#done with being ill!!! quite fucking honestly.

[lovelaceisntdead]

I want to go home I want to go home I want to go HOME

[samara444]

we have suffered enough. lets just shift.

WE HAVE SHIFTED, FUCK IT. honestly im so sick of the same never ending cycle of being so close and yet so far, of almost having it, of almost doing it, of almost making it.

I HAVE SUFFERED ENOUGH, thats what came to me in a meditation and honestly its the truth, every single loa blogger and shifter is telling the same thing again and again over and over. we already have everything we could ever need. its all just us.

this whole time i was too busy wanting to leave, wishing yearning, wanting to have that i never actually had it, i spent all this time, trying my best to forcee it to happen, but theres quite literally nothing left to do except decide. decide once and for all to just have it.

fuck it man seriously. idc im shifting this week, time to double down on my manifestations, istg ill meditate and affirm my ass off and gaslight myself if i have to but enough is enough. ill update my progres ah. its done, im leaving. AGHH WHXJNSUSJD BYE.

[comedi-anne]

I'm feeling self-indulgent, so here's some DOL headcanons about the Lis taking care of you when you're sick.

Kylar -Oh he's on cloud 9. You're so helpless! -You HAVE to stay in bed, so you're easy to find! And watch. :3c -Please just sit back and let him take care of you. <3 -Which he does… to the best of his ability… -But he kinda gets sidetracked and pervy. -Like he'll make you a lovely soup, but there's a special ingredient in there you probably wouldn't want to consume if you knew it was in there. -Or he'll tuck you in for a nice nap, but you have a hazy fever dream of someone straddling you and panting. -Gosh, you woke up so "sweaty" your skin feels sticky… -He lets you cuddle with his stuffed animals to make you feel better. -It's honestly quite sweet. Those toys were a great comfort to him at one point… -After his parents turned, he didn't have anyone to take care of him when he was sick. -So he'd hug his toys to feel some level of comfort. He hopes they do the same for you. -Although he would prefer you cuddle him. -Because he gets way too up close and personal, he catches whatever bug you've gotten. -He expects to be nurtured and attended to just as he did for you.

Whitney -He does not want to get sick. -Fuck you for getting sick and putting him at risk. -Cuz he can't just leave you like this… -I mean, how's he gonna have fun if his favorite slut up and dies on him cuz of some weak-ass common cold? -So he takes care of you. "Begrudgingly." -He wears a mask the entire time. -He refuses to get too close to you. -Honestly, he mostly just drops ramen soup and cold medicine in a bag before leaving you to your own devices. -But he's always popping in to check up on you. -He'll peek his head through the door to see if you're doing any better. -Sometimes he'll gently press his palm against your forehead to check your temperature. -If it's too high, he'll get a worried look on his face. -He'll remind you to take your fucking medicine so you don't boil in your own skin. -He misses you.

Robin -Oh Robin is both horribly underprepared and the most equipped to deal with you being sick. -You've known each other your entire lives. Of course he knows how to take care of you. -But you take care of him… That's the arrangement, right? -The longer you stay in bed, the less time you have to make money for the both of you. -He shudders to think what will be done to you when you're too weak to fight back. -He panics thinking about what will be done to him. -He tries to balance his time between tending to you and tending to his lemonade stand. -He needs to work extra hard to make sure you both have enough money at the end of the week. He knows you have something saved up, but he doesn't know if it's enough. -But the more he works, the more you're alone. And you're so helpless like this. -It's a constant mental struggle trying to prioritize what you need more. -He feels selfish for wanting you to get better, because he knows that desire is partly motivated by his need for you to support him. -He plays video games beside you to try to keep your mind off your illness. -You fall asleep to it as background noise. -He likes watching you sleep. -When you're awake, he can all too often see the anguish on your face. -Sleep is the only place you're free. -He hopes you have good dreams.

Eden -He hates being sick. -Living alone in the woods means there's no one to take care of you when you're sick. -It doesn't matter if you feel like shit, if you don't keep up with your chores it could mean the difference in surviving or not. -…But that's living alone in the woods. -Now he has company. -He'll be a little more lenient with you. -He'll try to cook meals, so you don't get your germs in the food. -He'll let you bathe separately, but he still insists on washing you. -He makes an extra trip into town so he can buy you some medicine. -He'll try to be extra quiet. -He's already not much of a talker, but he'll the sounds around the cabin to a minimum. -He knows congestion can cause sinus headaches, and he doesn't want you to be in any more discomfort than you already are. -He reads silently, but he still wants to sit beside you. -He likes patting your head as you head it in his lap, so he still feels like your little nightly ritual continues even in your illness. -He doesn't wait for you to fully get better before putting you back to work. -Once your fever breaks it's back to keeping him company.

Avery -This is quite an inconvenience for him. -You had to miss your date, because you fell ill, and he looked like a fool waiting for you to show up. -When he sees you around town one day, he pulls over to yell at you. -But you look like SHIT. He can immediately tell you've come down with something. -He's still pissed, but he kinda understands… -He offers to drive you to the doctor. -He stays in the waiting room while you have your appointment. -You're honestly surprised to see him still there when you leave. -He says not to make a big deal out of it. -He can't have his arm candy looking half-dead. -Even if you are sick, looking that ragged is bad for his reputation. -He drives you home, but he doesn't drive you back to the orphanage. -He brings you to some hotel. -He knows the kind of squalor you live in. Being in that filth can't help your recovery time. -He pays for you to have a room for a few days. -Room service brings you your meals. -He calls you every day to make sure you're resting and taking your medicine. -He'll know if you're lying. -When you're better, he expects his kindness to be paid back in droves.

Sydney -He'll make sure to pray for your health from now on when he visits the temple. -He makes sure you're still eating and drinking plenty of fluids! -You can't get better if you don't give your body fuel to fight off the illness. -He likes taking care of you… -Your face is so flushed due to the fever. -Your nose is clogged up due to the mucus, so you have to pant and breathe through your mouth. -He watches your chest rise and fall with labored breaths. -…He tries to ignore that sight. -But you make it rather difficult. -The way you weakly reach out for him, the way you call out his name so soft and weak… -You really need him, don't you? -He's taking care of you because he cares. -Not for any ulterior motive. -Not for any joy on the power he has over you. -He'd never use that power to harm you after all. He's a good boy. -…But the fact he could do something, well, maybe he thinks about the possibilities a little too much. -He's happy when you're feeling better. -He misses seeing you so weak before him.

[elderscrollsconceptart]

I love elder scrolls but I'm sad about how orientalist it can be

I didn't specialize in it, but The College and department I went to specialized in South East Asian studies. So for a long time I've been acutely aware of the obvious artistic and creative influences on various TES societies, art styles, motifs, etc.

Orientalism has a bizarre mix of pandering assumptive stereotypes, romanticism, and at its worst, pure racism. Orientalism originated via dangerous and racist western attitudes of past centuries which were used to simplify and insultingly coddle and ostracize non-western cultures while also allowing westerners to access said cultures via a smug sense of superiority and curiosity.

There are a lot of East Asian, South Asian, North African, Middle Eastern influences in the various societies and cultures of TES.

I cannot speak for how people of those backgrounds may feel about how the various artistic styles and inspirations have influenced the art and lore of TES.

All I can say is there is a lot of IRL cultural influence in TES. Creating a vast fantasy world and *not* taking IRL cultural inspiration is hard. IMO it's practically unavoidable unless you want to get REAL WEIRD with the lore and art in the way Michael Kirkbride does (he can create genuinely alien cultures).

I am of the personal opinion that cultural artistic inspiration is fine as long as it is done with *deep* respect, care, and dignity towards the civilization it is taking inspiration from.

I personally feel TES does more than enough to go beyond simple cultural artistic inspirations and creates something that is both very familiar and also entirely new.

For example, let's look at how Argonian art and culture is depicted in TES.

Besides the Kukri knives which are of South Asian origin, were largely looking at a fictitious culture that has extreme aesthetic similarities to indigenous cultures of Central and South America.

I myself am descended from such people IRL.

I have direct family connections to specific tribes in Northern and central Mexico. Am I bothered seeing a fictional series taking direct artistic inspiration from the ancient cultures of my ancestors? And that our culture is applied to a bunch of weird lizard people no less?

Yes, it does bother me a little. However, when I think about it I also realize there is nothing ignoble about the Argonian people or how they are represented in game or art. I mean look at them. What is there to be ashamed of when you look at them, talk to them, *see* the Argonians and how they live?

The Argonians are quite frankly, super fucking cool badasses. They have a complicated, dark, heroic, and fascinating history. Just like my ancestors. Why would I shy away from seeing the culture of my ancestors inspiring a proud fictional civilization?

There's nothing to be ashamed of when I see my culture represented or taken inspiration from as long as it is not being used in a demeaning or insulting manner.

I don't feel Bethesda is acting with racist or ill intentions when they take artistic inspirations from real cultures. I want to give them credit. A lot of very intelligent and learned people work for Bethesda. Many of their creatives come from all over the world and from many different cultural backgrounds.

For example! Many of the artists who worked on the western inspired civilizations of Cyrodiil and Skyrim were of East Asian, South Asian, and African descent. They took it upon themselves to learn the artistic cultural stylings they wanted to take inspiration from and to represent them in an authentic but still creative and unique way. This is what any good fantasy series should be able to do.

They know the world is huge and every culture is endlessly diverse. There should be no shame in depicting or taking inspiration from a culture or their artistic style as long as such inspiration and depiction is done diligently, honestly, and with respect.

I feel that the art and artists of TES have faced up to this challenge and expectation and have (largely) met it. There are some examples that do make me roll my eyes, but even these are largely just cases of lazy artistic expression or generic inspiration.

All in all, artists and creatives absolutely can and should do more to ensure their inspirations from non-western cultures are done with tact and respect. I personally feel the creative behind TES have been meeting expectations in this regard and have done a fair job of taking inspiration without being insulting.

[batrogers]

Inspired by @crazylittlejester's Wars headcanons, which intersect a lot with my own issues with food so of course it stuck with me.

Content warning for discussion of a very broken relationship with food/implied restriction, but I like making things a little hopeful and sweet.

Twilight & Warriors LU fic, rated G, approx 1000 words.

Also on AO3

IIII

Twilight set up to make dinner, as he had a hundred nights before for the group, with about twenty minutes of that being debating what to make with Wild, which one of them was going to be in charge tonight, and then getting the ingredients out of Wild’s slate before he settled to clean up and start. It was his favourite chore, if he was honest; he loved cooking when Wild let him, and after how long they’d been together Wild often was content to help rather than lead. He got distracted a lot, and liked the chance to get up and wander, and after one too many “What if” ideas, the others preferred it, too.

It was around when Wild wandered off to see what Hyrule and Wind were doing that Twilight saw Warriors crack his neck at the far side of the fire and stand up. He turned and started walking away himself and Twilight froze.

Had he ever seen Warriors leave the fire when he was cooking? He didn’t think so. His mouth twitched. “Leaving already?” he joked. “I’m gonna miss the company.”

