#bc whats reasonable to one person is totally subjective

[fiftymilehighclub]

God fucking dammit they walked it back

[theboombutton]

Bad Fictional Data vs Fictional Bad Data

WARNING: This post will include discussion of a name that might be Alice Dyer's deadname. I won't be calling Alice by this name or using it in the context of that name being a pointer to Alice, but I will be using the name, uncensored, when talking about where and why the name appeared in chdb.xls .

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You may know that as part of the ARG, the sleuths on Statement Remains uncovered a document called chdb.xls, allegedly a list that has something to do with The Magnus Institute. There's a list of names, ID numbers, first and last names, dates of birth, and information apparently related to each person's "score" in an assortment of psychological/personality tests. Three of the names in particular have stood out in a lot of analyses: Samama Khalid, Gerard Kaey [sic], and Connor Dyer.

You likely don't know that the commonly linked version of the spreadsheet, ported to Google Docs and linked in the TMAGP ARG Masterdoc, is presented out of order. (I'm guessing they didn't lock down editing until it was already all out of order from various people messing with it - totally understandable, this is not a callout post, thank you for making this easily accessible to people.)

But let me tell you about something I discovered by looking at the spreadsheet in its original order, and the almost certainly incorrect rabbit hole of theorizing it has sent me down.

Bad Fictional Data

Until episode 2 I had the same thought about the Dyer listed in the spreadsheet that I think most people did: that it was Alice's deadname, and that she had therefore been one of the Institute's young subjects. But after Alice had absolutely no reaction when Sam mentioned the Magnus Institute to her in episode 2, I now think this is significantly less likely.

Don't get me wrong: it's still reasonable to think that the Dyer listed in chdb.xls is Alice. Maybe she had some kind of supernatural experience that wiped her memory. (It probably wasn't that Alice was too young to remember, as the Dyer on the spreadsheet is listed as being at Piaget Stage 3, which occurs from 7-11 years old; but it's always possible that the Magnus Institute was using the names of legitimate psychological tests to hide their tracks when recording more esoteric data.) The point is, this isn't hard evidence that Alice has no connection to the Magnus Institute; it just made me go looking for more evidence.

I went back to the spreadsheet to look for more clues about whether or not this was Alice's deadname. What I found instead was some extremely sloppy fake data at the bottom of the spreadsheet.

For context, here are first ten names in the spreadsheet:

Note how each ID begins with the name's first and last initial.

Now check out the last ten names:

Not only do these IDs no longer always match their subjects' names, they occur in order: CD, EF, GH, IJ, KL, MN, OP, QR, ST, UV. The first names of each pair match the first letter of each ID, but many, though not all, of the surnames don't match the second letter.

My first thought was that whoever Rusty Quill had contracted to generate these names had gotten sloppy at the end of the list, created the IDs all at once using this alphabetical pattern, and picked names to fill in that roughly matched the IDs. But hey, we could use this to our advantage! Any name that was filled in as part of a series of IDs with an alphabetical pattern like this could be removed from consideration for red string analysis - we'd know they were meaningless fakes added by a lazy contractor, and not clues or characters that might show up again later.

Scrolling back up the spreadsheet, we can see the person generating the data having more care the earlier we go. We find the beginning of the AA/BC/DE/FG/HI pattern at line 136, but at first, the names mostly conform to the initials they've been given. JK09874 "Josie Jordan" at line 154 is the first break from the "first two letters of the ID are their initials" pattern; and breaks occur more often the further you go down the sheet.

Scrolling up to before line 136 (AA09911 - Aaron Atkinson), while the pattern isn't yet at AB/CD/EF/GH levels of obviousness, the first initials are still in alphabetical order. Zoe Hart follows Yara Logan follows Xavier Freeman follows Wyatt Edwards. The data creator skips a few letters - for example Niamh Fenton is followed by Phoebe Emmett, and S and T are together in the same line in Skye Travers.

We can follow this less-obvious version of the alphabetical pattern up to an abrupt break right at line 118, above which the IDs don't follow an alphabetical pattern at all. (They might follow a different pattern, but it's not one that I've found yet.) So that means we can discount all the names in line 118 and below as purely fake, generated lazily by a contractor, and not worthy of our attention for the purposes of red-stringing. Right?

What the fuck?!

(highlight is my own, it is not present in the original document)

My first thought was that the sloppy data generator had done the funniest thing imaginable, sending everyone on a wild goose chase about Alice's deadname just by having the name "Dyer" on the brain while looking for a surname that started with D. This would be Very Funny. No plot relevance, no implications, just the brain fart that launched a thousand theories.

My second thought was that maybe Connor Dyer was the last legit name on the list, and whoever started filling the rest of the sheet in with alphabetical junk data was inspired by the "CD" initials in the first place - whoever it was went on from there.

These are both valid thoughts! But I prefer my third thought:

What if it's on purpose?

Fictional Bad Data

There is a very obvious break between the set of data that doesn't look obviously* fake, and the set of data that is immediately identifiable as such. If we assume that this was intentional - and I want to reiterate that it all being unintentional is still a very real possibility here - why would someone at Rusty Quill want the data to be structured like this?

If the sharp dividing line between reasonable-seeming data and obviously fake data is intentional on RQ's part, it would suggest that we should take the data above row 118 as in-universe real data, and the data below row 118 as in-universe falsified data. It suggests that someone, either at the Institute or after its demise, was adding nonexistent children to the roster of The Magnus Institute. Why would someone want to do that?

There are all kinds of possible reasons, but here are a few off the top of my and my theorizing buddies' heads:

Financial fraud (institutional edition). If the Magnus Institute received funding on a per-child basis, they'd have an incentive to inflate their numbers.

Financial fraud (researcher edition). One or more people on staff were blowing off their child-analysis sessions and recording fake numbers for fake children. This would be ballsy as hell if they could be fired for it, but it was the Magnus Institute, so there's decent odds they couldn't be.

Scientific fraud (faking conclusions edition). The Magnus Institute in the Protocolverse claimed to be doing research on giftedness in children, which is the kind of thing that you'd normally publish in a scientific journal. It's not unheard-of for dickhead academics to falsify data to generate statistically significant results, since statistically insignificant results aren't going to get you published.

Scientific fraud (obscuring paranormal bullshit edition). If the Magnus Institute was using legitimate psychological test names to record Fear-related test results, it's possible their results showed different patterns from what you would expect from the real tests. They could have added the fake children to balance out the dataset as a whole.

Pseudonyms. The children are all real, the Institute just started using fake names for them for privacy purposes. They couldn't go back and change the names they'd already written properly for some reason. Probably something paranormal.

Those are all pretty interesting possibilities, and if we could narrow them down, it might tell us something about what things were like at the Magnus Institute before it burned down!

And the other big question is: why did RQ make the dividing line between the two sections, the first likely-fake entry, Connor Dyer?

One straightforward reason could be as a troll, a red herring to watch fans get in a lather over. And once the community inevitably noticed all the obviously falsified entries, RQ could eat popcorn and watch us lose our minds over whether or not that's even a real entry! (That sounds really fun, I would absolutely do that.)

But let's dig a little deeper, and look at what Connor Dyer being on the border between the real and fake entries would mean in-universe. Because of its position as the border between real and fake, it would be very easy for that entry to be accidentally included in the wrong group - a real research subject discarded as fake, or perhaps more interestingly, a fake research subject accidentally reclassified as real.

Remember, if a name is fake in the context of the Magnus Institute's research, that doesn't mean that the name itself is made up. If I was trying to think of a name that fit the initials CD, and those were the initials of my next door neighbor's kid, I might just write their name in as a lark. Especially if it was my first time trying to get away with falsifying information: this is a kid that verifiably exists and lives in the area.

My theory, supported primarily by my love for The Implications instead of actual evidence

Twenty years on, after all institutional memory of the fraud was long gone, trans icon Alice Dyer applies to work for the OIAR - an institution that (according to this theory) has an unofficial preference for hiring former Magnus Institute kids.

They are very confused when Alice proceeds to act nothing like a former Magnus Institute kid. It doesn't occur to anyone that her entry might have been falsified. What reason would anyone have to do that?

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* Of course people with a background in data analysis or statistics will see immediately that even above line 118 this is a wild-ass dataset that would raise red flags for falsification, but at least it's not "the alphabet over and over" levels of obvious.

[eastgaysian]

Sorry this is a dumb question but can you explain why tomshiv is not abusive? Shiv seems to hit a lot of textbook behaviours of emotional abusers

thank you for your follow up clarifying this was in good faith bc i checked my inbox yesterday right after getting high and was like man come on. don't do this to me. but yeah i can talk about it, it's obviously something i have a fair amount of thoughts on

on a fundamental level, i take issue with the assertion that there are 'textbook behaviors of emotional abusers' in the first place. distilling abuse down to a set of behaviors is, imo, effectively meaningless and totally unproductive. it's not the behavior of an individual that defines abuse, it's a specific and intentionally cultivated imbalance of power and control within a relationship. victims of abuse can and do resort to survival mechanisms that could be considered in isolation as 'abusive behavior', the point is that you can't consider them in isolation. there's a gulf of difference between the same actions when they're coming from a person in a position of significant financial or physical or social power over someone else, or when they're coming from the person at a disadvantage.

i think viewing abuse as a set of behaviors also encourages you to treat interpersonal abuse as if it's discontinuous with systemic abuse, which is inaccurate and unproductive. a key part of succession's premise is that, because the family is literally the business, the familial abuse within the roy family is inextricable from the broader systems of capitalism, patriarchy, and the sexual violence and abuse endemic to them. with regards to how the show satirizes and critiques these systems, i think it's very telling that all of the characters are to some degree complicit and/or participants in abuse, but logan is the only one i'd say is unambiguously and intentionally presented as 'an abuser' (whose abuse is not an isolated product of him as a person, but integrated into/inseparable from the capitalist system which persists after his death). still, logan isn't reduced to a one-dimensional angry, abusive dad, he's given depth and complexity. his continued insistence that he loves his children isn't treated as something that's untrue, but that doesn't make it inherently good, and it certainly isn't incompatible with him abusing them.

circling back to tom and shiv. their relationship is unhealthy, it's not good for either of them to be married, shiv does fucking awful things to tom and tom does awful things right back, i'm not questioning any of that. but at my most cynical and bitchy, what it comes down to is quite simply: shiv doesn't have enough power over tom to be abusive, systemically or personally.

the thing is sometimes you see people say 'wow, if the genders were reversed people would say tom and shiv's relationship is unambiguously abusive!' which... hrm, but really the issue is that. the genders are the way they are, that's for a reason, and yes, that does make a significant difference in how we perceive their relationship and power dynamics. tom holds very real and present power over shiv as a man and as her husband, proposing to her when she was vulnerable in a way that placed huge pressure on her to accept and then trying to get her to have his baby so he can become patriarch. shiv's the heiress with the legitimacy of her family name and generational wealth but she is continuously, unavoidably subjected to gendered discrimination and violence. she's never allowed direct access to real power - she has to rely on the men around her, her husband or her brothers, and if they don't feel like humoring her she's shit out of luck.

this doesn't cancel out like a math equation, but it definitely makes things much more complicated than shiv being an Evil Bitch Wife to her Poor Pitiful Husband. when shiv finally does push tom too far, he immediately, successfully, goes over her head to her abusive father to fuck her over. maybe shiv wants to be her father in her relationships and exert the same kind of control he does. but she doesn't and she can't! she does not have that power! she cannot stop tom from kicking back and his hits are significant. as much as she might like to pretend otherwise, tom not only has always had the power to leave in a way shiv doesn't, he had and has the power to fuck her up badly, and he's used that power. that is simply not the power dynamic between abuser and victim to me.

i also have to say that abuse is not always going to be definitive black and white. in real life there are plenty of unambiguous situations but there are also plenty of complicated situations, and applying judgments to fiction is not always straightforward. i can't exactly call someone 'wrong' for personally being uncomfortable with tom and shiv's relationship or believing shiv is abusive, but i'm very skeptical of the viewpoint and the motivations or assumptions that are often contained within. if shiv is abusive, she definitely isn't uniquely so among the cast, so you had better be applying that label and any associated moral judgments equally across the board.

