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soyouareandrewdobson · 7 months

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Nintendo-vember Level 3: Dobson and his Toxic Nintendo Nostalgia

Nostalgia can be toxic. Now bear in mind, I did not say that it IS toxic, but that it can be toxic. This assumption that because we have pleasant memories of something, that it was always good all the time. A desire to get that back, ignores all the good that’s come since then. As well as all the bad stuff that was there too. And it poisons you. Making you more suggestible to deception and your own greed. Who is to say that your own past is more important than someone else’s future? And because you want something that may not have been real at all, the farther the goal post gets. Because you can’t really reclaim it. So it just gets worse and worse and you get greedier and more desperate for it, because what you really want is never going to come. Until in the very end, you become the thing you hated in the first place. Lewis Lovhaug – March 2018, Infinite Crisis

Everything I did for this month so far, was going to lead directly into today’s , actually long in the works, post. Cause today we go over the comic, that as far as I see it, may actually be Dobson’s most (in)famous one out there. The one that painted the public’s opinion of him more so than anything he would ever do when starting to draw “political comics” under Trump. The one that defined him for all of deviantart and kiwifarms from 2010 onward. A comic that will always show up, whenever someone online even remotely talks about him. The one that I have seen more times than any other being used for threads on /co/ for Dobson. A comic that is neither about politics, feminism or even part of any of his comic series. A comic that is truly centered around the concept of toxic nostalgia, rather than whatever Andrew Dobson was going for and that fits perfectly to the theme of this month.

Ladies, gentlemen and inbetween… I give you, the Localization one.

Released in 2010, a time when Dobson was still trying (and failing) to sell himself more on the image of just being a quirky nerd and Nintendo fanboy whose work you should support because he only wants to make others happy, this became a comic that genuinely cemented further in the eyes of others, how much of a self-indulgent and extremely manchildish prick with dumb taste he really was.

How, some here may ask who are a bit too young? Well, let me give you context…

For starters, by the time Dobson released the comic, he had already quite a bit of a reputation online for being a prick to other nerds. His infamous “West vs East” comic which he created “as a joke” to vent about the popularity of anime in the mid to late 2000s had been published three years prior and had, in combination with a lot of derogative journal entries and posts on deviantart and other pages, earned him the ire of many people. In addition, his failed or outright aborted “original” content had painted him as a quitter, who despite wanting all the fame someone could muster online, was not willing to put the necessary work in it.

Dobson was, for a lack of a better word, a bully among nerds who tried to use his platform to shame people for being “nerdier” than him or enjoying stuff he didn’t, while also playing the victim card for people not interested in purchasing his product or calling him out on his hypocrisies and flaws in opinions.

In that regard, Dobson was pretty much ahead of the curve to some “woke” companies. Insulting your customer and then being surprised when no one wants to buy your shit.

The other thing to be aware of, has to do with the history and popularity of Nintendo characters at least pre-1995 in America.

For the few not quite aware and as a quick reminder to everyone: Videogames back in the 80s and very early 90s (like 1990-92) did on average not necessarily have what we can call “complex” lore when it came to videogame stories and characters. At least not to a degree as we would get later in the mid-90s and onwards. Aside of (J)RPGs most games were simply focused on moving a character from one end of a level to the next and the story as to why we even bothered for Megaman to fight the Robo Masters and who the heck Dr. Wily was, was printed in the manual on a small page.

And Mario and Link were no exception to that. Mostly because they also had only very few genuine main titles under their name. By 1989, The Legend of Zelda had only two NES titles under its name, while Mario had (if we don’t account for non-jump n’run games in which he was shoved into because of his status as Nintendo’s mascot) the three main Mario Bros games for the NES, one game for the Game Boy, Mario Bros and the two Donkey Kong titles.

Lacking quite a bit in characterization game wise, Nintendo of America in order to sell the stuff had to partly make the characters appeal to the audience via localization done through merchandise and non-game related products. And early fans of these characters would obviously crave for it.

Enter The Super Mario Bros Super Show, a cartoon series produced on order of Nintendo of America by Haim Saban and DIC Enterprises (the same ones who would give us “The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog”, “Captain N” and “Inspector Gadget”) that ran from September 1989 till December of 1989. Using the first two Mario Bros games for the NES as basis for the character design of the show, the show itself had otherwise little to do with the games. Ignoring the live action segments, the actual animated episodes would have plots in which Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach (the later going by the then American official name of Princess Toadstool) traveled into whatever territory and had to deal with Bowser (or King Koopa as he was known) in a plot that had elements of some book, movie or anything else to parody.

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In addition the show would later have Legend of Zelda based animated segments, of which 13 were produced. Those featured Link living in Hyrule castle with a more active “power woman” Princess Zelda and a fairy companion named Sprite and the two having to deal with Ganon, who was more of a dark wizard than a warrior based demon.

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Overall, the shows were not really all that great compared to other stuff that existed cartoon wise, with some aspects of the characters feeling jarring nowadays. But honestly, for the sake of this article, I watched some of them and frankly they were not that terrible. They were typical 80s cartoon fanfare, which among other things included some animation errors and dumb slapstick. Especially the Mario segments were very slapstick heavy and Mario and Luigi were mostly characterized by Luigi being a bit of a scaredy cat even before the games did show him like that, Mario being rougher than you would think and dumb jokes about Luigi and Mario loving pasta and other Italian dishes. Because you know, Italians are only known for their cuisine!

The Zelda segments also had a bit of an “odd” character dynamic imagined for Zelda and Link. Zelda was a bit of a jerkass commanding bitch and Link could be a horndog trying to always flirt with her or trying to get a kiss.

There is one moment in an episode for example, where Zelda sits on Links bed after just having stopped some condor from stealing a piece of the Triforce guarded in Link’s room. Right then Link enters the room, sees the Princess sitting there and immediately says “smooching time” and tries to jump her to make out.

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Minute 3:15 – 3:20 more or less Yeah, I think Pepe le Hyrulian would not really sell well with more modern audiences and sensitivities.

All that said, I can understand people having a soft spot for the show and enjoying it unironically. It is just that I think most of them would also be intelligent and understanding enough to see, that these shows did NOT give the ultimate interpretation of who or what these characters and their games were. Truth be told, even back then those things weren’t really acknowledged by Nintendo. Sure, Nintendo of America may have given the okay to do those things. But in Japan, global headquarters gave more or less a rat’s ass about it. They were busy making the NES and Gameboy profitable and worked on Mario Bros 3.

Truth be told, the most “characterization” Mario even got in Japan at the time was as followed: Shigeru Miyamoto thought he should be Italian and from New York. The former because he “looked” Italian to him (as a result of the mustache), the later because Donkey Kong, the game Mario originated from, was inspired in part by King Kong and King Kong is set in New York. Mario didn’t even have a name originally, having been known by Jumpman once. The origin of his Mario name is, that after Minoru Arakawa (president of Nintendo of America at the time) got into an argument with a real estate developer named Mario Segale, who Arakawa owned rent money, the game developers decided to name the character Mario. Which may or may not have been meant as a “take that” against Mr. Segale. But if so, it’s one that backfired.

But I digress. Point of that entire elongated history lesson is, that Mario and Link were in terms of characterization mostly defined to some 80s kids, by their depiction in the American cartoon, which had however very little in common with what the games were about. It was e.g. the cartoon who popularized heavily the entire idea of the brothers being from Brooklyn and having been transported via a magic pipe into the Mushroom Kingdom, while in the actual games, such a backstory was never really given. As evident by even the actual American instruction manuals for Super Mario Bros 1 and 3 I checked out online for this. Look them up.

And again, most people, even the kids, could accept that the animated show and what the games were, differed.

Then came the 90s, and with more titles under their belt, Nintendo of Japan decided to flesh out their mascots more to increase their popularity, resulting in Mario, Link and others getting “official” personalities as shown by their behavior in games and not just the inofficial ones via non-canon foreign material. And again, most kids and people were okay with that. After all, the games were what really mattered to them in the long run. Plus I think that as long as the games would simply “capture” the spirit of whatever they liked in the characters iand games n the first place, they would be okay with it.

But not Andrew Dobson.

Born in 1981 and likely not owning a NES up until the cartoon aired, he jumped onto the show as an eight year old and became a fan of it. In fact he enjoyed the Zelda cartoon so much, even as an adult he would draw fanart about it

Nothing at all wrong with that in my opinion. You like something, you have the ability to create fan content for it, go for it.

But as we more or less already established via the Howard and Nester comic, Dobson was as a person dead set that only the thing he liked or was first exposed to counts and not whatever others thought. Something that supposedly may explain why he genuine hates Bowser Jr and Yoshi, as evident by these tweets made a few years after the Localization comic was made.

And yeah sorry, but how can one hate Yoshi? Yoshi is an adorable pet dinosaur you can ride. You know how many kids would have loved someone like that in their life? Gues if Yoshi was less into vore and more into inflation, Dobson would have liked him more.

Speaking of the comic -and to finally get back to it- even Dobson admitted years later that the entire point of it is to simply piss all over Nintendo and that he was annoyed that his “beloved” American continuity got erased in favor of the “dirty Japanese” one. Despite the fact that the Japanese one is, as he himself admits, official.

And boy does he take the piss on it. To the point I want to call him R. Kelly.

So lets dissect how his stand is just the typicla strawman affair, unfunny and at times quite frankly outright homophobic, sexist, hypocritical and racist.

First, the art. As always, it is just “great” to see the degree in animation being fully utilized here. No background but skyblue, everyone looking more like a doodle, the use of the fillbucket, the director having 5 fingers on his hand in the second panel, but four in the fifth, getting the numbers of fingers on Mario completely wrong, missing out on Peach in the last panel and so on… brilliant! How come Disney would not hire someone who could draw like that! Oh right, because standards. Though those have gotten quite low over the years

Every single person working on this needs to be blacklisted.

But of course, the true brilliance comes through the writing. Starting with the strawman executive coming off as if what he does is something new. That he is the “evil soulless corporation” who doesn’t care for his employees and creations true personality and forces them to fit into some mold for the audience to enjoy. The “audience” and consumers also being more or less indirectly insulted by the way Dobson presents the entire affair, as he seemingly wants to blame “those damn kids” for ruining his favorite childhood characters.

But Dobson, I thought you loved corporations hating on fans.

Then we come to what the characters are supposedly changed into.

(warning, upload of the comic for the third time, so you cna always see what I refer to)

First, Mario being no longer from Brooklyn and that he is supposedly an Italian stereotype. As a non American, I have to ask: Why is it so important that Mario has to be from Brooklyn? I get the feeling the only reason people like Dobson or Moviebob care about it, is because they want to deep down culturally appropriate the character. Assure he is in some way of American culture and doesn’t belong to some “dirty, foreign country”, even if they have to go for a compromise and make him a dirty half blood Wop. I mean, I will say this: Yes, Mario has an accent that is stereotypical. And? I take a stereotypical accent and being otherwise a determined but friendly everyday hero over him being stereotypically obsessed with pasta and no personality conveyed through his actions aside of being a bit mean and bossy to his brother, as was the case in that dang cartoon.

The thing here is, Dobson was genuinely convinced that Mario’s portrayal as given by Charles Martinet, Mario’s VA from the early 90s up until August of 2023, wasn’t just stereotypical, but also racist, harmful and culturally insensitive. Something he believed even back in 2017 and resulted in a minor twitter meltdown

Look, I will say this here: Yes, Martinet’s voice for Mario is kinda stereotypical. And I did my research. Unlike Martinet, Lou Albano, the original voice of Mario in the Mario Bros Super Show, was actually of Italian heritage. Born in 1933 in Rome, having immigrated to the USA shortly after he got baptized in the Vatican (you can’t get more Italian than that!), he certainly was more authentically Italian than Martinet, who was born in California. Heck, Martinet’s father is actually French and he spend more time in France in his youth than in America or Italy. The story of how Martinet got his gig as Mario is also well known and painted by a rather stereotypical joke involving Italian food.

But to paraphrase the twitter user Dobson argued with, I think that all things considered, Martinet gave Mario and all the other characters he voiced over the years just a certain warmth and fun to their personality with the way he delivered his lines, that he managed to convey and define the cartoonish true nature of Mario and Co for many generations to come. And even now that he has been retired from the role, he is still a name recognized for the character. A character no one, not even freaking nationalistic Italians, seem to have a problem with. So, mangia un cazzo, Dobson. You sound just like the assholes who tried to get rid of Speedy Gonzales and in doing so pissed off all of Mexico.

Next the way he talks about Peach. Okay first, the Popeye arms are again just something from the cartoons. Or at least he believes it cause…. Well

Does that look like Popeye arms?

Second, he is essentially saying that Princess Peach, unlike the cartoon version, is a bimbo. Why, because she is blonde and you have some sort of deep seated hatred for blond people? Also, Peach hasn’t fought with Mario together in really any NES videogame either, Dobson. Oh what, Mario Bros 2? Aka the reskinned version of Doki Doki Panic? The way he talks here about Princess Peach is just utterly sexist, as he essentially devalues Peach as a character, just because she plays a damsel in distress often times. Which doesn’t even necessarily mean, that she isn’t a badass in her own way, even in that role. I mean, she is still the sovereign ruler of an entire nation and in Super Princess Peach -which seems to be the game he references when it comes to her being “over emotionally”- she saves the day all on her own. Sure, she is emotional in the game, but the entire premise of the game is centered around everyone’s emotions going haywire along Vibe Island, including the villains. Bet Dobson hasn’t even played the game back in 2006 and just went off on some shitty rumor. Not to forget that this statement is utterly false. Peach has also been a great supporting character and fighter in games such as Super Mario RPG and Super Paper Mario, which were released BEFORE that comic. And nowadays she is also known as a great character in stuff like the Mario + Rabbids games plus she will get her own upcoming Princess Peach: Showtime game for the Switch. Lastly, let us not forget every game where, even if she played a damsel, was still important to the plot by defying the villain as best as she could. Not to forget the current movie, in which she still kicked ass while going out all in pink.

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So, after he has been racist towards Italians indirectly as well as sexist towards women embracing their brand feminity (boy, don’t want to know how 2011 Dobson would have then reacted to the Barbie movie of 2023), let Dobson be judgmental about anime fangirls and also rather homophobic, by the way how he tries to tear down “modern” Link.

There are four things I hate the most about the Link panel, which make it frankly in my eyes the one where Dobson’s hatred and own nastiness really shine through.

First, the accusation that the “changes” to Link’s design past “Link’s Awakening” can be attributed to anime fangirls. Showing both his true hatred for women when they don’t fall in line with his views and his stuck up shitty opinion about anime fans and combining it with latent misogyny. Look, I have seen thirst anime fangirls myself a lot over my lifetime. But they were not the demographic to “ruin” Link. If anything, I think that the popularity of Cloud Strife in general with others may have slightly influenced Link’s design for Ocarina of Time. Which in itself also had been in development at least since spring of 1996, till its release in November of 1998. And even then, that is a stretch I came up with, cause in my opinion someone in the development team likely just thought “Hey, what if we move on from the more cartoony look of the late 80s and early 90s and try some “darker” fantasy elements, without going full Berserk?” And that is how we got Link in that game. Because of some developers trying to appeal design wise to a general audience, not just a random group of made up strawmen. You want to see games pandering to actual Yaoi fangirls aesthetically? Play Enzai or Twisted Wonderland.

Second, again his hatred towards blond people. I really would like to know where that comes from, because I doubt it was only related to some random bully in school being blond.

Third, the way he uses the word effeminate and describes post Ocarina of Time Link essentially as “nonthreatening”.

For starters, considering Link rams his sword into Ganon’s skull in Ocarina of Time and slashes away at many of his enemies, which is way more threatening and violent than just poking them with a stick in 2D overhead view, I wouldn’t really consider him “non threatening”. I like to call him and many of his future incarnations, badass as fuck. Even the cartoonish, childlike Link from the Wind Waker continuity, who didn’t just stab Ganon in the head, but put his sword in there for good. It also is kinda laughable how Dobson uses the word “non threatening” in a negative manner, seeing how over the years ever since he sucked off Steven Universe, he would whine on twitter and other social plattforms again and again how males in media are always resolving conflict only via violence and are not in tune with their emotions. In other words, he once considered being more or less pacifistic a negative trait.

Also, “effeminate”? Okay first, Link looks like this in Ocarina of Time…

What exactly looks “effeminate” about male Link here, or at least let’s say more “effeminate” than for example in a character like this?

Second, we all know that if Link all off sudden looked more like Guts from Berserk or the protagonist of DarkSoul (you know, more “manly”), Dobson would throw enough of a hissy fit, he would likely come back from his sabbath and whine how Nintendo is embracing toxic masculine traits in his characters. All while also blaming PS3 games for some reason for that.

Third, how exactly would Dobson define effeminate here? I mean, the term is already defined as being derogatory, the most common definition I found by Merriam-Webter online being as followed

Effeminate: having feminine qualities untypical of a man : not manly in appearance or manner

Effeminate: marked by an unbecoming delicacy or overrefinement

So, Andrew “I hate all men” Dobson, has a problem with a character not being “typical” or stereotypical manly male? The same guy who praised the She-Ra reboot for its portrayal of Bow and fucking worships that fat fuck below as one of the best protagonists in a cartoon of the last decade…

Has actually deep down a problem with people embracing more female interests, qualities or just looking more feminine in appearance, even though the later may not be by choice but rather genetics? All while also having the audacity to say then this years later?