Warriors startled, then turned and laughed. “What, you liked me just hanging around staring at you?”

“I don’t care,” Twilight admitted. “Although in Ordon I’m used to the company. I've just gotten so used to you watching the whole time it’s strange to see you go.”

To his surprise, the other man walked around the fire and touched his shoulder. “I think if you haven’t poisoned me after four months, you’re not going to. I don’t think Wild would either, at least on purpose, but...”

Twilight automatically responded to the second with, “He’s only done that once,” before the first part finished processing. “You thought I might poison you?!”

The hand almost left his shoulder, then squeezed it before its owner dropped to sit beside him. Twilight turned to stare, but Warriors couldn’t quite meet his eyes or answer him. Twilight stared at his hands again and tried to think back – he knew at some point in the first two weeks they’d been together, Time had talked to Warriors although not what about. That was when he’d started watching him cook.

Had he ever eaten with them before that? Twilight didn’t think so. When Wild cooked, Warriors usually asked him for something to make himself and...

“Something happened during the war?” Twilight guessed, when Warriors hadn’t spoken.

“Very early in the war,” he agreed. He looked around the nearly-empty fire, but most of the others were napping, training, or getting up to something else. “Impa had taken me on as her protege and – literally within two weeks of losing the castle, I fell.... very ill. I almost died; if we hadn’t been staying with the Sheikah, I likely would have. And within days of pulling out of danger, I was sick again before they could find out who was doing it.”

Twilight swore and narrowly missed cutting his finger as he cut up the onions in front of him. He shook himself and sighed. “Shit. That fucking....” He couldn’t think of a strong enough word.

Warriors snorted quietly. “I’d be sick after eating anything after that, for another two weeks until Impa figured out a strategy to make me not... Not panic at the thought. Fairies can detect most poisons, so I started coaxing them to stay close, and the rest of the time... If I didn’t make it, or Impa didn’t vouch for it, I just.... didn’t eat. Add that to rationing, and I made more than a few people scared for my health the rest of the war.”

Twilight didn’t comment that he’d honestly talked to Time about how he looked now. Warriors still was one of the skinniest among them, although Twilight had just assumed it was his natural body type. But to hear the rest was.

“I don’t mind you watching me,” he said, because what else could he say?

“I’ve appreciated it,” Warriors said, softly. “Time caught me not eating and reminded me we had to trust each other. It was... hard.”

He’d never watched anyone close enough to see if the risk of Warriors being too nervous to keep food down had come up now, Twilight supposed, and he wasn’t going to ask now. But it was tempting. He dumped the chopped onion into the pot and started on the wild garlic, feeling his eyes with more pressure than before.

Was it clean enough? Did he think his food was safe?

Cooking for the village children meant a lot to him; he was always careful about that, because making one of them sick was his worst nightmare. But it didn’t feel the same as the importance of realizing Warriors trusted him in the face of something that’d almost killed him before too.

Just as vital, but nowhere near the same.

“Thank you,” Twilight said. He swallowed until his eyes didn’t burn. “For trusting me. Is there anything else...?”

Warriors snorted, hard. “Just warn me if Wild tries to talk you into anything weird if I walk away. Alright?”

Twilight turned and caught his eyes before he nodded, not letting the lightness in his voice belie the fear he could see there. “I promise. No surprises here.”

“Great. I’m gonna go find the river and bath, then.” Warriors stretched his jaw and stood, squeezing Twilight’s shoulder as he walked away, his light tone at odds with the tension in his back.

Twilight would chase Wild off with the spoon if he had to to keep that trust.

[heartssatoru]

ignoring jjk men? I hardly see any of this request. Any characters just please have megumi in it🙏

Ignoring jjk men

Characters: Yuji, Megumi, Gojo, and Sukuna.

Warnings: nsfw for sukuna and gojo!! Afab

(My friend requested this <3)

yuji

Ignoring him is pure evil. This man will get so sad. Poor baby 🙁

He'll try to put on the act that he doesn't care and stuff but is crying the moment you keep ignoring him

No but actually, if you ignore him at class then he'll spam your phone with messages.

If you don't respond thats when he makes megumi text you for him.

Will get offended if you only respond to megumi, but he'll also get sad if you don't respond

He'll literally beg for you to respond just once.

Honestly even if its just for a little he'll just start whining and begging for your attention.

He would go through ALL your guys messages just to see if he did anything wrong

'Hey! Heyyy..! Stop ignoring me!! Hellooo? Last time I remembered I wasn't a ghost! Stop ignoring me..! What did I doo?'

Megumi

Will be confused for the most part. But he probably wouldn't even realize your ignoring him

And when he does realize he's still confused. Like why are you ignoring him?

okay yeah he didnt let you pet his divine dogs but so what?

He thinks your being dramatic. So he will put up with it.

Unless he can't stand it then yes he will let you pet them.

One touch.He doesn't see why you want to be cuddling with them. I mean he's right there is he not?

'Are you seriously ignoring me just because I didn't let you pet- okay. Fine. One small pet. Thats all your getting. Don't complain im being generous.'

Gojo

Oh ignoring him? Yeah right? He doesn't care! He'll still bug you!

Not to mention he will tease you. Especially if the cause is because he upset you.

Yeah he'll act hurt. But he takes it as a challage too. If thats how you want to play so be it.

If him surprising you with kisses and hugs then alright. He'll move onto something more extreme

But how far should he take it? If you do really ignore him for a whole day or more than do be prepared.

And don't be surprised if your laying on your back on his bed with your thighs being held apart by his tight grip.

He will eat you out no hesitation. Oh you wanted ignore him? He will overstimulate you.

Oh you came? Cute, but he's not stopping. Not until he's satisfied.

By the time he's done with you, you will be a mess. Legs shaky n everything

'Hmm? Is this too much? Oh but we just started!~ I'm not done with you. Stop trying to close your legs. We both know thats not happening.'

Sukuna

Oh ignoring this man? Goodluck too you! And I mean this quite seriously.

Haha your brave if you have the guts to do that

Ignoring him for fun to see what he does too? Yeah alright we'll see..

He'll clearly be offended. Because who are you to ignore the king of curses?

If he really wanted too, he could easily destroy you. So you should be thankful he hasn't! His mindset

Your just being childish. Thats what he's telling himself.

Keep going if you want this man to fuck you and not let you cum.

Seriously. He will fuck your brains out. And he will not let you cum, not until your there's tears in your pretty eyes, and your begging him to let you cum.

If you don't apologize to him then alright. I guess your not cumming, not until you apologize of course.

'Why don't you be a good girl and apologize for ignoring me hm? Maybe then ill let you cum. No? Thats too bad.'

[priestessoffurina]

Hiiii thereee! Okay so I know you're a big Furilumi fan, so I was wondering if you could help me collect all the info and events that imply it, and their general dynamic and stuff??? Anything about their relationship in all canon or semi-canon content. I'm working on the Traveler x Genshin chars list again, and I'm honestly undecided on how to interpret Furina's feelings for the traveler, so I thought you could help :>>>

Hellooo~ and gosh I'm flattered that you think so.

I will say that while I am a fan; I'm not as die-hard as others maybe. I'm very much a characters-before-the-ship kinda gal when it comes to Furilumi (also in general with other characters).

Like if you were to put a gun to my head and ask me what is my top Travelver X Character ship "canon wise", Furilumi wouldn't even be top five. (also I am adult enough to admit that I'm very much wanting to fuck Furina a Furina x Reader shipper more than anything)

But even with all that, I think they are cute together together and they have an interesting dynamic that can be explored.

I'm wasn't quite sure how you wanted the information or how much you wanted. I'm just gonna go through certain moments from quests Furina & Lumine have been in together so far. And just talk about them.

Also if I forget a scene or something please forgive me!

When Lumine first meets Furina at the very start of the Fontaine Archon quest, she isn't being herself.

As we all know, Furina was acting as the role of Hydro Archon. So calling it a proper meeting isn't accurate, since I tend to believe we don't meet the real Furina until much late. This isn't just in reference to her identify, but also her true personality.

Also it was just basically Furina going "We are rivals now!" and Lumine being like "....sure I guess?".

But I thought it important to high light it since it does establishes their early dynamic.

Furina knows about what The Travelver has done and sees her as an answer to her problems;

She has been chasing the one trial to end all trials; the one case that is so spectacular that is will save Fontaine from the impending floods. And what better opposition than the famous Outlander?

And she says at much at Lyney's trial:

Although there is perhaps a bit of fear at what the The Travelver could do, Furina is sure that their face off will soon happen. And that the odds will be in her favour (even though she kinda doesn't know what she is doing lol), with her being determined to save Fontaine.

It is always hard to truly know what the Travelver themselves is thinking. But I would guess Lumine also views Furina as a means to an end. It is the reason she is traveling Teyvat finding her brother.

This shows that while they both are different, they are very willing to do what they can to obtain their goal. Whether that means playing a role for 500 years, or travelling all over the whole continent, they will searching through any scarp of information to find the answers.

While Furina does lose and is, from Paimon's own words: "...like a deflated balloon now." I think Furina is more sad that it wasn't "The Trial" more than anything. Especially since she is "...unable to contain her joy at seeing you and Paimon enter.", when coming to protect her while meeting with the Arlecchino. Showing that she doesn't have any ill will towards Lumine.

Granted this could be because Furina is utterly terrified of The Knave as well trusting in Neuvillette very much. But still that rivalry is put on hold. But from this little tea party Lumine starts feeling distrusting of Furina, thinking she is hiding something. And from the events of Poisson, this just grows.

While Lumine is willing to go through the plan with others to trap Furina, this is very much a last resort;

Lumine doesn't want to be feuding with Furina; this rivalry that Furina has thrusted upon them is something she doesn't want. And while Lumine is reluctant to do this, she knows there is no choice. The Travelver doesn't think Furina is a bad person. But they need answers, and as such it seems that they are both destined to be on oppositions at court.

But Lumine still tries one last time to get through to Furina.

This part of the Fontaine Archon quest is one of my favourites; this is where Furina's thoughts and feeling finally start to poke out.

It happens because Furina's greatest fear is coming true, but still. Pretty good.

Lumine is very much on to the act that Furina plays. She knows that is she isn't godly or uncaring as she may give off. Lumine tries to show to Furina that it is okay to let go:

If Furina had been quicker and had told her the truth, Lumine very much would have stopped the plan. But from what we know, Furina would have never told. She was dedicated to the very end.

Skipping to after the Hydro Archons trial and the crisis being averted. We don't get anything until Furina's story quest.

Story quests are in general kinda a mixed bag. They are can be great in show casing the playable characters, well character. As well as expanding on the world as a whole. But sometimes they just focus on the second part a bit too hard and the character suffers from.

Now looking back at Furina's quest, it probably wasn't as bad as I thought originally. Well at least looking through just the lines by themselves is fine (Paimon is still...well I have thoughts on how they utilise Paimon's character when it comes to story. They use her as comic relief/to lighten it up when it is not needed...But that's a convo for another day).

