#dumb as rocks when it comes to perceiving how others see him

[seagreenstardust]

This is the narration over Izuku finally having it spelled out for him that Himiko wants to date him and if this is Katsuki narrating over the very first time Izuku receives a confession I am going to lose my mind

[blackstarchanx3new]

On a scale of 1-10 how much do you dislike the canon manga Red?

This turned into a rant lmfao.

Gotta make Red simps hate me more than they already do X'D

Like a 5 at least.

The problem mainly boils down to how I perceive him due to MY OWN PERSONAL READING OF THE TEXT.

So, the start: I'm not a fan of those types of "i'm so cute teehee" characters to begin with but for Red specifically...I just hate how inconsistent and poorly utilized he is.

He just morphs to be whatever the narrative needs him to be instead of having a real character.

He's a plot device more than a character tbh and it's why I struggled SO MUCH with figuring out a direction for him in FSR.

because...all the plot is character driven.

And I literally had no USE for a character who's soul purpose was filling in gaps when there weren't any with this cast.

His behavior isn't ever fully dived into like the other three.

I've mentioned this before: I think they cut a stand alone Red Chapter somewhere in development because the way his scene ends to where we see him later after they split up is SO WEIRD.

Funnily enough I find Dark Link and Red very similar. (Which is a huge problem but I'll get into that some other time)

Except Dark Link's inconsistencies and overall character loops back to his creation and he himself being a conflict of interest in Vaati's mind when he created Dark. he WANTED HIS Link back the only person he felt a connection to who he last had on good terms with, paired with wanting to HURT and destroy the current incarnation of Link.

making a twisted as hell individual who simultaneously embodies Link and is Link's twisted mirror image.

Naive uncertain and full of inner turmoil due to his purpose.

But when Dark REALIZES what he is to the truest extent he has to justify or crumble under the weight of his reality. There's a reason i described early Dark link as "Delusional" because he was.

Red just...doesn't have any of that kind of retrospection or intrigue in cannon.

Dark's innocence comes from his naivete but where the fuck does it come from with Red? (and it's proven to be fake anyway because he's the first one to stab someone who they think is their knight friends buuuuuut-)

Red's just canonically a contradiction with no real point and it's never pointed out in the narrative so like...it's just weird and kinda unnerving.

Like I pointed out, he literally acts like Lil Gideon before the reveal he's a crazy maniac.

Except we never GET the reveal for Red.

Red doesn't have any flaws that aren't him playing up his baby persona and fucking shit up for the others. He's just stupid af sometimes and helpful others without much rhyme or reason.

...Again I've said this before but if he was smart in areas Vio was dumb in (liKE IF THE DIRECTIONS THING WAS MORE OBVIOUSLY A CANNON THING IDK IF VIO BEING DICK WITH DIRECTIONS WAS JUST SMTH THEY ACCIDENTILY REPEATED A FEW TIMES OR A REAL INTENTIONAL TRAIT OF HIS) it could have been a fun dynamic but Vio and Red barely interact.

Honestly most of the dynamics I find myself WANTING with Red revolve around Vio...

And, imo his persona is blatantly fake from how often he just...drops it when the plot requires him to or when...idk it's just not NEEDED?

Him not shedding a TEAR when Shadow dies continues to creep me out.

because everything we know about Red tells us he should at least LOOK sat but he just...isn't.

And you can't be like "Oh but Shadow was their enemy"

bLUE GOT HIS ASS KICKED BY THIS ASSHOLE SO MANY TIMES AND HE LOOKS SAD. WHY DOESN'T RED WHO CRIES OVER KILLING ROCK MONSTERS IT'S CREEPYYYYYY.

Like no, I didn't want Red to dramatically burst into tears and ruin the moment, but dude didn't even look SAD.

Didn't look sad a dude with his face DIED.

Burned Blue's ass after JUST CRYING about him being DEAD and just WALKED AWAY.

Like if he had any depth to him this shit would be dived into but he's as shallow as a puddle and I dislike it strongly.

Like if ANY of this shit was even addressed in the manga I'd like him WAY MORE.

but it feels UNINENTIONAL which is the issue I have with Red as a character.

Long as hell walk to say:

I don't wanna spoil stuff but I do think you could have fresh ideas with Red being VERY DIFFRENT from link but my main issue with him in the actual cannon manga is:

He doesn't feel realistically like a part of Link due to my interpretation of the text and it's storytelling, and the WAY the text WANTS portrays him doesn't line up with his actions, and I don't like it.

[m0e-ru]

hi ive been binging your blog a lot recently. i rlly adore the sheer effort you've given to these dumbass fucking characters that otherwise get such little people even attempting to appreciate or engage with them beyond very shallow depths. as someone who only really got into the p4 games relatively recently (2022. my only remembered experience with the series beforehand was like a couple episodes of the the p4anim years ago and playing p5 in 2016/2017) and kind of being shell-shocked by how characters like marie and teddie and namatame were perceived by the overall fanbase once i started engaging with it more i really appreciate all the writing and analysis and art and other shit you do for them. even the gas station attendant, a character i overlooked initially, i've come to love because of all the time and energy you put into picking them apart like a dead frog in a science class

uh yea idfk i feel generally vindicated by seeing the way you characterize these bitches. especially marie as someone who felt like a lot of her interesting aspects were evaporated by the fandom (somewhat because of p4ga i feel but but still) and wanted to see more silly fanart of her (and shumarie/soumarie/whatecvrer the fuck that wasn't just kind of surface level romance becuz i rlly do love their dynamic w how i see bancho in my head. idiots who dont know how to properly express themselves w one repressing themselves to adopt a likable persona and the other unable to shut the fuck up much to their own detriment. im not gonna get over that fucking "marie makes everyday sunny for him" post ever i think) so uh keep on keeping on and ill continue to like your posts and something

anyway dumb stupid cringe fucking rant over. i apologize if i come off like a loser i dont use this website and idk the general tumblr etiquette. im pretty sure shit like this shouldnt even go here but . dont need to respond to this i just wanted to yell into the void cuz i appreciate this account. rest of this will just be panels of marie and teddie and bancho from some of the p4g anthologies i own that i wanted to share in the off chance that you also dont already own said anthologies n have seen them befor. these r only from the last ID antho and the dengeki one because those r the only 2 i have proper pictures of

hai i read this ages ago and i wanna get back to it by saying youre so awesome possum forever and ever dont worry about your ettiquette because getting 3 essay worthy paragraphs of you talking is basically everyone ive met in the tumblr nation

another thing i remember is that a bestie also loved your offerings esp the last one because those two look so lalala AUAHUAHA okay i should answer this ask properly now that i have the time 🏃🏃🏃🏃

can we give it up for the bingers and blog skimmers !?!?!?! you guys are such an interesting breed i remember trying to do that in 2018 i can already recall the thrill going through my blood im so honored to see people doing that and moreso coming to me to tell me about it WAHAUHAHA 🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

this gas station (blog) really is catered to the niche market of all time also because the way my brain is wired to just go in the dustiest nooks and corners of a community and thrive and live there. i AM the bug you see when you lift up the rock . hai . i'll do anything for these poor poor characters being tossed around like hot potato with people who dont bother understanding thing or even try to pick them up at all. also im getting such a kick every time someone tells me i got them into appreciating the attendant or even iznmi more OR in a different way. thats why im here bros . me when i do my JOB !!!! 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

the way fandom handles shipping has always irked me because theres just SO much you can do with two characters than just make them hold hands. what if there was blood invovled, you know . /starts pacing around the room / you know im glad you know the know it's so cool you know /shaking you/ im glad i have a post that's affected you so much like i thought it was just a silly caption at the time and seeing it after 2 or 3 years is like "YEAHH i cooked this " and im glad you brought it to me hehehe

i hope this gas station brings you joy and you keep coming back for more etc etc and please know i really am happy to see you around in whatever branch you show up at 🫡🫡🫡 /explordes

[reoona]

locked out of heaven | tears of themis luke x reader

pairing: luke x f! reader (reader is rosa and is living together with luke) read artem's (more pairings soon!)

synopsis: it's 2 a.m., he just came home from a long day (and night, considering it's the next day now) ready to hit the hay, but you're already sleeping beyond waking.

He could just pick the lock. But dialing her number was much easier to do by his already burned-out mind, even if it's already been done 20+ times by now and always ended up as a missed call.

Maybe he should just spend the night here. You see, it's not like he's out on the street; he's just stranded inside the antique shop. Not bad for someone locked out of his own home, right?

He took a seat at his workstation sluggishly.

Luke remembered the day around two weeks ago when he gave (y/n) the keys to the antique shop and the apartment. Maybe he was that nervous facing the fact that his girlfriend has officially moved in with him until he didn't realize that the antique shop key he gave her was a duplicate, while the apartment key was the only one he had.

Luke chuckles at the thought. Certain that it's his (y/n) who locked him out made he eased up a little. At least she was home, not working overtime on a case or some NXX investigation. The thought of her already sleeping soundly was just calming for him. And most importantly, she is safe. After all those years of only wondering what she was up to, being able to actually know that she is okay was bliss for Luke.

And to see this locked-out moment on the brighter side, this was how things could be when you have someone else in your household, fun little accidents. Well, maybe not really fun since he's physically exhausted and mentally drained, so just 'little accidents' it is. And considering that only the universe knows when (y/n) would wake up and open the door plus how his state of mind will perceive one minute of waiting as a lifetime of longing, this kind of accident wasn't small. It's just...accident.

Luke shifted his seat on his chair. "Has this chair been this rock-hard?", Luke gave it a pat. "Be kind to my back, just this night."

But it was his apartment door who was kind. Although the kindness came in form of a sudden swing that wasn't very kind to itself.

"Luke?"

Luke jolted from his seat. His sight caught (y/n)'s distressed one, quickly turning into a relieved one followed by an apologetic rambling.

"Luke, are you okay? Were you locked out? You didn't have the keys with you, did you? I am so so so sorry, I was having a long day at the law firm! Oh my god, you must have a long day too, right? And here I am locking you out! How long have you been waiting? Were you sleeping on the chair? It must not be very comfortable! I am so sorry, Luke!"

The combination of relief upon seeing the apartment door open and how cute (y/n)'s puffy face gave him the power to move and put a smile on his face. "It's okay, (y/n). I waited quite some time, but you don't need to worry. I'm sorry for waking you up too."

"No, no!" (y/n) pouted, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "I should have waited for you, or just locked the shop's door instead of the apartment's," the sight of Luke's tired face further hit (y/n) face with regret. "I'm so sorry Luke! Let's get inside, shall we?"

Maybe because she was still dazed from her sleep, (y/n) hugged Luke's torso comfortably, dragging him into the apartment. To frankly say, they were still awkward with clearly affectionate physical touches like this, but now it seemed like only Luke is stiff as a board at the scene. All his fatigue was replaced by heartbeats thumping to his ear and red creeping to his cheeks.

(y/n) on the other hand, was clinging to Luke, ridden with guilt. She knows how tired Luke would be considering his job, but she had the audacity to fall asleep without making sure when Luke was going to come home. Especially when she realized she was the one with the key, oh wasn't that just dumb?

(y/n) tightened her hug. As she slowly woke up, she realized that this is the first time they were being this close. She should be nervous, shouldn't she? Oh well, that can be ignored; this is one form of apology she could give for now.

"Wanna have lunch together after you have a rest? I'll come home during lunch hours. Consider it my apology."

"Sure." Luke ruffled her hair, returning her gesture. "Let's just sleep for now, shall we?"

"Only after you clean up first. The sheet's only a week old. A quick one will do."

"Care to join?"

Pretty sure both of them are fully awake by what he just said.

a/n

Hello! Thank you for reading this fic! This is my first time writing after a loooonggg time of only writing for academic purposes. And because of that, I don't really bother to do any proofreading as I am very excited to publish this so pardon the typos and grammatical errors!

I also want to mention some things relating to the fic:

Here the reader is Rosa but I still use (y/n) as Rosa is only her nickname. Of course Luke will call her by her real name right?

