#i’d believe you lol but i also think it’s fitting he’d also put in the time to learn music like the rest of his team

[akkivee]

still just like!!!!!!! bummed they didn’t get to play in a band together lol!!!!!!!

[annymation]

Reimagining the characters in Wish

(Part 1- Asha)

Hey guys! I don’t really know how to start this, but let’s just say that I… Didn’t like how Disney’s 100th anniversary movie turned out, like at all.

But I can tell there was a lot of unexplored potential beneath this story, that in my opinion felt overly simple and bare bones.

But if you love it, that’s awesome, more power to you, I wish I could’ve loved it too. And I don’t want to rewrite it to show I’m “better than the writers at Disney” because I’m definitely not lol, I have no experience in writing, and I’m sure they put a lot of passion into the project and I respect them for that. But this movie inspired me with ideas for a different story that I think is worth telling.

But I won’t start telling it today, instead, I'll start a series of blogs sharing my ideas for changes in the characters and their stories, after I get some feedback I will start posting more of the story itself.

If you’re interested, then come along!

Asha✨

Personality

- Asha is a 18 year old girl, with a passion for drawing and helping those around her, sometimes even worrying more about helping others than helping herself

- She’s like a big sister to her 7 friends, always being the voice of reason and acting responsible, but not in a bossy way, she’s actually very playful with them

- To the people of Rosas tho, she's seen as kind of a weirdo, for you see, she spends almost every time of the day drawing in her sketchbook

- She practices everyday to become a better artist, and the people of Rosas find this to be very peculiar, after all, why would you take so much effort to perfect a talent when you can simply wait to turn 18 and wish for the king to make you an amazing artist?

- Asha doesn’t mind these comments, although they have made her less willing to share her drawings with others that aren’t her 7 friends

- As the story progresses we see Asha flourish from a shy and introverted girl to a brave woman who after discovering a terrifying secret about the kingdom’s rulers, steps in and inspires others to join her and fight an evil sorcerer king and his alchemist wife (yes, I made Amaya an alchemist, more on that on part 2 when I talk about how I’d change Magnifico and Amaya)

- Some Disney characters that share similarities with her personality wise are: Belle, Tiana, Pocahontas and Esmeralda

Main Traits:

Calm and mature

Determined

Passionate about her interests (drawing, dancing, philosophy and stars)

Helpful and generous

Perceptive and always questioning things around her that no one pays attention to (like why do all the artists only paint the King and Queen?)

Playful

Compassionate

Backstory

Oooh boy I gave this poor girl so much angst, okay let’s go

Asha grew up with her grandfather, her parents both died in a fire when she was just a baby

(this isn’t just to fit the “haha Disney princess has no parents” cliche, there’s plot relevance in this “mysterious fire” that I’ll talk about later)

Growing up with her grandpa, he’d always support her dream to be an artist, like her mother, who was an art teacher

Her mother not only drew really well, but she also was able to create the illusion that her drawings could move, by flipping through the pages of her sketch books

In other words, her mom was an animator

Asha saw this technic her mom used as a form of magic, so she would often tell her grandpa she wanted to “Do magic just like my mom”

Her father was a philosopher (this was established in the actual movie but never explored haha whyyyy), who taught people that working hard to achieve your dreams is not only rewarding, but also essential, because it’s part of the human nature to persevere and fight for what we believe, even if we fail, even if it’s hard, just keep moving forward.

This philosophy may sound very “umm duh” for me and you since we all know and hear everywhere nothing in life comes for free… But that’s not the case in Rosas

In this rewrite the kingdom wasn’t created by Magnifico, but rather the kingdom has existed for many generations, being ruled by different kings before Magnifico who also granted wishes… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The point is that the culture of just asking the king to give you or make you whatever you want to be has been in this kingdom’s culture since forever, so when Asha’s dad comes out saying “hey! Maybe we should stop just relying on the king to make our dreams come true, right?” He’s actually being quite a revolutionary… and sharing a very dangerous belief to other people…

At this point you might suspect what caused that “mysterious fire”

So, back to Asha, growing up with her grandpa, they shared a lot of happy memories together. Reading her father's books and her mother's art books helped Asha connect with them even tho she never had them in her life.

But as her grandfather grew older, he became senile.

Asha went from being taken care of by her grandpa to being the one who took care of him when she was still around 13 years old, and when she turned 15 her grandfather passed away of old age

Asha went on to live with her best friend Dahlia, the two became like sisters.

Though she managed to move on from the loss of her grandfather, she could never shake the feeling that he died without getting his wish granted... But she had no way to prove that, it was just a feeling

The wish granting system works different in my rewrite, instead of there being a public wish granting ceremony once a month, there would only be a public wish TAKING ceremony, that would work just like in the movie, you turn 18, you go give your wish to the king yada yada yada.

But the wish granting part would work like this: Almost every night the king would release the wishes up in the sky, they would float down like balloons to their respective owners while they sleep, and once they woke up in the morning they'd feel that their wishes were granted, for they would wake up changed.

With this method, there's no way of confirming if someone really got their wish granted or not, unless you went to ask the king.

Asha never did ask the king if he granted her grandfather's wish, but her grandfather would sometimes express how he wasn't feeling completely fulfilled in his life, he felt like there was something... missing.

This feeling of hollowness persisted in him until the very end, no matter how hard Asha tried to help her grandfather, she never knew him as his real self, because he gave part of his soul to the king, the most beautiful part of his soul, his wish.

Asha had no proof that her grandfather didn't get his wish granted, only a gut feeling.

But because of this, Asha wasn't that thrilled to give her own wish to king magnifico, knowing there was the possibility of it never being granted.

Not to mention she didn’t even know what to wish for, “I’m just 18 and you guys expect me to already know what’s my heart’s deepest desire? I’m still figuring that out, all I know is that I wanna draw”

Plus she wanted to follow her father's philosophy and achieve her wish on her own, eventually, when she figured out what her wish even was.

Asha never rebelled against the system tho, she wasn't a confrontational person. She just accepted the people of Rosas preferred to rely on the king's magic, but that just wasn't for her.

However, on her 18 birthday, when it was expected of her to give her wish to the king, she simply said she didn't have a wish, and even if she did she wouldn’t want to hand it over, she wanted to make it come true on her own. This lead to an argument with the king, and after a series of events (that I don't have time to summarize here, but you can find out about it on my rewrite) leads to her finding out a terrible truth about her kingdom. And that's how her story begins.

Design

- I’d keep these braid ornaments that Asha had in the concept art

- Since in my rewrite she’s not that invested in the kingdom of Rosas, I’d remove all the Kingdom of Rosas symbols that are present in her design (there are a LOT of them)

- I’d replace these Rosas insignia with more star and constellations themed symbols, to reflect how Asha believes that the stars are connected to people and they can guide us, just like how her father believed.

Final Thoughts

My intentions with these changes were to give Asha a strong emotional hook, and something that makes her feel relatable.

The emotional hook here is how she spent so much of her life taking care of her grandfather that she kinda never had time to worry about her own desires, that alone can be relatable to caregivers of elderly people that watch their grandparents or even their own parents lose themselves as time passes, and end up worrying more about the person they’re taking care of than themselves.

Asha has this internal emotional conflict where she feels she needs to constantly help others the same way she helped her grandfather, and one of the things she’ll learn as the story progresses is that it’s not selfish of her to want more for HERSELF.

Another thing that would be relatable about Asha is her passion for drawing, and how most people in Rosas would say she’s wasting her time practicing so much when she can just wait until she turns 18 and wish to be amazing at drawing.

She’d never stop believing that taking her time to improve on her talent and trying again and again was worth every second of her time, because let me tell ya folks, drawing is HARD, and animating like Asha’s mom did is even HARDER, it takes a whole lot of practice, and Asha was determined to keep trying.

She’d be much like Belle, remaining true to herself even tho those around her considered her odd, and very passionate about drawing just as much Belle was passionate about reading.

I also find it funny how Asha’s motivations are fairly down to earth, like in Disney movies you usually have:

I want to be free from these palace walls!

I want to explore the ocean!

I want to open a restaurant!

I want to find true love!

And then there’s Asha here like

“My life is fine, I just wanna chill and draw stuff”

And that’s it, but, in her environment where everyone is expected to have this great wish that they have to give to the king so he’ll make it a reality, she’s kinda the odd one out, and I love that. Would be a great subversion of the Disney formula.

Of course after she learns Magnifico and Amaya’s true intentions she gets a lot more agency and the desire to save her people, her “call for adventure” if you will.

But what are Magnifico and Amaya’s true intentions? Click here for part 2 and find out!

Thank You For Reading!

[willowser]

I have a thought and I’d like to share (if you don’t mind) - Bakugo with a pro hero partner. Like I feel as though all I ever see is civilian!reader or assistant!reader and that’s great, but I need me a girl boss who kicks ass and Bakugo’s head over heels, like I imagine this person to be so adored and loved as well - like the ideal “celebrity” so kind and sweet, well-spoken, but Villains hear her name they go runnin’ - everyone’s low-key got crushes on her, Katsuki’s wondering what the hell he did to rizz her up and because they’re both public figures, in spite of how naturally private he is, I think he’d feel more comfortable off-handedly making comments about her every now and then, showing up to events together.

Idk it’s just in my head

hello dear !! it's so interesting you bring this up, bc i feel like i actually have a lot of thoughts on this and i guess i've never mentioned them LOL

i think bakugou could have such a flourishing relationship with another pro hero.

like, i really do. i think that it's hard for him to meet people outside of work LOL so meeting/working with another pro hero is, i think, a very natural way to come together. i also think that bakugou would really appreciate reader's hard work ! their passion ! their motivation ! i think that would genuinely be such a draw for him ??? i absolutely think a pro hero relationship would really work out for him, and i have one pro hero reader wip and the dynamic between them is my favorite i think i've ever written, bc they just fit so well.

but i will say that this is not typically a reader i picture for him ?? as my go-to ?? it's always assistant reader aikhfaha LMAO and. i really don't think i have a good explanation why, but. something like—i like to imagine bakugou having a break from it all, and i just don't think he'd get that with a pro hero partner ??

idk !! like, if one of you isn't on patrol, the other probably is, like 90% of the time, and i imagine it's hard to get just free time to be together, bc you both would probably be so busy !! and if you were working together at the same agency or partnering up at random points, i feel like it would be so hard to come home from work and not. bring it with you 🥺 as a pro hero i feel like that's impossible, and were the two of you both bearing the weight of that responsibility, i feel like it would be hard to have a relationship outside of that ?? if that makes sense ?? and i also personally believe that bakugou has had too much pro hero at the young age of SEVENTEEN, so i like to imagine a life for him where he can put it all away, even for a little bit 🥺

you could definitely argue that having an assistant reader would be similar, bc you would still be involved in the hero world, but. idk. i think being there on the sidelines and being in it are different, and i like to imagine bakugou coming home from a long shift and getting to hear about what you did at your regular job or what you did in the garden, where you went shopping, etc 🥺 just. give him some normalcy 🥺

but that's just my personal preference !! though i definitely enjoy the pro hero reader angle !! please katsuki wondering what the hell he did to rizz you up LMAOOO tbh, i think if we ever were fed some kind of love story for bakugou in canon, they would give him a badass pro hero partner, bc i really think he would have a lot of respect for someone that can handle it, not to mention does it well. like. i think he definitely has the loserboy hots for them LOL

[nani-nonny]

Distorted Mirror throwaway snippets for trashed sequel: Broken Mirror

TLDR: Nonny is sharing the ideas originally planned for Distorted Mirror that was pushed into Broken Mirror, the sequel that will never be

Idk if I blatantly mentioned that originally had a sequel to Distorted Mirror or if it was just briefly mentioned in asks here and comments on ao3, but i never got far in actually planning it out. After all, Distorted Mirror was supposed to be a short oneshot lol, and was supposed to have a oneshot sequel but look where it brought me haha!

Anyways, Distorted Mirror was planned to be a oneshot, yes, and in its planning phase I had some ideas that didn’t really fit in the story outline. So I put the thought aside for a sequel and focused solely on plotting DisMir.

After finishing DisMir… ch.3? I think? I revisited these tossed ideas and tried plotting out how I could fit these and line them with some questions unanswered by the completion of DisMir, because I knew there would be some left since the final chapter’s summary and outline was already planned out.

For example, I pushed Leo’s possible Krangification out of DisMir entirely, hence the repeating notion of Leo’s cautious demeanor about the filtration masks and strike of fear after seeing what Michelangelo did to that infected person. This idea was moved to the “possible” sequel, which explains the snippets I have provided. vvvv (check the Read More)

Following that note, while struggling to fully write out the final chapter of DisMir, I was also struggling to plot out the summary, ideas, and outline for Broken Mirror. It just wasn’t hitting the same way DisMir did, and I didn’t want to force a sequel so I kind of pushed the idea aside to my little mind vault and finished up DisMir.

It would be a little bit of a shame to let these snippets die in my little mind vault, and since I’m not writing anything at the moment, I thought I’d share them. :)

First snippet: possible idea #1 @ 1.4K words

Leo rests his chin on the kitchen table as he stares at the wooden statuette. His eyes stare deep into the wood’s carving that resemble a pair of eyes staring back at him. He hasn’t been able to make sense of the strange markings engraved into the ends and the sides, nor has Donnie been able to make progress.

No matter how long he stares into the statue’s eyes, he still can’t make sense of how this small item is the key to the prison dimension.

This is what kept those… those things trapped for years? This tiny thing? He’d rather believe that the future brothers of his were lying, but he knows better. He witnessed how horrible the Krang are, he even has the scars on his carapace to prove it.

But how does this keep them locked away? And how did his future brothers let it slip away? What happened that they couldn’t retrieve it in time?

How long had Donatello been thinking about this key that he knew exactly how the key got to the Foot Clan’s hands?

What happened to them after he changed everything? Are they okay? How are they dealing with Prime?

A soft knock interrupts Leo’s thoughts, alerting the slider who looks over his shoulder to see Donnie standing in the kitchen doorway.

Leo sits up and turns in his seat to look at Donnie. He whips up a quick smile and picks up the key to spin it in his hand, “Hey, Donnie Boy, what do you need from your new leader?”

Donnie flicks with his thumb a small purple cartridge at Leo, who fumbles with the key before catching the object.

“Had your fun?” Leo asks as he raises a brow and shakes the cartridge lightly. It’s half empty. He sets the key back on the table as he watches Donnie pass by him.

Donnie plops himself at the seat adjacent to Leo and crosses his arms. From the look on his face, it wasn’t easy to decipher the contents of the cartridge, “It’s like… herbicide. I don’t know, it’s a weird combination. It’s got some strange ingredients in it—some I don’t even recognize—but overall it’s a herbicide.”

