#he is the least and most competent person on earth

[exhaslo]

not sure if your requests are still open but i'll throw mines in

a spider woman reader who's like Miguel's right hand person in the spider society, they're pretty prideful and have an ego (already in a relationship with him) one day she has to go on an anomaly mission, comes back but completely avoids everyone including him, turns out she got hit with some sex pollen and was too embarrassed to say anything and miguel still helps treat it 👌🏻👀

I'm going to officially open up my requests back soon, I just have a few more of these that were submitted to get done before I openly accept more requests!

But, ayeeeeeee haven't had a sex pollen one in a hot minute!

Warning: MINORS DNI, smut, fingering, overstimulation, begging, sex pollen

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"Stop....smirking," You said with a small whimper.

This was the most embarrassing moment in your life. At least right now it was. You were laying against a soft bed inside one of the spare rooms in the Spider Society, legs spread wide as your loving boyfriend decided to torment you. Miguel was enjoying this far more than he should.

"But (Y/N), it's so nice seeing you so submissive," He cooed against your ear, his talons tearing apart what little fabric you had left on,

"D-Don't....get used to....it," You cried out a soft moan, trembling towards the cold air hitting your cunt. Miguel lazily licked your bottom lip,

"You asked me to help, baby, so I'm helping...just slowly."

You shuddered, arching your back to try and get his touch. This was so embarrassing. You had never let Miguel see you this desperate. The two of you were always competing in your relationship with him, but this time...you had to cave.

--------

A few hours before this surprise event, you were sitting beside Miguel, helping him file some anomaly reports. Everyone assumed that you were his right hand woman-which you were-but you were also his girlfriend.

The two of you were still unsure of how dating between the multiverse would work, but it was impossible to keep the two of you away from one another. You were just as stubborn as he was and when you wanted something...you went to get it.

You had pride. You may have a bit of an ego, but Miguel loved that about you. He would get riled up whenever you bickered with him. It brought some spark to the relationship whenever the two of you tried to see who would cave first.

Sometimes it was you.

Sometimes Miguel.

Whoever the victory was got to take control of the night. You never wanted to admit it, but Miguel was a fucking god in bed. You would not hesitate to bend over for him, but at the same time, you would. You didn't want to admit that you liked him taking control.

"(Y/N)," Miguel hummed as his watch went off. You leaned your head back into his,

"Which big bad is it?"

"A Green Goblin," Miguel sighed. You got up and put the paperwork aside, "Be careful. It's on one of those Earths with no humans."

"Oh, fun." You said with a smirk and leaned down to peck Miguel's lips, "I'll have some peace and quiet for a bit."

"Sure. Be careful,"

"I always am."

-------

You were fucked. You were so fucking fucked. Yes, you had managed to complete the mission and capture the Green Goblin, but the cost? That bastard sent you flying into a field of strange flowers, whose pollen was now soaking your panties.

You tried to chase some relief before returning, but your fingers were not enough. You had made yourself cum twice, but you still needed more. Hurrying back to the Spider Society, you knew that you could hide in one of the spare rooms.

If masturbating wasn't going to fix this, then you needed to stay under a cold shower.

Passing by everyone, you hurried to the rooms. You couldn't afford to let anyone find out. Gasping, you spotted Miguel heading your way. Your pussy clenched as you thought about his dick railing you. His hard cock fitting so perfectly inside your desperate cunt.

"(Y/N)? Are you alright?" Miguel asked. You shuddered lowly,

"Fine," Your voice cracked.

"No, you-"

"I-I'm fine!"

You were biting the inside of your cheek as you rushed off. Your body was burning up and being so close to Miguel almost made you pounce on him. This was horrible. You didn't want Miguel to see you like this.

Finally entering the room, you laid on the bed and screamed into the pillow. You needed to take a cold shower, but you wanted to relieve some of this pain first. Thinking about Miguel's dick inside you only made your symptoms worse!

"Hah~ Ah, Miguel...fuck..." You cried, furiously rubbing your clit, "F-Fuck...I...I need...m-more."

"(Y/N)? What's going on?!" Miguel quickly shut the door as he hurried to your side.

You cussed, laying on your back as you continued to rub your clit. Tears formed in the corner of your eyes as you made eye contact with Miguel.

"I-I got hit with...some pollen. Miguel, fuck...I-I ah~ can't do this by myself!" You cried, unable to take the pain.

"Ay dios mio (My god), (Y/N), you have to let me know shit like this. I'm here to help you, damnit."

You whimpered as Miguel removed your hands, replacing them with his. Your body jolted forward, moaning louder as you felt his thick digits pump into your wet velvet walls. Your pussy sounded so slutty as Miguel pumped into you.

"M-Mig, r-right there!"

"I've heard about the sex pollen. Never seen the effects up close," Miguel hummed, watching you cum against his fingers alone, "It's nice seeing you like this."

"Stop....smirking," You said with a small whimper.

"But (Y/N), it's so nice seeing you so submissive," He cooed against your ear, his talons tearing apart what little fabric you had left on,

"D-Don't....get used to....it," You cried out a soft moan, trembling towards the cold air hitting your cunt. Miguel lazily licked your bottom lip,

"You asked me to help, baby, so I'm helping...just slowly."

You cried and squirmed as Miguel rubbed the tip of his dick against your cunt. You shuddered and cried, begging him to just fuck you already. His dick was coated in your juices and you were ready to have him coat your insides white.

"M-Miguel, please...please, please, fuck me!" You kept begging. Miguel held your hips, pushing his dick in slowly,

"I'm never going to hear such sweet begs again, am I?" He asked, resting his dick inside your tight walls, "You took me in so well,"

"M-Move, please! It hurts."

Miguel frowned as he stroked your cheek and pulled you in for a kiss. His hips started to sway into yours, finally giving you what you wanted.

"Just let me know when it goes away," Miguel whispered.

You whimpered and moaned as you held onto your boyfriend. His thick dick pounding your fleshy core. Your vision was blurring as your body kept cumming from pleasure. Your core still burning, begging to be filled to the brim.

With each thrust, you felt you body jolt. No matter how deep and rough Miguel was hitting, you still wanted more. The bedsheets below you were stained in your juices as you kept crying for him. Your body trembling from the overwhelming pleasure.

Gasping as you felt Miguel fill you with his cum, you whimpered for more. Miguel placed you on your knees, pressing your face into the pillow as he railed you from behind. Your hands curled into fists as you tried not to pass out.

"Mig~ Mig! More!" You kept crying out.

You were losing count of how many times you cam. You were losing count of how many times Miguel's dick hit your cervix. All you felt was how hot and wet your insides were. The numbing feeling of his dick pounding into your horny pussy.

"Mhm~ Ah~"

You were a babbling mess, whimpering and moaning to each thrust. Right now, you didn't care about your pride. All you cared about what Miguel filling you up. Gasping, you felt your body burst once more as a cooling feeling washed over you.

"Fuck, hn, (Y/N)!" Miguel grunted as he slapped himself at a rougher pace.

"Ah~" You felt some of your senses return as you felt him cum inside you once more.

Panting heavily, you tried to say something, but your voice was cracked. Shuddering, you moaned as Miguel continued his rough thrusts. The sex pollen had finally wore off, but your body was so sensitive and fucked out that you didn't want to stop.

"Mig~"

After another few rounds, you were spent. You body laid against the bed, exhausted and weak. Miguel went to start a bath and returned for you, picking you up with ease. You just leaned against him, whimpering at the slightest touch.

"Shh, it's going to be a while until you're good." Miguel warned as he placed you in the bath with him, "Next time this happens, you need to come straight to me."

"...No...next time." You whispered tiredly. Miguel just chuckled in response,

"I know, I know. You won't get caught in this again," He hummed, kissing your head in response, "Sex pollen or not, I'll happily fuck you into submission."

"Mhm,"

You weren't going to argue this time. Not when you were already exhausted. Closing your eyes, you decided to let Miguel take care of you tonight. He deserved it for having to deal with your issue. Scoffing quietly, you also deserved to relax after being railed who knows how many times.

"Mig,"

"Hm?"

"Analyze....the pollen...I'm going...to need revenge."

"No,"

You just pouted, slowly falling asleep against him. Miguel was never going to let you live this down. He enjoyed it too much and you were not going to get the pollen yourself.

Guess you'll just have to take this loss.

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Hope you enjoyed!!!

[royboyfanpage]

Relationship Rant- Dinah Lance

I'm gonna talk about one of the most endearing relationships in DC: Roy Harper and Dinah Lance.

As I've mentioned in other posts, I dislike the idea of Dinah as the "Arrowmum", I think it's a disservice to her character and, generally speaking, when fandom applies the title of "mother" to a female character it tends to reduce them down to that (as I've seen a lot of posts doing with Selina Kyle). That being said, there's something undeniably mother/son coded about Dinah and Roy's relationship, in the sense of mutual care and respect.

As far as I can tell, the first instance in which Dinah and Roy were seem interacting at length is in Snowbirds Don't Fly part 2 (Green Lantern/Green Arrow #86), and Arsenal #1 further backs this up by saying Dinah didn't even know Roy's civilian name until that comic.

This sets the tone for their entire relationship, as Dinah's literal introduction to Roy is when he's at his lowest. A lot of other people in Roy's life, particularly Ollie, had already known him extensively pre-Snowbirds; they had memories who they could look back on as "before it all went wrong with Roy." Dinah, however, doesn't have that. There's no pre-addiction Roy she can look back on, no fabricated "better" version she can judge the later Roy based on those standards. Everything she's seen of Roy has been improvement- she's seen him at his lowest, and seen him fight to improve and better himself as the years progressed, even stating that she views him as the bravest person she's ever met.

But that isn't to say their dynamic is exclusively Dinah comforting him. Their relationship is built on mutual care and affection, supporting each other, such as after Ollie died.

At that point, they're really the only two people they can speak to about their grief. I believe Hal's dead at this point, or at the very least he's Parallax, and Connor had only been in Ollie's life briefly prior to Ollie's death. Dinah and Roy are the two people who truly knew Ollie, and are alive to talk about it, at this point in time, and as a result they are each others mutual source of comfort.

They also just have a good relationship in general. They're able to joke around together, and they can talk to each other easily-

-and it's so clear to see their chemistry with one another.

When Roy later joins the Justice League, Dinah's one of his biggest supporters, even before his official initiation-

-showing just how much she respects Roy and believes he can do well. (From Green Arrow (2001) #74) Dinah's seen Roy as the competent hero he is, and knows that with his skillset and sense of morality he is far better fit amongst the greatest heroes of Earth compared to the controversial, underdog team Outsiders (which, while I adore the 2003 Outsiders cast, is a good point. Roy was seen routinely unhappy in that team, and the Justice League was one of his biggest dreams). Upon his actual induction into the League, Dinah's the one Roy dedicates his success to-

-demonstrating just how much he appreciates her and her constant support (From Justice League of America (2006) #7), and she's the one who reassures him that he does deserve the title of Red Arrow upon him joining the League and feeling anxous about it.

And in Vixen: Return of the Lion, when Dinah is compromised, you can see Roy's panic and concern for her wellbeing-

-demonstrating just how much he cares for her. Dinah's arguably one of the only people who loves Roy the same way he loves everyone in his life- unconditionally, and without judgement or grudges- and so the concept of losing that person to which his type of love is reciprocated is understandably terrifying.

Overall, Roy and Dinah are one of DCs most endearing relationships that has so many layers- a mother/son dynamic, a mutual support system, and best friends.

[notfreetoday]

MPW Ep 6 Subtitle Corrections

Masterlist: EP 1 || EP 2 || EP 3 || EP 4 || EP 5 ||

Y: 正直言って　怖い 近づく度に　心臓が跳ねるから 何なら近寄らないで欲しい 住む世界が違うから 好かれたいとかは思わない ただ。。。 嫌われてしまったら死んでしまうかもしれない 想像するだけで　胃液がせり上がった Y: To be honest, I was scared. Because whenever he came close to me, my heart leapt and skipped a beat. I wished that, if possible, he wouldn't come near me because we lived in different worlds. 'I want him to like me' - I never had a thought like that. It was just... If he ended up hating me then I felt like I might die. Just thinking about it made my stomach turn.

