#hes a marvel bigshot

[herospledge]

Con haul!! Had a really good time met some indigenous artists in the comic industry and they were enthusiastic abt me + my work 😭💖

One wants me to go to school for professional experience stuff and wants me to work for her, and the other wants to put me in contact with like a publisher

Overwhelming but really cool! I'm so hype I'm still processing it all

[rxg1nald]

hey man its ok

[mt-oe]

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧…𝐃𝐖𝐌𝐀?—soul eater au mizu!

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Hey dears!

Firstly, thank you so much for always leaving funny and kind replies on my fics, and being so nice all the time <3 All of you motivate me so much and make me enjoy writing more ////

Second, I know this isn't a request, but it's my birthday today! I have no idea how to celebrate this year and what better way than to make a crossover with the first anime I've ever loved?

Truly, I'm so happy to be making something anyone can enjoy on my birthday. Thank you so much for appreciating my writing <3

Hope all of you enjoy! Mwa mwa :*

warning/s: not proofread, mentions of weaponry, she/her he/him they/them for mizu, reader thinks mizu is a man

note/s: made mizu the weapon because of the scene where she said she was made of mixed metal

...

Ah...

It's so motherfucking hot.

Is Nevada...always like this?

Fuck.

"How much more?" you groaned out loud to yourself, collapsing on the seemingly never-ending staircase for the nth time that morning. Sweat was dripping down your forehead and back like bullets. You could feel your head pounding and spinning from the sweltering heat, too painful to even look up at the sun that was, quite literally, laughing at you.

But, you knew you couldn't give up right now. Not when the school of your dreams was just at the top, waiting for you. Your index finger hooked itself under your collar as you got up again and started making your way up again. "Ah damn it. Why the hell is the sun laughing?!" you yelled, voice hoarse from the drought in your throat. Step by step and complaint after complaint.

It took you a while—a long long loooooong while—but after a few more collapses and some prayers to Lord Shinra, you finally arrived. Wiping the sweat off of your face, you looked up and marveled at the grandeur of the building in front of you.

Death Weapon Meister Academy. DWMA for short.

The place where weapons and meisters from all-over the globe gather. A well-known institution dedicating itself to preventing the formation of another kishin through training students in combat and teaching to control their abilities as weapons. Entrusted and funded by countries all-over the globe, that's how much of a bigshot this place was.

Everyone on the goddamn planet knew about it. The school that the world's hero headed and where the world's heroes were formed. Anyone in their right mind dreamed of attending school here. Heck, this was your life long dream since you were a little kid. Luckily for you, you were born in a family with a lineage of meisters so admission was an easy process.

Thank you, dear ancestors. I hope all of you are resting well.

With a bated breath, you took a step forward, the wind cooling your body down as you looked around. This place was absolutely beautiful. Even more than what you had imagined or seen in pictures. The strong breeze blew against you, making the vastness of the place felt. Turning around, you gasp at the beautiful view of Death City.

'Guess this'll be my new home,' you thought with a small smile, taking in the scenery. The houses looked like little dollhouses from above, so cute and quaint. Despite being surrounded by the desert, the city did not look even the slightest amount of dead. In fact, it looked quite busy with all the people out on the streets.

You sighed dreamily, thinking about the life you'll be living from now own. All the lessons you'll learn, the friends you'll meet, what the dorms looked like, how the food tastes. You'd probably face a lot problems too.

But, first things first, you have to find a weapon.

That shouldn't be a problem, right? I mean, look around. Students were walking and mingling all around you and some of them were alone. There's probably lots of weapons that were in the same situation as you. Maybe you could ask them?

Stepping inside the building, you fully expected someone, maybe a student or a faculty member assisting the newcomers. But what you saw was the last thing you could have thought of. The moment you came in, by a table where some brochures were placed, you immediately found...a zombie?

You looked up at him, eyes wide open and shaken by his existence. The zombie stared—was he even staring? You couldn't even tell—back at you, a slightly serious but overall neutral expression on his purple face. 'Welcome Freshmen!' the sign above the door near him said. This was definitely a unique welcome. You opened your mouth to say something but couldn't find the words.

...

"Weapon or meister?"

HOLY SHIT IT TALKS.

Your body jolted at the sound of his voice before looking behind you to check if he was talking to you. You nodded before opening your mouth to reply, a string of stuttered incoherent words could be heard before you finally replied. "M-Meister," you replied nervously.

The figure nodded and handed you a brochure and a nameplate with the word 'meister' on it. "You can find a partner inside. If you don't, there's a dorm warming party in the evening." His blank eyes stared at you for a moment longer before he spoke again, "I'm Sid. A faculty member. Welcome to DWMA."

Attaching the tag on your shirt, you nodded at him with a slight smile. Seems like he was a good guy after all. "Thank you sir," you said, heading inside the room.

Inside, lots of students have gathered already. Some were just chatting amongst themselves and some where trying to convince others to be their partner. There were some who were arguing over who another person would choose. However, there were those who just sat somewhere, waiting for someone to approach them.

Similar to them, you sat down on a random chair, looking around at who could be your potential partner. You knew you couldn't choose just willy-nilly. The wavelength of your souls had to match and so does your personality. No one wants a partner that they couldn't get along with after all.

After a few more students entered, Sid closed the door before clearing his throat to gather everyone's attention. "I guess this should be everyone," he said, looking around and nodding. "I'll reintroduce myself. I'm Sid, a faculty member here in DWMA. All of you are gathered here to find your partner."

At the mention of 'partner', your heart began beating faster from excitement. The thought of finally finding someone whose soul matches yours, to go on adventures with and defeat bad guys with, thrilled you. "Once you're sure, head over to me to register. Registration ends a day before class starts."

With that, you pushed yourself up from your seat to begin interacting with others. Though it soon dawned on you that interacting wasn't the hard part nor was it finding someone who's personality was compatible with yours.

It was finding someone whose soul was on the same wavelength.

The first attempt you had tried was with a young woman who claimed to have lived in Nevada her whole life. Her weapon form was a baseball bat, and you would soon come to know that weapons that were incompatible with their meisters were immovable. Literally.

Upon transforming in your hands, an indescribably heavy weight suddenly pulled you down to the floor. With determination, you placed your hands on the handles and tried your best to lift her up to no avail. Both of you apologized to each other before going off to look for another person to try connecting with. In short, your souls didn't match. Incompatible.

You tried again, now with a morning star. Again. Incompatible.

Again. A 9mm pistol? Incompatible.

A butterfly knife? Incompatible.

A sabre? Incompatible.

A gauntlet? Incompatible.

A karambit? Incompatible.

A rapier? Incompatible.

Incompatible. Incompatible. Incompatible.

A sense of defeat washed over you as most people in the room soon found a partner, some even a trio. The event finally ended with you being one of the only people who wasn't able to find a partner. Your stomach twisted with disappointment though Sid tried to reassure you.

After receiving your monthly allowance, you headed to the dorms to finally get your room assignment. You knew it was childish to feel so down especially when the deadline for the registration was still a few days away, but you couldn't help yourself.

'What if I don't find one?' you thought to yourself, frowning as you watched your senior introduce the dorms to everyone. Worry was running through you, making it impossible for you to pay complete attention to what she was saying.

Going up the stairs, you were finally introduced to your room. Trying your best to cheer up, you thought maybe your roommate could be the weapon you were looking for. Or maybe you could be besties or something.

However, as soon as you reached your room, your senior suddenly stopped before you could enter. "Err...I know this is a bit difficult to understand, but as of the moment, you don't have a roommate yet," your senior, who you found out was named Tsugumi, said with a sheepish smile. "B-But don't worry! They said they already had someone in mind. Your roommate just..umm...didn't appear today."

Your eyebrows furrowed slightly. What do you mean you don't have a roommate yet? Was this some sort of joke? You haven't even made a friend yet nor have you found a weapon, and now your roommate was missing.

"Are you okay?" she asked, looking a bit nervous from your reaction. You tried your best to give her a smile, but the curve of your lips just wouldn't cooperate as easy as it usually did. "Yeah. I'm okay! Just a bit worried," you replied.

Tsugumi doesn't seem to be convinced but decided to let you be anyway. "I'm sure she's fine. I heard she was penalized for dueling with another student without faculty supervision. She'll probably be here by tomorrow. For the meantime, why don't you settle in?" she tried to reassure you, to which you nodded with a small smile of your own. "I will. Thank you."

After she left, you opened the door to your room before stepping in. Closing the door behind you, you sighed and made your way to the bed. The bed squeaked slightly under your weight, echoing throughout the room. A sigh leaving your lips as you looked around.

"The dorm warming party. If I don't find a partner or a roommate there, I'm speaking to the faculty," you whispered to yourself with a push of exhausted determination. You stood up again and gave yourself a little puff of air. For the meantime, you fixed your side of the room. At least you could pick which bed was more comfy.

---

Evening soon came by and most students in your dorm had gathered to celebrate the dorm warming party, though it was obviously turned into some weapon-meister finding event again, you didn't mind. You were just as desperate as the other students.

As everyone interacted with one another, you once again tried your best to find a weapon whose soul matched with yours.

You met a man, a karambit, who hailed from the same country as you so you got along quite well immediately. Having someone to talk to about familiar experiences especially in terms of culture and tradition comforted you despite your situation. Maybe the similarities you had could tie your soul's frequencies together?

After a few more chats, the two of you decided to try and see if your souls matched. However, upon his transformation, the familiar physical and emotional weight of rejection pulled you down. You, once again, couldn't lift him up. Incompatible.

Oh death, what was going on? Why can't you find someone to be your partner?

Apologizing to the man, you mingled with the other students, determination wavering but not depleted. No, you weren't going to let the night end without a weapon.

A flail? Incompatible.

A scythe? Incompatible.

A tanto? Incompatible.

A machete? Incompatible.

An M16? Incompatible.

A musket? Incompatible.

A double-crossguard long sword?

You didn't even know those existed but still...Incompatible.

Incompatible. Incompatible. Incompatible.

A deep disappointed sigh left your lips as you stepped out of the dorm to get some air. This was unbelievable. You've been trying all day! At this point, you were starting to doubt if you were ever going to find a partner.

Dear ancestors, I'm sorry if I disappoint you.

Groaning, you made your way to the city. Maybe a bit of exploration would cheer you up. Step by step, you made your way down the stairs to the streets of Death City. The streets were a lot more quiet than it was earlier. Only a few shops were still open and it looked like they were getting ready to close too.

It didn't really matter to you though. You were just here to take a walk anyway.

As the night deepened, the streets soon grew dimmer and dimmer. Soon enough, you found yourself lost within the city's labyrinth-like streets. An eerie aura soon covered the dark streets, as if you were going to get kidnapped any mome—Hey no! Don't think like that! You're fine, you're fine! Perfectly fine haha.

Nervously, you hummed a small shaky tune to distract you from the spooky atmosphere, turning around to try and make your way back to the dorms. Suddenly, the wind blew incredibly cold, goosebumps ran down your skin. A feeling that someone was watching you suddenly loomed over you, making your stomach flip.

"N-No that can't be haha," you told yourself, rubbing your arms to try and get rid of the shakes in your system. "The city is safe. The city is safe. It's just my imagination. I'm just really upset and I'm imagi—"

crash!

"—ning..things.."

Your blood suddenly ran cold at the sudden loud sound, heartbeat echoing loudly in your ears. That was definitely not your imagination. That sounded very real and that sounded like it happened right fucking behind you.

Hesitantly, you turned around slowly to take a look, hoping it was just a cat or something. But upon looking, the only thing you saw were sharp blue orbs staring at you. Glaring at you.

Oh shit.

Immediately, you sprinted forward, hoping to find someone or something that could help you. Your lungs burned from the lack of oxygen and your legs ached as you continued to push yourself beyond the limits of your corporeal body.

This was absolutely the worst day of your life.

First, you couldn't find a weapon whose soul matched yours. Second, your roommate, who you had hoped to be friends with, didn't appear. And now, you were being chased by someone or something that you couldn't even see from how dark it was. Worse of all, you couldn't fight because you didn't have a FUCKING WEAPON!

You could hear the mysterious figure's footsteps following close behind you, chasing you down tirelessly through the dirty and smelly streets. Your knees trembled from fatigue, heartbeat echoing louder than your footsteps. But the person chasing you sounded so close, you couldn't stop now.

Suddenly, the footsteps disappeared, the sound no longer following you as you ran. A part of your brain sighed in relief at it's disappearance, but the other part felt more paranoid from its absence. The logical side of you knew that it didn't disappear. There was no way it would after chasing you for so long.

Your suspicions were confirmed as a new sound could be heard behind you from a distance. Footsteps significantly heavier than those chasing you before. Looking back as you ran, your eyes widened in fear as you saw red eyes staring at you hungrily from a distance. A big burly bald man, reaching past 6 feet, carrying a mace heading your way. To make things worse, as you ran forward, you were immediately stopped as the streets cut off into a dead end, leaving you with nowhere to go.

Turning around, you looked at the person chasing. Without a doubt, this man's soul was definitely a kishin egg. But fuck, you can't do shit. Not without a weapon.

A shaky breath left your lips as you looked up at the sky, slowly accepting that this was where you were going to die. A weaponless meister whose journey in DWMA barely began. Your eyes glazed with tears, both of frustration and fear, looking up at the moon that was...grinning?

