#it’s interesting that they aren’t remotely similar

[quibbs126]

You know I really do wonder what Radish and Rosemary’s parents look like, considering they’re sisters but don’t really look all that related

Heck, their ingredients don’t really seem that related, other than them both starting with R and being things you can grow in a garden

…Ah wait crap, now I’ve invited the request suggestion. I don’t know what to make them!

[heavenly-halcyon]

Hey guys. Guys guys guys. Dead End: Paranormal Park guys.

Anyone wanna talk about possession, characters with blue hair and pronouns, spooky mansions, dogs who aren’t what they seem, characters falling off cliffs, green demons, and hot ghosts

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for “ripping off” someone else’s book series concept?

I grew up reading a children’s book series that in hindsight, as much as I love it, has some major flaws (not hp—the flaws aren’t THAT severe)

The overall concept though is one I always liked and there are easy ways to implement it without falling into the same pitfalls as the original.

I have a younger family member who has similar interests as I did at that age and I thought it would be really great to write something dedicated to her that we would both enjoy, and I’ve already got a really solid foundation cooking.

The unfortunate thing is the book series I’m drawing inspiration from is VERY unique, I can’t have the excuse of following a genre because there is no genre, these are the only books I’ve seen remotely like this. And they’re VERY popular, there’s no way this concept would fly under the radar if it got any amount of attention. To but it as vaguely as I can, it’s a book series with exclusively non human characters, the first one that comes to mind is probably it.

I know I have enough changed where there’s no chance of legal trouble, but the point still stands that I’m very much INTENDING to write “x concept if it didn’t suck”

What are these acronyms?

[willbyersabyss]

Mike is gay

Disclaimer: This is my personal interpretation and is not meant to start discourse. Anyone who calls it discourse will be blocked, thanks!

The biggest reason why people believe Mike is attracted to girls is because of his relationship with El, especially in season one. I don’t think he was genuinely interested in her at all. I think Mike was and has been experiencing a lot of compulsory heterosexuality. That’s not to say that Mike has been intentionally deceiving El all this time, a lot of his behavior was subconscious! That’s how socialization works! We aren’t always aware of the expectations being forced on us and this is especially true for heterosexual socialization. Now let’s see how the show hints at Mike’s relationship with El being a case of comphet:

We are supposed to believe that Mike fell in love with El when they met, but when we watch the first week they spent together, it’s pretty obvious that that’s not the case. Mike showed simple kindness to El when they first met because she was clearly scared and traumatized. Mike is a very protective person, as we learn throughout the show. He wasn’t being kind to her because he’s romantically interested, he’s just a protective person. 

El is the only girl in the show that Mike shows “interest” in. It’s established before Mike’s crush develops that El looks like a boy to outsiders! We are also reminded of this after there are romantic hints between mlvn (when Troy is talking to the police). She doesn’t even look like a girl! So the only girl we see Mike with in a romantic context looks like a boy. Yeah that supposed attraction to girls isn’t looking great right now.

Mike and Dustin are discussing how El got her powers when Lucas starts accusing Mike of having a crush on El. Mike didn’t say anything remotely romantic about her, he was just correcting Lucas that it’s okay to be weird! Also it’s interesting how they only compare El to male superheroes. Not only that, they compare her to the X-Men! Lucas believes Mike is interested in El right after they compare her to men? Okay.

Edit: Despite the deceiving name, the X-Men are actually not all men! There is a woman superhero with telekinetic powers that they were likely comparing El to. The choice to use the name X-Men rather than the actual character is an interesting choice, though!

Side note: I feel like Mike had similar views to Jonathan on normalcy in the beginning of season one, but that changes as people lead Mike to be with El. He thought it was okay to be different, maybe even cool, until his friends and family told him otherwise. Anyways!

Mike seems genuinely confused during this scene. This isn’t the typical “What? No way!” reaction that an embarrassed 12 year old would have when discussing a crush, Mike genuinely doesn’t understand why Lucas made this assumption. If you watch the scene, Mike’s tone isn’t defensive or embarrassed. If Mike had a crush on El at this point, why was he confused by Lucas’ assumption? This is definitely where Mike starts to mix up admiration for love. Lucas has a huge influence on how Mike views relationships. Since Lucas thought Mike had a crush on El, Mike must like her right? Mike starts viewing El in a different light after this interaction, beginning his comphet journey. 

Mike only starts to show signs of a “crush” on El after Lucas implies that he should. A boy being nice to a girl? Must be love! This is a huge sign of heteronormativity. Mike starts acting on these heteronormative expectations. He gives El a makeover to make her look like the ideal girl, he calls her pretty while acting out the “guy sees girl all dressed up and is shocked!” trope, and gives her special attention. Honestly I’m trying to find more romantic mlvn moments in s1 to help my point and there just… aren’t any. That’s it. He calls her pretty a few times and then they kiss at the end. 

This line sticks out to me. El is the first girl that isn’t “grossed out” by Mike and this is why Mike likes her. He doesn’t like El, he likes the concept of El. Mike is a very insecure person who has been called ugly by bullies his entire life. When El, a cool superhero, shows interest in him, he feels like he must be cool by association. He’s been told that girls being attracted to him is a marker for importance and he finally has that. Mike doesn’t want girls to be interested in him because he wants a girlfriend, he just wants his insecurities to be relieved. Mike admires El’s super powers because she’s similar to the (male) superheroes he admires. His relationship with El is based on admiration and the desire to be desired rather than actual attraction. This is a common symptom of comphet (from personal experience). 

Later on, El asks if she’s still pretty without the wig. Mike reassures her that she’s pretty and then he makes a face. What is this facial expression? Why does he look grossed out after calling El pretty? El starts to lean in towards him and he just stands stiff. He does this in later seasons as well, but I’ll get into that later. El is trying to kiss him (?) and he’s frozen. Why isn’t he leaning in too? It seems like he doesn’t want to kiss her. Interesting. 

Mike and Nancy have a conversation about their new love interests. Nancy assumes Mike was acting weird because of Will and Mike thinks she’s been weird because of Steve. The thing is, they were right. Nancy was acting weird because of Steve! She was performing a big act of conformity at the beginning of the season. What was this conformity? Ditching her nerdy interests and trying to grow up by getting a boyfriend. Sound familiar? That’s a surprise tool that will help us later. Mike was being weird because he was grieving and looking for Will. Everything he was doing was to find Will, even hanging out with El all the time. They’re both right in their assumptions here while implying that they were wrong! 

Nancy, like Lucas, has a big influence on how Mike views relationships. When she assumes he likes El, he acts grossed out because Nancy denied his accusation that she likes Jonathan seconds earlier. He’s mirroring her because he admires her, whether he wants to admit it or not. We see him find her cool for breaking the lock just before this! He wants to be like his big sister. So now two people Mike looks up to have tried to get Mike to see El romantically. Mike is definitely internalizing these assumptions. Everyone thinks he likes her, so must like her, right? 

It’s interesting how Nancy implies Mike’s behavior around El is weird. It feels similar to…

Another person who finds it weird that Mike is hanging out with a girl. Is this just Mike’s family teasing him about being nerdy, or is he lacking an interest in girls in their eyes? The people closest to Mike (Lucas, Nancy, Ted, and Karen) all find his behavior around El to be weird. I don’t necessarily think they suspect that Mike is queer, but from the audience’s perspective, this may be hinting at him being gay.

This conversation is extremely queer coded as well. Karen talks about being more open while Mike is literally hiding someone in his closet! Mike is hiding a girl (who looks like a boy) in his closet. Is he hiding his lack of attraction to girls in the closet?

“All this that’s been going on with Will, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you.” Is the beginning of this conversation. So what was going on with Will? Obviously that he was missing, but what exactly did the town think happened to Will? They thought he was killed either by a homophobe or another queer person. Karen seems to be fairly popular in Hawkins so she probably heard these rumors. On the surface, this just seems like a conversation about grief, but when you look closer, is Karen trying to spark a deeper conversation with Mike about these rumors and how they make him feel? If so, what does Karen believe Mike is hiding here? She obviously knows how special Will is to Mike and she might suspect that he is queer too. Maybe in the same way Will is...

Anyways, back to what Nancy said. So after Lucas teased Mike for crushing on El, Mike started to see El differently than before. He feels like he has to develop feelings for her because his friends are expecting it, so he starts to force his behavior to change around her. Instead of just showing basic kindness, there’s more of a tenderness in the way he treats her. He’s testing out Lucas’ theory! Once Nancy accuses Mike of liking El, Mike’s act of conformity gets pushed to its limit. He only tries kissing El after his conversation with Nancy. When El seemed like she was going to kiss him before, he wasn’t into it. Mike is trying to hide his lack of interest in girls by pushing himself towards the only girl that has shown interest in him because everyone is telling him that’s what he should do!

And here we are. What is this? This is just… weird. Why did they have this said about what’s supposed to be a romantic couple? This isn’t the first time either. The boys said she was Mike’s cousin earlier. I know there’s a trope where characters call each other friends before getting together, but this is just a whole other level. 

El expressing that she sees Mike like a brother right before they kiss is not a good sign! Mike says that his relationship with El is different, but starts to backtrack. “It’s different… or I guess it’s not.” Um? I don’t think Mike views his relationship with El as familial at all, of course not, but this tells me that he only really sees her as a friend. If he was actually attracted to her, why would he even imply this at all? This also shows how he’s letting other people change how he views his relationship with El. He’s trying to say that he likes her until she implies that they’re more like family, and then he changes his mind. Mike is easily swayed by other people’s opinions when it comes to relationships (at least in season one). 

So I believe Mike mixed up admiration for El with romantic feelings and this was heavily influenced by others pushing him to be with her. Since El is really the only girl he shows interest in in the show (which I’ll get more into in a bit), this points to him being gay! Mike wasn’t purposefully using El to hide being gay, I don’t think he was aware of his queerness yet, but he was conforming to the expectations placed on him. 

Now that we’ve established that Mike’s feelings for El were not genuine, let’s get into the other evidence of him being gay:

Boys only! This line feels like it has similar implications to Will’s “free of girls!” line. If Will wanting to be free of girls is a hint that he’s gay, then Mike’s “boys only!” serves the same purpose. The same goes for Will’s cluelessness about girls (Girls don’t play video games. Girls go to science camp?) Mike is clueless about girls the entirety of s3 and even agrees with the video game line Will said in s2. They’re clueless about girls because they’re gay. Of course, real teenage boys are often clueless about girls, but I’m thinking about this in the context of a TV show. What does this tell us about Mike? It could just be for relatability but I think there’s something deeper there.

And here are a few shots of Mike looking disgusted or angry at the thought of showing attraction to girls. The first scene is where Dustin tells Mike he is going to flirt with a bunch of girls. Why is Mike making that face? Flirting with girls confuses and disgusts him, apparently. The fourth scene is where Lucas tells Mike to talk to El with ominous music playing in the back. Why is scary music playing when Mike is thinking about talking to a girl? That’s kind of gay. 

Mike, like Will, showed no interest in winning over Princess Daphne while Dustin and Lucas fought over her. But Mike staying quiet doesn’t mean he’s disinterested, right? Nope! Princess Daphne foreshadowed Lucas and Dustin fighting over Max. Mike showed zero interest in Max. Even Will was (platonically) intrigued by her, but overall he was indifferent. Mike and Will have the same reaction to Max. They aren’t showing attraction to her, unlike Dustin and Lucas. Again, Mike and Will having similar reactions to girls points to their sexuality being the same. Mike’s reaction was actually more extreme compared to Will! He was trying to kick Max out!

"Awesome? You haven't even spoken a word to her." Funny coming from the person who claims to have fallen in love with a girl at first sight. But that's a topic for later.

Mike didn’t want Max to join the party because he didn’t like the idea of his friends moving on from their more nerdy interests to get girlfriends. They were ditching Halloween to impress Max. Mike’s behavior towards Max in s2 is the same as Will’s behavior towards El in s3. Will didn’t want to move on from DnD for girls! We know Will is gay, so what does this entail for Mike? If Will’s annoyance towards his friends hanging out with girls was a sign that he’s gay, then we can assume Mike’s annoyance in s2 was for the same reason. Obviously, both Mike and Will have multiple reasons for their behavior, but one of those reasons has to do with them being gay.