We've seen for awhile that Yoh's fear that Segasaki will one day come to disdain him is what keeps him from voicing his thoughts out loud - but it is in Ep 6 that we truly learn the intensity with which Yoh feels, and come to understand why that fear overwhelms him to the point that he is incapable of hearing Segasaki's love for him.

Or, Yoh sees Segasaki for the first time and literally starts spouting poetry in the way only a visual artist can. Get ready for a lot of interaction breakdowns - this episode tells us quite a lot about these two! Same translation disclaimer applies, Ep 6, let's go!

S: 相変わらず　歩くの遅ぇな S: As usual, he walks so slowly

Y: あのさ　実は Y: 出てくるときにケンカしちゃって M: え？どうしたの Y: お前の仕事なんてどうでもいいって言われた M: 瀬ケ崎さんが？そんなこと言ったの？ Y: どうでもいいって　なんだよ Y: 人が一所懸命やってることに対して* Y: 最低だよ　あいつ* Y: You know... actually Y: When I was leaving we got into an argument M: Huh? What happened? Y: I was told "I don't care at all about something like your work" M: By Segasaki-san? He said something like that? Y: "I don't care at all"... what's with that! Y: To say that about something that someone is giving their all for...* Y: He's the worst, that guy** **Yoh uses あいつ (aitsu) to refer to Segasaki as "that guy". This is again considered rude, though is often used amongst male friends as well (like calling someone an asshole/bastard). He tends to use this word to refer to Segasaki in his head, especially when he's annoyed with him.

*Just like at the end of Ep 5, where Yoh emphasizes that he will become someone who can earn more as opposed to just earning more, here Yoh specifies that he is upset with Segasaki's response to his work, rather than being upset with the response being directed at himself, as the original subs imply. It's a small difference but I think it's important because it fits with his entire character. He has consistently only been triggered by comments about his work, not about him as a person. Yoh is self-conscious and sensitive about his work, because he sees competence as a measure of worth. It's precisely because he ties his self-worth to his work that he falls into such a deep depression in Ep 5, and it is the same reason why Yoh does not understand what good Segasaki could possibly see in him - after all, there is no merit in just being who he is, only in the work that he can do.

Y: いや　それは都合よく受け取り過ぎだよ Atsuya: ダヨ君　言葉って受け取り方が９割だからさ A: 同じ言葉でも　その時の気持ちやコンディションによって A: 違った意味に捻じ曲げちゃうものなんだよ A: ダヨ君が元気な時だったら     もっと甘～く聞こえたんじゃない？ Y: No, that's just over-interpreting it in my favor Atsuya (Man-san's husband): Dayo-kun, they say that about 90% of the meaning words convey comes down to the way we interpret them, so A: Depending on the way we feel, or our condition in that moment, that meaning can end up distorted and warped, even if the same words are used, you know? A: If Dayo-kun you, had been in a happier mood, might it not have sounded a lot sweeter to you?

Y: ん。。。いや、違うんです Y: 俺とあの人って　そういう感じじゃないんで Y: Mm... No, it's not like that Y: That person and I, well... that's not what it's like (between us), you see

Y: あの人を初めて見たとき この星の生き物じゃないかもしれないって思った   少なくとも地球上で見たものの造形の中で 一番きれいだとおもった 耳の形　鼻筋　 下顎角のライン　唇の膨らみ きっと見えない眼球の形状まで きれいなんだろうなって

Y: When I first saw that person I thought that he might not be a living thing from this planet At the very least, out of all the forms that I had ever seen on this Earth I thought he had the most beautiful one. The shape of his ears, the ridge of his nose, The line of the angle of his jaw, the full contour of his lips Even the structure of what could not be seen - the globe of his eyes - I thought for sure that too must be beautiful.

Y: 趣味で漫画は描いてたけど 現実の人間を描くのは初めてだった それに　 男を描きたいと思ったのも初めてだった 今　目に焼き付けて　描きつけておきたい衝動に駆られた たぶん　あの美貌と同じ空間にいた そのせいで　俺は　おかしくなっていた Y: I had drawn manga as a hobby but It was my first time drawing a real live person. And, It was also the first time that I thought "I want to draw a man" In that moment, driven by impulse, I wanted to burn his image into my eyes, to capture his likeness down on paper. Probably, it was because I was in the same space as that beauty. It was because of that, that I began to go crazy.

At 06:44, when Segasaki's green shirt classmate comes in calling his name, you can see that Yoh mouth’s "Mizuki" after he hears it.

(Btw Green Shirt later wears a Red Jacket, and is played by Nishimoto Maiki, the leader of the group Acchan is in - GENIC. Cute shot of the 3 of them here)

S: 直接何かしてくるわけではないし　別にいいと思うけど S: Well it's not like he's doing anything to us directly... I think it's fine actually

Y: 女の子が相手なら　 一目惚れだとはっきり思ったかもしれない でも　ただただきれいな男だったんで 自分の脳が　そこまで処理しきれなかった Y: If it was a girl Then maybe I would have clearly understood that this was love at first sight But it was just very simply, a beautiful man so My brain couldn't handle processing more than that

Most of this is not subtitled, and it’s a little muffled, but as the group walks over you can hear that Segasaki is the center of their conversation here, though he's not actually participating in it much. It speaks to the group dynamics, so I'm including it here (Segasaki is bolded):

Girl: ええ？ S: ちがうよ Red Jacket: 瑞貴じゃん、ね、今ね？ Girl どうせモテるじゃん S: いやモテない Red:モテるよ瑞貴が Girl: 告白されてるよ　どうせ Red: されてる　されてる Girl: あれ！ぼっちくん*じゃん Red: うわっ　マジだ　ぼっちくんじゃん Boy: いつも俺たちのことチラチラ見てる Girl: ちょっと来なよ　おしゃべりしたげるからさ** Girl: Whaat? S: It wasn't Red Jacket: It was (said to) Mizuki wasn't it, right? Just now? Girl: I mean you're popular anyway! S: No, I'm not Red: Mizuki's popular Girl: Whatever it is, that was a confession (you received) Red: It was, it was Girl: Oh hey! Why, isn't it Little Loner*? Red: Oh snap, you're right! It is Little Loner! Boy: The one who always sneaks looks at us Girl: Come here a bit, we'll talk to you, ok?** *ぼっちくん (Bocchi-kun) - Bocchi is slang for loner, and by adding the suffix "-kun" to it, they've turned this into a diminutive, like a nickname. It sounds cute and friendly, but is clearly meant as a casual sort of insult, so I've translated it as "Little" here. **This is an interesting line to discuss. She tells Yoh to come over, using the phrase 来なよ (kina yo) - this is the same "na" that Segasaki uses in Ep 4 actually, when he tells a drunk Yoh to go sleep in the room. It's the exact same word form, but where it was tender when Segasaki said it, it's highly insulting here - and the reason is because of the context and their (non-existant) relationship. She may be Yoh's senior, but this is the first time they're meeting, and they are nowhere near close enough that this phrasing would ever be seen as appropriate. She then tells him "we'll talk to you", using the colloquial form of "~したあげる (shita ageru)" aka "to do for you" - in other words, she's framing the action of them talking to him as if it were a gift from them to him (this word form also implies they are above him in the hierarchy). She also adds the polite prefix "O" to the word for "talk", which in this context is meant to make her appear sweet and ladylike. In other words, with just one line, she has insulted Yoh not only by talking down to him as if he were a small child or a pet, but also by insinuating that she's a sweet, lovely person who has been so kind as to deign to speak to him.

Y: あの。。。俺*　買ってきます Y: 絡まれてるより１００億倍マシだわ Y: Um... I*... will go and buy it. Y: That's definitely 100 million times better than getting harassed by them *Yoh still uses the masculine pronoun 俺 (ore) for "I" here (the same one he's used in every episode) which is remarkable for the fact that he doesn't switch to the more polite form 僕 (boku). Nowadays, it isn't really expected per se that a junior make this switch - especially since "ore" is usually the go-to pronoun for most male university students - but the switch wouldn't be surprising either, given that they are his seniors. Yoh does acknowledge their seniority when he uses the formal -masu form of the word "to buy" - but in the context of them bullying him, the choice to stick with the more masculine pronoun "ore" suggests that he isn't intimidated by them.

Red: セルフパシリって　すごくね？ Girl: やばいよ Red: He automatically offered to be an errand boy! Isn’t that crazy? Girl: It’s nuts!

パシリ(pashiri) - to be made to run errands - is slang, and it is used specifically to refer to cases where someone with more social power orders another around. It’s almost always linked to bullying or misuse of social power – so by using this word, these guys - they know exactly what they are doing.

Y: クソだよ　あいつら* Y: Those bastards*… they’re trash *Yoh uses the same word あいつ (aitsu) to refer to the gang that he did at the beginning of this episode to refer to Segasaki - once again it is the context that changes the meaning of this word. With Segasaki, it is proof that they share a close relationship. With these upper classmen that he's just met - it's definitely rude.

This is a very common form of bullying in school, and evidently, Yoh recognizes it immediately. The fact that he jumps so quickly to cooperating with it tells us sadly that this is something he's familiar with - he's likely been bullied before. This is unfortunately, unsurprising, because Yoh doesn't adhere to social norms very much. He eats alone, he stares at people, he doesn't greet his seniors properly (that slight bow is not enough, there should at least be a verbal greeting of some sort).

In my post on amae, I talked about how the interdependent self-construal means that one's ability to assimilate is seen as a value. In the same vein, people who do not fit in with the group, or who do not conform, are not looked upon favorably in Japan, because it is often assumed that they simply do not want to. It is not that they are unable to assimilate, it is that they are refusing to make an effort to be part of the group, and thus the fault and blame lies with them. Ostracization of those different therefore, is the expected consequence and punishment that the group metes out. All of us have to do our part to adhere to the rules of the group - what makes you so special that you can do your own thing? If you just did your job of fitting in like the rest of us have, well, then you wouldn't be in this position in the first place, now would you? - This sort of justification is the reason why bullying in Japan can become very, very extreme, and why despite efforts, has been so difficult to eradicate.

S: そんなに　一人で持てないだろうと思って S: 貸して Y: ありがとうございます* S: 行こう S: I thought all of that was probably going to be too much for one person to carry S: Pass it over Y: Thank you very much* S: Let's go

*Yoh uses the full, polite version of "thank you" here, and he will, for the most part, continue to use desu/masu forms with Segasaki, and answer him politely, in recognition of their senior/junior relationship. Similarly, Segasaki uses informal forms with Yoh, though he maintains a friendly demeanor and does not drop to rude forms at all, because they aren't that close yet. Note how he says 行こう (ikou) for "let's go" here - different from his present day "we're going", which leaves no room for argument.

(Also, he took the heavier bag of drinks (´ ▽｀).。ｏ♡)

S: 結構歩くのゆっくりなんだね Y: よく　言われます S: 君　名前は？ Y: あ　葉って言います　あの。。。葉っぱの S: ふーん　葉くんか Y: はい S: 俺は　 Y: 瑞貴...さん S: なんで知ってんの？ Y: あ　そう呼ばれていたので S: よく　聞いてんな Y: はあ　まあ。。。

Let's break this down to look at some social cues and nuances:

S: You walk quite leisurely, don't you? Y: I've... been told that a lot

This is more than just a callback to the beginning of the episode (or a chance to contrast how much more polite and sweet Segasaki sounds here 😂) - This is another way in which we see Yoh does not fit in. Segasaki is his senior, who has gone out of his way to come help him (never mind that Yoh's being bullied), and he should at the very least, be trying to match Segasaki's pace, not making him wait like Yoh does here. Segasaki's comment should be taken as much as an expression of surprise, as it should a cue to catch up - Yoh glances briefly at Segasaki after this line (which seems to amuse the latter) but he doesn't actually apologize outright or walk any faster. He does admit that he's been told this often - which sometimes can work as a concession, because you sort of validate what the other person is saying, but at the same time you aren't quite agreeing either. That said, it can backfire, because it means you've been made aware of your habit and yet have done nothing to change it. Segasaki doesn't seem to mind though, and actually matches Yoh's pace here.