I feel like the characters might be OOC but couldn't exactly pinpoint in which part. Kindly help me out with that if you felt like that too!

As written above, other pairings are coming soon. Luke seemed to be easier to make the scenario for, so he's my warm-up!

Thank you for reading this fic. I apologize if this isn't good enough, but I hope you still like this and it would be great if you're willing to give some constructive criticism!

Have a nice day, don't forget to drink your water!

much love, reona

[trickstarbrave]

what do you mean by ""reylo dynamic""??

okay. first thing to understand is when i say "reylo dynamic" in a ship or pairing or style of writing romance it isnt unique to reylo. a lot of popular fandoms have some variation of "the reylo dynamic" its just reylo has popularized and kind of mass marketed what used to be a niche fandom ship dynamic so its what i call it as shorthand

The Reylo Dynamic™ usually has specific traits (note: it does not need to have all of these, just a significant amount). canon characterization does not matter either, all it comes down to is the fandom portrayal of the ship by and large (think dramoine and kacchako). the only hardline one is this:

>spunky female character (usually protag of the story) who is at least a little combative with the male lead, and a male lead who is otherwise grumpy/brooding/mysterious

for the common traits:

>female lead is usually brown haired, shorter, with emphasis on being petite and small. idk why even reylo stories they do this even tho daisy ridley isnt that short???

>male lead is usually dark haired and typically described as "unconventionally attractive" exactly

>female lead usually has to prove herself or feels like she has to prove herself. like. as a big thing. it can be one big moment or her constantly feeling like shes being condescended to for some perceived weakness (like: being a woman, being small, not knowing how to control magic powers, whatever). important thing to note is she will often not get over this until like the very end of the story if ever

>usually bc this dynamic can be hard to accommodate for and write around (bc the two romantic leads DONT WANT TO BE AROUND EACH OTHER) there is usually some kind of plot contrivance keeping them together. fated lovers, soul mates, class project, you name it. i feel this is usually a cop out bc i spend most of the plots feeling like they should just fuck and get it over with

>there is almost always miscommunication. and the annoying kind. every time i have tried to suffer thru a story with The Reylo Dynamic™ in novel format i find myself annoyed. bc i dont believe most of the time this is a real, normal, very human break down of communication. i constantly feel like one of them is being an unreasonable or frankly stupid brat in the situation purely for the sake of plot convenience. do you know how dumb it is to see a woman who has lost her job, her only friend, her boyfriend, and her mom get told by some hot guy "hey due to circumstances outside of ur control that i dont blame u for we have to get married also im rich and will take care of ur every need and im not asking for romance i just need magic powers back of mine that u technically have and if u dont marry me they'll also go out of control and kill you" and the woman. is mad and pissy abt it and deliberately makes problems for him. bitch u were at rock bottom and this guy is offering u free rent and food and answers to all the questions you had since chapter 1. and ur mad abt it. theres no moral objections she has to him she's just annoyed bc????????????? i guess she is being asked to do something????????? bc she doesnt wanna look weak?????????? bc shes cranky??????????????? i dont know. id cut her some slack to start with but she just keeps deliberately antagonizing him until they fuck. i gave up reading it was a slog

>lots of bickering and jabs at the other. depending on the rating of the story this will only be resolved with hatefucking. even then it usually wont fully be resolved. while i am a fan of hatefucking there is smth abt how much of a slog it is to watch it in the reylo dynamic bc of the next point:

>usually the author never commits to them having a real, genuine, non-imagined reason to being combative with each other or hating each other, NOR having a real, genuine, non-imagined reason to be together and make it work and be happy. they live in this limbo between dislike. a constant "will they wont they" but instead of the will they or wont they in question being hooking up its instead if they will break up or not. it's like watching a very incompatible couple refuse to work things out by talking and sorting through their own issues AND refusing to just break up and see other ppl more compatible. id rather there be genuine dislike or even hatred they have to sort thru and actually make progress in. dont half ass making a guy horrible. give me a reason why the mc hates him. or if it is imagined by the mc, show the mc processing it properly and working thru it and having proper character growth. but they dont bc the bickering is part of the appeal and making one or both of them genuinely bad ppl breaks the fantasy. or smth.

[1kook]

card swiped (3)

→ jeon jungkook x (f) reader

→ Now, Jungkook was never one for romance, far from the sappy type. But why couldn’t he word it more softly, gently? He wasn’t just trying to fuck you, he was trying to… make love.  GENRE romance, smut, teensy angst WARNINGS eventual smut, mentions of sex, virginity plays a huge role OTHER college crushes, childhood friends to lovers, besties to lovers, volleyball player!jk, student council pres!oc, seokjin is 32... and a a coach lol<3 RATING m (18+) WC 1.5k

NOTES (!) seokjin being a hot 32 year old <3 jk gets progressively more dumb as it goes, prayer circle <3 lmk what u think !

[ masterlist ]

The truth is, the reason Jungkook doesn’t lie that much is because he’s terrible at it. 

His mother had found out soon enough who put that dent on the car after a slip-up at the dinner table. His high school coach had learned he had purposely skipped out on practice after an accidental snapchat and jealous teammate had snitched. And, well. Fifteen minutes after the end of practice finds him sitting outside the gymnasium, a grimace on his face as he considers running back to your room and confessing to all his lies. Admitting he’s still a virgin— which was practically of no use to you —and maybe even revealing his own recently uncovered feelings was the easy way out. 

Thankfully, Assistant Coach Kim Seokjin is there to knock some sense into him. The hard plastic of the clipboard they use to outline their attacks smacks him hard over the head, making Jungkook’s bones rattle from his skull down to his toes as he steps up behind him. He whirls around to glare at the perpetrator, only to come face to face with the aforementioned assistant coach. “Go home,” Seokjin says, twirling the gym keys in one hand. “I’m trying to lock up.”

“What’s stopping you,” Jungkook huffs, tucking his knees to his chest, ignoring the awfully rude manner in which Seokjin nudges him away, foot against his back as if he’s just an annoying pile of cardboard boxes in his way.

“What’s wrong with you today?” Seokjin asks casually, doesn’t sit next to Jungkook on the steps because he’s always been a little too posh. According to Taehyung, Kim Seokjin graduated from some elite university in another country with near immaculate all-around player statistics before Jungkook even knew what a volleyball was. His success and fame in the world of collegiate volleyball is why he never wears the standard-issued slippers around the court, always some high-end, luxury brand. One glance slightly to his left has Jungkook meeting the black stripe of the frequently sought after Givenchy sneakers head on. 

He scoffs, a sound that Seokjin doesn’t approve of if the karate chop he lands on the back of his neck is anything to go by. “Ow,” Jungkook flinches, pushing him away with an irritated sigh before eventually slumping over his knees again because it’s the exact same thing you do to him sometimes. Study nights— dates, his brain supplies now —where he begins gazing off into space are filled with numerous karate chops to the neck in an effort to get him to focus on his homework. “Come on, Jungkookie,” you always tease, playful smile, lithe fingers toying with the corners of the pages in your book in a way that was almost sensual. But then he does a double-take because he’s aware of the rose-tinted lens he’s unknowingly slapped over it, something he would have maybe not noticed pre-realization of his feelings. And even he is shocked by the absolute seductiveness his brain inserts into an otherwise innocent memory. He’s pretty sure you haven’t called him Jungkookie in years— was his brain trying to hint at something here?

Jungkook groans, knocking his head against his knees as a form of self-punishment for his lecherous thoughts concerning his best friend. 

But his show of emotions must move Assistant Coach Kim because, after a moment of trying to concuss himself against his own knee, there’s a hand placed on his shoulder that makes Jungkook pause. He doesn’t even bother turning around, just throws his head back to look at Seokjin upside down. He’s got a double chin from this angle. “It’s a girl, isn’t it,” his coach sighs, looking at Jungkook with what can only be described as an unimpressed expression. 

“No,” Jungkook defends even though it’s true. “Can’t I just be sad for oth—“

“I heard Jimin call you a simp on the way out,” Seokjin says rather bluntly. And then he surprises Jungkook a second time as he throws aside his posh status to sit on the dirty concrete steps beside him with a sigh. “What did you do?” 

See, Jungkook could lie here and prance off to deal with his own problems. Leaving Seokjin and everyone else in the dark concerning his personal life was, honestly speaking, the smartest thing to do. He didn’t mind his volleyball teammates and friends (in this case, his coach), but he also wasn’t too fond of being relentlessly teased throughout the entire five or more hours they spent together almost every day of the week. 

But also… 

If what Taehyung had said is true— that being, if Kim Seokjin is the illustrious bachelor who charmed his way into multiple foreign panties all whilst demolishing the spirits of liberos and defensive specialists in another country —then Jungkook needed to capitalize off his presence immediately. 

So he lays his cards out flat. “I… might’ve told my best friend I’d take her virginity,” he blurts out, turning to face Seokjin. For the most part, the older man doesn’t look too surprised. If anything, mildly amused. Jungkook quickly adds, “while also being a virgin.” 

“You’re a what,” Seokjin exclaims, chokes on his own saliva in an admittedly not Casanova, bachelor-esque fashion that ends with him coughing into his elbow and Jungkook hurriedly patting his back. “You?” Seokjin repeats once he’s composed himself. “Are a— don’t you have a girlfriend?”

Jungkook’s cheeks warm. “No, Coach. I do not have a girlfriend,” he emphasizes, because who knew sharing the details of his (lack of) sex life would be this embarrassing? 

Seokjin frowns. “What about that girl?” he asks, and Jungkook raises his brows. “You know the one. Carries around stacks of papers to sign, goes to all the games. The one who pats you on head all the time.” And he’s talking about you, of course he is, but the insinuation that other people might, maybe, possibly, perceive you as his girlfriend makes Jungkook malfunction. 

“She’s— That’s—“ he sighs, dropping his head down until his chin touches his chest, brushed against the lucky necklace you’d given him two years ago during their first trip to Nationals. “That’s… my best friend.” 

Beside him, Seokjin says, “the one you’re gonna fuck?” 

Jungkook lets out a long exhale. “Yes. The one I’m going to fuck.” And it’s so blunt and crude, not that it’s surprising coming from him, but it’s surprising because he’s talking about you. Now, Jungkook was never one for romance, far from the sappy type. But why couldn’t he word it more softly, gently? He wasn’t just trying to fuck you, he was trying to… make love. 

The thought must show on his face because Seokjin snorts. “Well, good luck.” 

And then he stands up and begins walking down the sidewalk and Jungkook can’t spring up fast enough. “Wait,” he gasps, clutching at his forearm. He feels like a dorky character in those dramas you like so much, the ones you force him into watching every time he comes over. Like he’s some disgraced son looking for his father’s approval. Except Assistant Coach Kim is neither his father nor someone he really wants approval from anyway. 

What he does want is pointers. From an experienced pro, if you will. 

Jungkook has to swallow down all his pride as a man to ask his next question. “H- How do I—“

Seokjin beats to it him with a flick to the forehead. “I’m your volleyball coach, kid,” he frowns, crossing his arms over his chest. “Not your sex coach.” It’s a sensible rejection, one that Jungkook expected, but still. He deflates, let’s the weight of the world and his heavy gym bag nearly knock him onto the ground. 

But Assistant Coach Kim Seokjin is kinder than he lets on and, after one annoyed sigh, let’s him in on the secret Jungkook has been chasing for all his life. (Or, well, for the past few hours since he first propositioned you.)

“The key to impressing your partner is to always act like you know what you’re doing,” he tells him, arms crossed over his shoulders. It’s night now, the campus shrouded in darkness. But Jungkook swears a heavenly light shines down on Kim Seokjin just then, a halo appearing over his head when he jabs a finger against Jungkook’s chest. “Confidence is sexy.” 

“Confidence is sexy,” Jungkook repeats, feels like a kid who’s just met his favorite wrestler after years of being an avid fan, watching every match, memorizing every finishing move, collecting every figurine— it’s a little too specific but it makes sense in Jungkook’s case. You would understand this analogy perfectly, having grown alongside him during his iconic wrestling phase (before volleyball). You had indulged him in his interest, had let him practice those Do Not Try at Home moves on you again and again, even when you knew it ended with you bruised and crying, the twin pigtails you used to rock as a kid uneven and messy. But as your best friend, you had let him twist your arm and pin you to the count of three, because that’s what a good best friend did. 