El tries to kiss Mike and, for a second time, he stands still. His eyes are wide and he almost looks scared? He’s not looking at her lips or showing any attraction towards her. Why is it that every time El tries to kiss Mike first, he’s like a deer in headlights? It’s almost like he needs to talk himself into kissing her and that’s why he doesn’t like when she does it first. Seems pretty gay to me!

I feel like Mike started to pick up on his feelings for Will here. They felt the spark for most of the season, but the Snow Ball is when it really clicked for Mike. He started mirroring the actions of his friends and family from s1 by pushing Will towards a girl. Everyone did it to him so Mike thought this is what he was supposed to do! So why does it feel so wrong? Mike starts putting the pieces together and he’s scared of what he’s feeling. He complained about his friends growing up and moving on to get girlfriends the entire season, but at least he had Will, right? Then this girl takes Will from him too and now Mike is left in the dust. He feels like he has to do the same so he runs into the safety net of El to try and push his newfound feelings for Will away and be normal.

This kickstarts Mike’s behavior in s3. He’s going after a girl to try and be normal so he can be safe! He’s scared to acknowledge his feelings. Why isn’t Will doing the same? Mike is scared for both himself and Will. Mike has heard what everyone thinks about Will, so why isn’t Will trying to prove them wrong? I feel like Mike’s outbursts at Will are not only because of his repressed feelings for him, but also because he’s confused why Will can be so loud about not caring about girls while Mike is trying everything he can to force himself to like girls. They’re supposed to be “growing up” and getting girlfriends, but Will doesn’t want that and neither does Mike. Mike is trying to conform so he doesn’t face the same fate that Will has faced his entire life. It gets so bad that Mike starts to contribute to the struggles Will faces for not wanting to conform.

The rain fight makes so much more sense in this context. Why was Mike so frustrated that Will didn’t like girls? He wanted Will to be conforming the same way he was because conformity is safe. Otherwise, Will was putting himself in danger. I’m not saying that Mike knows that Will is gay, but Mike has watched Will get bullied for exactly that so he expects Will to conform to avoid the bullying! Mike was advocating against getting girlfriends until Will seemingly got a girl at the dance, so when Will didn't even stay with that girl, Mike’s effort was for nothing. Mike thought he had no other choice but to force himself to like a girl and when Will shows that that’s not the case, Mike wishes that he could do the same. Mike takes his internal frustration out on Will because he wants Will to be safe instead of chasing after the things they both want but can’t have (playing games for the rest of their lives). 

And so we come to the conclusion that Mike was projecting onto Will during their fight. “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” Is Mike’s internal struggle being taken out on Will. “What did you think, really? We were never gonna get girlfriends?” And Mike thought exactly that in s2! He thought the party would stick together for a bit longer until Dustin and Lucas ditched them for girls. This tells us that Mike was projecting here because he had the same thought he’s accusing Will of. So if these lines are projections, that means that Mike doesn’t like girls. He has to be gay.

Let’s use that surprise tool I mentioned earlier! Nancy ditched her nerdy interests to get a boyfriend (Steve). That’s where Mike initially got it hammered in his head that growing up means getting a girlfriend and moving on from “childish” things. Nancy’s relationship with Steve is an act of conformity and we know this thanks to Barb who calls Nancy out on her behavior. Will is doing the same to Mike! The argument Nancy and Barb have (this isn’t you) is a small parallel to the rain fight. Mike is conforming because he has witnessed others do it and has been told to do so. He can be like his straight sister, right? 

Once again, we have El initiating a kiss with Mike standing completely still. That’s the third time this has happened! If Mike was just surprised, why didn’t he start to kiss back? Or at least close his eyes? He had plenty of time to react. When El leaves, he has a strange expression on his face. The way his eyes dart around show that he’s realizing something, a realization in front of the closet with a lightbulb over his head. Mike thought that if he kissed El enough times, romantic feelings would eventually develop and his feelings for boys would just go away. This moment in Will’s room is when Mike realizes that those feelings are not going away. 

If this realization was just about Mike figuring out he’s attracted to boys, why is it happening after kissing a girl? Why is he standing in front of a closet while kissing El? His realization is not about liking boys, it’s about not liking girls. If Mike was realizing that he likes both boys and girls here, it would have happened after his talk with Will, not his kiss with El. He feels the need to hide in the closet because his repression is not working.

The Hopper’s letter sequence supports this as well. Mike is shown during these lines:

 “I feel like you’re pulling away from me or something.”

“I don’t want things to change.”

“So, I think that’s maybe why I came in here, to try to stop that change. To make things go back to how they were.”

El isn’t the one pulling away from Mike. We just saw her tell him she loves him! This line is foreshadowing events between seasons. Will doesn’t try to call Mike and they don’t have any contact. Mike tries to call, Will is pulling away. How is Mike changing? Of course, things are changing because the Byers are moving, but I sense a double meaning here. These scenes parallel the night they found Will’s body at the quarry. Mike feels like he’s losing Will for a second time because things are changing. Mike’s feelings are changing.

And this leads us into s4. Mike still attempts to repress his feelings by staying with El and it’s getting easier since she’s across the country. He doesn’t have to face his feelings for Will when he can’t see him!

Now let’s talk about his room decor. He has a couple of buff men (well one is a dragon but still) and one woman. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t necessarily think that room decor is always an indicator for sexuality. Nancy has posters of women in her room and as much as I love to hc her as sapphic, I think it’s more likely that she’s meant to be straight in the show. So, in my personal opinion, the woman on Mike’s poster isn’t hinting at his sexuality.

I do think the one way sign is important, though. I believe this serves a double meaning. It’s pointing at the closet, but it’s also hinting at Mike’s sexuality being one way. This sign points in the same direction as Mike’s triangle pocket that’s over his heart and always pointing at Will. Mike’s heart is not split between El and Will, it goes one direction. Will! A boy!

Speaking of split, let’s talk about this. This line is commonly used as bi evidence, but I don’t interpret it that way. I think this was more foreshadowing who Mike pays attention to throughout the day. Yellow is Will and purple is El! We see Mike noticing all the details about Will being upset, but he doesn’t even pick up on El looking uncomfortable when Angela shows up. He was focused on Will more than he was El! If this line was about sexuality, why didn’t they make it blue and pink (the usual colors for gender) instead of yellow and purple? This feels more person specific rather than an overall read on Mike’s sexuality. And this could just be a double meaning but again, this is my personal interpretation.

Also this line is in past tense. “I kinda did a 70/30 split.” If this is a double meaning for his sexuality, it’s in the past tense. He tried to do a split and it didn’t work because there’s too much yellow! His attraction to boys overshadows his (nonexistent) attraction to girls!

And now onto this load of bullshit. Mike lied. That’s pretty much a fact at this point. “I’m sorry I don’t say it more.” And he’s literally never said it to her face. “It’s not because I’m scared of you. I’ve never felt that way.” Lie. He was definitely scared of her a few times in s1 and possibly when she hit Angela in s4. But the most important lie here is that he fell in love with her at first sight. Hours after they met, he wanted to send her to a mental asylum so they could find Will. He only started to really care about her when he found out she was in danger and when she said she could help find Will. He called her a weapon and yelled “what’s wrong with you?” multiple times. That’s not love. If Mike ever had feelings for El, why would he feel the need to lie about when that happened? He could’ve said the Snow Ball or some other significant moment in their relationship (there are none), but he lied! He couldn’t name the actual moment he fell in love with her because it never happened. So if Mike never had feelings for El, that means he’s gay. Mike doesn’t show attraction to girls otherwise!

The climax of the monologue is the “you’re my superhero” line. Mike doesn’t even view calling someone a superhero as romantic. He calls his friends superheroes multiple times. Why the hell is that the climax when he doesn’t see it as romantic? And what kind of superhero? Every time Mike refers to El as a specific kind of hero, it’s a male hero. The X-Men and Superman. Other characters are perfectly capable of calling El “supergirl” or saying she’s like Wonder Woman. Why does Mike seem incapable of acknowledging his girlfriend’s femininity? Gay!

I didn’t really talk about how he shows attraction to boys because if you’re reading this, I assume you know that already. I’m just going to leave this here and it should be enough:

And with that, I’m going to wrap this up here. There’s more evidence I could address, but I wanted to focus on the evidence that’s most significant to me! Mike has not shown genuine attraction to girls and his relationship with El is a form of compulsory heterosexuality. Also, yes the show will confirm his sexuality in some way. Mike doesn’t exist just to be a love interest. His journey through queerness is just as important as the currently confirmed queer characters. I think they’ll confirm it in a similar way to Will and Robin where it’s not explicitly said, but still obvious. Michael Wheeler is gay!

[itsallanimeandgames]

Suppression (2)

Alpha Hanamiya Makoto x Omega Y/N

Omegaverse  |  Angst  |  Drama  |  Romance

Warnings: Language, Violence, Mature/Suggestive Content

Hanamiya Makoto discovers you aren’t an alpha.

<--- Previous   Next --->

Hanamiya didn’t bother with introductions, instead, he showed you around the club room and then the gymnasium. The guys were scattered around, some were warming up while others rested on the benches. One was even lying on the bench with a mask over his eyes in full slumber.

Your entrance brought them to a standstill, but Hanamiya paid them no attention.

“There’s a teacher in charge of overseeing us, but he never comes around. We just fill out the form weekly to notify our use of the gym and expenses when necessary for games or training camps.”

Everything seemed simple enough, but you wondered who exactly was Hanamiya Makoto? He was obviously someone influential if the school had allowed him to coach the team himself. It was similar to the deal you had been offered the other day.

“Like I mentioned before, you don’t have to know about basketball but I’ll teach you when necessary.”

You nodded.

“Any questions?”

"Do I have to decide now?” You looked around while adjusting your bag over your shoulder. It seemed the team was smaller than usual which made it ideal, but you weren’t too sure this was a good idea. Masquerading as an alpha could be easier if you kept other alphas close and your intuition was telling you Hanamiya was just that.

"Yes, unless you want to waste your time teaching opportunistic idiots to play a sport they aren’t remotely interested in and therefore will forever remain mediocre at best.”

That’s when you realized he had overheard your conversation. He knew exactly what you had been thinking too. You sighed, “I don’t want that...”

“Then welcome to the team.” With these words, Hanamiya called the others over.

You were only slightly intimidated by the group of guys that nearly towered over you with their height. Had this been back in middle school you would think nothing of them.

“So, we got a manager after all…” Yamazaki teased Hanamiya for doing something he had previously opposed. He would have gone on to further his point if it weren’t for Furuhashi jabbing his elbow into his gut to stop him from pissing off Hanamiya.

“A cute one too,” Hara seized his bubble blowing to smile at you. He appreciated your choice to opt out of wearing any stockings or knee-high socks. Like this, your legs were perfectly on display.

Although his eyes weren’t visible you caught his line of sight lowering more than needed to meet your eyes. But guys like him who openly flirted with such nonchalance were best ignored so you did nothing but greet them all.

“Hello, I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you.” Your family name was always omitted from your greetings to discourage being associated with them. Unfortunately, most already knew you thanks to your brother’s slip of the tongue just before your high school entrance. He had revealed the school you would be attending in an interview when he was asked about you. 

“Seto and Hara are both in our class,” Hanamiya pointed out in hopes of keeping introductions short. “Furuhashi and Yamazaki, are the other two.”

“Hello,” you repeated your greeting to the two you had never seen before.

Hanamiya handed you the clipboard he had been holding. The first paper on top was a club form that stated you would be entering the basketball team as manager.  “Fill it out and take it to the administrative office.”

It was nearly complete, except for your name and signature. Presumably by Hanamiya himself.

“You can go home for today.”

And just like that, a whirlwind decision changed the course of your desired school life.

After several days of practice, you managed to learn their names and positions. It was unintentional but you somehow managed to learn a lot about the game just by watching. The rest were tidbits of information Hanamiya threw at you.

For the most part, you helped with the paperwork, equipment maintenance, and taking notes on the practices.

As it turned out Kirisaki Daiichi was a school known for its basketball team. It was a strong competitor in the region and the country. Despite not being an all-alpha high school it seemed to always recruit an all-alpha team. This year it was no different.

It also explained why you had been chosen as manager.

Soon you were spending so much time around them that others misjudged your relationship.

One particularly annoying misjudgment was made by those interested in the alphas. Among them was a socially adept girl named Yua who, unbeknownst to you, had a past with Hanamiya.