Speaking of "pace" - "マイペース" or "my pace" is a loan word from English, and is a term used to describe someone who tends to do things, well, at their own pace, or in their own way, and who isn't bother by the people or goings-on around them. Usually meant as a benign, sometimes affectionate comment on someone's personality, it often brings to mind the image of someone who appears to drift during conversations, who might be a little "slow" in social interactions, or who physically lags behind the group. It can have negative connotations, because it means the group needs to make concessions for this person (like looking for them when they've wondered off). Yoh is the epitome of someone who is "my pace", and I'm very sure that the emphasis on his slow walking is not just a peculiar quirk of his character, it's an intentional part of the character design to show how Yoh is different.

S: *You... what's your name? Y: Ah, I'm called Yoh. Um... written with the character for "leaf" S: Hmm~ Yoh-kun huh.. Y: Yes

*Segasaki uses the polite pronoun 君 (kimi) to refer to Yoh here, as opposed to the rougher お前 (omae) that he now uses in the present day.

That little action Yoh does whilst saying "leaf" is him drawing out the kanji character for his name. It's quite common to tell someone which character is used to write your name, because the characters usually mean something, and it helps others to remember. Strictly speaking, Yoh really should be introducing his full name here, but judging by how he's been fiddling with the plastic bag, he's probably just too nervous to realize.

S: I'm Y: Mizuki...san S: Why do you know that? Y: Ah... that's what.. you were called (by them) so... S: You listen closely don't you Y: Ahh.. yea...

Nice save 😂First of all, it's extremely unusual to jump straight to using someone's first name instead of their family name (unless you're still a kid), let alone doing it to an upper classman, though Yoh does manage to tack on the polite suffix "-san" at the back. It's the verbal equivalent of stepping right into someone's personal space and touching their bag or something and then being all "er there was something there...". It's just weird and borderline inappropriate 😂 The fact that Segasaki doesn't scold him for taking such a liberty, or show any sign that he appears weirded out by it (in fact, he actually goes along with it!) tells us that Segasaki is a very kind (yasashii would be the right term here, the same term that appears at the end of this episode) or at least a very tolerant individual though I'd also like to think he just finds Yoh's strange ways a little cute too.

S: いま　楽しい？ Y: え？あ　いえ S: 絡まれて　パシらされてさ Y: ああ。。 S: どう？ Y: いや　たのしくないです Y: 瑞貴さんは？ S: 俺？ Y: はい S: 全然楽しくない S: 内緒ね Y: はい

Continuing with the breakdown:

S: Is it fun? Y: Huh? Ah no-

Segasaki's tone changes here to a more serious one - all he does is stress the final syllables of the word "fun" to indicate he's asking a question, instead of adding any end particles that might give more context, or that might soften the tone. The topic switch is a little sudden, which is why Yoh seems a bit confused. It doesn't help that the words are a little ambiguous - it literally translates to "now, fun?" - except the Japanese word for "now" is often used to mean "just now" as well, because the Japanese concept of time is not quite as linear as it is in West. "Now" doesn't just refer to "this current exact second we are in", it extends from whenever the "current activity" began right up to "this current exact second" - the key is figuring out what the current activity is 😅. Because Segasaki jumps into this topic so suddenly, and without much contextual cues, Yoh can't quite tell whether he means now, as in them walking together, or now, as in, the whole being sent on an errand thing, which is why Segasaki clarifies in the next sentence:

S: Being hassled, and sent on errands? Y: Oh... S: So? Y: No, it... isn't fun.

Segasaki watches Yoh closely whilst he waits for the answer to his question. This is Segasaki checking that Yoh knows he's being bullied, and it's also permission to talk about the topic. Once he confirms that Yoh does know what's happening, he looks away again.

The exchange tells us a lot about Segasaki's character, because often, the reason why bullying goes on for so long is that no one is willing to talk about it. Everyone knows what's going on, but no one acknowledges it. The fact that Segasaki jumps straight into it hints to Yoh that he doesn't agree with what his "friends" are doing (whether Yoh catches that hint or not is a different story). It also tells us, the audience, that he isn't afraid to speak up about things he disagrees with (similar to how he spoke up for Yoh when Yoh was sketching in the cafeteria) - but not to the extent that he'll do something which threatens the harmony of the group outright. This is tatemae/honne, which I talked about briefly in the amae post as well, and linked to this street interview video for real life examples. In short, tatemae is your ability to avoid conflict and smooth over group interactions, and is seen as an essential and positive trait. Segasaki is very good at this, even at this stage in his life, which is part of why he is so well-liked.

Y: What about Mizuki-san? S: Me? Y: Yes S: I'm not having fun at all S: It's a secret, yea? Y: Yes

This is cute, and tells us about Yoh's character too. Firstly, he's still persisting in his use of "Mizuki-san", though he's being really tentative about it, like he's testing whether or not it's okay. Secondly, he's actually asking Segasaki directly to confirm his stand on what his "friends" are doing. Is this Yoh being daring, or just his slightly awkward, somewhat tactless self? I couldn't tell you 🤣 It's likely a bit of both.

In response, you can hear the surprise in Segasaki's voice, but he doesn't hesitate to detach himself from the actions of the group. The way he invites Yoh into his group here, by acting as if he's let Yoh in on a secret, is very charming obviously, and reminds me somewhat of how in Ep 4, he suddenly drops to "Kanami-san" when talking to Man-san too. This again fits with how his "public mode" has been consistently portrayed thus far - nice, charming, polite, good-looking, and obviously popular (Ep 3, the girls in the cafe at the back, Ep 4, the way he talks to Man-san, this Ep, where he's even been proposed to).

Guy: 俺の水がきたかな？　 Red: あいつ覚えてるかな Guy: 確かに　待たせたな S: ごめん　葉くんお腹痛いんだって　だから連れて帰るわ　はい Girl: 瑞貴まで帰らなくてもいいんじゃん S: しんどいのに　一人すんのかわいそうでしょ* S: じゃあ　またね　また　 S: 行こう Red: 優しいな**　瑞貴 Girl: でも　帰っちゃったよ Guy: Is my water coming? Red: Will that guy remember? Guy: Good point, he's really made us wait S: Sorry! Yoh says he's got a stomachache, so I'm gonna take him home. Here! Girl: Huh? But it's not like Mizuki you have to go too right? S: Leaving him all by himself right when he's having a hard time - wouldn't you feel bad for him?* S: So, see you guys later, 'kay! Bye! S: Let's go Red: Mizuki's really kind** isn't he? Girl: But, he's leaving you know!

*Segasaki does a very small switch up to the polite form here, as he takes the moral high ground by reminding the girl that as Yoh's senior, they have an obligation to take care of him when he's unwell. He's still friendly about it though. **優しい (yasashii) - kind. This word pops up a lot to describe Segasaki, we'll talk about it at the end of this episode.

Y: あの　いいんですか？ S: あそこ戻りたかった？ Y: いえ Y: Um... is this okay? S: You wanted to go back there? Y: No

Y: いつも　友達に囲まれてるこの人が なんでこうして　俺と一緒に歩いてるのかわからなくて 不思議だった Y: This person, whose friends were always surrounding him... I just couldn't understand why he'd walk together with me like this It was a mystery to me.

Y: あの顔が　信じられないほど近くにあった 耳元に届いた声の響きまで　良いものであることに 気づいてしまった Y: That face was... so close to me I could scarcely believe it And it dawned on me then How wonderfully pleasing Even the notes of his voice drifting pass my ears sounded

The scene in the library I've included right at the top, but I'm going to add the conversation that happens during Yoh's monologue, since the subs have them sort of mixed in.

S: 葉 S: 何してんの？ Y: え？えと、あの、本を探せて... S: この本面白いよ Y: え？ Y: ありがとうございます S: また感想教えて Y: はい S: Yoh S: What're you doing? Y: Eh! Um, ah.. I'm looking for a book... (inaudible) S: This book is interesting Y: Eh? Y: Thank you very much S: Tell me your thoughts on it next time Y: Yes

Segasaki's already dropped the polite suffix "-kun" behind Yoh's name here, and doesn't actually bother to let Yoh finish saying thank you before he tells him to report back about the book. Yoh on the other hand, is still using the full, formal and polite version of thank you, and answers him properly. Segasaki's taken the initiative to get closer to Yoh - he's already speaking to him like how he does in the present day (just, not roughly), but Yoh hasn't gotten comfortable enough yet to drop the formalities - or, he simply may not be sure if he can.

Navigating formalities and when to drop them is tricky, and requires some degree of social intuition. Generally speaking, Segasaki dropping a speech level should be a sign that it might be okay for Yoh to drop as well (not to the same level of course, just a little less formal) - but given how Yoh sees them as living in different worlds, and how fearful he is of being hated, it's unlikely that he'd want to touch the status quo.

Y: あの人の気持ち？ Y: That person's feelings?

Yoh's pretty much stuck to the phrase "that person" when referring to Segasaki this whole episode, even during his flashback. He tends to do this when he's feeling some distance between them (like in Ep 2).

On screen messages: Y: What is Kintsuba? S: You don't even know what Kintsuba is? Y: I'm sorry [Yesterday] S: I'll be back late today Y: Understood [Today] (unread) S: Just give the editor some kind of excuse, and come back right now

A: 随分　追い込まれてたねぇ Y: 気持ちを言葉にするとか　あんまりしたことなくて Y: 他人の気持ちなんて　なおさら A: You've pretty much been cornered, huh?* Y: Putting feelings into words and all... I've never really done that myself... Y: Let alone (doing that for) another person's feelings. *This is in reference to Man-san asking Yoh to write out Segasaki's feelings

A: めちゃくちゃにしてやる, めちゃくちゃにして..x10 A: Gonna mess you up, mess you up... x 10

Yes, this does sound like a line straight out of a bad Jp AV 🤣🤣. I mean, we're talking about scenes from Man-san's manga right? That they had to mosaic out? 🤣🤣

Now you know why Segasaki is pissed.

S: 可奈美さんも一緒に仕事してるんですか？ M: すみません！瀬ケ崎さんにご報告もせずに進めてしまって S: いや、可奈美さんのせいじゃないですよ S: Kanami-san, are you also doing your work together with him? M: I apologize! We ended up moving forward without even alerting you about it! S: No, it's not your fault, Kanami-san

You can tell Segasaki has misunderstood here - he thinks Man-san has also been called to work at this Editor's place, and is completely not listening to what she has said, hence her ?? reaction 🤣

S: あ、すみません 急用ができてしまったので葉を迎えに来ました S: Ah, I apologize An urgent matter arose, and so I've come to pick Yoh up.

Segasaki's being quite formal here, but this is not the way to be polite. The "proper" way to request leave to go home early on behalf of someone else would be to first, apologize specifically for the disruption, introduce yourself and your relation to that person, apologize that an urgent matter has come up, regrettably but firmly insist that said person must return home immediately on pain of death, apologize again for all the trouble caused, promise to make up for it, humbly ask for understanding, and then apologize your way out the door.

So yes, despite the polite word forms this is quite rude, and is so far removed from Segasaki's usual "public mode" that it cracks me up. Segasaki's composure is unravelling by the second in these next few scenes - he is pissed and absolutely does.not.give.a.shit. 🤣

From right to left: S: So, this bastard is the famed Editor huh... S: Don't you dare try to deceive and pull tricks on Yoh! S: The hell you doing touching him like that so freely!! A: Who (is this)?

The language gets progressively ruder the more the speech bubbles get pointy and the larger the font gets🤣🤣

M: 瀬ケ崎さん　やっぱ強いわ～ M: Segasaki-san really has a strong presence after all~

Y: 黙っててごめんなさい* S: あのさ Y: はい S: ああいうのがいいわけ？ Y: え？ S: 俺より　あの男のどこがいいわけ？ Y: I'm sorry for keeping this from you!* S: Tell me Y: Yes S: Is that what you like? Y: Huh? S: Compared to me, just how is that guy better? *Yoh uses the full but informal version of "sorry" here - gomen nasai. Making a note of this here so I can come back to it in one of the analysis posts.