"Oh why the hell are you smiling?" you muttered, glaring at it. Hearing the man's footsteps close to you, you turned to look at him fearfully. The man didn't smile, nor did he talk, his arms merely lifted his mace up as he approached your defeated figure.

Man...at least this dude had a weapon, you thought. Ears ringing, you closed your eyes and waited for your impeding death.

...

Why is it not hurting yet?

...

Any moment now?

"Are you going to keep standing there?" a strained voice asked. Immediately, you opened your eyes to see a tall figure, hair in a bun, blocking the mace with what seemed to be a katana. You opened your mouth to speak but before you could, the figure had already turned to look down at you with a glare.

A soft gasp leaving your lips as you saw his eyes.

Blue. Like the ones from earlier.

The hypnotizing shade shaking you to the core, but at the same time hypnotizing your soul.

Realizing that you were frozen in place, your savior let out a loud "tsk" before looking back up at the kishin egg. As the enemy lifted his mace to swing it down, Mizu parried it with great force, a loud metallic crack resonating in the air as small bits of the sword flew. Upon seeing this opening, his hands grabbed your wrist, slipping away from the enemy and dragging you along the streets.

Static went through your mind as the two of you ran. Your eyes never leaving the mysterious new person's figure. It seems that there weapon from earlier wasn't a demon weapon as you expected, so you still didn't know if he was a meister, a weapon, or a regular person. You didn't even know if he was actually a good person.

Your savior wore what seemed to be a haori, tied close with an obi at his waist. His body seemed to be lean and his grip on your wrist was firm, but not enough to hurt you. A gasp left your lips as he suddenly pulled you into a corner, holding your body close to his. His heartbeat was so loud, you could feel it against your back.

"What are you—mmph!" He immediately covered your mouth with his hand, peeking around the corner to take a look at the enemy before immediately pulling back. Pulling you closer, a shiver went down your spine as you felt him lean down close to your ear, breath tickling your skin. "I'll distract him, you run. Got it?"

Breathing deeply, you tried your best to think, but the upcoming footsteps was making your anxiety rise, fogging your mind. With no other choice, you nodded. Taking your signal, your savior released the hand covering your mouth, putting the broken blade down on the ground.

Your eyes widened as you watched his hand transform into what seemed like a blade. Blue like his eyes with wave-like patterns, sharp edge telling you that this person was definitely already used to transforming.

The moment both of you felt the enemy's footsteps stop near your hiding spot, his untransformed hand immediately pushed you away before jumping in front of the enemy. Without another thought, you ran away, feet picking up the pace immediately.

A small part of your heart ached, feeling guilty for leaving the man behind after he had helped you. You felt horrible. Like something was wrong and you should go back to help him. The uncomfortable feeling running so deep you could feel it in your...soul?

You couldn't take it anymore. Before you could go on any further, your feet slowed down until they halted. The moment you did, you heard a loud crash by the street where you had come from, and that was all it took for you to run back.

On the ground, your savior laid, trying to pick himself up, but it was clear to you that he was hurt and exhausted. Your eyes darted for anything that could help you until they landed on the broken blade from earlier. Hurriedly, you picked it up, rushing parry the upcoming attack.

Anticipating the pain of the impact, your savior gritted her teeth and clenched her jaw. But to her surprise, the sound of metal crashing against metal could be heard before metal shards flew in the air as you parried the attack with all your strength.

Her eyes widened in shock, hands immediately pushing herself up before his sharp blue eyes glared at you with such ferocity. But before he could tell you to run away once again, you threw the sword away and gripped his hand, preparing to pull him away.

The moment she felt your hand in hers, Mizu didn't know why, but her mind went blank.

The rage inside her quelled and her heart began beating faster. She was so used to fighting alone, to using her abilities as a weapon for herself, to closing herself off. But right now, it felt like she wanted to transform for you.

It felt safe. Like your souls were connected.

Before she even realized what she was doing, Mizu had transformed into a weapon in your hand. A small gasp leaving your lips as you felt her form shift into something different and her weight become lighter. You turned your head to look at her, eyes widening as you gasped.

In your hand was a katana. A beautiful one at that. The blade itself was a distinct shade of blue which reminded you of the sky before sunrise. A wave-like pattern adorned the hamon in an almost artistic sense. Despite the beauty of the blade, the cutting edge itself was extremely sharp. Almost scarily sharp.

The handle felt different to the usual Japanese swords you have seen around the school, having no cords wrapped around it. However, it appeared to be a slight cream-ish white with patterns on it, reminding you of handles made of ray skin. Around the handle, you couldn't help but smile ever so slightly at the menuki wrapped around it. It was...cute. Not something you'd expect from someone so intimidating.

"Keep your eyes on the enemy!" you heard his voice say, snapping you out of your trance. Immediately, you looked up before dodging another attack just in time. Your body shook with fear and the adrenaline rushing through it. You couldn't even feel your face with how scared you were. Before both of you could comprehend it, you were already running.

Fuck. You could feel your soul shaking.

Unbeknownst to you, Mizu could feel the fear running through you too. She could feel how erratic your wavelength was becoming as she watched you flee the scene with her in your hand. But it was no use, the enemy was close behind both of you, hot on your trail.

Your feet continued to run as fast as you could until you found a small corner to hide in. Panting softly, you looked at the blade in your hands, biting your lip in shame. "I'm sorry," you whispered to him, curling up into a ball. "I...I'm scared."

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at you. A part of her wanted to tell you off for being such a coward, but another part believed in you even if she didn't know why. Mizu sighed, looking down at her own feet, before looking off into the darkness. "I understand," he mumbled, making you look up.

He groaned to himself, unable to comprehend how compelled he felt to open up to you. Maybe she just didn't want to admit it, but deep inside her, she was scared too. "I...my soul is impure. Made by a kishin egg's and a good soul," he started, the sudden revelation making your eyes go wide.

"Not many meisters wanted to pair with a weapon whose soul was mixed with a sinners, and those who did...were incompatible." He looked up at you, before giving you a small smile. "That was until you," he chuckled, voice resembling a sigh. "It's fine if you're scared. We're both new to this after all."

You gulped thickly, looking at Mizu guiltily. His story tugging at your heart strings but at the same time calming you. No, you weren't going to let both of you die like this. You're not going to disappoint your savior who trusted you enough to let you hold him for the first time.

Gathering as much courage as you could, you shakily stood up, hand gripping the handle tighter. Her eyes widened as she watched your eyebrows knit together and your slightly swollen lips part as you took a deep breath. Her smile turned into something more genuine, more proud of you. "Look sharp, okay?" Pulse pounding loudly, you made your way out of your hiding spot, scanning the area until you made eye contact with the kishin egg.

The coward in you wanted to run, seeking the comfort of safety. But, you were a DWMA student weren't you? This was finally your chance to prove it.

The ground trembled as the enemy ran towards you, you swinging his mace aiming for your head. Dodging swiftly, you took the opportunity to stab the enemy's foot, making him keel and bend over in pain. With the new opening, you cut his hamstrings to render him unable to stand. All slashes done with ease, amazing you with how great of a weapon your savior was.

In attempt to save himself, the enemy prepared himself and parried your incoming attacks. But it was no use, with how light the katana in your hand was, you easily overwhelmed him, slashing his arm off before finally cutting his head off.

A loud thud could be heard as his body fell to the ground, head rolling to your feet, making you shudder. You watched as the enemy's remains turned to ashes, revealing a soul. A red soul. A kishin egg, as they called it.

You gasped as your savior suddenly pulled half his body out of the blade's sword and reached for the soul floating in front of you. His blue eyes narrowed at it, inspecting it before putting it into his mouth. Your eyes followed the outline of his throat as the red orb traveled down in what you could describe as an oddly smooth but very ever-so-slightly attractive manner.

But wait...

...

I think we forgot an important detail here.

"What the fuck?!" you yelled in surprise, making the man jolt back into the sword before glaring at you. You stared at him, then to the wave pattern on the flat of the blade, then to him, then to the cutting edge, then back at him.

Mizu looked visibly confused as you lifted him up and continued to stare with awe and wonder, wondering why you were acting so weird. "I'm holding...a weapon," you breathed out, grin tugging up your lips. "I'm actually holding one. I'm holding you."

You couldn't believe it. In your hands was a weapon.

An actual fucking weapon. One that didn't slam against the ground when you tried to carry it. One whose soul matched with yours.

Finally.

A katana? Compatible.

He looked at you, raising an eyebrow. Admittedly, the situation made her feel weird, but the look of amazement in your eyes told her that although she wouldn't like to admit it, your soul actually felt at peace with hers just as hers was with yours.

As if the two of you were sharing a moment more intimate than it seemed.

Taking a step back, you watched as Mizu went back to his human form. You've watched students transform before, but seeing Mizu transform made your heart soar with joy. After all, you were watching your partner transform. Your weapon They were your weapon.

Yours.

His eyes stared down at you as you continued to look up at him in amazement. Eyes tracing his features, taking in every detail, the way his mouth moved as he spoke. The sound of him clearing his throat snapped you out of your trance and to look at his expectant expression. "Mizu."

"P-Pardon?" you stuttered out sheepishly, pinching your arm lightly to make sure you weren't dreaming. "It's my name. You'll need it," he said with a nonchalant tone, turning to head back to the academy. Letting out a series of incoherent stutters, you walked right behind him. "I'll need it...?" you repeated, a smile of confusion and excitement tugging at your lips.

"Don't look so confused. You're my meister now, aren't you?"

[demonpiratehuntress]

Hii this might be an odd request. Feel free to ignore this if you don't like to write.

You know, straw hats have doctor, cook, swardsman, navigator,... Can you add another one who do mathematical, physics and chemistry stuff? If you can please make her a female.

She is not a genius. More like an average person. But she tries so hard. Sometime get lazy and unproductive too.

And if you can please make it a Ace x reader fic.

Thank you.

sure thing! :) it's not very long, because I don't know what else they can do in terms of those things, but i hope you still enjoy it! sorry for the wait!

taglist - @kabloswrld

someone's gotta do it

Portgas D. Ace x F!Reader

summary - the ask above

warnings - none

The Straw Hat crew wasn't very big, but it was certainly diverse. You guys had everything ranging from a navigator to a musician, so there were a lot of areas of expertise that were covered. All except for three, you supposed, which was constantly the downfall of the crew in certain situations.

A mathematician was needed, a chemist was needed and a physicist was needed.

You weren't exactly an expert in any of those areas, but you were doing your best to try and make up for those losses. You were doing your best to fill in those roles where absolutely necessary, so it wouldn't cost the crew as much anymore.

You had lots of duties to fill in these areas. You studied the log pose to determine exactly how it worked, marveling at the discovery of geomagnetism and excitedly explaining to the crew how it worked. This helped to better understand navigation in the Grand Line, and you felt useful providing that knowledge.

These duties also included setting a budget for the crew's spending on groceries and necessities, as you had to add up and subtract things you needed and things you didn't. Sometimes it was a hassle, because Luffy kept trying to add things that you absolutely did not need or even want.

"But it looks cool!"

"Luffy! Do you know how far that'll set us back in terms of berries!" You cried in exasperation, knocking your captain on the head. Oh no, you were starting to sound like Nami.

Speaking of Nami, you could also help her with her charts and her navigation. With mathematics, you could assist in charting courses that you've been on, and calculate the exact speed and distance the Sunny would require to get to certain places or away from danger. It was quite useful for that, as you could also determine how long it would take to get to a certain destination. Well, to the best of your ability seeing as this was the Grand Line after all.

"She's new."

An unfamiliar voice met your ears when you stepped out of your room to find the others out on deck, surrounding an unfamiliar man. He looked a bit like Luffy, but with freckles on his cheeks and a cowboy hat on his head.

That and he was shirtless.

You tried your hardest not to stare, blushing madly as you immediately thought that this was a really attractive man. You didn't know who he was, but you were attracted to him.

"Our mathem-mathe-maps?" Luffy tried, unable to pronounce the word.

You giggled and stepped forward, holding out your hand, "I'm (Name), the newest member. I do all the mathematics, physics and chemistry around here. Or, at least, I try my best."

The man grinned and shook your hand, "Nice to meet you! I'm Ace, Luffy's brother."

Your eyes widened and your jaw dropped, "Luffy's...brother?!"

Ace didn't seem offended, instead he laughed at your reaction, "Yeah, we get that a lot." He got Luffy in a headlock and ruffled his hair. "It's always hard to believe this little idiot is my younger brother, since I'm so charming and intelligent."

You giggled at his words, then even more so when the crew all disagreed with the second trait he mentioned.

Ace stuck around for a few days, wanting to spend some time with his little brother now that Luffy was a bigshot pirate with a big bounty and a special crew. But instead of hanging at his brother's side, Ace was curious about you. He thought you were cute, so he tried to spend some time around you, and you fell victim to his charms and his flirting.

"So, whatcha working on?" The commander grinned, leaning against your desk as you wrote down a few formulas for different chemicals.

"Hmm?" You glanced up, then blushed and quickly looked down. "Oh, nothing. I was just trying to find out how different chemicals and substances react with each other, in case we ever come across some weird devil fruit power or a chemical environment."

"And? Anything interesting?" He prompted, still smiling.

You sighed and shook your head, "Nothing useful. I'm kind of getting bored and I don't really want to read more."

He laughed then, standing up straight and holding out his hand, "Then come with me. And you can tell me about navigation using the stars."