As an omega, she knew her boundaries and hid her animosity to keep her image of superiority over the rest of the first-year omegas.

That is until a few months later.

You had finally fallen into a comfortable routine.

Official games were due to start soon which meant you were finally going to see them in action. Before that Hanamiya had you set up a few practice games. This required you to spend more time together.

Hanamiya was getting tired of having to wait until after or between classes to talk to you so he decided to make some changes.

You came into class to find your seat at the front of the class occupied by someone else. Just as you were about to confront her, she beat you to it.

“You think you’re better than us and look down on us...” The girl was so upset she voiced the narrative she had chosen to push now that you somehow managed to take her spot. “I don’t know what you did to Hanamiya-san you-” She bit her tongue remembering what he had told her.

You looked up and over to the back where a single empty seat was left in front of the previously mentioned dark-haired individual. A smirk blatantly adorned his face as he awaited you.

To stop the scene from escalating further you quietly accepted the seat change for now. Multiple pairs of eyes followed your every move as you sat down.

Your new seat was now in front of Hanamiya while Seto slept comfortably to his left and Hara sat in front of Seto. They all sat together in the far corner where they often did as they liked with little to no consequence. 

As soon as you settled into the seat you turned around to question Hanamiya. 

“Is there a reason for this sudden seat change?”

“We just wanted our manager to feel closer to the team,” Hara commented after popping his bubblegum a few times.

"It’s more convenient this way.”

“I see...”  You turned back around indifferent to where you sat. 

A sentiment Yua did not share.

From then on you found yourself merging into their group. It seemed easier to go along with them than contest their behavior. For the most part, they never bothered you although Hara did annoy you from time to time with his sexual comments or when they collectively got around to recounting their sexual exploits.

That’s when you would tune out and go off on your own or look for the golf enthusiast who was slowly inching her way into your life.

All in all, it seemed everything was going well in your school life.

By the time you realized what kind of guys they were, it was too late to turn back. Your name had become synonymous with the team.

\\\

After attending their first official game you were left stunned by their methods.

Outside the gymnasium, you stood off to the side watching Hara’s victim getting loaded into the back of an ambulance. The guy seemed much better now that they had administered some first aid, but you still recalled the way his groans of pain echoed through the gymnasium as he curled up on the shiny floors.

The other school’s staff held back from voicing their complaints when they saw you. It was yet another instance of your name precedes you. Instead, they silently filled out the paperwork required in times like these and handed you a copy.

The other players were a different story. They openly directed their pointed looks towards you. A few muttered their discontent out of earshot.

You bid them a safe trip back as you always did back when you were playing tennis. It was good sportsmanship overall, but you did it recalling the lessons your mother ingrained in you about her ideal image for you of a gracious winner.

Once they were all gone you heard someone approaching you. “What did you think of your first official game as our manager?”

You looked over your shoulder to see Hanamiya. He handed you your bag in exchange for the clipboard in your hands.

He glanced at the paperwork momentarily. His actual goal was to examine your reaction, a reaction that he had guessed yet awaited your response. It was pleasant to see everything turn out the way he had predicted. With you as their manager, they could get away with much more.

Truthfully you didn’t condone cheating or violence. 

“An elbow to the ribs...” you trailed off recalling how the other team immediately called out the foul. At the time Seto had slipped his mask up momentarily to explain to you that the others were blocking the referee’s view so it would go unnoticed.

They had only tested this out about twice before, in practice games before you had joined as their manager. It was Hanamiya’s way of breaking the opposing team, something he found much more entertaining than winning the game.

Perhaps the fact that you had been lying about yourself had shifted your moral compass to the point where you no longer found yourself able to judge others. “You could have won without that.”

“Easily,” Hanamiya responded, confirming your thoughts. “But,” he added. A smirk plastered on his face now that your eyes met his. “It wouldn’t have been as entertaining.”

Your lukewarm response was just as he had imagined. The day he happened upon your conversation in the hall he knew there was something familiar about you. It would take some time to draw it out, but he was sure you had the potential to resonate with him.

From then on, you dealt with Kirisaki Daiichi’s reputation, the one Hanamiya had carefully cultivated.

Kirisaki Daiichi began garnering the attention and social acknowledgment it had wanted. Because an alpha of your caliber attended the mixed school so proudly, higher society began to consider it a diamond in the rough that only your family had seen potential in.

As the proud captain brought you along to all practices and games. You were a sort of status symbol to Hanamiya Makoto, a bastard son of an important political figure. His mother, an omega, was the mistress who seduced a married man. There was little to no hope of him inheriting anything from his father although he was given the family name and enough money to live a comfortable life.

However, Hanamiya was not one to be satisfied with the bare minimum. He always wanted more than what life had dealt him. His eyes were always searching for opportunities just like the day of the entrance ceremony.

It was rare for someone of your caliber to enter a mixed school rather than the all-alpha high schools that were popular among your level of society.

Social status could be his if he played his cards right, so he began his greatest play yet.

\\\

Before you knew it the season had come to an end. Kirisaki Daiichi had made it to the Interhigh Preliminaries, but Hanamiya had no plans to go any further. For now, he was satisfied that his first year had gone successfully. He had managed to acquire the right type of people. 

Now here they were.

Seto was thankful to know he would be sitting out the whole game. He laid across one of the two benches that your team was to occupy, forcing everyone else onto one bench.

It didn’t really matter since they would be on the court most of the time.

As everyone stretched you approached Hanamiya inquisitively about his decision. The athlete in you seemed to come out suddenly and you were unable to comprehend how or why Hanamiya had decided this was as far as they would go. They had no plans to try and win their next game so they could be disqualified.

“Why not keep going?”

Hanamiya shrugged, he had no interest in the team they were going up against. Although he always wanted more he also was one to value his time overall. If it wasn’t entertaining or of value to him then he would not give it a second thought. He had accomplished his goal for his first year of high school. 

“We could easily win them even without our technique.” It was interesting how you suddenly showed an interest. Hanamiya took this as an opportunity to take the next step in engaging you. “Would you prefer we win?”

It was nonsensical to you as a former athlete yourself. When you play tennis you always played to win. No matter who it was you were against the goal was always the same.

“Don’t you want to win?”

Hanamiya didn’t respond, he simply smiled and walked off to speak to the others.

Seto had heard the entire conversation and sighed. He knew now that because of your comment, he would end up on the court.

As soon as the game began Hanamiya and the others went all out. Surprising even Seto who had finally sat up.

Your eyes widened as you noticed everyone was being much more aggressive than usual. You gasped when you saw a couple of players stumble out of nowhere. It took all your will to stop yourself from covering your nose, it was pheromones.

The other team’s coach was finally able to call a foul and a time-out to get his vulnerable players out.

When Hanamiya looked over at you he smirked as if this was his answer to your question.

During sports competitions, it was a well-known rule that all players had to take suppressants to ensure the safety of all genders. You were sure you had seen them all take their dose yet somehow one of them had managed to release some pheromones.

You looked over at Seto, “Didn’t they take their suppressants?” By now you had perfected your lies and were able to pretend like you weren’t phased by the pheromones in the air but honestly this time something felt off. Your throat became dry as if you would choke from simply breathing in the air.

He had purposely made it so you saw everything, including that which he had not shown you before. Letting you in on his secret and watching for the slightest reaction at the revelation brought a sense of joy. Their tactics, signs, and overall game plan- and now even the fact that he used his dominant alpha pheromones to impose on the beta and omega players. He had done this so often to the point of perfection. Everything was meticulously calculated by the mastermind Hanamiya Makoto so he would only give enough to incapacitate those within arm's distance.

As the game progressed you remained silent as you watched them win the game that they had initially given up on. 

When they retired to their assigned locker room to change and gather their stuff you walked around the venue until you got to the infirmary. Through the slightly opened door you could smell the omega’s pheromones, the one Hanamiya had affected. It seemed he was now in full-on heat. 

To think he could get away with it so easily was strange. Hanamiya had been tested to see if the suppressant was in his system. When the results were positive it was determined there was no foul. Because he had indeed taken his suppresant it was all overlooked. How dominant an alpha was he that he is able to override the suppressant and release pheromones at will?

As a courtesy you closed the door wondering how incompetent everyone can be. This was a serious situation where someone could easily take advantage of the omega that had been left to rest.

You stood guard outside the door for a moment until the other team’s coach appeared with the doctor who had attended to the omega earlier. You offered an explanation before they could question you, “The door was left open, someone could have gotten hurt.”

To their knowledge you were an alpha, so they panicked slightly at their oversight. 

Not wanting to engage further you left to meet your team.

The whole bus ride back to the school was spent in silent contemplation. Had you never spoken up it could have been avoided. You knew you couldn’t afford to dwell too much on it. 

When you arrived at the school everyone said goodbye and went their separate ways while you and Hanamiya walked back to the club room. There was paperwork and equipment to submit. 

“So what did you think?” Hanamiya finally broke the silence.

“You cheated,” was your simple response. You didn’t want to elaborate or get into it with him so you put up your best front as a nonchalant yet honest athlete. An athlete that was frankly disgusted by their lack of sportsmanship. You knew they could play well; they had put the time and effort into their practices- even Seto. “Winning by cheating isn’t winning at all…it’s not fair-“

“Life’s not fair,” Hanamiya shot back. “I am simply taking advantage of the fact that I can manipulate the court. As dominant alphas, we were born to win.”

Life sure wasn’t fair.

Here you were pretending to be an alpha only to encounter a rare dominant alpha. You tried to leave quietly in hopes of avoiding danger, but you managed to utter a single word under your breath, “Pathetic.” 

He caught your wrist as you tried to walk away.

You looked back into his eyes, trying your best to seem unphased by his behavior. 

“What are you doing?”

“This.”

Hanamiya released his pheromones into the whole of the club room. As soon as it hit your nostrils your hand jerked up to cover your nose and mouth, a dead giveaway of what he had suspected. It took seconds for your body to heat up with a sense of desire to touch and be touched by the alpha before you. You didn’t want to admit it earlier, but his pheromones were strong, much stronger than any you had smelled before. This specific scent seemed way too enticing.

“Hanamiya-” your body went limp unable to withstand the overwhelming presence of a dominant alphas pheromones. Thankfully he caught you before you could hit the floor.

It was faint but Hanamiya managed to make out a sweet scent mingling with his, something sweet and floral. A smirk made its way to his face realizing what was happening. You were going into heat because of him.

Your free hand went to reach for your smartwatch trying to call for help but Hanamiya overpowered you. He held both your hands in his with a strong grip.

Lightheaded, your eyes fluttered shut. This was the first time you had ever been exposed to such strong pheromones for so long without supervision.

“Hot…”

Hanamiya heard you muttering about the heat your body was starting to feel.

You rubbed your thighs together needing some sort of stimulation. Your mind was running wild with thoughts of satisfying the urge you felt to mate, to be bitten, to be with an alpha.

Hanamiya tilted your head up to look at him. Your hooded eyes blankly stared into his in a haze of lust. “My bag-” you uttered with your last shred of decency. 

You needed your emergency suppressant. 

In that moment you wanted Hanamiya more than anything in the world. Your arms wrapped around his neck and his went to your waist. He stumbled slightly when you pulled him down to meet his lips.

It was a pleasant surprise.

You slipped your tongue past his lips and continued to passionately kiss him until your lungs cried for air. That’s when you came to your senses once again and pulled away to breathe.

Hanamiya grinned seeing you gasp for air.

With newfound clarity, you looked for the bag you had dropped and pulled out a syringe. In a single fluid motion, you removed the cap, picked up your skirt, and inserted the needle into your thigh.

Relief washed over you when the heat began to subside. Your body relaxed enough for you to control your limbs and sit on the cold hard floor.

He watched your chest rise and fall gently now that your breathing had returned to normal. It seemed the suppressant had done its job and blocked out his pheromones.

“I guess this makes us even.”

Indignant of his nonchalant attitude you chose silence. You needed your words to come out as stable as possible. Any sign of weakness would shame you into submission and although you had given in to his pheromones for a moment you were damned if you were going to submit to him.

“For what?”

“Well, I let you know one of my secrets... it’s only fair I knew one of yours.”

What irked you most was the fact that he already knew you weren’t an alpha. You needed answers.