“That’s it?” Leo asks as he flips the unlabeled cartridge in his hand. An everyday herbicide can kill a possible Krang infection? That’s all he’s inhaling? “Then, can you make another?”

Donnie rolls his eyes and reminds, “I can replicate a herbicide, but this is a different story. Like I said, there’s some other components that I don’t recognize. I get nothing on my scanners but there are some mystic properties in it.”

Leo nearly jumps out of his seat, “Mystic? What kind of mystic? Did you check with Draxum yet?”

Donnie snarls and he narrows his eyes, “I’d rather gouge out my eyes than work with him.”

“Come on, Donnie, we have to know what are in these inhalers,” Leo asks with a smile. He knows Donnie can replicate the serum. He only needs the assurance of having the antiKrang substance.

Donatello told Leo to let Donnie watch over his vitals upon returning. Nothing has come up since he left the future, and Donnie told him that there aren’t any traces of the Krang infection in his system.

But just knowing that there are extras will ease his mind.

“Then you talk to Draxum. If he has the time to research the mystic properties in this inhaler in between the hours of ‘Mystic Class for Mikeys’ and ‘Warrior Lessons for Raphs’,” Donnie says as he crosses his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes at the reminder.

Leo nods but doesn’t say a word in response.

Ever since the initial scare when he was gone, as retold by his brothers when scolding Mikey, the box turtle has been attending lessons with Draxum to properly use mystics. And as excited it makes Mikey, it really takes up a majority of the box turtle’s time. They’ve hardly seen Mikey outside of leadership training, only spotting the box turtle in passing or eating alone at the table before zooming off to Draxum’s lessons.

Although Leo isn’t certain whether anyone else has noticed or if he’s imagining things, he noticed a small hair beginning to sprout on his little brother’s head.

Raph, on the other hand, has been fueled by the fiery passion to become big and strong like his future counterpart. He’s taking fighting lessons from Draxum, usually when Draxum isn’t teaching Mikey.

Donnie rolls his wrist, “But besides that, who’s to say they’ll actually be able to figure it out? Mystics are a finicky source that fails to follow any sort of rules. We can’t even bullshit our way to a solution.”

Leo sighs and leans back in his chair, staring at the key that stares back at him.

Donnie’s right. They need a plan. He can’t go back to the future for a reason that isn’t absolutely necessary. He’s fine. Donnie said so many times.

But the way the key is staring at him doesn’t ease his anxiety.

He clears his throat and asks Donnie for the umpteenth time, “Am I really clear? —of the infection.”

Donnie nods, his voice clear and without hesitation, “I’ve checked every morning and night. I haven’t seen any foreign bodies in your lungs. You’re clear, Leo.”

Leo nods. He feels a little better. Just a little. He never told the specifics behind the Krang infection and what he saw Michelangelo do to that Infected. Donnie is only aware of the infection’s ability to “Krangify”. The softshell doesn’t know the stage where there’s no going back, where Michelangelo burns the body to a pile of ashes. But Leo’s just glad Donnie’s willing to reassure him again and again.

“Thanks, Don,” Leo responds and turns the key away from him.

Donnie nods, “It gives me an excuse to record your—.”

It happens too fast for Leo or Donnie to comprehend.

In one blink, Donnie is about to finish speaking. In the next blink, a blinding light bursts into life on the kitchen table. Then the light becomes a cracked, golden ring. It widens until a figure shoots through the broken opening before disintegrating. The figure, consumed in a multi-colored flame like a meteor, crashes into the stove.

Donnie is quick to grab a ladle from the rack above the kitchen table and point it at the crash site. Leo reaches for a sword that isn’t there.

And the figure sweeps an arm over its body before revealing a teenage, human boy. A boy wearing dystopian clothing, armor plating his chest and shins and elbows, a hockey stick thrown to the ground, black hair held back by a hockey mask, and smelling like iron and smoke. The boy looks up at Leo, eyes wide and beginning to tear up.

His scratchy voice croaks softly in pure disbelief, “Dad…?”

Before Leo can respond, the boy’s eyes flicker to the purple cartridge and they narrow immediately. The boy’s gaze is hardened and he launches himself forward, tackling Leo to the ground.

“What the—,” Leo begins but stops short when the boy’s knee presses on his plastron. He tries to push the boy off with his hand but the boy snatches the cartridge.

The boy breaks open the top of the cartridge and shoves it into Leo’s face. His voice comes out hoarse and demanding, “Breathe it!”

Donnie cocks his hands back, ready to swing a frying pan straight to the back of the boy’s head. But the boy is quick, a metallic arrow is shot from his forearm, revealing a grappling hook. The arrow hits the side of the frying pan, knocking it out of Donnie’s hand and making it fly to the sky and fall directly on the softshell’s head.

Leo glares at the boy for Donnie’s sake, a smile creeping on his face as his foot reaches for the same frying pan. But he stops when a stray tear drops on his cheek.

The boy’s holding back his tears as he demands, “Inhale the medicine, please. I can’t lose you again.”

“Again? Who the hell are you? Where did you come from?” Leo asks as he gives up on reaching for the frying pan.

The boy swallows but doesn’t pull his hand away from Leo, “I’m from the future. I was sent back to stop the invasion, starting with you and the key.”

Leo’s brows furrow in confusion, “What invasion? The Krang? They couldn’t have come back, we have the key.”

The boy shakes his head. “No, not the Krang.”

“Then who?”

The boy doesn’t speak but the answer reflects in his eyes. The blue mask and red streaks stare back at Leo, giving him his answer.

So, Casey Jr would make his appearance not as the baby that played an Easter Egg roll in DisMir, but as the boy we see in the rottmnt movie. (Did anyone notice the little movie throwbacks and Easter Eggs in DisMir?)

CJ Jr returns with a similar mission as the movie, but with a twist. He comes back to prevent and stop a death and catastrophe from the future. The future is overrun not by the Krang, but by the Krangified Future Leonardo Hamato, whose death reignites the flames of war with an unknown enemy (I couldn’t decide on whether to bring a new enemy or bring in the Triceratons, which become a huge predicament in plotting Broken Mirror)

And then we have the other possible time traveler, which follows a near similar plot to the previous snippet. Present!Leo is pinpointed as the beginning of the end, whose abrupt infection ignites a new war. (Again, couldn’t decide if I wanted to bring back the Krang or not)

Second snippet: possible idea #2 @ 414 words

Leo shields his eyes as a blinding purple light bursts from the cracks in the walls. Almost reforming, the walls crumble and bulge before a new shape takes place. It’s like his portals, but purple and reminiscent of Donnie’s mystics.

A large figure collapses through, a cape covering the entirety of the stranger’s body.

But the mystery of the stranger’s identity doesn’t stay for long before they lift their head, revealing a dirty purple mask.

“Donnie?”

Leo’s beating heart from the sudden scare doesn’t slow, as this Donnie is nothing like any of the Donnies he has met before.

This Donnie is large, larger than Donatello. And for a brief second, he believes it truly is Donatello. The same Donatello from the future that believed in him from the very beginning, broke the rules of time travel and warned him of the key.

But one look straight into this Donatello’s eyes tells him it’s all wrong.

This Donatello isn’t missing an arm, replaced by a purple prosthetic. But he is missing an eye, a leg, and a piece of his plastron. He is covered in endless scars, but not a single one reaching his back. He has abandoned the metallic shell, replacing it with a mystic shell. His staff is caked in dry blood and pink guts.

And worst of all, he glares at Leo. A deadly glare that nearly threatens Leo’s life.

“Donatello” rises slowly, using his staff to hold his weight before grabbing the cartridge and shoving it near Leo’s face. “Take it properly,” he orders coldly.

Leo can only stare at this new Donatello in shock. He’s nothing like the Donatello he met. Who is this guy?

“Donatello” nearly growls out, his patience running thin, “I won’t say it twice.”

Leo takes the cartridge carefully, trying not to touch Donatello. He rummages through his non existence pockets before shrugging, he smiles to defuse the situation, “Oops, I don’t have my inhaler.”

“Leo, I don’t have time for your games. Take the your medicine, and give me the fucking key,” Donatello demands angrily, clearing his throat with a painful cough.

“Are you okay?”

Donatello glares again, “Yes. But you won’t be if you don’t take your fucking medicine. You still have it in your system.”

“That can’t be, Donnie said I’m clear,” Leo corrects as he closes his shaking fist over the cartridge.

“Listen to me, you still have it in your system. And you will be the end of us all.”

I kind of liked this idea more as it contrasts how kind and more welcoming to Leo DisMir F!Donatello was to the new timeline-branch F!Donatello who is immediately threatening and hostile upon first meeting.

Imagine being Leo in this position. Reuniting with, at first glance, the future counterpart of your twin who helped you not only accept the heavy responsibility of being a leader but also broke the rules of time traveling to make sure you don’t face the horrors of an—at the time—ongoing war against an alien race. Not to forget to mention who hid the secret of the true reason behind the invasion and the lost key, because that’s how much your twin loves you…. Only for it to be a completely different future counterpart who pins all the blame of a worse future on you.

Sad stuff, but also wasn’t enough to get my writing gears gearing, you know? I needed a struggle for them to go through that wasn’t shallow or easy to wade through. The ideas I had weren’t “enough”, per say.

Anyways, hope you liked these snippets and my little rant. (Definitely not little, but a rant nonetheless) A lot of thought goes into the writing process and sometimes it just doesn’t work out, sadly :(

I think that if I had more inspiration or more of a writing feeling or fuel, this could’ve been done. Maybe I could’ve gotten a plot line started for Broken Mirror. Maybe. Oh well~

[sewerpalette]

Subnautica headcanon designs part 1. I might make another one with Jochi, Hollister and a couple others. I’m not entirely happy with it but I’m not getting it to look any better so might aswell post it!

Second image was the thumbnail, as you can see, I didn’t capture a lot of likenesses and also decided to scrap doing ryley, but the shading was kinda fun so I guess there’s that. Seems like this page is going to become a dedicated subnautica brainrot page now, I think my OC stuff should stay on insta.

I’m not very happy with how the proportions turned out, I’m sorry lol. But I guess it’s some progress from the usual. I originally wanted to give danby black hair too but I realised that that’s just kinda what I default to and there are already so many characters with dark hair so I changed it to a blonde tone. I also tried to create more variety in face shapes but I’m still relatively new to that so I’m sorry if everybody looks kinda same-y or proportionally off.

Danby and Avery were done on the first day, then I drew Ozzy, then drew Yu on another day with much demotivating wich is why she kinda looks different to the others, then drew Keen and overhauled Yu again.

The artstyle was inspired by the Subnautica character concept art of Ryley!

(Headcanon time)

To be honest, I’d imagine most of them know each other (except for Avery ofcourse), I’d like to believe that Danby doesn’t usually talk to people unless it’s for his job, but is still generally known and liked by the others, he finds his job boring but believes it’d be stupid to stop after studying for so many years.

I think they’d all be around 25-60 in age, with danby maybe being the youngest with about 28-31 years of age, matching with ryley who I’d imagine is around the same age.

I think Yu would be very goal oriented, but also trying to find solutions with wich everyone involved would be happy, wich mean that she’d know a bit about everyone, wich is why she feels so attached to the crew and wanted to disobey orders to try and save them after the crash.

I think Keen would really thrive in his job, similar to Yu, but be a lot more reliant on orders, somebody who likes to follow them more than to give them. He puts much trust into his captain and any other sort of authority figure above him, whilst feeling maybe a little too responsible for those under his command.

I believe Ozzy would be a very talkative person, like Yu he knows everybody a little, and everybody knows him. Except for ryley, who at this point has become kind of an outsider for just how much he tries to fit in with everyone else. Most people feel indifferent towards him.

I don’t think avery would be fond of being the captain of a ship, I don’t think he’d mind that much but I think a lot of the legal stuff he has to handle because of it would probably be really frustrating in the long run. He enjoys to talk to people though, and tries to help people in need if alterra doesn’t prevent him from doing so.

[danothan]

(Heads up, the post discusses the abusive nature of Martin and Hal’s relationship pre-2005, as you may be able to tell from the link, so here’s your content warning)

https://www.tumblr.com/ufonaut/725487371146133504/space-case-the-pre-2005-martin-jordan

Hi hello! I know you already hate Geoff but I was wondering if you knew about this aspect of Stuff He Did/Changed/Ruined. As a comic newbie I thought it was interesting and perhaps you have a take of your own :)

The differing continuities means it’s probably unintentional, but it does create an interesting implication for at least the first GL Knight Terrors,,, I haven’t read the second one yet so they might not follow up on it lol

thanks sm for sharing this with me! i appreciate being informed + considered in the conversation :D while i vaguely knew that hal’s dad was Not Great pre-geoff johns, i didn’t know how or to what extent, nor did i know that the changes in his family dynamic were kicked off earlier than johns’s run either!

gd no matter which version you go with, the common denominator is that hal was the black sheep of his family for being neurodivergent. kid can’t catch a break 🤕

from the explanation of the link alone, i think both versions explain his fear rly well with traumas that realistically play into every aspect of his life. there’s an influence that runs deep: his fear of having power and not knowing what to do with it bc he saw his father abuse that authority, his inability to grieve or acknowledge his trauma bc he was punished every time he tried—these are very different but very important traits in hal’s overall character. i was surprised to see how well aware pre-2005 hal was of the abuse he dealt at the hands of his father. post-2005 doesn’t even know that he was a victim of his family dysfunction, let alone recognize any of it as abuse

i like that in both versions, he has suicidal tendencies to paradoxically prove that he’s not suicidal (i think. i can only confidently speak on modern hal, but hal being reckless with his life is kinda just a persistent theme). the way the current narrative portrays it, hal idolizes his dad sm that when he died, he couldn’t bear to think that his last moments were in fear. it would force him to confront the fact that his dad wasn’t the great hero he worshipped, forcing himself to realize he’s just as vulnerable and that the rose-tinted nostalgia for his youth might be wrong. so he puts himself on the line with bravado bc if he dies, at least he could tell himself that he wasn’t scared. and from what i can tell of the older comics, hal was forced to be brave bc it was a survival tactic; if he could just go along with what his dad wanted, then maybe he could finally get his approval. and all that taught him was that the only thing worse than death is failure, so he’d put himself on the line to prove it. he can tell himself that he’s accomplished more than anyone’s ever believed in him, but his dad’s words still haunt him

the change in his backstory is a change in his character as well, and as someone that enjoys comics as a puzzle to figure out, i’d like to factor in all of these moving parts as much as i can make them fit. before, i thought martin’s death martyred him; now i think that interpretation could include both of these versions moving forward. if current hal is already putting his dad on a pedestal, then the follow up question would be “what does that hide abt him?”

