisses you frantically, shoving his pants to mid thigh and allowing his cock to bob free and smack his stomach.

He shivers, giving you the prettiest high pitched whine that shoots straight to your pussy when his heavy dick starts stretching you a bit too eagerly. His lips part and his cheeks blossom with a blush so intense you’re sure steam will come from his ears as he bottoms out.

It’s too much too quickly and when you hiss, sinking your nails into his shoulders, all he can do is bury his face in your throat and whimper in apology. You can tell he’s desperate when his voice starts to shake and his hips thrust in shallow motions controlled by a mind of their own.

He babbles, “M’sorry princess, m’so sorry! Your pussy’s so good squeezing my cock, I can’t stay still. God — oh my god, please please let me fuck you!”

It’s fruitless to resist his begging. So suffice to say, you let your blubbering, stupidly hot, pussy hound of a husband use you until you’re both curling your toes and seeing stars.

Tamaki is shy on a good day.

He blushes bubblegum pink, he stammers, he avoids eye contact to the absolute best of his ability during interviews. Of course, he does manage to put on a more approachable front to face the public. If only to show impressionable children that if he can be brave, then they can, but still he struggles with his own anxiety.

It’s only common sense that everyone assumes you’re the more dominate one in the bedroom, and well, they aren’t wrong, per se.

But, there are two sides to every coin, and Tamaki is nothing if not a pussy hound for you.

Granted, his inner dog only comes out every so often, and even then he’s still a desperate puppy who seems to wiggle his way into having control.

And tonight, that’s where you find yourself.

Tamaki swears he can’t help it.

“T-Tamaki, stop!” You push at his shoulders, the warmth of his slick chest presses firmly against your tits and it does not help your resolve in any way. “Let me finish washing my hair at least,” you protest weakly, steam curling up into the air around you both, blanketing the shower in a fog.

Tamaki whines childishly into your throat, sucking at the hollow of it until you shudder in his hold. His fingers tighten on your hips, thumbs tracing the bone softly.

“Please pretty girl, I need you so bad. I wanna feel your pussy sucking on my cock. I’ve wanted it all day,” he pleads against your collarbone, voice pitching higher, dragging out the words at the end as he complains continuously.

He’s been at this for almost the entirety of your mutual shower and, really, it’s not as if you don’t want to have sex with him, you just wanted to finish cleaning off first! Decidedly, you lace your fingers in his drenched purple hair and yank until he pulls back and meets your gaze.

His face is a pretty rosy pink and his eyes are so hooded they’re almost shut, no trace of your shy husband to be found as he stares you down with a searing heat.

Within a heart beat of your agreement he spins you, pushing a hand into the middle of your back and tugging on your hip until your ass is sticking out. You yelp, catching yourself with palms meeting cool tile.

His cock is full and jumps steadily when he rolls his hips to drag it over the lips of your pussy, gasping softly and hanging onto your waist with an iron grip until his weeping tip catches. Then he’s sliding inside and stretching you out completely with one sharp thrust.

One low moan of his name and Tamaki’s wrenching you back to meet each desperate push of his hips. The smack of your skin is so loud it makes your face burn, and the force of it pulls you up onto your toes to keep your balance. This man’s got you biting your fingers just to keep yourself grounded.

Your poor husband’s been so worked up all day that when his panting turns into stuttered breaths and cut off whimpers after about three minutes, you’re not surprised.

“Oh, oh god, I’m gonna cum baby, wanna cum inside. Please can I?” He pleads, eyes glued to where his cock disappears inside your pussy and returns even shinier than before.

He’s crying out, shoving his dick to the root inside you and stuffing you full before you finish nodding yes.

But, it doesn’t bother you much that he finished so fast. Soon after, a soft, warm tongue starts playing with your clit, lazily eating your pussy until you’re licked clean of his release and squirting on his face.

Megumi pretends to be aloof. He pretends that he’s cool, collected, and apathetic. As if nothing ruffles his feathers, and to give him credit, he can be those things.

Yet, he’s also much more. Once you sneak past his prickly exterior, Megumi is the kind of guy who cares so much that he has to pretend he doesn’t or it’ll tear him to shreds. Actions speak louder than words with him.

Most people aren’t privy to the softer side of your sweet husband and he maintains his uncaring attitude to the majority nonetheless. Like it’s some kind of secret.

So you’re sure people would be shocked to find that Megumi can and has, on several occasions, dissolved into a messy, needy, unraveled pussy hound when it comes to you.

When Megumi falls into this sort of mood, he really lets go. He’s been sending you increasingly toe curling texts and pictures all day while you were at work and you just knew what was coming once you returned home.

You find the dark haired man sitting on your couch, shorts and briefs shoved to his thighs and t-shirt rumpled at his collar bone. Slender fingers curl around his cock, jerking himself off slowly, a delicious peachy blush trailing from his cheeks to his nipples.

His head raises up when he spots you, eyes heavy and smoldering when he reaches a hand out to you and makes a grabbing motion.

“C’mere baby, want you so bad,” he murmurs pitifully, hips rolling up to meet his hand when he drags it back down his shaft. You raise an eyebrow in amusement and he pushes out his lower lip.

“You need it that bad Megumi?” You tease, sauntering over to the couch to get a better look at him. He scowls in return but his hand never leaves his cock, thumb swiping over the head which makes him bite his lower lip.

He sinks down a little lower into the couch, brows pinched together to emphasize his pretty little pout. “Don’t be mean. Just ride me.” He pauses, eyeing you. “Please.”

“Awfully demanding for someone who needs my pussy so badly, aren’t you?” The smug smile on your face makes Megumi huff.

You don’t waste much more time teasing after that, too riled up from all the nasty texts he’d sent you throughout the day.

You strip off your clothes, Megumi kicking off his shorts and briefs, yanking his shirt off in similar fashion, tossing them aside. You crawl onto the couch and straddle his lap, raising on your knees and steadying him at the base until you smoothly sit all the way down on his cock.

Megumi’s hands fly to your waist, head tossing backwards and eyes rolling back with a throaty moan when he finally gets the unrelenting tight squeeze on his dick that he’s been longing for since he woke up this morning.

You thread a hand through the hair at the base of his skull and pull until he looks you straight in the eye. He looks pussy drunk already with his glassy eyes and pink cheeks, jaw hanging open as his chest heaves. To think, you haven’t even moved yet.

You ride him slowly at first, listening to his bitten off gasps each time you sit back down. When you start to pick up the pace, Megumi’s eyes widen and his nails pinch your hips.

Megumi pleads with you to no avail. “Oh fuck, your pussy feels amazing princess, I can’t.” His voice takes on the whiny quality that you adore. “Please, s-slow down baby or I’m gonna cum.”

You don’t slow down. You kiss him sweetly, brace a hand on one shoulder, tangle the other in his hair again and fuck him until his breaths are shuddering remnants of a sob and he’s limp on the couch beneath you.

Tobio, without sugar coating it, is arrogant. Don’t get it wrong, he can back that confidence up with the seemingly natural intelligence he has when it comes to volleyball, but he’s clueless with relationships. Not to mention he has zero filter.

But he’s kind. He’s sweet, and you love Tobio so much for trying his very best to understand the ins and outs of what it means to be a good boyfriend to you. He becomes such an easygoing version of himself when he’s alone with you and you get more enamored with him by the day.

That’s why you’re sure people, Hinata, would pay good money for the information that “the king” is a desperate fiend for you. Your very own personal pussy hound.

Tobio commands the court, but he melts into the mattress and becomes putty when you have sex.

Your indifferent boyfriend has been begging you all night to sit on his face, and now that you are, you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

“Jesus Tobio, you’re so good at eating pussy — fuck,” you praise, voice slipping into a whine, hips rolling to drag your swollen clit over his velvet tongue. Your fingers tangle in silky black hair and pull until Tobio’s eyes flutter shut with a husky moan.

One of his hands slide from your hip to your ass and he spanks you, grabbing a handful before he moves it down to squeeze the base of his cock.

You keep your heavy lidded gaze on his pretty face, chest rising and falling with choked off gasps the closer you get to cumming. Tobio licks lazily at your pussy, pushing his tongue inside you and then sucking on your clit.

He cracks open his eyes and warm honey rushes through your veins instead of blood. His cotton candy pink cheeks paint him as the perfect picture of pussy drunk between your thighs, whimpering when you yank on his hair.

It doesn’t take much more for you to cum with a shiver, then Tobio’s wildly shoving you down his body until his heavy cock is nestled against your pussy.

“Baby please,” Tobio whines, large hands kneading your ass, cool air touching your pussy as he spreads you wide open. “I was good yeah? So let me put my cock inside you.”

“Why should I? You’re already about to cum, aren’t you Tobio? Just from a little pussy eating.” You can’t resist the urge to tease him, tone dripping in condescension and a smirk tugging at your lips.

He glances at the wall with a frown, blush roaring back to life with a vengeance, but the cock twitching between your thighs contradicts his petty actions.

“You’re gonna cum as soon as you get inside of me.”

Your boyfriend shoots you a halfhearted glare. “No, I’m not.”

Tobio, in fact, does cum the instant you sit all the way down on his cock. His voice cracks when he does, a sweet cry of your name falling from his lips.