You blushed again but accepted his offer, taking his hand and following him out. The two of you lay on the grass and stared at the sky, as you explained how sailors could locate the positions of islands or navigate where they needed to go using certain constellations and stars. He listened intently, not usually interested in this stuff but eager to hear you talk. He liked your voice, and he thought it was refreshing to see someone talking animatedly about something other than treasure or the One Piece.

"That's interesting," he spoke when you were done, "My brother's lucky to have someone so smart on his crew."

"Oh I'm not that smart," you turned red and shook your head, "I just try, that's all. Most of the time I don't even do anything and I just lay and watch the sky. It's hard to be motivated sometimes."

He studied your face as you said this, then grinned again, "Well, everyone gets lazy and unproductive sometimes. The good thing is that you're trying."

His words reassured you, and you smiled at the thought that he was impressed by you. You glanced at him quickly, then looked back at the sky and felt your heartbeat quicken.

"Someone's gotta do it."

He laughed at that, and turned to face you, "I like you. You're a refreshing change of pace in the world of pirates. No one usually cares about what you do, so it's nice to see you care."

Your cheeks warmed up at that, "I just don't want it impacting my crew, that's all. Sometimes we get let down by not knowing this stuff. I just want to protect my crew from that."

"A noble cause," he agreed.

You snorted, "Since when is anything pirates do noble?"

And the two of you laughed and joked around there under the star-filled sky, and suddenly you didn't feel so ridiculous about wanting to specialise in those topics that pirates generally never used.

Maybe you could also do it for you.

a/n - so, um, i dont even know if i got this right so im SO sorry if i didn't! i wasn't really sure how to go about it, so im really really sorry if it's disappointing. i tried, though!

[indigosabyss]

[set during season 2, episode 11 - "Cornered"]

"My master demands a real champion!" The robot insisted, hovering at the sidelines of his three-eyed boss, who had just thrown Billy to the side.

M'gann gulped, trying to think of something new. Zatanna was down, so was Captain Marvel. It was just her and Conner and Bumblebee left here. And Mal, too, but... Yeah.

"Hey, bigshot!" A new voice cried out, and suddenly, several new presences registered on her psychic radar, ten feet ahead of them.

"You want a Champion? Well, you got six." The leader of the group announced, a young girl with a lightning bolt on her chest. All five of her teammates were standing behind her, dressed in wildly different costumes, but they were clearly a team.

Despero tilted his head, considering, and his robot intervened, "Master only fights one-on-one! If you could all wait your turnism, he will destroy you all in due time."

The girl frowned slightly, "Sure. Can we pick our first competitor?"

"My, you are good sportism! Go ahead." The robot agreed with condescending graciousness.

"Great. Nova, don't let him hit the ground."

That was all she needed to say before the boy wearing a black helmet with a red star rocketed forward, too fast to even comprehend that he was moving.

The bluish white blur of motion hit Despero in the gut, sweeping him off his feet and into the air.

Before he could hit the wall, the... Nova had made his way behind the alien, sending him flying in another direction.

This repeated, on and on, a one-person game of ping pong in the Hall of Justice.

"Great, now that Nova has him contained for now, we can figure out how to neutralize him." The girl with the lightning bolt told them, walking up to M'gann, "Normally, I would suggest throwing him into orbit because people who can stand up to Nova can generally survive that, but there's the matter of the force field-"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Billy interrupted.

The girl's eyebrow twitched, "Ms. Marvel." She introduced tersely.

[loopy777]

So something i wanted to ask your opinion on.

In regards to rings of power, if i had been told to write the story, and i had been told i could only use what was in the apendixes, here's how i would have done it.

Season 1. - Exploration.

We are introduced to the Numenorians from the opposite point of view. Their landings at Middle Earth as they begin exploring the world.

Speciffically i would have used the Haradrim for this to lay the groundworks for the way these two people would become so bitter foes.

Start off with the Numenoreans beginning as traders and explorers, make friendly firdt contact, impress the locals with tech and stupidly good and impressive maps, not to mention their insane height.

The numemorean captain makes friends with the local chief, with one of his sons deciding to ask to get to join the crew on their voyage back as an envoy to establish trade relations(in reality the lad just wants to explore more of this new, interesting people, with him having been shown before this as a curious fellow) between their people.

The numenoreans of the time is far less xenophobic than they will eventually become, so he says yes, and what follows is basically a classic tolkien adventure, with the crew visiting the coasts of Middle earth, to trade with the already established trading posts before heading back home.

Have a balance between the whimsical and the serious, but as they travel further north, they also hear news of this(in the numenoreans view) upstart barbarian king called sauron.

Dont actually do anything with him in season 1. Just make sure to establish he's a prescence, and the numenoreans arent taking him all that seriously, but the people he rules(the people of mordor and later gondor) takes him very seriously, and treats him like a big, big deal.

Instead the focus is on both character and world building. We get to explore both the Haradrim perspective of the world, a proud people with their own traditions who's entire worldview is challenged by the Numenoreans.

The main cast is explored, and unlike rings of power are completely original, so no shoehorning in of historical figures who shouldnt be there, with the first season ending on our haradrim traveler having an audience with the king at the time being the very first time we meet some historical bigshot.

And the reveal and exploration of Numenor should be something absolutely breathtaking.

Have our haradrim travler constantly be amazed at the outside world, while the numenoreans take it in stride, with him baffled by how they can see such amazing wonders(to give one example i would have used the dwarfs who presumably lived in the yellow mountains remnant in northern africa, to explore dwarf culture from a different perspective than the moria and successor one, by having it be built into a mountain, but be a port city with a spectacular, titanic harbor), and all they say is "its good, but it's not numenor".

Have numor be built up as this land unlike anything else... And then at the end of the season, actually deliver on it.

As the ship pass the mists, and our crew begins to see something, which at first looks like this towering mountain spire as tall as Minas tirith's white one will one day be... And instead as the mists pass, we, and the haradrim realise that it's just a lighthouse/watchtower in the sea.

The port is beyond it.

Basically what im thinking is, the mythical valhalla(NOT the marvel version) in marble. Numenors cities are these magaopolis unlike anything else ever seen in lord of the rings. The greatest empire of man, who builds their megacities on the scale of modern cities, only these are actually beautiful marvels of stone, rather than the ugly ass mess of steel and various other things we are cursed with.

Meanwhile the people dress in armor clearly from an earlier period of history(i would have prefered if the entire universe was stuck at mail armor, but this is a prequel to the movies so thats a no go unfortunately, so i would go with hoplite armor with helmets liek the gondor from the movies) but other than that, you see nothing to suggest these are in any way a people poorer than later gondorians, quite on the contrary.

Im imagening something like how marco polo was astonished that even chinese peasents wore silk, only maybe on a much grander scale, maybe have gold and silver be so plentiful that pretty much everyone have jewelry and fine clothing you'd expect belonged to royalty.

And finally there is the king. Have him built up as this larger than life character who everyone treats with a level of deference that astonishes our haradrim visitor, and suggests to us he's this absolute monarch figure... Which he absolutely is, but he's also a very friendly guy, who is delighted to meet a new visitor from an hiertho unknown people, and takes him with him to chow him the greatest treasure of Numor. Their great great tree, from which the gondor descendant was a faltered successor to.

The climax(or rather the ending) of season 1. Has the king deciding on where he will send his next expedition, and he basically have 2 options. 1. Back north into the lands of Middle earth, or 2. Further down, to round the cape of proto africa and continue to explore the world eastwards.

Now we, the watcher knows that Numenor really needs to do something about Sauron, but the king dismisses him and his "paltry" realm, instead deciding there is maybe better opportunity to be found eastwards, so we set up season 2. With the promise of future adventures with the cast that the audience has now hopefully come to love, but also a cut away one of the cities the crew visited on the way, where the city welcomes in absolute fear their lord, the upstart by the name of sauron.

And we get our glimpse into him just by taking a look at his baggage train, with orc battallions wearing his symbol on their coats, Human soldiers by the tens of thousands, and a host of obviously recently captured slaves that must surely number somewhere near a hundred thousands, all in slaves.

Which sauron casually explains to the prince with "the eastern campaign went well." So we don't have to go into detail about it, while also shoeing that sauron is a really, really bad guy.

Anyway, what do you think so far? Does this sound like a way better take on the period, while still respecting Tolkien's world? Anything you feel needs to be changed?

If you liked it, i can continue with my drafts for season 2. If not, i shant bore you further.

I think there's some solid potential here, but of course in a fanfic exercise like this, there's no pressure from studio heads to deliver Mystery Boxes and plotty narratives in the modern storytelling style; you can truly go with a Tolkien-esque style of storytelling that's more episodic and low-stakes (at least on a micro-level). (And as I said in my previous response about the appeal of 'The Mandalorian,' that might be what people enjoy more.) In the real world, Sauron would be forced to have a more direct presence, although you might be able to get away with a miniboss who can be killed at the season. And I'm not sure how accommodating the budget could be for a world-tour where every place has to look different.

(This might be a good time to admit I haven't watched 'Rings of Power' and don't feel the need to, so I don't know how much it really looks like the most expensive television ever made. My impression is that there several parallel storylines, each with their own cast, that largely take place in static locations or generic wilderness/woods.)

But I really like the idea of making our POV character a young Haradrim who gets to explore the world for the first time and introduce us to the critical Middle-Earth Backstory elements. That alone is a pretty good hook for people in the know, with how those nations eventually come under the domination of Sauron, so we have this tragic future looming over any optimism, but perhaps some hope for individual characters. And the promise of finally doing something with the Blue Wizards could be a nice hook, as well. Likewise, seeing different Dwarf culture would be fun.

The freedom for a set of OCs who are exploring the world is very functional, and allows room to play up whatever characters appeal to the audience the most. The story of Numenor always seemed something very GoT-esque, where powerful lords of houses vie to control the fate of their culture, so putting us in the shoes of some working stiffs is a nicely counter-intuitive touch. I do worry that some of our traveling party risk getting left behind as the story progresses and the stakes get higher, but careful writing can handle that expansion (basically the opposite of what Legend of Korra did).

I also like what you capture about Numenor, and I hope the Art Direction can live up to it. I think it needs a little acidic flavoring, though, in the form of our Haradrim Hero's reaction. He can be awed and appreciative and yadda yadda, but I'd like to see something in there that also highlights the Pride on display in this pinnacle of architecture, foreshadowing how the culture itself will eventually fall apart, in addition to the King's arrogance about Sauron.

I also enjoy the idea of Sauron's introduction and revisiting one of the locations from the earlier in the season, a nice little use of existing emotional investment. I'm into his introduction being to his procession as a form of characterization, the ugliness of his doings comparing to what will the beauty of his physical form, although I can't help but wonder about the specific framing of his first on-screen appearance. Filthy slaves carrying his throne while he wears glowing white robes? Perhaps too heavy-handed, but something with that dynamic. Ideally, we could see a glimpse of what was said about his early days on Middle-Earth, wanting to rebuild what he had helped to destroy, but of course his corruption is very much set in at this point.

So, all in all, it sounds better in that I'd be interested in watching, unlike RoP. The mystery boxing very much worked against that one, as it sold itself entirely More Tolkien Stuff and did nothing to try to hook my interest as a story. Your idea sounds like a solid framework with room to grow.

Just watch out once you turn it over to the Writers Room and the Art Department. This thing is going to live or day based on how much we enjoy spending time with the main cast in fun fantasy places.

[nkhrchuwuya]

the gardens

bungou stray dogs AU | G | 710 words nakahara chuuya x reader/OC

chuuya’s always dreamt of a life bigger than anything he’s ever seen. when his world goes small, though... it’s even better.

"sweetheart, can ya please do my hair today?"

chuuya calls, standing in front of the mirror in the living area, where sunlight cascades its beautiful, golden morning light. you look up from the coffee you're sipping in the kitchen, turning to your beloved partner. he's combing his long hair with his hands, looking distracted.

"of course! be there in a min!"

chuuya goes to sit on the couch and you approach, the bamboo creaking as you settle over it. there's nothing really quite like living out here- thirty minutes away by car from the nearest city, far enough where all the stars are visible at night. the wind is clear from any smoke or pollutants- except, maybe, the occasional cow farting, er, passing by- and the flowers nearly sing in the beautiful sunlight.

"your usual braid?" you ask, gently running your hands through the bronze threads of his hair, shimmering in the morning light.

"if you would please."

this life is all chuuya's dreamt of, really.

chuuya didn't grow up in what one would call a happy, conflict-free household. and he fought. fought his damn hardest to get out of there, jumping between jobs and moving several times just to get away.

and he dreamt to get big. he didn't want a simple life. he wanted to rise up the ranks of a big company and be the CEO or something like that. he wanted to be a bigshot. he wanted his name on the papers. he wanted his family to know that he was way better than them now, that he's left them all behind in the dust. 

until he found his calling.

it was here, in the outskirts, with you.

"i really like the hair serum you made. i should use it more often."

"ya better help me make some more if you're gonna use it up too."