I find this just genuinely hate- and hurtful. Not just a simple complaint about a design choice regarding his supposed favorite fantasy game hero, but a “deep cut” towards people who just enjoy things not considered “stereotypically manly” or may feel not comfortable falling in line with gender expectations. I mean, what? Is a man now supposedly not manly in Dobson’s eyes because they like musicals, sweets are capable of showing empathy and other emotions or like to dress up in certain ways or take care of their appearance?

It is just disgusting to me, because I know people, both male and female, who had to deal with bullying and name calling a lot simple because they didn’t quite fall in line with expectations by others or struggle with their own identity partly because of expectations vs reality. And as evident by THIS comment TheHypocrisyofAndrewDobson received once it isn’t just “a joke” to people genuinely affected by that sort of mentality. And again, this derogatory use of the world and complaint towards “modern” Link comes from someone who years later would whine about toxic masculinity, put women on pedestals even if they are abusive, likely jerked it off to Link in Gerudo gear following Breath of the Wild and in the biggest ironic “twist”, loves the cartoon incarnation of Link, whose catchphrase is “Excuse me, Princess” and needs a restraining order as much as Warner Bros gave Pepe lePew.

And to finish this panel off (yes, we are still not at Samus), of course the next complain is how Zelda and Link are “no longer love interests” … now I apologize in advance towards any moderate shipper out here, but I am going full snarker mode now for this part. Okay?

Dobson… the fact that you cared so much about shipping two fictional characters in a series of children games, for a console primarily played by kids, while you were being in your 20s and above is pathetic as shit. I know that you have no one in life who genuinely loves you, because among other things you are incapable of either feeling or identifying true love while also being a selfish little shit, but to be so thirsty for affection that you project that need on some pieces of data or lines of color, makes you a bigger loser in my book than any republican who lost the primary against Donald Trump in 2015. The fact that you look at a piece of fiction and your immediate thought is “oohh, these two characters together would look very cute hugging, kissing and doing things I touch myself to at night”, while things such as plot progression and character development likely play second, third or fourth fiddle, only confirms to me that shippers (at least the once acting like you in that regard and other fields) are a fucking blight on any fandom and the world at large.

Now with that shit vented, I once again apologize for going that far, even for “comedic purpose” towards the people who actually can recognize when they go just a bit too far with shipping. But this isn’t just annoying in regard to this comic, it is annoying with Dobson in general. If you are even remotely aware of how he treats the LGBT subject for real as well as what he truly enjoys about Legend of Korra and Miraculous Ladybug, you know he is thirstier than someone stranded in the Gobi desert. Just look at his pic of Zelda and Linkle he made in honour of Hyrule Warriors.

I can kinda taste his urge to touch himself there.

To me it is just dumb to define any story out there and the characters in it by simply “are they getting together or not” because romance to me in storytelling is an additional flavor, not the main ingredient. It is one reason I really do not like Miraculous Ladybug for example. And the fact that Dobson seems to define Legend of Zelda a lot as a franchise by the “shipping potential” of Link and Zelda as implied by that panel, irks me in all the wrong ways.

I mean, for the most part the appeal of the Zelda games isn’t the “romance” between the two, it is traversing the land of Hyrule and saving it from evil while going on a big adventure. And let us be real here, Link and Zelda weren’t really an item pre-Ocarina of Time either. In the NES and SNES games they were essentially strangers to each other, with one filling the role of damsel in distress even a bit harder than Peach did. After all, Peach may be a princess, but she actually rules her kingdom. Zelda on the other hand is daddy’s little girl in those and other games post 1998. And the relationship they had in the cartoon, the one Dobson likes to call a “may they, won’t they” thing is in my opinion not cute, but toxic. She is a demanding bitch that calls him names at times, he is a horndog who needs a lecture by Sexual Harassment Panda and none of them improves character wise over the show.

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What a misogynistic piece of shit

There is a reason I consider Tetra, Zelda from Skyward Sword and the “Wild” Zelda the better interests, because not only do Link and Zelda here have better chemistry and are both nicer and more respectful to each other in a manner, they also support each other in very heroic ways. I mean, Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom willingly sacrificed her own conscious just so Link can have a shot at defeating Ganon and saving Hyrule in the future, while Link wants to do everything to save his friend. If that isn’t impactful, tragic and has so much romantic potential, I don’t know what else would count.

But hey, supposedly the cartoon is better. And the 365 Days Trilogy is a great love story with no unfortunate implications involving sexual relationships and abuse. *snark*

And then it is Samus turn. And I really have to wonder, if Dobson ever even played a Metroid Game before Other M anyway, as he hates games with scary elements and FPS.

Aside of once again whining about changing the hair color (Dobson seems to be something of a reverse Aryan enthusiast), he acts as if the addition of the Zero Suit in Metroid was a cardinal sin and “sexist crap”, to entice more men to playing her game.

Okay… for starters, the Metroid games were already enjoyed by a huge male demographic long before that or before even Metroid Prime. Samus wasn’t a “played by females thirsty for representation” only character, as that comic seems to imply. She was considered a female badass hero from the moment she first appeared and her design is deliberately inspired by Ripley from Alien. And skimpy? Again, Dobson doesn’t seem to know what certain words mean. Skimpy would be when the outfit would show more off her skin or was barely there. This is a skintight jumpsuit, that also has a function in the game as a less movement restricting suit compared to Samus armor. Heck, just watch this video, that guy gives some decent explanation on the suit itself.

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And yeah, I can agree that in certain cutscenes more so than the actual game, it does put quite a bit of emphasize on Samus “attributes” so to speak. But are we really trying to insinuate that the Zero Jumpsuit is more sexist than the character stripping off to her underwear as was the bonus ending content of the initial Metroid games?

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And if the issue is that the skinsuit makes Samus more “sexy” and that Dobson does not want to see sexy characters in Nintendo games…

He should reevaluate the fact that he enjoyed the above later.

There is also this little tweet I found after the fact, Dosbon would make later in 2015, where he actually more or less confirms the idea, that he thinks the Japanese only care for Samus in a “sexy skintight” manner, by making this dumbass “joke” comparison

Ignoring the fact btw, that the pic on the left was drawn by Samus original designer Hiroji Kiyotake. Again, Dobson trying to discredit the Japanese. And don't get me even started that he enjoys Other M or takes more offense to the shoedesign of Samus in Smash Bros than anything

Finally, and to wrap this thing up, we reach the final panel, showing the executive declaring that the “old” stuff shall from now on be brushed off like Dobson tried to brush off his fetish artist days, all while the “new and improved, but truly despicable” pretenders of his favorite childhood heroes are behind him. Mario lobotomized to say MAMA MIA while his eyes look like he is possessed by the retardation of Talus, Link being a “silly girl who makes silly movements with her hands and likely just wants to hang out with cute boys”, while Samus looks pissed and just wishes she was in something less degrading for her than this comic. Like Other M.

Honestly, this comic just stinks of loser entitlement and as stated prior, toxic nostalgia. Dobson has never really been a creator of decent stuff, only a consumer who demands the next product as soon as he hungers for it and will be utterly judgemental to petty and spiteful degrees, when he doesn’t get what he wants or suddenly thinks he sees something “problematic” to it. And to him, already the fact that stylistic choices and aesthetics changed over time, a natural progression of things if you ask me, is “problematic” in his eyes. Dobson would have rather had for Zelda, Link, Mario, Samus and Co to be undefined postholders he could have projected himself on, or outdated 80s stereotypes and toxic men, because that is the first thing he was ever exposed to when it came to those characters. Why not go even further, Dobson? Erase the Switch, the Wii and any other game console post 1989 from history, so that gaming itself never evolves past the 8-Bit era. Let’s destroy Pokemon, God of War, Kirby, Sonic and many other franchises and characters, because they are not the “true heroes of the Golden Age of gaming”. Let’s see how you will like that, when they come for your beloved Skyrim.

Bottom line, Dobson is a nostalgic pig, stuck in a past he looks at through rose tainted, grease covered glasses and this comic more than anything written before and after that embodies the mentality quite as well. And even though he tried to play it off as a joke, anyone with half a brain saw through what it was really about. And they made Dobson know, partly through less words than I used here, why they thought his opinion and by extension he, sucked.

Dobson wasn’t just playing the overzealous Nintendo fan for shit and giggles. He was, this overzealous, almost destructive and utterly disrespectful fan, who believed in the superiority of his favorite childhood toy over the consoles of others, even if that included pissing off his own “kin” or accussing Nintendo of being problematic dirty foreigners. Just look at anything he would type in regard of Super Smash Bros for the Switch, like how pissed he was at the fact he had to put effort into getting his favorite character to play as. Essentially insinuating, the game and people enjoying it were crap, just because he was biased towards fighting games to begin with. And look, being critical of aspects of a game, is one thing. But some of the things Dobson found to complain about? Pathetic, childish and utterly irrelevant in the bigger picture of anything

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I want to punch him in the throat for this voice alone...

And if you think Dobson being an opinionated Nintendo fanboy is cringe, wait till we get to him being an opinionated PS3 hater.

But before that, I want to tear at least one of his shitty Zelda opinions a new one…

#andrew dobson #syac #so you are a cartoonist #tom preston #adobsonartwork #webcomic #youtube #adobsoncomic #nintendo #super mario #legend of zelda #link #samus aran #metroid #nintendo vember #Youtube

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scorpiolight-madd · 8 months

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A fun lil propaganda post for Blossom, who’s participating in @sonic-oc-showdown! Also functions as a sort of introduction, for those who don’t know her ^_^

If you have any questions about her please don’t hesitate to ask! I would die for you if you did 🩵

And, here’s a playlist! (still a WIP, but being actively worked on!)

Questionnaire under the cut! (And more art, though her design in some of them is outdated 😔)

✨- How did you come up with the OC’s name?

She’s gone through a few name changes, first Tikki (a random name I came up with while taking out the trash, then i found out there was a Miraculous Ladybug character with that name (pronounced differently, but still) and I decided to change it), then it was Starburst for a little while, but that still didn’t fit, so I finally settled on Blossom!

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

14!

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

SHADOWWWWW

They are my OTP I love them sosososososo much!!!!!!!

Also, a recent official merch of Shadow released where he’s wearing a jacket with cherry blossoms and is surrounded by cherry blossoms and I LOST MY MIND

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

I always gave her a very summery vibe, so probably something like popsicles or lemonade or something like that! I also like to think cherry-flavored, to relate back to her name ^_^

💼 - What do they do for a living?

Well, she doesn’t really have a job. She’s an adventurer! She got a taste for it during the events of Sonic Forces, and hasn’t stopped since. Although, I’d like to think she did some kind of sport before the war, maybe water polo or volleyball (again, tying into her summer motif)

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

Pre-Forces, her interests mainly revolve around the beach. Swimming, surfing, volleyball, etc. During the war, she gets SUPER into Wispon tech, starting out with upgrading her own Blue Hammer Wispon, and eventually making some her own.

She later gets into Extreme Gear, too, sort of relating it back to her love of surfing.

🎯 -What do they do best?

When she’s at her best and in her element, she’s extremely silver-tongued. She’s clever and quick on her feet when it comes to people, and able to talk circles around people. (This aspect of her character was inspired by Ferris Bueller)

However, when she’s not at her best and in her element, she turns into a nervous wreck, barely even able to speak through her nerves. Not to mention, Sonic and all his friends usually deal with badniks, so half the time that skill of hers is pretty much useless.

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

Blossom is pretty sporty, and likes to stay active.

She likes being around her friends, but can drain her social battery with her constant analyzing of social situations.

She also likes to work on and upgrade her equipment, like her Wispons and Extreme Gear. While she’s not as much of a techie as, say, Tails, she spent a lot of time during the war in the rebel headquarters workshop (where she had her first bonding moment with Shadow, while he was in fixing his bike).

As for stuff she hates to do, UHHHHH. I’m gonna be real I haven’t thought of anything specific yet RIP 😔 Although, I do think that whatever she DOES hate doing, she’ll never admit. She’s a bit aggressively positive, and has gotten it into her head that if she shows any sort of negativity around her friends, then they won’t like her anymore. Positivity’s all she’s good for, right? Right?

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

Probably something from before the war. She was super close with her older brother, Sun (who needs an UPDATED DESIGN AUGH), and would spend a lot of time with him before they were separated.

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

During the war (in my AU), she ends up being taken prisoner and semi-mind controlled by Infinite, and forced to fight Sonic and Shadow. They manage to snap her out of it, but she still carries the incident with her.

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

Nope! She was originally made in the Sonic Forces character creator, and then I drew a modified version of it. It looks pretty different from her current design!

The first thing I ever decided for her design (outside of the character creator) was that she needed to be FLUFFY. The custom character from the game felt SO bald, i just knew I needed to give her a big hairstyle. Eventually the fluffiness was toned down to fit the more simplified Sonic style, but I hope she still comes across as pretty fluffy.

She was also meant to originally have a second design, that was supposed to happen after she and Sonic got trapped in Null Space, where she got permanently tinted purple (along with her eyes turning purple). She was also meant to develop void-based powers from it. That might still end up happening, but I’m not so sure about it anymore. I like her current warm color scheme, and I don’t actually know what her “void-based powers” would be.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

Sonic Forces! She was just gonna be the rookie, no real modifications other than appearance, but I ended up getting so many story ideas it spawned a whole AU!

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

Uhhh whatever gernre StH is. Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Adventure/Platformer? IDK lol

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

Ehhh, a bit unclear. Sometimes she’s a cis girl, she used to be a demigirl and SOMETIMES that pops up now and again but nowadays she’s usually cis. I’m pretty sure she’s bi, maybe pan? It switches around sometimes. For now I’m going cis girl, unlabeled sexuality.

🙌 - How many sibling does your OC have?

Just the one, her older brother Sun!

This ref of him is preeettyyyy outdated, I’ll have to make a new one sometime soon.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

I haven’t developed her parents much, and I’m unsure if she should even have any (in the context of the narrative, not saying she should be an orphan). It’s pretty rare for Sonic characters to have canon parents, and off the top of my head I can only think of two (not counting spinoffs like Archie or Sonic Underground). If she does have them, the only thing they’d really do in terms of the narrative is die at the start of the story, and Sun’s seeming death already serves that narrative function.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

EVERYTHING. SHES MY BLORBO I LOVE HER LOVE HER LOVE HER. I really like her design, her story, her personality, her dynamic with the other characters, everything!!!!

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

She’s my number two go-to character to draw, right behind Amy. I don’t write much, but I do daydream! And I daydream 99.9% of my day, and 99% of that is usually about Blossom.

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

Teeeccchhhnicaly? In the context of the story, about 400 or so years in the future is when Silver and his family is from (in this AU his family consists of Shadow, Tails, and, after 06, Omega). In timelines where he’s met her and been in a relationship with her, Shadow usually remembers her dying hundreds of years ago, usually of old age. idk if that really counts as being killed off, though, as that far in the future, most of the main cast is dead.

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

Not any specific phobias, but she’s scared of big crowds, and sleeping in the dark. For specific reasons, but not ones she’d ever reveal.

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

Infinite. He’s the main villain from the game, yeah, but I also ended up writing more inter-personal drama between the two (like the aforementioned mind-control thing). She HATES him.

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

A little over a year now! I only got Sonic Forces last year, despite desperately wanting it since it came out.

🍥 - What age were you when you created the OC?

21!

#type: talking #sf:r ch: blossom the rabbit #type: tournament propaganda

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retphienix · 1 year

Text

Whoa, okay, so let me get some thoughts out.

This game is just... extremely interesting.

So the short gist of how this all closed for my character.

We confront the infinite everfall, gather some wakestones, and it sends us to a realm in between the looping eternity we got to see through the everfall.

Here, we find god, basically. I mean, the dialogue itself confronts this and says that's a fair enough term but not one used by those aware of the truth etc etc

IE I'm using layman's terms.

But we find god, he's a past arisen, and he explains that all things are in a perpetual loop, one he oversees.

Basically, all of history happens, then a dragon is released to seek out those with sufficient will- sufficient desire to live and to experience or something along those lines. The implication being that most of life simply persist- they don't strive, a bit of a downer view but key to my understanding of this text- it's coming from someone who demonstrably has worn themselves down through eternity- they have burned through their own will and interest in life and have become an emotionless pawn (heh!) in the overarching game of eternity- he's become just a signpost keeping things moving forward, so he's lost that spark of empathy though also demonstrably not everyone with or without the immortality of an arisen has the correct drive to become a hero which is fair.

Anyways- dragon, arisen appear, they are tested continuously through god's various challenges, and the end goal is for one arisen to succeed and meet god and defeat god- thus taking their position.

The entire story is just a loop of fate. Already, that's neat, that's got plenty to talk on, but there's some more interesting bits I wanna point at too, so let's move on.

Upon taking the throne you're granted the position which is more or less overseer of all life- and you get to do what might be the most interesting, though, not fun, version of the post game world tour I've ever seen tbh.