[juminies]

Don't know if you've ever talked on this subject or not, but what's your interpretation on Jumin's relationship with Jaehee after her good ending? Really love how mindfully you explain Jumin's feelings and actions, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter! Especially bc her route kinda leaves many people feeling like he's an antagonist of sorts 😬 But I kinda always felt like he'd respect her a lot, especially once he sees how much passion she puts into her dream? And Jaehee shows her genuine care for Jumin, too, moreso after his infamous crash. I'm kinda babbling here, but yeah! Really curious to read up on your interpretation <3

I haven't talked about this before actually—I think there's a lotttt of nuance to it and I didn't want to be haphazard with it in case it comes across as me being over lenient with corporate heirs or whatever hahah. I promise I'm not! I just love Jumin. Also sorry this took me a while to answer, I had actually just started a game the day you sent it with the intention of doing Jaehee's route so I decided I would play before responding to ensure it was fresh in my mind. I hadn't played her route in so long, and I wanted to get the Jumin outgoing calls too!

To get into how I think he would treat her after some time passes I first want to discuss their dynamic in her route a bit, because I honestly think people are unnecessarily harsh on him because of it sometimes. I personally don't feel as if they pushed him too far into an antagonistic role, but perhaps since Cheritz weren't bringing in an outsider (à la Echo Girl or Sarah Choi) to act as the driving force it seemed that way to some people? It was inevitable given the nature of Jaehee's struggles that Jumin would be viewed as the bad guy in a sense, but I feel like it's often sort of blown out of proportion due to a misunderstanding of both Jumin's intentions and his character as a whole. He is admittedly at his worst in Jaehee's route, but people tend to brush his actions during it off as completely out of line and absurd and then go on to use it to totally mischaracterise him as someone who doesn't value his employees whatsoever or is an abusive boss. In reality though, the way he acts as a superior in general as well as given the specific circumstances is very... Jumin? in that it's logical and efficient and goal-driven. Jaehee's route is such a push and pull in the sense that the two of them clash repeatedly in a scenario where neither person is willing to compromise—for what, to each of them personally, is good reason! Jaehee is a victim of a wider system, of capitalism itself, less so than of Jumin as an individual.

On one hand, Jaehee having to give up a project she was finally actually enjoying working on would be incredibly frustrating, even without having something she actively dislikes stacked on top of it. I get why she went against Jumin's wishes of doing a bad job (why would she choose now of all times to put in half of her effort when it's something she's actually having fun with?) and I get why she used Seven's cat hotel proposal. Life can be messy like that. Sometimes you have to make a decision that has a shitty outcome for someone else for your own sake or vice versa. She should be doing something that makes her happy, and had she not gotten the encouragement to find something she loves she would have continued to feel unfulfilled for god knows how long. Plus, in regard to the coffee report she is still technically doing her job and doing it well, even if going against her boss' personal wishes in doing so. She also does use her own time to revise it in the end so Jumin can have his way (and maybe a little bit so she can use her ideas for her own place) so, to me, that says she understands where he's coming from and doesn't particularly resent him. It's a complex situation for sure, and objectively Jumin does have the upper hand even if he doesn't quite realise the extent of it. I absolutely support Jaehee in her endeavours; I love her so much and she absolutely deserves better than eternal C&R bullshit.

At the same time, Jumin's perspective does make sense if you try to understand his worldview a bit more. Jaehee is the only person at C&R he feels he can genuinely rely on, and when he's already been thrown through a loop with his father prior to her disobedience it's entirely logical that he would feel as if everyone who should be working with him is suddenly against him. Jumin has been shown before to not quite have a grasp on the social standing he holds over Jaehee, for example in this chat from deep story day 2 where he doesn't understand why she can't tell him, as he told her, that she doesn't like seeing him in chatrooms.

And I think it's genuine obliviousness as opposed to purposeful ignorance; he overlooks bigger structures at play because he legitimately values hearing the honest opinions of the people around him and expects them to have a mutual respect for him. As far as Jumin is concerned his employees should be able to come to him with honest feedback, but of course that typically isn't the case and so Jaehee can't express how she really feels to him lest she face consequences. Jumin's thought process when it comes to employment is shown to be, to put it simply, people work for money -> more work is more money -> more work is good, and it hasn't been explained to him why this isn't the case for a lot of people. Jaehee's actions register to Jumin as is simply a betrayal of his trust and respect, because he doesn't quite see the level at which he and Jaehee are on unequal footing in the first place. On top of that he is rigid in that he needs everything to be done as he expects it; he does not like sudden change and (as demonstrated in his own route) can be incredibly rattled by it if he is already otherwise stressed or overworked. Just because he stands strong for his friends does not mean he is entirely invulnerable to being overwhelmed and acting out, and while I completely agree he was on some level being selfish in regards to the cat project, at the point where Jaehee quits she has already left him with what (to Jumin) is a mess to handle essentially on his own. He is overworked too, something Jaehee admits herself, and he wanted to transfer the coffee project to another department both to make less work for the two of them and in order to not succumb to his father's lack of consideration for anyone or anything but his current partner.

Again I do not blame Jaehee for anything she did whatsoever—I think it was a good idea for her to quit and she absolutely deserves the happiness she finds in MC and their café!—but Jaehee is incredibly competent and Jumin knows that. Consequently he knows she has big boots to fill and it can't be done on a whim. I'm sure you can see why he would be incredibly frustrated. As a whole it's just a very messy situation where the two of them can't really fathom the other's perspective. Their lives and outlooks on the world are so intrinsically different at this turning point in Jaehee's life, and that's fine. Neither of them have bad intentions towards the other whatsoever.

Now to actually answer your question! Firstly I want to put out there that he says this on days nine and ten respectively:

Then I want to add that I do not think Jumin is the type to hold a grudge. He is shown frequently to take on a sort of each to their own/whatever will be will be attitude, and though this situation is something that impacts him directly I can't imagine him taking it any more personally in the long term than he would anything else. Sure he's a little hostile in her AE, but to be completely honest with you I do not think he would have gone to visit the café at all if he was completely furious and had lost all respect for Jaehee (and/or MC) after her endeavours. Again he knows that Jaehee is highly capable, hardworking, and generally a very good person, and I can't imagine that one rocky dilemma between the two of them is something that would make him bad tempered around her forever. He still clearly held her highly and has a lot of respect for her despite their differences, and she doesn't seem to have any ill will towards him either. Ultimately, as you say, he would grow to respect her passion and would hear her out on why she took the course of action she did in the end. While Jumin may not be great at putting himself in others shoes he can identify patterns well, and it lets him draw parallels between his own experiences and other people's. Once he finds the common ground (he knows how fulfilling passion projects can be, he knows how frustrating it can be to work yourself to the bone for others' sake without any real incentive, and he values real friendship an awful amount) I think he would accept it.

I actually feel like hypothetically in the long term not working together would be good for their relationship in terms of RFA too—Jaehee was only made part of the group originally because of Jumin and it meant that all of their interactions even amongst their mutual friends were that of a work relationship. We know they both dislike being in chatrooms together and dislike hearing each other talk outside of work, which was bound to have put a strain (even if very minor) on their association with RFA as an organisation. Jaehee even says herself it's like an extension of C&R for her! Dropping the working boundary between them means less tiptoeing around each other and more openness among friends, especially for Jaehee.

As for Yoosung becoming Jumin's intern/assistant, I don't think it would carry the same tone into RFA as it did with Jaehee since they are already well associated without the business relationship prior to Yoosung being hired. Sure things might be a little weird at times, but no discomfort or frustration to the same extent. It's already shown to be kind of unserious and silly, and I honestly don't think Yoosung would last long as Jumin's assistant anyway, lol.

[wiiltted]

Meet the Spraypainter!

DISCLAIMER: I HEADCANON MEDIC AS AGENDER AND BISEXUAL!! Medic x Spraypainter is Yuri!!! 😭

okay I wanted to make a proper introduction post for them .. and fair warning their lore is pretty intricate and detailed. If you don't wanna read it all I totally get it!

The Spraypainter is the tenth class, their job is to mark enemy territory, they also can assist other teammates by marking spies. They have a bratty personality and are very stubborn. They enjoy cats, drawing, spray painting, and researching random topics. They hang around Heavy, Chemist, and Medic the most.

TW: Experiments, kidnapping mentioned!!

They are Heavys adopted sibling, and lived most of their childhood in Siberia. Until one day, they had wandered out of the house and was kidnapped by Engineer's father, Radigan Conagher. He wanted to test the effects of Australium on the body; Needing a test subject, he kidnapped some random kid he found in the woods. (Can you tell I haven't fleshed this part out yet...)

Luca spent the rest of their childhood in a secluded lab. They don't remember what it was called really, but they knew that they were surrounded by trees and trees and more trees. They learned English from CMedic (classic Blu medic bc he looks like he'd be nice idk...) and also met young Engie. He tagged along with his dad at work sometimes. They got along very nice. Sometimes, Admin would bring Luca into her office and let them play with toys while she did her work. Somewhere deep down she felt a little bit bad for the kid, but obviously not bad enough to stop the experimenting on them. She also enjoyed the thought of having a kid, despite never having her own child. They filled that void for her just fine.

At some point, they were able to escape the lab. Somewhere at about 17, they spent days walking through the woods and hiding from the guard dogs at the lab. But hey, they made it out alive and that's all that matters.

From here their backstory gets kind of rocky. I'm not sure what their life is like from this point on until they receive a letter from Pauling, explaining that she needs them to work for her and Admin.

Some extra facts!

-They have a cat named Mojo

-Some Australium is still in their blood, although very little. The only reason the Australium lingers is because of the amount of times it was extracted and injected into their bloodstream. It kind of mixed with their blood. It doesn't give them any extra buffs or anything, but it did change their hair color to grey and also gives their blood a slight metallic effect to it.

-Their favorite color is blue and they hate their uniform.

-They are pretty rich, their shirt is expensive and they flex their richness off to spy. (These two don't get along)

Thanks for reading! I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do... also if you have ideas for their backstory or anything please let me know!

[reverie-starlight]

can i request headcanons?? if so i’d like to request for baker!reader with their own bakery with post time skip osamu <33

YESSSSSSSSSSSS THIS IS SO CUTE!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

I wasn't sure if you wanted meet-cute/first meeting or established relationship so I tried to do both :) ty for the request!! writing it as I enjoy some carrot cake hehe <3

{sweet and savory- m. osamu HCs}

warnings: none, just fluff!! lots of fluff. also me not knowing shit about business despite all the business majors I know.

gn!reader, baker!reader

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

okay so

when you first opened up your bakery, you were not expecting to be located right next to another young restaurant owner

you were a bit intimidated before actually settling into your new space

you had only ever been in the area to scope out the location and make note of the surrounding shops

so you had assumed the neighboring restaurant you observed to be extremely popular would have been around for years, or family owned, perhaps

but no. you were wrong. and you found this out a week after officially opening

after greeting your employees and opening up shop, the first customer through the door was the most attractive man you had ever seen in your life

you stared at him from behind the counter for a good ten seconds before he shifted uncomfortably and dinged the bell at the cash

you snapped out of it and sheepishly went to greet him

"good morning, sir, how can I help you today?"

"are you the owner? I'm miya osamu, I own the onigiri shop right next door."

you blinked. once, twice and then a third.

he was the owner of the crazy popular restaurant next door?

someone who didn't look much older than you?

you gaped at him and he laughed a bit

"I wanted to come in durin' yer opening ceremony, but some things came up that I couldn't miss, and this is the first chance I'm getting to properly congratulate you on openin' up shop."