And as your best friend, Jungkook was gearing himself up to completely, thoroughly rock your virgin world. Because that’s what a good best friend did.

Copyright © 2021, 1kook on tumblr. absolutely NO reposts allowed.

[celestial-fucking-weeb]

WINTER WARMTH

__________________

Hi, everyone!! This is a part of the Citrus Dome Snowed In collab! I’m so thankful to be a part of this round and super grateful for @lemonlordleah-shinzawa-kitten and @tomurasprincess for letting me be on the masterlist! I’m so excited, but I’m not super proud of this one, so please feel free to give feedback.

Masterlist Here!

Go see everyone’s super awesome fics and art pieces they worked so hard on!!

ART BY @brttpaige on Twitter🖤 Go check out her artwork, she’s fantastic!

Warnings: 18+ minors do not interact, AGED UP (mid twenties), fluff, insecurities, smut, body worship, chubby kink, marking (hickies), Papi kink

Pairing: Sero Hanta x reader

The local news station hailed it as “the storm of the century,” and they weren’t wrong. You’ve watched the snow pile up beyond the window, building from a light dusting on the grass to literal knee-high drifts. And it shows no sign of stopping.

The place you’re stranded is stocked up on groceries, you’d charged every electronic device to your name, and you’d cranked the thermostat as high as it would go until the inevitable happens —

The power goes out.

So now you’re stuck indoors, with only a certain someone for company. The same someone you’ve been pining after for ages. Snow stacks up higher and higher outside. As the cold seeps in, and you both drift closer, you realize this was somehow the one thing you hadn’t thought to prepare for…

The snow outside was pretty at first, but now with the doors and windows to your small cottage-type home half covered, it seemed almost oppressive. With the power outage, there was no television to drown out the quiet, only deafening silence and the movement of your new roommate, Sero Hanta.

It didn’t start this way, you hadn’t always obsessively paid attention to his mannerisms. At one point in time, he was just a hero working for the same agency you provided medical care for. You were just support staff, until a dumb villain thought you were “important” and kidnapped you, leaving the heroes you saw as coworkers to rescue you. After that, the agency wanted you to live in the adjacent apartments, but you refused. Magically, two days later, Sero Hanta approached you asking about your spare room under the guise of his lease running out. You thought it seemed a bit suspicious, particularly that this gorgeous man had “nowhere else to go”, meaning no significant other to take him in. Of course, you agreed, being a nice person and maybe bit naïve. He moved his stuff in, didn’t make much of a fuss, and mostly left you to your own devices. That is, until you noticed some... abnormalities. The lingering glances, the newly installed security cameras, the not-so-subtle ideas to spend time with you of having meals together or watching movies, making sure you’d eaten or slept... He cared too much. He was so perfect- gorgeous, tall, easygoing, had similar goals as a rescue hero, funny, and he cared. He cared for you, which made living with him so much harder. You found yourself enjoying nights with him, wanting to sit a little closer, wanting to impress him with new dishes to make for dinner, ditching your ex’s sweatpants for cute sleep shorts, relishing in fantasies of his protective nature and dominating stature with your hand between your thighs... You thought you were going to choke when he started walking around in only gray sweats or a towel after his shower. You tried your best to keep eye contact, not stick around too long, not encroach upon his comfort in his own house. You failed to notice the smirk on his face when you quickly excused yourself or when you turned away too fast after being caught staring.

Sero had originally taken this as an assignment, although he did have a bit of a crush on you from the times you’d patched him up after rough shifts. He thought of himself as your own personal hero, but that mindset soon turned into more than just an assignment. He was protective over you, and he found himself getting defensive if you even mentioned another guy. He had tried flirting within reason, just making dinners and watching movies, but he got cocky when he had walked past your door one night and heard your little whimpers. He decided to test his theory, wearing his sweats lower than he normally would and walking back to his room in a towel, and delighting in strolling past your room to hear your muffled moans and the vibrations of the toy you never used to use. You were getting desperate, and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t boost his ego to hear his name through the walls. This, however, was NOT something he’d planned on.

Everything was fine, being stuck in the house together was nice, until the power went out. The heat somewhat remained in the house until night, when you curled up on the couch under every blanket you had and he layered on an extra hoodie and lounged next to you. He looked cold...

“H-Hey... Sero? Um... You look cold. Do you want a blanket?”

“Hmmm, but then wouldn’t you be cold too?” He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

“Well... Maybe... But that’s okay! You need to be warm too!!” God, you’re so sweet.

“I mean... You could always come over here, we can be warm together!” He stretches out his arm and beckons you over, inviting you to curl up next to him. You shift over, spreading the blankets over your roommate and hiding your blushing face under the pile of softness, keeping at least 3 inches of space between you before he rests his arm behind your head.

“Thanks, y/n, this is uh... nice!” He hides his disappointment at your perceived rejection, going back to look at his phone.

After 20 minutes of scrolling, you can’t take it anymore. He smells so good, and you can feel the warmth radiating from his body.

“I’M GONNA GO TO BED NOW. Uh, goodnight!” You basically shouted, too loud to be natural. You abruptly stood up before slightly shrinking from the frigid air. When did it get so cold in here?

“Hey, it’s really cold... We don’t really have a ton of blankets, and I’m worried you’re going to freeze, so maybe we could sleep in my room tonight? Just for, ya know... body heat?” He sounds nervous, like he expects you to freak out and reject him completely.

“Well... I-I guess that’s smart... You’re right. So... Let’s go?” Holy fuck, you are so nervous. You were originally escaping to your room like you normally do, too horny to continue hanging out with Sero and retain your sanity, but now you’re sleeping with him?! What the fuck are you thinking?!

He gathered the blankets and lead you into his room, holding the door for you before plopping down your nest of fabric. You stand awkwardly in the center of the room, waiting for something you have no idea what. Sero unceremoniously strips himself of his hoodies and sweats and climbs into bed, seemingly out of habit, before turning his attention to you and holding the blankets open.

“Are you coming?” He smirks, putting on a confused voice that doesn’t quite match the mischief in his eyes.

“I-...” FUCK, he’s beautiful. Lean muscles flexing with every movement, shaggy hair falling over his face, and holy... The tight black boxers are NOT helping the whole “too turned on to function” situation.

“Oh... Sorry, I read somewhere that skin-to-skin contact is better for warmth. You’d probably know better than me, I guess.” He grins, as though this entire thing is nonchalant and completely normal. “I can help you if you’d like~”

“Uh nope, yeah, you’re right!! I’ll uh just... Can you close your eyes?” You are panicking. Every insecurity you’ve ever had is coming to bite you in the ass. You’re suddenly hyper aware of how much space your body takes up, remembering everything those stupid bitches in high school said about you.

“Y/n, you’ve seen me in that skin tight hero suit and you’ve patched up most of my body. It’s totally fine! PLUS, you’re sleeping in my bed, am I gonna have to close my eyes the whole night??” He jokes, not knowing that your shyness isn’t rooted in principle, but fear. Upon seeing your face, his smile falters and he autocorrects, “You know, I think you’re beautiful, but if you want me to turn around, I promise I will.”

“No, it’s-it’s fine. It’s okay. Wait- did you just call me beautiful?” You try to cover your shocked expression as you take off your sweater and slide off your fuzzy pajama pants. Sero is thankful your head is stuck in your sweater as his jaw practically drops. Oh fuck, he’s screwed. His eyes follow your curves from your chest, down your sides, to the pouch of your tummy and the plump fullness of your thighs... If he thought he was having trouble focusing before, there’s no way there’s gonna be enough blood in his brain when you’re half naked next to him... Speaking of... Shit, he’s hard... Okay, it’s fine, just tuck it in your waistband like you did back in school...

You climb into bed as quickly as you can, still keeping a few inches between you and Sero until he wraps his arms around you and pulls you into his chest. You squeak in surprise and he chuckles, “You can’t be warm unless you’re over here! C’mere.” He nestles his face into your hair and splays a hand across the curve of your lower back. Feeling very naked and very nervous, you shift in his hold and snuggle closer to the heat he gives off, but halt your motions when you feel him twitch against your thigh. Neither of you are breathing, praying the other didn’t notice the rock hard length pressed between your bodies. Somehow, in the time you spent essentially playing dead, you both fell asleep cuddled together.

Over the course of the night, you had shifted to straddle your leg over his torso and he had turned on his back with his hand resting on the space between your thigh and your butt. Sero was the first to stir from his slumber when he felt you move against him, a small whine escaping your parted lips as your hips rolled against his. Oh... OH... Is y/n-? oh fuck y/n is dreaming... and grinding on me... fuck, this shouldn’t feel so good... He tries his hardest to go back to sleep, but the feeling of your sleeping body brushing up against his cock keeps him wide awake. He was trying to stay perfectly still until he heard your tiny whisper “Hanta~”... His hips involuntarily thrust, drawing out the most sinful moan from your throat as the head of his dick added friction on your clit that woke you up. You start to move away, embarrassed and hoping to check that he’s still asleep, but Sero’s grip tightens around your thigh and presses you harder onto him.

“Good morning to you, too~... If you needed my help getting off, you could’ve just asked, babygirl~” The lust and sleep clouding his voiced, combined with the steady roll of his hips makes you whimper and tuck your face into his neck.

“Awww so shy~ You were moaning my name earlier. Why don’t we see how loud I can make you, princess?” He speaks lowly as he flips you onto your back, hovering over you.

“I- I... Please.” You breathe wrapping your legs around his waist and stare up at him, wiggling your hips and sliding your hands up his biceps.

“Can I- Can I kiss you? Are you sure you want this? I’ve had feelings for you since before I moved in and I just... I never want to hurt you.” Cupping your cheek and searching your face for any hesitation, Sero starts succumbing to his own insecurities. He never wants to hurt you, and he knows he isn’t the flashy hero some of his friends seem to be... He needs to hear you say it.

“Sero... Yes~. I want you, please kiss me... I feel the same way. Please~...” Upon hearing your confession, Sero slotted his lips against yours. The kiss was sweet, gentle. Breathing each other in felt so right, so natural, and you followed his lead when he slid his hold to the back of your neck to deepen the kiss. His hand drifted down, following the curve of your breasts, tracing your sides and resting on the pouch of your tummy. Just as you were starting to feel self conscious, Sero groans and moves to kiss your neck, mumbling “You’re so beautiful, y/n. Fuck, so perfect. You feel so soft, I need you so bad~” The whimper he draws from you when he sucks a deep mark into the column of your throat is absolutely lewd, you can barely believe it came from you. He kisses his way down your body, leaving hickies along your skin and squeezing every inch he can get his hands on. You look down at him, his eyes dark with lust and admiration as he leaves opened mouthed kisses along your inner thighs, making you more needy than you thought possible. He strokes his thumb along your clothed slit and moans at your wetness.

“Fuck- you’re so wet for me, angel. I want to taste you, you’re so cute like this. Let’s take these off, yeah?” He looks to you and hooks his fingers under the waistband of your panties, asking for permission and grinning like an idiot when you lift your hips to help him. Before you can say anything, he’s prying your legs open and diving in, moaning as he laps your slit and sucks your clit into his mouth. You run your fingers through his hair and grip him, pulling him into you and grinding against his face. His groans send vibrations straight to your core, pinning your hips with one arm and sliding two fingers into your dripping cunt.

“M-more!! Oh god, please Sero, just like that- I want more!” You moan so prettily for him, but he wants something more. He releases your clit with a pop and leans up, stilling his fingers inside you and wrapping his free hand around your neck. The pressure and dominance has you clenching around his fingers, and he takes notice.

“You either call me Hanta or Papi, nothing else. You understand? I want you to say my name when you cum.” He commands, and sends a shiver down your spine. “Oh you like that, huh?~ I can feel you squeezing my fingers. Why don’t you tell me what you want, baby?~”

Your brain goes hazy when he leans in and places little love bites on your neck and collarbones. “PAPI~! Yes, I love it! Please fuck me, I want to feel you, I need moreee~” You pant as he pulls his fingers out of you, leaving you unbearably empty.