I've said many times that I LOVE when a game does an Earthbound victory lap at the end and just lets you talk to all your old friends and really emotionally relive the entire journey before closing the door as you enter the starting home or something like that.

It's an ending that isn't "common" but it happens enough for people to know it when they see it.

It's an ending usually saved for games with lots of characters and an emphasis on said characters- it's not a universally good ending format lol

Well, in my opinion, Dragon's Dogma does not really make itself in a way that facilitates that kind of ending. To be frank, I don't care about a single character I met this entire game lol I love this game but it's not because I'm dwelling on the expertly crafted characters and my relationships with them- it's just not that game for me.

I don't hate em, barring characters that were made easy to hate. I even find one or two of them kind of neat like the Duke for being a failed Arisen who only made it to the dragon part, or that weird witch- most other characters with multiple quests kinda became less interesting the more I got to know them.

So you'd THINK an earthbound of undertale style "roam the world" ending would be poorly placed, except, no, because these crazy mother fuckers were using that format to continue the story and to help align the character and player's experiences for this final segment.

The entire time you're wandering YOU are thinking, or are expected to be thinking.

It's not the most philosophical ending or anything, it's also not some expertly crafted segment built to fully expect your every move or what not-

but it's a great level of forced inflection.

Instead of transferring directly from taking the throne to a cutscene of your character holding the blade and having some big context action on screen, they put in this free roam segment where you can't DO anything- no loot- no fighting (though you can kill innocents I guess) no GAME- you're just "there", and honestly- that's really neat to me.

Because the segment is usually used to emphasize the characters and journey you've taken in other games, but here it's used to emphasize the tone of this doomed loop and encourage you to reflect on if this is the ending you want, all while having the godsbane blade freshly tucked into your mind by the previous scene.

It's just neat, because I've never seen the "victory lap" ending format used for anything other than it's expected purpose I guess?

Like that's what I rambled too much on to try to convey- Dragon's Dogman ends with a victory lap ending that is NOT a victory lap- that's not it's purpose- that's not the feeling you feel while doing it- that's not why it's there- it's a victory lap meant to encourage you to challenge fate.

I really think that's cool, I don't think I can stress that point enough- taking a relatively uncommon trope and twisting it entirely to fit this narratives purpose is COOL!!!!!

Anyways, game's good, I loved seeing my best boy Beardypants collapse all his iterations in on themselves and becoming Vyse so he gets to live, like, truly live.

Also laughed at that guy I have no connection to at all but the game assigned as my love interest showing up, like, oh boy is that gonna be a weird one.

Good fuckin' game. I can definitely see myself messing around in it more, doing more loops, tackling more of the dark arisen place that I got some of my good loot from, just playin' more. But for my first playthrough where I sought out the dumbest solutions and just enjoyed myself a lot- this game surpassed my already optimistic expectations.

Dragon's Dogma is sick as hell man!

Not that I've posted enough about it to express that lol

But hey, I posted about the cool trope-expectation-shattering ending so I said somethin' lol

#Dragon's Dogma #DDDA #Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen #RetPlays

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clatoera · 11 months

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uni application season has made me drop off the face of the earth so i'm extremely late coming to this chapter... but omg glim glam and cato.. TRAUMA BONDING?!?!?

cato with a gun. that's the entire review.

i love how simple this chapter is with the most infinite lore ever!!! clove can cook! what! how did that start, what was her favorite recipe, does she partake in... girl dinner?? so many questions.

glimmer with finnick kind of gives the platonic soulmates vibe. i just love how comfortable they are with each other and how much they have this underlying love & respect towards each other even though the other can fuck them over. ugh my beautiful capitol ruined babies.

"“It is. But you can’t change it now. I want to hate you, Finnick. I want to hate you, but then I remember being seventeen and terrified and in pain and you being the only one who could sit with me while I cried in the shower. I want to hate you but you were the one who carried me home after those terrible procedures, every time I cried because I thought I was bleeding to death, Finnick... I want to hate you but it’s hard to hate you when you look so pathetic.” Glimmer takes the risk, reaching her hand out to place it on top of Finnick’s. “How can I hate you, after we ended up in the same terrible sinking boat again.”"

LIKE WHAT? do you have no shame in just ripping out my heart in broad daylight?!?! 'it's hard to hate you when you look so pathetic' is so funny but so sad when you compare it to katniss saying it's hard to be angry at someone who cries so often back in mockingjay. UGH. justice for finnick, he better not die this time around.

CATO WITH A GUN. cato... with a GUN. there should be a hunger games with pipe bombs in it and i think we should place cato in it just for the giggles. i also love how the second they're back with weapons they just revert back to the academy mindset of Kill The Enemy which used to be other tributes but now has morphed into actual treason. well! sucks to be snow i guess! especially now that glim glam is getting her pink gun (which is also bejeweled in my mind)

love it as always! love u! it's all amazing thank u!

Hi bestie! I understand! I am actively working on residency applications as well so I totally understand. I'm actually waiting for my board scores to be released Wednesday so thats why I haven't posted/written another chapter yet, I am literally in too much distress to think of anything else until wednesday afternoon (think of me bc i'm going through it).

Cato and Glimmer trauma bonding was immediately part of the plan once I decided to take Glim Glam to 13. That was a without a doubt going to happen sort of situation if they were together here.

Thank you! The whole idea if these couple of chapters is to establish their lives in 13 and what will happen in a world without the people they love and without anyone to ground them!

Soooo yes Clove can cook. That comes from her childhood, in which she was a neglected little girl in charge of her own meals and keeping herself alive. She learned how to make her little sandwiches and keep herself afloat another day, at like..6...before she went to training at the academy. It compounded in her adult hood as a way to use her knives and keep up to date on fine knifework skills. I think she really got into it once she won and had the time and means to try new recipes. They seem like steak people. Good roast chicken people. I think Miss Clove would participate in girl dinner if not for the fact she's also responsible for feeding her 6'3 man friend who most definitely could not survive on girl dinner with grapes and rice crackers.

Glimmer and Finnick..have gone through a LOT together. They are TRULY trauma bonded and have been working on that bond about 7 years tbh. They have gone through a LOT and they went through a lot TOGETHER. They love each other and they DO respect each other, after all they've been through, they are life long friends. As they deserve.

I did hope it would rip your heart out, if for no other reason than I think it's fun to hear your reaction. I kid i kid but seriously the heart to heart HAD to happen. They had to make up from the whole "hahah no I didn't tell you about a whole rebellion" thing. And while she isn't happy about it, she can't hate him anymore. Not after what they've experienced together and also...because he DOES look pathetic with his little knots.

Cato with a MF gun. That can't even entirely be credited to me. That was honestly @ohhowwehavefallen sending me a tik tok that sent this into existence. She should get credit tbh.

Being back with weapons like..it's almost a comfort for them. It's how they were raised, it's like your favorite stuffed animal after not seeing it for a long time. This is what they know! Weapons! Kill! Enjoy treason! Glimmer has a bedazzled glock everyone watch out!

thank you thank you thank you my love! I am sorry this took me so long, I have been stressing MASSIVE amounts over these exam scores and it's disoriented me!

love you long time bb @lwveless

#arwbfb tag #arwbfb reactions #thank you!!#i love you my baby girly pop

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everygame · 1 year

Text

Air Twister (iOS)

Developed/Published by: YS Net Released: 24/06/2022 Completed: 21/10/2022 Completion: Finished it! Trophies / Achievements: n/a

Air Twister is a fascinating bit of work, representing, as it does, the return of probably one of the most important game developers ever, Yu Suzuki, to the kind of classic arcade play that he made his name with–the most obvious comparison being Space Harrier, only his third game released mere months after his second (Hang-On). But… and I’m trying to be gentle here, Yu Suzuki is also in his sixties, and the last arcade-style game he directed was over twenty years ago, meaning Air Twister gets to be possibly the first example of something that cinema fans have long dealt with: an reappearing auteur putting out new work that isn’t a revitalising return to form but just a pale imitation of what they’ve done before.

The thing is though, it’s not like I hate Air Twister. It’s a little bit charming in its way, with a lot of work being done by Dutch artist Valencia’s, er, derivative–but catchy–score (His obvious Queen obsession means he might as well just be singing “he’s a thriller bean” on the game’s main track, but to be fair to him in one of the boss themes he’s biting Kate Bush’s Sat In Your Lap, which is comparatively a deep cut.) It’s just that with Air Twister I really couldn’t work out if this was something Yu Suzuki cared about or wanted to make or if it’s just like “people liked the bizarre fantasy sci-fi mish mash of Space Harrier, we’ll do that” the way that (say) Dario Argento keeps crapping out sloppy nonsense.

It’s probably not helped by the fact that as an Apple Arcade title, Air Twister either has a bunch of player retention nonsense in it that was originally intended for when it was a normal mobile title, or it’s go a bunch of player retention nonsense in it because you need people to keep coming back to your Apple Arcade game for the hours played stats. Neither option fits at all with the game, which is a straightforward rail shooter with no branching paths or random generation or anything that you have to play from the start every time!

Most of the game, honestly, boils down to you, the player, playing as far as you can get into the main game to unlock stars which allow you to buy things on the “adventure map”, which is actually just sort of a tech tree where you buy more life, charms that let you survive hits and occasionally new weapons and powers, but also have to buy loads of cosmetics to get to them. And then you play the main game as far as you can again, having basically memorised it.

Air Twister is not hard–but it does quickly get dull, because there’s not much to it either in gameplay–which is more like Rez or Panzer Dragoon than Space Harrier, as you’re mostly locking-on to enemies before firing–or in setting and story, and that it’s the same every time you play is kind of a death knell. You can’t even really argue that any of the enemy formations or level designs are particularly interesting, so the saving grace ends up being that you’ll eventually unlock one of the weapons (or get enough “trial tickets” to use them) and the weapons basically just infinitely kill everything on screen until you get to the last couple of bosses where you’ll actually have to dodge stuff.

Playing this is really a reminder that often what you want isn’t the person who made the thing you like making more things–because, after all, how can it live up to that first thing–but people taking that thing you like and evolving it in interesting ways. Space Harrier might have been a mad old mish-mash but it worked due to pixel art and super scaler tech, and by the era of the Saturn you needed Panzer Dragoon to evolve that into a consistent universe. By the Dreamcast, you have Rez adding music to the mix (and not just slapping a Dutch guy singing “Morovian Symphony” over it). If anything, Air Twister feels like an imitation of them more than a continuation of Yu Suzuki’s work.

Really, there’s a “you can’t go home again” sensation to this. While playing it, I tried to imagine it as a Dreamcast or even a PS2 cult classic, but it doesn’t feel like one of those, and no amount of squinting to imagine it being played at 480i helped (even with an iPad being about the size of a tiny CRT.) What it actually feels most like is an early iPhone game, which is not nostalgic.

Although I suppose for some people it might be? One day?

Will I ever play it again? There are a lot of bonus modes and stuff to this, including a kind of flappy bird thing and even an extra proper stage, but I didn’t even boot up the extra stage, so I’m done with this, clearly.

Final Thought: As usual, despite saying I don’t hate this, I’ve spent most of my time giving it a kicking, which is the result of playing it until I finish it instead of–like a normal person–playing it a few times and moving on. And I do think if you play this a couple of times, the combination of the mish-mash setting and odd soundtrack make it a charming diversion for just long enough. And, you know, Yu Suzuki is a legend, so add to his hours played for Apple Arcade and maybe they’ll do a new Hang On. Now that’s the nostalgia I’m talking about!

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#video games #games #gaming #text #txt #review #yu suzuki #air twister #ys net #apple arcade #ios #2022

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itmeblog · 1 year

Text

I spent way too long answering this so here

Text Below

Constantin X asked:

1: which timeline did he [Galu] come from? 17 seasons!!! 2: what's the name of her new ship and what's it's class type? 3: Is she an officially documented GU member as a Visa? I'm concerned her boss will rip her to shreds when she comes back to being an Inco. Five years AWOL. Don't think jean is going to take it well. 4: how did you come up with a spy mail company?

My answers

1.Galu?! The world may never know. Artina has been going on for so long, and the last time someone tried to cancel the show there was such an uproar, people have just decided to keep it around. And since the show can't be canceled, the writers have gone mad with power. The series stopped making sense seasons ago and has essentially become it's own fanfic with multiple canon AUs, timelines, and about 6 different discovered "parents" for Artina, each with a different noble background, and one that gave her magic powers for a season.

2. It's still a C-class ship...sort of, C-class has to do with it's expected travel (usually on planet), size, and cargo. It is, however, outfitted with the newest Eolaran tech so it's speed and durability and even the manner in which it travels, are yet unclassified but are likely better than most commercially available A-class ships

3. Alright, so technically Nova does have a planet of residence now (gifted to her by Hatov) she is a member of Eolara. Jeanne was actually very pleased. Eolara has access to the Galactic Union and a ~sort of~ membership now (this is more for PR reasons, the GU can't actually stop Eolarans from going anywhere they please, the GU simply doesn't have the tech) but Eolarans refuse to use the GU database as their sole source of information. The WILM initiative is still an information gathering mission to decide which planets are safe/welcoming (which involves knowing politics/power structures etc) . The person who knows best how to get that sort of information...is Jeanne (lol). Now, Jeanne loves this because not only is Eolara extremely wealthy, Jeanne has never been able to take on the Galactic Union head on before. They always had better tech, more people, and better PR. Working with Eolarans gives Jeanne access to tech, a little bit of political immunity, and the social power that comes with being an Eolaran consultant. And the reasons Jeanne won't turn on the Eolarans are simple, 1. that's a lot of power to give up and 2. she loves a steady client, particularly a very, very wealthy one. I believe access to that has more than made up for Nova's disappearance. Though Nova is not "technically" an InCo anymore, she is an "Eolaran ambassador" functioning under the WILM act, so, for Nova who primarily gathered information (didn't sell it) it's the same work except she's technically working for Eolara.

4. I was watching Ad Astra actually (movie with Brad Pitt). And there were space pirates on the moon and I couldn't for the life of me figure out how they worked?? Like they'd need air, and heat, energy, that they couldn't be stealing all that from the embassies without them, at some point, figuring out where they were based. In short, it didn't make sense, why let them steal valuable and incredibly expensive resources where you have to know where they are and when they're going to attack next (when they're running out of air, or water, or food). Why not just get rid of them (particularly in a setting where no one will find the bodies and an incredibly low chance of hitting civilians or making a false hit)?? The only answer I could come up with was that they had to be more dangerous dead, than alive. I.e. they had some information triggered to release in the event of their death. And then I hated the message in Ad Astra, "in the infinite universe, we're alone" because that's boring, so I expanded their jobs. What if these people with all that information did travel and there were aliens and people wanted to stop them, how would they work? What would they do? Who would take such a dangerous job etc and InCos were born!! (Full disclosure I fell asleep during that movie about five times, I had a ton of time to think about it)

#The ship's name is Lulu I did indeed forget to answer that #Jeanne quite honestly made it out of this whole thing so well #My littlest murder hobo #Unofficial QnA?

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rubberduckyrye · 2 years

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What's tower of fantasy?

(you don't need to answer if you don't want too)

Ho boy, buckle up. You've activated my Rant Card.

Tower of Fantasy is a Chinese MMORPG Open world game created by Perfect World CO (I think, don't 100% quote me on that) that's been in development for some time now that was recently released to the global servers. This game was advertised to be a "Genshin Killer" and a lot of Genshin Haters/Antis latched onto the idea of toppling over the empire that Genshin has created for itself, ala where my personal disdain comes from (To those of you unaware, I have a.... personality quirk that if a piece of media is used to hate on something I actively enjoy, I start to hate that media, and can and will nitpick it apart which is why I tend to avoid media that falls in this category for me. Ala why I still have not read (and probably never will read) I'll Trade My Life For Yours.)

The game itself is a buggy, janky mess that looks like it's still in alpha/beta phases of development. The art style is inconsistent between the over world and characters (Some areas look fine but others look way out of place), the physics for some hair styles makes me want to gag, and the animations can vary wildly in quality. This is a company with a huge monopoly in China (from the research I've done at least) so these quality issues are inexcusable. At this point, they may never fix it either, as they've released their game to the globe and now will focus primarily on making money and updates than fixing past areas and bugs. The only major bug they fixed was an infinite pulls bug where if you disconnected your wifi, you could get an item but keep your pulls. When they sent out compensation with free pulls, the bug was present there and people have used that to infinitely pull on characters and get everything decked out, leaving people who where honest and didn't use the glitch in the dust.

The reason why I suspect the animations vary so much in quality is because a good chunk of their assets were originally plagiarized. ToF used a Honkai Impact 3rd Asset (A sword) in one of their Promotional videos (though the sword has since been removed and they've deleted the original PV for obvious reasons, but here is a screenshot of it here) and apparently an asset (Described here), stole an insignia from Rainbow Six (I cannot read chinese but here is a link comparing the two icons/insignias) and plagiarizing/heavily referencing an animator's work here, discussed in chinese here, (though the videos shown should be proof enough, and this is a small time animator against a big corporation mind you) and have used animations from Genshin Impact for their character animations, though these animations do have some differences and I can't tell if they were just, heavily referenced or flat out stolen, so keep that in mind.