interesting implications indeed…

but this is where i get to share my personal thoughts/ biases! bc i’m very preferential + love complicating things, simply stating that martin’s death put him on a pedestal doesn’t satisfy me. now between you and me, i personally prefer the current narrative (i mean obviously, that’s my only firsthand experience, so i’m taking my own thoughts with a grain of salt here)

a huge part of hal’s interest in planes comes from the fact that he and his dad bonded over them together, but it also bordered on obsession

i mentioned before that hal was treated unfairly by his family for being neurodivergent, and scenes like this one definitely have nd subtext to me. the older comics had his father berate him for “having his head in the clouds” (*cough* adhd), the newer comics have his mother keep his interests away from him bc “he’s consumed by it” (*cough* autism). but what’s difficult abt meshing these two is that martin being a source of ableist abuse becomes confusing if he’s nd too, specifically encouraging hal to indulge in his special interest (btw hal has audhd either way peace and love ✌️)

so i think i would take this the same way as jessica: did irreparable damage as a parent but there were enough good moments that hal wants to remember instead. his dad verbally abused him for having “weak” emotions, but hey, at least he let him skip school! and sure, he might’ve hit him, but would a bad dad introduce him to his special interest? (and so there’s no misunderstanding, i’m speaking facetiously here)

i think hal has had genuinely fond memories with both of his parents, most ppl wouldn’t be able to gauge that there was smth going on with the way he talks abt them, which is not uncommon for abusive relationships in general. it just doesn’t erase the trauma it left him with. jessica cherished and tried to protect hal but ultimately suffocated him, and martin nurtured hal’s passion and gave him “freedom” but harmed his well-being

i’m too under-read and biased to give both versions equal share in my interpretation, but i will say that i rly appreciate the older comics for their explicit portrayal of toxic masculinity in hal. like that shit is literally killing him but i don’t often see his dad playing a role in it when he obviously got it from him, nor is it shown as the root of those problems. if there’s one thing that makes modern comics hard to read, it’s the unironic machismo. again, LITERALLY killing him.

as for the differences in hal’s suicidality that i mentioned earlier, there’s actually a lot of similarities with the ways he treats his own life. in either case, hal tries to be brave to prove smth (to his dad in the old, to himself in the new). the main difference is fear vs worship, and honestly those are just two sides of the same coin. it goes back to that toxic masculinity his dad taught him abt failure, and it ties in with wanting to feel connected to his dad thru their shared interest. at the core of it is denial

i would have to get into more older comics to rly flesh this interpretation out, but i think this is laying out some interesting groundwork. thank you again for this ask, rly gave my brain a treat today!

[marinaiguess]

just finished watching sonic prime so why not share my thoughts on it? before i start rambling, i suggest you go watch it on netflix, it definitely deserves a watch.

now

Technicalities first (if i can call them that). So, judging as a viewer and not as a sophisticated critic who has read cinemtaography books, I’d say the show’s direction overall is pretty good. It’s nothing special but it’s pleasing and keeps you interested. The direction, the angles, the camera changes regarding placement and focus are well coordinated with the writing and each emotion each scene tries to convey. So, really, nothing new (i wasnt expecting a sonic show to make groundbreaking ways of storytelling through cinematography), but I believe it is worth mentioning because it plays a huge role on how one views the show. And there were many moments where I realized that a certain angle made the scene look more tense for example.

Animation! I think we all liked the bouncy styled animation, contrasting the hugely popular disney/pixar styled animation (which is good, dont get me wrong, but the animation tecnhique used in prime fits sonic a lot more imo). Also, the facial expressions are part of what made the show so great and enjoyable and I love how much emphasis they put on them, literally perfect. The details in animation, like the animalistic behaviours of sonic and co. and how they were depicted (ears twitching for example) are all very important and im glad they were implemented. And, I know a lot of us are focused on the facial expressions but we shouldnt forget abt the background as well. There definitely was attention to detail, details that were everywhere and completed the overall image of the show.

Music! the music is good what do you expect me to say like, oh that major g in the pirate scene made the scene look more tense but if it was a minor f it would make it a bit more sad and thus more fitting- no. the music was good. not surprised and props to everyone who worked on the music but i just dont think theres anything to add LOL.

Voice acting! Voice directing-wise? Really REALLY good, i wasnt expecting great performances but i was proved wrong and im happy about that. Now, for the main cast seperately? Devon has done an EXCELLENT job with his lines. His sonic voice is a combination of Roger Craig Smith and Ben Schwartz i believe but it’s also unique and very fitting for sonic, despite me not liking it at first. Brian as Eggman is meh for me, very good voice acting skills but i didnt like it that much. Ashleigh as Tails fit surprisingly well and idk why. Kazumi for rouge was a really good one, bringing rouge back to her sa2/heroes era and not the overly sexy and seducing voice she has in the games (i know its abt voice direction as well but yeah). big is meh, i dont like it. knuckles is pretty good tbh. and now, shadow the hedgehog. yes. ian did an excellent job voicing shadow and i LOVE LOVE LOVE his voice in prime, makes he’d sound like that in the games as well. i’ll stop now or i’ll start fangirling. 

Characters! I like the characters and sonic’s crew. the way the show’s written so far though has made me care about the post-apocalypse characters more than the other shatterverses. like, i like them all, yeah, but i care more about nine and knucks and rebel. maybe that was the point. also,HHHH WHY NOT BLAZE? why not silver? hoping to see them soon but PIRATE WORLD? there was a purple cat and a brown raccoon there but it wasnt blaze and marine. lost opportunity. (and rouge should have been the captain in the pirate one fr fr)

And finally, writing. I’ve seen a lot of opinions these days. Here’s mine. Good characterisation. Yes, it might surprise you but the characterisation is actually good. for every character. including sonic. maybe in a different post i could talk about every character but for now, i wanna talk abt sonic. bouncy, energetic, talkative, honest, lively, adhd coded, cheesy sometimes, reckless, extroverted who wants to work on his own from time to time. this is actually sonic. someone who loves his friends but doesnt listen to them cuz he has no patience. someone who conveys his emotions with actions and puts words aside. someone who likes to lay back once in a while, but not when the whole world is broken to pieces. someone who wants to save everyone, puts everyone above him and his needs. someone who cant stop talking, making witty remarks and jokes despite the given situation cuz he never gives up and is always hopeful and optimistic. frontiers gave us a different view of sonic’s character but it’s a very different situation as well. yet, if you carefully compare the two, you’d see how much things they have in common and how prime! sonic is very well written. 

overall writing is okay. characterisation is very good, interactions between characters are very good but some could have been better(some moments were too short for my liking), easter eggs, there are many and are greatly appreciated, many details, the recap of the prev episodes was really funny and clever but I feel like we were deprived of some great opportunities. like, eggman nega with eggman instead of the chaos council. thats just an example. and im not too salty abt it cuz it’s mainly a kids show and it shows. im glad that its enjoyable for adults like me as well though.

thats all folks. no one asked for this but youre getting it anyway.

[bthump]

How do you think a Griffguts roleswap would play out?

Like Godhand Guts vs Black Swordsman Griffith?

I honestly can’t imagine what would drive Guts to make a godhand sacrifice lol, I’ve tried to think of something before and couldn’t. But assuming there is something that could drive him to sacrifice the Band then, yk, I think it could be an interesting premise. I could see a Beast of Darkness version of Guts being much more overtly obsessed with Griffith than Femto was with Guts, because Femto’s aloofness comes from Griffith’s desire to escape his feelings imo, while Guts may not have that exact desire necessarily when he makes the sacrifice.

As an incarnate Godhand idk what Guts would want lol. To be the biggest and strongest I guess. Maybe he’d be more like Gaiseric and build a shitty empire just to prove he’s the best, rather than to create a utopia lol. OR maybe he’s obsessed with getting Griffith’s attention and admiration but evily. Idk where that could go though, at least not in something aiming for the canon tone rather than, yk, porny fanfic lol. Guts builds an empire just to get Griffith’s attention and feel like his superior and there’s a ton of homoerotic suggestiveness when they meet. Griffith is still the one pretending (badly) not to care about Guts beyond wanting to kill him.

Anyway, onto Griffith. tbh he’s a little difficult to imagine because he doesn’t have Guts’ tenacity when it comes to preserving his own life. Frankly it’s hard for me to envision a post-Eclipse Griffith who doesn’t just give up and get possessed and killed by ghosts. Unless he had something to strive for, some reason to believe his dream is still achievable, or if he becomes just as obsessed with revenge as he was for his dream. Maybe his motivation of making sure the mountain of bodies behind him wasn’t for nothing ends up twisting into desperately needing to avenge them/his dream.

Anyway if he does end up persevering like Guts did I’d love to see Femto getting all Beast of Darkness-y and taunting Griffith in his dreams. Can’t imagine a better use for Black Swordsman-style petty Femto. Also Femto berserk armour would be cool as fuck. I’ve thought about it before and I imagine that Griffith’s thing in the armour would be precision rather than wild destruction, like imagine him striding through a group of monsters and eviscerating each one almost robotically, arm casually snapping backwards to catch someone behind him... sure it doesn’t fit the definition of “berserker” but it would fit Griffith and it would be cool.

Also I think Griffith would hate Puck more than Guts did at first. Like he’d actually hate him, idk if they’d work as a duo lol. I just don’t see Griffith taking well to an empath who can sense his feelings and calls him out on it. In general I can’t really see Griffith following Guts’ Millenium Falcon arc lol. I could see him protecting Casca and choosing to help her a lot more readily than Guts did, assuming the Casca situation was the same (big assumption ik, but w/e). Not because Griffith cares about her more (though he might, honestly, platonically) but because being strong for Casca is specifically how he helps shore himself up and bury his own feelings and I think he’d leap at the chance to be her protector. And he would also want her mind back as the last remnant of the Hawks.

Though it would be a sidequest for sure for him, he’d know he’s going back to getting revenge after, because if that’s what replaces his dream then Casca’s not gonna be much of a distraction. He might assume Casca would join him when she’s restored. And he might be right.

And I suppose I can see Griffith gathering followers, I mean Guts gathering the rpg group is kind of a parallel to Golden Age Griffith already lol, so it’s not much of a stretch. Actually yeah I can imagine him following much the same plot as Guts, but with the caveat that there’s definitely no actual personal growth there, it’s Griffith putting on his facade again.

Thanks for asking!

[discotenny]

those buttons on the sleeves of jakurais coat. DID THE MAN FINALLY GET HIMSELF A REAL COAT LOL

these genuinely look so amazing and I can't believe they let jyushi have a more vkei style officially. kuko's outfit looks so comfy and cute and toki...... he got his leather jacket back.... but mtc color.... my hwart TT-TT <3

the matching sasaro patterns though. we know hypmic we understand

Jakurai tapped into that doctor bank account and bought himself a proper coat 🥶🥶🥶

And I agree w your takes oml they’re all so cute !! Some notes of my own (ie my opinions on all of them LOL)

I appreciate how both ichi and jiro have jackets similar to their og ones. I miss the blue on ichi’s jacket just for contrast reasons but it works that neither of the bros have each other’s main color on them anymore (aside from the buttons on Jiro and Saburo).

Jiro tying his hair up is so cute I love that his eyes are more visible now.

Putting Saburo in a mustard yellow is such a big brained move by the designers it’s so yummy. I love the little triangles that come from his undershirt he looks so cute and comfy.

Ichi got rid of his two zippered shirt that makes me sad :((

This is my favorite samatoki outfit ever the blue leather jacket is just so good ugh. I want him to drape it over my shoulders when it starts to rain he looks like such a gentlemen. He does look a looot less like Yakuza though 🤧🤧🤧

I think it’s hilarious that Rio just has the same pants LOL

Jyuto’s fit makes him look more polite but it kind of just looks like fancy wear rather than an alternative of something he’d wear daily 🤔

RAMUDA !!! RAMUDAAAA I LOVE HIM JES SO CITE JES SO CUTIRUEE !!! RAMUDUSUAUAAU !!! I love the hat he’s perfect he’s my favorite

I don’t have a good visual of Gentaro’s outfit but it seems pretty similar to what he’s normally in 🤔 I’d love to see a clearer picture of just his sprite though

Dice as well I don’t have a good picture of but I’m glad he’s warmer now 🥹🥹🥹

Jakurai again, glad he’s not going around in his hospital wear anymore. W for not spreading germs W

Hifumi is cute but I like his original outfit much better tbh. I just like the darker colors pfffff

DOPPOS FIT IS A BIG W I LOVE THIS ON HIM !!! He looks more casual and comfortable I love it. He’s getting loose he’s getting silly he’s CRAZY DOPPO IN THE HOUSE !!!

Sasara makes me so happy he’s cute he’s adorable. Also it’s so cute that in the Block Party EP cover he stole Rosho’s glasses 😭😭😭. I think it’s hilarious imagining Sasara, eyes always closed, using glasses just for the fuck of it.

Rosho looks so warm. The sweater looks like it smells so good I want it-

Rei looks silly as always. He looks closely inspired by the regular outfit of Kazuma Kiryu with the grey going on.

Again I would LOVE to see what pants Kuko has on. I love this outfit for Kuko he looks so good. Also his hair looks shorter in the EP cover but I don’t know if I’m going crazy

YOU ARE SO RIGHT JYUSHI LOOKS SO GOOD !!! I love Jyushi in this he’s adorable he looks so happy in his sprite I love it 🥹🥹🥹

And Hitoyas jacket just looks really cute. Plus with the suspenders ?? Adorable. He’s a 35 year old baby.

I love these outfits. They make me feel warm inside imagining all the scenarios that would go on when they go out with all these layers, jackets, etc etc. I love them I love them all so much.