"oh! that's very kind of you. and to answer your first question, yes, I'm the owner," you smiled "I wasn't expecting there to be another young business owner right next door. and for such a successful one, too, wow!"

he grinned and rubbed a hand behind his neck. "thank you... but um, part of the reason I wanted to welcome ya personally was 'cause I wanted to let ya know I'm here if ya need anything. starting up can be rough sometimes, but havin' a friend who's sorta in the same boat would be nice for both of us."

"that's so kind, thank you!"

and from there your friendship blossomed

for about a year you guys would visit each other on your breaks, bounce ideas off of each other and hang out outside of work

it did eventually grow into more, and soon enough you started dating

(he asked atsumu how he should ask you out and then did anything BUT what he suggested, he told you later on)

now onto your relationship~

at home dates consisted of cooking/baking lessons for each other and movie nights

sometimes you'd surprise him with your cooking and he's show up with a poor attempt at a baked good (but you gave him kisses for trying anyway)

eventually you moved in together

and waking up was rough because you opened your bakery early in the morning, so when you had to head out for work and leave him in bed, he was so tempted to just pull you back in

getting used to the new schedule was rough in general actually

bc you opened early and closed early, he opened later and closed later

but since his restaurant had been running a little longer at that point, he didn't always need to stay late, he had a bit more freedom as the owner

which means when he came home early, he was greeted with the sight of you with batter on your clothes and flour on your face, totally focused on the new cake recipe you were putting together

you would always turn around when you noticed him and grinned, pulling him to the counter and making him taste test

and of course you act as a test subject for his new recipes as well

atsumu literally worships the ground you walk on because you always give him the test batches that went slightly wrong for free

you tell him that they won't taste as good as the good ones and you'd be happy to let him have a free sample from your actual shop when he visits but he insists the ones that either have too much baking soda or too little sugar are more than fine

but whenever he does go to visit osamu, he always ends up in your bakery a bit longer for the amazing sweets anyway

you trade stories about osamu and he finds this out one day when he walks into your shop and sees atsumu stuffing his face with cupcakes

you nearly had to break up a fight in your cozy little bakery that day

you also had to promise osamu that you'd give him more cupcakes than you gave his twin

anniversaries and holidays are amazing bc you bake stuff for him as gifts, he literally cannot get enough of your baking, he is such a sweet tooth

he probably also comes up with really sickeningly sweet pet names for you that are bakery/pastry related ://

he unironically thinks its cute but you have to beg him to stop calling you his little strawberry shortcake in public

obviously he picks up on your dislike for it but that only fuels his fire more (only when he wants to get you riled up ofc)

will walk into your bakery when he knows you're at cash and say very loudly

"hello there my sweet pumpkin pie, how has your day been?"

now you were almost the cause of a fight in your cozy little bakery.

"'samu I swear to every higher power there is if you don't stop-"

there would also be late night talks of how you could both grow your shops further and expand

all in all he loves working right next door to you and having you in all other aspects in his life as well <3

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!!! sorry for the long wait. and if anyone has trouble with the pink text, let me know!! I can change it back to black, I just wanted to try something new :)

pls consider liking and reblogging <3

[mrspockify]

☠ for Luigi for the headcanon meme?

☠ - angry/violent headcanon

I have been mulling this around all day in my mind because I feel like I am almost at a total loss for this! It is so hard for me to imagine Luigi being angry, and especially violent. I keep thinking about what it would take to push him to that point, and I think it would genuinely take a lot.

I think Luigi is almost endlessly patient. I personally headcanon him as having a pretty good awareness of his emotional state and has a lot of emotional regulation (ironic, I know, bc he's known for his anxiety--but I think that helps him with his awareness, he's very in touch with his emotions... idk just go with it). Because of that, he can pretty easily talk himself through his anger.

However. I think, like his brother, he is incredibly protective of his loved ones and has a strong sense of justice, not necessarily for himself (self deprecating king), but for the people he is close to. So if he witnesses, for example, Mario being subjected to mistreatment beyond what Mario could reasonably handle on his own, that is what would make him lose it. I also think anger would be such an overwhelming experience for Luigi that he'd be the type to cry, which would just frustrate him more, because it's hard to defend your brother when you're trying to see through tears and speak through sobs. But he would do it anyway, because it's the right thing to do.

[ro-is-struggling]

Being homesick and watching the world cup with the avengers headcanons

Pairings: platonical Avengers x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky senses that something is wrong with you but you don't seem ready to talk about it. After watching you closely for a while he discovers that your sadness comes from missing your home country and decides to do something to cheer you up. One day you mention to him how excited you are about the World Cup and that gives Bucky the idea of throwing you a surprise party to watch the last game of the event together. In the midst of the tensions of the game, emotions surface and your feelings for Bucky are exposed in the most unexpected way.

Notes: This thing is based on THIS request from my friend and fellow Argentinian and is brought to you by my inability to think about anything other than the world cup since the day of the final because MY COUNTRY FUCKING WON I'M SO EXCITED AGUANTE ARGENTINA CARAJO ⭐⭐⭐🔵⚪🔵

I decided to write this one as headcanons and divide it in two parts. The first will be more generic so everyone can imagine celebrating their country with Bucky and the Avengers. The second part will be specific about Argentina since that's what was requested. I just wanted to make sure there was a way for everyone to enjoy this one given that most of my readers are not from Argentina. It’s probably going to be a lot more detailed because well it’s where I come from and I LOVE the idea of the Avengers doing Argentinian shit. 

You can totally just read the first part, it has all the story in it. The second part is more of a detailed description of argentinian shit I think would be funny to show the avengers. I won't repeat or add anything big to the story, just random shit 

Also I don’t care if your country didn't classify or if it doesn't participate in these things, in this story it does and made it to the final bc in my country we take the world cup very seriously and it’s the only thing I can think about since we fucking won!!!! I'm so excited about it you're gonna have to bear with me

I’m still working on a ton of other stuff but today I offer you this. Tomorrow, who knows

y/c = your country.

wc: 6600 total, 3700 (part 1) 2900 (part 2) 

🟣 Okay so I imagine Bucky has a secret crush on you for a long time but he never acts on it because of #reasons (like his insecurities and trauma). 

🟣 but can anyone blame him tho? like you’re the most beautiful and caring woman he met since he regained control of his mind. You were always good to him, taking your time to get to know him and making an effort to create a safe and secure environment for him to slowly heal. You were always there for him, even when you didn’t really know him that well

🟣 That’s why when Bucky noticed that something was wrong with you he was determined to find out what it was so he could help you

🟣 It all started with your mood. He noticed that you were more somber and distracted. Your cheerful and positive personality was gone. You spent most of your free time in your room doing who knows what and Natasha had to drag you out of bed to participate in some activity with the rest of the team.

🟣 Bucky had asked you on several occasions if you were okay —just like the rest of the Avengers—, but your answer was always the same: "I'm fine, I'm just tired that’s all."

🟣 He knew it was all lies, but he didn't want to pressure you to talk if you weren't ready. He knew better than anyone how uncomfortable and annoying that could be. So he just smiled and nodded, waiting for you to be ready to tell him what was bothering you.

🟣 That didn't mean he was dropping the subject, though. On the contrary, Bucky kept a close eye on you. Just because you didn't talk to him about your problems didn't mean he couldn't keep an eye on you from a distance to make sure you were okay. And it was thanks to his watchful eye that he finally got to the root of the problem.

🟣 One morning when he returned from his morning jog he found you in the living room looking through the contents of a large package that was lying on the floor. He came over to ask you what you were doing and you told him with a big smile on your face that your family had sent you a package from your home country. And as you showed him the gifts they had sent you —pictures of your relatives and many objects alluding to your country of origin— Bucky noticed that your special glow had returned. You were smiling like a little kid on Christmas morning, taking things out of the box and explaining with great enthusiasm what they were. 

🟣 He listened attentively to every word that came out of your mouth, loving the glow of happiness in your eyes as you wrapped yourself in the flag of your country that your relatives had sent you. Your happiness was contagious and Bucky couldn't help but smile and be happy to hear facts about a country he didn't know so well.

🟣 Although the happiness didn't last long, because the next day Bucky noticed you were just as sad and distracted as always.

🟣 Bucky knew that you came from (y/c) and that you had family there. You always spoke proudly of your home country and occasionally told stories of the times you went there on vacation to visit your family. But for some reason it never crossed his mind that the reason for your sadness was that you were homesick.

🟣 But now that he knew the real reason for your problems he was ready to do something about it. He wanted to return the favor, to help you in the same way you had helped him in his recovery.

🟣 His first idea was to take you on a surprise vacation to (y/c) but after checking the Avengers' schedule he realized that would not be possible. They had an important mission coming up and were supposed to be preparing for it. Bucky tried to ask Fury to excuse you at least, ensuring him that he would take your place on the mission, but the Shield director wouldn't listen to him so he was back to square one.

🟣 He was on his way back from his meeting with Fury when he ran into you in the elevator. You smiled at him and quickly engaged in casual conversation about your day. You looked more cheerful than usual, not your usual cheerful self but you didn't seem sad either. So Bucky, being the curious creature that he was, couldn't resist asking you what got you in such a good mood. And in your answer he found the perfect idea to lift your spirits.

🟣 Apparently the World Cup was happening, a football tournament in which different countries were competing for the title of the best in the world. And apparently (y/c) had made it to the finals. So Bucky had the brilliant idea to prepare a surprise party for the day of the final so all the Avengers could cheer for your team together and celebrate your country with you.

🟣 Bucky spent the next few days researching everything he could about (y/c), its history, traditions, typical food and traditional music, everything. He wanted to learn as much information as possible about your country so he could make a theme party that would make you proud. So he stayed up late with a computer on his lap and a notepad in his hand, quickly scribbling down the main ideas to outline his plan. He even went so far as to talk to a couple of people claiming to be from (y/c) on the internet —under a fake name obviously— to ask them questions that the internet articles didn't answer. They were all very nice to him and gave him advice that he was sure would add a special touch to the party.

🟣 Luckily he didn't have to plan everything alone. When he told the rest of the Avengers about his idea they all joined in the preparations, splitting up the tasks at that very moment.

🟣 “Just friends my ass” Bucky heard Natasha mutter under her breath after he explained what he had in mind so far. He ignored her, though he couldn't stop his blood from traveling to his face, pooling in his cheeks in embarrassment.

🟣 Tony was in charge of getting the food, searching all over town for a business that specialized in traditional (y/c) dishes. When he found one he ordered large quantities of all the dishes they offered and even paid extra to have one of the establishment's cooks present at the party in case you wanted a specific dish on the spot.

🟣 Natasha and Wanda joined forces to create a playlist with songs that would represent your country well. It was a mix of traditional music with contemporary songs from popular artists of the moment. They took their job very seriously, researching the history of (y/c) and searching the internet for lists of the most played artists and people's opinions about it. They both knew what it felt like to be homesick to miss your family and friends that were left behind. A complex system of signs and symbols, of ways of seeing and understanding the world and relating to others, died a little when migrating to another country and that could be a very difficult thing to go through, so they wanted to make sure you had the best party ever and that it brought you a little bit closer to your beloved homeland.

🟣 Steve, Sam, Thor, Clint and Bucky were in charge of decorating. They had to take turns going out to buy everything they needed in a way that wouldn't be suspicious to you. There was a lot of shopping to do and little time to do it in, so they spent most of the time making up all sorts of excuses, covering for each other so they could sneak out of the Avengers' compound without arousing suspicion. But it was worth it because by the day of the match they had multiple (y/c) flags, national team jerseys, all kinds of posters, balloons, lights and other decorative items in the colors of the country - including posters with the words "let's go (y/c)!!!" in big, colorful letters.