“How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

Hanamiya was an extremely intelligent and intuitive person. His initial theory had proven to be correct what he didn’t know was the fact that he would uncover more than he had wanted to.

He had his fair share of omegas and none had ever smelled like you.

Just as you were about to threaten him to remain silent about everything your phone began to ring. On the screen, you saw your mother’s face.

“Hello-“

You could barely get a word in when your mother began going off on a tirade. “Y/N where are you? You were supposed to be home an hour ago! Your brother will be there any minute now, I swear all you do is worry us. Can’t you just stick to the rules and-“

“Yes, Mother I understand” If you didn’t cut her off you were worried, she would say something triggering to your situation right now. You were at least relieved to know you had an excuse to part from Hanamiya. Surely, he wouldn’t insist on keeping you when you had someone coming for you.

When you attempted to get up off the floor you stumbled a bit. “I have to go,” you quickly gathered your stuff and walked out leaving a satisfied Hanamiya behind. You were certainly much more entertaining than he had originally thought.

-TBC-

A/N: Hello everyone it’s been a while but I finally wrote part two... 3 years later.

[the-derpy-duck]

I really like rescuebots.

Tried to keep spoilers to seasons one and two sorry. Long post ahead.

It was the first transformers thing I’ve ever seen and it’s so funny. Like not in a ‘I’m laughing at it’ way but in a ‘it did a funny on purpose’. Please watch just one episode it is so good and Peter Collin voices OP in it. They make fun of politicians and I was NOT expecting that. I spent five minutes laughing at the first joke involving the mayor because it was so unexpected. RBA is also great. There’s one episode where the children think that one of them is gonna get kicked out and near the start of the episode Hot Shot makes a comment and at the end of the episode it gets brought up again and it might have been because it was 3 am and I was delirious but I laughed way to hard at that joke. Anyway Rescuebots is so good the end of season 1 was so fucking intense and dark. Like wow they went there. But the show is never so dark that it becomes miserable.

Heatwave is so great I love him even though I think he would hate me. His character growth is so slow and subtle but it does exist. He cares so deeply for Cody and the rest of his team and even if he’s a jerk about it he will always prioritize their safety. And his relationship with Kade? I just— I don’t know how to describe how it makes me feel. They don’t like each other but they do care about each other. They aren’t friends and won’t ever be friends but they have a genuine connection with each other. They are so similar that it makes them incompatible in a way that works. They are different, Kade is more openly rude and is definitely not a leader. Kade is selfish and an attention whore, Heatwave is also selfish. Heatwave also wanted to go join Optimus Prime’s team at the beginning of the show. But when Prime later offers him a spot on the team Heatwave wasn’t willing to leave his team. Also, in the episode where Tidal Wave first appeared he was willing to overlook his own poor treatment (although he was visibly pissed) but when Tidal Wave kept insulting Blades (notably after Blades was late because he was helping save someone) Heatwave went to defend him. Heatwave didn’t care that doing so might make him look worse in the eyes of OP, because he doesn’t only care about that anymore. Also it is entirely possible that Heatwave is the one singing the intro and no I will not explain that. Heatwave is an asshole but he won’t tolerate poor treatment of himself, his teammates, or the people he cares about. He doesn’t want to be apart of Griffin Rock’s community because they have only ever seen him as a mindless robot but he does view himself as apart of the Burns family. His relationship with Blurr steadily improves and they both grow to not dislike each other. Also with Kade their is an episode where this old lady is insulting the robots and Kade is genuinely about to get into a fist fight with her over the issue. Kade also has series issues with peer pressure, which is funny to me. I like heatwave a lot, I love the way his anger is portrayed and how despite him being the way that he is he dose show love and care to others.

Also Boulder is just so nice and there’s this music thing that plays whenever he’s learning and I love himmmmmmm. I like that he didn’t have an antagonist relationship with Graham, he was genuinely interested in earth and learning more but Graham was anxious because he didn’t know as much as Boulder, and it wasn’t in a ‘I’m upset your smarter than me’ but a ‘I feel so inferior to you and am assuming that you are being condescending because why else would you be talking to me’. But when he gets over that they work well together, Graham is willing to give up going to a really really good school to stay with Boulder (although he gets to take courses online/remotely. Idk how he got to go to school you just need to know he stays on the island) which shows how far their relationship has come. Boulder also being the first of the rescue bots to get a Dino alt mode was great and I loved those episodes, especially when Optimus was just playing with the other rescuebots. They were just having fun together and it was nice. Boulder is so genuinely kind to others and his interest in nature and the world around him is so charming. He wants to hug Heatwave and I want them to hug so much. Heatwave you know you want to hug Boulder. Also the fact that he can use echo-location is amazing and I love it.

You will acknowledge that RB had some level of body horror and you will appreciate that fact. Because it is explicitly stated that Baldes is

A. Afraid of heights

B. Originally a ground vehicle

C. Had no choice in his alt mode and was a victim of circumstance

He went from being on the ground to not having wheels that is fucked. Worse things could happen but holy shit dude. And it’s not like he chose this! He does get over his fears (mostly) and although he has a lot of anxiety he is willing to put himself in danger to help others. Yeah it will take A LOT to get him to that point but he will do it. When Danny and him are surrounded by fire and are about TO DIE he apologizes to her. The rest of the team come in to save them but like- they were going to die. They thought that they were about to die. Third episode in a kids show. And it’s not like Blades and Danny had a great relationship, Danny was an asshole, especially to Kody, and she wasn’t patient with a helicopter that wouldn’t fly. Blades is stubborn and terrified, it doesn’t matter what Danny does because flying is something he never wants to do. But Danny asks him to trust her and he does and she flys them to safety. and they become besties. Blades is also gay. You can’t tell me that he isn’t gay and that him and Bumblebee aren’t robot boyfriends. It is all but cannon the creators of the show tweeted a picture of the two hugging when gay rights became a thing in the US. But his ~friendship~ with BB is great and I love it. Blades also seems to have some form of anxiety and it very much affects his daily life. His nervousness affects him during rescues and that gets him into trouble with Heatwave. I have anxiety and I do love Blades a lot so I don’t know how much of this is actually in the text or just projection. I also find it interesting that he used to be a medic, I love medics in Transformers and it makes sense for a rescue team to have a medic and it makes sense for that medic to be Blades. I also think it’s really funny that he is NOTHING like his G1 counterpart (apart from the name and alt mode of course). Because G1 Blades was a lover of violence and that’s funny to me.

Danny and Cody’s relationship is also really interesting to me. Danny takes out her anger on other people, mainly Cody, and she doesn’t realize that she’s doing it until Cody brings it up to her. She genuinely apologizes to him and says that she will do better. It isn’t really brought up again so I assume that she stuck by her word. Also she plays soccer and is better at it than everyone else in her family and I love her for that.

Chase has survivors guilt. Like that’s just a thing that exists. And he is so determined to try and find this group and help them even if there is literally no way that they could be alive and Cody backs him up and Heatwave lets him go but gives him a direct order to come back alive and Chase has been shown to be unable to go against direct orders and AGAHHASGAHAHBA. It’s just so- it was a good episode. For some reason I thought that Chase and Heatwave had a power struggle, which I’m really happy they don’t because it wouldn’t make sense. I think I thought that because of TMNT but there is nothing in the show that would indicate Chase would want to be a leader. And he really respects Heatwave, although he may disagree with his judgments and decisions he won’t go against Heatwave. Which is also a flaw as his refusal to disobey orders has lead to conflicts. His whole ‘follow the rules’ also has a lot of funny jokes. Like when he’s singing to the baby robot (don’t ask) he interrupts the song to say that the rescuebots don’t condone the reckless behavior that’s taking place in the song. Also the body swap episode is perfect. Literally nothing could be done to make it better it is the best body swap episode. But Chase is such a silly guy. Him and Whirl are the best cops (sorry Jimmy). Chase is also really great in RBA. I love him and I’m so attached to this guy. I love his relationship with Chief Burns and how nicely they work together. I like that half the cast is like ‘yeah my human is a jerk’ and the other is ‘I love my human they are so cool’. It’s just. Silly and nice.

Cody, buddy, my dude, HOW THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO EVERYONE’S SECURITY SYSTEMS? Your unhinged and I love you for that but wow. It’s not even out of character. It’s 1000% something he would do and have access to. Cody is also just great. He forms such genuine friendships with others and you can really tell that he loves rescue work and his home. He’s able to befriend just about ever cybertronian that appears on the show. His connection with Blurr is more than half the reason why he chooses to not go back to velocitron (which totally isn’t destroyed), he befriends the recruits in RBA and is a major voice of reason, and the bond he has with Heatwave is a primary part of the show and if it didn’t exist then the show wouldn’t make sense. Cody is a mediator who helps the others work through their issues with their partners and he’s the main thing that connects everyone. Because everyone loves and cares about Cody and they aren’t willing to just abandon him. They are a family, all of them, and they aren’t going to abandon each other. Family is a strong theme in rescue bots, the bonds that the characters share are so strong and interpersonal. Heatwave cares deeply for the other members of his team, he orders chase to not die. The Burns family has extended to include the rescue bots and arguably Dr.Green and Frankie. The season three finale is fucking perfect with this theme, they are willing to kill themselves for these humans and the speech they give to the family oh my god- Moving on from this—

Salvage is southern. He is southern I love that I love when transformers have accents it’s one of my favorite things ever. Like TFA Blitzwing is one of my favorite characters in part because of the accent. The southern accent suits him I think. I like the connection he has with Blurr. He wanted to help the humans and he’s generally really chill. He finds great fascination with garbage and when he asks if he can keep some Cody and Boulder are like ‘uhhhh I guess’ in a way that’s like holy shit this guy is weird. He recyclessss. I don’t really have A LOT to say about him but I really like him he’s sweet and he is southern. I’d need to rewatch seasons three and four again if I wanted to talk more in depth about him.

I do have a bit more to say about Blurr. To me, he reads as someone who has AD(H)D. The way he struggles to understand why he should work with others, his impulsiveness that comes back to bite him in the ass, his want to move and race, and the way the others talk about him and compare him to Salvage remind me of my own experiences. Specifically how Chase and Blades talk about how they don’t want to teach Blurr reminded me of how I assumed teachers or coaches would think of me. The way Heatwave acts also reminded me of a few teachers. Blurr is an impulsive ass. He sucks so much but also theres a non zero chance that his home planet was destroyed (RB is apart of the alined continuity) and he’s being forced to adapt to a world that is unwilling or unable to accommodate him. I am both annoyed with him and empathetic towards his problems. He views himself in a very positive light but also he wasn’t going to just leave Salvage. When he’s awoken he questions where Salvage is but he also lies about saving the humans. He’s greatly flawed and I probably wouldn’t like to be around him but as a character I love him. I have a hard time watching the second episode that has him in it because it makes me feel bad about myself and that’s understandable. I see him as everything that’s wrong with myself and bit more but I like him? He has an almost antagonistic relationship with Heatwave that improves and he is apart of Heatwave’s greater arc throughout the alined continuity, he learns and improves his teaching methods. He doesn’t like Griffin rock and he has very few reason to like it, the people there don’t know he’s sentient and professor asshole is running the place. He only really has Cody and Salvage as friends and Salvage isn’t on Griffin rock. Blurr also doesn’t die. I like that he doesn’t die please stop killing Blurr it hasn’t happened a lot but come on!

Quickshadow is so cool. I love her she’s fanatic. That’s it. That’s all.

Also the humans are great in this show. I don’t think I’ve seen a transformers show where none of the human characters annoyed me, but rescue bots comes very very close. The villain is a silly silly dude but he’s also a dictator. It’s kind of weird in tone but I do like him as a villain. Dr.Green is amazing and I love him. He’s like if G1 wheeljack was a human. Frankie is amazing and I love her friendship with Cody. They give off the vibes of being besties and I love them for that. Kade is an asshole but their is an entire episode about how he has more than one dimension and cares about his family and friends and girlfriend. He hyped up his brother (Graham) and it’s so sweet. Also Graham is great and I love him. He works well with Boulder and they are genuinely friends. They enjoy spending time together and it’s just nice. Danny is wonderful even with her anger issues. She does seem to improve with Cody and I like that, I like that she is able to get better because it mirrors my own relationship with my sibling. The fact that she also becomes friends with Blades and they banter is great. The humans in Rescue Bots feel necessary to the story. Even the towns folk feel like they belong. I watched half an episode of RID 2001 and I don’t know how necessary he was but their are definitely some shows that don’t need human characters. Also their is a person from Ohio in the show who came to watch birds. Not to shit on human characters, I like a lot of them, but sometimes they can be annoying. Rescue Bots is a great show and the humans work. The environment is also really interesting for a transformers show. Like robots working to help save and protect people in a town is so fun. It’s just fun which is what I think a TF show should be. TFP is great but I watched it in congruence with Rescue Bots and that contrast probably made me like it more. Also Dinobot OP is cannon to Tfp and I love that.