[petz5]

no one asked but real quick here r my opinions on ranma pairings that come to mind!! obv i’m not trying to say u Cant feel differently abt them, these r just my own thoughts

ranma/akane - if uve followed me for even half a day u already know this is my absolute fave one. yes it’s canon no that doesn’t make it boring, they understand each other on a level the other characters don’t even come close to

ranma/shampoo - die in a fire they r SO bad for each other (shampoo is significantly worse but ranma’s also not great to her)

ranma/ukyo - don’t love it but i suppose she’d be the next best choice after akane (at least as a pairing that could realistically happen in canon bc there’s no way something like ranryo would ever happen). i love ukyo but not with ranma, she doesn’t listen to his wants and honestly i think he’d hold her back, and i also don’t think she ever really was in love w him and just kinda felt obligated bc “oh shit if I cant kill him and I don’t marry him then I’ve wasted my life.” LOVE these two as besties tho

ranma/kodachi - literally dont feel like I need to say anything here, ive never seen anyone ship them

ranma/ryoga - not my cup of tea but I can see why ppl like it. genuinely it’s mostly bc i cant see ranma liking men lmao i mean he flirts w them for free food and whatever but he always gets grossed out when they try to respond. i personally see ranma as a lesbian

ranma/ryoga/akane - same as above except i understand it less. mmmmaybe if akane and ryoga both loved ranma but not each other?? ryoga and ranma had some actual chemistry, but akane and ryoga……… eeehh. speaking of!

akane/ryoga - don’t ship at all. ryoga is kinder to her than ranma if you’re judging on the surface, but he doesn’t fundamentally understand her the way ranma does and doubts her ability a lot more. (to the point ranma has to physically stop him in one episode to tell him “this is akane’s fight, she’s got this and will be mad if you meddle”) also the whole p-chan thing is creepy. i enjoy ryoga as character but i don’t think he fits w her at all

akane/shampoo - don’t like it. i mean i’ve read fics where shampoo admits to liking akane (or even just respecting her as a fellow female martial artist) but also like… that exists outside of canon shampoo to me lol. canon shampoo doesn’t care about other people, and she in particular is homophobic towards akane to her face

akane/ukyo - i like it to an extent! if it were in canon i wouldn’t want it to go beyond like akane blushing when ukyo saves her and maybe offhandedly saying something like “she’s so cool” and ukyo, after spending some time w akane, admitting to herself that she can understand why ranma likes her. i think it’s cute to think abt

akane/kodachi - i love this but only one-sidedly. in canon i’d want kodachi to be Like That with ranma purely to rile up akane bc she wants her attention. i mean literally already in canon kodachi seems to not know what to do once she actually gets ranma other than dangle him over her alligator and wait for akane to save his ass. it’d be a funny twist for her to be doing all this just bc she wants to see akane and doesn’t think to just talk to her like a normal person

shampoo/mousse - don’t like at all

shampoo/ukyo - no real thoughts but I don’t love it. maybe similar to how I feel abt ranryo but while my feelings for that as neutral/positive this is neutral/negative

ukyo/ryoga - i can see why ppl like it and I believe I did too back in 2011 or so when i first watched it, but i feel like most ppl who ship this have only watched the anime (valid! but their manga partners are both great characters imo). I didn’t rlly see it at all upon rewatch and reading the manga put the final nail in the coffin. they’d be fun as friends tho! i like that they have a silly friendship similar to akane and mousse’s friendship where they’re more Worsties than anything but will hang out with and help each other if they need to

ukyo/tsubasa - no. i have very mixed feelings abt tsubasa as is, but ukyo has no interest in him and sees him as an annoyance so i wouldn’t want her to be w someone she doesn’t like (side note: used he/him for tsubasa bc he’s very open abt being a crossdresser. i know that crossdresser is used as a transphobic insult in the series, but… eehhh… tsubasa isn’t really like ranma and konatsu who are both pretty blatantly not cis. he declares himself as a guy all the time, which yeah ranma does too, but ranma’s whole character development is how that breaks down for him)

ukyo/konatsu - yes, i think they’re sweet and konatsu is very supportive of ukyo’s goals. i think this pairing would need more development before i’d really want it declared Officially Canon. i mean it is, but obv ukyo still has some feelings to work out similarly to ryoga and his canon gf, and i think she’d need to more clearly let go of ranma before this could truly blossom in canon. i love konatsu and i love ukyo and i think they’d be good girlfriends after a little work

ryoga/akari - love it, it’s sweet and i LOVE akari. like I said i think ryoga needs to work thru some shit/let go of akane to truly appreciate akari, and it’s annoying he’s still attached to her when he has a gf but i understand it’s difficult to just Stop liking someone you’ve liked for prob a solid year or so just bc u got asked out by someone else

these are all the ones I can think of rn but ur more than welcome to ask if u want my thots on any other ones lol

[ghosts-and-blue-sweaters]

Peet

Favorite canon thing about this character?

His brokenness!!! His vulnerability!!! It’s so freakin rare to come across a character that’s this… broken. He’s scared and guilty and it tears him apart, and it’s so sad but also… good? Like, it just feels nice to find a character who is so unabashedly human. Who’s so open and scared and sad. I’m attracted to characters who openly share their emotions (I think because I’m so empathetic and I like to Feel things) so Peet very quickly became a favorite for me :’)

(And the beautiful thing is that, even through all the darkness, there’s still hope!! There’s still hope for him!! Darkness doesn’t have to end the story and GOSH I have. so many feelings)

Could you be best friends with this character?

Maybe not best friends, but I think we could be friends :) He’s such a lovely soul, and I’d really enjoy getting to spend time with him!!

Ghostbur

If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

THE WINGFEATHER SAGA!!! For many reasons.

One! I trust Andrew Peterson with The Wingfeather Saga/writing it well/treating the characters right, so Ghostbur would be in safe hands :’) I know he’d get a really good story + be characterized brilliantly + NOT HAVE A TERRIBLY DEPRESSING AND HORRIFIC ENDING. HE WOULD BE SAFE IN THE WINGFEATHER SAGA AND EVEN IF BAD THINGS HAPPENED TO HIM I BELIEVE THAT HE WOULD BE OKAY.

Two! He could make friends!! He could make so many friends!! Almost every character (at least the main ones) in The Wingfeather Saga are kind, and I just… :’) Ghostbur didn’t experience much friendship in canon but I really think he’d experience a wonderful Abundance of it in The Wingfeather Saga. Just… :( Ghostbur deserved more friends 😭 He deserved more people who were kind to him.

Three! Christianity :D He could learn about the MAKER (God) AND !!!! I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY COOL?? YEAH!!!

Four! There’s so many instruments and songs he could learn and I think he would have a delightful time mastering his musical skills :)

Five! Creatures in The Wingfeather Saga are a little Odd, so Friend would fit in just fine!! Ghostbur would also make so many friends with so many creatures I’m <33

So yeah, in conclusion, I really believe that he’d have a much better + happier story in The Wingfeather Saga 😭 Now I’m sad that he’s not in it :(

What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I liked him from the start, actually! I first heard his name in May 2022, and I was… very confused lol. I knew Wilbur existed, but I had no idea who this “Ghostbur” was, or what he was, or why he was named Ghostbur XD

A month later, I sent this message to the friend who introduced me to Dream SMP:

I will admit, I over-exaggerated a little in this message 😅 I liked Ghostbur based on the clips I’d seen of him, but Wilbur was very solidly my Favorite. It was really only in December of that year that Ghostbur slipped into my Number One Favorite Character slot, and he’s been my favorite ever since :)

So yeah, from the time I first watched videos of him, I thought Ghostbur was a super sweet, kind, and adorable character, and I still think that! But I also know way more about his personality now, including his mental struggles, and that’s just made me love him more :’)

[leossmoonn]

can i request a stefan imagine where bonnie locks you both into a room because you guys fight to hide your feelings, and when you're inside, you both finally talk it out and then when the next day the room is unlocked everyone makes fun of you because you fell asleep on each other

yes! this is such a cute idea :))

masterlist

warnings / includes - mild language, casual sex talk, underage drinking (you all are 18 tho), fighting, kissing, ugly crying (lol)

————

“i thought he was supposed to be the smart one,” you grimaced.

“boys are often enchanted by half-naked girls,” elena stated. “yeah, but not stefan,” you said, taking a big gulp of your beer.

“well, contrary to popular belief, stefan is like other boys. he got turned at 17, he didn’t have much time to mature.”

you gave elena a ‘are you serious?’ look before turning back to the man whom you were hopelessly in love with. it shattered your heart to see him dancing with another girl.

she was wearing a belly top with a skirt you knew that not even vicki donovan would approve of. she had her back facing towards stefan, running her hands through his hair as she moved up and down on him, obviously trying to get him riled up and fuck her in the bathrooms. meanwhile, his hands were on her waist, following the movements her body made. he had a big smile on his face, winking at her as he told her dirty little nothings.

the red solo cup crushed in your hand, beer running down your arm, some getting on your jeans. you didn’t even realize until elena started to wipe your skin with napkins, taking your attention off of the vampire for a few seconds.

“you had an accident,” elena snorted. “oh,” you frowned, helping her. “oops.”

“why don’t you just go and replace her? i bet stefan then would actually get hard,” elena suggested.

“please, it’s not like he’d even notice me. i mean, look at her, she’s gorgeous.” your insecurities took over your brain, and you couldn’t help but think of how many other pretty girls stefan could have.

“please, she’s below average, and she’s had herpes two times in the last four months. i know stefan is immortal and his body heals fast and all, but no guy, supernatural or not, wants to get involved with a girl like that,” elena assured you.

“then why is he letting her use him as a stripper pole?” you frowned. “maybe to make someone jealous?” elena raised her brow, looking at you and hoping you caught onto the hint.

“like who, you?” you smirked.

“he doesn’t like me anymore! and trust me, before we even got together, he was in love with someone else. he just used me as a jealous device,” elena shrugged, taking a sip of her beer.

“ouch. who did he love instead of you?” you asked, completely clueless. “oh, it doesn’t matter, but it’s okay. i was in love with damon, anyways, so really, it was fair. and he did love me, he just wasn’t in love with me, you know?” she asked.

“yeah, i guess there is a difference,” you nodded. “yep, and stefan definitely does not like that girl, so go and talk to him! you’re his best friend, and if you pull him aside to confess your feelings for him, he definitely won’t mind,” elena nudged you.

you looked back at him, your heart racing at the thought of you actually telling him you’re in love with him, and have been for the last year and a half. you shook your head, looking down at your shoes.

“no, no, it’s too risky. what if he doesn’t like me back? i can’t risk losing your friendship over some silly little crush.”

elena rolled her eyes, setting her drink down and taking ahold of your shoulders. she looked you in the eyes, causing your own eyes to widen.

“it’s not just a “silly little crush”, okay? you are in love with him, and it’s not going to get any better for you if you just stand here and push your feelings down. and look, he likes you, too. i know you don’t believe it, but he does. in fact, he’s also in love with you. just take a chance, y/n.”

“but what if he doesn’t like me and you guys have just been rallying me up for no reason?” you frowned.

“that’s not going to happen. now, go and be with your soulmate!” she pushed you towards him.

you glanced to her and gave her a glare, but complying once you faced stefan again. you walked over to him confidently, tapping his shoulder. he immediately turned to you, a bright smile lighting his face. oh, how you loved that smile.

“hey, y/n, what’s up?”

“i wanted to talk to you,” you prompted. “okay, sure,” he nodded. he abandoned the girl, letting you lead him to a quieter part of the grill.

“so, what’s this about?” he asked.

“um, well…” you weren’t sure you could just flat-out confess, so you decided it was best to have him confess first. “do you like anyone?”

stefan’s eyes widened, a flash of fear clouding his eyes. he shifted his weight, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets.

“u-um, no. why would you think that?”

your heart fell at his response, but you kept up hope. he was probably just scared because he didn’t know you liked him back, right?

“well, a little birdie told me that you liked someone. and me being your best friend and all, i thought it would be fitting for me to know. you know, i can help by getting you and her together.” you flashed him an eager smile.

“well, i don’t like anyone. and if you don’t mind, i’d like to get back to -“

“you’re really leaving me to dance with that slut?” you cocked your brow.

“n-no, well, yeah, but -“

“c’mon, stefan, i won’t judge. just tell me who you like.” you slipped your hand into his, interlocking your fingers together.

stefan’s dead heart dropped in his chest, giving him that somersault affect your touch often gave him. he looked into your eyes, seeing the desperation and pain that they held. he knew that he should tell you that it’s you, but he wasn’t 100% sure you even liked him back. like you, the thought of losing you was too risky for him to take the leap. so instead, he deflected.

“you don’t have to know everything about me! i know you’re my friend, but i have my own private life outside of our friendship. just leave me alone and let me dance with her.” he pulled his hand away from yours, the loss of warmth and comfort disappearing from you both.

you looked at him incredulously, not believing the words that came out of his mouth. you open and closed your mouth multiple times, not sure how to respond. you didn’t even know how to feel, really. you just felt your heart break for the millionth time that night.

he looked at you helplessly, guilt filling his chest as he saw the struggle you had with choosing to leave, or choosing to stay and work it out. he hoped you would choose the latter.

“you’re an asshole, stefan,” you spoke.

your words cut him like a knife.

“you’re right, you do have a personal life outside of our friendship, but you have always shared everything with me. you once told me that i’m the one that you trust the most, that you can tell anything that, that i’m your bestfriend. and-and what now? i-i’m only a friend? someone who you can’t even tell who you like? you told me that you liked elena, and i helped you with that. what is so different about this girl, huh?” you argued.

“nothing! i-i just… you just don’t need to know everything, is all.”

you looked at him good and hard, trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. was elena wrong? did he really not like you, but like someone else?

“i don’t believe that,” you shook your head, speaking to yourself more than him.

“why not? you are never this… grueling.”

“because i… i just…” you couldn’t tell him that you really thought.

“you what? you think you know who i like? please, enlighten me,” he taunted.

you gritted your teeth, your hands balling into fists. you lifted your first up, ready to hit him, but bonnie and elena came over, restraining you.

“okay, let’s calm down, yeah?” bonnie suggested, pulling you back.

you started to cry as bonnie led you to a different part of the restaurant.

“you-you guys are wrong. he doesn’t like me,” you sobbed.

bonnie sighed. “he does, we swear. he just doesn’t know you like him.”

“are you serious! what is he, blind?” you scoffed.

“guys are pretty clueless, even immortal ones.”

“yeah, that’s what elena said,” you sniffled. “well, what do i do now? we can just resume being friends.”

bonnie pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. “here, let me show you something.”

she took your hand, leading you to the storage room. you went along with her until you saw stefan there.

“what? bonnie, what are you -?”

“have fun you two,” elena winked as bonnie closed the door.

you heard the lock click. you ran up to the door, banging on it and begging for your friends to let you out.

“hey! this isn’t funny! i’m claustrophobic, you know this!”

“no can do! work it out, you two!” bonnie shouted from the outside.

“here, let me,” stefan said.

you moved away, crossing your arms as you watched him try to kick down the door. he took ahold of the handle, pulling it off. he then tried to open the door, but it didn’t budge.

“well, good job. you’re a genius, you know that?” you remarked.

he turned to you with a glare. “as if you could do anything else.”

“well, maybe if you let me find something to unlock the lock, then there would still be a door handle!” you hissed.

“don’t blame me for trying to help!”

“well, it’s the truth! you always think you can fix things. just accept the fact that you can’t.”

“woah, when did this turn personal? if i remember correctly, you once told me that my determination was admirable. why the sudden change now?” he hummed, crossing his arms and looking at you like a smart ass.

you sighed deeply, your eyes filling with tears as you answered him.

“because you hurt me. i-i’m hurt, okay?”

he softened up immediately, his arms falling to his side, his smirk disappearing. remorse shined in his eyes as he tried to reach out to you.