There are at least some good bits to take from.

The first being that the reason Furina even helps the Troupe in the first place is because the Travelver drags them (literally and figuratively) into the plot. By the way of hand-holding no less.

After the ordeal that Furina has been through she is actually quite reluctant to be out and about. Furina strikes me as someone who is introverted, this very well could because she has had no real personal relationships.

On topic of personal relationships, Lumine is properly the only person who knows about what Furina truly felt during her 500 years of acting. This is cause of Furina unconsciously trama-dumped on Lumine, but still. Having someone who has seen the many sides to you, can be nice. Furina can be candid with Lumine, not needed to put on a performance. But I'm sure Furina also feels it is kinda awkward. Because 'Oh archons this person knows all about me', it crates an unexpected power imbalance, which can make for an interesting dynamic with the Travelver.

Another good moment is when they are back in Poisson;

If there is one ideal out of the seven that The Travelver embodies most, it is freedom. Freedom is very important to Lumine and I think it's very telling when she tells Furina that freedom is her reward. She is saying to her that it's It's over, and that she is free to begin a new chapter of her life.

So I think it's no coincidence after this quest Furina ends up being a director in "Roses and Muskets". She breaks out of her shell a bit and once again comes along on the Travelver's behest. Granted there aren't that many scenes/moments with them since this was very Chevreuse forward event. This is also similar in the Lantern Rite, but we did get a cute diagonal where Lumine says "I have keenly felt the passage of time since our last meeting." so that was cute.

Unfortunately since Furina has only been out for 7 months we'll have to wait for more. Hopeful in 4.6 (if it follows the same patterns) we will get her second story quest, and that it's a little bit better.

But there are voice-over and teapot stuff! (Had to get these from the wiki since I don't have Furina fully unlocked. yeah yeah know)

These are pretty self explanatory. Just Furina wanting to spend time with the Travelver and taking about the next chapter of her life having Lumine in it.

I thought this one has particularly cute. Furina would make macaroni for Lumine.

This one is a favourite

Lumine only needs her.

Now on to the teapot, there is a very cute scene where Furina talks about teaching Lumine to dance;

Another where Furina talks about them doing acting together and writing a script.

And that's all I can find! Like I said, I probably missed some stuff, but I think I'll call it quits here. I hope I was able to get the info you needed, but if not you can ask my specific questions if need be.

Also I'd love to the list when you are done!!!

[dckweed]

ugh you guys ok so ive been in such a pissy mood lately and im still on season two of stranger things and ok so remember when i said i was gonna do a billy hate fuck smut???? well this is it. you're welcome :)

also please feel free to request, i also added billy to the list of Stranger Things characters that can be requested!!

billy still ain't it bc i think he's a total dick but the part where he cried after that interaction with his dad had me feeling bad for him just a teeny bit. and also dacre is just godly for me. but i in no way simp for billy.

warnings: rough sex for sure, maybe some hair pulling, scratching, possible biting, idk if ill make it a nice ending or if ill make it like they definitely hate each other fr but this is your warning for either of those, maybe some bruising bc i feel like this is gonna be really really rough idk if im missing anything else but p much this is probably going to be pure word porn so if you're a MINOR DO NOT READ THIS!

anywhore, i give you:

'FUCK THE HATE AWAY' billy hargrove x female!reader

Look, you hadn't meant to end up in this position, in the middle of your families kitchen, at your breakfast table no less, riding the hell out of Billy fucking Hargrove of all people, but god, you honestly didn't have control of yourself at this point.

How did you even get here? No seriously, how the fuck did you get here? You thought really hard, completely ignoring the pain burning in your thighs from the way you were moving, it really was quite the workout. You thought back to earlier in the day, how Billy who was oddly enough in your home-ec class had ended up being your pairing for a project. You honestly couldnt help the eye roll when his name had been called with your own, he hung out with your brother quite a bit and you knew how he acted. You thought he was an asshole, a bully.

He didn't seem to have a problem with the pairing though, hell, he probably thought that you would do the whole thing for the both of them, which you honestly didn't mind because at least then it would be done right, but you were shocked when he told you to meet him at his car after you finished getting things from your locker. Your brother was at football that day, and you honestly didn't want to wait around for him, so you begrudgingly took the opportunity of the ride home.

"So, what exactly are your expectations?" You ask, getting into the passenger seat, the black leather warm on your thighs. It had been an oddly warm day for the fall, and the sun has been shining down on it all day. You look at him as he gets into the driver's seat.

"What do you mean?" He asks, already an annoyed tone to his voice, you could practically feel the eye roll come on. He threw the car into drive and reversed out of his spot before you even had your seat belt on.

"I mean, are you expecting me to do the work?" You ask, turning to face the front, you were surprised how well he knew the way to your house, he'd only been there a handful of times and it was easy to get lost in the neighborhood. "Because if so, I was already planning on it, you didn't have to drive me home just to tell me."

Billy scoffs. "I was already planning on driving you home, I owed your brother a favor." He says, his hands fidgeting for a cigarette. You were already on his damn nerves. God, you irritated him, you and your perfect fucking voice, and your perfect smile and your perfect attitude. He didn't understand how you could be so nice all the time. "And, for the record, I am capable of doing a project like this. How hard could it be?"

You sighed, knowing damn well you were in for a long, long afternoon. You really hoped he was more the stand back and observe type, although to your disappointment, he was completely hands on.

It didn't take long to get home, and you went upstairs to throw your bag in your room and take off your jacket, staying in your skirt and blouse. By the time you had gotten back down to the kitchen he had already shrugged off his leather coat and threw it onto your kitchen table, he was in the middle of rolling his sleeves up when he turned to look at you, long hair trailing down his back.

"So, where's the flour?"

For nearly two hours the two of you worked, nicely enough at first, although it slowly became tense as the pair of you were at your wits end with each other. Your need to be in control, and his carefree attitude weren't mixing well and you were quite frankly ready to beat him over the head with your mom's rolling pin.

You had just pulled your third attempt at your project out of the oven, the edges burnt completely black. It had stayed in for ten minutes too long, Billy having forgotten to turn on the timer. "Dammit, that was the last of the flour and cherries!" You say, completely exasperated and almost in tears. You really wish he had just let you do it.

Billy just looks at it shrugging. "Honestly I don't even know why you're panicking so hard about it, it's not like we don't have the whole weekend to get it done." He says nonchalantly, as if he didn't comprehend that you weren't the type of person who didn't wait the whole weekend to get things done perfectly the first time around.

"The whole weekend? Are you insane? Im not spending the whole weekend working on a pie with you," You say, stomping your foot as you whine.

Billy looked at you, taking in your bratty attitude. He wasn't ashamed to admit, it kind of turned him on a little bit, all though, that also could have just been due to the fantasies he'd been having about how to shut you the fuck up the whole time you'd been working together. God you liked to talk alot.

He just shrugs and you groan.

"I fucking hate you and your stupid procrastinating personality, Hargrove." You grunt out, hands crossed over your chest. He leaned against the counter, red shirt unbuttoned half way, his sleeves rolled up. You weren't one to deny that he was damn good looking, but you still couldn't stand him.

Billy smirks, straightening up. "Likewise, sweetheart." He winks, looking at you as he takes a step closer. He was honestly going to grab his jacket to head out, he figured he'd let you cool off and see you tomorrow. You stepped closer to him, almost as if you were challenging him.

"And just where do you think you're going?" You ask, looking up at him, uncrossing your arms and putting your hands on your hips. "I didn't say we were done yet."

Billy had to admit, the bossy attitude was fucking hot right then, and he was definitely horny after what he'd been thinking about. "Bossy is a hot look on you, sweetheart." He says, stepping just a little bit closer to you. You roll your eyes, not expecting him to grab your chin in his hand, his fingers squeezing your cheek. "That was rather rude, Y/N, don't be a fucking brat."

You couldn't help the immediate turn on, god it had come out of nowhere and you generally wouldnt have let this happen, but fuck you were frustrated enough as it was, you didn't need to be left horny too. "And what are you gonna do about it, hm?" You ask, eyebrow raised at him.

Billy takes that as his invitation and thank fucking god because he wasn't planning on ending the weekend without fucking you at least once, he may have found you annoying as hell but you were definitely the hottest girl in school, and you had never paid him the time of day before now. Without another moments he closed what little bit of space was between the two of you and planted a rough, sloppy kiss on your mouth.

You groan at the sensation, moving your mouth with his almost too eagerly. He takes his hand off of your face, letting it travel down to the top of your blouse with his other one, taking a good grip at the collar and yanking on it. All of the buttons pop off and scatter to the ground, you make a noise of surprise and pull away but he reaches his hand behind you, smacking your ass roughly.

"Shut up." He grunts, letting your hands unbutton his shirt the rest of the way before starting to push you backwards towards the table, undoing his belt the entire way. He could already see how flustered you were and god damn it looked sexy on you.

Your back hits the table, and you shrug your blouse off of your shoulders, your bra straps too, letting it slide down to your torso, leaving you exposed to him.

You hear him suck in a breath his eyes on your chest, you half expect him to start playing with your breasts, it's what most guys you had been with had done, and you made a shocked noise when he used both of his hands to push you to your knees, his cock right in front of you, hard and ready, waiting to use you.

"Suck." He grunts out, taking a fist full of your hair. You do as told, taking him into your mouth eagerly. He throws his head back, a low sigh coming from his parted lips. "Fuck.." You Bob your head, taking him in farther every time, coating him with your saliva. You use your hands, wrapping both around him as you twist and suck, within a few moments he's thrusting his hips gently into your mouth, his hand gripping your hair tightly, fucking your face until you're a drooling, slobbering fucking mess all over him. "Sweetheart, you look so fucking perfect getting your mouth fucked like that, and i could come all the way down your fucking throat but, id rather fuck you first, because where the fuck is the fun if we can't both fuck the hate away?"

He pulls out of your mouth, and you groan. His hand drops your hair and goes to your throat, wrapping around it as he pulls you back to your feet. "On the fucking table," He says, pushing your skirt up your hips and pulling your panties down your legs as you settle onto the table edge, your legs spread nice and wide for him, your arousal shining in the light. "Such a little fucking whore aren't you, who knew that little miss perfect liked to be used like a toy?" He asks, he let his fingers roam up your pussy, hearing your small moan at the contact, fuck it was hotter than he had expected it to be. "Can your pussy take my cock as well as your mouth can? Hm? Can I fuck you good and hard?"

You give a breathless noise, looking up at him, legs already hooked around his fucking waist, eyes trailing down the exposed skin of his muscled torso. He really was as hot as you'd heard. "Fuck me already, Billy." You whine out, not in the mood for games, afraid you'd get caught by your brother or parents, but too turned on to stop him.