"damn, i have less hair than you! but fine."

at first, chuuya was apprehensive. this wasn't the life he'd dreamt about, after all. there was always something grander in his mind. but he tried anyway. he went. he left it behind: any desire to prove those that hurt him wrong. and he took with him instead a compassion for himself he'd never felt in years.

and now he's here.

luckily, chuuya doesn't mind it one bit.

and neither do you. you actually like your job at the local library, part-librarian, part-preschool teacher, something to keep you both afloat while chuuya sits at home tending to the gardens.

and oh, the gardens.

he hadn't imagined it would grow to something like this. at first he thought it would be nice to grow your own vegetables- those that would be easy to take care of- just so it's less expenses on your little household. but now, it takes chuuya hours just to tend to the gardens. the cauliflowers, the cucumbers, the eggplants; the spinach, the leeks, the chives. what he thought was going to be an herb garden turned out to be a little vegetable aisle.

how delighted you were the first time he'd brought in a basket of fresh vegetables. i'd looked up ways to cook them deliciously, you told him, marveling at the goodies, glistening with the water he'd used to wash them of dirt. i hope you'll like them.

of course he'd like them. there's little in the world to dislike when he's with you.

chuuya is shaken out of his reverie by your voice. "done! sorry, it's a bit messy at the top, but it does the job."

chuuya's kept his hair long, half because the both of you are still a little too scared to actually do the cutting yourselves, and half because... well, he thinks he doesn't look half bad with it. and with you tending to him like this... well, he's not going to mind it one bit.

he fiddles with the braid with two hands. "thanks, baby."

he turns from his seat to cup your face and press a gentle kiss to your mouth.

like this- your bike with the bell that sounds funny outside, his hair left too long uncut, the tomatoes outside ready for harvest, the orange of summer passing by the both of you-

this simple life is just right, too.

[m-jelly]

Little teacup

@kenkopanda-art pretty banner <3

Pairing: CEO!Levi x Reader

Genre and tags: Romance, CEO Levi, fluff, cute, modern AU, being a couple.

Concept: You gift your CEO boyfriend with a simple little tie clip. Levi adores it and wears it proudly at a little event. While there with you, people keep making comments about the clip and call it cheap. Levi snaps at people and raves about how much he loves your gift.

You placed the lid on your little box and marvelled at it. You smiled in pride before wrapping it up in paper and taping down the folds. You tied a cute bow around it and gasped in delight at how pretty you made it all. You just wanted to do something for Levi.

Levi was a bigshot CEO, so he made a lot of money and you both lived in his penthouse. Levi could get you anything you could ever want. If you wanted to go to another country, he would fly you that second. You still worked your little job and asked Levi if you could help with bills. He accepted and thought it was adorable. You knew very well he only took a tiny amount of money for the bills and shopping, but you still felt like you were doing something.

Levi bought almost everything. He gave you a lot of things and you very rarely asked for anything unless you were desperate. Levi got you expensive pretty things. You saved up as much money as you could and would buy him nice things too.

You had saved your money up for something special for Levi that you knew he'd love. You jumped when he threw open the door to the gaming room you were hiding in. "Levi!"

He studied you and seemed to relax at seeing you. He smiled a little. "So, this is where you've been hiding." He walked closer. "My little bunny is very good at playing the hiding game, but her big bear always finds her."

You giggled as he leaned over and nibbled your neck. "I was hiding for a good reason."

He pulled back. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

You lifted the little box up to him. "I umm...I got you a gift."

Levi stared at your blushed and then at the little present in your hands. "You got me a gift?"

You nodded. "Yes."

He perched on your gaming desk after he took the box. He softly said your name as his heart fluttered in his chest. "Darling. You shouldn't have."

You leaned one arm on the desk and looked up at him. "I saw it and knew I had to get it for you."

He pulled the ribbon and hummed a laugh. "You're too cute for words."

You started to worry the more he unwrapped the box. "I umm...I thought about it." You blushed. "Maybe it's silly."

He lifted the lid to see set in some tissue paper was a tie clip with a little teacup and saucer on. "Bunny..."

You shuffled closer. "It's silly." You stood up and reached for it. "It's bad."

He stopped you. "It's beautiful. I love it so much." He smiled and picked up the clip. "I'm going to wear it all the time. This is so me! I love tea a lot." He looked up at your blushing face. "Of course, I love you most." He kissed you. "Thank you."

You smiled at him. "You really like it?"

He nodded. "I adore it. This is so me." He dragged his tie clip off and tossed it on the table. "I need to get rid of all my tie clips." He slipped on the one you got him. "I'm only ever going to wear this one."

You put your head in your hands and whined. "Levi."

He pulled you close and held you. "Thank you." He kissed the side of your head. "Thank you so much."

You wrapped your arms around his next and clung to him. "I love you."

"I love you too." He squeezed you. "I love you so deeply."

You pulled back a little and played with the undercut of his hair. "Don't wear it to the event."

He massaged your hips. "Why not?"

"People will make fun."

He frowned a little. "Why? It's the perfect gift." He held you close. "Everyone is going to be so jealous."

You giggled a little. "You goofball."

"I'm a massive goofball." He slapped his hands on your bum and gripped hard. "Time to get changed, we have an event to go to." He hummed and massaged. "So soft."

You pulled his hand off you. "Naughty boy, save that for later."

He grumbled a little. "Fine, fine."

You hurried to the bedroom and pulled on a sexy and classy dress Levi had bought you. You matched it with small heels and did your hair and makeup. You twirled and giggled. "What do you think?"

Levi hummed as he checked you out. "You're like a sweet in a cute wrapper. I just want to peel the wrapping off and eat what's inside." He walked up to you. "I know for sure you're a sweet with a gooey middle. I want to drink it all up. I want to savour the sweetness."

You covered his mouth with your hands. "Later."

He pulled your hands away and let out a long sigh. "Fine."

You walked over to the front door and smiled. "Ready?"

He nodded and led you to the lift. "We'll get my driver to take us, so it means I can have a drink with you."

"Great."

He held you close on your journey to the event. He knew you were nervous about going to them. He realised that it was like stepping into another world. Levi still felt out of place, but he felt so at home with you. Levi felt like he belonged when he was around you. He understood your worries and your pain. He wanted to protect you as best as he could.

"Levi?"

He looked over at you as the buzz of people talking and classical music faded in. "Hm?"

You smiled a little at him. "I'm going to get a drink. I believe Erwin wishes to chat with you about work."

Erwin smiled softly. "Sorry about stealing him."

You giggled. "It's alright. I need a drink anyway and so does he. I'll be back in a bit."

Levi nodded. "Sure." He turned to Erwin and listened to him about changes and deals for his business. Levi chimed in and agreed with what he thought was right for the company, but something caused his focus to break. "Hang on Erwin."

Erwin frowned. "Something the matter?"

Levi clenched his jaw as he watched you get upset as a group of ladies talked to you. "Someone is upsetting my bunny." He stormed over and pulled you against his chest. "Tch, oi!? What the hell is going on here."

You whimpered. "Levi, it's fine." You reached for his tie clip. "I messed up."

Levi stopped you. "Why are you taking that off?"

"I was right, it's silly and bad."

"What?" He snapped his gaze to a woman laughing. "What's so fucking funny?"

She smiled as a blush spotted her cheeks. "We were just telling you silly little fling here that the tie clip she got you is cheap, tacky and disgusting. I mean, honestly, there are so many better things out there. Get a real job dear and buy him designer."

Levi was pissed now, not only did they make you feel low and embarrassed, but now they were insulting you. "Tch, listen here you plastic piece of worthless trash. I'd rather not shit for thousands of fucking years than accept some stupid designer piece of shit." He lifted his tie. "You see this tie clip!? This is the cutest shit I've ever seen! You know why I love it? Because she thought of me when she saw it. She saved up her money for it with me in her heart. She picked something that made her think of me. I fucking love tea, she knows that. She got me this incredible and thoughtful gift. Now take your stuck-up personality and attitude and shove it up your arse!"

You blushed. "Levi."

He ushered you along. "Come on."

You walked along with him. "Levi."

"I won't stand for it, bunny. You're the love of my life and you gave me such a perfect gift." He stopped and cupped your face. "It really is perfect. I love it so much." He kissed you and sighed through his nose as he felt at peace. "Don't ever change, okay? I fell in love with the sweet woman who tells me off for giving her too many gifts, who stomped her foot when I held out on letting her help with the bills, who is thoughtful and gets me the sweetest of gifts, who tells me she loves me with such purity." He rubbed your tears away. "Never ever change who you are. Don't be a rich snob, okay?"

You giggled through your tears. "Promise."

"Good girl." He sighed. "Now, let's blow this shithole and go get some junk food."

You walked with him. "Can Erwin, Hange and Mike come?"

"Tch, sure, why not. Let's be a family."

[traincat]

if you dont mind i would love to hear your thoughts on how and why peter seems to be more fulfilled by lower paying jobs (i.e photography, teaching) rather than by high paying jobs in STEM

(Sorry for the wait, anon! I did get this first ask, as you can see, it’s just that sometimes I tend to hoard asks that I want to give long in-depth answers to and then they get buried.)

So I think to best answer this the first thing we have to do is look at Peter’s 616 employment history -- what jobs he’s had when and for approximately how long. So here we have a more or less definitive list -- I may have skipped over a few minor jobs that aren’t important in the long run of the character history, but for the most part this is accurate. For the sake of brevity I am not going to count things he’s done as Spider-Man that have earned him money, like a brief bodyguard stint or his occasional time with the Avengers, because this is really more about his identity as Peter Parker and how his civilian employment plays into his life as Spider-Man than about his life as Spider-Man.

Works for the Daily Bugle on and off, through a variety of positions from part time to salaried, from the age of 15 onwards. Primarily a photographer. How good of a photographer Peter actually is varies from writer to writer, but he remains unmatched in his ability to get certain shots ranging from ones of Spider-Man (duh) to particularly high risk environments (different duh). He also briefly worked for rival newspaper the Daily Globe, the Bugle’s main competitor. His position as a full time newspaper photographer is his most well known (and most consistent) job.

A TA in grad school at Empire State University. At this point in time he labeled himself as having “the wrong temperament” for teaching -- and I would personally say I think his stints teaching college are much less engaging than high school.

Published author. His book, Webs, a collection of his Spider-Man photography, was a major bestseller that sent him on a book tour around the country. I hesitated sticking this on here because it’s very tied into his work with the Bugle -- and he was still working for the Bugle when the book was published -- but I figured it was worth including for the novelty of the fact that Peter’s technically a best selling author/artist.

Peter worked as a scientist at Galannan Alternative Research for Immunization Development (GARID) in Portland after his clone Ben Reilly took over the identity of Spider-Man. Although often overlooked in discussions of Peter’s job history, I think his stint at GARID is important in part because it illustrates how much of Peter’s time being Spider-Man took up and how a job with flexible hours was necessary for that balancing act. When he was working at GARID, Peter wasn’t Spider-Man, so it wasn’t difficult for him to keep a position at a laboratory. 

I mean granted the GARID job didn’t last long and there was sort of a whole big mutated monster case going on with it but you know. Anyway he pretty quickly moved back to New York and started working for the Bugle again.

Peter’s next major job at a lab comes in another period where he’s supposed to have quit being Spider-Man. (Which he did, very temporarily, and then he very much didn’t. Anyway, you’re seeing the pattern here.) He briefly worked at Tricorp, a private brain trust. This is a really short-lived position, even as Peter’s science gigs go, because -- Spider-Man.

At this point things get dicey employment-wise as Peter heads into a weird period of canon where Mary Jane was presumed dead. She wasn’t! But everyone thought she was. It was weird. When MJ came back (and promptly left for LA, not that I blame her), Peter exited this period of limbo by becoming a science teacher at his old school, Midtown High. This is the main career, beside news photography, that I think he really shines in.

Civil War/One More Day/Brand New Day hit and completely tank the direction of Spider-Man history. Peter’s marriage is erased by the devil and also he’s not a high school teacher anymore, for some reason, even though nobody remembers he’s Spider-Man anymore which is the reason he initially lost the Midtown High job. Make it make sense. Anyway, in Marvel’s desperate scramble to take Spider-Man back to the unmarried basics, as if they even got new readers that way, Peter returned to photography. When Dexter Bennett bought the Bugle out from under JJJ while JJJ was sick, Peter began working for the newly minted “DB” as a tabloid photographer. It wasn’t great.

He also briefly at some point in here worked at a comic book store for like five minutes. Mostly he complained about people who read comic books and made jokes about how he doesn’t get along with the X-Men. 

Under Slott’s run, Peter began working at Horizon Labs. Slott had a pretty major problem with Peter’s genius not being “recognized enough” and constantly had him inventing new things, showing off, etc. 

Horizon Lab became Parker Industries under Otto Octavius when he bodyjacked Peter during Superior Spider-Man and made himself CEO. When Peter got his body back, he was still CEO. It was bad but Peter did tank the company on purpose so that Otto and also nazis couldn’t get their hands on it, which was sort of fun. 

Peter went back to work for the Bugle, but as their science editor, because Slott was still in charge and there was some weird commentary about photography not being an adult job. Which I think is pretty weird in a medium that’s very dependent on visual art. But okay.

Then Peter got fired because he was busted for plagiarism of Otto Octavius’ work... that Otto did himself... while he was in Peter’s body... and Peter couldn’t reveal this because then he’d have to explain... and maybe I hate comics. 

In MC2 he becomes a forensic scientist! I really like this for him actually. I think it combines his interests and experiences in a very thoughtful way. But I do want to note it’s after a Spider-Man career ending injury, so again there’s not a real conflict there between his work as Spider-Man and a career.