“i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to hurt you.”

you stepped back, putting your head down. “it’s fine.”

“no, it’s not. you don’t deserve it.”

you turned your back to him, your eyes settling on the boxes full of kitchen supplies. you sniffled multiple times, your shoulders shaking as you tried to keep your weeping to a minimum.

you heard stefan sigh behind you. his feet dragged along the steel floor, his hand coming up to gently rub your back.

“please, look at me, y/n,” he whispered.

you turned to him slowly, the sorry pit in his stomach growing. you looked at him, your eyes drooping, tears lining your cheeks. your lips were swollen, your nose running. you sniffled once again, trying to calm yourself down.

stefan walked away for a few moments, bringing back a towel. you looked at him, heart fluttering as he wiped the snot that surrounded the bottom of your nose. he wiped your tears away, running the cloth carefully under your eyes to capture the remaining moisture. you watched him as he kept his eyes on yours the whole time. you felt yourself falling for him again.

he set the rag on a shelf, taking your hand and slipping his into it. you couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. stefan smiled with you, looking at you sweetly.

“i’m sorry. you are my best friend. you are the person i trust the most. i will continue to tell you everything and anything. i just… i was just scared to tell you who i liked,” he explained.

you nodded, understanding his explanation. “no worries. i get it. i don’t like being interrogated either.”

“you didn’t interrogate me.”

“oh, please,” you snorted. “we both know i did.”

he shrugged with a little smile. “well, i know you mean well.”

you nodded, “i do. i really do.”

“i know, y/n, i know,” he reassured you.

you looked away from him, the tension in the room weighing on your shoulders.

“you know, i think bonnie also put a spell on the door,” you stated.

“i was thinking that, too,” he sighed.

“well, what do we do now? we’ve made up,” you asked, looking back at him.

“i don’t know. are you hungry?” he asked.

“no. i am tired, though,” you said. “wanna lay down? i can be your pillow,” he suggested.

you smiled and nodded. “yeah, sure.”

he took your hand, getting on the ground. he laid flat on his back as you put your head on his chest. your heart hammered against your ribcage as he slipped his arm around you, holding you close to him. you fisted his shirt in your hand, closing your eyes and breathing in deeply.

his scent filled your nose, making your mind foggy and muscles relax. he smelled of sandalwood, leather, and jasmine. jasmine was something most guys didn’t smell like, but he did, strangely. it was a sweet, yet musky smell. it fit him very well, and you loved it.

your heart stopped as you felt him rub your back. his fingers scratched your clothed skin softly.

“so, can i ask who you like now?” you hummed.

stefan laughed. you felt the rumbling in his chest, making you smile.

“what?” you looked up at him, batting your eyes innocently.

“why do you want to know so bad? i thought i told you i was done dating for a while,” he stated.

you looked away and back at your hands that held the material of his shirt. “just wondering. and we both know that you’d love to have a girlfriend. one that isn’t in love with your brother.”

stefan laughed again, making you smile to yourself as his chest came up and down in multiple breaths.

“i mean, yes, but i don’t want to just date someone to prove that there are people that like me and not damon.”

“i know, but… what if the girl you like likes you back?” you suggested.

stefan stopped breathing for a second, his hand that was scratching your back stopping to a halt.

“you sound so sure of that,” he said.

you shrugged, looking up at him, hoping he could read the look on your face. “it’s because i am.”

he looked at you, his eyes giving away his emotions. he looked uncertain, but you knew that he understood what you were hinting at. he just couldn’t believe it.

“i love you, stefan,” you spoke, sitting up in his lap.

stefan’s face shone brightly as his lips upturned into a smile. you could physically see all the weight lifted off his shoulders. the hot tension in the room filtered out, being replaced with a cool breeze of relief. he sat up, putting his arm back around you, reaching his hand up to cup your face. he looked deeply into your eyes, his pupils running into his emerald irises. your hands went up to his neck, your fingers entangling in his hair.

“i love you, too, y/n,” he spoke, as if he had said it a million times before.

both of your reactions were minimal, but spoke a thousand words. the words felt natural, right.

you leaned in, eyes flickering from his lips to his eyes. your chest heaved up and down in anticipation, your heart ramming itself against your ribacage. stefan was the one to close the gap.

tingles shot up your spine, goosebumps lining your skin. you pressed into him - no space was between you now. you kissed him quicker now, opening your mouth and taking initiative.

he caught on in an instant. his hand that was on your cheek was now on your neck, cradling your head closer to his. he pulled you impossibly closer to him, sparks flying between you two as your chests rubbed against each other. you pulled on his hair that was at the nape of his neck as his hands reached further below your lower back.

his tongue ran across yours deliciously. you explored his mouth, tasting the bourbon and fries he had eaten earlier. you took a shallow breath as your lungs were gasping for air. you would’ve passed out if it weren’t for him.

“did you really like that girl dancing against you?” you blurted.

stefan tilted his head, chuckling. “no, i did not. and also, that’s really the first thing you’re going say after our first kiss.”

you shrugged. “a girl’s gotta ask.”

“well, then, no, i did not. i was trying to make you jealous.”

“well, good job, because it worked,” you snorted.

“yeah. i’m sorry again for making you cry. that was unfair.”

“it’s okay. i now know that you were just being a scared jerk,” you smirked.

“yep, that’s me,” he chuckled.

you hummed contently, placing your head on his shoulder. stefan resumed rubbing your back, setting back onto the floor again. it only took a few minutes for you two to doze off. you awoke again to the sound of laughter.

you opened your eyes, confused as you saw your friends standing over you.

“man, i thought you two were going to have sex, but this is worse!” damon cackled.

you grimaced, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

“shut up, damon. at least i know how to treat a girl right,” stefan muttered.

everyone but damon snickered. damom crossed his arms, glaring at his younger brother.

“i do know how to treat a girl right. right, elena?” damon asked.

“mm, i’m not so sure,” elena said with a shit-eating grin.

“okay, you all suck. i’m out!” damon walked out of the storage room, leaving only you two with elena and bonnie.

“so, did you two make up?” bonnie asked.

“yep,” you nodded. “and we are going on our first date tonight,” stefan added.

your head whipped up to him in surprise. “really?”

“yeah, if that’s okay with you.”

“oh, it’s more than okay,” you grinned.

“well, just don’t fall asleep on each other during the date,” elena smirked.

you rolled your eyes. “we aren’t rabbits like you and damon!”

“okay, and like damon, i am out!” elena exclaimed, walking out of the storage room.

“they’re children,” you rolled your eyes.

“so were you two last night, but i’m glad you made up,” bonnie said.

“thanks. us, too,” you smiled at stefan.

stefan returned the expression, leaning in and kissing you softly.

“ew, okay! i, three, am out. please don’t have sex on this dirty floor,” bonnie stated before leaving.

“wanna have sex at my house?” stefan whispered.

“buy me dinner first!” you scoffed. “what about breakfast?” stefan cocked his brow.

you pursed your lips in thought. you couldn’t help but grin.

“i think that would be lovely.”

————

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[strangertheories]

Ooh icic. Tysm for adding on, your theories are always a delight to read!

Something I’d like to point out before I get tangential again is the mindscapes that Vecna and The Mind Flayer look to use are remarkably similar, which points to the fact they’re sharing a domain of some kind. The difference between the two is kinda what I’m centering this first bit around.

Basically, The Mind Flayer can only construct the surroundings of his own Mindscape around the actual locations the person is being targeted in, and also appears to be noticeably weaker against more abrasive targets like Billy. Meanwhile, in the trailer, we see Vecna being able to construct these large pillars and boulders to fling down at Max to terrorize her. What this tells us is that, like you said, Vecna is stronger than The Mind Flayer. On a broader standpoint, I think he’d definitely stand no chance against the entire UD, but in specific situations regarding humans and their fear, it’s not much of a competition. I think this inherent strength in this domain comes from Vecna’s origins as a human, which gives him more knowledge over how the human mind can be twisted against itself.

This is actually a reason I think he’s even rebelling against The Mind Flayer to begin with. We know that Flaying victims exhibit some humanity/resistance even when in later-stages, especially if they have a strong will (see: Billy’s sacrifice in Starcourt). It’s important to question how this reflects into Vecna when he’s been exposed to The UD for so long. It’s given that he’s been warped and possessed externally, but like you also pointed out a few posts back, it’s internal too. And with that, there are two driving forces I can think of that would directly contribute to this, both internally and externally.

Number one, this is something you pointed out and I want to expand on. I firmly believe that Vecna is not only stuck in The Upside Down, but also bound to The Creel House. I think we’ve all seen his design by now, so it’s not something that really requires clarification. However! If you choose to interpret those tendrils on his back as “chains” his Dnd-Canon title of “The Chained God” starts to really ring as literal.

Number two, the internal factor, is something I don’t really see brought up enough. Vecna, in dnd-canon, is prone to fits of spontaneous rage. If that doesn’t scream motivation when associated with him being trapped in The UD for twenty years along with being bound to The Creel House, I’m not sure what does. What I’m thinking is, like I mentioned earlier, he’s almost following in the footsteps of Billy, but it’s the opposite. Instead of him breaking free of The Mind Flayer’s control out of heroism, he’s doing it out of pure rage. Spite, if you will. The frustration of being trapped in the attic combined with the fortune of Billy Hargrove’s death and Max Mayfield’s grief is literally just gold to him.

It actually might be what wakes him up in the first place, to be honest. I’ve been struggling to grasp the coincidence of this random villain suddenly picking on Max, but if he’s connected to The UD even faintly it would be impossible for him to not know what happened. That could even be a secondary thing that triggers him to wake up, The Mind Flayer failing his goal even when he was at his strongest and most opportune. Vecna takes him for weak at last and seizes the moment, targeting Max and using The Mind Flayer’s own failure against itself.

I really think there’s a strange correlation between Hawkins getting cagey and him waking up too, just haven’t really put the pieces together there. The whole thing that happens with Chrissy could’ve been deliberate, maybe? He starts to terrorize her subtly to get the town to turn against The Hellfire Club, making Max feel more ostracized so he can swoop in and claim her as a personal addition to his Demobat-Soontobehuman Army lol.

Ok, wow. If anyone is reading this post and skipped the ask above, please go back and read it. It's some amazing stuff and I can't talk about everything in this post, so please go and read it.

There's a few things I'd like to address about your ask. Firstly, all your analysis about Max and Billy. Max's grief somehow re-awakening Vecna after decades would make total sense and also call parallels to Pennywise, who the Duffers have said served as a direct inspiration for him. Pennywise feeds off of fear, grief and hatred and it's what brings him back every 27 years. Incidentally, this season is taking 27 years after Vecna used Creel (as pointed out by @japplejottomjeans). Your explanation for this being why Vecna chose to kill Chrissy would make total sense, as originally I thought it would just be because of her turmoil over her abusive mother.

Another thing I'd like to touch on is his motivation. Billy broke out of the mind flayer in order to rescue Eleven and end the cycle of violence (not saying I'm his biggest fan, but I think he did have good motivations in his final scene). Will broke out of his possession briefly because of Mike (which I believe came out of love). These are pure motivations. The concept of someone who's already an angry person being warped by the UD and the mind flayer becoming a whole new monster out of rage and spite would make such an interesting villain. I'm so excited to see a supernatural opponent with intelligence in this show because it's not really been explored so far.

Finally, Vecna being chained metaphorically and literally to the Creel House would make complete sense. It would explain why he didn't target Will and the others in the UD in season 1 because he was obviously there. I'm not sure why he is stuck there. I think the spirit of Vecna was trapped in the clock for years so maybe when he finally got a physical form it was also linked to the clock?

Thanks for your asks, they're all super interesting and honestly could end up being cooler than the actual canon Vecna if they aren't confirmed within the show. Hope this expansion helped!

[bigskydreaming]

Brain topic du jour is reflecting on the frankly weird as fuck pattern in Dick’s life where....he barely ever experiences losses one at a time. Most of the loss he’s experienced in his life is compounded by him losing multiple people and other elements of stability all at the exact same time.

1) When his parents died, in some continuities this is coupled with him losing his extended family of his aunt and cousin as well, with his uncle left comatose and on life support for years before he eventually died as well. Even in continuities without Richard, Karla and John, the loss of Dick’s parents is compounded by the additional loss of his circus family in the sense that he was taken away from them by the state and their constant reassuring presences in his life were no longer comforts he was able to rely on.

2) When Jason died, Dick didn’t just lose his brother, as the tragedy was compounded by Bruce’s reaction. I’ll never be able to gloss over the effects of NTT #55, personally, because I think its too key to Dick’s entire characterization and the specific direction his character took in the years that followed this, to like....disregard that Bruce however unintentionally, while lost in his own grief, added to Dick’s own sense of loss for Jason in probably the worst way possible. As by kicking Dick out and telling him to leave his keys, Dick - having no way to know or guess that they’d ever reconcile, just like he never actually went back to the circus being a regular presence for him - to Dick, this was in essence the equivalent of his childhood tragedy all over again. Losing not just one family member, but his whole family in one sweep, and all the comforts and stability offered by a home he was forced to leave. Even Dick’s contact with Alfred was minimal for awhile, because why would the guy who basically JUST saw history repeat itself and was like, well I know how THIS tends to play out.....why would he think that if Alfred felt forced to actually choose between his loyalties to Bruce and Dick respectively, that Alfred would pick Dick over the man he’d known and raised from childhood himself?

3) Titans Hunt. I know I harp on this one a lot, but you can’t deny that it fits the pattern. Dick didn’t just lose one friend and teammate.....he lost Joey, he lost a good four or five lesser known Titans who nevertheless were people he viewed as directly HIS responsibility to keep safe. With these tragedies compounded by the fact that though comics played out a lot more slowburn and extended stories over years back then, like.....the aftermath of Titans Hunt was still everpresent and directly died into Dick’s reactions and emotions during the Mirage storyline and everything that happened with the failed wedding and his breakup with Kory AND the fact that he was literally forced off the team he’d basically founded, by the government agency that took over the team and appointed Roy as its leader in his stead.

3) Graduation Day. The second time the Titans disbanded it was again not due to a singular loss, because Dick didn’t just lose Donna at this point, but also Lilith died in the exact same story and though Lilith is criminally underused, like, she’s also one of Dick’s oldest friends. She was literally the first Titan to join after the original five. This then led into the Outsiders era, where Dick was shown to still be reeling from the losses of this story for an extended period of time, and in a fun parallel to the Titans Hunt aftermath, Dick was also ousted from his leadership of THIS team by essentially a vote of no confidence by his teammates (and uh, Bruce too, literally).