You didnt have to wait long, within moments he's pushed himself inside of you, his cock filling every fucking inch of you perfectly, your pussy swallowing him up perfectly. "Fuck.." You heard him groan again, his hips thrusting lightly at first before giving a long, sharp snap of a movement that has you throwing your head back, a string of curses escaping your mouth.

He keeps a steady pace, your table creaking and croaking underneath the weight of the two of you, him leaning over you, planing rough, wet kisses over your mouth to keep from screaming too loudly, he was afraid your neighbors would hear, or your brother if he decided to come home early. You pawed at his skin, your nails digging in and scratching down his chest as he lifted your hips in a way that made you arch back up into him, unable to help your bodies responses to him.

"Fucking hell, sweetheart." He groans out, picking you up completely and moving backwards to the chair behind him. Still bouncing you on his cock as he did. He say, giving your ass a nice two handed squeeze before slapping once, twice, leaving red marks he was sure. "Ride it, baby."

That was how ended up here, riding his cock like it was the last thing you'd ever do. Fuck you hated yourself for it, but god your pussy had never felt better. He leaned his head down, taking one of your tits in his mouth, his tongue rolling around your nipple, sucking on it the supple flesh. He couldn't receiving himself, he had to give it a nice hard bite. he smirked, feeling you shudder against his body, a squeaking noise coming from his mouth as you scratch your nails down his chest again, causing him to moan, slapping your ass roughly once more.

He could tell you were close to coming, he could tell by the look on your face and the way your body was moving against his own. He wasn't too far off either. He reached a hand up to your hair, tangling your hand in the locks as he angled your head against his own, watching your eyes. "Such a good fucking whore riding my cock like a fucking pro," He says, he figured you deserved some praise. "good fucking girl, gonna cum all over it, hm? cum all over my fucking cock like a good little slut..there you go, good girl." He grunts, your hips stuttering and a silent moan escaping your mouth. He wasn't too far behind, and within moments he lifted you off of him, leaning you back just enough that he could come all over your stomach, ruining your skirt as the hot, thick spurts hit it. "Fuck.." He sighs, sitting back in the chair, letting you catch your breath for a moment.

You looked like a goddess to him, you looked perfect with your hair messy, and your face red and flushed, but relaxed and calm looking. You looked at him, unable to stop the giggling that escaped your lips. He looked at you, eyebrow raised.

"I'm sorry." You says, a small smile on your face as you stand up slowly. You figured he wasn't the hanging around type, and you didn't want to keep him from whatever his plans were. "This just totally wasn't how I expected this to go."

Billy chuckles, pulling his jeans up and buckling them. "Glad I could be of service." He says, grabbing his jacket off the table. "I'll be back tomorrow, I'll bring cherries and flour." He says grabbing his keys.

He walks past you, giving you a light pat on your still exposed ass, he caught sight of your brothers car through the living room window as he came to the hallway. "He's home." He calls over his shoulder, sending you running up the stairs with a squeak.

@bloatedandlonly

[voylitscope]

Stucky Recs: Brooklyn Stories for Brooklyn Boys

It's Brooklyn story time.

Obviously, a lot of Stucky fics are technically Brooklyn stories. Theoretically, all pre-canon fics are Brooklyn stories.

But. I have weirdly specific rules about it for the purposes of this rec list. To be a Brooklyn story, Brooklyn itself has to be part of/very relevant to the story somehow. Brooklyn can't just be the setting/location. So, as an example, a fic Steve and Bucky spend the entirety of inside their pre-war apartment is a story that takes place in Brooklyn, but it is not a Brooklyn story.

These twelve fics are Brooklyn stories.

Note: As part of my personal campaign to combat the persistent idea that every great fic in this fandom was written in 2015, I'm now marking recs of fics written post-2016 and recs of fics written post-Endgame.

Canon Brooklyn Boys

🚉 Nice Work If You Can Get It |  reserve | Mature | 12,900 words|

Hi, have you read this delight of a pre-war fic featuring Steve and Bucky befriending showgirls? Because if you haven't, you absolutely should. I always enjoy a pre-war fic that leans heavily into Steve's art as a plot point, and a Steve who hangs out backstage at a theater and gets paid to draw posters/fliers? I love it. We've also got a Bucky who spends a couple thousand words trying to understand why Steve spending so much time with very pretty showgirls and drawing them bothers him so much, and then another several thousand words actively pining (while working at a theater!) after he figures it out.

Quote:

Bucky resists the urge to drop his head into his hands and mope. Instead, he gathers himself up, and splashes cold water over his face at the kitchen sink. He pulls the dingy quilt off their sofa, grabs his Luckies, a book, and the mug, and takes himself out onto the fire escape.

Outside, he curls up with his back against this crumbling brick, and his workboots against the iron railing. He tucks the blanket around himself to keep the chill at bay, lights up a cigarette and wills away lingering arousal that won't quit. The cold air feels good on his hot face, and the coffee mug feels good in his cold hands. The cigarette smoke tugs the chilly air into his lungs with each drag, and he wishes he could burn his feelings away.

Williamsburg and the Domino plant feel very distant even though he’s still sore about the whole thing. He’s sore about Steve and he’s sore about Louise, and he’s extra sore about wanting Steve all to himself for reasons that go well beyond friendship. He's sore all around, right down to his heart.

🚉Ill With Want |  thedoubteriswise | Mature | 26,99 words | *Post-2016 Rec*

This is a pre-war gem, and it's one of my very favorites. It's sweet, aching, and laced with humor, and the Bucky voice, the Bucky and Steve dynamic/relationship, and the overall characterization are just beautifully done. Honestly, I've read this fic a few times, and I think I love it a little more every time I do. Featuring a Steve who both makes and teaches art, a Bucky who tries and fails miserably at not being desperately in love with Steve, a late 1930s Brooklyn gay bar Bucky visits with wide eyes, parties and classrooms filled with Brooklyn artists, a very earnest conversation over library books about Watson and Holmes' possible feelings for each other, and Steve getting paid to draw porn.

Quote:

Bucky’s stupid with how much he wants him, too crazy over his long eyelashes and narrow hips to read anything clearly. Is Steve thinking about kissing Bucky too, or does Bucky just wish he was?

He pictures confessing, but all he can imagine is Steve rejecting him.

The thing is, he knows how kind he’d be. He’d tell Bucky how much he cares about him, how flattered he is that of all the guys Bucky’s fucked up heart could want, it landed on him. He’d say how much he wishes he could give Bucky what he wants, and he’d mean it, because Steve loves making him happy. For all his piss and vinegar, Steve’s the gentlest guy on earth when he’s got someone’s heart in his hands. Bucky should know; that’s where his has been for as long as he can remember.

Bucky would nod and try to brush it off, act like it’s nothing but a crush that’ll go away with time. He would have a definitive ‘no,’ and maybe he could move on, but it would be like having his heart cut out with nail scissors - slow, careful, and excruciating beyond belief.

🚉Painted in Indigo | nekare | Mature | 11,031 words

Another charming pre-war delight. I really enjoy the way Steve's thought process is written here, and I love the dynamic between Steve and Bucky. This fic features a lot of Steve, who knows how he feels about Bucky, trying to puzzle out and rationalize Bucky's actions in a way that makes them completely platonic. Because obviously, they must be, right? Also featuring a revelation on a sunny birthday afternoon in Prospect Park.

Quote:

He’s rougher with the bruise high on Steve’s cheek, clearly still mad. When he reaches his split lip though, his touch gentles, dabbing at it until all the blood is gone, but instead of moving his hand it stays there, thumb moving until it’s resting against his mouth, so softly Steve can barely feel it. When he looks up, Bucky is staring transfixed at his fingertips on Steve, his own lower lip between his teeth. He looks a bit dazed, and the full weight of his attention makes Steve’s heart quicken.

He smells good, slightly sweaty and a bit sweet from the peach canning factory he works in. Steve will never breathe a word of it, but he’s absurdly fond of these moments, with Bucky so close in between his legs, his hands soft on Steve’s hair as he moves his head. Sometimes he forgets himself, probably muscle memory from being with some girl, and he rubs little circles on Steve’s neck, and Steve will invariably end up squirming with want.

“What,” he finally says when the moment stretches for too long.

🚉Take Your Time Coming Home | odetteandodile | Mature | 13,047 words | *Post-2016 Rec*

Technically, this is a pre-war AU and not quite canon. Or, maybe it's more like canon divergence preventing them from becoming inseparable as kids, but leaving them both in Brooklyn and hyper-aware of each other, and having them still end up obsessed with each other, living together (and inseparable) by their early twenties. Can canon diverge two decades before canon actually starts? Is that a thing? I have no idea, but I absolutely love this fic. Featuring many discussions of 1930s Brooklyn gay bars, falling in love through letter writing, a very uncooperative bed, a highly memorable birthday celebration, ID porn, and the unfairly charming and adorable mental image of kid Bucky being amazed by scrappy and angry kid Steve, even when they didn't know each other.

Quote:

“Oh Steve,” says a soft, deep voice above him—decidedly not his mother’s, “you idiot I told you to stay dry…”

It takes a few more moments for Steve to process that there is a cool, soothing hand on his forehead. But it’s not his mother’s smooth, slim one, but large and calloused…

The dream finally fades entirely, his still feverish brain slow to find the line between it and reality. But once it does, he forces himself to open his burning, bleary eyes. And he immediately wonders if he actually has awoken, or if the scene around him is just a new product of his sick-addled hallucinations.

There’s daylight in the apartment, and he’s shivering under only one of the four blankets he’d initially fallen asleep beneath.

And Bucky Barnes is sitting beside him on the edge of the bed, a hand on Steve’s forehead and a look of deep concern across his face.

🚉Three White Horses | magdaliny | Mature | 16,601 words | *Post-2016 Rec*

Moving from Pre-war to this canon divergence post-TWS fic. I should note that this one isn't a light read. However, that's primarily because this fic allows Steve to be really, really not okay. This fic sits with Steve in low and depressed places and stays with him as he hits rock bottom. It doesn't turn away. It's brutal, but gorgeous too. It's heavy, but it gives Steve, and Steve's grief, the respect they deserve. And, eventually, it pulls him out. Steve's devastation has him running home in this fic, and Brooklyn serves as both a hideout and a painful reminder of the things he can never get back. The depiction of Steve and Bucky's relationship, both in Steve's memories of the past, and in the place this fic eventually ends up, is stunningly beautiful. (There's a happy ending here.)

Quote:

Steve, still too sweaty-palmed to tear anything up without sticking to it, had set a fire on a broken plate with one of his asthma cigarettes and was feeding it strips of paper. He'd glanced over to find Bucky looking more miserable than any human being has a right to look, talking as evenly as he was, and Steve had almost put one knee in the fire trying to reach him.

“I don't wanna lose you too,” Bucky'd said, high and off-balance, when Steve grabbed his arm.