They've also, for some god forsaken reason, just. Flat out used Venti in one of their ads. I reverse image searched the Venti drawing because I knew it didn't look like official art, and it looks like the Ad came from this youtube channel. Since the screen shot shows that it's an Ad rather than like, them mistakenly thinking they were watching an ad but actually watching his videos, they either: A, took his review of ToF and used it as an Ad with permission, or B: Stole his review of ToF to use as an ad. Either way, the use of this Venti icon makes me think it was the latter, because ToF has been trying to get the words "Genshin Impact" out of people's mouths in favor of their own game. If they had asked for permission, I'd assume they would have asked the YTer to send them a copy of the video without this Venti icon in the corner.

Regardless, I've just left a comment on the YTer's video in question asking if they had been aware of this Ad, but I'll update this post on the situation concerning this youtuber later on if/when he does respond.

They also botted their app reviews to make the game look good by stealing Genshin reviews and changing the names around. The reviews in the screenshot in the thread are translated, and the English translation is a bit funky, but I think maybe Yomiya's name seems to translate to "Night Palace", which is backed up by this Behindthename page on the name. Since that is consistent, I think the translator in the Reddit thread can be at least somewhat trusted on this front.

Another point of contention, though this is probably just a thing all developers of products do, is that Tower of Fantasy Sponsorships seem to be strangely targeted at Genshin Impact Content Creators. I've seen a TON of Tower of Fantasy Sponsorship reviews, and of course, there is no mention of Genshin or glaring negative aspects that the game devs are surely making the CCs hide with their contract.

Most horrifyingly, however, is the supposed selling/distribution of IDs of dead or missing individuals to allow global players access to the game to spread global hype.

For clarification, in China, in order to play a game like Genshin Impact or Tower of Fantasy, a majority of people need to use their ID, which is like... the equivalent of a Social Security Number here in the States. You cannot access Genshin or ToF's Chinese servers without these IDs (though apparently you can technically access the mobile port via a bilibili account, but I'm not sure how that works)

So naturally, it's apparently an unfortunately common thing for non-chinese users to buy these fake/dead/missing person's IDs to access the games early. However, what is concerning is the claims that the ToF devs were actively selling this information/the IDs or just, freely giving them out to global players. Here's another video from December of 2021 discussing this, and it's really telling that Tower of Fantasy stated that they had "No plans for a Global Server" and yet here we are, with a global server. Perhaps they changed their minds after the fact, but there's a lot of other damning evidence on the subject to prove that they were involved with the distribution of these fake IDs.

This is some speculation drifting about that there may be a racist element to things as well, and while you can customize your personal protagonist to be of any skin tone you desire, it seems that so far none of the pre-established characters are of color--and, in fact, there are enemies that ARE black and white with dreadlocks (a signature style of bi/poc). I'm not going to discuss this issue further as I have no verification of this and I am as pale as snow, but I thought it would be worth mentioning this testimony. I have not played the game myself, mind you, so this is a testimonial account and I cannot confirm or deny as I have not played the game myself. If there is actual evidence of this claim I will edit this post and put it here.

Another thing I want to point out is that the game has only been described to me, personally, as a "Genshin Killer." This is something to note, though as it is my personal experience to take with a grain of salt, that there isn't much to promote about the game that makes it stand out. The character creator is cool, but that's the only thing I've heard that ToF is bringing to the table and there are plenty of games who let you customize your character as it is.

Regardless of if you choose to play the game for yourselves or not, I urge you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions, and move forward with the game at your own comfort.

SMALL EDIT: I’ve seen people try to excuse Tower of Fantasy’s Plagiarism by insisting Genshin did it first--I’m assuming with BOTW--and I wanted to talk about that here.

1. It doesn’t make it right to copy the action if the action is poor. Someone stealing art and assets is never okay, no matter if someone else did it first. Tower of Fantasy doesn’t get a pass just because “Genshin did it first.”

2. If you are referring to Genshin Impact’s development team being heavily inspired by Breath of the Wild, I’m sorry but inspiration is not the same thing as blatant asset theft. They’ve also stated that Breath of the Wild was one of their main sources of inspirations for Genshin Impact, so it’s no secret the game was based off of BOTW + Nintendo, who is typically viciously protective of their IP, is allowing Genshin to get a Switch Port (Or at least it was presented on the table at some point, which I don’t think Nintendo would like if it was direct competition to their IP without some compensation), unlike ToF who is trying to push the plagiarism claims onto other companies they supposedly outsourced to.

I’m sure Hoyoverse has done some awful, terrible things themselves (Companies are not your friends, they are not gentle or kind) but that does not excuse some other company for doing it as well.

#Tower of Fantasy #ToF #Genshin Impact #Controversy #Identify theft tw #Plagerism #Faking Reviews #Ask to tag #the only thing that compells me to play this game #is to make an honest; non-sponsered review of it #because so many of the reviews of ToF are sponsored it hurts

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actually-eldritch · 6 months

Text

It's so…interesting…to do things we used to do,

but from outside of The Threatre.

We had a tendancy to always know why we were doing something…if the information was available, and findable to us, anyway. When we had developed a habit of cutting ourselves, we had already become well-acquainted with all of the reasons why someone would do such a thing.

Whilst the attention-seeking was a farce (that is, for my system nothing got us attention and when it was purely negative and would mostly result in torture which made it horribly undesirable), a different pain to distract the mind, and the regulatory release of the action was familiar to us.

Of course, people did all sorts of things to convince people that cutting was horrible and should never be done or encouraged in any way shape or form, but I joined the game late. What I had been doing before was infinitely worse: because people focused on cutting as a form of self-harm, I had genuinely spent too long in childhood concussing myself and believing that it did not count. When I realized cutting was completely superficial in comparison, and if I chose the right spots I'd be perfectly fine and heal fully, I was pissed.

I could have been doing something significantly safer, and better for me, but in typical Machine fashion when they tried to "help" those in-need, they mostly focused on targeting what upset them and ignored the root cause, the root need, that might drive someone to do such a thing, offering nothing of proper value to replace it. Ultimately the advisory amounted to "JUST GET BETTER!" completely and utterly failing to acknowledge that some people just have shitty lives that aren't going to get better, and they need a lot of technique which come in the form of sacrifices in order to get through it.

They couldn't understand that I was actively being tortured and that there genuinely wasn't a way out of it. They'd insist on telling me to put my faith in organized groups that had already hurt me worse and were more likely to make everything worse--doing things like aggravating the perpetrator but leaving me in his possession as they did it.

Fat lot of good that does, huh?

Then the sacrifices I had to make work like this: a cost on my health I have to organize my life differently to take these pills, I cut my skin so that my brain has something else to think about, I omit the truth strategically to suffer less abuse, I share less of who I am to keep it safe... the list goes on.

Anyway.

We could only cut ourselves in a fit of putrid rage: when we hated ourselves so much, when the demons in our head chanted that we deserved to bleed, that we needed to see it dripping, we'd succumb to the urge, slash until it was gone.

It was the only way we could over-ride the instinctual desire to flinch, to wield the blade with less pressure, to slide it in a flimsy manner that resulted in shallow cuts or just scratching the surface.

Now it's been years since I had a tendency to hate myself enough for such an over-ride. But something changed--it hasn't been years since I cut.

Different parts of our system became the new culprits of this behaviour--it was a gatekeeper, before she shattered. I can't exactly remember the circumstances within which she did it, but I can remember the emotions. A lot, but she felt cold. It wasn't rage exactly, though I believe played a part still. If I had to guess, she felt like a failure, and she needed a distraction.

More time passes.

Today.

I'm no longer capable of properly suicidal behaviour, because my soul and my life are not mine. I only speak for myself when I say this; I genuinely cannot let myself die. Any attempt to do so would instantly be thwarted by another part of my system which the part(s) that wish(es) to leave us has no control over.

I am being overwhelmed once more by things outside of my control pulling me in to various flavours of Mental Illness Episodes. Between people being selfish resulting in the excruciating neglect of my needs (needs I cannot physically meet on my own without going through them), the machine breaking (having to deal with paperwork and bureaucracy in order to access the next stage of my life), and my body failing me (thanks to the machine breaking my disabled body is frequently an obstacle I cannot over-come; when I cannot access my medication, or facilities where my accessibility tools can function, or accessibility tools at all, and people totally lack consideration for my function because they cannot comprehend it)....

Between all of that, I am over-whelmed by difficult emotions, and consistently falling in to a pattern of "wait" "wait" "wait". So I've returned to my old friend again, this time my over-ride was using the hands of another body of mine; my darling.

After showing him how to do it, he did perfectly well: and likely cut me better than I've ever done it myself. Now I once again have cuts that hurt, that I can grab and hit in order to distract myself, or make myself behave when I need to.

It's exceptionally effective, and cathartic.

I've been wanting to do this for a while, I suppose it wasn't the right time yet. Whether it was because I wasn't yet commanding enough about it, with some internal resistance--that I needed to trust him more, or be less scared, or whether it was because HE needed to trust HIMSELF more, to become less squeamish, so on...

We finally did it.

And while we made an event of it--fashioning it erotic, and it was--ultimately the reasoning behind it was purely calculative. The flourish of the theatre makes the experience more pleasurable, filling even more of my neglected needs.

Outside, it was preformed on the theatre but in my mind, it was consciously orchestrated from behind the curtains and within that,

I find my new state of being.

#LMD

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something-in-the-seas · 3 years

Note

Sorry to bother once again, (I had the Bioshock Infinite bullshit centrism ask and the Burial at Sea ask) but I’m replaying Bioshock 2 again as well and I can’t help but think...why does this one in particular have such a hardcore fan base? Returning to Rapture just isn’t very thrilling whatsoever, and the level design as well as even the graphic design of ads and art in the world is an enormous downgrade from the first game. Sure, the gameplay was good for 2008, but it has aged pretty badly a few things aside (the improved hacking creates great moments of tension). The color palette of the game goes from brown to dark golds, and the splicers just aren’t as engaging either. The world building and characters just feel incredibly expository and unnecessary. Sophia Lamb and collectivism just feels like cliche cult writing and not as wholly dangerous as objectivism/anarcho-capitalism and also feels like at times it’s just trying to do a critique of left wing politics and it doesn’t work. I understand Rapture is pretty much a post apocalyptic society and is just degrading rapidly, but the world just isn’t as immersive as the first and feels like a cheap imitation. Minerva’s Den really feels like the saving grace of this game, and it’s story is much better, but it is unfortunately relegated to being DLC. People complain about Bioshock Infinite’s retcons, but this entire game feels like it doesn’t have actual canonical parity to the first game and wholly unnecessary. I understand that 2k gave devs a VERY limited amount of time (like maybe a year and a half) and they got screwed over and that contributes to a lot of the shortcomings, but I just don’t understand why people in the OG fandom love it. Levine sucks, but even him and that team got shafted by 2k and forced to streamline a lot of the content they had originally made for Infinite(I was obsessed with the development of Infinite, and they brought in Gears of War and Call of Duty managers to streamline everything for the mainstream gamers from what I remember) Knowing this...why should Levine or that team consider Bioshock 2 a canon entry to the world they created? Through this lens I almost understand why Levine and that development team basically broke that universe with Burial at Sea, quite possibly knowing that studio would be dissolved and knowing 2k(a horrendous company tbh) would want to continue using the brand name and world of Rapture for a thing that team worked on for so long. As far as the Bioshock Rapture novel itself and canon...the novel itself doesn’t take a lot of the canonical events in Bioshock 1 into consideration and a lot of the prose just feels flat :/

Well, as a fan of Bioshock 2, I guess I’ll shed some insight as to why it has such a devoted fan base and why people have really turned around on the game in recent years. The game isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, and Minerva’s Den is fantastic, but it holds a special place in my heart.

Bioshock 2 absolutely still has the best game play in the series. Compared to the original Bioshock, which does feel a bit clunky, and Infinite, which doesn’t even have a weapon wheel, Bioshock 2 takes the combat system introduced in the first game and significantly improves it. Dual wielding plasmids and weapons is a game changer, you’re able to efficiently swap between the two without the wait time of pulling out your weapon. There’s a reason why people want the new game to have 2’s style of combat. Compared to Infinite’s shooting gallery style game play, it still favors exploration like the first but also experimentation when it comes to using your plasmids.

2’s designs and color pallets can still be absolutely gorgeous. It’s been eight years since Bioshock, so things are going to be rusted and in terrible shape. The game also focuses on the poorest parts of Rapture compared to the original game, which has you go to the richest neighborhoods and entertainment centers. Pauper’s Drop isn’t going to be as pretty as Arcadia or Fort Frolic.

Compared to Infinite, which is just twist after twist to try to out do the iconic WYK twist in Bioshock, 2’s story is simple: you’re just a dad trying to save your daughter. However, it does what Infinite cannot and gives you freedom. You’re able to kill or walk away and it changes the story. The characters you meet are less way expository than the ones in Infinite, who just appear to shed some backstory on Booker or Elizabeth and then die. Sparing Slate doesn’t matter, but sparing Grace does.

Grace, for example, is able to recognize Delta’s humanity and turn away from Lamb’s cult because her love for Eleanor is stronger than her fear of Lamb. As you read her audio diaries, you find out she’s an incredibly tragic character who isn’t a bad person, the world has just hurt her. Showing compassion to Grace is something she’ll never forget, and while Stanley and Gil are never seen again, I think if the team had more time, they would have included their responses. It’s implied through the statues in Persephone, though, that Delta sparing Stanley gets him to finally get his shit together and Gil is able to fight back against Alex the Great. The biggest twist 2 comes from Sinclair not being your Judas like Atlas was, even though the game hints at this, but he selflessly sacrifices himself for you and Eleanor because he’s grown to care about you.

Lamb is a controversial villain, but I think she’s miles better than Comstock when it comes to writing. She’s a terrifying, powerful figure who doesn’t rely on sexualization to get what she wants. She’s very intelligent, she runs circles around Ryan and Fontaine. Her ideals aren’t exactly terrible and she started off wanting to do the right thing, but she emotionally manipulates and gaslights people around her to do what she wants. She takes advantage of others and at the end doesn’t care about her “family.” They’re a means to an end for her, the end being Eleanor becoming her “utopian.” She’s emotionally and physically abusive to Eleanor and doesn’t respect her autonomy.

I see Bioshock 2 as less of a criticism of leftism, but more of a criticism on cults and organized religions in general. Unlike the original Bioshock, which has references to Judaism because the majority of the characters are Jewish, 2 has a lot of references to Christianity. A lot of people have a hard time understanding what exactly Lamb believes, but if you put in perspective the similarities The Rapture Family has to the Catholic Church, than things make a lot more sense. Lamb and her followers commit cruel acts under their “religion,” Delta commits good acts because it’s the right thing to do.

2 doesn’t feel very connected to the other games, though it should really with Infinite given the glaring similarities between the two. It feels like it’s own story and that works with me. There are huge stakes with Lamb possibly destroying the world if she wins, but it also has the sweetest father-daughter relationship in gaming. You have Mark Meltzer, who goes through hell and back to find Cindy and gives up his life for her, and you have Delta and Eleanor. There’s no animosity, there’s no tension, they just love each other unconditionally. Delta’s love for Eleanor is so powerful that a whole city full of cultish splicers and Big Sisters just couldn’t stop him.

There’s definitely things in 2 that are problematic like the homophobic brute splicers, but it’s not just my favorite of the trilogy, it’s my favorite game of all time. I love Bioshock 2. I love Bioshock 2 because it doesn’t try to be more than what it is. You’re a dad who loves your daughter, and she loves you. When I first played Burial at Sea, I was so glum that I played Minerva’s Den and Bioshock 2 and I felt so much better with this being the chronological end of the series (for now). Also the Little Sisters are adorable and the highlight of the game, they have so much personality now.

It’d actually break my heart if 2K actually listened to Ken and made it not canon, it’s not his decision to make. Thankfully, though, it looks like we’re getting more 2 and Eleanor content which is awesome. I can’t wait to see an adult Eleanor on next gen graphics in her prime showing off why she’s the GOAT of the OG series.

#bioshock #bioshock 2 #augustus sinclair #subject delta #eleanor lamb #sofia lamb #this game definitely isn’t for everyone but I love it #but a lot of people who hated on it when infinite was released are coming around #it’s a legit good game just not as grandiose as 1 and infinite #but being so grandiose hurts those games massively #after Ryan died the plot for 1 nose dives and infinite’s ending is an absolute mess #2 stays consistently good same with Minerva’s den

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yoonpobs · 3 years

Text

bad boy good thing xii.

pairing: jeon jungkook x oc

genre: angst, smut, fluff, miscommunication (we hate her lol), pining

warnings: smut, jungkook is really an asshole, the angst hurts a lot tbh, unhealthy relationships (?)

words: 5, 488

summary: a series of drabbles where you're confused and jungkook's confusing

a/n:

here is chapter 12!!! hope you guys enjoy it hehe.

You got a new doormat, Jungkook realises.

He preferred the old one, purely because he remembered the two of you coming across the crocheted piece at a flea market sold by a lovely grandmother that was all smiles and kindness when she spoke to the two of you.