“Oh baby, I’ll fill you up, don’t worry. But first, why don’t you suck my cock?~” He strips himself of his boxers and flips the two of you, pulling you on top of him. He’s so long, just thick enough to stretch you and reach every amazing spot inside of you. The sight of his hard length has you drooling, anticipating feeling the weight of him on your tongue. You give the head a few kitten licks, relishing in the way he groans and twitches in your hand. He laces his fingers at the base of your head and lets you set your own pace, wrapping your plush lips around him. Bobbing your head up and down, running your tongue along the vein on the underside of his dick and swirling it around the head- you love seeing his reactions. The way his breathing increases and his hips buck when you hollow your cheeks. He looks so pretty like this, you can’t help but rub your thighs together for some kind of friction. Luckily, he notices how desperate you’ve gotten and pulls you up to straddle him with one hand still on your hair and the other gripping your hip, calloused fingers digging in and massaging the fat there.

“As much as I want to cum in that perfect little mouth, I think my baby needs to be filled, yeah?” He fists his cock and strokes the head through your wetness, gathering your slick and making you involuntarily grind against him. “Beg for my cock, babygirl~, tell Papi what you want.” The smirk on his face is utterly sinful, teasing you and enjoying the fucked out expression on your beautiful face.

“PLEASE I want your cock, I wanna be full, just fuck me already!!! Please stop teasing me Hantaaa~” Just as you grind your hips down onto him, he thrusts into you, cutting off your pleading with a needy moan. “Ah~ fuck- so full, so full, oh my god! Yes Papi~!”

“Oh shit angel, fuck- you feel so good.” Hanta grabs your hips and helps you slowly fuck yourself on him, “Just like that, baby, just like that. Ride my fucking cock. Fuck- you’re so tight...”

The dirty talk pouring out of Hanta’s mouth, combined with the stretch of his hot length stirring up your insides, you find yourself embarrassingly close to climax already. Your first orgasm hits you like a train, completely knocking the air out of your lungs and causing you to collapse onto Hanta’s chest. He seizes the opportunity to flip the two of you, holding you underneath him and fucking you into the mattress.

“Ah ah ahhhhh~ Hantaaa~ I can’t! I can’t, I just came, it’s too much!!! oh FUCK Papi!!!” You feel the tears welling up in your eyes from the overstimulation and pleasure.

“Yes you can, babygirl. You’re taking me so well, you’re such a good girl. I know you love it, I can feel your pussy flutter around me. So honest, angel. You’re so perfect like this- fuck.” Hanta grips the back of your thighs and pushes your knees to the bed, hitting even deeper within you. The head of his cock kisses your cervix with every thrust and makes you scream out, nails digging into his back, and egging him on.

“Come on, mi amor, cum with me. I know you can, I can tell you’re so fucking close... Cum on my cock, that’s right. Cum for me.” His long fingers reach down and rub quick circles on your clit. He leans in to sink his teeth into the junction of your neck and your shoulder, sending you over the edge into your climax. Your vision goes white and you clamp down around him, cunt spasming as you squirt all over his thighs and abs.

“F-fuck!!! That’s so fucking hot~ I’m gonna- Ah~” He fills you to the brim with his sticky release, the warmth spreading through your core and coating your walls. Hanta releases your legs and lays on top of you, sweaty bodies pressed together until he comes down from his high.

“That was so amazing, angel. You were so good for me. Such a pretty baby, all mine...” He pulls back to kiss your temple and rolls over, petting your hair and lightly scratching your back.

“You have no idea how happy that makes me... I always want to be yours.” You giggle, bubbly at his claim on you and still buzzing from your high. You curl up into his chest, wrapping your arms around his waist and holding him close. “Mine.”

“Mmhmm, all yours.” He breathes a chuckle and places a kiss to your hairline. “I’m glad I can warm you up, lovebug.” He smiles as your breathing evens out, falling asleep with you in his arms.

[monkey-network]

Why 'Pizza Delivery' IS The Best

Many moons ago, I talked about Band Geeks, an episode of Spongebob often proclaimed as one of the best episode in the series. Then again, in the back of my mind, one other episode stood out as what could arguably be the true number one. One episode iconic in the character, the story, the comedy, the emotion it has for a mere 11 minutes, and I wanted to talk about all this myself. We're seeing how Pizza Delivery is considered The Best. Let's do this...

The Pairing

The episode's setup is honestly so simple, it's driven me stupid. Out of every episode, this magically gives us the Krusty Krab pizza, a platinum item of Mr. Krabs that's never been replicated since. Mr. Krabs has Spongebob join Squidward in the delivery when he didn't really need to. Squidward could very well have told Spongebob to go away, leaving it to him, but it makes sense that Spongebob would be so dedicated in his job enough to go. It especially helps that this is the first and earliest episode of Spongebob and Squidward working alone together, their clashing spirits being the focus throughout. It all adds to the greatest dynamic where Squidward puts up Spongebob's antics believing it to be a simple job, both ending up tastefully dumb in their own right. The episode would not have work if Squidward was more bitter about everything or if Spongebob acted too aloof. It has the perfect blend in character where the dichotomy between the two is so grounded. Which leads well into...

The Comedy

With the character dynamic comes the great, memorable comedic timing of Spongebob and Squidward bouncing off each with their conflicting outlooks. Squidward is very much defeatist, willing to give up at the drop of a hat and is in disbelief of anything working out while Spongebob's the opposite, keeping his chin in spite of everything looking not in his favor. I'd say this is amplified with how you can see it. The episode doesn't shame Spongebob and/or Squidward for how they perceive the adventure, them being an extension of the child and/or adult audience. They're both a couple of dudes in the same situation and they run with this this in the best way with every moment. There isn't a single joke in this episode that doesn't appear to work within the confines of their chemistry. Everything they do, everything they say is in line with who they are, and it never amps up their personality to get the considered best laughs. My favorite bit being...

The Pioneers

Everything with Spongebob's enthusiasm for the pioneers on their journey hits every time. It's fitting not only with the point of the episode, but Spongebob's character overall, a sponge never afraid to express the ways to get the job done. Fact that Squidward follows along until it backfires at him is all the better, leading to my favorite Spongebob joke where we finally get the best vehicle in the game. The Rock is the one off joke you can't help but be with Spongebob and find joy in something so stupidly simple. It's on par with the Paper episode, the fathomable length of imagination just makes a man smile every time I can think of this one joke. But with this riding high comes one of the most devastating scenes in Spongebob.

The Customer

There's a bit of a balance when it comes to when Spongebob finally delivers the pizza himself only to get rejected just because the customer didn't get a drink with it. The guy never comes off as tastelessly cruel despite being one of the most despicable characters in the show's history. He's a character you can enjoyably hate. It's remarkably unfair, but never feels out of place because there's a rarity that customers can genuinely be like that. For an episode so early in the series, it's one of the rawest moments to see Spongebob be punished for something he didn't see coming. It's hard to truly wrap the brain around the customer's sudden volatility, but it's nonetheless effective in breaking our pluckiest character.

This moment is really something. It's not the first time Spongebob is sad or breaks down, but it's the first time Spongebob gets emotionally beaten down by somebody else. While Plankton in an earlier episode makes him tear up, for a quick moment this one rando managed to kill Spongebob's spirit entirely and you feel it. Not even Squidward managed to do this regardless of how much he might've resented Spongebob, at least not yet in the series, so it's all the more fitting and impactful that he would see his coworker at his genuine lowest. It's definitely enough for Squidward to make his most memorable stand.

The Squidward

Squidward Q Tentacles rarely gets moments where he truly stands up for Spongebob, so it's great and natural that this is the first. Even after everything in this adventure, Squidward never really hates Spongebob's optimism. Heck with many great episodes centered around the two, Squidward never despises Spongebob's outlook but feels it's unfair that he can live hapless while Squid feels like he can't whenever he tries. At his best, his cynicism is realistic enough for those who grew up with the show to find him the most resonating character. Which is why when he sees Spongebob broken, in tears, he goes to set things right.

It's one of the most gratifying moments of Spongebob and I couldn't imagine it going any other way. It really brought the nuance of the two's relationship to a great direction, I say letting those who grew up with Spongebob ponder how Squidward saw his friend. Even when the episode immediately ends with Spongebob inadvertently soiling Squidward's moment with the Krusty Krab, it was nonetheless satisfying along with everything else that happened.

The Conclusion

Everything about Pizza Delivery feels perfect, around the same height of perfection as Band Geeks. While we aren't with many characters, the moments with Squid and Sponge are at their most realized. Spongebob overall is a character comedy and this episode is a testament to that where we see the two at their best and funniest. Not to say this was where the show peaked, god no, but this episode really paved the way for Spongebob to be as iconic as it is now. Both as a kid and adult,

it never ceases to be the Best

[carbootsoul]

anyway no one asked but: yue joins the gaang instead of becoming the moon at the end of season 1 hcs!!

- instead of giving up her life to replace tui as the moon spirit, she gives up tui’s blessing to give them the final burst of strength to escape from zhao. basically yue gives up her blue eyes, pale hair, and waterbending. she never (?) waterbends on the show, and the loss of her bending isn’t too devestating to her.

- also sokka gets a friend who can’t bend either... he deserves it.

- when the gaang leaves after the battle is over, yue decides to come with them and it’s a HUGE thing with her father and begins her main character arc, which is about whether her responsibility to her tribe and the preservation of their culture is more important than her paving her own way and also how those two things can coexist!

- she leaves her betrothal necklace on her bedside table and the last shot of the episode is just of it, lying there. 

- this got rly long so there’s more under the cut

- her traveling clothes are a thing shawl and a tunic similar to sokka’s with pants. she keeps her usual haircut but it’s tied with leather instead of the fancy hair things she used as princess. also she uses a hunting knife as a weapon

- she and sokka continue their weird not-dating-but-kind-of-dating dance for a lot of episodes and it’s generally awkward and easy comic relief. also more shots of yue blushing because she’s just so cuteeee

- there’s a scene of them stargazing where yue tells sokka the story of a pair of lovers who died and then remained best friends in all their future lives (because avatar friendships enduring through lifetimes and also friendship being just as important as romantic relationships)

- yue becomes friends with EVERYONE they meet IMMEDIATELY and everyone falls in love with her because she’s sweet and pretty and has a nice laugh.

- there’s a filler episode that’s just sokka and yue going shopping together and trying on lots of jewlery but the running gag is that yue keeps getting distracted with talking to other people and definitely flirting with every girl she runs into and sokka is always distracted with a pair of earrings or a set of rings and doesn’t notice. finally some random guy is like ‘man your girlfriend has been flirting with my sister this whole time... are you aware.” and sokka is immeditaly like ShE’s NoT mY GiRLfRiEnD and then like wait what

- so maybe yue is a lesbian. sokka is very distressed that he’s been trying to court someone who’s not interested so he talks with katara while she’s sewing or something and he’s like is yue gay?? and katara is like oh i don’t know. lots of people we know are queer. sokka: WHO??? katara: well, zuko. suki. sokka: ZUKO??? SUKI??? and this is when katara realizes her brother’s gaydar is nonexistent. 

- yue tries being a vegetarian (to be nice to aang) but thinks nuts are gross so she and sokka go on hunting trips together. she’s Very Good at archery.

- also the episode where they watch toph wrestle?? she and sokka are SO on her side. it made me angry in the show that sokka wasn’t on her side but yue would convince him very quickly and they are very loud together.

- she also stays to talk to toph on the estate because she doesn’t look as suspect as the rest of the gaang so the guards don’t kick her out immediately (read: she’s good at conforming to elitist ideas of how people r meant to act and passes the rich kid test). she and toph sit in the garden and watch the moon (because the moon symbolizes yue’s perceived failure to sacrifice herself to save her tribe) and talk about how sometimes to live as yourself you have to skirt your responsibilities to your family. yue leaves a few hours later firmly friends with toph.