4) The Blockbuster arc. Where Dick’s emotional state was due to a continued string of multiple losses. He lost his apartment building and almost every one of the neighbors he’d built a community out of, as we’d been shown him actively involving himself in their lives and vice versa for YEARS before this point. Then he lost his circus, his childhood home, burned to the ground and with dozens of deaths - both spectators and actual performers Dick had known and loved as a child. Then he lost his relationship with Barbara, his sense of self-security and autonomy to Tarantula, he lost another teen vigilante who died in his colors, the mantle HE’D created, when Stephanie was believed dead in War Games, and it all culminated in losing the city he’d invested himself in as his CHOSEN home, the place he dedicated himself to protecting, when Chemo blew it up.

Oh just for the record - my nonexistent passport to the magical kingdom of Narnia for a fic that raises the point when bringing up Tim’s losses in the Red Robin era, that like.....ALL of the above happened at literally the EXACT SAME TIME as all Tim’s referenced losses occurred. Obviously Steph meant more to Tim than Dick on a personal level, but I also included her largely as an anchor point to the timeline, to show how that death, and not long after that Jack Drake’s and then Superboy’s.... occurred right smack in the middle of one of the absolute WORST periods of Dick’s life. To be clear, I don’t intend this to suggest that no actually, Dick had it harder than Tim - nah. 

No thank you. Hard pass. I hate that sort of thing even in support of my own faves over other characters. No, instead the thing I’d love to see explored more is just in light of the SPECIFIC angle fics take here - that Dick’s actions while Bruce was lost in time showed an obliviousness to everything Tim had lost lately - for literally ANYONE to bring up or introduce into the timeline here an awareness of everything Dick had lost AT THE EXACT SAME TIME PERIOD. To establish that actually, Dick didn’t just ‘not understand what it was like’ - rather, its more accurate to say that nobody in universe around this time ever shows an awareness of Dick’s own losses and says oh wait, that doesn’t track then. 

Because obviously, with this stuff put in proper perspective, Dick understands VERY VERY WELL the exact thing we’re accusing him of not understanding by being oblivious to Tim’s losses that he’s not actually oblivious to because he tries to talk to Tim about them all the time, while meanwhile its everyone else who has absolutely mum to say about the fact that Dick’s emotional state is compromised to hell and back at this point, not JUST because of losing Bruce, but also because *gestures wildly* literally ALL OF THE ABOVE in the exact same time frame Tim’s extended losses happened in.

And okay I am going to indulge in slight tiny itty bitty pettiness and point out my ire that so many fics set during this time tend to recite listicles of Tim’s losses, with Steph, Kon and Jack Drake at the very top of said list....while paying no attention whatsoever to the fact that STEPH WAS LITERALLY BACK BY THE TIME THE RED ROBIN SERIES HAPPENED. She’s LITERALLY a person Dick sends to check up on Tim after Tim turns Dick away when he tries himself. How are you gonna stress the impact Steph’s loss has on Tim when you’re not even acknowledging STEPH’S RIGHT HERE IN THE EXACT SPECIFIC CANON STORY YOU’RE CITING??? I just. afhioskhflafhlafhklfahlfa. 

And not to put too fine a point on it, but you know who ELSE was also back at the same time? CONNOR. Superboy LITERALLY was already back to life by the time the Red Robin series even began. Like, the issue where a resurrected Kon and Cassie (Wonder Girl) have a heart to heart about the fact that Tim and Cassie ‘connected’ during his absence and Connor stresses that this doesn’t bother him or make him feel negatively towards either of them at all, because hello, he was literally dead at the time, why would he mind that two of the people he loves most in the world sought comfort in each other? Yeah, that issue? Literally came out BEFORE Tim even became Red Robin.

I MEAN. I’m just saying, when people constantly take shots at Dick’s choices during this period because of how much Tim had lost before Bruce already, in order to shift focus away from the fact that Dick lost Bruce every bit as much as Tim did......and you repeatedly emphasize the SAME three names as the focal point of Tim’s losses while paying no acknowledgment whatsoever to everything Dick lost at the exact same time Tim lost these three.....it quickly becomes kiiiiiiinda relevant in my opinion THAT TWO OF THE THREE NAMES CONSTANTLY MENTIONED AS BEING TIM’S LOSSES ARE NO LONGER EVEN LOST BY THE TIME THE SUBJECT COMES UP. Again, I’m just saying! Pettily, mind you! I am aware of the pettiness, I just beg awareness of like *again gesticulates wildly at all of the above* ALL THAT!

LOL.

But I digress.

5) When Bruce was believed dead while he was lost in the timestream. Again, Dick didn’t just lose the father who had been the only parent in his life for almost TWICE as long as his first parents......this was coupled with the loss of numerous other sources of stability in Dick’s life. There’s the matter of his personal sense of identity and self-expression....Dick FOUGHT against becoming Batman, trying to handle Gotham in Bruce’s absence as Nightwing for as long as he could, because he knew being Batman was very much NOT going to be good for him. He put so much of himself into building his identity as Nightwing, establishing himself in that role, that self-image, that yes, I maintain it was an actual LOSS for Dick, to feel like he had no choice but to give that up and everything it meant to him and his own life, in order to essentially live Bruce’s life for him in his absence. 

Because it wasn’t just being Batman that Dick was struggling with at this time....he also had to act as the patriarch to the Wayne family, essentially raise Bruce’s ten year old son, step into Bruce’s old role in Wayne Enterprises, all while getting no acknowledgment for any of this, for literally LIVING his father’s life instead of the life Dick had worked so hard to build for HIMSELF....because of course Dick’s actions and struggles couldn’t even be advertised beyond the family and close friends, because the whole point of him doing all this was so that nobody else even realized that Bruce wasn’t really there anymore. Dick didn’t just assume Bruce’s responsibilities. Dick assumed Bruce’s life, so thoroughly that most people didn’t even put together that Bruce was ‘dead,’ between Dick handling Bruce’s actual roles and responsibilities while Hush made public appearances as him. 

Like, when you’re living someone else’s life so completely that nobody can tell they’re even gone....how on earth does that leave any time or space for you to have ANY kind of life of your OWN, y’know? Not to mention the fact that like in so many times previously....all this meant that Dick couldn’t even afford to let his grief for his own losses show, because he wasn’t supposed to be grieving any losses in the first place, that was the whole point of the con!

Additionally, couple this with the fact that throughout this time period, Dick didn’t have Tim to lean on at all, because it was never that Dick kicked Tim out or neglected him or didn’t care....he’d actively stressed how much he needed Tim, because the partner Tim was convinced Dick chose ‘over’ him - Dick was the first one to admit back then that he DIDN’T trust Damian yet, couldn’t afford to, because he was all too aware that Damian didn’t give a fuck about him yet and couldn’t be guaranteed to step in to have Dick’s back - because that required mutual trust that Dick literally just hadn’t had time to build yet. And add to THAT the fact that during this time, Jason was actively antagonizing the family and Dick in particular at every turn, trying to bring them all down and basically write over what all of them saw as Bruce’s legacy with Jason’s own version of what he thought that should look like.

Also also, take into account that unlike how often we see fanon depict Dick as just too stubborn or proud to ask for help, there’s the fact that he actually had very few avenues TO ask for help! As already established, he DID ask Tim for help. Not like Jason was an option at this time, and Dick’s friends weren’t actually just sitting waiting in the wings and groaning about the fact that Dick was trying to do all of this solo....nah, they kinda had their own problems, which Dick was all too aware of?

Like the fact that in the wake of Final Crisis, it wasn’t just Bruce that was believed lost. Many other key Leaguers like Martian Manhunter were dead or lost, with others struggling to fill the gaps left in their absence. Cry For Justice happened right after Final Crisis too....that story where Lian was murdered? So it wasn’t like Dick was remotely going to try leaning on Roy when Roy had just lost his freaking DAUGHTER and very much wasn’t handling it well (and not to overshadow Roy’s loss at ALL, but please let’s not act like Dick - who had literally been the person to put a baby Lian in Roy’s arms for the first time and had known that girl for pretty much her entire life - like, it shouldn’t be used to detract from Roy’s loss at all, but it shouldn’t have to, to just acknowledge that Lian’s loss right at this exact time was painful as fuck to Dick, who’d loved his niece like crazy.)

The pattern of compounding, concurrent losses in Dick’s life. I’m just saying. Its there.

And it extends into the New 52 as well, where Forever Evil came right on the heels of Dick losing his circus in THIS continuity to the Joker, just as a way to hurt him in Death of A Family. And with the aftermath of Forever Evil and Dick’s own literal death, being like....the complete loss of Dick’s entire life, even though he was revived quickly. That didn’t mean he got to live HIS life though, since Dick Grayson was believed dead and he was told had to remain so, so its like fuck whatever he actually wanted to do as he went about on the Spyral mission aka something that pinched his own sense of morality and personal agenda at every turn and was kinda the last thing a therapist would recommend for a trauma recovery period, lol. And like, for all the focus that was paid to how Dick’s family were hurt because they believed they’d lost him when he was actually alive, let’s not forget that for all intents and purposes, Dick DID lose his family in the wake of his resurrection because he was flat out told over and over that due to what ‘he’d LET happen to him’ he was an ACTIVE danger to them, and thus wasn’t allowed by Bruce to contact any of them or lean on them to any degree, until Bruce got amnesia and stopped blocking Dick’s pleas to return home by just not being there to pick up the secret phone line at all. 

(And omg, the obliviousness that just EMANATES off the hot takes that Dick had a ‘choice’ in all this and he still CHOSE to do what Bruce told him....like. LOLOL, stop being pissy about me bringing up the term abuse apologism when its literal victim blaming to paint the guy who had to be beaten into ‘agreeing’ to the Spyral mission in the immediate wake of the trauma of DYING, all while his father vocally blamed him for his own suffering and the ‘threat’ he now posed to his family, keying directly into the guilt complex Bruce knows damn well is at the core of most of Dick’s motivations.....fucking please. There’s no choice in all that. That’s active emotional, mental and physical abuse aimed at directly manipulating Dick’s actions, delivered by the guy who knows Dick best in the world and whose approval - particularly when Dick is at absolute rock bottom aka Current Location - matters more to Dick than just about anything because his sense of self-worth has more in common with dog shit than actual dog shit does. Or something. Idk. That analogy got away from me. But like. You get it.)

BUT. I. DIE. GRESS. (I guess).

Aaaaaaanyway, so yeah! That repeating pattern throughout Dick’s life of ‘loss? What loss (singular)? My losses only come in groups, lolol, fuuuuuun’ - mmmm. Yeah. So that’s what’s on MY brain right now. Thoughts?

[mystic-shadows42]

Lover's Quarrel

A/N: It’s been awhile since I wrote a piece for the Vikings fandom. Hope I haven’t lost my touch. Hope you all enjoy! Also, this one is a little more focused on Hvitserk rather than Ivar.

Pairing: Hvitserk x reader x Ivar

Warnings: Violence and mention of impregnation

Summary: A betrayal starts it all off making Hvitserk hurt and angry beyond anything else. He wants to shed blood, yours more specifically but Ivar won’t have it. He has other plans for you.

“How can she do this to us?!” Hvitserk stood up making his chair fall behind him in his sudden anger. “We’ve broken bread with her family! She grew up with us!” He paced around the room then stopped. “I love her.”

Hvitserk was trying to make sense of his love’s betrayal. He thought you’d always choose him and his brother Ivar than ever go against them. He was wrong. You chose your family over them.

“We must stick to the plan.”

Ivar brought up his hands and placed them just under his chin. He was deeply saddened by your betrayal but he didn’t want to show his men or Hvitserk just how much it was affecting him.

He needed some time alone to think of a plan to bring you back to him. One that’ll bound you to him forever without making you hate him entirely.

Once the battle ensued, Hvitserk was the first to break free and display the land red. He was fuelled with anger which showed.

When he spotted you out on the battlefield fighting too he was dead-set on what he was to do. Ivar followed his line of sight and knew that Hvitserk wasn’t in the right state of mind to face you just yet.

Hvitserk was about to rush forward but was pushed back by Ivar. They were both high on adrenaline but Hvitserk more so than everyone else. He’d been cutting down men and women left and right.

“I’ll kill her! I’ll do it!” Hvitserk yelled out, making his voice break at the end. 

“No! No you won’t! I can’t let you!”

“She’s betrayed us!”

Ivar brought his head close to Hvitserk’s so he had his full attention.

“If you kill her then you’d never forgive yourself. I’d never forgive you if you do.” Hvitserk huffed at his brother but understood beyond his anger coursing through him. “Brother, look at me. I need you to listen. If you grab her we can take her as our hostage. She’s the key to all of this. Are you with me?”

“Yeah,” Hvitserk huffed.

“Do anything to get to her but don’t kill her. Got it?”

Hvitserk had a newfound intent on pursuing you. He was a man crazed with ambition.

He found your right-hand man and went toe-to-toe with him. He was a skilled warrior but Hvitserk had already configured his flaws.

He had a weak knee so that’s what he struck for. When he was brought down to the ground he wasted no time in finishing him off.

“Y/N!” Hvitserk yelled your name through the endless cries of battles. “Y/N!” He drawled out.

When you heard your name being shouted you turned to see Hvitserk standing on a hilltop by Ivar’s chariot. He held up your longtime friend’s head. He smiled displaying his blood stained mouth looking ever more menacing.

So many emotions racked through you at once. Though the sadness quickly turned to anger. You had spent many years training with the man Hvitserk killed. He was like family to you after having been placed by your side as a bodyguard.

Hvitserk watched on as he saw you striking everyone down that got in your way. He felt empowered to see how much of a fierce warrior you’ve become. He should know since he was the one who’d basically trained you.

Hvitserk jumped down from the hill he was on as you began to approach.

You faced each other down. He was breathing heavily with a bloody smile on his face. He kept gripping his sword in his hand. He was ready.

“You really want to do this?” It was never your intention to hurt him but for the sake of your people and family, what other choice did you have? 

You could have always told him, that thought had never left your mind but Hvitserk was none too good at confrontation. He wouldn’t want to hear it. He would avoid it until it got too much to handle.

Then there was Ivar. He was always someone you could confide in but as of late you didn’t know if he was on the verge of being power hungry or just mad altogether.

“You’ve left me no choice.”

“I did what I had to do for my family. You of all should understand that.”

He turned his head looking at all the blood and death that was surrounding him. He looked back at you and lifted his head in the direction of the chaos.

“All of this is happening because of that decision. If you’d been with us. Things could have been different.”

“It’s just the way things have to be.”

“Oh yeah,” he sniffled and started to circle around you. “Let’s see what you can do then.”

You raised your sword just as he did the same. Hvitserk tapped the tip of your sword smiling then he swung at you.

You blocked it and tried pushing him back with as much energy as you could muster up but he was forcing all his strength down on your sword. He brought you down to one knee as you continued to block his sword with yours.