Steve had apologized and hugged him hard enough to hurt them both, and Bucky'd ended up taking him to bed. They hadn't slept. In the morning Steve had felt bee-stung, battered: but thawed out. In the Arctic there's whole months where the sun doesn't come up over the horizon, and in real life that first day is probably just a momentary sliver of light, but Steve didn't know that at the time, and he'd imagined a luminous dawn. Moments later he hadn't needed to imagine it any longer, because there wasn't anything in the world more luminous than Bucky's face, barely awake and entirely uncensored: his eyes when he looked at Steve.

But Bucky isn't here.

(Note: I debated properly putting This, You Protect in this post. But A) it straddles the line of qualifying as Brooklyn fic for the purposes of the list, and B) it's such a beloved fandom classic that I feel pretty sure the large majority of people have already read it. That said, if you haven't read it, you very much should.)

Brooklyn Shrunkyclunkys

🚇Beyond the Yellow Book Road | crinklefries | teen | 30,057 words | **Post-Endgame Rec**

This is a very, very pretty fic, and Steve and Bucky are very, very cute about each other in it. It's a heartwarming read and one of those specific sorts of Shrunkyclunks where meeting Bucky brightens a recently brought-out-the-ice-Steve's whole life in all of about an hour — where it changes Steve's whole life within a few weeks. It's one of those fics where Steve is still trying to make sense of the 21st century, and it's meeting Bucky that helps more than anything else. Featuring books, flirting, slow burn, snow, and some slow dancing.

Quote:

Slowly, Steve stops needing an excuse to come back. He treads the quickly familiar streets up through Williamsburg as often as he can—during the week, on the weekend, before missions, and definitely after missions.

He’s passing by after grabbing brunch with Natasha and Clint one day—apparently the future is obsessed with mashing breakfast and lunch foods together and drowning both with a side of mimosas—and sees a new display of books in the window. He goes in.

“Buck?” Steve calls, before even looking for him. “What’s the Golden State killer and why is it the ‘Hot Staff Pick of the month’? Also is the pick hot or is the staff hot? It’s very unclear.”

“Both, Steve,” Bucky says, coming down the stairs at the back of the store. He has a rubber band in his mouth and he’s putting his hair up. Tendrils of curls hang loose, framing his face, and Steve feels an almost indiscernible lurch in his chest. “The correct answer is both.”

🚇Not In The Answer But The Question | aimmyarrowshigh @aimmyarrowshigh | Teen | 27,382 words | **Post-Endgame Rec**

Steve's difficult relationship with being both Steve Rogers and Captain America, and his ability to possibly reconcile those things while still letting any Steve show through is always one of my favorite things to see tackled in fic. This fic does it so gorgeously. This is a Steve who starts this fic so lost, but who is able to find bits of his past and of himself — who is then able to find a real direction, a purpose, for his future. There's so much warmth and hope in this fic, tied to an incredibly kind and gently encouraging Bucky and the relationship they slowly and satisfyingly build.

Quote:

Natasha climbs one of Steve’s legs like she’s a boa constrictor. “You seem happier.”

“I’m a happy guy,” Steve says, deadpan, as he tries to shake her off.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Natasha manages to get onto his back and starts to slam her elbows into the top of his head. “You’re a lot of things, Rogers, nice things, even, but you’re not a happy guy.”

Steve’s ears are ringing by the time he flips Natasha off his shoulders and onto the mat.

He kneels on her sternum.

“Maybe not,” he admits. “But nobody asked Captain America to be happy.”

🚇Love Thy Neighbor | hermionesmydawg | Mature | 7,842 words

A fic featuring a Bucky and Steve who annoy each other at first. It lasts less than a week. Nomad Steve is a Brooklyn vigilante. Bucky's a nurse whose new neighbor is a hot irritating vigilante who is making Bucky think there might have been truth to those Captain America rumors after all. Such a fun read. I also really appreciate that at one point in this fic, an injured Steve seeks out his new neighbor and is like, "I've seen you in scrubs are, you a doctor?" When Bucky says he's a nurse, Steve tells him that's better.

Quote:

He helps walk Steve the short distance to his apartment. The idiot didn't even lock the door, what the hell is wrong with this guy? "I'll check on you after work tomorrow. Try not to get shot or stabbed in the next twenty-four hours, okay? I'd hate to have to threaten you with a lamp in my underwear again."

"You threatening me with a lamp in your underwear was basically the highlight of my year, but I'll be on good behavior."

Bucky blinks. That's it. That's all.

"G'night Bucky." Then Steve's closing the door in Bucky's shocked face, because he's just not good at this. Snark he can do all day but that was genuine, maybe.

Modern Brooklyn AUs

🏬If This is as Far as We Go | BeauRadley | Mature | 124,186 words | **Post-Endgame Rec**

You know how sometimes a fic hits you a lot harder than you think it will? This fic is about a Steve and Bucky who were totally just friends with benefits. No feelings involved! So now things have ended and they're completely fine, of course. Which — 10/10 tropes I am always here for. Sign me up. This fic, though, is also about a Steve who has shut down more than he realizes, and who has built walls around himself made of his own guilt. (Wow, what a Steve thing to do!) This is about pain Steve isn't even letting himself acknowledge, but that's keeping him away from so many things — Bucky, Brooklyn itself, and his own happiness. it's a huge journey for Steve, who, honestly, starts this fic in a pretty terrible mental health place. It's incredibly well done, and the ending really got to me. There's also a fantastic, hard stuff handled really well, Bucky family subplot.

Quote:

But Bucky turned right, leading straight in that direction instead of left, the way Steve had come. It made sense, of course. Right took them into the heart of the neighborhood, to the cluster of coffee shops and diners, bars and bakeries, that made up the fabric of the place.

Bucky started walking, shoving his phone, keys and wallet into his pockets as he did so, but Steve stood for a moment, debating. He couldn’t pass up this chance with Bucky, the only one he might ever get, but passing his mom’s apartment?

Bucky looked over his shoulder. “You comin’ or what, Rogers?” he asked, a little impatiently.

Steve opened his mouth, closed it again. Tried to form words. He didn’t want to sound pathetic, refusing to walk past his childhood home like it still had some power over him, like he was weak. “I…” he began, and then understanding seemed to dawn on Bucky. His expression, before a little disgruntled, softened.

“Hey,” he said, and his tone was kind. “I forgot. First time back here since your mom, yeah?” Steve nodded, not trusting himself to speak in case he started to cry.

🏬6 Avenue Local |  mambo | teen | 10,630 words | *Post-2016 Rec*

Listen, it's a childhood-friends-Steve-and-Bucky surprise reunion on the subway. They also go to Coney Island! A fun as hell one-shot with plenty of feelings, really great banter, and a generous pinch of Bucky angst. Really delightful and really charming.

Quote:

Steve snorts. “Yeah, I’ve got a boiled chicken breast in my pocket right now,” he says. “Want some?”

“Depends — which pocket has it been in?”

“Front left,” Steve says.

“Then nah.” Bucky picks up his milkshake and starts sipping it through the straw.

“And why’s that?” Steve asks, curious about Bucky’s logic here.

Bucky puts his glass down and swallows. He gesticulates with his hand while he talks; the movements are achingly familiar to Steve. Even if Bucky’s appearance has changed, this hasn’t. Bucky had always been a storyteller with a dramatic flair. Everyone’s eyes would be on him when he started to speak. Only Bucky Barnes could make a conversation about pocket chicken and make it interesting. “If it’s in the front pocket, it’d be lukewarm. Back pocket? It’d be warm. Simple as that. I don’t want to eat lukewarm pocket chicken. Warm pocket chicken? I could be convinced under the correct circumstances.”

🏬A long way from the playground | tesselated | Explicit | 27,366 words

One of the things I adore about this fic is that Bucky's POV voice thinks about things like how, these days, he only sees Steve, like, once a week, most weeks, and how he misses him, okay? And Steve and Bucky have conversations about how sometimes, they hang out but there are other people there too, and ugh, they miss being roommates. Which is exactly as weirdly codependent and obsessed with each other as I like my Steve and Buckys who grew up together to be. There is also a lot of Becca Barnes in this fic, and I always very much appreciate that. Plus: It's fake dating! For Becca's wedding!

Quote:

“Hi, Steve. Please eat something, you’re making me weak just looking at you.” Bucky’s mom says, but she grins at Steve while she says it.

Steve grins sheepishly and picks up a plate from the kitchen counter, piling brisket onto it dutifully.

Bucky’s family love having Steve at family functions as much as he enjoys being there, and a main reason is that he is a scrawny empty vessel for them to place their ill-founded worries about their own children starving into. Steve, bless him, has never fought it, always nodding seriously as if he agrees that if he doesn’t eat another serving he may actually die.

🏬Last Train Home (series) | sparkagrace @sparkagrace | Teen | 20,470 words | **Post-Endgame Rec** A series and not a single fic, but Very Brooklyn and Very recommend. This is a modern Steve and Bucky who fall for each fast and proceed to be the sweetest and most romantic about it. I love this series and the way it shows this relationship in moments, both tiny everyday ones and massive big deal ones as these two fall even harder and join their lives together. It's a complete delight and never fails to be incredibly heartwarming.

Quote:

Since that night in the bar, everything with Bucky has felt so surreally right. He knows his friends accuse him of falling fast occasionally, but this time there’s something stirring in his gut that’s telling him that he was meant to be at that bar that January night. He was meant to witness Bucky on a terrible date with someone who only sounded good on paper and checked all the right boxes, but wasn’t the right person at all. His mom likes astrology and believes in things happening for a reason, something that Steve used to struggle with believing in too, but he can’t deny that maybe there is something up there that set this collision course for them to meet.

Steve has fallen fast and he’s fallen hard, and reasonably it could all end tomorrow, but Steve also knows that this is forever.

(Somewhere, deep down, he thinks that Bucky might feel the same way too.)

Bonus:

👕Thursday Nights with Bucky Barnes | Ellessey | Teen | 4,662 |**Post-Endgame Rec**

Truly, we're so very fortunate to have fics in every trope/au type imaginable in Stucky fandom — Including ones that don't really show up in other fandoms. I don't mean the obvious ones like Shrunkyclunks/Shrinkyclinks here. No, I mean, I have personally read at least four fics about Steve and Bucky meeting and then hooking up at a laundromat. And, while this is not, you know, never a thing in other fandoms, I feel like that is a disproportionate and oddly large amount to have accidentally run into. I have to think this is, at least in large part, connected to the Brooklyn thing. Which is why, even though it doesn't technically fit my rules, I'm sticking a very fun example of a laundromat fic on this list, featuring a grouchy skinny Steve and charming as hell Bucky, who is hopelessly charmed by Steve at first sight.

Quote:

"You're… how are you asking that?" Bucky says, sounding genuinely baffled. "You're gorgeous, you teach little kids, save the planet, befriend curmudgeonly old men—" "Berate strangers for cleaning too much…"

Bucky grins and shrugs his big, perfect shoulders. Steve is fighting such a losing battle here. They're standing so close together now that he has to look up, which he hates, as a rule. But Bucky's pecs are at eye level, and then the stubble on his jaw, the little shadows below his broad cheekbones, and that lock of hair curling over his forehead are all happening above that, so… what the hell. Looking up isn't so terrible.