🟣 On the day of the game Bucky was in charge of distracting you while the others prepared everything. Tony hired help, so they were able to have the Avengers compound decorated in your country's colors in a matter of a couple of hours. And while they worked on that, Bucky took you to have breakfast at a place he swore had the best pancakes in the world. It was a lame excuse, but you didn't seem to notice. He knew he would always be able to get your attention with food, and just as he hoped it worked like a charm.

🟣 You talked a lot over breakfast, catching up and sharing funny stories about your teammates. You mentioned the big match a couple of times, explaining how important it was to you and how it made you feel closer to home.

"I know it might be dumb, but seeing all those people cheering with the colors of the flag painted on their faces makes me feel less alone.". You explained, shrugging as you stirred your coffee absentmindedly.

"It's not dumb" Bucky assured you, reaching out to place his hand over yours, giving it a light squeeze of reassurance. Looking up you saw that he was smiling at you, the corners of his lips curving upward in a grimace that sparked a comforting warmth inside you.

"You can come watch it with me if you want. It'll be fun, I promise!"

"Sure, I'd love to" Bucky accepted your invitation, having to bite his tongue to avoid ruining the surprise that awaited you.

🟣 You noticed that Bucky was more attentive to his phone than normal. Usually he barely used the device, the rest of the team always scolded him for not reading important messages or answering calls. He could go days without even turning it on, it just wasn't programmed into his system. But today he was paying attention to every message that came in —and there were many, the device vibrated on the table every five minutes.

🟣 You thought that maybe Bucky was trying to change his habits, to incorporate the device into his routine, although that still didn't explain the number of messages he was getting. It occurred to you then that maybe he had finally taken San's advice and downloaded one of the many dating apps out there. That idea put a strange taste in your mouth, your heart squeezing in your chest at the thought of Bucky talking to other women with romantic intentions.

🟣 Never in a million years would you have guessed that the real reason his phone was ringing so much was because he had planned the world's best surprise party for you.

🟣 When you returned to the avenger's compound he asked you to come with him to the living room for a moment. "There's something I want to show you" was his only explanation. You followed him and once there you were surprised by your teammates, who jumped up and shouted "surprise!" when they saw you, throwing colorful tiny pieces of paper in your direction.

🟣 The room was an explosion of the colors of your beloved country, with flags and posters of support adorning the walls. There was a huge table filled with the traditional food you loved so much and hadn't eaten for so long. There was also traditional (y/c) music playing softly in the background and your teammates were wearing national team jerseys and had the colors of the flag painted in stripes on their cheeks.

🟣 “Oh my God, guys!” you exclaimed in surprise, unable to believe what your eyes were seeing. "You did all this for me?" Tears formed in your eyes, feeling the love of your friends invading your insides and filling you with a comforting warmth.

"It was Bucky's idea," Natasha clarified with a playful smile on her lips. But you paid no attention to your friend's insinuations, you were too overwhelmed by the situation for that. 

Turning to look at Bucky, he offered you a shy smile. "I noticed that you were a bit homesick and I wanted to do something to cheer you up," he explained with a shrug, minimizing it as if it wasn't the most loving gesture anyone had made for you in a long time. "I talked to Fury to try to get you an early vacation so you could go to visit your family, but he denied it. So I came up with this and when I told the guys they all wanted to participate."

"Buck, I... I have no words," you stuttered, struggling to find the right words to thank him for such a gesture. Your brain was too overwhelmed by the situation to put into words everything you were feeling, but you hoped he knew how much you appreciated everything he had done. "This is beautiful, I- thank you so much. Thank you all so much for this." 

🟣 Once the initial shock wore off, the party began. While Bucky and you went to change into your national team jerseys, Tony turned up the music to start the celebration. Thor was the first to approach the table with the food, serving himself a plate full of every available thing on the table. "I'm learning about Y/N's culture!" he defended himself when you looked at him in surprise, though the god's appetite was nothing new really. The others followed soon after, soliciting your recommendations and asking you what some of the dishes contained.

🟣 You discussed details of your country for a while, starting from the food, to the music, to the common customs of the people there. You answered their questions cheerfully, and congratulated them on the good choices they had made in everything. For a non-native ( y/c) person, they had managed to put together a good selection of representative food and music. You were particularly surprised to hear not only typical music but also popular songs by famous artists from your country. You were touched by the seriousness with which they had taken every detail.

🟣 When it was time for the match, everyone gathered in front of the large television in the living room. You all settled down on the couches, although there were so many that some of you had to sit on the floor. You ended up sitting between Natasha and Bucky, with Wanda on the floor at your feet.

🟣 The match was difficult, full of tension and complications. Your teammates had never heard you shouting and cursing as much as you did during those 90 minutes —dropping a couple of insults in your native language from time to time that they didn't understand, but they could guess what it meant from the tone of your voice. The flag you had draped over your shoulders at the beginning of the game soon became your anti-stress toy, squeezing the fabric between your fingers every time the opposing team came too close to scoring a goal.

🟣 As the last minutes of the game approached your nerves were through the roof. Your heart was pounding so hard against your chest that you felt like it was going to burst out of your body at any moment. Your eyes never left the screen, moving from the players running on the field just to watch the minutes ticking by.

🟣 The match ended in a tie so the winner had to be decided by penalty kicks. Your heart raced even faster as you watched the players prepare to kick, knowing that it was now all in the hands of the goalkeeper. Instinctively you reached for Bucky's hand at your side. He took it, interlacing your fingers in a strong grip. Your eyes were glued to the television, but Bucky's eyes did not leave your figure, admiring your profile. Even from his perspective he could see the illusion in your eyes, the happiness drawn in your expression despite your deep concentration. He lost himself in you for a moment, the world around him ceasing to exist as he allowed his eyes to memorize every little detail of your face at that moment. It was the happiest he had seen you in a long time and he wanted to memorize that expression forever.

🟣 Bucky didn't quite know what was happening because from one second to the next he was jumping with you, your hands intertwined as you celebrated. Your team had scored a goal, securing victory and your happiness. You threw yourself into Bucky's arms, your eyes sparkling with emotion. He gladly took you into his arms, holding you tightly against his body as he let himself be filled with your euphoric joy.

🟣 But then the unexpected happened: you kissed him.

🟣 You didn't even realize what you were doing until it was too late. You were so excited about the game, so happy for the company of your friends, that it was impossible for you to control your emotions. It was a last second decision, one you didn't even make consciously. You lost yourself in his deep blue eyes as you looked up at him, it was as if you were in a trance, mesmerized by the joyful gleam in his eyes. And without realizing it you leaned forward, standing on your tiptoes and taking Bucky's face between your hands so you could press your lips together.

🟣 Bucky kissed you back without hesitation, his lips moving to match yours with determination. Perhaps it was the immediate positive response that caused you to lose yourself completely in the moment, unable to register what you had done. Or maybe it was the way his hands wrapped around your hips, pulling your body to his, enveloping you in his warmth. Probably a little bit of both.

🟣 The world around you ceased to exist as you held each other close, your lips moving with desperation from the euphoria of the moment and the repressed feelings between you. Suddenly you forgot about the game developing in the background, the narrator's voice sounding small and distant as you lost yourself in the sweet taste of Bucky's lips, melting in his arms. He was all you could think about, all you could feel.

🟣 You even forgot about your teammates gathered around you. They all watched the scene with surprise, not because of the kiss itself —because essentially they all knew there was something special between you–- but because of the timing and the way it had happened. It was quite obvious that you liked each other, but they didn't expect that after so much time dancing around each other that things would end up like this.

🟣 Well, some of them did. Natasha, Steve and Wanda were looking at you with knowing smiles, happy that their predictions had come true.

"I knew it!" Wanda exclaimed. Her voice shattered the illusion and you were snapped back to reality. You broke away from Bucky as soon as your brain was able to process what had happened, your face burning with embarrassment as you turned around and saw all your friends staring at you. 

"You better start paying us, Stark," Natasha added, stretching out her hand towards Tony. “You too, Wilson.”

You were horrified, completely embarrassed by your behavior. How could you have lost control like that? It was humiliating and... Wait, paying them?

"What is going on?" you asked with confusion as Tony and Sam pulled out a couple of bills from their wallets and passed them to Natasha. She gladly took them, counting them before handing them out to Wanda and Steve. 

"We had a bet," she said casually as if that explained everything.

"A bet?"

"Yeah, we said that you guys were finally going to stop dancing around each other and admit your feelings today. Tony and Sam said it was impossible because you guys are too dumb to realize you liked each other. And Clint and Thor were surprised to hear about your unspoken thing."

"Oh my God!" you exclaimed in horror. All this time you had thought you had managed to keep your crush on Bucky well hidden from all your teammates, but apparently you were wrong. "Was it so obvious?"

"A little, yeah" Wanda nodded and you let out a groan of embarrassment and frustration.

🟣 Bucky was almost as embarrassed as you were to discover that apparently everyone knew his big secret. He expected it from Steve, they had known each other for so long that he couldn't hide anything from him even if he wanted to, but he was surprised to discover that even Tony had noticed. Was it that obvious?

🟣 What surprised and confused him most, though, was the confidence that Steve, Nat and Wanda seemed to have that this would be the day that you would finally act on your feelings for each other. So he asked them about it.

"How come you were so sure this would happen?"

"Are you kidding? You threw her the nicest, most thoughtful party ever," Natasha replied as if it were obvious. "I'm honestly surprised she didn't kiss you the second you walked through those doors"

🟣 After the game was over and the euphoria of (y/c)'s victory celebrations had died down, Bucky approached you again. The rest of your teammates were lounging on the couches, too drunk or too stuffed with food to pay attention to you. You were catching your breath on the balcony, leaning against the railing with your country's flag draped over your shoulders protecting you from the light breeze that had risen. He stood next to you and you leaned your head on his shoulder immediately. Bucky was a little surprised, but received the gesture gladly, putting his arm around your shoulders and pulling you closer to him.

🟣 You remained in that position for a while, silently admiring the scenery in front of you as you enjoyed each other's company. But then you broke the silence. "Would you like to go on a date with me sometime?" Bucky looked down at you with a smile, your wide eyes returning his gaze full of anticipation as you waited for an answer. "How about next week?"

🔵⚪🔵 Argentinian Version 🔵⚪🔵

🔵 Okay now for the Argentina part

🔵 I imagine the avengers compound is all decorated in white and light blue. The living room, the hallways, the bathrooms, the balconies, EVERYTHING. That's what happens when Tony Stark gets involved in organizing a party, he gives it his all.

🔵There are Argentinian flags everywhere and posters saying "Vamos Argentina!" on all the walls. Balloons, strings of tinsel and even lights in light blue, white and yellow in allusion to the flag.

🔵 Also posters with Messi’s face everywhere. 

🔵 In fact, all the avengers were wearing the national team jersey with the number 10 and Messi's name on the back. Some had the classic white and light blue stripes and others the new alternative jersey with purple details that was designed for the World Cup in Qatar. In addition, all of them had light blue and white stripes painted on their cheeks to represent the Argentinian flag.

🔵 I imagine that the music playlist includes all kinds of Argentinian music you can possibly think of, from the saddest tango, to the chacarera teachers used to make you dance at school events, and even the latest Lali Esposito song.

🔵 CUARTETO CUARTETO CUARTETO

🔵 And cumbia, lots of cumbia (bonus points if it’s 90s cumbia because that’s my fav)

🔵 I imagine that while you are waiting for the game to start you get to talking about music and food. They ask you questions like the origin of some of the rhythms and genres of music they came across and some of the dishes they had to eat today, and you happily tell them.

🔵 But then Por lo que yo te quiero by Rodrigo starts playing and you find the perfect excuse to teach them how to dance cuarteto. None of the men dare to do it at first, so you take Wanda’s hand and teach her the basic steps while you explain where cuarteto comes from and what it represents.

🔵 In a matter of half an hour you have all the avengers dancing cuarteto with a fernet in hand —served in the cut half of a plastic bottle as god intended.