- she continues to be the one firmly on toph’s side in the toph/katara disputes that are in the first few episodes with toph. katara can’t hold it against her though because literally who could hold a grudge against yue she’s so incredible

- (ok we’re skipping a lot of time here bc i frankly do not remember everything that happened in book 2) her ba sing se tale is her uhhh going to the market to buy herself an iced tea because she’s gay and just having a good time being a no one. a girl she runs into at the cafe asks her to go on a walk around the city with her and it’s very sweet but yue does Not know this is a date so when the girl gives her a kiss she gets blushy and says something dumb

- also at the end of another episode we have a short scene of yue on the roof of their house in the upper ring, staring at the moon and touching the place on her neck where her betrothal necklace isn’t. then the camera switches to zuko, on the other side of the city, looking at the same moon and absently running his fingers through his hair where his topknot used to be

- yue and jet hate each other but yue still advocates for him because she sees how he’s been hurt and thinks that he deserves a second chance. i don’t know the funeral traditions for any of the nations but she does a quick northern water tribe blessing over his body before they run away.

- yue and mai are like.. yes we r gay..... yes we do flirt with each other while fighting sometimes.... yes we r the two knife fighters.. yes we are ALSO narrative foils

- yue looks SO GOOD in fire nation clothes but she keeps her usual hairdo because she deserves it. the fire nation propaganda makes her very angry, as does the institutionalized homophobia. she starts arguing with some guy over it and katara is ready to back her up and start fucking screaming and get arrested and sokka is like.. now. now is when i should talk to her. 

- he drags her away and she’s like fuck dude i can fight my own battles and he’s like no i just.. what you were talking about.... i have something i need to tell you..... and she’s like you’re bi!! good for you, sokka, thank you for telling me. and he’s like :bi shock: no?? you’re a lesbian. anyway yes she is a lesbian they are wlw mlm solidarity. 

- there’s a filler episode where toph and yue rob a bunch of fire nation soldiers and when they get caught (after a While of these robberies) they get out of it by playing the ‘dumb rich kids’ card and run away with jewelry like.. dripping off their hands. katara makes them sell all of it except a choker necklace yue keeps that looks like a betrothal necklace but instead has an etching of a bird flying away.

- skipping again bc this is getting rly long. when zuko joins the gaang he and yue have a tentative conversation about their relationships to their nations and he’s like.. idk sounds like you needed to leave? that wasn’t an environment that you can thrive in. and she’s like but i can change it! i need to be there to change it, and i left. and he’s like well no. some things are just toxic. i went back to my nation and it was terrible. and she’s like i have a responsibility to my PEOPLE and gets mad at him and she and katara r like angry at zuko team. 

- yue’s life changing field trip with zuko is just them leaving on appa to go to a market and be normal teenagers. they both viewed each other as Fire Prince and Water Tribe Princess, but this lets them open up and realize concretely that that’s not all that they are. 

- zuko apologizes for implying that the nwt was irreparable and explains that the fire palace wasn’t something he could fix and that trying just hurt him more. yue says that part of the reason she was angry with him was because he was right and that she felt so much more herself when she was away from her home. they finally reach the conclusion together that they have to become themselves before they can hope to change their cultures for the better.

- yue comes along to boiling rock but is v much background to zukka bromance. she hangs out with suki some (lots more yue blushing oc bc suki is BUFF) and does some dumb gay fighting with mai but they’re both bad at it because yue is busy mooning over suki and mai is busy protecting ty lee.

- ember island players still say she turned into the moon >:(

[nervestatic]

mcyt but they‘re god tier

hello mcyttumblr today i’ve got god tier assignments for a whole bunch of youtubers! this post will include both my assignment, a definition of what that god tier means, and my reasoning! a lot of this is based off of the dream smp <3 this is also intended to be a full session worth of players with no overlapping classes or aspects, which did impact my decisions! also i ignored gendered classes because they’re dumb

TECHNOBLADE / the prince of blood one who destroys via blood | blood is the aspect of bonds! friendship, unity, attachment, and obligation.

blood for the blood god! i chose prince of blood for techno because “one who destroys through bonds and connections” seemed like it really matched up with not only his general persona, but how he acts on the dream smp. the extended zodiac also says that blood players can be very intelligent and aware of other’s relationships even when their own are a disaster! which fits techno displays a lot of awareness about other’s relationships but tends to be pretty awkward and avoidant when it comes to his own. he also tends to be very chaotic and a big fan of destruction, which makes prince a good choice because it’s a god tier that is About Destroying Stuff.

PHILZA / the mage of space one who knows about space | space is the aspect of literal space, physics, and creation. i genuinely believe that philza minecraft is the only person responsible enough to be a space player. space players are about patience and the journey, not the destination, which fits with the playstyle that phil has on his hardcore world, and space players in canon also tend to be very isolated, which goes along with that. mage also gets defined as “setting an example using knowledge pertaining to [aspect]”, which fits phil’s position as the “dad” of the group and the fanon concept of him being the de facto leader of SBI due to his knowledge and experience.

WILBUR / the heir of rage one who is consumed by rage | rage is the aspect of chaos, negative emotion, and violence. this one is based pretty much entirely around the SMP. heirs are implied to be players expected to represent their aspect regardless of their own will, something they are duty-bound or fated to become. they are also defined as “one who invites change via [aspect]. rage is of course about negative emotions, and often associated with insanity. wilbur’s motivations have always come from a place of anger, and he has invited change in both positive and negative ways. but watching his descent from a man who doesn’t believe in violence to someone willing to blow up all of his friends really paints the image of the heir of rage for me.

NIKI / the sylph of breath one who heals through breath | breath is the aspect of freedom, confidence, direction, and change. for me this one is all about niki’s potential!! breath players often tend to have storylines about potential, both wasted and fulfilled, and i think a lot of how fandom sees niki is based around her potential in the storyline. personally, the idea of healing through freedom is one that really strikes me as something that fits niki- especially after her “dear friend” video about escaping from manburg and how she reacted to both schlatt’s election and the festival, she’s very firm in her belief of freedom- and how that freedom will help other people!

ERET / the maid of light one who creates light | light is the aspect of luck, discovery, knowledge, and awareness. i will be real with you this is very much in part because of the character design with the glowy eyes. but maids are about creating and repairing their aspect, rather than the sylph’s healing via their aspect, and i think maid of light sets up a really fun arc for both being a traitor and a redemption arc. eret made the smart choice in betraying l’manburg- or they thought it was the smart choice. her arc about coming back from that (discovery) and fixing that skewed luck fits very well with a maid’s quest.

TUBBO / the seer of hope one who understands hope | hope is the aspect of belief, perseverance, and positive emotion. i picked seer for tubbo mostly because of his position as a spy!! he sees hope even while living and working under schlatt, he refuses to back down even when it gets dangerous- even to the point of being a little dense about it. when he was up on that stage, he never stopped looking for the brightest path- for help from his friends, for techno to not pull the trigger, everything like that. he sees the consequences of actions as a seer, but those consequences tend to be skewed towards what he believes is “good” due to his aspect being hope.

TOMMY / the knight of heart one who serves through heart | heart is the aspect of souls, emotion, and intuition. being a knight in homestuck has always been about protecting other people using your aspect. most of the knights also have some sort of servitude to their aspect- tommy is impulse-driven and makes emotion-based choices, usually to protect what he believes in or his friends, showcasing that part of his classpect. he hides away the other parts of himself by putting that raw emotion on display at all times, not being afraid to pick a fight or follow that base desire even if it ends up with him dead, like the duel with dream.

FUNDY / the rogue of time one who steals from time | time is the aspect of literal time and time travel. time throughout homestuck has had a connection to technology, and i thought that would be really fitting for fundy! being a rogue is about twisting [aspect] to the benefit of your friends and session, and time is one of the main aspects that effects paradox space. fundy, as a programmer who is literally known for digging into the world (minecraft’s) code and changing it to suit his whims, seemed like a really obvious choice.

DREAM / the thief of mind one who steals using mind | mind is the aspect of thoughts, decision-making, and consequences. it’s the thousand iq plays, baby! dream is all about thinking ahead, rapidfire decision making, and reading other people’s plays. with his aspect covered, i actually had a bit of trouble with his class, but i decided on thief because both players who had that class in homestuck had storylines pertaining to being “relevant”, and both of them stole from their own allies. dream’s position as the “hunted” in the minecraft manhunts as well as it being his server seemed like it lined this up really well for his classpect.

GEORGE / the witch of void one who manipulates void | void is the aspect of nothingness, invisibility, and obfuscation. haha funny british man isn’t found!! but in all seriousness, the idea of “manipulating visibility” really resonated with george for me. this is in part due to appleflavoredkitkat’s amazing analysis of the FF dodgebolt strategy, and how a lot of his amazing plays are so amazing because people underestimate him. they see sapnap and dream before they see him, despite the fact that he’s a really good player and actually pretty awesome at pvp, and i think george knows that and relies on that. he manipulates his own visibility and how people perceive him to his own advantage, and that’s a witch of void, baby!

SAPNAP / the bard of doom one who invites destruction through doom | doom is the aspect of fate, futility, and decay. i will be real with you: sapnap drew the short straw on classes. i think that prince would have most likely been a better fit for him, but he lost that metaphorical game of rock paper scissors with technoblade because he doesn’t have a royalty theme.  but doom players are all about rules, and fate, and All Things Must End, and when paired with the destructive nature of being a bard, it’s very much “all things must end because i personally am going to end them”, or in sapnap’s case, “all things must end because i am going to set them on fire”.

BADBOYHALO / the page of life one who provides others with life | life is the aspect of healing, resurrection, and life force. last but not least, bad!! the page of life! i assigned BBH this because of the role he tends to take in the minecraft manhunts- he’s the biggest communicator, he instructs others and reminds them to think stuff through. he’s happy to let george and sapnap take more of a lead in hunting as well, which goes along with the idea that pages are one of the most powerful classes, but only after they realize their potential. as he exists currently, bad isn’t one of the most powerful people here, but he’s definitely an inspiring force and has impact on all of them!!

and that’s that!! i have some thoughts about other members of the mcyt community, but i also really wanted to have a full fansession, so now i have the power to write fic about it >:) i hope you enjoyed reading, and if you want to send an ask to talk about this more in depth im always happy to!! have a good day!

[captainkurosolaire]

Prompt #17 ~ Reality Check

Celebration didn't always come after intense battles or war. It's often rarely documented the effect transpiring those who prevailed and survived the aftermath. When the Crew arrived home upon the vessel of the Worldly Finder, few were disheartened, some hid it better than others, while there were obvious distraught. Effects that lingered, nagging urges, 'what if I were better', or there was a 'solution; I could've done to prevent this outcome.' Equally serving still another part of that battle and war not yet, given the entire destruct. Wasn't wrong or unnatural to mourn, but to dwell could offer something dangerous that would stagnate and fester, throwing mind, spirit, soul into a limbo, this was especially something when a leader's walk showed limp. As the Captain walked up planks sulked, broad shoulders loosened and his hat not only stayed shaded, this wasn't entirely unseen. Boisterous laughter of a Hellsguard came to a halt in the corner of the open deck. "I'm not agreeing to strip triad with you Me-me, ever." The Lalafell added to her accounting bags a huge surmountable amount of mountains of gil, "Your loss bro." Departing cheeky, placing her earnings into a sizable wagon and rolling off into the vault. The senior second eldest aboard grimaced, "What the Seven Hell's is that?" He said pointing at the Captain's posture. Zieton, barely paying attention reading books of poetry aboard, upon this wild-vessel remained the most ancient.