Lucky for you, he stays rock hard afterwards, and he only looks a little dazed. Tobio flips you both and fucks your pussy raw until he has nothing left to give.

[art]

Creator Spotlight: @themetalhiro

Hi, I’m Metal! I’m a freelance artist from good ol’ New Jersey. My favorite things to work with are a lot of bright colors, exaggerated poses, and candid scenarios. I try to farm sensible chuckles whenever I can, so I’m also big into comics. I love making them about my life, and the media I’m into, and one day I’d like to publish my own series!  Thank you to everyone who has gotten me this far!!

Check out Metal's interview below!

Did you originally have a background in art? If not, how did you start?

I guess so! It’s funny, I don’t remember a single time in my life that I wasn’t drawing as a hobby… somewhere in middle school (a little late, I know.) I put the pieces together that animated movies were made by artists, and that it wasn’t just for fun, they were paid to do it. The moment I discovered people could be paid to make art, I decided I would do that, too. Now I’m here!

How has your style developed over the years?

I think the best way to answer this would be with an example! Over the last few years, I have made more of an effort to draw more intentionally, which sounds silly. Now, I put more thought into my poses and step out of my comfort zone with shape language and composition. I had a phase where I drew everyone with a huge, perfectly circular head and no nose. That definitely did not lend much variety...

Which 3 famous artists (dead or alive) would you invite to your dinner party?

Ack! I’m so terrible at history! I’d love to give a well-thought-out answer about fine artists of old, but I don't think we’d have much in common… Most artists I admire and who have driven me forward creatively are the people behind comics I’ve read. Andrew Hussie, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Eiichiro Oda... these guys have inspired me greatly and had a heavy influence in developing my art style and sense of humor. I’d love to ask them questions about their processes and upcoming projects. I think it would make for an entertaining night!

Over the years as an artist, what were your biggest inspirations behind your creativity?

Outside of pure aesthetics like searing bright colors, layered clothing, and loud noises…. the best and most inspiring moments in my life were those surrounded by friends and loved ones! I cherish the hell out of memories of hanging around in fun locations, trying weird food together, and impromptu midnight walks... so I try my best to capture that atmosphere and my own memories in my work when I can, even if I’m imposing fictional characters on top of them. That’s always the core of it.

What is a medium that you have always been intrigued by but would never use yourself?

I would never permanently refuse a medium, but every time I pick up clay, I’m like a baby using its hands for the first time. Absolutely dreadful. If one day I could make and paint a figurine like the ones I admire in videos, that would be awesome... But for now, I’m not counting on it.

How do you want to evolve as a creator?

I’ve had an absolute blast drawing fanart over the years, and it’s certainly played a massive role in my growth as an artist. But my dream has always been to publish my own stories for y'all to enjoy! I have lots of worlds I want to introduce to you before I’m old and gray. I want to get faster, work harder, and get better at drawing interesting settings so I can get the wheels turning as soon as possible. I also want to stop avoiding the color blue like a coward.

What do you wish you knew when you first started out creating art that you know now?

Pay your taxes quarterly. Tablets will break at the exact moment you need them most, so have a spare. Wear your blue light glasses. You’re going to need to wear a brace on every joint on the right side of your body. It can be lonely sitting at your desk all day. The car on the side of the road that costs $1000 cash….. don’t trust it!!!

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

@cranity—They use absolutely beautiful colors and weighty line work. Everything looks so sharp and clean! I wanna put it all up on my wall!

@vewn—Their ability to crank out quality short films and illustrations packed with detail is incredible. The off-kilter perspective they use really sells disorientation and catches your attention like nothing else.

@nelnal—They have absolutely banger character designs again and again, I can’t believe one person’s mind can come up with so many creative ideas!

@jinx88kc—They have a beautiful and recognizable style, and the way they incorporate animation into their illustrations sometimes is SO cool!

Thanks for stopping by, Metal! For more of Metal’s work, follow their Tumblr, @themetalhiro! If you haven't seen their Meet the Artist piece, be sure to check it out here!

[cecilysass]

Sexualizing Scully (in Never Again and the whole series)

I’ve been thinking about CC changing the original Never Again script because he was worried about sexualizing Scully, and I’ve been trying to get inside his head on this issue. Ready for a long essay no one asked for? Okay.

CC’s decision to eliminate the sex scene from Never Again reveals a pretty absolute mindset from him at the time — hanky panky for Scully takes her into a titillating area, which is not okay, because the show doesn’t sexualize Scully. According to ep co-writer Glen Morgan, CC said “every other woman on television was jumping into bed, and they had worked very hard to differentiate Scully from other female television characters.” So button up, Dana.

I admit that like many others (including possibly GA), I have always been frustrated by this particular kind of “we don’t want to sexualize Scully” logic from CC, because it really seems to be confusing sexually objectifying a female character with depicting her acting from sexual motivations which is really only confusing if you’re a straight cis man who is used to thinking any combination of women and sex as somehow being about men’s tastes. In other words, it doesn’t seem problematic to show Scully acting sexually if you’re thinking of a female character as a subject and not as an object.

CC is often credited as being a pioneer in his commitment not to sexualize Scully. Everyone (CC, 1013, media, fans) frequently claims the decision not to emphasize Scully’s sex appeal was rare for TV at the time. This is kind of true, if maybe a little overstated.

By the time Never Again aired, in 1997, primetime TV also had Captain Janeway, Buffy Summers, Murphy Brown, Elaine Benes, Anita Van Buren. These are not “de-sexualized” characters necessarily, but also not at all accurately described as oversexualized stereotypes. Some of those characters predated Scully.  It was a less common choice to deemphasize a female character’s sex appeal on TV, but it’s also not really fair to say it was all Baywatch babe caricatures all the time. I think we can say this was something that was actively changing in the 1990s that would continue to evolve in the next decades. I do think it’s worth observing that some writers of the time had figured out how to write complicated female characters … who also sometimes had sex.

One quibble I have with the “1013 was special because they didn’t sexualize Scully” claim is that … they did sexualize Scully. All the time? No. But sometimes? Absolutely. 

Some of this I just don’t really think is debatable. If this had been a series starring DD and Nicholas Lea, would Krycek nervously take off his clothes in the pilot to show Mulder his bug bites? Well, of course we would have written outstanding horny fic about it if he had, but come on: NO WAY. (Because 1993, heteronormativity, etc.) As it was, they knew they were sexualizing the female lead a little and exploiting both leads’ sexual chemistry as a tease to get audiences interested in their pilot. Come on. They knew. This isn’t rocket science. They had a little show on Fox, and they were trying to get people to watch. 

(There was an interview years ago when GA said something to this effect, too. Something like: the bumps could have been anywhere on my body, but they had to be a place I had to take off my clothes.)

As many have pointed out over the years, Scully was also semi-regularly a focus of male sexual fantasy. Sometimes this was pathological and violent (see: Donnie Pfaster, twice). Other times, this was benign and played for gentle laughs (see: Frohike, Pendrell). Sometimes, the fantasy was quite vividly enacted on screen (see: Philip Padgett, Guy Mann). Please note that I’m not saying this should or shouldn’t have happened, only that it did. 

That said, I think Carter did take pains to avoid sexualizing Scully as an overall principle, and I think this was effective. He emphasized her intellect and her professional motives. We love Scully for this. It’s part of what makes the character who she is. Credit where credit is due.

Unfortunately, he did seem to believe that Scully being seen as a serious character meant not having sex at all. I don’t want to erase asexuality, and I sometimes hear people saying they recognize that in Scully. If this works as representation for people, it’s positive. But for me, I just don’t see Scully written as ace. I think she was being written, by men, as embodying an old trope about women not having sex or being too overtly sexy to be seen as trustworthy or taken seriously (see: Madonna-whore complex).

Now mind you, Mulder’s sexuality was a problem for the show, too. For sure. As with Scully, they wanted him devoted to the quest / platonic partnership only, which means he couldn’t really have an outside romance as a competing motivation for him.  I’d argue this did eventually paint the writers into a MSR corner, because both characters’ energy and emotions were really only focused towards one another as an extension of their quest. But they did let Mulder have porn, lots of suggestive talk, sexually aggressive exes (see: Phoebe, Diana), several ambiguous possible sexual encounters (see: Marita, Diana), and one unambiguous one night stand (see: Kristen). 

Scully does eventually get an ex who directly comes on to her—and notice who gave him to her. She also gets a vibrator in canon—also a female writer—but that takes decades, people, decades. Mulder’s been carrying on with that porn forever by that point.

I think this relates to my cynical idea that Carter’s insistence on avoiding sexualizing Scully is really about his protection of Mulder as his hero / protagonist, not Scully herself. More on that later.

One of my least favorite pieces of “Chris Carter deemphasized Scully’s sexuality” evidence is Ye Olde Story About The Busty Baywatch Network Scully. If you look at any number of interviews with Carter dating back to, say, 1994-1998, he often tells the same story about the network wanting to hire a leggy busty actress to play Scully and him insisting on Plain Jane Gillian Anderson instead. Often Pamela Anderson, the lead actress of Baywatch, is specifically mentioned in the story, or sometimes it’s just a “Baywatch type” actress. 