When you knew you couldn’t hold out much longer, you kicked his leg out making him drop to the floor. You quickly scrambled on top of him with your sword to his neck making him laugh.

His small fit of laughter had soon died down when you made no other attempt to hurt him. He looked into your eyes and clenched his jaw.

“Did you ever love me?”

“Of course I did.”

“More than Ivar?” Hvitserk had never bothered to hide the fact that he was always jealous of his little brother.

“The same.” 

Hvitserk took your downcast look as an opportunity to flip you both over. He placed his hands over your neck shaking you.

“Tell me the truth?! After everything I’ve done for you! All that I shared! It was all for you! Now tell me who you loved more?”

He added more pressure onto your neck making you gasp. Tears were rushing from your eyes as you looked up at Hvitserk. 

It was unbelievable to think that just a few weeks ago he was staring down at you in this same position, only with kinder eyes and a gentler touch ready to leave his ways all behind and go away with you.

Ivar and Hvitserk shared you but as of late Hvitserk was starting to get more possessive. He was falling harder each time. He had always been with you.

Meanwhile, Ivar did break away to be with Freydis because he believed her when she spoke lies to him.

In that time, Hvitserk claimed you as his. He had never fallen so hard for one woman and the betrayal had hit him tenfold. He took it harder than anything else in his life.

When the time came that Ivar realized how rotten Freydis was, all he wanted was you back. He became obsessed with taking you away from Hvitserk.

“You,” your answer was quiet and strangled but Hvitserk heard. He pulled his hands away and looked at your face. “It was always you Hvitserk.”

Even in the midst of battle, Hvitserk leaned down and placed a small chaste kiss to your lips. You hadn’t reciprocated which didn’t go unnoticed.

“I’m sorry,” he spoke. Before you even had the chance to speak he hit your head against the ground rendering you unconscious. He picked you up over his shoulder and carried you to Ivar’s chariot.

Once he placed you inside, Ivar was quick to inspect your injury behind your head. He placed his hand on the spot where Hvitserk struck you. He brought his fingers up showing Hvitserk the blood on them.

“She’s bleeding.”

“How else did you expect her to come willingly?”

Hvitserk was beyond irritated and confused. He didn’t know what to think or feel about the whole situation. He loved you but the betrayal is what stopped him. He wanted to harden his heart.

“You’ve damaged her Hvitserk. I didn’t want her hurt or have any more reason for her to distrust us.”

“More than she already does?! Look where we are at. We are in battle. She’s already lost to us.”

“She isn’t lost on me. She could love me again.” Ivar brushed your cheek with his fingers gently. When he smiled down at your unconscious form Hvitserk couldn’t help but become even more annoyed.

“Whatever. When we get back we’ll have her chained.”

“Chained?” Ivar was appalled by his brother’s nonchalant response. “She will not be chained like some animal Hvitserk.”

“Where do you expect her to be held at?”

“My room. We’ll keep the doors locked at all times but she will be treated as a guest no doubt.”

“A prisoner treated like a guest?” Hvitserk scoffed at the idea.

“Brother you are so hostile.” Hvitserk was unamused. “I thought you loved her?”

“She betrayed us. Lied to me!” Hvitserk couldn’t help but kick up the dirt and throw one of his daggers at a tree.

“Funny, that’s what you did to me, yet, here we are. Truth is brother, despite all you’ve done against me, there was no doubt in my mind that I’d be the one to kill you but Y/N convinced me otherwise. She saved your life.” Hvitserk paused and turned to look at Ivar. This was all news to him. His features softened and his shoulders relaxed as he thought of how you would actually do that to save him. “Once you put a baby in her, she’ll forgive us.”

“What do you speak of Ivar?” Hvitserk narrowed his brows and approached the chariot slowly.

“You’ll be the one to put a baby in her.  As you know, I cannot have children nor provide any for her, but you can. If she has a baby with you then she cannot be against us.”

“You’re sick, Ivar.”

“Is it not your wish to fill her with babies and be the father of her children?”

Hvitserk rested his hand on top of the chariot as he leaned forward. “Not like that.”

“Only time will tell,” Hvitserk backed away when he saw his brother’s condescending smirk on his face. He never knew just how far he'd go until now.

Tagged: @belovedcherry​ @lordsexmachine​ @lol-haha-joke​ @mariaenchanted​ @ethereallysimple​ @bababasti​ @ir-abelas-telanadas​ @soleil-dor​ @youbloodymadgenius​

[pradaksj]

the swimming lessons

all rights reserved © pradaksj

↳do not repost, translate, or claim as your own.

❧ pairing⟶  jungkook/reader

❧ genre⟶  swimminginstructor!jungkook , fluff, a bit of comedy? head canon/bullet points 

❧ rating⟶ e for everyone??? none??? idk how ratings work lol i just know that m = the dirty, which this story has none of

❧ word count ⟶ 5,000 

❧ summary ⟶  accidental swimming lessons with jungkook were definitely worth the money 

❧ a/n ⟶ i literally dreamt something similar to this in like january and told myself i'd write about it when i had the time so hear i am :)) this goes out to all my folks who can’t swim !! i'm on the same boat with you , get it?  cause we can’t swim ... ok anyways ... enjoy ! (note: i have not proofread this yet so sorry for any mistakes!! ill get to it soon !! ) 

“hello, welcome to lucky duck swim school, how can i help you?” the receptionist, who was loudly chewing her gum, sounded more like an automated voice message than a person...

see today was your first official swimming lesson

yay!! 

how fun!! ...

://

totally not embarrassing for someone your age !!!

honestly, it wasn't your fault you didn’t have any family members or friends with a big pool you could learn in growing up 

and by the time you did, you were too much of in an awkward phase to be properly taught

aka your body absolutely refusing to float on its own anymore

but after several trips to the beach with friends and attending different pool parties, you were tired of being made fun of !! 

no longer would you remain at 5 feet and under !!! not on your watch ! 

and so here you were, ready to start your journey into the world of swimming :)) 

“hi i um have a swimming lesson at 3 with um ... i believer her name was um—” 

hmmm what was her name ??? jennie??? no, maybe it was aaliyah ??? no that wasn’t it.... 

the receptionist taps on her keyboard buttons, her long nails making a noise 

pop, her bubblegum goes 

“jungkook” 

“yeah jungkook” you mindlessly say. 

wait 

WAIIITT

jungkook????

ummmmm 

that was not the game given to you by the last receptionist 

jungkook is a boy’s name !!! 

you didn’t want a boy instructor !!! 

not with the way you were looking 

“i um—i had asked for a girl instructor—” you awkwardly mention 

she rolls her eyes

um RUDE 

she continues clacking with her keyboard, looking for god knows what 

she sighs 

“there’s no slots with female instructors available for today, nor for the rest of the month, the earliest i can probably squeeze you in by is july.” she bluntly states. 

JULY??? 

july was when you needed to already know how to swim !!

that’s the peak of summer ! 

there was no point in knowing during winter or any other season besides summer for that matter 

and you were not going to get made of by your friends this year

no no NO

“soo do i reschedule you or.....” 

you sigh 

“no ill take it” you pout, resembling a child. 

“it it makes you feel any better, jungkook’s our best instructor, most popular too” 

wink 

oh yeah that makes you feel so much better 

>:( 

you were going to make a complete fool out of yourself in front of the so called “best instructor” 

“well go get yourself washed up, get into the pool, and jungkook will be with you shortly” she smiles, her attitude now changing now that (what looked to be a supervisor) was passing by. 

what a bi—

flip flop. flip flop. flip flop. 

your sandles press onto the water on the floor of the girls locker room, a grouchy look now on your face 

this wasn't fair 

you made an appointment with a female instructor!! 

you didn’t care if he was the best instructor or the most popular ...

squeeaaakkk , you twist the rusty shower handle

...because now you were you were going to be judged for your lack of skills 

not that you had any to begin with, but still! 

god, you sounded like such a karen ... 

it’s just ...

a guy instructor ??? 

really??? 

you understood that this wasn’t elementary school anymore and boys certainly didn’t have cooties anymore but like :// 

no no, you had to give this jungkook guy the benefit of the doubt

if he was one of the best, it was clearly because he was professional and good at what he does 

putting your worries to rest, you turn off the shower 

this was going to be fine

just fine 

clearly your worries were not put to rest 

just a temporary halt 

:) 

pat. pat. pat. 

okay let’s get it ! 

making your way out to the pool, you dip your foot in 

ooooo 

cold

VERY cold indeed 

1 ...2...

you dip your whole leg in, quickly using the momentum to place your whole body in 

“5 feet and below ... you’re my bitch !!” you think to yourself 

your hand still clearly gripping onto the ledge, still afraid of accidentally reaching 6ft

.... now to wait 

“megan seems to have fractured her leg last weekend on a rollerskating day gone bad, so you’ll be taking up her appointments for the next month of two until she’s cleared for work” 

huh ???

“but—” 

“also she, well now you i guess, have a lesson to teach at..” 

jungkook’s supervisor looks down at his watch 

“oh i guess in 30 minutes, could’ve sworn it was at 4..” he mumbles that last part to himself

30 minutes?! 

“don’t worry i’ll up your pay for the remaining time that she gets better” 

he winks ;) making a clicking noise with his mouth before leaving the staff room 

jungkook sighs 

today was supposed to be an easy day :/ 

a simple cleaning of the pool along with a couple of measly hours of being the lifeguard and that would’ve been it but noooo 

he just had to be the highest rated swimming instructor on the company website 

he couldn’t complain though, sometimes it was fun reading the reviews past students left, even if sometimes they were a little too...

whats the word...

provocative? 

it often made him wonder if he was in fact an actual good swimming instructor or if the high highly rated reviews were for other reasons.... 

honestly it’d be dumb of him not to acknowledge the amount of googly eyes he’d get ranging from the mother’s of his younger students to his actual adult students (female and male) 

he just liked to think that didn’t come into play when they wrote their reviews 

hehe 

changing into his black fitted rash guard, he glanced at megan’s schedule 

name : y/n 

age: 23 grown

swimming level: beginner  aka noob. 

he chuckles to himself 

well won’t this be fun 

he couldn’t lie beginner adult swimmers were always a spectacle to watch 

they almost reminded him of baby ducks learning how to swim 

only that they’d verbally curse their frustrations here and there 

quickly showering, he begins to make his way to the pool 

hmm, he wonders..

what should he eat after today’s lesson? 

a bacon cheese burger sounded really good 

maybe even grab himself some birria tacos from that new restaurant that just opened near his apartment 

hmm no he had to start spending less on takeout 

sigh 

looks like it’d be rame—

woah 

as corny as it sounded, he could’ve sworn he felt his heart skip a beat 

because whoever it was in that pool was pretty, like really pretty 

hOly ????? 

wowzers 

you couldn’t be y/n ... could you?!?!?! 

you were the only person who looked 23 years of age in the pool ...

ermmmmmm 

mayday mayday 

jungkook.exe has STOPPED WORKING  

whoever this jungkook person was, sure was taking their time 

deciding to have some fun before your lesson, you begin to gently play with the water 

swish. swoosh , the water goes 

soon you’d be well on your way to becoming the next michael phelps 

hehe 

maybe with time you’d even be able to a somersault in the water like your friend always—

“y/n?” a voice from behind says your name

ah finally 

taking in a deep breath, you turn your attention to the so called “best swimming instructor” 

OH.

MY .

GOD. 

WHAT ?????? 

this man looked like he came straight out of GQ magazine !!!! 

this HAD to be some mistake , there was just no way ... 

your cheeks feel as if they were burning up 

probably because they quite literally were 

there was no way you’d be able to come here every saturday for the next month, not without fawning for this dude every single minute 

“u-um” 

of course you were a stuttering mess

of FuCkiNg course 

“that’s me” 

cue the awkward smile 

:) 

“be professional” jungkook tells himself

at the end of the day, you were his student 

any crush on you would just have to wait until of course ... you were no longer his student 

for now the only goal was : teach you how to swim 

the next one down the list being : to take you out on a date ! 

he offers you a handshake 

wow he had a strong grip 

“i’m jungkook, i’ll be your swimming instructor for the next month” 

he flashes you his all too famous smile

there was just no way this man was real

just nO wAy 

“um..” 

crap, you were still holding his hand! 

idiot, idiot, idiot ! 

“sorry” you awkwardly laugh 

ha ha ha 

so funny 

:/ 

god did you just want to hide to disappear 

“it’s fine” he laughs 

even his laugh was attractive :( 

ugh 

“so y/n, before we begin with anything, i think it’s important to review about what kind of things you already know and what you don’t” 

oh right ... 

for a moment you had COMPLETELY forgotten you were here for swimming lessons 

how embarrassing 

“oh um..” 

um, um , um. 

IS THAT ALL YOU KNEW HOW TO SAY???? 

“so like floating, holding your breath underwater, pushing, gliding, arm movement, that kind of stuff,” he explains 

you knew a cool trick to make it look like you were water bending :D 

of course you weren’t going to admit that here 

silently you nod your head no 

he gives you a reassuring smile, sensing your timidness 

“that’s fine, only more for us—” he corrects himself, “for you to learn,” he laughs 

hey you weren’t complaining 

;) 

“so i personally always like to start off with teaching my students how to float. as long as we get that down then you’ll have no problem learning the rest” 

gosh his smile was so infectious 

shaking your head, you reminded yourself that this was your teacher 

+ you paid 300 bucks for these classes, so you couldn’t afford to be giving him the googly eyes all day 

you were so cute :( 

jungkook couldn’t help but find you so endearing 

the color of your swimming goggles even matched your swim suit :(( 

so cute ! 

“okay so the first thing i want you to practice is going underwater for a couple of seconds, just so you get used it,” he instructs, “i’ll demonstrate” 

taking in a deep breath, he goes down under 

1...2...3 

he’s back up 

pausing for about another three seconds, he takes in another deep breath of air before going back under 

1...2....3...4....5

he repeats the same thing over and over, until the max count becomes 20. 