"He's conflicted. Perceived his shortcomings and all the losses, alongside his Noble rival under his fault. His former crew followed behind more death's and disconnections. Believes in-order to be an effective leader, he must guarantee the lives of all under his sail." The pirate leader wasn't required to have all the answers or to be mightiest unrealistic, put together being or such a thing as perfection. Even the most formidable held survivor's guilt. Compassion was touted crucially as illness. This was a psyche out, bred in others. The diversity of the Crew he held manifested were examples because of how arranged his heart was and could steer... Although he couldn't see it, others did, painstakingly. Knightly the massive Hellsguard furrowed his red eyebrows, with a furious Father-like figure glower. "Ears, give me those rocks. I'm taking our Capt, here... On a little intervention." Wildwood with peaking jades registered the intent in imparted wisdom more-so like a Grandfather above in endlessly knowledge, before throwing some remote aether fragmented shards in a pouch over with a waved conjuration. To make a gentle giant like Gark seriously violently upset was a deadly feat. Who not even during the battle with a devil expressively showed. Though the Captain was spitting on him disgracefully. "Ahoy, Captain." He strolled up as the Seeker tried to sly a deceitful visage was instead found being manhandled and choked before they both warped elsewhere forcefully and formidably. Arriving on the other-side of a wasteland he threw and tossed his own leader into a flung tree with almighty force to crash it down. Wheezing and disbelieving breath his eyes strained red stress. The pain his body underwent and felt was actually in gratitude for it and felt he needed and deserved it. Staggering up before taunting, "Is that all ye got?" Aware it already took control and reservation for Gark not to single-handedly obliterate him. "You little pest." He grabbed the back skull in a handful vice grip and face plummeted him down with a kneel, his entire face burying into the soils like a dumb-ass plant. Lifting him up, "You're really going to lose your will to fight? Like this? You provoked me when your arm's were broken, and challenged me and made me LEAVE my quiet life behind." He kneed the Seeker making him spat out blood and tossing him again more like rag-doll and menacingly start walking back. "My blimey half-brother couldn't mouth-close about his Crew. Especially the runt aboard. Now we're the last survivors of him, and you who's beaten and ready to die, after-all other things, this is how... A trivial thing called, Despair? ...Wins? Your fellow man died with his nobility intact, there is no-shame. It's dishonorable! To feel ashamed of how he went. In all that coldness, flame's were burned, even I felt." Lecturing with a temper; his jawbones flexing. His presence felt overwhelmingly wrathful.

Grunting in the rubble of pain this method was actually how a numbskull bastardized orphan like him was forced to be educated. He felt the raw heat of pain, in the Red Baron, despite the murderous atmosphere sizzling. Hacking up his own internal anguish in spew. Barely having enough recovery time or to waddle away instinctively. His feline tail tugged back before Roe used it to toss him back the other direction. The loud heavy thudding step's were like nightmare a his senses screamed, he was going to die. Wanting him to defend while his willpower still was resisting. He was grabbed and lifted by the root of his skull. Gark's eyes showed darkened resolve. In lasting words, a terrifying hand close to his heart began formulating a magma fire, incredibly close and exposed to the flesh that made him scream in agony as his skin was being melted. This was his lowest temperature even. "Captain, I will turn you into a carpet pelt. If you ever do this again before-me. Aboard our Crew, the people you've band, they've many dreams and ambitions or desires, have you ever pondered my own? Beyond, the whole mercenary dealings of my hobbies collection? I sought to join more than socks..." The Seeker's panting and overall smoldering suffering made him stare amber into amber. Revelation came, "My dream is to see yours. And if you... threaten that..." His hue's viciously became draconian for a hint, as dragon-speak, came in a message that even Captain could register by delivery. <I'll e[h]k mor[n] you> Or, <I'll kill you.> The Seeker looked in disbelief before being headbutted unconscious. Gark exhaled smog of pity before discarding and loosening the leader in a wake-up call. He picked him over shoulder and took him back aboard as if they were only gone for a few minutes. Then allowed the wild-wood Elezen who begrudgingly was cleaning crew for healing catastrophic injuries. Captain required to comprehend it was decisively up to one's responsibilities to see-through storms, that's why there were Crew's and roles, and others in function. Each time, he now fell short of the marker, or doubt came creeping in, they'd be vanquished by those under the sail. This became a catalyst that got Captain to accept death's and his shortcomings while also being able to relate and identify it for others.

[thechangeling]

I had a question for you, and if you would be willing to answer I would greatly appreciate it. Since your last post referenced this, I was wondering if you had any tips on writing Ty specifically, or autistic characters in general? I think that you might have posted on this before, but I couldn’t find it, so I figured I would ask you. Anyway, like I said, if you don’t mind answering that would be wonderful, but if you don’t want to, no hard feelings!

For me I guess it's more intuition like if something just feels right, but that's kind of hard to explain to people so I'm gonna try and put this into words.

I like it when people make an effort to understand Ty's emotions and where he's coming from. I appreciate people taking care of Ty's emotions through the narrative even when it's angsty and treating them as valid. Also putting in autistic traits in a way that doesn't seem forced. Especially more nuanced things like rubbing your neck or running your fingers through your hair. Acknowledge the fact that Ty is pretty smart. I can't stand fics that dumb him down. But don't write him like a super genius who knows everything either.

I wanna see autistic joy. I wanna see Ty getting so happy and excited after finally figuring out the answer to a tough mystery and not being able to hold back his happy stimming. Ty rambling about his special interests to Kit because he trusts him and stimming with Kit's hair and fingers.

I would also like to see autistic anger. Ty getting rightfully pissed and the narrative actually explaining why. Ty losing his shit in ways that aren't pretty and instantly regretting it. Ty getting weighed down by burnout and avoiding Kit because he doesnt have the energy to be social or be around people at all without snapping. Give me Ty trying so hard to tell Kit how he feels despite not being able to find the right words. So he writes letters where he uses other peoples words and quotes to explain.

Address the trauma he has been through! Address the fact that it is just as valid as Kit's trauma!! Acknowledge the shit that his father put him through!!! Explore how complicated that makes his memories of his father especially compared to Ty's siblings. Acknowledge the fact that growing up autistic isolates you from everyone else and forces you to constantly compromise.

Show me Ty loving Kit but also being jealous of him for not having to deal with the ableism that Ty does. Show me Ty being strong but still vulnerable and not invincible. Show me Ty being afraid of messing up with Kit and violating social boundaries and being afraid Kit might not say anything because of his past trauma even when his feelings are hurt.

I don't think allistic writers should be writing internalized ableism, but you can write about how the opinions of others affect him. Don't infantalize him compared to the other characters. If the others are drinking, let him drink. If the others are swearing let him swear. If the others are talking about it having sex then let him do the same. Autistics don't really flirt in my experience, at least not traditionally. But we usually end up smiling more and touching the other person or trying to be around them a lot.

Explore the intersectionality of Ty being queer and autistic. Or maybe don't if you're straight idk. This will probably require further research.

Autistic people acquire new special interests over time. I don't think he'll drop Sherlock yet because he's pretty invested but he might add a new one. You can have tons of special interests at once actually. I currently have five.

Look up theory of mind and how autistic people lack it. Think about how Ty will perceive everyone's actions if he assumes everyone knows what he knows. Maybe show Ty going non verbal after going through a lot of stress and using pictures or a text to voice app to communicate.

Ty listening to other music besides classical! He uses it to calm down and that's valid but I don't like the implication that autistic people only like soft or slow music. That's not true! I personally love heavy metal and alt rock. I lowkey headcanon Ty as a Queen fan idk.

I can't think of anything else but if other autistics wanna add on then go for it. But my final thought is just let him be autistic. Let him stim, let him be blunt, let him be overwhelmed, let him feel music with his entire being, let him have stim toys and comfort objects but don't have him be just his autism. Let him talk about and show interest in other things besides his special interests, let him show his personality, let him make jokes, show him being a shadowhunter. Also let him have a connection to his sexuality! I swear I've seen so many fanfics where Ty talks about being not straight only in relation to his love for Kit or not at all and acts like it doesnt matter. This bothers me a lot. It does matter! Even when you're autistic.

If you have any questions you can always ask me as long as you're respectful.

[soundsaboutrighttumblr]

Meta 2 for episode 5 of WBL: Fighting Mr. 2nd

What an amazing episode of power games and softness where softness is due.

Already typed meta about Pei Shou Yi and Yu Zhen Xuan here, so I’ll start with a short nod to Zhe Yu and his sweet soft faces to Bing Wei in this ep, which happen at the sidelines and the edge of the screen, but I am loving it, softness where softness is due.

Also the smug smirk after providing Shi De with the explicit paraphrasing for the sentiment expressed, I laughed, loudly.

I love how the scene that follows shows Shi De’s deductive skills and intelligence, as I feel this episode is really out to remind us, what competent players in that game they all are, CEO Shi De, but also Shu Yi, providing the strategic asset later, when ordering to distract the other directors by causing trouble in their own firms.

They really are top players, both, in their fields, and to think of those forces combined? I am ready for them to conquer the world and face all opponents, all the while supporting each other and lifting the other up with their capabilities, when needed.

And calling each other out on their bullcrap, lol. “I’ll never say dumb things like What can’t defeat us makes us stronger.” “You just did.”

Yeah, it is done in a playful manner, but still, and I am loving it, because they can do that, and the whole office must be shipping them by now, right.

The scene goes on to show Shi De’s and Shu Yi’s capabilities in leading and motivating employees, again. We stan a power couple. Also, Shi De’s immediate jealousy when the female employees fawn over Shu Yi’s humble gesture? Yeah, gotta put that arm around him real quick to stake your claim. Nice.

(Also: WBL is master at playing with our expectations and leading our gaze, directing it to wo we might suspect with the crime, then twisting it on us, to teach a lesson. Be it with stolen projects or fathers, or misunderstandings about cheating and other stuff. Or perceived dynamics about roles in relationships. They hold all the cards telling the story, they love the subversion of expectations, and they do it masterfully, providing lessons about how everything is maybe not as it seems, and so much more layered when it comes to humans. They take us along on the ride of realizing that over and over again, along with the characters.)

Yeah, so our capable leaders are also on a mole hunt. While rebuilding alpha by a deadline. More demonstrations of intelligence and leadership, and capability, and Shu Yi looks at his capable boyfriend, and I was reminded of what Mama Shi De said, way back then:

To be able to look at your partner with satisfaction…

And that’s just it, right? They are both so proud to be with each other, hold the other in such high esteems again, can look at them with satisfaction for having made the decision to be with them, for being that lucky, that privileged.

Then Bing Wei arrives with food. (I see you, grumpy, soft Zhe Yu.)

That powerful metaphor of taking care. And Shu Yi offers some to Shi De. And Shi De being in self sacrificing mode again, declines, puts Shu Yi’s needs first. But Shu Yi insists, doesn’t let him get out of it. The flirting in front of the salads, Shu Yi offering to feed Shi De?

It is as much playful flirting, not caring who looks on, as it is a demonstration of their growths, Shu Yi insisting and reminding Shi De, that both their needs and well being are important, and that they need to eat together. For me, it is also a play with roles again, who is the caretaker, who the care receiver, the feeder, the one being fed, it is a playful way to show how they share that responsibility now, how they work to be equal on this, and how they can take on each role for the other when it is needed.

Watch me totally take this and take it into the bedroom for them, and how they are with each other in bed. And I don’t mean a feeding kink, I mean versatility and flexibility with needs and roles, that need to work FOR you, not limit you.

Anyways.

Shu Yi what’s with that smile, and the pose on that recliner, huh? After giving big boss orders to distract those scheming directors away from your case and your husband’s, so helpful, so… what’s with that head tilt? Does it mean, Husband, get rid of Bing Wei and Zhe Yu and appreciate my pose on this recliner, or is that just me projecting, lol? Didn’t know how to interpret that head tilt otherwise.

Okay, to the scene with Shu Yi coming back from the dinner. Shi De already preparing to face Dad again, with the contents of that brown envelope we will learn about. In comes a tired slouching Shu Yi with snacks, because he didn’t want to eat with his family being political tricksters and everything a game of power to them in the arena of their company. He wants to eat midnight snacks with Shi De, instead of a banquet with false friends and scheming relatives. Relatable.

Yes Shi De, he knows already, the point of a meal is not the food but the person you are eating with. He’s here, alright. Also, you can’t tell me Shi De doesn’t love the way the recliner rocks Shu Yi’s entire being, once he sits down close, lol.

And then begins the conversation between the lines:

Shu Yi is saying he will have to keep playing that two faced game for a while.