The repetition of this story is kind of gross, for two big reasons. Reason #1 is that it frames Carter as a hero for ... what? Rejecting the network’s toxic beauty standards to hire absolutely stunning GA, who, yes, is short, but isn’t exactly a radical rethinking of what’s attractive? I understand that Gillian Anderson isn’t “a Baywatch type,” but it’s not like she wasn’t a woman considered sexually appealing by MANY people. Including, incidentally, Chris Carter, who outright admitted Scully was his type. 

It is absolutely good we got GA. No one questions that. But in my opinion Carter got way too many kudos for choosing this supposedly non-sexy actress for Scully. Because honestly. “non-sexy GA” can’t even be said with a straight face. Even DD eventually started saying in 1996 that this story was weird and overdone, although he said it in a kind of an awful way: “That’s overblown. You look at Gillian, and she’s a beautiful woman. And how often do you see Scully in a bathing suit? Gillian’s not 6 feet tall and doesn’t have what’s-her-face’s tits, but she’s got as nice a face as any of them.”

Reason #2 is that Carter’s story seems to remind GA at every turn in those early years that she wasn’t hot enough for success if it weren’t for him insisting on her. This has an especially icky residue given her struggles over body image and equitable salary. (If you don’t think it had the potential to have that effect, just take a gander at DD’s quote when he was probably sincerely trying to be supportive above, and try to get into the toxic 1990s mindset of how people talked about women’s bodies.) 

Finally, one more complication regarding the sexualization of Scully: jealousy. I’d argue the jealousy trope was a kind of sexualization. The show has no issue with jealousy for vaguely sexual / romantic motives coming from Scully, even though the “hot women jealously bickering over the male hero” is a trope that seems pretty clearly derived from straight male sexual fantasies, too. Scully shows jealousy of female rivals for Mulder’s respect or trust early and often. Again, not saying this should or shouldn’t have happened: only that it did. (Actually, if you know me or my fanfic, you know I’m pretty down for some jealousy stories lol.)

In earlier seasons, Scully’s jealousy is played for laughs and is more ambiguously motivated, mixed up with professional jealousy. For example, she’s threatened by Bambi Berenbaum not only because she’s a hot woman who has Mulder’s attention, but also because she’s a competing scientist.  By the Diana arc, Scully’s jealousy is tightly tied to plot and is angst-ridden. It’s also much harder to explain, at least in late season 5’s The End, without romantic jealousy as some sort of driving motive. We can say in One Son there is a professional explanation—she thinks Diana is dirty and Mulder is being disrespectful of his partner—but why on earth is Scully sitting heartbroken in that car in The End if not for personal reasons?

And then there’s this, some cut dialogue from Sixth Extinction that has Scully and Diana arguing over Mulder. Here both characters are written managing to reference one another’s physical appearance in a way that has absolutely no relevance to their ostensibly professional conversation.

There’s no universe in which you can convince me this is in character for Scully (or for Diana really), and it frankly shows objectification of both female characters. But this dialogue was cut, so maybe someone felt similarly at 1013. 

Mulder is not shown as being jealous in the same obvious, overt way, and I don’t think Carter would have let that happen. This is where I start to suspect that the whole “Scully isn’t sexualized” claim of Carter’s is actually more about his protection of Mulder’s character than Scully’s. 

Carter didn’t want to sexualize Scully because he didn’t want Mulder to be seen as the kind of male character who would seriously be distracted by lust for his co-worker and partner beyond easy, low-commitment jokes. He wanted Mulder to be seen as pure of heart (porn aside) and entirely devoted to his quest. He wanted him to have a partner he wouldn’t be thinking dirty thoughts about, especially because 1013’s writers often seem to have a worldview in which desire and respect can’t coexist. And he wanted Scully to be uncomplicatedly devoted to supporting him.

So Scully is jealous of female attention of Mulder because it’s consistent with her devotion to the work, and Mulder is equivalent to their work. But Mulder’s not going to be shown spinning too much about male attention to Scully because he’s gotta stay single-mindedly devoted to the quest. (Until it is a threat specifically to his work, as when it’s Doggett replacing him on multiple levels.) 

Of course, by creating characters who only are interested in this mutual quest and in supporting one another— and then by casting constantly-handsy Duchovny and longing-eyed Anderson and presumably directing them to keep all that shit under control all the time — CC definitely created the perfect hothouse conditions for MSR. Apparently directors were telling them to dial back their performances of scenes all the time. And honestly, that feeling of constant restraint reads in the final cut. Even when they are just sitting there talking about a corpse they always look like they are holding back and buttoning in all these feelings. It’s constantly sexually charged. Desire and respect appear to be sharing space all the time. It’s a textbook case of getting the opposite of what you’re ostensibly trying to do.

I know I’ve touched on some hot button issues here. I welcome discussion if you’re so inclined.

[cryinggirlnamedhelen]

like hollywood and me; that diamond on your ring

synopsis ; diamond rings? pretty common. but diamond rings on your left ring finger while dating the world’s most famous soccer player? definitely not common.

cw ; isagi x fem!reader, characters are aged up (isagi is 24)

now playing ; margaret by lana del rey

isagi yoichi was always among the most trending searches on any platform. usually, it was to search up some sort of incredible goal that he scored or some sort of insult he had thrown at a teammate. occasionally it would be about his relationship with you, perhaps after a cute and romantic social media post or something lovesick that he did with you after a match, such as immediately running over to you and kissing you.

but this time, the most trending search for isagi was isagi marriage.

paparazzi and journalists went crazy, fans went crazy, everyone went crazy. all because of a instagram post made by you, isagi’s girlfriend, of all people. it was a picture of your left hand, except there was something more to it. a gleaming blue diamond sat atop an intricately designed golden band on your ring finger.after zooming in and a few hours of analysis later, a fan even deduced that your name was on the band of the ring. the caption for your post? well, it certainly didn’t help anyone calm down.

guess who just got engaged? @realisagiyoichi, love you🫶

fans and other celebrities bombarded the comment section with both disbelief and congratulatory responses, although some bitter fans left some pretty nasty hate comments, but opposed to what you expected, the responses were overwhelmingly positive.

bachibeemegs : WHATWHATWHAT YOU AND ISAGI ARE GETTING MARRIED CONGRATS!!!🎉🥳👏🎊

reomikageofficial : Congratulations, Isagi and (Y/n). I’m happy for you guys and I wish you guys a happy marriage.

nagisei : congrats :x

shidoufreakyusei : guys im the flower girl trust😈

chigiri.hyoma : you bagged a baddie. im surprised. but congrats anyways, isagi and (y/n).

otoyaeitabrrrr : dont fumble the baddie isagi

karasutabitoe : Congratulations. Try not to get her to divorce you.

hioriyonoquierodinero : Congratulations!😊

charleschevalirizzler : skibidi sigma ohio isagi, you have so much rizz

michaelkaiser_official : ew

isagi took a deep breath, standing right outside the exit of the bastard münchen hq, getting ready for any questions that the media could bombard him with. he had left extra early today just so he could avoid intrusive questions at 8 in the morning, but now that it was 4 in the afternoon, he can’t avoid those questions any longer.

he stepped outside, and just as expected, paparazzi cameras instantly flashed into his eyes as the media crowded him. “isagi, isagi! can you please tell us about your marriage?”

“will you be taking a break from soccer?”

“will you be retiring?”

“do you want any kids?”

“when’s the wedding?”

“does this deny the rumors that you and bachira are gay?”

“uh, one at a time, please.” isagi stated, standing stiff as a board. he should be used to the media already, but he was still just a bit shy with them. “i’ll be taking a break. maybe for seven or eight months; honestly, as long as i can get. i won’t be retiring. kids…yeah, definitely want some, but that’s (y/n)’s choice, not mine. the wedding will probably be sometime in the summer. we’re still planning.” he ignored the last question.

poor isagi was stuck there in the media’s grasp for almost an entire hour before he finally mustered up enough courage to stop the interviews and drive home, his social battery completely drained at this point. stepping into your shared apartment, isagi practically collapsed onto the couch.

“you good? you look dead.” you remarked, stabbing him with a spatula.

“nooooo, leave me alone, im dead.” isagi muttered, turning around to lay on his side. “i really hate paparazzi.” your cat came over, jumping onto the couch and laying on isagi’s body. “why is she so heavy…?”

“you fatten her up all the time, maybe that’s why.” you replied. “get up, fatass. i made dinner.” you poked him with a spatula once more. “i made katsudon.”

isagi nearly jumped up, your cat practically slipping off of his body. “really?! thanks, i really love you!” isagi exclaimed, practically sprinting over to the kitchen. you sat on the couch, holding your fluffy cat in your hands.

“god, your dad’s such a big back. you get your genes from him.” you murmured, stroking your cat’s fur as she purred. “imagine he gets a beer belly when he’s in his forties. now that’ll be hilarious.”