🔵 You could tell that none of them were used to dancing to that kind of rhythm. Well, except for Sam, he was a natural. You were surprised at his ability to pick up the rhythm after a couple of seconds dancing with you. You didn't know he was such a good dancer, nothing in his personality told you that, other than maybe the fact that he was one of the avengers who liked to party from time to time the most.

🔵 But anyway, they were all putting a lot of energy and fun vibes into it and that helped them disguise their inexperience a little bit. Besides, cuarteto was not a very difficult rhythm to dance to, so they were fine. They were all having fun, laughing as they moved to the music, and that was the most important thing. Dancing was mostly about attitude anyways. 

🔵 You danced with Bucky a couple of times as you went from person to person to correct their moves. And you took your time with him, not because he was bad at dancing but because you enjoyed the closeness. The basic cuarteto steps were simple even for him who hadn't danced in over 70 years, so he did a good job. 

🔵 He looked genuinely happy as he let the rhythm of the music and your footsteps guide him. He had a big smile on his lips and his eyes shone with a special sparkle. It was a version of him you had never seen before and you were proud to have been the one to bring it to light.

🔵 He let loose as you danced, spinning you around the room before pulling you into his body once again, moving to the cheerful rhythm of the music. And you laughed each time, feeling an immense amount of joy fill your chest as you shared such a beautiful and special moment with Bucky.

🔵 Also, can we talk about El Meneaito?

🔵 I know it's not technically an Argentinian song, but it had a big impact on the parties around the country (at least while I was growing up) and I can't just not include it.

🔵 So when the playlist goes from quartet to that song you don't waste a second getting them all in a line, standing in front of them to show them the choreography. Side to side, side to side, hips swaying down, y ahí, ahí, ahí, ahí, ahí, ahí 

🔵Please if you’re reading this and you don’t know El Meneaito I encourage you to go listen to it and look for videos of the choreography as well (which is not the same as the official video) because imagining the avengers dancing like this is priceless

🔵 After a couple of songs they decided to take a break to get something to eat. And just in time the caterers that Tony had hired for the day arrived with the asado. Before they tried anything else you forced them all to eat at least one choripan, explaining that there was nothing more representative of argentinian culture than a good choripan with chimichurri (rip a los argentinos veganos).

🔵 They also tried empanadas (of all kinds), locro, LAS MILANESAS, and every kind of Argentinean food you can think of.. 

🔵 I feel that Thor being a god and Steve and Bucky being super soldiers are the avengers with the biggest appetites and therefore the ones who got to try a little bit of everything before collapsing from all the eating. The rest chose from the many options whatever appealed to them the most, always listening to your suggestions.

🔵 The asado —complete with provoleta, chorizo and morcilla as a first course, tira de asado, entraña, achuras and vacío— got great compliments from everyone, although the rest of the dishes were not far behind, with the empanadas being a second favorite.

🔵 Tony was the wine taster of the event, enjoying the taste of that alcoholic beverage more than the Fernet, which was, in his words, "more bitter than he expected"

🔵By the time the match started everyone felt like they knew and understood Argentina a little bit more. Hearing you talk about your country's traditions was very different from reading about them on the internet. So everyone felt a little more engaged in the game than they initially thought they would be.

🔵 You wrapped yourself in an Argentina flag to sit and watch the game, the albiceleste fabric draped around your shoulders like a blanket. And you forced the rest of the team to wear hats and other accessories in the colors of the flag as well.

🔵 Tony, Sam and Clint ended up watching the game wearing wigs with long hair painted half white and half light blue.

🔵 Steve and Thor took a harlequin-like hat and Bruce a flower necklace, all in the same color scheme as the flag.

🔵 Wanda and Natasha opted for cute headbands with stars in the colors of the flag.

🔵 And for Bucky you chose a crown of light blue and white flowers which you carefully placed on his head, arranging his long chestnut hair so that it looked pretty with the new accessory on. He looked adorable, like a princess straight out of a fairytale. 

🔵 And you obviously took a lot of pictures before the game started because there was no way you were going to pass up the opportunity to immortalize that moment.

🔵 During the game your Argentinean side came out in the form of frustrated shouts and insults in Spanish that most of your teammates did not understand.

🔵 There were a lot of "la puta que te parió" and  "la concha de su madre" every time the opposing team stole the ball or scored a goal. There were also a lot of "gol la concha de tu madre gol!", screaming at the top of your lungs as you celebrated when Argentina scored a goal.

🔵 They had never seen you like this. Normally you weren't so emotional and most of your teammates had barely heard you yell a couple of times in all the time they had known you.

🔵 Let alone cursing in the way you were doing it. They may not have fully understood what you were saying, but it was more than clear that those were not nice things, going by the tone of your voice and the expression on your face.

🔵 "La puta madre, no puede ser!" you shouted in frustration when the opposing team tied the scores. In a matter of minutes the match went from a comfortable 2-0 in favor of Argentina to a 2-2 score, ensuring that they would have to go to overtime to decide the match in the best case scenario. At worst, penalties. 🔵 "Wow, I've never seen you so… angry" Steve said from his spot on the couch to your left.

"I know, football brings out the worst in me," you replied without taking your eyes off the television in front of you. "The World Cup is a big thing in Argentina… football in general is. That's why if we don't win today I will kill myself" you added playfully, although a part of you would definitely die if they didn't win the Cup today.

" Still, you never yell or curse like ever,"Wanda intervened. "Where is this all coming from?"

"Yeah, I didn't think you were capable of such rage," Natasha added. "I kinda like it."

"Well, that's because my American personality is very different from my Argentinian personality."

"American personality?" Tony asked with confusion.

"Yeah," you nodded. "My true personality gets… lost in translation. The way I speak, the way I act, my sense of humor, everything is different when I speak Spanish. Argentinian culture and American culture are very different and I have to adapt in order to be a normal person around you guys. Also there’s a lot of things that don’t have a translation, so, yeah… "

"Different how?" Bucky asked, curious to know what this version of you that he apparently didn't know was like.

"Well, we have a different sense of humor, we tend to joke around about everything really. We also are very passionate and affectionate, we kiss and hug with pretty much everyone” you explained. “We also curse a lot, like we casually insult each other in an affectionate way. ‘Boludo’ can be an insult or a term of endearment to call your friends depending on the context. That's why we get very creative when coming up with insults when we really want to hurt someone. You guys couldn’t handle it.”

🔵 If they thought they had seen the worst of you, you proved them wrong when it was time for the penalty kicks. You were a bundle of nerves as you watched the players position themselves to kick. You grabbed Bucky's hand, interlacing your fingers for support. You probably squeezed it harder than you should have, but he didn't complain - the advantages of having super strength. The first penalty kick was taken by the opposing team and even though Argentina's goalkeeper was able to touch the ball, he couldn't prevent the goal. Feeling defeated, you leaned against Bucky, resting your head on his shoulder as you felt your heart racing faster and faster. He gave your hand a firm squeeze as a sign of support, placing a kiss on your head as he murmured words of encouragement.

🔵 Then it was Messi's turn to take the penalty kick and he did it beautifully, securing a goal for Argentina. You jumped out of your seat as you saw the ball bounce against the net, screaming as the camera panned to the players celebrating on TV. Life came back to your face, and even though you were still tense, you felt much more confident.

🔵 You went through all the penalties with the same fear, the same tension and intensity. When it came time for the decisive penalty kick you clung to Bucky by your side. Your hands intertwined tightly as you watched Montiel preparing to kick, knowing that if he got it right the cup belonged to Argentina. Your heart was pounding wildly in your chest and your stomach was spinning. Time seemed to stand still, everything moving in slow motion as Montiel made his run to kick.

🔵 When he scored the goal that secured the victory for Argentina you couldn't contain the scream that escaped from your throat. You jumped up from your place on the couch with teary eyes as you hugged Bucky, clinging to his body as you tried to contain the emotion.

🔵 Although you weren't very effective at it because you ended up kissing Bucky without even realizing what you were doing.

🔵 To escape the embarrassment you felt after that unexpected kiss —and the revelation of your friends' bet–- you proposed eating dessert, hoping that the food would distract your teammates who kept looking at you from the corner of their eyes every time you talked to each other.

🔵 The dessert table had a variety of options including alfajores, pastelitos, pastafrolas, chocotortas and tortas fritas, as well as a couple of pots of dulce de leche

🔵 Everyone was first attracted to the pastafrolas because it was the closest thing to an American apple pie, although you explained the differences to them.

🔵Everyone was very eager to try everything to find out what they liked best, so they took plates and filled them with small pieces of everything so they would have a sample to decide. Then they all sat down on the couches and took turns tasting everything, giving their opinion and arranging it on a list.

🔵 You disagreed with some of their opinions, but overall they were right. Most recognized the superiority of dulce de leche and that was good enough for you.

🔵 I really like the idea of giving Bucky a spoonful of dulce de leche for him to taste, your eyes lingering on his lips and the way they moved over the spoon, delighting in the sound of approval that vibrated in his throat at the sweet taste in his tongue, holding back the need to kiss him to taste the dulce de leche in his mouth.

🔵 While they debated about desserts and which was better than which, you ran to your room in search of the mate set your family had recently sent you from Argentina, as well as the bag of yerba mate you had stashed there. Mate was a must in any Argentinean celebration.

🔵 “What is that?” Thor asked when he saw you pouring the yerba into the mate.

“This is Mate. It’s like coffee for you guys or tea for english people… or… I don’t really know what you drink on Asgard but the point is it’s a really popular drink.” you tried to explain to the Asgardian and the rest of your teammates.

“Oh I know! I’ve seen you drink it on missions” Bucky said and Natasha agreed with him, remembering a time when you explained to her what it was.

“That I did! Mate is my best friend. It’s every Argentinian's best friend. if it were up to us we would live on this alone, but unfortunately our body needs more nutrients.”

“Okay but what is it? How do you drink it?” Clint insisted.

“It’s like tea if tea were drunk in a cup full of loose herbs,” you tried to explain in terms they could understand. “Basically, you fill this cup with Yerba Mate, then you pour hot water into it and drink it through this thing called Bombilla which is basically a kind of straw designed to not let the herbs come through when you drink.” While you were talking you were preparing the mate, arranging the yerba in a little mountain against one of the walls of the cylinder cup to keep the yerba in good condition for as long as possible.

“You can drink it alone or with sugar on it. Usually people in Argentina prefer it alone, but I think it might be too bitter for you so I’ll add some sugar. Here, try it!” you said, passing the mate to Sam. He had a reaction that you could only describe as the Kombucha girl meme, although he ended up liking it.

🔵 In fact, that was the reaction of most of your teammates, surprised by the new taste on their tongue. It was a strange sensation, but once they got used to it they agreed it wasn't so terrible. The sweet hint that the sugar provided definitely helped to familiarize them with the taste.

🔵 When it was Tony's turn, he didn't seem too happy about drinking from the same Bombilla that five other people had put in their mouths before him. “You’re supposed to share it,”you told him when you noticed his hesitation. “In Argentina we share mate with anyone who wants one, friends or not. No self-respecting Argentinean denies mate to anyone.”

“That’s gross,” Tony complained.

 “I'm sure you've put worse things in your mouth.”

🔵 Soon they ended up in an authentic round of mates, circulating the drink while talking about anything and everything, laughing at Sam's jokes and Tony's exaggerations. It was the first time in several weeks that you felt supported, accompanied. Surrounded by your friends while drinking mates, you felt at home again. Today you missed Argentina a little less and it was all thanks to Bucky.