I think the reason I love this show so much is because it’s so nice and sort of calm. Like the situations the characters are put in are really dangerous but the show is made for kids. They aren’t gonna be scared or die. When Blurr died in TFA I was so badly affected by it. The show does take place during a war, but the war isn’t relevant. The characters aren’t actively fighting and because of that they can just relax. The moments when they are playing games are some of my favorites because they let me get attached to them and see them be happy. It also gives small insights into the dynamics and characters. Like Chase is playing a Cybertronian version of chess with Heatwave and Heatwave is frustrated that Chase always wins this game. Chase is better at thinking ahead and strategizing than Heatwave, which makes sense. It also shows how close these characters are to each other, that Heatwave and Chase would play this game together enough to the point that Heatwave would make that comment and be frustrated about it. It’s like the parts of g1 that are just silly for silliness sake. The reason why I watched so much of G1 is because of these little moments. Rescuebots is also superior to TFA because, unlike TFA, RB doesn’t misuse international waters and try to claim that the lakes between America and Canada count as international water. They don’t. If you are in a lake between USA and Canada then are either in America or Canada. The boarder is a fucking line.

Oh and the theme song is the best theme song. I don’t fucking care how good you think tfa’s intro is, RB’s intro gives a perfect summary of the show, the characters’s backstory, and what will be happening. It destroys the tone of the episode and it is PERFECT. So fucking funny when a serious moment is happening only for A ROUTINE PATROL WITH FOUR BOTS IN SATUS- to interrupt it. So good. I am not a functioning human, all I can think about is this fucking show. It is so good, I love the characters and world so much please watch it people it’s great, it’s unhinged, it has a musical episodes and it’s unironically amazing.

So yeah, I am going to get that Chase legacy figure and I will fight a seven year old for it. Hasbro please make all of them I will give you an unreasonable amount of money for a really big High Tide I don’t know the actual name they use for it but please Hasbro please.

Unrelated but if anyone has any links or a copy of the 500 page critique of the Michael Bay TF films please send it to me I really want to read it.

[goffilolo]

Magic attribute categorisation

As much as I find the wide variety of magic attributes on the world of Black Clover to be interesting and full of potential, I feel like it’s being kneecapped to some extent by Tabata’s minimal lore and in some cases lack of more detailed explanations. I could sit here all day discussing it, but the one thing I did want to focus on is the categories of attributes as we know it. We’ve only been introduced to categories of ‘elemental’ attributes and told briefly that other types of magic can be derived/evolve from those. But the longer I sat down to think about it, the more I realised that there’s still far too many attributes that are in no way even closely related to anything remotely elemental and should be in a category of their own.

This realisation was then followed by a kindergarten level mental exercise of being given cards with many different things and told to put them in groups based on similarities. This has led to the following extended attribute categorisation. I did put a few examples for each of the categories to help better illustrate my point, but I didn’t see the need to try and include every attribute we were ever shown.

Here's the list of categories:

Natural attributes - All the basic ‘elemental’ attributes fall into this category, as well as some other types of magic that relate to the natural phenomena.

Examples:

Poison magic

Glass magic

Beast magic

Material/Man-made attributes - These attributes may have initially evolved from natural attributes, but they are characterised by appearing as/being based on man-made objects, often allowing for more ‘complex’ spells. 

Examples:

Key magic

Sword magic

Dice magic

Physical attributes - This category covers all attributes that are derived from the laws of physics and affect the very foundation of how the world works.

Examples:

Spacial magic

Time magic

Gravity magic

Performative attributes - Unlike other types of magic, these aren’t based around a ‘thing’ or a physical force that can be manipulated, but rather an ‘action’ that needs to be performed.

Examples:

Sealing magic

Copy magic

Dance magic

Conceptual attributes - These attributes are unique in that they aren’t based on physical/tangible elements and are often derived from more complex, man-made ideas. They exist because the very concept of them exists within mass consciousness. 

Examples:

Word magic

Dream magic

Curse magic

All of this is just my ideas based on categories that make sense to me. If you don't agree with them that's fine, if you want to use the ideas of these categories in your own stuff that's fine too.

[theshadowrealmitself]

Thinking about the post I made about an omega getting transported to a universe without the a/b/o dynamics (unfortunately can’t reblog that original post with this addition cause both posts are gonna be scheduled) and I think a situation like that would really help give me what I want out of omegaverse

What I really want out of omegaverse is all the world building stuff, how a society and its people would function in that situation, but most of the time it’s a reimagining of intense misogyny, which is not my cup of tea

But I think a situation where a person goes from a society like that (without the omega hate) to a society where a/b/o isn’t a thing, would really highlight how different things would be

Technically the omegaverse society is different depending on the author, so I’m making up my own version, and adding in aliens:

Heats and ruts can cause health problems, the stress it puts on your body every month can lead to a ton of issues down the road, and honestly you just don’t wanna have your life be disrupted that much, so going on suppressants is common, especially for people who are single

But going off of suppressants can be deadly, and sometimes your suppressants can start being less effective as time goes on, so calling out of whatever to make sure you can go to the doctors and have that all figured out is not only normalized but also encouraged

(But now you’re suddenly in a universe where Humans don’t go through all that and you’re running out of suppressants and you’re just hoping the scientists, Vulcan ones who are strangely extremely interested in your heat suppressants and keep asking you about rut suppressants?, can quickly figure out how to make more)

Depending on the situation, scent blockers can be used (mostly in the maternity ward, so the medical staff don’t accidentally get their scent on the kids and accidentally cause the parents to instinctively think they’re trying to take away their kids), but it’s more of a personal preference

Alphas, omegas, and even betas can scent mark things, but alpha scents are usually just more noticeable because they tend to be more territorial and aggressive, doesn’t mean that omegas and betas aren’t scent marking things for the same reason, so just because you can’t smell an alpha around, doesn’t mean you aren’t encroaching on someone’s space, you can also tell people’s emotions from their scent

(You hate that in this new universe, no one can smell that you claimed stuff and you have to remember to verbalize it, you also hate that the only ones who can smell you are aliens who have to be weird about it because they aren’t used to Humans smelling like that)

I can never think of anything cool for betas and I hate that it’s usually just like “betas are usually just how Humans are irl”, so what, they don’t have cis guys that can get pregnant and cis women who can sire kids? boring! but I can’t think of anything fun for them!

Claiming bites are a thing, but mostly a thing of the past, still, you never touch go near an omega’s through without explicit consent

(If another fucker tries to go near your neck again you’re losing it at them >:/)

Nests are a big thing, even outside of heats, and kids, and stuff, it’s just really beneficial to an omega to have a safe, soft, place they have complete control over, their instincts demand it

(Apparently nesting isn’t a normal fucking thing for Humans in this universe?? you can’t find the round mattress with the round frame that has a headboard that goes around a majority of the bed to kinda cocoon you anywhere, that’s like, the most basic thing you’d used to find in stores, and now you keep having to find specialty shops that cater to extraterrestrials to find anything remotely similar, or figure out how to replicate it yourself, this is so frustrating!!! you’re gonna be so much more frustrated when you try to find the other supplies needed for nesting)

Instead of heats and ruts being quick things, there’s still a lot of time and clarity before it hits them, so like, let’s say if it’s a default alpha/omega, the omega will obsess over their nest and get it just right while the alpha get their scent on everything else in the room to let everyone else know to fuck off (if it’s any other pairing, then whoever feels the most comfortable fighting if a trespasser comes by, [even though that almost never happens, but there’s always that instinctual worry that if will happen] is the one who gets their scent on everything else and makes sure the room they’re in is secure)

(I love the idea of this omega getting a temporary Vulcan partner because their heat came on quickly, and Vulcans understand their predicament, so the omega is stressing over their nest while the Vulcan is walking around, methodically trying to scent everything because they know that also serves to make the other person not scenting feel secure in that scenario, and then, because I feel like Vulcans are a little bit of control freaks (lovingly) the Vulcan goes over to fuss with the nest as well and the omega is strangely content with that)

That’s what I have for now, may add stuff later

[scooprtroopr]

Hiiiiii Ali :} 15 + 30 for the prompts, w Steve or Eddie , but no pressure if you can’t think of anything!!

love u xoxo

Oh my beloved Syl it was a joy to write this for you, no matter how rusty I felt trying to put words to paper (or rather word doc). Thank you for the prompts and I hope you like it 🖤💕🖤💕

15. “Is this okay?”

30. “Ah, there you go. Safe and sound, hm?” 

This shouldn’t be so awkward. You’re just two friends, two really good friends, two best friends even, watching a movie together on a Friday night. A friday night that you both had turned down dates to lounge on Steve’s too small couch, and watch scary movies that neither of you were actually interested in watching. You’re the best of friends and you always have movie nights so why does tonight feel so damn different? 

Steve has been mulling this thought over in his head since the movie started 30 minutes ago. Maybe it’s the way you looked at him after he said he turned down a date just to stay in with you tonight. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself but couldn’t help but think there was something more behind the hint of a smile you gave him when he told you. He certainly couldn’t ignore the butterflies in his own stomach when you relayed similar information to him. 

If he’s honest with himself he’s beyond hopeful this unspoken thing between you will eventually blossom into something more but he’s not sure when or how to even start that conversation. How does one tell their best friend that they want to be so much more without risking all the current comforts the friendship brings you both? Steve is so wrapped up in his spiralling that the movie is all but forgotten to him when he feels you tugging on his arm. It’s only then that he registers your face, contorted in fear but trying to play it brave with an all too fake smile. 

“Steve can we -” 

“We can turn the movie off if you want” 

You’re both trying to get your words out, stumbling over each other. You can’t help but smile a little more genuinely now. 

“I guess I’m still just not really into scary movies,” you admit with a shrug. Steve can sense it’s more than your life long aversion to scary movies though. After everything you’ve both been through, why add more horror to your lives. He can tell you need some time to calm down but clears his throat before he can register what he’s about to say. 

“You uhh, you can come cuddle in. I mean if it’ll help you feel better.” The words leave his mouth in a rush, and he can feel his cheeks beginning to flush. You both stare at each other, the slight awkwardness of Steve’s suggestion hanging in the air. It’s not that you and Steve have never cuddled, but over the last few months you can both feel a change in the way you view each other. You finally scoot over and place yourself next to him sitting up far too straight to be comfortable. 

Between your sudden need to have the perfect posture of a statue and Steve’s confusion about where to put his arm to keep things friendly the awkwardness increases tenfold. Finally Steve can’t help but break the silence with an awkward, “There ya go, safe and sound hm?” He meant it to sound like a joke but the strain in his voice tips you off that you’re not the only one that feels like something is changing in your friendship and that getting too close may lead to confessions that aren’t quite ready to be shared.

But you can’t remember the last time you were this close to Steve, faces so close you could count every long lash he has. And so you take a moment longer to stare at him before pointing out the obvious. 

“Steve I’d feel a bit safer if we actually turned the movie off”

You both burst out laughing, the awkwardness of the previous moment forgotten. Steve finally grabs the remote, replacing its spot on the coffee table with his feet. As he leans back the weight shift causes the couch to dip and for you to lean in a little closer than before. Finally, both feeling more comfortable you turn your attention back to the tv. 

It’s not long before evening turns to night and you start to feel your eyes drooping as sleep threatens to overtake you. With a slight yawn you cuddle in closer to Steve, wrapping your arms around his torso, tangling your legs with his own that are still stretched out resting on the table. Even through your tiredness you can feel Steve stiffen slightly at this new closeness. 

Steve isn’t sure how to respond at first because of course having your body wrapped around his own is okay, it’s more than okay. His mind is going into overdrive and suddenly he’s not tired anymore, in fact he’s pretty sure the nervous energy coursing through him is enough to run a marathon. Your half asleep voice finally catches his attention, as a soft “Stevie, is this okay?” leaves your lips. 