Peter I think is an especially interesting case in how his character ties into his employment history because one of the first things he does in his story is figure out how to make money, and he does this because the Parkers don’t have any. If Ben and May were comfortable -- even comfortable enough that their teenaged nephew was unaware of financial pressures -- Spider-Man’s story would be completely different. But Peter immediately feels he pressure to use his new powers to earn money, at first with brute strength. And what he says he’s going to do with his earnings is that he’s going to take care of Ben and May:

(Amazing Fantasy #15) So the concept of Peter as someone who is very aware of financial pressure and who is pretty explicitly linking money to support is present from the absolute beginning. But at the same time, there’s a kind of selfishness presented in him here -- he’s only going to take care of Ben and May. They’re the only ones he cares about here, because as he’s stated they’re the only ones who have ever “been kind” to him. Peter at the beginning of his story is very rooted in his anger and his bitterness, and it takes him losing Uncle Ben -- because it wasn’t Peter’s “job” to stop the burglar -- to get him to the point where he starts to be able to see beyond that.

Ben’s death also heightens the Parker’s financial pressures -- Ben is the primary earner in the household. (Aunt May in the original context of the early 1960s was most likely a homemaker, and as an older woman especially she wouldn’t be expected to have a job. But even moving the timescale up to a point where she would be expected as a woman to hold down a job, it’s important to note that early in Spider-Man canon Aunt May is depicted as being in very poor physical health.) While it’s not clear in the initial Spider-Man stories what Ben did, it’s clear that with his death whatever income the Parkers had coming in abruptly stops:

(ASM #1) This sets in concrete one of the central conflicts Peter and May have -- both of them lie to protect the other. Peter feigns being an ordinary boy in order to protect May from the stress of his secret life as Spider-Man, worried that she wouldn’t be strong enough to handle the danger he regularly puts himself in. But this is a learned behavior, and here we see that he most likely learned it from May: she doesn’t want him to worry about the very deep financial troubles they’re obviously in, so she pawns her jewelry, and she stresses to him the importance of his education. Again I have to note that there are some pretty significant social differences between the 1960s and today in regards to this story -- Betty Brant, for example, notes that she had to drop out of school and become a secretary because of her own family’s financial problems, something she’s ashamed of. So early Spider-Man is very rooted in money, class, education, and how those things intersect. I think it should be noted that the only early Spider-Man characters who are financially well-off are Liz, Gwen, and Harry. (We don’t know anything about Flash’s financial situation in early Spider-Man comics but retroactively we know his family situation is not well-off.) In high school, Liz’s father is a bigshot who owns a dining club, but later on the Allans experience financial hardship with Liz quite literally being on the streets when Peter reunites with her when he’s in college. Harry’s father is a rich businessman, but from the beginning he’s depicted as emotionally negligent, caring more about money than spending time with his son:

(ASM #40) “After all... I had a business to care of! Money was the most important thing of all! I had to get rich! I needed wealth... for that was the key to power!” So right away you have this link between wealth, corruption, and negligence. Norman’s pursuit of wealth is his given reason for his neglect of Harry. Later on we’d learn that Norman’s father was also abusive and that that abuse formed Norman’s ideas about power and wealth. (Spider-Man! It’s about cycles of abuse!) There’s a very contrast between Norman’s attitudes here and the Parkers loving (but poor) household. Gwen is the only exception here -- she and her father are depicted as comfortable, most likely edging into wealthy, although on nowhere the level the Osborns have been elevated to. But compared to Peter, Flash, and Mary Jane especially -- all from poor households, with MJ and Flash’s fathers both being abusive -- Gwen’s home situation is the picture of stability, both in terms of economic status and in terms of her loving and very present father.

My goal in outlining all of this isn’t to say that Spider-Man’s message is definitively “money is bad” because I don’t think it is. I think as a series Spider-Man is very aware of the comfort that money can provide. But I think there is a frequent message about excess in Spider-Man -- excess power, excess wealth. As Norman says above, in his eyes, money is the key to power. With great power, comes great responsibility. In Norman hoarding and abusing his wealth, he abuses his power. If he provides for Harry, it is solely through money -- there is no love or devotion in Norman’s money-focused world. And I think that’s important when you look at where Peter starts in his story, before Uncle Ben’s death. He’s going to use his powers to make a lot of money and he’s going to provide for Ben and May but he’s not going to care about the world outside of that. I think one of the interesting things about Peter -- and this is where Slott’s run especially fails the character -- is that he’s not interesting in getting rich. He’d like to be comfortable, for sure -- he’d like to have enough money to not have worry about it, to not have the need to hustle impede what he can do as Spider-Man, to be able to take care of his family. (And there’s some machismo stuff linked in here for him too -- in the early days of their marriage the fact that Mary Jane earns much more than him is something he struggles with.) But he doesn’t care about being rich. He doesn’t care about the money; he cares about the support that the money would bring. 

That feels like a simple statement but I think it’s actually a really big distinction, especially when you’re analyzing a character. And I think it’s because Peter understands that value that it makes him so empathetic to others who have financial struggles. One of my favorite short self-contained Spider-Man stories is called Windfall, from Marvel Fanfare #42, where a mixup with a check embroils Peter in the personal affairs of a bank teller, a young single mother who is fired from her job ultimately because she refused the advances of her boss. Peter gets her her job back -- through blackmailing the boss for his other sexual affairs, which some people might think is immoral of him, but I think really speaks to Peter’s understanding of how the greater world works, and what he’s prepared to do to get bigger justice. But more importantly he uses his own money to pay the young woman’s rent, and he does it in a way where she never even knows it’s him. Because he understands her situation, the way someone who had grown up comfortable never could. And that understanding I think puts him a place where it’s more important for him to both keep that understanding and maintain that ability to act relatively freely, in the way that bigger, more prestigious positions in scientific fields might restrict him. There’s a reason he keeps getting fired from these scientific positions and it’s not that he can’t get them, because we can see from his employment history very clearly that he can. It’s because the freedom to act as Spider-Man and what he can do as Spider-Man is ultimately more important to him.

And while high school teacher is my number one favorite profession Peter has ever had, I think that his position as a newspaper photographer is also very important to the character’s history, in part because the Bugle is such a big part of his life and the connections he’s made but also because the Daily Bugle itself is important. I think it’s interesting to note that two of the biggest superheroes of all time from both of the big companies -- Spider-Man from Marvel and Superman from DC -- have had long running journalism jobs, Peter as a photographer and Clark as a reporter. I don’t think I really have to go into a whole thing about how good journalists are so important and why it matters that we have these incredibly famous mythic figures that are positioned in the roll of journalists specifically. But I do think it is important to Peter that he’s put in that position as someone who cares about uncovering the truth. So ultimately I think what I mean when I say Peter is more fulfilled by his jobs as a photojournalist and as a high school teacher than by his comparatively more high paying stints working as a scientist in a lab is that Peter gets the most fulfillment out of careers where he can actively see, day by day, that what he’s doing is helping people, and that it’s a very direct line from him to the people he’s helping. His efforts can’t be twisted, they can’t be used for other purposes the way they can within a larger organization. He has a line of control in what he can do to help other people. It’s like how Spider-Man functions best as a street level hero: what he does best is saving and helping individual people, on a case by case basis. And you can turn around and demonstrate that in his civilian life best in jobs where he gets to directly interact with people. And ultimately to Peter making that difference is more important than a better salary.

(Marvel Knights Spider-Man #9)

[metalbvcky]

*Shows up late to the Stucky/Marvel fandom Post-EG with Starbucks and dozens of fics that I’ve read in hand* So you guys like fanfiction?

Yeah so, because of quarantine I’ve been consuming a ton of fic. I’ve probably read over 1.5 million words in just a couple months. So why not share what I’ve been reading! Note that some of these are older (popular) fics so veteran Stucky peeps will probably know of them since I not too recently delved into the realm that is Stucky fanfic. :)  

Down below are over a dozen fics with different tropes, Canon/AU’s, and what not. Please do heed the tags on some of these. For the curious: My AO3 bookmarks. 

Also shoutout to @stuckylibrary, the mods over there are doing the lords work. 

Key:  ♥ = My fave, S = Smut, DS = Dom/Sub 

Heroes are Easy, People are Hard ♥ by Halbereth, Lorien - Words: 152,284 | CW Fix It, Slight Canon Divergence, Recovery, Slow Burn

Shuri and Wanda cleared Bucky's triggers shortly after Killmonger's attempted coup, and he and Steve went on the run. But it turns out there's more to "fixing Bucky's head" than "getting Hydra out of it." When a group of rogue scientists manage to neutralize the serum and make Steve very sick--pre-serum "this is bad" kind of sick--and they're cut off from contact with Wakanda, Bucky knows only one person with resources to help. He calls Tony and surrenders on the condition that Tony tries to help Steve.

From there, it's basically three variously messed-up guys’ trajectories from "This Is Fine", "Reasonably Speaking I Know It’s Fine", "I Will Be Fine With It" to actually being fine, guest-starring a far-better-adjusted teenage boy who climbs walls, a 1957 Ford Thunderbird, two women with a keen sense of the absurd, and Bruce, the Zen master of “it’s fine that it’s not fine.” Add in the fact that Bucky's been secretly in love with Steve since the thirties and things only get harder. Learning to be a person is the hardest thing Bucky Barnes will ever have to do--but he's got company along the way.

Reap The Whirlwind by Cristinuke - Words: 18,221 | Canon Universe, Post CW, Domestic 

Bucky finds a cat. Or rather, a cat finds him.

Your Favorite Ghost by augustbird - Words: 21,013 |  Canon Divergence, Post TWS

It's harder than Steve ever expected to bring Bucky home.

Despite the threatening sky and shuddering earth (they remained) ♥ by praximeter (Zimario) - Words: 71,532 | Canon Divergence TWS, Body Modifications 

“They really didn’t want the mask to come off.” Hill thumbed through the scans, and pulled out a film that she then handed over to Sam, face mostly expressionless but for the flat line of her pursed lips.

Sam accepted the film and held it up to the light, angling so both he and Steve could see it, squinting at the outline of the Winter Soldier’s skull, and the blips of unnatural white that showed up, God, in his brain, not to mention about half his teeth, plus the mask, with its thin protrusions—

“Those are pins,” Steve realized. He looked over at Hill. “The mask—it’s nailed to his face.”

Hill’s face was as unmoved as ever. “Like I said. They really didn’t want it coming off.”

This city bleeds its aching heart ♥ by Renne - Words: 34,537 | Canon Universe, Fake/Pretend Relationship 

The one where Steve and Bucky pose as a happily married couple while on a mission for SHIELD, to catch an international arms dealer hiding in a suburban neighbourhood.

The Best Way to Wake ♥ by LeeHan - Words: 42,293 | Post TFA, Canon Divergence TWS, Recovery 

James Buchanan Barnes lay in a glass pod in the middle of the table, frozen since he fell. Steve’s hands were on the glass before he realized he’d moved. “Wait, Captain!” “Get him out,” Steve whispered, his hands searching for a clasp, a keypad, something. “Captain, we need to keep him in stasis—“ “I said get him out!”

Infinite Coffee and Protection Detail ♥ series by owlet - Words: 264,438 | Canon Divergence (sort of) 

The mission resets abruptly, from objective: kill to objective: protect

Undersell, overcommit by silentwalrus - Words: 10,222 | Canon Universe 

Steve goes so hard for Bucky that he becomes a licensed, practicing massage therapist.

Sparked Up Like a Book of Matches by Sena - Words: 26,734 | Post-TWS, Canon Universe 

Steve lives in Stark Tower and doesn't have much to do when he's not going after Hydra strongholds. He attends charity events to make Pepper happy. He goes hiking with Sam. He hangs out with Clint in Bed-Stuy and watches Dog Cops. Sometimes Tony gives him super alcohol in a sippy cup. Sometimes he sees Bucky out of the corner of his eye and wonders if it's real or if he's starting to lose his mind.

Alternately, the one with terrible jokes, a foot chase through the Lower East Side, and a tiny little robot named Shitcan.

Sugar Sweet ♥ from the Red Velvet series by ColorCoated - Words: 173,400 | Modern/Sugar Daddy AU, Age Difference, Slow Burn

"What's your name?" It wasn't even a line. He was just pretty and Bucky wanted a name to go with that face. With that strong jawline. With those deep blue eyes. A little smirk, "Steve."

Awww, Steve. He looked like a Steve. Bucky pursed his lips in a way he hoped was attractive, "You should buy me a drink."

College Student Bucky finds himself immediately attracted to Steve. He knows that Steve's a bit older than him, and that Steve himself is put off by the age difference. . . But that doesn't stop Bucky from wanting to climb him like a tree.

Steve and Bucky Go Away for the Weekend (and cook a lot) ♥ by E_Greer -  Words: 30,126 | Canon Universe, Domestic 

In which Steve coaxes Bucky out of the Tower for a birthday weekend away and sweet, fluffy domesticity ensues. Phlintasha helps keep Bucky calm, Steve has Opinions about how you set the table, stories are told, greenhouses are toured, baths are had, books are read, tears are shed, stars are gazed upon, and everyone makes Bucky feel loved. Includes Friday night dinner, Saturday morning breakfast, Saturday lunch, Saturday dinner, and Sunday brunch.

Dona Nobis Pacem by thegraytigress - Words: 65,214 | Canon Universe, Recovery 

"This job... We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes it doesn't mean everybody, but if we can't find a way to live with that... Next time maybe nobody gets saved."

An incident on the battlefield exposes how much Steve's falling apart under the crushing weight of leading the Avengers after Sokovia. Now Bucky's adopting a new mission: save Steve before he destroys himself completely, even if it means the end of Captain America.