It allowed Jungkook to be a part of your home, the first step into the place that inflates his chest with pride knowing that such a small memory that the two of you shared could act as a conversation starter for people who came over; because truly, the doormat was beautiful.

It’s a plain one now. Far more boring than the array of colours that use to litter the floor, a simple circular mat in a plain shade of beige. Jungkook doesn’t want to know why you’ve opted to change it after a year, right when things have gone sour.

The mat isn’t the only thing that’s different. Even the way Jungkook lingers by your porch at almost midnight with his fist raised and flopping back to his side is different too. Usually, he’d drop you a text, pick at the key in the crevice of a corner you hid it at, or just knock on the door with obnoxious intent until you’re scowling while you greet him at the door.

This time Jungkook has his chest caved in, a heavy feeling in his stomach when he attempts to mull over the apology that rests in his throat. It’s long overdue, a proper one at least. Nothing like the one he gave you at your apartment a month or so back. That was him being selfish.

The words ‘can we talk’ never meant anything good, because if it was light-hearted and civil you’d let him know through a text. Especially when you made it clear that you needed, and purposefully took, time away from him. It felt shitty, having your friends distance themselves away from you because of your own mistakes.

But Jungkook couldn’t resent you, or Jimin, or Taehyung—or even Namjoon who opts for curt nods instead of the usual pat on the back. Because he knew that what he did was awful and that you and everyone had the right to be disappointed in him.

Maybe that was why he was so terrified because had anyone else said or done the same things he did to you—Jungkook would make sure that person would never see the light of day. So he’s terrified, even if he knows you won’t hold him against it—but he’s so scared that you’ve realised how flawed and disgusting Jungkook is and that you’d leave him.

He’s stalling. Prolonging his potential demise when he stands rooted into place with his leather jacket draping his shoulders feeling heavier than usual.

When Jungkook got the text, he was at the gym; blowing off steam. He saw it an hour late, and when he realised it was from you—his heart sped up while his stomach dropped, especially noticing the time it was sent.

He knew he had to act quickly; what if you were asleep? What if he knocked and you realised that you didn’t want to see him anymore?

But Jungkook realises that not talking to you, or not seeing you—is far worse than any of the scenarios he could conjure.

So he takes a deep breath, steadies his fist and knocks.

In a bated breath, he waits; and he’s nearly sweating even under the cool ventilation of the hallway of your apartment. He hears shuffling inside your house, and he feels his heart thump against his chest when he feels rather than anything else, your presence behind the door.

He wonders if you’re hesitating like he was, but he can’t think for too long because the door opens and he sees you.

You’re in your pyjamas, an endearing two-piece set he remembers Taehyung gifting you for your birthday last year. It suits you, highlights your personality because the colour is a calming turquoise, dark enough to feel cosy and bright enough to resemble your character.

Jungkook can only blink at you because it feels like ages since it was just the two of you, and he can’t bring himself to say anything, or even to greet you.

Your hand rests on your door, while you offer him a meek smile.

“I told you the door was open.” You say softly, stepping aside so he can enter.

Jungkook swallows, snapping out of it before he nods his head slowly. He walks into your apartment tentatively, and it feels so wrong. The awkwardness, the tense postures and the uneasiness that permeates the air. Things used to be so easy with the two of you, conversations flew and the two of you just … clicked.

“It didn’t feel right.” He settles for that as an answer, and he notes that you don’t deny it.

“You can leave your jacket on the coat hanger.” You tell him, and he has to push aside the way his heart drops at the distance you keep; prevalent in your voice.

He wants this to be over, the tiptoeing and the way that your walls are always up when he’s around. He just wants to apologise and hug you, hoping that you could forget what happened even if that kills him on the inside. He just wants to be around you, even if he can’t be with you.

But Jungkook pushes aside his desires; the culprit behind the entire mishap in the first place—and slips off his jacket, leaving it on the coat hanger as you mentioned. His t-shirt chafes, and he’s sweating for sure now. But he pretends like he isn’t a step away from a nervous meltdown.

“Have a seat,” You say, patting the spot across you on the couch.

It’s a distance away, and he assumes you do that on purpose. The last few times the two of you were close on a couch … well, things happened and now the two of you were the way you are.

Jungkook sits, resting his palms on his thighs stiffly like he was sitting for an interview. Your eyes drift to his hands, narrowing ever so slightly before you’re returning your gaze onto him.

“What happened to your cheek?”

Jungkook stutters for a second, brain pausing to process your question until his hand reaches up to touch said cheek. He remembers clearly now, and he almost forgets the reminder Jimin left him.

Your brows are furrowed, and he sees you shifting in your seat. Usually, you’d already have walked up to him and helped him with an injury; the past memories of him injuring himself during practices while you were always there to mend him up like you’ve always done resurface. His heart clenches.

“Practice,” Jungkook says quickly, and you raise an eyebrow. Your mouth opens, possibly to counter it, but it closes immediately after.

Jungkook releases the breath he was holding, relieved. He didn’t know what Jimin said to you after, or before it happened. But he knew that you definitely weren’t aware of the conversation Jimin had with him.

“You don’t have to be so stiff, Jungkook.” You frown, “It’s just me.”

Your voice interrupts his thoughts as he snaps his head to stare at you. You’ve managed to rest yourself on your couch, hands tucked under your thighs in an endearing habit you’ve always had.

It’s because it’s you, he’s nervous; Jungkook thinks.

Instead, he says—“Okay.”

He relaxes his posture to appease you, settling into the couch until he sees you giving yourself a soft enough nod of approval.

The atmosphere is almost reflective, the two of you clearly have things to say and to address, but he doesn’t know whether or not to start; to say something when he was the one that was invited over. Clearly, you had a plan—that was only ever why you did the things you did. You were meticulous with routine and order, and any disruption to that would mess with your agenda and you hated that.

The two of you sit in silence, unsure of what to say. Jungkook nibbles on his lips as a nervous habit, bouncing his thigh up and down while he waits for you to break the silence, to say something.

But at the same time, he’s afraid he won’t be able to accept what you tell him.

Jungkook is about to break first, but then you speak, so softly that he strains his ears to catch your voice.

“You hurt me.”

Your voice is weak and timid, and Jungkook’s eyes widen when you opt to start the conversation with that.

It feels like a blow to the chest, seeing you look down at your hands while you furrow your brows, unsure of yourself. Jungkook wants to reach out to you, to apologise, to hold you, to comfort you. But your words are a reminder that he can’t.

“I’m—”

“—sorry. Yeah, I know.” You say blankly, finally looking up at him with a vacant expression. It’s almost terrifying how … detached you made yourself seem to the conversation. And it sets bubbling anxiety in Jungkook’s stomach when he spots your expression.

He purses his lips, remaining quiet while he waits for you to continue.

“I didn’t come over so you’d apologise to me, Jungkook.” You whisper, looking at him with a more serious expression.

He blinks at you, taking in the way you just look … tired. Bothered. Frustrated. All three.

“I …” The words die on his lips, especially when you opt to look away, down on your thighs while you nibble on your lips.

“What you said to me that day was horrible.” You tell him, eyebrows furrowed. And he can tell that you’re trying your best to sound stern. Confrontation has never been your forte, he knew that; and you knew that. But the fact you acknowledged his words only makes him feel infinitely worse. “I never knew you would ever say something like that.” You end in a whisper.

Jungkook can only sit in silence, and it’s crazy how he can feel like an outsider in his own home when you mull over your next set of words.

“I want you to be honest with me, Jungkook.” You say softly, eyes peering up to stare into his.

His breath hitches, especially when he notices the determined expression that lingers when you continue to look at him.

He swallows, even if his heart is terrified that the truth will chase you away, “Yeah. Always.”

You blink, searching his face for any lies, he supposes. If you found one or saw the hesitation, you don’t comment on it. But Jungkook is still scared to have his cards on the table. He doesn’t know how you’d react, how you’d feel when you found out the truth.

A part of him wants to just apologise and move on, keeping you close enough for him to be selfish but a good distance away so he wouldn’t hurt you like that ever again.

But he doesn’t say anything, not yet.

“Why?” You ask in a hoarse whisper, “Why did you kiss me that night at your place?”

Jungkook freezes.

He remembered that night when his heart decided for him that it was enough. Having you right next to him but not with him. He remembers the way you looked so at home on his couch, in his shirt after you spilt hot chocolate on the both of you. The way you timidly asked for a blanket to share, and especially the way your cheeks flushed when he drew closer.

Jungkook feels vulnerable like you’re picking apart every single thought that lays in his mind. He hates it, that you can make him feel this way. You don’t push him, though; to answer. You’re patient when you look at him, eyes gentle.

“I—” He chokes, eyes darting everywhere but your own, “I just wondered what it felt like to kiss you.”

You frown, clearly displeased with his pathetic answer.

But you don’t call him out for it, “Okay …” You mumble, “Then why did you touch me after?”

The words leave your lips so easily, even if Jungkook winces. He’s seen you almost naked enough times, even if you’ve never gone further than him touching you intimately—it’s more than you’ve ever experienced and it should’ve made you flustered, not him. But Jungkook realises that you probably ran over the questions you asked about a hundred times before you laid it all out here for him to see.

Jungkook huffs, ears turning red.

“The mood just felt right.” He clips.

You glare at him when he offers another pathetic response.

“Jungkook.” You call out to him. He can’t bring himself to look at you, “You said to be honest with me.” Your voice is soft and gentle when you remind him.

Jungkook feels himself crumble on the inside, his face morphing into a pained expression when he rubs his hands all over his face.

If you’re aware of his internal meltdown, you don’t comment on it.

“I did a lot of thinking on my own.” You say, “But I don’t think that would’ve gotten me anywhere because all I do is overthink every possible situation.” You laugh softly, fiddling with your thumbs.

Jungkook furrows his brows at the sudden shift of the direction of the conversation.

“I spoke to Namjoon and Jennie.”

He freezes.

His heart drops because he almost forgets about Namjoon. He almost forgets the way he cradled your face so gently when your lips touched. He remembers how he felt, the way his heart dropped to his stomach when he saw his captain and you locking lips while you melted into his touch. He wondered if Namjoon tasted your hesitancy on your lips, not because it was him but because you were always calculated with anything that you did. A charm that drew Jungkook in, and apparently Namjoon as well.

But even if his heart aches, he hears the name of another person; and somehow this only makes his face pale further.

“You spoke to Jennie?” He sounds surprised, and he thinks he has the right to be. Especially when you once referred to her with so much vehemence he’s never seen in you.

“Coincidentally.” You nod. “She offered me a few perspectives I never knew of until we spoke.” You fiddle with your thumbs before offering a small smile to him, “She’s a really nice person.”

Jungkook doesn’t know how to react, especially when you’re telling him that you and Jennie somehow spoke to each other and that you found her words … nice? It almost felt like the world was pulling a joke on Jungkook, and he was ultimately just confused.

“I … okay?” Jungkook tilts his head to the side with a furrow of his brows.

You sigh, “I don’t think I told you this the first time you apologised but …” You take a deep breath; a beat of silence passes when you look at him earnestly, “I forgive you.”

Jungkook’s breath that he was holding, releases in relief as his shoulders slump. A selfish part of him knew that you’d forgive him, only because you were incapable of seeing the bad in others. You were kind, understanding and empathetic. You always gave people chances when they didn’t deserve it and Jungkook was no different. But hearing you say it, after months of ruminating over it in his bed before he sleeps, Jungkook feels a lot better, albeit the ache in this chest.

“Not because you apologised to me but because my heart deserves to heal.” You inform him.

Jungkook purses his lips as he nods in understanding.

“I know that an apology will never take back what I said to you but … I really am sorry. I don’t know what took over me that day and I just—” his eyes flutter shut when he recalls the broken expression on your face, “—I regret it so much. I never wanted to hurt you.” He ends softly.

Jungkook shifts on his seat, reaching forward so that he could grab your hand. You jump at the sudden touch, but you relax when you realise it’s just him. Your skin is soft, and maybe it’s because he nearly forgot how it felt to have you close. He’s selfish, he’s always wanted you but he never knew how to ask.

“I guess.” You say softly, shrugging your shoulders. The response is there, though he doesn’t know what to make out of it. “But you said it for a reason, Jungkook. I just … I just want to know why.”

His hand freezes on top of yours, especially when you return the hold and unconsciously fiddle with his knuckles like you used to, tracing over the tattoos he has.

“I’m an asshole. That’s why.” He sighs, leaning his head forward as he misses your frown.

“I don’t think you are,” You say gently, squeezing his hand. And he hates that you’re still so kind to him. “I think you’re confused. But you also know why you did what you did. You just won’t tell me.”

Your accusation causes Jungkook to shoot his head up as he stares at you with wide eyes. You don’t waver, especially when your smile is still sincere and small as you offer him an encouraging look that he knows he doesn’t deserve.

“I really don’t have an excuse,” Jungkook frowns.

“I’m not looking for an excuse, Jungkook. I’m looking for a reason.” You remind him gently.

He purses his lips, eyes darting away until he feels your body shift and a warm touch cradle his jaw. His body freezes when he feels your gentle hand to cup his jaw and nudge it until he’s looking at you again. This time, your eyes are still calm and soft when you look at him, and your smile is still the same. Jungkook hears the thud of his heart in his ears, especially when you’re so close.

"No more games." You trace your hands gently across his jaw, and he looks so much younger. You suppose it's the lights of the room, two lights turned on with the rest off. Just the way he liked it—just as you remembered.

Jungkook states at the shelf in front of him when his jaw clenches. He can feel the conflict behind his gaze. It isn't frustration that peaks through, instead; it looks a lot like fear.

He finally breaks with a sigh, "No games." He affirms, hands tightening by his sides.

The position is getting uncomfortable but the ache in his chest has been present for months, so he thinks a few more minutes here with the promise of an answer would be nothing. But he was equally as terrified as he thought you were.

Jungkook briefly thinks of Namjoon when you wait patiently, deep in thought. Because Namjoon was nothing like him. He'd give you an answer by now. Unravelling the tangled yarn in his mind just so you could catch a piece of his thoughts.

No. Jungkook was a thinker that often never spoke. His ideas and visions trapped in the confinement of his brain and left for others to hypothesise. But you were patient, somehow your most redeeming and costly quality. It's funny—because he’s always said that you were exactly what he needed.

"Jungkook?" You whisper.

Jungkook hums, eyes slightly twitching when the tip of his ears turn red. It's difficult for him too. But he’s waited for far too long.

"You promised." You remind him gently.

Jungkook takes the leap when he realises that you weren't backing down.

"God." He huffs, falling back onto his couch while you observe him with sad eyes. He felt so ... scared. "I'm so in love with you that I can't even think straight when you're around me.”

Your hand freezes, and he doesn’t even feel terrified when it drops from his face. He can only stare at the ceiling after his words leave his lips. It’s out there. The selfish part of him won and he can’t ever take it back. He can’t find the courage to look at you, not when the silence is so loud and his heart rings behind his ears.

So he continues.

“I just wanted you.” He croaks. “It’s always been you and you looked so … at home when I kissed you the first time. I was selfish. I thought—” His eyes shut, as he takes a deep breath, “—I thought I could at least pretend that you were mine when I touched you. Like you were meant for me and no one else.”

He can’t stop, his heart pouring out everything he’s felt.

“And fuck. Every time you’d say we had to stop what was happening I felt like I was losing you. I just … I just wanted to be someone to you that wasn’t your best friend. Or some younger guy that you knew while growing up. I wanted you to see me as a man. Like someone, you could rely on or be with. Because that’s who you are to me. Someone I can rely on, someone I want to be with.”

He hears your breath hitch.

“Jungkook …” You murmur, “Then why … why did you kiss Jennie? Why were you with her if you already had me?” Your voice is sad, soft and meek when you ask the question Jungkook selfishly wants to avoid.

He sits up abruptly, nearly knocking your forehead with his when he grabs your shoulders as your eyes widen. His eyes are desperate when they peer into your own.

“You didn’t deserve anything I did to you. The words I said. The thing with Jennie.” He groans, resting his forehead against your shoulder as you hesitantly reach a hand to cradle the back of his head ever so gently. He automatically relaxes your touch enough to calm him. But he’s still frustrated, scared, and he doesn’t know what to make of your reaction; or lack thereof.

“Jungkook.” You call his name softly, reaching to hold his shoulders while you look for his eyes.

“Yeah?” He says emotionlessly, almost defeated when he peers at you.

You nibble on your lips, thinking over your words before you squeeze his shoulders.

“Why … why didn’t you say anything?” You ask softly, and if he wasn’t crazy—he swore he heard some sadness behind your voice.

He scoffs, and the reaction has your eyes widening.

“And then what? You don’t feel the same and I would’ve just … ruined everything. I know I did when I kissed you but at least I could pretend like it was … casual. Like it meant nothing to me but a fun time.” You wince at his words, and he sees it. He frowns when he realises the words he threw at you a while back the first time he’s seen you break. “It wasn’t. I just … I couldn’t handle you rejecting me. It … it’d hurt too much.”

It was a selfish part on his end, and only after the silence that passed does he look up to see your eyes already trained firmly on him—a wave of sadness that washes over your features.