[7habitsofhighlyeviceratedpeople]

the ppl in this fandom who r like “criticizing proshippers is stupid in a fandom like Outlast” are absolute weirdos and i do not trust them. just bc it’s darker subjects/media etc doesn’t mean it’s okay to be fetishizing peoples trauma or any sort of glorification of certain topics. i feel like serious critical thinking skills mixed w some light media literacy would srsly help here. i’m so glad a lot of y’all are normal but at the same time a lot of ppl act like they are better than others bc they don’t engage in “discourse” or “drama” bc their black and white mindsets (don’t come @ me i have autism AND bpd black and white mindset is my normal) doesn’t allow them to not take everything at face value and they refuse to see that things r srysly so varying and circumstantial, and applying a “this fandom is for a horror game filled w dark subjects therefore nobody should complain about anything and it should all be okay” like bro it’s not being hypocritical, please use common sense and stop speaking on shit like you are better than others just bc you’re totally fine with anything ppl do so long as “they know fiction from reality” and the rest of y’all’s stupid fucking POVs. like please see how dumb this is and how you are enabling weirdos! probably bc you are a weirdo yourself or just severely uneducated i mean half of y’all are kids and one mf i saw was almost 40 saying “leave proshippers alone” no? the fuck i won’t? it’s sick seeing my trauma be basically romanticized/glorified just bc it’s fiction. y’all just bc it’s fiction doesn’t make everything okay. there’s ethical dark fiction and unethical dark fiction, and many reasons why each one is the way it is. Outlast is so special to me because it’s not only just an amazing, interesting story filled with dynamic characters who are so memorable and unique. the care at which the subjects r approached is incredible and i feel like we as a fandom have a pretty good understanding of why certain things are just NOT okay. i mean the person who started this whole thing was like “if you are attracted to coyle you should treat him with the same treatment you give proshippers” and it just shows they have no clue what they are talking abt and why that doesn’t line up. like coyle or hate him he is an amazing character and it goes without saying that NOBODY not me, not red barrels, not Coyle Nation condones a goddamn thing he does. we don’t like him or Eddie or Trager for the problematic parts of them ? Y’all lack a vital understanding of the message and purpose behind the topics and character traits explored, and when i know i don’t understand smthn i look into it before speaking on it acting like i’m better than everyone and have some hot take. srsly some of y’all do not belong in this fandom. those of you who have brain cells left, ILY 😽

[shadowgasps]

It's so funny how different pieces of media can pull such different reactions around similar concepts. Like. I've never been super drawn to the gods in the pantheon in cr for some reason. I'm a Cleric Stan but don't connect super heavily with any of the cr gods. I liked the Wildmother from cr2 fine enough bc I love Caduceus and Fjord and their relationship. The Matron of Ravens is cool mostly just bc im interested in her ascension. And the Changebringer has a fun aesthetic with all the floaty hair. The god I think im probably drawn to the most that we've seen in cr is Asmodeus from what we got of him in Calamity and now in c3. But other than that I don't have very strong opinions on them. Which is totally fine, I don't watch cr for the God stuff so it doesn't detract anything for me. It actually kinda makes me like cr3 more than most ppl I think bc I'd be ok with and interested in any outcome we get from the major storyline we're following about the gods rn.

With WBN I'm on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. The Spirits are what interests me most about that world right now. The bits we've gotten of Naram and Orima have been my favorite parts of that story so far. I'm so interested in meeting more spirits and understanding more of how that pantheon works. I can't wait for when The Man in Black comes back into the picture. I am 100% a spirit apologist and will defend all of their rights and wrongs. I want only the best for them and would lay down my life for any one of them.

Listening to NADDPOD im smack dab in the middle. Obviously the vibes are different bc its majority a comedy podcast but I find the gods and pantheon interesting and fun but am not super invested either. Moonshine and Bev have a funny and cute relationship with their gods and I enjoy their interactions with them but I'm not as fervent a God apologist as I am with WBN. The major baddies being evil worshippers of a near godlike woman who think theyre the righteous good guys is a great concept which I enjoy. But the thing I like most about that concept is she was a person who got to god level power, and not that she just is a god.

None of these things are better or worse in my opinion. I love all of these worlds and stories. I love Matt and Brennan and Murphs dming and am greatful to have all of their beautiful works of collaborative art. It's just interesting how with the same framework of dnd different reactions can be pulled about the same subject. I just really love ttrpgs and the ppl who play them <3

[aguineapigcouldntdothis]

I didn't want to derail your very lovely post with something I understand is a personal choice and doesn't really matter, anyway, but I'm wondering while we're on the subject of you-don't-have-to-do-it-all, why are we taking on extra things that God never asked us to do—like not taking the word g-o-d in vain?

That's not God's name, that's a signifier that didn't even exist when the command was given. It's not the name we aren't allowed to say. It's like writing H@shem or the Al-ighty. It seems like a Christian influence.

this is a really good question and it pretty much boils down to not erasing His name. there are so, so many interpretations of everything in judaism, including how we address g-d in writing. the beautiful thing about this religion is that we can choose what resonates with us and not be judged for it. what it boils down to is not that we shouldnt write g-d's name, but rather that we should not deface or destroy it. if one of His names, rather than a signifier, is written out, then there is always a chance of it being erased. however if He's just alluded to then that problem is avoided. the same concept doesnt really apply to speech bc when you say something out loud it's there for good and there's no going bac

i no longer write out g-d and i use words like Hashem or Him as signifiers as a sign of respect because names have power. I only use the word ad-nai during prayer and i make sure that when i speak to g-d, rather than just about Him, i do so intentionally and with a proper focus.

there are also jews who write out g-d in full and those who switch between methods. those are absolutely valid ways of writing His name as well, but the "-" or Hashem would be the most common ways to refer to Him. what is not common is a religious jew writing out g-ds name or any signifier referring to g-d without some reason or forethought put into it no matter what format they choose. very rarely is it just put down on paper with zero reason.

also btw not taking g-ds name in vain is a honestly huge deal in judaism, but that's actually a completely different concept. the english translation really doesnt explain this concept very well imo, and it is absolutely hard to explain a very non-christian idea in a language influenced by Christianity. in short, not using g-ds name in vain is about avoiding cruel actions that desecrate his teachings. some examples would be using g-d's name and social influence to collect money that is claimed to be for donations but is actually for yourself, using your status as a leader (such as a rabbi) to abuse children, abusing your spouse, etc. g-d's name is a very powerful tool that holds so much meaning and using it for personal gain or to hurt others is what we as jews avoid.

i can sort of understand why this may seem like its influenced by Christianity. its not, the concepts of not taking His name in vain are totally different in those two religions, but these are very very difficult conversations to have in english. hebrew is genuinely the best language to discuss judaism in because it has words and phrases for concepts that just dont exist in English. sometimes close comparisons are all that's there and those can be extremely far off as well.

i dont usually do this but this is long as fuck so:

TLDR: a lot of jewish people use signifiers to refer to g-d so any words used to refer to Him cannot be erased. not taking the l-rd's name in vain is in regards to not using his influence to cause harm or for personal gain.

[yesimwriting]

Hi! I'm literally so in love with final girl It's not funny I adored the new chapter and literally can't wait for the next one (but obviously take your time. no pressure at all I just wanted to let you know how much I loved it:)

Anyhow I'm not sure if this is how you send in request but the end of the recent chapter when they were talking about Stu and the reader alone really got me thinking that we don't see them interact like that, yk? Like we see Billy and the reader and we see the way billy thinks of the reader but we never really see Stu and the readers interactions like one on one often if that makes sense? I was thinking about what Billy said with Stu peeling the readers oranges or waiting for them by they're locker everyday and holding their books and walking them to class or just them talking in class like when they first met and I've been LITERALLY CLAWING AT MY THROAT FOAMING AT THE MOUTH FOR THESES TWO and I would love it if you could do something with that if you have the time, ofcourse. I'm sorry if this isn't really a request I just wanted to let you know that I love your story, I love the way you write Billy and Stu and can't wait for the next chapter with theses two, bye!

anon i love you this is such an incredibly sweet message :) it literally got me so hyped to write lol 

i have such complex thoughts about the stu and y/n dynamic bc stu has so many layers to him and relationships 

so here’s a bit of analysis on the dynamic between stu & y/n (feel free to skip past it and go to the fic, i just wanted to explain it a little lol): 

Okay first thing’s first about stu’s personality, i am a firm believer that he believes all attention is good attention. Especially if he likes someone. If you’re in a group setting, he’ll make a joke that he knows will specifically bother you. Not necessarily a mean one--though it could be--it could just be something that makes the reader uncomfortable or grosses them out, bc that means that he’ll be the center of your attention, and that’s enough.  

Also, side note, i can def see him creating situations in order to spend time with reader without having to ask. Like checking out a movie that Y/n wants to see repeatedly for weeks and then finally telling her about it and acting like he just picked it up. Or dropping hints that he “needs help” on a certain subject before finally asking for you to come over to study. Or invite multiple people to do something when he knows they’re busy and you’re not. 

This may be an unpopular sort of take but i believe that he’s capable of love, just a different kind of love. It’s not always the most unhealthy thing constantly, but it toes the line often bc he projects so many ideals onto it. He projects that domestic, ‘happy’ home life he’s never really had onto his feelings for Y/n, and he does so more than on anything he feels for Billy bc, honestly, of sexist ideals, and the more he likes y/n, the worse it gets bc he starts to sort of expect things. He has a sort of distorted perception of things, he takes your actions and makes them sort of fit into what he wants them to mean. He’s not totally straight up delusional, he picks up on what you’re actually feeling, he just doesn’t always care. 

On the bright side of things, stu’s never felt this strongly over a girl before, and with that comes some stuff. It’s different than tatum and even casey. It’s partially bc billy’s involved too and partly for a reason he doesn’t get. The point is, he notices things about the reader and remembers them and that’s weird to him. It’s a lot. 

He doesn’t know what to do with it, and it’s not like he can pursue the reader in any capacity outside of friendship, so it sort of builds up. It’s sort of like leaving him alone with a puppy, something cute that he just wants to squeeze. It’s dicey. 

But on a more positive side, he’s accidentally sort of super endearing from time to time. There’s a bit of a masculinity issue, like the need to be ‘the strong one, the provider’ and the underlying desire to make reader dependent on him, but it’s also just bc he can’t help it. He’d never acknowledge that, though, if billy asks, he swears it’s a manipulative ploy. He might admit it a little if billy--and only billy--pushed significantly, but deep down there’s a bit of a lovey undertone. 

Anyways actual fic/blurb that shows stu’s POV and some of his thoughts on y/n below the cut: 

You came. You didn’t ask any questions even though you could tell that Stu’s reason for inviting you over was about more than finally getting a copy of that movie you kept talking about wanting to see. More of a psychological thriller than true horror. You’ve always seemed a little more into that type of scary, which makes sense considering how you reacted to those pictures of Casey.

It’s not Stu’s favorite kind of movie, but you make it more entertaining during the talk heavy scenes where the characters focus too hard on things that real killers don’t really need. Motives. You say it’s all about the writing, but there’s something about the way you watch, all focused and slightly serious. There’s a touch of something there. A hint at a darkness that may or may not be rooted in some sense of justice. 

It doesn’t exactly make up entirely for what the movie lacks, but sometimes the excuse to watch you makes up for it. Especially today. 

You had sensed that something was off, because of course you did. You’re getting a little good at being able to read him. You had asked if he was okay over the phone. Some hard to label feeling swelled in his chest and so he pushed against it. 

He already didn’t get why he was feeling so tense. So his parents decided to put off their return home because Leslie wanted to go somewhere. So Billy couldn’t come over because he had to do something with Sid and then spend time with his dad. What did that matter? He hates when his parents are here more often than he finds it bearable and Billy would make it up to him enough later. There’s enough of a silent understanding between them that Stu’s not feeling threatened, just irritated by the situation.

And then he called you. A tiny bit risky, especially considering that Stu didn’t feel like he’d take any form of rejection well. But you didn’t. You came and you asked him about how he was feeling and even though Stu had a feeling you were still skeptical after he said he was fine, you dropped it. You just pulled him into that bubble of yours, where things feel...god, he doesn’t even have a word for it. 

“I know how you feel about motives, but I think I like them.” Your opinion comes out nearly hesitant as you adjust yourself on his couch. 