Give 'Em Hope ♥ by L1av - Words: 130,022 | Modern/Hospital AU, UA/Age Difference 

Dr. Steve Rogers likes to think that if his patients have hope- their chances of survival will increase. Bucky Barnes has a 20% chance of survival and a desperate yearning to experience life. Against Steve's better judgment, he develops a relationship with his patient. It's illegal. It's wrong. But it's giving Bucky the hope to keep going, so Steve's going to keep giving it, because he wants Bucky to survive. He needs him to.

You belong (to me) by hermionesmydawg - Words: 29,759 | S, DS, Canon Compliant, Post CW

"Hold on." Bucky lifted a finger and backed out of the doorway, returning a moment later with his cell phone. He snapped a photo of Steve, typed a few words, and then returned to his apple. "What the hell were you doing at a sex club last night?"

"Not having sex, if that's what you're wondering." An alert sounded from Steve's nightstand - a new Snapchat message. He rolled his eyes and unlocked his phone. Sam was always sending stupid Snapchats and frankly, Steve couldn't figure that goddamn app out and cursed whoever created that piece of shit.

The chat wasn't from Sam this time, however. It was a picture of himself, not looking guilty at all, with the caption "when your buddy catches you looking at p*rn."

Circling Back from the It’s Not Linear series by chaya - Words: 59,642 (Series Total: 136,782) | Canon Divergence

Steve looks for Bucky, Bucky finds Steve, Steve tries desperately to put Bucky back together. Bucky tries desperately to let him.

Continuing Education by 743ish, romanticalgirl - Words: 14,443 | S, Canon Universe/College, Shrunkyclunks 

Steve is invited to be a guest lecturer on the WWII unit for Bucky's college course. Bucky's more than happy to glean any extra knowledge (in more than just history) from Steve, and Steve's happy to eductate him. But then Bucky has to decide if he can handle the fact that Steve throws himself into danger, and if the sex is worth it. Or if it's not just sex anymore.

Salt & Sugar by GoldBlooded, stfustucky - Words: 19,598 | Modern/Restaurant AU

Steve Rogers is a bigshot celebrity chef in New York City, and Bucky Barnes is a classically trained pastry chef in Moscow.

When billionaire and mutual friend Natasha Romanoff calls on them to collaborate for her Memorial Day Benefit Gala, they both brace themselves to spend the week working with some jerk they're bound to hate. Except... Steve makes a burger that could bring Bucky to tears, and Bucky makes tartlets so beautiful Steve's sure they qualify as art. Maybe, just maybe, together they could make this a night to remember.

@/sgtbarnes1917 and @/cptrogers1918 by BayleyWinchester - Words: 114,203 | Canon Universe, Social Media Fic 

Bucky Barnes broke Twitter with one photo

Proprietary Information ♥ from the Additional Information series by notlucy - Words: 85,141 (Series Total: 165,871) | Modern AU, Age difference, Slow Burn

Okay, so Bucky Barnes has a crush on Steve Rogers. The guy's gorgeous, talented and, oh yeah, the Chief Design Officer of the biggest tech company in the world. In other words: he's so far out of Bucky's league that he might as well be in a different stratosphere.

Deep in the Woods (Where My Heart Has Been Waiting) by SilverMyfanwy - Words: 15,353 | Pioneer-AU, Shrinkyclinks 

Steve Rogers gets lost in the woods in a snowstorm. Bucky Barnes takes him in. Pioneer-era AU ish with Shrinkyclinks, evil chickens and a cabin in the woods.

A Bucky Odyssey by inediblesushi, thorstbench - Words: 9,952 | Shrinkyclinks,  Cap!Bucky, Nurse!Steve  

Bucky Barnes, Captain America, has a plan to make Steve Rogers, SHIELD nurse, fall in love with him. Confiding in the Internet might not be the best idea, though. So when the bad pick up lines do not work and Steve looks determined to staying single, he decides to be more himself and less what he thinks he should be.

At first I wanted to wait to post this until I finished a few more fics from my ever growing read-later list but what the heck, now or never! I’ll probably end up making a part 2 reclist by the amount of fic I’m reading these days. 

Happy reading and stay safe out there fellow Stucky trash members!!

[alexiethymia]

a matter of time till the flowers bloom

title: a matter of time till the flowers bloom fandom: Secret Garden (2010) Korean Drama pairing: Kim Joo-Won/Gil Ra-Im notes: Because of all of the hype surrounding Hyun Bin lately it made me want to re-watch my favorite kdrama and I just had to write a fic for it even if it's not likely anyone will read it

summary: they meet thirteen years earlier than planned but nothing much has changed. Kim Joo-Won still finds himself smitten with Gil Ra-Im. the time may change, but that stays the same. 

or the AU where Gil Ra-Im’s father had lived and he introduces Kim Joo-Won to his daughter like he promised. 

When we get out of here, I’ll introduce you to my Ra-Im. She’s so pretty that you’ll faint.

It’s not hard for Joo-Won to request that the firefighter that saved him be treated in the same high-class hospital room as him without the latter knowing. After all, it’s the least he could do.

 He’s still being treated for his ankle with Ahjussi – Gil Ik-seon, he later tells him – right beside him, when the hospital doors burst open and a high school girl with a tear streaked face, all but tackles the firefighter he owes his life to.

 Ah, this must be the daughter he’s already heard so much about.

 He should be more sensitive to her plight. After all, she was a turn of fate away from losing her father, and with that thought, Joo-Won is back in that moment looking at Mr. Gil Ik-seon in that cramped elevator and thinking he’d see someone die in front of him without being able to do anything about it.

 But all that comes out of his mouth is –

 “Ah, ah, what’s this Ahjussi? You said your daughter would be so pretty that I’d faint. All I can see is an ugly face that’s even uglier when it cries.”

 He really doesn’t know why he’s insulting his savior’s daughter, only that he can’t stand to see her cry.

 For what it’s worth, it works, because although there are still tear tracks on her face, she glares at him with so much fire in her eyes.

 The machines in the hospital must be faulty because he’s suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

She comes by often – Gil Ra-Im, after her death stare her father had introduced them– a cheerful ‘Appa, I’m here!’ to her dad, and more glares for him.

 He has too much respect for Mr. Gil Ik-seon but he can’t help wanting to rile up his daughter, and he doesn’t even know the reason why.

 One day she comes by with home made food and out of the corner of his eye, he sees Secretary Kang bring in the high-class hospital food from near the doorway. He shooes the man away with his eyes when she’s not looking and whines about not having food.

 “What, none for me? I’m a sick man you know. Shouldn’t you be feeding me?”

 “Are you really too poor that you can’t even afford your own meals?” is her tart response.

 “What?!” If only she knew who he was…”You can’t treat me that way. If only you knew who I was, later on you’d say ‘Oh I was actually in the same room as that guy!’, that’s what you’d say.”

 “Now, now Ra-Im, let’s share some of our food. Don’t deprive me of the chance to boast about my daughter’s cooking!”

 She’s disgruntled but follows her father’s orders. He pretends he can’t even lift his arms and opens up his mouth.

 “Ahhh…”

 “You’re crazy if you think I’ll feed you! Do you want your fifth vertebrae to become your sixth!?”

 “What? You can’t be violent against a sick person.”

 “Now, now, Ra-Im…”

 She eventually does it, hand-feeding him, but it would have been better without that disgusted look on her face. Now, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Joo-Won has eaten from five star restaurants, dishes prepared with the finest ingredients and the most skilled of chefs, and yet this meal prepared by this ordinary girl, there’s no other word for it. It’s –

 “Delicious.”

 She looks skeptical at first, but he keeps his face serious, and then he’s rewarded with the most brilliant smile.

 “Really? It’s really delicious?” She giggles for once looking like the high school girl she is, and with her sparkling eyes, he can finally see what Ahjussi meant.

 For once in his twenty-one years of existence, he’s struck dumb.

 He drives them both home personally – waving off Secretary Kang’s concerns that his ankle wasn’t well enough and that his mother would kill him for letting him drive in his condition, but that’s Secretary Kang’s problem, not his. He drives them both to a run-down place, the kind you see on the background of one of those National Geographic documentaries, and he thinks this isn’t right.

 Shouldn’t someone have been by to compensate the Gil family already? He thinks, even a new house wouldn’t be enough.

 They invite him in and though he doesn’t even know anyone personally who rents, he can’t find it in himself to say no.

 He remedies it the next day, presenting new appliances – vacuum cleaner, washing machine, flat screen TV, the works – on their doorstep with a flourish. They’re all from grandfather’s department store so it wasn’t much.

 By their astounded faces, he can tell he’s shocked them; yes this is who he really is – scion and future CEO of Loel Department Store – not some mooching patient.

 Discreetly, he looks at Gil Ra-Im’s face, but his satisfaction is short-lived as her surprise turns to consternation.

 Ahjussi speaks first. “Joo-Won…We appreciate the gesture, we really do, but I didn’t save your life so I could get all of this.”

 He knows this, and he knows whatever he’s giving them doesn’t even compare.

 Later on, even Ra-Im pulls him aside.

 “For Appa, whether you’re some bigshot son of a wealthy family or even if you were some homeless man with tacky tastes in track suits (‘Listen you…!’), a life is a life that’s precious. And also he told me what happened. He said you saved him and that you wouldn’t let go. I should thank you for that. Kamsahamnida!”

 She bows formally and Joo-Won is a confused mess of emotions. What is she acting all shy for now after hitting him constantly for his annoying comments in the hospital? It leaves him giddy seeing her act cute, but also apprehensive because it seems like they’re distant strangers.

 Why must the Gil family be so hard to thank?

 “Well if there’s one thing you could do for me. I was wanting to watch my daughter’s Taekwondo match. Would you want to come with me?”

 If playing chauffeur is the only thanks they’ll accept, then Joo-Won will take what he can get.

 Gil Ra-Im is a marvel of motion and deathly grace. She brings down men twice her size with ease. Sweat flows off her brow with every kick and strike.

 Joo-Won can’t even blink. It looks like she’s sparkling. He is fascinated, enraptured, captivated.

 “That’s my daughter,” says Ahjussi with pride.

 She must be a health hazard and no one told him. Why else does she make it so hard for him to breathe? At this rate, he really will faint.

 “Hey Ji-Hyun, what does it mean that I can’t take my eyes off of someone who could probably break every bone in my body? You know me I prefer the intellectual type. And what does it mean that I actually look forward to when she hits me?”

 “Wow, we haven’t even broken up for more than four months and here you go talking about another girl in front of me.”

 “You’re the one who dumped me.” Joo-Won points out helpfully.

 ‘It’s not as if you look that broken up about it’ Ji-Hyun thinks, but doesn’t say. “We’re better off as friends.”

 “Anyway, if I thought you actually had the capacity for it, I’d think you were in love.”

 Joo-Won snorts in disbelief.

 He offers to drive her to her school since it’s on the way to his University. He opens the door and tells her to get in.

 “Are you really crazy? What would people think if I was driven to school in a sports car. No thanks. I’ll ride the bus.”

 “Most high school girls would go ‘kyaaa’ at this rare opportunity, You’d be the envy of everyone, having a handsome university student like me drive you to school. “

 At that, she just rolls her eyes, leaves him gaping as she gets on the bus.

 The one time she agrees because she was running late, she demands to drive, and again Joo-Won doesn’t know what compels him to entrust his precious car’s keys to her, but it’s one experience he never wants to relieve again.

 Ever.

 With the pretext of paying back his debt, he visits them often, Ahjussi and Gil Ra-Im

 “I’m very exacting about these things.”

 Ra-Im rarely accepts getting driven to places and forget about handing Ahjussi any money. Instead he pays for when they go out to eat rinds, much to his disgust.

 “Don’t melt it. Chew it and swallow like a man.”

 Funnily enough, it’s Gil Ra-Im who constantly says that while Ahjussi just laughs at him.

 He wonders how many rind sessions it’ll be but they pay for the meals as many times as he does, not to mention he always has a place at their table whenever he drops by for dinner. At this rate, paying the debt is slow-going, but Joo-Won finds he doesn’t mind.

 One night, he doesn’t realize how much time has passed and how many soju they’d consumed. Maybe it’s not his place to say but –

 “Ahjussi, should Ra-Im really be drinking?”

 Ra-Im scowls at him as expected but Ahjussi just laughs good-naturedly. “It’s medicinal, don’t worry.”

 Joo-Won raises an eyebrow at that but lets it go, long ago accepting that he’ll never understand the workings of the Gil family.

 It’s really late and he’s drunk, so Ahjussi doesn’t let him go home and offers him a place to sleep in their living room. Again, Joo-Won has only slept on silk sheets and down pillows imported from Europe, but he still accepts the offer.

 “Wait for a bit, I’ll just bring Ra-Im to her room.”

 “Don’t worry Ahjussi, let me do it.” Joo-Won picks her up easily, and for all of her tough talk, she weighs as light as a feather. He places her on her bed and places her stuffed toys near her. If he’s staring at her for a bit too long, well that’s just because he’s drunk. There’s a furrow in her eyebrow that makes his own furrow so he eases it away with his finger until her face rests peacefully again.

 A soft smile touches his own features though he doesn’t notice it.

 “Sweet dreams, Ra-Im.”

 Joo-won’s body is in a jacuzzi pool in Deoksan but his mind is in a run-down apartment in Seoul. In his mouth is the taste of caviar, but he can’t help but wish for the taste of home-made tteokbokki. Physically he is present, laughing while being surrounded by pretty girls near his ideal sizes, but in his mind he can’t help but criticize.