“hey! i heard that!”

you ignored him, continuing to talk to and stroke your cat. but isagi stood leaning against the kitchen’s doorway, arms crossed, his eyes soft as he stared at you. at the end of the day, it didn’t really matter if you were engaged or married or dating. he loved you, no matter what label anyone puts on it.

domesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagidomesticisagi

[philosophicalparadox]

Interesting Itachi notes

(And a bit more about his ancestors because it’s relevant)

//Tumblr is letting me edit posts again, so some info has been corrected for//

Alright, well, I did not anticipate my Kisame list to be so popular — apparently some of that was NOT common fandom knowledge lol. So I figure why not do the same with his partner, especially after I’ve done labors of love to find this information over the years lol

Starting with VA’s first, once again the boy gets duped by translators. I will forever not forgive Crispin Freeman for not cutting loose like he usually does (I.e. Alucard from Hellsing) because it would have matched the energy of the way Itachi speaks in Japanese so much better lol. Contrary to English speaking fandom interpretation, Itachi talks in Japanese pretty much exactly the way Sasuke does (sassy, scathingly sarcastic, dramatic), minus the cussing and with a few more odd word choices. Itachi is fond of, not puns, precisely, but using words and phrases that have deliberately obscure or double meanings. Which is terribly ironic because he’s very direct and to-the-point about a lot of things; he does in fact mince his words, but he also doesn’t waste time talking at length unless he needs to explain something, but even then he is usually pretty short and almost, if not actually, rude about it. He also is, true to fandom interpretation, rather philosophical, which gives him a pretty idiosyncratic way of speaking; he’s bordering on rudely casual (with other Akatsuki members) if not outright being a bratty lil shit (Kisame, and when he’s dissing Madara to Sasuke) but he’s also patently well versed. He reminds me the most of Sasuke and Kakashi when he talks if that helps lol it’s so hard to explain

HOWEVER there’s one exception right at the beginning: when Itachi encounters Kakashi during their trip to Konoha, his entire (informal, rude-ish) register changes, and kicks up to a more polite but still familiar one. He essentially talks to Kakashi like he’s an old colleague, which he is, but that’s really the first clue we get about that. Asuma amd Kurenai also get a formal attention, but it’s more distant; I can only imagine Kisame had lots of questions about that after the fact lolll.

In addition to this, Itachi refers to Jiraiya as -sama, the highest order of honorific, which isn’t unusual for Jiraiya, since he’s a Sannin, however, Itachi pointedly is quite rude to and about Orochimaru, and appears to avoid even saying his name, where possible. This may be to avoid the impression of anything like closeness, since dropping an honorific can mean either disrespect or closeness such that it isn’t a requirement.

According to the Hiden and interviews with Kishimoto He’s basically a pseudo-piscivarian, in that he largely prefers to eat vegetables, especially crunchy ones like cabbage and peppers, and actually detests beef and most meat* . That said, we see him eat fish and chicken in canon, so he probably doesn’t mind white meats. Consensus on pork is non existent. He also, yes, prefers sweet foods, but also likes bitter things. His least favorite flavor profiles are Umami/savory (beef, mushrooms), acidic or spicy food and anything oily or fatty. (He shares the latter in common with Sasuke, though he’s the polar opposite in pretty much every other regard.)

His “hobby” according to Kishimoto is visiting traditional tea houses/shops. He really likes tea, and the relaxed atmosphere is soothing to him. Conversely, and unsurprisingly, he doesn’t like visiting bars or other “crowded” places.

Speaking of hobbies and habits, yes, Itachi does like to cook and clean. There’s canon evidence for this, but Kishi also has confirmed it in interviews.

The Itachi Shinden novel implies that he’s at least baseline knowledgeable about traditional medicine. (More on that later) Whether that’s normal-ish knowledge for ninja, an Uchiha thing, or a quirk of his is unclear. Kakashi has similar knowledge, and he’s a total bookworm, so perhaps they are both simply well read lol.

Maybe it’s well known, but I don’t often see people acknowledging that Itachi 1, specializes in gathering Intel, and 2. That he worked closely with Konoha’s intel division consequently. This is acknowledged directly late in the series by Aoba, Itachi’s genin sensei, who also works for Intel under Ibiki.

I’ve mentioned this in another post, but his name has a triple/quadruple meaning— “Itachi” does translate to “weasel”, but it’s also an old catch-all term for any shape-shifting Youkai, though in particular it’s often associated with Tanuki. It’s also a derogatory term for people that are dubiously trustworthy or whose intentions aren’t always clear, as well as a descriptive word whose best English equivalent is the word “skulking”, or moving around like a fox, acting benign or innocent but clearly up to something.

As a related aside, the in-canon reason for his name probably comes from Izuna, in that he was possibly named after him. “Izuna” translates as “stoat/ermine” — like a mini weasel but far more vicious lol. The name Izuna has multiple meanings also, but is a far more common old name because ermines, the winter form of a stoat, were prized for their snow white pelt— consequently, “Izuna” as a descriptor refers to something that’s pure white, or something that’s easily tainted because of its purity (like ermine pelts, which stain easily).** Which gives Madara’s name, meaning “speckled/blotched/piebald/particolour” at the surface and has a double, derogatory meaning of “blemished, scarred, (as by smallpox)”*** some degree of irony lol.

Back to Itachi though —

Let’s talk about his fighting style: there’s no official data about this, but if you watch martial arts enough it’s fairly obvious that Itachi specifically uses a very Aikido inspired style— aikido is a Japanese martial art that began in Korea, and it specializes in non-lethal disarmament by way of holding or locking an opponent into a particular position where they can’t do shit until they exhaust themselves or give up lol. It’s also a defensive style that relies on the opponent doing most of the attacking, with, again, the intent of the Aikido being to arrest their movements or otherwise disarm them principally by using their own attacks/momentum against them, and by feinting dodges to direct their attacks into prime grappling/locking position. Philosophically, Aikido strongly emphasizes non-violence and is more of a self defense art. A classic example of this that he (sort of) uses in canon is when he (as his fake self) locked Kakashi’s clone into a neck hold that forced eye contact — that is based on an actual move in Aikido that is designed to communicate intent and read the opponent’s, but in his case it just happens to work fantastically with his abilities lol. Probably the reason Kishi chose it as the basis of his moveset.

Speaking of abilities, again there’s no official data on it, but from canon interpretation it’s pretty clear that Itachi’s Genjutsu abilities (especially the Tsukiyomi) rely on the opponent seeing him, not the other way around. He can be totally blind (and in the manga at least he mostly is) and his powers still work fine as long as they seek out eye contact with him. Nearest we can tell the base sharingan works in a similar way, but also requires the user to at least be able to see their victims chakra; it can however be used to enhance other genjutsu that doesn’t originate from the Sharingan itself, as evidenced by Sai’s encounter with Sasuke, so 🤷‍♀️. Who knows how it works; I was just thinking about the fact Itachi doesn’t need hand signs to cast a genjutsu even with just his base sharingan active. He could’ve been bluffing Naruto, but if it’s true that the Sharingan can enhance a genjutsu already cast, it would lend itself to explaining that ability. (Or, in HC territory, maybe he’s taught himself to project some of the Sharingan’s power, much like Shisui could.)

Evidence that Itachi’s illness is probably respiratory comes from two things — in the Shinden novel, he uses an herb called Japanese Knotweed in English, which has medicinal uses principally related to the lungs and heart, since it’s a bronchodilator, and two, from the fact that any time a character in Naruto is severely ill they all seem to have respiratory diseases lol. Hayate dying of what looks like tuberculosis, side characters on their sickbeds with coughs, etc. there’s a cultural and industry reason why that’s so — one, lung diseases are ✨dramatic✨ and two, just like how the Victorians romanticized “consumption” (aka, tuberculosis) Japan did something very similar after an outbreak hit Kyoto in the late 1800’s, probably from a different strain brought by Dutch ships. So the image is engrained.

To add a few notes:

* The fact Itachi hates beef and isn’t fond of meat has…potentially interesting, implications. Meat, especially beef,= masculinity in Japan, so being vegetarian has long since been a very UnMasculine thing to do, and therefore is associated with cross dressers and Queer men in Japan. That he also appreciates feminine pastimes like cooking, cleaning, and tea houses (and by extension ceremonies) sets up a bit of a queer code for him lol.

** I’m not done talking about Izuna lol because, as you’d expect, it’s very often a girl name. Because yknow, purity culture stuff. Yeah Japan had it too.

*** a historical note about Madara because I just can’t justify making another list for him, 1. Madara is a common name for calico cats, especially rare male calicos, and 2. It’s not surprising that there’s a ton of correlation between Madara and historical Nobunaga, but I honestly think he got his name partly because of a stand out feature Nobunaga had — he was severely scarred from smallpox as a child. So it’s possible, though there aren’t historical accounts of it, that he might’ve been jeered at with the derogatory form of Madara. Certainly Oda Nobunaga’s clan fucking hated him lol

Anyway, I’m done for now unless I think of something else. Do with this information what you will. 🕊️

[room-surprise]

New Ryoko Kui Interview from Anime Expo 2024 (Summary/Commentary)

This interview is unintentionally hilarious. It's much shorter than the other interview, and every question was met with either a polite non-answer or a flat-out "No." Kui embodied this elf lady she drew for the entire thing:

Kui really wasn't having any of it. Every time the interviewer tried to ask a leading question about things the fandom thinks are extremely central to the manga, Kui basically answered no/I don't care/You're overthinking it/I wasn't suggesting what you're assuming I was suggesting.

My summary/commentary of the interview under the cut.

Please keep in mind these are my opinions, based on my knowledge of Japanese social conventions, and how I personally read the interview!

Q: Dungeon Meshi is about the power of eating in groups/family, do you have any food memories or recipes you can share with us that are important to you? A: No. (In other interviews Kui has stated that she doesn't like eating, other people seeing her eat, or watching others eat, and that she used to eat her meals in the toilet to avoid being around other people during meals. This is a common thing people who are shy, bullied, or socially avoidant do in Japan.)