Shi De counters he will support him, from the privacy of their own dinners, taking care of him. He leans close to provide comfort, and you can tell Shu Yi is already soaking it up, but still has something on his chest.

The statement that he wants to be chairman in this scene to me implies that he is saying: Maybe we can’t be as open as we want for a while yet, because it will make things more difficult.

Shi De counters he knew, showing that he is aware and that it has influenced his past actions, too, to make things less difficult or Shu Yi, to support him the best way.

In a way he really only became Number one, to be the best support for Shu Yi, how tragic comical how it led to make things harder for Shu I anyway, but that’s the thing with Shi De’s decisions, Dad’s also, they come from the best intentions, but Shu Yi sits in their boat, being affected as well, being rocked with his entire being an the boat.

Shi De says he will be Shu Yi’s support, Shu Yi has the best support in him.

And Shu Yi says he doesn’t want Shi De to give up his own needs to put his career second to Shu Yi’s much like with the food, he doesn’t want to be first, just equal.

But Shi De reminds him it’s about choice. And that is something that Shu Yi requested from Shi De before, so of course he will accept choice.

The following is again a display on that thing they do, the flirting, the pushing and pulling, that plays with boundaries, so sweet on the surface so deep a conversation, so strong the effects they have on each other.

‘Do you have to stand so close, someone might see. - But you came close. - Oh did I? Those are some top notch players at their games. Shu Yi is a master of seduction, and no one can convince me otherwise.

And that leaning onto each other, how Shu Yi totally gives himself up in that embrace? The comfort that scene oozes, Shu Yi might just have gone to sleep right there in his arms, if that went on for a second longer, that safe is how he feels in Shi De’s arms and love. To be held like that, and to accept it the way Shu Yi accepts it. I’ma cry. This is how you do love, isn’t it? Being that for each other, when they need it. Letting the other be that for you, when you need it.

Let me just stop this meta here, because the scene with Shi De and Dad will need its own meta.

But like I concluded in my first meta about Pei Shou Yi and Yu Zhen Xuan:

I love how this episode again plays with themes of power, with roles of caretaker and caregiver, with terms of strong and weak and its subversions and the need for such subversions and flexibilities in human relationships, boundaries and transgressions and how everyone is affected, the physical and the mental/emotional needs and acts and how they blur lines, expectations and how they lead and direct our gaze, and how we will be fools for that most times, and how that’s just human. How the decision who we’d like to be with is ours, defining our identity, whether or not you get to be with that person.

[sunflowerandco]

After the Fact: Act II

Act I

Rating: M for depictions of sex. Now edited not to be explicit.

          It all made perfect sense to him. Their closeness, his need for her, and immense feelings about her that he couldn't ignore formed those clouds of truth again.

-Senior Year-

          Their cumulus forms became more noticeable as they collected moments that may have seemed simple. Still, they weakened the image he had of himself. A persona that wasn't capable of ever having these feelings.

          He needed Courtney to know, and the truths that clouded his mind didn't care about the perfectly crafted image Duncan cared to maintain.

          An image Courtney saw right through.

          "I love you...so fucking much." His words were delivered in between hitched breaths. The grip he had on her hips tightened while he had her take deeper strokes over and over. He could feel himself getting closer to his peak.

          Courtney's mind could only imagine feeling the same way. She heard herself say "I love you, too," in between whimpers.

          It wasn't long after these confessions that Courtney sunk deeper onto him. Deep, warm waves rippled through her lower body as her moans reached their cap. She began grinding in him in a desperate need to ride her peak out. Duncan held her by her waist, making her climax last as long as it could.

          Seeing Courtney at her most unconstrained dissolved all tension in him. He sat up slowly until their foreheads were touching, their panting out of sync with each other. Their lips brushed lightly, and life magnets they leaned in and closed the gap of light that peered through Duncan’s curtains. Their deep kiss ended when Courtney sought out a new position, lying next to him on his bed.

         She was still basking in their glow; enjoying the privilege of not rushing to put on the first piece of clothing she saw right after the act. That's when Duncan got up and headed towards the bathroom. She unashamedly caught glimpses of him as he made his way out. She heard sink water running when she lied on her back again.

         Courtney sighed in content, feeling the most relaxed she's ever felt.

         Then it hits her. The very thoughts he confessed to her. Those three words.

         He... loves you?

         She tried her best to shake this feeling. She knew Duncan. Their feelings being mutual wasn't the most outrageous concept to themselves or anyone who spent 5 minutes in a room with them. But love? Courtney couldn't remember the last time Duncan used that word about anything. She assumed he said it in an intense moment of lust, and that he must’ve forgotten by now. She decided.

          She heard the faucet turn off and footsteps toward the door, and Duncan came back with a wet, warm rag.

          "Here, babe," Duncan offered as he removed the bedsheet from her body.

          Courtney's legs were still weak when he parted them to wipe down and around her folds with the cloth. She lied still, frozen by her own realized fears.

          Duncan tried to read an unclear expression on her face. It was almost blank. “Hey... you okay, Princess?” Courtney did her best to ruin this train of thought that left her detached from reality.

          “Yeah. I’m okay. Everything’s okay over here.” Duncan looked unconvinced. Still, he knew you couldn’t force Courtney to do anything until she was ready. He still couldn’t help but feel like he was at fault. All he could do was try to change the subject at hand. But Courtney added on to speak over her lingering thoughts. 

          "Actually, I think I should go home. I don't need my parents worrying about me." Duncan retreated.

          "Alright. My parents should be back soon, too. I'll drive you-"

          "That's okay. I can walk." Courtney reassured him as she gathered her clothes. 

          She let herself out when she finished getting dressed, leaving Duncan concerned and confused.                                                                                                                                    ��     ***

          Courtney practically slammed her locker shut before looking both ways. She successfully avoided Duncan for the rest of the weekend and hoped to do so for the rest of the school day. Upon turning right she saw her friend, Bridgette, at the other end of the hall in front of an empty classroom.

           Bridgette spotted her as well and waved across the her, beckoning Courtney over.

           "Hey, Bridge. Have you seen Duncan today?"

           "Hey, Court, no. I haven't seen him all day. I'm pretty sure he just skipped with Geoff." Bridgette trailed off before remembering Courtney’s plans for last weekend.. "So... how did it go on Saturday?" She asked while playfully poking her.

            Courtney delayed her answer when she grabbed Bridgette's arm and into the empty classroom before shutting the door. She readjusted the bag on her shoulder before locking the door behind her. Her actions caused a look of concern on her friend's face.

          Bridgette sat on top of one of the desks. "I take it didn't go well? What happened?"

          Courtney paced back and forth in short steps before she answered half-heartedly. "Duncan told me he loved me, and I said it back."

          "Oh my gosh!" Bridgette exclaimed. She half-jokingly threw a fist in the air. "Finally! That's so great!" Bridgette smiled through and through, but Courtney's look of uncertainty remained. "Why aren't we smiling?"

          "Well, he said it while we were having sex and..." Courtney trailed off. "What if he just said it because I took my clothes off for him?"

          "Woah, Courtney. You're getting way too ahead of yourself. This is Duncan we're talking about. The guy's had a crush since, like, 7th grade." Bridgette waited for a counterargument from her best friend. "You can always just, you know, ask him?"

          Courtney groaned at the suggestion. "That'll just make me look weird and clingy." She stared into her shoes as she thought of all the possible ways she could be perceived, all of them being out of her control.

          Bridgette couldn't help but give an all-knowing smile. "Oh my gosh. You really, really Love him. I mean, loooove."

          Courtney gave Bridgette a solemn look. "Now is not the time for you to rub in how right you are! Why does love make me so dumb?!"

          Bridgette hopped off the desk she was sitting on and held Courtney by her shoulders. "It doesn't make you dumb, Courtney! You need to accept your feelings for what they are. You both made pretty bold statements to each other. It's okay to ask given the situation. Okay?"

         Courtney took a deep breath before Bridgette loosened her grip on her shoulders. All she could do was nod in agreement. She couldn't argue her way out of this one, and didn't want to. She had truly had enough fighting with herself. She had to give herself a break.

         Bridgette walked her out of the classroom. The hallways were emptier than they last left them. She offered Courtney a ride home, and they made their way out to the school parking lot. They opened the door to see a familiar car parked in front the entrance. Courtney turned back towards the entrance doors, but was quickly caught by Bridgette by the arm. She gently pulled Courtney in the direction of the car. The driver rolled down the window and Bridgette leaned down into it with Courtney caught onto her grip behind her. She heard his voice as Bridgette greeted him.

        Punk rock blared on the radio before it was dialed down, and Courtney looked in through the window to see him sitting there. "Hey, Bridge. Need a ride?"

        "No, but she does." Bridgette gestured to Courtney. She stood straight again to pull Courtney towards the passenger side. Courtney opened the door herself, giving her friend a glare before settling down on the seat. She continued to look towards the windshield without saying so much as a 'bye.' The blonde smiled nonetheless and shut the door for her. She buckled herself in as Bridgette walked towards her own car, and she heard her yell from a distance.

       "See you tomorrow, Courtney! Love you!" Duncan turned on the ignition to make his way to her house.

                                                       ***

          A long ride in silence opposed the advice Bridgette gave Courtney. She had never let fear rule her more than this moment. Duncan pulled onto her street and stopped the engine.

         “Okay, well, see you tomorrow?” He asked in a self-conscious manner, 

         Courtney still faced forward as she answered quietly. “Yeah, see ya. Goodnight.”

         Duncan found he couldn't do anything to make her talk, so he called it a night. Still, he needed her to know. “Okay. I love you, Courtney.”

         Courtney started grabbing her bag and cardigan from the backseat. She responded out of frustration before realizing what he said to her. "I love you, too - wait," she turned her face back toward Duncan for the first time today, her ears increasingly getting warmer. "You meant that?"

         Duncan's brow furrowed before answering. "That I love you? …Yes...? Why would I not mean it?"

         Courtney sat back down in the passenger seat, looking back him again, this time with diffidence laced in her words.  "I don't know... people can say anything in the heat of the moment."

         "Heat of the..." It was then Duncan realized what she was indicating. She looked away. "Let me get this straight. You think I told you that I love you just because we were having sex?" Courtney couldn't admit it, she only sat in silence.

         "Look, Courtney. I meant it. Every word I said. I wouldn't say something like that just to fuck you over. You're..." Duncan trailed off.

         "What? I'm what?"

         Duncan gripped the steering wheel with one of his hands and looked around. "...You're too important for me to lose, Princess. I love you. And I'll say it anytime I want."

         Courtney sat still, but her heartbeat thumped heavy in her chest.

         Duncan pushed her a little. He knew the answer, but still asked. "Well? Do you love me?"

         Courtney turned to him once again. She threw her arms up in surrender. "What? Yes, I love you! I can't remember a time I didn't!" Courtney crossed her arms in a habitual attempt to barricade herself emotionally.

         Duncan inched closer to Courtney, adding fuel to her flame. "And I can't either!" He gestured to himself What's so wrong with that?" His voice took to a deeper, serious tone. "I don't know about you, but hearing that on both ends makes me think we're doing something right. Like I'm doing right by you. Did I do something wrong?"

         Courtney sighed. She could acknowledge this was a product of her own overthinking. "No, not really. I don't know what got into me. I just knew I had these feelings, and I realized that... I'm in deep." She looked down onto her lap. "I knew I wouldn't be okay if it all disappeared one day."

         Duncan placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're gonna do our best to make sure that doesn't happen."

         "Come here." Duncan cupped her chin and placed his lips on top of hers. She joined in the beguiling pattern of his lips drawing out every kiss to be longer and deeper than the last. Courtney sighed into his lips. She felt her hands go through his mohawk as their slow motions began to pick up the pace.

         Duncan placed his hand on her thigh, surpassing the hem of her skirt while his other hand found her lower back. His hand slipped underneath her shirt and Courtney shivered at his touch, and Duncan smiled into the kiss, reveling in the effect he had on her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as an invitation to be pulled in closer. He gripped the back of her thighs to lift her onto his lap. She was halfway there when-

         HOOOONK!