Up next: Cabin and small town recs.

Fic Rec Series

[staenless]

I will say as a certified horse girl I didn't like the kelpie in the last episode. Not for any like moral or whatever reasons, in fact as someone who grew up around horses I believe they have an amazing capacity for horror realistically or fantastically. Kelpies are a great horror creature, a horse who isn't a horse, waiting and playing on our idea of horses as prey animals and less dangerous so they can eat us. 10/10 creature. I just think it looked lame as fuck.

Obviously I don't go into shows that aren't horse-centric expecting good horse representation. Honestly I'm pissing my pants with excitement that horses are even MENTIONED in my favourite manga/anime. But i am a horse girl and I'm allowed to 1)be critical of horses and 2)talk about how I'd have done the kelpie if I had the chance. So let's take a look at our kelpie!

The proportions are fine, the animators fell victim to Horse Pec syndrome (common occurance, horses have a lot going on 9n their pecs and it's difficult to show this realistically without giving horses tits). The ribs and chest... Are weird? Anne has this weird dip to her stomach that shouldn't be there, and I can't think of a reason for a kelpie specifically to have this. On a real horse something like that would be a sign of an ill fitting girth/improper care and potential abuse, you'd wanna see a vet.

The hooves are good and I really like the seaweed feathers (hair that hands over the back of the hoof).

I like the shark tail made from tail hair/seaweed and really sets Anne apart from real horses while emphasising her aquatic nature. This is a water monster, not a horse. I love the dorsal stripe up her spine it's so cute!!

Her mane being curly while her tail isn't is a bit weird to me but I think it emphasised that it's SEAWEED not hair and this bitch is DAMP. I did not like her face because it's so bizaar looking??? Her neck is quite thick going into her skull which is fine btu for some reason in some scenes she has a double chin? Which is literally impossible for a horse to have?

As you can see here horses have a hollow at the base of their skulls between their cheeks so no matter how they tip their head they cant have a double chin, just wrinkles. It wasn't often I saw it but you can see in the top picture of Anne it's shaded in and it just looks weird to me? Also parts of Anne's face are very bulbous including her nose and like yeah a horses nose can flare (usually if they're stressed, tired or curious) but that's not what's happening here. Also I'm pretty sure Anne is based on a draft horse, and they usually have some sort of Roman nose and big head. Maybe I'm bothered by her facial proportions because of that?

Draft horses are thick sturdy animals and a lot of non-horse enthusiast artists use them in their work because they're so visually satisfying. I mean look at this big boy. The problem is her proportions aren't quite right, her hind quarters are very slim, the back of her head has some weird lump? Not sure what that is? Her head is possibly too small and her lips/nose are just. I don't even know what's going on there.

Personally I think since Anne is a predator I'd probably base her on a hot blooded breed. I think an Arabian would make a great kelpie, they're a fast moving breed that's compact and powerful, and the way they look after a run, nose flaring, veins throbbing through their skin, twitching and hopping where they stand, could be very scary is channeled into a predatory instinct. Draft horses are far stronger but are much slower moving, so this probably fits into Anne's long term plan to lure Senshi into the water. However if we were casting based on aggression and bloodlust Anne would realistically be a Shetland pony.

Ask any horse fanatic and they'll agree with this conclusion.

You might argue that animating a horse in an "anime style" is hard but the horse doesn't have to be stylised to fit in the anime. I personally believe that trying to achieve as realistic a horse as possible is better for the overall look than stylising it right off the bat.

This gif by @ostinlein has a realistically proportioned and animated horse in a more cartoonist setting and it works really well! Also it's just plain beautiful! Something like this, maybe with slightly fewer details in the mane, tail and feathers would work well in the dunmeshi anime.

So Anne's anatomy isn't the best, and it seems to be just a generic horse with mismatched parts. She seems to be a warm blood but also a draft. I think?

Again just having a horse in the anime is exciting and I'm glad she looks as good as she does, animating horses when you're not a horse lover is probably extremely difficult and I can appreciate that her movements are all pretty decent and recognisably equine. Horse paces are very complicated and tricky things, there's a reason a horse galloping was the first thing ever filmed, and the few places we do see Anne's legs moving they move right. So kudos to the animators for that.

Kelpie art by @fishylookingdeer

A kelpie with a proper draft horse base for reference.

Dungeon Meshi the manga is, in my opinion, and adventure comedy with horror elements. I'm sure a lot of fans agree with me that there are moments in the anime that are genuinely horrific and terrifying, and not just in the end. The entire world of dungeon meshi is pretty damn scary and it's only because our main character is a joyful idiot that the manga has such an optimistic outlook despite the circumstances. The anime doesn't carry the horror many readers expereince through though, which is a little disappointing imo. Earlier I mentioned I believe horses in both realistic and fantastical setting have incredible capacity for horror and so I wanna take a second to share how I think Anne could have been scarier!

First off Kelpies aren't horses. They're mimicking creatures that disguise themselves as horses to lure you onto their back and into the waves, and so the best way to make a kelpie scary is to make them not-quite-a-horse. A horse, but slightly to the left. Anne has light blue eyes with no focus, I think that's pretty cool BUT what I'd really like is Anne to have normal horse eyes possibly with her pupils the wrong way.

Horses eyes have this horitonal still for a pupil, I think giving Anne pupils but verticle would be a subtle way of showing she's not really a horse while also nodding to her predatory nature, like a cats eye.

When horse watch you they usually move their whole head, and then they're calm you can usually only see the coloured part of their eyes. However when a horse is panicking the white of their eyes show and they look around frantically. I think giving Anne normal horse eyes (with a fucked up pupil) and then having her show the white of her eyes by tracking the part members with her eyes only would be really cool! This is NOT normal horse behaviour, but predatory animals do this to reduce movement and scaring their prey away. It would be a subtle "something isn't right here" way to make the audience uncomfortable.

Horses also can't open their mouth a ton. Don't get me wrong they can grab onto your arm or leg if the mood strikes them but they cant truely open their jaw much. They also can't pant. Honestly I didn't even think of the panting till I saw this gif by @rcrisdraws and now I can't stop thinking about it

Don't like that...

In conclusion I liked Anne, I liked a lot of her design and some of her animation was good (when she attacked Senshi was particularly nice). While I have some nitpick qualms with her proportions I think for a non-horse oriented show she's perfectly acceptable. I think she could have been truely terrifying if the animators wanted her to be, but that's wishful thinking on my part. If you've read all this way through my rambles then please take a moment to check out the artists I've mentioned, their work is stunning and they deserve love.

[otiksimr]

Hey can i just like. Ramble. For a soild minute.

Your art is so cool like. Chefs kiss. Its great. The anatomy and structures are honestly so well built and fluid for whatever youre drawing especially for the "fuck it we ball" mindset (honestly me) and besides that, your wof and general character designs??? Solid. 10/10. I wish the silkwings and hivewings had mandibles like that in canon. Especially the nightwing patterns based on the skies! Its pretty neat :3

And the idea with the leafwings and symbiosis! Like walking gardens! Thats so cool?? Could you imagine what the wof weed breath of evil would do to that? Imagine Hawthorn for example having a basic garden thats actually infected by the plant, to where it perhaps saps energy from the other plants in its reach to gain more control over time? Maybe leafwings could be more affected by the othermind in that sense.

Oh and also! The posts about dieties! Ive got my own project ive been working on for a year or two now and was genuinely shocked to see someone else with the same train of thought? Usually whenever i see diety characters or worlds revolving around them, theyre often tied to our own customs and societal rules, same with the laws of physics, time, space ect. So i was hyped to see another person going against that too! Like with the whole "no gender just vibes" as them being concepts and not exactly outright physical beings. Same with them not quite having a moral compass but rather a "directive compass" where theyre more inclined to just do their own thing if it benefits them rather than in consolation with the opposing entity. As you phrased it, theyre "benevolent by nature"!

I swear like 70% of my liked posts are yours lmao and any time your pfp changes i get caught of guard by it and just go "Hey! Another fan of Eims! Wait a minute. That is Eim"

Anyways, just wanted to say your art is cool and that its inspired me to draw more often and to try experimenting with my designs a bit more! :33

Alright im done rambling ill shuffle away now :3

-shark anon (or something like that)

Auauahguahg Thank you!!!

Whenever it comes to gods in general I always felt iffy trying to gender them, like trying to gender a concept just feels wrong. I like having gods be tangible but incomprehensible if that makes sense. They are unbound by the laws of the universe as they are what created it.

Also a piece of lore about the 'concept' thing. Concepts can exist without a god. There are an endless amount of concepts but there's not a god for all of them, typically only 'important' concepts such as life and death have gods of which control and embody it. That being said when gods are created concepts- latch onto them so to speak.

Then there are the primordial gods, more True Deity than True Primordial though, the Abyss and the Radiance of which were concepts that existed for so long that they gained a will and consciousness of kickstarted the existence of the universe as we know it as. One concept, interestingly enough that has yet to have deity attached to it though, is time. :)

[gettinshiggywithit]

!Highschool AU chuuya x reader whose best friend lied to them!

pairing:- chuuya x gn!reader

scenario:- chuuya comforts his s/o when they find out their best friend lied to them.

genre:-comfort/fluff

type:- oneshot A/N:- Hi hi!this is just a vent piece mostly but i hope its perhaps a little relatable? im tryna put some stuff out while i write the requests i have! so this is a few weeks old~

It was the day before your business studies exam and you’d scheduled a study session at your house with your best guy friend turned boyfriend;chuuya nakahara

(Also i hc him havin the subject combo of business studies,economics and physics)

Buddy was ready to get down to business! He’d bought along some of your favorite drinks and snacks and after saying hi to your parents,who absolutely adored him, he headed to your room.

He knocked on your door and was met with sniffles.

This set off sirens in his head but he thought he knew what the root cause of this could be.

He slowly opens to door and sets the snacks,drinks, and his notes down before joining you at your spot on the floor.

He wordlessly wraps you in a hug which startles you for a second before you realize its him.

But once you do,you pull him closer and it makes you cry just a little harder,your cries muffled by his hoodie.

He slowly begins to rub your back in an attempt to calm you down while whispers sweet nothings in your ear.

Once you calm down enough you look up at him and exhale.

“Sorry...”

“Nope. Dont be...now,you wanna talk about it?”

He always knew how to respond and it was honestly always such a relief.

You knew he’d never offer to help if he didnt want to and when he did he always meant it.(and he’d make a little mental note to be there for you no matter what,because you’d always done the same for him)

But once you nodded and opened your mouth to speak,the reasoning behind your current state wasn’t at all what he’d imagined.

“F/N lied...”

*insert confused gingi boi*

You noticed his look of confusion and began your explanation.

To be quite frank,Your best friend,whom youd known since elementary, had lied to you and it all seemed to be over a boy.

Chuuya was honestly dumbstruck.this was the girl who’d been there for you even before he knew you,

and she also happened to be the one who’d introduced the two of you...