 Her skin is too smooth and fair. A bit darker would be nice.

 Her hair is too long, a bob cut would be more chic.

 Her legs are too thin. It’d be better if she had more muscle.

 One of the said pretty girls caresses his arm. “Isn’t this fun, Joo-Won?” Her eyes don’t sparkle.

 Joo-Won thinks of arguing over rinds, watching some late night drama, a hand on his shoulder and a curt but sweet voice, as they both tell him to take care in going home and drive safely.

 The girl is waiting for a response. He smiles blankly. “Yeah, it’s fun.”

 Choi Woo-young has been a thorn at his side at worst and an annoying Hyung at best. But never before has he had this visceral feeling of wanting to bury him where he could never be found. Until now.

 “A fan you say? Why, my dongsae should’ve have introduced us sooner so I would’ve found out I had such a charming fan!”

 “Never on your life,” mutters Joo-Won under his breath.

 In the first place, they only found themselves in this situation because Woo-young was following him.

 “I was only worried about you!”

 “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”

 He never wanted for them to meet anyway, but to make matters worse Gil Ra-Im is apparently a fan of ‘Oska’.

 This is the first time he’s seen her this way. Ra-Im has stars in her eyes and is honestly twirling her hair and popping her foot like in a classic Hollywood movie. It’s sickening. If there’s anyone who should see her like that, it should only be him.

 “Can I call you Oppa?”

 “Of course!”

 “Hyung, if you don’t leave in three seconds, I’ll leak to the media outlets some very interesting photos I have. An artist just beginning his music career wouldn’t want that kind of scandal right?”

 “You’re a demon.”

 “2 seconds.”

 After he’s finally, finally, left, Joo-Won doesn’t waste time. He whirls on Ra-Im, face livid.

 “Oppa?! I should be the one. You should be calling me, Joo-Won Oppa!” He knows he sounds childish, but he doesn’t care.

 “Never.” She has the gall to stick out her tongue at him. No, no way. She had no right to act this cute after what she just pulled.

 Later after Choi Woo-young gets to know Ra-Im better - much to Joo-Won’s frustration- he pulls him aside to talk to him.

 For once Joo-Won actually listens because his Hyung never sounds this serious.

 “I wasn’t joking when I said I was worried. Your friends say you haven’t been around much lately. What kind of healthy twenty-one year old doesn’t go to parties? You should be having the best time of your life. Is it the accident? Are there still some side-effects?”

 Joo-Won waves off his Hyung’s concerns. “I’m fine. There’s no need to make a fuss.”

 “Well it looks like it. You seem happier and more, I don’t know if peaceful is the word. So, where have you been lately?”

 “You know that fireman who saved me? The girl you met, Gil Ra-Im, that’s his daughter. I’ve just been visiting them.”

 “So I’ve heard. Whenever we meet, Miss Ra-Im is always complaining about you sticking around. She’s said it’s like they’ve adopted a stray dog or something.” He laughs boisterously. What Woo-young doesn’t tell Joo-Won though is how Miss Ra-Im looked when she said it, contented, with a secret smile on her face. His Dongsae’s head doesn’t need to get bigger than it is.

 Predictably, Joo-Won fumes, “That brat…!”

 “So does that mean you? And her?” Woo-young leaves it open-ended, free for Joo-Won to interpret however he sees fit.

 “What are you talking about Hyung?” He laughs, but it only sounds fake to Woo-young’s ears. “I’m just playing around with her.”

 “I’ll tell on you!” He can’t believe what he’s hearing.

 “Go ahead. It won’t make a difference to her.”

 For all that this is nothing new for Joo-Won, careless as he is with other people’s feelings, Woo-young wouldn’t be so worried if this was a ‘playing around’ that he recognized.

 When Joo-Won played around, it involved candle lit dinners and expensive dates. Woo-young doesn’t recognize this playing around that involves him visiting a girl and her father, and having meals with them. Woo-young sincerely wonders if Joo-Won even recognizes the painful domesticity of it.

 As a Hyung, he can’t help but worry.

 Ahjussi texts him to ask for a favor, probably the only one he has ever asked of him.

 Ah-young is out on a trip so could he stay with Ra-Im for tonight since it looks like he’ll be late in coming home. (He’s met Ah-young, Ra-Im’s best friend once before. She exclaimed ‘omo, omo’ and shook Ra-Im’s shoulder excitedly when they’d met. That is how girls react when meeting him. Ra-Im is just a strange and fascinating anomaly.)

 He was expecting a scowl to greet him when she opened the door. He’d actually revel in it. Instead what he gets is a split second where her face falls when she realizes it isn’t her dad at the door. That hurt more.

 She tries to keep herself together, pretending everything is normal, throwing insults his way, and yet preparing his meal for him. But Joo-Won can see right through her. He’ll take angry Ra-Im, annoyed Ra-Im, a fawning Ra-Im any day over this withdrawn and scared girl. It reminds him of when they first met.

 He plays along with the motions. He says something that makes her throw a punch, an insult no doubt, but he misses his cue, because instead of avoiding it, as he would’ve done, he catches it, and pulls her in for a tight hug.

 She struggles, though even that is weak.

 “I understand that you’re worried.” He whispers it on her hair, and hugs her tighter. She stops trying to escape. “I’m worried too. But I’m here. You’re not alone. We’ll wait for him together.”

 How can he explain to her? That moment that he saw in her father’s eyes that he was willing to let go because he would be dragging Joo-Won down with him. It was just a flip of a chance, but there could’ve been a world where Ra-Im was without a father and it’d all be his fault. So though he doesn’t understand this obnoxious, infuriating, astounding, precious girl half the time, he can confidently say, he understands what she’s going through right at this moment.

 Miracle of miracles, she hugs him back, tight as he is hugging her.

 It slips out.

 “I love you with all my heart.”

 She stills.

 “Your father wanted me to pass his words on to you.”

 And relaxes.

 Meanwhile, Joo-Won is the opposite. Because those may have been her father’s words, but the emotion behind it is all his.

 They don’t eat dinner yet. Knees drawn, her fisted hand enclosed in his, and his thumb running soothing circles over it, they wait together.

 They wait together, and pray for rain.

Would your father have liked me?

 Definitely not. What kind of father would like a guy who always looks down on his daughter and makes her cry.

 Gil Ik-seon likes Kim Joo-Won. The boy has good intentions even if he goes the wrong way about it. He’s insistent on thanking him and standing by his principles no matter what those principles may be.

 But more importantly, he likes Kim Joo-Won because he loves Ra-Im. The most precious thing in the world to Gil Ik-seon is his daughter. And because Ra-Im is the most precious to him, he likes Kim Joo-Won.

 For all of Ra-Im’s scathing words against him, Kim Joo-Won makes it so her sad eyes aren’t so sad anymore, even if as a result they become angry instead.

 But often she’ll also ask, “Is moron coming by over today Appa? I need to know if I need to make extra servings.” She says it as if it was too troublesome to do so, but he still catches her small smile whenever Joo-Won drops by.

 So Gil Ik-Seon likes Kim Jo-Woon, and he’s sure Ra-Im likes him too. 

[rxg1nald]

forgot to post this oopsies 🐟

fun cool awesome jim belongs to oomfie @frookiethesillybilly

i love paper textures i need to do it more 🪸

[ohfrickfanfic]

Reunited And It Feels So Good

Pairing: Jordan x Reader

Warnings/Tags: car sex, mild biting, squirting

‘I can’t believe it's already been five years since graduation,’ you think to yourself, putting on the final touches of your makeup before leaving for your class reunion. ‘I can’t wait to see how much everyone's changed…. Oooh! I wonder if Jordan’s going.’

You met Jordan your sophomore year in chemistry class; he was your assigned lab partner and you quickly fell head over heels for his sweet-natured demeanor and gorgeous mop of dark brown curls. There was only one problem, you were already dating the quarterback of the football team.

Your boyfriend was clearly attractive — one of the most popular guys in school -- and you honestly had no idea what he saw in you. He was out of your league. Everyone either wanted to be him or be with him, but for some reason he chose you. It was exciting at first and you quickly climbed the popularity ladder, but if you were honest with yourself, you never developed any feelings for him and often found yourself longing for Jordan.

When you look back on it now, you feel so stupid for not calling it quits with Mr. Popularity sooner and then going after Jordan. You were young, dumb, and naïve, and truthfully you loved the attention and your newfound ‘status’ among your peers due to your relationship.

A few months after graduation, when the popularity contest of high school was finally over, your relationship lost its appeal you broke it off. But by then you had lost contact with Jordan; you never did keep in touch outside of classes together, so you’re really hoping to see him tonight.

When you arrive at the venue, you’re greeted with shiny mylar balloons in the shape of the number five, and cliché reunion songs: ‘reunited and it feels so good’ currently playing through the sound system. You quickly begin scanning the room for Jordan. Everyone's dressed to the nines in dapper tuxes and strappy dresses; perfect for the venue’s elegant vibe. You encounter many familiar faces as you search the crowd. A few people try and talk to you, but you just brush them off in search of Jordan.

After several minutes of searching, you lose hope. Feeling defeated, you take a seat at the far end of the bar and order yourself a drink. Just as the first sip of your cocktail warms your throat you hear a familiar voice, causing you to spin around.

“Y/N?”

“Oh my God, Jordan!” you exclaim as you stand, pulling him in for a hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too. Wow, you look amazing,” he says, taking a step back to give you a look over. You can feel your cheeks redden under his gaze.

“Same goes for yourself; look at you!” You give his shoulder a flirtatious push.

“How’ve you been?” he asks, beginning to take the empty seat next to you. “Oh, I should have asked, is anyone sitting here?”

“No, not at all. Please sit, sit,” you encourage, tapping the chair as you sit back down as well.

“So, did you come alone then?” he asks as he removes his suit jacket, hanging it over the backrest.

“Yup, single and ready to mingle,” you joke. “How about you?”

“Same actually… I gotta be honest though, I was half expecting you to have kids and be married to ‘whatshisname’.”

“Haahaha, nope. No kids. Never been married,” you laugh. “We actually broke up pretty much right after graduation.”

“Ya know, I was always so insanely jealous of him in high school,” Jordan admits.

“Yeah, you and everyone else — Mr. Popularity,” you add with an eye-roll.

“Except for me, it wasn’t about his popularity.”

“It wasn’t?” Then what was it about?” you ask looking confused, then picking up your cocktail to have a sip.

“You’re really gonna make me say it huh?” he blushes. “You, silly. It was about you,” Jordan states making you sputter your drink back into your glass.

You quickly wipe your mouth with the back of your hand. “Excuse me!?” you say, both apologizing for your actions and asking if you heard him correctly.

Yeah, I had a huge crush on you,” he confirms with a laugh, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

“I would say that’s the alcohol talking, but you haven’t even ordered yet,” you joke as your pulse quickens. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Are you crazy? I felt blessed that you gave me the time of day in Chemistry. I knew you were out of my league, plus, you were dating Mr. Bigshot star quarterback.”

His words made guilt rise in your stomach, you can’t believe you came off that shallow back then.

“But Jordan, I had a huge crush on you too!”

“And I would say that’s the alcohol talking too, but you spit most of that back into your glass,” Jordan laughs. “Now you’re just fucking with me.”

“I’m not. I’m serious, Jordan. I was even hoping to run into you here tonight,” you say, reaching out to rest your hand on his arm.

“What?” Jordan chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief. “Then why didn’t you just —”

“What, break up with him and ask you out? You finish his thought. “’cause I was an idiot and apparently my popularity was more important than my happiness. I’ve regretted it since.”

“Wow,” Jordan huffs out in shock, running his hand through his dark curls. “I-” he starts before being cut off by an approaching old classmate calling his name. Jordan makes small talk with him for a few minutes while you sip your drink, waiting patiently for them finish.

“Sorry about that, I don’t even remember what I was about to say now,” Jordan says, rubbing at the back of his neck. “But umm - I hope this isn’t too forward, and I know there are probably other people you wanna reconnect with tonight, but do you by any chance wanna get out of here?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” you answer with a sultry smirk.

“Oh... um...okay. I was not expecting you to agree to that. Let’s – uhh, let’s go,” Jordan says in a surprised tone, reaching for your hand and pulling you from the barstool. He grabs his suit jacket off the back of the chair, then tugs you through a sea of old acquaintances and classmates heading towards the exits. Once in the parking lot, Jordan pulls a key fob out his suit jacket pocket and presses the unlock button, illuminating the car's lights.

“Holy shit, you have a fucking Tesla?” you exclaim, as Jordan opens the passenger side door for you.

“Not exactly,” Jordan admits before closing your door. He circles around to the driver’s side and climbs in. “It’s my brother’s. He’s letting me borrow it while he’s on tour.”

“Wait, Josh? Right?” you ask, remembering his older brother.

“You remember?” he smiles. “Yeah he’s a famous musician now; traveling the globe.”

“Wow, that’s awesome! Good for him.”

With that conversation now wrapped up, the air in the car goes uncomfortably silent; the mood switching from that of catching up with an old friend to an awkward first date now that you both realize you’re alone together.

“So… ummm… what do you wanna do now?” Jordan says, breaking the silence.

“I have a few ideas,” you suggest bravely, walking your fingers up Jordan’s chest and tugging on his tie.

“Oh yeah,” he smirks. “Like what?”

“Like, you,” you say, pulling his upper half over by his tie and over the center console towards you.