Q: What meal in DM do you want to eat? A: None of them, I'm a picky eater.

Q: You obviously love TTRPGs. A: Uh...Not really... I've never played one, I just read about them for research purposes. (In other interviews Kui has stated she's never played a TTRPG because she doesn't have friends she can do it with. The fact that so many people in the world do have that many friends they are that close to was very shocking to her. She was amazed that people would actually role-play in front of other people. This, plus other things Kui has said in the past ("I'm not good at human relationships"), suggests that she's not very socially active.)

Q: Your fantasy ecosystem is so complex, how did you build it? A: I though about it, and then I used my imagination. (This is kind of an ice-cold burn. Like a writer saying "I wrote one word, and then another, and then I kept adding words until the book was done.")

Q: Do you love monsters as much as Laios? A: No. But I do like them a lot, and I've loved them since I was a kid.

Q: How'd you design Laios' ultimate monster? A: I used the childhood memory of wanting to design the coolest, strongest monster.

Q: A lot of fans think Laios is autistic, especially because of his fight with Toshiro. A: I wrote him to be a normal guy that anyone can relate to. I don't think he's special or unusual. Both he and Toshiro have problems and they both need to work on communicating better. (Kui saying she didn't write Laios as autistic doesn't mean you should shit on other fans who read him as autistic. All it means is that he's not canonically autistic, and you can't say "Laios being autistic is the foundation of the entire manga." Kui saying that she didn't intentionally write Laios as autistic doesn't invalidate the interpretation, it just means saying Laios is autistic is an interpretation, and not a concrete fact. Also worth noting that labeling Laios as autistic might come across as very rude for a Japanese person. Kui may not want to call Laios autistic due to social stigma.)

Q: Tell us about the Senshi fanservice. A: Calling it "fanservice" feels wrong to me. He's just an older man who doesn't care if people see his underwear, something I've experienced in real life. It might make some people uncomfortable but Senshi's just living his life, I thought that was funny. Laios is a bit uncomfortable seeing people in their underwear. (Holy shit. This answer is the equivalent of Kui firing a shotgun directly in the interviewer's face and screaming "it's not fucking fanservice." She's being VERY direct for a Japanese person, and implying that she doesn't like people calling the Senshi pantyshots fanservice, that she sees them as comedy.)

Q: But Senshi's handsome isn't he? A: All dwarves are handsome :) (This is a complete non-answer, and after that previous answer, it's very likely Kui is trying to brush the interviewer off. This is most likely Kui saying "Please stop this line of questioning/I don't want to talk about this anymore.")

Q: What inspired Marcille's dungeon lord dress? Her friends all make fun of her but I thought it looked nice. A: There's no specific reference. I made it up to look like her mom's dress and added a childish head covering. The dress is totally normal, her friends making fun of Marcille is a joke. They're just not used to seeing Marcille in that kind of clothing, so it seems weird to them. They don't actually think the dress is that strange or uncool.

Q: Did you expect the strong fan reaction to Marcille and Falin's relationship? A: I don't think about how the fans will react when I'm writing. (Another complete non-answer. She doesn't want to discuss the topic of Farcille and avoids it like a landmine. Honestly, good for her. She wants fans to feel free to think what they want and have their own interpretations.)

Q: Will you write a spin-off about Izutsumi getting revenge on the person who made her? A: Maybe, maybe not. Probably not. I think Izutsumi's pretty happy as she is and just wants to live her life.

In short, Kui's reaction to a lot of the fandom opinion questions was:

EDIT: Also, looking at the headline/page summary for the article, it's uh...insanely misleading.

"We sat down with Kui-sensei at Anime Expo 2024 to discuss the community of food, why Senshi is so sexy, seeing neurodivergence in Laios, and more." Kui literally said no in response to all of those questions, this summary of their own interview implies that there was anything discussed, and not just Kui telling them "no" to each question.

[wosospacegirl]

Skininess is cold - Teen!reader

Summary: Teen reader is developing an eating disorder

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: eating disorder, body issues, low self-worth, mentions of food and wanting to be skinner etc

Masterlist

Notes: Based on this request.

..

It all started at school.

Y/n was a professional athlete at Arsenal, but she was also a 17-year-old girl, so she had to have some sort of education. 

The club and the school had an agreement (a real one, she even had to sign her name and everything) that Y/n would go to school three times a week and take part in all the activities, and the other two days she would do school from home, or well, school from training, as she did her school work between training sessions at Arsenal.

Y/n had a few good friends at school, but she wasn't popular by any means. She wasn't completely left out of her friend groups, at least not intentionally. Her friends were nice, but they were still teenagers and could be a bit mean sometimes.

They didn't quite understand Y/n's career. Sometimes they would make a comment that made it seem like Y/n played football as a hobby rather than a career. 

When these comments were made, Y/n didn't try to explain herself, instead, she leaned forward and let them think what they wanted, afraid that if she over-explained herself and her life, her friend would think she was big-headed.

Sometimes Y/n felt alone, even when she was with her friends or team members. Her friends didn't understand the whole concept of a football career, and her teammates - although they tried to make her feel included - didn't really succeed most of the time.

Her older teammates, such as Leah, Beth and Katie, had taken it upon themselves to 'keep an eye on her', as they put it. They often acted as big sisters, making sure she settled in, did well at school and was healthy. They looked after her a lot, but sometimes it was overwhelming. Y/n also felt that it was difficult to talk to them about things other than football as they were 10 years older than her.

The youngest teammates, such as Alessia, Kyra, Vic and Lotte, weren't so hard to talk to as they had a lot more topics and interests in common, but it was clear that they weren't at the same stage of life. While the girls were planning a night out in clubs and bars after training, Y/n wasn't allowed to go because she was underage.

Y/n often felt like the odd one out. But she hoped that as she got older, things would get better and her teammates would start to see her as a proper teammate, not just a socially awkward football prodigy to be looked after.

Whenever Y/n and her friends sat on the grass during their breaks, the sun on her face and the slight tickling of the grass on her shorts made her feel like a normal 17-year-old. Not like someone with a lot of responsibilities. She was just like her peers at such times: a little moody and insecure at times, but funny and caring.

Y/n wouldn't describe herself as insecure, but in the last few weeks, she had noticed how frustrated she would get when trying to pick an outfit for the day, or how her heart would beat faster just thinking about media day and interviews.

But being a 17-year-old girl wasn't easy, especially when that 17-year-old girl was also a baller.

Y/n had always eaten well. She balanced her meals and was never hungry. She couldn't be, she was a growing athlete who needed nutrients to perform well and avoid injury. She had spent her whole life, since her youth group, listening to doctors and nutritionists talk about the importance of nutrition in an athlete's life.

Unfortunately, her friend hadn't grown up hearing the same things.

When they ate lunch together, one of them would point out how much bigger Y/n's portions were compared to the rest of the table. This made the food taste bitter in her mouth and Y/n suddenly felt too small, but she tried to brush it off with not-so-funny jokes about how she was just a naturally hungry person.

Y/n had to do an hour of PA at school, even though she was an almost full-time athlete. The school had given her the option of practising football, netball or athletics. Y/n didn't hate herself, so she didn't choose football; she also didn't want to be involved in any more team activities, so netball was easily crossed off her list, leaving Y/n with athletics.

Athletics was cool. She did mostly middle-distance races and was actually good at it - mostly, of course, because of her training and all the physiotherapy she did at Arsenal.

Running was fun because Y/n only needed herself to do it, and when she ran she could put all her thoughts into perspective and do something good for her body at the same time, which also helped with her football performance.

The feeling of her feet hitting the ground was liberating. The little bead of sweat running down her neck was somehow comforting.

The only part of athletics she didn't like was having to share the changing room with her other classmates. Y/n was used to changing in front of people, they did it all the time at Arsenal, but her teammates at Arsenal didn't stare at her or make comments about her body.

She was quickly in the changing room and went straight to her locker to get her PE kit, right next to Abigail. She was in the athletics team too, but she only did sprints. 

Abigail and Y/n had never talked much before, so Y/n was surprised when Abigail turned to her bluntly.

"Wow, you've got big shoulders for a girl," Abigail had said, there seemed to be no malice in her voice, it was more like a statement of fact, but Y/n didn't appreciate it either way.

Y/n quickly took her tracking shirt and put it on, trying to hide her body without the others noticing. She didn't know how or what to say to Abigail, so she just smiled awkwardly at her before heading for the track.

It wasn't the first time someone had mentioned Y/n's body and how it didn't really fit in with what they thought a girl's body should look like. Y/n didn't quite understand, a girl's body was a girl's body. But she couldn't help being a little too confident and, well, different.

During the run, she kept pulling her shirt a few centimeters down her arm, but the fabric never seemed to cover enough skin.

..

It was a chilly Thursday night and Y/n was sprawled on the floor of her room, the rough carpet itching the outside of her tight irritatingly.

Thursday nights were the worst because Y/n had training at Arsenal from morning till night, and then she had to go home and do her schoolwork, all the while trying to maintain an eight-hour sleep schedule and get up at 6 am for in-person school the next day.