Your knees just barely touch. Stu shifts with you, making the contact a little more sure. There’s a second in which your hesitance lingers, but you follow his lead--like usual--and relax. The warmth of your skin bleeds through the soft fabric of your leggings. It’s vaguely assuring, something Stu has to remind himself not to try to lean into too much. 

“You would.” He forces it to come out with a little more insult than he means it. 

You blink, tearing your eyes away from the screen and towards Stu. There’s something about the way you’re looking at him. It feeds a part of him that’s never ending. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

He smiles because you’re looking at him like that, so how could he not? “Motives make things neat for you. You like to justify things.” Stu’s gaze flits from your eyes and back to the screen. This part of Stu’s theory is a little more optimistic, enough of a stretch that he knows your reaction to it matters. “You want to sympathize with the killer, ‘cause that’s what you do.” 

Your lips press together slightly, not too telling. “I’m not that nice.” 

“You always forgive.” Stu moves his hand, pinching your cheek too quickly for you to protest. “Or maybe I’m just that irresistible.” 

Half scoffing, you turn your head entirely. Your partial laugh ends, falling flat when you notice Stu’s oddly neutral expression. It’s too contemplative, too thoughtful. That paired with his odd stillness has been a sign that something’s up. You asked about it, showed the right kind of interest, but you didn’t push. When you’re moody, Stu focuses more on cheering you up than finding out what’s wrong. That comes second. 

You wish there was a normal way to ask someone what they’re thinking. But there isn’t, which means you have to guess, “I’m not that forgiving.” Your words are slower than you mean them to be. It adds to the serious feel and that’s not the goal. You’re justing trying to give your mouth a chance to catch up with your thoughts. “Or nice, you just bring it out in me.” 

That...that’s surprising. Stu bites his tongue to keep from grinning too much. You’re not as predictable as everyone else. Not as boring or tiring. He could figure you out again and again and still not feel that same sort of general apathy he feels for most everyone. 

“Aw, aren’t you sweet.” You roll your eyes as Stu pulls an arm around your shoulder. He yanks you into his side too suddenly for it not be awkward and his grip is a little too secure for you to get comfortable right away, but the way his thumb brushes up and down your arm tells you that it’s meant to be nice. “If I bring out your ‘nice’,  angel, I don’t want to know who brings out your ‘mean’.” 

You sigh once, embracing Stu’s touchiness by relaxing into his hold. “Okay, don’t get an ego, it’s not you, it’s just--” Stu keeps himself quiet. You say the best things when you’re left to your own devices. “Well it is you--well, more the way you make me feel.” 

His fingers press into your arm a little more. That was worth holding out for. “Your feelings for me?”

Snapping your head in his direction, your mouth opens before you can think of your response. Stu turned your words in on themselves a little, but it still hit too close for you to dismiss it the way you normally would. “Shut up.” It’s too indignant, a laugh escapes Stu and you elbow his rib. “I was just trying to say that the reason I don’t stay mad that long is because I realize that you make me happier more than you make me not, I guess.” Feeling awkward, you practically squirm in his hold, eyes dropping to your lap. “That was super lame. Forget I said that.” 

Stu bends his arm, placing his hand firmly on your cheek in order to hold your head in place. He kisses your temple hard, an exaggerated kiss sound following the gesture. You half-laugh-half shriek, trying to push your way out of his grasp. “No way,” he laughs, moving his other arm to try to get you to still, “You like me.”

More kisses to your forehead and cheek and hairline. Anything he can touch as you squirm and giggle. Maybe you’re accepting his over enthusiasm and touchiness a little more today, but he’s starting to seem a little more like his usual self. 

“Not anymore,” it’s said with a smile. 

Stu’s mouth falls open in dramatic shock. His head falls onto your shoulder as he lets out a mocking gasp. He pushes his face against your collar, turning his cheek to press himself into your neck. You laugh again, the sound light and a little fluttery. Stu vaguely notes the nervous undertones as he takes a deep breath that he disguises as a dramatic sigh. You’re warm and smell like comfort. Despite the casualness of it, you nearly shiver. 

That’s something Stu’s starting to get used to, the way you always nearly tremble. He likes your shakiness, likes what it implies. “Don’t be mean.” 

“Oh, I’d never.”

He lets out a partial laugh, reveling in the fact that you’ve yet to try to seriously shake him off. His attention briefly flits back to the television. Another monologue explaining the reason behind a murder that took too long to plan for minimal pay off. It’s anticlimactic in a way that makes Stu antsy. 

“So why do you like motives?” It’s a simple enough question. 

You’re quiet for a second, sinking further into the couch as you think through your options. “Not sure, something about a sense of justice, getting even and having it pay off.” You stay silent, intently watching the screen, “Plus I can appreciate a well written plan.” 

Stu smiles, thinking about the way Billy would enjoy the irony. “You secretly an evil mastermind? Waiting for the right moment to take advantage of me?” 

He can feel the way your head turns at the way he makes his voice waver in a caricature of fear. “Yep, just biding time, waiting to have you at my mercy.” 

"And what would that look like?” Stu lifts his head just enough to watch your reaction. Your eyes won’t meet his, but he can feel the wideness of your gaze.

You almost smile, softly shoving Stu’s side. “Shut up.” 

“You know, we’re all alone right now, so if you want to--” 

“Stu.” 

He decides to take your scolding, mumbling a quick, “Just saying,” before dropping the subject and letting you watch the movie. 

[wrongcaitlyn]

about your series dear reader, will we ever get to see Nico having a collab or featured song in the future... heehe... love your work btw

thank u for the ask!! and thank u for reading i’m so glad you like it <3 i’ve actually thought abt this quite a bit!! the thing with collabs, is that either i could use an irl celebrity, or i could make a character a celebrity and make them work with nico—so here are my thoughts on both options:

1) a real celebrity - i try to stay away from involving real life people in the fic, as in interactions, because i don’t know any of those people irl and i would hate to, like, mischaracterize someone or write positively abt someone who eventually gets revealed to be like a shitty person, yk? the most i’ve ever done, i think, is that one time i mentioned nico taking a picture with lorde - but even then, it wasn’t him talking abt her, it was just a picture that was posted. that, and the absurd amount of taylor swift name drops that i have, which i will never stop😭

basically, though i have considered it (my mind is literally CONSTANTLY imagine collabs of nico and other celebs/other songs), i literally have a playlist of them, i don’t think i would ever include it in the fic. simply bc of the concerns mentioned above :/

(however, i would like everyone to know that ive been imagining nico as a surprise guest on the rep tour, and having him featured on rep tv, for like- literally as long as ive had this au in my head. ill never write him collating with taylor (bc again idk i just feel strange writing abt real ppl) but in my head, it’s canon)

2) creating a new celeb - this one is hard, pretty much bc i’m… out of characters.

like, i still HAVE characters to use, but i already have plans for most of them and a majority of them aren’t actually part of the music industry. i could justify a collab between alex and nico bc she’s like the only music person i have written, but i also don’t wanna force that

if i ever do, which i doubt, bc i don’t have any plans to at the moment, it’ll be a pjo character, i just don’t have any idea of who that would be :/

oh and! last reason why i’m hesitant to add a collab - i feel like nico writing music is so engrained with him working with apollo as a producer, and their studio dynamic. obviously, it’s good to step out of your comfort zone, but i think that it’s also some sense of caution and comfort between them, that they’re the same people who will work on every nico di angelo song and album.

either way, i have seven albums outlined in total. the time span of greatest of luxuries goes from 2018-2024. that may be subject to change, but im feeling pretty confident abt it (it used to be 2028 btw😭) and anything PAST that time range is completely up to the reader!! i have lots of ideas of what could happen beyond that seventh album, and i have an idea (and a playlist) of the eighth album, but i can definitely imagine a lot of features in the future as he branches out. (and also him on rep tv. or ttpd. will update when ttpd comes out if i think there’s a specific song he’d slay as a feature on)

and lastly, for features. yes. he is on the hunger games tbosas soundtrack bc i say so‼️

(i imagine yellow flicker beat by lorde, even tho that was written for mockingjay, i just feel like it fits his vibe, but also, can’t catch me now works perfectly too)

[thatonebabybat]

Okay. Long rant ahead, but... I'm bothered by those ppl who use "SaYiNG GoTH IS A MUsIc SuBCULtUrE IS ABLEISt BC DEaF PeOpLE CaN'T LIStEN TO It--" as a reason for why they think they can call it an aesthetic or a fashion style. Like.

1. Blind people can't see aesthetics so what are you getting at here exactly?? Is liking aesthetics bad because some people can't see them? Your own logic is working against you here tbh..

2. The people saying this generally aren't deaf and therefore probably shouldn't be speaking for the deaf community. (I don't intend to either, so if you're deaf and reading this and there's something you'd like for me to correct or work on, please feel free.)

3. I'm sure most goths would be chill w a deaf person hanging out w them as long as they understand the history and are participating in the community in some meaningful way. Like, they might not be able to hear the music, but they may still be able to read/appreciate the written lyrics, or maybe they can't hear the music but they still enjoy clubbing and like participating in goth nights… And there are still deaf music artists so that's always an option too- Plus, some deaf people can still like music on occasion bc hearing aids have gotten really advanced, so to lump them all together as being completely unable to enjoy it at all is strange… There's a lot of ways a deaf person could still be able to chill in a music subculture. I don't think anyone is intentionally excluding deaf people from the scene. I would like to think most people would be understanding in that specific scenario.

..Doesn't explain why an able-bodied person with access to as much music as they could ever possibly want through the internet gets to totally ignore it though. I think it says a lot that these people are aware of their privilege to be able to listen to music and participate in the community in that way, but instead decide to use disabled people as a shield for why they shouldn't have to put in even a tiny bit of effort before claiming a 40+ year old subculture for themselves. They don't actually care about making goth more accessible, if they did they'd be subtitling music videos, or posting the lyrics and translations of goth songs to lyric sites, or making more efforts to make goth events more comfortable for disabled people… But no. It's just about them.

4. Even if someone decided being goth wasn't for them because they were deaf and couldn't hear the music, no one is saying you're a lesser person or "bad" somehow for not being a goth. Like. Deaf people can be goth. But becoming a goth isn't a requirement. If it's not your thing it's not your thing, but it does mean a lot to the people who have been in the subculture for a long time. If you like the fashion and not the music, just use another word for it (alt/darkalt is a personal favorite of mine, but there's other tags you can use too) and call it a day, no one's judging you for that. It's not like people who don't like goth music can't express themselves with fashion or moodboards, I'm fine with that. I like doing that myself. Just don't call it goth if it doesn't have anything to do with goth music. Don't flood a music tag with completely unrelated content. It's rlly not that hard. Idk why people get so hung up on NEEDING to use this one word for things that have nothing to do with that word. It's absurd the lengths people will go just to take over someone else's label when it's totally unnecessary.

I'd love to hear thoughts from the actual disabled community on the topic though. What do you think goths could do to make the space more accessible? How do you feel about these kinds of arguments?? I'd like to get to know more about the subject.

[hellsvestibule]

I miss academia only in the literary field tbh. Bc I always enjoyed reading and analysis but I kind of -need- to be prompted, I -need- other people to ask me things, bc otherwise I’m putting statements out there into the void unprompted vs whatever the spiritual successor is to your teacher handing you a sheet which says “what do you think this means” with the explicit understanding and willingness to offer you the grace your personal perspective on this author is going to be fucking limited, your intention to research them in their totality might be nonexistent. and this isn’t a moral defect, you just fucking want to read Something and talk about what you just read, 5 minutes ago. But you also aren’t seeking to be regarded as an expert, or someone who wants to read nonstop in perpetuity till you feel like you’ve learned Nothing, which is what I feel like a lot of people who read and discourse a lot about reading sometimes do.