“You should’ve spoken to me, Jungkook.” You whisper, hands reaching out to hold his cheeks. Jungkook almost huffs but you beat him to the indirection. “I wanted you too.”

Jungkook’s body stills, eyes widening when he peers into your eyes. You smile sadly at him, and he feels everything come crashing down all at once.

The months that the two of you went without talking to each other, the kisses you’ve shared, the way you feel under his arms, the way your back arches, the giggles you’d share with him. All of it becomes more than just a memory now, but it’s still painful. The way his silence caused all of the problems he thought he couldn’t solve.

It feels … sad.

“What?” He chokes.

You nod your head, holding his cheeks gently.

“I wanted you. But you didn’t choose me. You chose … yourself.” You say softly.

Jungkook frowns, “I just—I thought … how?”

You offer him a sad chuckle, “Jungkook, I don’t think you get it. I love you, I really do. The signs were there. You’re the only person I’d ever want this way. You’re the person I think about on a daily basis and I find myself looking for you even when you're not there. Even when you said the things you did, or whenever I saw you with Jennie. I still wanted you. And that’s why I needed time away.” You inform him seriously.

“So we could have—?”

“I don’t know if you really love me, Jungkook.” You say sadly, eyes darting away that makes him want to comfort you. “Maybe I’m familiar to you but I can’t believe you when you say you love me if you had Jennie and me under your hold when everything happened.” You say with a serious gaze.

“I …”

“I want to move on.” You confess, and he feels his heart drop. “… from this. I don’t know if I’ll stop loving you but that isn’t my goal. I want to be able to understand my sexuality because I was guilty when it first happened and then … you said the things you did—”

“I’m sorry.” He murmurs, cradling your cheeks in his head when he rests his forehead against your own. You’re so close, and your lips are only inches apart but it doesn’t seem right to close the distance. Not when the two of you were so confused.

“—I know. But it doesn’t matter. You allowed me to realise that I had some growing to do myself.” You smile, rubbing your thumb over his cheek.

And Jungkook feels so much … younger. Like you were taking care of him when he found out his first rejection from a state team application when he was moping by himself. You drove all the way to see him, to comfort him and hold him close when you didn’t have to. Your touch has always been the same, but it’s Jungkook who was selfish.

You loved him.

It feels … surreal. That the two of you felt the same but because of fear, or whatever that stopped the both of you, he ended up hurting you and pushing you away. Jungkook feels his heart ache, the frustration that seeps through his bone is too much to handle.

“I—where does this leave us?” He wants to be with you. He does. But somehow, the timing doesn’t seem right.

His thoughts are only confirmed when you tell him, “I can’t be with you. It’s unfair to you and to me. I have things I need to sort out first and so do you. But I want you in my life, and that’s selfish for me to ask when I feel the way I do, but you were my best friend before anything else. I loved the boy who was my friend before I loved the man who I hoped to be my partner one day. “

"I want to be with you.” Jungkook declares, eyes firm.

You laugh, eyes still sullen, “You don’t know that Jungkook … you hurt me. You really did. Your words … I don’t resent you for it but I can’t forget it, not just yet. You did allow me to realise that maybe I should put myself out there more. Make new friends. You could be thinking that you do for … closure or whatever, but I don’t deserve that.” You inform him seriously.

“You’re not boring—or whatever the fuck I said. I was insecure and I took it out on you. You’re … you’re you and that’s more than enough.” He says softly.

“I may not be.” You shrug with a small smile, "But there’s still a semblance of truth to it that I can see, menace and vehemence aside. Objectively speaking, I’m quiet. I’m shy. You didn’t say that but you definitely implied it.”

Jungkook sighs, and you say it with no malice. Just stating an observation, and he’s still baffled at how … calm you were, especially when you were in his arms and he was in yours. It feels … better, but not enough.

“I want to be alone but together, just as friends. Until the both of us sort out … whatever that’s happening. I want to move on from this, to go back to how we were.”

Jungkook stays silent, as you smile up at him. He thinks you look so pretty. And there’s dread in his stomach when he thinks of how he fucked it all up, how things could’ve been so much easier if he’d just pushed aside his ego and his pride.

But you’re kind as always when you rub at his cheek.

“But thank you, regardless. Even if it hurt me, and even if you regret it—it allowed me to understand what I needed to do. It brought people like Yena and Namjoon into my life, and I’m so grateful for them.” You smile, and for the first time that night; it’s a sincere one. He sees the way your eyes glisten ever so slightly when you speak about them.

The mention of Namjoon’s name only sends a pang through his heart when he recalls the kiss. But he knows it’s unwarranted, especially when you had to deal with Jennie, which was exponentially worse.

“Do you … do you want to be with Namjoon?” Jungkook asks carefully.

You ponder for a moment, and it hurts Jungkook to think that you were considering his words. But he remains silent, because at least right now—he had you in his arms even if you weren’t his to hold.

“I can’t.” The choice of your words doesn’t get dismissed by him. He realises that you never denied it, but said you couldn’t be with him. Jungkook purses his lips, “It’s unfair to him. I shouldn’t have kissed him either but I did. The same way you should’ve either kissed Jennie or kissed me, not the both of us. But if you really do love me the way you say you do. I want this to happen not because I’m familiar but because you actually want this.”

“You’re more than just a familiar girl to me, _____.” He says softly, holding your cheeks.

You shrug with a small smile.

“Am I?” You sigh, holding his wrist while you stare at him. It feels right when you hold him. “I think we need time. I need time, and so do you.”

Jungkook wants to protest, to say that the two of you have waited so long and feel the same. But he knows it’s not that easy. Not when he’s still had bridges to reconcile and build back. He remembers Jimin, he remembers Taehyung, and he even remembers Namjoon.

Love is not all there is, and sometimes it’s not enough; not now at least.

So Jungkook keeps the words to himself, just once more until he can see a smile that isn’t rooted in hesitancy in your eyes.

But he allows himself to ask, “Can I … can I kiss you?”

He’s pushing his luck. But you’re blinking down at him, and somehow along the way you’ve made it onto his lap. It’s not sexual, nothing about it is. Jungkook just wants to hold you and feel you close.

You hesitate, and he sees you nibbling on your lips as you think. But after a few moments, you sigh, nodding your head so softly.

Jungkook allows himself to indulge at this moment, selfishly and wholly. He holds your face in his hand like it’s the last time he could ever feel it this way, and before he brings himself closer—his eyes trace over your features as they map them out in his mind to revisit a place he would call home.

And you’re stunning. Like you’ve always been. The dark circles under your eyes, the few moles on your face, the slope of your nose, the bumps on your cheek, the slightly chapped skin of your lips. He takes it all in because it’s you.

Then, as your breath hitches while his lips flirt with yours; he returns home.

Your lips are as soft and welcoming as he remembers, and he immediately melts into your hold. Your hands are pressed on his chest, and there’s no rush this time. It’s different. A kiss that leads nowhere but here.

Jungkook kisses you so gently that you feel yourself want, but you needed to think. You still needed time.

When the two of you disconnect, he’s surprised to find himself being the first person pulling away.

You smile.

“Will we be okay?” He murmurs, breath fanning over your lips and it’s a familiar question.

This time, you allow yourself to hope.

“Yeah,” You exhale, “I think we will be.”

#bts fic #bts imagine #bts fics #bts imagines #bts smut #bts x reader #jungkook fanfic #jungkook imagine #jungkook angst #bts fluff #jungkook fluff #jeon jungguk #jungkook fic #jeon jungkook #jungkook x oc #jungkook series

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evnovia · 3 years

Text

— because i’m a hero.

Bakugou unloads his worries for you in the only way he knows how.

+ pairing. bakugou x reader + warnings. lots of swearing, some violence (can be seen as abusive/toxic), mention of sex + word count. 1.436 + author’s note. who hurt me? this playlist and its title did, now suffer with me :) jk there’s comfort i’m too much of a sappy bitch to make it edgy

The door to your hospital room slams open with a powerful bang that nearly threatens to displace the flimsy wood from its hinges.

You refuse to turn your head towards the clamour and acknowledge your unwelcome visitor, feigning disinterest by relaxing your features into a cool, blank facade. It’s silent for a few moments—no boisterous yells, no low growls, nothing. Restraining your curiosity, you keep your eyes trained on the bare, weathered tree outside your window.

Your heart contracts with a greater force at his slow, sardonic snicker, sending more blood rushing to the muscles in your arms and legs and nearly kicking into your fight-or-flight response. “Tell me, was it fun?”

After one deep inhale followed by a lengthy exhale, you languidly turn to gaze upon the number three pro hero, Dynamight. He’s in his signature tight, black costume with his toned muscles on display, mask pushed up into his hairline. His blond locks spill over the makeshift headband in sharp spikes that you know from experience are delightfully soft to the touch.

Agitation and fury radiate off him in waves, exacerbated by his heavy breathing coupled with his clenched jaw and fists.

A flock of concerned nurses crowd at the entryway, evidently conflicted on whether to step in and risk their neck to an infuriated Dynamight or to simply turn a blind eye to the hero’s rampage. You send them a weak smile, flicking your wrist to aid their conscience and leave you to handle the ticking time bomb in front of you.

Once they hurriedly shuffle outside, carefully closing the door behind them, you heave a sigh. “Was what fun, Kats?”

“Stop acting like such a prissy ass bitch,” he seethes, liquid venom oozing out between his pretty lips. Bakugou edges closer to your bedside, leaning in to fist at the collar of your hospital gown. “What else would I be fucking coming in here for? Were you having trouble paying rent even with all your shitty rescues? Pretty smart fucking plan, I gotta hand it to ya—taking up camp in the hospital where the cost is already paid off for dumb fucks like you.”

His knuckles dig into the soft flesh of your neck. You concentrate on the flash of pain to ground yourself, chewing on the inside lining of your cheek to keep your own words level and calm. Two fiery knuckleheads is a recipe for disaster, and a hospital is the last place you want to duke it out with him anyway.

“There wasn’t any heroes aroun—”

“Oh, that’s it!” The heavy sarcasm laced in his tone raises your mouth into a snarl, eyes hardening on his own deadly crimson ones. “The selfless cripple stepped up when there was no one around to help out! Rather than waiting for help with the other civilians, you thought you could play hero, right?”

Smacking his hand from your clavicle, you purse your lips to guard the hateful words bubbling in your mouth from spilling out into the open as Bakugou fans the raging flames in your stomach. In order to keep the situation from escalating any further, you reach over for the red call button on your bedside to give both of you time to cool your heads.

Before your fingers can graze the button Bakugou snaps, trapping your wrist within his larger hand. With your other arm hanging uselessly in a cast, he’s free to entangle one hand into your hair, harshly pulling on the locks to tilt your head up towards his bulky form that climbs up onto your bed and straddles your waist.

“You just can’t quit, huh? After almost fucking dying on your last mission and landing yourself months in this hell hole, you still didn’t learn a fucking thing. It’s all a game to you. Nothing scares you, not even an A-list villain.” You wince at the cracks in his voice. “Did you miss it here? Why do you bother getting all beat up when I can kill you right here—no need for any of this pointless bullshit if you’re dead!”

“Shut up, asshole. Don’t start with me,” you warn, cursing your weakened muscles for being unable to fling Bakugou off your lap. It’s laughably easy for him to pin you down and halt your fruitless flailing with a brawny thigh to your abdomen that knocks the wind out of you.

“This is what you wanted! You needed to hear how great of a person you are, right? Saving people even when you’re off-duty—even when you got discharged this fucking morning! How heroic of you!”

The last thread of your sanity snaps.

“Shut up Bakugou! You know that’s not what I became a hero for!” Your voice raises to rival his own deafening volume, lungs aching from your sudden screeching added onto your previous injuries.

“Hah? Don’t make me laugh.” The menacing smirk etched onto his face only serves to rile you up further. “You did all this for you, didn’t even give a second fucking thought about other people—spare me your fake righteous crap.”

“What did you want me to do? Watch while innocent people get slaughtered by villains—”

You’re cut off by a stinging pain in your scalp, Bakugou’s sharp pull to your hair angling your face up towards the ceiling as he drags his knees closer to your waist.

He smashes his forehead against yours. There’s not enough force behind his pounding to leave a mark on him, but the lacerations near your temples open up once more, oozing blood down the sides of your head.

Bakugou’s features scrunch up, poison still spitting out of his mouth, but eyes watering with unshed tears all the same. “What is it gonna take for you to learn to save yourself first, dumb fuck? Should I help you get back on death’s door for it to get through your goddamn skull?”

Your expression instantly softens at the helpless worry scattered in the burning reds and gentle pinks of his irises. “I did evacuate with the rest of them, Kats. We were all huddled up in the storeroom, but I saw a kid run back when he heard his mom screaming outside.”

The tension in Bakugou’s face melts off, leaving the defeated slouch of his brows, mouth relaxed into a frown. He lowers back until he’s seated in your lap, releasing your wrist in favour of tenderly wrapping his arms around your waist and cuddling his head into your neck while cautiously avoiding your wounds. “You still should’a stayed where it was safe, idiot.”

You giggle lazily with no amusement behind the act, lifting your hand up to his sturdy back to trace abstract loops into the spandex. “He was yelling out the filthiest curses I’ve ever heard. I think even his mom was shocked—I saw her lecturing him about it afterwards.”

Bakugou grunts into your sensitive skin, understanding your plight without needing to hear your explanation. You two fall into a comfortable silence, reveling in one another’s presence with an occasional nip to your nape.

“Come live with me.”

A short, estranged cry escapes your mouth. Bakugou remains unmoving, curled up into your torso. “Kats?”

“Maybe it’ll stop you from holing up in this stupid place all the time.”

You land a smack to his shoulder blade, scoffing at the implication that your pockets are so despairingly empty that you are forced to rely on the free services gifted upon injured heroes. “You know I pay rent whether I’m at home or not, right?”

He presses his fingers into your sides, massaging the sparse areas that aren’t covered in wraps of bloodied bandages. “I don’t fucking care. Move in with me, your apartment is shitty anyway.”

You hum, shifting around to fight off the numbing sensation spreading throughout your lower limbs. “That’s not what you said the last time you were there.”

Shivering at the snarky grin pressed into your neck, you tighten your hold on the tight fabric hugging his waist. “That’s because I spent the whole day fucking your brains outta your—”

You dig your own fingers underneath his ribs to silence him from tainting the innocent atmosphere of the hospital any further. His spine straightens as he removes his head from your shoulder, looming over you with a cocky smirk. “Live with me.”

“It doesn’t even sound like a question at this point,” you point out, unable to resist pecking his lips after.

“Because it’s fucking not.” Bakugou chases after your retreating mouth, swirling his tongue with yours once reunited. His long fingers grasp onto the back of your head, bringing you infinitely closer.

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha x reader #bnha #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #bakugou x you #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki x you

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verykhaiotic · 2 years

Text

hi hello everyone, sorry this is so late but howdy everyone, i’m kip (they/them) and this is my baby malachi soh, known to most and fans as KAISO. he’s a soloist that used to be in a small up and coming company, he’s was their only soloist next to a pretty popular group but he became their bread and butter, they chose to join infinite for his benefit rather than their own. bellow you’ll find some info about him but you can find his profile here, his official profile here, his condensed discography here and his pinterest here. if you’re interested in plotting please give this a like !! (you can contact me on discord at choi fucking beomgyu.#5103 as well for plotting!)

🠚 now joining the infinite k-tour is MALACHI SOH ! the 23 year old is onboard as the SOLOIST 2. he is known to be very CHARMING but secretly DISQUIETED. also, doesn’t he/ kind of look like CHOI YEONJUN ?

malachi was born to single mother soh jimin (jaime soh) in daegu. she moved to a suburb of chicago before he was even able to talk so he was raised there.

currently 23 years of age

you can call him malachi or kai, though mostly close friends (which he barely has) call him kai

his korean name is soh duri

he has a love/hate relationship with his mom she was very much not a great woman but she tried

they didn’t have a lot of cash and kai had to start working at a young age he excelled in school and this allowed him to go to a nice private school on scholarship, with the extra recourses he was able to really excel in the things he loved (art, poetry, music, etc)

he’s a scorpio (gross i know)

never finished high school in a regular school as he was scouted and debuted when he was 15

a little on his musical career:

kai was scouted at a talent competition with his high school band, along with another band mate and joined a pretty big company

they debuted with a similar concept as say txt, seventeen, bts (hyyh era) and the boys (bloom bloom era)

he was an ace trainee and gained a lot of traction before debut

while the group was super successful his time as a member was short lived, the concept was just not him and he was forced to do a lot of things he wasn’t comfy with

he was diagnosed early into the groups promotions with social anxiety and a panic disorder

his company never really cared and pushed him to be the face of and english communicator of the group and it affected him greatly

in 2018 he left the group and company officially deciding to go a different route and become a soloist, writing, producing and composing his own music like he used to do in high school. he joined a small company that only has one group (who’s pretty successful, think stray kids) on the books, but he liked the freedom their idols got

he re-debuted late 2019 with a new concept, a new sound and something that was unapologetically him

after the original infinite tour, kai’s company actually only decided to participate in the acquisition for kai’s benefit. he was their top earning artist and felt like a bigger company would do him good.

he still likes to refer to himself as a part of PSYC Ent. as the idea of being a part of a bigger company puts a foul taste in his mouth.

he’s excited for the tour again but more weary and anxious given the overall situation

Tidbits of his personality and work ethic.:

If you ever work with kai on a song, it’s going to be a masterpiece. not saying it’s bc of his talent as a writer and producer but he’s super particular about music and how it makes people feel

he’s one of infinites only in house producers who is also an idol and has written, produced and composed at least once for every group except tidal. he works the most with braveheart and indigo as their sound(s) are the closests to his style. he’s also the only producer for FLEUR (Kim Seonhwa) and has worked on/produced a lot of the solo releases for a lot of the idols in the company.

some general aesthetics about him - think of him as, “the feeling of neo soul, marijuana smoke wafting around the studio, the neon lights of the city, bad boy with a heart of gold, 90s-00s r&b”

he’s known in the idol world now that he’s bigger as being a bit dark and mysterious and unapproachable, but he’s deadass just a ball of shy anxiousness.

loves making music, distastes being an idol but takes the fame anyway because he likes what he does

has an extremely close relationship with his fans (think eric nam or namjoon of bts)

he’s the type to be in the studio all night and run off of red bull and cigarettes for the next day

is a pot head and no i’m not sorry about it

if you manage to get close to him he WILL take care of you, always at all times. You well be fed, clothed, and loved through and through

can talk about music all day every day

loves fashion

loves tattoos has drawn all the ones he’s gotten

has produced for a few idol groups and soloists

EXTRAS:

loves loves art so much

has so much respect for idols before him

quiet boy

give him sweets he’ll become your personal pup

this is all i can think of for right now, but if anyone is interested in plotting for the next stop or at all pls give this a like!

bi-sexual king, loves him some men and some ladies.