Y/n had a lot on her plate; she had a test coming up next week, a book to read for English class, and a whole essay waiting to be written.

On top of that, Beth had been bothering her throughout the training session, insisting that her tackling was sloppy. 

Beth wasn't wrong, with so much on her plate, Y/n got too caught up in her own thoughts and didn't give a hundred per cent in training. 

Y/n sighed and looked disdainfully at the textbooks scattered around her room. The young girl rolled her eyes before picking up her phone and scrolling through Instagram. Fuck school. The faint glow of the phone lit up Y/n's face as she scrolled through her friends' selfies.

Her friend didn't have to worry about looking professional, calm and collected on their Instagram page. They could post teenage stuff, blurry selfies or group pictures gone wrong for the whole world to see.

Y/n had to create a second, private account outside her main one. On this, she could post whatever she wanted, but only her friends and a few of her teammates followed her. She preferred it that way, as did her media team. They had come to a compromise: she would post match day pictures and behind the scenes on her professional account, and keep her private account for whatever she wanted to post, with no pressure to keep up a façade.

Y/n was scrolling away and noticed how many #ThrowbackThurdays there were in her feed. She decided she might as well join in. 

It had been a while since she'd posted anything anyway, and frankly, she was so drained from the day at Arsenal that she just wanted to be a stupid teenager posting some pictures with a stupid hashtag.

She scrolled through her gallery and picked out a few pictures, most of them were selfies with her friends or random pictures taken throughout her day. She went through a few more until she found one from months ago.

In the picture, Y/n was sitting on the bed, legs spread, wearing a brown vest with matching tailored trousers. It was a mirror selfie, the phone slightly covering her face, but you could still see part of her left side.

It wasn't a thirst trap by all means, of course not. She was completely covered except for her arms, as she wasn't wearing a t-shirt under the vest.

She wasn't sure she looked good at all. The pimple on her face bothered her, she even thought about editing the picture to take it off. Y/n rolled on the carpet and stared at the picture some more. I mean, why shouldn't she post it? Maybe her friends would even give her a bit of a boost, her ego needed it today, right?

In a few seconds, the pictures were posted. 

Minutes later, Y/n was asleep.

..

The next morning Y/n woke up with a carpet burn on her cheek from sleeping on the rug on the floor. The pain in her back also reminded her why she should always sleep on her bed. 

Y/n rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched herself. But the phone in the corner of her eye caught her attention, the screen bright and buzzing, the annoying sounds of notifications filling the room.

Frowning, Y/n picked up the phone. Surely someone had died; that was the only reason she had so many notifications on her screen. But as Y/n unlocked her phone, she realised what she had done the night before.

13,456 likes.

548 comments. 

Her heart dropped.

She had posted the picture on her main account, not her private one.

Of course, it wasn't anything inappropriate or anything that could get her in trouble. It was just a nice picture of her feeling confident while wearing something a little more stylish to Arsenal's annual women's dinner. 

Still, she thought she was posting it on her private profile. She expected two or three comments from her friends, but now even sports profiles like Sky Sport and Barclays WSL had commented.

Y/n ran her hands dramatically over her face. If she had been born a Victorian child, her life would be easier. 

Would it be embarrassing to just delete it and pretend it never happened? Fuck the 21st century and its social media-induced anxiety.

At first, Y/n thought about just deleting it, but then she saw that even her teammates had commented on it. Reading through the comments, she found some of her teammates. Kyra was true to her form.

Leah Williamson: Great way to show the world you're alive, kiddo.

Alessia Russo: Love the whole outfit xoxo

Katie McCabe: ❤️

Beth Mead: Look who showed up! Gorgeous girl.

Kyra Conney-Cross: Did someone hack u or something?

As she scrolled through the comments, she read some that weren't so nice. There were comments about her footballing ability, people criticising her lack of skill and people commenting on her body.

Some comments were downright mean. Others were more subtle. As she read them, her chest grew heavier and her eyes filled with tears.

She shouldn't care about the comments, they were bullshit... but what if they weren't? Maybe she should start paying more attention to how her body looked, instead of just worrying about her health and performance. 

Abigail's words continued to play on Y/n's mind. Yes, she had a big shoulder, but if she ate a little less she could look different. 

Y/n professional footballers could have different bodies. Some players were shorter, some taller, some girls were big and strong, and some were slim. Y/n just wanted to be on the slimmer side for once. 

Y/n quickly got ready for school and took the tube, the loud noises of people talking around her made her feel uncomfortable, her palms were clammy and it seemed she couldn't help but tap her foot anxiously on the floor.

She still hadn't deleted the post. She probably wasn't going to, since a lot of people had already commented on it and the small Woso community on Twitter was talking about it. If Y/n deleted it, she would probably just stir things up even more.

At lunchtime that day, Y/n decided not to eat as she usually did. Instead, she chose a small portion of fried chicken and carrots. She was still hungry afterwards but decided to just concentrate on her schoolwork for the day and ignore the rumbling in her stomach and the headache that was forming in her frontal lobe.

When Y/n's school was over, she went straight to the tube, not stopping to say goodbye to her friends. She was already late for practice and, to be honest, her day at school had been awful. She zoned out during lessons and didn't pay any attention to what the teacher was saying about the next exam.

On the drive to Arsenal, Y/n scrolled through her Instagram. She had gained more and more followers, and the growing number made her feel a little sick. It was strange to go from 15,000 followers to 47,000 in less than a day.

It felt even stranger when half of her followers were still commenting on her pictures, pointing out the negative aspects of her body. Y/n knew they were just haters, but it still hit her in a bad way.

Arriving at Arsenal, she quickly greeted the staff and went to change into her training kit. She unexpectedly found Leah in the changing room, thinking all the girls were already on the pitch as she was the one who was running late.

"Hey kiddo," Leah said with a smile as she pulled on her boots. "Good thing you showed up, Renée was worried you got detention or something."

Y/n rolled her eyes playfully and pulled her hair into a ponytail. "Why does she always think I'm in detention when I'm late? I've never been in trouble before."

"First time for everything," Leah shrugged. "How was your day? Mine was awful, we had a lot of media day to do and you know I hate that."

Y/n smiled. "Mine was okay, at least I didn't have to stand in front of a camera all day, but I'm really sick of them lately, so I get your annoyance."

Leah gave her a look. "You're sick of cameras? You literally posted a picture yesterday. I feel like it's the first time I've seen a picture of you on Instagram that wasn't taken during a match."

"Well, that was a mistake, it wasn't supposed to be on my main account," Y/n explained, "and that's part of the reason why I'm sick of cameras...the media, everything that comes with it."

"But why? You look pretty, it's okay to post things about your own life, it helps people realise that you're not a robot and that you have a life outside the pitch."

"Well, yeah, but people are just mean," Y/n muttered. She hadn't intended to have this kind of conversation with Leah, not today. It wasn't that she didn't feel comfortable talking to Leah, but sometimes she found it hard to open up about personal things.

She would go to her captain if she had problems on the pitch. Would she tell Leah straight out that she had a body image problem? No. It felt too personal, too vulnerable and overall just embarrassing.

Leah frowned. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

Y/n fidgeted in silence for a few seconds, not meeting Leah's eyes. Leah just stared at her, eyes wide, waiting for Y/n to tell her what was bothering her.

The Captain was very good at the silent and staring game, so Y/n gave in.

"It's that... some people just talk about how I look and how I should look and it's frustrating," Y/n finally let out a blurt. "I feel like it's never enough."

"I'm either too strong and muscular to be considered pretty, or too delicate like people my age. But at the same time, I can't look like most teenagers because most teenagers aren't professional athletes and don't have the same routine as we do."

When Y/n had finished talking, she realised that she had been holding on to her locker door a little too tightly.

It felt good to get her feelings out, her emotions weren't as heavy anymore, but the blush creeping across her face reminded her how uncomfortable she felt when she had to open up to someone.

"Oh kid, I didn't know you were going through this," Leah said, sitting down on one of the benches and patting the seat next to her. "Sit here, we can talk about it."

Leah looked at her pitifully. Y/n didn't like it very much, but she appreciated that Leah was trying to be supportive. Sometimes she forgot how Leah was in her shoes, having been a teenage professional footballer for Arsenal years ago.

But Leah, unlike Y/n, didn't really care what other people thought or what their opinions were. Y/n had a lot to learn from Leah, but the clock on the dressing room wall said she didn't have time to learn from Leah at the moment.

"Don't worry about it. It's no big deal," Y/n lied but still smiled at Leah.

The older girl didn't seem to believe her.

"I'm serious, I don't want you to feel like you have to keep things to yourself," Leah said in a soft voice that Y/n wasn't used to hearing. "It's hard being a teenager and having big responsibilities, but you have me if you ever need someone to talk to." 

"Thanks, Le, but I'm fine, really," Y/n insisted, knowing that Leha wasn't the type to keep pushing. 

"Well, I trust you'll ask someone if you need help," Leah finished, putting her arms around Y/n's shoulders and leading them to the field. 

After a hard training session, the whole team gathered on the pitch, sweat on everyone's face. There was a big game coming up against Liverpool and Renée wasn't playing around, she insisted on working on everyone's speed and resistance. 

Y/n thought she was going to be sick if she was honest. She didn't know if it was because the training was particularly hard or because it had been hours since Y/n had eaten, but by the end of the session her vision was blurred and her legs felt like jelly.