And what was even stranger was how this seemed to uncharacteristic of her...she wasnt the type to go after boys and had always been focused on her studies.and the thing that kinda pissed chuuya off was that the boy in question wasn’t even that great a guy.he was a nice enough kid sure,but he wasn’t great...and certainly nowhere near her standard...

After you finished your explanation you looked to him for his verdict before saying your final statement,

“...and im not sure if im overreacting or not because sure its just a small thing but the fact is that she lied when id have been okay if she just told me the truth...i dont know Chuu....this all just hurts i guess...and this plus the paper tomorrow has me so fucking drained!”

You groaned in frustration and he saw this as his opening to step in.

“Okay first of all,it’s kinda messed up that she did that but have you tried talking to her?”

“No...I thought id just talk to her after exams were over,otherwise who knows maybe she’ll say the reason she got a B or a C was cos I started shit...”

“Okay yeah fair...but do you see yourself being friends with her after this? Especially if her justification is as shitty as what she did?”

“I dont know...the thing is she means so much to me...i trusted her and this is what she did??? I know ill never be able to trust her ag- actually who am I kidding im gonna trust her again and get hurt all over again....i dont know what to do ‘Yaya”

He nodded thoughtfully at that,the gears in his head turning as he tried to come up with the perfect solution.

He know you valued honesty and loyalty above all,it was one of the things you had in common and also one of the things that had made you as close as you were,so he knew this wouldnt be easy.because truthfully even he wouldnt have been able to deal with this and woulda probably turned to you for help...

“Okay then,try to focus on the exam,as best you can and talk to her after? I know its gonna hurt like a bitch but just try?”

“And ill be here okay?,” he said taking your hand in his, “no matter what.”

“Thanks chuuya...Youre probably the best thing that came from my friendship with her.” You said with a soft half-smile.

“Likewise.” He said returning the gesture.

You then looked back to the notes sprawled all around you.

“Fuxk...business tomorrow..”

“Mhmm...wanna start?”

“Dont really have a choice,” you wiped your tears and blew your nose on a tissue before saying, “lets do this!”

“Attagirl!” He said giving you a fist bump.

You studied well into the night and he stayed at your place.

And the next morning,you set off to the exam center hand in hand,giving eachother a single good luck kiss before making your way to your seats.

All rights reserved © 2023 gettinshiggywithit . Please do not repost, modify or claim as yours.

[minkkumaz]

I'M JUST YOUR PROBLEM

after blowing you off, you never thought that things between you and kyungmin would be the same. and it didn't, he was your enemy. when finally getting the chance to confront him about all the shit he's done, why does it make you want want to try making up with him?

DISTANT LANDS AND OTHER ADVENTURES series

PAIRING cho kyungmin x fem!reader WC 2.6k TAGS enemies to lovers trope. forced proximity trope. school au. angst/fluff. cussing. kissing. making up. bsf minho. like one kys joke. OMI NOTE marceline songs hit like ten times different so writing this literally had me pumped. i've never done forced proximity before but it's extremely fitting.

cho kyungmin was quite literally the spawn of satan, your sworn enemy til the day you’d die. the face that you fell for ended up being the face that also left you stranded like an idiot. when you couldn’t cry anymore and your eyes felt puffy and numb, you turned to hate.

classes the following week became even more difficult to believe, as you felt small in comparison to his lingering presence. there was a possibility that maybe he forgot about the first date he planned, things happen and that was something you were okay with.

but you weren’t expecting him to act like nothing happened, act like he didn’t spend countless nights laughing over the phone like he was yours. you felt like a mere ghost, parading through his life like a fucking play toy. because from your perspective, you were just his problem.

“i’m going to bury you in the ground, kyungmin.” you sobbed, anger seething through your teeth.

the expression on his face was blank, though you almost swore he let down his guard for a second seeing you hold back hot tears. but you didn’t want pity, you wanted closure. a reason why the idea of your existence dropped from his earth.

no understanding, no communication, not a single dust particle of love behind his dark eyes. that day marked a countdown of hating him and everything that involved him. an ill circumstance that landed him in the most broken spots of your heart.

he understood your feelings in a way that he felt the need to reflect them. so what was once a one - sided hatred became a mutually agreed upon alliance against one another. if anything, this made you more upset. what did you do to end up on his black - list?

day eighty - five of loathing cho kyungmin, and school became insufferable around him. the recent weather forecast had been wearisome, leaving you wanting nothing more than to kick back at home and sleep for the remainder of your life.

the court yard was always busiest during lunch hours, yet the rustle and bustle of school life kept you awake. students scattered about in their cliques, chatting about recent homework assignments or bothersome teachers. you poked at your food with your chopsticks since you didn’t have much of an appetite.

“are you okay, y/n? you’re not eating any of your food and i swear i heard your stomach grumbling during the quiz.” minho asked, stealing a piece of kimchi off your plate and dropping it in his mouth.

“not really, i don’t know. i’m just a little frustrated with everything right now.” you groan in response, setting down your utensil to bury your face in your hands.

“let me guess, does this have something to do with him?” he raises one of his eyebrows as you nod in annoyance.

“dude, i overheard haemin complaining that his only friend,” you air quoted, “was being transferred into my p.e. period. and we both know exactly who he was talking about.”

“that’s rough, have you talked to jaeyun about it? since he’s one of the sports captains, he could probably tell you for sure if that’s what you’re worried about.” he suggests.

“haemin and kyungmin are practically inseparable. even when i liked kyungmin, he was honestly kind of hesitant talking to me without him around. so i know for a fact i’m going to see his stupid face tomorrow.” you ramble, letting out a defeated exhale.

“listen, you’ll be perfectly fine. don’t let him work you up like that, he doesn’t deserve the satisfaction, okay?” he advised you, patting your shoulder for comfort.

“minho, he shouldn’t even need satisfaction in the first place! kyungmin left me at a park. in the rain.” you emphasize the last bit, “i’m the only one that deserves to hate him.”

“i know, and it sucks. but i’ve heard this story like a million times, y/n. we need to get you some kind of therapy sessions if you’re going to keep at it like this.”

“literally choke.”

“kidding! i’m kidding. don’t do that to me please and thank you.” he laughed lightly, “but seriously, you’ll be okay. you always are. plus i’m just a phone call away if you need me to curse him over the phone or something, i don’t know.”

“you do too much for me minho. don’t worry, i know you just want to help me, thank you. i’ll try to figure it out i guess.” you exaggerate a sigh, making minho lean over to give you a friendly hug.

“now, eat your food before i feed the scraps to the birds on our way to next period.” he threatens, pointing a chopstick at your forehead.

after letting out all of your problems like word vomit, you were finally able to swallow down some of your meal. minho, your respective best friend had heard almost all of your hell stories about wanting to rip off kyungmin’s head. it was almost like he experienced the whole thing with you; or maybe the idea of him drenched down in a casual dress was a funny thing to imagine.

lunch passed by quickly, as did the rest of the school day. you took notes, turned in assignments, complained minho’s ear off once more, and suddenly the final bell rang meaning you could finally return home. in between all of this, you somehow forgot about the boy in your aching heart.

your steps pattered against the pavement when a feeling of dread washed over you. why did it feel like your world was going to shatter at school tomorrow? fallen leaves crushed underneath your shoes, resembling how scattered your mind felt.

day eighty - six of loathing kyungmin and every bone in your body felt like it was going to give out and abandon you as a pile of fleshy mush. you and your classmates gathered in the field wearing your p.e. uniforms, waiting for your coach to come out with the proper equipment.

kyungmin was only a couple people away from you and it already gave you an incomprehensible headache. just feeling his presence near you sent shivers down your spine, and you knew he could care less about whether you were there or not.

was it immature to still be hung up on what happened between the two of you even after almost three months?

you couldn’t stomach your stress right now, attempting to take deep breaths to soothe yourself. the cold air helped slightly; you became thankful for the dreary weather and couple raindrops that fell from the sky.

“alright everyone, it seems to be sprinkling a bit, but we’ll pass around the football for now. let’s just hope the rain doesn’t get too intense.” your coach explains, “pair up with the person next to you and come grab a ball.”

“i can go get the ball.” you offer  the girl next to you before walking over to the net full of footballs.

reaching your hand into the bag, you press a finger into each one, making sure you grab one that isn’t too flat nor too full of air. you’re searching for a couple seconds, before another hand bumps into yours.

“oh, i’m sorry–” looking up to apologize, you find yourself face to face with kyungmin. you take back your hand quickly.

“don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault your hand was in the way.” he smiles almost mockingly.

“whatever.” you mumble, pulling away to let him grab what he needs first although there were two bags.

while you wait, more droplets of water pattered against your skin, becoming slightly more frequent. you look over to your coach talking to another teacher, darting his gaze up from the sky and to his co - worker. he blows his whistle suddenly, as everyone looks over in his direction.

“seems like the rain is just going to get worse from here.” he announces before pointing at you and kyungmin, “both of you go put the equipment away, the rest of us will head back into the gym and run some laps around the courts for the rest of the period.

there was a chorus of disappointed murmurs from your classmates, before they all dropped the footballs they were able to grab. this left you and kyungmin alone, making your anxiety sky - rocket. against your will, you grab one of the bags and start towards the shed.

the sound of shoes against squishy grass tell you that kyungmin is following closely behind. you speed up with half of your intentions to get away from him and the other half to escape from the drowning rain.

once you get under the awning of the equipment shed, you slide open the already half - open door to let yourself in. there’s an assortment of different sports balls and rackets, all somewhat organized. kyungmin closes the door behind the both of you unknowingly while you find a spot to put away the footballs.

dropping down the bag in silence, you leave him to do the same and head out. when you twisted the door knob, it felt almost jammed. turning it harder and harder, it was deemed useless, making you panic.

“hello? hello!” you fidget with the door, practically throwing yourself against it in hopes it will magically open.

“did we get locked inside?” the boy behind you questions, making you turn around in disbelief.

“no actually, i’m just communicating with god on the other side. yes it’s locked!” you argued, “why did you close it behind you?”

“i didn’t know it wasn’t supposed to be closed!” he defended himself.

“oh my gosh i think i’m going to fucking faint if i have to be here with you for who knows how long.” you start pacing around the shed.

“i’m right here, you know.”

“do you want me to treat you like a princess or something? is that what you want me to do?” you tell him, “we’re not exactly on good terms you know.”

“you don’t have to freak out about it, someone will come find us eventually.” he shrugs.

“please tell me this is a nightmare.” you mutter under your breath.

“it’s pretty real, i don’t know.” he says, sitting down on the floor.

“oh my god i’m not asking you, kyungmin.”

“this isn’t fun for me either, you know. you don’t have to pretend like you’re the only one in distress here.” he mumbles.

“am i that much of an inconvenience to you? last time i checked there’s no reason for you to be mad at me.” you scoff, taking your own seat on the floor.