Y: え、いや Y: 比べるものじゃないと思うけど。。 S: あるんだろうが　俺より　いいところが S: まあ、納得する理由がない限り俺は認めねえけどな Y: 強いて言えば　優しいかな* Y: 人の話を　ちゃんとじっくり聞いてくれるし Y: Um, no... Y: I don't think it's something that can be compared... S: There is something, isn't there? Some way in which he's better than me S: Though, unless you give me something I think is reasonable I won't accept it Y: Well if I had to say something then... maybe, he's kind?* Y: I mean, he listens carefully and attentively to what someone has to say...

*優しい (yasashii) - often translated as "kind", it encompasses the ideas of "caring", "tenderness", "thoughtful/considerate", "warm/gentle". It's often a trait people say they look for in their significant other.

This word has come up often to describe Segasaki - in Ep 2, Segasaki uses it to describe himself, in Ep 3, Yoh uses it to describe Segasaki's voice, and of course here in Ep 6, red shirt uses it to describe Segasaki again. Even when the word isn't said out loud, a lot of Segasaki's actions would fit this word - In Ep 2, when he picks up after Yoh and comforts him during their not-argument. In Ep 3, when he passes Yoh his gift, and implies there's nothing to be sorry for. In Ep 4, the way he coaxes Yoh. In Ep 5, when he takes care of Yoh. In Ep 6, he speaks up for Yoh in the cafeteria when he doesn't have to, when he goes to help Yoh. The irony of this moment is that Segasaki puts in a lot of effort and probably does pride himself in being yasashii, and he listens to Yoh better than Yoh listens to himself, and yet he hears from Yoh that he isn't yasashii or attentive, which explains the pained expression on his face.

S: あ、そう S: 俺先行くわ* S: Oh, is that so? S: I'm going ahead then* *わ (wa) - this ending particle puts emphasizes one's statement, but is not one that Segasaki usually uses. It's less forceful that his usual speech, because he's quite hurt by Yoh's statements.

Y: かばんに入ってたやつ　戻しといてから Y: The thing that was inside my bag, I put it back so... The way Yoh ends this sentence leaves room for a follow up - it's an invitation to continue the conversation, which we actually have not seen him do with Segasaki, and that's why he looks so dejected when Segasaki rejects that invitation by walking away.

Though it's been hinted at throughout the show, Ep 6 is where we get confirmation that Yoh's just never quite fit in with the crowd, and that Segasaki has always been in the center of it. The stark difference explains why Yoh is so afraid that one day he will do something to make Segasaki hate him, and why he reflexively rejects the idea that Segasaki could possibly love him.

This episode is painful, for both of them. For Yoh, because from the intensity of his monologues, we finally get a sense of how big a presence Segasaki is to him, and therefore, how devastating it would be to lose him. For Segasaki, because for all that he can read Yoh, for all that he has done to try and reassure Yoh of his love, he still cannot make Yoh see, cannot make Yoh hear.

"If he ended up hating me then I felt like I might die."

It is precisely Yoh's love for Segasaki that makes Yoh fear the possibility of losing him, and it is that fear that blinds, deafens and mutes Yoh to the very thing he hopes for. And it is in trying to protect himself, that he inadvertently hurts the very person he loves so much.

[dreadsuitsamus]

hi! i’m not sure if you’ve done this before but.. could i please request a vegeta x human!reader who’s heavily tattooed (legs, arms)? i have no real idea for a plot line for it but gather it’s not something he’s seen a whole lot of since coming to earth - if at all! happy for either SFW or NSFW, completely up to you if you don’t mind the idea? have a lovely day!

For Fun | Vegeta x Reader |

author's note: this idea has absolutely made my day. it just begs for a sweet little vegeta learning moment, since normally it's him explaining saiyan culture. i have chosen the sfw path here! it's also funny bc i've been contemplating tattoos lol and a vegeta tattoo has been on the brain for some time now. thank you for your request!!!! 🩷🩷🩷

pairing: vegeta x fem!reader

warnings: sfw, reader has tattoos, some nudity but no smut or anything remotely nsfw, post-namek but pre-androids and cell

You can feel Vegeta's eyes on you as you work on his suit, Bulma's lab being the only place you feel comfortable sharing space with him in— the racket of the tools at the very least would alert somebody of something nefarious happening. Your dear sister just had to have a soft heart (or rather, quite the boner) for the Saiyan, and now it's you that suffers the consequences while you patch up the blue suit with a precise needle and thread.

"I'm not going to ruin it." You snark at him, not exactly happy to be in his presence. He's a murderer! "I've fixed it for you before without an issue." Bulma's doing her best to copy whatever material this suit is made of, but she's having trouble competing with alien technology— though she'll certainly have it figured out soon. She's a petty thing on the regular, but test her intelligence with a challenge like this and she's more stubborn than acne on an asscheek.

"Mm." He never talks much, at least. But as you stretch your arm out to pull the thread taught, Vegeta moves to take your wrist in his hand. While strong and easily capable of smashing your poor bones to smithereens, his touch is on the softer side.

"What in the world are you doing?" Are aliens unaware of personal space??

Ignoring you initially, Vegeta's gloved fingers curiously glide along your forearm, eyes focused on the artwork adorning your skin. "Your tattoos make little sense. What sort of culture is this?"

"Culture?" You repeat the word dumbly, fighting the urge that lingers just under your skin, heart rate picking up as you will yourself not to shiver at his touch.

"These flowers and symbols, what do they represent? I've been on Earth long enough to know the culture here is nothing like these— furthermore, the lab rat has none at all."

The laugh that bubbles from your chest is easy. Perhaps Earth is the only planet, or one of few, with inhabitants that indulge in tattoos for pleasure rather than cultural representation. "They aren't part of any culture, Vegeta."

"Then what are they?" His brow furrows rather adorably, his lips pulling into a pout as you laugh at his ignorance.

"For fun."

"You marked yourself permanently for fun?"

"Sure did. I got tons of 'em. Some of 'em mean somethin', but for the most part they just bring me joy."

Vegeta releases you finally, shaking his head in a way that reminds you of your father when you first started inking up. "Silly Earth woman…"

"Oh come on. Tell me they aren't pretty." You smirk softly, eyes glittering with the twinkles of mischief. This is a new light on Vegeta, one that perhaps drew Bulma's generosity his way in the first place.

"Tch." A blush rises to his cheeks and he looks away, staring a hole into the wall. "They're not ugly."

A not-so-pretty snort escapes you as you resume patching the suit up, tying and clipping off the end of the thread after the hole is closed up. "I got my first tattoo when I was seventeen. I was young and dumb and in love with a guy I thought I would be with forever." You murmur softly, pulling up the leg of your sweatpants to show off the heart by your ankle. It's old and faded by now, but your lips still pull into a smile at it.

Vegeta takes the moment to examine it, brushing a curious knuckle over the tattoo. His curiosity is sweet, and this must've been on his mind for ages now— it's not like him to get handsy or remotely talkative at all. "Saiyans never took part in these."

It makes all the sense in the world; from what you've pieced together by Vegeta's quiet, rarely spoken about tales of home and with the love for fighting that gushes from both his and Goku's hearts, Saiyans aren't exactly sentimental. "Well… You're on Earth now. You could get a tattoo just for the hell of it."

"I have no need." Vegeta looks away again, and you shrug to yourself.

"They're not for everyone, I guess." You hold the repaired suit out, feeling a tad bummed out that the sight of him in a tank top and sweatpants will be gone soon, but a lilt of surprise thrums in your heart when he sets it on the table and looks at you instead.

"Do you… have more of them?"

You laugh and tug at your t-shirt, pulling it off in the face of the blushing prince and revealing several more tattoos, most of which he's never seen before. "You got time?"

"You could certainly warn a man before you start stripping." He grumbles out, forever the prude even in the face of a gorgeous woman and her body.

"So sorry." Your tease bounces off of him as his curious fingers run along the lines on your tummy, sides and just below your breast. You're bare to him almost entirely, as you've never worn a bra at home and certainly didn't intend to start just because a man moved in, though his eyes and touch are calmly curious and genuinely interested in the artwork you're laced with, rather than the perky breasts and soft skin that would have most men acting a fool by now.

It almost has you feeling ugly, though that near-permanent tint of red that dusts his cheekbones reminds you otherwise.

"Don't forget the one on my back." Your murmur is gentle, only there to invite him further into the journey without jostling his concentration too much. And he takes your advice, stepping behind you while tracing the intricate linework of the massive tattoo, pausing at the sight of the gorgeous mural on your back. You've spent quite a bit of money on this, suffered the pain of the needle piercing and permanently scarring your skin to the patterns that'll forever mark you, and the admiration Vegeta has for your commitment alone is monumental.

Even gloved, his touch warms your skin in the lab's cool conditions and that little spot on your back, the one that had you shaking and embarrassed as your tattoo artist that, bless his resilience, dealt with with more care than a fucking surgeon to properly tattoo, flutters against the accidental tickle. You shift, muffling a laugh into your palm and there's a pause before Vegeta drags his fingertips over the spot again, and then once more.

"Your laugh isn't ugly either." He mutters and steps away, the warmth of his proximity erased and goosebumps covering your body now.

Standing ten toes down and looking over your shoulder, your lips twist in gentle glee upon catching his dark eyes with your own. It's taken some time, but you've finally found what Bulma saw in Vegeta that allowed him into your shared home.

He's flustered by such intimacy and he quickly snatches his Saiyan suit up before rushing towards the door. "Put a shirt on, you vile woman, or you'll catch a cold." Vegeta grumbles out, hightailing it towards the comfort of his gravity room and far away from whatever the hell just happened.

"Must be the first time he touched a woman." You snicker, tugging your shirt on and cleaning up the mess, lest your sister properly bitch you out for it later on.

The ghost of his touch remains, and even under the duress of several times Earth's gravity, Vegeta's palms fondly remember the feeling of your skin.

[avaritia-apotheosis]

@skulld3mort-1fan replied to your post “PERSONAL ASSISTANT DANNY AU!!! Amity Park has a...”:

Question is this before brice adopted dick or after ?? Is this when he has either jason or tim?? Cause this could be hilarious that they see Danny as Bruce keeper by how he manages to get him to his next schedule despite the amount of bullshit he's gone through and they all love the man cause he manages to be able to scold bruce as well as has Alfred's respect ( this can also slowly build to bruce x Danny thered very few of them and I really want to find some other )

​I think there's potential for the AU during any section of Bruce's life! It'd be funny to see 40-something year old Bruce with a massive gaggle of kids and is also secretly a hardened vigilante, city cryptid, and recognized founder of the Justice League to be manhandled by some 25-year-old recent graduate that looks like he weighs a hundred pounds soaking wet.

However, I think for this AU I'm leaning more towards Danny and Bruce being around the same age. (I've already discussed my thoughts on a possible romantic relationship for them here if you're interested)

So to set the scene:

Bruce is around 25/26 when he returns to Gotham and is intent to regain his position as CEO and majority shareholder of his parents' company while also setting himself up as The Batman. The former he accomplishes with all the pizzazz and efficiency of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde (because you can't convince me that a competent Brucie Wayne isn't just Elle Woods). But the board members still underestimate Bruce. They think he's too young, too inexperienced, and honestly? He's been gone from the face of the earth for years so they just have no idea how to deal with Bruce. And if there's one thing businessmen don't like (other than losing money), it's uncertainty.

They pressure Bruce into getting a PA because "Well, Mr. Wayne you've been gone from Gotham for so long, there's so much you need to catch up on. A PA would do wonders in keeping you organized!" It's honestly just a very thinly veiled excuse to get someone to spy on Bruce. Bruce can't figure out a way to get out of it, so he's forced to go along. He rejects ever applicant that came at the recommendation of most of his Board, and while it would be great to hire someone from Gotham, this is the era before Wayne Enterprises gained its shiny and clean personality, and there's no telling if any of these applicants have been bribed by one party or another.

Surprisingly, the answer to his problems came from a business meeting with Vlad Masters.

"If you're still looking, I'd like to recommend a candidate," Vlad said. "He's the son of some good friends of mine and had worked as my own PA for some time. He's quite good." Bruce nearly missed Vlad mutter 'almost too good' under his breath, but didn't remark on it.

"Oh? Why are you handing him to the competition then?"

"Ah, the two of us had some...differences. And the boy's at that age where he wants to see more of the world. So, why not Gotham? I'll send you his resume. Just think on it."