Looking down at your soft face, eyes closed and on the verge of sleep, his mind finally slows down enough to let him just enjoy the moment, and stop worrying so much about the what ifs. He leans down placing a soft kiss on the top of your head, “Yeah angel, this is okay.”

oh look here's more prompts!

[vibratingskull]

Ooooh I have a request if you are interested. Speaking of the Thrawn comics and the books. He briefly talked about his sister, what if he found her again with two kids and a human husband? His team ran into the kids on a planet and caused some trouble for them kind of like how he caused trouble for the imperials when he was found on a remote planet by Eli.

Captain: “Grand Admiral we caught these two disrupting our patrols. They seem to be the ones making the traps around this area” *two kids trying to squirm out of their restraints.*

Thrawns sister: “Apologies brother, it seems my husbands message did not get through. These are my children.”

It turns out pretty angsty

Thrawn just raises an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“Do you have an explanation for the states of your armors?”

The stormtroopers just shift weight on their feets, embarrassed. The captain of the squad takes the floor with frustration in his voice.

“Someone laid those booby traps all over the area and… Well, you can see the results.”

Indeed he can. The armors aren’t damaged in the slightest, they are just covered in berry juice, which is a stain on the dignity of the stormtroopers.

Next to him, Eli is failing to refrain from an amused smile.

“Go wash yourself.” Thrawn dismisses them.

Eli lets out a chuckle as they walk away in shame. They will earn a stupid nickname with all this juice.

“Something is funny?” Thrawn asks his friend.

“Nothing.” Eli clears his throat. “It just reminds me of you when we found you on that planet back then.”

Thrawn tilts his head. It’s true the traps seem pretty similar, but his were not as crude and amateurish.

“Should we send a squad of dark troopers to dispose of the problem?” Eli takes out his datapad, ready to send the order.

“No.” Thrawn says softly, “It will not be necessary.”

“Sir?”

“See those contraptions?” He gestures to one of the untriggered traps the stormtroopers brought back to the tent “Those who made them are of small stature. I think they are children.”

“Children? Why coming so close of a war camp?” Eli asks perplexed.

“It is simply their way to signal their discontent with our presence.”

“This is just stupidly dangerous, they could get shot!” Eli exclaims.

“I trust our troops have more discernment than shooting a child, Lieutenant Commander.”

“I got you, rascals!” They hear shouted outside of the camp.

They turn their heads to see a troopers with, indeed, two children under their arms.

“Grand Admiral, I surprised those two rebels setting up traps around the camp!”

“Come on, now. They are merely children, let them go.” Thrawn softly instructs.

The trooper put them down but holds their hands firmly, preventing their escape. Eli gasps, those are not just children, those are chiss children!

“Sir!”

Thrawn kneels to meet the kids at their level, one of them sticks his tongue to him while the other observes the then with a gruff expression

“Where are your parents, children? I would like to speak to them.” 

“No!” One of them shouts. “You’re bad!”

Thrawn shakes his head patiently.

“If you guide me to your parents, I will let you go without even a scolding.”

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

Eli remains mute, pursing his lips.

It isn’t hard to understand that Thrawn would like to speak with members of his race, but this is postponing the whole mission.

The children guided them to a modest house at the border of the forest, or rather a ranch, judging by the field with herbivore creatures roaming around.

Thrawn knocks on the door while the stormtrooper tries to keep the kids calm but they pull and groan all over.

The door opens on a human man, clearly surprised. He looks at the scene before slowly turning towards the in of the house.

“Cha’cah! I will need you on this one!” He calls.

A Chiss woman comes behind him and frowns immediately.

“Boys! Release my children immediately.” She orders with a hard voice, clearly unimpressed by the Grand Admiral present.

“Greetings, civilians.” Thrawn responds unbothered. “May I have a word with you?”

“Release my sons before I kick you out!” She bares her teeth.

“Ma’am, they ventured too close of our camp. They could have been hurt badly, I am simply here to escort them back to you and share a word.”

She seems to calm down but her gaze is still deadly. Eli gulp, she looks terrifying enraged, but now that she starts to relax, just a bit, she looks a lot like Thrawn he realizes.

He shakes his head.

All Chiss look the same to him as all humans must look the same to her.

“Alright.” She begrudgingly responds. “What do you want to know?”

“First I would like to know your name, it is so rare to see a Chiss so far away from the Ascendancy.” 

She crosses her arms on her chest, eyeballing him up and down. Next to her, her human partner looks distressed, not knowing what to do as the two Chiss glare at each other.

“I’m Borika.”

Eli’s eyes widens, Thrawn seems struck by lightning, profoundly shocked. He never saw him like that. Thrawn opens his mouth agape before closing it, his emotion passing on his face like a wave dying on the shore.

“May I know your young girl’s name?” He asks with an assertive voice, a single tremor betrays his inner state.

She snarls.

“What does it have to do with anything?”

“Please answer.”

She tuts, clearly displeased, laying against the door.

“If I remember correctly it was Kivu'rik'ardok.”

Thrawn is stiff, Eli sees his hands rolling into fists behind his back. What’s going on?

“Thank you for your honesty.” He just responds.

“And you? Basic politeness requires you to give me your name in exchange. I need to know who I may sue for harassment.” She retorts with an icy cold tone.

Eli’s shoulders lower, again a paranoiac civilian…

“I am Mitth’raw’nuruodo.” 

It’s her turn to stiffen. Her eyes open wide and she uncrosses her arms like the sky has just fallen on her head. 

“You… No…” She murmurs.

“Cha’cah everything’s alright?” Her partner immediately asks, sensible to her distress.

She remains silent as Thrawn and her look into each other's eyes.

For Maker’s sake, what is going in here? Eli’s completely lost.

“What… Why are you here?” She asks with a trembling voice.

“I am here on a mission. I did not intend to disturb your peace, I promise.” He answers in an almost pleading tone.

“Release my children at once.” She orders.

With a snap of his fingers Thrawn lets them go. They run to hide behind their mother, holding on to her.

“Cha’cah?” The human male tries again.

She shushes him with a gesture of the hand.

“I don’t know if you are welcome here.” She utters to Thrawn. “Not now that you are a…” She doesn’t finish her sentence, shaking her head.

Thrawn remains silent, only gulping.

“Sir?” Eli tries to reach his friend. ���Everything is good?” 

“Everything is fine, Lieutenant Commander. We escorted back the children, we have nothing else to do here.”

Didn’t he wanted to speak to another Chiss? Why departing now?

Thrawn bows slightly to the couple and turns away without a single other word.

Eli looks at him walking away and spins towards the family just in time to see her shocked expression closing the door to his face.

Eli looks dumbfounded at the door before joining his superior.

“Sir? Are you sure everything is fine?.”

“Perfectly fine.” He responds a bit too harshly for him.

“Did you… Knew her?” Eli tries.

Thrawn stops and looks at the hills far away before them.

“It was a long time ago, Lieutenant Commander. Things have changed now. For ever.”

They go back to the camp, never speaking of that day ever again.

@bluechiss @thrawnalani @justanothersadperson93 @al-astakbar@thrawnspetgoose @readinglistfics @elise2174 @debonaire-princess @twilekchiss @pencil-urchin @ineedazeezee @mssbridgerton @dance-like-russia-isnt-watching @Cortisolcosplay

☆Tag list

[weirdocvnt08]

Title: Don’t be a loser!

Relationship: Rise!Leonardo/Yuichi Usagi (one-sided)

TW: Mentions of underage smoking of nicotine/marijuana [Pls skip this post if this stuff doesn’t interest you]

Author is listening to: California Here We Go by The Garden

AN: This was written for shits & giggles & even though the boys didn’t actually smoke in this, I have to put it out there for the minors reading this to pls avoid vaping. Don’t matter if it’s nic or THC, both aren’t good (yes even THC & as someone with first hand experience lemme tell you if you have family history with addictions & have autism then bby you’re most likely gonna end up reliant on it which is no bueno) and it can very much damage your still developing brain as corny as that sounds. With that being said, enjoy this sorta/sorta not crackfic and Usagi’s poorly hidden one-sided feelings bc Leo just sees him as his bro (for now, maybe ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ)

~⛽️💨~⛽️💨~⛽️💨~

Usagi and Leo had been in the middle of playing an online game on their phones until Usagi’s abruptly shut itself off. Heart rate quickening and hoping their game was still connected, Usagi tried to quickly turn the device back on but was instead met with the zero-battery icon that had displayed itself on the screen.

“Dude did your phone just die?!” Leo exclaimed as he watched Usagi’s character lag and glitch before the game ultimately kicked him off, taking him back to the main menu.

A regretful whine was all Leo could get in response. He sighed as he closed off the game and set his phone aside. “Wanna watch something then? While we wait for your phone to actually charge?” Leo asked as he leaned over to his bedside drawer to pick up the remote control for his TV.

“Yes! Can I choose?” If the platinum haired teen were animated, he’d have sparks shimmering around him and stars gleaming in his eyes, but sadly this was the real world and as Leo kept his focus on his flatscreen he cocked a restive brow as he replied nonchalantly, “After you made us lose our mission and we’ll have to now start from our last checkpoint that was, like, forever ago? Sorry, but it’s a hard ‘no’ my guy.”

“Mmh!” The Japanese boy grunted out in a miff manner as he got up from Leo’s bed to retrieve his charger from his bag and plug it to the nearest available outlet. Choosing the small lone spot beside Leo’s bookshelf, he bent down on one knee to connect the plug but stopped himself at the odd sight before him.

“Leo why do you have this usb type thing charging, and why does it look so weird?”

Knitting his thin eyebrows together in confusion, Leo mouthed to himself ‘USB?’ but the realization quickly clicked in his head and couldn’t help the brief chortle that escaped his mouth as he thought of an exciting idea.

“Oh that? Bring it over here and I’ll show you what exactly it is.”

Having not noticed the impish look on his American friend’s face due to his allowance of getting the strange object, he took a closer look at it as he walked back to Leo. The surface was a matte electric blue and on one side there was what he assumed was the brand name. ‘STIIIZY?’ he confoundedly thought.

The more that he stared at it, memories of his past encounters in their school’s restrooms that involved this same type of gadget would suddenly rush into his mind. In his option-less runs to use the poorly maintained restrooms around campus, he’d always have to brace the groups of people who’d ditch class to hang out and smoke both outside and inside the stalls carrying those similar rectangular objects in their hands.

Sometimes (if he wasn’t immediately kicked out from it) he’d opt to just walk to the closest restroom and avoid the horrid mixed stench of sweet artificial cookies and sewage water, but nine times out of ten he’ll ignore the sharp glares and sneers that’ll get sent his way as he makes his way to do his business that the restrooms were purposed to do.

Besides all that, Usagi just hopes that it’s not what he thinks it is as he plopped himself down onto the bed and extended his left hand towards Leo, who was leaned over again and digging a hand inside his drawer. After he found what he was looking for he swiftly took his sleek object back and attached a familiar looking compact filled with a yellow substance into the open slot. His fear was now just confirmed.

“Yui y’know what a—?”

“You smoke?! And nicotine at that? Why?! Leo you’re too pre—!” Coughing fugaciously at his near slip up of calling his best friend pretty, Usagi covered with, “I thought you were too cool for that kind of stuff?”

Playing with the thin vape in his hand, Leo laughed at the claim. “Mmmm, I don’t ever remember saying about my stance on vaping, but chill out it’s not nic, it’s weed.”

“How is that any better?”

“Look I’m not gonna explain the politics of the two, but just know this is way better and funner than nicotine!” Leo exasperated. What the shaved headed teen had left out though was that he himself hadn’t smoked nicotine ever in his life and just jumped straight to marijuana, so his answer holds no weight. He continued, “I don’t even do it a lot and just use it when I want to have a good time during movie nights or want to make my favorite meal ten times better because I have the munchies. It also helps when I feel myself becoming too absorbed into my thoughts, but that’s beside the point.”

Usagi felt icky for feeling this way, but he couldn’t help but feel sort of disappointed that Leo, his most favorite person since moving here, is a part of the hordes of teens that find the weird appeal of owning that useless junk just so they could make grossly sweet scented smoke clouds in front of their friends and not caring about the harm it can do to their young and healthy lungs. Despite his own opposing views though, he tried to swallow his judgment.