“use my finger as your reference of when to go up, but come up for air whenever you feel like you need to. it’s important to go at your own pace, so don’t feel pressured to get it the first try” 

no pressure at all 

okay 

“you ready?” 

you nod your head 

“okay, deep breath in”

you sink your head underwater, mentally counting the three seconds before going back up 

“good job,” he gives you a high five, and you almost feel like a schoolgirl, “now let’s try to five seconds” 

woo!!! 5 seconds here you come !! 

taking in a deep breath you go down under again 

1....2.....3....4...5

easy peasy ... LEMON SQUEEZY 

“okay now to ten” 

1.....2......3......4.....5......6....7

umm

now why were these seconds going by slow all of a sudden? 

sucking it up you manage to make it to 10, but not without being out of breath 

“you okay?” he’s quick to ask 

yup, totally fine ! 

you definitely didn’t see the gates of heaven for a quick moment :D 

nodding your head, you enthusiastically say, “let’s go for 15″ 

he smiles at your enthusiasm

ahh so cute 

“1....2.....3......4......5.......6......7......8......9.....10.....11.....12....13...

nope nope nope

you were not going to make it to 15 

immediately you make your way back to the surface, trying to catch your breath 

“hey you did amazing,” he immediately reassures you, “remember as long your going your own pace then you’re doing just fine” 

<3 

well doesn’t that make you feel better 

you wonder if he’s this kind to all his students 

besides the most obvious reason, there was no question as to why he was the “most popular” instructor 

and to think you had been complaining earlier !! 

and soon you’re back underwater, going at your own pace until finallyyyy you’re able to make the 20 second count 

“nice !!” he genuinely celebrates with you, making you feel completely proud for yourself 

“okay now that we have that done, we can move onto learning how to float facing both front and back” 

ohhhhh

he was just thinking ahead 

cool :o 

“so what i want you do is first relax,” he laughs, gently pushing your stiff shoulders down 

as if your blush couldn’t get any deeper 

“now my personal belief is that all humans can naturally float, just that for others, it takes a bit of a push to get them at that state,” he begins to explain 

others meaning people like um you 

“the key to floating is to relax” 

oh you’ve heard that before

many MANY times and each time you’ve tried to so called “relax” you just end up sinking 

“the moment you fight or stress for even a tiny bit, you will sink. now i know what you’re thinking, ive heard that before” 

damn 

he was good 

“but sadly it’s true, until you learn to relax then you’ll be able to swim” 

you sigh 

this was where it became hard 

you were the queen of stress 

you and stress went hand in hand almost like a married couple 

it was just that deep water was scary !! very very scary !! 

the amount of horror stories you’d seen on tiktok was enough for you to know, ocean = scary 

“so here’s what i need you to do, i need you to place your arms on top of the water like as if you’re going to fly” 

you follow his commands 

he separates your arms, which had been too close together, giving them a small rub 

“remember you need to relax y/n,” he chuckles, feeling the tension in your arms

“relax, i need to relax,” you repeat 

“okay now right now when i tell you, you’re gonna take a deep breath in and look down, from there you’re gonna let you body move forward. so remember you’re not gonna jump, you’re just gonna let your body glide forward and float. almost as if you’re flying to me,” he explains 

mm it was easier said than done  

“you ready?” 

“okay deep breath in” 

you inhale a deep breath in 

“look down” 

you do that as well 

“and let go” 

slowly your body begins to rise on its own 

oh my god !!!!! 

you were about to float!!!!! 

the day has come !!!

no more staying at 5 feet and under 

you were ready to hang with the big kids :D 

but as quick as the momentum came, the faster it left because soon you felt yourself sinking, the breathing exercise jungkook had made you do now coming in handy 

no!!!! 

you almost had it :( 

it was right in your grasp, only to have it snatched away 

not wanting to offend you, jungkook keeps his giggles to himself 

“hey at least you almost had it,” he comforts you, “let’s just try again” 

you sigh, now letting your doubts creep in 

because of this, this time your body almost immediately sank this time

he frowns 

you were losing confidence :/ 

“come on i’ll help you” 

grabbing your hands, he signals for you to follow his breathing pattern

“deep breath in” 

“deep breath out” 

god, was his voice soothing 

“i need you to relax y/n, let everything go” 

a soft feeling of relaxation washes over you, similar to that feeling you’d get when you were on the verge of sleeping

“i’m gonna let you go at the count of three, and then you’re going to float, okay?” 

silently you nod, knowing that speaking would only cause you to tense up again 

“1...2....” 

he lets go, and soon you’re floating, just like he said you would 

you hold your breathe for a good while before standing back up, a huge smile on your face 

“holy shit! i did it!!” 

he gives you high five with both of his hands, for a second holding them before letting go 

“now let’s try floating on your back” 

he notices that there’s now a fire in your eyes that wasn’t there before

clearly you were now more determined to learn, excited too

preparing yourself to float once more, you realize you were missing something.... 

“jungkook...” 

he tilts his head, confused by the faint blush on your cheeks 

“do you think you can um—” 

now it was his turn to blush 

“o-oh yeah” 

what was his problem??? 

you were a student asking for help 

that was all ...

point blank. 

he helps you get on your back, his hand placed under your back as a way to keep you up 

“1....2....” 

you float easily again!! 

“nice!!” he smiles 

summer, here you come !! 

“okay so we’re gonna keep practicing that for the remaining time that we have and next week i’ll start teaching you about stroke techniques and which ones are easiest to do” 

nodding your head, you practice your floating by the end of the hour  having it practically mastered 

the two of you get out of the pool, now drying off 

“you’re a really fast learner y/n,” he compliments you 

hehe 

you mean, you didn’t wanna brag butttt 

you were a fast learner indeed 

“thank you,” you say in return, “but that’s only because you’re a great teacher” 

woah 

did you really say that :o 

aren’t you feeling a little bold today y/n  

his blush returns for the second time today

well technically you weren’t in class anymore ... 

a little flirting wouldn’t hurt right? 

if only he knew what to say .... 

hmmmm 

“well at least you won't ever drown!” 

HUH???????

jungkook, you idiot !!!!! 

someone needed to smack him straight in the face for that ! 

at least you won’t drown????

no fucking shit 

well there goes his chances with you now going down the drain 

but to his surprise, you laugh 

“you’re right, i won’t,” you say in return, “well i’ll see you next weekend jungkook” 

you flash him a smile, and he was certain he felt butterflies in his stomach 

walking into the girl’s locker room, you let out a sigh of relief

wheeeeew ! 

faking confidence was hard ! 

very VERY hard 

“so today you’re going to learn how to stroke so you can officially be called someone who knows how to swim, next week you’ll learn to tread water and continue perfecting your swimming, and then the final week i’ll teach you some fun extra things” 

“sounds good,” you say, definitely excited to learn more. 

“okay so now that you know how to float, right now when you float facing downward, you’re going to pull against the current with your arms, alternating each one. now the tricky part is that while you do that, you also have to paddle your legs a little and come up for air when you need to, and when you’re back in the water you should slowly be exhaling bubbles of air rather than holding your breath” 

well that sounded hard :/ 

“let me give you a demonstration,” jungkook says

he’s quick to float facing downward, showing you the maneuver he wanted you to learn while coming up for air every five seconds

thought it was a little childish, he somehow still looked good doing it 

he truly was blessed with the looks of a god 

he comes out the water

“okay now your turn” 

you nod your head, that determined look you had on your face last week now returning 

following his example, you begin your attempt at paddling and stroking your arms at the same time

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH! 

immediately you begin to panic and water begins to splash everywhere, including on jungkook 

noticing your panicked state, jungkook is quick to grab you and place you back on your feet 

“hey hey, i got you,” he comforts you, not wanting you to feel discouraged 

you sigh 

:/ 

well that was embarrassing 

“remember y/n you have to learn to coordinate everything, so think of it this way. your legs have to always be paddling, it’s the arm and coming up for air that switch roles. when you come up for air, it’s only your legs paddling, while when you’re head is back underwater it’s both your legs and arms paddling. once you get that pattern, the bubbling will come naturally” 

you make an ohhhhh face

you could do that ! 

“remember what i told you last weekend y/n, you need to relax and be comfortable so you can build confidence. there’s no need to panic because i’m here,” he smiles at you 

gosh this just wasn't fair >:( 

cute and charming ???? 

this boy really had it all 

not wanting to disappoint, you try one more time, failing once again 

now you were frustrated :/ 

“damn it,” you mumble to yourself, a sadness to your voice

jungkook feels his heart swell 

he didn’t like seeing you sad :( 

but doggy paddling was the most basic technique he could teach you so he couldn’t really cheer you up by offering a different technique 

you needed to learn to doggy paddle before you could move on to the more bigger strokes

damn it ://  

“hey don’t feel bad about not getting right away,” he gives you a small smile, “i remember when i first started learning it took me forever to even learn how float, so the fact that you’re already at this point is enough of an accomplishment” 

well that makes you feel little better ... 

“but you were probably a kid, im ...” 

old , is what you want to say 

figuring what you were gonna say, he only laughs 

“who said i was a kid? i was probably like 19″ 

whaaaaaattttt! 

assuming he was your age (which he was), you do the quick maths in your head 

that was like .... 4 years ago ! 

how the hell did he get so good in such little time???? enough to be teaching courses ??? 

“not knowing how to swim is nothing to be embarrassed about y/n, if anything it takes a lot of courage to even sign up for a class so don’t beat yourself up too much for not getting it right away” 

he ruffles your wet hair, a small affectionate gesture 

you didn’t know how it was possible but you were falling for this man and QUICKLY at that 

he was just so ??$%@^! 

UGHHHH

“so let’s try one more time, and if you still can’t get it then we’ll push it to next week, a free extra lesson on me” 

eeeeek 

though the temptation to purposely fails was very intriguing indeed, you still had to try for the sake of it 

if you got it, you got it, and if you didn't well .... 

an extra week with jungkook it was :D 

“you ready?” 

you nod your head 

“1...2...” 

you float and begin to paddle, this time actually getting the hang of it !!!

you hear jungkook’s muffled voice from above the surface, “there you go!!” 

holy shit ! 

you officially knew how to swim !!! 

at least enough to save your own life if push came to shove 

once you were out of breath, you stand back up, a grin on both of your faces 

for jungkook it was hard not to tackle you in excitement so instead he settled for a very enthusiastic high five 

“you did it!” he cheers 

“ahhh!” you giggle like a child 

“from here on out, the rest is a piece of cake!” 

yay yay yay !!! 

“now let’s start working on deeper strokes, maybe we’ll even have time to throw in backstrokes!”

:////

noticing your changed expression, he awkwardly laughs while scratching his neck 

“or maybe not” 

this week was the final week of swimming lesson with jungkook

:(( 

last week’s lesson of treading water and perfecting your swim seemed to had gone by in literally the blink of an eye ! 

and so today was possible the last time you’d see jungkook unless you managed to grow the balls and ask him out once that clock hit 4, once you were no longer his “student"

by now you were 100% sure you liked the dude... like a lot 

and he was definitely someone you wanted to get to know outside of this pool 

you just weren’t sure if he liked you the same way 

you mean yeah there were definitely times that had you raising an eyebrow here and there, but you always excused it as him simply being a kind hearted person by nature 

because clearly his five star rating on the company’s website had to come from somewhere 

not that you checked or anything....

who were you kidding 

yes you did

your favorite review was the one that went..

“wow!! this dude is amazing !! came here for beginner lessons and even i found myself fawning for the dude , and i don’t even play for that side of the team !! not only were his lessons thorough, but he’s a very charming person ! 10/10 recommend!” 

and so you were stuck 

did he liked you or was he just treating you like he treated everyone?? 

“ahh y/n,” jungkook’s voice suddenly brings you back to reality 

“today’s our final lesson!” he announces, not sounding too sad

in fact he sounded excited  

damn :/ 

he playfully jumps into the pool, today being his so called “fun day” 

“so since today’s your last lesson i thought i could teach you how to do a.....” 

he pauses for dramatic purposes 

“SOmERSAuLT!!”

immediately your eyes light up 

ahhhhhHHHH!!!! 

you always wanted to learn how to do a somersault in water, remembering the number of times you’d look at your friend in jealousy whenever she did one 

“you ready??” 

eagerly you nod your head yes

“okay so the steps to doing a summersault is first of course, you need to take a deep breath” 

okayyyy 

“from there you tuck your chin to your chest, next you do the moment of the somersault by swinging your chest forward and gently kicking out your legs, so basically forming a ball and then kicking out.  naturally, if you have enough momentum, you’ll spin, but if you don’t just use your arms to complete it” 

“think you can give me a demonstration?” you innocently ask 

he winks at you, “of course i can” 

taking in a deep breath, he follows his own instructions, and you watch he perfectly executes his somersault 

“woahhh, that was so cool!” you say, even now finding the trick to be amazing 

“now i dont expect you to get it right away, so right now that you try i’m going tog hide you thought the movement so you get the gist of it” 

sounds fair enough 

you weren’t trying to drown on your last day either 

“okay, you ready?” 

“yes” 

“let’s get it!” 

taking a deep breath in, you feel jungkook’s hand get placed on your back, ready to push you so you could do the somersault 

“1...2...” 

and slowly you feel yourself spin with the help of jungkook, a smile already forming on your face 

“ahhh!” you smile big and wide, causing Jungkook to smile along with you 

“you think you’re ready to try it on your own???” 

“yes sir” 

“okay 1....2....” 

mustering up as much as force you possible could, you push yourself into ball and successfully do the somersault 

YUPPPPP 

WHOSE DOING IT LIKE YOU???!$%@$!

feeling an immediate rush of adrenaline, you begin to splash water all over once you come back up for air, declaring an all out water fight with jungkook 

soon the two of you are chasing one another, you now using your new swimming abilities to get away 

hehe 

you’re a swimmer 

:D 

the sound of jungkook’s infectious laughter fill the air and soon you feel him grab your waist at an attempt to stop you 

“gotcha” he says, and he turns you around to face him 

slowly each other’s heavy breathing becomes relaxed, and it’s as if you’ve felt a shift occur in what you considered your new “friendship” 

“so....” he awkwardly says, hands still wrapped around your waist 

his was was RED

like cherry tomatoes red 

this only makes you giggle 

if you had doubts before, you DEFINITELY didn’t have em anymore 

he liked you :)))) 

and you liked him :)))) 

and in ten minutes you were officially no longer his student so......

“there’s this new restaurant that opened near my place....” you say 

immediately his eyes light up 

“cancun eats?” 

you nod your head and he gives you a toothy grin 

“i was wondering if you’d want to go out some time...” you muster up the courage to ask him out 

%^@%!@&!@^&@%! = jungkook’s brain 

holy crap !!! 

you liked him!!! 

he wasn’t just delusional !!! 

“hello?? jungkook??” you laugh, waving a hand in front of his face for jungkook.exe had truly stopped working this time 

nodding his head yes like a child,  the two of you being to lean closer to another, the clear goal in mind being each other’s lips

because honestly you’d come this far now, might as well give him a .... 

“wait!” he suddenly interrupts  he glances at the digital clock on the wall, remembering your final lesson officially ends at 4

because no way in hell was he going to get fired for kissing a student on the clock 

3:59 

.....

4:00 

“okay now,” he smiles, and you only roll your eyes, happy to have taken up on those swimming lessons. 

a/n : i was gonna make this longer but this was always meant to be a small little head canon so :))) pls give this a like, comment, or a reblog if you enjoyed it !! (if u can of course) and my ask box is always open for whatever !! :)) see yall next time 💞