         Courtney practically jumped out of her skin screaming and Duncan frightfully yanked his arm away from the horn. She landed back onto the passenger seat clutching her chest. In between getting the shit scared out of her and the breathlessness of their consolidation, Courtney found herself laughing. Duncan took notice to her loosening up and felt relief. Courtney looked over her shoulder at her house, and noticed one of the lights in her parent's bedroom turn on.

         "I should go in before they chew us out." Courtney calmed her giggles down and gave Duncan a kiss on his cheek. She draped her bag over her shoulder and looked at him one more time. "I love you, delinquent.

         "I love you, too, Princess."

         He watched her to make sure she made it inside her house. She closed the door shut, and Duncan felt himself smiling like an idiot.

A/N: Hello! Quick question: Am I making them too soft? I tried to make them vulnerable because having sex in a new relationship with a person you've only shown one side to can be a scary thing, so they're not gonna be their love/hate selves after they've shown how serious they are about each other. I don't know. If you think they're out of character, let me know and I'll try my best to fix that. See ya in act iii!

[tsukinikawatteus]

Smarty McFly

Recently I found myself really bothered with this one thing: in collective consciousness (and therefore, in the majority of fan-made content) Doc and Marty are perceived as an archetype “Brains and Heart” duo, with Marty being presented as this extremely cool and resilient teenager, though severely lacking in understanding of science/mechanics/any other intelligent activity. Basically, Marty is a dumb dumb.

Let’s look into this issue more carefully.

First, Marty considers Doc, the town’s nutcase scientist, his best friend and obviously spends a lot of time at the lab assisting with various inventions and experiments. We don’t have a solid answer on how long exactly they’ve been friends for, but the fact that they’re willing to risk their lives for each other? I say it’s been long enough for Marty to slowly develop interest in all the science-y stuff Doc’s constantly working on; by helping him out he totally should’ve gained some practical experience and has an idea of how things work, why they don’t work and how to make them work. Besides, seeing Doc so passionate about his inventions and listening to him explaining complicated processes in an entertaining way makes it quite difficult to not be at least interested in science.

With all that being said, it’s worth paying some attention to evidence. In one of the “Back to the Future” deleted scenes, we can see Doc rummaging through his 1955 lab looking for tools to examine the DeLorean. Meanwhile, Marty is trying to connect the JVC video camera from ‘85 to a ‘55 TV set. Doesn’t this seem kind of strange? Shouldn’t Doc be doing the “brainy” work as the local genius, instead of a 17-year old rock-and-roll loving teenager? Well, it gets better: Marty asks Doc if he has a 75 Ohm matching transformer:

and after getting a “What?” for an answer, he realizes it hasn’t been invented yet and he would have to come up with something else to show Doc the footage on the camera.

First of, excuse me? A 75 Ohm matching transformer? Is this what they taught kids in small towns’ schools back in 1985?

While Doc is inspecting his future self’s “personal belongings”, we can see Marty on the background, explaining what a hairdryer is and literally making the ‘85 camera work on a 30-years old TV set even without the 75 Ohm matching transformer or any help whatsoever.

Furthermore, here’s a Polaroid picture taken behind the scenes in Marty’s room set:

He has a fancy keyboard and a heart-warming photo of Jennifer, but that’s not the point right now. As we can see, there’s a yellow envelope - the one which contains the Pinheads’ audition tape, ready to be sent to the record company (Marty finally decides to actually send it and he is carrying the envelope after waking up in the new ‘85 timeline). What’s more interesting is the tangled wires, tools, empty tape cases, batteries, the Rubik’s cube and audio equipment the table is practically buried under. This leads to a conclusion that Marty worked on cutting and editing his band’s tape himself, making sure they sounded their best, and it requires solid technical skills, as well as decent hardware (maybe he borrowed some from Doc?).

Also, how fascinated, yet attentive he looks when Doc explains how the time machine works? Very nice.

To sum it all up, Marty is not a dumb dumb. He may have one brain cell, but this brain cell is extremely intelligent, into science, tech and everything in Doc’s field of work, eager to learn new skills and able to use them brilliantly when necessary.

[emersonfreepress]

okay so is there content that you had planned for the ROs and story in general but then scrapped cause there wasn’t a good place in the story to stick it in? and if so, can you share what it was? 👀 👀 👀

yes, definitely. *rubs hands together* oh man, you done asked THE question today xD I can't wait to get into this 😁

Academics. I almost decided to have classes and grades be a minor part of gameplay, but the more time I spent designing it the more I realized I wanted nothing to do with it 😂 I haven’t really enjoyed academic gameplay in other interactive fiction because I 1) hate having to choose between studying and interacting with awesome characters, 2) have terrible short term memory, and 3) hate school in general!! So instead I just opted to have the MC be really good at school, point blank period so I could focus on social drama and relationships instead! 😆

Physical skills. I spent literal months crafting the catering scene around setting up stats for stamina/endurance, dexterity, and strength instead of just magnetism, confidence, and persuasion. They had their own backstories with the MC’s parents being overly invested sports parents instead and I think the background choices were like... martial arts, gymnastics, and track? But yeah, I ended up scrapping it all because I was spending hours on research about those individual sports so I could integrate them into the MC’s narrative organically but like... when I tried to think of what use they would be in the actual story, I came up blank. Best decision yet, esp since it means a lot less coding!

Skin tone customization. For one, I noticed that a lot of my favorite IFs don’t offer that customization and it hasn’t impacted my experience at all. For two, I originally realized I might as well not implement it since I am striving real hard not to introduce any customization that won’t actually be mentioned in interesting or meaningful ways in-story. I don’t think it’s really all that common for real life friends (esp in high school?) to comment or compliment each other’s skin and like... when it comes from someone who doesn’t share a similar complexion or ethnic background, that type of commentary gets... d i c e y. So then I wanted to be sensitive to that but what’s the pay-off? An RO mentioning how they love your skin tone once? Awkward sentences with the MC referring to their own skin color? Idk, just wasn’t vibing with it. I’m open to revisiting it in beta or something but for now it’s scrapped.

Singing, Rapping, and Gaming as Hobbies/Talents. I feel bad about scrapping these, honestly 😂 They’re great and I really wanted to incorporate them but it just came down to already having a lot of stuff to code. Plus, I know I can write the Hobbies/Talents I stuck with far better. And for Book 2 purposes, as well!

Leo. as @sourandflightypeaches ​​ asked me about a long while ago, I had to scrap an entire RO 😢 His name is Leo, he was the nephew of wealthy west African diplomats residing in Emerson, and I love him dearly! His backstory was largely based on my mother’s childhood and the circumstances she lived through after immigrating to America. and... ok, i’m about to go on one hell of a tangent so buckle up and bear with me if you can 😅

my intention with this story, aside from writing things that I personally enjoy (graphic violence, spooky woods, social drama, romance, conspiracies 😚), is to explore greed, wealth, and how the ways people and families interact with those two things influence young people and who they grow up to be. here i go sounding pretentious af 😝 and here’s where I apply a cut for those who want to preserve a little mystery to the main characters!

With Gabe, we’ve got someone who grew up with very little stability or financial security but who has found unscrupulous methods to gain status and money, with both noble and selfish motivations.

Kile has some of that childhood experience in common with Gabe, having been in the foster care system since infancy, but they lucked out when they were adopted into massive wealth by a caring, loving couple—a couple that uses their wealth and privilege to be far more lenient and protective of Kile than is actually reasonable or responsible.

Jack comes from a prestigious wealthy family on his dad’s side who he loves dearly but there’s no getting around the fact that they love him back as much as they despise his working class mom.

Jessie is a spoiled sweet heiress (being the baby of her family and the only girl) and while she lives blissfully ignorant of the harmful source and impact of her father's income and career, she bears the weight of the expectation to fulfill very traditional gender roles, including her behavior and appearance, but also extending to her career and life plans.

Rain's wealth led to them growing up sheltered and isolated but also extremely accommodated, giving them maximum freedom and opportunity to discover and develop their personal talents and interests. However, they have almost no positive relationship with their parents who have essentially decided to give up on a kid that couldn't be exactly the accessory they tried to mold them to be—both in terms of their identity and personality.

Rupan/Rohan, at their very core, rejects everything about conformity, self-importance, and excessive luxury—which means they have never, ever truly fit in with their peers. Going full non-conformist, however, has resulted in them becoming alienated from much of their family, as well, despite them all loving each other very much. Their history with false friends and betrayals has led them to over-indulge in their vices and reckless behavior to compensate for that isolation. Sometimes, they just get in over their head and many times, they know better. Every time, it's just that the feeling of finally belonging is utterly intoxicating.

Vivian/Vincent has two extremely successful parents who didn't inherit but instead built up their wealth and they aspire to be just like them, to a degree that is well and truly unhealthy. Their mother specifically is an over-achiever and applies mountainous pressure for them to follow in her footsteps, especially academically. Vi is completely capable of achieving what their mom expects of them, but they were already an extremely sensitive perfectionist so this has made them intensely critical of themself. This is a large part of why they are such a rigid, no-nonsense person and that in turn has made them one of the most disliked people among their peers—which is a huge personal failure to them since their father is a very well-liked and socially successful person in town.

And the Emersons are peak privilege: inherent high social status, brains, looks, charisma, athleticism, and massive wealth. They could never have been anything less than extremely popular, just by virtue of their last name and the nature of the town's social dynamics and politics. And they do enjoy that privilege (esp Curt lol). However, it should go without saying that being so high profile, even (or maybe especially) just in the isolated scope of your hometown, isn't always a boon. Their family's and their own perceived failings are widely discussed and privately mocked and/or celebrated. Real friends are scarce while fake ones and snakes are plentiful. Plus their dad is a gigantic dickhead who sees his kids as extensions of his own status and reputation and not much else. Public shortcomings make for an unbearable time at home and the world outside the estate is at once overly accommodating, full of assumptions, and even subtly hostile at times—all unrelated to their own actions or character.

And with the MC, I think the narrative will make it clear there are several ways that story can go. You start off with irresponsible parents that have lost their wealth due to their own mismanagement and material ambitions—how that affects any individual MC should differ based on choices and consequences!

So why bring any of that up when I was supposed to be talking about my cut OC? 😂😂

Leo was going to be the unwelcome recent addition to his uncle’s household, the son of a brother his aunt hates for (petty af) Reasons, and she took that resentment out on him directly by restricting his access to nearly every aspect of the family's wealth. Especially material goods and living conditions. He was basically treated like the help, tasked with playing nanny for his many younger cousins and burdened with doing the homework and providing academic cover for his dumb as rocks cousin in the same grade as you all. To sum it up, he was basically a victim of trafficking at the hands of his own family with his uncle out of town enough to feign ignorance to how bad his wife was treating his nephew and his aunt going out of her way to keep him busy, at home, and isolated. This is sadly a super common form of trafficking in Francophone African cultures (although I don't think most people view it as trafficking. and I’m sure the same is true of other cultures but I don’t want to speak outside of my purview). And like I mentioned above, it’s how my own mom's (and idek how many cousins') child/teenhood went.

It’s a perspective on modern wealth, privilege and greed that I really, really wanted to tell. I am confident in saying it hasn't been explored in interactive fiction yet (though correct me—and direct me 👀—if I'm wrong) and out of all the wealth/greed explorations I came up with, it's the one I have the closest personal ties to and the strongest feelings about. The characters and plans I had for it were detailed and I'm proud of them but at the end of the day... I just couldn't find a place for Leo in the story at large.

Leo was, in fact, the last main character I came up with, when I had already designed and fleshed out the larger story and started crafting the timeline of major events. I think the worst thing I could have done for a story and perspective that I care about this much is shove it into a plot that didn't have room for it at the very base level, regardless of how well the character or his story is written. Shoe-horned characters always stick out. I didn’t want to disservice Leo by having him be the character that did nothing or could be removed from the main plot without affecting it at all, y’know? That’s so much worse than just forgoing the indulgence, imo :((

ugh.... Leooooo 😭 I'm so sorry bb, I failed youuu 😥