“How can anyone underage even get their hands on this, isn’t it illegal? Who even gave you this and does anyone else know you do this stuff?”

“I mean, it's pretty easy if you know someone who has connections, and to answer that other question, only Donnie—who also smokes—and my sister Frida knows. Ida’s also the one who hooked us up with the battery and cart but she’s so stingy though ‘cause she didn’t want to get us the full gram that this brand offers!”

Blank faced, Usagi answered, “I don’t know what that last part meant at all, but I really don’t wanna know anyway.”

The two sat in silence as Leo continued to fiddle with the concentrated THC pen with only a YouTube video playing on the TV to act as background noise. Usagi hoped that meant Leo lost interest in the topic now that he showed off his vape pen, that was until Leo opened his mouth again.

“So wanna take a hit?”

“Huh!? No! Weren’t you catching on with my obvious oppositions to that kind of stuff?!” He vicariously shook his head in disapproval. “I have important people in my life that expect me to be better than to do these types of things. Also don’t wanna die of lung cancer anytime soon.”

Sucking his teeth, Leo pressed “C’moooon! We can shotgun if you want!”

“Shotgun?”

“Basically I’ll take a hit and I’ll pass it to you by blowing it to your mouth for you to inhale.”

A strained expression appeared on Usagi’s face as he painted the image in his head and from what he’d seen it wasn’t very appealing if not super awkward. “That sounds dumb and weird.”

Leo cackled as he instantly knew the other teen didn’t get it, so he explained through small fits of laughter, “I don’t think you’re picturing it right dude. Our mouths have to be like really close so it’s sorta gonna look like we’re gonna go in for a kiss.”

‘Kiss?’ Usagi thought to himself as he re-imagined Leo’s new description. What he saw was Leo’s attractive face up close to his and his plush mixed tone lips slightly parted and nearly touching his slightly cracked ones, that maybe he might actually find out what Leo’s glossed lips finally taste like if he leans his head forward just a bit more. His heart picked up at the thought and with red tinting his tan skin he quickly adversed “We’re not doing that!”

“Oh? Sorry, was that a lil’ too gay for your straight-male self?” With an amused smile, Leo playfully rolled his eyes and coolly replied “Chill out man, it’s just a suggestion. But since you’re such a chad, I guess you’ll just do it on your own then?” He tried to hand him the rectangular device, but Usagi merely pushed the cold and slender brown hand back to its owner’s vicinity.

“Iranai. Don’t need it, so have fun doing that stuff by yourself.” He firmly stated but just like him, Leo wasn’t going to lose his ground and continue his pursuit of convincing Usagi to smoke with him.

“Don’t be lame and have a sesh with meee!”

“Nope.”

“Smoking isn’t as fun if you’re not doing it with someone! Yui!”

“Sucks to be you I guess.”

Leo let out an elongated sigh before voicing, “I get that you have this weird honor code thing where you take promises to heart n’ stuff, but aren’t I just as important to you too?”

Perplexed brown eyes met his hazel ones and with a casual shrug Leo resumed, “I just asked you to do this with me because you’re cool, and I feel comfortable around you, but if you really don’t wanna, then I won’t force you since it’s not fun if you’re not into it too.”

Usagi was gradually starting to feel his ‘tough as nails’ facade slip at the compliments Leo threw his way because of course he’d give more of shit of what this guy says than anyone else who’s known him for years or even since his birth.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I don’t do this a lot y’know. Sorta why I really wanted you to try it with me, since it could be like a really fun memory that only you and me can share.” Leo suddenly said, and although Usagi knows better than to blindly trust Leo’s word he could tell that his friend was not fully lying at this time.

“So, what? Trying to tell me that you don’t smoke with everyone?”

“No sir.”

“I don’t buy it.”

“I’m serious. I’ve literally only smoked with my siblings. I don’t trust the crap people at school have, and I don’t trust the people at school like that even less so yeah, I don’t smoke with everyone and only a few select people are worthy to see me at my stupidest.”

Silence fell upon them again and Leo didn’t really know if his bait had worked or not, but sure enough it did as Usagi abruptly huffed out “Give it” and extended his hand to reveal his open palm that waited expectantly to receive something.

“But I thought—.“

“Just pass me the stupid thing you manipulative asshole!”

Ecstatic over Usagi’s change of mind, Leo quickly handed him his vape pen and watched as Usagi mauled over his new decision.

“If you’re worried about how you’re gonna act, don’t worry. Since I’m not as new to this like you, I can keep my bearings and take care of you if you end up doing something stupid.”

Cupping Usagi’s hand that held his little item of relaxation and enjoyment, he looked into the other boy’s eyes and earnestly promised “Swear on my dad’s life that I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Trust me, all that you’re gonna feel is as if your whole body is floating and even find yourself kinda hungry.” Letting good of his hand, Leo encouraged him to go for it with a nod of his head.

‘Am I really going to do this?’

With one last glance at Leo’s smug yet gorgeous hazel-green eyes he felt as if his heart had been squeezed from the huge amount of affection he was currently feeling for the other teen across of him.

‘Yeah, I really am.’

Hesitantly, he brought the pen to his lips and the more he dared to take a hit he could hear the loud anxious pounding coming from the center of his chest. It beat so loud that once he finally took a brave inhale from the pen he didn’t even register Leo’s rushed warning, and before he knew it, he felt as if a ball of fire had invaded his airways.

[nifflering]

Part two Beware spoilers for life on mars series one and two

Hello, hello, hello (some brainrotted fellows will understand this reference) Welcome to another edition of

*me rambling at you about life on mars (the UK version)*

Most important thing: this is my interpretation/analysis.

So, these are my personal, quite uneducated opinions. Also: I bought the series on DVD. No one will be safe.

Today, we'll be talking about the usage of colours in lom in general. If I do start and finish a rewatch and find some interesting scenes – I will add my commentary on them.

Like I already said many times before – there aren’t really many scenes in 2006/2007.

The shooting script of the first episode (I found it while floundering around on the waybackmachine) originally includes a scene in Sam and Maya’s appartement. (Context my beloved: Sammy boy is being kind of an ass, too busy with his job to solve his issues with Maya. She attempts talking to him but fails. I don’t know why they deleted it, because it would have really provided more context to their relationship and – most importantly, for my cause, a sneak peek of their apartment – I imagine it as very clean and kind of impersonal, a few personal touches, Maya’s attempt to brighten up the place. I think they’re both really busy, they started decorating but then Sam became DCI and he got too busy to use the apartment for anything except for sleeping. #Overwhelmed king)

Anyway, let’s take a look at.... a shot that to me represents a big theme of the show and some ✨️colors✨️.

After Sam gets hit by the car , he wakes up in this construction site with a poster of the soon to come high way. An image of the Future.

There’s a really distinct difference between the colour palates. The “future” sky is a nice light-blue, not a cloud to be seen, with some touches of orange and green. Everything is all white, clean and perfect – and it’s all coming soon(er or later).

Of course, it’s a very idealized version of the future. Because it’s how Sam perceives it – at this point in time, he’s very desperate to return.

(Just look at the scene where he first gets contacted through the math programme through the TV. The way Sam crawls towards the TV….. SIR, YOUR ACTING CHOICES. PLEAAASEEE.)

But it’s still surprisingly accurate. However, the idealistic picture of the future is quickly shattered, if you consider that – let’s squint our eyes - to see little Sam’s limp body lying on the ground. Surprisingly, in the 1970s we don’t really see a person being hit by a car (as far as I can remember - except Sam ofc)- But – let’s be honest in 1973 the streets are just every ground that is remotely driveable on.

The past still contains traces of those colours, mostly orange as seen in the dirty underneath the bridge. The air is heavy and greyish, trash and building material is littered on the ground.

The only bits of white are the high-flats in the background, but they are far far away.

Those buildings and streets are still being built – everything’s in flux. Things can change. But, should they? Sam is generally really unsure in that whole department but that’s the thing about it:

We never actually find out, (side note: I haven’t yet seen ashes to ashes) if Sam’s choices actually make an impact in the present. It certainly gives you the impression – his father staying away, his mentor teaching him those lessons, Maya’s birth, etc. etc.. But does it really matter in the end?

Or is it just all in his head? Is he still Sam Tyler in a hospital bed in 2006 or is he an amnesiac Sam Williams in 1973 on an undercover operation?

In the past, there are several buildings – bound to Sam Tyler’s identity, and which I will be further explaining in another ramble.

Let’s get back to colours. Two examples where a similar concept applies: The interrogation room and the general office space of the police department.

The room is flooded with light – courtesy of the huge windows (side note: privacy??? What’s that?). The situation is very transparent as the interrogation is literally being recorded. The person being interrogated has their whole support team with them, including lawyer, social worker and psychiatrist. This scenario is as by the books as you can get it.

I also really like that little shot of Sam adjusting the pens, character go brr.

Same thing in the general offices – a 2010s fever dream with all those clunky computers – which school computer lab have you magically transported me to?

Imagine the absolute horror that Sam feels when he sees the past police department.

Look at it

Without considering the lighting and furniture, the room looks sort of modern – it has a lot of windows and could be causing the same effect as the interrogation room on a visitor.

The officers are working diligently and carefully through every case and issue – investigating every clue and they never rest until they catch the perpetrator.

But that’s wishful thinking - In reality (at least in the past)the room is tinged with brownish yellow lighting, there’s no order to the tables, paper strewn all over the desks and even spending a second in this room will lead you to smelling like smoke for the next 55 years. I would faint. And I’m not even talking about the consequences of not being a white straight guy….

This police department doesn’t even have an interrogation room, they also rarely record any interrogations (leaving a lot of room for interpretation or using some creativity to catch the suspect or get an important lead) and mishandle, don't notice or even collect crucial evidence.

In the lost and found

Even asking for a lawyer – leads to being laughed at and insulted by the literal governor of the department. It’s quite dark and very cramped – it’s quite private – so no one will notice you beating up an innocent person….

But I still feel the office feels very lived in.

There’s a giant dart board, random trophies, dirty dishes strewn about… Good luck getting your case solved. Where’s the evidence that could solve your murder? It’s probably buried under some spicy magazines and a bunch of cigarette buds.

For all the time the police spend at the office, they sure do know when to stop and start going to the pub.

One scene in the later seasons – in the episode about the false imprisonment of the teenager who murdered his younger girlfriend, Gene Hunt is determined to catch her killer for good. He’s made a promise to her father and he’s willing to do almost everything to make his city a safer place (any means necessary). He urges the police men to do anything they can, work day and night and not sleep a wink until they’ve put the right person in prison.

And then, he peeks at his watch and drops everything because they need to get drunk in the pub.

and that's it, hope you enjoyed :)

BONUS: have some cinematic shots

For u @roxannepolice <3

featuring: desperation, isolation and crippling loneliness

lom 1

lom 2

[ms-scarletwings]

Out of all small mammals that have been domesticated as pets, hamsters are one of the most interesting varieties.

And when I say interesting, I mean because they’re so unique, and there is a lot of complexity to them that often goes overlooked even by the owners taking care of them. Naturally, they aren’t well understood by most people, and it’s a strange kind of scary how that misunderstanding can lead to a lot of pain and tragedy for both keeper and pet.

Out of everything there is to know, the most distinct thing about hamsters is probably how downright antisocial they are to other small animals.

When you take a look at other household rodents, you usually see incredibly social creatures which can actually suffer when kept alone. So much so that there are countries outlawing the keeping of single guinea pigs, under the scope of broad animal cruelty regulations.

Take rats, or mice, for another example. Very common subjects of study and experimentation, and renowned for their ability to form bonds and bustling communities.

It’s common knowledge to any rat or mouse owner worth their salt that these animals thrive best when kept in the company of their own, and they naturally prefer to live in groupings.

Your average hamster? Not so at all. In fact, the majority of hamster breeds harbor so much potential for aggression with their own that the previous husbandry advice goes completely out the window when caring for them. And all of this goes extra for anyone with a Syrian hamster on their hands.

The absolute largest of domestic breeds, Syrian hamsters (also referred to as golden hamsters) are an exemplary variety for demonstrating this point. Make any remote suggestion of cohabbing two of these and forums and experts alike will be quick to tell you stop, do not pass “Go”, do not collect $200, because failing to consider the risks might end well… gruesomely.