Despite Bruce's suspicions, there wasn't anything sketchy that he could dig up on Danny Fenton. Besides, Vlad Masters was notorious in guarding his privacy, and if he recommended Fenton, well, Bruce could at least count on him not getting bribed by anyone.

[banamine-bananime]

one thing that always perplexes me is how often i see takes on tucker where the work positions him as a great dad*, fluent in sangheili language and culture, and most of all, a great diplomat.

i'm not here to yuck anyone's yum and i, too, am absolutely transfixed and enraptured by this man's oscillation between "my one purpose in life is to constantly test the human limits of Annoyingness" and "sudden, shocking extreme competence with no warning" like a little Newton's cradle. like, i just spent 7000 words indulging myself in thinking about a version of tucker that listens a lot more to the "do whatever you gotta to protect the people you love and do what you think is right regardless of what people think" cartoon angel on his shoulder and less to the "that sounds hard i just wanna mouth off, jerk off, fuck off, and negg church" devil. i cannot throw stones and clearly i think that's a fun and valid interpretation of how his character could evolve. but evolve is the keyword there and it baffles me when this gets treated as the fact of how he immediately snapped into being as soon as he had junior, you know?

like. obviously tucker ended up doing some massively impressive shit as an ambassador in sandtrap. but that's because he wasn't being an ambassador, he was being The Final Girl in il/ct's slasher flick. getting trapped in a beseiged temple is, traghilariously, the best thing that could have happened for him in terms of being good at that job. if tucker were a pathfinder character he would have 18s in "dealing with your life suddenly being taken over by ancient alien religion bullshit", "surviving crazy shit through sheer spite and the adrenaline rush of pissing off whatever asshole has made it their life's mission to kill you this time", and "being the only person who knows what fucked up shit is going on while the rest of the bgc ignore you". he would have a 2 in "saying things that make people want to kill you LESS". de-escalation is not in this man's skillset. he cannot even handle being normal about human women. appreciating the intricacies of sangheili culture and politics, human culture and politics, and sangheili-human relations?

Tucker: People learn English all the time, it aren't that hard.

Church: Maybe you should try learning his language.

Tucker: Fuck that, we got here first, and that makes this a colony. Those're the rules, dude. Earth colony, Earth language.

Church: Tucker there's thousands of languages spoken on Earth.

Tucker: Hyeah, but only one that kicks ass. And that's the one we're teaching. English 101, remedial kick-ass.

i know this is pre-junior and doubtlessly, he is more interested in this stuff after junior (because junior's life does depend on sangheili politics and human-alien relations) and MUST be less dense about it after HAVING to do it as a job. like by osmosis at the very least something must have permeated his brain. but the gap between this^ and "knowledgeable enough to be an asset in this career, one people need at least one relevant degree for" is, uh, bigger than a few months between leaving blood gulch and being sent out to the field

sometimes i think about what a fucking trip it would be to be on the UNSC diplomatic team with tucker LMAO can you imagine how unpopular he must have been. a bunch of polisci and IR nerds like fists clenched shaking like leaves trying to restrain the urge to give this guy a swirlie because he cannot stop sounding like a fucking family guy episode while you're trying to, like, convince the warrior queen of some isolated Sangheili heretical sect to ally with the Swords of Sangheilios and the species they've been dead set on annihlating for decades. and also you know he's only an ambassador as like the weirdest most fucked up variation of a nepo baby. nepo forced interspecies religious incubator. the token chestburster virgin mary hire. the simultaneous Hatred for this guy making your job hell, the impotent rage of knowing that it is, actually, important that he be there for Symbolic reasons, and feeling sympathetic to him. you know part of why he's Like This is literally just because he's 20 and should be at the club but has had the year from hell and didn't ask for this. it's easy to forget that because he doesn't complain about any of the actually bad things that happened and just rolls with whatever crazy shit comes his way. complaining is reserved for being an annoying little bitch about petty shit.

ANYWAYS i'm not saying stop having fun with very competent versions of tucker. we're all just here to have fun. i just like what a weird combo of competent and disaster he is, as i interpret him, and i, personally, am incapable of interpreting him as being actually very good at his job as ambassador

*the only two options are not "bad dad" and "great dad". having an alien parasite non-consensually implanted in you by a manipulative fraudster to force his own involvement in a prophecy - oh and also their species is trying to exterminate yours - and going, "well, this baby didn't choose this, they're just a baby, and you know what? my baby. i love this baby unreservedly and unconditionally, fuck you." shows a capacity for love and forgiveness that's frankly fucking insane, both in the good-impressive way and the what-is-going-on-in-your-brain-and-how-did-this-kind-of-decision-making-not-get-you-killed-yet way. and tucker very clearly loves junior a lot and does his best - which, i want to reiterate, is absolutely wild considering the circumstances - but he wasn't ready for a kid, is bad at accepting responsibility especially for others, and the way that Things Never Stop Happening in his life mean he is really not very present. and it's not JUST because of things happening outside of his control - there were periods after season 8 and after season 13 he probably could have permanently reunited with junior and didn't.

[gilverrwrites]

Their Perfect Dates HCs [Demon Edition]

Well.. demons + Benny

Rating: General

Angel Edition | Human Edition

Please remember: you can do hard things!

Belphegor

No gift, he’s from a time before that was a thing and does not care enough to check what the current trends are.

If you ask nice enough, he might bring you something next time.

Weirdly obsessed with humans however. (Just not in a ‘I wanna be like them’ way)

Find a cafe with outdoor seating in a highly populated area, and people watch.

Laugh at his jokes, and don’t be precious over your food/drink cause he’s gonna help himself.

‘Hot, not, not, HOT, extra hot.’ ‘This is so good, have you tried this?’ ‘It was yours? Oh shit, sorry. At least you have good taste… in multiple ways’ (he’d wink at you then, if he could.) ‘Ew have those pants ever in fashion?’ ‘Haha, did you see that kid face plant the side walk?! Get rekt’

Benny

He’s an old traditional man really, he’ll bring you a bouquet of daisies. Legitimately, if he could, he would ask your father for permission to take you out.

Cooking as has always been, and continues to be a big part of Benny's personality.

It doesn’t matter that the food no longer sustains him, because it keeps him connected to his home, and his history.

Plus, the way to any person's heart is through their stomach,

You’ll be in the kitchen together, cooking gumbo or jambalaya, and bananas foster for dessert.

If you don’t know how to cook, don’t worry. Benny is gonna take the lead anyway, he’ll teach you as much as you think you can handle.

He’s very respectful, but if you just so happen to brush against each other while working in the same space, well, that just can be helped now can it?

Or if you’re slightly in his way, sometimes he just needs to rest a gentle but firm hand on your hip and guide you to the side.

Or if you accidentally get something on your cheek? Your lip? He’ll have to get that for you.

Crowley

I’m picturing a rustic but sophisticated cabin in the woods.

Somewhere private, a safe space just for the two of you.

Something with a big, roaring fireplace.

A big, plush, velvety sofa, and an array of fluffy blankets, pillows, furs, rugs.

A fully stocked bar. ‘Don’t worry darling, you won’t have to lift a finger.’ He or a lesser demon will make all your drinks for you.

Just some real, 1 on 1 quality time together where you can both be vulnerable.

Whether you spend all night in deep conversation, cuddling, or getting even more intimate is your choice.

Meg

Would forget to bring you a gift, but if it goes well, she’ll likely give you one of her many pieces of jewelry, ‘Whatever you like most hun, just take it.’

I feel like she would actually really enjoy something creative, the messier the better.

Like finding a big open space, lowering the lights, laying down a big canvas, cracking open a bottle, and getting busy with some paints.

No brushes, just hands (or other body parts if you like).

Rowena

Gracing you with her presence is gift enough.

If anything, you should be bringing her a gift. Jewelry is always best, but she will settle for roses or red wine.

Rowena knows her worth, and if you don’t, then don’t waste her time.

She deserves nothing less than to be wined and dined somewhere very nice.

Followed by a show. The ballet or the opera.

Just imagine, the both of you dressed to the nines. Holding hands over the table, good food and drink, Rowena sharing stories from her time on earth.

Coffee or dessert? Both. Please and thank you.

Ruby

Would bring you candy, but you have to share.

Also a big foodie, but more eating, less cooking.

Like a street food market, or a boardwalk.

You can compete on the water guns and ring toss games to win each other prizes.

She’s only letting you win if there is something in it for her. – Particularly a prize that she wants.

Regardless of who wins what, you’re gonna be the one carrying everything.

Then stop at every food stand on the way.

Bonus points for somewhere that has proper french fries in large portions.

Afterwards, you can chat at the end of the peer, and/or make out under it. 

[thelordofgifs]

Obscure Tolkien Blorbo: The Final!

Nerdanel vs One (1) Rivendell elf who sings tra-la-la-lally

Nerdanel:

Nerdanel, called The Wise, was the wife of Fëanor, and known as a great sculptor. She refused to follow her family to Middle-earth in the revolt of the Noldor.

Best known as the woman who looked at the hot mess that is Fëanor, went “is anyone going to marry that?” and did not wait for an answer, Nerdanel is also so much more than just the beloved wife of Fëanor. Most notably, she is a sculptor (apparently a male-dominated field in Noldorin society) - her statues are so life-like that the friends of the depicted would go up and talk to them! She is also wise enough to land the epithet Istarnië, which means Wise One, and she is the only person Fëanor ever listened to, which borders miracle territory. Although when she married the pretty young crown prince of the Noldor, people said she was not good-looking enough for him, Fëanor begged to differ, as they had seven kids together, which is the largest amount of kids any Elven couple ever had. There must have been a lot of passion there (or maybe they just really wanted a daughter?). Although Nerdanel always seemed to have wise counsel for her husband, apparently she did not put up with his, as she was close friends with Indis, his stepmother he did not like. Unfortunately, their marital bliss did not last; when Fëanor pulled a sword on his half-brother Fingolfin (Indis's son) and was exiled, she did not come with him and instead stayed with Indis. This is often seen as her inventing divorce, although a more boring reading could simply suggest she disagreed and did not fancy accompanying him (LaCE does say Elven couples could keep separate households for extended periods of time). She also did not think about coming to Beleriand with him after he swore his terrible oath, although she did beg for him to leave her at least one of her kinslaying spawn sweet adorable baby boys (preferably the one she very ominously tried her hardest to name The Fated as a baby). I suppose the resulting, kind of permanent, separation, could definitely count as divorce.

she is a sculptor and an artisan so skilled that Feanor’s love for her competed with his own love of craft and creation. She raised seven sons and pleaded for their fates with Feanor because of how much she loved them and even though she loved him too, she stuck to her own beliefs and refused to leave Valinor….she’s so girlboss and she said you can go be a tragic archetype but our children don’t deserve that and also I will stay right here. We love a woman who refuses to give up her joys and her home even for a man she loves and ESPECIALLY since it was Feanor….the strength of her will is insane. I love her.

One (1) Rivendell elf who sings tra-la-la-lally:

One of the Elves of Rivendell who sing tra-la-la-lally in The Hobbit.

This one specific elf sings tra la la lally with the rest but he is slightly off key and the other elves bully him for it

they’re SILLY!!! We need NEED more silly elves!! Like who are these weirdos just hanging out in the trees of Rivendell? Did they know the dwarves were coming and gather their friends to specifically climb those trees to sing nonsense at them? Do they just normally sit there and sing about every little thing they see? Is this a traditional Rivendell thing or are those elves just really strange? I’m obsessed with them they’re everything to me. Elves are oft portrayed as being Too Serious in this fandom and silly elves need rights too! Silly elf rights!!!!

Final masterpost

[sotwk]

SotWK OC Spotlight: Prince Turhir Thranduilion

Born in Third Age 37, the second son and child of Elvenking Thranduil and Elvenqueen Maereth. 

His name means “Victorious Master” in Sindarin. 

Towering at 7 feet, 6 inches, he is not only the tallest member of Thranduil’s family, but he is the tallest of all elves born in the Woodland Realm, in all of its history. (For reference, Thranduil is 7 feet, 3 inches, and the other Thranduilions are all less than 7 feet.)

As a child, Turhir had difficulty making friends with elflings close to his age. Since he was always much bigger and physically stronger, even from infancy, it was hard for him to play normally with them. His size and his more somber nature also made his childhood peers uncomfortable around him--and it was difficult enough to relate to a prince!