PLOT/CONNECTION options:

motive - kai notices that you’re getting close to him. he can feel the lingering eyes and notice the soft touches but you’ve always been some sort of loose canon. he can’t tell if this bad boy/girl/person demeanor is real and if it is what are you motives with a shy and quiet being like him? (open to anyone)

first love - kai’s relationship with music is something that can be admired, he gets accolades from interviewers and other artists and thats the thing you bond over. you often find yourselves sharing earphones or in some studio. whether you’re dancing, creating or singing its easy for night to turn into day just in each other’s presence. now your friendship goes beyond music. you’re each others confidants in your most stressful moments.

pretty little fears - he’d grown a crush on you from afar, but after a chance encounter he seems to be infatuated. his shy and bashful demeanor battles with his want to play cool. and he finds himself lost in watching you speak and aching to hold your hand, wanting to sweep you off your feet but...his anxiety just wont allow it just yet. (dae)

midnight sky - malachi and your relationship was one full of electricity. but one thing he couldn’t handle was feeling small. you’re older than him and in the midst of the rendezvous he felt as if he was a baby toddling after you at all times. maybe it was the way you treated him or maybe it was his own insecurities, but sometimes he finds him self missing the security of your arms. breaking up was some form of rebellion in his eyes and he pretends to feel liberated but he’s not sure if his pride got in the way of something good, or if he dodged a controlling bullet.

nonchalant - to say you have a feud in the industry is maybe an overstatement but the boiling blood is still aroused. you’ve been an artist of your caliber for awhile and you think malachi is gimicky. his transfer from being in such a big idol group to kr&b was a large leap and the inkling that he’s riding on old fame with a fake image is a prickle in your mind. kai respects you too much as an artist and often finds himself trying to prove to you that he’s where he should be. even if that means muddling disses into his music.

other connections bc honestly the ones above are trash and i know they are.

best friend/patonic soulmates (can be plotted) (seungho)

industry friends ( 0/3 would be kind of like a clique of friends that are known in the industry similar to the third gens ‘97 liners )

produced for you/your group

smoke buddies (hanuel & eden)

a friend he often takes care of/babies (ren)

older sibling figure (seonhwa)

old bandmate that he got scouted with (angel)

and literally anything else pls just love him

#xx. kip it together #infinite:intro #xx. introduction

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duskholland · 4 years

Text

Meet Your Match || Mob!Tom Smut

Summary ↠ It’s always awkward when your current boyfriend meets your ex, but it’s a whole new level when it transpires that your ex-boyfriend is the leader of Tom’s rival mob...

Warnings ↠ 18+, contains mature nsfw material. There are extended warnings beneath the cut, but this is quite heavy.

Word count ↠ 5.9k

A/N ↠ Genuinely am shocked that this came out of my head tbh. It is very intense so please consult the warnings before you dive in ! The entire concept of the first half is very random and almost crack, but then the second half...phew. Sheesh. Thanks to V, mischiefandi, for suggesting I write in a hot Irish mobster as Y/N’s ex...love that for her, and I love you V. I hope you all enjoy this :)

This is a part of my mob!Tom series – a collection of oneshots set within the same universe. You don’t need to read the other parts for this to make sense! You can find the other parts in my masterlist.

18+ do not touch this if you are a minor.

extended warnings: lol. mob themes including gun mention and punching, a broken nose ft minor mentions of blood, a bit of a dodgy ex who makes some uncomfortable comments, alcohol, possessive!jealous!Tom, d/s dynamics, soft!dom!Tom, mean!dom!Tom, thigh riding, oral (f receiving), spitting, orgasm denial and edging, guided masturbation, rough sex, doggy-style, like two minor instances of spanking, he calls her slut once. im not here to fuck around this goes hard so if you aren’t into rough stuff this isn’t for you. also includes unprotected sex -- please practise safe sex (condoms provide barriers against STIs as well as unwanted pregnancy. pls be safe irl). i would like mob!tom to rail me thank u. enjoy.

--------- Meet Your Match ---------

You’d never given much thought to the possibility of Tom meeting one of your exes. Why would you, when being with him is infinitely more satisfying, loving, and enjoyable than it had ever been with one of them?

But if you’d had to imagine it, you would’ve pictured it casually. Maybe you’d be out somewhere together - at a café, or a market, with Tom’s arm wrapped safely around you. You’d see your ex - whoever it may be - and there’d be an awkward encounter. The exchange of painful hellos and goodbyes, maybe some piercing stares, and pinched words. Then, you’d move on, and that would be that.

Never, in your wildest dreams, would you have imagined you’d run into your ex-boyfriend whilst in attendance at a meeting of the London mobs.

It’s a special event - a large, networking occasion, organised by Tom, as an opportunity for him to meet with his partners and rivals, as they come together to cordially bond over beer and discuss business plans. It’s hosted right in the centre of Piccadilly, in the elegant conference room of a luxurious hotel. You’re just starting to relax and settle in when you glance across the room and see him:

Aidan. Your ex-boyfriend. At… A meeting of the mobs of London?

“What the fuck,” you mutter. You almost drop your glass of champagne as you narrow your eyes and stare. The conference room is vast, adorned with glittering chandeliers and large banquet tables, but it’s undeniable: Aidan is here.

“Everything alright, love?” Tom’s by your side, one of his arms wrapped loosely around your shoulders. He’s in remarkably high spirits this evening. The event is fully underway, and judging by the snippets of conversation you’ve been hearing, Tom’s latest plans are coming into fruition - something about warehouses, and a shipment of class A drugs. But none of it matters now, because your mind is entirely elsewhere.

“No,” you state immediately.

Tom cranes his neck, his eyes seeking you out. You manage to drag your gaze away from Aidan for a brief second.

“What is it?” He’s looking at you with those deep, warm brown eyes, and his gaze is so tender it makes your breath hitch. One of Tom’s fingers moves up to caress your cheek, and you find yourself shifting guiltily on your feet.

“Who, exactly, did you invite to this meeting?” You ask your boyfriend, speaking in hushed tones. Your eyes slip back to Aidan, and you feel yourself relax as you note he’s still deep in conversation with a few men.

“Suppliers, rivals, allies… Anyone of importance, really.” Tom narrows his eyes, his thumb brushing over your chin as he looks at you closely. “Why?”

“Did you know that you’ve also invited my ex-boyfriend?”

Judging by the look of utter shock on Tom’s face, he had not, in fact, realised his fundamental truth.

“Who?” He asks immediately. His face shifts through several shades before settling on jealous, with his eyebrows bunched together.

You turn around, resting one hand on the broad shoulder of Tom’s suit before using your other to point out across the crowd.

“Aidan.”

Tom squints his eyes, a small rumbling noise travelling up his throat. “Aidan?” He repeats, his voice flooded with confusion. You hum affirmatively. “Bloke with the blond hair? Irish?” Again, a hum. Tom releases a short, curt chuckle. “Angel, he’s not called Aidan.”

“What?” You exclaim.

Tom releases a deep sigh. “That’s Gordy. He runs the Eastside.”

You feel your jaw loosen. A fake name. “Gordy Byrne?”

“The one and only.”

“Shit.”

You’ve been with Tom for a year. Over those long, fulfilling twelve months, you’ve picked up on several important key pieces of information about the London mob: it’s split into three factions, each sector run by a different figurehead. Tom and his family control the South-West, and they’re in constant disagreement with Gordy, of the East, and Monique, of the North. Each third is continuously testing the waters, trying to take over land, and supplies, and emerge as the solo Kingpin of London. The fragile alliance between the three families is constantly on the verge of disintegration.

And Gordy is your ex, who you’d met three years ago at the same exclusive club you’d worked in when you’d met Tom. Your relationship had lasted eight months and ended on equal terms as you’d mutually agreed the spark had fizzled away. Despite the considerable span of your relationship, you’d had no suspicions that he’d been involved with the mob. The thought is incredibly jarring.

“Seems like you have a type,” Tom comments, his voice entirely too flippant.

Before you can call him out on his apparent feelings of resentment, your evening takes a further turn as you realise Gordy has spotted you and is now working his way through the sea of people towards you.

He looks just as you remember: 6’2, blond, green-eyed. His shoulders are stocky and broad, and his suit bulges with disguised muscles. He maintains that signature swagger you’d come to associate with him, his eyes glinting as he throws out a wild smile. Your eyes catch on the presence of a few new golden teeth fixed in his mouth, and then to the tattooed knuckles that hang by his side.

“Y/N Y/L/N,” Gordy greets, green eyes skimming across you appreciatively, “Who’d ‘a thought we’d meet again?”

All you can really do is let out a squeak of agreement, and pull away from Tom’s side to greet the man with a kiss on the cheek. The familiar scent of Gordy’s musky cologne drifts up your nose, and it makes your head spin.

“What are you doing here?” You ask as you pull away, looking at him incredulously. His pale cheeks wear a scruff of fuzz, highlighting the high arches of his cheekbones.

“What are you doing here?” He returns, his Irish accent twanging. His eyes shift over to Tom, then back to you, and then they watch as Tom reaches out and carefully tangles his fingers with yours. “Wait…”

“Evening, mate,” Tom greets, voice a little clipped. You feel the grip on your hand tighten, and you let him reel you back into his side. You find home beneath Tom’s heavy arm as he repositions it across your shoulder, keeping you near. “I see you’ve already met my girlfriend.”

The air seems to flicker with tension.

“Interesting,” Gordy comments. He shifts his attention back to you, drawing the lines of your face with his curious eyes. “Didn’t take you for the type, Y/N. Would’ve stuck around if I’d thought you could handle this life.”

His words dig into you, and you find yourself clenching your teeth.

“You told me you worked in banking.”

“Oh, I do.” He runs his fingers down the front of his designer suit, winking. “The mob is quite a lucrative business.” He pauses, and something a little like guilt flashes over his face. “You know my real name, yeah? Gordy, not Aidan. Sorry about that. I hate the lies, but they’re for protection, y’know.”

You feel almost dizzy as you bring your glass of champagne to your lips and throw it back. The bubbles do little to soothe down your discomfort.

“Wow,” you manage. Your eyes shift up to Tom, who’s looking at Gordy with apprehension in his gaze. You understand why: for the past two months, Tom’s been engaged in a brutal turf-war with Gordy’s family over in the South-East. Men have died, shipments stolen. You know one of Tom’s primary motivations for the meeting tonight was to see if he could reach some kind of agreement with them, but the circumstances were tense enough as it was, before this.

“Isn’t this fun,” Gordy comments. He’s eyeing up Tom now, a cocky smirk hanging from his plush lower lips. “Well, Thomas, it’d seem you and I have a lot more in common than we’d thought, eh? Maybe we’ll be able to come to an agreement.”

Your stomach turns, and you feel Tom tighten his grip on your arm. He clears his throat, and when he speaks, his tone is so severe that it knocks the air from your lungs.

“Don’t talk about Y/N like that,” he warns darkly. “We will not be making any deals tonight, Gordy.”

You raise your eyebrows, trying to meet his eyes but finding that Tom ignores your attempts and instead keeps staring straight ahead at your ex-boyfriend, a determined frown hanging from his thin lips.

“Why’s that, Thomas?” He quips.

“I don’t like your attitude, I don’t like your policies, and I don’t like the way you’re looking at my girlfriend.”

Gordy arches an eyebrow. His hand slips down slowly to rest on his hip, but not before his suit jacket has ridden up just enough to expose the sleek outline of his gun, hanging low in the holster on his belt.

“Is this how it’s going to be, Tom?” He asks, shifting his eyes back to you. “Eh? I bed your bird and suddenly business is off the table?”

You can feel the mood sour, and as much as you’d like to reach out and give Gordy a piece of your mind, you are painfully aware of the circumstances: you are standing in the lion’s den. Despite the meeting of Tom’s creation, you know that there’s no chance in hell that Gordy has walked into the evening alone. To initiate any sort of heated discussion whilst surrounded by London’s most notorious gangsters would be a disastrous move.

“Tom,” you murmur, recognising all too well the signs of anger that curl out across Tom’s face: his clenched jaw, the deep frown marks on his forehead, the tight line of his lips. “Let’s go.”

For a moment you think he’s going to follow you. Tom lets you shrug off his arm and take his hand, and his posture loosens as if he’s about to turn and walk across the room with you. But then, of course, Gordy just has to get in the last word.

“Oh, well, if you’re going, you won’t mind giving me a goodbye kiss, eh, Y/N?” He peers at you with mischievous eyes, his voice lilting lightly. “Just like old times?”

Tom’s moving before you can even attempt to stop him, and you hear a loud crack as his fist sweeps up and collides with Gordy’s nose. The man doubles over, groaning profusely, and your eyes widen as you take in the stream of blood that immediately begins to pour from his face.

“Tom!” You exclaim, your eyes wide and your hands shaking. Your boyfriend grabs at your fingers, squeezing your digits in his.

“He’s not allowed to disrespect you like that,” he mutters darkly.

“I don’t need you to defend me, I can do it myself,” you hiss back. Your heart pounds in your chest, but you feel the hot lump of anger melt away as Tom looks at you through those brown, golden eyes, his mouth positioned into a guilty smile.

Two men emerge from the crowd and flank Gordy’s side. You feel a deep swell of fear pool in the pit of your stomach, and instinctively your fingers move down towards your bag for the switch-blade you’d buried alongside your lipstick. But you find your actions stilling as Gordy clears his throat, rights himself and holds up a bloody hand.

“It’s fine,” Gordy tells his guards. He tilts his head in your direction. “I deserved it. No disrespect to the lady.” His beady green eyes move to Tom. “We can finish this discussion some other time, Thomas. Good evening to you both.”

Before waiting to see if Gordy turns around and walks away, you tighten your grip on Tom’s hand and lead him out of the large conference room. It’s completely silent, and the groups of people seem to part like the sea as you escort your boyfriend from the scene, his lips brushing over the back of his bruised hand as he winces. You don’t say anything, not until you’re safely stowed away in the backseat of a large car, the doors locked, windows tinted, and driver separated by partition.

“Love, look, I’m sorry, but I-”

You cut Tom off by climbing from your seat and meeting his mouth with a deep, needy kiss. Your boyfriend releases a noise of surprise, and his hands shift up to grab at your waist as he pulls you onto his lap eagerly, pressing back against your lips with fervour. It’s messy, and you enjoy running your hands through strands of his unruly hair as he keeps you close, his fingers grasping at every area of your front and sides, mapping you out.

“What did I do to deserve that?” Tom murmurs, his curious eyes meeting yours. “Thought I was in trouble.” His hands cup your cheeks, and you give him a coy smile.

“You shouldn’t have punched him,” you tell him, biting your lip as his thumb brushes over the soft skin of your face. “I’m glad that you did, though. He was a dick.”

Tom hums. “And also the enemy, love.”

Your eyebrows knit together, and you sit back on Tom’s wide thighs as you sigh. “I can’t believe he runs one of the other mobs,” you mutter. “I can’t believe I’ve dated two mobsters, and I didn’t even know.”

Tom’s smile doesn’t quite stretch to his eyes, but he still manages a short chuckle. “I hate the thought of you being with him,” he admits. His eyes stir with something darker, and his fingers dig into your waist. “I hate the thought of you being with anyone other than me.”

You bite your lower lip as you twirl the short strands at the nape of his neck around your fingers. “It was a long time ago,” you tell him. “Our relationship wasn’t anything of consequence.”