Some people get the wrong impression that two Syrian hamsters can share a space because, well, they see that pet shops are getting away with housing juveniles together for a time.

It is true that when they are still young and developing, they will tolerate cage-mates much easier, and it’s been shown that you have the best chances when pairing some hamsters with a same-sex sibling they have been raised together with.

Despite however swimmingly this situation seems to be going for now, it is ultimately not so sustainable in the long run. For see… Syrian hamsters eventually mature into highly territorial, solitary creatures by their nature.

Inevitably, that nature will bleed through, creating tensions of dominance struggle between the two that could escalate into more violent fighting.

And as some former pet owners can anecdotally attest to, these fights can and occasionally do end in serious injury for one or both of the animals. Often enough, the victor will turn to cannibalistic actions as well, killing (and eating) its cage-mate in the worst case scenario.

And what of those who are still surviving, and maybe even adapting to the presence of another hamster? Interestingly, when one of the Syrians doesn’t end up devouring the other, these lower stakes conflicts have a stark impact on the psychology and behavior of both combatants involved. After a fight is concluded for Syrian hamsters, something of a pecking order between the two begins to form when the loser cannot get away, where the winner actually adjusts to become more aggressive and dominant over the shared territory. Studies have shown that the hamster at the short end of the stick can start to lose its own willingness to behave dominantly following a hard social defeat. After repeated abuse of this fashion from a cage-mate, the submissive will become more docile and appeasing to the dominant partner over time- a phenomenon known as “conditioned defeat” which appears similar to a kind of learned helplessness.

All in all, the social inclinations of golden hamsters with same-species companions are, at best, quite unpredictable, but in a morbidly fascinating way, me thinks. End of the day, there’s still just something both extremely entertaining and endearing about them, and their quirks.

[gallyg]

An interesting facet of the Zelda timeline is that while you can fit the franchise into a multi-pronged timeline with a somewhat acceptable level of consistency, that timeline does not match the timeline any of the games were actually developed with in mind.

Take Wind Waker, for example. Nowadays, you can say, sure, it’s the first game following Ocarina of Time in the Adult Timeline, the world Link left behind when Zelda sent him to the past. All well and good. But that’s not how Wind Waker was written.

The prologue of Wind Waker tells the story of the Hero of Time and the many journeys he embarked on before eventually disappearing. Multiple references to Termina in the Tingle Tuner’s dialogue makes it clear that Wind Waker was made to be a sequel to Majora’s Mask, implying that Zelda had created some kind of stable time loop at the end of Ocarina of Time.

Moreover, Wind Waker’s vibes simply do not agree with the notion of being only the second chronological game after Ocarina of Time. WW Link is thought to be the reincarnation of the Hero of Time by multiple characters throughout his journey, and the legends seem to have blended the Hero of Time together with the stories of A Link to the Past and the original Legend of Zelda. In addition, an obvious intended element of the tragedy of Wind Waker is that the Hyrule you have grown attached to over the past 16 years has been washed away in a divine flood. That doesn’t hit quite as hard if we discard a majority of Hyrule’s previous appearances.

Again, a lot of this has been sanded over with the official timeline. You have Minish Cap, Skyward Sword, and Four Sword as previous games in the continuity, and Wind Waker HD removed the most explicit references to Majora’s Mask. That’s all fine. I don’t dislike the official timeline, but it’s clear that it wasn’t planned to be this way.

This has come into sharp focus with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The original pitch of Breath of the Wild was that this is the inevitable fate of all histories given enough time. To a certain point, this seemed to make enough sense, even if it also meant we had to assume the existence of identical-in-the-broad-strokes versions of the events of every game in every timeline. Because the only game referenced with any specificity was Ocarina of Time, which is a game common to all timelines, the explanation rings true.

As early as the very next game, Nintendo’s conception of the timeline has changed. Tears of the Kingdom’s backstory shows us a history of Hyrule that shares surface-level similarities to Skyward Sword and Ocarina of Time, but none of the actual details of the plot are even remotely compatible with either of those games. It is beyond clear that Tears of the Kingdom is conceptualized as taking place in a new continuity: one which shares some null lore with the first 18 games, but in which no specific events should be assumed to have occurred until otherwise stated.

You might argue that this is a subtle change, but I don’t think it is. Part of what makes Breath of the Wild work so well as a melancholic tragedy is that feeling of inevitability. Like Wind Waker before it, you’re forced to reflect on how everything you’ve been through with all the different Links and Zeldas could lead here, to the era of the Calamity.

Tears of the Kingdom, despite being a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, has no interest in that sort of fatalism. Don’t get me wrong, time is also a big factor in this game, but the feelings it evokes are very self-contained and different to anything we’ve seen since 1998. Time is conceptualized as less of an unstoppable force and more of an immovable object in Tears of the Kingdom.

The cascading multiverses of varying levels of similarity are actually a strength of the Zelda series, in my opinion. Breath of the Wild implies versions of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and A Link to the Past that aren’t exactly like the games we played. In turn, Tears of the Kingdom implies a version of Breath of the Wild that isn’t exactly what we played either. You could even argue Age of Calamity beat it to the punch on that front.

Here’s why I like this: When playing Wind Waker, it feels like the sequel to the entire franchise. Ocarina of Time becomes backstory and the 2D games become lore. But that’s not what any of those games feel like when you play them. A Zelda game can be the point the timeline revolves around when you play it, and just another piece of a different puzzle when you play another entry. Breath of the Wild is both the finale of the original continuity and the first entry of the new continuity, depending on your current perspective. The history of Hyrule is always changing, like stories of old.

[klonoa-at-blog]

From: Nintendo World (March 2009)

A new mascot for the Wii Platform games are getting harder and harder to find. Even more so when it's in 2D perspective. It's even worse when it's on a console like the Wii that excels in using the Wii Remote in an original way. With a few exceptions, like the excellent Super Mario Galaxy, and last year's releases like Wario Land Shake It! and de Blob, this type of game doesn't usually get many iterations. But if it all depends on Namco and Klonoa, the style will still live a little longer.  As is already obvious, Klonoa is a platform game, in which you control a creature that I wouldn't dare say what animal it is. Some say it's a cat, but you're never sure. It is more accurate to call him "animal with giant ears that we don't know exactly what it is", or the abbreviation "animal". The new work is actually not new. It is a remake of a game released in 1996 for a "non-Nintendo" console. The protagonist who gives the name to the game, lives in a place called "Phantomile" and this place survives on the dreams of its residents. That explains why they can't remember them afterwards. But Klonoa keeps having the same dream every night, about a flying ship crashing into a mountain near where he lives with his grandfather. Surprisingly, in one night, this happens exactly as he dreams, and from there comes the villain Ghadius, who is a dark spirit who wants to turn all dreams into nightmares and put Phantomile at risk. Now Klonoa resolves to be the hero and save his city. Nothing Oscar worthy, not least because it's a game, not a movie. SIMPLE FANTASY Visually, Klonoa impresses with its level of detail, even though it is a "2.5D" game. With 3D graphics, but the camera is focused to the side, allowing only lateral progression of the character. Even with this limitation, the game manages to use creative shapes to give the necessary aspect to create a three-dimensional environment. The character can rotate in scenarios, such as a spiral tower, and observe distant objects that will only be possible by following paths of this style. And all with bright, colorful detailing. Similar to a Disney movie. Only with an "animal" that we don't know what it is. The simple story dictates the style of the game. Not that it's a bad thing, but it demonstrates how easy the game is to play and to advance through the challenges, which aren't even complicated. However, the theme of the game is interesting. You use a spirit friend, called "Huepow", and the "Wind Bullet" weapon that serves to catch enemies and lift them above their heads. So far it seems simple, but the possibilities of this simple act are what differentiate Klonoa from many games. You can do the obvious, which is to throw the enemy into another, or use the enemy to double jump and reach new areas. This possibility helps to create very unique puzzles.  The game is divided in the usual way, with platform and puzzle phases, and at the end you face a boss. Even being a game that seems ordinary, its presentation, and the ways to advance in the game, are the true protagonists of the experience. For fans of the platform genre, there's no better time.

[fr3sh-tragedies]

Playing Minecraft with Boscha

[Just a few general headcanons on how I think playing Minecraft with Boscha would go if she were ever introduced to it. It's been a while since I've just written preferences instead of a full short story, so I hope it's up to par.]

Enjoy!

-Okay, so–

-At first, when you introduced Boscha to Minecraft, she didn’t really care for it.

-She thought it was just some random game for little kids.

-It wasn’t until you finally convinced her to join your game while you played with Luz, Amity, and Willow that she gave in and decided to see why it was so popular in the human realm.

-After figuring out the controls, she was HOOKED.

-A game where you can control pretty much everything you want? Sign her up!

-She’d definitely prefer to play on creative so she could fly around and not worry about having to constantly type in cheats to get the materials she needs, but she’s not upset about playing on survival either.

-Defintelyyyy loves being one to farm for XP. It gives her the chance to kill enemies in the game and even get creative with it. She LOVES it without a doubt.

-For a while, she didn’t want to play alone. She had been introduced to the game with other friends, meaning she could kind of rely on them to help her gather resources and fight tougher enemies. She started playing on her own, however, upon realizing she could impress you and the others with her newest designs for her skin and builds (which she totally didn’t look up multiple online tutorials for at all).

-After a while, she really started to enjoy just being able to hop online and play with only you.

-It was really fun getting to spend time with you alone on such an intriguing game. She got to vent about her day and absolutely loved being able to crack jokes with you and just laugh and talk until the early hours of the morning when the two of you would finally log off and go to bed.

-Definitely expect her to spam you with requests to join her game whenever she isn’t busy.

-”Boscha, hun, you’ve gotta stop spamming me.”

-”But look at this thing I just found out about! If lightning strikes a creeper, it supercharges it and–”

-Will absolutely find a way into the Nether before she even has any of the gear remotely needed to survive.

-She doesn’t even know how Nether portals work, she was just messing around with lava and water, or somehow stumbled upon an abandoned portal and managed to ignite it.

-Speaking of ignition, you’d better hope she turned “fire spread” off because once she gets her hands on Flint and Steel, she’ll be setting everything ablaze.

-Will 100% go spelunking without any torches or backup pickaxes/shovels, and then complain when she finds out that she has to have a certain kind of tool to mine up diamond ore.

-Will also be the one who tries to take on multiple creepers, skeletons, or even the Enderdragon at once without a proper weapon. “I’ll beat your ass with my bare hands! Or–eh–whatever the hell these square-looking things are…”

-*QueenBoscha was slain by an arrow*

-"No fair! How'd you kill me, you bony bitch?"

-If, for some reason, she can’t play on her own console, she’ll invite herself to your house and either play split-screen with you on yours, or slide up behind you and hold you, resting her head against your shoulder while she watches you play. She’d definitely be interested in watching you play since you’ve played it much longer than her. She can learn different building techniques, ways to get around different terrains without boats and similar transportation, and hey, maybe she’ll actually learn how important it is to cRaFT A TOOL.

-Playing with her is always fun because she’s so quick to act snarky towards the fictional enemies in the game. Sure, she’ll jokingly yell at a zombie if it smacks her, but she gets so defensive if something attacks you.

-Sometimes it seems like she forgets that the game is entirely fictional and you aren’t actually being hurt. After a while of you teasing her about it, she starts to make fun of herself in a way. She’ll use the voice she had when mockingly reading one of the Azura books aloud. “I shall avenge thee!”

-For sure has pink-themed “equipment,” as she calls it. I’m talking pink controllers/keyboard + mouse, pink (probably LED) headphones, pink wrap for the console itself, etc. And not, like, pastel pink. Neon pink or a really bright shade of magenta.

-Her voice actress (Eden Riegel) said she’d absolutely be one to set trends in the human realm, but I think one of the trends she’d follow herself is trying to start a gaming channel.

-She’d definitely expect you to fully support her and even create a channel of your own so you could collaborate on the game.

-Eden also said Boscha’s favorite human snack would be Takis, so I can picture her snacking on those while she’s playing anything online.

-Overall, Boscha would absolutely love playing Minecraft, especially with you, and would kinda grow a little too obsessed with it for a while before moving on to a new game, though she'd always come back to Minecraft if she needed to relax.