As a result, Turhir was rather lonely in childhood and spent most of his time with his mother, his older brother Mirion, and his tutors.

Otherwise, he spent his alone time reading and thus grew up into an avid reader. He especially enjoys narrative poems, and became an eloquent writer and poet himself. 

He is a skilled carpenter and builder who helps construct community buildings in his spare time.

He is a member of the very exclusive guild of Greenwood woodcutters--laborers who fell trees, which is a highly restricted and regulated practice.

Turhir is a horsemaster and was the primary trainer of the arroch breed that existed only in Greenwood (discussed in this post). He had a close relationship with the ancient ancestors of the Rohirrim who once dwelt near Greenwood.

Moodboard credit: @alicent-targaryen (Thank you again!). Fancast for Turhir: Sam Heughan

But the talent Turhir is most famous for, by far, is his battle prowess, which is discussed in this post. Thranduil noticed his son’s martial abilities very early on and persuaded the reluctant Elvenqueen to let their son begin training with Master Trainer Ivenil before he had properly come of age.

Turhir carries the official title of the King’s Champion, and would be called on to fight for the crown and kingdom if single combat is required. 

Although Turhir loves tournaments, especially jousting, his size and skill give him too large an advantage over his opponents. It has been deemed hazardous for him to participate in these types of competitions, so he is usually left only to spectate.

Occasionally, he is able to publicly demonstrate his skills by competing against his own father and brothers in special events limited within the royal family. 

His Royal Highness Turhir’s regency in north-western Greenwood (the province he governs) is seated in Thangail (“shield-fence” in Sindarin), one of the realm’s most recently established cities, built to house the largest military base in the kingdom. 

Turhir is the closest in personality with his father, but Thranduil tends to be hardest on him compared to his other sons. Turhir is thus closer to his mother and is the most protective of her. 

Turhir considers Mirion and Arvellas his closest friends in the world, and witnessing both their deaths nearly drove him to insanity. 

Although he is very noble and good-hearted, Turhir is the most prone to being corrupted by Darkness in his family, and Sauron himself grew aware and took interest in this.  

Much thanks again to @cheryl-of-kangsu for making this request!

So far, Turhir has drawn the least amount of interest among the Thranduilion Princes, which is not necessarily surprising to me, since that's how it would probably be in "real Middle-earth life". You might not like him at first glance, but once you get beneath the layers, there's a lot to admire there. He's an excellent hero for the "enemies to lovers" trope, and is a terrific Mr. Darcy archetype.

Also, I don't write and don't plan to write smut for the Thranduilions, but if there was ever a great leading man for that sort of thing among Thranduil's sons, Turhir would be my endorsed candidate. Just a creator's opinion. ;)

Elves HC Tag List: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @achromaticerebus @aduialel @asianbutnotjapanese @auttumnsayshi @blueberryrock @conversacomsmaug @elan-ho-detto-elan-15 @entishramblings @fizzyxcustard @freshalmondpandadonut @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @glassgulls @heilith @heranintomyknife23times @ladyweaslette @laneynoir @lathalea @lemonivall @LiliDurin @quickslvxrr @ratsys @scyllas-revenge @stormchaser819 @talkdifferently6 @tamryniel @tamurilofrivendell

For more Thranduil/Mirkwood headcanons: SotWK HC Masterlist

Other useful links:

Introduction to SotWK

Fanfiction Masterlist

Fanfiction Request Guidelines

[dieauster-und-diegarnele]

A:tla - fire meta and theories

water/earth/fire/air/general

Zuko and opium

Azula and non-benders

Zuko, Azula and Aang - height

Zuko is not hateful

Fireball in the face

Audience with Azulon

Zuko and Azula's Agni Kai - lightning

Zuko covering his face from the fire

Referring to Zuko as a "prince"

Zuko's pose

Zuko is both cool and awkward

Zuko protecting Sokka

Was Ursa scared of her husband?

Difference between Ozai and Zuko's childhood

On Ozai abusing Azula

Ozai, Parenting, and Abuse

Firebending during eclipce, night etc

Zuko's redemption arc

Azula's thoughts on Iroh

Azula's bending

Abusive father Ozai (pt 1 - Zuko, link for Azula is down there)

A parallel. Just as Roku did with Sozin, Zuko spares his father.

Asian view on heirs, sons and daughters

Zuko & Azula: Eyes

Azula is not the most powerful firebender in atla

Azula’s downfall is foreshadowed

Zuko should just follow the cabbage guy

Zuko is a theatre kid

Azula, conditioned love etc

“The Beach” in terms of Azula

Long meta about Azula

Zuko is not tall (as well as Sokka)

Zuko and Iroh's prison dialoge: the great directing

Zuko is being cared and healthy

Yon Rha and Iroh crimes

Zuko's scar camera framing

The fact that Zuko even considers having Katara heal his scar is probably a red flag for him siding with his sister

Zuko and Ozai camera framing

“You can’t treat me like Zuko!”

Ozai and Zuko - talking with father

About Iroh and Ozai's past and characters in general

Modern!AU Zuko and Azula

Ozai is very concentrated when bending - screenshots

Iroh and Ozai - Azula and Zuko (parallels)

Why does Iroh talk to Zuko in metaphors

Ursa’s departure caused Ozai to become worse

Aang and Zuko talking about Ozai

Iroh: "She's crazy and she needs to go down" line

Do we ever see Ozai actually care about stopping Aang?

How important firebending is to Ozai

Ozai: what having your bending taken from you must entail

Ozai is objectively speaking the worst firelord

Was it just “speaking out of turn”?

"Good" and "bad" guys in Fire royal family

Zuko and Iroh: waiting all night

Zuko Centric-Morality and the Fire Nation

Is Zuko is a better bender than Aang?

In defense of Mai and Maiko. Let’s talk about seashells

Ozai did cared about his family in the past

Iroh and Zuko’s wanted poster; there’s a specific line

Why Azulon had a second son in tags (I personally love the first and the last ones)

Zuko is canonically bisexual

Zuko, Jet and Jin: flirting

Zuko falls for Jin, restaurant scene part 2 (part 1 link is in the post)

Evidence that Zuko looks like Ozai

Zuko can find almost anything, a list

How many places Zuko has broken into (Zuko being competent while thinking he is not)

Iroh spends the whole show vibing with everyone

Why Zuko's redemption arc is so good

Zuko: it is so much easier to believe in the impossible than it is to believe that your father is a monster

About Zuko's trauma

Two Zuko's least popular hairstyles (spoiler: blame Iroh)

And a bit more about Zuko's ponytail

Firebending study: Why Ozai is the top Firebender in ATLA

How sexist is the Fire Nation?

[stickytrigger69]

Hey! Could you write a love letter confession from TFP Shockwave to femme cybertronian reader? Like, what would the letter say once she opened it up and reads it? Have a good day or night! <3

TFP Shockwave x Femme Cybertronian Reader

Reader is femme, she/her

This is just straight up fluff

Reader frame type, paint job, optic color, etc. are unspecified

Thanks for the well wishes, hope you're doing well also 😊

Sorry the end kinda sucked, and that its so short lol, it was quite the challenge to write a love letter from Shockwave but I think it's good? Hope you like it.

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

You've had a very busy day. As the only femme on the nemesis that is currently conscious, you have to walk around the ship, taking this to him or that to the other him on the other side of the ship. That isn't even the worst thing about this Pit forsaken ship either. All of the mechs tip toe around you like you're the plague. You feel so.

Alone.

The only bots that talk to you like you're friends are Knockout and Breakdown but they're gone most of the time. You honestly find Soundwave to be good company but you always get in the way while he's working. Megatron is respectful of you and actually likes to show you off to those who find their way on the nemesis. He told Optimus, er, Orion, all about you. And when Shockwave arrived he would not stop finding a way to brag about his, "elite femme".

Because of the pedestal Megatron placed you on with his words and reverence, Shockwave acknowledges that you are intelligent and competent. There are often times where he will share progress with you and even ask for your insight if something is troubling him. Your logic is somewhat fourth dimensional compared to his being third dimensional. Your logic often backed by your feelings rather than strictly being scientific. He likes hearing you say it too, "I feel like...", and then you give your opinion.

Your opinion is personal and he finds it rather refreshing. It's odd but he actually starts to like you, he will ask that you stay in the lab with him for just a bit longer or his servo will linger on yours when you hand him something. You don't notice that he likes you, to you, it looks more like he appreciates you; or that he's overworking himself. But then again, the lack of a faceplate with derma and two optics masks what he's feeling perfectly. Knowing the way he thinks though, you kind of doubt that he feels much of anything and if he does it's a very basic, diluted level of it.

Despite all of that, you find no reason to be suspicious of him or his intents, he always has plausible reasons for his actions so you don't ever question it. At least you didn't until you finally entered your hab. The lights flickering on as you stepped inside. Just a few steps to your left on your desk was a data pad and a small assortment of crystals. A couple, you realized, were of Cybertronian origin, the colors gave them a more distinguished look compared to the earth borne crystals.

You held one up closer to your face to get a better look at it before turning your attention to the data pad. You pick up the data pad with your empty servo, carefully twirling the crystal while the data pad glows. Your optics widen the more you read.

(Y/N),

The more I ponder, the more I am compelled to examine my thoughts and the feelings that come entangled in them, I begin to realize that, as inappropriate as it may be, I find you alluring. You are a femme of high caliber; you are intelligent, strong, above all, compassionate. I have seen it first hand, the way you interact with my predacon, and it makes my spark swell with pride. Your presence in the lab is one I have begun to look forward to. The distinct sound of your pedes is cause to increase efficiency in my work.

I have lain myself upon a slab and have taken myself apart, analyzing and experimenting to see just what exactly I felt about you. With time I have gotten the results I desired. The process was tedious but in the end I feel it was worth every step. (Y/N), I have a fondness for you and have chosen the most logical course of action regarding said fondness. Your frame is as desirable as your intellect and the softness in your optics after working so hard is truly a sight.

I wish to have you close to me. As close as you will allow. I understand you are more than just a femme, but a scientist and even a warrior with great honor. A femme who is worthy of respect. Thus, I leave the decision to you.

If you truly feel in your spark that you no longer wish to associate yourself with me I will not try to force you to face me. I will leave you be unless we must interact. I will bury these feelings and proceed with a professional attitude. But, if you are willing, I would like to try being more personal with you and share tender moments like I have observed from you and my predacon. Please, do respond to me in any way you deem fitting to your standards.

I patiently await your response,

Shockwave

You are at a loss. Shockwave? He really feels this way? Your optics snap up and you stare at the crystal in your other servo, everything has begun to click. Puzzle pieces falling into place.

The lingering touches, the long conversations, the slight change in his tone when he addresses you, and his requests for you to remain in the lab for even just a klik more. His entire demeanor changes when he speaks to you. Even if he is already calm, he gets even softer when he turns to you. It makes a smile creep to your faceplate. Your spark thumps in your chassis.

You can say that you do find the large mech to be attractive, his frame is strong, even for a scientist. His voice often soothes the dull ache in your processor after staring at the purple displays of the lab. So many thoughts race through your processor, you ask yourself a dozen questions. You look from the items in your servos to the rest of the crystals on your table while you continue to think. Finally, you turn your helm to look at your berth.

You decide to "sleep with it", or whatever human thing Knockout likes to say. As you begin to drift into recharge you make up your mind. You will reciprocate. You will tell Shockwave just how you feel as well. That you admire him and that you would trust no other mech with your most vulnerable self.

You're just not sure how or when you'll tell him.

[anghraine]

I decided to watch Rings of Power and I still like it! General thoughts on the first episode:

This episode does a lot of heavy lifting to introduce everything in a somewhat rough and often disconnected, but engaging enough way.

The voice-over exposition at the beginning is obviously echoing the PJ FOTR one, but it's more awkward and sort of generically high fantasy. I still like it better because a) no Númenóreans were harmed in the making of this voice-over, b) retaining the Finrod-Galadriel age gap while simultaneously leaning into their sibling bond is really cute, c) Finrod using a heavy-handed metaphor in which the greatness of SHIPS figures largely seems entirely in character and also very Telerin (Eärwen's son!!!), and d) the overall story of how Valinorean Elves ended up in Middle-earth is so highly editorialized that it feels like the self-serving Noldor version of the story, which amuses me.