“R-really?” he chokes out, his mouth centimeters from your own.

“Really, really,” you laugh.

With a flick of your tongue against his lip,s you coax open his mouth, his tongue meeting yours in the middle. Your bodies scramble over the console and into the back seat as the kissing intensifies; his hands roaming your body and your needy moans filling each other’s mouths.

“I can take you somewhere nice,” Jordan says with hitched breath, breaking the kiss and looking up at you where you’re now perched in his lap in the back seat: one knee resting on the side of each of his thighs, your bare core barely concealed by the bunched fabric of your dress.

“Here is fine.” You pause briefly to plunge your tongue back into his mouth, “I’ve waited for this long enough,” you add, slipping his tie over his head and then reconnecting your mouths once again as you begin to unbutton his shirt.

About halfway down his shirt, you pull a little too roughly and cause a button to pop off and rocket across the car. “Mmm, hope you weren’t renting this suit,” you laugh breathily against his flesh, moving your kisses to his neck and rotating your hips in his lap as Jordan shrugs off the button down.

“Uhmm,” he moans loudly, raising his hips to meet yours and lolling his head to the left against the window. “It’s - uhhh- it’s actually J-Josh’s too.” His breath fogs up the glass and he huffs out another breath. His hands caress your back as you mark him up before they settle on the small zipper between your shoulder blades on the fabric of your dress. He takes the tiny piece of metal between his thumb and forefinger, tugging it down your spine to the zipper stop.

“Off!” you demand, sitting up to yank on his belt, then standing the best you can, hunched over in the confines of the car, to shimmy off your dress.

“Oh shit!” Jordan marvels at your body as he fumbles with his belt; button and zipper to follow. He plunges his pants and boxers down his thighs in one fluid motion, his hard cock pressed against his stomach. Your eyes go wide at his size, you were hardly expecting that from his ‘boy next door’ persona. Jordan takes notice. “Big enough for ya?” he teases smugly, his face plastered with a smirk as he strokes himself.

“Oh fuck, give that to me!” you exclaim, pulling off your heels and clambering back into his lap, a foot on either side. Quickly, you replace his hand with your own, gripping him tightly and guiding him to your entrance. You let out a whine as you sink down on his length, relishing in the satisfying stretch and pleasurable fullness inside of you. “Jordan!” you cry out in ecstasy, tangling your fingers in the dark ringlets at the base of his neck as you bottom out to the hilt.

“Mmmm” he grips your waist pulling you against him. “I never thought I —- ummgh, never thought I’d get to hear you say my name like that,” He whispers in your ear, teeth delicately nibbling at the lobe before descending to your neck.

“Uhhh, yeah, you like that?” you tease as you ride him.

“Y-ahhhh,” he huffs against the freshly made plum markings that decorate your flesh. “Say it again.”

“Uhhhh, Jordan. Jorrr-dannn,” you begin to chant as you pick up speed, reaching up to palm the glass roof for balance. “Oh god, I’m so close.”

“Not yet,” Jordan says, pushing you off of him. “Wanna take you from behind.”

You quickly shift positions; Jordan bending you over the center console between the two front seats. With one hand on the bottom cushion of each seat, you try your hardest not to claw at the leather as Jordan re-enters you.

“Mmmm you’re fucking soaked,” Jordan groans as he thrusts. His hands grip your hips, pulling you back against him just as hard as he’s driving his hips forward, hitting that sweet spot deep inside you.

“Uhh, yes! Fuck my wet fucking pussy, Jordan. Mhmmmm feels so good,” you grit through your teeth, a familiar warmth already rekindling in your abdomen.

His pace is relentless, his aim spot on. Your orgasm is quickly building; you can tell it’s going to be a good one — going to be intense.

“Jordan I’m gonna —- I’m cumming, I’m cumming!” you repeat, caught off guard by the gush of fluid splashing from your entrance and dripping down your thighs.

“Oh, fuck that’s so hott!” Jordan tightens his grasp on your hips, releasing inside you.

The rest of your night together is spent at the local 24-hour self-service car wash, flirting and laughing while shampooing the Tesla’s carpets.

********************************

When Jordan picks up Josh from the airport a few days later, he notices right away. “Dude, did you get the carpets shampooed? He questions, reaching down to feel them. “Ok, what did you do?” he scolds knowingly.

“Uh... umm yeah — Jim- Jim got sick,” Jordan lies. Jim picks his head up from where he lays on the back seat, at the mention of his name, cocking his head to the side. “Didn’t cha boy? Oh yes, you did,” Jordan speaks in a high-pitched baby voice, reaching into the back to ruffle Jim’s fur.

“Awww my poor little dude,” Josh’s tone matches Jordan’s.

***********************

“Dude, what’s with you and the turtlenecks lately?” Josh questions walking into the kitchen, as he buttons his shirt, fresh out of the shower. “You’ve been wearing one ever since you picked me up at the airport like three days ago — where the hell did this button go?” he says, abruptly changing the subject. “You wouldn’t know anything about this, would you? I know you wear my clothes when I’m gone.”

“I — um, wore it to my high school reunion last week, but uh — it was fine then. Must have fallen off in the wash,” Jordan shrugs.

“The wash huh?” Josh eyes him suspiciously, walking closer to where Jordan’s eating breakfast at the table. He feigns traveling past him towards the cereal but doubles back at the last second, abruptly grabbing the collar on Jordan’s turtleneck and tugging it down, exposing various sized purple markings. “The wash do that too, you fricken dork?” he laughs, playfully shoving his brothers head as he walks away. “That must have been some reunion,” Josh teases, pouring himself a bowl of cereal. “You gotta tell me all about it on the way to pick up Debby after breakfast.”

“No, I don’t,” Jordan mumbles with a mouth full of cereal.

*************************

“So it was someone we went to school with obviously. Do I know her?” Josh pries as they buckle up.

“I already told you I’m not telling you about it.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun, fine!” Josh pouts, then looks up to open the sunroof. “Jordannn?... Is that a handprint on my roof? Did you - did you —” he pauses when Jordan’s hands fly up to cover his blushing face. “Oh my god, you did. You fucked her in my car!”

“Maybe…” Jordan squeaks out from behind his hands.

“Dammit, Jordan! This is why I can’t have nice things.”

[marvelousmaam]

Daily DC positivity #7

Well, here we are. One week of daily DC-praise. This is it. So let’s make it... GOOD and take a look at some of the various teenage sidekicks (and heroes) that we’ve all grown to love.

This is a topic that’s not big with other publishers. I do believe to remember an interview with Stan Lee (rest in peace ol’ man) or another Marvel bigshot who explained that they didn’t like to send children out in the field (I think it had something to do with Bucky Barnes, aight?). Understandable and yet... it’s really too bad cause teenage heroes helped to identify with the comics one read much better than most adult heroes.

For every major DC hero there is (at least) one teenage sidekick or younger family member with similar powers or dare I say... a clone?

Let’s take a look as to why they’re more relatable to young comic readers (and they ARE the future, no need to deny):

Robin

Robin is THE teenage sidekick. Can you imagine the Bat without the Bird? Robin is the youthful, dramatic answer that kids and teenagers would grow to love (possibly more than the Bat). Robin was THAT kid who reached for the stars. Robin makes you realize that everything is possible if you work hard for it. And that’s pretty awesome.

Superboy

The first superboy was pretty laaaaaame until DC’s 90s Superboy, genetically engineered and tube-raised. His origin isn’t important though, his character traits are. Have you SEEN Superboy? He’s a rebel, a leather-wearing, earringed rebel. He’s more teenager than most teenagers ever will be. He’s loud and brash and tries hard to be cool and to fit in while trying to stand out at the same time. You know that feeling right? He’s relatable! 

Batgirl

The (not really) OG Batgirl Barbara Gordon is SO much more than eye-candy. She’s the most altruistic Bat who really gives it her all despite not being pushed into the lifestyle. Also, her becoming Oracle despite the hindrances were exemplar for any reader who might have suffered a similar fate. She’s the come to life saying “If life gives you lemons...”  and nothing less can be said for her successor Cassandra Cain. These two are girl power icons.

Spoiler

Steph Brown chose to become a vigilante to stop her father from committing crimes. If there is any other teenage hero who stands for what they believe in like her come at me. This chick chose justice over family while remaining the nice girl next door. She’s also the first teenage hero who goes through an unwanted teenage pregnancy. And guess what? She faces the mess heads on like a responsible, loving person. She’s also been Robin AND Batgirl. Gimme a break...

Aqualad / Tempest

Now Garth here should be mentioned for one thing specifically: Overcoming your greatest fears. This dude was afraid of marine life despite being of Atlantean origin. He faced his fears and became a steady member of the Teen Titans. Go, Garth! 

Speedy / Arsenal

Roy Harper... exemplary drug-addict and alcohol abusive teenage hero... Well, DC those were dark times but at least someone out there decided to be real for once. Because addiction is not an adult thing... And Speedy was that one character that maybe made you realize that someone in your group of friends had a problem... or he helped you see yourself in a new light.

Wonder Girl 

Now there are two popular Wonder Girls and while Cassie Sandsmark is designed to appeal to the more ordinary teenager, Donna’s story is a lot more intergalactic and dramatic. Anyhow, both girls have one thing in common, they overcome their respective destiny or in other words, they make their own destiny. This is iconic for female heroes. Usually they’re being saved from their destiny by some heroic, handsome male to fall at his knees and promise their everlasting... whatever. Not Wonder Girl. There’s feminism to you.

[fr3aklike-me]

ooh what are you studying? im a med student, in my last year. im planning to do a masters of pharmacy and maybe psychology or education, i havent decided what ill double up on.

my timezone is in hell so eid was technically yesterday for me, we go to the prayer in the park then buy flowers for everyone, and visit my grandparents for breakfast and then all the aunts. one of my aunts lives across the road from a mcdonalds, so naturally the most important tradition we have is spending our eid money there. and then we watch a movie and uber maccas again when we get home. what do you do for eid?

daredevil is pretty good, i got into it mostly bc ive read a couple comics, and matt murdock is THEE most ridiculous character ever. i love him so much in a very, im holding him by the scruff of his neck and making him take a shower. blorbo emotions. its abt a blind lawyer who is a vigilante on the side, and is determined to singlehandedly take down an entire criminal empire all by himself. its really funny when u get into the other defenders bc like. jessica jones has super stength. luke cage is bulletproof. danny rand has whatever tf he has going on. and then matt is just there,,, his super power is catholic guilt and intense rage. mf has two sticks and ends up in garbage bins more often than he probably should. hes like a damn cockroach, he just doesnt seem to die.

i just fuckin love superheroes u dont understand i am holding myself back from going off into a tangent. esp street level heroes, they have a completely different vibe than like, bigshot heroes such as iron man or even a lot of the dc heroes.

if ur interested, theres a fic series i recommend to everyone based around team red (thats spiderman, daredevil, and deadpool) which is a. super long and will entertain you for ages bc its broken up into digestible parts and b. absolutely hilarious. its like, what if marvel was actually good. the iteration that author created of all the characters is chefs kiss, amazing.

im gonna shut myself up rip, ill talk to you soon <33

- z

omg, wow, that's so interesting! what do you enjoy about medicine? that is so cool that you're planning on doing your masters too! those all sound like really good options of what to go into. and my program is English! also thinking of adding History as a minor since I love it

this is so sweet omg. I love that you guys do prayer in the fast and do such a sweet gesture by giving flowers to everyone. it just sounds so comforting and cozy, how you and your family have all these traditions and spend so much time eating and hanging out together. for me, I unfortunately couldn't do much for Eid because my Wifi had just started back up and I had an assignment due that day that I hadn't been able to work on LMAO. but, usually, we try to get together with my aunt, one of our only relatives sharing the city with us. and my father wants to host something in our neighbourhood for Eid, where people (neighbours, relatives, family friends, etc.) will come by and we feed them and spend time with them.

omg that sounds so fucking cool! like, the entire concept of a lawyer who also simultaneously is taking down an entire criminal empire sounds do cool. and I love ridiculous characters, it's so easy to root for them omg. aksjkajs "catholic guilt and intense rage," LMAO. I really like when there's a group and all of them have an individual power and something they bring to the table.

you can totally go on a tangent! it's so cool that you're so into them and passionate about them! my sibling is the same about certain superheroes. I honestly don't know much about them, but I have friends who adore them. what do you like most about street level heroes? are they heroes that, like, are working in a specific spot as opposed to, like, saving the whole world?

you can totally send me the fic! even if I'm not a part of the fandom, I always appreciate a good, funny fic, hehe. I'll even send it to my friend who is really into Marvel!

(also, you don't need to shut yourself up! love that you're so into it)

[hellyeahheroes]

MARVEL SUPER HERO ADVENTURES #1: WEBS AND ARROWS AND ANTS, OH MY! JIM MCCANN (W) DARIO BRIZUELA (A) Cover by JACOB CHABOT HEROES OF ALL SIZES – TO THE RESCUE! The astonishing Ant-Man is in trouble! But when his daughter Cassie calls Spider-Man for help, Spidey finds out he’s not the only hero in town! West Coast bigshot Hawkeye, A.K.A. Kate Bishop, is already on the case. They’ll soon discover that two shots are better than one – especially when you’re facing Taskmaster, the villain who can mirror any fighting move! It’s a triple dose of heroes in Marvel’s latest all-ages adventure! 32 PGS./ALL-AGES …$3.99