“i never said you were an inconvenience to me, i just don’t really want to be trapped in a sweaty equipment shed with the smell of leather like.. everywhere.” he explains casually, picking up a tennis ball.

you curl your knees into your body, leaning your head back against the wall, “yeah, right.”

“do i really stress you out that much?” he asks you out of nowhere.

“yes.” you respond blatantly.

“why?”

“i shouldn’t have to justify what i do. i have nothing to prove, kyungmin. you just do.” you claimed, “and i haven’t even got a proper explanation or apology yet.”

tension became thick in the air, palpable enough to be cut with even the dullest knife. being in the same room with someone you swore was your most hated person made your face heat up. yet you still wrapped your arms around yourself in an attempt to feel less cold.

the sound of a tennis ball being thrown against the wall and bouncing back filled your ears, though you weren’t in a circumstance to complain. anything was better than sitting in silence for who knows how long. 

minutes went by with no sign of a teacher coming to break the two of you free. it wouldn’t be long before the bell rang for the next period, leaving you feeling hopeless. the rain only seemed to get heavier outside.

being forced in proximity with kyungmin made you less angry in a way. every second that ticked by messed with your head, inching to get come kind of answer out of him. though in a way, it made you miss him more. he’d never leave class without you by his side, getting you juices from the vending machine, holding your hand tightly when you were nervous for a test.

“you’re kind of unbelievable, you know.” you spoke.

“what is that supposed to mean?” he glanced over to you curiously.

“that night. you said you’d take me on a walk through the park after we stopped to get food. but you never showed up to the restaurant, so i assumed you’d be waiting for me there.” you told him, feeling tinges of sadness rather than hate, “i waited on a bench for an hour before it started pouring. you never showed up.”

“you waited in the rain..?” he stammered slightly.

“i shouldn’t have to be the one that makes up with you.” you whisper, “but why do i want to?”

“y/n..” your name falls from his lips like honey.

he scoots himself closer to you until your shoulders are barely touching, his sudden appearance making you flinch. you were still tense next to him as he started to speak.

“i’m so sorry for being so mean to you. for ignoring you, pretending like nothing happened between us when everything happened.” he apologized, “you don’t have anything to apologize for. my mind was so crowded that night. i wasn’t sure if i was ready to love someone like you.”

“then why didn’t you tell me anything, kyungmin? you hurt me.” you began to tear up.

“i didn't know how.. can you tell i’ve never done this before? confronting my feelings while trying to convince myself that you wouldn't break things off with me if i wasn't ready. but listening to my head didn't get us anywhere either.” he confessed, “i was really intimidated when you came up to me the day after, and i wasn’t sure what to do. so i did nothing. it’s a terrible excuse, really.

“you fucked up. i absolutely hated you for standing me up like that..”

“you had every right to hate me. so i don’t know why i thought it was a good idea to hate you back. now that i’m looking back, it was immature. i missed so much time with you because i didn’t have a taste of what it was like for someone like you to love me back.”

“kyungmin, i don’t know what to say i–”

“let me fix this, please?” he moves your head by your chin, turning you to face him directly.

“you can try..” you murmured, watching his stare fixate from your eyes to your lips.

closing the gap, he enveloped you in a kiss that almost felt criminal considering every feeling you’ve had for him in the past three months has been hate. but he was trying. you’d never forget the pain he caused you, but part of you could forgive him.

it was soft, and he held you oh so gently against his lips. his hand trailed around your waist, pulling you closer into him. could this be the beginning of something different between you and him? as he pulled away, he couldn’t help but show a sad smile on his face.

“y/n, can i take you out on a proper date this time..?”

“i’ll see if minho lets me first after all the shit i talked to him about you.” you laugh, looking at his pretty pink tinted face.

“okay, that makes sense, i kind of deserved it. if it makes you feel any better, i’ll pick you up so you don’t have to worry!” he suggests.

“what if i stand you up by not being at my house, hm?”

“then i’ll wait on your porch in the rain for you until you show up.”

© 2023 minkkumaz, all rights reserved support your writers by reblogging + giving feedback! it is greatly encouraged and appreciated. thank you! → why feedback + reblogging is so important. ~ (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ if you'd like, donate to minkkumaz ! DISTANT LANDS AND OTHER ADVENTURES series

[saltwukong]

“Your humanity is not tied to your flesh and blood. Your humanity is who you are, and your ability to experience the world around you and interact with other people, to perceive and understand them and be perceived and understood in turn.”

That is honestly beautiful thinking: even if an being was completely metal (penny for example) she has more human qualities then most.

Cyborg from teen titans lost limbs and a lot of flesh: despite that losses he still is an outgoing guy that protects his friends and the innocent.

Why does people assume that losing a limb means you are less human?

Our actions on how we treat anyone should be our biggest factor not what body part we use.

This is part of why I believe the ableism in Ironwood's "arc" is largely incidental. Kerry's assertion that his new arm graft in Volume 8 symbolizes his loss of humanity, disgusting a parallel to make as it is, also stands in stark contrast to Yang--whose prosthetic was intended to be symbolic of her recovery--and Penny, whose humanity was validated when the winter maiden's power transferred to her, thus considering her by any standard that matters a "real girl".

I do not believe that Miles and Kerry necessarily believe that having prosthetics and requiring them to function makes someone less human; I just believe they were willing to make this parallel to enforce the Ironwood villain narrative. In the same way, I believe that the decision to make Penny flesh-and-blood-human did not necessarily say that Miles and Kerry considered her in need of fixing; this was done more to suit Miles' determination to kill her off than to say anything about her personhood either way.

Of course, this doesn't make it better--if anything, it makes it worse, since hypocrisy of this nature says quite loud and clear that Miles and Kerry really don't give a fuck about disabled characters or their struggles or their personhood, and will switch stances as soon as a character they don't care for comes along.

This fact is of course lost on RWBY stans, who consistently misunderstand that Ironwood's disability is not the problem, it is the awful way a character with those disabilities was written that is and always will be a problem. It not only misses the point RWBY was supposedly fond of making about the soul and the self, it misses the point of the Tin Woodsman analogy Ironwood supposedly stands as. The original Tin Woodsman was the kindest and most compassionate of Dorothy's companions, and never truly needed the heart the Wizard gave him in the end. Choosing to say that the character allegedly based off of said Woodsman was cold-hearted and threw away his humanity is quite the ill fit.

And consistently choosing to label Ironwood "fascist" as a shorthand for "evil" when Ironwood would've been immediately murdered by a real-life fascist because he's disabled and therefore imperfect (read: human), is quite the appalling stance.

[kerrikins]

I think that the general discourse with DFF and victim blaming Non and villanizing Jin etc. is because the show deals with a lot of grey areas and dubious morality and also with heavy stuff. Not everyone is able to comprehend that not everything is black and white. And I think everyone who watches it will choose the ultimate "villain" who triggers them the most. Be it either the mafia, teacher, Jin, Phee or someone else. But for me, it was the Non's parents. While watching them argue and compare their two sons, I was so angry and ill from watching them. I wanted to beat them so hard for that.

Oh, I think that you are absolutely right and it's one of the things that's been frustrating me a lot about the conversations about this show.

It's funny that you mention Non's parents because I actually think that of all the characters on the show, they are among the ones who are actually painted as villains. They are weak and don't defend Non, they are abusive to him and to each other, they favour New, etc, etc. They haven't really been given any 'good' moments at all thus far, and neither has Tee's uncle. These characters definitely fit quite nicely into the 'villain' box.

But outside of them and Tee's uncle - and Keng, of course - very few characters on the show are actually being painted as villains, imo, yet people are determined to paint them as such.

I understand it, but at the same time I'm a bit troubled because while everyone seems to remember that Non is a child, few seem to remember that the OTHERS are also children.

There is a reason that in most countries, children are handled differently by the justice system. They haven't finished developing mentally and are still learning. Generally, society does not go 'no, you are now forever labelled a bad and evil person and you deserve to die' when they fuck up and make mistakes, even if those mistakes have severe consequences.

Beyond that, I just find the discussions to be very black and white. For example, Phee is by and large viewed as a hero of the show, when he's done some terrible things himself. Jin is viewed as one of the villains - maybe even the main one - when he DID try to protect Non on several occasions. Both of them are being put into little boxes by the fandom.

I've also noticed that people react poorly to any attempt to understand any of the five friends. It kind of makes me a bit sad because all of the nuance and shades of grey have been put there deliberately for us to discuss and appreciate, and I don't think it does the writers or the characters justice to reduce them down to 'good' or 'bad'. Like to me it makes all of them more compelling to look at them as humans making bad decisions and doing bad things due to reasons I can empathize with rather than just 'no they are evil and that's why they did this'.

Honestly I can see the show proceeding down a few different paths from here, but I kind of hope that it's a more interesting one than just pure revenge. I kind of want the show to lean on these messages a bit more rather than just sticking to 'hero good, villain bad'.

[jesterraconteuse]

Ok I hate what Watcher is doing too but y'all can't say they aren't anti-capitalist if you're gonna say Dropout/Game Changer team is. I get the backlash but be consistent

I mean as a creator I get wanting to have full control over your content. But this just... Doesn't seem well thought out, even from a financial standpoint.

Anyways, still fuck YouTube. I kinda just wish creators had their own platform but I fear it would just go down the same way YouTube did

Edit: had some thoughts I wanted to add. I don't think this was done with ill intention. I don't consider it a betrayal of fans as much as a really bad mistake. I feel like there were much better ways to do this.

I don't agree with comparing it to Dropout in the sense that they had a lot to work with before making the jump.

But also they don't have as much as Good Mythical Morning. They can't upload near daily. They haven't been building up money consistently for years. Yes GMM uploads it's main content for free but the situation is different.

But there's a few things, in my unprofessional opinion, that made this clumsy and reckless.

The build up to this being a cool and hype moment when honestly it's truly somber to see YouTube fall from being a bastion for creatives and how capitalism gatekeeps creativity.

How sudden it was. This might have been quite a bit different if it was a slow transition to having some content on Patreon and going from there.

When. It's hard times for everyone right now. Not just us but them y'know? However I don't know these people or their financial situation so I can only give the benefit of the doubt. But dropping this so suddenly and with the current economic crisis.... This would be the result.

They're just too small, and have not nearly enough history as Watcher to pull this off.

Like it or not, in a capitalist society we're not entitled to free content. Because everything takes money to make. It takes money to breathe. To have quality of life. And creators do deserve to get paid for their work.

But in the end this justifiably broke the trust of viewers. Even with their justifications to make this jump the execution was poor and not well thought out.

Overall it's just depressing and worrying.

Keep in mind with yourself that a lot of creators are getting more and more fed up with YouTube. For good reason. It's another apocalypse for YouTube right now

Edit 2: also I just wanna say things can be bad idea without being capitalist. Shocker/s. Don't forget YouTube is the big cesspool company here. Watcher is 25 people. Wanting to be in control and have a consistent income to create without relying on an unreliable system isn't bad.

But the way they did it? Well you can see for yourself how it's going