I enjoyed the introduction of present-day Galadriel. She's clearly the most impressive and competent person in the company she's leading while also being kind of unhinged, which I appreciate in a female protagonist. Good for her.

And I like that she's clearly this ancient being and her fixation on FIGHTING EVIL FOREVER is, in part, a product of being old and immortal and stuck in a singular mode of being. However, she's also right and the comparatively young people around her are being condescending assholes (like Gil-galad, but especially that one guy who semi-mutinied against her and is prodding her on the ship).

(Oh, and she has great hair. I actually don't care if the entire wig budget went to her specifically.)

The only one who seems to really feel bad about their dismissive treatment of her is Elrond, which tracks. The hints that he isn't seen as quite an equal ("Elf-lords only") feels silly, but it's not a huge deal for me. And I like that he and Galadriel are bros alongside the tension in her relationships with basically everyone. S2 Celebrían plssss

I still think the complaints about costuming/hair, and incessant comparisons to costuming in PJ!LOTR/WOT/whatever are largely pretty absurd. I particularly liked Arondir's armor and how dissimilar it is from the aesthetic of the Lindon Elves, everything Galadriel wears, and the weirdness of the ritualistic armor removal as they approach Valinor. The Elves spontaneously bursting into unsettling song was odd but extremely on-brand for Tolkien, so it was fun to see it actually done onscreen.

I also think the show is quite beautiful in general and a pleasure to simply look at (no, not only because of the budget).

I don't like how heavily and visibly made-up the main female characters are, however, especially Bronwyn (who also has my least favorite costuming of any of the mains tbh). It reminds me a bit of how Padmé Amidala's heavy and perfect make-up in her death scene in Revenge of the Sith always distracts me from the pathos of the scene. God forbid she wasn't hot as she died, you know? I don't care about middle-aged and older men being cast as Elves, but I'd like to see more older actresses, too!

The Harfoot stuff has an interesting mixture of cuteness and underlying menace. It doesn't interest me as much as what's going on with Galadriel, Elrond, and Arondir/Bronwyn, but I like Nori quite a bit and the whole aesthetic they have going, so I don't mind spending time with them, even though it's kind of detached from what's going on everywhere else.

Speaking of Arondir, the Southlands stuff is interesting because there's so little to work with in terms of canon (even if they had rights to everything) and the canon that does exist wrt them is super racist. So having the textual racism towards Southrons actually be brought up in-story, and rejected by an Elf protagonist who is being played by a Black man, is like ... there's a lot going on there and other people are probably better equipped to talk about it.

Personally, I would have liked to see Arondir fall in love with Bronwyn rather than being presented with it as an established thing, especially with the conversation about how this almost never happens etc. His actor does a great job with what he's given, though, and I laughed at the other Elf who is like "do you know how rarely romances between Men and Elves ever happen? do you know they always END TRAGICALLY?!"

Arondir: mmhmm

Other Elf: THEY DIED, ARONDIR

Arondir gives off big "distracted by drawing hearts around Bronwyn's name in his Trapper Keeper" vibes in that conversation and, idk, it was just really entertaining to me.

Bronwyn herself is all right thus far. I did really like the moment when she's talking about how she's from the allegedly creepy village and the people there are her relatives and friends. By and large she seems the most normal person in the cast, honestly.

I also enjoyed how deeply ominous the "approaching Valinor" music was, lmao. A bit overkill by the end, but I rather like the idea of Valinor being scary if you're not supposed to be there.

ETA: cutting between the different plots via the Middle-earth map is a bit silly as well, but functional enough. Interesting to see Calenardhon on the map before Gondor even exists!

[eluxcastar]

── ୨୧：guren ichinose, shinya hīragi, kureto hīragi x reader (separate)

୨୧﹑synopsis :: you try not to notice how he adores a certain woman in his life, you keep your feelings about him to yourself, quiet and never acting on them solely because you know that you could never hope to compare to her.

୨୧﹑genre :: slight angst

୨୧﹑content :: nothing to warn I don't think but I wrote this at like one a.m. and did not read a word of it 👍 lmk if there is something you want me to tag though (*￣︶￣)

୨୧﹑words :: 811

hiii I'm back again (I have a second degree burn now 💀) (I touched the oven rack while it was on max) (now I have a funny mark on my knee) this is kinda rushed because tbh I am not in the mood but I don't wanna up and dip again even though I was hit with like that curse that plagues fanfic authors and ten bad things happened in a day

this is from like March I believe??? I am so sorry to the person who sent me this in my DMs istg I was gonna do it but then I just forgot after that really long break I took 😔 I don't think I ended up sticking to it exactly because I'm not actually sure if the whole request was sent?? I also ended up cutting Crowley to put him in a standalone post 👍

─ ୨୧： guren ichinose

your feelings for the Ichinose boy run deep, a little part of you crushing on just his looks when he first arrived at this school, only growing on you since then. His personality when he really got comfortable was charming, and he always had that goofy look on his face when students pulled mean tricks on him like he didn't care. A pretty face. He never lets others bother him it seems, even when he talks all lesson to the boy beside him and tries to ignore him. You could look past the Ichinose Clan part, that was the least of your worries. After all, even Mahiru Hīragi could look past that.

you see her around him a lot, and they seem to know each other and get along well. She's always smiling around him, and while he doesn't exactly look like he's having the best day of his life he looks happier to hear from her than most other students. You suppose he would be with a smart and pretty girl paying attention to him, let alone one quite so impossibly beautiful as her. A once in a century genius. How could you ever hope to compete with a person like that?

it was a nigh impossible task, so you give up, and you watch. You know that he is only yours in your little daydreams, and the moment you blink them away and return to reality he goes right back to being Mahiru's as he always was.

　

─ ୨୧： shinya hīragi

since you joined the army you had at least a bit of a liking toward him, though it was quite minor at first, nothing too big. You just liked how nice he was to you, even helping you out at times when he noticed you were struggling a bit with your weapon. With his help you got closer to him at least in your eyes, the confidence he oozed enough to make you feel safe and in good hands. You trusted he knew what he was doing and it kept paying off to trust his advice.

it kept you asking for more of his help, knowing that slowly the help was becoming less of your focus and it was slowly shifting to the man himself. Something about him is so handsome, yet also quite cute.

then you heard he had once had a fiancée, and you realised that if that was everything he wanted in a partner that you would be stepping way out of your league. She was a Goddess put on earth in the form of a high school girl, perfect if not for her one fatal flaw in which she was dead after committing acts that disgraced her family. That explained why nobody spoke of her until you heard it from the girl's own sister.

slowly you were inching your way further into his life, and slowly you will inch your way back out. Even as a dead woman, You know that to that standard, you are still just a bumbling and confused little child.

　

─ ୨୧： kureto hīragi

a bad little habit you have with Aoi is the gossip once work is over, going to shower and change in the showers together one stall apart just to talk about various tidbits you'd picked up throughout the days. You'd learned many…interesting things that way. Most notably however was in the midst of washing your hair, letting the water wash out the product when she so happened to mention that she might just have deeper feelings for Kureto than she usually lets on. It's more than just respect, at least as she put it. You almost got shampoo in your eyes.

of course you couldn't blame her, her feelings are something you can quite easily understand in fact, it's just… How are you supposed to be pitted against someone like Aoi who is loyal to a fault at her job? Thinking about it really…she is quite beautiful, and her family is in higher standing, she does anything that he asks of her, most importantly she is strong. You think if anything Kureto would value power, wouldn't he? He probably wouldn't be fond of protecting his lover all the time out of necessity, he'd prefer someone capable of doing that themselves, and while you certainly could, Aoi could do it better.

you can hear her as she knocks her hand against the wall of the shower stall, "Did you drown in there?" her voice brings you back again, and you give a quick no in response. You're out of the shower soon enough. It'd be easier to forget the conversation if not for the fact you both pass him again on your way back to the dorms and finally notice how she looks at him.

even without the threat of her own skill over yours, you're not sure you can take that away from her.

[thewebcomicsreview]

I enjoy how you write action, do you have any tips for writing action in a webcomic? I struggle with the inherently broken up pace of reading a webcomic interacting with wanting a cool action scene.

To be honest, I don't think I'm particularly good at writing action, and wouldn't offer advice on it if you didn't ask! That said, my first advice would be to go read Ten Earth-Shattering Blows, which I think has great action scenes. Will it help you as I writer? I dunno, but it's a rad comic.

That aside, I think action scenes are just normal scenes that happen to have action, and follow all the same rules. A fight scene is a scene with a story within itself that also (hopefully) adds something to the comic as a whole. And, as a webcomic, you probably want something interesting happening on every page, or at least most pages, and you likely can't spend 200 pages on a fight scene over 11 chapters like a shounen manga or such could. So let's take a closer look at Ten Earth-Shattering Blows, and its first major fight.

Quick recap: Landa (in the dress) is visiting a slummy low fantasy city to try and get help in a quest. She tries recruiting evil goons and they're all "We are evil goons" and she's all "Ah beans". There's some scuffling I'm skipping over before Janflinn, with the maces, secretly reveals to Landa he's been hired to protect her. Janflinn's appearance and position in the story signals to the audience that he's the main hero. His plan is interrupted when a "monster" who saw Landa earlier and freaked out, escapes from a cage that was hanging nearby and jumps on the roof.

Janflinn effortlessly one-shots the monster, and all the characters exposit about how kewl and powerful he is. This establishes him as a powerful badass fighter, and we begin to form a mental image of him and Landa going on adventures.

Except get fucked, the monster gets back up and kills Janflinn with her own face! Your mental image of how this comic was going was wrong!

The monster beats two other guards to prove she didn't just get lucky, then uses Janflinn's weapons to get her mask off, revealing herself to be a woman. She takes Landa hostage, which has plot implications obviously, but also establishes what kind of person she is. She tells the evil goons she'll kill Landa if they attack her, and they're all "We are evil goons" and she's all "Ah beans".

She is challenged to a duel by one of the dudes, and compliments his axe before killing him with a throwing knife. From this setup, you'd expect her next line to be something like "I'm taking it" and taking his axe, but no, she books it. This, again, establishes her character. She's a tough and strong barbarian, but she's pragmatic and isn't going to show off unnecessarily. Also it's setting up a cliche and then doing something else instead.

The goons shoot down at our protagonists with arrows, so the monster pulls them into a building, smashing the innocent rando in the way. This provides a bit of a breather in the fight, so that the Monster and Landa can have a quick conversation establishing why the Monster's still carrying Landa who had no use as a hostage.

Plot points established, goons show up and force our protagonists to move to a new location in a cool and exciting way.

The monster unintentionally drops a sword into the crowd, and yells at the slaves to revolt, creating a bunch of chaos, before fighting a goon who ends up being stronger than he looks and getting the upper hand (Protip! Unnamed goons can still be competent and threatening! Most of the great Indiana Jones action scenes are against competent goons, and good goonery is badly under-rated). While the monster gets out of this jam through some cleverness, this is helping set the tone for her. She's not the Incredible Hulk, and while she's way bigger and stronger than most people in this setting, there are still a lot of dudes even bigger and stronger than her, and she needs to use her wits to survive.

Though, for a finale escape, we actually get a joke at the monster's expense, when her "Ride on a lizard and jump over the wall" plan fails and they have to kind of scrib-scrabble up the rest of the way.

Nevertheless, scrib-scrabble up the wall they do, as people look on in shock at how cool "this woman" is, and she grabs Landa and they ride off on a pig.

So, this whole scene was about 22 pages, with a bit of talking in the middle. What have we learned

This comic will go out of its way to set up a cliche plot and then surprise you with a twist

The monster is our protagonist. Landa is also here, but she is completely useless at basically everything.

The monster has no compunctions about killing people and fighting dirty to do it, and isn't super discriminating about who "deserves" violence.

This setting is full of silly miniboss types, and anyone and any time could potentially be a match for the monster, even if she herself can't always know how tough a dude is until after the fight starts.