The youngest player sat down next to Kyra while Beth went around throwing protein bars at everyone.

"Protein bar distribution system." Beth kept shouting.

"Eat it up, kid, and don't say we don't share," Beth joked as a strawberry and white chocolate protein bar was thrown into Y/n's lap. 

Y/n took the snack in her hands, fiddling with the wrapper as she debated whether or not to eat it. She was hungry, her head hurt and she was in a bad mood, but she didn't want to eat. 

She could be strong enough to resist. It would all be for the greater good, a few weeks of eating less and she would be thinner. And then maybe the way her body looked wouldn't be a problem anymore.

The sun went down and all the girls talked and laughed. Y/n also tried to make conversation with Kyra and Alessia, but the older girls noticed that something was wrong with her.

"Bad day today?" Kyra asked, taking a sip of water and opening one of the protein bars. Hers had a nut and caramel flavour, and Y/n could smell the sugary scent. "You seem tired." 

Y/n could hear her stomach growling but decided to ignore it. She could have an apple and some tea at home.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm just... I've got stuff to do at school." Y/n said. It wasn't necessarily a lie, but she didn't reveal what was really bothering her. It was enough that Leah already knew about the whole Instagram thing. 

Y/n didn't want everyone in the team hovering over her, especially Kyra and Alessia, who were the only ones who treated her like a friend rather than a little sister. Alessia and Kyra were cool and Y/n wanted to be cool too.

"I get it. School is a nightmare." Kyra said, taking a bite out of the bar before lightly tapping Alessia's shoulder as she sat right next to Kyra. 

"You can always ask Lessie for help, she went to university and all," Kyra added cheekily. 

Alessia rolled her eyes playfully at Kyra but gave Y/n a warm smile. "Kyra's annoying but she's right, if you're having trouble with any subjects just let me know, you can come to my house and I'll help you study."

"Am I invited too?" Kyra asked with a pout on her face. 

"You won't be of any help," Y/n said.

"Rude," Kyra replied, but changed the subject, "Hey, aren't you going to eat that? Please don’t make me and Alessia eat everything alone!" she joked, as she pointed at the protein bar, long forgotten by Y/n's side.

Y/n bit her lip. "I'm not hungry."

"Really? I thought you'd be starving after all that running," Kyra said. “Aren’t you going through puberty or something like that?" She teased, “I thought growing athletes should eat more.

"I had a full lunch today," Y/n lied. "I'm fine, I'll eat later. And please never use the word puberty around me again or else I’ll kick the ball in my own face"

Alessia and Kyra laughed at Y/n and didn’t say anything back. The three got caught up in other conversations and Y/n was happy they didn't keep on pushing.

She didn’t want to bother them with whatever she had going on. Alessia and Kyra always looked so confident and good in their skin, Y/n didn’t want to look like the awkward insecure teen.

Y/n the thoughts forming in her head weren’t good or healthy, but it seemed like they were stronger than her, and getting louder each day.

..

Notes: Please like, share and let me know what you think! Feedback is important and makes me want to write even more. :D

Notes//2: if somebody liked it I can write part 2 :)

Read more of my work here -> Masterlist

[creatingblackcharacters]

do you have any advice on creating a poc gangster from the 1920s? I don’t want to make anything about him to be stereotypical and I want to avoid any missteps. He smokes cigarettes because he grew up in the 1920s and he earned immortality around that time so yeah, he gambles a small amount, particularly card games (most common type of gambling at the time) and he has magic (kind of oracle-like magic where he can recreate scenes from the past as allusions and predict possible futures)

I do not know how to write a gangster of color in the 1920s, but I do have advice for writing a Black gangster in the 1920s!

(the terms are not synonymous, y'all! Say Black when you mean Black.)

I would suggest researching the era itself, including 1920s fashion, writing, Black culture. Even within mafia communities, we were still treated differently in comparison to Italian, Jewish, and Irish gangs, for example (even in The Godfather, they mention "leaving the drugs to the n****rs"). Watch Black American movies, and study plays and stories of the time!

Gambling- "the numbers"- was also a thing- why not let him be involved? Shit, he could make beaucoup with them powers lmao. Especially in the roaring 20s?? The early Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance?? Then he gets to the 1930s where they say no alcohol but he could predict- this man could do so much. I would be criminal with those powers 🤣

Hell, you could watch Interview With The Vampire lmao, Louis lives within that time as a Black gangster, now damned with immortality.

But yeah, I would also refer to my pinned for my lessons on stereotypes and violence. You can write a Black gangster doing bad shit without being racist about Black people as a writer and within your narrative. It depends on what type of story you want to tell.

[icyowl]

Body (aka Kirishima gets hit with a quirk-altering bullet)

Pairing: Kirishima x reader

Request: none

Synopsis: kirishima gets hit with a bullet that makes his quirk go out of control. You help him, bakugo helps you both. 2k.

A/N: my good old angst-to-comfort trope

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

His roars bordered on the inhuman, with enough power to hurt your eardrums even from down the hall. The grueling aftermath of villainy greeted you with shades of red and black.

Kirishima — the man that threw motorcycles and carried you to bed and did interviews when no one else would and took your temperature with his lips on your forehead and never wanted anything for himself — now writhed and arched off the gurney like he was trying to push his own soul out of his body to avoid the agony gripping his system. His hardening quirk was activated so thoroughly that he scarcely resembled a person anymore. Jagged edges covered his entire body and his thrashing made the muscles creak and groan under the strain. The sharpness meant he cut holes in the bedding of the cot with each movement and stuffing and feathers were hanging in the air amongst the commotion.

“AHHHHH!” He wouldn’t stop screaming; it was endless, piercing, powerful enough to make your heart refuse to beat for a time. Around him the nurses were frenzied.

“His skin's too hard for the needles — we can’t give him any morphine!”

“His organs are hardening. If we don’t get this under control he’ll suffocate!”

“Fuck, I can’t even touch him without getting cut!”

His eyes, no doubt hard as stone and painful to move, nevertheless shifted across the room and all but put the fear of god into you. Jagged, warped, and unrecognizable. His voice, distorted from the pain and struggling, still worked hard to stay as calm as possible while he spoke.

“Get h-h-her… outta here.”

Kirishima’s eyes rolled in an unnatural direction just as a hulking shadow moved from its spot hiding inside the doorway to block your view.

“Come on.” Bakugo said. His eyes stayed low. Grime covered his body and his nose lost its signature pinch; he shared your hardships. Past six feet tall and still sporting his combat gear, it made it very easy for him to keep you from the man who pinched your cheek just hours ago.

“But-”

“Now.”

Bakugo moved down the hallway with you, to join you or to make sure you didn’t turn around, you didn’t know. You didn't realize you hadn't taken a breath until your vision spotted and Bakugo was there to hold you up against the wall. Had you been falling?

“Inhale.” He ordered.

You all but heaved. The waterworks rushed. “Sorr-”

“Don't.” Bakugo looked down the hall, searching for something. “Can you stay on your feet while I get you some water?”

Whether or not it was true, you nodded. His domineering shadow parted to let the cold, stale hospital air turn your skin to trembling gooseflesh. You hunched, your hands coming to hold yourself together. The horrific twisting in the flesh just above your pelvis had you feeling to see if your soul had spilled out onto the ground. Breathing was a gargantuan struggle and the only thing you could focus on to stay conscious. Eijiro had been hurt before, but you’d never seen his own quirk betray him.

Dry styrofoam pressed against your mouth. “Drink,” Bakugo said. He tipped it while you gulped - a distant image of you as a child came up - until the water was gone. Your inhale was a ragged, pathetic little thing. Bakugo pulled you under his chin and locked his arms tight around you. Others in the hospital paid you no mind, perhaps because this was a common occurrence or because they didn’t want to burst that imaginary aura around a hero. His hands petted your hair and rubbed your back while you fought the monster chewing at your heart to maintain some composure.

A particularly loud scream from down the hall drove a javelin through your chest.

Bakugo spoke over Kirishima’s throes of anguish: “he’s too tough to die, so you better kill those tears and be ready to help him when he gets through this.”

You nodded, wiping the water away. Thoughts of recovery welled up: how long would it take, would he ever be normal, did you need to consider another job or a loan, who could help you, what if he couldn’t be a hero - not because you liked it, but because he loved it. If he couldn’t stay at the agency with Bakugo—

Another of his wails made you jolt. Bakugo looked at you: eyes unseeing, shoulders bunched, hands trembling. His hulking mass stepped up, blocking out the ceiling light, but his arms were affectionate when they pulled you in and wrapped you tight. He even petted your hair.

“He needs you to fight right now.” He said.

You stood for an unknown time, feeding off his warmth despite the rough combat gear and hoping your tears hadn’t soaked through. It was impossible to stop them all.

Bakugo lifted his head. Whatever he saw made him stiffen.

“What do you want?” He growled.

Behind you was a tall, slender man in a pinstripe suit. He adjusted his glasses, unbothered by Bakugo’s tone, and clicked his pen off his clipboard. You recognised him, but only just. He’d been on TV before, taking interviews, but memory couldn’t tell what he’d said or who he was with. “Do you have a minute?” He asked. “Just need to ask you a few questions.”