Your boyfriend chuckles, but he’s still got that hungry glint in his eyes. You feel a shiver roll down your spine as his gaze sweeps across your face, his hands shifting up to rest on the curves of your breasts. Your dress is thin, and the neckline meant you had to go without a bra. A soft gasp falls past your lips as Tom’s thumbs brush over the lines of your nipples, which prick in response to his touch.

“Is our relationship of consequence?” Tom asks, his voice dancing. He’s staring at your chest now, his smirk widening as you instinctively push further into his hands, enjoying the feeling of his large, warm palms groping at your breasts.

“Of course.” You swallow and bring your fingers away from his neck. With careful movements, you reach up and pull the straps of your dress from your shoulders, meeting Tom’s gaze as you roll down the front of the garment, exposing your bare chest to him. “I love you.”

Tom seeks out your neck with his lips, and you release a small gasp as he sucks firmly on the base of your throat, his fingers moving over your bare chest. You can feel his mouth pulling the blood to the surface of your skin, but the pain makes you cry out in pleasure as your fingers wrap around his suit jacket and fist at the expensive material hugging his back. He takes his time as he works his way up your neck, sucking and biting, and then soothing the throbbing marks with gentle laps of his tongue and soft, open-mouthed kisses. By the time he reaches your ear, you’re squirming in his lap.

“You are mine.”

His tongue teases the lobe of your ear as his hands move all across your bare back, caressing your skin gently with his palms. The cold metal of his silver rings bites to touch, but you shiver in enjoyment.

“Yours,” you agree. Tom shifts from your neck to look at you straight on, his eyes full of dark, heady lust.

“Mine,” he repeats. His mouth is on yours, and you let him prise apart your lips with his tongue. His hands fist at your hair and he pulls you closer roughly, and your teeth collide as he kisses you sloppily, groaning into your mouth. It’s messy - with noses bashing and his digits tugging at your strands and your lips moving everywhere, slick with spit - but you feel him gather you up in his arms as he holds you. He owns you.

You make-out until the car arrives home, at which point your lips are tender and puffy and your entire body throbs with persistent arousal. Tom’s eager with his affection, but you can feel the underlying pulse of fear coasting through his veins; you want so desperately to placate it: to let him know that he has nothing to worry about - that you are his now, and probably always will be. Tom’s not alone in his discomfort - you, too, feel jilted and unbalanced after running into a ghost from your past. You need Tom desperately, in more ways that one. You need him to look after you - to hold you, be firm with you, and show you your place within your relationship. You need him to be your dom, and you crave the release of submitting to him entirely - with your mind, body and heart.

“You can do anything you want to me tonight,” you tell him. You’re standing at the foot of the bed, Tom sitting up against the headboard. His suit jacket lays off to the side, tie hanging loose around his neck and his top two buttons undone. You’ve made a mess of his hair, but he looks so fucking pretty with his chestnut curls all tousled and his lips bright pink and inflamed.

“That’s funny,” Tom comments, eyes glinting as he tilts his head to the side, “I thought I could already do that.”

His words send a shiver down your spine, and you find yourself biting your lower lip as your face fills up with heat.

“Do you want me to take off my dress?” Your fingers toy with the straps, which are all rolled up and uneven thanks to the hastiness in which you’d scrambled from the car.

“No.” Tom sits up, and he pats his thigh invitingly. “Take off your panties and come up here.”

You tease him a little bit, enjoying the way his gaze weighs down your figure. You’re slow to push your dress up to your waist, and you make a show of hooking your index fingers beneath the band to reveal lacy panties. You tug at the material until it falls to pool at your feet, and then you delicately step away from them and approach your boyfriend. You have a sudden thought that it’s as if you are the prey, walking straight into danger, but you welcome it: Tom’s looking at you, his expression hard but excited and his eyes swimming with darkness, and it makes your throat dry up.

“Such a gorgeous girl, aren’t you?”

The material of Tom’s slacks feels coarse against your centre as you straddle his left thigh. His hands press at your waist, pushing your cunt straight against his leg, and the contact makes you moan softly.

“You look so pretty with your neck all marked up.” Tom presses a light kiss to one of your hickeys, and you gasp as a line of pain ripples out across your skin. “You look like you’re mine.”

“I am.”

“I know.” Tom strokes his hand through your hair, eyes watching you carefully. “I’m just going to remind you.”

“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?” You ask, your voice wavering.

He hums, the noise suspended with confidence. “You’ll see.” His hands dig into your waist a little firmer, and he starts to guide your movements. “Work yourself against my thigh, darling. Make a nice wet spot for me.”

His words make you moan, and you’re quick to comply. You recognise the dark glint in his eyes and the layers to his voice - he’s slipping away into his harder, more dominative side, just as you find yourself eager to oblige him. You grind yourself down over his thigh, and his trousers are rough against your flushed centre. The friction burns beautifully. A few moans slip past your lips, and your eyes squeeze shut as his hands press over you, digging into your waist, guiding you. Tom is very much in control, and as the seconds slip past, you give into it.

“Tell me how it feels,” he murmurs, rich voice drifting into your ears. You bite your lip, your hole clenching around nothing as you swivel your hips and feel the pressure to your hot bud.

“Feels really good,” you admit, voice a whimper. “Love it when you let me touch you.”

Tom takes your chin between two fingers, looking at you with a hard stare. He pulls your face to him, his tongue licking a wide stripe over your lips. As you try to push forward for a kiss, he just moves away, a teasing smirk on his lips. “No,” he says softly, “You’ll take what I give you, and you won’t be greedy about it. I don’t want to have to punish you, babygirl.”

You nod quickly, the movement hurried and messy. It’s getting hard to think of anything other than the fact you’ve made his trousers slick with your arousal. The burn between your legs is gradually swelling to a crescendo.

“Sorry,” you whisper. Your fingers find purchase on his shoulder, and you find your forehead dropping down to rest there too as your breathing hitches.

“Are you close, darling?” He’s very soft and gentle, and it makes you whimper out a small noise of agreement. Tom chuckles, pulling at your hair as he brings your face back up, his hands bearing down on your hips to halt your movements. “Lie down for me, please.”

You scramble from his lap, your centre pulsing as it leaves his thigh. Your eyes catch on the way you’ve left a large, wet mark on his trousers, and you watch with wide eyes as Tom stands from the bed. He walks around to the foot of the mattress, his figure commanding your complete attention.

“I’ve been thinking about what I’d like to do to you,” he says, speaking quietly. His nimble fingers work down the buttons of his shirt, popping them quickly. Once his shirt is discarded, Tom works on his slacks. As the metallic sounds of his belt clicking fill the air, he smirks at you. “Are you going to be good for me?”

“Yes,” you say immediately. You squeal as Tom grabs at your ankles and pulls you to the edge of the bed. He kneels on the floor, hauling you closer until your thighs are over his shoulders and his face is near your heat. Your dress scrunches up at your waist, and you whimper as his hands press your legs apart. “I’ll always be good for you.”

“Is that right?” Tom asks, index finger running lightly over the inside of one of your thighs. He looks up at you, eyes hooded and blown wide with lust.

“Yes.”

“Prove it to me,” he instructs. “If you think you’re about to cum, you need to tell me.” Tom’s gaze darkens. “If you disobey me, you won’t enjoy what happens.” With tender lips, he presses a kiss to your inner thigh, looking at you with a gentle smile. When he speaks again, his voice is lighter, “Is this okay, darling?”

You nod.

“Words.”

As two of Tom’s fingers spread your puffy outer lips, you stammer out a broken, “Yes, I understand.”

“Good girl.”

He dives in quickly, and the press of his warm tongue against your pulsing pussy makes you cry out. You’re already feeling hot and bothered from the time you spent rutting against the coarse material of his trousers, and the pressure soothes you. He’s too far away to touch, so you curl your hands into fists and pull at the silky bed linen, eyelids fluttering shut as his tongue caresses you, over and over.

Tom makes out sloppily with your cunt, two of his slender fingers pulling up to push into your heat. He fills you easily, taking the edge off your desire as his tongue flicks over your clit, unrelenting, hard. He’s eager for it, holding nothing back as he coaxes you quickly towards a high, moaning and grunting into your centre. The vibrations drive you mad, and your mind spins off as he holds you in place.

“S-Shit,” you stammer, back arching. As much as you don’t want to say it, Tom’s already pushing you towards climax. As he curls his slender digits up against you, his tips brush against your g-spot, and it has you seeing stars. “I’m gonna cum, Tom.”

All movements stop. Tom’s mouth pulls back from your cunt, and his fingers still inside you. Your walls clench around him, but he relaxes them, halting all stimulation of your sensitive pussy as you whimper.

“Good,” he coos. Your eyes seek him out, and you moan as you see his chin slick with your juices. “You taste divine, sweetheart.” His free hand strokes over your inner thigh, calming you with gentle circles and caresses. “We’ll do this a few more times, I think. I want you dripping onto the sheets. I want you to forget about everything apart from me, and how desperate you are for me.” His teeth nip at your thigh, and you squirm.

True to his word, Tom works you up, over and over again. Each time he brings you to the edge of a high, he pulls back at the last moment, leaving you teetering on the edge for a painful second before your climax goes ebbing away from your reach. The time it takes to build up to each edge narrows considerably with each completion, and you find yourself growing desperate for more. Your skin is hot and prickles, your forehead breaking into a sweat. The muscles in your legs ache from the exertion of almost spasming into climax, time and time again, and your throat hurts from your eager, desperate moans. He’s a demon, his deep brown eyes watching you closely, sharp ears picking up each noise and sound, and he seems intent on drawing this out for as long as possible.

“I think that’s enough,” Tom finally says. Your sigh of relief is so loud and pronounced that it makes him chuckle. “What, you didn’t like that?” His hand comes down over your inner thigh, slapping softly. As the pain ripples across your skin, you whimper. “Don’t lie to me, angel. I know you love it when I’ve got my head between your legs.” His large hands slip under your thighs, and he pushes you up the bed, slipping up over you. With his body suspended above you and a hand either side of your head, Tom raises his eyebrows. “Open,” he instructs.

What he does next makes your eyes roll back. You open your mouth immediately, and he chuckles darkly. One hand holds your jaw, and you watch as Tom purses his lips, eyes you intently, and then spits directly into your mouth. The taste of your cunt spreads out across your tongue, and your hole clenches around nothing as you moan loudly.

“Swallow,” he says. You close your mouth and do just that, and then you stick out your tongue for him to see. “Good,” he coos. Tom kisses you suddenly, the action hard as he sucks on your tongue. When he pulls back, he kisses your nose. “Pretty girl, aren’t you? My pretty girl.”

His lips skate all across your face, dusting you in warm kisses of reward.

“I love you,” you whisper, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. The gratitude you feel towards him for knowing exactly what you need is boundless, consuming.

“And I love you.” You share a tender moment of understanding as Tom brushes his hand over your face, and in the look you exchange, you know that he feels as you do: appreciation towards your partner, for reading you and obliging you. He hums softly, slipping away from you after a final kiss to pull off his boxers. “Take off your dress for me, love. Give me a show.”

You’re shaky on your feet, but you manage to stand in front of the bed. Tom sits up against the headboard, working his hand over his erect length as he watches you. You tease him, just like you know he enjoys, taking your time as you roll the sleeves down and unzip the back. The material goes tumbling to the floor, pooling at your feet, and then you’re entirely naked - wearing only his hickeys, and his spit between your legs.

“Beautiful,” he says, eyes glinting. “You’re an angel, aren’t you?” When you shrug bashfully, he nods. “My angel. C’mere.” You move to him, but he stops you before you can reach for his cock. “I want you to lie down here and show me how you get off.”

“But I want--”

He shuts you up with a hard stare. “Do you really want to finish that sentence?” When you’re quiet, he hums. You can’t stop staring at the way his hands slide over his length. Your mouth waters at the thought of letting your tongue wander over his leaking tip, collecting the beads of salty precum. “Do this for me, and then I’ll let you have what you want.”

You part your legs, your thighs aching. As you dip your hand between your legs, you whimper to feel your slick mixed with Tom’s spit. Your skin is soaked, and as you nimbly press two fingers into your hole, you find it looser, already stretched from Tom’s exploration earlier. You can feel his eyes on you, watching your hand move as you slowly fuck yourself with your fingers, getting pleasure from the knuckle of your thumb as it brushes up against your clit.

As you begin to whimper, Tom swoops in with his final lesson of the evening. He reaches down, wrapping his hand around yours, guiding your movements. He sets the pace and the angle, speeding up your thrusts. The sound of your wetness sloshing around makes you cry out loudly as he edges you perfectly, like he knows your body better than you.

“You see this,” he mutters, voice husky. “I give you pleasure. It doesn’t matter if it’s my tongue in your cunt, or my fingers, or my cock. This cunt?” He curls your fingers, and they brush up against your g-spot, making you cry out. “This cunt is mine. You are mine.”

You almost lose it right there, the deep husky tones of his dominant voice sending you spinning, but then Tom pulls away. As your walls flutter weakly around nothing, he pats at your hip.

“Hands and knees, darling.”

Your arms shake as you roll over, adopting the position. Again, Tom stands at the foot of the bed, pulling you back until you’re spread open for him. You feel his cock, dragging through your slick folds, teasing your tender clit until your hips jerk forwards. Your bud aches almost painfully, your body pulled tight with an overwhelming need to climax.

“Please,” you beg desperately, dropping your head between your arms. “Please, please.”

Tom’s hand smooths over the curve of your ass, silver ring biting coolly against you, “Does my darling want to feel my cock?”

“Yes, please.”

“Hmm.” Easily, he slips the tip of his cock past your entrance. “I suppose you deserve it,” he teases. “Been such a good little slut for me, haven’t you?”

When Tom finally fucks into you, the moan you release is almost pornographic. He’s been teasing you, over and over, drawing you close to orgasm only to jerk it away from you each time, but now that he’s got his length buried up to the hilt inside you, you know it’s been worth it. Nothing compares to the relief you feel as you realise you’ll be allowed to finish soon, your walls squeezing his cock.

The pace is punishing, and everything blurs together. His hands on your hips, holding you in place, pulling you back rhythmically to meet with his thrusts. As his slick cock pounds into you over and over, his flushed tip nudges against your g-spot. The stimulation makes your eyes tear up, and a few hot tears skate across your cheeks as you whimper and cling to the sheets.

“Fuck, princess, you’re fucking perfect for me, aren’t you?” A hand falls over your bum, and you moan. “So tight and warm. Feels so snug around me, lovie. So perfect.” Tom’s voice comes out firm, but it wavers, and you can imagine the grimace of pleasure on his face. “Always take me so well.” His hand moves to the top of your back, and he pushes you into the bed. Your face buries into the sheets as the angle adjusts, and you gasp loudly as the adjustment means he can rail you harder.

“S-Shit,” you moan. “Love your cock, Tommy. Pl-Please.”

“What do you need?”

You whimper, the power of his thrusts fucking you further into the mattress. “W’nna cum.”

“You can play with your clit then.”

Tears fly down your cheeks, and it feels overwhelming as you nudge a hand between your legs to fondle your bud. Tom’s hands hold your hips, keeping you nice and open for him, and you’re glad for the heavy pressure on your skin. It keeps you anchored down.

“Are you close?” He asks, grunting heavily as he feels your walls squeeze him.

“Yes.”

“I think you deserve to cum, don’t you?” He pauses briefly, cursing lowly, pace faltering. “Let go, darling. Let me feel you squeezing me. I want to feel what I do to you.”

The action of his deep, fast thrusts mixes with your fingers on your clit, and you cum with a loud, quivering scream. Tom holds you down, fucking into you as you spasm and writhe in the sheets, and after a few, mind-numbing moments of pleasure, you feel him follow you with a grunt. His hot speed paints your walls, his noises of heady enjoyment mixing with yours, and it just prolongs your climax.

When you calm down, Tom carefully pulls out from you. You whimper at the loss, feeling a little out of it as he turns you over, pushes you up into the centre of the bed and pulls you on top of him. Your head settles in the crook of his neck, his hands palming over your back as he kisses the top of your head, over and over again.

“So good for me,” he mumbles. Your legs tangle together. You can feel his cum spilling from your hole, dripping down onto him, but he doesn’t seem to care. “My best girl. I love you so much.”

You hum quietly, rubbing your hand over the top of his arm as you whimper. “Love you too,” you manage, voice hoarse.

Tom’s hands cup your face, and he gently coaxes you up until he can meet with your eyes. His fingers brush away the teary residue from your cheeks, and he kisses you softly.

“Mine,” he mumbles against you, smiling into your lips as you hum in agreement. One of your hands folds into his curls, and you feel your heart stirring contentedly in your chest.

“Yours.”

---------

lol. hope you enjoyyyyed :)

I’m intending to do some mob!Tom blurbs next week for mob!Monday, so if you have any concepts you’d like to see, please send them to my ask box!

ask box is open for your thoughts!! I’m dying to know what you think of this... 👀

masterlist linked in bio!

#tom holland punch my lights out challenge ❤️#tom holland #tom holland smut #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #mob!tom #mob!tom holland #mob!tomfic #mm #smut #y/n #y/n use #self insert #self-insert #yeeeeeep #queue

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