The monster is kidnapping Landa for plot reasons

The monster is a strong badass

But she's not the strongest badass in the world, by a long shot, and also has to use her wits to win fights

Her wits are also slightly unreliable, so she has to use determination and pluck to seal the deal.

The monster can start a slave revolt by literally just going "Revolt! >:(". This is not a very stable society.

That's a lot of learning! We are getting a lot of exposition with our muscly violence. Flexposition™! And all this learning and plot development goes miles towards make the fight be a fight scene and not just the comic stopping so people can punch each other for a bit.

As long as the scene works as a scene and does the things you want it to do, all the face punching and chandelier-swinging is the seasoning you add on top.

Of course, a fight scene can have an entirely internal narrative as well, that tells us something interesting (quick example: Luke vs Vader in Empire Strikes Back, and the way Vader starts the fight really casual and bored and gets progressively more pissed off, most good pro wrestling matches, etc etc). The point of your scene can be whatever you want, even "Look how cool this fight scene is!". As long as you know what that point is and keep building to it, you're probably on the right track

[graspingremlinhands]

I don't even know why I'm writing this, as is not referred to anybody in particular; Really just me Gremlin, musing.

BUT if shipping Ghidzilla (Godzilla x Ghidorah for the ones unaware), why shipping only Godzilla and Ichi together??

Like, true Godzilla and Ichi may appear as the one most matchable, but I think there could be some funny/interesting dynamics with also San and Ni.

San personality is hot topic, I'm not diving it right now; but we could agree he's not having a really great time with his brothers?

He somehow was always slipping up, not doing things exactly as they were expected, his head was the disposable one.

Is San even worthy for his brothers?

Ghidorah is The-One-Who-is-Many. Ghidorah cannot exist if the brothers are not together; but each head is also its own person. How the two things not conflict with each other. Where the one starts and ends?

Is San ALONE worth something, for what he feel, think or simply what he is?

There's someone who will actually accepts, defend him, when he breaks out the mold?

Godzilla is very aware of his surrondings. He LISTENS to the currents, the rains, the earth moving through his own body. And he stops fight, if he feel they'll do more damage than good.

I'm safe to argue he'd lend the same listening to San as well; he'd not let San getting shit for being himself. He's an alpha, he's a brother. And if not intervene, because Ghidorah has to sort their own issues out, he would still listen, or at least let San rest on his shoulder while another fights dies out.

With Ni, it can works the same in some ways.

Ni is for sure in a higher position than San, Ichi prolly trust him a bit more, he consider his brother competent.

But he's still the second in command. He can strategize as much he wants, be more resorceful. But it's always gonna be Ichi the one in charge. Even in something so trivial as moving their body around.

He's own will is subordinate to what Ichi decide to listen.

(And that broken horn he has, he's not perfect compared to him, he stands out unwillingly, he did not get to choose)

Goji is the alpha and he's wild in it. He moves purely by insticts, guts and sheer rage(tho he's still an experienced warrior and knows strategy)

But he listen, he always does. His body is haywired to do so.

Ni is dry, he doesn't sugarcoat and he is capable. If he can't, at least Godzilla can, would.

Also he has the quite poetic side for himself. He would know how to turn Ni weak spots, is subjects of beauty and admiration.

That's it.

I repeat, cause tone doesn't always translate correctly online.

ICHI AND GODZILLA ARE FINE. BUT GODZILLA WOULD LOVE NI AND SAN AND THEY WOULD LOVE HIM TOO.

Love ya and bye!!

[shopcat]

would LOVE to hear your thoughts on a ty lee x suki situation !!

HEHE ohhhh you. okay. WELL i think they would be really cute together to be honest. their dynamic has a lot of really interesting facets to it to me!!

to me, suki seems to be... not necessarily a Control Freak, but someone who knows pretty quickly exactly what she wants to do, how to do it and what is the efficient way to do so. she has a very analytical and tactical way of thinking, as well as being very team-oriented, which makes sense obviously, but gives the impression to me that she has a lot of pride and security IN knowing what to do, and doesn't like not having this control. she tends to do what she think is best in a situation and take the lead, like at the boiling rock for example. (this is also why i think she gets along with sokka so well imo as the Controller of all the control freaks that he is).

ty lee, at least at one point, represented a very literal manifestation of someone who could take away this control VERY easily. iirc suki even particularly notes/is aware of ty lee's specific threat and takes a lot of care in avoiding her, which beyond the normal like battle acumen of being aware of your enemy's strengths, indicates chi blocking in particular is something she's genuinely afraid of at least imo. this makes a lot of sense to me with what i've already established as a part of suki's character, and is also Very Interesting considering. suki has always been a very confident and resilient character, and something to shake that confidence in a believable way is always interesting to see, even if it's the very literal confidence-shaking of what having a crush is like.

i think it's a very funny thing where, for plot reasons alone, ty lee met the kyoshi warriors minus suki, and taught them chi blocking, purely because suki just wasn't there and didn't get the chance. additionally thinking of the dynamic at play at least initially of suki being separated from her group for this length of time time who have now since reunited with her after absorbing this other, new member, who was previously a threat that suki is WELL aware of the scope of, but one that is also trying to do her best and make amends (which is, we know, also a weakness of suki's in particular, even if sokka's situation was on a... less dramatic scale. lol), and the tensions of that may rise from there...

and like. well. c'mon. PRIVATE LESSONS involving touching the other person's body + the added tension of suki's potential insecurities regarding this... c'mon.

i also think it's really fun that they're pretty much always presented as a pair (which i know is just because ty lee is like, the only established and known other character in the group, but. gift horse, etc). plus, i have always enjoyed the dynamic of leader + second in command and the complexities of trust/duty/devotion that exist there... idet the kyoshi warriors have an established hierarchy like this but honestly being second-in-command in everything but name is even better. they're always front and centre!!

staying up on GUARD DUTY together... !!!

i think ty lee is one of the most interesting female characters from the fire nation full stop and it drives me CRAZY the way people almost... sand her down, i guess? they sort of tend to fall for the bubbly, perky loosey-goosey positive Ty Lee of it all and forget to incorporate how she's a master martial artist and seemingly the only person on fucking earth who knows how to chi block people, something she also, you can assume, taught herself, as well as being emotionally, politically and tactically brilliant and incredibly combat-able and competant otherwise. beyond the obviously ripe two-nonbenders-in-a-bending-world of it all, i think suki would of all people be able to admire these traits as something she can relate to and more than anything be able see ty lee as the complex and multifaceted individual she is, which is obviously something that would be super signficiant and touching for ty lee.

it's also kind of like, wild that people DO seem to forget this, as well, or they just don't think about it too deeply i guess, because to me while i don't think ty lee is in any way like, excessively inauthentic i do think the combination of being one of azula's only, trusted friends and the political landscape she grew up in as a child of a noble herself results in a character who very much so knows what she's fucking doing. i think she happily takes advantage of the way people perceive her as a pretty obvious bait-and-switch situation where they underestimate her and then she brutally and efficiently takes them down, something which those who do know her are both aware of but somehow fall for at the same time. while i don't think ty lee is MANIPULATIVE, or even malicious at all in that regard, i do think she's very keen in this way and i for one don't underestimate that.

(something that comes to mind is the whole bit where azula was trying to recruit her and the like, "the universe is giving me some pretty big signs [to join you]" thing. i think the perception that she says this because she truly believes a net being set on fire is some sort of mystical sign from the universe is... truthfully insane to just believe w/no second thought, personally, when it's pretty clear to me she's recognising that she needs to do this in order to keep herself and her newfound livelihood let's say... in line, and is able to fall back on that predisposed perception of her in a way that doesn't raise azula's (master manipulator that SHE IS) guard like, at all, which is very impressive imo. while i do think she is her very authentic, true to life self, i think she also uses this as a sort of mask between both her and the real world, and possibly her and her real feelings on things. i think this is why she's so offended when people regard her as airheaded, bc everything she does is planned out, even down to having a boy use his own body to block the sun from her eyes. and, like with when she chose mai, when she knows what she needs to do she just... does it!)

going off of that, i think the assumption that ty lee is just a naturally gifted acrobat is also incredibly insane to me. we already know that re: her sisters, ty lee herself choose acrobatics as a hobby to create a sense of individualism, also creating a unique nightmare where her acrobatics ability is tied up into her sense of self, her quote unquote usefulness to azula and in part the FN itself, and also at one point is her only way to protect herself. i think the skills she has are very obviously something she trained hard for for a long time, and the abilities she possesses seem to be an entirely unique to her way of fighting along with incorporating something that is, again, genuinely very scary to a lot of people, and the idea that it all is just something that comes naturally to her is like, kind of insulting...? we literally see her CONSTANTLY stretching, too.

i think suki OF ALL PEOPLE can definitely admire and relate to this, as someone who follows a strict traditional style of martial arts that she trains probably every day and has a lot of personal pride in. (as well as, pretty obviously, them both being proficient in nonbender combat that highlights unique abilities, i.e. fan VS chi blocking). who are they, both of them, beyond being a warrior? i also well highly doubt the environment ty lee grew up in both allowed mistakes or lack of dedication, and didn't exactly foster being something of a team player, which is something that could create some Potential Conflicts as she's settling (i think there's even a bit in the more recent comics where azula says ty lee's uniform is slowing her down, and i KNOW that would frustrate the hell out of her, really)... the strange loyalty of azula, mai and ty lee, who existed as a group but not, princess and her weapons, childhood friends who weren't allowed to actually be friends, three individuals together with their own distinct traits but not actually Together, until ty lee chose mai, are... not exactly the tight knit group and well-oiled machine that are the kyoshi warriors, despite appearances. what ultimately leads to azula's breakdown was the hollow facade of it all. :(

suki's distinctive position as the capital L leader of a class of highly trained warriors is also really interesting to me for a lot of reasons, specifically to do with how i think she views herself, as both part of the group and separate from it entirely, and the unique way that she seems to me at least to actually be a very self-reliant person despite of course loving her girls and relying heavily on them. it's just an compelling character juxtaposition is all... i think ty lee is also, in a way, like this, if only as someone who could never truly "rely" on azula, and, up until she knew she could, even mai. on a lighter and related note, ty lee definitely has been Known to crush on people who boss her around LMFAO, and i also think it's very funny that they both at one point had a crush on sokka 😭.

LASTLY, ty lee's reluctance to be part of a matched set and then... joining a group of people who are a matched set is something i think about all the time, esp bc i know in the comics she LEAVES the group and then later comes back (which suki is very happy about... heh...). i know a lot of people think it's like, lazy writing, but i think it's ultimately very sweet that ty lee seemingly is working towards overcoming her insecurities regarding falling into the crowd, especially because of the way the kyoshi warriors seem to rely ON their uniform and inability to tell them apart in the heat of battle to their advantage. much like the way ty lee would use the way others perceive her, may i add. i think her working through this could also add another layer to their relationship, as well as the old "i'd know you even if your identity WAS obscured" trope.

anyways. basically i think they could work really well together. for some more like dot point reasons, i like the bubbly exuberant x levelheaded analytical dynamic as well as the subverted expectation that suki is the quote unquote more dangerous one when ty lee is the actual guard dog, and how they both share those traits when necessary. also just on a lesser note i think it's fun that suki has the whole headcanon of earth-kingdom-but-blue-eyes, possibly water tribe descended thing + fire-nation-with-grey-eyes, ty lee being possibly air nomad descended. "i may be a warrior, but i'm also a girl" applying to them both.

i like how duty and pride plays a big part in both of their characters, and the potential of ty lee reworking and reframing what this truly means to her through training with suki... i like the idea them being devoted to each other the way a knight is devoted to a princess as a subversion of the clouded, duty-and-fear driven dynamic of ty lee and azula's childhood dynamic, the way a leader is devoted to her people and therefore how this love is returned by suki, how it equalised through their devotion to each other through simple friendship. if suki is perhaps doomed or maybe just destined to always be seperate and Other, how ty lee is now able to stand WITH her. i'd like to maybe see a situation where suki maybe steps DOWN as leader and what she would do other than being this role that is such a big part of her, how she'll never stop BEING a kyoshi warrior but how she's also just a teenage girl who needs time to heal TOO.... well. in conclusion. Yuri wins forever.

future edit: if anyone wants additional reading this as well >:)