“Oh yeah, we’re not busy at all.” Bakugo replied. His scowl was deeper than usual and his arms kept you to him - there was no way to properly introduce yourself or approach the man.

“I understand this is stressful, but the more you cooperate, the sooner I’ll leave.”

“Then hurry up, commissioner.”

The man raised a brow at you. “Are you sure she should be a part of this?”

Bakugo bit back with a vengeance. “Ask her yourself! I’m not his emergency contact.”

“Yes, but,” he finally faced you, “I’ll be discussing facts of their battle, how Red Riot ended up in the hospital/like this. . . are you sure you want to stay?”

Another scream from the distance. Another jolt from you. Bakugo ushered the three of you outside. The dark sky looked ready to burst, and you hugged your own arms against the wind yanking at your hair and clothes. For the first time since you could remember, the sound of distant thunder made you jump. You were content to stand there and tremble but Bakugo ushered you to a bench and helped you fall into the seat. He watched you watch some kids play on a playground nearby; not a care about the surrounding storm or nearing rain.

He had to use every bit of his strength to pry you hand open. When he did, he caressed it in his own, curling your fingers over his to start a gentle thumb war. You breathed out a quiet laugh. Kirishima had done the same no less than a week ago after a hard day at work.

“Thanks.” You whispered.

“Alright Bakugo,” the man said, clicking his pen a few times, “she’s calmer now, let’s go inside—”

“She deserved to know.” He hissed.

The commissioner settled the pen in his gaunt fingers. “If you insist.” He replied.

“We finally found the manufacture for the enhancer bullets - it was right where that weasel said it was. He didn’t warn us about the ambush, though. Kirishima and I were prepared, but there’s only so much you can do against an expert marksman.”

Bakugo took a long breath, holding his chin, eyes fixed in the dirt. Thunder growled.

“He took the bullet meant for me. The sniper was far away, and my vision was blocked, but Kirishima saw it. I was pinned, but he got free - got in the way. I keep telling him to lay off the heroics, but,” he turned to you, “when he wakes, I’ll make sure he never does anything like that again.”

“I don’t think you’ll succeed.” You said. Torn nylon scrubbed your skin when you picked up Bakugo’s hand. All your handywork had been damaged in one mission.

Dynamight burned the commissioner in the flames of his gaze when he spoke to him. “You can’t get mad at him, sir. He did what he had to. If that bullet had gotten me instead. . . I’d have leveled the city, and killed a lotta people doing it, too. Kirishima’s quirk is much more containable, being a transformation type. He knew the bullet would only affect him, and no one else would get hurt. He saved a lot of people,” he finished, then, after meeting your eyes, added, “myself included.”

—

Eijiro didn’t wake in the way you’d hoped. Consciousness came to him in a rush, full of pain. He gargled around the breathing tube shoved down his throat and he ripped his hand from yours in his struggle. He would have yanked his breathing tube out of his mouth had you not rushed to hold down his shoulders and ease his unintelligible cries.

“Easy, Red, it’s okay, you’re gonna be okay, just try and relax.” You urged despite the weight on your ribs. All at once you tried all his favorite comforts: kissing the pinch between his brows, stroking his chin with your thumbs, caressing the top of his ear. He stilled, afraid to move, but the quick exhales wouldn’t ease.

You continued to soothe when his pupils remained engorged even under the bright light. He had become hard to recognize, but not because of the juts and ridges still transforming his skin. Even hours later, they hadn’t gone away. “They said until your lungs are back to normal, you’ll have to be on a ventilator. Is the tube bothering you? I can get the nurse?”

He shook his head, a wet wheeze coming from his mouth, and he swallowed, groaned, whimpered, a broken kind of sound, and reached for your face. You cocooned his hand between two of yours and your cheek, kissing the stony skin and carefully evading any juts or ridges.

He looked at your hands holding his, at the cuts on your face and arms he knew he caused, and began to cry. His pulled his hand from yours slowly, carefully, until he could touch the cut on your cheek and neck with one of his knuckles that was normal. A whimper pulled your chest in two. He promised he’d never hurt you. The ring on your hand said as much.

“You barely broke the skin, Red, it’s okay.” You brushed his hair back and thumbed at the freckles on his nose. “You tried so hard not to hurt me, and you didn’t. You were so brave, taking that bullet. I can’t imagine how scary that was - they said your whole body was solidifying - but we’re gonna take care of you.”

He looked at his hands, then at you. Throughout his whole body he still felt the patches of toughened skin. It brought back the fear he felt when it began to harden against his will. Eijiro had felt himself turn unrecognizable.

“They’re really optimistic,” you continued, “it might take some time, but your body’s already doing so much better. Your organs are mostly back to normal and they don’t think there’ll be any permanent damage.”

Eijiro tried to swallow the tears but the breathing tube made it impossible. All he could do was choke. Beyond his hands, he could see ridges of his skin tenting the bedding. Dangerous. Disgusting.

“It was really scary there for a minute,” you said, “but Bakugo and I know how strong you are. You’ll be okay.”

He scared you. His career could be over. He’d hurt you. Who would look after Bakugo now? What if this was permanent? What if he couldn’t be with you anymore? Eijiro wiped at his eyes - after all you were doing for him, he couldn’t have you see this. He gripped at the hospital gown laying over his chest.

You fought back your own tears, watching his plight. “No, don’t be sorry. You don’t have to be strong, right now. I’ve got us.”

Eijiro gargled again, reaching for the breathing tube before stopping, and the EKG quickened, voicing his struggle. You pressed the remote on his morphine drip, shushing him until the heart monitor quieted and his body stilled. He looked at you, half-open eyes held by teary lids. You reached for his hand but he pulled back just as you were about to touch. He lolled his head side to side, pulling his arms under the sheets as best he could.

“I promise I’ll be careful. I just wanna touch you, okay? I thought I was gonna lose you.”

Again he denied.

“Please.”

Kirishima looked at the space between your hands for the long time. The buzz of the overhead light, the pungent stench of rubbing alcohol, the taste of regret stinging his throat, it all muddied in the wave of drugs settling in his blood. All he could gather was that you needed him, and who was he to deny you? He eased his hand back out and inched it across the bedding so it was in your reach. You took it and began to litter every soft spot with kisses. You didn’t stop until his eyes crinkled at the edges.

The scuff of heavy boots came from the door. Bakugo stood, fixing his gauntlet in place.

“Get better soon, alright? We gotta get after whoever manufactured those bullets before anyone else has to experience this. The wrong person gets hit with one of those and they‘ll destroy a city.”

He nodded even as the sedatives consumed him until he could no longer stay awake.

[artbyblastweave]

As a person that knows a lot more about capeshit than me, what’s the meta-textual significance of the Superpowers in The Power Fantasy abstaining from establishing secret identities?

Principally it's to signal that the characters, while informed by the traditional superhero paradigm, exist largely outside of it.

Contemporary superhero fiction has a complicated relationship with the concept of The Secret Identity. When you come at the premise fresh without years of ossified genre convention, you get hit with the double whammy that a civilian identity is increasingly difficult to keep secret and that even if you buy into the idea of doing vigilante shit in secret to avoid going to jail, it's still going to take some extra work to get to the finish line of grown men calling themselves "Batman" or "Ant Man" and expecting to be taken seriously.

So, retellings will often go out of their way justify how these characters could develop these public identities semi-organically. "Superman" is usually not Clark Kent's idea in modern retellings- the media names him that, Lois names him that, and he runs with it. The Batman has the fantastic recurring gag that Bruce appears to actually self-identify as the comically overwrought "Vengeance," but the bat motif led to everyone just calling him Batman instead. The X-Men have advanced the idea, in a couple different forms, that "Mutant names" are a sub-cultural thing brushing up against a cult thing, a ceremonial way of setting yourself above and apart from baseline humanity. And you've got military callsigns, obviously. I think that's where "Ant-Man" and "Hawkeye" come from in the MCU.

In The Power Fantasy, none of the superpowers have a dual identity because they've all got extremely specific political (or artistic) projects that don't mesh well with that. To a degree I think this is playing in the same space as X-Men, where a lot of the cast have shifted over the years from being public ciphers to being public activists whose real names are on the news alongside their code names when they blow something up. But even if they don't have dual identities, the superpowers do have identities, personas, nicknames; there's a mix of deliberate image-building and outside-designation-by-society occurring. "Heavy" Harris is a thing an activist or cult leader who controls gravity could plausibly come to be called in the course of Moving and Shaking. Masumi is mentioned, in passing, to also go by the name of "Deconstructa," which reads like either a pretentious artist thing or a common-parlance nickname she picked up after the Kaiju thing. Eliza Hellbound is clearly not that woman's real name, but also, it is- and it's descriptive, and she's certainly powerful enough that that's what she gets to be called if she wants. "Jacky Magus" is really really really obviously not what's on that guys birth certificate, but it's also the only name he has that actually matters. Ettiene gets a whole monologue about the necessity of constructing himself as a figurehead that human governments can work with. He wears bright yellow, he gives interviews, and I will eat my hat if his actual last name is Lux. These people are similar to traditional superheroes in that they are constructing larger-than-life identities, they're playing a game, they're selling the world on specific narratives about themselves. But the truth that they're covering for is never that they've got some kind of secret civilian life waiting for them when they clock out. By choice or otherwise, all six of them are simply well past that.