Some people never stop they never pull back long enough to apply that knowledge to the present, which is why they exist in a sphere separate from normal people, who rightfully feel condescended to by this. Bc your basis and understanding of intelligence is “have you collected enough Information” to even be allowed to to perceive and form opinions on this isolated instance of what you’ve read. Instead it becomes a Sisyphyian task of further and further education which will lead you in circles and convince you that you can never know enough. Ergo you can never Be enough, to be worthy of stating your own opinions. Did you research the surrounding historical context? Have you read all of this authors works? Have you read the inspiring literature? Are you eager to provide in depth analysis and condemnation of this authors problematic opinions?

Wheras I want to sort of, beg to the importance and validity of sometimes having a limited perspective, and needing to clumsily navigate the learning process, rather than immediately being presumed one of 2 alternatives, an expert, or someone with no right to speak on a subject, period.

Can -you- the person who is more educated than me, summarize whatever makes this prolonged research and knowledge of the subject important, sustinctly, within reason, or are you presuming the need to engage with this thing in its entirety is necessarily meaningful to my capabilities as a human.

When engaging w someone less educated than you, on any subject, it’s your duty as the expert, within reason, Not to gatekeep people who are just passing through. I.e. when a non artist shows me a drawing, i do not critique them as someone who intends to spend 20+ years getting to the level of skill and understanding I am at, I speak to them as a person passively engaging with a hobby and praise them for their attempts, offering minimal advice if they are interested. Ask yourself. Are you actually keen on imparting this wisdom on others or are you just weaponizing it to make them feel stupid and morally deficient.

[ni-kol-koru]

KnB 30-Days Challenge

Day 10 : Favorite Team

Shūtoku High School BC 🏀🧡

Another very difficult choice for me. Every team in this show has unique characters, an interesting dynamic and their own unique playstyle and something special, like a quirk. I kind of know what my TOP 3 teams are, but choosing one of them seemed like an impossible mission... So, I made a little system that will help me pick my favorite team. When I added and substracted some points, Shūtoku won!     

Shūtoku, as a team, has some of my most favorite characters ever. It is also the only team (after Rakuzan) in which I love and adore absolutely every member! Since I rambled about Shintarō and Kiyoshi, and am going to ramble about Kazunari very soon, let me just talk about the forgotten two of Shūtoku: Taisuke Ōtsubo and Shinsuke Kimura. A lot of people seem to forget that these two guys exist. They don't look super flashy, like Shintarō and Kiyoshi for example, because they have dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and generic hairstyles. They don't have prominent personalities either, like the other 3 members, who have their own very distinctive quirks and personality traits. But, that is just the surface. I was very curious one day and decided to scratch it and dive a little more into the lives and personalities of these two handsome boys. Well, after researching about them, they turned out to be very interesting, and dear to me.    

Taisuke Ōtsubo. He is a serious, responsible, determined captain and a great sportsman. He is the pillar of his team on the court and is there to cover up the mistakes of his fellow members by saving every rebound he can. Everybody seems to think he is just tall, strong and scary and rough, but seriously, this guy is just a teddy bear. Other than being very kind and showing it in form of great sportmanship, he has some really surprising hobbies. It's cooking, cleaning, and knitting! In Extras, he is shown to be really skilled with needles and yarn, knitting a scarf almost 2 meters long during a boring class! He also carries things he made in his bag all the time, like mittens, hats... These things he does are not usually something that men do, and I just love how he looks like the manliest man ever and has these hobbies, breaking the patriarchal norms. He also really loves his team and always takes care of his teammates, knowing how to motivate them and cheer them up when it's needed, and tending to them when practices get tough and they feel sick. My favorite thing about him is that he likes spending his free time with his little sister, Ōtsubo Tae! Her age was never confirmed, but she is somewhere around 15, or maybe even 16, if we think about what Yūya said. Now, a lot of big brothers seem to, for some reason, find it boring, and even embarrassing, to hang out with their little sisters, but no, not Taisuke Ōtsubo. This guy loves it, we know it because he chooses to spend his free time in her presence! Taisuke is 18 years old, a grown man, basketball player, graduate student, preparing for college and adult life, and in a busy time like that, when he finds free time, he still spends time with his little sister. I can totally see them cooking together and cleaning together, but another activity that I can see them doing is just, talking. Taisuke can sit and talk with his sister all day, listening to her without feeling the need to interrupt her of mansplain anything if she just needs to let things out, or offering honest advice and support when she needs it. He is also surely protective of her, making sure to let everybody in her life know that if they hurt her in any way, he will find out and they will pay for it. He is just ready to do anything for his sister, I think. Another little detail about his character, that I really love, is that he is part of the Library Committee, which means he likes to read, and help people find books they like! Not only that, but his favorite subject is physcis, which means he is good at it, and that only reveals how smart he actually is! This man literally has the words 'Perfect Guy' on his forehead, how can people sleep on him like that? The only thing he can't do is kill a cockroach (actual canon and his actual only shortcoming).   

Shinsuke Kimura. Calm, hard-working, doesn't like the spotlight and prefers to stay out of trouble. That's pretty much the only things people know about him. Though, reading between the lines of his behaviour, I found a couple of really endearing character traits! I He is a really supportive person, but he is doing it rather quietly most of the time. In games, he sets up solid screens to give his teammates freedom to move and opportunities to score, though. He also brings delicious fruits when practices get exhausting, and he is there to help his teammates if they ever feel sick, like when he was rubbing Kazunari's back and called for help when he felt like throwing up. He is even supportive in the strangest way possible, by always offering a pineapple to Kiyoshi when he is irritated, supporting his dear friend's anger issues. When times call for it, he knows how to motivate his teammates and give them a reason to stand up on their feet and continue fighting. He is extremely hard-working and he proved it by practicing harder than everyone until he finally reached the starter line. That's a thing I really admire him for. Something that caught my attention when reading his Wiki page and exploring his character was how he likes to spend his free time. He spends it by helping at home. Now, if you know that his family owns a convenience store and grows their own fruits, it probably means that he helps with taking care of the said plants, carries heavy boxes, cleans the store, helps in organising new arrivals, works as a cashier and so on... However, if you ever happened to notice the fact that he doesn't have a mother, it adds another, whole different meaning. Having only a father means that all the house and store responsibilities fall onto him when his boys are at school, which is difficult to balance. So, taking care of the house, cleaning it and cooking meals, probably sometimes falls onto his two sons, and very likely Shinsuke, as the older brother, takes care of most of those things. This boy is another level of hard-working. We can even gyess that he gave up college to continue the family's bussiness, because he is never shown worrying about any college entrance exams, like the other two Third Years. He is just, wow. The moment I completely fell in love with him was when I listened to a Special CD. In the said CD, he reveals such a beautiful side of himself and he tells us about something really important for him. He talks about wrestling. He has been doing it since he is 8 years old, it's something that he loves a lot and is extremely passionate about! I wish you guys could hear his voice when he talks about wrestling, he just sounds so happy and passionate! Oh, and he gets so excited when he finds out Shintarō knows a thing or two about his sport! Listening to that part of the CD always makes my little heart melt! Shinsuke is so precious to me and I just love him so much!

If you get into typology, Shinsuke and Taisuke both have a Kanji in their names that means 'Support', showing how important they are for the Shūtoku team. Also, they are really handsome, and it's a hill I will die on. If anyone disagrees with me on this one, I am willing to argue until the end of time.   

Now, the characters aren't even the best part of this team. What I endlessly love is the chemistry and all the different friendships between all of them!

Three Third years and two First years in a single team is a really interesting combination itself. Almost like parents and children. Getting along with each other, as two separate generations, was probably something that they had to work on a lot, but in the end, they did it! Since the beginning, the First years had respect for their Seniors by listening to them and respecting their opinions. Sometimes, the Third years had to pick their younger members up and give them motivation to keep fighting. They are also there to tend to the boys when they feel unwell and are always willing to offer their help when they get in trouble, like in the Midorima's Unlucky Day Extra! An important step towards the team working well was Third years getting along with the fact that the First years, were indeed, special, and needed to be cut some slack for such behaviour from time to time. Honestly, realising that they will be on the same team only for a single year breaks my heart every time, it breaks theirs as well... The moment Shintarō and Kazunari pointed that out in their game against Rakuzan was the only time I cried in the show. Seriously, I love these guys so much.     

Shūtoku has some really interesting friendships as well, one of the most precious friendships being the one between Kazunari and Shintarō. It is obvious that these two are inseparable! After all, they are always there for each other, on the basketball court, in school and even in private life, offering support and having fun! Kazunari cares for Shintarō really deeply, and he shows it by carrying some of his neccesities, such as tape for fingers and sometimes even lucky items with himself, and always being there to cheer him up and protect him if the upperclassmen are picking on him. Shintarō is pretty tsundere, usually trying hard to not show how much he actually appreciates Kazunari and his thoughtfulness, but every time he softly smiles and relies on his dear friend he reveals to us how much he appreciates him.

Another friendship that is very dear to me is the one between Kiyoshi and Shinsuke! These two share the same story on how they got their well deserved positions as the starter members of the basketball team. They worked harder than everyone, stayed late to practice and got close because of that, possibly practicing with each other a bunch of times. But that's not everything, The Extras really reveal just how close these two are! They are actually classmates as well! Being in the same class with someone surely brings two people together, so these two being in the same classroom for 3 consecutive years surely did its wonders! Now, their personalities might clash a little, because Shinsuke is calm and Kiyoshi is rather uptight, Shinsuke prefers to stay out of trouble while Kiyoshi attracts a lot of trouble, but they are also similar in their determination, seriousness and hard-work, which is why they can probably get along. In the anime, we can also see these two tease each other sometimes, in the besties way, of course. The Extras also show how sometimes, when paired up, these two know how to 'have fun' by poking at their underclassmen (which is a little mean, but they never really hurt anyone, as far as I know, so they are forgiven). Oh, and of course, they have this famous pineapple/pick-up truck deal, where Shinsuke always offers his fruits or vehicle to his dear friend when he is irritated. It is just so iconic, like their own little inside joke!

There is also something very interesting going on between Taisuke and Kiyoshi. At one point in the anime, Taisuke reveals to Shintarō and Kazunari that they go to idol concerts together and that idols are actually their common interest! As someone who is into idols myself, I can see them collecting albums, CDs and photocards and trading them with each other all the time, which is something that is fun when done with friends! But that's not quite it... Remember when Taisuke said he was really used to seeing Kiyoshi work so hard? Well, I somehow came to an idea that they practiced basketball together, more specifically, that Taisuke helped Kiyoshi with polishing his fundamentals and mastering dribbling against an opponent with good defense. This duo kind of makes sense, because Taisuke is just supportive like that, he is the type of a guy who would help others in need with no hesitation, and Kiyoshi just screams 'someone help' as a character and a person, and especially in that period of time, I think. So, naturally, they were kinda drawn to each other, and later when they realised they have some things in common, they became good friends! I can kind of see Kiyoshi always feel so grateful for Taisuke because he supported him and helped him in some really tough times, and probably even picked him up when he fell. Also, before Taisuke revealed their shared interest to his underclassmen, he was about to say something about Kiyoshi, but he cut himself in the middle of his sentence and never said it. I can feel that he was about to say something really nice about him, groundbreaking for their relationship even, and I am still mad he never finished it...

Shūtoku is also a team with a lot of brothers and sisters, where every regular memeber we know has a younger sibling! Shintarō, Kazunari and Taisuke have younger sisters, while Shinsuke and Kiyoshi have younger brothers! Sadly, we never got to truly meet any of them. We only know something little about Yūya, only know Tae's name and looks, and the appearance of little Kimura. Unfortunately, we have nothing for little Midorima and little Takao. Well, still, it's really something interesting to think about, all the possible big brother tropes that the regulars of Shūtoku might be! It's sad that we don't have almost anything for some of these younger siblings, but that doesn't have to be all that bad! It leaves room for our own imagination and creativity to shine, we can make up our own fun headcanons for their looks, ages, personalities and relationships!

I just love this team so much! 🧡